Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physicochemical characterization of complement-interacting factors from Taenia taeniaeformis.

Complement-fixing activity was washed from the surface of metacestodes of Taenia taeniaeformis and characterized physicochemically by enzymatic digestion, gel filtration, anion exchange chromatography, ultracentrifugation, and gel electrophoresis. The results provided evidence of an association between antihemolytic activity and macromolecules containing carbohydrate, protein, sulphate, and hexosamine, heterogeneous in net negative charge but resistant to proteolysis and β-elimination reactions, and free of sialic and uronic acids. The most active fraction was eluted from DEAE-cellulose with 0.3 M NaCl in 0.01 M Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, and when parasites were incubated with a source of 35SO4--, radioactivity was incorporated into molecules eluting under identical conditions. Active chromatographic fractions precipitated with protamine sulphate, suggesting that they were polyanionic in nature. There was some evidence of dissociation of the active substance on polyacrylamide gels where fast moving sulphate-containing bands were observed which no longer reacted with protamine or C. The results are consistent with the possibility that the active substance is a polysulfated proteoglycan. Molecules of this nature have been detected on the surface of a variety of infectious organisms, and are known to interact with C nonimmunologically. Their location at host-parasite interfaces may have strategic significance in evasion of immune rejection and this possibility is discussed in relation to current understanding of immunity to T. taeniaeformis.
A Real-Time Thermal Model of a Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Motor

This paper presents a real-time thermal model with calculated parameters based on the geometry of the different components of a permanent-magnet synchronous motor. The model in state-space format has been discretized and a model-order reduction has been applied to minimize the complexity. The model has been implemented in a DSP and predicts the temperature of the different parts of the motor accurately in all operating conditions, i.e., steady-state, transient, and stall torque. The results have been compared with real measurements using temperature transducers showing very good performance of the proposed thermal model.
Interpolation-based precoding with limited feedback for MIMO-OFDM systems

The channel state information (CSI) at the transmitter can significantly improve the performance of multiple-antenna systems. However, providing full knowledge of CSI at the transmitter may not be affordable in many practical cases. Thus, exploiting the partial channel knowledge to improve system performance seems to be attractive. An interpolation based limited feedback precoding scheme (ILFP) for MIMO-OFDM systems is proposed. In this scheme, both the transmitter and the receiver store the codebook of precoding matrices constructed offline using two-variable joint vector quantisation. Considering the correlation between OFDM subcarriers, they are divided into subcarrier clusters. At the receiver, precoding is carried out on the clusters, and then the precoding information is conveyed to the transmitter by limited bits of feedback. At the transmitter, the precoding matrices for each subcarrier are obtained by interpolation according to the feedback. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms the existing schemes.
Cost-benefit evaluation of body computed tomography.

Cambridge Health Authority accepted the gift of a whole body computed tomography (CT) scanner and radiotherapy planning system for Addenbrooke's Hospital (AH) from a local charity in 1981. The charity was to provide funds for the maintenance and all running costs for the first 5 years. Acceptance of the gift was conditional on an evaluation of the use of body CT before any decision about subsequent funding was made. The results of this evaluation are presented here. A detailed assessment fo 150 consecutive CT studies was performed together with an audit of CT use. The costs of running the CT unit and an indirect measurement of the benefits brought about by body CT were evaluated. In 86% of patients the CT findings were considered likely to have a great contribution to clinical management; in less than 10% was little or no benefit likely. In most patients (68%) CT was considered to have been more useful than any alternative test(s) would have been. The total cost of CT during the financial year 1983-84 was 219,163 pounds and the average cost per CT study was 73 pounds. The assessment indicated annual benefits fo 673,385 pounds including the saving of 3,880 inpatient bed days, 760 outpatient visits and alternative tests costing 290,684 pounds p.a. Some corroborative evidence that these benefits have occurred is presented. This study suggests a cost benefit ratio of 1:3.07.
A rare case of a de novo dup(19q) associated with a mild phenotype

Partial trisomy of the long arm of chromosome 19q is an uncommon aneusomy and has been reported in only 18 cases. Fourteen of these were the result of unbalanced translocations. Only four cases were the result of pure duplications.1–4 The phenotype described includes microcephaly, heart malformations, anomalies of the genitourinary tract or gastrointestinal system, and growth retardation. Developmental delay is common (table 1) and the prognosis usually poor owing to the severity of the anomalies. View this table: Table 1 Clinical findings of live born partial trisomy 19q We present a child with a dir dup(19)(q13.1q13.3) de novo direct duplication. The origin of the extra material was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) using a whole chromosome paint probe for chromosome 19. The patient’s phenotype is less severe than previously reported and possibly reflects the different rearrangement breakpoints and concomitant extent of duplication. The proband was a female, born at 39 weeks of gestation to non-consanguineous, Caucasian parents. She was delivered by caesarean section for maternal reasons. Birth weight was 3555 g (>50th centile), length 52 cm (90th centile), and OFC 33.3 cm (>10th centile). Her Apgar scores were 9 at one minute and 10 at five minutes. She was the couple’s first child. Clinical examination at birth was normal. She had some difficulty breast feeding but managed well with bottle feeding. At 6 months of age there were concerns about her development. She was referred for assessment at the age of 11 months. Although she had good head control, was able to sit supported, and take weight on her forearms, she could not weight bear and had no words. She had an immature grasp. She appeared …
Intra-arterial neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical surgery and radiotherapy for stage IIb cervical carcinoma.

