Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gender differences in FFM accumulation and architectural characteristics of muscle.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the skeletal muscle development potential in women and to evaluate the contribution of muscle pennation angle (PANG) and fascicle length to gender differences in muscle size or FFM accumulation. METHODS Skeletal muscle architectural characteristics and FFM were studied in 29 strength-trained female and 22 age- and height-matched male college athletes. Muscle thickness (MTH) was measured by B-mode ultrasound at 13 anatomical sites. Isolated MTH and PANG of the triceps long head (TL), vastus lateralis (VL), and gastrocnemius medialis (MG) muscles were measured in vivo, and fascicle length was estimated. RESULTS Six female athletes had more than 60 kg of FFM, with the largest being 82.1 kg. In general, male athletes had a significantly greater FFM and MTH at all sites except for the anterior thigh. Isolated MTH and PANG of the TL, VL, and MG were greater in males. There were no gender differences in limb length or fascicle length of the three isolated muscles. A significant correlation was observed between MTH and PANG for TL (r = 0.84) and MG (r = 0.41), but not for VL. CONCLUSIONS In contrast to previous estimates, we conclude that the theoretical upper limit of FFM accumulation and FFM-to-height ratio in women is greater than 80 kg and 0.44 kg.cm-1, respectively. Gender differences in PANG appear to be related to differences in muscle size (MTH) and do not appear to contribute independently to the gender difference in FFM.
Mechanism of Cancer Cell Adaptation to Metabolic Stress

Gastric cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide and has a poor prognosis. To determine the mechanism of adaptation to metabolic stress in cancer cells, we used gastric cancer as a model system to reveal the potential signaling pathways involved. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis coupled with ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS analysis was used to identify differentially expressed proteins between gastric tumor tissues and the corresponding noncancerous tissues. In total, 107 spots with significant alteration (±over 2-fold, p < 0.05) were positively identified by MS/MS analysis. Altered expression of representative proteins was validated by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Cluster analysis of the changed proteins revealed an interesting group of metabolic proteins, which suggested accumulation of triiodothyronine (T3; the major functional component of thyroid hormone) and overexpression of hypoxia-induced factor (HIF) in gastric carcinoma. These observations were further confirmed by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay and immunohistochemistry. T3-induced expression of HIF1-α and vascular endothelial growth factor was further verified using a gastric cancer cell line and in vivo mouse model. Because the early accumulation of HIF1-α was found to be independent of de novo transcription, we also found that the cytosolic cascade phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway sensitive to T3 stimulus was involved. Furthermore we demonstrated that T3-induced overexpression of HIF1-α was mediated by fumarate accumulation and could be enhanced by fumarate hydratase inactivation but inhibited by 2-oxoglutarate. These results provide evidence for alteration of metabolic proteins and dysfunction of thyroid hormone regulation in gastric tumors, and a novel thyroid hormone-mediated tumorigenic signaling pathway is proposed. Our findings are considered a significant step toward a better understanding of adaptations to metabolic stress in gastric carcinogenesis.
A random finite set conjugate prior and application to multi-target tracking

The objective of multi-object estimation is to simultaneously estimate the number of objects and their states from a set of observations in the presence of data association uncertainty, detection uncertainty, false observations and noise. This estimation problem can be formulated in a Bayesian framework by modeling the (hidden) set of states and set of observations as random finite sets (RFSs) where the model for the observation covers thinning, Markov shifts and superposition of false observations. A prior for the hidden RFS together with the likelihood of the realisation of the observed RFS gives the posterior distribution via the application of Bayes rule. We propose a new class of prior distribution and show that it is a conjugate prior with respect to the multi-target observation likelihood. This result is then applied to develop an analytic implementation of the Bayes multi-target filter for the class of linear Gaussian multi-target models.
Oxidation of HMGB1 Causes Attenuation of Its Pro-Inflammatory Activity and Occurs during Liver Ischemia and Reperfusion

