Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mode area scaling with all-solid photonic bandgap fibers.

There are still very strong interests for power scaling in high power fiber lasers for a wide range of applications in medical, industry, defense and science. In many of these lasers, fiber nonlinearities are the main limits to further scaling. Although numerous specific techniques have studied for the suppression of a wide range of nonlinearities, the fundamental solution is to scale mode areas in fibers while maintaining sufficient single mode operation. Here the key problem is that more modes are supported once physical dimensions of waveguides are increased. The key to solve this problem is to look for fiber designs with significant higher order mode suppression. In conventional waveguides, all modes are increasingly guided in the center of the waveguides when waveguide dimensions are increased. It is hard to couple a mode out in order to suppress its propagation, which severely limits their scalability. In an all-solid photonic bandgap fiber, modes are only guided due to anti-resonance of cladding photonic crystal lattice. This provides strongly mode-dependent guidance, leading to very high differential mode losses. In addition, the all-solid nature of the fiber makes it easily spliced to other fibers. In this paper, we will show for the first time that all-solid photonic bandgap fibers with effective mode area of ~920? m2 can be made with excellent higher order mode suppression.
Recurrent massive haematemesis from Dieulafoy vascular malformations--a review of 101 cases.

Presentation de 6 cas et revue de 101 observations. La cause du saignement est la presence d'une artere de dimensions anormalement grandes situee dans la sous-muqueuse en contact etroit avec la muqueuse. Le site le plus frequent est proche de la jonction œsophagogastrique, surtout dans la petite courbure. Le diagnostic est possible par gastroscopie d'urgence
Disruption of visual and motor connectivity in spinocerebellar ataxia type 7

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is an autosomal‐dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive ataxia and retinal dystrophy. It is caused by a CAG trinucleotide expansion in the ataxin7 gene. Anatomical studies have shown severe cerebellar degeneration and region‐specific neocortical atrophy in SCA7 patients. However, the impact of the neurodegeneration on the functional integration of the remaining tissue is still unknown. The aim of this study was to examine functional connectivity abnormalities in areas with significant gray matter atrophy in SCA7 patients and their relationship with number of CAG repeats. Using a combination of voxel‐based morphometry and resting‐state fMRI, we studied 26 genetically confirmed SCA7 patients and aged‐matched healthy controls. In SCA7 patients we found reduced functional interaction between the cerebellum and the middle and superior frontal gyri, disrupted functional connectivity between the visual and motor cortices, and increased functional coordination between atrophied areas of the cerebellum and a range of visual cortical areas compared with healthy controls. The degree of mutation expansion showed a negative effect on both the functional interaction between the right anterior cerebellum and the left superior frontal gyrus and the connectivity between the right anterior cerebellum and left parahippocampal gyrus. We found abnormal functional connectivity patterns, including both hypo‐ and hyperconnectivity, compared with controls. These abnormal patterns show reasonable association with the severity of gene mutation. Our findings suggest that aberrant changes are prevalent in both motor and visual systems, adding significantly to our understanding of the pathophysiology of SCA7. © 2013 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Recombinant human TSH in radioiodine treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND Recombinant human TSH (rhTSH) has been developed to facilitate the follow-up for persistent or recurrent differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), avoiding the hypothyroid symptoms after the withdrawal of Levothyroxine (L-T4) suppressive therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS To analyse the effect of rhTSH in providing stimulation of radioiodine uptake (RAIU) for the ablation of thyroid remnant and/or malignant thyroid tissue in patients with metastatic DTC. Ten subjects (4 women, 6 men), mean age 53 years, with DTC (7 papillary, 2 follicular and 1 Hürthle-cell), requiring radioiodine therapy (RIT) were studied. Nine of them had a positive diagnostic whole body scan (dWBS) or CT for thyroid remnant, lymph nodes and/or distant metastases. One patient with an invasive tall cell PTC had an increased serum Tg and a negative dWBS. Serum TSH was measured before and two days after the rhTSH injection. Thyroglobulin measurements were performed before the rhTSH administration, 3 and 6 months after RIT. There were no serious side effects of the rhTSH application. RESULTS Serum TSH after the rhTSH injection rose to 156.5 +/- +/- 60.9 mIU/L and induced RAIU in 8 out of 10 patients. Basal serum Tg was increased in 6 patients and decreased three months later in 2 of them. The post-therapy WBS (pthWBS) showed: 1) additional metastatic lesions in 3 patients with positive dWBS, 2) lung nodular metastases in 1 patient with negative dWBS, 3) similar image as the dWBS in 4 patients, 4) negative image in 1 patient with positive dWBS. CONCLUSION RhTSH is a safe and promising method for the stimulation of RAIU in patients with thyroid remnant and/or persistent or recurrent DTC, avoiding L-T4 withdrawal.
An evaluation of parsimony for microbial risk assessment models

