Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
γ‐Aminobutyric acid‐synthesizing cells in the retina of the chameleon Chamaeleo chameleon

Antibodies directed against γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and L‐glutamic acid decarboxylases 65 and 67 kDa (GAD65 and ‐67) were used to study the GABAergic cell populations of the chameleon retina. GABA immunoreactivity was found in the two main types of retinal interneurons, amacrine and horizontal cells. Amacrine, displaced amacrine, and intra‐ and interplexiform cells displayed the strongest GABA immunoreactivity of all the retinal cell types. Horizontal cells formed a continuous GABA‐immunoreactive cell layer lying against the outermost portion of the inner nuclear layer. In contrast to previous studies (Quesada et al. [1996] Cell Biol. Int. 20:395–400; [1999] Eur. J. Anat. 3:13–25), the present results demonstrate that the horizontal cells of the chameleon retina are GABA immunoreactive and that a subpopulation of these is immunolabelled by an antibody against GAD65. These results indicate that GABAergic synaptic transmission plays a key role in the outer plexiform layer of the vertebrate retina. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ultrafast dynamics of solvation: the story so far

The presence of solvent molecules in the vicinity of a solute affects a variety of processes in chemistry and biology, and thus one would like to have a physical picture of how solvation works. Although there are many structurally sensitive spectroscopic tools to investigate the role of solvent molecules in chemical processes, real time measurements of the dynamics of solvation had to wait for the development of pulsed laser spectroscopies with femtosecond time-resolution. This review describes applications of ultrafast spectroscopy to the study of solvation dynamics. At third order, we review resonant and non-resonant probes of solvation dynamics, with a focus on the study of simple and complex liquids. Fifth-order Raman spectroscopies are also reviewed, focusing on the insights these techniques give into the role of the solvent in chemical reactions and the anharmonic nature of the liquid state.
Patterns of familial transmission of HBV and the risk of developing liver cancer: A case‐control study in the Philippines

The present case‐control study was carried out in the Philippines to determine the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in relation to different HBV serological profiles of parents and sibs of HCC cases and controls. The HBV serological profiles of parents and sibs of 33 patients with HCC were compared with those of 2 types of community control: 33 general population controls matched for sex and age (CI controls) and 33 asymptomatic HBsAg carriers also matched for sex and age (C2 controls). When cases were compared with CI controls, increased risks were associated with the fact of having an HBsAg‐positive mother (RR = 2.5, 95% CI = 0.4–26.3) and older sibs positive for HBsAg (RR = 2.0, 95% CI = 0.5–9.1), but the increased risk was not statistically significant. However, a significantly increased risk was associated with the fact of having a mother (95% CI = 3.5–∞) or father (RR =11, 95% CI = 1.6–473) who had been exposed to HBV. On the other hand, when cases were compared with C2 controls, a non‐significant 2‐fold increase was associated with the fact of having an HBsAg‐positive mother, but no differences were observed in the HBV serological profiles of their fathers and older sibs. These results suggest that, in the Philippines, the fact of having a mother or father who has been infected in the past with HBV increases the risk of developing HCC but that the contribution of the mother to this increase in risk is not as important as hitherto believed.
Frequency-Domain Optimization of Digital Switching Noise Based on Clock Scheduling

The simultaneous switching activity in digital circuits challenges the design of mixed-signal SoCs. Rather than focusing on time-domain noise voltage minimization, this work optimizes switching noise in the frequency domain. A two-tier solution based on the on-chip clock scheduling is proposed. First, to cope with the switching noise at the fundamental clock frequency, which usually dominates in terms of noise power, a two-phase clocking scheme is employed for system timing. Second, on-chip clock latencies are manipulated to target harmonic peaks in specific frequency bands for the spectral noise optimization. An automated design flow, which allows for noise optimization in user-defined application-specific frequency bands, is developed. The effectiveness of our design solution is validated by measurements of substrate noise and conductive EMI (electromagnetic interference) noise on a test chip, which consists of four wireless sensor node baseband processors each addressing a distinct clock-tree-synthesis strategy. Compared to the reference synchronous design, the proposed clock scheduling solution substantially reduces noise in the target GSM-850 band, i.e., by 11.1 dB on the substrate noise and 12.9 dB on the EMI noise, along with dramatic noise peak drops measured at the 50-MHz clock frequency.
A cross-cultural consumer-based decision aid for screening mammography.

