Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Healing of Diabetic Wounds by Subcutaneous Administration of Human Umbilical Cord Derived Stem Cells and Their Conditioned Media

Objective. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from the umbilical cord and their conditioned media (CM) can be easily obtained and refined compared with stem cells from other sources. Here, we explore the possibility of the benefits of these cells in healing diabetic wounds. Methodology and Results. Delayed wound healing animal models were established by making a standard wound on the dorsum of eighteen db/db mice, which were divided into three groups with six mice in each: groups I, II, and III received PBS, UC-MSC, and CM, respectively. UC-MSC and their CM significantly accelerated wound closure compared to PBS-treated wounds, and it was most rapid in CM-injected wounds. In day-14 wounds, significant difference in capillary densities among the three groups was noted (n = 6; P < 0.05), and higher levels of VEGF, PDGF, and KGF expression in the CM- and UC-MSC-injected wounds compared to the PBS-treated wounds were seen. The expression levels of PDGF-β and KGF were higher in CM-treated wounds than those in UC-MSC-treated wounds. Conclusion. Both the transplantation of UC-MSC and their CM are beneficial to diabetic wound healing, and CM has been shown to be therapeutically better than UC-MSC, at least in the context of diabetic wound healing.
A HEURISTIC APPROACH TAKING OPERATORS' FATIGUE INTO ACCOUNT FOR THE DYNAMIC ASSIGNMENT OF WORKFORCE TO REDUCE THE MEAN FLOWTIME

In order to cope with the frequent unpredictable changes that may occur in manufacturing systems, and to optimize given performance criteria, the assignment of workers can be decided online in a dynamic manner, whenever the worker is released. Several studies, in the ergonomics literature, have shown that individuals' performances decrease because of their fatigue in work. In manufacturing context, the workers’ fatigue impacts the task durations. Therefore, we propose to solve the online workers assignment problem through a heuristic, which takes this workers' fatigue into consideration, so as to minimize the mean flowtime of jobs. This approach suggests computing more realistic task duration in accordance with the worker's fatigue and it uses multi-criteria analysis in order to find a compromise to favor short durations and to avoid congestions. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method is used to select where to assign the worker. A learning process through simulation optimization is used to adapt the weights, in TOPSIS, to better fit with the system characteristics. The approach is illustrated with a simulated Job-Shop system. Experimental results comparing our approach with the rule Shortest Processing Time (SPT), which is known as efficient on the mean flowtime, show the effectiveness of the heuristic.
Support for Same‐ Sex Marriage In

ay marriage recently has been a subject of intense discussion in many countries in the Americas. Disputes over the issue are marked by sharply conflicting opinions among citizens, social organizations, religious groups, the highly influential Catholic Church, and policy makers. In Latin America, these debates have engendered outcomes that vary sharply from country‐to‐country. Same‐sex marriage has been constitutionally banned in Honduras limits legally recognized marriage to opposite‐sex unions. In Costa Rica, the Supreme Court ruled against same‐sex couples seeking the right to be legally married (2006), while a The Insights Series is co‐edited by Professors Mitchell A. Seligson and Elizabeth Zechmeister with administrative, technical, and intellectual support from the LAPOP group at Vanderbilt University. national referendum on the subject remains a possibility. Yet same‐sex civil unions, which give homosexual couples some of the rights enjoyed by heterosexual ones (including social security inheritance and joint ownership of property, but excluding adoption rights), have in a few Mexican and Venezuelan states. 2 Within this diverse regional context, and despite numerous protests organized by the Catholic Church, rightist organizations, and conservative legislators, this month Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same‐ sex marriage nationwide, granting gays and lesbians more rights than civil unions, including the right to adopt children. 3 This AmericasBarometer Insights report looks at citizens' opinions with respect to same‐sex marriage. First, we examine levels of support for same‐sex couples having the right to marry. Then, we assess both individual‐ and national‐ level determinants of variation in that level of support. To evaluate these issues, we query the 2010 round of the American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) survey. 4 In this survey, 42,238 2 In Colombia, a same‐sex couples bill was defeated by the Senate in 2007 but was later legalized by a Constitutional Court decision. In Mexico, same‐sex civil unions are only legal in the state of Coahuila while in Mexico City the state assembly recently recognized same sex marriage with adoption rights. In Venezuela, only the state of Mérida recognizes same‐sex civil unions. The country's National Assembly is currently debating a civil union bill supported by President Hugo Chávez. legally recognize same‐sex marriages performed in other countries. In the U.S., the federal government is banned from recognizing marriages of same‐sex couples by the Defense of Marriage Act, although courts have recently ruled parts of the law as unconstitutional. Same‐sex marriage is permitted in the states of …
A Resealed-Cell System for Analyzing Pathogenic Intracellular Events: Perturbation of Endocytic Pathways under Diabetic Conditions

