Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
International energy trade impacts on water resource crises: an embodied water flows perspective

Water and energy are coupled in intimate ways (Siddiqi and Anadon 2011 Energy Policy 39 4529–40), which is amplified by international energy trade. The study shows that the total volume of energy related international embodied water flows averaged 6298 Mm3 yr−1 from 1992–2010, which represents 10% of the water used for energy production including oil, coal, gas and electricity production. This study calculates embodied water import and export status of 219 countries from 1992 to 2010 and embodied water flow changes of seven regions over time (1992/2000/2010). In addition, the embodied water net export risk-crisis index and net embodied water import benefit index are established. According to the index system, 33 countries export vast amounts of water who have a water shortage, which causes water risk and crisis related to energy trade. While 29 countries abate this risk due to their rich water resource, 45 countries import embodied water linked to energy imports. Based on the different status of countries studied, the countries were classified into six groups with different policy recommendations.
Tactile mapping approach using electrical stimulus pattern

The fine concavo-convex shape of the object surface is a critical component that determines its texture. A previous electrotactile display could not tactually present fine concavo-convex objects but only a line pattern on the plane. In this study, the authors proposed a physiology-based tactile mapping method by formulating nerve activities that stem from a mechanical stimulus. The proposed electrical stimulus allows a human to perceive a concavo-convex shape. A stimulus frequency coded the skin displacement given by a concavo-convex shape and represented the adaptation of receptors with exponential approximation. As an example of tactually presenting a concavo-convex shape, roughness was introduced by using a Brownian surface, which enables a user to touch a surface of varying degrees of roughness with a developed tactile display mounted on a computer mouse. The results of subjective experiments showed a statistical difference among the perceived roughness of displayed rough surfaces. This study concluded that the proposed tactile mapping method was effective to present a touch sensation for concavo-convex shapes corresponding to a stimulus frequency below 100 Hz.
Two-Stage Enhancement Scheme for Low-Quality Fingerprint Images by Learning From the Images

Fingerprint authentication for content protection in the human-machine systems, cybernetics, and computational intelligence is very popular. Because of the complex input contexts, low-quality input fingerprint images always exist with cracks and scars, dry skin, or poor ridges and valley contrast ridges. Usually, fingerprint images are enhanced by one stage in either the spatial or the frequency domain. However, the enhanced performances are not satisfactory because of the complicated ridge structures that are affected by unusual input contexts. In this paper, we propose a novel and effective two-stage enhancement scheme in both the spatial domain and the frequency domain by learning from the underlying images. To remedy the ridge areas and enhance the contrast of the local ridges, we first enhance the fingerprint image in the spatial domain with a spatial ridge-compensation filter by learning from the images. With the help of the first step, the second-stage filter, i.e., a frequency bandpass filter that is separable in the radial- and angular-frequency domains, is employed. It is noted that the parameters of the bandpass filters are learnt from both the original image and the first-stage enhanced image instead of acquiring from the original image solely. It enhances the fingerprint image significantly because of the fast and sharp attenuation of the filter in both the radial and the angular-frequency domains. Experimental results show that our proposed algorithm is able to handle various input image contexts and achieves better results compared with some state-of-the-art algorithms over public databases, and to improve the performances of fingerprint-authentication systems.
Tumor Infarction in Mice by Antibody-Directed Targeting of Tissue Factor to Tumor Vasculature

Selective occlusion of tumor vasculature was tested as a therapy for solid tumors in a mouse model. The formation of blood clots (thrombosis) within the tumor vessels was initiated by targeting the cell surface domain of human tissue factor, by means of a bispecific antibody, to an experimentally induced marker on tumor vascular endothelial cells. This truncated form of tissue factor (tTF) had limited ability to initiate thrombosis when free in the circulation, but became an effective and selective thrombogen when targeted to tumor endothelial cells. Intravenous administration of the antibody-tTF complex to mice with large neuroblastomas resulted in complete tumor regressions in 38 percent of the mice.
Visual Positioning Indoors: Human Eyes vs. Smartphone Cameras

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and their related applications are now developing at a rapid pace. Indoor positioning will be one of the core technologies that enable AI applications because people spend 80% of their time indoors. Humans can locate themselves related to a visually well-defined object, e.g., a door, based on their visual observations. Can a smartphone camera do a similar job when it points to an object? In this paper, a visual positioning solution was developed based on a single image captured from a smartphone camera pointing to a well-defined object. The smartphone camera simulates the process of human eyes for the purpose of relatively locating themselves against a well-defined object. Extensive experiments were conducted with five types of smartphones on three different indoor settings, including a meeting room, a library, and a reading room. Experimental results shown that the average positioning accuracy of the solution based on five smartphone cameras is 30.6 cm, while that for the human-observed solution with 300 samples from 10 different people is 73.1 cm.
Human herpesvirus 8 interaction with target cells involves heparan sulfate.

