Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prediction of tumor control in patients with cervical cancer: analysis of combined volume and dynamic enhancement pattern by MR imaging.

OBJECTIVE Quantitative analysis of either tumor volume or dynamic enhancement pattern using MR imaging has been reported as useful in the prediction of response to radiation therapy in cancer of the cervix. Because data for both analyses can be obtained in a single MR examination, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether combining both analyses can further improve the efficacy of using MR imaging to predict tumor control after radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty patients with bulky carcinomas of the cervix, stages bulky IB (n = 2), IIB (n = 6), IIIA (n = 1), IIIB (n = 9), IVA (n = 1), and recurrent (n = 1), were studied. Initial tumor volumes were calculated by outlining the area of tumor in each slice on T2-weighted images and multiplying by the slice profile. Two dynamic contrast-enhanced MR studies were obtained in each patient immediately before the start of radiation therapy and after 20-22 Gy in 2 weeks of radiation therapy. Dynamic enhancement imaging was performed at 3-sec intervals in the sagittal plane for 120 sec after rapid (9 ml/sec) i.v. injection of MR contrast agent (0.1 mmol/kg of gadoteridol) using a power injector. Time and signal intensity curves reflecting the relative signal intensity of contrast enhancement in the tumor region were generated, and the relative signal intensity of the tumor region during the early plateau phase was calculated. Median follow-up was 25 months (range, 11-35 months). RESULTS The combined analysis did not improve the prediction rate of local recurrence in small-sized tumors, which responded well to radiation therapy regardless of their dynamic enhancement pattern. However, the combined analysis did improve the prediction rate of local recurrence in intermediate- and large-sized tumors (75% and 80%, respectively) over assessment by either volume analysis (33% and 60%, respectively) or dynamic enhancement pattern analysis (64% and 64%, respectively). The combined analysis was most useful in intermediate-sized tumors (40-99 cm3; 33% recurrence), significantly improving differentiation between high-risk (80% recurrence) and low-risk 10% recurrence) patients (p = .010). CONCLUSION Our preliminary results suggest that the combined data of both tumor morphologic (volume) and microcirculatory (dynamic enhancement pattern) parameters allow more accurate prediction of local failure in patients with advanced cervical cancer than does each individual parameter alone. Combined data appear to have the greatest potential in patients with intermediate-sized tumors, who constitute most patients (60%) and remain a challenge for outcome prediction and management.
A simplified method to quantify isoflavones in commercial soybean diets and human urine after legume consumption.

The paper by Lu et al. (1) describes the quantitation of isoflavonoids from four soy foods and from urine of six teenagers after challenge with three equal doses of soy milk using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. Liquid chromatography requires fewer steps for sample preparation, such as purification and derivatization, is less time consuming, less costly, and demands less expensive instrumentation for isoflavonoid analysis in comparison to gas chromatography. This fact is confirmed in Lu's paper by the statement that "to process 1 sample, 2 working days and 3 h of labor are required. " In comparison, high-performance liquid chromatography requires not more than 7 h and 1 h of labor for 1 sample (5). Therefore, the term "Simplified Method" used in the title of Lu's paper should be reconsidered. In this paper, total urinary isoflavonoid recoveries were reported to be 69, 40, and 20% for daidzein in females, for daidzein in males, and for genistein in both sexes, respectively. These values seem very high since the human isoflavone metabolites equol, dihydrodaidzein, 6'-hydroxy-desmethylangolensin, O-desmethylangolensin, and p-ethyl-phenol (2, 3) are not included in Lu' s assay. Also, the reported urinary recoveries are 2-3-fold higher than those found by others (3-5). For recovery calculation purposes, it is necessary to express both dose and excreted levels to either molarity or aglycone units to adjust for differential molecular weights of aglycones and conjugates present in foods and urine. Not doing so might account for the discrepancy described. Converting Lu's data into aglycone units results in much better agreement with recovery findings published by Hutchins et al. (3) using gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection and with those by Xu et al. (4) and by ourselves (5) using high-pressure liquid chromatography with diode array detection. Finally, conclusions about sex-dependent differences regarding isoflavonoid metabolism should probably not be drawn based on data obtained from only six subjects.
Invited Paper - Modeling RF Window Breakdown: from Vacuum Multipactor to RF Plasma

