Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Olfactory ensheathing cell grafts have minimal influence on regeneration at the dorsal root entry zone following rhizotomy

The effectiveness of grafts of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) as a means of promoting functional reconnection of regenerating primary afferent fibers was investigated following dorsal root injury. Adult rats were subjected to dorsal root section and reanastomosis and at the same operation a suspension of purified OECs was injected at the dorsal root entry zone and/or into the sectioned dorsal root. Regeneration of dorsal root fibers was then assessed after a survival period ranging from 1 to 6 months. In 11 animals, electrophysiology was used to look for evidence of functional reconnection of regenerating dorsal root fibers. However, electrical stimulation of lesioned dorsal roots failed to evoke detectable cord dorsum or field potentials within the spinal cord of any of the animals examined, indicating that reconnection of regenerating fibers with spinal cord neurones had not occurred. In a further 11 rats, immunocytochemical labeling and biotin dextran tracing of afferent fibers in the lesioned roots was used to determine whether regenerating fibers were able to grow into the spinal cord in the presence of an OEC graft. Although a few afferent fibers could be seen to extend for a limited distance into the spinal cord, similar minimal in‐growth was seen in control animals that had not been injected with OECs. We therefore conclude that OEC grafts are of little or no advantage in promoting the in‐growth of regenerating afferent fibers at the dorsal root entry zone following rhizotomy. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Global Hegemony and the Structural Power of Capital

dimensions. These distinctions are elaborated to help explain aspects of the changing nature of present-day capitalism, with particular reference to aspects of transformation in the 1980s and beyond. Partly building upon Robert Cox's analysis of social forces and world orders, and Antonio Gramsci's theory of hegemony, we seek to explain some of the conditions under which a more "transnational" regime of accumulation and an associated hegemony of transnational capital might develop. Such a hegemony could never be complete because of counterhegemonic forces and contradictory elements in the internationalization of capital. Some requirements for an alternative counter-hegemonic historic bloc are sketched, with suggestions for a research agenda. In this essay we seek to advance the theorization and interpretation of the dynamics and contours of the emerging global political economy, and to outline an agenda for study in this field. Our perspective differs from and can be read as a critique of classical marxism, world systems theory, public choice, and neo-realist theory. Central to our argument is the distinction between direct and structural forms of power and their place within present-day capitalism. Through developing this contrast, in combination with Gramscian concepts-of hegemony historic bloc and the "extended" state-we seek to meet two major challenges. The first is to better integrate domestic and international levels of analysis. We think that a key to the resolution of this problem has been provided by Cox (1987). His analysis of social forces points to a more comprehensive and flexible approach to the question of
Exact Solution and Exotic Fluid in Cosmology

We investigate cosmological consequences of nonlinear sigma model coupled with a cosmological fluid which satisfies the continuity equation. The target space action is of the de Sitter type and is composed of four scalar fields. The potential which is a function of only one of the scalar fields is also introduced. We perform a general analysis of the ensuing cosmological equations and give various critical points and their properties. Then, we show that the model exhibits an exact cosmological solution which yields a transition from matter domination into dark energy epoch and compare it with the Λ-CDM behavior. Especially, we calculate the age of the Universe and show that it is consistent with the observational value if the equation of the state ωf of the cosmological fluid is within the range of 0.13 < ωf < 0.22. Some implication of this result is also discussed.
Again and Again: Is a Disaster What We Call a 'Disaster'?

Following Carr who defined disaster as the collapse of cultural protections, this paper develops a sociological approach to processes commonly called "disaster. " Epistemologically, the definitions used in science and practice are classified and redefined as "programmatic declarations. " Definers declare what they perceive as a problem and how they intend to solve it. Given the fact that neither "problem and perception" nor "solution and exigency" necessarily match, the probability of mismatches increases when inconsistent conceptions restructure the view one has of reality. Still, the transformation of nature into culture is interpreted within "pre-modern" expression and false causal attractions: "Des Astro," "evil star," "bad luck," and "blind faith. " In contrast, this paper suggests a conception that defines disaster as an empirical falsification of human action, as proof of the incorrectness of human insight into both nature and culture.
Chemotherapeutic potential of quercetin on human bladder cancer cells

