Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of high- and low- frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on angiogenesis and wound contraction in acute excisional wounds in rat skin

Introduction: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can alter the local temperature, increase skin blood flow and induce the release of vasodilator neuropeptides and growth factors. These changes may be related to the effects of TENS on the tissue repair process. Objective: To assess the effect of high - and low-frequency TENS on angiogenesis and the contraction of acute excisional wounds in rat skin. Methods: Fifty-four young adult male EPM1-Wistar rats were used in the study. An excisional wound was performed on the back of each animal using an 8mm punch. The animals were randomly assigned to three groups: the High-frequency Group (HG: 80 Hz), Low-frequency Group (LG: 5 Hz), and Sham Group (SG: TENS turned off). TENS was delivered on three days consecutives. Pulse duration and current intensity were 200 μs and 15 mA. The length of each TENS session was 60 minutes. Microscopic and macroscopic assessments were performed on 3, 7 and 14 postoperative (PO) days. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was utilized to quantify the neoformed blood vessels. Photographs were taken to determine the percentage of wound contraction. After assessment, the animals were painlessly sacrificed. Results: There were increases in angiogenesis in the HG on the 3 PO day, and in the LG on the 14 PO day. No significant differences in wound contraction were found between the groups on the different PO days. Conclusion: High frequency TENS improved angiogenesis, and neither frequency of TENS had any influence on the contraction of acute excisional wounds in rat skin.
Curbing Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Industrial Boilers in China

Author(s): Shen, Bo; Price, Lynn K; Lu, Hongyou; Liu, Xu; Tsen, Katherine; Xiangyang, Wei; Yunpeng, Zhang; Jian, Guan; Rui, Hou; Junfeng, Zhang; Yuqun, Zhuo; Shumao, Xia; Yafeng, Han; Manzhi, Liu
Effect of covariance between ablation and snow water equivalent on depletion of snow-covered area in a forest

The influence of the spatial distribution of snow water equivalent and covariance between spatial distributions of ablation and snow water equivalent on depletion of snowcover was investigated in the boreal forest of central Saskatchewan. Canada. Changes in the spatial distributions of snow water equivalent were measured before and during melt in five stands, ranked by canopy density as: black spruce, jack pine, mixed wood, burned and recent clear-cut. The pre-melt frequency distribution of snow water equivalent within forest stands was found to fit a log-normal distribution. Higher variability in snow water equivalent resulted in earlier exposure of ground under spatially uniform melt simulations, confirming the previous findings of others for open environments. The spatial distribution of daily ablation within stands was found, however, to be correlated inversely to the distribution of snow water equivalent. This negative covariance between snow water equivalent and ablation further accelerated snow cover depletion. The combined acceleration as a result of variance of snow water equivalent and covariance with ablation was greatest in mixed-wood stands and smallest in burned and spruce stands. Simulations that included the within-stand covariance of ablation and snow water equivalent showed improved fit with measured data over those that only considered the effect of the distribution of snow water equivalent on snow-cover depletion.
Strategic Alliances between Banks and Fintechs for Digital Innovation: Motives to Collaborate and Types of Interaction

In times of digitalization, firms increasingly need to form alliances due to the higher complexity and greater dynamics of markets. Digital innovation poses challenges for established institutions (e.g., banks) in adapting to changing rules that are set by new competitors and higher customer expectations. However, young firms providing technical solutions for the financial services industry (fintechs) also face difficulties, such as meeting regulatory requirements. Due to the shortcomings of both banks and fintechs, firms in the financial services industry are increasingly forming alliances. We conducted interviews to examine the motivations of both banks and fintechs to join forces. The resulting motives are categorized as matching, complementary, and neutral. The alliances in our sample can be differentiated into financial investments and customer-service provider relationships, with the second category being most common. However, our findings reveal that the occurrence of particular motives is not linked to certain types of alliances. Building on these findings, we develop a motivation framework and derive practical implications.
Identification & Mitigation of NLOS Information for UWB based Indoor Localization

Technology advancements such as GPS, automation and robotics have completely changed the world and produced new industries, once thought to be unimaginable a century ago. As with all technology, these systems come with limitations and can be further improved. At this time, all of these systems share one common problem; they cannot work together in an indoor environment. The advent of indoor positioning systems aims to create a union between these technologies such as allowing robots to be location aware. Indoor positioning is currently a new technology with no defined standard. Ultra-wideband based indoor positioning systems have become popular because of their resistance to multipath and high resolution due to a large bandwidth. The Ultra-wideband based system in this thesis utilizes the time of arrival technique to calculate distances and thus a user’s position. Time of arrival is only reliable when there is a line-of-sight between two transceivers. If there is no line-of-sight, the distances calculated are inaccurate thus impacting the accuracy of a user’s position. This thesis proposes a practical, non-hardware intensive solution to identify if there is a no line-of-sight condition and mitigates the measured range between a tag and the anchor nodes. Line-of-sight identification was implemented using the channel impulse response data. Ranging and positioning mitigation was achieved using a geometric based mitigation scheme. An accuracy of 90% was achieved for the identification of no line-of-sight and an improvement factor of 2.81 was achieved for the calculated mitigated position of a tag.
Repeatability of ultrasound in assessment of distal biceps brachii tendon

