Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corona discharge currents of a point plane air gap: Spectroscopic studies and effects of silicone rubber

This paper describes results of measurements made using modern digital instrumentation to simultaneously record current pulses and visible images associated with corona discharges in a 8.255 mm point-plane gap in atmospheric air with 50 Hz applied voltages up to flashover. Discharge current pulses are recorded at a sampling rate of 200 mega samples per second by a digital oscilloscope with an estimated 14 nsec time constant for the total measuring circuitry. The effect of a 0.2 mm sheet of silicone rubber insulation placed over the surface of the plane electrode is also examined. Analysis of the current measurements provides new information about the formation of pulses particularly double-peaked types observed only occasionally by previous researchers. Photographs from a digital camera with extended UV capability show images of the corona produced for each type of discharge and atomic emission spectra of the corona are obtained up to and including spark-over with a high resolution digital spectrometer with a fiber optic probe, for wavelengths from 200 nm to 1100 nm with an accuracy of ±0.25 nm.
Surfactant--where are we in 2003?

Surfactant research has progressed over the past several years to the extent that exogenous surfactant administration in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is now being evaluated. Unfortunately, clinical responses have been variable, and we now need to take a look at how surfactant is altered in this disease so that more effective treatment strategies can be developed. This review briefly discusses the biophysical and host defense properties of surfactant, the impact of mechanical ventilation (MV) on the endogenous surfactant system and the most recent clinical data involving exogenous surfactant administration in patients with ARDS. Discussions regarding future directions of surfactant research both in ARDS and diseases other than acute lung injury are included.
Physical Fitness of Elite Belgian Soccer Players by Player Position

Abstract Boone, J, Vaeyens, R, Steyaert, A, Vanden Bossche, L, and Bourgois, J. Physical fitness of elite Belgian soccer players by player position. J Strength Cond Res 26(8): 2051–2057, 2012—The purpose of this study was to gain an insight into the physical and physiological profile of elite Belgian soccer players with specific regard to the player's position on the field. The sample consisted of 289 adult players from 6 different first division teams. The players were divided into 5 subgroups (goalkeepers, center backs, full backs, midfielders, and strikers) according to their self-reported best position on the field. The subjects performed anaerobic (10-m sprint, 5 × 10-m shuttle run [SR], squat jump [SJ], and countermovement jump [CMJ]) and aerobic (incremental running protocol) laboratory tests. The strikers had significantly shorter sprinting times (5-, 5- to 10-m time, and SR) compared with the midfielders, center backs, and goalkeepers, whereas the full backs were also significantly faster compared with the goalkeepers and the center backs. The goalkeepers and the center backs displayed higher jumping heights (total mean SJ = 40.7 ± 4.6 cm and CMJ = 43.1 ± 4.9 cm) compared with the other 3 positions, whereas the strikers also jumped higher than the full backs and the midfielders did. Regarding the aerobic performance, both full backs and the midfielders (61.2 ± 2.7 and 60.4 ± 2.8 ml·min−1·kg−1, respectively) had a higher V[Combining Dot Above]O2max compared with the strikers, center backs, and goalkeepers (56.8 ± 3.1, 55.6 ± 3.5, and 52.1 ± 5.0 ml·min−1·kg−1, respectively). From this study, it could be concluded that players in different positions have different physiological characteristics. The results of this study might provide useful insights for individualized conditional training programs for soccer players. Aside from the predominant technical and tactical skills, a physical profile that is well adjusted to the position on the field might enhance game performance.
Topical Microbicides: Current Status and Research Considerations for Adolescent Girls

