Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
OTSC assisted EFTR for the treatment of GIST: 40 cases analysis

Abstract Background and aims To verify the safety and efficacy of over-the-scope clip (OTSC)-assisted endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) for the excision of stromal tumors. Material and methods Forty patients with gastric stromal tumors treated in the Department of Gastroenterology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital from December 2015 to March 2017 were included in this study. The surgical procedures included marking the lesion boundaries, cutting open the top surface of the lesion, installing an OTS, sucking the lesion into the transparent cap of the anatomical clip which was then released, application of an endoloop for EFTR, and confirming the complete resection and pathological examination of the lesion. Statistical analysis of the tumor site and size, operation time, success rates, complications, pathological examination results, and follow-up status was performed. Results The average operation duration was 38.40 ± 24.9 min. Three cases had an incomplete resection, but the lesion was later found to have fallen off together with the OTSC. Therefore, the treatment success rate was 100%. Postoperative pathological examination revealed leiomyomas in four cases and stromal tumors in the remaining 36 cases. Conclusions OTSC-assisted EFTR is safe and effective for resection of gastrointestinal stromal tumors, especially for those <20 mm in size.
Maximum power point tracking in small wind turbine with permanent magnet generator using voltage sensor

In wind turbine technologies, the type of control system is determined by the turbine size, system’s sensitivity, and their cost. In the case of small wind turbines, due to the cost and structure of the turbine, a simple, low-cost control system with good performance is required. A permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) is used to extract electrical power. The power of the small wind energy converter system (SWECS) is controlled using only one voltage sensor. In this method, the proposed controller has been tested in urban variable winds. The results are compared with the Perturb and Observe (P&O) method. Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) simulation has been tested in the Matlab / Simulink. The results show that this method has quick Response and accuracy for wind turbine control in urban wind conditions. On the other hand, using the proposed method will cause a reduction in the cost of construction and maintenance and it brings the simplicity of implementation.
The high- and low-activity forms of human plasma phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP)

Plasma phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) plays a crucial role in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism and reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). It mediates the generation of preβ-HDL particles, enhances the cholesterol efflux from peripheral cells to preβ-HDL, and metabolically maintains the plasma HDL levels by facilitating the transfer of post-lipolytic surface remnants of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins to HDL. In addition to the antiatherogenic properties, recent findings indicate that PLTP has also proatherogenic characteristics, and that these opposite characteristics of PLTP are dependent on the site of PLTP expression and action. In human plasma, PLTP exists in a high-activity (HA-PLTP) and a low-activity form (LA-PLTP), which are associated with macromolecular complexes of different size and composition. The aims of this thesis were to isolate the two PLTP forms from human plasma, to characterize the molecular complexes in which the HAand LA-PLTP reside, and to study the interactions of the PLTP forms with apolipoproteins (apo) and the ability of apolipoproteins to regulate PLTP activity. In addition, we aimed to study the distribution of the two PLTP forms in a Finnish population sample as well as to find possible regulatory factors for PLTP by investigating the influence of lipid and glucose metabolism on the balance between the HAand LA-PLTP. For these purposes, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) capable of determining the serum total PLTP concentration and quantitating the two PLTP forms separately was developed. In this thesis, it was demonstrated that the HA-PLTP isolated from human plasma copurified with apoE, whereas the LA-PLTP formed a complex with apoA-I. The separation of these two PLTP forms was carried out by a dextran sulfate (DxSO4)CaCl2 precipitation of plasma samples before the mass determination. A similar immunoreactivity of the two PLTP forms in the ELISA could be reached after a partial sample denaturation by SDS. Among normolipidemic Finnish individuals, the mean PLTP mass was 6.6 ± 1.5 mg/l and the mean PLTP activity 6.6 ± 1.7 μmol/ml/h. Of the serum PLTP concentration, almost 50% represented HA-PLTP. The results indicate that plasma HDL levels could regulate PLTP concentration, while PLTP activity could be regulated by plasma triglyceride-rich very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) concentration. Furthermore, new evidence is presented that PLTP could also play a role in glucose metabolism. Finally, both PLTP forms were found to interact with apoA-I, apoA-IV, and apoE. In addition, both apoE and apoAIV, but not apoA-I, were capable of activating the LA-PLTP. These findings suggest that the distribution of the HAand LA-PLTP in human plasma is subject to dynamic regulation by apolipoproteins.
Regularized Three-Dimensional Generative Adversarial Nets for Unsupervised Metal Artifact Reduction in Head and Neck CT Images