Plasma breakdown at dielectric windows in the output of high power microwave systems has become an important challenge with the advent of GW power level sources. The modeling and simulations have played a crucial role in understanding the physics of plasma breakdown. In this work, we report a number of recent advances which have significantly improved understanding of the physics of vacuum multipactors, gaseous discharges driven by microwaves, and the transition from one regime to the other by varying the gas pressure. Index Terms Microwave windows, dielectric breakdown, vacuum breakdown, multipactor, microwave discharges.
Structural, dynamical, and electronic properties of amorphous silicon: An ab initio molecular dynamics study.

An amorphous silicon structure is obtained with a computer simulation based on a new moleculardynamics technique in which the interatomic potential is derived from a parameter-free quantum-mechanical method. Our results for the atomic structure, the phonon spectrum, and the electronic properties are in excellent agreement with experiment. In addition we study details of the microscopic dynamics which are not directly accessibly to experiment. We find in particular that structural defects are associated with weak bonds. These may give rise to low-frequency vibrational modes.
Implementation of One cycle Controller for Single phase Bi-directional Converter

The main concern about the bi-directional AC-DC converter is to maintain utility power factor near to unity. One Cycle Controller (OCC) is one of the outstanding control techniques to control these power electronic converters. One Cycle Controller comprises one integrator with reset along with a few linear components like analog comparators, flip-flops, and a clock. This paper presents a hardware implementation of Constant Power Factor-One Cycle Controller (CPF-OCC) which is practiced on the single phase bi-directional AC-DC converter.
Surgically-guided zygomatic and pterygoid implants— a no-grafting rehabilitation approach in severe atrophic maxilla—A case report

No immediate loading was performed. Four months after surgery, the implants were loaded, and an excellent aesthetic and functional result was achieved with no increase in bone volume from bone grafts. The entire residual bone was used as an anchorage for the implants. The excellent results achieved demonstrate that zygomatic implants in association with other conservative and guided surgical approaches are a valid alternative to bone grafting in treating severe atrophic and edentulous maxillae. Conclusion In this case report, the accurately planned surgery made the use of local anaesthesia with intravenous sedation possible.
Complex coupled mode theory and applications

The conventional coupled-mode theory (CMT) has been a popular and powerful method for the analysis of couplings between discrete guided modes, as it often leads to simple and revealing analytical solutions. For non-guided radiation modes of continuous spectra, the CMT does not lend itself to the same treatment of the discrete guided modes [1–2].
Research on Node Importance Ranking Based on the Vector Similarity Method

Based on the vector similarity theory, a new method of node importance ranking is proposed in this paper. The paper introduces four typical evaluation index of the node importance and points out their common faults. And the basic theory and steps of the vector similarity are discusses in detail. Finally, an example shows that the effectiveness and practicality of this method by the comparison of node importance ranking among the degree method, the betweenness method, the closeness method and the eigenvector method.
Reinforcement adaptive learning neural-net-based friction compensation control for high speed and precision

There is an increasing number of applications in high-precision motion control systems in manufacturing, i.e., ultra-precision machining, assembly of small components and micro devices. It is very difficult to assure such accuracy due to many factors affecting the precision of motion, such as frictions and disturbances in the drive system. The standard proportional-integral-derivative (PID) type servo control algorithms are not capable of delivering the desired precision under the influence of frictions and disturbances. In this paper, the frictions are identified by a neural net, which has a critic element to measure the system performance. Then, the weight adaptation rule, defined as reinforcement adaptive learning, is derived from the Lyapunov stability theory. Therefore the proposed scheme can be applicable to a wide class of mechanical systems. The simulation results on a 1-degree-of-freedom mechanical system verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
[Study on linkage between polymorphism of interleukin 6 gene -572C/G and susceptibility to myocardial infarction].

