Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RESULTS OF A PROSPECTIVE PROTOCOL OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC ANGIOGRAPHY IN PLACE OF CATHETER ANGIOGRAPHY AS THE ONLY DIAGNOSTIC AND PRETREATMENT PLANNING STUDY FOR CEREBRAL ANEURYSMS BY A COMBINED NEUROVASCULAR TEAM

OBJECTIVE:At many centers, patients undergo both computed tomographic angiography (CTA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). This practice negates most of the advantages of CTA, and it renders the risks and disadvantages of the two techniques additive. Previous reports in the literature have assessed the sensitivity and specificity of CTA compared with DSA; however, these investigations have not analyzed the clinical implications of a protocol that replaces DSA with CTA as the only diagnostic and pretreatment planning study for patients with cerebral aneurysms. METHODS:Since late 2001/early 2002, the combined neurovascular unit of the Massachusetts General Hospital has adopted a prospective protocol of CTA in place of DSA as the only diagnostic and pretreatment planning study for patients with cerebral aneurysms (ruptured and unruptured). We report the results obtained during the 12-month period from January 2002 to January 2003. RESULTS:During the study period, 223 patients with cerebral aneurysms underwent initial diagnostic evaluation for cerebral aneurysm by the combined neurovascular team of Massachusetts General Hospital. Of the 223 patients, 109 patients had confirmed subarachnoid hemorrhage (Group A) and 114 patients did not have SAH (Group B). All of these patients were included in the prospective CTA protocol. Cerebral aneurysm treatment was initiated on the basis of CTA alone in 93 Group A patients (86%), in 89 Group B patients (78%), and in 182 patients (82%) overall. Treatment consisted of surgical clipping in 152 patients (68%), endovascular coiling in 56 patients (25%), endovascular parent artery balloon occlusion in 4 patients (2%), and external carotid artery to internal carotid artery bypass and carotid artery surgical occlusion in 2 patients (1%). Nine patients (4%) did not undergo treatment. The cerebral aneurysm detection rate by CTA was 100% for the presenting aneurysm (ruptured aneurysm in Group A or symptomatic/presenting aneurysm in Group B) in both groups. The detection rate by CTA for total cerebral aneurysms, including incidental multiple aneurysms, was 95.3% in Group A, 98.3% in Group B, and 97% overall. The overall morbidity associated with DSA (pretreatment or as intraoperative or postoperative clip evaluation) was one patient (1.3%) with a minor nonneurological complication, one patient (1.3%) with a minor neurological complication, and no patients (0%) with a major neurological complication. CONCLUSION:We have demonstrated promising results with a prospective protocol of CTA in place of DSA as the only diagnostic and pretreatment planning study for patients with ruptured and unruptured cerebral aneurysms. It seems safe and effective to make decisions regarding treatment on the basis of CTA, without performing DSA, in the majority of patients with ruptured and unruptured cerebral aneurysms.
Trends in colorectal cancer incidence rates in New Zealand, 1981–2004

Background: Incidence rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) in New Zealand rank among the highest worldwide. Internationally, there has been evidence of a shift in colon cancer from left‐ to right‐sided. The objective of this study was to determine trends in left‐ and right‐sided colon and rectal cancers incidence by sex, age and ethnicity.
Load‐balanced and locality‐aware scheduling for data‐intensive workloads at extreme scales

Data‐driven programming models such as many‐task computing (MTC) have been prevalent for running data‐intensive scientific applications. MTC applies over‐decomposition to enable distributed scheduling. To achieve extreme scalability, MTC proposes a fully distributed task scheduling architecture that employs as many schedulers as the compute nodes to make scheduling decisions. Achieving distributed load balancing and best exploiting data locality are two important goals for the best performance of distributed scheduling of data‐intensive applications. Our previous research proposed a data‐aware work‐stealing technique to optimize both load balancing and data locality by using both dedicated and shared task ready queues in each scheduler. Tasks were organized in queues based on the input data size and location. Distributed key‐value store was applied to manage task metadata. We implemented the technique in MATRIX, a distributed MTC task execution framework. In this work, we devise an analytical suboptimal upper bound of the proposed technique, compare MATRIX with other scheduling systems, and explore the scalability of the technique at extreme scales. Results show that the technique is not only scalable but can achieve performance within 15% of the suboptimal solution. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Roles of Arabidopsis PARC 6 in Coordination of the Chloroplast Division Complex and Negative Regulation of FtsZ Assembly 1 [ OPEN ]

