Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A fetuin-related glycoprotein (alpha 2HS) in human embryonic and fetal development.

The human plasma protein, alpha 2HS glycoprotein, has an amino acid composition very similar to that of fetuin, the major protein in fetal calf and lamb serum. Immunohistochemical studies of human fetuses (6-33 weeks gestation) showed that alpha 2HS glycoprotein and fetuin have similar distributions in developing brain and several other tissues, e.g., bone, kidney, gonads, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory and cardiovascular systems. There were notable differences in the liver and thymus in the distribution of the two proteins. Fetuin and alpha 2HS glycoprotein are present in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of both human and sheep fetuses; their concentrations are reciprocally related: in human plasma and cerebrospinal fluid alpha 2HS glycoprotein concentration is high and fetuin low; the reverse is the case in sheep fetuses. Estimates of the concentration of alpha 2HS glycoprotein in human fetal cerebrospinal fluid and plasma were obtained. It is suggested that alpha 2HS glycoprotein may play a role in developing tissues, especially in the human fetus, similar to that of fetuin in other species.
Bordetella bronchiseptica in an AIDS patient cross-reacts with Legionella antisera

With regard to the recent report (2) on typing of Clostridium difficile by arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR), we would like to make readers aware of another typing approach (1). This approach uses PCR to amplify the 16S-23S rRNA gene (rDNA) spacer region, which is situated in the evolutionarily stable rRNA operon (5). It was demonstrated that in C. difficile there were 16 variable-length 16S-23S rDNA spacer alleles: different strains contained different combinations of variablelength alleles (1). By AP-PCR, 41 isolates were separated into nine groups, with 66% falling into one group (2). In a separate study, AP-PCR was used to separate 20 isolates into four groups (3). By amplifying the 16S-23S rDNA spacer region (1), 24 isolates were divided into 14 ribotypes. Although the total number of genotypes is not known, the 16S-23S rDNA spacer typing is
Quantitative Methods for Amino Acid Analysis in Biological Fluids

We must be able to provide accurate quantitative analyses of free amino acids in biological fluids. These are needed to: diagnose inherited metabolic disorders and to control their treatment; to monitor patients requiring long-term nutritional support; to evaluate new baby milks and parenteral or formulated enteral feeds; to detect renal drug toxicity; and to monitor bone or muscle turnover. Sometimes it is enough to analyse only one or a small group of amino acids, but more often, a full amino acid profile is required. This is an extremely difficult task as there are some 40 or 50 amino acids or amino acid conjugates in biological fluids, I with more than a WOO-fold range of concentrations. In order to separate amino acids for analyses, we have to exploit very small differences in structure and ionisation. Success depends upon fastidious attention to detail, not only in the analyses, but also in the collection and preparation of samples. The results can only be interpreted against a sound knowledge of metabolism. Many clinicians lean heavily upon the laboratories for interpretation, and it is essential that the data are presented in a way that is helpful. Quantitative analyses for clinical use became feasible 40 years ago when Moore and Stein reported the separation of standard and plasma amino acids with a sulfonated polystyrene resin column.v' Spackman et al? automated this procedure. Among clinical laboratories, cationexchange is still by far the commonest method
A job-shop batch scheduling method based on game theory

As the scheduling objective of taking the maximal profit of each task consisting of work pieces submitted bycustomers, a non-cooperation game model for batch scheduling is presented. In order to effectively find the Nash equilibrium point of the model, a strategy about multiple transport and gapless equivalent batch splitting is adopted. A hybrid adaptive genetic algorithm based on hill-climbing method is designed. A numerical case study is carried out to demonstrate the validity of scheduling methods.
Genomic and Functional Analysis of ICEPdaSpa1, a Fish-Pathogen-Derived SXT-Related Integrating Conjugative Element That Can Mobilize a Virulence Plasmid

