Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Cerivastatin on Human Arterial Smooth Muscle Cell Growth and Extracellular Matrix Expression at Varying Glucose and Low-density Lipoprotein Levels

Statins exert pleiotropic effects on several other cellular functions besides lipid-lowering. Previously, it was found that cerivastatin is a very potent inhibitor of human arterial smooth muscle cell (haSMC) growth. However, because increased extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis also accounts mainly for intimal plaque formation, the effects of cerivastatin on ECM expression was examined in this study. Furthermore, the influence of varying glucose and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels on cerivastatin-treated haSMCs was analyzed to mimic the conditions in patients with diabetes or hypercholesterolemia. The haSMCs were treated with 0.001–5.0 &mgr;M cerivastatin in the presence of 5.5–18.9 m M glucose and 10–1,000 &mgr;g/ml LDL. After 3 days, the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of eight ECM proteins was analyzed and, after 7 days, mitotic and mitochondrial activities and thrombospondin (TSP)-1 protein expression were analyzed. TSP-1 and TSP-2 mRNA expression was inhibited highly significantly at cerivastatin doses ≥0.01 &mgr;M, with maximums of 72% and 35%, respectively, at high glucose levels. The mRNA signals of the third glycoprotein fibronectin were not influenced. Furthermore, collagen-1 mRNA was inhibited highly significantly up to 71% and biglycan mRNA was similarly inhibited up to 45%. The mRNA expression of the matrix-stimulating transforming growth factor (TGF)-&bgr;1 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 was not altered significantly, whereas mRNA expression of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-2 was stimulated clearly up to 150%. Mevalonate, but not LDL replacement, reversed the effects. Immunofluorescence staining showed an unaltered TSP-1 pattern with cerivastatin doses up to 0.1 &mgr;M, whereas higher doses impaired TSP-1 excretion. The effects of cerivastatin on haSMC growth and mRNA expression of the eight ECM components were not diminished by the increase in LDL and glucose levels. Since accelerated SMC growth and ECM formation contribute mainly to intimal thickening, cerivastatin may be protective against the development of atherosclerotic and restenotic lesions by its direct cellular effects. Increased LDL and glucose levels, as in diabetes, do not mitigate the beneficial effects of cerivastatin on cell growth and ECM formation in vitro.
Designing a Personalized VR Exergame

Exercise is essential for health and well-being. However, it can be difficult for people to meet the recommended amount of daily exercise simply due to the lack of motivation. It has recently become apparent that virtual reality games, even though they were not explicitly designed for exercise, have the potential to provide enough exercise to achieve recommended levels of activity for a day, while keeping people motivated. However, as these games have not generally not been designed for exercise, there is a risk that people may either under- or over-exert themselves. Therefore, in this paper we present and discuss our design for a virtual reality exergame that utilizes a user model and dynamic difficulty adjustment to deliver personalized activity levels and experiences.
Finite sample size effects on the calibration of vibrating sample magnetometer

The normal procedure for calibration of the moment readings of a VSM is to use a Ni sphere of known magnetic moment to determine the moment/volt of the VSM sensing coils as measured by a lockin amplifier. The often made assumption is that when an unknown sample is placed in the VSM the same moment/volt will be produced. This assumption should be carefully checked. If the sample is a thin film and is large compared to the size of the Ni sphere, systematic errors as large as 15% can be introduced into the measurement. These systematic errors arise from the sample geometry and can be corrected by replacing the Ni sphere used for calibration with Ni thin films the same size and shape as the sample to be measured. The field from a uniform magnetized sphere is a dipole field. Large diameter thin films cannot be approximated as point dipoles. In this paper an approximation for a thin film is used to calculate the signal induced in the VSM coils. The approximation is to treat the thin film as an oblate spheroid. This approximation has the advantage that the sample can be uniformly magnetized and solutions for the external field can be simply expressed in oblate spheroidal harmonics.
Effects of Talker Dialect, Gender & Race on Accuracy of Bing Speech and YouTube Automatic Captions

This project compares the accuracy of two automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems–Bing Speech and YouTube’s automatic captions–across gender, race and four dialects of American English. The dialects included were chosen for their acoustic dissimilarity. Bing Speech had differences in word error rate (WER) between dialects and ethnicities, but they were not statistically reliable. YouTube’s automatic captions, however, did have statistically different WERs between dialects and races. The lowest average error rates were for General American and white talkers, respectively. Neither system had a reliably different WER between genders, which had been previously reported for YouTube’s automatic captions [1]. However, the higher error rate non-white talkers is worrying, as it may reduce the utility of these systems for talkers of color.
A decomposition approach for fuzzy systems identification

