Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Revaccination against hepatitis B in late teenagers who received vaccination during infancy: Yes or no?

ABSTRACT The significance of vaccination against hepatitis B during infancy is recognized worldwide, however, whether booster or revaccination after a period of time following the primary vaccination is required remains controversial. Recently, cross-sectional epidemiological surveys found that HBsAg prevalence in subjects born after the implementation of mass vaccination was increased with age, which was attributed to waning of anti-HBs over time. However, comprehensive analysis of the closely related cross-sectional surveys showed that the age-specific increased HBsAg prevalence was more likely associated with the carry-over of the infection occurred in early life, likely due to imperfect coverage of hepatitis B vaccination at the beginning of its introduction. Latest studies showed that booster response could be observed in the majority of individuals vaccinated 30 years ago. Moreover, confirmed breakthrough HBV infection with severe consequences in successfully vaccinated individuals is extremely rare. Thus far no compelling evidence has been acquired to support booster vaccination in adolescence. The uncertainty regarding the duration of protection of hepatitis B vaccination, especially beyond 30 years after the primary vaccination, merits a systematically designed study to follow the same cohort of participants longitudinally, which differs from the cross-sectional studies reported previously, can hopefully offer more direct evidence to help us to determine whether revaccination of hepatitis B vaccine is necessary.
Beyond neurons: Involvement of urothelial and glial cells in bladder function

The urothelium, or epithelial lining of the lower urinary tract (LUT), is likely to play an important role in bladder function by actively communicating with bladder nerves, smooth muscle, and cells of the immune and inflammatory systems. Recent evidence supports the importance of non‐neuronal cells that may extend to both the peripheral and central processes of the neurons that transmit normal and nociceptive signals from the urinary bladder. Using cats diagnosed with a naturally occurring syndrome termed feline interstitial cystitis (FIC), we investigated whether changes in physiologic parameters occur within 3 cell types associated with sensory transduction in the urinary bladder: 1) the urothelium, 2) identified bladder dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and 3) grey matter astrocytes in the lumbosacral (S1) spinal cord. As estrogen fluctuations may modulate the severity of many chronic pelvic pain syndromes, we also examined whether 17β‐estradiol (E2) alters cell signaling in rat urothelial cells.
Draft Genome Sequence of Rhodococcus sp. Strain M8, Which Can Degrade a Broad Range of Nitriles

ABSTRACT Rhodococcus sp. strain M8 is a nitrile-degrading bacterium isolated from acrylonitrile-contaminated sites. This strain produces the enzymes for sequential nitrile degradation, cobalt-type nitrile hydratase, and amidase in large amounts. Its draft genome sequence, announced here, has an estimated size of 6.3 Mbp.
Individualizing management of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis: diagnostics, treatment, and biomarkers

ABSTRACT Introduction: Success rates for treatment of extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) are low due to limited treatment options, delayed diagnosis and inadequate health care infrastructure. Areas covered: This review analyses existing programmes of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of XDR-TB. Improved diagnostic procedures and rapid molecular tests help to select appropriate drugs and dosages. Drugs dosages can be further tailored to the specific conditions of the patient based on quantitative susceptibility testing of the M. tuberculosis isolate and use of therapeutic drug monitoring. Pharmacovigilance is important for preserving activity of the novel drugs bedaquiline and delamanid. Furthermore, biomarkers of treatment response must be developed and validated to guide therapeutic decisions. Expert commentary: Given the currently poor treatment outcomes and the association of XDR-TB with HIV in endemic regions, a more patient oriented approach regarding diagnostics, drug selection and tailoring and treatment evaluation will improve treatment outcome. The different areas of expertise should be covered by a multidisciplinary team and may involve the transition of patients from hospitalized to home or community-based treatment.
Vulnerability of the frontal and parietal regions in hypertensive patients during working memory task

