Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tissue Engineering of Human Salivary Gland Organoids

Radiation therapy for malignant head and neck tumours is mainly responsible for inadvertent damage of the salivary glands. Xerostomia is the major symptom of this condition, with consequent mucositis, dental caries, dysphagia and nutritional deficits. At present there is no routine treatment for radiation-induced salivary dysfunction. Based on the principles of tissue engineering, this study presents a new experimental concept for reconstituting salivary gland function after radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Human parotid cells were cultured with two different types of commercially available microcarriers - Cytodex 3 and Cytopore 1 - for up to 3 weeks in vitro . Cultures were controlled daily by means of inverted microscopy. Medium samples were tested for alpha-amylase, tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) and S100 in order to control parotid cell function in vitro . The vitality of the cells was investigated by in vitro staining with erythrosine. Immunocytochemical analysis for amylase and cytokeratin was performed in order to confirm epithelial character and maintain acinar cell type. Parotid gland cells could be cultured in a differentiated and vital state on both types of microcarriers for up to 3 weeks. Almost all of the cultured cells exhibited immunoreactivity for cytokeratin. High concentrations of TPA, a specific marker for salivary duct epithelium, indicated persistent differentiation of this cell type in vitro . Positivity for amylase was detectable in 20-45% of cells growing on the microcarriers, and especially on Cytodex 3. Decreasing amylase levels in the culture medium indicated functional deficiencies of the remaining acinar cells. Tissue engineering of human salivary gland organoids on microcarriers is a new approach for potential causative treatment of radiation-induced xerostomia. Before clinical application can be considered significant improvements in the in vitro cultivation of salivary gland tissue and scaffold design have to be realized.
Survey of Recent Research Issues in Data Center Networking

It is expensive to build and run a data center that meets today's need, and how to reduce capital/operational expenditures has become increasingly important. From the viewpoint of data center networking, two of the main related research issues are server interconnections and energy efficiency. Among thousands of servers and switches in today's data center, it is crucial to interconnect them for best utilization. At the same time, it is equally important to achieve energy efficiency for the data centers at such scale. This report introduces research works in these fields in the last two years.
Application of the elastic net algorithm to the formation of ocular dominance stripes

The elastic net algorithm, an iterative technique for the solution of combinatorial optimisation problems that have a geometric interpretation, was applied to the problem of explaining the development of ocular dominance stripes in the vertebrate visual system. Simulations show that this algorithm produces stripes under certain conditions. Analysis is presented that predicts the moment at which stripes form and an expression is derived for how stripe width depends on the parameters of the system. In contrast to most other models for stripe formation, the elastic net algorithm provides a common explanatory framework for the development of stripes and of retinotopically ordered projections.
Benefits of Legislating Cryptocurrencies: Perception of Nigerian Professional Accountants

This study was undertaken to ascertain the view of Nigerian Professional Accountants towards legislating cryptocurrency in Nigeria. It also examined four of the ostensible benefits which at the same time constitute risks, from the legislation of cryptocurrency. Quantitative data were sourced from the respondents through the administration of a structured questionnaire. The population for the study comprised a stratified group of 1,300 Chartered Accountants among whom were Tax Practitioners, Financial Analysts, Statutory Auditors, Bankers, Accountants, Lawyers, Lecturers and other specialists in the field of Accounting. A sample of 250 Practitioners was conveniently selected for the study. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results revealed that the Professional Accountants in Nigeria are willing to operate in the Cryptocurrency environment provided the Government would legislate its use. The study concluded that the legislation of Cryptocurrency or its modified form by the Federal Government of Nigeria is desirable for the protection of her economy as well as the interest of her citizens. However, government must take holistic view of the economy and scrutinize every relevant factor in the purview of the law to ensure the legislative decision is in the interest of the entire citizens.
Synthèse d'une conception UML temps-réel à partir de diagrammes de séquences

Le profil TURTLE (Timed UML and RT-LOTOS Environment) est dedie a la conception de systemes temps reel sur une base formelle apportee par le langage RT-LOTOS. La chaine d’outils formee de TTool et de RTL permet de valider formellement une conception et une architecture de communication en particulier. Dans sa version initiale, le profil TURTLE n'offrait aucune solution pour exprimer des exigences. L'article propose de remedier a cette situation en utilisant les diagrammes UML 2.0 d'interactions et de sequences comme support a l'expression d'un service et point de depart a une synthese de diagrammes de classes et de comportement TURTLE. L'article presente les algorithmes de synthese et decrit la premiere implantation realisee dans l’outil TTool. Le positionnement par rapport aux travaux du domaine sert de base a une discussion sur les interets et limitations de l'approche proposee.
High-order inversion formulas for low-frequency imaging of 2D buried targets

