Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence and tradition in conflict: The Swedish experience of lymphoedema treatment and care

The basis of Swedish lymphoedema treatment programmes were first developed in Germany early last century. The treatment principles remained the same until recent years and are based on manual lymph drainage, compression, skin care, and exercise. However, our experience is that it is important to assess patients holistically and therefore other approaches to treatment may be better. We suggest that less emphasis be placed on manual lymph drainage and more on compression, exercise, and weight reduction.
The Evolutionary Paradox of Tooth Wear: Simply Destruction or Inevitable Adaptation?

Over the last century, humans from industrialized societies have witnessed a radical increase in some dental diseases. A severe problem concerns the loss of dental materials (enamel and dentine) at the buccal cervical region of the tooth. This “modern-day” pathology, called non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs), is ubiquitous and worldwide spread, but is very sporadic in modern humans from pre-industrialized societies. Scholars believe that several factors are involved, but the real dynamics behind this pathology are far from being understood. Here we use an engineering approach, finite element analysis (FEA), to suggest that the lack of dental wear, characteristic of industrialized societies, might be a major factor leading to NCCLs. Occlusal loads were applied to high resolution finite element models of lower second premolars (P2) to demonstrate that slightly worn P2s envisage high tensile stresses in the buccal cervical region, but when worn down artificially in the laboratory the pattern of stress distribution changes and the tensile stresses decrease, matching the results obtained in naturally worn P2s. In the modern industrialized world, individuals at advanced ages show very moderate dental wear when compared to past societies, and teeth are exposed to high tensile stresses at the buccal cervical region for decades longer. This is the most likely mechanism explaining enamel loss in the cervical region, and may favor the activity of other disruptive processes such as biocorrosion. Because of the lack of dental abrasion, our masticatory apparatus faces new challenges that can only be understood in an evolutionary perspective.
An iterative MVDR CFO estimation for interleaved OFDMA uplink systems

This paper presents a simple iterative carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimator based on the minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) criterion for interleaved orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) uplink systems, without using specific training sequences. The proposed estimator iteratively searches for correct CFO vector by minimizing the objective function using a first-order Taylor series approximation of the CFO vector with the one initially given. However, the proposed estimator not only can estimate CFOs, but also has less computational load. Several computer simulation results are provided for illustrating the effectiveness of the proposed blind estimator.
Conversion from CUL4-based COP1–SPA E3 apparatus to UVR8–COP1–SPA complexes underlies a distinct biochemical function of COP1 under UV-B

