Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anterior cruciate ligament replacement using patellar tendon. An evaluation of graft revascularization in the dog.

UNLABELLED We investigated the revascularization pattern of patellar tendon grafts used to replace the anterior cruciate ligament in thirty-six dogs by histological and tissue-clearing (Spalteholz) techniques. Initially the grafts were avascular, but by six weeks they were completely ensheathed in a vascular synovial envelope. The soft tissues of the infrapatellar fat pad, the tibial remnant of the anterior cruciate ligament, and the posterior synovial tissues contributed to this synovial vasculature. Intrinsic revascularization of the patellar tendon graft progressed from the proximal and distal portions of the graft centrally and was complete by twenty weeks. The tibial attachment of the patellar tendon graft did not contribute any vessels to the revascularization process. At one year, the vascular and histological appearance of the patellar tendon graft resembled that of a normal anterior cruciate ligament. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The absence of perfused vessels within the patellar tendon graft immediately after transplantation within the knee joint and the failure of the osseous insertion of the graft to contribute vessels to the revascularization process suggest that although it is left attached at the tibia, the patellar tendon graft is essentially an avascular free graft at transplantation. The contribution of the soft tissues of the knee to the revascularization process of the graft suggests preservation and utilization of the infrapatellar fat pad and synovial tissue to optimize the graft's revascularization and ultimate viability.
Models of governance and the changing role of the board in the "modernised" UK health sector.

PURPOSE The aim of this paper is to show that there has been an increasing focus on networks as a model of service delivery and governance in the UK public sector. As an early example, managed clinical networks for cancer were initially considered to represent an ideological move towards a softer model of governance, with an emphasis on moving across the vertical lines that were strengthened or established during the new public management (NPM) movement of the 1990s. The NPM ideology of the 1990s emphasised the role of Boards and powerful non-executives in governing public services. This paper seeks to explore the role of the Board in the UK health sector under the apparent emerging "post-NPM" ideological framework of accountability. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH The paper is based on findings from five comparative case studies of managed clinical networks for cancer in London. FINDINGS The paper finds that cancer network boards have had limited strategic influence as these networks are constrained by a continued emphasis of centralised performance management and structural reconfiguration, which become dominant during the NPM era. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS The inability of the post-NPM governance ideology to make a significant impact in the UK, and the resulting confused and conflictual framework, have hindered the initial intention of cancer networks as a forum for spreading best practice across organisational boundaries. ORIGINALITY/VALUE There is only limited research on the emergent remit, structure or strategy of public sector Boards in the UK, and very limited research on the role of Boards in health care networks: the paper provides some illumination on this limited area of study.
How much searching is enough? Comprehensive versus optimal retrieval for technology assessments

Objectives: The aim of this study is to review briefly different methods for determining the optimal retrieval of studies for inclusion in a health technology assessment (HTA) report. Methods: This study reviews the methodology literature related to specific methods for evaluating yield from literature searching strategies and for deciding whether to continue or desist in the searching process. Results: Eight different methods were identified. These include using the Capture–recapture technique; obtaining Feedback from the commissioner of the HTA report; seeking the Disconfirming case; undertaking comparison against a known Gold standard; evaluating retrieval of Known items; recognizing the Law of diminishing returns, specifying a priori Stopping rules, and identifying a point of Theoretical saturation. Conclusions: While this study identified a variety of possible methods, there has been very little formal evaluation of the specific strengths and weaknesses of the different techniques. The author proposes an evaluation agenda drawing on an examination of existing data together with exploration of the specific impact of missing relevant studies.
Coinfection with Borrelia burgdorferi and the Agent of Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis Alters Murine Immune Responses, Pathogen Burden, and Severity of Lyme Arthritis