Background: Hypertension is related with cognitive decline in the elderly. The frontal–parietal executive system plays an important role in cognitive aging and is also vulnerable to damage in elderly patients with hypertension. Examination of the brain's functional characteristics in frontal–parietal regions of hypertension is likely to be important for understanding the neural mechanisms of hypertension's effect on cognitive aging. Methods: We address this issue by comparing hypertension and control-performers in a functional MRI study. Twenty-eight hypertensive patients and 32 elderly controls were tested with n-back task with two load levels. Results: The hypertensive patients exhibited worse executive and memory abilities than control subjects. The patterns of brain activation changed under different working memory loads in the hypertensive patients, who exhibited reduced activation only in the precentral gyrus under low loads and reduced activation in the middle frontal gyrus, left medial superior frontal gyrus and right precuneus under high loads. Thus, more regions of diminished activation were observed in the frontal and parietal regions with increasing task difficulty. More importantly, we found that lower activation in changed frontal and parietal regions was associated with worse cognitive function in high loads. Conclusion: The results demonstrate the relationship between cognitive function and frontoparietal functional activation in hypertension and their relevance to cognitive aging risk. Our findings provide a better understanding of the mechanism of cognitive decline in hypertension and highlight the importance of brain protection in hypertension.
4G LTE on the Road - What Impacts Download Speeds Most?

In the context of continually growing data volumes, which have to be processed and transmitted in modern and future road traffic, the importance of the LTE technology will increase. While the extensively evaluated 802.11p standard shows its strength in regards to road safety applications, data-intensive comfort and infotainment services, which cause high data volume mainly in downlink direction, can best be provided by LTE. Therefore, the investigation of the download performance and availability is essential. In this paper, we present measurement results that evaluate how LTE's download speed is affected by relevant parameters. We perform two measurement campaigns in a major commercial LTE network. In a mobile scenario, we analyze position dependent parameters, such as frequency bands, the corresponding bandwidth, and the channel's signal quality, i.e., SINR and RSSI. Furthermore, a statistical performance evaluation provides insight into the parameters' impact on the download speed and their consistency in urban and rural areas. In addition, we compare the influence of main transport protocols, i.e., TCP and UDP. Finally, we identify diurnal and weekday dependent patterns. Concerning the download speeds in LTE, our results show on the one hand a higher spatial variability in cities and on the other hand that the signal quality and channel bandwidth are the most important influencing factors.
System-Level Performance of C-NOMA: A Cooperative Scheme for Capacity Enhancements in 5G Mobile Networks

Non-orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) is a promising scheme for improving the capacity of 5G networks. Since not all the users (UEs) in a cell are good candidates for NOMA, hybrid multiple access (MA) systems where NOMA and the typical orthogonal multiple access (OMA) schemes are combined, are expected. In this paper we propose cooperative NOMA (C-NOMA), which is based on cooperative scheduling and load balancing among a group of cells. Results from our system-level performance analysis show that in scenarios where only some cells are fully loaded, C-NOMA offers up to 3.5-fold increase in the UEs throughput compared to non-cooperative NOMA (NC-NOMA). Moreover, the cells experienced a capacity increase between 12-18%. Therefore, C-NOMA is an appealing scheme for improving the capacity in groups of cells with very unequal load, e.g. hotspot areas.
dHb9 expressing larval motor neurons persist through metamorphosis to innervate adult‐specific muscle targets and function in Drosophila eclosion

