Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased neutrophil-platelet adhesion in patients with unstable angina.

BACKGROUND Neutrophil-platelet adhesion may occur as a consequence of platelet activation. The role of this heterotypic adhesion in ischemic disorders is poorly understood thus far. METHODS AND RESULTS Systemic venous blood samples were taken from 25 patients with stable angina pectoris and 25 patients with unstable angina pectoris. Neutrophil activation and neutrophil-platelet adhesion were evaluated by two-color flow cytometry. Patients with unstable angina showed a significant increase in neutrophil-platelet adhesion compared with patients with stable angina (mean +/- SEM, 132.1 +/- 20.5 versus 29.8 +/- 4.7 anti-glycoprotein IIb/IIIa mean fluorescence intensity, P = .0001). Systemic neutrophil activation was found in patients with unstable angina compared with those with stable angina assessed by cell surface CD11b expression and shedding of L-selectin (115.6 +/- 10.3 versus 74.0 +/- 6.3 anti-CD11b mean fluorescence intensity, P = .002; 49.8 +/- 6.0 versus 72.1 +/- 4.0 anti-L-selectin mean fluorescence intensity, P = .006). Markers of neutrophil activation were related to the extent of neutrophil-platelet adhesion (CD11b: r = .5, P = .0005; L-selectin: r = .42, P = .012). In vitro studies revealed that binding of purified platelet membranes to control neutrophils caused a dose-dependent increase in CD11b surface expression, a decrease in surface L-selectin, and the release of superoxide anions. CONCLUSIONS Thus, this study demonstrates that increased neutrophil-platelet adhesion may contribute to neutrophil activation in unstable angina.
Learning engine for cognitive radio based on the immune principle

A learning engine for cognitive radio based on the immune principle is proposed, in which the monkey-king's marrying mechanism is introduced to improve the learning efficiency, and the dissimilar matrix as well as fuzzy selection are utilized to simplify computation and to accelerate the learning speed. The framework of the proposed learning engine has been given. The learning engine has been implemented in MATLAB, and a test bed that simulates the wireless communication system has been developed using SIMULINK based on the 802.11a model. Simulations have been done on the parameters adjustment of multi-carrier system to perform multi-objective optimization. Experimental results indicate the superior performance of our learning engine over the genetic algorithm-based one. Furthermore, the learning engine also has the potential of decision-making because it has combined the theories of knowledge base and case-based decision-making owing to the recollection of immune system.
Right-handed sneutrino as thermal dark matter

We study an extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model with a singlet supermultiplet $S$ with coupling $S{H}_{1}{H}_{2}$ in order to solve the $\ensuremath{\mu}$ problem as in the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model, and right-handed neutrino supermultiplets $N$ with couplings $SNN$ in order to generate dynamically electroweak-scale Majorana masses. We show how in this model a purely right-handed sneutrino can be a viable candidate for cold dark matter in the Universe. Through the direct coupling to the singlet, the sneutrino cannot only be thermal relic dark matter but also have a large enough scattering cross section with nuclei to detect it directly in the near future, in contrast with most other right-handed sneutrino dark matter models.
Mixing Characteristics and Whey Wastewater Treatment of a Novel Moving Anaerobic Biofilm Reactor

Abstract A novel moving anaerobic biofilm reactor was used to treat whey wastewater. In this process, biofilm was grown on a plastic biofilm media module, which was vertically moved up and down in the bulk fluid. The objectives of the study were to investigate the mixing and performance characteristics of the new process in treating whey wastewater. The mixing efficiency was indicated by a dispersion number, D L /uL. D L /uL was up to 1.34, showing that the anaerobic reactor can be taken as a completely mixed reactor. At mesophilic conditions (35 ± 2°C), the admissible volumetric COD loading rate up to 11.6 kg COD m−3 day−1 was achieved with the COD removal efficiency of 89% and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1 day. When the HRT was 0.6 days, the volumetric COD loading rate was 15.2 kg COD m−3 day−1, but COD removal efficiency decreased to 81%. The percentage of methane (CH4) in the biogas was 63% on average and the yield of methane was 333.4 L CH4 kg−1 COD removal at ambient conditions.
Isotopic insights into methane production, oxidation, and emissions in Arctic polygon tundra

