Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of a MEMS DC electric current sensor applicable to two-wire electrical appliance cord

A non-drive, non-contact MEMS DC electric current sensor to satisfy the increasing needs of DC power supply for monitoring the electricity consumption by either one-wire or two-wire appliance cord has been newly proposed. A micro magnet is integrated into the MEMS-scale DC sensor and the appropriate position for locating the micro magnet has been theoretically pinpointed. A macro-scale prototype DC sensor was therefore fabricated, and an impulse piezoelectric voltage output could be clearly detected out when a DC electric current was applied to a two-wire electrical appliance cord. A linear relationship between the detected peak value of the impulse output voltage and the applied DC electric current was further obtained based on the preliminary measurements.
Higher maternal TSH levels in pregnancy are associated with increased risk for miscarriage, fetal or neonatal death.

BACKGROUND To examine the relationship between maternal TSH and free thyroxine (FT(4)) concentrations in early pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage, fetal or neonatal death. METHOD Cohort study of 2497 Dutch women. TSH, FT(4), and thyroid peroxidase antibodies concentrations were determined at first booking. Child loss was operationalized as miscarriage, fetal or neonatal death. Women with overt thyroid dysfunction were excluded. RESULTS Twenty-seven cases of child loss were observed. The mean TSH and FT(4) level in the women with child loss was 1.48 mU/l and 9.82 pmol/l compared with 1.11 mU/l and 9.58 pmol/l in women without child loss. The incidence of child loss increased by 60% (OR=1.60 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-2.47)) for every doubling in TSH concentration. This association remained after adjustment for smoking, age, parity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, previous preterm deliveries, and previous preterm stillbirth/miscarriage (adjusted odds ratio=1.80 (95% CI: 1.07-3.03)). This was not true for FT(4) concentrations (OR=1.41 (95% CI: 0.21-9.40); P=0.724). CONCLUSION In a cohort of pregnant women without overt thyroid dysfunction, the risk of child loss increased with higher levels of maternal TSH. Maternal FT(4) concentrations and child loss were not associated.
Age Effects in Dichotic Listening to Consonant-Vowel Syllables: Interactions With Attention

A relatively large sample of individuals (N = 240) ranging from 7 to 70 years were studied with the dichotic listening (DL) technique as a measure of language lateralization. Two questions were asked: (a) Is there a developmental effect for the right-ear advantage (REA) with age? (b) Is there a developmental effect for attentional modulation of the REA? The participants were all right-handed, healthy individuals tested in Sweden and Norway. The stimuli were dichotic presentations of consonant-vowel (CV) syllable pairs. There were 3 different attentional conditions: nonforced (NF) attention, with no specific instructions about focusing of attention; forced-right (FR) attention, with instructions to focus attention on the right-ear stimulus; and forced-left (FL) attention, with instructions to focus attention on the left-ear stimulus. The results showed a REA in all age groups, except for the 9-year-olds, in the NF condition. In the FR condition, all age groups showed a REA. The youngest age groups did not, however, increase the REA to the same degree as the older age groups, as indicated by the significant age × ear interaction. In the FL condition, all age groups, with the exception of the youngest groups, showed a left-ear advantage (LEA). It is concluded that the REA effect in DL is subject to developmental effects and that attentional effects on laterality also develop with increasing age.
A Case Study of Microfinance and Community Development Banks in Brazil

Inclusive financial sectors are essential to poverty alleviation. While microcredit can be governed as a private good, self-managed civil society organizations propose an alternative way of managing financial services. Brazil’s Community Development Banks (CDBs) are growing and dynamic manifestations of these nonprofit organizations. Based on field research in Brazil, this article uses Elinor Ostrom’s design principles of successful self-governing common-pool resource organizations to analyze CDBs’ microcredit system. Our results suggest that private goods could be altered when they are governed by community self-managed enterprises. They become hybrid goods as they mix the characteristics of private and common goods. This change is facilitated by specific organizational arrangements such as self-governance that emerge from grassroots dynamics and the creation of collective-choice arenas. These arrangements help strengthen the inclusion properties of nonprofit microcredit services.
A role for migration‐linked genes and genomic islands in divergence of a songbird

