Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Crystal Habit on the Surface Free Energy and Interparticulate Bonding of L-Lysine Monohydrochloride Dihydrate

The objective of the present study was to apply a technique to measure the surface energy of crystalline powders without changing the surface properties by compaction, and to relate such measurements to crystal habit and orientation. The surface free energy of uncompacted L-lysine monohydrochloride dihydrate (LH), determined using a modified sessile-drop method, reflected a combined value for the various faces, and was influenced by the relative size of the faces and the orientation of the crystals. The surface free energy values obtained from contact angle measurements were within the possible range calculated from the crystal structure. Discrepancies between the theoretical estimates of interparticulate cohesive strengths and those measured from the tensile strength of powder compacts were used to estimate the flaw sizes (or gaps between the particles) that act as stress concentrators and reduce the tensile strength of the compacts. The flaw sizes indicate packing and compressibility of the various crystal habits. In the absence of compressive load, compacts made out of the equidimensional crystals have the larger flaw sizes (wider cracks or wider gaps between the particles). At higher compaction pressures, the compacts from long rod-shaped crystals have longer crack lengths. The weakness of the compacts made from the long rods at the higher compaction pressures may be because of the longer crack length along the interparticulate boundary, which may result in a higher stress intensity at the crack tip and increased fracture propensity.
Temporal evolution of MRI findings after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to assess the changes occurring over time in the MRI appearance of repaired rotator cuff tendons and to correlate MRI appearance with clinical outcomes. SUBJECTS AND METHODS MRI examinations were performed on 40 patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears preoperatively and at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 12 months after arthroscopic repair. Preoperative scans were assessed for size of tear. Postoperative scans were evaluated for size of footprint, tendon thickness, signal intensity of the repaired tendon, and presence of full-thickness tear. Footprint and tendon thickness were graded from 1 to 4 according to percentage of normal. Tendon signal intensity was graded from 1 to 4 on the basis of the length of abnormal tendon. A composite score of footprint, tendon thickness, and tendon signal intensity was used to compare overall tendon appearance relative to the intact tendon. Rasch analysis was used to transform ordinal scale data into interval scale data. Using interval scale data, MRI findings were correlated to shoulder strength and the Constant-Murley score of clinical outcome. RESULTS Four recurrent tendon tears occurred during the first postoperative year. Tendons appeared most disorganized compared with native tendon 3 months after surgery. Twenty-four of 36 intact tendons showed a decreased tendon score between 6 weeks and 3 months. There was considerable variability in tendon appearance among patients. There was no correlation between MRI appearance and clinical outcome score. CONCLUSION MRI appearance of the repaired tendon changes over time but does not correlate with function or predict clinical outcomes at 1 year after surgery.
Genetic correlations between longevity and conformation traits in the Czech Holstein population

Genetic correlations between longevity and conformation traits were estimated using data on Czech Holstein cows first calved in the years 1993-2008. Longevity traits considered were length of productive life and number of lactations initiated and their functional equivalents (i.e. the longevity traits corrected for milk production). Conformation traits were twenty one linear descriptive type traits, six com- posite traits and height at sacrum measured in cm. A possible nonlinear relationship between conformation and longevity traits was also investigated. The heritabilities ranged from 0.05 to 0.43 for conformation traits and from 0.03 to 0.05 for longevity traits. Low to moderate genetic relationships between conformation and longevity traits were found. The genetic correlations were higher for functional longevity than for direct longevity traits. Negative genetic correlations with all longevity traits were found for height at the sacrum, stature, dairy form, body conformation, and capacity. Final score showed weak genetic correlation with all analyzed longevity traits. Positive genetic correlations occurred between feet and legs and direct longevity and functional longevity (0.19, 0.14) and between udder and direct longevity (0.10). Body condition score and angularity showed strong genetic correlations with functional longevity (body condition score 0.30, angularity -0.31). Foot and leg traits showed weak genetic correlations with longevity traits except rear legs set (side view) (-0.24) and hock quality (0.19). The udder traits showed inconsistent and rather weak genetic correlations with longevity traits, with the exception of a stronger genetic correlation between rear udder width and functional longevity (-0.22) and between central ligament and number of lactations (-0.18, -0.19). The teat traits showed always negative genetic correlations with longevity traits. The strongest correlations were found for rear teat position (-0.28) and the weakest for teat length (-0.03). Some conformation traits showed markedly stronger genetic correlations with functional longevity than with direct longevity (rear udder width and rear udder height, dairy form, body condition score, angularity, rear legs set (side view), rear legs rear view). A quadratic relationship between conformation and longevity traits did exist. Even if the linear relationship generally prevailed, the quadratic relationship should be taken into account.
Political Institutions, Technology and Growth: a dynamic panel approach