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) or Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is associated with Kaposi's sarcoma and primary effusion lymphoma. In vivo, HHV-8 DNA and transcripts have been detected in B cells, endothelial cells, macrophages, and epithelial cells. HHV-8 infects a variety of cell lines of human and animal origin, leading to latent or abortive infection. This study shows that the broad cellular tropism of HHV-8 may be in part due to its interaction with the ubiquitous host cell surface molecule, heparan sulfate (HS). This conclusion is based on the following findings: (i) HHV-8 infection of human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cells was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by soluble heparin, a glycosaminoglycan closely related to HS. Chondroitin sulfates A and C did not inhibit HHV-8 infection. (ii) Enzymatic removal of HFF cell surface HS with heparinase I and III reduced HHV-8 infection. (iii) Soluble heparin inhibited the binding of radiolabeled HHV-8 to human B cell lines, embryonic kidney epithelial (293) cells, and HFF cells, suggesting interference at the virus attachment stage. (iv) Cell surface adsorbed HHV-8 was displaced by soluble heparin. (v) Radiolabeled HHV-8 also bound to wild-type HS expressing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells. In contrast, binding of virus to mutant CHO cells deficient in HS was significantly reduced. These data show that the gamma2 herpesvirus HHV-8, similar to some members of alpha, beta, and gamma2 herpesviruses, adsorbs to cells by binding to cell surface HS-like moieties. Heparin did not completely prevent the binding and infectivity of HHV-8, suggesting that HHV-8 interactions with HS could be the first set of ligand-receptor interaction leading to the binding with one or more host cell receptors essential for the subsequent viral entry process.
Persistent intraprostatic androgen concentrations after medical castration in healthy men.

CONTEXT The impact of serum androgen manipulation on prostate tissue hormone levels in normal men is unknown. Studies of men with prostate cancer have suggested that prostatic androgens are preserved in the setting of castration. Tissue androgens might stimulate prostate growth, producing adverse clinical consequences. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to determine the effect of serum androgen manipulation on intraprostatic androgens in normal men. DESIGN Thirteen male volunteers ages 35-55 yr (prostate-specific antigen < 2.0 ng/ml; normal transrectal ultrasound) were randomly assigned to: 1) a long-acting GnRH-antagonist, acyline, every 2 wk; 2) acyline plus testosterone (T) gel (10 mg/d); or 3) placebo for 28 d. Serum hormones were assessed weekly. Prostate biopsies were obtained on d 28. Extracted androgens were measured by RIA, and immunohistochemistry for androgen-regulated proteins was performed. RESULTS The mean decrease in serum T was 94%, whereas prostatic T and dihydrotestosterone levels were 70 and 80% lower, respectively, in subjects receiving acyline alone compared with controls (P < 0.05). Despite this decrease in prostate androgens, there were no detectable differences in prostate epithelial proliferation, apoptosis, prostate-specific antigen, and androgen receptor expression. CONCLUSION In this small study of healthy subjects, despite a 94% decrease in serum T with medical castration, intraprostatic T and dihydrotestosterone levels remained 20-30% of control values, and prostate cell proliferation, apoptosis, and androgen-regulated protein expression were unaffected. Our data highlight the importance of assessing tissue hormone levels. The source of persistent prostate androgens associated with medical castration and their potential role in supporting prostate metabolism deserves further study.
The relationship between CSR and financial performance : A quantitative study examining Swedish publicly traded companies

Purpose: Examine the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and financial performance in Swedish publicly traded companies in the years 2006-2009.Hypothesis:H1: There is a positive linear relationship between a company's CSR performance and its accounting based financial performance (represented by ROA). H2: There is a positive linear relationship between a company's CSR performance and its market based financial evaluation (represented by Tobin's Q)H3: Industry moderates the relationship between CSR and financial performance.H4: Firm size moderates the relationship between CSR and financial performance.Theoretical framework: CSR and previous research.Methodology: Longitudinal study, Secondary analysis. Conclusion: Hypothesis 1 may be rejected. Hypothesis 2 may be rejected. Hypothesis 3 may be rejected. Hypothesis 4 may be rejected.
Gravitational Contribution to the Heat Flux in a Simple Dilute Fluid: An Approach Based on General Relativistic Kinetic Theory to First Order in the Gradients

