Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exacerbation by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor of prior acute lung injury: Implication of neutrophils

Objective Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor is widely prescribed to hasten recovery from cancer chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and has been reported to induce pulmonary toxicity. However, circumstances and mechanisms of this toxicity remain poorly known. Design To reproduce a routine situation in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, we investigated the mechanisms underlying granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-induced exacerbation of &agr;-naphthylthiourea-related pulmonary edema. Setting Laboratory research unit. Subjects Male specific-pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats. Interventions The effects of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor given alone or after &agr;-naphthylthiourea used to induce acute lung injury were investigated. Measurements and Main Results Lung injury was assessed based on neutrophil sequestration (myeloperoxidase activity in lung tissue) and influx into alveolar spaces (bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cell quantification) and on edema formation (wet/dry lung weight ratio) and alveolar protein concentration into bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Tumor necrosis factor-&agr; and interleukin-1&bgr; were measured in serum, lung homogenates, and isolated alveolar macrophage supernatants. In control rats, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (25 &mgr;g/kg) significantly elevated circulating neutrophil counts without producing alveolar recruitment or pulmonary edema. &agr;-Naphthylthiourea significantly increased the wet/dry lung weight ratio (4.68 ± 0.04 vs. 4.38 ± 0.07 in controls, p = .04) and induced alveolar protein leakage. Adding granulocyte colony-stimulating factor to &agr;-naphthylthiourea exacerbated pulmonary edema, causing neutrophil sequestration in pulmonary vessels, significantly increasing lung myeloperoxidase activity (12.7 ± 2.0 mOD/min/g vs. 1.1 ± 0.4 mOD/min/g with &agr;-naphthylthiourea alone;p < .0001), and increasing proinflammatory cytokine secretion. &agr;-Naphthylthiourea-related pulmonary edema was not exacerbated by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor during cyclophosphamide-induced neutropenia or after lidocaine, which antagonizes neutrophil adhesion to endothelial cells. Tumor necrosis factor-&agr; and interleukin-1&bgr; concentrations in alveolar macrophage supernatants and lung homogenates were significantly higher with &agr;-naphthylthiourea + granulocyte colony-stimulating factor than with either agent alone, and anti-tumor necrosis factor-&agr; antibodies abolished granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-related exacerbation of &agr;-naphthylthiourea-induced pulmonary edema. In rats with cyclophosphamide-induced neutropenia, tumor necrosis factor-&agr; concentrations in alveolar macrophage supernatants and lung homogenates were significantly decreased compared with rats without neutropenia. Conclusion Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-related pulmonary toxicity may involve migration of neutrophils to vascular spaces, adhesion of neutrophils to previously injured endothelial cells, and potentiation of proinflammatory cytokine expression.
TNT: improved rotation and translation on digital tables

Digital tabletop systems allow users to work on computational objects in a flexible and natural setting. Since users can easily move to different positions around a table, systems must allow people to orient artifacts to their current position. However, it is only recently that rotation and translation techniques have been specifically designed for tabletops, and existing techniques still do not feel as simple and efficient as their real-world counterparts. To address this problem, we studied the ways that people move and reorient sheets of paper on real-world tabletops. We found that in almost all cases, rotation and translation are carried out simultaneously, and that an open-palm hand position was the most common way to carry out the motion. Based on our observations, we designed a new set of reorientation techniques that more closely parallel real-world motions. The new techniques, collectively called TNT, use three-degree-of-freedom (3DOF) input to allow simultaneous rotation and translation. A user study showed that all three variants of TNT were faster than a recent technique called RNT; in addition, participants strongly preferred TNT.
VOLITION: A NEW EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

The subjects were presented with a drawing task, i.e. to follow a straight line. Later, without the subjects' knowledge, the experimenter inserted a mirror so that the subjects were looking at another person's hand in a mirror, placed so that the subjects still thought they were looking at their own hands. When both the subjects' and the stooge's hand were following the straight line, the subjects experienced the alien hand as their own and that its movements were controlled by themselves (voluntary movements). When the stooge drew a curve to the right, the subjects still experienced the hand as their own, but now making involuntary movements. Thus, ‘the visual hand’ dominated ‘the kinesthetical hand’ despite the fact that the subjects objectively made compensatory movements to the left.
From Testing to Estimation: The Problem of False Positives in the Context of Carcinogen Evaluation in the IARC Monographs

