Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A RST-based stateful data analytics within spark

Stateful data analytics framework have emerged to provide fresh and low-latency results for big data processing. At present, it is desired to achieve the fine-grained data model in mainstream data processing framework, e.g. Spark. However, Spark adopts coarse-grained data model in order to facilitate parallization, it makes the fine-grained data access in stateful data analytics very challenging. In this paper, we introduce a stateful component, Resilient State Table (RST) to Spark framework. To fill the gap between the coarse-grained data model in Spark and the fine-grained state access requirements in stateful data analytics, we devise the programming model of RST which interacts with Spark's coarse-grained memory representation seamlessly, and enables users to query/update the state entries in fine granularity with Spark-like programming interfaces. Performance evaluation in various application fields demonstrate that our proposed solution achieves the improvements in latency, fault-tolerance, as well as scalability.
Meandered loop array antenna for omni-directional coverage

This paper presents an array antenna for WIFI/bluetooth access point application. The antenna is made of a four element array. The operation bandwidth is from 2400 to 2480 MHz. The array is excited by a feeding network made of tapered pair-wire transmission lines. Using three power dividers in a stacked architecture, the four element antennas are fed with in-phase excitations and yield an omni-directional radiation pattern, which is good for access point applications. The in-band radiation efficiency is about 67 to 70%. The maximum gain on the azimuthal plane is approximately 5.1 dBi.
Endothelial Nitric Oxide Contributes to the Renal Protective Effects of Ischemic Preconditioning

We determined whether endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays an important role in the renal protective effect of ischemic preconditioning (IP) against the ischemia/reperfusion-induced acute renal failure (ARF) by using eNOS-deficient (eNOS-/-) and wild-type (eNOS+/+) mice. Ischemic ARF was induced by occlusion of the left renal artery and vein for 45 min followed by reperfusion, 2 weeks after contralateral nephrectomy. IP, which consists of three cycles of 2-min ischemia followed by 5-min reperfusion, was performed prior to 45-min ischemia. In eNOS+/+ mice, IP treatment markedly attenuated the ischemia/reperfusion-induced renal dysfunction and significantly improved histological renal damage such as tubular necrosis, proteinaceous casts in tubuli, and medullary congestion. Constitutive nitric oxide synthase activity in the kidney without IP was markedly decreased 6 h after reperfusion, but this decreased response was not observed in eNOS+/+ mice with IP treatment. The improvement of renal dysfunction in eNOS+/+ mice with IP treatment was abolished by pretreatment with NG-nitro-l-arginine, a nonselective NOS inhibitor, whereas aminoguanidine, an inducible NOS inhibitor, had no effect. Finally, no protective effects of IP on ischemia/reperfusion-induced renal dysfunction and histological damage were observed in eNOS-/- mice. These findings strongly support the view that eNOS-mediated NO production plays a pivotal role in the protective effect of IP on ischemia/reperfusion-induced ARF.
Negative obstacle detection from image sequences

Negative obstacle detection has been a challenging topic. In the previous researches, the distance that negative obstacles can be detected is so near that vehicles have to travel at a very low speed. In this paper, a negative obstacle detection algorithm from image sequences is proposed. When negative obstacles are far from the vehicle, color appearance models are used as the cues of detecting negative obstacles, while negative obstacles get closer, geometrical cues are extracted from stereo vision. Furthermore, different cues are combined in a Bayesian framework to detect obstacles in image sequences. Massive experiments show that the proposed negative obstacle detection algorithm is quite effective. The alarming distance for 0.8 m width negative obstacle is 18m, and the confirming distance is 10 m. This supplies more space for vehicles to slow down and avoid obstacles. Then, the security of the UGV running in the field can be improved remarkably.
Effects of omeprazole on healing of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ( NSAID )-induced peptic ulceration in rats and protective role of indole-3-carbinol

