Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Through the Looking Glass - The 2018 Edition: Trends in Solid-State Circuits from the 65th ISSCC

The International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) is the flagship conference of the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society. This year, for the 65th ISSCC, the theme is "Silicon Engineering a Social World. " Continued advances in solid-state circuits and systems have brought ever-more powerful communication and computational capabilities into mobile form factors. Such ubiquitous smart devices lie at the heart of a revolution shaping how we connect, collaborate, build relationships, and share information. These social technologies allow people to maintain connections and support networks not otherwise possible; they provide the ability to access information instantaneously and from any location, thereby helping to shape world events and culture, empowering citizens of all nations, and creating social networks that allow worldwide communities to develop and form bonds based on common interests.
Immunogenicity of Ribosomal Preparations from Yeast Cells of Histoplasma capsulatum

Protective immunity was elicited by immunization of mice with ribosomal preparations from yeast cells of Histoplasma capsulatum. Ribosomes from disrupted cells were isolated by differential centrifugation using sodium dodecyl sulfate. These preparations contained 55% protein and 45% ribonucleic acid and sedimented as a single peak with a sedimentation coefficient of 77S on sucrose density gradient analysis. Mice immunized subcutaneously with ribosomes, with or without adjuvant, were challenged intravenously with 8 × 106 yeast cells of H. capsulatum. Significant protection was induced by ribosomes and was greatly enhanced by adjuvants. Protection measured by 30-day survival compared favorably with the immunoprotection assessed by absence of lung lesions and negative spleen cultures. Treatment of ribosomes with ribonuclease before immunization reduced protection by 85%, whereas trypsin and Pronase reduced the protection by 50 to 55%. These findings indicate that both intact ribosomal ribonucleic acid and protein are necessary for maximal immunogenicity of Histoplasma ribosomes.
A Longitudinal Study of Urinary Phthalate Excretion in 58 Full-Term and 67 Preterm Infants from Birth through 14 Months

Background: Some phthalates have shown antiandrogenic effects in rat offspring. Premature infants may be exposed to high amounts of specific phthalates during hospitalization, and thus are potentially at risk. Objective: We evaluated longitudinal phthalate exposure and metabolism in full-term (FT) and preterm (PT) infants. Methods: Fifty-eight FT and 67 PT (gestational age, 24.7–36.6 weeks) infants were recruited at birth and followed until 14 months (nine times). Urinary concentrations of metabolites of diethyl phthalate (DEP), dibutyl phthalate isomers (DiBP and DnBP), butylbenzyl phthalate (BBzP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and diisononyl phthalate (DiNP) were measured in 894 samples. Daily intake and a hazard index for antiandrogenic effects were estimated, and excretion patterns of DEHP and DiNP metabolites were analyzed. Results: Metabolites of BBzP, DiNP, and DEHP were 5–50 times higher at day 7 (D7) and month 1 (M1) in PT than in FT infants. Thereafter, metabolite concentrations were similar between the two groups. The estimated hazard index for combined DiBP, DnBP, BBzP, and DEHP exposures 7 days after birth exceeded the antiandrogenic threshold in > 80% of PT and > 30% of FT infants, and after M2, in 30% of all infants. The excretion pattern of DEHP and DiNP metabolites changed with age. Conclusion: Most PT infants and approximately one-third of healthy FT newborns were exposed to phthalates during early life at a potentially harmful level according to the European Food Safety Authority’s recommended limits of daily exposure. Changes in the relative proportions of secondary phthalate metabolites over time were consistent with maturation of infant metabolic pathways during the first year of life. Further research is needed on the health effects of phthalate exposures and the influence of changes in metabolic capacity in neonates and infants. Citation: Frederiksen H, Kuiri-Hänninen T, Main KM, Dunkel L, Sankilampi U. 2014. A longitudinal study of urinary phthalate excretion in 58 full-term and 67 preterm infants from birth through 14 months. Environ Health Perspect 122:998–1005; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/ehp.1307569
Hamiltonian-Based Clustering: Algorithms for Static and Dynamic Clustering in Data Mining and Image Processing

