Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter Remains Constant during Robot Assisted Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy

Background During robot assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALRP), a CO2 pneumoperitoneum (CO2PP) is applied and the patient is placed in a head-down position. Intracranial pressure (ICP) is expected to acutely increase under these conditions. A non-invasive method, the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) measurement, may warn us that the mechanism of protective cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shifts becomes exhausted. Methods After obtaining IRB approval and written informed consent, ONSD was measured by ocular ultrasound in 20 ASA I–II patients at various stages of the RALRP procedure: baseline awake, after induction, after applying the CO2PP, during head-down position, after resuming the supine position, in the postoperative anaesthesia care unit, and on day one postoperatively. Cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) was calculated as the mean arterial (MAP) minus central venous pressure (CVP). Results The ONSD did not change during head-down position, although the CVP increased from 4.2(2.5) mm Hg to 27.6(3.8) mm Hg. The CPP was decreased 70 min after assuming the head-down position until 15 min after resuming the supine position, but remained above 60 mm Hg at all times. Conclusion Even though ICP has been documented to increase during CO2PP and head-down positioning, we did not find any changes in ONSD during head-down position. These results indicate that intracranial blood volume does not increase up to a point that CSF migration as a compensation mechanism becomes exhausted, suggesting any increases in ICP are likely to be small.
HTLV-1 viral oncogene HBZ induces osteolytic bone disease in transgenic mice

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) is an aggressive T cell malignancy that occurs in HTLV-1 infected patients. Most ATL patients develop osteolytic lesions and hypercalcemia of malignancy, causing severe skeletal related complications and reduced overall survival. The HTLV-1 virus encodes 2 viral oncogenes, Tax and HBZ. Tax, a transcriptional activator, is critical to ATL development, and has been implicated in pathologic osteolysis. HBZ, HTLV-1 basic leucine zipper transcription factor, promotes tumor cell proliferation and disrupts Wnt pathway modulators; however, its role in ATL induced osteolytic bone loss is unknown. To determine if HBZ is sufficient for the development of bone loss, we established a transgenic Granzyme B HBZ (Gzmb-HBZ) mouse model. Lymphoproliferative disease including tumors, enlarged spleens and/or abnormal white cell counts developed in two-thirds of Gzmb-HBZ mice at 18 months. HBZ positive cells were detected in tumors, spleen and bone marrow. Importantly, pathologic bone loss and hypercalcemia were present at 18 months. Bone-acting factors were present in serum and RANKL, PTHrP and DKK1, key mediators of hypercalcemia and bone loss, were upregulated in Gzmb-HBZ T cells. These data demonstrate that Gzmb-HBZ mice model ATL bone disease and express factors that are current therapeutic targets for metastatic and bone resident tumors.
A Coarse-Grained Model of Unstructured Single-Stranded DNA Derived from Atomistic Simulation and Single-Molecule Experiment

A simple coarse-grained model of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) was developed, featuring only two sites per nucleotide that represent the centers of mass of the backbone and sugar/base groups. In the model, the interactions between sites are described using tabulated bonded potentials optimized to reproduce the solution structure of DNA observed in atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Isotropic potentials describe nonbonded interactions, implicitly taking into account the solvent conditions to match the experimentally determined radius of gyration of ssDNA. The model reproduces experimentally measured force–extension dependence of an unstructured DNA strand across 2 orders of magnitude of the applied force. The accuracy of the model was confirmed by measuring the end-to-end distance of a dT14 fragment via FRET while stretching the molecules using optical tweezers. The model offers straightforward generalization to systems containing double-stranded DNA and DNA binding proteins.
SOCIAL COMPARISONS AND REFERENCE POINTS IN GAME-THEORETIC MODELS

