Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Afterdepolarizations and Triggered Activity Develop in a Select Population of Cells (M Cells) in Canine Ventricular Myocardium: The Effects of Acetylstrophanthidin and Bay K 8644

Early afterdepolarizations (EADs) are membrane oscillations that interrupt or retard the repolarization phase of the cardiac action potential, whereas delayed afterdepolarizations (DADs) are oscillations that arise after full repolarization. When EADs and DADs are sufficiently large to depolarize the cell membrane to its voltage threshold, they give rise to triggered action potentials, which are believed to underlie some forms of extrasystolic activity and tachyarrhythmias. EAD‐ and DAD‐induced triggered activity have been described and well characterized in isolated Purkinje fibers exposed to a wide variety of drugs, but are rarely seen in syncytial preparations of ventricular myocardium. These results are inconsistent with those of in vivo studies or experiments involving enzymatically dissociated myocytes. In the present study, we used the cardiotonic agent acetylstrophanthidin (AcS) and the calcium channel agonist Bay K 8644 to provide evidence in support of the hypothesis that induction of prominent EADs, DADs, and triggered activity occurs in a select population of cells in ventricular myocardium. The data indicate that EADs, DADs, and triggered activity produced by digitalis and Bay K 8644 are limited to or more readily induced in the deep subepicardial cell layers of the canine ventricle (M cells). Afterdepolarization‐induced triggered activity was never observed in the epicardial or endocardial layers.
Shear wave anisotropy beneath Nicaragua and Costa Rica: Implications for flow in the mantle wedge

We present new shear wave splitting data from local events in Costa Rica and Nicaragua recorded by the temporary (July 2004 to March 2006) 48‐station TUCAN broadband seismic array. Observed fast polarization directions in the fore arc, arc, and back arc range from arc‐parallel to arc‐normal over very short distances (<5 km when plotted at raypath midpoints) making the direct interpretation of individual splitting measurements in terms of flow tenuous, even when considering variations in the relationship between lattice‐preferred orientation and deformation (e.g., B‐type dislocation creep in olivine). Therefore, we tomographically invert the splitting measurements to find a three‐dimensional model of crystallographic orientation in the wedge. We assume the elastic constants of olivine and orthopyroxene with hexagonal symmetry and use a damped, iterative least squares approach to account for the nonlinear behavior of splitting when considering three‐dimensional ray propagation and distributions of anisotropy. The best fitting model contains roughly horizontal, arc‐parallel olivine [100] axes in the mantle wedge down to at least 125 km beneath the back arc and arc, which we interpret to indicate along‐arc flow in the mantle wedge. Pb and Nd isotopic ratios in arc lavas provide additional evidence for arc‐parallel flow and also constrain the direction (northwest, from Costa Rica to Nicaragua) and minimum flow rate (63–190 mm/a). With only slightly oblique subduction at 85 mm/a of the relatively planar Cocos Plate, the most likely mechanism for driving along‐arc transport is toroidal flow around the edge of the slab in southern Costa Rica, generated by greater slab rollback in Nicaragua. Two important implications of this arc‐parallel flow are the progressive depletion of the mantle source for arc lavas from Costa Rica to Nicaragua and the possible need for significant decoupling between the wedge and downgoing plate.
Galaxy: a high-performance energy-efficient multi-chip architecture using photonic interconnects

