Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modified Histopathological Protocol for Poly-ɛ-Caprolactone Scaffolds Preserving Their Trabecular, Honeycomb-like Structure

Poly-ɛ-caprolactone (PCL) is now widely studied in relation to the engineering of bone, cartilage, tendons, and other tissues. Standard histological protocols can destroy the carefully created trabecular and honeycomb-like architecture of PCL scaffolds, and could lead to scaffold fibers swelling, resulting in the displacement or compression of tissues inside the scaffold. The aim of this study was to modify a standard histopathological protocol for PCL scaffold preparation and evaluate it on porous cylindrical PCL scaffolds in a rat model. In 16 inbred Wag rats, 2 PCL scaffolds were implanted subcutaneously to both inguinal areas. Two months after implantation, harvested scaffolds were first subjected to μCT imaging, and then to histopathological analysis with standard (left inguinal area) and modified histopathological protocols (right inguinal area). To standardize the results, soft tissue percentages (STPs) were calculated on scaffold cross-sections obtained from both histopathological protocols and compared with corresponding µCT cross-sections. The modified protocol enabled the assessment of almost 10× more soft tissues on the scaffold cross-section than the standard procedure. Moreover, STP was only 1.5% lower than in the corresponding µCT cross-sections assessed before the histopathological procedure. The presented modification of the histopathological protocol is cheap, reproducible, and allows for a comprehensive evaluation of PCL scaffolds while maintaining their trabecular, honeycomb-like structure on cross-sections.
MIR STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS EXPERIMENT: FIRST PHASE TEST AND DATA ANALYSIS

This paper discusses the modal analysis results of dynamic response data collected during the first phase of the Mir Structural Dynamics Experiment (MiSDE). One of the main objectives for MiSDE is to demonstrate the feasibility of performing on-orbit modal testing on large space structures to extract modal parameters that will be used to correlate mathematical models. During the first MiSDE phase, test data fixnine and seven test events were obtained in the Mir alone and Shuttle-Mir mated configurations, respectively. This test data was recorded with a variety of existing and new instrumentation systems. Modal analysis was performed on the collected test data to extract modal parameters, i.e. frequencies, damping factors, and mode shapes. A special time-domain modal identification procedure was used on free-decay structural responses. The results from this study show that modal testing and analysis of large space structures is feasible within operational constraints.
Characterization of Recruited Mononuclear Phagocytes following Corneal Chemical Injury

Mononuclear phagocytes (MP) have central importance in innate immunity, inflammation, and fibrosis. Recruited MPs, such as macrophages, are plastic cells and can switch from an inflammatory to a restorative phenotype during the healing process. However, the role of the MPs in corneal wound healing is not completely understood. The purpose of this study is to characterize the kinetics of recruited MPs and evaluate the role of macrophage metalloelastase (MMP12) in the healing process, using an in vivo corneal chemical injury model. Unwounded and wounded corneas of wild-type (WT) and Mmp12−/− mice were collected at 1, 3, and 6 days after chemical injury and processed for flow cytometry analysis. Corneal MP phenotype significantly changed over time with recruited Ly6Chigh (proinflammatory) cells being most abundant at 1 day post-injury. Ly6Cint cells were highly expressed at 3 days post-injury and Ly6Cneg (patrolling) cells became the predominant cell type at 6 days post-injury. CD11c+ dendritic cells were abundant in corneas from Mmp12−/− mice at 6 days post-injury. These findings show the temporal phenotypic plasticity of recruited MPs and provide valuable insight into the role of the MPs in the corneal repair response, which may help guide the future development of MP-targeted therapies.
Connecting Architectures across the Landscape: A Visibility and Network Analysis in the Island of Mallorca during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age

