Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of 12-Month Renal Function and Baseline Clinical Factors to Predict Long-Term Graft Survival: Application to BENEFIT and BENEFIT-EXT Trials

Background. Innovation in renal transplant management would benefit from identification of early markers that accurately predict long-term graft survival. Methods. Data from the United States Renal Data System for kidney transplant recipients (1995–2004) were analyzed to develop prediction models for all-cause graft survival based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), the presence or absence of acute rejection within 1 year, and recipient and donor demographic characteristics. The prediction models were applied to participants in the Belatacept Evaluation of Nephroprotection and Efficacy as First-line Immunosuppression Trial and Belatacept Evaluation of Nephroprotection and Efficacy as First-line Immunosuppression Trial—EXTended criteria donors trials comparing belatacept with cyclosporine in standard criteria donor (SCD) and expanded criteria donor (ECD) graft recipients, respectively, as an external validation of the model predictions in a diverse population. Results. Compared with eGFR 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, the relative hazard for all-cause graft loss increased in an accelerating pattern with lower GFR to approximately eight and seven times, respectively, among SCD and ECD recipients with eGFR less than 15 mL/min/1.73 m2. When applied to the clinical trial samples, the predicted differences in all-cause graft survival of less intensive belatacept versus cyclosporine at the second transplant anniversary (SCD: 3.9%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.6% to 4.2%; ECD: 4.1%, 95% CI: 3.5% to 4.7%) were similar to observed differences (SCD: 4.2%, 97.3% CI: −1.3% to 10.1%; ECD: 1.4%, 97.3% CI: −7.5% to 10.2%). Conclusions. Accurate models of long-term graft survival can be developed using eGFR, donor, and recipient characteristics. Long-term survival prediction models may provide an efficient method for assessing the impact of novel pharmaceutical agents and clinical management protocols.
Fingerprint enhancement using contextual iterative filtering

The performance of Automatic Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) relies on the quality of the input fingerprints, so the enhancement of noisy images is a critical step. We propose a new fingerprint enhancement algorithm that selectively applies contextual filtering starting from automatically-detected high-quality regions and then iteratively expands toward low-quality ones. The proposed algorithm does not require any prior information like local orientations or frequencies. Experimental results over both real (FVC2004 and FVC2006) and synthetic (generated by the SFinGe software) fingerprints demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
The ShcA protein is a molecular chaperone that assists in the secretion of the HopPsyA effector from the type III (Hrp) protein secretion system of Pseudomonas
 syringae

Pseudomonas syringae uses a type III protein secretion system encoded by the Hrp pathogenicity island (Pai) to translocate effector proteins into plant cells. One of these effector proteins is HopPsyA. A small open reading frame (ORF), named shcA, precedes the hopPsyA gene in the Hrp Pai of P. s. syringae 61. The predicted amino acid sequence of shcA shares general characteristics with chaperones used in type III protein secretion systems of animal pathogens. A functionally non‐polar deletion of shcA in P. s. syringae 61 resulted in the loss of detectable HopPsyA in supernatant fractions, consistent with ShcA acting as a chaperone for HopPsyA. Cosmid pHIR11 carries a functional set of type III genes from P. s. syringae 61 and confers upon saprophytes the ability to secrete HopPsyA in culture and to elicit a HopPsyA‐dependent hypersensitive response (HR) on tobacco. P. fluorescens carrying a pHIR11 derivative lacking shcA failed to secrete HopPsyA in culture, but maintained the ability to secrete another type III‐secreted protein, HrpZ. This pHIR11 derivative was also greatly reduced in its ability to elicit an HR, indicating that the ability to translocate HopPsyA into plant cells was compromised. Using affinity chromatography, we showed that ShcA binds directly to HopPsyA and that the ShcA binding site must reside within the first 166 amino acids of HopPsyA. Thus, ShcA represents the first demonstrated chaperone used in a type III secretion system of a bacterial plant pathogen. We searched known P. syringae type III‐related genes for neighbouring ORFs that shared the general characteristics of type III chaperones and identified five additional candidate type III chaperones. Therefore, it is likely that chaperones are as prevalent in bacterial plant pathogen type III systems as they are in their animal pathogenic counterparts.
Visibly Queer: Body Technologies and Sexual Politics