ABSTRACT In an effort to improve local bladder cancer control, we investigated the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of quercetin on human bladder cancer T24 cells. The cytotoxic effect of quercetin against T24 cells was examined by MTT test, clonogenic assay as well as DNA damaging effect by comet assay. In addition, the cytotoxic effect of quercetin on the primary culture of papillary urothelial carcinoma (PUC), histopathological stage T1 of low- or high-grade tumours, was investigated. Our analysis demonstrated a high correlation between reduced number of colony and cell viability and an increase in DNA damage of T24 cells incubated with quercetin at doses of 1 and 50 µM during short term incubation (2 h). At all exposure times (24, 48 and 72 h), the efficacy of quercetin, administered at a 10× higher dose compared to T24 cells, was statistically significant (P < 0.05) for the primary culture of PUC. In conclusion, our study suggests that quercetin could inhibit cell proliferation and colony formation of human bladder cancer cells by inducing DNA damage and that quercetin may be an effective chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent for papillary urothelial bladder cancer after transurethral resection.
Interdependencies Between the Perceived and Self-Reported Goal Orientations of Young Athletes and Their Parents

This study examined the interrelationships between young athletes’ and parents’ personal and perceived goal orientations in sport. Forty-three boys and 34 girls who were involved in a summer basketball camp completed the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ) with respect to their own dispositional goal perspective in basketball and their perceptions of the goal orientation of the parent who was most involved with their basketball participation. The parents (55 mothers and 21 fathers) responded to the TEOSQ in tenns of their personal goal orientation and their perceptions of the goal orientation held by their child in basketball. Results revealed no significant correlations between children’s and parents’ self-reported task and ego orientation. Children’s goal orientation was significantly related to their views concerning the goal orientation adopted by their patents. The implications of these findings for understanding the socialization of sport goal orientations are discussed.
Localization of Saturable CCK Binding Sites in Rat Pancreatic Islets by Light and Electron Microscope Autoradiography

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a known stimulus for the release of insulin and other islet hormones. To localize islet cell CCK binding sites, we measured the uptake of 125I-CCK by the isolated, perfused rat pancreas. Light microscope autoradiographs revealed uptake of label over both the endocrine islets of Langerhans and the exocrine acini. This uptake of 125I-CCK was saturable, as it decreased markedly when a large excess of unlabeled CCK8 was included in the perfusion solution. To define which cells in the islets bound CCK, electron microscope autoradiographs were prepared. The majority of silver grains in islets were localized over beta cells (69%), although saturable uptake was also observed over alpha (12%) and other islet cells. When grain densities were analyzed (grains/μm2), the highest density was observed over islet blood vessel cells. In contrast to islet blood vessels, there was no localization of 125I-CCK over acinar blood vessels. This study supports the concept, therefore, that there is a direct regulation of islet endocrine cells by CCK, and also raises the possibility that CCK influences islet hormone release via an indirect effect on the islet vascular endothelium.
Self-Disclosure in Social Media: Extending the Functional Approach to Disclosure Motivations and Characteristics on Social Network Sites

