Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endovascular reconstruction of intracranial arteries by stent placement and combined techniques.

OBJECT The authors investigated the feasibility, safety, and short-term outcome of stent treatment for intracranial aneurysms, stenoses, and dissections. METHODS One hundred twenty-three consecutive patients with intracranial saccular, dissecting, and fusiform aneurysms, atherosclerotic lesions, and dissections were selected for intracranial stent implantation with or without adjunctive coil placement. One hundred eleven patients (mean age 47 years, range 3-73 years) underwent stent treatment; 12 patients (9.8%) were not treated. These 111 patients were divided into four groups: in Group 1 there were 62 patients with saccular aneurysms; Group 2 included nine patients (10 lesions) with dissecting or fusiform aneurysms; in Group 3 there were 36 patients with symptomatic intracranial atheromatous stenoses of more than 50%; and Group 4 included four patients with symptomatic intracranial dissections. All patients underwent computerized tomography scanning and/or magnetic resonance imaging and cerebral digital subtraction angiography preoperatively. Of the 72 aneurysms in Groups 1 and 2, 59 (82%) were treated with combined endovascular stent implantation and endosaccular coil placement. In 67 aneurysms (93%) we achieved complete or nearly complete obliteration. All patients with arterial narrowing achieved residual stenoses of less than 30% postangioplasty. One patient required repeated angioplasty. The morbidity rate in the series was 10.9% and the mortality rate was 6.3%. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that stent treatment is feasible and seems to be an effective modality for arterial reconstruction. This versatile tool allows the treatment of a wide variety of challenging intracranial lesions.
Full-custom design of low leakage data preserving ground gated 6T SRAM cells to facilitate single-ended write operations

An asymmetrically ground-gated six-transistor (6T) SRAM circuit is presented in this paper for providing a low leakage data preserving SLEEP mode. By employing multiple write assist techniques, the write margin is enhanced by up to 2.73x and the write access time is reduced by up to 57.45% as compared with a previously published asymmetrically ground-gated 6T SRAM circuit in a TSMC 65nm CMOS technology. Furthermore, the new ground-gated 6T memory circuit enhances the data stability by 2.09x and reduces the leakage power consumption by 58.55% as compared to a ground-gated memory array with conventional 6T SRAM cells. A design methodology is presented to optimize the asymmetrically ground-gated 6T SRAM circuits for achieving the highest overall electrical quality.
Characterization of Failures in an Operational IP Backbone Network

As the Internet evolves into a ubiquitous communication infrastructure and supports increasingly important services, its dependability in the presence of various failures becomes critical. In this paper, we analyze IS-IS routing updates from the Sprint IP backbone network to characterize failures that affect IP connectivity. Failures are first classified based on patterns observed at the IP-layer; in some cases, it is possible to further infer their probable causes, such as maintenance activities, router-related and optical layer problems. Key temporal and spatial characteristics of each class are analyzed and, when appropriate, parameterized using well-known distributions. Our results indicate that 20% of all failures happen during a period of scheduled maintenance activities. Of the unplanned failures, almost 30% are shared by multiple links and are most likely due to router-related and optical equipment-related problems, respectively, while 70% affect a single link at a time. Our classification of failures reveals the nature and extent of failures in the Sprint IP backbone. Furthermore, our characterization of the different classes provides a probabilistic failure model, which can be used to generate realistic failure scenarios, as input to various network design and traffic engineering problems.
Apoptosis in myocardial ischaemia and infarction

Recent studies indicate that, in addition to necrosis, apoptosis also plays a role in the process of tissue damage after myocardial infarction, which has pathological and therapeutic implications. This review article will discuss studies in which the role and mechanisms of apoptosis in myocardial infarction were analysed in vivo and in vitro in humans and in animals.
A variant in the sonic hedgehog regulatory sequence (ZRS) is associated with triphalangeal thumb and deregulates expression in the developing limb

