1,865 research outputs found

    Standardized loads acting in knee implants

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    The loads acting in knee joints must be known for improving joint replacement, surgical procedures, physiotherapy, biomechanical computer simulations, and to advise patients with osteoarthritis or fractures about what activities to avoid. Such data would also allow verification of test standards for knee implants. This work analyzes data from 8 subjects with instrumented knee implants, which allowed measuring the contact forces and moments acting in the joint. The implants were powered inductively and the loads transmitted at radio frequency. The time courses of forces and moments during walking, stair climbing, and 6 more activities were averaged for subjects with I) average body weight and average load levels and II) high body weight and high load levels. During all investigated activities except jogging, the high force levels reached 3,372–4,218N. During slow jogging, they were up to 5,165N. The peak torque around the implant stem during walking was 10.5 Nm, which was higher than during all other activities including jogging. The transverse forces and the moments varied greatly between the subjects, especially during non-cyclic activities. The high load levels measured were mostly above those defined in the wear test ISO 14243. The loads defined in the ISO test standard should be adapted to the levels reported here. The new data will allow realistic investigations and improvements of joint replacement, surgical procedures for tendon repair, treatment of fractures, and others. Computer models of the load conditions in the lower extremities will become more realistic if the new data is used as a gold standard. However, due to the extreme individual variations of some load components, even the reported average load profiles can most likely not explain every failure of an implant or a surgical procedure

    Requirement of c-Myb for p210(BCR/ABL)-dependent transformation of hematopoietic progenitors and leukemogenesis

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    The c-Myb gene encodes a transcription factor required for proliferation and survival of normal myeloid progenitors and leukemic blast cells. Targeting of c-Myb by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides has suggested that myeloid leukemia blasts (including chronic myelogenous leukemia [CML]-blast crisis cells) rely on c-Myb expression more than normal progenitors, but a genetic approach to assess the requirement of c-Myb by p210(BCR/ABL)-transformed hematopoietic progenitors has not been taken. We show here that loss of a c-Myb allele had modest effects (20%-28% decrease) on colony formation of nontransduced progenitors, while the effect on p210(BCR/ABL)-expressing Lin(-) Sca-1(+) and Lin(-) Sca-1(+)Kit(+) cells was more pronounced (50%-80% decrease). Using a model of CML-blast crisis, mice (n = 14) injected with p210(BCR/ABL)-transduced p53(-/-)c-Myb(w/w) marrow cells developed leukemia rapidly and had a median survival of 26 days, while only 67% of mice (n = 12) injected with p210(BCR/ABL)-transduced p53(-/-)c-Myb(w/d) marrow cells died of leukemia with a median survival of 96 days. p210(BCR/ABL)-transduced c-Myb(w/w) and c-Myb(w/d) marrow progenitors expressed similar levels of the c-Myb-regulated genes c-Myc and cyclin B1, while those of Bcl-2 were reduced. However, ectopic Bcl-2 expression did not enhance colony formation of p210(BCR/ABL)-transduced c-Myb(w/d) Lin(-)Sca-1(+)Kit(+) cells. Together, these studies support the requirement of c-Myb for p210(BCR/ABL)-dependent leukemogenesi

    Relationship between biodistribution of a novel thymidine phosphorylase (TP) imaging probe and TP expression levels in normal mice

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    Objective: Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is a key enzyme in the pyrimidine nucleoside salvage pathway and its expression is upregulated in a wide variety of solid tumors. In mice, we previously observed high and specific accumulation levels of our TP imaging probe, radioiodinated 5-iodo-6-[(2-iminoimidazolidinyl)methyl]uracil (IIMU) not only in high-TP-expressing tumors, but also in the liver and small intestine. To clarify the reason for the high accumulation levels of radioiodinated IIMU in the liver and small intestine, we investigated the expression levels of TP in mice in comparison with the biodistribution of radioiodinated IIMU (123I-IIMU). Methods: BALB/cCrSlc mice were injected with 123I-IIMU, and the radioactivity levels [%ID/g (normalized to a mouse of 25 g body weight)] in the tissues of interest were determined 0.5, 1, 3 and 24 h after the injection (n = 5, each time point). To determine the expression levels of TP, BALB/cCrSlc and ddy mice (n = 3/each strain) were euthanized, and the heart, liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and brain were collected. The mRNA and protein expression levels of TP in these organs were examined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses, respectively. Results: In BALB/cCrSlc mice administered 123I-IIMU, markedly high radioactivity levels were observed in the liver [1.568 ± 0.237 (%ID/g)] and small intestine [0.506 ± 0.082 (%ID/g)], whereas those in the other tissues were fairly low [<0.010 ± 0.003 (%ID/g)] 30 min after the injection. The highest expression levels of TP mRNA were also observed in the liver and small intestine among the tissues tested. Immunoblotting showed intense immunoreactive bands of the TP protein for the liver and small intestine, whereas no notable bands were detected for other tissues. Similar expression profiles of TP mRNA and protein were observed in ddy mice. Conclusion: We confirmed TP expression in various tissues of mice at the mRNA and protein levels: high TP expression levels were observed in the liver and small intestine. These high TP expression levels are consistent with the high accumulation levels of 123I-IIMU in these tissues. Our results may provide important information about the physiological accumulation of 123I-IIMU, which may be useful for the clinical diagnostic imaging of TP

