Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distal-less homeobox 5 is a master regulator of the osteogenesis of human mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) differentiate into multiple lineages and are a promising source of cells for clinical use. Previously, we found that the gene distal-less homeobox 5 (DLX5) is specifically expressed in MSCs with osteogenic potential. Understanding the mechanism of osteogenesis is necessary for successful bone regeneration using MSCs. The aim of this study was to examine the function of the DLX5 gene in MSCs during osteogenesis (bone development). We analyzed the possible association between DLX5 expression and osteogenesis-, chondrogenesis- and adipogenesis-related gene expression in different cells isolated from bone marrow and cord blood. Differentiation capacity was assessed by observing morphological changes, monitoring gene expression patterns, and staining with Von Kossa, safranin O, and Oil Red O. Suppression of DLX5 expression by means of a small interfering RNA (siRNA) downregulated osteogenic markers and reduced the signs of calcium mineralization. Tanshinone IIA is a known small molecule activator of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling. Here, we report that induction of DLX5 by tanshinone IIA in MSCs enhanced osteogenic differentiation. In addition, we showed that tanshinone IIA (as a mediator of BMP2 signaling) activates runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) in MSCs and initiates calcium mineralization during osteogenesis. Taken together, these findings indicate that, in MSCs, DLX5 is a master regulator of osteogenesis. Furthermore, tanshinone IIA may be valuable for stem cell-based therapies of certain bone diseases.
Applicability of BAQ and ABS 1 Title : Applicability of the

Objectives: To determine applicability of the Japanese-translated versions of the BenTovim Walker Body Attitudes Questionnaire (BAQ) and the Attention to the Body Shape Scale (ABS) in Japanese males and females. Methods: The translated questionnaires were administered to Japanese living in Japan (84 males, 139 females) and also to 68 Japanese males living in Australia. The results were compared with 72 Australian males using the English version and also with previous results using Australian females. Results: Alpha levels from the two questionnaires ranged 0.70 to 0.87. Japanese groups showed significant (p<0.05) differences in the scores obtained from the BAQ compared to Australian males. The inter-subscale correlations for the BAQ were comparable regardless of ethnicity. Both questionnaires also correlated with the 26-item Eating Attitudes Test scores (p<0.01). Discussion: The current study suggests that both BAQ and ABS are adequate for use in Japanese males and females to assess their body attitudes.
K-anonymised Reducts

Privacy-preserving data mining aims to prevent the exposure of sensitive information as a result of mining algorithms. This is commonly achieved by data anonymisation. One way to anonymise data is by adherence to the k-anonymity concept which requires that the probability to identify an individual by linking databases does not exceed 1/k. In this paper, we propose an algorithm which utilises rough set theory to achieve k-anonymity. The basic idea is to partition the original dataset into several disjoint reducts such that each one of them adheres to k-anonymity. We show that it is easier to make each reduct comply with k-anonymity if it does not contain all quasi-identifier attributes. Moreover, our procedure ensures that even if the attacker attempts to rejoin the reducts, the k-anonymity is still preserved. Unlike other algorithms that achieve k-anonymity, the proposed method requires no prior knowledge of the domain hierarchy taxonomy.
Probing Stress States in Silicon Nanowires During Electrochemical Lithiation Using In Situ Synchrotron X-Ray Microdiffraction

Silicon is considered as a promising anode material for the next generation lithium-ion battery due to its high capacity at nanoscale. However, silicon expands up to 300% during lithiation, which induces high stresses and leads to fractures. To design silicon nanostructures that could minimize fracture, it is important to understand and characterize stress states in the silicon nanostructures during lithiation. Synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction has proven to be effective in revealing insights of mechanical stress and other mechanics considerations in small-scale crystalline structures used in many important technological applications, such as microelectronics, nanotechnology and energy systems. In the present study, an in situ synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction experiment was conducted to elucidate the mechanical stress states during the first electrochemical cycle of lithiation in single-crystalline silicon nanowires (SiNWs) in a lithium-ion battery test cell. Morphological changes in the SiNWs at different levels of lithiation were also studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM). It was found from SEM observation, that lithiation commenced predominantly at the top-surface of SiNWs followed by further progression towards the bottom of the SiNWs gradually. The hydrostatic stress of the crystalline core of the SiNWs at different levels of electrochemical lithiation was determined using the in situ synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction technique. We found that the crystalline core of the SiNWs became highly compressive (up to -~325.5 MPa) once lithiation started. This finding helps unravel insights about mechanical stress states in the SiNWs during the electrochemical lithiation, which could potentially pave the path towards the fracture-free design of silicon nanostructure anode materials in the next generation lithium-ion battery.
Associated Malformations in Children with Orofacial Clefts in Portugal: A 31-Year Study