A locus for triphalangeal thumb, variably associated with pre-axial polydactyly, was previously identified in the zone of polarizing activity regulatory sequence (ZRS), a long range limb-specific enhancer of the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) gene at human chromosome 7q36.3. Here, we demonstrate that a 295T>C variant in the human ZRS, previously thought to represent a neutral polymorphism, acts as a dominant allele with reduced penetrance. We found this variant in three independently ascertained probands from southern England with triphalangeal thumb, demonstrated significant linkage of the phenotype to the variant (LOD = 4.1), and identified a shared microsatellite haplotype around the ZRS, suggesting that the probands share a common ancestor. An individual homozygous for the 295C allele presented with isolated bilateral triphalangeal thumb resembling the heterozygous phenotype, suggesting that the variant is largely dominant to the wild-type allele. As a functional test of the pathogenicity of the 295C allele, we utilized a mutated ZRS construct to demonstrate that it can drive ectopic anterior expression of a reporter gene in the developing mouse forelimb. We conclude that the 295T>C variant is in fact pathogenic and, in southern England, appears to be the most common cause of triphalangeal thumb. Depending on the dispersal of the founding mutation, it may play a wider role in the aetiology of this disorder.
An Innovative Method for Texture Classification Based on Random Threshold and Measure of Pattern Trends

Study of different patterns on a local neighborhood of a texture plays an important role in characterization, and classification of the textures. The present paper proposes a method for measuring the occurrence factor of patterns on a randomly thresholded binary image. For this process eight simple patterns are chosen on a 3×3 neighborhood. The simple patterns are chosen in such a way that any complex pattern can be formed by grouping one or more of these simple patterns. The pattern occurrence factor of different binary images is also compared with the actual binary texture image. The experimental results on sixty four textures indicate good comparison of variation of occurrence in these patterns on different binary images of random threshold.
Leukoencephalopathies Associated with Disorders of Cobalamin and Folate Metabolism

Abstract Disorders of cobalamin and folate intracellular metabolism that result in defective remethylation of homocysteine to methionine are associated with leukodystrophy, whereas disorders of cobalamin transport generally are not. Cobalamin derivatives are needed for only two reactions in man; remethylation of homocysteine to methionine, with methylcobalamin as a cofactor for methionine synthase, and the conversion of methylmalonyl-coenzyme A to succinyl coenzyme A by methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, with adenosylcobalamin as a cofactor. Mutations at various metabolic steps affect the synthesis of adenosylcobalamin (CblA, CblB, and CblD2), methylcobalamin (CblE, CblG, and CblD1), or both of these (CblF, CblD, and CblC). The most common disorder of folate metabolism, 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate deficiency, also affects remethylation and presents with leukodystrophy. Pathways of cobalamin and folate metabolism intersect at one site, methionine synthase. Patients with the remethylating disorders present acutely or chronically with significant neurologic, hematologic, vascular, and other symptoms. Circulating levels of cobalamin and folate are usually normal in these disorders, and initial diagnosis is aided by measurement of homocysteine and methylmalonic acid in blood or urine, together with hematologic tests. Current diagnosis is often by newborn screening. These disorders all show autosomal recessive inheritance, and all are treatable, although with variable outcome.
Efficient training on biased minimax probability machine for imbalanced text classification

The Biased Minimax Probability Machine (BMPM) constructs a classifier which deals with the imbalanced learning tasks. In this paper, we propose a Second Order Cone Programming (SOCP) based algorithm to train the model. We outline the theoretical derivatives of the biased classification model, and address the text classification tasks where negative training documents significantly outnumber the positive ones using the proposed strategy. We evaluated the learning scheme in comparison with traditional solutions on three different datasets. Empirical results have shown that our method is more effective and robust to handle imbalanced text classification problems.
Automated analysis of whole brain vasculature using machine learning

