Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential Transcriptional Regulation of the Two Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor Genes

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its two endothelial cell-specific receptor tyrosine kinases, Flk-1/KDR and Flt-1, play a key role in physiological and pathological angiogenesis. Hypoxia has been shown to be a major mechanism for up-regulation of VEGF and its receptors in vivo. When we exposed human umbilical vein endothelial cells to hypoxic conditions in vitro, we observed increased levels of Flt-1expression. In contrast, Flk-1/KDR mRNA levels were unchanged or slightly repressed. These findings suggest a differential transcriptional regulation of the two receptors by hypoxia. To identify regulatory elements involved in the hypoxic response, promoter regions of the mouse Flt-1 and Flk-1/KDR genes were isolated and tested in conjunction with luciferase reporter gene. In transient transfection assays, hypoxia led to strong transcriptional activation of the Flt-1 promoter, whereasFlk-1/KDR transcription was essentially unchanged. Promoter deletion analysis demonstrated a 430-bp region of the Flt-1promoter to be required for transcriptional activation in response to hypoxia. This region includes a heptamer sequence matching the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF) consensus binding site previously found in other hypoxia-inducible genes such as the VEGFgene and erythropoietin gene. We further narrowed down the element mediating the hypoxia response to a 40-base pair sequence including the putative HIF binding site. We show that this element acts like an enhancer, since it activated transcription irrespective of its location or orientation in the construct. Furthermore, mutations within the putative HIF consensus binding site lead to impaired transcriptional activation by hypoxia. These findings indicate that, unlike the KDR/Flk-1 gene, the Flt-1 receptor gene is directly up-regulated by hypoxia via a hypoxia-inducible enhancer element located at positions −976 to −937 of theFlt-1 promoter.
Development of semi-passive biped walking robot embedded with CPG-based locomotion control

A planar biped robot that can generate continuous walking with body pose information is presented in this paper. It employs semi-passive structure, which consists of five links connected by two active hip joints and two passive knee joints, in order to mimic human-like walking motion utilizing the principle of pendulum dynamics. Besides, a specialized passive joint is proposed and installed at both knee parts of the developed robot. It is able to keep the knee joint stretched during stance phase, and to assist its passive bending motion during swing phase respectively. A CPG (Central Pattern Generator) controller exploiting sensory feedback of a body pose sensor was used for generating walking motion. The experimental walking motion by using the developed robot system embedded with the CPG-based controller is demonstrated.
Time for Personalized Biologic Therapy: One Size Does Not Fit All.

Among others, an evaluation of the preand postprescriptive attitude of the GPs subjected to the educational interventions, or the evaluation of the prescriptive behavior in 2 groups of ‘‘educated’’ and ‘‘control’’ GPs, and many others. Fourth, the study confirms that guidelines are a powerful instrument, able to obtain changes in prescription patterns of appropriate and inappropriate treatments through their implementation. The NICE-based MAP document was able to cut down Gaviscon, lactose-free formulae and amino-acid formulae prescriptions. Given the costs of such formulae and the potential side effects of such drugs (11), this must be praiseworthy.
Dielectric Properties of Epoxy/Alumina Nanocomposite Influenced by Particle Dispersibility

For applications of nanocomposite materials to solid insulator for electric power apparatus, we have to consider various characteristics from mechanical, thermal and electrical points of view. In particular, the agglomerate of nanoparticles would decline the excellent properties of nanocomposite. In this paper, we investigated the influence of dispersibility of nanoparticles on electrical properties. Firstly, we fabricated epoxy/alumina nanocomposites with application of ultrasonic wave and centrifugal force. Secondly, we evaluated the dispersibility of nanoparticles by image analysis of agglomerate diameter from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the measurement of filler contents. Then, we examined the dielectric properties such as permittivity and dielectric loss of the nanocomposite. Finally, we verified the influence of the dispersibility of nanoparticles on the dielectric characteristics.
Privacy-preserving Attribute Matchmaking in Proximity-based Mobile Social Networks

