Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variant cell lines selected for alterations in the function of the hyaluronan receptor CD44 show differences in glycosylation

CD44 is a major cell surface receptor for the extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan (HA). However, the ability of CD44 to bind ligand is strictly regulated. Three activation states of CD44 have been demonstrated: (a) inactive; (b) inducible (by certain CD44-specific mAb); and (c) constitutively active. Starting with two parental cell lines expressing CD44 in the inactive state, a pre-B cell (RAW 253) and a fibroblast (L cells), we used fluorescence-activated cell sorting with fluorescein-conjugated hyaluronan in the presence of inducing mAb to derive variant cell lines with CD44 in the inducible state. Constitutively active derivatives were isolated from the inducible variants by a further round of fluorescence-activated cell sorting in the absence of inducing antibody. However, constitutively active variants could not be isolated directly from parental cells expressing CD44 in the inactive state. These results suggest that two genetic events must occur to obtain an active CD44-HA receptor from an inactive receptor. Variant and parental cell-derived CD44 molecules exhibited differences in migration on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis that were partly attributable to differences in N- linked glycosylation. Furthermore, culture in tunicamycin for 2-3 d converted parental and inducible cell lines into cells showing constitutive CD44-mediated HA binding. Also, removal of cell surface glycosaminoglycan chains by culture of cells in p-nitrophenyl beta-D- xylopyranoside or treatment with chondroitinase ABC resulted in conversion of cells with an inactive CD44 receptor to an inducible state. These results indicate that carbohydrate side chains of CD44 and/or other molecules on the cell surface that interact with CD44 are potentially involved in regulating the HA-binding function of CD44 on the cell surface.
Symmetry preserving loop regularization and renormalization of QFTs

A new symmetry-preserving loop regularization method proposed in Ref. 1 is further investigated. It is found that its prescription can be understood by introducing a regulating distribution function to the proper-time formalism of irreducible loop integrals. The method simulates in many interesting features to the momentum cutoff, Pauli-Villars and dimensional regularization. The loop regularization method is also simple and general for the practical calculations to higher loop graphs and can be applied to both underlying and effective quantum field theories including gauge, chiral, supersymmetric and gravitational ones as the new method does not modify either the Lagrangian formalism or the spacetime dimension of original theory. The appearance of characteristic energy scale M-c and sliding energy scale mu(s) offers a systematic way for studying the renormalization-group evolution of gauge theories in the spirit of Wilson-Kadanoff and for exploring important effects of higher dimensional interaction terms in the infrared regime.
Bipolar Resistive RAM Based on ${\rm HfO}_{2}$: Physics, Compact Modeling, and Variability Control

In this paper, we thoroughly investigate the characteristics of the TiN/Ti/HfO2/TiN resistive random access memory (RRAM) device. The physical mechanisms involved in the device operations are comprehensively explored from the atomistic standpoint. Self-consistent physics simulations based on a multi-scale approach are employed to achieve a complete understanding of the device physics. The latter includes different charge and ion transport phenomena, as well as structural modifications occurring during the device operations. The main sources of variability are also included by connecting the electrical response of the device to the atomistic material properties. The detailed understanding of the device physics allows developing a physics-based compact model describing the device switching in different operating conditions, including also the effects of cycling variability. Random telegraph noise (RTN), which constitutes an additional variability source, and its relations with cycling variability are analyzed. A statistical link between the programmed resistance and the worst-case RTN effect is found and exploited to include RTN effects in the compact model. Finally, we show how implementing an advanced programming scheme tailored on the device physics allows optimal control over variability and RTN, eventually achieving reliable and RTN-resilient two-bits/cell operations.
Comparison of methods for the scoring and statistical analysis of SF-36 health profile and summary measures: summary of results from the Medical Outcomes Study.

Physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) measures make it possible to reduce the number of statistical comparisons and thereby the role of chance in testing hypotheses about health outcomes. To test their usefulness relative to a profile of eight scores, results were compared across 16 tests involving patients (N = 1,440) participating in the Medical Outcomes Study. Comparisons were made between groups known to differ at a point in time or to change over time in terms of age, diagnosis, severity of disease, comorbid conditions, acute symptoms, self-reported changes in health, and recovery from clinical depression. The relative validity (RV) of each measure was estimated by a comparison of statistical results with those for the best scales in the same tests. Differences in RV among scales from the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) were consistent with those in previous studies. One or both of the summary measures were significant for 14 of 15 differences detected in multivariate analyses of profiles and detected differences missed by the profile in one test. Relative validity coefficients ranged from . 20 to . 94 (median, .79) for PCS in tests involving physical criteria and from . 93 to 1.45 (median, 1.02) for MCS in tests involving mental criteria. The MCS was superior to the best SF-36 scale in three of four tests involving mental health. Results suggest that the two summary measures may be useful in most studies and that their empiric validity, relative to the best SF-36 scale, will depend on the application. Surveys offering the option of analyzing both a profile and psychometrically based summary measures have an advantage over those that do not.
The Autonomic Brain: An Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis for Central Processing of Autonomic Function

