Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
From LDPE to XLPE: investigating the change of electrical properties. Part I. space charge, conduction and lifetime

This paper discusses the results of space charge, conduction current and electrical lifetime measurements performed on widely-used materials for electrical insulation, that is, low density polyethylene (LDPE) and cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE). Space charge accumulation profiles were compared in LDPE, low density polyethylene plus antioxidant (LDPE+AO) and XLPE, with consideration of thermal treatment effects in LDPE and XLPE. Significant variation (decrease) of accumulated space charge and apparent mobility, as well as slight decrease of conduction current, can be seen going from LDPE to LDPE+AO and XLPE, which may be associated with formation of deeper trap levels (or an increase of their density). On the contrary, electrical life under AC voltage does not show significant differences from LDPE to XLPE. This latter result underlines that life under high AC electrical stress is mostly determined by defects (weak points) rather than material characteristics associated with charge injection and transport.
BAYESIAN OBJECT CLASSIFICATION OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES

The properties of materials synthesized with nanoparticles (NPs) are highly correlated to the sizes and shapes of the nanoparticles. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging technique can be used to measure the morphological characteristics of NPs, which can be simple circles or more complex irregular polygons with varying degrees of scales and sizes. A major difficulty in analyzing the TEM images is the overlapping of objects, having different morphological properties with no specific information about the number of objects present. Furthermore, the objects lying along the boundary render automated image analysis much more difficult. To overcome these challenges, we propose a Bayesian method based on the marked-point process representation of the objects. We derive models, both for the marks which parameterize the morphological aspects and the points which determine the location of the objects. The proposed model is an automatic image segmentation and classification procedure, which simultaneously detects the boundaries and classifies the NPs into one of the predetermined shape families. We execute the inference by sampling the posterior distribution using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) since the posterior is doubly intractable. We apply our novel method to several TEM imaging samples of gold NPs, producing the needed statistical characterization of their morphology.
Self-care abilities of patients with heart failure.

BACKGROUND Self-care is difficult for patients with heart failure (HF) because early symptoms are subtle and the treatment regimen is complex. The primary purpose of this study was to describe HF self-care abilities and the difficulties that patients have in achieving success in self-care. A secondary purpose was to compare self-care abilities in patients experienced with HF with those patients who are newly diagnosed. METHODS Descriptive, cross-sectional, comparative surveys were conducted to assess demographic and clinical factors that may interfere with self-care and lifestyle changes made to accommodate the diagnosis of HF. Symptoms the patients had and self-care responses to those symptoms were assessed by using the Self-Management of Heart Failure questionnaire. RESULTS The 139 patients were primarily elderly, male, retired, unmarried, and earning less than $20,000 annually. Hearing and eyesight were impaired and most patients were functionally compromised. Most of the group had multiple HF symptoms during the past year, yet their knowledge of the importance of signs and symptoms was poor and many misperceptions were evident. Recognition of changes in signs and symptoms was difficult for most patients, but easier for those more experienced with HF. Experienced patients were more likely to use appropriate self-care remedies than newly diagnosed patients. Few patients were comfortable evaluating the effectiveness of their self-care actions and most had low self-confidence in their ability to perform self-care. CONCLUSIONS With the low level of self-care ability and the number of difficulties these patients face, it is not surprising that rehospitalization rates remain high. Specific recommendations for the teaching and delivery of care are provided.
NGTSOM: A Novel Data Clustering Algorithm based on Game Theoretic and Self-organizing Map

ABSTRACT: Identifying clusters is an important aspect of data analysis. This paper proposes a novel data clustering algorithm to increase the clustering accuracy. A novel game theoretic self-organizing map (NGTSOM ) and neural gas (NG) are used in combination with Competitive Hebbian Learning (CHL) to improve the quality of the map and provide a better vector quantization (VQ) for clustering data. Different strategies of Game Theory are proposed to provide a competitive game for nonwinning neurons to participate in the learning phase and obtain more input patterns. The performance of the proposed clustering analysis is evaluated and compared with that of the K-means, SOM and NG methods using different types of data. The clustering results of the proposed method and existing state-of-the-art clustering methods are also compared which demonstrates a better accuracy of the proposed clustering method. Review History:
Omental adipose tissue type 1 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase oxoreductase activity, body fat distribution, and metabolic alterations in women.

