Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nurse Perspectives on Referrals for Oncology Patients to Reproductive Endocrinologists: Results of a Learning Activity.

BACKGROUND Although concern about future fertility for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer is high, referrals to reproductive endocrinologists (REI) are low. Oncology nurses are well positioned to facilitate these referrals but may lack the knowledge and training. This report describes a learning activity in the Educating Nurses about Reproductive Issues in Cancer Healthcare (ENRICH) program whereby oncology nurses interviewed REIs. METHOD Participants were instructed to conduct an interview with an REI using a semistructured guide and provided a written report of the discussion. We examined responses to each question using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS Seventy-seven participants across 15 states provided a summary. Learner summaries highlighted four themes related to FP, including Cost, Time, Lack of Information or Referrals, and Learning About Available Options. CONCLUSION Oncology nurses have an opportunity for a partnership to ensure that concerns about fertility among AYA patients are addressed. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2016;47(8):376-384.
Effects of postharvest salicylic acid dipping on Alternaria rot and disease resistance of jujube fruit during storage.

BACKGROUND Considerable postharvest losses caused by Alternaria alternata often occur in Chinese jujube fruit, and synthetic fungicides have been widely used to protect the fruit from Alternaria rot. However, the potential harmfulness of fungicide residues to human health and the environment cannot be ignored. This study was conducted to develop an alternative approach for controlling postharvest disease by inducing fruit resistance with salicylic acid (SA) dipping. RESULTS Disease incidence and lesion area in the jujube fruit inoculated with A. alternata were significantly inhibited by 2 and 2.5 mmol L(-1) SA dipping. Naturally infected decay rate and index in jujubes were also significantly reduced by SA dipping during long-term storage at 0°C. SA enhanced activities of the main defense-related enzymes including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, peroxidase, chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase in the fruit during storage. SA strongly decreased catalase activity but increased superoxide dismutase activity and ascorbic acid content in jujubes. CONCLUSION The beneficial effects of SA on fruit protection may be due to its ability to activate several highly coordinated defence-related systems in jujubes, instead of its fungicidal activity. The findings indicated that application of SA would offer an alternative approach that helps to control postharvest disease and maintain storage quality in fruits.
Interface traps at high doping drain extension region in sub-0.25-/spl mu/m MOSTs

A huge bulk (or drain) current I/sub b/ (or I/sub d/) peak versus gate voltage was observed for the 0.25-/spl mu/m or sub-0.25-/spl mu/m metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSTs) with high doping concentration source/drain extension, when the drain-bulk p-n junction is forward biased. This current is increased under Fowler-Nordheim (FN) or channel hot carrier (CHC) stress and is identified as thermal-trap-tunneling electron current at the drain extension-gate overlap region. It is extremely sensitive that one interface trap will induce 0.1 pA current increment of peak I/sub b/ (or I/sub d/).
Target tracking based on a distributed particle filter in underwater sensor networks

In this paper, based on a distributed particle filter, two tracking algorithms are proposed for tracking mobile targets in cluster-based underwater sensor networks (USNs). Both tracking algorithms run local particle filter sequentially at each cluster along target trajectories, but they adopt different methods of selecting measurements from sensor nodes to balance the information contribution against the cost. Performance metrics are proposed and discussed in terms of tracking performance, communication cost, energy cost, and tracking response time. Simulations are conducted to quantitatively compare the proposed algorithms as well as another tracking algorithm based on extended Kalman filter (EKF). Our results indicate that one tracking algorithm achieves higher tracking accuracy while the other achieves dramatic reduction of communication cost, energy cost, and tracking response time. Furthermore, performance of two tracking algorithms has been studied in terms of detection threshold and sensor density. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Genetically encoded fluorescent tags

Genetically encoded fluorescent tags are protein sequences that can be fused to a protein of interest to render it fluorescent. These tags have revolutionized cell biology by allowing nearly any protein to be imaged by light microscopy at submicrometer spatial resolution and subsecond time resolution in a live cell or organism. They can also be used to measure protein abundance in thousands to millions of cells using flow cytometry. Here I provide an introduction to the different genetic tags available, including both intrinsically fluorescent proteins and proteins that derive their fluorescence from binding of either endogenous or exogenous fluorophores. I discuss their optical and biological properties and guidelines for choosing appropriate tags for an experiment. Tools for tagging nucleic acid sequences and reporter molecules that detect the presence of different biomolecules are also briefly discussed.
Localization of passive target based on UWB backscattering range measurement

