Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Normal force and vibration investigation of linear permanent-magnet vernier machine

Normal force is the dominant source of vibration in the linear permanent-magnet (LPM) machine. In order to investigate vibration of a new LPM vernier machine, normal pressure and their spatial harmonics are calculated by finite element method. Then, the natural vibration modes and transient displacement of the short mover is predicted. Finally, experimental result is given for verification. Results are instructive for design of a high precision and low vibration LPM machine.
2'-Fluoro-4'-thioarabino-modified oligonucleotides: conformational switches linked to siRNA activity.

The synthesis of oligonucleotides containing 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-4'-thioarabinonucleotides is described. 2'-Deoxy-2'-fluoro-5-methyl-4'-thioarabinouridine (4'S-FMAU) was incorporated into 18-mer antisense oligonucleotides (AONs). 4'S-FMAU adopts a predominantly northern sugar conformation. Oligonucleotides containing 4'S-FMAU, unlike those containing FMAU, were unable to elicit E. coli or human RNase H activity, thus corroborating the hypothesis that RNase H prefers duplexes containing oligonucleotides that can adopt eastern conformations in the antisense strand. The duplex structure and stability of these oligonucleotides was also investigated via circular dichroism (CD)- and UV- binding studies. Replacement of the 4'-oxygen by a sulfur atom resulted in a marked decrease in melting temperature of AON:RNA as well as AON:DNA duplexes. 2'-Deoxy-2'-fluoro-4'-thioarabinouridine (4'S-FAU) was incorporated into 21-mer small interfering RNA (siRNA) and the resulting siRNA molecules were able to trigger RNA interference with good efficiency. Positional effects were explored, and synergy with 2'F-ANA, which has been previously established as a functional siRNA modification, was demonstrated.
A clinical study of all-trans-retinoid-induced differentiation therapy of advanced thyroid cancer

ObjectiveTo evaluate the changes in differentiation markers and therapeutic effects in all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA)-treated patients with dedifferentiated thyroid cancer. MethodsBetween September 2001 and July 2004 eleven patients were analysed retrospectively. They had dedifferentiated thyroid cancers (DTC) (four follicular, five papillary, two oxyphilic) and were selected for treatment with ATRA (1.00±0.09 mg · kg−1 · d−1) for 30 or 60 days. All patients had advanced stage tumours with prior operative and radioiodine treatment. Extensive tumour invasion, distant metastatic spread, and insufficient or non-existent uptake of radioiodine precluded conventional therapeutic options. Changes in 131I uptake, response of target lesions, and serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels were measured and compared in these patients before and after ATRA therapy. ResultsIn 11 patients with DTC, iodine uptake was increased in four and there was a partial response (PR) of target lesions in five patients as well as two patients with stable disease. Tg was assessed in eight patients, in whom two responders showed increased radioiodine uptake or no change and decreased Tg level, as well as PR after ATRA-induced differentiation therapy. ConclusionsATRA has an effect on the differentiation status of DTC and deserves further investigation.
Estimating Causal Effects in Mediation Analysis Using Propensity Scores

Mediation is usually assessed by a regression-based or structural equation modeling (SEM) approach that we refer to as the classical approach. This approach relies on the assumption that there are no confounders that influence both the mediator, M, and the outcome, Y. This assumption holds if individuals are randomly assigned to levels of M but generally random assignment is not possible. We propose the use of propensity scores to help remove the selection bias that can result when individuals are not randomly assigned to levels of M. The propensity score is the probability that an individual receives a particular level of M. Results from a simulation study are presented to demonstrate this approach, referred to as Classical + Propensity Model (C+PM), confirming that the population parameters are recovered and that selection bias is successfully dealt with. Comparisons are made to the classical approach that does not include propensity scores. Propensity scores were estimated by a logistic regression model. If all confounders are included in the propensity model, then the C+PM is unbiased. If some, but not all, of the confounders are included in the propensity model, then the C+PM estimates are biased although not as severely as the classical approach (i.e., no propensity model is included).
Embedded multi-detect ATPG and Its Effect on the Detection of Unmodeled Defects

The demand for higher quality requires more effective testing to filter out the bad devices. It is already known that multi-detection of single stuck-at faults results in more fortuitous detections of defects not behaving as stuck-at faults, which increases the test quality. Existing multi-detect tests, i.e., the well-known n-detect tests, suffer from significant test size increases. This paper shows that embedding multi-detection of faults within regular ATPG patterns results in a higher quality without a significant increase in test set size. High-volume silicon measurement results demonstrate that embedded multi-detect tests detect 2.3% to 4.7% more defective devices than conventional single-detect stuck-at tests.
Phylogeny of Wolbachia in filarial nematodes

