Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AFRL-RX-WP-TP-2012-0351 STOCHASTIC-INTEGRAL MODELS FOR PROPAGATION-OF-UNCERTAINTY PROBLEMS IN NONDESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION ( PREPRINT )

Generalized polynomical chaos (gPC) and the probabilistic collocation method (PCM) are finding considerable application to problems of interest to engineers in which random parameters are an essential feature of the mathematical model. So far the applications have been mainly to stochastic partial differential equations, but we extend the method to volume-integral equations, which have met great success in electromagnetic nondestructive evaluation (NDE), especially with eddy-currents. The problems of main interest to the NDE community in this connection are concerned with the issue of ’propagation of uncertainty’ when the relevant parameters are not well characterized, or are known simply as random variables. We demonstrate the ideas by considering a metallic surface that has undergone a shot-peening treatment to reduce residual stresses, and has, therefore, become a random conductivity field.
Increasing Emotional Intelligence through Training: Current Status and Future Directions

Emotional intelligence consists of adaptive emotion al functioning involving inter-related competencies relating to perception, understanding, utilising and managing emotions in the self and others. Researchers in diverse fields have studied emotional intelligence and found the construct to be associated with a variety of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors such as mental health, relationship satisfa ction, and work performance. This article reviews research investigating the impact o f training in emotional-intelligence skills. The results indicate that it is possible to increase emotional intelligence and that such training has the potential to lead to other po sitive outcomes. The paper offers suggestions about how future research, from diverse disciplines, can uncover what types of training most effectively increase emotional int elligence and produce related beneficial outcomes.
Statin intake is associated with MMP-1 level in gingival crevicular fluid of patients with periodontitis.

BACKGROUND This study was conducted to assess whether statin intake is associated with clinical parameters of periodontitis and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of non-diabetic and diabetic patients. METHODS We first determined the effect of simvastatin on MMP expression in mononuclear cells. We then recruited 117 non-diabetic and diabetic patients, who all had periodontitis and took or did not take statin, and measured periodontal probing depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL), and collected gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) to quantify MMPs. RESULTS The in vitro studies showed that simvastatin potently inhibited the expression of MMP-1, MMP-8, and MMP-9 upregulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and high glucose in mononuclear cells. The patient study showed that, after adjusting for age and smoking status, PPD in diabetic patients on statin was significantly less than that in diabetic patients not on statin. MMP-1 level in GCF of non-diabetic and diabetic patients on statin was lower than that of non-diabetic and diabetic patients not on statin, respectively. No difference was found for MMP-8 and -9 levels in GCF. CONCLUSION Statin intake is associated with reduced PPD in diabetic patients and MMP-1 level in GCF in either non-diabetic or diabetic patients.
In Vitro Identification of Rns-Regulated Genes

ABSTRACT To identify Rns-regulated genes, a maltose binding protein (MBP)-Rns fusion protein was used to isolate DNA fragments from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli genomic DNA that carry Rns binding sites. In vivo transcription fusion analysis shows that Rns positively regulates the expression of the open reading frame of yiiS, which lies immediately downstream of one MBP-Rns-bound fragment.
Pharmacokinetic Behavior of Rituximab: A Study of Different Schedules of Administration for Heterogeneous Clinical Settings

