Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A spline function approach for detecting differentially expressed genes in microarray data analysis

MOTIVATION A primary objective of microarray studies is to determine genes which are differentially expressed under various conditions. Parametric tests, such as two-sample t-tests, may be used to identify differentially expressed genes, but they require some assumptions that are not realistic for many practical problems. Non-parametric tests, such as empirical Bayes methods and mixture normal approaches, have been proposed, but the inferences are complicated and the tests may not have as much power as parametric models. RESULTS We propose a weakly parametric method to model the distributions of summary statistics that are used to detect differentially expressed genes. Standard maximum likelihood methods can be employed to make inferences. For illustration purposes the proposed method is applied to the leukemia data (training part) discussed elsewhere. A simulation study is conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed method.
Association of antioxidant vitamins and oxidative stress levels in pregnancy with infant growth during the first year of life

Abstract Objective Whereas there are numerous reports in the literature relating the impact of maternal nutritional status on subsequent birth outcome, much less is known about the long-term impact on infant growth after birth. Therefore, we conducted a prospective cohort study to investigate the association of maternal micronutrient status (vitamins A, C and E, folate) and oxidative stress status in pregnancy with infant growth during the first year of life. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Outpatient clinic of obstetrics, Ewha Womans University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. Subjects and methods Two groups were constructed for this study – the Ewha pregnancy cohort (n = 677) and the infant growth cohort comprising follow-up live newborns of all the recruited pregnant women (n = 317). Maternal serum vitamin and urinary oxidative stress levels were collected and infant weights and heights were measured at birth and at 6 and 12 months after birth. Results Division of the subjects into folate-deficient and normal groups revealed that infant weight and height at 0, 6 and 12 months were adversely affected by folate deficiency. High maternal vitamin C was associated with increased infant weight and height at birth and after birth. Conclusion Our findings indicate the importance of preventing folate deficiency and supplementing vitamin C during pregnancy.
Abnormalities of the intra‐abdominal fetal umbilical vein: reports of four cases and a review of the literature

Anomalies of the fetal umbilical vessels are rare, excepting single umbilical arteries which occur in 0.2–1.0% of pregnancies1. Abnormalities of the intra‐abdominal umbilical vein may be categorized into three main groups: (1) the ductus venosus is patent but the right umbilical vein persists; (2) the ductus venosus is not patent, and there is extrahepatic continuation of the umbilical vein; and (3) the umbilical vein takes a normal course but is abnormally dilated. We describe cases of each of these types of anomaly, including the first report of prenatal diagnosis of insertion of the umbilical vein into the iliac vein, and review the literature on this subject. Copyright © 1996 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Comparison of left internal mammary artery diameter before and after left stellate ganglion block.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Left internal mammary artery (LIMA) is the preferred arterial conduit for coronary artery bypass grafting. Various pharmacological agents are known to increase LIMA blood flow. Sympathetic blockade mediated by stellate ganglion block (SGB) has been used to provide vasodilatation in the upper extremities and in the treatment of refractory angina. We investigated effect of left stellate ganglion block (LSGB) on LIMA diameter. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 30 diagnosed patients of triple vessel coronary artery disease, LSGB was given under fluoroscopic guidance by C6 transverse process approach using 10 ml of 1% lignocaine. LIMA diameter was measured before and 20 min after the block at 2 nd , 3 rd , 4 th and at 5 th rib level. Heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were recorded before and 20 min after the block. RESULTS The LIMA diameter increased significantly at 2 nd (2.56 ± 0.39 vs. 2.99 ± 0.40; P < 0.0001), 3 rd (2.46 ± 0.38 vs. 2.90 ± 0.40; P < 0.0001), 4 th (2.39 ± 0.38 vs. 2.84 ± 0.41; P < 0.0001) and 5 th rib level (2.35 ± 0.38 vs. 2.78 ± 0.40; P < 0.0001). No statistically significant change occurred in HR, SBP, DBP and MAP before and 20 min after LSGB. CONCLUSIONS LSGB significantly increased the LIMA diameter. The LSGB can be considered as an alternative to topical and systemic vasodilators for reducing vasospasm of LIMA.
Design and realization of 1.8–2.4 GHz MIMO 2 × 2 antenna for handset application

