Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fibrillin-1 in Human Cartilage: Developmental Expression and Formation of Special Banded Fibers

The molecular basis for Marfan's syndrome (MS), a heritable disorder of connective tissue, is now known to reside in mutations in FBN1, the gene for fibrillin-1. Classic phenotypic manifestations of MS include several skeletal abnormalities associated primarily with overgrowth of long bones. As a first step towards understanding how mutations in FBN1 result in skeletal abnormalities, the developmental expression of fibrillin-1 (Fib-1) in human skeletal tissues is documented using immunohistochemistry and monoclonal antibodies demonstrated here to be specific for Fib-1. At around 10–11 weeks of fetal gestation, Fib-1 is limited in tissue distribution to the loose connective tissue surrounding skeletal muscle and tendon in developing limbs. By 16 weeks, Fib-1 is widely expressed in developing limbs and digits, especially in the perichondrium, but it is apparently absent within cartilage matrix. Fib-1 appears as a loose meshwork of fibers within cartilage matrix by 20 weeks of fetal gestation. Until early adolescence, Fib-1 forms loose bundles of microfibrils within cartilage. However, by late adolescence, broad banded fibers composed of Fib-1 are found accumulated pericellularly within cartilage. Because these fibers can be extracted from cartilage using dissociative conditions, we postulate that they are laterally packed and crosslinked microfibrils. On the basis of these findings, we suggest that the growth-regulating function of Fib-1 may reside persistently within the perichondrium. In addition, the accumulation of special laterally crosslinked Fib-1 microfibrils around chondrocytes during late adolescence suggests that growth-regulating activities may also be performed by Fib-1 at these sites. (J Histochem Cytochem 45:1069–1082, 1997)
Early signs of atherosclerosis in obstructive sleep apnea.

BACKGROUND Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with several cardiovascular diseases. However, the mechanisms are not completely understood. Recent studies have shown that OSA is associated with multiple markers of endothelial damage. We hypothesized that OSA affects functional and structural properties of large arteries, contributing to atherosclerosis progression. METHODS AND MEASUREMENTS Twelve healthy volunteers, 15 patients with mild to moderate OSA, and 15 with severe OSA matched for age, sex, and body mass index were studied by using (1) full standard overnight polysomnography; (2) carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity with a noninvasive automatic device; and (3) a high-definition echo-tracking device to measure intima-media thickness, diameter, and distensibility. All participants were free of hypertension, diabetes, and smoking, and were not on any medications. Patients with OSA were naive to treatment. MAIN RESULTS Significant differences existed between control subjects and patients with mild to moderate and severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index, 3.1 +/- 0.3, 16.2 +/- 1.7, and 55.7 +/- 5.9 events/hour, respectively) in pulse wave velocity (8.7 +/- 0.2, 9.2 +/- 0.2, and 10.3 +/- 0.2 m/second; p < 0.0001), intima-media thickness (604.4 +/- 25.2, 580.2 +/- 29.0, and 722.2 +/- 35.2 microm; p = 0.004), and carotid diameter (6,607.8 +/- 126.7, 7,152.3 +/- 114.4, and 7,539.9 +/- 161.2 microm; p < 0.0001). Multivariate analyses showed that the apnea-hypopnea index correlated independently with pulse wave velocity and intima-media thickness variability (r = 0.61, p < 0.0001, and r = 0.44, p = 0.004, respectively), whereas minimal oxygen saturation correlated with the carotid diameter (r = -0.60, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Middle-aged patients with OSA who are free of overt cardiovascular diseases have early signs of atherosclerosis. All vascular abnormalities correlated significantly with the severity of the OSA, which further supports the hypothesis that OSA plays an independent role in atherosclerosis progression.
Detecting and assessing the hybrid IPv4/IPv6 as relationships

