Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Different Conjunctival Adaptive Response in Patients with Aqueous-Deficient and with Mucous-Deficient Dry Eyes

Purpose To describe the different cellular adaptive patterns found in the conjunctival epithelium from patients with aqueous-deficient and mucous-deficient dry eyes. Methods The authors studied different conjunctival areas, by impression cytology and by biopsy, 50 eyes with facial nerve paralysis (FNP), 50 eyes with ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP), and 50 eyes from patients with primarily Sjögren syndrome (1SS). Results Eyes with FNP from the first clinical grade showed a progressive alteration of the nonsecretory cells, with a significant decrease in density goblet cells, generally with a PAS-positive staining. Eyes with OCP, during clinical grades 1 and 2, showed a slow deterioration of the nonsecretory cells; but from clinical grade 3, there was a significant increase of the cellular size and the thickness of the conjunctiva. Goblet cells showed a significant decrease in density from clinical grade 1, generally with a PAS-negative staining. Eyes with 1SS during clinical grades 1 and 2 showed a progressive alteration of the nonsecretory cells, with a significant decrease in density goblet cells, and a PAS-positive staining. From clinical grade 3 appeared a significant increase of nonsecretory cellular size and thickness of conjunctiva, with a significant decrease in goblet cell counts, and a PAS-negative staining. Conclusions Patients with FNP (a primarily aqueous-deficient alteration) follow completely the squamous metaplasia process. Patients with OCP (a primarily mucous-deficient syndrome) have a hypertrophy and hyperplasia process along the ocular surface. Patients with 1SS (a primarily aqueous-deficient and mucin-deficient alteration) have a squamous metaplasia process, but from clinical grade 3 also appears a hypertrophy and hyperplasia process. (Eur J Ophthalmol 2007; 17: 160–70)
Best supportive care and therapeutic plasma exchange with or without eculizumab in Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli O104:H4 induced haemolytic-uraemic syndrome: an analysis of the German STEC-HUS registry.

BACKGROUND May 22nd marks the beginning of a Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O104:H4 outbreak in Northern Germany. By its end on 27 July, it had claimed 53 deaths among 2987 STEC and 855 confirmed haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS) cases. METHODS To describe short-term effectiveness of best supportive care (BSC), therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) and TPE with eculizumab (TPE-Ecu) in 631 patients with suspected HUS treated in 84 hospitals in Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands using the web-based registry of the DGfN (online since 27 May). RESULTS Of 631 entries, 491 fulfilled the definition of HUS (median age 46 years; 71% females). The median (inter-quartile range) hospital stay was 22 (14-31) days. Two hundred and eighty-one (57%) patients underwent dialysis and 114 (23%) mechanical ventilation. Fifty-seven patients received BSC, 241 TPE and 193 TPE-Ecu. Treatment strategy was dependent on disease severity (laboratory signs of haemolysis, thrombocytopenia, peak creatinine level, need for dialysis, neurological symptoms, frequency of seizures) which was lower in BSC than in TPE and TPE-Ecu patients. At study endpoint (hospital discharge or death), the median creatinine was lower in BSC [1.1 mg/dL (0.9-1.3)] than in TPE [1.2 mg/dL (1.0-1.5), P < 0.05] and TPE-Ecu [1.4 mg/dL (1.0-2.2), P < 0.001], while need for dialysis was not different between BSC (0.0%, n = 0), TPE (3.7%; n = 9) and TPE-Ecu (4.7%, n = 9). Seizures were absent in BSC and rare in TPE (0.4%; n = 1) and TPE-Ecu (2.6%; n = 5) patients. Total hospital mortality in HUS patients was 4.1% (n = 20) and did not differ significantly between the TPE and TPE-Ecu groups. CONCLUSIONS Despite frequent renal impairment, advanced neurological disorders and severe respiratory failure, short-term outcome was better than expected when compared with previous reports. Within the limitations of a retrospective registry analysis, our data do not support the notion of a short-term benefit of Ecu in comparison to TPE alone in the treatment of STEC-HUS. A randomized trial comparing BSC, TPE and Ecu seems to be prudent and necessary prior to establishing new treatment guidelines for STEC-HUS.
Conservation Benefits of Marine Reserves are Undiminished Near Coastal Rivers and Cities