Impulse-Radio Ultra Wideband (IR-UWB) is a promising technology for indoor localization due to its robustness against multipath interference. In this paper, localization of passive reflector based on backscattering range measurement is investigated. The theoretical performance bound is derived, which can be used for both performance evaluation and system design. A closed-form position estimation is first given. Two least squares positioning algorithms are then proposed to refine the initial position estimation. Simulation result shows that both algorithms can achieve high positioning accuracy and approach the performance bound. An important conclusion drawn from this study is that to achieve good positioning accuracy, the localization system design should account for several factors such as the locator geometry and range measurement scheme for a specific region of interest.
Lack of Evidence for Arterial Ischemia in Transient Global Amnesia

Background and Purpose— Lesions in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI-L) have been commonly described in transient global amnesia (TGA). We investigated a possible relationship between brain ischemia and TGA. Methods— Twenty-eight patients underwent transcranial and carotid Doppler ultrasonography (including microembolus detection) and MRI within 24 hours of TGA onset (including DWI, perfusion-weighted imaging and angio-MRI). MRI was repeated at 48 to 96 hours (21 patients) and 30 days (18 patients). Results— Punctate DWI-L were observed in 16 patients (57%) and were not attributable to perfusion abnormalities, arterial stenoses or underlying cardioembolic disease. MRIs performed between 12 and 72 hours showed the highest frequency of DWI-L (88%; P<0.001). No pathological findings were observed at 30 days. Conclusions— These results suggest that TGA is not related to cerebral arterial ischemia.
Storage of breast milk: effect of temperature and storage duration on microbial growth.

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of storage duration at varying temperature ranges, the pattern of microbial isolates and the quantity of colony-forming units (CFU) on expressed breast milk. DESIGN Cross sectional study. SETTING Bacteriology laboratory, University of Zimbabwe in Parirenyatwa Hospital, Harare. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The temperature, storage duration and types of micro-organisms in freshly expressed breast milk. RESULTS Freshly expressed human breast milk contained microbial non-pathogens of skin flora. There was no growth of organisms in stored breast milk after four hours, eight hours, 24 hours and 72 hours storage duration at temperature ranges 0 to 4 degrees C (freezing temperature), 4 to 10 degrees C (refrigerator temperature), 15 to 27 degrees C (room temperature) and 30 to 38 degrees C (high temperature) respectively. Growth was detected after the storage durations and organisms isolated were both pathogens and non-pathogens with low counts. Average colony counts was (CFU < 200). CONCLUSION The study revealed that storage duration for expressed breast milk should not exceed 24 hours in refrigerator temperature (4 to 10 degrees C), eight hours at room temperature (15 to 27 degrees C) and four hours at high temperature (30 to 38 degrees C). Although freezing temperature (0 to 4 degrees C) seemed safest for breast milk storage, short-term storage in a freezer is not recommended due to likely the hazards of the thawing process.
Dynamical mechanism for the formation of metastable phases: The case of two nonconserved order parameters.

Rapid temperature quenches have long been known to produce metastable thermodynamic phases. We analyze a Landau-Ginzburg model of front propagation and show that metastable phases can arise via a transition that splits the front separating the disordered from the stable phase into one front between the disordered and the metastable phases and another between the metastable and the stable phases. For systems described by a single nonconserved order parameter, the splitting transition is continuous with no hysteresis as the control parameter is varied
Long-term ocular prognosis in 327 children with congenital toxoplasmosis.

OBJECTIVE Retinochoroiditis is the most frequent consequence of congenital toxoplasmosis. Early diagnosis and treatment are believed to reduce the risk of visual impairment. We report on the clinical evolution of ocular lesions and final visual function in a prospective cohort of congenitally infected children who were identified during monthly maternal prenatal screening. METHODS The study included 327 congenitally infected children who were monitored for up to 14 years at the Croix Rousse Hospital in Lyon, France. Data on date of maternal infection; time and type of therapy; antenatal, neonatal, and postnatal work-ups; and ocular status were analyzed. RESULTS All mothers but 52 had been treated. Pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine was given in utero to 38% of children and after birth to 72% of newborns. Fansidar was given for an average duration of 337 days in all but 2 children. After a median follow-up of 6 years, 79 (24%) children had at least 1 retinochoroidal lesion. In 23 (29%) of them, at least 1 new event had been diagnosed up to 10 years after detection of the first lesions: reactivation of an existing lesion (1 case), new lesion in a previously healthy location (19 cases), or both (3 cases). Fifty-five children had lesions in 1 eye; of the 45 children for whom final visual acuity data were available, 31 (69%) had normal vision. Twenty-four children had lesions in both eyes; of the 21 for whom final visual acuity data were available, 11 had normal vision in both eyes. None had bilateral visual impairment. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians, parents, and elder children with congenital infection should be informed that late-onset retinal lesions and relapse can occur many years after birth but that the overall ocular prognosis of congenital toxoplasmosis is satisfactory when infection is identified early and treated accordingly.
Unsupervised Algorithms for Segmentation and Clustering Applied to Soccer Players Classification

