Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vitro evaluation of the biofunctionality of osteoblasts cultured on DegraPol-foam

The biofunctionality of osteoblasts cultured on DegraPol-foam, a biodegradable, elastic, and highly porous polyesterurethane-foam, was determined here to examine the possible use of this structure as bone repair material. Osteoblasts from rat tibia and from the cell line (MC3T3-E1) exhibited relatively high attachment and low doubling time that result in a confluent cell multilayer on the surface of the foam. They produced high concentrations of collagen type I and osteocalcin, and expressed increasing alkaline phosphatase activity. Exposure to 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D (Vit. D) increased dose-and time-dependent alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin concentration, and decreased the level of collagen type I and cell density. Maximal effects of Vit. D on alkaline phosphatase activity (2.2 fold), osteocalcin (1.5 fold), collagen type I (50% reduction), and on cell density (35% reduction) were found at 100 ng Vit. D ml-1. Osteoblasts cultured on DegraPolfoam in the presence of Vit. D exhibited more spreading and less spindle-like morphology than cells cultured in the absence of Vit. D. Cell ingrowth into the pores of the foam was not affected by Vit. D treatment. Taken collectively, the osteoblasts, capability of responding to Vit. D confirms the osteoblast compatibility of DegraPol-foam and the possible use of this scaffold in the bone healing process.
MORPHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE OF RICE ( ORYZA SATIVA L . ) VARIETIES TO SALINITY STRESS

Morpho-physiological response of 7 rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties viz., Moroberekan, Co39, Azucena, Bala, IR64, Kalinga-III and Nipponbare was assessed under control and 100 mol m NaCl + 5 mol m CaCl2 stress in a flood bench system in greenhouse. Physiological and growth parameters were recorded after 21 or 42 days of salt stress. The statistical analysis revealed significant differences among varieties for various traits associated with salt tolerance under salinity stress. Regarding physiological parameters significant higher accumulation of Na was in Moroberekan (52.9 mol m), whereas lowest (14.1 mol m) in IR64, followed by Co39 (14.6 mol m) and Azucena (14.7 mol m). There was a significant negative correlation between leaf Na and K/Na ratio in varieties under salt stress; however salinity and salinity×variety interaction had nonsignificant effect on leaf K concentration in this study. Growth parameters were also negatively correlated with salinity stress. Among varieties the lowest reduction in shoot fresh (58%) and dry weight (36.5%) was in Co39, indicating its tolerance to salt stress, whereas, the most sensitive genotype was Azucena with highest reductions in shoot fresh (82%) and dry weights (77%). The use of salinity damage scores as assessment criteria in the appraisal of salt tolerance is discussed. A contrasting response of Co39 and Moroberekan to salt stress suggests the use of available recombinant inbred lines (RILs) population from Co39×Moroberekan, for mapping of QTLs associated with salinity tolerance.
Codesign of Event-Triggered and Distributed $H_{\infty }$ Filtering for Active Semi-Vehicle Suspension Systems

This paper is concerned with the problem of distributed <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$H_{\infty }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> filtering for a cloud-aided active semi-vehicle suspension system. The information of semi-vehicle suspension system are transmitted to the cloud through wireless network with some unreliable characteristics, such as communication time-delay and limited bandwidth, which are solved by the delay-distribution dependent method and event-triggered scheme, respectively. In order to reduce the dimensions of results, the semi-vehicle suspension is decomposed into two interconnected subsystems. At the side of remote cloud, filters are designed for each subsystem with considering the unreliable characteristics of network and stochastic sensor faults, simultaneously. A codesign algorithm is provided to obtain the distributed <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $H_\infty$</tex-math></inline-formula> filtering and the event-triggered scheme, simultaneously. Finally, the efficient performances of the codesigned algorithm are evaluated both in time and frequency domains under different road conditions.
Estimating the size of search trees by sampling with domain knowledge

We show how recently-defined abstract models of the Branch & Bound algorithm can be used to obtain information on how the nodes are distributed in B&B search trees. This can be directly exploited in the form of probabilities in a sampling algorithm given by Knuth that estimates the size of a search tree. This method reduces the offline estimation error by a factor of two on search trees from MixedInteger Programming instances.
Effect of eugenol exposure time and post-removal delay on the bond strength of a self-etching adhesive to dentin.

OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the effects of the exposure time of eugenol-based provisional restorative material and the time elapsed between the provisional material removal and the adhesive procedure on the bond strength of the composite to dentin. MATERIALS AND METHODS Human third molars were sectioned into two halves that were enclosed in resin cylinders. The cavities were prepared over the buccal/lingual faces with diamond burs. Zinc oxide and eugenol (ZOE) provisional material was inserted into cavities and left for 24 hours, 7 days or 14 days. The cavities not restored with ZOE were used as controls. After ZOE removal or over fresh dentin (control), self-etching Adper SE Plus was applied immediately, after a 7- or 14-day delay. The cavity was restored with non-eugenol provisional material during this delay period. Cylinders of resin cement were built-up over the hybridized dentin. A shear load was applied to the cylinders at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/minute until failure. The data were statistically analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests (α=0.05). RESULTS Using IRM as a provisional restoration for 24 hours followed by its removal and immediate adhesive application resulted in the lowest values of shear bond strength. There was no significant difference between the other experimental conditions. CONCLUSIONS The use of IRM for 24 hours adversely affected the shear bond strength of a self-etching adhesive to dentin. The recovery of the proper bond strength occurred one week after IRM removal.
Autophagy Induction by SIRT6 through Attenuation of Insulin-like Growth Factor Signaling Is Involved in the Regulation of Human Bronchial Epithelial Cell Senescence

Cigarette smoke (CS)–induced cellular senescence has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and SIRT6, a histone deacetylase, antagonizes this senescence, presumably through the attenuation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-Akt signaling. Autophagy controls cellular senescence by eliminating damaged cellular components and is negatively regulated by IGF-Akt signaling through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). SIRT1, a representative sirtuin family, has been demonstrated to activate autophagy, but a role for SIRT6 in autophagy activation has not been shown. Therefore, we sought to investigate the regulatory role for SIRT6 in autophagy activation during CS-induced cellular senescence. SIRT6 expression levels were modulated by cDNA and small interfering RNA transfection in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs). Senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining and Western blotting of p21 were performed to evaluate senescence. We demonstrated that SIRT6 expression levels were decreased in lung homogenates from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, and SIRT6 expression levels correlated significantly with the percentage of forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity. CS extract (CSE) suppressed SIRT6 expression in HBECs. CSE-induced HBEC senescence was inhibited by SIRT6 overexpression, whereas SIRT6 knockdown and mutant SIRT6 (H133Y) without histone deacetylase activity enhanced HBEC senescence. SIRT6 overexpression induced autophagy via attenuation of IGF-Akt-mTOR signaling. Conversely, SIRT6 knockdown and overexpression of a mutant SIRT6 (H133Y) inhibited autophagy. Autophagy inhibition by knockdown of ATG5 and LC3B attenuated the antisenescent effect of SIRT6 overexpression. These results suggest that SIRT6 is involved in CSE-induced HBEC senescence via autophagy regulation, which can be attributed to attenuation of IGF-Akt-mTOR signaling.
Estimation of microbiological status of sewage sludge subject to composting process in controlled conditions