This paper develops a novel approach to building Sugeno-type models. This approach consists of two steps: First, a fuzzy discretization technique is used to determine the membership functions of input variables, which is the most difficult aspect in constructing a Sugeno-type model. Second, an iterative algorithm, known as the EM algorithm, is used to estimate the parameters of linear regression models in the consequent part of the model. The approach has two salient features: 1) The premise identification and the consequence identification of the model can be separated through use of the fuzzy discretization technique, while these are mutually related in previous methods. This greatly simplifies the process of model construction. 2) The complex multiparameter optimization problem essential for building the model can be decomposed into L smaller-scale optimization problems by means of the EM algorithm, where L is the number of fuzzy rules. Hence, the complexity of this approach is essentially unaffected by the number of fuzzy rules in the model. Moreover, Because of the clear separation in algorithmic structure, the proposed approach can also be easily implemented on a parallel computer.
Development of a 5′ Nuclease-Based Real-Time PCR Assay for Quantitative Detection of Cariogenic Dental Pathogens Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus

ABSTRACT A 5′ nuclease TaqMan PCR assay was developed for the quantitative detection of the major cariogenic bacteria Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus. The absolute and relative numbers of bacteria were measured by this method. This assay will be useful for quantifying these organisms in oral specimens and for analyzing biofilm formation.
Glucosinolates and other anti-nutritive compounds in canola meals from varieties cultivated in Egypt and Japan.

Canola meals from six varieties cultivated in Egypt (Seru4 and Pactol) and Japan (Kirariboshi, Tohoku95, Oominantane and Kizakinonatane) were investigated regarding anti-nutritive compounds, namely glucosinolates, phytic acid, sinapine and total phenols. All varieties except Kirariboshi contained a high level of total glucosinolates. A profile of 12 glucosinolates in all varieties was identified; aliphatic glucosinolates, progoitrin, epiprogoitrin, gluconapin, glucobrassicanapin and glucoberin were the most abundant. Other aliphatic glucosinolates, including sinigrin and gluconapoliferin, were of low level. Indolic and aromatic glucosinolates (4-Hydroxybrassicin, Glucotropeolin, Glucobrassicin, Gluconasturtin and 4-Methoxybrassicin) were low and showed few differences among varieties. The anti-nutritional effects are associated, to a large degree, with the content of aliphatic glucosinolates rather than indole glucosinolates, and the total aliphatic glucosinolates are present at a higher level in all varieties than total aromatic glucosinolate (including indole glucosinolate). Therefore, canola meal from all varieties could cause many anti-nutritive effects. Also it was found that Seru4, Pactol, Tohoku95, Oominantane and Kizakinonatane are high glucosinolates varieties because they contained more than 30 μmol g-1 however, only Kirariboshi was a low glucosinolate variety. The differences in the content of individual and total glucosinolates among the varieties may be attributed to genetic and environmental factors. Phytic acid was at a high level in all varieties with few differences. Oominatane contained the lowest level and Pactol contained the highest one. No remarkable differences were observed among Kirariboshi, Kizakinonatane and Tohoku. For total phenols, Tohoku contained the lowest level of total phenols while Pactol and Seru4 contained the highest level. Also, insignificant differences were observed among Kirariboshi, Oominatane and Kizakinonatane in total phenols. Sinapine was found in all varieties with significant differences among varieties. Tohoku and Oominatane contained the lowest levels of sinapine, while Seru4 contained the highest one. Insignificant differences were observed among Kirariboshi, Kizakinonatane and Pactol. Thus canola meals from all varieties must be treated to remove or reduce the aliphatic glucosinolates and other anti-nutritive compounds. Key words : Canola, glucosinolates, phytate, sinapine, phenols
Reconsidering the Causal Efficacy of Situations

Many social psychologists believe that characteristics of situations and persons represent two separate and sometimes competing causes of behavior and that situations are the more powerful determinants of behavior. After reviewing some of my previous analyses that explain why the power of situations depends totally upon the characteristics of persons, I will demonstrate further shortcomings of situational explanations with several types of behavior noted by ethologists: in vacuo, appetitive, exploratory, and play behaviors. I will conclude by comparing what situational influences within the reflex-arc, computer, and servomechanism metaphors imply about constraints on freedom and the predictability of human behavior.
Exosomes purified from a single cell type have diverse morphology

