Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of some heavy metals residues in batteries and deep litter rearing systems in Japanese quail meat and offal in Egypt

Aim: The main objectives of this study were for comparing the effect of batteries and deep litter rearing systems of domesticated Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica, on the concentration levels of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc from the quail meat and offal in Ismailia, Egypt. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 quail meat and their offal samples were randomly collected from two main quail rearing systems: Battery (Group I) and deep litter system (Group II) for determination of concentration levels of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc. In addition, 80 water and feed samples were randomly collected from water and feeders of both systems in the Food Hygiene Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University for heavy metals determination. Results: The mean concentration levels of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in Group I were 0.010, 0.027, 1.137, and 0.516 ppm and for Group II were 0.093, 0.832, 0.601, and 1.651 ppm, respectively. The mean concentration levels of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in quail feed in Group I were 1.114, 1.606, 5.822, and 35.11 ppm and for Group II were 3.010, 2.576, 5.852, and 23.616 ppm, respectively. The mean concentration levels of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in quail meat for Group I were 0.058, 5.902, 10.244, and 290 ppm and for Group II were 0.086, 6.092, 0.136, and 1.280 ppm, respectively. The mean concentration levels of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc for liver samples in Group I were 0.15, 8.32, 1.05, and 3.41 ppm and for Group II were 0.13, 8.88, 0.95, and 4.21 ppm, respectively. The mean concentration levels of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in kidney samples for the Group I were 0.24, 4.21, 1.96, and 4.03 ppm and for Group II were 0.20, 5.00, 1.56, and 3.78 ppm, respectively. Kidney had the highest concentration levels of heavy metals followed by liver then muscles. The highest concentration levels of copper were observed in liver samples. The order of the levels of these trace elements obtained from the four different quail organs is Ca > Pb > Zn > Cu. Lead and cadmium concentration levels in quail meat samples were exceeded the Egyptian standardization limits and suggesting a health threat from lead and cadmium to the quail consumers. Conclusion: Battery rearing system is more hygienic than deep litter system from the point of heavy metals pollution of water and feeds of quail. Feed samples from battery system had means concentration levels of lead not significantly higher (p>0.05) than those samples from deep litter system. Meanwhile, water samples from battery system had means concentration levels of cadmium, copper, and zinc significantly higher (p>0.05) than those samples from deep litter system. Quail may carry health risks to consumers.
Numbers or Numerology? A Response to Nation (2014) and McQuillan (2016).

A sign of maturity in a scholarly discipline is the presence of ongoing debates, or, in really mature disciplines, titanic feuds (Gore Vidal and William Buckley Jr., Norman Mailer and Noam Chomsky, or closer to home B.F. Skinner and Chomsky). A small and hardly titanic instance of this form of exchange has taken shape in one corner of applied linguistics and was inadvertently launched by a 2007 paper of mine (“Computing the vocabulary demands of L2 reading”). It dealt with a question almost everyone in reading and vocabulary has had something to say about, whether reading alone can build an adequate reading lexicon in a second language, or whether some sort of extra vocabulary training will normally be required. Like the best debating topics, this one is riddled with definitional issues (What is adequate? ) that form some portion of the excitement. My paper was a simple corpus investigation with rudimentary tools of the readingalone question, not the in-principle version but just the in-fact one of why typical second language (L2) lexicons seem to plateau soon after about 2,500 or 3,000 word families, leaving readers with only 90% lexical coverage in the academic texts they must read, which is somewhat short of the 95% to 98% coverage research by Nation (2006) and others which have shown to be needed for comprehension.
Stabilization of Time-varying Stochastic Port-Hamiltonian Systems Based on Stochastic Passivity

Abstract The authors have introduced stochastic port-Hamiltonian systems and have clarified some of their properties. Stochastic port-Hamiltonian systems are extension of deterministic port-Hamiltonian systems, which are used to express various deterministic passive systems. However, since only time-invariant case has been considered in our previous results, the aim of this paper is to extend them to time-varying case. Finally, we propose a stabilization method based on passivity and the stochastic generalized canonical transformation, which is a pair of coordinate and feedback transformations preserving the stochastic Hamiltonian structure.
Assessing Content Mastery: Using Quasi-experimental Research to Study the Effect that Standards-based Progress Reporting to Parents May Have on Student Achievement in Science at One Georgia Middle School

