Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between integrin-linked kinase and hyperthermia in oral squamous cell carcinoma

The present study aimed to observe the effect of the biological functions of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) silencing combined with hyperthermia on Tca8113 cells. Lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-targeting ILK was transfected into oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) Tca8113 cells and, combined with hyperthermia, several experimental methods were used to detect their biological behavior in vitro. On the basis of in vitro experiments, Tca8113 cells were transplanted into nude mice models, and ILK-shRNA-lentivirus was injected into the nude mice transplanted tumor and combined with hyperthermia. Tumor morphology and the associated protein expression changes were determined. Subsequent to ILK silencing combined with hyperthermia, the growth, migration and proliferation of Tca8113 cells were significantly inhibited. Flow cytometry revealed that the cells were blocked in the S phase, and western blot analysis demonstrated that ILK, phosphorylated (p)-RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (Akt), p-glycogen synthase kinase-3β and p-heat shock factor 1 protein expression levels were significantly decreased, while apoptosis-associated protein B-cell lymphoma-2-associated X protein expression and the efficacy of hypothermia were significantly increased. By ILK silencing combined with hyperthermia, a significant therapeutic effect on transplanted tumors was observed in nude mice. Immunohistochemistry revealed the same results as the in vitro experiments. ILK silencing combined with hyperthermia can inhibit the growth, proliferation and migration of Tca8113 cells, promote Tca8113 cell apoptosis, inhibit the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway and increase hyperthermia sensitivity; the combination therapy exhibits a synergistic sensitizing effect. Therefore, ILK silencing combined with hypothermia may serve as a novel combination therapy strategy against OSCC.
Androgen Replacement Therapy in Late-Onset Hypogonadism: Current Concepts and Controversies – A Mini-Review

Background: Normal testicular function is essential for the maintenance of male physical strength and behaviour irrespective of age. A new term of late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) has been coined for the condition of decreased testosterone (T) and hypogonadal symptoms in ageing men. Objective: The most important testicular hormone, T, is responsible for the gender-specific androgenic-anabolic effects in men. Testicular T production remains stable until around the age of 40 years after which it declines by 1–2% annually. Despite this age-related decline, serum T levels in most older men remain within the reference range of younger men. The decreasing androgen levels are paralleled by well-defined objective biological and nonspecific subjective signs and symptoms of ageing. Because these symptoms are similar to those observed in young men with documented hypogonadism, androgen replacement therapy (ART) has been considered a logical way to treat them. Methods: A thorough review of the existing literature was performed to evaluate the current concepts and controversies related to ageing men and ART. Results: Although it is intuitively logical that the symptoms of LOH are due to the ageing-related deficiency of T, and that they can be reversed by ART, the evidence for this is still variable and often weak. In particular, evidence-based information about long-term benefits and risks of ART in ageing men is largely missing. Conclusions: Despite widespread use, evidence-based proof for the objective benefits and side effects of ART of elderly men is still scanty, and such treatments should be considered experimental.
On-the-fly detection of access anomalies

Access anomalies are a common class of bugs in shared-memory parallel programs. An access anomaly occurs when two concurrent execution threads both write (or one thread reads and the other writes) the same shared memory location without coordination. Approaches to the detection of access anomalies include static analysis, post-mortem trace analysis, and on-the-fly monitoring. A general on-the-fly algorithm for access anomaly detection is presented, which can be applied to programs with both nested fork-join and synchronization operations. The advantage of on-the-fly detection over post-mortem analysis is that the amount of storage used can be greatly reduced by data compression techniques and by discarding information as soon as it becomes obsolete. In the algorithm presented, the amount of storage required at any time depends only on the number V of shared variables being monitored and the number N of threads, not on the number of synchronizations. Data compression is achieved by the use of two techniques called merging and subtraction. Upper bounds on storage are shown to be V × N2 for merging and V × N for subtraction.
Signal quality indices and data fusion for determining acceptability of electrocardiograms collected in noisy ambulatory environments

An algorithm to detect poor quality ECGs collected in low-resource environments is described (and was entered in the PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology Challenge 2011 ‘Improving the quality of ECGs collected using mobile phones’). The algorithm is based on previously published signal quality metrics, with some novel additions, designed for intensive care monitoring. The algorithms have been adapted for use on short (10s) 12-lead ECGs. The metrics quantify spectral energy distribution, higher order moments and inter-channel and inter-algorithm agreement. Six metrics are produced for each channel (72 features in all) and presented to machine learning algorithms for training on the provided labeled data (Set-a) for the challenge. (Binary labels were available, indicating whether the data were acceptable or unacceptable for clinical interpretation.) We re-annotated all the data in Set-a as well as those in Set-b (the test data) using two independent annotators, and a third for adjudication of differences. Events were balanced and the 1000 subjects in Set-a were used to train the classifiers. We compared four classifiers: Linear Discriminant Analysis, Na¨ıve Bayes, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) and a Multi-Layer Perceptron artificial neural network classifiers. The SVM and MLP provided the best (and almost equivalent) classification accuracies of 99% on the training data (Set-a) and 95% on the test data (Set-b). The binary classification results (acceptable or unacceptable) were then submitted as an entry into the PhysioNet Computing in Cardiology Competition 2011. Before the competition deadline, we scored 92.6% on the unseen test data (0.6% less than the winning entry). After improving labelling inconsistencies and errors we achieved 94.0%, the highest overall score of all competition entrants
A Simple and Provable Algorithm for Sparse Diagonal CCA

