Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Channel Spacing Monitor Based on Periodic Training Sequence in DWDM System

To pack dense-wavelength-division-multiplexing channels with even higher spectral efficiency, precise monitoring and controlling the channel spacing between adjacent channels is beneficial. In this paper, we propose an accurate and robust channel spacing monitor scheme based on a designed periodic training sequence. The digital signal processing is implemented in a coherent receiver to estimate the carrier frequencies of two adjacent channels and the channel spacing is calculated thereafter. The periodic structure of the training sequence allows for the processing of multiple period autocorrelation to alleviate the influence of the noise. The proposed scheme is demonstrated in a 4×32 GBaud Nyquist dual-polarization 16 quadratic-amplitude modulation system. It is verified that the channel spacing estimation accuracy can be improved by performing the multiple period autocorrelation. The results show that the estimation error is less than 50 MHz under different conditions. Robustness of the monitor against various transmission effects, such as chromatic dispersion, polarization effects, and fiber transmission, is also demonstrated.
Changing Trends of Types of Skin Cancer in Iran.

BACKGROUND Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer worldwide. It has an increasing trend. This study investigated the epidemiological trend and morphological changes in skin cancer in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was done using existing data, extracted from the National Cancer Registry System and the Disease Management Center of Iranian Ministry of Health between 2003 and 2008. Data on epidemiologic trend was analyzed using Joinpoint software package. RESULTS The incidence of skin cancer is increasing in Iran, and more in men than women. There was a declining trend for basal cell carcinoma. Basal squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma had an increasing trend. The increase of skin cancer was related to squamous cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicated that the increase of skin cancer was attributed to squamous cell carcinoma. It is necessary to be planning for the control and prevention of this disease as a priority for health policy makers.
Inhibition of BRCA‐1 expression by benzo[a]pyrene and its diol epoxide

The objective of this study was to investigate whether polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contribute to the etiology of sporadic breast cancer by altering the expression of BRCA‐1. Acute exposure to the PAH benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) inhibited in a time‐ and dose‐dependent fashion cell proliferation and levels of BRCA‐1 mRNA and protein in estrogen receptor (ER)–positive breast MCF‐7 and ovarian BG‐1 cancer cells. Moreover, the acute exposure to B[a]P abrogated estrogen induction of BRCA‐1 in MCF‐7 cells. The loss of BRCA‐1 expression was prevented by the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) antagonist α‐naphthoflavone, suggesting participation of the AhR pathway. BRCA‐1 exon 1a transcripts were downregulated by B[a]P faster than exon 1b mRNA was. Long‐term exposure to B[a]P (40 nM for 15 mo) lowered BRCA‐1 mRNA levels in subclones of MCF‐7 and BG‐1 cells, whereas expression of BRCA‐1 in these clones was reverted to normal levels by washing out of B[a]P. The mechanisms of BRCA‐1 repression by B[a]P were further investigated by examining the effects of the halogenated aryl hydrocarbon 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin (TCDD) and the B[a]P metabolite 7r,8t‐dihydroxy‐9t,10t‐epoxy‐7,8,9,10‐tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BPDE). While TCDD did not influence basal BRCA‐1 mRNA and protein levels at any of the doses (from 10 nM to 1 μM) tested in this study, treatment with 50 nM BPDE drastically reduced BRCA‐1 mRNA levels, indicating that metabolism of B[a]P to BPDE may contribute to downregulation of BRCA‐1. Conversely, ER‐negative breast MDA‐MB‐231 and HBL‐100 cancer cells were refractory to treatment with B[a]P or TCDD and expressed constant levels of BRCA‐1 mRNA and protein. We conclude that B[a]P may be a risk factor in the etiology of sporadic breast cancer. Mol. Carcinog. 26:100–118, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Inducible Cre-mediated control of gene expression in the murine gastrointestinal tract: effect of loss of beta-catenin.

BACKGROUND & AIMS A system for introducing specific gene mutations into the epithelia of the adult murine gastrointestinal tract by the transcriptional regulation of Cre recombinase is presented and applied to delete beta-catenin, a central mediator of Wnt signaling, within the small intestine (SI). METHODS In a transgenic line (Ahcre), cre expression is inducible from a cytochrome P450 promoter element that is transcriptionally up-regulated in response to lipophilic xenobiotics such as beta-napthoflavone. RESULTS Recombination at a lacZ reporter locus showed extensive expression of beta-galactosidase in liver, intestine, pancreas, gallbladder, esophagus, and stomach in response to beta-napthoflavone treatment. Expression patterns were stable in renewing epithelia for at least 6 months, implying that long-lived stem cells undergo recombination. Analysis of the intestinal epithelium showed dose responsiveness in the extent of recombination and that villus and crypt populations could be targeted differentially by varying the route of administration of beta-napthoflavone. The use of this system to delete beta-catenin in the SI caused crypt ablation, increased apoptosis, depleted numbers of goblet cells, and detachment of villus absorptive cells from the villus core as intact sheets. CONCLUSIONS The Ahcre model provides a simple route for introducing specific gene mutations into many of the epithelia of the gastrointestinal tract of the mouse. It has been used here to show that beta-catenin is required for the maintenance of intestinal cell proliferation and is implicated in goblet cell differentiation and enterocyte-matrix attachment.
Pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency

Pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency is characterized by the buildup of a chemical called lactic acid in the body and a variety of neurological problems. Signs and symptoms of this condition usually first appear shortly after birth, and they can vary widely among affected individuals. The most common feature is a potentially life-threatening buildup of lactic acid (lactic acidosis), which can cause nausea, vomiting, severe breathing problems, and an abnormal heartbeat. People with pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency usually have neurological problems as well. Most have delayed development of mental abilities and motor skills such as sitting and walking. Other neurological problems can include intellectual disability, seizures, weak muscle tone (hypotonia), poor coordination, and difficulty walking. Some affected individuals have abnormal brain structures, such as underdevelopment of the tissue connecting the left and right halves of the brain (corpus callosum), wasting away (atrophy) of the exterior part of the brain known as the cerebral cortex, or patches of damaged tissue (lesions) on some parts of the brain. Because of the severe health effects, many individuals with pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency do not survive past childhood, although some may live into adolescence or adulthood.
Simulation of Chua’s chaotic oscillator using unity-gain cells

A novel topology to design a chaotic oscillator which is based on Chua's circuit, is proposed. The chaotic oscillator is realized with unity-gain cells, that is, the use of voltage followers (VF) and current followers (CF) to emulate the behavior of the two most important elements of the Chua's circuit: the active three-segment voltage controlled nonlinear resistor and the grounded inductor. Furthermore, it is shown that a negative current follower (CF-) can be implemented by using the IC AD844AN type current feedback operational amplifier (CFOA). The approach shows that the proposed topology can generate chaotic oscillations, where the HSPICE simulations have been obtained by using the macromodel of the IC AD844AN in configuration of unity-gain cell. Therefore, chaotic behavior in the time domain and the state space are presented.
New Principals' Negotiation of School Culture

3 1. Chapter 1 STUDY BACKGROUND 3 2. CHAPTER 2 – CONCEPTUAL & THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS 4 2.1 Conceptual framework: leadership 4 2.2 Conceptual framework: school culture 5 2.3 Theoretical Framework: a brief glance 6 3. CHAPTER 3 FINDINGS: THE CASE OF MEMORIAL PARK BOYS’ RC 7 3.1 The new principal’s practices and strategies 8 3.2 School members’ responses 9 3.3 The relationship between the new principal’s leadership and school culture 9 3.4 Impact of the interplay: school change 10 4. CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION 10 REFERENCES 11
The analysis of emerging failures of process control systems based on data mining

Data analysis performed with the use of data mining methods is nowadays very current in the field of industry. The results of this data analysis can bring new knowledge which can be applicable to a given manufacturing process and thus contribute to streamlining process management. This paper aims at the data analysis of failures emerging in the industrial process with the use of data mining methods. The reference data used for the data analysis were collected from the real production process in the automotive industry area. The first part of this paper is devoted to the process of understanding the collected data and the data structure, as well as the production process itself. Next part of this paper deals with the data analysis which was performed using appropriate data mining methods. The results of these data analyzes are summarized and represented in the last part of this paper.
SSIM-Based Quality-on-Demand Energy-Saving Schemes for OLED Displays

This paper investigates how to precisely transform images displaying color on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in real time for the purpose of energy-saving that meets the personal viewing quality requirements based on the structural similarity (SSIM) assessment. These methods could be applied to real-time energy-saving transformation of any displaying media, including video playback on OLEDs, and it will save up to 20% of the displaying power consumption based on the predicted SSIM = 0.9, which has very good image quality after the transformation.
Hippocampal up‐regulation of NCAM expression and polysialylation plays a key role on spatial memory