This thesis analyzes how players' relative evaluation of the actions other agents choose affects individuals' strategic behavior, both in simultaneous and sequential-move games. First, in "The importance of foregone options: generalizing social comparisons in sequential-move games" (joint work with Ana Espinola-Arredondo), we examine a tractable theoretical model in which every individual compares other players' actions with respect to their foregone choices. We analyze the equilibrium prediction in complete information sequential-move games, and compare it with that of standard games where players are not concerned about unchosen alternatives. We show that, without relying on interpersonal payoff comparisons (i.e., assuming strictly individualistic preferences), our model predicts higher cooperation among the players than standard game-theoretic models. In addition, our framework embodies different behavioral models, such as those on social status acquisition as special cases. Finally, we confirm our results in different economic applications.In "Social comparisons as a cooperating device in simultaneous-move games", I extend the above setting to simultaneous-move games. Specifically, I identify under what conditions introducing relative comparisons into players' preferences leads them to be more cooperative than in standard game-theoretic models. I show that this result holds under certain conditions on the reference point that players use in their relative comparisons (which determines when a particular action by other agent is considered kind or not) and on whether players' actions become more strategic complementary or substitutable. The model is then applied to different examples in public good games which confirm the intuition behind the results.Finally, in "Competition for status acquisition in public good games" I apply the above models of social comparisons to the context of status acquisition through contributions to public goods. I show that the simultaneous contribution order generates higher total contributions than the sequential mechanism only when donors are sufficiently homogeneous in the value they assign to status. Otherwise, the sequential mechanism generates the highest contributions.
Charcoal sketching: returning control to the artist

Background: Traditional paint programs can be criticized on the grounds that they provide fewer degrees of freedom than conventional artistic media. Mouse or tablet input devices usually provide only (x, y) spatial information. Thus most paint programs allow continuous control of the path of a stroke, but render it with a single “brush shape” of fixed size and orientation and use menus, either stationary or appearing, for such tasks as changing “brush” shapes. This produces two distinct discontinuities for the artist. First is a physical discontinuity: stopping the act of drawing and making a brush selection using a different physical device, or using the same device to point at a menu selection. A second discontinuity is the cognitive one involved with deciphering the menu contents and making a selection. Although the second may be minimized by using iconic menus, these interruptions of the drawing act make it difficult or impossible for the artist to maintain the kind of continuous control over his or her medium that is required. A particular example of this level of control is the continuous and immediate control that an artist maintains when sketching with a piece of charcoal or a pencil. By manipulating the implement, the artist can change the shape of its contact point with the drawing surface. By changes in pressure exerted with the implement against the surface, it is possible to control both the darkness (value) and width (weight) of the line. All of these factors are controlled by the artist in real time and with continuous feedback. Both Greene [2] and Strassman [4] have presented methods for capturing more of the artist's “gesture” in the rendered stroke. However, Greene's technique depends on a special-purpose input device and Strassman's does not work in real time. Hill [3] describes a two-handed paintbrush with the off hand controlling a valuator that varies the 'brush width. The technique described here represents another way to provide such control to the user of an interactive paint program. It uses off-the-shelf hardware, is easy to implement, and works in real time. As a single-handed technique, it takes advantage of the artist's skill with existing media.
Glycosylated Hemoglobin Is a Predictor of Major Adverse Cardiac Events after Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Objectives: Diabetes mellitus is associated with the risk of restenosis and mortality after coronary stenting, but the relation between glycosylated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A1c) and prognosis has not yet been fully elucidated in patients with diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether hemoglobin A1c is associated with a risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) after successful drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation in patients with diabetes mellitus. Methods: In a retrospective study with a prospective follow-up, 206 patients with diabetes mellitus undergoing successful DES implantation were enrolled in this study. Hemoglobin A1c levels were measured within 1 month before coronary stenting. Results: During a period of 4,811 person-months, we confirmed 40 cases of MACE. Higher hemoglobin A1c levels increased the incidence of MACE. Based on multivariate analysis, hemoglobin A1c was a significant predictor of MACE. The multiple-adjusted hazard ratio for a 1% increase in hemoglobin A1c levels was 1.40 (95% CI: 1.13–1.74, p = 0.002) for MACE after adjustment for age, gender, ejection fraction, chronic renal failure on hemodialysis, and statins. Conclusions: Hemoglobin A1c is associated with an increased risk of MACE after successful DES implantation in patients with diabetes mellitus.
Influence of Stimuli Color and Comparison of SVM and ANN Classifier Models for Steady- State Visual Evoked Potentials

