Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hepatic reconstruction from fetal porcine liver cells using a radial flow bioreactor.

AIM To examine the efficacy of the radial flow bioreactor (RFB) as an extracorporeal bioartificial liver (BAL) and the reconstruction of liver organoids using embryonic pig liver cells. METHODS We reconstructed the liver organoids using embryonic porcine liver cells in the RFB. We also determined the gestational time window for the optimum growth of embryonic porcine liver cells. Five weeks of gestation was designated as embryonic day (E) 35 and 8 wk of gestation was designated as E56. These cells were cultured for one week before morphological and functional examinations. Moreover, the efficacy of pulsed administration of a high concentration hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) was examined. RESULTS Both cell growth and function were excellent after harvesting on E35. The pulsed administration of a high concentration of HGF promoted the differentiation and maturation of these fetal hepatic cells. Microscopic examination of organoids in the RFB revealed palisading and showed that bile duct-like structures were well developed, indicating that the organoids were mini livers. Transmission electron microscopy revealed microvilli on the luminal surfaces of bile duct-like structures and junctional complexes, which form the basis of the cytoskeleton of epithelial tissues. Furthermore, strong expression of connexin (Cx) 32, which is the main protein of hepatocyte gap junctions, was observed. With respect to liver function, ammonia detoxification and urea synthesis were shown to be performed effectively. CONCLUSION Our system can potentially be applied in the fields of BAL and transplantation medicine.
Childhood pneumonia diagnostics: community health workers’ and national stakeholders’ differing perspectives of new and existing aids

ABSTRACT Background: Pneumonia heavily contributes to global under-five mortality. Many countries use community case management to detect and treat childhood pneumonia. Community health workers (CHWs) have limited tools to help them assess signs of pneumonia. New respiratory rate (RR) counting devices and pulse oximeters are being considered for this purpose. Objective: To explore perspectives of CHWs and national stakeholders regarding the potential usability and scalability of seven devices to aid community assessment of pneumonia signs. Design: Pile sorting was conducted to rate the usability and scalability of 7 different RR counting aids and pulse oximeters amongst 16 groups of participants. Following each pile-sorting session, a focus group discussion (FGD) explored participants’ sorting rationale. Purposive sampling was used to select CHWs and national stakeholders with experience in childhood pneumonia and integrated community case management (iCCM) in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Uganda and South Sudan. Pile-sorting data were aggregated for countries and participant groups. FGDs were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Translated FGDs transcripts were coded in NVivo 10 and analysed using thematic content analysis. Comparative analysis was performed between countries and groups to identify thematic patterns. Results: CHWs and national stakeholders across the four countries perceived the acute respiratory infection (ARI) timer and fingertip pulse oximeter as highly scalable and easy for CHWs to use. National stakeholders were less receptive to new technologies. CHWs placed greater priority on device acceptability to caregivers and children. Both groups felt that heavy reliance on electricity reduced potential scalability and usability in rural areas. Device simplicity, affordability and sustainability were universally valued. Conclusions: CHWs and national stakeholders prioritise different device characteristics according to their specific focus of work. The views of all relevant stakeholders, including health workers, policy makers, children and parents, should be considered in future policy decisions, research and development regarding suitable pneumonia diagnostic aids for community use.
Cell wall proteomics contributes to explore the functional proteins of Brachypodium distachyon grains

The plant cell wall is the first barrier in response to external stimuli and cell wall proteins (CWPs) can play an important role in the modulation of plant growth and development. In the past 10 years, the plant cell wall proteomics has increasingly become a very active research filed, which provides a broader understanding of CWPs for people. The cell wall proteome of Arabidopsis, rice, and other model plants has begun to take shape, and proteomic technology has become an effective way to identify the candidate functional CWPs in large scale. The challenging work of Francin‐Allami et al. (Proteomics 2015, 15, 2296–2306) is a vital step toward building the most extensive cell wall proteome of a monocot species. They identified 299 cell wall proteins in Brachypodium distachyon grains, and also compared the grain cell wall proteome with those of B. distachyon culms and leaves, which provides a new perspective for further explaining the plant cell wall structures and remodeling mechanism.
Board Composition and Earnings Management

