Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Connective tissue growth factor mediates transforming growth factor β‐induced collagen synthesis: down‐regulation by cAMP

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a cysteine‐rich peptide synthesized and secreted by fibroblastic cells after activation with transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β) that acts as a downstream mediator of TGF‐β‐induced fibroblast proliferation. We performed in vitro and in vivo studies to determine whether CTGF is also essential for TGF‐β‐induced fibroblast collagen synthesis. In vitro studies with normal rat kidney (NRK) fibroblasts demonstrated CTGF potently induces collagen synthesis and transfection with an antisense CTGF gene blocked TGF‐β stimulated collagen synthesis. Moreover, TGF‐β‐induced collagen synthesis in both NRK and human foreskin fibroblasts was effectively blocked with specific anti‐CTGF antibodies and by suppressing TGF‐β‐induced CTGF gene expression by elevating intracellular cAMP levels with either membrane‐permeable 8‐Br‐cAMP or an adenylyl cyclase activator, cholera toxin (CTX). cAMP also inhibited collagen synthesis induced by CTGF itself, in contrast to its previously reported lack of effect on CTGF‐induced DNA synthesis. In animal assays, CTX injected intradermally in transgenic mice suppressed TGF‐β activation of a human CTGF promoter/lacZ reporter transgene. Both 8‐Br‐cAMP and CTX blocked TGF‐β‐induced collagen deposition in a wound chamber model of fibrosis in rats. CTX also reduced dermal granulation tissue fibroblast population increases induced by TGF‐β in neonatal mice, but not increases induced by CTGF or TGF‐β combined with CTGF. Our data indicate that CTGF mediates TGF‐β‐induced fibroblast collagen synthesis and that in vivo blockade of CTGF synthesis or action reduces TGF‐β‐induced granulation tissue formation by inhibiting both collagen synthesis and fibroblast accumulation. —Duncan, M. R. , Frazier, K. S. Abramson, S. , Williams, S. , Klapper, H. , Huang, X. , Grotendorst, G. R. Connective tissue growth factor mediates transforming growth factor β‐induced collagen synthesis: down‐regulation by cAMP. FASEB J. 13, 1774–1786 (1999)
F Ground Water/surf'ace Water Interactions a M Summer Specialty Conference 2002 2.4976 F9f

ABSTRACT: Recent theoretical work on stream depletion and water level responses to pumping a well near a stream include the (semi-) analytical solutions by Hunt (1999), Zlotnik and Huang (1999), and Butler et al. (2001). Yet, few field studies assessed the limiting assumptions and physical concepts inherent in the theoretical models. A long-term study of stream depletion under typical conditions for the Great Plains was initiated on the Prairie Creek watershed (Platte River tributary), Nebraska. A site was instrumented with 27 permanent and 40 temporary piezometers, pressure and temperature transducers, as well as stream gauging stations. Since 1999, the study gathered data on three pumping test under different hydrologic conditions and hydraulic aquifer characteristics. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of data on head responses under pumping and non-pumping conditions, coupled with temperature records, give insight in the physical processes. The potential and limitations of the applied models in predicting drawdown and stream depletion have important ramifications for water resources management. KEY TERMS: stream depletion; pumping tests; aquifer heterogeneity; temperature tracer, hydraulic characterization.
N-tier Simultaneous Modelling and Tracking for Arbitrary Warps

This paper presents an approach to object tracking which, given a single example of a target, learns a hierarchical constellation model of appearance and structure on the fly. The model becomes more robust over time as evidence of the variability of the object is acquired and added to the model. Tracking is performed in an optimised Lucas-Kanade type framework, using Mutual Information as a similarity metric. Several novelties are presented: an improved template update strategy using Bayes theorem, a multi-tier model topology, and a semi-automatic testing method. A critical comparison with other methods is made using exhaustive testing. In all 11 challenging test sequences were used with a mean length of 568 frames.
Fiber optic extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometry pressure sensors for in-vivo urodynamic analysis