Background and Objectives: For sexually active adolescent girls, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) represent a significant health problem. Although condom use may be an effective intervention against STDs in this high‐risk population, actual use depends on the cooperation of the male partner. Therefore, the development of female‐controlled methods such as topical microbicides have been endorsed as an important option for STD prevention. Goals: This article reviews the current status of intravaginal microbicide development and discusses aspects of adolescent development that should be considered in topical microbicide research. Results: Biological development, cognitive capacities, psychosexual maturation, and the sociocultural context are key features that affect the likelihood that adolescents will adopt microbicides as a specific method of STD protection. Conclusion: Adoption of topical microbicides by adolescents will require an “adolescent friendly” perspective for topical microbicides to have a significant impact on the STD epidemic.
Are Collaborations Enough? Professionals’ Knowledge of Victim Services

Service providers must be aware of community resources to make referrals, and yet studies have found providers to be less knowledgeable of services other than their own. This article describes a survey of 279 domestic violence, victim assistance, law enforcement, legal professionals, public health, and mental health professionals who were asked about a range of services for victims of domestic violence. Results indicated that groups had less knowledge of some services, notably, special services provided by domestic violence shelters and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), food, and goods. Perceptions of service availability differed across professional groups in terms of overall health, law enforcement, and shelter services. Results call for purposeful interprofessional communication and cross-training.
The Effect of Halothane on the Baroresponse of Adult and Baby Rabbits

The effect of anesthesia on the baroresponse of infants is not known. Therefore, the authors studied the baroreceptor activity of adult and 10− to 14-day-old rabbits during halothane anesthesia. The arterial systolic pressure was increased 20 to 30 per cent by injecting 0.03–0.04 mg/kg of phenylephrine into the femoral or external jugular vein while recording the electrocardiogram and femoral arterial blood pressure. The slope of the R-R interval on systolic pressure (baroresponse) was determined. The studies were done in the awake, unmedicated state and at 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 MAC halothane. Oxygen was the carrier gas. The sensitivity of the response was different in the two groups of animals. When awake, the adults' slope was greater than that of the babies. During anesthesia the slopes decreased in both groups, but the decrease was greater in the babies. At 0.5 MAC halothane, the baroresponse was reduced 80 and 54 per cent in baby and adult rabbits, respectively. Lag time (the time between the onset of the rise in systolic blood pressure and the change in R-R interval) was prolonged in both the babies and the adults. Both showed the same prolongation during anesthesia, although the percentage change in the babies was greater.
The Recent Shift in Term Structure Behavior from a No-Arbitrage Macro-Finance Perspective

This paper examines a recent shift in the dynamics of the term structure and interest rate risk. We first use standard yield-spread regressions to document such a shift in the U.S. in the mid-1980s. Over the pre- and post-shift subsamples, we then estimate dynamic, affine, no-arbitrage models, which exhibit a significant difference in behavior that can be largely attributed to changes over time in the pricing of risk associated with a “level” factor. Finally, we suggest a link between the shift in term structure behavior and changes in the risk and dynamics of the inflation target as perceived by investors.
Reciprocal allosteric regulation of p38γ and PTPN3 involves a PDZ domain–modulated complex formation