The scalability trends of modern semiconductor technology lead to increasingly dense multicore chips. Unfortunately, physical limitations in area, power, off-chip bandwidth, and yield constrain single-chip designs to a relatively small number of cores, beyond which scaling becomes impractical. Multi-chip designs overcome these constraints, and can reach scales impossible to realize with conventional single-chip architectures. However, to deliver commensurate performance, multi-chip architectures require a cross-chip interconnect with bandwidth, latency, and energy consumption well beyond the reach of electrical signaling. We propose Galaxy, an architecture that enables the construction of a many-core "virtual chip" by connecting multiple smaller chiplets through optical fibers. The low optical loss of fibers allows the flexible placement of chiplets, and offers simpler packaging, power, and heat requirements. At the same time, the low latency and high bandwidth density of optical signaling maintain the tight coupling of cores, allowing the virtual chip to match the performance of a single chip that is not subject to area, power, and bandwidth limitations. Our results indicate that Galaxy attains speedup of 2.2x over the best single-chip alternatives with electrical or photonic interconnects (3.4x maximum), and 2.6x smaller energy-delay product (6.8x maximum). We show that Galaxy scales to 4K cores and attains 2.5x speedup at 6x lower laser power compared to a Macrochip with silicon waveguides.
Racial Disparities in Colorectal Carcinoma Incidence, Severity and Survival Times Over 10 Years: A Retrospective Single Center Study

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Although studies have been performed on malignancy behavior in African Americans and Caucasians, scant data are present on other minority racial groups. Methods A retrospective single center study was performed where 1,860 patient charts with a diagnosis of CRC from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2014 were reviewed. Data collected on each patient included age, gender, ethnicity, primary site and histological stage at the time of diagnosis. Survival time over the course of 5 years was documented for patients from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2009. Comparisons were made amongst different racial groups for the above mentioned factors. Results Study population consisted of 27.09% African Americans, 65.61% Caucasians, 3.86% Hispanics, 0.54% South Asians, 1.03% Arabs, 0.54% Asians and 0.22% American Indians. Mean age of CRC presentation was found to be significantly different (P < 0.05) between the three largest racial groups: 71 years for Caucasians, 69 years for African Americans, and 61 years for Hispanics. African Americans (27.09%) and Hispanics (28.79%) presented predominantly at stage IV in comparison to other racial groups. Caucasians presented predominantly at stage III (24.84%). The rectum was the most common site of CRC across all racial groups with the exception of Asians, where sigmoid colon was the predominant site (30%). Adenocarcinoma remained the predominant cancer type in all groups. Hispanics had relatively higher incidence rate of carcinoid tumor (12.68%). Survival time analysis showed that Caucasians tend to have better survival probability over 5 years after initial diagnosis as compared to African Americans and Hispanic (P < 0.05). Conclusion There is lack of studies performed on minority racial groups in North America. Our study highlighted some important clinical differences of CRC presentation in different racial groups which are not well studied and can be used to formulate future multi-center studies to assess disease behavior.
Validation of collection of 6 MODIS/Terra and MODIS/Aqua gross primary production in an alpine meadow of the Northern Tibetan Plateau

ABSTRACT Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) continuously monitors gross primary production (GPP), which is an extremely important component of carbon cycling, at the global scale. Uncertainties about MODIS GPP limit our ability to accurately quantify GPP at the regional scales. The Collection 6 MODIS/Terra and MODIS/Aqua GPP products (i.e. MOD17A2H and MYD17A2H) were compared with the estimated GPP (GPPEC) by eddy covariance measurements in an alpine meadow in the Northern Tibetan Plateau during three consecutive growing seasons of 2005–2007. The Collection 6 MODIS/Terra and MODIS/Aqua fractional photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) products (i.e. MOD15A2H and MYD15A2H) were also validated. The MOD17A2H and MYD17A2H products tended to overestimate GPPEC by 2.17% and 7.35% in 2005–2007, respectively, although these differences were not significant. The MOD15A2H and MYD15A2H products also tended to overestimate ground-based FPAR (FPARG) by 20.31% and 24.73% in 2005–2007, respectively. The overestimation of FPAR resulted in about 17.51–23.97% overestimation of GPPEC. The default maximum light-use efficiency (εmax) of 0.86 g C MJ−1 only underestimated the ground-based εmax (0.88 g C MJ−1) by 2.27%, which in turn resulted in about 2.13–2.72% underestimation of GPPEC. The meteorology data errors only caused about 0.48–1.06% underestimation of GPPEC. Therefore, although MODIS Collection 6 GPP had a very high accuracy, the input parameters had relative greater errors in the alpine meadow of the Northern Tibetan Plateau. The differences between MODIS GPP and GPPEC mainly resulted from FPAR, followed by εmax and meteorological data.
Automation of dormant pruning in specialty crop production: An adaptive framework for automatic reconstruction and modeling of apple trees