In recent years, Brain Computer Interface (BCI) systems based on Steady-State Visual Evoked Potential (SSVEP) have received much attentions. In this study four different flickering frequencies in low frequency region were used to elicit the SSVEPs and were displayed on a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitor using LabVIEW. Two stimuli colors, green and violet were used in this study to investigate the color influence in SSVEPs. The Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals recorded from the occipital region were segmented into 1 second window and features were extracted by using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). This study tries to develop a classifier, which can provide higher classification accuracy for multiclass SSVEP data. Support Vector Machines (SVM) is a powerful approach for classification and hence widely used in BCI applications. One-Against-All (OAA), a popular strategy for multiclass SVM is compared with Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models on the basis of SSVEP classifier accuracies. Based on this study, it is found that OAA based SVM classifier can provide a better results than ANN. In color comparison SSVEP with violet color showed higher accuracy than that with green stimuli. 
Transplantable Friend virus-induced tumors in rats.

Four lines of transplantable tumors, WFT-1, WFT-2, WFT-3, and WFT-4, were obtained in Wistar-King-Aptekman/Mk rats after the Friend leukemogenic virus was injected at birth. Histologically, WFT-1, WFT-3, and WFT-4 were lymphosarcomas. WFT-1 showed the “starry sky” picture described in Burkitt's African lymphoma. WFT-2 appeared to be a reticulum cell sarcoma. Both virus particles and budding were observed in these tumors by electron microscopy. It was demonstrated that these tumors will proliferate in rats if conditioned by injection of the Friend virus when they are neonates, or if they are treated with immunosuppressive procedures. However, these tumors failed to grow progressively in nonconditioned isologous rats. The mechanism of these phenomena are discussed.
Author's response to reviews Title:Electroacupuncture-like stimulation at Baihui and Dazhui acupoints exerts neuroprotective effects through activation of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor-mediated MEK1/2/ERK1/2/p90RSK/Bad signaling pathway in mild transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats

Title:Electroacupuncture-like stimulation at Baihui and Dazhui acupoints exerts neuroprotective effects through activation of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor-mediated MEK1/2/ERK1/2/p90RSK/Bad signaling pathway in mild transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats
Design and Implementation of Intelligent PID Controller Based on FPGA

Now, many systems are time-varying, nonlinear and real-time in industrial processes. According to PID parameters adjustment problems of these systems, firstly, the paper adopts asynchronous particle swarm optimization (APSO) algorithm to optimize the parameters of PID controller and introduces altera FPGA 1P1C6F256C8 to implement PID controller. Secondly, the closed-loop test system is constructed by DSP builder. It can simulates the input behavior of controller effectively, and enhances the flexibility of design and test. At last, tool command language (TCL) script file is generated by signal compiler and then is run in modelsim to verify VHDL code which is compiled in quartus II. The results show that APSO algorithm improves the precision of PID parameters optimization and the adaptability of control system, simultaneously demonstrate the feasibility and practicability of intelligent PID controller based on FPGA.
HCN Pacemaker Channel Activation Is Controlled by Acidic Lipids Downstream of Diacylglycerol Kinase and Phospholipase A2

