Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gaussian Behavior of the Number of Summands in Zeckendorf Decompositions in Small Intervals

Zeckendorf's theorem states that every positive integer can be written uniquely as a sum of non-consecutive Fibonacci numbers ${F_n}$, with initial terms $F_1 = 1, F_2 = 2$. We consider the distribution of the number of summands involved in such decompositions. Previous work proved that as $n \to \infty$ the distribution of the number of summands in the Zeckendorf decompositions of $m \in [F_n, F_{n+1})$, appropriately normalized, converges to the standard normal. The proofs crucially used the fact that all integers in $[F_n, F_{n+1})$ share the same potential summands. We generalize these results to subintervals of $[F_n, F_{n+1})$ as $n \to \infty$; the analysis is significantly more involved here as different integers have different sets of potential summands. Explicitly, fix an integer sequence $\alpha(n) \to \infty$. As $n \to \infty$, for almost all $m \in [F_n, F_{n+1})$ the distribution of the number of summands in the Zeckendorf decompositions of integers in the subintervals $[m, m + F_{\alpha(n)})$, appropriately normalized, converges to the standard normal. The proof follows by showing that, with probability tending to $1$, $m$ has at least one appropriately located large gap between indices in its decomposition. We then use a correspondence between this interval and $[0, F_{\alpha(n)})$ to obtain the result, since the summands are known to have Gaussian behavior in the latter interval. % We also prove the same result for more general linear recurrences.
High prevalence of an active cytomegalovirus infection in the appendix of immunocompetent patients with acute appendicitis

Background Appendicitis is a very common surgical diagnosis with unclear pathology. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can modulate our immune system and has been associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and various other inflammatory diseases. Methods We investigated the association between HCMV and acute appendicitis in 14 immunocompetent patients. Tissue sections from 10 AIDS patients with verified HCMV infection were used as positive controls, and uninflamed intestinal tissue sections from 12 patients were used as negative controls. Results Cells double positive for HCMV early antigens and IL‐6/IL‐8 were observed in the appendices of 64.3% of appendicitis patients (9 of 14) by immunohistochemical analysis. HCMV late antigen was found in the appendices of 42.9% of the acute appendicitis patients (6 of 14). Latent HCMV appendix infection, as verified by in situ hybridization, as well as HCMV IgG, was observed in 78.6% of patients (11 of 14). The study samples from all 6 healthy appendices were negative for HCMV early and late antigens, although 50% (3 of 6) were HCMV IgG and HCMV DNA positive. Conclusions We have shown that HCMV infection of the appendix is associated with acute appendicitis (P = 0.002) and possibly with the severity of the disease. Our study identified HCMV as a pathogen to be sought for in the appendicitis patient group, possibly allowing further medical treatment of these patients.
Construc¸˜ ao de uma Ontologia para um Hospital

Abstract. In a pervasive environment, there is a big diversity of entities andrelationships between them. One of the most appropriate ways to do the repre-sentation of this knowledge are the ontologies. Thus, this paper describes theconstructionprocessofaontologyforahospital,inordertouseitinapervasiveenvironment. This ontology will be represented with OWL language.Resumo. Em um ambiente pervasivo, ha uma grande diversidade de entidades´e relacionamentos entre elas. Uma das maneiras mais adequadas para arepresentac¸ao deste conhecimento s˜ ao as ontologias. Deste modo, este artigo˜descreve o processo de construc¸ao de uma ontologia para um contexto hospita-˜lar, a ﬁm de utiliza-lo em um ambiente pervasivo. Esta ontologia ser´ a expressa´em OWL para sua aplicac¸ao em um hospital. ˜ 1. Introduc¸ao˜ Computac¸˜ao Pervasiva ´e a proposta de um novo paradigma computacional, que permiteao usuario o acesso a seu ambiente computacional a partir de qualquer lugar, todo o´tempo[Saha and Mukherjee 2003]. O usu´ario poder a utilizar equipamentos com difer-´entes perﬁs de hardware, que poderao ter suporte a operac¸˜ ˜ao m ovel ou n´ ao. O surgi-˜mento de publicac¸oes em editoriais internacionalmente reconhecidos atesta a acelerada˜disseminac¸˜ao desta proposta.A computac¸ao pervasiva requer que as tarefas computacionais estejam cientes dos˜ambientes adjacentes e das necessidades dos usu´arios, al em da capacidade de adaptac¸´ ao˜a estes. Uma das noc¸oes fundamentais na computac¸˜ ao pervasiva˜ ´e a sensibilidade aocontexto. Por contexto entende-se qualquer informac¸ao relevante que pode ser utilizada˜para caracterizar a situac¸ao de alguma entidade. Por sua vez, a computac¸˜ ao sens˜ ´ivelao contexto deﬁne-se pelo uso de caracter´isticas do ambiente, tais como a localizac¸ ao˜do usu´ario, tempo e atividade para permitir que aplicac¸ oes adaptem-se˜ as situac¸` oes e˜fornec¸am informac¸oes relevantes ao usu˜ ario. Assim, uma das maneiras mais adequadas´de representac¸ao de contexto˜ ´e atrav ´es de ontologias.Em uma ontologia, os relacionamentos sao deﬁnidos formalmente e a sem˜ anticaˆde um dado relacionamento e detalhada. Se esses relacionamentos possuem certos nomes´apropriados que identiﬁcam seu signiﬁcado, um humano visualizando uma ontologiapode entende-la diretamente; assim como um programa pode assumir a semˆ antica deˆum dado relacionamento e atuar sistematicamente atrav´es da mesma. OWL ( Web On-tology Language) ´e uma linguagem para deﬁnir e instanciar ontologias, fornecendo uma
Croissance libre de la phase colonnaire hexagonale d'un cristal liquide discotique

