Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial susceptibility studies Investigation of inducible clindamycin and telithromycin resistance in isolates of h-hemolytic streptococci

We evaluated the accuracy of an erythromycin–clindamycin double-disk test (D-zone test) and an erythromycin–telithromycin D-zone test for detection of inducible resistance in isolates of h-hemolytic streptococci with erythromycin resistance. The results of these tests were compared to results of a broth microdilution (BMD) induction test using combinations of erythromycin and either clindamycin or telithromycin. Of 29 erythromycin-resistant, clindamycin-susceptible isolates, 16 were positive by the erythromycin–clindamycin D-zone test; all of these demonstrated inducible clindamycin resistance by BMD. Twelve isolates were D-zone test–negative, did not demonstrate inducible resistance by BMD, and were positive for a mef determinant. Of 39 erythromycin-resistant, telithromycin-susceptible isolates, 13 were erythromycin–telithromycin D-zone test–positive, 19 questionably positive (unclear blunting of the zone), and 7 were D-zone test–negative. The erythromycin–telithromycin D-zone test result did not correlate with inducible resistance by BMD or the presence of an erm or mef gene. These results demonstrate that the erythromycin–clindamycin D-zone and BMD induction tests accurately detect inducible clindamycin resistance, but the erythromycin–telithromycin D-zone test is not reliable for detecting inducible telithromycin resistance.
Epiploic Appendagitis: The Great Mimicker

Epiploic appendagitis is a benign, self-limited, clinicopathological, and radiological entity that has become more commonly recognized. The clinical presentation resembles a variety of other medical and surgical intra-abdominal conditions and may easily be confused with many of them. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrates characteristic features that help make the diagnosis in most cases, thus avoiding unneeded treatment or surgery. Here, we discuss a case series of five patients who presented with abdominal pain and were ultimately diagnosed with epiploic appendagitis.
A frequency and symbol synchronization system for OFDM signals: architecture and simulation results

A data-aided frequency and symbol synchronization scheme for M-QAM OFDM signals is suggested. At first, the phase discriminator (PD) and frequency discriminator (FD) for, respectively, the symbol and frequency synchronization loop are described. Second, the transfer function and design parameters of the loop filters are provided. The acquisition and tracking performance of the synchronization system are evaluated using simulation for a 4-PSK signal constellation. The cases of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and frequency and time selective multipath Rayleigh channels are separately tested.
Fatty acid synthase activity regulates HER 2 extracellular domain shedding into the circulation of HER 2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients

Clinicopathological assessment of the functional relationship between the HER2 oncogene and tumor-associated fatty acid synthase (FASN) is largely precluded because immunohistochemical and/or mRNA studies should be performed in biopsies from breast cancer patients. We here sought to determine whether serum FASN (sFASN) could associate with circulating HER2 extracellular domain (HER2 ECD) in the blood of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients. Concentrations of serum FASN and HER2 ECD were measured with ELISA in sera retrospectively obtained from 201 patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and 31 healthy subjects. Mechanistical in vitro studies were performed using pharmacological inhibitors of HER2 and FASN as well as cultured cancer cells engineered to overexpress HER2 and FASN human genes. When the upper limit of normal sFASN was defined as the mean + 2SD of the control group, sFASN was elevated above this cut-off (12 ng/ml) in 70 MBC patients (35%). Eighty-nine MBC patients (44%) had elevated levels of HER2 ECD (HER2 ECD cut-off = 15 ng/ml). HER2 ECD-positive MBC patients slightly increased their sFASN levels compared with HER2 ECD-negative MBC patients. sFASN-positive MBC patients had significantly increased levels of HER2 ECD when compared with sFASNnegative MBC patients (mean HER2 ECD=34 ng/ml, 95% CI 26-41 ng/ml and 18 ng/ml -95% CI 15-21 ng/ml, respectively; p=0.002). Sixty percent of sFASN-positive patients concurrently exhibited high levels of HER2 ECD whereas 64% of sFASN-negative patients were negative for circulating HER2 ECD. In vitro studies revealed that BC cells bearing HER2 gene-amplification released higher levels of extracellular FASN than HER2-negative BC cells. Trastuzumab-induced blockade of HER2 ECD shedding failed to prevent FASN release and retrovirally-induced HER2 overexpression in MCF-7 cells did not increase extracellular FASN. Of note, pharmacological inhibition of FASN activity significantly decreased HER2 ECD levels in the supernatant of HER2-overexpressing BC cells while transient overexpression of FASN gene in HBL100 cells promoted FASN protein release and concomitantly increased HER2 ECD shedding into the extracellular milieu. Subsequent studies should explore if quantitative determination of FASN molecules in blood could become a rapid and accurate non-invasive test to monitor disease progression and survival in HER2-overexpressing MBC undergoing HER2targeted therapies.
Rarity and exponentiality: an extension of Keilson's theorem, with applications