ABSTRACT Integrating conjugative elements (ICEs) are self-transmissible mobile elements that transfer between bacteria via conjugation and integrate into the host chromosome. SXT and related ICEs became prevalent in Asian Vibrio cholerae populations in the 1990s and play an important role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes in V. cholerae. Here, we carried out genomic and functional analyses of ICEPdaSpa1, an SXT-related ICE derived from a Spanish isolate of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida, the causative agent of fish pasteurellosis. The ∼102-kb DNA sequence of ICEPdaSpa1 shows nearly 97% DNA sequence identity to SXT in genes that encode essential ICE functions, including integration and excision, conjugal transfer, and regulation. However, ∼25 kb of ICEPdaSpa1 DNA, including a tetracycline resistance locus, is not present in SXT. Most ICEPdaSpa1-specific DNA is inserted at loci where other SXT-related ICEs harbor element-specific DNA. ICEPdaSpa1 excises itself from the chromosome and is transmissible to other Photobacterium strains, as well as to Escherichia coli, in which it integrates into prfC. Interestingly, the P. damselae virulence plasmid pPHDP10 could be mobilized from E. coli in an ICEPdaSpa1-dependent fashion via the formation of a cointegrate between pPHDP10 and ICEPdaSpa1. pPHDP10-Cm integrated into ICEPdaSpa1 in a non-site-specific fashion independently of RecA. The ICEPdaSpa1::pPHDP10 cointegrates were stable, and markers from both elements became transmissible at frequencies similar to those observed for the transfer of ICEPdaSpa1 alone. Our findings reveal the plasticity of ICE genomes and demonstrate that ICEs can enable virulence gene transfer.
Development and Evaluation of Taste Masked Granular Formulation of Satranidazole by Melt Granulation Technique

Drugs from nitroimidazole category are generally bitter in taste. Oral formulation with bitter taste is not palatable. Geriatrics and pediatrics patients usually suffer from swallowing difficulties. Many other patients in some disease conditions avoid swallowing tablets. Satranidazole is a new nitro-imidazole derivative with bitter taste and is available in market as film coated tablet. The purpose of this research was to mask the bitter taste of Satranidazole by coating complexation with low melting point wax and Eudragit EPO. Different types of wax (glyceryl monostearate, stearic acid and cetyl alcohol) were tried for taste masking. The drug to stearic acid ratio 1 : 2 was found to be optimum on the basis of taste evaluation and in vitro release. The formulated granules were found to possess good flow property. FTIR studies confirmed that there was no interaction between drug and excipients. Scanning Electron Microscopy of drug and the optimized batch of granules was performed. The in vitro release of drug from granules was compared with marketed tablet formulation. The taste masked granules of optimized batch showed 87.65% release of drug in 1 hr which is comparable to that of marketed tablet formulation.
Vision based pedestrian detection using Histogram of Oriented Gradients, Adaboost & Linear Support Vector Machines

Pedestrian detection systems are valuable in a variety of applications such as in advanced driver assistance systems and advanced robots. This study presents a pedestrian detection system that uses Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) as feature descriptor, and AdaBoost and Linear Support Vector Machines (SVM) as classifiers. The entire system is tested and evaluated in both publicly available databases and personally acquired videos. The pedestrian detection system has been tested and results show that it can detect pedestrians. Experiments showed that the system is up 20% faster compared to OpenCV's default detector.
CD73-Generated Adenosine Is Critical for Immune Regulation during Toxoplasma gondii Infection

ABSTRACT As an obligate intracellular pathogen, the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii evades immune system-mediated clearance by undergoing stage differentiation to persist indefinitely in susceptible hosts. Previously, we found that mice deficient in the ectoenzyme CD73, which generates adenosine in the extracellular matrix, were resistant to chronic toxoplasmosis after oral infection with T. gondii. Resistance in CD73 knockout mice was due to a delay in parasite differentiation in the central nervous system (CNS). To further clarify the role of CD73 and extracellular adenosine in T. gondii pathogenesis, we infected wild-type (WT) and CD73−/− mice with T. gondii cysts systemically by the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route. In contrast to oral infection, i.p. infected CD73−/− mice were highly susceptible to immune-mediated pathology, with significantly increased infiltration of neutrophils and T cells into the peritoneal cavity. Administration of the broad-spectrum adenosine receptor agonist 5′-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) protected CD73−/− mice against T. gondii-induced immunopathology, suggesting that the absence of CD73-generated adenosine led to the increased susceptibility in these mice. Peritoneal exudate cells from infected CD73−/− mice produced higher levels of the inflammatory mediators nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), without enhanced parasite killing or clearance. Bone marrow chimeras established that CD73 expression in both hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic compartments contributes to limiting T. gondii-induced immunopathology. In addition, mice deficient in the adenosine receptor A2A were more susceptible to immunopathology during intraperitoneal infection with T. gondii than WT mice. Thus, extracellular adenosine is a key immune regulator that limits collateral tissue damage due to an intracellular pathogen and promotes host survival.
Polydimethylsiloxane and alumina trihydrate system subjected to dry-band discharges or high temperature part I: chemical structure

