Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alveolar surfactant protein D content modulates bleomycin-induced lung injury.

RATIONALE Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a collectin family member with demonstrated immunomodulatory properties in vitro. We hypothesized that SP-D modulates inflammation during noninfectious lung injury in vivo. OBJECTIVES To investigate the association of alveolar SP-D and injury, we studied the responses of transgenic mice expressing varying levels of SP-D to intratracheal bleomycin (ITB). METHODS Eight-week old C57/BL6 SP-D-deficient (-/-) mice and syngeneic wild-type (WT) controls or Swiss Black SP-D-overexpressing (SP-D OE) mice and littermate controls received either ITB or saline and were followed for up to 21 d. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a dose-dependent decrease in survival in ITB SP-D (-/-) mice receiving 2 U/kg bleomycin, with a 14-d mortality of 100% versus 0% mortality for WT receiving 2 U/kg ITB or SP-D (-/-) mice given saline (p < 0.05). At 8 d, ITB SP-D (-/-) mice had greater respiratory distress (frequency/tidal volume) and weight loss than ITB WT mice. Furthermore, bronchoalveolar lavage cellularity, pulmonary parenchymal inflammation, and tissue 3-nitrotyrosine (NO2 Y) were increased to a greater extent in ITB SP-D (-/-) mice. By 21 d, compared with all groups, ITB SP-D (-/-) survivors had increased Trichrome staining and tissue hydroxyproline levels. As proof of principle, SP-D OE mice were highly resistant to bleomycin-induced morbidity and mortality at doses up to 3 U/kg. CONCLUSIONS These data provide new in vivo evidence for an antiinflammatory role for SP-D in response to noninfectious, subacute lung injury via modulation of oxidative-nitrative stress.
Comparison of eye tracking systems with one and three cameras

When using eye movements to determine the state of a car driver it is important that the eye tracker is robust, unobtrusive, inexpensive and fully automatic. The objectives of this study are to compare the performance of a one-camera system with a three-camera system and to investigate if the accuracy and availability of the one-camera system is sufficient to monitor driver state. Data from 53 subjects were evaluated and the results indicate that there is not much difference between a single-camera system and a multi-camera system as long as the driver is looking straight ahead. However, with more peripheral gaze directions, the larger coverage that is provided by the additional cameras works in favour of the multi-camera system.
Frizzled 1 and frizzled 2 genes function in palate, ventricular septum and neural tube closure: general implications for tissue fusion processes

The closure of an open anatomical structure by the directed growth and fusion of two tissue masses is a recurrent theme in mammalian embryology, and this process plays an integral role in the development of the palate, ventricular septum, neural tube, urethra, diaphragm and eye. In mice, targeted mutations of the genes encoding frizzled 1 (Fz1) and frizzled 2 (Fz2) show that these highly homologous integral membrane receptors play an essential and partially redundant role in closure of the palate and ventricular septum, and in the correct positioning of the cardiac outflow tract. When combined with a mutant allele of the planar cell polarity gene Vangl2 (Vangl2Lp), Fz1 and/or Fz2 mutations also cause defects in neural tube closure and misorientation of inner ear sensory hair cells. These observations indicate that frizzled signaling is involved in diverse tissue closure processes, defects in which account for some of the most common congenital anomalies in humans.
An analysis of the bluetooth terminal development pivots from lean startup perspective: experience and lessons learnt

This paper presents an analysis, as a case study, of the development of the "Bluetooth terminal" application, a tool to monitor Bluetooth devices. The objective is to get further insight on how to use pivots to get a product closer to its users, and on how to introduce creativity during a new product early stage development. Another issue analyzed is how pivots can be determined based on the user's feedback, introducing the of the Build Measure Loop, and how assumptions or new ideas can be evaluated following the path created by the Build Measure Loop and the Minimal Valuable Product.
The dynamic ecology of the writing process and agency: a corpus-based comparative case study of stancetaking among native speakers and non-native speakers of English in first-year composition conferences

While previous research into writing conferences and tutorials has found that sessions with non-native speakers of English (NNSs) differ from those with native speakers of English (NSs), these studies using conversation analysis have tended to approach conferences through more qualitative methodologies. This thesis builds upon and enriches these previous studies by incorporating more of a quantitative analysis through the use of corpus linguistics to systematically analyze the frequency with which particular grammatical devices that express the attitude of the speaker, otherwise known as stance, and power are used and how these frequencies may vary within a specific set of NS and NNS conferences for a first-year composition (FYC) class. Though it is determined in this particular context that the frequencies of these devices do differ somewhat between these two populations, indexing possible differences in stancetaking and power, it is also asserted that these different frequencies may reflect variation in the concerns being discussed. Discussions involving assignment requirements, for example, may predispose interlocutors to position each other differently than would discussions involving organization or ideas. For this reason, stance may constitute a highly dynamic and ecologically situated behavior, one in which native-speaking status plays a role alongside and interacts with other matters.
Modeling of terminal mobility to evaluate the number of location updates

