Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Concepts of Communication and Synchronization in FPGA-Based Embedded Multiprocessor Systems

The advent of deep submicron (DSM) technologies has driven the evolution of very large scale of integration (VLSI) chip design to new frontiers. In the early days, digital system design was tackled as an integration of discrete systems in a printed circuit board (PCB), the so-called jelly-bean design (Maxfield, 2004). If the complexity of the task was large, the resulting PCB was expected to be full packed with discrete components, thus pressing the designers with concerns such as area, power consumption, speed, etc. The further shrinking dimensions of the transistors allowed the designers to pack some similar discrete components together into a single one, thus alleviating design concerns about signal integrity, connectivity, etc. However, it was later found that some other aspects of design could also be alleviated if a larger number of the discrete components of the PCB were integrated into a single chip; this design strategy introduced the concept of System onChip (SoC); an SoC is then defined as an integrated circuit that incorporates on-chip memory, hardware and software components, where the software components are to be run by one or more microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSP) (Chang et al., 1999).
The Breakout Method for Escaping from Local Minima

A number of algorithms have recently been proposed that use iterative improvement (a form of hill-climbing) to solve constraint satisfaction problems. These techniques have had dramatic success on certain problems. However, one factor limiting their wider application is the possibility of getting stuck at non-solution local minima. In this paper we describe an iterative improvement algorithm, called Breakout, that can escape from local minima. We present empirical evidence that this method is very effective in cases where previous approaches have difficulty. Although Breakout is not theoretically complete, in practice it appears to almost always find solutions, for solvable problems. We prove that an idealized (but less efficient) version of the algorithm is complete.
Allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation with reduced‐intensity conditioning: results of a prospective multicentre study

Reduced‐intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens for allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) have been shown to lead to engraftment of donor stem cells without the severe extra‐haematological toxicities of traditional myeloablative transplants. Between December 1998 and December 2000, 76 patients underwent a RIC peripheral blood SCT in a prospective multicentre study. The median age was 53 years, and 57 patients were beyond the early phase of their disease. The conditioning regimens consisted of fludarabine (150 mg/m2) plus melphalan (140 mg/m2) or busulphan (10 mg/kg). Graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporin A plus short‐course methotrexate. The preparative regimens were well tolerated. All patients experienced severe pancytopenia, but haematological recovery was prompt in all but two cases (early deaths). The 100‐d probability of developing grade II–IV acute GVHD was 32% (10% grade III–IV), and the 1‐year probability of developing chronic extensive GVHD was 43%. Early complete donor chimaerism was observed in 52/68 patients, and 16 evaluable patients were in complete chimaerism 1 year post transplant. With a median follow‐up of 283 d (355 in 48 survivors), the 1‐year probability of transplant‐related mortality was 20%, and the 1‐year overall and progression‐free survivals were 60% and 55% respectively. In conclusion, RIC regimens lead to low early toxicity after allografting, with stable donor haematopoietic engraftment, with an apparent low risk of acute GVHD. Chronic GVHD, however, develops in a significant proportion of patients.
Organotypic Cultures as a Model to Study Adult Neurogenesis in CNS Disorders

Neural regeneration resides in certain specific regions of adult CNS. Adult neurogenesis occurs throughout life, especially from the subgranular zone of hippocampus and the subventricular zone, and can be modulated in physiological and pathological conditions. Numerous techniques and animal models have been developed to demonstrate and observe neural regeneration but, in order to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms and to characterize multiple types of cell populations involved in the activation of neurogenesis and gliogenesis, investigators have to turn to in vitro models. Organotypic cultures best recapitulate the 3D organization of the CNS and can be explored taking advantage of many techniques. Here, we review the use of organotypic cultures as a reliable and well defined method to study the mechanisms of neurogenesis under normal and pathological conditions. As an example, we will focus on the possibilities these cultures offer to study the pathophysiology of diseases like Alzheimer disease, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral ischemia.
First-principles study of the optical properties and the dielectric response of Al.