Next‐generation sequencing has made it possible to begin asking questions about the process of divergence at the level of the genome. For example, recently, there has been a debate around the role of ‘genomic islands of divergence’ (i.e. blocks of outlier loci) in facilitating the process of speciation‐with‐gene‐flow. The Swainson's thrush, Catharus ustulatus, is a migratory songbird with two genetically distinct subspecies that differ in a number of traits known to be involved in reproductive isolation in birds (plumage coloration, song and migratory behaviour), despite contemporary gene flow along a secondary contact zone. Here, we use RAD‐PE sequencing to test emerging hypotheses about the process of divergence at the level of the genome and identify genes and gene regions involved in differentiation in this migratory songbird. Our analyses revealed distinct genomic islands on 15 of the 23 chromosomes and an accelerated rate of divergence on the Z chromosome, one of the avian sex chromosomes. Further, an analysis of loci linked to traits known to be involved in reproductive isolation in songbirds showed that genes linked to migration are significantly more differentiated than expected by chance, but that these genes lie primarily outside the genomic islands. Overall, our analysis supports the idea that genes linked to migration play an important role in divergence in migratory songbirds, but we find no compelling evidence that the observed genomic islands are facilitating adaptive divergence in migratory behaviour.
Wavelength-switched optical pulse generation in a fiber ring laser with a Fabry-Perot semiconductor modulator and a sampled fiber Bragg grating

A simple mode-locked fiber ring laser for generating wavelength-switched picosecond pulses was developed in which a laser diode played the role of both an intensity modulator and a tunable filter. A serially cascaded sampled fiber Bragg grating predefined the set of four allowable output wavelengths spaced 1.6 nm apart. Wavelength switching between the longest and shortest wavelengths required only a temperature change of the laser diode by 7.63/spl deg/C.
Thymic Nurse Cell Multicellular Complexes in HY-TCR Transgenic Mice Demonstrate Their Association with MHC Restriction

This study examines thymic nurse cell (TNC) function during T-cell development. It has been suggested that TNCs function in the removal of nonfunctional and/or apoptotic thymocytes and do not participate in major histocompatibility complex restriction. We analyzed TNCs isolated from both normal C57BL/6 mice and C57BL/6 TgN (TCRHY) mice (HY-TCR transgenic mice). Using confocal microscopic analyses of TNCs isolated from C57BL/6 animals, we showed that 75%–78% of the enclosed thymocyte subset was viable, and 87%–90% of these cells expressed both CD4 and CD8. CD4 and CD8 also were expressed on TNC thymocytes isolated from both male and female HY-TCR transgenic mice. The transgenic female thymus was shown to have 17 times more TNCs per milligram of thymus than the transgenic male thymus. TNCs from HY-TCR transgenic females were 8–10 μm larger than transgenic male TNCs, and the female TNCs contained five times more thymocytes within intracytoplasmic vacuoles, with less than 4% apoptosis. However, more than 42% of the thymocytes within transgenic male TNCs were apoptotic. The large number and size of TNCs containing viable thymocytes in the female transgenic thymus suggest that TNC function is not limited to the removal of apoptotic thymocytes. We believe that the selective uptake of viable double-positive thymocytes by TNCs in C57BL/6 and HY-TCR transgenic female mice provides evidence that this interaction occurs during the process of major histocompatibility complex restriction.
Limited Functional Performance in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Nature, Causes and Measurement

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) frequently describe limitations in functional performance. These limitations predict mortality, adversely affect health-care burden and impair health-related quality of life. The optimal method for quantifying the functional performance in COPD subjects has not been established. This paper discusses the (i) nature of limited functional performance reported by individuals with COPD, (ii) mechanisms that contribute to these limitations, (iii) assessment techniques available to provide markers of functional performance and (iv) areas for further research in measuring functional performance of COPD subjects.
EHD1--an EH-domain-containing protein with a specific expression pattern.

