Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Von Willebrand Factor Regulation in Patients with Acute and Chronic Cerebrovascular Disease: A Pilot, Case–Control Study

Background and Purpose In animal models, von Willebrand factor (VWF) is involved in thrombus formation and propagation of ischemic stroke. However, the pathophysiological relevance of this molecule in humans, and its potential use as a biomarker for the risk and severity of ischemic stroke remains unclear. This study had two aims: to identify predictors of altered VWF levels and to examine whether VWF levels differ between acute cerebrovascular events and chronic cerebrovascular disease (CCD). Methods A case–control study was undertaken between 2010 and 2013 at our University clinic. In total, 116 patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or transitory ischemic attack (TIA), 117 patients with CCD, and 104 healthy volunteers (HV) were included. Blood was taken at days 0, 1, and 3 in patients with AIS or TIA, and once in CCD patients and HV. VWF serum levels were measured and correlated with demographic and clinical parameters by multivariate linear regression and ANOVA. Results Patients with CCD (158±46%) had significantly higher VWF levels than HV (113±36%, P<0.001), but lower levels than AIS/TIA patients (200±95%, P<0.001). Age, sex, and stroke severity influenced VWF levels (P<0.05). Conclusions VWF levels differed across disease subtypes and patient characteristics. Our study confirms increased VWF levels as a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease and, moreover, suggests that it may represent a potential biomarker for stroke severity, warranting further investigation.
Some Aspects of the Conservation Problem in Archives

As we begin the last quarter of the twentieth century the world is confronted with the possibility of losing or damaging, perhaps irreparably, some of the most important elements of its physical environment. The threat to the global environment posed by the increasing pollution of the water we drink and the air we breathe, a threat made worse by the frightening possibility (not yet proved) that we are slowly destroying the shallow envelope of atmosphere which keeps our planet habitable for mankind, is a major concern. We can note some progress in the battle to save the environment, but the threat remains a real one. Nor is the physical environment the only endangered element in present day life. Less disastrous certainly than the potential damage to the earth's atmosphere, but nonetheless a vital factor in the quality of life as we have known it, is the threatened loss of man's cultural heritage resulting from the increasing damage sustained by the written records of our civilization in the collections of the nation's archives, libraries, historical societies, and similar repositories. In a report entitled "America's Museums: The Belmont Report," published by the American Association of Museums in 1969, one contributor states: "I question whether even a small percentage of the museums in this country are doing anything more than presiding over the steady deterioration of that which they have been instituted to preserve. " That same statement can be applied even more appropriately to this country's archives and libraries, where the problems are not only significantly greater in magnitude but are, in some ways, more complex and more difficult of solution than those of the nation's museums and art galleries.
Wide-Range Filter-Based Sinusoidal Wave Synthesizer for Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Measurements

A filter-based wide-range programmable sinusoidal wave synthesizer for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement is proposed. The adopted filter is implemented with switched-capacitor circuits, so its corner frequency is accurate and adjustable by changing its switching frequency. The proposed sine wave synthesizer is implemented by using a 0.35 μm 2P4M 3.3 V mixed-signal polycide process. According to the measured results, the output frequency of the proposed synthesizer is 40 mHz-40 kHz . The measured total harmonic distortion is 0.073% at 10 Hz and 0.075% at 10 kHz, both of which are better than that of a typical function generator.
Modelling local and long‐distance dispersal of invasive emerald ash borer Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera) in North America

Limiting the damage by non‐indigenous species requires rapid determination of current and potential distributions and vectors of dispersal, and development of appropriate management measures. The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), a wood‐boring beetle native to South‐East Asia, was first reported in the Great Lakes region during summer 2002. The beetle poses an enormous threat to native ash (Fraxinus) species of North America, as untreated trees in infested areas of Ontario, Michigan and Ohio suffer high mortality. We demonstrate that the borer has spread in North America through a combination of diffusive range extension, associated with local flights, and by long‐distance ‘jump’ dispersal associated with human movement of infested sapling or contaminated firewood. Probability of infestation was inversely related to distance from borer epicentres but positively related to the size of human population centres. At least 9 of 39 populations that were first reported in Michigan during 2004 cannot be accounted for by local diffusion, raising the possibility that other unidentified mechanisms may be contributing to the dispersal of the beetle. In the absence of quarantine, by 2005 all of Michigan's lower peninsula was contained within the boundaries of potential diffusive range expansion. Infested ash saplings also were introduced from Michigan to Maryland during 2003, and subsequently transplanted to five sites in Maryland and Virginia. Quarantine and eradication measures have had mixed results: in the south‐central USA, the species appears on the brink of eradication, whereas its distribution has continued to spread during 2005 in the Great Lakes region despite extensive containment and quarantine measures. Quarantine success in the Great Lakes region is encumbered by multiple dispersal vectors, larger borer population sizes and by the more extensive geographical distribution that was achieved prior to implementation of control measures.
Maximizing circle of trust in online social networks

