Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tunable SIW Structures: Antennas, VCOs, and Filters

Due to their high quality factor (hundreds), high power handling, and good isolation, SIW structures are excellent candidates for a variety of microwave devices, including filters, antennas, VCOs, and isolators. However, their use has been hindered due to their narrow BW and high sensitivity to the fabrication process. Tuning the SIW-based microwave structures has the advantages of covering more bands, the possibility of post-fabrication fine-tuning, and less crosstalk sensitivity. However, the conventional tuning methods applicable to regular microwave structures are not effective for SIWs. Finding a way to tune these structures over a wide tuning range while maintaining their high Q seems to be very appealing and, at the same time, very challenging. To address all these points in more detail, the main focus of this article was on frequency-tunable/ reconfigurable SIW structures. The reported tuning methods applied to SIW structures so far are studied, and their pros and cons are discussed in detail. Also, separate libraries for SIW-based tunable filters, antennas, and VCOs are provided.
A common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) mutant with constitutively low cysteine desulfhydrase activity exhibits growth inhibition but uniquely shows tolerance to arsenate stress

A mutant designated as pvcys exhibiting huge deficiency in foliar L-cysteine desulfhydrase and D-cysteine desulfhydrase activity were isolated from an ethylmethane sulfonate-mutagenized M 2 population of a Phaseolus vulgaris L. genotype VL 63. The mutant showed growth inhibition and morpho-agronomic anomalies but exhibited high cysteine content and very low endogenous hydrogen sulfide concentration mainly due to crippling of cysteine degradation. Despite a normal glutathione and ascorbate redox pool, the mutant suffered oxidative stress due to over-accumulation of H 2 O 2 and consequent membrane damage by lipid peroxidation. Uniquely, this oxidative load was relieved in the mutant upon imposition to 20 and 40 µM sodium arsenate through consumption of excess cysteine to meet the growing demand for glutathione and subsequently, to confer tolerance to arsenate-induced oxidative stress. Both L-cysteine desulfhydrase and D-cysteine desulfhydrase activity was constitutively low in the mutant, even in response to external stress. The pvcys mutation was monogenic recessive in inheritance.
Multilocus Sequence Type System for the Plant Pathogen Xylella fastidiosa and Relative Contributions of Recombination and Point Mutation to Clonal Diversity

ABSTRACT Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) identifies and groups bacterial strains based on DNA sequence data from (typically) seven housekeeping genes. MLST has also been employed to estimate the relative contributions of recombination and point mutation to clonal divergence. We applied MLST to the plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa using an initial set of sequences for 10 loci (9.3 kb) of 25 strains from five different host plants, grapevine (PD strains), oleander (OLS strains), oak (OAK strains), almond (ALS strains), and peach (PP strains). An eBURST analysis identified six clonal complexes using the grouping criterion that each member must be identical to at least one other member at 7 or more of the 10 loci. These clonal complexes corresponded to previously identified phylogenetic clades; clonal complex 1 (CC1) (all PD strains plus two ALS strains) and CC2 (OLS strains) defined the X. fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa and X. fastidiosa subsp. sandyi clades, while CC3 (ALS strains), CC4 (OAK strains), and CC5 (PP strains) were subclades of X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex. CC6 (ALS strains) identified an X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex-like group characterized by a high frequency of intersubspecific recombination. Compared to the recombination rate in other bacterial species, the recombination rate in X. fastidiosa is relatively low. Recombination between different alleles was estimated to give rise to 76% of the nucleotide changes and 31% of the allelic changes observed. The housekeeping loci holC, nuoL, leuA, gltT, cysG, petC, and lacF were chosen to form the basis of a public database for typing X. fastidiosa (www.mlst.net ). These loci identified the same six clonal complexes using the strain grouping criterion of identity at five or more loci with at least one other member.
Examining the Consistency of Evaluations Provided by Three Automatic Speech Recognition Systems

