Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low‐concentration heparin suppresses ionomycin‐activated CAMK‐II/EGF receptor‐ and ERK‐mediated signaling in mesangial cells

Heparin and endogenous heparinoids inhibit the proliferation of smooth muscle cells, including renal mesangial cells; multiple effects on signaling pathways are well established, including effects on PKC, Erk, and CaMK‐II. Many studies have used heparin at concentrations of 100 µg/ml or higher, whereas endogenous concentrations of heparinoids are much lower. Here we report the effects of low‐concentration (1 µg/ml) heparin on activation of several kinases and subsequent induction of the c‐fos gene in mesangial cells in response to the calcium ionophore, ionomycin, in the absence of serum factors. Ionomycin rapidly increases the phosphorylation of CaMK‐II (by 30 s), and subsequently of the EGF receptor (EGFR), c‐Src, and Erk 1/2. Low‐dose heparin suppresses the ionomycin‐dependent phosphorylation of EGFR, c‐Src, and Erk 1/2, but not of CaMK‐II, whereas inhibition of activated CaMK‐II reduces phosphorylation of EGFR, c‐Src, and Erk. Our data support a mechanism whereby heparin acts at the cell surface to suppress downstream targets of CaMK‐II, including EGFR, leading in turn to a decrease in Erk‐ (but not c‐Src‐) dependent induction of c‐fos. J. Cell. Physiol. 224: 484–490, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Phishing for phishing awareness

Using various social-engineering techniques, criminals run havoc on the Internet and defraud many people in a number of different ways. This puts various organisational communities at risk. Therefore, it is important that people within such communities should learn how to protect themselves when active in cyberspace, or when dealing with cyber-related technologies. Training can indeed play a big role in this regard, and consequently, assist by altering the insecure behaviour of many people. The objective of this article is to ascertain whether simulating phishing attacks together with embedded training can contribute towards cultivating users’ resistance towards ‘phishing attacks’. In order to achieve this objective, a phishing exercise at an institution in South Africa was conducted.
OnabotulinumtoxinA for chronic migraine: a critical appraisal

Chronic migraine (CM) is a severe disabling condition with a few available evidence-based management options. OnabotulinumtoxinA (onaBoNTA) is approved for use in a number of disorders. Its benefits and potential use in migraine were observed incidentally while treating patients cosmetically for wrinkles. The mechanism of action of onaBoNTA in CM is not fully understood, but there is evidence that this involves axonal transport via sensory fibers. The Phase III REsearch Evaluating Migraine Prophylaxis Therapy trials have established the efficacy as well as the long-term safety and tolerability of onaBoNTA in CM. This review will discuss the evidence behind its use in this setting.
Numerical Modeling of the Dynamic Behavior of Rigid Retaining Walls Subjected to Real Near-Fault Ground Motions and Estimation of Seismic Lateral Earth Pressures

In this study, a series of nonlinear 2D finite difference analyses were carried out to study the seismic behavior of non-yielding gravity-type earth retaining walls founded in rock site subjected to “Real Near-Fault ground motions”. Numerical analyses were performed by two dimensional explicit FLAC2D finite difference code. Various sets of real data (forty accelerograms) records were applied at the bedrock level to assess model’s dynamic response for different earthquake scenarios. All ground motions have a baseline correction and all output accelerograms obtained from the dynamic analyses are filtered using a non-causal bandpass filter of order 4, between 0.1 and 25 Hz. In these calculations, the foundation non-deformability, the seismic amplification or attenuation and the non-linearity of the soil placed behind the retaining wall are considered. We highlighted an important correlation between the PGA (Pic Ground Acceleration) calculated in free field (accounting for the wave propagation) and the obtained pressure. Numerical results are compared to theoretical calculation methods available in the literature. Among them, Wood's method seems to be the most precise one, presenting small deviations with the numerical methods. Moreover, it is the safest method, in the sense that it predicts the highest pressure values, not only in the elastic cases but even in some situations when non-linearity appears. In addition, we found that the time corresponding to the maximum calculated values of lateral earth pressure acting on the wall matches with the time of the calculated (PGAff). So, the main takeaway of this observation is the zero effect of seismic duration on pressure evolution.
Finite-Sample Analysis of Lasso-TD

In this paper, we analyze the performance of Lasso-TD, a modification of LSTD in which the projection operator is defined as a Lasso problem. We first show that Lasso-TD is guaranteed to have a unique fixed point and its algorithmic implementation coincides with the recently presented LARS-TD and LC-TD methods. We then derive two bounds on the prediction error of Lasso-TD in the Markov design setting, i.e., when the performance is evaluated on the same states used by the method. The first bound makes no assumption, but has a slow rate w.r. t. the number of samples. The second bound is under an assumption on the empirical Gram matrix, called the compatibility condition, but has an improved rate and directly relates the prediction error to the sparsity of the value function in the feature space at hand.
Numerical simulation of the effects of elastic anisotropy and grain size upon the machining of AA2024

