Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunocytochemistry of Fibronectin and Endothelin-1 in the Cavernous Body of Postnatal Rabbit Penises

The differentiating cavernous body (CB) of postnatal rabbit penises was examined with a special reference to immunolocalizations for fibronectin (FN) and endothelin-1 (ET-1). At postnatal day 1, the CBs were embedded by an abundance of mesenchymal cells (MCs), and some of them were closely associated with endothelial cells of preexisting capillaries. Our electron micrographs indicated that such MCs are successively incorporated into the capillary endothelium as vasoformative cells. At this period, vascular sprouts of the helicine artery (HA), which were associated with the MCs, arose from the deep penile artery, and the transformation of such cells to endothelial and medial muscle ones was also indicated, and some MCs appeared to differentiate to epithelioid cells in the media. Immunoreactions for FN were preferentially localized in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) and along the plasma membrane of such vasoformative MCs, and on the extracellular matrix components which connect these MCs with sprouts of both growing capillaries and HA. These findings suggest that FN, which is produced in the rER of the MCs, plays a crucial role in the mechanical linkage during the incorporation of vasoformative MCs into these penile vessels. Immunoreactions for ET-1 were preferentially localized on Weibel-Palade bodies in endothelial cells of the HA, implying the involvement of this peptide in the regulation of the local blood flow in this vessel.
Raising‐flap technique for outflow reconstruction in living donor liver transplantation

Living donor liver transplantation has been adopted as one of the solutions for overcoming the graft shortage for adult patients with end-stage liver disease waiting for liver transplantation. Balanced portal vein and hepatic artery inflows and adequate venous outflow are crucial factors for successful outcomes after living donor liver transplantation. In the absence of satisfactory graft venous drainage, the portal inflow has damaging effects on the graft: it delays the graft’s regenerative capacity and thus leads to the type of hepatic dysfunction known as small-for-size syndrome. After the inclusion of the middle hepatic vein (MHV), the outflow tract invariably becomes larger, and this causes a caudal shift of the orifice. In such situations, the conventional anastomosis technique is not feasible, and especially in the presence of a small-caliber inferior vena cava (IVC), the horizontal slit in the IVC for the triangular opening does not provide adequate venous drainage; this increases the pull effect on the IVC and stretches the graft veins. Also, any further delay in the anastomosis will only increase the warm ischemia time. Here we describe a raising-flap technique for outflow reconstruction: this technique not only provides a larger outflow orifice for venous drainage but also avoids undue medial pull on the graft hepatic vein. This technique allows more caudal extension of the IVC opening and covering of the triangular hepatic venous orifice of the graft with a flap without stretching of the hepatic veins. Indications include the following:
Compact planar Yagi-Uda antenna with improved characteristics

In this paper, two different designs of 3-element planar Yagi-Uda antenna based on the shape of driven and reflector elements are studied. To feed the driven element of Yagi-Uda antenna, a tapered microstrip balun is designed, which converts unbalanced coaxial feed to balanced microstrip line feed. Measured results of both the antennas are compared and it is shown that a planar Yagi-Uda antenna using tapered shaped dipole elements is more compact and has better characteristics in terms of bandwidth, front to back ratio and gain than that using normal rectangular shaped dipoles. For Yagi-Uda antenna using tapered dipoles, measured bandwidth is 18.6% for return loss less than 10 dB. Maximum gain is 6.4 dBi with less than 1 dB variation over the bandwidth. Measurement shows a peak front to back ratio of 30 dB.
BED REST IN PREGNANCY

Objective To summarize existing data about the effectiveness of bed rest when used to improve various pregnancy outcomes and to determine how often bed rest is used and the cost associated with its use. Data sources We used the MEDLINE data base to search for all English language papers evaluating the effectiveness of bed rest in pregnancy. We also reviewed a number of textbooks and the 1988 National Infant Mortality Survey. Methods of study selection We reviewed these sources for recommendations about using bed rest in various obstetric conditions. We used the 1988 National Infant Mortality Survey to determine how often bed rest was used either to prevent or to treat various obstetric conditions and estimated the costs associated with its use. Data extraction and synthesis Bed rest is used in nearly 20% of all pregnancies to prevent or treat a wide variety of conditions, including spontaneous abortion, preterm labor, fetal growth retardation, edema, chronic hypertension, and preeclampsia. There is little evidence of effectiveness. The estimated costs associated with bed rest, including hospitalization, lost wages, and lost domestic productivity, range from more than $250 million to billions of dollars per year. Conclusions Bed rest is used extensively to treat a wide variety of pregnancy conditions, at substantial cost but with little proof of effectiveness. We recommend that because this intervention has failed the test of effectiveness, its use during pregnancy should be curtailed unless randomized trials demonstrate improvement in a specific outcome.
A new element for local refinement in the non-lineal and unsteady vortex-lattice method