Objective: Examine the repeatability of ultrasound imaging for capturing cross sectional area (CSA), tendon length and elongation of the distal biceps brachii (dBB) tendon at rest and during submaximal elbow flexion contractions. The secondary purpose was to assess the influence of these architectural measures on tendon mechanics of stress and strain. Methods: Within a testing session and between two days CSA, tendon length and elongation of the dBB were captured with ultrasound. Measures were compared within a session and between days. Pearson’s correlations were performed to determine the intra-class correlation coefficients. Bland and Altman plots were used to identify the agreement between measures as well as the bias in measurements. Paired T -test were performed to ensure the calculated variables did not differ between days. Results: Resting tendon CSA was repeatable and strongly correlated (r = 0.98) within a session and between days; however, modest differences were observed in resting tendon length between days (1.8 mm) although values were correlated (r = 0.98). During submaximal contractions of 10%-80% maximal tendon elongation (r = 0.83) and CSA (r = 0.98) were also repeatable. From the measures of elongation and CSA, the calculated values of tendon strain (r = 0.97) and stress (r = 0.96) were also repeatable. Conclusions: Elongation and CSA of the dBB tendon captured with ultrasound are repeatable between testing sessions. From these measures tendon mechanics can be calculated to define the tendon’s role in upper limb tasks, long-term adaptation and diagnostics.
On the use of the transferrin receptor as a target for brain drug delivery

An unmet need exists for therapeutic compounds to traverse the brain capillary endothelial cells that denote the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to deliver effective treatment to the diseased brain. The use of nanoparticle technology for targeted delivery to the brain implies that targeted liposomes encapsulating a drug of interest will undergo receptor-mediated uptake and transport through the BBB with a subsequent unfolding of the liposomal content inside the brain, hence revealing drug release to adjacent drug-demanding neurons. As transferrin receptors (TfRs) are present on brain capillary endothelial, but not on endothelial cells elsewhere in the body, the use of TfR-targeted liposomes colloidal particulates with a phospholipid bilayer membrane remains the most relevant strategy to obtain efficient drug delivery to the brain. However, many studies have failed to provide sufficient quantitative data to proof passage of the BBB and significant appearance of drugs inside the brain parenchyma. Here, we critically evaluate the current evidence on the use of TfR-targeted liposomes for brain drug delivery based on a thorough investigation of all available studies within this research field. We focus on issues with respect to experimental design and data analysis that may provide an explanation to conflicting reports, and we discuss possible explanations for the current lack of sufficient transcytosis across the BBB for implementation in the design of TfRtargeted liposomes. We finally provide a list of suggestions for strategies to obtain substantial uptake and transport of drug carriers at the BBB with a concomitant transport of therapeutics into the brain. CHAPTER
Security analytics of large scale streaming data

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Characteristics of recent northern New England tornadoes

Our understanding of northern New England tornadogenesis is limited. They tend to be short lived, and often do not exhibit the radar and environmental characteristics of their Midwest tornado counterparts. Automated detection schemes have not performed well in this region either. The WSR-88D tornado detection algorithms have difficulty resolving tornado vortex signatures in northern New England (Cannon 1998). Manipulating algorithm adaptation data for enhanced detection has proven unsuccessful as well.
A PDE APPROACH TO MIXED STRATEGIES PREDICTION WITH EXPERT ADVICE

This work investigates a discrete model problem from online machine learning using methods from PDEs and optimal control. The overall area is ‘prediction with expert advice’ a framework in which an agent tries to use ‘expert advice’ to invest optimally (for the worst case scenario) against an adversarial market. A discrete time iterative process involves decision making at every step; the goal for mathematical analysis is to understand the optimal decision and its consequences over a long period of time. Our general approach is ‘numerical analysis in reverse’ interpreting the discrete formulation as a numerical scheme for an appropriate PDE. We prove that the solution to the discrete problem is asymptotically close to the unique solution of the PDE and thus use knowledge of the PDE solution to inform the optimal strategy of the original setup.
MODELLING ALPINE SNOW HYDROLOGY IN THE CANADIAN ROCKY MOUNTAINS

