Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis in an immunocompetent Individual: A case report

Phaeohyphomycosis is a rare mycotic infection caused by various heterogenous groups of phaeoid (dematiaceous) fungi involving the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Common clinical manifestations are subcutaneous abscesses or cystic swellings. Here, we report a case of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis presenting as multiple asymptomatic cystic swellings over the hands and feet without any predisposing factors. Histopathology showed granulomatous inflammation and special stain with Grocott's methanamine silver stain revealed broad pigmented hyphae. Culture showed black-colored colonies identified as Exophiala jeanselmi. The patient was treated with surgical excision of the lesions.
Carcinoembryonic antigen in patients with breast cancer. An adjunctive tool to monitor response and therapy

Plasma carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were performed by radioimmunoassay in 234 patients with histologically proved breast cancer: 181 with advanced metastatic disease and 53 without distant metastases but nodal involvement at time of mastectomy. Four hundred and thirty‐four assays were done and correlated with the clinical status of the patients. Values above 2.5 ng/ml were taken as abnormal. Active disease was associated with elevated plasma CEA levels. Very high values were not recorded in 109 patients when they were considered to be in complete remission, while only 22 patients out of 63 patients with progressive disease had normal values. In 16 of these, values remained normal despite progression of disease. In 6 patients clinical relapse preceded CEA elevation by 2–5 months. Tumor burden and abnormal serial CEA values showed positive correlation in 38 patients. In 30 patients, change in clinical status and CEA values occurred simultaneously. In only 2 patients an increase in CEA value occurred 2–3 months before clinical documentation of relapse.
The Optic Nerve Head in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Eyes With High Myopia: Characteristics and Association With Visual Field Defects

Purpose:To evaluate the morphologic characteristics of optic neuropathy and its association with visual field (VF) defects in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) eyes with high myopia. Methods:In this cross-sectional study, we reviewed data from 375 Taiwanese patients (375 eyes) of POAG, ages 20 to 60 years. Optic disc photographs were used for planimetric measurements of morphologic variables. The myopic refraction was divided into high myopia (<−6.0 D) and nonhigh myopia (moderate myopia to hyperopia). The optic disc area was classified as moderate (1.59 to 2.85 mm2), large, and small. Differences in characteristics between groups, correlations with the disc area, and factors associated with VF defects were determined. Results:Of the 142 highly myopic eyes, 33 (23%) had a large disc, 26 (18%) had a small disc, and 55 (39%) had a tilted disc. Large discs had a higher cup-to-disc (C/D) area ratio and a higher tilt ratio; small discs had a smaller rim area and a lower tilt ratio (all P<0.05). Characteristics associated with high myopia included a smaller rim area, a higher C/D area ratio, and a lower tilt ratio (all P<0.001). In logistic regression, the refraction, the C/D area ratio, the rim area, and the tilt ratio (all P<0.05) were associated with VF defects. Conclusions:In Taiwanese individuals with POAG, our study found that tilted, large, or small discs were prevalent in highly myopic eyes. Of these characteristics, only the disc tilt and high myopia by itself were associated with the severity of glaucomatous optic neuropathy.
Multiscale coherent structures and broadband waves due to parallel inhomogeneous flows

Linear theory analysis and particle-in-cell simulations show that a spatial transverse gradient in the ion drift parallel to the magnetic field, dV(di)/dx</=Omega(i), where Omega(i) is the ion cyclotron frequency, can generate a broadband multimode spectrum extending from omega<<Omega(i) to omega>>Omega(i). Nonlinearly, these waves lead to multiscale spatially coherent structures, substantial cross-field transport, ion energization, and phase-space diffusion. Large spikes are formed in the parallel electric field time series. These signatures are similar to the Fast Auroral Snapshot satellite observations in the upward current region.
Properties of chimeric toxins with two recognition domains: interleukin 6 and transforming growth factor alpha at different locations in Pseudomonas exotoxin.

Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE) is a potent cytotoxic agent that is composed of 613 amino acids arranged into three major domains. We have previously identified two positions where ligands can successfully be placed in PE to direct it to cells with specific surface receptors. One site is at the amino terminus and the other is close to but not at the C-terminus. To examine the possibility of constructing oncotoxins with two different recognition elements that will bind to two different receptors, we have placed cDNAs encoding either transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) or interleukin 6 (IL6) at the 5' end of a PE gene and also inserted a cDNA encoding TGF alpha near the 3' end of the PE gene. The plasmids encoding these chimeric toxins were expressed in Escherichia coli and the chimeric proteins purified to near homogeneity. In all the new toxins, the TGF alpha near the C-terminus was inserted after amino acid 607 of PE and followed by amino acids 604-613 so that the correct PE C-terminus (REDLK) was preserved. For each chimera, the toxin portion was either PE4E, in which the cell binding domain (domain Ia) is mutated, PE40, in which domain Ia is deleted, or PE38, in which domain Ia and part of domain Ib are deleted. These derivatives of PE do not bind to the PE receptor and allow 607, 355, or 339 amino acids, respectively, between the two ligands. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A wideband switched beam antenna system for 5G femtocell applications

