Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Minority Carrier Lifetime Measurements for Contactless Oxidation Process Characterization and Furnace Profiling

Contactless minority carrier lifetime (lifetime) measurements by means of microwave detected photoconductivity are employed for oxidation process characterization and furnace profiling. Characterization is performed on oxidized float zone substrates with high resistivity and outstanding bulk quality, suggesting that the measured effective lifetime is strongly dominated by interface recombination and therefore reflects the oxide quality. The applied approach requires neither test structures nor time consuming measurements and is therefore of particular interest if high throughput is required. The method is used to investigate the impact of oxidation furnace leakage as well as to analyze the oxidation homogeneity across a horizontal oxidation furnace. For comparison, capacitance-voltage measurements are conducted to characterize the oxide properties. It is found that any type of furnace leakage, which induces fixed oxide charges as well as interface states, has a heavy impact on the measured effective lifetime, especially on the shape of generation rate dependent lifetime curves. Furthermore, a distinct lifetime decrease towards the tube door of the oxidation furnace could be observed. The latter is even detectable in an ideal oxidation process, generating high quality oxides. Besides plain equipment characterization, the presented approach is suitable to optimize the oxidation process itself regarding different parameters like temperature, gas flow, pressure, or process time.
Hybrid Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer

BACKGROUND Postoperative complications, especially pulmonary complications, affect more than half the patients who undergo open esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Whether hybrid minimally invasive esophagectomy results in lower morbidity than open esophagectomy is unclear. METHODS We performed a multicenter, open‐label, randomized, controlled trial involving patients 18 to 75 years of age with resectable cancer of the middle or lower third of the esophagus. Patients were randomly assigned to undergo transthoracic open esophagectomy (open procedure) or hybrid minimally invasive esophagectomy (hybrid procedure). Surgical quality assurance was implemented by the credentialing of surgeons, standardization of technique, and monitoring of performance. Hybrid surgery comprised a two‐field abdominal–thoracic operation (also called an Ivor–Lewis procedure) with laparoscopic gastric mobilization and open right thoracotomy. The primary end point was intraoperative or postoperative complication of grade II or higher according to the Clavien–Dindo classification (indicating major complication leading to intervention) within 30 days. Analyses were done according to the intention‐to‐treat principle. RESULTS From October 2009 through April 2012, we randomly assigned 103 patients to the hybrid‐procedure group and 104 to the open‐procedure group. A total of 312 serious adverse events were recorded in 110 patients. A total of 37 patients (36%) in the hybrid‐procedure group had a major intraoperative or postoperative complication, as compared with 67 (64%) in the open‐procedure group (odds ratio, 0.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18 to 0.55; P<0.001). A total of 18 of 102 patients (18%) in the hybrid‐procedure group had a major pulmonary complication, as compared with 31 of 103 (30%) in the open‐procedure group. At 3 years, overall survival was 67% (95% CI, 57 to 75) in the hybrid‐procedure group, as compared with 55% (95% CI, 45 to 64) in the open‐procedure group; disease‐free survival was 57% (95% CI, 47 to 66) and 48% (95% CI, 38 to 57), respectively. CONCLUSIONS We found that hybrid minimally invasive esophagectomy resulted in a lower incidence of intraoperative and postoperative major complications, specifically pulmonary complications, than open esophagectomy, without compromising overall and disease‐free survival over a period of 3 years. (Funded by the French National Cancer Institute; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00937456.)
Synthesis of Chromium Carbide Nanopowders by Microwave Heating and Their Composition and Microstructure Change under Gamma Ray Irradiation

Chromium carbide nanopowders were synthesized by mechanical alloying-assisted microwave heating. The effect of gamma irradiation on phase composition and microstructure of chromium carbide nanopowders synthesized by the microwave heating method was analyzed. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques. The results showed that well-dispersed chromium carbide nanopowders can be synthesized by maintaining the temperature at 1000 °C for 1 h. Gamma ray irradiation had an important effect on the microstructure of chromium carbide nanopowders. The interplanar spacings of chromium carbide (110) crystal faces before and after gamma ray irradiation were 0.3725 nm and 0.3824 nm, respectively. The crystal structure of chromium carbide was changed by gamma ray irradiation. Gamma ray irradiation can also increase the binding energy of chromium carbide, which is beneficial to improve the thermal stability and mechanical properties of chromium carbide at high temperature.
A cis‐acting bidirectional transcription switch controls sexual dimorphism in the liverwort