Richard C. Tolman analyzed the relation between a temperature gradient and a gravitational field in an equilibrium situation. In 2012, Tolman’s law was generalized to a non-equilibrium situation for a simple dilute relativistic fluid. The result in that scenario, obtained by introducing the gravitational force through the molecular acceleration, couples the heat flux with the metric coefficients and the gradients of the state variables. In the present paper it is shown, by explicitly describing the single particle orbits as geodesics in Boltzmann’s equation, that a gravitational field drives a heat flux in this type of system. The calculation is devoted solely to the gravitational field contribution to this heat flux in which a Newtonian limit to the Schwarzschild metric is assumed. The corresponding transport coefficient, which is obtained within a relaxation approximation, corresponds to the dilute fluid in a weak gravitational field. The effect is negligible in the non-relativistic regime, as evidenced by the direct evaluation of the corresponding limit.
Acetaminophen‐induced microvascular injury in the rat liver: Protection with misoprostol

Studies into the mechanism of acetaminophen (APAP)‐induced hepatotoxicity have focused mainly at the hepatocellular level. This study aimed to investigate the effect of acetaminophen on the hepatic microvasculature using a vascular casting technique. Acetaminophen was administered at a dose of 650 mg/kg body weight (intraperitoneally) to fasted male Long Evans rats. Microvascular casting was performed at various points after drug administration. Liver casts from control rats showed good patency with normal hepatic microvasculature. Thirty‐six hours after overdose with acetaminophen, liver casts showed rounded centrilobular cavities of various sizes, representing regions in which cast‐filled sinusoids were absent with relatively normal microvasculature within periportal regions. Evidence of microvascular injury occurred as early as 5 hours after acetaminophen overdose. This injury consisted of changes to centrilobular sinusoids including areas of incomplete filling and dilated centrilobular sinusoids. Misoprostol (a prostaglandin E1 analog) treatment (6 × 25 μ/kg) given before and after acetaminophen administration markedly reduced the extent of microvascular injury with only small focal unfilled areas in the casts and a generally intact microvasculature. In conclusion, this study shows that overdosage with APAP resulted in an extensive, characteristic pattern of hepatic microvascular injury in the centrilobular region. The results also suggest that microvascular injury is an early event in the pathogenesis of acetaminophen hepatotoxicity. Misoprostol was found to protect against injury occurring at the microvascular level. (Hepatology 1995; 22:1776‐1781).
Medical Image Reconstruction Using Wavelets and Multi-Wavelet Methods

Medical images transmitted through wireless fading channels could lose some of its information as an entire block. This paper presents different reconstruction method based Wavelet and Multi-Wavelet for reconstructing lost blocks information of medical images. Methods evaluation and testing are achieved by reconstructing different missing block size and locations for four different medical images. Wavelet based Methods aims to recover missing blocks information using the correlation between the lost block and its neighbors while the method based Multi-Wavelet calculates the average of missing block boundaries. The paper also presents the relation between the missing block size and the quality of the reconstructed medical images using the above different methods by explaining its efficiency against the increase of the lost block size.
Characterization of Drosophila melanogaster cytochrome P450 genes

Cytochrome P450s form a large and diverse family of heme-containing proteins capable of carrying out many different enzymatic reactions. In both mammals and plants, some P450s are known to carry out reactions essential for processes such as hormone synthesis, while other P450s are involved in the detoxification of environmental compounds. In general, functions of insect P450s are less well understood. We characterized Drosophila melanogaster P450 expression patterns in embryos and 2 stages of third instar larvae. We identified numerous P450s expressed in the fat body, Malpighian (renal) tubules, and in distinct regions of the midgut, consistent with hypothesized roles in detoxification processes, and other P450s expressed in organs such as the gonads, corpora allata, oenocytes, hindgut, and brain. Combining expression pattern data with an RNA interference lethality screen of individual P450s, we identify candidate P450s essential for developmental processes and distinguish them from P450s with potential functions in detoxification.
Effects of gluteal kinesio-taping on performance with respect to fatigue in rugby players

Abstract Kinesio-tape® has been suggested to increase blood circulation and lymph flow and might influence the muscle's ability to maintain strength during fatigue. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of gluteal Kinesio-tape® on lower limb muscle strength in non-fatigued and fatigued conditions. A total of 10 male rugby union players performed 20-m sprint and vertical jump tests before and after a rugby-specific fatigue protocol. The 20-m sprint time was collected using light gates (SMARTSPEED). A 9-camera motion analysis system (VICON, 100 Hz) and a force plate (Kistler, 1000 Hz) measured the kinematics and kinetics during a counter movement jump and drop-jump. The effect of tape and fatigue on jump height, maximal vertical ground reaction force, reactivity strength index as well as lower limb joint work were analysed via a two-way analysis of variance. The fatigue protocol resulted in significantly decreased performance of sprint time, jump heights and alterations in joint work. No statistical differences were found between the taped and un-taped conditions in non-fatigued and fatigued situation as well as in the interaction with fatigue. Therefore, taping the gluteal muscle does not influence the leg explosive strength after fatiguing in healthy rugby players.
Activation of NLRP3 Inflammasome in Alveolar Macrophages Contributes to Mechanical Stretch-Induced Lung Inflammation and Injury

