Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of cell source on human cornea reconstructed by tissue engineering.

PURPOSE To investigate the effect of the tissue origin of stromal fibroblasts and epithelial cells on reconstructed corneas in vitro. METHODS Four types of constructs were produced by the self-assembly approach using the following combinations of human cells: corneal fibroblasts/corneal epithelial cells, corneal fibroblasts/skin epithelial cells, skin fibroblasts/corneal epithelial cells, skin fibroblasts/skin epithelial cells. Fibroblasts were cultured with ascorbic acid to produce stromal sheets on which epithelial cells were cultured. After 2 weeks at the air-liquid interface, the reconstructed tissues were photographed, absorption spectra were measured, and tissues were fixed for histologic analysis. Cytokine expression in corneal- or skin-fibroblast-conditioned media was determined with the use of protein array membranes. The effect of culturing reconstructed tissues with conditioned media, or media supplemented with a cytokine secreted mainly by corneal fibroblasts, was determined. RESULTS The tissue source from which epithelial and mesenchymal cells were isolated had a great impact on the macroscopic and histologic features (epithelium thickness and differentiation) and the functional properties (transparency) of the reconstructed tissues. The reconstructed cornea had ultraviolet-absorption characteristics resembling those of native human cornea. The regulation of epithelial differentiation and thickness was mesenchyme-dependent and mediated by diffusible factors. IL-6, which is secreted in greater amounts by corneal fibroblasts than skin fibroblasts, decreased the expression of the differentiation marker DLK in the reconstructed epidermis. CONCLUSIONS The tissue origin of fibroblasts and epithelial cells plays a significant role in the properties of the reconstructed tissues. These human models are promising tools for gaining a thorough understanding of epithelial-stromal interactions and regulation of epithelia homeostasis.
"I'm too old for this!": influence of age on perception of gamified public participation

By incorporating game elements into e-participation tools, municipalities and scholars alike are aiming to reach participants beyond the "usual suspects". However, it is little known how different social groups react to the concept of gamified participation. While younger individuals are said to approve of games, older generations are thought to oppose game-like systems. This paper reports on the evaluation of a gamified mobile participation platform, focusing on participants' attitudes towards game-like aspects as well as their interest in urban planning. Our results show that while younger as well as older individuals remain ambivalent towards gamified participation, youth is more inclined to be in favor of the approach. Contrary to common assumptions, younger individuals are not less interested in urban planning and participation
Towards Social Leverage of Sport Events

Despite the predominant policy focus on event economic impact, event organisers and host community residents are calling for attention to be paid to the social value of events. Anthropological work on events demonstrates that their celebratory nature engenders a liminoid space that can foster social value, particularly through a sense of communitas. In order to enable and amplify liminality and communitas, event organisers and host community planners should foster social interaction and prompt a feeling of celebration by enabling sociability among event visitors, creating event-related social events, facilitating informal social opportunities, producing ancillary events, and theming widely. The resulting narratives, symbols, meanings, and affect can then be leveraged to address social issues, build networks, and empower community action. These may be furthered when the arts are used to complement sport, and when commercial elements support social leverage. Future research should explore and examine the strategic and tactical bases for social leverage.
Scheduling Delay-Constrained Data in Wireless Data Networks

In modern cellular networks, the channel quality is dynamic among users and also over time. The time-granularity for such dynamics is significantly diverse - either slow or fast compared to packet transmission time. Because of these issues most existing scheduling policies can not work consistently well. In this work, we propose a scheduling policy with performance relatively insensitive to the time-granularity of the dynamics of channel quality. Our policy is self-adaptive to the scale of channel variations by using an ensemble of proposed algorithms. The proposed scheduling policy is proved to have a worst-case performance bound in the existence of both slow and fast time-varying channels. Simulation results confirm that the policy better tolerates channel variations than other popular schemes such as EDF and the Greedy algorithm.
More than the sum of my parts: a cognitive psychologist reflects on mindfulness/meditation experience

Reflective practices are an important aspect of qualitative research. They allow the researcher to assess their feelings, attitudes and potential biases to their subject matter, which often includes interviews with participants. However, reflective practices are not typically associated with the more quantitative aspects of social science. This paper, through personal illustration, aims to show how reflective practices can lead to open and inquisitive questioning for those who work with empirically derived data. As a cognitive psychologist, I reflect here on my experience of meditation, and my recognition of different modes of thinking, and conclude by aspiring to find a balance between the rational and the intuitive.
EONS: An online RSA simulator for elastic optical networks