With the establishment of standards-based testing as the key assessment of student knowledge gains and with the increased accountability first brought by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and now with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the role of the teacher and the methods of assessment have continued to change. To reach the national goals established by NCLB and the state guidelines established to allow the states to guide education in the ESSA, the testing of students’ previous knowledge and the identification of their strengths has become important to show teachers how to meet their students’ needs. More empirical research was needed to show whether the collaboration between parents and teachers using standards-based progress reports could improve a student’s achievement of science standards. Therefore, this study used a quasi-experimental, cluster randomized control trial utilizing a posttest only format to examine whether the communication to parents of grades on weekly, standards-based progress reports could affect the achievement of 7th and 8th grade science students. The sample consisted of 262 students in one Georgia middle school. A t-test for equal variance compared means for 7th and 8th grade students whose parents received a standards-based progress report with those whose parents did not receive one. These t-tests returned statistically significant results for all three tests at an alpha of . 05, however due to a violation of the assumption of normality, a Mann-Whitney U test was run. Based on the results of the MannWhitney U tests, all three null hypotheses were rejected. Effect size measured by Cohen’s d and eta squared indicated that the use of the standards-based progress report to communicate with parents had a medium, positive effect on academic achievement. Future research, including more testing with different demographics and lengths of time, is recommended.
Comparison of global cerebral blood flow measured by phase‐contrast mapping MRI with 15O‐H2O positron emission tomography

To compare mean global cerebral blood flow (CBF) measured by phase‐contrast mapping magnetic resonance imaging (PCM MRI) and by 15O‐H2O positron emission tomography (PET) in healthy subjects. PCM MRI is increasingly being used to measure mean global CBF, but has not been validated in vivo against an accepted reference technique.
Mutational Analysis of the Mechanism of Negative Regulation by Src Homology 2 Domain-Containing Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Substrate-1 of Phagocytosis in Macrophages1

Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase substrate-1 (SHPS-1) is a transmembrane protein predominantly expressed in macrophages. The binding of CD47 on RBCs to SHPS-1 on macrophages is implicated in inhibition of phagocytosis of the former cells by the latter. We have now shown that forced expression in mouse RAW264.7 macrophages of a mutant version (SHPS-1-4F) of mouse SHPS-1, in which four tyrosine phosphorylation sites are replaced by phenylalanine, markedly promoted FcγR-mediated phagocytosis of mouse RBCs or SRBCs. Forced expression of another mutant form (SHPS-1-ΔCyto) of mouse SHPS-1, which lacks most of the cytoplasmic region, did not promote such phagocytosis. Similarly, forced expression of a rat version of SHPS-1-4F, but not that of rat wild-type SHPS-1 or SHPS-1-ΔCyto, in RAW264.7 cells enhanced FcγR-mediated phagocytosis of RBCs. Tyrosine phosphorylation of endogenous SHPS-1 as well as its association with Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-1 were not markedly inhibited by expression of SHPS-1-4F. Furthermore, the attachment of IgG-opsonized RBCs to RAW264.7 cells was markedly increased by expression of SHPS-1-4F, and this effect did not appear to be mediated by the interaction between CD47 and SHPS-1. These data suggest that inhibition by SHPS-1 of phagocytosis in macrophages is mediated, at least in part, in a manner independent of the transinteraction between CD47 and SHPS-1. In addition, the cytoplasmic region as well as tyrosine phosphorylation sites in this region of SHPS-1 appear indispensable for this inhibitory action of SHPS-1. Moreover, SHPS-1 may regulate the attachment of RBCs to macrophages by an as yet unidentified mechanism.
Menstrual döngünün fazlarına göre sedanter kadınlarda anaerobik güç değerlerinin incelenmesi