Structural analysis of a phosphatase-kinase complex defines a role for the PDZ domain in regulating kinase inactivation. Structural Insights into Kinase and Phosphatase Regulation Unlike other members of the p38 family of kinases, p38γ has a PDZ-interacting motif. Phosphorylation of a tyrosine and a threonine in the kinase domain activates p38γ. The PDZ domain of the tyrosine phosphatase PTPN3 interacts with p38γ and is important for efficient dephosphorylation and inactivation of this kinase. Although Chen et al. discovered that the phosphatase domain of PTPN3 was sufficient to interact with dually phosphorylated p38γ, an interaction between the PDZ domain of PTPN3 and the PDZ-interacting motif of p38γ stabilized the complex and relieved an autoinhibitory intramolecular conformation of PTPN3. Structural analysis identified an invariant arginine in PTPN3 that interacted with the phosphorylated threonine in p38γ, suggesting that dephosphorylation of tyrosine by PTPN3 precedes dephosphorylation of threonine. These findings reveal new insight into the reciprocal allosteric regulation of PTPN3 and p38γ activity. The mitogen-activated protein kinase p38γ (also known as MAPK12) and its specific phosphatase PTPN3 (also known as PTPH1) cooperate to promote Ras-induced oncogenesis. We determined the architecture of the PTPN3-p38γ complex by a hybrid method combining x-ray crystallography, small-angle x-ray scattering, and chemical cross-linking coupled to mass spectrometry. A unique feature of the glutamic acid–containing loop (E-loop) of the phosphatase domain defined the substrate specificity of PTPN3 toward fully activated p38γ. The solution structure revealed the formation of an active-state complex between p38γ and the phosphatase domain of PTPN3. The PDZ domain of PTPN3 stabilized the active-state complex through an interaction with the PDZ-binding motif of p38γ. This interaction alleviated autoinhibition of PTPN3, enabling efficient tyrosine dephosphorylation of p38γ. Our findings may enable structure-based drug design targeting the PTPN3-p38γ interaction as an anticancer therapeutic.
Cellular manufacturing and marketing strategy in UK small to medium enterprises

This article examines the process of introducing AMTs (advanced manufacturing technologies) in response to strategic initiatives in smaller enterprises (SMEs). The research is based on the participation by the authors in a UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) review of strategic initiatives and the corresponding investment programmes. The article focuses on cases where the adoption of a cellular organisation was used as a means of implementing a marketing strategy. The research shows that more general AMTs, such as cellular systems, may appear to provide advantages even when inadequate market analysis has taken place. However, achieving real competitive advantage requires an effective translation of the market opportunities into internal requirements which can then be supported by appropriate investment.
Ultrasound de-convolution using a Least Angle Regression approach

We address the two main challenges that have so far prevented adaption of chirp transmission in medical ultrasound, despite its potential to achieve a significantly enhanced SNR. The first is the high sidelobe level resulting from signal compression using a matched filter. The second challenge is that the level of the sidelobes is further increased since the pulse is distorted in the body in an unknown manner. This distortion is a result of the frequency dependent absorption in the living tissue. A high sidelobe level is also associated with the fact that due to the variability in the tissue absorption, the pulse shape itself is not known, so that even matched filtering may result in significant errors. In this work we hypothesize that the signal can be modeled as a sum of relatively few `strong reflectors' that are the main cause of the sidelobes and a large number of relatively `weak' reflectors. Using this sparsity as a prior, we can solve for the position and (complex) reflectivity of the strong reflectors as well as for the precise form of the pulse shape. This allows the retrieval of the reflectivity function, applying the appropriate matched filter to the signal of `weak' reflectors. We propose to use a method based on the Least Angle Regression (LARS) algorithm for the solution of the non-linear optimization problem involved in the estimation of the positions and the (generally complex) amplitudes of the strong reflectors, as well as the precise pulse shape anywhere in the tissue.
E-Mail Visualisation - A Comparative Usability Evaluation

As the number of e-mail accounts and messages grow rapidly, traditional e-mail clients that are used nowadays have become difficult to use. Therefore, this paper shows how the usability of e-mail clients can be improved using information visualisation. An experimental e-mail visualisation tool was developed in order to organise e-mail messages in the inbox. It visualises messages based on the date of receiving messages with senders’ e-mail addresses. An experiment was carried out to test whether information visualisation could significantly enhance the usability of e-mail clients. The performance of 30 users was observed in a standard e-mail client and the proposed prototype. The results showed that information visualisation could significantly improve the effectiveness and the efficiency of e-mail clients.
S-C bands broadband envelop detector design

This paper proposes the design, fabrication, characterization and measurement of an S-C band broadband detector. A brief theoretical outline of detectors and detector devices is presented. The commercially available GaAs packaged detector diode SOD-323 was adapted to build an unamplified detector. A broadband microchip impedance matching network procedure was developed, characterised and used to provide the broadband design for the detector. The measurements show a close agreement between the simulated and measured results. The bandwidth obtained was better than 5 GHz or 100% for 5 GHz frequency centre from 2 GHz to 8 GHz; minimum voltage sensitivity 200 mV/mW over 2 GHz to 8 GHz was achieved and the peak value was more than 1130 mV/mW at 3 GHz.
A Novel Metabolic Pathway for Indole-3-Acetic Acid in Apical Shoots of Populus tremula (L.) x Populus tremuloides (Michx.)

