Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative studies on potential probiotic characteristics of Lactobacillus acidophilus strains

Background: Probiotics are live microorganisms present in food and dietary supplements that beneficially affect the individual by improving the intestinal microbial balance properties. Their market value and biological potential is enormous because of their health-promoting properties. Therefore, comparative studies on probiotic potential of three selected strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus were carried out during this work. Method: The selected strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus (NCIM 2660, NCIM 2903 and NCIM 2285) were assessed for tolerance to pH (pH 2.5) and oxgall (0.3%), adhesion to Caco-2 cells, antimicrobial properties against test microorganisms and susceptibility to antibiotics. Results: The distinguished characteristics of strain NCIM 2903 were high acid tolerance, antagonistic activity against all test micro-organisms and adhesion to Caco-2 cells (225±33 cells adhering to 100 Caco-2 cells). Strain NCIM 2285 exhibited bile tolerance and inability to grow in presence of five of the antibiotics used. Strain NCIM 2285 indicated moderate adhesion to Caco-2 cells. The strain NCIM 2660 was unable to grow in presence of any of the twelve antibiotics. In contrast, control plates without discs of antibiotics exhibited confluent growth. It was a desirable feature. However, NCIM 2660 exhibited poor adhesive property. The optimum temperature of growth for all three strains was found to be 37oC. Conclusions: Significant differences in the probiotic characteristics of the three strains were recorded. In the cumulative assessment, strain NCIM 2903 could be regarded as the potential probiotic contender. These studies will help in selecting the probiotic micro organisms in a more rational manner for further applications.
Balance Among Cognitive Control Processes: A Case Study of a Gifted Youth

This case study analyzed the cognitive strategies of Ethan, a gifted youth, when performing a Stop Signal Task assessing cognitive control processes including response inhibition as well as proactive and reactive adjustments of response. In the case of Ethan, the response inhibition score was biased, revealing that Ethan did not follow the instructions but challenged them and was successful in doing this. Specifically, he made important proactive adjustments, by both slowing down and speeding up (i.e., risk taking) his responses according to the likelihood of the apparition of the stop signal (triggering response inhibition). Ethan’s performance indicated that he perfectly understood the procedure behind the task and completed it according to his own comprehension. Ethan’s results showed that researchers and clinicians must be careful when assessing gifted children and adolescents by using tasks that they cannot defeat.
Alterations on peripheral blood B-cell subpopulations in very early arthritis patients.

OBJECTIVE To characterize circulating B-cell subpopulations of arthritis patients with <6 weeks of disease duration. METHODS Peripheral blood samples were collected from very early untreated polyarthritis patients, with <6 weeks of disease duration, for flow cytometric evaluation of B-cell subpopulations. Samples from patients who were later diagnosed as RA [very early RA (VERA)] were also collected 4-6 weeks after starting a low dose of prednisone (5-10 mg) and 4 months after reaching the minimum effective dose of MTX. A matched healthy group was used as a control. RESULTS VERA patients have a lower percentage of total peripheral blood memory B cells (CD19(+)CD27(+)) and a significant decrease in the frequency of circulating pre-switch memory B cells (CD19(+)IgD(+)CD27(+)) as compared with controls. Therapy with corticosteroids or MTX was unable to restore the normal frequencies of these B-cell subpopulations. A significant decrease in peripheral pre-switch memory B cells is equally observed in other early arthritis patients. Furthermore, no significant differences are found in the frequencies of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in all patient groups. CONCLUSIONS In very early polyarthritis patients, there is a reduction in circulating pre-switch memory B cells. The reasons that may account for this effect are still unknown. Short-term corticosteroids and MTX do not seem to have a direct effect on circulating B-cell subpopulations in VERA patients.
Assessing the Economy-Wide Effects of Quantitative Easing