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a nuclear transcription factor. Once HMGB1 is released by damaged cells or activated immune cells, it acts as danger molecule and triggers the inflammatory signaling cascade. Currently, evidence is accumulating that posttranslational modifications such as oxidation may modulate the pro-inflammatory potential of danger signals. We hypothesized that oxidation of HMGB1 may reduce its pro-inflammatory potential and could take place during prolonged ischemia and upon reperfusion. Liver grafts were cold preserved for 24 h and flushed with saline in hourly intervals to collect the effluent. Liver grafts, cold-preserved for 6 h, were transplanted into syngeneic recipients to obtain serum and liver samples 24 h after initiation of reperfusion. Addition of the effluent to a macrophage culture induced the synthesis of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-6. The stimulatory activity of graft effluent was reduced after depletion of HMGB1 via immunoprecipitation. Oxidation of the effluent HMGB1 using H2O2 attenuated its stimulatory activity as well. Liver transplantation of cold preserved grafts caused HMGB1 translocation and release as determined by immunohistochemistry and ELISA-assay, respectively. Using Western blot with non-reducing conditions revealed the presence of oxidized HMGB1 in liver samples obtained after 12 h and in effluent samples after 16 h of cold preservation as well as in liver and serum samples obtained 24 h after reperfusion. These observations confirm that post-translational oxidation of HMGB1 attenuates its pro-inflammatory activity. Oxidation of HMGB1 as induced during prolonged ischemia and by reoxygenation during reperfusion in vivo might also attenuate its pro-inflammatory activity. Our findings also call for future studies to investigate the mechanism of the inhibitory effect of oxidized HMGB1 on the pro-inflammatory potential.
Fault tolerant routing for wireless sensor grid networks

Wireless sensor network technology provides an opportunity for innovation. It also brings unique challenges. Fault tolerant routing is a critical task for sensor networks operating in dynamic environments. In this paper, we present an experimental study on fault tolerant routing for wireless sensor grid networks. A network may be separated into partitions owing to the broken radio links resulted from node failures. Since the leveling algorithm works effectively for unpartitioned network, a combined technique with extended transmission range is investigated to resolve the network partitioning problem. The experimental results show that the proposed technique reduces the probability of network partitioning significant. It also demonstrates near optimal network coverage and coverage efficiency with random dead nodes distributions.
Properties of L-Type Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Intraspecies Passages

The origin and transmission routes of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) remain unclear. To assess whether the biological and biochemical characteristics of atypical L-type BSE detected in Japanese cattle (BSE/JP24) are conserved during serial passages within a single host, 3 calves were inoculated intracerebrally with a brain homogenate prepared from first-passaged BSE/JP24-affected cattle. Detailed immunohistochemical and neuropathologic analysis of the brains of second-passaged animals, which had developed the disease and survived for an average of 16 months after inoculation, revealed distribution of spongiform changes and disease-associated prion protein (PrPSc) throughout the brain. Although immunolabeled PrPSc obtained from brain tissue was characterized by the presence of PrP plaques and diffuse synaptic granular accumulations, no stellate-type deposits were detected. Western blot analysis suggested no obvious differences in PrPSc molecular mass or glycoform pattern in the brains of first- and second-passaged cattle. These findings suggest failures to identify differences in mean incubation period and biochemical and neuropathologic properties of the BSE/JP24 prion between the first and second passages in cattle.
A Qualitative Study of Teachers' Perceptions of Integrated Kindergarten Programs in Hong Kong

