Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Olfactory receptor 51E1 protein as a potential novel tissue biomarker for small intestine neuroendocrine carcinomas.

OBJECTIVE Late diagnosis hinders proper management of small intestine neuroendocrine carcinoma (SI-NEC) patients. The olfactory receptor, family 51, subfamily E, member 1 (OR51E1) has been reported as a potential novel SI-NEC marker, without protein expression recognition. Thus, we further studied whether the encoded protein may be a novel SI-NEC clinical biomarker. DESIGN OR51E1 coding sequence was cloned using total RNA from SI-NEC patient specimens. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis explored OR51E1 expression in laser capture microdissected SI-NEC cells and adjacent microenvironment cells. Moreover, immunohistochemistry investigated OR51E1 protein expression on operation and biopsy material from primary SI-NECs, mesentery, and liver metastases from 70 patients. Furthermore, double immunofluorescence studies explored the potential co-localization of the vesicular monoamine transporter 1 (SLC18A1, generally referred to as VMAT1) and OR51E1 in the neoplastic cells and in the intestinal mucosa adjacent to the tumor. RESULTS OR51E1 coding sequence analysis showed absence of mutation in SI-NEC patients at different stages of disease. OR51E1 expression was higher in microdissected SI-NEC cells than in the adjacent microenvironment cells. Furthermore, both membranous and cytoplasmic OR51E1 immunostaining patterns were detected in both primary SI-NECs and metastases. Briefly, 18/43 primary tumors, 7/28 mesentery metastases, and 6/18 liver metastases were 'positive' for OR51E1 in more than 50% of the tumor cells. In addition, co-localization studies showed that OR51E1 was expressed in >50% of the VMAT1 immunoreactive tumor cells and of the enterochromaffin cells in the intestinal mucosa adjacent to the tumor. CONCLUSION OR51E1 protein is a potential novel clinical tissue biomarker for SI-NECs. Moreover, we suggest its potential therapeutic molecular target development using solid tumor radioimmunotherapy.
An industrial survey of requirements interdependencies in software product release planning

The task of finding an optimal selection of requirements for the next release of a software system is difficult as requirements may depend on each other in complex ways. The paper presents the results from an in-depth study of the interdependencies within 5 distinct sets of requirements, each including 20 high-priority requirements of 5 distinct products from 5 different companies. The results show that: (1) roughly 20% of the requirements are responsible for 75% of the interdependencies; (2) only a few requirements are singular; (3) customer-specific bespoke development tend to include more functionality- related dependencies whereas market-driven product development have an emphasis on value-related dependencies. Several strategies for reducing the effort needed for identifying and managing interdependencies are outlined. A technique for visualization of interdependencies with the aim of supporting release planning is also discussed. The complexity of requirements interdependency analysis is studied in relation to metrics of requirements coupling. Finally, a number of issues for further research are identified.
Consumer Choice as Constrained Imitation

A literal interpretation of neo-classical consumer theory suggests that the consumer solves a very complex problem. In the presence of indivisible goods, the consumer problem is NP-Hard, and it appears unlikely that it can be optimally solved by humans. An alternative approach is suggested, according to which the household chooses how to allocate its budget among product categories without necessarily being compatible with utility maximization. Rather, the household has a set of constraints, and among these it chooses an allocation in a case-based manner, influenced by choices of other, similar households, or of itself in the past. We offer an axiomatization of this model.
Variations of the Course of the Upper Trunk of the Brachial Plexus and their Clinical Significance for the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: A Study on 93 Cadavers