The higth demand of bandwidth by the diversification of the technologies in Internet have promoted the development of a new paradigm for the optical networks that is known as Elastics Optical Network (EON) which changes the fixed grid of the spectrum in WDM networks by a flexible grid approach to use more efficiently the available spectrum. One of the principal challenges that exists to implement EON is to find a algorithm of routing and spectrum assignment (RSA) to serve the incoming demands. In this work is proposed EONS, a simulator where can be emulated the execution of Dinamics RSA algorithms and shows the blocking probabilities to comparison of the efficiency of these algorithms. For this work, basic RSA algorithms were implemented to verify the correct operation of EONS in different networks and traffic loads.
Role of Nerve Growth Factor in Cutaneous Wound Healing: Accelerating Effects in Normal and Healing-impaired Diabetic Mice

Four full-thickness skin wounds made in normal mice led to the significant increase in levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) in sera and in wounded skin tissues. Since sialoadenectomy before the wounds inhibited the rise in serum levels of NGF, the NGF may be released from the salivary gland into the blood stream after the wounds. In contrast, the fact that messenger RNA and protein of NGF were detected in newly formed epithelial cells at the edge of the wound and fibroblasts consistent with the granulation tissue produced in the wound space, suggests that NGF was also produced at the wounded skin site. Topical application of NGF into the wounds accelerated the rate of wound healing in normal mice and in healing-impaired diabetic KK/Ta mice. This clinical effect of NGF was evaluated by histological examination; the increases in the degree of reepithelialization, the thickness of the granulation tissue, and the density of extracellular matrix were observed. NGF also increased the breaking strength of healing linear wounds in normal and diabetic mice. These findings suggested that NGF immediately and constitutively released in response to cutaneous injury may contribute to wound healing through broader biological activities, and NGF improved the diabetic impaired response of wound healing.
Marked low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction below current national cholesterol education program targets provides the greatest reduction in carotid atherosclerosis

Background: Current National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines recognize low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) below 100 mg/dl as an optimal level. Evidence supporting this is scant. Both LDL‐C and C reactive protein (CRP) are known correlates of atherosclerosis progression.
Distributed Clique Percolation based community detection on social networks using MapReduce

In study of complex networks, valuable insights can be obtained by mining structural and functional sub-units of networks, usually called communities, modules, or clusters. One of the approaches to community detection is Clique Percolation Method (CPM) which is the most popular overlapping community detection method and in recent years has been used in analysis of different kinds of networks. However, application of CPM even on small size social networks is very challenging due to its extensive memory, processing, and IO requirements. Hence it is necessary to use distributed and parallel computing models to tackle CPM's computational challenges. In this paper a new distributed algorithm for computation of CPM will be introduced. The new algorithm is based on the MapReduce distributed computing model which extensively has been used to solve large scale data processing problems. Experimental results will be provided to show that the new MapReduce based algorithm for computation of CPM outperforms the best available algorithms with one order of magnitude when benchmarking them against real-world social network datasets.
CAWP: A Combinatorial Auction Web Platform

Online auctions, including online Combinatorial Auctions, are important examples of e-commerce applications. In this paper, a Combinatorial Auction Web Platform (CAWP) is introduced. The platform enables both product selling and buying capabilities that can be realized in a combinatorial way. CAWP supports a Sealed-Bid Single-Unit type of Combinatorial Auctions. Easy customization for any selected problem domain is a distinguished feature of CAWP. Platform users are not expected to have any technical knowledge about how to solve the Winner Determination Problem (WDP) known to be critical for profit maximization of the auctioneers in Combinatorial Auctions.
Exploring three White American teachers’ dispositional stances towards learning about racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity

This study, situated in the United States, is set in a context where large and growing numbers of children from non-dominant backgrounds populate American public schools while the vast majority of teachers teaching in US schools are White, monolingual women who may not have the requisite expertise to teach children from non-dominant backgrounds. This work focuses on the learning of three White teachers enrolled in a literacy course designed to foster teachers’ understandings of racial, linguistic, and cultural diversity. Results revealed that the three focus teachers, all members of a small online Book Club within the focus course, assumed different dispositional stances towards learning about diversity. Moreover, their overall dispositional stances shaped the ways they positioned themselves as learners in the course as well as what they learned in the course.
Can tutors be supported in giving effective explanations

Tutors often make use of explanations that do not promote learning. One reason for the ineffectiveness of explanations might lie in tutors' failure to take into account a tutee's understanding in order to individualize instruction. To test whether tutors provide more effective explanations when they are assisted in assessing a tutee's understanding, we conducted an experiment (N = 30 dyads of tutors and tutees) and varied whether tutors received information about a tutee's individual knowledge level. Results showed that only tutors provided with information about the tutee were able to customize instruction. As a consequence, the individualized explanations lowered the incidence of clarifying questions on the part of the tutees, deepened their understanding, and reduced the number of false beliefs about newly learned concepts. The findings suggest that a diagnosis-based approach to support tutors in developing a model of the tutee effectively contributes to the individualization of instruction in tutoring.
Tree of Words for Visual Loop Closure Detection in Urban SLAM