Ce travail presente une etude experimentale de la croissance libre d'un cristal liquide discotique (l'hexaoctyloxytriphenylene) en echantillon mince et en ancrage homeotrope. Grace a la mise au point d'une methode de trempe efficace des echantillons et au developpement d'une nouvelle methode de visualisation tridimensionnelle des germes, on a pu etudier quantitativement les regimes dendritiques et cellulaires jusqu'a la restabilisation absolue du front. Dans le premier regime, a sursaturation inferieure a 0,7, existent deux types de dendrites suivant que le rapport r de la longueur de diffusion des impuretes a l'epaisseur de l'echantillon est grand ou petit. Si r est superieur a 50, les dendrites stationnaires sont bidimensionnelles et leurs caracteristiques (nombre de peclet et constante de stabilite) sont en accord avec la theorie. Si r est inferieur a 10, un film de liquide apparait entre les plaques et les dendrites qui sont alors tridimensionnelles. Leur constante de stabilite diminue et sature vers une valeur bien definie lorsque r est inferieur a 1. Par contre, leur nombre de peclet ne satisfait jamais la loi d'ivantsov tridimensionnelle, ce qui prouve que les dendrites sont encore confinees. A forte sursaturation, la densite des branchements lateraux augmente et la solution dendritique disparait au profit d'un regime de branchements denses (sursaturation comprise entre 0,7 et 1). Dans le regime cinetique, lorsque la sursaturation est superieure a 1, le front est d'abord cellulaire puis restabilise quand la sursaturation est superieure a 4. Nous avons mesure le coefficient cinetique d'attachement moleculaire et son anisotropie et trouve que les axes de croissance facile a grandes et a petites vitesses font entre eux un angle de trente degres. Pour finir, nous presentons une etude complementaire en croissance directionnelle de la cinetique du front. Nous mettons en evidence une transition d'ancrage a grande vitesse qui conduit a une cinetique non lineaire quand les colonnes sont perpendiculaires a l'interface
A longitudinal study of maternal cardiovascular function from preconception to the postpartum period