Significance CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENESIS 1 (COP1) is a well-conserved multifunctional protein in both plants and animals. Depending on the context, COP1 can have distinct roles, such as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor in mammalian cells. In light regulation of plant development, COP1 is a central repressor under far-red and visible light whereas it is a positive regulator under UV-B. However, how COP1 positively regulates UV-B signaling remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that the UV-B–induced reorganization of COP1 complexes achieves a functional switch of COP1 from repressing to promoting photomorphogenesis. The evolutionarily conserved CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENESIS 1 (COP1) is a RING and WD40 protein that functions as a substrate receptor of CULLIN4–DAMAGED DNA BINDING PROTEIN 1 (CUL4–DDB1)–based E3 ubiquitin ligases in both plants and animals. In Arabidopsis, COP1 is a central repressor of photomorphogenesis in the form of COP1–SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA (SPA) complex(es). CUL4–DDB1–COP1–SPA suppresses the photomorphogenic program by targeting the transcription factor ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 for degradation. Intriguingly, under photomorphogenic UV-B light, COP1 reverses its repressive role and promotes photomorphogenesis. However, the mechanism by which COP1 is functionally switched is still obscure. Here, we demonstrate that UV-B triggers the physical and functional disassociation of the COP1–SPA core complex(es) from CUL4–DDB1 and the formation of a unique complex(es) containing the UV-B receptor UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 (UVR8). The establishment of this UV-B–dependent COP1 complex(es) is associated with its positive modulation of ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 stability and activity, which sheds light on the mechanism of COP1’s promotive action in UV-B–induced photomorphogenesis.
The double-edged sword of fibronectin in atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis, the leading cause of death in Westernized countries, derives from a non‐resolving inflammation of the large arteries. A critical step in the initiation of an atherosclerotic plaque is the expansion of intimal space (the area between the endothelial cell (EC) lining and the medial smooth muscle cell layer) in susceptible regions of arteries (Tabas et al, 2007). The disease‐prone locations are largely determined by arterial blood flow characteristics, with branch points and the lesser curvatures of arteries, where the flow is turbulent, being particularly disposed to plaque formation. At these sites, the normally thin intimal space expands with the deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), which then serves as a sticky surface to trap LDL particles that are constantly crossing the endothelial layer to enter the artery. One reason for this retention is that the apoB100 molecule on the LDL particle has a specific domain that binds tightly to the ECM, and genetic causation studies in a mouse model of atherosclerosis have shown that when this domain is deleted, plaque burden is significantly reduced despite equivalent hyperlipidemia (Skalen et al, 2002). As implied by the ‘Response to Retention’ hypothesis (Tabas et al, 2007), the retained lipoprotein particles set in motion the invasion of the arterial wall by monocytes that quickly become macrophages that engorge themselves on cholesterol and the other lipids to form foam cells. Foam cells not only physically expand the plaque, but by secreting a variety of chemokines and cytokines, they also create and amplify an inflammatory state (Fig 1). Figure 1. Plasma derived FN promotes atherogenesis in mouse models of atherosclerosis. pFN, synthesized in the liver, is deposited in susceptible regions of the arteries and contributes to early atherosclerotic lesion formation and the recruitment of smooth muscle cells that shape the fibrous cap of advanced lesions (upper panel). …
E1a induces the expression of epithelial characteristics

Cells closely resembling epithelia constitute the first specific cell type in a mammalian embryo. Many other cell types emerge via epithelial- mesenchymal differentiation. The transcription factors and signal transduction pathways involved in this differentiation are being elucidated. I have previously reported (Frisch, 1991) that adenovirus E1a is a tumor suppressor gene in certain human cell lines. In the present report, I demonstrate that E1a expression caused diverse human tumor cells (rhabdomyosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, melanoma, osteosarcoma) and fibroblasts to assume at least two of the following epithelial characteristics: (a) epithelioid morphology; (b) epithelial-type intercellular adhesion proteins localized to newly formed junctional complexes; (c) keratin-containing intermediate filaments; and (d) down- regulation of non-epithelial genes. E1a thus appeared to partially convert diverse human tumor cells into an epithelial phenotype. This provides a new system for molecular analysis of epithelial-mesenchymal interconversions. This effect may also contribute to E1a's tumor suppression activity, possibly through sensitization to anoikis (Frisch, S.M., and H. Francis, 1994. J. Cell Biol. 124:619-626).
Mapping the Evolution of Research on Global Software Engineering - A Systematic Literature Review

Studies on Global Software Engineering (G SE) have increase in recent years. However, it is n ot clear how research on this area has evolved in terms of topic s being investigated. For this reason, the purpose of this paper is to identify areas within Software Engineer ing (SE) about which studies related to GSE have be en published and to indicate possible gaps in this rec ent research area. We report from a Systematic Lite rature Review (SLR) conducted from September to November of 2010. The main result is mapping the evolution of this research field including what has been inve stigated.
A Tale of Two Continents: Baker's Rule and the Maintenance of Self-Incompatibility in Lycium (Solanaceae)

