Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of multiple GPUs on shared memory multiprocessors for ultrasound propagation simulations

This paper outlines our effort to migrate a compute intensive application of ultrasound propagation being developed in Matlab to a cluster computer where each node has seven GPUs. Our goal is to perform realistic simulations in hours and minutes instead of weeks and days. In order to reach this goal we investigate architecture characteristics of the target system focusing on the PCI-Express subsystem and new features proposed in CUDA version 4.0, especially simultaneous host to device, device to host and peer-to-peer transfers that the application is going to highly benefit from. We also present the results from a CPU based implementation and discuss future directions to exploit multiple GPUs.
Deaths from perforated peptic ulcer. A survey of 633 cases in the west of Scotland.

Information is presented on 633 patients, out of a total series of 5,343 perforations, who died as a result of the perforation. The fatality rate has risen over the past decade and has stabilized at about 12 per cent; this rise is likely to be due to an increase in the age of the patients. The fatality rate is higher in females than in males; it is higher in the elderly than in the young. As regards the time of perforation, the fatality rate is at its highest in perforations occurring in February and in perforations occurring between the hours of midnight and 4 a.m. There is no significant fluctuation in the fatality rate as far as the day of the week is concerned. The fatality rate rises with delay in operative treatment. The rate is also higher in perforated gastric ulcer than it is in perforated pyloroduodenal ulcer.
Efficacy of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (Mabthera) in patients with progressed hairy cell leukemia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Recently, a chimeric monoclonal antibody (MoAb) directed against the CD20 antigen (rituximab) has been successfully introduced in the treatment of several CD20-positive B-cell neoplasias and particularly of follicular lymphomas. Based on these premises we evaluated the efficacy and the toxicity of chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) in relapsed/progressed hairy cell leukemia (HCL). DESIGN AND METHODS Ten patients with relapsed/progressed HCL entered the study. Eight patients were males and two females with a median age of 55 years (range 41-78) and all of them had been previously treated with 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine and/or deoxycoformycin and a-interferon. Two out of 10 patients were anemic (Hb < 10 g/dL), 4 thrombocytopenic (Plt < 100 x 10(9)/L), 3 had fewer than 1.0 x 10(9)/L neutrophils and 3 had circulating hairy cells (HC). All patients received 375 mg/m2 i.v. of anti-CD20 MoAb once a week for 4 doses. RESULTS All patients were evaluable for response, one patient showing a complete remission and 4 a partial response. Adverse reactions, such as fever, chills, bone pain, hypotension and thrombocytopenia, were transient and mild (grade 1-2) and occurred only during the first course of treatment. One month after the last infusion, patients who had had anemia, neutropenia or thrombocytopenia, recovered normal peripheral blood values. Circulating HC also disappeared within one month. Immunostained bone marrow biopsies were checked 1, 3 and 6 months after the end of therapy and in 5 out of 10 patients a >50% reduction of bone marrow HC infiltration was recorded. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS On the basis of these preliminary results observed in 10 patients with progressed HCL, it appears that treatment with anti-CD20 MoAb is safe and effective in at least 50% of patients, particularly in those with a less evident bone marrow infiltration (50%) and in those previously splenectomized.
A face wrapping method based on pose-specific shape eigenspace

Generating virtual face images with different poses has potential applications in many areas, such as face recognition, human-machine interaction, portrait combination, and computer graphics. However, in some situation, the available face images are quite limited, which makes the problem difficult. This paper proposes a pose-specific shape eigenspace based face wrapping method to generate virtual face images with different poses from a specific pose. A predefined training set is necessary. According to their poses, training faces with annotated landmarks are manually divided into several groups, each of which is utilized to learn a pose-specific shape eigenspace by K-L transform. For a new image under a certain pose, its shape information described by the annotated landmarks is firstly projected to the expected pose-specific shape eigenspace to represent the shape information of this image under the expected pose. Then, all corresponding points between the represented shape and original shape the are matched and the texture information of all points in the represented shape are covered by the gray or color information of the corresponding points in the original image to generate a virtual face image under expected pose. To quantify the similarity between the generated virtual images and real images, cosine similarity is adopted. Experiments on IMM, PIE and YaleB face subsets show that the similarity of the virtual image and real images is over 0.9, no matter there is high or low similarity between test set and training set, which illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Pre‐eclampsia is not Associated with Changes in the Levels of Regulatory T Cells in Peripheral Blood

