Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BIOPHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANTI-GAL&agr;1-3GAL IgM BINDING TO CELL SURFACES: IMPLICATIONS FOR XENOTRANSPLANTATION1

Background. Natural antibodies directed against cell surface carbohydrates are thought to be vital to host defense and to initiate the rejection of xenografts and ABO-incompatible allografts. The biophysical properties underlying the association and dissociation of these antibodies from cell surfaces is incompletely understood. We investigated those properties for the binding of Gal&agr;1-3Gal antibodies to porcine endothelial cell surfaces, because such interactions might be relevant to the clinical application of xenotransplantation. Results and Conclusions. The initial rate of binding of anti-Gal&agr;1-3Gal antibodies to endothelial cells was found to depend on antibody concentration, antibody diffusion, and antigen concentration. The presence of an intact glycocalyx had a greater impact on antibody binding than mobility of antigen in cell membranes. Disruption of glycocalyx increased the amount of antibody bound at equilibrium by more than 50%. Although the binding of anti-Gal&agr;1-3Gal antibodies to cell surfaces could be inhibited by soluble Gal&agr;1-3Gal, once bound, some anti-Gal&agr;1-3Gal could not be dissociated by competitive inhibitors of binding or by denaturation of the bound Ig with chaotropic reagents, but could be dissociated by reduction of disulfide bonds, suggesting that attachment to cell surfaces was, at least in part, by means other than specific reaction with the epitope.
A measurement-based boundary estimation approach for localization in industrial WSNs

Localization in Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks (IWSNs) promotes innovations in manufacturing applications, such as structural status mapping, instrument fault diagnosing and oriented automation system associating. However, dispersive distortion, impulse noise and interference effects causing unpredictable and time-variant effects of the signal, decrease the localization accuracy in harsh manufacturing environments. In this paper, we propose a noise reduction localization scheme in IWSNs, called Support Vector Semidefinite (SVSD), based on practical industrial wireless channel measurements. We introduce an e-insensitive error function to evade the effects of impulse noise and interference by applying a new statistical path-loss model obtained from the measurements. We further relieve the noise effects by estimating the boundaries of the sensor locations before addressing the localization. Considering the boundaries, we obtain the sensor locations by utilizing semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxation. Simulation results show that the SVSD scheme provides higher location estimation accuracy than the SDP scheme under varying noise effects.
Moral attitudes and willingness to induce cognitive enhancement and repair with brain stimulation

The availability of technological means to enhance and repair human cognitive function raises questions about the perceived morality of their use. In this study, we administered a survey to the public in which subjects were asked to report how willing they would be to enhance and/or repair specific cognitive abilities. We found that subjects were more willing to use technologies to enhance or repair other people than themselves, and especially to repair functions more "core" to authentic identity in others. Subjects' ratings of moral acceptability of uses was related to their reported willingness to use brain stimulation. These findings establish a basis to guide moral psychological studies of cognitive modification and social processes that guide attitudes toward and uses of brain stimulation.
Biomechanical Tests of Osteoporotic Vertebral Trabecular Bone using Finite Element Analysis Based on Micro-CT

Osteoporosis results in high fracture risks of vertebral bone. A considerable amount of work has been done to investigate the biomechanical characteristics of osteoporotic vertebral trabecular bone. Previous researchers studied the elastic characteristics using a micro-finite element (micro-FE) model, used to analyze realistic trabecular architectures in full detail, based on micro-computed tomography (muCT). Since osteoporotic compression fracture is closely associated with the mechanical characteristics of the vertebral trabecular bone and there were few micro-FE models to account for all of the elastic and plastic characteristics in vertebral trabecular bone, this study analyzed the effect of voxel resolution on the plastic as well as the elastic characteristics of three-dimensional (3D) osteoporotic lumbar trabecular bone models. Also, we evaluated the effect of specimen size on this problem. It has been reported that a cubic specimen with side length 6.5 mm was suggested as standard specimens for the experimental test of trabecular bone. Current study examined whether or not the effect of the specimen geometry on the experimental test may be also applied to the simulated compression test of trabecular bone specimens. The experimental test employing the rapid prototyping (RP) technique and INSTRON test machine is performed to indirectly validate the results of the simulated compression test by micro-FE analysis. The review finished with the verification about the effects of the simulated compression test.
Electro-chemical polishing : a technique for surface improvements after laser milling