This paper examines the macroeconomic impact of the first round of quantitative easing (QE) by the Bank of England which started in March 2009. Although Bank Rate, the UK policy rate, was reduced to ½%, effectively its lower bound, the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee felt that additional measures were necessary to meet the inflation target in the medium term. The policy of QE entailed buying private and mainly public assets in large quantities using central bank money, with the aim of injecting money into the economy and boosting nominal spending, in order to help achieve the Bank’s inflation target. Over the period from March 2009 to January 2010, the Bank of England purchased £200 billion of assets, mainly consisting of government securities. We attempt to quantify the effects of these purchases by focusing on the impact of lower long-term interest rates on the wider economy. This is motivated by empirical evidence indicating that QE purchases reduced long-term UK government bond yields by about 100 basis points. Other transmission channels are also possible, but are not considered in this paper. We use three different models to conduct counterfactual simulations to estimate the impact of QE on output and inflation: a large Bayesian VAR; a change-point structural VAR; and a time-varying parameter VAR. Our preferred average estimates from the three models suggest that QE may have had a peak effect on the level of real GDP of around 1½% and a peak effect on annual CPI inflation of about 1¼ percentage points. These estimates are shown to vary considerably across the different model specifications, and with the precise assumptions made to generate the counterfactual simulations, and are therefore subject to considerable uncertainty.
Biped Walking Pattern Generator allowing Auxiliary ZMP Control

A biped walking pattern generator which allows an additional ZMP control (auxiliary ZMP) is presented. An auxiliary ZMP is realized by an inverse system added to a pattern generator based on the ZMP preview control. To compensate the effect of the auxiliary ZMP, we apply virtual time shifting of the reference ZMP. As an application of the proposed method, a walking control on uneven terrain is simulated. The simulated robot can walk successfully by changing its walking speed as the side effect of the auxiliary ZMP control
Creatine-Kinase- and Exercise-Related Muscle Damage Implications for Muscle Performance and Recovery

The appearance of creatine kinase (CK) in blood has been generally considered to be an indirect marker of muscle damage, particularly for diagnosis of medical conditions such as myocardial infarction, muscular dystrophy, and cerebral diseases. However, there is controversy in the literature concerning its validity in reflecting muscle damage as a consequence of level and intensity of physical exercise. Nonmodifiable factors, for example, ethnicity, age, and gender, can also affect enzyme tissue activity and subsequent CK serum levels. The extent of effect suggests that acceptable upper limits of normal CK levels may need to be reset to recognise the impact of these factors. There is a need for standardisation of protocols and stronger guidelines which would facilitate greater scientific integrity. The purpose of this paper is to examine current evidence and opinion relating to the release of CK from skeletal muscle in response to physical activity and examine if elevated concentrations are a health concern.
The evolution of the galaxy Red Sequence in simulated clusters and groups

N-body/hydrodynamical simulations of the formation and evolution of galaxy groups and clusters in a Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmology are used in order to follow the building-up of the colour–magnitude relation in two clusters and in 12 groups. We have found that galaxies, starting from the more massive, move to the red sequence (RS) as they get aged over times and eventually set upon a ‘dead sequence’ (DS) once they have stopped their bulk star formation activity. Fainter galaxies keep having significant star formation out to very recent epochs and lie broader around the RS. Environment plays a role as galaxies in groups and cluster outskirts hold star formation activity longer than the central cluster regions. However, galaxies experiencing infall from the outskirts to the central parts keep star formation on until they settle on to the DS of the core galaxies. Merging contributes to mass assembly until z∼ 1, after which major events only involve the brightest cluster galaxies. The emerging scenario is that the evolution of the colour–magnitude properties of galaxies within the hierarchical framework is mainly driven by star formation activity during dark matter haloes assembly. Galaxies progressively quenching their star formation settle to a very sharp ‘red and dead’ sequence, which turns out to be universal, its slope and scatter being almost independent of the redshift (since at least z∼ 1.5) and environment. Differently from the DS, the operatively defined RS evolves more evidently with z, the epoch when it changes its slope being closely corresponding to that at which the passive galaxies population takes over the star-forming one: this goes from z≃ 1 in clusters down to 0.4 in normal groups.
Heart Rate Alters but Does Not Improve Calorie Predictions in Fitbit Activity Monitors