Microbial risk assessment (MRA) is a process that evaluates the likelihood of adverse human health effects following exposure to a medium in which pathogens are present. Several different classes of models are available to quantitatively characterize risks to human health from exposure to pathogens. Herein, we consider the question of parsimony for specific realizations of representative static and dynamic MRA models and identify conditions under which the more complex dynamic model provides sufficient additional insight to justify the added modeling complexity. To address this question, a standard static individual‐level risk model is compared to a deterministic dynamic population‐level model that explicitly includes secondary transmission and immunity processes. Exposure parameters are based on a scenario defined by human exposure to pathogens in reclaimed water. A sensitivity analysis is implemented to identify conditions under which static and dynamic models yield substantially different results. Under low risk conditions, defined by a combination of exposure levels and infectivity of the pathogen, the simpler static model provides satisfactory risk estimates. The approach presented here provides a basis for model selection for a broad range of MRA applications. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improving vaccine storage in general practice refrigerators

Vaccines are biological products and are susceptible to fluctuations in temperature. In many general practices vaccines are exposed to adverse temperatures.1 2 The aim of this study was to determine whether educating one staff member in each practice about correct vaccine storage conditions and nominating that staff member to monitor the refrigerator's temperature would improve vaccine storage in general practices. A random sample of general practices in a metropolitan division of Western Australia and all general practices in a rural division were invited to participate in the study. Those that already monitored their refrigerators with a maximum-minimum thermometer or did not store vaccines were excluded. Practices were randomised into control and intervention groups, and their vaccine refrigerators were monitored for 30 days with a computerised …
Homo experimentalis Evolves

The fundamental challenge in the social sciences is how to go beyond correlational analysis to provide insights on causation. Economists have long used precise models and econometric techniques to answer causal questions using variations in naturally occurring data (1). Increasingly, insights on causation are also gained through the use of controlled experimentation. In this approach, causation is usually identified through randomization, much like controlled experiments used in drug trials. In economics, laboratory experiments have been used to meaningfully test theories, lend important qualitative insights, and provide a first glimpse at what can happen in an economic system. To complement lab and naturally occurring economic data, studies that gather data via field experiments have become more frequent during the past decade. Such experiments are a useful marriage between laboratory and naturally occurring data in that they represent a mixture of control and realism usually not achieved in the lab or with naturally occurring data. Economists use three main types of field experiments to sample various populations and situations (2). Artifactual field experiments share many of the qualities of conventional lab experiments but use a subject pool from the population of interest. Framed field experiments account for important situational features of the market of interest by embedding decisions in their natural context, and therefore making decisions much less abstract. Yet the subjects remain aware that they are part of an experimental study. Framed field experiments are a cousin of social experiments of the 20th century such as employment programs and housing allowances (3). Finally, in a natural field experiment, the analyst manipulates
Glycoprotein IIIa Pl(A1/A2) polymorphism and sudden cardiac death.

