Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Real-time, Image-Guided, Convection-Enhanced Delivery of Interleukin 13 Bound to Pseudomonas Exotoxin

Purpose: To determine if the tumor-targeted cytotoxin interleukin 13 bound to Pseudomonas exotoxin (IL13-PE) could be delivered to the brainstem safely at therapeutic doses while monitoring its distribution in real-time using a surrogate magnetic resonance imaging tracer, we used convection-enhanced delivery to perfuse rat and primate brainstems with IL13-PE and gadolinium-bound albumin (Gd-albumin). Experimental Design: Thirty rats underwent convective brainstem perfusion of IL13-PE (0.25, 0.5, or 10 μg/mL) or vehicle. Twelve primates underwent convective brainstem perfusion of either IL13-PE (0.25, 0.5, or 10 μg/mL; n = 8), co-infusion of 125I-IL13-PE and Gd-albumin (n = 2), or co-infusion of IL13-PE (0.5 μg/mL) and Gd-albumin (n = 2). The animals were permitted to survive for up to 28 days before sacrifice and histologic assessment. Results: Rats showed no evidence of toxicity at all doses. Primates showed no toxicity at 0.25 or 0.5 μg/mL but showed clinical and histologic toxicity at 10 μg/mL. Quantitative autoradiography confirmed that Gd-albumin precisely tracked IL13-PE anatomic distribution and accurately showed the volume of distribution. Conclusions: IL13-PE can be delivered safely and effectively to the primate brainstem at therapeutic concentrations and over clinically relevant volumes using convection-enhanced delivery. Moreover, the distribution of IL13-PE can be accurately tracked by co-infusion of Gd-albumin using real-time magnetic resonance imaging.
Use Of The Logical Argument Disjunctive Syllogism Supports Word-Learning In Children And Adults

The past fifteen years have seen a proliferation of proposed word-learning constraints hypothesized to guide a word-learner to the correct referent of a newly heard word. One such class of constraints derives from the observation that word-learners of all ages prefer to map novel labels to novel objects in situations of referential ambiguity. In this paper I use eye-tracking to document the mental computations that support this word-learning strategy. Adults and preschoolers saw images of known and novel objects, and were asked to find the referent of known and novel labels. Experiment 1 shows that adults systematically rejected a known distractor (e.g. brush) before mapping a novel label (e.g. "dax") to a novel object. This is consistent with the proposal that participants worked through a Disjunctive Syllogism (i.e. Process-of-Elimination) to motivate the mapping of the novel label to the novel object. Experiment 2 presents a detailed account of the information-processing involved on these trials, and shows that processing is similar for adults performing an explicit Disjunctive Syllogism (e.g. "the winner is not the iron") and an implicit Disjunctive Syllogism (e.g. "the winner is the dax"). Experiment 3 reveals that, when asked to "Find the dax," there is an effect of the word-length of the distractor object's known label on response time. This suggests that participants retrieved the label of the known object and rejected it before mapping the novel label to the novel object. Finally, Experiment 4 reveals that similar processes govern adults' and preschoolers' mapping of novel labels. Taken together, these results suggest that word-learners use Disjunctive Syllogism, rather than a parallel competition among possible referents, to motivate the mapping of novel labels to novel objects.
A Horn Antenna Design with Novel Waveguide Polarizer for Mobile Satellite Communications Applications

Conventional polarizers usually include complicated corrugations and lossy insertions such as an iris, septa and dielectric slab, causing performance degradation and fabrication difficulties. At high frequencies, such fabrication difficulties and lossy components are limiting factors to achieving low costs and high performance. In this paper, a novel waveguide-type polarizer with an oval shaped cross-section that is inclined at a ± 45° angle for right-handed and left-handed circular polarization is presented. Due to the oval cross-section, the polarizer can be easily fabricated by mechanical processing with considerable performance. The proposed polarizer structure is fabricated using a pyramidal horn with a square aperture. From measured results, it is confirmed that the horn antenna has a gain of 9.4 dBi at 30.5 GHz with 20 dB cross-polarization level. The return loss is below -15 dB from 28 GHz to 34 GHz, and the axial ratio bandwidth is about 18% at a 3-dB level. This horn antenna will be applied to a feeder design with electrical beam scanning for a reflector-based mobile satellite antenna terminal.
Spatial data clustering using an improved evolutionary algorithm

Considering the difficulties for traditional methods in clustering analysis of spatial data, in this paper, a novel spatial data clustering method based on an improved evolutionary algorithm is proposed. It effectively solved the two main problems puzzling many researchers, i.e., 1) difficulty in coping with the local optimum, and 2) sensibility to the center selections of the initial clustering. Empirical evaluation of our method indicates that it has better performance, compared with the other methods in literature.
Exfoliative respiratory cytology in the diagnosis of leukemias and lymphomas in the lung

