Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study of fetal organ growth in Wistar rats from day 17 to 21

A total of 1633 Wistar rat fetuses was used to determine weights of the fetus and several fetal organs on days 17 to 21 of gestation. Heart, lung, liver, kidney, stomach, intestine, brain, femur, thyroid and adrenal weights were recorded. Growth curves of the whole body and organs were calculated. A linear semi-log relationship between organ weight and day of gestation was shown. The doubling weight times were 1·5 days for whole bodies and for organs they ranged between 0·9 (spleen) and 3·4 (adrenals) days. A correlation between the rate of organ growth and the start of the organ function was observed.
Real-time Cutting and Suture Simulation Using Hybrid Elastic Model

In this work, our aim is to model realistic cutting and suture in real-time. For realistic rendering, the response of deformable soft tissue during the cutting and suture process should be carefully analyzed and simulated. Therefore, different behaviors of tissue resistance need to be simulated in the different phases of tool-tissue interaction. In the first phase of cutting and suture, before the tool fractures the surface we model resistance of the tissue as surface tension. Afterwards, when the tool moves into the tissue, the friction between tool and soft tissue is simulated. In addition, a hybrid elastic model consisting of a mass-spring surface with a skeleton structure is employed to speed up calculation. In our research, an abstract blood vessel is used as a case study.
Novel structural determinants of single channel conductance and ion selectivity in 5‐hydroxytryptamine type 3 and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Nicotinic acetylcholine (nACh) and 5‐hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5‐HT3) receptors are cation‐selective ion channels of the pentameric ligand‐gated ion channel (pLGIC) superfamily. Multiple lines of evidence adduced over the last 30 years indicate that the lining of the channel of such receptors is formed by the α‐helical second transmembrane (TM2) domain and flanking sequences contributed by each of the five subunits present within the receptor complex. Specific amino acid residues within, and adjacent to, the TM2 domain influence single channel conductance, ion selectivity, and other aspects of receptor function that include gating and desensitization. However, more recent work has revealed important structural determinants of single channel conductance and ion selectivity that are not associated with the TM2 domain. Direct experimental evidence indicates that the intracellular domain of eukaryotic pLGICs, in particular a region of the loop linking TM3 and TM4 termed the membrane‐associated (MA) stretch, exerts a strong influence upon ion channel biophysics. Moreover, recent computational approaches, complemented by experimentation, implicate the extracellular domain as an additional important determinant of ion conduction. This brief review describes how our knowledge of ion conduction and selectivity in cation‐selective pLGICs has evolved beyond TM2.
Successful treatment of HTLV‐1‐associated acute adult T‐cell leukaemia lymphoma by allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

HTLV‐1‐associated acute adult T‐cell leukaemia‐lymphoma (ATL) is a highly aggressive malignant disorder with a median survival of 6 months or less. We describe an Afro‐Caribbean female with very poor prognosis ATL who underwent chemotherapy with a 4 d infusion schedule of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and etoposide, followed by successful allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from her HTLV‐1‐negative histocompatibile sister. The patient remains in complete remission 23 months after BMT and has 100% donor haemopoiesis with no evidence of HTLV‐1 infection on PCR testing. We suggest that allo‐BMT can prolong disease‐free survival or may even be curative in HTLV patients.
Availability, Wishful Thinking, and Physicians' Diagnostic Judgments for Patients with Suspected Bacteremia

A prospective cohort study was done to assess the effects of value bias and the inappropriate use of the availability heuristic on physicians' judgments of the probability of bacteremia. Subjects of the study were 227 medical inpatients in a university hospital who had blood cultures done. Estimates of the probabilities that individual patients would have positive blood cultures were collected from the house officers who ordered the cultures. Clinical data and culture results were also obtained. Based on the data the authors calculated "value varia bles," reflecting doctors' assessments of the risks that individual patients would die in the hospital if they were to have bacteremia. "Recalled experience variables" reflected the doctors' recollections of recent experiences with patients with bacteremia. The physicians significantly overestimated the likelihood of bacteremia for most of their patients. Their ROC curve for this diagnosis showed moderate discriminating ability (area = 0.687, SE = 0.073). Two recalled experience variables were significantly associated with the physicians' prob ability estimates. The value variables were significantly inversely associated with them. These relationships were independent of several clinical variables and measures of disease severity. The physicians' intuitive diagnostic judgments were thus influenced by the availability heu ristic and by wishful thinking, a form of the value bias. The availability heuristic may mislead physicians by causing them to believe that random variations in the prevalence of a non- epidemic disease represent real trends. Wishful thinking may lead physicians to underes timate the likelihood of a disease for patients most at risk for its consequences. Teaching physicians to develop better judgmental strategies may improve the quality of their judgments and hence their patient care. Key words: diagnosis; probability; septicemia; availability heu ristic ; value bias. (Med Decis Making 1991;11:159-168)
A Review of the Development of an Internet Delivered LL.M Program in the United States

