Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ontology and epistemology for agent-based wayfinding simulation

Agent-based systems are used to simulate the behaviour of people in various spatial environments. Designers of such systems need to give attention to ontological and epistemological concerns during the early stages of development to assure that the agent-based system is built upon a sound foundation. Only then is it possible to model the agent's behaviour in a cognitively plausible way. This paper describes an ecological approach to model ontology and epistemology for agent-based wayfinding simulation. The ontology of the wayfinding environment is based on a subdivision into medium, substances, and surfaces. The epistemological model uses the concept of affordances, which we divide into physical, social-institutional, and mental affordances. Ontology and epistemology are both grounded in people's descriptions of their wayfinding experiences. A case study of wayfinding in airports is used to demonstrate the applicability of the method for designing a simulation with a cognizing agent.
Serum angiopoietin-2 level as a predictor of tumor invasiveness in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Background. Because hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has important angiogenic activity, the expression of angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) may have a pathogenic role. The information about the influence of serum Ang-2 (sAng-2) in patients with HCC is scarce. Aims. The aim was to assess the association between sAng-2 levels and characteristics of tumor and liver disease in patients with HCC. Methods. sAng-2 concentrations in peripheral (sAng-2-P) and hepatic (sAng-2-H) veins were analyzed by ELISA in 33 patients with chronic liver disease who underwent a splanchnic hemodynamic study. Thirty-two patients received treatment for HCC. Results. The median age was 61 years and 79% were male. Hepatitis C infection (70%) was the main etiology. Most patients were Child-Pugh grade A (72.7%). sAng-2-P and sAng-2-H were well correlated (r = 0.95; p < 0.0001). A significant association was found between sAng-2-H and lobar tumor extension, vascular thrombosis, BCLC staging, infiltrating pattern, abnormal alpha-fetoprotein level, fulfillment of the Milan criteria, and performance of nonsystemic treatment. sAng-2-H also showed a significant correlation with the MELD score (r = 0.49; p = 0.007), albumin (r = -0.63; p < 0.001), and HVPG (r = 0.44; p = 0.02). Eleven patients received treatment with radiofrequency ablation and eight with transarterial chemoembolization. HCC treatment did not influence the sAng-2 concentration while the necrosis response to treatment was not influenced by previous sAng-2 levels. Conclusions. Ang-2 seems to play an important role in the angiogenic processes of HCC and its serum levels are associated with tumor characteristics and invasive behavior. Our results suggest that Ang-2 is not related with treatment response and its level is not modified by treatment.
Repair of Infarcted Myocardium Mediated by Transplanted Bone Marrow–Derived CD34+ Stem Cells in a Nonhuman Primate Model

Rodent and human clinical studies have shown that transplantation of bone marrow stem cells to the ischemic myocardium results in improved cardiac function. In this study, cynomolgus monkey acute myocardial infarction was generated by ligating the left anterior descending artery, and autologous CD34+ cells were transplanted to the peri‐ischemic zone. To track the in vivo fate of transplanted cells, CD34+ cells were genetically marked with green fluorescent protein (GFP) using a lentivirus vector before transplantation (marking efficiency, 41% on average). The group receiving cells (n = 4) demonstrated improved regional blood flow and cardiac function compared with the saline‐treated group (n =4) at 2 weeks after transplant. However, very few transplanted cell–derived, GFP‐positive cells were found incorporated into the vascular structure, and GFP‐positive cardiomyocytes were not detected in the repaired tissue. On the other hand, cultured CD34+ cells were found to secrete vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and the in vivo regional VEGF levels showed a significant increase after the transplantation. These results suggest that the improvement is not the result of generation of transplanted cell–derived endothelial cells or cardiomyocytes; and raise the possibility that angiogenic cytokines secreted from transplanted cells potentiate angiogenic activity of endogenous cells.
Pharmacokinetics, oral bioavailability, and metabolism in mice and cynomolgus monkeys of (2'R,5'S-)-cis-5-fluoro-1-[2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-oxathiolan-5-yl] cytosine, an agent active against human immunodeficiency virus and human hepatitis B virus