Bu arastirmanin amaci anaerobik guc degerlerinin menstrual dongunun fazlarina gore incelenmesidir. Arastirmaya ortalama yaslari 22,22 ± 1,39 yil, boy uzunluklari 165,20 ± 6,09 cm, vucut agirliklari 57,28 ± 9,41 kg ve vucut yag oranlari % 26,47 ± 3,66 olan dokuz sedanter kadin gonullu olarak katildi. Ilk olarak katilimcilarin vucut kompozisyonlari bioelektrik impedans analizi ile degerlendirildi. Sonrasinda menstrual dongunun folikuler, ovulasyon ve luteal fazlarinda anaerobik guc degerleri Wingate Anaerobik Guc Testi (WAnT) ile belirlendi. Her test oncesinde kisilerin dinlenik kalp atim hizlari (KAHdinlenik) olculdu. Verilerin analizi icin ilk olarak dagilim incelendi. Normal dagilim gosteren verilerde Tekrarli Olcumlerde Varyans Analizi, normal dagilim gostermeyen verilerde ise Friedman Testi uygulandi. Bulgulara gore menstrual dongunun farkli fazlarinda WAnT olcumleri oncesinde alinan KAHdinlenik ve WAnT testlerinden elde edilen mutlak ve rolatif zirve, ortalama ve minimum guc degerlerinin ve gucteki yuzdelik dusus degerlerinin hicbirinde anlamli farka ulasilamadi (p= 0,086 - p= 0,895). Sonuclar incelendiginde WAnT ile olculen anaerobik guc degerlerinin menstrual dongunun folikuler, ovulasyon ve luteal fazlarinda degisiklik gostermedigi soylenebilir
retrotransposon families in the rice genome Natural selection on gene function drives the evolution of LTR

License Commons Creative . http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ described at as a Creative Commons License (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License), ). After six months, it is available under http://genome.cshlp. org/site/misc/terms.xhtml for the first six months after the full-issue publication date (see This article is distributed exclusively by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press service Email alerting click here top right corner of the article or Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article sign up in the box at the
Baseline platelet count and creatinine clearance rate predict the outcome of neutropenia-related invasive aspergillosis.

BACKGROUND Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a life-threatening infection for immunocompromised patients. Improvement in IA outcome has been hampered by lack of early prognostic factors, namely, those available before starting chemotherapy (baseline) or early in the course of IA (nonbaseline). We hypothesized that prognostic factors can be identified before chemotherapy, ≤7 days from the first positive serum Aspergillus galactomannan index (s-GMI). METHODS We analyzed 98 patients with multiple myeloma who developed neutropenia-related IA and had a positive s-GMI. Three response criteria were used: kinetics of s-GMI, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mycoses Study Group (EORTC/MSG) definitions, and 6-week survival. Baseline and nonbaseline variables were analyzed separately. RESULTS Independent response predictors at baseline were a platelet count ≥65,000 platelets/mm(3) (odds ratio [OR], 1.009; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.001-1.017; P = .03) by s-GMI kinetics, and a platelet count ≥65,000 platelets/mm(3) (OR, 1.009; 95% CI, 1.002-1.017; P = .01) and a creatinine clearance rate ≥53 mL/min (OR, 1.024; 95% CI, 1.006-1.042; P = .009) by EORTC/MSG criteria, with response rates of 83% and 28% when both variables were above or below these cutoffs, respectively (P < .001). Only baseline creatinine clearance rate ≥53 mL/min predicted 6-week survival (P = .003). Normalization of the s-GMI ≤7 days after the first positive s-GMI and neutrophil recovery were the nonbaseline factors associated with positive outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Two simple, inexpensive to measure, widely available, and routinely collected prechemotherapy values, platelet count and creatinine clearance rate, predict IA outcome and stratify patients into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories, while early evaluation of s-GMI allows timely treatment modification. These findings may improve patient outcomes by optimizing management strategies for this serious infection and may prove valuable in designing clinical trials of interventions to improve IA outcomes.
Simplified Audio Production in Asynchronous Voice-Based Discussions

