Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Prevalence and Characteristics of Tinnitus with Profound Sensori-Neural Hearing Impairment

This study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of tinnitus in 331 children with profound hearing impairment Tinnitus implies an auditory perception of internal origin (noise) rarely heard by others. In view of the medical significance of tinnitus in adults, it is reasonable to believe that the same in children may have significant implications for medical and rehabilitative management. In the current study, one out of every three children had tinnitus. This finding raises some professional challenges regarding the effect of tinnitus on the affected children's behavior and performance in school.
Walking machines for exploration - optimizing the energy spendings

The studies of energy consumption during tripod gait of six-legged walking machines are presented. The method used for energy evaluation is outlined and the results are presented. The energy consumption during support phase, which is the most demanding phase, is analyzed. The energy consumption is expressed in the normalized form, depending on the normalized leg proportions, body height and step length. The aim of the studies is to deliver the designers the information about favorable leg proportions from the point of view of energy consumption and to illustrate how the leg posture influences the energy demand.
Clinical characteristics of Korean pediatric patients critically ill with influenza A (H1N1) virus

Novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection has persisted mainly through person‐to‐person transmission in schools. However, data on critically ill patients infected with H1N1 are currently limited. This study was conducted to investigate the epidemiological characteristics, clinical features, treatment modalities, and clinical outcomes of pediatric patients critically ill with H1N1 infection.
Pattern descriptors for UWB antennas

Three descriptors of antenna performance appropriate for ultrawide-band (UWB) applications are proposed and described: energy pattern, correlated energy pattern, and correlation coefficient pattern. The parameters are indicative of how a particular antenna will behave with a receiver employing correlation detection of broadband pulses. Numerical simulations of canonical dipole antennas demonstrate the significance of these parameters. In particular, there are substantial differences between total energy quantities and correlated energy quantities, showing that consistency of radiated pulse shape is a critical issue in UWB antenna performance. A further numerical example using crossed linear dipoles shows that even an antenna system exhibiting an isotropic radiation pattern at all frequencies does not provide an isotropic correlated energy pattern and hence cannot provide truly omnidirectional performance when pulse fidelity is considered.
High-Isolation CMOS T/R Switch Design Using a Two-Stage Equivalent Transmission Line Structure

A fully integrated Ku-band transmit/receive (T/R) switch based on a two-stage equivalent transmission line structure has been designed using a 180-nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process. An analysis shows a relation between the series inductance and turn-on resistance for high isolation. A stack structure with feed-forward capacitors was chosen as a means of improving the power-handling capability of the switch. A low insertion loss (IL) of the switch was achieved by eliminating series transistors. The measured minimum ILs of the switch in the transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) modes are 2.7 dB and 2.3 dB, respectively. The measured isolations in the TX and RX modes are greater than 34 and 25 dB, respectively, from 15 to 18 GHz. The design reaches a measured input 1-dB power compression point ( $IP_{1}dB$ ) of 22 dBm at 17 GHz. The switch achieves stringent isolation, insertion loss, and power-handling capability requirements along with the capability of full integration, demonstrating its great potential for use in fully integrated CMOS T/R chips.
Endothelial IQGAP1 regulates efficient lymphocyte transendothelial migration

Leukocyte movement from the blood to the tissues is a fundamental process in acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. While the role of endothelial cells (EC) to recruit leukocytes to sites of inflammation is well known, the mechanisms that control remodeling of EC shape and adhesive contacts during leukocyte transendothelial migration (TEM) are not completely understood. We studied the role of IQGAP1, an adaptor protein that binds to filamentous‐actin and microtubules (MT) at interendothelial junctions, during lymphocyte TEM. EC IQGAP1 knockdown decreases MT tethered to the adherens junction, and decreases lymphocyte TEM to ∼70% (p<0.05) versus control. Similarly, loss of adherens junction‐associated MT induced by brief nocodazole (ND) treatment decreases lymphocyte TEM to ∼65% of control (p<0.01). Confocal microscopy imaging indicates that EC IQGAP1 knockdown and MT depolymerization both result in lymphocyte accumulation above the vascular endothelial cadherin (VE‐cadherin) junctions and reduces the fraction of adherent lymphocytes that complete diapedesis across interendothelial cell junctions. However, we observe no change in VE‐cadherin gap formation underlying adherent lymphocytes among control, IQGAP1 knockdown, or MT depolymerised EC monolayers. These data indicate that IQGAP1 contributes to MT stability at endothelial junctions. Further, IQGAP1 is involved in junction remodeling required for efficient lymphocyte diapedesis, independent of VE‐cadherin gap formation.
A review on Face Detection and study of Viola Jones method