Queer body modification is a site for investigating the possibilities and limitations of agency in body practices. This article considers the use of new and recirculated body modification technologies—many of them modeled after practices of indigenous, non-Western groups—by members of gay, lesbian, and trasngendered communities. Through presenting and interpreting the interview-gathered narratives of six body modifiers, I describe body modification as a practice imbued with agency by subjects. By creating anomalous bodies that provoke shock and consternation, body modifiers not only underscore the body's symbolic significance as a site of public identity but also conceive it as a resource for opposing (hetero) dominant culture. Body modification, even though it tests social tolerance, is not guaranteed in its subversive effects. I approach the narratives from a perspective informed poststructuralism, and I understand body modifiers' agency as limited by and constituted within regulatory regimes of power, such as heteronormativity, pathologization, and colonialism. I describe how such deployments engage symbols embedded in historic systems of representation and thus raise important questions regarding agency.
Tissue Microarray: A powerful and rapidly evolving tool for high-throughput analysis of clinical specimens

This review discusses the various aspects of the Tissue microarray (TMA) technology and its applications in modern molecular and clinical research. Tissue microarrays (TMAs) allow a rapid, cost-effective, high through-put analysis of thousands of molecular markers at nucleic acids or protein level. This high through-put technology enables identification of diagnostic and prognostic markers, in an array of clinical tissue specimens and further translates molecular research to clinical research. A very notable advantage of tissue microarray technology is that it quantitatively amplifies the tissues available for testing, which are normally a limited source in the pathology labs. Various types of tumors, at various stages of disease progression can also be studied at a single platform, in identical conditions in less labor-intensive and cost-effective ways. The current perspectives of this technology in biomedical sciences are promising and researchers can benefit from the enormous data acquired through the use of TMA.
Limiting probabilities of first order properties of random sparse graphs and hypergraphs

Let Gn be the binomial random graph G(n,p=c/n) in the sparse regime, which as is well‐known undergoes a phase transition at c=1 . Lynch ( RandomStructuresandAlgorithms , 1992) showed that for every first order sentence ϕ , the limiting probability that Gn satisfies ϕ as n→∞ exists, and moreover it is an analytic function of c. In this paper we consider the closure Lc‾ in the interval [0,1] of the set Lc of all limiting probabilities of first order sentences in Gn . We show that there exists a critical value c0≈0.93 such that Lc‾=[0,1] when c≥c0 , whereas Lc‾ misses at least one subinterval when c
Survey of data partitioning algorithms for big data stores

Data partitioning plays an important role in distributed systems to elevate performance of the applications. Big data applications require the augmented metrics of performance like responsiveness, availability, scalability and throughput. Data partitioning across multiple nodes improves the performance of the application with respect to its scalability and throughput. Although there is a rich literature on the data partitioning algorithms in distributed systems for big data applications, there is a need to classify as well as regroup the algorithms based on their strategies. The paper presents an exhaustive classification of data partitioning algorithms based on their strategies as well as operational units. A survey of this kind gives an insight to the user about not only a comparative analysis of performance of approaches but also suggests suitability of these approaches for candidate big data applications.
Epidemiology and impact of rheumatic disorders in the United States Hispanic population