In this paper, a dual antennas has designed and implemented for 2 × 2 MIMO handset application. The antenna element of the proposed dual port antennas of 2 × 2 MIMO handset is based on a Planar Inverted F-Antenna (PIFA) using meandering shorting strip which optimized to have frequency band operation at between 1.8 to 2.4 GHz for |S11| ≤ -10 dB. Each of the PIFA antenna used in this research has 20.5 mm × 16 mm × 9.5 mm size which is compact and small enough for the placement in handset which has a limited space. Several MIMO configuration applied for the two PIFAs to meet the required return loss (S11 and S22), mutual coupling (S12 and S21), and correlation coefficient while maintaing its size to be small enough for the placement in handset. Then, the proposed 2 × 2 MIMO antenna has been implemented on a low cost FR4 substrate . Moreover, effects of the usage of the antenna near human head and hand to the antenna parameters are also investigated.
A Collaborative National Model to Assess Competencies for Medical Students, Residents, and Other Healthcare Practitioners in Gait and Falls Risk Evaluation

To ensure that the healthcare workforce is adequately prepared to care for the growing population of older adults, minimum competencies in geriatrics have been published for medical students and primary care residents. Approaches to teaching and assessing these competencies are needed to guide medical schools, residencies, and continuing medical education programs. With sponsorship by the Education Committee and Teachers Section of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), geriatrics educators from multiple institutions collaborated to develop a model to teach and assess a major domain of student and resident competency: Gait and Falls Risk Evaluation. The model was introduced as a workshop at annual meetings of the AGS and the American College of Physicians in 2011 and 2012. Participants included medical students, residents, geriatrics fellows, practicing physicians, and midlevel practitioners. At both national meetings, participants rated the experience highly and reported statistically significant gains in overall competence in gait and falls risk evaluation. The largest gains were observed for medical students, residents, and practicing physicians (P < .001 for all); geriatrics fellows reported a higher level of baseline competence and therefore had a lower magnitude of improvement, albeit still significant (P = .02). Finally, the majority of participants reported intent to disseminate the model in their institutions. This article describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of this collaborative national model. A number of institutions have used the model, and the goal of this article is to aid in further dissemination of this successful approach to teaching and assessing geriatrics competencies.
Creating real-time high performance computing systems based on COTS technology

Various applications such as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Signal and Communication Inteligence (SIGINT, CMINT) and Real-Time Hardware-in-Loop (RT-HIL) have certain common needs. They all require high-speed in-line data processing with loop rates in the range of 1ms. This paper explores the use of PXI hardware platform and LabVIEW graphical development environment as a COTS based solution for addressing these needs of such Real-Time High Performance Computing (RT-HPC) applications.
Metabolic fuel utilisation in obese women before and after weight loss.

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that weight rebound following slimming diets may be caused by an adaptive alteration in fuel utilisation involving a suppression of fat oxidation thus favouring fat storage in adipose tissue. DESIGN Repeat measurements before and after two 14 d cycles of controlled weight loss using a very low energy diet (1.9MJ/d). SUBJECTS Eight moderately obese women (body weight: 85.6 +/- 10.1 kg, BMI: 31 +/- 2 kg/m2, age: 42.6 +/- 10.1 years). MEASUREMENTS Energy expenditure and substrate balances using 24-h whole-body indirect calorimetry and naturally labelled 13C-glucose. RESULTS Aggregate weight loss was 5.1 +/- 0.8 kg. Twenty-four hour energy expenditure declined by 12% (8359 +/- 282 to 7366 +/- 191 kJ/d, p < 0.001). Net fat utilisation was not significantly depressed (4009 +/- 366) to 3613 +/- 191 kJ/d, NS), and the proportion of energy derived from fat was unchanged at 48.0% before weight loss and 49.0% after weight loss. CONCLUSION The well-recognised phenomenon of reduced energy expenditure is unlikely to be a major cause of weight regain. The results do not support the theory that altered fuel selection in post-obese subjects may be the cause of difficulty in maintaining weight loss.
Adenosine–Dopamine Interactions in the Pathophysiology and Treatment of CNS Disorders