In this work, new closed-form formulations are derived for the inverse scattering of 2D large-contrast dielectric objects, buried in a lossy earth, using the idea of back-conditioner and lumped-mass approximation. These formulations are also valid to the case of free space. It has been demonstrated that the zeroth-order form of the new approximation is just the well-known Born approximation, and the first-order form is completely equivalent to the quasi-linear approximation. Hence, high-order approximations are proposed in this work for the imaging of buried objects in lossy earth. Reconstruction examples show the validity and efficiency of these formulations.
A Study on Various Methods for Mining Energy Consumption pattern from Smart Home Big Data

Houses are the main source of electrical energy consumption. Getting information about energy consumption pattern from smart homes are of vital importance. It helps in analyzing the behaviour of inhabitants and that of the equipments. Smart meters in homes collect large volume of data each day. Data mining techniques can be used to get relevant information from the smart home big data. Data mining helps in easily predicting the consumption patterns of various equipments. Forecasting energy consumption pattern helps in better energy management plans. The techniques that are used for mining and predicting energy consumption patterns are mentioned in this paper.
Changes in nonosseous tissue adjacent to titanium implants.

A combined histological, metallurgical, and clinical study has been made in 19 instances where a surgical operation had been performed to remove a titanium implant used in the treatment of disease or trauma in man. All the implants were static devices such as pins, plates and rods. Histological examination of nonosseous tissue excised from adjacent to the implant was supplemented by estimation of its titanium content by neutron activation analysis. The results indicate that in some patients titanium can be liberated into tissue adjacent to titanium implants. The phenomenon can occur in the absence of corrosion or fracture of the implant, and is unrelated to the possible liberation of wear particles from an artificial articular surface. There is variation from individual to individual in the amount, if any, of titanium released. In the case of those implants showing titanium release, the results suggest that local release of the metal, or its subsequent accumulation in the tissue, is a patchy process at the implant site. The histological features of the local reaction of nonosseous tissue to titanium release are described. No conclusions have been drawn concerning possible effects on the osteogenic response to the insertion of the implants and on the overall state of the bone at the time of their removal. From study of the clinical records it is apparent that considerable caution is needed before concluding that release of titanium can cause clinically significant local effects. Although such effects may have occurred in a minority of patients, this possibility is by no means proven. A distinction must be drawn between a “metal reaction” in the histological sense and a “metal reaction” in the clinical sense.
Early diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis by polymerase chain reaction

Background: Rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is of vital importance for patients with tuberculous meningitis. We evaluated an improved polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for rapid and specific identification of M tuberculosis in CSF. Methods: The technique was used on CSF samples from 42 patients (3 of whom were human immunodeficiency virus seropositive) with clinical symptoms, signs, and laboratory findings suggestive of tuberculous meningitis. The target for amplification was a nucleotide sequence located within IS6110. A small amount of DNA from M smegmatis strain 1008, containing a modified IS6110, was added in the PCR as a control for inhibitors and to quantitate the PCR for M tuberculosis. Results: On the basis of symptoms and clinical findings, antituberculous treatment was started in 35 patients, but was later stopped in 11 because of lack of response. From 12 patients responding to treatment and with a positive diagnostic test, 11 cases were detected by PCR, nine cases were culture positive, and two cases microscopy positive. Of the remaining 12 patients who had negative CSF by microscopy, PCR, and culture, 11 were diagnosed as having tuberculous meningitis on the basis of the response to treatment (three had active pulmonary tuberculosis) and one had mycobacteria other than M tuberculosis in sputum and urine. The sensitivity of the PCR was 48% in those with a final diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (culture or PCR confirmed cases, plus those with clinical evidence and who responded to antituberculous treatment), which is much higher than the 9% sensitivity of microscopy. There were no false-positive PCR results. Conclusions: PCR on CSF is a rapid method for the accurate diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis.
Método rápido de evaluación del efecto herbicida dalapon en cereales

Se describe un metodo rapido que permite evaluar en cuatro dias la respuesta de cereales al herbicida dala-pon (acido 2,2-dicloropropionico). Este metodo de germinacion en solucion herbicida se ha puesto a punto utili-zando cuatro cultivares de trigo y cuatro de cebada. Se ha comprobado que existe una buena correlacion entre la respuesta de los cultivares en gerninacion in vitro y la respuesta por pulverizacion en plantula
Analyzing behavioral selfishness in opportunistic environment using game theory

Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs) or Opportunistic Networks are mobile networks, where there may not exist connectivity of nodes all the time. In view of the limited connectivity, DTNs rely upon the store-carry-and-forward approach for communication with each other. The efficiency of DTN routing protocol relies on the intelligent selection of a relay node from a set of encountering nodes. Most of the researchers have paid attention to relay selection while developing routing protocols ignoring node behavior, which will also have an impact of the routing performance. This is because, the main focus lies in developing an intelligent forwarding strategy so, they assume that all the nodes are altruistic in nature and cooperative with each other. However, we have studied the behavior of DTN nodes and found experimentally that not all the nodes will behave rationally and in a cooperative manner. Such non-cooperating behavior of nodes will affect the routing performance. So, we have used a game theoretic approach to make the nodes cooperative and thereby improving the routing performance metrics. We have analyzed the Prophet routing algorithm for our study and the experimental results show that the proposed method achieves better routing objectives in terms of delivery ratio, overhead ratio and delivery delay.
Generating Natural Language Annotation from Video Sequences Taken by Handy Camera

In this paper, we propose a method for generating natural language annotation automatically from video sequences taken by handy camera. In general, video image and natural language are totally different form of information. The main challenge is how to bridge the gap between them and to translate one to another. In our method, an appropriate predicate is selected for expressing video contents by combining semantic features extracted from video sequences. It is, however, difficult to select most appropriate words for expressing the contents. Therefore we construct a concept hierarchy of motions and situations to select verbs from coarse to fine. We perform some experiments to test the effectiveness of the proposed method, and confirmed appropriate annotations are generated.
Supply chain challenges of North-European paper industry

Purpose – Owing to the consolidation and globalization of the paper industry, manufacturing units have keen interest to focus on particular product groups. While this specialization will create opportunities for scale economics in production, management of supply chains becomes increasingly challenging, as one particular manufacturing unit serves a number of different sales locations. The aim of this paper is to identify improvement areas in the new supply chain context of paper production, and possibly give further support for the general discipline development.Design/methodology/approach – Research work is based on two different case studies completed for one major North‐European paper manufacturer, which is mostly serving its customers in Europe and the USA. The first case study (a preliminary one) started when supply chain challenges were recognized at the end of the 1990s, and a manufacturing unit was seeking managerial remedies – this investigation only concerned one manufacturing unit, while not si.
Emerging tick-borne infections: rediscovered and better characterized, or truly ‘new’?

The emergence of Lyme borreliosis as a public health burden within the last two decades has stimulated renewed interest in tick-borne infections. This attention towards ticks, coupled with advances in detection technologies, has promoted the recognition of diverse emergent or potentially emerging infections, such as monocytic and granulocytic ehrlichiosis, local variants of spotted fever group rickettsioses, WA-1 babesiosis, or a Lyme disease mimic (Masters' Disease). The distribution of pathogens associated with well-described tick-borne zoonoses such as human babesiosis due to Babesia microti or B. divergens seems wider than previously thought. Bartonellae, previously known to be maintained by fleas, lice or sandflies, have been detected within ticks. Purported ‘new’ agents, mainly identified by sequencing of PCR products and comparison with those sequences present in GenBank, are being increasingly reported from ticks. We briefly review the diversity of these infectious agents, identify aetiological enigmas that remain to be solved, and provide a reminder about ‘old friends’ that should not be forgotten in our pursuit of novelty. We suggest that newly recognised agents or tick/pathogen associations receive careful scrutiny before being declared as potential public health burdens.
Représentation des systèmes hybrides complexes par flux de données : développement d'un outil de modélisation et de simulation des procédés Batch

Cette these presente une nouvelle approche pour la representation des systemes dynamiques hybrides complexes, i. E. Des systemes a dynamique continue et discrete composes de nombreuses entites en interaction, ainsi qu'un outil pour la manipulation des modeles et leur simulation. Cette approche est basee sur un formalisme a flux de donnees pour la representation modulaire de ces systemes. L'idee principale est de definir un formalisme de description modulaire et declaratif, plutot qu'un langage de simulation imperatif base sur des instructions informatiques. Ce formalisme est base sur l'interaction de blocs de modele definis par un ensemble de relations et de signaux a-causaux qui permettent de decrire une dynamique hybride. La complexite du systeme est ainsi divisee en plusieurs entites plus petites et plus simples qui peuvent etre construites, modifiees ou reutilisees independamment. Notre principale contribution a ete de formaliser un moyen efficace de representer ces blocs de modele et leurs interactions. Nous avons principalement utilise cette approche pour la simulation du comportement du systeme en boucle fermee, i. E. Du procede avec son systeme de commande, de facon a repondre a de nouveaux besoins comme par exemple la validation du logiciel de commande. Nous avons ensuite mis en uvre une procedure de compilation du modele sous une forme adaptee a la simulation numerique, en analysant symboliquement la structure causale du modele, et en generant des modeles locaux pour chaque configuration du systeme physique. Enfin, des methodes numeriques de simulation des systemes dynamiques hybrides ont egalement ete mises en uvre. Afin d'illustrer ses capacites de modelisation et de simulation, l'outil a ete valide sur differents
Computational modeling of risk-dependent eye movements of car drivers

