Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transfer of Nitric Oxide by Blood From Upstream to Downstream Resistance Vessels Causes Microvascular Dilation

Oxygenated hemoglobin does not destroy nitric oxide (NO), but carries and releases NO in blood from upstream to downstream microvessels. Given that the circulation time from small arteries to capillaries is ~2‐4 seconds, NO in plasma or bound to proteins likely survives to downstream locations. To test this hypothesis, the vessel wall versus intravascular [NO] was measured in the in vivo sequential mesenteric and intestinal vessels of rats. NO microelectrodes demonstrated vessel wall [NO] was 25‐40% higher than blood [NO] in all vessels. Flow in mesenteric arteries was elevated by occlusion of collateral arteries to induce a flow mediated increase in arterial NO production. Both arterial wall and downstream arteriolar [NO] increased and the arterioles dilated as the blood [NO] was increased. To study receptor mediated NO generation, bradykinin was locally applied to upstream large arterioles and NO measured there and in downstream arterioles. At both sites, the [NO] and vessel diameters increased. When isoproterenol was applied to upstream vessels, they dilated but their [NO] and that of downstream arterioles did not increase and minor downstream dilation occurred. These observations indicate that NO can move in blood from upstream to downstream resistance vessels. This phenomenon may allow larger vessels to influence vascular tone in downstream vessels when local NO production is altered. (Support NIH HL‐20605)
A negative feedback mechanism in the insulin-regulated glucose homeostasis in Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus by two ways of glucose administration

The present study comparatively analyzed the blood glucose and insulin concentration, the temporal and spatial expression of brain-gut peptides and the key enzymes of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis in Japanese flounder by intraperitoneal (IP) injection and oral (OR) administration of glucose. Samples were collected at 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 24 and 48h after IP and OR, respectively. Results showed that the hyperglycemia lasted 5 hours and 21 hours in OR and IP group, respectively. The serum insulin concentration significantly decreased (1.58±0.21mIU/L) at 3h after IP glucose. However, it significantly increased at 3h (3.37±0.34mIU/L) after OR glucose. The gene expressions of prosomatostatin, neuropeptide Y, cholecystokinin precursor and orexin precursor in the brain showed different profiles between the OR and IP group. The OR not IP administration of glucose had significant effects on the gene expressions of preprovasoactive intestinal peptide, pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide and gastrin in the intestine. When the blood glucose concentration peaked in both IP and OR group, the glucokinase expression in liver was stimulated, but the expression of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase was depressed. In conclusion, brain-gut peptides were confirmed in the present study. And the serum insulin and the brain-gut peptides have different responses between the IP and OR administration of glucose. A negative feedback mechanism in the insulin-regulated glucose homeostasis was suggested in Japanese flounder. Furthermore, this regulation could be conducted by activating PI3k-Akt, and then lead to the pathway downstream changes in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis.
User-centered, evolutionary search in conceptual software design

Although much evidence exists to suggest that conceptual software engineering design is a difficult task for software engineers to perform, current computationally intelligent tool support for software engineers is limited. While search-based approaches involving module clustering and refactoring have been proposed and show promise, such approaches are downstream in terms of the software development lifecycle - the designer must manually produce a design before search-based clustering and refactoring can take place. Interactive, user-centered search-based approaches, on the other hand, support the designer at the beginning of, and during, conceptual software design, and are investigated in this paper by means of a case study. Results show that interactive evolutionary search, supported by software agents, appears highly promising. As an open system, search is steered jointly by designer preferences and software agents. Directly traceable to the design problem domain, a mass of useful and interesting conceptual class designs are arrived at which may be visualized by the designer with quantitative measures of structural integrity such as design coupling and class cohesion. The conceptual class designs are found to be of equivalent or better coupling and cohesion when compared to a manual conceptual design of the case study, and by exploiting concurrent execution, the performance of the software agents is highly favorable.
The episodic structure of maternal speech to young children