(2'R,5'S-)-cis-5-Fluoro-1-[2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-oxathiolan-5-yl] cytosine (524W91) is a nucleoside analog with potent anti-human immunodeficiency virus and anti-human hepatitis B virus activities in vitro. The pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of 524W91 after oral dosing were studied in mice dosed with 10, 100, and 600 mg of 524W91 per kg of body weight by the oral and intravenous routes. Cynomolgus monkeys were dosed with 10 and 80 mg of 524W91 per kg. In both species, the clearance of 524W91 was rapid, via the kidney, and was independent of dose. In monkeys, the total body clearance of 10 mg of 524W91 per kg was 0.7 +/- 0.1 liter/h/kg, and the volume of distribution at steady state was 0.8 +/- 0.02 liter/kg. The terminal elimination half-life was 1.0 +/- 0.2 h. The absolute bioavailability after oral dosing was 63% +/- 4% at 10 mg/kg. Concentrations of 524W91 in the cerebrospinal fluid were 4% +/- 0.7% of the corresponding levels in plasma. In mice, the total clearance of 10 mg of 524W91 per kg was 2.3 liters/kg/h, and the volume of distribution at steady state was 0.9 liter/kg. Absolute bioavailability in mice after oral dosing was 96% at a dose of 10 mg/kg. The metabolism of orally administered [6-3H]524W91 was studied in cynomolgus monkeys at a dose of 80 mg/kg and in mice at a dose of 120 mg/kg. Monkeys excreted 41% +/- 6% of the radioactive dose in the 0- to 72-h urine, 33% +/- 10% in the feces, and 10% +/- 7% in the cage wash. Unchanged 524W91 was 64% of the total radiolabeled drug recovered in the urine. The glucuronide was a minor urinary metabolite. 5-Fluorouracil was not detected (less than 0.02% of the dose). Mice dosed orally with 120 mg of [6-3H]524W91 per kg excreted 67% +/- 7% of the radiolable in the )- to 48-h urine. Small amounts of the 3' -sulfoxide and glucuronide metabolites were observed in the urine, but 5-fluorouracil was not detected. Good bioavailability after oral dosing and resistance to metabolism recommend 524W91 for further preclinical evaluation.
Identification of an APOBEC3G Binding Site in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Vif and Inhibitors of Vif-APOBEC3G Binding

ABSTRACT The APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases are potent antiviral factors that restrict replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). HIV-1 Vif binds APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F and targets these proteins for ubiquitination by forming an E3 ubiquitin ligase with cullin 5 and elongins B and C. The N-terminal region of Vif is required for APOBEC3G binding, but the binding site(s) is unknown. To identify the APOBEC3G binding site in Vif, we established a scalable binding assay in a format compatible with development of high-throughput screens. In vitro binding assays using recombinant proteins identified Vif peptides and monoclonal antibodies that inhibit Vif-APOBEC3G binding and suggested involvement of Vif residues 33 to 83 in APOBEC3G binding. Cell-based binding assays confirmed these results and demonstrated that residues 40 to 71 in the N terminus of Vif contain a nonlinear binding site for APOBEC3G. Mutation of the highly conserved residues His42/43 but not other charged residues in this region inhibited Vif-APOBEC3G binding, Vif-mediated degradation of APOBEC3G, and viral infectivity. In contrast, mutation of these residues had no significant effect on Vif binding and degradation of APOBEC3F, suggesting a differential requirement for His42/43 in Vif binding to APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F. These results identify a nonlinear APOBEC3 binding site in the N terminus of Vif and demonstrate that peptides or antibodies directed against this region can inhibit Vif-APOBEC3G binding, validating the Vif-APOBEC3 interface as a potential drug target.
Estimated daily intake of plasticizers in 1-week duplicate diet samples following regulation of DEHP-containing PVC gloves in Japan