Dormant pruning is one of the most costly and labor-intensive operations in specialty crop production. During winter, a large crew of trained seasonal workers has to carefully remove the branches from hundreds of trees using a set of pre-defined rules. The goal of automatic pruning is to reduce this dependence on a large workforce that is currently needed for the job. Automatically applying the pruning “rules” entails construction of 3D models of the trees in their dormant condition (that is, without foliage) and accurate estimation of the pruning points on the branches. This paper investigates the use of Skeleton-based Geometric (SbG) features in a 3D reconstruction scheme. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of the SbG features for automatic reconstruction using only two views - the front and the back. Our results show that our proposed scheme locates the pruning points on the tree branches with an accuracy of 96.0%. The algorithm that locates the pruning points is based on a new adaptive circle-based-layer-aware modeling scheme for the trunks and the primary branches “PBs” of the trees. Its three main steps are detection, segmentation, and modeling. Localization of the pruning points on the tree branches is a part of the modeling step. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluation are performed on a new challenging apple-trees dataset that is collected for the purpose of evaluating our approach.
Smooth Pursuit and Visual Occlusion: Active Inference and Oculomotor Control in Schizophrenia

This paper introduces a model of oculomotor control during the smooth pursuit of occluded visual targets. This model is based upon active inference, in which subjects try to minimise their (proprioceptive) prediction error based upon posterior beliefs about the hidden causes of their (exteroceptive) sensory input. Our model appeals to a single principle – the minimisation of variational free energy – to provide Bayes optimal solutions to the smooth pursuit problem. However, it tries to accommodate the cardinal features of smooth pursuit of partially occluded targets that have been observed empirically in normal subjects and schizophrenia. Specifically, we account for the ability of normal subjects to anticipate periodic target trajectories and emit pre-emptive smooth pursuit eye movements – prior to the emergence of a target from behind an occluder. Furthermore, we show that a single deficit in the postsynaptic gain of prediction error units (encoding the precision of posterior beliefs) can account for several features of smooth pursuit in schizophrenia: namely, a reduction in motor gain and anticipatory eye movements during visual occlusion, a paradoxical improvement in tracking unpredicted deviations from target trajectories and a failure to recognise and exploit regularities in the periodic motion of visual targets. This model will form the basis of subsequent (dynamic causal) models of empirical eye tracking measurements, which we hope to validate, using psychopharmacology and studies of schizophrenia.
Energy Efficiency QoS Assurance Routing in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks

As a new multimedia information acquisition and processing method, wireless multimedia sensor network (WMSN) has great application potential and attracts more and more attentions. Compared to traditional wireless sensor networks, the routing design of WMSN has higher requirements on the quality of service (QoS). This paper systemically analyzes the similarity between social network and WMSN, then designs a QoS trust estimation model based on social network analysis, which enables each sensor node measuring the service quality by monitoring the behaviors of neighbor nodes. An energy efficient QoS assurance routing based on cluster hierarchy (EEQAR) is proposed to achieve energy efficiency and meet the requirement of QoS. To obtain a better performance, EEQAR routing adopts cellular topology to form the cluster structure and balance the energy consumption by structure movement. The simulation results show the high performance of EEQAR routing in lifetime and quality of service.
Detection of Pulmonary Nodules Based on a Template-Matching Technique