ABSTRACT An investigation was made of the episodic structure of maternal speech to young children during a free-play session. The findings indicate that maternal speech was organized so as to provide a high degree of redundancy with regard to the referential component of speech. The beginning of episodes, in which the same object was repeatedly referred to, was clearly marked; furthermore speech inside episodes with a common referent was highly repetitive. All this suggests that maternal speech is organized in a way that increases the predictability in the child's language environment.
The Structure of the MHC Class I Molecule of Bony Fishes Provides Insights into the Conserved Nature of the Antigen-Presenting System

MHC molecules evolved with the descent of jawed fishes some 350–400 million years ago. However, very little is known about the structural features of primitive MHC molecules. To gain insight into these features, we focused on the MHC class I Ctid-UAA of the evolutionarily distant grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). The Ctid-UAA H chain and β2-microglobulin (Ctid-β2m) were refolded in vitro in the presence of peptides from viruses that infect carp. The resulting peptide-Ctid-UAA (p/Ctid-UAA) structures revealed the classical MHC class I topology with structural variations. In comparison with known mammalian and chicken peptide-MHC class I (p/MHC I) complexes, p/Ctid-UAA structure revealed several distinct features. Notably, 1) although the peptide ligand conventionally occupied all six pockets (A–F) of the Ag-binding site, the binding mode of the P3 side chain to pocket D was not observed in other p/MHC I structures; 2) the AB loop between β strands of the α1 domain of p/Ctid-UAA complex comes into contact with Ctid-β2m, an interaction observed only in chicken p/BF2*2101-β2m complex; and 3) the CD loop of the α3 domain, which in mammals forms a contact with CD8, has a unique position in p/Ctid-UAA that does not superimpose with the structures of any known p/MHC I complexes, suggesting that the p/Ctid-UAA to Ctid-CD8 binding mode may be distinct. This demonstration of the structure of a bony fish MHC class I molecule provides a foundation for understanding the evolution of primitive class I molecules, how they present peptide Ags, and how they might control T cell responses.
Design of MIMO antennas with strong isolation for portable applications

Single negative metamaterial designed in MIMO antenna is suitable for portable applications. Metamaterials reduce the coupling at a separation distance of 0.18-wavelength for the MIMO system. Multi-layer metamaterials with different spiral length can improve the isolation bandwidth. In our design, it can cover whole WiMAX bands. And Ω-shape arrangement is also proposed; the isolation has 6dB improvement at 2.6GHz. This paper successfully shows that metamaterials can be used in MIMO antennas system to reduce correlation and size. And it is suitable for portable applications.
Standardizing 25-hydroxyvitamin D values from the Canadian Health Measures Survey.

BACKGROUND The Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) is an ongoing cross-sectional national survey that includes a measure of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] by immunoassay. For cycles 1 and 2, the collection period occurred approximately every 2 y, with a new sample of ∼5600 individuals. OBJECTIVE The goal was to standardize the original 25(OH)D CHMS values in cycles 1 and 2 to the internationally recognized reference measurement procedures (RMPs) developed by the US National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) and Ghent University, Belgium. DESIGN Standardization was accomplished by using a 2-step procedure. First, serum samples corresponding to the original plasma samples were remeasured by using the currently available immunoassay method. Second, 50 serum samples with known 25(OH)D values assigned by the NIST and Ghent reference method laboratories were measured by using the currently available immunoassay method. The mathematical models for each step-i.e., 1) YCurrent = XOriginal and 2) YNIST-Ghent = XCurrent -were estimated by using Deming regression, and the 2 models were solved to obtain a single equation for converting the "original" values to NIST-Ghent RMP values. RESULTS After standardization (cycles 1 and 2 combined), the percentage of Canadians with 25(OH)D values <40 nmol/L increased from 16.4% (original) to 19.4% (standardized), and values <50 nmol/L increased from 29.0% (original) to 36.8% (standardized). The 25(OH)D standardized distributions (cycles 1 and 2 analyzed separately) were similar across age and sex groups; slightly higher values were associated with cycle 2 in the young and old. This finding contrasts with the original data, which indicated that cycle 2 values were lower for all age groups. CONCLUSION The shifts in 25(OH)D distribution brought about by standardization indicate its importance in drawing correct conclusions about potential population deficiencies and insufficiencies and in permitting the comparison of distributions between national surveys.
Multiple fundamental frequency estimation of polyphonic music signals