Background: Cancer epidemiology has been criticized for producing false-positive associations. The present analysis investigates the frequency of and factors contributing to false-positive findings in cancer epidemiology. Methods: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs Group 3 agents were examined to identify potential false-positive findings. Frequency estimates for their occurrence were calculated. Comments of the Working Groups on study quality were recorded for studies with potential false-positives. These were used to determine how many of such studies were criticized for each of the study quality factors that are suspected to contribute to false-positive results. Results: Of 509 agents in group 3, 37 agents were found to have potential false-positive associations in the studies reviewed in their respective IARC monograph(s). The overall frequency of potential false-positives among these agents was between 0.03 and 0.10. The individual frequencies ranged from 0.01 to 0.40. The potential false-positive findings were produced by 162 studies. The most common factors contributing to potential false-positive findings were confounding and exposure misclassification. Conclusions: The frequency estimates we have obtained do not suggest that epidemiology is grossly flooded by false-positive findings. The factors for which studies with potential false-positives were most often criticized were factors that are sometimes difficult to address in cancer epidemiologic research and can bias an effect estimate toward or away from the null. Impact: The low frequency of false-positives in cancer epidemiology restores faith in epidemiologic procedures, making epidemiologic findings a useful guide for public health care measures. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(8); 1272–81. ©2012 AACR.
All bonds are not alike: A psychoendocrine evaluation of infant attachment

Characteristics of attachment were assessed in peer- and object-reared lambs, and compared to mothered subjects by taking into consideration distress, proximity seeking, and exploration during two separation-reunion tests in both the familiar and a novel environment. Plasma cortisol and oxytocin were assayed as physiological indicators of stress and being comforted during the separation-reunion test. Rewarding properties of the familiar figures were also determined in a conditioned place preference-like paradigm. Between-group analysis revealed the existence of secure attachment with the mother, alteration of secure attachment with the peer and weaker attachment with the object. Weaker attachment was expressed by a lack of distress during separation in the home pen and no preference for the place conditioned with the familiar object. Elevated basal plasma oxytocin levels, but not cortisol, observed in maternally deprived lambs were more likely linked to the absence of a maternal figure rather than social comfort during reunion.
Chaos in a dynamic model of traffic flows in an origin-destination network.

In this paper we investigate the dynamic behavior of road traffic flows in an area represented by an origin-destination (O-D) network. Probably the most widely used model for estimating the distribution of O-D flows is the gravity model, [J. de D. Ortuzar and L. G. Willumsen, Modelling Transport (Wiley, New York, 1990)] which originated from an analogy with Newton's gravitational law. The conventional gravity model, however, is static. The investigation in this paper is based on a dynamic version of the gravity model proposed by Dendrinos and Sonis by modifying the conventional gravity model [D. S. Dendrinos and M. Sonis, Chaos and Social-Spatial Dynamics (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1990)]. The dynamic model describes the variations of O-D flows over discrete-time periods, such as each day, each week, and so on. It is shown that when the dimension of the system is one or two, the O-D flow pattern either approaches an equilibrium or oscillates. When the dimension is higher, the behavior found in the model includes equilibria, oscillations, periodic doubling, and chaos. Chaotic attractors are characterized by (positive) Liapunov exponents and fractal dimensions. (c) 1998 American Institute of Physics.
Robust Multi-objective Learning with Mentor Feedback

We study decision making when each action is described by a set of objectives, all of which are to be maximized. During the training phase, we have access to the actions of an outside agent (“mentor”). In the test phase, our goal is to maximally improve upon the mentor’s (unobserved) actions across all objectives. We present an algorithm with a vanishing regret compared with the optimal possible improvement, and show that our regret bound is the best possible. The bound is independent of the number of actions, and scales only as the logarithm of the number of objectives.
IIR filter paramater estimation with ABC algorithm for mitral valve Doppler signal denoising

Noise elimination is an important problem for biomedical signals like as mitral valve Doppler signals. In this work, mitral valve Doppler signal noise elimination realized with IIR filter. 4dB noise added mitral valve signal noise elimination used with 3th and 6th degree of IIR filters. IIR filter parameters are designed with artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm.
Robotic grasping of unmodeled objects using time-of-flight range data and finger torque information

Robotic grasping in an open environment requires both object-specific as well as general grasping skills. When the objects are previously known it is possible to employ techniques that exploit object models, like geometrical grasping simulators. On the other hand, a competent system will also be able to deal with unmodeled objects using general solutions. In this paper we present an integrated system for autonomous rigid-object pick-up tasks in domestic environments, focusing on the gripping of unmodeled objects and exploiting sensor feedback from the robot hand to monitor the grasp. We describe the perception system based on time-of-flight range data, the grasp pose optimization algorithm and the grasp execution. The performance and robustness of the system is validated by experiments including pick-up tasks on many different common kitchen items.
Effect of time-of-day-specific strength training on maximum strength and EMG activity of the leg extensors in men