Objective: Our objective was to investigate the extent of changes in maternal cardiovascular function, lipids and renal function during normal pregnancy from preconception to postpartum period. Methods: In this prospective study of 54 normal pregnancies, detailed hemodynamics were performed preconception, at 6, 23 and 33 weeks during pregnancy and 16 weeks postpartum. Results: Although the greatest reduction of blood pressures (BPs) and augmentation index occurred in early pregnancy (&Dgr;brachial systolic: 4 ± 7 mmHg, &Dgr;central systolic: 7 ± 7 mmHg; P < 0.001), the peripheral vascular resistance reached a nadir (&Dgr;: 222 ± 215 dynes.s−1.cm−5; P < 0.001) by the second trimester. The greatest increase in cardiac output occurred by the second trimester (&Dgr;: 0.6 ± 1 l/min, P < 0.001), whereas the heart rate increased maximally by the third trimester (&Dgr;: 13 ± 11 bpm; P = 0.001). The unadjusted aortic pulse wave velocity decreased in the second trimester (P < 0.001), however, when adjusted for mean arterial pressure this was not significant (P = 0.06). BPs were lower (&Dgr; brachial systolic: 5 ± 8 mmHg; P < 0.001) and augmentation index higher (&Dgr;: 2.5 ± 7%; P = 0.01) postpartum than preconception. The cholesterol:high-density lipoprotein ratio, serum low density lipoprotein and serum creatinine all fell (P < 0.001) in the first trimester. Conclusion: We have shown that normal pregnancy, irrespective of parity, is associated with significant changes commencing very early in pregnancy, continuing throughout pregnancy, and some of these changes persisted postpartum. Therefore, first trimester or postpartum baselines will underestimate the true extent of pregnancy-related changes. Prospective studies of cardiovascular function from preconception to postpartum will provide more reliable estimates of the influence of cardiovascular maladaptation during pregnancy complications and their effect on longer term cardiovascular function.
Power compensators based on magnetically controlled shunt reactors in electric networks with a voltage between 110 kV and 500 kV

It is shown that application of adjustable sources of reactive power based on magnetically controlled shunt reactors and capacitor banks in 110–500 kV grids allows to substantially lower the damage from power supply interruption, to reduce the need of electrical grids construction by maximizing power transmission capacity of existing lines, to improve the quality of power supply to end users, and it is a practical development of FACTS technology.
The Efficacy of Pentoxifylline as an Anti-Inflammatory Agent in Experimental Escherichia coli Meningitis in the Newborn Piglet

This study was done to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect and the ensuing neuroprotective effect of pentoxifylline in neonatal experimental bacterial meningitis. Newborn piglets were divided into three groups: 10 in the control group (CG), 13 in the meningitis group (MG), and 13 in the meningitis with pentoxifylline group (PG). Meningitis was induced by intracisternal injection of 108 colony-forming units of Escherichia coli in 100 μl of saline. In PG, 20 mg/kg of pentoxifylline was given as a bolus intravenous injection 30 min before induction of meningitis and 6 mg/kg/h was given continuously throughout the experiment. In PG, the increase of CSF TNF-α level observed in MG was abolished. Reduced brain glucose and ATP concentrations observed in MG were significantly increased in PG. However, other parameters of inflammatory responses such as increased intracranial pressure, reduced glucose and increased lactate concentrations in the CSF observed in MG were not significantly down-modulated. The extent of CSF leukocytosis was even higher in PG than in MG. Increased cerebral cortical cell membrane lipid peroxidation products and decreased Na+,K+-ATPase activity observed in MG, indicative of meningitis-induced brain cell membrane dysfunction, tended to improve without statistical significance in PG. In summary, although some anti-inflammatory effects have been observed, the overall anti-inflammatory effects of pentoxifylline was very weak, and it failed to significantly reduce the brain damage in experimental neonatal bacterial meningitis.
Synchronization Analysis of Two Weakly Coupled Oscillators Through a PPV Macromodel

This paper adopts a phase-domain macromodel based on perturbation projection vector to study the synchronization effects that take place between two weakly coupled oscillators. Original closed-form expressions for the locking region of the coupled oscillators and for the common locking frequency are derived. The route to synchronization is described analytically by predicting the oscillation frequency shifts, which are induced by mutual pulling as a function of the interaction strength. Under the assumption of a weak coupling, the proposed approach can be applied to a wide class of oscillator topologies.
Human mast cell mediator cocktail excites neurons in human and guinea‐pig enteric nervous system

Abstract Neuroimmune interactions are an integral part of gut physiology and involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and functional bowel disorders. Mast cells and their mediators are important conveyors in the communication from the innate enteric immune system to the enteric nervous system (ENS). However, it is not known whether a mediator cocktail released from activated human mast cells affects neural activity in the ENS. We used the Multi‐Site Optical Recording Technique to image single cell activity in guinea‐pig and human ENS after application of a mast cell mediator cocktail (MCMC) that was released from isolated human intestinal mucosa mast cells stimulated by IgE‐receptor cross‐linking. Local application of MCMC onto individual ganglia evoked an excitatory response consisting of action potential discharge. This excitatory response occurred in 31%, 38% or 11% neurons of guinea‐pig submucous plexus, human submucous plexus, or guinea‐pig myenteric plexus, respectively. Compound action potentials from nerve fibres or fast excitatory synaptic inputs were not affected by MCMC. This study demonstrates immunoneural signalling in the human gut and revealed for the first time that an MCMC released from stimulated human intestinal mast cells induces excitatory actions in the human and guinea‐pig ENS.
Exploiting the non-uniformity for circularly polarized antenna arrays at ku-band

