Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New Error-Resilient Scheme Based on FMO and Dynamic Redundant Slices Allocation for Wireless Video Transmission

Video quality suffers significant degradation when transmitted over error-prone channel, due to packet loss, errors caused by fading in wireless channel and due to the video codec prediction mechanisms. The H.264/AVC standard suggests some new error-resilient features to enable reliable transmission of compressed video signal over lossy packet networks. Two of those new features are the Redundant Slices and the Flexible Macro-Block Ordering (FMO). In this paper we propose a new error-resilient scheme which merges the H.264/AVC FMO feature with a new technique for dynamic allocation of redundant slices depending on the wireless channel fading parameters. We suggest using a unique smart dynamic redundant slices allocation scheme which considers the dynamic wireless channel parameters rather than using the classical standard static allocation. The proposed redundant slice allocation algorithm is based on both Average Fade Duration (AFD), and Level Cross Rate (LCR) channel's characteristics. Moreover, we propose a new Explicit Spiral-Interleaved (ESI) flexible macroblocks ordering technique, which outperforms all other FMO types. The new ESI ordering results in effective error scattering which maximize the number of correctly received macroblocks located around corrupted macroblocks, leading to better error concealment. The proposed scheme greatly improves video transmission quality over lossy wireless transmission channels. Simulations results for wireless channel characterized by Rayleigh fading indicate that the proposed method improves the standard static allocation of redundant slices in terms of PSNR by about 2.5dB. Performance evaluations show that our approach is especially suited for applications such as video conferencing and mobile TV, where typically a specific main important Region of Interest should be more carefully protected
Physical-chemical properties shared by compounds that modulate multidrug resistance in human leukemic cells.

Multidrug resistance (MDR), typified by resistance to Vinca alkaloids and anthracyclines, is a well characterized experimental phenomenon that may have some clinical correlates. Verapamil, chloroquine, and related drugs have been shown previously to be capable of enhancing anticancer drug cytotoxicity in multi-drug-resistant cells, but the mechanism(s) by which these agents do this is(are) unclear. Since these agents did not seem to have common features, we studied these and other compounds for their ability to "modulate" Vinca alkaloid resistance in order to determine whether they possessed any common chemical or physical features. In addition to verapamil, 24 compounds, consisting of indole alkaloids, lysosomotropic agents, and amines, were tested for their ability to enhance the cytotoxicity of vinblastine and/or vincristine in our human leukemic multidrug-resistant cell line, CEM/VLB100. Seventeen compounds that enhance the cytotoxicity of the Vinca alkaloids by more than 5-fold have been identified. These include quinolines (chloroquine, quinine, chinchonidine, and primaquine), acridines (acridine, acridine orange, and quinacrine), and indole alkaloids (yohimbine, corynanthine, reserpine, physostigmine, and the vindoline and catharanthine moieties of the Vinca alkaloids), as well as other alkaloids and amines (chlorpromazine, propranolol, atropine, and tryptamine). Vindoline, catharanthine, and quinacrine also enhanced the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin and teniposide in these cells, indicating that this "modulation" was not limited to Vinca alkaloids. We examined some well known lysosomotropic compounds (methylamine, epinephrine, suramin, and trypan blue) and found that they were not able to enhance the cytotoxicity of vincristine in the CEM/VLB100 cells, indicating that lysosomotropic activity per se is not required for modulator activity. Three-dimensional computer modeling permitted molecular comparisons of conformationally related congeners of vinblastine, vindoline, and verapamil and revealed three regions of structural homology. We measured the hydrophobicity (by oil/water partitioning) and calculated the molar refractivity (by the additive substituent constant method) of active and inactive compounds. We found that those cationic agents--verapamil, quinacrine, indole alkaloids, and quinolines--that were lipid soluble at physiologic pH and had similar molar refractivities were best able to enhance the cytotoxicity of the Vinca alkaloids in our multidrug-resistant cells. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Early evidence of xeromorphy in angiosperms: stomatal encryption in a new eocene species of Banksia (Proteaceae) from Western Australia.

