Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Short-Term Effect of Crural Fasciotomy on Kinematic Variability and Propulsion During Level Locomotion

ABSTRACT Treadmill locomotion can be characterized by consistent step-to-step kinematics despite the redundant degrees of freedom. The authors investigated the effect of disrupting the crural fascia in decerebrate cats to determine if the crural fascia contributed to kinematic variability and propulsion in the limb. Crural fasciotomy resulted in statistically significant decreases in velocity and acceleration in the joint angles during level walking, before, during, and after paw-off, particularly at the ankle. A further finding was an increase in variance of the limb segment trajectories in the frontal plane. The crural fascia therefore provides force transmission and reduction in kinematic variability to the limb during locomotion.
Using the FOMDA approach to support object-oriented real-time systems development

This paper tackles the problem of ever changing embedded systems non-functional requirements, specially the architectural ones. It proposes a solution based on features model and MDA standards, which is called features-oriented model-driven architecture (FOMDA). This proposal can be used to help application designer in defining the mappings and transformations of UML models to as many target platforms as wished. This is done by configuring model-to-model and model-to-code transformations over tiers, where every tier represents some target platform properties that the system must be mapped and transformed to. To validate the proposal a case study related to the development of an embedded real-time system is presented, detailing how to transform a generic high-level UML model to a model specific for a given target platform. Obtained results are optimistic and conclude that the FOMDA approach can make designers re-think their current development process to make it more decoupled from a specific target platform
Representation of Change: Separate Electrophysiological Markers of Attention, Awareness, and Implicit Processing

Awareness of change within a visual scene only occurs in the presence of focused attention. When two versions of a complex scene are presented in alternating sequence separated by a blank mask, unattended changes usually remain undetected, although they may be represented implicitly. To test whether awareness of change and focused attention had the same or separable neurophysiological substrates, and to search for the neural substrates of implicit representation of change, we recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) during a change blindness task. Relative to active search, focusing attention in the absence of a change enhanced an ERP component over frontal sites around 100300 msec after stimulus onset, and in posterior sites at the 150300 msec window. Focusing attention to the location of a change that subjects were aware of replicated those attentional effects, but also produced a unique positive deflection in the 350600 msec window, broadly distributed with its epicenter in mediocentral areas. The unique topography and time course of this latter modulation, together with its dependence on the aware perception of change, distinguishes this awareness of change electrophysiological response from the electrophysiological effects of focused attention. Finally, implicit representation of change elicited a distinct electrophysiological event: Unaware changes triggered a positive deflection at the 240300 msec window, relative to trials with no change. Overall, the present data suggest that attention, awareness of change, and implicit representation of change may be mediated by separate underlying systems.
Properties of Vertical Ground Motions

A typical engineering approach to developing site-specific design vertical ground motions starts with rock-outcrop horizontal motions, converts them into the vertical component using an empirical vertical-to-horizontal (V/H) ratio for response spectra, and propagates the resulting motion through the soil column as a vertically incident P wave. In the absence of data on strain-dependent soil properties in compressional deformation, strain-compatible shear-wave properties from the horizontal-component analyses are utilized. This approach makes two assumptions: (1) that the vertical motions are primarily composed of compressional waves and (2) that strain-dependent material properties in shear deformation can be extrapolated to compressional deformation. Our study deals with the empirical validation of both assumptions. First, we investigated the ratio of SV - to P -wave spectra of the vertical component of ground motions from significant recent events in California to find which wave type predominantly contributed to vertical motions, in the frequency range of 0.5-25 Hz. The results indicate that shear waves dominate the vertical motions at frequencies up to approximately 10 Hz, above which the contribution of compressional deformation is about as strong or greater. This result holds for both soil and rock sites. Second, using the data from the KiK-net borehole arrays in Japan, we estimated the nonlinearity in compressional deformation by studying P -wave amplification at variable amplitude levels. Frequency shifts and in some instances reduced amplification, compatible with the hysteretic softening type of nonlinearity known for shear waves, is found as the amplitude of compressional strain increases. A tentative curve of constrained-modulus reduction is also similar to the existing shear-modulus reduction curves. The results of this study suggest that, for most practical applications, vertical motions can be modeled as nonvertically propagating SV waves. This could be implemented through conventional one-dimensional horizontal-component modeling using SHAKE and the application of empirical depth-dependent V/H correction factors to account for the inclined propagation path. At high frequencies, vertical motions may have to be modeled as near-vertically propagating P waves, with strain-dependent properties specifically developed for compressional deformation; however, these frequencies may be of lesser importance for design applications. Manuscript received 11 January 2002.
Seasonal Changes in Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Japanese Men With Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Treated With α1-Blockers

