Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rho-kinase inhibition ameliorates peritoneal fibrosis and angiogenesis in a rat model of peritoneal sclerosis.

BACKGROUND Peritoneal fibrosis (PF) and angiogenesis are typical morphological changes, leading to loss of peritoneal functions in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. The small G protein, Rho, and its downstream effector Rho-kinase have been shown to be involved in the tissue fibrosis process. This study was undertaken to investigate the role of Rho-kinase in the pathogenesis of these alterations. METHODS PF was induced by intraperitoneal administration of chlorhexidine (CHX) in male rats (CHX group). These rats were treated with a Rho-kinase inhibitor, fasudil (Fas group). Human pleural mesothelial cells, MeT-5A cells, were stimulated by glucose with or without another Rho-kinase inhibitor, Y-27632. RESULTS Peritoneal damage including peritoneal thickening, fibrous changes, macrophage migration and angiogenesis were evident in the CHX group and were ameliorated in the Fas group. The expression of markers of tissue fibrosis, such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, fibronectin and α-smooth muscle cell actin, were increased in the CHX group and were downregulated by fasudil. Similar results were also seen with an inducer of angiogenesis, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Rho-kinase was activated in the peritoneum of the CHX group, which was inhibited by fasudil. In MeT-5A cells, high glucose increased TGF-β expression and VEGF secretion, which were blocked by Y-27632. CONCLUSIONS The activation of Rho-kinase is involved in peritoneal damage at multiple stages including tissue fibrosis and angiogenesis. The inhibition of Rho-kinase constitutes a novel strategy for the treatment of PF.
Cross layer interactions for adaptive communications in IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs. (Mécanismes d'interactions intercouches pour améliorer la performance des réseaux locaux sans fil IEE 802.11)

The main goal of this thesis is to propose efficient adaptive communication mechanisms using cross layer interactions in IEEE 802. 11 WLANs. First, we present a detailed performance evaluation of 802. 11a/b PHY layer transmission modes. The second contribution of the thesis concerns 802. 11 MAC/PHY layers modelling. An analytical model that accounts for the positions of stations with respect to the access point while evaluating the performance of 802. 11 MAC layer, has been proposed. The third contribution of the thesis concerns rate adaptation mechanisms and especially cross layer algorithms between MAC and PHY layers. An adaptive rate selection algorithm, called AARF for low latency systems that improves upon ARF to provide both short-term and long-term adaptation has been proposed. In this field, we also present a new rate adaptation algorithm designed for high latency systems named AMRR that has been implemented and evaluated on an AR5212-based device. We then propose a closed-loop, dynamic rate selection algorithm that can be implemented in all 802. 11a/b/g compliant wireless local area networks. This algorithm called CLARA is a culmination of the best attributes of the transmitter-based ARF and the RBAR control mechanisms with additional practical features to facilitate multipath fading channel sensing and feedback control signalling. The last contribution of the thesis is on the optimization of real time multimedia transmission over 802. 11 based networks. In particular, we propose a simple and efficient cross layer mechanism, called MORSA, for dynamically selecting the transmission mode considering both the channel conditions and characteristics of the media.
Relation between D‐dimer level, venous valvular reflux and the development of post‐thrombotic syndrome after deep vein thrombosis