As an imperative channel for fast information propagation, Online Social Networks(OSNs) also have their defects. One of them is the information leakage, i.e., information could be spread via OSNs to the users whom we are not willing to share with. Thus the problem of constructing a circle of trust to share information with as many friends as possible without further spreading it to unwanted targets has become a challenging research topic but still remained open. Our work is the first attempt to study the Maximum Circle of Trust problem seeking to share the information with the maximum expected number of poster's friends such that the information spread to the unwanted targets is brought to its knees. First, we consider a special and more practical case with the two-hop information propagation and a single unwanted target. In this case, we show that this problem is NP-hard, which denies the existence of an exact polynomial-time algorithm. We thus propose a Fully Polynomial-Time Approximation Scheme (FPTAS), which can not only adjust any allowable performance error bound but also run in polynomial time with both the input size and allowed error. FPTAS is the best approximation solution one can ever wish for an NP-hard problem. We next consider the number of unwanted targets is bounded and prove that there does not exist an FPTAS in this case. Instead, we design a Polynomial-Time Approximation Scheme (PTAS) in which the allowable error can also be controlled. Finally, we consider a general case with many hops information propagation and further show its #P-hardness and propose an effective Iterative Circle of Trust Detection (ICTD) algorithm based on a novel greedy function. An extensive experiment on various real-word OSNs has validated the effectiveness of our proposed approximation and ICTD algorithms.
Understanding Molecular Recognition by G protein βγ Subunits on the Path to Pharmacological Targeting

Heterotrimeric G proteins, composed of Gα and Gβγ subunits, transduce extracellular signals via G-protein-coupled receptors to modulate many important intracellular responses. The Gβγ subunits hold a central position in this signaling system and have been implicated in multiple aspects of physiology and the pathophysiology of disease. The Gβ subunit belongs to a large family of WD40 repeat proteins with a circular β-bladed propeller structure. This structure allows Gβγ to interact with a broad range of proteins to play diverse roles. How Gβγ interacts with and regulates such a wide variety of partners yet maintains specificity is an interesting problem in protein-protein molecular recognition in signal transduction, where signal transfer by proteins is often driven by modular conserved recognition motifs. Evidence has accumulated that one mechanism for Gβγ multitarget recognition is through an intrinsically flexible protein surface or “hot spot” that accommodates multiple modes of binding. Because each target has a unique recognition mode for Gβγ subunits, it suggests that these interactions could be selectively manipulated with small molecules, which could have significant therapeutic potential.
In vitro targeted imaging and delivery of camptothecin using cetuximab-conjugated multifunctional PLGA-ZnS nanoparticles.

BACKGROUND Targeted cancer therapy has been extensively developed to improve the quality of treatment by reducing the systemic exposure of cytotoxic drug. Polymeric nanoparticles with conjugated targeting agents are widely investigated because they offer tunability in particle size, drug release profile and biocompatibility. MATERIALS & METHODS Here, we have prepared targeted multifunctional nanoparticles composed of a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) matrix, ZnS:Mn(2+) quantum dots and camptothecin, and targeted them to EGF receptor overexpressing cells with a cetuximab antibody. RESULTS Physicochemical characterization of multifunctional nanoparticles showed stable particles with sizes of <200 nm. In vitro drug release and blood contact studies showed a sustained release profile, with limited hemolysis. In vitro cytotoxicity and cell uptake studies were carried out in A549, KB and MFC-7 cell lines using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, FACS, fluorescent microscopic images and spectroflourimetry. CONCLUSION Our studies revealed higher camptothecin activity and uptake in cell lines that overexpress the EGF receptor. All these results suggest that anti-EGF receptor cetuximab-conjugated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) multifunctional nanoparticles can be used as a potential nanomedicine against cancer.
Generalized Cross-Layer Designs for Generic Half-Duplex Multicarrier Wireless Networks With Frequency-Reuse

In this paper, joint designs of data routes and resource allocations are developed for generic half-duplex multicarrier wireless networks in which each subcarrier can be reused by multiple links. Two instances are considered. The first instance pertains to the general case in which each subcarrier can be time-shared by multiple links, whereas the second instance pertains to a special case in which time-sharing is not allowed and a subcarrier, once assigned to a set of links, is used by those links throughout the signalling interval. Novel frameworks are developed to optimize the joint design of data routes, subcarrier schedules, and power allocations. These design problems are nonconvex and hence difficult to solve. To circumvent this difficulty, efficient techniques based on geometric programming are developed to obtain locally optimal solutions. Numerical results show that the designs developed in both instances yield performance that is superior to that of their counterparts in which frequency-reuse is not allowed.
HIGHLIGHTED TOPIC Fatigue Mechanisms Determining Exercise Performance Exercise-induced respiratory muscle fatigue : implications for performance

