Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treatment of FGF-2 on stem cells from inflamed dental pulp tissue from human deciduous teeth.

OBJECTIVE The purposes of this study were to isolate and characterize stem cells from inflamed pulp tissue of human functional deciduous teeth (iSHFD) and to evaluate the influence of fibroblastic growth factor-2 (FGF-2) on the regenerative potential. MATERIALS AND METHODS We successfully isolated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from the inflamed dental pulp tissue of human deciduous teeth and demonstrated that their regenerative potential could be enhanced by the application of FGF-2 (20 ng ml(-1)) during ex vivo expansion. Isolated stem cells expanded in FGF-2 were characterized using a colony-forming assay, proliferation, migration, in vitro differentiation, in vivo ectopic transplantation assay, and gene expression profiling. RESULTS MSCs isolated from the inflamed pulp tissue of functional deciduous teeth potentially possess the qualities of those from human exfoliated deciduous teeth. FGF-2 applied to iSHFD during expansion enhanced the colony-forming efficiency of these cells, increased their proliferation and migration potential, and reduced their differentiation potential in vitro. However, the ectopic transplantation of iSHFD/FGF-2 in vivo increased the formation of dentin-like material. CONCLUSION FGF-2 expansion of stem cells from inflamed pulp tissues of human deciduous teeth can be a good source of stem cells for future clinical applications and a novel way of using discarded inflamed tissues.
A Multi-Functional Tubulovesicular Network as the Ancestral Eukaryotic Endomembrane System

The origin of the eukaryotic endomembrane system is still the subject of much speculation. We argue that the combination of two recent hypotheses addressing the eukaryotic endomembrane’s early evolution supports the possibility that the ancestral membranes were organised as a multi-functional tubulovesicular network. One of the potential selective advantages provided by this organisation was the capacity to perform endocytosis. This possibility is illustrated by membrane organisations observed in current organisms in the three domains of life. Based on this, we propose a coherent model of autogenous eukaryotic endomembrane system evolution in which mitochondria are involved at a late stage.
Parathyroid hormone‐related protein (107–139) increases human osteoblastic cell survival by activation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‐2

Parathyroid hormone‐related protein (PTHrP) (107–139), in contrast to the N‐terminal fragment PTHrP (1–36), has been shown to interact with the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) system to modulate human osteoblast differentiation. In this study, we evaluated whether this interaction might affect human osteoblastic cell survival. Pre‐incubation with PTHrP (107–139) for 1–24 h dose‐dependently (0.1–100 nM) inhibited dexamethasone‐ or etoposide‐induced cell death in human osteoblastic MG‐63 cells and human osteoblast‐like cells from trabecular bone. This effect, but not that elicited by PTHrP (1–36), was abolished by the VEGF receptor (VEGFR)‐2 inhibitors SU5614 and SU1498 or VEGFR‐2 siRNA transfection in these cells. PTHrP (107–139), but not PTHrP (1–36), at 100 nM, rapidly (within 2 min) increased VEGFR‐2 tyrosine‐phosphorylation in MG‐63 cells; an effect unaffected by several inhibitors of metalloproteinases, neutralizing VEGF165 or VEGFR‐2 antibodies, or the VEGF binding inhibitor CBO‐PP1. The latter two antagonists also failed to affect 125I‐[Tyr116] PTHrP (107–115) binding to these cells. Consistent with its effect on VEGFR‐2 activation, PTHrP (107–139) rapidly induced extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and Akt activaton, and both ERK and phosphatidylinsositol‐3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitors abolished its pro‐survival effect in human osteoblastic cells. In addition, SU5614 and the latter two types of inhibitors abrogated Runx2 activation by this peptide in MG‐63 cells. Transfection with a dominant‐negative Runx2 construct abolished the pro‐survival effect of PTHrP (107–139), associated with a decrease in Bcl‐2/Bax protein ratio. Our findings demonstrate that PTHrP (107–139) interacts with VEGFR‐2 to promote human osteoblastic cell survival by a mechanism involving Runx2 activation. J. Cell. Physiol. 217: 717–727, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Transnationals' experience of dying in their adopted country: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Social and emotional challenges of migration and integration include managing memories and perceptions of country of birth, leaving loved relatives behind, and the challenges of maintaining traditions, such as cultural food and practices. For many migrants, the strong connection with their birth country is never completely severed, which may become pertinent at particular events and stages in life with inherent emotional impact. This may be particularly the case for end-of-life experience. OBJECTIVE We undertook a systematic review of published evidence of research to identify the lived experience of migrants dying in a country different from their country of birth. DESIGN The search terms [transnationals OR migran* OR immigran*] AND [emotions OR belonging OR acculturation OR national identity] AND [dying OR end-of-life OR contemplation of dying] AND [palliative care OR terminal care] were used on the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, EBSCO, Geobase, PsychINFO, and Scopus to the end date of January 2014. No date limit was imposed. All research methodologies were included. The search was restricted to human subjects and English language. RESULTS Seven qualitative studies met the criteria. Thematic analysis of these studies identified three main themes: sense of dual identity, importance of traditions from their country of origin, and dying preferences. CONCLUSION Findings have implications for the provision of palliative end-of-life care for dying transnationals, particularly in relation to providing support for migrants who are dying to resolve social and emotional issues.
OSA: orthogonal simulated annealing algorithm and its application to designing mixed H2/H∞ optimal controllers