ABSTRACT Lyme disease and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) are tick-borne illnesses caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and the agent of HGE, respectively. We investigated the influence of dual infection with B. burgdorferi and the HGE agent on the course of murine Lyme arthritis and granulocytic ehrlichiosis. Coinfection resulted in increased levels of both pathogens and more severe Lyme arthritis compared with those in mice infected withB. burgdorferi alone. The increase in bacterial burden during dual infection was associated with enhanced acquisition of both organisms by larval ticks that were allowed to engorge upon infected mice. Coinfection also resulted in diminished interleukin-12 (IL-12), gamma interferon (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels and elevated IL-6 levels in murine sera. During dual infection, IFN-γ receptor expression on macrophages was also reduced, implying a decrease in phagocyte activation. These results suggest that coinfection of mice with B. burgdorferi and the HGE agent modulates host immune responses, resulting in increased bacterial burden, Lyme arthritis, and pathogen transmission to the vector.
Compliance in Artisanal Fisheries: Do Morality, Legitimacy, and Peer Effects Matter?

ABSTRACT We study the compliance behavior of artisanal fishermen in central-southern Chile. Our empirical analysis explores the role of individual morality, perception of legitimacy, and peer effects as determinant factors in the decision to violate regulations. We control for potential simultaneity bias in the peer effects variable. Our results find evidence that moral standing, peer effects, and legitimacy considerations are important for fishermen's compliance decisions. Policy implications to improve compliance with regulations in artisanal fisheries are discussed. JEL Codes: Q22, Q28, D63.
Transcriptional regulators Myb and BCL11A interplay with DNA methyltransferase 1 in developmental silencing of embryonic and fetal β‐like globin genes

The clinical symptoms of hemoglobin disorders such as β‐thalassemia and sickle cell anemia are significantly ameliorated by the persistent expression of γ‐globin after birth. This knowledge has driven the discovery of important regulators that silence γ‐globin postnatally. Improved understanding of the γ‐ to β‐globin switching mechanism holds the key to devising targeted therapies for β‐hemoglobinopathies. To further investigate this mechanism, we used the murine erythroleukemic (MEL) cell line containing an intact 183‐kb human β‐globin locus, in which the Gγ‐ and β‐globin genes are replaced by DsRed and eGFP fluorescent reporters, respectively. Following RNA interference (RNAi)‐mediated knockdown of two key transcriptional regulators, Myb and BCL11A, we observed a derepression of γ‐globin, measured by DsRed fluorescence and qRT‐PCR (P < 0.001). Interestingly, double knockdown of Myb and DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) resulted in a robust induction of ε‐globin, (up to 20% of total β‐like globin species) compared to single knockdowns (P<0.001). Conversely, double knockdowns of BCL11A and DNMT1 enhanced γ‐globin expression (up to 90% of total β‐like globin species) compared to single knockdowns (P<0.001). Moreover, following RNAi treatment, expression of human β‐like globin genes mirrored the expression levels of their endogenous murine counterparts. These results demonstrate that Myb and BCL11A cooperate with DNMT1 to achieve developmental repression of embryonic and fetal β‐like globin genes in the adult erythroid environment. —Roosjen, M. , McColl, B. , Kao, B. , Gearing, L. J., Blewitt, M. E. , Vadolas, J. Transcriptional regulators Myb and BCL11A interplay with DNA methyltransferase 1 in developmental silencing of embryonic and fetal β‐like globin genes. FASEB J. 28, 28–1610 (1620). www.fasebj. org
The dynamics of ‘market-making’ in higher education

Abstract This paper examines what to some is a well-worked furrow; the processes and outcomes involved in what is typically referred to as ‘marketization’ in the higher education sector. We do this through a case study of Newton University, where we reveal a rapid proliferation of market exchanges involving the administrative division of the university with the wider world. Our account of this process of ‘market making’ is developed in two (dialectically related) moves. First, we identify a range of market exchanges that have emerged in the context of wider ideological and political changes in the governance of higher education to make it a more globally competitive producer of knowledge, and a services sector. Second, we explore the ways in which making markets involve a considerable amount of microwork, such as the deployment of a range of framings, and socio-technical tools. Taken together, these market-making processes are recalibrating and remaking the structures, social relations and subjectivities, within and beyond the university and in turn reconstituting the university and the higher education sector.
Suppression assays with human T regulatory cells: A technical guide