We generalize a theorem due to Keilson on the approximate exponentiality of waiting times for rare events in regenerative processes. We use the result to investigate the limit distribution for a family of first entrance times in a sequence of Ehrenfest urn models. As a second application, we consider approximate pattern matching, a problem arising in molecular biology and other areas.
Expression of the recA gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO is inducible by DNA-damaging agents

Western (immunoblot) analysis using Escherichia coli anti-RecA antiserum revealed that expression of the RecA protein of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO is induced upon exposure of the bacterium to UV irradiation or norfloxacin, a quinolone related to nalidixic acid.
On methods and tools of table detection, extraction and annotation in PDF documents

Table detection, extraction and annotation have been an important research problem for years. To handle this issue, different approaches have been designed for different types of documents. Among these PDF is a widely used format for preserving and presenting different types of documents. We investigate the state of the art in table detection, extraction and annotation in PDF documents. Because of varying table structural anatomy, the state of the art in table-related research enumerates a number of approaches that are critically and analytically investigated for identifying their strengths and limitations as well as for making recommendations for further improvement. An evaluation framework is contributed that compares different information extraction tools that may be used in table detection, extraction and annotation. We found very limited attention towards these aspects in books, especially books in PDF format. There is no searching solution that can find books having tables that are semantically related to a table in a given book.
Multipath estimating tracking loops in advanced GNSS receivers with particle filtering

This paper studies Bayesian filtering techniques applied to the design of advanced delay/phase tracking loops in GNSS receivers, which estimate not only direct path parameters but those of multipath. The analysis includes trade-off among realistic propagation channel models and the use of a realistic simulation framework. The proposed filtering technique implements Rao-Blackwellization of linear states and a particle filter for the nonlinear partition. Computer simulations highlight the superior performance of such method when compared to traditional DLL/PLL based schemes, approaching theoretical limits.
KMeyeDB: a graphical database of mutations in genes that cause eye diseases

KMeyeDB (http://mutview.dmb.med.keio.ac.jp/) is a database of human gene mutations that cause eye diseases. We have substantially enriched the amount of data in the database, which now contains information about the mutations of 167 human genes causing eye‐related diseases including retinitis pigmentosa, cone‐rod dystrophy, night blindness, Oguchi disease, Stargardt disease, macular degeneration, Leber congenital amaurosis, corneal dystrophy, cataract, glaucoma, retinoblastoma, Bardet–Biedl syndrome, and Usher syndrome. KMeyeDB is operated using the database software MutationView, which deals with various characters of mutations, gene structure, protein functional domains, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers, as well as clinical data for each case. Users can access the database using an ordinary Internet browser with smooth user‐interface, without user registration. The results are displayed on the graphical windows together with statistical calculations. All mutations and associated data have been collected from published articles. Careful data analysis with KMeyeDB revealed many interesting features regarding the mutations in 167 genes that cause 326 different types of eye diseases. Some genes are involved in multiple types of eye diseases, whereas several eye diseases are caused by different mutations in one gene. Hum Mutat 31:1–8, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Novel Compact Quasi-Dipole Diversity Antenna for Mobile Terminals