OBJECTIVES We studied the association of the Pl(A1/A2) polymorphism with coronary thrombosis, myocardial infarction (MI) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in autopsied victims of sudden death. BACKGROUND Sudden cardiac death is one of the leading symptoms of coronary heart disease in early middle age. Platelet glycoprotein (GP)IIb/IIIa fibrinogen receptors play a key role in coronary thrombosis and MI. Pl(A1/A2) polymorphism of the gene for GPIIIa has been previously studied in hospital MI patients. Significance of the Pl(A1/A2) polymorphism in victims of SCD is not known. METHODS The Pl(A1/A2) polymorphism was studied in the Helsinki Sudden Death Study comprising 700 autopsied middle-aged white Finnish men (33 to 70 years, mean 53 years) who suffered sudden or violent out-of-hospital death. RESULTS Prevalence of the A2 allele decreased with age in the series. This decrease was observed among victims of SCD (n = 281) but not in men who died violently (n = 258) or of other diseases (n = 127). Of SCD victims below 50 years, 39.7% were carriers of the A2 allele compared with 28.3% among men under 50 who died of other causes (odds ratio [OR] 2.5, p = 0.01). Men with acute fatal coronary thrombosis (n = 39) were more often (OR 3.4, p < 0.01) carriers of the A2 allele than were men (n = 242) with SCD in the absence of acute coronary thrombosis (48.7% vs. 24.4%, respectively). In addition, men with MI and recent or old thrombosis (n = 67) were more often (OR 3.6, p = 0.005) carriers of the A2 allele than were men (n = 123) with MI in the absence of thrombosis (44.8% vs. 20.3%, respectively). These associations were especially strong in men under 60. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the A2 allele of the Pl(A1/A2) polymorphism of GPIIIa is a major risk factor of coronary thrombosis and may be one important predictor of SCD in early middle age.
Noise Estimation and Suppression Using Nonlinear Function with A Priori Speech Absence Probability in Speech Enhancement

This paper proposes a noise-biased compensation of minimum statistics (MS) method using a nonlinear function and a priori speech absence probability (SAP) for speech enhancement in highly nonstationary noisy environments. The MS method is a well-known technique for noise power estimation in nonstationary noisy environments; however, it tends to bias noise estimation below that of the true noise level. The proposed method is combined with an adaptive parameter based on a sigmoid function and a priori SAP for residual noise reduction. Additionally, our method uses an autoparameter to control the trade-off between speech distortion and residual noise. We evaluate the estimation of noise power in highly nonstationary and varying noise environments. The improvement can be confirmed in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the Itakura-Saito Distortion Measure (ISDM).
Multiplanar MR and anatomic study of the mandibular canal.

PURPOSE To evaluate the MR appearance of the mandibular canal and its contents. METHODS Cadaveric mandibles were imaged at 1.5 T and 3 T, then sectioned with a cryomicrotome. The size, shape, signal intensity, and pattern of structures in the mandibular canal were identified on MR images by comparing them with corresponding anatomic sections. RESULTS The inferior alveolar nerve and connective tissue were identified on the 1.5-T and 3-T images in the mandibular canal. Within the nerve the axon bundles were distinguished from the nerve sheath on the 3-T images. CONCLUSION This study suggests that MR images can show excellent anatomic detail in the mandibular canal.
Cloning, functional expression and characterization of Mesorhizobium loti arylamine N‐acetyltransferases: rhizobial symbiosis supplies leguminous plants with the xenobiotic N‐acetylation pathway

Arylamine N‐acetyltransferases (NATs) are xenobiotic‐metabolizing enzymes involved in the detoxification of numerous aromatic chemicals. The NAT‐dependent N‐acetylation pathway has not previously been detected in plants. We demonstrate here the occurrence of the NAT‐dependent pathway in leguminous plants, due to symbiosis with Mesorhizobium loti. We cloned two NAT enzymes from M. loti and showed that these two recombinant enzymes catalysed the N‐acetylation of several known NAT substrates, including aniline‐derived pesticide residues. We also demonstrate the existence of a functional NAT‐dependent acetylation pathway in the root nodules of Lotus japonicus inoculated with M. loti. M. loti is the first non‐eukaryotic organism shown to express two catalytically active NAT isoforms. This work also provides the first evidence for acquisition of a xenobiotic detoxification pathway by a plant through symbiosis with a soil microbe.
ALLOCATION OF HARMONIC CURRENTS TO CUSTOMERS IN MESHED HV NETWORKS