It is very well known that the non-lineal and unsteady vortex-lattice method (UVLM) produces better results when the vortex sheets, that simulate the boundary layer on the body and the free wakes, are discretized using uniform rectangular vortex-rings elements, producing structured lattices (or meshes). Moreover, the density of elements on these grids strongly affect the accuracy of the numerical simulations. So far, global mesh refinement is the only mechanism known to improve the precision of such results. In this article, a modified and enlarged version of the UVLM is presented, which admits local mesh refinement of the body bound-vortex lattice by the introduction of a set of new elements, called transition elements. Using these elements, it is possible to reduce the size of the vortex lines on specific areas of the vortex lattice in order to improve the accuracy of the results, while keeping larger vortex lines in the rest of the discretized bound-vortex sheet. The lattice, refined in this way, allows a significant reduction of the computational costs. The method developed was successfully validated by contrasting against previously published test cases.
A Novel Fast Inter Mode Decision Algorithm for H.264/AVC

The variable block sizes introduced by H264/AVC in mode decision lead to high coding efficiency but increase encoding complexity extremely. To reduce the complexity of encoder, we propose a novel fast inter-frame mode decision algorithm based on the statistical proportion of each encoding mode. Firstly, check whether the current macro-block is at the skip mode in terms of its characteristics. If so, the number of encoding modes can be reduced. Secondly, exploit the correlation between the mode decision and the quantization parameter to further cut down the encoding modes. Experimental results show the proposed algorithm can reduce the encoding time up to 31.1-76.1% with almost the same bit-rate and less PSNR degradation.
Characterization of the pathway for transport of the cytoadherence‐mediating protein, PfEMP1, to the host cell surface in malaria parasite‐infected erythrocytes

The Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) family of antigenically diverse proteins is expressed on the surface of human erythrocytes infected with the malaria parasite P. falciparum, and mediates cytoadherence to the host vascular endothelium. In this report, we show that export of PfEMP1 is slow and inefficient as it takes several hours to traffic newly synthesized proteins to the erythrocyte membrane. Upon removal by trypsin treatment, the surface‐exposed population of PfEMP1 is not replenished during subsequent culture indicating that there is no cycling of PfEMP1 between the erythrocyte surface and an intracellular compartment. The role of Maurer's clefts as an intermediate sorting compartment in trafficking of PfEMP1 was investigated using immunoelectron microscopy and proteolytic digestion of streptolysin O‐permeabilized parasitized erythrocytes. We show that PfEMP1 is inserted into the Maurer's cleft membrane with the C‐terminal domain exposed to the erythrocyte cytoplasm, whereas the N‐terminal domain is buried inside the cleft. Transfer of PfEMP1 to the erythrocyte surface appears to involve electron‐lucent extensions of the Maurer's clefts. Thus, we have delineated some important aspects of the unusual trafficking mechanism for delivery of this critical parasite virulence factor to the erythrocyte surface.
Suppressing inflammation by inhibiting the NF‐κB pathway contributes to the neuroprotective effect of angiotensin‐(1‐7) in rats with permanent cerebral ischaemia

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Angiotensin‐(1‐7) [Ang‐(1‐7)] has anti‐inflammatory effects in peripheral organs, but its effects in ischaemic stroke are unclear as yet. We investigated whether its anti‐inflammatory effect contributes to the neuroprotection induced by Ang‐(1‐7) in a rat model of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO).
Acute Effects of Constant-Angle and Constant-Torque Static Stretching on Passive Stiffness of the Posterior Hip and Thigh Muscles in Healthy, Young and Old Men.

The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of constant-angle (CA) and constant-torque (CT) static stretching on passive stiffness of the posterior hip and thigh muscles in healthy, young and old men. Fifteen young (25±3 years) and 15 old (71±4 years) men underwent 2 passive straight-leg raise (SLR) assessments before and after 8 min of CA and CT stretching using an isokinetic dynamometer. Passive stiffness was calculated during each SLR as the slope of the final 10% of the angle-torque curve. The results indicated that passive stiffness decreased from pre- to post-stretching for both treatments (P≤0.001-0.002) and age groups (P≤0.001-0.046); however, greater decreases were observed for the CT than the CA stretching (P=0.045) and for the old than the young men (P<0.001). In addition, baseline stiffness was greater for the old compared to the younger men (P=0.010) and was also negatively related (r=-0.721;P<0.001) to the changes in stiffness from pre- to post-stretching. These findings suggest that holding stretches at a constant tension may be a more effective strategy for altering passive stiffness of the posterior hip and thigh muscles. The greater stretch-induced stiffness decreases observed for the older men provide support that acute static stretching may be particularly effective for reducing stiffness in the elderly. As a result, it may be advantageous to prescribe static stretching prior to exercise for older adults, as this may be used to elicit substantial declines in passive stiffness, which could help reduce the risk of subsequent injury events in this population.
Covert digital manipulation of vocal emotion alter speakers’ emotional states in a congruent direction

