Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mesenchymal stem cell‐coated sutures enhance collagen depositions in sutured tissues

Sutures are commonly used for surgical procedures and new sutures are being developed to improve wound healing. In the past decade, it has been extensively shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a wound healing potential. To benefit the overall wound healing process, we aimed to analyze the usage of pretreated sutures for improving the implantation of MSCs in the tissues. Our results firstly showed that suture pretreatments with gelatin, poly‐L‐lysine, and NaOH improved the adhesive strength of MSCs to sutures. These cells remained surrounding the sutured tissue and no significant phenotypic changes were found in those cells cultured onto pretreated sutures. In vivo experiments showed that the implantation of MSCs by suturing increases the collagen content in the sutured tissue. Moreover, proteomics analysis of secreted proteins showed that collagen alpha‐1(I) chain was the most abundant collagen found. To our knowledge, this is the first report that aimed to improve the implantation of MSCs in tissue by suture pretreatments. Moreover, in vivo experiments suggest that MSC‐coated sutures may enhance wound healing and tissue remodeling through the release of different collagen types being applicable for those patients that tend to have difficulty healing.
Influences of increasing temperature on Indian wheat: quantifying limits to predictability

As climate changes, temperatures will play an increasing role in determining crop yield. Both climate model error and lack of constrained physiological thresholds limit the predictability of yield. We used a perturbed-parameter climate model ensemble with two methods of bias-correction as input to a regional-scale wheat simulation model over India to examine future yields. This model configuration accounted for uncertainty in climate, planting date, optimization, temperature-induced changes in development rate and reproduction. It also accounts for lethal temperatures, which have been somewhat neglected to date. Using uncertainty decomposition, we found that fractional uncertainty due to temperature-driven processes in the crop model was on average larger than climate model uncertainty (0.56 versus 0.44), and that the crop model uncertainty is dominated by crop development. Simulations with the raw compared to the bias-corrected climate data did not agree on the impact on future wheat yield, nor its geographical distribution. However the method of bias-correction was not an important source of uncertainty. We conclude that bias-correction of climate model data and improved constraints on especially crop development are critical for robust impact predictions.
Influence of dynamic software environment on students’ achievement of learning functions with parameters

ABSTRACT The authors described the influence of the GeoGebra based environment on students’ achievements in the field of functions with parameters, during collaborative learning. Functions with parameters are important because of their application in science. Students had to choose different values for parameters and to examine the properties of the obtained functions, by using multiple representations. GeoGebra package is selected for the experimental group because it is free dynamic software and it provides the multiple representations of functions simultaneously. The students of control group worked without the computer during their learning process. Tasks for the learning process and for the test were the same for both the groups. During the test, students solved tasks without the possibility of using computers.
Hidden Credentials

Hidden Credentials are useful in situations where requests for service, credentials, access policies and resources are extremely sensitive. We show how transactions which depend on fulfillment of policies described by monotonic boolean formulae can take place in a single round of messages. We further show how credentials that are never revealed can be used to retrieve sensitive resources.
Bioequivalence for Generic ADHD Medications

Not all medications are alike, particularly when it comes to drugs for the treatment of ADHD. The FDA weighed in on the generic for Concerta back in 2014,1 and now a case series has shown that the generic methylphenidate extended release (ER) formulation that incorporates osmotic controlled-release oral-delivery system (OROS) technology may provide better, longer control of inattention than non-OROS formulations.2 Generic ER methylphenidate, indicated for treatment of ADHD, is marketed by Activis, Mallinckrodt, and Kremers, but Activis manufactures the only OROS generic and, therefore, the only generic deemed by the FDA to be bioequivalent to brand-name Concerta. OROS technology enables drug-release that simulates tid dosing and, thereby, provides most patients with symptom relief through the school day to early evening. Non-OROS ER formulations may not provide the same level of coverage—a caveat related in anecdotal reports.3 In a step towards greater clarity on the issue, a trio of researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston examined the effectiveness of OROS and non-OROS methylphenidate ER in 14 patients with ADHD, aged 8 to 16 years.2 The patients were identified, during routine treatment monitoring of patients with ADHD, as not receiving therapeutic benefit during the school day despite dosage titration. Further investigation revealed that they were receiving non-OROS generic formulations of ER methylphenidate. The patients’ caregivers were instructed to fill prescriptions (no change in dosage) at pharmacies that were confirmed to automatically dispense generic OROS ER methylphenidate. The Inattention and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity Scales of the Conners-Third Edition: Parent Rating Scale were then compared across 3 time points: at diagnosis, following treatment with non-OROS methylphenidate, and following treatment with OROS methylphenidate. Mean score on the Inattention Scale at the time of diagnosis was 81.1, in the clinically significant range (T-score > 65), and treatment with non-OROS medication did not have much of an impact on inattention symptomatology, with a mean T-score reduction of only 1.14 (P = .7761). When patients were changed from non-OROS to OROS, T-scores on the Inattention Scale were reduced by a mean 23 points (P < .0001) to the nonclinically significant range (T-score < 65). When T-scores from time of diagnosis were compared with those after OROS treatment, a mean reduction of 25 points was seen (P = .0004). The impact was evident in both patients with combined type or predominantly inattentive type ADHD. The bottom line The results provide empirical support for the FDA’s stance on generic Concerta, said the researchers. They called for randomized clinical trials to further explore their findings.
Modular Composition of Gene Transcription Networks

