Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cross talk between c-Met and epidermal growth factor receptor during retinal pigment epithelial wound healing.

PURPOSE The authors sought to determine how hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptor c-Met and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) cross talk in response to injury in human ARPE-19 cells. METHODS A scratch wound was made on a cell monolayer of ARPE-19 cells using a sequence-comb or a pipet tip, and it was allowed to heal in the presence or absence of HGF and heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF). The activation of EGFR was analyzed by immunoprecipitation with EGFR antibody, followed by Western blotting with phosphotyrosine-specific antibody. Phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and AKT (a major substrate of phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K) was assessed by Western blotting. The release of c-Met ectodomain into the culture media was determined by Western blotting using an antibody against the extracellular region. Cell migration was assessed by Boyden chamber migration assay. RESULTS ARPE-19 cells underwent spontaneous wound healing in basal medium, and exogenously added HB-EGF and HGF significantly enhanced wound closure. Basal and growth factor-enhanced wound closures were attenuated but not slowed by hydroxyurea, a cell proliferation inhibitor. RPE cells expressed all four erbBs, and wounding induced EGFR transactivation and downstream ERK and PI3K phosphorylation in ARPE-19 cells. HGF also induced EGFR tyrosine phosphorylation. The EGFR kinase inhibitor AG1478 blocked wound- and HGF-stimulated EGFR transactivation and attenuated spontaneous and growth factor-induced wound closure. Wounding and EGFR ligands induced the release of c-Met into the culture media. Moreover, pretreatment of cells with HB-EGF impaired ARPE-19 migration toward HGF in a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor-sensitive manner. CONCLUSIONS EGFR modulates HGF/c-Met activity by inducing c-Met ectodomain shedding, and HGF/c-Met transactivates EGFR, leading to an enhanced activation of downstream signaling pathways. Cross talk between EGFR and c-Met may play a key role in regulating RPE cell migration, proliferation, and wound healing.
D-OSKIL: A New Mechanism for Controlling Stick-Slip Oscillations in Oil Well Drillstrings

Limit cycles occurring in oil well drillstrings result from the interaction between the drill bit and the rock during drilling operations. In this paper, we propose to use the weight on the bit (WoB) force as an additional control variable to extinguish limit cycles when they occur. An approximate analysis based on the bias describing function and completed with some simulations, provides good evidence that the rotational dynamics of the oil well drillstring displays such a behavior. In particular, we propose an adaptation law for the WoB named D-OSKIL mechanisms, which results from a variant of the oscillation killer (OSKIL) mechanism studied in detail in [6]. In opposition to the heuristic control structure proposed in [7], we show that the new WoB (WoB) control law results in a globally asymptotically stable closed-loop system. Simulations applying the D-OSKIL mechanism show that the stick-slip oscillations can be eliminated without requiring a redesign of the velocity rotary table control.
Evaluation of Furrow Irrigation Systems on Onion Yield and Water Use Efficiency in Melokoza Woreda, Southern Ethioipia

This experiment was conducted for the last two years to evaluate the effect of furrow irrigation systems on onion yield and water use efficiency in Melokoza woreda. Specifically to evaluate the effect of alternative, fixed and farmer practice irrigation system and identify the furrow irrigation type which allow achieving optimum onion yield and water use efficiency. The experiment had four level of treatments (alternative, fixed farmer practice and 50% of alternative irrigation system) and which were arranged in RCBD with four replications. Different data were collected and analyzed using SAS software in probability of 5% confidence level. The experiment result shown that alternative furrow irrigation system has highest yield and water use efficiency. The total yield obtained from alternative furrow irrigation was 25.4 t/ ha and the minimum yield obtained from 50% of ETc with alternative furrow irrigation, which was 17.8 t/ha. The water use efficiency of alternative furrow irrigation was 3.3 kg/m3 and fixed furrow irrigation had relatively highest water use efficiency than farmer practice, which were 2.6 kg/m3. The lowest water use efficiency was obtained from farmers practice. From this experiment the result of alternative furrow irrigation is better in yield and water use efficiency in areas where there is water scarcity and laborer expensiveness.
Exploring Goal-Setting and Achievement Within Reablement: A Comparative Case Study of Three Countries

