Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Iso-branched 2- and 3-hydroxy fatty acids as characteristic lipid constituents of some gliding bacteria

The fatty acids present in the total hydrolysates of several gliding bacteria (Myxococcus fulvus, Stigmatella aurantiaca, Cytophaga johnsonae, Cytophaga sp. strain samoa and Flexibacter elegans) were analyzed by combined gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. In addition to 13-methyl-tetradecanoic acid, 15-methyl-hexadecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, and hexadecenoic acid, 2- and 3-hydroxy fatty acids comprised up to 50% of the total fatty acids. The majority was odd-numbered and iso-branched. Small amounts of even-numbered and unbranched fatty acids were also present. Whereas 2-hydroxy-15-methyl hexadecanoic acid was characteristic for myxobacteria, 2-hydroxy-13-methyl-tetradecanoic acid, 3-hydroxy-13-methyl-tetradecanoic acid, and 3-hydroxy-15-methyl-hexadecanoic acid were dominant in the Cytophaga-Flexibacter group.
The Advanced Practice Nurse Will See You Now

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Background: There is a paucity of evidence-based, posthospital stroke care in the United States proven to reduce preventable hospital readmissions. Local Problem: Follow-up with a provider after hospitalization for stroke or transient ischemic attack had low compliance rates. This may contribute to preventable readmissions. Methods: A retrospective, descriptive chart review to determine whether an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN)-led transitional care clinic for stroke survivors impacted 30- and 90-day hospital readmissions. Readmissions between clinic patients and nonclinic patients were compared. Interventions: The site implemented an APRN-led transitional care stroke clinic to improve patient transitions from hospital to home. Results: The 30-day readmission proportion was significantly higher in nonclinic patients (n = 335) than in clinic patients (n = 68) (13.4% vs 1.5%, respectively; P = .003). The 90-day readmission proportion was numerically higher in nonclinic patients (12.8% vs 4.4%, respectively; P = .058). Conclusions: The results suggest the APRN-led clinic may impact 30-day hospital readmissions in stroke/transient ischemic attack survivors.
Synergistic Promotion on Tyrosinase Inhibition by Antioxidants

When exposed to ultraviolet radiation, the human skin produces profuse reactive oxygen species (ROS), which in turn activate a variety of biological responses. Mounting ROS levels activate tyrosinase by mobilizing α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in the epidermis and finally stimulates the melanocytes to produce melanin. Meanwhile, the Keap1-Nrf2/ARE pathway, which removes ROS, is activated at increased ROS levels, and antioxidant compounds facilitates the dissociation of Nrf2. In this study, we explored the possible suppressing effects of antioxidant compounds and tyrosine inhibitors on melanin formation and the promotory effects of these compounds on ROS scavenging. The antioxidant activity of glabridin (GLA), resveratrol (RES), oxyresveratrol (OXYR), and phenylethylresorcinol (PR) were investigated via the stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl method. The inhibitory effects of the four compounds and their mixtures on tyrosinase were evaluated. l-Tyrosine or 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-l-alanine (l-DOPA) was used as a substrate. The results showed that all mixtures did not exhibit synergistic effects with the l-tyrosine as a substrate, suggesting that l-tyrosine is not suitable as a substrate. However, the mixtures of “GLA:RES,” “GLA:OXYR,” “OXYR:RES,” and “PR:RES” demonstrated synergistic effects (CI < 0.9, p < 0.05), whereas “GLA:RES” and “PR:OXYR” indicated an additive effect (0.9 ditive1, p < 0.05). Furthermore, we used a molecular docking strategy to study the interactions of the four compounds with tyrosinase and l-DOPA. The molecular docking result is consistent with that of the experiment. Finally, we selected RES + OXYR and used PIG1 cells to verify whether OXYR synergistically promotes RES activity on tyrosinase. The two agents had a synergistic inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity. These results provided a novel synergistic strategy for antioxidants and tyrosinase inhibitors, and this strategy is useful in skin injury treatment.
Sonographic and Doppler Sonographic Diagnosis of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm Infants and Newborns