Recent assessments of marine reserves have emphasized the importance of socio‐economic factors in reserve performance. Debates continue, however, about whether we should avoid or promote the placement of reserves near potentially detrimental forces, including coastal cities or rivers. We performed a global meta‐analysis to test whether proximity to major coastal influences affected the ability of marine reserves to enhance the abundance of organisms relative to surrounding areas. A strong effect of reserve performance was evident for a range of trophic groups. Positive effects of reserves were undiminished by proximity to coastal cities or river discharges for the majority of taxonomic groups under conservation. We conclude that reserves placed in coastal areas are likely to protect marine populations to a similar extent as reserves in remote or less‐developed locations. Marine reserves in coastal settings can be an important tool to protect species and ecosystems in places threatened by human activities.
Control Schemes for Equalization of Capacitor Voltages in a Neutral Clamped Shunt Compensator

Voltage imbalance in capacitors is a well-known problem in compensator topologies that use two or more capacitors. This imbalance may exist even if the load does not contain any dc component, due to practical factors. However, when the load contains a dc part, the voltage imbalance problem becomes critical. In this paper, a two-quadrant chopper is used to regulate the capacitor voltages in a two-capacitor compensator structure. Two different control strategies for the two-quadrant chopper to equalize the voltage of the capacitors are proposed. The strategies are validated through detailed simulation studies. Experiments were carried out to validate the hysteresis control of the chopper.
Epilation of hair‐Bearing urethral grafts utilizing the neodymium: YAG surgical laser

Non‐hair‐bearing skin should be utilized when grafting is necessary in carrying out urethroplasty for stricture or hypospadius repair. Occasionally this is not possible, or hair‐bearing skin is used inadvertently. Traditionally electrocoagulation has been the method used for epilation when intraluminal hair has become a problem, such as interfering with flow, being foci for recurring urinary tract infection, or acting as a nidus for calculus formation. Electrocautery is also used at the time of grafting in an attempt to prevent the growth of hair when hair‐bearing skin is utilized. Unfortunately, because of lack of penetration, the hair follicles are not destroyed and the epilating procedure fails or is only partially successful. The neodymium: YAG (Nd:YAG) surgical laser can photocoagulate tissue to a depth up to 5.0 mm and thus has the ability to destroy hair follicles. We report three cases presenting with clinical problems directly related to hair‐bearing urethral grafts successfully treated by Nd:YAG epilation.
Optimal estimation of Jacobian and Hessian matrices that arise in finite difference calculations

In this paper, the problem of estimating Jacobian and Hessian matrices arising in the finite difference approximation of partial differential equations is considered. Using the notion of computational molecule or stencil, schemes are developed that require the minimum number of differences to estimate these matrices. A procedure applicable to more complicated structures is also given. 1. Introduction. In the past few years, there has been a growing interest in studying efficient ways to obtain good estimates of sparse Jacobian or Hessian matrices. Two basic approaches have been followed. In the first approach, it is assumed that one has an estimate of the Jacobian (Hessian) which one wishes to revise given "arbi- trary" changes in the variables and the corresponding changes in the functions (gradients). This has led to the development of several sparse quasi-Newton methods (see (11), (14), (12), for example). In the second approach, it is assumed that one can specify the changes in the variables. One then forms an estimate of the Jacobian (Hessian) matrix from the observed changes in the functions (gradients). When the dimension of the matrix is large and the evaluation of each function (gradient) vector is expensive, it is necessary to take the sparsity structure of the matrix into account, in order to make this approach efficient. Several methods for doing this for arbitrary sparsity structures have already appeared in the literature (2)-(5), (7)-(10), (13). In this paper, we consider the second approach for cases where the sparsity structure arises from finite difference approximations to partial differential equa- tions. Both symmetric and unsymmetric matrices are considered. Although the algorithms presented do not generalize to every pattern generated by finite dif- ferences, they cover the most useful structures, and, in some cases, extend existing methods to more complex situations. In the next section, we describe the method of Curtis, Powell and Reid (5), henceforth referred to as the CPR method, for estimating sparse Jacobian matrices. We then show how the so-called "computational molecule" or "stencil" (1) of the finite difference operator associated with the Jacobian matrix under study can be used to determine the groupings (i.e. function differencing directions) used by the
Long-Term Effects of Parathyroidectomy on Hypertension Prevalence and Circadian Blood Pressure Profile in Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Our aims were to evaluate the prevalence and outcome of hypertension in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), previously and after follow-up of parathyroidectomy. A group of 46 consecutive patients with sporadic PHPT due to adenoma undergoing surgery were followed an average of 3.5 years (range 36 to 53 months). In 16 nonselected, consecutive parathyroidectomized patients, with normalized biochemical measurements, circadian rhythm of blood pressure was evaluated with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Prevalence of hypertension in PHPT was 54.35%, and there was no significant association of PTH, total and ionic calcium levels with SBP and DBP. During follow-up, none of the patients with presurgical hypertension became normotensive and five of the normotensive patients developed clinical hypertension. In ABPM, 6/11 hypertensive and 3/5 normotensive subjects showed nondipper behavior. Serum total calcium was significantly related to night-time systolic blood pressure (SBP) (r = 0.620, P < 0.02), and night-time diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (r = 0.758, P < 0.002). In dippers, creatinine clearance was significantly higher (91.3 ± 18.5 vs. 64.3 ± 11.5 ml/min, P < 0.01), while serum total calcium was lower (2.42 ± 0.13 vs. 2.23 ± 0.17 mmol/L, P < 0.04) than in nondippers. In conclusion, our results suggest that parathyroidectomy has little effect on hypertension prevalence. Renal impairment, a condition that did not improve after parathyroidectomy, may be a causal factor of hypertension in PHPT. Also, the high prevalence of nondipper behavior in hypertensive and normotensive subjects after parathyroidectomy, suggests that target organ risk persists. We hypothesized that slight elevations of serum total calcium even in the normal range could be involved in the alteration of the circadian rhythm of blood pressure.
Blood vessels extraction and classification into arteries and veins in retinal images