Summary. Background: The pathophysiology of post‐thrombotic syndrome (PTS) is postulated to involve persistent venous obstruction and venous valvular reflux. Objective: To study the association between D‐dimer level, valvular reflux and the PTS in a well‐defined cohort of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) patients. Methods: Consecutive patients with acute symptomatic DVT were recruited at eight centers and were followed for 24 months. D‐dimer was measured at 4 months. A standardized ultrasound assessment for popliteal valvular reflux was performed at 12 months. Using the Villalta scale, patients were assessed for PTS during follow‐up by evaluators who were unaware of D‐dimer or reflux results. Results: Three hundred and eighty‐seven patients were recruited; of these, 305 provided blood samples for D‐dimer and 233 had a 12‐month reflux assessment. PTS developed in 45.1% of subjects. Mean D‐dimer was significantly higher in patients with vs. without PTS (712.0 vs. 444.0 μg L−1; P = 0.02). In logistic regression analyses adjusted for warfarin use at the time of D‐dimer determination and risk factors for PTS, D‐dimer level significantly predicted PTS (P = 0.03); when stratifying for warfarin use at the time of blood draw, adjusted odds ratio (OR) for developing PTS per unit difference in log D‐dimer was 2.33 (95% CI 0.89, 6.10) in those not on warfarin vs. 1.25 (95% CI 0.87, 1.79) in those on warfarin. Ipsilateral reflux was more frequent in patients with moderate‐to‐severe PTS than in patients with mild PTS (65% vs. 40%, respectively; P = 0.01) and was independently associated with moderate‐to‐severe PTS in logistic regression analyses (P = 0.01). Conclusion: D‐dimer levels, measured 4 months after DVT in patients not on warfarin, are associated with subsequent development of PTS. Venous valvular reflux is associated with moderate‐to‐severe PTS.
Healthcare use among preschool children attending GP-led urgent care centres: a descriptive, observational study

Objective Urgent care centres’ (UCCs) hours were developed with the aim of reducing inappropriate emergency department (ED) attendances in England. We aimed to examine the presenting complaint and outcomes of care in 2 general practitioner (GP)-led UCCs with extended opening times. Design Retrospective observational epidemiological study using routinely collected data. Setting 2 GP-led UCCs in London, colocated with a hospital ED. Participants All children aged under 5 years, attending 2 GP-led UCCs over a 3-year period. Outcomes Outcomes of care for the children including: primary diagnosis; registration status with a GP; destination following review within the UCC; and any medication prescribed. Comparison between GP-led UCC visit rates and routine general practices was also made. Results 3% (n=7747/282 947) of all attenders at the GP-led UCCs were children aged under 5 years. The most common reason for attendance was a respiratory illness (27%), followed by infectious illness (17%). 18% (n=1428) were either upper respiratory tract infections or viral infections. The majority (91%) of children attending were registered with a GP, and over two-thirds of attendances were ‘out of hours’. Overall 79% were seen and discharged home. Preschool children were more likely to attend their GP (47.0 per 100) than a GP-led UCC (9.4 per 100; 95% CI 8.9 to 10.0). Conclusions Two-thirds of preschool children attending GP-led UCCs do so out of hours, despite the majority being registered with a GP. The case mix is comparable with those presenting to an ED setting, with the majority managed exclusively by the GPs in the UCC before discharge home. Further work is required to understand the benefits of a GP-led urgent system in influencing future use of services especially emergency care.
How Strong to Believe Information? A Trust Model in the Logical Belief Function Theory

To which extent an agent can believe a piece of information it gets? This is the question we address in this paper. More precisely, we provide a model for expressing the relations between the trust an agent puts in the information sources and its beliefs about the information they provide. This model is based on Demolombe’s model and extends it by considering imperfect information sources i.e information sources that can report false information. Furthermore, this model is defined in the belief function theory allowing degrees of trust to be modelled in a quantitative way. Not only this model can be used when the agent directly gets information from the source but it can also be used when the agent gets second hand information i.e., when the agent is not directly in contact with the source.
The role of multimodal analgesia in pain management after ambulatory surgery

Purpose of review As outpatient (day-case) surgery had continued to grow throughout the world, many more complex and potentially painful procedures are being routinely performed in the ambulatory setting. Opioid analgesics, once considered the standard approach to preventing acute postoperative pain, are being replaced by a combination of nonopioid analgesic drugs with diverse modes of action as part of a multimodal approach to preventing pain after ambulatory surgery. This review will provide an update on the topic of multimodal pain management for ambulatory (day-case) surgery. Recent findings Efficacy of multimodal analgesic regimens continues to improve; opioid analgesics are increasingly taking on the role of ‘rescue analgesics’ for acute pain after day-case surgery. The use of multimodal analgesia is rapidly becoming the ‘standard of care’ for preventing pain after ambulatory procedures at most surgery centers throughout the world. Summary This article discusses recent evidence from the peer-reviewed literature regarding the role of local anesthetics, NSAIDs, gabapentinoids, and acetaminophen, as well as alpha-2 agonists, ketamine, esmolol, and nonpharmacologic approaches (e.g., transcutaneous electrical stimulation) as parts of multimodal pain management strategies in day-case surgery.
Artificial neural network: is it free of problems?