UNLABELLED • PREMISE OF THE STUDY Globally, the origins of xeromorphic traits in modern angiosperm lineages are obscure but are thought to be linked to the early Neogene onset of seasonally arid climates. Stomatal encryption is a xeromorphic trait that is prominent in Banksia, an archetypal genus centered in one of the world's most diverse ecosystems, the ancient infertile landscape of Mediterranean-climate southwestern Australia. • METHODS We describe Banksia paleocrypta, a sclerophyllous species with encrypted stomata from silcretes of the Walebing and Kojonup regions of southwestern Australia dated as Late Eocene. • KEY RESULTS Banksia paleocrypta shows evidence of foliar xeromorphy ∼20 Ma before the widely accepted timing for the onset of aridity in Australia. Species of Banksia subgenus Banksia with very similar leaves are extant in southwestern Australia. The conditions required for silcrete formation infer fluctuating water tables and climatic seasonality in southwestern Australia in the Eocene, and seasonality is supported by the paucity of angiosperm closed-forest elements among the fossil taxa preserved with B. paleocrypta. However, climates in the region during the Eocene are unlikely to have experienced seasons as hot and dry as present-day summers. • CONCLUSIONS The presence of B. paleocrypta within the center of diversity of subgenus Banksia in edaphically ancient southwestern Australia is consistent with the continuous presence of this lineage in the region for ≥40 Ma, a testament to the success of increasingly xeromorphic traits in Banksia over an interval in which numerous other lineages became extinct.
Surgical Management of Carotid Body Tumors: A 15-Year Single Institution Experience Employing an Interdisciplinary Approach

Cervical paragangliomas are rare neoplasms that arise from extraadrenal paraganglia in close association with the cranial nerves and extracranial arterial system of the head and neck, and therefore surgical extirpation can be challenging. A retrospective study was conducted of all patients undergoing surgical excision of a cervical paraganglioma between 2000 and 2015. The demographic characteristics, clinical features, surgical approach, and outcomes were reviewed. A total of 20 cervical paragangliomas were excised in 17 patients. There were 14 female and 3 male patients with a mean age of 56.6 ± 17.0 at the time of operation. Twelve patients had unilateral tumors and 5 patients had bilateral tumors. Familial involvement was confirmed by history or direct genetic analysis in 8 (47%) of the 17 patients. There were no malignant paragangliomas, and only 3 patients had tumors that were determined to be functional. Tumor size ranged from 1.3 to 6.0 cm. Two patients required combined arterial resection as part of complete excision of the tumor. There were no permanent operative cranial nerve injuries, no recurrences, minimal morbidity, and no mortality. In conclusion, optimal management of cervical paragangliomas should include a thorough preoperative evaluation, accurate definition of the surgical anatomy, and exclusion of synchronous paragangliomas. A combined therapeutic approach by a multidisciplinary team including surgeons and interventional radiologists provides safe and effective management of cervical paragangliomas with very low morbidity and excellent outcomes.
Tiagabine (Gabitril) Experience in Children

Summary: Tiagabine (TGB) is indicated as adjunctive therapy for partial seizures in adults and children aged 12 years and older. Double‐blind, placebo‐controlled studies of TGB treatment are under way in younger children with various forms of epilepsy. The results of pediatric pharmacokinetic trials indicate patterns similar to those seen in adults. An open‐label study was conducted in the United States in 31 children with refractory complex partial seizures, with doses escalated every 2 weeks by 0.25 mg/kg up to a maximal daily dose of 1 mg/kg. Twenty‐nine patients were treated with TGB for >1 year; 26 completed the study, of whom 18 were receiving monotherapy at study completion. A European dose‐escalation study evaluated TGB (0.25–1.5 mg/kg/day) as add‐on therapy in 52 children aged 2–15 years. TGB appeared to be more effective in localization‐related epilepsy syndromes, with 17 of 23 patients with localization‐related epilepsy having a 33% median reduction of seizure rate compared with baseline in the fourth month of treatment, and six patients having ≥50% seizure rate reduction. In this study, myoclonic seizures and spasms showed a poor response as opposed to encouraging findings reported by other groups with these seizure types. The adverse effect profile of TGB in children with epilepsy is similar to that in adults. In the U.S. study, most common adverse events were related to the central nervous system (CNS) and decreased over time. In the European study, mostly mild to moderate adverse events, including asthenia (19%), nervousness (19%), dizziness (17%), and somnolence (17%), were reported by 83% of TGB‐treated children (39% of children reported adverse events during the single‐blind placebo period). In summary, preliminary pediatric data with TGB suggest particular efficacy against epilepsy characterized by partial seizures or other syndromes, and further investigation is warranted.
Top-Down Fabrication of Epitaxial SiGe/Si Multi-(Core/Shell) p-FET Nanowire Transistors