Plant life cycles alternate between haploid gametophytes and diploid sporophytes. While regulatory factors determining male and female sexual morphologies have been identified for sporophytic reproductive organs, such as stamens and pistils of angiosperms, those regulating sex‐specific traits in the haploid gametophytes that produce male and female gametes and hence are central to plant sexual reproduction are poorly understood. Here, we identified a MYB‐type transcription factor, MpFGMYB, as a key regulator of female sexual differentiation in the haploid‐dominant dioicous liverwort, Marchantia polymorpha. MpFGMYB is specifically expressed in females and its loss resulted in female‐to‐male sex conversion. Strikingly, MpFGMYB expression is suppressed in males by a cis‐acting antisense gene SUF at the same locus, and loss‐of‐function suf mutations resulted in male‐to‐female sex conversion. Thus, the bidirectional transcription module at the MpFGMYB/SUF locus acts as a toggle between female and male sexual differentiation in M. polymorpha gametophytes. Arabidopsis thaliana MpFGMYB orthologs are known to be expressed in embryo sacs and promote their development. Thus, phylogenetically related MYB transcription factors regulate female gametophyte development across land plants.
Transformace jazyka C do VHDL

The thesis describes the process of transformation of the behavior of processor described in C language into VHDL language. Individual steps of automatized transformation are compared to manual design of processor. The thesis highlights advantages of the internal representation of program in the form of graph. Optimizations based on various factors are introduced in this thesis. One of them are algebraic modifications of expressions. The time of computation or space requirements of the circuit can be lowered by proper aplication of properties of math operators – associativity, comutativity and distributivity. Special attention is payed to optimizations, that make use of parallelism of operations for the process of operation scheduling. Algorithms of timeconstrained scheduling and resource-constrained scheduling are discussed. The end of this thesis is devoted to resource allocation.
Balloon Dilation of the Eustachian Tube: 12-Month Follow-up of the Randomized Controlled Trial Treatment Group

Objective Obstructive eustachian tube dysfunction (OETD) affects up to 5% of adults; however, available treatment strategies have limitations. It was previously reported that balloon dilation of the eustachian tube (BDET) with the eustachian tube balloon catheter + medical management (MM) results in a significantly higher proportion of subjects with normalized tympanograms versus MM alone at 6- and 24-week follow-up. The current analysis extends these initial findings by investigating the durability of BDET + MM treatment outcomes through 52 weeks. Study Design Prospective cohort follow-up study from the treatment group in a previously reported multicenter randomized controlled trial. Setting Twenty-one investigational sites across the United States. Subjects and Methods Here we report on secondary and exploratory endpoints for patients with OETD who previously failed MM and were randomized to the BDET + MM cohort. Analyses of tympanogram outcomes are reported by ear, unless specified otherwise, as a more accurate measure of durability of the procedure over time. Results Among subjects randomized to BDET + MM, the overall number with normalized tympanograms and ETDQ-7 scores (Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire–7) remained comparable to those reported at 6- versus 52-week follow-up: tympanograms, 73 of 143 (51.0%) versus 71 of 128 (55.5%); ETDQ-7, 79 of 142 (55.6%) versus 71 of 124 (57.3%). The overall number of ears with normalized tympanograms also remained comparable, with 117 of 204 (57%) versus 119 of 187 (63.6%). Conclusions The present study suggests that the beneficial effects of BDET + MM on tympanogram normalization and symptoms of subjects with refractory OETD demonstrate significant durability that is clinically relevant through 52 weeks.
Clinical application of autogenous demineralized dentin matrix loaded with recombinant human bone morphogenetic‐2 for socket preservation: A case series