The business relationships between the Autonomous Systems (ASes) play a central role in the BGP routing. The existing relationship inference algorithms are profoundly based on the valley-free rule and generalize their inference heuristics for both the IPv4 and IPv6 planes, introducing unavoidable inference artifacts. To discover and analyze the Type-of-Relationship (ToR) properties of the IPv6 topology we mine the BGP Communities attribute which provides an unexploited wealth of reliable relationship information. We obtain the actual relationships for 72% of the IPv6 AS links that are visible in the RouteViews and RIPE RIS repositories. Our results show that as many as 13% of AS links that serve both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic have different relationships depending on the IP version. Such relationships are characterized as hybrid. We observe that links with hybrid relationships are present in a large number of IPv6 AS paths. Furthermore, an unusually large portion of IPv6 AS paths violate the valley-free rule, indicating that the global reachability in the IPv6 Internet requires the relaxation of the valley-free rule. Our work highlights the importance of correctly inferring the AS relationships and the need to appreciate the distinct characteristics of IPv6 routing policies.
Influence of surface treatment on the durability of stainless steel sheets bonded with epoxy

Fifteen different surface treatments were used to bond AISI 304 stainless steel. The objectives of the programme were to select treatments able to produce durable adhesive bonds and to contribute to the understanding of interface bonding phenomena and of phenomena responsible for debonding while ageing. Peel and sheer tests were carried out to assess the behaviour of the bonded joints at the initial state and after ageing. The test results indicate that only two treatments, sulphuric chromic acid anodization and nitric acid anodization, exhibit a high performance level after exposure to a moist environment. The chemical and physical properties of surfaces were determined. The surface morphology was observed with a scanning electron microscope, and chemical composition was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry. A correlation between bond durability, surface morphology, and oxide film composition was established.
Six-Minute Magnetic Resonance Imaging Protocol for Evaluation of Acute Ischemic Stroke: Pushing the Boundaries

Background and Purpose— If magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is to compete with computed tomography for evaluation of patients with acute ischemic stroke, there is a need for further improvements in acquisition speed. Methods— Inclusion criteria for this prospective, single institutional study were symptoms of acute ischemic stroke within 24 hours onset, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale ≥3, and absence of MRI contraindications. A combination of echo-planar imaging (EPI) and a parallel acquisition technique were used on a 3T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner to accelerate the acquisition time. Image analysis was performed independently by 2 neuroradiologists. Results— A total of 62 patients met inclusion criteria. A repeat MRI scan was performed in 22 patients resulting in a total of 84 MRIs available for analysis. Diagnostic image quality was achieved in 100% of diffusion-weighted imaging, 100% EPI-fluid attenuation inversion recovery imaging, 98% EPI-gradient recalled echo, 90% neck MR angiography and 96% of brain MR angiography, and 94% of dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion scans with interobserver agreements (k) ranging from 0.64 to 0.84. Fifty-nine patients (95%) had acute infarction. There was good interobserver agreement for EPI-fluid attenuation inversion recovery imaging findings (k=0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.66–0.87) and for detection of mismatch classification using dynamic susceptibility contrast-Tmax (k=0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.87–0.94). Thirteen acute intracranial hemorrhages were detected on EPI-gradient recalled echo by both observers. A total of 68 and 72 segmental arterial stenoses were detected on contrast-enhanced MR angiography of the neck and brain with k=0.93, 95% confidence interval, 0.84 to 0.96 and 0.87, 95% confidence interval, 0.80 to 0.90, respectively. Conclusions— A 6-minute multimodal MR protocol with good diagnostic quality is feasible for the evaluation of patients with acute ischemic stroke and can result in significant reduction in scan time rivaling that of the multimodal computed tomographic protocol.
An IoT realization in an interdepartmental real time simulation lab for distribution system control and management studies

Modern electric distribution systems with emerging operation methods and advanced metering systems bring new challenges to the system analysis, control and management. Interdependency of cyber and physical layers and interoperability of various control and management strategies require wide and accurate test and analysis before field implementation. Real-time simulation is known as a precise and reliable method to support new system/device development from initial design to implementation. However, for the study of different application algorithms, considering the various expertise requirements, the interconnection of multiple development laboratories to a real-time simulation lab, which constitutes the core of an interdepartmental real-time simulation platform, is needed. This paper presents the implemented architecture of such an integrated lab, which serves real-time simulations to different application fields within electric distribution system domain. The architecture is an implementation of an Internet-of-Things to facilitate software in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware in-the-loop (HIL) tests. A demo of the proposed architecture is presented, applied to the testing of a fault location algorithm in a portion of a realistic distribution system model. The implemented platform is flexible to integrate different algorithms in a plug-and-play fashion through a designed communication interface.
Mechanical Ventilation and the Kidney

Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute kidney injury (AKI) are complications often encountered in the setting of critical illness. Both forms of end-organ injury commonly occur in similar settings of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, shock, and evolving multiple organ dysfunction. Recent elucidation of the pathobiology of critical illness has led to a more basic mechanistic understanding of the complex interplay between injured organs in patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome; this has been aptly called ‘the slippery slope of critical illness’ [Kidney Int Suppl 1998;66:S25–S33]. Distant organ effects of apparently isolated injuries to the lungs, gut, and kidneys have all been discovered in recent years. In this article, we will review the harmful bidirectional interaction between ALI and AKI, which appears to be a common clinical syndrome with routine clinical implications. We will review the current understanding of lung-kidney interactions from both perspectives, including the renal effects of ALI and mechanical ventilation, and the pulmonary sequelae of AKI. In this review of the emerging evidence of deleterious bidirectional organ cross talk between lung and kidney, we will focus on the role of ventilator-induced kidney injury in the pathogenesis of AKI in patients with ALI.
Age-specific distribution of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) mucosal infection among young females

The goal of our study was to describe the age-specific distribution of HPV genotypes and related disease among females under the age of 25 years. A prospective cohort study was carried out. We enrolled 85 young females aged 16 - 25 years (30 aged 16 - 19 and 55 aged 20 - 25 years) referred to our colposcopic unit after a repeated abnormal Pap smear result. Every patient underwent an HPV DNA testing, a colposcopy and eventually a cervical biopsy. Participants were proposed to follow-up or treatment on request. Treatment was performed by destructive or excisional laser CO2 therapy. Data were analyzed by Fisher’s Exact test. The overall prevalence of low-risk HPV amounted to 80% among 16 - 19-year-old girls, while the overall prevalence of high-risk HPV was 85.5% among 20 - 25-year-old patients. The univariate analysis of chosen characteristics of HPV-disease demonstrates the statistically significative difference of this infection between the two groups of age (P < 0.005). We observed a particular age-specific stratification of HPV genotypes and related disease, which appeared to be characterized by a cut-off at the age of 20 years. According to our data, cervical screening program in Italy seems to start later than the beginning of HPV-related pathology.
A Bernstein-Von Mises Theorem for discrete probability distributions

We investigate the asymptotic normality of the posterior distri- bution in the discrete setting, when model dimension increases with sample size. We consider a probability mass function �0 on \{0} and a sequence of truncation levels (kn)n satisfying k 3 nninfikn �0(i). Let ˆ � denote the maximum likelihood estimate of (�0(i))ikn and letn(�0) denote the kn- dimensional vector which i-th coordinate is defined by p n(ˆ �n(i) �0(i)) for 1 � ikn. We check that under mild conditions on �0 and on the sequence of prior probabilities on the kn-dimensional simplices, after centering and rescaling, the variation distance between the posterior distribution recen- tered around ˆ �n and rescaled by p n and the kn-dimensional Gaussian dis- tribution N(�n(�0),I 1 (�0)) converges in probability to 0. This theorem can be used to prove the asymptotic normality of Bayesian estimators of Shannon and Renyi entropies. The proofs are based on concentration inequalities for centered and non- centered Chi-square (Pearson) statistics. The latter allow to establish pos- terior concentration rates with respect to Fisher distance rather than with respect to the Hellinger distance as it is commonplace in non-parametric Bayesian statistics.
Rank deficiency in sparse random GF$[2]$ matrices

