Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Progressive frontal gait disturbance with atypical Alzheimer’s disease and corticobasal degeneration

OBJECTIVES The clinical neuropsychological, neuroradiological, and neuropathological description of two patients presenting with a frontal gait disturbance. METHODS Clinical case note review, neuropsychological assessment, functional imaging with 15O2 and 18F-fluorodopa PET, and neuropathology. RESULTS Both patients presented with frontal gait impairment and only later developed more widespread cognitive impairment. In both cases15O2 PET disclosed focal hypometabolism in the medial frontal lobes and in one patient 18F-fluorodopa uptake into the caudate and putamen was normal. The neuropathological examination in one patient showed Alzheimer’s histopathology together with large swollen eosinophilic neurons characteristic of corticobasal degeneration, which were particularly prominent in the medial frontal lobes. CONCLUSION Focal degeneration of the medial frontal lobes may present as an isolated gait disturbance and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients who present without an obvious structural abnormality on neuroimaging.
Numerical Solution of Light Scattered from and Transmitted through a Rough Dielectric Surface with Applications to Periodic Roughness and Isolated Structures

Light scattering and transmission by rough surfaces are of considerable interest in a variety of applications including remote sensing and characterization of surfaces. In this work, the finite-difference time domain technique is applied to calculate the scattered and transmitted electromagnetic fields of an infinite periodic rough surface. The elements of Mueller matrix for scattered light are calculated by an integral of the near fields over a significant number of periods of the surface. The normalized Mueller matrix elements of the scattered light and the spatial distribution of the transmitted flux for a monolayer of micron-sized dielectric spheres on a silicon substrate are presented. The numerical results show that the nonzero Mueller matrix elements of the system of the monolayer of dielectric spheres on a silicon substrate have specific maxima at some scattering angles. These maxima may be used in characterization of the feature of the system. For light transmitted through the monolayer of spheres, our results show that the transmitted energy focuses around the ray passing through centers of the spheres. At other locations, the transmitted flux is very small. The technique also may be used to calculate the perturbance of the electromagnetic field due to the presence of an isolated structure on the substrate.
Preparation of a Microprism Ni-Ceo2 Nanocomposite Mold by Electroforming

Electroforming has been applied in the fabrication of a mold. However, its lower microhardness has prevented its wider usage in general plastics and optical mold making. In this paper, CeO2 nanoparticles is first added to the bath to improve the microhardness of the electroformed microprism mold. Compared with microprism pure nickel mold, the microhardness and the wear resistance of the microprism Ni-CeO2 nanocomposite mold were significantly improved. The maximum microhardness of 530HV was observed in the nanocomposite deposits obtained at the current density of 1 Adm−2, and the microhardness of pure nickel is approximately 291HV. Finally, a microprism Ni-CeO2 nanocomposite mold was successfully electroformed.
ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings: monitoring and patient education--2003.

PURPOSE Results of the 2003 ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings that pertain to monitoring and patient education are presented. METHODS A stratified random sample of pharmacy directors at 1173 general and children's medical-surgical hospitals in the United States was surveyed by mail. SMG Marketing Group, Inc., supplied data on hospital characteristics; the survey sample was drawn from SMG's hospital database. RESULTS The response rate was 47.1%. Virtually all hospitals (95.3%) had pharmacists regularly monitoring medication therapy in some capacity. Patient monitoring has improved since 2000; fewer respondents reported monitoring less than 25% of patients in the hospital, and most hospitals reported an increase in the amount of time pharmacists devoted to monitoring activities. Pharmacists were provided computer access to laboratory information in 78% of hospitals to facilitate this function. Detection and reporting of adverse drug events (ADEs) have substantially increased since 1999, with an increase of 42% in events reported internally. Strategies to improve ADE reporting were in place in 84% of hospitals, indicating that pharmacists are adopting the widely recommended philosophy of learning from errors. Errors were less widely reported externally, limiting the value of aggregated data for improving the medication-use process. Most hospitals (85.5%) had an interprofessional infrastructure in place to discuss and learn from voluntary reports of ADEs. Medication counseling continued to be relatively infrequent, with nearly three fourths of hospitals reporting fewer than 26% of inpatients received medication education. Pharmacist staffing in hospitals has risen significantly, from an average of 8.6 full-time equivalents (FTEs) in 2002 to 9.4 FTEs per hospital. Vacancy rates for pharmacists decreased from 7.3% in 2002 to 43%. It is now estimated that there are 1846 vacancies in hospital pharmacies. CONCLUSION Notable improvements in hospital pharmacy practice have been made. The percentage of patients whose medication therapy is monitored by pharmacists has increased, and most hospitals reported that the amount of time pharmacists spent monitoring patients' medication therapy had increased. Internal and external reporting of ADEs has increased, and pharmacist vacancies have decreased from 2002. Staffing has also improved, suggesting an abatement of the critical shortage of pharmacists in the hospital setting.
Intelligent Management Systems for Energy Efficiency in Buildings