We investigate the optical properties and the dielectric response of Al through self-consistent ab initio pseudopotential calculations. The frequency and wave-vector dependent dielectric function of Al is calculated for both the real and imaginary parts within the random-phase approximation. The accuracy of the calculations is tested using Kramers-Kr\"onig relations and sum rules. In the limit q\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0, we find major optical peaks at 0.5 and 1.5 eV, which originate from the electronic structure, in good agreement with experimental data. For the wave vectors along the [100] direction, the electron-energy-loss function is calculated to examine the plasmon mode. Considering the exchange-correlation and core polarization effects, we find good agreement of the calculated plasma frequencies with experiments. The anisotropy of the plasmon dispersion is also investigated.
Sensorless control of doubly-fed induction generators in variable-speed wind turbine systems

This paper proposes a sensorless control strategy for doubly-fed induction generators (DFIGs) in variable-speed wind turbine systems (WTS). The proposed scheme uses an extended Kalman filter (EKF) for estimation of rotor speed and rotor position. Moreover, the EKF is used to estimate the mechanical torque of the generator to allow for maximum power point tracking control for wind speeds below the nominal wind speed. For EKF design, the nonlinear state space model of the DFIG is derived. The estimation and control performance of the proposed sensorless control method are illustrated by simulation results at low, high, and close to the synchronous speed. The designed EKF is robust to machine parameter variations within reasonable limits. Finally, the performances of the EKF and a model reference adaptive system (MRAS) observer are compared for time-varying wind speeds.
Human eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4G (eIF4G) recruits Mnk1 to phosphorylate eIF4E

Human eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binds to the mRNA cap structure and interacts with eIF4G, which serves as a scaffold protein for the assembly of eIF4E and eIF4A to form the eIF4F complex. eIF4E is an important modulator of cell growth and proliferation. It is the least abundant component of the translation initiation machinery and its activity is modulated by phosphorylation and interaction with eIF4E‐binding proteins (4E‐BPs). One strong candidate for the eIF4E kinase is the recently cloned MAPK‐activated protein kinase, Mnk1, which phosphorylates eIF4E on its physiological site Ser209 in vitro. Here we report that Mnk1 is associated with the eIF4F complex via its interaction with the C‐terminal region of eIF4G. Moreover, the phosphorylation of an eIF4E mutant lacking eIF4G‐binding capability is severely impaired in cells. We propose a model whereby, in addition to its role in eIF4F assembly, eIF4G provides a docking site for Mnk1 to phosphorylate eIF4E. We also show that Mnk1 interacts with the C‐terminal region of the translational inhibitor p97, an eIF4G‐related protein that does not bind eIF4E, raising the possibility that p97 can block phosphorylation of eIF4E by sequestering Mnk1.
Specific Aspects of Minority Stress Associated With Depression Among LDS Affiliated Non-Heterosexual Adults

A nation-wide sample of 634 previous or current members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), non-heterosexual adults (ages 18–33), were surveyed to examine how specific aspects of minority stress are individually and collectively associated with depression, and how such associations differ across sex, sexual orientation, and level of affiliation with the LDS church. When five stressors were examined simultaneously, need for others’ acceptance (NA) was the strongest predictor of depression, followed by internalized homophobia (IH). All minority stress factors were found to be individually predictive of depression and did not differ across sex or sexual orientation subgroups. Differences were observed, however, when considering current LDS status, such that participants who were no longer affiliated with the LDS church reported stronger relationships between some minority stressors and depression. Implications of religious identity salience as a potential mediator of relationships between specific stressors and depression are discussed.
Variation in the VP1 Gene of Foot-And-Mouth Disease Virus Serotype a Associated with Epidemiological Characteristics of Outbreaks in the 2001 Epizootic in Argentina

