Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Demonstration of UWB communication for implants using an energy detector

The communication with implants with high data rates is a demand for future medical devices. In this paper, the energy detector is evaluated as receiver concept for an IR-UWB communication system coping with data rates in the Mbit/s-range and the dispersive effects of human tissue. Beside the demonstration of a unidirectional transmission from a transmitter to a receiver within a tissue mimic liquid, the focus is on the system components, in particular on the squaring circuit.
Diagnosis of HAM/TSP based on CSF proviral HTLV-I DNA and HTLV-I antibody index

The contribution of human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-I) DNA by PCR in CSF and the intrathecal synthesis of antibodies to HTLV-I by the antibody index (AI) to the diagnosis of HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM)/tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) were evaluated. Cases of spastic paraparesis compatible with HAM/TSP had increased AI for HTLV-I (60/73) and HTLV-I proviral sequences in CSF (25/27). Among 27 patients with other neurologic diseases, three had increased AI and another three had positive HTLV-I DNA in CSF. Thus, the combination of PCR for proviral DNA and AI for HTLV-I in CSF provides consistent criteria for the diagnosis of HAM/TSP.
Stemness, cancer, and cancer stem cells

The ability of cancers to grow indefinitely has fueled the idea that cancer and stem cells may have common underlying mechanisms. Detailed gene expression maps have now shown the diversity and distinctiveness in gene expression programs associated with stemness in embryonic and adult stem cells. These maps have further revealed a shared transcriptional program in embryonic stem cells (ESC) and cancer stem cells. Surprisingly, forced activation of an ESC-like gene expression program in adult epithelial cells can reprogram them into human cancer stem cells and achieve pathologic self-renewal. The ability to create induced cancer stem cells (iCSC) may provide opportunities to better define the biology of cancer stem cells in order to trace or eliminate them in human patients.
Creating a competitive marketing strategy for B2C businesses through market research: analysis of the chocolate market in Macedonia

The consumer market in Macedonia and the chocolate market in particular, is overtaken from many foreign brands. The domestic companies are loosing market share to the competitors with stronger strategies. This paper shows the weaknesses in the current strategies of the domestic companies through case study of the 2 largest confectionery producers in Macedonia and discovers the consumer behavior and preferences toward FMCG and chocolate, analyzing a purposive statistical sample of 300 consumers (October 2009). The applied research technique was questionnaires. The analysis indicates that with the adequate market research a competitive and successful marketing strategy can be created.
Fast and accurate quantification and differential analysis of transcriptomes

As access to DNA sequencing has become ubiquitous to scientists, the use of sequencers has expanded from determining the genomes of individuals to performing molecular probing assays. These assays have turned DNA sequencers into molecule counting machines and can be used to measure biological activities such as gene expression (RNA-Seq), DNA accessibility (ATAC-Seq) and many others.Each new assay poses new analytical challenges, and the main focus presented here is in analyzing RNA-Seq data.One of the main challenges in RNA-Seq is that sequenced fragments are often ambiguous, meaning they are compatible with multiple splice forms or genomic locations.In order to estimate gene abundances effectively, these ambiguous fragments should be used in a comprehensive model in order to not bias results.Analysis has come a long way from ignoring ambiguous mappings, to maximum likelihood models, and even streaming models.Advancements in these models have greatly improved the accuracy of estimating gene and transcript abundances.In parallel, methods for determining true expression differences between experimental conditions, termed differential expression, have been developed.Historically, these methods have mostly ignored advancements in gene expression estimation but have made much progress in between-sample variance estimation when sample sizes are small -- a common practice in this field.Herein, we present advancements to both abundance estimation and differential expression analysis.We show dramatic improvements to the speed of abundance estimation while maintaining accuracy.Furthermore, we bridge these two fields by developing a differential expression model incorporating the uncertainty introduced by abundance estimation.We show that this model outperforms existing techniques at both the transcript and gene level.Additionally, we show that these methods can be used to address other biological questions such as the discovery of novel retained introns and estimation of their abundances.An extension to the differential expression model is proposed to identify differences in retained intron levels while incorporating abundance estimation uncertainty.
A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF BONE DENSITY IN MIDLIFE WOMEN