We report a fiber-optic sensing system based on Extrinsic Fabry-Perot Interferometry (EFPI), for pressure detection in medical applications. The system allows dual channel detection, with probes having typical sensitivity of 1.3 nm/kPa and accuracy of 0.6 cmH2O, diameter of 0.2 mm, and perfect biocompatibility. Pressure probes have been applied to urodynamic analysis, measuring both bladder and abdominal pressure. Measurements have been carried out in-vivo on seven patients having different bladder conditions. The fiber-optic probes have been compared with a PICO2000 urodynamic instrument, showing improved accuracy, a good reproduction of bladder-related events, and increased responsivity to local pressure variations.
Percutaneous transluminal therapy of occluded saphenous vein grafts: can the challenge be met with ultrasound thrombolysis?

BACKGROUND Percutaneous transluminal treatment of a thrombotic vein graft yields poor results. We have previously reported our experience with transluminal percutaneous coronary ultrasound thrombolysis (CUT) in the setting of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This report describes the first experience with ultrasound thrombolysis in thrombus-rich lesions in saphenous vein grafts (SVGs), most of which were occluded. METHODS AND RESULTS The patients (n=20) were mostly male (85%), aged 64+/-4 years old. The presenting symptom was AMI in 2 patients (10%) and unstable angina in the rest. Fifteen patients (75%) had totally occluded SVGs. The median age of clots was 6 days (range, 0 to 100 days). The ultrasound thrombolysis device has a 1.6-mm-long tip and fits into a 7F guiding catheter over a 0.014-in guidewire in a "rapid-exchange" system. CUT (41 kHz, 18 W, </=6 minutes) led to device success in 14 (70%) of the patients and residual stenosis of 65+/-28%. Procedural success was obtained in 13 (65%) of the patients, with a final residual stenosis of 5+/-8%. There was a low rate of device-related adverse events: 1 patient (5%) had a non-Q-wave myocardial infarction, and distal embolization was noted in 1 patient (5%). Adjunct PTCA or stenting was used in all patients. There were no serious adverse events during hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS Ultrasound thrombolysis in thrombus-rich lesions in SVGs offers a very promising therapeutic option.
Comparison of postoperative complications in healthy dogs undergoing open and closed orchidectomy.

OBJECTIVE To compare closed and open orchidectomy in dogs and the associated complications. METHODS A randomised controlled blinded prospective clinical study of 73 cases was undertaken involving the recording of all complications during and in the 10 days following orchidectomy of dogs fulfilling the standardised inclusion criteria. The active variable was the surgical technique of either open or closed orchidectomy. RESULTS Dogs undergoing open orchidectomy experienced significantly more complication events than the dogs undergoing closed orchidectomy [24 of 34 (70%) versus 18 of 39 (46%), P = 0 · 04]. Dogs undergoing open orchidectomy were statistically more likely to develop scrotal complications (21 of 34, 61%) compared with dogs undergoing closed orchidectomy (13 of 39, 33%; P = 0 · 02). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Open orchidectomy is associated with a higher overall complication rate in the first 10 days after surgery than closed orchidectomy. Open orchidectomy is also associated with increased scrotal complications including swelling, bruising and pain compared with closed orchidectomy.
Community Structure and the Evolution of Interdisciplinarity in Slovenia's Scientific Collaboration Network

Interaction among the scientific disciplines is of vital importance in modern science. Focusing on the case of Slovenia, we study the dynamics of interdisciplinary sciences from to . Our approach relies on quantifying the interdisciplinarity of research communities detected in the coauthorship network of Slovenian scientists over time. Examining the evolution of the community structure, we find that the frequency of interdisciplinary research is only proportional with the overall growth of the network. Although marginal improvements in favor of interdisciplinarity are inferable during the 70s and 80s, the overall trends during the past 20 years are constant and indicative of stalemate. We conclude that the flow of knowledge between different fields of research in Slovenia is in need of further stimulation.
Inspection of plastic weld joints with terahertz imaging