Chloroplast division is driven by the simultaneous constriction of the inner FtsZ ring (Z ring) and the outer DRP5B ring. The assembly and constriction of these rings in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) are coordinated partly through the inner envelope membrane protein ACCUMULATION AND REPLICATION OF CHLOROPLASTS6 (ARC6). Previously, we showed that PARC6 (PARALOG OF ARC6), also in the inner envelope membrane, negatively regulates FtsZ assembly and acts downstream of ARC6 to position the outer envelope membrane protein PLASTID DIVISION1 (PDV1), which functions together with its paralog PDV2 to recruit DYNAMIN-RELATED PROTEIN 5B (DRP5B) from a cytosolic pool to the outer envelope membrane. However, whether PARC6, like ARC6, also functions in coordination of the chloroplast division contractile complexes was unknown. Here, we report a detailed topological analysis of Arabidopsis PARC6, which shows that PARC6 has a single transmembrane domain and a topology resembling that of ARC6. The newly identified stromal region of PARC6 interacts not only with ARC3, a direct inhibitor of Z-ring assembly, but also with the Z-ring protein FtsZ2. Overexpression of PARC6 inhibits FtsZ assembly in Arabidopsis but not in a heterologous yeast system (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), suggesting that the negative regulation of FtsZ assembly by PARC6 is a consequence of its interaction with ARC3. A conserved carboxyl-terminal peptide in FtsZ2 mediates FtsZ2 interaction with both PARC6 and ARC6. Consistent with its role in the positioning of PDV1, the intermembrane space regions of PARC6 and PDV1 interact. These findings provide new insights into the functions of PARC6 and suggest that PARC6 coordinates the inner Z ring and outer DRP5B ring through interaction with FtsZ2 and PDV1 during chloroplast division.
The Termite Worker Phenotype Evolved as a Dispersal Strategy for Fertile Wingless Individuals before Eusociality

Termites are eusocial insects that evolved from solitary cockroaches. It is not known precisely what factors drove the evolution of termite eusociality, that is, skewed reproduction with distinct winged reproductive and wingless worker phenotypes. In other eusocial insects (bees and wasps), reproductive skew evolved first and phenotype differences evolved second. We propose that the reverse pattern occurred in termites, that is, that the winged-wingless diphenism evolved before eusociality. We discuss existing phylogenetic and pheromonal evidence supporting our hypothesis. We provide new experimental evidence from the most basal termite species (Mastotermes darwiniensis), suggesting that the ancestral state was indeed diphenic but presocial. We propose that the mechanism promoting a winged-wingless diphenism—in the absence of eusociality—was greater predation of aerial than terrestrial dispersers, and we support this with a game theoretic model. We augment our hypothesis with a novel explanation for the evolution of the developmental pathways leading to winged and wingless phenotypes in termites. An added benefit of our hypothesis is that it neatly explains the origin of termite eusociality itself: in the pre-eusocial ancestral species, the poor dispersal ability of the wingless phenotype would have led to clustering of relatives around shared resources—a prerequisite for nonparental care of close relatives.
An Inrush Current Mitigation Technique for the Line-Interactive Uninterruptible Power Supply Systems

Unexpected voltage sags or outages events often interrupt the operation of manufacturing processes, or even lead to equipment damages. Numerous critical loads rely on the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system to uphold the power during these events and maintain the normal operation. As disturbances occur in the utility, the UPS should take over the load within 1-5 ms to prevent any interruptions. However, the start-up process of UPS can cause the significant inrush current phenomenon on the load transformer due to the magnetic saturation. The inrush current could result in reduced line voltages, and even trigger the UPS's overcurrent protection. To prevent the inrush current, this paper proposes a flux linkage offset compensation technique based on the synchronous reference frame (SRF) to regulate the flux linkage of the transformer. The proposed technique can be integrated with the existing voltage control and the PWM of the UPS inverter without any additional sensors. The proposed technique can provide a very smooth and timely transition without the risk of inrush current for critical loads under power outages and voltage sags.
Material Constitutive Model in Machining 7050-T7451 by Orthogonal Machining Experiments

