Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using an improved spatial clustering model for evaluation of industry agglomeration

In the past researches, industrial agglomeration mainly focused on single or particular industry and less on spatial industrial structure and mutual relations. In addition, industrial cluster indeed benefits industry development. To fully control the status and characteristics of district industrial, cluster can facilitate to improve the competitive ascendancy of district industry. The related researches on industrial spatial cluster were of great significance for setting up industrial policies and promoting district economic development. In this study, an improved model that combines DBSCAN and SOM was developed for analyzing industrial cluster. Different from distance-based algorithm for industrial cluster, the proposed model can calculate spatial characteristics between firms based on DBSCAN algorithm and evaluate the similarity of attributes between firms based on SOM model. The demonstrative data sets, 25 random sampling of firms around Taichung County in central Taiwan, were analyzed for verifying the practicability of the proposed model. The analyzed results indicate that the proposed model is suitable for evaluating spatial industrial cluster. This research benefits on regional development decision-making for local government.
The JAK/STAT pathway positively regulates DPP signaling in the Drosophila germline stem cell niche

The stem cell niche, formed by surrounding stromal cells, provides extrinsic signals that maintain stem cell self-renewal. However, it remains unclear how these extrinsic signals are regulated. In the Drosophila female germline stem cell (GSC) niche, Decapentaplegic (DPP) is an important niche factor for GSC self-renewal. The exact source of the DPP and how its transcription is regulated in this niche remain unclear. We show that dpp is expressed in somatic cells of the niche including the cap cells, a subtype of niche cells. Furthermore, our data show that the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway positively regulates dpp expression in the cap cells, suggesting that JAK/STAT activity is required in somatic niche cells to prevent precocious GSC differentiation. Our data suggest that the JAK/STAT pathway functions downstream/independently of cap cell formation induced by Notch signaling. JAK/STAT signaling may also regulate dpp expression in the male GSC niche, suggesting a common origin of female and male GSC niches.
Accommodative ciliary body and lens function in rhesus monkeys, I: normal lens, zonule and ciliary process configuration in the iridectomized eye.

PURPOSE The underlying causes of presbyopia, and the functional relationship between the ciliary muscle and lens during aging are unclear. In the current study, these relationships were studied in rhesus monkeys, whose accommodative apparatus and age-related loss of accommodation are similar to those in humans. METHODS Centripetal ciliary body and lens equator movements were measured during accommodation in 28 eyes of 21 rhesus monkeys (ages, 5.7-26 years) by goniovideography. Ultrasound biomicroscopy was performed in 21 eyes of 17 monkeys. Narrowing of the angle between the anterior aspect of the ciliary body and the inner aspect of the cornea was used as a surrogate indicator of forward ciliary body movement during accommodation. RESULTS Average centripetal ciliary body movement in older eyes (age > or =17 years, n = 16) was approximately 20% (0.09 mm) less than in young eyes (age, 6-10 years, n = 6), but not enough to explain the 60% (0.21 mm) loss in centripetal lens movement nor the 76% (10.2 D) loss in accommodative amplitude. Average forward ciliary body movement was 67% (49 degrees ) less in older (n = 11) versus young (n = 6) eyes. Maximum accommodative amplitude correlated significantly with the amplitude of centripetal lens movement (0.02 +/- 0.003 mm/D; n = 28; P < 0.001) and with forward ciliary body movement (3.34 +/- 0.54 deg/D; n = 21; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Decreased lens movement with age could be in part secondary to extralenticular age-related changes, such as loss of ciliary body forward movement. Ciliary body centripetal movement may not be the limiting component in accommodation in the older eye.
Bursty relay networks in low-SNR regimes