The emergence of a sizable Hispanic population in the US is a relatively recent historical phenomenon, and thus much is still unknown about this group of North Americans. Data from national surveys suggest small differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white populations in the age-adjusted prevalence of self-reported arthritic conditions. However, the rate of activity-limitation attributable to arthritis is higher among Hispanic patients. This likely reflects the poorer socioeconomic conditions and lack of health insurance that prevail among Hispanic populations, which may limit their access to rheumatologic care. Osteoporotic vertebral and hip fractures are less frequent, and proximal femoral mineral density is higher, in Hispanic individuals than in non-Hispanic white individuals. The mechanisms for these observations are currently under investigation. There have been no studies of the prevalence of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or systemic lupus erythematosus among Hispanic populations. However, important immunogenetic, clinical, and psychosocial differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients in regard to rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus have been reported. There is no published information on the prevalence or characteristics of other rheumatic diseases in the US Hispanic population. Emerging evidence suggests considerable underuse of certain health services for arthritis among Hispanic patients, likely due in part to socioeconomic factors. Further research is needed to determine whether biologic, cultural or psychosocial factors contribute to underuse as well. There is clearly a need for data on the prevalence and characteristics of arthritis and other rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases in this emerging US population.
Identification and structural influence of a differentially modified N‐terminal methionine in human S l00b

The calcium‐binding protein Sl00b is a homodimer comprised of two identical 91‐residue &subunits. Recombinant Sl00b is a heterogeneous protein, although the basis of this heterogeneity has not been established. We have used mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy to determine that heterogeneity in Sl00b arises from a mixture of formyl‐Sl00b and desformyl‐Sl00b when expressed in Escherichia coli. Reversed‐phase HPLC purification of these two forms of Sl00b has allowed the differences in N‐terminal composition to be used as a probe for tertiary contacts in the protein. The presence or absence of the N‐terminal formyl group affected the chemical shifts of sequence neighboring residues and those in the linker of the protein (residues 40‐43), indicating that these two regions are close in space.
Networked PID control: Tuning and outage compensation

This paper deals with architecture and algorithm design of networked control systems (NCSs) to cope with network outages. A Networked PID controller and an internal model control based tuning scheme is proposed, using the jitter margin to ensure stability despite dropped packets. For longer periods of disconnection, an outage heuristic is proposed. The control design and outage heuristic need only the step response of the process and is as such simple to apply in practice. The effect of these outages on the stability and performance of the closed-loop control system are evaluated, and compared with alternative schemes via extensive simulations. The simple Networked PID with the outage heuristic is shown to perform well, compared to other techniques proposed in the NCS literature.
Joint Radio Resource Allocation and Base Station Location Selection in OFDMA Based Private Wireless Access Networks for Smart Grid

This paper studies the base stations deployment problem in orthogonal frequency-division multiple access OFDMA based private wireless access networks for smart grid SG. Firstly, we analyze the differences between private wireless access networks for SG and public cellular access networks. Then, we propose scheduling and power control based algorithms for the radio resource allocation subproblem and K-means, simulated annealing SA, and particle swarm optimization PSO based algorithms for the base station BS location selection subproblem and iterate over these two sets of algorithms to solve the target problem. Simulation results show that the proposed method can effectively solve the target problem. Specifically, the combination of power control based resource allocation algorithm and PSO based location selection algorithm is recommended.
Closed loop selective harmonic elimination applied to a grid connected PWM converter with LCL filter

This paper presents the development and design of a control strategy applied to a three-phase grid connected PWM converter with Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE). First, the transcendental equations of SHE are solved offline and then stored in a look-up table inside of the SHE-Modulator, which is implemented using a FPGA. Synchronism with the grid is obtained using a modified Digital PLL which includes the Modulator with SHE. A discrete model is obtained in dq synchronous frame for the converter with LCL-filter with passive damping and dq PI controllers are used to provide zero steady-state error of grid current. Finally, simulation results are presented to validate the proposed approach.
A new readout/driver circuitry for an optical vibration sensor

