Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Loss of Adipocyte VEGF Impairs Endurance Exercise Capacity in Mice.

PURPOSE Reducing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in adipose tissue alters adipose vascularity and metabolic homeostasis. We hypothesized that this would also affect metabolic responses during exercise-induced stress and that adipocyte-specific VEGF-deficient (adipoVEGF-/-) mice would have impaired endurance capacity. METHODS Endurance exercise capacity in adipoVEGF-/- (n = 10) and littermate control (n = 11) mice was evaluated every 4 wk between 6 and 24 wk of age using a submaximal endurance run to exhaustion at 20 m·min(-1) at 10° incline. Maximal running speed, using incremental increases in speed at 30-s intervals, was tested at 25 and 37 wk of age. RESULTS White and brown adipose tissue capillarity were reduced by 40% in adipoVEGF-/-, and no difference in skeletal muscle capillarity was observed. Endurance run time to exhaustion was 30% lower in adipoVEGF-/- compared with that in controls at all time points (P < 0.001), but no difference in maximal running speed was observed between the groups. After exercise (1 h at 50% maximum running speed), adipoVEGF-/- mice displayed lower circulating insulin (P < 0.001), lower glycerol (P < 0.05), and tendency for lower blood glucose (P = 0.06) compared with controls. There was no evidence of altered oxidative damage or changes in carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1β expression in skeletal muscle of adipoVEGF-/- mice. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that VEGF-mediated deficits in adipose tissue blunt the availability of lipid substrates during endurance exercise, which likely reduced endurance performance. Surprisingly, we also found an unchanged basal blood glucose despite lower circulating insulin in adipoVEGF-/- mice, suggesting that loss of adipocyte VEGF can blunt insulin release and/or increase basal insulin sensitivity.
Anti-CD4 MoAb therapy in kidney transplantation--a pilot study in early prophylaxis of rejection.

B-F5, a mouse IgG1 anti-CD4 MoAb, was used in recipients of a first cadaveric kidney allograft. Eighteen patients received 30 mg/day MoAb with a quadruple sequential therapy. All but one kidney were functioning at 6 months, with a mean serum creatinine of 153 micromol/L. However, 50% of the patients had an acute rejection episode within the first three months, and most of the early episodes (i.e., < 1 month) occurred in patients with low levels of circulating MoAb. The biological analysis showed a strong depleting effect on the CD4+ cell counts, a saturation by the MoAb of the remaining circulating CD4+ cells, and no detectable immunization against B-F5. Although the biological parameters indicate an action of B-F5 in vivo, the clinical data associated with poor MoAb bioavailability suggest the need for an improved pharmacokinetic behavior of the MoAb to determine its use for prophylaxis of early rejection.
Impact of Boost Converter Switching Frequency on Optimal Operation of Fuel Cell Systems

In this paper results obtained from analysis and design of a soft-switching boost converter for a fuel-cell-system is discussed. Key benefits of soft-switching such as high efficiency operation, reduced EMI, and decreased device power stresses were verified. It is demonstrated that by utilizing ZVS and ZCS techniques, high-frequency/high-power density converters can be designed to match the high power density of fuel cells. Also a converter design for fuel cells requires additional considerations due to some limitations of fuel cell systems. Current ripple limitation of fuel cells is discussed in this paper
Dealing with Interpretability Issues in Predicting Firm Growth: Factor Analysis Approach

Abstract Background: Alongside the theoretical progress made in understanding the factors that influence firm growth, many methodological challenges are yet to be overcome. Authors point to the notion of interpretability of growth prediction models as an important prerequisite for further advancement of the field as well as enhancement of models’ practical values. Objectives: The objective of this study is to demonstrate the application of factor analysis for the purpose of increasing overall interpretability of the logistic regression model. The comprehensive nature of the growth phenomenon implies propensity of input data to be mutually correlated. In such situations, growth prediction models can demonstrate adequate predictability and accuracy, but still lack the clarity and theoretical soundness in their structure. Methods/Approach: The paper juxtaposes two prediction models: the first one is built using solely the logistic regression procedure, while the second one includes factor analysis prior to development of a logistic regression model. Results: Factor analysis enables researchers to mitigate inconsistencies and misalignments with a theoretical background in growth prediction models. Conclusions: Incorporating factor analysis as a step preceding the building of a regression model allows researchers to lessen model interpretability issues and create a model that is easier to understand, explain and apply in real-life business situations.
Hypochondroplasia in a Child with 1620C>G (Asn540Lys) Mutation in FGFR3