Gastric hyperacidity and gastroduodenal ulcer is a very common global problem today. It is now generally agreed that gastric lesions develop when the delicate balance between some gastroprotective and aggressive factors are lost. The objective of present study is to evaluate the effects of omeprazole on healing of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug (aspirin) induced peptic ulceration in adult male albino rats and gastroprotective role of indole-3-carbinol. Male albino rats were randomly divided into two main groups; control group administrated distilled water and ulcerated group administrated aspirin at a dose of 500 mg/kg/body weight for seven consecutive days. Aspirin administration was stopped after 7 days representing the initial duration for the experiment and was followed by the beginning of different experimental regimens for a total experimental duration of 26 days. Results of the present study showed that, groups treated with omeprazole alone accelerated ulcer healing by inhibiting gastric acid secretion but indole-3-carbinol (I3C) possessed protective activity possibly as evidenced by the reduction of histopathological alteration of stomach and duodenum tissues and inhibition of gastric acid secretion. This study provides a strong evidence of indole-3carbinol which showed significant gastroprotective and antioxidant activities against aspirin induced peptic ulceration in male albino rats.
Lifetime Estimation of an ACF in Navigation (March 2010)

Recently, liquid crystal display (LCD) panels have become very important components for portable electronics. In the high-density interconnection material, anisotropic conductive films (ACFs) are used to connect the outer lead of the tape-automated bonding to the transparent indium tin oxide electrodes of the LCD panel. The ACF consists of an adhesive polymer matrix and randomly dispersed conductive balls. In this paper, we analyzed the failure mode/mechanism of ACF which were identified as conductive ball corrosion, delamination, cracking, and polymer expansion/swelling. In the accelerated life test, we selected primary stress factors, such as temperature and humidity. As time passed, an increase in connection resistance was observed. Low [50% relative humidity (RH)] and high (95% RH) conditions of average humidity show about 3-4 times difference in lifetime at the same average temperature of 30 °C. Hence, the humidity was shown to be more highly influential on the lifetime of the ACF, considering the driving patterns of regular consumers.
VEGF-B is dispensable for blood vessel growth but critical for their survival, and VEGF-B targeting inhibits pathological angiogenesis

VEGF-B, a homolog of VEGF discovered a long time ago, has not been considered an important target in antiangiogenic therapy. Instead, it has received little attention from the field. In this study, using different animal models and multiple types of vascular cells, we revealed that although VEGF-B is dispensable for blood vessel growth, it is critical for their survival. Importantly, the survival effect of VEGF-B is not only on vascular endothelial cells, but also on pericytes, smooth muscle cells, and vascular stem/progenitor cells. In vivo, VEGF-B targeting inhibited both choroidal and retinal neovascularization. Mechanistically, we found that the vascular survival effect of VEGF-B is achieved by regulating the expression of many vascular prosurvival genes via both NP-1 and VEGFR-1. Our work thus indicates that the function of VEGF-B in the vascular system is to act as a “survival,” rather than an “angiogenic” factor and that VEGF-B inhibition may offer new therapeutic opportunities to treat neovascular diseases.
Optimal real-time collision-free motion planning for autonomous underwater vehicles in a 3 D underwater space

One approach to designing an optimal real-time collision-free trajectory for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that move in a 3D unknown underwater space presented here. By explicitly considering the kinematic model of AUVs, a class of feasible trajectories is derived in a closed form, and is expressed in terms of two adjustable parameters for the purpose of collision avoidance. Then, a collision avoidance condition is developed to determine a class of collision-free trajectories. Finally, a performance index is established to find an optimal trajectory from the class. All the steps can be implemented in real-time. The advantages of the proposed approach are: (1) The 3D motion planning problem is reduced to a 2D problem. Instead of directly searching in a 3D space, one only needs to determine two parameters in their plane. Therefore computational efforts are greatly reduced, which is suitable for real-time implementation; (2) The vehicle’s kinematic model is explicitly considered, and all boundary conditions are met. After the parameters are determined, the trajectory and controls are explicitly solved in closed forms. This method is shown to be effective by computer simulations.
Risk Factors for Myocardial Infarction During Vacation Travel