This research presents a design approach of circularly polarized non-uniform antenna arrays at Ku-Band. The design process is based on the optimization of the antenna locations constrained by different minimum spacing among the elements with uniform amplitudes. It is presented a design example of 16 circularly polarized patch antennas at 17GHz. The obtained results show the effects of non-uniform locations in the return losses, axial ratio and side lobe level.
Experience of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer at a public hospital: retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE To review local experience of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Public hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS Seventeen patients who presented from August 1988 through April 1997 with locally advanced breast cancer, which was treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS The clinical response rate was 71% and two of the 12 patients who responded to chemotherapy achieved complete remission. Three patients had their tumours downstaged sufficiently to allow them to undergo breast conservation surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. None of these three patients has so far had a local recurrence of disease. CONCLUSION Neoadjuvant chemotherapy can achieve a high objective response rate in patients with locally advanced breast cancer and thus enables breast conservation surgery to be performed on patients who are initially not suitable for this procedure.
Late acquisition of literacy in a native language

With event‐related functional MRI (fMRI) and with behavioral measures we studied the brain processes underlying the acquisition of native language literacy. Adult dialect speakers were scanned while reading words belonging to three different conditions: dialect words, i.e., the native language in which subjects are illiterate (dialect), German words, i.e., the second language in which subjects are literate, and pseudowords. Investigating literacy acquisition of a dialect may reveal how novel readers of a language build an orthographic lexicon, i.e., establish a link between already available semantic and phonological representations and new orthographic word forms. The main results of the study indicate that a set of regions, including the left anterior hippocampal formation and subcortical nuclei, is involved in the buildup of orthographic representations. The repeated exposure to written dialect words resulted in a convergence of the neural substrate to that of the language in which these subjects were already proficient readers. The latter result is compatible with a “fast” brain plasticity process that may be related to a shift of reading strategies. Hum Brain Mapp, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Range Extender. Definition, Anforderungen, Loesungsmoeglichkeiten

Range Extender (RE) werden bei batteriebetriebenen Elektrofahrzeugen als Schluessel zu einer verbesserten Kundenakzeptanz angesehen. In der Standardvariante ist der Range Extender eine Verbrennungskraftmaschine, kombiniert mit einem elektrischen Generator, der die Traktionsbatterie speist. Beim seriellen Hybridantrieb fuehrt der Weg zum RE, um die Batteriekapazitaet bei gleichzeitiger Verkleinerung des Verbrennungsmotors zu vergroessern. Beim batteriebetriebenen Elektrofahrzeug fuehrt der Weg zum RE, um die Reichweite bei gleichzeitiger Verringerung der Batteriekapazitaet zu erhoehen. Im Fokus des Beitrags steht der serielle thermische RE, bei dem verschiedene Waermekraftmaschinen denkbar sind, aber aufgrund der Anforderungen der Viertakt-Ottomotor als die erste Wahl zu bezeichnen ist. Trotz punktueller Vorteile haben bei einer technisch-wirtschaftlichen Gesamtbetrachtung andere Optionen (zum Beispiel Zweitakt-Ottomotor, Wankelmotor und Dieselmotor) keine Aussicht auf Erfolg. Zweiter Beitrag zur Informationsreihe "MTZ-Wissen: Die Elektrifizierung des Antriebsstrangs".
The sensing system for the autonomous mobile robot Emmy III

This paper shows the results of the sensing system which was designed for the autonomous mobile robot Emmy III. The proposed Sensing System has as its mean part the Paraconsistent Neural Network. This artificial neural network is based on the Paraconsistent Evidential Logics — Et. The objective of the Sensing System is to inform the other robot components about the obstacle position. The reached results have been satisfactory.
Leishmania in phlebotomid sandflies III. The ultrastructure of Leishmania mexicana amazonensis in the midgut and pharynx of Lutzomyia longipalpis