Material constitutive model for metal machining is very difficult to obtain and establish accurately by conventional tension and compression tests. The dynamic mechanical properties and material model during machining aluminum 7050-T7451 are studied by means of orthogonal machining experiments (including quick-stop experiment, cutting force and cutting temperature measurements). Compare with compression tests (SHPB), the established material model with large strain (0.8~1.9) and high strain rate (0.45×105~1.89×105) in this paper is more valid and reliability in simulation and analyzing machining process.
M-CSF inhibition selectively targets pathological angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis

Antiangiogenic therapy for the treatment of cancer and other neovascular diseases is desired to be selective for pathological angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), a cytokine required for the differentiation of monocyte lineage cells, promotes the formation of high-density vessel networks in tumors and therefore possesses therapeutic potential as an M-CSF inhibitor. However, the physiological role of M-CSF in vascular and lymphatic development, as well as the precise mechanisms underlying the antiangiogenic effects of M-CSF inhibition, remains unclear. Moreover, therapeutic potential of M-CSF inhibition in other neovascular diseases has not yet been evaluated. We used osteopetrotic (op/op) mice to demonstrate that M-CSF deficiency reduces the abundance of LYVE-1+ and LYVE1− macrophages, resulting in defects in vascular and lymphatic development. In ischemic retinopathy, M-CSF was required for pathological neovascularization but was not required for the recovery of normal vasculature. In mouse osteosarcoma, M-CSF inhibition effectively suppressed tumor angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, and it disorganized extracellular matrices. In contrast to VEGF blockade, interruption of M-CSF inhibition did not promote rapid vascular regrowth. Continuous M-CSF inhibition did not affect healthy vascular and lymphatic systems outside tumors. These results suggest that M-CSF–targeted therapy is an ideal strategy for treating ocular neovascular diseases and cancer.
Ultimate compressive strength of plate elements with pit corrosion wastage

The aim of the present paper is to investigate the ultimate strength characteristics of plate elements with pit corrosion wastage under axial compressive loads. Collapse tests on a box column type of steel-plated structures with different degrees of pit corrosion damage are undertaken. A series of ANSYS non-linear finite element analyses for steel plate elements under axial compressive loads are carried out, varying the degree of pit corrosion intensity and plate geometric properties. In this paper, a new parameter, i.e. the smallest cross-sectional area, is proposed to represent the ultimate strength reduction characteristics due to localized corrosion. It is proved that the proposed parameter-based approach is more useful than the traditional approach based on equivalent thickness in terms of the accuracy of ultimate strength predictions of pitted plates. Closed-form design formulae for the ultimate compressive strength of pitted plates, which are needed for the ultimate limit state-based risk or reliability assessment of corroded structures, are derived by regression analysis of the experimental and numerical results obtained from the present study. The insights developed will be very useful for the damage-tolerant design of plated structures with pit corrosion damage.
Matrix metalloproteinase-19 is a key regulator of lung fibrosis in mice and humans.