Abstract Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) occurs primarily in immature preterm infants with low birth weight. It has a prevalence of 7 – 11 % with a poor prognosis and a mortality rate of 20 – 40 %. Plain abdominal radiography is still considered the diagnostic method of first choice even though ultrasound can visualize significantly more findings suspicious for NEC. Such as thickened bowel walls, dilated fluid-filled bowel loops, and gas bubbles in the intestinal wall, portal vein. Moreover, it is possible to assess intestinal peristalsis, to differentiate between intraluminal and extraluminal fluid and to assess the location of fluid accumulations and their internal echo pattern. In addition, free intraabdominal gas can be visualized on ultrasound. Increased flow rates in the mesenteric arteries and decreased flow in the portal vein can be detected on Doppler ultrasound in NEC. Color-coded Doppler ultrasound can be used to differentiate between bowel loops with increased and decreased perfusion and thus at risk for perforation. Ultrasound is therefore superior to conventional radiography in many regards and should replace it as the diagnostic method of first choice not least because of its noninvasive nature. Zusammenfassung Die nekrotisierende Enterokolitis (NEK) tritt v. a. bei sehr unreifen, untergewichtigen Frühgeborenen auf. Sie hat eine Prävalenz von 7 – 11 % mit einer nach wie vor schlechten Prognose und einer Letalität von 20 – 40 %. Die Abdomen-Leeraufnahme gilt immer noch als Diagnostikum der 1.Wahl, obwohl sonografisch wesentlich mehr NEK-verdächtige Befunde erhoben werden können. So lassen sich im 2-dimensionalen Schnittbild verdickte Darmwände, dilatierte flüssigkeitsgefüllte Darmschlingen sowie Gasbläschen in der Darmwand, Pfortader und Leber nachweisen. Weiterhin kann die Darmperistaltik beurteilt werden und zwischen intraluminaler und extraluminaler Flüssigkeit unterschieden werden und die Lokalisation von Flüssigkeitsansammlungen sowie deren Binnenreflexmuster beurteilt werden. Zudem lässt sich freies intraabdominelles Gas auch sonografisch erfassen. Mit der Dopplersonografie können bei NEK erhöhte Flussgeschwindigkeiten in den Mesenterialarterien und ein erniedrigter Fluss in der Pfortader gefunden werden. Mit der farbkodierten Dopplersonografie kann zudem zwischen vermehrt und vermindert perfundierten, und damit perforationsgefährdeten Darmschlingen unterschieden werden. Die Sonografie ist somit der konventionellen radiologischen Diagnostik in vielen Punkten überlegen und sollte diese als Diagnostikum der 1. Wahl, nicht zuletzt wegen ihres nichtinvasiven Charakters, ersetzen.
Speech quality assessment using EEG signals

The listener experience in modern audio communication systems acts as a key indicator for the entire system quality. Consequently, speech quality assessment attracts great interest from both industry and academia. Common methods for speech quality assessment are either subjective or based on subjective experiments and therefore limited in their ability to produce unbiased results. In this paper, we introduce a new EEG-based distortion measure (EBDM) for speech quality assessment. The EEG signals are represented by multi-channel autoregressive parameters. These parameters are then used, in coordination with Dynamic Time Warping algorithm to compare EEG responses of two signals with different speech quality. The method demonstrates promising preliminary indications for the possibility of using EEG signals as an objective basis for assessing speech quality degradation levels. We believe that further improvements will allow such EEG-based methods to be competitive with standard ITU-T recommended quality testing.
Vincristine--An Effective Treatment of Corticoid-resistant Life-threatening Infantile Hemangiomas

Infantile hemangioma is a rapidly growing tumor that usually occurs during the e rst year of is life. It can be life-threatening if it affects vital structures, if it is combined with a thrombocytopenic coagulopathy (Kasabach-Merritt syndrome), or, if due to its large size, it diverts a large amount of blood e ow and causes hyperdynamic cardiac failure. Use of corticosteroids is the treatment of choice. Response rates vary between 30% and 60% (1). In the case of resistance to steroid treatment (40%‐70%), alternatives are needed (2). We present here three cases of children affected by life-endangering hemangiomas (one of them suffering from KasabachMerritt syndrome, another from a liver hemangioendothelioma and the third from a large posterior chest wall hemangioendothelioma) which did not respond to steroid treatment and were subsequently successfully treated with vincristine.
Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer: A Randomized, Controlled, Biomarker Study

