Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
1 SPIRAL IN / OUT PULSE SEQUENCE / RECON FOR FMRI

The k-space trajectory can be chosen as spiral-out, spiral-in, or spiral in-out (both), controlled by a user CV. In the later case, two separate sets of images are obtained having a common TE (defined as the center of k-space), and they may be combined after reconstruction as desired. See ref. 5 for discussion of the philosophy of the spiral-in approach, as well as methods of combining the two sets of images.
Chemokines Regulate the Migration of Neural Progenitors to Sites of Neuroinflammation

Many studies have shown that transplanted or endogenous neural progenitor cells will migrate toward damaged areas of the brain. However, the mechanism underlying this effect is not clear. Here we report that, using hippocampal slice cultures, grafted neural progenitor cells (NPs) migrate toward areas of neuroinflammation and that chemokines are a major regulator of this process. Migration of NPs was observed after injecting an inflammatory stimulus into the area of the fimbria and transplanting enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-labeled NPs into the dentate gyrus of cultured hippocampal slices. Three to 7 d after transplantation, EGFP–NPs in control slices showed little tendency to migrate and had differentiated into neurons and glia. In contrast, in slices injected with inflammatory stimuli, EGFP–NPs migrated toward the site of the injection. NPs in these slices also survived less well. The inflammatory stimuli used were a combination of the cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ, the bacterial toxin lipopolysaccharide, the human immunodeficiency virus-1 coat protein glycoprotein 120, or a β-amyloid-expressing adenovirus. We showed that these inflammatory stimuli increased the synthesis of numerous chemokines and cytokines by hippocampal slices. When EGFP–NPs from CC chemokine receptor CCR2 knock-out mice were transplanted into slices, they exhibited little migration toward sites of inflammation. Similarly, wild-type EGFP–NPs exhibited little migration toward inflammatory sites when transplanted into slices prepared from monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) knock-out mice. These data indicate that factors secreted by sites of neuroinflammation are attractive to neural progenitors and suggest that chemokines such as MCP-1 play an important role in this process.
Eurographics/ Ieee-vgtc Symposium on Visualization 2010 Smallworlds: Visualizing Social Recommendations

We present SmallWorlds, a visual interactive graph-based interface that allows users to specify, refine and build item-preference profiles in a variety of domains. The interface facilitates expressions of taste through simple graph interactions and these preferences are used to compute personalized, fully transparent item recommendations for a target user. Predictions are based on a collaborative analysis of preference data from a user's direct peer group on a social network. We find that in addition to receiving transparent and accurate item recommendations, users also learn a wealth of information about the preferences of their peers through interaction with our visualization. Such information is not easily discoverable in traditional text based interfaces. A detailed analysis of our design choices for visual layout, interaction and prediction techniques is presented. Our evaluations discuss results from a user study in which SmallWorlds was deployed as an interactive recommender system on Facebook.
Probability of magnification in the HubbleFrontier Fields clusters

JV-F and GMB acknowledge support from the Space Telescope Science Institute (contract number 49726). JMD acknowledges the support of projects AYA2015-64508-P funded by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO/FEDER, UE). JV-F and JMD acknowledge the hospitality of the University of Pennsylvania.
WIPE: Wearout Informed Pattern Elimination to Improve the Endurance of NVM-based Caches

With the recent development in Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) technologies, several studies have suggested using them as an alternative to SRAMs in on-chip caches. However, limited endurance of NVMs is a major challenge when employed in the caches. This paper proposes a data manipulation technique, so-called Wearout Informed Pattern Elimination (WIPE), to improve the endurance of NVM-based caches by reducing the activity of frequent data patterns. Simulation results show that WIPE improves the endurance by up to 93% with negligible overheads.
Fibroblast Growth Factor 1-Transfected Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Angiogenic Proliferation.