A novel compact quasi-dipole dual-element antenna for a diversity system is proposed and studied. The antenna, consisting of two symmetric quasi-dipole elements, adopts 3-D structures to make the whole antenna system compact for mobile terminals. Based on optimized simulation results, a prototype of the proposed antenna is fabricated and measured. It has a -10-dB impedance bandwidth of 450 MHz (2.32-2.77 GHz), covering the 2.4-GHz WLAN (2400-2483 MHz) and 2.5-GHz WiMAX (2500-2690 MHz) bands, and across the whole band, the isolation between the two elements is higher than 17 dB. The measured radiation patterns tend to cover complementary space. Then, the evaluation of the diversity performance is conducted by calculating the envelope correlation coefficient, the mean effective gains, and the diversity gain using the measured data. Results show that the proposed antenna can be applied in diversity systems.
An Embedded Controller for the LSNA with Pulsed Measurement Capabilities

The large signal network analyzer (LSNA) digital controller has been revamped with a small embedded computer instead of the original heavy and expensive VXI rack. This computer takes care of all the measurement settings; it offers several interfaces to control the system (GPIB, RS232, LXI, front panel interface). FIFO buffers managed with interruptions allow full concurrent operation of each interface. The addition of a board with timers and counters provides the capability to measure the RF time domain slopes in pulsed mode.
Cryptosporidium infection in lambs and goat kids in Serbia.

The prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection among lambs and goat kids in Serbia was examined. The animals were grouped according to age, i.e., up to 30 days and from 31 to 90 days. The infection was diagnosed using three coprological procedures. Sheather’s sugar flotation was employed to determine the concentration of oocysts. Modified Ziehl-Neelsen technique and modified Kinyoun technique were used as staining procedures. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 42.1% examined lambs and 31.8% goat kids. These findings clearly demonstrate the presence of Cryptospodium infection in lambs and goat kids in Serbia and indicate the potential role of these animals as reservoirs of cryptosporidia.
Adaptive robust tracking control for a class of distributed systems with faulty actuators and interconnections

In this paper, direct adaptive control schemes are developed to solve the robust tracking problem of a class of distributed large scale systems with actuator faults, faulty and perturbed interconnection links, and external disturbances. The adaptation laws are proposed to update controller parameters on-line when all eventual faults, the upper bounds of the perturbations and disturbances are assumed to be unknown. Then a class of distributed state feedback controllers is constructed to automatically compensate the fault, perturbation and disturbance effects based on the information from adaptive schemes. The proposed tracking controller can ensure that the resulting closed-loop large-scale system is stable and the tracking error decreases asymptotically to zero. The proposed adaptive design technique is finally evaluated in the light of a simulation example.
Nutrition of Myxococcus xanthus, a fruiting myxobacterium

The minimal requirements for vegetative growth of Myxococcus xanthus have been sought. Isoleucine, leucine, and valine were required, and vitamin B12 was needed for the synthesis of methionine. Pyruvate was an excellent energy source and an efficient source of cellular carbon. Acetate, aspartate, glutamate, and most tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates could also be utilized, but were less efficient sources of carbon and energy than was pyruvate. Many mono- and disaccharides were tested, but, in agreement with earlier results, none served as carbon-energy sources. A minimal medium (A1) has been devised that includes the essential amino acids and vitamin B12, with pyruvate and aspartate as carbon-energy sources. In this medium, M. xanthus could propagate indefinitely, and on it vegetative cells formed colonies with greater than 75% efficiency; hence, it is likely that no organic cofactors other than those present in A1 are required in more than trace amounts.
Cryptic plasmids in Lactobacillus strains isolated from the murine gastrointestinal tract

