Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cytokines and Myocardial Regeneration: A Novel Treatment Option for Acute Myocardial Infarction

The regenerative capacity of the myocardium and its blood vessels has now been well demonstrated. The cytokines granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, erythropoietin, and stem cell factor may play a role in helping to stimulate cell regeneration under normal physiologic conditions and in patients with myocardial injury. After an ischemic insult, cytokines are released into the peripheral circulation and signal for the mobilization of stem cells. In experimental cardiac injury models, the addition of cytokines has been shown to improve myocardial function with and without the concurrent use of stem cell therapy. Preliminary studies in humans using cytokine therapy alone for treating myocardial infarction have been disappointing. Future studies in patients with myocardial injury need to examine the use of various combinations of cytokines, with and without the addition of intravascular stem cell infusions or direct stem cell injections.
A Partitioning Algorithm for Parallel Sorting on Distributed Memory Systems

Parallel sorting methods for distributed memory systems often use partitioning algorithms to prepare the redistribution of data items. This article proposes a partitioning algorithm that calculates a redistribution specified by the number of data items to be finally located on each process. This partitioning algorithm can also be used for data items with weights, which might express a computational load to be expected, and to produce a redistribution with an individual accumulated weight of data items specified for each process. Another important feature is that data sets with duplicated data keys can be handled. Parallel sorting with those properties is often needed for parallel scientific application codes, such as particle simulations, in which the dynamics of the simulated system may destroy locality and load balance required for an efficient computation. It is applied to random sample data and to a particle simulation code requiring a sorting. Performance results have been obtained on an IBM Blue Gene/P platform with up to 32768 cores. The results show that the proposed parallel sorting method performs well in comparison to other existing algorithms.
Effect of lindane on CYP‐mediated steroid hormone metabolism in male mice following in utero exposure

A wide number of pesticides, including highly persistent organochlorinated compounds, such as lindane (LIN), may induce reproductive and developmental alterations by directly binding to the estrogen/androgen receptors or altering steroid hormone metabolism. In the present work, we have investigated whether LIN in utero exposure of CD1 mice affects the reproductive system in male offspring by causing an impairment of the CYP‐dependent steroid hormone metabolism. Dam exposure to 25 mg kg−1 b.w. LIN occurred during critical developmental periods, from gestational days 9 to 16. Effects on hepatic CYP‐mediated testosterone (TST) hydroxylase, aromatase activities and testicular parameters were tested at postnatal days (PND 50, 65–69, 100) that are critical for sexual maturation in CD1 mice. In the adult F1 mice significant changes of male reproductive endpoints (testis weight, spermatid number) as well as dramatic effects on CYP‐mediated TST metabolism were observed on PND 65–69, in the absence of any of systemic toxicity. The levels of TST 6β‐ and 2α‐hydroxylation and dehydrogenation showed the highest level of reduction, suggesting CYP 3A and 2C families as the major target of LIN induced effects. All changes were almost recovered on PND 100. No effects on aromatase activity were evidenced. Overall, these findings provide useful information for a better characterization of the LIN mode of action. They suggest that LIN‐induced toxicity in males is linked to an impairment of steroid hormone homeostasis, due to CYP‐mediated TST catabolism modulation and differs from LIN receptor‐mediated mechanism previously reported in females. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Functional motor recovery from brain ischemic insult by carbon nanotube-mediated siRNA silencing