In a wireless network, the use of cooperation among nodes can significantly improve capacity and robustness to fading. Node cooperation can take many forms, including relaying and coordinated beamforming. However, many cooperation techniques have been developed for operation in narrowband systems for high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) applications. It is important to study how relay networks perform in a low-SNR regime, where the available degrees of freedom is large and the resulting SNR per degree of freedom is small. In this paper, taking into account either low-power narrowband transmissions (P¿0) or wideband transmissions with fixed power (W¿¿), we investigate the achievable rates and scaling laws of bursty amplify-and-forward relay networks in the low-SNR regime. Specifically, our results allow us to understand the effect of different system parameters on the achievable rates and scaling laws in the low-SNR regime, and highlight the role of bursty transmissions in this regime. These results entirely depend on the geographic locations of the nodes and are applicable for both fixed and random networks. We identify four scaling regimes that depend on the growth of the number of relay nodes and the increase of burstiness relative to the SNR. We characterize the achievable rates and the scaling laws in the joint asymptotic regime of the number of relay nodes, SNR, and duty-cycle parameter. These results can serve as design guidelines to indicate when bursty transmissions are most useful.
Effects of Aging on Renal Function and Regenerative Capacity

Along with the increase in aging of our population, the proportion of older patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is on the rise as a result of the accumulation of comorbidities as well as biological processes associated with aging. Older patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) comprise an increasing proportion of patients with CKD/ESRD as well. In this review, we will discuss biological processes of aging that predispose patients to AKI and CKD.
Blending Face-to-Face and Internet-Based Interventions for the Treatment of Mental Disorders in Adults: Systematic Review

Background Many studies have provided evidence for the effectiveness of Internet-based stand-alone interventions for mental disorders. A newer form of intervention combines the strengths of face-to-face (f2f) and Internet approaches (blended interventions). Objective The aim of this review was to provide an overview of (1) the different formats of blended treatments for adults, (2) the stage of treatment in which these are applied, (3) their objective in combining face-to-face and Internet-based approaches, and (4) their effectiveness. Methods Studies on blended concepts were identified through systematic searches in the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and PubMed databases. Keywords included terms indicating face-to-face interventions (“inpatient,” “outpatient,” “face-to-face,” or “residential treatment”), which were combined with terms indicating Internet treatment (“internet,” “online,” or “web”) and terms indicating mental disorders (“mental health,” “depression,” “anxiety,” or “substance abuse”). We focused on three of the most common mental disorders (depression, anxiety, and substance abuse). Results We identified 64 publications describing 44 studies, 27 of which were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Results suggest that, compared with stand-alone face-to-face therapy, blended therapy may save clinician time, lead to lower dropout rates and greater abstinence rates of patients with substance abuse, or help maintain initially achieved changes within psychotherapy in the long-term effects of inpatient therapy. However, there is a lack of comparative outcome studies investigating the superiority of the outcomes of blended treatments in comparison with classic face-to-face or Internet-based treatments, as well as of studies identifying the optimal ratio of face-to-face and Internet sessions. Conclusions Several studies have shown that, for common mental health disorders, blended interventions are feasible and can be more effective compared with no treatment controls. However, more RCTs on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of blended treatments, especially compared with nonblended treatments are necessary.
Prospective Evaluation of a Two‐Step Therapeutic Strategy in Neurocardiogenic Syncope: Midodrine as Second Line Treatment in Patients Refractory to β‐Blockers

Pharmacological therapy of neurocardiogenic syncope is often limited by the relatively low response rate to such treatment. In particular, response to β‐blocker treatment has been reported to average 50%. Therefore, two‐step protocol, with metoprolol being the drug of first choice, was developed and prospectively evaluated in consecutive patients with a history of repeated syncopal attacks and a positive tilt table test indicative of neurocardiogenic syncope. Patients not responding to the β‐blocker were switched to the α‐adrenoceptoragonist midodrine. Acute drug efficacy was assessed by repeated tilt table testing. The incidence of syncope recurrence rate was determined during a 7‐month follow‐up. In 16 of 30 (53%) patients, metoprolol was primarily effective; this was also the case in 7 of 11 patients receiving midodrine. Thus, the overall efficacy rate could be increased to 77% by the treatment protocol (P = 0.009, as compared to β‐blocker treatment alone). During follow‐up, only 1 of 27 patients (4%) had a syncopal event. Thus, the two‐step treatment protocol presented in this study proved to be safe and to improve significantly patients clinical symptoms, as well as results of repeated tilt table testing as compared to β‐blocker treatment alone.
Accretion-powered Stellar Winds. II. Numerical Solutions for Stellar Wind Torques