Ten of twenty Lactobacillus strains isolated from the gastrointestinal tracts of animals of several species contained plasmids of 80 to 90 megadaltons or less than 2.6 megadaltons in size, as analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. The large plasmids were found only in strains originally isolated from the keratinized epithelium of the murine stomach.
Regional network of magnetic resonance imaging gray matter volume in healthy aging

Healthy aging has been associated with brain volume reductions preferentially affecting the frontal cortex, but also involving other regions. We used a network model of regional covariance, the Scaled Subprofile Model, with magnetic resonance imaging voxel-based morphometry to identify the regional distribution of gray matter associated with aging in 26 healthy adults, 22–77 years old. Scaled Subprofile Model analysis identified a pattern that was highly correlated with age (R2=0.66, P≤0.0001). Older age was associated with less gray matter in the bilateral frontal, temporal,thalamic, and right cerebellar regions. Gender differences suggested more advanced brain aging in the men. In this healthy adult sample, aging was associated with a regional pattern of gray matter atrophy most prominently involving the frontal and temporal cortices. Scaled Subprofile Model network analysis may aid in the detection and tracking of brain aging and in the evaluation of putative antiaging therapies.
Across Racial/Ethnic Boundaries

The number of interracial relationships in the United States continues to increase. The fact is, though, that race remains a significant influence in the lives of individuals and in their relationships. Although there is evidence that relationships that cross racial/ethnic boundaries may be at greater risk for conflict and dissolution, there have been few investigations as to whether such relationships are at greater risk for violence. Using data from the National Violence Against Women Survey, I find that there are differences in risk of intimate violence depending on the racial/ethnic dyad of the couple. Ethnic monoracial relationships demonstrate the greatest risk for physical and nonphysical forms of violence, controlling for structural factors, whereas women in interracial relationships report higher rates of nonphysical violence, as compared with women in White monoracial relationships. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Mango seed fibers surface chemical modification applied as mechanical reinforcement in cementitious composites

Cementitious composite is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world because its abundant resources, strong adaptability and mature production process [1]. Despite cementitious matrices present good compression strength, they are brittle and usually break when suffer some strain caused by tensile effort. Aiming to overpass this problem some fibers can be used as reinforcement, being the most commonly used fibers of steel, glass, poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), polypropylene (PP) and carbon [2]. However, vegetable fibers, also named lignocellulosic fibers, has been used for this application due to their biodegradability, abundance, considering they are from renewable sources, low cost and low health risk. As disadvantage the vegetable fibers present low adhesion on the cementitious matrix, high water absorption by the fiber and low durability in alkaline media, related to the hemicelluloses and lignin degradation followed by fibers mineralization [3].
D-Bus based user device driver framework design for Linux mobile software platform

Mobile phone manufacturing companies wish to use a software development platform based on Linux for application security and software development efficiency. The Linux platform development confers stability. The driver code for each device should be inserted in Linux kernel to run the hardware devices of the mobile phones. Applications must request device control from the driver kernel using a specified access interface. In these structures, the stability of the mobile phone system depends on the developer's skill. Therefore, developers must make appropriate use of the driver code to be activated in the Linux kernel. They should design the programming interface to be reliable, correct and robust, so applications can be easily ported. Therefore, we ported the device driver code from the Linux kernel to the user area. We designed a driver framework based on the D-Bus in user area. Most of driver code in the user area and application can access the device passing D-Bus interface the driver framework offers. Therefore, we could improve system stability.
High-definition video-based multi-channel top-view vehicle surrounding monitoring system for mobile navigation devices

Providing visual information around automobile can make drivers blind-spot-free, which is helpful for several occasions such as parking, lane change and backward movement. In this paper, the vehicle surrounding monitoring system with multiple channel high-definition (HD) videos, which is embedded in portable navigation devices, is presented. The system collects three channel video inputs from rear, left, and right side of the vehicle, transforms each inputs into top-view image, respectively. Finally, the transformed outputs are aligned, and then displayed on the screen for assisting the driver. Implementation and its results showed that the system provides HD vehicle surrounding monitoring video which is helpful especially in parking assistance.
Methyl mercury dynamics in littoral sediments of a temperate seepage lake

