Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leukotrienes and other products of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway. Biochemistry and relation to pathobiology in human diseases.

THE slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis was recognized as a discrete biologic entity 1 , 2 three to four decades before it was chemically defined as three specific cysteinyl leukotriene products of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway.3 4 5 6 7 In the interim, it was hypothesized that this moiety might function as a proinflammatory mediator of bronchoconstriction and vasopermeability in diseases of immediate hypersensitivity.8 9 10 11 Since the chemical characterization of the slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis as several cysteinyl leukotrienes and the identification and biochemical assessment of the enzymes in the 5-lipoxygenase pathway (Fig. 1 and Glossary), the products of this pathway have been implicated in a much broader variety of functions .
Longitudinal magnetic field effect on torsional vibration of carbon nanotubes

Torsional dynamic analysis of carbon nanotubes under the effect of longitudinal magnetic field is carried out in the present study. Torque effect of an axial magnetic field on a carbon nanotube has been defined using Maxwell’s relation. Nonlocal governing equation and boundary conditions for carbon nanotubes are obtained by using Hamilton’s minimum energy principle. Eringen’s nonlocal stress gradient elasticity theory is used in the formulation. Fourth order nonlocal equation of motion is solved by utilizing differential quadrature method. Clamped-clamped and clamped-free nonlocal boundary conditions are considered. Nonlocal and axial magnetic field effects on torsional vibration of carbon nanotubes are investigated. The magnetic field has significant effects on the dynamics of carbon nanotubes and may lead to torsional buckling. Critical torsional buckling load reduces with nonlocal effects. Nonlocality shows softening effect on carbon nanotube’s lattice structure. Present results can be used in the design and analysis of nanoelectromechanical products like nano-motors.
Hematoma volumes of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage: the ellipse (ABC/2) method yielded volumes smaller than those measured using the planimetric method.

OBJECTIVE To compare two different methods for measuring intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) volume: the ellipse volume (called ABC/2), and the software-aided planimetric. METHODS Four observers evaluated 20 brain computed tomography (CT) scans with spontaneous ICH. Each professional measured the volume using the ABC/2 and the planimetric methods. The average volumes were obtained, and the intra- and inter-rater variability was determined. RESULTS There is an absolute 2.24 cm3 average difference between both methodologies. Volumes yielded by the ABC/2 method were as much as 14.9% smaller than by the planimetric one. An intra-observer variability rate of 0.46% was found for the planimetric method and 0.18% for the ABC/2. The inter-observer rates were 1.69 and 1.11% respectively. CONCLUSIONS Both methods are reproducible. The ABC/2 yielded hemorrhage volumes as much as 14.9% smaller than those measured using the planimetric methodology.
Morphological and Crystallographic Characteristics of α Structure in a Low-Carbon Iron–Nickel Alloy

The features of α (body-centered cubic) structures were investigated in a low-carbon multicomponent alloy from morphological and crystallographic perspectives. In addition to apparent features of granular bainite and lamellar martensite, a morphological similarity can be found between lath martensite and lath bainite. Therefore, it is of interest to explore possible discrepancies between lath martensite and lath bainite from a crystallographic perspective. These microstructures were obtained by various cooling rates (i.e., water quenching, 5 °C/s, and 0.05 °C/s) and then were characterized by a combination of scanning electron microscopy and electron backscattered diffraction techniques. It is shown that: (1) Lath martensite (LM) formed in the samples that were water-quenched, and a mixture of LM and lath bainite (LB) and granular bainite (GB) formed in the samples cooled at rates of 5 °C/s and 0.05 °C/s, respectively; (2) A Kurdjumov-Sachs relationship was mostly found in as-quenched martensite, while a Greninger-Troiano relationship represented the orientation relationship of LB and GB; (3) As the cooling rate decreased, the dislocation densities in corresponding microstructures were reduced, while the tendency of variant grouping was enhanced.
The effects of globalization on inflation and their implications for monetary policy: a speech at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's 51st Economic Conference, Chatham, Massachusetts, June 16, 2006

Policymakers here and abroad cannot lose sight of a fundamental truth: In a world of separate currencies that can fluctuate against each other over time, each country’s central bank determines its inflation rate. If the FOMC were to allow the U.S. economy to run beyond its sustainable potential for some time, inflation would eventually rise. And, this pickup would become self-perpetuating if it became embedded in inflation expectations. Thus, while a better understanding of the implications of globalization will aid in our understanding of inflation dynamics, it is also clear that such developments do not relieve central banks of their responsibility for maintaining price and economic stability.
Threshold Voltage Fluctuation by Random Telegraph Noise in Floating Gate nand Flash Memory String