The article is concerned with the estimation of fundamental frequencies, or F0s, in polyphonic music. We propose a new method for jointly evaluating multiple F0 hypotheses based on three physical principles, harmonicity, spectral smoothness and synchronous amplitude evolution, within a single source. Based on the generative quasiharmonic model, a set of hypothetical partial sequences is derived and an optimal assignment of the observed peaks to the hypothetical sources and noise is performed. The hypothetical partial sequences are then evaluated by a score function which formulates the guiding principles in a mathematical manner. The algorithm has been tested on a large collection of artificially mixed polyphonic samples and the results show the competitive performance of the proposed method.
Japanese NER Post-Processing Based on Improved TBL Method

A TBL based post-processing approach is proposed for Japanese named entity recognition (NER) in this paper. Firstly, tuning rules are automatically acquired from the results of Japanese NER by error-driven learning. And then, the tuning rules are optimized according to given threshold conditions. After filtered, the rules are used to revise the results of Japanese NER. Above all, this approach could be used in special domains perfectly for its learning domain linguistic knowledge automatically. The learnt rules could not go over fit as well. The experimental results show that a high result can be achieved in precision for Japanese NER.
A cluster based scheme for interference mitigation in mobile macrocell-femtocell networks

In this paper, we consider a power control scheme for co-channel deployment of femtocells in the umbrella of macrocell LTE. The severe interference in the downlink from the femtocells should be controlled to guarantee the Quality of Service (QoS) required by the macrocell users. We used clustering method for grouping femtocells according to their geographical localizations. For this scenario, we proposed a hybrid scheme that combines both centralized and distributed schemes to minimize the total power consumption at femtocells, while guaranteeing the QoS of their users. Simulation results showed that our proposed power scheme can allocate power efficiently on the resource blocks in femtocells while obtaining a small performance reduction in femtocell compared to the fully distributed scheme. As well, our method minimized the signaling overhead compared to the fully centralized power allocation scheme.
Experiences of self-care in patients with colorectal cancer: a longitudinal study.

AIM This paper is a report of a study to explore patients' experiences of self-care during a 6-month course of chemotherapy treatment for colorectal cancer. BACKGROUND A greater degree of patient involvement in self-care is increasingly being encouraged, however, little is known about patients' experiences of being actively involved in their self-care. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 11 patients at the beginning and end of their treatment for colorectal cancer in a Scottish cancer centre between March 2005 and June 2006. The ways in which participants were actively involved in managing the impact of undergoing chemotherapy treatment and their understandings of the meaning of self-care were explored. FINDINGS Patients carried out self-care in order to preserve their self-identity and maintain a sense of normality. Self-care activities intended to manage both the physical and emotional impact of undergoing treatment included the use of medications and nutritional supplements and reducing food intake, information-seeking and -sharing experiences with fellow patients and rationalizing the purpose and effects of their chemotherapy treatment. CONCLUSION Nurses have an important role to play in ensuring that patients' perspectives and priorities for self-care, in particular what they do, why they do it and what it means to them, and that they are listened to, in order to help them achieve their desired level of involvement in self-care. Interventions to promote self-care should focus on helping people to preserve their self-identity, as well as managing the emotional toll and physical side effects associated with cancer treatment.
Paternity exclusion in a community of wild chimpanzees using hypervariable simple sequence repeats