Since mobile user mobility behaviors can vary according to time periods, e.g. office-going/closing and office hours, the location management traffic load for tracking user positions is also a function of time. The transient characteristics of location management traffic vary according to users' initial starting positions. In this paper, we propose a mobile user mobility model considering office-going/closing and office hours for evaluating the effect of user mobility on the performance of mobile networks. We analyze the transient characteristics of a mobile network in terms of the mean location update rate.
Optimizing Multi-join in Cloud Environment

In cloud computing, complex data analysis usually requires accessing multiple data sets. Existing MapReduce-based multi-join mechanism implements the join of multiple data sets by cascade method, which is flexible but poor efficiency. The paper analyzes existing concurrent join models and proposes a Two-Dimension Reducer matrix based Hierarchized Multi-Join model (TD-HMJ). TD-HMJ handles all the "key" attributes in one Map phase and divides the joined tables into several groups. Each group has three or two tables. In Reduce phase, the tables in each group can be joined at the same time by establishing a two-dimension Reducer matrix. TD-HMJ finishes the joining between groups through multiple Reduce processes. Theoretical analysis and experiment results show that TD-HMJ decreases the data transmission, curtails the time of multi-join, and increases the system efficiency.
Design automation of multiple-demand mixture preparation using a K-array rotary mixer on digital microfluidic biochips

In many biochemical protocols, a mixture of several fluids in a certain ratio is repeatedly required, and hence a sufficient quantity of the mixture must be supplied for on-chip bioassay completion. For example, in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a premixed and ready-to-use solution, called PCR master mix containing different fluids at optimal concentrations, is used for efficient amplification of DNA templates by PCR. Existing scheduling scheme, namely SRS (storage reduced scheduling), finds a trade-off between time of completion and storage unit requirement depending on the demand while designing a mixing engine using the (1 : 1) mixing model on a digital microfluidic (DMF) biochip. In this paper, we present a scheduling scheme, namely KMS, for optimizing time and storage requirements in multiple-demand mixture preparation using a DMF rotary mixer. The scheduling scheme has been combined with all existing mixing algorithms, namely MinMix, RMA, MTCS and CoDOS to analyze its performance. Simulation results show significant reduction in latency (75%) and storage (48%) requirements by KMS compared with SRS for multiple-demand mixture preparation.
Syntaxin 4 and Synip (Syntaxin 4 Interacting Protein) Regulate Insulin Secretion in the Pancreatic β HC-9 Cell*

Although syntaxin 1 is generally thought to function as the primary target-N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor required for pancreatic β cell insulin secretion, we have observed that overexpression of a dominant-interfering syntaxin 4 mutant (syntaxin 4/ΔTM) attenuated glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in βHC-9 cells. Furthermore, these cells express the selective syntaxin 4-binding protein Synip (syntaxin 4 interacting protein), and Synip was specifically co-immunoprecipitated with syntaxin 4 but not syntaxin 1. Overexpression of the full-length Synip protein (Synip/wild type) inhibited VAMP2 association with syntaxin 4 and decreased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. This did not occur with a Synip mutant (Synip/ ΔEF) that was incapable of binding syntaxin 4. Consistent with a functional role of syntaxin 4 in this process, expression of syntaxin 4/ΔTM also inhibited glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Furthermore, analysis of first and second phase insulin secretion demonstrated that syntaxin 4/ΔTM mainly suppressed the second phase of insulin secretion. In contrast, overexpression of Synip resulted in an inhibition of both the first and second phase of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. These data demonstrate that syntaxin 4 plays a functional role on insulin release and granule fusion in β cells and that this process is regulated by the syntaxin 4-specific binding protein Synip.
Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.

No single noninvasive test for pulmonary embolism is both sensitive and specific. Some tests are good for "ruling in" pulmonary embolism (e.g., helical CT) and some tests are good for "ruling out" pulmonary embolism (e.g., D-dimer); others are able to do both but are often nondiagnostic (e.g., ventilation-perfusion lung scanning). For optimal efficiency, choice of the initial diagnostic test should be guided by clinical assessment of the probability of pulmonary embolism and by patient characteristics that may influence test accuracy. This selective approach to testing enables pulmonary embolism to be diagnosed or excluded in a minimum number of steps. However, even with the appropriate use of combinations of noninvasive tests, it is often not possible to definitively diagnose or exclude pulmonary embolism at initial presentation. Most of these patients can be managed safely without treatment or pulmonary angiography by repeating ultrasound testing of the proximal veins after one and 2 weeks to detect evolving deep vein thrombosis. Helical CT and MRI are rapidly improving as diagnostic tests for pulmonary embolism and are expected to become central to its evaluation.
Cell specific control of coagulation and fibrinolysis within the lung