Stroke is the second cause of death worldwide with ischemic stroke accounting for 80% of all stroke insults. Caspase-3 activation contributes to brain tissue loss and downstream biochemical events that lead to programmed cell death after traumatic brain injury. Alleviation of symptoms following ischemic neuronal injury can be potentially achieved by either genetic disruption or pharmacological inhibition of caspases. Here, we studied whether silencing of Caspase-3 using carbon nanotube-mediated in vivo RNA interference (RNAi) could offer a therapeutic opportunity against stroke. Effective delivery of siRNA directly to the CNS has been shown to normalize phenotypes in animal models of several neurological diseases. It is shown here that peri-lesional stereotactic administration of a Caspase-3 siRNA (siCas 3) delivered by functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNT) reduced neurodegeneration and promoted functional preservation before and after focal ischemic damage of the rodent motor cortex using an endothelin-1 induced stroke model. These observations illustrate the opportunity offered by carbon nanotube-mediated siRNA delivery and gene silencing of neuronal tissue applicable to a variety of different neuropathological conditions where intervention at well localized brain foci may offer therapeutic and functional benefits.
Molar Volume of Fcc Phase in the Ni-Cr-Mo System

The molar volume of fcc phase in the Ni-Cr-Mo system has been evaluated by means of the CALPHAD approach based on experimental data from the literature. The molar volumes of the non-stable fcc Cr and Mo were determined by extrapolating volume data from several stable solid solutions combined with the first-principles calculation results. A set of parameters has been obtained and can give a reasonable description of most experimental data on molar volume.
Aalborg Universitet A GPS-Based Control Framework for Accurate Current Sharing and Power Quality Improvement in

This paper proposes a novel hierarchical control strategy for improvement of load sharing and power quality in ac microgrids. This control framework is composed of a droop based controller at the primary level, and a combination of distributed power sharing and voltage conditioning schemes at the secondary level. The controllers in the primary level use GPS timing technology to synchronize the local reference angles. The voltage reference of each Distributed Generation (DG) is adjusted according to a voltage-current (V-I) droop characteristic to enable proper current and power sharing with a fast dynamic response. The droop coefficient, which acts as a virtual resistance is adaptively changed as a function of the peak current. This strategy not only simplifies the control design but also improves the current sharing accuracy at high loading conditions. The distributed power sharing scheme uses consensus protocol to ensure proportional sharing of average power. The voltage conditioning scheme produces compensation signals at fundamental and dominant harmonics to improve the voltage quality at a sensitive load bus. Experimental results are presented to validate the efficacy of the proposed method. Keywords— Control, dispersed storage and generation, global positioning system, inverters, power quality
A theory of the stress‐induced crystallization of crosslinked polymeric networks

A non-Gaussian theory of the stress-induced crystallization of polymeric networks is presented. It is predicted that for uniaxial extension of crosslinked polyethylene, a perfectly oriented, extended-chain crystal is formed initially, changing to one-fold crystal oriented perpendicular to the stretch direction at low extension and to a two-fold crystal having nearly perfect orientation at high extension. The stress is predicted to decay initially and then to rise as the network chains switch from an extended- to a folded-chain morphology, the rise being delayed and finally suppressed by additional crosslinking. The final, equilibrium birefringence is calculated and found to be negative at low extension and positive at high extension. The initial rate of crystallization is calculated using irreversible thermodynamics and is found to increase with extension and decrease with increasing crosslinking and temperature. All of the theoretical predictions are in qualitative agreement with experiment.
Refactoring of C/C++ Preprocessor Constructs at the Model Level

: Preprocessor directives are usually omitted from the analysis of C/C++ software, yet they play an important role especially in program transformations. Here a method is presented for refactoring preprocessor constructs at the model level. Refactorings are carried out on program models derived from a reverse engineering process of real-life software. We present a metamodel of preprocessing on which a graph transformation approach is used to elaborate refactorings. The method is presented through the elaboration of the add parameter refactoring both at schematic and concrete level. Safe transformations are assured by visual control and validated by the evaluation of OCL expressions. The usability of the idea is validated by successful experiments.
Frequency and Significance of Ras, Tert Promoter, and Braf Mutations in Cytologically Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules: A Monocentric Case Series at a Tertiary-Level Endocrinology Unit