Read current fluctuation (ΔI<sub>read</sub>) due to random telegraph noise was measured from a cell in a NAND flash memory cell string, and its effect on threshold voltage fluctuation (ΔV<sub>th</sub>) was analyzed. Sixteen-level fluctuation (four traps) was observed in a 60-nm cell of a cell string (ΔI<sub>read</sub>/I<sub>read</sub> of ~0.4). ΔI<sub>read</sub> increased with decreasing L<sub>g</sub>, and ΔI<sub>read</sub>/I<sub>read</sub> up to 0.75 was observed at 48 nm. ΔI<sub>read</sub>, ΔV<sub>th</sub>, and their relation were clearly analyzed with program/erase mode of a cell and pass cells in a string. Although ΔI<sub>read</sub> is largest when a read cell and pass cells are erased, ΔV<sub>th</sub> is largest when a read cell is erased and pass cells are programmed in a cell string. We also observed the specific noise amplitude under various conditions, such as the bit-line bias, the pass bias of unselected cells in the NAND strings, and the temperature.
Natural Killer Cell-Based Therapies Targeting Cancer: Possible Strategies to Gain and Sustain Anti-Tumor Activity

Natural killer (NK) cells were discovered 40 years ago, by their ability to recognize and kill tumor cells without the requirement of prior antigen exposure. Since then, NK cells have been seen as promising agents for cell-based cancer therapies. However, NK cells represent only a minor fraction of the human lymphocyte population. Their skewed phenotype and impaired functionality during cancer progression necessitates the development of clinical protocols to activate and expand to high numbers ex vivo to be able to infuse sufficient numbers of functional NK cells to the cancer patients. Initial NK cell-based clinical trials suggested that NK cell-infusion is safe and feasible with almost no NK cell-related toxicity, including graft-versus-host disease. Complete remission and increased disease-free survival is shown in a small number of patients with hematological malignances. Furthermore, successful adoptive NK cell-based therapies from haploidentical donors have been demonstrated. Disappointingly, only limited anti-tumor effects have been demonstrated following NK cell infusion in patients with solid tumors. While NK cells have great potential in targeting tumor cells, the efficiency of NK cell functions in the tumor microenvironment is yet unclear. The failure of immune surveillance may in part be due to sustained immunological pressure on tumor cells resulting in the development of tumor escape variants that are invisible to the immune system. Alternatively, this could be due to the complex network of immune-suppressive compartments in the tumor microenvironment, including myeloid-derived suppressor cells, tumor-associated macrophages, and regulatory T cells. Although the negative effect of the tumor microenvironment on NK cells can be transiently reverted by ex vivo expansion and long-term activation, the aforementioned NK cell/tumor microenvironment interactions upon reinfusion are not fully elucidated. Within this context, genetic modification of NK cells may provide new possibilities for developing effective cancer immunotherapies by improving NK cell responses and making them less susceptible to the tumor microenvironment. Within this review, we will discuss clinical trials using NK cells with a specific reflection on novel potential strategies, such as genetic modification of NK cells and complementary therapies aimed at improving the clinical outcome of NK cell-based immune therapies.
Event inter-arrival time weighted activation policies for rechargeable wireless sensors

Rechargeable wireless sensors can harvest energy from the environment and monitor interesting events perpetually. Yet the energy harvesting rate on average is much smaller than the energy consumption rate at which the sensor uninterruptedly runs. Hence, the sensor should activate itself only at time slots where the interesting event would occur highly probabilistically. This paper considers the renewal process for event occurrence, and formulates event inter-arrival time weighted activation problem. This problem is resolved by linear programming technique. Finally, we present numerical evaluation results of the derived weighted activation policy under a series of concrete event occurrence distributions as well as weight distributions.
A nonparametric Bayesian approach for enhanced pedestrian detection and foreground segmentation

With the continuous improvements in computer vision techniques, automatic low-cost video surveillance is becoming feasible. In the context of automatic surveillance, an important problem is the development of accurate models for foreground segmentation and pedestrians detection in outdoor scenes. In this paper we study an unsupervised algorithm based on infinite generalized Gaussian mixture models, that take into consideration the disadvantage of visible-light images (i.e. sensitivity to variations in illumination and lights) and infrared images (i.e. sensitivity to outdoor climate and temperature changes).
A new semi-analytic approach for class-E resonant DC-DC converter design

This paper presents a new approach for the design of a class-E resonant dc-dc converter. The small number of passive components featured by the considered topology allows to exactly solve the differential equations regulating the circuit evolution, and to develop a semi-analytic design procedure based on the differential equations solution. This represents an important breakthrough with respect to the state-of-the-art, where class-E circuit analysis is always based on strong simplifying assumptions, and the exact circuit design is achieved by means of numerical simulations after many time-consuming parametric sweeps.
Improving Automatic Speech Recognition for Lectures through Transformation-based Rules Learned from Minimal Data