This paper proposes a novel orthogonal simulated annealing (OSA) algorithm for solving intractable large-scale engineering problems and its application to designing mixed H/sub 2//H/sub /spl infin// optimal structure-specified controllers with robust stability and disturbance attenuation. High performance of OSA arises mainly from an intelligent generation mechanism (IGM), which applies orthogonal experimental design to speed up the search. IGM can efficiently generate a good candidate solution for next move of OSA by using a systematic reasoning method. It is difficult for existing H/sub /spl infin//- and genetic algorithm (GA)-based methods to economically obtain an accurate solution to the design problem of multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) optimal control systems. The high performance and validity of OSA are demonstrated by parametric optimization functions and a MIMO super maneuverable F18/HARV fighter aircraft system with a proportional-integral-derivative (PID)-type controller. It is shown empirically that OSA performs well for parametric optimization functions and the performance of the OSA-based method without prior domain knowledge is superior to those of existing H/sub /spl infin//- and GA-based methods for designing MIMO optimal controllers.
Assessing the Critical Multifunctionality Threshold for Optimal Electrical, Thermal, and Nanomechanical Properties of Carbon Nanotubes/Epoxy Nanocomposites for Aerospace Applications

Epoxy composites are widely used in primary aerospace structures, where high impact damage properties are necessary. However, challenges appear when multiple functionalities, including electrical and thermal conductivity, are needed in parallel with increased mechanical properties. The current study aims at the assessment of a critical concentration of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), incorporated in epoxy resin, which will indicate a threshold for optimal electrical, thermal and mechanical properties. For the evaluation of this optimal concentration, electrical conductivity, thermal stability and nanomechanical properties (Young modulus and nanohardness) have been assessed, for epoxy nanocomposites with 0 to 15 parts per hundred resin per weight (phr) MWCNTs. Percolation theory was applied to study the electrical conductivity for different contents of MWCNTs in the epoxy nanocomposite system. Thermogravimetric analysis was employed for the assessment of the epoxy composites’ thermal properties. Nanohardness and elastic modulus were measured, and the hardness versus modulus index was calculated. Emphasis was given to the dispersion of MWCNTs in the epoxy matrix, which was assessed by both microscopy techniques and X-ray micro–computed tomography. A correlation between the optimum dispersion and MWCNTs content in terms of electrical conductivity, thermal stability, and nanomechanical properties revealed a threshold concentration at 3 phr, allowing the manufacturing of aerospace structures with multifunctional properties.
A unified haptic representation for fluid and deformable objects