การสอสารผานเครอขายสงคมออนไลนเปลยนมมมองใหมในการเปดเผยขอมลตนเอง (Self-disclosure) ของมนษยในยคการสอสารสารสนเทศ ผใชเครอขายสงคมออนไลนหลายลานคนเปดเผยขอมลสวนบคคลของตนเอง ไดแก ความรสกและทศนคตตอชวตประจำวนเปนประจำทกวนในเครอขายสงคมออนไลน อยางไรกดการเปดเผยตนเองในเครอขายสงคมออนไลนไมสามารถแยกแยะไดวาใครคอผรบสาร เนองจากขอบเขตทคลมเครอระหวางความเปนสาธารณะ(Publicness) และความเปนสวนบคคล (Privacy) ทำใหนกวชาการหลายทานตงคำถามเกยวการเปดเผยตนเอง (Self-disclosure) การควบคมขอมล (Information control) และแรงจงใจในการเปดเผยตนเองในเครอขายสงคมออนไลน Natalya N. Bazarova และ Yoon Hyung Choi (2014) พฒนาโมเดลการวเคราะหหนาทในการเปดเผยตนเองบนเครอขายสงคมออนไลน (Model of self-disclosure on social network sites) โดยประยกตใชโมเดลวเคราะหหนาทในการเปดเผยขอมลตนเอง (Functional model of self-disclosure) และงานวจยเกยวกบการเปนตวแทนของผอาน (Audience representation) ทสรปวาสถานการณแวดลอมเปนสงกระตนใหบคคลเกดเปาหมายในการเปดเผยตนเอง
Evaluation of subclinical atherosclerosis in migraine patients by ultrasound radiofrequency data technology: preliminary results.

OBJECTIVES Migraine is a headache disorder affecting approximately 12% of the population, predominantly female individuals. Migraine has been associated with vascular events such as stroke and cardiovascular disease. The close connection between these vascular disorders and atherosclerosis is well known. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (CAIMT) is a marker for detection of subclinical atherosclerosis. The present study is an analysis of the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis in migraine patients. METHODS CAIMT was evaluated in 25 female migraine patients and 27 female controls using innovative ultrasound (US) radiofrequency (RF) data technology. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare measurements in patient and control groups. RESULTS There was a statistically significant difference between mean CAIMT of migraine patients and control group (p<0.005): mean CAIMT was 701±114 µm in migraine patients and 400±64 µm in control group. CONCLUSION Migraine patients are more prone to atherosclerosis compared to healthy individuals. CAIMT measurement with sonography can be utilized in follow-up to detect subclinical atherosclerosis.
Hepatic Artery Ligation for Arterial Rupture Following Liver Transplantation: A Reasonable Option

Hepatic artery (HA) rupture after liver transplantation is a rare complication with high mortality. This study aimed to review the different managements of HA rupture and their results. From 1997 to 2007, data from six transplant centers were reviewed. Of 2649 recipients, 17 (0.64%) presented with HA rupture 29 days (2–92) after transplantation. Initial management was HA ligation in 10 patients, reanastomosis in three, aorto‐hepatic grafting in two and percutaneous arterial embolization in one. One patient died before any treatment could be initiated. Concomitant biliary leak was present in seven patients and could be subsequently treated by percutaneous and/or endoscopic approaches in four patients. Early mortality was not observed in patients with HA ligation and occurred in 83% of patients receiving any other treatment. After a median follow‐up of 70 months, 10 patients died (4 after retransplantation), and 7 patients were alive without retransplantation (including 6 with HA ligation). HA ligation was associated with better 3‐year survival (80% vs. 14%; p = 0.002). Despite its potential consequences on the biliary tract, HA ligation should be considered as a reasonable option in the initial management for HA rupture after liver transplantation. Unexpectedly, retransplantation was not always necessary after HA ligation in this series.
An asynchronous fixed-coefficient FIR filter implemented with flexible a-Si TFT technology

Flexible electronics is a developing technology, and will have a lot of applications in the future; however, the technology lacks appropriate design flow and circuit design. In this paper, a representative digital circuit, an FIR filter, is designed on flexible a-Si thin film transistor (TFT) technology. To work under serious process variation of flexible a-Si TFT process, it is designed with bundled-data and dual-rail hybrid asynchronous style. Moreover, an asynchronous model library for verilog HDL is developed. Measurement results show that this design can work correctly , and the processing speed is 500 samples/s from 10 V supply voltage. The design experiences of this work can be the base for the larger flexible electronics design in the future.
Playful feedback and the developing brain