Predicting the dynamic behavior of a large network from that of the composing modules is a central problem in systems and synthetic biology. Yet, this predictive ability is still largely missing because modules display context-dependent behavior. One cause of context-dependence is retroactivity, a phenomenon similar to loading that influences in non-trivial ways the dynamic performance of a module upon connection to other modules. Here, we establish an analysis framework for gene transcription networks that explicitly accounts for retroactivity. Specifically, a module's key properties are encoded by three retroactivity matrices: internal, scaling, and mixing retroactivity. All of them have a physical interpretation and can be computed from macroscopic parameters (dissociation constants and promoter concentrations) and from the modules' topology. The internal retroactivity quantifies the effect of intramodular connections on an isolated module's dynamics. The scaling and mixing retroactivity establish how intermodular connections change the dynamics of connected modules. Based on these matrices and on the dynamics of modules in isolation, we can accurately predict how loading will affect the behavior of an arbitrary interconnection of modules. We illustrate implications of internal, scaling, and mixing retroactivity on the performance of recurrent network motifs, including negative autoregulation, combinatorial regulation, two-gene clocks, the toggle switch, and the single-input motif. We further provide a quantitative metric that determines how robust the dynamic behavior of a module is to interconnection with other modules. This metric can be employed both to evaluate the extent of modularity of natural networks and to establish concrete design guidelines to minimize retroactivity between modules in synthetic systems.
Towards Trust for Semantic Web Annotations

1. INTRODUCTION In the Semantic Web, users can attach (semantic) meta data to Web resources. One problem is the trustworthiness of these annotations. This paper identifies two main steps towards a Semantic Web trust framework and provides possible solutions. In the Semantic Web, users can attach (semantic) meta data to Web resources. These annotations can then be displayed to other users or used by computer programs to improve the understanding of content. For example, in an E-Learning scenario, users could annotate (Web) resources with meta data such as " difficult " or " important " , or rate resources with regard to a certain topic or course. The first step is to authenticate users and annotations. This is done in our approach by introducing Liberty Alliance identity management into Semantic Web annotations. Users have to login using Liberty Alliance accounts to create or modify annotations and their credentials are stored with the annotations. The author of an annotation can also define optional access rights to her annotations, for example to restrict access to the participants of a lecture course. We present our implementation which is an extension of the Annozilla plugin for the Mozilla Web browser. One advantage of using the Liberty Alliance specification for authentication is possible interoperability with other Web applications. Users can thereby reuse accounts for different services under their control (identity management). One problem is the trustworthiness of annotations. In the traditional WWW, users have to manually decide whether a Web page is trustworthy or not. For example, an annotation by the lecturer of a course would constitute high trust to her students. In a Semantic Web, we need a framework for representing trust in Web resources which can be used by programs to enhance search results or information personalization, for example. Annotea provides a standardized framework for the creation and management of annotations [1]. Usually, Web server functionality provides user authentication for annotations. Often, the standard HTTP authentication mechanism is used. In this case, users have to provide credentials to access annotations but the identity information is not associated with the annotation itself. Existing approaches for secure authentication in open networks, such as the Liberty Alliance project, are not integrated into annotation infrastructures. The second step is a framework for expressing trust in a (Web) resource. Users can rate resources (or other trust ratings) using a trust ontology. The rating is always done with regard …
Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in a group of Polish travelers returning from South and South-East Asia, June 2017 - June 2018. Environment- or healthcare-associated?