Electro-chemical polishing is a process of improving micro smoothness, micro topology, and material brightness by anodic dissolving of the substrate in an electrolyte with an external source of electricity. The resulting surface improvements depend on the uniformity of the material microstructure, the lack of surface inclusions, and the consistency of the surface finish all over the target area. In contrast, laser milled structures are mostly concave features; their roughness is usually higher than that achieved on the other surfaces of the component, and also there is a significant presence of foreign or recast particles on them. Thus, it is important to investigate systematically the effects of electro-chemical polishing on microstructures machined by laser milling. The paper discusses the effects of electro-chemical polishing on the surface finish of laser milled features. Although ECP displayed some limitations when polishing micro features, it still managed to achieve almost 30% improvements in comparison to the initial roughness after laser milling. Another benefit is that the process also improves the edge quality of the laser machined structures by removing the burrs.
The early colonial atlantic world: New insights on the African Diaspora from isotopic and ancient DNA analyses of a multiethnic 15th-17th century burial population from the Canary Islands, Spain.

OBJECTIVES The Canary Islands are considered one of the first places where Atlantic slave plantations with labourers of African origin were established, during the 15th century AD. In Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain), a unique cemetery dated to the 15th and 17th centuries was discovered adjacent to an ancient sugar plantation with funerary practices that could be related to enslaved people. In this article, we investigate the origin and possible birthplace of each individual buried in this cemetery, as well as the identity and social status of these people. MATERIALS AND METHODS The sample consists of 14 individuals radiocarbon dated to the 15th and 17th centuries AD. We have employed several methods, including the analysis of ancient human DNA, stable isotopes, and skeletal markers of physical activity. RESULTS 1) the funerary practices indicate a set of rituals not previously recorded in the Canary Islands; 2) genetic data show that some people buried in the cemetery could have North-African and sub-Saharan African lineages; 3) isotopic results suggest that some individuals were born outside Gran Canaria; and 4) markers of physical activity show a pattern of labour involving high levels of effort. DISCUSSION This set of evidence, along with information from historical sources, suggests that Finca Clavijo was a cemetery for a multiethnic marginalized population that had being likely enslaved. Results also indicate that this population kept practicing non-Christian rituals well into the 17th century. We propose that this was possible because the location of the Canaries, far from mainland Spain and the control of the Spanish Crown, allowed the emergence of a new society with multicultural origins that was more tolerant to foreign rituals and syncretism.
Bacitracin and protease production in relation to sporulation during exponential growth of Bacillus licheniformis on poorly utilized carbon and nitrogen sources

Growth of Bacillus licheniformis in a chemically defined medium containing glucose and ammonium chloride yielded a doubling time of 1.00 h. Examination of the culture during exponential growth revealed a lack of heat-resistant spores together with a complete absence of detectable concentrations of bacitracin or extracellular serine protease. Replacement of glucose as the sole carbon source by glycerol, pyruvic acid, citric acid, or lactic acid resulted in doubling times of 1.13, 2.00, 3.16, and 3.95 h, respectively. Bacitracin, protease, and heat-resistant spores were produced during exponential growth in amounts related to these doubling times. A qualitatively similar pattern was observed when ammonium chloride was replaced by sodium nitrate, alanine, or glutamic acid which gave doubling times of 1.65, 1.77, and 1.90 h, respectively. Protease, but not bacitracin, concentrations were substantially higher when the growth rate was restricted by use of poor nitrogen rather than poor carbon sources. The relationships between bacitracin production, protease production, and the sporulation process are discussed.
Approximate optimal monitoring: Preliminary results