    TP-model transformation-based-control design frameworks

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    This book covers new aspects and frameworks of control, design, and optimization based on the TP model transformation and its various extensions. The author outlines the three main steps of polytopic and LMI based control design: 1) development of the qLPV state-space model, 2) generation of the polytopic model; and 3) application of LMI to derive controller and observer. He goes on to describe why literature has extensively studied LMI design, but has not focused much on the second step, in part because the generation and manipulation of the polytopic form was not tractable in many cases. The author then shows how the TP model transformation facilitates this second step and hence reveals new directions, leading to powerful design procedures and the formulation of new questions. The chapters of this book, and the complex dynamical control tasks which they cover, are organized so as to present and analyze the beneficial aspect of the family of approaches (control, design, and optimization). Additionally, the book aims to convey simple TP modeling; a new convex hull manipulation based possibilities for optimization; a general framework for stability analysis; standardized modeling and system description; relaxed and universal LMI based design framework; and a gateway to time-delayed systems

    The prediction theory of stationary random fields. III. Fourfold Wold decompositions

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    AbstractIn this paper, we investigate various fourfold Wold-type decompositions of stationary random fields under different hypotheses of commutation properties. Spectral characterizations of the three multiplicities of the innovation subspaces are obtained. The equivalence relations between the weak commutation property, fourfold Wold-type decomposition, and quarter-plane moving average representation are proved. A complete spectral characterization of the weak commutation property is also given

    IGD-TP Competence Maintenance, Education and Training Strategy and Action Plan for 2013-2016: DELIVERABLE (D-N°:3.2) Work Package 3

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    The purpose of this document is to define how the working group on Competence Maintenance, Education and Training (CMET) can support the IGD-TP Vision "2025". Also it was and it is still intended for outlining the activities of this working group and Joint Activity (no 14) during 2013-2016. In connection with its Vision statement (IGD-TP 2009 Vision Report) the IGD-TP committed to among its other goals to "Facilitate access to expertise and technology and maintain competences in the field of geological disposal for the benefit of Member States". The CMET working group was established in 2012 when its first Terms of Reference (ToR) version was approved by the IGD-TP Executive Group (EG). During 2013-2015 resourcing to support the group was received under SecIGD2 project with the EURATOM FP7 grant and with a direct contribution from the IGD-TP Executive Group members. This document was planned for production already during the first SecIGD2 project year. It was to be based on the needs of the IGD-TP's Joint Activities that were already deployed or planned to start in 2012, and on the needs of the CMET group members. The role of CMET group was to address Competence Maintenance, Education and Training needs from the demand side. However, at the early stage of deployment, it was somewhat difficult to express or the identify competence gaps in the activities or they had already been identified and resourced at the beginning of the joint activity. Thus there was not adequate amount of input for the first CMET working group meeting as a direct basis for a strategy formulation beyond the action plan, which had been prepared for the SecIGD2 project proposal. The SecIGD2 project's Work Package 3 in the project's description of work (DoW) that was originally prepared in alignment with the CMET Terms of Reference included the main action plan for the CMET group. With the exception of this document, the actions foreseen to be carried out by the CMET in the action plan have been implemented according to the original timetable. The actions are described in this report and two other public project documents, which are included in this report's references. The CMET working group members have contributed to the content of this report either directly via email commenting or by participating in the work group meeting discussion providing input to this report. The editors mentioned on this report's front page have been the persons who have produced this report document itself. The document represents the views of the authors and of the CMET working group. This document does not represent the views of the IGD-TP Executive Group.Geo-engineerin

    The design and validation of a low-cost trans perineal (TP) prostate biopsy simulator for training: improving trainees' confidence and cognitive targeting skills.