A longitudinal study of 386 healthy Black and White women aged 35-60 years was conducted to determine the effects of physical activity and other related factors on lumbar bone mineral density over 24 months. Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine, L2-L4, was measured using dual energy x-ray (Hologic 1000). Physical activity levels in three dimensions (leisure, household, and occupational) from both a lifelong and current perspective were obtained by questionnaire. Body mass index was calculated from measured weight in kilograms divided by measured height in meters squared. Calcium, caffeine, and alcohol intake was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire. Age, race, and smoking were determined by self-report. Radioimmunoassays of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol were used to validate self-reports of menopausal status. Multiple regression analysis revealed that race, age, weight, FSH, calcium, and years of tobacco intake formed the best model at baseline ( r 2 = 0.32) and at 24 months ( r 2 = 0.303). Physical activity was not a significant predictor for bone mineral density at either time point. There were cross-sectional changes of bone mineral density with race, age, and menopausal status. Black women had significantly higher bone mineral density than White women. However, an age-related decline in bone mineral density was exhibited in both Black and White women. Perimenopausal women had significantly lower bone mineral density as compared with premenopausal women. Furthermore 37 (9.6%) women at baseline and 34 (11%) at 24 months were designated at risk for fracture.
The recurrence risk of genetic complex diseases

Complex inherited diseases affected by an interaction between collective effects of the genotype at one or multiple loci either to increase or to lower susceptibility to disease, combined with a variety of environmental exposures that may trigger, accelerate, exacerbate, or protect against the disease process. The new aspects of genetic techniques have been opened for diagnosis and analysis of inherited disorders. While appropriate Mendelian laws is applied to estimate the recurrence risk of single gene diseases, using empirical recurrence risks are the most important and available method to evaluate pedigree of complex (multifactorial), chromosomal, and unknown etiology disorders. Although, generally, empirical recurrent risks are not accurate, either because of the difference of gene frequencies and environmental factors among populations or heterogeneity of disease; using results of plenty family population studies, computerized estimating programs, genotyping technologies, and Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), can make it possible nowadays to estimate these risks. The specific family situation and importance recurrence risks of some common complex genetic diseases will be presented in this review and some important multifactorial disorders’ recurrence risks will be summarized to help genetic counselors for supporting families and representing better view of genetic disorders.
The Development of a Blend-Sampling Technique to Assess the Uniformity of a Powder Mixture

This article discusses the challenges overcome during the development of a blendsampling technique and the successful validation of the blending operation for a tablet dosage form containing 2% active ingredient. Content uniformity results are discussed for three pilot-scale (15-kg) and seven commercial-scale (150-kg) batches of tablets. Blend and core content uniformity data from the pilot-scale batches were acceptable. For the initial commercial-scale batches, although the tablet core content uniformity data were acceptable, the blend uniformity results were poor. The blend data for these batches had very high mean values, but acceptable relative standard deviations (RSDs). This suggested that the drug was being preferentially sampled by the thief, but in a consistent, reproducible manner. Extensive testing was performed on a commercial-scale development batch to identify potential causes of sampling error. The results of this testing helped define the blend-sampling technique and strategy used to validate the mixing operation.
WRECKS ARE A PROBLEM THAT WILL NOT GO AWAY