Consumer‐based activity monitors such as Fitbit use accelerometers and possibly heart rate (HR) in proprietary prediction models to estimate calories (kcals). In theory, including HR in a kcal prediction model should improve kcal prediction since HR is a physiologic measure of effort; however, this has not yet been tested for consumer‐based activity monitors.
Prenatal Docosahexaenoic Acid Supplementation and Offspring Development at 18 Months: Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective We evaluated the effects of prenatal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation on offspring development at 18 months of age. Design Randomized placebo double-blind controlled trial. Settings Cuernavaca, Mexico. Participants and Methods We followed up offspring (n = 730; 75% of the birth cohort) of women in Mexico who participated in a trial of DHA supplementation during the latter half of pregnancy. We assessed the effect of the intervention on child development and the potential modifying effects of gravidity, gender, SES, and quality of the home environment. Interventions or Main Exposures 400 mg/day of algal DHA. Outcome Measures Child development at 18 months of age measured using the Spanish version of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II. We calculated standardized psychomotor and mental development indices, and behavior rating scale scores. Results Intent-to-treat differences (DHA-control) were: Psychomotor Developmental Index -0.90 (95% CI: -2.35, 0.56), Mental Developmental Index -0.26 (95% CI: -1.63, 1.10) and Behavior Rating Scale -0.01 (95% CI: -0.95, 0.94). Prenatal DHA intake attenuated the positive association between home environment and psychomotor development index observed in the control group (p for interaction = 0.03) suggesting potential benefits for children living in home environments characterized by reduced caregiver interactions and opportunities for early childhood stimulation. Conclusions Prenatal DHA supplementation in a population with low intakes of DHA had no effects on offspring development at 18 months of age although there may be some benefit for infants from poor quality home environments. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00646360
Group Analysis of Variable Coefficient Diffusion-Convection Equations. IV. Potential Symmetries

This paper completes investigation of symmetry properties of nonlinear variable coefficient diffusion-convection equations of the form $f(x)u_t=(g(x)A(u)u_x)_x+h(x)B(u)u_x$. Potential symmetries of equations from the considered class are found and the connection of them with Lie symmetries of diffusion-type equations is shown. Exact solutions of the Fujita--Storm equation $u_t=(u^{-2}u_x)_x$ are constructed.
Increased IgG4-Positive Plasma Cells in Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis: A Diagnostic Pitfall of IgG4-Related Disease

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's) (GPA) may mimic IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) on histologic examination of some biopsies, especially those from head and neck sites. IgG4 immunostain is often performed in this context for differential diagnosis with IgG4-RD. However, the prevalence of IgG4+ cells in GPA has not been explored. We examined the IgG4+ cells in 26 cases confirmed as GPA by a thorough clinical and pathologic assessment. Twenty-six biopsies consisted of 14 sinonasal/oral cavity/nasopharynx, 7 orbit/periorbital, 3 lung/pleura, 1 iliac fossa/kidney, and 1 dura specimens. Eight of 26 (31%) biopsies revealed increased IgG4+ cells (>30/HPF and >40% in IgG4+/IgG+ ratio). The IgG4+ cells and IgG4+/IgG+ ratio ranged 37–137/hpf and 44–83%, respectively. Eight biopsies with increased IgG4+ cells were from sinonasal (n = 4) or orbital/periorbital (n = 4) sites. In conclusion, increased IgG4+ cells are not uncommonly seen in sinonasal or orbital/periorbital biopsies of GPA, which could pose as a diagnostic pitfall.
On the Dynamical Relevance of Galaxy Spiral Arm Evolution. I. Arm Density Structure

