Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induction of endometriosis alters the peripheral and endometrial regulatory T cell population in the non-human primate.

BACKGROUND Endometriosis is a gynecological condition that is characterized by extreme abdominal pain and also decreased fertility. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have immunosuppressive activity critical for embryonic implantation and likewise the acceptance of tissue engraftment. Utilizing the induced non-human primate (Papio anubis) model of endometriosis, we hypothesize that endometriosis decreases the peripheral and endomet rial Treg profile, whereas ectopic lesions have increased Treg localization. METHODS Peripheral blood and endometrium were obtained throughout the menstrual cycle prior to and after induction of disease. Animals were randomly assigned to control (n = 7) or diseased (n = 16) treatment groups. Endometriosis was induced by i.p. injection of autologous menstrual tissue for 2 consecutive months during menses. Peripheral blood and endometrial tissue were collected at d9-11PO at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 months post-induction of disease for fluorescence-activated cell sorting, quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Ectopic lesions were excised at 1 and 6 months post-inoculation and also harvested at necropsy (15 months) and processed for RNA of IHC. Identification of Tregs through analysis of FOXP3 expression was conducted utlilizing several methodologies. Differences were determined by non-parametric statistical analysis between all treatment groups and time points. RESULTS In control animals, the proportion of peripheral natural Tregs (nTregs) was reduced (P < 0.05) during the mid- and late secretory stages of the menstrual cycle compared with menses. The induction of disease decreased peripheral Treg expression at early time points (P < 0.05) and this remained low throughout the time course, compared with the pre-inoculatory level of an individual. FOXP3 gene expression and Treg populations were also decreased in the eutopic endometrium (P < 0.05) compared with control animals, whereas these parameters were increased in ectopic lesions (P < 0.05), compared with the eutopic endometrium. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that a reduction in peripheral Tregs may be a causative factor for endometriosis-associated infertility, while the increase in ectopic Treg expression may aid lesion development. Furthermore, endometriosis appears to disrupt Treg recruitment in both eutopic and ectopic endometrium.
Minimization of Power Loss & Improvement in Voltage Profile of 11 kV Feeder

Abstract—The present work is an attempt to reduce the power loss and to improve the voltage profile on an existing 11 kV feeder by implementing different techniques. Simulations are performed using Mipower software on an existing 11 kV feeder (Aggarwal feeder) of industrial area Kapurthala. In this work effects of changing type of feeder are simulated to investigate the reduction in power loss and improvement of voltage profile of an existing 11kV feeder. Present work will help in solving the power shortage, especially in Punjab where the power crises are acute.
The Proportional Relations Systems of Islamic Architecture

The problem of the current research has been represented by the lack of studies on the foundations of forming the proportional relations in the Islamic architecture. The objective of the study was defined in an attempt to reveal the concepts and the items of the system of proportional relations in the Islamic architecture. The proportion in architecture either derived from the mathematical matrix or other disciplines are always concerned on the spatial system through measurement and form’s relations. The obtained conclusions show the authenticity of the system of proportional relations in the Islamic architecture which was based on two factors, the aesthetic sense related to the symbolic aesthetic systems and the acquired knowledge related to the mathematical geometrical systems of Muslims. Hence, the Islamic architecture compositions are correlated even though the functional types and the architectural styles of its architectural models are differentiated by a unified view of the constructs underlying the proportional relations system.
Effects of supplemental zinc source and level on antioxidant ability and fat metabolism-related enzymes of broilers1

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplemental Zinc (Zn) source and level on antioxidant ability and fat metabolism-related enzymes of broilers. Dietary treatments included the Zn-unsupplemented corn-soybean meal basal diet (control) and basal diets supplemented with 60, 120, or 180 mg Zn/kg as Zn sulfate, Zn amino acid chelate with a weak chelation strength of 6.5 quotient of formation (Qf) (11.93% Zn) (Zn-AA W), Zn proteinate with a moderate chelation strength of 30.7 Qf (13.27% Zn) (Zn-Pro M), or Zn proteinate with an extremely strong chelation strength of 944.0 Qf (18.61% Zn) (Zn-Pro S). The results showed that dietary supplemental Zn increased (P < 0.01) Zn contents in the liver, breast, and thigh muscles of broilers, and up-regulated mRNA expressions of copper and Zn containing superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) and metallothioneins (MT) in the liver (P < 0.01) and thigh muscle (P < 0.05), and also enhanced (P < 0.05) CuZnSOD activities in the breast and thigh muscles, which exerted antioxidant ability and a decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the liver (P < 0.01) and breast and thigh muscles (P < 0.05) of broilers. Furthermore, supplemental Zn increased activities of malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the abdominal fat (P < 0.05), and fatty acid synthetase (FAS) and LPL in the liver (P < 0.01), which were accompanied with up-regulation (P < 0.01) of the mRNA expressions levels of these enzymes in the abdominal fat and liver of broilers. Dietary Zn source, and an interaction between Zn source and level, had no effects on any measurements. It is concluded that dietary Zn supplementation improved Zn status and resulted in promoting antioxidant ability and activities and gene expressions of fat metabolism-related enzymes of broilers regardless of Zn source and level, and the addition of 60 mg Zn/kg to the corn-soybean meal basal diet (a total dietary Zn of approximately 90 mg/kg) was appropriate for improving the above aspects of broilers.
Role of plasminogen system components in focal cerebral ischemic infarction: a gene targeting and gene transfer study in mice.