The aim of this study is the recording of the variations of the course of the upper trunk (UT) of the brachial plexus (BP) and their clinical significance for the thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) and the anesthetic blockade of the BP. Five different anatomical variations of the course of the UT of the BP, in relation to the anterior scalene muscle (ASM), were observed in 24 out of the 186 sides of the 93 cadavers we studied (12.9%). The C5 root was passing anteriorly to the ASM in six cases. The UT was located anteriorly to the ASM in four cases and was perforating the ASM's belly in 12 cases. In one cadaver, the ASM was double and the UT was passing between the two bellies of the double ASM. Finally, in another cadaver, the C5 root was found to be anterior to the anterior scalene muscle, while the C6 root was perforating the ASM's belly. These variations are predisposing factors for the TOS; they cause specific symptomatology and require a different surgical approach in comparison with other causes of the syndrome. Moreover, knowledge of these is important during the performance of the anesthetic blockade of the BP.
Presynaptic NMDA receptors act as local high‐gain glutamate detector in developing cerebellar molecular layer interneurons

In the classical view, NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are located postsynaptically and play a pivotal role in excitatory transmission and synaptic plasticity. In developing cerebellar molecular layer interneurons (MLIs) however, NMDARs are known to be solely extra‐ or presynaptic and somewhat poorly expressed. Somatodendritic NMDARs are exclusively activated by glutamate spillover from adjacent synapses, but the mode of activation of axonal NMDARs remains unclear. Our data suggest that a volume transmission is likely to stimulate presynaptic NMDARs (preNMDARs) since NMDA puffs directed to the axon led to inward currents and Ca2+ transients restricted to axonal varicosities. Using local glutamate photoliberation, we show that pre‐ and post‐synaptic NMDARs share the same voltage dependence indicating their containing NR2A/B subunits. Ca2+ transients elicited by NMDA puffs are eventually followed by delayed events reminding of the spontaneous Ca2+ transients (ScaTs) described at the basket cell/Purkinje cell terminals. Moreover, the presence of Ca2+ transients at varicosities located more than 5 μm away from the uncaging site indicates that the activation of preNMDARs sensitizes the Ca2+ stores in adjacent varicosities, a process that is abolished in the presence of a high concentration of ryanodine. Altogether, the data demonstrate that preNMDARs act as high‐gain glutamate detectors.
Lateral and Vertical Scaling of $\hbox{In}_{0.7} \hbox{Ga}_{0.3}\hbox{As}$ HEMTs for Post-Si-CMOS Logic Applications

In this paper, we have experimentally investigated the impact of lateral and vertical scaling of In<sub>0.7</sub>Ga<sub>0.3</sub>As high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) onto their logic performance. We have found that reducing the In<sub>0.52</sub>Al<sub>0.48</sub>As insulator thickness results in much better electrostatic integrity and improved short-channel behavior down to a gate length of around 60 nm. Our nearly enhancement-mode 60-nm HEMTs feature V<sub>T</sub> = -0.02 V, DIBL = 93 mV/V, <i>S</i> = 88 mV/V, and I<sub>ON</sub>/I<sub>OFF</sub> = 1.6 times10<sup>4</sup>, at <i>V</i> <sub>DD</sub> = 0.5 V. We also estimate a gate delay of CV/I = 1.6 ps at V<sub>DD</sub> = 0.5 V. We have benchmarked these devices against state-of-the-art Si CMOS. For the same leakage current, which includes the gate leakage current, the InGaAs HEMTs exhibit 1.2times more current drive (I<sub>ON</sub>) than the state-of-the-art 65-nm low-power CMOS technology at <i>V</i> <sub>DD</sub> = 0.5 V.
Nutrition, metabolic status and reproductive efficiency in dairy herds.