This work introduces a wideband switched beam system for femtocell 5G base stations. The system consists of a 4 × 1 Vivaldi linear array and a 4 × 4 Butler matrix able to operate from 1.9–5.1 GHz. A soft surface is introduced along the outer edges of the vivaldi elements of the array for side lobes and back radiation suppression.
Ultrasonic Flaw Signal Classification using Wavelet Transform and Support Vector Machine

This paper presents a ultrasonic flaw signal classification system by using wavelet transform and support vector machine (SVM). A digital flaw detector is first used to acquire the signals of defective carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) specimen with void, delamination and debonding. After that, the time domain based ultrasonic signals can be processed by discrete wavelet transform (DWT), and informative features are extracted from DWT coefficients representation of signals. Finally, feature vectors selected by PCA method are taken as input to train the SVM classifier. Furthermore, the selection of SVM parameters and kernel function has been examined in details. Experimental results validate that the model coupled with wavelet transform and SVM is a promising tool to deal with classification for ultrasonic flaw signals.
Using Analytic Network Process to analyze influencing factors of project complexity

The management of project complexity has become an important part in the project management, being critical to the success of the large complex project. According to literature review and questionnaire survey, the Analytical Network Process (ANP) method is used to measure the influencing factors of project complexity and Super Decisions (SD) software is used to calculate weights of influencing factors, so as to identify the key influencing factors to manage projects better. Results found that cross-organizational interdependence, multiple stakeholders, number of organizational structure hierarchy, project team's trust and diversity of technology are the five key factors which have the biggest influence on the project complexity. This research provides the scientific support for the practice of project management, which has theory direction significance for mega and complex project management.
Total brain white matter is a major determinant of IQ in adolescents born preterm

In preterm infants, white matter (WM) abnormalities detected on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at term‐age are associated with early developmental delay. We set out to study this association in adolescents born pre‐term, by examining intellectual outcome in relation to markers of brain injury, focusing on the effects of WM reduction.
Nonidentity of Fetuin and Protein Growth (Flattening) Factor

Fetuin, a fetal calf serum glycoprotein, appeared to possess activity with cultured mammalian cells similar to that of a protein growth factor partially purified from adult bovine and human sera. Column chromatography, however, yielded highly purified but inactive fetuin. These results leave open questions regarding the role of this interesting and readily purified protein.
Content and organization of the human Ig VH locus: definition of three new VH families and linkage to the Ig CH locus.

We present a detailed analysis of the content and organization of the human immunoglobulin VH locus. Human VH genes representing five distinct families were isolated, including novel members belonging to two out of three of the known VH gene families (VH1 and VH3) as well as members of three new families (VH4, VH5, and VH6). We report the nucleotide sequence of 21 novel human VH genes, many of which belong to the three new VH gene families. In addition, we provide a preliminary analysis of the organization of these gene segments over the full extent of the locus. We find that the five multi‐segment families (VH1‐5) have members interspersed over nearly the full 1500‐2000 kb of the VH locus, and estimate that the entire heavy chain locus covers 2500 kb or less. Finally, we provide the first report of the physical linkage of the variable and constant loci of a human Ig gene family by demonstrating that the most proximal known human VH segments lie within 100 kb of the constant region locus.
Salient nutrition labels increase the integration of health attributes in food decision-making

Every day, people struggle to make healthy eating decisions. Nutrition labels have been used to help people properly balance the tradeoff between healthiness and taste, but research suggests that these labels vary in their effectiveness. Here, we investigated the cognitive mechanism underlying value-based decisions with nutrition labels as modulators of value.More specifically, we used a binary decision task between products along with two different nutrition labels to examine how salient, color-coded labels, compared to purely information-based labels, alter the choice process. Using drift-diffusion modeling, we investigated whether color-coded labels alter the valuation process, or whether they induce a simple stimulus-response association consistent with the traffic-light colors irrespective of the features of the item, which would manifest in a starting point bias in the model. We show that color-coded labels significantly increased healthy choices by increasing the rate of preference formation (drift rate) towards healthier options without altering the starting point. Salient labels increased the sensitivity to health and decreased the weight on taste, indicating that the integration of health and taste attributes during the choice process is sensitive to how information is displayed. Salient labels proved to be more effective in altering the valuation process towards healthier, goal-directed decisions.
Droplet Formation in a T-Junction Microfluidic Device in the Presence of an Electric Field