Significance We created a digital audio platform to covertly modify the emotional tone of participants’ voices while they talked toward happiness, sadness, or fear. Independent listeners perceived the transformations as natural examples of emotional speech, but the participants remained unaware of the manipulation, indicating that we are not continuously monitoring our own emotional signals. Instead, as a consequence of listening to their altered voices, the emotional state of the participants changed in congruence with the emotion portrayed. This result is the first evidence, to our knowledge, of peripheral feedback on emotional experience in the auditory domain. This finding is of great significance, because the mechanisms behind the production of vocal emotion are virtually unknown. Research has shown that people often exert control over their emotions. By modulating expressions, reappraising feelings, and redirecting attention, they can regulate their emotional experience. These findings have contributed to a blurring of the traditional boundaries between cognitive and emotional processes, and it has been suggested that emotional signals are produced in a goal-directed way and monitored for errors like other intentional actions. However, this interesting possibility has never been experimentally tested. To this end, we created a digital audio platform to covertly modify the emotional tone of participants’ voices while they talked in the direction of happiness, sadness, or fear. The result showed that the audio transformations were being perceived as natural examples of the intended emotions, but the great majority of the participants, nevertheless, remained unaware that their own voices were being manipulated. This finding indicates that people are not continuously monitoring their own voice to make sure that it meets a predetermined emotional target. Instead, as a consequence of listening to their altered voices, the emotional state of the participants changed in congruence with the emotion portrayed, which was measured by both self-report and skin conductance level. This change is the first evidence, to our knowledge, of peripheral feedback effects on emotional experience in the auditory domain. As such, our result reinforces the wider framework of self-perception theory: that we often use the same inferential strategies to understand ourselves as those that we use to understand others.
Molecular and epidemiological profiles of hepatitis C virus genotype 4 in Denmark

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4 has increased throughout Europe. This is an epidemiological study of patients infected chronically with HCV genotype 4 in Denmark. The HCV strains analyzed originated from patient samples collected between 1999 and 2007 as part of the national Danish hepatitis B and C network, DANHEP. Sequence analyses were based on the envelope 1 region of HCV. Results from a total of 72 patients indicated a high degree of genetic heterogeneity. Fifty‐six patients (78%) were infected with one of the three dominating subtypes: 4d, 4a, or 4r. The remaining 16 patients (22%) were infected with subtypes 4h, 4k, 4l, 4n, 4o, or 4Unclassified. Three epidemiological profiles were identified: (1) patients infected with HCV by intravenous drug use were infected solely with subtype 4d. They were all of European origin, and 15 of the 16 patients were ethnic Danes. No single transmission event could be confirmed, but the pairwise nucleotide identity within the patients of Danish origin was relatively high (∼95%), suggesting a recent introduction into Denmark. (2) The 21 patients infected with subtype 4a all came from Northern Africa, Egypt, Pakistan, or the Middle East. (3) Patients from Southern Africa dominated among patients infected with subtype 4r (10 of 12 patients). This study demonstrates that HCV genotype 4d has been introduced in and spread among Danish intravenous drug users. The remaining subtypes show restricted distribution, infecting almost exclusively patients from geographical areas with a relatively high prevalence of HCV genotype 4 infections. J. Med. Virol. 82:1869–1877, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Estimating population density of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus(Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) using the effective sampling area of in-ground monitoring stations

Abstract The effective sampling area of a monitoring station, α, was calculated for several Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki colonies in Broward County, Florida, USA. A simple mark–recapture protocol provided data on termite station catch within a foraging range of a colony. Average recapture probability was 0.005 close to the releae point (< 5 m) and declined to 0.0008 at a distance of 51 to 60 m. The relation between the log % termites recaptured was fitted with log distance, to determine P(x), the average proportion of captured termites that started at distance x from the release point. The effective sampling area was estimated by using P(x) and the equation, α 2 π∫{ x P(x)} dx. Integrating this equation, an average estimate α that ranged from 0.607 to 14.5 m2 was obtained. Factors influencing the variation of α among the colonies are discussed. The effective sampling area estimated should be taken as a reliable estimator that translates subterranean termite catches into termite population density.
Decoding finger movements from ECoG signals using Empirical Mode Decomposition

