Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of TGF‐β1/Smad2/3 pathway in platelet‐rich plasma in retarding intervertebral disc degeneration

Recent studies have suggested that platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) injections are an effective way to retard intervertebral disc degeneration, but the mechanism of action is unclear. Activated platelets release some growth factors, such as transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1), which positively modulate the extracellular matrix of nucleus pulposus cells. The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanism underlying the PRP‐mediated inhibition of intervertebral disc degeneration. In an in vitro study, we found that the proliferation of nucleus pulposus cells was greatly enhanced with 2.5% PRP treatment. The TGF‐β1 concentration was much higher after PRP treatment. PRP administration effectively increased the collagen II, aggrecan and sox‐9 mRNA levels and decreased collagen X levels. However, Western blotting demonstrated that specifically inhibiting TGF‐β1 signalling could significantly prevent nucleus pulpous cellular expression of Smad2/3 and matrix protein. In a rabbit study, magnetic resonance imaging revealed significant recovery signal intensity in the intervertebral discs of the PRP injection group compared with the very low signal intensity in the control groups. Histologically, the PRP plus inhibitor injection group had significantly lower expression levels of Smad2/3 and collagen II than the PRP group. These results demonstrated that a high TGF‐β1 content in the platelets retarded disc degeneration in vitro and in vivo. Inhibiting the TGF‐β1/Smad2/3 pathway could prevent this recovery by inactivating Smad2/3 and down‐regulating the extracellular matrix. Therefore, the TGF‐β1/Smad2/3 pathway might play a critical role in the ability of PRP to retard intervertebral disc degeneration.
WORDS, DEEDS, AND THE PERCEPTION OF CONSEQUENCES AND RESPONSIBILITY IN ACTION SITUATIONS '

It is proposed that correspondence between people's norms and their behavior can be expected only when pertinent norms are activated in the choice situation, and that activation depends upon how consequences and responsibility for social behavior are perceived. Using indexes of tendencies to become aware of consequences for the welfare of others and to ascribe responsibility to the self, 118 male college students were assigned to groups with different probabilities of experiencing activation of their norms. Within groups presumed to experience little activation of norms, no correspondenc e between norms and behavior was observed. Increasingly positive correlations were found within groups more likely to experience activation of norms. (For a summary index, r = .02 in the lowest group, and r = .58 in the highest.) The findings suggest an interaction between ascription of responsibilit y and awareness of consequences in activating norms. The question of how verbalizations concerning attitudes, opinions, and norms are related to overt behaviors is of continuing concern in social science. Deutscher (1966a) has compiled a bibliography of several hundred sources dealing with aspects of this question. Yet the conclusions drawn by reviewers of this literature are widely divergent. DeFleur and Westie (1963), for example, labeled the idea that there should be consistency between verbal behavior and actions "the fallacy of expected correspondence," arguing that verbalizations and overt actions constitute separate universes of response. Yet Campbell (1963, pp. 157-162) asserted that true inconsistency is rarely found, and called what is reported in the social attitude literature "pseudoinconsistency. " He cited failure to recognize that verbal behavior and overt behavior have different situational thresholds as the basis for many inconsistency interpretations. The springboard for the research reported here is the often noted fact that verbalizations are commonly elicited or measured in one setting, while the actions which they 1 This research was supported in part by Public Health Service fellowship MH-23, 855, and computer analysis was funded by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and the National Science Foundation. The author is indebted to Howard Schuman for his critical comments and suggestions. presumably might govern are observed in another (cf. Campbell, 1963; DeFleur &
Valuing the Overseas Mergers and Acquisitions Price Risk of Chinese Oil Companies: Based on VaR Modeling

This papers analysis the Market Risk Chinese oil companies facing in overseas mergers and acquisitions (M & A)by using Historical simulation ARMA forecasting (HSAF) as the basic analysis method and the spot price of WTI crude oil as the basic analysis variables. It makes the conclusions that the VaR predictive value is much greater than the actual value under the confidence level of 97.6 percent; and, at the most time , the predictive value is 1-2 times than the actual value. This shows that China's oil companies are facing with a great deal of risk when carrying out overseas mergers and acquisitions. Finally, discuss the avoidance way from strengthening market risk assessment in host country, reducing the interest rate and exchange rate risks, determining the ways mergers and acquisitions will take carefully, establishing overseas strategic alliances, entering the region on strategic choice.
Cartography Is Still Supreme