CONTEXT Modulation of adipose tissue exposure to active glucocorticoids by type 1 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-HSD1) is involved in abdominal obesity of rodent models, but only a few studies have related 11 beta-HSD1 oxoreductase activity to fat distribution in humans. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to examine the link between 11 beta-HSD1 oxoreductase activity, fat distribution patterns, and the metabolic profile in women. METHODS Omental (OM) and sc adipose tissue samples were obtained from 36 lean to obese women (aged 47.2 +/- 5.3 yr; body mass index 29.1 +/- 5.2 kg/m(2)) undergoing gynecological surgery. Measures of body composition, fat distribution, blood lipids, and insulin sensitivity were obtained. 11 beta-HSD1 oxoreductase activity was measured over a 24-h period by the reduction of [(14)C]cortisone in adipose tissue homogenates. RESULTS 11 beta-HSD1 oxoreductase activity was higher in OM compared with sc adipose tissue (9.6 +/- 4.9 vs. 7.9 +/- 4.2 pmol/mg x h, P < 0.01). OM 11 beta-HSD1 oxoreductase activity was positively associated with OM adipocyte size (r = 0.67, P < 0.0001) and visceral adipose tissue area (r = 0.57, P < 0.0003). A positive correlation was also observed between the OM/sc 11 beta-HSD1 oxoreductase activity ratio and the OM/sc adipocyte size ratio (r = 0.37, P < 0.05) as well as the visceral/sc adipose tissue area ratio (r = 0.36, P < 0.05). Women in the highest tertile of OM 11 beta-HSD1 oxoreductase activity had larger OM adipocytes, increased OM lipolysis, increased lipoprotein lipase activity, decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, decreased adiponectin levels, and an increased homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index compared with women in the lower tertile (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that a relatively higher 11 beta-HSD1 activity in OM vs. sc adipose tissue is associated with preferential visceral fat accumulation and concomitant metabolic alterations.
Optimal routing and wavelength assignment in all-optical networks

The author consider the problem of routing connections in an optical network using wavelength division multiplexing, where each connection between a pair of nodes in the network is assigned a path through the network and a wavelength on that path, such that connections whose paths share a common link in the network are assigned different wavelengths. They derive an upper bound on the carried traffic of connections (or equivalently, a lower bound on the blocking probability) for any routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) algorithm in such a network. The bound scales with the number of wavelengths and is achieved asymptotically (when a large number of wavelengths is available) by a fixed RWA algorithm. Although computationally intensive, this bound can be used as a metric against which the performance of different RWA algorithms can be compared for networks of moderate size. They illustrate this by comparing the performance of a simple RWA algorithm via simulation with our bound. They also derive a similar bound for optical networks using dynamic wavelength converters, which are equivalent to circuit-switched telephone networks, and compare the two cases for different examples. <<ETX>>
Tetrahedral amorphous carbon – graphene hybrid electrode for detection of dopamine

The real time in vivo detection of dopamine and other neurotransmitters in awake behaving animals is a long-standing goal. Carbon nanomaterials have emerged as promising candidates for electrochemical detection of dopamine. Diamond-like carbon films have wide water window, low capacitive background current and high chemical stability. By combining ultrathin tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) with Ti under layer the electron transfer properties can be enhanced without deterioration in the desired properties of ta-C. Such a bilayer thin films can also be modified with other carbon allotropes, such as graphene. To the best knowledge of the author this reports for the first time a ta-C electrode modified with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) for electrochemical detection of dopamine. Ti/ta-C bilayer electrodes with varying taC top layer thickness were fabricated and optimized in terms of electron transfer properties. Both types of electrodes were subjected to cyclic voltammetry experiments, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy. The ta-C thickness was found to affect the electron transfer kinetics, while the dopamine detection limit of 5 μM remained unchanged. The electron transfer properties were found to improve with decreasing ta-C thickness and best performance was observed with 7 nm ta-C thickness. At a thickness below 7 nm the electron transfer properties start deteriorating due to excessive oxidation of the Ti/ta-C interface. The ta-C electrode showed poor selectivity towards dopamine. An order of magnitude improvement in sensitivity and a significant increase in selectivity towards dopamine was achieved. The rGO modified electrodes were able to detect 500 nM DA without any data treatment. Modification with rGO also resulted in significant improvement in electron transfer kinetics of dopamine. The amount of added rGO and the stacking of the graphene sheets were found to affect electron transfer in both inner and outer sphere systems. Finally oxidative treatments of the rGO resulted in increased current response and selectivity towards dopamine of all rGO electrodes, highlighting the role of oxygen containing functional groups in the electro-oxidation of both L-ascorbic acid and dopamine. By combining the stability, good electron transfer properties, and the reasonably low capacitive currents of the Ti/ta-C bilayer electrode with the more electrochemically active rGO, an electrode with low detection limit and improved selectivity towards dopamine was achieved. This electrode also exhibited wide enough water window and sufficiently low capacitive background currents for electrochemical detection of dopamine.
Peripheral (cid:1) -Defensins 1 and 2 are Elevated in Alzheimer’s Disease