In an EFL setting like Taiwan, it is often difficult to provide individual oral language training due to limited human resources. Recently, several innovative commercial CALL programs (e.g., TeLLmeMore and MyET) claim that they can provide high-quality pronunciation training with their automatic speech recognition technologies. Although these programs can provide scores and feedback to individual learners, many teachers and students are not sure if the evaluations provided by these systems are fair and consistent. In this study, the consistency of evaluations provided by three different ASR programs (TeLLmeMore, MyET, and Microsoft) was examined. Four different groups of college students were asked to interact with these different ASR systems. The subjects read the same 20 sentences to each system and then received scores and feedback from these three systems. The whole interaction processes and subjects’ performance and scores were recorded by Camtasia, a screen and audio capture tool. The audio files of the subjects’ performance were also evaluated by two human raters. Based on the scores assigned by human raters and ASR programs, strong correlations were found between human raters and different ASR scores. Moreover, strong correlations were also found among different ASR systems. These statistical results show that automatic speech recognition technologies can indeed assign consistent scores to students at different proficiency levels. Although at this stage these ASR systems might not be suitable for high-stake tests like TOEFL or college entrance examinations, these tools can be used for pedagogical interventions and low-stake tests like placement tests or diagnostic tests.
The interferon‐alpha and interleukin‐10 responses in neonates differ from adults, and their production remains partial throughout the first 18 months of life

Previous studies have suggested that the susceptibility of newborns to infections is linked to the immaturity of their immune system, but very few data are available on the early stages of maturation of the immune response. Therefore, we decided to investigate the evolution of the interferon (IFN)‐α and interleukin (IL)‐10 responses in neonatal mononuclear cells. To this end, mononuclear cells isolated from cord blood and peripheral blood of 2‐, 6‐ and 18‐month‐old children and adults were stimulated with unmethylated cytosine‐phosphate‐guanosine oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG‐ODN) 2216 (IFN‐α response) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (IL‐10 response) for 24 h. The production of IFN‐α and IL‐10 was then measured in culture supernatants using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or a 6‐plex cytokine array, respectively. Compared to adults, we found a significant impairment in both the IFN‐α and IL‐10 responses of neonatal mononuclear cells. Interestingly, both responses had increased significantly after 2 months, but remained lower than the adult responses throughout the first 18 months of life. This study shows that although the immune response of neonates tends to mature fairly quickly, it remains different when compared to the adult immune response throughout the first 18 months of life. This could have important consequences on children's ability to mount an appropriate immune response to various challenges and to establish tolerance and immune homeostasis.
A low frequency input current reduction scheme of a two-stage single-phase inverter with DC-DC boost converter

A two-stage single-phase grid-connected inverter has 120Hz component in input current as influence of pulsating output power at double of the grid frequency. The 120Hz component of input current has to be reduced or eliminated because low frequency current can damage a source or reduce efficiency in the photovoltaic, fuel cell and battery systems. Prior studies which deal with reduction of the 120Hz component have their own limits. Thus, it is unavoidable to use a bulky dc link capacitor or a high gain controller. This paper proposes the feed-forward compensation for current control of the boost converter in a two-stage single-phase grid-connected inverter. The feed-forward compensation substantially removes 120Hz component from the input current without a bulky dc link capacitor or a high gain current controller as removes the disturbance of dc link voltage from the current control. Removal of the disturbance and reduction of the 120Hz component of input current are analyzed with a small-signal model and bode plot. Simulation and experimental results are provided for validation.
Deploying P2P networks for large-scale live video-streaming service [Peer-to-Peer Multimedia Streaming]

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have been adopted for Internet live video-streaming service, and several practical systems have been deployed in past years due to the inherent scalability and ease of deployment. However, most of these systems are commercial and proprietary, and hence little research was done in the area of characterizing practical system performance properties. In this article, we mainly present our experience on a practical P2P-based live video- streaming system called GridMedia, which was employed to broadcast live the Chinese Spring Festival Gala show over the Internet. Benefiting from two sets of flush-crowd traces with about 15,239 and 224,453 concurrent users in a 300 kb/s streaming session in 2005 and 2006, we perform a trace study to understand the service capacity, quality of streaming service, connection heterogeneity, user geographic distribution, and request and online duration characteristics. Our observations shed light on those systems and further improvements in the arena of large-scale live video-streaming service over the Internet.
Multilayer Bus Optimization for Real-Time Embedded Systems

