Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postprandial Endotoxemia Linked With Chylomicrons and Lipopolysaccharides Handling in Obese Versus Lean Men: A Lipid Dose-Effect Trial.

CONTEXT Postprandial endotoxemia is a metabolic risk factor, which has been shown to originate from the intestinal absorption of gut lipopolysaccharides (LPS) using nonphysiological high-fat tests. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine whether different realistic fat amounts can modulate postprandial dynamics and handling of LPS by varying postprandial lipidemia in humans of different body mass indices. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In a randomized, controlled, cross-over study in nutrition research center, eight normal-weight (NW) and eight obese age-matched men, without diabetes nor dyslipidemia, ingested breakfasts containing 10 vs 40 g fat. Blood samples, leukocytes, and chylomicron-rich fractions were obtained during 8 h. Plasma and chylomicron-endotoxemia, plasma LPS transporters (LBP, sCD14) and IL-6, nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) translocation, and IL-6 gene expression of immune cells were measured. MAIN OUTCOME The postprandial fatty acid handling after ingesting 40 g fat was previously published as primary outcome. The secondary outcomes were inflammatory ones including postprandial endotoxemia, LPS handling, and plasma markers of inflammation after ingesting 10 or 40 g fat. RESULTS Chylomicronemia increased in all subjects according to ingested fat amount (P < .01), but only obese had higher postprandial endotoxemia after 40 g (P < .05). Obese subject chylomicrons were more enriched with LPS compared with NW (PBMI < .01). We observed neither NF-κB translocation, nor variation of IL-6 expression in leukocytes. In both groups, fat amount did not modify postprandial response of plasma IL-6. However, the area under the curve (AUC) of IL-6 in obese was higher than in NW (P < .05) parallel to higher fasting LPS-binding protein (LBP; P < .05). AUC of IL-6 was correlated with LBP (P < .01). CONCLUSION Postprandial endotoxemia is modulated by ingested fat amount in obese men. LPS handling in plasma through chylomicrons and LBP seems critical in driving the acute inflammatory response. The pathophysiological importance of repeated postprandial endotoxemia excursions and their contribution to a vicious cycle of LBP-driven low-grade inflammation deserve further investigation in the nutritional management of cardio-metabolic risk prevention.
Vehicle Detection from Satellite Images in Digital Image Processing

Nowadays, a new agenda of extracting small scale objects as vehicles from high resolution satellite images have been evaluated. Less research is performed using high resolution satellite imagery as it is a challenging task. Though various studies have been performed, still there is a need to develop a fast, robust, and suitable approach. The approach described in this paper gives out the accuracy rate of vehicles captured from satellite images It simply workout the full numbers of vehicles within the desired space in the satellite image and vehicles are shown underneath the bounding box as a small spots.
Towards Semi-automated Detection of Trigger-based Behavior for Software Security Assurance

A program exhibits trigger-based behavior if it performs undocumented, often malicious, functions when the environmental conditions and/or specific input values match some pre-specified criteria. Checking whether such hidden functions exist in the program is important for increasing trustworthiness of software. In this paper, we propose a framework to effectively detect trigger-based behavior at the source code level. Our approach is semi-automated: We use automated source code instrumentation and mixed concrete and symbolic execution to generate potentially suspicious test cases that may trigger hidden, potentially malicious functions. The test cases must be investigated by a human analyst manually to decide which of them are real triggers. While our approach is not fully automated, it greatly reduces manual work by allowing analysts to focus on a few test cases found by our automated tools.
An inter-domain routing scheme for software-defined optical network

Software-Defined Optical Network (SDON) incorporates the technologies of Software-Defined Network (SDN) into the comprehensive solutions of traditional optical network, which greatly improves the weaknesses of the traditional optical network, including inadequate enforcement of control, inefficient utilization of resource and so on. Based on the improved SDON architecture, this paper did lots of research and experiments on the inter-domain routing technologies of multi-domain SDON. Results show that the SDON architecture can effectively solve the routing problems among the traditional multi-domain optical networks.
Image data compression with nonuniform block segmentation and luminance approximation using bilinear curved surface patches

A grayscale image is subdivided into nonuniform blocks and luminance values in each block are approximated by a bilinear curved surface patch. (1) Comparison with a method using triangular plain patches shows that a bilinear curved surface patch is more efficient. (2) Encoding luminance values on block vertices which construct patch is discussed. A method of encoding by adaptive prediction with Z-scanning is proposed. (3) The S/N of the reconstructed image (ITE test chart: a portrait with monotonous background under 0.38 bpp) is higher than the case of down-sampling JPEG. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 33(10): 31–40, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10097
The Origins and Development of the Concept of a ‘Nephrotic Syndrome’

