Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rapid Determination of 226Ra and Uranium Isotopes in Solid Samples by Fusion with Lithium Metaborate and Alpha Spectrometry

A simple and rapid method has been developed to determine 226Ra in rocks, soils, and sediments. Samples are decomposed by fusion with lithium metaborate and the melt is dissolved in a solution containing sulfates and citric acid. During the dissolution, a fine suspension of mixed barium and radium sulfates is formed. The microcrystals are collected on a membrane filter (pore size 0.1 μm) and analysed in an alpha spectrometer. Application of a 133Ba tracer enables us to assess the loss of the analyte, which only rarely exceeds 10%. All analytical operations, beginning from sample decomposition to source preparation for alpha spectrometry, can be accomplished within 1 or 2 h. With uranium determination, the filtrate is spiked with a 232U tracer and passed through a column loaded with a Dowex AG (1 x 4) anion-exchange resin in the sulfate form. Interfering elements are eluted with dilute sulfuric acid followed by concentrated hydrochloric acid. Uranium is eluted with water, electrodeposited on silver discs, and analysed in the alpha spectrometer. The method was tested on reference soil and sediment materials and was found to be accurate within the estimated uncertainties.
The Rate of Oronasal Fistula following Primary Cleft Palate Surgery: A Meta-Analysis

Background Despite decades of craniofacial surgeons repairing cleft palates, there is no consensus for the rate of fistula formation following surgery. The authors present a meta-analysis of studies that reported on primary cleft palate to determine the rate of oronasal fistula and to identify risk factors for their development. Methods A literature search for the period between 2000 and 2012 was performed. Articles were queried and strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to focus on primary cleft palate repair. A meta-analysis of these data was conducted. Results The meta-analysis included 11 studies, comprising 2505 children. The rate of oronasal fistula development was 4.9% (95% confidence interval, 3.8% to 6.1%). When analyzing a larger cohort, there was a significant relationship between Veau classification and the occurrence of a fistula (P < .001), with fistulae most prevalent in patients with a Veau IV cleft. The most common location for a fistula was at the soft palate-hard palate junction. One study used decellularized dermis in cleft repair with a fistula rate of 3.2%. Conclusions Using 11 studies comprising 2505 children, we find the rate of reported fistula occurrence to be 4.9%. Furthermore, patients with a Veau IV cleft are significantly more likely to develop an oronasal fistula. When fistulae do occur, they do so most often at the soft palate-hard palate junction. A deeper understanding of fistula formation will help cleft palate surgeons improve their outcomes in the operating room and will allow them to effectively communicate expectations with patients' families in the clinic.
Holt–Oram syndrome with intermediate atrioventricular canal defect, and aortic coarctation: Functional characterization of a de novo TBX5 mutation

Holt–Oram syndrome (HOS) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by upper limb defects and congenital heart defects (CHD), which are often simple septal and conduction defects, less frequently complex CHDs. We report on a 9 year‐old boy with clinical and radiologic features of HOS consisting of bilateral asymmetric hypoplastic thumbs, generalized brachydactyly, limited supination due to radioulnar synostosis, and sloping shoulders, and intermediate atrioventricular canal defect (AVCD) with aortic coarctation. A de novo, previously described mutation, (Arg279ter) was identified in the TBX5 gene. Molecular characterization of this mutation was carried out due to the atypical CHD. In order to investigate whether the mutated transcript of TBX5 was able to escape the post‐transcriptional surveillance mechanism and to produce a truncated TBX5 protein, we analyzed the TBX5 transcript, and protein pattern in HOS, and WT cardiac tissues. Our results demonstrate that the mutant TBX5 transcript is cleared by the cellular mechanism of surveillance. This data provides some support for the hypothesis that a dominant negative mutation, which strongly impairs the WT allele, might be too hazardous to be maintained. The literature suggests that HOS is relatively common among syndromes associated with AVCD. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
International regulatory requirements for genotoxicity testing for pharmaceuticals used in human medicine, and their impurities and metabolites