We report the use of hypervariable simple sequence repeat (SSR) nuclear loci to study paternity in a community of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Gombe National Park, Tanzania. All 43 living members of a habituated community were sampled and 35 were genotyped at 8 SSR loci using DNA amplified from hair. Paternity exclusions were performed for 25 chimpanzees including 10 for whom the mother was also genotyped. In each case 12–20 males were potential fathers based on their age and/ or direct observation of sexual behaviour. 179 tests involving potential father/offspring combinations were performed. In four cases the data permit the probable identification of the previously undetermined father; these are the first such determinations for free‐ranging chimpanzees, and the first based on non‐invasive sampling. In another four cases we were able to exclude all but two to five potential fathers, and in the remaining cases we were able to exclude all living males. For molecular ecologists SSR genotype databases offer important advantages over currently popular minisatellite DNA fingerprinting: they can be analysed unequivocally using traditional population genetics techniques and they can be expanded through time and space by other researchers.
SEASONAL CHANGES IN BROOD SEX COMPOSITION IN AUDOUIN'S GULLS

Abstract We examined seasonal variation in the hatching sex ratio of Audouin's Gull (Larus audouinii). This species is sexually size dimorphic (males are 20% larger than females at fledging); it has a modal clutch of three eggs, which vary in size (the third egg is the smallest) and hatch asynchronously. These sex, egg size, and hatching patterns generate substantial within-brood differences in chick size that interact with the food provisioning of the parents to influence chick survival. Parental provisioning capacity depends on both parental quality and environmental conditions, both of which are known to decline with season. Consequently, the optimal brood composition is likely to vary within a season. Using molecular markers to sex newly hatched chicks, we found that offspring sex was influenced by an interaction between hatching date and hatching order, with the proportion of males among third-hatched chicks initially increasing and then decreasing later in the season. Cambios Estacionales en la Proporción de Sexos de las Polladas en Larus audouinii Resumen. En el presente trabajo examinamos la variación estacional en la proporción de sexos de los pollos de Larus audouinii en el momento de la eclosión. Esta especie es sexualmente dimórfica (los machos son un 20% mayores que las hembras al acabar su crecimiento), tiene una puesta modal de tres huevos, que varían en tamaño (el tercero es el menor) y eclosionan asincrónicamente. Estos patrones de sexo, tamaño del huevo y orden de eclosión generan diferencias sustanciales en el tamaño de los pollos dentro de la pollada, los que a su vez interaccionan con la provisión de alimento de los progenitores influyendo la supervivencia de cada pollo. La capacidad de proveer alimento dependerá de la calidad parental y de las condiciones ambientales, las cuales suelen disminuir a lo largo de la estación reproductora. En consecuencia, la composición óptima de la pollada probablemente varía en cada estación. Una vez identificado de sexo de los pollos mediante técnicas moleculares, encontramos que el sexo de la progenie estuvo influenciado por la interacción entre la fecha de eclosión y el orden de eclosión, de modo que la proporción de machos en los huevos eclosionados en tercer lugar incrementó inicialmente y luego disminuyó al final de la estación.
60 GHz substrate integrated waveguide fed dense dielectric patch antenna array

A wideband dense dielectric (DD) patch antenna array fed by a single-layered substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) feed network is demonstrated at 60-GHz band. A 4 × 4 prototype fabricated by employing standard printed circuit board (PCB) technology shows that an impedance bandwidth of 22% for SWR <; 2, a gain up to 17.2 dBi, and symmetrical unidirectional radiation patterns with cross polarizations of less than -20 dB are achieved.
Psychosocial Assessment as a Standard of Care in Pediatric Cancer

This paper presents the evidence for a standard of care for psychosocial assessment in pediatric cancer. An interdisciplinary group of investigators utilized EBSCO, PubMed, PsycINFO, Ovid, and Google Scholar search databases, focusing on five areas: youth/family psychosocial adjustment, family resources, family/social support, previous history/premorbid functioning, and family structure/function. Descriptive quantitative studies, systematic reviews, and meta‐analyses (n = 149) were reviewed and evaluated using grading of recommendations, assessment development, and evaluation (GRADE) criteria. There is high quality evidence to support a strong recommendation for multifaceted, systematic assessments of psychosocial health care needs of youth with cancer and their families as a standard of care in pediatric oncology. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cardiac Stem Cell Hybrids Enhance Myocardial Repair.