Hypochondroplasia (HCP) is an autosomal dominant skeletal dysplasia characterized by short extremities, short stature and lumbar lordosis, usually exhibiting a phenotype similar to but milder than achondroplasia (ACP). Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 gene (FGFR3) mutations in the germline are well-known causes of skeletal syndromes. FGFR3 is a negative regulator of bone growth and all mutations in FGFR3 are gain-of-function mutations that lead to skeletal dysplasias. We report a child who presented with short stature, a relatively long trunk, short legs, short arm span, radiographic evidence of HCP and mild mental retardation. Genetic analysis revealed a heterozygous 1620C>G (Asn540Lys) mutation in FGFR3. To our knowledge, ours is the first case report of HCP with a heterozygous 1620C>G (Asn540Lys) mutation in Turkey. Conflict of interest:None declared.
Quantitation of D2 receptor binding with dedicated small animal PET, small animal SPECT and HiSPECT - the impact of the reference region on the binding potential

In this study, we assess the impact of the reference tissue (frontal cortex, parietal cortex, cerebellum) on the magnitude of the binding potential obtained for the D2 receptor ligands [18F]N-methyl-benperidol and [123I]iodobenzamide in the rat striatum using dedicated small animal PET (“TierPET”), small animal SPECT (“TierSPECT”) or a conventional dual-head SPECT camera upgraded with multipinhole-collimators (“HiSPECT”). With all 3 cameras employed in our investigation, striatum-to-cerebellum ratios were consistently higher compared to striatum-to-cortex ratios. Moreover, frontal-cortex-to-cerebellum ratios tended to exceeded parietal-cortex-tocerebellum. Findings are in line with previous in vitro results, and show that quantitation of both striatal and cortical D2 receptor binding is feasible using small animal imaging devices including the novel HiSPECT. With HiSPECT, both striatum-to-cortex and striatum-to-cerebellum ratios of IBZM were higher compared to TierSPECT, which underlines the greater suitability of the higher resolving camera. Findings, moreover, imply that the reference tissue should be carefully chosen with respect to the intended investigation.
Systematic review with meta-analysis : race-speci fi c effects of alcohol and tobacco on the risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Results Systematic review identified 9668 unique citations of which 34 were eligible. The majority were of high quality. The effect of current smoking vs. neversmoking was weaker among Asians than among Europeans [European: odds ratio (OR) = 4.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.13, 5.66; Asian: OR = 2.31, 95% CI 1.78, 2.99], with the 95% CIs not crossing, indicating statistical significance. Asians also trended towards weaker effects of longduration cigarette use and of heavy daily cigarette use. There was no difference in the effect of alcohol on OSCC risk by race.
A buffer-limited maximum throughput routing algorithm for satellite network

Satellite network has played an important role in the future global network, due to its advantages of global coverage and short round-trip time (RTT). Its characteristic of intermittent connection causes no-existence of end-to-end path in general in Disruption Tolerant Network (DTN), and thus the store-carry-forward mechanism is adopted. However, the store-carry-forward routing does not consider the buffer constraint on nodes, and thus a novel routing scheme should be designed for such scenario. In this paper, a novel model based on time-varying graph (TVG) is devised, which keeps the richness of the original DTN information. Based on early-connect-early-select path mechanism, we design the labeling algorithm for DTN (LAD) under buffer constraint to maximize the network throughput. Numerical simulation shows that the proposed mechanism can effectively achieve better throughput performance than the algorithm which selects path randomly.
A framework for student reasoning in an interview