Abstract Over 50 years ago, Baker (1955, 1967) suggested that self-compatible species were more likely than self-incompatible species to establish new populations on oceanic islands. His logic was straightforward and rested on the assumption that colonization was infrequent; thus, mate limitation favored the establishment of self-fertilizing individuals. In support of Baker's rule, many authors have documented high frequencies of self-compatibility on islands, and recent work has solidified the generality of Baker's ideas. The genus Lycium (Solanaceae) has ca. 80 species distributed worldwide, and phylogenetic studies suggest that Lycium originated in South America and dispersed to the Old World a single time. Previous analyses of the S-RNase gene, which controls the stylar component of self-incompatibility, have shown that gametophytically controlled self-incompatibility is ancestral within the genus, making Lycium a good model for investigating Baker's assertions concerning reproductive assurance following oceanic dispersal. Lycium is also useful for investigations of reproductive evolution, given that species vary both in sexual expression and the presence of self-incompatibility. A model for the evolution of gender dimorphism suggests that polyploidy breaks down self-incompatibility, leading to the evolution of gender dimorphism, which arises as an alternative outcrossing mechanism. There is a perfect association of dimorphic gender expression, polyploidy, and self-compatibility (vs. cosexuality, diploidy, and self-incompatibility) among North American Lycium. Although the association between ploidy level and gender expression also holds for African Lycium, to date no studies of mating systems have been initiated in Old World species. Here, using controlled pollinations, we document strong self-incompatibility in two cosexual, diploid species of African Lycium. Further, we sequence the S-RNase gene in 15 individuals from five cosexual, diploid species of African Lycium and recover 24 putative alleles. Genealogical analyses indicate reduced trans-generic diversity of S-RNases in the Old World compared to the New World. We suggest that genetic diversity at this locus was reduced as a result of a founder event, but, despite the bottleneck, self-incompatibility was maintained in the Old World. Maximum-likelihood analyses of codon substitution patterns indicate that positive Darwinian selection has been relatively strong in the Old World, suggesting the rediversification of S-RNases following a bottleneck. The present data thus provide a dramatic exception to Baker's rule, in addition to supporting a key assumption of the Miller and Venable (2000) model, namely that self-incompatibility is associated with diploidy and cosexuality.
Changing human upper-limb synergies with an exoskeleton using viscous fields

Robotic exoskeletons can apply forces distributed on the limbs of the subject they are connected to. This offers a great potential in the field of neurorehabilitation, to address the impairment of interjoint coordination in hemiparetic stroke patients. In these patients, the normal flexible joint rotation synergies are replaced by pathological fixed patterns of rotation. In this paper, we investigate how the concept of synergy can be exploited in the control of an upper limb exoskeleton. The long term goal is to develop a device capable of changing the joint synchronization of a patient performing exercises during rehabilitation.
Polyhedra in loop quantum gravity

Interwiners are the building blocks of spin-network states. The space of intertwiners is the quantization of a classical symplectic manifold introduced by Kapovich and Millson. Here we show that a theorem by Minkowski allows us to interpret generic configurations in this space as bounded convex polyhedra in 3 : a polyhedron is uniquely described by the areas and normals to its faces. We provide a reconstruction of the geometry of the polyhedron: we give formulas for the edge lengths, the volume and the adjacency of its faces. At the quantum level, this correspondence allows us to identify an intertwiner with the state of a quantum polyhedron, thus generalizing the notion of quantum tetrahedron familiar in the loop quantum gravity literature. Moreover, coherent intertwiners result to be peaked on the classical geometry of polyhedra. We discuss the relevance of this result for loop quantum gravity. In particular, coherent spin-network states with nodes of arbitrary valence represent a collection of semiclassical polyhedra. Furthermore, we introduce an operator that measures the volume of a quantum polyhedron and examine its relation with the standard volume operator of loop quantum gravity. We also comment on the semiclassical limit of spinfoams with non-simplicial graphs.
Increased striatal functional connectivity with auditory cortex in tinnitus

