Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Open, randomized, controlled clinical trial of Boswellia serrata extract as compared to valdecoxib in osteoarthritis of knee

Objective: To compare the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Boswellia serrata extract (BSE) in osteoarthritis (OA) knee with valdecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor. Materials and Methods: In a randomized, prospective, open-label, comparative study the efficacy, safety and tolerability of BSE was compared with valdecoxib in 66 patients of OA of knee for six months. The patients were assessed by WOMAC scale at baseline and thereafter at monthly interval till 1 month after drug discontinuation. Antero-posterior radiographs of affected knee joint were taken at baseline and after 6 months. Results: In BSE group the pain, stiffness, difficulty in performing daily activities showed statistically significant improvement with two months of therapy which even lasted till one month after stopping the intervention. In valdecoxib group the statistically significant improvement in all parameters was reported after one month of therapy but the effect persisted only as long as drug therapy continued. Three patients from BSE group and two from valdecoxib group complained of acidity. One patient from BSE group complained of diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Conclusion: BSE showed a slower onset of action but the effect persisted even after stopping therapy while the action of valdecoxib became evident faster but waned rapidly after stopping the treatment.
2395-1621 NLOS Identification and Mitigation Indoor Localization : Theory , Methods , Technologies

ARTICLE INFO The recent years has seen a lot of research in indoor localization and location services. Wireless location finding is one of the key technologies for wireless sensor networks. The GPS technology used for outdoor localization, but when to deal with indoor localization GPS solution is inadequate. Indoor locations include buildings like supermarkets, big malls, parking, universities and locations under the same roof. The indoor environments are very challenging and, as a result, a large variety of technologies have been proposed to cope-up with them, but no legacy solution has found. Even the existing solutions are better suitable for LOS environment but these cannot work effectively for NLOS situations. Various applications, such as localization of persons and objects could benefit greatly from non-line-of-sight (NLOS) identification and mitigation techniques. This paper presents the survey for different methods, technologies for effective NLOS indoor localization. In this study, we propose two accurate approaches using only received signal strength (RSS) measurements from Wi-Fi signals to identify NLOS conditions and mitigate the effects.
Protein Kinase Cε-Calcineurin Cosignaling Downstream of Toll-Like Receptor 4 Downregulates Fibrosis and Induces Wound Healing Gene Expression in Cardiac Myofibroblasts

ABSTRACT The pathways which regulate resolution of inflammation and contribute to positive remodeling of the myocardium following injury are poorly understood. Here we show that protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε) cooperates with the phosphatase calcineurin (CN) to potentiate induction of cardioprotective gene expression while suppressing expression of fibrosis markers. This was achieved by detailed analysis of the regulation of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression as a marker gene and by using gene expression profiling to identify genes regulated by coexpression of CN-Aα/PKCε in adult rat cardiac myofibroblasts (ARVFs) on a larger scale. GeneChip analysis of CN-Aα/PKCε-coexpressing ARVFs showed that COX-2 provides a signature for wound healing and is associated with downregulation of fibrosis markers, including connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), fibronectin, and collagens Col1a1, Col3a1, Col6a3, Col11a1, Col12a1, and Col14a1, with concomitant upregulation of cardioprotection markers, including COX-2 itself, lipocalin 2 (LCN2), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). In primary rat cardiomyocyte cultures Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) agonist- or PKCε/CN-dependent COX-2 induction occurred in coresident fibroblasts and was blocked by selective inhibition of CN or PKC α/ε or elimination of fibroblasts. Furthermore, ectopic expression of PKCε and CN in ARVFs showed that the effects on COX-2 expression are mediated by specific NFAT sites within the COX-2 promoter as confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Therefore, PKCε may negatively regulate adverse myocardial remodeling by cooperating with CN to downregulate fibrosis and induce transcription of cardioprotective wound healing genes, including COX-2.
Dimethyl Fumarate Ameliorates Acute Pancreatitis in Rodent

Objectives Pancreatitis is a complex inflammatory disorder, ranging from a mild attack, to severe and potentially fatal condition. Dimethyl fumarate (DMF), a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, has been used medicinally for decades. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that treatment with DMF may ameliorate acute pancreatitis (AP) in a rodent model. Methods Rats were treated with DMF (25 mg/kg) 24 hours prior to AP induction with l-arginine (3 g/kg). At 72 hours, the pancreas was processed for histology. Serum amylase, lactate dehydrogenase, pancreatic trypsin, and lipid peroxidation product (malondialdehyde) were evaluated. Key cytokines and chemokines in the supernatant of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated splenocytes were also determined. Results Pancreata from DMF-treated rats showed reductions in the severity of inflammatory cell infiltration, acinar damage, perilobar edema, and cell necrosis. This was associated with significantly lower amylase and malondialdehyde but not lactate dehydrogenase or trypsin levels. The apoptotic pancreatic cells (cleaved caspase 3 positive) were significantly lower in the DMF-treated rats. Lipopolysaccharide-stimulated splenocytes treated with DMF produced a significantly lower amount of key inflammatory mediators. Conclusion Administration of DMF attenuates AP in rats.
Closed-loop Position Control of an MRI-powered Biopsy Robot