A mixed binomial Bayesian regression model was used to quantify the relation between nucleotide differences in the VP1 gene of Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype A, and epidemiologic characteristics of the outbreaks from which the viruses were obtained between January and December 2001 in Argentina. An increase in the probability of different nucleotides between isolates was associated with a longer time between isolation dates, a greater distance between isolation locations, an increase in the difference between attack rates, and an increase in the difference in outbreak durations. The farther apart the outbreak herds were in the southerly and easterly directions, the greater the difference in nucleotide changes. The model accurately predicted genetic distances of isolates obtained in 2001 compared with a 2002 isolate (P < 0.01), which suggested that the predictive modeling approach applied in the present study may be useful in understanding the epidemiology of evolution of FMDV and in forensic analysis of disease epidemics.
3D Reconstruction with Globally-Optimized Point Selection

This paper proposes a method for reconstructing accurate 3D surface points. To this end, robust and dense reconstruction with Shapefrom-Silhouettes (SfS) and accurate multiview stereo are integrated. Unlike gradual shape shrinking and/or bruteforce large space search by existing space carving approaches, our method obtains 3D points by SfS and stereo independently, and then selects correct ones from them. The point selection is achieved in accordance with spatial consistency and smoothness of 3D point coordinates and normals. The globally optimized points are selected by graph-cuts. Experimental results with several subjects containing complex shapes demonstrate that our method outperforms existing approaches and our previous method. key words: shape reconstruction, shape from silhouettes, multiview stereo, graph-cuts
Composition and properties of biologically active pectic polysaccharides from leek (Allium porrum).

BACKGROUND Leek (Allium porrum) is very commonly used vegetable in Bulgaria and is distinctive with high content of bioactive components. Previously we obtained five crude pectic polysaccharides from leek through consecutive extraction. Some of them appeared to be good stimulators of the immune system. Schols and Voragen investigated the composition of modified hairy regions of pectic polysaccharides isolated from leek cell walls. Samuelson et al. identified the polysaccharide structures encountered in hairy regions as bioactive. The aim of this work was to study the isolation, composition and biological activities of pectic polysaccharides from leek. RESULTS Two pectic polysaccharides from leek were isolated through consecutive water and acid extraction. The water extractable pectin had higher polyuronic content, higher protein content and lower neutral sugar content. It was found that next to galacturonic acid they also contain glucuronic acid in ratio 9:1 for the water- and 3:1 for the acid-extractable polysaccharide. The main neutral sugar was galactose. The water-extractable pectic polysaccharide had higher molecular weight (10(6) Da) and homogeneity. It was shown that the pectic polysaccharides from leek have considerable immunostimulating activities. CONCLUSION Leek polysaccharides have relatively high galacturonic and glucuronic acid content and are distinguished with high biological activity.
What Is the Prevalence of Adult ADHD? Results of a Population Screen of 966 Adults

To provide a better estimate of the prevalence of ADHD in adulthood, the authors complete a telephone survey of 966 randomly selected adults. They compute two diagnoses from the survey data. Participants meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) criteria for both childhood and adulthood are defined as narrow ADHD. Broad ADHD adds to that definition those meeting subthreshold criteria. Cronbach’s alpha is . 90 for the 18 DSM-IV symptoms in childhood and . 88 when rated for current symptoms in adulthood. No one item unduly influences the reliability of the total score. The authors find similar results in separate analyses of hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive symptoms. They estimate prevalences of 2.9% for Narrow ADHD and 16.4% for Broad ADHD. Having ADHD is associated with lower levels of education and employment status. These findings suggest that adult ADHD is a common disorder associated with impaired functioning.
Subacute uterine inversion: description of a novel replacement technique using the obstetric ventouse

E Antonelli,a O Irion,a P Tolck,b M Moralesa a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Geneva University Hospitals, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland b Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternité, Hôpital de la Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de Fonds, Switzerland Correspondence: Dr E Antonelli, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Geneva University Hospitals, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland. Email eric.antonelli@hcuge.ch
Progress Report on the Potential of Angiogenesis Inhibitors for Neuro-Oncology