BACKGROUND The role of intra-arterial neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in the management of cervical carcinoma has not been established. The aim of this study was to determine whether pre-operative intra-arterial NAC is effective or not in patients with stage IIb cervical carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 28 patients with stage IIb cervical carcinoma (diameter > 4 cm) were treated with one cycle of intra-arterial NAC (cisplatin 70 mg/m2, and peplomycin sulfate 30 mg/m2 or doxorubicin 30 mg/m2) followed by radical surgery and post-operative radiotherapy. Immediate response, toxicity, survival, and prognostic factors for survival were evaluated. RESULTS The overall clinical response rate was 79% (22/28) with a complete response in 1 patient (4%). Radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy was feasible in 25 patients (89%) 4 weeks after chemotherapy. Toxicity were generally mild, and there were no intraoperative complications related to intra-arterial NAC. The estimated 2- and 5-year survival rates for the entire group were 93% and 80%, respectively, with a median followup time in survivors of 62 months. Univariate analysis showed the following to be significantly related to survival: histologic type, PCNA index, clinical response to intraarterial NAC, and lymph node metastasis. Survival was not significantly related to age, grade of differentiation, serum level of squamous cell carcinoma antigen, p53 protein expression, or residual parametrial involvement. Multivariate Cox's proportional hazard analysis showed that only the histologic type significantly influenced survival (p = 0.0007). The estimated 2- and 5-year survival rates were 100% and 94% for patients with squamous cell carcinoma, and 75% and 50% for those with adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS Intra-arterial NAC followed by surgery and radiotherapy appeared to be effective in treating patients with stage IIb cervical squamous cell carcinoma, but was not as effective in patients with stage IIb cervical adenocarcinoma.
Fabrication, Functionalization, and Application of Electrospun Biopolymer Nanofibers

The use of novel nanostructured materials has attracted considerable interest in the food industry for their utilization as highly functional ingredients, high-performance packaging materials, processing aids, and food quality and safety sensors. Most previous application interest has focused on the development of nanoparticles. However, more recently, the ability to produce non-woven mats composed of nanofibers that can be used in food applications is beginning to be investigated. Electrospinning is a novel fabrication technique that can be used to produce fibers with diameters below 100 nm from (bio-) polymer solutions. These nanofibers have been shown to possess unique properties that distinguish them from non-woven fibers produced by other methods, e.g., melt-blowing. This is because first the process involved results in a high orientation of polymers within the fibers that leads to mechanically superior properties, e.g., increased tensile strengths. Second, during the spinning of the fibers from polymer solutions, the solvent is rapidly evaporated allowing the production of fibers composed of polymer blends that would typically phase separate if spun with other processes. Third, the small dimensions of the fibers lead to very high specific surface areas. Because of this the fiber properties may be greatly influenced by surface properties giving rise to fiber functionalities not found in fibers of larger sizes. For food applications, the fibers may find uses as ingredients if they are composed solely of edible polymers and GRAS ingredients, (e.g., fibers could contain functional ingredients such as nutraceuticals, antioxidants, antimicrobials, and flavors), as active packaging materials or as processing aids (e.g., catalytic reactors, membranes, filters (Lala et al., 2007), and sensors (Manesh et al., 2007; Ren et al., 2006; Sawicka et al., 2005). This review is therefore intended to introduce interested food and agricultural scientists to the concept of nano-fiber manufacturing with a particular emphasis on the use of biopolymers. We will review typical fabrication set-ups, discuss the influence of process conditions on nanofiber properties, and then review previous studies that describe the production of biopolymer-based nanofibers. Finally we briefly discuss emerging methods to further functionalize fibers and discuss potential applications in the area of food science and technology.
Effect of excision repair by diploid human fibroblasts on the kinds and locations of mutations induced by (+/-)-7 beta,8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha,10 alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10- tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene in the coding region of the HPRT gene.