ANNs and fuzzy logic are two complementary technologies. ANNs can learn (i.e. adapt) from data and feedback, but understanding the pattern learned by neural networks is difficult. Conversely, fuzzy-rule-based models are easy to comprehend because they use linguistic terms and the structure of ‘if–then’ rules. Unlike ANNs, fuzzy logic does not come with a learning algorithm (i.e. the system cannot learn from feedback). The synergy of ANN and fuzzy logic takes the advantages from both methods for learning, known as ‘neurofuzzy’ systems [3]. In conclusion, neurofuzzy systems can incorporate data from many clinical, radiological and laboratory variables and help the clinicians in making their decisions.
On link-based similarity join

Graphs can be found in applications like social networks, bibliographic networks, and biological databases. Understanding the relationship, or links, among graph nodes enables applications such as link prediction, recommendation, and spam detection. In this paper, we propose link-based similarity join (LS-join), which extends the similarity join operator to link-based measures. Given two sets of nodes in a graph, the LS-join returns all pairs of nodes that are highly similar to each other, with respect to an e-function. The e-function generalizes common measures like Personalized PageRank (PPR) and SimRank (SR). We study an efficient LS-join algorithm on a large graph. We further improve our solutions for PPR and SR, which involve expensive random-walk operations. We validate our solutions by performing extensive experiments on three real graph datasets.
Integrable Hamiltonian for Classical Strings on AdS5 x S5

We flnd the hamiltonian for physical excitations of the classical bosonic string propagating in the AdS5£S 5 space-time. The hamiltonian is obtained in a so-called uniform gauge which is related to the static gauge by a 2d duality transformation. The hamiltonian is of the Nambu type and depends on two parameters: a single S 5 angular momentum J and the string tension ‚. In the general case both parameters can be flnite. The space of string states consists of short and long strings. In the sector of short strings the large J expansion with ‚ 0 = ‚=J 2 flxed recovers the plane-wave hamiltonian and higher-order corrections recently studied in the literature. In the strong coupling limit ‚ ! 1, J flxed, the energy of short strings scales as 4 p ‚ while the energy of long strings scales as p ‚. We further show that the gauge-flxed hamiltonian is integrable by constructing the corresponding Lax representation. We discuss some general properties of the monodromy matrix, and verify that the asymptotic behavior of the quasi-momentum perfectly agrees with the one obtained earlier for some speciflc cases.
Interaction and rendering techniques for handheld phantograms

We present a number of rendering and interaction techniques that exploit the user's viewpoint for improved realism and immersion in 3D applications on handheld devices. Unlike 3D graphics on stationary screens, graphics on handheld devices are seldom regarded from a fixed perspective. This is particularly true for recent mobile platforms, where it is increasingly popular to use device orientation for interaction. We describe a set of tech-niques for improved perception of rendered 3D content. View-point correct anamorphosis and stereoscopy are discussed along with ways to approximate the spatial relationship between the user and the device. We present the design and implementation of a proto-type phantogram viewer that was used to explore these methods for interaction with real-time photorealistic 3D models on commercially available mobile devices.
REAL-TIME SENSING AND CONTROL OF DEVELOPING WELD PENETRATION THROUGH REFLECTION VIBRATION IN GTAW