This study investigates the relation between board composition and earnings management based on a cross- sectional sample of 277 Chinese listed firms belonging to manufacturing industry. Earnings management is measured by income-increasing discretionary accruals estimated by the extended modified-Jones model. The empirical result of this study indicates that a smaller board is more effective in preventing income-increasing earnings management. However, we do not find evidence that the ability of the board as an effective monitor is enhanced by the inclusion of independent directors and separation of the positions of the board chairman and the CEO. Finally, we do not find evidence that the existence of audit committee, remuneration and appraisal committee, and nomination committee reduces income-increasing earnings management. The results may imply that the role of independent directors and board committee in monitoring earnings management is not effective in Chinese firms, and that the formal improvement in board structure may not achieve improvement in governance practices by itself.
Study and Enhancement of DCCP over DiffServ Assured Forwarding Class

The datagram congestion control protocol (DCCP) has been proposed as a transport protocol which supports real-time traffic. In this paper, we focus on the use of DCCP/CCID3 (Congestion Control ID 3) over a DiffServ/AF class. This class of service is used to build services that provide only a minimum throughput guarantee without any delay or jitter restrictions. This minimum throughput guarantee is called the target rate. In this context, the throughput obtained by DCCP/CCID3 mainly depends on RTT and loss probability. As a result, the application does not always get the negotiated target rate. To cope with this problem, we propose to evaluate a simple adaptation of the CCID3 congestion control mechanism, allowing the application to reach its target rate whatever the RTT value of the application's flow is. As this adaptation can be seen as an extension to the DCCP with CCID3 congestion control, we call it gDCCP for guaranteed DCCP. Results from simulations are presented to illustrate the improvements of the proposed modification in various situations. Finally, we investigate the deployment of this proposal in terms of security
Survival among HIV-Infected and HIV-Uninfected Individuals with Common Non–AIDS-Defining Cancers

Background: Non–AIDS-defining cancers increasingly contribute to mortality among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected individuals. However, few studies have compared cancer prognosis by HIV status with adjustment for risk factors. Methods: We conducted a cohort study of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected adults in Kaiser Permanente California during 1996 to 2011, following subjects diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma or anal, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancers. We used Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression to assess cancer-related mortality within 5 years, comparing HIV-infected with HIV-uninfected subjects. Adjusted models included age, race/ethnicity, sex, cancer stage, cancer treatment, and smoking. Results: Among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected subjects, there were 68 and 51 cases of Hodgkin lymphoma, 120 and 28 of anal cancer, 150 and 2,050 of prostate cancer, 53 and 646 of colorectal cancer, and 80 and 507 of lung cancer, respectively. Five-year cancer-related survival was reduced for HIV-infected compared with HIV-uninfected subjects, reaching statistical significance for lung cancer (10% vs. 19%, P = 0.002) but not Hodgkin lymphoma (83% vs. 89%, P = 0.40) or anal (64% vs. 74%, P = 0.38), prostate (86% vs. 92%, P = 0.074), or colorectal cancers (49% vs. 58%, P = 0.55). Adjusted results were similar, with lung cancer [HR, 1.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0–1.7] and prostate cancer (HR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1–4.1) reaching significance. Conclusions: Cancer-related mortality was higher among HIV-infected compared with HIV-uninfected individuals for prostate and lung cancers, but not Hodgkin lymphoma, anal cancer, or colorectal cancer. Impact: Our findings emphasize the need for a focus on prevention, early detection, and adequate treatment of cancer among HIV-infected individuals. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(8); 1167–73. ©2015 AACR. See related commentary by Coghill and Engels, p. 1165
Conceptually Co-occurring Words Included as Feature Selection in Text Document Classification using SVD and SVM