Short-gate length epitaxial Si<sub>1-x</sub>Ge<sub>x</sub>/Si multi-(core/shell) p-type nanowire (NW) transistors with high-permittivity dielectric and metal gate were fabricated and their electrical properties examined. Silicon NWs were first of all patterned in ultrathin silicon-on-insulator wafers by lithography and etching. Selective epitaxial growth of Si<sub>0.7</sub>Ge<sub>0.3</sub>/Si or Si<sub>0.7</sub>Ge<sub>0.3</sub>/Si/Si<sub>0.7</sub>Ge<sub>0.3</sub>/Si shells was then performed around the Si NW core. Electrical transport measurements showed a hole mobility improvement up to 100% in Si<sub>0.7</sub>Ge<sub>0.3</sub>/Si/Si<sub>0.7</sub>Ge<sub>0.3</sub>/Si core/shell NWs (70% in wide planar devices) compared with p-type Si reference field effect transistors (FETs). Finally, a drive current enhancement of 60% compared with reference Si-channel devices was evidenced in multi-(core/shell) p-FET NWs scaled down to 15-nm gate length.
Characteristics and Predictors of Early and Delayed Responders to Ranibizumab Treatment in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Retrospective Analysis from the ANCHOR, MARINA, HARBOR, and CATT Trials

Purpose: This retrospective review examined visual acuity (VA) in subjects with neovascular age-related macular degeneration and identified early and delayed response to ranibizumab. Procedures: MARINA, ANCHOR, HARBOR, and CATT published data were examined for response with monthly versus individualized dosing and predictors of early versus delayed response. Results: Data were available for 1,631 subjects; 18-29% were early gainers and 15-16% were delayed gainers. Of the early gainers, 72-83% maintained their best-corrected VA gain at month 12 with monthly or individualized dosing. Delayed gainers in HARBOR almost reached the same level of response as early gainers by 12 months who were able to maintain their response. The main predictor of response was baseline VA. Conclusion: There are two distinct types of ranibizumab response; some responded by month 3, while others took up to 12 months. In delayed responders, this may have implications for switching or not switching therapies.
Safety and efficacy of convection-enhanced delivery of gemcitabine or carboplatin in a malignant glioma model in rats.