In this work, the effect of applying an electric field on droplet formation in a T-junction microfluidic device is examined by simulations based on a recent technique known as lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The electric field is applied in the main channel just beyond the confluence of the continuous and dispersed phases. A combined electrohydrodynamics-multiphase model that can simulate the flow of immiscible fluids in the presence of an electric field is developed and validated. The same model is then applied to study the droplet formation process in a T-junction microfluidic device at a capillary number of 0.01 and at different dispersed to continuous phase flow rate ratios. Results show that there is a decrease in the droplet size and an increase in formation frequency as the electric field is increased. The interplay of the electric and interfacial forces on droplet formation is investigated.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Formal methods for real-time systems

Computers are increasingly being used to control safety-critical systems which depend on the absolute timing of system events for their correctness. Formal specification and verification is one approach to assuring that such systems are correct. Mechanical verification can enhance the utility of formal methods by increasing their applicability and reliability. This work will focus on a particular mechanical verification technique, model checking, in the context of a specific specification language environment, RTL and Modechart. RTL is a first order logic for reasoning about the times of occurrences of system events. Modechart is a specification language introduced to organize RTL specifications. Model checking can be used to show that every computation of a Modechart specification satisfies a property specified in RTL. Computation graphs will be introduced to represent the set of all computations of a Modechart specification for model checking. Decision procedures for a number of classes of RTL formulas with respect to Modechart specifications will also be introduced. One of the disadvantages of model checking as a verification technique is that it is extremely susceptible to the state explosion problem. One focus of this work is presenting different techniques for mitigating the state explosion problem. These include substituting computation graph reachability queries for more complex RTL formulas, using monitor modes, using partial computation graphs, exploiting determinism, and using simulation-verification.
Degree of order and kinetics of phosphorylated (P) and de-P cross-bridges 1 PHOSPHORYLATION OF MYOSIN REGULATORY LIGHT CHAIN HAS MINIMAL EFFECT ON KINETICS AND DISTRIBUTION OF ORIENTATIONS OF CROSS- BRIDGES OF RABBIT SKELETAL MUSCLE

*Corresponding author: J. Borejdo, Dept of Molecular Biology & Immunology and Center for Commercialization of Fluorescence Technologies, University of North Texas, Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107, Tel 817 735 2106, Fax 817 735 2118, Email Julian.Borejdo@unthsc.edu Articles in PresS. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol (November 27, 2013). doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00382. 2013
Adaptive Feedback Compression for Joint Transmission Coordinated Multi-Point

In this paper, we study adaptive feedback compression of explicit multi-cell channel state information (CSI) for joint transmission coordinated multi-point (JT CoMP) in future mobile networks. The scheme comprises of three steps: First, the strongest cells are clustered using a network-defined threshold. Next, the strongest taps are selected using a threshold related to noise and out-of-cluster interference. Finally, adaptive quantization is applied so that the channel mean square error (MSE) remains sufficiently small. We show that the number of quantization bits grows linearly with the signal to noise ratio (SNR) in dB, as required by information theory. Results indicate that explicit CSI from all relevant cells around a terminal can be provided using fw kbits per reporting interval in 20 MHz bandwidth. The scheme is implemented and tested in real time.
Normal levels of vitamin A in tissues of the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) determined colorimetrically

Vitamin A levels in tissues of 20 normal adult hamsters on a standard diet were measured colorimetrically. No significant difference between male and female animals was found for any of the tissues sampled. The mean vitamin A value for blood plasma in 20 animals was 53·4 μg/dl. Mean values for liver, kidneys, flank skin and cheek pouch were 813, 1·29, 1·84 and 1·31 mg/g wet weight, respectively. The vitamin assay was less suitable for small organs such as trachea.
On the computation and reduction of the peak-to-average power ratio in multicarrier communications

For any code C defined over an equal energy constellation, it is first shown that at any time instance, the problem of determining codewords of C with high peak-to-average power ratios (PAPR) in a multicarrier communication system is intimately related to the problem of minimum-distance decoding of C. Subsequently, a method is proposed for computing the PAPR by minimum-distance decoding of C at many points of time. Moreover an upper bound on the error between this computed value and the true one is derived. Analogous results are established for codes defined over arbitrary signal constellations. As an application of this computational method, an approach for reducing the PAPR of C proposed by Jones and Wilkinson (1996) is revisited. This approach is based on introducing a specific phase shift to each coordinate of all the codewords where phase shifts are independent of the codewords and known both to the transmitter and the receiver. We optimize the phase shifts offline by applying our method for computing the PAPR for the coding scenario proposed by the ETSI BRAN Standardization Committee. Reductions of order 4.5 dB can be freely obtained using the computed phase shifts. Examples are provided showing that most of the gain is preserved when the computed optimal phase shifts are rounded to quantenary phase-shift keying (PSK), 8-PSK, and 16-PSK type phase shifts.
Assessment of parasites associated with African catfish farmed at Owerri federal constituency , Imo State Nigeria