This is the first of a two-part series on the chemical, morphological, and electrical changes of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and alumina trihydrate (ATH) material system subjected to dry-band discharges produced on the material surface by sustained moisture and contamination buildup. This system possesses both stable hydrophobicity restricting water-film formation as a path of leakage current and high resistance to electrically conductive path (track) formation induced by dry-band discharges, contributing to the recent innovation of polymeric outdoor insulation technology. The PDMS/ATH system has been believed to be resistant to track formation (tracking). However, it was observed in the present study that the PDMS/ATH system occasionally allows track formation leading to a dielectric breakdown in an internationally standardized tracking test, with the carbon concentrations in the formed track being measured at a mere /spl sim/1% wt. The unknown phenomenon of tracking of the PDMS/ATH system was studied here from the perspective of chemical structure and of electrical insulation. This first paper describes the chemical and morphological changes of the PDMS/ATH system subjected to dry-band discharges. A comparison with the thermal decomposition behavior of the PDMS/ATH system heated in the presence and absence of oxygen was carried out to better our understanding of the tracking mechanism. Amorphous SiO/sub 2/ and mullite 3Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/. 2SiO/sub 2/ were primarily produced by the dry-band discharges, while cristobalite SiO/sub 2/ and mullite 3Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/. 2SiO/sub 2/ were produced by thermal decomposition in either air or nitrogen gas. Cristobalite SiO/sub 2/ and mullite 3Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/. 2SiO/sub 2/ are basic ingredients of ceramic insulators, which may contribute to recycling of the PDMS/ATH system. The structure of carbon deposited in the track was not absolute graphite, and its concentration was much higher than that of the heated system. Finally, we propose herein models of the chemical changes induced by dry-band discharges as well as heat treatments.
Comparison of oral versus parenteral iron supplementation on the health and productivity of piglets

The aim of this study was to compare oral iron supplementation in feed with a standard iron injection and assess the impact on the health and productivity of pigs. The reliability of a quick test (HemoCue) for the measurement of blood haemoglobin concentration was also investigated. Three pig herds, with a total of 88 sows and their piglets, were included in the study. Piglets in treatment group O were fed a special iron-rich feed on days 2 to 4, 5 to 7 and 8 to 12 of lactation using a specially designed feeding device. Piglets in group IM received 200 mg of an iron dextran complex intramuscularly at three days of age. Haemoglobin concentrations and performance of the piglets were compared between groups. The mean haemoglobin concentrations in pigs at weaning were 131.4 and 116.4 g/l for pigs in groups O and IM, respectively (P<0.01). Daily weight gain (253.9 v 248.8 g/day) and piglet mortality (11.4 v 12.2 per cent) were slightly better in group O than in group IM (P>0.05).
Optical properties and symmetry restrictions in the incommensurate phase of

The birefringence, optical activity, and rotation of the optical indicatrix have been measured in the normal and incommensurate phases of tetramethylammonium tetrachlorozincate [N(CH 3 ) 4 ] 2 ZnCl 4 along the direction of the modulation wave vector. The measurements have been carried out on two different samples using a high-accuracy universal polarimeter. In contrast to previous observations a null value for the gyration in the whole incommensurate range has been found. In addition, up to the experimental error, no rotation of the indicatrix has been detected. The present work is therefore a confirmation of the view that the symmetric restrictions for tensors describing macroscopic properties of an incommensurate structure are those imposed by the point group associated to its superspace group
Adaptive Data Fusion for Energy Efficient Routing in Wireless Sensor Network