Use of the new harmonic standard AS/NZS 61000.3. 6 to determine legally and technically defensible harmonic current limits for an interconnected transmission network ought to be feasible. But for various reasons, application of this standard to even a simple radial network, let alone a relatively complex meshed transmission system, is a highly non-trivial exercise. Further, the allocation procedure proposed by AS/NZS 61000.3. 6 is shown to deliver harmonic current allocations that result in harmonic bus voltages which exceed utility planning levels. A new method has been developed, whereby harmonic voltages at network busbars are explicitly forced to be at or below utility planning levels when all loads are injecting their maximum permitted harmonic currents derived under the allocation. This new method is shown to give a suitable and strictly equitable harmonic allocation for a simple three-bus sample transmission network.
Plasma concentrations of praziquantel after oral administration of single and multiple doses in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta).

OBJECTIVE To determine the pharmacokinetics of praziquantel following single and multiple oral dosing in loggerhead sea turtles. ANIMALS 12 healthy juvenile loggerhead sea turtles. PROCEDURE Praziquantel was administered orally as a single dose (25 and 50 mg/kg) to 2 groups of turtles; a multiple-dose study was then performed in which 6 turtles received 3 doses of praziquantel (25 mg/kg, PO) at 3-hour intervals. Blood samples were collected from all turtles before and at intervals after drug administration for assessment of plasma praziquantel concentrations. Pharmacokinetic analyses included maximum observed plasma concentration (Cmax), time to maximum concentration (Tmax), area under the plasma praziquantel concentration-time curve, and mean residence time (MRTt). RESULTS Large interanimal variability in plasma praziquantel concentrations was observed for all dosages. One turtle that received 50 mg of praziquantel/kg developed skin lesions within 48 hours of administration. After administration of 25 or 50 mg of praziquantel/kg, mean plasma concentrations were below the limit of quantification after 24 hours. In the multiple-dose group of turtles, mean plasma concentration was 90 ng/mL at the last sampling time-point (48 hours after the first of 3 doses). In the single-dose study, mean Cmax and Tmax with dose were not significantly different between doses. After administration of multiple doses of praziquantel, only MRTt was significantly increased, compared with values after administration of a single 25-mg dose. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Oral administration of 25 mg of praziquantel/kg 3 times at 3-hour intervals may be appropriate for treatment of loggerhead sea turtles with spirorchidiasis.
Short-term effects of low-dose estradiol on endothelial function and blood viscosity in nondiabetic postmenopausal overweight women: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Objective:The beneficial effects of estrogen on endothelial function depend on its integrity. This study evaluates the short-term effects of low-dose transdermal estradiol on endothelial function, insulin sensitivity, and blood viscosity in nondiabetic overweight/obese women. Methods:Forty-four nondiabetic overweight/obese women with a history of recent menopause were randomly allocated, in a double-blind fashion, to receive transdermal estradiol (1 mg/d, n = 22) or placebo (n = 22). The following parameters were assessed: endothelial reactivity (venous occlusion plethysmography and nailfold videocapillaroscopy), plasma levels of soluble adhesion molecules, insulin sensitivity (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and areas under the curve of insulin and glucose during an oral glucose tolerance test), and blood and plasma viscosity. Data were expressed as means ± SD or medians [first to third quartiles]. Results:Participants were aged 51.8 ± 2.3 years with a body mass index of 31.5 ± 2.5 kg/m2 and time since menopause was 3 [2-5] years. At baseline, no differences between the groups were observed; however, after 3 months of treatment, the following changes were observed in the estradiol group compared with the placebo group: a decrease in the forearm vascular resistance at baseline (36.37 [24.9-51.27] vs 51.3 [40.88-70.03] mm Hg/mL per min 100 mL tissue−1, P < 0.01) and during the postocclusive reactive hyperemia response (15.93 [11.32-22.29] vs 22.13 [16.46-29.7] mm Hg/mL per min 100 mL tissue−1, P < 0.01), and an increase in red blood cell velocity at rest (0.316 [0.309-0.326] vs 0.303 [0.293-0.308] mm/s, P < 0.001) and during postocclusive reactive hyperemia response (0.374 [0.353-0.376] vs 0.341 [0.333-0.355] mm/s, P < 0.001). Furthermore, blood viscosity was lower in the estradiol group than in the placebo group (3.57 ± 0.12 vs 3.76 ± 0.22 mPa.s; P < 0.01). Conclusions:Short-term use of low-dose transdermal estradiol in nondiabetic overweight/obese women with a history of recent menopause improved endothelial function and decreased blood viscosity compared with placebo.
Electroencephalography in the differential diagnosis of dementia