A cDNA that is a member of the eps15 homology (EH)-domain-containing family and is expressed differentially in testis was isolated from mouse and human. The corresponding genes map to the centromeric region of mouse chromosome 19 and to the region of conserved synteny on human chromosome 11q13. Northern analysis revealed two RNA species in mouse. In addition to the high levels in testis, expression was noted in kidney, heart, intestine, and brain. In human, three RNA species were evident. The smaller one was predominant in testis, while the largest species was evident in other tissues as well. The predicted protein sequence has an EH domain at its C-terminus, including an EF, a Ca2+ binding motif, and a central coiled-coil structure, as well as a nucleotide binding consensus site at its N-terminus. As such, it is a member of the EH-domain-containing protein family and was designated EHD1 (EH domain-containing 1). In cells in tissue culture, we localized EHD1 as a green fluorescent protein fusion protein, in transferrin-containing, endocytic vesicles. Immunostaining of different adult mouse organs revealed major expression of EHD1 in germ cells in meiosis, in the testes, in adipocytes, and in specific retinal layers. Results of in situ hybridization to whole embryos and immunohistochemical analyses indicated that EHD1 expression was already noted at day 9.5 in the limb buds and pharyngeal arches and at day 10.5 in sclerotomes, at various elements of the branchial apparatus (mandible and hyoid), and in the occipital region. At day 15.5 EHD1 expression peaked in cartilage, preceding hypertrophy and ossification, and at day 17.5 there was no expression in the bones. The EHD1 gene is highly conserved between nematode, Drosophila, mouse, and human. Its predicted protein structure and cellular localization point to the possibility that EHD1 participates in ligand-induced endocytosis.
A new set of pivot elimination schemes for increasing the query performance

M-Tree, Slim-Tree, DF-Tree, and Omni-Tree are some of the popular dynamic structures which can grow incrementally by splitting overflowed nodes, and adding new levels to the tree very much like the B-tree variants. Unfortunately, they have been shown to perform very poorly compared to flat structures such as AESA, LAESA, Spaghettis, and Kvp that use a fixed set of global pivots. HKvp index structure is an extension of Kvp allowing the elimination of pivots as well as the database objects. The number of pivots can be easily increased to provide more selectivity and query performance. However, there is an optimum number of pivots for a given query radius, and using too many pivots increases the costs of queries and index initialization. In this paper, a new set of pivot elimination mechanisms is proposed to determine the right number of pivots for different query radii. The suggested pivot elimination schemes perform significant cost reduction in terms of number of distance computations, and they estimate the drop rate value for HKvp on query time.
Multilocus Patterns of Nucleotide Diversity and Divergence Reveal Positive Selection at Candidate Genes Related to Cold Hardiness in Coastal Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii)

Forest trees exhibit remarkable adaptations to their environments. The genetic basis for phenotypic adaptation to climatic gradients has been established through a long history of common garden, provenance, and genecological studies. The identities of genes underlying these traits, however, have remained elusive and thus so have the patterns of adaptive molecular diversity in forest tree genomes. Here, we report an analysis of diversity and divergence for a set of 121 cold-hardiness candidate genes in coastal Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii). Application of several different tests for neutrality, including those that incorporated demographic models, revealed signatures of selection consistent with selective sweeps at three to eight loci, depending upon the severity of a bottleneck event and the method used to detect selection. Given the high levels of recombination, these candidate genes are likely to be closely linked to the target of selection if not the genes themselves. Putative homologs in Arabidopsis act primarily to stabilize the plasma membrane and protect against denaturation of proteins at freezing temperatures. These results indicate that surveys of nucleotide diversity and divergence, when framed within the context of further association mapping experiments, will come full circle with respect to their utility in the dissection of complex phenotypic traits into their genetic components.
Long‐term follow‐up of survivors of childhood cancer in the UK

Childhood cancer is rare, but there are now good survival prospects and in the UK approximately 1 in 1,000 young adults is a survivor of childhood cancer. There are many adverse health outcomes associated with the treatment of childhood cancer often arising several years after completion of treatment. The aim of this study was to quantify the long‐term clinical follow‐up practices concerning survivors of childhood cancer.
Investigation of leptomeningeal enhancement in MS