This paper introduces vision based loop closure detection in Simultaneous Localisation And Mapping (SLAM) using Tree of Words. The loop closure performance in a complex urban environment is examined and an additional feature is suggested for safer matching. A SLAM ground experiment in an urban area is performed using Tree of Words, a delayed state information ﬁlter and planar laser scans for relative pose estimation. Results show that a good map estimation using our vision based loop closure detection can be obtained in near real, yet constant, time. It is shown that an odometry supported recall rate of almost 70% can be obtained with a false detection rate of about 0.01%.
Robust feature selection method for music classification

Human latent of distinguish varied music natures and cluster those into classes of categories are so incredible which expert in music will achieve such categorisation using their logical judgement and hearing senses. Till now, the technical society have concerned in delve into computerize the human way of distinguish the music in view of each necessary factor of the music tune, songs from voice of the artists are all based on the instrument types. The outcomes of those works up to now have been significant however still it can be enhanced. The main intend of this paper is to categorize the western and carnatic songs process automation by extracting the selected features which gives more accuracy of categorization. Inspite of the several features of audio signals (Method-1) the proposed method identifies the important robust features (Method-2) (RMS, Low Energy, Rolloff, Brightness, Pitch, Inharmonicity, Flatness and Entropy) with respect to carnatic/western music categorization. The identified features for carnatic/western music classification were tested using several classifiers and their accuracy of classification was discussed.
Federating geovisual analytic tools for cyber security analysis

For the 2012 VAST Challenge, we federate a number of tools together and exploit the best capabilities of each to analyze geolocated cyber security data. We augment the geographic tools with our own custom-designed frequency analysis plots developed in the Processing programming language. This combination of tools provides access to the best features of each and implies design criteria for future cyber security toolkits.
Brief Announcement: A Key-Value Map for Massive Real-Time Analytics

Modern big data processing platforms employ huge in-memory key-value (KV-) maps. Their applications simultaneously drive high-rate data ingestion and large-scale analytics. These two scenarios expect KV-map implementations that scale well with both real-time updates and massive atomic scans triggered by range queries. However, today's state-of-the art concurrent KV-maps fall short of satisfying these requirements -- they either provide only limited or non-atomic scans, or severely hamper updates when scans are ongoing. We present KiWi, the first atomic KV-map to efficiently support simultaneous massive data retrieval and real-time access. The key to achieving this is treating scans as first class citizens, whereas most existing concurrent KV-maps do not provide atomic scans, and some others add them to existing maps without rethinking the design anew.
The influence of affirmative action on SMME culture in South Africa

This paper explores the impact of affirmative action on the culture of small business enterprises in South Africa. The functions of organizational culture are explored and utilized to reach a deeper understanding of the desired impact of affirmative action. Managers are identified as holding key roles as change agents. Recommendations include managing change from a culture perspective directed at creating participative management processes and shifting the enterprise’s essential values.
The impact of changing diagnostic criteria in posttraumatic stress disorder in a Canadian epidemiologic sample.

BACKGROUND Since its inclusion in DSM-III, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has undergone a number of changes in its diagnostic criteria, including the expansion of Criterion A (traumatic stressor), the addition of symptom duration (none specified in DSM-III), and the requirement for impairment or distress (Criterion F, DSM-IV only). METHOD This study examined the impact of changes in PTSD diagnostic criteria using a Canadian PTSD epidemiologic sample. The rates of PTSD and its correlates were evaluated in a nationally representative random sample of 3,006 adults. DSM-III, DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, and ICD-10 criteria were employed. DSM-III, DSM-III-R, and ICD-10 rates were re-evaluated, substituting specific DSM-IV criteria (A-F). RESULTS The prevalence rates of lifetime PTSD ranged from 13.4% (DSM-III) to 13.0% (ICD-10) to 12.2% (DSM-III-R) to 9.2% (DSM-IV); all rates differed significantly from each other (P < .001). Regardless of diagnostic criteria, most people reported more than 1-year duration of symptoms, although rates were significantly higher in those with DSM-IV PTSD (68.2%, P < .0001). Rates of comorbid major depressive disorder and alcohol and substance abuse and dependence were also significantly higher (P < .05) using the DSM-IV PTSD criteria, and those with DSM-IV PTSD reported significantly higher rates of help-seeking (P < .001). When Criterion F was added to earlier versions, lifetime PTSD rates became much closer to those obtained using DSM-IV criteria: 10.6% (DSM-III), 10.2% (DSM-III-R), and 9.9% (ICD-10); however, rates fluctuated when operational definitions of Criterion F were modified. DSM-III PTSD was also substantially affected by DSM-IV Criteria A and C. CONCLUSIONS DSM-IV PTSD may identify a more severe disorder. The addition of the clinical significance criterion (F) appeared to affect the greatest change in prevalence rates. Defining Criterion F as having both clinically significant psychological distress and functional impairment lowered the diagnostic threshold to a greater degree than did either distress or impairment alone. This information may be useful for future revisions of PTSD diagnostic criteria.
The Role of Recombination in Evolutionary Rescue

