Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Genetic Based Algorithm for Automatic Motif Detection of Periodic Patterns

In this paper, we introduce a new method to extract the basic unit cell of a periodic Islamic Geometrical Pattern (IGP). This method is based on the autocorrelation function (ACF), a function known to be appropriate to analyze and draw out a repetitive motif from a regular texture. The motif can be successfully extracted when the detected peaks in the autocorrelation function of an image are pertinent. In this paper, the pertinent peaks detection is considered as an optimization problem. For this purpose, we propose a criterion function that we optimize by using genetic algorithm. The proposed method is tolerant to geometric distortion, and photometric quality of the input image compared to classical ones. Tests on 166 images with different visual quality demonstrate the capability of the proposed method to extract the periodic motif automatically.
Rac[e] to the pole

Mechanical forces influence many biological processes via activation of signaling molecules, including the family of Rho GTPases. Within the endothelium, the mechanical force of fluid shear stress regulates the spatiotemporal activation of Rho GTPases, including Rac1. Shear stress-induced Rac1 activation is required for numerous essential biological processes, including changes in permeability, alignment of the actin cytoskeleton, redox signaling, and changes in gene expression. Thus, identifying mechanisms of Rac1 activation and the spatial cues that direct proper localization of the GTPase is essential in order to gain a comprehensive understanding the role of Rac1 in shear stress responses. This commentary will highlight our current understanding of how Rac1 activity is regulated in response to shear stress, as well as the downstream consequences of Rac1 activation.
Effect of lead and cadmium co‐exposure on testicular steroid metabolism and antioxidant system of adult male rats

The mechanism of testicular toxicity of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) is poorly understood. Previous studies focused on single metal‐related changes in testicular toxicity. This study points towards the possible involvement of Pb‐ and Cd‐induced oxidative stress in the suppression of steroidogenesis. The oxidative status of testis of adult male rats exposed to Pb acetate and cadmium acetate either alone or in combination at a dose of 0.025 mg kg−1 body weight of metal intraperitoneally for 15 days was studied. Pb and Cd caused an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) by elevating testicular malondialdehydes (MDA) and decrease in activities of testicular antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST) in mitochondrial and/or post‐mitochondrial fraction. Activities of steroidogenic enzymes 3β and 17β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase also decreased significantly leading to altered testosterone production. Metal‐exposed groups showed significantly decreased testicular and epididymal sperm count. Epididymal sperm motility and viability was also decreased on Pb and Cd exposure. Cd exposure showed more toxic effect than lead exposure, while combined exposure demonstrated least toxicity. In vitro experiments showed that vitamin C restores steroidogenic enzyme activities, suggesting that Pb‐ and Cd‐induced ROS inhibits the testicular steroidogenesis.
Multiple broad-band source location using steered covariance matrices

The authors present an approach for reducing the threshold observation time required to achieve high-resolution localization of multiple broadband sources. The proposed techniques are based on a space-time statistic called the steered covariance matrix (STCM). The STCM, like the well-known cross-spectral density matrix (CSDM), has asymptotic properties which facilitate high-resolution source localization. In broadband settings, however, the STCM has the advantage that it can be estimated with much greater statistical stability than the CSDM. The STCM is used in conjunction with minimum variance and linear predictive spectral estimation to obtain the steered minimum variance (STMV) and steered linear prediction (STLP) methods. Analytical and simulation results are presented that indicate that the STMV and STLP methods exhibit lower threshold observation times than their CSDM-based counterparts. >
Age-associated modifications of intestinal permeability and innate immunity in human small intestine.

The physical and immunological properties of the human intestinal epithelial barrier in aging are largely unknown. Ileal biopsies from young (7-12 years), adult (20-40 years) and aging (67-77 years) individuals not showing symptoms of gastrointestinal (GI) pathologies were used to assess levels of inflammatory cytokines, barrier integrity and cytokine production in response to microbial challenges. Increased expression of interleukin (IL)-6, but not interferon (IFN)γ, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-1β was observed during aging; further analysis showed that cluster of differentiation (CD)11c(+) dendritic cells (DCs) are one of the major sources of IL-6 in the aging gut and expressed higher levels of CD40. Up-regulated production of IL-6 was accompanied by increased expression of claudin-2 leading to reduced transepithelial electric resistance (TEER); TEER could be restored in in vitro and ex vivo cultures by neutralizing anti-IL-6 antibody. In contrast, expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), occludin and junctional-adhesion molecule-A1 did not vary with age and overall permeability to macromolecules was not affected. Finally, cytokine production in response to different microbial stimuli was assessed in a polarized in vitro organ culture (IVOC). IL-8 production in response to flagellin declined progressively with age although the expression and distribution of toll-like receptor (TLR)-5 on intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) remained unchanged. Also, flagellin-induced production of IL-6 was less pronounced in aging individuals. In contrast, TNF-α production in response to probiotics (VSL#3) did not decline with age; however, in our experimental model probiotics did not down-regulate the production of IL-6 and expression of claudin-2. These data suggested that aging affects properties of the intestinal barrier likely to impact on age-associated disturbances, both locally and systemically.
Transmissibility of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome by the Airborne Route