Purpose Over the last two decades, reablement programs have been studied and implemented internationally. Goal-setting and multidisciplinary collaboration are central elements of reablement. Unfortunately, limited intervention descriptions leave questions on how they are applied in practice and how goals set by the user are achieved. As a consequence, healthcare providers and organizations often lack knowledge to implement and align reablement to their national and local context. This study aimed to collect data on goal-setting and achievement, and multidisciplinary collaboration within reablement services to provide insight into how these processes inform reablement practice as well as to explore the experiences of healthcare professionals in Norway, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. Material and Methods A qualitative exploratory design was used comprising three focus group interviews with 20 healthcare professionals (nursing and allied health) involved in reablement programs from the three countries. Purposive sampling was employed considering a mix of gender, age and educational level. Results Findings reflected healthcare professionals’ experiences and reablement processes in three main themes: (1) Goal-setting processes; clearly demonstrating goal-setting as an essential part of reablement and contributing to better understanding of users’ motives; (2) Impact of goal-setting on multidisciplinary collaboration; promoting a sense of community, learning climate, job satisfaction and task-shifting; and (3) Behavior change techniques used to reach users’ goals, promoting self-reflection and changing users’ perspectives. Conclusion This study offers valuable insights from three countries. Goal-setting serves a crucial role enabling effective reablement implementation across diverse contexts. More specifically, to facilitate tailoring of reablement programs to the user’s needs as well as establish more effective multidisciplinary collaboration by promoting trust, shared vision, and utilizing each other’s expertise. However, despite the acknowledgement of the significance of reablement, it was reported by all that a cultural shift is necessary for users, informal caregivers as well as healthcare professionals.
Hough Voting for 3D Object Recognition under Occlusion and Clutter

This work proposes a novel approach for the detection of free-form shapes in a 3D space. The proposed method matches 3D features through their descriptions to attain correspondences, then accumulates evidence of the presence of the object(s) being sought by verifying the consensus of correspondences within a 3D Hough space. Our approach is capable of recognizing 3D shapes under significant degree of occlusion and clutter and can deal with multiple instances of the shape to be recognized. We validate our proposal by means of a quantitative experimental comparison to the state of the art over two datasets acquired with different sensors (a laser scanner and a stereo camera) and characterized by high degrees of clutter and occlusion. In addition, we propose an extension of the approach to RGB-D (i.e., color and depth) data together with results concerning 3D object recognition from RGB-D data acquired by a Microsoft Kinect sensor.
Bullying in the Arab World: Definition, Perception, and Implications for Public Health and Interventions

The present research aimed to examine bullying among diverse Arab nationalities residing in Qatar across two separate studies. Study 1 examined how Arabic-speaking adolescents and adults describe and perceive bullying, participants (N = 36) from different Arab nationalities (i.e., Egyptians, Qataris, Syrians, and other Arabs) were presented with three tasks in a focus group where they were asked questions about how they describe and perceive three scenarios without reference to the term “bullying”. Findings indicated that (1) the majority of participants referred to the intention to cause harm and the imbalance of power in their descriptions, and (2) differences in describing the behaviours in the scenarios were notable when comparing Egyptians with the three other nationalities. Overall, participants frequently chose different Arabic terms (e.g., Ta’adi (تعدي)) in their descriptions of the scenarios. Interestingly, the term Tanammor (تنمُّر), which has been used in previous studies as the Arabic term for bullying, was chosen the least by the current sample. Study 2 examined how Arab-speaking students (N = 117) describe bullying behaviour in seven scenarios using Arabic and English terms. The procedure was administered in English in the international schools, and Arabic in the independent schools. English-speaking students often used the term “bullying”, whereas Arabic-speaking students often used behavioural descriptions (e.g., the term “solok sayea” (سلوك سيء) which translates to “bad behaviour”). These findings are discussed in relation to the definition and perspective of bullying among Arabic speakers. There is a need for further investigations to introduce a novel term for bullying within the Arabic language while considering cultural values, norms, and beliefs. This has the potential to promote heightened awareness and comprehension, enabling the formulation of customised intervention approaches, policies, and educational initiatives intended to prevent and alleviate bullying behaviours.
Yeast Still a Beast: Diverse Applications of CRISPR/Cas Editing Technology in S. cerevisiae 