Purpose The management of thyroid nodules of indeterminate cytology is controversial. Our study aimed to establish the frequency and significance of H-,K-,N-RAS, TERT promoter, and BRAF gene mutations in thyroid nodes of indeterminate cytology and to assess their potential usefulness in clinical practice. Methods H-,K-,N-RAS, TERT promoter and BRAF gene mutations were examined in a series of 199 consecutive nodes of indeterminate cytology referred for surgical excision. Results 69/199 (35%) were malignant on histopathological review. RAS mutations were detected in 36/199 (18%), and 19/36 cases (53%) were malignant on histological diagnosis. TERT promoter mutations were detected in 7/199 (4%) nodules, which were all malignant lesions. BRAF mutations were detected in 15/199 (8%), and a BRAF K601E mutation was identified in 2 follicular adenomas and 1 noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features. Altogether, this panel was able to identify 48% of the malignant lesions, achieving a specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for malignancy of 85, 62, and 75%, respectively. Conclusion The residual malignancy risk in mutation-negative nodes is 25%. These nodes still need to be resected, but mutation analysis could help to orient the appropriate surgical strategy.
MUC1 Predicts Colorectal Cancer Metastasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Case Controlled Studies

Objective To evaluate the predicting value of MUC1 expression in lymph node and distant metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods Pubmed/ MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched to identify eligible studies that evaluated the correlation between MUC1 and CRC. A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of MUC1 expression on CRC metastasis. Results A total of 18 studies (n = 3271) met inclusion criteria and the mean Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) score was 6.3 with a range from 4 to 8. The pooled OR in the meta-analysis of 15 studies indicated that positive MUC1 expression correlated with more CRC node metastasis (OR = 2.32, 95% CI = 1.63–3.29). The data synthesis of 6 studies suggested that MUC1 expression predicted more possibility of CRC distant metastasis (OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.23–4.00). In addition, the combined OR of 7 studies showed that MUC1 expression indicated higher Duke’s stage (OR = 3.02, 95% CI = 2.11–4.33). No publication bias was found in the mate-analysis by Begg’s test or Egger’s test with the exception of the meta-analysis of MUC1 with CRC node metastasis (Begg’s test p = 0.729, Egger’s test p = 0.000). Conclusions Despite of some modest bias, the pooled evidence suggested that MUC1 expression was significantly correlated with CRC metastasis.
Federal Reserve Bank of New York Staff Reports A Bayesian Approach to Estimating Tax and Spending Multipliers

This paper outlines a simple Bayesian methodology for estimating tax and spending multipliers in a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model. After forming priors about the parameters of the model and the relevant shock, we used the model to exactly match only one data point: the trough of the Great Depression, that is, an output collapse of 30 percent, deflation of 10 percent, and a zero short-term nominal interest rate. Because we form our priors as distributions, the key economic inference of our analysis―the multipliers of tax and spending―are well-defined probability distributions derived from the posterior of the model. While the Bayesian methods used are standard, the application is slightly unusual. We conjecture that this methodology can be applied in several different settings with severe data limitations and where more informal calibrations have been the norm. The main advantage over usual calibration exercises is that the posterior of the model offers an interesting way to think about sensitivity analysis and gives researchers a useful way to describe model-based inference. We apply our simple estimation method to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), passed by Congress as part of the 2009 stimulus plan. The mean of our estimate indicates that ARRA increased output by 3.6 percent in 2009 and 2010. The standard deviation of this estimate is 1 percent.
Ten Years of ISMIR: Reflections on Challenges and Opportunities

The International Symposium on Music Information Retrieval (ISMIR) was born on 13 August 1999. This paper expresses the opinions of three of ISMIR’s founders as they reflect upon what has happened during its first decade. The paper provides the background context for the events that led to the establishment of ISMIR. We highlight the first ISMIR, held in Plymouth, MA in October of 2000, and use it to elucidate key trends that have influenced subsequent ISMIRs. Indicators of growth and success drawn from ISMIR publication data are presented. The role that the Music Information Retrieval Evaluation eXchange (MIREX) has played at ISMIR is examined. The factors contributing to ISMIR's growth and success are also enumerated. The paper concludes with a set of challenges and opportunities that the newly formed International Society for Music Information Retrieval should embrace to ensure the future vitality of the conference series and the ISMIR community.
FTY720 enhances TRAIL-mediated apoptosis by up-regulating DR5 and down-regulating Mcl-1 in cancer cells