The acceptance of the semi‐allogeneic fetus within the maternal environment requires tolerance mechanisms not fully characterized yet. Normal pregnancy is known to be associated with a Th2 profile. Furthermore, regulatory T cells (Tregs) were proposed to regulate the Th2/Th1 balance at early stages of pregnancy. Treg may avoid the shift to a Th1 profile, thus preventing miscarriage. Accordingly, spontaneous abortion is characterized by a Th1 dominance and diminished levels of Treg. The major aim of the present work was to investigate if pre‐eclampsia, a late immunological complication of pregnancy, is characterized by similar hallmarks.
Chronic sensitivity of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to cadmium, copper, lead, or zinc in laboratory water‐only exposures

Chronic toxicity of cadmium, copper, lead, or zinc to white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was evaluated in water‐only exposures started with newly hatched larvae or approximately 1‐mo‐old juveniles. The 20% effect concentration (EC20) for cadmium from the sturgeon tests was higher than the EC20 from the trout tests, whereas the EC20 for copper, lead, or zinc for the sturgeon were lower than those EC20s for the trout. When the EC20s from the present study were included in compiled toxicity databases for all freshwater species, species mean chronic value for white sturgeon was in a relatively low percentile of the species sensitivity distribution for copper (9th percentile) and in the middle percentile for cadmium (55th percentile), zinc (40th percentile), or lead (50th percentile). However, the species mean chronic value for rainbow trout was in a high percentile for copper, lead, and zinc (∼68th–82nd percentile), but in a low percentile for cadmium (23rd percentile). The trout EC20s for each of the 4 metals and the sturgeon EC20s for cadmium or lead were above US Environmental Protection Agency chronic ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) or Washington State chronic water quality standards (WQS), whereas the sturgeon EC20s for copper or zinc were approximately equal to or below the chronic AWQC and WQS. In addition, acute 50% effect concentrations (EC50s) for copper obtained in the first 4 d of the chronic sturgeon test were below the final acute value used to derive acute AWQC and below acute WQS for copper. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:2246–2258. Published 2014 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
Choice, Discrimination, and the Motherhood Penalty

Recent studies have documented substantial penalties associated with motherhood and suggest that discrimination plays an important role in producing them. In this article, I argue that the degree to which motherhood is conceptualized as a choice affects the penalties associated with making this choice. Two methods are employed to evaluate this argument. The first method is an analysis of state differences in the wage penalties for motherhood, in which hierarchical linear modeling is used with data from the 1988–2004 Current Population Survey. The second method is a hiring experiment in a highly controlled setting. The wage analysis shows that, net of the usual individual and state-level factors that affect wages, mothers are penalized more in states where motherhood is perceived to be a woman's choice. The hiring experiment distinguishes between productivity-based and discrimination-based explanations for the penalty and provides strong evidence for a causal relationship between perceptions of choice and discrimination against mothers.
Rewiring of the Yeast Transcriptional Network Through the Evolution of Motif Usage

Recent experiments revealed large-scale differences in the transcription programs of related species, yet little is known about the genetic basis underlying the evolution of gene expression and its contribution to phenotypic diversity. Here we describe a large-scale modulation of the yeast transcription program that is connected to the emergence of the capacity for rapid anaerobic growth. Genes coding for mitochondrial and cytoplasmic ribosomal proteins display a strongly correlated expression pattern in Candida albicans, but this correlation is lost in the fermentative yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We provide evidence that this change in gene expression is connected to the loss of a specific cis-regulatory element from dozens of genes following the apparent whole-genome duplication event. Our results shed new light on the genetic mechanisms underlying the large-scale evolution of transcriptional networks.
Abstraction and natural language semantics.