To function effectively as a gas exchange organ, the alveolar architecture of the lung has evolved as an exceedingly thin membrane that allows inspired air to come into close proximity to capillary blood. Much of this membrane is composed of a single layer of capillary endothelial cells that are separated from a single layer of type I alveolar epithelial cells by a shared basement membrane. Though well adapted for its gas exchange function, the delicate nature of this structure places the capillary-alveolar wall at considerable risk for damage. Because the adult human lung is exposed to over 10,000 liters of .
D2P: Distributed Dynamic Pricing Policyin Smart Grid for PHEVs Management

Future large-scale deployment of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) will render massive energy demand on the electric grid during peak-hours. We propose an intelligent distributed dynamic pricing (D2P) mechanism for the charging of PHEVs in a smart grid architecture-an effort towards optimizing the energy consumption profile of PHEVs users. Each micro-grid decides realtime dynamic price as home-price and roaming-price, depending on the supply-demand curve, to optimize its revenue. Consequently, two types of energy services are considered-home micro-grid energy, and foreign micro-grid energy. After designing the PHEVs' mobility and battery models, the pricing policies for the home-price and the roaming-price are presented. A decision making process to implement a cost-effective charging and discharging method for PHEVs is also demonstrated based on the real-time price decided by the micro-grids. We evaluate and compare the results of distributed pricing policy with other existing centralized/distributed ones. Simulation results show that using the proposed architecture, the utility corresponding to the PHEVs increases by approximately 34 percent over that of the existing ones for optimal charging of PHEVs.
The earliest-generated neurons of the cat cerebral cortex: characterization by MAP2 and neurotransmitter immunohistochemistry during fetal life

The earliest-generated neurons of the cat cerebral cortex have been studied here during development using a combination of 3H-thymidine birthdating with immunohistochemistry for the neuron-specific protein MAP2 or for several neuropeptides/transmitters. These neurons are the first postmitotic cells of the cortex, with birthdates during the 1- week period preceding the genesis of cells of the adult cerebral cortex (Luskin and Shatz, 1985a; Chun et al., 1987). However, they are transient and the majority disappear by adulthood (Luskin and Shatz, 1985a; Chun and Shatz, 1989). When autoradiographic birthdating is combined with MAP2 immunostaining during fetal life, the entire population of these early-generated neurons appears to be stained, resulting in labeled bands above and below the cortical plate. The band above the cortical plate (in the marginal zone) contains early- generated neurons with horizontal morphologies, while the thicker band beneath the cortical plate (within the intermediate zone) contains the somata of early-generated neurons and their elaborate processes that are frequently directed towards the ventricular surface. In view of the correspondence between the location of the early-generated neurons and the MAP2-immunostained band beneath the cortical plate, we suggest that this combined approach can be used to define accurately the subdivision of the intermediate zone known as the subplate. The early-generated neurons are also immunoreactive for GABA, neuropeptide Y (NPY), somatostatin (SRIF), and cholecystokinin (CCK) during fetal life. While GABA, NPY, and SRIF immunostaining could be detected by embryonic day 50 (E50), that for CCK was not found until E60. Moreover, there is a relationship between neuropeptide immunoreactivity and location within the cerebral wall. The marginal-zone neurons are immunoreactive only for CCK. The subplate neurons are immunoreactive for CCK, SRIF, and NPY. Most of those immunoreactive for SRIF tend to be clustered within the upper part of the subplate, while those immunoreactive for NPY tend to be located more deeply. Cells immunoreactive for GABA are more uniformly distributed throughout the cerebral wall. These observations demonstrate directly that the marginal zone and subplate contain peptide- and GABA-immunoreactive neurons that belong to the earliest- generated cell population of the cerebral cortex. The presence of these early-generated neurons, which achieve a remarkable degree of maturity during fetal life, suggests that they perform an essential, yet transient, role in the development of the cerebral cortex.
Drumming in Immersive Virtual Reality: The Body Shapes the Way We Play

