Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gamma‐globulin Therapy in 6 Newly Diagnosed Diabetic Children

An autoimmune process may be involved in the pathogenesis of type I diabetes mellitus (1). Consequently, numerous therapeutic attempts for an early immunointervention have been carried out (2). Based on the favourable results with the gamma-globulin therapy in idiopathic thrombocytopenia (3), 6 newly diagnosed diabetic type I patients were treated with high doses of gamma-globulin to possibly prolong partial remission as defined by bikerblom (4). The pertinent clinical data at diagnosis and the results at follow-up are shown in Table 1. All patients were treated with human insulin (Lilly, FRG or Novo, Denmark). Within the first week of therapy the children received 0.4 glkg body weight Sandoglobulin@ (kindly provided by Sandoz, Nurnberg, FRG) on 5 consecutive days and the same dose once per week for up to 6 months. After discharge self-control was obtained with 3 daily urinary glucose tests and frequent blood glucose determinations (Diabur 5 OOO, Haemoglucotest 20-800, Boehringer, Mannheim, FRG). At intervals of 2-3 months C-peptide release was determined after an i.v. -glucose-arginene test or after a standard breakfast.
Hepatic steatosis and hepatitis C: Still unhappy bedfellows?

Hepatic steatosis is commonly seen in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and the prevalence is much higher prevalence than in the general population or in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Hepatic steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C can be due to alcohol consumption and host metabolic factors such as high body mass index (BMI), obesity, hyperlipidemia, metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus in which insulin resistance plays an important role. However, in genotype 3 HCV infection, hepatic steatosis can result from direct viral cytopathic effect. Demographic and clinical characteristics associated with hepatic steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C including older age, higher BMI, more genotype 3 infection, and higher mean serum levels of triglyceride, alanine aminotransferase and γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase. The clinical relevance of hepatic steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C includes a close correlation with hepatic fibrosis, and a poor response to combination peginterferon and ribavirin treatment. In addition, hepatic steatosis has been reported to associate with increased frequency of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic HCV infection. Whether life style modification such as weight reduction or adding an insulin resistance reducing agent such as metformin or thiazolidinediones combined with current standard peginterferon plus ribavirin treatment will benefit to the chronic hepatitis C patients with hepatic steatosis deserves further evaluation.
Evaluation of TiO2/SiO2 dielectric thin films to overcome the challenges of CMOS scaling

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) expectations are to achieve the 22nm technology at the end of 2018. So aggressively continuation in physical size scaling of Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Transistor (MOSFET) experiences difficulties due to various factors. The conventional oxide can be scaled down to two atomic layers of about 7 A because of limitations of leakage current, interface trap densities, and limitations of statistical parameters of fabrications. This paper addresses the main challenges and analyzes of the critical issues of MOS gate dielectric in nanometer range and provides an alternate material. So MOS capacitors were fabricated with and TiO2/ SiO2 as dielectric material on P-type silicon wafers and characterized for microelectronics application. TiO2 films were characterized using XRD, Capacitance-voltage (C-V) and Current-voltage (I-V) measurements. The measured results show that TiO2/SiO2 dielectric layer has desirable properties compared to TiO2 films grown by DC magnetron
The impact of conjugate vaccine on carriage of Haemophilus influenzae type b.

Conjugate vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) may modify Hib pharyngeal colonization. Hib colonization was compared in 371 infants and their families. In Oxfordshire, infants received PRP-T (polyribosylribitol phosphate conjugated to tetanus toxoid) and in Buckinghamshire they did not (controls). Infants were followed at 6, 9, and 12 months of age. Also, 6 unvaccinated Hib carriers were vaccinated and followed for 6 weeks. Hib acquisition was lower in vaccinees than controls (P < .01). During surveillance, 1.5% of vaccinees and 6.3% of controls carried Hib (P = .04). Among those with family Hib exposure, the carriage rates were 8.7% and 38.5% (P = .07), respectively. Hiv carriage rates were lower among vaccinees' unvaccinated siblings. Giving conjugate vaccine to a child carrying Hib did not rapidly terminate carriage. Thus, a primary means by which herd immunity to Hib is induced in a vaccinated population may be through reduction or delay in the initial acquisition of Hib.
Pulmonary tuberculosis and health‐seeking behaviour: how to get a delayed diagnosis in Cali, Colombia

Tuberculosis is a heavy burden in the developing countries. Early diagnosis and adherence to treatment are difficult to achieve by patients. Our qualitative research looked at the paths followed and the barriers experienced by patients at the health care services of Cali, Colombia, while seeking help for pulmonary tuberculosis symptoms. Results show that the cultural-based explanation patients give to the symptoms, the stigma attached to the disease, and the poor quality of health care services (communication skills, organizational structure, attitudes, and knowledge of the tuberculosis control strategy of health care workers) are strong barriers to early diagnosis.
Costs of Insecticide Resistance in Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