Cell-based assay systems that can serve as cellular models of aberrant function in pathogenic organs would be novel and useful tools for screening drugs and clarifying the molecular mechanisms of various diseases. We constructed model cells that replicated the conditions in diabetic hepatocytes by using the cell resealing technique, which enables the exchange of cytosol. The plasma membrane of HeLa cells was permeabilized with the streptococcal toxin streptolysin O, and cytosol that had been prepared from wild-type or db/db diabetic mice was introduced into the resulting semi-intact cells. By resealing the plasma membrane by exposure to Ca2+, we created WT or Db model cells, in which the cytosolic conditions replicated those of healthy or diabetic liver. Interestingly, phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was promoted, whereas the level of endosomal phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate was decreased, in Db cells. We investigated several endocytic pathways in WT and Db cells, and found that retrograde endosome-to-Golgi transport was delayed in a p38 MAPK-dependent manner in Db cells. Furthermore, the degradation pathway of the EGF receptor from endosomes to lysosomes was enhanced in Db cells, and this did not depend on the activation of p38 MAPK. The disease model cell system should become a powerful tool for the detection of aberrant processes in cells under pathogenic conditions and for therapeutic applications.
Estimating Permanent Income Using Indicator Variables

Household surveys in developing countries often lack modules on income and expenditure. When included, the resulting estimates show substantial measurement error and are subject to systematic reporting biases. Indicator-based indices proposed by several analysts show much promise in circumventing these difficulties but nonetheless exhibit certain limitations. We present an alternative based on a variant of the probit model, which produces a series of indicator-specific cut-points on a latent scale (permanent income). These cut-points represent values above which respondents are more likely to respond affirmatively than not, and allow estimation of household permanent income when combined with an individual household’s responses. This analysis compares estimates of permanent income using the above approach with estimates resulting from principal components analysis using household survey data from Greece, Peru and Pakistan. This new approach yields estimates of permanent income that are comparable with those of other methods in terms of rank correlation with reported income or expenditure, and offers the potential for substantially enhanced comparability across populations and greater precision and efficiency through item reduction methods.
M2FLEX: A process metamodel for flexibility at runtime

Design and development methods do not meet designers' and developers' needs. They are difficult to learn and to use; they are complex, sequential and rigid and thus far from being adapted, reliable and efficient. This paper presents M2Flex, a process metamodel for highly supporting flexibility. M2Flex is based on a recent definition of flexibility along four dimensions: (1) variability, the existence of equivalent choices, (2) granularability, the existence of different levels of details, (3) completeness, the possibility of defining optional components and pre-defined reusable results, and (4) distensibility, the capacity of the resulting process model to be extended or reduced at runtime. This paper shows how M2Flex is original by the flexibility it offers to designers and developers at runtime.
Scalability Analysis of Declustering Methods for Multidimensional Range Queries

Efficient storage and retrieval of multi-attribute data sets has become one of the essential requirements for many data-intensive applications. The Cartesian product file has been known as an effective multi-attribute file structure for partial-match and best-match queries. Several heuristic methods have been developed to decluster Cartesian product files across multiple disks to obtain high performance for disk accesses. Although the scalability of the declustering methods becomes increasingly important for systems equipped with a large number of disks, no analytic studies have been done so far. The authors derive formulas describing the scalability of two popular declustering methods-Disk Module and Fieldwise Xor-for range queries, which are the most common type of queries. These formulas disclose the limited scalability of the declustering methods, and this is corroborated by extensive simulation experiments. From the practical point of view, the formulas given in the paper provide a simple measure that can be used to predict the response time of a given range query and to guide the selection of a declustering method under various conditions.
Beyond the Query-By-Example Paradigm: New Query Interfaces for Music Information Retrieval

