Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Constraint enforcement of piston motion in a free-piston engine

Precise control of piston turnaround location is essential for reliable free-piston engine (FPE) operation. In this paper we derive a discrete-time, control-oriented, implicit model that describes FPE clearance height behavior by applying an energy balance to the Otto cycle. We then design a state feedback controller using dynamic inversion that stabilizes the FPE system and ensures reference tracking. To compensate for a single time step output delay we add a Smith predictor and use Newton's method to forecast piston position. As demonstrated with a physics-based model, the proposed controller successfully stabilizes the FPE and tracks clearance set points. However, abrupt hydraulic load changes can cause the piston to travel outside a safe operating range. To enforce constraints on piston motion, we augment the system with a reference governor that manages hydraulic load transitions. The reference governor uses Newton's method applied to the implicit control-oriented model for prediction in conjunction with a bisection search algorithm to calculate the maximum possible load increase, that if held constant, will satisfy the constraints for all future time steps. Model uncertainty can be accounted for by tightening constraints. When implemented on the physics-based FPE model, the reference governor successfully enforces a piston turnaround position constraint of ± 0.5 mm from a nominal set point during a load change.
Perception of aggressive humor in relation to gelotophobia, gelotophilia, and katagelasticism

The present study investigates humor appreciation of aggressive cartoons in relation to gelotophobia, gelotophilia, and katagelasticism. These traits were described to have a peculiar relation to laughter-related phenomena, in particular to disparagement humor. 185 participants rated highly aggressive and non-aggressive humorous stimuli for funniness and aversiveness and their scores on the gelotophobia, gelotophilia and katagelasticism scales were measured. The cartoons were controlled for their structural basis, i.e., incongruity-resolution and nonsense humor, as these two types of humor strongly influence the appreciation of humorous stimuli. The results revealed that high scores on gelotophobia lead to higher aversion to aggressive humor, whereas high scores on katagelasticism lead to more enjoyment of aggressive humor with less aversion. Gelotophobia and katagelasticism lead to sensitivity to aggression in humor, which fits the overt behavior of reacting sensitively towards laughter (gelotophobia) and enjoying to laugh at others (katagelasticism). Gelotophilia did not predict reactions to either aggressive or non-aggressive humor but did predict more amusement in general: High scorers on gelotophilia seem to be relaxed towards any form of humor, even if it has an aggressive note. This study confirms the three dimensions to have peculiar responses to aggressive types of humor and opens up several questions to be explored in future research.
Characterisation of a linear binding site for a monoclonal antibody to hepatitis B core antigen

The complete amino acid (aa) sequence of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) core protein (HBcAg), ayw subtype, was synthesized as decapeptides with five overlapping aas. The peptides were tested for reactivity with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to HBcAg (35/312, 37/275, and 7/275). All the mAbs specifically inhibited human anti‐HBc by cross competition in assays for anti‐HBc and anti‐HBe.
Fiber intake and risk of colorectal cancer.

The relationship between various types of fiber and colorectal cancer risk was investigated using data from a case-control study conducted between January 1992 and June 1996 in Italy. The study included 1953 cases of incident, histologically confirmed colorectal cancers (1225 colon cancers and 728 rectal cancers) admitted to the major teaching and general hospitals in the study areas and 4154 controls with no history of cancer admitted to hospitals in the same catchment areas for acute nonneoplastic diseases. Dietary habits were investigated using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) were computed after allowance for age, sex, and other potential confounding factors, including physical activity and protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake. Fiber was analyzed both as a continuous variable and in quintiles. For most types of fiber, the OR of colon and rectal cancers was significantly below 1, and no appreciable differences emerged between the two. When the unit was set at the difference between the upper cutpoints of the fourth and first quintile, i.e., the 80th and 20th percentiles, the ORs for colorectal cancer were 0.68 for total fiber (determined by the Englyst method as nonstarch polysaccharides), 0.67 for soluble noncellulose polysaccharides (NCPs), 0.71 for total insoluble fiber, 0.67 for cellulose, 0.82 for insoluble NCPs, and 0.88 for lignin. When fiber was classified according to the source, the OR was 0.75 for vegetable fiber, 0.85 for fruit fiber, and 1.09 for cereal fiber. The ORs were similar for the two sexes and the strata of age, education, physical activity, family history of colorectal cancer, and energy intake. Likewise, no appreciable differences emerged when subsites of the colon and rectum were investigated separately. This study provides additional support for a protective and independent effect of fiber on colorectal cancer, particularly for cellulose and soluble NCPs, and of fiber of vegetable or fruit origin.
Neurocan Is Upregulated in Injured Brain and in Cytokine-Treated Astrocytes