Arctic wetlands are currently net sources of atmospheric CH4. Due to their complex biogeochemical controls and high spatial and temporal variability, current net CH4 emissions and gross CH4 processes have been difficult to quantify, and their predicted responses to climate change remain uncertain. We investigated CH4 production, oxidation, and surface emissions in Arctic polygon tundra, across a wet‐to‐dry permafrost degradation gradient from low‐centered (intact) to flat‐ and high‐centered (degraded) polygons. From 3 microtopographic positions (polygon centers, rims, and troughs) along the permafrost degradation gradient, we measured surface CH4 and CO2 fluxes, concentrations and stable isotope compositions of CH4 and DIC at three depths in the soil, and soil moisture and temperature. More degraded sites had lower CH4 emissions, a different primary methanogenic pathway, and greater CH4 oxidation than did intact permafrost sites, to a greater degree than soil moisture or temperature could explain. Surface CH4 flux decreased from 64 nmol m−2 s−1 in intact polygons to 7 nmol m−2 s−1 in degraded polygons, and stable isotope signatures of CH4 and DIC showed that acetate cleavage dominated CH4 production in low‐centered polygons, while CO2 reduction was the primary pathway in degraded polygons. We see evidence that differences in water flow and vegetation between intact and degraded polygons contributed to these observations. In contrast to many previous studies, these findings document a mechanism whereby permafrost degradation can lead to local decreases in tundra CH4 emissions.
Falls efficacy as a measure of fear of falling.

We developed the Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), an instrument to measure fear of falling, based on the operational definition of this fear as "low perceived self-efficacy at avoiding falls during essential, nonhazardous activities of daily living. " The reliability and validity of the FES were assessed in two samples of community-living elderly persons. The FES showed good test-retest reliability (Pearson's correlation 0.71). Subjects who reported avoiding activities because of fear of falling had higher FES scores, representing lower self-efficacy or confidence, than subjects not reporting fear of falling. The independent predictors of FES score were usual walking pace (a measure of physical ability), anxiety, and depression. The FES appears to be a reliable and valid method for measuring fear of falling. This instrument may be useful in assessing the independent contribution of fear of falling to functional decline among elderly people.
DEVELOPMENT OF INSTRUMENTATION FOR MAGNETIC FIELD MEASUREMENTS OF 2M LONG SUPERCONDUCTING UNDULATOR COILS

Precise measurements of the magnetic properties of conventional, i.e., permanent magnet based insertion devices has undergone tremendous improvements over the past 10 to 15 years and initiated a new era in synchrotron light sources worldwide. A similar breakthrough is now necessary in the field of superconducting insertion devices. In this contribution we describe the planned instrumentation to perform magnetic measurements of the local field, the field integrals of superconducting undulator coils up to 2m length in a cold in vacuum (helium free) environment.
Centerline Extraction for Image Segmentation Using Gradient and Direction Vector Flow Active Contours

In this paper, we propose a fast centerline extraction method to be used for gradient and direction vector flow of active contours. The gradient and direction vector flow is a recently reported active contour model capable of significantly improving the image segmentation performance especially for complex object shape, by seamlessly integrating gradient vector flow and prior directional information. Since the prior directional information is provided by manual line drawing, it can be inconvenient for inexperienced users who might have difficulty in finding the best place to draw the directional lines to achieve the best segmentation performance. This paper describes a method to overcome this problem by automatically extracting centerlines to guide the users for providing the right directional information. Experimental results on synthetic and real images demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method.
Textbook of Neural Repair and Rehabilitation: Virtual reality in neurorehabilitation

