Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Initial Evaluation of Non–Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Angiography in Patients With Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease at 7 T

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to achieve initial experience with non–contrast-enhanced (ne) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the lower leg arteries in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) at 7 T. Materials and MethodsSeven patients with PAOD were examined on a 7-T whole-body magnetic resonance system. A custom-built 16-channel transmit/receive coil and a manually positionable AngioSURF table were used for multistation imaging. For ne-MRA, an axial T1-weighted Turbo–fast low angle shot sequence (repetition time, 700 milliseconds; echo time, 3.84 milliseconds; bandwidth, 930 Hz/pixel; voxel volume, 1 × 1 × 2 mm3; matrix, 384 × 288) with phonocardiogram gating was acquired at 7 T. Acquisition time of an entire angiogram covering the vasculature from pelvis to feet amounted to approximately 30 minutes, depending on the patient’s heart frequency. All patients underwent a contrast-enhanced MRA (ce-MRA) at 1.5 T as standard of reference. The presence of stenosis and occlusions was evaluated segment based and compared for both MRA techniques. The degree of stenosis was defined as low grade (<50%), high grade (50%–99%), and occlusion (100%). High-grade stenosis and occlusion were considered to be hemodynamically significant stenosis. ResultsThe 7-T ne-MRA enabled a homogenous, hyperintense artery signal and nearly total venous suppression with accurate delineation of arterial anatomy both proximal and distal to stenotic disease. A total of 154 artery segments were depicted with ce-MRA at 1.5 T. At 7 T, only 124 segments (80.5%) were displayed and involved for analysis, as the iliacal region was displayed incompletely in 4 patients because of the fact that the fixed coil diameter was too small to contain the lower abdomen and pelvis of these patients. In comparison with ce-MRA at 1.5 T as the reference standard, there was total agreement regarding the characterization of an artery segment as being normal or having any kind of stenosis. Of the 124 included segments, 28 segments (23%) had hemodynamically significant stenosis evaluated with 7-T ne-MRA and 26 segments (21%) assessed with 1.5-T ce-MRA. The sensitivity and specificity values of 7-T ne-MRA for detecting segments with hemodynamically significant stenosis were 93% and 98%, respectively. ConclusionsNon–contrast-enhanced MRA by means of T1-weighted Turbo–fast low angle shot imaging at 7 T in patients with PAOD is feasible and allowed for good visualization of stenosis and occlusions in all analyzed artery segments in this small patient group. However, this study also shows the challenges of ultrahigh-field body imaging, and more experience is required to determine the impact of 7-T ne-MRA in clinical practice.
Task complexity, student perceptions of vocabulary learning in EFL, and task performance.

BACKGROUND The study deepened our understanding of how students' self-efficacy beliefs contribute to the context of teaching English as a foreign language in the framework of cognitive mediational paradigm at a fine-tuned task-specific level. AIM The aim was to examine the relationship among task complexity, self-efficacy beliefs, domain-related prior knowledge, learning strategy use, and task performance as they were applied to English vocabulary learning from reading tasks. SAMPLE Participants were 120 second-year university students (mean age 21) from a Chinese university. METHOD This experiment had two conditions (simple/complex). A vocabulary level test was first conducted to measure participants' prior knowledge of English vocabulary. Participants were then randomly assigned to one of the learning tasks. Participants were administered task booklets together with the self-efficacy scales, measures of learning strategy use, and post-tests. Data obtained were submitted to multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and path analysis. RESULTS Results from the MANOVA model showed a significant effect of vocabulary level on self-efficacy beliefs, learning strategy use, and task performance. Task complexity showed no significant effect; however, an interaction effect between vocabulary level and task complexity emerged. Results from the path analysis showed self-efficacy beliefs had an indirect effect on performance. Our results highlighted the mediating role of self-efficacy beliefs and learning strategy use. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that students' prior knowledge plays a crucial role on both self-efficacy beliefs and task performance, and the predictive power of self-efficacy on task performance may lie in its association with learning strategy use.
Merging mitochondria matters