Purpose To investigate whether seasonal changes occurred in lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods Patients aged 50 years and older with BPH treated with α1-blockers were enrolled. The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QoL) score, maximum and average flow rate, voided volume, and postvoid residual volume were measured in summer and winter. Results A total of 164 patients were enrolled. The total IPSS and QoL index did not show a significant difference between the 2 seasons. When the IPSS was divided into storage symptoms and voiding symptoms, storage symptoms in winter were substantially but nonsignificantly higher than those in summer (P=0.056). Of the 7 individual symptoms in the IPSS, a significant seasonal difference was observed only for nocturia, with a higher score in winter. Moreover, none of the uroflowmetric parameters showed a seasonal change. Voided volume had significant correlations with each symptom (urgency and nocturia) and overall subjective scores (storage, total IPSS, and QoL) exclusively in summer, while this correlation remained only for nocturia in winter. Conclusions As it has generally been assumed that LUTS deteriorate in winter, the present study corroborated that the severity of storage symptoms was higher in winter than in summer, even in patients treated with α1-blockers. In contrast, a seasonal difference was not observed in the uroflowmetric parameters, which may be partly due to the loss of the correlation between subjective and objective measurements of storage symptoms in winter.
Lymphoepithelioma-like Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder: Clinicopathologic, Immunohistochemical, and Molecular Features

Introduction Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) in the urinary tract is a rare malignancy, named for its resemblance to nasopharyngeal undifferentiated carcinoma or lymphoepithelioma. Investigation of immunohistochemical and molecular characteristics of bladder LELC is limited. The pathogenesis and biological behavior of these tumors are controversial. Materials and Methods We examined clinicopathologic features of the urinary tract LELC, including light microscopy; immunohistochemistry for cytokeratin 7 (CK7), CK20, 34&bgr;E12, p53, p63, &agr;-methylacyl-CoA racemase, thyroid transcription factor-1, Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein-1, and CD30; in situ hybridization for human papillomavirus; and UroVysion fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Results We identified tumors from 34 patients, the largest series to date, (male:female, 2.8:1), ranging from 54 to 84 years of age (mean, 70 years). Urothelial carcinoma in situ was identified in 50% of patients. 34&bgr;E12 (75%), CK7 (57%), and p63 (53%) were frequently positive in tumor cells, whereas thyroid transcription factor-1 and CD30 were consistently negative. Expression of p53 was noted in a subset of tumors (61%), whereas CK20 staining was negative with weak positivity in a single case. UroVysion FISH showed frequent chromosomal abnormalities similar to those of urothelial carcinoma. In tumors with concurrent urothelial, squamous, sarcomatoid, and glandular components, identical FISH abnormalities were noted in both areas. In situ hybridization for human papillomavirus and immunostaining for Epstein-Barr virus were negative in all studied lesions. Five patients with pure or predominant LELC tumors treated with transurethral resection and followed by chemotherapy were alive without evidence of disease at 2 to 5 years. In contrast, 2 patients treated in this manner with <50% LELC morphology had death from disease or distant metastasis. Discussion Urinary tract LELC is a rare histologic variant of urothelial carcinoma. The frequent presence of UroVysion FISH abnormalities, urothelial carcinoma in situ, and p53 positivity by immunohistochemistry in cases of urinary tract LELC suggests a similar pathogenesis to high-grade invasive urothelial carcinoma. In contrast to typical urothelial carcinoma, CK20 is frequently negative in LELC. Our findings support the hypothesis that pure or predominant LELC may be treated with transurethral resection and chemotherapy. However, a large-scale study with long-term follow-up is needed to better understand the biological behavior of urinary bladder LELC.
OECD validation of phase‐3 Hershberger assay using the stimulated weanling male rat in Korea

The OECD has proposed a new, validated test guideline with the stimulated weanling male Hershberger assay to avoid the surgical castration step. In the present study, we assessed the relevance and reliability of the stimulated weanling Hershberger assay in four stages. All chemicals except for testosterone propionate (TP) were orally administered to sexually immature male rats of 22 days old for 10 days. The weights of four mandatory accessory sex organs, two additional reproductive tissues and optional systemic organs were evaluated. At the first two stages, TP, as reference androgen, significantly increased the weights of epididymides and accessory sex organs (ASO) at 1.0 mg kg−1 and flutamide (FLU), as a positive anti‐androgen control, decreased the TP‐stimulated organ weights at 3.0 mg kg−1. At stage 3, trenbolone (40 mg kg−1), an anabolic steroid, significantly increased ASO weights, and weak anti‐androgens (DDE and linuron) decreased the TP‐stimulated ASO weights at each high dose. The above results were confirmed in a blind test with coded substances provided by OECD. Compared with results from our previous castrated male assay, the intact weanling version is less sensitive than the castrated male version, in terms of a smaller response at the reference dose of TP or FLU. However, this study suggests that the stimulated weanling Hershberger assay can detect the effects of both potent and weak anti‐androgens on androgen‐producing and androgen‐dependent tissues. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Association of EZSCAN Values with Arterial Stiffness in Individuals without Diabetes or Cardiovascular Disease