Architecture has been one of the key features in studying the first millennium bc in the Balearic Islands. The primary goal of this research is to analyse how monumental communal architecture enabled the construction of enduring social spaces and how the role of these spaces within the community can be understood through the relations that conform across the landscape. To do so we will focus on the Late Bronze Age (1100–850 bc) and the Talayotic period (c. 850–650 bc), the first moment when cyclopean dry-stone architecture is used in communal spaces, such as talayots or stepped turriforms, making them stand out across the landscape. To understand how these architectures are connected, we analysed the visual connections between them through intervisibility and network analysis, as well as through Individual Distance Viewsheds. Through the analysis of visual connections, we seek to understand how the architecture created a network across the entire landscape, and how the characteristics and properties of this network are key in understanding the relationship between Talayotic communities and their landscape. Our aim is to explore how architecture shaped and gave meaning to the landscape and how we cannot understand the buildings by themselves, but as part of a network.
Impedance Spectroscopy of Encapsulated Single Graphene Layers

In this work, we demonstrate the use of electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for the disentanglement of several dielectric contributions in encapsulated single graphene layers. The dielectric data strongly vary qualitatively with the nominal graphene resistance. In the case of sufficiently low resistance of the graphene layers, the dielectric spectra are dominated by inductive contributions, which allow for disentanglement of the electrode/graphene interface resistance from the intrinsic graphene resistance by the application of an adequate equivalent circuit model. Higher resistance of the graphene layers leads to predominantly capacitive dielectric contributions, and the deconvolution is not feasible due to the experimental high frequency limit of the EIS technique.
Research on the Creative Expression of Font Design in Poster Design

At present, human beings are in a new era of design culture, which is also an information age that people take graphic language as communication tool and integrate design and culture. As a means of public communication in modern social life, public posters carry certain cultural deposits and social responsibilities. Nowadays, font design has been widely used in poster design with its profound cultural connotation and unique expression. In addition, its expression forms are rich and varied, and some are even directly used as graphic elements. It can be seen that people have realized the special value of font design in poster design. From the perspective of the development history and characteristics of font design, this paper makes case analysis and discusses the performance effect and artistic value of font design in public poster design with the help of design works.
Gene Therapy of Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia: Vascular Medical Perspectives

A decade ago, gene therapy seemed to be a promising approach for the treatment of chronic limb-threatening ischemia, providing new perspectives for patients without conventional, open or endovascular therapeutic options by potentially enabling neo-angiogenesis. Yet, until now, the results have been far from a safe and routine clinical application. In general, there are two approaches for inserting exogenous genes in a host genome: transduction and transfection. In case of transduction, viral vectors are used to introduce genes into cells, and depending on the selected strain of the virus, a transient or stable duration of protein production can be achieved. In contrast, the transfection of DNA is transmitted by chemical or physical processes such as lipofection, electro- or sonoporation. Relevant risks of gene therapy may be an increasing neo-vascularization in undesired tissue. The risks of malignant transformation and inflammation are the potential drawbacks. Additionally, atherosclerotic plaques can be destabilized by the increased angiogenesis, leading to arterial thrombosis. Clinical trials from pilot studies to Phase II and III studies on angiogenic gene therapy show mainly a mixed picture of positive and negative final results; thus, the role of gene therapy in vascular occlusive disease remains unclear.
Using Pumping Tests and Two Techniques of the Water Balance to Assess the Aquifer Hydraulic Characteristics and the Groundwater Recharge of Shewasoor Sub-Basin Kirkuk, NE Iraq