Polymers cover the whole range from commodities to high-tech applications. Plastic products have also gained in importance for construction purposes. This draws the attention to joining techniques like welding. Common evaluation of the weld quality is mostly mechanical and destructive. Existing non-destructive techniques are mostly not entirely reliable or economically inefficient. Here, we demonstrate the potential of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy imaging as a non-destructive testing tool for the inspection of plastic weld joints. High-density polyethylene sheets welded in a lap joint with varying quality serve as samples for terahertz transmission measurements. Imperfections within the weld contact area can clearly be detected by displaying the transmitted intensity in a limited frequency range. Contaminations such as metal or sand are identified since they differ significantly from the polymer in the terahertz image. Furthermore, this new and promising technique is capable of detecting the boundaries of a weld contact area. Aside from revealing a contrast between a proper weld joint and no material connection, the size of an air gap between two plastic sheets can be determined by considering the characteristic frequency-dependent transmission through the structure: The spectral positions of the maxima and minima allow for the calculation of the air layer thickness.
Stomatitis or systemically‐induced contact dermatitis from metal wire in orthodontic materials

5 patients with dermatitis or stomatitis related to the use of orthodontic appliances are described. All the patients were patch tested with the European standard series. One had a ++ reaction to potassium dichromate, one a ++ reaction to nickel, and the remaining 3 no positive patch tests. 3 of the patients had recurrent vesicular hand eczema, which flared after oral challenge with 1 of the metals used in their orthodontic appliances. 2 of these 3 patients had negative patch tests. The dermatitis of 4 of the 5 patients cleared completely upon the removal of their metal orthodontic appliances or their replacement with appliances made of acrylics.
Fuzzy PID Control With \alpha Factor for Medical Robot of Radio Frequency Ablation

Radio frequency ablation is a simple, safe and potentially effective treatment for patients with liver tumors. Despite all recent therapeutic advancements, however, intra-procedural target localization, precise and consistent placement of the tissue ablator device are still unresolved problems. Therefore, we study radio frequency liver tumors ablation medical robot that typically require precise placement of the ablator tool to meet the predefined planning and lead to efficient tumors destruction. But, it is very difficult for the robot arm to track moving tumor in real-time with accuracy, because the moving tumor moves in nonlinear and uncertainty. This paper proposes a new method of fuzzy PID controller with a factor. This method is based on fuzzy logic technique which is considered much more appropriate when precise mathematical formulation is infeasible or difficult to achieve. The main performance of this controller is the ability to effectively and efficiently tune the control parameters. The experimental results have shown that the control system of the medical robot has achieved desired dynamic characteristics and static characteristic
Modifying track layout from straight to circular has a modest effect on the 6-min walk distance.

BACKGROUND The protocol used for the 6-min walk test (6MWT) influences its results. The only study to examine the effect of modifying track layout performed a retrospective analysis and concluded that institutions using continuous tracks yield greater distances than those using straight tracks. Agreement between the distances measured on different tracks could not be examined. We evaluated the effect of modifying track layout on walk distance and examined the agreement and repeatability of distances measured on different tracks. METHODS In a prospective, randomized, cross-over study, 27 COPD subjects (FEV(1), 38 +/- 14% [mean +/- SD]; 15 men) attended three separate test sessions, completing six 6MWTs. To familiarize all subjects with both tracks, the first two sessions comprised two 6MWTs on either a circular or straight track. During the final session, each subject was tested once on the straight and once on the circular track. RESULTS The distance walked on the circular track exceeded the straight track by 13 +/- 17 m (p < 0.001). The limit of agreement between tracks was 33 m. Coefficient of repeatability values when the test was completed on different days for the straight and circular tracks were 51 m and 65 m, respectively. CONCLUSIONS When evaluating changes in 6-min walk distance in groups of patients, track layout should be standardized. However, the effect of modifying track layout on an individual's walking distance is small compared to their daily variability in walk distance. Therefore, standardizing track layout for any given individual may be inconsequential when evaluating the change in distances from tests performed on different days.
Contributions of Stretch Activation to Length-dependent Contraction in Murine Myocardium