Injury to the CNS results in the formation of the glial scar, a primarily astrocytic structure that represents an obstacle to regrowing axons. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPG) are greatly upregulated in the glial scar, and a large body of evidence suggests that these molecules are inhibitory to axon regeneration. We show that the CSPG neurocan, which is expressed in the CNS, exerts a repulsive effect on growing cerebellar axons. Expression of neurocan was examined in the normal and damaged CNS. Frozen sections labeled with anti-neurocan monoclonal antibodies 7 d after a unilateral knife lesion to the cerebral cortex revealed an upregulation of neurocan around the lesion. Western blot analysis of extracts prepared from injured and uninjured tissue also revealed substantially more neurocan in the injured CNS. Western blot analysis revealed neurocan and the processed forms neurocan-C and neurocan-130 to be present in the conditioned medium of highly purified rat astrocytes. The amount detected was increased by transforming growth factor β and to a greater extent by epidermal growth factor and was decreased by platelet-derived growth factor and, to a lesser extent, by interferon γ. O-2A lineage cells were also capable of synthesizing and processing neurocan. Immunocytochemistry revealed neurocan to be deposited on the substrate around and under astrocytes but not on the cells. Astrocytes therefore lack the means to retain neurocan at the cell surface. These findings raise the possibility that neurocan interferes with axonal regeneration after CNS injury.
Epidermal growth factor regulation of rat NHE 2 gene expression

Xu, Hua, James F. Collins, Liqun Bai, Pawel R. Kiela, Ronald M. Lynch, and Fayez K. Ghishan. Epidermal growth factor regulation of rat NHE2 gene expression. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 281: C504–C513, 2001. —Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is involved in acute regulation of Na/H exchangers (NHEs), but the effect of chronic EGF administration on NHE gene expression is unknown. The present studies showed that EGF treatment increased NHE2-mediated intestinal brush-border membrane vesicle Na absorption and NHE2 mRNA abundance by nearly twofold in 19-day-old rats. However, no changes were observed in renal NHE2 mRNA or intestinal and renal NHE3 mRNA abundance. To understand the mechanism of this regulation, we developed the rat intestinal epithelial (RIE) cell as an in vitro model to study the effect of EGF on NHE2 gene expression. EGF increased functional NHE2 activity and mRNA abundance in cultured RIE cells, and this stimulation could be blocked by actinomycin D (a transcriptional inhibitor). Additionally, NHE2 promoter reporter gene assays in transiently transfected RIE cells showed an almost twofold increase in promoter activity after EGF treatment. We conclude that rat NHE2 activity can be stimulated by chronic EGF treatment and that this response is at least partially mediated by gene transcription.
Differentiation of chick lens epithelial cells: involvement of the epidermal growth factor receptor and endogenous ligand.