Duplicate hospital diet samples obtained over 1 week in 2001 were analysed to estimate the daily intake of plasticizers and the results were compared with those obtained in 1999. The plasticizers quantified in this study were: dibutyl phthalate, butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA), diisononyl adipate (DINA) and O-acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC). Dipropyl, dipentyl, dihexyl and dicyclohexyl phthalate were also analysed but not detected. The analytical procedure for this follow-up study was essentially the same as in the previous one. Detection limits were 0.1–15.6 ng g-1 for each plasticizer. One-week duplicate diet samples provided by three hospitals in three remote prefectures of Japan were analysed as individual meals. DEHP was detected at 6–675 ng g-1 in 62 of 63 meals, significantly lower levels compared with those detected in 1999. Levels of DEHA and DINP also decreased. The mean intake of plasticizers estimated from all samples was 160 μg DEHP day-1, 12.5 μg DEHA day-1, 4.7 μg DINP day-1 and 3.4 μg BBP day-1. Levels of DINA were relatively high in meals from one hospital: in those meals, the average daily intake was 1338 μg day-1. Those of ATBC were also higher in meals from another hospital: the average daily intake was 1228 μg day-1. The sources of DINA and ATBC can be cling-film or sausage packaging.
Coarse automated registration of visual imagery with three-dimensional light detection and ranging models

Abstract. An automated, fast, robust registration of visual images with three-dimensional data generated from light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor is described. The method is intended to provide a coarse registration of the images, suitable for input into other algorithms or where only a rough registration is required. Our approach consists of two steps. In the first step, two-dimensional lines are extracted as features from both the visual and the LiDAR data. In the second step, a novel and efficient search is performed to recover the external camera parameters, and thus the camera matrix (as a calibrated camera is assumed). An error metric involving line matchings is used to guide the search. We demonstrate the performance of our algorithm on both synthetic and real-world data.
Two‐dimensional morphogen gradient in Xenopus: Boundary formation and real‐time transduction response

Morphogen gradients play an important role in pattern formation in embryo. However, the interpretation of position in a morphogen gradient is not well understood. Because it is hard to analyze morphogen gradients especially in opaque embryos such as those of Xenopus, it is necessary to fix and section the embryo, thereby eliminating the possibility of real‐time observation, and making more difficult the interpretation of events that take place in three dimensions. We describe here a two‐dimensional preparation of cells from a Xenopus blastula animal cap, in which an activin concentration gradient appears to be formed and interpreted at the same rate and in the same way as in normal embryos. We use two‐dimensional preparations of this kind to contribute the following new information about gradient formation and interpretation in embryo. We determine the dynamics of formation of an activin activity gradient in real time. We demonstrate that this gradient is established by diffusion of activin through intercellular space and does not require internalization of receptor or ligand. We also show that the generation of a boundary of gene expression depends on the interpretation, rather than a change of composition, of the concentration gradient. Developmental Dynamics 235:3189–3198, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Injury risk factors in female European football. A prospective study of 123 players during one season

The purpose of this study was to register prospectively the injuries in female soccer and to study their correlation to potential risk factors. A total of 123 senior players from eight teams of different levels were followed during one season. Isokinetic knee muscle strength at 60 and 180°/s, one‐leg‐hop, vertical jump, square‐hop, and continuous multistage fitness test (MFT) were tested at the end of the pre‐season. In addition, Body Mass Index (BMI) and general joint laxity were measured. During the season, April–October, all injuries resulting in absence from one practice/game or more were registered. Forty‐seven of the 123 players sustained altogether 65 injuries. The total injury rate was 14.3 per 1000 game hours and 3.7 per 1000 practice hours. The knee (26%) was the most commonly injured region followed by the foot (12%), ankle (11%), thigh (11%) and back (11%). The risk of sustaining moderate and major injuries increased in the later part of the game or practice. Significant risk factors for injuries were an increased general joint laxity (odds ratio (OR)=5.3, P<0.001), a high performance in the functional test square‐hop (OR=4.3, P=0.002), and an age over 25 years (OR=3.7, P=0.01). The injury rate was not different compared to male soccer, but knee injuries were more common, which is in accordance with previous studies. None of the risk factors identified in this study is easily applicable for future intervention studies in the attempts to reduce the injury rate in female soccer.
Keyword Extraction Using PageRank on Synonym Networks