Accessible online at: www.karger. com/journals/ajn Today, and for the past half century, the concept of a ‘nephrotic syndrome’ has been an accepted and apparently useful feature in descriptions of glomerular diseases, with its central crossroads profuse proteinuria. This syndrome is pictured on the one hand as arising from a variety of causes of glomerular damage which lead in turn to considerable persistent proteinuria, either arising apparently primary to the kidney, or as part of systemic disease: and on the other hand, despite this variety of antecedents as leading to identical clinical manifestations, the most important of which is the accumulation of oedema but also involving hyperlipidaemia, hypercoagulability and possibly renal damage from increased protein traffic though glomeruli and tubules. This view has the advantage of making sense of a major area of proteinuric glomerular disease, which is characterised by partial overlaps and discordances between various levels of clinical, chemical, immunological and pathological description, response to treatment and outcome. How did this useful concept arise, and what has determined its enduring popularity? This account is necessarily brief given restrictions on space available, and the reader is referred to a previous account [1] for more detailed treatment of some aspects, and more detailed references. Nevertheless many ideas are exposed and discussed here which are not treated in the former account. Dropsy, and Early Descriptions of Proteinuria and Renal Alterations Associated with It
Compact Low Frequency Varactor Loaded Tunable SRR Antenna

An electrically small tunable split ring resonator antenna is presented. The resonance of the antenna is dependent on the resonance of the split rings. By loading the split ring with varactor diodes, the antenna operating frequency can be reduced and tuned. By applying a DC voltage of 1 to 9 V, the antenna is capable of tuning within the frequency range of 365 MHz to 500 MHz with the measured reflection coefficient of <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">${-}10$</tex></formula> dB. The antenna is compact and low profile. At the operation frequency of 365 MHz, it measures <formula formulatype="inline"> <tex Notation="TeX">$0.095 \lambda \times 0.046 \lambda \times 0.001\lambda$</tex> </formula>, where <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$\lambda$</tex> </formula> is the free space wavelength.
Exploring How Constraints Created by Other People Influence Intraindividual Variation in Objective Performance Measures

Objective performance indicators have low test-retest reliability, particularly in complex jobs. Yet, little is actually known about the reasons why objective performance indicators lack temporal stability. The authors address this issue by using data from a sample of 106 professional football players to explore how the actions of other people influence intraindividual variation in performance. Results suggest that weekly measures of performance outcome exhibit substantial variability within individuals. A significant portion of this within-person variance is explained by environmental fluctuation created by the constraining actions of other people. Individuals with highly fluctuating past performance exhibit stronger relationships between the actions of competitors and subsequent performance outcomes. The intraindividual relationship between fluctuating constraints and performance outcomes is also stronger for individuals in more complex jobs.
Architecture Proposal for Data Extraction of Chart Images Using Convolutional Neural Network

Different information visualization techniques can be found in the literature due to the quantity and variety of data stored in computational systems. In this context, the classification of chart images becomes important because it allows various types of graphs to be detected automatically in different contexts, allowing a more specific processing for each type of visualization, for example, data extraction. Several techniques of image classification can be used, where the most common are based on the extraction of features of the images, and a later classification using these features. However, one technique that has been gaining prominence in the context of image classification is the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). This technique is based on deep learning and, in a way, encapsulates the feature extraction process. In this way, the proposal of this article is to use an architecture of a client-server based model to do the chart image classification and later data extraction from this image. The main advantage is doing the CNN processing on the server side, so the application does not rely on client device limitations. For this, an image dataset was generated from the web, and it has ten classes of graphs. From the experiments done, it was seen that the use of this technique was feasible, and modifications in the architecture can be made as a proposal to improve the accuracy of the model.
Changes in single motor unit behaviour contribute to the increase in contraction speed after dynamic training in humans

1 The adaptations of the ankle dorsiflexor muscles and the behaviour of single motor units in the tibialis anterior in response to 12 weeks of dynamic training were studied in five human subjects. In each training session ten series of ten fast dorsiflexions were performed 5 days a week, against a load of 30–40 % of the maximal muscle strength. 2 Training led to an enhancement of maximal voluntary muscle contraction (MVC) and the speed of voluntary ballistic contraction. This last enhancement was mainly related to neural adaptations since the time course of the muscle twitch induced by electrical stimulation remained unaffected. 3 The motor unit torque, recorded by the spike‐triggered averaging method, increased without any change in its time to peak. The orderly motor unit recruitment (size principle) was preserved during slow ramp contraction after training but the units were activated earlier and had a greater maximal firing frequency during voluntary ballistic contractions. In addition, the high frequency firing rate observed at the onset of the contractions was maintained during the subsequent spikes after training. 4 Dynamic training induced brief (2–5 ms) motor unit interspike intervals, or ‘doublets’. These doublets appeared to be different from the closely spaced (±10 ms) discharges usually observed at the onset of the ballistic contractions. Motor units with different recruitment thresholds showed doublet discharges and the percentage of the sample of units firing doublets was increased by training from 5.2 to 32.7 %. The presence of these discharges was observed not only at the onset of the series of spikes but also later in the electromyographic (EMG) burst. 5 It is likely that earlier motor unit activation, extra doublets and enhanced maximal firing rate contribute to the increase in the speed of voluntary muscle contraction after dynamic training.
Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking for Keratoconus and Post-LASIK Ectasia

Corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) is a novel technology that utilizes a combination of riboflavin (vitamin B2) eye drops, to saturate the cornea, and UV-A light which sets off a chemical reaction to shorten the cross links between and within collagen fibers thereby increasing the biomechanical stability of the corneal stroma (1–4). The objective of this procedure is to halt progression of keratoconus, post-LASIK ectasia, and other corneal ectasias, such as pellucid marginal degeneration. In some cases, there has been improvement in visual acuity, reduction of corneal curvature and improvement in quality of life (5). In the 1970’s Siegel discussed cross-linking reactions whereby lysyl oxidase catalyzed the formation of cross-linking aldehydes in collagen and elastin (6–7). Cross-linking is well known in material sciences and dentistry where this enzymatic process increases molecular bonds to increase the mechanical strength of tissue. Cross-linking can be induced enzymatically by means of aldehydes, chemical fixatives or by photosensitizing radiation. Of the three methods the photosensitizing radiation has been shown to be most effective. In corneal clinical practice, CXL utilizes this method where the riboflavin acts as a photosensitizer for the production of free radicals produced by the interaction of the riboflavin and UV-A light. The production of these reactive oxygen species (singlet oxygen) causes the formation of chemical bonds within the corneal stroma resulting in corneal stiffening (3).
Handheld Mobile Device Based Text Region Extraction and Binarization of Image Embedded Text Documents

Abstract. Effective text region extraction and binarization of image embedded text documents on mobile devices having limited computational resources is an open research problem. In this paper, we present one such technique for preprocessing images captured with built-in cameras of handheld devices with an aim of developing an efficient Business Card Reader. At first, the card image is processed for isolating foreground components. These foreground components are classified as either text or non-text using different feature descriptors of texts and images. The non-text components are removed and the textual ones are binarized with a fast adaptive algorithm. Specifically, we propose new techniques (targeted to mobile devices) for (i) foreground component isolation, (ii) text extraction and (iii) binarization of text regions from camera captured business card images. Experiments with business card images of various resolutions show that the present technique yields better accuracy and involves low computational overhead in comparison with the state-of-the-art. We achieve optimum text/non-text separation performance with images of resolution 800×600 pixels with an average recall rate of 93.90% and a precision rate of 96.84%. It involves a peak memory consumption of 0.68 MB and processing time of 0.102 seconds on a moderately powerful notebook, and 4 seconds of processing time on a PDA.
Using Whole Building Simulation Models in Commissioning

The commissioning process has seldom used simulation as part of the commissioning process to date. It has been used for isolated retrocommissioning projects (e.g. Liu and Claridge 1995, Liu et al. 1999). However, there appears to be significant opportunity to utilize simulations as part of the commissioning process, particularly when simulation models are used as (1) part of the design process, (2) part of the savings determination (e.g. Option D of the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol) process or (3) for diagnostics following commissioning.
A resilient and seamless rekeying scheme based on random key distribution for WSN

Wireless sensor networks are often placed in hostile and unattended areas, making the nodes exposed to many attacks. Node capture is one of the prominent attack in such networks. Whenever, a node is captured, its keys have to be revoked from the network by means of rekeying. We aim to optimize the problem of key revocation and rekeying by reducing the communication and computation overhead. An attack algorithm is presented from an adversarial view point, compromising of capturing cost and traveling cost. It is used to compute the destructive rank of each node which ultimately finds the set of vulnerable nodes of the network. Each communicating node determine a backup key for future node revocation and automatically switches to it, to avoid the reconfiguration of the shared key. The keys of vulnerable nodes are bypassed during the generation of the backup link keys. It is shown that proposed scheme has high level of security as well as reduced communication overhead during rekeying process. The proposed attack is also compared with random attack and found that it is improved in terms of route compromise ratio and energy cost.
Imbalanced fault detection using real time symmetrical coordinate calculation with memorized data

This paper proposes a real time symmetrical coordinate transformation applied for detection of imbalanced fault in utility power system. The power conditioner of the photovoltaic system in Japan is required to remain connected when the utility power system fault occurs under certain condition. The most popular fault is 1 line-to-ground fault. The next is 2 line-short fault. Both cause the imbalance voltages and currents in 3-phase power system. To optimize the output from the power conditioner of the photovoltaic system, the detection of the imbalanced condition is important factor. In this paper, new development of the signal processing method by using the complex number algebra in real time system is shown. The fast detection of the imbalanced condition is verified by the computer simulations.
Stretching exercise volume for flexibility enhancement in secondary school children.

