Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A population of Pax7-expressing muscle progenitor cells show differential responses to muscle injury dependent on developmental stage and injury extent

Skeletal muscle regeneration in vertebrates occurs by the activation of quiescent progenitor cells that express pax7 to repair and replace damaged myofibers. We have developed a mechanical injury paradigm in zebrafish to determine whether developmental stage and injury size affect the regeneration dynamics of skeletal muscle. We found that both small focal injuries, and large injuries affecting the entire myotome, lead to expression of myf5 and myogenin, which was prolonged in older larvae, indicating a slower process of regeneration. We characterized the endogenous behavior of a population of muscle-resident Pax7-expressing cells using a pax7a:eGFP transgenic line and found that GFP+ cell migration in the myotome dramatically declined between 5 and 7 days post-fertilization (dpf). Following a small single myotome injury, GFP+ cells responded by extending processes, before migrating to the injured myofibers. Furthermore, these cells responded more rapidly to injury in 4 dpf larvae compared to 7 dpf. Interestingly, we did not see GFP+ myofibers after repair of small injuries, indicating that pax7a-expressing cells did not contribute to myofiber formation in this injury context. On the contrary, numerous GFP+ myofibers could be observed after an extensive single myotome injury. Both injury models were accompanied by an increased number of proliferating GFP+ cells, which was more pronounced in larvae injured at 4 dpf than 7 dpf. This indicates intriguing developmental differences, at these early ages. Our data also suggests an interesting disparity in the role that pax7a-expressing muscle progenitor cells play during skeletal muscle regeneration, which may reflect the extent of muscle damage.
Organizational Decision Making: An Information Aggregation View

We study four information aggregation structures commonly used by organizations to evaluate opportunities: individual decision making, delegation to experts, majority voting, and averaging of opinions. Using a formal mathematical model, we investigate how the performance of each of these structures is contingent upon the breadth of knowledge within the firm and changes in the environment. Our model builds on work in the Carnegie tradition and in the group and behavioral decision-making literatures. We use the model to explore when delegation is preferable to other structures, such as voting and averaging. Our model shows that delegation is the most effective structure when there is diversity of expertise, when accurate delegation is possible, and when there is a good fit between the firm's knowledge and the knowledge required by the environment. Otherwise, depending on the knowledge breadth of the firm, voting or averaging may be the most effective structure. Finally, we use our model to shed light on which structures are more robust to radical environmental change and when crowd-based decision making may outperform delegation. This paper was accepted by Jesper Sorensen, organizations.
Has energy surpassed timeliness? Scheduling energy-constrained mixed-criticality systems

In the past, we have silently accepted that energy consumption in real-time and embedded systems is subordinate to time. That is, we have tried to reduce energy always under the constraint that all deadlines must be met. In mixed-criticality systems however, schedulers respect that some tasks are more important than others and guarantee their completion even at the expense of others. We believe in these systems the role of the energy budget has changed and it is time to ask whether energy has surpassed timeliness. Investigating energy as a further dimension of mixed-criticality systems, we show in a realistic scenario that a subordinate handling of energy can lead to violations of the mixed-criticality guarantees that can only be avoided if energy becomes an equally important resource as time.
Combining accelerometer and video camera: Reconstruction of bow velocity profiles

A cost-effective method was developed for the estimation of the bow velocity in violin playing, using an accelerometer on the bow in combination with point tracking using a standard video camera. The video data are used to detect the moments of bow direction changes. This information is used for piece-wise integration of the accelerometer signal, resulting in a drift-free reconstructed velocity signal with a high temporal resolution. The method was evaluated using a 3D motion capturing system, providing a reliable reference of the actual bow velocity. The method showed good results when the accelerometer and video stream are synchronized. Additional latency and jitter of the camera stream can importantly decrease the performance of the method, depending on the bow stroke type.
Self-organization in cold atomic gases: a synchronization perspective

We study non-equilibrium spatial self-organization in cold atomic gases, where long-range spatial order spontaneously emerges from fluctuations in the plane transverse to the propagation axis of a single optical beam. The self-organization process can be interpreted as a synchronization transition in a fully connected network of fictitious oscillators, and described in terms of the Kuramoto model.
Novel Stability-Indicating RP-HPLC Method for the Simultaneous Estimation of Clindamycin Phosphate and Adapalene along with Preservatives in Topical Gel Formulations