According to the traditional view, a word prototypically denotes a class of objects sharing similar features, i.e. it results from an abstraction based on the detection of common properties in perceived entities. I explore here another idea: words result from abstraction of common premises in the rules governing our actions. I first argue that taking 'inference', instead of 'reference', as the basic issue in semantics does matter. I then discuss two phenomena that are, in my opinion, particularly difficult to analyse within the scope of traditional semantic theories: systematic polysemy and plurals. I conclude by a discussion of my approach, and by a summary of its main features.
Complete Genome Sequences of Sweet potato feathery mottle virus and Sweet potato virus G from Brazil

ABSTRACT In Brazil, Potyvirus species in sweet potatoes have been detected mostly by serology. Here, we report the complete genome sequences of two Potyvirus species, Sweet potato feathery mottle virus strain (SPFMV-UNB-01) and Sweet potato virus G strain (SPVG-UNB-01).
Targeting the thyrotropin receptor in thyroid disease

Introduction: The thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) is essential for thyroid growth and for the production of thyroid hormones. It is unique among the glycoprotein hormone receptors, in that some of the TSHRs undergo cleavage and shedding of the alpha subunit. Areas covered: This review discusses the structure and function of the TSHR, followed by an evaluation of its role in thyroid disease. Possible limitations of the TSHR as a therapeutic target are also discussed. Expert opinion: The TSHR is involved in a number of hereditary and acquired disorders of the thyroid making it of potential importance as a therapeutic target in thyroid disease. Expression of the TSHR in several non-thyroidal tissues and the development of systemic manifestations of thyroid disease suggest that the TSHR is also of interest as a therapeutic target outside the thyroid.
Offending behaviour: the role of trauma and PTSD

Research indicates an interlink between traumatic experiences and criminal behaviour (Ardino, 2011; Foy, Furrow & McManus, 2011; Weeks & Widom, 1998, 1989) revealing that offenders present a higher prevalence of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD; APA, 1994) and associated symptoms when compared with the general population (Wright, Borrill, Teers & Cassidy, 2006). Available studies, however, rarely present data about specific trajectories that connect trauma and PTSD to criminal behaviour. This thematic cluster of articles ‘‘Offending behaviour: the role of trauma and PTSD’’ aims to explore such trajectories and post-traumatic mechanisms in offenders. (Published: 20 July 2012) Citation: European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2012, 3 : 18968 - http://dx.doi. org/10.3402/ejpt.v3i0. 18968
Organization of the Cores of the Mammalian Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Formed by E2 and E2 Plus the E3-binding Protein and Their Capacities to Bind the E1 and E3 Components*

The subunits of the dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase (E2) component of mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex can form a 60-mer via association of the C-terminal I domain of E2 at the vertices of a dodecahedron. Exterior to this inner core structure, E2 has a pyruvate dehydrogenase component (E1)-binding domain followed by two lipoyl domains, all connected by mobile linker regions. The assembled core structure of mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex also includes the dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (E3)-binding protein (E3BP) that binds the I domain of E2 by its C-terminal I′ domain. E3BP similarly has linker regions connecting an E3-binding domain and a lipoyl domain. The composition of E2·E3BP was thought to be 60 E2 plus ∼12 E3BP. We have prepared homogenous human components. E2 and E2·E3BP have s20,w values of 36 S and 31.8 S, respectively. Equilibrium sedimentation and small angle x-ray scattering studies indicate that E2·E3BP has lower total mass than E2, and small angle x-ray scattering showed that E3 binds to E2·E3BP outside the central dodecahedron. In the presence of saturating levels of E1, E2 bound ∼60 E1 and maximally sedimented 64.4 ± 1.5 S faster than E2, whereas E1-saturated E2·E3BP maximally sedimented 49.5 ± 1.4 S faster than E2·E3BP. Based on the impact on sedimentation rates by bound E1, we estimate fewer E1 (∼12) were bound by E2·E3BP than by E2. The findings of a smaller E2·E3BP mass and a lower capacity to bind E1 support the smaller E3BP substituting for E2 subunits rather than adding to the 60-mer. We describe a substitution model in which 12 I′ domains of E3BP replace 12 I domains of E2 by forming 6 dimer edges that are symmetrically located in the dodecahedron structure. Twelve E3 dimers were bound per E248·E3BP12 mass, which is consistent with this model.
Emergence and management of drug-resistant enterococcal infections