The reduction of metal artifacts in computed tomography (CT) images, specifically for strong artifacts generated from multiple metal objects, is a challenging issue in medical imaging research. Although there have been some studies on supervised metal artifact reduction through the learning of synthesized artifacts, it is difficult for simulated artifacts to cover the complexity of the real physical phenomena that may be observed in X-ray propagation. In this paper, we introduce metal artifact reduction methods based on an unsupervised volume-to-volume translation learned from clinical CT images. We construct three-dimensional adversarial nets with a regularized loss function designed for metal artifacts from multiple dental fillings. The results of experiments using a CT volume database of 361 patients demonstrate that the proposed framework has an outstanding capacity to reduce strong artifacts and to recover underlying missing voxels, while preserving the anatomical features of soft tissues and tooth structures from the original images.
A Multi-Site NFV Testbed for Experimentation With SUAV-Based 5G Vertical Services

With the advent of 5G technologies, vertical markets have been placed at the forefront, as fundamental drivers and adopters of technical developments and new business models. Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (SUAVs) are gaining traction in multiple vertical sectors, as key assets to generate, process, and distribute relevant information for the provision of value-added services. However, the enormous potential of SUAVs to support a flexible, rapid, and cost-effective deployment of vertical applications is still to be exploited. In this paper, we leverage our prior work on Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and SUAVs to design and build a multi-site experimentation testbed based on open-source technologies. The goal of this testbed is to explore synergies among NFV, SUAVs, and vertical services, following a practical approach primarily governed by experimentation. To verify our testbed design, we realized a reference use case where a number of SUAVs, cloud infrastructures, and communication protocols are used to provide a multi-site vertical service. Our experimentation results suggest the potential of NFV and SUAVs to flexibly support vertical services. The lessons learned have served to identify missing elements in our NFV platform, as well as challenging aspects for potential improvement. These include the development of specific mechanisms to limit processing load and delays of service deployment operations.
Phenotyping of maize genotypes under aluminum stress and its correlation with grain yield.

Toxic levels of aluminum can affect the rate of root growth and hence reduce the potential productivity of crops such as maize. Phenotyping based on the development of the root system is the best criterion for evaluating the tolerance to this element. With this, the objective of this study was to characterize maize genotypes under aluminum stress and determine its correlation with grain yield and to quantify the genetic variability of hybrids due to the genetic diversity and identify promising hybrids in the selection process. In a greenhouse experiment, 35 hybrids were grown in nutrient solution containing 3 mg L -1 Al 3 + , which we assessed plant height, stem diameter, length of the main root, root volume, fresh and dry weight of the root system, and fresh and dry weight of shoots. These data were correlated with the of grain yield of genotypes originating from field experiment and the determination of genetic divergence. Morphological variations were observed in shoots and roots of all genotypes, due to aluminum stress. There was a significant positive correlation between fresh weight of shoot and grain yield may, therefore, accomplish early selection excluding sensitive genotypes. Hybrids P 30F80, UFT-15 and UFT-15 were classified as tolerant to aluminum stress, top performance when grown in both nutrient solution and field, promising to obtain segregating populations for aluminum tolerance .
Effective Capacity Analysis of Wireless System over $\alpha- \eta-\mu$/Lognormal and $\alpha-\kappa-\mu$/Lognormal Distribution