Many retinal diseases are characterized by changes in retinal vessels. The retina vascular structure consists of two kinds of vessels: arteries and veins. An important symptom for Diabetic Retinopathy DR is irregularly wide veins, leading to an unusually low ratio of the average diameter of arteries to veins (AVR). In this paper, we present an approach to separate arteries and veins based on a segmentation and neural classification method. Blood vessels are segmented using two-dimensional matched filters, which derived from Gaussian functions. We used feature vectors based on vessel profile extraction for each segment. The obtained features will be introduced as the input vector of a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP); to classify the vessel into arteries and veins ones. Our approach achieves 95.32% correctly classified vessel pixels classification.
Identification of Small-Molecule Noncovalent Binders Utilizing SAMDI Technology

In recent years, the ability to unambiguously identify complex mixtures of analytes with high accuracy and resolving power in a label-free format continues to expand the application of mass spectrometry (MS) in the drug discovery process. This advantage combined with improved instrumentation makes MS suitable for targets with limited alternative assays for high-throughput screening (HTS). We describe a novel screening format using Self-Assembled Monolayers and matrix-assisted laser Desorption Ionization (SAMDI) technology. SAMDI enables affinity capture of a target protein for use in a small-molecule–binding assay format. Subsequent ionization enables the inferred identification of noncovalent compound interactions. SAMDI technology overcomes shot-to-shot variability by uniformly saturating the surface with captured protein, thereby minimizing matrix crystallization “hot spots. ” Furthermore, the combination with high-resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight significantly reduces interference of small-molecule detection from salt, detergent, and matrix. By using a pooled library format, the SAMDI assay can significantly improve the throughput of MS-based screening irrespective of enzyme activity. Finally, we demonstrate binding affinity rank ordering from a pool of compounds that correlates with potency data from a biochemical assay.
Guidelines for Cryptographic Algorithm Agility and Selecting Mandatory-to-Implement Algorithms

Many IETF protocols use cryptographic algorithms to provide confidentiality, integrity, authentication, or digital signature. Communicating peers must support a common set of cryptographic algorithms for these mechanisms to work properly. This memo provides guidelines to ensure that protocols have the ability to migrate from one mandatory-to-implement algorithm suite to another over time.
A population genomic approach to map recent positive selection in model species

Based on nearly complete genome sequences from a variety of organisms data on naturally occurring genetic variation on the scale of hundreds of loci to entire genomes have been collected in recent years. In parallel, new statistical tests have been developed to infer evidence of recent positive selection from these data and to localize the target regions of selection in the genome. These methods have now been successfully applied to Drosophila melanogaster, humans, mice and a few plant species. In genomic regions of normal recombination rates, the targets of positive selection have been mapped down to the level of individual genes.
Role of transverse hopping in a two-coupled-chains model.

We study the effect of a transverse hopping [ital t][sub [perpendicular]] in two chains of both spinless and spinning repulsively interacting fermions, by means of renormalization group and bosonization techniques. We show that, independent of the presence of spin, [ital t][sub [perpendicular]] strongly modifies the asymptotic long-wavelength behavior of the two chains, opening gaps in the excitation spectra. The origin of the instability of the gapless Luttinger-liquid behavior is identified in the [ital flavor] (==chain index) [ital anisotropy] induced by [ital t][sub [perpendicular]]. In the case of spinning fermions, it leads to dominant pair fluctuations, in spite of the repulsive interaction. The role of spin is further analyzed in a model of two coupled chains showing, in the absence of [ital t][sub [perpendicular]], spin-charge separation without anomalous exponents. We solve this model exactly by the bosonization technique, and we find that the interesting analytical properties induced by spin-charge separation persist in the presence of transverse hopping, although [ital t][sub [perpendicular]] does modify the shape of the Fermi surface. The asymptotic expression of the single-particle Green function is also obtained.
Computing quality scores and uncertainty for approximate pattern matching in geospatial semantic graphs