We propose a framework to characterize students’ reasoning in an interview. The framework is based on interview data collected by five researchers with different research goals. The participants were enrolled in various introductory physics courses at Kansas State University (KSU). Our framework includes external inputs (e.g. questions asked, verbal, graphic and other cues) from the interviewer and interview environment; tools (e.g. memorized or familiar formulae, laws and definitions, prior experiences) that the student brings to the interview; a workbench encompassing mental processes (e.g. induction, accommodation) that incorporate the inputs and tools; and the answer given by the student. We describe how the framework can be used to analyze interview data.
Vision-Based Navigation and Deep-Learning Explanation for Autonomy

In this thesis, we investigate vision-based techniques to support robot mobile autonomy in human environments, including also understanding the important image features with respect to a classification task. Given this wide goal of transparent vision-based autonomy, the work proceeds along three main fronts. Our first algorithm enables a UAV to visually localize and navigate with respect to CoBot, a ground mobile robot, in order to perform visual search tasks. Our approach leverages the robust localization and navigation capabilities of CoBot while allowing the UAV to search for the object of interest in locations that CoBot cannot access. Second, to enable safe UAV navigation using its monocular camera, we contribute a deep learning based perception system to avoid obstacles in real-time. We demonstrate that using our system, UAVs can navigate safely in various challenging environments. Finally, we address our goal towards justification of vision-based decisions. We investigate an explanation technique to understand the predictions of a deep learning based image classifier. We contribute the Automatic Patch Pattern Labeling for Explanation (APPLE) algorithm for analyzing a deep network to find neurons that are ‘important’ to the network classification outcome, and for automatically labeling the patches of the input image that activate these important neurons. We investigate several measures of importance for neurons and demonstrate that our technique can be used to gain insight into how a network decomposes an image to make its classification. The performance of each of these contributions is demonstrated through experimental results.
Inhibitory Effect of Activated Protein C on Cerebral Vasospasm After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in the Rabbit

This study investigated whether activated protein C (APC) improves the cerebral vasospasm in an experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage that was produced by the intracisternal injection of autologous blood. Male rabbits were divided into the following four groups: APC 0.1-and 0.5-mg groups, in which 0.1 and 0.5 mg APC were injected into the cisterna magna, respectively; a placebo group, in which saline was injected instead of APC; and a sham operation group that did not get injections of autologous blood, APC, and saline. On day 2, amount of clot in the basal cistern was significantly (p < 0.01) decreased in the APC 0.5-mg group. Percent diameter of the basilar artery on day 2 to that before injecting the blood was angiographically determined as 97.1 ± 3.8% in the APC 0.5-mg group, which was significantly (p < 0.001) greater than the corresponding value in the placebo group (74.8 ± 3.4%). The impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation following subarachnoid hemorrhage was normalized in the APC 0.5-mg group (p < 0.0001). These results suggest that APC would improve cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage, possibly by decreasing the amount of subarachnoid clot and normalizing the impaired nitric oxide production/release.
Using Photovoice to Explore the Unique Life Perspectives of Youth With Sickle Cell Disease

Objectives: Sickle cell disease (SCD) has been associated with multiple physical and psychosocial challenges but less is known about the experience of living with the disease, particularly from the perspective of children/adolescents. Photovoice uses photography to access the experiences of individuals living with a disease and provides them with a voice for expression. It provides a unique approach to exploring the perspective of children/adolescents with SCD. This pilot study examines the perspective of children/adolescents with SCD using photovoice, both to gain understanding of the perspective of these patients and the utility of the research method with this population. Method: Twelve participants with SCD between the ages of 6 and 14 years participated in this study. Participants took photographs during camp and completed qualitative interviews afterward to explore their perspective on life with SCD and experience with the photovoice method. Results: Main themes derived from content analysis of the qualitative interviews included the following: (a) importance of friends, (b) controlling symptoms, and (c) importance of camp. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that (a) a camp can provide a beneficial social outlet with peers with SCD, (b) children/adolescents with SCD are able to manage their complex symptoms at a young age, and (c) photovoice is a useful methodology for children/adolescents with SCD and potentially other chronic illnesses.
VIAWITHIN-CLASS COVARIANCE CORRECTION IN I-VECTOR BASED SPEAKER RECOGNITION SYSTEMS