In order to explain the slow rotation observed in a large fraction of accreting pre-main-sequence stars (CTTSs), we explore the role of stellar winds in torquing down the stars. For this mechanism to be effective, the stellar winds need to have relatively high outflow rates, and thus would likely be powered by the accretion process itself. Here, we use numerical magnetohydrodynamical simulations to compute detailed two-dimensional (axisymmetric) stellar wind solutions, in order to determine the spin-down torque on the star. We discuss wind driving mechanisms and then adopt a Parker-like (thermal pressure driven) wind, modified by rotation, magnetic fields, and enhanced mass-loss rate (relative to the Sun). We explore a range of parameters relevant for CTTSs, including variations in the stellar mass, radius, spin rate, surface magnetic field strength, mass-loss rate, and wind acceleration rate. We also consider both dipole and quadrupole magnetic field geometries. Our simulations indicate that the stellar wind torque is of sufficient magnitude to be important for spinning down a “typical” CTTS, for a mass-loss rate of ~10−9 M☉ yr−1. The winds are wide-angle, self-collimated flows, as expected of magnetic rotator winds with moderately fast rotation. The cases with quadrupolar field produce a much weaker torque than for a dipole with the same surface field strength, demonstrating that magnetic geometry plays a fundamental role in determining the torque. Cases with varying wind acceleration rate show much smaller variations in the torque, suggesting that the details of the wind driving are less important. We use our computed results to fit a semianalytic formula for the effective Alfvén radius in the wind, as well as the torque. This allows for considerable predictive power, and is an improvement over existing approximations.
HiCrypt: A Specialized Translator for Symmetric Block Cipher and GPGPU

Many-core computer systems with GPUs are coming into mainstream use from high-end computing, including supercomputers, to embedded processors. Consequently, the implementation of cryptographic methods on GPGPU is also becoming popular because of such systems’ performance. However, many factors affect the performance of GPUs. To cope with this problem, we developed a new translator, HiCrypt, which can generate an optimized GPGPU program written in both of CUDA and OpenCL from a cipher program written in standard C language with directives. Users must annotate only variables and an encoding/decoding function, which are characteristics of cipher programs, with directives. To evaluate the translator, five representative cipher programs are translated into CUDA and OpenCL programs by the translator. Generated programs perform high throughput almost identical to hand optimized programs for all five cipher programs. HiCrypt will contribute to development and evaluate of new and various symmetric block ciphers using GPGPU. key words: translator, CUDA, OpenCL, symmetric block ciphers, GPGPU
A First Principles Approach to Develop a Dynamic Model of Electrochemical Capacitors

An alternative approach to develop a large-signal time-dependent model of a simple electrochemical capacitor is proposed. A simple planar electrochemical cell consisting of two metal electrodes separated by a sulfuric acid electrolyte layer is modeled from first principles. The model is a large-signal time-dependent model and is valid under constant temperature conditions. The model is based on the Poisson-Nernst-Planck electrodiffusion theory and physical attributes such as the impact of nonlinear polarization, the bulk electrolyte reactions, and changes to the transport coefficients are investigated. The system of partial differential equations has been solved using a finite element software package. The simulation results are compared with experimental results and discrepancies are discussed. The results indicate that the existing theory is not adequate in explaining the physics in the immediate vicinity of the electrode/electrolyte interface even though the general experimental and simulation results are in qualitative agreement with each other.
FlyBase: establishing a Gene Group resource for Drosophila melanogaster