Leukemias and lymphomas involving the lung were diagnosed by means of exfoliative cytology in 31 specimens from 20 patients. Initial diagnostic categorizations included 29 specimens “positive for malignancy,” including two thought to represent “carcinoma vs. lymphoma,” and two considered suspicious for lymphoma. Previous diagnoses of lymphoma (13 patients) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) (2 patients) were available. In 5 additional patients, exfoliative respiratory cytology yielded the first diagnosis of hematopoietic malignancy. Cytologic diagnosis included nine large‐cell and six small‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL), three Hodgkin's lymphomas (HD), and two AML. Key cytologic features included markedly pleomorphic and monomorphic cell populations in HD and NHL, respectively, as well as lack of tumor cell cohesion and necrosis in all cases. Cytologically, acute leukemia may be difficult to differentiate from large‐cell NHL, and small‐cell NHL from reactive/benign small lymphocytes. Blood, scant cellularity, crush artifacts, and apparent molding may affect diagnostic accuracy. Immunocytochemistry in cell block sections of sputa and washings is useful in the diagnostic workup in selected cases. Although involvement of the respiratory system by leukemias and lymphomas is uncommon and not always preceded by a history of malignancy, cytologic diagnosis is usually prompt, reliable, and accurate. Diagn Cytopathol 1996;14:108–113. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Kinect-based 3 D hand-gesture interface for 3 D databases

The use of natural interfaces improves significantly aspects related to human-computer interaction and consequently the productivity and the overall performance. In this paper we present a novel framework to interact with data elements presented in a 3D space. The system provides two mechanisms to interact using 2D and 3D gestures based on data provided by Kinect and on hand detection and gesture interpretation algorithms. The proposed architecture is analysed indicating that 3D interaction with information is possible, and provides advantages over a 2D interaction over the same problem. Finally, two sets of experiments were performed to evaluate 2D and 3D interaction styles based on natural interfaces focusing on traditional interaction with 3D databases.
The mammalian profilin isoforms display complementary affinities for PIP2 and proline‐rich sequences

We present a study on the binding properties of the bovine profilin isoforms to both phosphatidylinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate (PIP2) and proline‐rich peptides derived from vasodilator‐stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) and cyclase‐associated protein (CAP). Using microfiltration, we show that compared with profilin II, profilin I has a higher affinity for PIP2. On the other hand, fluorescence spectroscopy reveals that proline‐rich peptides bind better to profilin II. At micromolar concentrations, profilin II dimerizes upon binding to proline‐rich peptides. Circular dichroism measurements of profilin II reveal a significant conformational change in this protein upon binding of the peptide. We show further that PIP2 effectively competes for binding of profilin I to poly‐L‐proline, since this isoform, but not profilin II, can be eluted from a poly‐L‐proline column with PIP2. Using affinity chromatography on either profilin isoform, we identified profilin II as the preferred ligand for VASP in bovine brain extracts. The complementary affinities of the profilin isoforms for PIP2 and the proline‐rich peptides offer the cell an opportunity to direct actin assembly at different subcellular localizations through the same or different signal transduction pathways.
Maat: A Platform Service for Measurement and Attestation

Software integrity measurement and attestation (M&A) are critical technologies for evaluating the trustworthiness of software platforms. To best support these technologies, next generation systems must provide a centralized service for securely selecting, collecting, and evaluating integrity measurements. Centralization of M&A avoids duplication, minimizes security risks to the system, and ensures correct ad- ministration of integrity policies and systems. This paper details the desirable features and properties of such a system, and introduces Maat, a prototype implementation of an M&A service that meets these properties. Maat is a platform service that provides a centralized policy-driven framework for determining which measurement tools and protocols to use to meet the needs of a given integrity evaluation. Maat simplifies the task of integrating integrity measurements into a range of larger trust decisions such as authentication, network access control, or delegated computations.
Comparative study between single-incision and three-port laparoscopic appendectomy: a prospective randomized trial.

BACKGROUND Single-incision laparoscopic surgery is a new procedure used to treat a variety of diseases requiring surgical intervention. The aim of this prospective comparative study is to compare the technical feasibility and safety of single-incision and three-port laparoscopic appendectomy. STUDY DESIGN Between February 2009 and April 2010, 102 patients with appendicitis were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups: single-incision or three-port laparoscopic appendectomy. Patients with perforated appendicitis were not excluded. We analyzed the patients' clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes. RESULTS There were no significant differences in preoperative patient demographics between the two groups with respect to body mass index (22.03±4.07 kg/m(2) in the single-incision group versus 21.97±3.49 kg/m(2) in the three-port group, P=. 930). The pain score on the visual analog scale on postoperative Day 1 was significantly lower in the single-incision group than in the three-port group (3.22±1.22 versus 3.90±1.46, P=.012). Additionally, recovery time to daily life was significantly shorter in the single-incision group than in the three-port group (3.22±1.04 versus 3.94±1.43 days, P=.005). In patients with perforated appendicitis, the single-incision procedure took approximately 10 minutes less than the three-port procedure (44.11±7.75 versus 54.14±32.21 minutes, P=.449), and the postoperative hospital stay (P=.033) and recovery time to daily life (P=.001) were significantly shorter in the single-incision group. CONCLUSIONS Single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy is a feasible and safe procedure, even in patients with perforated appendicitis, and this procedure is even less invasive than three-port laparoscopic surgical techniques.
State Variables in Granular Materials: an Investigation of Volume and Stress Fluctuations.