In this paper we propose a technique of Within-Class Covariance Correction (WCC) for Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) in Speaker Recognition to perform an unsupervised adaptation of LDA to an unseen data domain, and/or to compensate for speaker population difference among different portions of LDA training dataset. The paper follows on the study of source-normalization and interdatabase variability compensation techniques which deal with multimodal distribution of i-vectors. On the DARPA RATS (Robust Automatic Transcription of Speech) task, we show that, with two hours of unsupervised data, we improve the Equal-Error Rate (EER) by 17.5%, and 36% relative on the unmatched and semi-matched conditions, respectively. On the Domain Adaptation Challenge we show up to 70% relative EER reduction and we propose a data clustering procedure to identify the directions of the domain-based variability in the adaptation data.
Comparison of Repair of DNA Double-Strand Breaks in Identical Sequences in Primary Human Fibroblast and Immortal Hamster–Human Hybrid Cells Harboring a Single Copy of Human Chromosome 11

Abstract Fouladi, B. , Waldren, C. A. , Rydberg, B. and Cooper, P. K. Comparison of Repair of DNA Double-Strand Breaks in Identical Sequences in Primary Human Fibroblast and Immortal Hamster–Human Hybrid Cells Harboring a Single Copy of Human Chromosome 11. We have optimized a pulsed-field gel electrophoresis assay that measures induction and repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in specific regions of the genome (Löbrich et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92, 12050–12054, 1995). The increased sensitivity resulting from these improvements makes it possible to analyze the size distribution of broken DNA molecules immediately after the introduction of DSBs and after repair incubation. This analysis shows that the distribution of broken DNA pieces after exposure to sparsely ionizing radiation is consistent with the distribution expected from randomly induced DSBs. It is apparent from the distribution of rejoined DNA pieces after repair incubation that DNA ends continue to rejoin between 3 and 24 h postirradiation and that some of these rejoining events are in fact misrejoining events, since novel restriction fragments both larger and smaller than the original fragment are generated after repair. This improved assay was also used to study the kinetics of DSB rejoining and the extent of misrejoining in identical DNA sequences in human GM38 cells and human–hamster hybrid AL cells containing a single human chromosome 11. Despite the numerous differences between these cells, which include species and tissue of origin, levels of TP53, expression of telomerase, and the presence or absence of a homologous chromosome for the restriction fragments examined, the kinetics of rejoining of radiation-induced DSBs and the extent of misrejoining were similar in the two cell lines when studied in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Furthermore, DSBs were removed from the single-copy human chromosome in the hamster AL cells with similar kinetics and misrejoining frequency as at a locus on this hybrid's CHO chromosomes.
Using dynamic buffer limiting to protect against belligerent flows in high-speed networks

Conventional QoS mechanisms have focused primarily on providing better than normal service for some flows over others. With networks moving to much higher speeds and reasonable provisioning, best efforts access to network resources is adequate for common applications except when a belligerent flow attempts to consume an excessive amount of bandwidth. Any mechanism that attempts to contain such a flow must be able to operate at wirespeed in hardware. In this environment, conventional QoS mechanisms are not sufficient, either because they do not have mechanisms to contain these belligerent flows or because they are not practical to implement in hardware. In this paper we describe dynamic buffer limiting (DBL), a buffer and queue management mechanism designed to recognize and handle belligerent flows at very high speed and suitable for hardware implementation.
Effect of Growth State on Transcription Levels of Genes Encoding Major Secreted Antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Mouse Lung

