Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Higher-level innovization: A case study from Friction Stir Welding process optimization

The task of finding crucial design interdependencies in the form of mathematical relationships (empirical or otherwise) in an engineering design problem using the Pareto-optimal front is referred to as innovization. Past studies on the subject have limited themselves to a single front. In this paper we introduce the higher-level innovization task through an application of a manufacturing process simulation for the Friction Stir Welding (FSW) process where commonalities among two different Pareto-optimal fronts are analyzed. Multiple design rules are simultaneously deciphered from each front separately and compared. Important design aspects of the FSW problem are revealed in the process. The overall study aims at showing how some design principles can considerably ease the task of optimizing future enhancements to the design.
Optimal Collateralized Contracts

We examine the role of collateral in a dynamic model of optimal credit contracts in which a borrower values both housing and nonhousing consumption. The borrower’s private information about his income is the only friction. An optimal contract is collateralized when in some state, some portion of the borrower’s net worth is forfeited to the lender. We show that optimal contracts are always collateralized. The total value of forfeited assets is decreasing in income, highlighting the role of collateral as a deterrent to manipulation. Some assets—those that generate consumable services—will necessarily be collateralized, while others may not be. Endogenous default arises when the borrower’s initial wealth is low, as with subprime borrowers, and/or his future earnings are highly variable. (JEL D82, D86, G21, G51)
Doped tricalcium phosphate scaffolds by thermal decomposition of naphthalene: Mechanical properties and in vivo osteogenesis in a rabbit femur model.

Tricalcium phosphate (TCP) is a bioceramic that is widely used in orthopedic and dental applications. TCP structures show excellent biocompatibility as well as biodegradability. In this study, porous β-TCP scaffolds were prepared by thermal decomposition of naphthalene. Scaffolds with 57.64% ± 3.54% density and a maximum pore size around 100 μm were fabricated via removing 30% naphthalene at 1150°C. The compressive strength for these scaffolds was 32.85 ± 1.41 MPa. Furthermore, by mixing 1 wt % SrO and 0.5 wt % SiO2 , pore interconnectivity improved, but the compressive strength decreased to 22.40 ± 2.70 MPa. However, after addition of polycaprolactone coating layers, the compressive strength of doped scaffolds increased to 29.57 ± 3.77 MPa. Porous scaffolds were implanted in rabbit femur defects to evaluate their biological property. The addition of dopants triggered osteoinduction by enhancing osteoid formation, osteocalcin expression, and bone regeneration, especially at the interface of the scaffold and host bone. This study showed processing flexibility to make interconnected porous scaffolds with different pore size and volume fraction porosity, while maintaining high compressive mechanical strength and excellent bioactivity. Results show that SrO/SiO2 -doped porous TCP scaffolds have excellent potential to be used in bone tissue engineering applications.
Design and Implementation of an Interactive Website to Support Long-Term Maintenance of Weight Loss

Background For most individuals, long-term maintenance of weight loss requires long-term, supportive intervention. Internet-based weight loss maintenance programs offer considerable potential for meeting this need. Careful design processes are required to maximize adherence and minimize attrition. Objective This paper describes the development, implementation and use of a Web-based intervention program designed to help those who have recently lost weight sustain their weight loss over 1 year. Methods The weight loss maintenance website was developed over a 1-year period by an interdisciplinary team of public health researchers, behavior change intervention experts, applications developers, and interface designers. Key interactive features of the final site include social support, self-monitoring, written guidelines for diet and physical activity, links to appropriate websites, supportive tools for behavior change, check-in accountability, tailored reinforcement messages, and problem solving and relapse prevention training. The weight loss maintenance program included a reminder system (automated email and telephone messages) that prompted participants to return to the website if they missed their check-in date. If there was no log-in response to the email and telephone automated prompts, a staff member called the participant. We tracked the proportion of participants with at least one log-in per month, and analyzed log-ins as a result of automated prompts. Results The mean age of the 348 participants enrolled in an ongoing randomized trial and assigned to use the website was 56 years; 63% were female, and 38% were African American. While weight loss data will not be available until mid-2008, website use remained high during the first year with over 80% of the participants still using the website during month 12. During the first 52 weeks, participants averaged 35 weeks with at least one log-in. Email and telephone prompts appear to be very effective at helping participants sustain ongoing website use. Conclusions Developing interactive websites is expensive, complex, and time consuming. We found that extensive paper prototyping well in advance of programming and a versatile product manager who could work with project staff at all levels of detail were essential to keeping the development process efficient. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov NCT00054925
The first general practitioner hospital in The Netherlands: towards a new form of integrated care?