This work presents research results on designing the drive and readout circuits for a newly-developed optical vibrations sensor. Tes sensor consists of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and photodetectors (OPDs) and micro-structure to realize the function of vibration sensing. Proper operations of OLEDs and OPDS needs a driver and a readout circuit, respectively. A driver circuit is designed for driving and controlling OLED light; also, a readout circuit is designed to acquire current signal from OPD and then converts it to digital signals by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). In addition to readout circuit, a front-end amplifier called transimpedance amplifier (TIA) is designed for converting the output current of the OPDs. The TIA is followed by an IA and LPF for better signal quality before a SAR ADC designed for converting the vibration amplitude to digits. The resolution of 10-bit ADC sub-circuit is 1.95mV/LSB. It is suitable for OPD current output. Moreover, a pulse width modulation (PWM) driver circuit which is designed with frequency output 200 KHz is suitable for driving OLED. The proposed circuit is fabricated by TSMC 0.35-μm CMOS process where the area is 4.5 mm2 for the whole chip while power consumption is 7.808 mW.
Structure and expression of the nuclear gene coding for the chloroplast ribosomal protein L21: developmental regulation of a housekeeping gene by alternative promoters

We have cloned and sequenced the nuclear gene of the chloroplast ribosomal protein L21 (rpl21) of Spinacia oleracea. The gene consists of five exons and four introns. All introns are located in the sequence which corresponds to the Escherichia coli-like central core of the protein. L21 mRNA is present in photosynthetic (leaves) and nonphotosynthetic (roots and seeds) plant organs, although large quantitative differences exist. Primer extension and S1 nuclease mapping experiments revealed the existence of two types of transcripts in leaves. The two corresponding start sites were defined as P1 and P2. In roots and seeds, we found only the shorter of the two transcripts (initiated at P2). The nucleotide sequence surrounding P2 resembles promoters for housekeeping and vertebrate r-protein genes. Analysis of several promoter constructions by transient expression confirmed that both transcripts originate from transcription initiation. Results are interpreted to mean that the expression of the rpl21 gene is regulated by alternative promoters. One of the promoters (P2) is constitutive, and the other one (P1) is specifically induced in leaves, i.e., its activation should be related to the transformation of amyloplasts or proplastids to chloroplasts. The gene thus represents the first example of a housekeeping gene which is regulated by the organ-specific usage of alternative promoters. Primer extension analysis and S1 nuclease mapping of another nucleus-encoded chloroplast ribosomal protein gene (rps1) give evidence that the same type of regulation by two-promoter usage might be a more general phenomenon of plant chloroplast-related ribosomal protein genes. Preliminary results indicate that presence of conserved sequences within the rpl21 and rps1 promoter regions which compete for the same DNA binding activities.
Cyclosporin A inhibits the delayed‐type hypersensitivity reaction: impaired production of early pro‐inflammatory mediator(s)

The effect of cyclosporin A (CsA) on the delayed‐type hypersensitivity (DTH) elicited in mice by sheep red blood cells was investigated. Evidence is presented that a single injection of CsA adversely affects the inflammatory reaction. Sensitized T lymphocytes initiate the DTH reaction by their recruiting activity on phagocytic cells which infiltrate the cutaneous site of antigen deposition. CsA administration has no adverse effect on the recruitment of phagocytic cells at the site of the inflammatory reaction. The present studies show that CsA acts on specific T cells: (a) in adoptive transfer, T‐DTH‐mediating cells cannot elicit a response in mice treated with CsA 8 h before; (b) when collected 8 h after a single injection of CsA, T‐DTH‐mediating lymphocytes are no longer able to adoptively transfer the reaction. This conclusion is strengthened by in vitro studies: (a) the frequency of T‐DTH‐mediating lymphocytes is 50‐fold decreased after a short in vitro incubation with CsA; (b) in vitro production by concanavalin A‐activated lymphocytes of chemotactic pro‐inflammatory mediator(s) is abolished in presence of CsA.
Ultrasound-image-based displacement and strain maps of the human carotid artery using weighted-least-squares optical flow