(+/-)-7 beta,8 alpha-Dihydroxy-9 alpha,10 alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10- tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BPDE) is a direct-acting carcinogen that forms DNA adducts only with purines, predominantly (greater than 95%) with guanine. To investigate the effect of nucleotide excision repair on the kinds and locations (spectra) of mutations induced in diploid human fibroblasts by BPDE, we synchronized cells and exposed them to BPDE either at the beginning of S phase just when the target gene hypoxanthine (guanine) phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) is replicated or 12 hr prior to the beginning of S phase (early G1 phase). Clones resistant to 6-thioguanine were isolated, and the mRNA in lysates of 100-500 cells from each mutant clone was used to synthesize cDNA. HPRT cDNA was amplified 10(11)-fold by the polymerase chain reaction and then sequenced directly. The mutants derived from the two populations did not differ in the kinds of mutations; 19/20 of the base substitutions in cells taken from S phase and 19/19 of those from G1 phase involved G.C base pairs, predominantly G.C----T.A. However, they differed significantly in the distribution of the mutations in the coding region of the gene. In the cells from G1 phase, 29% of the mutations were clustered within a unique run of six guanine bases; in the S-phase cells, only 4% were located there. Assuming that the premutagenic BPDE-induced lesions involved purines, in the cells treated at the beginning of S phase, 24% of these lesions were located in the transcribed strand, whereas in the G1-treated cells, none were. This suggests that in the HPRT gene of diploid human cells excision repair of BPDE adducts occurs preferentially on the transcribed strand.
Composing with Composed Waveforms having Multiple Cycle Lengths and Multiple Paths

To describe a sound in terms of the structure of its waveform, and not in terms of its acoustic appearance, is the compositional premise of these programs. As a music composer, I am interested in describing precisely the path of transformation I desire, then discovering what its acoustic consequences are, instead of describing precisely the acoustic consequences I desire, then doing what is needed to achieve them. wigout and TrikTraks are programs that allow for the structural specification of waveform states and how they change over time. A consequence of this procedure is that all aspects of the resulting sound (pitch, volume, color, and gestural behavior) are interdependent, continuously changing, and controlled by relatively few variables. This report describes some results of constructing states consisting of multiple cycle lengths, and some possibilities for using multiple paths.
Development of a Virtual Reality Haptic Veress Needle Insertion Simulator for Surgical Skills Training

The Veress needle is the most commonly used technique for creating the pneumoperitoneum at the start of a laparoscopic surgical procedure. Inserting the Veress needle correctly is crucial since errors can cause significant harm to patients. Unfortunately, this technique can be difficult to teach since surgeons rely heavily on tactile feedback while advancing the needle through the various layers of the abdominal wall. This critical step in laparoscopy, therefore, can be challenging for novice trainees to learn without adequate opportunities to practice in a safe environment with no risk of injury to patients. To address this issue, we have successfully developed a prototype of a virtual reality haptic needle insertion simulator using the tactile feedback of 22 surgeons to set realistic haptic parameters. A survey of these surgeons concluded that our device appeared and felt realistic, and could potentially be a useful tool for teaching the proper technique of Veress needle insertion.
A New Effect of Pattern on Perceived Lightness

By substituting mid-grey bars for the black bars in one region of a black-white grid, and for the white bars in another region, an apparent difference in the lightness of the grey bars in the two regions is produced. The grey bars alternating with the white bars look much lighter than those alternating with the black bars (figure 1). The effect is stronger at higher spatial frequencies; the illusion is enhanced by observing figure 1 from a distance of a few meters. However, this illusion, unlike the assimilation effect investigated by Helson and others (e.g., Helson 1963), does not disappear at low spatial frequencies; the new illusion is still present when figure 1 is observed from a distance of only a few centimeters.
Age-Specific Prevalence of Antibody to Rotavirus, Escherichia coli Heat-Labile Enterotoxin, Norwalk Virus, and Hepatitis A Virus in-a Rural Community in Thailand

A serological survey in rural Thailand demonstrated that inhabitants acquired antibody to rotavirus between the ages of 6 months and 6 years, to Norwalk virus between the ages of 4 and 5 years, and to hepatitis A between the ages of 6 and 35 years. Antibody of Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin was most prevalent between 1 and 4 years and 18 and 25 years of age.
The 13C-urea breath test as a predictor of intragastric bacterial load and severity of Helicobacter pylori gastritis.