-The purpose of this study is to develop a simple technique for computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system to detect lung nodules in chest radiographic images. A conventional template matching was employed to detect the nodules, and after initial detection, we extracted 7 feature values and used them to eliminate false-positives findings. Despite the expected, the project never had the contributions of a professional physician, so the results are deprived of any medical verification. Given this, we aimed at the detection of every circular abnormalities (that most likely will correspond to pulmonary nodules)
A Comprehensive Analysis of Alternative Splicing in Paleopolyploid Maize

Identifying and characterizing alternative splicing (AS) enables our understanding of the biological role of transcript isoform diversity. This study describes the use of publicly available RNA-Seq data to identify and characterize the global diversity of AS isoforms in maize using the inbred lines B73 and Mo17, and a related species, sorghum. Identification and characterization of AS within maize tissues revealed that genes expressed in seed exhibit the largest differential AS relative to other tissues examined. Additionally, differences in AS between the two genotypes B73 and Mo17 are greatest within genes expressed in seed. We demonstrate that changes in the level of alternatively spliced transcripts (intron retention and exon skipping) do not solely reflect differences in total transcript abundance, and we present evidence that intron retention may act to fine-tune gene expression across seed development stages. Furthermore, we have identified temperature sensitive AS in maize and demonstrate that drought-induced changes in AS involve distinct sets of genes in reproductive and vegetative tissues. Examining our identified AS isoforms within B73 × Mo17 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) identified splicing QTL (sQTL). The 43.3% of cis-sQTL regulated junctions are actually identified as alternatively spliced junctions in our analysis, while 10 Mb windows on each side of 48.2% of trans-sQTLs overlap with splicing related genes. Using sorghum as an out-group enabled direct examination of loss or conservation of AS between homeologous genes representing the two subgenomes of maize. We identify several instances where AS isoforms that are conserved between one maize homeolog and its sorghum ortholog are absent from the second maize homeolog, suggesting that these AS isoforms may have been lost after the maize whole genome duplication event. This comprehensive analysis provides new insights into the complexity of AS in maize.
The Role of Src Kinase in Insulin-like Growth Factor-dependent Mitogenic Signaling in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells*

Activation of the MAPK pathway mediates insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I)-dependent proliferation in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC). Our previous studies have shown that IGF-I-induced Shc phosphorylation is necessary for sustained activation of MAPK and increased cell proliferation of SMCs, and both Shc and the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 must be recruited to the membrane protein SHPS-1 in order for Shc to be phosphorylated. These studies were undertaken to determine whether Src kinase activity is required to phosphorylate Shc in response to IGF-I in SMC and because SHP-2 binds to Src whether their interaction was also required for IGF-I-stimulated mitogenesis. Our results show that IGF-I induces activation of Src kinase and that is required for Shc phosphorylation and for optimal MAPK activation. We tested whether Shc is a substrate of c-Src in SMC by disrupting Src/Shc association using a peptide containing a YXXL (Tyr328) motif sequence derived from Src. The peptide blocked the binding of Src and Shc in vitro and in vivo. Cells expressing a mutant Src (Src-FF) that had Tyr328/Tyr358 substituted with phenylalanines (Src-FF) showed defective Src/Shc binding, impaired IGF-I-dependent Shc phorylation, and impaired mitogenesis. This supports the conclusion that Src phosphorylates Shc. IGF-I induced both Src/SHP-2 and Src/SHPS-1 association. SMCs expressing an SHP-2 mutant that had the polyproline-rich region of SH2 deleted (SHP-2Δ10) had disrupted SHP-2/Src association, impaired IGF-I-dependent Shc phosphorylation, and an attenuated mitogenic response. IGF-I-induced association of Src and SHPS-1 was also impaired in SHP-2Δ10-expressing cells, although SHP-2/SHPS-1 association was unaffected. Upon IGF-I stimulation, a complex assembles on SHPS-1 that contains SHP-2, c-Src, and Shc wherein Src phosphorylates Shc, a signaling step that is necessary for an optimal mitogenic response.
Background display for visually impaired people in mobile touch devices