This chapter provides an overview of applications of virtual reality (VR) to rehabilitation. A key concept related to VR is immersion. Immersion relates to the extent to which the VR system succeeds in delivering an environment which refocuses a user's sensations from the real world to a virtual world. Virtual environments are usually experienced with the aid of special hardware and software for input and output. Visual information is commonly displayed by head mounted displays (HMDs), projection systems or flat screens of varying size. VR applications in rehabilitation are expanding at a rapid pace and a large variety of platforms and programs are currently being used and developed. It has been used as a medium for the assessment and rehabilitation of cognitive processes. The ultimate goal of VR-based intervention is to enable clients to become more able to participate in their own real environments in an independent manner.
A Strategic Competitive Advantage Perspective on Management Development

This paper attempts to evaluate relevant literature related to management development, competitive advantage as well as the links between management development and competitive advantage. This will be done through assessing the emerging role of management development in organizations, the dynamics of competitive advantage and conceptual model on linkage between management development and competitive advantage. The focus is on the link between management development and competitive advantage by comparing and contrasting two representative models through cross referencing and to suggest a conceptual model that fundamentally integrates both models. The findings of this review indicate that there are several aspects of the management development and competitive advantage models which are mutually inclusive especially in the areas of corporate vision and strategy, learning and knowledge as well as skills. Other integrated areas which were observed, are decision making, behavioural and cognition development. The proposed conceptual model suggests a methodological guideline and recommendation for implementation and practice of management development.
Le langage intérieur comme miroir du cerveau: une enquête, ses enjeux et ses limites

Jacqueline Carroy : Interior language as a brain mirror. An inquisition, its purposes, its limits ; In 1892, Georges Saint-Paul, a young physician, inquired into interior language. Quickly, 200 persons answered a long questionary which Saint- Paul and his master A. Lacassagne had elaborated and which was inspired by Charcot' anatomo-pathological theories. Several famous men, such as Emile Zola, responded and their auto-observations were published by newspapers. Saint-Paul thought he had discovered what he called "endophasic formulas". This paper studies the historical context and analyses how Saint-Paul tried to legitimate his investigation: if interior language was a reflection of the brain, the answers couldn't be deceitful or ambiguous, because they mirrored endophasic formulas which mirrored brain organization. This paper studies the historical context and analyses how Saint-Paul tried to legitimate his investigation: if interior language was a reflection of the brain, the answers couldn't be deceitful or ambiguous, because they mirrored endophasic formulas which mirrored brain organization.
Enhancement of neurogenesis and memory by a neurotrophic peptide in mild to moderate traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a risk factor for Alzheimer disease (AD), a neurocognitive disorder with similar cellular abnormalities. We recently discovered a small molecule (Peptide 6) corresponding to an active region of human ciliary neurotrophic factor, with neurogenic and neurotrophic properties in mouse models of AD and Down syndrome. OBJECTIVE To describe hippocampal abnormalities in a mouse model of mild to moderate TBI and their reversal by Peptide 6. METHODS TBI was induced in adult C57Bl6 mice using controlled cortical impact with 1.5 mm of cortical penetration. The animals were treated with 50 nmol/d of Peptide 6 or saline solution for 30 days. Dentate gyrus neurogenesis, dendritic and synaptic density, and AD biomarkers were quantitatively analyzed, and behavioral tests were performed. RESULTS Ipsilateral neuronal loss in CA1 and the parietal cortex and increase in Alzheimer-type hyperphosphorylated tau and A-β were seen in TBI mice. Compared with saline solution, Peptide 6 treatment increased the number of newborn neurons, but not uncommitted progenitor cells, in dentate gyrus by 80%. Peptide 6 treatment also reversed TBI-induced dendritic and synaptic density loss while increasing activity in tri-synaptic hippocampal circuitry, ultimately leading to improvement in memory recall on behavioral testing. CONCLUSION Long-term treatment with Peptide 6 enhances the pool of newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus, prevents neuronal loss in CA1 and parietal cortex, preserves the dendritic and synaptic architecture in the hippocampus, and improves performance on a hippocampus-dependent memory task in TBI mice. These findings necessitate further inquiry into the therapeutic potential of small molecules based on neurotrophic factors.
Measurement of Height in the Elderly