ABSTRACT Turning modeling and simulation of different metallic materials using the commercially available Finite Element (FE) softwares is getting prime importance because of saving of time and money in comparison to the costly experiments. Mostly, the numerical analysis of machining process considers a purely isotropic behavior of metallic materials; however, the literature shows that the elastic crystal anisotropy is present in most of the ‘so-called’ isotropic materials. In the present work, the elastic anisotropy is incorporated in the FE simulations along with the effect of grain size. A modified Johnson-Cook ductile material model based on coupled plasticity and damage evolution has been proposed to model the cutting process. The simulation results were compared with experimental data on the turning process of Aluminum alloy (AA2024). It was found that the elastic anisotropy influences the average cutting force up to 5% as compared to the isotropic models while the effect of grain size was more pronounced up to 20%.
Exposure to professional pest control treatments and the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Previous studies suggest that exposure to pesticides increases the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The aim of this analysis was to investigate whether professional pest treatments in or around the home before birth or during childhood increased the risk of childhood ALL. Data from 388 cases and 870 frequency‐matched controls were analyzed using unconditional logistic regression, adjusting for study matching variables and potential confounders, to calculate odds ratios (ORs). A meta‐analysis of our findings with the published findings of previous studies was also conducted. The ORs for any professional pest control treatments were 1.19 (95% CI 0.83, 1.69) in the year before pregnancy, 1.30 (95% CI 0.86, 1.97) during pregnancy and 1.24 (95% CI 0.93, 1.65) for those done after the child's birth. The ORs for exposure after birth were highest when it occurred between the ages of two and three years. ORs were elevated for termite treatments before birth. ORs were higher for pre‐B than T cell ALL and for t(12;21) (ETV6‐Runx‐1) than other cytogenetic sub‐types. The pooled OR from a meta‐analysis of our study with three previous studies of professional pest control treatments during pregnancy was 1.37 (95% CI 1.00, 1.88). Our results, and those of our meta‐analysis, provide some evidence of a modestly increased risk of ALL for professional pest control treatments done during the index pregnancy and possibly in the child's early years. The analysis of pooled data from international collaborations may provide more certainty regarding these potentially important associations.
Pareto-optimal assignments by hierarchical exchange

Papai’s 2000 hierarchical exchange mechanisms for house allocation problems determine matchings as the outcome of multiple rounds of trading cycles. Any hierarchical exchange mechanism can be defined through a structure of ownership, which determines the ownership of houses after any round of trading cycles. Given a permutation of agents, a “permuted” hierarchical exchange mechanism can be constructed by consistently permuting agents over the entire structure of ownership. The paper shows that for any Pareto-efficient matching and any hierarchical exchange mechanism, there is a permutation of agents in the ownership structure such that the induced permuted hierarchical exchange mechanism leads to this matching.
Application of the Kurtosis Statistic to the Evaluation of the Risk of Hearing Loss in Workers Exposed to High-Level Complex Noise

Objective: Develop dose-response relations for two groups of industrial workers exposed to Gaussian or non-Gaussian (complex) types of continuous noises and to investigate what role, if any, the kurtosis statistic can play in the evaluation of industrial noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Design: Audiometric and noise exposure data were acquired on a population (N = 195) of screened workers from a textile manufacturing plant and a metal fabrication facility located in Henan province of China. Thirty-two of the subjects were exposed to non-Gaussian (non-G) noise and 163 were exposed to a Gaussian (G) continuous noise. Each subject was given a general physical and an otologic examination. Hearing threshold levels (0.5–8.0 kHz) were age adjusted (ISO-1999) and the prevalence of NIHL at 3, 4, or 6 kHz was determined. The kurtosis metric, which is sensitive to the peak and temporal characteristics of a noise, was introduced into the calculation of the cumulative noise exposure metric. Using the prevalence of hearing loss and the cumulative noise exposure metric, a dose-response relation for the G and non-G noise-exposed groups was constructed. Results: An analysis of the noise environments in the two plants showed that the noise exposures in the textile plant were of a Gaussian type with an Leq(A)8hr that varied from 96 to 105 dB whereas the exposures in the metal fabrication facility with an Leq(A)8hr = 95 dB were of a non-G type containing high levels (up to 125 dB peak SPL) of impact noise. The kurtosis statistic was used to quantify the deviation of the non-G noise environment from the Gaussian. The dose-response relation for the non-G noise-exposed subjects showed a higher prevalence of hearing loss for a comparable cumulative noise exposure than did the G noise-exposed subjects. By introducing the kurtosis variable into the temporal component of the cumulative noise exposure calculation, the two dose-response curves could be made to overlap, essentially yielding an equivalent noise-induced effect for the two study groups. Conclusions: For the same exposure level, the prevalence of NIHL is greater in workers exposed to non-G noise environments than for workers exposed to G noise. The kurtosis metric may be a reasonable candidate for use in modifying exposure level calculations that are used to estimate the risk of NIHL from any type of noise exposure environment. However, studies involving a large number of workers with well-documented exposures are needed before a relation between a metric such as the kurtosis and the risk of hearing loss can be refined.
The hydraulic bulge forming of tubular components