The suppression of inappropriate immune responses by Treg cells is one of the major ways that the body maintains immune tolerance and homeostasis. Since defects in the suppressive capacity of Treg cells underlie many different immune‐mediated diseases, there is great interest in developing ways to track the number and function of Treg cells as biomarkers of tolerance and in devising ways to enhance their function therapeutically. However, the methods of studying human Treg cells are fraught with technical challenges that can often lead to misinterpretation. The most common way to determine the suppressive capacity of human Treg cells is to measure their ability to suppress the proliferation of responding CD4+ T cells. Here, we discuss the technical considerations that must be taken into account when performing suppression of T‐cell proliferation assays with human Treg cells. We also consider how T cells may falsely appear suppressive because of dying cells in the system, improper resting of T‐cell lines prior to the assay, or insufficient proliferation of the responding T cells. We propose that, in the future, classification of a population of cells as “regulatory” should rely on more than a simple test for blockade of CD4+ T‐cell proliferation.
Learning to Estimate Slide Comprehension in Classrooms with Support Vector Machines

Comprehension assessment is an essential tool in classroom learning. However, the judgment often relies on experience of an instructor who makes observation of students' behavior during the lessons. We argue that students should report their own comprehension explicitly in a classroom. With students' comprehension made available at the slide level, we apply a machine learning technique to classify presentation slides according to comprehension levels. Our experimental result suggests that presentation-based features are as predictive as bag-of-words feature vector which is proved successful in text classification tasks. Our analysis on presentation-based features reveals possible causes of poor lecture comprehension.
Trajectory-Tracking Control of Mobile Robot Systems Incorporating Neural-Dynamic Optimized Model Predictive Approach

Mobile robots tracking a reference trajectory are constrained by the motion limits of their actuators, which impose the requirement for high autonomy driving capabilities in robots. This paper presents a model predictive control (MPC) scheme incorporating neural-dynamic optimization to achieve trajectory tracking of nonholonomic mobile robots (NMRs). By using the derived tracking-error kinematics of nonholonomic robots, the proposed MPC approach is iteratively transformed as a constrained quadratic programming (QP) problem, and then a primal-dual neural network is used to solve this QP problem over a finite receding horizon. The applied neural-dynamic optimization can make the cost function of MPC converge to the exact optimal values of the formulated constrained QP. Compared with the existing fast MPC, which requires repeatedly calculating the Hessian matrix of the Langragian and then solves a quadratic program. The computation complexity reaches O(n3), while the proposed neural-dynamic optimization contains O(n2) operations. Finally, extensive experiments are provided to illustrate that the MPC scheme has an effective performance on a real mobile robot system.
Marketing Strategy of Overcoming of Lag in Development of Economic Systems

Article is devoted to development of marketing strategy of overcoming of lag in development of economic systems. Authors prove need of transition of economic systems on new quality of economic growth, define concept of economy of development and also develop model of overcoming of lag in development of economic systems: define its purposes and a task, the main tools.
Molecular Characterization of the Rat Insulin Enhancer-binding Complex 3b2

Cell-specific expression of the rat insulin II gene is in part mediated through an element located in the 5′-flanking region. The element, termed RIPE3b (−126 to −101), confers β-cell-specific expression in conjunction with an adjacent element RIPE3a (−110 to −86). Here we report the characterization of one of the RIPE3b-binding complexes, 3b2. UV cross-linking analysis demonstrated that it is composed of at least three polypeptides: p58, p62, and p110. Furthermore, a cDNA was isolated via expression screening for binding to RIPE3b. Sequence analysis reveals that the encoded protein, designated Rip-1, possessed putative helicase motifs and a potential transcription activation domain. Overexpression of Rip-1 in cells greatly enhances the 3b2 binding complex, suggesting that Rip-1 is involved in the binding of 3b2.
P-AODV: A protection routing mechanism in wireless mesh networks

