Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Th1- and Th2-Dependent Endothelial Progenitor Cell Recruitment and Angiogenic Switch in Asthma1

Increased numbers of submucosal vessels are a consistent pathologic component of asthmatic airway remodeling. However, the relationship between new vessel formation and asthmatic inflammatory response is unknown. We hypothesized that angiogenesis is a primary event during the initiation of airway inflammation and is linked to the recruitment of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPC). To test this hypothesis, circulating EPC and EPC-derived endothelial cell colony formation of individuals with asthma or allergic rhinitis and health controls was evaluated. Circulating EPC were increased in asthma, highly proliferative, and exhibited enhanced incorporation into endothelial cell tubes as compared with controls. In an acute allergen challenge murine asthma model, EPC mobilization occurred within hours of challenge and mobilized EPC were selectively recruited into the challenged lungs of sensitized animals, but not into other organs. EPC recruitment was Th1 and Th2 dependent and was temporally associated with an increased microvessel density that was noted within 48 h of allergen challenge, indicating an early switch to an angiogenic lung environment. A chronic allergen challenge model provided evidence that EPC recruitment to the lung persisted and was associated with increasing microvessel density over time. Thus, a Th1- and Th2-dependent angiogenic switch with EPC mobilization, recruitment, and increased lung vessel formation occurs early but becomes a sustained and cumulative component of the allergen-induced asthmatic response.
Detecting Remote Protein Evolutionary Relationships via String Scoring Method

The amount of the information being churned out by the field of biology has jumped manifold and now requires the extensive use of computer techniques for the management of this information. The predominance of biological information such as protein sequence similarity in the biological information sea is key information for detecting protein evolutionary relationship. Protein sequence similarity typically implies homology, which in turn may imply structural and functional similarities. In this work, we propose, a learning method for detecting remote protein homology. The proposed method uses a transformation that converts protein sequence into fixed-dimensional representative feature vectors. Each feature vector records the sensitivity of a protein sequence to a set of amino acids substrings generated from the protein sequences of interest. These features are then used in conjunction with support vector machines for the detection of the protein remote homology. The proposed method is tested and evaluated on two different benchmark protein datasets and it's able to deliver improvements over most of the existing homology detection methods.
A regularized iterative image restoration algorithm

The development of the algorithm is based on a set theoretic approach to regularization. Deterministic and/or statistical information about the undistorted image and statistical information about the noise are directly incorporated into the iterative procedure. The restored image is the center of an ellipsoid bounding the intersection of two ellipsoids. The proposed algorithm, which has the constrained least squares algorithm as a special case, is extended into an adaptive iterative restoration algorithm. The spatial adaptivity is introduced to incorporate properties of the human visual system. Convergence of the proposed iterative algorithms is established. For the experimental results which are shown, the adaptively restored images have better quality than the nonadaptively restored ones based on visual observations and on an objective criterion of merit which accounts for the noise masking property of the visual system. >
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity and natural enemies promote coexistence of tropical tree species.

Negative population feedbacks mediated by natural enemies can promote species coexistence at the community scale through disproportionate mortality of numerically dominant (common) tree species. Simultaneously, associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can result in positive effects on tree populations. Coupling data on seedling foliar damage from herbivores and pathogens and DNA sequencing of soil AMF diversity, we assessed the effects of these factors on tree seedling mortality at local (1 m2 ) and community (16 ha plot) scales in a tropical rainforest in Puerto Rico. At the local scale, AMF diversity in soil counteracted negative effects from foliar damage on seedling mortality. At the community scale, mortality of seedlings of common tree species increased with foliar damage while rare tree species benefited from soil AMF diversity. Together, the effects of foliar damage and soil AMF diversity on seedling mortality might foster tree species coexistence in this forest.
Early Breast Cancer Identification: Which Way to Go? Microarray or Image Based Computer Aided Diagnosis!

The goal of this research is to develop a computer aided diagnostic (CAD) system that can detect breast cancer in the early stage by using microarray and image data. We verified the performance of six well known classification algorithms with various performance matrices. Although we do not suggest a unique classifier algorithm for a CAD system, we do identify a number of algorithms whose performance is very promising. The algorithms performance was validated by 3 images dataset; two have been used for the first time in this experiment. Multidimensional image filtering is adopted for the final data extraction. The image data classification performance is compared with microarray data. Results suggest the most effective means of breast cancer identification in the early stage is a hybrid approach.
Running Head : Expectations improve perceptual metacognition Prior expectations facilitate metacognition for perceptual