Tinnitus is a common auditory perceptual disorder whose neural substrates are under intense debate. One physiologically based model posits the dorsal striatum to play a key role in gating auditory phantoms to perceptual awareness. Here, we directly test this model along with the roles of auditory and auditory-limbic networks in tinnitus non-invasively by comparing resting-state fMRI functional connectivity patterns in chronic tinnitus patients against matched control subjects without hearing loss. We assess resting-state functional connectivity of the caudate dorsal striatum (area LC), caudate head (CH), nucleus accumbens (NA), and primary auditory cortex (A1) to determine patterns of abnormal connectivity. In chronic tinnitus, increases in ipsilateral striatal–auditory cortical connectivity are found consistently only in area LC. Other patterns of increased connectivity are as follows: (1) right striatal area LC, A1, CH, and NA with parietal cortex, (2) left and right CHs with dorsal pre-frontal cortex, (3) NA and A1 with cerebellum, hippocampus, visual and ventral pre-frontal cortex. Those findings provide further support for a striatal gating model of tinnitus, where dysfunctionally permissive area LC enables auditory phantoms to reach perceptual awareness.
Benchmarking RDF Query Engines: The LDBC Semantic Publishing Benchmark

The Linked Data paradigm which is now the prominent enabler for sharing huge volumes of data by means of Semantic Web technologies, has created novel challenges for non-relational data management technologies such as RDF and graph database systems. Benchmarking, which is an important factor in the development of research on RDF and graph data management technologies, must address these challenges. In this paper we present the Semantic Publishing Benchmark (SPB) developed in the context of the Linked Data Benchmark Council (LDBC) EU project. It is based on the scenario of the BBC media organisation which makes heavy use of Linked Data Technologies such as RDF and SPARQL. In SPB a large number of aggregation agents provide the heavy query workload, while at the same time a steady stream of editorial agents execute a number of update operations. In this paper we describe the benchmark’s schema, data generator, workload and report the results of experiments conducted using SPB for the Virtuoso and GraphDB RDF engines.
Flavor-changing neutral current effects and CP violation in the minimal 3-3-1 model

We investigate in detail the flavor structure of the minimal 3-3-1 model and its implications for several flavor-changing neutral current (FCNC) processes. In this model, where the weak SU(2){sub L} gauge group of the Standard Model is extended to a SU(3){sub L}, the by far dominant new contributions come from an additional neutral Z{sup '} gauge boson, that can transmit FCNCs at tree-level. At the same time, electroweak precision observables receive new contributions only at the loop level and do not constrain the model very strongly. In our analysis, we take into account new CP-violating effects that have been neglected in earlier analyses, and account for a general flavor structure without reference to a certain parametrization of the new mixing-matrix. We begin by studying the bounds obtained from quantities such as {delta}M{sub K}, {epsilon}{sub K}, {delta}M{sub d/s} as well as sin2{beta}|{sub J/{psi}}{sub K{sub S}}, and go on to explore the implications for several clean rare decay channels, namely, the decays K{sup +}{yields}{pi}{sup +}{nu}{nu}, K{sub L}{yields}{pi}{sup 0}{nu}{nu}, B{sub d/s}{yields}{mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} and K{sub L}{yields}{pi}{sup 0}l{sup +}l{sup -}. We find sizeable effects in all these decays, but the most interesting quantity turns out to be the B{sub s}{sup 0}-B{sub s}{sup 0} mixingmore » phase {beta}{sub s}, as measured in the mixing induced CP asymmetry of B{sub s}{sup 0}{yields}J/{psi}{phi}, which can be large. In general, we find effects in purely hadronic channels to be larger than in (semi-)leptonic ones, due to a suppression of the Z{sup '}-lepton couplings. « less
Glyconjugates in epidermal, branchial and digestive mucous cells and gastric glands of gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata, Senegal sole, Solea senegalensis and Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baeri development.