OBJECT Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) can be used safely to perfuse regions of the central nervous system (CNS) with therapeutic agents in a manner that bypasses the blood-brain barrier (BBB). These features make CED a potentially ideal method for the distribution of potent chemotherapeutic agents with certain pharmacokinetic properties to tumors of the CNS. To determine the safety and efficacy of the CED of two chemotherapeutic agents (with properties ideal for this method of delivery) into the CNS, the authors perfused naive rats and those harboring 9L gliomas with carboplatin or gemcitabine. METHODS Dose-escalation toxicity studies were performed by perfusing the striatum (10 microl, 24 rats) and brainstem (10 microl, 16 rats) of naive rats with carboplatin (0.1, 1, and 10 mg/ml) or gemcitabine (0.4, 4, and 40 mg/ml) via CED. Efficacy trials involved the intracranial implantation of 9L tumor cells in 20 Fischer 344 rats. The tumor and surrounding regions were perfused with 40 microl of saline (control group, four rats), 1 mg/ml of carboplatin (four rats), or 4 mg/ml of gemcitabine (four rats) 7 days after implantation. Eight rats harboring the 9L glioma were treated with the systemic administration of 60 mg/kg of carboplatin (four rats) or 150 mg/kg of gemcitabine (four rats) 7 days postimplantation. Clinical, gross, and histological analyses were used to determine toxicity and efficacy. Toxicity occurred in rats that had received only the highest dose of the CED of carboplatin or gemcitabine. Among rats with 9L gliomas, all control and systemically treated animals died within 26 days of tumor implantation. Long-term survival (120 days) and eradication of the tumor occurred in both CED-treated groups (75% of rats in the carboplatin group and 50% of rats in the gemcitabine group). Furthermore, animals harboring the 9L glioma and treated with intratumoral CED of carboplatin or gemcitabine survived significantly longer than controls treated with intratumoral saline (p < 0.01) or systemic chemotherapy (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The perfusion of sensitive regions of the rat brain can be accomplished without toxicity by using therapeutic concentrations of carboplatin or gemcitabine. In addition, CED of carboplatin or gemcitabine to tumors in this glioma model is safe and has potent antitumor effects. These findings indicate that similar treatment paradigms may be useful in the treatment of glial neoplasms in humans.
A novel dynamic memory cell with internal voltage gain

A 2T1D dynamic memory cell with two transistors (T) and a gated diode (D) is presented. A gated diode is a two terminal MOS device in which charge is stored when a voltage above the threshold voltage is applied between the gate and the source, and negligible charge is stored otherwise. The gated diode acts as a nonlinear capacitance for voltage boosting, where voltage for 1-data is boosted high and voltage for 0-data stays low, achieving significant voltage gain of the internal stored voltage, higher signal margin, higher current drive and low-voltage memory operation. Details about the gated diode structure, its signal amplification, the memory cell circuits and the array structure, some hardware and test results are presented, followed by comparison to other memory cells and future directions.
Hepatic steatosis: a role for de novo lipogenesis and the transcription factor SREBP‐1c

Steatosis is an accumulation of triglycerides in the liver. Although an excessive availability of plasma fatty acids is an important determinant of steatosis, lipid synthesis from glucose (lipogenesis) is now also considered as an important contributing factor. Lipogenesis is an insulin‐ and glucose‐dependent process that is under the control of specific transcription factors, sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP‐1c), activated by insulin and carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP) activated by glucose. Insulin induces the maturation of SREBP‐1c by a proteolytic mechanism initiated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). SREBP‐1c in turn activates glycolytic gene expression, allowing glucose metabolism, and lipogenic genes in conjunction with ChREBP. Lipogenesis activation in the liver of obese markedly insulin‐resistant steatotic rodents is then paradoxical. Recent data suggest that the activation of SREBP‐1c and thus of lipogenesis is secondary in the steatotic liver to an ER stress. The ER stress activates the cleavage of SREBP‐1c independent of insulin, thus explaining the paradoxical stimulation of lipogenesis in an insulin‐resistant liver. Inhibition of the ER stress in obese rodents decreases SREBP‐1c activation and lipogenesis and improves markedly hepatic steatosis and insulin sensitivity. ER is thus a new partner in steatosis and metabolic syndrome which is worth considering as a potential therapeutic target.
An Antenna for RFID tag printed on paper substrate using conductive ink