The bulge forming process is a method for shaping tubular components using an internal hydrostatic pressure combined with an axial compressive force. Initial investigations involved carrying out an extensive literature survey to determine the components which could be formed and the types of machines which have been used. Subsequent to this, initial tests were carried out using a previously designed die and tool block in conjunction with a compression testing machine. In these tests copper tubes were formed into expander/reducers and cross pieces by manual adjustment of the axial force and internal pressure.Having obtained experience of the difficulties associated with this die and toolblock, and the loading requirements necessary for theforming process, a new bulge forming machine was designed. The design of the machine was based on the following main criteria: (i) The machine should be free standing and self contained. (ii) The axial deformation of the ends of the tube blank should besynchronised to allow the bulge to form centrally on the tube. (iii) The internal bulge forming pressure should be externallycontrollable during the forming process. (iv) The design should incorporate facilities for subsequent automatic control using a micro-processor/computer. On the basis of these requirements, a machine was designed, built andcommissioned.After correcting a few problems encountered in the commissioning of the machine, a series of tests were carried out, forming tee and cross pieces from copper tube of two different wall thicknesses. These were found to be fairly easy to produce on this new machine. From the resulting components, formed at various combinations of internal pressure and axial compressive force, the limits for a successful forming operation were established. Further analysis of these components was then undertaken to evaluate the effects of the internal pressure and axial compressive force on the bulge height and the wall thickness in the deformation zone. From these results, which have been illustrated graphically, the greatest effect on the resulting bulge can seen to be the axial compressive force.An extension of a theoretical analysis has also been presented, which predicts the wall thickness distribution around the bulge zone. Comparison of these predictions with the experimental wall thickness distributions shows fairly good agreement, especially at the root and tip of the side branch.
Effect of electrode density and measurement noise on the spatial resolution of cortical potential distribution

The purpose of the present study was to examine the spatial resolution of electroencephalography (EEG) by means of inverse cortical EEG solution. The main interest was to study how the number of measurement electrodes and the amount of measurement noise affects the spatial resolution. A three-layer spherical head model was used to obtain the source-field relationship of cortical potentials and scalp EEG field. Singular value decomposition was used to evaluate the spatial resolution with various measurement noise estimates. The results suggest that as the measurement noise increases the advantage of dense electrode systems is decreased. With low realistic measurement noise, a more accurate inverse cortical potential distribution can be obtained with an electrode system where the distance between two electrodes is as small as 16 mm, corresponding to as many as 256 measurement electrodes. In clinical measurement environments, it is always beneficial to have at least 64 measurement electrodes.
Methane fluxes during the initiation of a large‐scale water table manipulation experiment in the Alaskan Arctic tundra

Much of the 191.8 Pg C in the upper 1 m of Arctic soil of Arctic soil organic mater is, or is at risk of, being released to the atmosphere as CO2 and/or CH4. Global warming will further alter the rate of emission of these gases to the atmosphere. Here we quantify the effect of major environmental variables affected by global climate change on CH4 fluxes in the Alaskan Arctic. Soil temperature best predicts CH4 fluxes and explained 89% of the variability in CH4 emissions. Water table depth has a nonlinear impact on CH4 efflux. Increasing water table height above the surface retards CH4 efflux. Decreasing water table depth below the surface has a minor effect on CH4 release once an aerobic layer is formed at the surface. In contrast with several other studies, we found that CH4 emissions are not driven by net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and are not limited by labile carbon supply.
Harvesting the Potential of the Human Umbilical Cord: Isolation and Characterisation of Four Cell Types for Tissue Engineering Applications

