Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Actin filaments in sensory hairs of inner ear receptor cells

Receptor cells in the ear are excited through the bending of sensory hairs which project in a bundle from their surface. The individual stereocilia of a bundle contain filaments about 5 nm in diameter. The identity of these filaments has been investigated in the crista ampullaris of the frog and guinea pig by a technique of decoration with subfragment-1 of myosin (S-1). After demembranation with Triton X-100 and incubation with S-1, "arrowhead" formation was observed along the filaments of the stereocilia and their rootlets and also along filaments in the cuticular plate inside the receptor cell. The distance between attached S-1 was 35 nm and arrowheads pointed in towards the cell soma. It is concluded that the filaments of stereocilia are composed of actin.
Strongly time-variable ultraviolet metal-line emission from the circum-galactic medium of high-redshift galaxies

We use cosmological simulations from the Feedback In Realistic Environments project, which implement a comprehensive set of stellar feedback processes, to study ultraviolet (UV) metal-line emission from the circum-galactic medium of high-redshift (z = 2–4) galaxies. Our simulations cover the halo mass range M_h ∼ 2 × 10^(11)–8.5 × 10^(12) M_⊙ at z = 2, representative of Lyman break galaxies. Of the transitions we analyse, the low-ionization C iii (977 A) and Si iii (1207 A) emission lines are the most luminous, with C iv (1548 A) and Si iv (1394 A) also showing interesting spatially extended structures. The more massive haloes are on average more UV-luminous. The UV metal-line emission from galactic haloes in our simulations arises primarily from collisionally ionized gas and is strongly time variable, with peak-to-trough variations of up to ∼2 dex. The peaks of UV metal-line luminosity correspond closely to massive and energetic mass outflow events, which follow bursts of star formation and inject sufficient energy into galactic haloes to power the metal-line emission. The strong time variability implies that even some relatively low-mass haloes may be detectable. Conversely, flux-limited samples will be biased towards haloes whose central galaxy has recently experienced a strong burst of star formation. Spatially extended UV metal-line emission around high-redshift galaxies should be detectable by current and upcoming integral field spectrographs such as the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer on the Very Large Telescope and Keck Cosmic Web Imager.
A Novel Method of Minimizing View Synthesis Distortion Based on Its Non-Monotonicity in 3D Video

In depth-based 3D video, the view synthesis distortion (VSD), is generally measured by modeling the effect of texture and depth errors separately. With such a development, it has been referred that the VSD changes monotonically with respect to to both the texture and depth distortions. In this paper, we find that the VSD does not always change monotonically with them by both theoretical analysis and experimental test, when the effect of the texture and depth errors is considered together. Specifically, first, we prove that the VSD is non-monotonic with the texture distortion. That is, the VSD increases with the increasing texture distortion at higher distortion range but conversely decreases with it at lower range. It is different from the general scenario that only considering the effect of the texture errors. We also analytically depict their relationship with low computational cost and identify the turning point at which the change of the VSD is converted. Second, we confirm that the VSD is always monotonic with the depth distortion, which is consistent with the general scenario that only considering the effect of the depth errors. The non-monotonicity property of the VSD can be utilized to improve the viewing performance of 3D video in relevant applications, since a minimal value of the VSD exists at the turning point. We conduct two applications for this purpose. First, it is used to generate the synthesis view of minimal distortion, which achieves 0.51-dB gain of PSNR on average for the tested scenarios. Second, it is used for lossy compression of texture videos in 3D video, which reduces the coding rate by 24% on average for the tested scenarios, meanwhile, keeps the VSD not increased simultaneously.
Selecting neural network architecture for investment profitability predictions

After production and operations, finance and investments are one of the most frequent areas of neural network applications in business. The lack of standardized paradigms that can determine the efficiency of certain NN architectures in a particular problem domain is still present. The selection of NN architecture needs to take into consideration the type of the problem, the nature of the data in the model, as well as some strategies based on result comparison. The paper describes previous research in that area and suggests a forward strategy for selecting best NN algorithm and structure. Since the strategy includes both parameter-based and variable-based testings, it can be used for selecting NN architectures as well as for extracting models. The backpropagation, radial-basis, modular, LVQ and probabilistic neural network algorithms were used on two independent sets: stock market and credit scoring data. The results show that neural networks give better accuracy comparing to multiple regression and logistic regression models. Since it is model-independant, the strategy can be used by researchers and professionals in other areas of application.
Optimization of PCB bus loads with usage of genetic algorithms by criteria of peak voltage minimization

