Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust estimation of simulated urinary volume from camera images under bathroom illumination

General uroflowmetry method involves the risk of nosocomial infections or time and effort of the recording. Medical institutions, therefore, need to measure voided volume simply and hygienically. Multiple cylindrical model that can estimate the fluid flow rate from the photographed image using camera has been proposed in an earlier study. This study implemented a flow rate estimation by using a general-purpose camera system (Raspberry Pi Camera Module) and the multiple cylindrical model. However, large amounts of noise in extracting liquid region are generated by the variation of the illumination when performing measurements in the bathroom. So the estimation error gets very large. In other words, the specifications of the previous study's camera setup regarding the shutter type and the frame rate was too strict. In this study, we relax the specifications to achieve a flow rate estimation using a general-purpose camera. In order to determine the appropriate approximate curve, we propose a binarizing method using background subtraction at each scanning row and a curve approximation method using RANSAC. Finally, by evaluating the estimation accuracy of our experiment and by comparing it with the earlier study's results, we show the effectiveness of our proposed method for flow rate estimation.
New Magnetically Coupled Impedance (Z-) Source Networks

Various magnetically coupled impedance source (MCIS) networks have been proposed in the literature for increasing voltage gain and modulation index simultaneously while reducing the number of passive components used in the converter. However, applications of such networks have been limited by their discontinuous currents drawn from the sources and/or high stresses experienced by their components. This paper thus proposes three new MCIS networks named, respectively, as quasi-Y-source, quasi-Γ-Z-source, and quasi-T-source or quasi-trans-Z-source networks. These new networks inherit all advantages of the existing MCIS networks. In addition, they demonstrate advantages like continuous input currents, reduced source stresses, and lower component ratings that are not achievable by other existing networks. Further, dc-current-blocking capacitors used in the networks help to avoid saturation of magnetic core. Derivations of all two-winding MCIS networks, including existing and new networks, from the generalized three-winding MCIS networks are then systematically illustrated, before comparing them. Operational principles, mathematical derivations, simulation, and experimental results of all studied networks have been presented in the paper.
Plasmid-Encoded Anthranilate Synthase (TrpEG) inBuchnera aphidicola from Aphids of the Family Pemphigidae

ABSTRACT Buchnera aphidicola is an obligate intracellular symbiont of aphids. One of its proposed functions is the synthesis of essential amino acids, nutrients required by aphids but deficient in their diet of plant phloem sap. The genetic organization of the tryptophan pathway in Buchnera from proliferous aphids of the family Aphididae has previously been shown to reflect a capacity to overproduce this essential amino acid (C.-Y. Lai, L. Baumann, and P. Baumann, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91:3819–3823, 1994). This involved amplification of the genes for the first enzyme in the pathway, anthranilate synthase (TrpEG), on a low-copy-number plasmid. Here we report on the finding and molecular characterization of TrpEG-encoding plasmids in Buchnera from aphids of the distantly related family Pemphigidae. Buchnera fromTetraneura caerulescens contained a 3.0-kb plasmid (pBTc2) that carried a single copy of trpEG and resembledtrpEG plasmids of Buchnera from the Aphididae. The second plasmid (pBPs2), isolated from Buchnera ofPemphigus spyrothecae, contained a different replicon. It consisted of a putative origin of replication containing iterons and an open reading frame, designated repAC, which showed a high similarity to the gene encoding the replication initiation protein RepA of the RepA/C replicon from the broad-host-range IncA/C group of plasmids. The plasmid population was heterogeneous with respect to the number of tandem repeats of a 1.8-kb unit carryingrepAC1, trpG, and remnants of trpE. The two principal forms consisted of either five or six copies of this repeat and a single-copy region carryingrepAC2, the putative origin of replication, andtrpE. The unexpected finding of elements of the RepA/C replicon in previously characterized trpEG plasmids fromBuchnera of the Aphididae suggests that a replacement of replicons has occurred during the evolution of these plasmids, which may point to a common ancestry for all Buchnera trpEGamplifications.
Neurological Outcome in Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis Treated With Chenodeoxycholic Acid: Early Versus Late Diagnosis

ObjectiveTo present the long-term neurological outcome of Jewish Israeli patients with cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) after several years of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) treatment. MethodsA cross sectional observational study of all patients with a diagnosis of CTX followed in a referral outpatient clinic during the years 2003–2012. ResultsEighteen patients (10 men) from 11 families were enrolled. Sixteen patients were included in the analysis (2 patients had low compliance for treatment). The mean ± SD age at last evaluation was 35.0 ± 9.2 years (range, 16–45 years). After their diagnosis, at age 22.6 ± 10.8 years, all patients were treated with CDCA. Patients who started treatment after the age of 25 years had worse outcome and were significantly more limited in ambulation (P = 0.004) and more cognitively impaired (P = 0.047). Five patients who started treatment after 25 years of age continued to deteriorate despite CDCA treatment. ConclusionsBeginning CDCA treatment as early as possible is crucial to preventing neurological damage and deterioration in CTX. After significant neurological pathology is established, the effect of treatment is limited and deterioration may continue.
Respiratory Microbiota Dynamics following Streptococcus pneumoniae Acquisition in Young and Elderly Mice