The human umbilical cord (UC) has attracted interest as a source of cells for many research applications. UC solid tissues contain four cell types: epithelial, stromal, smooth muscle and endothelial cells. We have developed a unique protocol for the sequential extraction of all four cell types from a single UC, allowing tissue reconstruction using multiple cell types from the same source. By combining perfusion, immersion and explant techniques, all four cell types have been successfully expanded in monolayer cultures. We have also characterised epithelial and Wharton’s jelly cells (WJC) by immunolabelling of specific proteins. Epithelial cell yields averaged at 2.3 × 105 cells per centimetre UC, and the cells expressed an unusual combination of keratins typical of simple, mucous and stratified epithelia. Stromal cells in the Wharton’s jelly expressed desmin, α-smooth muscle actin, elastin, keratins (K12, K16, K18 and K19), vimentin and collagens. Expression patterns in cultured cells resembled those found in situ except for basement membrane components and type III collagen. These stromal cells featured a sustained proliferation rate up to passage 12 after thawing. The mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) character of the WJC was confirmed by their expression of typical MSC surface markers and by adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation assays. To emphasise and demonstrate their potential for regenerative medicine, UC cell types were successfully used to produce human tissue-engineered constructs. Both bilayered stromal/epithelial and vascular substitutes were produced, establishing the versatility and importance of these cells for research and therapeutic applications.
Epidemiology and vaccine of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in China: a mini-review

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is an intestinal infectious disease caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV); manifestations of the disease are diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. Starting from the end of 2010, a PED outbreak occurred in several pig-producing provinces in southern China. Subsequently, the disease spread throughout the country and caused enormous economic losses to the pork industry. Accumulating studies demonstrated that new PEDV variants that appeared in China were responsible for the PED outbreak. In the current mini-review, we summarize PEDV epidemiology and vaccination in China.
Creation and study of matter in extreme conditions by high-intensity free-electron laser radiation

The recent development of free-electron lasers operating at XUV and X-ray wavelengths are proving vital for the exploration of matter in extreme conditions. The ultra-short pulse length and high peak brightness these light sources provide, combined with a tunable X-ray wavelength range, makes them ideally suited both for creating high energy density samples and for their subsequent study. In this thesis I describe the work done on the XUV free-electron laser FLASH in Hamburg, aimed at creating homogeneous samples of warm dense matter through the process of volumetric XUV photo-absorption, and the theoretical work undertaken to understand the process of high-intensity laser-matter interactions. As a first step, we have successfully demonstrated intensities above 10 17 Wcm−2 at a wavelength of 13.5 nm, by focusing the FEL beam to micron and sub-micron spot sizes by means of a multilayer-coated off-axis parabolic mirror. Using these record high intensities, we have demonstrated for the first time saturable absorption in the XUV. The effect was observed in aluminium and magnesium samples and is due to the bleaching of a core-state absorption channel by the intense radiation field. This result has major implications for the creation of homogeneous high energy density systems, as a saturable absorption channel allows for a more homogeneous heating mechanism than previously thought possible. Further, we have conducted soft X-ray emission spectroscopy measurements which have delivered a wealth of information on the highly photo-excited system under irradiation, immediately after the excitation pulse, yet before the system evolves into the warm dense matter state. Such strongly photo-excited samples have also been studied theoretically, by means of density functional theory coupled to molecular dynamics calculations, yielding detailed electronic structure information. The use of emission spectroscopy as a probe for solid-density and finite-temperature systems is discussed in light of these results. Theoretical efforts have further been made in the study of the free-free absorption of aluminium as the system evolves from the solid state to warm dense matter. We predict an absorption peak in temperature as the system heats and forms a dense plasma. The physical significance of this effect is discussed in terms of intense light-matter interactions on both femtosecond and picosecond time-scales.
Degradation diagnosis system of photovoltaic panels with mobile application

Recently, the number of buildings and houses in which photovoltaic (PV) systems are installed has increased. However, an issue with the efficiency of the PV system and the degradation phenomenon has been revealed. Consumers who benefit from the PV system experience difficulties monitoring and controlling it because a PV diagnosis system is heavy and expensive to install at home. Furthermore, the existing diagnosis system is not coordinated with a home energy management system. In addition, the accurate performance evaluation of the PV system is required for energy management. Therefore, a new degradation diagnosis system for PV panels for household consumers is proposed in this paper. Additionally, a mobile-type home gateway that has various management applications is proposed. It is demonstrated that, with this mobile-type home gateway applied to the proposed system, consumers can monitor the degradation of the PV system, analyze the efficiency of the PV panels, and save energy at home by using a mobile-type home gateway.
Simultaneous determination of glycyrrhizin and liquiritin in licorice roots and Kampo medicines by combination enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using anti-glycyrrhizin and anti-liquiritin monoclonal antibodies

ABSTRACT Immunoassay systems using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are one of the most useful techniques in the analytical, biochemical, and clinical fields. In this study, a combination enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using both anti-glycyrrhizin and anti-liquiritin mAbs (anti-GL/Liq mixture mAbs) was developed for quality control of licorice and its products. The combination ELISA demonstrated high sensitivity, reproducibility, and specificity for the total content of GL and Liq by a single assay. The developed ELISA was effective and useful as the first screening method in the selection of high-quality licorice from the Glycyrrhiza species and in confirming the quality of licorice-containing Kampo medicines.