Memory formation has been associated with structural and functional modifications of synapses. Cell adhesion molecules are prominent modulators of synaptic plasticity. Here, we investigated the involvement of the cell adhesion molecules, NCAM, its polysialylated state (PSA‐NCAM) and L1 in spatial learning‐induced synaptic remodeling and memory storage. A differential regulation of these adhesion molecules was found in the hippocampus of rats submitted to one training session in the spatial, but not cued, version of the Morris water maze. Twenty‐four hours after training, synaptic expression of NCAM and PSA‐NCAM was increased, whereas L1 appeared markedly decreased. The regulation of these molecules was spatial learning‐specific, except for L1 reduction, which could be attributed to swimming under stressful conditions rather than to learning. Subsequent psychopharmacological experiments were performed to address the functional role of NCAM and PSA‐NCAM in the formation of spatial memories. Rats received an intracerebroventricular injection of either a synthetic peptide (C3d) aimed to interfere with NCAM function, or endoneuraminidase, an enzyme that cleaves polysialic acid from NCAM. Both treatments affected acquisition of spatial information and lead to impaired spatial memory abilities, supporting a critical role of the observed learning‐induced up‐regulation of synaptic NCAM expression and polysialylation on spatial learning and memory. Therefore, our findings highlight NCAM as a learning‐modulated molecule critically involved in the hippocampal remodeling processes underlying spatial memory formation.
2018). CCBuilder 2.0: Powerful and accessible coiled-coil modeling

: The increased availability of user-friendly and accessible computational tools for biomolecular modeling would expand the reach and application of biomolecular engineering and design. For protein modeling, one key challenge is to reduce the complexities of 3D protein folds to sets of parametric equations that nonetheless capture the salient features of these structures accurately. At present, this is possible for a subset of proteins, namely, repeat proteins. The a -helical coiled coil provides one such example, which represents (cid:2) 3–5% of all known protein-encoding regions of DNA. Coiled coils are bundles of a helices that can be described by a small set of structural parameters. Here we describe how this parametric description can be implemented in an easy-to-use web application, called CCBuilder 2.0, for modeling and optimizing both a -helical coiled coils and polyproline-based collagen triple helices. This has many applications from providing models to aid molecular replacement for X-ray crystallography, in silico model building and engineering of natural and designed protein assemblies, and through to the creation of completely de novo “dark matter” protein structures. CCBuilder 2.0 is available as a web-based application, the code for which is open-source and can be downloaded freely. http://coiledcoils.chm. bris.ac. uk/ccbuilder2. Lay Summary: We have created CCBuilder 2.0, an easy to use web-based application that can model structures for a whole class of proteins, the a -helical
Shape, form, function and Leishmania pathogenicity: from textbook descriptions to biological understanding

The shape and form of protozoan parasites are inextricably linked to their pathogenicity. The evolutionary pressure associated with establishing and maintaining an infection and transmission to vector or host has shaped parasite morphology. However, there is not a ‘one size fits all’ morphological solution to these different pressures, and parasites exhibit a range of different morphologies, reflecting the diversity of their complex life cycles. In this review, we will focus on the shape and form of Leishmania spp. , a group of very successful protozoan parasites that cause a range of diseases from self-healing cutaneous leishmaniasis to visceral leishmaniasis, which is fatal if left untreated.
Insulin sensitivity (Si) assessment in lean and overweight subjects using two different protocols and updated software

Abstract Background. The standard frequently-sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIVGTT) is an alternative procedure to the clamp technique for estimating the insulin sensitivity (Si) parameter. The goal of this study was to compare Si in lean and overweight individuals in addition to assessing intra-individual reproducibility using two different protocols and updated software. Methods. FSIVGTT was carried out in 14 lean (BMI ≤ 25 kg/m2) and 14 overweight (BMI>25 kg/m2) subjects using two different protocols; full (29 samples) and short (12 samples). For reproducibility assessment four normal subjects (triplicate on three and twice on one) were recruited to undergo the same procedure at 1-week intervals. Data analysis was performed using COMAL and Minmod Millennium software. Results. Mean Si (10−4min−1[pmol/l]−1) values were significantly different between lean and overweight subjects (p < 0.001) but not between the two protocols using both software packages. For the full and short protocols, Si values were more closely related in lean versus overweight subjects using either COMAL (r = 0.98, p < 0.001), (r = 0.89, p < 0.001) or Minmod Millennium (r = 0.99, p < 0.001), (r = 0.85, p < 0.001) software respectively. The intra-individual reproducibility (%CV) of Si (COMAL) in full versus short protocol was 18.3 ± 11.1% and 13.7 ± 1.9% respectively. Reproducibility values for Si (Minmod Millenium) in full versus short protocols were 14.3 ± 3.8 and 14.9 ± 1.9% respectively. Conclusions. Si can be assessed accurately by a short protocol FSIVGTT in normal individuals. The short protocol may give less acceptable results for insulin sensitivity in individuals who have normal glucose tolerance but high BMI.
VeriML: A Dependently-Typed, User-Extensible and Language-Centric Approach to Proof Assistants