PURPOSE To characterize the constitutively activated epidermal growth factor receptor in a lens epithelial cell population experiencing initial stages of lens fiber formation, the chick lens annular pad. METHODS Phosphotyrosine levels of the receptor were examined with western blot analysis and immunoprecipitation after ligand stimulation. Endogenous receptor ligands were immunologically identified in whole cell lysates of freshly isolated cells. The expression of lens fiber-specific differentiation marker proteins was examined with western blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in short-term primary cultures of annular pad cells exposed to ligand. RESULTS The major phosphotyrosine-containing protein in annular pad cells comigrated with the epidermal growth factor receptor and increased its phosphotyrosine content after epidermal growth factor treatment. Both time- and dose-dependent responses were noted. The constitutive activation of the receptor was determined in the presence of phosphatase inhibitors. Endogenous transforming growth factor-alpha, but not epidermal growth factor, was detected in freshly isolated cells. Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) treatment produced greater increases in receptor phosphotyrosine levels than equimolar levels of epidermal growth factor. Finally, TGF-alpha treatment induced increased expression of the beaded filament protein filensin when compared with control cells. Filensin expression was increased further when cells were costimulated with TGF-alpha and cAMP analogs. CONCLUSIONS At least in the postnatal lens, endogenous TGF-alpha may affect overall growth patterns by modulating differentiation-specific protein expression. Furthermore, signaling pathways elicited by TGF-alpha and cAMP analogs converge to cooperatively enhance lens fiber differentiation.
Getting Smartphones to Talkback: Understanding the Smartphone Adoption Process of Blind Users

The advent of system-wide accessibility services on mainstream touch-based smartphones has been a major point of inclusion for blind and visually impaired people. Ever since, researchers aimed to improve the accessibility of specific tasks, such text-entry and gestural interaction. However, little work aimed to understand and improve the overall accessibility of these devices in real world settings. In this paper, we present an eight-week long study with five novice blind participants where we seek to understand major concerns, expectations, challenges, barriers, and experiences with smartphones. The study included pre-adoption and weekly interviews, weekly controlled task assessments, and in-the wild system-wide usage. Our results show that mastering these devices is an arduous and long task, confirming the users' initial concerns. We report on accessibility barriers experienced throughout the study, which could not be encountered in task-based laboratorial settings. Finally, we discuss how smartphones are being integrated in everyday activities and highlight the need for better adoption support tools.
Combination Therapy with Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate/Emtricitabine/Elvitegravir/Cobicistat Plus Darunavir Once Daily in Antiretroviral-Naive and Treatment-Experienced Patients: A Retrospective Review

Background: Patients with drug-resistant HIV often require complex antiretroviral regimens. However, combining fixed-dose combination tablets such as tenofovir–disoproxil–fumarate, emtricitabine, and cobicistat-boosted elvitegravir (TDF/FTC/EVG/cobi) with darunavir (DRV) can provide a simple, once-daily (QD), 2-tablet regimen for patients with drug-resistant HIV. Primary objective was to determine the percentage of patients with HIV-1 RNA <40 copies/mL at 48 weeks. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients initiated on TDF/FTC/EVG/cobi plus DRV. Results: Among the 21 included patients, prior resistance showed a median of 2 nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor mutations, 1 nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase mutation, and 1 protease inhibitor mutation. At week 48, 14 (67%) patients achieved HIV-1 RNA <40 copies/mL, 1 patient experienced viral rebound, and 6 (29%) had missing data or discontinued therapy. No patient discontinued for adverse events. Conclusion: According to this observational study, QD TDF/FTC/EVG/cobi plus DRV is considered safe, well tolerated, and generally effective in suppressing HIV drug-resistant virus.
Induction of Intestinal ATP-binding Cassette Transporters by a Phytosterol-derived Liver X Receptor Agonist*

The nuclear receptors liver X receptor (LXR) α and LXRβ serve as oxysterol receptors and regulate the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism. LXR activation induces the expression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, such as ABCG5 and ABCG8, which inhibit intestinal absorption of cholesterol and phytosterols. Although several synthetic LXR agonists have been generated, these compounds have limited clinical application, because they cause hypertriglycemia by inducing the expression of lipogenic genes in the liver. We synthesized derivatives of phytosterols and found some of them to act as LXR agonists. Among them, YT-32 [(22E)-ergost-22-ene-1α,3β-diol], which is related to ergosterol and brassicasterol, is the most potent LXR agonist. YT-32 directly bound to LXRα and LXRβ and induced the interaction of LXRα with cofactors, such as steroid receptor coactivator-1, as effectively as the natural ligands, 22(R)-hydroxycholesterol and 24(S),25-epoxycholesterol. Although the nonsteroidal synthetic LXR agonist T0901317 induced the expression of intestinal ABC transporters and liver lipogenic genes, oral administration of YT-32 selectively activated intestinal ABC transporters in mice. Unlike T0901317 treatment, YT-32 inhibited intestinal cholesterol absorption without increasing plasma triglyceride levels. The phytosterol-derived LXR agonist YT-32 might selectively modulate intestinal cholesterol metabolism.
Occupational and physical therapy using a hand exoskeleton based exerciser