Fusion is essential for mitochondrial function in a great variety of eukaryotic cell types. Yeast cells defective in mitohondrial fusion are respiration‐deficient, human cells use complementation of fused mitochondria as a defence against the accumulation of oxidative damage during cellular aging and fusion is required to build an intracellular mitochondrial continuum that allows the dissipation of energy in the cell. Moreover, developmental processes such as spermatogenesis in Drosophila require regulated mitochondrial fusion. Some of the molecular mediators of mitochondrial membrane fusion have been identified in recent years. An evolutionarily conserved large GTPase in the outer membrane is essential for mitochondrial fusion, and genetic screens in yeast are revealing an increasing number of additional important genes. Mechanistic studies have provided the first insights into how the problem of faithfully fusing a double membrane‐bounded organelle in a coordinated manner is solved.
The Dynamics of Creativity in Software Development

Software is primarily developed for people by people and human fac- tors must be studied in all software engineering phases. Creativity is the source to improvise solutions to problems for dominating complex systems such as soft- ware development. However, there is a lack of knowledge in what creativity is in software development and what its dynamics are. This study describes the current state of the research plan towards a theory on creativity in software development. More specifically, it (1) states the motivation for studying creativity in software development under a multidisciplinary view; it (2) provides a first review of the literature identifying the shortcomings in the field; it (3) proposes a research de- sign, which includes rarely employed methods in software engineering. To un- derstand creativity in software development will provide a better knowledge of the software construction process and how individuals intellectually contribute to the creation of better, innovative products.
MUC1 Expression Is Increased During Human Placental Development and Suppresses Trophoblast-Like Cell Invasion In Vitro1

Abstract Mucin (MUC)1 is a multifunctional mucin expressed by a variety of reproductive tract epithelia. Trophoblast invasion is essential for normal placental development. However, MUC1 expression in the human placenta throughout pregnancy and the role of MUC1 in trophoblast-like cell invasion are still unclear. In the present study, results from quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot demonstrated that MUC1 mRNA and MUC1 protein expression, respectively, increased with gestational age of the human placenta. Immunohistochemistry revealed that MUC1 in placental villi was mainly expressed by syncytiotrophoblasts throughout pregnancy and increased with gestational age. Interestingly, we found two populations of extravillous trophoblasts, MUC1-positive and MUC1-negative cells, in decidua. The numbers of MUC1-positive extravillous trophoblasts were increased during placental development. Furthermore, MUC1 overexpression significantly (P < 0.01) suppressed matrigel invasion of trophoblast-like JAR cells by 34.6% ± 4.5% compared with control, which was associated with a decrease in MMP9 activity assessed by gelatin zymography. Our results suggest that MUC1 expression in the human placenta is increased during placental development, and its overexpression suppresses trophoblast-like cell invasion in vitro.
ILDA: interdependent LDA model for learning latent aspects and their ratings from online product reviews

Today, more and more product reviews become available on the Internet, e.g., product review forums, discussion groups, and Blogs. However, it is almost impossible for a customer to read all of the different and possibly even contradictory opinions and make an informed decision. Therefore, mining online reviews (opinion mining) has emerged as an interesting new research direction. Extracting aspects and the corresponding ratings is an important challenge in opinion mining. An aspect is an attribute or component of a product, e.g. 'screen' for a digital camera. It is common that reviewers use different words to describe an aspect (e.g. 'LCD', 'display', 'screen'). A rating is an intended interpretation of the user satisfaction in terms of numerical values. Reviewers usually express the rating of an aspect by a set of sentiments, e.g. 'blurry screen'. In this paper we present three probabilistic graphical models which aim to extract aspects and corresponding ratings of products from online reviews. The first two models extend standard PLSI and LDA to generate a rated aspect summary of product reviews. As our main contribution, we introduce Interdependent Latent Dirichlet Allocation (ILDA) model. This model is more natural for our task since the underlying probabilistic assumptions (interdependency between aspects and ratings) are appropriate for our problem domain. We conduct experiments on a real life dataset, Epinions.com, demonstrating the improved effectiveness of the ILDA model in terms of the likelihood of a held-out test set, and the accuracy of aspects and aspect ratings.
Antibody response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa exoproducts in cancer patients