The data fusion process has led to an evolution for emerging Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and examines the impact of various factors on energy consumption. Significantly there has always been a constant effort to enhance network efficiency without decreasing the quality of information. Based on Adaptive Fusion Steiner Tree (AFST), this paper proposes a heuristic algorithm called Modified Adaptive Fusion Steiner Tree (M-AFST) for energy efficient routing which not only does adaptively adjusts the information routes but also receives the required information from data sources and uses an extra buffer for backlogging incoming packets, so that the process of data fusion could be optimized by minimizing the overall data transmission. Experimental results prove the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and achieve better performance than few existing algorithms discussed in the paper.
Denver: Nvidia's First 64-bit ARM Processor

Nvidia's first 64-bit ARM processor, code-named Denver, leverages a host of new technologies like dynamic code optimization (DCO) to enable high-performance mobile computing. Implemented in a 28-nm process, the Denver CPU can attain clock speeds of up to 2.5 GHz. This article outlines the Denver architecture, describes technological innovations, and provides relevant comparisons against competing mobile processors.
Interference Screw Fixation of Tendon Transfers in the Foot and Ankle

Tendon transfers pptay an important role in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. Multiple methods for fixation of tendon to bone are used including suture of tendon to periosteum, suture into bone troughs, suture anchors, and passage through bone tunnels. With the increasing populatity of hamstring tendon anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions has come new fixation technology. Soft-tissue interference screws have been introduced that allow fixation of tendons into bone tunnels without the need for bone blocks. ' Bioabsorbable versions of these screws have been shown to have equivalent or areater initial fixation than their titanium count em art^. ^,^ We have recently begun using soft-tissue inierference screw fixation for tendon transfer in the foot. Our initial biomechanical studies in a foot and ankle model suggest its efficacy. Our originaf indication for use of an interference screw was graft length limitation. As part of our reconstruction for posterior tibial tendon insufficiency, we commonly transfer the flexor digitorum longus through a bone tunnef in the navicular, and suture the tendon back to itself. fn a case where sufficient length was not available, rather than rely on the tendon sewn to periosteum, we achieved fixation with a biodegradable interference screw. Since that time, we have confirmed the strength of this fixation method with a biomechanicai study? Several additional tendon transfers have been fixed with this technique without complication. Transfer of the posterior tibial tendon through the interosseus membrane for drop foot and split anterior tibial tendon transfer are also potential indications for interference screw fixation of the tendon transfer in the bony tunnef, Commonly, fixation for these transfers involves the use of felt and a button on the plantar aspect of the foot.5 The tension required can result in
A novel queueing model for finite load IEEE 802.11 WLANs

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new queueing model for the IEEE 802.11 based wireless local area networks (WLANs), which considers the effects of finite load on the queue utilization. A class of probability distributions of phase type (PH-distributions) is employed to model the distributions of service time. Due to the density of PH-distributions in the class of all probability distributions, each station is modelled as a PH/PH/1 queueing system. By means of Matrix-Geometric solutions, the closed form expression for the delay which includes the queueing delay and the access delay can be calculated conveniently. Moveover, numerical calculations and simulations based on NS-2 are implemented to validate the performance of the proposed analytical model.
Minimization of switching activities of partial products for designing low-power multipliers