Shewasoor sub-Basin represents one of the hydrogeological sub-basins of the Lower Zab River and covers an area of 160 km². It is located between longitude (44º 31' 23.9" – 44º 37' 75") and latitudes (35º 45' 28.9"–35º 48' 59"). The basin is bounded from the north and northeast by the Taqtaq anticline and Chamchamal anticline represents the western and southwest boundaries, while the southeast boundary is a surface water divide with the Al- Khassah River sub-basin. The groundwater distribution levels and movement maps show that the water depths range between 414-862 m a.s. l, and it moves in line with the movement of water surface drainage, as it moves from the east, southeast, south, and southwest (recharge areas) towards the northwest regions, while the water depths vary from the ground level between relatively deep in the southwestern part to medium and shallow in the rest of the parts. An evaluation of the hydraulic characteristic and groundwater recharge by two techniques of the water balance for aquifers of the study area has been carried out. The results showed that the hydraulic properties, transmissivity value ranges between 5.6 - 169 m²/day, the hydraulic conductivity values range between 0.67 - 5.1 m/day, and the storage coefficient values, ranging from the lowest value (0.0013) to the highest value (0.27). The results reflected that the types of the aquifers are unconfined and semi-confined as well as heterogeneous and anisotropic. after analyzing and calculating the climatological parameters of Koya meteorological station as the nearest station to the Shewassor area, showed the water surplus is equal to 333.94 mm which represent 53.8% of the annual rainfall value (628.3mm) and the surface water is equal to 138.5mm as a runoff. 199.44mm (31.74%) out of the annual rainfall is percolated to recharge the aquifers of Shewasoor, while water table fluctuation method WTF showed there are two zones of specific yield in the study area and the groundwater recharge is 232.06mm, so can be said that the 215.8mm is the average of the groundwater recharge in Shewasoor sub-basin. Finally, and by using the groundwater flow net analyzing technique that the amount of groundwater discharged from the study area is about 12 million m3 (MCM) and the renewal groundwater storage is 19.42 million m3 (MCM), which means there is 7.39 million m3 is groundwater can be invested as a safe investment.
Antioxidant capacity of wild-growing orange mullein (Verbascum phlomoides L.)

Orange mullein is a biennial plant belonging to the figwort (Scrophulariaceae) family. The vivid yellow flowers are arranged in spikes located on the top of the stem. It is a drought and cold-tolerant plant requiring much sunlight that grows on pastures, roadsides, and in dry weed associations. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different solvents (water, 70% acetone, 70% methanol, and 70% ethanol) on the assessment of antioxidant capacity of leaves and flowers of orange mullein. Total phenolics are higher in the leaves and reach a value of up to 15.70 mg of gallic acid per one g of dry leaf weight, while flavonoids are more dominant in flowers and reach a value of 5.82 mg of quercetin per one g of dry flower. Correlation was performed between total phenolics, total tannins, total flavonoids, and antioxidant tests. It is the flavonoids that are mainly responsible a the high antioxidant activity establishing a correlation with all the tests performed, including FRAP, ABTS, DPPH, total antioxidant activity, total reduction capacity, and NBT reduction test.
Characterization and Identification of a Ripening-Related Gene AaPG18 in Actinidia arguta

Actinidia arguta (A. arguta) is a kind of climacteric fruit that quickly softens and limits fruit shelf-life and commercial value. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop kiwifruit genotypes with an extended shelf-life of fruit. However, the ripening and softening mechanisms remain unclear in A. arguta. Here, we demonstrated that a key polygalacturonase (PG)-encoding gene AaPG18 was involved in A. arguta ripening through the degradation of the cell wall. Fruits were harvested at three developmental stages (S1, S2, and S3) for high-throughput transcriptome sequencing, based on which two candidate transcripts c109562_g1 and c111961_g1 were screened. The genome-wide identification of the PG gene family assigned c109562_g1 and c111961_g1 to correspond to AaPG4 and AaPG18, respectively. The expression profiles of candidate genes at six preharvest stages of fruit showed significantly higher expression levels of AaPG18 than AaPG4, indicating AaPG18 might be a key gene during fruit ripening processes. The subcellular localization displayed AaPG18 was located at the cytoplasmic membrane. The transient overexpression of AaPG18 in strawberry and the following morphological observation suggested AaPG18 played a key role in maintaining the stability of cell morphology. The homologous transient transformation in A. arguta “RB-4” proved the crucial function of AaPG18 in fruit ripening processes by causing the rapid redness of the fruit, which was an indicator of fruit maturity. All in all, our results identified AaPG18 as a key candidate gene involved in cell wall degeneration, which provides a basis for the subsequent exploration of the molecular mechanisms underlying the ripening and softening of A. arguta fruit.
Evaluation of left atrial volume and functions by 3D echocardiography in patients with prediabetes and investigation of its correlation with NT-pro ANP levels