Abandoned vehicles are an expensive problem for local authorities in the UK. The cost of vehicle depollution and recycling will increase with the introduction of more stringent end-of-life regulations. The responsibility lies with the last owner, but often keeper details at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) are out-of-date. In 2007, motor manufacturers assume responsibility for the take-back of end-of-life vehicles, but councils do not believe that manufacturers will pick up the full cost. Manufacturers only have to accept complete cars and not those that are wrecked or have parts missing. The new regulations will mean that many councils will have to spend more on vehicle depollution and recycling. Potential costs are discussed. The government has yet to recommend what sort of depollution system should be used. The Environment Agency is to license authorised treatment facilities to dismantle, depollute and recycle vehicles. The number of abandoned vehicles increased with a fall in the price of steel in 1998, but this has increased again, leading to some abandoned vehicles being taken off the street by scrap dealers.
TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AND CASUALTIES RECORDED BY POLICE, HOSPITALS AND INSURANCE COMPANIES. THE RESULTS OF A STUDY FROM THE YEARS 1983-84

The report makes a comparison of road accidents and casualties recorded by police, hospitals and insurance companies. The purpose is to determine similarities and differences among the three sources of statistics. Since the road accidents and casualties reported by the police are traditionally used as source of statistics in road safety programmes, the study aims primarily at comparing this source with the other two. (a)
Ecteinascidia turbinata Extracts Inhibit DNA Synthesis in Lymphocytes After Mitogenic Stimulation by Lectins 1

Summary Aqueous ethanol extract of a tunicate which was previously found to exert antitumor and immunosuppressive activities in vivo was tested for its effect on normal human lymphocytes in vitro. The extract suppressed the uptake of tritiated thymidine by lymphocytes stimulated with mitogen. This suppressive effect did not require continuous presence of the extract. Treatment of lymphocytes prior to mitogenic stimulation resulted in suppressive effect. The fact that suppression by the extract could also be achieved 24 hr after exposure to mitogen, an interval which was found to suffice for the attainment of maximal commitment for blastogenic transformation indicates that Ete can act at a stage subsequent to the binding of the lectin and elicitation of a mitogenic signal(s).
On Iterative Soft-Decision Decoding of Linear Binary Block Codes and Product Codes

Iterative decoding methods have gained interest, initiated by the results of the so-called "turbo" codes. The theoretical description of this decoding, however, seems to be difficult. Therefore, we study the iterative decoding of block codes. First, we discuss the iterative decoding algorithms developed by Gallager (1962), Battail et al. (1979), and Hagenauer et al. (1996). Based on their results, we propose a decoding algorithm which only uses parity check vectors of minimum weight. We give the relation of this iterative decoding to one-step majority-logic decoding, and interpret it as gradient optimization. It is shown that the used parity check set defines the region where the iterative decoding decides on a particular codeword. We make plausible that, in almost all cases, the iterative decoding converges to a codeword after some iterations. We derive a computationally efficient implementation using the minimal trellis representing the used parity check set. Simulations illustrate that our algorithm gives results close to soft decision maximum likelihood (SDML) decoding for many code classes like BCH codes. Reed-Muller codes, quadratic residue codes, double circulant codes, and cyclic finite geometry codes. We also present simulation results for product codes and parallel concatenated codes based on block codes.
Pulmonary macrophage clearance. The hourly rates of transfer of pulmonary macrophages to the oropharynx of the rat.

Estimates of the number and the cytologic eel! types transferred from the lungs to the oropharynx of rats are derived within a factor of 2 by the combined use of an esophageal sputum-collection procedure and mucolytic digestion technique which utilizes N-acety-L-cysteine (NAC). The hourly clearance of pulmonary phagocytes to the oropharynx was estimated to range between 1.24 × 106; Geometric Standard Deviation (GSD) 1.3 and 2.47 × 106; GSD 1.3.
Histamine protects against NMDA‐induced necrosis in cultured cortical neurons through H2 receptor/cyclic AMP/protein kinase A and H3 receptor/GABA release pathways