BACKGROUND The role of plasminogen system components in focal cerebral ischemic infarction (FCI) was studied in mice deficient in plasminogen (Plg-/-), in tissue or urokinase plasminogen activator (tPA-/- or uPA-/-), or in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 or alpha2-antiplasmin (PAI-1(-/-) or alpha2-AP-/-). METHODS AND RESULTS FCI was produced by ligation of the left middle cerebral artery and measured after 24 hours by planimetry of stained brain slices. In control (wild-type) mice, infarct size was 7.6+/-1.1 mm3 (mean+/-SEM), uPA-/- mice had similar infarcts (7.8+/-1.0 mm3, P=NS), tPA-/- mice smaller (2.6+/-0.80 mm3, P<0.0001), PAI-1(-/-) mice larger (16+/-0.52 mm3, P<0.0001), and Plg-/- mice larger (12+/-1.2 mm3, P=0.037) infarcts. alpha2-AP-/- mice had smaller infarcts (2. 2+/-1.1 mm3, P<0.0001 versus wild-type), which increased to 13+/-2.5 mm3 (P<0.005 versus alpha2-AP-/-) after intravenous injection of human alpha2-AP. Injection into alpha2-AP-/- mice of Fab fragments of affinospecific rabbit IgG against human alpha2-AP, after injection of 200 microg human alpha2-AP, reduced FCI from 11+/-1.5 to 5.1+/-1.1 mm3 (P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS Plg system components affect FCI at 2 different levels: (1) reduction of tPA activity (tPA gene inactivation) reduces whereas its augmentation (PAI-1 gene inactivation) increases infarct size, and (2) reduction of Plg activity (Plg gene inactivation or alpha2-AP injection) increases whereas its augmentation (alpha2-AP gene inactivation or alpha2-AP neutralization) reduces infarct size. Inhibition of alpha2-AP may constitute a potential avenue to treatment of FCI.
Educational expenditure in urban China: income effects, family characteristics and the demand for domestic and overseas education

Analysing survey data from 32 selected cities across China in 2003, this article examines parents’ expenditure on their children's education from two aspects: factors affecting domestic education expenditure and factors affecting expenditure on overseas education. The main findings that emerge from this study are as follows. First, household income has significant effects on the magnitude of the domestic and overseas educational expenditures. Second, households where mothers have senior secondary school or college education, and fathers are working in professional occupations are likely to spend more on education for their children. Third, being in the highest income category, having a college-educated father, having a mother who is a cadre or middle professional and living in a coastal area significantly enhances the probabilities for the households sending their children overseas for education.
Should we correct our students errors in l2 learning

In teaching and learning a foreign language, there is a general belief of not leaving an erroneous utterance in the air but correct it; however, this is a very complex issue which depends on many internal and external factors affecting the language acquisition and learning process. This article opens a debate about the topic in a thought-provoking way by analysing the most representative research done so far, the set of reasons to account for and against error correction and a critical evaluation of positive and negative ways of correction and its methodological implications for a direct application in the language classroom.
Stellar velocity dispersion drops in the central regions of five isolated Seyfert spirals

We analyze the kinematics of the central regions of five isolated Seyfert spiral galaxies from the DEGAS sample (four with new data presented in this paper, IC 184, UGC 3223, NGC 2639, NGC 6814, and NGC 6951 from our previous data), by using long slit spectroscopy in the CaII triplet range (at ≈8600 A) obtained with a 4 m-class telescope. A drop of the velocity dispersions in the innermost ±(1-3) arcsec is observed in four of them, and hinted at in the remaining galaxy (NGC 6814). The available HST images for our sample together with another nine galaxies with reported velocity dispersion drops are also used to investigate the presence of morphological inner structures at the scales of the kinematical drops. Evidence for disk-like shapes is found in 12 out of the 14 cases. The only exceptions are NGC 6814 and NGC 6951. Existing N-body simulations including stars, gas and star formation predict that such a drop is most probably due to a young stellar population born from dynamically cold gas accreted in a circumnuclear disk formed during an episode of central gas accretion driven by a bar. The equivalent widths of the calcium triplet lines for our 5 galaxies have been measured. Even if the profiles could be formally consistent with constant EW(CaT) values, they seem to indicate the presence of a local maximum in the regions corresponding spatially to the drops; if confirmed, this would imply the presence of a different stellar population, whose properties could help constrain the models.
Adaptive Behaviors of Experts in Following Standard Protocol in Trauma Management: Implications for Developing Flexible Guidelines