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is of paramount importance for daily life. Its regulatory action on respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, and many other systems is controlled by a number of structures in the CNS. While the majority of these nuclei and cortices have been identified in animal models, neuroimaging studies have recently begun to shed light on central autonomic processing in humans. In this study, we used activation likelihood estimation to conduct a meta-analysis of human neuroimaging experiments evaluating central autonomic processing to localize (1) cortical and subcortical areas involved in autonomic processing, (2) potential subsystems for the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the ANS, and (3) potential subsystems for specific ANS responses to different stimuli/tasks. Across all tasks, we identified a set of consistently activated brain regions, comprising left amygdala, right anterior and left posterior insula and midcingulate cortices that form the core of the central autonomic network. While sympathetic-associated regions predominate in executive- and salience-processing networks, parasympathetic regions predominate in the default mode network. Hence, central processing of autonomic function does not simply involve a monolithic network of brain regions, instead showing elements of task and division specificity.
Atomic layer deposition for perovskite solar cells: research status, opportunities and challenges

Atomic layer deposition is widely acknowledged as a powerful technique for the deposition of high quality layers for several applications including photovoltaics (PV). The capability of ALD to generate dense, conformal, virtually pinhole-free layers becomes attractive also for the emerging organo-metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which have garnered the interest of the PV community through their remarkable efficiency gains, now over 20%, in just a few years of research. Until now, the application of ALD layers in PSCs has almost exclusively been restricted to the stages of device fabrication prior to perovskite deposition. Researchers have mainly focused on fabricating efficient electron and hole transport layers (TiO2, SnO2, ZnO, NiO) and ultra-thin Al2O3 or TiO2 passivation layers for several device configurations. The first section of this contribution reviews the current state-of-the-art ALD for perovskite solar cells. Then, we explore other potential opportunities, such as the fabrication of doped metal oxide selective contacts and transparent electrodes, also for use in tandem solar cell architectures, as well as barrier layers for encapsulation. Finally, we present our own experimental investigation of the challenges involved in depositing directly on perovskite absorbers in view of replacing organic electron and hole transport layers with ALD metal oxides (MOs). Therefore, the effects of temperature, oxidizing agents and metal precursors on perovskite are studied. A number of insights are gained which can lead to the development of ad hoc ALD processes that are compatible with the underlying perovskite, in this case, methylammonium lead iodide, MAPbI3. The phase purity and surface chemistry of the perovskite were used as metrics to quantify the feasibility of depositing selected MOs which can be adopted as selective contacts and passivation layers.
Modulation of apo A‐IV transcript levels and synthesis by n‐3, n‐6, and n‐9 fatty acids in CACO‐2 cells

It has been postulated that apolipoprotein (apo) A‐IV plays various significant roles in lipid transport and lipoprotein metabolism. Although it is controlled by fat feeding, so far little else is known about its regulation by specific fatty acids. In this study, we focused on the modulation of apo A‐IV mRNA levels, mass, and biogenesis by mono‐ and polyunsaturated fatty acids (FA) in the human intestinal Caco‐2 cell line. In confluent cells incubated with 1 mM oleic (n‐9), linoleic (n‐6), α‐linolenic (n‐3), or docosahexaenoic (n‐3) acids for a long‐term period, both apo A‐IV protein levels and de novo synthesis were increased. The induction resulted from the up‐regulation of apo A‐IV mRNA transcripts. In contrast, an inhibitory effect was evident with short‐term incubation. FA chain length and degree of unsaturation had little effect altering apo A‐IV transcript and biogenesis. These data offer evidence that isolated fatty acids regulate gene expression and the production of apo A‐IV in the enterocyte. J. Cell. Biochem. 75:73–81, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prevention of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Through Aspiration of Subglottic Secretions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a subset of hospital-acquired pneumonias and is a serious, sometimes fatal, complication in patients who need mechanical ventilation. In addition, pay-for-performance initiative has placed increased emphasis on preventing nosocomial infections including VAP. Facilities may not be reimbursed for costs associated with prevalence infections. This article presents a review and meta-analysis of the prevention of VAP through the aspiration of subglottic secretion.
Assessment of Mould Growth on Building Materials using Spatial and Frequency Domain Analysis Techniques