The fine structure of the promastigotes of Leishmania mexicana amazonensis in the midgut, cardia, oesophageal valve and pharynx of the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis is described. Differences were found between the nectomonad and the haptomonad promastigotes. There were fewer subpellicular microtubules in the nectomonads than in the fatter haptomonads; the mitochondrion of nectomonads was a single straight longitudinal ramus while that of haptomonads had a tortuous shape; the kinetoplast and nucleus lay closer together in the haptomonads which also had fewer free ribosomes and lipid containing bodies than the nectomonads; the nucleus was spherical in haptomonads but elongate in nectomonads. The reservoir region in the nectomonads was notably voluminous and the surface was modified for pinocytotic uptake of material through coated vesicles, and also for exocytosis. In both haptomonads and nectomonads, a contractile vacuole was present adjacent to the reservoir; flagellar-parasite desmosomes formed a collar anchoring the flagellum as it emerged from the reservoir; four reservoir-associated microtubules ran parallel to the flagellar reservoir; the basal body, axoneme and paraxial rod were similar in structure to those of other trypanosomatids. Apparently intracellular promastigotes were found in the midgut cells. Preliminary studies of pharyngeal forms showed that they were attached by hemidesmosomes to the cuticular pharynx. These forms were not typical promastigotes but had an opisthomastigote-like configuration with the reservoir running past the nucleus. Differences in the ultrastructure of Leishmania in the sandfly and in culture are discussed, and it is concluded that cultural forms should not be considered identical to those in the vector.
Differential regulation of mTOR‐dependent S6 phosphorylation by muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes

Muscarinic receptors subserve many functions in both peripheral and central nervous systems. Some of these processes depend on increases in protein synthesis, which may be achieved by activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a kinase that regulates protein translation capacity. Here, we examined the regulation of mTOR‐dependent signaling pathways by muscarinic receptors in SK‐N‐SH human neuroblastoma cells, and in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell lines transfected with individual muscarinic receptor subtypes. In SK‐N‐SH cells, the acetylcholine analog carbachol stimulated phosphorylation of the ribosomal S6 protein, a downstream target of mTOR. The sensitivity of the response to subtype‐selective muscarinic receptor antagonists indicated that it was mediated by M3 receptors. Carbachol‐evoked S6 phosphorylation was blocked by the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, but was independent of phosphoinositide 3‐kinase activation. The response was significantly reduced by the mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor U0126, which also inhibited carbachol‐evoked S6 phosphorylation in HEK cells expressing M2 receptors, but was ineffective in M3 receptor‐expressing HEK cells, although carbachol activated MAPK in both transfected lines. The p90 ribosomal S6 kinase has been implicated in mTOR regulation by phorbol esters, but was not activated by carbachol in any of the cell lines tested. The protein kinase C inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide I reduced carbachol‐stimulated S6 phosphorylation in SK‐N‐SH cells, and in HEK cells expressing M3 receptors, but not in HEK cells expressing M2 receptors. The results demonstrate that multiple muscarinic receptor subtypes regulate mTOR, and that both MAPK‐dependent and ‐independent mechanisms may mediate the response in a cell context‐specific manner. J. Cell. Biochem. 104: 1818–1831, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Stent placement for esophageal strictures: an update

The use of stents for esophageal strictures has evolved rapidly over the past 10 years, from rigid plastic tubes to flexible self-expanding metal (SEMS), plastic (SEPS) and biodegradable stents. For the palliative treatment of malignant dysphagia both SEMS and SEPS effectively provide a rapid relief of dysphagia. SEMS are preferred over SEPS, as randomized controlled trials have shown more technical difficulties and late migration with plastic stents. Despite specific characteristics of recently developed stents, recurrent dysphagia due to food impaction, tumoral and nontumoral tissue overgrowth, or stent migration, remain a major challenge. The efficacy of stents with an antireflux valve for patients with distal esophageal cancer varies between different stent designs. Concurrent treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy seems to be safe and effective. In the future, it can be expected that removable stents will be used as a bridge to surgery to maintain luminal patency during neoadjuvant treatment. For benign strictures, new stent designs, such as fully covered SEMS and biodegradable stents, may potentially reduce complications during stent removal.