ABSTRACT The obvious benefits associated with insecticide resistance for pest species may come at a cost to other life-history traits. In this study, we compared the larval and pupal developmental times, pupal mass wing surface area and wing fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in insecticide resistant and control strains of codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), collected from apple (Malus spp.) orchards in central Canada. Resistant strains had significantly longer larval developmental times and lower pupal masses compared with the susceptible strain. Although the forewings of resistant moths were smaller in resistant than control strain, no difference in wing FA was detected. Longer developmental times could increase exposure time to natural enemies, and reduced adult size could affect longevity and total reproductive output.
3-D Rehabilitation Systems for Upper Limbs Using ER Actuators/Brakes with High Safety: "EMUL", "Robotherapist" and "PLEMO"

Rehabilitation for upper limbs is important for elderly people, people who have suffered a stroke and so on. In recent years, the needs for rehabilitation support systems are increasing, which use robot technology and virtual reality technology. Applying these technologies make efficient rehabilitation possible. But there was few rehabilitation support robot system for 3-D training with high safety. So we have developed three different rehabilitation machines for upper limbs: "EMUL", "Robotherapist" and "PLEMO". In this paper, we introduce the recent researches of each robot.
The Effects of ex vivo Handling Procedures on the Near‐Infrared Raman Spectra of Normal Mammalian Tissues

Recent studies in the literature have investigated the feasibility of tissue diagnostics based on Raman spectroscopy. The majority of these compare the ex vivo spectra of normal and diseased tissue. Due to the time lapse between tissue excision and spectroscopic examination, samples must be frozen or otherwise preserved to maintain their native biochemical states. In order to establish optimum procedures for ex vivo Raman spectroscopy of tissue, the effects of tissue drying, formalin fixing, snap freezing, tissue freezing in optimal cutting temperature (OCT) medium and extended post‐thaw durations were studied to determine if any of these handling procedures introduced spectral artifacts. Experiments on representative tissues indicated that tissue heating due to the excitation light did not change the spectra significantly. With minor exceptions, OCT and formalin did not contaminate tissue spectra, so that samples stored for histological examination could also be studied with Raman spectroscopy. Tissue dehydration caused disruption of the protein vibrational modes, which caused spectral artifacts. It is concluded that ex vivo tissue samples should be frozen in OCT. Prior to spectral analysis, the tissue should then be acclimatized at room temperature in phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) and immersed in PBS during spectroscopic examination.
Resource allocation for wireless caching in socially-enabled D2D communications

Wireless caching using device-to-device (D2D) communications is a promising approach for reducing delivery delay and improving spectrum efficiency and energy efficiency. In addition to the physical link condition, social behaviors are also of great importance for effectiveness enhancement of the D2D-based wireless caching schemes. In this work, we focus on resource allocation including power and spectrum to improve the system efficiency in terms of jointly considered spectrum efficiency and energy efficiency, by leveraging both physical and social characteristics. Furthermore, a heuristic-based mixed integer nonlinear programming algorithm is proposed to solve the joint optimization problem, including the establishment of D2D links, spectrum allocation and power optimization. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in terms of different pairing algorithms.
Root Pressure and Leaf Water Potential

Measurements with thermocouple psychrometers were made of the water potentials of leaves from sunflower and pepper plants which had stood overnight in the dark in nutrient solutions containing carbowax. Similar measurements on the solutions showed that they had lower water potentials than the leaves, although the plants were measurably transpiring. Evidence that root pressure plays a part in this inversion of water potential gradient is presented.
Symbiont Succession during Embryonic Development of the European Medicinal Leech, Hirudo verbana

ABSTRACT The European medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana, harbors simple microbial communities in the digestive tract and bladder. The colonization history, infection frequency, and growth dynamics of symbionts through host embryogenesis are described using diagnostic PCR and quantitative PCR. Symbiont species displayed diversity in temporal establishment and proliferation through leech development.
Two-Year Results after Directional Atherectomy of Infrapopliteal Arteries with the SilverHawk Device