OBJECTIVE To observe the polymorphism and gene frequency of interleukin 6 (IL6) gene -572C/G in Chinese Han nationality population, that associating with susceptibility to myocardial infarction(MI) and impacting on the extent of coronary artery lesions; to analyze the function of IL6 gene -572C/G polymorphism. METHODS With PCR-RFLP method, IL6 gene -572C/G polymorphism was genotyped to 232 MI patients and 260 healthy adults. The effect of IL6 gene -572C/G polymorphism was observed to the extent of coronary artery lesions and the ability of IL6 production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). RESULTS There was IL6 gene -572C/G polymorphism in Chinese Hans. -572CG+GG genotype and G allele were more frequent in patients than in controls (P< 0.01). The relative risk for G allele carrier to suffer from MI was 1.68 times of CC genotype individual (95%CI 1.17-2.41, P< 0.01). However, the distribution of IL6 gene -572C/G polymorphism was no significant difference among patients with single-vessel, two-vessel and three-vessel lesions (P> 0.05). After PBMC cultured for 24 hours, the IL6 concentration in supernatant was significantly higher in subjects with CG genotype than those with CC genotype (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION IL6 gene -572G allele may be a genetic susceptibility factor to MI attack of Chinese Hans population, and related to the high expression of IL6.
Perceptual Dimensions of Nonnative Speech

Foreign-accented speech has most commonly been characterized across three related, but independent dimensions: intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accent [6]. The present study applied an auditory free classification task, which has been used to test listeners’ perceptual representations of regional dialects [5] and different languages [3], to further investigate the salient perceptual dimensions of foreign-accented speech. Participants first rated recordings of 24 nonnative speakers for comprehensibility and degree of accent. The speakers’ intelligibility was measured in a separate study. These three dimensions were significantly correlated; comprehensibility and degree of accent were the most highly correlated. Multidimensional scaling analyses of the auditory free classification data revealed two dimensions of perceptual salience: gender and degree of accent. The current results, together with previous findings [3, 5], suggest that listeners’ perceptual representation of speech variability centrally involve a scaling of the distance between a speech stimulus and the listener’s own linguistic system.
Cloning and nucleotide sequence of a gene (ompS) encoding the major outer membrane protein of Legionella pneumophila

The major outer membrane protein of Legionella pneumophila is composed of 28- and 31-kDa subunits cross-linked by interchain disulfide bonds. The oligomer is covalently anchored to the underlying peptidoglycan via the 31-kDa subunit. We have cloned the structural gene ompS encoding both proteins. Oligonucleotide probes synthesized from the codons of the N-terminal amino acid sequence of purified 28- and 31-kDa subunits were used to identify cloned sequences. A 2.9-kb HindIII fragment cloned into pBluescript (clone H151) contained the ompS gene. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame of 891 bp encoding a polypeptide of 297 amino acids. A leader sequence of 21 amino acids was identified, and the mature protein contained 276 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of OmpS matched the experimentally determined amino acid sequence (32 amino acids), with the exception of two cysteine residues. The deduced amino acid sequence was rich in glycine and aromatic amino acids and contained four cysteine residues, two in the amino terminus and two in the carboxy region. Primer extension analysis (total RNA from L. pneumophila) identified the transcription start at 96 to 98 bp upstream of the translation start, but no Escherichia coli-like promoter sequences were evident. While an mRNA transcript from clone H151 was detected, no cross-reactive protein was detected by immunoblotting with either monoclonal or polyclonal antibody. Attempts to subclone the gene in the absence of the putative promoter region (i.e., under the control of the lac promoter) proved unsuccessful, possibly because of overproduction lethality in E. coli. The ompS DNA sequence was highly conserved among the serogroups of L. pneumophila, and related species also exhibited homology in Southern blot analysis at a moderately high stringency. Evidence is presented to suggest that this gene may be environmentally regulated in L. pneumophila.
Genetic ablation of caveolin-1 in mammary epithelial cells increases milk production and hyper-activates STAT5a signaling