PUCKETT, JAMES GRAHAM. State Variables in Granular Materials: an Investigation of Volume and Stress Fluctuations. (Under the direction of Karen E. Daniels.) This thesis is devoted to the investigation of granular materials near the transition between solid-like and fluid-like behavior. We aim to understand the collective dynamics in dense driven systems, the role of geometry in the volume fluctuations, and the equilibration of granular temperatures. The experiments are conducted using two-dimensional materials composed of a single layer of disks which are supported by a thin layer of air. In driven granular systems, particle dynamics have commonly been quantified by the diffusion, even though this measure discards information about collective particle motion known to be important in dense systems. We draw inspiration from fluid mixing, and utilize the braid entropy, which provides a direct topological measure of the entanglement of particle trajectories and has been used to quantify mixing. We find that as the density or pressure increases, the dynamics slow and the braiding factor exhibits intermittency signifying a loss of chaos in the trajectories on the experimental timescale. In the same system, we experimentally measure the local volume fraction distribution, which we find to be independent of the boundary condition and the inter-particle friction coefficient. We extend the granocentric model to account for randomness in particle separations, which are important in dynamic systems. This model is in quantitative agreement with experimentally-measured local volume fraction distributions, indicating that geometry plays a central role in determining the magnitude of local volume fluctuations. Finally, we test whether the zeroth law of several ensemble-based granular temperatures is satisfied by two granular systems in contact. We calculate the compactivity and angoricity which are the temperature-like quantities associated with the volume and stress ensembles; we observe the compactivity does not satisfy the zeroth law test, while the angoricity does equilibrate between the two systems. c © Copyright 2012 by James Graham Puckett
Rotary powered device for bone marrow aspiration and biopsy yields excellent specimens quickly and efficiently

Recently, a new FDA-cleared battery powered bone marrow biopsy system was developed to allow operators access to the bone marrow space quickly and efficiently. A pre-clinical evaluation of the device (OnControl, Vidacare Corporation, San Antonio, TX, USA) on anesthetized pigs was conducted, in addition to a clinical evaluation in hematology clinic patients requiring a bone marrow biopsy. Twenty-six samples were collected from the swine model. No cellular artifact or thermal damage was reported in any of the samples obtained. For the clinical evaluation of the device, 16 patients were recruited. Mean time from needle contact with skin to needle removal was 38.5 +/− 13.94 seconds. No complications were reported. In this study, the manual and powered samples were equivalent in specimen quality. In the patients evaluated, the device was safe, easy to use and the mean procedural time was significantly faster than previously reported with a manual technique.
Genetic algorithm based optimal on load transformer tap setting for loss minimization in power transmission system

This paper presents a new approach to the use of load flow by proposing the incorporation of the genetic algorithms (GAs) to search the optimal transformer tap setting in order to minimize the line losses. In this way, the choice of the transformer tap setting can be determined whilst minimizing losses and at the same time improved the voltage profile in the power system. The performance of this genetic algorithms technique was tested using standard IEEE 6-bus system and analysis of results is presented.
Comb and multiplexed wavelet transforms and their applications to signal processing

As an extension of wavelet theory, new wavelet bases that are discrete in nature and suitable for the analysis and synthesis of pseudo-periodic digital signals are introduced. By means of these bases, the signal is represented in terms of a periodic trend and aperiodic fluctuations at several scales. In the frequency domain, the periodic trend lies in bands that are centered on the harmonics while the fluctuations are distributed in several sidebands. Properties of comb and multiplexed wavelet transforms are examined and the concepts applied to the analysis of real-life signals. In one dimension, the new transforms have interesting applications to speech and music signal processing. Their extension to two dimensions may be useful for the analysis of pseudo-periodic images. >
Transgenic analysis of the BmBLOS2 gene that governs the translucency of the larval integument of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