The large amount of data available for analysis and management raises the need for defining, determining, and extracting meaningful information from the data. Hence in scientific, engineering, and economics studies, the practice of clustering data arises naturally when sets of data have to be divided into subgroups with the aim of possibly deducting common features for data belonging to the same subgroup. For instance, the innovation scoreboard [1] (see Figure 1) allows for the classification of the countries into four main clusters corresponding to the level of innovation defining the “leaders,” the “followers,” the “trailing,” and the “catching up” countries. Many other disciplines may require or take advantage of a clustering of data, from market research [2] to gene expression analysis [3], from biology to image processing [4][7]. Therefore, several clustering techniques have been developed (for details see “Review of Clustering Algorithms”).
Aspectos clínicos del tratamiento de por wine stains con luz intensa pulsada

Las lesiones vasculares son un grupo heterogeneo de anomalias que difieren tanto en su presentacion clinica como en sus caracteristicas histopatologicas. Por esta razon un diagnostico adecuado y correcto es de gran importancia debido a la heterogeneo que estas lesiones presentan en cuanto a morbilidad, pronostico y tratamiento. Las malformaciones vasculares cutaneas comprenden una parte significativa de las lesiones vasculares y estan consideradas como enfermedades raras que afectan entre el 0,3% y el 0,5% de la poblacion. Estas lesiones se confunden a menudo con la lesion vascular congenita mas comun, el hemangioma infantil, aunque son mucho menos frecuentes. Por otro lado, la identificacion de las anomalias vasculares ha sido historicamente un tanto compleja y durante anos el uso de nomenclaturas inexactas ha generado mucha confusion. En el ano 1863 Virchow y Wagner caracterizaron las lesiones vasculares en base al aspecto patologico de los vasos. De esta manera, los crecimientos vasculares anomalos fueron divididos en dos grupos: angiomas y linfangiomas. Un paso importante en el dificil camino hacia la clarificacion en la definicion de estas lesiones fue dado por Mulliken y Glowacki en 1982, gracias una publicacion en la que dividieron en dos categorias principales las marcas vasculares de nacimiento: hemangiomas y malformaciones vasculares. Los hemangiomas fueron diferenciados de las malformaciones vasculares por su apariencia clinica, sus caracteristicas histopatologicas y por el comportamiento biologico.
20 GHz optical analog link using an external modulator

Reported is an experimental fiber-optic analog link with an electrical insertion loss of 34 dB at 20 GHz, a noise figure of 41 dB, and an intermodulation-free dynamic range of 108 dB/Hz/sup 2/3/. The link uses a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser, a bandpass integrated-optical intensity modulator, and a p-i-n detector; it contains no amplifiers. <<ETX>>
Cloning and interspecific altered expression of heat shock protein genes in two leafminer species in response to thermal stress

Studies have demonstrated differences in temperature tolerance between two Liriomyza species, L. huidobrensis and L. sativae. To investigate whether the heat shock proteins (Hsps) in the two species have different expression profiles during temperature stress, we cloned hsp90, 70, 60, 40 and 20, and analysed their expression profiles across temperature gradients by real‐time quantitative PCR and Western blotting. The results revealed that the number of TATA‐box‐like elements and A/T‐rich insertion/deletions within the 5′ UTRs of the hsps are different in the two species. The temperatures for onset (Ton) or maximal (Tmax) induction of hsp expression in L. huidobrensis were generally 2.5–10 °C lower than those in L. sativae, and the Ton were highly consistent with the temperature limits of the northern boundary of the range of these two leafminer species. These studies confirmed, in terms of gene expression levels, that L. huidobrensis is more cold tolerant than L. sativae, which is more heat tolerant, and suggest that the Ton (or Tmax) of hsps can represent the differences in temperature tolerance of these two leafminer species, and may be used to determine their natural geographical distribution limits.
Absence of BRAF mutation in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma.

Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas (PHEO/PARA) are rare endocrine tumors originating from the adrenal medulla. More than 20 genes are involved in the tumorigenesis of these tumors, but a substantial part of the causative genetic events remains unexplained. A recent study has reported the presence of the activating BRAF V600E mutation in PCC, suggesting a role for BRAF activation in tumor development. Other studies have not find this mutation. This study investigates the occurrence of the BRAF V600E mutation in these tumors.A cohort of 64 PHEO/PARA were screened for the BRAF V600E mutation using direct Sanger sequencing and QRT-PCR.All cases investigated displayed wild-type without V600E BRAF mutationTaken together with all previously screened tumors up to date, only 1 V600E BRAF mutation has been found among 427 PCCs. These findings imply that the V600E BRAF mutation is a rare event in PHEO/PARA.
The effect of a Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) on diagnostic performance in the accident and emergency department

Objective—A study has been conducted to identify the benefits to the accident and emergency (A&E) department of a hospital wide Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS). Methods—The study was conducted in two parts: firstly while the hospital was using conventional radiographic films, and secondly when the PACS was in operation. For each part of the study, the diagnoses of radiographic images made by A&E clinicians were compared with those made by radiologists. This resulted in the estimation of the incidence of false negative findings by the A&E staff. The management of patients with such findings was studied to identify those for whom a change of treatment was required. Such data for the two periods, when film and when PACS was used, were compared. Results—It was found that the overall rate of misdiagnoses across all A&E patients who had radiography was low in both periods and there was a significant reduction when PACS was used (1.5% for film and 0.7% for PACS, 95% CI for difference between proportions: −0.014 to −0.0034), but the rate of serious misdiagnoses involving patient recall did not change significantly (95% CI for difference between proportions: −0.0059 to +0.0001). Conclusions—When PACS was used the diagnostic performance by A&E staff improved by reducing false negative interpretations but the rate of serious misdiagnosis did not change.
Addressing e-Government Website Usability - A Users' Centred Evaluation

: The challenge of greater users’ participation with e-government remains a significant issue. E-government website usability has been found to be one of the major reasons influencing users’ interaction, which needs to be addressed when developing e-government. This empirical study evaluates a current e-government website, to identify specific usability problems. Based on the identified problems, the design solutions are proposed, redesigned and evaluated in order to develop a more usable e-government website. The results indicate that with the proposed design solutions provision, the identified usability problems have been addressed. Such improvements may promote overall usability of e-government and make better users’ task performance. These are beneficial for designers to further develop their e-government usability.
A Data Aggregation Protocol to Improve Energy Efficiency in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor network consist of spatially distributed autonomous sensor nodes to monitor physical or environmental conditions (i.e. temperature, sound, atmospheric pressure etc.) for various applications. The major designing issue with WSN is resources utilization. Subsequently, work will be carried out on clustering, routing and securing node’s information for data transmission. The proposed work will be focus on minimizing power utilization during the data transmission in wireless sensor network. A data aggregation with different methods will be investigated for reducing power
SELECTION IN EXPERIMENTAL POPULATIONS OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER WITH DIFFERENT GENETIC BACKGROUNDS.

HE heterozygous carriers of some genetic variants are superior in fitness to Tthe corresponding homozygotes. The causation of this hybrid vigor or heterosis (euheterosis according to DOBZHANSKY 1952) constitutes an important but as yet little understood problem. One possibility is that some gene alleles are “overdominant” with respect to fitness, and thus give heterosis in heterozygous conditions with certain other alleles at the same locus. On the other hand heterosis may be caused by interaction of nonallelic, but usually more or less closely linked gene complexes sometimes referred to as “supergenes” ( DARLINGTON and MATHER 1949). Experimental discrimination between overdominance at a single locus and supergene interactions is a difEicult matter. TEISSIER ( 1943), BUZZATITRAVERSO (1952), GUSTAFSSON and NYBOM (1950), and MUKAI and BURDICK (1959,1960,1961) described instances of heterotic effects of spontaneously arisen or induced mutants, which seem to represent clear cases of overdominance. JINKS (1955), using the method of diallel crosses, was, however, able to detect interaction of epistatic nature in some previously reported instances of overdominance. ROBINSON and COMSTOCK (1955) attempted to evaluate the relative importance of dominant and overdominant genes in the production of heterosis in corn; the available data, however, do not permit a definite answer to be given. The experiments described in the present article were designed to study the possible occurrence of heterosis following hybridization of mutant and wild-type strains of Drosophila melanogaster. The results of these experiments were reported at the 1 l th International Congress of Genetics (POLIVANOV 1963).
A 60GHz-band 1V 11.5dBm power amplifier with 11% PAE in 65nm CMOS