The recent discovery and use of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology has provided new opportunities for scientific research in many fields of study including agriculture, genetic disorders, human disease, biotechnology, and basic biological research. The ability to precisely target DNA sequences and either remove, modify, or replace genetic sequences provides a new level of control in nearly all eukaryotic organisms, including budding yeast. Given the many discoveries made in Saccharomyces cerevisiae over the past decades spanning genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry, as well as the development of new technologies that have allowed high throughput screening, robotic automation, and a platform for synthetic genome engineering, the yeast community has also started to recognize the utility and complementary nature of CRISPR-based methodologies. Here we present and review a variety of recent uses of Cas9 in budding yeast—both nuclease dependent and independent applications spanning traditional gene editing and replacement, to transcriptional modulation, to novel uses including the development of living circuitry or robotic platforms for synthetic genome construction. Yeast continues to serve as a powerful model system, yet it can still benefit from use of CRISPR for basic research, industrial application, and innovation of new Cas9-based applications.
Mapping exposure to particulate pollution during severe haze episode using improved MODIS AOT‐PM10 regression model with synoptic meteorology classification

Severe smoke haze from biomass burning is frequently observed in Northern Thailand during dry months of February–April. Sparsely located monitoring stations operated in this vast mountainous region could not provide sufficient particulate matter (PM) data for exposure risk assessment. Satellite aerosol optical thickness (AOT) data could be used, but their reliable relationship with ground‐based PM data should be first established. This study aimed to improve the regression model between PM10 and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer AOT with consideration of synoptic patterns to better assess the exposure risk in the area. Among four synoptic patterns, each representing the totality of meteorology governing Northern Thailand on a given day, most severe haze days belonged to pattern 2 that featured conditions of clear sky, stagnant air, and high PM10 levels. AOT‐24 h PM10 regression model for pattern 2 had coefficient of determination improved to 0.51 from 0.39 of combined case. Daily exposure maps to PM10 in most severe haze period of February–April 2007 were produced for Chiangmai, the largest and most populated province in Northern Thailand. Regression model for pattern 2 was used to convert 24 h PM10 ranges of modified risk scale to corresponding AOT ranges, and the mapping was done using spatially continuous AOT values. The highest exposure risk to PM10 was shown in urban populated areas. Larger numbers of forest fire hot spots and more calm winds were observed on the days of higher exposure risk. Early warning and adequate health care plan are necessary to reduce exposure risk to future haze episodes in the area.
Green Synthesis of Copper Oxide and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles from Crossandra Infundibuliformis Extract and Its Antibacterial Application in Wound Dressing Films

Plant extract-based green production of metal oxide nanoparticles is a viable substitute for the conventional chemical synthesis approach. This biogenic process can be scaled up rapidly and executed at room temperature and pressure. The current work compares the antibacterial activity of chemically manufactured copper oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles with those produced using a plant extract from Crossandra infundibuliformis. Furthermore, the study also encompasses preparation of wound dressing film using the developed nanoparticles and evaluation of its potential antimicrobial property. The optical characterization of the synthesized nanoparticles exhibited an absorption peak of 574 nm and 333 nm with corresponding mean size of 50 nm and 40 nm for copper oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles, respectively. The highest zone of inhibition by both the nanoparticles against K. pneumoniae, followed by S. epidermidis, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. Both the nanoparticles tested for determination of its minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentration exhibited significant activity towards the test pathogens. The wound dressing film developed utilizing the nanoparticles displayed considerable zone of inhibition against the pathogens. Therefore, the it could be ascertained from the work that nanoparticles synthesized through biogenic routes tend to exhibit substantial antibacterial activity.
From axial parallel to orthogonal groundwater flow during fold amplification: insights from carbonate concretion development during the growth of the Quattro Castella Anticline, Northern Apennines, Italy

