Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Angiogenic Gene Therapy for Experimental Critical Limb Ischemia

Recent studies suggest the possible therapeutic effect of intramuscular vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene transfer in individuals with critical limb ischemia. Little information, however, is available regarding (1) the required expression level of VEGF for therapeutic effect, (2) the related expression of endogenous angiogenic factors, including fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), and (3) the related adverse effects due to overexpression of VEGF. To address these issues, we tested effects of overexpression of VEGF165 using recombinant Sendai virus (SeV), as directly compared with FGF-2 gene transfer. Intramuscular injection of SeV strongly boosted FGF-2, resulting in significant therapeutic effects for limb salvage with increased blood perfusion associated with enhanced endogenous VEGF expression in murine models of critical limb ischemia. In contrast, VEGF165 overexpression, 5-times higher than that of baseline on day 1, also strongly evoked endogenous VEGF in muscles, resulting in an accele.
Distributed Control Strategies for Microgrids: An Overview

There is an increasing interest and research effort focused on the analysis, design and implementation of distributed control systems for AC, DC and hybrid AC / DC microgrids. It is claimed that distributed controllers have several advantages over centralised control schemes, e.g., improved reliability, flexibility, controllability, black start operation, robustness to failure in the communication links, etc. In this work, an overview of the state-of-the-art of distributed cooperative control systems for isolated microgrids is presented. Protocols for cooperative control such as linear consensus, heterogeneous consensus and finite-time consensus are discussed and reviewed in this paper. Distributed cooperative algorithms for primary and secondary control systems, including (among others issues) virtual impedance, synthetic inertia, droop-free control, stability analysis, imbalance sharing, total harmonic distortion regulation, are also reviewed and discussed in this survey. Tertiary control systems, e.g., for economic dispatch of electric energy, based on cooperative control approaches, are also addressed in this work. This review also highlights existing issues, research challenges and future trends in distributed cooperative control of microgrids and their future applications.
Compliance assessment of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) at point of sale in Ahmedabad

Results: Out of 117 vendors,71 (60.68%) were aware of only two components of COTPA such as tobacco should not be sold to/by minor and there is a pictorial health warning label. Only 6 (5.13%) shops displayed board regarding “No sell of tobacco to minor. ” 24 (20.51%) shops were located within 100 yards of educational institute. Implementation of section 5 (Prohibition of brand promotion of all tobacco products) of COTPA act has been observed in all. For the non-compliance, only 19 (16.23%) vendors were fined.
Genetic variability for yield and yield attributing traits in F3 generation of blackgram

The present investigation was carried out in the F3 population of three black gram crosses viz., LBG-787 x LBG-752, TU-94-02 x KU-1006, and TU-94-02 x LBG-752 along with their parents. High PCV and GCV were recorded for plant height, the number of clusters per plant, the number of pods per plant and seed yield per plant in two crosses, LBG-787 x LBG-752 and TU-94-02 x KU-1006 indicating the existence of wide variability for these traits in the progenies of these crosses. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean were recorded for plant height, the number of clusters per plant, the number of pods per cluster, the number of pods per plant and seed yield per plant in the cross LBG-787 x LBG-752 and for plant height, the number of branches per plant, the number of clusters per plant, the number of pods per cluster, the number of pods per plant and seed yield per plant in the cross TU-94-02 x KU-1006, respectively. This indicates the scope of selection for these traits in a particular population since there is a wide range of variation and additive gene action for the traits.
DESIGN FOR ONE: PERSONALISATION AND EXPERIENCES OF DESIGN RESEARCHERS AND PARTICIPANTS

Personalisation in design is desired to address the uniqueness of people, and the design for one process is suitable to achieve this. However, more research is needed on people’s experience with such a process to learn from it and improve it. We describe and examine the design for one processes of three different design cases, where young design researchers co-design with older adults to create personal designs. We found that the process is beneficial to interpret results better. However, the workload needs to be considered, and we can potentially extend further in personalizing the process by defining the users’ creative strengths beforehand. Furthermore, we discuss applying this design for one process with other target groups and discuss the value of the unique findings of each particular case. Hereby, we contribute to how to execute and evaluate the design for one process and further enhance it for application in sensitive settings.
Local cod (Gadus morhua) revealed by egg surveys and population genetic analysis after longstanding depletion on the Swedish Skagerrak coast