Critical care environments are complex and dynamic. To adapt to such environments, clinicians may be required to make alterations to their workflows resulting in deviations from standard procedures. In this work, deviations from standards in trauma critical care are studied. Thirty trauma cases were observed in a Level 1 trauma center. Activities tracked were compared to the Advance Trauma Life Support standard to determine (i) if deviations had occurred, (ii) type of deviations and (iii) whether deviations were initiated by individuals or collaboratively by the team. Results show that expert clinicians deviated to innovate, while deviations of novices result mostly in error. Experts' well developed knowledge allows for flexibility and adaptiveness in dealing with standards, resulting in innovative deviations while minimizing errors made. Providing informatics solution, in such a setting, would mean that standard protocols would have be flexible enough to "learn" from new knowledge, yet provide strong support for the trainees.
Ranibizumab in neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a 5-year follow-up

Purpose Our aim was to evaluate an optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual acuity (VA)-guided, variable-dosing regimen with intravitreal ranibizumab injection for treating patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) from 2007 to 2012. Design This was a retrospective clinical study of 5 years follow-up in a tertiary eye center. Patients and methods In this study, 66 patients with neovascular AMD (mean age of 74 years, SD 8.7 years) were included. We investigated the development of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), the number of intravitreal injections, and the central retinal thickness measured with OCT (OCT Spectralis) over 5 years of intravitreal treatment. Results The mean number of intravitreal ranibizumab injections over 5 years was 8.8. The mean BCVA before therapy was 0.4 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR). After 5 years of therapy, the mean BCVA was 0.6 logMAR. In all, 16% of treated patients had stable VA over 5 years and 10% of study eyes approved their VA. The mean OCT-measured central retinal thickness at the beginning of this study was 295 µm; after 5 years of treatment, the mean central retinal thickness was 315 µm. There was an increase in central retinal thickness in 47.5% of examined eyes. Conclusion Other studies showed VA improvement in OCT-guided variable-dosing regimens. Our study revealed a moderate decrease in VA after a total mean injection number as low as 8.8 injections over 5 years. In OCT, an increase in central retinal thickness over 5 years could be observed. Probably, this is due to deficient treatment when comparing the total injection number to other treatment regimens. Anti-VEGF therapy helps to keep the VA stable for a period of time, but cannot totally stop the progression of the disease completely. Patients with late stages of neovascular AMD can maintain VA even if they are relatively undertreated.
PSEUDO-CONVEX DOMAIN WITH LIPSCHITZ BOUNDARY

On a bounded strongly pseudo-convex domain X in C with a Lipschitz boundary, we prove that thē∂−Neumann operator N can be extended as a bounded operator from Sobolev (−1/2)−spaces to the Sobolev (1/2)−spaces. In particular, N is compact operator on Sobolev (−1/2)−spaces.
Density estimators in particle hydrodynamics DTFE versus regular SPH

We present the results of a study comparing density maps reconstructed by the Delaunay Tessellation Field Estimator (DTFE) and by regular SPH kernel-based techniques. The density maps are constructed from the outcome of an SPH particle hydrodynamics simulation of a multiphase interstellar medium. The comparison between the two methods clearly demonstrates the superior performance of the DTFE with respect to conventional SPH methods, in particular at locations where SPH appears to fail. Filamentary and sheetlike structures form telling examples. The DTFE is a fully self-adaptive technique for reconstructing continuous density fields from discrete particle distributions, and is based upon the corresponding Delaunay tessellation. Its principal asset is its complete independence of arbitrary smoothing functions and parameters specifying the properties of these. As a result it manages to faithfully reproduce the anisotropies of the local particle distribution and through its adaptive and local nature proves to be optimally suited for uncovering the full structural richness in the density distribution. Through the improvement in local density estimates, calculations invoking the DTFE will yield a much better representation of physical processes which depend on density. This will be crucial in the case of feedback processes, which play a major role in galaxy and star formation. The presented results form an encouraging step towards the application and insertion of the DTFE in astrophysical hydrocodes. We describe an outline for the construction of a particle hydrodynamics code in which the DTFE replaces kernel-based methods. Further discussion addresses the issue and possibilities for a moving grid-based hydrocode invoking the DTFE, and Delaunay tessellations, in an attempt to combine the virtues of the Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches.
Autologous Transplantation of Endothelial Progenitor Cells Attenuates Acute Lung Injury in Rabbits