Romer LM, Polkey MI. Exercise-induced respiratory muscle fatigue: implications for performance. J Appl Physiol 104: 879–888, 2008. First published December 20, 2007; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01157. 2007. —It is commonly held that the respiratory system has ample capacity relative to the demand for maximal O2 and CO2 transport in healthy humans exercising near sea level. However, this situation may not apply during heavy-intensity, sustained exercise where exercise may encroach on the capacity of the respiratory system. Nerve stimulation techniques have provided objective evidence that the diaphragm and abdominal muscles are susceptible to fatigue with heavy, sustained exercise. The fatigue appears to be due to elevated levels of respiratory muscle work combined with an increased competition for blood flow with limb locomotor muscles. When respiratory muscles are prefatigued using voluntary respiratory maneuvers, time to exhaustion during subsequent exercise is decreased. Partially unloading the respiratory muscles during heavy exercise using low-density gas mixtures or mechanical ventilation can prevent exercise-induced diaphragm fatigue and increase exercise time to exhaustion. Collectively, these findings suggest that respiratory muscle fatigue may be involved in limiting exercise tolerance or that other factors, including alterations in the sensation of dyspnea or mechanical load, may be important. The major consequence of respiratory muscle fatigue is an increased sympathetic vasoconstrictor outflow to working skeletal muscle through a respiratory muscle metaboreflex, thereby reducing limb blood flow and increasing the severity of exerciseinduced locomotor muscle fatigue. An increase in limb locomotor muscle fatigue may play a pivotal role in determining exercise tolerance through a direct effect on muscle force output and a feedback effect on effort perception, causing reduced motor output to the working limb muscles.
Governing Global Land Deals: The Role of the State in the Rush for Land

List of Contributors vii 1 Governing Global Land Deals: The Role of the State in the Rush for Land 1 Wendy Wolford, Saturnino M. Borras Jr., Ruth Hall, Ian Scoones and Ben White 2 State Involvement, Land Grabbing and Counter-Insurgency in Colombia 23 Jacobo Grajales 3 Road Mapping: Megaprojects and Land Grabs in the Northern Guatemalan Lowlands 45 Liza Grandia 4 Land Regularization in Brazil and the Global Land Grab 71 Gustavo de L.T. Oliveira 5 Negotiating Environmental Sovereignty in Costa Rica 93 Dana J. Graef 6 Building the Politics Machine: Tools for Resolving the Global Land Grab 117 Michael B. Dwyer 7 Indirect Dispossession: Domestic Power Imbalances and Foreign Access to Land in Mozambique 141 Madeleine Fairbairn 8 Competition over Authority and Access: International Land Deals in Madagascar 163 Perrine Burnod, Mathilde Gingembre and Rivo Andrianirina Ratsialonana 9 Regimes of Dispossession: From Steel Towns to Special Economic Zones 185 Michael Levien 10 The Political Construction of Wasteland: Governmentality, Land Acquisition and Social Inequality in South India 211 Jennifer Baka 11 Chinese Land-Based Interventions in Senegal 231 Lila Buckley 12 Identity, Territory and Land Conflict in Brazil 253 LaShandra Sullivan Index 275
Comprehensive Special Education Programming for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States

As the identification of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to increase unabated, there exists a need to provide school personnel with information they can use for the purpose of designing and implementing appropriate comprehensive programs for these students. Accordingly, this article identifies and discusses comprehensive special education programming issues that school personnel in the United States must address on behalf of students with ASD—namely, student identification and program planning procedures as put forth in federal legislation and titled the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 2004, teacher training, core elements of effective school programs for students with ASD, and the evidence-based practice movement. That public schools in the United States allow universal access to its children, the country's comprehensive service delivery approach is worthy of consideration by others throughout the world who have a stake in developing school-based services for students with ASD.
CORRELATION BETWEEN FOVEAL INTERDIGITATION ZONE BAND DEFECT AND VISUAL ACUITY AFTER SURGERY FOR MACULAR PSEUDOHOLE