Adenosine–dopamine interactions in the central nervous system (CNS) have been studied for many years in view of their relevance for disorders of the CNS and their treatments. The discovery of adenosine and dopamine receptor containing receptor mosaics (RM, higher‐order receptor heteromers) in the striatum opened up a new understanding of these interactions. Initial findings indicated the existence of A2AR‐D2R heterodimers and A1R‐D1R heterodimers in the striatum that were followed by indications for the existence of striatal A2AR‐D3R and A2AR‐D4R heterodimers. Of particular interest was the demonstration that antagonistic allosteric A2A‐D2 and A1‐D1 receptor–receptor interactions take place in striatal A2AR‐D2R and A1R‐D1R heteromers. As a consequence, additional characterization of these heterodimers led to new aspects on the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD), schizophrenia, drug addiction, and l‐DOPA‐induced dyskinesias relevant for their treatments. In fact, A2AR antagonists were introduced in the symptomatic treatment of PD in view of the discovery of the antagonistic A2AR–D2R interaction in the dorsal striatum that leads to reduced D2R recognition and Gi/o coupling in striato‐pallidal GABAergic neurons. In recent years, indications have been obtained that A2AR‐D2R and A1R‐D1R heteromers do not exist as heterodimers, rather as RM. In fact, A2A‐CB1‐D2 RM and A2A‐D2‐mGlu5 RM have been discovered using a sequential BRET‐FRET technique and by using the BRET technique in combination with bimolecular fluorescence complementation. Thus, other pathogenic mechanisms beside the well‐known alterations in the release and/or decoding of dopamine in the basal ganglia and limbic system are involved in PD, schizophrenia and drug addiction. In fact, alterations in the stoichiometry and/or topology of A2A‐CB1‐D2 and A2A‐D2‐mGlu5 RM may play a role. Thus, the integrative receptor–receptor interactions in these RM give novel aspects on the pathophysiology and treatment strategies, based on combined treatments, for PD, schizophrenia, and drug addiction.
On finding the maximum edge biclique in a bipartite graph: a subspace clustering approach

Bipartite graphs have been proven useful in modeling a wide range of relationship networks. Finding the maximum edge biclique within a bipartite graph is a well-known problem in graph theory and data mining, with numerous realworld applications across different domains. We propose a probabilistic algorithm for finding the maximum edge biclique using a Monte Carlo subspace clustering approach. Extensive experimentation with both artificial and real-world datasets shows that the algorithm is significantly better than the state-of-the-art technique. We prove that there are solid theoretical reasons for the algorithm’s efficacy that manifest in a polynomial complexity of time and space. Keywords—Maximum edge bipartite subgraph; Biclique; Subspace clustering; Data mining; Graph mining
Dual three-phase PMSG based wind energy conversion system using 9-switch dual converter

The following work introduces the use of a nine-switch back-to-back topology, for its use with multiphase permanent magnet synchronous generator, based wind energy conversion systems (WECS). The converter topology consists of a nine-switch dual channel back-to-back three-phase voltage source converter capable of controlling two sets of three-phase variables without voltage limitations when operating both three-phase systems at same frequency. This feature is exploited to control both ends of the PMSG and both terminals of a 12 pulse transformer for grid connection.
What Is There in Seeds? Vertically Transmitted Endophytic Resources for Sustainable Improvement in Plant Growth

Phytobeneficial microbes, particularly endophytes, such as fungi and bacteria, are concomitant partners of plants throughout its developmental stages, including seed germination, root and stem growth, and fruiting. Endophytic microbes have been identified in plants that grow in a wide array of habitats; however, seed-borne endophytic microbes have not been fully explored yet. Seed-borne endophytes are of great interest because of their vertical transmission; their potential to produce various phytohormones, enzymes, antimicrobial compounds, and other secondary metabolites; and improve plant biomass and yield under biotic and abiotic stresses. This review addresses the current knowledge on endophytes, their ability to produce metabolites, and their influence on plant growth and stress mitigation.
Dendritic and spinal pathology in the acoustic cortex in Alzheimer's disease: Morphological estimation in Golgi technique and electron microscopy