Importance of the genetic algorithms (GA) usage in the investigation of an ultrashort pulse peak voltage in a printed circuit board (PCB) bus of autonomous navigation system (ANS) is highlighted. Trapezoidal ultrashort pulse propagation along the conductors of the PCB bus was simulated. Using GA an optimization of the 10 parameters for loads at the ends of the bus conductors was made. The optimization was made by minimization criteria for a peak voltage sum at preset points. The optimization was run 10 times with the parameters: the number of chromosomes − 3, 5, 7, 10; the number of populations − 6, 8, 11, 26; mutation coefficient − 0.1; crossover coefficient − 0.5. Using of the optimization has allowed us by 30 times decreasing the signal amplitude in the active conductor. Herewith, the signal maximums revealed along the bus conductors don't exceed the values, obtained before the optimization. A good convergence of the obtained results is shown.
A Balanced, Systems Approach to Business Process Management Aligned to Hospital Strategy

This study examines business process management practices of balanced scorecards and dashboards as control feedback to monitor and improve hospital processes aligned to strategic goals and objectives. The study maps specific process metrics at strategic, tactical, and operational levels in the hospital environment to overall hospital strategy. This paper identifies how dynamic technological activities of analysis, evaluation, and synthesis applied to internal and external organizational data can highlight complex relationships within integrated hospital processes to target opportunities for improvement and ultimately yield improved process capabilities aligned to strategy. Based on a 120-month longitudinal study of an academic medical center, this case study investigates the impact of integrated systems to qualify and quantify business analytics to improve hospital efficiency and effectiveness across patient quality of care, stakeholder satisfaction, clinical operations, and financials. The implications and/or limitations of these results are also discussed with respect to practitioners and researchers alike.
A Throughput Model for CSMA/CA with a Cross-Layer Payload-Dropping Optimization

In this paper, we formulate the throughput of a spatially-optimized CSMA/CA in two interference-limited co-channel cells, and validate it using statistics obtained via simulation. This special variant of the protocol incorporates a MAC/PHY cross-layer mechanism which aborts the reception of the payload portions of frames from co-channel cells in interference-limited multi-cell deployments. For physical transceivers relying solely on preamble detection for carrier sensing, this optimization adequately mitigates the exposed node syndrome, thereby allowing nodes to enjoy nearly the maximum throughput as provided by CSMA/CA in single cell or carrier-sensing threshold (CST) isolated scenarios.
Data mining of cellular automata's transition rules

This paper presents a new method to discover knowledge for geographical cellular automata (CA) by using a data-mining technique. CA have the ability to simulate complex geographical phenomena. Very few studies have been carried out on how to determine and validate the transition rules of CA from observed data. The transition rules of traditional CA are usually expressed by mathematical equations. This paper demonstrates that the explicit transition rules of CA can be automatically reconstructed through the rule induction procedure of data mining. The explicit transition rules are more intuitive to decision-makers. The transition rules are obtained by applying data-mining techniques to spatial data. The proposed method can reduce the uncertainties in defining transition rules and help to generate more reliable simulation results.
So-Called Carcinosarcoma of the Esophagus: A Clinicopathologic, Immunohistochemical and DNA Flow-Cytometric Analysis of 6 Cases