This paper presents a unified haptic modeling method for physical systems irrespective of their types. Previously, we have proposed an energy-based approach which haptically renders rigid and deformable objects without reference to their material. However, it is not easy to represent the haptic behavior of a fluid or fluid-deformable object with the previously proposed method because there is no method for handling fluid objects and no additional interface between a fluid object and the other objects. Therefore, this paper proposes a modeling framework in which rigid, deformable, and fluid objects are represented by one modeling method.
What are you complaining about?: a study of online reviews of mobile applications

In this paper, we explore the content of online reviews of mobile applications to get a better understanding of the most recurring issues users report through reviews, and the way the price and the rating of an app influences the type and the amount of feedback users report. Results show that users tend to provide positive feedback, often associating it with requirements for additional features. Also, users tend to provide more feedback for the lower rated apps and the optimal price range was found to be between £2.25 and £3.50.
The study of resonator-diffuser acoustics performance using PVC pipe

A preliminary study of a resonator panel and diffuser using polyvinyl carbonate (PVC). The resonator and diffuser parameters of the panels are tested in the chamber reverberation chamber and anechoic chambers in the laboratory of acoustic physics, the physics department of FIA ITS. The resonator parameter tested is in the anechoic chamber by looking spectral for SPL differences when without and the panel existed. As a diffuser, scattering patterns are tested in the anechoic chamber, while scattering coefficients (S) at a reverberation chamber. In this paper, the panel of resonators in the test made from pipes of 0.5″, 1″ and 3/2″ diameters with panel sizes are 60 cm x 60 cm. base on measurement, the panel has a resonance frequency at 540 Hz. While as a diffuser, the scattering coefficient (S) value for a small pipe is 0.98 at a frequency of 125 Hz with an angle of 0o, a medium pipe is 0.99 at a frequency of 500 Hz with an angle of 30°, a large pipe is 0.93 at a frequency of 500 Hz with Angle 0°.
A Routing Aggregation for Load Balancing Network-on-Chip

A routing aggregation (RA) is proposed for load balancing network-on-chip (NoC). The computing nodes with dense traffic and long distance in network are gathered into the same routing node to form a super router. A load balancing routing algorithm for super router is presented to improve the overall performance of NoC. A simulation platform using System C is presented to confirm the feasibility of the proposed design in 2D mesh. The simulation results show that the proposed RA design can reduce the average packet latency and the standard deviation of host link utilization 8% and 33%, respectively compared with the reported routing methods. The area cost and power consumption compared with the reported schemes are 22% and 12% less, respectively.
Neural System for Monitoring Non-Linear Foetal Measurements

Research into medical applications has been and is always taking advantage of the high speed technologies that are emerging year after year. Image processing is one such tool that is popularly utilised in such applications as monitoring foetal measurements. This paper reports on a new approach to detecting foetal head and abdominal circumferences in low to medium contrast images. The novel idea is based on combining neural network arbitration and scale space analysis to automatically select one optimum scale for the entire image at which scale space edge detection can be applied. This new approach to edge detection is formalised in the Automatic Edge Detection Scheme (AEDS). The AEDS is implemented on a real-life application namely, the detection of foetal head and abdominal circumferences. Results are presented to show the AEDS overcoming the fore mentioned common problems with image processing techniques.
Enhancement of Automatic Oral Presentation Assessment System Using Latent N-Grams Word Representation and Part-of-Speech Information

The development of an automatic oral presentation assessment system is important for the educational researchers to assess and train the communication ability of school leaders. In this work, we aim at enhancing the performance of the existing pre-service school principals’ presentation scoring system by including lexical information as an additional modality. We propose to use latent n-grams distributed word representations and weighted counts of part-of-speech tag to derive features from the speech transcripts in the National Academy for Educational Research (NAER) oral presentation database. We carry out two different experiments: Exp I is a binary classification task between high versus low performing speech, and Exp II is a continuous scoring on the entire dataset. In Exp I, the proposed framework achieves a competitive accuracy of 0.79, and in Exp II, by fusing this text-based system to the existing audio-video based system, we obtain a spearman correlation of 0.641 (18.05% relative improvement). The two experiments demonstrate the modeling power of our proposed framework and signify the substantial complementary information in the lexical modality while assessing the quality of an oral presentation.
Primary conjunctival myxoma: case series and review of the literature