INTRODUCTION Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae have spread rapidly through the countries and continents to become a global concern. One of the main reservoirs of NDM-1 positive strains from the Enterobacteriaceae family is the Indian subcontinent (Bangladesh, Pakistan, India). MATERIAL AND METHODS During June 2017 - June 2018, rectal swab samples were collected routinely in all patients returning to Poland from South and South-East Asia. During molecular examinations gene blaNDM-1 encoding NDM-1 carbapenemase was detected. RESULTS 31 patients were examined after returning to Poland from a trip to South and South-East Asia. The presence of New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase-1 producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae was confirmed in three patients (9.7%) returning to Poland from travels to India. All the positive patients were hospitalized during the trip in a New Delhi hospital. CONCLUSIONS Digestive tract carriage of NDM in a group of Polish travelers is a significant health and epidemiological problem. The study confirms the necessity for screening for carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), particularly among travellers. Rectal swabs should be collected in every case of patients returning from international trips, and the possibility of environment-associated infections should be emphasized.
New Evidence Confirms That the Mitochondrial Bottleneck Is Generated without Reduction of Mitochondrial DNA Content in Early Primordial Germ Cells of Mice

In mammals, observations of rapid shifts in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants between generations have led to the creation of the bottleneck theory for the transmission of mtDNA. The bottleneck could be attributed to a marked decline of mtDNA content in germ cells giving rise to the next generation, to a small effective number of mtDNA segregation units resulting from homoplasmic nucleoids rather than the single mtDNA molecule serving as the units of segregation, or to the selective transmission of a subgroup of the mtDNA population to the progeny. We have previously determined mtDNA copy number in single germ cells and shown that the bottleneck occurs without the reduction in germline mtDNA content. Recently one study suggested that the bottleneck is driven by a remarkable decline of mtDNA copies in early primordial germ cells (PGCs), while another study reported that the mtDNA genetic bottleneck results from replication of a subpopulation of the mtDNA genome during postnatal oocyte maturation and not during embryonic oogenesis, despite a detected a reduction in mtDNA content in early PGCs. To clarify these contradictory results, we examined the mtDNA copy number in PGCs isolated from transgenic mice expressing fluorescent proteins specifically in PGCs as in the aforementioned two other studies. We provide clear evidence to confirm that no remarkable reduction in mtDNA content occurs in PGCs and reinforce that the bottleneck is generated without reduction of mtDNA content in germ cells.
A Call to the AAPT Executive Board and Publications Committee to Expand Publication of Physics Education Research Articles within the American Journal of Physics

The recent dramatic expansion of activity in physics education research among AAPT members has not been matched by commensurate increases in publication venues. Although the impact of this research field within the broader physics community has sharply increased, the viability of its continued existence is dependent upon substantially expanded publication opportunities in the near future. The American Journal of Physics has served for three decades as the primary publication venue for results in physics education research. An increased number of pages devoted to physics education research is consistent both with AJP's historical role and with the greater prominence in recent years of the PER community within AAPT. We recommend (1) considering PER submissions to the main section of AJP on a par with submissions in other subject areas, (2) increasing the number of pages allocated to the PER Section, and (3) allowing the option of increasing the publication frequency of the PER Section from its present rate. Introduction: Evaluating and improving the teaching and learning of physics is a prime concern for a large proportion of all physicists, and is the central focus of the AAPT. Significant numbers of physicists have begun to apply to the problems involved in teaching and learning physics the same systematic methods of research and analysis they have employed so successfully in investigating the physical world. They have carried out detailed, systematic, and reproducible studies involving the collection and analysis of data reflecting student thinking and performance. This endeavor, broadly known by the term " physics education research " (PER), has in recent years undergone rapid expansion both in the numbers of physicists involved, and in the recognition and impact of its results within the broader physics community.
Genomic Convergence toward Diploidy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Genome size, a fundamental aspect of any organism, is subject to a variety of mutational and selection pressures. We investigated genome size evolution in haploid, diploid, and tetraploid initially isogenic lines of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Over the course of ~1,800 generations of mitotic division, we observed convergence toward diploid DNA content in all replicate lines. This convergence was observed in both unstressful and stressful environments, although the rate of convergence was dependent on initial ploidy and evolutionary environment. Comparative genomic hybridization with microarrays revealed nearly euploid DNA content by the end of the experiment. As the vegetative life cycle of S. cerevisiae is predominantly diploid, this experiment provides evidence that genome size evolution is constrained, with selection favouring the genomic content typical of the yeast's evolutionary past.
Enhancing Arabidopsis Salt and Drought Stress Tolerance by Chemical Priming for Its Abscisic Acid Responses1