BACKGROUND Demineralized dentin matrix (DDM) has potential application as a carrier for recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in bone regeneration. PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy of DDM loaded with rhBMP-2 for socket preservation. MATERIALS AND METHODS DDM loaded with rhBMP-2 (DDM/rhBMP-2) was applied to 10 experimental sites and DDM alone to 6 control sites. The changes in height and width of the extraction socket after preservation were measured by cone beam computed tomography. Trephine cores were harvested for histomorphometric evaluation before placement of the implant. RESULTS The reductions in height and width of the socket were more significant in the group treated with DDM than in the group treated with DDM/rhBMP-2. The amount of new bone formation was 34.39% with DDM/rhBMP-2 and 29.75% with DDM; the respective amounts of residual dentin were 8.35% and 16.15%. Although the differences were not statistically significant, the dimensional changes, amount of bone formation, and replacement of DDM in DDM/rhBMP-2 with bone were superior to those of DDM alone. CONCLUSIONS Within the limitations of this study, we suggest that DDM may be a potential carrier for rhBMP-2 and that it may be possible to reduce the rhBMP-2 concentration to 0.2 mg/mL.
Small nucleolar RNAs controlling rRNA processing in Trypanosoma brucei

Abstract In trypanosomes, in contrast to most eukaryotes, the large subunit (LSU) ribosomal RNA is fragmented into two large and four small ribosomal RNAs (srRNAs) pieces, and this additional processing likely requires trypanosome-specific factors. Here, we examined the role of 10 abundant small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) involved in rRNA processing. We show that each snoRNA involved in LSU processing associates with factors engaged in either early or late biogenesis steps. Five of these snoRNAs interact with the intervening sequences of rRNA precursor, whereas the others only guide rRNA modifications. The function of the snoRNAs was explored by silencing snoRNAs. The data suggest that the LSU rRNA processing events do not correspond to the order of rRNA transcription, and that srRNAs 2, 4 and 6 which are part of LSU are processed before srRNA1. Interestingly, the 6 snoRNAs that affect srRNA1 processing guide modifications on rRNA positions that span locations from the protein exit tunnel to the srRNA1, suggesting that these modifications may serve as check-points preceding the liberation of srRNA1. This study identifies the highest number of snoRNAs so far described that are involved in rRNA processing and/or rRNA folding and highlights their function in the unique trypanosome rRNA maturation events.
Re-biopsy in lupus nephritis.

Lupus nephritis is a disease of mostly young females that puts them at high risk for endstage renal disease and the need for renal replacement therapies later in life (1,2). Rigorous control of the first episode and preventing the patient from any further episodes are essential to minimize nephron losses beyond the age-related nephron atrophy to maximize kidney life span (3).
A coarse-grain MD (molecular dynamic) simulation of PCL–PEG and PLA–PEG aggregation as a computational model for prediction of the drug-loading efficacy of doxorubicin

Abstract Formulating a hydrophobic drug that is water-soluble is a pharmaceutical challenge. One way is to incorporate the drug in an amphiphilic micelle composed from an aggregation of block copolymers. Design of a good nano-micelle requires many trial-and-error attempts. In this article, we developed a computational model based on a coarse-grained molecular dynamic (MD) simulation and correlated outputs with previous studies. A good correlation shows that this model reliably simulates poly-lactic acid–poly-ethylene glycol (PLA–PEG) and poly-caprolactone (PCL)–PEG aggregation in water with and without the presence of doxorubicin. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Inhibition of Smurf2 translation by miR-322/503 protects from ischemia reperfusion injury by modulating EZH2/Akt/GSK3β signaling.