The treatment of multidrug-resistant enterococcal infections continues to be a challenge for clinicians. Glycopeptide and β-lactam resistance is now a common feature of the majority of Enterococcus faecium hospital isolates, and resistance to aminoglycosides, quinupristin–dalfopristin, linezolid and daptomycin further complicates the problem. New antibiotics, such as tigecycline, lipoglycopeptides (dalbavancin, oritavancin and telavancin) and cephalosporins with activity against Enterococcus faecalis (ceftobiprole and ceftaroline), may have potential activity against certain resistant enterococcal strains in specific clinical settings, as may some older antibiotics, such as ampicillin, chloramphenicol, doxycycline, minocycline and nitrofurantoin. However, the treatment of endovascular infections (particularly endocarditis, where bactericidal therapy is important for optimal cure rates) caused by resistant enterococci continues to be an immense challenge even with the availability of new agents. The optimal therapy for these infections is not well established and clinical data are usually limited to case reports with conflicting results. Therefore, treatment decisions may have to be based on animal models and sporadic experiences and the best approach is for the physician to consider carefully each patient on a case by case manner and gather all the clinical and microbiological information possible regarding species identification and susceptibilities in order to choose a therapeutic regimen that would appear to be active.
Cardiorespiratory fitness in highly active versus inactive paraplegics.

Maximum and submaximum arm crank exercise performances were assessed in male paraplegics (PARA) with the purpose of comparing cardiovascular responses among individuals of highly active (A, N = 15) vs inactive (I, N = 15) lifestyles. The A PARAs (average VO2 peak during arm cranking 2.24 l.min-1) demonstrated a significantly higher maximal cardiorespiratory fitness compared to I subjects (average VO2 peak 1.56 l.min-1). During graded arm exertion, at exercise intensities approximating 45%, 57%, and 70% of VO2 peak, the active subjects developed cardiac outputs (assessed via CO2-rebreathing) ranging from 9.07 to 11.21 l.min-1; a 34-44% advantage relative to their inactive counterparts (6.30-8.36 l.min-1). Similarly, exercise stroke volumes for A (76-80 ml) were 38-45% higher than for I paraplegics (55-56 ml). Although both groups demonstrated a distinctive circulatory hypokinesis during arm cranking, the immediate pattern of cardiovascular response was dissimilar for the highly active versus inactive subjects. The former demonstrated a predominantly "central" adaptation to steady-state arm exercise (exhibiting normal stroke volumes and arteriovenous O2 extractions for spinal cord-injured subjects), while the latter displayed markedly reduced stroke volumes concomitant with abnormally large peripheral arteriovenous oxygen extractions for a given oxygen uptake.
Low amplitude dorsal ulnar cutaneous nerve sensory nerve action potential from cross over innervation . Can nerve ultrasound help ?

The ulnar dorsal aspect of the hand is predominantly innervated by the dorsal ulnar cutaneous nerve with variable input from the superficial radial cutaneous nerve. This cross innervation can cause difficulty in interpreting low amplitude sensory nerve action potential for the dorsal ulnar cutaneous nerve particularly when facing suspected ulnar neuropathyat the elbow. In three subjects with low dorsal ulnar cutaneous sensory nerve action potential amplitude due to cross over with the superficial radial nerve, we compared amplitude with nerve circumference and fascicular count as measured by ultrasound. Dorsal ulnar cutaneous nerve circumference was significantly smaller where there was low sensory nerve action potential amplitude and showed fewer fascicles. Nerve ultrasonography may be a useful additional test modality to determine if low dorsal ulnar cutaneous nerve amplitude is physiological.
A hybrid meshing technique for ferromagnetic structures based on the PEEC method