We explore the spiral arm structural properties in a large variety of simulated galaxy systems. We study spiral arms arising from isolated barred and unbarred galaxies, as well as from interactions with small satellites. In all these first models, galactic systems are all embedded in a spherical dark matter halo. We also study spiral arms arising from a galactic system embedded in a triaxial dark matter halo. Simulations used in this work have been obtained by using different N-body codes and initial conditions techniques. Our strategy is to study the 3D arm structure through the analysis of pitch angle, along/transverse/vertical density laws and their corresponding scale lengths, and spiral lifetime. Our main results are as follows. First, the radial density profile of all spiral arms analyzed in this work is exponential. This profile resembles the one of the disk but with a scale length that is systematically larger (5%–40%). This result suggests that spiral arm gravitational influence is important beyond the scale radius of the disk. Second, the vertical and transversal density laws of the spiral arms follow a sech2. The vertical scale length is compatible with the one of the disk; this is observed in all spiral arms analyzed here, independently of their origin, i.e., bar, high-order disk perturbation, tidal interaction with satellites, or halo triaxiality. Third, in the triaxial and satellite simulations, spiral arms follow a logarithmic locus all through their lifetime; the remaining models develop transient, recurrent, and short-lived spirals with a nondefined locus. In all cases, spiral arms wind up in their lifetime with a small pitch angle reduction. It is common that newborn spirals inherit the pitch angle of the previous ones; this result challenges the dynamical relevance of arm evolution. Finally, from the analysis of public photometric observations of NGC 2543, we state that the properties of observed spiral arm structure can be consistent with our conclusions. Further and systematic comparisons with observations are needed in order to confirm our results.
Differential Distribution of Three Members of a Gene Family Encoding Low Voltage-Activated (T-Type) Calcium Channels

Low voltage-activated (T-type) calcium currents are observed in many central and peripheral neurons and display distinct physiological and functional properties. Using in situ hybridization, we have localized central and peripheral nervous system expression of three transcripts (α1G, α1H, and α1I) of the T-type calcium channel family (CaVT). Each mRNA demonstrated a unique distribution, and expression of the three genes was largely complementary. We found high levels of expression of these transcripts in regions associated with prominent T-type currents, including inferior olivary and thalamic relay neurons (which expressed α1G), sensory ganglia, pituitary, and dentate gyrus granule neurons (α1H), and thalamic reticular neurons (α1I and α1H). Other regions of high expression included the Purkinje cell layer of the cerebellum, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the claustrum (α1G), the olfactory tubercles (α1H and α1I), and the subthalamic nucleus (α1I and α1G). Some neurons expressed high levels of all three genes, including hippocampal pyramidal neurons and olfactory granule cells. Many brain regions showed a predominance of labeling for α1G, including the amygdala, cerebral cortex, rostral hypothalamus, brainstem, and spinal cord. Exceptions included the basal ganglia, which showed more prominent labeling for α1H and α1I, and the olfactory bulb, the hippocampus, and the caudal hypothalamus, which showed more even levels of all three transcripts. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that differential gene expression underlies pharmacological and physiological heterogeneity observed in neuronal T-type calcium currents, and they provide a molecular basis for the study of T-type channels in particular neurons.
The relationship between Chinese mothers’ parenting stress and sibling relationships: a moderated mediation model of maternal warmth and co-parenting

ABSTRACT Purpose: Limited research has investigated how parenting stress may play a role in sibling relationships. Little is known about co-parenting in buffering against the role of parenting stress on sibling relationships. This study examined these links in a Chinese contest. Methods: A sample of 167 two-child Chinese families were recruited to attend this study. Mothers completed questionnaires assessing parenting stress, co-parenting, parental warmth, and the quality of their children’s sibling relationships. Results: Mothers’ parenting stress was indirectly associated with positive sibling relationships through the role of maternal warmth. In addition, mothers’ parenting stress interacted with their perception of co-parenting to play a role in maternal warmth. Conclusions: These findings provide useful information about the pathway through which mothers’ parenting stress influences sibling relationships. In identifying the moderating role of co-parenting on the mediating process of parenting behaviors, we encourage fathers to support the mothers’ role in caring for two children.
S2XS2: A Server Side Approach to Automatically Detect XSS Attacks