A major challenge in the design of multicore embedded systems is how to tackle the communications among tasks with performance requirements and precedence constraints. In this paper, we consider the problem of scheduling real-time tasks over multilayer bus systems with the objective of minimizing the communication cost. We show that the problem is NP-hard and determine the best possible approximation ratio of approximation algorithms. First, we propose a polynomial-time optimal algorithm for a restricted case where one multilayer bus, and the unit execution time and communication time are considered. The result is then extended as a pseudopolynomial-time optimal algorithm to consider multiple multilayer buses with arbitrary execution and communication times, as well as different timing constraints and objective functions. We compare the performance of the proposed algorithm with that of some popular heuristics, and provide further insights into the multilayer bus system design.
Cutting Edge: Gab2 Mediates an Inhibitory Phosphatidylinositol 3′-Kinase Pathway in T Cell Antigen Receptor Signaling1

Phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase (PI3K) is a key component of multiple signaling pathways, where it typically promotes survival, proliferation, and/or adhesion. Here, we show that in TCR signaling, the scaffolding adapter Gab2 delivers an inhibitory signal via PI3K. Overexpression of Gab2 in T cell lines inhibits TCR-evoked activation of the IL-2 promoter, blocking NF-AT- and NF-κB-directed transcription. Inhibition is abrogated by mutating the Gab2 p85-binding sites, by treatment with PI3K inhibitors or by cotransfection of phosphatase homolog of tensin. Our findings provide the first evidence of a negative function for a scaffolding adapter in T cells and identify Gab2/PI3K-containing complexes as novel regulators of TCR signaling.
Mechanisms and consequences of action potential burst firing in rat neocortical pyramidal neurons

1 Electrophysiological recordings and pharmacological manipulations were used to investigate the mechanisms underlying the generation of action potential burst firing and its postsynaptic consequences in visually identified rat layer 5 pyramidal neurons in vitro. 2 Based upon repetitive firing properties and subthreshold membrane characteristics, layer 5 pyramidal neurons were separated into three classes: regular firing and weak and strong intrinsically burst firing. 3 High frequency (330 ± 10 Hz) action potential burst firing was abolished or greatly weakened by the removal of Ca2+ (n= 5) from, or by the addition of the Ca2+ channel antagonist Ni2+ (250‐500 μm; n= 8) to, the perfusion medium. 4 The blockade of apical dendritic sodium channels by the local dendritic application of TTX (100 nm; n= 5) abolished or greatly weakened action potential burst firing, as did the local apical dendritic application of Ni2+ (1 mm; n= 5). 5 Apical dendritic depolarisation resulted in low frequency (157 ± 26 Hz; n= 6) action potential burst firing in regular firing neurons, as classified by somatic current injection. The intensity of action potential burst discharges in intrinsically burst firing neurons was facilitated by dendritic depolarisation (n= 11). 6 Action potential amplitude decreased throughout a burst when recorded somatically, suggesting that later action potentials may fail to propagate axonally. Axonal recordings demonstrated that each action potential in a burst is axonally initiated and that no decrement in action potential amplitude is apparent in the axon > 30 μm from the soma. 7 Paired recordings (n= 16) from synaptically coupled neurons indicated that each action potential in a burst could cause transmitter release. EPSPs or EPSCs evoked by a presynaptic burst of action potentials showed use‐dependent synaptic depression. 8 A postsynaptic, TTX‐sensitive voltage‐dependent amplification process ensured that later EPSPs in a burst were amplified when generated from membrane potentials positive to ‐60 mV, providing a postsynaptic mechanism that counteracts use‐dependent depression at synapses between layer 5 pyramidal neurons.
Mutation in the ATP‐binding site of BCR‐ABL in a patient with chronic myeloid leukaemia with increasing resistance to STI571

Summary. The Abl kinase inhibitor STI571 (imatinib mesylate) induces haematological remissions in many patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) but advanced stage CML usually becomes resistant to STI571. We describe a patient in whom progressive resistance to STI571 correlated with the appearance of a mutation in the Bcr‐Abl kinase domain. This was a G to A transition that resulted in a glutamic acid to lysine substitution at position 255 (E255K) in the Abl type 1a protein. We suggest that the acquisition of point‐mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of Bcr‐Abl may cause progressive clinical resistance to STI571.
Efficacies of High-Dose Fluconazole plus Amphotericin B and High-Dose Fluconazole plus 5-Fluorocytosine versus Amphotericin B, Fluconazole, and 5-Fluorocytosine Monotherapies in Treatment of Experimental Endocarditis, Endophthalmitis, and Pyelonephritis Due to Candida albicans