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are produced by all known organisms and have important roles in cell communication and physiology. Exosomes are known in the literature to be small round EVs (40 to 100 nm in diameter) and are commonly purified with a serial ultracentrifugation protocol followed by density gradient floatation. Great morphological diversity has been described before regarding EVs found in body fluids such as blood plasma, breast milk and ejaculate. However, a detailed morphological analysis has never been performed on exosomes purified from a single cell type. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze and quantify via multiple electron microscopy techniques the morphology of exosomes purified from the human mast cell line HMC-1. The results revealed a novel spectrum of diversity in exosomes, which suggests that subpopulations of exosomes with different and specific functions might also exist. Our findings therefore argue that a new and more efficient way of defining exosome subpopulations is necessary. A system was proposed where exosomes were classified into nine different categories according to their size and shape. Three additional morphological features could also be found in exosomes regardless of their classification. These findings show that morphological diversity is found among exosomes purified from a single cell line, similarly to what was previously observed for EVs in body fluids. This knowledge can help improving the interpretation of experimental results and widening our general understanding of the biological functions of exosomes.
CDC-Preventing Chronic Disease : Volume 9 , 2012 : 11 _ 0081

Wider adoption of evidence-based, health promotion practices depends on developing and testing effective dissemination approaches. To assist in developing these approaches, we created a practical framework drawn from the literature on dissemination and our experiences disseminating evidence-based practices. The main elements of our framework are 1) a close partnership between researchers and a disseminating organization that takes ownership of the dissemination process and 2) use of social marketing principles to work closely with potential user organizations. We present 2 examples illustrating the framework: EnhanceFitness, for physical activity among older adults, and American Cancer Society Workplace Solutions, for chronic disease prevention among workers. We also discuss 7 practical roles that researchers play in dissemination and related research: sorting through the evidence, conducting formative research, assessing readiness of user organizations, balancing fidelity and reinvention, monitoring and evaluating, influencing the outer context, and testing dissemination approaches.
A 23-to-29GHz Differentially Tuned Varactorless VCO in 0.13μm CMOS

A differentially tuned varactorless VCO is implemented in a 0. 13μm CMOS process. The frequency is continuously tunable from 23.2 to 29.4GHz (23.6% range differential and 3.3% range for common-mode tuning) using a single-ended (1.5V max) tuning voltage. Measured phase noise at 26.6GHz is -96.2dBc/Hz (3MHz offset) and the open-drain output buffer delivers -11dBm (single-ended) to a 50Ω load. The 0.3 × 0.4mm2 core consumes 43mW (6.5mW in the output buffer) from a 1.2V supply.
Nanotechnology Applications for Glaucoma

AbstractGlaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, and the antiglaucoma treatments currently available suffer from various complications. Nanotechnology-based treatments show a great deal of promise in overcoming these complications and form the basis for next-generation glaucoma treatment strategies, with the help of applications such as controlled release, targeted delivery, increased bioavailability, diffusion limitations, and biocompatibility. Significant progress has been made in nanomedicine in the efficiency of antiglaucoma medications, nanofabrication systems such as microelectromechanical systems that remove the limitations of nanodevices, and tissue regeneration vesicles for developing glaucoma treatments not based on intraocular pressure. With the use of these advanced technologies, the prevention of glaucoma-induced blindness will be possible in the near future. Herein, we reviewed the recent advances in nanotechnology-based treatment strategies for glaucoma.
Workflow Language based on Web Services for Autonomic Services in Ubiquitous Computing

A workflow in ubiquitous computing environments must represent context information on transition constraints to support context-aware services. Moreover, it requires web service interfaces, which are independent of heterogeneous platforms, protocols, and languages. In this paper, we present uWDL, which is a workflow description language based on web services for ubiquitous computing and provides users with context-aware and autonomic services. Furthermore, we describe a structural context model to specify context information on transition constraints of uWDL.
End to End Delay Improvement in Heterogeneous Multicast Network using Genetic Optimization

Problem statement: Multicast is a concept of group communication which refers to transmitting the same data or messages from a source to multiple destinations in the network. This one-to-many group communication is a generalization of the concepts of one-to-one unicast and one-to-all broadcast. To deliver data from the sender to all receivers efficiently, routing plays an important role in multicast communication. In QoS multicast, every receiver must receive the data within their own specified QoS constraints. This becomes challenging especially if the network is a heterogeneous network made up of wired and wireless devices. Approach: This study investigates the performance of Protocol Independent Multicast-Sparse Mode (PIM-SM) protocol in a heterogeneous network running an video conferencing application and proposes an enhanced routing protocol using Genetic Optimizing techniques to improve QOS parameters in the wireless part. Results and Conclusion: Extensive simulations were carried out using the proposed technique and existing PIM-SM. The proposed optimization technique not only improves the throughput of the network but also decreased the end to end delay.
Deep Learning and Its Parallelization : Concepts and Instances