Background: Orofacial clefts are among the most common congenital craniofacial malformations and may be associated with other birth defects. However, the proportion and type of additional anomalies vary greatly between studies. This study assessed the prevalence and type of associated congenital malformations in children with orofacial clefts, who attended the largest cleft lip and palate tertiary referral center in Portugal. Methods: Consecutive children with orofacial clefts who attended at least 1 consultation in our Clefts Unit between 1981 and 2012 were studied. Demographic and clinical data regarding the number and type of associated malformations were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results: Of the 701 patients studied, 219 (31.2%) had associated congenital malformations. These malformations were more frequent in children with cleft palate (43.4%) than in children with cleft lip and palate (27.5%) or with cleft lip only (19.4%). Within the group with associated anomalies, 73 cases (33.3%) had conditions related with known chromosomal defects, monogenic syndromes or sequences, and 146 cases (66.7%) had multiple congenital anomalies of unknown origin. From those, head and neck malformations were the most common (60.3%), followed by malformations in the cardiovascular (28.3%) and musculoskeletal systems (26%). Conclusions: The overall prevalence of associated malformations of nearly 1 in 3 children with orofacial clefts stressed the need for a comprehensive evaluation of these patients by a multidisciplinary cleft team. Moreover, one-third of the children had multiple congenital anomalies of known origins. Thus, early routine screening for other malformations and genetic counseling might be valuable for orofacial clefts management.
FlyJacket: An Upper Body Soft Exoskeleton for Immersive Drone Control

Most human–drone interfaces, such as joysticks and remote controllers, require attention and developed skills during teleoperation. Wearable interfaces could enable a more natural and intuitive control of drones, which would make this technology accessible to a larger population of users. In this letter, we describe a soft exoskeleton, so called FlyJacket, designed for naïve users that want to control a drone with upper body gestures in an intuitive manner. The exoskeleton includes a motion-tracking device to monitor body movements, an arm support system to prevent fatigue, and is coupled to goggles for first-person-view from the drone perspective. Tests were performed with participants flying a simulated fixed-wing drone moving at a constant speed; participants’ performance was more consistent when using the FlyJacket with the arm support than when performing the same task with a remote controller. Furthermore, participants felt more immersed, had more sensation of flying, and reported less fatigue when the arm support was enabled. The FlyJacket has been demonstrated for the teleoperation of a real drone.
Hysteresis Free sub-60 mV/dec Subthreshold Swing in Junctionless MOSFETs

In this work, we report on a methodology to suppress hysteresis in current-voltage characteristics while retaining steep sub-60 mV/decade switching in n-type Double Gate (DG) Junctionless (JL) transistors. Hysteresis, which occurs due to impact ionization results in two different threshold voltages for forward and reverse gate voltage sweeps, can be effectively suppressed by using independent gate operation. It is shown that hysteresis free drain current with Subthreshold swing (S-swing) ~18 mV/decade can be achieved with a negative back gate (Vbg) of -0.9 V. The sub-kT/q S-swing implies negative values of total gate capacitance. The limit on back gate bias is imposed by the extent of Band-to-Band Tunneling (BTBT) which can potentially increase off-current. An optimization methodology is highlighted to suppress off-state BTBT while preserving the effectiveness of impact ionization to achieve sharp hysteresis free drain current transition from off-to-on state.
Formal Expressions for the Electromagnetic Potentials in Any Gauge

In the Hamiltonian dynamics of a charged particle, the Hamiltonian (and Lagrangian) H = Umech + qV , where Umech is the “mechanical” energy of the particle, q is its electric charge, and V is the “external” electromagnetic scalar potential in some gauge. Yet, the equations of motion deduced from this Hamiltonian do not depend on the choice of gauge, so we are free to use whatever gauge is convenient.
Validation of a new prognostic model to easily predict outcome in renal cell carcinoma: the GRANT score applied to the ASSURE trial population

Background Prognostic scores have been developed to estimate the risk of recurrence and the probability of survival after nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The use of these tools, despite being helpful to plan a customized schedule of follow-up, to the patient's tailored counselling and to select individuals who could potentially benefit from adjuvant treatment, currently is not routine, due to their relative complexity and to the lack of histological data (i.e. necrosis). Patients and methods We developed a simple score called GRade, Age, Nodes and Tumor (GRANT) based on four easily obtained parameters: Fuhrman grade, age, pathological nodal status and pathological tumor size. Patients with 0 or 1 factor are classified as favorable risk, whereas patients with two or more risk factors as unfavorable risk. The large population of RCC patients from the ASSURE adjuvant trial was used as independent dataset for this external validation, to investigate the prognostic value of the new score in terms of disease-free survival and overall survival and to evaluate its possible application as predictive tool. Statistical analyses were carried out by the Department of Biostatistics & Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, USA) for the ASSURE trial patients' population. Results The performance of the new model is similar to that of the already validated score systems, but its strength, compared with the others already available, is the ease and clarity of its calculation, with great speed of use during the clinical practice. Limitations are the use of the Fuhrman nuclear grade, not valid for rare histologies, and the TNM classification modifications over time. Conclusion The GRANT score demonstrated its potential usefulness for clinical practice. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier for the ASSURE trial NCT00326898.
What counts as success? Constructions of achievement in prestigious higher education programmes