This study was designed to report the pharmacokinetic behavior of Rituximab in patients affected with different diseases and treated with different schedules of administration. A low tumor burden was a common feature of all patients (N = 48) included in our study, whereas the timing of Rituximab administration varied from weekly (groups 1, 2, 3) to monthly (group 4). Group 1 included patients with follicular lymphoma treated with 4 weekly doses of Rituximab after first-line chemotherapy with CHOP. At the start of Rituximab, patients were in partial or complete clinical response but showed persistence of disease at molecular level (bcl-2-positive) in bone marrow and/or peripheral blood. Patients in group 2 had autoimmune disorders and Rituximab was given to act on B-cells, interfering with their production of autoantibodies. In patients with amyloidosis (group 3), Rituximab was given to kill progenitor B-cells of the small clone terminating in amyloid-producing plasma cells. In groups 2 and 3, the target of monoclonal antibody was a population of small B cells, which make an intrinsic feature of the diseases. Group 4 included patients with relapsed or refractory follicular and mantle cell lymphoma who underwent a salvage program of immunochemotherapy, purging in vivo and autotransplant: the first of the six planned doses of Rituximab was administered after a debulking phase with a third-generation regimen, such as VACOP-B. An enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) developed and validated in our laboratory was used for the pharmacokinetic study. Rituximab disposition was characterized by a 2-exponential decay, with a long elimination half-life of approximately 3 weeks (range, 248-859 hours). The total systemic clearance ranged between 3.1 and 11.9 mL/hr/m2. After 4 weekly infusions, Rituximab concentration was ∼2.5 μg/mL, which is approximately 85% of the steady-state level. Steady-state plasma concentrations of Rituximab were reached after 6 to 8 weekly infusions. The adopted pharmacokinetic model (2-compartment open model) seems to provide the best fit of Rituximab disposition both during and after treatment, even when different schedules of drug administration are used. Because several studies reported an association between response and serum Rituximab concentrations, a treatment based on a pharmacokinetic model may be useful for predicting the desired drug concentration.
Right‐hemispheric processing of non‐linguistic word features: Implications for mapping language recovery after stroke

Verbal stimuli often induce right‐hemispheric activation in patients with aphasia after left‐hemispheric stroke. This right‐hemispheric activation is commonly attributed to functional reorganization within the language system. Yet previous evidence suggests that functional activation in right‐hemispheric homologues of classic left‐hemispheric language areas may partly be due to processing nonlinguistic perceptual features of verbal stimuli. We used functional MRI (fMRI) to clarify the role of the right hemisphere in the perception of nonlinguistic word features in healthy individuals. Participants made perceptual, semantic, or phonological decisions on the same set of auditorily and visually presented word stimuli. Perceptual decisions required judgements about stimulus‐inherent changes in font size (visual modality) or fundamental frequency contour (auditory modality). The semantic judgement required subjects to decide whether a stimulus is natural or man‐made; the phonologic decision required a decision on whether a stimulus contains two or three syllables. Compared to phonologic or semantic decision, nonlinguistic perceptual decisions resulted in a stronger right‐hemispheric activation. Specifically, the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), an area previously suggested to support language recovery after left‐hemispheric stroke, displayed modality‐independent activation during perceptual processing of word stimuli. Our findings indicate that activation of the right hemisphere during language tasks may, in some instances, be driven by a “nonlinguistic perceptual processing” mode that focuses on nonlinguistic word features. This raises the possibility that stronger activation of right inferior frontal areas during language tasks in aphasic patients with left‐hemispheric stroke may at least partially reflect increased attentional focus on nonlinguistic perceptual aspects of language. Hum Brain Mapp, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
High T‐helper‐1 cytokines but low T‐helper‐3 cytokines, inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in children with high risk of developing type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is suggested to be of T‐helper (Th)1‐like origin. However, recent reports indicate a diminished interferon (IFN)‐γ secretion at the onset of the disease. We hypothesize that there is a discrepancy in subsets of Th‐cells between children with a high risk of developing T1D, children newly diagnosed with T1D and healthy children.
Optical control of mesoscopic spin ensembles in gallium arsenide

This PhD thesis describes experiments and theory on the interaction of coherent light with the magnetic moment of localized electrons in a semiconductor. The prospects for achieving accurate control of the electrons’ spin are discussed, particularly addressing the limitations imposed by disturbance from surrounding nuclear spins. It is argued that feedback control is the way to stabilize the combined system of electrons and nuclei. It is demonstrated how this can be achieved using only laser excitation and exploiting the hyperfine interaction in the system.
Identification of multisegmental nociceptive afferents that modulate locomotor circuits in the neonatal mouse spinal cord