&NA; Dramatic and persistent reductions in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) are common in many coastal areas. While offshore cod stocks still were abundant and productive, the Swedish west coast showed signs of diminishing adult cod abundance at the beginning of the 1980s, where the local cod component was considered to be extirpated. To survey the present cod spawning activity and stock composition, we initiated egg trawling over two consecutive years (203 hauls in total) in combination with population genetic analyses (425 individually genotyped eggs). Here, we provide evidence of cod spawning at the Swedish Skagerrak coast, suggesting recolonization or that local cod has recovered from a nearly depleted state. Early stage eggs were found inside fjords too far to have been transported by oceanic drift from offshore spawning areas. The cod eggs were genetically similar in early to late life‐stages and cluster mainly with the local adult cod, indicating that eggs and adults belong to the same genetic unit. The cod eggs were genetically differentiated from adult North Sea cod, and, to a lesser degree, also from the Kattegat and Öresund cod, i.e. indicating a possible recovery of local coastal stock. The patterns of the genetic structure in the inshore areas are, however, difficult to fully disentangle, as Atlantic cod in the North Sea‐Skagerrak area seem to be a mixture of co‐existing forms: local cod completing their entire life cycle in fjords and sheltered areas, and oceanic populations showing homing behaviours. The egg abundances are considerably lower compared with what is found in similar studies along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast. Nevertheless, the discovery of locally spawning cod along the Swedish west coast—although at low biomasses—is an encouraging finding that highlights the needs for endurance in protective measures and of detailed surveys to secure intraspecific biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Trading off Between Multi-Tenancy and Interference: A Service User Allocation Game

Edge computing, as an emerging and prospective distributed computing paradigm, allows a service provider to serve its users by allocating them to nearby edge servers delivering services with low latency. From the service provider’s perspective, a cost-effective service user allocation aims to allocate maximum service users to minimum edge servers. Such an allocation leverages multi-tenancy to reduce the resources hired by the service provider for serving the service users. However, the allocation of excessive service users to an edge server may result in severe interference and consequently impact their data rates. There is a trade-off between multi-tenancy and interference in the pursuit of a cost-effective service user allocation. In this article, we formally model this service user allocation (SUA) problem, and prove that it is NP-hard to find the optimal solution to an SUA problem. To solve the SUA problem effectively and efficiently, we propose a game-theoretic approach, namely MI-SUAGame, to formulate the SUA problem as a potential game. We analyze the game and prove its admission to a Nash equilibrium. Then, a novel decentralized algorithm is designed for finding a Nash equilibrium in the game as the solution to the SUA problem. The performance of MI-SUAGame is theoretically analyzed and experimentally evaluated against the state-of-the-art approach. The results show that it can solve the SUA problem effectively and efficiently.
Effects of physical barriers and eradication on recolonization of rodents in poultry farms

Abstract Mus musculus, Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus are pests in poultry farms, causing economic losses and transmitting diseases. Control is commonly conducted through anticoagulant rodenticides, but this control is not effective through time. We aimed to assess the effect of rodent exclosure on long-term success of rodent control in poultry farms of the pampean region, Argentina, and to evaluate indirect estimators of rodent abundance. In both exclosure and non-exclosure sheds rodent abundance decreased significantly after eradication but mice populations showed a recovery, suggesting that the eradication was not complete. Rats did not recover, but the low abundance found at the beginning of the experiment does not allow an accurate conclusion.
Precise Linear-Motor Synchronization Control via Cross-Coupled Second-Order Discrete-Time Fractional-Order Sliding Mode