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is the main structural protein of caveolae, plasma membrane invaginations that have been implicated in a number of cellular processes, including vesicular transport, cholesterol homeostasis, and the regulation of signal transduction. Previous in vivo studies have established a correlation between Cav-1 expression levels and milk production. In the normal mouse mammary gland, Cav-1 levels were shown to be down-regulated during late pregnancy and lactation, via a Ras-p42/44 MAPK mechanism. Conversely, mammary glands from Cav-1 null (-/-) mice exhibit premature lactation, with augmented development of the lobulo-alveolar compartment and hyper-activation of Jak-2/ STAT5a signaling cascade. However, it remains unknown whether these phenotypes are cell-autonomous, i.e. intrinsic to the alveolar epithelial cells, or whether stromal or adipocyte-secreted factors contribute. To directly address this issue, we have isolated primary mammary epithelial cells from wild-type (WT) or Cav-1 null (-/-) mammary glands. We cultured them either in a 2D model (monolayers of mammary epithelial cells) or in a 3D system on exogenous basement membrane (Matrigel; to reconstitute the minimal lactating unit, i.e. mammary acinus). We show here that Cav-1 deficient mammary epithelial cells display the ability to spontaneously generate milk droplets, and to secrete them into the acinar lumen. Interestingly, such milk production occurs in the absence of lactogenic stimulation. Our results show that monolayers of Cav-1 null mammary epithelial cells are enriched in milk droplets, as judged by both i) phase contrast and ii) immunofluorescence analysis with an antiserum directed against mouse milk proteins. Consistently, Cav-1 deficient acini display increased milk production and secretion, as evaluated by Western blot analysis and electron microscopic examination. Mechanistically, we show that loss of Cav-1 in mammary epithelial cells induces the baseline constitutive hyper-activation of STAT5a signaling, which normally controls the temporal progression of lactogenesis in the mammary gland.
A Study of Intention to Use Tablet PC E-books from a Perspective Combining TAM and IDT

The emergence of Tablet PCs in recent years has further triggered an evolution of e-books. Tablet PCs are very likely to become a dominant e-book reading device in the future. This paper probed into attitude toward using and intention to read e-books for Tablet PCs among e-book users in Taiwan based on a model combining Technology Acceptance Model and Innovation Diffusion Theory. The proposed model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Results indicated that attitude toward using was significantly related to perceived usefulness, compatibility, and observability. In other words, people tend to have a positive attitude toward e-books for Tablet PCs when they perceive reading e-books on Tablet PCs as easy, compatible with traditional printed books, and helpful for their communication with others. Besides, most respondents held a positive view of e-books, and their intention to use e-books was positively affected by perceived usefulness and attitude toward using. Key-words: e-book, Tablet PC, technology acceptance model, innovation diffusion theory
A New Way of New Service Development Based on Service Customized Approach

Competitive pressures are prompting a new-found aggressiveness that questions established service offering and calls for new ways of identifying and satisfying buyers' needs. Today's customers are demanding quality, style, and uniqueness over homogeneous products. Therefore, it's necessary to deploy new service development (NSD) based on service customization approach. However, it's still void in academic field. In order to fill this gap, a new way of NSD is proposed in this article based on service customized approach. First, we review literature on NSD and service customization. Next, we analyze the relationship among the service level and service customization in a period of time, as well as in the long run. Then, we come up with a new way of NSD. We propose that service firms should collect its customers' customized needs first. Also, through the method of cluster analysis, we open up a new thread to deploy NSD. Management implications and areas for further research are discussed.
Comparison of the effects of immune killing mechanisms on Trypanosoma brucei parasites of slender and stumpy morphology