Using histamine and the H3 receptor antagonist thioperamide, the roles of histamine receptors in NMDA‐induced necrosis were investigated in rat cultured cortical neurons. Within 3 h of intense NMDA insult, most neurons died by necrosis. Histamine reversed the neurotoxicity in a concentration‐dependent manner and showed peak protection at a concentration of 10−7 m. This protection was antagonized by the H2 receptor antagonists cimetidine and zolantidine but not by the H1 receptor antagonists pyrilamine and diphenhydramine. In addition, the selective H2 receptor agonist amthamine mimicked the protection by histamine. This action was prevented by cimetidine but not by pyrilamine. 8‐Bromo‐cAMP also mimicked the effect of histamine. In contrast, both the adenylyl cyclase inhibitor 9‐(tetrahydro‐2‐furanyl)‐9H‐purine‐6‐amine and the cAMP‐dependent protein kinase inhibitor N‐[2‐(p‐bromocinnamylamino) ethyl]‐5‐isoquinolinesulfonamide reversed the protection by histamine. Thioperamide also attenuated NMDA‐induced excitotoxicity, which was reversed by the H3 receptor agonist (R)‐α‐methylhistamine but not by pyrilamine and cimetidine. In addition, the protection by thioperamide was inhibited by the GABAA receptor antagonists picrotoxin and bicuculline. Further study demonstrated that the protection by thioperamide was due to increased GABA release in NMDA‐stimulated samples. These results indicate that not only the H2 receptor/cAMP/cAMP‐dependent protein kinase pathway but also the H3 receptor/GABA release pathway can attenuate NMDA‐induced neurotoxicity.
Insights from the Genome Sequence of a Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi Strain Associated with a Sporadic Case of Typhoid Fever in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi is the causative agent of typhoid fever, which causes nearly 21.7 million illnesses and 217,000 deaths globally. Herein, we describe the whole-genome sequence of the Salmonella Typhi strain ST0208, isolated from a sporadic case of typhoid fever in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The whole-genome sequence and comparative genomics allow an in-depth understanding of the genetic diversity, and its link to pathogenicity and evolutionary dynamics, of this highly clonal pathogen that is endemic to Malaysia.
A Comparison of Different Definitions of Growth Response in Short Prepubertal Children Treated with Growth Hormone

Background: How to define poor growth response in the management of short growth hormone (GH)-treated children is controversial. Aim: Assess various criteria of poor response. Subjects and Methods: Short GH-treated prepubertal children [n = 456; height (Ht) SD score (SDS) ≤–2] with idiopathic GH deficiency (IGHD, n = 173), idiopathic short stature (ISS, n = 37), small for gestational age (SGA, n = 54), organic GHD (OGHD, n = 40), Turner syndrome (TS, n = 43), skeletal dysplasia (n = 15), other diseases (n = 46) or syndromes (n = 48) were evaluated in this retrospective multicenter study. Median age at GH start was 6.3 years and Ht SDS –3.2. Results: Median [25–75 percentile] first-year gain in Ht SDS was 0.65 (0.40–0.90) and height velocity (HtV) 8.67 (7.51–9.90) cm/year. Almost 50% of IGHD children fulfilled at least one criterion for poor responders. In 28% of IGHD children, Ht SDS gain was <0.5 and they had lower increases in median IGF-I SDS than those with Ht SDS >0.5. Only IGHD patients with peak stimulated growth hormone level <3 µg/l responded better than those with ISS. A higher proportion of children with TS, skeletal dysplasia or born SGA had Ht SDS gain <0.5. Conclusion: Many children respond poorly to GH therapy. Recommendations defining a criterion may help in managing short stature patients.
[Study on laryngeal cancer related on polymorphism of the Arg399Gln of XRCC1 DNA repair gene in different nationalities in Xinjiang].