Mechanical ventilation of lungs is capable of activating the innate immune system and inducing sterile inflammatory response. The proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β is among the definitive markers for accurately identifying ventilator-induced lung inflammation. However, mechanisms of IL-1β release during mechanical ventilation are unknown. In this study, we show that cyclic stretch activates the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor containing pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes and induces the release of IL-1β in mouse alveolar macrophages via caspase-1– and TLR4-dependent mechanisms. We also observed that NADPH oxidase subunit gp91phox was dispensable for stretch-induced cytokine production, whereas mitochondrial generation of reactive oxygen species was required for stretch-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL-1β release. Further, mechanical ventilation activated the NLRP3 inflammasomes in mouse alveolar macrophages and increased the production of IL-1β in vivo. IL-1β neutralization significantly reduced mechanical ventilation-induced inflammatory lung injury. These findings suggest that the alveolar macrophage NLRP3 inflammasome may sense lung alveolar stretch to induce the release of IL-1β and hence may contribute to the mechanism of lung inflammatory injury during mechanical ventilation.
Thermal stability and organic component analysis of HTV silicone rubber composite insulator

Compared with ceramic or glass insulators, composite insulators featuring light weight, good water repellency and hydrophobic- migration are more suitable to operate in heavy-polluted areas. However, polymer materials such as silicone rubber are much more vulnerable to environmental stresses such as sunlight, UV radiation and intense electric field strength and as a result, showing aging phenomena and performance degradation. In this paper, thermal analysis method such as Thermal Gravity Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) were applied to study the change of organic component in HTV silicone rubber composite insulators. Thermal analysis kinetics methods were applied to calculate the activation energy of 18 composite insulators of which performance period ranges from 20 to 180 months. Test and calculation results indicate that thermal analysis methods could make a great contribution to the performance assessment of composite insulators.
Role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in persistent pain

Abstract The full role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) remains to be determined, yet it is implicated in learning and emotional functions, and is disrupted in negative mood disorders. Recent evidence indicates that AHN is decreased in persistent pain consistent with the idea that chronic pain is a major stressor, associated with negative moods and abnormal memories. Yet, the role of AHN in development of persistent pain has remained unexplored. In this study, we test the influence of AHN in postinjury inflammatory and neuropathic persistent pain-like behaviors by manipulating neurogenesis: pharmacologically through intracerebroventricular infusion of the antimitotic AraC; ablation of AHN by x-irradiation; and using transgenic mice with increased or decreased AHN. Downregulating neurogenesis reversibly diminished or blocked persistent pain; oppositely, upregulating neurogenesis led to prolonged persistent pain. Moreover, we could dissociate negative mood from persistent pain. These results suggest that AHN-mediated hippocampal learning mechanisms are involved in the emergence of persistent pain.
A complementary self-structuring antenna for use in a vehicle environment

A self-structuring antenna (SSA) is capable of changing its structure, and thus its performance as an antenna, in response to changes in its environment. A microprocessor is used to control the electrical connections between components of a skeletal antenna template using information from a sensor to optimize a desired quantity, such as received signal strength or VSWR. Because the number of possible configurations is large (2/sup N/ for N switches), efficient algorithms such as genetic algorithms or simulated annealing are used to find acceptable switch states in real time. Until recently the template consisted of wire segments interconnected by switches. This template is useful for automotive applications where the template is placed in the rear window of the automobile since a vertically polarized component to the antenna pattern is present. However, this template cannot be placed in the roof of an automobile since no vertical field is produced. To allow for such an application we propose the use of complimentary antenna elements, such as slots, in the antenna template. We investigate the behavior of such a complementary SSA (CSSA) both in free space and in an automotive environment.
The prevalence of and risk factors for back pain among home care nursing personnel in Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND There is a large gap in research with regard to back pain (BP) among home care nursing personnel (HCNP); only seven studies have been conducted worldwide. There is a need to identify the magnitude of and risk factors for BP that are unique to Hong Kong (HK) HCNP. METHODS A total population sampling technique was employed in this cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. Hierarchical multiple logistic regression analyses were used to control for potentially confounding variables. RESULTS The 12-month prevalence of upper and lower BP was 71.2% (n=265). Three predictors were identified: physical risk factors in the office (OR=3.57, 95% CI=1.55-8.24), static postures (OR=1.41, 95% CI=1.04-1.90), and psychological job demands (OR=1.11, 95% CI=1.01-1.22). CONCLUSION HCNP in HK have a high prevalence of BP. BP in HK HCNP is independently attributable to physical work factors in the office, static postures, and psychological job demands, and is not primarily associated with patient lifting and transferring which are traditionally identified as risk factors for BP in hospital nursing personnel. Am. J. Ind. Med. 49:14-22, 2006. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.