Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fat Graft Viability in the Subcutaneous Plane versus the Local Fat Pad

Background: Fat grafting has been increasingly utilized in both aesthetic and reconstructive surgical procedures, yet the basic scientific understanding of fat grafting has lagged behind the pace of clinical innovation and utilization. This lack of basic scientific understanding has perhaps manifested itself in the wide range of graft viability reported across the literature. This study attempts to further the underlying mechanisms of fat graft take and viability through the comparison of the subcutaneous plane and the local fat pad in athymic rats. Methods: Lipoaspirate from a consenting patient was grafted into 2 locations in the subcutaneous plane and into the 2 inguinal fat pads in each of 4 athymic rats. Specimens were then collected after 47 days, and immunohistochemistry was utilized to determine angiogenesis in the fat grafts as a measure of fat graft take. Data were analyzed using the Student’s t test and analysis of variance followed by multiple comparisons. Results: There was no statistically significant difference (P = 0.2913) between the inguinal fat pad and the subcutaneous plane when measuring neovascularization. Analysis of variance comparing the graft locations also indicated no statistically significant difference when comparing each of the rats. Conclusions: Investigation into fat graft injection location indicates that there is no statistically significant difference in angiogenesis signals between the subcutaneous plane and the local fat pad in the athymic rat model. Further research should aim to continue to close the gap between clinical practice and basic scientific understanding of fat grafting.
Research on Trust in E-Commerce of C2C Based on Game-Theory

Although the Internet is revolutionizing the way companies provide their products and services to their customers, marketing studies that investigate consumer acceptance of this technology are limited. The key is trust, which is significant barrier for realizing the potentials of C2C ecommerce. This paper, firstly, review briefly research on trust in e-commerce. Then, A trust model based on game theory is constructed, and some analyses are followed. By analyzing model, we know: breaking faith in bargaining in e-commerce is inevitable if without supervising. While safeguarding mechanism of third-party trust platform can avoid breaking faith and promote trust trade environment in e-commerce.
Effects of Maternal 5,10-Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase C677T and A1298C Polymorphisms and Tobacco Smoking on Infant Birth Weight in a Japanese Population

Background Intracellular folate hemostasis depends on the 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene. Because 5,10-MTHFR 677TT homozygosity and tobacco smoking are associated with low folate status, we tested the hypothesis that smoking in mothers with 5,10-MTHFR C677T or A1298C polymorphisms would be independently associated with lower birth weight among their offspring. Methods We assessed 1784 native Japanese mother-child pairs drawn from the ongoing birth cohort of The Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children’s Health. Data (demographic information, hospital birth records, and biological specimens) were extracted from recruitments that took place during the period from February 2003 to March 2006. Maternal serum folate were assayed by chemiluminescent immunoassay, and genotyping of 5,10-MTHFR C677T/A1298C polymorphisms was done using a TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. Results The prevalence of folate deficiency (<6.8 nmol/L) was 0.3%. The 5,10-MTHFR 677CT genotype was independently associated with an increase of 36.40 g (95% CI: 2.60 to 70.30, P = 0.035) in mean infant birth weight and an increase of 90.70 g (95% CI: 6.00 to 175.50, P = 0.036) among male infants of nonsmokers. Female infants of 677TT homozygous passive smokers were 99.00 g (95% CI: −190.26 to −7.56, P = 0.034) lighter. The birth weight of the offspring of smokers with 5,10-MTHFR 1298AA homozygosity was lower by 107.00 g (95% CI: −180.00 to −33.90, P = 0.004). Conclusions The results suggest that, in this population, maternal 5,10-MTHFR C677T polymorphism, but not the 5,10-MTHFR A1298C variant, is independently associated with improvement in infant birth weight, especially among nonsmokers. However, 5,10-MTHFR 1298AA might be associated with folate impairment and could interact with tobacco smoke to further decrease birth weight.
Theranostic nanoparticles for the management of inflammatory diseases and conditions