Six cases of carcinosarcoma of the esophagus were studied clinicopathologically, immunohistochemically and with DNA flow cytometry. Transitional areas with morphology intermediate between carcinoma and sarcoma were found microscopically in all cases. Immunohistochemically, the carcinomatous areas contained keratin-positive cell components in all cases while vimentin-positive cells were found in sarcomatous areas in 5 cases. By DNA flow analysis of microdissection, the sarcomatous components of the tumors showed an aneuploid pattern with one exception, in contrast the carcinomatous components were diploid in all cases. In these few cases, PCNA, S-phase fraction and the mitotic rate were extremely high, apparently indicating a correlation with malignant behavior. Accordingly, examination by immunohistochemistry and DNA ploidy is useful for the analysis of biological properties in the so-called carcinosarcoma of the esophagus.
Enhancing biomedical concept extraction using semantic relationship weights

Scientific publications are often associated with a set of keywords to describe their content. Automating the process of keyword extraction and assignment could be useful in indexing electronic documents and building digital libraries. In this paper we propose a new approach to biomedical Concept Extraction (CE) using semantic features of concept graphs. We represent full-text documents by graphs and map biomedical terms to predefined ontology concepts. We adopt concept relation weights to improve the ranking process of potential key concepts. We perform both objective and human-based subjective evaluations. The results show that using relation weights significantly improves the performance of CE. The results also highlight the subjectivity of the CE procedure as well as of its evaluation.
On the Assessment of New Gaseous Dielectrics for GIS

The assessment of prospective new gaseous dielectrics for GIS is discussed. It is shown that a preliminary assessment of the insulating properties of a new gas can be undertaken from a knowledge of (E/p) and a figure of merit M. These parameters can be obtained from a precision measurement of the linear part of the Paschen curve. A suitable electrode profile is discussed. Measurements of (E/p)lim and M for SF6/N2 mixtures are reported.
Antiangiogenic Effect of Carnosic Acid and Carnosol, Neuroprotective Compounds in Rosemary Leaves

Carnosic acid, a diterpene in rosemary, is considered to be beneficial in the prevention of chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, it has been found that drugs with antiangiogenic activity lower the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Thus it is of interest whether carnosic acid has antiangiogenic activity. In this study, carnosic acid suppressed microvessel outgrowth on ex vivo angiogenesis assay using a rat aortic ring at higher than 10 μM. The antiangiogenic effect of carnosic acid was found in angiogenesis models using human umbilical vein endothelial cells with regard to tube formation on reconstituted basement membrane, chemotaxis and proliferation. Although the carnosol in rosemary also suppressed angiogenesis, its effect was not more potent than that of carnosic acid in the ex vivo model. These results suggest that carnosic acid and rosemary extract can be useful in the prevention of disorders due to angiogenesis, and that their antiangiogenic effect can contribute to a neuroprotective effect.
Switching activity estimation for shift-and-add based constant multipliers

In this work we propose a switching activity model for single adder multipliers. This correspond to the case where a signal is added to a shifted version of itself, which is a common part in multiple constant multiplication (MCM). Hence, the proposed model is suitable to be used in power consumption aware MCM algorithms. The model is shown to agree well with simulations, and for the studied test cases a maximum error of 0.26% is obtained.
Dynamic assessment of fibroblast mechanical activity during Rac‐induced cell spreading in 3‐D culture

The goal of this study was to determine the morphological and sub‐cellular mechanical effects of Rac activation on fibroblasts within 3‐D collagen matrices. Corneal fibroblasts were plated at low density inside 100 µm thick fibrillar collagen matrices and cultured for 1–2 days in serum‐free media. Time‐lapse imaging was then performed using Nomarski DIC. After an acclimation period, perfusion was switched to media containing PDGF. In some experiments, Y‐27632 or blebbistatin were used to inhibit Rho‐kinase (ROCK) or myosin II, respectively. PDGF activated Rac and induced cell spreading, which resulted in an increase in cell length, cell area, and the number of pseudopodial processes. Tractional forces were generated by extending pseudopodia, as indicated by centripetal displacement and realignment of collagen fibrils. Interestingly, the pattern of pseudopodial extension and local collagen fibril realignment was highly dependent upon the initial orientation of fibrils at the leading edge. Following ROCK or myosin II inhibition, significant ECM relaxation was observed, but small displacements of collagen fibrils continued to be detected at the tips of pseudopodia. Taken together, the data suggests that during Rac‐induced cell spreading within 3‐D matrices, there is a shift in the distribution of forces from the center to the periphery of corneal fibroblasts. ROCK mediates the generation of large myosin II‐based tractional forces during cell spreading within 3‐D collagen matrices, however residual forces can be generated at the tips of extending pseudopodia that are both ROCK and myosin II‐independent. J. Cell. Physiol. 217: 162–171, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of early thinning on the diameter growth distribution along the stem of Scots pine