Since 1985, the Hong Kong government has been collaborating with the selected non-profit private service providers to implement integrated kindergarten education in mainstream kindergarten programs initially designed for typically developing children. The term "integrated" is roughly equivalent to "inclusive" in the United States. This study's purpose is to describe kindergarten teachers' perspectives on the provision of quality integrated education for children with disabilities in Hong Kong contexts. The findings of this study offer empirical data that suggest ways to improve the quality of integrated kindergarten programs so that young children with disabilities can attain a high-quality early childhood education experience that lays a solid foundation upon which successful subsequent schooling can be built. In-depth, open-ended qualitative interviewing was the primary data collection method for this study. Four integrated kindergarten programs in Hong Kong were involved, and two kindergarten teachers from each program participated as informants. Each of the eight informants was interviewed three times; and data were analyzed using typological techniques. Two research questions guided the study: (a) How do early childhood educators describe their experience with integration? and (b) According to the teachers, what does instruction look like in integrated kindergarten programs? Findings were descriptions of teachers' perspectives on working in integrated kindergartens in Hong Kong. Analysis of informants' data identified two broad generalizations: (a) Kindergarten teachers in this study emphasized teaching academics to children without
Platelet‐Rich Plasma (PRP) From Older Males With Knee Osteoarthritis Depresses Chondrocyte Metabolism and Upregulates Inflammation

There is intense clinical interest in the potential effects of platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). This study tested the hypotheses that (i) “lower” levels of the inflammatory mediators (IMs), interleukin‐1β, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α) and (ii) “higher” levels of the growth factors (GFs), insulin‐like growth factor 1, and transforming growth factor β1 within leukocyte‐poor PRP correlate with more favorable chondrocyte and macrophage responses in vitro. Samples were collected from 10 “healthy” young male (23–33 years old) human subjects (H‐PRP) and nine older (62–85 years old) male patients with severe knee OA (OA‐PRP). The samples were separated into groups of “high” or “low” levels of IM and GF based on multiplex cytokine and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay data. Three‐dimensional (3D) alginate bead chondrocyte cultures and monocyte‐derived macrophage cultures were treated with 10% PRP from donors in different groups. Gene expression was analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Contrary to our hypotheses, the effect of PRP on chondrocytes and macrophages was mainly influenced by the age and disease status of the PRP donor as opposed to the IM or GF groupings. While H‐PRP showed similar effects on expression of chondrogenic markers (Col2a1 and Sox9) as the negative control group (p > 0.05), OA‐PRP decreased chondrocyte expression of Col2a1 and Sox‐9 messenger RNA by 40% and 30%, respectively (Col2a1, p = 0.015; Sox9, p = 0.037). OA‐PRP also upregulated TNF‐α and matrix metallopeptidase 9 (p < 0.001) gene expression in macrophages while H‐PRP did not. This data suggests that PRP from older individuals with OA contain factors that may suppress chondrocyte matrix synthesis and promote macrophage inflammation in vitro. © 2019 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 37:1760–1770, 2019
Using patents to orchestrate ecosystem stability: the case of a French aerospace company

In this paper, we focus on how focal firms influence business ecosystem stability through patent management. We present and discuss a case study of Thales Alenia Space, a leader in the aerospace industry, and its ecosystem partners. We make two counterintuitive insights about ecosystem management. First, a focal firm can use patents in a new way in order to ensure the stability of its ecosystem. Second, patent licensing facilitates an inverted pattern of knowledge creation and commercialisation between large and small firms, in which small firms are able to commercialise innovations created by large firms in unexpected markets. Furthermore, this article contributes to the literature on patent management by providing new evidence on the external leveraging of knowledge.
Reviews and syntheses: Calculating the global contribution of coralline algae to total carbon burial