Existing visual representation and control restricts the access of visually impaired people to information in touch screen devices, but a flexible touch interface and multimodal representation can provide easy accessibility to blind users. To improve the accessibility of touch screen devices for visually impaired people, we propose a new approach to information representation and interaction using the concepts of `background display' and `foreground display'. Background display is defined as indirect representation elements, such as color, size, and location. Foreground display is defined as direct representation elements, such as text. We use auditory and tactile modality to present background display, and auditory display is used for foreground display. We found that blindfolded users understood the information on buttons more effectively and performed touch input tasks more quickly when background display was offered.
A simulation study comparing common methods for analyzing species–habitat associations of plants

Species‐specific habitat associations are one of several processes that lead to a clustered spatial pattern of plant populations. This pattern occurs in tropical and temperate forests. To analyze species–habitat associations, four methods are commonly used when determining species–habitat associations from spatial point pattern and environmental raster data. Two of the methods randomize the spatial point pattern of plants, and two randomize the raster data of habitat patches. However, the strengths and weaknesses of the four methods have never been analyzed in detail.We conducted a simulation study to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the four most used methods. The methods are the gamma test, pattern reconstruction, the torus‐translation test and the randomized‐habitats procedure. We simulated neutral landscapes representing habitat patches and point patterns representing fine‐scale plant distributions. We built into our simulations known positive and negative species–habitat associations.All four methods were equally good at detecting species–habitat associations. Detected positive associations better than negative ones. Furthermore, correct detections were mostly influenced by the initial spatial distribution of the point patterns, landscape fragmentation and the number of simulated null model randomizations.The four methods have advantages and disadvantages, and which is the most suitable method largely depends on the characteristics of the available data. However, our simulation study shows that the results are consistent between methods.
Evaluating TweetBubble with Ideation Metrics of Exploratory Browsing

We extend the Twitter interface to stimulate exploratory browsing of social media and develop a creative cognition method to establish its efficacy. Exploratory browsing is a creative process in which users seek and traverse diverse and novel information as they investigate a conceptual space. The TweetBubble browser extension extends Twitter to enable expansion of social media associations@usernames and #hashtags-in-context, without overwriting initial content. We build on a prior metadata type system, developing new presentation semantics, which enable an integrated look and feel consistent with Twitter. We show how exploratory browsing constitutes a mini-c creative process. We use prior ideation metrics as a basis for new ideation metrics of exploratory browsing. We conducted a mixed methods crowdsourced study, with data from 54 participants, amidst the 2014 Academy Awards. Quantitative and qualitative findings validate the technique of in-context exploratory browsing interfaces for social media. Their consistency supports the validity of ideation metrics of exploratory browsing as an evaluation methodology for interactive systems designed to promote creative engagement.
Evaluation of cardiovascular risk marker in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: Homocysteine

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate homocysteine (Hcy) levels in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients without insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic syndrome (MS). Material and Methods: This retrospective study involved 64 patients aged between 18-35 years who applied to the tertiary clinic between March 2022 and March 2023. A total of 32 PCOS patients without IR and MS and 32 healthy women were enrolled in the study. All participants underwent history taking, clinical physical examination, gynecological ultrasonographic evaluation, and laboratory tests. Laboratory screening tests, including follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), total testosterone (T), free T, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), were performed. Normal insulin sensitivity was defined based on fasting serum glucose, fasting insulin level, serum insulin response to an oral glucose tolerance test, and the homeostatic model of insulin resistance. Results: There were no differences in terms of age, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, FSH, LH, total T, free T, SHBG, DHEAS, and LDL between the groups. PCOS patients had increased Hcy, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and body mass index (BMI) compared to the control group. Hcy was positively correlated with WHR and BMI. A strong correlation was found between Hcy and PCOS. Conclusion: Elevated Hcy is associated with cardiovascular risk factors in PCOS patients without IR and MS.