The absolute and relative effects of the fi rst thinning on the diameter growth distribution along the stems were studied in 98 Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) at heights of 1.3, 4, 6 and 8 m. The data cover one 3-year pre-thinning period and four 3-year post-thinning periods in plots with densities varying from 575 to 3400 stems ha–1. A shift in the point of maximum diameter growth down the bole was found during the fi rst 3 years after thinning, with a shift back up the stem later. The thinning response over the whole 12-year post-thinning period was strongest the nearer the stem base and the heavier the thinning. The largest trees had the highest diameter growth after thinning in absolute terms, and the growth was greater the heavier the thinning. The absolute thinning response over the 12-year post-thinning period was highest in the medium tree size and in the largest trees, especially on the heavily thinned and lightly thinned plots. Whereas in the moderately thinned stand the smaller and larger trees responded more than did those of medium size on average. In relative sense, however, the small trees on heavily or moderately thinned plots responded more rapidly and more strongly than the medium-sized or large trees over the whole stem. The small trees on the lightly thinned plots responded only slightly to thinning. The results suggest that it is possible to affect the uniformity of wood properties (such as ring width) both within and between trees by thinning.
Stability of 10B-L-boronophenylalanine-fructose injection.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a promising technique for highly targeted tumor therapy. [1][1],[2][2] BNCT relies on the high cross-section of the nonradioactive isotope boron-10 to capture thermal neutrons, leading to the reaction 10B(n,α)7Li. This capture reaction first results in the
Inter-observer variation of the Bandim TB-score

We assessed the inter-observer variation for a clinical staging score for tuberculosis (TB). 87 TB patients were examined by 2 independent observers within 2 h, and kappa was calculated. The kappa value of the total Bandim TBscore being at or above 8 points was 0.637, representing a good inter-observer agreement. No systematic bias was found.
Zinc Supplementation in Acute Diarrhea is Acceptable, Does Not Interfere with Oral Rehydration, and Reduces the Use of Other Medications: A Randomized Trial in Five Countries

Objective: Assess the impact of zinc supplementation with locally developed culturally specific educational statements (messages) on oral rehydration solution (ORS) and antibiotics or antidiarrheal use in children with acute watery diarrhea as well as to assess adherence and side effects of zinc. Methods: This was a randomized effectiveness trial conducted in outpatient health facilities of six sites in five countries, namely, Fortaleza (Brazil), Addis Adaba (Ethiopia), Cairo (Egypt), Lucknow and Nagpur (India), and Manila (Philippines). Participants were 2,002 children aged 2 to 59 months. Intervention was zinc (20 mg orally, once daily for 14 days) with ORS (zinc group) compared with ORS alone (control group). Primary outcomes were ORS use on day 3 to 5; adherence to zinc; and any use of an antibacterial/antidiarrheal up to day 14. Results: One thousand ten and 992 children enrolled in zinc and control groups, respectively. Loss to follow-up on days 3 to 5 and 15 to 17 was 1.2% and 2.8% in the zinc group and 0.8% and 1.7% in the control group. In five of six sites, ORS use in cases with continued diarrhea on days 3 to 5 was the same in the two groups or higher in zinc group. Overall adherence to zinc supplementation was 83.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 81-86). There was no difference in vomiting by group. In consideration of the six countries overall, less antibiotic/antidiarrheal use occurred in the zinc group (absolute difference, 3.8% [95% CI 1.7-5.9]). Conclusions: In the management of acute watery diarrhea, zinc plus ORS along with culturally appropriate, site-specific messages in local language does not affect overall ORS use generally and decreases antibiotic/antidiarrheal use; children had good adherence without side effects.
Overcoming the Gas–Liquid Mass Transfer of Oxygen by Coupling Photosynthetic Water Oxidation with Biocatalytic Oxyfunctionalization