Abstract A novel stability-indicating RP-HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous estimation of clindamycin phosphate (hydrophilic), adapalene (hydro-phobic), phenoxyethanol, and methylparaben in topical gel formulations. Optimum chromatographic separation among the analytes and stress-induced degradants peaks was achieved on the XBridge C18 (50 × 4.6 mm, 3.5 µm) column using a mobile phase consisting of a variable mixture of pH 2.50 ammonium hydrogen phosphate buffer, acetonitrile, and tetrahydrofuran with gradient elution. Detection was performed at 210 nm for phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, and clindamycin phosphate and 321 nm for adapalene. The method was optimized with a unique diluent selection for the extraction of clindamycin phosphate and adapalene from the gel matrix. The developed method was validated for method precision, specificity, LOD and LOQ, linearity, accuracy, robustness, and solution stability as per ICH guidelines. The proposed method can be employed for the quantification of clindamycin phosphate, adapalene, phenoxyethanol, and methylparaben in commercial topical gel formulations.
AIS Electronic

As a relatively new e-commerce phenomenon, peer-to-peer (P2P) lending has the potential to thoroughly change the structure of the loan segment in the financial industry. And the success of P2P lending heavily depend on users’ continuous use. However, this topic has not been fully studied in IS research. The high practical significance and lack of research indicate the importance of the present study. This study aims to apply Meyer and Allen’s three-component model of commitment to construct a research model, which incorporates context-specific antecedents. To test the model, we use a survey of 216 actual lenders of the P2P lending platform in China. Results derived from data indicated that lenders’ continuous investments were jointly determined by continuous commitment and affective commitment. Further, platform assurance, trust on third-party, economic feasibility and quality of alternatives performed well as antecedents of continuous commitment. And perceived critical mass and platform assurance were significantly associated with affective commitment. The results of this research provided theoretical implications for future research and practical implications for the success of P2P lending platforms
Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a QoS-Aware Real-Time Embedded Database

Quality-aware realtime Embedded DataBase (QeDB) is a database for data-intensive real-time applications running on embedded devices. Currently, databases for embedded systems are best effort, providing no guarantees on their timeliness and data freshness. Existing real-time database (RTDB) technology cannot be applied to these embedded databases since it hypothesizes that the main memory of a system is large enough to hold the entire database. This, however, might not be true in data-intensive real-time applications. QeDB uses a novel feedback control scheme to support QoS in such embedded systems without requiring all data to reside in main memory. In particular, our approach is based on simultaneous control of both I/O and CPU resources to guarantee the desired timeliness. Unlike existing work on feedback control of RTDB performance, we implement and evaluate the proposed scheme on a modern embedded device. The experimental results show that our approach supports the desired timeliness of transactions while still maintaining high data freshness compared to baseline approaches.
The Use of Multi-legged Arguments to Increase Confidence in Safety Claims for Software-based Systems : a Study Based on a BBN Analysis of an Idealised Example

The work described here concerns the use of so-called multi-legged arguments to support dependability claims about software-based systems. The informal justification for the use of multi-legged arguments is similar to that used to support the use of multi-version software in pursuit of high reliability or safety. Just as a diverse, 1-out-of-2 system might be expected to be more reliable than each of its two component versions, so a two-legged argument might be expected to give greater confidence in the correctness of a dependability claim (e.g. a safety claim) than would either of the argument legs alone. Our intention here is to treat these argument structures formally, in particular by presenting a formal probabilistic treatment of ‘confidence’, which will be used as a measure of efficacy. This will enable claims for the efficacy of the multi-legged approach to be made quantitatively, answering questions such as ‘How much extra confidence about a system’s safety will I have if I add a verification argument leg to an argument leg based upon statistical testing? ’ For this initial study, we concentrate on a simplified and idealized example of a safety system in which interest centres upon a claim about the probability of failure on demand. Our approach is to build a BBN model of a two-legged argument, and manipulate this analytically via parameters that define its node probability tables. The aim here is to obtain greater insight than is afforded by the more usual BBN treatment, which involves merely numerical manipulation. We show that the addition of a diverse second argument leg can, indeed, increase confidence in a dependability claim: in a reasonably plausible example the doubt in the claim is reduced to one third of the doubt present in the original single leg. However, we also show that there can be some unexpected and counter-intuitive subtleties here; for example an entirely supportive second leg can sometimes undermine an original argument, resulting overall in less confidence than came from this original argument. Our results are neutral on the issue of whether such difficulties will arise in real life i.e. when real experts judge real systems. Preprint submitted to TSE 5 July 2006
Male involvement and maternal health outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background The developing world accounts for 99% of global maternal deaths. Men in developing countries are the chief decision-makers, determining women's access to maternal health services and influencing their health outcomes. At present, it is unclear whether involving men in maternal health can improve maternal outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the impact of male involvement on maternal health outcomes of women in developing countries. Methods Four electronic databases and grey literature sources were searched (up to May 2013), together with reference lists of included studies. Two reviewers independently screened and assessed the quality of studies based on prespecified criteria. Measures of effects were pooled and random effect meta-analysis was conducted, where possible. Results Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Male involvement was significantly associated with reduced odds of postpartum depression (OR=0.36, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.68 for male involvement during pregnancy; OR=0.34, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.62 for male involvement post partum), and also with improved utilisation of maternal health services (skilled birth attendance and postnatal care). Male involvement during pregnancy and at post partum appeared to have greater benefits than male involvement during delivery. Conclusions Male involvement is associated with improved maternal health outcomes in developing countries. Contrary to reports from developed countries, there was little evidence of positive impacts of husbands’ presence in delivery rooms. However, more rigorous studies are needed to improve this area's evidence base.
Determinants of Short-Period Heart Rate Variability in the General Population

Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with a worse prognosis in a variety of diseases and disorders. We evaluated the determinants of short-period HRV in a random sample of 149 middle-aged men and 137 women from the general population. Spectral analysis was used to compute low-frequency (LF), high-frequency (HF) and total-frequency power. HRV showed a strong inverse association with age and heart rate in both sexes with a more pronounced effect of heart rate on HRV in women. Age and heart rate-adjusted LF was significantly higher in men and HF higher in women. Significant negative correlations of BMI, triglycerides, insulin and positive correlations of HDL cholesterol with LF and total power occurred only in men. In multivariate analyses, heart rate and age persisted as prominent independent predictors of HRV. In addition, BMI was strongly negatively associated with LF in men but not in women. We conclude that the more pronounced vagal influence in cardiac regulation in middle-aged women and the gender-different influence of heart rate and metabolic factors on HRV may help to explain the lower susceptibility of women for cardiac arrhythmias.
Expression and detection of LINE-1 ORF-encoded proteins

LINE-1 (L1) elements are endogenous retrotransposons active in mammalian genomes. The L1 RNA is bicistronic, encoding two non-overlapping open reading frames, ORF1 and ORF2, whose protein products (ORF1p and ORF2p) bind the L1 RNA to form a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex that is presumed to be a critical retrotransposition intermediate. However, ORF2p is expressed at a significantly lower level than ORF1p; these differences are thought to be controlled at the level of translation, due to a low frequency ribosome reinitiation mechanism controlling ORF2 expression. As a result, while ORF1p is readily detectable, ORF2p has previously been very challenging to detect in vitro and in vivo. To address this, we recently tested several epitope tags fused to the N- or C-termini of the ORF proteins in an effort to enable robust detection and affinity purification from native (L1RP) and synthetic (ORFeus-Hs) L1 constructs. An analysis of tagged RNPs from both L1RP and ORFeus-Hs showed similar host-cell-derived protein interactors. Our observations also revealed that the tag sequences affected the retrotransposition competency of native and synthetic L1s differently although they encode identical ORF proteins. Unexpectedly, we observed apparently stochastic expression of ORF2p within seemingly homogenous L1-expressing cell populations.
Chronic Psychoemotional Stress Impairs Cannabinoid-Receptor-Mediated Control of GABA Transmission in the Striatum

Exposure to stressful events has a myriad of consequences in animals and in humans, and triggers synaptic adaptations in many brain areas. Stress might also alter cannabinoid-receptor-mediated transmission in the brain, but no physiological study has addressed this issue so far. In the present study, we found that social defeat stress, induced in mice by exposure to aggression, altered cannabinoid CB1-receptor-mediated control of synaptic transmission in the striatum. In fact, the presynaptic inhibition of GABAergic IPSCs induced by the cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonist HU210 [(6a R )-trans-3-(1,1-dimethylheptyl)-6a,7,10,10a-tetrahydro-1-hydroxy-6,6-dimethyl-6H-dibenzo[b,d]pyran-9-methanol] was reduced after a single stressful episode and fully abolished after 3 and 7 d of stress exposure. Repeated psychoemotional stress also impaired the sensitivity of GABA synapses to endocannabinoids mobilized by group I metabotropic glutamate receptor stimulation, whereas the cannabinoid CB1-mediated control of glutamate transmission was unaffected by repeated exposure to an aggressor. Corticosteroids released in response to the activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis played a major role in the synaptic defects observed in stressed animals, because these alterations were fully prevented by pharmacological blockade of glucocorticoid receptors and were mimicked by corticosterone injections. The recovery of stress-induced synaptic defects was favored when stressed mice were given access to a running wheel or to sucrose consumption, which function as potent natural rewards. A similar rescuing effect was obtained by a single injection of cocaine, a psychostimulant with strong rewarding properties. Targeting cannabinoid CB1 receptors or endocannabinoid metabolism might be a valuable option to treat stress-associated neuropsychiatric conditions.
CD8 single-cell gene coexpression reveals three different effector types present at distinct phases of the immune response