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has long been thought to be the seat of social behaviours in mammals. Lesions of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a subregion of the PFC, are known to cause social deficits in humans. Interestingly, social deficits are also seen in rats with OFC lesions. Rats that are deprived of peer play during development exhibit behaviour similar to OFC-ablated animals. Another subregion of the PFC, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is interconnected with the OFC. The mPFC and OFC have been shown to be reciprocally responsive to a variety of influences, in terms of dendritic morphology. It was hypothesized that social experiences are necessary for the proper development of the OFC, and that, because of the interconnectivity, the mPFC would also be sensitive to social experience. The social condition in which juvenile rats were raised was manipulated, and the OFC and mPFC were shown to be differentially responsive to specific aspects of social experience. It was already known that OFC lesions produce specific social deficits, but the contribution of the mPFC to the production of social behaviour was unknown. To investigate the contribution of the mPFC to the performance of social behaviour, animals were given mPFC lesions, and their social play behaviour was quantified. mPFC-ablated animals had altered play patterns that were distinct from those seen in the OFC-ablated animals. It was concluded that the OFC and mPFC are differentially responsive to social stimuli during development, and that the OFC and mPFC make discrete contributions to the production of social behaviour. The results were interpreted in an evolutionary context.
Stability of the hydrophilic behavior of oxygen plasma activated SU-8

The effect of O2 plasma treatment on surface energy, topography and surface chemistry of the negative photoresist epoxy novolak SU-8 was investigated by contact angle goniometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Directly after plasma treatment, the surfaces were completely wetted by water with a contact angle between water and the SU-8 surface below 5°. The surface free energy can be increased significantly depending on the plasma dose. The surfaces remained hydrophilic for several months showing a moderate hydrophobic recovery. The surface topography of the plasma treated SU-8 showed a formation of nanoscale aggregates. The rms-roughness of the topography was correlated with the plasma dose. An increased plasma dose induced aggregates of up to 200 nm in size. XPS measurements revealed changes in surface chemistry due to the oxygen plasma process and an increased antimony concentration on the surface.
The Impact of Homework on Student Achievement

Utilizing parametric and nonparametric techniques, we assess the role of a heretofore relatively unexplored "input" in the educational process, homework, on academic achievement. Our results indicate that homework is an important determinant of student test scores. Relative to more standard spending related measures, extra homework has a larger and more significant impact on test scores. However, the effects are not uniform across different subpopulations. Specifically, we find additional homework to be most effective for high and low achievers, which is further confirmed by stochastic dominance analysis. Moreover, the parametric estimates of the educational production function overstate the impact of schooling related inputs. In all estimates, the homework coefficient from the parametric model maps to the upper deciles of the nonparametric coefficient distribution and as a by-product the parametric model understates the percentage of students with negative responses to additional homework. Copyright © 2008 The Author(s). Journal compilation © Royal Economic Society 2008
Influence of Suckling on Gonadotropin Secretion in the Postpartum Rhesus Monkey 1

Summary The increase in serum gonadotropin concentrations which follows ovariectomy in the rhesus monkey is markedly retarded in lactating animals suckling their infants. This inhibitory influence of lactation is more pronounced for LH than FSH. The LH content of the pituitary glands removed from monkeys is 8% of that found in pregestational adult females while the FSH content is not markedly reduced. The expert technical assistance of B. Petro, B. Lee-son, E. Burkett, and L. Morrison and of our animal care staff is gratefully acknowledged.
Dissipativity, stabilization, and regulation of cascade-connected systems

This paper presents a technical framework utilizing the dissipativity mechanism that gives rise to the solution of the global regulation problem of the cascade-connected systems subject to both dynamic uncertainty and static uncertainty without knowing the bound of the static uncertainty. Additionally, this paper shows that the nonlinear robust servomechanism problem for the lower triangular systems can be cast into the regulation problem for the cascade-connected systems, thus leading to a complete solution of the nonlinear robust servomechanism problem for the lower triangular systems for the most general case where both the uncertain parameters and the exogenous signals can be arbitrarily large.
Mechanical Impedance of the Non-loaded Lower Leg with Relaxed Muscles in the Transverse Plane