This work presents low-power 2's complement multipliers by minimizing the switching activities of partial products using the radix-4 Booth algorithm. Before computation for two input data, the one with a smaller effective dynamic range is processed to generate Booth codes, thereby increasing the probability that the partial products become zero. By employing the dynamic-range determination unit to control input data paths, the multiplier with a column-based adder tree of compressors or counters is designed. To further reduce power consumption, the two multipliers based on row-based and hybrid-based adder trees are realized with operations on effective dynamic ranges of input data. Functional blocks of these two multipliers can preserve their previous input states for noneffective dynamic data ranges and thus, reduce the number of their switching operations. To illustrate the proposed multipliers exhibiting low-power dissipation, the theoretical analyzes of switching activities of partial products are derived. The proposed 16 /spl times/ 16-bit multiplier with the column-based adder tree conserves more than 31.2%, 19.1%, and 33.0% of power consumed by the conventional multiplier, in applications of the ADPCM audio, G.723. 1 speech, and wavelet-based image coders, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed multipliers with row-based, hybrid-based adder trees reduce power consumption by over 35.3%, 25.3% and 39.6%, and 33.4%, 24.9% and 36.9%, respectively. When considering product factors of hardware areas, critical delays and power consumption, the proposed multipliers can outperform the conventional multipliers. Consequently, the multipliers proposed herein can be broadly used in various media processing to yield low-power consumption at limited hardware cost or little slowing of speed.
Nest desertion by blue-gray gnatcatchers in association with brown-headed cowbird parasitism

The blue-gray gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea, is one of the smallest regular hosts of the brown-headed cowbird, Molothrus ater. Gnatcatchers typically raise none of their own young when parasitized, yet anti-parasite behaviours have not been reported. A blue-gray gnatcatcher population in which pairs often desert nests when parasitized by cowbirds was studied to examine the success of a desertion response and to determine factors that stimulate desertion. Of 83 gnatcatcher nests, 76% were parasitized; of nests parasitized during the egg-laying stage, 45% were deserted. Desertion occurred independently of the timing of the parasitism event during the breeding season and the number of cowbird eggs laid per nest. All cowbird eggs laid after the completion of the gnatcatcher's egg-laying stage were accepted. Parasitism rates were lower late in the breeding season, and nesting success of unparasitized nests was higher. Pairs that deserted often obtained cowbird-free clutches, allowing them to raise gnatcatcher young. Nest desertion appears to be a means of avoiding parasitism and increasing fitness. The nest desertion response was inconsistent, but it cannot be explained by the adaptiveness of acceptance or by the possibility that blue-gray gnatcatchers are in transition between being acceptors or rejectors of cowbird parasitism. Nest desertion by blue-gray gnatcatchers appears to be a generalized response to a disturbance at the nest induced by cowbirds. The cue that elicits the desertion response remains unclear. 1996 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Longitudinal V-shaped excision of the ventral pancreas for small duct disease in severe chronic pancreatitis: prospective evaluation of a new surgical procedure.

OBJECTIVE The technique of longitudinal V-shaped excision of the ventral pancreas for small duct chronic pancreatitis is presented and its efficacy in terms of pain relief and improvement of quality of life is evaluated. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Small duct chronic pancreatitis has been regarded as a classical indication for more or less extensive resection, in which the therapeutic success of pain relief is offset by the considerable risk of significant perioperative mortality and morbidity and the burden of substantial loss of pancreatic function. METHODS Thirteen patients with severe pain who were diagnosed with small duct pancreatitis (defined as maximal Wirsungian ductal diameter of 2 mm) underwent longitudinal V-shaped excision of the ventral pancreas. In addition to routine pancreatic workup, a multidimensional psychometric quality-of-life questionnaire and a pain score were used. Assessment of exocrine and endocrine function included fecal chymotrypsin and the pancreolauryl test as well as oral glucose tolerance, serum concentrations of insulin, C-peptide, and hemoglobin A1c. The interval between symptoms and surgery ranged from 12 months to 10 years (mean, 5.4 years). Median follow-up was 30 months (range, 12-48 months). RESULTS There were no deaths. Overall morbidity was 15.4%. In 92% of patients, complete relief of symptoms was obtained. Median pain score decreased by 95%. Physical status, working ability, and emotional and social functioning scores improved by 40%, 50%, 67%,, and 75%, respectively. Global quality-of-life index increased by 67%. Occupational rehabilitation was achieved in 69% of patients. Exocrine and endocrine pancreatic function was well preserved. CONCLUSIONS In small duct chronic pancreatitis, longitudinal V-shaped excision of the ventral pancreas is a safe and effective alternative to resection procedures. The new technique provides pain relief and improvement of quality of life, thus offering the benefit of a resection procedure without its burden.