The previous years have perceived exponential development concerning the domain of wireless communication systems, bringing about an upsurge in the demand for Quality of Service (QoS). Effective capacity (EC) is proposed being a QoS metric in the literature which can accommodate the statistical delay restrictions of the system along with maximum arrival rate. This article proposes analytical equation of the EC over a unified composite distribution of $\alpha-\eta-\mu$/Lognormal and $\alpha-\kappa-\mu$/Lognormal. In addition to it, closed-form high-power regime result is also derived for the EC. The proposed results are confirmed by means of the Monte-Carlo simulation and the exact solution.
The regulation of pulmonary vascular permeability by PAF : role of caveolae and acid sphingomyelinase

Von der Fakultat fur Mathematik, Informatik und Naturwissenschaften der RWTH Aachen University zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Naturwissenschaften genehmigte Dissertation vorgelegt von M. Eng. Yang Yang aus QingHai, China Berichter: Universitatsprofessor: Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Stefan Uhlig Universitatsprofessor: Univ.-Prof. Dipl. Ing. Dr. Werner Baumgartner Tag der mundlichen Prufung: 12. 01. 2011
Use of dissolved combined and free amino acids by planktonic bacteria in Lake Constance

We measured the use of dissolved combined (DCAA) and free amino acids (DFAA) by planktonic bacteria during the growing season in Lake Constance (Bodensee). Utilization was estimated from the decrease of DCAA and DFAA concentrations in l-pm filtrates and compared to the C demand for the net production of bacterial biomass measured from the increase of bacterial abundance. During the phytoplankton spring bloom and the clear-water phase, DFAA accounted for 30-48% and DCAA 5-62% of the bacterial C demand. From August until November use of DFAA comprised ~5% and DCAA 50148% of the bacterial C demand. In aphotic depths, amino acids accounted for a higher fraction of the C demand relative to euphotic depths. From mid-July until early September use of DCAA exceeded the bacterial C and N demand, leading to release of ammonium. During the spring bloom and the clearwater phase, DFAA + DCAA accounted for < 100% of bacterial C demand, suggesting that other substrates were also used. Concentrations and utilization rates of DFAA covaried, whereas maxima of DCAA use followed maxima of DCAA concentration with a time-lag of several weeks. Measurements of the extracellular isotope dilution of [3H]amino acids indicated that after the diatom bloom, bacterial hydrolysis and use of DCAA were closely coupled and release of DFAA accounted for ~7% of the DCAA used. During this time, turnover of the DFAA pool could be explained on the basis of release and utilization. Our results show that DCAA and DFAA are imnortant substrates for the growth of planktonic bacteria in the lake.
Seasonal Changes in Leaf Tissue Rehydration of One Annual and Two Perennial Grass Forage Species Induced by Bioclimate

Bioclimate signifies the continuous interplay between plants and climate factors (primarily drought) and has a direct impact on the water relations and the duration of the rehydration process in water stressed plants. To explore the association between bioclimate and water physiology of forage species in semi-arid Mediterranean grasslands, we determined the seasonal variation in leaf water potential, turgid weight and relative water content in wild growing Dactylis glomerata L. , Bromus inermis Leyss (perennial) and Bromus sterilis L. (annual) during the growing season. The study was conducted at the farm of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The results of the current study reveal that B. sterilis maintained high levels of water potential most probably by accelerating its biological cycle and decreasing water content because it fails to sustain turgidity. Dactylis glomerata and B. inermis presented even higher water contents than B. sterilis for the same water potential. Dactylis glomerata exhibited substantially higher water potential and content than B. inermis by keeping the rehydration duration stable. The extensive creeping rhizome seems to allow B. inermis to sustain high values of water potential and content possibly ensuring turgidity. Regardless of the grass species the duration of rehydration ranged from 2.5 to 3.5 hours throughout the growing season. Our findings demonstrate that (a) D. glomerata and B. inermis are better adapted to Mediterranean semiarid conditions than B. sterilis and (b) turgid weight in Mediterranean forage species can safely be determined after a rehydration period of 3.5 hours.
Discrete evolutionary population models: a new approach