Abstract Academic achievement is regarded an indicator of the success of individuals, schools, universities and countries. ‘Success’ is typically measured using performance indicators such as test results, completion rates and other objective measures. By contrast, in this article we explore students’ subjective understandings and constructions of success, and discourses about ‘successful’ students in higher education contexts that are renowned for being demanding and pressured. We draw on data from 87 semi-structured interviews with students and staff on law, medicine and engineering physics programmes in a prestigious university in Sweden. We focus particularly upon academic expectations, effort levels, and programme structures and cultures. Achieving top grades while undertaking a range of extracurricular activities was valorised in all contexts. Top grades were especially impressive if they were attained without much effort (especially in engineering physics) or stress (especially in law and medicine); we introduce a new concept of ‘stress-less achievement’ in relation to the latter. Furthermore, being sociable as well as a high academic achiever signified living a ‘good life’ and, in law and medicine, professional competence. We discuss the implications of the dominant constructions of success, concluding that (upper) middle-class men are most likely to be read as ‘successful students’, especially in engineering physics.
Comparison of the mechanical and biological properties of self-adhering materials

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to compare the Vickers hardness numbers (VHNs), roughness numbers (RNs) and biological compatibility of glass carbomer (Glass Fill), resin-modified glass ionomer (Fuji II LC) and self-adhering flowable composite (Vertise Flow) materials. Materials and methods: Disc-shaped specimens of test materials (n = 15/group) were prepared, and VHNs and RNs were determined after 24 h. A direct contact test was used for cytotoxicity evaluation. Cell viability was measured for 24 h post-exposition with a photometric test (MTT assay; n = 16). Data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance with a post hoc Tukey’s test, the Kruskal–Wallis test and the Mann–Whitney U-test (p < 0.05). Results: Fuji II LC had the highest VHN. The VHN of Fuji II LC differed significantly from those of the other materials (p < 0.05). The RNs of Fuji II and Glass Fill were higher than that of Vertise Flow (p < 0.05). The self-adhering materials were not significantly cytotoxic compared with the control group (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The materials tested in this study showed a similar lack of cytotoxicity. The VHN of Fuji II LC was the highest, and the RN of Vertise Flow was the lowest.
Expectations for nursing care in newborn units in Kenya: moving from implicit to explicit standards

Neonatal mortality currently accounts for 45% of all child mortality in Kenya, standing at 22 per 1000 live births. Access to basic but high quality inpatient neonatal services for small and sick newborns will be key in reducing neonatal mortality. Neonatal inpatient care is reliant on nursing care, yet explicit nursing standards for such care do not currently exist in Kenya. We reviewed the Nursing Council of Kenya ‘Manual of Clinical Procedures’ to identify tasks relevant for the care of inpatient neonates. An expert advisory group comprising major stakeholders, policy-makers, trainers, and frontline health-workers was invited to a workshop with the purpose of defining tasks for which nurses are responsible and the minimum standard with which these tasks should be delivered to inpatient neonates in Kenyan hospitals. Despite differences in opinions at the beginning of the process, consensus was reached on the minimum standards of neonatal nursing. The key outcome was a comprehensive list and grouping of neonatal nursing task and the minimum frequency with which these tasks should be performed. Second, a simple categorisation of neonatal patients based on care needs was agreed. In addition, acceptable forms of task sharing with other cadres and the patient’s family for the neonatal nursing tasks were agreed and described. The process was found to be acceptable to policy-makers and practitioners, who recognised the value of standards in neonatal nursing to improve the quality of neonatal inpatient care. Such standards could form the basis for audit and quality evaluation.
TCP Buffering and Performance Over An ATM Network

This paper reports a series of experiments to measure TCP performance when transferring data through an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switch. The results show that TCP buffer sizes and the ATM interface maximum transmission unit have a dramatic impact on throughput. We observe a throughput anomaly in which an increase in the receiver’s buffer size decreases throughput substantially. For example, when using a 16K octet send buffer and ATM Adaptation Layer 5 on a 100 megabit per second (Mb/s) ATM path, the mean throughput for a bulk transfer drops from 15.05 Mb/s to 0.322 Mb/s if the receiver’s buffer size is increased from 16K octets to 24K octets. This paper analyzes the performance, explains the anomalous behavior, and describes a solution that prevent the anomaly from occurring. This work was supported in part by a fellowship from UniForum Association.
Social Network Extraction and Exploration of Historic Correspondences