The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the effects of using adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) transfected with an episomal plasmid encoding fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) (AD-MSCsFGF1), in providing the microenvironment required for angiogenic proliferation. The isolated rat AD-MSCs were positive for mesenchymal (CD29 and CD90) and negative for hematopoietic (CD34 and CD45) surface markers. Adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of the AD-MSCs also occurred in the proper culture media. The presence of FGF1 in the conditioned medium from the AD-MSCsFGF1 was confirmed by Western blotting. G418 and PCR were used for selection of transfected cells and confirmation of the presence of FGF1 mRNA, respectively. Treatment with the AD-MSCFGF1-conditioned medium significantly increased the NIH-3T3 cell proliferation and human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) tube formation compared to conditioned medium from nontransfected AD-MSCs (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the AD-MSCsFGF1 efficiently secreted functional FGF1, which promoted angiogenic proliferation. Using AD-MSCsFGF1 may provide a useful strategy in cell therapy, which can merge the beneficial effects of stem cells with the positive biological effects of FGF1 in various disorders, especially tissue defects, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and diabetes endocrine pathologies, which remain to be tested in preclinical and clinical studies.
Folic acid and human reproduction—ten important issues for clinicians

This article presents data on the current best evidence-based clinical practices and controversies surrounding folic acid supplementation/fortification for the prevention of neural tube defects (NTDs) during early pregnancy. Formatted as a series of ten clinical questions, answers and extensive discussion are provided for each point. We assess the history and evidence behind supplementation and fortification, racial/ethnic disparities in NTDs on a global scale, and present information on risk factors for NTDs other than dietary folic acid deficiency. Also discussed are public health challenges, including disparities in NTD rates, population-wide monitoring of NTDs, and tracking safety data in the post-fortification era. Emerging data are also reviewed regarding the role folic acid may play in malignant processes, cardiovascular disease, male fertility, and other medical conditions.
Pathovar-Specific Antigens of Xanthomonas campestris pv. begoniae and X. campestris pv. pelargonii Detected with Monoclonal Antibodies

Two monoclonal antibodies specific for lipopolysaccharide antigens of Xanthomonas campestris pv. begoniae and pv. pelargonii reacted with all of their respective pathovar strains and not with 130 strains of other xanthomonads or 89 nonxanthomonads tested. These results, as well as previous results, indicate that pathovar-specific monoclonal antibodies were readily generated to strains of X. campestris pathovars that generally infect single hosts.
10-year update on chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND A 1995 meta analysis of chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell carcinoma indicated clinical benefit from cisplatin based chemotherapy. Subsequent studies have aimed to increase the efficacy or decrease the toxicity of chemotherapy. PATIENT AND METHODS Illustrative studies and meta analyses of different aspects of chemotherapy which have taken place over the last decade, are reviewed. RESULTS The use of novel (third generation) chemotherapy agents has resulted in a further increase in patient survival. Gemcitabine was shown to be associated with an increase in progression free survival when compared to other third generation agents as well as a strong tendency to increased overall survival. An increase in survival was also shown with doublet chemotherapy regimes as compared to the use of single agents only. The use of triplet agent chemotherapy results in no further increased survival, but increased toxicity. Cisplatin is associated with increased survival over carboplatin based chemotherapy regimens when third generation agents are used, but increased nausea and vomiting. Non-platin third generation combinations give equivalent survival to platin-based regimens. CONCLUSIONS First line chemotherapy given to patients with advanced NSCLC should be two-drug combination regimen. Non-platin containing regimens may be used as an alternative to platinum based regimens in the first line.
Podocalyxin Promotes Glioblastoma Multiforme Cell Invasion and Proliferation via β-Catenin Signaling