In this paper, we apply a new approach to a special class of discrete time evolution models and establish a solid mathematical foundation to analyse them. We propose new single and multi-species evolutionary competition models using the evolutionary game theory that require a more advanced mathematical theory to handle effectively. A key feature of this new approach is to consider the discrete models as non-autonomous difference equations. Using the powerful tools and results developed in our recent work [E. D'Aniello and S. Elaydi, The structure of ω-limit sets of asymptotically non-autonomous discrete dynamical systems, Discr. Contin. Dyn. Series B. 2019 (to appear). ], we embed the non-autonomous difference equations in an autonomous discrete dynamical systems in a higher dimension space, which is the product space of the phase space and the space of the functions defining the non-autonomous system. Our current approach applies to two scenarios. In the first scenario, we assume that the trait equations are decoupled from the equations of the populations. This requires specialized biological and ecological assumptions which we clearly state. In the second scenario, we do not assume decoupling, but rather we assume that the dynamics of the trait is known, such as approaching a positive stable equilibrium point which may apply to a much broader evolutionary dynamics.
Crustáceos asociados a macroalgas en Bajo Pepito, Isla Mujeres, Caribe mexicano

Como resultado de muestreos mensuales durante un ano en Bajo Pepito, Isla Mujeres, Caribe mexicano, se presentan los crustaceos asociados a macroalgas recolectadas por buceo autonomo. Se hallaron un total de 148 organismos: tres ordenes, II familias, 18 generos y 19 especies en nueve tipos de asociaciones. El orden con mayor abundacia fue Isopoda (112) seguido de Amphipoda (20) y Decapoda (16).
Genome Sequence of Arthrobacter sp. Phage Scuttle

Arthrobacter phage Scuttle was isolated by enrichment from a dry soil sample (collected in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania) on host Arthrobacter sp. ATCC 21022. The genome of this phage is 43,729 bp long, has a GC content of 61.1%, and has 61 annotated protein-coding genes. ABSTRACT Arthrobacter phage Scuttle was isolated by enrichment from a dry soil sample (collected in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania) on host Arthrobacter sp. ATCC 21022. The genome of this phage is 43,729 bp long, has a GC content of 61.1%, and has 61 annotated protein-coding genes.
Elements of a theory for the mechanisms controlling abundance, diversity, and biogeochemical role of lytic bacterial viruses in aquatic systems

Mechanisms controlling virus abundance and partitioning of loss of bacterial production between viral lysis and protozoan predation are discussed within the framework of an idealized Lotka‐Volterra–type model. This combines nonselective protozoan predation with host‐selective viral lysis of bacteria. The analysis leads to a reciprocal relationship between bacterial diversity and viruses, in which coexistence of competing bacterial species is ensured by the presence of viruses that ‘kill the winner,’ whereas the differences in substrate affinity between the coexisting bacterial species determine viral abundance. The ability of the model to reproduce published observations, such as an approximate 1:10 ratio between bacterial and viral abundance, and the ability of viral lysis to account for 10–50% of bacterial loss are discussed.
Clinically relevant connectivity features define three subtypes of Parkinson's disease patients

Abstract Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by complex clinical symptoms, including classic motor and nonmotor disturbances. Patients with PD vary in clinical manifestations and prognosis, which point to the existence of subtypes. This study aimed to find the fiber connectivity correlations with several crucial clinical symptoms and identify PD subtypes using unsupervised clustering analysis. One hundred and thirty‐four PD patients and 77 normal controls were enrolled. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was performed to define the clinically relevant connectivity features, which were then used in the hierarchical clustering analysis to identify the distinct subtypes of PD patients. Multimodal neuroimaging analyses were further used to explore the neurophysiological basis of these subtypes. The methodology was validated in an independent data set. CCA revealed two significant clinically relevant patterns (motor‐related pattern and depression‐related pattern; r = .94, p < .001 and r = .926, p = .001, respectively) among PD patients, and hierarchical clustering analysis identified three neurophysiological subtypes (“mild” subtype, “severe depression‐dominant” subtype and “severe motor‐dominant” subtype). Multimodal neuroimaging analyses suggested that the patients in the “severe depression‐dominant” subtype exhibited widespread disruptions both in function and structure, while the other two subtypes exhibited relatively mild abnormalities in brain function. In the independent validation, three similar subtypes were identified. In conclusion, we revealed heterogeneous subtypes of PD patients according to their distinct clinically relevant connectivity features. Importantly, depression symptoms have a considerable impact on brain damage in patients with PD.
Mechanobiological model for simulation of injured cartilage degradation via pro-inflammatory cytokines and mechanical stimulus

Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is associated with cartilage degradation, ultimately leading to disability and decrease of quality of life. Two key mechanisms have been suggested to occur in PTOA: tissue inflammation and abnormal biomechanical loading. Both mechanisms have been suggested to result in loss of cartilage proteoglycans, the source of tissue fixed charge density (FCD). In order to predict the simultaneous effect of these degrading mechanisms on FCD content, a computational model has been developed. We simulated spatial and temporal changes of FCD content in injured cartilage using a novel finite element model that incorporates (1) diffusion of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 into tissue, and (2) the effect of excessive levels of shear strain near chondral defects during physiologically relevant loading. Cytokine-induced biochemical cartilage explant degradation occurs near the sides, top, and lesion, consistent with the literature. In turn, biomechanically-driven FCD loss is predicted near the lesion, in accordance with experimental findings: regions near lesions showed significantly more FCD depletion compared to regions away from lesions (p<0.01). Combined biochemical and biomechanical degradation is found near the free surfaces and especially near the lesion, and the corresponding bulk FCD loss agrees with experiments. We suggest that the presence of lesions plays a role in cytokine diffusion-driven degradation, and also predisposes cartilage for further biomechanical degradation. Models considering both these cartilage degradation pathways concomitantly are promising in silico tools for predicting disease progression, recognizing lesions at high risk, simulating treatments, and ultimately optimizing treatments to postpone the development of PTOA.
A Novel Immune-Related Prognostic Signature for Thyroid Carcinoma

Background: Recent studies have confirmed that immune-associated genes perform a crucial function in recurrence and metastasis of thyroid carcinoma. A reliable immune-related prognostic signature for patients with thyroid cancer is needed. This study constructed a novel immune-related prognostic signature for thyroid cancer and evaluated its prognostic value by bioinformatics analysis. Methods: In this study, we anatomized differentially expressed immune-associated genes from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas database were randomly divided into training set and test set. A novel immune-related prognostic signature for thyroid cancer was developed by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and Cox regression analysis: Risk score = (0.6846 × expression value of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 5 [CXCL5]) + (1.1556 × expression value of Azurocidin 1 [AZU1]) + (−0.3156 × expression value of nucleotide binding oligomerization domain containing 1 [NOD1] + (0.0542 × expression value of TNF Receptor Superfamily Member 11b [TNFRSF11B]) + (0.0952 × expression value of VGF nerve growth factor inducible [VGF]). The established prognostic signature was evaluated based on training set and test set by survival curves, receiver–operator characteristic curves, risk score, survival status, heatmap, and independent prognostic analysis. Meanwhile, we appraised the correlation between target immune-associated genes and clinical stage, tumor-infiltrating immune cells respectively. Results: Five immune-associated genes were used for constructing an immune-related prognostic signature by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, univariate, and multivariate analysis. Survival curves, receiver–operator characteristic curves, and independent prognostic analysis showed the signature had significant prediction value. Clinical and immune cell correlation analyses indicated that target immune-associated genes may participate in tumor immune infiltration and tumor progression. Conclusions: We constructed a novel 5 immune-associated genes signature for predicting the prognosis of patients with thyroid cancer, which may help clinical workers evaluate individualized therapy and prognosis.