Atherosclerosis, the gradual buildup of plaques within arteries, is the main cause of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The World Health Organization reports that CVDs are the number one cause of death in the world. In the United States alone, around 85 million people suffer from CVDs; this is associated with a cost of over $316 billion per year and responsible for about a third of all deaths in the US. Recent findings have shown that inflammation plays a pivotal role in atherosclerosis. Although statins have traditionally been prescribed for their lipidlowering benefits, studies have indicated that they can have other effects as well (so-called "pleiotropic effects"), including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-thrombotic benefits. This thesis presents a novel theranostic (therapeutic + diagnostic) nanoparticle platform for the treatment and diagnosis of atherosclerosis. Given the anti-inflammatory effects of statins when cells are directly treated, the aim of this nanoparticle platform was to target macrophages within plaques given their central role in plaque development and progression. First, simvastatin-loaded nanoparticles were designed and optimized. The particles consisted of a biodegradable polymer core and a lipid shell. Using bulk nanoprecipitation methods, as well as microfluidic devices, the physical characteristics of the particles could be controlled and fine-tuned to meet the desired specifications: 100 to 200 nm in size, -15 to -20 mV in zeta potential, and 70%+ simvastatin loading efficiency. Imaging agents, such as iron oxide nanocrystals used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), were successfully incorporated into the nanoparticles and can offer diagnostic capabilities to the nanoparticles. Next, various nanoparticle formulations were shown to be therapeutically effective in cell and mice models of atherosclerosis. For instance, in vitro treatment of macrophages led to decreases in the expression of TNF-a and MCP-1 by roughly 20% and 50%, respectively. This pattern has also been observed in murine models, with researchers showing that simvastatinloaded particles can halt plaque development (and even decrease plaque area) while reducing the expression of pro-inflammatory genes (e.g., of TNF-a, ILIP) by an order of magnitude. Overall, this thesis presents a new and innovative nanoparticle platform that has the potential for the simultaneous treatment and diagnosis of atherosclerosis. Given their antiinflammatory benefits, these nanoparticles have the potential to impact the treatment of not only atherosclerosis but also various other inflammatory conditions and diseases as well. Thesis supervisor: Robert S. Langer, Sc.D. Title: David H. Koch Institute Professor
Expanding the Model-Tracing Architecture: A 3rd Generation Intelligent Tutor for Algebra Symbolization

Following Computer Aided Instruction systems, 2nd generation tutors are Model-Tracing Tutors (MTTs) (Anderson & Pelletier, 1991) which are intelligent tutoring systems that have been very successful at aiding student learning, but have not reached the level of performance of experienced human tutors (Anderson et al., 1995). To that end, this paper presents a new architecture called ATM ("Adding a Tutorial Model"), which is an extension to model-tracing, that allows these tutors to engage in a dialog that is more like those in which experienced human tutors engage. Specifically, while MTTs provide hints toward doing the next problemsolving step, this 3rd generation of tutors, the ATM architecture, adds the capability to ask questions towards thinking about the knowledge behind the next problem-solving step. We present a new tutor built in ATM, called Ms. Lindquist, which is designed to carry on a tutorial dialog about algebra symbolization. The difference between ATM and MTT is the separate tutorial model that encodes pedagogical content knowledge in the form of different tutorial strategies, which were partially developed by observing an experienced human tutor. Ms. Lindquist has tutored thousands of students at www.AlgebraTutor. org. Future work will reveal if Ms. Lindquist is a better tutor because of the addition of the tutorial model.
Optimal nonlinear line-of-flight estimation in positron emission tomography

The authors consider detection of high-energy photons in positron emission tomography using thick scintillation crystals. Parallax effect and multiple Compton interactions in such crystals significantly reduce the accuracy of conventional detection methods. In order to estimate the photon line of flight based on photomultiplier responses, the authors use asymptotically optimal nonlinear techniques, implemented by feedforward and radial basis function neural networks. Incorporation of information about angles of incidence of photons significantly improves accuracy of estimation. The proposed estimators are fast enough to perform detection, using conventional computers. Monte Carlo simulation results show that their approach significantly outperforms the conventional Anger algorithm.
A Mathematical Formulation for Calculating Temperature Dependent Friction Coefficient Values: Application in Friction Stir Welding (FSW)