The major impediments that mostly arise in matchmaking in mobile social networks are ensuring the privacy of users’ attributes, finding the intersection of attributes of the matched-pair without revealing any other information, and ensuring that the matchedpair get to know the intersection mutually. Also, in virtually all the existing protocols, the initiator of the matchmaking does not set a threshold number of common attributes an individual should have with him/her before qualifying as a pair. Hence, we propose a hybrid matchmaking cryptographic protocol that will overcome these impediments. In our proposed protocol, an initiator of matchmaking sets a threshold number of common attributes that an individual should have to qualify as a matching-pair. The protocol also ensures that no information about the intersection set is leaked to persons not in the protocol. To further enhance the security and privacy in the protocol, the attributes of the persons our protocol are authorized. The authorization of the attributes is intended to thwart malicious behavior by the persons in the protocol and hence, prevents semi-honest attacks. Furthermore, in this proposed protocol, persons in the protocol get to know the intersection of their attributes mutually.
Measurement of surface resistivity on gamma-ray irradiated polymer insulating materials

Polymer insulating materials used in radioactive environment are subjected to a great risk of surface dielectric breakdown which may lead to catastrophic failure of electrical devices. Understanding the effect of energetic radiation on the surface insulation property is of importance for the safe use of the material. This paper shows investigation of surface resistivity measurement on gamma-ray irradiated low density polyethylene (LDPE) and polybutylene naphthalate (PBN) with different relative humidity. Results obtained indicate that the surface resistivity for both the materials decreases with the growth of the total dose of irradiation. The surface resistivity measured with high relative humidity is smaller than that obtained with low relative humidity. ATR-FTIR measurement reveals that polar groups are formed on surface layer of the polymers, and thereby the charge migration is encouraged by the appearance of shallow trap.
Evaluation of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy by the clustering index method

Introduction: A reliable electrophysiological marker for clinical trials is increasingly needed in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). We previously developed a quantitative analysis method for surface electromyography (SEMG), the clustering index (CI) method. Our purpose was to test the utility of the CI method for evaluating lower motor neuron involvement in SBMA patients. Methods: Subjects included 29 SBMA patients and 27 healthy controls. The recording electrode was placed over the abductor digiti minimi (ADM) muscle with a proximal reference. The Z‐score, based on the CI method, was compared with compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude and motor unit number estimation (MUNE), with regard to sensitivity. Results: The Z‐scores of the CI method, CMAP amplitude, and MUNE were abnormal in 100%, 72%, and 93% of the patients, respectively. Interrater reliability of the CI method was sufficiently high. Conclusion: The CI method is promising as a non‐invasive electrophysiological marker in SBMA. Muscle Nerve, 2011
Improving fairness of TCP Vegas

TCP Vegas exhibits fairness problems even for flows with the same round‐trip time (RTT). We propose an enhanced Vegas with three revisions, replacing BaseRTT with RTT, detecting how fast acknowledgements return and the acceleration of the return speed. The impacts of each of the three proposed revisions are not ignorable. The proposed novel Vegas with the three revisions, called EVA, achieves better fairness under various network conditions. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
“Open mesh” or “strictly selected population” recruitment? The experience of the randomized controlled MeMeMe trial