The sites and rates of methyl mercury (MeHg) production and transport in littoral zone sediments were investigated at Pallette Lake in northern Wisconsin. In littoral areas where groundwater inflow occurs, sulfate supply from groundwater creates profiles of electron acceptors (sulfate) and donors (methane, sulfide) that are reversed from those found in sediments whose sulfate supply is delivered from overlying water. The highest MeHg concentrations in porewaters and the maximal advective MeHg flux rates (4.5n61.7 ng·m n2 ·day n1 ) were observed in the spring, while highest bulk phase concentrations occur later in the summer. These estimated MeHg fluxes are greater than the mean areal production rates estimated previously for the water column and are similar to the atmospheric flux. Gross MeHg production was measured using the addition of 203 Hg as a tracer to sediments. The depth at which maximal 203 Hg methylation occurred coincided with the observed maximums in solid-phase and porewater MeHg concentrations. Because input, advection, and accumulation of MeHg in these sediments were measured directly, an independent estimate of MeHg production could be made and compared with 203 Hg-derived rates. This comparison suggests that that the 203 Hg tracer method provides reasonable estimates of gross methylation rates and that a substantial fraction of solid-phase Hg is available for methylation.
Inter‐chromosomal recombination of Mll and Af9 genes mediated by cre‐loxP in mouse development

Chromosomal translocations are crucial events in the aetiology of many leukaemias, lymphomas and sarcomas, resulting in enforced oncogene expression or the creation of novel fusion genes. The study of the biological outcome of such events ideally requires recapitulation of the tissue specificity and timing of the chromosomal translocation itself. We have used the Cre‐loxP system of phage P1 to induce de novo Mll–Af9 chromosomal recombination during mouse development. loxP sites were introduced into the Mll and Af9 genes on chromosomes 9 and 4, respectively, and mice carrying these alleles were crossed with mice expressing Cre recombinase. A resulting Mll–Af9 fusion gene was detected whose transcription and splicing were verified. Thus, programmed inter‐chromosomal recombination can be achieved in mice. This approach should allow the design of mouse models of tumorigenesis with greater biological relevance than those available at present.
A procedure for the evaluation of precision and accuracy of analytical methods.

An evaluation procedure is described which combines some generally accepted quality control methods for validation of instruments and methods. The procedure calls for multiple determinations performed at each of several dose levels. Statistical calculations yield information on precision as a function of dose level and, by means of regression analysis, an estimate of accuracy in terms of slope, intercept, and deviation from linearity.
Retrieval with Different Types of Actions Optimized by a Markov Decision Process

Interaction with user is specially important for spoken content retrieval, not only because of the recognition uncertainty, but because the retrieved spoken content items are difficult to be shown on the screen and difficult to be scanned and selected by the user. The user cannot playback and go through all the retrieved items and then find out they are not what he is looking for. In this paper, we propose a new approach for interactive spoken content retrieval, in which the system can estimate the quality of the retrieved results, and take different types of actions to clarify the user’s intention based on an intrinsic policy. The policy is optimized by a Markov Decision Process (MDP) trained with Reinforcement Learning based on a set of pre-defined rewards considering the extra burden given to the user.
"Microwave memory effect" of activated water and aqueous KOH solution

A "microwave memory effect" of the microwave activation of water and aqueous fluids has been discovered and studied. It has been found that microwave irradiation caused significant changes of the water structure in comparison to non-irradiated. The outline of the mechanism of the observed effect has been discussed. It has been assumed that microwave irradiation broke the hydrogen bond in a cluster-like water structure. As an effect, free water molecules, as well as hydroxyl ions, are generated. The technical application of the described effect - a new method of fast wet orientation dependent etching of silicon - has been studied. The potential dangerous consequences of the "microwave memory effect" have been discussed as well as technical applications in chemistry and microsystems techniques.