Keyword extraction is an important application in the area of information technology. Automatic keyword extraction can help people know what is the article primarily talking about without reading the long passage carefully. This paper mainly introduced a keyword extraction algorithm using pagerank on Synonym. Firstly, the content in a single document is represented as a weighted synonym co-occurrence network. Then pagerank algorithm is using on this synonym network to assign the rank for each synonym group. Finally, several synonym groups with top rank are picked out as keywords of the document. The algorithm is tested on the corpus of blog pages, and the experiment results prove practical and effective.
Effect of prolonged storage on microbiological quality of raw milk

Milk in its natural state is a highly perishable material because it is susceptible to rapid spoilage by the action of naturally occurring enzymes and contaminating microbes. Good hygiene practice from the farm to dairy, effective refrigeration regimes, reduction of storage times and technologies for reduction of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms are basic measures needed to be accomplished for preserving good quality of raw milk (Sorhaug and Stepaniak, 1997). Raw milk microbiota is composed of technologically important microbes, such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that are of great importance if the Summary
Generalized Minimum Common-Mode Voltage PWM for Two-Level Multiphase VSIs Considering Reference Order

A minimum common-mode voltage (CMV) pulse-width modulator (MCMV_PWM) is proposed for generalized two-level N -phase voltage-source inverters (VSIs) with odd phase numbers. The CMV engenders the breakdown of winding insulation, electromagnetic interference, and leakage currents. Recently, many CMV reduction/elimination PWMs have been widely discussed, but those discussions have mainly focused on the topologies of multilevel inverters or dual-inverter drives for open-ended windings. Therefore, in this study, a two-level multiphase VSI that can be applied to multiphase motor drives, in general, is considered. The relation between switching states and the CMV is derived first. Subsequently, the CMV is minimized using two different leg distributions: double-sided and central distributions. Consequently, for an N-phase VSI, the proposed method reduces the maximum CMV to Vdc/(2N); that CMV is lower than the maximum CMV of the conventional space-vector PWM (SVPWM), namely Vdc/2. In experiments, five-phase and seven-phase VSIs were constructed. The waveforms of the CMV, phase voltage, and phase current produced by the SVPWM and the proposed MCMV_PWM confirm the practicality of CMV minimization.
Monte Carlo study of interfacial properties in an amphiphilic system.

A three-component model representing a balanced, amphiphilic system at a three-phase coexistence of oil-, water-rich, and disordered phases is simulated, and interfacial tensions between all phases are obtained from histogram methods. We find that the disordered phase wets the oil-water interface, and that its tension is reduced due to the presence of the amphiphile by a factor of 93. The determination of the structure function shows that the system is between disorder and Lifshitz lines. These three factors are all consistent with the simulated amphiphile being weak. Fluctuations do not reduce the tension significantly from mean-field estimates, but do alter the location of the wetting transition. The latter is in accord with the expected behavior of a system in which the interfacial tension is small.
Treatment of Esophageal and Gastric Tumors

Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) has gained increasing popularity in the treatment of esophageal and gastric mucosal cancers in Japan, for complete local resection of the cancer-bearing mucosa. In Western countries, the concept of mucosal cancer and the necessity of treating it are gradually but steadily coming to be accepted. As a treatment for inoperable cases of advanced cancer, on the other hand, intubation with self-expanding metal stents has been widely accepted as a less invasive form of palliation for malignant obstruction of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Tumor ingrowth into the stent can be mechanically avoided by adding a membrane coating to it. In the last two years, applications for therapeutic endoscopy in the treatment of esophageal and gastric tumors have continued to widen.
Randomized comparison of ACVBP and m-BACOD in the treatment of patients with low-risk aggressive lymphoma: the LNH87-1 study. Groupe d'Etudes des Lymphomes de l'Adulte.