We analyzed sera from 28 patients with various types of malignancies for the occurrence of antibodies against exotoxin A of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and two Pseudomonas proteases. A total of 27 of these individuals were colonized or infected with P. aeruginosa at one time or another during the study, whereas the remaining patient was colonized with four non-P. aeruginosa species of Pseudomonas. Sera were obtained from several of these patients before P. aeruginosa colonization or infection of these individuals was detected, which provided an opportunity to evaluate their responsiveness to pseudomonal exoproducts as they acquired the organism. Exotoxin A was purified from culture supernatant fluids of strain PA-103, and the two proteases were purified from an isolate of strain JR3, a highly proteolytic strain originally recovered from the sputum of a cystic fibrosis patient. Antibodies to the exotoxin A and the two proteases were detected in these sera, and sera which contained relatively high antibody levels to exotoxin A afforded mice complete protection against lethal challenges with this substance. Statistical analyses showed that patients infected with P. aeruginosa had consistently higher antibody levels (P less than 0.005) to the exoproducts than patients who were colonized with this organism. Also, patients colonized with P. aeruginosa possessed significantly higher antibody levels (P less than 0.003) to these three exoproducts than uninfected, hospitalized patients. Parke-Davis type 1 was the strain most commonly isolated from these patients (46%), but colonization or infection due to this organism usually resulted in the production of low levels of antibody to Pseudomonas exoproducts. However, infections with Parke-David type 7 organisms were always associated with intermediate- and high-responder sera to exotoxin A. These results indicated that potentially toxic products were elaborated during the course of cancer-related colonization and infection with P. aeruginosa.
Fuzzy Approximation-Based Global Pinning Synchronization Control of Uncertain Complex Dynamical Networks

This paper is concerned with the global pinning synchronization problem of uncertain complex dynamical networks with communication constraints. First, an adaptive fuzzy controller is designed within a given compact set. In addition, a robust controller is introduced outside the compact set to pull back the system states. Then, a new pinning control scheme is given such that the global synchronization can be ensured. Moreover, via the Lyapunov theory and graph theory, the synchronization errors are proved to be asymptotically convergent. Especially, in an uncertainty-free environment, the proposed control scheme includes two easy-to-implement pinning control strategies as special cases, which improve the existing results from the view point of reducing the number of feedback controllers. Finally, two simulation examples are provided to validate the theoretical results.
N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirator Deadspace Temperature and Humidity

The objective of this study was to determine the levels of heat and humidity that develop within the deadspace of N95 filtering facepiece respirators (N95 FFR). Seventeen subjects wore two models each of N95 FFR and N95 FFR with an exhalation valve (N95 FFR/EV) while exercising on a treadmill at a low-moderate work rate for 1 and 2 hr in a temperate ambient environment. FFR deadspace temperature and relative humidity were monitored by a wireless sensor housed within the FFR. Each FFR was weighed pre- and post-testing to determine moisture retention. After 1 hr, FFR deadspace temperature and humidity were markedly elevated above ambient levels, and the FFR deadspace mean apparent heat index was 54°C. N95 FFR/EV use resulted in significantly lower deadspace temperatures than N95 FFR (p = 0.01), but FFR deadspace humidity levels were not significantly different (p = 0.32). Compared with the first hour of use, no significant increase in FFR deadspace heat and humidity occurred over the second hour. FFR mean moisture retention was < 0.3 grams over 2 hr. N95 FFR/EV offer a significant advantage in deadspace heat dissipation over N95 FFR at a low-moderate work rate over 1 hr of continuous use but offered no additional benefit in humidity amelioration. Moisture retention in N95 FFR and N95 FFR/EV is minimal after 2 hr of use. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene for the following free supplemental resource: a file containing N95 filtering facepiece respirator deadspace mean RH and temperature recordings for 17 subjects treadmill exercising at 5.6 Km/H over 1 hour. ]
Osteogenic and Adipogenic Cell Fractions Isolated from Postnatal Mouse Calvaria