The majority of existing work in music information retrieval for audio signals has followed the content-based query-by-example paradigm. In this paradigm a musical piece is used as a query and the result is a list of other musical pieces ranked by their content similarity. In this paper we describe algorithms and graphical user interfaces that enable novel alternative ways for querying and browsing large audio collections. Computer audition algorithms are used to extract content information from audio signals. This automatically extracted information is used to configure the graphical user interfaces and to genereate new query audio signals for browsing and retrieval.
Fuzzy skeletons and statistical learning theory

We define a fuzzy subspace skeleton of data points and propose an algorithm for finding it. Such a skeleton has direct applications in statistical learning theory. We propose a new type of classifiers: fuzzy skeleton classifiers, which might be a better alternative to Support Vector Machines in some cases. Another application is presented to the unsupervised learning - Blind Signal Separation, based on mild sparsity assumptions. Our methods are illustrated by examples. Potential application include problems from bioinformatics as separation of protein spectra, gene expressions, etc., as well as any problems requiring signal separation in which Independent Component Analysis doesn’t work, or gives unsatisfactory results.
Geometric hashing for query localization in image databases

image indexing, namely, the problem of retrieving content information from images in response to queries, is a key problem underlying several operations in image databases. Indexing for object queries, in particular, is a difficult problem, as it requires localizing an unanticipated object in unsegmented images. This inevitably involves search, a computationally intensive operation when based entirely on image features. It is desirable to have efficient data structures that avoid the need for sequential search through images and their features for query localization. Conventional data structures used for database organization are not adequate for image indexing where the object query has to be located in images depicting changed imaging conditions that include pose changes and occlusions. In this paper, we explore the use of a geometric hash table as a suitable data structure for fast image indexing. The technique of geometric hashing has been used in computer vision for indexing a library of models to find candidate model objects for recognition in the isolated image region. Here, however, we use geometric hashing as a technique of fast query localization in unsegmented images of a database. Specifically, we show that by using three consecutive features along a curve as basis points for affine invariance, a hash table can be constructed for images that is quadratic in the number of features. The resulting indexing method is also quadratic in the number of features. The query localization by geometric hashing is demonstrated for the problem of indexing of handwritten documents based on handwriting pattern queries.
Nondestructive Testing to Identify Concrete Bridge Deck Deterioration

Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. The second Strategic Highway Research Program grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, or FHWA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing material in this document for educational and not-for-profit purposes will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from SHRP 2. Note: SHRP 2 report numbers convey the program, focus area, project number, and publication format. Report numbers ending in " w " are published as web documents only. The members of the technical committee selected to monitor this project and review this report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. The report was reviewed by the technical committee and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Trans-gram do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers' names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report. America's highway system is critical to meeting the mobility and economic needs of local communities, regions, and the nation. Developments in research and technology—such as advanced materials, communications technology, new data collection technologies, and human factors science—offer a new opportunity to improve the safety and reliability of this important national resource. Breakthrough resolution of significant transportation problems, however, requires concentrated resources over a short time frame. Reflecting this need, the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) has an intense, large-scale focus, integrates multiple fields of research and technology, and is fundamentally different from the broad, mission-oriented, discipline-based research programs that have been the mainstay of the highway research industry for half a century. Improving Quality of Life, published in 2001 and based on a study sponsored by Congress through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). SHRP 2, modeled …
Attractor Networks for Shape Recognition

We describe a system of thousands of binary perceptrons with coarse-oriented edges as input that is able to recognize shapes, even in a context with hundreds of classes. The perceptrons have randomized feed-forward connections from the input layer and form a recurrent network among themselves. Each class is represented by a prelearned attractor (serving as an associative hook) in the recurrent net corresponding to a randomly selected subpopulation of the perceptrons. In training, first the attractor of the correct class is activated among the perceptrons; then the visual stimulus is presented at the input layer. The feedforward connections are modified using field-dependent Hebbian learning with positive synapses, which we show to be stable with respect to large variations in feature statistics and coding levels and allows the use of the same threshold on all perceptrons. Recognition is based on only the visual stimuli. These activate the recurrent network, which is then driven by the dynamics to a sustained attractor state, concentrated in the correct class subset and providing a form of working memory. We believe this architecture is more transparent than standard feedforward two-layer networks and has stronger biological analogies.
Survivable Embedded Systems