Given two sets of variables, derived from a common set of samples, sparse Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) seeks linear combinations of a small number of variables in each set, such that the induced canonical variables are maximally correlated. Sparse CCA is NP-hard. We propose a novel combinatorial algorithm for sparse diagonal CCA, i.e., sparse CCA under the additional assumption that variables within each set are standardized and uncorrelated. Our algorithm operates on a low rank approximation of the input data and its computational complexity scales linearly with the number of input variables. It is simple to implement, and parallelizable. In contrast to most existing approaches, our algorithm administers precise control on the sparsity of the extracted canonical vectors, and comes with theoretical data-dependent global approximation guarantees, that hinge on the spectrum of the input data. Finally, it can be straightforwardly adapted to other constrained variants of CCA enforcing structure beyond sparsity. We empirically evaluate the proposed scheme and apply it on a real neuroimaging dataset to investigate associations between brain activity and behavior measurements.
A simple vaccination control strategy for the SEIR epidemic model

This paper presents a simple continuous-time linear vaccination-based control strategy for a SEIR (susceptible plus infected plus infectious plus removed-by-immunity populations) propagation disease model. The model takes into account the total population amounts as a refrain for the illness transmission since its increase makes more difficult contacts among susceptible and infectious. The control objective is the asymptotically tracking of the removed-by-immunity population to the total population while achieving simultaneously the remaining population (i.e. susceptible plus infected plus infectious) to asymptotically tend to zero.
On the theory of space-time codes for PSK modulation

The design of space-time codes to achieve full spatial diversity over fading channels has largely been addressed by handcrafting example codes using computer search methods and only for small numbers of antennas. The lack of more general designs is in part due to the fact that the diversity advantage of a code is the minimum rank among the complex baseband differences between modulated codewords, which is difficult to relate to traditional code designs over finite fields and rings. We present general binary design criteria for PSK-modulated space-time codes. For linear BPSK/QPSK codes, the rank of (binary projections of) the unmodulated codewords, as binary matrices over the binary field, is a sufficient design criterion: full binary rank guarantees full spatial diversity. This criterion accounts for much of what is currently known about PSK-modulated space-time codes. We develop new fundamental code constructions for both quasi-static and time-varying channels. These are perhaps the first general constructions-other than delay diversity schemes-that guarantee full spatial diversity for an arbitrary number of transmit antennas.
An Efficient Probabilistic Dynamic Multicast Routing in ATM Networks

In this paper, we propose a dynamic multicast routing algorithm based on probability for multimedia communications in an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network environment. For multimedia communications, we not only aim to arrange a transmission path with the minimal cost from a source node to each destination node, but also consider the dynamic multicast situation with node joining/leaving. To meet the above requirements, we develop a new method based on the relative probability of each node being truncated from the multicast connection tree, such that we can arrange a better path for a new joining node in such a way as to reduce the impact of leaving requests caused by other nodes in the multicast connection tree. The main contribution of this paper is a new and efficient dynamic multicast routing algorithm for multimedia communications which keeps the whole multicast connection tree near optimal in terms of cost inefficiency and guarantees that the transmission delay will be less than the preset bounded end-to-end delay. Simulation results show that under various sizes of networks and requests, the cost inefficiency of the multicast connection tree constructed by our approach is less than those of the trees constructed by the greedy algorithm and the weighted greedy algorithm, respectively.
Evaluation of the MS-2 urine screening system

A total of 1,736 urine specimens were evaluated in a two-phase study, and the results were compared with those obtained by the standard semiquantitative culture plate method. In phase 1, 1,083 urine specimens were examined by utilizing modified broth containing 0.03% agar, whereas 653 specimens in phase 2 were examined after preincubation of the same broth overnight at 35 degrees C. In both phases of the study, more than one-half of the total urine samples (54%) were negative (less than or equal to 10(3) CFU/ml), and approximately 16% had colony counts of less than or equal to 10(5) per ml. The sensitivity and specificity in phase 1 were 99.5 and 70.5%, respectively, compared with 92.6 and 83.8% in phase 2. Preincubating the urine ampvettes at 35 degrees C reduced the false-positive rate from 21.9 to 10.5%. The performance requisites of acceptable sensitivity and specificity appeared to be met by the MS-2 (Abbott Laboratories, Diagnostics Div., Dallas, Tex.) screening method.
Ferromagnetism in a heavy atom heterocyclic radical conductor.