Background The EZSCAN test was recently developed to screen for early dysglycemia through an assessment of sudomotor function. Given the associations of dysglycemia and autonomic dysfunction with the development of arterial stiffness, EZSCAN may also detect early arterial stiffness. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of EZSCAN with arterial stiffness across blood glucose levels. Methodology and Principal Findings A total of 5532 participants without diabetes or established cardiovascular disease were evaluated with EZSCAN. Their central systolic blood pressure (cSBP), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and ankle-brachial index (ABI) were also measured. Multivariate linear regression analyses were used to assess the association between the EZSCAN value and the cSBP, baPWV, and ABI measurements in all of the participants, with additional subgroup analysis that separated participants into a normal glucose tolerance (NGT) group and an impaired glucose regulation (IGR) group. The frequency of the IGRs increased with quartiles of the EZSCAN value (P for trend <0.0001). The levels of cSBP and baPWV increased while the levels of ABI decreased across quartiles of EZSCAN value in both NGT and IGR individuals (P for trend <0.0001 for all). In multivariable analyses, the EZSCAN value was positively associated with cSBP (log-transformed beta = 8.20, P<0.0001) and baPWV (log-transformed beta = 1.82, P<0.0001) but inversely associated with ABI (log-transformed beta = −0.043, P<0.0001) and was independent of conventional factors. Further adjustment for fasting and postprandial glucoses did not attenuate the associations. The results were also unchanged when stratified by IGR. Conclusions and Significance The EZSCAN results were associated with arterial stiffness independent of conventional factors, blood glucose levels, and glucose tolerance status, suggesting a probable link between the EZSCAN value and arterial stiffness through autonomic dysfunction. The EZSCAN test may help us detect the development of arterial stiffness in high risk individuals to prevent unfavorable cardiovascular events.
The Relationship between Intracellular Free Iron and Cell Injury in Cultured Neurons, Astrocytes, and Oligodendrocytes

Iron is an essential element for cells but may also be an important cytotoxin. However, very little is known about iron transport, redox status, or toxicity specifically inside cells. In this study, we exploited the sensitivity of fura-2 to quenching by ferrous iron (Fe2+) to detect intracellular free iron ([Fe2+]i) in neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes in primary culture. All cell types exposed to Fe2+ in the presence of the ionophore pyrithione rapidly accumulated Fe2+ to a similar extent. The heavy-metal chelators bipyridyl andN,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-pyridalmethyl)ethyl-enediamine rapidly reversed the increase in [Fe2+]i, whereas desferrioxamine had little effect. Interestingly, the Fe2+-mediated quenching of fura-2 fluorescence was reversed in a concentration-dependent manner by hydrogen peroxide. This was likely caused by the oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ inside the cell. Acute exposure of cells to Fe2+ was only toxic when the metal was applied together with pyrithione, showing that Fe2+ is only toxic when elevated inside cells. Interestingly, only neurons and oligodendrocytes were injured by this elevation in [Fe2+]i, whereas astrocytes were unaffected, although [Fe2+]i was elevated to the same degree in each cell type. These studies provide a novel approach for detecting [Fe2+]iin a manner sensitive to the redox state of the metal. These studies also provide a model system for the study of the toxic consequences of elevated [Fe2+]i in neural cells.
Effects of performance visualization on employment interviews

Two studies were undertaken to assess the value of exposing people to performance visualization in order to help them cope with communication apprehension (CA) in employment interviews. The first study, which took place in a laboratory, employed a pre/post‐test experimental design. Seniors who were preparing to enter the job market took part in mock interviews, completed a state communication apprehension (CA) measure, a trait CA measure, and a scale designed to measure negative thinking. Participants were then assigned to performance visualization, placebo, or control conditions. After exposure to the requisite treatment, they participated in another mock interview and completed the same battery of measures. The second study took place in the field. In this study, participants, who were about to undergo a screening interview for a job, completed state and trait CA measures, were exposed to performance visualization, and completed the state and trait CA measures the second time. These studies indicated that exposure to performance visualization related negatively to CA and negative thoughts, as well as positively to being offered a job. It showed no relationship to being asked back for a second interview. The implications of these findings are discussed in the conclusion of this report.
Ecological Character Displacement and Speciation in Sticklebacks