Both podocalyxin (PODX) and β-catenin (β-cat) signaling reportedly play important roles in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) progression. In this study, we for the first time explored crosstalk between PODX and β-cat signaling in GBM cells, and assessed its impact on GBM cell invasion and proliferation. Stable overexpression of PODX in LN-229 and U-118 MG human GBM cells increased the soluble/intracellular β-cat level, TOPflash luciferase reporter activity, the mRNA levels of β-cat signaling target genes, matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) expression/activity, and cell invasion and proliferation, which was abolished by selective p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor PD169316 and selective β-cat signaling inhibitor CCT031374. On the other hand, stable knockdown of PODX in LN-229 and U-118 MG cells decreased the soluble β-cat level, TOPflash luciferase reporter activity, the mRNA levels of β-cat signaling target genes, MMP9 expression/activity, and cell invasion and proliferation, which was completely reversed by overexpression of a constitutively active β-cat mutant. In addition, overexpression of PODX induced p38 MAPK activity and inactivating phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) at serine 389 in LN-229 and U-118 MG cells, which was abolished by PD169316, but not CCT031374; knockdown of PODX decreased p38 MAPK activity and inactivating phosphorylation of GSK-3β at serine 389 in both cell lines, which was not significantly affected by overexpression of constitutively active β-cat. In conclusion, this study indicates that PODX promotes GBM cell invasion and proliferation by elevating the soluble β-cat level/β-cat signaling through the p38 MAPK/GSK-3β pathway. Uncovering the PODX/β-cat signaling axis adds new insights not only into the biological functions of PODX and β-cat, but also into the molecular mechanisms underlying GBM progression.
A Syntactic Filter on Pronominal Anaphora for Slot Grammar

We propose a syntactic filter for identifying non-coreferential pronoun-NP pairs within a sentence. The filter applies to the output of a Slot Grammar parser and is formulated in terms of the head-argument structures which the parser generates. It handles control and unbounded dependency constructions without empty categories or binding chains, by virtue of the unificational nature of the parser. The filter provides constraints for a discourse semantics system, reducing the search domain to which the inference rules of the system's anaphora resolution component apply.
Development of a 3D cell culture system for investigating cell interactions with electrospun fibers

There are many variables to be considered in studying how cells interact with 3D scaffolds used in tissue engineering. In this study we investigated the influence of the fiber diameter and interfiber spaces of 3D electrospun fiber scaffolds on the behavior of human dermal fibroblasts. Fibers of two dissimilar model materials, polystyrene and poly‐L‐lactic acid, with a broad range of diameters were constructed in a specifically developed 3D cell culture system. When fibroblasts were introduced to freestanding fibers, and encouraged to “walk the plank,” a minimum fiber diameter of 10 µm was observed for cell adhesion and migration, irrespective of fiber material chemistry. A distance between fibers of up to 200 µm was also observed to be the maximum gap that could be bridged by cell aggregates—a behavior not seen in conventional 2D culture. This approach has identified some basic micro‐architectural parameters for electrospun scaffold design and some key differences in fibroblast growth in 3D. We suggest the findings will be of value for optimizing the integration of cells in these scaffolds for skin tissue engineering. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007; 97: 1318–1328. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
One Method for Dynamic Reconstruction on Sparse Observation System

One method was proposed in this paper which can update observed data sparsely and reconstruct the scene model densely so that the monocular vision system can observe and reconstruct the target dynamically. On one hand, by combining the classic solutions for observation systems and introducing the coherence-detection and the maintenance-judgment into it, sparse updating and optimization was fulfilled. On the other hand, by introducing adaptive constrain on scattered points into dense reconstruction phase so that the degree of reconstruction-fault tolerance was promoted. Meanwhile, by using a hybrid modeling approach and introducing the gradient-motion model, the interface of the scene was optimized. The experiment result shows that the efficiency of the system can be ensured by separation of reconstruction and observation, the system can basically satisfy the requirement of online analysis on dynamic scene.
A Parametric Method for Multicomponent Interference Suppression in Noise Radars