Microbiological characteristics of sewage sludge from a mechanical-and-biological sewage treatment plant composted in controlled conditions with straw and sawdust are presented. Prepared composts were placed in four bioreactors with airflow of 4 l air·min. In bioreactor K1, K2 and K3 the composted mass consisted of 65% sewage sludge (K1–sewage sludge 1, K2 – sludge 2, K3 – sludge 3) + 30% sawdust + 5% straw; while in bioreactor K4 the proportion was: 45% sludge 2 + 50% sawdust + 5% straw. Compost samples were taken from all chambers at the same time, depending on actual temperature. Microbiological analyses consisted in the determination (by plate method) on selective media of the numbers of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria, fungi and pathogenic bacteria Salmonella sp. Clostridium perfringens and Enterobacteriaceae. Furthermore, in the experiment, the activity levels of dehydrogenase were determined using 1% triphenyltetrazole chloride as substratum. Studies have indicated that the composting process caused a decrease of the number of fungi and pathogenic bacteria from Enterobacteriaceae family and Clostridium perfringens in all composted matters, as well as an increase in the number of thermophilic bacteria. Changes in the number of mesophilic bacteria depended on the compost type. In composts K1 and K2, the composting process caused an increased proliferation of cells, while in the composts K3 and K4 the number of mesophilic bacteria decreased. On the basis of the obtained results, it was also found that in the majority of analysis terms, the lowest activity of dehydrogenases occurred in compost K3, while their level of its activity, in the majority of the studied composts, correlated most intensively with the number of thermophilic bacteria.
Review Paper on Identifying Features in Opinion Mining via Intrinsic and Extrinsic Domain Relevance

: In this paper, we have planned to propose a complete unique technique to spot opinion features from on-line reviews by exploiting the two distinct opinion feature statistics across two corpora, one domain-specific corpus (i.e., the given review corpus) and one domain-independent corpus (i.e., the contrastive corpus). We capture this inequality via domain connection (DR) that characterizes the connection of a term to a text assortment. Initial list extraction of candidate opinion options is done from domain review corpus by following the grammar dependence rules. For every extracted candidate feature, we can estimate its intrinsic-domain connection (IDR) and extrinsic-domain connection (EDR) scores on the domain-dependent and domain-independent corpora, severally. The aim of document-level (sentence-level) opinion mining is to classify the general judgment or sentiment expressed in a personal review document. Thus, on the basis of candidate feature, the interval threshold can be used for intrinsic and extrinsic domain connection criterion. Evaluations conducted on two real-world review domains demonstrate the effectiveness of our projected IEDR approach in distinguishing opinion options.
Low rate video frame interpolation - challenges and solution

The challenges specific to interpolation at low video frame rates are illustrated by choosing an algorithm that performs well at high frame rates and applying it to low frame rates. The performance is illustrated by comparing the original algorithm, the algorithm adapted to low frame rate particularities, and simple averaging. To overcome the particular challenges of low frame rates, two algorithms were developed and compared on objective and subjective bases and shown to provide elegant solutions to the specific challenges of low frame rate video interpolation.
ORIENTATION OF THE ROTATION-AXIS RELATIVE TO GRAVITY: ITS INFLUENCE ON NYSTAGMUS AND THE SENSATION OF ROTATION.

Subjective phenomena and nystagmus were compared under two conditions of rotation, one in which the axis of rotation was vertical, i.e., aligned with gravity, and one in which the rotation-axis was horizontal. When the axis of rotation was horizontal, normal subjects exhibited nystagmus and sensations of rotation for periods of three minutes (and longer); deceleration produced very brief post-rotational reactions. L-D subjects, men presumed to be without vestibular function, did not exhibit nystagmus or report sensations similar to those of normal subjects for either the vertical or horizontal axis of rotation. Because prolonged nystagmus occurred almost exclusively in normal subjects when the rotation axis was horizontal, it is concluded that vestibular function is a necessary condition for this response and that it may be dependent upon the continuous reorientation of the otolith system relative to gravity. The results emphasize the importance of increasing our range of experimental observations to chec.
Smart vision sensors

Smart vision sensors represent a niche in machine vision where high performance in terms of frame rates, processing speed, and flexibility is the most essential feature. With the integration of photosensitive devices with processing elements on one and the same substrate it is possible to reach high performance at low complexity and low cost. The MAPP2500 from IVP represents state of the art in this development of CMOS imaging and on-chip processing.
Selection of a Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Strain with a Decreased Ability To Produce Acetic Acid