High rotational motion from the welding tool generates a significant amount of the heat during friction stir welding (FSW). Basically, during FSW the heat is mostly coming from the frictional force between the tool shoulder and the plates. Therefore, a precise calculation of the friction coefficient can increase the accuracy of the finite element analysis (FEA) of the process. However, researchers have applied constant values, and that causes a gap between the reality and the simulated model especially after the welding plunging step. In this study, a mathematical formulation is proposed in order to calculate the temperature dependent values of the friction coefficient and also to explore the influence of the temperature in the friction coefficient. To solve the governing equations of the process, the MATLAB® software is used. The results indicate that, from 25°C to the AA 6061-T6 melting point (580°C), the values of the friction coefficient fall steadily in a range of 0.207089 to 0.000582. Furthermore, the material shear stress and the material yield stress decrease consistently as the temperature rises. Consequently, the influence of the temperature in the contact input parameters and the material properties are discussed in detail and a good correlation with the published results is achieved.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae downregulates expression of the human antimicrobial peptide LL‐37

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a human pathogen causing the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoeae. The bacteria preferentially attach to and invade epithelial cells of the genital tract. As these cells previously have been shown to express the human cathelicidin LL‐37, we wanted to investigate the role of LL‐37 during N. gonorrhoeae infection. The cervical epithelial cell line ME180 was utilized and the expression of LL‐37 was confirmed on both peptide and transcriptional levels. Moreover, LL‐37 exhibited potent in vitro activity against N. gonorrhoeae. Interestingly, the transcript and peptide levels of LL‐37 were downregulated during infection, according to quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunocyto‐chemistry. The downregulation was most prominent with pathogenic strains of Neisseria, while non‐pathogenic strains such as Neisseria lactamica and Escherichia coli only exhibited moderate effects. Heat‐killed N. gonorrhoeae had no impact on the downregulation, emphasizing the importance of live bacteria. The results in this study suggest that pathogenic Neisseria may gain a survival advantage in the female genital tract by downregulating LL‐37 expression.
Mossy fiber sprouting is dissociated from kindling of generalized seizures in the guinea‐pig

Controversy surrounds whether aberrant mossy fiber sprouting in the hippocampus is necessary for the establishment of seizure states. We investigated the association between mossy fiber sprouting and kindling in guinea-pigs, using either single-site or alternate-site stimulation. Kindling with single-site amygdaloid stimulation did not induce significant sprouting, despite the development of partial seizures. In contrast, single-site septal and alternating amygdaloid-septal stimulation produced moderate but signinicant sprouting in about 60% of animals that failed to develop stage 5 generalized seizures. Since the magnitude of sprouting was similar despite striking differences in the intensity of seizures that developed, we conclude that mossy sprouting is not causally associated with seizure development.
Torsion and the gravitational interaction

By using a nonholonomous-frame formulation of the general covariance principle, seen as an active version of the strong equivalence principle, an analysis of the gravitational coupling prescription in the presence of curvature and torsion is made. The coupling prescription implied by this principle is found to be always equivalent to that of general relativity, a result that reinforces the completeness of this theory, as well as the teleparallel point of view according to which torsion does not represent additional degrees of freedom for gravity, but simply an alternative way of representing the gravitational field.
Effect of Pore Connectivity on Li Dendrite Propagation within LLZO Electrolytes Observed with Synchrotron X-ray Tomography

Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) is a garnet-type material that demonstrates promising characteristics for all-solid-state battery applications due to its high Li-ion conductivity and its compatibility with Li metal. The primary limitation of LLZO is the propensity for short-circuiting at low current densities. Microstructure features such as grain boundaries, pore character, and density all contribute to this shorting phenomenon. Toward the goal of understanding processing-structure relationships for practical design of solid electrolytes, the present study tracks structural transformations in solid electrolytes processed at three different temperatures (1050, 1100, and 1150 °C) using synchrotron X-ray tomography. A subvolume of 300 μm3 captures the heterogeneity of the solid electrolyte microstructure while minimizing the computational intensity associated with 3D reconstructions. While the porosity decreases with increasing temperature, the underlying connectivity of the pore region increases. Solid electrolytes wi.
Evolutionary optimization of flavors

We have acquired panelist data that provides hedonic (liking) ratings for a set of 40 flavors each composed of the same 7 ingredients at different concentration levels. Our goal is to use this data and predict other flavors, composed of the same ingredients in new combinations, which the panelist will like. We describe how we first employ Pareto-Genetic Programming (GP) to generate a surrogate for the human panelist from the 40 observations. This surrogate, in fact an ensemble of GP symbolic regression models, can predict liking scores for flavors outside the observations and provide a confidence in the prediction. We then employ a multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) to design a well and consistently liked flavor suite for a panelist. The MOPSO identifies flavors that are well liked, i.e., high liking score, and consistently-liked, i.e., of maximum confidence. Further, we generate flavors that are well and consistently liked by a cluster of panelists, by giving the MOPSO slightly different objectives.
Decreased Free Water Clearance Is Associated with Worse Respiratory Outcomes in Premature Infants

Objective The goal was to elucidate predictors of decreased free water clearance (DFWC) in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. We hypothesized that DFWC and fluid retention are linked to the severity of pulmonary problems and prolonged respiratory support, especially to nCPAP treatment. Methods The investigation was carried out at Tampere University Hospital between 2001 and 2006. The study population comprised 74 VLBW infants born at 29.21 (24.57–34.14) weeks of gestation. Median birth weight was 1175 (575–1490) grams. We measured plasma and urine osmolality and 24-hour urine volume to calculate free water clearance (FWC) for each infant. If FWC was less than 30 ml/kg/day the infant was classified as having DFWC. Results There were 38 (51.4%) infants with DFWC in the study population. The median duration of the observed DFT period was 14 (4–44) days. The gestational age at birth was lower for DFWC infants compared to infants with normal FWC (NFWC), 28.29 (24.57–32.86) vs. 30.00 (25.57–34.14) weeks (p = 0.001). DFWC infants also needed longer ventilator treatment, 2 (0–23) vs. 0.50 (0–23) days (p = 0.046), nCPAP treatment 30 (0–100) vs. 3 (0–41) days (p<0.0001) and longer oxygen supplementation 47 (0–163) vs. 22 (0–74) days (p = 0.011) than NFWC infants. All values presented here are medians with ranges. Conclusions DFWC appears to be frequently connected with exacerbation and prolongation of pulmonary problems in VLBW infants. Cautious fluid administration seems to be indicated in VLBW infants with prolonged respiratory problems and DFWC.
A fast online task placement algorithm on 3D partially reconfigurable devices

Three dimensional (3D) integration technology provides a great opportunity for reconfigurable device to improve performance, while the literatures for 3D reconfigurable device are lack of an efficient task scheduling and placement algorithm. In this paper, a Maximal Empty Cuboids (MECs) list is proposed to manage free space on 3D reconfigurable device. When a task is assigned or removed, a series of MECs are selected and cut into multiple Maximal Empty Rectangles (MERs) or MECs in the horizontal direction and stored in different layers. By updating the MERs in each layer and extending them from bottom to up layer, the updated MECs can be generated quickly. The experimental results verify the efficiency of proposed algorithm.
Optimal multiuser spectrum balancing for digital subscriber lines

Crosstalk is a major issue in modern digital subscriber line (DSL) systems such as ADSL and VDSL. Static spectrum management, which is the traditional way of ensuring spectral compatibility, employs spectral masks that can be overly conservative and lead to poor performance. This paper presents a centralized algorithm for optimal spectrum balancing in DSL. The algorithm uses the dual decomposition method to optimize spectra in an efficient and computationally tractable way. The algorithm shows significant performance gains over existing dynamics spectrum management (DSM) techniques, e.g., in one of the cases studied, the proposed centralized algorithm leads to a factor-of-four increase in data rate over the distributed DSM algorithm iterative waterfilling.
08.02: Experimental research of multiple perfobond connectors for composite girders