Height is an essential variable when assessing renal clearance, nutritional status, and absorption. Standard methods of estimating height are impractical in the nonambulant. One hundred sixty‐five elderly inpatients were studied. Total standing height, knee‐to‐floor height, and tibial length were measured. Total arm, upper arm, and forearm measurements were obtained in both erect and supine positions. Measured height correlated best with supine total arm length (R2 = .69), knee‐to‐floor height (R2 = .63), and erect forearm length (R2 = .61). A nomogram relating both supine total arm length and knee‐to‐floor height with the patient's measured height has been prepared.
Group Centrality for Semantic Networks: a SWOT analysis featuring Random Walks

Group centrality is an extension of the classical notion of centrality for individuals, to make it applicable to sets of them. We perform a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the use of group centrality in semantic networks, for different centrality notions: degree, closeness, betweenness, giving prominence to random walks. Among our main results stand out the relevance and NP-hardness of the problem of finding the most central set in a semantic network for an specific centrality measure.
Life cycle testing of lithium batteries for fast charging and second-use applications

Two aspects of the life cycle testing of lithium-ion batteries were studied-(1) the effect of fast charging (4C) on cycle life and (2) extended cycling of cells beyond first-use requirements for second-use applications. In the case of the fast charging studies, the test data indicate that the Ah capacity of the lithium titanate oxide (LTO) cells is essentially independent of charge rate up to 6C with no current taper at the end of charge. This means that the LTO cells can be fully charged at the fast charge rates. The life cycle tests of a 24V module (10 cells in series) at the 4C charge rate and C/2 discharge rate showed negligible degradation in Ah capacity or resistance (voltage response) in over 1000 cycles. The temperature response of the module without cooling showed a maximum interior temperature of 40C that remained unchanged over the 1000 cycles of the testing. The second-use studies involved the life cycle testing of new and used 20 Ah prismatic cells (Lithium Manganese Oxide) obtained from EIG, Korea. Testing was done at room temperature and 45 deg C. The new and used cells were cycled (4.15V to 3.0V) about 850 times at room temperature and about 350 times at 45 deg C. The way in which the new and used cells degraded in terms of the decrease in Ah capacity and increase in the resistance were compared with second-use of the cells in mind. As expected it was found that the resistance degraded (%/100 cycles) more rapidly with cycles than the Ah capacity and that for both new and used cells the degradation was much more rapid at 45 deg C than at room temperature. The test results indicate second-use batteries will be best suited for applications requiring relatively high energy density, but relatively low power capability. The degradation of the used cells was gradual (no sudden failures), but accelerated with increasing cycles especially at 45 deg C.
Studies of the numbers and morphology of the intracellular form of Leishmania donovani grown in cell culture.

SYNOPSIS. Macrophages were infected in vivo with the intracellular form of Leishmania donovani (LDs), harvested from the previously saline-stimulated peritoneal cavities of hamsters and explanted into Leighton tubes containing removable coverslips. Serum from either rabbit, chicken, human, calf, hamster or cotton rat blood was used as the 40% component of a Hanks' BSS60 serum40 medium used to maintain these Leighton tube cultures at 37 C. After varying lengths of time coverslips were removed from tubes, stained with Giemsa, and the parasites per infected macrophage, total number of hamster cells and total number of parasites on each coverslip were counted. Maerophages constituted more than 90% of the explanted cells on the coverslips. When cotton rat serum was used as a component of the medium, fibroblastic overgrowth of the coverslips followed. Some similarities and differences in the numbers of macrophages, fibroblasts and parasites were noted with regard to the serum used as part of the medium. Except for cotton rat serum, the serum component of the medium used apparently did not influence, to any great degree, the morphology of either the macrophages or parasites therein. Thus, vacuolarization and granularization of macrophages did not appear to be very distinctly correlated with the time of sampling or the type of serum in the medium used for maintenance nor could any morphologic variations of the LDs be ascribed to these factors. When cotton rat serum, but not any of the other sera, was the serum component of the medium, leptomonads were noted in the overlay fluid of the cultures after 6 days. Under these conditions of cell culture, fibroblasts could not be infected with LDs although macrophages on the same coverslip were heavily parasitized.
Working with a domestic assessment system to estimate the need of support and care of elderly and disabled persons: results from field studies