The process of developing international (ICH) guidelines is described, and the main guidelines reviewed are the ICH S2(R1) guideline that includes the genotoxicity test battery for human pharmaceuticals, and the ICH M7 guideline for assessing and limiting potentially mutagenic impurities and degradation products in drugs. Key aspects of the guidelines are reviewed in the context of drug development, for example the incorporation of genotoxicity assessment into non‐clinical toxicity studies, and ways to develop and assess weight of evidence. In both guidelines, the existence of “thresholds” or non‐linear dose responses for genotoxicity plays a part in the strategies. Differences in ICH S2(R1) protocol recommendations from OECD guidelines are highlighted and rationales explained. The use of genotoxicity data during clinical development and in assessment of carcinogenic potential is also described. There are no international guidelines on assessment of potentially genotoxic metabolites, but some approaches to safety assessment are discussed for these. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 58:296–324, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Strategic Adaptation in Health Care Organizations: Implications for Theory and Research

While in no way intending to imply that the number of column inches in the Wall Street Jour1lal devoted to health care is a bellwether, it is interesting to note how much attention the business world is paying to health care these days and to speculate about just what all this attention means and where it is leading. For it is not just in the Wall Street jottriial that we find stories, analyses and investment advice on the industry. Forbes, Barron’s, Fortune, Tirne, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, Venture and a host of others are all reporting on new developments, opportunities and risks in the health field.
Smoothing for Bracketing Induction

Bracketing induction is the unsupervised learning of hierarchical constituents without labeling their syntactic categories such as verb phrase (VP) from natural raw sentences. Constituent Context Model (CCM) is an effective generative model for the bracketing induction, but the CCM computes probability of a constituent in a very straightforward way no matter how long this constituent is. Such method causes severe data sparse problem because long constituents are more unlikely to appear in test set. To overcome the data sparse problem, this paper proposes to define a non-parametric Bayesian prior distribution, namely the Pitman-Yor Process (PYP) prior, over constituents for constituent smoothing. The PYP prior functions as a back-off smoothing method through using a hierarchical smoothing scheme (HSS). Various kinds of HSS are proposed in this paper. We find that two kinds of HSS are effective, attaining or significantly improving the state-of-the-art performance of the bracketing induction evaluated on standard treebanks of various languages, while another kind of HSS, which is commonly used for smoothing sequences by n-gram Markovization, is not effective for improving the performance of the CCM.
Design, synthesis and anticonvulsant screening of newer benzothiazole-semicarbazones

Series of 3, 4-disubstituted benzaldehyde-N-(6-substituted-1,3-benzothiazol- 2-yl)semicarbazones (4a-t) were synthesized by condensation of the N- (substituted-1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl)hydrazinecarboxamides with aromatic aldehydes and screened for their anticonvulsant activity using the maximal electroshock seizure (MES) method. The selected compounds were checked for the neurotoxicity by rotorod test method. A distance mapping and matching of the synthesized compounds with the help of given model was also checked. Compounds 4g, 4i, 4k, 4l, 4m, and 4p showed 100% protection in the MES method at the dose level of 30 mg/kg.
A Heuristic method based on the branch and cut algorithm to the transmission system expansion planning problem

In this paper we introduce a new heuristic algorithm to the centralized long-term transmission system expansion planning problem. The proposed method introduces cuts (new constraints) to the mathematical model to force generating feasible solutions to the DC model. The application of the strategy resulted in good solutions for the DC model. The computational results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method when applied to IEEE-24 bus system, Brazilian Southern System and Colombian system.
WACEM Consensus Paper on Deep Venous Thrombosis after Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