— This paper describes the necessity and adopted methods to detect a human face. Since the data is computed by the computer, many algorithms are developed to detect a face. Some of the key challenges for the process of face detection are discussed. Four general face detection methods that are universally used are elaborated with their capabilities, advantages and disadvantages. A rapid approach to detect face developed by viola and jones is explained in brief. The 4 main concepts involved in the viola jones method such as haar features, integral image, Adaboost and classifier cascade are demonstrated.
Ultrastructural Characterization of the Interaction of Bluetongue Virus with Bovine Erythrocytes in vitro

creas contained multiple green to black nodular foci. Tissue samples submitted in 10% neutral buffered formalin included adrenal gland, pancreas, skeletal muscle, lung, and liver. The samples were trimmed, paraffin embedded, sectioned at 6 pm, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The adrenal gland contained an infiltrative, deeply pigmented neoplastic mass that effaced foci of the glandular architecture and had invaded the capsule (Fig. 3). The cells formed dense sheets with occasional clusters or packets surrounded by modest amounts of collagenous stroma. The neoplastic melanocytic cells were primarily epithelioid with round to oval vesicular nuclei of various sizes with marginated chromatin and one to two prominent nucleoli (Fig. 4). Occasional markedly anaplastic multinucleated cells with bizarre giant hyperchromatic nuclei containing coarsely clumped chromatin and enlarged nucleoli were randomly interspersed (Fig. 5). The cytoplasm of the tumor cells contained admixtures of fine to coarse brownish black melanin granules. Mitotic activity was infrequent, ranging from 0 to l per highpower field (0.23 mm diameter). There was patchy fibroplasia within the glandular parenchyma. Aggregates of malignant melanocytes were within venules and lymphatics. Within the pancreas, a metastatic nodule had effaced normal architecture and compressed peripheral exocrine acini. Large tumor emboli were within lymphatic vessels of the adjacent mesentery. The lung and skeletal muscle also contained metastatic melanocytic nodules. The lung had a large focus of caseous necrosis, with principally heterophilic inflammation. Portions of the air sac adjacent to the lung had extensive fibrinoheterophilic inflammation. Occasional melanocytic cells were within hepatic sinusoids, but there were no distinct neoplastic nodules. Malignant melanomas are exceptionally rare in birds. In the penguin, either a cutaneous or adrenal origin was considered, because the cell lines from both sites are of neuroectodermal (neural crest) origin5 and because of the morphologic similarities in the neoplastic cells. The dearth of reports regarding malignant melanocytic neoplasms in avian species made determination of a site of origin in this bird conjectural; however, a cutaneous origin with adrenal metastasis was thought to be most likely. In the red-tailed hawk, the neoplasm, which in this case had marked degrees of anaplasia and cellular atypia in all sites, most likely originated from the adrenal gland and metastasized systemically. Acknowledgements
e-Learning: The student experience