Biomarkers enabling the preclinical identiﬁcation of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remain one of the major unmet challenges in the ﬁeld. The blood cellular fractions offer a viable alternative to current cerebrospinal ﬂuid and neuroimaging modalities. The current study aimed to replicate our earlier reports of altered binding within the AD-affected blood cellular fraction to copper-loaded immobilized metal afﬁnity capture (IMAC) arrays. IMAC and anti-amyloid-(cid:2) (A (cid:2) ) antibody arrays coupled with mass spectrometry were used to analyze blood samples collected from 218 participants from within the AIBL Study of Aging. Peripheral A (cid:2) was fragile and prone to degradation in the AIBL samples, even when stored at − 80 ◦ C. IMAC analysis of the AIBL samples lead to the isolation and identiﬁcation of alpha-defensins 1 and 2 at elevated levels in the AD periphery, validating earlier ﬁndings. Alpha-defensins 1 and 2 were elevated in AD patients indicating that an inﬂammatory phenotype is present in the AD periphery; however, peripheral A (cid:2) levels are required to supplement their prognostic power.
Neuregulin, a factor with many functions in the life of a Schwann cell

The signalling system comprising the ligand Neuregulin‐1, and its receptors, ErbB2 and ErbB3, plays multiple and important roles in glial development. These include functions in early development of neural crest cells, in expansion of the Schwann cell precursor pool and in myelination. Neuregulin is one of the crucial axon‐derived signals that influence development of Schwann cells. These are specialized cells that ensheath peripheral axons and provide electrical insulation. Schwann cells have also long been implicated in providing more than a simple ensheathing function. Compelling evidence for this has emerged from the analysis of mice lacking these cells, resulting from a non‐functional or compromised Neuregulin signalling system. They serve as a model to study glia–nerve interactions in vivo and indicate that Schwann cells provide important neurotrophic signals, and also cues that regulate perineurium development and nerve fasciculation. BioEssays 22:987–996, 2000. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Pulsatile GnRH stimulates normal cyclic ovarian function in amenorrheic lactating postpartum women.

The postpartum period is characterized hormonally by elevated levels of PRL and low levels of gonadotropins and sex steroids. In breast feeding, this state of postpartum amenorrhea can persist for an extended period, even though PRL levels decrease slowly. Although the action of PRL on multiple target sites has frequently been suggested as the cause of this ovarian quiescence, a suckling-induced alteration in hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) production has also been hypothesized. To test this latter hypothesis, we provided a uniform pulsatile GnRH stimulus to eight exclusively breast-feeding women for an 8-week duration beginning at 4 weeks postpartum. Five women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea served as a comparison group. All women received GnRH administered at a dose of 200 ng/kg every 90 min sc via a portable infusion pump. Serial blood sampling for LH, FSH, and PRL was performed weekly for 5 h at 10-min intervals beginning immediately before initiation of GnRH, during the period of GnRH, and 1 week after the cessation of GnRH. The women collected daily urine aliquots for estrone-3-glucuronide, pregnanediol-3-glucuronide, and LH determinations. Serial transvaginal sonography was used to monitor follicular development. Before GnRH treatment the urinary steroid and serum gonadotropin levels of the two groups were low and similar. As expected, PRL levels were higher in the postpartum women (87 micrograms/mL vs. 4.25 micrograms/L, P < 0.05). After initiation of pulsatile GnRH, LH values increased and FSH values decreased in both groups. The LH increase with GnRH was significantly greater in the breast-feeding group than in the hypothalamic amenorrhea group (19.75 mIU/mL vs. 12.34 mIU/mL, P < 0.05). Analysis of pulse frequency and amplitude revealed a nearly complete 1:1 induction of LH pulses by the exogenous GnRH in both groups, with the breast-feeding group showing a greater amplitude (12.26 mIU/mL vs. 5.34 mIU/mL, P < 0.05). The cycle lengths, urinary steroids, and vaginal ultrasonography demonstrated a more rapid initial ovarian responsiveness in the breast-feeding group, as determined by the length of the first follicular phase. The breast-feeding group also showed a brisker ovarian response, as evidenced by a greater number of follicles that were 12 mm or greater (2.3 vs. 1.2, P < 0.05), and a greater luteal phase peak and integrated pregnanediol excretion, respectively (3.02 micrograms/L creatinine and 39.87 micrograms/L creatinine/cycle vs. 1.89 micrograms/L creatinine and 7.69 micrograms/L creatinine/cycle, P < 0.05). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Modeling in vitro cholesterol reduction in relation to growth of probiotic Lactobacillus casei