The influential framework of 'predictive processing' suggests that prior probabilistic expectations influence, or even constitute, perceptual contents. This notion is evidenced by the facilitation of low-level perceptual processing by expectations. However, whether expectations can facilitate high-level components of perception remains unclear. We addressed this question by considering the influence of expectations on perceptual metacognition. To isolate the effects of expectation from those of attention we used a novel factorial design: expectation was manipulated by changing the probability that a Gabor target would be presented; attention was manipulated by instructing participants to perform or ignore a concurrent visual search task. We found that, independently of attention, metacognition improved when yes/no responses were congruent with expectations of target presence/absence. Results were modeled under a novel Bayesian signal detection theoretic framework which integrates bottom-up signal propagation with top-down influences, to provide a unified description of the mechanisms underlying perceptual decision and metacognition.
LOW COMPLEXITY DETECTION ALGORITHMS FOR MULTI-USER STBC SYSTEMS

This paper proposes two low complexity detection algorithms for Multi-user Space Time Block Code systems. By dividing the channel into blocks of smaller matrices and exploiting the special characteristics of the STBC equivalent channel, we develop two low complexity algorithms that reduce the complexity of detection process as compare with others common linear detection algorithms like ZF and MMSE. The first algorithm use only Gaussian Elimination (GE), which can get same performance with ZF and MMSE but lower complexity. The second one is combination of Gaussian Elimination and Ordered Successive Cancellation (GEOSUC) to get better performance. In this paper the comparisons between receiver and other popular receivers, including linear receivers are provided. It will be shown that the complexity of the two algorithms lower than ZF and MMSE and performance of GEOSUC superior as compared to others linear detection method.
Performance Appraisal-Management by Objective and Assessment Centre

Problem statement: Two methods for performance appraisal that are discussed in this study and they are Management By Objective (MBO) and Assessment Centre techniques. Employees are appraised for several reasons, the most important of which is to realize the best use of human resources and to plan for future needs; reward and punishment are secondary. Assessment Centre evaluation or appraisal is valuable because it allows a candidate to concentrate on the task at hand. Approach: The literature review and arguments were conducted to provide a systematic discussion of the study. Results: In Management by Objective performance appraisal, employees are obliged to deal with overcoming empirical challenges. In Assessment Centre Appraisal, the different outcomes for particular tasks can be evaluated and management can assess employees’ relative proficiencies in terms of these tasks. In both forms, consistency in criteria is crucial, for purposes of comparison and standardization. Where comparisons are made with other employees, the criteria need to be parallel for employees at similar levels of responsibility. Conclusion: Differences between organizational cultures will impact on the way that assessment results are received under MBO performance appraisal as well. The outcomes that employees achieve in the tasks provided for appraisal purposes may involve different levels of risk, even within firm guidelines. In the assessment centre, the candidate is separated from colleagues. To make comparative rating assessments, effective MBO will incorporate objective criteria. At times, MBO will be useful in judging change over time for employees performing fairly routine work.
Molecular dynamics computer simulation of amorphous silica under high pressure

The structural and dynamic properties of silica melts under high pressure are studied using molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulation. The interactions between the ions are modelled by a pairwise-additive potential, the so-called CHIK potential, that has been recently proposed by Carré et al 2008 Europhys. Lett. 82 17001. The experimental equation of state is well reproduced by the CHIK model. With increasing pressure (density), the structure changes from a tetrahedral network to a network containing a high number of five- and six-fold Si–O coordinations. In the partial static structure factors, this change of the structure with increasing density is reflected by a shift of the first sharp diffraction peak towards higher wavenumbers q, eventually merging with the main peak at densities around 4.2 g cm−3. The self-diffusion constants as a function of pressure show the experimentally known maximum, occurring around a pressure of about 20 GPa.
Usefulness of antinuclear antibody testing to screen for rheumatic diseases