Cross site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities are widespread in web-based programs. Server side detection of suspected contents can mitigate XSS exploitations early. Unfortunately, existing serve side approaches impose modification of server and client side environments. In this paper, we develop an automated framework to detect XSS attacks at the server side based on the notion of boundary injection and policy generation. Boundaries mark content generation locations in server script code. We derive expected benign features of dynamic contents that are matched during response page generation to detect attacks. We develop a prototype tool to automatically insert boundaries and generate policies for JSP programs. We evaluate the approach with four JSP programs. The results indicate that the approach detects most of the well known XSS attacks. Moreover, the false positive rates vary between zero and 5.2%. The approach suffers from negligible runtime overhead.
FINE STRUCTURE AND MORPHOGENIC MOVEMENTS IN THE GASTRULA OF THE TREEFROG, HYLA REGILLA

The blastoporal groove of the early gastrula of the treefrog, Hyla regilla, was examined with the electron microscope. The innermost extension of the groove is lined with invaginating flask- and wedge-shaped cells of entoderm and mesoderm. The distal surfaces of these cells bear microvilli which are underlain with an electron-opaque layer composed of fine granular material and fibrils. The dense layer and masses of vesicles proximal to it fill the necks of the cells. In flask cells bordering the forming archenteron the vesicles are replaced by large vacuoles surrounded by layers of membranes. The cells lining the groove are tightly joined at their distal ends in the region of the dense layer. Proximally, the cell bodies are separated by wide intercellular spaces. The cell body, which is migrating toward the interior of the gastrula, contains the nucleus plus other organalles and inclusions common to amphibian gastrular cells. A dense layer of granular material, vesicles, and membranes lies beneath the surface of the cell body and extends into pseudopodium-like processes and surface undulations which cross the intercellular spaces. A special mesodermal cell observed in the dorsal lining of the groove is smaller and denser than the surrounding presumptive chordamesodermal cells. A long finger of cytoplasm, filled with a dense layer, vesicles and membranes, extends from its distal surface along the edge of the groove, ending in a tight interlocking with another mesodermal cell. Some correlations between fine structure and the mechanics of gastrulation are discussed, and a theory of invagination is proposed, based on contraction and expansion of the dense layer and the tight junctions at distal cell surfaces.
Complexity of the Simpli ed Segmental Phonology

This article presents detailed complexity analysis of the encoding and decoding problems for the segmental phonology. The segmental model is a generative theory of phonological dependencies. As such, it poses two computational problems. The rst computational problem is the problem of actually encoding the dependencies of a given phonology into a given representation of phonological knowledge (the encoding problem). The second computational problem is the problem of deciding whether a given phonological representation encodes the dependencies of a given phonology (the decoding problem). We begin by proving that the encoding and decoding problems are both undecidable in the segmental model. Next, we motivate a simpli ed segmental model, that more accurately models the phonological dependencies actually proposed in the phonological literature. The simpli ed segmental model is a more restricted and more natural reformalization of the segmental model. To conclude, we prove that the encoding and decoding problems are NP-complete in this simpli ed segmental model. This paper was revised in May 1993 and submitted for journal publication. The author is particularly grateful to Morris Halle, Michael Kenstowicz, and an anonymous CL reviewer for their assistance and constructive criticisms. The author has been supported by a Young Investigator Award IRI-9258517 from the National Science
Discriminating speech and non-speech with regularized least squares

We consider the task of discriminating speech and non-speech in noisy environments. Previously, Mesgarani et. al [1] achieved state-of-the-art performance using a cortical representation of sound in conjunction with a feature reduction algorithm and a non-linear support vector machine classiﬁer. In the present work, we show that we can achieve the same or better accuracy by using a linear regularized least squares classiﬁer directly on the high-dimensional cortical representation; the new system is substantially simpler conceptually and computationally. We select the regularization constant automatically, yielding a parameter-free learning system. Intriguingly, we ﬁnd that optimal classiﬁers for noisy data can be trained on clean data using heavy regularization.