Many publications describe sets of genes or gene products that share a common biology. For example, genome-wide studies and phylogenetic analyses identify genes related in sequence; high-throughput genetic and molecular screens reveal functionally related gene products; and advanced proteomic methods can determine the subunit composition of multi-protein complexes. It is useful for such gene collections to be presented as discrete lists within the appropriate Model Organism Database (MOD) so that researchers can readily access these data alongside other relevant information. To this end, FlyBase (flybase.org), the MOD for Drosophila melanogaster, has established a ‘Gene Group’ resource: high-quality sets of genes derived from the published literature and organized into individual report pages. To facilitate further analyses, Gene Group Reports also include convenient download and analysis options, together with links to equivalent gene groups at other databases. This new resource will enable researchers with diverse backgrounds and interests to easily view and analyse acknowledged D. melanogaster gene sets and compare them with those of other species.
Heart beat detection in multimodal physiological data using a hidden semi-Markov model and signal quality indices

Accurate heart beat detection in signals acquired from intensive care unit (ICU) patients is necessary for establishing both normality and detecting abnormal events. Detection is normally performed by analysing the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal, and alarms are triggered when parameters derived from this signal exceed preset or variable thresholds. However, due to noisy and missing data, these alarms are frequently deemed to be false positives, and therefore ignored by clinical staff. The fusion of features derived from other signals, such as the arterial blood pressure (ABP) or the photoplethysmogram (PPG), has the potential to reduce such false alarms. In order to leverage the highly correlated temporal nature of the physiological signals, a hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM) approach, which uses the intra- and inter-beat depolarization interval, was designed to detect heart beats in such data. Features based on the wavelet transform, signal gradient and signal quality indices were extracted from the ECG and ABP waveforms for use in the HSMM framework. The presented method achieved an overall score of 89.13% on the hidden/test data set provided by the Physionet/Computing in Cardiology Challenge 2014: Robust Detection of Heart Beats in Multimodal Data.
New Insights into Sepsis Therapy Using Sepia Officinalis

Background: Sepsis remains a major problem for both scientists and clinicians. Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) is considered the gold standard for animal models of sepsis. The undesirable side effects of certain antibiotics have forced scientists to discover new, natural, and safe antimicrobial agents, such as cephalopods, which are known to display significant antimicrobial activity. Objectives: The present investigation aims to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antibacterial and antiseptic efficacy of Sepia officinalis body tissue (SOBT) extract and S. officinalis polysaccharide (SOP) from its cuttlebone. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight rats were divided into 4 groups, and starting 2 hours after CLP, treatments were given for 2 days as follows: sham control rats treated orally with distilled water, septic rats treated orally distilled water, septic rats treated orally methanolic extract of SOBT (500 mg/kg b.wt) suspended in distilled water, and septic rats treated orally SOP extract (200 mg /kg b.wt) dissolved in distilled water. On the third day, half of the rats in each group were euthanized for blood collection. The other half were kept alive and used for the survival study. Results: The present study revealed that the SOBT and SOP extracts showed in vitro bactericidal activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, administration of SOBT and SOP increased the rats’ survival rates by 66.7% and 83.33%, respectively, as compared to the untreated CLP-septic rats. Treatment of the CLP-septic rats with SOBT and SOP significantly alleviated alterations in procalcitonin levels and in some hematological parameters induced by CLP. Conclusions: SOBT and SOP had profound antiseptic efficacy.
The impact of virtual views on containment

Virtual views are a mechanism that facilitates re-use and makes queries easier to express. However the use of iterative view definitions makes very simple query evaluation and analysis problems more complex. In this paper we study classical containment and equivalence problems for queries built up through simple unions of conjunctive queries and view definitions. More precisely, we determine the complexity of containment and equivalence for non-recursive Datalog. We show that the problem is much harder than its classical counterpart -- complete for co-NEXPTIME. We then show that this remains true even with restrictions on the schema and queries in place. Finally, we isolate subcases that are more tractable, ranging from NP to PSPACE.
Animal Ownership and Touching Enrich the Context of Social Contacts Relevant to the Spread of Human Infectious Diseases