This article reviews the elements to develop an Internet-delivered (online) legal education program, written by the pioneer of distance legal education leveraging the Internet, who began such in 1994.The article comprises four sections. Part 1 addresses the economics reasons for, and logistics considerations of, the Internet-delivered Program. Part 2 reviews the pedagogical approach to legal education employed in the United States, criticisms thereof, and finally examines an emerging pedagogical trend in the United Kingdom. Part 3 reviews the teaching tools employed in the Program, and Part 4 reviews the practical aspects of developing the Program and obtaining American Bar Association (ABA) acquiescence, and reviews the Internet-delivered law courses that came before it. Finally, the article concludes with some personal observations.excerpt: Alternative Methods Suggested by US Academics to Accomplish Goals …Professors Davis and Steinglass suggest that law professors employ complementary teaching methods to the Socratic method to ensure that every student is actively participating and thinking. Some of their suggested methods include such things as requesting students to write their thoughts out in class and bring written responses that will be shared in pairs or small groups in addition to organizing classes to including small group discussions in which students can speak more comfortably and develop ideas that can then be discussed in the larger group, to analyze cases through role playing, the assignment of problems and even creating on-line discussions that will assist students who are wary of speaking in public or of speaking extemporaneously and will address a broader range of subject matter than can be addressed in time-limited classes.
Separation of Genomic DNA from Plasmid DNA by Selective Renaturation with Immobilized Metal Affinity Capture

In contrast to proteins, many nucleic acids can undergo reversible modification of their conformations, and this flexibility can be used to facilitate purification. Selective renaturation with capture is a novel method of removing contaminating genomic DNA from plasmid samples. Plasmid DNA quickly renatures after thermal denaturation and cooling (or alkaline denaturation followed by neutralization), whereas genomic DNA remains locally denatured after rapid cooling in mismatch‐stabilizing high ionic strength buffer. Partially denatured genomic DNA can be selectively bound to a metal chelate affinity adsorbent through exposed purine bases, while double‐stranded renatured plasmid DNA is not bound. Using this method we have readily achieved 1,000,000‐fold clearance of 71 wt % contaminating E. coli genomic DNA from plasmid samples.
A randomized controlled trial of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow).

OBJECTIVE The aims of this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial were to determine whether ultrasound-guided extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) reduced pain and improved function in patients with lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) in the short term and intermediate term. METHODS Sixty-eight patients from community-based referring doctors were randomized to receive 3 ESWT treatments or 3 treatments at a subtherapeutic dose given at weekly intervals. Seven outcome measures relating to pain and function were collected at followup evaluations at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after completion of the treatment. The mean changes in outcome variables from baseline to 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months were compared for the 2 groups. RESULTS The groups did not differ on demographic or clinical characteristics at baseline and there were significant improvements in almost all outcome measures for both groups over the 6-month followup period, but there were no differences between the groups even after adjusting for duration of symptoms. CONCLUSION Our study found little evidence to support the use of ESWT for the treatment of lateral epicondylitis and is in keeping with recent systematic reviews of ESWT for lateral epicondylitis that have drawn similar conclusions.
First Case of Bloodstream Infection Caused by Rhodococcus erythropolis

ABSTRACT We describe the first case of bloodstream infection caused by Rhodococcus erythropolis. The identification was performed using 16S rRNA sequencing. This case illustrates that non-equi Rhodococcus infections may be underdiagnosed due to difficulties in identification in the routine clinical microbiology laboratory.
A graphical environment for user-interface design and development

The design of an easy-to-use and flexible user-interface management system (UIMS) is described. The authors identify two major problems for UIMSs. The first problem is to find a way to make the UIMS easier to use without sacrificing important functionality. A design concept, behaviour abstraction, is described which allows important gains in ease-of-use, while retaining the kind of flexibility needed by user-interface designers. The second problem is to provide a user-interface design tool that allows easy and flexible runtime configuration. A traditional notation, the data-flow diagram, proves to be an appropriate organising principle for the design of the runtime connection between a user-interface module and application modules. An implementation, called the graphical specification system (GSS), provides an integrated environment for designing the user-interface component of interactive embedded system software. GSS provides two tools; an application display generator (ADG) for designing screen objects and a data-flow editor (DFE) for specifying runtime connections. GSS demonstrates the smooth integration of a drawing environment for display design and a data-flow editor for runtime specification. The results provide a platform for future work in extending the behaviour abstraction concept and for building in usability engineering tools. < >
Students' perceptions of self-directed learning and collaborative learning with and without technology