Tissue clearing methods enable imaging of intact biological specimens without sectioning. However, reliable and scalable analysis of such large imaging data in 3D remains a challenge. Towards this goal, we developed a deep learning-based framework to quantify and analyze the brain vasculature, named Vessel Segmentation & Analysis Pipeline (VesSAP). Our pipeline uses a fully convolutional network with a transfer learning approach for segmentation. We systematically analyzed vascular features of the whole brains including their length, bifurcation points and radius at the micrometer scale by registering them to the Allen mouse brain atlas. We reported the first evidence of secondary intracranial collateral vascularization in CD1-Elite mice and found reduced vascularization in the brainstem as compared to the cerebrum. VesSAP thus enables unbiased and scalable quantifications for the angioarchitecture of the cleared intact mouse brain and yields new biological insights related to the vascular brain function. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT Supporting material of VesSAP is available at http://DISCOtechnologies.org/VesSAP
A Mixed-level Co-simulation Method for System-level Design Space Exploration

The Sesame modeling and simulation framework aims at efficient system-level design space exploration of embedded multimedia systems. A primary objective of Sesame is the exploration at multiple levels of abstraction. As such, it targets gradual refinement of its (initially abstract) architecture performance models while maintaining architecture-independent application specifications. In this paper, we present a mixed-level co-simulation method, called trace calibration, for incorporating external simulators into Sesame's abstract system-level performance models. We show that trace calibration only requires minor modification of the incorporated simulators and that performance overheads due to co-simulation are minimal. Also, we show that trace calibration transparently supports distributed co-simulation, allowing for effectively reducing the system-level simulation slowdown due to the incorporation of lower-level simulators
Cu@Sn Core–Shell Structure Powder Preform for High-Temperature Applications Based on Transient Liquid Phase Bonding

This paper presents a novel die-attach material for high-temperature applications based on transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding. Cu particles are electroless plated with Sn to achieve Cu@Sn structure, and the fabricated Cu@Sn particles are compressed into preforms for die attachment. This material can be reflowed at a low temperature (<;260°C) due to the low melting temperature of the outer Sn layer. However, after reflow soldering, the resulting interconnections can withstand a high temperature of at least 415°C, with the entire outer Sn layer transforming into Cu-Sn intermetallic compounds (IMCs) with high remelting temperatures. The formed bondlines exhibit good electrical and thermal conductivity due to the low porosity and the embedded Cu particles in the interconnections. A large shear strength at 400°C can be achieved with the high-remelting Cu-Sn IMCs in the interconnections. Furthermore, the interconnections also exhibit excellent reliability under thermal shock cycling from -55 to 200°C. The I-V curve and breakdown voltages of the novel preform-bonded IGBTs are measured to examine the interconnection quality compared with those of Cu-Sn TLP-bonded IGBTs. This die-attach material is suitable for power devices operating under high temperatures or other harsh environments.
Regulation of ERG3, ERG6, and ERG11 Genes in Antifungal-Resistant isolates of Candida parapsilosis

Background: Candida parapsilosis is one of the five common strains of yeasts involved in invasive candidiasis. The expression analysis of sterol biosynthesis pathway genes, which are associated with resistance, can assist the better understanding of antifungal resistance mechanisms. Methods: The antifungal susceptibility of 120 clinical C. parapsilosis isolates was examined. The changes in the gene expression related to resistance were analyzed. Results: Eight strains were resistant to fluconazole (FLC), itraconazole (ITC), and amphotericin B (AMB). The regulation variations included increased mRNA levels of ERG3, ERG6, and ERG11 and decreased mRNA levels of ERG3 and ERG6 in response to FLC. ERG11 mRNA level increases in response to ITC and AMB. Conclusion: The mechanism of resistance to azoles in C. parapsilosis is very similar to C. Albicans. This feature may help to design new treatment strategy for candidiasis
Classification of Hyperspectral and Lidar with Deep Rotation Forest