BACKGROUND "Women should have mammograms" is the usual perspective of educational interventions about screening. The perspective that "women should be informed" about potential risks and benefits so they can make value- and evidence-integrated personal decisions has recently been advocated. However, this perspective has not previously been operationalized. We developed an evidence-based cross-cultural mammography decision aid (MDA), for European American and Mexican American women who are 50-70 years old, at average risk of breast cancer, of varying educational levels, and English- or Spanish-speaking. METHODS MDA development included: (1) content development by a multidisciplinary team and lay women and (2) testing for validity and reliability. Four parts include: (1) introduction; (2) information about logistics (cost, time, discomfort) and risks (sequelae of false-positive or negative results; (3) probability of developing breast cancer; and (4) benefit of mammography regarding breast cancer outcomes (e.g., death and recurrence). We assessed reliability (stability of decisions with the same information) after 1-2 weeks. We assessed validity (comprehension of information) quantitatively (probabilities were changed to see whether preferences changed predictably) and qualitatively (focus groups, standardized probes for comprehension). Subjects were a convenience sample of 49 European American (50-81 years old) and 54 Mexican American (49-89 years old) women from administrative staff at a medical school, the waiting room of an indigent primary care clinic, and a community center. RESULTS Reliability was 100%. In quantitative validity testing, 22 of 28 women (89%) changed preference as predicted with changed probabilities. Comprehension was confirmed qualitatively in all phases of testing with both Spanish and English versions. CONCLUSION The decision aid is valid and reliable in English and Spanish for southwestern Mexican American and European American women at average risk of breast cancer, including those of low educational levels.
Operative diagnosis of graph-based systems with multiple faults

The problem of multiple faults diagnosis in safety-critical systems is considered. Error propagation between system components is modeled as a directed graph, where the errors propagate instantaneously along the edges. Some of the system components are equipped with alarms, which ring when abnormal conditions are detected. A diagnosis algorithm identifies the set of potential failure sources based on the set of ringing alarms. The paper introduces the D-FAULTS algorithm, which diagnoses the system when at most two nodes can be failure sources at any time. The concept of sequential diagnosis is also introduced, to deal with an unknown number of faults. Sequential diagnosis is aimed at locating the smallest set of nodes containing at least one fault. Using this approach, a faulty system can be restored to normal condition by executing repeatedly the diagnosis and repair phases. To this purpose, we introduce the sequential diagnosis algorithm S-DIAG with optimal time complexity.
PAROTID-FLUID UREA NITROGEN FOR THE MONITORING OF HEMODIALYSIS.

CONTINUED interest and advances in peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis have accompanied the increasing emphasis on early and frequent dialyses in acute renal failure, the exploratory programs in chronic dialysis and the use of dialysis as an ancillary measure in renal transplantation. Although the importance of urea as a primary "uremic toxin" continues to be debated there is general agreement concerning the correlation of blood urea level with clinical fluctuations in the azotemic patient and its value as a monitoring device. Measurement of parotid-fluid urea nitrogen as a reflection of serum urea nitrogen has been found to be a simple and .
[Successful treatment of invasive sinus aspergillosis with micafungin and itraconazole].

BACKGROUND We report a case of invasive sinus aspergillosis that extended to the orbital cavity and cavernous sinus and was improved by treatment with micafungin and itraconazole. CASE REPORT A 83-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of headache and impaired of eye movement on the right side. Physical examination revealed impaired function of cranial nerves, II, II, IV, and VI on the right side. MRI showed evidence of inflammation of the right sphenoid sinus and ethmoidal sinus and an enhancing mass in the right cavernous sinus and orbit. Because a culture of a specimen from the right sphenoid sinus extracted during endoscopic sinus surgery, yielede Aspergillus fumigatus, a diagnosed of invasive sinus aspergillosis complicated by cavernous sinus symdrome and orbital apex symdrome was made. It was difficult to completely remove the mass in the sinuses surgically and drug therapy with micafungin was started and then itraconazole was added. The clinical manifestations and the impaired function of cranial nerves II, III, IV, and VI improved, and MRI showed regression of the mass in the sinuses temporary in response to drug therapy. CONCLUSION Invasive sinus aspergillosis often progresses rapidly in the absence of surgery. Our case is valuable, because invasive sinus aspergillosis was improved by drug therapy alone, and combined treatment with micafungin and itraconazole was effective.
Design of a SiC based triple active bridge ceil for a multi-megawatt DC-DC converter

The paper describes the design methodology of a novel Triple Active Bridge cell used as the building block for modular DC-DC converters. The intended application is for Medium Voltage Direct Current grids, such as the DC collector for offshore wind farms. The latest generation of SiC MOSFET semiconductors is utilized to operate in the medium frequency range while optimizing the efficiency. The dimensioning of the main cell components, including semiconductors, transformer and DC capacitors is presented. The cell mechanical integration and cooling are also addressed.
Conversion from calcineurin inhibitor–based immunosuppression to mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors or belatacept in renal transplant recipients

The calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) remain the standard of care for maintenance immunosuppression following renal transplantation. CNIs have demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing acute cellular rejection; however, some evidence suggests that these compounds negatively affect native renal function and are associated with allograft injury in renal transplant recipients. CNIs have also been linked with hypertension, new‐onset diabetes after transplantation, tremor, and thrombotic microangiopathy, which have significant consequences for long‐term allograft function and patient health overall. Thus, converting patients to a non‐CNI‐based regimen may improve renal function and also provide extrarenal benefits. A number of studies have been conducted that explore CNI conversion strategies in renal transplant recipients in an effort to improve long‐term allograft function and survival. These include converting to alternative, non‐nephrotoxic, maintenance immunosuppressants, such as the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (sirolimus and everolimus) and the costimulation blocker belatacept. In this review of literature, evidence for the potential renal and extrarenal benefits of conversion to these non‐CNI‐based regimens is evaluated. Clinical challenges, including the adverse event profiles of non‐CNI‐based regimens and the selection of candidates for conversion, are also examined.
A dielectric loaded H-plane horn for millimeter waves based on LTCC technology

In this paper, a dielectric-loaded H-plane horn antenna implemented by a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) was designed. The SIW horn antenna was fabricated in a single low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) substrate for easy fabrication and low cost, and a CPW to SIW transition was used to feed the horn. The dielectric slab loaded at the aperture of the horn have been utilized to optimize the bandwidth, narrow the beamwidth of radiation patterns in the H-plane and E-plane, and enhance the gain of the horn antenna. The simulation results show that over the operating bandwidth of 50GHz-57GHz, reflection coefficients of the antenna is less than -10dB and the gain is from 7.4dBi to 11.6dBi.
Volatility Forecasting Using Global Stochastic Financial Trends Extracted from Non-Synchronous Data

This paper introduces a method based on the use of various linear and nonlinear state space models that uses non-synchronous data to extract global stochastic financial trends (GST). These models are specifically constructed to take advantage of the intraday arrival of closing information coming from different international markets in order to improve the quality of volatility description and forecasting performances. A set of three major asynchronous international stock market indices is used in order to empirically show that this forecasting scheme is capable of significant performance improvements when compared with those obtained with standard models like the dynamic conditional correlation (DCC) family.
Observations and Queries on Animal Heat

light are not infeparable; and a diftindtion was formed between heat and fire, at a very early period, by Theophraftus in his book de Igne'K The caufes which operate in the generation pf animal heat, and in the prefervation of that nearly equal temperature which the healthy body of a living animal maintains, have long been problems which the moft ingenious philofophers and phyfiologifts have endeavoured to folve. The principal grounds upon which they have proceeded may be arranged under three divifions; viz. that animal heat is to be afcribed
Workplace Empowerment and Magnet Hospital Characteristics as Predictors of Patient Safety Climate

This study tested a theoretical model derived from Kanter's theory of workplace empowerment by surveying a random sample of 300 registered nurses employed in acute care hospitals across the Canadian province of Ontario. The results of this study effectively replicated the findings of a previous exploratory study. Specific nursing practice environment characteristics that positively influence the climate of patient safety were identified. This study provides nurse leaders with ideas for improving the patient safety climate by improving the quality of nurses' work environments.
Post-Fitting Issues: A Need for Parent Counseling and Instruction

The success of hearing aid fittings on children and infants (children hereafter unless specified as infants) is dependent on multiple and interrelated factors. Although the factors that contribute to positive use of hearing aids in children have not been fully mapped, they likely differ across children as well as in their relative contributions for individual children. Success clearly is dependent on the appropriate selection and setting of the hearing aids. It also is likely influenced by the inherent characteristics of the children, many of which are not readily captured by the assessment tools or paradigms typically used in audiology clinics. Nonetheless, the acceptance and effective use of hearing aids by pediatric patients may have as much to do with the involvement of the audiologist with the family and child throughout the (re)habilitation process, as the acoustic properties of the hearing aids. For example, the audiologist's ability to counsel and instruct parents may determine whether a child's hearing aids are worn consistently and functioning at any given time (Elfenbein, 1994). Studies that have looked at the status of hearing aids on pediatric patients have found that, depending on the performance criteria, 27 to 92% of hearing aids used by children are not functioning properly (See Elfenbein et al, 1988). Given the assumption that there is a direct connection between parent training and counseling, and hearing-aid monitoring, these data suggest that post-fitting services have been inadequate for many children and their families. The implication is that the establishment of successful amplification is a long-term process that must go beyond the determination and meeting of acoustic targets. Additional implications are that audiologists must develop and use good counseling and instructional skills and become an integral part of the total (re)habilitation process which not only focuses on the child, but the child's family and their social support-network. Audiologists must develop individual goals for their patients and assist parents and children in establishing their own goals for treatment, and in so doing consider the factors that impinge upon a child and family after they leave the audiology clinic. That is, audiologists need to extend their influence and involvement beyond the audiology clinic doors.
Picosecond Resolution Time-to-Digital Converter Using ${{\rm G}_{\rm m}} \hbox{-C}$ Integrator and SAR-ADC