RATIONALE Dual cell transplantation of cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) after infarction improves myocardial repair and performance in large animal models relative to delivery of either cell population. OBJECTIVE To demonstrate that CardioChimeras (CCs) formed by fusion between CPCs and MSCs have enhanced reparative potential in a mouse model of myocardial infarction relative to individual stem cells or combined cell delivery. METHODS AND RESULTS Two distinct and clonally derived CCs, CC1 and CC2, were used for this study. CCs improved left ventricular anterior wall thickness at 4 weeks post injury, but only CC1 treatment preserved anterior wall thickness at 18 weeks. Ejection fraction was enhanced at 6 weeks in CCs, and functional improvements were maintained in CCs and CPC+MSC groups at 18 weeks. Infarct size was decreased in CCs, whereas CPC+MSC and CPC parent groups remained unchanged at 12 weeks. CCs exhibited increased persistence, engraftment, and expression of early commitment markers within the border zone relative to combinatorial and individual cell population-injected groups. CCs increased capillary density and preserved cardiomyocyte size in the infarcted regions suggesting CCs role in protective paracrine secretion. CONCLUSIONS CCs merge the application of distinct cells into a single entity for cellular therapeutic intervention in the progression of heart failure. CCs are a novel cell therapy that improves on combinatorial cell approaches to support myocardial regeneration.
A model to predict the likelihood of cliff swallow nesting on highway structures in northern California

Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are colonially breeding migratory birds that frequently nest on highway structures. Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, people cannot harm swallows or their active nests. This restriction causes problems and delays for construction and maintenance divisions of many departments of transportation. In planning future projects, it would be useful for these divisions to have a habitat selection model that can predict the likelihood of cliff swallow nesting on a particular highway structure. We used logistic regression on data collected from 206 highway structures and 2 different land cover data sets to develop habitat selection models for northern California. The models indicated that low urban development and structure undersurfaces with multiple junctures were the 2 most important predictors of cliff swallow occupancy. Both the presence of water under a structure and a large underpass opening were also factors included in the models. The models correctly predicted 59% of sites occupied by cliff swallows and 88% of sites not occupied. The occupancy classifi cation rate may offer departments of transportation useful insight into the nesting behavior of cliff swallows.
Placebo analgesia and reward processing: Integrating genetics, personality, and intrinsic brain activity

Our expectations about an event can strongly shape our subjective evaluation and actual experience of events. This ability, applied to the modulation of pain, has the potential to affect therapeutic analgesia substantially and constitutes a foundation for non‐pharmacological pain relief. A typical example of such modulation is the placebo effect. Studies indicate that placebo may be regarded as a reward, and brain activity in the reward system is involved in this modulation process. In the present study, we combined resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI) measures, genotype at a functional COMT polymorphism (Val158Met), and personality measures in a model to predict the magnitude of placebo conditioning effect indicated by subjective pain rating reduction to calibrated noxious stimuli. We found that the regional homogeneity (ReHo), an index of local neural coherence, in the ventral striatum, was significantly associated with conditioning effects on pain rating changes. We also found that the number of Met alleles at the COMT polymorphism was linearly correlated to the suppression of pain. In a fitted regression model, we found the ReHo in the ventral striatum, COMT genotype, and Openness scores accounted for 59% of the variance in the change in pain ratings. The model was further tested using a separate data set from the same study. Our findings demonstrate the potential of combining resting‐state connectivity, genetic information, and personality to predict placebo effect. Hum Brain Mapp 35:4583–4593, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.