This article presents a universal method of precise synchronization control for linear-motor-driven systems. The control method named cross-coupled second-order discrete-time fractional-order sliding mode control contains a cross-coupled control strategy to reduce the incoordination among driving linear motors. It also includes the second-order structure and fractional-order sliding mode surface to reduce the chattering phenomenon and improve the dynamic performance simultaneously, so that the precision is further enhanced. In particular, a universal definition of synchronization error is presented so that a better synchronization control performance can be achieved, especially in multidimensional systems. It is also compatible well with the contouring control, which extends the application further. Moreover, the stability of the controller is analyzed in this article. Finally, the proposed control method is conducted in simulations and experiments under various tasks, whose results have proved its effectiveness and advantages over conventional methods.
Improving nutritional quality of wheat through soil and foliar zinc application

A field study was conducted to ascertain the effect of three zinc (Zn) levels: 0, 20 kg ZnSO 4 /ha and 20 kg ZnSO 4 /ha + foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSO 4 , on wheat grain Zn content and factors contributing to or hindering in its bioavailability. Increasing Zn levels were established as serviceable in improving the nutritional status of genotypes. Soil application + foliar spray proved to be paramount for all the traits leading to an 80% increase in grain Zn content, 61.3% in methionine content and a decrease of 23.2% in phytic acid as an average of all genotypes and both years. The genotype UP 2382 was found more suited to Zn fertilization in allocating Zn and maintaining a lower phytate to Zn molar ratio.
TNF system activity and plasma RBP4 and apelin-36 levels in obese and normal weight women

Objective: Tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α), retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), and apelin-36 are adipokines with increased circulating levels in obesity, which are involved in the development of insulin resistance. It was shown that TNF-α stimulates synthesis of apelin-36 and inhibits RBP4 expression in adipocytes. The aim of the study was the assessment of relationships between TNF system activity and plasma RBP4 and apelin-36 levels in obese and normal weight women. Material and methods: A total of 116 women (72 obese and 44 normal weight) were enrolled into the study. In addition to the anthropometric measurements and routine biochemical parameters, plasma TNF-α, sTNFRs, RBP4, and apelin-36, insulin levels were assessed by ELISA. Results: In obese group plasma TNF-α, sTNFR1, RBP-4, and apelin-36 levels were significantly higher, while sTNFR2 levels were lower than in the normal-weight group (Me 4.4 vs. 2.3 pg/mL, p < 0.05; 1908 vs. 1285 pg/mL, p < 0.001; 27.6 vs. 14.7 ng/mL, p < 0.001; 1.6 vs. 1.2 ng/mL, p < 0.05, and 2361 vs. 2574 pg/mL, p < 0.05, respec-tively). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that plasma RBP4 levels were proportional to age (β = 0.01), and plasma TNF-α (β = 0.26) and sTNFR1 (β = 0.39) levels, and inversely proportional to sTNFR2 levels (β = –0.55) independently of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, while apelin-36 was proportional to BMI (β = 0.01) and insulin levels (β = 0.19) and inversely proportional to age (β = –0.01), independently of waist circumference and TNF system activity. Conclusions: Plasma RBP4, but not apelin-36 level, is associated with TNF system activity.
Accurate Visible Light Positioning Using Multiple-Photodiode Receiver and Machine Learning

Visible light positioning (VLP) is a promising indoor localization method as it provides high positioning accuracy and allows for leveraging the existing lighting infrastructure. Photodiode (PD)-based receiver is a commonly used tag for VLP. However, a tag employing a single PD requires three or more luminaires to be visible. This article presents a VLP system that uses a custom-made tag utilizing multiple PDs. It applies received signal strength (RSS)-based fingerprinting using a weighted k-nearest neighbor (WkNN) algorithm for localization. Experimental results show that it is possible to localize using less than three luminaires with high accuracy. The Manhattan and Matusita distance metrics are found to provide lower localization accuracy than the Euclidean metric for the WkNN algorithm. The creation of a dense fingerprinting database through 2-D interpolation is presented as a method to reduce the cost of time and labor. The localization performance of the VLP system does not degrade noticeably with the fabricated database. The localization accuracy of the WkNN algorithm is shown to be better than that of a multilayer perceptron (MLP)-based regressor. The developed VLP system is also experimentally benchmarked against the HTC Vive showing comparable performance.
The influence of Individual Characteristics and Risk Behavior on The Incidence of Hypertension among Community in Medan City