Voice communication adds nuance and expressivity to virtual discussions, but its one-shot nature tends to discourage collaborators from utilizing it. However, text-based interfaces have made voice editing much easier, especially with recent advancements enabling live, time-aligned speech transcription. We introduce SimpleSpeech, an easy-to-use platform for asynchronous audio communication (AAC) with lightweight tools for inserting content, adjusting pauses, and correcting transcript errors. Qualitative and quantitative results suggest that novice audio producers, such as high school students, experience decreased mental workload when using SimpleSpeech to produce audio messages than without editing. The linguistic formality in SimpleSpeech messages was also studied, and found to form a middle ground between oral and written media. Our findings on editable voice messages show new implications for the optimal design and use cases of AAC systems.
The representation of Boolean algebras

1. Introduction. In this brief address I shall set myself a twofold aim: to review the theory of Boolean algebras, as we understand it today, and to sketch certain historical phases of its development. Although I am in no sense prepared to offer the fruits of painstaking historical research, I believe that by a few pertinent historical observations I shall be able to bring out the underlying evolutionary pattern, which, in fact, is a quite familiar one.
Comparison of a Hemorrhoidectomy With Ultrasonic Scalpel Versus a Conventional Hemorrhoidectomy

Purpose A variety of instruments, including circular staplers, ultrasonic scalpels, lasers, and bipolar electrothermal devices, are currently used when performing a hemorrhoidectomy. This study compared outcomes between hemorrhoidectomies performed with an ultrasonic scalpel and conventional methods. Methods The study was a randomized prospective review of data available between May 2013 and December 2013, involving 50 patients who had undergone a hemorrhoidectomy for grade III or IV internal hemorrhoids. The hemorrhoidal pedicle was coagulated with an ultrasonic device in the ultrasonic scalpel group (n = 25) and sutured with 3-0 vicryl material after excision in the conventional method group (n = 25). Results The patients' demographics, clinical characteristics, and lengths of hospital stay were similar in both groups. The mean ages of the conventional and the ultrasonic scalpel groups were, respectively, 20.8 ± 1.6 and 22.4 ± 5.0 years (P = 0.240). In comparison with the conventional method group, the ultrasonic scalpel group had a shorter operation time (P < 0.005), less postoperative pain on the visual analogue scale score (for example, P = 0.211 on postoperative day 1), and less postoperative bleeding (P = 0.034). No significant differences in postoperative complications were observed between the 2 groups. Conclusion A hemorrhoidectomy using an ultrasonic scalpel is an effective and safe procedure. The ultrasonic scalpel reduces the operation time, the postoperative blood loss, and the postoperative pain. Long-term follow-up with larger-scale studies is required to evaluate normal activity after a hemorrhoidectomy performed with an ultrasonic scalpel.
Analog Data Assimilation of Along-Track Nadir and Wide-Swath SWOT Altimetry Observations in the Western Mediterranean Sea

The growing availability of ocean data brought forth by recent advancements in remote sensing, in situ measurements, and numerical models supports the development of data-driven strategies as a powerful, computationally efficient alternative to model-based approaches for the interpolation of high-resolution, gap-free, regularly gridded sea surface geophysical fields from partial satellite-derived observations. In this paper, we investigate such data-driven strategies for the spatio-temporal interpolation of sea level anomaly (SLA) fields in the Western Mediterranean Sea from satellite-derived altimetry data. We introduce and evaluate the analog data assimilation (AnDA) framework, which exploits patch-based analog forecasting operators within a classic Kalman-based data assimilation scheme. With a view toward the upcoming wide-swath surface water and ocean topography (SWOT) mission, two different types of altimetry data are assimilated: along-track nadir data and wide-swath SWOT altimetry data. Using an observing system simulation experiment, we demonstrate the relevance of AnDA as an improved interpolation method, particularly for mesoscale features in the 20- to 100-km horizontal scale range. Results report an SLA reconstruction RMSE (correlation) improvement of 42% (14%) with respect to optimal interpolation, and show a clear gain when the joint assimilation of SWOT and along-track nadir observations are considered.
Efficient Localization of Hot Spots in Proteins Using a Novel S-Transform Based Filtering Approach