The risk and outcome of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients who sustained spinal cord injury (SCI) remain a challenge. We aimed to assess the incidence, risk, burden, and prophylaxis of DVT after SCI. Thirty-nine studies were identified from among 250 relevant articles based on firstly, broad criterion of DVT among SCI cases. secondly, “risk factors” impacting DVT, thirdly, published reports from apex bodies of global importance such as World Health Organization, Centre for disease control, Atlanta USA, and others were given due weightage for their authenticity. SCI is characterized by loss of motor, sensory, and autonomic function with partial or total damage of the anatomical structure leading to increased risk of thrombogenesis. SCIs present a higher risk of venous DVT constituting 9.7% of deaths in the 1st year of follow-up. Currently, prophylaxis with mechanical methods, vena cava filters and antithrombotic chemoprophylaxis in SCI are interventions for the management of DVT. DVT in SCI patients is not uncommon and needs a high index of suspicion and implementation of institutional prophylaxis protocol.
Number of Purkinje's cells after diphenylhydantoin intoxication in pigs.

AMONG PHENYL derivatives with anticonvulsant properties, diphenylhydantoin (phenytoin) was the one which produced the greatest rise in the convulsant threshold for electrical stimuli and, at the same time, had the least hypnotic effect in cats 1 ; prolonged peroral administration was well tolerated. 2 On a regimen of 200 to 600 mg daily, 15% of patients developed vertigo, ataxia, tremor, diplopia, and nausea. The symptoms and signs of intoxication disappeared when the dosage was reduced. 3 More than 20 years later, Utterback et al 4 reported severe cerebellar degeneration in a patient with grand mal, who had been receiving large doses of diphenylhydantoin. Similar changes were found in cats. Since then, others have reported cerebellar degeneration, 5-11 and the serum concentration was thought to be related to the pathology. 9,11 Among reliable signs of cerebellar degeneration, loss of Purkinje's cells has been reported but not glial proliferation. Other degenerative changes
Uma abordagem multi-escala para a geração de mosaicos

A mosaic is a set of pictures of a given area, technically and artistically cut and“glued” together, giving the impression that the entire set resembles a single picture. For aerial photography, the use of mosaics solves the problem of imaging an area of interest whose dimension is much larger than that covered by the majority of the cameras available. This work focuses on the automatic creation of mosaics and aims to compute the real position of a set of images acquired at low altitudes (lower scale), in relation with a base map (larger scale), by correlating images in different scales. Multi-scale analysis techniques, in particular, the Gabor filters, constitute an approach to this problem. The proposed methodology uses a bank of Gabor filters applied over a reference image in a way that an automatic process of mosaic generation, with the remaining set of images, could be carried out. Experiments have shown the efficiency of the proposed technique especially for images with clear textural orientation, for example, the case of aerial photographs of eucalyptus plantations.
Influence of Wheat Straw Pelletizing and Inclusion Rate in Dry Rolled or Steam-flaked Corn-based Finishing Diets on Characteristics of Digestion for Feedlot Cattle