RATIONALE Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating disease characterized by epithelial phenotypic changes and fibroblast activation. Based on the temporal heterogeneity of IPF, we hypothesized that hyperplastic alveolar epithelial cells regulate the fibrotic response. OBJECTIVES To identify novel mediators of fibrosis comparing the transcriptional signature of hyperplastic epithelial cells and conserved epithelial cells in the same lung. METHODS Laser capture microscope and microarrays analysis were used to identify differentially expressed genes in IPF lungs. Bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis was evaluated in Mmp19-deficient and wild-type (WT) mice. The role of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-19 was additionally studied by transfecting the human MMP19 in alveolar epithelial cells. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Laser capture microscope followed by microarray analysis revealed a novel mediator, MMP-19, in hyperplastic epithelial cells adjacent to fibrotic regions. Mmp19(-/-) mice showed a significantly increased lung fibrotic response to bleomycin compared with WT mice. A549 epithelial cells transfected with human MMP19 stimulated wound healing and cell migration, whereas silencing MMP19 had the opposite effect. Gene expression microarray of transfected A549 cells showed that PTGS2 (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2) was one of the highly induced genes. PTGS2 was overexpressed in IPF lungs and colocalized with MMP-19 in hyperplastic epithelial cells. In WT mice, PTGS2 was significantly increased in bronchoalveolar lavage and lung tissues after bleomycin-induced fibrosis, but not in Mmp19(-/-) mice. Inhibition of Mmp-19 by siRNA resulted in inhibition of Ptgs2 at mRNA and protein levels. CONCLUSIONS Up-regulation of MMP19 induced by lung injury may play a protective role in the development of fibrosis through the induction of PTGS2.
Unsupervised document clustering by weighted combination

This report proposes a novel unsupervised document clustering approach based on weighted combination of individual clusterings. Two non-weighted combination methods are adapted to work in a weighted fashion: a graph based method and a probability based one. The performance of the weighted approach is evaluated on real-world collections, and compared to that of individual clustering and non-weighted combination. The results of this evaluation confirm that graph based weighted combination consistently outperforms the other approaches.
EP Films from Borate Lubricants

The EP films generated by borate-containing lubricants were studied to determine their structure and mode of action. Films were generated on SAE Machine test specimens with a blend of tribenzyl borate in solvent neutral oil. Study of the generated films in situ and after chemical stripping show them to be amorphous structures a few thousand angstroms thick containing boron, ferrous iron and organic components. Attempts to reproduce film material synthetically are described. Surfaces with borate EP films are shown to be harder than the steel substrate. Thus, they do not conform to the usual concept of more conventional EP agents which are generally believed to provide an easily-sheared film. Presented as an American Society of Lubrication Engineers paper at the Lubrication Conference held in Minneapolis Minnesota, October 18–20, 1966.
Identification of the Relationship between Oil Body Morphology and Oil Content by Microstructure Comparison Combining with QTL Analysis in Brassica napus

Oil bodies (OBs) are relatively simple but very important organelles comprising a matrix of triacylglycerol (TAG) surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer embedded and covered with unique proteins. The OB structure in Brassica napus with different oil content and the relationship between the oil content and the OB structure needs to be better understood. In this paper, the characteristics of OBs in the embryo of a series of B. napus materials with different oil content ranging from 34% to over 60% were studied. The results indicated that the OB size was significantly positively correlated with the oil content but was significantly negatively correlated with the glucosinolates and the protein content. Many genes associated with TAG synthesis, OB-membrane proteins, and the cell progress regulatory pathway were identified in the confidence interval of co-located QTLs for oil content, fatty acid (FA) compositions, and protein content. Our results suggested that the morphology of OBs might be directly controlled by the genes associated with OB-membrane proteins and indirectly controlled by the genes associated with TAG synthesis and cell progress regulatory pathway.
Angiotensin II Causes Vascular Hypertrophy in Part by a Non‐pressor Mechanism