We present evidence of ecological character displacement among species of threespined sticklebacks that inhabit small lakes of coastal British Columbia. Geological data suggest that the populations resulted from multiple divergence and speciation events over the past 13,000 yr. In lakes with two species, one is invariably "limnetic" in morphology and habitat, and the other is "benthic. " Other lakes contain a single form morphologically intermediate between sympatric species and exploiting both habitat's. Within solitary populations individuals exploit one habitat or the other according to their morphology, which underscores the divergent selection pressures operating on either side of the habitat boundary. Our results satisfy at least four of the six major criteria for demonstrating the occurrence of character displacement: (1) a statistical null model of no displacement is easily rejected; (2) variation between and within populations is genetically based; (3) differences in sympatry reflect evolutionary shifts, not merely the biased extinction of similar forms; and (4) morphology is closely linked to resource use. Minimal resource differences between one- and two-species lakes and the presence of competition between similar phenotypes are still to be established. Our data suggest that competition for food has played a critical role in the divergence between species. We consider the possibility that it also helped in species formation, which would expand its potential role in adaptive radiation.
Swarms for robot vision: The case of adaptive visual trail detection and tracking

Previous work has shown that a pheromone-based visual saliency map can be computed by a swarm of simple agents inhabiting the robot’s input image. It was also shown that, with a proper set of behaviours controlling the agents, the saliency map can be used to localise trails present in the robot’s visual field. Under the assumption that the robot starts its autonomous operation already on the trail, this paper extends that work by enabling the agents to learn online an appearance model of the trail. The learned model is then used to increase the level of pheromone deployed in the regions of the input image that are more probable of belonging to the trail. This is motivated by the well-known importance that a priori object knowledge has to improve visual search. The outcome of this extension is a self-organising behaviour capable of detecting trails in 98% of the evaluated situations, outperforming the original work. The agents being simple their computation is fast, resulting in a 12Hz performance. Thus, by introducing a parsimonious learning mechanism, this paper contributes to increase robustness of swarm-based robot vision systems.
General Behaviors and Perching Behaviors of Laying Hens in Cages with Different Colored Perches

Color is one of the perch properties. This study was conducted to investigate the general behaviors and perching behaviors in laying hens under different group size (stocking density), and to understand the perch color (black, white or brown) preference of hens during the night. A total of 390 Hyline Brown laying hens was used, and randomly allocated to three treatments: individual group (G1), group of four hens (G4), and group of eight hens (G8), respectively. There were 30 replicates in each group. The hens in G1, G4 and G8 groups were put into the test cages in which three colored perches were simultaneously provided and allowed for four days of habituation in the new cages. Hens behaviors were recorded using cameras with infrared light sources for the following periods: 8:00 to 10:00; 14:00 to 16:00; 19:00 to 21:00; 23:30 to 0:30 on the fifth day after transferring the birds into the test cages. The behaviors of hens in every time period were collected and analyzed, and hens positions on the test perches during mid-night were recorded. The results showed that, group size (stocking density) had significant effect on most of the general behaviors of laying hens except exploring behavior. There were great differences in most of the general behaviors during different time periods. In the preference test of perch color during night, the hens showed no clear preference for white, black or brown perches. For perching behaviors, perching time and frequency of transferring from one perch to another was higher on black perches than on white or brown perches in individual groups. In G4 groups, the hens spent more time on white perches during daytime and more frequent transferring during night compared with black or brown perches. The frequency of jumping upon and down from white perches was higher in G8 groups. It can be concluded that although the group sizes in the cage significantly affected most of the general behaviors, we found that no preference of perch color was shown by the caged laying hens in the different group sizes tested in this study.
Oncogenic RAS Enables DNA Damage- and p53-Dependent Differentiation of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells in Response to Chemotherapy

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clonal disease originating from myeloid progenitor cells with a heterogeneous genetic background. High-dose cytarabine is used as the standard consolidation chemotherapy. Oncogenic RAS mutations are frequently observed in AML, and are associated with beneficial response to cytarabine. Why AML-patients with oncogenic RAS benefit most from high-dose cytarabine post-remission therapy is not well understood. Here we used bone marrow cells expressing a conditional MLL-ENL-ER oncogene to investigate the interaction of oncogenic RAS and chemotherapeutic agents. We show that oncogenic RAS synergizes with cytotoxic agents such as cytarabine in activation of DNA damage checkpoints, resulting in a p53-dependent genetic program that reduces clonogenicity and increases myeloid differentiation. Our data can explain the beneficial effects observed for AML patients with oncogenic RAS treated with higher dosages of cytarabine and suggest that induction of p53-dependent differentiation, e.g. by interfering with Mdm2-mediated degradation, may be a rational approach to increase cure rate in response to chemotherapy. The data also support the notion that the therapeutic success of cytotoxic drugs may depend on their ability to promote the differentiation of tumor-initiating cells.