The steep relationship between systolic force production and end diastolic volume (Frank-Starling relationship) in myocardium is a potentially important mechanism by which the work capacity of the heart varies on a beat-to-beat basis, but the molecular basis for the effects of myocardial fiber length on cardiac work are still not well understood. Recent studies have suggested that an intrinsic property of myocardium, stretch activation, contributes to force generation during systolic ejection in myocardium. To examine the role of stretch activation in length dependence of activation we recorded the force responses of murine skinned myocardium to sudden stretches of 1% of muscle length at both short (1.90 μm) and long (2.25 μm) sarcomere lengths (SL). Maximal Ca2+-activated force and Ca2+ sensitivity of force were greater at longer SL, such that more force was produced at a given Ca2+ concentration. Sudden stretch of myocardium during an otherwise isometric contraction resulted in a concomitant increase in force that quickly decayed to a minimum and was followed by a delayed development of force, i.e., stretch activation, to levels greater than prestretch force. At both maximal and submaximal activations, increased SL significantly reduced the initial rate of force decay following stretch; at submaximal activations (but not at maximal) the rate of delayed force development was accelerated. This combination of mechanical effects of increased SL would be expected to increase force generation during systolic ejection in vivo and prolong the period of ejection. These results suggest that sarcomere length dependence of stretch activation contributes to the steepness of the Frank-Starling relationship in living myocardium.
Timing-reasoning-based delay fault diagnosis

In this paper, we propose a timing-reasoning algorithm to improve the resolution of delay fault diagnosis. In contrast to previous approaches which identify candidates by utilizing only logic conditions, we propose a timing-simulation-based method to perform the candidate reasoning. Based on the circuit timing information, we identify invalid candidates which cannot maintain the consistency of failure behaviors. By eliminating those invalid candidates, the diagnosis resolution can be improved. We then analyze the problem of circuit timing uncertainty caused by the delay variation and the simulation model. We calculate a metric, named invalid-probability, for each candidate. Then we propose a candidate-ranking heuristic which is robust with respect to such sources of timing uncertainty. By ranking the candidates based on their invalid-probability, we can improve the candidate first-hit-rate of the traditional critical path tracing (CPT) technique. To demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method, we have developed a timing diagnosis framework which can simulate the real diagnosis process to evaluate and compare different algorithms
Incorporating User Provided Constraints into Document Clustering

Document clustering without any prior knowledge or background information is a challenging problem. In this paper, we propose SS-NMF: a semi-supervised non- negative matrix factorization framework for document clustering. In SS-NMF, users are able to provide supervision for document clustering in terms of pairwise constraints on a few documents specifying whether they "must" or "cannot" be clustered together. Through an iterative algorithm, we perform symmetric tri-factorization of the document- document similarity matrix to infer the document clusters. Theoretically, we show that SS-NMF provides a general framework for semi-supervised clustering and that existing approaches can be considered as special cases of SS-NMF. Through extensive experiments conducted on publicly available data sets, we demonstrate the superior performance of SS-NMF for clustering documents.
Haptic-Based Biometrics: A Feasibility Study

Biometric systems identify users based on behavioral or physiological characteristics. The advantages of such systems over traditional authentication methods such as passwords are well known and hence biometric systems are gradually gaining ground in terms of usage. This paper explores the feasibility of automatically and continuously identifying participants in Haptic systems. Such a biometric system could be used for authentication in any Haptic based application, such as tele-operation or tele-training, not only at the beginning of the session, but continuously and throughout the session as it progresses. In order to test this possibility, we designed a Haptic system in which position, velocity, force and torque data from the tool was continuously measured and stored as users were performing a specific task. Subsequently, several algorithms and methods were developed to extract biometric features from the measured data. Overall, the results suggest reasonable practicality of implementing haptic-based biometric systems, and that it is an avenue worth pursuing; although they also indicate that it might be quite difficult to develop a highly accurate Haptic ID algorithm.
Eclipse Attacks on Bitcoin's Peer-to-Peer Network