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    The aim of this research was to create a novel and low-cost TP prostate biopsy simulator that has face, content and construct validity with high educational value. This research developed a trans perineal prostate (TP) biopsy simulator using 3D-printed moulds and tissue-mimicking materials. Important regions (anterior, mid, and posterior zones) were coded with different colours. Ultrasound visible abnormal lesions were embedded in the prostate phantom. Expert and novice participants in TP biopsies were recruited. Essential skills were identified through the consensus of six experts. These skills were assessed through tasks performed by participants. This included the accuracy and timing of systematic and target biopsies. Immediate feedback was determined by the colour of the biopsy cores taken. A survey was distributed to evaluate its realism and educational value. The material cost of one simulator was £7.50. This simulator was proven to have face, content, and construct validity. There was a significant difference (p = 0.02) in the accuracy of systematic biopsies between both experts and novices. Significant difference was also observed (p = 0.01), in accurately identifying target lesion on ultrasound between both groups. Participants rated the overall realism of the simulator 4.57/5 (range 3-5). 100% of the experts agreed that introducing this simulator to training will be beneficial. 85.7% of the participants strongly agree that the simulator improved their confidence in TP biopsies. There is value in integrating this proof-of-concept TP prostate biopsy simulator into training. It has highly rated educational value and has face, content, and construct validity. [Abstract copyright: © 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

    TP-Blend: Textual-Prompt Attention Pairing for Precise Object-Style Blending in Diffusion Models

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    TP-Blend: Textual-Prompt Attention Pairing for Precise Object-Style Blending in Diffusion Models Authors: Xin Jin; Yichuan Zhong; Yapeng Tian. This OSF project hosts the publicly available full-text PDF of the paper for stable access and indexing. The PDF here is the same as arXiv:2601.08011v3. Canonical record (DOI): 10.48550/arXiv.2601.08011 arXiv abstract: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.08011 OpenReview / TMLR page: https://openreview.net/forum?id=q6M73uOBZE Recommended citation (BibTeX): @misc{jin2026tpblendtextualpromptattentionpairing, title={TP-Blend: Textual-Prompt Attention Pairing for Precise Object-Style Blending in Diffusion Models}, author={Xin Jin and Yichuan Zhong and Yapeng Tian}, year={2026}, eprint={2601.08011}, archivePrefix={arXiv}, primaryClass={cs.CV}, url={https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.08011},

    A Critique of Foucault’s Conception and Predictions of the Author-Function

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    In this paper, we appraise the thoughts of Foucault on the relationship between the author, work, and text, and the future of that relationship. In Foucault’s view, the text points to an author who is anterior to it, but this relationship is more complex than ‘traditionally’ understood because of the asymmetrical relationship between the concepts of author/writer and text/work. Although the author-function entails a form of individualization of text and ideas, Foucault argues that this has varied across disciplines, cultures, and time. In any case, the author-function determines the process of authentication, mode of circulation, and valorization. From the analysis of the relationship between the author and text in the premodern and modern eras, Foucault   extrapolates that in the postmodern era the author-function will be transformed and diminished because language assumes the dominant role of determining the form and content of viable discourse. Foucault’s conception of the author-function is post-modernist and consequently eschews the author-figure, grand narratives, progressive and systematic evaluation of texts, values and ideology, and temporality. However, contemporary trends in the understanding of the author-function do not fully bear out his predictions. Besides, intellectual property rights are more institutionalized and the boundary between authorized and unauthorized valorization and modification is intensely contested. The contestations are over valuable creations and, whether originating from an author or authors, this affirms the viability of projects such as Sage Philosophy. Key Words Author-function, work, text, discourse, postmodernism, valorizatio

    c-Myb and its target Bmi1 are required for p190BCR/ABL leukemogenesis in mouse and human cells

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    Expression of c-Myb is required for normal hematopoiesis and for proliferation of myeloid leukemia blasts and a subset of T-cell leukemia, but its role in B-cell leukemogenesis is unknown. We tested the role of c-Myb in p190(BCR/ABL)-dependent B-cell leukemia in mice transplanted with p190(BCR/ABL)-transduced marrow cells with a c-Myb allele (Myb(f/d)) and in double transgenic p190(BCR/ABL)/Myb(w/d) mice. In both models, loss of a c-Myb allele caused a less aggressive B-cell leukemia. In p190(BCR/ABL)-expressing human B-cell leukemia lines, knockdown of c-Myb expression suppressed proliferation and colony formation. Compared with c-Myb(w/f) cells, expression of Bmi1, a regulator of stem cell proliferation and maintenance, was decreased in pre-B cells from Myb(w/d) p190(BCR/ABL) transgenic mice. Ectopic expression of a mutant c-Myb or Bmi1 enhanced the proliferation and colony formation of Myb(w/d) p190(BCR/ABL) B-cells; by contrast, Bmi1 downregulation inhibited colony formation of p190(BCR/ABL)-expressing murine B cells and human B-cell leukemia lines. Moreover, c-Myb interacted with a segment of the human Bmi1 promoter and enhanced its activity. In blasts from 19 Ph(1) adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients, levels of c-Myb and Bmi1 showed a positive correlation. Together, these findings support the existence of a c-Myb-Bmi1 transcription-regulatory pathway required for p190(BCR/ABL) leukemogenesis
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