INTRODUCTION Clinical MRI scanners can provide large amounts of electromagnetic energy that potentially could be used for actuation as well as imaging and so provide a complete environment for robotic interventions. The idea of using MR scanner magnetic gradients for actuating and tracking millimeter or micrometer size ferromagnetic particles was initially proposed and performed by Martel et al. [1] for drug-delivery applications. In parallel, many groups have developed MRI compatible robots for interventional applications (see reviews in [2,3]).
New approach to design asymptotical invariant systems for arbitrary disturbances

For the problem of providing invariance in outputs of the system with external perturbations not belonging to the control space, a solution was proposed based on the effect of vibrolinearization of the relay elements. The developed relay vortex algorithms of control were used in the closed-loop system for generation of damping oscillating modes with unlimited growth in oscillation frequency which enabled relay vibrolinearization. At that, realized was the theoretically infinite coefficient of linearization enabling asymptotic invariance of the output to a wide class of external perturbations.
MEX: a distributed software architecture for wearable computers

A new dynamic software architecture for wearable computers is proposed. Key properties of this MEX architecture are examined and compared to some other existing software architecture. One application utilizing MEX, called WalkMap, is presented. The aim of the applications currently under development is to enhance the communication and cooperation of the users utilizing wearable computers in their daily lives. Based on that, the software components needed to access context information anywhere and the hardware requirements arising from constant usage are considered. The hardware platform for the software architecture developed is briefly described.
Stressful Life Events and Schizophrenia II: Conceptual and Methodological Issues

Research on the relationship between stress and schizophrenia is fraught with conceptual and methodological problems. These problems include issues related to the nature and measurement of stress, the likelihood of reciprocal influences between stress and symptoms, and the adequate assessment of symptoms. Several recommendations are made regarding future research in this area. These include using multiple and broadly based measures of different types of stressors and symptoms, greater use of truly prospective research designs, and the evaluation of the effects of interventions specifically designed to reduce stress in patients who suffer from schizophrenia.
Hot-Spot Detection in Integrated Circuits by Substrate Heat-Flux Sensing

This letter presents a novel approach to detect hot spots (HSs) in active integrated circuits (ICs) and devices. It is based on sensing the HS heat flux within the chip substrate with a probe-laser beam. As the beam passes through the die, it experiences a deflection directly proportional to the heat flux found along its trajectory (internal infrared laser deflection technique). The proposed strategy allows inspecting the chip through its lateral sides (lateral access), avoiding the metal and passivation layers placed over the die. The obtained results demonstrate the suitability of this technique to locate and characterize devices behaving as hot spots in nowadays IC CMOS technologies.
An algorithm for finding the Independence Number of a graph

In this paper, we prove that for every connected graph G, there exists a split graph H with the same independence number and the same order. Then we propose a first algorithm for finding this graph, given the degree sequence of the input graph G. Further, we propose a second algorithm for finding the independence number of G, given the adjacency matrix of G.
Screening of fermentative bacteria for their ability to bind and biotransform deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and fumonisins in an in vitro simulated corn silage model

Fermentative bacteria can potentially be utilized to detoxify corn silage contaminated by Fusarium toxins. The objective of the present study was to test a large number of these bacteria for their ability to bind and/or biotransform deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN) and fumonisins B1 and B2 (FB1, FB2) in conditions simulating corn silage. A total of 202 strains were screened in contaminated, pH 4, corn infusion inoculated with 5 × 108 CFU ml–1. Eight Lactobacilli and three Leuconostoc biotransformed ZEN into α-zearalenol, but no biotransformation was detected for DON and fumonisins. In contrast, most strains were capable of binding Fusarium toxins. The most effective genera were Streptococcus and Enterococcus, capable of binding up to 33, 49, 24 and 62% of DON, ZEN, FB1 and FB2, respectively. The ability to bind Fusarium toxins seems to be a common property of fermentative bacteria and could help to decrease their toxicity in animals.
Carotenoid Biosynthesis during Tomato Fruit Development (Evidence for Tissue-Specific Gene Expression)