It has been shown that it is possible to generate perceptual illusions of ownership in immersive virtual reality (IVR) over a virtual body seen from first person perspective, in other words over a body that visually substitutes the person's real body. This can occur even when the virtual body is quite different in appearance from the person's real body. However, investigation of the psychological, behavioral and attitudinal consequences of such body transformations remains an interesting problem with much to be discovered. Thirty six Caucasian people participated in a between-groups experiment where they played a West-African Djembe hand drum while immersed in IVR and with a virtual body that substituted their own. The virtual hand drum was registered with a physical drum. They were alongside a virtual character that played a drum in a supporting, accompanying role. In a baseline condition participants were represented only by plainly shaded white hands, so that they were able merely to play. In the experimental condition they were represented either by a casually dressed dark-skinned virtual body (Casual Dark-Skinned - CD) or by a formal suited light-skinned body (Formal Light-Skinned - FL). Although participants of both groups experienced a strong body ownership illusion towards the virtual body, only those with the CD representation showed significant increases in their movement patterns for drumming compared to the baseline condition and compared with those embodied in the FL body. Moreover, the stronger the illusion of body ownership in the CD condition, the greater this behavioral change. A path analysis showed that the observed behavioral changes were a function of the strength of the illusion of body ownership towards the virtual body and its perceived appropriateness for the drumming task. These results demonstrate that full body ownership illusions can lead to substantial behavioral and possibly cognitive changes depending on the appearance of the virtual body. This could be important for many applications such as learning, education, training, psychotherapy and rehabilitation using IVR.
Intra-Firm Inventory Management Model with Transshipments

This paper analyzes the implementation of transshipments among two independent locations which belong to one parent firm and the impact of transshipments, when implemented between these two locations. We examine how the possibility of such transshipments affects the optimal inventory orders at each location and find that, if each location aims to maximize its own profit, their inventory choices will not in general maximize joint profits. However, we find transshipment prices which if implemented by the parent firm as incentive design will make each location behave in order to optimize aggregate profit.
DTC brushless DC motor by using constant switching frequency

This paper propose direct torque control of constant switching frequency for brushless dc motor DTC-CSF BLDC. It is due to overcome the drawback of conventional DTC such as high torque ripples and variable switching frequency. It is applied by using PI controller to regulate the error of torque producing output error of PI controller, and then compare it with carrier or triangular frequency to generate constant switching frequency. The experiment is implemented by using Altera field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and digital signal processor. Results of experiment show the torque ripples waveforms are maintained in each level of speed and constant switching frequency is proved by the existence of fundamental frequency of 3125 Hz where it is clearly appeared in the frequency spectrum in any variation speed level.
A new finite loop space at the prime two

We construct a space BDI(4) whose mod 2 cohomology ring is the ring of rank 4 mod 2 Dickson invariants. The loop space on BDI(4) is the first example of an exotic finite loop space at 2. We conjecture that it is also the last one.
Maximizing Safety, Social Support, and Participation in Walking/Jogging/Running Classes

JOPERD • Volume 78 No. 8 • October 2007 E ffective teaching of walking/jogging/running classes, whether at the high school or college level, presents a particular challenge to the physical education instructor in that these classes often enroll 20 to 35 individuals of varying health, fi tness ability, and motivational levels. Those who teach at the college level may also encounter nontraditional-age students, who now make up nearly 39 percent of the undergraduate student population in the United States and often range from 25 to 40 years of age—though they can also be much older (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006). How can the physical education instructor meet each student’s individual needs and encourage maximum participation while still providing a safe environment for diverse fi tness levels? Why is it important that the physical educator do so? Numerous surveys have documented that few Americans, young and old, engage in appropriate levels of aerobic activity. Only 65 percent of adolescents exercise vigorously, with females exercising less vigorously and less often than males. By age 19, the percentage drops to 44.1 percent for males and 32.6 percent for females (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 1996). A survey of college students shows that less than four in ten college students participate in aerobic activities that make them sweat and breathe hard for 20 minutes on three or more days of the week (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 1997). Only 19 percent of adults in the United States meet the American College of Sports Medicine recommendations for the improvement and maintenance of aerobic fi tness (Barnes & Schoenborn, 2003). The lack of participation in aerobic exercise has been proven to have serious health consequences. For instance, 63 percent of adolescents in the United States already have two or more of fi ve major risk factors for chronic disease (CDC, 2000). Students who participate in walking, jogging, or running are an exception to these statistics. If the instructor can meet their students’ individual needs and provide them with a safe, supportive environment (USDHHS, 1999), then the class can be an important vehicle not only for promoting cardiovascular fi tness, but in fostering exercise adherence or a continued commitment to walk or run after the class ends (Patton, Corry, Gettman, & Graf, 1986). Students who are at most risk for quitting exercise are those who have low motivation and high body fat (Dishman, Ickes, & Morgan, 1980). One of the factors that enhance adherence, which the instructor can exert some infl uence over, is social support. An energetic, caring instructor can be a positive infl uence on the social environment of the class. A class in walking or running can give participants the opportunity to meet new friends and belong to a group while engaging in health-promoting behaviors. According to the diffuMaximizing Safety, Social Support, and Participation in Walking/Jogging/Running Classes