Extensive research has been carried out in recent years focusing on the behaviour of innovative connectors for steel and concrete composite girders. Those elements exhibit large resistance and adequate behaviour under different load types, and at the same time are easy to fabricate and to erect on site. Among these types, the Perfobond connector or Perfobond rib, consisting of a perforated steel plate welded to the steel beam flange, has been extensively studied by numerous authors, due to its particularly convenient efficiency, behaviour and ductility characteristics.
A Locally Optimal Soft Linear-Quadratic Scheme for CR Systems in Shadowing Environments

In this letter, we analyze the problem of detecting spectrum holes in cognitive radio systems under the Neyman–Pearson scenario. We consider that a group of unlicensed users use noncoherent energy detectors to sense the radio signal and design a soft locally optimal linear-quadratic statistic based on the deflection coefficient. Each unlicensed user transmits the processed data to a central entity, where the decision about the presence or not of licensed users is made. Using the method of Monte Carlo, we show that the proposed statistic outperforms previous ones available in the literature in a wide range of shadow-fading scenarios and it is robust against parameters errors.
Microbial Regulation in Gorgonian Corals

Gorgonian corals possess many novel natural products that could potentially mediate coral-bacterial interactions. Since many bacteria use quorum sensing (QS) signals to facilitate colonization of host organisms, regulation of prokaryotic cell-to-cell communication may represent an important bacterial control mechanism. In the present study, we examined extracts of twelve species of Caribbean gorgonian corals, for mechanisms that regulate microbial colonization, such as antibacterial activity and QS regulatory activity. Ethanol extracts of gorgonians collected from Puerto Rico and the Florida Keys showed a range of both antibacterial and QS activities using a specific Pseudomonas aeruginosa QS reporter, sensitive to long chain AHLs and a short chain N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHL) biosensor, Chromobacterium violaceium. Overall, the gorgonian corals had higher antimicrobial activity against non-marine strains when compared to marine strains. Pseudopterogorgia americana, Pseusopterogorgia acerosa, and Pseudoplexuara flexuosa had the highest QS inhibitory effect. Interestingly, Pseudoplexuara porosa extracts stimulated QS activity with a striking 17-fold increase in signal. The stimulation of QS by P. porosa or other elements of the holobiont may encourage colonization or recruitment of specific microbial species. Overall, these results suggest the presence of novel stimulatory QS, inhibitory QS and bactericidal compounds in gorgonian corals. A better understanding of these compounds may reveal insight into coral-microbial ecology and whether a therapeutic potential exists.
Cotton Leaf Spot Diseases Detection Utilizing Feature Selection with Skew Divergence Method

This research work exposes the novel approach of analysis at existing works based on machine vision system for the identification of the visual symptoms of Cotton crop diseases, from RGB images. Diseases regions of cotton crops are revealed in digital pictures, Which were amended and segmented. In this work Proposed Enhanced PSO feature selection method adopts Skew divergence method and user features like Edge, Color, Texture variances to extract the features. Set of features was extracted from each of them. The extracted feature was input to the SVM, Back propagation neural network (BPN), Fuzzy with Edge CYMK color feature and GA feature selection. Tests were performed to identify the best classification model. It has been hypothesized that from the given characteristics of the images, there should be a subset of features more informative of the image domain. To test this hypothesis, three classification models were assessed via cross validation. To Evaluate its efficiency of six types of diseases have been accurately classified like Bacterial Blight, Fusariumwilt, Leaf Blight, Root rot, Micro Nurient, Verticilium Wilt. The Experimental results obtained show that the robust feature vector set which is an Enhancement of a feature extraction method (EPSO) has been afforded the performance assessment of this system.