Acknowledging recent questions about the meaning and status of cartography in a world dominated by information and communication technologies, this paper proposes, for the sake of argument, that cartography has had a longer and stronger history than any alternative movements. The technological diversions of recent decades are seen as having contributed to, rather than diminished the power of cartography, whose evolution is also presented in context with a model of the evolution of the human mind. The conclusion, however, recognises the value and diversity of the status quo and seeks continuing research and collaboration between all the communities working with Geospatial Information.
BTNL2 Gene Polymorphism and Sarcoidosis Susceptibility: A Meta-Analysis

Background Butyrophilin-like 2 (BTNL2) rs2076530 gene polymorphism has been implicated in susceptibility to sarcoidosis. However, results from previous studies are not consistent. To assess the association of BTNL2 polymorphism and sarcoidosis susceptibility, a meta-analysis was performed. Methods PubMed, Embase were searched for eligible case-control studies. Data were extracted and pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results Ten studies involving a total of 3303 cases and 2514 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Combined data indicated that BTNL2 rs2076530 polymorphism was associated with sarcoidosis susceptibility in allelic model (A vs. G, OR = 1.59, 95%CI: 1.47–1.72), dominant model (AA + AG vs. GG, OR = 2.10, 95%CI: 1.67–2.65), and recessive model (AA vs. AG + GG, OR = 1.93, 95%CI: 1.49–2.50). Conclusions This meta-analysis indicates that BTNL2 rs2076530 polymorphism contributes to the risk of sarcoidosis.
Working Memory in the Processing of the Iowa Gambling Task: An Individual Differences Approach

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is a sequential learning task in which participants develop a tendency towards advantageous options arising from the outcomes associated with their previous decisions. The role of working memory in this complex task has been largely debated in the literature. On one hand, low working memory resources lead to a decrease in the number of advantageous decisions and make a significant part of participants unable to report explicitly which options are the most profitable. On the other hand, several studies have shown no contribution of working memory to the IGT decision patterns. In order to investigate this apparent incompatibility of results, we used an individual differences approach, which has proven an effective method to investigate the role of working memory in cognition. We compared the IGT decision patterns of participants as a function of their working memory capacity (WMC). As expected, contrary to low WMC participants, high WMC participants developed a tendency towards advantageous decisions. These findings lead us to discuss the role of WMC in decision making tasks.
Deep feature hash codes framework for content-based image retrieval

For large-scale image retrieval, high dimensional features make the retrieval system inefficiency. In this paper, we propose a framework of deep feature hash codes for content-based image retrieval system. In this framework, we firstly extract image features by a pre-trained convolutional neural networks model. Secondly, we use different hashing methods for binary feature extraction. Finally, we use the best binary encoding features to build a content-based image retrieval system. The experimental results demonstrate that with the decrease of feature dimension, our method not only does not reduce the retrieval precision, but also can improve the retrieval accuracy in some cases. The retrieval accuracy of 256 bits binary features can surpass the traditional method of 256 dimensional (4096 bits) features. Once the feature bits are 16 times lower, the storage space will decrease 16 times and the retrieval efficiency will be greatly increased. Therefore, our method can effectively improve the speed and precision of content-based image retrieval system.
Mobile Cloud Computing Architecture, Application Model, and Challenging Issues

In the era of this growing technology, Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) has become a major discussion thread for transforming the internet computing infrastructure. For IT world, MCC provides a vast platform where mobile users can explore their data anywhere anytime using Cloud services. Mobile Cloud Computing integrates the advantage of cloud computing, internet technology and mobile computing. That facilitates it to become more users friendly to store their data at cloud with a great ease. Despite a lot of advancement is achieved by the MCC, but still it is below the user expectations due to privacy and security issues of the regulated data. Significantly the thrust of the research is focused on exterminating various critical issues of MCC to make it more reliable and secure. In order to better understand the challenging issues, we have surveyed the existing work and classify the various application models in new perspective of used operating platform.
The Economic Impact of Helmet Use on Motorcycle Accidents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Literature from the Past 20 Years