We present eclipse attacks on bitcoin's peer-to-peer network. Our attack allows an adversary controlling a sufficient number of IP addresses to monopolize all connections to and from a victim bitcoin node. The attacker can then exploit the victim for attacks on bitcoin's mining and consensus system, including N-confirmation double spending, selfish mining, and adversarial forks in the blockchain. We take a detailed look at bitcoin's peer-to-peer network, and quantify the resources involved in our attack via probabilistic analysis, Monte Carlo simulations, measurements and experiments with live bitcoin nodes. Finally, we present countermeasures, inspired by botnet architectures, that are designed to raise the bar for eclipse attacks while preserving the openness and decentralization of bitcoin's current network architecture.
Double-Stage Three-Phase Grid-Integrated Solar PV System With Fast Zero Attracting Normalized Least Mean Fourth Based Adaptive Control

This paper deals with a control technique of a three-phase grid connected solar photovoltaic (SPV) system, which is based on the fast zero attracting normalized least mean fourth algorithm. This control algorithm achieves the objectives of mitigation of power quality issues such as harmonics reduction and power factor correction, together with extraction of peak power generated by the PV array. The system uses a PV array, a voltage-source converter (VSC), and linear and nonlinear loads. Here, VSC is connected to a PV array to transfer the active power to the three-phase load and the grid. The dependence on tuning of proportional-integral controller is reduced because of the feedforward term of the PV power. Due to this, the system dynamic response is improved, which makes the system quite robust. The system goals are to mitigate power quality problems and to provide current conditioning while operating in coherence with a weak distribution grid, which has poor quality of power in terms of voltage distortions with imbalances. MATLAB/Simulink is used to develop the model of the proposed system. The validation of proposed control is done at varying linear and nonlinear loads and under different environmental conditions on a prototype developed in the laboratory.
Insulin therapy in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes: the role of insulin glargine

Within the USA, between 1980 and 2005, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes has increased in all age groups, with the age group 65–74 years having the highest prevalence. The treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in elderly people is made more difficult than in their younger counterparts, primarily owing to the impact of co‐morbidities, complications and hypoglycaemia as well as technical difficulties with insulin injections. Accordingly, the treatment approach for elderly patients with T2DM may need to be modified to accommodate co‐morbidities and illnesses associated with ageing. Risks associated with insulin therapy, particularly hypoglycaemia, have traditionally limited the use of insulin in this patient population. Insulin glargine is associated with a low risk of hypoglycaemia compared with neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin, for example, and could thus provide a treatment of choice for healthcare providers when considering the increasing prevalence of diabetes in the elderly population. A regimen based on insulin glargine plus oral agents provides clinicians with a tool to help meet therapeutic targets in this population without increasing risk of hypoglycaemia.
Cure Cycle Optimization in Polymer Composites

Abstract : This work includes experimental and theoretical study of the effect of cure cycles on the development of cure-induced stresses in thermoset polymer composites. The experimental part includes modifying a newly developed test method to monitor the development of cure-induced stresses in thermoset polymer composites. Test results gave a clear understanding of the mechanisms of stresses development. The test method was further modified with a closed loop feedback control system to modify the cure cycles to reduce cure-induced stresses. Test results show that the modified cure cycles reduce residual stresses in composite laminates. The theoretical part included the development of a mechanical optimization model to study the effect of changing the cure cycle on the development of residual stresses in composite laminates. The model was used to generate cure cycles that reduce residual stresses in thermoset polymer composites. Findings of the theoretical modeling were found to agree well with those of the experimental study.