Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Are Responsible for a Prothrombotic Phenotype of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat Arteries

Objective— The hypothesis that hypertension induces a hypercoagulable state arises from the complications associated with hypertension: stroke and myocardial infarction. Here, we determine whether hypertension causes changes in the thrombin-generating capacity of the vascular wall. Approach and Results— We used spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) compared with Wistar rats. The addition of thoracic aortic rings of SHR to a Wistar or SHR plasma pool resulted in a greater increase in thrombin generation compared with equivalent rings from Wistar. This increase occurred in 12- but not 5-week-old rats and was prevented by an angiotensin II–converting enzyme inhibitor, indicating that established hypertension is required to induce increased thrombin generation within the vessel wall. Whereas no difference was observed for endothelial cells, thrombin formation was higher on aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) from SHR than on those from Wistar. Exposure of negatively charged phospholipids was higher on SHR than on Wistar rings, as well as on cultured SMCs. Tissue factor activity was higher in SHR SMCs. Twelve-week-old SHR exhibited accelerated FeCl3-induced thrombus formation in carotid arteries, and the resulting occlusive thrombi were disaggregated by blockade of glycoprotein Ib&agr;–von Willebrand factor interactions. SHR SMCs were more sensitive to thrombin-induced proliferation than Wistar SMCs. This effect was totally abolished by a protease-activated receptor 1 inhibitor. Conclusions— The prothrombotic phenotype of the SHR vessel wall was due to the ability of SMCs to support greater thrombin generation and resulted in accelerated occlusive thrombus formation after arterial injury, which was sensitive to glycoprotein Ib&agr;–von Willebrand factor inhibitors.
Incorporating Visual Intelligence in Line Following Robots

Line follower robot is a mobile robot that is programmed to detect the path and trace the same. A colored line follower is an improved version of the line follower robot which is able to select the desired line among different colored lines as per the instructions given by the user. Line-following robots have gained significant attention due to their applications in various fields, including industrial automation, transportation, and entertainment. Traditional line-followers use basic infrared sensor-based systems, which restrict their ability to handle complex and dynamic surroundings and also work for either black or white path. In order to improve the robot's ability to navigate and track a colored path, this paper suggests two methods that make use of sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms. Open CV and python are used to design the path detection system and a feedback-based control loop mechanism called PID controller is also implemented for robot movement. Out of the two proposed methods, the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of IR Analogy Algorithm over Image Warping based algorithm.
High-speed free-space optical card-to-card transmission architecture based on homodyne coherent detection

In this paper, a 60cm free-space optical card-to-card wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) transmission architecture using OFDM modulation and coherent detection is proposed and demonstrated, which can offer flexibility and high speed transmission simultaneously. The experimental results show that the net data rate is up to 106.9Gb/s and the receiver sensitivity is −34dBm at the BER threshold of 10−4.
Keyword search on structured and semi-structured data

Empowering users to access databases using simple keywords can relieve the users from the steep learning curve of mastering a structured query language and understanding complex and possibly fast evolving data schemas. In this tutorial, we give an overview of the state-of-the-art techniques for supporting keyword search on structured and semi-structured data, including query result definition, ranking functions, result generation and top-k query processing, snippet generation, result clustering, query cleaning, performance optimization, and search quality evaluation. Various data models will be discussed, including relational data, XML data, graph-structured data, data streams, and workflows. We also discuss applications that are built upon keyword search, such as keyword based database selection, query generation, and analytical processing. Finally we identify the challenges and opportunities of future research to advance the field.
Reductions in Parental Use of Corporal Punishment on Pre-School Children Following Participation in the Moms’ Empowerment Program

Corporal punishment is a widely used and widely endorsed form of parental discipline. Inter-partner violence places enormous stress upon women. The rate of corporal punishment is higher in homes where other types of domestic violence are also occurring. This study compares two groups: those who participated in an intervention for women exposed to intimate partner violence (The Moms’ Empowerment Program [MEP]) and those in a comparison group. Using standardized measures, women in both groups were assessed at baseline and at the end of the program, 5 weeks later. The 113 mothers who participated in the MEP program had significantly improved their parenting, such that they had less use of physical punishment post-intervention. Findings suggest that a relatively brief community-based intervention program can reduce the use of parental physical punishment even in disadvantaged populations coping with stressful circumstances.
A cognitive dysfunction in anxiety and its amelioration by effective treatment with SSRIs