In this study, we present a computational model of a car driver's cognitive process and eye movement in relation to risk evaluation for greater safe driving assistance. The model status is mainly determined by visual inputs. In simulations, we reconstructed and predicted the driver eye movements while driving using an environmental risk calculation model, and compared them to the eye movements of an actual human driver.
Size-dependent and tunable mechanical properties of micro-and nano-sized stochastic fibrous structres

Filamentous networks can be widely found in biomaterials at the microand nano-scales. Some conventional theories may not apply to the materials with dimension at the microor nano-scale. The effects of strain gradient at the micro-meter scale and the effects of surface elasticity and initial stresses/strains at the nano-scale are incorporated into the deformation mechanisms in the analysis of stochastic fibrous structures. A random beam network model with cross-linkers has been developed to describe the fibrous networks whose relative density can be controlled to different values by adjusting the concentration of cross-linkers. The size-dependent effects on the relationships between the relative density and the elastic constants of microand nano-sized fibrous structures are investigated.
Role for endothelium‐derived hyperpolarizing factor in vascular tone in rat mesenteric and hindlimb circulations in vivo

The role of endothelium‐derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) in the regulation of blood flow in vivo was examined in the mesenteric and hindlimb circulations of anaesthetized rats. Basal mesenteric conductance decreased from 57 ± 5 to 20 ± 6 μl min−1 mmHg−1 when nitric oxide (NO) production was inhibited, and combined blockade of intermediate‐ and small‐conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ (KCa) channels with charybdotoxin (ChTx) and apamin had no further effect. Basal hindlimb conductance was reduced from 39 ± 3 to 22 ± 2 μl min−1 mmHg−1 by NO synthesis inhibition, with no effect of the KCa channel blockers. Endothelial stimulation with acetylcholine (ACh) infusion directly into the mesenteric bed increased conductance by 20 ± 2 μl min−1 mmHg−1. Blockade of NO synthesis decreased this conductance to 15 ± 1 μl min−1 mmHg−1, leaving the response attributable to EDHF. This was reduced to 2 ± 1 μl min−1 mmHg−1 by ChTx plus apamin but not by iberiotoxin, which selectively blocks large‐conductance KCa channels. Similar results were obtained when bradykinin (BK) was used to stimulate the endothelium. Nitroprusside, which directly relaxes smooth muscle, evoked an increase in conductance that was resistant to all blockers tested. ACh‐induced increases in hindlimb conductance were reduced from 19 ± 1 to 12 ± 1 μl min−1 mmHg−1 by NO synthesis inhibition and further reduced to 2 ± 2 μl min−1 mmHg−1 by ChTx plus apamin. In contrast to NO, ChTx‐ and apamin‐sensitive EDHF appears to contribute little to basal conductance in rat mesenteric and hindlimb beds. However, EDHF accounts for a significant component of the conductance increase during endothelial stimulation by ACh and BK. In these beds, intermediate‐ and small‐conductance KCa channels underpin EDHF‐mediated vasodilatation.
Electronic Voting Systems for Lectures then and Now: A Comparison of Research and Practice

Research and practice in the use of electronic voting systems has developed over the last five years. Electronic voting systems, also known as personal response systems, audience response systems or classroom communication systems, use handsets to elicit responses from students as part of structured teaching sessions, typically lectures. The use of this information has implications for pedagogy; they are associated with the introduction of interactive, discursive and more segmented approaches to teaching. The pedagogic and organisational implications of adopting such systems are summarised, along with the perceptions that staff and students hold. Comparisons are drawn between practice up to 2002 and between 2002 and 2006; these reveal how both practice and research on this topic has matured, highlighting (for example) the development of models that seek to abstract and share practice. The paper concludes by outlining the ways in which such tools can be used to improve lecturing, and identifies an agenda for future work in this area.