Abstract In this study, we examined the effects of time-of-day-specific strength training on maximum strength and electromyography (EMG) of the knee extensors in men. After a 10-week preparatory training period (training times 17:00–19:00 h), 27 participants were randomized into a morning (07:00–09:00 h, n = 14) and an evening group (17:00–19.00 h, n = 13). Both groups then underwent 10 weeks of time-of-day-specific training. A matched control group (n = 7) completed all testing but did not train. Unilateral isometric knee extension peak torque (MVC) and one-repetition maximum half-squat were assessed before and after the preparatory training and after the time-of-day-specific training at times that were not training-specific (between 09:00 and 16:00 h). During training-specific hours, peak torque and EMG during MVC and submaximum isometric contraction at 40% MVC were assessed before and after the time-of-day-specific training. The main finding was that a significant diurnal difference (P < 0.01) in peak torque between the 07:00 and 17:00 h tests decreased after time-of-day-specific training in the morning group but not in the evening or control groups. However, the extent of this time-of-day-specific adaptation varied between individuals. Electromyography during MVC did not show any time-of-day-specific adaptation, suggesting that peripheral rather than neural adaptations are the main source of temporal specificity in strength training.
Homes for Games: A filmic interpretation of Sochi 2014 and resettlement in Imeretinskaya Bay

The film “Homes for Games” consists of documentary footage showing the profound transformation of Imeretinskaya Bay, the location of the Olympic Coastal Cluster in Sochi, situated on the Black Sea coast near the border between Georgia/Abkhazia and Russia. In the tradition of local history, the documentary footage collects the local residents’ stories about their experiences with the Olympic relocation. Through the people’s narrations that come from periodic interviews, the film explores the links between space, place and the creation of individual and collective identity. By commenting on video stills and specific film sequences, this article reflects the gradual replacement of fields and settlements as the master plan of the Games is being implemented. By giving voice to the residents, whose views go unnoticed in the official media, the film shows to what extent the Olympic Winter Games change the residents’ living and working situation.
The Development of Face Perception in Dynamic, Multimodal Events: Predictions from the Intersensory Redundancy Hypothesis

Research demonstrates that young infants are excellent perceivers of faces, however, little is know about their perception of faces in the context of naturalistic, dynamic, multimodal events such as audiovisual speech. Bahrick and Lickliter (2000, 2002) proposed an “intersensory redundancy hypothsis” (IRH) which states that in early development, experiencing an event redundantly across two senses (bimodally) facilitates perception of amodal properties such as synchrony, tempo, and rhythm (intersensory facilitation). In contrast, experiencing an event in one sense alone (unimodally) facilitates perception of modality specific information such as color, pattern, and the configuration of facial features (unimodal facilitation). Furthermore, according to the IRH, with experience, attention becomes more flexible allowing infants to perceive modality specific properties in bimodal and unimodal stimulation.A prior study (Bahrick, Vaillant, Shuman, & Castellanos, 2004) demonstrated unimodal facilitation of face perception in 2-month-old infants. Infant discrimination of faces was enhanced in unimodal stimulation (silent speech) and attenuated in bimodal stimulation (audiovisual speech). According to the developmental prediction of the IRH, older infants should be able to discriminate modality specific properties such as configuration of facial features under bimodal as well as unimodal conditions. The present study tested this developmental prediction by exploring 3 ½-month-old infants’ discrimination of the faces of two women speaking a nursery rhyme under bimodal, audiovisual and unimodal visual (silent) conditions, in methods just like that of our prior study.
Polarization characteristics of coherent waves

Analytic representations of coherent-wave polarization draw from well-known physics in this subject as applied to electromagnetic problems, and especially antennas. However, the physical visualization, bases, and their interrelationships are frequently from disparate sources. The increasing use of multi-function phased arrays highlights other topics of concern, since the changing directions of steered beams results in dynamic changes in polarization that must be dealt with. Following basic visualization in terms of circular basis components, the circular-to-linear basis-transform matrices are derived. Since similarities or interactions among different polarizations are concerned, the physical and analytic utility of the Poincaré sphere is reviewed. Geometric effects inherently basic to all phased array problems are demonstrated and analyzed in connection with polarization control. Cross-polarization interpretation and association with pattern measurements are described.
Sexual Behavior and Illicit Drug Use

Abstract Sexual behavior in drug users varies in association with the drug used, the drug subculture and setting, and the need to maintain the drug addiction. We review the literature on sexual behavior in drug-using subcultures, most of which centers on HIV risk reduction, and the drug-associated and economic pressures that influence sexual behavior. Most data available are on opioid (predominantly heroin) users and crack cocaine users. The recent phenomenon of the circuit party has led to investigation of the context in which drug use and sex have become the focus of large gay-oriented parties over long weekends. Sexual behavior in association with drugs in Western societies is important for its role in the spread of sexually transmissible pathogens, as well as injection-related pathogens.
Design of an on-chip stepwise ramp generator for ADC static BIST applications