Sub-1V supplies limit the output voltage swing and saturated output power of an amplifier integrated in deep-submicron CMOS technology. Aside from absolute output power, power-added efficiency (PAE), stability and gain are also important power-amplifier (PA) design considerations. High reverse isolation between output and input is necessary to mitigate the effects of antenna mismatch, limit unwanted interference between circuit blocks on-chip and to promote stability. Efficiency of the PA is also paramount for portable consumer electronic applications operating from a battery, such as short-range Gb/s communication SoCs operating in the unlicensed bands around 60GHz. Aside from the 60GHz band, long-range collision-avoidance radar for automobiles (77/79GHz), and radio imaging (94GHz) are also potential applications for CMOS at mm-wave frequencies [1–4].
Wideband cavity-backed slot subarray with gap waveguide feed-network for D-band applications

A simple and wideband subarray for D-band applications is presented in this paper. The proposed multilayer subarray consists of 2 × 2 cavity-backed slot subarray fed by a ridge gap waveguide transmission line. The simulated results show that the proposed subarray has a relative impedance bandwidth of 22.5% with input reflection coefficient better than −10 dB over the 126–158 GHz frequency band. An array antenna consisting of 8 × 8 slots is designed with the proposed subarray. The simulation results of the proposed subarray and antenna are presented.
Concomitant Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation With Ultrabrief Electroconvulsive Therapy: A 2-Week Double-Blind Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial

Objective The feasibility and effectiveness of concomitant use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has not been investigated. The study principally aimed at determining whether tDCS when combined with ECT improved the speed of antidepressant response. Secondarily, the ease of generation of seizures during electroconvulsive therapy and cognitive outcomes were investigated. Methods Consecutive patients referred for ECT to treat major depression were randomized to tDCS with dorsolateral prefrontal electrode placements (n = 8) or sham (n = 8) used daily and just before thrice weekly, 6 times threshold, right unilateral ultrabrief (0.3 ms) pulse width ECT. Change of depression severity was determined using the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale along with cognitive assessments using Montreal Cognitive Assessment and visual memory testing at weeks 1 and 2, which were compared with baseline. Results Change of depression severity from baseline was similar in tDCS and ECT compared with sham tDCS and ECT at week1 (mean [standard deviation {SD}] = 16.00 [6.78]; 13.75 [7.83]; P = 0.89) and at week 2 (mean [SD] = 23.00 [4.96]; 19.75 [9.85], P = 0.08). No between-group differences were obtained in the cognitive tests at weeks 1 and 2. Combining tDCS with ECT resulted in higher restimulation: 62.5% requiring 3 stimulations to achieve threshold in contrast to 12.5% with sham tDCS and ECT (P = 0.04). The mean suprathreshold dose was higher in the tDCS and ECT group compared with sham tDCS and ECT: mean [SD] = 144.0 [43.54] and mean [SD] = 122.4 [20.36], P = 0.04, respectively. Conclusions Concomitant use of tDCS with ultrabrief right unilateral ECT is feasible and safe albeit with higher rates of restimulation when tDCS was combined with ECT. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the speed of antidepressant response or cognitive outcomes at weeks 1 and 2 after the commencement of treatments.
RT‐3D TEE: Characteristics of Mitral Annulus Using Mitral Valve Quantification (MVQ) Program