A method for interference suppression in noise radars is proposed. The phase of interference is locally approximated by a polynomial, whose coefficients are estimated using the product high-order ambiguity function (HAF), which successfully resolves the components of multicomponent interference and improves noise rejection. The phase approximation is used to concentrate and suppress the interference. For nonpolynomial phases, an algorithm that performs a piecewise polynomial approximation is developed. The algorithm is extended to deal with multicomponent interferences.
CheckSyC: an efficient property checker for RTL SystemC designs

To cope with the increasing complexity of today's circuits and systems, new design methodologies are needed. Modeling at higher levels of abstraction and hardware/software integration become more and more important. A language that offers this features is SystemC, a C++ class library. Besides efficient modeling, the correct functional behavior has to be ensured. We present a property checker, CheckSyC, for SystemC descriptions on the register transfer level (RTL). A SystemC design and a temporal property are converted into a satisfiability (SAT) problem. If the SAT problem is unsatisfiable, the property holds. To demonstrate the efficiency of CheckSyC, different designs are studied.
The Art of Testing Less without Sacrificing Quality

Testing is a key element of software development processes for the management and assessment of product quality. In most development environments, the software engineers are responsible for ensuring the functional correctness of code. However, for large complex software products, there is an additional need to check that changes do not negatively impact other parts of the software and they comply with system constraints such as backward compatibility, performance, security etc. Ensuring these system constraints may require complex verification infrastructure and test procedures. Although such tests are time consuming and expensive and rarely find defects they act as an insurance process to ensure the software is compliant. However, long lasting tests increasingly conflict with strategic aims to shorten release cycles. To decrease production costs and to improve development agility, we created a generic test selection strategy called THEO that accelerates test processes without sacrificing product quality. THEO is based on a cost model, which dynamically skips tests when the expected cost of running the test exceeds the expected cost of removing it. We replayed past development periods of three major Microsoft products resulting in a reduction of 50% of test executions, saving millions of dollars per year, while maintaining product quality.
Brain Computer Interface based on SSVEP for controlling a remote control car

This work presents the development of a Brain Computer Interface (BCI) based on Steady State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEP), that enables a user to control a remote control car. The visual stimulus conditions of area, frequency, and shape were evaluated with the purpose of obtaining the SSVEP signal with the highest amplitude in order to obtain the best performance of the developed BCI. A remote control car was built and was controlled by a healthy subject using the developed SSVEP BCI, proving its proper functionality. This BCI has the purpose of helping people with motor disabilities; one of its possible applications could be the control of wheelchairs.
Cloning and in Vitro Characterization ofα 1(I)-Collagen 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2 Transgenes as Models for Osteoblast-Selective Inactivation of Natural Glucocorticoids.

The NAD-dependent enzyme, 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type II (11βHSD2), catalyzes the unidirectional conversion of biologically active glucocorticoids to inactive metabolites. In vivo, 11βHSD2 protects the mineralocorticoid receptor from activation by glucocorticoids in mineralocorticoid target tissues such as kidney. The goal of the present study was to use targeted overexpression of 11βHSD2 as a novel means of disrupting glucocorticoid signaling in osteoblastic cells. Rat 11βHSD2 complementary DNA was cloned downstream of a 2.3- and 3.6-kb α1(I)-collagen (Col1a1) promoter fragment to produce the expression plasmids Col2.3-HSD2 and Col3.6-HSD2, respectively, which were transiently and/or stably transfected in osteoblastic ROS 17/2.8 and MC3T3-E1 cells. Transgene messenger RNA and protein were detected in transfected cells by Northern blot analysis and immunostaining, respectively. Transfection of 11βHSD2 led to higher rates of conversion of[ 3H]corticosterone to[ 3H]dehydrocorticosterone and reduce.
Blindness in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