A picosecond resolution time-to-digital converter (TDC) is presented. The resolution of a conventional delay chain TDC is limited by the delay of a logic buffer. Various types of recent TDCs are successful in breaking this limitation, but they require a significant calibration effort to achieve picosecond resolution with a sufficient linear range. To address these issues, we propose a simple method to break the resolution limitation without any calibration: a Gm-C integrator followed by a successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter (SAR-ADC). This translates the time interval into charge, and then the charge is quantized. A prototype chip was fabricated in 90 nm CMOS. The measurement results reveal a 1 ps resolution, a -0.6/0.7 LSB differential nonlinearity (DNL), a -1.1/2.3 LSB integral nonlinearity (INL), and a 9-bit range. The measured 11.74 ps single-shot precision is caused by the noise of the integrator. We analyze the noise of the integrator and propose an improved front-end circuit to reduce this noise. The proposal is verified by simulations showing the maximum single-shot precision is less than 1 ps. The proposed front-end circuit can also diminish the mismatch effects.
Risk factors for medial meniscal pathology on knee MRI in older US adults: a multicentre prospective cohort study

Objectives Meniscal pathology in which the aetiology is often unclear is a frequent finding on knee MRI. This study investigates potential risk factors for medial meniscal lesions or extrusion in middle-aged and elderly persons. Methods Prospective cohort study using population-based subjects from Birmingham, Alabama and Iowa City, Iowa, USA (the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study). 644 men and women aged 50–79 years with or at high risk of knee osteoarthritis (Kellgren and Lawrence grade 0–2) but with normal medial meniscal status at baseline were studied. Paired baseline and 30-month 1.0 T knee MRI were scored for meniscal lesions and extrusion (pathology) and the following systemic, knee-specific and compartment-specific potential risk factors were evaluated: age, sex, body mass index, bony enlargement of finger joints, knee trauma, leg-length inequality and knee alignment. Results Of 791 knees, 77 (9.7%) had medial meniscal pathology at 30 months follow-up. 61 of the 77 (81%) had no report of trauma during follow-up. Including all potential risk factors in the multivariable model, the adjusted OR for medial meniscal pathology was 4.14 (95% CI 2.06 to 8.31) for knee trauma during follow-up, 1.64 (1.00 to 2.70) for five or more bony enlargements of finger joints (vs ≤4) and 2.00 (1.18 to 3.40) for varus alignment (vs not varus) at baseline examination. Obesity was a risk factor for the development of meniscal extrusion, OR 3.04 (1.04 to 8.93) but not for meniscal lesions, OR 1.15 (0.52 to 2.54). Conclusions Apart from knee trauma, possible generalised osteoarthritis, expressed as multiple bony enlargements of finger joints, varus alignment and obesity are risk factors for medial meniscal pathology.
A Chinese Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patient with E196K mutation in PRNP

Genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (gCJD) is caused by a range of mutations in the prion protein gene (PRNP) and account for approximately 10-15% of overall human prion diseases worldwide. They are different with disease onset, disease duration, clinical signs and diagnostic findings. Here we reported a 71 year-old female with an E196K mutation in one PRNP allele, while the codon 129 was a methionine homozygous genotype. The patient started with non-specific symptoms, but displayed rapidly progressive disturbances of speech, memory, cognitive and physical movement. No periodic activity was recorded at electroencephalography (EEG) during the entire disease course. Retrospective investigation of her family members did not reveal similar neurological disorders. Total clinical course was about seven months.
Atypical atrial flutter: clinical features, electrophysiological characteristics and response to radiofrequency catheter ablation.

AIMS To evaluate the clinical and electrophysiological features of atypical atrial flutter (AAF) and its response to radiofrequency catheter ablation. METHODS AND RESULTS In 90 consecutive patients referred for sustained atrial flutter, bipolar recordings were obtained from the tricuspid annulus, coronary sinus, interatrial septum and left atrium. AAF was defined by the absence of concealed entrainment from the inferior vena cava--tricuspid annulus isthmus. Target sites were identified by early, fragmented or double potentials and by concealed entrainment. Linear lesions were created between target sites and nearby anatomical barriers in a temperature-controlled mode: 20 episodes of AAFs were documented in 19/90 (21%) patients. Mitral valve disease and surgery were significantly more frequent in patients with AAF. Target sites were identified in the right atrial free wall (n=8), interatrial septum (n=6), left atrium (n=4) and coronary sinus (n=2). Effective ablation was obtained in 15/19 patients (79%). After a 15.7 +/- 10.7 month follow-up, AAF recurred in 0/15 patients with a successful and 3/4 (75%) with a failed procedure (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Conventional mapping techniques enable identification of critical sites of AAF and allow successful ablation in the majority of cases.