In this work we consider the problem of soccer player detection and classification. The approach we propose starts from the monocular images acquired by a still camera. Firstly, players are detected by means of background subtraction. An algorithm based on pixels energy content has been implemented in order to detect moving objects. The use of energy information, combined with a temporal sliding window procedure, allows to be substantially independent from motion hypothesis. Then players are assigned to the correspondent team by means of an unsupervised clustering algorithm that works on colour histograms in RGB space. It is composed by two distinct modules: firstly, a modified version of the BSAS clustering algorithm builds the clusters for each class of objects. Then, at runtime, each player is classified by evaluating its distance, in the features space, from the classes previously detected. Algorithms have been tested on different real soccer match of the Italian Serie A.
Evaluation of Superficial Basal Cell Carcinomas After Treatment With Imiquimod 5% Cream or Vehicle for Apoptosis and Lymphocyte Phenotyping

OBJECTIVE To characterize the immune response and the apoptotic pathways that result in regression of imiquimod-treated basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). METHODS The trial was conducted as an open-label, matched controlled, nonrandomized study. Twelve patients were assigned as either active-treatment patients or matched control subjects. After treatment, lesions were excised and stained for CD20, CD3, CD4, CD56, bcl-2, bax, caspase-3, and p53. Additionally, a DNA fragmentation assay was performed using the terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick-end-labeling method. RESULTS All vehicle-treated BCCs (six of six) had residual tumor compared with four of six imiquimod-treated BCCs. A dense mononuclear infiltrate surrounded all of the imiquimod-treated tumors and only one of six vehicle-treated BCCs. Staining for CD20, CD3, and CD4 reveled that the infiltrate consisted primarily of T-helper lymphocytes; however, a significant portion of the cells stained positively for CD56, indicating the presence of natural killer cells. Imiquimod-treated BCCs stained more strongly for caspase-3 and to a lesser degree p53 as compared with vehicle-treated BCCs. No differences were seen in either bax or bcl-2 staining. Minimal apoptosis was seen with the terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick-end-labeling assay in either group. CONCLUSION This study provides evidence that imiquimod's antitumorgenic effects are mediated via up regulation of local interferon-α levels and supports previous work, suggesting that increased natural killer cell activity may be an important factors explaining both spontaneous regression and IFN-α induced regression of BCC.
Significance of thymidylate synthase gene expression level in patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung

Thymidylate synthase (TS) catalyzes the methylation of deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP) to deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP) and is a key enzyme for DNA synthesis. High expression of TS is thought to be associated with poor prognosis in some kinds of cancers. However, this association has not been clarified for nonsmall cell lung carcinoma. In the current study, the authors investigated the clinicopathologic significance of TS mRNA levels and the correlation with cellular proliferation in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.
Deep Window – 3D virtual camera control with a tablet and depth camera

This paper describes Deep Window, an implementation of a mobile window into a virtual world using a depth camera. Deep Window explores the use of 2.5D depth cameras to implement 3D interaction techniques. Users can move and orient a tablet to change their perspective of a 3D scene, showing that it is possible for a 3D interaction technique to be replicated with a depth camera. A user study comparing this interaction technique to standard mouse techniques for positioning a camera in a 3D scene turns out inconclusive.
Horizontal transmission of Thelohania contejeani in the endangered white-clawed (Austropotamobius pallipes) and the invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus)

SUMMARY The microsporidian parasite Thelohania contejeani causes porcelain disease and has been implicated in mass mortalities in populations of the endangered European crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes. However, the route of parasite transmission is not known. This paper investigates the horizontal transmission of T. contejeani between A. pallipes hosts as well as its transmissibility to the invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). Field collected juvenile A. pallipes and P. leniusculus were assigned to 1 of 3 experimental treatments; fed heavily infected A. pallipes tissue, exposed to water from tanks housing heavily parasitized A. pallipes, and a control group to provide an estimate of the baseline infection levels in the field. After 26 weeks, abdominal muscle samples were screened by PCR for T. contejeani. Infection was significantly higher in the treatment groups (83% in the cannibalism treatment, 42% in the water exposure treatment) than in the control group (4%), providing evidence for horizontal transmission of the parasite between A. pallipes hosts. Cannibalism and scavenging are common amongst crayfish, providing transmission opportunities in the field. The study also provides the first direct evidence for transmission of the parasite from an indigenous European crayfish species to the invasive signal crayfish, with 50% of P. leniusculus in each treatment, and 8% of control animals infected. We discuss the possibility that high density populations of the invasive signal crayfish may serve either as reservoirs or sinks for the parasite.
Continuous Time-of-Flight Ranging Using a MEMS Diffractive Subwavelength Period Grating (de)Modulator