Myxomas are benign soft tissue tumours resembling primitive mesenchyme. They rarely involve ocular structures, and have been recognized in the conjunctiva, eyelids, cornea, and orbit. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological features of seven patients with primary conjunctival myxoma seen at Dr Luis Sánchez Bulnes Hospital, an ophthalmological referral centre in Mexico City.
Paraphrasing Questions Using Given and new information

The design and implementation of a paraphrase component for a natural language question-answering system (CO-OP) is presented. The component is used to produce a paraphrase of a user's question to the system, which is presented to the user before the question is evaluated and answered. A major point made is the role of given and new information in formulating a paraphrase that differs in a meaningful way from the user's question. A description is also given of the transformational grammar that is used by the paraphraser.
C/EBP‐β Is Differentially Affected by PPARα Agonists Fenofibric Acid and GW7647, But Does Not Change Apolipoprotein A‐I Production During ER‐Stress and Inflammation

Increasing apolipoproteinA‐I (apoA‐I) production may be anti‐atherogenic. Thus, there is a need to identify regulatory factors involved. Transcription of apoA‐I involves peroxisome‐proliferator‐activated‐receptor‐alpha (PPARα) activation, but endoplasmic reticulum (ER) −stress and inflammation also influence apoA‐I production. To unravel why PPARα agonist GW7647 increased apoA‐I production compared to PPARα agonist fenofibric acid (FeAc) in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and colorectal adenocarcinoma (CaCo‐2) cells, gene expression profiles were compared. Microarray analyses suggested CCAAT/enhancer‐binding‐protein‐beta (C/EBP‐β) involvement in the FeAc condition. Therefore, C/EBP‐β silencing and isoform‐specific overexpression experiments were performed under ER‐stressed, inflammatory and non‐inflammatory conditions. mRNA expression of C/EBP‐β, ATF3, NF‐IL3 and GDF15 were upregulated by FeAc compared to GW7647 in both cell lines, while DDIT3 and DDIT4 mRNA were only upregulated in HepG2 cells. This ER‐stress related signature was associated with decreased apoA‐I secretion. After ER‐stress induction by thapsigargin or FeAc addition, intracellular apoA‐I concentrations decreased, while ER‐stress marker expression (CHOP, XBP1s, C/EBP‐β) increased. Cytokine addition increased intracellular C/EBP‐β levels and lowered apoA‐I concentrations. Although a C/EBP binding place is present in the apoA‐I promoter, C/EBP‐β silencing or isoform‐specific overexpression did not affect apoA‐I production in inflammatory, non‐inflammatory and ER‐stressed conditions. Therefore, C/EBP‐β is not a target to influence hepatic apoA‐I production. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 754–763, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Accelerating K-means clustering on a tightly-coupled processor-FPGA heterogeneous system

We present a case study of the design of an FPGA accelerator for a tightly-coupled shared-memory processor-FPGA system: the Intel QuickAssist FPGA platform. We use K-means as an example computationally-intensive application and design a pipelined accelerator for calculating minimum distances between points and centroids. Our accelerator is unique in that it works in collaboration with CPU threads, accessing shared data in system memory. It achieves a speedup of 3.8X over a reference software implementation. Moreover, the combined use of CPU threads and the FPGA accelerator achieves a speedup of up to 2.9X over using only the CPU threads and of up to 1.9X over using only the accelerator, depending on the number of CPU threads. We analyze the impact of data sharing between the CPU threads and the FPGA and reason that while this sharing increases memory traffic, it has little impact on overall performance.
Correlated Debye model for atomic motions in metal nanocrystals