The phenomenon of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), Building Related Illness (BRI) and some other indoor related diseases have been attributed to mould and fungi exposure in the indoor environment. Despite the growing concern over mould and fungi infestations on building materials, little has been reported in the literature on the development of an objective tool and criteria for measuring and characterizing the shape and the level of severity of such parasitic phenomenon. In this paper, an objective based approach of mould and fungi growth assessment using spatial and frequency domain information is proposed. The spatial domain analysis of the acquired Mould Infested Images (MII) is achieved using Ratio Test (RT), Compactness Test (CT ) and Visual Test (VT) while the frequency domain analysis uses the popular Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) implemented in the form of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) in analyzing the boundary pixel sequence. The resulting frequency components (Fourier Descriptors (FD)) can now be analyzed or stored for reconstruction purposes. Application of structural similarity measures on the reconstructed MII in spatial domain shows that the use of relative low number of FD is sufficient for analyzing, characterizing and reconstruction of the original spatial domain boundary pixels.
Computational models of O-LM cells are recruited by low or high theta frequency inputs depending on h-channel distributions

Although biophysical details of inhibitory neurons are becoming known, it is challenging to map these details onto function. Oriens-lacunosum/moleculare (O-LM) cells are inhibitory cells in the hippocampus that gate information flow, firing while phase-locked to theta rhythms. We build on our existing computational model database of O-LM cells to link model with function. We place our models in high-conductance states and modulate inhibitory inputs at a wide range of frequencies. We find preferred spiking recruitment of models at high (4–9 Hz) or low (2–5 Hz) theta depending on, respectively, the presence or absence of h-channels on their dendrites. This also depends on slow delayed-rectifier potassium channels, and preferred theta ranges shift when h-channels are potentiated by cyclic AMP. Our results suggest that O-LM cells can be differentially recruited by frequency-modulated inputs depending on specific channel types and distributions. This work exposes a strategy for understanding how biophysical characteristics contribute to function. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.22962. 001
Natural History and Risk Stratification of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia/Cardiomyopathy

Background—Management of patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) is complicated by the incomplete information on the natural history of the disease and by the lack of risk stratification for cardiovascular death. The aim of the study was the identification of risk factors related to long-term prognosis. Methods and Results—Data were collected from 130 patients (100 men; age at onset of symptoms, 31.8±14.4 years) from a tertiary center between 1977 and 2000 who fulfilled the international standardized diagnostic criteria for ARVD/C. Risk factors for cardiovascular death were determined by a logistic regression model. After a mean follow-up of 8.1±7.8 years, 24 deaths were recorded, with a mean age at death of 54±19 years (annual mortality rate, 2.3%). There were 21 deaths with a cardiovascular origin (progressive heart failure for 14 patients and sudden death for the remaining 7 patients). All patients who died had a history of ventricular tachycardia. Multivariate analysis showed that after adjustment for sex, history of syncope, chest pain, inaugural ventricular tachycardia, recurrence of ventricular tachycardia, and QRS dispersion, clinical signs of right ventricular failure and left ventricular dysfunction both remained independently associated with cardiovascular mortality. The combined presence of one of these risk factors and ventricular tachycardia identifies high-risk subjects for cardiovascular mortality, whereas patients without ventricular tachycardia displayed the best prognosis. Conclusions—The information on the natural history of patients with ARVD allowed us to identify risks factors for cardiovascular mortality. An analysis of a large international registry is needed to refine these results.
Noncoherent MMSE multiuser receivers and their blind adaptive implementations

Three noncoherent minimum mean-squared error (NMSE)-based multiuser receivers are proposed for multipulse modulation. These receivers have a common MMSE prefilter and are followed by one of three phase-independent decision rules. The simplest decision rule selects the maximum magnitude of the MMSE filter outputs, and the other two account for the second-order statistics of the residual multiple-access interference that remains after MMSE filtering. Blind adaptive algorithms are then proposed for the three noncoherent MMSE receivers. The common adaptive algorithm for the MMSE prefilter, which is based on the stochastic approximation method, is shown to converge in the mean-squared error sense to the nonblind NMSE prefilter. Our convergence analysis yields new insight into the tradeoff between the rate of convergence and the residual mean-squared error. The noncoherent blind receivers obtained here do not require the knowledge of the received signals of any of the interfering users, and are hence well-suited for distributed implementation in cellular wireless networks or in communication systems that must operate in noncooperative environments.
BI-DIRECTIONAL REFLECTANCE DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS ( BRDF ) OF BENTHIC SURFACES IN THE LITTORAL ZONE

The bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) describes the angular distribution of reflectance for any angle of light incident on a surface. It is a crucial parameter for modeling the light field near the benthic surface, and is important for understanding the remote sensing signal from shallow waters. We have been making measurements of this parameter for varied benthic surfaces in the Bahamas during the ONR sponsored Coastal Benthic Optical Properties experiment (CoBOP) for the last several years. While this parameter is generally assumed to be Lambertian, meaning that the radiance reflected from the surface does not depend on viewing angle, we have found that in general this is not the case. Even simple surfaces, such as sand, exhibit nonLambertian behavior in two directions. The first is in the specular direction, where there can be a small enhancement in the reflectance for many natural surfaces. The largest non-Lambertian feature seems to be in the "hotspot" or backward direction. In almost all the samples we have seen, for an incident illumination polar angle(θi )>25°, there is an enhancement of the reflectance in the hotspot.
Normative data for lung function and exhaled nitric oxide in unsedated healthy infants

Despite association with lung growth and long-term respiratory morbidity, there is a lack of normative lung function data for unsedated infants conforming to latest European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society standards. Lung function was measured using an ultrasonic flow meter in 342 unsedated, healthy, term-born infants at a mean±sd age of 5.1±0.8 weeks during natural sleep according to the latest standards. Tidal breathing flow–volume loops (TBFVL) and exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) measurements were obtained from 100 regular breaths. We aimed for three acceptable measurements for multiple-breath washout and 5–10 acceptable interruption resistance (Rint) measurements. Acceptable measurements were obtained in ≤285 infants with high variability. Mean values were 7.48 mL·kg−1 (95% limits of agreement 4.95–10.0 mL·kg−1) for tidal volume, 14.3 ppb (2.6–26.1 ppb) for eNO, 23.9 mL·kg−1 (16.0–31.8 mL·kg−1) for functional residual capacity, 6.75 (5.63–7.87) for lung clearance index and 3.78 kPa·s·L−1 (1.14–6.42 kPa·s·L−1) for Rint. In males, TBFVL outcomes were associated with anthropometric parameters and in females, with maternal smoking during pregnancy, maternal asthma and Caesarean section. This large normative data set in unsedated infants offers reference values for future research and particularly for studies where sedation may put infants at risk. Furthermore, it highlights the impact of maternal and environmental risk factors on neonatal lung function.
Fabrication of continuous-relief micro-optical elements by direct laser writing in photoresist

Progress in the fabrication of continuous-relief micro-optical elements by direct laser writing in photoresist followed by replication into epoxy or polymer materials is described. The technology enables a wide range of micro-optical elements to be fabricated and replicated using Ni shims electroformed from the photoresist originals. Examples of fabricated micro- optical elements are described, including microlens arrays, Fresnel microlenses, kinoforms, and other continuous microrelief phase elements.
Maltese children with a hearing impairment : analysis of the current situation and its impact on the quality of life of parents

Understanding the effect that a diagnosis of a childhood hearing loss has on parents would help professionals adopt an approach which diminishes parents’ possible negative feelings and concerns. A sample of parents of children with hearing impairment was interviewed to document demographic data related to hearing loss in Maltese children. The present study also attempted to analyse the effect of hearing loss on the parents’ wellbeing. Parents of 23 children with a hearing loss and parents of eight children without a hearing loss participated in the study. Structured face-to-face interviews were carried out with both groups of parents. A self-devised questionnaire was used with parents of children with hearing impairment to collect information about several factors related to the hearing loss. This included documentation of the different types, degrees and causes of hearing loss as well as the ages of suspicion, diagnosis and amplification of children with a hearing loss. The World Health Organisation Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire (World Health Organisation [WHO], 1998) was then used with both groups of parents to obtain a quality of life profile in four domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships and environment. Slight quality of life differences, which were not statistically significant, were noticed between parents of children with a hearing loss and parents of children without a hearing loss. Quality of life scores were marginally higher for parents whose gap between the day of diagnosis and the interview date was more than 24 months, when compared to parents whose gap was 24 months or less. These findings extend the limited data on the effect of hearing loss on parents’ quality of life in the Maltese context. More intensive support may be indicated for parents of children with hearing impairment, particularly in the initial stages following a diagnosis of a hearing loss. Support would help parents better understand and accept their child’s hearing impairment.
A Multi-agent, Multi-object and Multi-attribute Intelligent Negotiation Model

Automated negotiation among software agents is becoming increasingly important in e-business. Currently, most of these multi-agent negotiation models are focused simply on mono-object negotiations. But in fact, most practical business negotiations are based on multiple objects. In order to improve the intelligent negotiation model to meet the practical requirements, this paper proposes an integrated multi-agent, multi-object and multi-attribute intelligent negotiation model named M3INM. M3INM introduces a scalable multi-agent negotiation framework and integrates various negotiation rules into the model. In order to meet the balance among multiple attributes, the model introduces the idea of simulated annealing (SA) iterative algorithm. This deliberate SA algorithm adjusts dynamically the correlativity among attributes to obtain the optimized negotiation solution. Besides, the relevant negotiation mathematics model is also discussed and simulation results are presented and analyzed in this paper.