Among randomized controlled trials (RCTs), trials for primary prevention require large samples and long follow-up to obtain a high-quality outcome; therefore the recruitment process and the drop-out rates largely dictate the adequacy of the results. We are conducting a Phase III trial on persons with metabolic syndrome to test the hypothesis that comprehensive lifestyle changes and/or metformin treatment prevents age-related chronic diseases (the MeMeMe trial, EudraCT number: 2012-005427-32, also registered on ClinicalTrials.gov [NCT02960711]). Here, we briefly analyze and discuss the reasons which may lead to participants dropping out from trials. In our experience, participants may back out of a trial for different reasons. Drug-induced side effects are certainly the most compelling reason. But what are the other reasons, relating to the participants’ perception of the progress of the trial which led them to withdraw after randomization? What about the time-dependent drop-out rate in primary prevention trials? The primary outcome of this analysis is the point of drop-out from trial, defined as the time from the randomization date to the withdrawal date. Survival functions were non-parametrically estimated using the product-limit estimator. The curves were statistically compared using the log-rank test (P=0.64, not significant). Researchers involved in primary prevention RCTs seem to have to deal with the paradox of the proverbial “short blanket syndrome”. Recruiting only highly motivated candidates might be useful for the smooth progress of the trial but it may lead to a very low enrollment rate. On the other hand, what about enrolling all the eligible subjects without considering their motivation? This might boost the enrollment rate, but it can lead to biased results on account of large proportions of drop-outs. Our experience suggests that participants do not change their mind depending on the allocation group (intervention or control). There is no single answer to sort out the short blanket syndrome.
A novel metal artifact reducing method for cone-beam CT based on three approximately orthogonal projections

Metal artifacts remain a challenge for computed tomography (CT) reconstruction, especially for medical CT, in which the radiation dose for patients is strictly limited. This study presents a novel method of reducing the metal artifacts for cone-beam CT by renovating the metal areas in the 2D cone-beam projection. We first calculate the 3D coordinates of all the metallic implants, which will then be projected into the projection images in each angle as the metal seed points (MSPs), increasing the precision of the segmentation of the metal areas. Different from the existing methods of calculating the metal positions with two projection images, we proposed a new method to calculate the 3D coordinates of all the metallic implants using three different projection images that are nearly orthogonal. One is the parallel-beam projection image along the Z-axial direction (i.e. along the rotation axis) calculated by the projection synthesizing method, while the other two are the cone-beam projections at two different views chosen from the scanned data. The three nearly orthogonal views will greatly help to accurately locate the metallic implants when there is more than one implant in the object. Then the MSPs can be located in each projection by geometry calculations. The region growing segmentation method and the bilinear interpolation method are used to modify the projection areas of the metallic implants. Experimental studies demonstrate that this method is accurate in locating MSPs and efficient in reducing metal artifacts.
Water‐Extractable Phosphorus in Biosolids: Implications for Land‐Based Recycling

Phosphorus‐based nutrient management will inevitably be required for land application of biosolids. Water‐extractable phosphorus (WEP) in livestock manures is an indicator of phosphorus loss from agricultural watersheds and this study evaluated its use for biosolids. The WEP to total phosphorus percentage (PWEP) in 41 biosolids (representing a variety of wastewater and solids treatment processes) was compared to dairy and poultry manures and triple superphosphate fertilizer. The mean PWEP for conventionally treated and stabilized biosolids was 2.4%, which was significantly lower than inorganic fertilizer (85%), dairy manure (52%), and poultry manure (21%). Low biosolids PWEP is attributed to elevated aluminum and iron content from chemical additions during wastewater treatment and solids dewatering operations. Facilities using biological phosphorus removal had the highest mean biosolids PWEP (∼ 14%), whereas heat‐dried biosolids had the lowest average PWEP (< ∼ 0.5%). Paired samples of digested cake and the corresponding biosolids treated by processes to further reduce pathogens (i.e., thermal treatment, composting, and advanced alkaline stabilization) showed that these processes tended to reduce biosolids PWEP. Biosolids composition and processing mode exert a controlling influence on the potential for off‐site phosphorus migration at land‐application sites. Nutrient management policies for land‐based recycling should account for the widely varying potential of organic amendments to cause soluble phosphorus losses in runoff and leaching.
Differences in the permeability of high-flux dialyzer membranes for bacterial pyrogens.