Abstract. The ongoing increase in anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is changing the global marine environment and is causing warming and acidification of the oceans. Reduction of CO2 to a sustainable level is required to avoid further marine change. Many studies investigate the potential of marine carbon sinks (e.g. seagrass) to mitigate anthropogenic emissions, however, information on storage by coralline algae and the beds they create is scant. Calcifying photosynthetic organisms, including coralline algae, can act as a CO2 sink via photosynthesis and CaCO3 dissolution and act as a CO2 source during respiration and CaCO3 production on short-term timescales. Long-term carbon storage potential might come from the accumulation of coralline algae deposits over geological timescales. Here, the carbon storage potential of coralline algae is assessed using meta-analysis of their global organic and inorganic carbon production and the processes involved in this metabolism. Net organic and inorganic production were estimated at 330 g C m−2 yr−1 and 900 g CaCO3 m−2 yr−1 respectively giving global organic/inorganic C production of 0.7/1.8 × 109 t C yr−1. Calcium carbonate production by free-living/crustose coralline algae (CCA) corresponded to a sediment accretion of 70/450 mm kyr−1. Using this potential carbon storage for coralline algae, the global production of free-living algae/CCA was 0.4/1.2 × 109 t C yr−1 suggesting a total potential carbon sink of 1.6 × 109 tonnes per year. Coralline algae therefore have production rates similar to mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses representing an as yet unquantified but significant carbon store, however, further empirical investigations are needed to determine the dynamics and stability of that store.
Sesame Oil Attenuates Ovalbumin-Induced Pulmonary Edema and Bronchial Neutrophilic Inflammation in Mice

Background. Allergic asthma is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases of airways. Severe asthma may lead to hospitalization and death. Sesame oil is a natural product with anti-inflammatory property. However, the effect of sesame oil on allergic asthma has never been studied. Objective. We investigate the effect of sesame oil on pulmonary inflammation in allergic asthma model. Methods. Allergic airway inflammation was induced by sensitizing with two doses of 10 mg ovalbumin (OVA) and then challenged with 1% OVA nebulizer exposure (1 h/day) for 3 days. Sesame oil (0.25, 0.5, or 1 mL/kg/day) was given orally 30 min before each challenge. Samples were collected 24 h after the last challenge. Results. Data showed that sesame oil inhibited pulmonary edema and decreased interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in OVA-treated mice. Sesame oil also decreased pulmonary nitrite level, inducible nitric oxide synthase expression, and neutrophil infiltration induced by OVA. Further, sesame oil decreased serum IgE level in OVA-treated mice. Conclusion. Sesame oil may attenuate pulmonary edema and bronchial neutrophilic inflammation by inhibiting systemic IgE level in allergic asthma.
A low-profile circularly polarized dipole antenna using a novel polarization rotation artificial magnetic conductor

A novel polarization rotation surface based on artificial magnetic conductor structure (AMC) is proposed, which can reflect incident wave in orthogonal polarization state and simultaneously offer a 90° phase difference. The feature is theoretically analyzed and validated. By using the proposed polarization rotation AMC, right-handed circular polarization is achieved for a linearly polarized dipole antenna. Simulation and measured results both demonstrate good performance of a broad axial ratio bandwidth and large axial ratio beamwidth in both xoz and yoz planes.
Exploring QoE in Cellular Networks: How Much Bandwidth do you Need for Popular Smartphone Apps?

A quarter of the world population will be using smartphones to access the Internet in the near future. In this context, understanding the Quality of Experience (QoE) of popular services in such devices becomes paramount for cellular network operators, who need to offer high quality levels to reduce the risks of customers churning for quality dissatisfaction. In this paper we study the problem of QoE provisioning in smartphones, presenting the results obtained from subjective lab tests performed for five popular apps: YouTube, Facebook, Web browsing through Chrome, Google Maps, and WhatsApp. The analysis addresses the impact of the access downlink bandwidth on the QoE of these apps when accessed through smartphones. The results presented in this paper provide a sound basis for better understanding the QoE requirements of popular services and mobile apps, as well as for dimensioning the underlying provisioning network. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper providing such a comprehensive analysis of QoE in mobile devices.
Towards Score Following In Sheet Music Images

