Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sensitive PCR diagnosis of Infections by Enterocytozoon bieneusi (microsporidia) using primers based on the region coding for small-subunit rRNA

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is the most common microsporidian infecting patients with AIDS. We have developed a PCR primer pair, named EBIEF1/EBIER1, based on the small-subunit rRNA sequence of this microsporidian. Compared with other PCR-based methods, this primer pair shows a higher efficiency of detection in diagnostic applications than does another previously described primer pair, V1/EB450.
The Intracellular Domain of the β-Amyloid Precursor Protein Is Stabilized by Fe65 and Translocates to the Nucleus in a Notch-like Manner*

The β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a ubiquitous receptor-like molecule without a known function. However, the recent recognition that APP and Notch undergo highly similar proteolytic processing has suggested a potential signaling function for APP. After ligand binding, Notch is cleaved by the ADAM-17 metalloprotease followed by an intramembrane cleavage mediated by γ-secretase. The γ-secretase cut releases the Notch intracellular domain (NICD), which enters the nucleus and modulates transcription. Because APP is processed similarly by ADAM-17 and γ-secretase, we reasoned that the APP intracellular domain (AICD) has a role analogous to the NICD. We therefore generated a plasmid encoding the AICD sequence and studied the subcellular localization of the expressed protein (C60). Our results demonstrate that the cytoplasmic domain of APP is a highly labile fragment that is stabilized by forming complexes with Fe65 and can then enter the nucleus in neurons and non-neural cells. These findings strongly support the hypothesis that APP signals in the nucleus in a manner analogous to the function of Notch.
The causal role of plasma albumin deficiency in experimental nephrotic hyperlipemia and hypercholesteremia.

Previous studies ( 1-8) from this laboratory have indicated that the hypercholesteremia and hyperlipemia occurring in the experimental nephrotic syndrome induced in rats by injection of anti-rat kidney seruim are due primarily to some intravascular "trapping" phenomenion whereby the animal appears unable to remove either endogenously-produced or dietary-derived cholesterol and lipid from the plasma with its customary efficiency. However, since renal changes seemingly initiate the total nephrotic syndrome, it seems probable that this "trapping" of cholesterol and lipid which occurs in the plasma in this syndrome is related in some manner to such renal changes. In the present study, an attempt was made to determine the nature of this relationship. The observations herein reported suggest (a) that the hypercholesteremia and the hyperlipemia observed in the experimental nephrotic syndrome are initiated and maintained by the external renal loss of some plasma constituent, and (b) that this substance specifically is albumin.
Insight into the role of CYBA A640G and C242T gene variants and coronary heart disease risk. A case-control study

The CYBA gene variants have been inconsistently associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. A case-control study was conducted genotyping 619 subjects to explore the contribution of C242T and A640G to CHD risk in the population. A significant risk was found associated with GG homozygosity (odds ratio (OR) 2.132, 95% confidence interval, 1.113–4.085). The C242T variant was associated with CHD risk in women. Bias due to population stratification was analysed. Phenotype changes linked to these polymorphisms were evaluated. Superoxide measurements revealed higher production as indicated by the presence of the G and T alleles. Differences in mRNA concentration in heterozygous A640G samples were analysed. Higher levels of G allele mRNA compared with A allele mRNA were found. NAD(P)H oxidase p22phox sub-unit expression was evaluated with Western blot. Experiments revealed a gradual relationship in p22phox protein expression according to genotypes of the analysed variants. Those GG TT double homozygous showed increased p22phox protein expressions regarding AA CC double homozygous. This study has demonstrated increased expression and activity of the NAD(P)H system components during atherogenesis and the results could help explain the relevance of the A640G variant as a CHD marker.
Delay Guarantee Backup Route Planning for Multicast Networks