Background Endothelial progenitor cells (CEPs) and circulating endothelial cells (CECs) are potential biomarkers of response to anti-angiogenic treatment regimens. In the current study, we investigated the effect of docetaxel and sunitinib on CEP/CEC kinetics and clinical response in castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients. Patients and methods Chemonaive patients with CRPC were enrolled in this study to receive either sunitinib (37.5 mg/d), in combination with docetaxel (75 mg/m2) or docetaxel alone. CEP and CEC kinetics were analyzed for every cycle. The primary objective was to compare CEP/CEC pharmacodynamics between both treatment arms. We also investigated if CEC/CEP spikes, induced by MTD docetaxel, are suppressed by sunitinib in patients treated with docetaxel/sunitinib relative to docetaxel monotherapy. Results A total of 27 patients were enrolled. We observed a significant increase of CEP/CEC (total/viable) counts over time within each cycle (coefficients 0.29233, 0.22092 and 0.26089, respectively; p<0.001). However, no differences between the treatment groups, in terms of CEP and CEC kinetics, were detected. In the docetaxel monotherapy arm 4 (30%) patients responded to therapy with a 50% PSA decline, while 9 (64%) patients showed a PSA decline in the combination group (n.s.). The median PFS in the docetaxel monotherapy group was 3.1 months (2.6–3.6 months, 95% CI) and 6.2 months (4.9–7.4 months, 95% CI; p = 0.062) in the combination arm. Sunitinib/docetaxel was reasonably well tolerated and toxicity manageable. Conclusion In summary, no significant differences in CEC and CEP kinetics between the treatment arms were observed, although a highly significant increase of CEPs/CECs within each cycle over time was detected. These results mirror the challenge we have to face when employing anti-angiogenic strategies in CRPC. Additional preclinical research is needed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. However, docetaxel/sunitinib therapy resulted in a better response in terms of PSA decline and a trend towards improved PFS. Trial Registery clinicaltrialsregister.eu EudraCT 2007-003705-27
Regulated Switched-Capacitor Doubler With Interleaving Control for Continuous Output Regulation

A dual-branch 1.8 V to 3.3 V regulated switched-capacitor voltage doubler with an embedded low dropout regulator is presented. For the power stage, the power switches are individually controlled by their phase signals using a phase-delayed gate drive scheme, and are turned on and off in proper sequence to eliminate both short-circuit and reversion currents during phase transitions. For the regulator, the two branches operate in an interleaving fashion to achieve continuous output regulation with small output ripple voltage. Dual-loop feedback capacitor multiplier is adopted for loop compensation and a P-switch super source follower with high current sinking capability is inserted to drive switching capacitive load, and push the pole at the gate of the output power transistor to high frequency for better stability. The regulated doubler has been fabricated in a 0.35 mum CMOS process. It operates at a switching frequency of 500 kHz with an output capacitor of 2 muF , and the maximum output voltage ripple is only 10 mV for a load current that ranges from 10 mA to 180 mA. The load regulation is 0.0043%/mA, and the load transient is 7.5 mus for a load change of 160 mA to 10 mA, and 25 mus for a load change of 10 mA to 160 mA.
A vehicle number plate recognition system using region-of-interest based filtering method

In this paper, a vehicle number plate recognition (VNPR) system is implemented for Indian vehicles. For this purpose, we propose a ‘region-of-interest (ROI)’-based filtering method to locate the candidate regions of number plate (NP) occurrence. In the proposed filtering method, candidate regions are located in the NP image by detecting vertical edges, removing long edges and stationary regions. Finally, the NP region is segmented from the candidate regions before passing it to the optical character recognition (OCR) system for recognition of characters and digits present in the number plate. The novelty of the proposed VNPR system lies in exploring the ROI-based filtering method which improves the overall performance of the proposed VNPR system. The proposed system has been tested using various NP images of vehicles extracted from real-life video sequences that vary along the dimensions of light, scale and orientation. The experimental results demonstrate the robustness of the proposed method.
An Integrated Regulated Resonant Switched-Capacitor DC-DC Converter For PoL Applications