TO THE EDITOR—Hospital outbreak is one of the defining epidemiologic characteristics of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection [1, 2]. During the Korean MERS-CoV outbreak in 2015, almost all case patients were infected at hospitals, and the 5 largest clusters of the hospital outbreaks accounted for 83% of all cases [3–5]. However, it remains to be determined whether these outbreaks were due to contact with infectious droplets or inhalation of infectious droplet nuclei. In a recent article in Clinical Infectious Diseases, Kim et al [5] reported that viable MERS-CoV was isolated from 19 environmental samples, including 4 air samples. Two of the 3 patients were receiving mechanical ventilation when air samples were taken, but the other patient (patient 3) did not undergo any aerosolgenerating procedures. The isolation of MERS-CoV from multiple air samples, especially from the corridor air (hospital B, patient 3), raises concern about possible airborne transmission of MERS-CoV. However, the characteristics of the environmental isolates seem to differ from those of the clinical isolate. First, the immunofluorescence (IF) study showed few IF-positive cells in cultures of the air and surface samples but widespread IF-positive cells in culture of the positive control virus (clinical isolate of MERS-CoV/Korea/ KNIH/002_05_2015) (Supplementary Figure 3B) [5]. Second, for the IF study, the cells inoculated with the environmental isolates were harvested after 7 days in culture, whereas the cells inoculated with the clinical isolate were harvested after 2 days in culture. These findings suggest that the environmental isolates have a limited capacity for replication. Third, the sequence similarities of the spike gene from the 19 environmental isolates ranged from 97% to 100% (Supplementary Figure 2). Considering the small size of the target region (nucleotides 22 300–22 682), one would expect a sequence similarity of 100%. Indeed, a recent study showed that the nucleotide substitution of MERS-CoV during the Korean outbreak was very rare (3.78 × 10 per site per day), and no nucleotide substitution was observed in the target region [6]. In contrast, the 8 MERS-CoV isolates (NOs. 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 71, 72 and 75) from the same room (hospital B, patient 3) had diverse similarity in the target region. Therefore, both the genotypic and the phenotypic characteristics of the environmental isolates are not in line with those of the clinical isolates. Further studies are needed to fully characterize the environmental isolates. To assess the possibility of airborne transmission, we also need to know the amount of virus in the air samples. The authors collected 1000 L of air for the virus culture study, a volume equivalent to what a resting person inhales for >120 minutes. However, we do not know the amount of MERS-CoV in the samples. Until we fill all the knowledge gaps, we should remember that the mere presence of MERS-CoV in the air is not directly translated into airborne transmission.
A Real Options Analysis of Automatic Milking Systems

Automatic, or robotic, milking systems have the potential to significantly change the way milk is produced on U.S. dairy farms. However, there is a high degree of uncertainty associated with adoption of this new technology. A real options approach is used to analyze the decision to replace an operational milking system with an automatic milking system. The most important source of uncertainty is shown to be the length of the technology's useful life. Under our assumptions, the automatic system is always an optimal investment if it is certain that it will last longer than the operational system being replaced.
Microcirculation in Muscle

The microvascular architecture in muscle is reviewed herein. The intrinsic vasculature is similar in different muscles. There are numerous arterioarterial (100 µm diameter) and venovenous (150 µm) anastomoses creating a large microscopical network. End-arterioles (30 µm), end-venules (50 µm), and capillaries (6 µm) form a smaller microscopical network. There are no arteriovenous shunts. Precapillary arterial vessels larger than 10 µm have one or several layers of smooth muscle cells. There are no precapillary sphincters. Postcapillary vessels larger than 15 µm have one continuous layer of smooth muscle cells. Calculations show that the cross-sectional area is the smallest and hence resistance the greatest in arterioles of 22 µm and venules of 40 µm. There is better physiological support for giving plasma expanders, such as dextran, rather than vasodilators in low flow situations.
Substance P: immunohistochemical localization and effect upon cat pial arteries in vitro and in situ.