New therapies for brain tumors are urgently needed. Brain tumors are highly vascularized, supporting the potential of anti-angiogenic therapies in their treatment. The promise of blocking tumor growth through inhibiting new blood vessel formation with anti-angiogenic agents has been heralded as a therapeutic breakthrough, and pre-clinical data supported this enthusiasm. However, early clinical trials in humans have been somewhat disappointing. Nonetheless, great optimism for these agents remains, and many new anti-angiogenic agents and strategies are being evaluated pre-clinically and in clinical trials. A number of issues need to be considered in the application of these agents to neuro-oncology. In this review, we discuss the biology of blood vessel formation in the brain and brain tumors as it relates to anti-angiogenic therapies. The difficulties inherent in performing clinical trials of anti-angiogenic therapies in patients with brain tumors are outlined. Finally, we consider numerous individual anti-angiogenic and antivascular therapies now in pre-clinical testing or in clinical trials.
PI3K/PTEN/AKT pathway. A critical mediator of oncogenic signaling.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) plays a crucial role in effecting alterations in a broad range of cellular functions in response to extracellular signals. A key downstream effector of PI3K is the serine-threonine kinase Akt which in response to PI3K activation, phosphorylates and regulates the activity of a number of targets including kinases, transcription factors and other regulatory molecules. A causal link between activation of PI3K and the process of cellular transformation was first appreciated in the mid 1980’s when the oncogenic activity of Middle T antigen of Polyoma virus was linked to its ability to induce PI3K activity. A major role for PI3K pathway activation in human tumors has been more recently established following both the positional cloning of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene, and the discovery that the PTEN protein product was a lipid phosphatase that antagonizes PI3K function and consequently inhibits downstream signaling through Akt. Subsequently a number of the components of the pathway have been found mutated or deregulated in a wide variety of human cancers highlighting the key role of this pathway in cellular transformation. A comprehensive review of the PI3K/PTEN/Akt pathway is beyond the scope of this chapter and has been covered elsewhere (Fruman, Meyers, & Cantley, 1998; Katso et al., 2001; Vanhaesebroeck & Waterfield, 1999).
Unique macrophage and tick cell‐specific protein expression from the p28/p30‐outer membrane protein multigene locus in Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia canis

Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia canis are tick‐transmitted rickettsial pathogens that cause human and canine monocytic ehrlichiosis respectively. We tested the hypothesis that these pathogens express unique proteins in response to their growth in vertebrate and tick host cells and that this differential expression is similar in closely related Ehrlichia species. Evaluation of nine E. chaffeensis isolates and one E. canis isolate demonstrated that protein expression was host cell‐dependent. The differentially expressed proteins included those from the p28/30‐Omp multigene locus. E. chaffeensis and E. canis proteins expressed in infected macrophages were primarily the products of the p28‐Omp 19 and 20 genes or their orthologues. In cultured tick cells, E. canis expressed only the p30‐10 protein, an orthologue of the E. chaffeensis p28‐Omp 14 protein which is the only protein expressed by E. chaffeensis propagated in cultured tick cells. The expressed Omp proteins were post‐translationally modified to generate multiple molecular forms. E. chaffeensis gene expression from the p28/30‐Omp locus was similar in tick cell lines derived from both vector (Amblyomma americanum) and non‐vector (Ixodes scapularis) ticks. Differential expression of proteins within the p28/p30‐Omp locus may therefore be vital for adaptation of Ehrlichia species to their dual host life cycle.
The Savvy Caregiver Program: Impact of an Evidence-Based Intervention on the Well-Being of Ethnically Diverse Caregivers

This article reports on the impact of the Savvy Caregiver Program (SCP) on English-speaking caregivers of Hispanic, Black/African American, and Asian/Pacific Islander descent. Caregivers completed a questionnaire prior to study enrollment, at 6 and 12 months postenrollment. Caregivers in all 3 ethnic groups showed more caregiver competence, reduced depression, greater tolerance for care recipients’ memory problems, better management of their overall situation, and improved perception of that situation 6 months and 12 months post-enrollment. The study demonstrates that in the sample studied the SCP was as effective in helping ethnically diverse caregivers as it has shown to be with Caucasian caregivers.
Predicting and controlling risks from human exposures to vibration and mechanical shock: flag waving and flag weaving