Purpose: To report the 12- and 24-month results after directional atherectomy (DA) of below-the-knee (BTK) arterial lesions with the SilverHawk device. Methods: Forty-nine BTK lesions in 36 patients (58% men; mean age 70611 years) with peripheral occlusive disease of the lower limbs were treated with DA; 19 (53%) of the limbs were classified with Rutherford-Becker 4 or 5 ischemia. Target lesions were in the popliteal artery (n=6, 12%), tibioperoneal trunk (n=25, 51%), peroneal artery (n=10, 20%), anterior tibial artery (n=5, 10%), and posterior tibial artery (n=3, 6%). Nine (18%) lesions were located in a stent. Twelve lesions extended to 2 artery segments. The average degree of diameter stenosis was 89%±10% (range 70%–100%); there were 11 (22%) occlusions. The mean lesion length was 48±28 mm. Results: Sixteen (33%) lesions were treated after predilation; 33 (67%) lesions were treated with primary DA. All but 1 (2%) lesion could be treated with DA. In 19 (39%) lesions, additional balloon angioplasty was performed, and 2 (4%) lesions required stent implantation as a result of dissection. The mean stenosis diameter after DA was 12%±18% (range 0%–100%). After additional therapy, the mean stenosis diameter was 8%±9% (range 0%–100%). A residual stenosis ≤30% was achieved in 48 (98%) lesions. The mean ankle-brachial index significantly increased from 0.48±0.26 to 0.81±0.32 (p<0.05) before discharge and remained improved during follow-up. Primary and secondary patency rates were 67% and 91% after 1 year and 60% and 80% after 24 months. The 12-and 24-month cumulative event-free survival rates (primary patency) by Kaplan-Meier analysis were 58%±8% and 46%±9%; at the same time intervals, the cumulative survival rates (secondary patency) were 88%±6% and 73%±9%, respectively. Conclusion: BTK lesions can be treated successfully and safely with DA. Midterm clinical results are encouraging.
Bone marrow-derived elements in the peripheral nervous system. An immunohistochemical and ultrastructural investigation in chimeric rats.

BACKGROUND Currently available studies on the peripheral nervous system (PNS) give little information on the presence, distribution, turnover and function of bone marrow-derived cells such as monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. To address such issues, the present investigation of PNS tissues from bone marrow transplanted chimeras was performed. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Inbred DA rats were lethally irradiated and transplanted with (Lewis x DA)F1 bone marrow carrying the non-DA major histocompatibility antigens from Lewis rats. The anti-RT-1A antibody (anti-Lewis MHC class I), I1-69, and the macrophage markers, Ed2 and Ox42 were used to visualize immunohistochemically donor bone marrow-derived cells and resident macrophages of sensory and autonomic ganglia as well as in peripheral nerves. RESULTS In the ganglia, up to 80% and within peripheral nerves, up to 60% of macrophages were replaced by donor cells within 3 months of established chimerism. Ultrastructurally these cells were located: (a) between the perineurial sheaths, (b) in a perivascular position, or (c) freely dispersed within the endoneurium but outside the basal lamina of Schwann cells and ganglion cells. On the rare occasions where myelin and axonal pathology was noted, or during central chromatolysis of ganglion cells, donor marrow-derived cells became positioned under the basal lamina and incorporated tissue debris. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest a rapid and significant turnover of bone marrow-derived cells within the PNS. Our observations are relevant to the understanding of the pathogenesis of reactive, immunologic, and HIV-associated processes within the PNS.
Forward-in-Time, Spatially Explicit Modeling Software to Simulate Genetic Lineages Under Selection

SELECTOR is a software package for studying the evolution of multiallelic genes under balancing or positive selection while simulating complex evolutionary scenarios that integrate demographic growth and migration in a spatially explicit population framework. Parameters can be varied both in space and time to account for geographical, environmental, and cultural heterogeneity. SELECTOR can be used within an approximate Bayesian computation estimation framework. We first describe the principles of SELECTOR and validate the algorithms by comparing its outputs for simple models with theoretical expectations. Then, we show how it can be used to investigate genetic differentiation of loci under balancing selection in interconnected demes with spatially heterogeneous gene flow. We identify situations in which balancing selection reduces genetic differentiation between population groups compared with neutrality and explain conflicting outcomes observed for human leukocyte antigen loci. These results and three previously published applications demonstrate that SELECTOR is efficient and robust for building insight into human settlement history and evolution.
Joint coding for multi-program transmission

This paper presents a method for joint coding of multiple video programs. By exploiting the statistical variations of program content, joint coding achieves a more optimal bit allocation, which results in a better and more uniform overall picture quality. The bit allocation strategy assigns the same quantization parameter to all the programs, and adjusts this quantization parameter from frame to frame so that the total number of bits is within a given bit budget. It is shown that using the same quantization parameter results in bit rates proportional to the program complexities. It is also shown that the use of the same quantization parameter guarantees the same upper bound of the coding distortion for all the programs.
The Study on Data Preprocessing Based on Collaborative Filtering

As the increase of the internet information, it's very necessary to provide personalized service for us. Collaborative filtering is one of the most successful applications in the field of personalized service. But the quality of the service directly affects the extent of its application. So before recommend, do data preprocessing, the results of the experiment show that the method can indeed improve the quality of recommend algorithm
Epigenetic regulation: The interface between prenatal and early‐life exposure and asthma susceptibility