Nutrition of transition period in dairy cows dramatically increases requirements for energy, glucose, amino acids and other nutrients in dairy cows and, parallel to that, feed intake is depressed. An insufficient or imbalanced nutrient intake might lead to the malfunction of organs, causing reproductive failure. To minimize the metabolic/reproductive damage caused by negative energy balance (NEBAL), feeding of a glucogenic and lipogenic diet containing fat-enriched supplements is recommended. In heat-stressed dairy cows, the reduction of dry matter intake causes an energy deficit, thereby accentuating NEBAL. Heat stress may also have a direct impact on oocyte quality due to the high ovarian temperatures. The intrauterine environment is also compromised in heat-stressed cows, with reduced blood flow to the uterus and increased uterine temperature; this may impair embryonic development, increase early embryonic loss and reduce the proportion of successful inseminations. Postpartum NEBAL suppresses immune function and promotes metabolic disorders, potentially explaining relationships between infectious and noninfectious transition disorders. In postpartum dairy cows, pathologic ovarian phenomena including ovulatory (cystic corpora lutea) and non-ovulatory (follicular and luteal cysts) forms frequently occur causing decreased fertility. The main objective of this review was summarizing the most relevant information regarding nutrition and reproduction in dairy cows.
Mix Design Development for Pervious Concrete in Cold Weather Climates

Portland cement pervious concrete (PCPC) is increasingly being used in the United States in sidewalks and parking lots due to its benefits in reducing the amount of runoff water and improving water quality. In the United States, PCPC typically has high porosity and low strength, which has resulted in limited use of pervious concrete in hard wet freeze environments (i.e., the Midwest and Northeast). The purpose of this research is to develop a PCPC mix that not only has sufficient porosity for stormwater infiltration, but also desirable strength and freeze-thaw durability. In this research, concrete mixes were designed with various sizes and types of aggregates, water-to-binder ratios, binder contents, and amounts of admixtures. Porosity, permeability, strength, and freeze-thaw durability of these mixes were evaluated. Preliminary research results indicated that the use of single-sized aggregate could provide concrete with high porosity but not adequate strength. Above a certain level, increasing cement content resulted in a reduced concrete porosity with insignificant influence on concrete strength. Using sand and latex significantly improved the workability of PCPC and resulted in higher strength, appropriate permeability, and freeze-thaw resistance at 180 cycles to date.
EVOLUTION OF INTRINSIC GROWTH AND ENERGY ACQUISITION RATES. I. TRADE‐OFFS WITH SWIMMING PERFORMANCE IN MENIDIA MENIDIA

Abstract Latitudinal populations of the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia, show substantial genetic variation in rates of energy acquistion and allocation. Reared in common environments, silversides from northern latitudes consume more food, grow faster and more efficiently, store more energy, and produce greater quantities of eggs than their southern conspecifics. The persistence of seemingly inferior southern genotypes in the face of ostensibly superior northern genotypes suggest that there are hidden evolutionary trade‐offs associated with these elevated acquisition and allocation rates. We tested the hypothesis that rapid growth and high levels of food consumption trade‐off against locomotory performance in M. menidia. We compared both aerobic (prolonged and endurance) and anaerobic (burst) swimming capacities between intrinsically fast‐growing fish from the north (Nova Scotia, NS) and intrinsically slow‐growing fish from the south (South Carolina, SC) and between growth‐manipulated phenotypes within each population. We also compared swimming speeds and endurance between fasted and recently fed fish within populations. Maximum prolonged and burst swimming speeds of NS fish were significantly lower than those of SC fish, and swimming speeds of fast‐growing phenotypes were lower than those of slow‐growing phenotypes within populations. Fed fish had lower burst speeds and less endurance than fasted fish from the same population. Thus, high rates of growth and the consumption of large meals clearly diminish swimming performance, which likely increases vulnerability to predation and decreases survival and relative fitness. The submaximal growth rate of southern M. menidia appears to be adaptive, resulting from balancing selection on rates of somatic growth.
Honeycomb-like disk resonator with high immunity to fabrication error for gyroscopic application

This paper reports a novel honeycomb-like disk resonator for gyroscopic application. Compared with the state of the art nested-rings disk resonator, the honeycomb-like disk resonator can provide more than two-fold higher immunity to the fabrication error, which means that structure imperfection could cause less relative frequency error. The honeycomb-like disk resonator also shows much higher resonant frequency which results in superiorities in robustness to the environment disturbance and mechanical resolution.
DRM Effect: False Memories or False Responses