In this paper an approximate solution of a differential game arising in optimal monitoring is considered. The solution relies on the construction of a sequence of optimal control problems, solved using their associated Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman partial differential equations, along with the use of an instantaeous player that acts between successive optimisation periods. Preliminary simulation results illustrate the ideas and show that continuous monitoring is achieved.
Demographic Determinants for Change in Activities of Daily Living : A Cohort Study of the Elderly People in Beijing

To describe changes in activities of daily living (ADL) of community-dwelling Beijing elderly people, observed for 8 years, and to identify the demographic characteristics that predict the functional change. Four sets of interview data from1992 to 2000 were used to evaluate changes among Beijing elderly aged 55 years and over. Results revealed that prevalence of disability increased from 3.9% to 7.1% during the 8 years of follow-up with the average increasing rate of disability was 0.41% per year. Meanwhile an increasing likelihood of recovery from disability is observed with age and time. Women, aged 75 or more, experienced higher disability than men though it was in the opposite for younger ages. In addition, certain demographic subgroups (such as women, unmarried, illiterate and living in non urban area) appeared to be at higher risk for ADL impaired. The patterns of ADL change is in both the direction of improvement and declination. Demographic variables emerged as a significant predictor in estimating functional outcomes. Furthermore, it is recommended that the demarcation factor for the evaluation of ADL should be 75 years of age.
Pro‐opiomelanocortin gene is expressed in post‐implantation mouse embryos and enhances growth potential of myogenic cells

We previously showed that the adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) is a mitogen for myoblasts and is present in post‐implantation mammalian embryos (Cossu et al. [1989] Dev. Biol. 131:331–336; De Angelis et al. [1992] Dev. Biol. 151:446–458). In this paper, we investigated the expression of the corresponding gene, pro‐opiomelanocortin (POMC), by in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction. In situ analysis revealed low level expression in the basal layer of 10.5 d.p.c. neural tube and in several discrete areas around the dorsal aorta. By more sensitive Reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) analysis, expression was detected also in developing limb buds and in cultured myogenic cells, but not in fibroblasts.
X-ray-diffraction studies of hydration transitions in Na vermiculite.

Ces transitions sont determinees en fonction de la temperature a une pression eau-vapeur constante. Les echantillons presentent des etats d'hydratation de la couche d'eau 0,1 et 2 bien definis avec des espacements de base de respectivement 9,81, 11,84 et 14,85 A
Fractionation of stigmasterol derivative and study of the effects of Celsia coromandelina aerial parts petroleum ether extract on appearance of puberty and ovarian steroidogenesis in immature mice

Context: Celsia coromandelina Vahl (Scrophulariaceae) is a shrub found throughout Bangladesh and India, and it is distributed widely in the plains of West Bengal. It is used by the tribal people to treat diarrhea, dysentery, insomnia, skin eruption, fever, syphilis, helminthes infection, and to control fertility. Objective: The objective of this study was to fractionate stigmasterol derivative and to investigate the effects of petroleum ether extract of C. coromandelina (PECC) aerial parts on the onset of reproductive maturity and the ovarian steroidogenesis in immature female mice. Materials and methods: PECC was prepared by hot extraction process and one compound was isolated by preparative TLC from it. PECC was completely freed from solvent and administered in immature female mice intraperitoneally once on every alternate day for nine doses. The sexual maturity was observed by means of vaginal opening, first estrus (days), rate of body growth, changes in weight of ovary, uterus and pituitary. The content of ascorbic acid, cholesterol, Δ5-3β-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase (Δ5-3β-HSD) and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G 6-PDH) activities in ovaries and carbonic anhydrase activity in uterus were measured by means of biochemical technique in control and treated mice. The activity of PECC was compared with standard marker compound ethinyl estradiol. Results: The isolated compound was characterized as stigmasterol derivative. PECC treatment caused a remarkable delay (30.27 and 18.56%, respectively, by low dose) in sexual maturity compared to vehicle control as evidenced by the age of vaginal opening and appearance of first estrus (cornified smear). PECC treatment also caused a significant fall (58.6 and 50.0%, respectively, by low dose) in Δ5-3β-HSD and G 6-PDH activities involved in ovarian steroidogenesis compared to vehicle control. Total cholesterol and ascorbic acid content in ovaries and carbonic anhydrase activity in uterus were increased significantly (low dose by 49.3, 424.6 and 82.4%, respectively) along with a reduction in the weight of ovary, uterus and pituitary in comparison to that of control. Discussion and conclusion: Overall, these results demonstrate that PECC has a good antifertility effect and is responsible for the delayed development of sexual maturity, suppression of ovarian steroidogenesis and elevation of carbonic anhydrase activity in uterus of immature mice. This supports the claim by tribal people as a potential remedy for birth control.
Análise de Desempenho de Plataformas de Processamento de Grafos