The larval integument of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, is opaque because urate granules accumulate in the epidermis. Although the biosynthetic pathway of uric acid is well studied, little is known about how uric acid accumulates as urate granules in epidermal cells. In the distinct oily (od) mutant silkworm, the larval integument is translucent because of the inability to construct urate granules. Recently, we have found that the od mutant has a genomic deletion in the B. mori homologue of the human biogenesis of lysosome‐related organelles complex1, subunit 2 (BLOS2) gene (BmBLOS2). Here, we performed a molecular and functional characterization of BmBLOS2. Northern blot analysis showed that BmBLOS2 was ubiquitously expressed in various tissues. We analysed the structure of a newly isolated mutant (odB) allelic to od and found a premature stop codon in the coding sequence of BmBLOS2 in this new mutation. Moreover, the translucent phenotype was rescued by the germ‐line transformation of the wild‐type BmBLOS2 allele into the od mutant. Our results suggest that BmBLOS2 is responsible for the od mutant phenotype and plays a crucial role in biogenesis of urate granules in the larval epidermis of the silkworm. The relationships amongst Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome (HPS) genes in mammals, granule group genes in Drosophila and translucent mutant genes in B. mori are discussed.
Human orbitofrontal cortex: Cytoarchitecture and quantitative immunohistochemical parcellation

The primate orbitofrontal cortex is a component of the paralimbic cortical “belt” and consists of several distinct areas. It is involved in high order association functions that include the integration of emotion, behavior, and various sensory processes. To define the cyto‐ and chemo‐architectonic organization of the human orbitofrontal cortex, we have used antibodies to the nonphosphorylated neurofilament triplet protein and to the calcium‐binding proteins parvalbumin and cairetinin. Immunohistochemistry revealed labeling patterns corresponding to the cytoarchitecture defined by Nissi preparations. Neurofilament protein‐immunoreactive pyramidal neurons were located only in layers V–VI in the agranular posterior orbitofrontal cortex, whereas they were distributed in both layers III and V–VI in the anteromedial and anterolateral granular regions. The intermediate dysgranular portion of the orbitofrontal cortex represented a transition zone with a progressive decrease in layer III labeled pyramidal cell numbers posteriorly. The distribution of parvalbumin‐ and cairetinin‐immunoreactive interneurons was more homogeneous, although the posteromedial region and the cortex of the inferior rostral sulcus had slightly lower parvalbumin‐positive neuron counts than the other orbitofrontal areas. Parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the neuropil exhibited a high degree of regional specialization in that it was consistently less intense in the cortex of the intermediate and posterior part of the gyrus rectus, whereas the other orbitofrontal areas had a very dense nei staining in layers III to V. Also, there was a dense plexus of parvalbumin immunoreactive fibers restricted to layer I in the posterolateral orbitofrontal cortex, and patches of neuropil staining in layer III of the inferior rostral sulcus. These region‐specific neuropil staining patterns may correspond to the distribution of parvalbumin‐immunoreactive thalamocortical projections to distinct domains of the orbitofrontal cortex. This regional parcellation of the human orbitofrontal cortex as defined by specific neuronal markers, may represent an anatomical substrate for the localization of the various functions attributed to this poorly understood cortical region. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dermal factors influencing measurement of skin autofluorescence.

BACKGROUND Skin autofluorescence (SAF) is a noninvasive marker of accumulation of advanced glycation end products. It predicts cardiovascular complications and mortality in diabetes and renal failure. We assessed the influence of potential common confounders in SAF measurement, by determining the effects of endogenous and exogenous local dermal changes by body creams, hyperemia, vasoconstriction, and hydration. METHODS SAF was measured before and after local administration of body lotion, day cream, sunscreen, or self-browning cream and after attempts to remove these effects with alcohol swabs and washing. SAF was measured before and during three hyperemia maneuvers: vasoconstriction and on a dry and wet skin. RESULTS The body lotion increased SAF by 18%. Day cream, sunscreen, and self-browning cream gave an increase of >100%. Except for body lotion, subsequent cleaning with alcohol swabs and washing with soap did not return SAF to baseline values. The effect of self-browning cream persisted for 2 weeks and that of sunscreen for 4 days. Hyperemia caused by a hot bath, capsicum cream, or postocclusive reactive hyperemia gave a decrease in SAF of, respectively, 18%, 22%, and 2.3%. Vasoconstriction caused by immersing the arm in cold water gave a 10% increase. Hydration state did not influence SAF. CONCLUSIONS Measurement of SAF is strongly affected by several skin creams. This effect was often not fully corrected by alcohol swabs and washing with soap and may persist for many days. Marked hyperemia and vasoconstriction also influence SAF. We advise avoiding these potential error sources.
Sloshing in medium sized tanks under earthquake load

This paper presents results obtained by numerical study of sloshing effects in medium sized rectangular tanks subjected to a long-period seismic excitation. The Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method is used, and the wave displacement and pressure are analysed. The intensity of sloshing effects depends not only on the peak ground acceleration but also on the dominant frequency of ground motion. Excessive sloshing displacements and pressures increase when the natural period of the contained liquid approaches the dominant period of ground excitation.