PURPOSE To compare a short intensified regimen followed by sequential consolidation therapy (doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vindesine, bleomycin, and prednisone [ACVBP]) to the standard regimen of methotrexate, bleomycin, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide (m-BACOD) in patients with low-risk aggressive lymphoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 752 patients with intermediate- or high-grade lymphoma and no adverse prognostic factors (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2 to 4, >/= two extranodal sites of disease, tumor burden >/= 10 cm in largest dimension, bone marrow or CNS involvement, Burkitt's or lymphoblastic subtypes) were registered. Of 673 eligible patients, 332 received ACVBP and 341 received m-BACOD. RESULTS The complete remission rate was identical (86%) in the two groups. With a median follow-up duration of 7 years, the 5-year failure-free survival (FFS) rate was 65% in the ACVBP group and 61% in the m-BACOD group (P =.16). The 5-year overall survival rate was 75% in the ACVBP group and 73% in the m-BACOD group (P =.47). ACVBP was responsible for more severe and life-threatening infections (P <.01), but m-BACOD caused more pulmonary toxicity (P <.001). The number of treatment-related deaths did not differ between the two regimens. A multivariate analysis indicated that ACVBP was associated with a longer FFS in patients with two or three risk factors of the International Prognostic Index. CONCLUSION In this population of patients with low-risk aggressive lymphoma, toxicities of the regimens are different, but the rates of response and survival are identical. The survival advantage of ACVBP over standard regimen in patients with advanced disease is suggested by this analysis but remains to be assessed in prospective studies specifically designed for this purpose.
A comparison of juice extraction methods in the pungency measurement of onion bulbs.

BACKGROUND Onion pungency is estimated by measuring the pyruvic acid content in juice extracted from fresh tissues. We compared pyruvic acid content and its variation in the juices extracted by the pressing, maceration, blending with no water, or blending with water (blend/water) methods. RESULTS There were considerable differences in the pyruvic acid content and coefficient of variation (CV) among these methods, and there was an interaction between the onion cultivars and the juice extraction methods. The pressing method showed over 30% CV in the quartered or composite samples. The blend/water method showed the greatest pyruvic acid content in the shortday-type ('TG1015Y' and 'Texas Early White') onions, while the pressing method showed the greatest pyruvic acid content in the longday-type onions. The blend/water method, which gave ratios between 1:1 and 1:4 (w/w), showed the same pyruvic acid content. The blending (no water) method had the highest correlation, followed by the maceration method. The lowest correlations were found with the pressing method and the blend/water method. CONCLUSIONS Complete homogenisation of tissues with 1:1 or greater ratios of water was necessary for the maximum consistency and full development of the pyruvic acid reaction for onion pungency measurement.
The Expanding Universe of Ubiquitin and Ubiquitin-Like Modifiers1

The post-translation addition of ubiquitin (Ub) and structurally related polypeptide modifiers to other intracellular constituents is now known to be an important intermediate driving a wide assortment of metabolic and regulatory processes in plants. Although the most common targets are other proteins, conjugation of specific modifiers to lipids and prenyl groups or participation in sulfur chemistry, tRNA modification, and RNA splicing also occur. The Ub system is clearly the most complex in terms of targets (~1000s) and underpinning enzymatic machinery (~6% of the Arabidopsis proteome), with its primary role to initiate the selective turnover of unwanted proteins by the 26S proteasome. However, recent studies revealed that several other modifiers also direct critical plant functions, especially with respect to autophagic recycling, the regulation of transcription and chromatin structure, and RNA metabolism. In fact, emerging studies have unearthed an intricate interplay between Ub and several of the Ub-like modifiers that sometimes works in synergy with or against ubiquitylation. While first thought to be restricted to eukaryotes, proteins related in structure and/or biochemistry to the Ub superfamily have been found in eubacteria and Archaea, indicating that this modification scheme evolved very early in cellular life, with prokaryotic sulfur transferase chemistry being the likely antecedent. Given their widespread distribution, diversity of targets, and multifaceted activities, Ub-type proteins are fast assuming their rightful places as fundamental regulators of plant biology.