A análise de redes complexas, representadas por grafos, se aplica a diversas áreas do conhecimento. Este artigo analisa o desempenho de plataformas de processamento de grafos representativas de abordagens diversas ao problema. Também são considerados na análise realizada algoritmos de análise de grande interesse da comunidade (conectividade, centralidade e caminho), além de um conjunto de redes sintéticas e reais com características topológicas e dimensões diversas. Os resultados experimentais obtidos contribuem com diretivas para que os interessados possam melhor elencar a plataforma de processamento de grafos mais eficiente a seus interesses de análise.
Investigating Scalability in Hierarchical Language Identification System

State-of-the-art language identification (LID) systems are not easily scalable to accommodate new languages. Specifically, as the number of target languages grows the error rate of these LID systems increases rapidly. This paper addresses such a challenge by adopting a hierarchical language identification (HLID) framework. We demonstrate the superior scalability of the HLID framework. In particular, HLID only requires the training of relevant nodes in a hierarchical structure instead of re-training the entire tree. Experiments conducted on a dataset that combined languages from the NIST LRE 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2015 databases show that as the number of target languages grows from 28 to 42, the performance of a single level (non-hierarchical) system deteriorates by around 11% while that of the hierarchical system only deteriorates by about 3.4% in terms of Cavg. Finally, experiments also suggest that SVM based systems are more scalable than GPLDA based systems.
Tri-Band Dual-Polarization Shared-Aperture Microstrip Array for SAR Applications

The design of a tri-band dual-polarization (TBDP) shared-aperture microstrip array antenna for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) applications is presented. It operates at L-, Sand X-bands with a frequency ratio of 1:2.8:8. This TBDP shared-aperture array is assembled by two L/S and L/X DBDP shared-aperture sub-arrays with one L-band dual-polarized sub-array. A prototype array has been fabricated and measured, which exhibits wide impedance bandwidth (VSWR ≤ 2) of 13.4%, 14.8%, and 16.8% in L-, S-, and X-bands, respectively. The measured array isolation is better than -27 dB in all three bands. The measured radiation patterns agree well with the simulation, confirming the cross-polarization level of below dB within the main lobe region, and the array scanning capability of ±27° in S- and X-bands. This array design approach can be further extended to shared-aperture arrays with more than three bands.
Association between glycated haemoglobin and the risk of congestive heart failure in diabetes mellitus: systematic review and meta‐analysis

Clinical trials to date have not provided definitive evidence regarding the effects of glucose lowering on the incidence of congestive heart failure (CHF). We synthesized available prospective epidemiological data on the association between glycaemia measured by haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and incident CHF in individuals with diabetes.
A common-mode BIST technique for fully-differential sample-and-hold circuits

This paper presents a Common-Mode (CM) Built-In SelfTest (BIST) technique for Fully-Differential (FD) Sample-and-Hold (S/H) circuits. Based on the CM test setup, the catastrophic and parametric faults in the MOS switches and hold capacitors can be detected by checking the differential outputs, which should vary around the desired CM output of the FD Operational Amplifier (OpAmp) used in the FD S/H circuits under test. The fault simulation results in circuitlevel and the layout design using Rohm 0.18-μm CMOS technology are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed CM BIST technique for FD S/H circuits.
Correlates of low testosterone and symptomatic androgen deficiency in a population-based sample.