Intracellular bacteria have been observed in various species of filarial nematodes (family Onchocercidae). The intracellular bacterium of the canine filaria Dirofilaria immitis has been shown to be closely related to Wolbachia, a rickettsia-like micro–organism that is widespread among arthropods. However, the relationships between endosymbionts of different filariae, and between these and the arthropod wolbachiae, appear not to have been studied. To address these issues we have examined ten species of filarial nematodes for the presence of Wolbachia. For nine species, all samples examined were PCR positive using primers specific for the ftsZ gene of Wolbachia. For one species, the examined samples were PCR negative. Sequences of the amplified ftsZ gene fragments of filarial wolbachiae fall into two clusters (C and D), which are distinct from the A and B clusters recognized for arthropod wolbachiae. These four lineages (A to D) are related in a star–like phylogeny, with higher nucleotide divergence observed between C and D wolbachiae than that observed between A and B wolbachiae. In addition, within each of the two lineages of filarial wolbachiae, the phylogeny of the symbionts is consistent with the host phylogeny. Thus, there is no evidence for recent Wolbachia transmission between arthropods and nematodes. Endosymbiont 16S ribosomal DNA sequences from a subset of filarial species support these findings.
Achievable Degree of Freedom on K-User Y Channels with Heterogeneous Messages

In this letter, we introduce a new system model for a multi-way communication where multiple users exchange information with each other by sharing an intermediate relay with multiple antennas. Particularly, we focus on the system where each user intends to send multiple unicast messages for dedicated users and a single multicast message for a group of users. We refer to this system as a K-user MIMO Y channel with heterogenous messages. For this channel, we propose a new cooperative beamforming method and study an achievable degree of freedom (DOF) using this scheme.
A categorical programming language

A theory of data types based on category theory is presented. We organize data types under a new categorical notion of F,G-dialgebras which is an extension of the notion of adjunctions as well as that of T-algebras. T-algebras are also used in domain theory, but while domain theory needs some primitive data types, like products, to start with, we do not need any. Products, coproducts and exponentiations (i.e. function spaces) are defined exactly like in category theory using adjunctions. F,G-dialgebras also enable us to define the natural number object, the object for finite lists and other familiar data types in programming. Furthermore, their symmetry allows us to have the dual of the natural number object and the object for infinite lists (or lazy lists). We also introduce a programming language in a categorical style using F,G-dialgebras as its data type declaration mechanism. We define the meaning of the language operationally and prove that any program terminates using Tait's computability method.
Iron overload among a psychiatric outpatient population.

BACKGROUND Iron overload has been suggested to be an unrecognized cause of psychiatric morbidity. This study sought to estimate the prevalence of iron overload in a large outpatient psychiatric clinic. METHOD A retrospective review of screening blood chemistries was conducted on 661 active outpatients at a large, university outpatient psychiatric clinic to identify elevated iron status results (plasma iron, percentage of iron saturation) suggestive of iron overload. Patients with positive profiles were asked to undergo a subsequent blood chemistry to confirm positive results (plasma iron, percentage of iron saturation, plus plasma ferritin). Patients with positive repeated iron chemistry results were considered likely candidates for iron overload. RESULTS Twenty-one patients (3.2%) were identified as meeting one of the criteria suggestive of iron overload on initial screening reports. Thirty-one percent of those who underwent subsequent, confirmatory testing (5/16) continued to meet one of the criteria. On the basis of these results, we estimated a 1% (3.2 x 0.31) prevalence rate of likely candidates for iron overload. A review of these patients' charts indicated that they carried an unexpectedly high rate of bipolar affective disorder (80%) as a diagnosis and were, without exception, atypical in that they were resistant to conventional psychiatric treatment and lacked a family history for this disorder. The prevalence of positive iron overload profiles on a routine blood chemistry was similar to the prevalence of positive thyroid abnormalities based on TSH results in this population. CONCLUSION Blood chemistry profiles suggestive of iron overload may be associated with a small portion of treatment-resistant psychiatric patients. Routine screening for iron abnormalities, especially in treatment-resistant patients, should be considered. Further studies are required to determine the causal association, if any, between iron excess and primary psychiatric illnesses.
Dynamic Interactions between the Markets of Crude Oil and Fine Wine in Light of the Global Economic Growth

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dynamic interactions of return and volatility transmission between crude oil and fine wine prices accounting for the global economic activity. Within a multivariate framework and using monthly data over the period 1988-2012, we addressed the co-movement between crude oil and fine wine markets by means of time-varying conditional variance and correlation. Empirical results indicate that the crude oil mean return dominates that of the wine market. The effects of negative shocks are asymmetric between the two markets. Besides high levels of volatility persistence, innovations in each market can help investors and risk managers in predicting the volatility in other markets. Finally, we found evidence that the linkages between the two markets are affected by the global industrial production levels.
Isolation Techniques for Hospital Patients with Viral Hepatitis: New Guidelines Premature