This paper is based on a multidisciplinary field and laboratory study of carbonate concretions developed in poorly lithified Quaternary, syn-kinematic sediments along the Quattro Castella Anticline, Northern Apennines, Italy. The studied concretions consist of both tabular (parallel to bedding) and elongate single to coalescent concretionary bodies oriented at different angles to the bedding throughout the exposed stratigraphic succession. The dimensions of the concretions range from a few centimetres for single elongate concretions up to several metres for tabular to coalescent concretions. Field observations and petrophysical data indicate that the concretions developed preferentially in sediments characterized by mean grain sizes of 90–290 μm and a permeability ranging from 7 × 102 to 7 × 104 mD. Carbon and oxygen stable isotope analyses in conjunction with the petrographic investigations indicate that the precipitation of concretionary calcite occurred in a meteoric vadose realm during early eogenesis and subsequently in a meteoric phreatic environment. Diagenetic data and concretion patterns in syn-tectonic sediments suggest they formed during the lateral propagation of the anticline, which, in turn, promoted a change in the local topographic–hydraulic gradient from fold axial parallel to fold orthogonal. The integrated analysis of carbonate concretions provides a useful tool with which to unravel the palaeo-fluid flow history and therefore to predict fluid circulation patterns in folded siliciclastic rocks. Supplementary material: Complete isotopic data from both hand samples and thin sections, together with statistical analysis, scanning electron microscope cement images and grain size distributions with the standard operative procedure tests performed, and detailed permeability measurements are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare. c.4087019
Insurance Status Is Associated With Acuity of Presentation and Outcomes for Thoracic Aortic Operations

Background—Nonelective procedure status is the greatest risk factor for postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing thoracic aortic operations. We hypothesized that uninsured patients were more likely to require nonelective thoracic aortic operation due to decreased access to preventative care and elective surgical services. Methods and Results—An observational study of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database identified 51 282 patients who underwent thoracic aortic surgery between 2007 and 2011 at 940 North American centers. Patients were stratified by insurance status (private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, other insurance, or uninsured) as well as age <65 or ≥65 years to account for differences in Medicare eligibility. The need for nonelective thoracic aortic operation was highest for uninsured patients (71.7%) and lowest for privately insured patients (36.6%). The adjusted risks of nonelective operation were increased for uninsured patients (adjusted risk ratio, 1.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.70–1.83 for age <65 years; adjusted risk ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.29–1.62 for age ≥65 years) as well as Medicaid patients aged <65 years (adjusted risk ratio, 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.10–1.26) when compared with patients with private insurance. The adjusted risks of major morbidity or mortality were further increased for all patients aged <65 years without private insurance (adjusted risk ratios between 1.13 and 1.27). Conclusions—Insurance status was associated with acuity of presentation and major morbidity and mortality for thoracic aortic operations. Efforts to reduce insurance-based disparities in the care of patients with thoracic aortic disease seem warranted and may reduce the incidence of aortic emergencies and improve outcomes after thoracic aortic surgery.
Sliding mode tracking for actuators comprising pneumatic muscle and torsion spring