The Drosophila larval nervous system is radically restructured during metamorphosis to produce adult specific neural circuits and behaviors. Genesis of new neurons, death of larval neurons and remodeling of those neurons that persistent collectively act to shape the adult nervous system. Here, we examine the fate of a subset of larval motor neurons during this restructuring process. We used a dHb9 reporter, in combination with the FLP/FRT system to individually identify abdominal motor neurons in the larval to adult transition using a combination of relative cell body location, axonal position, and muscle targets. We found that segment specific cell death of some dHb9 expressing motor neurons occurs throughout the metamorphosis period and continues into the post‐eclosion period. Many dHb9 > GFP expressing neurons however persist in the two anterior hemisegments, A1 and A2, which have segment specific muscles required for eclosion while a smaller proportion also persist in A2–A5. Consistent with a functional requirement for these neurons, ablating them during the pupal period produces defects in adult eclosion. In adults, subsequent to the execution of eclosion behaviors, the NMJs of some of these neurons were found to be dismantled and their muscle targets degenerate. Our studies demonstrate a critical continuity of some larval motor neurons into adults and reveal that multiple aspects of motor neuron remodeling and plasticity that are essential for adult motor behaviors. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 1387–1416, 2016
Near-field optical imaging of polarization-dependent plasmonic resonance in metal nanoparticle pairs

The near-field distribution of plasmonic coupling effect in gold nanoparticle pairs was directly investigated by a nearfield scanning optical microscope (NSOM) in the fiber-collection mode. NOSM images show that the localized plasmonic coupling and the electromagnetic field distribution of nanoparticle pairs are systematically influenced by the interparticle space and axial direction of incident polarization. This observation can facilitate the understanding of localized hot spots in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in the near field and can be used as a guideline for fabricating specific nanostructures in controlling the spatial distribution of surface plasmon (SP) modes for ultrasensitive sensors or photonic devices.
Clinical spectrum of eye malformations in four patients with Mowat–Wilson syndrome

Mowat–Wilson syndrome (MWS) is a rare genetic syndrome characterized by a specific facial gestalt, intellectual deficiency, Hirschsprung disease and multiple congenital anomalies. Heterozygous mutations or deletions in the zinc finger E‐box‐binding homeobox2 gene (ZEB2) cause MWS. ZEB2 encodes for Smad‐interacting protein 1, a transcriptional co‐repressor involved in TGF‐beta and BMP pathways and is strongly expressed in early stages of development in mice. Eye abnormalities have rarely been described in patients with this syndrome. Herein, we describe four patients (two males and two females; mean age 7 years) with MWS and eye malformations. Ocular anomalies included, iris/retinal colobomas, atrophy or absence of the optic nerve, hyphema, and deep refraction troubles, sometimes with severe visual consequences. All eye malformations were asymmetric and often unilateral and all eye segments were affected, similarly to the nine MWS cases with ophthalmological malformations previously reported (iris/chorioretinal/optic disc coloboma, optic nerve atrophy, retinal epithelium atrophy, cataract, and korectopia). In human embryo, ZEB2 is expressed in lens and neural retina. Using the present report and data from the literature, we set out to determine whether or not the presence of eye manifestations could be due to specific type or location of mutations. We concluded that the presence of eye malformations, although a rare feature in MWS, should be considered as a part of the clinical spectrum of the condition. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Edge fires drive the shape and stability of tropical forests

In tropical regions, fires propagate readily in grasslands but typically consume only edges of forest patches. Thus forest patches grow due to tree propagation and shrink by fires in surrounding grasslands. The interplay between these competing edge effects is unknown, but critical in determining the shape and stability of individual forest patches, as well the landscape-level spatial distribution and stability of forests. We analyze high-resolution remote-sensing data from protected areas of the Brazilian Cerrado and find that forest shapes obey a robust perimeter-area scaling relation across climatic zones. We explain this scaling by introducing a heterogeneous fire propagation model for tropical forest-grassland ecotones. Deviations from this perimeter-area relation determine the stability of individual forest patches. At a larger scale, our model predicts that the relative rates of tree growth due to propagative expansion and long-distance seed dispersal determine whether collapse of regional-scale tree cover is continuous or discontinuous as fire frequency changes.
Opposite changes of pituitary and ovarian receptors for LHRH in ageing rats: further evidence for a direct neural control of ovarian LHRH receptor activity.

