Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of perioperative myocardial tissue damage in ischemically preconditioned human heart during aorto coronary bypass surgery.

BACKGROUND Preconditioning myocardium with short periods of ischaemic stress interspersed with reperfusion increases its resistance to infarction. Ischaemic preconditioning protection occurred in human beings during unstable angina preceding myocardial infarction, during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and during aorto coronary bypass surgery. The purpose of this study was to test (utilised cardiac troponin T measurement) whether ischaemic preconditioning was able to protect myocardial tissue during the perioperative period and how long that protection lasted. METHODS Patients were recruited to the preconditioned group (n=29), received 4-min of aortic cross-clamping and 6 min reperfusion prior to CABG performed with intermittent ischaemic arrest and the control group (n=27) received only an ischaemic insult of operating procedure. TnT measurements were determined from blood samples taken before surgery (A), 1 hour after onset of CPB (B), 4 hours (C), 8 hours (D), 12 hours (E), 24 hours (F), 48 hours (G) and 72 hours after CPB (H). RESULTS Results were expressed as the median, range and standard deviation (SD) of TnT concentration (microg/l). Ischaemic preconditioning decreased TnT concentration with statistical significance 1 hour after onset of CPB (preconditioned B: median 0.12+/-0.25 vs control B: median 0.32+/-0.43, p=0.03). There were notable differences in TnT concentration in C, D, E, F, G, H blood samples between the control and the preconditioned group but with p value of no statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS These data illustrate that ischaemic preconditioning limits myocardial damage during operative procedure and it may probably afford protection during a postoperative period.
c-Myc Is Required for Maintenance of Glioma Cancer Stem Cells

Background Malignant gliomas rank among the most lethal cancers. Gliomas display a striking cellular heterogeneity with a hierarchy of differentiation states. Recent studies support the existence of cancer stem cells in gliomas that are functionally defined by their capacity for extensive self-renewal and formation of secondary tumors that phenocopy the original tumors. As the c-Myc oncoprotein has recognized roles in normal stem cell biology, we hypothesized that c-Myc may contribute to cancer stem cell biology as these cells share characteristics with normal stem cells. Methodology/Principal Findings Based on previous methods that we and others have employed, tumor cell populations were enriched or depleted for cancer stem cells using the stem cell marker CD133 (Prominin-1). We characterized c-Myc expression in matched tumor cell populations using real time PCR, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Here we report that c-Myc is highly expressed in glioma cancer stem cells relative to non-stem glioma cells. To interrogate the significance of c-Myc expression in glioma cancer stem cells, we targeted its expression using lentivirally transduced short hairpin RNA (shRNA). Knockdown of c-Myc in glioma cancer stem cells reduced proliferation with concomitant cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase and increased apoptosis. Non-stem glioma cells displayed limited dependence on c-Myc expression for survival and proliferation. Further, glioma cancer stem cells with decreased c-Myc levels failed to form neurospheres in vitro or tumors when xenotransplanted into the brains of immunocompromised mice. Conclusions/Significance These findings support a central role of c-Myc in regulating proliferation and survival of glioma cancer stem cells. Targeting core stem cell pathways may offer improved therapeutic approaches for advanced cancers.
Water Absorption and Critical Degree of Saturation Relating to Freeze-Thaw Damage in Concrete Pavement Joints

Fluid ingress is a primary factor that influences freeze-thaw damage in concrete. This paper discusses the influence of fluid ingress on freeze-thaw damage development. Specifically, this paper examines the influence of entrained air content on the rate of water absorption, the degree of saturation, and the relationship between the saturation level and freeze-thaw damage. The results indicate that whereas air content delays the time it takes for concrete to reach a critical degree of saturation it will not prevent the freeze-thaw damage from occurring. The results of the experiments show that when the degree of saturation exceeds 86–88%, freeze-thaw damage is inevitable with or without entrained air even with very few freeze-thaw cycles.
Cloning and Phylogenetic Analysis of NMDA Receptor Subunits NR1, NR2A and NR2B in Xenopus laevis Tadpoles

N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) play an important role in many aspects of nervous system function such as synaptic plasticity and neuronal development. NMDARs are heteromers consisting of an obligate NR1 and most commonly one or two kinds of NR2 subunits. While the receptors have been well characterized in some vertebrate and invertebrate systems, information about NMDARs in Xenopus laevis brain is incomplete. Here we provide biochemical evidence that the NR1, NR2A and NR2B subunits of NMDARs are expressed in the central nervous system of X. laevis tadpoles. The NR1-4a/b splice variants appear to be the predominant isoforms while the NR1-3a/b variants appear to be expressed at low levels. We cloned the X. laevis NR2A and NR2B subunits and provide a detailed annotation of their functional domains in comparison with NR2A and NR2B proteins from 10 and 13 other species, respectively. Both NR2A and NR2B proteins are remarkably well conserved between species, consistent with the importance of NMDARs in nervous system function.
Uneven Distribution of Postjunctional Alphai‐ and Alpha2‐like Adrenoceptors in Canine Arterial and Venous Smooth Muscle