Abstract Conclusions: The morphological and morphometric estimation of the dendrites and the dendritic spines in the acoustic cortex in Alzheimer's disease revealed substantial alterations of the dendritic arborization and marked loss of the dendritic spines, which may be related to communication impairment even in early cases of Alzheimer's disease. Objectives: Alzheimer's disease is characterized by progressive loss of memory, impairment of judgment, and decline in communication and speech eloquence. In the present study we attempted to describe the morphological and morphometric alterations of the dendrites and the dendritic spines in the acoustic cortex in early cases of Alzheimer's disease, in order to approach the communication impairment of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease from a neuropathological point of view. Methods: We studied the acoustic cortex in 22 cases of Alzheimer's disease by Golgi technique and electron microscopy. Results: The morphological and morphometric estimation of the acoustic cortex revealed loss of Cajal-Retzius cells in layer I, as well as an impressive abbreviation of the dendritic fields associated with loss of dendritic spines in all the layers of the cortex. Numerous distorted, dystrophic, and degenerated dendritic spines were also seen, which were intermixed with a considerable number of giant spines. The dendritic and spinal alterations were closely associated with mitochondrial alterations.
Acclimation of 2‐Chlorophenol‐Biodegrading Activated Sludge and Microbial Community Analysis

Using glucose as cosubstrate, activated sludge that could effectively biodegrade 40 mg/L 2‐chlorophenol was successfully domesticated in sequencing batch reactors. To acclimate the sludge, 2‐chlorophenol was increased stepwise from 0 to 40 mg/L. High‐throughput sequencing revealed that the microbial community richness increased during the first 5 d of acclimation to 5 mg/L 2‐chlorophenol and then decreased after another 20 d as 2‐chlorophenol was increased. The original sludge obtained from a water resource recovery facility had the highest microbial diversity. As the acclimation continued further, community richness and diversity both increased, but they decreased again, significantly, when 2‐chlorophenol reached 40 mg/L. Saccharibacteria_norank, Bacillus, Saprospiraceae_uncultured, and Lactococcus were the dominant bacteria. Bacillus and Pseudomonas were the main known chlorophenol‐degrading bacteria. WCHB1‐60_norank, Tetrasphaera, Comamonadaceae_unclassified, and Haliangium showed poor tolerance to 2‐chlorophenol. Higher bacterial tolerance to chlorophenols does not mean higher degrading capability. The degradation of chlorophenols was not positively correlated with the detected abundance of known 2‐chlorophenol‐degrading bacteria.
Predominance of Gram-negative bacilli and increasing antimicrobial resistance in nosocomial bloodstream infections at a university hospital in southern Taiwan, 1996-2003.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE While nosocomial infections cause substantial morbidity and mortality, the availability of timely and accurate epidemiological information on nosocomial pathogens is essential to the appropriate selection of empirical therapy. This study analyzed nosocomial bloodstream infections (NBSIs) surveillance data to determine trends in the distribution of pathogens and antimicrobial susceptibilities of these pathogens. METHODS During the period from 1996 to 2003 at National Cheng Kung University Hospital, patients with NBSIs were enrolled in the study, and the ranking of pathogens and status of antimicrobial resistance were determined. RESULTS From 1996 to 2003, there were 4,038 episodes of NBSIs. The overall incidence was 1.79 episodes per 1,000 inpatient-days. Aerobic Gram-negative bacilli, Gram-positive cocci, fungi, and anaerobes were responsible for 51%, 37%, 10%, and 1.6% of NBSIs, respectively. The 5 leading pathogens were coagulase-negative staphylococci (16% of NBSIs), Staphylococcus aureus (13%), Candida spp. (10%), Acinetobacter baumannii (8%), and Escherichia coli (8%). Oxacillin resistance was found in 90% of coagulase-negative staphylococci and 75% of S. aureus isolates. In contrast to Enterococcus faecalis, in which only 1% of isolates were resistant to ampicillin, 78% of Enterococcus faecium isolates were resistant to ampicillin. The emerging antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative pathogens included multidrug-resistant A. baumannii, cephalosporin- or fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli, and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli. Despite the annual increase in the use of fluconazole, Candida albicans (54%) remained the most common causative pathogen of nosocomial candidemia. CONCLUSIONS In summary, Gram-negative bacilli predominated among pathogens causing NBSIs and an upsurge in the threat of antimicrobial resistance in our hospital occurred during the 8-year period. Surveillance of the characteristics of NBSIs and antimicrobial resistance patterns, together with appropriate antibiotic and infection control measures, should be reinforced.
Motor drives fault diagnosis by the new non invasive Beirut diagnostic procedure