In this study, the sliding mode approach is applied to the tracking control problem of a planar arm manipulator system driven by a new type of actuator, which comprises a pneumatic muscle (PM) and a torsion spring. Unlike the traditional agonist/antagonist PM actuator, the PM is arranged in place of bicep and the torsion spring provides opposing torque in the presented actuator. The dynamic model is derived for this system and a sliding mode controller is designed to make the joint angle track a desired trajectory within a guaranteed accuracy even there are modelling uncertainties. A selection method is also proposed to obtain an appropriate spring coefficient, which plays an important role in the tracking control task. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by simulations. The differences between the control results of using our new actuator and that of using the traditional PM actuator in opposing pair configuration are also compared.
Precision photometric redshift calibration for galaxy–galaxy weak lensing

Accurate photometric redshifts are among the key requirements for precision weak lensing measurements. Both the large size of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the existence of large spectroscopic redshift samples that are flux-limited beyond its depth have made it the optimal data source for developing methods to properly calibrate photometric redshifts for lensing. Here, we focus on galaxy-galaxy lensing in a survey with spectroscopic lens redshifts, as in the SDSS. We develop statistics that quantify the effect of source redshift errors on the lensing calibration and on the weighting scheme, and show how they can be used in the presence of redshift failure and sampling variance. We then demonstrate their use with 2838 source galaxies with spectroscopy from DEEP2 and zCOSMOS, evaluating several public photometric redshift algorithms, in two cases including a full p(z) for each object, and find lensing calibration biases as low as <1 per cent (due to fortuitous cancellation of two types of bias) or as high as 20 per cent for methods in active use (despite the small mean photoz bias of these algorithms). Our work demonstrates that lensing-specific statistics must be used to reliably calibrate the lensing signal, due to asymmetric effects of (frequently non-Gaussian) photoz errors. We also demonstrate that large-scale structure (LSS) can strongly impact the photoz calibration and its error estimation, due to a correlation between the LSS and the photoz errors, and argue that at least two independent degree-scale spectroscopic samples are needed to suppress its effects. Given the size of our spectroscopic sample, we can reduce the galaxy-galaxy lensing calibration error well below current SDSS statistical errors. Based in part on observations undertaken at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) under Large Programme 175.A-0839. E-mail: rmandelb@ias.edu (RM); seljak@itp.uzh. ch (US) ? Hubble Fellow.
THE EFFECTIVENES OF USING HAND PUPPET IN TEACHING SPEAKING

In this study, the researcher attaches several research problems. Before the treatment, students' ability to speak was still lacking because students were still studying speaking lessons in the usual way, such as only explaining the material and practicing speaking without media. After the treatment, the students' abilities were further improved because they were taught speaking lessons by practicing using the Hand Puppet media. There was a significant difference, namely the increasing ability of students. Students are more straightforward in speaking when using the Hand Puppet media. Researchers used the pre-experimental method to obtain score data. Researchers conducted a normality test to find out whether the data was normal or not. Based on the normality test of the data that has been carried out by the researchers, it shows that sig. 2-tailed is 0.200 meaning that the data is normally distributed, followed by a simple paired t-test. based on the Testing of Hypothesis Terms, If the value of t is sig. <0.05, Ha is accepted and H0 is rejected. on the simple paired t-test calculation, the data shows sig. (2-tail) 0.000. The data is smaller than 0.05, meaning that H0 is rejected and Ha is accepted.
HIFI-Net: A Novel Network for Enhancement to Underwater Optical Images

A novel network for enhancement of underwater optical images is proposed in this letter. It contains a Reinforcement Fusion Module for Haar wavelet (RFM-Haar) images. Fusion is performed to enrich available underlying information for better enhancement. As this network transform Haar Images into Fusion Images, it is called HIFI-Net. The experimental results based on Mean Square Error (0.1952, 0.1512 and 0.4683), Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (25.2241, 26.3342 and 21.4253) and Structure Similarity Index Measure (0.8265, 0.8819 and 0.8012) on three public datasets (EUVP, UFO-110 and UIEB) demonstrate that the proposed HIFI-Net performs better than some existing state-of-the-art methods.