FTY720, Fingolimod, is a functional antagonist to the sphingosine-1-phoaphate (S1P) receptor and an inhibitor of sphingosine kinase 1. Here, we showed that a combination of FTY720 and TRAIL induced apoptosis in human renal, breast, and colon carcinoma cells. Most importantly, this combination had no effect on normal cells. Furthermore, the combined treatment with FTY720 and TRAIL reduced tumor growth in xenograft models. FTY720 up-regulated death receptor (DR)5 at post-translational level. Knockdown of DR5 markedly blocked apoptosis induced by the combined treatment. FTY720 also inhibited Mcl-1 expression at the post-translational level. Over-expression of Mcl-1 blocked apoptosis induced by FTY720 and TRAIL. Interestingly, phospho-FTY720 and inhibitors of sphingosine kinase failed to enhance TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Thus, FTY720 enables TRAIL-induced apoptosis through up-regulation of DR5 and down-regulation of Mcl-1 in human cancer cells.
Learning 3D action models from a few 2D videos for view invariant action recognition

Most existing approaches for learning action models work by extracting suitable low-level features and then training appropriate classifiers. Such approaches require large amounts of training data and do not generalize well to variations in viewpoint, scale and across datasets. Some work has been done recently to learn multi-view action models from Mocap data, but obtaining such data is time consuming and requires costly infrastructure. We present a method that addresses both these issues by learning action models from just a few video training samples. We model each action as a sequence of primitive actions, represented as functions which transform the actor's state. We formulate model learning as a curve-fitting problem, and present a novel algorithm for learning human actions by lifting 2D annotations of a few keyposes to 3D and interpolating between them. Actions are inferred by sampling the models and accumulating the feature weights learned discriminatively using a latent state Perceptron algorithm. We show results comparable to state-of-art on the standard Weizmann dataset, with a much smaller train:test ratio, and also in datasets for visual gesture recognition and cluttered grocery store environments.
Thin ice clouds in the Arctic: cloud optical depth and particle size retrieved from ground-based thermal infrared radiometry

Abstract. Multiband downwelling thermal measurements of zenith sky radiance, along with cloud boundary heights, were used in a retrieval algorithm to estimate cloud optical depth and effective particle diameter of thin ice clouds in the Canadian High Arctic. Ground-based thermal infrared (IR) radiances for 150 semitransparent ice clouds cases were acquired at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka, Nunavut, Canada (80° N, 86° W). We analyzed and quantified the sensitivity of downwelling thermal radiance to several cloud parameters including optical depth, effective particle diameter and shape, water vapor content, cloud geometric thickness and cloud base altitude. A lookup table retrieval method was used to successfully extract, through an optimal estimation method, cloud optical depth up to a maximum value of 2.6 and to separate thin ice clouds into two classes: (1) TIC1 clouds characterized by small crystals (effective particle diameter ≤ 30 µm), and (2) TIC2 clouds characterized by large ice crystals (effective particle diameter > 30 µm). The retrieval technique was validated using data from the Arctic High Spectral Resolution Lidar (AHSRL) and Millimeter Wave Cloud Radar (MMCR). Inversions were performed over three polar winters and results showed a significant correlation (R2 = 0.95) for cloud optical depth retrievals and an overall accuracy of 83 % for the classification of TIC1 and TIC2 clouds. A partial validation relative to an algorithm based on high spectral resolution downwelling IR radiance measurements between 8 and 21 µm was also performed. It confirms the robustness of the optical depth retrieval and the fact that the broadband thermal radiometer retrieval was sensitive to small particle (TIC1) sizes.
Automatic Recognition of Human Team Behaviors