ABSTRACT We have characterized a new strain, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CECT 7953, obtained by random UV mutagenesis, which produces less acetic acid than the wild type (CECT 7954) in three different experimental settings: De Man-Rogosa-Sharpe broth without sodium acetate, resting cells, and skim milk. Genome sequencing revealed a single Phe-Ser substitution in the acetate kinase gene product that seems to be responsible for the strain's reduced acid production. Accordingly, acetate kinase specific activity was lower in the low acetate producer. Strain CECT 7953 produced less acetate, less ethanol, and more yoghourt-related volatile compounds in skim milk than the wild type did. Thus, CECT 7953 shows promising potential for the development of dairy products fermented exclusively by a bifidobacterial strain.
Multiple copies of a DNA sequence from Pseudomonas syringae pathovar phaseolicola abolish thermoregulation of phaseolotoxin production

Phaseolotoxin, a phytotoxin of Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola, is produced at 18°C but not at 28°C. Here we report that a fragment (24.4 kb) cloned from the wild‐type strain, which does not harbour a gene(s) involved in phaseolotoxin biosynthesis, abolishes this thermoregulation in the wild type and suppresses a Tox− mutant at both temperatures. A subclone harbouring a 465bp fragment contains motifs that are characteristic of DNA‐binding sites. In mobility shift assays we have detected a protein(s) from the wild‐type and the mutant strains, grown at appropriate temperatures, that specifically binds to the fragment containing the DNA‐binding motifs. We propose that the binding protein is a repressor which is ‘titrated’ by this fragment when it is present in the cell on a multiple copy plasmid, thus allowing expression of phaseolotoxin genes.
Research on control strategy of three-phase grid-connected inverter under distorted and unbalanced voltage conditions

The proportional error resonant current control has been extensively employed to reduce the current harmonic distortion in a wide range of grid-connected distributed generation applications, including photovoltaic (PV) inverters, wind and water turbines, and fuel-cell inverters. However, the performance of these systems is deteriorated when the utility grid voltage experiences abnormal conditions such as voltage harmonics and imbalances. This paper first analyzes the limitations of the proportional error resonant current control operating under abnormal grid conditions and then introduces an advanced control scheme(proportional feedback resonant control) that improves the current harmonic distortion in such adverse conditions without increasing the computational load of the original current control. Moreover, the system of the external loop adopts power droop control and voltage loop, so the system can not only grid-connected operation, but also can run independently in the network. Finally, a prototype is built to validate the feasibility and correctness of the proposed control strategy.
The Mortality Risk Score and the ADG Score: Two Points-Based Scoring Systems for the Johns Hopkins Aggregated Diagnosis Groups to Predict Mortality in a General Adult Population Cohort in Ontario, Canada

Background:Logistic regression models that incorporated age, sex, and indicator variables for the Johns Hopkins’ Aggregated Diagnosis Groups (ADGs) categories have been shown to accurately predict all-cause mortality in adults. Objectives:To develop 2 different point-scoring systems using the ADGs. The Mortality Risk Score (MRS) collapses age, sex, and the ADGs to a single summary score that predicts the annual risk of all-cause death in adults. The ADG Score derives weights for the individual ADG diagnosis groups. Research Design:Retrospective cohort constructed using population-based administrative data. Participants:All 10,498,413 residents of Ontario, Canada, between the age of 20 and 100 years who were alive on their birthday in 2007, participated in this study. Participants were randomly divided into derivation and validation samples. Measures:Death within 1 year. Results:In the derivation cohort, the MRS ranged from −21 to 139 (median value 29, IQR 17 to 44). In the validation group, a logistic regression model with the MRS as the sole predictor significantly predicted the risk of 1-year mortality with a c-statistic of 0.917. A regression model with age, sex, and the ADG Score has similar performance. Both methods accurately predicted the risk of 1-year mortality across the 20 vigintiles of risk. Conclusions:The MRS combined values for a person’s age, sex, and the John Hopkins ADGs to accurately predict 1-year mortality in adults. The ADG Score is a weighted score representing the presence or absence of the 32 ADG diagnosis groups. These scores will facilitate health services researchers conducting risk adjustment using administrative health care databases.
Regulation of expression driven by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and human T-cell leukemia virus type I long terminal repeats in pluripotential human embryonic cells