Objective To describe the types of patients admitted to the first Dutch general practitioner (GP) hospital, their health-related quality of life and its substitute function. Design A prospective observational study. Setting The remaining 20-bed ward of a former district general hospital west of Amsterdam; a region with 62 000 inhabitants and 26 GPs. Subjects All patients admitted during the 12 months between 1 June 1999 and 1 June 2000. Main outcome measures Patients’ health-related quality of life (Medical Outcome Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey, Groningen Activities Restriction Scale), GPs assessments of severity of illness (DUSOI/WONCA Severity of Illness Checklist) and alternative modes of care. Results In total, 218 admissions were recorded divided into 3 bed categories: GP beds (n=131), rehabilitation beds (n=62) and nursing home beds (n=25). The mean age of all patients was 76 years. Main reasons for admission were immobilization due to trauma at home (GP beds), rehabilitation from surgery (rehabilitation beds) and stroke (nursing home beds). Overall, patients showed a poor health-related quality of life on admission. If the GP beds had not been available, the GPs estimated that the admissions would have been almost equally divided among home care, nursing home and hospital care. The severity of the diagnosis on admission of the ‘hospital-care group’ appeared to be significantly higher than the other care groups. Conclusion The GP hospital appears to provide a valuable alternative to home care, nursing home care and hospital care, especially for elderly patients with a poor health-related quality of life who are in need of short medical and nursing care.
Deletion of the Cancer-amplified Coactivator AIB3 Results in Defective Placentation and Embryonic Lethality*

The amplified in breast cancer-3 (AIB3, ASC-2, RAP250, PRIP, TRBP, NRC, or NcoA6) gene is characterized as a cancer-amplified transcriptional coactivator for nuclear receptors, which include the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). To assess its biological function, we deleted theAIB3 gene in mice by homologous recombination. AIB3+/− mice are developmentally normal and fertile. AIB3−/− embryos exhibit growth restriction and lethality during 9.75–11.5 days postconception. The embryonic lethality is probably attributed to defects in the development of the placental vascular network and cardiac hypoplasia. These defects include the failure of labyrinthine development, the dilation of maternal blood sinuses, the massive erythrophagocytosis by trophoblasts, the alteration of trophoblast populations, and the lower proliferation of myocardium, which are similar to those encountered in mice lacking PPARγ or the PPARγ-binding protein (PBP, TRAP220, or DRIP205). In addition, the transcriptional activities of PPARγ are significantly affected in mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking AIB3. These results suggest that AIB3 is required for PPARγ function in placental development and for normal heart development. These results also indicate that the biological function of AIB3 is not redundant with other classes of nuclear receptor coactivators such as PBP and members of the steroid receptor coactivator family.
Involvement of interleukin‐21 in the pathophysiology of aplastic anemia

Recently enhanced T‐helper type 17 (Th17) immune responses and deficient CD4+CD25hiFoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been reported in acquired aplastic anemia (AA). Interleukin‐21 (IL‐21), a CD4+ T‐cell‐derived proinflammatory cytokine, modulates the balance between Th17 cells and Tregs. However, its role in AA remains unclear.
Canonical and Noncanonical G-Protein Signaling Helps Coordinate Actin Dynamics To Promote Macrophage Phagocytosis of Zymosan

ABSTRACT Both chemotaxis and phagocytosis depend upon actin-driven cell protrusions and cell membrane remodeling. While chemoattractant receptors rely upon canonical G-protein signaling to activate downstream effectors, whether such signaling pathways affect phagocytosis is contentious. Here, we report that Gαi nucleotide exchange and signaling helps macrophages coordinate the recognition, capture, and engulfment of zymosan bioparticles. We show that zymosan exposure recruits F-actin, Gαi proteins, and Elmo1 to phagocytic cups and early phagosomes. Zymosan triggered an increase in intracellular Ca2+ that was partially sensitive to Gαi nucleotide exchange inhibition and expression of GTP-bound Gαi recruited Elmo1 to the plasma membrane. Reducing GDP-Gαi nucleotide exchange, decreasing Gαi expression, pharmacologically interrupting Gβγ signaling, or reducing Elmo1 expression all impaired phagocytosis, while favoring the duration that Gαi remained GTP bound promoted it. Our studies demonstrate that targeting heterotrimeric G-protein signaling offers opportunities to enhance or retard macrophage engulfment of phagocytic targets such as zymosan.
Thieno[2,3-c]Isoquinolin-5-one, a Potent Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Inhibitor, Promotes Atherosclerotic Plaque Regression in High-Fat Diet-Fed Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice: Effects on Inflammatory Markers and Lipid Content