1. Nerve fibres containing substance P immunoreactivity were present in the adventitia and the adventitia‐media border of all cat cerebral arteries which were examined. Substance P immunoreactivity was most abundant in cerebral arteries from the rostral portion of the circle of Willis. 2. Substance P effected a dose‐dependent relaxation of feline middle cerebral arteries which had been contracted with prostaglandin F2 alpha. The maximum relaxation (16 +/‐ 0.3 mN) was achieved with substance P at a concentration of 10‐6 M. 3. In cats anaesthetized with alpha‐chloralose, the perivascular microinjection of substance P effected dose‐dependent increases in arteriolar calibre. The maximum increase in calibre (19 +/‐ 3%) was observed following the injection of 10(‐6) M‐substance P.
Effects of multiple intrathecal administration of L-arginine with different doses on formalin-induced nociceptive behavioral responses in rats

Objective To investigate the effects of nitric oxide (NO) with different doses on modulation of inflammatory pain, and its possible mechanisms. Methods NO precursor L-arginine (L-Arg) was intrathecally administered in rats at a dose of 10 μg per day (low dose group) or 250 μg per day (high dose group) for a succession of 4 d. Normal saline was applied as a control. Then the rats were subcutaneously injected with formalin (100 μL, 2%) into the right hindpaw, and the nociceptive behavioral responses within 1 h were observed. At 4 h after formalin injection, neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) and c-Fos expression in spinal dorsal horn was examined with immunocytochemistry method. Results The subcutaneous injection of formalin evoked biphasic behaviors of licking or biting the injected paw. There was no difference in acute phase of formalin test among the 3 groups, while in tonic phase, the licking and biting time, and the protein levels of nNOS and c-Fos in spinal dorsal horn were significantly decreased in low dose group and increased in high dose group, compared with those in control group. Conclusion These results suggest that multiple administration of NO with different doses may produce different effects. On one hand, the low dose of NO can induce antinociception. On the other hand, the high dose of NO can induce pronociception.
A class of learning for optimal generalization

Learning a mapping from training data can be discussed from the viewpoint of function approximation. One of the authors, Ogawa (1995), proposed projection learning, partial projection learning, and averaged projection learning to obtain good generalization capability, and devised the concept of a family of projection learnings which includes these three kinds of projection learnings. This provided a framework to discuss an infinite kind of learning. Conventional definitions of the family, however, did not represent the concept appropriately and inhibited development of the theory. In this paper, we propose a new and natural definition and discuss properties of the family, which provide the foundations of future studies of the family of projection learnings.
Water use efficiency of coriander produced in a low-cost hydroponic system

Eficiência do uso da água na produção do coentro em hidroponia de baixo custo R E S U M O O incremento da eficiência do uso da água na produção das culturas é uma necessidade evidente em regiões com acesso restrito a este recurso e, nesses casos, a adoção de formas de cultivo contextualizadas à realidade local é imprescindível. Neste contexto, avaliou-se as implicações da variação da quantidade de sementes por célula (0,5; 1,0; 1,5 e 2,0 g) e do espaçamento entre células (7,0; 10,0 e 15,0 cm) sobre variáveis relacionadas ao consumo e eficiência do uso da água na produção de molhos de coentro (cv. Tabocas) em um “módulo hidropônico de baixo custo”, alternativo para regiões semiáridas. Adotou-se um delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado analisado em esquema fatorial 4 x 3, com três repetições cujos dados foram submetidos à análise de variância em nível de 0,05 de probabilidade. Verificou-se que a redução dos espaços entre células proporcionou melhor relação custo benefício em relação ao consumo de água, massa produzida e custo de sementes. Recomenda-se, portanto, a adoção de 7,0 cm de espaçamento entre células e a utilização de 1,0 g de sementes célula-1; esta configuração proporcionou eficiência de 81,59 g L-1 na produção de massa verde da parte aérea e molhos de 62,4 g de massa total.
Strategies for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment and Prevention Over the Life Course: Progress Amid Imperfections

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, including in the United States. Fortunately, the major risk factors contributing to the development of atherosclerotic CVD have been detailed in epidemiological studies, and randomized clinical trials have demonstrated the benefits of lowering elevated levels of risk factors. Yet, one of the most challenging questions in clinical medicine remains: if and when to treat and how best to treat individuals with ≥1 CVD risk factors. Article see p 384 A few concepts have helped us in identifying strategies to answer the question posed above. First, CVD risk develops over the entire life course as a result of the combined influences of lifestyle-related factors, environmental triggers, and genetic susceptibility. Second, clinically overt CVD usually is antedated by the presence of ≥1 risk factors and subclinical atherosclerosis. Such a time course of evolution provides us with a window of opportunity for prevention/intervention. The long latency of CVD means that preventive approaches also may vary over the life course. Third, CVD prevention is best thought of as a combination of “population-based” prevention, primary prevention in high-risk individuals, and secondary prevention in those with established clinical CVD.1 The exact proportion allocated to each of these 3 approaches varies, depending on the mean absolute CVD risk (and its distribution) in a given community and the healthcare resources available at hand. Fourth, with regard to the “high-risk individuals” approach, rates of CVD vary among people with identical levels of any particular risk factor based on the levels of other risk factors, emphasizing the multifactorial origin of CVD. Therefore, combining information about levels of different CVD risk factors in an individual using 1 or more risk prediction algorithms is the best approach for assessing the likelihood that he or she will experience a CVD …
Occupational hazards and diseases among workers in emergency services: a literature review with special emphasis on Chile.