We demonstrate that transformation-based learning can be used to correct noisy speech recognition transcripts in the lecture domain with an average word error rate reduction of 12.9%. Our method is distinguished from earlier related work by its robustness to small amounts of training data, and its resulting efficiency, in spite of its use of true word error rate computations as a rule scoring function.
Joint Registration of Multiple Point Sets

This manuscript addresses the rigid registration problem of multiple 3D point sets. While the vast majority of state-of-the-art techniques build on pairwise registration, we propose a generative model that explains jointly registered multiple sets: back-transformed points are considered realizations of a single Gaussian mixture model (GMM) whose means play the role of the scene points. Under this assumption, the joint registration problem is cast into a probabilistic clustering framework. We formally derive an Expectation-Maximization scheme that robustly estimates both the GMM parameters and the rigid transformations that map each individual cloud onto an under-construction reference set, that is, the GMM means. GMM variances carry rich information as well, thus leading to a noise- and outlier-free scene model as a by-product. A second version of the algorithm is also proposed whereby newly captured sets can be registered online. A thorough discussion and validation on challenging data-sets against several state-of-the-art methods confirm the potential of the proposed model for jointly registering real depth data.
Examination outcomes for international medical graduates pursuing or completing family medicine residency training in Quebec.

OBJECTIVE To review the success of international medical graduates (IMGs) who are pursuing or have completed a Quebec residency training program and examinations. DESIGN We retrospectively reviewed IMGs' success rates on the pre-residency Collège des médecins du Québec medical clinical sciences written examination and objective structured clinical examination, as well as on the post-residency Certification Examination in Family Medicine. SETTING Quebec. PARTICIPANTS All IMGs taking their examinations between 2001 and 2008, inclusive, and Canadian and American graduates taking their examinations during this same period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Success rates for IMGs on the pre-residency and post-residency examinations, compared with success rates for Canadian and American graduates. RESULTS Success rates on the pre-residency clinical examinations remained below 50% from 2001 to 2008 for IMGs. Similarly, during the same period, the average success rate on the Certification examination was 56.0% for IMGs, compared with 93.5% for Canadian and American medical graduates. CONCLUSION Despite pre-residency competency screening and in-program orientation and supports, a substantial number of IMGs in Quebec are not passing their Certification examinations. Another study is under way to analyze reasons for some IMGs' lack of success and to find ways to help IMGs complete residency training successfully and pass the Certification examination.
Social inequalities in self reported health in early old age: follow-up of prospective cohort study

Objective To describe differences in trajectories of self reported health in an ageing cohort according to occupational grade. Design Prospective cohort study of office based British civil servants (1985-2004). Participants 10 308 men and women aged 35-55 at baseline, employed in 20 London civil service departments (the Whitehall II study); follow-up was an average of 18 years. Main outcome measures Physical component and mental component scores on SR-36 measured on five occasions. Results Physical health deteriorated more rapidly with age among men and women from the lower occupational grades. The average gap in physical component scores between a high and low grade civil servant at age 56 was 1.60 and this gap increased by 1 over 20 years. The average physical health of a 70 year old man or woman who was in a high grade position was similar to the physical health of a person from a low grade around eight years younger. In mid-life, this gap was only 4.5 years. Although mental health improved with age, the rate of improvement is slower for men and women in the lower grades. Conclusions Social inequalities in self reported health increase in early old age. People from lower occupational grades age faster in terms of a quicker deterioration in physical health compared with people from higher grades. This widening gap suggests that health inequalities will become an increasingly important public health issue, especially as the population ages.
Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane : Mechanisms , Bioenergetics , and the Ecology of Associated Microorganisms

S A R A L . C A L D W E L L , † J A M E S R . L A I D L E R , † E L I Z A B E T H A . B R E W E R , ‡ J E D O . E B E R L Y , § S E A N C . S A N D B O R G H , | A N D F R E D E R I C K S . C O L W E L L * , ⊥ Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97201, Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, Department of Biological & Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, and College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
Early simultaneous production of intranodal CD4 Th2 effectors and recirculating rapidly responding central‐memory‐like CD4 T cells