ABSTRACT We compared the efficacies of fluconazole (Flu), amphotericin B (AmB), and 5-fluorocytosine (5FC) monotherapies with the combination of Flu plus 5FC and Flu plus AmB in a rabbit model of Candida albicans endocarditis, endophthalmitis, and pyelonephritis. The dose of Flu used was that which resulted in an area under the concentration-time curve in rabbits equivalent to that seen in humans who receive Flu at 1,600 mg/day, the highest dose not associated with central nervous system toxicity in humans. Quantitative cultures of heart valve vegetations, the choroid-retina, vitreous humor, and kidney were conducted after 1, 5, 14, and 21 days of therapy. All untreated controls died within 6 days of infection; animals treated with 5FC monotherapy all died within 18 days. In contrast, 93% of animals in the other treatment groups appeared well and survived until they were sacrificed. At day 5, the relative decreases in CFU per gram in the vitreous humor were greater in groups that received Flu alone and in combination with 5FC or AmB than in groups receiving AmB or 5FC monotherapies (P< 0.005) but were similar thereafter. In the choroid-retina, 5FC was the least-active drug. However, there were no differences in choroidal fungal densities between the other treatment groups. On days 5 and 14 of therapy, fungal densities in kidneys of AmB recipients were lower than those resulting from the other therapies (P< 0.001 and P ≤ 0.038, respectively) and AmB-plus-Flu therapy was antagonistic; however, all therapies for fungal pyelonephritis were similar by treatment day 21. While fungal counts in cardiac valves of Flu recipients were similar to those of controls on day 5 of therapy and did not change from days 1 to 21, AmB therapy significantly decreased valvular CFUs versus Flu at days 5, 14, and 21 (P < 0.005 at each time point). 5FC plus Flu demonstrated enhanced killing in cardiac vegetations compared with Flu or 5FC as monotherapies (P < 0.03). Similarly, the combination of AmB and Flu was more active than Flu in reducing the fungal density in cardiac vegetations (P < 0.03). However, as in the kidney, AmB plus Flu demonstrated antagonism versus AmB monotherapy in the treatment of C. albicansendocarditis (P < 0.05, P = 0.036, and P < 0.008 on days 5, 14, and 21, respectively).
Clinical nephrology research in low-resource settings: opportunities, priorities, and challenges for young investigators - Proceedings from the 10th Conference on Kidney Disease in Disadvantaged Populations in Cape Town, South Africa, March 2015

The increased recognition of the growing, worldwide burden of kidney disease has led to calls for prioritizing nephrology research in a global context. However, many challenges exist for young investigators interested in studying kidney disease in low-resource global settings. A lack of clear research priorities, limited funding options, poor infrastructure, difficulty forming partnerships, and unestablished paths for career advancement are a few examples. To discuss these issues, we held a moderated panel discussion in March 2015 as part of the 10th Conference on Kidney Disease in Disadvantaged Populations in Cape Town, South Africa. A group of senior investigators discussed research priorities for studying kidney disease in a global context, collaborations for clinical research, and strategies for dealing with the unique challenges faced by young investigators working in this field.
Molecular and immunochemical characterization of recombinant Escherichia coli containing the spaA gene region of Streptococcus sobrinus

We identified and characterized a recombinant Escherichia coli containing the entire gene for surface protein antigen A (spaA) of Streptococcus sobrinus 6715. The recombinant E. coli was isolated from a cosmid gene bank of size-fractionated S. sobrinus DNA fragments, and recombinants expressing the SpaA protein were detected immunologically. Subcloning experiments showed that the DNA sequences encoding the SpaA protein could be isolated on two contiguous EcoRI fragments, 3.7 and 3.3 kilobases (kb) in size, both contained on a 16.2-kb BglII fragment. Southern blot hybridization experiments using the EcoRI fragments to probe genomic DNAs from various serotypes of the mutans group of streptococci revealed DNA sequence homology not only to S. sobrinus 6715 (serotype g) chromosomal DNA but also to S. sobrinus serotype d DNA. Weak hybridization signals to Streptococcus mutans serotypes c, e, and f and to Streptococcus cricetus serotype a were observed with the 3.3-kb EcoRI fragment. These results suggest that the coding sequence for the spaA gene is probably conserved in S. sobrinus strains. Plasmid-encoded polypeptides made in E. coli minicells revealed that transcription of the spaA gene was initiated on the 3.7-kb EcoRI fragment and that its product size was about 210 kilodaltons. The cloned SpaA protein was purified from the periplasmic protein of E. coli, and monospecific antiserum against the cloned product was prepared in rabbits. The data obtained from various physiochemical and immunological procedures allowed us to conclude that the coding sequence for the entire spaA gene of S. sobrinus 6715 had been successfully cloned in E. coli and that faithful expression of the cloned product could be obtained.
Improving Traffic Flow by Local Methods