ABSTRACT The upper respiratory tract (URT) is a distinct microbial niche of low-density bacterial communities and, also, a portal of entry for many potential pathogens, including Streptococcus pneumoniae. Thus far, animal models have been used to study the dynamics of and interactions between limited numbers of different species in the URT. Here, we applied a deep sequencing approach to explore, for the first time, the impact of S. pneumoniae acquisition on URT microbiota in a mouse model, as well as potential age-dependent effects. Young-adult and elderly mice were inoculated intranasally with S. pneumoniae, and nasal lavage samples were collected for up to 28 days postcolonization. Bacterial DNA extracted from lavage samples was subjected to barcoded pyrosequencing of the V5-to-V7 hypervariable region of the small-subunit rRNA gene. We observed highly diverse microbial profiles, with the presence overall of 15 phyla and approximately 645 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). We noted differences in the composition of microbiota between young and elderly mice, with a significantly higher abundance of Bacteroidetes in the young mice. The introduction of S. pneumoniae into the URT led to a temporary dominance of pneumococci in the microbiota of all mice, accompanied by a significant decrease in microbial diversity. As mice gradually cleared the colonization, the diversity returned to baseline levels. Diversification was accompanied by an early expansion of Bacteroidetes, Staphylococcus spp. , and Lachnospiraceae. Moreover, the Bacteroidetes expansion was significantly greater in young-adult than in elderly mice. In conclusion, we observed differences in URT microbiota composition between naive young-adult and elderly mice that were associated with differences in pneumococcal clearance over time.
Helical peptides with three pairs of Asp‐Arg and Glu‐Arg residues in different orientations and spacings

The helix‐stabilizing effects of repeating pairs of Asp‐Arg and Glu‐Arg residues have been characterized using a peptide system of the same design used earlier to study Glu‐Lys (Marqusee, S. & Baldwin, R.L., 1987, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 8898–8902) and Asp‐Lys ion pairs (Marqusee, S. & Baldwin, R.L., 1990, In Protein Folding [Gierasch, L.M. & King, J., Eds.], pp. 85–94, AAAS, Washington, D.C.). The consequences of breaking ion pair and charge‐helix dipole interactions by titration to pH 2 have been compared with the results of screening these interactions with NaCl at pH 7.0 and pH 2.5. The four peptides in each set contain three pairs of acidic (A) and basic (B) residues spaced either i, i + 4 or i, i + 3 apart. In one peptide of each kind the pairwise order of residues is AB, with the charges oriented favorably to the helix macrodipole, and in the other peptide the order is BA.
Analysis of transmit antenna selection/maximal-ratio combining in Rayleigh fading channels

In this paper, we investigate a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) scheme combining transmit antenna selection and receiver maximal-ratio combining (the TAS/MRC scheme). In this scheme, a single transmit antenna, which maximizes the total received signal power at the receiver, is selected for uncoded transmission. The closed-form outage probability of the system with transmit antenna selection is presented. The bit error rate (BER) of the TAS/MRC scheme is derived for binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) in flat Rayleigh fading channels. The BER analysis demonstrates that the TAS/MRC scheme can achieve a full diversity order at high signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), as if all the transmit antennas were used. The average SNR gain of the TAS/MRC is quantified and compared with those of uncoded receiver MRC and space-time block codes (STBCs). The analytical results are verified by simulation. It is shown that the TAS/MRC scheme outperforms some more complex space-time codes of the same spectral efficiency. The cost of the improved performance is a low-rate feedback channel. We also show that channel estimation errors based on pilot symbols have no impact on the diversity order over quasi-static fading channels.
Inducible and Reversible Transgene Expression in Human Stem Cells After Efficient and Stable Gene Transfer