OBJECTIVE To assess the usefulness of the indirect immunofluorescence antinuclear antibody test (FANA) using human laryngeal epithelial carcinoma cells as nuclear substrate, to screen for childhood rheumatic diseases. STUDY DESIGN A review of all FANA tests performed on children at British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital between 7 March 1991 and 31 July 1995. RESULTS FANA tests were positive at titres of 1:20 or greater in 41% of all subjects tested, and in 65% of all subjects in whom the diagnosis was obtained. FANA positivity occurred in 67% of those with a rheumatic disease, compared with 64% of those with a non-rheumatic disease (p=0.4). More girls had high titre FANA positivity than boys independent of whether or not they had a rheumatic disease (p=0.05). At a screening serum dilution of 1:40 a positive test has a sensitivity of only 0.63, and a positive predictive value of only 0.33 for any rheumatic disease. For systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), or overlap syndrome at a screening dilution of 1:40 the test has a very high sensitivity of 0.98, but a very low positive predictive value of only 0.10, the test having slightly better characteristics for boys than girls. CONCLUSION Although a negative FANA test makes a diagnosis of SLE or MCTD extremely unlikely, a positive test even at moderately high titres of 1:160 or higher is found so frequently in children without a rheumatic disease that a positive result has little or no diagnostic value. It is suggested that a screening serum dilution of 1:160 or 1:320 would increase the usefulness of the test, by decreasing false positive tests, without significantly increasing false negative tests for SLE or MCTD, and would have the potential for considerable cost savings. Key messages Use of HEp-2 cells as substrate has resulted in a FANA (fluorescence antinuclear antibody) test that is too sensitive Most children with positive FANA tests (using HEp-2 cells as substrate) do not have a rheumatic disease It is probable that the FANA test (using HEp-2 cells) should be abandoned as a ‘screening test’ for rheumatic diseases It is possible that it would be more efficient to request an anti-DNA as the initial test if a physician believes a child has systemic lupus erythematosus
Predicting the Evolution of Pressure Ulcers

A pressure ulcer is a clinical pathology of localized damage to the skin and underlying tissue caused by pressure, shear or friction. Diagnosis, treatment and care of pressure ulcers are costly for health services. Accurate wound evaluation is a critical task for optimizing the efficacy of treatment and care. Prediction of wound evolution helps the effective management of health resources and planning of pharmacological treatment and health-care decisions. In this paper, different machine learning approaches have been designed and used to predict the evolution of pressure ulcers. These predictive systems are based on local features extracted from wound images which were weekly taken in uncontrolled lighting conditions. The images were automatically segmented by the mean-shift procedure. A group of clinical experts manually classified the segmented regions into five different tissue types, and a set of local descriptors based on area measurements of these tissues was extracted. The one-week evolution of two different indicators for pressure ulcer evaluation is predicted: the ratio between granulation and devitalized tissue, and the percentage of wound-bed border consisting of granulation tissue. Of the tens of machine learning approaches and architectures tested in this study, support vector machines, naive Bayes classifiers, neural networks and decision trees achieved the highest accuracy rates in the prediction of the two indicators above, with also acceptable sensitivity and positive predictive value rates. Feature selection significantly reduced the number of input features needed for prediction. Neural networks and decision trees gave the best performance results, and the C4.5 algorithm achieved the highest accuracy rate (∼ 81%) in the prediction of the granulation/devitalized ratio from a small number of input features.
Hybrid models in decision making under uncertainty: The case of training provider evaluation

This paper provides a novel design for two hybrid models in modeling decision making under uncertainty: AHP-Fuzzy PROMETHEE and AHP-Fuzzy TOPSIS. The analytic hierarchy process' (AHP) excellent ability in problem structuring allows weights of criteria to be easily gathered from experts in the decision problem. Nonetheless, the pairwise comparisons required are immense, thus inducing decision making fatigue as the number of evaluation objects and criteria increase. We show that the number of pairwise comparisons can be reduced by integrating PROMETHEE or TOPSIS into AHP. The former two techniques are distance based methods. PROMETHEE allows the evaluators to choose a set of preference function and calculates the distance between the evaluator’s judgment and his limits. TOPSIS, on the other hand, computes the distance of a judgment from the best and worst cases. Fuzzy linguistics are incorporated into PROMETHEE and TOPSIS, thus effectively modeling decision making subjectivity - aside from eliminating the need for evaluators to specify their preference limits in PROMETHEE. These techniques are applied in a strategic outsourcing decision of a company that seeks to evaluate their training providers. The final results indicate that both AHP-Fuzzy TOPSIS and AHP-Fuzzy PROMETHEE achieved consistent results and arrived at the same ranking order.
Physical Improvement in Elderly Female after Training: Sit Up and Speed Gait

Physical Improvement in Elderly Female after Training: Sit Up and Speed Gait Study aim. Deambulation is a basic activity to preserve elderly independence. Indeed, a good gait leads to decrease risk of falls. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of balance and strenght training on typical dayly action. In particular, lower limb, abdominal and gluteos muscles were trained by voluntary action. Material and methods. Sixteen volunteer elderly women (age=69±5.03 years; weight=63,75±9.02 kg; height=1,60±0.06 m; BMI=25,11±3.68 kg m-2) participated in this study. The group performed strength and balance training for eight week (2 days per week, 1 hour each): training loads were increased every two week according to the subjects' feedback. The physical efficacy was tested through two senior fitness tests: chair stand test and 8 foot up and go test. The skills to conserve balance in static and dynamic action were tested through the widespread Tinetti test. A control group was, also, tested during the same session but no physical training was administered. Results. Balance and strength training were related to gait performance. Indeed, all people increased the Tinetti score (at least one point), their performance about stand up and sit on the chair (19%), and decreased the time spent to stand up, walking a straight path with change of sense and return to sit on the chair (from 7.84 sec to 6.33 sec). The control group showed improvement but not significant from a statistic point of view. Conclusions. The balance and strength training allow to improve (p<0.05) not only gait capacity, but also other action characterizing daily living activity. So the adequate physical activity improves the quality of life and agrees the elderly to be independent.
Power-Law Dynamics in an Auditory-Nerve Model Can Account for Neural Adaptation to Sound-Level Statistics