Eight Holstein steers (216±48 kg body weight) fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas were used to evaluate effects of wheat straw processing (ground vs pelleted) at two straw inclusion rates (7% and 14%; dry matter basis) in dry rolled or steam-flaked corn-based finishing diets on characteristics of digestion. The experimental design was a split plot consisting of two simultaneous 4×4 Latin squares. Increasing straw level reduced ruminal (p<0.01) and total tract (p = 0.03) organic matter (OM) digestion. As expected, increasing wheat straw level from 7% to 14% decreased (p<0.05) ruminal and total tract digestion of OM. Digestion of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and starch, per se, were not affected (p>0.10) by wheat straw level. Likewise, straw level did not influence ruminal acetate and propionate molar proportions or estimated methane production (p>0.10). Pelleting straw did not affect (p≥0.48) ruminal digestion of OM, NDF, and starch, or microbial efficiency. Ruminal feed N digestion was greater (7.4%; p = 0.02) for ground than for pelleted wheat straw diets. Although ruminal starch digestion was not affected by straw processing, post-ruminal (p<0.01), and total-tract starch (p = 0.05) digestion were greater for ground than for pelleted wheat straw diets, resulting in a tendency for increased post-ruminal (p = 0.06) and total tract (p = 0.07) OM digestion. Pelleting wheat straw decreased (p<0.01) ruminal pH, although ruminal volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration and estimated methane were not affected (p≥0.27). Ruminal digestion of OM and starch, and post-ruminal and total tract digestion of OM, starch and N were greater (p<0.01) for steam-flaked than for dry rolled corn-based diets. Ruminal NDF digestion was greater (p = 0.02) for dry rolled than for steam-flaked corn, although total tract NDF digestion was unaffected (p = 0.94). Ruminal microbial efficiency and ruminal degradation of feed N were not affected (p>0.14) by corn processing. However, microbial N flow to the small intestine and ruminal N efficiency (non-ammonia N flow to the small intestine/N intake) were greater (p<0.01) for steam-flaked than for dry rolled corn-based diets. Ruminal pH and total VFA concentration were not affected (p≥ 0.16) by corn processing method. Compared with dry rolled corn, steam-flaked corn-based diets resulted in decreased acetate:propionate molar ratio (p = 0.02). It is concluded that at 7% or 14% straw inclusion rate, changes in physical characteristics of wheat straw brought about by pelleting negatively impact OM digestion of both steam-flaked and dry-rolled corn-based finishing diets. This effect is due to decreased post-ruminal starch digestion. Replacement of ground straw with pelleted straw also may decrease ruminal pH.
Correlation effects in fcc-FexNi1−x alloys investigated by means of the KKR-CPA

The electronic structure and magnetic properties of the disordered alloy system fcc-FexNi1−x (fcc: face centered cubic) have been investigated by means of the KKR-CPA (Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker coherent potential approximation) band structure method. To investigate the impact of correlation effects, the calculations have been performed on the basis of the LSDA (local spin density approximation), the LSDA + U as well as the LSDA + DMFT (dynamical mean field theory). It turned out that the inclusion of correlation effects hardly changed the spin magnetic moments and the related hyperfine fields. The spin–orbit induced orbital magnetic moments and hyperfine fields, on the other hand, show a pronounced and element-specific enhancement. These findings are in full accordance with the results of a recent experimental study.
Detectability of eccentric compact binary coalescences with advanced gravitational-wave detectors

Compact binary coalescences are a promising source of gravitational waves for second-generation interferometric gravitational-wave detectors such as advanced LIGO and advanced Virgo. While most binaries are expected to possess circular orbits, some may be eccentric, for example, if they are formed through dynamical capture. Eccentric orbits can create difficulty for matched filtering searches due to the challenges of creating effective template banks to detect these signals. In previous work, we showed how seedless clustering can be used to detect low-mass (M_total≤10M_⊙) compact binary coalescences for both spinning and eccentric systems, assuming a circular post-Newtonian expansion. Here, we describe a parametrization that is designed to maximize sensitivity to low-eccentricity (0≤e≤0.6) systems, derived from the analytic equations. We show that this parametrization provides a robust and computationally efficient method for detecting eccentric low-mass compact binaries. Based on these results, we conclude that advanced detectors will have a chance of detecting eccentric binaries if optimistic models prove true. However, a null observation is unlikely to firmly rule out models of eccentric binary populations.
Self-organising an indoor location system using a paintable amorphous computer