Field and modelling studies at Marmot Creek Research Basin in the Canadian Rocky Mountain have been directed to advance the understanding of snow processes and to improve hydrometeorological models of snowpack, streamflow and related atmospheric variables. Modelling studies of blowing snow over alpine terrain are showing promise in the prediction of the spatial distributions of snow water equivalent in complex environments. The model includes a complex terrain wind flow algorithm coupled to a two-phase flow snow transport and sublimation algorithm. It calculates snow accumulation as a residual of the snow redistribution and sublimation processes. An important new feature is the application of the model to aggregated landscape units (Hydrological Response Units or HRU) having common physiographic and aerodynamic characteristics; these landscape units require much less physiographic information than do fully spatially distributed blowing snow models and are suitable to application in remote alpine regions with sparse data. Comparisons of model outputs to snow surveys suggest that this level of spatial resolution and physically based simulation can produce reliable snow accumulation estimates in Canadian Rocky Mountain alpine catchments. Snow ablation studies have focussed on application of the energy balance to estimate snowmelt over landscape units with consideration of sub-unit depletion of snow covered area. In this case hydrological response units are segregated based on snow accumulation characteristics and applied melt energy fluxes. The calculated melt rates agree well with observations snow surveys. Improved algorithms resulting from this application of field technology are being used to update a modular, object-oriented computer simulation of the cold regions hydrological cycle, the Cold Regions Hydrological Model, CRHM. CRHM can be easily and frequently updated as improved algorithms become available and used to predict both snow dynamics and streamflow from high mountain areas. (
Diet composition and terrestrial prey selection of the Laysan teal on Laysan Island

The Laysan teal (Anas laysanensis) is an endangered dabbling duck endemic to the Hawaiian Archipelago but currently restricted to a single breeding population on Laysan Island. We studied its diet using fecal analysis and behavioral observations. Laysan teal fecal samples (N=118) contained prey items in 15 primary prey categories with a mean of . (range 0) taxa per sample. Sixty-two of these fecal samples were quantified with 2,270 prey items identified (mean items per sample 37; range 0-205). Based on fecal analysis and behavioral observations, we learned that the Laysan teal is not strictly a macroinsectivore as previously reported, but consumed seeds, succulent leaves, and algae, in addition to adult and larval diptera, ants, lepidoptera, coleoptera, and Artemia. We compared abundance of invertebrates from two terrestrial foraging substrates, soil and standing vegetation, to the abundance of invertebrate prey items counted in fecal samples collected from these habitats for the same period. In the soil substrate, Laysan teal selected two of the most abundant invertebrates, lepidoptera larvae and coleoptera. In the standing vegetation, Laysan teal selected the most abundant taxa: coleoptera. Amphipods were consumed in proportion to their abundance, and small gastropods (Tornatellides sp.), isopods, and arachnids were avoided or were identified in fecal matter in disproportion to their abundance in the foraging habitat. We compared fecal composition of samples collected in aquatic and terrestrial habitats and detected significant differences in samples’ species compositions. The conservation implications of the adult Laysan teal’s diet are positive, since results indicate that the Laysan teal are opportunistic insectivores, and exhibit dietary flexibility that includes seeds and other food. Dietary flexibility improves the possibility of successfully reestablishing populations on other predator-free islands. _________________________________________________ 1U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, P.O. Box 44, Kilauea Field Station, Hawaii National Park, HI 1 USA, E-mail: michelle_reynolds@usgs.gov Current Address: Lenker St. Ashland, PA 1 1 USA Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0406 USA
D disclosure and corporate innovation : Evidence from U . S . cross-listed firms

Studying the effect of R&D disclosures on innovation by peer firms in an industry can specify the information externalities of peer R&D disclosures. A sample of foreign firms cross-listed on U.S. exchanges (American Depositary Receipts [ADRs]) provides the setting for studying a richer peer R&D disclosure environment. The findings reveal that R&D disclosures by ADRs spur innovation for industry peers in the U.S. market, and the effect varies with the home country’s legal protection systems and disclosure environments. The results hold even after controlling for endogeneity, using propensity matched samples or first-time ADR R&D disclosers in the focal setting. Cross-sectional analyses indicate that the externalities are more pronounced in industries or firms that rely more on external financing and firms subject to higher financial constraints; disclosures of higher quality appear to promote innovation by ameliorating financing frictions. Overall, this study provides evidence of a market-wide determinant of innovation, thereby contributing to literature on the real effects of peer disclosures. JEL classifications: O32; G30; M41; G15
Detection of Central Units in Basque Scientific Abstracts∗ La detección de la unidad central de resúmenes cientificos en euskera