In this work, a novel deep rotation forest is proposed to fuse hyperspectral (HS) and LiDAR. First, we extract the spatial and elevation information of two datasets by using morphological filters. Then, each feature source is applied to superpixel segmentation and then are treated as the input of deep rotation forest. In the deep rotation forest, the spatial relationships are fully considered, and the output probability of each layer is used as the input of the next layer. Experimental results demonstrate that the excellent performance of the proposed method.
Exploiting the Potential of Computation Reuse Through Approximate Computing

Approximate computing, which tackles tradeoff between computation quality (e.g., accuracy) and computation efforts, is becoming a promising technique to improve performance for many mission-non-critical and error-tolerant applications. The computations in such applications usually exhibit superior value locality, i.e., computations performed by a function or code region are very likely to produce “similar” results. Reusing such similar results can bypass redundant computations, as long as “exact” results are not mandatory. However, conventional computation reuse techniques are less effective in approximate computing paradigm. The input values of two computations have to be identical to reuse one for another, hence “exact” in nature. We propose ACR, an approximate computation reuse scheme, to enable computation reuse for approximate computing. ACR relaxes the exact matching requirement in inputs to some extent regulated by “similarity” quantification, thereby shifting the exact computation reuse paradigm to its approximate counterpart. Specifically, using statistical approaches ACR first provides an input significance-aware similarity quantification scheme to calculate similarity between different computations. ACR also provides a regression based branch prediction technique to resolve conditional branches inside a computation. Furthermore, on top of proposed approximate computing framework, ACR presents a parallel implementation of computing engine to carry out branch resolving and similar computation searching. Experimental results show that the ACR scheme could effectively exploit the potential of computation reuse for approximate computing and achieves 3.12 times speedup on average for a set of approximate benchmarks.
A case of recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis after kidney transplantation associated with variant conversion in the Columbia classification

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis commonly recurs following kidney transplantation. A 33‐year‐old man underwent living donor kidney transplantation. Proteinuria appeared two months after transplantation, and an episode biopsy on postoperative day 66 revealed recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis lesions of the cellular variant by Columbia classification. We reviewed the native kidney biopsy and confirmed collapsing variant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Plasma exchange therapy was performed, and his proteinuria temporarily resolved. A second allograft biopsy performed on postoperative day 200 showed no evidence of focal segmental glomerurosclerosis. He experienced incomplete remission with a proteinuria of 0.5 g/day during the subsequent three years until his urinary protein level rose to 1.3 g/day. A third biopsy performed on postoperative day 1248 showed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis cellular variant lesions. Plasma exchange was resumed in combination with additional rituximab, but his proteinuria persisted. Intermittent plasma exchange was performed 42 times in total. However, his proteinuria continued, and his renal function gradually worsened. A fourth biopsy performed on postoperative day 2540 showed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis collapsing variant lesions with severe interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy. He ultimately required hemodialysis seven years after transplantation. Intensive therapy with long‐term intermittent plasma exchange and rituximab suppressed proteinuria and preserved graft function for seven years, at which time graft failure occurred. We here present the clinical course and histological findings from consecutive allograft biopsies.
Governing step of metastasis visualized in vitro.