Compared to proprioceptive afferent collateral projections, less is known about the anatomical, neurochemical, and functional basis of nociceptive collateral projections modulating lumbar central pattern generators (CPG). Quick response times are critical to ensure rapid escape from aversive stimuli. Furthermore, sensitization of nociceptive afferent pathways can contribute to a pathological activation of motor circuits. We investigated the extent and role of collaterals of capsaicin‐sensitive nociceptive sacrocaudal afferent (nSCA) nerves that directly ascend several spinal segments in Lissauer's tract and the dorsal column and regulate motor activity. Anterograde tracing demonstrated direct multisegmental projections of the sacral dorsal root 4 (S4) afferent collaterals in Lissauer's tract and in the dorsal column. Subsets of the traced S4 afferent collaterals expressed transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), which transduces a nociceptive response to capsaicin. Electrophysiological data revealed that S4 dorsal root stimulation could evoke regular rhythmic bursting activity, and our data suggested that capsaicin‐sensitive collaterals contribute to CPG activation across multiple segments. Capsaicin's effect on S4‐evoked locomotor activity was potent until the lumbar 5 (L5) segments, and diminished in rostral segments. Using calcium imaging we found elevated calcium transients within Lissauer's tract and dorsal column at L5 segments when compared to the calcium transients only within the dorsal column at the lumbar 2 (L2) segments, which were desensitized by capsaicin. We conclude that lumbar locomotor networks in the neonatal mouse spinal cord are targets for modulation by direct multisegmental nSCA, subsets of which express TRPV1 in Lissauer's tract and the dorsal column. J. Comp. Neurol. 521:2870–2887, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Comparison of lrl(m), trm, trrm and tar, calibration techniques using the straightforward de-embedding method

There is a growing interest in probing Sibased RFICs and test structures with aluminum pads. Probing RFICs with aluminum pads is significantly more difficult than probing ICs with gold pads. This is because a thin layer of aluminum oxide (about 60 angstroms thick) naturally forms on the aluminum surface that impairs the electrical contact between the tips of the probes and the aluminum pads. Any measurement that is sensitive to a series resistance will be affected by contact resistance variations. Such measurements include inductor Q measurements and long characterization tests that require repeatable device contact for time periods beyond a few minutes.
A 1-GHz Digital PLL With a 3-ps Resolution Floating-Point-Number TDC in a 0.18- $\mu\hbox{m}$ CMOS

A new concept of floating-point-number representation is implemented in a time-to-digital converter (TDC), which adaptively scales its resolution according to the amount of input difference. With a fixed 6-bit significand number, the TDC provides five cases of the exponent (x1, x2, x4, x8, and x16) to indicate the scale information. A digital phase-locked loop (PLL) with the TDC is implemented in a 0.18-μm CMOS. The TDC shows the minimum resolution of 3 ps with a total conversion range of 3.5 ns, the maximum operating frequency of 80 MHz, and the power consumption of 18 mW at 75 MHz. The PLL shows a lock range of 0.9-1.25 GHz and a root-mean-square jitter of 3.5 ps at 1.2 GHz.
A Unified Approach to Serial Search Spread-Spectrum Code Acquisition - Part I: General Theory

The purpose of this two-part paper is threefold: 1) Part I discusses the code-acquistion problem in some depth and 2) also provides a general extension to the approach of analyzing serial-search acquisition techniques via transform-domain flow graphs; 3) Part II illustrates the applicability of the proposed theoretical framework by evaluating a matchedfilter (fast-decision rate) noncoherent acquisition receiver as an example. The theory is formulated in a general manner which allows for significant freedom in the receiver modeling. The statistics of the acquisition time for the single-dwell [2], [3] andN-dwell [5] systems are shown to be special cases of this unified approach.
Promiscuous translocations into immunoglobulin heavy chain switch regions in multiple myeloma.