Geospatial semantic graphs provide a robust foundation for representing and analyzing remote sensor data. In particular, they support a variety of pattern search operations that capture the spatial and temporal relationships among the objects and events in the data. However, in the presence of large data corpora, even a carefully constructed search query may return a large number of unintended matches. This work considers the problem of calculating a quality score for each match to the query, given that the underlying data are uncertain. We present a preliminary evaluation of three methods for determining both match quality scores and associated uncertainty bounds, illustrated in the context of an example based on overhead imagery data.
RESTORING FINANCIAL HEALTH OF INDIAN PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS: A REVIEW OF PROMPT CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN

The Indian banking industry in recent times has been plagued by the ailing health of Public sector banks which dominate the credit space in the economy. The increase in stressed assets of Public sector banks accompanied by the threat of some banks breaching the minimum capital norms in 2017 forced the government and Reserve Bank of intervene and breathe life into these public sector banks using the recapitalisation and Prompt corrective action plan. Public sector banks constitute a major portion of the banking Industry in India and maintenance of their financial health is of utmost significance for the robustness of the economy with regard to credit and economic growth. The present research paper analyses the consistency of performance of public sector Banks that have been referred to under the Prompt corrective Action Plan using Key banking Indicators and also reviews the reforms that the Reserve bank of India has tried to initiate to strengthen the Banking Sector.
Production , Manufacturing and Logistics Modeling parallel movement of lifts and vehicles in tier-captive vehicle-based warehousing systems

This paper models and analyzes tier-captive autonomous vehicle storage and retrieval systems. While previous models assume sequential commissioning of the lift and vehicles, we propose a parallel processing policy for the system, under which an arrival transaction can request the lift and the vehicle simultaneously. To investigate the performance of this policy, we formulate a fork-join queueing network in which an arrival transaction will be split into a horizontal movement task served by the vehicle and a vertical movement task served by the lift. We develop an approximation method based on decomposition of the fork-join queueing network to estimate the system performance. We build simulation models to validate the effectiveness of analytical models. The results show that the fork-join queueing network is accurate in estimating the system performance under the parallel processing policy. Numerical experiments and a real case are carried out to compare the system response time of retrieval transactions under parallel and sequential processing policies. The results show that, in systems with less than 10 tiers, the parallel processing policy outperforms the sequential processing policy by at least 5.51 percent. The advantage of parallel processing policy is decreasing with the rack height and the aisle length. In systems with more than 10 tiers and a length to height ratio larger than 7, we can find a critical retrieval transaction arrival rate, below which the parallel processing policy outperforms the sequential processing policy. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A pre-analysis method for robust global motion estimation

In this paper, we present a new approach for robust global motion estimation based on pre-analysis of the video content. The novel idea is to do pre-analysis of scene content based on the STGS (spatial temporal gradient scale) images derived from original image sequences. Different motion models and estimation are applied to different classes of image sequences. As a result, outliers can be removed from the dominant motion estimation, overcoming the problem of inaccurate initial descending direction estimation associated with the classical global motion estimation methods.
Lévy walks and propagators in intermittent chaotic systems.

We study the propagator P(r,t) for enhanced diffusion in intermittent chaotic systems represented by a class of iterated maps. The analysis is based on the velocity model, which is characterized by motion at a constant velocity with interruptions where sojourn times are chosen randomly but according to power-law distributions. The velocity model reproduces excellently the map-generated motion. The relationship to L\'evy walks and scaling properties is discussed.
Molecular genetic analysis of a vaccinia virus gene with an essential role in DNA replication

We have identified a gene encoded by vaccinia virus which is essential for DNA replication. The gene, located in the HindIII D fragment of the viral genome, is transcribed early after infection into two transcripts of 3.0 and 3.7 kilobases which share a 3' terminus. The lesions of three temperature-sensitive DNA replication mutants with defects in this gene have been localized by marker rescue with progressively smaller DNA fragments. We have determined by hybrid selection that the gene encodes an 82-kilodalton protein. An antibody has been prepared against this polypeptide and used to quantitate expression of the protein after infection with wild-type virus or with a viral mutant whose lesion maps within this gene. The temporal pattern of expression in the mutant is unaffected, but the product encoded by the mutant is significantly more thermolabile than the wild-type protein.