Metabolism of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in apical shoots of Populus tremula (L.) x Populus tremuloides (Michx.) was investigated by feeding a mixture of [12C]IAA, [13C6]IAA, and [1[prime]-14C]IAA through the base of the excised stem. HPLC of methanolic plant extracts revealed eight major radiolabeled metabolites after a 24-h incubation period. Comparison between feeds with [5–3H]IAA and [1[prime]-14C]IAA showed that all detectable metabolites were nondecarboxylative products. The purified radiolabeled HPLC fractions were screened by frit-fast atom bombardment liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for compounds with characteristic fragment pairs originating from the application with 12C and 13C isotopes. Samples of interest were further characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Using this procedure, oxindole-3-acetic acid (OxIAA), indole-3-acetyl-N-aspartic acid (IAAsp), oxindole-3-acetyl-N-aspartic acid (OxIAAsp), and ring-hydroxylated oxindole-3-acetic acid were all identified as IAA metabolites. Furthermore, a novel metabolic pathway from IAA via IAAsp and OxIAAsp to OxIAA was established on the basis of refeeding experiments with the different IAA metabolites.
Phenotypes of Mice Lacking Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase and Copper- and Zinc-containing Superoxide Dismutase*

Mice lacking the secreted extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) or the cytosolic copper- and zinc-containing SOD (CuZn-SOD) show relatively mild phenotypes. To explore the possibility that the isoenzymes have partly overlapping functions, single and double knockout mice were examined. The absence of EC-SOD was found to be without effect on the lifespan of mice, and the reduced lifespan of CuZn-SOD knockouts was not further shortened by EC-SOD deficiency. The urinary excretion of isoprostanes was increased in CuZn-SOD knockout mice, and plasma thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances levels were elevated in EC-SOD knockout mice. These oxidant stress markers showed potentiated increases in the absence of both isoenzymes. Other alterations were mainly found in CuZn-SOD knockout mice, such as halved glutathione peroxidase activity in the tissues examined and increased glutathione and iron in the liver. There were no changes in tissue content of the alternative superoxide scavenger ascorbate, but there was a 25% reduction in ascorbate in blood plasma in mice lacking CuZn-SOD. No increase was found in the urinary excretion of the terminal metabolites of NO, nitrite, and nitrate in any of the genotypes. In conclusion, apart from the increases in the global urinary and plasma oxidant stress markers, our phenotype studies revealed no other evidence that the copper- and zinc-containing SOD isoenzymes have overlapping roles.
Validity of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale-IV: its use in young adults with mental retardation.

The validity of the Stanford Binet-IV (SB-IV) was assessed. This test and the WAIS-R and WRAT-R were administered to 42 adults previously classified with mild to moderate mental retardation. Validity coefficients between scores on the SB-IV and the other two measures were significant. The mean IQ on the SB-IV (mean Test Composite = 43.26) was significantly lower than that on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised--WAIS-R (mean Full-Scale IQ = 57.91). With regard to the internal validity of the SB-IV, the intersubtest relationships of each of the four Area scores correlated significantly with the Test Composite (range = .66 to .91). Verbal Reasoning earned the highest correlation (.91). Results support the SB-IV's concurrent, criterion-related, and internal validity for use with young adults who have mental retardation.
Accurate and Low-cost Mobile Indoor Localization with 2-D Magnetic Fingerprints