Ferromagnetic ordering, with a Tc of 12.3 K and a coercive field Hc of 590 Oe (at 2 K), in a π-stacked bisthiaselenazolyl radical conductor with σ(300 K) = 1 × 10-4 S cm-1, demonstrates that both conductive and ferromagnetic properties can be incorporated into a single component molecular material.
MHD model of plasma column of high current vacuum arc

The paper presents a two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic model of a high-current vacuum arc. The main areas of interest are the arc column and anode areas. Homogeneous current density and ion flows from the cathode region are assumed. The fluid and current flows between the plane electrode is analysed numerically. It shown that the present model has a threshold current, which, in the author's opinion, is related to the critical current of the transition of the vacuum arc to the anode spot mode.
On the constrained capacity of multi-antenna fading coherent channels with discrete inputs

This paper investigates the constrained capacity of the canonical i.i. d. multi-antenna Rayleigh fading coherent channel with arbitrary equiprobable discrete inputs in a regime of high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), in the scenario where the receiver knows the channel state but the transmitter knows only the channel distribution. By capitalizing on the relation between mutual information and minimum mean-squared error (MMSE), we provide high-SNR asymptotic expansions to the average mutual information and the average MMSE. The expansions unveil the impact of the number of transmit and receive antennas and the geometry of the multi-dimensional input constellations on the constrained capacity of the communications channel.
Absence of an Association Between Mycobacterium tuberculosis Genotype and Clinical Features in Children With Tuberculous Meningitis

Objectives: Animal studies point to increased virulence of certain mycobacterial strains, notably those of the Beijing genotype. There are limited data on mycobacterial genotypic diversity in children with tuberculous meningitis (TBM). We investigated mycobacterial genotypic diversity in children with TBM and analyzed the relationship among genotype, clinical presentation and outcome. Patients and Methods: Data were extracted from an ongoing prospective study on children with confirmed TBM from 1992 through 2003 at a referral hospital in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Mycobacterial isolates were genotyped by standardized restriction fragment length polymorphism methodology. Clinical data at diagnosis, inflammatory progression during the first month of antituberculosis therapy and neurologic outcomes after 6 months of therapy were analyzed according to the principal genetic group of the strain and the presence of the Beijing strain, respectively. Results: Fifty-nine children were included (median age at diagnosis, 23 months); 37 presented with stage II and 22 with stage III presented with TBM. At completion of antituberculosis therapy, 6 children were neurologically normal, 22 were moderately neurologically impaired, 23 were severely neurologically impaired and 6 children died; detailed outcomes were not available in 2 children. All 3 principal genetic groups were represented (group 1, 27.1%; group 2, 59.3%; group 3, 13.6%); the most prevalent strains were of the Beijing genotype (family 29; 25.4%), followed by family 28 (10.2%) and family 11 (8.5%). Predictors of poor neurologic outcome included advanced disease at diagnosis and male gender. There was no association between the principal genetic group of the strain or the presence of the Beijing genotype, and clinical presentation or outcome. Conclusions: We found no association between Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypes and clinical presentation or outcome.
Adipose Triglyceride Lipase Contributes to Cancer-Associated Cachexia

Ablation of a gene controlling fat breakdown can protect mice from cancer-associated uncontrolled loss of fat and muscle. 10.1126/science.1198973 Cachexia is a multifactorial wasting syndrome most common in patients with cancer that is characterized by the uncontrolled loss of adipose and muscle mass. We show that the inhibition of lipolysis through genetic ablation of adipose triglyceride lipase (Atgl) or hormone-sensitive lipase (Hsl) ameliorates certain features of cancer-associated cachexia (CAC). In wild-type C57BL/6 mice, the injection of Lewis lung carcinoma or B16 melanoma cells causes tumor growth, loss of white adipose tissue (WAT), and a marked reduction of gastrocnemius muscle. In contrast, Atgl-deficient mice with tumors resisted increased WAT lipolysis, myocyte apoptosis, and proteasomal muscle degradation and maintained normal adipose and gastrocnemius muscle mass. Hsl-deficient mice with tumors were also protected although to a lesser degree. Thus, functional lipolysis is essential in the pathogenesis of CAC. Pharmacological inhibition of metabolic lipases may help prevent cachexia.
Traffic Data Collection for Floating Car Data Enhancement in V2I Networks