We report here a lentiviral vector system for regulated transgene expression. We used the tetracycline repressor fused with a transcriptional suppression domain (tTS) to specifically suppress transgene expression. Human cells were first transduced with a tTS‐expressing vector and subsequently transduced with a second lentiviral vector‐containing transgene controlled by a regular promoter adjacent to a high‐affinity tTS‐binding site (tetO). After optimizing the location of the tetO site in the latter vector, we achieved a better inducible transgene expression than the previous lentiviral vectors using the tetracycline repressor systems. In this new system, the transgene transcription from a cellular promoter such as EF1α or ubiquitin‐C promoter is suppressed by the tTS bound to the nearby tetO site. In the presence of the tetracycline analog doxycycline (Dox), however, the tTS binding is released from the transgene vector and transcription from the promoter is restored. Thus, this system simply adds an extra level of regulation, suitable for any types of promoters (ubiquitous or cell‐specific). We tested this tTS‐suppressive, Dox‐inducible system in 293T cells, human multipotent hematopoietic progenitor cells, and three human embryonic stem cell lines, using a dual‐gene vector containing the green fluorescent protein reporter or a cellular gene. We observed a tight suppression in the uninduced state. However, the suppression is reversible, and transgene expression was restored at 5 ng/ml Dox. The lentiviral vectors containing the tTS‐suppressive, Dox‐inducible system offer a universal, inducible, and reversible transgene expression system in essentially any mammalian cell types, including human embryonic stem cells.
LSA-based language model adaptation for highly inflected languages

This paper presents a language model topic adaptation framework for highly inflected languages. In such languages, subword units are used as basic units for language modeling. Since such units carry little semantic information, they are not very suitable for topic adaptation. We propose to lemmatize the corpus of training documents before constructing a latent topic model. To adapt language model, we use few lemmatized training sentences to find a set of documents that are semantically close to the current document. Fast marginal adaptation of subword trigram language model is used for adapting the background model. Experiments on a set of Estonian test texts show that the proposed approach gives a 19% decrease in language model perplexity. A statistically significant decrease in perplexity is observed already when using just two sentences for adaptation. We also show that the model employing lemmatization gives consistently better results than the unlemmatized model.
Prediction for Control Delay on Reinforcement Learning

This paper addresses reinforcement learning problems with constant control delay, both for known case and unknown case. First, we propose an algorithm for known delay, which is a simple extension of the model-free learning algorithm introduced by (Schuitema et al., 2010). We extend it to predict current states explicitly, and empirically show that it is more efficient than existing algorithms. Next, we consider the case that the delay is unknown but its maximum value is bounded. We propose an algorithm using accuracy of prediction of states for this case. We show that the algorithm performs as efficient as the one which knows the real delay.
In Search of Safety, Negotiating Everyday Forms of Risk: Sex Work, Criminalization, and HIV/AIDS in the Slums of Kampala

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Sulindac loaded alginate beads for a mucoprotective and controlled drug release

Ionotropic gelation was used to entrap sulindac into calcium alginate beads as a potential drug carrier for the oral delivery of this anti-inflammatory drug. Beads were investigated in vitro for a possible sustained drug release and their use in vivo as a gastroprotective system for sulindac. Process parameters such as the polymer concentration, polymer/drug ratio, and different needle diameter were analysed for their influences on the bead properties. Size augmented with increasing needle diameter (0.9 mm needle: 1.28 to 1.44 mm; 0.45 mm needle: 1.04 to 1.07 mm) due to changes in droplet size as well as droplet viscosity. Yields varied between 87% and 98% while sulindac encapsulation efficiencies of about 88% and 94% were slightly increasing with higher alginate concentrations. Drug release profiles exhibited a complete release for all formulations within 4 hours with a faster release for smaller beads. Sulindac loaded alginate beads led to a significant reduction of macroscopic histological damage in the stomach and duodenum in mice. Similarly, microscopic analyses of the mucosal damage demonstrated a significant mucoprotective effect of all bead formulation compared to the free drug. The present alginate formulations exhibit promising properties of a controlled release form for sulindac; meanwhile they provide a distinct tissue protection in the stomach and duodenum.
Adherence to treatment: practice, education and research in Danish community pharmacy

Objective: To describe the practice, education and research concerning medication adherence in Danish community pharmacy. Methods: The authors supplemented their expertise in the area of medication adherence through their contacts with other educators and researchers as well as by conducting searches in the Danish Pharmacy Practice Evidence Database, which provides annually updated literature reviews on intervention research in Danish pharmacy practice. Results: Practice: Medication adherence is the focus of and/or is supported by a large number of services and initiatives used in pharmacy practice such as governmental funding, IT-supported medicine administration systems, dose-dispensing systems, theme years in pharmacies on adherence and concordance, standards for counselling at the counter, pharmacist counselling, medication reviews and inhaler technique assessment. Education: In Denmark, pharmacy and pharmaconomist students are extensively trained in the theory and practice of adherence to therapy. Pharmacy staff can choose from a variety of continuing education and post-graduate programmes which address patient adherence. Research: Nine ongoing and recently completed studies are described. Early research in Denmark comprised primarily smaller, qualitative studies centred on user perspectives, whereas later research has shifted the focus towards larger, quantitative, controlled studies and action-oriented studies focusing on patient groups with chronic diseases (such as diabetes, asthma, coronary vascular diseases). Conclusions: Our analysis has documented that Danish pharmaceutical education and research has focused strongly on adherence to treatment for more than three decades. Adherence initiatives in Danish community pharmacies have developed substantially in the past 5-10 years, and, as pharmacies have prioritised their role in health care and patient safety, this development can be expected to continue in future years.
RBF Neural Network and ANFIS-Based Short-Term Load Forecasting Approach in Real-Time Price Environment