PURPOSE To determine the current prevalence and causes of blindness in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to assess if blindness has decreased since the last survey of 1986-1989. METHODS A population-based epidemiology study, using a stratified, random, cluster, systematic sampling strategy, was conducted in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Participants of all ages (n = 10,293), 87.3% of the 11,786 eligible, from 94 clusters in one urban and three rural areas representative of the population of Andhra Pradesh, underwent interview and a detailed dilated ocular evaluation by trained professionals. Blindness was defined as presenting distance visual acuity < 6/60 or central visual field < 20(o) in the better eye. RESULTS Two hundred seventy-five participants were blind, a prevalence of 1.84% (95% confidence interval, 1.49%-2.19%) when adjusted for the age, sex, and urban-rural distribution of the population in 2000. The causes of this blindness were easily treatable in 60.3% (cataract, 44%; refractive error, 16.3%). Preventable corneal disease, glaucoma, complications of cataract surgery, and amblyopia caused another 19% of the blindness. Blindness was more likely with increasing age and decreasing socioeconomic status, and in female subjects and in rural areas. Among the 76 million population of Andhra Pradesh, 714,400 are estimated to have cataract-related blindness (615,600 cataract, 53,200 cataract surgery-related complications, 45,600 aphakia), and 228,000 refractive error-related blindness (159,600 myopia, 22,800 hyperopia, 45,600 refractive error-related amblyopia). If 95% of the cataract and refractive error blindness in Andhra Pradesh had been treated effectively, 3.4 and 7.4 million blind-person-years, respectively, could have been prevented. If 90% of the blindness due to preventable corneal disease and glaucoma had been prevented, another 2.7 million blind-person-years could have been prevented. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of blindness in this Indian state has increased from 1.5% in the late 1980s to 1.84% currently, as against the target of the National Program for Control of Blindness to reduce the prevalence to 0.3% by 2000. The number of people with cataract-related blindness has not reduced even with the eye care policy focus on cataract. Reduction of blindness in India will require strategies that are more effective than those that have been pursued so far.
Mapping critical illness early signs to priority alert transmission on wireless networks

The prediction of adverse events in patient health has attracted researchers' attention for many years. Sensors in or on the body allow the continuous monitoring of patient's vital signs and their accurate analysis, supporting the generation of medical alerts. Exploring adverse event prediction only makes sense if medical alerts can be promptly transmitted to a hospital emergency response team. However, promptly transmitting them through heterogeneous wireless networks is still a challenge because of wireless communication features, i.e., interferences and collisions, and the current medium access control (MAC) protocol design, that still produces competition between medical alerts, and video, voice and other types of data. Differently from current mechanisms that either are separately concerned to the prediction of adverse events or to give priority to different type of data transmission, this work presents SANTE, a System for Anticipated identificatioN and Transmission of mEdical alerts on wireless networks. Based on trends about the imminence of adverse events on patient health, the system generates medical alerts and promptly transmit them. It presents a novel proposal to medium access control for medical alerts, reducing contention window and Arbitration Inter-Frame Spacing (AIFS) time for them. Simulation results show a reduction of 39% in the average latency for alert transmissions and 8% in losses.
Le Secrtariat de la Convention europenne : un acteur influent

Cet article vise a combler une lacune de l’actuelle litterature sur la Convention europeenne, qui n’accorde qu’une attention limitee au Secretariat de la Convention. Il est vrai que ses membres ont eux-memes tendance a le decrire comme un organe neutre, qui exercait une fonction de redaction encadree par de nombreux acteurs. La position strategique qu’il occupait au sein du processus de decision et l’expertise qu’il detenait l’ont neanmoins conduit a influencer le contenu du projet de traite constitutionnel. Son heterogeneite, une contrainte initiale, s’est meme revelee etre une ressource, qui a contribue a l’elaboration de textes consensuels. Au terme de cette analyse, il apparait donc necessaire de completer les approches actuelles de la Convention, le plus souvent inspirees des theories de la negociation et de la deliberation, par la prise en compte d’une « logique d’expertise » qui permettrait de saisir le poids relatif non seulement du Secretariat, mais aussi des administrations nationales et europeennes.