In multiple myeloma, karyotopic 14q32 translocations have been identified at a variable frequency (10-60% in different studies). In the majority of cases, the partner chromosome has not been identified (14q+), and in the remaining cases, a diverse array of chromosomal partners has been implicated, with 11q13 being the most common. We developed a comprehensive Southern blot assay to identify and distinguish different kinds of immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) switch recombination events. Illegitimate switch recombination fragments (defined as containing sequences from only one switch region) are potential markers of translocation events into IgH switch regions and were identified in 15 of 21 myeloma cell lines, including seven of eight karyotyped lines that have no detectable 14q32 translocation. From all nine lines or tumor samples analyzed further, cloned illegitimate switch recombination fragments were confirmed to be IgH switch translocation breakpoints. In three of these cases, the translocation breakpoint was shown to be present in the primary tumor. These translocation breakpoints involve six chromosomal loci: 4p16.3 (two lines and the one tumor); 6; 8q24.13; 11q13.3 (in three lines); 16q23.1; and 21q22.1. We suggest that translocations into the IgH locus (i) are frequent (karyotypic 14q32 translocations and/or illegitimate switch recombination fragments are present in primary tumor samples and in 19 of 21 lines that we have analyzed); (ii) occur mainly in switch regions; and (iii) involve a diverse but nonrandom array (i.e., frequently 11q13 or 4p16) of chromosomal partners. This appears to be the most frequent genetic abnormality in multiple myeloma.
The prosthetic heart valve and computer graphics.

A digital computer has been used to study the pattern of blood flow around artificial heart valves so that better ones may be designed. The complicated equations associated with circulatory studies are competently handled, and the use of a display screen allows visual representation of the flow pattern through the valves. We have found that the ball-type heart valve has turbulent flow which is more evenly distributed about the occluder than the disk type. However, the former has greater vortex formation distal to the occluder. The same computer techniques applied to the study of branching vessels show vortex positioning at the exact sites of predilection for atherosclerotic plaque formation, thus providing further evidence that vorticity trauma to the intima contributes to the development of atherosclerosis.
Export Dynamics in Emerging Market Economies

This study analyses the determinants of export by using balanced panel data method for the 9 emerging market economies with quarterly data covering the period 1994:1-2009:1. In basic macroeconomic theory, export is dependence of real exchange rate and gross domestic product directly and they effect on export positively. And it is implied that export is independence of gross domestic product (national, inside). Also indirectly an increases in domestic prices is caused to decrease real exchange rate. Because of that an increase inflation effects on export negatively. Additionally the theory, it is obvious that import is an important factor for export in global integrated economies. In this study we tested this macroeconomic theory. Empirical results show that real exchange rate, gross domestic product, import and inflation rate are significant variables for export.
A two-stage weighted capacitor network for D/A-A/D conversion

A two-stage weighted capacitor network for A/D and D/A conversion utilizing a feedback amplifier is described. The two-stage weighted capacitor DAC requires a smaller range of capacitor values then the conventional weighted capacitor DAC and is not subject to the nonlinear effects of parasitic capacitance. Experimental results of such a DAC implemented using a conventional n-channel metal-gate MOS process are presented. A discussion of the comparative accuracy and area of one- and two-stage weighted capacitor DAC's on the basis of capacitor tracking is given.
p73, a geme related to p53, is not mutated in esophageal carcinomas

A novel gene, termed p73, encodes a protein with a significant homology to p53 and has been mapped at chromosome 1p36.3, which is a locus of multiple suppressor genes for tumors including neuroblastoma and other cancers. Since the 1p36 locus is reported to be deleted and p53 is frequently mutated in esophageal carcinomas, we examined loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and mutation of the p73 gene in 48 untreated esophageal tumors, as well as mRNA expression in 8 tumors. We screened the P1 genomic library to obtain a P1 clone containing the p73 gene and found a polymorphic short tandem CT repeat site at intron 9. Intragenic sequences for 14 PCR primer sets and a primer pair flanking the repeat were also determined for the analysis of PCR single‐strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and LOH studies, respectively. Expression of p73 mRNA was detectable but at low levels in all 8 tumor tissues by reverse transcriptase PCR. We did not find any type of mutation other than polymorphisms in the 48 esophageal carcinomas, though aberration of the p53 gene on the PCR‐SSCP gels was observed in 15 of 38 (39%) tumors of the same set. In addition, LOH for p73 was found in only 2 of 25 (8%) tumors. These results suggest that, at least in esophageal carcinomas, allelic loss or mutation of p73 may not be a main genetic event for the tumorigenesis as it is with p53. Int. J. Cancer 78:437–440, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
DV-SLAM (Dual-Sensor-Based Vector-Field SLAM) and Observability Analysis