Indoor localization is particularly valuable in many indoor application scenarios, such as shopping malls and airports. An indoor localization system on smartphones should be low-power as well as accurate. In this paper, we present Turnin - a completely infrastructure-free and extremely low-power indoor localization system for smartphones. Turnin only leverages two kinds of most low-power sensors, i.e., magnetometer and inertial sensors, and does not rely on any infrastructure. It achieves accurate localization by exploiting 2-D geomagnetic fingerprints. To evaluate Turnin, we carried out a series of experiments in a 5-floor office building. The results show that Turnin achieves a success localization rate of almost 100% with an average error of smaller than 1.5 meters.
Elevated progesterone receptor membrane component 1/sigma‐2 receptor levels in lung tumors and plasma from lung cancer patients

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death, and there is an urgent need for new biomarkers and therapeutic targets. The progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (Pgrmc1) protein is upregulated in multiple types of cancer, and Pgrmc1 is required for tumor cell proliferation, motility and tumor formation in vivo. Furthermore, a small molecule inhibitor of Pgrmc1 suppressed the growth of lung, breast and cervical cancer cell lines. Recently, Pgrmc1 was identified as the sigma‐2 receptor, a putative type of opioid receptor, and sigma‐2 receptors are induced in cancers. However, Pgrmc1 shares no homology with known opioid or hormone receptors but is related to cytochrome b5, and Pgrmc1 binds to heme and has reducing activity. In this study, we have analyzed Pgrmc1 levels in clinical tumor samples from squamous cell lung cancers (SCLC) and lung adenocarcinomas compared to corresponding nonmalignant tissue. Pgrmc1 levels increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) in 12/15 SCLC samples and was elevated in poorly differentiated tumors. Pgrmc1 was highly expressed in SCLC cell lines, and SCLC cell survival was inhibited by siRNA knockdown of Pgrmc1 or the Pgrmc1 inhibitor AG‐205. In adenocarcinomas, 6/15 tumors significantly had elevated Pgrmc1 levels, which correlated with patient survival. Pgrmc1 localizes to secretory vesicles in cancer cells, and Pgrmc1 was secreted by lung cancer cells. Furthermore, Pgrmc1 was significantly elevated in the plasma of lung cancer patients compared to noncancer patients. Together, the results demonstrate that Pgrmc1 is a potential tumor and serum biomarker, as well as a therapeutic target, for lung cancer.
CGG allele size somatic mosaicism and methylation in FMR1 premutation alleles

Background Greater than 200 CGG repeats in the 5′UTR of the FMR1 gene lead to epigenetic silencing and lack of the FMR1 protein, causing fragile X Syndrome. Individual carriers of a premutation (PM) allele with 55–200 CGG repeats are typically unmethylated and can present with clinical features defined as FMR1-associated conditions. Methods Blood samples from 17 male PM carriers were assessed clinically and molecularly by Southern blot, western blot, PCR and QRT-PCR. Blood and brain tissue from an additional 18 PM males were also similarly examined. Continuous outcomes were modelled using linear regression and binary outcomes were modelled using logistic regression. Results Methylated alleles were detected in different fractions of blood cells in all PM cases (n=17). CGG repeat numbers correlated with percent of methylation and mRNA levels and, especially in the upper PM range, with greater number of clinical involvements. Inter-tissue/intra-tissue somatic instability and differences in percent methylation were observed between blood and fibroblasts (n=4) and also observed between blood and different brain regions in three of the 18 PM cases examined. CGG repeat lengths in lymphocytes remained unchanged over a period of time ranging from 2 to 6 years, three cases for whom multiple samples were available. Conclusions In addition to CGG size instability, individuals with a PM expanded allele can exhibit methylation and display more clinical features likely due to RNA toxicity and/or FMR1 silencing. The observed association between CGG repeat length and percent of methylation with the severity of the clinical phenotypes underscores the potential value of methylation in affected PM to further understand penetrance, inform diagnosis and expand treatment options.