Trypanosoma brucei slender forms predominate over stumpy forms as the parasite population grows but at the peak of a parasitaemic wave and during remission of infection stumpy forms predominate. To determine whether this change in predominance might be caused by selective killing of slender forms, the fates of slender and stumpy form trypanosomes in two in vitro assays of immune‐mediated killing were compared. Parasite populations in which > 90% of cells were of slender morphology were observed to be killed by antibody‐dependent complement‐mediated lysis approximately five times faster than populations in which < 15% of cells were slender and most were of intermediate or stumpy morphology. Quantification of the relationship between the proportion of slender forms in the population and the rate of lysis indicated that slender forms were killed approximately 7.3 times faster than other forms. In an opsonization assay, no differences were observed between slender and stumpy forms in the extent to which they attached to macrophages in an antibody‐dependent manner. These results suggest that the change in proportions of slender and stumpy forms at the peak of a parasitaemic wave results from slender forms being more susceptible to complement‐mediated killing as the antibody response develops.
A new computer based Phasor Measurement Unit framework

A Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) is one of the most important measuring devices that can provide synchronized phasor measurements of voltages and currents in real time from widely spread locations in an electric grid. Indeed this device is crucial to the detection of disturbances and characterization of transient swings. In this work, a new PMU has been designed and implemented including the hardware architecture and the software program using a recent developed algorithm of phasor measurement and frequency estimation. The developed PMU is based on computer associated with an acquisition card AD512 using Matlab as software tool for developing its running program as well as its graphical user interface. Finally, this PMU has been tested in laboratory using network simulator that gives good measurements with an acceptable errors even at off-frequency.
Lack of Association between Human Herpesvirus and Vestibular Schwannoma

Objective To assess for the presence of human herpesvirus (HHV) using immunohistochemical and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay in surgically excised vestibular schwannoma (VS) samples. Study Design Cross-sectional study. Setting A retrospective laboratory-based study of tumors from patients with vestibular schwannoma. Subjects and Methods Tissue microarrays (TMAs) representing sporadic and NF2-associated VS from 121 patients, as well as appropriate positive and negative controls, were studied. TMA sections were immunostained using antibodies directed against HHV-1, HHV-2, HHV-3, HHV-4, HHV-5, and HHV-8. PCR was used for the detection of all 8 known human herpesviruses. Results There was no detectable HHV (HHV-1, HHV-2, HHV-3, HHV-4, HHV-5, HHV-8) by immunohistochemistry in any of the 121 cases of sporadic and NF2 cases analyzed. These data were further validated by DNA sequence analyses using PCR in a subset of the VS samples, all of which were found to be negative for all HHV. Conclusions The data offer no support for an association between HHV and the development of sporadic or NF2-associated VS in humans.
High or low hematocrits during cardiopulmonary bypass for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery? An evidence-based approach to the question

We have observed an inverse relationship between a CPB Hct <20% and the need for cardiac support and hospital mortality. These data call for an aggressive and concerted effort to avoid a CPB Hct of <20%. The focus should be directed at women and small men since this subset of patients are most likely to experience low CPB Hct. A comprehensive, multimodality blood-conservation plan that involves the use of erythropoietin, aprotinin, preoperative autologous donation, shed blood reinfusion, and minimal phlebotomy for blood testing was proposed by Rosengart and colleagues based on their experience in caring for 50 Jehovah's Witness patients. Efforts to conserve blood and ensure hemostasis should cover the entire spectrum of care, including preoperative phlebotomy (for blood tests), diagnostic and interventional procedures, and intraoperative and postoperative care. Further work is needed to understand the mechanism for the relationship between low Hct and adverse outcomes. Each open-heart center should consider the Hct question carefully, examining both the published literature and their own results related to CPB Hct and patient outcomes.