This thesis investigates new methods for self-organising a precisely defined pattern of intertwined number sequences which may be used in the rapid deployment of a passive indoor positioning system's infrastructure. A future hypothetical scenario is used where computing particles are suspended in paint and covered over a ceiling. A spatial pattern is then formed over the covered ceiling. Any small portion of the spatial pattern may be decoded, by a simple camera equipped device, to provide a unique location to support location-aware pervasive computing applications. Such a pattern is established from the interactions of many thousands of locally connected computing particles that are disseminated randomly and densely over a surface, such as a ceiling. Each particle has initially no knowledge of its location or network topology and shares no synchronous clock or memory with any other particle. The challenge addressed within this thesis is how such a network of computing particles that begin in such an initial state of disarray and ignorance can, without outside intervention or expensive equipment, collaborate to create a relative coordinate system. It shows how the coordinate system can be created to be coherent, even in the face of obstacles, and closely represent the actual shape of the networked surface itself. The precision errors incurred during the propagation of the coordinate system are identified and the distributed algorithms used to avoid this error are explained and demonstrated through simulation. A new perimeter detection algorithm is proposed that discovers network edges and other obstacles without the use of any existing location knowledge. A new distributed localisation algorithm is demonstrated to propagate a relative coordinate system throughout the network and remain free of the error introduced by the network perimeter that is normally seen in non-convex networks. This localisation algorithm operates without prior configuration or calibration, allowing the coordinate system to be deployed without expert manual intervention or on networks that are otherwise inaccessible. The painted ceiling's spatial pattern, when based on the proposed localisation algorithm, is discussed in the context of an indoor positioning system.
The product of the Drosophila zeste gene binds to specific DNA sequences in white and Ubx.

Three different segments of the zeste coding sequence were inserted in an expression vector and antibodies were raised against the resulting zeste‐beta galactosidase hybrid proteins. The antibodies were used to analyse the zeste protein produced in bacteria from a different expression vector containing the entire zeste coding region. The major products made in bacteria as well as the products of in vitro translation of zeste RNA migrate anomalously upon SDS–acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Specific DNA fragments from the white and Ubx gene co‐immunoprecipitate with zeste protein. At least two independent zeste binding sites are found in a 250‐bp interval of the white regulatory region that contains also the sites of wsp mutations, which are known to be deficient in zeste interaction.
Glucocorticoids interfere with therapeutic efficacy of paclitaxel against human breast and ovarian xenograft tumors

Paclitaxel is a widely used naturally occurring antineoplastic agent that has shown great promise in the treatment of a variety of human solid tumors, particularly for advanced breast and ovarian cancers. Recent studies in our laboratory discovered that glucocorticoids could selectively inhibit paclitaxel‐induced apoptosis in a number of human solid tumor cell lines in vitro. Since glucocorticoids (such as dexamethasone) are routinely used as a premedication in the clinical application of paclitaxel to prevent hypersensitivity reactions and other adverse effects, the inhibitory effect of glucocorticoids on paclitaxel‐induced apoptosis has raised a clinically relevant question as to whether the pretreatment with glucocorticoids might interfere with the therapeutic efficacy of paclitaxel. In the present study, through development of animal models bearing human breast and ovarian xenograft tumors, we evaluated the potential influence of dexamethasone on antitumor activity of paclitaxel in vivo. The results demonstrated that pretreatment of dexamethasone significantly attenuated therapeutic efficacy of paclitaxel against human breast and ovarian xenograft tumors. The inhibition rate of 20 mg paclitaxel/kg on the growth of breast and ovarian xenograft tumors was around 20–25% less when the animals were pretreated with 1 mg dexamethasone/kg. Further analyses with histological examination and TdT‐mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay indicate that pretreatment with dexamethasone clearly interferes with the cytotoxic effects of paclitaxel on both morphological alterations and induction of cell death. Additionally, immunohistochemical staining of proliferation marker Ki‐67 indicates that the percentage of proliferating cells in xenograft tumors with pretreatment of dexamethasone is much higher than that in the tumors treated with paclitaxel alone. Put together, the results obtained from the animal experiments show that pretreatment of xenograft tumors with dexamethasone results in significant inhibition of the therapeutic efficacy of paclitaxel in vivo. This finding may have a potential implication on the clinical practice of paclitaxel‐based chemotherapy. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.