Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inducible Mis- and Over-Expression of PKCIW Regulates the Expression of AMH and P450arom in Chicken Embryo Fibroblast

Sex in birds is determined genetically as in mammals and a Z-linked gene DMRT1 is required for testis development. But it remains possible that the W chromosome contains a similarly critical factor for female development. The W-linked gene PKCIW was put forward as the seductive candidate for avian sex determination and/or sex differentiation. Mis-expression and over-expression of PKCIW were performed respectively in male and female chicken embryo fibroblast with tet-on inducible expression system in this study. The results of RT-PCR showed that with the PKCIW recombinant vector introducing, PKCIW mRNA expression was significantly improved in female chicken embryo fibroblast and was close to that of the female controls and in male chicken embryo fibroblast, in which normally there was no expression. Both misand over-expression of PKCIW led to up-regulated expression of P450arom and down-regulated expression of AMH, while large increase of P450arom in female and large decrease of AMH in male appeared. With misand over-expression of PKCIW, there was no significant change of FOXL2, SOX9, DMRT1 and ATP5A1W mRNA expression. These results showed the possible regulatory effect of PKCIW on AMH and P450arom in transcription level.
Usability Evaluation of Computer-Assisted Survey Instruments

Computer-assisted interviewing (CAI) has a substantial impact on the way interviewers carry out the task of interviewing. Survey instruments are becoming more complex, necessitating new skills of interviewers. In addition to question wording, the design of CAI instruments is a focus of evaluation and pretesting efforts. This article reports on a variety of research activities related to the usability testing of CAI instruments, focusing both on interviewers (in interviewer-administered surveys) and respondents (in self-administered surveys). The article introduces practices and procedures of usability testing, illustrated with examples from several recent studies in which these methods were applied to the evaluation of computerized survey instruments.
Determinants of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in older Irish adults.

BACKGROUND vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in older adults living in Northern Europe and is influenced by several factors which may vary significantly with age. OBJECTIVE we aimed to investigate the determinants of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in older Irish adults and in particular to examine the effect of supplement use and surrogate markers of sun exposure. METHODS subjects were non-institutionalised community dwelling Irish adults aged over 60 years who were participants of a large cross-sectional study comprising three disease defined cohorts. Serum 25(OH)D was measured by liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy. Associations between 25(OH)D and potential confounders were explored in forward regression models in each cohort. RESULTS the three cohorts comprised 1895, 1233 and 1316 participants (respective mean ages 70.1, 71.0 and 80.4 years). Statistical models explained between a fifth to a third of the variation in 25(OH)D. Supplement use and global solar radiation were positive predictors of 25(OH)D in all cohorts whereas the only universal negative predictor was body mass index. Supplement use was associated with a mean increase in 25(OH)D of between 21.4 and 35.4 nmol/l. The other main predictors varied by cohort but included sun holiday travel, enjoyment of sunshine when outside, use of vitamin D fortified milk, smoking, oily fish and egg consumption and physical frailty. CONCLUSION supplement use was the most important determinant of vitamin D status. Vitamin D fortified milk and spending time in the sun, even in the oldest old may also be useful strategies to improve 25(OH)D.
Towards faster and better retrieval models for question search

Community question answering (cQA) has become an important service due to the popularity of cQA archives on the web. This paper is concerned with the problem of question search. Question search in cQA aims to find the historical questions that are semantically equivalent or similar to the queried questions. In this paper, we propose a faster and better retrieval model for question search by leveraging user chosen category. After introducing the question category, we can filter certain amount of irrelevant historical questions under a wide range of leaf categories. Experimental results conducted on real cQA data set demonstrate that the proposed techniques are more effective and efficient than a variety of baseline methods.
35 Years On: to What Extent Has Software Engineering Design Achieved Its Goals?

The term 'software engineering' was coined in 1968 to introduce the disciplines of established branches of engineering design to software manufacture. Some 35 years on, this paper attempts to gauge the success of software engineering against its original goals, with particular respect to the adoption of an industrial design process. The design issues raised in the 1968 NATO conference are examined and then modern examples of engineering design and software engineering are compared. While many aspects of design are found to be similar between the two, significant dissimilarities are also evident. Knowledge of such similarities and dissimilarities may offer opportunities for software engineering to learn lessons from engineering design, for example in the generation and evaluation of solution variants. Field studies are reviewed for empirical evidence of the success or failure of software engineering; results suggest a mixed picture over a diverse range of application domains. It is found that the issues surrounding software production identified 35 years ago remain unresolved today. Although considerable benefit was gained from adopting fundamental design practices from engineering design, the demands on software engineering continue to increase beyond the capabilities of current software engineering theory and practice.
Slow-release L-cysteine capsule prevents gastric mucosa exposure to carcinogenic acetaldehyde: results of a randomised single-blinded, cross-over study of Helicobacter-associated atrophic gastritis