OF DISSERTATION REAL-TIME SENSING AND CONTROL OF DEVELOPING WELD PENETRATION THROUGH REFLECTION VIBRATION IN GTAW GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) weld pool surface is believed to contain sufficient information to determine the weld penetration, from which skilled welders are able to control the welding process to desired penetration states. However, it is unclear how human welders extract the weld penetration from the observed weld pool surface. In this research, a novel method is studied to determine the weld penetration based on the dynamic change of the weld pool surface. This study observes/measures/analyzes the development of a weld pool from partial to full penetration and correlates such change to the weld penetration. Similar trends in the weld pool surface are observed when the weld penetration changes from partial to full penetration despite the amperage used and material welded. Correlating the weld pool surface reflecting grayness and the development of the weld penetration from experiments shows: (1) the weld pool reflection intensity will increase while the weld penetration is increasing; (2) the increasing trends of weld pool reflection intensity will decrease when the full penetration is achieved; (3) the weld pool reflection intensity will increase after the full penetration is achieved. Such trend in the weld pool surface reflection intensity when the weld penetration develops is used as feedback signal to detect the weld pool penetration. To control the weld pool penetration, a first-order dynamic model is identified. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is used to control the weld penetration. Experiments verified the feasibility of this proposed method and established system.
Design Considerations for Online Deliberation Systems

ABSTRACT Online deliberation enables structured, topical discussion about particular questions or concepts. A number of Web-based deliberation systems have been independently introduced in recent years, and reported on as single-point examples. This article reviews several of these systems, focusing on the design principles behind them and how they worked out. From this literature, we distill another iteration of design considerations that can be used to design online deliberation systems to “inform the debate. ” These considerations focus on the mutually reinforcing goals of attracting contributions, navigating through content, improving usability, focusing on quality content, and promoting wide-scale tool adoption.
Option Pricing with Mean Reversion and Stochastic Volatility

Many underlying assets of option contracts, such as currencies, commodities, energy, temperature and even some stocks, exhibit both mean reversion and stochastic volatility. This paper investigates the valuation of options when the underlying asset follows a mean-reverting lognormal process with stochastic volatility. A closed-form solution is derived for European options by means of Fourier transform. The proposed model allows the option pricing formula to capture both the term structure of futures prices and the market implied volatility smile within a unified framework. A bivariate trinomial lattice approach is introduced to value path-dependent options with the proposed model. Numerical examples using European options, American options and barrier options demonstrate the use of the model and the quality of the numerical scheme.
Regions of Interest–Based Discriminant Analysis of DaTSCAN SPECT and FDG-PET for the Classification of Dementia

Purpose Neuroimaging is increasingly used to support the clinical diagnosis of patients with cognitive impairment. Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging, such as DaTSCAN SPECT, tests the integrity of the nigrostriatal pathway, whereas FDG-PET identifies typical patterns of cortical and subcortical hypometabolism. The aim of this study was to assess the relative contribution of DAT and regional glucose metabolism imaging to the differential diagnosis. Patients and Methods Twenty-seven subjects were investigated for neurodegenerative dementia associated with parkinsonism of variable severity by FDG-PET and DaTSCAN SPECT. They were grouped according to the clinically established diagnosis, including probable Alzheimer disease (5 subjects), corticobasal degeneration (6 subjects), Lewy body dementia (8 subjects), frontotemporal dementia (4 subjects), and Parkinson disease with dementia (4 subjects). Normalized FDG uptake and DAT uptake ratios were obtained by the BRASS software. We used a discriminant analysis with a stepwise method and a leave-one-out cross-validation. Results With the use of regional values of normalized FDG uptake, 85.2% and 55.6% of the patients were correctly classified by the discriminant analysis and the cross-validation, respectively. When DAT alone was considered, the results were 59.3% and 51.9%, whereas the combination of both DAT and normalized FDG uptake yielded 100% and 88.9% of accurate classifications. Conclusions This automated analysis approach shows that the information provided by normalized FDG uptake and DAT is not redundant for the differential diagnosis of dementia and that taking into account both normalized FDG uptake and DAT uptake allows a better classification of individual patients. These results further support the usefulness of both modalities in the clinical workup of dementia.
Performance counters and development of SPEC CPU2006