ECoG promises exact localization of brain sources by providing high spatial resolution and good signal quality, thus makes it the premier choice for future BCI applications. Unfortunately decoding these signals is not as straightforward as one would expect. In this work we applied a time-frequency analysis based on Empirical Mode decomposition (EMD) and Adaptive Filtering (AF) to decode and estimate the finger movement using 10 minutes-long, multi-channel ECoG signals. The dataset was recorded from three epileptic patients at Harborview Hospital in Seattle, Washington for Brain Computer Interface (BCI) Competition IV. Our proposed method showed the average correlation of 0.55 between real and predicted movement across the subjects and across fingers.
Assessment of Coupled and Independent Phase Designs of Interleaved Multiphase Buck/Boost DC–DC Converter for EV Power Train

The paper discusses two approaches to multiphase nonisolated dc-dc converter design. An approach based on independent phases is directly compared to an approach using coupled phases. The comparison is performed through theoretical analysis of respective conversion functions, input and output filter requirements, and required input inductor size. Three-dimensional (3-D) high-power-density computer aided design (CAD) models and full-scale 56 kW prototypes based on both approaches were designed, built, and experimentally compared. As expected, the approach with independent phases has a considerable advantage regarding the low-power conversion efficiency where the efficiency can be up to 2% higher than with the coupled approach. On the other hand, the design with coupled inductors can reach power density as high as two times that of the independent phase design (87 kW/L versus 44.2 kW/L). Therefore, the use of coupled inductors may be very beneficial for space critical applications. In case of the electric vehicle power train, both factors may be very important and the suitable approach should be chosen based on system design priorities.
Hypoxia-mediated translational activation of ITGB3 in breast cancer cells enhances TGF-β signaling and malignant features in vitro and in vivo

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy in women and there is an urgent need for new therapeutic drugs targeting aggressive and metastatic subtypes, such as hormone-refractory triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Control of protein synthesis is vital to cell growth and tumour progression and permits increased resistance to therapy and cellular stress. Hypoxic cancer cells attain invasive and metastatic properties and chemotherapy resistance, but the regulation and role of protein synthesis in this setting is poorly understood. We performed a polysomal RNA-Seq screen in non-malignant breast epithelial (MCF10A) and TNBC (MDA-MB-231) cells exposed to normoxic or hypoxic conditions and/or treated with an mTOR pathway inhibitor. Analysis of both the transcriptome and the translatome identified mRNA transcripts translationally activated or repressed by hypoxia in an mTOR-dependent or -independent manner. Integrin beta 3 (ITGB3) was translationally activated in hypoxia and its knockdown increased apoptosis and reduced survival and migration, particularly under hypoxic conditions. Moreover, ITGB3 was required for sustained TGF-β pathway activation and for the induction of Snail and associated epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers. ITGB3 downregulation significantly reduced lung metastasis and improved overall survival in mice. Collectively, these data suggest that ITGB3 is translationally activated in hypoxia and regulates malignant features, including epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cell migration, through the TGF-β pathway, revealing a novel angle for the treatment of therapy-resistant hypoxic tumours.
Development of tools for simulation systems in a distribution network and validated by measurements

The increasing amount of DER components into distribution networks involves the development of accurate simulation models that take into account an increasing number of factors that influence the output power from the DG systems. This paper presents two simulation models: a PV panel model using the single-diode four-parameter model based on data sheet values and a VRB system model based on the efficiency of different components and the power losses. The models were implemented first in MATLAB/Simulink and the results have been compared with the data sheet values and with the characteristics of the units. Moreover to point out the strong dependency on ambient conditions and its influence on array operation and to validate simulation results with measured data a complex model has also been developed. A PV inverter model and a VRB inverter model, using the same equations and parameters as in MATLAB/Simulink, has also been developed and implemented in Power Factory to study load flow, steady-state voltage stability and dynamic behavior of a distribution power system.
An evaluating indicator for urban sprawl simulation and prediction

The research on urban development simulation and prediction plays an important role in urban planning and effective use of land. Many models have been built on land expansion, using different simulation and prediction techniques. To determine the feasibility of a method, criteria are needed to evaluate the result. Most currently-used criteria consider only quantitative factors, neglecting the spatial factors. However, generating equal results in area of lands does not guarantee the similar accuracy of two predictions. In this research, spatial factors are considered and a new evaluating indicator which compares not only the areas of the prediction and the actual land, but also the diversity of the spatial distribution is proposed. The result of this evaluating indicator named modified-Kappa coefficient provides a better criterion for model evaluation.