Lactobacillus casei LA‐1 isolated from a nondairy fermented source was evaluated for its in vitro ability to reduce cholesterol. The bacterium tested positive for bile salt deconjugation in relation to cholesterol removal. Tested growth‐associated physiological variables such as pH, temperature and inoculum size were all found to have significant effects on in vitro cholesterol reduction and biomass production (both P < 0.005). Furthermore, a central composite design was used to evaluate the effects of significant variables and their interactions. A linear regression model was developed for in vitro cholesterol reduction as a function of growth‐associated variables. Maximum cholesterol reduction achieved was 45% whereas maximum biomass yield of 2.34 optical density was observed at the central point. Our study possibly indicates that the growth of L. casei LA‐1 depends on its cholesterol removing ability.
Progenitor cell mobilisation in patients with acute and chronic coronary artery disease

Tissue ischaemia is considered to be a major trigger for progenitor cell mobilisation because of the massive release of reactive molecules caused by myocardial necrosis and tissue inflammation.1,2 Surprisingly, despite the growing number of clinical investigations of the effects of stem cell administration to patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), very little is known about the spontaneous mobilisation of progenitor cells in patients with different clinical manifestations of ischaemic heart disease.3,4 To understand better the biology of progenitor cell mobilisation in the clinical setting, we measured the concentration of circulating haematopoietic progenitor cell associated antigen CD34+ in patients with AMI or chronic stable angina (CSA) and in healthy controls. Furthermore, we correlated the magnitude of progenitor cell mobilisation with a variety of demographic, clinical, and biochemical variables. Forty five consecutive patients with AMI (25 with ST segment elevation and 20 with non-ST elevation AMI), 33 patients with CSA and significant coronary artery disease, and 30 healthy controls were enrolled in the present study. Patients with ST elevation AMI were thrombolysed with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator according to the GUSTO (global utilisation of streptokinase and t-PA for occluded coronary arteries) protocol. Patients with CSA had evidence of inducible ischaemia at non-invasive stress test and significant stenoses at coronary angiography but no history of AMI or acute coronary syndromes …
Effects of Low‐Dose Aspirin on Responses to Furosemide

We assessed the effects of low‐dose aspirin (0.5 and 15 mg/kg/d) on renal prostaglandin synthesis and action in healthy volunteers using intravenous furosemide as a stimulus. Inhibition of platelet cyclo‐oxygenase was assessed by changes in serum thromboxane B2 (TXB2) level. After one week of treatment, ten healthy subjects did not show any change in weight, blood pressure, or diuretic and natriuretic responses to furosemide with either dose of aspirin. Serum TXB2 level was reduced to 3% of control by aspirin 0.5 mg/kg/d and to 0.1% by the higher dose. In contrast, urine excretion of TXB2 was only reduced to 68% and 51% of the placebo value, whereas 6‐keto‐prostaglandin F1α (6kPGF1α) excretion was not decreased by either dose. Furosemide produced a transient increase in excretion rates of TXB2 and 6kPGF1α that was of lesser duration than the diuretic response. These transient increases were slightly reduced by aspirin. Baseline plasma renin activity was not affected by either dose of aspirin. The brisk increment in plasma renin activity seen ten minutes after furosemide, as well as later values (30 and 240 min) were not changed by aspirin. We conclude that chronic low‐dose aspirin can profoundly affect platelet PG production without affecting stimulated renal PGI2 production or plasma renin activity. There is a modest reduction in urine TXB2 excretion that is consistent with a primarily renal source of this metabolite.
Interconnect accelerating techniques for sub-100-nm gigascale systems

This work describes new circuits called capacitor coupling trigger and capacitor coupling accelerator (CCA) circuits used to reduce the long interconnect RC delay in sub-100-nm processes. The proposed circuits use capacitors to split the output driving paths to eliminate the short-circuit current and thus improve the signal transition time. Besides, the capacitor coupling technique is applied to adjust the gate threshold voltage of the proposed circuits and isolate the input signal from the output driving transistors. The proposed circuits are faster than the prior circuits. Furthermore, the CCA can be applied to bi-directional interface, multiports bus, field-programmable gate array interconnections, and complex dynamic logic circuits.
Trypanosoma cruzi: The immunological consequences of infection

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease, infects an estimated 12 million people in Latin America and may induce cardiopathy and megaformation of the oesophagus and colon. During the early, acute stage of the infection, parasite‐induced inflammatory infiltrates may cause transitory disease which terminates with the emergence of an immune response sufficient to reduce the parasite to insignificant levels. Even so, severe disease may develop many years after the original infection. It has been suggested that this might result from an autoimmune process triggered by the parasite and mediated either (1) by the adsorption of parasite antigens to host cells, thus rendering these cells susceptible to the host's own antiparasite immune response, or (2) via cross‐reactive antigens shared by the host and parasite. In common with many parasitic diseases, there is an urgent need for studies on the T‐cell response to T cruzi infection, as this might not only hold the key to the immunopathology but also serve as a means of clearing this lifelong infection which survives by sequestering into an intracellular site.