Angiotensin II, when given in low doses, raises blood pressure slowly. When tested in vitro on vascular smooth muscle cells, it has mitogenic and trophic effects; it is not known if it has these effects in vivo. Our purpose was to determine whether vascular hypertrophy develops during slow pressor infusion of angiotensin II and, if so, whether it is pressure induced. Three experiments were done in rats infused subcutaneously with angiotensin II (200 ng/kg/min) by minipump for 10-12 days. Experiment 1: Angiotensin II gradually raised systolic blood pressure (measured in the tail) from 143±2 to 208±8 mm Hg (mean±SEM), significantly suppressing plasma renin and increasing threefold (NS) plasma angiotensin II. There was no loss of peptide in the pump infusate when tested at the end of the experiment. Experiment 2: In the perfused mesenteric circulation, vasoconstrictor responses to norepinephrine, vasopressin, and KC1 were enhanced in rats given a slow pressor infusion of angiotensin II, but sensitivity of responses was not altered. This combination of changes suggests that vascular hypertrophy develops during slow pressor infusion of angiotensin II. Experiment 3: Vessel myography was done after angiotensin II infusion with and without a pressor response. Angiotensin II raised systolic blood pressure, increased heart weight, and produced myographic changes of vascular hypertrophy in the mesenteric circulation, increasing media width, media cross-sectional area, and media/lumen ratio. Hydralazine given with angiotensin II prevented the rise of pressure and the cardiac effect but not the vascular changes. Two-way analysis of variance showed that angiotensin II significantly increased media width, media cross-sectional area, and media/lumen ratio, all independent of hydralazine. Thus, although hydralazine inhibits the pressor and cardiac effects of angiotensin II, suggesting a pressor mechanism for the cardiac change, it does not inhibit structural vascular change, which suggests that at least part of the effect has a non-pressor mechanism.
Exploring rheological properties of aqueous polyaniline‐PVP dispersion

Stable aqueous dispersion of polyaniline (PAn) stabilized by a hydrophilic polymer poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) exhibits interesting rheological properties different from its components. Shear thinning observed for both PVP and PAn-PVP colloid (PP) indicates partially entangled nature of the later. Linear viscoelastic response of PVP solution exhibit strong frequency dependence of elastic (G') and viscous (G") modulus over the whole frequency range (0.1-100 ras/s) where G' never exceeds G" indicating the applicability of the Rouse-Zimm model to this system. On the other hand, there is a crossover of G' and G" in the rheological profile of PP dispersion so that a single relaxation time model can be applicable. Therefore, PVP presents an entangled polymeric system and supposed to have a spectrum of relaxation times, whereas PP resembles to a physically crosslinked system with a single relaxation time. Increasing the extent of hydrogen bonding within the system (by raising the fraction of PAn or by leaving the solution undisturbed for long) relaxation time also becomes longer. The large difference in values of steady and complex shear viscosity (η and η*) within LVE regime reflects that original Cox-Merz rule is obviously inapplicable to these systems. But at larger strain amplitude, η and η* are satisfactorily coincident that indicates a broader applicability of the modified Cox-Merz rule.
Neurodegenerative Properties of Chronic Pain: Cognitive Decline in Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis

Chronic pain has been associated with impaired cognitive function. We examined cognitive performance in patients with severe chronic pancreatitis pain. We explored the following factors for their contribution to observed cognitive deficits: pain duration, comorbidity (depression, sleep disturbance), use of opioids, and premorbid alcohol abuse. The cognitive profiles of 16 patients with severe pain due to chronic pancreatitis were determined using an extensive neuropsychological test battery. Data from three cognitive domains (psychomotor performance, memory, executive functions) were compared to data from healthy controls matched for age, gender and education. Multivariate multilevel analysis of the data showed decreased test scores in patients with chronic pancreatitis pain in different cognitive domains. Psychomotor performance and executive functions showed the most prominent decline. Interestingly, pain duration appeared to be the strongest predictor for observed cognitive decline. Depressive symptoms, sleep disturbance, opioid use and history of alcohol abuse provided additional explanations for the observed cognitive decline in some of the tests, but to a lesser extent than pain duration. The negative effect of pain duration on cognitive performance is compatible with the theory of neurodegenerative properties of chronic pain. Therefore, early and effective therapeutic interventions might reduce or prevent decline in cognitive performance, thereby improving outcomes and quality of life in these patients.
Situated Learning in Computer Science Education

Sociocultural theories of learning such as Wenger and Lave's situated learning have been suggested as alternatives to cognitive theories of learning like constructivism. This article examines situated learning within the context of computer science (CS) education. Situated learning accurately describes some CS communities like open-source software development, but it is not directly applicable to other CS communities, especially those that deal with non-CS application areas. Nevertheless, situated learning can inform CS education by analyzing debates on curriculum and pedagogy within this framework. CS educators should closely examine professional CS communities of practice and design educational activities to model the actual activities of those communities.