We recently showed that poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is activated within atherosclerotic plaques in an animal model of atherosclerosis. Pharmacological inhibition of PARP or reduced expression in heterozygous animals interferes with atherogenesis and may promote factors of plaque stability, possibly reflecting changes in inflammatory and cellular factors consistent with plaque stability. The current study addresses the hypothesis that pharmacological inhibition of PARP promotes atherosclerotic plaque regression. Using a high-fat diet-induced atherosclerosis apolipoprotein E(-/-) mouse model, we demonstrate that administration of the potent PARP inhibitor, thieno[2,3-c]isoquinolin-5-one (TIQ-A), when combined with a regular diet regimen during treatment, induced regression of established plaques. Plaque regression was associated with a reduction in total cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins. Furthermore, plaques of TIQ-A-treated mice were highly enriched with collagen and smooth muscle cells, displayed thick fibrous caps, and exhibited a marked reduction in CD68-positive macrophage recruitment and associated foam cell presence. These changes correlated with a significant decrease in expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1, potentially as a result of a robust reduction in tumor necrosis factor expression. The PARP inhibitor appeared to affect cholesterol metabolism by affecting acyl-coenzymeA/cholesterol acyltransferase-1 expression but exerted no effect on cholesterol influx or efflux as assessed by an examination of the ATP-binding cassette transporter-1 and the scavenger receptor-A expression levels in the different experimental groups. In accordance, PARP inhibition may prove beneficial not only in preventing atherogenesis but also in promoting regression of preexisting plaques.
Use of Mass Spectrometry to Study Signaling Pathways

Activation of cells by extracellular stimuli, such as growth factors, initiates a cascade of events involving posttranslational modifications, including phosphorylation, formation of protein complexes, and induction or repression of gene expression. Traditionally, genetic methods or specific biochemical assays have been used to identify molecules involved in signaling pathways. Lately, mass spectrometry, combined with elegant biochemical approaches, has become a powerful tool for identifying proteins and posttranslational modifications. With this protocol, we hope to bridge the gap between the biochemical and molecular aspects of signal transduction pathways and the mass spectrometric tools and techniques that are available to study them. We provide methods for large-scale cell culture and immunoprecipitation of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, silver staining of gels, trypsin digests, and protein identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry and nanoelectrospray tandem mass spectrometry. We discuss the special requirements for the identification of phosphorylation sites in proteins by mass spectrometry. We describe enrichment of phosphopeptides from unseparated peptide mixtures by immobilized metal affinity column (IMAC) and the use of phosphatases to identify phosphorylated peptides. We also discuss specialized methods, such as precursor ion scanning in the negative mode and direct sequencing of phosphopeptides in the positive mode. Our goal is to provide detailed methods in use today for proteomic applications in general and for receptor-mediated signaling pathways in particular.
Real time autonomic nervous system display with air cushion sensor while seated

This paper proposes functional assessment system of autonomic nervous system by the heart rate variability using an air cushion sensor. The air cushion sensor can unconstraintly detect vital information by sitting down on the sensor. We perform functional assessment of autonomic nervous system by heart rate variability obtained by the system. We built the real time display system for visualizing the autonomic nervous system functions. In this system, we employ fuzzy membership functions with dynamic parameter to detect RR intervals. The experimental results show that we detect RR intervals with the correlation coefficient of 0.846 with comparison to that of electrocardiograph. Then, the errors of the HF (index of parasympathetic system) and the LF/HF (index of sympathetic system) are 18.34% and 16.99%, respectively.
Measurement properties of the MacHANd Performance Assessment: A pilot study

Background. There is a need for a standardized, performance-based hand function assessment with strong psychometric properties to evaluate persons following a traumatic hand injury. Purpose. To conduct a preliminary investigation of the reliability and validity of the MacHANd performance assessment (MPA), a new standardized hand function test. Methods Forty-one people receiving treatment for hand injuries were evaluated using the MPA, Patient-rated Wrist and Hand Evaluation, and Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test. Results The MPA demonstrated adequate inter-rater reliability and excellent test-retest reliability, and it confirmed three validation hypotheses. Implications. This pilot study suggests that the MPA has good psychometric properties when used with individuals following a hand injury; however more research is needed.
Effect of epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs on male reproductive health