Objectives Medical emergencies occur increasingly outside the usual health care area as a result of increased leisure and professional travel. Acute coronary syndromes are the leading cause of mortality during vacation. Vacation activities include physical and emotional triggers for myocardial infarction (MI). This study examines characteristics of vacation travel as risk factors for MI. Methods Patients diagnosed with MI during vacation abroad (N = 92; age, 59.5 ± 10.2; 79 men) were recruited through an emergency health insurance organization. Risk indicators for Vacation MI were examined and included: cardiovascular risk factors, psychosocial measures, and specific demands and activities related to vacation (eg, lodging accommodations, unfamiliar destination, mode of transportation, short-term planning). Vacation MI patients were compared with two reference groups: age-matched Vacation Controls with noncardiovascular medical emergencies (N = 67) and Hospital MI Controls, admitted in their usual health care area (N = 30). Results Vacation MI occurred disproportionately (21.1%) during the first 2 days of vacation. Cardiovascular risk factors were more prevalent among Vacation MI patients than Vacation Controls (p values < .05) but not compared with Hospital MI Controls. Vacation MI occurred more often in patients with lower education (OR = 2.4, CI = 1.1–5.2) and those living with a spouse (OR = 2.6, CI = 1.0–7.1) than age-matched Vacation Controls. Compared with Hospital MI Controls, Vacation MI occurred more often among patients traveling by car versus other modes of transportation (OR = 2.5, CI = 1.0–6.1) and among patients staying in a tent or mobile home versus hotel (OR = 9.7, CI = 2.0–47.9). Conclusion Incidence of MI during vacation is highest during the first 2 days of vacation. Vacation activities such as adverse driving conditions and less luxurious accommodations may increase risk for MI. Individuals with known vulnerability for MI may therefore benefit from minimizing physical and emotional challenges specifically related to vacation travel.
In Search of a Perceptual Metric for Timbre: Dissimilarity Judgments among Synthetic Sounds with MFCC-Derived Spectral Envelopes

This paper presents a quantitative metric to describe the multidimensionality of spectral envelope perception, that is, the perception specifically related to the spectral element of timbre. Mel-cepstrum (Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients or MFCCs) is chosen as a hypothetical metricforspectralenvelopeperceptionduetoitsdesirablepropertiesoflinearity,orthogonality, and multidimensionality. The experimental results confirmed the relevance of Mel-cepstrum to the perceived timbre dissimilarity when the spectral envelopes of complex-tone synthetic sounds were systematically controlled. The first experiment measured the perceived dissimilarity when the stimuli were synthesized by varying only a single coefficient from MFCC. Linear regression analysis proved that each of the 12 MFCCs has a linear correlation with spectral envelope perception. The second experiment measured the perceived dissimilarity when the stimuli were synthesized by varying two of the MFCCs. Multiple regression analysis showed that the perceived dissimilarity can be explained in terms of the Euclidean distance of the MFCC values of the synthetic sounds. The quantitative and perceptual relevance between the MFCCs and spectral centroids is also discussed. These results suggest that MFCCs can be a metric representation of spectral envelope perception, where each of its orthogonal basis functions provides a linear match with human perception.
Signalling mechanisms regulating axonal branching in vivo

Identification of the molecular mechanisms underlying axonal branching in vivo has begun in several neuronal systems, notably the projections formed by dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons or retinal ganglion cells (RGC). cGMP signalling is essential for sensory axon bifurcation at the spinal cord, whereas brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and ephrinA signalling establish position‐dependent branching of RGC axons. In the latter system, the degradation of specific signalling components, via the ubiquitin‐proteasome system, may provide an additional mechanism involved in axon branching of RGC. The process of arborisation is essential for neurons to innervate multiple targets and to build topographic maps. The various forms of branching found in different types of neurons are regulated by distinct signalling pathways activated by multiple extracellular cues in addition to axonal guidance factors. These signalling cascades, together with transcriptional programs, most likely interact and trigger the polymerisation or depolymerisation of the actin and tubulin cytoskeleton to regulate branching.
Spreading Dead Zones and Consequences for Marine Ecosystems