This study explored students' perceptions of self-directed learning (SDL) and collaborative learning (CL) with/without technology in an information and communications technology-supported classroom environment. The factors include SDL, CL, SDL supported by technology, and CL supported by technology. Based on the literature review, this study hypothesized that students' perceptions of learning without technology positively predict their perceptions of learning supported by technology. An instrument was developed and two studies, a pilot study and a main study, were undertaken. The pilot study surveyed 219 secondary school students and established the factors through exploratory factor analysis with good validity and reliability. The main study surveyed 500 secondary school students to confirm the factors and to establish the relationships between these factors through structural equation modeling. The results validated the four-factor structure model and revealed that students who reportedly engaged in SDL and CL in face-to-face contexts also engaged in these forms of learning in technology-supported contexts. The findings indicate that students' learning without technology support is related to their use of technology for learning. It may be advisable for teachers to develop students' learning processes in the face-to-face context without technology before engaging them in technology-supported learning.
Validation and clinical relevance of a novel scalp coverage scoring method

Background/aims: Distinctive patterns of defective scalp skin coverage or alopecia have been identified by clinicians but do not help measuring the dynamics of hair changes over time. Hence, we conceived the scalp coverage scoring (SCS) method that integrates cumulative changes of hair growth or loss. In this paper, we report the results of validation studies demonstrating that the SCS can be applied in real time in the clinic or on global photographs for evaluating the severity of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) of male subjects and for monitoring changes over time.
Tepper School of Business 4-28-2009 Life Cycle Dynamics within Metropolitan Communities

In this paper we study the life cycle locational choices of heterogeneous households and characterize the dynamics of metropolitan areas. We develop an overlapping generations model for households in of a system of multiple jurisdictions. At each point of time households choose among the finite number of jurisdictions, pick consumption and housing plans, and vote over education expenditures and tax policies. A household’s composition changes over the life cycle as children grow up and leave the household. These changes in turn impact the household’s need for housing and for local public services, particularly education. Households face frictions in relocating. A household may relocate as needs change, bearing the associated financial and psychic costs of moving. Alternatively, the household may choose to remain in a community that suited its initial needs, finding the costs of relocation to be greater than the potential benefits of moving to a community better suited to its changed housing and public education. Our quantitative analysis shows that mobility costs are likely to have a large impact on household sorting patterns. Mobility costs also impact the political decisions that determine local tax and expenditure policies. Finally, we compare centralized and decentralized mechanisms for providing education and their impact on human capital accumulation and welfare. JEL classification: D72, D91, H31, R12
Positive fantasies predict low academic achievement in disadvantaged students

Unlike other forms of positive thinking (e.g., expectations), research finds that positive fantasies (experiencing one’ st houghts and mentalimagesaboutthefuturepositively)predictlow effortandlittlesuccessinseveraldomains.However,forvocationaleducation students of low socioeconomic status and minority ethnicity, for whom the present environment is especially difficult, perhaps it would be appropriate to indulge in positive fantasies that depict the future as bright and easily attained. Three studies show that this is not the case. Positive future fantasies measured early in the program predicted more days absent (Studies 2–3) and lower grades at the end of the program (Studies 1–3), even when adjusting for initial academic competence, expectations of successful achievement, and self-discipline. Expectations of successful achievement predicted fewer days absent and higher grades only when measured midway through the school year, once participants had experience with their own academic standing (Study 3). Results indicate that positive fantasies, which allow people to indulge in images of a bright future, predict poor achievement even in vocational students immersed in a particularly difficult environment. Copyright # 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Most people have associations to the word “fantasy” that are distinctly positive—daydream, fancy, hope, desire, castle in the sky, flight of the imagination. Positive fantasies are the causesofsome ofpeople’srichestandmost embellishedexperiences, so it’s not surprising that the human mind is designed to have them plentifully. In their fantasies, people gather figures from film and fiction, experiences of friends and family, and far-removed aspects of the world in an attempt to adorn their present with non-existent but potentially implementable bounty. This bounty makes the world more pleasant and the hardships more bearable, and one might think that the ability to fantasize has allowed humans to thrive. However, one may also argue that these embellished fantasies, while good for the moment, in the long run hamper effort and success by seducing people to experience mentally rather than achieve in actuality. In line with this latter idea, Oettingen and Mayer (2002) argued that positive fantasies allow people to mentally experience a desired future in the present, which yields little motivation to take action and invest effort toward achieving this future. Indeed, a series of studies testing this idea showed that positive fantasies predict poor achievement in domains including health and interpersonal (Oettingen & Mayer, 2002; Oettingen & Wadden, 1991) as well as academic (introductory psychology grades for university students, Oettingen & Mayer, 2002, Study 3). The studies reported here build on this research and investigate whether positive fantasies would also predict poor achievement for disadvantaged students who have
3D Interactive System Using Integral Photography by Embedded Optical Sensors for Portable Devices