This paper addresses the matching of short music audio snippets to the corresponding pixel location in images of sheet music. A system is presented that simultaneously learns to read notes, listens to music and matches the currently played music to its corresponding notes in the sheet. It consists of an end-to-end multi-modal convolutional neural network that takes as input images of sheet music and spectrograms of the respective audio snippets. It learns to predict, for a given unseen audio snippet (covering approximately one bar of music), the corresponding position in the respective score line. Our results suggest that with the use of (deep) neural networks -- which have proven to be powerful image processing models -- working with sheet music becomes feasible and a promising future research direction.
Exploring support work: Examining the role of mental health support workers in New Zealand

Exploring Support Work examines the role and function of mental health support work in New Zealand from the perspective of healthcare professionals, service users and support workers themselves. A conceptualisation for support work practice is offered based on the thematic and functional analysis given. This support work conceptualisation is complimented in the second section, which focuses on ethical issues commonly found in support work. The conclusion of the book provides a theoretical code of ethics and support worker scopes of practice which can be utilised to springboard support work into the professional domain under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act.
Neurotoxicity of cancer chemotherapy☆

There is accumulating clinical evidence that chemotherapeutic agents induce neurological side effects, including memory deficits and mood disorders, in cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapeutic treatments. This review focuses on chemotherapy-induced neurodegeneration and hippocampal dysfunctions and related mechanisms as measured by in vivo and in vitro approaches. These investigations are helpful in determining how best to further explore the causal mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced neurological side effects and in providing direction for the future development of novel optimized chemotherapeutic agents.
Design and evaluation of main memory hash join algorithms for multi-core CPUs

The focus of this paper is on investigating efficient hash join algorithms for modern multi-core processors in main memory environments. This paper dissects each internal phase of a typical hash join algorithm and considers different alternatives for implementing each phase, producing a family of hash join algorithms. Then, we implement these main memory algorithms on two radically different modern multi-processor systems, and carefully examine the factors that impact the performance of each method. Our analysis reveals some interesting results -- a very simple hash join algorithm is very competitive to the other more complex methods. This simple join algorithm builds a shared hash table and does not partition the input relations. Its simplicity implies that it requires fewer parameter settings, thereby making it far easier for query optimizers and execution engines to use it in practice. Furthermore, the performance of this simple algorithm improves dramatically as the skew in the input data increases, and it quickly starts to outperform all other algorithms.
Total aortic arch replacement with a novel four-branched frozen elephant trunk graft: first-in-man results.

OBJECTIVES The combined disease of the aortic arch and the proximal descending aorta remains a surgical challenge. With the 'frozen elephant technique', the ascending aorta, along with the aortic arch, is replaced conventionally and an endovascular stent graft is placed into the descending aorta in the antegrade manner through the open aortic arch, thereby potentially allowing for a 'single-stage' operation. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of a novel four-branched hybrid graft (Vascutek, Scotland). METHODS From April 2010 to August 2011, 34 patients (25 males, age 60 ± 14 years) were operated on [14 aneurysms, 20 dissections (18 acute)]. Ten of these patients had undergone previous cardiac operations. The collapsed endoprosthesis was deployed in the descending aorta through the opened aortic arch. A sewing collar between the graft segments simplified the 'distal' anastomosis. The four-branched graft segment allowed the replacement of the aortic arch and supra-aortic vessels individually. Concomitant procedures were performed if necessary. RESULTS There were three deaths within the 30 postoperative days. All of them were of AADA patients. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 254 ± 53 min, aortic cross clamp time was 148 ± 48 min and circulatory arrest time was 48 ± 22 min. Aortic valve-sparing root surgery was performed in 12 patients, Bentall procedure in four, CABG in three and mitral valve repair in two. In one patient, a secondary endovascular extension of the stent graft was necessary to reach the landing zone. In all others, postoperative CT-Scans confirmed the desired results. CONCLUSIONS The graft adds to the 'frozen elephant trunk' concept for treating the arch and proximal descending aorta. Early experience demonstrates an excellent 30-day survival. Combining the frozen elephant with a four-branched arch graft increases the armament of the surgeon in the treatment of complex and diverse aortic arch pathology.