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv Ailsa Craig) fruit, at five stages of development, have been analyzed for their carotenoid and chlorophyll (Chl) contents, in vitro activities of phytoene synthase, phytoene desaturase, and lycopene cyclase, as well as expression of the phytoene synthase (Psy) and phytoene desaturase (Pds) genes. During ripening, the total carotenoids increased with a concomitant decrease in Chl. Although the highest carotenoid content (consisting mainly of lycopene and [beta]-carotene) was found in ripe fruit, the greatest carotenogenic enzymic activities were found in green fruit. Phytoene synthase was located in the plastid stroma, whereas the metabolism of phytoene was associated with plastid membranes during all stages of fruit development. The in vitro products of phytoene desaturation altered from being predominantly phytofluence and [zeta]-carotene in chloroplasts to becoming mainly lycopene in chromoplasts. The expression of Psy was detected in breaker and ripe fruit, as well as flowers, but was not detectable by northern blot analysis in leaves or green fruits. The Pds gene transcript was barely detectable in green fruit and leaves but was expressed in flowers and breaker fruit. These results suggest that transcription of Psy and Pds is regulated developmentally, with expression being considerably elevated in chromoplast-containing tissues. Antiserum to the Synechococcus phytoene synthase cross-reacted with phytoene synthase of green fruit only on western blots and not with the enzyme from ripe fruit. In contrast, a monoclonal antibody to the Psy gene product only cross-reacted with phytoene synthase from ripe fruit. The enzymes from green and ripe fruit had different molecular masses of 42 and 38 kD, respectively. The absence of detectable Psy and Pds mRNA in green tissues using northern blot analyses, despite high levels of phytoene synthase and desaturase activity, lends support to the hypothesis of divergent genes encoding these enzymes.
A Biologically Inspired Model Using Laplacian of Gaussian Improves Contour Detection

A model for detecting contours in gray scale images is presented by combining three features. We present an overview of various approaches to contour detection that have been proposed in the last two decades. The goal of this work is to accurately detect contour in gray level images by combining multiple visual features. Majority of neurons in the primary visual cortex respond to a line or an edge of a certain orientation in visual field. In this study, a biological model (Multi Feature Surround suppression) is proposed to improve performance of contour detection. Weighted feature difference is combining as in fine scale. The combined weights are then used to modulate the final surround prohibition of the neurons. The proposed framework compared with other contour detection methods. Output of this method matched against ground truth binary images to count precision and recall values. We test this method on RuG40 dataset. Defining the limits of the receptive field of a neuron in visual cortex has never been a simple issue; however, a fundamental distinction can be made between the region of visual space in which stimuli evoke spike discharges the so called „classical receptive field‟, Our proposed model use only image intensity as the source of contour detection.
[Characteristics of changes in urinary NGAL, KIM-1 and IL-18 in Phytolaccae Radix-induced renal injury in rats and significance of combined detection].

OBJECTIVE To explore the characteristics of changes in neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalcin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) in Phytolaccae Radix-induced kidney injury in rats and the significance of the combined detection. METHOD Wistar rats were divided into three groups: high and low dose (crude drug 40, 20 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)) Phytolaccae Radix decoction groups and the control group, and orally administrated with distilled water or equal volume of Phytolaccae Radix decoction for 35 consecutive days. Their blood and urine samples were collected on day 7, 14, 21, 28, 35,42. The anatomical analysis was conducted for each group. The contents of serum total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CR) and urinary TP and ALB were detected-by means of biochemical analyzer. The concentrations of urinary NGAL, KIM-1 and IL-18 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The morphological changes of renal pathology were observed by light or electron microscopy. The curve areas of various serum or urine indexes and the combined detection were compared by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve). RESULT Rats were given Phytolaccae Radix decoction at the doses of 40, 20 g crude drug/kg daily for 35 consecutive days to induce kidney injury characterized by the degeneration of renal tubular epithelial cell and protein cast. The injury was partially reversible during the recovery period. Compared with the control group, the content of serum BUN, CR and urinary TP in each dose group mostly showed a downward trend. On day 21, the content of urinary ALB obviously increased till the end of administration. The contents of urinary NGAL, KIM-1 and IL-18 began increasing on day 7. Since day 14, high and low dose groups showed significant difference (P<0.01). The high dose group even showed notable changes during the recovery period. According to ROC analysis, the curve areas of NGAL, KIM-1 and IL-18 were 0.846, 0.837 and 0.863 (P <0.01), respectively, much higher than that of BUN and CR. The area of the combined detection was up to 0.947. CONCLUSION Urinary NGAL, IL-18 and KIM-1 could forecast and indicate the occurrence and development of renal injury to some degree, and show higher sensitivity and site specificity. The combined detection could further improve the test efficiency.
Component-Based Development Using UML

Component-based software development (CBD) is a potential breakthrough for software engineering. Unified Modeling Language (UML) can potentially facilitate CBD design and modeling. Although many research projects concentrate on the conceptual interrelation of UML and CBD, few incorporate actual component frameworks into the discussion, which is critical for real-world software system design and modeling. This paper reviews component-based development, including the use of UML for modeling CBD. The paper then discusses the means by whi ch UML extension mechanisms can be used to better support the popular component framework -- CORBA. Two other important component frameworks, DCOM and Web Services, are also discussed.
Review: psychosocial well-being of parents and their children born after assisted reproduction.