In this paper, the observability of the conventional vector field simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is examined by using the Fisher information matrix (FIM). If a mobile robot integrates sensor measurements while moving with a fixed heading, the measurements will be ambiguous because its measurement model is based on bilinear interpolation. To resolve the ambiguity, the authors proposed the novel dual-sensor-based vector-field SLAM (DV-SLAM), which is fully observable by using a mobile robot equipped with two sensors in a specific location to measure vector field signals. By examining its FIM, the condition is derived for the proposed DV-SLAM to be fully observable regardless of how the robot moves. The proposed DV-SLAM is implemented based on the Rao-Blackwellized particle filter with Earth's magnetic field sensors. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed dual-sensor-based approach greatly improves the performance of the vector-field SLAM compared with the conventional approach.
Bioluminescent high‐throughput assay for the bacteria adherence to the tissue culture cells

The goal of this study was develop a rapid high‐throughput method for the assessment of the bacterial adhesion to tissue culture cells and test this method by investigation of the adhesion and growth of pathogenic and non‐pathogenic Escherichia coli strains in the presence of HeLa human epithelial cells. Fifteen strains of E. coli were transformed with a plasmid carrying the entire lux operon of Photorhabdus luminescens to make them bioluminescent. By using the Time‐to‐Detection approach and bioluminescence imaging in microplate format, the adherence and growth of bacteria in tissue culture medium in the presence of HeLa cells was monitored. It was observed that Eagle's minimal essential medium (EMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) significantly inhibited growth of E. coli. However, in the presence of HeLa cells the detected growth of E. coli was similar to the growth observed in LB medium. It was established that the initial number of E. coli cells present in the microplate directly correlated with the time necessary for the bioluminescence signal to reach the threshold level, hence allowing the accurate assessment of the adhered cells within 8–10 h. Neither bacterial adherence nor growth kinetics correlated with the pathogenicity of the strain though they were strain‐specific. The developed approach provided new information on the interaction of E. coli with epithelial cells and could be used for both pathogenicity research and for the screening of potential therapeutic agents for the ability to minimize pathogen colonization of human tissues. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:1628–1633. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Assembly of Archaeal Cell Division Protein FtsZ and a GTPase-inactive Mutant into Double-stranded Filaments*

We have studied the assembly and GTPase of purified FtsZ from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Methanococcus jannaschii, a structural homolog of eukaryotic tubulin, employing wild-type FtsZ, FtsZ-His6 (histidine-tagged FtsZ), and the new mutants FtsZ-W319Y and FtsZ-W319Y-His6, with light scattering, nucleotide analyses, electron microscopy, and image processing methods. This has revealed novel properties of FtsZ. The GTPase of archaeal FtsZ polymers is suppressed in Na+-containing buffer, generating stabilized structures that require GDP addition for disassembly. FtsZ assembly is polymorphic. Archaeal FtsZ(wt) assembles into associated and isolated filaments made of two parallel protofilaments with a 43 Å longitudinal spacing between monomers, and this structure is also observed in bacterial FtsZ from Escherichia coli. The His6 extension facilitates the artificial formation of helical tubes and sheets. FtsZ-W319Y-His6 is an inactivated GTPase whose assembly remains regulated by GTP and Mg2+. It forms two-dimensional crystals made of symmetrical pairs of tubulin-like protofilaments, which associate in an antiparallel array (similarly to the known Ca2+-induced sheets of FtsZ-His6). In contrast to the lateral interactions of microtubule protofilaments, we propose that the primary assembly product of FtsZ is the double-stranded filament, one or several of which might form the dynamic Z ring during prokaryotic cell division.