At work or in leisure activities, many people are exposed to vibration or mechanical shocks associated with risks of injury or disease. This paper identifies information that can be used to decide whether there may be a risk from exposure to hand-transmitted vibration or whole-body vibration and shock, and suggests actions that can control the risks. The complex and time-varying nature of human exposures to vibration and shock, the complexity of the different disorders and uncertainty as to the mechanisms of injury and the factors influencing injury have prevented the definition of dose–response relationships well proven by scientific study. It is necessary to wave a flag indicating when there is a need to control risks from exposure to vibration and shock while scientific enquiry provides understanding needed to weave a better flag. It is concluded that quantifying exposure severity is often neither necessary nor sufficient to either identify risks or implement measures that control the risks.Practitioner Summary: The identification of risks associated with exposure to vibration and mechanical shock cannot, and need not, rely solely on the quantification of exposure severity. Qualitative methods can provide a sufficient indication of the need for control measures, which should not be restricted to reducing standardised measures of exposure severity.
Correction for Song et al., Resolving conflict in eutherian mammal phylogeny using phylogenomics and the multispecies coalescent model

EVOLUTION Correction for “Resolving conflict in eutherian mammal phylogeny using phylogenomics and the multispecies coalescent model,” by Sen Song, Liang Liu, Scott V. Edwards, and Shaoyuan Wu, which appeared in issue 37, September 11, 2012, of Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (109:14942–14947; first published August 28, 2012; 10.1073/ pnas.1211733109). The authors note the following error: The names of two species, Macaque (Macaca mulatta) and Wallaby (Macropus eugenii), were inadvertently transposed as taxon labels for 21 genes in our article’s 447-gene dataset of Song et al. The genes in question are as follows: EP300, DSTYK, CYP7B1, GOLGA1, MOCOS, PRKG1, NR4A2, RBM6, TAOK1, SLC5A12, E2F7, SPG20, PIK3R1, RHOBTB1, C6orf105, SDCCAG8, SNX25, FCHSD2, ADNP, GAN, and ZNF507. We apologize for this mistake and thank S. Mirarab and T. Warnow for pointing it out. The errors have no effect on the results and conclusions of our article. We have deposited our article’s 447-gene dataset with corrected taxon labels in the Dryad database: www.datadryad. org with the following identifier: 10.5061/dryad.3629v.
Mouse strain differences in resident peritoneal cells: a flow cytometric analysis

A flow-cytometric study of resident peritoneal cells among 8 mouse strains showed a more than twofold variation in the ratio of macrophages to macrophages plus lymphocytes, ranging from 27% in A/J to 62% in C57B/L10, with significant strain differences in a number of other cellular parameters. There was a particular deficiency of lymphocytes in strain CBA/N, which carries the xid mutation. Studies of the phagocytosis of fluorescent beads also revealed large differences in the number of beads taken up, ranging from 0·99 per cell in MFI to 1·64 per cell in BALB/c mice in a 20-min period. The total number of peritoneal cells collected also varied between strains, ranging from 2·75 × 106 in CBA/Ca to 5·85 × 106 in MFI. The total yield of macrophages per mouse ranged from 0·93 × 106 in A/J to 3·16 × 106 in C57BL/10. These differences should be taken into account when designing experiments which use resident peritoneal cells.
Ocular in Situ Gels : Development , Evaluation and Advancements

The ocular drug delivery system is considered as crucial and challenging as the delivery of drug is quite difficult. Moreover, the conventional opthalmic formulations exhibit a short pre-corneal residence time and poor bioavailability . Various attempts have been made towards the development of stable sustained release in-situ gels. Newer research in ophthalmic drug delivery systems is directed towards a incorporation of several drug delivery technologies, that includes to build up systems which is not only extend the contact time of the vehicle at the ocular surface, but which at the same time slow down the removal of the drug. This is a review on ocular in situ gels, delivery systems, evaluation and application.