Abstract Introduction: Helicobacter-induced atrophic gastritis with a hypochlorhydric milieu is a risk factor for gastric cancer. Microbes colonising acid-free stomach oxidise ethanol to acetaldehyde, a recognised group 1 carcinogen. Objective: To assess gastric production of acetaldehyde and its inert condensation product, non-toxic 2-methyl-1,3-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (MTCA), after alcohol intake under treatment with slow-release L-cysteine or placebo. Methods: Seven patients with biopsy-confirmed atrophic gastritis, low serum pepsinogen and high gastrin-17 were studied in a cross-over single-blinded design. On separate days, patients randomly received 200 mg slow-release L-cysteine or placebo with intragastric instillation of 15% (0.3 g/kg) ethanol. After intake, gastric concentrations of ethanol, acetaldehyde, L-cysteine and MTCA were analysed. Results: Administration of L-cysteine increased MTCA (p < .0004) and decreased gastric acetaldehyde concentrations by 68% (p < .0001). The peak L-cysteine level was 7552 ± 2687 μmol/L at 40 min and peak MTCA level 196 ± 98 μmol/L at 80 min after intake. Gastric L-cysteine and MTCA concentrations were maintained for 3 h. The AUC for MTCA was 11-fold higher than acetaldehyde, indicating gastric first-pass metabolism of ethanol. With placebo, acetaldehyde remained elevated also at low ethanol concentrations representing ‘non-alcoholic’ beverages and food items. Conclusions: After gastric ethanol instillation, slow-release L-cysteine eliminates acetaldehyde to form inactive MTCA, which remains in gastric juice for up to 3 h. High acetaldehyde levels indicate a marked gastric first-pass metabolism of ethanol resulting in gastric accumulation of carcinogenic acetaldehyde. Local exposure of the gastric mucosa to acetaldehyde can be mitigated by slow-release L-cysteine capsules.
Expanded instrument comparison of amplicon DNA melting analysis for mutation scanning and genotyping.

BACKGROUND Additional instruments have become available since instruments for DNA melting analysis of PCR products for genotyping and mutation scanning were compared. We assessed the performance of these new instruments for genotyping and scanning for mutations. METHODS A 110-bp fragment of the beta-globin gene including the sickle cell anemia locus (HBB c. 20A>T) was amplified by PCR in the presence of LCGreen Plus or SYBR Green I. Amplicons of 4 different genotypes [wild-type, homozygous, and heterozygous HBB c. 20A>T and double-heterozygote HBB c. (9C>T; 20A>T)] were melted on 7 different instruments [Applied Biosystems 7300, Corbett Life Sciences Rotor-Gene 6500HRM, Eppendorf Mastercycler RealPlex4S, Idaho Technology LightScanner (384 well), Roche LightCycler 480 (96 and 384 well) and Stratagene Mx3005p] at a rate of 0.61 degrees C/s or when this was not possible, at 0.50 degrees C steps. We evaluated the ability of each instrument to genotype by melting temperature (Tm) and to scan for heterozygotes by curve shape. RESULTS The ability of most instruments to accurately genotype single-base changes by amplicon melting was limited by spatial temperature variation across the plate (SD of Tm = 0.020 to 0.264 degrees C). Other variables such as data density, signal-to-noise ratio, and melting rate also affected heterozygote scanning. CONCLUSIONS Different instruments vary widely in their ability to genotype homozygous variants and scan for heterozygotes by whole amplicon melting analysis. Instruments specifically designed for high-resolution melting, however, displayed the least variation, suggesting better genotyping accuracy and scanning sensitivity and specificity.
Book Reviews: Semisupervised Learning for Computational Linguistics by Steven Abney

The rapid advancement in the theoretical understanding of statistical and machine learning methods for semisupervised learning has made it difficult for nonspecialists to keep up to date in the field. Providing a broad, accessible treatment of the theory as well as linguistic applications, Semisupervised Learning for Computational Linguistics offers self-contained coverage of semisupervised methods that includes background material on supervised and unsupervised learning. The book presents a brief history of semisupervised learning and its place in the spectrum of learning methods before moving on to discuss well-known natural language processing methods, such as self-training and co-training. It then centers on machine learning techniques, including the boundary-oriented methods of perceptrons, boosting, support vector machines (SVMs), and the null-category noise model. In addition, the book covers clustering, the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm, related generative methods, and agreement methods. It concludes with the graph-based method of label propagation as well as a detailed discussion of spectral methods. Taking an intuitive approach to the material, this lucid book facilitates the application of semisupervised learning methods to natural language processing and provides the framework and motivation for a more systematic study of machine learning.
Aerodynamic Design Optimization Studies of a Blended-Wing-Body Aircraft