Objective: The incidence and cost of motorcycle accidents are projected to increase. Motorcycle helmets are accepted as an effective strategy for reducing the morbidity and therefore the cost of motorcycle accidents. Despite this, states have continued to repeal helmet laws in the past 20 years. In addition, variations in the methodologies and outcomes of published reports have contributed to uncertainty regarding the health care dollars saved due to motorcycle helmet use. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to clarify the economic impact of motorcycle helmet use. Methods: Our primary source was Medline. Search terms included “motorcycle,” “motorbike,” “motorcycle helmet,” “head protective devices,” and “cost and cost analysis. ” The review only included articles that were primary studies, written in English, evaluations of periods after 1994, and published in a peer-reviewed journal. Two independent authors extracted data using predefined data fields. Meta-analysis was done using the R-metafor package. Results: Twelve papers met the criteria for inclusion. Meta-analysis demonstrated that nonhelmeted patients required $12,239 more in hospital costs per patient. Nonhelmeted patients also required more postdischarge care and were more likely to use publicly funded insurance. Studies also found lower injury severity and better hospital course in the helmeted population. Study limitations included selection bias, unclear statistical assumptions, lack of precision measures, confounding variables, and lack of standardization to a common year. Meta-analysis demonstrated an I2 of 67%, attributing a significant proportion of outcome variation to study differences. Conclusions: Motorcycle helmet use reduces morbidity and contributes to significant health care cost savings. Continuing antihelmet legislation will impose a substantial economic burden to the health care system, the government, and the public.
Set Matching Measures for External Cluster Validity

Comparing two clustering results of a data set is a challenging task in cluster analysis. Many external validity measures have been proposed in the literature. A good measure should be invariant to the changes of data size, cluster size, and number of clusters. We give an overview of existing set matching indexes and analyze their properties. Set matching measures are based on matching clusters from two clusterings. We analyze the measures in three parts: 1) cluster similarity, 2) matching, and 3) overall measurement. Correction for chance is also investigated and we prove that normalized mutual information and variation of information are intrinsically corrected. We propose a new scheme of experiments based on synthetic data for evaluation of an external validity index. Accordingly, popular external indexes are evaluated and compared when applied to clusterings of different data size, cluster size, and number of clusters. The experiments show that set matching measures are clearly better than the other tested. Based on the analytical comparisons, we introduce a new index called Pair Sets Index (PSI).
A routing-algorithm-aware design tool for indoor wireless sensor networks

We present a design tool to assist the rapid prototyping and deployment of wireless sensor networks for building automation systems. We argue that it is possible to design networks that are more resilient to failures and have longer lifetime, if the behavior of routing algorithms is taken into account at design time. Resiliency can be increased by algorithmically adding redundancy to the network at locations where it can be maximally leveraged by routing algorithms during operation. Lifetime can be increased by placing routers where they are most needed according to the expected data traffic patterns, to improve the quality of the transmission. The network synthesis problem is formulated as an optimization problem: we propose a mixed-integer linear program to solve it exactly, and a polynomial-time heuristic that returns close-to-optimal results in a shorter time.
Warming reduces metabolic rate in marine snails: adaptation to fluctuating high temperatures challenges the metabolic theory of ecology

The universal temperature-dependence model (UTD) of the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) proposes that temperature controls mass-scaled, whole-animal resting metabolic rate according to the first principles of physics (Boltzmann kinetics). Controversy surrounds the model's implication of a mechanistic basis for metabolism that excludes the effects of adaptive regulation, and it is unclear how this would apply to organisms that live in fringe environments and typically show considerable metabolic adaptation. We explored thermal scaling of metabolism in a rocky-shore eulittoral-fringe snail (Echinolittorina malaccana) that experiences constrained energy gain and fluctuating high temperatures (between 25°C and approximately 50°C) during prolonged emersion (weeks). In contrast to the prediction of the UTD model, metabolic rate was often negatively related to temperature over a benign range (30–40°C), the relationship depending on (i) the temperature range, (ii) the degree of metabolic depression (related to the quiescent period), and (iii) whether snails were isolated within their shells. Apparent activation energies (E) varied between 0.05 and −0.43 eV, deviating excessively from the UTD's predicted range of between 0.6 and 0.7 eV. The lowering of metabolism when heated should improve energy conservation in a high-temperature environment and challenges both the theory's generality and its mechanistic basis.
PHILOSOPHICAL-PEDAGOGICAL CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

An analysis of recent publications in the field of school effectiveness studies shows that virtually no contributions have been made in that knowledge domain with respect to the effectiveness of Christian schools. To address this shortcoming—while keeping the undesirability of a package approach to Christian education in mind—a philosophical-pedagogical approach to a more systematic assessment of Christian schools is offered. A number of other considerations regarding the assessment of the effectiveness of Christian schools are left for further discussion and investigation.
Using a single input to support multiple scan chains

Single scan chain architectures suffer from long test application time, while multiple scan chain architectures require large pin overhead and are not supported by boundary scan. We present a novel method to allow a single input line to support multiple scan chains. By appropriately connecting the inputs of all circuits under test during ATPG process such that the generated test patterns can be broadcast to all scan chains when actual testing is executed, we show that 177 and 280 test patterns are enough to detect all detectable faults in all 10 ISCAS'85 combinational circuits and 10 largest ISCAS'89 sequential circuits, respectively.
Head-up display for motorcycle navigation