Document classification is a means of knowledge extraction in text mining process. This has been experimented by so many researches. But still we have included one of the extra features in the preprocessing phase and checked its outcome with Support Vector Machine (SVM). The feature selection has been accounted with the Vector space method, Single Value Decomposition (SVD) which is specifically meant for dimension reduction. The experiment has shown some positive changes in classification.
‘Inclusion of Repatriated Greek and Foreign Immigrant Students in School Education’: a possible good practice for intercultural inclusion

Within the last 25 years, Greece has evolved from a country of emigration to a country that receives and hosts both returning Greek immigrants from abroad and immigrants with few ties to Greece (Markou 2001, 11; Baldwin 2004; Palaiologou and Evangelou 2005, 1). Within a relatively short span of time, Greece has experienced a substantial transformation, from a monolingual, monocultural state, to a society defined by its multicultural character. Related to this trend is the passing of new legislation in 1996 pertaining to intercultural education (Law 2443/1996), which focuses on strategies which:
Design and evaluation of computer arithemetic based on carry-save and signed-digit redundant number representations

The continuing demand for technological advances while dealing with mutual constraining characteristics of digital systems as for instance lower feature size, lower power consumption, and lower compute latency drives a need for constant innovation. To further improve state-of-the-art digital hardware, thorough knowledge of computer arithmetic is needed. This thesis explores selected aspects of the design and evaluation of computer arithmetic based on carry-save and signed-digit redundant number representations to reduce the area, the critical path latency, and the power consumption of arithmetic circuits. Carry-save arithmetic is frequently used to realize basic arithmetic operations requiring inner product calculations, as multiplication, multiply-add, multiply-accumulate, and digital filters. This thesis enhances multiplication and multiply-accumulation based on carry-save arithmetic by improving the well known Wallace and Dadda partial product reduction strategies. An alternative concept of time-based reduction strategies is introduced as well and applied to multiply-accumulate units resulting in reduced area, critical path latency, and power consumption. A competitive redundant number representation is the signed-digit number representation. Not frequently implemented in state-of-the-art hardware designs, it is recurring in prototype development. Implemented signed-digit arithmetic is based on signed-binary adder cells. This thesis demonstrates the need for optimizing these cells and presents concepts of a systematic design space exploration of signed-binary adder cells. Additionally, the error resilience capabilities of signed-digit arithmetic is evaluated and favorable digit encoding schemes are presented.
De-Mo: designing action-sound relationships with the mo interfaces

The Modular Musical Objects (MO) are an ensemble of tangible interfaces and software modules for creating novel musical instruments or for augmenting objects with sound. In particular, the MOs allow for designing action-sound relationships and behaviors based on the interaction with tangible objects or free body movements. Such interaction scenarios can be inspired by the affordances of particular objects (e.g. a ball, a table), by interaction metaphors based on the playing techniques of musical instruments or games. We describe specific examples of action-sound relationships that are made possible by the MO software modules and which take advantage of machine learning techniques.
Extending offset-based response-time analysis for mixed messages in Controller Area Network

The existing offset-based response-time analysis for mixed messages in Controller Area Network (CAN) assumes the jitter and deadline of a message to be smaller or equal to the transmission period. However, practical systems may contain messages whose release jitter and deadlines can be greater than their periods, e.g., in the gateway nodes. We extend the existing response-time analysis for mixed messages in CAN that are scheduled with offsets and have arbitrary jitter and deadlines. Mixed messages are implemented by several higher-level protocols for CAN that are used in the automotive industry. The extended analysis is applicable to any higher-level protocol for CAN that uses periodic, sporadic and mixed transmission modes.
Identification of miR-148a as a novel regulator of cholesterol metabolism

The hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) pathway is essential for clearing circulating LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C). While the transcriptional regulation of LDLR is well-characterized, the post-transcriptional mechanisms which govern LDLR expression are just beginning to emerge. Here, we developed a high-throughput genome-wide screening assay to systematically identify microRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate LDLR activity in human hepatic cells. From this screen, we characterize miR-148a as a negative regulator of LDLR expression and activity, and define a novel SREBP1-mediated pathway by which miR-148a regulates LDL-C uptake. Importantly, inhibition of miR-148a increases hepatic LDLR expression and decreases plasma LDL-C in vivo . We also provide evidence that miR-148a regulates hepatic ABCA1 expression and circulating HDL-C levels. Collectively, these studies uncover miR-148a as an important regulator of hepatic LDL-C clearance through direct regulation of LDLR expression, and demonstrate the therapeutic potential of inhibiting miR-148a to ameliorate the elevated LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, a prominent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Secreted products of Fasciola hepatica inhibit the induction of T cell responses that mediate allergy

There is evidence from epidemiology studies of a negative association between infection with helminth parasites and the development of allergy and asthma. Here, we demonstrate that the excretory/secretory products of the helminth Fasciola hepatica (FHES) protected mice against ovalbumin (OVA)‐induced allergic asthma when administered at time of allergen sensitization. FHES reduced the accumulation of mucus, eosinophils and lymphocytes into the airways of allergen‐challenged mice. Furthermore, FHES treatment suppressed Th2 responses in the airways. Interestingly, systemic administration of FHES at allergen challenge had no effect on airway inflammation, demonstrating that alum‐induced Th2 response is set following initial allergen sensitization. Our findings highlight the immunomodulatory potential of molecules secreted by F. hepatica.
An Implantable 64-Channel Wireless Microsystem for Single-Unit Neural Recording

This paper reports an implantable microsystem capable of recording neural activity simultaneously on 64 channels, wirelessly transmitting spike occurrences to an external interface. The microsystem also allows the user to examine the spike waveforms on any channel with 8 bit resolution. Signals are amplified by 60 dB with a programmable bandwidth from < 100 Hz to 10 kHz. The input-referred noise is 8 ¿Vrms. The channel scan rate for spike detection is 62.5 kS/sec using a 2 MHz clock. The system dissipates 14.4 mW at 1.8 V, weighs 275 mg, and measures 1.4 cm 1.55 cm.
Effect of Fasciola gigantica excretory secretory antigen on rat hematological indices

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of Fasciola gigantica excretory secretory antigen (Fg-ESA) on rat hematological indices. Fg-ESA was prepared by keeping thoroughly washed 40 F. gigantica flukes in 100 ml phosphate buffer saline (PBS) for 2 h at 37℃, and centrifuging the supernatant at 12,000 g at 4℃ for 30 min. The protein content of Fg-ESA was adjusted to 1.8 mg/ml. The rats were randomly divided into two groups of six rats each. Rats in group A received 0.5 ml of Fg-ESA intraperitoneally (i.p.) for 7 days, whereas control rats in group B received 0.5 ml of PBS i.p. for 7 days. Hemograms of both groups were studied initially and on days 0, 2, 4, 14 and 21 after the final injection of Fg-ESA or PBS. Progressive and significant (p < 0.01) declines in the values of hemoglobin, hematocrit, and total erythrocyte count were observed without significant (p > 0.05) changes in the values of mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, or mean corpuscular volume in group A. Thus, we conclude that Fg-ESA induces normocytic normochromic anemia in rats.
Effects of Nitrapyrin and Nitrogen Form on Tomato Growth, Water Relations, and Ion Composition1