In spite of the many hepatitis studies performed between World War II and the mid 1960s, there were significant gaps in our knowledge of the epidemiology of hepatitis A and hepatitis B until serologic tests for the specific diagnosis of each type became available. The discovery of Australia antigen by Blumberg and his colleagues in the 1960s and the application of immune electron microscopy to the study of hepatitis A by Feinstone and his co-workers in the early 1970s led to rapid development of sensitive serologic tests for the diagnoses of hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Prior to availability of these tests, it was known that hepatitis A was transmitted by the fecal-oral route and that hepatitis B could be transmitted by administration of blood and blood products. However, the duration of viremia and fecal shedding of virus in hepatitis A, and the possibility that hepatitis B could be spread by feces and body fluids other than blood, remained uncertain.
S-Adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase from human placenta. Affinity purification and characterization.

S-Adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (EC 3.3.1.1) was purified to homogeneity from human placenta by using S-adenosylhomocysteine-agarose affinity chromatography. The enzyme is a tetramer with a native Mr of 189 000 and subunit Mr of 47 000-48 000; there were nine cysteine residues per subunit and no disulphide bonds. The pI was 5.7. H.p.l.c. analysis revealed that the enzyme contained four molecules of tightly bound cofactor (NAD) per tetramer, of which 10-50% was in the reduced form. The enzyme had four binding sites per tetramer for adenosine, of which 10-35% were found to be occupied. Two types of adenosine-binding sites could be distinguished on the basis of differences in rates of dissociation of the enzyme-adenosine complex, and by examining binding of adenosine at 0 degree C and 37 degrees C. The enzyme catalysed the interconversion of adenosine and 4',5'-dehydroadenosine; the equilibrium constant for this reaction was 2.1 and favoured 4',5'-dehydroadenosine formation. Variability in the specific activity of preparations of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase was related to the NAD+/NADH ratio of the preparation. The capacity to bind radioactively labelled adenosine depended on the adenosine content of the purified enzyme. The rate of adenosine binding and the sensitivity of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase to inactivation by adenosine were both diminished in the absence of dithiothreitol.
UWB-based indoor high precision localization system with robust unscented Kalman filter

In this paper, an indoor localization system is implemented, in which the distances are measured via by the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) and are utilized to determine positions of one blind node through trilateration localization algorithm. Additionally, to overcome the measurement errors caused by complex indoor environment, an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) algorithm is proposed to improve the accuracy of the localization results. Finally, the developed localization system is tested and the proposed algorithm is analyzed. It shows that the indoor localization system can achieve the positioning accuracy less than 10cm, providing a promising approach for high precision localization applications.
Salvage radiotherapy in patients with relapsed and refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma: a retrospective analysis from the German Hodgkin Lymphoma Study Group.

PURPOSE To evaluate treatment outcome and prognostic factors in patients with refractory or first relapsed Hodgkin's disease (HD) treated with salvage radiotherapy (SRT) alone. PATIENTS AND METHODS From 4,754 patients registered in the database of the German Hodgkin Study Group from 1988 to 1999, 624 patients were identified with progressive disease (n = 202), or with early (n = 170) or late (n = 252) relapsed HD. At first treatment failure, SRT alone was given to 100 patients. Patient characteristics were: median age, 36 years; progressive disease, 47%; early relapse, 23%; late relapse, 30%; and "B" symptoms, 14%. Eighty-five percent of the patients relapsed after cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone/doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (COPP/ABVD) -like regimens; 8% after bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (BEACOPP) regimens, 7% after first-line radiotherapy alone. RESULTS The volume irradiated was mantle field in 43% of patients, inverted-Y in 8%, total nodal irradiation in 12%, and involved-field in 37%. The median SRT dose was 40 Gy (range, 15 to 50 Gy). Seventy-seven patients achieved a complete remission and four patients achieved a partial remission. The 5-year freedom from treatment failure and overall survival (OS) rates were 28% and 51%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, significant prognostic factors for OS were B symptoms (P = .018) and stage at relapse (P = .014). For freedom from second failure (FF2F) Karnofsky performance status (P = .0001) was significant. In patients with limited stage at progression/relapse, duration of first remission was significant (P = .04) for FF2F. CONCLUSION SRT offers an effective treatment for selected subsets of patients with relapsed or refractory HD.
Room air or 100% oxygen for resuscitation of infants with perinatal depression