Hyperpolarization-activated pacemaker currents (IH) contribute to the subthreshold properties of excitable cells and thereby influence behaviors such as synaptic integration and the appearance and frequency of intrinsic rhythmic activity. Accordingly, modulation of IH contributes to cellular plasticity. Although IH activation is regulated by a plethora of neurotransmitters, including some that act via phospholipase C (PLC), the only second messengers known to alter IH voltage dependence are cAMP, internal protons (H+Is), and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-phosphate. Here, we show that 4β-phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (4βPMA), a stereoselective C-1 diacylglycerol-binding site agonist, enhances voltage-dependent opening of wild-type and cAMP/H+I-uncoupled hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-regulated (HCN) channels, but does not alter gating of the plant hyperpolarization-activated channel, KAT1. Pharmacological analysis indicates that 4βPMA exerts its effects on HCN gating via sequential activation of PKC and diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) coupled with upregulation of MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) and phospholipase A2 (PLA2), but its action is independent of phosphoinositide kinase 3 (PI3K) and PI4K. Demonstration that both phosphatidic acid and arachidonic acid (AA) directly facilitate HCN gating suggests that these metabolites may serve as the messengers downstream of DGK and PLA2, respectively. 4βPMA-mediated suppression of the maximal HCN current likely arises from channel interaction with AA coupled with an enhanced membrane retrieval triggered by the same pathways that modulate channel gating. These results indicate that regulation of excitable cell behavior by neurotransmitter-mediated modulation of IH may be exerted via changes in three signaling lipids in addition to the allosteric actions of cAMP and H+Is.
Expression of 100,000-Mr simian virus 40 (SV40) tumor antigen in mouse fibroblasts transfected with replication-defective SV40 genomes

Simian virus 40 early region mutants which are partially or completely replication defective were tested for their ability to transform postcrisis mouse fibroblasts. All mutants tested were capable of generating anchorage-independent transformants. We have previously reported the presence of a variant tumor antigen of 100,000 Mr (100K protein) generated upon transformation by wild-type simian virus 40 virions which correlates with anchorage-independent growth (Chen et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 1:994-1006, 1981). In this study, none of the mutants tested produced the 100K variant protein at early (before the fifth) passage. Long-term passage (greater than 20 weeks) permitted the expression of this 100K variant in half of the transformants. Thus the phenotype of these mutants is different from both wild-type simian virus 40 (frequently production of 100K by the third passage, and always by the tenth passage) and the origin-minus class of mutants (no production of 100K at any passage).
Fractional counting of authorship to quantify scientific research output

We investigate the problem of counting co-authorhip in order to quantify the impact and relevance of scientific research output through normalized h-index and g-index. We use the papers whose authors belong to a subset of full professors of the Italian Settore Scientifico Disciplinare (SSD) FIS01 - Experimental Physics. In this SSD two populations, characterized by the number of co-authors of each paper, are roughly present. The total number of citations for each individuals, as well as their h-index and g-index, strongly depends on the average number of co-authors. We show that, in order to remove the dependence of the various indices on the two populations, the best way to define a fractional counting of autorship is to divide the number of citations received by each paper by the square root of the number of co-authors. This allows us to obtain some information which can be used for a better understanding of the scientific knowledge made through the process of writing and publishing papers.
Concurrent 3-D Sonifications Enable the Head-Up Monitoring of Two Interrelated Aircraft Navigation Instruments

Objective: The aim of this study was to enable the head-up monitoring of two interrelated aircraft navigation instruments by developing a 3-D auditory display that encodes this navigation information within two spatially discrete sonifications. Background: Head-up monitoring of aircraft navigation information utilizing 3-D audio displays, particularly involving concurrently presented sonifications, requires additional research. Method: A flight simulator’s head-down waypoint bearing and course deviation instrument readouts were conveyed to participants via a 3-D auditory display. Both readouts were separately represented by a colocated pair of continuous sounds, one fixed and the other varying in pitch, which together encoded the instrument value’s deviation from the norm. Each sound pair’s position in the listening space indicated the left/right parameter of its instrument’s readout. Participants’ accuracy in navigating a predetermined flight plan was evaluated while performing a head-up task involving the detection of visual flares in the out-of-cockpit scene. Results: The auditory display significantly improved aircraft heading and course deviation accuracy, head-up time, and flare detections. Head tracking did not improve performance by providing participants with the ability to orient potentially conflicting sounds, suggesting that the use of integrated localizing cues was successful. Conclusion: A supplementary 3-D auditory display enabled effective head-up monitoring of interrelated navigation information normally attended to through a head-down display. Application: Pilots operating aircraft, such as helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, may benefit from a supplementary auditory display because they navigate in two dimensions while performing head-up, out-of-aircraft, visual tasks.
Exhaustive Exercise With Different Rest Periods Changes the Collagen Content and MMP‐2 Activation on the Calcaneal Tendon