Many human infectious diseases originate from animals or are transmitted through animal vectors. We aimed to identify factors that are predictive of ownership and touching of animals, assess whether animal ownership influences social contact behavior, and estimate the probability of a major zoonotic outbreak should a transmissible influenza-like pathogen be present in animals, all in the setting of a densely populated European country. A diary-based social contact survey (n = 1768) was conducted in Flanders, Belgium, from September 2010 until February 2011. Many participants touched pets (46%), poultry (2%) or livestock (2%) on a randomly assigned day, and a large proportion of participants owned such animals (51%, 15% and 5%, respectively). Logistic regression models indicated that larger households are more likely to own an animal and, unsurprisingly, that animal owners are more likely to touch animals. We observed a significant effect of age on animal ownership and touching. The total number of social contacts during a randomly assigned day was modeled using weighted-negative binomial regression. Apart from age, household size and day type (weekend versus weekday and regular versus holiday period), animal ownership was positively associated with the total number of social contacts during the weekend. Assuming that animal ownership and/or touching are at-risk events, we demonstrate a method to estimate the outbreak potential of zoonoses. We show that in Belgium animal-human interactions involving young children (0–9 years) and adults (25–54 years) have the highest potential to cause a major zoonotic outbreak.
T-1095, an inhibitor of renal Na+-glucose cotransporters, may provide a novel approach to treating diabetes.

T-1095A and T-1095 are synthetic agents derived from phlorizin, a specific inhibitor of Na+-glucose cotransporters (SGLTs). Unlike phlorizin, T-1095 is absorbed into the circulation via oral administration, is metabolized to the active form, T-1095A, and suppresses the activity of SGLTs in the kidney. Orally administered T-1095 increases urinary glucose excretion in diabetic animals, thereby decreasing blood glucose levels. Indeed, the postprandial hyperglycemia after a meal load was shown to be suppressed by this compound in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. With long-term T-1095 treatment, both blood glucose and HbA1c levels were reduced in STZ-induced diabetic rats and yellow KK mice. In addition, there was amelioration of abnormal carbohydrate metabolism, i.e., hyperinsulinemia and hypertriglyceridemia, and of the development of microalbuminuria, in yellow KK mice. Thus, T-1095 may be a useful antidiabetic drug, providing a novel therapeutic approach for diabetes.
Measurements, errors, and negative kinetic energy.

An analysis of errors in measurement yields new insight into the penetration of quantum particles into classically forbidden regions. In addition to “physical” values, realistic measurements yield “unphysical” values which, we show, can form a consistent pattern. An experiment to isolate a particle in a classically forbidden region obtains negative values for its kinetic energy. These values realize the concept of a weak value, discussed in previous works.
Intermittently Administered Parathyroid Hormone [1–34] Promotes Tendon-Bone Healing in a Rat Model

The objective of this study was to investigate whether intermittent administration of parathyroid hormone [1–34] (PTH[1–34]) promotes tendon-bone healing after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in vivo. A rat model of ACL reconstruction with autograft was established at the left hind leg. Every day, injections of 60 μg PTH[1–34]/kg subcutaneously were given to the PTH group rats (n = 10) for four weeks, and the controls (n = 10) received saline. The tendon-bone healing process was evaluated by micro-CT, biomechanical test, histological and immunohistochemical analyses. The effects of PTH[1–34] on serum chemistry, bone microarchitecture and expression of the PTH receptor (PTH1R) and osteocalcin were determined. Administration of PTH[1–34] significantly increased serum levels of calcium, alkaline phosphatase (AP), osteocalcin and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP). The expression of PTH1R on both osteocytes and chondrocyte-like cells at the tendon-bone interface was increased in the PTH group. PTH[1–34] also enhanced the thickness and microarchitecture of trabecular bone according to the micro-CT analysis. The results imply that systematically intermittent administration of PTH[1–34] promotes tendon-bone healing at an early stage via up-regulated PTH1R. This method may enable a new strategy for the promotion of tendon-bone healing after ACL reconstruction.