This paper investigates whether the effect of political institutions on sectoral economic performance is determined by the level of technological development of industries. Building on previous studies on the linkages among political institutions, technology and economic growth, we employ the dynamic panel Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator for a sample of 4,134 country-industries from 61 industries and 89 countries over the 1990-2010 period. Our main findings suggest that changes of political institutions towards higher levels of democracy, political rights and civil liberties enhance economic growth in technologically developed industries. On the contrary, the same institutional changes might retard economic growth of those industries that are below a technological development threshold. Overall, these results give evidence of a technologically conditioned nature of political institutions to be growth-promoting.
Differential expression and signaling activation of insulin receptor isoforms A and B: A link between breast cancer and diabetes

We showed that when insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) is highly expressed in breast tissues and cell lines, the IGF-I receptor signaling pathway is highly activated. Since IGF-II activates the insulin receptor (INSR), we propose that the INSR signaling is also activated in this system. We examined the expression of both INSR isoforms, insulin receptor A (INSR-A) and insulin receptor B (INSR-B), and the downstream signaling pathways in breast cancer (BC) cells and in paired (normal/tumor) breast tissues from 100 patients. Analysis was performed by real-time PCR, Western blot, immunohistochemistry, and phospho-ELISA techniques. Tumor tissues and cell lines from African-American patients expressed higher levels of INSR-A, but lower levels of INSR-B. Accordingly, insulin receptor substrate 1 and focal adhesion kinase activation were significantly increased in these women. We conclude that higher INSR-A and lower INSR-B contribute to higher proliferation and lower metabolic response. Thus, differential expression of INSR isoforms represents a potential biological link between BC and diabetes.
Predicting outcome of IV thrombolysis–treated ischemic stroke patients

Objective: To develop a functional outcome prediction score, based on immediate pretreatment parameters, in ischemic stroke patients receiving IV alteplase. Methods: The derivation cohort consists of 1,319 ischemic stroke patients treated with IV alteplase at the Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. We evaluated the predictive value of parameters associated with the 3-month outcome and developed the score according to the magnitude of logistic regression coefficients. We assessed accuracy of the model with bootstrapping. External validation was performed in a cohort of 330 patients treated at the University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland. We assessed the score performance with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). Results: The DRAGON score (0–10 points) consists of (hyper)Dense cerebral artery sign/early infarct signs on admission CT scan (both = 2, either = 1, none = 0), prestroke modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score >1 (yes = 1), Age (≥80 years = 2, 65–79 years = 1, <65 years = 0), Glucose level at baseline (>8 mmol/L [>144 mg/dL] = 1), Onset-to-treatment time (>90 minutes = 1), and baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (>15 = 3, 10–15 = 2, 5–9 = 1, 0–4 = 0). AUC-ROC was 0.84 (0.80–0.87) in the derivation cohort and 0.80 (0.74–0.86) in the validation cohort. Proportions of patients with good outcome (mRS score 0–2) were 96%, 88%, 74%, and 0% for 0–1, 2, 3, and 8–10 points, respectively. Proportions of patients with miserable outcome (mRS score 5–6) were 0%, 2%, 5%, 70%, and 100% for 0–1, 2, 3, 8, and 9–10 points, respectively. External validation showed similar results. Conclusions: The DRAGON score is valid at our site and was reliable externally. It can support clinical decision-making, especially when invasive add-on strategies are considered. The score was not studied in patients with basilar artery occlusion. Further external validation is warranted.
Politico-economic determinants of tort reforms in medical malpractice