OBJECTIVE To critically review the empirical literature published from 1980 through June 2000 on the psychosocial well-being of parents and their children born after assisted reproduction. METHODS A computer-based literature search of PsycINFO and Medline was conducted. Empirical studies were reviewed to document the psychosocial impact of infertility and its treatment on the families involved in terms of quality of parenting, family functioning, and child development. RESULTS Several common findings appeared across the studies reviewed. With regard to quality of parenting and family functioning, mothers of children born using assisted reproduction report less parenting stress and more positive mother- and father-child relationships than mothers of naturally conceived children. In most cases, no statistically significant differences in child functioning in terms of emotions, behavior, self-esteem, or perceptions of family relationship have been reported. CONCLUSIONS The summary findings are positive and reassuring for parents and their children born after assisted reproduction. This critique of the published literature provides interpretative and methodological refinements for future research.
Digital backchannels in shared physical spaces: experiences at an academic conference

There are a variety of digital tools for enabling people who are physically separated by time and space to communicate and collaborate. Widespread use of some of these tools, such as instant messaging and group chat, coupled with the increasingly availability of wireless Internet access, have created new opportunities for using these collaboration tools by people sharing physical spaces in real time. Such 'digital backchannels' affect interactions and experiences in a variety of ways, depending on the spaces, the participants, and the relationships among them. We focus on the space of an academic conference, a physical space designed for voluntary participation by people with shared interests, seeking to share knowledge and connect with others. We present and analyze system logs and interview data from a recent conference, highlight some of the advantages and disadvantages experienced both by those who used the tools and by those who did not, and discuss implications and considerations for future use and research.
In Vitro Strength of the Human Periodontal Ligament

The tensile properties of the human periodontal ligament were studied by direct loading and compression experiments. It was found that the ligament behaved in an elastic manner up to an elastic limit after which rupture occurred. The values obtained for the tensile strength of the ligament are in general agreement with those of other workers for similar tissues.
GENEHUNTER calculates a nonparametric linkage ( NPL ) score on the basis of either the Spairs ( Weeks and Lange 1988 ) or Sall statistic ( Whittemore and Halpern 1994 )

In recent years, the development of new methodology and/or the improvement of existing methodology in gene mapping, specifically that which is targeted toward the localization of genes underlying complex disorders, have led to a proliferation of linkage analysis techniques, most of which have been implemented in user-friendly programs and have been made freely available to the genetics community. A scan through genetic epidemiological journals reveals the almost immediate embracement of these techniques; however, user interpretation regarding the statistical properties of these tests is often insubstantial and occasionally is incorrect. To assist in this interpretation, this review provides both an overview of the underlying hypotheses and an explanation of the different statistical properties of the most-popular techniques. Furthermore, accepted thresholds for genomewide significance and appropriate corrections for multiple testing are discussed.
Innovative interventions for disordered eating: evaluating dissonance-based and yoga interventions.

OBJECTIVE Eating-disordered behavior is prevalent among college women. Few interventions have successfully reduced risk factors for these behaviors, however. The most promising interventions are both selective and interactive. This study compared two newer types of interventions that meet these criteria: cognitive dissonance and yoga programs. METHOD This study advertised programs for women who were dissatisfied with their bodies. Participants (N = 93) were randomly assigned to dissonance, yoga, or control groups. RESULTS Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that there were no significant post-intervention differences between the yoga and control groups. Dissonance group participants had significantly lower scores than the scores of both other groups on measures of disordered eating, drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, alexithymia, and anxiety. CONCLUSION These findings have important implications for interventions on college campuses. In particular, dissonance interventions appear to be an efficient and inexpensive approach to reducing eating disorder risk factors. Additional research regarding the value of yoga interventions is needed.
Recognition of road types and speed choice

This paper outlines the recognition process of road types and its influence on speed choice. The appearance and spreading of the term "cognitive infocommunications" led the authors to rethink some of their earlier work from the cognitive perspective. In order to assess the recognition of road types and speed choice a picture sorting exercise and an on-line speed choice survey was completed. Limitations and extensions of the method are also considered.