This paper presents a complete vision-based vehicle detection system for floating car data (FCD) enhancement in the context of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). Three cameras (side-, forward- and rear- looking cameras) are installed onboard a vehicle in a fleet of public buses. Thus, a more representative local description of the traffic conditions (extended FCD) can be obtained. Specifically, the vision modules detect the number of vehicles contained in the local area of the host vehicle (traffic load) and their relative velocities. Absolute velocities (average road speed) and global positioning are obtained after combining the outputs provided by the vision modules with the data supplied by the CAN Bus and the GPS sensor. This information is transmitted by means of a GPRS/UMTS data connection to a central unit which merges the extended FCD in order to maintain an updated map of the traffic conditions (traffic load and average road speed). The presented experiments are promising in terms of detection performance and computational costs. However, significant effort is further necessary before deploying a system for large-scale real applications.
Molecular Phylogenetic Relationships of Different Color Forms within Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) Based on Sequences of 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA Gene

The high level phylogenetic relationships within Harmonia. axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) was investigated based on nucleotide data from two molecular markers (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA), along with those of four species obtained from GenBank, including Adalia bipunctata, Calvia quatuordecimguttata, Coccinella septempunctata, Propylea quattuordecimpunctata as outgroup taxa to construct NJ (Neighbor Joining), MP (Maximum Parsimony) and Bayesian trees using Mega 4.0, PAUP (Version 4.0 b10) and Mrbayes (version 3.1.2) software packages. Nucleotides composition, pairwise distances, ratio of transition / transversion, considerable variable sites of those segments were analyzed. The results from phylogenetic trees indicated that H . axyridis var. spectabilis Fald. and H. axyridis ab. lunata Hem. had very close relationships. H. axyrisdis ab. ½123456789-undevigintisignata Fald. and H. axyridis ab. succinea Hope. were closely related. H. axyridis var. axyridis Pallas. was an original group, and it had derived to be a independent forma earlier than the other 11 formas within H. axyridis according to the molecular phylogeny analyzing results. Previous hypotheses on the evolution of different color forms of H. axyridis Pallas based on morphological data was supported by our molecular systematic analyzing results.
Tough Composites Inspired by Mineralized Natural Materials: Computation, 3D printing, and Testing

Composites play an important role as structural materials in a range of engineering fields due to their potential to combine the best mechanical properties of their constituents. In biology, composites are ubiquitous and exhibit fascinating and precise architectures at fine length scales; bone, hexactinellid sponges and nacreous abalone shells are prime examples. Here, typical biological composite topologies are emulated with multi‐material 3D printing at micrometer resolution. From base materials that are brittle and exhibit catastrophic failure, synthetic composites are created with superior fracture mechanical properties exhibiting deformation and fracture mechanisms reminiscent of mineralized biological composites. This complementary computational model predictions of fracture mechanisms and trends in mechanical properties are in good agreement with the experimental findings. The reported findings confirm that specific topological arrangements of soft and stiff phases as a design mechanism enhances the mechanical behavior in composites. This study demonstrates 3D printing as a means to create fracture resistant composites. Moreover, these results indicate that one can use computer models to design composite materials to exhibit tailored fracture properties and then use 3D printing to synthesize materials with such mechanical performance.
Content based Image Retrieval using Texture Contents

Textual information about images can be easily searched using existing technology, and it requires humans to manually describe each image in the database. This is impractical for very large databases or for images that are generated automatically. It is also possible to miss images that use different synonyms in their descriptions. CBIR is one of the most important and effective image retrieval methods used in different areas such as medical applications and being widely studied in both academia and industry.
Overpaint removal from easel paintings using an LQS Nd:YAG laser: The first validation study

Abstract In this work, laser ablation has been applied for removing overpaint found on the reverse of a signed easel painting by Giacomo Balla, one of the founding members of the Futurist movement. After unsuccessful attempts to remove the overpaint layers selectively using organic solvents, a long Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, 120 ns) ablation was successfully trialled, enabling the planning of complete uncovering of a hidden artwork by laser treatment. Laser cleaning was accompanied with a thorough characterisation of the original pigments, binders, and overpaint using Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, along with stratigraphic examination combined with optical and ESEM-EDX analysis. In parallel systematic experimentation on samples simulating the layers to be removed was carried out to interpret the laser removal processes being exploited and fine-tune the treatment.
Molecular imprinting: Synthetic materials as substitutes for biological antibodies and receptors

Molecular imprinting is a versatile technique providing functional materials able to recognize and in some cases respond to biological and chemical agents of interest. In contrast to biological antibodies, the best known receptors derived from biological combinatorial processes, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are obtained by template-directed synthesis. Thus, molecular imprinting can more properly be characterized as a "rational design" approach, allowing research and application problems to be solved. Using simple molecular building blocks, material chemists can now produce tailored synthetic materials of much improved stabilities able to replace or complement natural receptors.