Abstract The Correlated Debye model for the mean square relative displacement of atoms in near-neighbour coordination shells has been extended to include the effect of finite crystal size. This correctly explains the increase in Debye–Waller coefficient observed for metal nanocrystals. A good match with Molecular Dynamics simulations of Pd nanocrystals is obtained if, in addition to the phonon confinement effect of the finite domain size, proper consideration is also given to the static disorder component caused by the undercoordination of surface atoms. The new model, which addresses the analysis of the Pair Distribution Function and powder diffraction data collected at different temperatures, was preliminarily tested on recently published experimental data on nanocrystalline Pt powders.
Differences in age at death according to smoking and age at menopause

Objective:Younger age at menopause is associated with overall mortality, and cigarette smoking is the only lifestyle factor influencing this association. However, the combined effects of age at menopause and smoking have never been quantified in terms of survival time. Our aim was to evaluate, in a large cohort of Swedish women, differences in age at death according to age at menopause and smoking status. Methods:Age at menopause and smoking were assessed, using a self-administered questionnaire, in a population-based cohort of 25,474 women aged 48 to 83 years. Laplace regression was used to calculate differences in median age at death (50th percentile difference [PD]) according to smoking and age at menopause. Results:Across 16 years of follow-up, 5,942 participants died. The difference in median age at death between women with menopause at 40 years and women with menopause at 60 years was 1.3 years (50th PD, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.3-2.2). Compared with current smokers, former smokers and never smokers had older median age at death—2.5 years (50th PD, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.9-3.1) and 3.6 years (50th PD, 3.6; 95% CI, 3.1-4.1), respectively. When analysis was restricted to current smokers, the difference in age at death between women with menopause at 40 years and women with menopause at 60 years increased to 2.6 years (50th PD, 2.6; 95% CI, 0.8-4.5). No association among never smokers was observed. Conclusions:Younger age at menopause is linearly associated with shorter survival. This association tends to be stronger among current smokers.
PadNET: wearable physical activity detection network

This paper describes a low power, distributed platform that combines a wide range of different sensors in a wearable, hierarchical network. The architecture simplifies integration of the sensors into the user’s outfit by structuring the hierarchy according to the anatomy of the human body. To date, acceleration and magnetic field sensors were used with the platform for a series of context recognition experiments. Other devices including gyroscopes and force resistive sensors are now being integrated. All designs are available over the internet under GPL licence.
Endocanalicular, High-Pressure Balloon Catheter, Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy

Objectives. To conduct a prospective randomized controlled study to investigate the safety and efficacy of endocanalicular, high-pressure, 5-mm balloon catheter, endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) in adult patients with acquired complete nasolacrimal obstruction. Study Design. Prospective randomized controlled study. Setting. General hospital. Subjects and Methods. Sixty-six adult patients with a total of 70 procedures were recruited to undergo endoscopic DCR. They were prospectively, equally randomized into 2 groups: endocanalicular, high-pressure, 5-mm balloon catheter, endoscopic DCR (group I) and conventional endoscopic DCR (group II). Regular follow-up sessions were conducted to document the patient’s subjective improvement, judge ostium patency on irrigation, and record any complications. Results. Both groups demonstrated a success rate of 91.4%. There was a shorter mean operative time (25.7 minutes) in group I (P < .001). The number of adverse events was significantly higher in group II (P < .05). Group I showed statistically significantly more comfort during surgery under local anesthesia with minimal sedation (P < .05). Conclusion. Endocanalicular balloon catheter endoscopic DCR shares the advantages and success rate of conventional endoscopic DCR. In addition, the former is simpler, requires less manipulation, consumes a shorter operative time, has a better safety profile, and can be conducted under local anesthesia with minimal sedation.
Modeling Adsorption of TCE by Activated Carbon Preloaded by Background Organic Matter.

Experiments with a natural water and a synthetic water were conducted to investigate systematically the effects of preloading of activated carbon by background organic matter on the subsequent adsorption of trichloroethylene (TCE). Equilibrium capacities and rates of adsorption were both found to decrease with increased periods of continuous preloading by both background waters. The effect of preloading by the natural water was observed to level off after several weeks. A pore diffusion model calibrated with adsorption parameters measured under different controlled conditions was used to predict fixed-bed adsorber breakthrough behavior