Objective: To investigate possible leptomeningeal contrast enhancement using postcontrast fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MRI as an additional marker of inflammation in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: A cohort of 112 patients (73 women) with clinically definitive MS or a clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of CNS demyelination were included. A pathologic control group of 5 stroke patients was also examined. MRI was performed on a 3T system including FLAIR, T2-weighted, T1-weighted–contrast injection, followed by T1-weighted and FLAIR. Results: Of the 112 patients, 39 had an acute relapse at the time of MRI. In total, 96 contrast-enhancing lesions were identified on postcontrast T1-weighted images. The pathologic control group demonstrated the sensitivity of postcontrast FLAIR images demonstrating leptomeningeal enhancement in all cases. In contrast, only 1 out of 112 examined patients with MS showed a single area of abnormal leptomeningeal contrast enhancement. Conclusions: In contrast to intraparenchymal blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction that is frequently seen in patients with MS, BBB dysfunction of leptomeningeal vessels is usually not detectable in patients with early MS.
Cue circles: image feature for measuring 3-D motion of articulated objects using sequential image pair

The shape of articulated objects such as the human body can be simplified into a stick model which is represented by connections of several circular generalized cylinders (GCs). The authors propose a new image feature called cue circles (CCs), and present a method for obtaining CCs from input images. Using CCs, 3D motion of the human body is measured from a sequence of boundary contour image pairs, which is obtained by an active binocular sensor system. The body model used is represented by a set of cue spheres (CSs), each of which is located at ends of GCs. Stereo matching for recovering the body model is carried out by finding pairs of CCs between the pair of contour images under consideration: a CS is projected on the two image planes as its corresponding CCs.
Blood pressure lowering efficacy of potassium-sparing diuretics (that block the epithelial sodium channel) for primary hypertension.

BACKGROUND Potassium-sparing diuretics, which block the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), are widely prescribed for hypertension as a second-line drug in patients taking other diuretics (e.g. thiazide diuretics) and much less commonly prescribed as monotherapy. Therefore, it is essential to determine the effects of ENaC blockers on blood pressure (BP), heart rate and withdrawals due to adverse effects (WDAEs) when given as a first-line or second-line therapy. OBJECTIVES To quantify the dose-related reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of ENaC blocker therapy as a first-line or second-line drug in patients with primary hypertension. SEARCH METHODS We searched CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2012), MEDLINE (1950 to August 2012), EMBASE (1980 to August 2012) and reference lists of articles. SELECTION CRITERIA Double-blind, randomized, controlled trials in patients with primary hypertension that evaluate, for a duration of 3 to 12 weeks, the BP lowering efficacy of: 1) fixed-dose monotherapy with an ENaC blocker compared with placebo; or 2) an ENaC blocker in combination with another class of anti-hypertensive drugs compared with the respective monotherapy (without an ENaC blocker). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently assessed the risk of bias and extracted data. Study authors were contacted for additional information. WDAE information was also collected from the trials. MAIN RESULTS No trials evaluating the BP lowering efficacy of ENaC blockers as monotherapy in patients with primary hypertension were identified. Only 6 trials evaluated the BP lowering efficacy of low doses of amiloride and triamterene as a second drug in 496 participants with a baseline BP of 151/102 mm Hg. The additional BP reduction caused by the ENaC blocker as a second drug was estimated by comparing the difference in BP reduction between the combination and monotherapy groups. The addition of low doses of amiloride and triamterene in these trials did not reduce BP. An estimate of the dose-related BP lowering efficacy for ENaC blockers was not possible because of a lack of trial data at higher doses. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS ENaC blockers do not have a statistically or clinically significant BP lowering effect at low doses but trials at higher doses are not available. The review did not provide a good estimate of the incidence of harms associated with ENaC blockers.
New evidence for favourable effects on haemodynamics and ventricular performance after Parachute® implantation in humans