Tendons adapt to different mechanical stimuli through a remodeling process involving metalloproteinases (MMPs) and collagen synthesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the activities of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 and the collagen content in tendons after exhaustive acute exercise sessions over the course of 1, 3, or 6 days, with 1‐hr or 3‐hr rest periods between each session. Wistar rats were grouped into control (C), trained with 1‐hr (groups 1d1h, 3d1h, and 6d1h) and trained with 3‐hr (groups 1d3h, 3d3h and 6d3h) groups with rest periods between the treadmill running sessions, for 1, 3, and 6 days. The analysis of MMP‐2 showed a larger presence of the latent isoform in the 1d3h group and a larger presence of the active isoform in the 6d3h group compared to the control. No differences were detected for MMP‐9. A lower concentration of hydroxyproline was found in the 6d3h group compared to the 6d1h group. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis showed more prominent collagen bands in the 6d3h group, which was confirmed by Western blotting for collagen type I. A higher concentration of glycosaminoglycans was observed in the 3d3h group compared to the 3d1h group, and the 6d3h group presented the highest value for non‐collagenous proteins compared to other groups. In conclusion, different rest periods between exercise sessions had different effects on the composition of the calcaneal tendon because a greater activation of MMP‐2 and a reduction of total collagen were observed on day 6 of exercise with 3‐hr rest periods compared to 1‐hr rest periods. Anat Rec, 297:281–288, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
On the Redundancy Achieved by Huuman Codes

It has been recently proved that the redundancy r of any discrete memoryless source satisses r 1? H(p N), where p N is the least likely source letter probability. We prove that this bound is achieved only by sources consisting of two letters and that a sharper bound holds if the number of source letters is greater than two. Also provided is a new upper bound on r, as function of the two least likely source letter probabilities which improves on a previous result.
Complex phenotype of mice lacking occludin, a component of tight junction strands.

Occludin is an integral membrane protein with four transmembrane domains that is exclusively localized at tight junction (TJ) strands. Here, we describe the generation and analysis of mice carrying a null mutation in the occludin gene. Occludin -/- mice were born with no gross phenotype in the expected Mendelian ratios, but they showed significant postnatal growth retardation. Occludin -/- males produced no litters with wild-type females, whereas occludin -/- females produced litters normally when mated with wild-type males but did not suckle them. In occludin -/- mice, TJs themselves did not appear to be affected morphologically, and the barrier function of intestinal epithelium was normal as far as examined electrophysiologically. However, histological abnormalities were found in several tissues, i.e., chronic inflammation and hyperplasia of the gastric epithelium, calcification in the brain, testicular atrophy, loss of cytoplasmic granules in striated duct cells of the salivary gland, and thinning of the compact bone. These phenotypes suggested that the functions of TJs as well as occludin are more complex than previously supposed.
Analyzing UML Sequence Diagrams with UTP

In this paper, we present the formal semantics of sequence diagrams. The semantics of a sequence diagram is interpreted as a consecutive execution of steps in UTP. The semantics clearly captures the consistency between the design class diagram and sequence diagrams. This may underpin development of model consistency checking functions in UML CASE tools. It may also be used to reason about the correctness of design model with respect to the requirement model.