3 1 Introduction . 3 1.1 Application Background . 4 1.2 Performance Demands for Deep Learning . 4 1.3 Existing Parallel Frameworks of Deep Learning . 4 1.4 Chapter Organization . 5 2 Concepts and Categories of Deep Learning . 5 2.1 Deep Learning . 5 2.1.1 Artificial Neural Networks . 5 2.1.2 Concept of Deep Learning . 7 2.2 Mainstream Deep Learning Models . 8 2.2.1 Autoencoders . 8 2.2.2 Back Propagation . 9 2.2. 3 Convolutional Neural Network . 11 3 Parallel Optimization for Deep Learning . 13 3.1 Convolutional Architecture for Fast Feature Embedding . 13 3.1.1 Introduction . 13 3.1.2 CUDA Programming . 14 3.1.3 Architecture of Caffe . 17 3.1.4 Parallel Implementation of Convolution in Caffe . 18 3.2 DistBelief . 20 3.2.1 Introduction of DistBelief . 20 3.2.2 Downpour SGD . 20 3.2. 4 Sandblaster L-BFGS . 21 3.3 Deep Learning Based-on Multi-GPUs . 22 3.3.1 Data Parallelism . 22 3.3.2 Model Parallelism . 23 3.3.3 Data-Model Parallelism . 24 3.3. 4 Example System of Multi-GPUs . 25 4 Discussions . 26 4.1 Grand Challenges of Deep Learning with Big Data . 26 4.1.1 Massive Amounts of Training Sample . 26 4.1.2 Incremental Streaming Data . 26 4.1.3 Learning Speed with Big Data . 26 4.1.4 Scalability of Deep Models . 27 4.2 Future Work . 27 References . 28 Deep Learning and Its Parallelization: Concepts and Instances Xiaqing Li, Guangyan Zhang, Keqin Li, and Weimin Zheng Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Estimating Orangutan Densities Using the Standing Crop and Marked Nest Count Methods: Lessons Learned for Conservation

Reliable estimates of great ape abundance are needed to assess distribution, monitor population status, evaluate conservation tactics, and identify priority populations for conservation. Rather than using direct counts, surveyors often count ape nests. The standing crop nest count (SCNC) method converts the standing stock of nests into animal densities using a set of parameters, including nest decay rate. Nest decay rates vary greatly over space and time, and it takes months to calculate a site‐specific value. The marked nest count (MNC) method circumvents this issue and only counts new nests produced during a defined period. We compared orangutan densities calculated by the two methods using data from studies in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia. We show how animal densities calculated using nest counts should be cautiously interpreted when used to make decisions about management or budget allocation. Even with site‐specific decay rates, short studies using the SCNC method may not accurately reflect the current population unless conducted at a scale sufficient to include wide‐ranging orangutan movement. Density estimates from short studies using the MNC method were affected by small sample sizes and by orangutan movement. To produce reliable results, the MNC method may require a similar amount of effort as the SCNC method. We suggest a reduced reliance on the traditional line transect surveys in favor of feasible alternative methods when absolute abundance numbers are not necessary or when site‐specific nest decay rates are not known. Given funding constraints, aerial surveys, reconnaissance walks, and interview techniques may be more cost‐effective means of accomplishing some survey goals.
Ultrafilters on spaces of partitions

Qκλ. Pκλ the space of all < κ-sized subsets of λ, has provided numerous opportunities for the gainful employment of set theorists in recent years, thanks to its combinatorial richness and to its relationships with various large cardinals. In the spirit of Pκλ we offer the following definition: For κ ≤ λ both cardinals, Qκλ is the set of all partitions of λ into < κ-many pieces (an element of q ∈ Qκλ is called a piece of q). Equivalently An element of Pκλ may be viewed as an injection from a < κ-sized set into λ, with some information thrown away. An element of Qκλ is a surjection from λ onto a < κ-sized set, with analogous loss of information. For p, q ∈ Qκλ, we say p ≤ q iff q is a refinement of p (every piece of q is contained in a piece of p).
Fast eye diagram determination for the signal integrity verification of frequency-variant transmission lines

A new efficient and accurate eye diagram determination technique is presented. In order to estimate the worst case eye diagram, bit streams which may induce the worst ISI (inter symbol interference) are determined. Then the output responses for worst case bit streams are determined by using fast Fourier transform technique. The proposed technique is compared with SPICE simulation that employs PRBS (pseudorandom bit sequence) input signals.
A Psychosocial Program for Pediatric Oncology Patients

Abstract There is a growing awareness of the importance of the emotional well-being of children with cancer and their families. The psychosocial team within a pediatric oncology setting strives to develop programs that may ease the psychological burden of cancer treatment. The Beaded Journey program is one example. The primary goal of this study was to systematically evaluate this program. Specifically, we were interested in parent and child perceptions of the value of the program. Thirty-nine families participated in a mail-out survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive, correlational, and qualitative techniques. Results indicate that the program is of value to families. Parents actually perceive it to be more valuable for themselves than for their children. Child age was moderately correlated with child value ratings. Parents reported that they expected that the Beaded Journey would be more valuable for their children when they were older.