Let $M$ be a random $m \times n$ matrix with binary entries and i.i. d. rows. The weight (i.e., number of ones) of a row has a specified probability distribution, with the row chosen uniformly at random given its weight. Let $\mathcal{N}(n,m)$ denote the number of left null vectors in $\{0,1\}^m$ for $M$ (including the zero vector), where addition is mod 2. We take $n, m \to \infty$, with $m/n \to \alpha > 0$, while the weight distribution converges weakly to that of a random variable $W$ on $\{3, 4, 5, \ldots\}$. Identifying $M$ with a hypergraph on $n$ vertices, we define the 2-core of $M$ as the terminal state of an iterative algorithm that deletes every row incident to a column of degree 1. We identify two thresholds $\alpha^*$ and $\underline{\alpha\mkern-4mu}\mkern4mu$, and describe them analytically in terms of the distribution of $W$. Threshold $\alpha^*$ marks the infimum of values of $\alpha$ at which $n^{-1} \log{\mathbb{E}[\mathcal{N} (n,m)}]$ converges to a positive limit, while $\underline{\alpha\mkern-4mu}\mkern4mu$ marks the infimum of values of $\alpha$ at which there is a 2-core of non-negligible size compared to $n$ having more rows than non-empty columns. We have $1/2 \leq \alpha^* \leq \underline{\alpha\mkern-4mu}\mkern4mu \leq 1$, and typically these inequalities are strict; for example when $W = 3$ almost surely, $\alpha^* \approx 0.8895$ and $\underline{\alpha\mkern-4mu}\mkern4mu \approx 0.9179$. The threshold of values of $\alpha$ for which $\mathcal{N}(n,m) \geq 2$ in probability lies in $[\alpha^*,\underline{\alpha\mkern-4mu}\mkern4mu]$ and is conjectured to equal $\underline{\alpha\mkern-4mu}\mkern4mu$. The random row-weight setting gives rise to interesting new phenomena not present in the case of non-random $W$ that has been the focus of previous work.
Hair Evaluation Methods: Merits and Demerits

Various methods are available for evaluation (for diagnosis and/or quantification) of a patient presenting with hair loss. Hair evaluation methods are grouped into three main categories: Non-invasive methods (e.g., questionnaire, daily hair counts, standardized wash test, 60-s hair count, global photographs, dermoscopy, hair weight, contrasting felt examination, phototrichogram, TrichoScan and polarizing and surface electron microscopy), semi-invasive methods (e.g., trichogram and unit area trichogram) and invasive methods (e.g., scalp biopsy). Any single method is neither 'ideal' nor feasible. However, when interpreted with caution, these are valuable tools for patient diagnosis and monitoring. Daily hair counts, wash test, etc. are good methods for primary evaluation of the patient and to get an approximate assessment of the amount of shedding. Some methods like global photography form an important part of any hair clinic. Analytical methods like phototrichogram are usually possible only in the setting of a clinical trial. Many of these methods (like the scalp biopsy) require expertise for both processing and interpreting. We reviewed the available literature in detail in light of merits and demerits of each method. A plethora of newer methods is being introduced, which are relevant to the cosmetic industry/research. Such methods as well as metabolic/hormonal evaluation are not included in this review.
Pixel Readout Circuit for X-Ray Imagers

This paper describes the per-pixel readout circuit of an X-ray imaging matrix and compares it to other solutions. The per-pixel readout circuit consists of a digital pixel sensor array constituted by a photodiode and a one-bit first-order sigma-delta A/D converter for each pixel. The output of each pixel is a digital bit stream, containing information about the intensity of the light that falls into its photodiode. The sigma-delta A/D converters use only 19 small size MOSFETs and one capacitor. In order to perform the X-ray detection, a scintillator crystal must be placed above each photodiode for converting the X-ray energy into visible light with wavelengths near to the quantum efficiency peak of the photodiodes. Then, the visible light is converted into electronic charges by each photodiode, which is part of digital pixel sensor. The comparison between the solution presented here and other solutions show that the implemented circuit is simpler and its resolution is similar or even superior.
Simplex Virus Thymidine Kinase Gene Lung Cancer Cells by Cell Type-specific Expression of Herpes Gene Therapy for Carcinoembryonic Antigen-producing Human Updated

A carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)-produclnghumanlungcancercell line (A549), a nonprodudng human lung cancer cell line (CADO-LC9), and a humanuterinecervicalcancer(HeLa)were transfectedwith the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV.TK) gene regulated by 445 nucleotides upstream from the translational start of CEA gene. Fifty % growth inhibitory concentration of ganciclovir (GCV) was 057 pM for HSV-TK-transfected A549; relative sensitivity to GCV was more than 1000 times hiajier compared to the 50% growth inhibitory concentration of the parentalcell line. Both CADO-LC9and HeLa transfectedwith HSV-TK were still resistant to GCV. There was no difference In either morphology or doubling time between HSV-TK-transfected and parental clones. Injections (I.p.) of GCV resulted In significant regression of HSV TK-transfectedA549tumors in nude mice.Thesedata showthe possibility of genetherapyusingthecell type-specifIcpromoterof CEAgeneagainst CEA-produclng adenocarcinoma of the lung.
Fetal fraction in maternal plasma cell‐free DNA at 11–13 weeks' gestation: relation to maternal and fetal characteristics

To examine the possible effects of maternal and fetal characteristics on the fetal fraction in maternal plasma cell‐free (cf) DNA at 11–13 weeks' gestation and estimate the proportion of pregnancies at high risk of non‐invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) failure because the fetal fraction is less than 4%.
Towards a more comprehensive definition of shift work tolerance

The aim of the present study was to define the nature of individual differences in shift work tolerance (SWT). This was investigated by an exploratory factor analysis of scores from a wide range of established instruments designed to measure sleep, sleepiness, fatigue, social functioning, as well as physical and mental health. Data were collected from a representative sample of 1,529 Norwegian nurses engaged in rotating shift work. The analyses yielded two factors that seemed to be especially relevant for SWT, namely “Well-being” and “Physical health”. Both factors were related to several demographic and personality variables. In addition, both factors were related to job satisfaction, social support and negative acts, while Well-being was also related to coping. These results support the construct and concurrent validity of the Well-being and Physical factors of SWT. Our findings represent a step towards answering calls from previous research concerning the establishment of a wider definition of individual differences in SWT.
Penetration of teicoplanin into heart valves and subcutaneous and muscle tissues of patients undergoing open-heart surgery

Penetration of teicoplanin into serum, heart valves, and subcutaneous and muscle tissues was determined in 22 patients undergoing open-heart surgery. Each patient received 12 mg of teicoplanin per kg of body weight as a 30-min intravenous infusion preoperatively. Within 10 h, serum concentrations of teicoplanin declined from 43.1 to 2.8 microg/ml. Teicoplanin concentrations in subcutaneous tissues reached their peak of 9.2 microg/g after 2 to 3 h and decreased slowly to 2.3 microg/g after 9 to 10 h. Concentrations in muscle decreased from 8.7 microg/g to nondetectable levels. Teicoplanin concentrations in cardiac valvular tissue reached their peak of 6.1 microg/g and decreased thereafter to 1.7 microg/g. Teicoplanin concentrations in heart valves were high enough to inhibit methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci, which are known to cause postoperative wound infections and infective endocarditis.
Algebraic Attacks on Human Identification Protocols

Human identication protocols are challenge-response protocols that rely on human computational ability to reply to random challenges from the server based on a public function of a shared secret and the challenge to authenticate the human user. One security criterion for a human identication protocol is the number of challenge-response pairs the adversary needs to observe before it can deduce the secret. In order to increase this number, protocol designers have tried to construct protocols that cannot be represented as a system of linear equations or congruences. In this paper, we take a closer look at dierent ways from algebra, lattices and coding theory to obtain the secret from a system of linear congruences. We then show two examples of human identication protocols from literature that can be transformed into a system of linear congruences. The resulting attack limits the number of authentication sessions these protocols can be used before secret renewal. Prior to this work, these protocols had no known upper bound on the number of allowable sessions per secret.
A sparse sampling model for 3D face recognition

We propose a sparse sampling model as a feature selection tool for 3D face recognition, and compare its performance with the traditional dense subspace methods. The sparse LDA algorithm is applied to find the most discriminative features on range and texture images, meanwhile achieving the region selection purpose. The selected regions from both shape and texture are demonstrated. The classification remains accurate even at a high level of sparsity. To generalize the model, a probability density function is then estimated according to the selected region, and new samples are drawn accordingly to form new sparse features for classification. We also use the local coordinate system to make the sampling process more efficient, and insensitive to geometric transforms.