There is extensive research suggesting an abnormal selective attention to threat in anxiety disorders. We assessed the processing of emotional cognitions of physical anxiety, psycho-social fears, depression and positive affect in a cohort of 15 patients with active anxiety disorder (mostly panic) in comparison with a group of 15 depressed patients and 15 recovered panic patients after treatment with antidepressants (all selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) and an age- and sex-matched normal control group. Anxious patients showed delayed processing of emotional words (both negative and positive) compared with depressed patients. The successfully treated group showed no such interference and their responses were indistinguishable from controls. It would therefore appear that anxious patients (panic and generalized anxiety disorder) are affected primarily (but not exclusively) by themes of self-harm and psycho-social fears, and that this cognitive dysfunction in pathological anxiety is a state rather than trait feature of the condition, which is responsive to pharmacological intervention.
Pregnancy by the tubal transfer of embryos developed after injection of round spermatids into oocyte cytoplasm of the cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis).

BACKGROUND Round spermatids have been used as substitute gametes in basic reproductive research and in infertility clinics. In humans, however, the efficiency of fertilization and pregnancy is generally much lower after round spermatid injection (ROSI) than after injection with mature sperm. We examined the ability of round spermatids to support embryonic development using a non-human primate as a model. We chose cynomolgus monkeys because, as in humans, their round spermatids have the oocyte-activating capacity of mature sperm. METHODS We examined fertilization and subsequent development of embryos after ROSI and then transferred the embryos into the oviducts of female monkeys. RESULTS Seventy-seven per cent of survived oocytes were activated and had formed pronuclei or the second polar body; 79% of the oocytes cultured developed to the 2-cell stage, and 23% developed to the blastocyst stage. Ultrasonography showed a normal-sized fetus in the uterus of a recipient, but the fetus spontaneously aborted at day 103. CONCLUSIONS The round spermatids of cynomolgus monkeys can be used as substitute gametes to support embryonic development at least to mid-gestation. This non-human primate is a suitable animal model for round spermatid conception in mammals, especially humans, and for biological and genetic characterization of events following ROSI.
The Case for Chronic Disease Management for Addiction

Chronic disease (care) management (CDM) is a patient-centered model of care that involves longitudinal care delivery; integrated, and coordinated primary medical and specialty care; patient and clinician education; explicit evidence-based care plans; and expert care availability. The model, incorporating mental health and specialty addiction care, holds promise for improving care for patients with substance dependence who often receive no care or fragmented ineffective care. We describe a CDM model for substance dependence and discuss a conceptual framework, the extensive current evidence for component elements, and a promising strategy to reorganize primary and specialty health care to facilitate access for people with substance dependence. The CDM model goes beyond integrated case management by a professional, colocation of services, and integrated medical and addiction care—elements that individually can improve outcomes. Supporting evidence is presented that: 1) substance dependence is a chronic disease requiring longitudinal care, although most patients with addictions receive no treatment (eg, detoxification only) or short-term interventions, and 2) for other chronic diseases requiring longitudinal care (eg, diabetes, congestive heart failure), CDM has been proven effective.
Genotype-phenotype correlation in cystic fibrosis patients bearing [H939R;H949L] allele

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) gene mutations. We ascertained five patients with a novel complex CFTR allele, with two mutations, H939R and H949L, inherited in cis in the same exon of CFTR gene, and one different mutation per patient inherited in trans in a wide population of 289 Caucasian CF subjects from South Italy. The genotype-phenotype relationship in patients bearing this complex allele was investigated. The two associated mutations were related to classical severe CF phenotypes.
Basic Interests: The Importance of Groups in Politics and in Political Science

A generation ago, scholars saw interest groups as the single most important element in the American political system. Today, political scientists are more likely to see groups as a marginal influence compared to institutions such as Congress, the presidency, and the judiciary. Frank Baumgartner and Beth Leech show that scholars have veered from one extreme to another not because of changes in the political system, but because of changes in political science. They review hundreds of books and articles about interest groups from the 1940s to today; examine the methodological and conceptual problems that have beset the field; and suggest research strategies to return interest-group studies to a position of greater relevance. The authors begin by explaining how the group approach to politics became dominant forty years ago in reaction to the constitutional-legal approach that preceded it. They show how it fell into decline in the 1970s as scholars ignored the impact of groups on government to focus on more quantifiable but narrower subjects, such as collective-action dilemmas and the dynamics of recruitment. As a result, despite intense research activity, we still know very little about how groups influence day-to-day governing. Baumgartner and Leech argue that scholars need to develop a more coherent set of research questions, focus on large-scale studies, and pay more attention to the context of group behavior. Their book will give new impetus and direction to a field that has been in the academic wilderness too long.
Prophylactic Antibiotics for Mesh Inguinal Hernioplasty: A Meta-analysis