Memory can be a tricky thing. The reconstructive nature of memory can lead to many problems. These problems are discussed in the context of the conflict over recovered memories of sexual abuse. The DRM paradigm is introduced and used to explore false memories. The current experiment modifies the typical DRM experiment by introducing a condition where the prototype is shown. Subjects were able to distinguish between prototypes shown and not shown as well as any other word type, however, they were biased strongly towards reporting that a prototype was old. There are two different interpretations of these results that are discussed and possible avenues to clarify the issue are suggested.
Review of Neural Networks for Speech Recognition

The performance of current speech recognition systems is far below that of humans. Neural nets offer the potential of providing massive parallelism, adaptation, and new algorithmic approaches to problems in speech recognition. Initial studies have demonstrated that multilayer networks with time delays can provide excellent discrimination between small sets of pre-segmented difficult-to-discriminate words, consonants, and vowels. Performance for these small vocabularies has often exceeded that of more conventional approaches. Physiological front ends have provided improved recognition accuracy in noise and a cochlea filter-bank that could be used in these front ends has been implemented using micro-power analog VLSI techniques. Techniques have been developed to scale networks up in size to handle larger vocabularies, to reduce training time, and to train nets with recurrent connections. Multilayer perceptron classifiers are being integrated into conventional continuous-speech recognizers. Neural net architectures have been developed to perform the computations required by vector quantizers, static pattern classifiers, and the Viterbi decoding algorithm. Further work is necessary for large-vocabulary continuous-speech problems, to develop training algorithms that progressively build internal word models, and to develop compact VLSI neural net hardware.
Molecular Communication and Networking: Opportunities and Challenges

The ability of engineered biological nanomachines to communicate with biological systems at the molecular level is anticipated to enable future applications such as monitoring the condition of a human body, regenerating biological tissues and organs, and interfacing artificial devices with neural systems. From the viewpoint of communication theory and engineering, molecular communication is proposed as a new paradigm for engineered biological nanomachines to communicate with the natural biological nanomachines which form a biological system. Distinct from the current telecommunication paradigm, molecular communication uses molecules as the carriers of information; sender biological nanomachines encode information on molecules and release the molecules in the environment, the molecules then propagate in the environment to receiver biological nanomachines, and the receiver biological nanomachines biochemically react with the molecules to decode information. Current molecular communication research is limited to small-scale networks of several biological nanomachines. Key challenges to bridge the gap between current research and practical applications include developing robust and scalable techniques to create a functional network from a large number of biological nanomachines. Developing networking mechanisms and communication protocols is anticipated to introduce new avenues into integrating engineered and natural biological nanomachines into a single networked system. In this paper, we present the state-of-the-art in the area of molecular communication by discussing its architecture, features, applications, design, engineering, and physical modeling. We then discuss challenges and opportunities in developing networking mechanisms and communication protocols to create a network from a large number of bio-nanomachines for future applications.
Global Epidemiology of Hepatitis B Virus

The burden of hepatitis B virus (HBV) disease and efforts to control infection will determine the future size of the population requiring treatment of HBV infection. To quantify the current prevalence of HBV infection and to reexamine the epidemiology of HBV infection, a structured review was conducted that focused on available primary literature for over 30 countries worldwide. The prevalence of chronic HBV infection continues to be highly variable, ranging over 10% in some Asian and Western Pacific countries to under 0.5% in the United States and northern European countries. The current global estimate of the number of HBV infected individuals is 350 million. Routes of transmission include vertical (mother to child or generation to generation through close contact and sanitary habits), early life horizontal transmission (through bites, lesions, and sanitary habits), and adult horizontal transmission (through sexual contact, intravenous drug use, and medical procedure exposure) and are evident to varying degrees in every country. Younger age at acquisition of infection continues to be the most important predictor of chronic carriage. However, the choice of serologic markers, temporal influences, and representativeness of the study population limit comparability of HBV seroprevalence results. HBV vaccination programs will decrease the future global burden of HBV infection and evidence of reduced burden is mounting in country-specific populations, but vaccination programs have still not been implemented in all countries, thereby maintaining reservoirs of infection and continued HBV transmission. Regardless of vaccination, large numbers of persons are infected with HBVor will become infected. Preventing the most severe HBV disease consequences in infected individuals, such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, will require appropriate therapeutic agents.
Reliability analysis of an LCL tuned track segmented bi-directional inductive power transfer system