This paper considers quality of service in terms of end-to-end delay in planning backup routes for multicast communications. The problem of preplanning backup routes considering both cost minimization and end-to-end delay guarantee for multicast communications in the case a single link failure is investigated. Two delay labels, the limited label and the tolerable label, are defined to evaluate the end-to-end delay requirement. Four heuristic algorithms, including two tree-based algorithms, one subtree-based algorithm, and one link-based algorithm, are proposed to determine the delay-constrained backup routes having the minimum costs. Two procedures to determine a node selection sequence, Random and Minimum-Cost, are used in the tree-based algorithm. Experimental results show that the tree-based algorithm by the Minimum-Cost sequence yields the best performance in cost minimization with guarantee of end-to-end delay.
Spatial Modulation Aided Layered Division Multiplexing: A Spectral Efficiency Perspective

In this paper, spatial modulation (SM) is introduced to layered division multiplexing (LDM) systems for enlarging the spectral efficiency (SE) over broadcasting transmission. First, the SM aided LDM (SM-LDM) system is proposed, in which different layered services utilize SM for terrestrial broadcasting transmission with different power levels. Then a SE analysis framework for SM-LDM systems is proposed, which is suitable for the SM-LDM systems with linear combining. Moreover, the closed-form SE lower bound of SM-LDM systems with maximum ratio combining (MRC) is derived, which is based on this framework. Since the theoretical SE analysis of single transmit antenna (TA) LDM systems with MRC and spatial multiplexing (SMX) aided LDM systems with MRC lacks a closed-form expression, the closed-form SE is also derived for these systems. Monte Carlo simulations are provided to verify the tightness of our proposed SE lower bound. Furthermore, it can be shown via simulations that our proposed SM-LDM systems always have a better SE performance than single-TA LDM systems, which can even outperform the SE of SMX aided LDM (SMX-LDM) systems.
Development of autoimmune hepatitis in a psoriasis patient without immunosuppressive therapy

We present a case of a 65-year-old man with psoriasis who developed autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) without receiving immunosuppressive therapy with either anti-tumor necrosis factor-α or methotrexate. The AIH had completely resolved at 2 months after prednisolone and azathioprine therapy. This case confirms the need to consider AIH in psoriasis patients who experience new elevations in liver enzymes. To our knowledge, this is first description of the development of AIH in an immunosuppressant-naïve patient with psoriasis.
Importance of cellulase cocktails favoring hydrolysis of cellulose

ABSTRACT Depolymerization of lignocellulosic biomass is catalyzed by groups of enzymes whose action is influenced by substrate features and the composition of cellulase preparation. Cellulases contain a mixture of variety of enzymes, whose proportions dictate the saccharification of biomass. In the current study, four cellulase preparation varying in their composition were used to hydrolyze two types of alkali-treated biomass (aqueous ammonia-treated rice straw and sodium hydroxide-treated rice straw) to study the effect on catalytic rate, saccharification yields, and sugar release profile. We found that substrate features affected the extent of saccharification but had minimal effect on the sugar release pattern. In addition, complete hydrolysis to glucose was observed with enzyme preparation having at least a cellobiase units (CBU)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) ratio (>0.15), while a modified enzyme ratio can be used for oligosaccharide synthesis. Thus, cellulase preparation with defined ratios of the three main enzymes can improve the saccharification which is of utmost importance in defining the success of lignocellulose-based economies.
ON PARAMETRIC STATE FEEDBACK DESIGN IN THE FREQUENCY DOMAIN

Abstract This contribution presents a parametric approach to the frequency domain design of state feedback controllers in the general case of multiple closed loop poles. By introducing the set of generalized pole directions as design parameters a compact parametric expression is derived for the closed loop denominator matrix parameterizing the state feedback controller in the frequency domain. No assumptions are imposed on the closed loop poles and the pole directions. Connecting relationships are established between the time and frequency domain approach to parametric state feedback design. A simple example demonstrates the proposed design procedure.
Physical layer security in power line communication networks: an emerging scenario, other than wireless