Performance counters provide the means to track detailed events that occur on a CPU chip. These events are of interest to both performance analysts and compiler developers. Counting them provides essential clues to guide performance improvement. For example, a tester who sees that a program has a high cache miss rate on a particular system may experiment with compilation options that improve prefetching. A compiler developer who sees the same thing may realize that the code generator's machine model is missing some crucial detail of behavior on that particular system.
In vivo transient vibration assessment of the normal human thoracolumbar spine.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to quantify the mobility characteristics (dynamic stiffness and mechanical impedance) of the normal human thoracolumbar spine with a transient vibration analysis technique. DESIGN This study is a prospective clinical investigation to obtain normative biomechanical data from the human male and female spine in vivo. SETTING Musculoskeletal research laboratory, university setting. SUBJECTS Twenty asymptomatic subjects (age range, 20-60 years) with no recent history of musculoskeletal complaints. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mechanical impedance, effective stiffness, and resonant frequency analyses were used to quantify the dynamic stiffness of the thoracolumbar spine in this subject population. Data were obtained from posteroanterior mechanical thrusts delivered with an activator adjusting instrument equipped with a load cell and accelerometer by means of a portable computer. RESULTS In response to the activator adjusting instrument thrusts, the thoracolumbar spine typically exhibited an impedance minimum at frequencies ranging between 30 and 50 Hz. The maximum posteroanterior impedance and corresponding maximum effective stiffness of the thoracolumbar spine and sacrum was roughly 2 to 8 times greater than the magnitude of the impedance minimum. Statistically significant differences in mobility between male and female subjects were noted, particularly for frequencies corresponding to the maximum mobility (40 Hz) and minimum mobility (10-20 Hz, 70-80 Hz). For most subjects (both male and female), the lumbar region exhibited a higher impedance and stiffness (less mobility) when compared with the thoracic region. CONCLUSIONS The posteroanterior mechanical behavior of the human thoracolumbar spine was found to be sensitive to mechanical stimulus frequency and showed significant region-specific and gender differences. In the frequency range of 30 to 50 Hz, the lumbar spine of this subject population is the least stiff and therefore has the greatest mobility. From a biomechanical point-of-view, the results of this study indicate that dynamic spinal manipulative therapy procedures will produce more spinal motion for a given force, particularly when the posteroanterior manipulative thrust is delivered in frequency ranges at or near the resonant frequency. In this regard, spinal manipulative therapy procedures designed to target the resonant frequency of the spine require less force application. Both magnitude and frequency content of manual and mechanical thrusting manipulations may be critical elements for therapeutic outcome.
A Framework for a Knowledge-Based System for Risk Management in Concurrent Engineering

Knowledge is a requirement for concurrent engineering, and therefore an approach to capture and organise the different knowledge to be taken into account in concurrent engineering is proposed. This approach, known as the "MEthodology for Knowledge Engineering for Concurrent Engineering" (MEKECE) is a dedicated application of knowledge engineering methodologies to concurrent engineering that involves a combination of case based reasoning and expert systems approaches aimed at managing risk. To manage concurrent engineering specific risks, the knowledge of the different tasks constituting product development must be captured and or ganised, and information on the causes of risks that have a threshold effect on time and on cost must be available in a convenient form for the participants in the process. The framework of this knowledge based system for risk management in concurrent engineering is pre sented.
Therapeutic Applications of Herbal Medicines for Cancer Patients

Medicinal herbs and their derivative phytocompounds are being increasingly recognized as useful complementary treatments for cancer. A large volume of clinical studies have reported the beneficial effects of herbal medicines on the survival, immune modulation, and quality of life (QOL) of cancer patients, when these herbal medicines are used in combination with conventional therapeutics. Here, we briefly review some examples of clinical studies that investigated the use of herbal medicines for various cancers and the development of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in this emerging research area. In addition, we also report recent studies on the biochemical and cellular mechanisms of herbal medicines in specific tumor microenvironments and the potential application of specific phytochemicals in cell-based cancer vaccine systems. This review should provide useful technological support for evidence-based application of herbal medicines in cancer therapy.