Background: An increased burden of cardiovascular disease is observed in prediabetes compared to normoglycemic. In this study, we aimed to evaluate left atrium (LA) volume indices and mechanical functions in prediabetes patients by real-time threedimensional echocardiography (3DE) and examine the relationship of these parameters with N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-ANP) levels. Methods: 41 patients diagnosed with prediabetes by the oral glucose tolerance test in the endocrinology outpatient clinic and 43 healthy controls were included in this study. We evaluated the volume indices and mechanical functions of the LA using 3DE. Plasma NT-proANP was evaluated by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Results: Median NT-pro-ANP level was higher in the prediabetes group than the control group (1.5 vs 0.7 nmol/L, p<0.001). Levels of LA volume index (LAVI), minimum and maximum of LA volume (Vmin, Vmax; respectively), preatrial contraction volume (VpreA), active emptying fraction, and total and active emptying volume, each reflects reservoir and pump functions of LA, were higher in the prediabetes group. In contrast, the LA passive emptying fraction (PEF) level was lower (p<0.05). There was a positive correlation between levels of NT-pro-ANP and Vmax (r= 0.352, p=0.024), Vmin (r= 0.563, p<0.001), VpreA (r= 0.504, p<0.001), and LAVI (r= 0.338, p=0.031), while negative correlation existed between levels of NT-pro-ANP and total emptying fraction (r = -0.522, p<0.001) and PEF (r= -0.349, p=0.025) was found. Conclusion: LA volume and mechanical functions are impaired in prediabetes patients, and this deterioration was positively correlated with NT pro-ANP levels. The current findings demonstrate that cardiac structural deterioration in prediabetes patients is just initiated before overt diabetes onset.
Silicon Nanosphere with Accessible Magnetic Hotspot

High refractive index dielectric nanoparticles supporting the magnetic dipole (MD) Mie resonance are capable of inducing strongly enhanced magnetic field at an optical frequency, and have great potential for enhancing light–matter interactions such as magnetic dipole transitions of ions and molecules. However, the magnetic hotspot is usually located inside a nanoparticle and thus the development of technology to access the hotspot remains an urgent issue. Here, a silicon (Si) nanosphere having an access hole to the magnetic hotspot is proposed. Numerical simulations for a Si nanosphere with a hole of different diameters and depths are performed. Then, a solution‐based process to dig an access hole to a Si nanosphere is developed. A spectroscopic method to analyze nanohole‐induced anisotropy of a spherical nanoantenna is also developed. Finally, in combination with numerical simulations and angle‐resolved scattering measurements of a Si nanosphere with a nanohole, it is shown that the magnetic field intensity is 100‐fold enhanced at the nanohole.
Automatic Generation of XACML Code using Model-Driven Approach

Precise specification of security requirements of software systems in general, and access control policies in particular, is a critical issue. The eXtensible Access Control Markup Language (XACML) is a well-known standard for defining access control policies. The problem is that using this language and manual formulation of policies requires technical knowledge and is error prone. To address this challenge, we propose a Domain-Specific Modeling Language (DSML), called Dual-XACML that supports both Role Based Access Control (RBAC) and Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC). As the tool support, a graphical editor as well as a transformation engine has been developed in this research. The graphical editor allows the user to create a model of access control policies for the target system. Then, using the transformations, the model is transformed into the corresponding XACML code. To evaluate the proposed approach, the XACML code of a typical system is generated, automatically.
A Novel Integrated APCI and MPT Ionization Technique as Online Sensor for Trace Pesticides Detection