The authors consider the secure transmission of information over power line communication (PLC) networks. The focus is on the secrecy guaranteed at the physical layer, named physical layer security (PLS). Although PLS has been deeply investigated for the wireless case, it is not the same for the PLC environment. Thus, starting from the knowledge in the wireless context, the authors extend the results to typical PLC scenarios. In particular, the PLC channel statistics is evaluated and a performance comparison among PLC and wireless channels is performed, in terms of secrecy rate distribution. For the PLC case, the secrecy rate distribution, under a total power constraint, is evaluated for both optimal and uniform power distributions in broadband channels. To provide experimental evidence, the authors consider channel measures obtained in an in-home measurement campaign. The underlying network presents a tree topology, which introduces frequency and spatial correlation among channels, and suffers from the keyhole effect, generated by branches that depart from the same node. As shown by the numerical results, these effects can reduce the secrecy rate. Finally, the authors evaluate the secrecy rate region for the multi-user broadcast channel considering both simulated channel realisations and experimental channel measures.
A Study on the Relationship Between Event-Related Potentials and Image Quality Variation

The relationship between event-related potentials (ERPs) and image quality variation was studied in this paper. Two independent image attributes, white level (WL) and color saturation (CS), were used as two alterable parameters for changing image quality. The corresponding images were presented to subjects, and subjects were asked to indicate whether they had perceived a quality change. The results showed that the perceivable impairment of image quality elicited measurable ERPs (the so-called P300 component) at latency of about 300-550 ms for all subjects. The more degraded the image quality, the earlier and higher the P300 is rising. The latency and amplitude of ERPs changed with the image quality caused by different WL and CS logarithmically. In addition, the peak amplitudes and latency are highly correlated with the rating results obtained in rating experiment. The corresponding regression functions matched well, which proved the reasonability of utilizing ERPs in assessing image quality.
CHARACTERIZATION OF STRESS AND TOPOLOGY IN WLP PROCESSES USING CGS INTERFEROMETRY

Wafer Level Packaging (WLP) is a key component of the 3D Packaging roadmap. It expands low cost wafer-level processing to advanced packaging by delivering improved density, higher performance in a small form factor. Foundries and OSATs are investing rapidly in WLP. As with any new packaging application, WLP will be required to demonstrate mature yield levels for cost effective high volume manufacturing. Planarity has become one of the top yield detractors and assembling large surfaces with micronscale features requires new manufacturing capabilities. Using a full-wafer Coherent Gradient Sensing (CGS) interferometer it is possible to image precisely the surface of the WLP wafer, capturing the whole topography with three million pixels at a speed greater than 100 wafers per hour. This paper will discuss the application of the Superfast 3G system, the first production 3D WLP Macro Inspection System developed for volume manufacturing of patterned wafers. Its self-referencing interferometer allows the inspection to be made on any type of surface or films stack, and does not require a measurement target. By comparing the topography evolution between steps, planarity variations as well as stress can be measured and controlled. Given an established WLP process flow with a high mix of products, the inspection system enables rapid understanding of wafer level, die level and within die topography and stress challenges. In a foundry environment where the product layout (e.g. TSV, RDL, micro-bumps) and the planarity and stress specifications will vary, The system allows customized Statistical Process Control (SPC) of each individual production batch. This paper will discuss specific examples to demonstrate how planarity and stress process control can be put in place to insure that each product yields reliably.
IST-153 Workshop on Cyber Resilience Bayesian Attack Graphs for Security Risk Assessment