Drought and salt stress tolerance of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants increased following treatment with the nonprotein amino acid β-aminobutyric acid (BABA), known as an inducer of resistance against infection of plants by numerous pathogens. BABA-pretreated plants showed earlier and higher expression of the salicylic acid-dependent PR-1 and PR-5 and the abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent RAB-18 and RD-29A genes following salt and drought stress. However, non-expressor of pathogenesis-related genes 1 and constitutive expressor of pathogenesis-related genes 1 mutants as well as transgenic NahG plants, all affected in the salicylic acid signal transduction pathway, still showed increased salt and drought tolerance after BABA treatment. On the contrary, the ABA deficient 1 and ABA insensitive 4 mutants, both impaired in the ABA-signaling pathway, could not be protected by BABA application. Our data demonstrate that BABA-induced water stress tolerance is based on enhanced ABA accumulation resulting in accelerated stress gene expression and stomatal closure. Here, we show a possibility to increase plant tolerance for these abiotic stresses through effective priming of the preexisting defense pathways without resorting to genetic alterations.
A low-power termination criterion for iterative LDPC code decoders

This paper introduces a novel criterion for the termination of iterations in iterative LDPC Code decoders. The proposed criterion is amenable for VLSI implementation, and it is here shown that it can enhance previously reported LDPC code decoder architectures substantially, by reducing the corresponding power dissipation. The concept of the proposed criterion is the detection of cycles in the sequences of soft words. The soft-word cycles occur in some cases of low signal-to-noise ratios and indicate that the decoder is unable to decide on a codeword, which in turn results in unnecessary power consumption due to iterations that do not improve the bit error rate. The proposed architecture terminates the decoding process when a soft-word cycle occurs, allowing for substantial power savings at a minimal performance penalty. The proposed criterion is applied to hardware-sharing and parallel decoder architectures.
Field trial results of planetary rover visual motion estimation in Mars analogue terrain

This paper presents the Mojave Desert field test results of planetary rover visual motion estimation (VME) developed under the “Autonomous, Intelligent, and Robust Guidance, Navigation, and Control for Planetary Rovers (AIR‐GNC)” project. Three VME schemes are compared in realistic conditions. The main innovations of this project include the use of different features from stereo‐pair images as visual landmarks and the use of vision‐based feedback to close the path‐tracking loop. The multiweek field campaign, conducted on relevant Mars analogue terrains, under dramatically changing lighting and weather conditions, shows good localization accuracy on the average. Moreover, the MDA‐developed inertial measurement unit (IMU)‐corrected odometry was reliable and had good accuracy at all test locations, including loose sand dunes. These results are based on data collected during 7.3 km of traverse, including both fully autonomous and joystick‐driven runs. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Thalamic connections with limbic cortex. II. Corticothalamic projections

The corticothalamic projections from the cat limbic cortex have been investigated with anterograde and retrograde axonal transport techniques. Five limbic cortical areas—the anterior limbic area, the cingular area, the granular and dysgranular retrosplenial areas, and the presubiculum—were identified on the basis of their cytoarchitecture. Emphasis was placed on determining the laminar distribution of the cells of origin of the efferent projections, the projection pathways, and the sites of termination within the thalamus.
E-Cadherin and the Cytoskeletal Network in Colorectal Cancer Development and Metastasis

Abnormalities in the expression and functional activity of cell adhesion molecules are implicated in the development and progression of the majority of colorectal cancers (CRC). Cell–cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin regulates cell polarity, differentiation, proliferation and migration through its intimate association to the actin cytoskeletal network. During colorectal carcinogenesis changes in intercellular adhesion and dynamic rearrangements in the actin cytoskeleton result in altered signalling and migration with loss of contact inhibition. The adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) protein, besides its established role in the β catenin/Wnt signalling pathway, can coordinate microtubule and actin organization during cell migration. The actin-bundling protein Fascin promotes cell motility and is overexpressed in CRC. Based on recent molecular and pathological studies, this review focusses on the role of these molecules sharing the common feature of being associated with the cytoskeletal network during colorectal carcinogenesis and metastasis. The potential use of these molecules as prognostic markers and/or therapeutic targets will also be discussed.
The NNI Vietnamese Speech Recognition System for MediaEval 2016

This paper provides an overall description of the Vietnamese speech recognition system developed by the joint team for MediaEval 2016. The submitted system consisted of 3 subsystems, and adopted different deep neural network-based techniques such as fMLLR transformed bottleneck features, sequence training, etc. Besides the acoustic modeling techniques, speech data augmentation was also examined to develop a more robust acoustic model. The IR team collected a number of text resources from the Internet and made them available to other participants in the task. The web text crawled from the Internet was used to train a 5-gram language model. The submitted system obtained the token error rate (TER) of 15.1, 23.0 and 50.5 on Devel local set, Devel set and Test set, respectively.