Purpose of review The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) recommends initiating neonatal resuscitation with concentrations of oxygen between 21 and 100%. This wide range of oxygen concentrations recommended for resuscitation highlights the lack of evidence supporting either 21 or 100% O2. The purpose of this review is to analyze the efficacy of reoxygenation with 100% O2 or room air on rates of return of spontaneous circulation – the main goal of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Recent findings Clinical studies suggest that reoxygenation initiated with room air is effective in depressed neonates born with a preserved circulation. Reoxygenation with room air in these infants is associated with lower levels of circulating markers of oxidative stress than reoxygenation with 100% oxygen. However, there is no evidence that resuscitation with room air is as effective as that with 100% oxygen in restoration of an arrested circulation. In fact, animal studies indicate that, in comparison with 100% oxygen, reoxygenation with room air results in more sluggish restoration of depressed cerebral and systemic circulations. Summary Prior to a revision of current neonatal resuscitation guidelines it must be determined whether resuscitation initiated with room air results in the same rate of return of spontaneous circulation as resuscitation initiated with 100% oxygen.
Local security policies in Italy: new key institutional players, transformation of policing and professionalization of municipal forces

This joint paper, which deals with policing in Italy, chiefly aims at describing the main evolutions which have occurred in the field of security over the last fifteen years. During the last decade, a new institutional process took place: beside the State law enforcement agencies, other players started claiming to have their duties acknowledged. Indeed, local governments -i.e. municipalities- and regions have played a growing role in the co-production of security, especially in Emilia-Romagna, where new inter-agency partnerships have been experimented on localities' initiative since the mid-nineties. The growing involvement of localities in the co-production of security has been explained by the growing claim for safety expressed by the local populations (the “citizens' committee” phenomenon) and the crisis of the traditional political parties which were used to channelling social demands towards the State. This dynamic has given an impetus to a reflection on the police duties. The watchword of “proximity” has entered the police institutions as an answer to this new crisis of legitimacy. The main idea was to strengthen the relations between the (national and local) police forces and the local populations by promoting rooted police agents among them. So, both local and national police forces have started an identity transition based on principles borrowed from the community policing philosophy. This paper will be basically divided into two parts. The first one will tackle the new institutional organization of policing in Italy, and more precisely the combination of dynamics which generated the growing involvement of localities in the field of security. In particular, the case study of Emilia-Romagna will be examined, since the Region appeared as a pioneer in the nineties by promoting local (regional and municipal) security policies and inter-agency partnerships. The second part will deal with the impact of these evolutions upon local and national police forces' practices and identities. It will be pointed out that there are some convergences in the evolving practices of both police forces, but also that these dynamics have a quite different impact on their own professional identity.
Use of the Prostate-Specific Antigen Test among U.S. Men: Findings from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey

Background: Although evidence that prostate cancer deaths are reduced by screening for elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentration coupled with early diagnosis and treatment is insufficient to advocate routine screening for prostate cancer, PSA testing has become more common in the past decade. We examined characteristics that might influence testing and compared test use between men ages 40 to 49 and 50 to 79 years. Methods: We used data from 7,669 participants with no history of prostate cancer in the 2005 National Health Interview Survey. Results: Among men reporting about PSA testing, an estimated 16% of 40- to 49-year-old men and 49% of 50- to 79-year-old men had a PSA test in the past 2 years. In multivariate analyses, among men ages 40 to 49 years, non-Hispanic Black men were more likely (P < 0.05) to have had a PSA test than non-Hispanic White men. We found no significant difference by race/ethnicity in men ages 50 to 79 years. Higher education, higher poverty threshold, usual source of medical care, family history of prostate cancer, and comorbid conditions were associated with increased PSA test use in both age groups. Additionally, men ages 50 to 79 years born in the United States, who were married, had private or military health insurance, and had been diagnosed with another cancer type were more likely to be tested. Conclusions: Findings from the multivariate analyses indicated significantly higher PSA test use among younger non-Hispanic Black men than among non-Hispanic White men. These findings may indicate that healthcare providers are getting and conveying the message of increased risk of prostate cancer among African American men. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(3):636–44)
The determinantal ideals of link modules. II.

Let m^l, and let H be the multiplicative free abelian group of rank m, with integral group ring ZH and augmentation ideal Iff. Suppose 0~>B->A->IH->0 is a short exact sequence of ZH-modules, and the module A is finitely generated. Then A and B are both finitely presented, and for any keZ the determinantal ideals Ek(A) and Ek-ι{B) satisfy the inclusions Ek^1(B)'(IH)m-1^Ek(A) and Ek{A)'{IH)^l^Ek^(B), where ί 1 is the binomial coefficient ί and in particular /m-l\ Q . f m ^ 2\ and (iH)°=ZH. In particular, if m=l then Ek(A)=Ek^1(B) for any keZ. A consequence of these inclusions is the fact that the greatest common divisors Jk(A)=Jk-1(B) for any keZ.