Objective:To assess the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis in mesh hernioplasty. Background:Antibiotic prophylaxis use in mesh inguinal hernioplasty is controversial. Available evidence is nonconclusive because of the low number of clinical trials assessing its effectiveness. Some trials have a small sample size that could overestimate or underestimate the real effectiveness of this intervention. Meta-analysis is a good method to improve these methodological flaws. Methods:Meta-analysis intended to measure the benefits of antibiotic prophylaxis on surgical site infection rate in adult patients scheduled for mesh inguinal hernioplasty. Six randomized clinical trials were found. Quality was assessed using Cochrane Collaboration criteria. Results:A total of 2507 patients were analyzed. Surgical site infection frequency was 1.38% in the antibiotic group versus 2.89% in the control group (odds ratio = 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.27–0.85). There was no statistical heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis by quality did not show differences in overall results. Conclusion:Antibiotic prophylaxis use in patients submitted to mesh inguinal hernioplasty decreased the rate of surgical site infection by almost 50%.
Distal anterior compartment myopathy: A dysferlin mutation causing a new muscular dystrophy phenotype

We report a family with a new phenotype of autosomal recessive muscle dystrophy caused by a dysferlin mutation. The onset of the illness is distal, in the muscles of the anterior compartment group. The disease is rapidly progressive, leading to severe proximal weakness. Muscle biopsy showed moderate dystrophic changes with no vacuoles. Dysferlin immunostaining was negative. Gene analysis revealed a frameshift mutation in the exon 50 (delG5966) of the DYSF gene. This phenotype further demonstrates the clinical heterogeneity of the dysferlinopathies. Ann Neurol 2001;49:130–134
A longitudinal study of mental health consumer/survivor initiatives: Part 1—Literature review and overview of the study

Mental health consumer-run organizations are alternatives to mainstream mental health services, and they have the dual focus of supporting members and creating systems change. The existing literature suggests that these organizations have beneficial impacts on social support, community integration, personal empowerment, subjective quality of life, symptom distress, utilization of hospitals, and employment/education. However, much of this research is cross-sectional or retrospective and has not used comparison groups, thus limiting conclusions about the effectiveness of these organizations in improving the lives of members. Although many consumer-run organizations also have a focus on social systems change, there has been little research documenting either the nature of these activities or the system changes that result from such activities. We provide an overview of a longitudinal study of four mental health Consumer/Survivor Initiatives. The study examines both individual-level and systems-level activities and impacts by using both quantitative and qualitative methods with a participatory action research framework. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of Uniforms on Perceptions of Pictures of Athletes

Four pairs of pictures of female athletes in or out of uniform were rated on a 7-point scale by 271 female high school students and 26 female high school teachers on the dimensions of professionalism, team spirit, coordination, natural ability, over-all ability and muscular strength. Athletes were rated more favorably when dressed in uniforms by both groups on all dimensions, although several of the comparisons failed to reach statistical significance. The strongest effects were found for the variables of total score, over-all ability, professionalism and team spirit; the weakest effects were for coordination, muscular strength and natural ability.
Synthetic Oversampling for Advanced Radioactive Threat Detection

Gamma-ray spectral classification requires the automatic identification of a large background class and a small minority class composed of instances that may pose a risk to humans and the environment. Accurate classification of such instances is required in a variety of domains, spanning event and port security to national monitoring for failures at industrial nuclear facilities. This work proposes a novel form of synthetic oversampling based on artificial neural network architecture and empirically demonstrates that it is superior to the state-of-the-art in synthetic oversampling on the target domain. In particular, we utilize gamma-ray spectral data collected for security purposes at the Vancouver 2010 winter Olympics and on a node of Health Canada's national monitoring networks.
The relationship between fitness and health-related quality of life and the mediating role of self-determined motivation in overweight adolescents