BACKGROUND The urea breath test (UBT) has been proposed as the most accurate test for diagnosing Helicobacter pylori infection. The aim of this work was to evaluate the accuracy of the UBT and to compare the results with histologic and endoscopic findings in H. pylori infected patients. METHODS One-hundred-and-seventy-two consecutive dyspeptic outpatients were studied by means of endoscopy (with histology and culture), UBT (75 mg 13C-urea), and serology. Gastritis was classified in accordance with the Sydney criteria. In H. pylori positive patients, the bacterial load was assessed semiquantitatively, the number of bacteria in histologic specimens being counted. UBT results were expressed either as percentage cumulative dose of 13CO2 excreted at 1 h (CD60) or delta over baseline at 30' (DOB30). RESULTS Of 172 patients, 126 (73%) were H. pylori positive on histology or culture. Using a cut-off value of 3.3/1000 for DOB30, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the UBT were 96%, 93.5%, and 95.3%, respectively. A significant correlation was observed between DOB30 values and intragastric bacterial load (r = 0.32). Moreover, a significant difference in DOB30 values was found between patients sorted by the depth of inflammation (chi(2) = 4.36, p = 0.036). No correlation was observed between DOB30 and endoscopic findings in H. pylori positive subjects. CONCLUSIONS The UBT is an accurate non-invasive diagnostic tool and can be used to predict both the intragastric bacterial load and the severity of related gastritis.
Invasive aspergillosis in a paediatric haematology department: a 15‐year review

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is an increasingly common and often fatal fungal infection in children with haematological disorders. To describe the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of IA in children, retrospective review of the medical records of proven and probable IA between January 1986 and December 2000 was used. Twenty‐four patients with IA were identified (10 proven and 14 probable) with a median age of 8.5 years. The incidence of IA was particularly high in acute myeloblastic leukaemia (5.35%) and leukaemia relapse (4%). Twenty‐two patients presented with lung involvement. Broncho‐alveolar lavage led to a diagnosis in 11 cases, but diagnosis was difficult and repeated invasive explorations were required. Antifungal therapy mainly consisted of amphotericin B. Eight patients underwent open‐thorax surgery without any complication. Nine patients (37.5%) were cured of IA and three are still alive. The mortality was 87.5%. Three patients died of massive haemoptysis, including two before neutropenia recovery. Four patients presented with IA recurrence and three were cured again. Despite significant progress having been made in the treatment and diagnosis of IA, it is still a devastating complication in children with haematological disorders. New antifungal therapies and strategies are promising, but objective data are still lacking.
The Role of Nitric Oxide in Endotoxic Shock: Effects of NG‐Monomethyl‐L‐Arginine

Summary: The role of nitric oxide (NO) in the changes in blood pressure and plasma levels of nitrate and nitrite (NOx) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were determined over a 5‐h period in anesthesized rats after intravenous administration of S. typhosa endotoxin (LPS, 4 mg/kg). Rats treated with LPS showed a sustained fall in blood pressure accompanied by an increase in plasma NOx and ALT. Forty percent of these rats died during the experiment. There was no change in blood pressure in rats treated with dexamethasone (1 mg/kg) 1 h before and 2 h after LPS and the increase in NOx and ALT was significantly inhibited. None of the rats in this group died. Administration of 10 mg/kg of NG‐monomethyl‐L‐arginine (l‐NMMA) prevented the fall in blood pressure and partially prevented the increase in NOx and ALT. None of the animals in this group died. In contrast, 300 mg/kg of l‐NMMA caused an initial increase in blood pressure followed by a rapid fall and enhanced the increase in ALT while abolishing the elevation of NOx. All of these animals died before the end of the experiment. However, when rats treated with high doses of l‐NMMA were given a continuous infusion of S‐nitroso‐N‐acetylpenicillamine (SNAP, 300 μg/kg/h), the blood pressure was maintained at control levels and no mortality was observed. These results indicate that the NO synthetized by the inducible NO synthase plays a role in the hypotension and tissue damage of endotoxic shock and that the critical factor determining the difference between a beneficial or an adverse effect of l‐NMMA is the degree of inhibition of NO synthesis.
Accurate Pupil Center Location with the SIFT Descriptor and SVM Classifier

Locating the center of the pupils is the most important foundation and the core component of gaze tracking. The accuracy of gaze tracking largely depends on the quality of images, but additional constraints and large amount of calculation make gaze tracking impractical on high-resolution images. Although some eye-gaze trackers can get accurate result, improving the accuracy of pupil feature on low-resolution images and accurately recognizing closed eye images are still common tasks in the field of gaze estimation. Our aim is to get the accurate localization of pupil center on low-resolution image. To this aim, we proposed a simple but effective method which can accurately locate pupil center in real time. The method first gets initial eye center based on improved scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) descriptor and support vector machine (SVM) classifier, and then gets final position of the pupil center through a size variable correction rectangular block. In this paper, comparing with the reported state-of-the-art methods,the experimental results demonstrate that our system can achieve a more accurate result on low-resolution images. On top of that, our approach shows robustness on closed eye images while some other methods would not recognize the closed eye images.
A review of laser scanning three-dimensional digitisers

A large quantity of products are sold by their shape features, hence, process engineers are including more and more accurate 3D digitisers in their manufacturing assembly lines. Data acquisition and data processing speed are becoming important issues to be considered when choosing the right device to be incorporated in the inspection equipment without the loss of accuracy. This paper presents an exhaustive review of the state-of-the-art 3D laser scanning digitisers, and proposes a classification technique of such systems.