ABSTRACT Arrest of the multiplication of Mycobacterium tuberculosis caused by expression of adaptive immunity in mouse lung was accompanied by a 10- to 20-fold decrease in levels of mRNAs encoding the secreted Ag85 complex and 38-kDa lipoprotein. esat-6 mRNA levels were high throughout infection. The data imply that multiplying and nonreplicating tubercle bacilli have different antigen compositions.
Modified Contrast Enhancement Algorithm and Its Hardware Design for Real-Time Applications

In the paper, a modified histogram equalization for contrast enhancement of monochrome image/frame is proposed. We use the sampled and quantized image to create the look-up table and apply the table to obtain the enhanced image. The features of the modified scheme are as follows: 1) As compared with the original scheme by the MATLAB simulation, the difference between the results of modified and original schemes is tiny and indistinguishable by our eyes. 2) For requirement of real-time processing, the proposed sampling and quantization technique is more suitable for pipelining in hardware design. The proposed design is adequate for most of surveillance system even if the frame size of video is larger than HDTV.
The Lumped Constant in the Deoxyglucose Procedure Declines with Age in Fischer‐344 Rats

Abstract: Concentrations of [14C]2‐deoxy‐D‐glucose ([14C]DG) and of glucose were measured in plasma of arterial and sagittal sinus venous blood from awake Fischer‐344 rats at 3, 12, and 24 months of age, during continuous intravenous infusion of [14C]DG and after a steady‐state arterial plasma concentration of [14C]DG was reached. Brain extraction, i.e., the difference between arterial and venous plasma concentrations divided by the arterial plasma concentration, was calculated for both [14C]DG and glucose. Because exchange of both substances between rat plasma and erythrocytes is slow, the ratio of the brain extraction of [14C]DG to that of glucose is identical to the lumped constant in the deoxyglucose procedure of Sokoloff et al. [J. Neurochem. 28, 897–916, (1977)]. This ratio equaled 0.502 ± 0.015 (SEM) at 3 months, 0.456 ± 0.007 at 12 months, and 0.418 ± 0.006 at 24 months of age (n = 15); the means differed significantly from each other (p < 0.05). The results indicate that the lumped constant declines between 3 and 24 months of age in awake rats, and suggest that many reported age reductions in regional cerebral glucose utilization, of 15–25%, are artifactual.
Portfolio choice under dynamic investment performance criteria

A new dynamic criterion for measuring the performance of self-financing investment strategies is introduced. To this aim, a family of stochastic processes defined on [0, ∞) and indexed by a wealth argument is used. Optimality is associated with their martingale property along the optimal wealth trajectory. The optimal portfolios are constructed via stochastic feedback controls that are functionally related to differential constraints of fast diffusion type. A multi-asset Ito-type incomplete market model is used.
Comparative studies of the efficacy of a recombinant feline leukaemia virus vaccine

The efficacy of three feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) vaccines was compared. Kittens were immunised with either a recombinant subunit vaccine, Leucogen, or one of two inactivated virus vaccines, Leukocell 2 or Leucat. On subsequent challenge by intraperitoneal inoculation of FeLV of subgroup A (FeLV-A), only Leucogen gave significant protection. In a second experiment, kittens vaccinated with Leucogen were protected against oronasal challenge with a phenotypic mixture of FeLV of subgroups A, B and C. These results indicate that a recombinant vaccine, containing only the protein moiety of the surface glycoprotein of FeLV-A, can provide better protection than the inactivated virus vaccines tested against challenge with virus of the same subgroup, and can also protect against challenge by all three subgroups of FeLV.
Using text mining to analyze user forums

Product discussion boards are a rich source of information about consumer sentiment about products, which is being increasingly exploited. Most sentiment analysis has looked at single products in isolation, but users often compare different products, stating which they like better and why. We present a set of techniques for analyzing how consumers view product markets. Specifically, we extracted relative sentiment analysis and comparisons between products, to understand what attributes users compare products on, and which products they prefer on each dimension. We illustrate these methods in an extended case study analyzing the sedan car markets.