In this short clinically oriented review, the value of electroencephalography (EEG) in the diagnostic evaluation of cognitive decline is discussed, based on the recommendations of the European and Dutch guidelines. In general, an EEG with diffuse slowing with or without focal abnormalities argues for the presence of an underlying neurodegenerative illness and against subjective memory complaints or a psychiatric illness such as a depression. The value of an EEG in the differential diagnosis between the most common causes of dementia is dependent on the specific clinical problem. One of the clinical problems in which EEG has the highest yield is the distinction between the two most common dementia types, i.e. Lewy Body Dementia (DLB) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD): severe slowing of the background rhythm with a peak frequency in the theta frequency band (4 - 8 Hz) accompanied by frontal intermittent rhythmic delta activity (FIRDA) gives strong EEG support for DLB, whereas a diagnosis of AD is more likely when the EEG is normal or when only mild diffuse slowing is found. Furthermore, a normal EEG in an early onset dementia gives support for the diagnosis frontotemporal lobar degeneration. In addition, EEG is very useful when a metabolic, toxic or infectious encephalopathy is suspected. An EEG should be performed in subacute disease courses, with auto-immune encephalitis or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease as possible causes, or when (temporal lobe) epilepsy is suspected. In conclusion, EEG is most valuable in a specific differential diagnosis together with the clinical context and other diagnostic tests. Distinct EEG patterns can then help to make one of the diagnoses a more or less likely cause of the patient’s symptoms.
Functional characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxin receptors explains resistance in insects

Bacillus thuringiensis produces Cry toxins, which are used as insecticides in sprays and in transgenic crops. However, little is known about the function of Cry toxin receptors and the mechanisms that determine their binding specificity and activity. In this study, the cRNAs of Bombyx mori ABC transporter C2 (BmABCC2), the toxin‐binding region of cadherin‐like receptor (BtR175‐TBR), or aminopeptidase N1 (BmAPN1) were injected into Xenopus oocytes, and the Cry1Aa‐dependent cation‐selective pore formation activities of these receptors were analyzed using a two‐electrode voltage clamp. Cation current passing through the pores was detected within 25 s, and increased in a linear fashion in BmABCC2‐expressing oocytes treated with 88 nm Cry1Aa. This result suggested that Cry1Aa continuously made stable pores with the help of BmABCC2. In contrast, no cation current was observed until 60 min after incubation with 500 nm Cry1Aa in BtR175TBR‐expressing oocytes even though oligomerization of Cry1Aa progressed. This result indicated that in the presence of BtR175‐TBR most of the oligomerized toxin could not enter the cell membrane. However, oocytes that simultaneously expressed both receptors demonstrated that BtR175‐TBR exerted a synergistic effect with BmABCC2 on pore formation in the presence of 22 nm Cry1Aa. These results confirm that the main reason for moderate‐level resistance in insects lacking the cadherin‐like receptor but expressing ABCC2 is the absence of a similar synergistic promotion of toxin oligomerization. Similar to results from our previous report evaluating ectopic expression in the Sf9/Baculovirus system, BmAPN1 could not by itself cause Cry1A‐related pore formation, despite the fact that BmAPN1 gathered toxin on the oocytes as well as BmABCC2 did.
Front propagation for a two-dimensional periodic monostable lattice dynamical system

We study the traveling wave front solutions for a two-dimensional periodic lattice dynamical system with monostable nonlinearity. We first show that there is a minimal speed such that a traveling wave solution exists if and only if its speed is above this minimal speed. Then we prove that any wave profile is strictly monotone. Finally, we derive the convergence of discretized minimal speed to the continuous minimal speed.