Wireless mesh networking technology has been extensively used in many practical applications, and the techniques that enhance networks reliability are always research focuses in this field. Wireless routing mechanisms are playing a more and more important role in determining wireless mesh networks reliability. A protection routing mechanism, Protection Ad Hoc On-demand Vector routing (P-AODV), is introduced in this paper, which can bring the failure tolerance of any single fail of the link and node in the primary route. When failing, mechanism of protection routing will be enabled, data will be forwarded through the secondary path, which improves the communication reliability and efficiency. Based on adjacency-matrix a heuristic algorithm is developed, which computes a node-pairwise protection routing. Then it is proved that computational complexity of protection routing is linear, which is different from other protecting mechanisms. The paper not only proposes an efficient approach P-AODV to construct a protection routing, but also gives comparative analysis to illustrate the advantage of P-AODV.
Experimental study on spiral inductors

An experimental study of spiral inductor loss is described quantitatively. For the evaluation of the loss, over one hundred types of spiral inductors with different figures (square, circle, octagon) and line/space widths are fabricated, then /spl pi/-network equivalent circuits are extracted from measured S-parameters. The results show that the resistance R of circular and octagonal shaped inductors is smaller by 10% than that of a square shaped inductor with the same inductance value. They also indicate that minimization of the line space is more effective for reducing the loss of the inductor with the same inductance value than maximization of the line width. <<ETX>>
Mesenchymal–endothelial transition in juvenile angiofibroma?

Abstract Conclusion: Mesenchymal–endothelial transition is proposed for juvenile angiofibromas (JAs). Propranolol might be an interesting new medical option in JA treatment, as it reduces mesenchymal cell growth and decreases the number of CD31-positive cells in vitro. Objective: Juvenile angiofibromas (JAs) are rare fibro-vascular tumors affecting almost exclusively adolescent males. Based on morphological aspects of irregularly configured vascular spaces and clinical features, JAs have been proposed to represent a vascular malformation. In general, mesenchymal–endothelial transition has been noted as an important process in tumorigenesis as well as in embryonal development. Methods: The study analyzed effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and propranolol on endothelial differentiation (CD31+) of cultured JA cells and their expression of angiogenic growth factors using aortic ring assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Following VEGF/bFGF supplement to cultured mesenchymal cells, an average of 4.47% (±2.35%) CD31-positive cells were found (p < 0.001). Propranolol addition reduced the number of CD31-positive cells and inhibited mesenchymal cell growth. The aortic ring assay and ELISA investigation indicated no increased angiogenic growth factor secretion from cultured JA mesenchymal cells.
High-efficiency transmission-line GaN HEMT inverse class F power amplifier for active antenna arrays

In this paper, a novel load-network solution to implement the transmission-line inverse Class F power amplifier for WCDMA active antenna array applications is presented. The theoretical analysis is based on an analytical derivation of the optimum load-network parameters to control the second and third harmonic at the device output including the device output parasitic shunt capacitance and series inductance. For an inverse Class F power amplifier based on a Nitronex GaN HEMT NPTB00004 with hybrid microstrip implementation, the simulated output power of 37 dBm and power-added efficiency of more than 70% are achieved at a supply voltage of 25 V in a frequency bandwidth of 2.11 to 2.17 GHz. The test board with implemented inverse Class F GaN HEMT power amplifier has been measured and high-performance results with drain efficiencies of about 80% and higher were achieved across the wide ranges of bias supply voltages and operating frequencies.
DELAYED VISUAL LOSS AFTER PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY FOR RETAINED LENS FRAGMENTS