Hand therapy is a major sector of physiotherapy and one of great importance. The impairment of the hand and generally of the upper limbs can be the cause of social and financial hardship and a serious cause of physical and emotional deterioration. Major efforts are directed into developing therapy methods and procedures in order to standardise and therefore successfully apply treatment regimes in a wide scale. Although, the lack of scientific measurements of statistical value that the current methods suffer due to the mostly empirical nature of examination, assessment and treatment does not assist this endeavour. This paper presents an exoskeleton based system for the physical and occupational therapy of the hand in an interactive VR environment. This system enhances the existing therapy methods with the introduction of accurate and repeatable finger motion and force measurement, interactivity, potential for great exercise assortment and statistical registration and evaluation.
Autoimmune hepatitis in childhood: A 20‐year experience

To determine the clinical, biochemical, and histological features, and outcome of childhood autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), we reviewed the medical records of 52 children with AIH, 32 (median age: 10 [2‐15] years) anti‐nuclear and/or smooth muscle antibody (ANA/SMA) positive, 20 (7 [0.8‐14] years) liver/kidney microsomal antibody (LKM‐1) positive, with median follow‐up of 5 years (range 0.3‐19). At presentation: 56% had symptoms of prolonged acute hepatitis; LKM‐1 positive were younger (P = .011), with higher bilirubin (P = .007), and AST (P = .047); ANA/SMA positive had lower albumin (P = .023); 69% ANA/SMA positive, and 38% LKM‐1 positive were cirrhotic (P = .080). ANA/SMA positive had increased frequency of HLA haplotype A1/B8/DR3/DR52a compared with controls (53% vs. 14%, P < .001). Of six (5 LKM‐1 positive) with fulminant hepatitis, four were transplanted, one died, and one ANA/SMA positive improved with immunosuppression. Of 47 treated with immunosuppression, 2 (1 LKM‐1 positive) died with no remission and 4 (2 LKM‐1 positive) were transplanted 8 to 14 years after diagnosis. Immunosuppression was stopped successfully in 19% of ANA/SMA positive after a median of 3 years of treatment, but in none of LKM‐1 positive. Baseline bilirubin and international normalized prothrombin ratio (INR) were independent variables predictive of outcome. In conclusion, ANA/SMA positive and LKM‐1 positive AIH in childhood have clinical, biochemical, and histological differences, but similar severity and long‐term outcome.
Unveiling the Neuromorphological Space

This article proposes the concept of neuromorphological space as the multidimensional space defined by a set of measurements of the morphology of a representative set of almost 6000 biological neurons available from the NeuroMorpho database. For the first time, we analyze such a large database in order to find the general distribution of the geometrical features. We resort to McGhee's biological shape space concept in order to formalize our analysis, allowing for comparison between the geometrically possible tree-like shapes, obtained by using a simple reference model, and real neuronal shapes. Two optimal types of projections, namely, principal component analysis and canonical analysis, are used in order to visualize the originally 20-D neuron distribution into 2-D morphological spaces. These projections allow the most important features to be identified. A data density analysis is also performed in the original 20-D feature space in order to corroborate the clustering structure. Several interesting results are reported, including the fact that real neurons occupy only a small region within the geometrically possible space and that two principal variables are enough to account for about half of the overall data variability. Most of the measurements have been found to be important in representing the morphological variability of the real neurons.
Extended-Duration Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Acutely Ill Medical Patients With Recently Reduced Mobility