Metastasis is the ultimate life-threatening stage of cancer. The lack of accurate model systems thwarted studies of the metastatic cell's basic biology. To follow continuously the succeeding stages of metastatic colony growth, we heritably labeled cells from the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line ANIP 973 with green fluorescent protein (GFP) by transfection with GFP cDNA. Labeled cells were then injected intravenously into nude mice, where, by 7 days, they formed brilliantly fluorescing metastatic colonies on mouse lung [Chishima, T. , Miyagi, Y. , Wang, X. , Yang, M. , Tan, Y. , Shimada, H. , Moossa, A. R. & Hoffman, R. M. (1997) Clin. Exp. Metastasis 15, 547-552]. The seeded lung tissue was then excised and incubated in the three-dimensional sponge-gel-matrix-supported histoculture that maintained the critical features of progressive in vivo tumor colonization while allowing continuous access for measurement and manipulation. Tumor progression was continuously visualized by GFP fluorescence in the same individual cultures over a 52-day period, during which the tumors spread throughout the lung. Histoculture tumor colonization was selective for lung cancer cells to grow on lung tissue, because no growth occurred on histocultured mouse liver tissue, which was also observed in vivo. The ability to support selective organ colonization in histoculture and visualize tumor progression by GFP fluorescence allows the in vitro study of the governing processes of metastasis [Kuo, T. -H. , Kubota, T. , Watanbe, M. , Furukawa, T. , Teramoto, T. , Ishibiki, K. , Kitajima, M. , Moossa, A. R. , Penman, S. & Hoffman, R. M. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92, 12085-12089]. The results presented here provide significant, new opportunities to understand and to develop treatments that prevent and possibly reverse metastasis.
Phenotypic plasticity in the life history of the mangrove snail Cerithidea scalariformis

Although phenotypic variation is commonly observed among populations, the relative contribution of genetic and environmental conditions to phenotypic expression, including life history traits, is often unresolved. We measured characteristics of several isolated populations of the man- grove snail Cerithidea scalariformis across 2 habitat regimes (exposed marsh and forested mangrove marsh) and found considerable variation in all population characteristics over a 2 yr period. Differ- ences existed among populations in density and individual size, and snails in the forested marsh were significantly larger than those in the exposed marsh. In a reciprocal transplant experiment, we tested the extent to which phenotypic plasticity may contribute to observed population differences in size and several other attributes. Regardless of source, snails maintained in the exposed marsh exhibited faster growth, earlier maturation, greater size, and higher rates of parasitism than snails in the forested marsh. Our results demonstrate that considerable plasticity in demographic traits exists in C. scalariformis across the highly variable range of conditions in coastal wetland habitats. The proxi- mate and ultimate cause of plasticity in these snails, as well as any associated advantages, remain to be tested.
RNA Binding Proteins Accumulate at the Postsynaptic Density with Synaptic Activity

Neuronal activity elicits changes in synaptic composition that play an important role in experience-dependent plasticity (Choquet and Triller, 2003; Lisman and Raghavachari, 2006; Bourne and Harris, 2008; Holtmaat and Svoboda, 2009). We used a modified version of stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture to identify activity-dependent modifications in the composition of postsynaptic densities (PSDs) isolated from rat primary neuronal cultures. We found that synaptic activity altered ∼2% of the PSD proteome, which included an increase in diverse RNA binding proteins (RNABPs). Indeed, 12 of the 37 identified proteins whose levels changed with synaptic activity were RNABPs and included the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) G, A2/B1, M, and D. Knockdown of hnRNPs M and G using shRNAs resulted in altered numbers of dendritic spines, suggesting a crucial role for these proteins in spine density. Synaptic activity also resulted in a concomitant increase in dendritic and synaptic poly(A) mRNA. However, this increase was not affected by knockdown of hnRNPs M or G. Our results suggest that hnRNP proteins regulate dendritic spine density and may play a role in synaptodendritic mRNA metabolism.
Obtaining Requirements for Designing a Tool to Support Distributed Development

The Distributed Software Development involves various challenges, many of which are related to the lack of trust experienced by team members since they often do not know each other personally. Other problems which are already considered to be classic are related to communication, coordination and collaboration. Bearing in mind that providing information about co-workers may increase both the team spirit and the team members' confidence in each other, we have carried out surveys to discover what information might be useful in attaining this objective, and to reduce those problems related to the three 'c's. The results of the questionnaires have been analyzed from different points of view, first by differentiating the respondents' roles and then by analyzing their specific use in communication, coordination and control activities. The results of this analysis have allowed us to obtain the requirements needed to design a tool with which to support global software development. The implementation of this tool is also described in this paper.