Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kochia scoparia seed extract suppresses VEGF-induced angiogenesis via modulating VEGF receptor 2 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways

Abstract Context: Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad (Amaranthaceae), known as a traditional medicine in China, Japan and Korea, is reported to have various biological activities. However, K. scoparia seed extract (KSE) functional roles on angiogenesis and prostate cancer inhibition have not been elucidated. Objective: This study elucidates the effects of KSE on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and inhibition of proliferation in prostate cancer cells. Materials and methods: HUVECs were treated with 10–20 µg/mL of KSE and 20–50 ng/mL of VEGF for 12–72 h. Anti-angiogenesis properties of KSE were determined by wound healing, trans-well, tube formation, rat aortic ring assay and western blotting. Prostate cancer and normal cells were incubated with 10–250 µg/mL of KSE for 24 h, and cell viability was measured by SRB assay. Phenolic compounds in KSE were analyzed using a HPLC-PDA system. Results: IC50 for cell viability of HUVECs, LNCaP, PC-3, RC-58T and RWPE-1 by KSE were 30.64, 89.25, 123.41, 141.62 and >250 µg/mL, respectively. Treatment with KSE (20 µg/mL) significantly suppressed VEGF-induced migration, invasion and capillary-like structure formation of HUVECs and microvessel sprouting from rat aortic rings. In addition, KSE down-regulated PI3K/AKT/mTOR levels and phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2 in HUVECs. 3-OH-tyrosol (1.63 mg/g) and morin hydrate (0.17 mg/g) were identified in KSE. Conclusions: KSE inhibits angiogenesis in HUVECs as well as proliferation in human prostate cancer cells, suggesting KSE may be useful herbal medicine for preventing progression of prostate cancer and angiogenesis.
Selection for Timing of Eclosion Results in Co-evolution of Temperature Responsiveness in Drosophila melanogaster

Circadian rhythms in adult eclosion of Drosophila are postulated to be regulated by a pair of coupled oscillators: one is the master clock that is light sensitive and temperature compensated and the other that is a slave oscillator whose period is temperature sensitive and whose phase is reflected in the overt behavior. Within this framework, we reasoned that in populations of Drosophila melanogaster that have been artificially selected for highly divergent phases of eclosion rhythm, there may be changes in this network of the master-slave oscillator system, via changes in the temperature-sensitive oscillator and/or the coupling of the light- and temperature-sensitive oscillators. We used light/dark cycles in conjunction with different constant ambient temperatures and 2 different amplitudes of temperature cycles in an overall cool or warm temperature and analyzed phases, gate width, and normalized amplitude of the rhythms in each of these conditions. We found that the populations selected for eclosion in the morning (early flies) do not vary their phases with change in temperature regimes, whereas the populations selected for eclosion in the evening (late flies) show phase lability of up to ~5 h. Our results imply a genetic correlation between timing of behavior and temperature sensitivity of the circadian clock.
Guideline Adherence and Antibiotic Utilization by Community Pediatricians, Private Urgent Care Centers, and a Pediatric Emergency Department

Pediatric antibiotic prescriptions originate from an increasingly broad range of ambulatory settings. In this retrospective study, pharyngitis, otitis media, sinusitis, pneumonia, and upper respiratory infection cases, at 11 primary care offices, 2 independent urgent care centers (UCCs), and a pediatric emergency department in Western New York, were analyzed relative to medical society practice guidelines and antibiotic utilization. Of 2358 eligible visits across all sites, 25% were for study diagnoses, with 38% at UCC (P < .01). Across all sites, 26% of pharyngitis cases given antibiotics did not have diagnostic evidence of bacterial infection. At primary care offices and UCCs, guideline recommended first-line agents for pharyngitis and otitis media were used in only 58% and 63% of treated cases, respectively. Overall, an estimated 9855 to 12 045 avoidable antibiotic and 8030 non-guideline antibiotic courses annually are represented by the 14 sites studied. These and other study findings highlight numerous opportunities for outpatient pediatric antibiotic stewardship.
Alcohol use and abuse and motivations for drinking and non-drinking among Spanish adolescents: do we know enough when we know parenting style?