This study characterizes the diversity of CD4 Th cells produced during a Th2 response in vivo. Kinetics of effector and memory cell differentiation by mouse OVA‐specific CD4 T cells was followed during primary responses to alum‐precipitated OVA. The complexity of the CD4 T response was assessed in nodes draining and distant from the site of immunization for phenotype, location and function. By 3 days IL‐4‐producing effector CD4 T cells developed in the draining node and a proportion of the responding cells had migrated to B‐cell follicles, while yet others had left the draining node. Some of these early migrant cells were recirculating cells with a central memory phenotype. These had divided four or more times in the draining node before migrating to distant nodes not exposed to antigen. We questioned the responsiveness of these early central‐memory‐like cells on secondary antigen challenge at sites distant to the primary immunization. They re‐entered cell cycle and migrated to B‐cell follicles, much more rapidly than naïve CD4 T cells and could still be induced to produce IL‐4. Their production and survival were independent of the starting frequency of antigen‐specific CD4 T cells. Thus intranodal effector cells and recirculating, rapidly responding central‐memory‐like cells emerged simultaneously from the third day of a primary Th2 response.
Anesthetic Complications of Awake Craniotomies for Epilepsy Surgery

Awake craniotomies are often performed for resection of epileptogenic foci close to vital areas of the brain. For awake craniotomies at our institution, propofol is infused during local anesthetic injection and craniotomy, spontaneous ventilation is preserved, and no endotracheal tube or laryngeal mask airway is used. Propofol is discontinued for language, motor, and/or sensory mapping and for electrocorticography. Patients are re-sedated with propofol for resection and closure. We performed a retrospective chart review of 332 propofol-based "asleep-awake-asleep" (AAA) techniques with unsecured airways and 129 general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation craniotomies for epilepsy surgery. We compared the incidence of intraoperative respiratory and hemodynamic complications and incidence of seizures, nausea, brain swelling, patient movement, bleeding, aspiration, air embolism, and death. Airway compromise was uncommon in AAA cases and although incidences of hypertension, hypotension, and tachycardia were statistically increased in AAA versus general anesthesia craniotomy, these were treated appropriately. In only one patient the use of our AAA technique may have contributed to a poor clinical outcome.
Decision-making under Risk: An fMRI Study

Recent research has focused on decision-making under risk and its neural bases. Two kinds of bad decisions under risk may be defined: too risky decisions and too cautious decisions. Here we show that suboptimal decisions of both kinds lead to increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex in a Blackjack gambling task. Moreover, this increased activity is related to the avoidance of the negatively evaluated decision under risk. These findings complement other results suggesting an important role of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in reward-based decision-making and conflict resolution.
Improved Lexical Alignment by Combining Multiple Reified Alignments

We describe a word alignment platform which ensures text pre-processing (tokenization, POS-tagging, lemmatization, chunking, sentence alignment) as required by an accurate word alignment. The platform combines two different methods, producing distinct alignments. The basic word aligners are described in some details and are individually evaluated. The union of the individual alignments is subject to a filtering postprocessing phase. Two different filtering methods are also presented. The evaluation shows that the combined word alignment contains 10.75% less errors than the best individual aligner.
Arginine Deficiency and Orotic Aciduria in Mammals

Summary Dietary arginine deficiency in rats causes significant increases in urinary excretion of urea, citric acid and orotic acid independently of feed intake. Urea excretion during arginine deficiency depends upon the diet, sex, age, and species. Thus urea excretion has limitations as an indicator of arginine availability. Although elevated urinary citric acid during arginine deficiency is more consistently observed, it may be influenced by citric acid in natural dietary ingredients. Orotic acid excretion, however, appears to be a reliable indicator of available dietary arginine based upon studies in rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, and dogs.
Nano MMT modified PMMA anti-skid coating material design and pavement construction technique

For the development of the mechanical properties of better color anti-skid road surface coating material, nano MMT modified Polymethylmethacrylate was designed. Then tensile strength tests before and after coating materials nano modified were done by universal testing machine and preparation specimens. The results show that PMMA strength with adding MMT is significantly higher than no additive under different hardening agent ratio. The construction process of the nano-modified two-component color anti-skid pavement on the cement road surface then is introduced by the constrcution of test road of colorful anti-skid pavement structure.
Path delay fault simulation of sequential circuits

To analyze path delay faults in synchronous sequential circuits, stimuli are simulated in a dual-vector mode. The signal states represent the logic and transition conditions for two consecutive vectors. After the simulation of each vector, only the activated paths are traced and the corresponding fault effect, if propagated to a flip-flop, is added to its fault list. A path numbering scheme avoids storage of path data which can be generated, if needed, from the path number. The simulation is independent of the specific delays of the combinational elements, and either robust or nonrobust detection can be simulated as options to the user. For robust simulation, an update rule for state variables is proposed whereby a flip-flop is updated with its correct value, provided it is a destination of at least one robustly activated path. This rule gives a higher and more realistic coverage of robustly detected faults. Experimental results verify the effectiveness of the simulator. >