We studied isolated canine arteries and veins to compare the pharmacological properties of their postjunctional alpha-adrenoceptors. Rings of femoral and splenic arteries and of femoral and saphenous veins were mounted for isometric tension recording in organ chambers filled with Krebs- Ringer bicarbonate solution. The four blood vessels contracted when exposed to methoxamine, norepi- nephrine, phenylephrine, and tramazoline; clonidine failed to induce contraction only in the splenic artery. The relative sensitivity to methoxamine was comparable in the arteries and veins, but that for phenylephrine was larger in the former. The veins, but not the arteries, were more sensitive to clonidine and tramazoline than to phenylephrine or methoxamine. Phentolamine was a competitive antagonist against norepinephrine in the arteries and the veins. Prazosin was a competitive antagonist only in the arteries. The competitive antagonistic properties of yohimbine were more pronounced in the veins than in the arteries. Verapamil depressed to the same extent the contractile responses of saphenous veins to clonidine and norepinephrine, but reduced the contractions caused by methoxamine more than those due to norepinephrine. These results indicate the presence of both alphai- and alpha2-like adrenoceptors on venous smooth muscle cells, whereas arterial smooth muscle cells contain mainly postjunctional alpha,-adrenoceptors.
Nutrition and health technology assessment: when two worlds meet

There is a growing recognition that nutrition may have a positive impact on public health and that it may reduce medical expenditures. Yet, such claims need to be substantiated by evidence. This evidence could be delivered by health technology assessment (HTA), which can be thought of as the evaluation of technologies for clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and ethical, legal, and social impacts. The application of HTA to the field of “nutrition interventions” is recent. So far, HTA and nutrition have represented two worlds far apart in many respects. This contribution, roughly, addresses the following issues: is there a need for HTAs in the field of nutrition, what would such HTAs look like, and how can the results coming from these HTAs optimally aid policy making? In essence, HTAs of nutrition have much of the same basic principles and structure as HTAs of “classical” health care treatments. Nevertheless, there are challenges to rigorous HTAs of nutrition interventions, for various reasons. To mention a few: the evidence base for nutrition interventions is less well developed than that for many health care treatments. Furthermore, it is a matter of debate which outcome measures should be used in HTAs of nutrition. For example, one may argue that nutrition not only has health effects, but also effects that are not captured by traditional health-related quality of life measures (e.g., the pleasure of eating, effects relating to ease of use, or effects on well-being). HTAs in the field of nutrition may deliver information valuable to a wide range of stakeholders, including consumers/patients, health professionals, hospital administrators, insurers, and decision makers. The results of HTAs are typically used in making treatment guidelines, in informing decisions about reimbursement or about public health campaigns, etc. Yet, it is uncertain how the results of HTAs of nutrition can be used optimally. For example, would it be possible to summarize the results of a HTA in a single ratio (such as costs per quality-adjusted life-year gained) and then to either approve or reject the intervention based on this ratio, compared to a certain threshold? Apart from that, in the field of nutrition, it is typically not about reimbursement of a technology. Related to this, it is important that the message from HTAs of nutrition is brought to a range of stakeholders including the general population and that these HTAs are tailored to the decision-making context. To conclude, a growing need is felt for HTA-type evaluations of nutrition, which are sparse these days. Little thought has been given to developing an optimal methodology for HTAs of nutrition and to how its results should be integrated into policy making. Further work in these areas would stimulate the development of nutrition interventions that yield a gain in societal welfare. To achieve this, the two worlds of HTA and nutrition need to be brought together.
An application of plausible reasoning to information retrieval

Two versions of the extended plausible reasoning system were implemented, one using dominance weights (described in the paper) and the other using &id’ (Term Frequency Inverse Document Frequency) weights. Experiments were conducted using the titles and abstracts of the CACM collection and it was found that both versions of the extended plausible reasoning system are better than the vector space model and the system using dominance weights performed better than the system with ~. id~weights.
The enterprise system as a part of an organization's administrative paradox