Background:Acute lung injury (ALI) and end-stage acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are among the most common causes of death in intensive care units. Activation and damage of pulmonary endothelium is the hallmark of ALI/ARDS. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in maintaining normal endothelial function as well as endothelial repairing after vascular injury. Here, the authors present the first study demonstrating the therapeutic potential of EPCs in a rabbit model of ALI/ARDS. Methods:Circulating EPCs were obtained from rabbits using Ficoll centrifugation. One week after culturing, ALI was induced in rabbits by oleic acid (75 mg/kg, intravenous), and autologous EPCs were transplanted intravenously. Vasomotor function of isolated pulmonary artery and degrees of lung injury were assessed 2 days later. Results:Endothelial dysfunction in the pulmonary artery was significantly attenuated in rabbits treated with EPCs, whereas the endothelium-independent relaxation responses were not different. Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase was suppressed in the pulmonary artery of EPC-treated animals. Infiltration of leukocytes in the lung parenchyma was significantly reduced after EPC transplantation. EPCs also decreased water content, hyaline membrane formation, and hemorrhage in lungs. Conclusion:The authors demonstrated that autologous transplantation of EPCs preserves pulmonary endothelial function and maintains the integrity of pulmonary alveolar–capillary barrier. Transplantation of EPCs can be a novel cell-based, endothelium-targeted therapeutic strategy for prevention and treatment of ALI/ARDS.
Identifying psychophysiological indices of expert vs. novice performance in deadly force judgment and decision making

Objective: To demonstrate that psychophysiology may have applications for objective assessment of expertise development in deadly force judgment and decision making (DFJDM). Background: Modern training techniques focus on improving decision-making skills with participative assessment between trainees and subject matter experts primarily through subjective observation. Objective metrics need to be developed. The current proof of concept study explored the potential for psychophysiological metrics in deadly force judgment contexts. Method: Twenty-four participants (novice, expert) were recruited. All wore a wireless Electroencephalography (EEG) device to collect psychophysiological data during high-fidelity simulated deadly force judgment and decision-making simulations using a modified Glock firearm. Participants were exposed to 27 video scenarios, one-third of which would have justified use of deadly force. Pass/fail was determined by whether the participant used deadly force appropriately. Results: Experts had a significantly higher pass rate compared to novices (p < 0.05). Multiple metrics were shown to distinguish novices from experts. Hierarchical regression analyses indicate that psychophysiological variables are able to explain 72% of the variability in expert performance, but only 37% in novices. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) using psychophysiological metrics was able to discern between experts and novices with 72.6% accuracy. Conclusion: While limited due to small sample size, the results suggest that psychophysiology may be developed for use as an objective measure of expertise in DFDJM. Specifically, discriminant function measures may have the potential to objectively identify expert skill acquisition. Application: Psychophysiological metrics may create a performance model with the potential to optimize simulator-based DFJDM training. These performance models could be used for trainee feedback, and/or by the instructor to assess performance objectively.
Designing a pervasive pet social game for a mobile phone

In the era of communicative equipment and technological popularities, the relationship between humans and the environment has changed. The digital signal has replaced the traditional face-to- face forms of communication. In most cases, although the human body still exists in the real world, its spirit is immersed in the virtual world of communications equipment. Gradually, they isolate themselves from the surrounding environment unknowingly, and thus form of a disembodied private space [1]. Therefore, they hardly notice the changes around them, so it is difficult to interact with people. From a sociological study, it was found that the dog is a cross-racial, cultural, and gender based animal, which is facilitative of helping coordinate interactions between neighbors or strangers, increasing dog owners to interact with the community or neighbors, making pet owners be willing to take the initiative to say hello, participating in community activities, and improving mental health [2]. Therefore, this study uses the way of cultural pro be to collect pet dog owners' life experience in order to lay the basis for the development of a mobile computing game.
A stochastic approach to the synthesis of a robust frequency-invariant filter-and-sum beamformer

Frequency-invariant beam patterns (FIBPs) are often required by systems using an array of sensors to process broadband signals. Although several methods have been proposed to design a broadband beamformer (typically characterized by a finite impulse response (FIR) filter for each sensor) with an FIBP, until now, the case in which the spatial aperture is shorter than the involved wavelengths has very rarely been considered. In such a case, the use of a superdirective beam pattern is essential to attaining an efficient system. In this context, robustness to array imperfections and random errors is a very crucial feature. In this paper, a method to design a robust broadband beamformer that produces an FIBP for a data-independent superdirective array is proposed and compared with other potential approaches. The method generates a far-field beam pattern that reproduces the desired profile over a very wide frequency band (also if the array is shorter than the wavelength) and is based on a stochastic approach to the direct synthesis of the FIR filters. The very simple implementation and the resulting robustness of the attained filter-and-sum beamformer to array imperfections increase the applicability of the system. This fact is particularly important in the context of a audio signal processing carried out by microphone arrays, which is the main application considered in this paper.