This paper presents an automatic rule-based detector of the most salient discourse units in scientific abstracts. After segmentation, the detection of the central unit is a crucial annotation phase in the Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST), which could be exploited in automatic summarization or question answering tasks. Although there is still room for improvement, our results show that the central unit can be detected in Basque scientific abstracts.
Elucidation of the biochemical mechanism of glycogen phosphorylation in Escherichia coli

iii OPSOMMING iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES LEGENDS viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xi CHAPTER 1: Literature review 1 1.1 Starch as an important polymer 1 1.1.1 Starch structure 1 1.1.2 Industrial uses of starch 2 1.2 Starch metabolism 3 1.2. 1 Starch synthesis 3 1.2. 2 Starch phosphorylation 6 1.2. 3 Starch degradation 7 1.3 Starch and glycogen are storage polyglucans with similar biosynthetic pathways 14 1.4 Lafora disease 16 1.5 Is polyglucan phosphorylation a general phenomenon? 17 1.6 Summary 17 References cited 18 CHAPTER 2: Identification of glycogen phosphorylating genes from E. coli 31 2.
Observed Trends and Teleconnections of the Siberian High: A Recently Declining Center of Action

This study investigates variability in the intensity of the wintertime Siberian high (SH) by defining a robust SH index (SHI) and correlating it with selected meteorological fields and teleconnection indices. A dramatic trend of –2.5 hPa decade 1 has been found in the SHI between 1978 and 2001 with unprecedented (since 1871) low values of the SHI. The weakening of the SH has been confirmed by analyzing different historical gridded analyses and individual station observations of sea level pressure (SLP) and excluding possible effects from the conversion of surface pressure to SLP. SHI correlation maps with various meteorological fields show that SH impacts on circulation and temperature patterns extend far outside the SH source area extending from the Arctic to the tropical Pacific. Advection of warm air from eastern Europe has been identified as the main mechanism causing milder than normal conditions over the Kara and Laptev Seas in association with a strong SH. Despite the strong impacts of the variability in the SH on climatic variability across the Northern Hemisphere, correlations between the SHI and the main teleconnection indices of the Northern Hemisphere are weak. Regression analysis has shown that teleconnection indices are not able to reproduce the interannual variability and trends in the SH. The inclusion of regional surface temperature in the regression model provides closer agreement between the original and reconstructed SHI.
Persistent (Anxiety and Depression) Affected Academic Achievement and Absenteeism in Nursing Students

Background: Anxiety and depression are common among nursing students due to different factors. When they are minimal and not persistent, they work as stimuli for good achievement. However, when they are high or persistent they have negative consequences (i.e. low academic achievement and higher absenteeism rates). Objective: The purpose of this study was to check the effect of persistent anxiety and depression on nursing student academic achievement and absenteeism rate. Methods: A prospective observational correlational design with a convenience sample of 170 students enrolled in the undergraduate and graduate programs-college of nursing at a private university in Amman, Jordan. Anxiety and depression were measured twice at the beginning of the semester and then two months later by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Data regarding grade point average, number of absenteeism and the gender of the students; were collected from the electronic system of the university. Results: Persistently anxious group has lower grade point average than persistently non-anxious group (mean [SD], 64.1 [13.8] vs. 73.1 [12.3], P< .001). Moreover, they have higher absenteeism rate than persistently non-anxious group (7.62 [5.7] vs. 4.0 [3.4], P< .001) and higher than transiently anxious group (7.62 [5.7] vs. 4.7 [4.6], P< .05). Persistently depressed group has lower grade point average than persistently non-depressed group (64.0 [13.8] vs. 73.2 [13.0], P< .001) and lower than transiently depressed (64.0 [13.8] vs. 71.7 [10.6], P< .01). Conclusion: Nursing administrators should search for the underlying causes for these negative emotions. Furthermore, setting strategies to control these negative emotions is highly recommended.
Rapid Synthesis of Phenazine-1-Carboxylic Acid Derived SmallMolecules from Diverse Anilines: Privileged Structures for Discovery

The development of rapid approaches for the synthesis of privileged scaffold inspired chemical libraries is a driving force in drug discovery. Phenazines demonstrate a diverse array of biological activities (e.g. anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, etc.) thus we consider the phenazine heterocycle to be a privileged scaffold of importance to drug discovery. Here, we have developed a synthetic approach that allows for the rapid preparation of four diverse derivatives of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) in 3 to 4 linear synthetic steps from a single, commercially available aniline. This step-economy focused approach takes advantage of the Jourdan-Ullmann/sodium borohydride ring-closure pathway to synthesize a diverse set of PCA small molecules, followed by the rapid diversification using Curtius rearrangements and a series of amidation reactions to generate a library of 35 diverse phenazines.
Exploring the Afterlife

Cultural understandings of the Afterlife are often embedded in spatial thinking and spatial metaphors. This article, first develops an understanding of the Afterlife as a relational virtual space populated by absent presences. Second, the article explores the possibility of investigating the Afterlife with ethnographical approaches. Exploring three fictional vignettes, the article discusses alternative spatialities of the Afterlife, in order to emphasize the pervasiveness of spatial thinking in conceptualizations of apparently nonspatial phenomena, and to challenge dichotomist spatial interpretations of presences/absences, the living and the postliving and life/Afterlife.