The U.S. tort system has experienced various reforms during the last three decades. While there is a broad literature on the consequences of these reforms, very little is known about their determinants. In this study, we investigate the politico-economic forces that were driving the reform process across U.S. states. We focus on five types of medical malpractice tort reform and apply semi-parametric proportional hazards models to assess the factors that are related to reform enactments. We find, first, that a higher fraction of Republicans in a state legislature as well as a Republican governor are the major drivers of medical malpractice tort reforms. Second, we find that a higher fraction of women in a state legislature is associated with reforms being deferred. This finding is corroborated by micro-evidence on female legislators’ voting behavior on medical malpractice tort reforms, and it is consistent with the notion that women are disproportionally aggrieved by such reforms.
Synergism between CpG-Containing Oligodeoxynucleotides and IL-2 Causes Dramatic Enhancement of Vaccine-Elicited CD8+ T Cell Responses1

Novel anticancer vaccination regimens that can elicit large numbers of Ag-specific T cells are needed. When we administered therapeutic vaccines containing the MHC class I-presented self-peptide tyrosinase-related protein (TRP)-2180–188 and CpG-containing oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODN) to mice, growth of the TRP-2-expressing B16F1 melanoma was not inhibited compared with growth in mice that received control vaccinations. When we added systemic IL-2 to the TRP-2180–188 plus CpG ODN vaccines, growth of B16F1 was inhibited in a CD8-dependent, epitope-specific manner. Vaccines containing TRP-2180–188 without CpG ODN did not cause epitope-specific tumor growth inhibition when administered with IL-2. The antitumor efficacy of the different regimens correlated with their ability to elicit TRP-2180–188-specific CD8+ T cell responses. When we administered TRP-2180–188 plus CpG ODN-containing vaccines with systemic IL-2, 18.2% of CD8+ T cells were specific for TRP-2180–188. Identical TRP-2180–188 plus CpG ODN vaccines given without IL-2 elicited a TRP-2180–188-specific CD8+ T cell response of only 1.1% of CD8+ T cells. Vaccines containing TRP-2180–188 without CpG ODN elicited TRP-2180–188-specific responses of 2.8% of CD8+ T cells when administered with IL-2. There was up to a 221-fold increase in the absolute number of TRP-2180–188-specific CD8+ T cells when IL-2 was added to TRP-2180–188 plus CpG ODN-containing vaccines. Peptide plus CpG ODN vaccines administered with IL-2 generated epitope-specific CD8+ T cells by a mechanism that depended on endogenous IL-6. This is the first report of synergism between CpG ODN and IL-2. This synergism caused a striking increase in vaccine-elicited CD8+ T cells and led to epitope-specific antitumor immunity.
90 Gbit/s 4-level pulse-amplitude-modulation vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser driver integrated circuit in 130 nm SiGe technology

This paper presents the design and measurements of a 4-level pulse-amplitude-modulation (4-PAM) vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) driver integrated circuit (IC) for short-range, high-speed optical communications. The IC is fabricated in 130 nm SiGe technology. Open electrical and optical eye diagrams are reported at 90 Gbit/s and 40 Gbit/s, respectively. The driver consumes only 177 mW of power from a dual supply voltage of 2.0 and 3.35 V including the VCSEL. The optical bit error rate (BER) was tested at 30 Gbit/s showing an error-free connection for one of the two channels. The design is inductor-less and the active area occupies only 150 µm × 150 µm. To the best of the authors' knowledge this is the fastest 4-PAM VCSEL driver IC implemented on silicon.
Genetic algorithm optimization applied to the project of MIMO systems