Protein-protein interactions govern almost all biological processes and the underlying functions of proteins. The interaction sites of protein depend on the 3D structure which in turn depends on the amino acid sequence. Hence, prediction of protein function from its primary sequence is an important and challenging task in bioinformatics. Identification of the amino acids (hot spots) that leads to the characteristic frequency signifying a particular biological function is really a tedious job in proteomic signal processing. In this paper, we have proposed a new promising technique for identification of hot spots in proteins using an efficient time-frequency filtering approach known as the S-transform filtering. The S-transform is a powerful linear time-frequency representation and is especially useful for the filtering in the time-frequency domain. The potential of the new technique is analyzed in identifying hot spots in proteins and the result obtained is compared with the existing methods. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to its counterparts and is consistent with results based on biological methods for identification of the hot spots. The proposed method also reveals some new hot spots which need further investigation and validation by the biological community.
Unsupervised Supervised Learning II: Training Margin Based Classifiers without Labels

Many popular linear classifiers, such as logistic regression, boosting, or SVM, are trained by optimizing a margin-based risk function. Traditionally, these risk functions are computed based on a labeled dataset. We develop a novel technique for estimating such risks using only unlabeled data and the marginal label distribution. We prove that the proposed risk estimator is consistent on high-dimensional datasets and demonstrate it on synthetic and real-world data. In particular, we show how the estimate is used for evaluating classifiers in transfer learning, and for training classifiers with no labeled data whatsoever.
Training spiking neural models using cuckoo search algorithm

Several meta-heuristic algorithms have been proposed in the last years for solving a wide range of optimization problems. Cuckoo Search Algorithm (CS) is a novel meta-heuristic based on the obligate brood parasitic behaviour of some cuckoo species in combination with the Levy flight behavior of some birds and fruit flies. This algorithm has been applied in a wide range of optimization problems; nonetheless, their promising results suggest its application in the field of artificial neural networks, specially during the adjustment of the synaptic weights. On the other hand, spiking neurons are neural models that try to simulate the behavior of biological neurons when they are excited with an input current (input pattern) during a certain period time. Instead of generating a response in its output every iteration, as classical neurons do, this model generates a response (spikes or spike train) only when the model reaches a specific threshold. This response could be coded into a firing rate and perform a pattern classification task according to the firing rate generated with the input current. To perform a classification task the model ought to exhibit the next behavior: patterns from the same class must generate similar firing rates and patterns from other classes have to generate firing rates sufficiently dissimilar to differentiate among the classes. The model needs of a training phase aimed to adjust their synaptic weights and exhibit the desired behavior. In this paper, we describe how the CS algorithm can be useful to train a spiking neuron to be applied in a pattern classification task. The accuracy of the methodology is tested using several pattern recognition problems.
A Case of Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (Wegener's Granulomatosis) Presenting with Marked Inflamed Tracheobronchial Mucosa

A 70-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of weight loss and persistent dry cough. Chest radiograph and CT showed multiple infiltrates in the bilateral upper lobes and the remarkably thickened bronchial walls. Bronchoscopy revealed diffuse erythema and edema of the tracheobronchial mucosa without any ulcerous legions. Serum MPO-ANCA was positive (155 EU). Transbronchial biopsy was performed and revealed necrotic granulomas with multinucleated giant cells in the bronchial/bronchiolar and parenchymal lesions. Thus, we diagnosed it as a localized form of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA, Wegener's granulomatosis). After treatment with corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide, the bronchial findings were entirely resolved. We report here a rare case of GPA presenting with markedly inflamed tracheobronchial mucosa.
On Nash equivalence classes of generic normal form games

We introduce a procedure that uses basic topological characteristics of equilibrium correspondences of standard equilibrium concepts, to define broad equivalence classes of finite generic games in normal form. The proposed procedure is viewed as a potentially useful way of both organizing the underlying spaces of games as well as of comparing different equilibrium concepts with each other. The focus of the paper is mainly on equivalence classes induced by the Nash equilibrium concept. However, equivalence classes induced by the concepts of rationalizability, iterated dominance and correlated equilibrium are also considered.