Abstract Objective: We examine parenting styles (characterized by warmth and strictness, i.e., neglectful, indulgent, authoritarian and authoritative) as either a protective or risk factor for adolescence drinking. Design: Two 4 × 2 × 3 multi-factorial MANOVAs. Sample consisted of 996 underage Spanish adolescents, 532 males (53.4%), ranging from 15 to 17 years old. Main outcome measures: Alcohol use (wine, beer, mixed drinks and liquors) and abuse and motivations for drinking (social acceptance and self-enhancement) and non-drinking (harsh preventive rules and awareness of alcohol's harmful effects). Results: Lower risk of alcohol use and abuse was found in adolescents with indulgent parenting, and higher risk for adolescents with authoritarian parenting. Adolescents from indulgent parenting style homes had equal adjustment (lower self-enhancement and higher harsh preventive rules and awareness of alcohol's harmful effects) or even better (lower social acceptance) than those from authoritative parenting style homes. Consistently, the highest risk parenting styles identified were the authoritarian and neglectful styles (α=.05). Conclusion: At least in some cultures, warmth and reasoning, shared by authoritative and indulgent parenting styles, seem the recommended way to protect offspring from drinking. Effective alcohol prevention and intervention programs should include strategies tailored specifically to this new cultural context where parenting takes place.
Calibrating intuitive and natural human–robot interaction and performance for power-assisted heavy object manipulation using cognition-based intelligent admittance control schemes

In the first step, a one degree of freedom power assist robotic system is developed for lifting lightweight objects. Dynamics for human–robot co-manipulation is derived that includes human cognition, for example, weight perception. A novel admittance control scheme is derived using the weight perception–based dynamics. Human subjects lift a small-sized, lightweight object with the power assist robotic system. Human–robot interaction and system characteristics are analyzed. A comprehensive scheme is developed to evaluate the human–robot interaction and performance, and a constrained optimization algorithm is developed to determine the optimum human–robot interaction and performance. The results show that the inclusion of weight perception in the control helps achieve optimum human–robot interaction and performance for a set of hard constraints. In the second step, the same optimization algorithm and control scheme are used for lifting a heavy object with a multi-degree of freedom power assist robotic system. The results show that the human–robot interaction and performance for lifting the heavy object are not as good as that for lifting the lightweight object. Then, weight perception–based intelligent controls in the forms of model predictive control and vision-based variable admittance control are applied for lifting the heavy object. The results show that the intelligent controls enhance human–robot interaction and performance, help achieve optimum human–robot interaction and performance for a set of soft constraints, and produce similar human–robot interaction and performance as obtained for lifting the lightweight object. The human–robot interaction and performance for lifting the heavy object with power assist are treated as intuitive and natural because these are calibrated with those for lifting the lightweight object. The results also show that the variable admittance control outperforms the model predictive control. We also propose a method to adjust the variable admittance control for three degrees of freedom translational manipulation of heavy objects based on human intent recognition. The results are useful for developing controls of human friendly, high performance power assist robotic systems for heavy object manipulation in industries.
Sympathetic regulation of the NCC in norepinephrine-evoked salt-sensitive hypertension in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Salt sensitivity of blood pressure is characterized by inappropriate sympathoexcitation and renal sodium reabsorption during high salt intake. In salt-resistant animal models, exogenous norepinephrine infusion promotes salt-sensitive hypertension and prevents dietary sodium-evoked suppression of the sodium chloride cotransporter (NCC). Studies of the adrenergic signaling pathways that modulate NCC activity during norepinephrine infusion have yielded conflicting results implicating α1- and/or β-adrenoceptors and a downstream kinase network that phosphorylates and activates the NCC, including with- no-lysine kinases (WNKs), STE20/SPS1-related proline alanine-rich kinase (SPAK), and oxidative stress response 1 (OxSR1). In these studies, we used selective adrenoceptor antagonism in norepinephrine-infused male Sprague-Dawley rats to investigate the differential roles of α1- and β-adrenoceptors in sympathetically-mediated NCC regulation. Norepinephrine infusion evoked salt-sensitive hypertension and prevented dietary sodium-evoked suppression of NCC mRNA, protein expression, phosphorylation, and in vivo activity. Impaired NCC suppression during high salt intake in norepinephrine-infused rats was paralleled by impaired suppression of WNK1, SPAK, and OxSR1 expression and an increase in SPAK and OxSR1 phosphorylation. Antagonism of α1-adrenoceptors prior to high salt intake or after the establishment of salt-sensitive hypertension restored dietary sodium-evoked suppression of the NCC and its regulatory kinases and abolished the salt-sensitive component of hypertension. In contrast, β-adrenoceptor antagonism attenuated norepinephrine-evoked hypertension independently of dietary sodium intake and did not restore high salt-evoked suppression of the NCC or its regulatory kinases. These findings suggest that a selective, reversible, α1-adenoceptor-gated WNK1/SPAK/OxSR1 NE-activated signaling pathway prevents dietary sodium-evoked NCC suppression, promoting the development and maintenance of salt-sensitive hypertension.
Co-delivery of doxorubicin and TRAIL plasmid by modified PAMAM dendrimer in colon cancer cells, in vitro and in vivo evaluation