Driven by the continuously increasing number of digitized and transcribed historic documents, natural language processing (NLP) and text analysis tasks are now frequently applied to historic texts to extract useful information and thus to enrich this cultural heritage. These tasks face several challenges, such as dealing with spelling variations, lack of orthography, and, oftentimes, missing reference language corpora. Inthispaper, we present our approach to information extraction from a large corpus of correspondences written in the (cid:12)rst half of the 16th century. For around 9,700 letters written in Early New High German by the German reformer Philipp Melanchthon, we develop and extend approaches to named entity recognition to extract information about geographic places, persons and organizations, and time. The extracted information serves as the basis for creating a social network structure that includes information about senders and addressees of letters as well as people mentioned in letters. This correspondence network structure is to be exploited in terms of analyzing the evolution of the correspondences, key persons and communities, and eventually topics covered by the letters over time, thus resembling key analysis tasks applied to today’s typical social networks.
Direct-touch vs. mouse input for tabletop displays

We investigate the differences -- in terms of bothquantitative performance and subjective preference -- between direct-touch and mouse input for unimanual andbimanual tasks on tabletop displays. The results of twoexperiments show that for bimanual tasks performed ontabletops, users benefit from direct-touch input. However,our results also indicate that mouse input may be moreappropriate for a single user working on tabletop tasksrequiring only single-point interaction.
Three-Dimensional-Printable Thermoactive Helical Interface With Decentralized Morphological Stiffness Control for Continuum Manipulators

We present a three-dimensional (3-D)-printable thermoactive scale jamming interface as a new way to control a continuum manipulator dexterity by taking inspiration from the helical arrangement of fish scales. A highly articulated helical interface is 3-D-printed with thermoactive functionally graded joints using a conventional 3-D printing device that utilizes UV curable acrylic plastic and hydroxylated wax as the primary and supporting material. The joint compliance is controlled by regulating wax temperature in phase transition. Empirical feed-forward control relations are identified through comprehensive study of the wax melting profile and actuation scenarios for different shaft designs to achieve desirable repeatability and response time. A decentralized control approach is employed by relating the mathematical terms of the Cosserat beam method to their morphological counterparts in which the manipulator local anisotropic stiffness is controlled based on the local stress and strain information. As a result, a minimalistic central controller is designed in which the joints’ thermomechanical states are observed using a morphological observer, an external fully monitored replica of the observed system with the same inputs. Preliminary results for passive shape adaptation, geometrical disturbance rejection, and task space anisotropic stiffness control are reported by integrating the interface on a continuum manipulator.
Poison Frogs! Targeted Clean-Label Poisoning Attacks on Neural Networks

Data poisoning is an attack on machine learning models wherein the attacker adds examples to the training set to manipulate the behavior of the model at test time. This paper explores poisoning attacks on neural nets. The proposed attacks use "clean-labels"; they don't require the attacker to have any control over the labeling of training data. They are also targeted; they control the behavior of the classifier on a $\textit{specific}$ test instance without degrading overall classifier performance. For example, an attacker could add a seemingly innocuous image (that is properly labeled) to a training set for a face recognition engine, and control the identity of a chosen person at test time. Because the attacker does not need to control the labeling function, poisons could be entered into the training set simply by leaving them on the web and waiting for them to be scraped by a data collection bot. We present an optimization-based method for crafting poisons, and show that just one single poison image can control classifier behavior when transfer learning is used. For full end-to-end training, we present a "watermarking" strategy that makes poisoning reliable using multiple ($\approx$50) poisoned training instances. We demonstrate our method by generating poisoned frog images from the CIFAR dataset and using them to manipulate image classifiers.
New Mechanisms for Reasoning and Impacts Accumulation for Rule-Based Fuzzy Cognitive Maps

Rule-based fuzzy cognitive maps (RBFCMs) have been developed for modeling nonmonotonic, uncertain, cause-effect systems. However, the standard reasoning and impact accumulation mechanisms developed for RBFCMs assume that the level of variation that a fuzzy set represents is directly linked with the shape of the fuzzy set. It poses a big restriction on how the corresponding fuzzy sets have to be constructed. In this paper, we propose a new reasoning and impact accumulation mechanisms which take into consideration standard semantics of fuzzy sets, where their uncertainty is measured by fuzziness. New type of complex fuzzy relationships and reasoning on them is introduced to model a joint impact of several causal nodes on one effect node. With these new mechanisms, RBFCMs become much more flexible, provide more means to capture complexity of real-world systems, and are less computational demanding than standard mechanisms. The advantages of the new RBFCMs are demonstrated using different examples and compared with standard mechanisms.