This paper presents a technique to increase the data throughput in Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems. The technique uses a meta-heuristic to optimize the data throughput and to choose the best solution. The optimization is based on Genetic Algorithms (GA), with the objective of finding out the best antenna configuration to achieve the highest data throughput from the variation of the distance between the antenna array elements and the number of antennas. Simulation results show an increase of more than 15% in the data throughput considering 4×4 MIMO channels.
Domain Structure and Protein Interactions of the Silent Information Regulator Sir3 Revealed by Screening a Nested Deletion Library of Protein Fragments*

Transcriptional silencing in yeast is mediated by the interactions of silent information regulator (Sir) proteins with chromatin and with one another. The stable association of Sir3 with Sir4 is mediated by a C-terminal region of Sir3 that has additional functions including the dimerization of Sir3. We have developed a simple, robust expression screening methodology that allows for the unbiased identification of functional protein domains expressed from nested-deletion libraries of full-length genes. Using these methodologies, Sir3 dimerization was shown to be mediated by two separate domains. One of these domains also binds cooperatively to the C-terminal coiled-coil motif of Sir4 and dimerization further increases the affinity of Sir3 for Sir4. The resulting Sir3-Sir4 complexes form progressively higher order assemblies with increasing protein concentration, with implications for the mechanism of gene silencing.
Co‐registration of panoramic mobile mapping images and oblique aerial images

Mobile mapping relies on satellite‐based positioning, which suffers from line‐of‐sight and multipath issues. As an alternative, this paper presents a fully automatic approach for the co‐registration of mobile mapping and oblique aerial images to introduce highly accurate and reliable ground control for mobile mapping data adjustment. An oblique view of a scene introduces similarities as well as challenges regarding co‐registration with mobile mapping images, which is supported by mutual planes in both datasets. Façade planes from a sparse point cloud are used as projection surfaces for the mobile mapping and aerial datasets, overcoming large perspective differences between them to simplify the registration. The performance of the procedure indicates an inlier rate of around 80%.
Automatic segmentation on multiple starch granules from microscopic images

Starch is the most important carbohydrate in the human diet and contained in many staple foods such as rice, wheat, corn, potatoes and cassava, etc. Currently, microscopic imaging technology is one of the most effective ways to investigate and analyze the structure of starches. Segmentation of starch granules is a necessary step for starch granule structure analysis such as starch granules detection, shape recognition, and size computation. This article investigates a new method based on GVF (gradient vector flow) snake deformable model for starch granules segmentation. The proposed method focuses on full automatic segmentation on granules, especially on separation of adjacent and contacted starch granules, which occur widely in microscopic images. A novel energy function based on position and intensity is introduced into the directional gradient computation, thus the directional gradient is used to obtain the directional GVF snake, which drives the deforming contours to the real contours of multiple granules. To demonstrate the good ability of the proposed method, we segment 30 starch granule images and compare it with the level set method, experimental results show that the new method can separate multiple starch granules successfully; especially it works much better on overlapping objects segmentation than the level set method. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Migration and Labour Market Differences: The Case of Wales

The migration of labour can affect economies in several ways. This paper focuses on two of the economic impacts of migration in the context of the recent Welsh experience. Firstly, since migration is a key aspect of labour market flexibility, it is a mechanism through which local and regional labour market differences can be reduced. However, it is found that the most deprived parts of Wales have the lowest levels of migration and that both in and outmigration rates are negatively correlated with unemployment and sickness rates. Secondly, the characteristics of in and out-migrants have important implications for the current and future performance of local and regional economies. Using a variety of data sources, it is shown that people leaving Wales are younger and more educated than migrants to Wales. Furthermore, younger and more educated Welsh individuals appear to have a higher willingness to move than their counterparts living elsewhere in Britain.
Results, charges, and benefits of intensive care for critically ill patients: Update 1983