Purpose: To determine the correlation between the integrity of the foveal microstructures and the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after pars plana vitrectomy for a macular pseudohole. Methods: Thirty-one eyes of 31 patients with a macular pseudohole underwent vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane removal. The foveal area was examined by spectral domain optical coherence tomography preoperatively and postoperatively. The correlations between the BCVA and the lengths of the photoreceptor interdigitation zone (IZ), the ellipsoid zone, and the external limiting membrane band defects, and central foveal thickness were determined. Results: The BCVA improved significantly and the length of the IZ band defect decreased significantly after the surgery. Simple linear regression analyses showed that the BCVA was significantly correlated with the length of the IZ band defect preoperatively and also at 1 to 12 months postoperatively (P < 0.001 for all). The BCVA was not significantly correlated with the length of the ellipsoid zone, external limiting membrane band defect, and the central foveal thickness. Conclusion: The significant correlation between the length of the foveal IZ band defect and the BCVA preoperatively and postoperatively indicates that the foveal IZ band is related to the visual recovery in patients with macular pseudohole.
Design of Nonlinear State Feedback Control Law for Underactuated Two-Link Planar Robot: A Block Backstepping Approach

This paper presents the formulation of a novel block-backstepping based control algorithm to address the control problem of the well-known nonlinear benchmark two-link planar robot (acrobot) system. For the convenience and compact design, first the state model of the two-link robot has been transformed into a block-strict feedback form. Then the control Lyapunov function has been designed for each cascaded dynamic block to derive the expression of the control input for the overall two-link system. The overall asymptotic stability of the robot system has been analyzed using Lyapunov stability criteria. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm has been verified in the simulation environment.
Using Terminology and a Concept Hierarchy for Restricted-Domain Question-Answering

This paper discusses an important characteristic of restricteddomain question-answering (RDQA): the issue of low precision in finding good answers. We propose methods for improving precision using domain-specific terminology and concept hierarchy to rearrange the candidate list and to better characterize the question-document relevance relationship. Once this relationship has been well established, one can expect to obtain a small set of (almost) all relevant documents for a given question, and use this to guide the information retrieval engine in a two-level search strategy. The methods proposed here have been applied to a real QA system for a large telecommunication company, yielding significant improvements in precision.
Automatic stuttering recognition using hidden Markov models

This paper describes the combination of the work of speech therapists and speech recognition systems. Our long term goal is to evaluate the degree of stuttering during therapy and to use the automatic analysis of stuttered speech as a screening method, e.g. the search for potential stutterers at an early age. The approach is to have a patient read a standard text aloud and then automatically count the un-(cid:13)uent parts and classify them. The text to be read by the patients is automatically transformed into a formal grammar that considers potential dys(cid:13)uencies caused by stuttering. Recordings from stutterers were compared to recordings of nonstutterers. Word and phoneme accuracies of the stut-tered text in relation to the number of detected dys(cid:13)uencies showedcorrelation coe(cid:14)cients ofupto0.99. Recordings from stutterers contained much more pauses in a wider time range than from nonstutterers, especially in the interval up to 200 milliseconds (factor 10), and between 200 and 500 millisec-onds (factor 2). The sum of the durations of all detected pauses and the number of repetitions were set into relation. The resultsseemreasonable for a distinctionbetween stutter-ers with
A postgenomic method for predicting essential genes at subsaturation levels of mutagenesis: Application to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

We describe a postgenomic in silico approach for identifying genes that are likely to be essential and estimate their proportion in haploid genomes. With the knowledge of all sites eligible for mutagenesis and an experimentally determined partial list of nonessential genes from genome mutagenesis, a Bayesian statistical method provides reasonable predictions of essential genes with a subsaturation level of random mutagenesis. For mutagenesis, a transposon such as Himar1 is suitable as it inserts randomly into TA sites. All of the possible insertion sites may be determined a priori from the genome sequence and with this information, data on experimentally hit TA sites may be used to predict the proportion of genes that cannot be mutated. As a model, we used the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome. Using the Himar1 transposon, we created a genetically defined collection of 1,425 insertion mutants. Based on our Bayesian statistical analysis using Markov chain Monte Carlo and the observed frequencies of transposon insertions in all of the genes, we estimated that the M. tuberculosis genome contains 35% (95% confidence interval, 28%–41%) essential genes. This analysis further revealed seven functional groups with high probabilities of being enriched in essential genes. The PE-PGRS (Pro-Glu polymorphic GC-rich repetitive sequence) family of genes, which are unique to mycobacteria, the polyketide/nonribosomal peptide synthase family, and mycolic and fatty acid biosynthesis gene families were disproportionately enriched in essential genes. At subsaturation levels of mutagenesis with a random transposon such as Himar1, this approach permits a statistical prediction of both the proportion and identities of essential genes of sequenced genomes.
The Front-Loading Problem in Presidential Nominations

The Front-Loading Problem in Presidential Nominations. By William G. Mayer and Andrew E. Busch. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 2004. 226p. $49.95 cloth, $22.95 paper. The authors are right, but … Front-loading has skewed the nomination process. It has given states holding early caucuses and primaries an advantage. They have more influence on the final outcome, more attention from the candidates and the news media, more economic benefit from the spending of the campaigns and the organizations that cover them, and more citizen involvement and higher voting turnout.