The blended wing body is an aircraft configuration that has the potential to be more efficient than conventional large transport aircraft configurations with the same capability. However, the design of the blended wing is challenging due to the tight coupling between aerodynamic performance, trim, and stability. Other design challenges include the nature and number of the design variables involved, and the transonic flow conditions. To address these issues, a series of aerodynamic shape optimization studies using Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes computational fluid dynamics with a Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model is performed. A gradient-based optimization algorithm is used in conjunction with a discrete adjoint method that computes the derivatives of the aerodynamic forces. A total of 273 design variables—twist, airfoil shape, sweep, chord, and span—are considered. The drag coefficient at the cruise condition is minimized subject to lift, trim, static margin, and center plane bending moment constraints.
The Role of Molecular Imaging in the Diagnosis and Management of Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Neuropsychiatric disorders are becoming a major socioeconomic burden to modern society. In recent years, a dramatic expansion of tools has facilitated the study of the molecular basis of neuropsychiatric disorders. Molecular imaging has enabled the noninvasive characterization and quantification of biological processes at the cellular, tissue, and organism levels in intact living subjects. This technology has revolutionized the practice of medicine and has become critical to quality health care. New advances in research on molecular imaging hold promise for personalized medicine in neuropsychiatric disorders, with adjusted therapeutic doses, predictable responses, reduced adverse drug reactions, early diagnosis, and personal health planning. In this paper, we discuss the development of radiotracers for imaging dopaminergic, serotonergic, and noradrenergic systems and β-amyloid plaques. We will underline the role of molecular imaging technologies in various neuropsychiatric disorders, describe their unique strengths and limitations, and suggest future directions in the diagnosis and management of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Modeling Consumer Responses to a Vignette Television Commercial Drama for a Vacation Resort

ABSTRACT This project involved the formulation and testing of a model the cognitive and affective responses to a vignette television commercial drama for a vacation resort. Results indicate that response to the commercial was affective in nature with sympathy, empathy, and attitude toward the ad mediating the influences of verisimilitude and homophily on attitude toward the brand. Results suggest that to effectively promote tourism services a commercial's production value and realism must be high to produce sufficient verisimilitude. Also the behaviors and appearance of the actors chosen for the commercial should match those of the intended target audience in order to produce sufficient homophily.
Optical Control of a GaAs Chip MMIC Amplifier at S Band

This paper shows the results of research on the optical control of a GaAs chip monolithic amplifier,and is an extension of previous work by our group in the field of optical-microwave interaction [1-3 ]. The amplifier was originally designed for the transmitter stage of an indoor mobile communications system in the 2.4 GHz band.The possibilities of optical control of this amplifier are evidenced as follows:if the amplifier operates with the same biasing, the gain can be optically controlled from a condition of almost isolation,(small signal gain less than -5 dB),up to an active condition,(small signal gain greater than 10 dB), which gives a range of optical control of about 15 dB.At the same time,the optical control provides an improvement of the input and output matching in a range of 12dB and 6dB, respectively.This optical control suggests an interesting control of gain and matching for other microwave FET based active devices .
Aesthetic as Analysis

A wide range of comedians with disabilities has recently been reclaiming the comedy stage as a space in which to contest inequality. The work of disabled comedians highlights the utility of humor as an alternative lens into social life, especially the complexity of the disability experience. Despite the rise of disability humor as a form of activism, scholars have identified disability humor as an undertheorized area. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 10 professional comedians from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, we examine common conceptual ground between humor theory and disability theory—focusing on how humor can function as an epistemological and critical lens for viewing disability in everyday social context. Our analysis suggests that even types of humor that have traditionally been used to demean and disable can be (and are) wielded by people with disabilities, on and off the stage, as both a shield and a sword with which to contest the constraints imposed by an ableist world, while also countering the widespread belief that disability is only and always a personal tragedy.
A prominent relativistic iron line in the seyfert 1 MCG-02-14-009

I report the discovery of a prominent broad and asymmetrical feature near 6.4keV in the Seyfert 1 MCG-02-14-009 (z = 0.028) with XMM-Newton/EPIC. The present short X-ray observation (PN net exposure time ∼ks) is the first one above 2keV for MCG-02-14-009. The feature can be explained by either a relativistic iron line around either a Schwarzschild (non-rotating) or a Kerr (rotating) black hole. If the feature is a relativistic iron line around a Schwarzschild black hole, the line energy is 6.51 +0.21 -0.12 keV with an equivalent width of 631 +259 -243 eV and that the inclination angle of the accretion disc should be less than 43°. A relativistically blurred photoionized disc model gives a very good spectral fit over the broad band 0.2-12 keV energy range. The spectrum is reflection dominated and this would indicate that the primary source in MCG-02-14-009 is located very close to the black hole, where gravitational light bending effect is important (about 3-4R g ), and that the black hole may rapidly rotate.
A principle of economy predicts the functional architecture of grid cells