Attack graphs offer a powerful framework for security risk assessment. They provide a compact representation of the attack paths that an attacker can follow to compromise network resources from the analysis of the network topology and vulnerabilities. The uncertainty about the attacker’s behaviour makes Bayesian networks suitable to model attack graphs to perform static and dynamic security risk assessment. Thus, whilst static analysis of attack graphs considers the security posture at rest, dynamic analysis accounts for evidence of compromise at run-time, helping system administrators to react against potential threats. In this paper, we introduce a Bayesian attack graph model that allows to estimate the probabilities of an attacker compromising different resources of the network. We show how exact and approximate inference techniques can be efﬁciently applied on Bayesian attack graph models with thousands of nodes.
Prednisone and low‐dose activated prothrombin complex concentrates for FVIII inhibitor in nonhaemophilic patients

Eight nonhaemophilic patients with factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitors were reported. There was no difference in sex distribution. Median age at diagnosis was 62 years (ranging from 14 to 73 years). No associated disorders were revealed and all the patients were presented with severe muscular or arthral bleeding. Inhibitor titre was measured by the Bethesda method, which were 6.4, 126.0, 155.0, 4.8, 56.0, 13.5, 35.0 and 150.0 BU mL−1, respectively, at diagnosis. FVIII:C levels were less than 1 U dL−1 in seven patients and less than 2 U dL−1 in one patient. The median vWF:Ag level was 210% (ranging from 80% to 340%). All the patients had good response to activated prothrombin complex concentrates for acute bleeding episodes and prednisone for inhibitor elimination. Inhibitors completely eliminated in seven patients within a follow‐up duration over 1 year, and one patient died of intracranial haemorrhage when her inhibitor titre decreased to 4.5 BU mL−1 and FVIII:C increased to 21 U dL−1.
A method for handling clusturing of uncertain data

In this paper, we propose two novel active learning algorithms: 1) k-mode for classifying the certain and uncertain dataset in a whole dataset, 2) Priority R-Tree clustering the certain and uncertain data for each domain. They handle both supervised and unsupervised dataset. These techniques improve the robustness and accuracy of the clustering outcome to a great extent. By minimizing the expected error with respect to the optimal classifier, experimental results display the cluster using the Gas sensor array drift Dataset.
An Efficient Channel Scan Scheduling Algorithm for VoIP Handoffs in WLANs

To guarantee seamless handoffs between access points (APs) is one of the most decisive factors in providing realtime applications such as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) in IEEE 802.11 networks. It is because in wireless local area networks (WLANs) there is no specific control channel for executing a handoff process and a mobile station (MS) has to search for new APs from channel to channel by temporarily disconnecting its association with the old AP. While previous studies are mainly focused on how to reduce the handoff latency, in this paper a channel scanning algorithm is proposed to schedule suitable time for performing a handoff process efficiently. In the proposed algorithm, the voice activity is taken into consideration, and the handoff process is performed during silent periods. Extensive simulations are conducted to investigate the performance of the proposed algorithm in terms of the handoff success probability and the packet loss rate, and the results obtained in this paper can serve as a good reference for the system design.
High-resolution Visualization of the Microbial Glycocalyx with Low-voltage Scanning Electron Microscopy: Dependence on Cationic Dyes