Aim: To evaluate the mitral annulus characteristics in significant mitral regurgitant lesions using mitral valve quantification (MVQ) program. Methods: We examined 117 patients (39 women), aged 18–86. Patients were separated into four subgroups: 35 patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation, 42 patients with isolated prolapse of the mitral valve, 12 patients with Barlow disease, and 28 healthy controls. Mitral annulus was examined in end‐systole. The following parameters were assessed: anteroposterior and intercommissural diameter, perimeter of annulus, area of minimal surface spanning annulus and height of the mitral annulus. A new parameter—mitral annulus height index (height/circumference × 100) was introduced. Values of these parameters in subgroups with mitral pathology were compared with corresponding parameters of control group using Student t‐test. Results: In subgroups with mitral pathology all parameters except mitral annulus height and mitral annulus height index were significantly higher than those in the control group. Mitral annulus height was significantly higher in Barlow disease, significantly lower in mitral prolapse group and comparable to normal controls in the ischemic regurgitation group. Mitral annulus height index was significantly higher in Barlow disease and significantly lower in patients with prolapse and ischemic regurgitation. Conclusions: Barlow disease is characterized by dilation and vertical deformation of the mitral annulus (annulus height and height index increase). Prolapse of the mitral valve and ischemic regurgitation of mitral annulus involve dilation and flattening of the annulus (annulus height decreases in prolapse group significantly, in ischemic regurgitation nonsignificantly, while annulus height index decreases significantly in both subgroups). (Echocardiography 2011;28:461‐467)
Human Cytomegalovirus Inhibits Neuronal Differentiation and Induces Apoptosis in Human Neural Precursor Cells

ABSTRACT Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common cause of congenital infections in developed countries, with an incidence varying between 0.5 and 2.2% and consequences varying from asymptomatic infection to lethal conditions for the fetus. Infants that are asymptomatic at birth may still develop neurological sequelae, such as hearing loss and mental retardation, at a later age. Infection of neural stem and precursor cells by HCMV and consequent disruption of the proliferation, differentiation, and/or migration of these cells may be the primary mechanism underlying the development of brain abnormalities. In the present investigation, we demonstrate that human neural precursor cells (NPCs) are permissive for HCMV infection, by both the laboratory strain Towne and the clinical isolate TB40, resulting in 55% and 72% inhibition of induced differentiation of human NPCs into neurons, respectively, when infection occurred at the onset of differentiation. This repression of neuronal differentiation required active viral replication and involved the expression of late HCMV gene products. This capacity of HCMV to prevent neuronal differentiation declined within 24 h after initiation of differentiation. Furthermore, the rate of cell proliferation in infected cultures was attenuated. Surprisingly, HCMV-infected cells exhibited an elevated frequency of apoptosis at 7 days following the onset of differentiation, at which time approximately 50% of the cells were apoptotic at a multiplicity of infection of 10. These findings indicate that HCMV has the capacity to reduce the ability of human NPCs to differentiate into neurons, which may offer one explanation for the abnormalities in brain development associated with congenital HCMV infection.
Clinical Outcomes after Failed Renal Transplantation—Does Dialysis Modality Matter?

Patients returning to dialysis after graft loss (DAGL) are an increasing segment of the end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) population. It is unclear whether patients with previous graft loss have equivalent or reduced survival from the time of restarting dialysis when compared with ESRD patients initiating dialysis for the first time. Moreover, the impact of dialysis modality on the survival of patients returning to DAGL is not known. Studies of patients with transplant graft failure returning to hemodialysis (HD) have suggested decreased survival when compared with transplant‐naïve dialysis patients, yet some studies of patients with graft failure returning to peritoneal dialysis (PD) have demonstrated equivalent survival. Based on these data, it is unclear whether survival differences may exist between the dialysis modalities, and if they do, whether they can be attributed to either differences in patient characteristics or to factors related to the dialysis modalities. For patients starting back onto dialysis, in whom preservation of residual renal function is important, it is also unclear how immunosuppression reduction or transplant nephrectomy may affect survival. In this review, we will summarize the available literature on survival rates of patients returning to DAGL; compare and contrast survival after initiation of HD and PD and discuss what is known about the impact of transplant nephrectomy and the different approaches to immunosuppression reduction. Practical considerations will be discussed with a specific emphasis on patients treated by PD.