In this work, its presented the design of a dipole antenna with bent ends for UHF passive RFID tags printed on hydrophobic paper substrate. Silver particles conductive ink is used in an inkjet printer to build the radiating strips. This approach leads to significant benefits to users of RFID tags through low cost and fast fabrication and for being a green solution in large scale production. The energy to “wake up” the tag is obtained from the electromagnetic wave emitted by the reader which is captured by the tag antenna. Impedance matching is achieved through a careful design of the antenna to maximize the energy transfer and, as a consequence the reading range. The reading rate versus tag sensitivity is investigated. The tests were performed in a GTEM Cell which provides an electromagnetic radiation immune environment.
Brain Structure and Function in Women with Comorbid Bipolar and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Introduction Hormonal fluctuations associated with female reproductive life events may precipitate or worsen affective episodes in women with bipolar disorder (BD). Previous studies have shown that women with BD report higher rates of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) than controls. Further, bipolar women who report premenstrual worsening of mood display a worse course of their bipolar illness. Despite this, the neural correlates of comorbid BD and PMDD have not been investigated. Methodology Eighty-five [CTRL, n = 25; PMDD, n = 20; BD, n = 21; BD with comorbid PMDD (BDPMDD), n = 19], regularly cycling women, not on hormonal contraception, underwent two MRI scans: during their mid-follicular and late luteal menstrual phases. We investigated resting-state functional connectivity (Rs-FC), cortical thickness, and subcortical volumes of brain regions associated with the pathophysiology of BD and PMDD between groups, in the mid-follicular and late luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. All BD subjects were euthymic for at least 2 months prior to study entry. Results Women in the BDPMDD group displayed greater disruption in biological rhythms and more subthreshold depressive and anxious symptoms through the menstrual cycle compared to other groups. Rs-FC was increased between the L-hippocampus and R-frontal cortex and decreased between the R-hippocampus and R-premotor cortex in BDPMDD vs. BD (FDR-corrected, p < 0.05). Cortical thickness analysis revealed decreased cortical thickness of the L-pericalcarine, L-superior parietal, R-middle temporal, R-rostral middle frontal, and L-superior frontal, as well as increased cortical thickness of the L-superior temporal gyri in BDPMDD compared to BD. We also found increased left-caudate volume in BDPMDD vs. BD (pCORR < 0.05). Conclusion Women with BD and comorbid PMDD display a distinct clinical and neurobiological phenotype of BD, which suggests differential sensitivity to endogenous hormones.
Ipsilateral involvement of primary motor cortex during motor imagery

To investigate whether motor imagery involves ipsilateral cortical regions, we studied haemodynamic changes in portions of the motor cortex of 14 right‐handed volunteers during actual motor performance (MP) and kinesthetic motor imagery (MI) of simple sequences of unilateral left or right finger movements, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Increases in mean normalized fMRI signal intensities over values obtained during the control (visual imagery) task were found during both MP and MI in the posterior part of the precentral gyrus and supplementary motor area, both on the contralateral and ipsilateral hemispheres. In the left lateral premotor cortex, fMRI signals were increased during imagery of either left or right finger movements. Ipsilateral cortical clusters displaying fMRI signal changes during both MP and MI were identified by correlation analyses in 10 out of 14 subjects; their extent was larger in the left hemisphere. A larger cortical population involved during both contralateral MP and MI was found in all subjects. The overall spatial extent of both the contralateral and the ipsilateral MP + MI clusters was ∼ 90% of the whole cortical volume activated during MP. These results suggest that overlapping neural networks in motor and premotor cortex of the contralateral and ipsilateral hemispheres are involved during imagery and execution of simple motor tasks.
Contact rates and exposure to inter-species disease transmission in mountain ungulates

SUMMARY The risk for a pathogen to cross the species barrier depends on the rate of efficient contacts between the species. However, contact rates between species have rarely been estimated from observations. Here we estimate contact rates and exposure of chamois Rupicapra rupicapra and Alpine ibex Capra ibex exposed to domestic pasteurellosis and brucellosis carried by sheep or cattle herds summering in mountain pastures. We use field observation data on animal positions treated in a geographic information system (GIS). Comparing 10 pastures, we show that the management of domestic herds influences the risk of inter-species transmission. Exposure to direct transmission of pasteurellosis is high when herds are not guarded nor enclosed, whereas exposure to indirect transmission of brucellosis is increased on epidemiological dangerous points such as salt deposits. Our preliminary results need further investigation, but they underline the importance of both herd management and pathogen transmission mode when the aim is to reduce the risk of contamination of wild populations by a pathogen associated with domestic pathogens.