Dead zones in the coastal oceans have spread exponentially since the 1960s and have serious consequences for ecosystem functioning. The formation of dead zones has been exacerbated by the increase in primary production and consequent worldwide coastal eutrophication fueled by riverine runoff of fertilizers and the burning of fossil fuels. Enhanced primary production results in an accumulation of particulate organic matter, which encourages microbial activity and the consumption of dissolved oxygen in bottom waters. Dead zones have now been reported from more than 400 systems, affecting a total area of more than 245,000 square kilometers, and are probably a key stressor on marine ecosystems.
Ankyrin-binding activity of nervous system cell adhesion molecules expressed in adult brain

SUMMARY A family of ankyrin-binding glycoproteins have been identified in adult rat brain that include alternatively spliced products of the same pre-mRNA. A composite sequence of ankyrin-binding glycoprotein (ABGP) shares 72% amino acid sequence identity with chicken neurofascin, a membrane-spanning neural cell adhesion molecule in the Ig super-family expressed in embryonic brain. ABGP polypeptides and ankyrin associate as pure proteins in a 1:1 molar stoichiometry at a site located in the predicted cytoplasmic domain. ABGP polypeptides are expressed late in postnatal development to approximately the same levels as ankyrin, and comprise a significant fraction of brain membrane proteins. Immunofluorescence studies have shown that ABGP polypeptides are co-localized with ankyrinB. Major differences in developmental expression have been reported for neurofascin in embryos compared with the late postnatal expression of ABGP, suggesting that ABGP and neurofascin represent products of gene duplication events that have subsequently evolved in parallel with distinct roles. Predicted cytoplasmic domains of rat ABGP and chicken neurofascin are nearly identical to each other and closely related to a group of nervous system cell adhesion molecules with variable extracellular domains, including L1, Nr-CAM and Ng-CAM of vertebrates, and neuroglian of Drosophila. A hypothesis to be evaluated is that ankyrin-binding activity is shared by all of these proteins.
A Novel Approach to Treating Anxiety and Enhancing Executive Skills in an Older Adult With Parkinson’s Disease

Scientific interest in the nonmotoric symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) has increased dramatically, and psychiatric symptoms (e.g., cognitive impairment, anxiety, and mood disorders) are now considered prime targets for treatment optimization. Psychiatric complications in PD are quite common, affecting as many as 60% to 80% of patients. This study describes the case of a 74-year-old male with PD who presented with complaints of anxiety and trouble with memory and attention. A combined cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and cognitive enhancement intervention was delivered in ten 90-to-120 minute sessions.The patient showed a reduction in anxiety symptoms that was of sufficient magnitude to meet criteria for “responder” status. His cognitive skills were mostly unchanged, despite the rigorous rehabilitation practice. Implications for treatment and strategies for enhancing therapeutic benefits are discussed.
Niosomes as Carrier in Dermal Drug Delivery

© 2012 Rahimpour and Hamishehkar, licen see InTech. This is an open a ccess chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (h ttp://creativecommons.org /licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Impact of Extracranial Contamination on Regional Cerebral Oxygen Saturation: A Comparison of Three Cerebral Oximetry Technologies