The mechanical displacements of the carotid artery wall during the cardiac cycle can be estimated using appropriate motion analysis methods. The waveforms resulting from such estimations can subsequently be used to quantify the elastic properties of arterial tissue. In this study weighted-least-squares optical flow (WLSOF) was used to produce radial and longitudinal displacement maps of extended segments of healthy and diseased arterial walls from B-mode ultrasound. Strain maps of the same segments were produced by compensating for the translational movement of the carotid artery walls and subsequently assessing the strain tensor by solving a nonlinear minimization problem with a modified version of the WLSOF algorithm. Displacement maps accurately estimated the motion of the healthy carotid artery and also revealed information about the motion of the soft tissues of the carotid artery which would otherwise be difficult to distinguish. Strain maps in the case of healthy carotid artery showed good reproducibility between different cardiac cycles, while in the case of atherosclerotic subjects additional validation is needed.
Toward the development of a universal grading system for ovarian epithelial carcinoma. I. Prognostic significance of histopathologic features--problems involved in the architectural grading system.

OBJECTIVE Because there is no universally accepted grading system for ovarian epithelial carcinoma, we attempted to compare the prognostic utility of the individual components used in some systems--both architectural and cytologic features, as well as mitotic activity and histologic tumor type--to determine which of these components fit best with survival. METHODS We studied 461 patients with invasive ovarian carcinoma who had uniform treatment, complete clinical data including staging and follow-up, and slides available for review. Each tumor was assigned a histologic subtype, architectural grade (based on whether the predominant pattern was glandular, papillary or solid), nuclear grade, mitotic count, and FIGO grade (based on the system for endometrial carcinoma). These features were compared with each other and with tumor stage and survival. RESULTS The architectural grade, nuclear grade, and mitotic count were independent variables both in stage I/II and stage III/IV disease. Each of them correlated with survival for most combinations of histologic type and stage. By multivariate analysis, in stage I/II cancer, nuclear grade and architectural grade were significantly correlated with survival, mitotic count showed only a trend, and FIGO grade did not correlate. In stage III/IV disease, nuclear grade, architectural grade 3, and mitotic count were significant, and FIGO grade was not. CONCLUSION The new architectural grading system proposed worked better than the FIGO system in this study. Furthermore, it could be applied to all histologic subtypes of carcinoma. The nuclear grade and mitotic count were also independent of each other, correlated with survival, and could be utilized for all histologic types. These data support the development of a grading system which combines these architectural, nuclear, and mitotic features and can be applied regardless of the histologic type of carcinoma, modeled after the Nottingham system for grading of breast carcinoma.
Research of cogging torque reduction by different slot width pairing permanent magnet motors

Cogging torque is one of the main concerns of permanent magnet motor. In this paper, analytical analysis is used to analyze the cogging torque when different slot width pairing method is adopted. The effect of slot width pairing on cogging torque is studied, and some conclusions are drawn. If the least integer n, which makes (nz/2)/(2p) be an integer, is an even number, the cogging torque can be greatly reduced by different slot width pairing, and the method to calculate the width of slot is deduced in this paper. On the contrary, if the least n is an odd number, different slot width pairing method is not effective in reducing cogging torque. The correctness of the above conclusions is verified by finite element analysis of cogging torque.
Integrated Cu-based TM-pass polarizer using CMOS technology platform

A transverse-magnetic-pass (TM-pass) copper (Cu) polarizer is proposed and analyzed using the previously published two-dimensional Method-of-Lines beam-propagation model. The proposed polarizer exhibits a simulated high-pass filter characteristics, with TM<inf>0</inf> and TE<inf>0</inf> mode transmissivity of >70% and <5%, respectively, in the wavelength regime of 1.2–1.6 μm. The polarization extinction ratio (PER) given by 10 log<inf>10</inf> (PTM<inf>0</inf>)/(PTE<inf>0</inf>) is +11.5 dB across the high-pass wavelength regime. To the best of the authors' knowledge, we report here the smallest footprint CMOS-platform compatible TM-polarizer.