The misuse of pesticides poses a tremendous threat to human health. Excessive pesticide residues have been shown to cause many diseases. Many sensor detection methods have been developed, but most of them suffer from problems such as slow detection speed or narrow detection range. So, the development of rapid, direct and sensitive means of detecting trace amounts of pesticide residues is always necessary. A novel online sensor technique was developed for direct analysis of pesticides in complex matrices with no sample pretreatment. The portable sensor ion source consists of an MPT (microwave plasma torch) with desolventizing capability and an APCI (atmosphere pressure chemical ionization), which provides abundant precursor ions and a strong electric field. The performance which improves the ionization efficiency and suppresses the background signal was verified by using pesticide standard solution and pesticide pear juice solution measurements with an Orbitrap mass spectrometer. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantization (LOQ) of the method were measured by pear juice solutions that were obtained in the ranges of 0.034–0.79 μg/L and 0.14–1 μg/L. Quantitative curves were obtained ranging from 0.5 to 100 μg/L that showed excellent semi-quantitative ability with correlation coefficients of 0.985–0.997. The recoveries (%) of atrazine, imidacloprid, dimethoate, profenofos, chlorpyrifos, and dichlorvos were 96.6%, 112.7%, 88.1%, 85.5%, 89.2%, and 101.9% with the RSDs ranging from 5.89–14.87%, respectively. The results show that the method has excellent sensitivity and quantification capability for rapid and direct detection of trace pesticide.
EW-7197 Attenuates the Progression of Diabetic Nephropathy in db/db Mice through Suppression of Fibrogenesis and Inflammation

Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is characterized by albuminuria and accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in kidney. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) plays a central role in promoting ECM accumulation. We aimed to examine the effects of EW-7197, an inhibitor of TGF-β type 1 receptor kinase (ALK5), in retarding the progression of DN, both in vivo, using a diabetic mouse model (db/db mice), and in vitro, in podocytes and mesangial cells. Methods In vivo study: 8-week-old db/db mice were orally administered EW-7197 at a dose of 5 or 20 mg/kg/day for 10 weeks. Metabolic parameters and renal function were monitored. Glomerular histomorphology and renal protein expression were evaluated by histochemical staining and Western blot analyses, respectively. In vitro study: DN was induced by high glucose (30 mM) in podocytes and TGF-β (2 ng/mL) in mesangial cells. Cells were treated with EW-7197 (500 nM) for 24 hours and the mechanism associated with the attenuation of DN was investigated. Results Enhanced albuminuria and glomerular morphohistological changes were observed in db/db compared to that of the nondiabetic (db/m) mice. These alterations were associated with the activation of the TGF-β signaling pathway. Treatment with EW-7197 significantly inhibited TGF-β signaling, inflammation, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species, and endoplasmic reticulum stress in diabetic mice and renal cells. Conclusion EW-7197 exhibits renoprotective effect in DN. EW-7197 alleviates renal fibrosis and inflammation in diabetes by inhibiting downstream TGF-β signaling, thereby retarding the progression of DN. Our study supports EW-7197 as a therapeutically beneficial compound to treat DN.
The Application of a Pavement Distress Detection Method Based on FS-Net

In order to solve the problem of difficulties in pavement distress detection in the field of pavement maintenance, a pavement distress detection algorithm based on a new deep learning method is proposed. Firstly, an image data set of pavement distress is constructed, including large-scale image acquisition, expansion and distress labeling; secondly, the FReLU structure is used to replace the leaky ReLU activation function to improve the ability of two-dimensional spatial feature capture; finally, in order to improve the detection ability of this model for long strip pavement distress, the strip pooling method is used to replace the maximum pooling method commonly used in the existing network, and a new method is formed which integrates the FReLU structure and the strip pooling method, named FS-Net in this paper. The results show that the average accuracy of the proposed method is 4.96% and 3.67% higher than that of the faster R-CNN and YOLOv3 networks, respectively. The detection speed of 4 K images can reach about 12 FPS. The accuracy and computational efficiency can meet the actual needs in the field of road detection. A set of lightweight detection equipment for highway pavement was formed in this paper by purchasing hardware, developing software, designing brackets and packaging shells, and the FS-Net was burned into the equipment. The recognition rate of pavement distress is more than 90%, and the measurement error of the crack width is within ±0.5 mm through application testing. The lightweight detection equipment for highway pavement with burning of the pavement distress detection algorithm based on FS-Net can detect pavement conditions quickly and identify the distress and calculate the distress parameters, which provide a large amount of data support for the pavement maintenance department to make maintenance decisions.