With the appearance of electricity markets, the variation of the price of electricity will influence usage custom of electric energy. This will complicate short-term load forecasting and challenge the existing forecasting methods that are applied to a fixed-price environment. In regard to the influence of real-time electricity prices on short-term load, a model to forecast short-term load is established by combining the radial basis function (RBF) neural network with the adaptive neural fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). The model first makes use of the nonlinear approaching capacity of the RBF network to forecast the load on the prediction day with no account of the factor of electricity price, and then, based on the recent changes of the real-time price, it uses the ANFIS system to adjust the results of load forecasting obtained by RBF network. This system integration will improve forecasting accuracy and overcome the defects of the RBF network. As shown in this paper by the results of an example of factual forecasting, the model presented can work effectively.
Oral bioavailability of etoposide after administration of a single dose to tumor-bearing dogs.

OBJECTIVE To characterize oral bioavailability and pharmacokinetic disposition of etoposide when the IV formulation was administered orally to dogs. ANIMALS 8 tumor-bearing dogs. PROCEDURES An open-label, single-dose, 2-way crossover study was conducted. Dogs were randomly assigned to initially receive a single dose of etoposide (50 mg/m2) IV or PO. A second dose was administered via the alternate route 3 to 7 days later. Medications were administered before IV administration of etoposide to prevent hypersensitivity reactions. Oral administration of etoposide was prepared by reconstituting the parenteral formulation with 0.9% NaCl solution and further diluting the reconstituted mixture 1:1 with a sweetening agent. Plasma samples were obtained after both treatments. Etoposide concentrations were measured with a high-performance liquid chromatography assay, and plasma etoposide concentration-time profiles were analyzed by use of noncompartmental methods. RESULTS 4 dogs had hypersensitivity reactions during IV administration of etoposide. No adverse effects were detected after oral administration. Plasma etoposide concentrations were undetectable in 2 dogs after oral administration. Oral administration of etoposide resulted in significantly lower values for the maximum plasma concentration and the area under the plasma etoposide concentration-versus-time curve, compared with results for IV administration. Oral bioavailability of etoposide was low (median, 13.4%) and highly variable among dogs (range, 5.7% to 57.3%). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE-Vehicle-related toxicosis can limit the IV administration of etoposide in dogs. The parenteral formulation of etoposide can be safely administered orally to dogs, but routine use was not supported because of low and variable oral bioavailability in this study.
DNA Amplification Fingerprinting for Subtyping Neisseria gonorrhoeae Strains

Background and Objectives DNA amplification fingerprinting is used in most epidemiologic studies as a substitute for conventional typing methods. DNA amplification fingerprinting and conventional typing methods were compared in this epidemiologic study of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Goal of This Study To differentiate 70 Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from untreated patients with urogenital gonococcal infection. Study Design Gonococcal strains were characterized by auxo-typing, serotyping, plasmid profile, antibiotic sensitivity, and DNA amplification fingerprinting. The method of unweighted pair-group average linkage was used for cluster analysis. Discriminatory power was calculated applying Simpson's index. Results Amplification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae DNA with primers OPA-03 and OPA-13 produced well-resolved patterns of 15 and 22 DNA fragments, respectively, with a discriminatory power (0.978 with OPA-13 and 0.967 with OPA-03) comparable to that obtained with auxotyping/serotyping combination (D:0.968) or with auxotype/serotype/plasmid profile combination (D:0.983). Correlation between DNA amplification fingerprinting pattern and auxotype/serotype class was not always uniform. Some strains with the same auxotype/serotype/plasmid profile were subdivided by DNA amplification fingerprinting, and vice versa. Conclusion Although auxotype/serotype class and DNA amplification fingerprinting can be used in the epidemiologic characterization of strains, DNA amplification fingerprinting offers a better discriminatory index than the separate serotyping. It is especially useful for differentiating serologically identical strains and nontypable strains. A combination of serotyping and DNA amplification fingerprinting seems to be the best way to differentiate Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains in epidemiologic studies, bringing together the most simple techniques and the best discriminatory power among isolates.