The microbial glycocalyx is composed of a variety of polyanionic exopolysac-charides and plays important roles in microbial attachment to different substrata and to other cells. Here we report the successful use of low-voltage scanning electron microscopy (LVSEM) to visualize the glycocalyx in two microbial models (Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis biofilms) at high resolution, and also the dependence on fixation containing polycationic dyes for its visualization. Fixation in a paraformaldehyde-glutaral-dehyde cocktail without cationic dyes was inadequate for visualizing the glycocalyx, whereas addition of various dyes (alcian blue, safranin, and ruthenium red) to the aldehyde cocktail appeared necessary for stabilization. The cationic dyes varied in size, shape, and charge density, and these factors appeared responsible for different phenotypic appearances of the glycocalyx with each dye. These results suggest that aldehyde fixation with cationic dyes for high-resolution LVSEM will be a useful tool for investigation of microbial biofilms as well as investigation of the extent and role of the glycocalyx in microbial attachment to surfaces.
Immunomodulatory effects of tulathromycin on apoptosis, efferocytosis, and proinflammatory leukotriene B4 production in leukocytes from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae-or zymosan-challenged pigs.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of tulathromycin in vitro and in experimental models of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae-induced pleuropneumonia and zymosan-induced pulmonary inflammation in pigs. ANIMALS Blood samples from six 8- to 30-week-old healthy male pigs for the in vitro experiment and sixty-five 3-week-old specific pathogen-free pigs. PROCEDURES Neutrophils and monocyte-derived macrophages were isolated from blood samples. Isolated cells were exposed to tulathromycin (0.02 to 2.0 mg/mL) for various durations and assessed for markers of apoptosis and efferocytosis. For in vivo experiments, pigs were inoculated intratracheally with A pleuropneumoniae, zymosan, or PBS solution (control group) with or without tulathromycin pretreatment (2.5 mg/kg, IM). Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected 3 and 24 hours after inoculation and analyzed for proinflammatory mediators, leukocyte apoptosis, and efferocytosis. RESULTS In vitro, tulathromycin induced time- and concentration-dependent apoptosis in neutrophils, which enhanced their subsequent clearance by macrophages. In the lungs of both A pleuropneumoniae- and zymosan-challenged pigs, tulathromycin promoted leukocyte apoptosis and efferocytosis and inhibited proinflammatory leukotriene B4 production, with a concurrent reduction in leukocyte necrosis relative to that of control pigs. Tulathromycin also attenuated the degree of lung damage and lesion progression in A pleuropneumoniae-inoculated pigs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Tulathromycin had immunomodulatory effects in leukocytes in vitro and anti-inflammatory effects in pigs in experimental models of A pleuropneumoniae infection and nonmicrobial-induced pulmonary inflammation. These data suggested that in addition to its antimicrobial properties, tulathromycin may dampen severe proinflammatory responses and drive resolution of inflammation in pigs with microbial pulmonary infections.
Multilaboratory Evaluation of a Viability Assay for Measurement of Opsonophagocytic Antibodies Specific to the Capsular Polysaccharides of Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT Opsonophagocytosis is a correlate of protection that measures the functional activity of vaccine-induced antibodies. A standardized opsonophagocytosis assay (OPA) should be used as part of the evaluation of current and future pneumococcal (Pnc) polysaccharide (Ps)-based vaccines. We enrolled five laboratories to evaluate a previously standardized viability OPA. Each laboratory was provided with a detailed OPA protocol, seven target Pnc strains (serotypes 4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, and 23F), two quality control sera and 12 paired sera (blinded) from adult donors who received one dose of the 23-valent Pnc Ps vaccine. Laboratories sent their results to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for analysis. Sera were tested in duplicate (single run), and the results were averaged to yield a single OPA titer (≥50% killing) for each serum sample. The percentage of sera within one or two dilutions of the calculated median OPA titer was determined for each laboratory and for each serotype. In general, laboratories were capable of detecting OPA titers within one or two dilutions of the median for at least 75 and 88%, respectively, of the sera tested. The level of agreement with the median OPA titers varied depending on the participating laboratory (overall agreement = 0.8 [99% confidence interval = 0.75 to 0.85]). All OPA median titers reported for quality control sera were within one dilution of the expected titer. We conclude that this OPA can be done in multiple laboratories with a high degree of interlaboratory reproducibility.
Distribution of resonances for spherical black holes

The purpose of this note is to apply the methods of geometric scattering theory developed by Briet-Combes-Duclos [6], Gérard-Sjöstrand [14], Mazzeo-Melrose [22] and the second author [30] in the simplest model of a Black Hole: the De SitterSchwarzschild metric. We show that the resonances (or the quasi normal modes, in the terminology of Chandrasekhar [8]) are globally defined in C and that in a strip below the real axis and for large angular momenta, l, they are well approximated by the ( ±l ± 1 2 − i 2 ( k + 1 2 )) (1− 9Λm) 12