The use of stem/progenitor cells represents a promising approach to treat craniofacial bone defects, but successful treatments will rely on the availability of cells that can be expanded in vitroand which will differentiate appropriately in vivo. The calvaria may represent a source of autologous cells for such purposes. We demonstrate expression of stem cell antigen-1 (Sca-1) in mouse calvaria. We isolated Sca-1+ and Sca-1– cells at high purity and tested the ability of these cells to differentiate into adipose and bone. We show that the Sca-1+ cell fraction has adipogenic differentiation potential and that the cell Sca-1– fraction has osteogenic differentiation potential. The Sca-1+ cell fraction partially retains its adipogenic differentiation potential and the Sca-1– cell fraction partially retains its osteogenic differentiation potential after in vitroexpansion. These data suggest that the calvaria may be used as a source of stem/progenitor cells that can be expanded in vitroand transplanted in vivofor craniofacial tissue regeneration.
In vitro Antioxidant and Enzymatic Approaches to Evaluate Neuroprotector Potential of Blechnum Extracts without Cytotoxicity to Human Stem Cells

Background: Investigation of selected plant extracts on multi-targets related to neurodegeneration, such as monoamine oxidases (MAO), cholinesterase enzymes, and antioxidant activities (AOA) is a useful tool for identification of new scaffolds. Objective: This work investigated biological effects of three Blechnum methanol extracts from Brazil and chemical profile of the most active sample. Materials and Methods: AOA included scavenging of hydroxyl and nitric oxide radicals, also lipid peroxidation inhibition. Enzymatic modulation of Blechnum binervatum, Blechnum brasiliense, and Blechnum occidentale extracts on MAO and cholinesterases was conducted. Moreover, total phenol content was performed with all samples, and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection mass spectrometry HPLC-DAD-MS analysis was carried out with B. brasiliense. Possible toxic effects were evaluated on Wistar rats polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) and human stem cells. Results: B. brasiliense extract presented the highest phenolic amount (9.25 g gallic acid equivalent/100 g extract) and lowest IC50values (112.3 ± 2.61 and 176.1 ± 1.19 μg/mL) against hydroxyl radicals and on lipid peroxidation, respectively, showing strong AO effects. On nitric oxide assay and cholinesterase inhibition, all extracts were considered inactive. MAO-A selective action was evidenced, being B. brasiliense powerful against this enzyme (IC50: 72.7 μg/mL), followed by B. occidentale and B. binervatum (IC50: 130.85 and 165.2 μg/mL). No cytotoxic effects were observed on PMN and human stem cells treated with Blechnum extracts. HPLC-DAD-MS analysis of B. brasiliense allowed the identification of chlorogenic and rosmarinic acids. Conclusion: Our results especially highlight B. brasiliense, with pronounced phenols content and strong effects on selected targets related to neurodegeneration, being characterized as a natural safe source of bioactive hydroxycinnamic acids. SUMMARY Blechnum crude extracts showed high phenolic amounts and valuable IC50 values on targets related with neurodegenerative disorders Blechnum brasiliense was the most active sample, with strong radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibition, also with monoamine oxidases: A selective modulation No cytotoxic effects were observed on polymorphonuclear cells rat cells and human stem cells treated with Blechnum extracts High-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-mass spectrometry analysis of Blechnum brasiliense allowed the identification of hydroxycinnamic derivatives: Chlorogenic and rosmarinic acids. Abbreviations used: IC50: half maximal inhibitory concentration; MAO: monoamine oxidase; MAO-A: monoamine oxidase isoform A; MAO-B: monoamine oxidase isoform B; HO•: hydroxyl radical.
Peptide-Ligand Binding Modeling of siRNA with Cell-Penetrating Peptides