Objective and quantitative methods were used to measure severity of illness and outcome of intensive care in critically ill patients, in terms of success or failure of therapy within the ICU, survival or death at 1 yr, quality of life in survivors, and utilization of resources. One hundred ninety-nine consecutive Class IV critically ill surgical patients hospitalized between 1977 and 1978 at the Massachusetts General Hospital comprised the study population. Although the mortality rate of 69% was close to the 73% rate we recorded for 1972–1973, the survivors' quality of life was significantly better. Hospitalization costs increased from $15,000 to $22,000 per patient, almost consistent with the inflation rate between 1973 and 1978. Survival rates and quality of life in survivors did not vary with age. The disease process for which the patient was hospitalized was an important determinant of outcome. Intensive care medicine for critically ill surgical patients does prolong life and enable some patients to return to a productive lifestyle; however, the costs of these benefits are extremely high.
Multiple-dose mannitol reduces brain water content in a rat model of cortical infarction.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Repeated use of mannitol in the setting of ischemic infarction is a controversial and poorly defined therapeutic intervention. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of repeated mannitol infusions on brain water content and tissue pressure in a well-defined rat model of focal ischemic stroke. METHODS Mannitol infusions (0.5, 1.5, or 2.5 g/kg) were given by intravenous bolus 4 or 24 hours after 90-minute transient cortical ischemia in the territory of the right middle cerebral artery in rats and every 4 hours thereafter for a total of 24 hours. Fluid replacement was limited to 0.5 mL i.v. isotonic saline administered immediately after each mannitol dose. Control rats received 0.5 mL i.v. saline at the same intervals and were otherwise under ad libitum conditions. Water contents (percent H2O) of whole hemispheres and of cortical biopsies were measured with the wet-dry method, and blood samples were analyzed for plasma osmolality and chemistries. In a subgroup of rats, tissue pressure was also measured within the hemisphere ipsilateral to the infarct. RESULTS Repeated mannitol infusions resulted in a dose-dependent increase in plasma osmolality and a dose-dependent decrease in the percent H2O of the ischemic middle cerebral artery cortex and ipsilateral hemisphere. In contrast, percent H2O of the contralateral cortex and hemisphere was significantly decreased only in the groups given the highest dose of mannitol (2.5 g/kg). Mannitol infusions at a dose of 1.5 g/kg begun 24 hours after reperfusion were also associated with a significant reduction of tissue pressure. CONCLUSIONS In a rat model of ischemic cortical infarction, repeated mannitol infusions resulted primarily in a decrease in the percent H2O of the infarct and ipsilateral hemisphere, as well as decreased tissue pressure.
Gd-EOB enhanced MRI T1-weighted 3D-GRE with and without elevated flip angle modulation for threshold-based liver volume segmentation

Background Despite novel software solutions, liver volume segmentation is still a time-consuming procedure and often requires further manual optimization. With the high signal intensity of the liver parenchyma in Gd-EOB enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), liver volume segmentation may be improved. Purpose To evaluate the practicability of threshold-based segmentation of the liver volume using Gd-EOB-enhanced MRI including a customized three-dimensional (3D) sequence. Material and Methods A total of 20 patients examined with Gd-EOB MRI (hepatobiliary phase T1-weighted (T1W) 3D sequence [VIBE]; flip angle [FA], 10° and 30°) were enrolled in this retrospective study. The datasets were independently processed by two blinded observers (O1 and O2) in two ways: manual (man) and threshold-based (thresh; study method) segmentation of the liver each followed by an optimization step (man+opt and thresh+opt; man+opt [FA10°] served as reference method). Resulting liver volumes and segmentation times were compared. A liver conversion factor was calculated in percent, describing the non-hepatocellular fraction of the total liver volume, i.e. bile ducts and vessels. Results Thresh+opt (FA10°) was significantly faster compared to the reference method leading to a median volume overestimation of 4%/8% (P < 0.001). Using thresh+opt (FA30°), segmentation was even faster (P < 0.001) and even reduced median volume deviation of 0%/2% (O1/O2; both P > 0.2). The liver conversion factor was found to be 10%. Conclusion Threshold-based liver segmentation employing Gd-EOB-enhanced hepatobiliary phase standard T1W 3D sequence is accurate and time-saving. The performance of this approach can be further improved by increasing the FA.