AIMS The increasing use of high-flux membranes for hemodialysis has raised concerns that patients dialyzed with these membranes may be at higher risk of being exposed to cytokine-inducing bacterial substances in the dialysate than patients dialyzed with low-flux membranes. We investigated the permeability of various high-flux membranes for both purified E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as well as for LPS derived from Stenotrophomonas (Sten.) maltophilia. MATERIALS AND METHODS An in vitro dialysis circuit with saline in the blood compartment of 3 dialyzers containing different membranes (polysulfone, helixone and Diapes) was employed. The dialysate was challenged with increasing doses of sterile filtrates derived from Sten. maltophilia cultures or with purified LPS from E. coli. Samples from the blood compartment were tested for cytokine induction (IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF) in mononuclear cells as well as for LPS by limulus amebocyte lysate test (LAL). RESULTS IL-6 induction above sterile controls (< 0.02 ng/ml IL-6) was observed by samples from the blood side of DIAPES dialyzers (1.2 +/- 0.7 ng/ml IL-6) after challenging the dialysate with 4.1 +/- 3.6 U/ml E. coli LPS (9.9 +/- 4.5 ng/ml IL-6). In contrast, at the same challenge dose no significant IL-6 induction above sterile controls was observed by blood side samples of polysulfone (0.15 +/- 0.07 ng/ml) and helixone (0.09 +/- 0.05 ng/ml) dialyzers. Increasing the amount of E. coli LPS in the dialysate further augmented IL-6 induction by blood side samples of Diapes but not of polysulfone and helixone dialyzers. Similar results were obtained for IL-1beta and TNF. After challenging the dialysate with E. coli LPS as well as with cultures of Sten. maltophilia, significantly more LAL reactivity was observed in the blood compartment of Diapes compared to polysulfone and helixone. CONCLUSIONS There are considerable differences between high-flux membranes regarding their permeability for cytokine-inducing substances from E. coli as well as for LPS derived from E. coli and Sten. maltophilia. Dialyzers that leak CIS under aqueous conditions in vivo should not be used unless the dialysate has passed through an ultrafilter.
Successful eradication of invasive Scopulariopsis brumptii in a liver transplant recipient

Ten months after orthotopic liver transplant, a 53‐year‐old male patient developed cough and fever. Imaging revealed diffuse ground‐glass opacities involving all lobes, and subsequent bronchoscopic washings revealed Scopulariopsis brumptii infection. The patient initially had significant clinical deterioration requiring intubation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. However, combination antifungal therapy, including posaconazole and terbinafine, eventually proved successful in eradicating the infection.
Electrical modeling and characterization of through silicon vias (TSV)

Through silicon via (TSV) is becoming a promising method to achieve high density 3-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC) system. In this paper, the electrical modeling and characterization of TSVs is studied. An equivalent RLGC model of TSVs and the analytic equation of the lumped model parameter are introduced. The electrical characterization of TSVs is analyzed in frequency domain and time domain. For the frequency domain analysis, the S parameters from the RLGC model and 3D field solver are well matched, which demonstrates the validity of the proposed RLGC model. The effect of TSVs geometric parameters on signal transmission characteristic is also discussed. For the time domain analysis, the eye diagram simulation is performed to estimate electrical performance of TSVs channel.
Visual modifications on the P300 speller BCI paradigm

The best known P300 speller brain-computer interface (BCI) paradigm is the Farwell and Donchin paradigm. In this paper, various changes to the visual aspects of this protocol are explored as well as their effects on classification. Changes to the dimensions of the symbols, the distance between the symbols and the colours used were tested. The purpose of the present work was not to achieve the highest possible accuracy results, but to ascertain whether these simple modifications to the visual protocol will provide classification differences between them and what these differences will be. Eight subjects were used, with each subject carrying out a total of six different experiments. In each experiment, the user spelt a total of 39 characters. Two types of classifiers were trained and tested to determine whether the results were classifier dependant. These were a support vector machine (SVM) with a radial basis function (RBF) kernel and Fisher's linear discriminant (FLD). The single-trial classification results and multiple-trial classification results were recorded and compared. Although no visual protocol was the best for all subjects, the best performances, across both classifiers, were obtained with the white background (WB) visual protocol. The worst performance was obtained with the small symbol size (SSS) visual protocol.
WEIGHTED METHOD FOR COVERAGE BASED TEST CASE PRIORITIZATION 1