AIM The study aim was to establish the threshold of stretching volume for flexibility enhancement during physical education lessons in secondary school children. METHODS Subjects were 239 tenth grade children randomly assigned to four groups (boys 107, girls 132, mean age 15.1 ± 0.4). Children involved in after-school sports were not included in the study. Physical education lessons were performed twice a week for 45 minutes in duration. The intervention lasted for five weeks comprising 10 physical education lessons. Flexibility was determined from sit and reach test before and after intervention. Subjects in group 1 performed standard "sit and reach" test of four trials in every physical education lesson; in group 2 received one stretching exercise of four repetitions; group 3 received four stretching exercises of four repetitions; in group 4 no stretching was performed. RESULTS Flexibility improvement in group 3 were the greatest (21.6%; P<0.05), smaller in group 2 (12.6%, P<0.05) and smallest in 1 group (5.1%, P<0.05), while control group changes were insignificant (1.7%, P>0.05). CONCLUSION The main finding was that single flexibility test performed twice a week for five weeks was sufficient stimulus to increase range of motion in secondary school children. Stretching exercises provides exceptional prospects to achieve youths' improvement since schoolchildren are very sensitive to flexibility training.
Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Supports Undifferentiated Human Embryonic Stem Cell Growth Without Conditioned Medium

Previous studies have shown that prolonged propagation of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) requires conditioned medium from mouse embryonic feeders (MEF‐CM) as well as matrix components. Because hESCs express growth factor receptors, including those for basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), stem cell factor (SCF), and fetal liver tyrosine kinase‐3 ligand (Flt3L), we evaluated these and other growth factors for their ability to maintain undifferentiated hESCs in the absence of conditioned medium. We found cultures maintained in bFGF alone or in combination with other factors showed characteristics similar to MEF‐CM control cultures, including morphology, surface marker and transcription factor expression, telomerase activity, differentiation, and karyotypic stability. In contrast, cells in media containing Flt‐3L, thrombopoietin, and SCF, individually or in combination, showed almost complete differentiation after 6 weeks in culture. These data demonstrate that hESCs can be maintained in nonconditioned medium using growth factors.
MyD88 Functions as a Negative Regulator of TLR3/TRIF-induced Corneal Inflammation by Inhibiting Activation of c-Jun N-terminal Kinase*

The adaptor molecule MyD88 is necessary for responses to all Toll-like receptors except TLR3 and a subset of TLR4 signaling events, which are mediated by the adaptor molecule TRIF. To determine the role of TRIF in host inflammatory responses, corneal epithelium of C57BL/6, TLR3-/-, TRIF-/-, and MyD88-/- mice was abraded and stimulated with the synthetic TLR3 ligand poly(I:C). We found that poly(I:C) induced a pronounced cellular infiltration into the corneal stroma, which was TLR3- and TRIF-dependent. Unexpectedly, the inflammatory response was exacerbated in MyD88-/- mice, with enhanced neutrophil and F4/80+ cell infiltration into the corneal stroma and elevated corneal haze, which is an indicator of loss of corneal transparency. To determine whether MyD88-dependent inhibition of TLR3/TRIF responses is a general phenomenon, we examined cytokine production by MyD88-/- bone marrow-derived macrophages; however, no significant difference was observed between MyD88+/+ or MyD88-/- macrophages. Incontrast, human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) transfected with MyD88 small interfering RNA had significantly increased (2.5-fold) CCL5/RANTES production compared with control HCECs, demonstrating a negative regulatory role for MyD88 in TLR3/TRIF responses in these cells. Finally, knockdown of MyD88 in HCECs resulted in increased phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), but not p38, IRF-3, or NF-κB. Consistent with this finding, the JNK inhibitor SP600125, but not p38 inhibitor SB203580, ablated this response. Taken together, these findings demonstrate a novel JNK-dependent inhibitory role for MyD88 in the TLR3/TRIF activation pathway.
An Area Localization Scheme for Underwater Sensor Networks

For large wireless sensor networks, identifying the exact location of every sensor may not be feasible and the cost may be very high. A coarse estimate of the sensors' locations is usually sufficient for many applications. In this paper, we propose an efficient Area Localization Scheme (ALS) for underwater sensor networks. This scheme tries to estimate the position of every sensor within a certain area rather than its exact location. The granularity of the areas estimated for each node can be easily adjusted by varying system parameters. All the complex calculations are handled by the powerful sinks instead of the sensors. This reduces the energy consumed by the sensors and helps extend the lifetime of the network.