Hypertension is the third cause of death in Indonesia. The incidence of hypertension in Medan City remains high. The disease is related to risk behavior that could be prevented. The purpose of study is to determine the influence of individual characteristics and risk behavior on the incidence of hypertension. This was an observational study with case control design. The study samples was 208 at a case: control ratio of 1:1. Data was analyzed using Simple and Multiple Logistic Regression. The results showed that Individual characteristics including age ( adjusted OR 7.608, 95% CI 2.73, 21.22), education (adjusted OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.03, 3.61), overweight (adjusted OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.31,4.65) and risk behavior including smoking habit (adjusted OR 2.32, 95 % CI 1.22, 4.43) were associated with incidence of hypertension. It was recommended to strengthen health promotion regarding healthy behaviour and maintain body weight.
The Effects of E-cigarette Vapor Exposure, and the Role of a7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors and Micro-RNA, on the Regeneration Potential of Periodontal Ligament Derived Stem Cells

of a dissertation at the University of Miami. Dissertation supervised by Professor Herman S. Cheung. No. of pages in text. (120) Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are marketed as a “safer” alternative to cigarette smoking due to a significant reduction in the number of toxic chemicals delivered to the user; however, ECs are still believed to cause major health concerns due to the concentrated delivery of toxic chemicals. Stem cells participate in tissue restoration and are often considered in therapies used to treat cigarette-smoking diseases. The oral cavity, the initial site of EC vapor exposure, contains various stem cell populations like periodontal ligament derived stem cells (PDSLCs) that are involved in the development, maintenance, and repair of oral tissues. PDLSCs are critical for maintaining healthy teeth and regenerating damaged oral tissues from destructive diseases such as periodontitis. PDLSCs can be easily isolated following natural tooth loss or routine dental procedures and are thus an ideal source of therapeutic stem cells for periodontal regeneration. However, by residing in the oral cavity, PDLSCs are exposed to and thus extremely susceptible to the effects of EC vapor. The precise effects of EC vapor on stem cell biology are unknown. Nicotine has been shown to negatively impact the regenerative capabilities of PDLSCs, but EC vapors contain other non-nicotine compounds whose effect, either alone or in tandem with nicotine, remains unknown. Others suggest that the nicotinic effects are mediated through a7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) on the PDLSC surface; yet, it is still unknown whether nicotine-containing ECV cause detrimental effects to PDLSCs through similar mechanisms. To study these effects, I propose using an automated smoking robot and a recentgeneration EC device to produce vapor from 0mg/ml nicotine and 36mg/ml nicotine eliquids (non-flavored, 50%/50% w/v PG/VG) and a liquid impinger to extract vapor into cell culture media so that it can be added directly into PDLSC cultures. The effects of exposure on the proliferation, migration, and osteogenic differentiation potential of PDLSC were investigated in order to determine the harms of use on dental stem cell regeneration potential. The involvement of a7 nAChRs and microRNA (miRNA) expression were also investigated in order to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating this effect. It was predicted that nicotine-containing ECVs would inhibit PDLSC proliferation, migration and osteogenic differentiation through a7 nAChRs and upregulated miRNA. It was concluded that exposure to nicotine-containing EC vapors significantly undermines the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation potential of PDLSCs. These effects were mediated in part by a7 nAChRs and e-liquid humectants and potentially by upregulated miRNAs that are involved in regulating cell proliferation, migration, and osteogenic differentiation.
Changing talk and interaction for dialogic teaching in an early years’ literacy classroom