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to discuss whether an enterprise system (ES) is a part of an organization's administrative paradox. The paper aims to question which role the ES has in organizing, focusing aspects of flexibility and stability.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a qualitative, longitudinal, case study of how an ES maintains, and even reinforces, existing administrative organizational structures. The theoretical lens used is mainly structuration theory.Findings – An ES can take the part of an organization's administrative paradox. An administrative paradox is two sides of the same coin when coordinating organizations – the concurrent striving for flexibility and stability. The studied ES even centralizes control, creates norms, and enhances power for actors in positions of authority (top management). Because of its structure and configuration the ES is a powerful tool to coordinate. The ES is considered to be organizationally ungainly, but at the same time indispensable.Pr.
A wavelength-switched time-slot routing scheme for wavelength-routed networks

Optical time division multiplexing (OTDM) is an effective approach to improve the performance of wavelength-routed (WR) networks. Implementation of all-optical time-slot routing in OTDM-WR networks is difficult owing to the lack of practical optical buffer and sophisticated optical processing devices. In this paper, a wavelength-switched time-slot routing scheme that can be implemented with fast wavelength converters only is proposed. Simulation results demonstrate that the performance of the proposed scheme is much better than that of WR networks and is comparable to OTDM-WR networks with time-shared space switching.
Relationships in reform: the role of teachers' social networks

Purpose: Scholars have focused their attention on systemic reform as a way to support instructional coherence. These efforts are often layered on to existing social relationships between school staff that are rarely taken into account when enacting reform. Social network theory posits that the structure of social relationships may influence the direction, speed, and depth of organizational change and therefore may provide valuable insights in the social forces that may support or constrain reform efforts. This study aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach: This mixed‐methods exploratory case study examined five schools within one under‐performing school district as it enacted a system‐wide reform. Quantitative survey data were collected to assess social networks and teacher work perception of five schools enacting the reform. Qualitative data were gathered through individual interviews from educators within representative grade levels as a way to better understand the diffusion and implementation of the reform. Findings: Despite being enacted as a system‐wide reform effort, the results suggest significant variance within and between schools in terms of reform‐related social networks. These networks were significantly related to the uptake, depth, and spread of the change. Densely connected grade levels were also associated with more interactions focused on teaching and learning and an increased sense of grade level efficacy. Practical implications: The findings underline the importance of attending to relational linkages as a complementary strategy to the technical emphasis of reform efforts, as social networks were found to significantly facilitate or constrain reform efforts. Implications and recommendations are offered for leadership, policy and practice that may support the design and implementation of reforms, which may ultimately increase student performance. Originality/value: The study makes a unique contribution to the reform literature by drawing on social network theory as a way to understand efforts at reform. The work suggests that the informal social linkages on which reform is layered may support or constrain the depth of reform.
Energy-Efficient Clustering/Routing for Cooperative MIMO Operation in Sensor Networks

Employing multi-input multi-output (MIMO) links can improve energy efficiency in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Although a sensor node is likely to be equipped with only one antenna, it is possible to group several sensors to form a virtual MIMO link. Such grouping can be formed by means of clustering. In this paper, we propose a distributed MIMO-adaptive energy-efficient clustering/routing scheme, coined cooperative MIMO (CMIMO), which aims at reducing energy consumption in multi- hop WSNs. In CMIMO, each cluster has up to two cluster heads (CHs), which are responsible for routing traffic between clusters (i.e., inter-cluster communications). CMIMO has the ability to adapt the transmission mode and transmission power on a per-packet basis. The transmission mode can be one of four transmit/receive configurations: 1 times 1 (SISO), 2 times 1 (MISO), 1 times 2 (SIMO), and 2 times 2 (MIMO). We study the performance of CMIMO via simulations. Results indicate that our proposed scheme achieves a significant reduction in energy consumption, compared to non-adaptive clustered WSNs.
Pushing operation for humanoid robot using multipoint contact states

In this paper, we propose new method for the task of pushing an object by a humanoid robot. First, a humanoid robot leans against the task object whose mass and shape are known, and it makes multipoint contact states which the whole body is supported by both hands and feet. We focus on two support polygons which consist of the both hands and one foot, and we make them include the center of mass (CoM). In this case, the humanoid robot doesn't need to move the CoM for walking and it is easily possible to make stable gate motion. The force control considering the pushing force and the acceleration control of the CoM are implemented for the gate velocity control. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Performance Evaluation of TCP Vegas versus Different TCP Variants in Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Wired Networks