The paper draws on in-depth qualitative. comments from student evaluation of an e-learning module on an MSc in Information Technologies and Management, to develop a picture of their perspective on the experience. Questionnaires that yielded some basic quantitative data and a rich seam of qualitative data were administered. General questions on satisfaction and dissatisfaction identified the criteria that student used in evaluation, while specific questions of aspects of the module generated some insights into the student learning process. The criteria used by students when expressing satisfaction are: synergy between theory and practice; specific subject themes; discussion forums and other student interaction; and, other learning support. The themes that are associated with dissatisfaction include: robustness and usability of platform; access to resources (such as articles and books); currency of study materials; and, student work scheduling. Aspects of the student learning experience that should inform the development of e-learning include: each student engages differently; printing means that students use the integrated learning environment as a menu; discussion threads and interaction are appreciated, but students are unsure in making contributions; and, expectations about the tutor's role in e-learning are unformed.
In vitro study of the effectiveness of different dressings for debriding fibrin in blood clots from horses

Franz diffusion cells containing uniformly dehydrated equine blood clots to simulate fibrinous eschar were used to measure the rate of debridement of fibrin by novel and traditional wound dressings, under standardised conditions of temperature, pH and humidity. Significant increases in protein breakdown occurred within 24 hours with all the dressings, but not thereafter. In general, dressings hydrated in normal saline were better as debriding agents than dressings hydrated in water. Autolytic debriding agents were 47 per cent more effective than chemical debriding agents; specifically, hydrofibre and gauze dressings hydrated in saline broke down more than 3500 μg/ml of protein whereas dressings impregnated with proteolytic enzymatic agents digested less than 1400 μg/ml.
A comparative bioavailability study of two formulations of pregabalin in healthy Chilean volunteers

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetic parameters between two brands of pregabalin in healthy Chilean volunteers. Methods: A randomized, single-dose, two-period, two-sequence, crossover study design with a 2-week washout period was conducted in healthy Chilean males. Plasma samples were collected over a 12-hour period after administration of 150 mg pregabalin in each period. A validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography with positive ionization mass spectrometric detection method was used to analyze pregabalin concentration in plasma. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined using a noncompartmental method. Bioequivalence between the test and reference products was determined when the ratio for the 90% confidence intervals (CIs) of the difference in the means of the log-transformed area under the curve (AUC)0-t, AUC0-∞, and maximum concentration (Cmax) of the two products were within 0.80 and 1.25. Results: The study was carried out on 22 healthy Chilean volunteers. The mean (SD) Cmax, AUC0-t and AUC0-∞ of the test formulation (PregobinTM) of pregabalin were 2.10 (0.56) µg/ml, 10.35 (2.00) µgxh/ml and 13.92 (2.74) µgxh/ml, respectively. The mean (SD) Cmax, AUC0-t and AUC0- ∞ of the reference formulation (LyricaTM) of pregabalin were 2.15 (0.52) µg/ml, 10.31 (1.85) µgxh/ml and 13.78 (2.25) µgxh/ml, respectively. The parametric 90% CIs for C max, AUC0-t, and AUC0-∞ were 0.97—1.13, 1.01—1.04, and 0.98—1.02, respectively. Conclusions: These results suggest that both products are bioequivalent and can be used as interchangeable options in the clinical setting.
Accompagner les projets pluriactifs en contexte de précarité : une expérience de formation/accompagnement dans le Haut Languedoc (Hérault)

La nouvelle attractivite des territoires ruraux va de pair avec le developpement de systemes d'activites pluriactifs, eloignes du modele entrepreneurial et fragilises par la crise de la societe salariale. Inscrits dans des trajectoires professionnelles incertaines que renforce la complexite des projets pluriactifs, les porteurs de projet trouvent difficilement l'accompagnement qui leur serait necessaire. Outil d'emergence du projet en fort contexte d'incertitude, l'accompagnement devrait pourtant etre adapte a la construction de projets pluriactifs. Afin d'analyser les attentes devolues a l'accompagnement et leur adequation a des formes d'accompagnement construites au plus pres des projets, le Cirad a mene de janvier a octobre 2008 une experimentation de formation/accompagnement a la mise en place d'activites pluriactives. L'experimentation montre que c'est a l'interieur de cadres souples et d'echanges collectifs que l'accompagnement permet au mieux de depasser les facteurs de precarite contenus dans les projets pluriactifs etudies. (Resume d'auteur)
Polyphosphoinositide synthesis and platelet shape change

Polyphosphoinositides both integrate signaling pathways at the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane and serve as the final messenger of signaling pathways. They have a well‐defined role in the release of calcium through the degradative pathway. Recent work, however, has highlighted the role of the polyphosphoinositide synthetic pathways in activated cells. This review emphasizes the role of polyphosphoinositides in recruiting signaling proteins that have pleckstrin homology domains and in directly regulating actin assembly in the human blood platelet.
Race- and rank-specific infant mortality in a US military population.