Epidermal, branchial and digestive mucous cells, and the gastric glands of larvae/postlarvae (from hatching until 45 days posthatching) of three fish species (two teleostean and a chondrostean) were investigated using conventional histochemical methods (periodic acid schiff -PAS-, diastase-PAS; alcian blue pH 0.5, 1 and 2.5) in order to distinguish neutral and acidic (carboxylated and sulphated) glycoconjugates, as well as bromophenol blue reaction for identification of proteins. Additionally, the presence and distribution of sugar residues in the oligosaccharide side chains of glycoconjugates were investigated using horseradish peroxidase (HPR)-conjugated lectins (Con A, DBA, WGA and UEA-I). Most mucous cells (digestive, epidermal and branchial) of Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baeri, sea bream, Sparus aurata and Senegal sole, Solea senegalensis larvae were PAS- and alcian blue- (pH 2.5 and 0.5) positive, with small variations between organs/tissues and species. Bromophenol blue reaction (general proteins) was positive in a minority of the mucous cells, usually in those cells which were PAS-negative. Proteins rich in sulphydryl (-SH) and/or disulphide (-S-S-) groups related with the glycoprotein nature of the glycoconjugates present in mucous cells were also observed. Epidermal, branchial and digestive mucous cells of all studied larvae did not contain glycogen or lipids. Con A lectin staining was negative in all mucous cells types of sea bream and sole, but oesophageal mucous cell of sturgeon were reactive to different lectin reactions, suggesting the presence of mannose -Man- and/or glucose -Glc-, L-fucose -Fuc- ; N-acetyl-D-galactosamine -GalNAc-, as well as N-acetyl-D-glucosamine- GlcNAc - and/or sialic acid -NANA- residues. Digestive mucous cells of all studied larvae were positive to WGA and DBA lectins. Epidermal and branchial mucous cells of sea bream and sole were Con A, DBA and UEA-I unreactive. However, mucous cells of sturgeon larvae were stained with UEA-I lectin. Gastric glands appear very early in sturgeon stomach larvae development (between 5-6 days posthatching) but rather late (around 40 days) during the ontogeny of sole and sea bream larvae. These glands contain neutral glycoproteins with Man and/or Glc, Fuc, GlcNAc- and/or sialic acid and rich in GalNAc- sugar residues, as well as proteins moderately rich in arginine, and others particularly rich in tyrosine and tryptophan.
Model for non-expert text entry speed on 12-button phone keypads

In this paper we present a new model for predicting text entry speed on a 12-button mobile phone keypad. The proposed model can predict the performance of novice users. Like other models for text entry, the proposed model includes a movement component based on Fitts' law and a linguistic component based on letter digraph probabilities. It also adds cognitive delay times before key presses and takes into account the fact that Fitts' law cannot model multiple presses of the same key accurately. Finally, we compare the prediction of our model to previously published experimental results, demonstrate that it fits observed results for novices very well, and list some observations about learning.
The Research of BPM Software Trustworthy Evaluation Model

To deal with the selection of BPM software and lack of unified trustworthy evaluation index standards, this paper summarizes a systematic and reasonable BPM software trustworthy evaluation index system from the two dimensional prospective. By introducing a set of linguistic evaluation scales and the related notions, a multi-attribute group decision-making model base on AHP and linguistic scales is proposed using the functional relationship between terms in linguistic scale and their indexes, the AHP method, the additive weighted mean (AWM) operator and the hybrid aggregation (HA) operator. According to the actual example, we can see the model provides a convenient and effective way for BPM software trustworthy evaluation.
Operation and design principles of a PM vernier motor

In this paper the back-EMF and power equations of a PM vernier motor are derived accurately considering an air gap permeance function expressed in terms of practical machine dimensions. Using these equations, the nature of a PM vernier motor is analytically surveyed, and substantial information such as main geometric factors affecting torque and the maximally obtainable torque for a given current are provided, leading to a new relation for torque per air gap volume. In addition, these equations provide a means to determine the slot and pole combinations to realize greater power density. Finally, the effects of an increased reactance are investigated in respect to machine performance with a given voltage.
An Improved Method for Feature Point Matching in 3D Reconstruction

In this paper, a MAPSACLM algorithm for feature point matching is proposed. This method integrates the MAPSAC algorithm with nonlinear optimization by using the results of MAPSAC as the initial value of the fundamental matrix and homography matrix. Firstly, gray level cross-correlation matching method was used to realize initial matching. Secondly, the fundamental matrix and the homography matrix were estimated robustly with MAPSAC algorithm. As a result, most of the outliers were detected and removed. Then, nonlinearly optimized fundamental matrix and homography matrix by Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm were used to obtain more precise matching points. Lots of experiments show that this algorithm is efficient and it improves the robustness and accuracy of the automatic image matching in 3D reconstruction.