In recent years, reduction of energy consumption in buildings has increasingly gained interest among researchers mainly due to practical reasons, such as economic advantages and long-term environmental sustainability. Many solutions have been proposed in the literature to address this important issue from complementary perspectives, which are often hard to capture in a comprehensive manner. This survey article aims at providing a structured and unifying treatment of the existing literature on intelligent energy management systems in buildings, with a distinct focus on available architectures and methodology supporting a vision transcending the well-established smart home vision, in favor of the novel Ambient Intelligence paradigm. Our exposition will cover the main architectural components of such systems, beginning with the basic sensory infrastructure, moving on to the data processing engine where energy-saving strategies may be enacted, to the user interaction interface subsystem, and finally to the actuation infrastructure necessary to transfer the planned modifications to the environment. For each component, we will analyze different solutions, and we will provide qualitative comparisons, also highlighting the impact that a single design choice can have on the rest of the system.
Cancer Risks near Nuclear Facilities: The Importance of Research Design and Explicit Study Hypotheses

Background In April 2010, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission asked the National Academy of Sciences to update a 1990 study of cancer risks near nuclear facilities. Prior research on this topic has suffered from problems in hypothesis formulation and research design. Objectives We review epidemiologic principles used in studies of generic exposure–response associations and in studies of specific sources of exposure. We then describe logical problems with assumptions, formation of testable hypotheses, and interpretation of evidence in previous research on cancer risks near nuclear facilities. Discussion Advancement of knowledge about cancer risks near nuclear facilities depends on testing specific hypotheses grounded in physical and biological mechanisms of exposure and susceptibility while considering sample size and ability to adequately quantify exposure, ascertain cancer cases, and evaluate plausible confounders. Conclusions Next steps in advancing knowledge about cancer risks near nuclear facilities require studies of childhood cancer incidence, focus on in utero and early childhood exposures, use of specific geographic information, and consideration of pathways for transport and uptake of radionuclides. Studies of cancer mortality among adults, cancers with long latencies, large geographic zones, and populations that reside at large distances from nuclear facilities are better suited for public relations than for scientific purposes.
AN APPROACH TO MONITORING PERFORMANCE OF GEO-CODED MULTISENSOR DATA FUSION SYSTEM

Performance monitoring of data fusion system of geo-coded multisensor involves monitoring the activity of the system, making management decisions and performing maintenance actions to reduce the influence of the system faults. Most of the research on the performance monitoring has concentrated on simple monitoring mechanisms related to fault monitoring. This paper considers performance monitoring of complex data fusion system of geo-coded multisensor in distributed network environment. The objective is to find an effective method for designing and implementing an advanced performance monitoring system in order to increase operation reliability and quality of the data fusion system. A functional model for implementing the performance monitoring system is discussed for solving the problem. The key issues addressed in the study include alarm correlation and performance management. This paper describes also the approach adopted in the current work and the imprint techniques for design and implementation of the performance monitoring system
Malabsorption of bile acids in children with cystic fibrosis.