Aim: To examine the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among overweight adolescents and to test whether this relationship is mediated by body image (BI) and self-determined motivation for physical activity (PA) and exercise. Methods: One hundred and twenty adolescents identified as overweight or obese were recruited through the school health service. The participants completed self-report instruments measuring HRQoL, BI and self-determined motivation for physical activity and exercise in addition to a 20 m shuttle-run test, and body mass index was calculated. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the hypothesised five-dimensional structure of the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2 (BREQ-2) used to measure self-determined motivation. Associations between the study variables were explored using univariate linear regression. Mediation was tested by a multistage regression approach. Results: The five-dimensional model of BREQ-2 showed acceptable fit for the data. We revealed a statistically significant association between cardiorespiratory fitness and HRQoL (4.16 [0.3–8.02]; p < .05). CRF failed to affect BI in the first mediation equation. Hence, body image was excluded from further analyses. However, self-determined motivation proved to mediate the relationship between CRF and HRQoL. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the motivational mechanisms related to fitness can contribute to explain the association between CRF and HRQoL in overweight adolescents. The findings are important from a public health point of view and should be taken into account in the development of PA interventions for overweight and obese adolescents for the potential enhancement of their physical and psychosocial well-being.
Age as a modulator of coronary capillary angiogenesis.

Ahalf century ago Roberts and Wearn' published their classical study on human hearts, which demonstrated that 1) capillaries multiply during postnatal growth to compensate for the increase in muscle fiber size, 2) muscle-to-capillary ratio attains a value of approximately 1:1 at maturity, and 3) this ratio persists throughout life. They also found that hypertrophied hearts of adults consistently had lower capillary densities than hearts that were not hypertrophied. Since that time, the prevailing view has been that cardiac hypertrophy in humans is accompanied by little or no capillary growth. However, the article by Rakusan and colleagues2 that appears in this issue of Circulation is the first to systematically document capillary parameters with regard to postnatal growth and pressure-overload hypertrophy in humans. There are several important new findings in this paper that provide insights into coronary angiogenesis.
In vivo confocal microscopy of human corneal nerves in health, in ocular and systemic disease, and following corneal surgery: a review

The exponential evolution of in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) has led to a significant enhancement in our knowledge of the living cornea in both its physiological and pathological states. Studies using white light and coherent light-based IVCM have enabled detailed quantitative analysis of sub-basal nerve parameters, and have also resulted in the elucidation of the two-dimensional architecture of the normal corneal sub-basal nerve plexus. However, accurate and repeatable methods for quantitative analysis of stromal nerves imaged by IVCM remain to be developed. The effect of corneal surgery on central corneal nerves has been well documented in many IVCM studies, and these studies provide an indication of the regenerative capacity of corneal nerves. IVCM has also clearly demonstrated the involvement of corneal nerves in diseases such as keratoconus, although it remains unclear whether these alterations are a cause of, or occur secondary to, the disease process. IVCM has also been proposed as non-invasive method of accurately diagnosing and assessing the progression of diabetic neuropathy, highlighting the potential application of this technique as an indicator of systemic disease. This review consolidates our knowledge of how IVCM has contributed significantly to our greater understanding of corneal nerves in the living human cornea in health and disease.
Direct control of fixation times in scene viewing: Evidence from analysis of the distribution of first fixation duration

Participants' eye movements were monitored in two scene viewing experiments that manipulated the task-relevance of scene stimuli and their availability for extrafoveal processing. In both experiments, participants viewed arrays containing eight scenes drawn from two categories. The arrays of scenes were either viewed freely (Free Viewing) or in a gaze-contingent viewing mode where extrafoveal preview of the scenes was restricted (No Preview). In Experiment 1a, participants memorized the scenes from one category that was designated as relevant, and in Experiment 1b, participants chose their preferred scene from within the relevant category. We examined first fixations on scenes from the relevant category compared to the irrelevant category (Experiments 1a and 1b), and those on the chosen scene compared to other scenes not chosen within the relevant category (Experiment 1b). A survival analysis was used to estimate the first discernible influence of the task-relevance on the distribution of first-fixation durations. In the free viewing condition in Experiment 1a, the influence of task relevance occurred as early as 81 ms from the start of fixation. In contrast, the corresponding value in the no preview condition was 254 ms, demonstrating the crucial role of extrafoveal processing in enabling direct control of fixation durations in scene viewing. First fixation durations were also influenced by whether or not the scene was eventually chosen (Experiment 1b), but this effect occurred later and affected fewer fixations than the effect of scene category, indicating that the time course of scene processing is an important variable mediating direct control of fixation durations.