Purpose: To report visual results and postoperative complications in patients undergoing vitrectomy for retained lens fragments. Methods: Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series of 42 consecutive patients undergoing vitrectomy for retained lens fragments by a single surgeon, all with a minimum of 6 months’ follow-up. The main outcome measurement was best corrected visual acuity at 3 months and at final follow-up visit. Results: Although 67% of eyes achieved a postoperative visual acuity of 20/40 or better at 3 months, 17% had events during follow-up that resulted in loss of vision to less than 20/40. Final best corrected visual acuity 20/40 or better was achieved in 50% of eyes. Retinal detachment occurred in 17%, and 21% of eyes required long-term therapy for glaucoma. Conclusion: Patients undergoing vitrectomy for retained lens fragments often develop delayed visual loss. Long-term surveillance is necessary in these patients.
Speech intelligibility and quality: A comparative study of speech enhancement algorithms

Mobile devices are widely used today for speech communication. The environments in which these devices are used are widely varied and often the level of background noise in the speaker's environment can be significant. The purpose of speech enhancement is to reduce the level of background noise, ideally to such a level that it is not noticed by the listener. While speech enhancement algorithms can significantly reduce the noise level in a speech signal, improving speech quality, it is widely recognized that enhancement algorithms can have a negative impact on speech intelligibility. This paper compares the effect of three different speech enhancement algorithms on the intelligibility and the quality of speech. This work is the initial phase of an investigation into mitigating the impact of speech enhancement algorithms on speech intelligibility. The speech enhancement algorithms evaluated each use different approaches for noise reduction, namely, a statistical model-based algorithm, a noise estimation algorithm and a wavelet packet decomposition-based algorithm. Two objective speech intelligibility measurements and three objective speech quality measurements are used to assess the performance of the enhancement algorithms. The results of the experiments show that all the speech enhancement algorithms in this study have a negative impact on speech intelligibility to varying degrees.
Probiotic impact on microbial flora, inflammation and tumour development in IL‐10 knockout mice

The enteric bacterial flora has been implicated in the pathogenesis of enterocolitis and colon cancer in C57BL/6 IL‐10 knockout mice. Probiotic Lactobacilli modify the enteric flora and are thought to have a beneficial effect on enterocolitis. We conducted a controlled feeding trial in IL‐10 knockout mice using the probiotic Lactobacillus salivarius ssp. salivarius UCC118.
Reference Surveys and Policy Decision

AbstractPast efforts to use preference surveys to affect policy decisions have more often been based on ideological hope than a realistic assessment of how well surveys usually measure such preferences. Methodological constraints and costs forced researchers to use an inherrently inadequate approach to such surveys, which I call the “independent survey. ” Recently developed survey technologies, notably reliable mail and telephone data collection methods make it possible to overcome these problems through the use of a far more appropriate “synchronized survey. ”
Fibulin-1 regulates the pathogenesis of tissue remodeling in respiratory diseases.

Airway and/or lung remodeling, involving exaggerated extracellular matrix (ECM) protein deposition, is a critical feature common to pulmonary diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Fibulin-1 (Fbln1), an important ECM protein involved in matrix organization, may be involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases. We found that Fbln1 was increased in COPD patients and in cigarette smoke-induced (CS-induced) experimental COPD in mice. Genetic or therapeutic inhibition of Fbln1c protected against CS-induced airway fibrosis and emphysema-like alveolar enlargement. In experimental COPD, this occurred through disrupted collagen organization and interactions with fibronectin, periostin, and tenascin-c. Genetic inhibition of Fbln1c also reduced levels of pulmonary inflammatory cells and proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines (TNF-α, IL-33, and CXCL1) in experimental COPD. Fbln1c-/- mice also had reduced airway remodeling in experimental chronic asthma and pulmonary fibrosis. Our data show that Fbln1c may be a therapeutic target in chronic respiratory diseases.