Background: Cerebral oximetry is a noninvasive technology using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to estimate regional cerebral oxygen saturation. Although NIRS cerebral oximetry is being increasingly used in many clinical settings, interdevice technologic differences suggest potential variation in the ability to accurately acquire brain oxygenation signals. The primary objective of this study was to determine if NIRS-derived regional cerebral oxygen saturation measurements accurately account for oxygen saturation contamination from extracranial tissue. Methods: Twelve healthy volunteers had each of three NIRS devices (FORE-SIGHT [CAS Medical Systems Inc; Brandford, CT], INVOS 5100C-PB [Covidien; Boulder, CO], and EQUANOX Classic 7600 [Nonin Medical Inc; Plymouth, MN]) randomly applied to the forehead. After this, a circumferential pneumatic head cuff was positioned such that when inflated, hypoxia-ischemia would be produced in the extracranial scalp tissue beneath the NIRS cerebral oximeters. Comparisons among the three devices were made of the NIRS measurements before and following hypoxia-ischemia produced in the scalp tissue with inflation of the head cuff. Results: The induction of extracranial hypoxia-ischemia resulted in a significant reduction in regional cerebral oxygen saturation measurements in all three NIRS devices studied. At 5 min postinflation of the pneumatic head cuff, the INVOS demonstrated a 16.6 ± 9.6% (mean ± SD) decrease from its baseline (P = 0.0001), the FORE-SIGHT an 11.8 ± 5.3% decrease from its baseline (P < 0.0001), and the EQUANOX a 6.8 ± 6.0% reduction from baseline (P = 0.0025). Conclusions: Extracranial contamination appears to significantly affect NIRS measurements of cerebral oxygen saturation. Although the clinical implications of these apparent inaccuracies require further study, they suggest that the oxygen saturation measurements provided by cerebral oximetry do not solely reflect that of the brain alone.
Predicting Aggression, Conciliation, and Concurrent Rumination in Escalating Conflict

Interactions are characterized by opposite motives according to game theory. The purpose of this study was to explore how people judge the probability and advisability of conflict reactions in an unfolding dispute within a married couple using latent growth curve modeling (LGCM). Individuals participated in a study using two videotaped scenarios depicting marital conflict in which a spouse comes home after a long day at work only to criticize his or her partner for violating expectations of a good meal. One situation involved male-initiated conflict and female reactance, whereas another illustrated female-initiated conflict and male reactance. Participants were asked to predict the future reactions based on aggressive tactics (e.g., slapping the partner, insulting the partner) or prosocial and forgiving communication (e.g., apologizing, discussing the issue calmly) as well as the use of online, imagined interaction (II) rumination in which individuals replay arguments in their mind as well as thinking about what to say next during the argument. Results of the LGCM revealed support for various hypotheses in which it was predicted that the husband would be more likely to be conciliatory than the wife, and the wife would be more aggressive than her husband. II rumination was initially expected to increase and be advised before reaching a plateau. Findings are discussed in terms of game theory and II conflict-linkage theory.
Time-course Study of Translocation of Products of Photosynthesis in Soybean Plants" 2

In a previous report (7) we have shown that soybean plants, in response to age and culture conditions, selectively translocate varying proportions of C14labeled sucrose, serine-glycine, and malic acid from among the products of photosynthesis in a primary leaf exposed to C140, for 10 minutes. Regardless of age or culture conditions or the amount or type of compound exported, total radioactivity in the stem decreased logarithmically with distance from the input node to the root. Moreover, the concentration of radioactivity at the input node did not vary significantly in spite of some relatively large changes in the total export in the 10 minutes interval of these experiments. Further information on these observations drawn from short-term experiments required data which could be obtained only by extending the duration of the experiments. Logarithmic gradients of translocated radioactivity in stems have been noted by others (1, 9, 10) and attempts have been made to interpret them in relation to velocity or rate of translocation or to concurrent losses from the sieve tubes to the surrounding tissues (1, 2, 3,4). In all cases but one (9), these gradients have been observed in short-term experiments. Only 2 reports (1, 10) have noted the changes in gradient characteristics that occur when the duration of C14-assimilation and translocation is increased, and in these the experiments were limited to periods from 5 to 30 minutes. Kursanov and Pristupa (5, 6, 8) have recently reported evidence in support of the classical concept of a circulation of carbon compounds from the leaves to the roots and back to the tops with metabolism in the roots playing an important role in the overall process. They have found that bean, pumpkin, and maize translocate mainly sucrose from the leaves to the roots. There it is metabolized to organic acids and amino acids in varying degree, (depending on the status of the mineral nutrition) and these acids are then translocated to the tops in the xylem sap. If such a criculation exists in the soybean, it was reasoned that, with increasing translocation time, the initial logarithmic decrease in C14 concentration with distance down the stem could change to an increasing