This paper describes the protocols and results of the experiments for the estimation of the mechanical impedance of the humans’ lower leg in the External–Internal direction in the transverse plane under non-load bearing condition and with relaxed muscles. The objectives of the estimation of the lower leg’s mechanical impedance are to facilitate the design of passive and active prostheses with mechanical characteristics similar to the humans’ lower leg, and to define a reference that can be compared to the values from the patients suffering from spasticity. The experiments were performed with 10 unimpaired male subjects using a lower extremity rehabilitation robot (Anklebot, Interactive Motion Technologies, Inc.) capable of applying torque perturbations to the foot. The subjects were in a seated position, and the Anklebot recorded the applied torques and the resulting angular movement of the lower leg. In this configuration, the recorded dynamics are due mainly to the rotations of the ankle’s talocrural and the subtalar joints, and any contribution of the tibiofibular joints and knee joint. The dynamic mechanical impedance of the lower leg was estimated in the frequency domain with an average coherence of 0.92 within the frequency range of 0–30 Hz, showing a linear correlation between the displacement and the torques within this frequency range under the conditions of the experiment. The mean magnitude of the stiffness of the lower leg (the impedance magnitude averaged in the range of 0–1 Hz) was determined as 4.9 ± 0.74 Nm/rad. The direct estimation of the quasi-static stiffness of the lower leg results in the mean value of 5.8 ± 0.81 Nm/rad. An analysis of variance shows that the estimated values for the stiffness from the two experiments are not statistically different.
Morphological analysis of the hindlimb in apes and humans. II. Moment arms

Flexion/extension moment arms were obtained for the major muscles crossing the hip, knee and ankle joints in the orang‐utan, gibbon, gorilla (Eastern and Western lowland) and bonobo. Moment arms varied with joint motion and were generally longer in proximal limb muscles than distal limb muscles. The shape of the moment arm curves (i.e. the plots of moment arm against joint angle) differed in different hindlimb muscles and in the same muscle in different subjects (both in the same and in different ape species). Most moment arms increased with increasing joint flexion, a finding which may be understood in the context of the employment of flexed postures by most non‐human apes (except orang‐utans) during both terrestrial and arboreal locomotion. When compared with humans, non‐human great apes tended to have muscles better designed for moving the joints through large ranges. This was particularly true of the pedal digital flexors in orang‐utans. In gibbons, the only lesser ape studied here, many of the moment arms measured were relatively short compared with those of great apes. This study was performed on a small sample of apes and thus differences noted here warrant further investigation in larger populations.
Fluid visualization of spreadsheet structures

Spreadsheets augment a visible tabular layout with invisible formulas. Direct manipulations of the tabular layout may or may not result in the desired changes to the formulas. The user is forced to explore the individual cells to find, verify, and modify the formulas, which causes heavy cognitive overhead. We present a set of techniques that make these formulas and their resulting dataflow structure easily accessible while maintaining the natural appearance of the spreadsheet. Transient local views visualize dataflow structures associated with individual cells, while static global views and animated global explanations visually present the entire dataflow structure at once. Semantic navigation enables the user to navigate through the dataflow structure interactively, and visual editing techniques make it possible to construct formulas using graphical editing techniques. Central to these techniques is the use of animation and lightweight interaction for rapid and non-intrusive visualization. Our prototype implementation suggests that these techniques can greatly improve the expressive power of current spreadsheets as well as other applications that have rich underlying structures.
Use of Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism of the PCR-Amplified 16S rRNA Gene for the Identification of spp

In the October 1999 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology , Graf ([4][1]) presented a paper the results of which demonstrated variations in the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of the PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene of Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria and possible false
The social potency of affect: Identification and power in the immanent structuring of practice

We address the centrality of affect in structuring social practices, including those of organizing and managing. Social practices, it is argued, are contingent upon actors’ affectively charged involvement in immanent, yet indeterminate social relations. To understand this generative involvement, we commend a temporally-sensitive, critically-oriented theoretical framework, grounded in an affect-based ontology of practice. We demonstrate the relevance and credibility of this proposal through an analysis of the interactions of Board members in a UK consulting company.