Grid cells in the brain respond when an animal occupies a periodic lattice of ‘grid fields’ during navigation. Grids are organized in modules with different periodicity. We propose that the grid system implements a hierarchical code for space that economizes the number of neurons required to encode location with a given resolution across a range equal to the largest period. This theory predicts that (i) grid fields should lie on a triangular lattice, (ii) grid scales should follow a geometric progression, (iii) the ratio between adjacent grid scales should be √e for idealized neurons, and lie between 1.4 and 1.7 for realistic neurons, (iv) the scale ratio should vary modestly within and between animals. These results explain the measured grid structure in rodents. We also predict optimal organization in one and three dimensions, the number of modules, and, with added assumptions, the ratio between grid periods and field widths. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.08362. 001
Predicting Facial Attractiveness Within an Individual's Portraits Using Siamese Networks

People often have to decide which photograph of themselves to include in a portfolio or album, or share online. When making this choice, people are usually guided by what they think others will deem attractive. There is some consensus as to which portraits are the most attractive, and which ones are the least attractive. The goal of this thesis is to predict which photo of an individual is the most popular among viewers. In this work, we show experimentally that there is agreement among people regarding the attractiveness of an individuals photo and that it is possible to model and predict which photos are the most popular. We collected a dataset featuring portfolio pictures of actors and actresses, models and singers. Human votes for these images were also collected. We then trained a siamese network with a ranking loss function to predict the relative ranking of images. Predictions were made on the test set using one side of the network. We compared these predictions with the human votes and were able to achieve an accuracy of 61%.
The role of velocity‐neutral creep on the modulation of tectonic tremor activity by periodic loading

Slow slip events and associated non‐volcanic tremors are sensitive to oscillatory stress perturbations, such as those induced by tides or seismic surface waves. Slow slip events and tremors are thought to occur near the seismic‐aseismic transition regions of active faults, where the differencea − b = ∂μ/∂lnVbetween the sensitivity of friction to slip rate and fault state, which characterizes the stability of slip, can be arbitrarily small. We investigate the response of a velocity‐strengthening fault region to oscillatory loads through analytical approximations and spring‐slider simulations. We find that fault areas that are near velocity‐neutral at steady‐state, i.e., ∂μ / ∂lnV ≈ 0, are highly sensitive to cyclic loads: oscillatory stress perturbations in a certain range of periods induce large transient slip velocities. These aseismic transients can in turn trigger tremor activity with enhanced oscillatory modulation. In this sensitive regime, a harmonic Coulomb stress perturbation of amplitude ΔS causes a slip rate perturbation varying as eΔS/(a−b)σ, where σ is the effective normal stress. This result is in agreement with observations of the relationship between tremor rate and amplitude of stress perturbations for tremors triggered by passing seismic waves. Our model of tremor modulation mediated by transient creep does not require extremely high pore fluid pressure and provides a framework to interpret the sensitivity and phase of tidally modulated tremors observed in Parkfield and Shikoku in terms of spatial variations of friction parameters and background slip rate.
Intraoperative analysis of sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer by one-step nucleic acid amplification

One-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) is a novel method introduced for the lymph node staging of breast cancer and has been tested in multiple series. The present review summarises current literature and concerns related to the new method. The results of this automated molecular assay based on the quantification of cytokeratin 19 mRNA show a 96% concordance rate with detailed histopathology complemented with immunohistochemistry when alternative slices of the same lymph node are used for the two tests. The low false-negative rate makes OSNA suitable for the intraoperative evaluation of sentinel lymph nodes. The false-positive rate also seems very low. Most discordant cases are explainable by low volume metastases (micrometastases), which may be missing from the material submitted for one test, but not from the different part used for the other test. It is tempting to change the gold standard for comparisons between the methods, and if this is done, histology seems to come out as a weaker test for the identification of metastases. OSNA detects more low volume nodal involvement, but it is uncertain whether these require further axillary treatment, and this will be a subject for future investigations. Therefore, it is also uncertain whether the advantage of OSNA of detecting practically all metastases due to complete sampling of lymph node tissue is clinically more important than the exclusion of metastases greater than micrometastasis that can be reliably done by intraoperative microscopy followed by permanent section histology.