Hypophyseal and ovarian receptors for the neurohormone LHRH (LHRH-R) have been measured in young (3-4 months), middle-aged (8-11 months), constant estrous (CE, 10-14 months) and pseudopregnant (PR, 16-18 months) rats in order to study whether changes in hypothalamic and/or peripheral LHRH-like peptide production might precede and/or accompany the onset of reproductive failure observed in aging rats. Furthermore, we have investigated whether the neural efferent system from the brain to the ovary is affected with aging. The pattern of pituitary LHRH-R modifications during the estrous cycle of middle-aged rats shows lower LHRH-R levels on the second day of diestrus, resulting in a shift of the maximal LHRH binding capacity in the morning of proestrus. On the other hand, when comparing pituitary LHRH-R of animals exhibiting constant vaginal cornification (CVC) or repetitive PP with young estrus rats, no significant difference could be observed. Young rats responded to electrical stimulation (ES) of the medial preoptic area with an acute elevation of LHRH-R while ES performed in CVC, or PP animals resulted in a significant increase of hypophyseal LHRH binding capacity similar to the one observed in young estrous controls, indicating an impairment in the neural signals impinging in the pulse generating system, in old rats, and not an intrinsic defect of the LHRH-R per se. Ovarian LHRH-R concentration is higher in middle-aged cycling animals on the day of vaginal proestrus, compared to levels measured in young animals at any phase of the estrous cycle. Similarly, CE rats displaying CVC as well as PP animals show significantly higher numbers of LHRH-R with no change in affinity, than young estrus rats. CVC and PP rats receiving unilaterally an intraovarian injection of the potent LHRH antagonist, Ac-D-Cl-Phe1,2, D-Trp3, D-Phe6, D-Ala10, LHRH, showed an acute drop of LHRH-R measured within the treated ovary with no significant changes taking place in the vehicle-treated contralateral gland, suggesting that changes of endogenous ovarian LHRH-like peptide might participate in the mechanism(s) responsible for LHRH receptor increase observed in aging rats. In order to investigate the participation of a direct neural efferent pathway in ovarian LHRH-R regulation, young and old rats were subjected to spinal cord transection (above T10-T11). Bilateral transection of the spinal cord in young animals in the morning of proestrous markedly increased ovarian LHRH-R concentration in the afternoon (17.00 h) of the same day. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The Theoretical Highest Frame Rate of Silicon Image Sensors

The frame rate of the digital high-speed video camera was 2000 frames per second (fps) in 1989, and has been exponentially increasing. A simulation study showed that a silicon image sensor made with a 130 nm process technology can achieve about 1010 fps. The frame rate seems to approach the upper bound. Rayleigh proposed an expression on the theoretical spatial resolution limit when the resolution of lenses approached the limit. In this paper, the temporal resolution limit of silicon image sensors was theoretically analyzed. It is revealed that the limit is mainly governed by mixing of charges with different travel times caused by the distribution of penetration depth of light. The derived expression of the limit is extremely simple, yet accurate. For example, the limit for green light of 550 nm incident to silicon image sensors at 300 K is 11.1 picoseconds. Therefore, the theoretical highest frame rate is 90.1 Gfps (about 1011 fps).
A Galois field-based logic synthesis with testability

In deep-submicron very-large-scale integration (VLSI) systems, efficient circuit testability is one of the most demanding requirements. An automatic synthesis technique for designing efficiently testable logic circuits is one of the ways to tackle the problem. To this end, this study introduces the generalised theory and a new fast efficient graph-based decomposition technique for the functions over finite fields defined over the set GF(N), where N is a power of a prime number, which utilises the data structure of the multiple-output decision diagrams. In particular, the proposed technique can decompose any N valued arbitrary function over the fields conjunctively and disjunctively. The proposed technique is capable of generating testable circuits. The experimental results show that the proposed method is more economical in terms of literal count compared to the existing approaches. Furthermore, the authors have shown that the basic block can be tested with only eight test vectors.
The functional connectome of cognitive reserve