The Parachute® Ventricular Partitioning Device offers an additional strategy for heart failure patients with exclusion of the infarcted wall to decrease left ventricular volumes, myocardial work, and wall stress. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if Parachute implantation might influence acute haemodynamic and functional performance in patients with left ventricular aneurysm after anteroapical infarction.
Secure Rateless Deluge: Pollution-Resistant Reprogramming and Data Dissemination for Wireless Sensor Networks

A network reprogramming protocol is made for updating the firmware of a wireless sensor network (WSN) in situ. For security reasons, every firmware update must be authenticated to prevent an attacker from installing its code in the network. While existing schemes can provide authentication services, they are insufficient for a new generation of network coding-based reprogramming protocols like Rateless Deluge. We propose Secure Rateless Deluge or Sreluge, a secure version of Rateless Deluge that is resistant to pollution attacks (denial-of-service attacks aimed at polluting encoded packets). Sreluge employs a neighbor classification system and a time series forecasting technique to isolate polluters, and a combinatorial technique to decode data packets in the presence of polluters before the isolation is complete. For detecting polluters, Sreluge has zero false negative rate and a negligible false positive rate. TOSSIM simulations and experimental results show that Sreluge is practical.
Effect of matrix stiffness on osteoblast functionalization

Stiffness of bone tissue differs response to its physiological or pathological status, such as osteoporosis or osteosclerosis. Consequently, the function of cells residing in bone tissue including osteoblasts (OBs), osteoclasts and osteocytes will be affected. However, to the best of our knowledge, the detailed mechanism of how extracellular matrix stiffness affects OB function remains unclear.
The HSP72 stress response of monocytes from patients on haemodialysis is impaired

Abstract Background. Induction of heat shock proteins (HSP), i.e. of the major family member HSP70, is an important cytoprotective-resistance mechanism for monocytes/ macrophages (Mphi). Patients on haemodialysis present with a high infectious morbidity and enhanced carcinoma incidence. Renal insufficiency-related alteration of microbicidal and tumoricidal functions of Mphi, major effectors of the immune system, might promote these diseases. Methods. Freshly isolated Mphi from Sprague–Dawley rats 2 weeks after 5/6-nephrectomy and from patients on intermittent haemodialysis (IHD) were stimulated by heat shock (HS) and compared to stimulated Mphi of control rats or healthy volunteers (CTR). Expression of HSP72 (inducible HSP70) was assessed by RT-PCR, and/or flow cytometry. Apoptosis of Mphi was detected by flow cytometry (CD14/annexin V-labelling). Results. In rat Mphi, baseline HSP72 expression was similar in both groups, but its induction was significantly impaired in renal insufficiency (214 ± 68% less HSP70-mRNA versus CTR, n = 6). In patients, HSF-1-mRNA and HSP72-mRNA/protein response to HS was significantly lower, but not affected by dialysis session itself. In parallel, apoptosis of Mphi of patients was enhanced (+83 ± 29% constitutive apoptotic Mphi versus CTR, n = 8), and HS-dependent protection from apoptosis with and without serum depletion (48 h depletion: HS, +275 ± 37% apoptotic Mphi versus CTR, n = 6; full medium: +166 ± 62% versus CTR, n = 8, P < 0.05) was inferior. Conclusions. Impaired HSP72 stress response of Mphi in patients on haemodialysis might contribute to the observed immune dysfunction and, therefore, to the increased susceptibility to infection and malignancy. Stress impairment is not restricted to uraemia but is already present in a rat model of chronic kidney disease.
Challenges Faced In Implementing Performance Contracting Strategy In The Ministry Of State For Public Service

v CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Background of the Study . 1 1.1.1 Concept of Strategy. 2 1.1.2 Strategy Implementation . 3 1.1.3 Strategy Implementation Challenges . 5 1.1.4 Performance Contracting Strategy . 6 1.1. 5 Ministry of State for Public Service. 7 1.2 Statement of the Problem . 8 1.3 Research Objective . 10 1.4 Value of the Study . 10 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW . 12 2.