How likely is it that a population escapes extinction through adaptive evolution? The answer to this question is of great relevance in conservation biology, where we aim at species’ rescue and the maintenance of biodiversity, and in agriculture and medicine, where we seek to hamper the emergence of pesticide or drug resistance. By reshuffling the genome, recombination has two antagonistic effects on the probability of evolutionary rescue: it generates and it breaks up favorable gene combinations. Which of the two effects prevails depends on the fitness effects of mutations and on the impact of stochasticity on the allele frequencies. In this article, we analyze a mathematical model for rescue after a sudden environmental change when adaptation is contingent on mutations at two loci. The analysis reveals a complex nonlinear dependence of population survival on recombination. We moreover find that, counterintuitively, a fast eradication of the wild type can promote rescue in the presence of recombination. The model also shows that two-step rescue is not unlikely to happen and can even be more likely than single-step rescue (where adaptation relies on a single mutation), depending on the circumstances.
Rhythmic neuronal activity in the lateral cerebellum of the cat during visually guided stepping

1 The discharge patterns of 117 lateral cerebellar neurones were studied in cats during visually guided stepping on a horizontal circular ladder. Ninety per cent of both nuclear cells (53/59) and Purkinje cells (53/58) showed step‐related rhythmic modulations of their discharge frequency (one or more periods of ‘raised activity’ per step cycle of the ipsilateral forelimb). 2 For 31 % of nuclear cells (18/59) and 34 % of Purkinje cells (20/58) the difference between the highest and lowest discharge rates in different parts of the step cycle was > 50 impulses s−1. 3 Individual neurones differed widely in the phasing of their discharges relative to the step cycle. Nevertheless, for both Purkinje cells and nuclear cells population activity was significantly greater in swing than in stance; the difference was more marked for the nuclear population. 4 Some cells exhibited both step‐related rhythmicity and visual responsiveness (28 of 67 tested, 42 %), whilst others were rhythmically active during locomotion and increased their discharge rate ahead of saccadic eye movements (11 of 54 tested, 20 %). The rhythmicity of cells that were visually responsive was typical of the rhythmicity seen in the whole locomotor‐related population. The step‐related rhythmicity of cells that also discharged in relation to saccades was generally below average strength compared with the cortical and nuclear populations as a whole. 5 The possibility is discussed that the rhythmicity of dentate neurones acts as a powerful source of excitatory locomotor drive to motor cortex, and may thereby contribute to establishing the step‐related rhythmicity of motor cortical (including pyramidal tract) neurones. More generally, the activity patterns of lateral cerebellar neurones provide for a role in the production of visually guided, co‐ordinated eye and body movements.
Notice of RetractionEffects of dissolved organic matter on bioavailability of bisphenol A to Chlorella pyrenoidosa

The effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on Chlorella pyrenoidosa growth and photosynthesis activity was investigated in the absence and presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM). The growth and photosynthesis parameters of Chlorella pyrenoidosa were measured by the phytoplankton pulse-amplitude-modulated fluorimetry (Phyto-PAM). Rapid light curve measurements allowed for the assessment of the maximal electron transport rate (ETRmax) and initial slope alpha (a value). The addition of DOM, a kind of commercial humic acid (HA) resulted in a significant increase of Chlorophyll a (Chl-a) contents after 6 days of incubation, accounting for algal biomass of Chlorella pyrenoidosa being promoted. Chl-a contents, ETRmax and α values were declined remarkably in BPA treatments, indicating BPA has acute toxicity on the growth and photosynthesis efficiency of Chlorella pyrenoidosa. The joint effects of HA and BPA could enhance this acute toxicity. The reverse-phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that the freely dissolved concentrations of BPA in HA-BPA treatments were lower than those in BPA treatments, which indicated that HA can influence the bioavailability of BPA to Chlorella pyrenoidosa. These data suggest that the presence of DOM plays an important role in the bioavailability of BPA in aquatic environment.