CONTEXT Risk factors for low testosterone and symptomatic androgen deficiency (AD) may be modifiable. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to examine demographic, anthropometric, and medical correlates of low testosterone and symptomatic AD. DESIGN Data were used from the Boston Area Community Health Survey, an epidemiological study conducted from 2002-2005. SETTING Data were obtained from a community-based random sample of racially and ethnically diverse men. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Data were available for 1822 men. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations of covariates with 1) low testosterone and 2) symptomatic AD. The operational definition of low testosterone was serum total testosterone less than 300 ng/dl and free testosterone less than 5 ng/dl; symptomatic AD was defined as the additional presence of symptoms: any of low libido, erectile dysfunction, or osteoporosis or two or more of sleep disturbance, depressed mood, lethargy, or diminished physical performance. RESULTS Factors associated with low testosterone included age (OR = 1.36; 95% CI= 1.11-1.66, per decade), low per-capita income ($6000 or less per household member vs. more than $30,000; OR = 2.86; 95% CI = 1.39-5.87), and waist circumference (per 10-cm increase; OR = 1.75; 95% CI = 1.45-2.12). Only age (OR = 1.36; 95% CI = 1.04-1.77), waist circumference (OR = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.44-2.47), and health status (OR = 0.21; 95% CI = 0.05-0.92, excellent vs. fair/poor) were associated with our construct of symptomatic AD. Of all variables, waist circumference was the most important contributor in both models. CONCLUSIONS Waist circumference is a potentially modifiable risk factor for low testosterone and symptomatic AD. Manifestation of symptoms may be a consequence of generally poor health status.
23NA-MRI OF THE HUMAN HEART USING A 3D RADIAL PROJECTION TECHNIQUE

Sodium MRI has the potential to differentiate viable and non-viable infarcted myocardium. The accurate quantification of the total sodium content requires imaging techniques with ultra short echo times below 0.5 ms. We present a 3D-radial projection technique which allows the acquisition of ECG-triggered sodium images of the human heart with echo times of 0.4 ms. A 3D-data set of the heart of a volunteer was acquired within less than 18 min on a clinical scanner (1.5 T), achieving a SNR of 10 in the myocardium with an isotropic resolution of 10 mm. This technique provides a tool for clinical studies of ischemic heart diseases.
Size-Reduced Planar and Nonplanar SIW Gysel Power Divider Based on Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic Technology

Aiming at reducing the size of substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) Gysel power divider (PD), a SIW-based planar Gysel PD is redesigned based on low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC). In addition, another novel SIW-based nonplanar Gysel PD is first presented and implemented on multilayer LTCC, which can further reduce size over 83% when compared with planar Gysel PD. Both of the two SIW Gysel PDs are fabricated and measured, and the measured results show that within frequency range from 17 to 19 GHz, the planar Gysel PD has the performances of return losses <12.5 dB, insertion loss <5.25 dB, isolation >20 dB, and phase ripple about ±7.5°; while the nonplanar Gysel PD has the performances of return losses <10 dB, insertion loss <7 dB, isolation >10 dB, and phase ripple about ±7°.
Low and High Spatial Frequencies Are Most Useful for Drawing

What perceptual information do artists use to accurately render what they see? To answer this question, we investigated the utility of low, middle, and high spatial frequency bands for drawing. Untrained artists drew portraits from four spatial frequency bands (unfiltered, low, middle, and high). Raters judged the accuracy of those drawings compared to images of either the same or an unfiltered version of the face. Contrary to predictions based on the useful spatial frequencies for face recognition, which favor middle spatial frequencies (MSFs), the results showed that low spatial frequencies (LSFs) and high spatial frequencies (HSFs) were more useful for drawing, and the unfiltered condition produced the best drawings. Thus, the information most useful for drawing faces is not the same as that for recognizing faces. Specifically, artists may utilize the global configuration information carried in LSFs and the edge and detail information carried in HSFs to render accurate drawings.