In this paper, we describe a navigation system for motorcycle using the technology of head-up display. While there are various navigation system products for automobiles, motorcyclist has issues in using currently provided navigation system. It is known from previous researches that motorcycle rider moves their viewpoint in a characterful way while driving, which makes it difficult for the rider to look at small liquid crystal displays. To solve this issue, we propose a navigation system utilizing the technology of head-up display. While considering the motorcycle rider's viewpoint behavior, we constructed a head-up display to conduct experiments and observe the effects by presenting information on the head-up display. Regarding safety, experiments were conducted inside an immersive projection environment using a motorcycle simulator. The results of experiments clarified the preferable display position and the amount of information to present on the head-up display.
Addition of carvedilol to University Wisconsin solution improves rat steatotic and nonsteatotic liver preservation

Here we examine the effect of adding carvedilol (CVD) to University of Wisconsin (UW) solution on the preservation of steatotic and nonsteatotic livers during cold ischemia and after normothermic reperfusion. We used an isolated perfused rat liver model. The following protocols were evaluated. Protocol 1 concerned the effect of CVD after cold ischemia. Steatotic and nonsteatotic livers were preserved for 24 hours in UW solution alone or with CVD. Livers without cold ischemia were used as controls. Transaminases were evaluated in the flushing effluent. Protocol 2 involved the effect of CVD after reperfusion. Both liver types were preserved for 24 hours in UW solution alone or with CVD and then perfused ex vivo for 2 hours at 37°C. Livers flushed and perfused without ischemia were used as controls. Hepatic injury and functionality [transaminases, bile production, and hepatic clearance of sulfobromophthalein (BSP)] were evaluated after reperfusion. In addition, factors potentially involved in hepatic ischemia‐reperfusion injury, including oxidative stress (malondialdehyde and superoxide anion levels), mitochondrial damage (glutamate dehydrogenase activity), microcirculatory disorders (flow rate and vascular resistance), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion, were evaluated after reperfusion. After cold ischemia, steatotic livers preserved in UW solution showed higher transaminase levels than nonsteatotic livers. After reperfusion, steatotic livers preserved in UW solution showed higher transaminase levels and lower bile production and BSP clearance than nonsteatotic livers. Alterations in the perfusion flow rate and vascular resistance, mitochondrial damage, and reduced ATP content were more evident in steatotic livers preserved in UW solution. The addition of CVD to UW solution reduced hepatic injury, obstructed its mechanisms, and improved hepatic functionality in both liver types. We conclude that CVD is a useful additive for UW solution that improves the preservation of steatotic and nonsteatotic livers subjected to prolonged cold ischemia. Liver Transpl 16:163–171, 2010. © 2010 AASLD.
Causes of Mortality and Diseases in Farmed Deer in Switzerland

To investigate diseases and causes of mortality in Swiss farmed deer, deer found dead or shot due to diseased condition between March 2003 and December 2004 were requested for a complete postmortem examination. One hundred and sixty-two animals were submitted. Perinatal mortality, necrobacillosis in 3 week to 6 month old deer, and endoparasitosis in 6 month to 2 year old deer were identified as the most important causes of loss, followed by ruminal acidosis, which was diagnosed in 22% of deer older than 1 year. Congenital malformations were observed in 15% of deer less than 6 months old. Reportable infectious diseases known as major problems in deer farming in other countries were rare (yersiniosis, malignant catarrhal fever) or not observed (tuberculosis, chronic wasting disease). Overall, the results indicate that the Swiss deer population does not present major health problems of concern for domestic animals.
Escaping Threat Understanding the Importance of Threat Sensitivity in Social Anxiety

Individuals with a hypersensitivity to threatening stimuli in the environment may be more likely to experience a higher level of social anxiety. According to Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST), there are two important aspects of threat stimuli that influence subsequent emotional and behavioral responses. Specifically, perceptions pertaining to defensive direction and distance are considered critical factors in understanding threat responses. This paper aimed to determine whether threat perceptions mediate the relationship between threat sensitivity and social anxiety. Self-report measures of sensitivity to threat, social anxiety, and a vignette designed to assess threat perceptions were administered to a sample of 218 participants (73% female; Mage = 33.75, SDage = 11.52). Data indicated a mediational influence of perceived escapability on the relationship between sensitivity to threat and social anxiety. Overall, these findings highlight the role of perceived escapability of threat in understanding the relationship between threat sensitivity and social anxiety.