A non-uniform meshing technique is presented for all the electromagnetic components. For the component which is perpendicular to the plate, the volume cells are assigned for the edge region. A hybrid numerical method (M3) is proposed. The IES-FARADAY based on BEM is presented for validation of the proposed methods. The proposed meshing scheme can improve the accuracy of solution effectively. The error of induced current and magnetization reduce significantly.
Robust optimization-based AC optimal power flow considering wind and solar power uncertainty

In this paper, robust optimization based AC optimal power flow (ROPF) considering wind and solar power uncertainty is proposed. ROPF is used to determine optimal power dispatch and locational marginal prices in a day-ahead market while limiting the risk of dispatch cost variation. ROPF is tested on PJM 5-bus system integrating wind and solar PV generation. Simulation results indicate that ROPF results in a lower expected dispatch cost at the same risk preference level than a stochastic nonlinear programming (SNP) approach. Accordingly, it is potentially useful for day-ahead market operator in policy and decision making.
Expression of the gene encoding aromatase cytochrome P450 (CYP19) in fetal tissues.

The formation of estrogens from C19 steroids is catalyzed by a specific form of cytochrome P450, aromatase cytochrome P450 (P450arom; the product of the CYP19 gene). In previous studies we have demonstrated that in adult human tissues and placenta, expression of the CYP19 gene is regulated in part by means of tissue-specific promoters through the use of alternative splicing mechanisms. In addition to placenta, a number of fetal tissues express aromatase, including liver, intestine, skin, and brain. To characterize the CYP19 transcripts present in these and other fetal tissues, we have used reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction to amplify sequences corresponding to the various untranslated exons from RNA extracted from these tissues. In addition, we have prepared cDNA libraries using RNA from these tissues by the method of rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Sequencing of clones derived from these libraries has been employed to confirm the presence of sequence corresponding to untranslated exons at the 5'-ends of P450arom transcripts. Based on these findings, we conclude that in fetal tissues other than placenta, transcripts containing sequence found in the exon we have previously named I.4 appear to be the most common. Such sequences have been found in cells in which P450arom expression is stimulated by glucocorticoids. Thus, the presence of such transcripts in fetal liver RNA is consistent with our previous observations that aromatase activity in fetal hepatocytes is stimulated by glucocorticoids. Secondly, transcripts are present in the fetal adrenal, although no aromatase activity has ever been detected in this tissue. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Inhibitors of Nitric Oxide Synthase Influence Oocyte Maturation in Rats

Objective: To examine the effect of inhibiting nitric oxide synthase (NOS) on the number of ovulated oocytes and on occyte meiotic maturation. Methods: Female Sprague-Dawley rats (25 days old) were superovulated with a subcutaneous injection of 10 U pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin, followed 52 hours later by a subcutaneous injection of 10 U human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Three hours before and 3 hours after hCG injection, the rats were treated orally with the vehicle (0.5% methylcellulose) as the control or with either of two NOS inhibitors, Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and L-N6-(1-iminoethyl)-lysine (L-NIL). The rats were killed 20 hours after hCG injection, and oocytes present in the oviduct were flushed, counted, and classified for stages of meiosis. In addition, ovarian occytes (12 hours post-hCG) and ovulated occytes were treated with an immunofluoresect stain for the presence of endothelial NOS (eNOS). Results: Strong positive staining for eNOS was observed in the cytoplasm of ovarian and ovulated oocytes. Control rats ovulated an average 43.0 ± 4.1 oocytes each, which was lowered with either L-NAME or L-NIL (23.8 ± 4.3 and 23.5 ± 4.0 oocytes per rat, respectively; P < .002). We observed that significantly fewer ovulated oocytes obtained from rats treated with NOS inhibitors were at metaphase II (P < .006), the normal stage of meiosis for unfertilized oocytes, and a significantly greater percentage of oocytes displayed atypical morphology as compared with control oocytes (P < .0001). Conclusion: Ovarian nitric oxide synthesis is required for maximal ovulation, and a lack of nitric oxide during the periovulatory period results in severe defects in oocyte maturation.