This paper proposes an integrated regulated resonant switched-capacitor DC-DC converter for a 2.5 V to 1.2 V, 3 A conversion designed in a 130 nm CMOS technology. The voltage is regulated through a combined frequency/time shift on-chip controller that operates thanks to a zero-crossing detector for the tank current. By using such control technique, an output voltage greater than Vin/2 can be reached. The integrated circuit also implements a medium-load and a light-load control modes that maximize the efficiency at every load condition. The external resonant tank is composed of a 12 nH air-core inductor and a 4.7 μF capacitor in a 0805 package, achieving high power density. In this paper, the operation principle and the control techniques are discussed, demonstrating that the inductor value can be reduced by a factor of more than 8 compared to an integrated buck converter designed for the same application, without incurring in a significant efficiency degradation.
An Approach for Improving Performance of Underlay D2D Communication

In this paper, an analytic mechanism is proposed to characterize the interference in coexistence of device-to-device (D2D) and cellular network in underlay (reuse) mode. Underlay mode increases the spectral efficiency of the system, however, interference mitigation in this mode is still an open challenge. Our analysis proves that device spatial distribution is the main factor which is responsible for the reduction in interference and increase in spectral efficiency of the system. We take base station (BS) as a decision maker who selects the number of D2D pairs which reuse the resources of a particular mobile station (MS), i.e., the cellular user. The decision of BS depends upon the distance between the devices involved. Numerical results are shown for the system throughput for different scenarios. It is also demonstrated that proper selection of D2D devices in underlay mode increase system throughput effectively.
Preparation, Characterization, and Release Kinetics of Chitosan-Coated Nanoliposomes Encapsulating Curcumin in Simulated Environments

Curcumin, a natural polyphenol, has many biological properties, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-carcinogenic properties, yet, its sensitivity to light, oxygen, and heat, and its low solubility in water renders its preservation and bioavailability challenging. To increase its bioaccessibility, we fabricated nanoliposomes and chitosan-coated nanoliposomes encapsulating curcumin, and we evaluated the systems in terms of their physicochemical characteristics and release profiles in simulated gastrointestinal mediums. Chitosan-coating enhanced the stability of nanoliposomes and slowed the release of curcumin in the simulated gastrointestinal (GI) environment. This study demonstrates that nanoliposomes and chitosan-coated nanoliposomes are promising carriers for poorly soluble lipophilic compounds with low oral bioavailability, such as curcumin.
Dynamic Motion Control of Multi-Segment Soft Robots Using Piecewise Constant Curvature Matched with an Augmented Rigid Body Model

Despite the emergence of many soft-bodied robotic systems, model-based feedback control for soft robots has remained an open challenge. This is largely due to the intrinsic difficulties in designing controllers for systems with infinite dimensions. This work extends our previously proposed formulation for the dynamics of a soft robot from two to three dimensions. The formulation connects the soft robot's dynamic behavior to a rigid-bodied robot with parallel elastic actuation. The matching between the two systems is exact under the hypothesis of Piecewise Constant Curvature. Based on this connection, we introduce a control architecture with the aim of achieving accurate curvature and bending control. This controller accounts for the natural softness of the system moving in three dimensions, and for the dynamic forces acting on the system. The controller is validated in a realistic simulation, together with a kinematic inversion algorithm. The paper also introduces a soft robot capable of three-dimensional motion, that we use to experimentally validate our control strategy.
Rolling Unit Commitment for Systems with Significant Installed Wind Capacity