This article describes the results of field studies performed over a period between five months and 24 months. The objectives of these studies were to collect long-term real-life data to evaluate how these data can be mapped to items on standardized assessment tests and which presentation method is most suitable to inform caregivers about critical situations and changes in health or care needs. A Home-monitoring system which uses modern sensor technologies was developed for and used in these field studies. It was installed in living environments of seven people (three who were not in need of care, two in need of care, and two with mental disabilities). The data were generated by sensor data acquisition and questionnaire reporting. Four types of data analysis and representation were evaluated to support caregivers. Results show that sensor data can be used to determine information directly or indirectly, which can be mapped to relevant assessment items and presented with different degrees of granularity. It is also feasible to determine and present additional information of potential interest which cannot be directly mapped to any assessment item. Sensor data can also be displayed in a live view. This live data representation led to a decrease in the caregivers’ workload when assessed according to the German version of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire.
Applications de la modélisation mathématique à l'optimisation des traitements chimiothérapiques des gliomes de bas-grade

Les gliomes des bas-grade sont des tumeurs cerebrales lentement evolutives, affectant principalement les jeunes adultes, qui peuvent rester des annees sans symptome. Les patients peuvent etre operes, ou traites par radiotherapie ou chimiotherapie, avec deux therapies possibles : le PCV et le temozolomide (TMZ). Nous souhaitons montrer dans ces travaux de these que la modelisation mathematique, a travers l'approche de population, peut permettre l'amelioration des traitements en termes de duree et d'amplitude de decroissance pour les gliomes de bas-grade traites par chimiotherapie (PCV et TMZ). Dans un premier temps, nous nous concentrons sur la possibilite de modifier le protocole d'administration du PCV, au niveau de la population, afin de prolonger la duree de decroissance tumorale. Nous concluons qu'espacer les cycles de traitement permet de repousser de maniere significative le moment de recroissance de la tumeur.Dans un second temps, nous etudions l'evolution des gliomes de bas-grade traites par TMZ. Sur la base des donnees de tailles tumorales de 77 patients, ainsi que d'informations genetiques, nous developpons un modele K-PD a effets mixtes permettant de decrire la dynamique tumorale avant, et suite au traitement. Nous evaluons ensuite les capacites du modele a predire la duree et l'amplitude de la reponse tumorale, a partir de mesures precoces de tailles de la tumeur ainsi que des informations genetiques. Ces predictions pourraient etre utilisees pour aider les cliniciens a determiner si le traitement doit etre prolonge ou non, pour un patient donne.Enfin, nous nous interessons plus particulierement au phenomene de resistance au traitement par TMZ. A partir des memes donnees de tailles tumorales que precedemment, nous construisons un modele PK-PD a effets mixtes decrivant l'apparition des cellules resistantes au sein de la tumeur. Ce modele reproduit plus precisement l'evolution du TMZ dans l'organisme et son impact sur la tumeur. Il est utilise pour optimiser le protocole therapeutique au niveau individuel. A l'aide d'un algorithme d'optimisation, nous determinons l'intervalle entre chaque cycle et la dose a administrer afin de prolonger la duree de decroissance tumorale tout en limitant l'emergence de resistance. Les protocoles ainsi optimises sont evalues a l'aide d'une approche stochastique, permettant de tester la robustesse du modele et de l'optimisation.A travers les differents travaux de cette these, nous montrons l'utilite de la modelisation mathematique pour aider a l'amelioration des traitements chimiotherapiques pour les patients souffrant de gliomes de bas-grade. Nous croyons que ces resultats peuvent etre transposes a d'autres types de cancers.