Software will be modified either to fix errors or to add features. The modified software should be tested with the intent of the modified parts of the software without affecting the other parts of the software. Regression testing is one of the testing techniques to ensure that the modified piece of code without affecting other parts of code. Test case prioritization is a widely used technique to conduct regression testing in effective manner. All existing prioritization techniques aims to prioritize the test cases based on certain coverage criteria. These prioritization techniques take into account any one coverage criteria (single performance goal) such as statement coverage, function coverage, path coverage, branch coverage and fault coverage. There are certain situation single performance goal will not find faults earlier using test case prioritization. So prioritization of test cases, which cover more than one criterion is an open problem. To alleviate this problem, a new weighted method is proposed to prioritize the test cases. In this method the weight is calculated based on the coverage criteria for each test case. The proposed method was empirically studied in three standard applications and the results show that the proposed method is more effective than the existing method.
Virtually Shorted Patch Antenna for Circular Polarization

This letter presents a new circularly polarized patch antenna with loaded shorting elements to achieve symmetric broadside radiation and size reduction. The loaded elements are parasitic to the driven patch, but are shorted to the ground plane. Conventionally, shorting pins or walls are a common technique for reducing the size of the antenna. However, deterioration in broadside radiation with high cross-polar level occurs. The proposed shorting elements provide a solution for size reduction of the radiating patch while maintaining good broadside radiation pattern. Since the radiating patch is effectively shorted to the ground at the operating frequency, it is designated as a virtually shorted patch antenna (VSPA).
Development of a liquid formulation of poorly water-soluble isosteviol sodium using the co-solvent technology

Abstract An intravenously injectable liquid formulation of the poorly water-soluble isosteviol sodium (ISVNa) that has a great clinical potential for cardiovascular diseases was developed using the co-solvent technology. The pH and composition of the co-solvent were optimized to obtain a stable liquid formulation (termed as STVNa) based on saline at pH 10.0 containing 25% (v/v) of ethanol and 20% (v/v) of propylene glycol. STVNa was physicochemically stable upon storage for more than 3 months under various conditions. In vitro studies showed that STVNa did not induce hemolytic effects up to 9.1% (v/v) after 3 h of incubation and it was cytocompatible up to 50 μg/mL in H2C9 cells. Furthermore, STVNa showed acceptable safety and pharmacokinetic parameters comparable with those of ISVNa in saline (dissolved at 60 °C) upon i.v. injection in Wistar rats. Overall, the results demonstrated that STVNa is a promising formulation of ISVNa for clinical translation.
Characterization of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles by asymmetrical flow-field-flow-fractionation.

AIMS The further development of diagnostic and therapeutic nanomedicines in research and their translation into clinical practice require appropriate characterization methods to ensure a reproducible quality and performance. However, many methods are insufficient for a detailed analysis of the particle size. The primary aim of the present work is to evaluate the application of asymmetrical flow-field-flow-fractionation (AF4) coupled with multiangle laser and dynamic light scattering (DLS) for the characterization of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) particles. METHODS Eight carboxydextran-coated SPIO samples with different mean particle sizes, as determined by DLS, are investigated by means of an adequate AF4 separation method. RESULTS In this work, we show that, with increasing sample particle size, as measured by DLS, the hydrodynamic and gyration radii obtained by the AF4 method increase respectively. We demonstrate that the applied AF4 method is able to separate nanoparticles of different sizes effectively, with superior reproducibility (relative standard deviation: <3%) and high accuracy (relative standard deviation: <10%). Furthermore, important characterization parameters that will affect the in vivo performance; namely, the shape factors and polydispersity indices, of all eight samples are presented. CONCLUSION The work describes the application of AF4/DLS/multiangle laser light scattering as a highly useful method for characterization of SPIO particles, enabling valuable information to be accessed in addition to that obtained by transmission-electron microscopy and DLS in batch mode.