To study in vivo CD8 T cell differentiation, we quantified the coexpression of multiple genes in single cells throughout immune responses. After in vitro activation, CD8 T cells rapidly express effector molecules and cease their expression when the antigen is removed. Gene behavior after in vivo activation, in contrast, was quite heterogeneous. Different mRNAs were induced at very different time points of the response, were transcribed during different time periods, and could decline or persist independently of the antigen load. Consequently, distinct gene coexpression patterns/different cell types were generated at the various phases of the immune responses. During primary stimulation, inflammatory molecules were induced and down-regulated shortly after activation, generating early cells that only mediated inflammation. Cytotoxic T cells were generated at the peak of the primary response, when individual cells simultaneously expressed multiple killer molecules, whereas memory cells lost killer capacity because they no longer coexpressed killer genes. Surprisingly, during secondary responses gene transcription became permanent. Secondary cells recovered after antigen elimination were more efficient killers than cytotoxic T cells present at the peak of the primary response. Thus, primary responses produced two transient effector types. However, after boosting, CD8 T cells differentiate into long-lived killer cells that persist in vivo in the absence of antigen.
Clinical Comparison of the Subepithelial Connective Tissue versus Platelet-Rich Fibrin for the Multiple Gingival Recession Coverage on Anterior Teeth Using the Tunneling Technique

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare, clinically, the efficiency of the subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG) and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) using the tunnel technique to cover the multiple gingival recessions on anterior teeth, in the same patient. Within the limits of this study, we conclude that both SCTG and L-PRF proved to be reliable options for the treatment of gingival recessions, efficiently supporting the biological and aesthetic demand, stimulating the periodontal tissues' health, and bringing reliable and highly predictable results.
Hybrid ICA-Seed-Based Methods for fMRI Functional Connectivity Assessment: A Feasibility Study

Brain functional connectivity (FC) is often assessed from fMRI data using seed-based methods, such as those of detecting temporal correlation between a predefined region (seed) and all other regions in the brain; or using multivariate methods, such as independent component analysis (ICA). ICA is a useful data-driven tool, but reproducibility issues complicate group inferences based on FC maps derived with ICA. These reproducibility issues can be circumvented with hybrid methods that use information from ICA-derived spatial maps as seeds to produce seed-based FC maps. We report results from five experiments to demonstrate the potential advantages of hybrid ICA-seed-based FC methods, comparing results from regressing fMRI data against task-related a priori time courses, with “back-reconstruction” from a group ICA, and with five hybrid ICA-seed-based FC methods: ROI-based with (1) single-voxel, (2) few-voxel, and (3) many-voxel seed; and dual-regression-based with (4) single ICA map and (5) multiple ICA map seed.
Relationship between branch length and the compatibilizing effect of polypropylene‐g‐polystyrene graft copolymer on polypropylene/polystyrene blends

Three polypropylene-g-polystyrene (PP-g-PS) graft copolymers with the same branch density but different branch lengths were evaluated as compatibilizing agents for PP/PS blends. The morphological and rheological results revealed that the addition of PP-g-PS graft copolymers significantly reduced the PS particle size and enhanced the interfacial adhesion between PP and PS phases. Furthermore, it is verified that the branch length of PP-g-PS graft copolymer had opposite effects on its compatibilizing effect: on one hand, increasing the branch length could improve the compatibilizing effect of graft copolymer on PP/PS blends, demonstrated by the reduction of PS particle size and the enhancement of interfacial adhesion; on the other hand, increasing the branch length would increase the melt viscosity of PP-g-PS graft copolymer, which prevented it from migrating effectively to the interface of blend components. Additionally, the crystallization and melting behaviors of PP and PP/PS blends were compared. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40126.
Sublethal effects of imidacloprid on the fecundity, longevity, and enzyme activity of Sitobion avenae (Fabricius) and Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus)

Abstract The aphid species Sitobion avenae and Rhopalosiphum padi are the most important pests in wheat growing regions of many countries. In this study, we investigated the sublethal effects of imidacloprid on fecundity, longevity, and enzyme activity in both aphid species by comparing 3-h exposure for one or three generations. Our results indicated that 3-h exposure to sublethal doses of imidacloprid for one generation had no discernible effect on the survival, fecundity, longevity, or enzyme activity levels of aphids. However, when pulse exposures to imidacloprid were sustained over three generations, both fecundity and longevity were significantly decreased in both S. avenae and R. padi. Interestingly, the fecundity of R. padi had almost recovered by the F5 generation, but its longevity was still deleteriously affected. These results indicated that R. padi laid eggs in shorter time lags and has a more fast resilience. The change in reproduction behavior may be a phenomenon of R. padi to compensate its early death. If this is stable for the next generation, it means that the next generation is more competitive than unexposed populations, which could be the reason underlying population outbreaks that occur after longer-term exposure to an insecticide. This laboratory-based study highlights the sublethal effects of imidacloprid on the longevity and fecundity of descendants and provides an empirical basis from which to consider management decisions for chemical control in the field.