A new method of obtaining diagnostic data from induction motors derived from only two of the three stator currents, the Beirut diagnostic procedure "BDP" is presented in this paper. The theoretical principles directly related to the application of this diagnostic technique are described, emphasizing the use of a severity factor in order to evaluate the extension of the fault. Besides the traditional one phase current spectrum analysis, values of the severity factor related to electrical signals like instantaneous powers, the current space vector modulus and finally related to the new Beirut diagnostic method are analyzed with respect to the power factor angle variation and the sum of the two current side-band angular displacement variation. By theoretical analysis, computer simulations, and laboratory experiments, it is shown that the new method, Beirut diagnostic procedure, enhance the reliability of diagnostics of induction motor drives.
Imperfect Hedging and Export Production

Firms engaged in international operations are highly interested in developing ways to protect themselves from exchange rate risk. The incentive for risk management comes from the enormous volatility of the floating foreign exchange rates. ' Our study shows that an exporting firm can benefit from hedging exchange rate risks even when no perfect hedge is possible. Since in reality, not every currency is traded in a futures market [7, Chap. 15], the exporting firm uses futures contracts with other underlying assets whose spot prices are highly correlated with the foreign exchange spot rate. In the real world hedging must often be accomplished by using futures contracts on different deliverable instruments. Such hedging may result in imperfect hedging as shown by Anderson and Danthine [1], Eaker and Grant [11], Dellas and Zilberfarb [9], Broll, Wahl and Zilcha [6]. It has been shown in recent publications [12; 8; 15; 13; 23; 16; 2; 14; 5; 18; 22] that an international firm facing exchange rate risk can eliminate this risk altogether if it can use a currency forward market, another financial asset or a portfolio of assets which is perfectly correlated to the exchange rate. In the absence of such markets, the firm can reduce its income risk by engaging in a hedging activity of assets correlated to the foreign exchange. Recent studies of firm behavior under exchange rate uncertainty examine the influence of futures markets on the export and hedging decision. These papers derive two major theorems: One is the "separation theorem" which states that, when futures markets exist, the firm's export production decision is determined solely by technology and input-output prices, including the futures prices. This result holds if the gain from the futures contract is perfectly correlated with export revenue. The other theorem is the "full hedging theorem" which asserts that with unbiased futures markets, the firm completely avoids exchange rate risk by entering into optimum futures contracts.
Within‐clutch variation in offspring sex determined by differences in sire body size: cryptic mate choice in the wild

Sexual selection theory predicts that paternal quality should drive female investment in progeny. We tested whether polyandrous female side‐blotched lizards, Uta stansburiana, would adjust within‐clutch progeny investment according to sire phenotypes. In two different years, polyandrous females selectively used sperm from larger sires to produce sons and used sperm from smaller sires to produce daughters. This cryptic sperm choice had significant effects on progeny survival to maturity that were consistent with sexually antagonistic effects associated with sire body size. Large sires produced sons with high viability and small sires produced daughters with high viability. These results are consistent with our previous findings that alleles for male body size have different fitness effects in male and female progeny. Breeding experiments in the laboratory indicate that results from the wild are more likely due to female choice than biased sperm production by males. Our results demonstrate highly refined gender‐specific female choice for sperm and indicate that sire body size may signal the quality of sons or daughters that a sire will produce.