Neurons in the auditory system respond to recent stimulus-level history by adapting their response functions according to the statistics of the stimulus, partially alleviating the so-called “dynamic-range problem. ” However, the mechanism and source of this adaptation along the auditory pathway remain unknown. Inclusion of power-law dynamics in a phenomenological model of the inner hair cell (IHC)–auditory nerve (AN) synapse successfully explained neural adaptation to sound-level statistics, including the time course of adaptation of the mean firing rate and changes in the dynamic range observed in AN responses. A direct comparison between model responses to a dynamic stimulus and to an “inversely gated” static background suggested that AN dynamic-range adaptation largely results from the adaptation produced by the response history. These results support the hypothesis that the potential mechanism underlying the dynamic-range adaptation observed at the level of the auditory nerve is located peripheral to the spike generation mechanism and central to the IHC receptor potential.
Frailty and Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases in Older Persons: The Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study

Abstract Frailty is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but the studies available have not considered the presence of subclinical atherosclerotic disease as potential confounders. We investigated the association between frailty and the onset of CVD independently of subclinical atherosclerotic disease. For this reason, a sample of 3818 older participants participating in the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility—Reykjavik Study without CVD at baseline was followed for a median of 8.7 years. Frailty was defined as the presence of ≥3 among five Fried's criteria (unintentional weight loss, low physical activity level, weakness, exhaustion, and slow gait speed). Incident CVD was defined as onset of coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, and CVD-related mortality identified using hospital, medical, and death records. Subclinical atherosclerotic disease was evaluated as the maximum value of carotid intima media thickness, presence of carotid plaque (moderate or high), and total coronary calcifications (CACs). At baseline, frail participants (n = 300) were more frequently obese, diabetic, and had a greater presence of metabolic syndrome than the nonfrail (n = 3518). Frail participants also showed a higher presence of carotid plaques and CACs. Using a Cox's regression analysis, adjusted for clinical, biochemical, and subclinical atherosclerosis estimates, frailty increased the risk of CVD (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.74), with results stronger for women than men (HR = 1.51, p = 0.006 and 1.19, p = 0.44, respectively). Among Fried's criteria, exhaustion was the only criterion significantly associated with the onset of new CVD events (HR = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.00–1.73). In conclusion, frailty was associated with the onset of CVD in older people even after adjusting for subclinical atherosclerotic disease.
Robotic Arm Movements Wirelessly Synchronized with Human Arm Movements Using Real Time Image Processing

A human hand can handle various objects by his hand, with better adaptive capacity and precision. In some hostile conditions, a need arises to replicate the human arm movements by some sophisticated manipulator. This paper illustrates the controlling of the movements of such manipulator i.e. robotic arm in accordance with the movements of human arm using real time image processing. It is kind of master-slave control methodology where slave i.e. robotic arm synchronously replicates the motion of master i.e. human arm. The arm is tele-operated i.e. wirelessly operated. There will be no wired connection between human arm and the robotic arm, which allows us to operate it in the wide range of upto 30 m irrespective of any disturbance. This paper gives a proper guidance to control a robotic arm (prototype of exact human arm) using real time image processing and is supported by the MATLAB codes, components and layout.
nfluence of electrical stimulation on calpain and biquitin-proteasome systems in the denervated and unloaded rat ibialis anterior muscles

The influence of electrical stimulation on calpain and ubiquitin-proteasome systems was examined in the denervated and unloaded tibialis anterior muscles of male Wistar rats. Animals were divided into 5 groups: control, denervation, denervation plus electrical stimulation, unloading, and hindlimb unloading plus electrical stimulation groups. Due to denervation and unloading for 14 days, muscle atrophy markedly occurred in the denervated and unloading animals, and the atrophy in the former was significantly more severe than that in the latter. In the denervated muscle, the atrophy was significantly attenuated by the electrical stimulation, but not in the unloaded muscle. Overexpression of calpain-2 and ubiquitinated proteins was observed only in denervated muscles. In the unloaded animals, though the expression level of calpain-2 appeared to be slightly higher than that in the control, the expression level