Abstract One strategy for cancer treatment is combination therapy using nanoparticles (NPs), which has resulted in enhanced anti-cancer effects and reduced cytotoxicity of therapeutic agents. Polyamidoamine dendrimer (PAMAM) has attracted considerable attention because of its potential applications ranging from drug delivery to molecular encapsulation and gene therapy. In this study, PAMAM G5 modified with cholesteryl chloroformate and alkyl-PEG was applied for co-delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) and plasmid encoding TRAIL into colon cancer cells, in vitro and in vivo. The results showed DOX was efficiently encapsulated in modified carrier (M-PAMAM) with loading level about 90%, and the resulting DOX-loaded M-PAMAM complexed with TRAIL plasmid showed much stronger antitumor effect than M-PAMAM containing DOX or TRAIL plasmid. On the other hand, the obtained results demonstrated that the treatment of mice bearing C26 colon carcinoma with this developed co-delivery system significantly decreased tumor growth rate. Thus, this modified PAMAM G5 can be considered as a potential carrier for co-delivery of drug and gene in cancer therapy.
Frailty, Acute Organ Dysfunction, and Increased Disability After Hospitalization in Older Adults Who Survive Critical Illness: A Prospective Cohort Study

Purpose: We aimed to describe the association between prehospital frailty (PHF), acute organ dysfunction (AOD), and posthospital disability (PHD) outcome in older adults admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: In a prospective observational cohort study, we assessed PHF using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and assessed the level of AOD using Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores on ICU day 1. We assessed Activities of Daily Living disability levels through to 6 months after discharge and used generalized estimating equations (log link and negative binomial family) to determine the independent association of PHF and AOD with PHD. Results: Of the 302 patients enrolled, 221 (73.1%) survived the hospitalization. Prehospital frailty was associated with PHD (adjusted incident rate ratio [aIRR] 95% confidence interval [95% CI] per unit increase in CFS 1.38 [1.15-1.67], P = .001). Total day 1 SOFA score was weakly associated with PHD, (aIRR [95% CI] 1.05 [1.00-1.10], P = .037) while day 1 SOFA neurologic score was strongly associated with PHD (aIRR [95% CI] 1.42 [1.24-1.62] per unit increase in SOFA neurologic score, P < .001), and these effects were independent of PHF and other premorbid factors. Conclusions: Both PHF and early acute brain dysfunction are important factors associated with increasing PHD in older adults who survive critical illness.
Sex differences in the effects of exercise on cognition post-stroke: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether there are differences in exercise-associated changes in cognitive function between males and females living with stroke. DESIGN Secondary analysis of data from a prospective assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial (NCT01189045). PARTICIPANTS Fifty participants (50-80 years, > 1 year post-stroke, able to walk ≤ 5 m). METHODS Participants were allocated into a 6-month aerobic exercise programme (14 males, 11 females) or balance and flexibility programme (15 males, 10 females). Working memory (Verbal Digit Span Backwards Test), selective attention and conflict resolution (Stroop Colour-Word Test), and set shifting/cognitive flexibility (Trail-Making Test B) were assessed before and after the programmes. RESULTS There was a group × time interaction in females (effect size 0.28, p = 0.03), which was not observed in males (effect size 0.01, p = 0.62). Females demonstrated a Stroop Colour-Word Interference test change of -2.3 s, whereas males demonstrated a change of +5.5 s following aerobic exercise. There were no differences between exercise groups in either sex for any of the other outcomes (working memory and set-shifting/cognitive flexibility). CONCLUSION Females living with stroke may demonstrate a greater response to exercise on selective attention and conflict resolution compared with males with stroke. These findings suggest that there may be sex-specific effects of exercise on cognitive function in individuals with stroke.
The 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test: A Reliable, Valid, and Useful Tool to Assess Aerobic Capacity in Female Basketball Players

ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability, validity, and usefulness of 30–15 Intermittent Fitness Test (30-15IFT) in female basketball players. Methods: Nineteen female basketball players (17.82 ± 1.94 yr, 175.4 ± 7.3 cm, 67.9 ± 7.7 kg) competing in the National Croatian League performed one trial of a continuous treadmill running test and two trials of the 30-15IFT. The 30-15IFT involves 30-s runs across a 40-m course interspersed with 15 s of walking, with running speed increasing every 45 s. The continuous treadmill running test was used as the criterion for validation. Results: High to very high reliability across test–retest trials were observed for maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) (CV = 4.9%, ICC = 0.85), the 30-15IFT end-running velocity (VIFT) (CV = 6.0%, ICC = 0.85), and maximal heart rate (HRmax) (CV = 4.8%, ICC = 0.96). Criterion validity was supported for the 30-15IFT with strong to very strong relationships with VO2max (r =0.69), VIFT (r =0.74), and HRmax (r =0.73) attained during the continuous treadmill running test. The typical error (TE) of the 30-15IFT was greater than the smallest worthwhile change for VO2max (1.16 > 0.42 ml/kg/min), VIFT (0.56 > 0.20 km/h), and HRmax (2.15 > 1.89 bpm) adjudging usefulness of the test as marginal. The TE of 0.56 km/h (90% CI = 0.44–0.77 km/h) demonstrates changes in the performance of one to two stages (0.5–1.0 km/h) are meaningful. Conclusions: The 30-15IFT possesses acceptable reliability and validity to assess maximal aerobic fitness capacity in female basketball players. While the usefulness of the 30-15IFT was marginal, meaningful changes in performance consisted of only one to two stages. The present findings support the 30-15IFT as a practical testing option for basketball practitioners to assess fitness capacities in female players.
The use of three-dimensional motion analysis to determine whether quantitative criteria can be found for the Prechtl's qualitative assessment method of general movement classifications of writhing and fidgeting in the normative infant population

This novel, preliminary study developed an infant 3DMA technical protocol to collect infant movement data using the latest three-Dimensional Motion Analysis technology. The collected data were used to quantify Prechtl's General Movements Assessment (GMsA) classifications using mathematical pattern recognition techniques, in a small cohort of healthy full term infants. These mathematical pattern recognition techniques included Fourier transform analysis, Cross Correlation and Fuzzy entropy. Fuzzy entropy is a measure of regularity in time series data and was found for this cohort to be the most useful mathematical pattern recognition technique to separate GMsA movement classifications.
Development of Intelligent Drone Battery Charging System Based on Wireless Power Transmission Using Hill Climbing Algorithm