BACKGROUND Extended-duration low-molecular-weight heparin has been shown to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in high-risk surgical patients. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of extended-duration enoxaparin thromboprophylaxis in acutely ill medical patients. DESIGN Randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled trial. Randomization was computer-generated. Allocation was centralized. Patients, caregivers, and outcome assessors were blinded to group assignment. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00077753) SETTING: 370 sites in 20 countries across North and South America, Europe, and Asia. PATIENTS Acutely ill medical patients 40 years or older with recently reduced mobility (bed rest or sedentary without [level 1] or with [level 2] bathroom privileges). Eligibility criteria for patients with level 2 immobility were amended to include only those who had additional VTE risk factors (age >75 years, history of VTE, or active or previous cancer) after interim analyses suggested lower-than-expected VTE rates. INTERVENTION Enoxaparin, 40 mg/d subcutaneously (2975 patients), or placebo (2988 patients), for 28 +/- 4 days after receiving open-label enoxaparin for an initial 10 +/- 4 days. MEASUREMENTS Incidence of VTE up to day 28 and of major bleeding events up to 48 hours after the last study treatment dose. RESULTS Extended-duration enoxaparin reduced VTE incidence compared with placebo (2.5% vs. 4%; absolute risk difference favoring enoxaparin, -1.53% [95.8% CI, -2.54% to -0.52%]). Enoxaparin increased major bleeding events (0.8% vs. 0.3%; absolute risk difference favoring placebo, 0.51% [95% CI, 0.12% to 0.89%]). The benefits of extended-duration enoxaparin seemed to be restricted to women, patients older than 75 years, and those with level 1 immobility. LIMITATION Estimates of efficacy and safety for the overall trial population are difficult to interpret because of the change in eligibility criteria during the trial. CONCLUSION Use of extended-duration enoxaparin reduces VTE more than it increases major bleeding events in acutely ill medical patients with level 1 immobility, those older than 75 years, and women. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE Sanofi-aventis.
Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology towards Robust and Reliable Group Communication in Ad Hoc Mobile Environment

Robust and reliable group communication plays a major role in developing distributed mobile application in which unannounced disconnections will occur frequently due to the mobility of the nodes which take part in mobile applications. The main objective is to achieve robust and reliable group communication in mobile ad hoc network based on a guarantee protocol that always considers the transmitting range, location, speed and direction of mobile nodes to ensure successful delivery of the message between the group members by calculating accurate delivery time. The consistent view of application state within the group of mobile nodes participating in application execution is necessary to achieve reliable message delivery. To solve any inconsistency during the group split or merge operation, when mobile hosts go out of the transmitting range, message delivery is assured and decided by guarantee protocol whether to deliver the message or not to avoid any inconsistent state. The guarantee protocol has been analyzed extensively to ensure the efficient communication among the participating hosts despite the high mobility environment and the mobility induced link failure cause inconsistent data and unrecoverability. A mobile ad hoc network is an autonomous collection of mobile nodes that communicate over the wireless link. Due to node mobility, the network topology may change rapidly and unpredictably over time. It does not contain any fixed infrastructure and there is no central administration. Each node can act as a router and host. Ad hoc networks are used in wide range of applications like military operations, rescue operations, remote site construction, communication among a group of islands or ships, conferencing without the support of a wired infrastructure, and interactive information sharing. Unlike typical Internet applications, most applications of ad hoc networks involve one-to-many and many-to-many communication patterns. Reliable and efficient support of group communications is critical for almost all ad hoc network applications. However, Ad hoc networks group communications issues differ from those in wired network environments for the following reasons: The wireless communications medium has variable, highly dynamic, unpredictable characteristics, the signal strength and propagation fluctuate with respect to time and environment. Further, node mobility creates a continuously changing communication topology in which routing paths break and new ones form dynamically over the period of time. Due to the dynamic nature of ad hoc networks, reliable group communications present a challenging and complex task. Robust and reliable group communication is the backbone of ad hoc mobile application in …