A study on the performance of TCP Vegas versus different TCP variants in homogeneous and heterogeneous wired networks are performed via simulation experiment using network simulator (ns-2). This performance evaluation prepared a comparison medium for the performance evaluation of enhanced-TCP Vegas in wired network and for wireless network. In homogeneous network, the performance of TCP Tahoe, TCP Reno, TCP NewReno, TCP Vegas and TCP SACK are analyzed. In heterogeneous network, the performances of TCP Vegas against TCP variants are analyzed. TCP Vegas outperforms other TCP variants in homogeneous wired network. However, TCP Vegas achieves unfair throughput in heterogeneous wired network. Keywords—TCP Vegas, Homogeneous, Heterogeneous, Wired Network.
Feature Selection in Clustering Problems

A novel approach to combining clustering and feature selection is presented. It implements a wrapper strategy for feature selection, in the sense that the features are directly selected by optimizing the discriminative power of the used partitioning algorithm. On the technical side, we present an efficient optimization algorithm with guaranteed local convergence property. The only free parameter of this method is selected by a resampling-based stability analysis. Experiments with real-world datasets demonstrate that our method is able to infer both meaningful partitions and meaningful subsets of features.
Channel compensation for SVM speaker recognition

One of the major remaining challenges to improving accuracy in state-of-the-art speaker recognition algorithms is reducing the impact of channel and handset variations on system performance. For Gaussian Mixture Model based speaker recognition systems, a variety of channel-adaptation techniques are known and available for adapting models between different channel conditions, but for the much more recent Support Vector Machine (SVM) based approaches to this problem, much less is known about the best way to handle this issue. In this paper we explore techniques that are specific to the SVM framework in order to derive fully non-linear channel compensations. The result is a system that is less sensitive to specific kinds of labeled channel variations observed in training.
Advanced SIMD: Extending the reach of contemporary SIMD architectures

SIMD extensions have gained widespread acceptance in modern microprocessors as a way to exploit data-level parallelism in general-purpose cores. Popular SIMD architectures (e.g. Intel SSE/AVX) have evolved by adding support for wider registers and datapaths, and advanced features like indexed memory accesses, per-lane predication and inter-lane instructions, at the cost of additional silicon area and design complexity. This paper evaluates the performance impact of such advanced features on a set of workloads considered hard to vectorize for traditional SIMD architectures. Their sensitivity to the most relevant design parameters (e.g. register/datapath width and L1 data cache configuration) is quantified and discussed. We developed an ARMv7 NEON based ISA extension (ARGON), augmented a cycle accurate simulation framework for it, and derived a set of benchmarks from the Berkeley dwarfs. Our analyses demonstrate how ARGON can, depending on the structure of an algorithm, achieve speedups of 1.5x to 16x.
ZERO++: Harnessing the Power of Zero Appearances to Detect Anomalies in Large-Scale Data Sets

This paper introduces a new unsupervised anomaly detector called ZERO++ which employs the number of zero appearances in subspaces to detect anomalies in categorical data. It is unique in that it works in regions of subspaces that are not occupied by data; whereas existing methods work in regions occupied by data. ZERO++ examines only a small number of low dimensional subspaces to successfully identify anomalies. Unlike existing frequency-based algorithms, ZERO++ does not involve subspace pattern searching. We show that ZERO++ is better than or comparable with the state-of-the-art anomaly detection methods over a wide range of real-world categorical and numeric data sets; and it is efficient with linear time complexity and constant space complexity which make it a suitable candidate for large-scale data sets.
WYSINWYX: What you see is not what you eXecute

Over the last seven years, we have developed static-analysis methods to recover a good approximation to the variables and dynamically allocated memory objects of a stripped executable, and to track the flow of values through them. The article presents the algorithms that we developed, explains how they are used to recover Intermediate Representations (IRs) from executables that are similar to the IRs that would be available if one started from source code, and describes their application in the context of program understanding and automated bug hunting. Unlike algorithms for analyzing executables that existed prior to our work, the ones presented in this article provide useful information about memory accesses, even in the absence of debugging information. The ideas described in the article are incorporated in a tool for analyzing Intel x86 executables, called CodeSurfer/x86. CodeSurfer/x86 builds a system dependence graph for the program, and provides a GUI for exploring the graph by (i) navigating its edges, and (ii) invoking operations, such as forward slicing, backward slicing, and chopping, to discover how parts of the program can impact other parts. To assess the usefulness of the IRs recovered by CodeSurfer/x86 in the context of automated bug hunting, we built a tool on top of CodeSurfer/x86, called Device-Driver Analyzer for x86 (DDA/x86), which analyzes device-driver executables for bugs. Without the benefit of either source code or symbol-table/debugging information, DDA/x86 was able to find known bugs (that had been discovered previously by source-code analysis tools), along with useful error traces, while having a low false-positive rate. DDA/x86 is the first known application of program analysis/verification techniques to industrial executables.