Schon seit einigen Jahrzehnten sind Staus auf Autobahnen und Hauptverkehrsstrasen ein groses Problem im Strasenverkehr. Staus haben bedeutenden Einfluss auf die Umwelt, die Wirtschaft und nicht zuletzt auf den individuellen Fahrkomfort. Wir haben eine Strategie namens Jam-ADS (ADS = Advanced Distributed Strategy) entwickelt, welche Fahrzeug-zu-Fahrzeug-Kommunikation (C2C-Kommunikation) nutzt, um Staus zu verhindern. C2C-Kommunikation liefert laufend Informationen uber Positionen und Geschwindigkeiten von vorausfahrenden Fahrzeugen an den Jam-ADS-Prozessor in jedem Fahrzeug. Jam-ADS fasst diese zusammen und berechnet daraus eine Geschwindigkeitsempfehlung, die dem Fahrer angezeigt wird. Wenn hinreichend viele Fahrer und Fahrerinnen der Empfehlung folgen, tritt kein Stau auf. In dieser Arbeit haben wir mehrere Varianten von Jam-ADS durch Simulationen von verschiedener Szenarien getestet und ausgewertet. Dafur haben wir einen eigenen Verkehrssimulator namens CircSim entwickelt. CircSim simuliert ein geschlossenes Strasennetz bestehend aus einer Ringstrase beliebiger Lange mit beliebiger Anzahl Spuren. Um die Ergebnisse zu validieren, haben wir die gleichen Simulationen auch mit dem etablierten Verkehrssimulator SUMO und dem Kommunikationsnetzwerksimulator Shawn durchgefuhrt. Um die Simulationen realistischer zu gestalten, haben wir weitere Simulationen mit einem offenen System bestehend aus einem Autobahnabschnitt mit einer Einfahrt durchgefuhrt, da an Einfahrten haufig stauauslosende Storungen entstehen. Mit beiden Szenarien fuhrten wir zahlreiche Simulationslaufe durch, welche zeigten, dass Jam-ADS den Verkehrsfluss verbessert und so Staus vermeidet. Schlieslich haben wir Jam-ADS auch mathematisch analysiert, um die Effektivitat von Jam-ADS auch jenseits von numerischen Simulationen nachzuweisen. Mithilfe von etablierten Analysemethoden aus der Regelungstechnik haben wir nachgewiesen, dass Jam-ADS Storungen dampft.
Physiologic and clinical effects of chlorpromazine and their relationship to plasma level

Ten patients suffering from functional psychoses who had not received medication for one month were studied. After investigation before treatment, they received chlorpromazine in liquid form, 100 mg. every 8 hours for 5 to 6 weeks. Testing was carried out on Days 4, 8, 15, 22, 29, and 36 or 43 of treatment: (1) Blood samples were taken for chlorpromazine assessment at 0, 2, 4, and 6 hours after the morning dose; (2) blood pressure and pulse rate, pupil size, sweat gland activity, and electroencephalogram (EEG) were recorded at these times; (3) salivary secretion, EEG‐evoked response, auditory reaction time, and handwriting tests were carried out at the 2 hour point; and (4) clinical ratings were made between 2 and 4 hours. Wide interpatient variation in plasma level was found; concentrations were maximal in the first 2 weeks, then consistently declined. Changes in the peripheral autonomic measures correlated with those in plasma level, but changes in the central measures were inconsistent. Plasma levels and clinical improvement were weakly related during the first 2 weeks of treatment only. Clinical improvement correlated with palmar skin conductance (sweating) and with some latencies of the electroencephalographic‐evoked response. The determination of chlorpromazine plasma levels should be of use in investigating nonresponders and patients with severe autonomic effects.