Abstract Quantitative fecal bile acids (in milligrams per 24 hours per square meter of body-surface area) in 24 children with untreated pancreatic insufficiency secondary to cystic fibrosis were increased (743.2 ± 55.3 — mean ± S.E.) whereas those in 12 cases of celiac disease and in seven with chronic nonspecific diarrhea did not differ from values in 18 controls (110.0 ± 11.0). Bile acid loss in cystic fibrosis was comparable to that of six infants after ileal resection (957.7 ± 195.1). A large increase (p<0.01) in fecal bile acids occurred when pancreatic enzyme therapy was withdrawn in five patients with cystic fibrosis. These data and the good correlation (r = 0.78) found in cystic fibrosis and not in celiac disease between fecal fat and bile acids suggest that unhydrolyzed fat or other products of maldigestion may interfere with bile acid absorption. The daily fecal bile acid sequestration of 1.9 g and 3.7 g found in two cases of cystic fibrosis studied during pancreatic supplementation indicates th.
INFLUENCE OF HYDROXYPROPYL METHYLCELLULOSE ON THE RHEOLOGICAL AND MICROSTRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR DOUGH AND QUALITY OF PURI

Puri is a traditional unleavened fried product prepared from whole wheat flour. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) was used to study its effect on rheological characteristics of whole wheat flour dough and puri making quality. Addition of HPMC at 0.5 and 1.0% w/w increased the water absorption and dough stability whereas the resistance to extension and extensibility decreased. Pasting temperature, peak viscosity and cold paste viscosity gradually decreased. The moisture and fat contents of puri increased marginally. Quality parameters and sensory acceptability were monitored after 0 and 8 h of storage. Addition of 0.5% HPMC gave higher sensory scores. Microscopic observations during puri processing showed that the starch granules in the control dough were clearly visible in the protein matrix, which reduced on frying due to partial gelatinization. Microstructure of puri with HPMC showed higher gelatinization of starch. It also helped in moisture retention and hence, resulted in highly pliable and soft-textured puri.
Mitochondria‐targeted green fluorescent proteins: convenient tools for the study of organelle biogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We describe the construction and characterization of a novel set of plasmids for expression of mitochondria‐targeted green fluorescent protein (GFP) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The vectors include constructs with strong regulatable and constitutive promoters, four different auxotrophic markers for yeast transformation, and a green (S65T) and a blue‐shifted (P4‐3) variant of GFP. Mitochondria are brightly fluorescent in living yeast cells grown on different carbon sources and at different temperatures, with virtually no background staining. Specific staining of mitochondria is also shown for a respiratory‐deficient mutant with abnormal mitochondrial morphology. The plasmids facilitate convenient analysis of mutants defective in mitochondrial morphology or inheritance and, at the same time, are suitable vectors for easy construction of different kinds of GFP fusion proteins to study various aspects of organelle biogenesis in living yeast cells. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clinical Grade Purification and Expansion of NK Cell Products for an Optimized Manufacturing Protocol

Allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells are used for adoptive immunotherapy after stem cell transplantation. In order to overcome technical limitations in NK cell purification and activation, the following study investigates the impact of different variables on NK cell recovery, cytotoxicity, and T-cell depletion during good manufacturing practice (GMP)-grade NK cell selection. Forty NK cell products were derived from 54 unstimulated donor leukaphereses using immunomagnetic CD3 T-cell depletion, followed by a CD56 cell enrichment step. For T-cell depletion, either the depletion 2.1 program in single or double procedure (D2.11depl, n = 18; D2.12depl, n = 13) or the faster depletion 3.1 (D3.1, n = 9) was used on the CliniMACS instrument. Seventeen purified NK cell products were activated in vitro by IL-2 for 12 days. The whole process resulted in a median number of 7.59 × 108 CD56+CD3− cells with both purity and viability of 94%, respectively. The T-cell depletion was significantly better using D2.11depl/2depl compared to D3.1 (log 4.6/log 4.9 vs. log 3.7; p < 0.01) and double procedure in two stages led always to residual T cells below 0.1%. In contrast D3.1 was superior to D2.11depl/2depl with regard to recovery of CD56+CD3− NK cells (68% vs. 41%/38%). Concomitant monocytes and especially IL-2 activation led to increased NK cell activity against malignant target cells compared to unstimulated NK cells, which correlated with both up-regulation of natural cytotoxicity receptors and intracellular signaling. Overall, wide variations in the NK cell expansion rate and the distribution of NK cell subpopulations were found. In conclusion, our results indicate that GMP-grade purification of NK cells might be improved by a sequential processing of T-cell depletion program D2.1 and D3.1. In addition NK cell expansion protocols need to be further optimized.
Grain size effect of monolayer MoS2 transistors characterized by second harmonic generation mapping