The binding affinity of a series of cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) was modeled through docking and making use of the number of intermolecular hydrogen bonds, lipophilic contacts, and the number of sp3 molecular orbital hybridization carbons. The new ranking of the peptides is consistent with the experimentally determined efficiency in the downregulation of luciferase activity, which includes the peptides' ability to bind and deliver the siRNA into the cell. The predicted structures of the complexes of peptides to siRNA were stable throughout 10 ns long, explicit water molecular dynamics simulations. The stability and binding affinity of peptide-siRNA complexes was related to the sidechains and modifications of the CPPs, with the stearyl and quinoline groups improving affinity and stability. The reranking of the peptides docked to siRNA, together with explicit water molecular dynamics simulations, appears to be well suited to describe and predict the interaction of CPPs with siRNA.
Avoiding admissions from the ambulance service: a review of elderly patients with falls and patients with breathing difficulties seen by emergency care practitioners in South Yorkshire

Objectives: To determine the true impact of emergency care practitioners (ECPs) on admissions relative to emergency department (ED) attendance. Methods: Two groups of patients ringing 999 were studied: those classified as having breathing difficulties and elderly patients (>65 years) with a fall. Routinely collected data by Yorkshire Ambulance Service were compared with a historical comparison group from the local ED. Initial contact comparison was undertaken along with statistical analysis of secondary care attendance 28 days after initial contact with the ECP service. Results: The ECPs showed decreased rates of admission to hospital in both groups at initial contact and at 28 days (p<0.001 for those with breathing difficulties, p<0.05 for elderly patients with a fall). Conclusions: ECPs help to prevent attendances and admissions by delivery of clinical care and assessment at point of access to health care beyond that traditionally provided by UK ambulance services. This study was limited in scope owing to the difficulties in ensuring an accurate comparison group.
Seismic resistance prediction of corroded S400 (BSt420) reinforcing bars

Purpose Structures in seismic areas, during their service lifetime, are subjected to numerous seismic loads that certainly affect their structural integrity. The degradation of these structures, to a great extent, depends on the scale of seismic events, the steel mechanical performance on reversal loads and its resistance to corrosion phenomena. Design/methodology/approach Based on the experimental results of seismic steel behavior S400 (BSt III), which was widely used in the past years, a prediction study of seismic steel behavior was conducted in the current study. This prediction on behavior of both reference and corroded steel was succeeded through a simulation of experimental low cycle fatigue conditions (LCF - strain controlled). Findings At the same time, the present study analyses fatigue factors (ef, a, fSR, ed, ep, R, b) that define their inelastic relation between tension – strain and a prediction model on behavior of both reference and corroded steel rebar, in seismic loads conditions (LCF), i.
Utilization of Fly Ash and Nickel Slag PT - Antam as Material Subtitution for Concrete

The use of concrete for road and bridge work has long been used, and nearly 80% of the bridge elements made of concrete. In concrete, aggregates it self-occupies 70% to 75% of the volume of concrete, so the quality of aggregates influence on the properties of concrete. High demand for concrete also increases demand for aggregates. As a result of the increased demand for aggregates, exploration of natural materials would potentially harm the environment. In addition, as fuel prices increase, resulting in increasing prices of construction materials and other basic commodities. Because of that, many industries switched to using coal as an alternative fuel. PT. Antam as one of the nickel mining industry also used coal as an alternative fuel. The result of using coal as fuel is the production of residual waste coal that is fly ash. The nickel production also produces nickel slag as residual waste that contains very small amount of nickel and not economically to recovered. To reduce by-product of nickel mining industry, a research use of fly ash and nickel slag as a substitution material for concrete rigid pavement was investigated. The purpose of this research, to characterized the chemical and physical fly ash and nickel slag properties. The last step of this research is the analysis of the effects of the use fly ash and nickel slag on the compressive strength of concrete as the main indicator of the strength of concrete.