A survey was conducted on the prevalence of parasite infestation associated with African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) cultured at Owerri Federal Constituency, Imo State. One hundred unsexed Clarias gariepinus (mean weight = 500±100g) were collected from different fish farms in Owerri Metropolis in a stratified random design. Five fish were harvested from each of the twenty different fish farms randomly selected from the five zones in the study area. The gills, fins, skin, intestine and blood of the fish were examined in the laboratory under the compound microscope for ectoparasites and endoparasites respectively. Result indicated that 80% of the fish samples were infested with parasites. However, ectoparasites were dominant with Dinoflagellate Piscinoodinum sp accounted for 88.30% followed by Ichthyobodo necator with the prevalence value of 11.70%. The highest endoparasite inhabiting the stomach and intestine of the fish sampled was Camallanus anabantis (29.16%), followed by Camallanus pearsei (20.83%) while Trypanosoma (2.08%) in the sampled fish blood was found to be the least endoparasites in the study area. Nevertheless, intestine had the highest number of parasites compared to the other parts of the body of sampled fish. The statistical analysis showed low but positive correlation (R=0.34) between the ectoparasites and endoparasites infestation among the fish farms investigated.
Stability-Guaranteed Assist-as-Needed Controller for Powered Orthoses

This brief describes the assistance regulation controller (ARC), a nonlinear admittance controller for powered orthoses (POs) and wearable robotics that simultaneously facilitates task completion and encourages user effort. This brief also introduces a novel acceleration-limited proportional derivative controller (ALPDC) that guarantees the stability of the ARC's inner position control loop. The stability analysis of the ALPDC shows that this simple and robust position controller promotes safer human-robot interactions in a large class of admittance-controlled haptic devices. Both the ARC and ALPDC are implemented on a one-degree-of-freedom PO designed to assist forearm flexion and extension. Experiments performed by a healthy male subject confirm that the ALPDC guarantees stable user-device interactions and bounded tracking errors during highly dynamic forearm motions that lead to instability with a conventional controller.
Community Genomics Among Stratified Microbial Assemblages in the Ocean's Interior

Microbial life predominates in the ocean, yet little is known about its genomic variability, especially along the depth continuum. We report here genomic analyses of planktonic microbial communities in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, from the ocean's surface to near–sea floor depths. Sequence variation in microbial community genes reflected vertical zonation of taxonomic groups, functional gene repertoires, and metabolic potential. The distributional patterns of microbial genes suggested depth-variable community trends in carbon and energy metabolism, attachment and motility, gene mobility, and host-viral interactions. Comparative genomic analyses of stratified microbial communities have the potential to provide significant insight into higher-order community organization and dynamics.
Somatostatin receptor imaging in CNS tumours using 111In‐octreotide

This study evaluates the in vivo visualization of somatostatin (SS) receptors in central nervous system (CNS) tumours using 111In-octreotide imaging and discusses the clinical implications. Ninety-five patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of CNS tumours were imaged 2–4 and 24 h after the intravenous injection of 111–185 MBq of 111In-octreotide. An uptake index was computed using tumour/non-tumour ratios evaluated using a standard region-of-interest method. Semi-quantitative immuno-histochemical studies of SS binding sites were performed on frozen tumour sections.All meningiomas, most pituitary adenomas and many glial tumours showed a positive scan, whereas all neurinomas, craniopharingiomas and ependymomas had negative receptor scans. Radio-octreotide uptake varied among the SS receptor positive CNS tumours: very intense in meningioma, intermediate in pituitary adenoma and of a low grade in glioma. The results of immunohistochemical studies confirmed the scintigraphic findings in all cases. We believe 111In-octreotide is a suitable radiopharmaceutical for characterizing CNS tumours in vivo as SS receptor positive or negative. This new neuronuclear imaging technique may be useful for differential diagnosis in selected cases, for post-surgical follow-up and in the assessment of differentiation in glial tumours.
Analysis, Modeling and Simulation of Optimal Power Tracking of Multiple-Modules of Paralleled Solar Cell Systems

Distributed and renewable energy generation (DG) offers great potential in meeting future global energy requirements. Distributed generation consists of small to medium size generators cited close to the customer and spread across a power system. The production of power from renewable energies will lead to a significant reduction in the rate of environmental pollution in comparison with the production by fossil fuels, thus gaining renewed attention due to advances in technology, environmental concerns and a growing energy demand. Photovoltaic systems in particular have great potential when compared to other renewable energies. The goals of this thesis are to perform a systematic analysis, modeling and evaluation of the key subsystems or components of a multiple-source renewable energy generation system and to develop an optimal tracking and control strategy. It is desirable to achieve maximum power output at a minimum cost under various operating conditions.