We investigated different CVD-synthesized MoS2 films, aiming to correlate the device characteristics with the grain size. The grain size of MoS2 can be precisely characterized through nondestructive second harmonic generation mapping based on the degree of inversion symmetry. The devices with larger grains at the channel region show improved on/off current ratio, which can be explained by the less carrier scattering caused by the grain boundaries.
Surface modification of SU8 photoresist for shrinkage improvement in a monolithic MEMS microstructure

The effect of O2 plasma treatment on the surface property of exposed and unexposed SU8 photoresist has been investigated for the fabrication of a monolithic MEMS microstructure. It can solve the non-uniformity problem of second resist coating on the SU8 with high intrinsic shrinkage after exposure and post-exposure baking (PEB) in the fabrication of the stacked polymer–metal or polymer–polymer structure, which was used in the application of microfluid, bio and chemistry. The thickness difference of untreated SU8 before PEB between the exposed and unexposed SU8 was about 0.3% while that after PEB increased to about 6%. It could result in large non-uniformity of about 18 µm thickness difference for the following second resist coating on the hydrophobic surface without plasma treatment. The surface property of SU8 in terms of the contact angle and surface energy can be adjusted by O2 plasma treatment for enhancing the coating uniformity of the following resist. The measured contact angles of the exposed and unexposed SU8 decrease with O2 plasma time, corresponding to the increased surface energy determined by the Lifshitz–van der Waals/Lewis acid–base approach. It displayed that the similar hydrophilic surface property can minimize the thickness difference of second resist coating on the first shrunken SU8. A monolithic nozzle plate with a physical resolution of 600 dpi in a single column was demonstrated for an inkjet application based on the improved uniformity.
Cell Cycle-dependent Regulation of Structure of Endoplasmic Reticulum and Inositol 1 , 4 , 5-Trisphosphate-induced Ca 2 Release in Mouse Oocytes and Embryos

The organization of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) was examined in mouse eggs undergoing fertilization and in embryos during the first cell cycle. The ER in meiosis II (MII)-arrested mouse eggs is characterized by accumulations (clusters) that are restricted to the cortex of the vegetal hemisphere of the egg. Monitoring ER structure with DiI18 after egg activation has demonstrated that ER clusters disappear at the completion of meiosis II. The ER clusters can be maintained by inhibiting the decrease in cdk1-cyclin B activity by using the proteasome inhibitor MG132, or by microinjecting excess cyclin B. A role for cdk1-cyclin B in ER organization is further suggested by the finding that the cdk inhibitor roscovitine causes the loss of ER clusters in MII eggs. Cortical clusters are specific to meiosis as they do not return in the first mitotic division; rather, the ER aggregates around the mitotic spindle. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-induced Ca2 release is also regulated in a cell cycle-dependent manner where it is increased in MII and in the first mitosis. The cell cycle dependent effects on ER structure and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-induced Ca2 release have implications for understanding meiotic and mitotic control of ER structure and inheritance, and of the mechanisms regulating mitotic Ca2 signaling.
Determination of the blood lactate:pyruvate ratio as a noninvasive test for the diagnosis of zidovudine myopathy.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of the lactate: pyruvate ratio as a test for the detection of zidovudine myopathy. METHODS Twenty consecutive human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with muscle involvement and 20 without muscle involvement were studied prospectively. Blood lactate and pyruvate levels and serum creatine kinase levels were tested, muscle involvement was assessed both clinically and electrophysiologically, and muscle biopsy was performed in patients with myopathy. RESULTS Nine patients had biopsy-proven zidovudine myopathy. All 9 had a high lactate:pyruvate ratio, with elevations on 2 of 2 determinations in 6 patients and on 1 of 2 in 3 patients. Two of 11 patients with other myopathies and 2 of 20 patients without myopathy had a high lactate:pyruvate ratio on 1 of 2 determinations. CONCLUSION The lactate:pyruvate ratio, when determined repeatedly, is a sensitive test for detecting mitochondrial muscular toxicity of zidovudine.
A Didactic Model of Macromolecular Crowding Effects on Protein Folding