This paper describes a methodology for recording, representing, and recognizing team behaviors performed by human players in an Unreal Tournament MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) scenario. To directly monitor the performance of human players, we developed a customized version of Unreal Tournament that records position and orientation of all the team members through time as they participate in a simulated MOUT scenario of a firing team moving through an urban area. Behavior recognition is performed offline using a set of hidden Markov models on short movement sequences that are translated into a canonical reference frame; the behavior model with the highest log likelihood for a given sequence is identified as correct. We believe that accurate offline recognition of team behaviors is an important prerequisite towards building virtual training environments for teamwork tasks.
Topiramate Treatment Is Neuroprotective and Reduces Oligodendrocyte Loss after Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Excess glutamate release and associated neurotoxicity contributes to cell death after spinal cord injury (SCI). Indeed, delayed administration of glutamate receptor antagonists after SCI in rodents improves tissue sparing and functional recovery. Despite their therapeutic potential, most glutamate receptor antagonists have detrimental side effects and have largely failed clinical trials. Topiramate is an AMPA-specific, glutamate receptor antagonists that is FDA-approved to treat CNS disorders. In the current study we tested whether topiramate treatment is neuroprotective after cervical contusion injury in rats. We report that topiramate, delivered 15-minutes after SCI, increases tissue sparing and preserves oligodendrocytes and neurons when compared to vehicle treatment. In addition, topiramate is more effective than the AMPA-receptor antagonist, NBQX. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report documenting a neuroprotective effect of topiramate treatment after spinal cord injury.
Use of a heterogeneous buffer combination in microchip electrophoresis for high‐resolution separation by on‐line concentration of DNA samples

We have developed a novel high‐resolution separation technique of DNA fragments in a heterogeneous combination of a sample buffer and a separation buffer. The use of a heterogeneous buffer combination is a simple method for on‐line concentration of DNA fragments, in which a sample buffer is simply exchanged with one including taurine anions. The mobility of taurine anions, co‐ions for DNA, is lower than the that of acetate anions in a separation buffer. The difference in the mobility invokes transient isotachophoresis. The current technique allows DNA fragments to be effectively concentrated and the separation length of microchips to be shorter than that of conventional ones by a factor of three without deterioration in separation resolution and any modification of a chip design. Fragments of 100‐bp DNA ladders (100–1000 bp) were separated with high resolution (0.72–10.7) within 60 s with a 10 mm separation length on a polymethyl methacrylate chip. Furthermore, fragments of 10‐bp DNA ladders (10–330 bp) were separated with high resolution (0.69–2.00) with a 10 mm separation length within 50 s without band broadening. The current achievements will make it possible to fabricate compact devices for microchip electrophoresis.
Shape Evolution With Structural and Topological Changes Using Blending

This paper describes a framework for the estimation of shape from sparse or incomplete range data. It uses a shape representation called blending, which allows for the geometric combination of shapes into a unified model - selected regions of the component shapes are cut-out and glued together. Estimation of shape by this representation is realized using a physics-based framework, and it also includes a process for deciding how to adapt the structure and topology of the model to improve the fit. The blending representation helps avoid abrupt changes in model geometry during fitting by allowing the smooth evolution of the shape, which improves the robustness of the technique. We demonstrate this framework with a series of experiments showing its ability to automatically extract structured representations from range data given both structurally and topologically complex objects.
Is wire tapering worthwhile?

Wire sizing and buffer insertion/sizing are critical optimizations in deep submicron design. The past years have seen several studies of buffer insertion, wire sizing, and their simultaneous optimization. When wiring long interconnect, tapering, i.e., reducing the wire width as the distance from the driver increases, has proven effective. However tapering is not widely utilized in industry since it is difficult to integrate into a complete routing methodology. The article examines the benefits of wire sizing with tapering when combined with buffer insertion. We perform several experiments with actual IBM technologies. Results indicate that wire tapering reduces delay typically by less than 5% compared to uniform wire sizing, when buffers can be inserted. Consequently, we suggest that it may not be worthwhile to maintain a routing methodology that supports wire tapering.