As wind power penetration grows, the amount of reserve needed on the system also grows, due to the increases in the uncertainty of wind power, which grows larger as forecast horizon increases. By scheduling the system more often the amount of extra reserve to be carried to cater for wind uncertainty decreases, depending on the flexibility of plant on the system. This reduces the costs of operating the system. There is a trade off between reduced costs due to more frequent commitment, the ability of wind forecasts to be made more accurately, and the increased costs of more flexible plant. This paper examines the benefits of committing the system more frequently, and how different factors such as reliability of the system, accuracy of the forecasts and plant mix impact on this.
Seed and pollen dispersal distances in two African legume timber trees and their reproductive potential under selective logging

The natural regeneration of tree species depends on seed and pollen dispersal. To assess whether limited dispersal could be critical for the sustainability of selective logging practices, we performed parentage analyses in two Central African legume canopy species displaying contrasted floral and fruit traits: Distemonanthus benthamianus and Erythrophleum suaveolens. We also developed new tools linking forward dispersal kernels with backward migration rates to better characterize long‐distance dispersal. Much longer pollen dispersal in D. benthamianus (mean distance dp = 700 m, mp = 52% immigration rate in 6 km2 plot, s = 7% selfing rate) than in E. suaveolens (dp = 294 m, mp = 22% in 2 km2 plot, s = 20%) might reflect different insect pollinators. At a local scale, secondary seed dispersal by vertebrates led to larger seed dispersal distances in the barochorous E. suaveolens (ds = 175 m) than in the wind‐dispersed D. benthamianus (ds = 71 m). Yet, seed dispersal appeared much more fat‐tailed in the latter species (15%–25% seeds dispersing >500 m), putatively due to storm winds (papery pods). The reproductive success was correlated to trunk diameter in E. suaveolens and crown dominance in D. benthamianus. Contrary to D. benthamianus, E. suaveolens underwent significant assortative mating, increasing further the already high inbreeding of its juveniles due to selfing, which seems offset by strong inbreeding depression. To achieve sustainable exploitation, seed and pollen dispersal distances did not appear limiting, but the natural regeneration of E. suaveolens might become insufficient if all trees above the minimum legal cutting diameter were exploited. This highlights the importance of assessing the diameter structure of reproductive trees for logged species.
Auditory working memory and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance in schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND Impaired Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) performance has been one critical piece of evidence suggesting frontal lobe dysfunction in schizophrenia. However, the specific cognitive processes underlying impaired performance have not been identified. Impaired WCST performance in schizophrenia might in part reflect a fundamental working memory deficit. METHODS We examined the performance of 30 normal subjects and 36 patients with schizophrenia on a neuropsychological battery including a novel measure of working memory-letter-number (LN) span. RESULTS Patients with schizophrenia were impaired on LN span performance, which was also highly correlated with WCST performance (r = 0.74). Between-group WCST differences were eliminated when we covaried LN span. Regression analyses suggested that LN span performance predicted the WCST category achieved score, whereas measures of set shifting, verbal fluency, and attention were predictive of perseveration. CONCLUSION Working memory may be a critical determinant of one aspect of WCST performance in schizophrenia.
When Is It Safe to Return to Sport After ACL Reconstruction? Reviewing the Criteria

Context: There is an ever-increasing trend toward sports, fitness, and recreation activities, so the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament sports injuries has increased. Perhaps the greatest challenge for sports clinicians is to return the injured athlete back to his/her original sport at an even greater level of functional ability than preinjury. For this, rigorous and well-researched criteria are needed. Evidence Acquisition: Using medical subject headings and free-text words, an electronic search was conducted up to October 2018. Subject-specific search was based on the terms return to play and return to sport in combination with guidelines, criteria, and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Study Design: Descriptive review. Level of Evidence: Level 2. Results: Five principal criteria were found, including psychological factors, performance/functional tests, strength tests, time, and modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors. Conclusion: The psychological readiness of the player is a major factor in successful safe return to sport (SRTS) decision making. Although strength, performance, and functional tests presently form the mainstay of SRTS criteria, there exists very little scientific evidence for their validity. More protection should be provided to athletes with known risk factors. Movement quality is important, if not more important than the quantifiable measures. As a result of the significantly high rerupture rate in young individuals, delayed SRTS should be considered preferably beyond 9 months postsurgery.