An air-touch interactive system for portable devices is presented. An embedded optical sensor based on this approach was developed to realize a lightweight and thin-form-factor three-dimensional (3-D) interactive system. Using integral photography, the 3-D coordinates of an object are calculated. Moreover, the micro-lens array is implemented to improve the working range to 80 mm and achieve a position error of less than 5 mm. The spatial resolution in x-y and z domains is 1 and 5 mm, respectively. In addition, this system can also support a gesture vector sensing function in the far field up to 150 mm.
Downregulation of dickkopf-1 enhances the proliferation and osteogenic potential of fibroblasts isolated from ankylosing spondylitis patients via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in vitro

ABSTRACT Background: Heterotopic ossification of the entheses is one of the most distinctive features in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Fibroblasts are potential target cells for heterotopic ossification. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway and its inhibitor dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) regulate bone formation. DKK-1 expression in human AS tissues has not been documented. Objective: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the expression of DKK-1 in AS tissues and to elucidate its role in fibroblasts proliferation and osteogenesis in AS. Methods: DKK-1 expression was assessed by western blotting, real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and immunohistochemistry analysis of hip synovial tissues obtained from AS and control patients. Fibroblasts were isolated, cultured, and transfected with lentiviral vectors for overexpressing human DKK-1 or an shRNA for silencing DKK-1. MTS [(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl) 2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium] and a 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assay were used to detect AS fibroblasts proliferation after transfection. The expression levels of β-catenin, phosphorylated β-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D1, and the osteogenesis markers alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OCN), and Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) were then examined by western blot analysis. Alizarin red staining (ARS) was also used to observe biomineralization activity. Results: DKK-1 was downregulated in hip synovial tissues from AS patients compared to that observed in controls. AS fibroblasts exhibited excessive proliferation, a higher growth rate, and a decreased apoptotic rate. EdU assay demonstrated that DKK-1 suppressed the growth of AS fibroblasts. Downregulation of DKK-1 decreased the phosphorylation of β-catenin and upregulated the expression of β-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D1, and osteogenesis markers. Overexpression of DKK-1 had the opposite effect, resulting in the inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. ARS showed an increase in biomineralization activity after the inhibition of DKK-1. Conclusions: AS fibroblasts are characterized by an imbalance between proliferation and apoptosis. DKK-1 may play a role in switching to new bone formation in AS progression.
A line scanning confocal fluorescent microscope using a CMOS rolling shutter as an adjustable aperture

Traditional confocal microscopy uses a physical aperture barrier to prevent out‐of‐focus light from reaching the detector. The physical nature of a conventional aperture limits control over the system confocality. We describe a new line scanning confocal microscope that eliminates a need for a physical aperture by employing a software‐controllable rolling shutter on a CMOS camera. A confocal image is obtained by synchronizing motion of the rolling shutter and the laser line scanning over a sample. Confocal resolution of this microscope is adjustable in real time and independently established for each fluorescence channel by changing the rolling shutter width. This technology has been implemented in the IN Cell Analyzer 6000 system by GE Healthcare.
A new 2-D FDTD method applied to scattering by infinite objects with oblique incidence

A new two-dimensional (2-D) finite-difference time domain (FDTD) method applied to scattering by infinite objects with oblique incidence is proposed. 2-D Maxwell's equations, differential equations, and perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing boundary conditions (ABC) are derived. The incident wave, computed by the 1-D FDTD method, is set on the connecting boundary. The accuracy and the efficiency of the proposed method have been verified by comparing the results of the split-field periodic FDTD method, the sine-cosine method, and the transmission line theory method with the proposed method.