Dialogic teaching emphasizes changes to classroom interaction to promote student participation, yet there are still few studies which investigate how this might occur in early years’ literacy classrooms. This practitioner action research study focuses on one classroom teacher’s journey as she implemented a range of dialogic strategies to promote student talk, aiming to create a richer learning environment in a Kindergarten and Year One elementary classroom. Changes were made over a six-month period and these were documented using a reflective journal, video and audio recordings of classroom lessons and transcript analysis of those. Classroom talk was coded according to types of interactions, and the number of interactions produced by students and the teacher. Patterns in turn-taking and language use were identified and compared over time as various strategies were implemented. As a result of changes, a more dialogic classroom environment developed providing increased opportunities for students’ voices to be heard, particularly through promoting student-to-student interactions during class discussions.
Faktor Penentu Perusahaan Melakukan Penghindaran Pajak

Latar Belakang: Perusahaan maunfaktur merupakan bagian dari sektor yang berkontribusi besar terhadap penerimaan pajak Negara, dibandingkan sektor seperti perkebunan, pertambangan, dan keuangan dan lainnya. Perusahaan manufaktur merupakan bagian dari wajib pajak yang terfokus dalam daftar pemeriksaan Direktorat Jendral Pajak. Maka perlu dilakukan penelitian untuk membuktilan faktor penentu Perusahaan manufaktur dalam melakukan penghindaran pajak, dikarenakan bagi perusahaan pajak merupakan biaya atau cash outflow sehingga sangat hati-hati dalam melakukan perhitungan pajaknya. Tujuan : Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis dan memberikan bukti empiris tentang variabel profitabilitas, vaiabel leverage, variabel ukuran perusahaan, dan variabel kepemilikan institusional terhadap variabel penghindaran pajak. Adapun penghindaran pajak atau tax avidance merupakan penghindaran pajak yang diperkenankan dalam perpapajakan dan tidak bertentangan dengaan peraturan perudang-undangan perpajakan juga tidak bertentangan dengan aturan akuntansi. Metode Penelitian : Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah perusahaan manufaktur yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia 2016-2018. Data dikumpulkan dengan menggunakan metode purposive sampling dengan data sebanyak 384 data perusahahaan manufaktur yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia yang bisa diolah sebanyak 108 data. Purposivenya berupa Tidak tersedianya data laporan keuangan dan laporan tahunan, Data Perusahaan Manufaktur yang menggunakan mata uang selain rupiah dan Data Perusahaan Manufaktur yang memiliki laba negative . Analisis yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah analisis regresi linier berganda dengan bantuan software SPSS 15.0 Hasil Penelitian : Hasil olah data dalam penelitian ini menyatakan medapatkan hasil bahwa variabel profitabilitas dan variabel kepemilikan institusional berpengaruh terhadap penghindaran pajak. Sedangkan variabel leverage dan variabel ukuran perusahaan tidak berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap variabel penghindaran pajak. Keterbatasan Penelitian : Hasil penelitian hanya variabel profitabilitas dan kepemilikan institusional saja, perlu menambahkan variabel lain peperti auditor ekternal, kepemilikan saham oleh keluarga dan lain-lain. Penelitian ini hanya sebatas perusahaan manufaktur, maka perlu ada penelitian untuk perusahaan tambang, industri kimia, jasa dan dagang untuk melihat perbedaan. Keaslian/Novetly Penelitian: Penelitian terkait pajak masih terus berkembang, khususnya tentang penghindaran pajak. Dan penelitian ini memberikan diskusi baru untuk bidang perpajakan untuk bidang manufaktur.
A comparative study of methods for a priori prediction of MCQ difficulty

Successful exams require a balance of easy, medium, and difficult questions. Question difficulty is generally either estimated by an expert or determined after an exam is taken. The latter provides no utility for the generation of new questions and the former is expensive both in terms of time and cost. Additionally, it is not known whether expert prediction is indeed a good proxy for estimating question difficulty. In this paper, we analyse and compare two ontology-based measures for difficulty prediction of multiple choice questions, as well as comparing each measure with expert prediction (by 15 experts) against the exam performance of 12 residents over a corpus of 231 medical case-based questions that are in multiple choice format. We find one ontology-based measure (relation strength indicativeness) to be of comparable performance (accuracy = 47%) to expert prediction (average accuracy = 49%).