BACKGROUND Healthcare workers face the risk of accidents and illnesses related to their occupation. Psychological stress, exposure to communicable diseases and violence are perhaps the most significant ones. Workers in emergency services are more likely to be subjected to these risks than healthcare workers in other areas. This review aims to assess current international literature regarding this situation and more specifically the treatment that this issue has had in Chile. METHODS We based the review mainly on PubMed/MEDLINE. The general search strategy included the following keywords: health personnel, emergency medical services and occupational diseases combined with other specific words. We also reviewed the state of prevention for occupational hazards in the emergency services. RESULTS More than 70 studies addressing the issue of one or another occupational hazard in emergency services were detected. In Chile 12 studies refer to the issue of occupational risks in healthcare workers and at least two of them focus on emergency services. CONCLUSIONS The review evaluates the overall picture of the risks and illnesses of emergency services health workers but does not analyze each of the risks in depth. We recommend delving deeper into the issue of occupational hazards of emergency service healthcare workers in order to help improve and evaluate preventative measures.
Expression of multidrug resistance proteins in prostate cancer is related with cell sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs

Multidrug resistance (MDR) proteins have been associated with the lack of chemotherapy response. Expression of these proteins has been described in the prostate, but there is no information about their role in the chemotherapy response of prostate cancer (PC). We studied the gene and protein expression of MDR proteins in primary cell cultures from PC tumors and PC cell lines, their relationship with chemotherapy and their effects on cell survival.
The empirical research on the relationship between social responsibility and financial performance of oil companies

The oil companies' social responsibility is divided into the economic responsibility, social welfare responsibility and safety environmental responsibility. Three hypotheses are put forward and a Model is built, The listed oil companies from 2005 to 2009 in the SSE and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange as samples are taken as the research object and through the empirical study examines the relationship between social responsibility and financial performance. Through the empirical research the paper can draw the following conclusions: The fulfillment of economic responsibilities can help enterprises improve their financial performance; The fulfillment of social welfare responsibilities will affect the improvement of financial performance; The fulfillment of safety and environmental protection responsibilities can help enterprises increase financial performance.
Interference tolerant power control algorithm of ranging process in IEEE 802.16 relay system

This paper considers the ranging process of IEEE 802.16 system in relay system. An interference problem between MS-BS ranging (i.e. ranging between mobile station and base station) and MS-RS ranging (i.e. ranging between mobile station and relay station), which is caused by the introduction of relay systems, is addressed. A solution of the interference problem is provided by proposing a new transmit power control algorithm. Computer simulation shows the performance of the ranging process in relay system, and validates the efficiency of the proposed transmission power control algorithm.
NKT Cells Provide Help for Dendritic Cell-Dependent Priming of MHC Class I-Restricted CD8+ T Cells In Vivo 1

Dendritic cells (DC) are potent APCs for naive T cells in vivo. This is evident by inducing T cell responses through adoptive DC transfer. Priming specific CTL responses in vivo often requires “help”. We study alternative sources of help in DC-dependent priming of MHC class I-restricted CTL. Priming an anti-viral CTL response in naive B6 mice by adoptive transfer of antigenic peptide-pulsed DC required CD4+ T cell help. CTL priming was facilitated by providing MHC class II-dependent specific help. Furthermore, transfers of MHC class II-deficient pulsed DC into naive, normal hosts, or DC transfers into naive, CD4+ T cell-depleted hosts primed CTL inefficiently. Pretreatment of DC with immune-stimulating oligodeoxynucleotides rendered them more efficient for CD4+ T cell-independent priming of CTL. DC copresenting a Kb-binding antigenic peptide and the CD1d-binding glycolipid α-galactosyl-ceramide efficiently primed CTL in a class II-independent way. To obtain NKT cell-dependent help in CTL priming, the same DC had to present both the peptide and the glycolipid. CTL priming by adoptive DC transfer was largely NK cell-dependent. The requirement for NK cells was only partially overcome by recruiting NKT cell help into DC-dependent CTL priming. NKT cells thus are potent helper cells for DC-dependent CTL priming.