The focus of the study by Rawlings and Weir 1 in this issue of AJDC is straightforward: do poverty and lack of access to health care account for a mortality rate among black infants that is twice that for white infants in the United States? To examine this question, Rawlings and Weir compare race- and rank-specific infant mortality rates for military dependents at an Army Medical Center in Washington. They conclude that neither rank (a proxy for income differences) nor race significantly influenced infant mortality rates in the context of ready access to health care. This conclusion is based on the statistically comparable rates of infant mortality among white and black military dependents. Furthermore, the mortality rate among black infants studied was significantly lower than the national average for black infants (11.1 per 1000 vs 17.9 per 1000). These findings are a cause for cautious optimism. This study demonstrates that in
A Sliding Mode Control based on Nonlinear Disturbance Observer for the Mobile Manipulator

A sliding mode control based on nonlinear disturbance observer is presented in this paper considering the tracking control of mobile manipulators. The proposed control strategy adopts the nonlinear observer to estimate the bounded external disturbances and overcome the effects. In addition, the stability of the controller is verified by Lyapunov theory. Finally, the simulation results verify the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
AdaStorm: Resource Efficient Storm with Adaptive Configuration

Storm is a popular real-time processing system. However, our earlier experiment shows that the fixed configuration of Storm would lead to either significant resource waste or limited processing throughput. In this demonstration, we present AdaStorm, a system to dynamically adjust the Storm configuration according to current data stream properties. AdaStorm is designed to minimize the resource usage while still ensuring the same or even better real-time response. We will demonstrate that AdaStorm can achieve resource efficiency as well as data rate tolerance, compared to Storm system with fixed configuration. Video: https://youtu.be/YFPBFNdMbXM.
Constructing hierarchical sulfur-doped nitrogenous carbon nanosheets for sodium-ion storage

Hierarchical sulfur-doped nitrogenous carbon (S/NC) and nitrogenous carbon (NC) nanosheets are successfully fabricated by carbonization of their corresponding precursor polymers which are synthesized through the polymerization reaction of dianhydride and multi-amine compounds. Hierarchical S/NC nanosheets deliver greatly enhanced reversible capacity, compared with hierarchical NC nanosheets, of 280 mAh g−1 at a current density of 100 mA g−1 after 300 cycles. It is found that the introduction of sulfur species in carbon skeleton results in increasing the turbostratic structures, rather than enlarging the interlayer distances, for boosting the specific capacity of sodium-ion storage. The turbostratic structures and sulfur dopant existed in the carbon can offer more active sites for the sodium-ion storage. Carbon-based materials doped with sulfur are capable of improving the sodium-ion storage property, which can broaden the horizon of designing a string of outstanding carbon materials for the future energy storage technologies.
Energy use, CO2 emissions and economic growth – causality on a sample of SEE countries

Abstract The primary aim of this study is to examine the causal relations between energy use, CO2 emissions and economic growth, using the examples of Greece and Bulgaria. The empirical evidence on South Eastern Europe (SEE) considering this research is quite sparse, so there is merit in the analysis of the paper. Vector Error Correction model with annual data from 1980 to 2010 has been used in order to determine potential causality between the variables. The empirical findings indicate that, in the long run there is causality from energy and CO2 emissions to economic growth in both countries. In the short run, there is no causality between energy and economic growth neither on Greece nor on Bulgaria. Based on the results of the analysis certain recommendations can be presented considering energy policy in the long run, through the orientation to saving energy could have negative impact on economic growth.
Antibiotic Resistance and Production of Inhibitory Substances among Bacterial Strains Isolated from the Oral Cavities of BALB/c Mice