Asthma is a complex disease with genetic and environmental influences and emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic regulation is also a major contributor. Here, we focus on the developing paradigm that epigenetic dysregulation in asthma and allergy may start as early as in utero following several environmental exposures. We summarize the pathways important to the allergic immune response that are epigenetically regulated, the key environmental exposures associated with epigenetic changes in asthma genes, and newly identified epigenetic biomarkers that have been linked to clinical asthma. We conclude with a brief discussion about the potential to apply newly developing technologies in epigenetics to the diagnosis and treatment of asthma and allergy. The inherent plasticity of epigenetic regulation following environmental exposures offers opportunities for prevention using environmental remediation, measuring novel biomarkers for early identification of those at risk, and applying advances in pharmaco‐epigenetics to tailor medical therapies that maximize efficacy of treatment. ‘Precision Medicine’ in asthma and allergy is arriving. As the field advances this may involve an individually tailored approach to the prevention, early detection, and treatment of disease based on the knowledge of an individual's epigenetic profile. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 55:231–243, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Mechanism of the Agglutination Reaction

Since Gruber and Nicolle expressed the opinion that the agglutination of bacteria by specific immune sera was due to the surfaces of the bacteria becoming viscous under the influence of the specific sera, many theories have been advanced aiming at a more complete explanation of the reaction. Bordet (1899) considered that the agglutinins by uniting with the agglutinable substances lead to changes in molecular attraction between the elements affected, either as among themselves, or between them and the surrounding fluid. He distinguished the two phases of the reaction, (1) the interaction between the agglutinin and the bacteria, and (2) the agglomeration of the bacteria.
Mathematical Programs with Complementarity Constraints: Stationarity, Optimality, and Sensitivity

We study mathematical programs with complementarity constraints. Several stationarity concepts, based on a piecewise smooth formulation, are presented and compared. The concepts are related to stationarity conditions for certain smooth programs as well as to stationarity concepts for a nonsmooth exact penalty function. Further, we present Fiacco-McCormick type second order optimality conditions and an extension of the stability results of Robinson and Kojima to mathematical programs with complementarity constraints.
Lumbar spine surgery and mortality among Medicare beneficiaries, 1986.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to compare lumbar spine surgical procedures by age, gender, and number of comorbidities with respect to mortality in patients 65 years of age and older in the United States. METHODS A 100% sample of the 1986 Medicare inpatient Health Care Financing Administration claims files databases involving lumbar spine surgical procedures was analyzed. RESULTS Lumbar spine surgery in 34,418 patients (median age = 71 years) was associated with a significant increase in in-hospital and 1-year cumulative mortality only beyond 80 years of age. When adjusted for age, in-hospital and 1-year cumulative mortality with both decompression and excision procedures were significantly higher in men than in women. When adjusted for both age and gender, mortality increased significantly as the number of comorbidities increased. CONCLUSIONS With lumbar spine surgery in elderly patients, mortality did not significantly increase until 80 years of age and was consistently associated with decompression and excision, with male gender, and with an increase in number of comorbidities.
Application of high performance computing in Markerless Augmented Reality systems

This paper focuses on potential areas of high performance computing utilization within one category of Augmented reality systems – Markerless systems. Initially classification of Augmented Reality (AR) systems is provided. Later on problem areas of marker less AR system are discussed. Towards the end proposal for potential solution is provided. Keywords—Augmented reality, markerless tracking, GPU computation.
PP2A regulates autophagy in two alternative ways in Drosophila

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) holoenzyme is a heterotrimeric complex, consisting of A, B and C subunits. The catalytic subunit PP2A-C (microtubule star/mts) binds to the C-terminal part of the scaffold protein PP2A-A (PP2A-29B). In Drosophila, there are three different forms of B subunits (widerborst/wdb, twins/tws and PP2A-B'), which determine the subcellular localization and substrate specificity of the holoenzyme. Previous studies demonstrated that PP2A is involved in the control of TOR-dependent autophagy both in yeast and mammals. Furthermore, in Drosophila, wdb genetically interacts with the PtdIns3K/PTEN/Akt signaling cascade, which is a main upstream regulatory system of dTOR. Here we demonstrate that in Drosophila, two different PP2A complexes (containing B' or wdb subunit) play essential roles in the regulation of starvation-induced autophagy. The PP2A-A/wdb/C complex acts upstream of dTOR, whereas the PP2A-A/B'/C complex functions as a target of dTOR and may regulate the elongation of autophagosomes and their subsequent fusion with lysosomes. We also identified three Drosophila Atg orthologs (Atg14, Atg17 and Atg101), which represent potential targets of the PP2A-A/B'/C complex during autophagy.