We present a time-of-flight (TOF) ranging experiment based on optical mixing. The key component in this experiment is the optical (de)modulator. consequently we also report on the design, fabrication, and characterization of a microelectromechanical system diffractive grating (de)modulator with a subwavelength period. The obtained results are an important step toward an optical mixing based TOF 3-D imaging system, which we will further develop in our future work.
Expression patterns of mouse hox genes: Clues to an understanding of developmental and evolutionary strategies

Expression patterns of Antennapedia‐like homeogenes in the mouse embryo show many similarities to those of their homologues in Drosophila. It is argued here that homeogenes may regulate development of the body plan in mouse by mechanisms similar to those used in Drosophila. In particular, they may differentially specify positional address of cell groups within lineage compartments along the body axes. In vertebrates, a single ancestral homeogene cluster has become duplicated to give four separate clusters. Comparisons of homeogene expression patterns between different clusters of the mouse suggest ways in which duplication has permitted development of a more complex body plan. Cluster duplication may therefore have provided a selective advantage during vertebrate evolution.
On Annotation of the Textual Contents of Scottish Legal Instruments

We thank the funding from the University of Aberdeen’s Impact, Knowledge Exchange, and Commercialisation Award for this 10 week study. This work was also supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR-10-LABX-0083) in the context of the Labex EFL. We also thank the student staff: A. Andonov, A. Faulds, E. Onwa, L. Schelling, R. Stoyanov, and O. Toloch.
Relationship between haemodynamic impairment and collateral blood flow in carotid artery disease

Collateral blood flow plays a pivotal role in steno-occlusive internal carotid artery (ICA) disease to prevent irreversible ischaemic damage. Our aim was to investigate the effect of carotid artery disease upon cerebral perfusion and cerebrovascular reactivity and whether haemodynamic impairment is influenced at brain tissue level by the existence of primary and/or secondary collateral. Eighty-eight patients with steno-occlusive ICA disease and 29 healthy controls underwent MR examination. The presence of collaterals was determined with time-of-flight, two-dimensional phase contrast MRA and territorial arterial spin labeling (ASL) imaging. Cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity were assessed with ASL before and after acetazolamide. Cerebral haemodynamics were normal in asymptomatic ICA stenosis patients, as opposed to patients with ICA occlusion, in whom the haemodynamics in both hemispheres were compromised. Haemodynamic impairment in the affected brain region was always present in symptomatic patients. The degree of collateral blood flow was inversely correlated with haemodynamic impairment. Recruitment of secondary collaterals only occurred in symptomatic ICA occlusion patients. In conclusion, both CBF and cerebrovascular reactivity were found to be reduced in symptomatic patients with steno-occlusive ICA disease. The presence of collateral flow is associated with further haemodynamic impairment. Recruitment of secondary collaterals is associated with severe haemodynamic impairment.
iMecho: a context-aware desktop search system

In this demo, we present iMecho, a context-aware desktop search system to help users get more relevant results. Different from other desktop search engines, iMecho ranks results not only by the content of the query, but also the context of the query. It employs an Hidden Markov Model (HMM)-based user model, which is learned from user's activity logs, to estimate the query context when he submits the query. The results from keyword search are re-ranked by their relevances to the context with acceptable overhead.
Molecular cloning and analysis of genes for sialic acid synthesis in Neisseria meningitidis group B and purification of the meningococcal CMP-NeuNAc synthetase enzyme

The gene encoding for the CMP-NeuNAc synthetase enzyme of Neisseria meningitidis group B was cloned by complementation of a mutant of Escherichia coli defective for this enzyme. The gene (neuA) was isolated on a 4.1-kb fragment of meningococcal chromosomal DNA. Determination of the nucleotide sequence of this fragment revealed the presence of three genes, termed neuA, neuB, and neuC, organized in a single operon. The presence of a truncated ctrA gene at one end of the cloned DNA and a truncated gene encoding for the meningococcal sialyltransferase at the other confirmed that the cloned DNA corresponded to region A and part of region C of the meningococcal capsule gene cluster. The predicted amino acid sequence of the meningococcal NeuA protein was 57% homologous to that of NeuA, the CMP-NeuNAc synthetase encoded by E. coli K1. The predicted molecular mass of meningococcal NeuA protein was 24.8 kDa, which was 6 kDa larger than that formerly predicted (U. Edwards and M. Frosch, FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 96:161-166, 1992). Purification of the recombinant meningococcal NeuA protein together with determination of the N-terminal amino acid sequence confirmed that this 24.8-kDa protein was indeed the meningococcal CMP-NeuNAc synthetase. The predicted amino acid sequences of the two other encoded proteins were homologous to those of the NeuC and NeuB proteins of E. coli K1, two proteins involved in the synthesis of NeuNAc. These results indicate that common steps exist in the biosynthesis of NeuNAc in these two microorganisms.