Abstract Gas–liquid mass transfer of gaseous reactants is a major limitation for high space–time yields, especially for O2‐dependent (bio)catalytic reactions in aqueous solutions. Herein, oxygenic photosynthesis was used for homogeneous O2 supply via in situ generation in the liquid phase to overcome this limitation. The phototrophic cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 was engineered to synthesize the alkane monooxygenase AlkBGT from Pseudomonas putida GPo1. With light, but without external addition of O2, the chemo‐ and regioselective hydroxylation of nonanoic acid methyl ester to ω‐hydroxynonanoic acid methyl ester was driven by O2 generated through photosynthetic water oxidation. Photosynthesis also delivered the necessary reduction equivalents to regenerate the Fe2+ center in AlkB for oxygen transfer to the terminal methyl group. The in situ coupling of oxygenic photosynthesis to O2‐transferring enzymes now enables the design of fast hydrocarbon oxyfunctionalization reactions.
Programa de aquisição de alimentos (PAA): uma análise comparativa nos estados de Rondônia e Acre

A agricultura familiar brasileira, nos últimos anos, passou a ter um maior destaque com a criação de várias políticas públicas voltadas especificamente a esse setor. Neste artigo, destacamos o Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos - PAA. Por meio desse programa, o Governo Federal passou a adquirir produtos diretamente dos agricultores familiares. O presente estudo teve como objetivo identificar os recursos financeiros aplicados e as modalidades do programa mais utilizadas nos estados de Rondônia e Acre, no período de 2003 a 2008, comparando com os recursos financeiros aplicados e as modalidades utilizadas pelo PAA. A metodologia utilizada foi a bibliográfica documental, realizada por meio de um levantamento documental dos registros feitos pelos órgãos que operacionalizam o programa, com análise qualiquantitativa dos dados. Os resultados demonstram que, apesar do aumento quantitativo de recursos e no número de agricultores familiares beneficiados, os recursos direcionados para os estados de Rondônia e Acre, comparados com os demais estados e regiões do país, foram proporcionalmente baixos ou aquém da necessidade, considerando as características da agricultura familiar dos dois Estados.
A Novel Imaging System Distinguishes Neoplastic from Normal Tissue During Resection of Soft Tissue Sarcomas and Mast Cell Tumors in Dogs.

OBJECTIVE To assess the ability of a novel imaging system designed for intraoperative detection of residual cancer in tumor beds to distinguish neoplastic from normal tissue in dogs undergoing resection of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and mast cell tumor (MCT). STUDY DESIGN Non-randomized prospective clinical trial. ANIMALS 12 dogs with STS and 7 dogs with MCT. METHODS A fluorescent imaging agent that is activated by proteases in vivo was administered to the dogs 4-6 or 24-26 hours before tumor resection. During surgery, a handheld imaging device was used to measure fluorescence intensity within the cancerous portion of the resected specimen and determine an intensity threshold for subsequent identification of cancer. Selected areas within the resected specimen and tumor bed were then imaged, and biopsies (n=101) were obtained from areas that did or did not have a fluorescence intensity exceeding the threshold. Results of intraoperative fluorescence and histology were compared. RESULTS The imaging system correctly distinguished cancer from normal tissue in 93/101 biopsies (92%). Using histology as the reference, the sensitivity and specificity of the imaging system for identification of cancer in biopsies were 92% and 92%, respectively. There were 10/19 (53%) dogs which exhibited transient facial erythema soon after injection of the imaging agent which responded to but was not consistently prevented by intravenous diphenhydramine. CONCLUSION A fluorescence-based imaging system designed for intraoperative use can distinguish canine soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and mast cell tumor (MCT) tissue from normal tissue with a high degree of accuracy. The system has potential to assist surgeons in assessing the adequacy of tumor resections during surgery, potentially reducing the risk of local tumor recurrence. Although responsive to antihistamines, the risk of hypersensitivity needs to be considered in light of the potential benefits of this imaging system in dogs.