This work presents guidelines for the design of an on-chip ramp signal generator for static Built-In Self-Test (BIST) of ADCs. The proposed ramp generator is based on a fully-differential switched-capacitor (SC) integrator conveniently modified to produce a very small integration gain. The main non-idealities affecting the linearity of the generator are discussed on a practical implementation in a 65nm CMOS technology. Electrical simulation results at transistor level are provided to verify the feasibility and performance of the proposed approach.
Perspectives in Asian Rhinoplasty

Abstract Asian patients present with relatively poorly developed dorsal and tip height and thicker skin, so augmentation rhinoplasty is the most commonly performed rhinoplasty procedure. Tip surgery using autologous cartilage followed by dorsal augmentation using an alloplastic implant material is the most widely performed surgical procedure for augmentation rhinoplasty on Asian patients. Cartilage tip grafting procedures, including shield grafting, multilayer tip grafting, onlay grafting, and modified vertical dome division, are key maneuvers for building up and providing better definition on a relatively poorly developed Asian tip. When performing primary cosmetic dorsal augmentation using alloplastic implants, the implant material should be selected according to the surgeon's experience, the pros and cons of available dorsal implant materials, and host factors such as skin thickness, associated deformities, and aesthetic goals. The costal cartilage is best reserved for difficult revisions, except in a limited number of primary cases who present with a very poorly developed nasal skeleton and thick skin.
Inhibition of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Migration by Cytochrome P450 Epoxygenase-Derived Eicosanoids

Vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration and proliferation contribute to neointimal hyperplasia and restenosis after vascular injury. The epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which are products of cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenases, possess vasodilatory, antiinflammatory, and fibrinolytic properties. To determine whether these compounds also possess antimigratory and antiproliferative properties, we stimulated rat aortic SMCs with either 20% serum or platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB, 20 ng/mL). In a concentration-dependent manner, treatment with EETs, particularly 11,12-EET, inhibited SMC migration through a modified transwell filter by 53% to 60%. EETs, however, have no inhibitory effects on PDGF-stimulated SMC proliferation. Adenoviral-mediated overexpression of the CYP isoform, CYP2J2, in SMCs also inhibited serum- and PDGF-induced SMC migration by 32% and 26%, respectively; both effects of which were reversed by the CYP inhibitors SKF525A or clotrimazole, but not by the KCa channel blocker, charybdotoxin, or the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, diclofenac. The effect of EETs correlated with increases in intracellular cAMP levels. Indeed, forskolin and 8-bromo-cAMP exert similar inhibitory effects on SMC migration as 11,12-EET and the effects of 11,12-EET were blocked by cAMP and protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitors. These findings indicate that EETs possess antimigratory effects on SMCs through the cAMP-PKA pathway and suggest that CYP epoxygenase-derived eicosanoids may play important roles in vascular disease and remodeling.
How does childhood socioeconomic hardship affect reproductive strategy? Pathways of development

In high‐income populations, evidence suggests that socioeconomic disadvantage early in life is correlated with reproductive strategy. Children growing up in unfavorable rearing environments tend to experience earlier sexual maturity and first births. Earlier first births may be associated with higher fertility, but links between socioeconomic disadvantage and larger family size have rarely been tested. The pathways through which early disadvantage influences reproduction are unknown. We test whether physiological factors link childhood adversity to age at first birth and total children.
A cochlear neuron based robust feature for speaker recognition

In this paper, a robust feature for text-independent speaker recognition is proposed, which simulate the response mode of cochlear neurons in processing acoustic signal. The feature is derived from sparse coding coefficient which is computed on a learned over-complete dictionary, and the dictionary is considered similar to part of speech sensitive cochlear neurons. Furthermore, the feature is generated without dimension reducing and de-correlation. The robust feature is implemented to address the problem of mismatch situation between training and testing. Experiments show that the proposed feature outperforms the Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) feature, especially under noisy environments, the equal error rate (EER) of the MFCC drops to 21.6% (10 dB) from 10.3% (25 dB), while the EER of the proposed feature is also 6.6% (10 dB) with no degradation.
Wegener's Granulomatosis with Pulmonary Fungal Infection: A Case Report and Brief Review

Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is an autoimmune, necrotizing granulomatous disease of unknown aetiology that affects small and medium blood vessels, and is usually recurrent. Infection is the most frequent cause of death in patients with WG. A case of WG with pulmonary fungal infection in a 50-year-old man is reported. The patient was hospitalized following a 2-month history of haemoptysis and a 1-month history of intermittent fever. Examination and pathology results confirmed a diagnosis of WG with associated pulmonary fungal infection. The patient's condition was complicated by a septic pneumothorax and sinus formation after lung biopsy, and preexisting diabetes and hypertension, which worsened rapidly due to his critical condition. He was treated with glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide therapy with the goal of controlling these complications, and had no recurrence within the 4-year follow-up period. This case demonstrated the utility of combined glucocorticoid and cyclophosphamide therapy for the treatment of infection in WG.