Technology trends in recent years have resulted in the rapid and wide-scale deployment of embedded systems as critical components of larger systems such as home appliances, airplanes, ships, and motor-vehicles. Furthermore , traditional desktops and workstations themselves are becoming a federation of embedded systems such as external storage devices connected with USB and FireWire buses. Such ubiquity of embedded systems increases the impact of random and maliciously-induced failures and the need for unforeseen improvements. We propose the OASES architecture for ensuring the functional survivability of a system composed of embedded devices. Given a policy that defines possibly evolving goals of system performance and functionality, we aim to satisfy it despite random or maliciously-induced failures. Our hypothesis is that functional survivability can be achieved with embedded devices open to dynamic reconfiguration and a combination of language techniques, component-based programming, traditional dynamic reconfiguration mechanisms, and the use of an area controller that coordinates reconfigurations. This controlle r detects failures and determines an appropriate fix based on survivability policies. This position paper provides an overview of OASES and discusses its components.
On Nonstandard Vacuua in Minimal Supergravity Models

The plethora of scalar fields participating in the formulation of a softly broken supersymmetric theory can threat the stability of the standard vacuum. The generic situation is twofold. Directions in scalar field space may exist along which the potential becomes unbounded from below or local minima deeper than the standard one are likely to appear where charge and/or color symmetries are broken. An investigation of these matters requires a thorough study of the tree level effective potential as well as its radiative corrections. However, the presence of many different mass scales in such a generic supersymmetric theory needs an appropriate renormalization improved treatment. Combining the decoupling theorem with a conveniently chosen renormalization scale for each field configuration, the well known multimass scale problem is circumvented. In this context, the ordinary universal soft-parameters case of the minimal supersymmetric model as well as a non-universal case of a brane world minimal supergravity model are examined closely for unphysical vacuua.
M protein mediates streptococcal adhesion to HEp-2 cells

Streptococcus pyogenes adheres to human epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo. To identify adhesins, cell wall components were extracted from S. pyogenes M6 with alkali or by treatment with mutanolysin and lysozyme. HEp-2 cells were incubated with extracts of S. pyogenes M6 and then analyzed by Western blot (immunoblot) assays, using antibodies to S. pyogenes. Only one streptococcal component (62 kDa) was bound to HEp-2 cells and was identified serologically as M6 protein. Experiments with pepsin-cleaved fragments of M protein indicated that the binding site was located at the N-terminal half of the molecule. M protein was bound selectively to two trypsin-sensitive surface components, 97 and 205 kDa, of HEp-2 cells on nitrocellulose blots of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Tritium-labeled lipoteichoic acid bound to different HEp-2 cell components, 34 and 35 kDa, in a parallel experiment, indicating that lipoteichoic acid was not complexed with M protein and does not mediate M-protein binding. The four HEp-2 components were unrelated to fibronectin since they did not react with specific antibodies. An M-protein-deficient (M-) strain of streptococcus (JRS75), grown in chemically defined medium, showed 73% less adhesion activity to HEp-2 monolayers than an M+ strain (JRS4). Streptococcal adhesion was insensitive to competitive inhibition by selected monosaccharides. These results indicate that M protein binds directly to certain HEp-2 cell membrane components and mediates streptococcal adhesion.
High‐resolution, spin‐echo BOLD, and CBF fMRI at 4 and 7 T

With growing interest in noninvasive mapping of columnar organization and other small functional structures in the brain, achieving high spatial resolution and specificity in fMRI is of critical importance. We implemented a simple method for BOLD and perfusion fMRI with high spatial resolution and specificity. Increased spatial resolution was achieved by selectively exciting a slab of interest along the phase‐encoding direction for EPI, resulting in a reduced FOV and number of phase‐encoding steps. Improved spatial specificity was achieved by using SE EPI acquisition at high fields, where it is predominantly sensitive to signal changes in the microvasculature. Robust SE BOLD and perfusion fMRI were obtained with a nominal in‐plane resolution up to 0.5 × 0.5 mm2 at 7 and 4 Tesla, and were highly reproducible under repeated measures. This methodology enables high‐resolution and high‐specificity studies of functional topography in the millimeter to submillimeter spatial scales of the human brain. Magn Reson Med 48:589–593, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.