In the oral cavities of BALB/c mice, microbial population levels are regulated by multifactorial processes. Factors include the production of inhibitory substances and the exchange of genetic material. In this work, 371 isolates from different sites (saliva, tongue, teeth, and mucosa) of the oral cavities of BALB/c mice were screened for resistance to antibiotics and antimicrobial activity. Antibiotic-resistant strains represented 25% of the total flora. Among the predominant species, all the S. faecalis isolates showed multiresistance, and 23% of the Lactobacillus murinus isolates and 15% of the Staphylococcus aurcus were resistant to at least one antibiotic. Resistance to aminoglycosides (neomycin, streptomycin, kanamycin, and gentamicin) was most frequently encountered. In S. faecalis, high levels of resistance were recorded to neomycin and streptomycin but not to gentamicin or kanamycin. Macrolides (M), lincosamides (L), streptogramin B (S), tetracycline (Tc), and chloramphenicol (Cm) resistance was also present in multiresistance patterns, especially among S. faecalis isolates. Hemolytic (Hly+) streptococci were less resistant to MLS, Tc, and Cm than were non-hemolytic (Hly-) isolates. Resistance to β-lactam antibiotics was detected only among staphylococci and with a low prevalence (4%). The frequencies of strains producing antimicrobial substances against the indicator strains (S. mutans LG-1, S. sanguis Ny 101, and A. viscosus Ny 1) were high for L. murinus (76%) and S. faecalis (57% for Hly- and 90% for Hly+), but low for S. aurcus (7%). These results indicate that the indigenous oral flora could interfere with colonization by allochthonous micro-organisms and that resistance patterns should be taken into account for the elimination of the oral indigenous flora by antibiotic treatment. The indigenous oral flora could thus interfere with dental caries assays in mice.
On maximum-length linear congruential-sequences-based low-density parity-check codes

This letter extends a low-density parity-check code construction using maximum-length linear congruential sequences by Prabhakar and Narayanan. The corresponding bipartite graphs of their construction were guaranteed to have a girth larger than four by a sufficient condition. However, their sufficient condition was limited to regular codes and data-node degree equal to three. The extension in this letter allows arbitrary data-node degrees and is applicable to irregular codes. Further, simpler sufficient conditions are derived and larger girths are addressed.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Fusion Protein Subunit F2, Not Attachment Protein G, Determines the Specificity of RSV Infection

ABSTRACT Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) and bovine RSV (BRSV) infect human beings and cattle in a species-specific manner. We have here analyzed the contribution of RSV envelope proteins to species-specific entry into cells. In contrast to permanent cell lines, primary cells of human or bovine origin, including differentiated respiratory epithelia, peripheral blood lymphocytes, and macrophages, showed a pronounced species-specific permissivity for HRSV and BRSV infection, respectively. Recombinant BRSV deletion mutants lacking either the small hydrophobic (SH) protein gene or both SH and the attachment glycoprotein (G) gene retained their specificity for bovine cells, whereas corresponding mutants carrying the HRSV F gene specifically infected human cells. To further narrow the responsible region of F, two reciprocal chimeric F constructs were assembled from BRSV and HRSV F1 and F2 subunits. The specificity of recombinant RSV carrying only the chimeric F proteins strictly correlated with the origin of the membrane-distal F2 domain. A contribution of G to the specificity of entry could be excluded after reintroduction of BRSV or HRSV G. Virus with F1 and G from BRSV and with only F2 from HRSV specifically infected human cells, whereas virus expressing F1 and G from HRSV and F2 from BRSV specifically infected bovine cells. The introduction of G enhanced the infectivities of both chimeric viruses to equal degrees. Thus, the role of the nominal attachment protein G is confined to facilitating infection in a non-species-specific manner, most probably by binding to cell surface glycosaminoglycans. The identification of the F2 subunit as the determinant of RSV host cell specificity facilitates identification of virus receptors and should allow for development of reagents specifically interfering with RSV entry.