OBJECTIVE To study genetic polymorphism of XRCC1 Arg399Gln and the laryngeal cancer risk. METHOD A case-control study was performed on 60 patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and 120 random healthy control group. The two groups were matched by sex and age. Multiplex SNaPshot technic was used to explore polymorphism of DNA repair gene XRCC1 Arg399Gln in distribution of patient with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and normal control. RESULT The frequency of XRCC1c. 399Arg/Gln+Gln/Gln genotypes in the case group was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The expression of the three nations (chinese, uyhur, kazak) was Respectively a 1.47, 1.32, 0.77 fold increased risk of laryngeal cancer for individuals arrying XRCC1c. 399Arg/Gln+Gln/Gln genotypes (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 0.46-4.69), compared with subjects carryin Arg/Arg genotype. CONCLUSION The polymorphism of XRCC1Arg399GIn might be associated with the susceptibility of laryngeal cancer. The mutation of XRCC1c. 399 Arg-->Gln might lead to a increased risk of laryngeal cancer.
Non-Medical Prescription Stimulant Use in Graduate Students

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine graduate students’ non-medical use of prescription stimulant medication, and the relationship between non-medical use of prescription stimulants with academic self-efficacy, psychological factors (i.e., anxiety, depression, and stress), and internal restlessness. Method: The sample consisted of 807 graduate students from universities located in five geographic regions of the United States. Results: Past-year rates of self-reported non-medical use were determined to be 5.9%, with overall lifetime prevalence of 17.5%. Observed self-reported non-medical use of prescription stimulant medications was significantly correlated with self-reported levels of anxiety and stress, various aspects of internal restlessness, and perceived safety of the medications. Conclusion: Findings support graduate students’ motivations of non-medical prescription stimulant use to be both academic and social in nature. Effective prevention and education efforts are needed to help address the non-medical use of prescription stimulants by graduate students on university campuses.
Utilisation of and satisfaction with major healthcare services amongst slum dwellers – A cross-sectional case study in the megacity of Dhaka

Although access to basic healthcare services is a fundamental right, many poor people, especially in developing countries, have limited access to such services. This problem is particularly acute in Bangladesh (Andaleeb 2000: 95), which is one of the most densely populated and poorest countries in the world (Vaughan et al. 2000: 5). About two-thirds of the population have reported no access to primary healthcare services (Andaleeb 2000: 95). An acute shortage in the healthcare workforce poses a major challenge to ensuring care for a population of over 150 million (Mahmood et al. 2010: 1). Moreover, the overall healthcare performance in Bangladesh is very poor, which can be attributed to various factors such as poor quality of service providers, absence of critical staff members, inadequate health facilities, unavailability of essential drugs and supplies, lack of supervision and job accountability (Andaleeb 2000: 95). The healthcare system in Bangladesh is highly pluralistic with many care provider options (Vaughan et al. 2000). Ahmed et al. (2005) created five categories of treatments: (i) self-care/self-treatment: when patients seek no treatment other than rest and possibly seek care from a family member. This also includes home remedies (e.g. oral rehydration salts), over-thecounter drugs, or herbal preparations without consultation of any healthcare provider; (ii) drugstore salespeople: when patients seek diagnosis and treatment from a pharmacy salesperson and purchase a remedy other than an over-the-counter drugs. Individuals selling medicines at these retail pharmacies usually have no professional training in diagnosis and treatment
Financial Securies' Reporting and IFRS 7 Requirements : From Czech Perspective

Financial instruments as such raise emotions and will continue to do so in future, as well. The accounting attitude toward the reporting of financial instruments according to IFRS is to a great extent connected with the fair or, in more specific terms, present values of these instruments. This is due to the fact that the standard issuing authorities aim at providing investors with the most up-to-date data at the moment of issuing the financial statements, with a reference to the actual development of the values of the company’s assets on the market. Since 2005 (due to E.U. Regulation 1606/2002), companies whose shares are traded on the public market are obliged to make reports pursuant to the IFRS in whole EU. This paper provides the analysis of the current situation with reporting of financial instruments under IFRS standards in the Czech Republic and stress the attention on reporting under fair value concept at not such active market.