Human pluripotential embryonic teratocarcinoma cells differentially expressed gene activity controlled by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) long terminal repeats (LTRs) when differentiation was induced by the morphogen all-trans retinoic acid. The alterations occurred after commitment and before the appearance of the multiple cell types characteristic of these pluripotential cells. After commitment, gene activity controlled by the HIV-1 LTR markedly increased, whereas that controlled by the HTLV-I LTR decreased. Steady-state mRNA levels and nuclear run-on transcription indicated that the increased HIV-1-directed activity during differentiation occurred posttranscriptionally, whereas the decreased HTLV-I activity was at the transcriptional level. Phorbol esters did not cause commitment but strongly enhanced expression by both viral LTRs at the transcriptional level. A specific inhibitor of protein kinase C, 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine, indicated that the enhanced activity involved the activation of protein kinase(s) C; altered cyclic nucleotide metabolism was apparently not involved. Differentiating cells gradually lost the ability to respond to phorbol ester stimulation. Experiments with a deletion mutant of the HIV-1 LTR suggested that this was due to imposition of negative regulation during differentiation that was not reversed by phorbol ester induction. Cycloheximide, with or without phorbol ester, slightly stimulated HIV-1-directed activity at the transcriptional level and massively increased the amounts of steady-state mRNA by posttranscriptional superinduction. It appeared, however, that new nuclear protein synthesis was required for maximal transcriptional stimulation by phorbol esters. Thus, changing cellular regulatory mechanisms influenced human retrovirus expression during human embryonic cell differentiation.
The Scientific Benefits of Play : Gamifying Sensory Neuroscience

Aim: We present a case study of gamifying research on multisensory (audiovisual) interaction. The advantages and drawbacks of game-based platforms are explored by examining four variants of the same basic experimental protocol. Method: We implemented and compared four platforms that assessed interactions between auditory and visual processing systems. Two of the variants had been developed in prior research using a minimal to moderate level of gamification to study a particular form of audiovisual interaction. Two new variants were implemented one with no gamification at all to determine whether subjects preferred the gamified version, and one with much more sophisticated competitive tournament-style gamification to explore the effects of more sophisticated gamification on the experimental design. Results: All four platforms produced comparable evidence of substantial audiovisual interaction, but subjects preferred the more gamified platforms. Equally important was the efficiency of the most gamified platform: it generated a rich database of ∼40,000 informative stimulus-response events with just three hours’ data collection. This would have taken over 40 hours using a conventional, non-gamified approach. Conclusions: In platform-to-platform comparison, subjects preferred a gamified platform to one with conventional experimental design. The relaxation of some experimenter control in the most gamified platform had two main effects. It complicated the data analysis because there were more uncontrolled variables to contend with, but exploration of those additional variables opened a valuable window onto a number of unanticipated behaviors and strategies. Importantly, a consistent, strong multisensory interaction was clear even in the most complex, gamified experimental
A survey of the presence of a new infectious bronchitis virus designated 4/91 (793B)

On the basis of virus isolation and the demonstration of specific neutralising antibody in sera, infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) 4/91 (commonly called 793B) has been shown to be present in broiler, breeder and layer flocks of chickens in many parts of western Europe and also in Thailand and Mexico. These flocks had all been vaccinated against infectious bronchitis and the need for improved methods to control this new virus, still prevalent at least four years after it was first isolated, is discussed.