A didactic model is presented to illustrate how the effect of macromolecular crowding on protein folding and association is modeled using current analytical theory and discrete molecular dynamics. While analytical treatments of crowding may consider the effect as a potential of average force acting to compress a polypeptide chain into a compact state, the use of simulations enables the presence of crowding reagents to be treated explicitly. Using an analytically solvable toy model for protein folding, an approximate statistical thermodynamic method is directly compared to simulation in order to gauge the effectiveness of current analytical crowding descriptions. Both methodologies are in quantitative agreement under most conditions, indication that both current theory and simulation methods are capable of recapitulating aspects of protein folding even by utilizing a simplistic protein model.
Gaussian process learning for cyber‐attack early warning

Network security has been a serious concern for many years. For example, firewalls often record thousands of exploit attempts on a daily basis. Network administrators could benefit from information on potential aggressive attack sources, as such information can help to proactively defend their networks. For this purpose, several large‐scale information sharing systems have been established, in which information on cyberattacks targeting each participant network is shared such that a network can be forewarned of attacks observed by others.
Methodology for multifractal analysis of heart rate variability: From LF/HF ratio to wavelet leaders

The present contribution aims at proposing a comprehensive and tutorial introduction to the practical use of wavelet Leader based multifractal analysis to study heart rate variability. First, the theoretical background is recalled. Second, practical issues and pitfalls related to the selection of the scaling range or statistical orders, minimal regularity, parabolic approximation of spectrum and parameter estimation, are discussed. Third, multifractal analysis is connected explicitly to other standard characterizations of heart rate variability: (mono)fractal analysis, Hurst exponent, spectral analysis and the HF/LF ratio. This review is illustrated on real per partum fetal ECG data, collected at an academic French public hospital, for both healthy fetuses and fetuses suffering from acidosis.
Preparation of TiO2/CNT Composites and Effect of CNT's Structure on Morphology of Nano-TiO2

Four kinds of TiO2/CNT (or carbon fiber) composites were successfully prepared by the sol-gel method using Ti(OBu)4 as precursor of TiO2, and untreated CNT, carboxylic CNT, hydroxylated CNT and carbon fiber were used as carriers, respectively. After heat treatment at 400 and 800°C, TiO2/CNT nanocomposites and purified TiO2 were obtained. Their structure and morphology were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results indicate that different carbon nanotubes and nanofiber have notable influences on the morphology and structure of TiO2 nanocrystals.
The Validity of Providing Automated Hints in an ITS Using a MDP

In building intelligent tutoring systems, it is critical to be able to understand and diagnose student responses in interactive problem solving. However, building this understanding into the tutor is a time-intensive process usually conducted by subject experts. Much of this time is spent in building production rules that model all the ways a student might solve a problem. In our prior work, we have proposed a novel application of Markov decision processes (MDPs), to automatically generate hints for an intelligent tutor that learns. We demonstrate the feasibility of this approach by extracting MDPs from four semesters of student solutions in a logic proof tutor, and calculating the probability that we may be able to generate hints for students. Our results indicate that extracted MDPs will be able to provide over 80% of students with hints while working problems.