Background: Men with epilepsy have reduced fertility, and antiepileptic drugs may affect semen quality. Moreover, animal studies suggest that valproate (VPA) may be associated with testicular atrophy. Objective: To evaluate reproductive function in men with epilepsy. Methods: Sixty men with epilepsy and 41 control men were evaluated for their reproductive health. Fifteen men were taking carbamazepine (CBZ) and 18 men oxcarbazepine (OXC) for partial epilepsy, and 27 men were taking VPA for generalized epilepsy. Reproductive hormones were assayed from serum samples, semen analysis and ultrasonography of the testicles were performed, and testicular volume was calculated. Results: Men on CBZ had low serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentrations (p < 0.001), and men on VPA had high concentrations of serum androstenedione (p < 0.001). The frequency of morphologically abnormal sperm was higher among CBZ-treated (p < 0.01), OXC-treated (p < 0.05), and VPA-treated men (p < 0.01) than among the control men. Moreover, both CBZ and VPA were associated with poor motility of sperm (p < 0.05). In addition, the frequency of abnormally low sperm concentration was high in men on CBZ (p < 0.001), and the frequency of any sperm abnormality was high in men on VPA (p < 0.01). The VPA-treated men with abnormal sperm had smaller testicular volumes than the control men (p = 0.003). Conclusions: CBZ, OXC, and VPA are associated with sperm abnormalities in men with epilepsy. In addition, VPA-treated men with generalized epilepsy who have abnormal sperm may have reduced testicular volume.
[Changes in the emotional processing in depressive patients: a study with functional magnetoresonance tomography under the employment of pictures with affective contents].

OBJECTIVE The influence of emotional contents on brain activation was examined using functional magnetic resonance tomography (fMRT). METHOD Aquiring 100 EPI-measurements of the whole brain, series of positive and negative pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) were shown to eight depressed males and to healthy controls. RESULTS In depression, there was an overactivation in hippocampal area during positive stimulation, whereas an overactivation of amygdala, orbital and prefrontal regions was seen during negative stimulation. CONCLUSIONS These results emphasize the importance of functional interaction between the neural network associated with emotion. We could show that depression is connected to dysregulation and disturbed functional connectivity during emotional processing.
Health Seeking for Ambiguous Symptoms in Two Cultural Groups: A Comparative Study

This study examined cultural differences in health seeking for medically ambiguous symptoms in women from two culturally diverse communities. Thirty-five South Asian immigrants and 36 European Americans participated in a health history interview. Though the types and relative frequencies of practices were similar across the two groups, the goals and underlying logic supporting practices differed sharply. Among European Americans, practices were focused on the need to increase energy, creativity, and output; among South Asians, practices emphasized storing up strength through increased consumption or reduced expenditure. We conclude that the relationship between conceptual models of cause and cure depends on the `match' of both to broader, unarticulated cultural models of health and illness.
A Combined In Vitro Assay for Evaluation of Neurotrophic Activity and Cytotoxicity

Neurotrophic assays are phenotypic methods to identify molecules that stimulate differentiation of neuronal cells. Bioactive small molecules with neurotrophic actions hold great promise as therapeutic agents for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and neuronal injuries by virtue of their ability to stimulate neuritic outgrowth. A combined in vitro method, which measures neurotrophic activity and cytotoxicity in a single assay, has been described. This assay, performed in 96-well microplates with PC12 and Neuroscreen-1 (NS-1; a subclone of PC12) cells, is a simple tool for identification of new neurotrophic agents. Stimulation of neurite outgrowth was measured with NIS software by analysis of digital cell images as multiple parameters, namely, mean neurite length, neurite length/cell, nodes/cell, and number of neurites/cell. The assay has been standardized and validated with dose-response analysis for nerve growth factor (NGF) and mechanism-based inhibitors of NGF-induced neurite outgrowth, namely, SU6656 (an Src family kinase inhibitor) and PD98059 (a MEK inhibitor). The assay has been successfully applied for screening natural and synthetic compound libraries for cytotoxicity and neurotrophic activity. Screening of a set of harmala alkaloids identified harmine as a potential neurotrophic molecule that significantly stimulated NGF-induced neurite outgrowth in the NS-1 cells. Important advantages of this method are its simplicity and determination of cytotoxicity and neurotrophic activity in a single assay. This assay may be suitable for primary and cultured neuronal cells.
Securing virtual machine images of cloud by encryption through Kerberos

The rapid growth of virtualization in cloud computing has attracted organizations to adopt this technology for its cost-effectiveness, ease of deployment and high availability of resources. Ensuring the security of virtual machine images is a big concern to cloud providers as well as the corporations which own applications and servers in cloud. Industry and academia has conducted extensive research to ensure the security of virtualized cloud environment. Any compromise of disk images can result in loss of data confidentiality and integrity. There are lots of security threats related to the retrieval and storing of virtual machine (VM) images into cloud storage. Kerberos protocol has been used in many areas for its superior authentication and authorization services. This paper proposes a novel security architecture for the protection of stored virtual machine images in clouds by employing encryption, decryption mechanisms and Kerberos.