Abstract : Software certification is a promising approach to producing programs which are virtually free of bugs. It requires the construction of a formal proof which establishes that the code in question will behave according to its specification - a higher-level description of its functionality. The construction of such formal proofs is carried out in tools called proof assistants. Advances in the current state-of-the-art proof assistants have enabled the certification of a number of complex and realistic systems software. Despite such success stories, large-scale proof development is an arcane art that requires significant manual effort and is extremely time-consuming. The widely accepted best practice for limiting this effort is to develop domain-specific automation procedures to handle all but the most essential steps of proofs. Yet this practice is rarely followed or needs comparable development effort as well. This is due to a profound architectural shortcoming of existing proof assistants: developing automation procedures is currently overly complicated and error-prone. It involves the use of an amalgam of extension languages each with a different programming model and a set of limitations, and with significant interfacing problems between them. This thesis posits that this situation can be significantly improved by designing a proof assistant with extensibility as the central focus. Towards that effect, I have designed a novel programming language called VeriML, which combines the benefits of the different extension languages used in current proof assistants while eschewing their limitations. The key insight of the VeriML design is to combine a rich programming model with a rich type system, which retains at the level of types information about the proofs manipulated inside automation procedures.
Changes in Transfusion Practice Over Time in the PICU*

Objectives: Recent randomized clinical trials have shown the efficacy of a restrictive transfusion strategy in critically ill children. The impact of these trials on pediatric transfusion practice is unknown. Additionally, long-term trends in pediatric transfusion practice in the ICU have not been described. We assessed transfusion practice over time, including the effect of clinical trial publication. Design: Single-center, retrospective observational study. Setting: A 10-bed PICU in an urban academic medical center. Patients: Critically ill, nonbleeding children between the ages of 3 days and 14 years old, admitted to the University of Maryland Medical Center PICU between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2009, excluding those with congenital heart disease, hemolytic anemia, and hemoglobinopathies. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: During the time period studied, 5,327 patients met inclusion criteria. Of these, 335 received at least one RBC transfusion while in the PICU. The overall proportion transfused declined from 10.5% in 1998 to 6.8% in 2009 (p = 0.007). Adjusted for acuity, the likelihood of transfusion decreased by calendar year of admission. In transfused patients, the pretransfusion hemoglobin level declined, from 10.5 g/dL to 9.3 g/dL, though these changes failed to meet statistical significance (p = 0.09). Neonatal age, respiratory failure, shock, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, and acidosis were associated with an increased likelihood of transfusion in both univariate and multivariable models. Conclusions: The overall proportion of patients transfused between 1998 and 2009 decreased significantly. The magnitude of the decrease varied over time, and no additional change in transfusion practice occurred after the publication of a major pediatric clinical trial in 2007. Greater illness acuity and younger patient age were associated with an increased likelihood of transfusion.
Novel mutation in the SPG3A gene in an African American family with an early onset of hereditary spastic paraplegia.

BACKGROUND Mutations in a novel GTPase gene SPG3A cause an autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia linked to chromosome 14q (SPG3), which accounts for approximately 10% to 15% of all autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia cases. The mutational spectrum of the SPG3A gene and the phenotype/genotype correlations have not yet been established. OBJECTIVE To describe a kindred with an infantile onset of hereditary spastic paraplegia caused by a novel mutation in the SPG3A gene. PATIENTS Complete neurological examination and genetic analysis were performed on 6 affected members of a small African American kindred. Linkage analysis to genetic markers near autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia loci on chromosomes 2p and 14q was performed. The coding sequence of the SPG3A gene was analyzed, and the identified change in the sequence was tested for being a benign polymorphism by sequencing 200 chromosomes from normal controls. RESULTS Every affected individual had signs of uncomplicated spastic paraparesis without additional neurological abnormalities. None of the affected family members had ever walked normally. The history was consistent with an infantile onset, despite the normal acquisition of motor milestones. Genetic analysis suggested linkage to the SPG3A locus on chromosome 14q. Analysis of the SPG3A gene revealed a missense mutation C635T, predicted to result in a threonine to isoleucine substitution at codon 156. Analysis of 200 normal chromosomes did not identify the same change in healthy subjects. CONCLUSION We report a novel mutation in the SPG3A gene in an African American family with an infantile onset of autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia.
Family Business: Causes and Consequences of Political Dynasties

I explore the causes of the existence of political dynasties in democratic societies. In particular, I investigate the causal relationship between tenure length and posterior dynastic success. Since tenure length is potentially endogenous in a model of political dynasties, I exploit a natural experiment in Argentina that provides a source of exogenous variation for tenure length. I find that having a longer tenure in Congress increases the probability of having a relative in future congresses. I also find that dynastic legislators have lower performance than non-dynastic legislators.