Bi-directional Inductive Power Transfer (BDIPT) technique is suitable for renewable energy based applications such as electric vehicles (EVs), for the implementation of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems. Recently, more efforts have been made by researchers to improve both efficiency and reliability of renewable energy systems to further enhance their economical sustainability. This paper presents a comparative reliability study between a typical BDIPT system and an individually controlled segmented BDIPT system. Steady state thermal simulation results are provided for different output power levels for a 1.5 kW BDIPT system in a MATLAB/Simulink environment. Reliability parameters such as failure rate and mean time between failures (MTBF) are compared between the two systems. A nonlinear programming (NP) model is developed for optimizing charging schedule for a stationery EV. A case study of EV optimum charging is provided for a 24 hours period indicating minimum cost and higher reliability.
A simple and effective filter based on the rank difference

We have developed a simple and effective filter for edge detection, called the rank difference filter. This filter is simple, employing only integer operations to implement and generates results comparable to or better than more complex edge detectors such as the Laplacian of Gaussian and the Canny (1986). For each pixel, we first apply two different rank filters. We then take the difference of the two rank filter results and assign it to that pixel. The parameters that determine the behavior of the rank difference filter are: (i) the alignment pixel location in the filter kernel, (ii) the kernel's shape, (iii) the kernel's size, and (iv) the values of the upper and lower rank numbers. This filter has properties that out-perform those of other filters especially when applied to images corrupted by uniform noise. In addition, the rank difference filter can also be used as a selective morphologic filter.
EVALUATION OF BIOCHEMICAL COMPONENT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF SOME SEAWEEEDS OCCURRING AT KARACHI COAST

Nutritionally valuable seaweeds are being used as fresh or dried vegetables or as ingredients in wide variety of prepared foods. Interest in seaweeds has increased markedly through out the world due to their value in nutrition and in medicine. In this study 16 seaweed species collected from Karachi coast were examined for the estimation of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), calcium and 9 for protein, carbohydrate and lipid contents. Lipid content was found less as compared to carbohydrate and protein in most of the brown and red seaweeds. All the seaweeds showed the presence of calcium at varying concentrations, while ascorbic acid was found in fourteen seaweeds in considerable amount. Intake of edible seaweeds having ascorbic acid and calcium may protect the human from the diseases related to deficiency of calcium and vitamin C. Microbes and microbial infection remains a threat to human life. In this study, ethanol extract of 5 seaweeds were screened for antibacterial activity, while 9 tested against root rotting fungi. Most of the brown species had shown potent antimicrobial activity followed by red algal species. The highest antibacterial activity was found in ethanol extract of brown seaweed species Dictyota dichotoma var intricata and D.indica against Salmonella typhimurium followed by D. indica and Halimeda tuna against Bacillus subtilis with a zone of inhibition of 15, 15, 14, and 14 mm respectively. Dictyota dichotoma var. intricata, D.indica, Sargassum lanceolatum and red Melanothamnus afaqhusainii produced a zone of inhibition of 11, 10, 9, 11mm respectively against gram negative bacteria Salmonella typhimurium even at lowest concentration of 2mg/disc. The ethanol extract of most of the species was found less active against tested fungi (Rhizoctonia solani, Macrophomina phaseolina, Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum). Only two brown seaweeds Sargassum ilicifolium and Cystoseira indica had shown antifungal activity to some extent.