Cognitive Reserve (CR) designates the brain's capacity to actively cope with insults through a more efficient use of its resources/networks. It was proposed in order to explain the discrepancies between the observed cognitive ability and the expected capacity for an individual. Typical proxies of CR include education and Intelligence Quotient but none totally account for the variability of CR and no study has shown if the brain's greater efficiency associated with CR can be measured. We used a validated model to estimate CR from the residual variance in memory and general executive functioning, accounting for both brain anatomical (i.e., gray matter and white matter signal abnormalities volume) and demographic variables (i.e., years of formal education and sex). Functional connectivity (FC) networks and topological properties were explored for associations with CR. Demographic characteristics, mainly accounted by years of formal education, were associated with higher FC, clustering, local efficiency and strength in parietal and occipital regions and greater network transitivity. Higher CR was associated with a greater FC, local efficiency and clustering of occipital regions, strength and centrality of the inferior temporal gyrus and higher global efficiency. Altogether, these findings suggest that education may facilitate the brain's ability to form segregated functional groups, reinforcing the view that higher education level triggers more specialized use of neural processing. Additionally, this study demonstrated for the first time that CR is associated with more efficient processing of information in the human brain and reinforces the existence of a fine balance between segregation and integration. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3310–3322, 2016. © 2016 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Stochastic Model of the Apparel-retailing Process for Seasonal Apparel

A computer model is described that simulates the seasonal apparel-retailing process. The model is stochastic in nature and is designed to allow the investigation of the effects of improved retailing procedures on financial and other performance measures. Its principal value lies in the evaluation or Quick Response (QR) supply methodologies that allow frequent re-estimations of consumer demand and reorders of merchandise based on in-season point-of-sale (POS) data at the stock-keeping-unit (SKU) level.
Assessing the Health of LiFePO4 Traction Batteries through Monotonic Echo State Networks

A soft sensor is presented that approximates certain health parameters of automotive rechargeable batteries from on-vehicle measurements of current and voltage. The sensor is based on a model of the open circuit voltage curve. This last model is implemented through monotonic neural networks and estimate over-potentials arising from the evolution in time of the Lithium concentration in the electrodes of the battery. The proposed soft sensor is able to exploit the information contained in operational records of the vehicle better than the alternatives, this being particularly true when the charge or discharge currents are between moderate and high. The accuracy of the neural model has been compared to different alternatives, including data-driven statistical models, first principle-based models, fuzzy observers and other recurrent neural networks with different topologies. It is concluded that monotonic echo state networks can outperform well established first-principle models. The algorithms have been validated with automotive Li-FePO4 cells.
Optimization of high frequency transformer based on advanced genetic algorithm

The main content of this paper is to use the advanced genetic algorithm to select the optimum format of the magnetic core among the multiple Pareto-optimal solutions. The selection of the magnetic core depends on the core and the winding loss and the transformer's volume. Simulated the math model of the problem and program. Compared the result of the classic multiobjective optimal method and the NSGA II to get the most effective method.
Mechanical Properties Investigation of Defected, Twisted, Elliptic, Bended and Hetero-junction Carbon Nanotubes Based on FEM

In this paper, the elastic moduli of defected, twisted, elliptic, bended and hetero-junction carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are described. A three-dimensional finite element (FE) model of space-frame structure is proposed for these (CNTs). It is found that the torsional angle of twisted (CNTs), the cross sectional aspect ratio (a/b) of elliptic (CNTs), the bending angle of bended (CNTs) and the choice of the length and the chirality of hetero-junction carbon nanotubes (HJCNTs) significantly affect mechanical properties. The values of the Young's modulus have varied from 0.99 to 0.999 TPa for defected, 0.36 to 1.04 TPa for twisted, 0.87 to 1.04 TPa for elliptic, 0.95 to 1.04 for bended nanotubes and 0.96 to 1.27 TPa for HJCNTs. The results demonstrate that the proposed FE model is a valuable tool to study the mechanical behavior of HJCNTs and the deformed CNT. Different kinds of defects and deformations decrease the mechanical properties of CNTs.