Nitrapyrin (NI) at 10 ppm, compared to water control, added to a soil-sand-peat medium decreased shoot growth of tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Marglobe) grown with NO3-N nutrition but had no effect on growth with NH4-N nutrition. While plant water stress was decreased by NI compared to the control with NO3-N nutrition, the toxic effect of increased uncombined NH4 concentration in the shoots may have caused the growth reduction. Denitrification suppression by NI with NO3-N nutrition was evidenced by increased media and shoot NO3 concentrations. Nitrification suppression by NI with NH4-N nutrition was evidenced by increased media and shoot NH4 concentrations. Nitrapyrin, irrespective of N form, decreased shoot Ca concentration, increased shoot K and uncombined NH4 concentrations, and had no effect on shoot Mg concentration. Plant water stress was decreased by NI with both N forms at the third and fifth weeks after final transplanting. While NI decreased the differential effect of N form on transpiration rate and leaf diffusive resistance (RL), in NI’s absence, NH4-N nutrition decreased transpiration and increased RL relative to NO3-N. Decreased shoot growth with NH4-N relative to NO3-N nutrition, both in the presence and absence of NI, was associated with increases in plant water stress, root hydraulic resistance, and shoot uncombined NH4 concentration, but a decrease in shoot Ca concentration.
Remnant lipoproteins induce proatherothrombogenic molecules in endothelial cells through a redox-sensitive mechanism.

BACKGROUND Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TGLs) are atherogenic. However, their cellular mechanisms remain largely unexplained. This study examined the effects of isolated remnant-like lipoprotein particles (RLPs) on the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and tissue factor (TF), proatherothrombogenic molecules, in cultured human endothelial cells. METHODS AND RESULTS RLPs were isolated from plasma of hypertriglyceridemic patients by use of the immunoaffinity gel mixture of anti-apoA-1 and anti-apoB-100 monoclonal antibodies. The incubation of cells with RLPs significantly upregulated mRNA and protein expression of these molecules. Total TGLs (d<1.006) and LDL had fewer or minimal effects on expression of these molecules compared with RLPs. RLPs increased intracellular oxidant levels, as assessed with an oxidant-sensitive probe. Combined incubation with alpha-tocopherol or N-acetylcysteine, both antioxidants, suppressed RLP-induced increase in expression of these molecules. In patients with higher plasma levels of RLPs, plasma levels of soluble forms of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were significantly higher than in patients with lower RLP levels. Treatment with alpha-tocopherol for 1 month decreased levels of the soluble adhesion molecules concomitantly with an increase in resistance of RLPs to oxidative modification in patients with high RLP levels. CONCLUSIONS RLPs upregulated endothelial expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and TF, proatherothrombogenic molecules, partly through a redox-sensitive mechanism. RLPs may have an important role in atherothrombotic complications in hypertriglyceridemic patients.
Generalized-hough-transform object detection using class-specific sparse representation for local-feature detection

We present a method for object detection based on sparse representations and Hough voting, which integrates sparse representations for local-feature detection into generalized-Hough-transform object detection. Object parts are detected via class-specific sparse image representations of patches using learned target and background dictionaries, and their cooccurrence is spatially integrated by Hough voting, which enables object detection. In this paper, a discriminative criterion is introduced into dictionary construction to improve the detection performance. Experiments performed on airplane detection and the identification of a specific ship show that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance with the robustness against noise and occlusion using a small set of positive training samples.
Predictors of disability retirement.

OBJECTIVES Disability retirement may increase as the work force ages, but there is little information on factors associated with retirement because of disability. This is the first prospective population-based study of predictors of disability retirement including information on workplace, socioeconomic, behavioral, and health-related factors. METHODS The subjects were 1038 Finnish men who were enrolled in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, who were 42, 48, 54, or 60 years of age at the beginning of the study, and who participated in a 4-year follow-up medical examination. RESULTS Various job characteristics predicted disability retirement. Heavy work, work in uncomfortable positions, long workhours, noise at work, physical job strain, musculoskeletal strain, repetitive or continuous muscle strain, mental job strain, and job dissatisfaction were all significantly associated with the incidence of disability retirement. The ability to communicate with fellow workers and social support from supervisors tended to reduce the risk of disability retirement. The relationships persisted after control for socioeconomic factors, prevalent disease, and health behavior, which were also associated with disability retirement. CONCLUSIONS The strong associations found between workplace factors and the incidence of disability retirement link the problem of disability retirement to the problem of poor work conditions.