BACKGROUND myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is a common and lethal disease that threatens people's life worldwide. The underlying mechanisms are under intensive study and yet remain unclear. Here, we explored the function of miR-322/503 in myocardial I/R injury. METHODS We used isolated rat perfused heart as an in vivo model and H9c2 cells subjected with the oxygen and glucose deprivation followed by reperfusion (OGD/R) as in vitro model to study myocardial I/R injury. TTC staining was used to measure the infarct size and TUNEL staining was used to examine apoptosis. qRT-PCR and western blot were used to determine expression levels of miR-322/503, Smurf2, EZH2, p-Akt, p-GSK3β. RESULTS Overexpression of miR-322/503 decreased infarct size, inhibited cell apoptosis and promoted cell proliferation through up-regualtion of p-Akt and p-GSK3β. Thus, the expression of miR-322/503 was reduced during I/R process. On the molecular level, miR-322/503 directly bound Smurf2 mRNA and suppressed its translation. Smurf2 ubiquitinated EZH2 and degraded EZH2 which could activate Akt/GSK3β signaling. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that miR-322/503 plays a beneficial role in myocardial I/R injury. By inhibition of Smurf2 translation, miR-322/503 induces EZH2 expression and activates Akt/GSK3β pathway, thereby protecting cells from ischemia reperfusion injury.
Genetic polymorphisms of melatonin receptors 1A and 1B may result in disordered lipid metabolism in obese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition in which a woman's levels of the sex hormones (estrogen and progesterone) are out of balance, leading to the growth of ovarian cysts. PCOS can affect the menstrual cycle, fertility, cardiac function and even appearance of women. Therefore, we aimed to explore the genetic polymorphism of the melatonin receptors 1A and 1B in obese patients with PCOS to identify a new theoretical basis for its treatment. Patients presenting with PCOS (n=359) were enrolled and classified into an obese OB-PCOS group [body mass index (BMI) of PCOS patients ≥25 kg/m2] or a nonobese NOB-PCOS group, and 215 oviduct infertile patients who experienced normal ovulation were used as the control group. All baseline characteristics, endocrine hormone levels, lipid and glucose metabolism, and insulin indices were measured. The genotypes of rs2119882 within the MTNR1A gene and of rs10830963 within the MTNR1B gene were determined by PCR-RFLP; the genotype frequency and the difference in the distribution of allele frequency were compared. For rs2119882, C allele carriers who were not diagnosed with PCOS had an increased risk of developing PCOS, and C allele carriers with PCOS had an increased risk of developing OB-PCOS. For rs10830963, G allele carriers who were not diagnosed with PCOS had an increased risk of developing PCOS. The TT genotype in rs2119882 and the CC genotype in rs10830963 were protective factors for OB-PCOS, and increased levels of LH, testosterone, and estradiol and abnormal menstruation were key risk factors for PCOS. Furthermore, the TT genotype at the rs2119882 site was the key protective factor for OB-PCOS patients. Our study found that MTNR1A rs2119882 and MTNR1B rs10830963 could increase the risk for PCOS and cause glycolipid metabolism disorder in PCOS patients.
Addition of Tolvaptan Compared With Increased Dose of Furosemide in Heart Failure Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease Under Furosemide Treatment

Background: Given that residual congestion is a predictor of poor outcome in patients with heart failure (HF), a therapeutic strategy for decongestion is required. Methods and Results: Eighteen HF patients with fluid retention despite oral furosemide >20 mg/day, with chronic kidney disease (CKD; estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR], <59 mL/min/1.73 m2) were enrolled. Patients were randomized into 2 groups: a tolvaptan group (tolvaptan, 7.5 mg/day, n=10) and a furosemide group (additional furosemide 20 mg/day, n=8), and followed up for 7 days. The urine volume significantly increased on day 3 in the tolvaptan group but not in the furosemide group. The body weight significantly decreased in the tolvaptan compared with the furosemide group on days 3 and 5. Although there was no difference in serum creatinine or eGFR in the 7 days between the 2 groups, serum cystatin C significantly decreased on day 7 in the tolvaptan group compared with the furosemide group. The residual congestion was more improved in the tolvaptan group than in the furosemide group. Conclusions: Adding tolvaptan but not furosemide significantly increased urine volume, decreased body weight and improved residual congestion without affecting the renal function or electrolytes in patients with HF with CKD under furosemide treatment.
LXRs are finally being adequately targeted in atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is the major cause of morbidity and mortality (1). Schematically, plaque is mainly made of fat, cholesterol and calcium, builds up in the arteries, and limits the oxygen-rich blood flow. Serious problems obviously occur when the arteries become narrow and/or become too closed, enough to impede blood flow.
Plasma Levels of Cytokines (IL-10, IFN-γ and TNF-α) in Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis and Drug Responsive Tuberculosis Patients in Ghana

The emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR⁻TB) and more recently, extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB has intensified the need for studies aimed at identifying factors associated with TB drug resistance. This study determined the differences in plasma concentrations of pro-inflammatory (IFN-γ and TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines in MDR-TB and drug-susceptible (DS) TB patients, in addition to some socio-economic factors. Plasma levels of IL-10, IFN-γ and TNF-α were measured in 83 participants (comprising 49 MDR-TB and 34 DS-TB patients) using sandwich ELISA. Levels of the three cytokines were elevated in MDR-TB patients compared to DS-TB patients. The mean level of IL-10 (7.8 ± 3.61 ρg/mL) measured in MDR-TB cases was relatively higher than those of TNF-α and IFN-γ, and statistically significant (p = 0.0022) when compared to the level of IL-10 (4.8 ± 4.94 ρg/mL) in the DS-TB cases. There were statistically significant associations between MDR-TB and factors such as education level (X² = 9.895, p = 0.043), employment status (X² = 19.404, p = 0.001) and alcoholism (X² = 3.971, p = 0.046). This study adds to the knowledge that IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-10 play a role in the host response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Alcohol intake can be considered as an important MDR-TB risk factor.
miR‐98 acts as an inhibitor in chronic constriction injury‐induced neuropathic pain via downregulation of high‐mobility group AT‐hook 2

Neuropathic pain, resulting from somatosensory nervous system dysfunction, remains a serious public health problem worldwide. microRNAs are involved in the physiological processes of neuropathic pain. However, the biological roles of miR‐98 in neuropathic pain development have not been investigated. Therefore, in our current study, we focused on the effects of miR‐98 in neuropathic pain. It was shown that miR‐98 was significantly downregulated in chronic sciatic nerve injury (CCI) rat models. In addition, high mobility group A2 (HMGA2) was obviously upregulated in CCI rats. Overexpression of miR‐98 inhibited neuropathic pain progression, including mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. By a bioinformatics analysis, HMGA2 was predicted as a direct target of miR‐98. The negative correlation between miR‐98 and HMGA2 was validated in our present study. Furthermore, overexpression of miR‐98 dramatically repressed HMGA2 protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. Neuroinflammation participates in neural‐immune interactions, which can contribute to the neuropathic pain development. Meanwhile, we found that inflammatory cytokine (interleukin [IL]‐6, IL‐1β, and COX‐2) protein expression in rats infected with LV‐miR‐98 was greatly suppressed. Taking these results together, we concluded that miR‐98 might depress neuropathic pain development through modulating HMGA2.
Evaluation of a Piezo-Actuated Sensor for Monitoring Elastic Variations of Its Support with Impedance-Based Measurements

This study exposes the assessment of a piezo-actuated sensor for monitoring elastic variations (change in Young’s modulus) of a host structure in which it is attached. The host structure is monitored through a coupling interface connected to the piezo-actuated device. Two coupling interfaces were considered (an aluminum cone and a human tooth) for the experimental tests. Three different materials (aluminum, bronze and steel) were prepared to emulate the elastic changes in the support, keeping the geometry as a fixed parameter. The piezo device was characterized from velocity frequency response functions in pursuance to understand how vibration modes stimulate the electrical resistance through electrical resonance peaks of the sensor. An impedance-based analysis (1–20 kHz) was performed to correlate elastic variations with indexes based on root mean square deviation (RMSD) for two observation windows (9.3 to 9.7 kHz and 11.1 to 11.5 kHz). Results show that imposed elastic variations were detected and quantified with the electrical resistance measurements. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the sensitivity of the device was influenced by the type of coupling interface since the cone was more sensitive than the tooth in both observation windows. As a final consideration, results suggest that bio-structures (fruits and bone, among others) could be studied since these can modify naturally its elastic properties.