In this work, an advanced drone battery charging system is developed. The system is composed of a drone charging station with multiple power transmitters and a receiver to charge the battery of a drone. A resonance inductive coupling-based wireless power transmission technique is used. With limits of wireless power transmission in inductive coupling, it is necessary that the coupling between a transmitter and receiver be strong for efficient power transmission; however, for a drone, it is normally hard to land it properly on a charging station or a charging device to get maximum coupling for efficient wireless power transmission. Normally, some physical sensors such as ultrasonic sensors and infrared sensors are used to align the transmitter and receiver for proper coupling and wireless power transmission; however, in this system, a novel method based on the hill climbing algorithm is proposed to control the coupling between the transmitter and a receiver without using any physical sensor. The feasibility of the proposed algorithm was checked using MATLAB. A practical test bench was developed for the system and several experiments were conducted under different scenarios. The system is fully automatic and gives 98.8% accuracy (achieved under different test scenarios) for mitigating the poor landing effect. Also, the efficiency η of 85% is achieved for wireless power transmission. The test results show that the proposed drone battery charging system is efficient enough to mitigate the coupling effect caused by the poor landing of the drone, with the possibility to land freely on the charging station without the worry of power transmission loss.
Computed Tomography: Physical Principles, Clinical Applications, and Quality Control

Chapter 1: CT: An Overview Chapter 2: Digital Image Processing Chapter 3: Physical Principles of CT Chapter 4: Data Acquisition Chapter 5: Image Reconstruction Chapter 6: Iterative Reconstruction Fundamentals Chapter 7: Basic Instrumentation Chapter 8: Image Post Processing Chapter 9: Image Quality Chapter 10: Radiation Dose Chapter 11: MuliSlice CT Principles Chapter 12: Other Technical Applications Chapter 13: Three-Dimensional CT Chapter 14: PET/SPECT CT Chapter 15: CT of the Head, Neck, and Spine Chapter 16: CT of the Body Chapter 17: Pediatric CT Chapter 18: Quality Control for CT Scanners Appendix A: Spiral Versus Helical Appendix B: Historical Look at Specific Features of CT Scanners Appendix C: Physics of Cardiac Imaging with Multiple-Row Detector CT
Mask process correction validation for multi-beam mask lithography

Mask Process Correction (MPC) is well established as a necessary step in mask data preparation (MDP) for electron beam mask manufacturing at advanced technology nodes from 14nm and beyond. MPC typically uses an electron scatter model to represent e-beam exposure and a process model to represent develop and etch process effects [1]. The models are used to iteratively simulate the position of layout feature edges and move edge segments to maximize the edge position accuracy of the completed mask. Selective dose assignment can be used in conjunction with edge movement to simultaneously maximize process window and edge position accuracy [2]. MPC methodology for model calibration and layout correction has been developed and optimized for the vector shaped beam (VSB) mask writers that represent the dominant mask lithography technology in use today for advanced mask manufacturing [3]. Multi-beam mask writers (MBMW) have recently been introduced and are now beginning to be used in volume photomask production [4]. These new tools are based on massively parallel raster scan architectures that significantly reduce the dependence of write time on layout complexity and are expected to augment and eventually replace VSB technology for advanced node masks as layout complexity continues to grow [5][6]. While it is expected that existing MPC methods developed for VSB lithography can be easily adapted to MBMW, a rigorous examination of mask error correction for MBMW is necessary to fully confirm applicability of current tools and methods, and to identify any modifications that may be required to achieve the desired CD performance of MBMW. In this paper we will present the results of such a study and confirm the readiness of MPC for multi-beam mask lithography.
Evaluation and Validation of Distraction Detection Algorithms on Multiple Data Sources

Many researchers have developed algorithms to detect distraction, but they have yet to be validated on multiple data sources. This study aims to evaluate these algorithms by comparing their ability to detect distraction and predict event likelihood. Four algorithms that use measures of cumulative glance, past glance behavior, and glance eccentricity were used to understand the distracted state of the driver and were validated on two separate data sources: naturalistic and experimental data. Results showed that there was a higher likelihood of event detection when cumulative glances were considered. Glance eccentricity was best for predicting distraction. Future research can use these findings to design mitigation systems that give drivers feedback in instances of high crash likelihood.