Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Subepithelial Myofibroblasts are Novel Nonprofessional APCs in the Human Colonic Mucosa1

The human gastrointestinal mucosa is exposed to a diverse normal microflora and dietary Ags and is a common site of entry for pathogens. The mucosal immune system must respond to these diverse signals with either the initiation of immunity or tolerance. APCs are important accessory cells that modulate T cell responses which initiate and maintain adaptive immunity. The ability of APCs to communicate with CD4+ T cells is largely dependent on the expression of class II MHC molecules by the APCs. Using immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, and flow cytometry, we demonstrate that α-smooth muscle actin+, CD90+ subepithelial myofibroblasts (stromal cells) constitutively express class II MHC molecules in normal colonic mucosa and that they are distinct from professional APCs such as macrophages and dendritic cells. Primary isolates of human colonic myofibroblasts (CMFs) cultured in vitro were able to stimulate allogeneic CD4+ T cell proliferation. This process was dependent on class II MHC and CD80/86 costimulatory molecule expression by the myofibroblasts. We also demonstrate that CMFs, engineered to express a specific DR4 allele, can process and present human serum albumin to a human serum albumin-specific and DR4 allele-restricted T cell hybridoma. These studies characterize a novel cell phenotype which, due to its strategic location and class II MHC expression, may be involved in capture of Ags that cross the epithelial barrier and present them to lamina propria CD4+ T cells. Thus, human CMFs may be important in regulating local immunity in the colon.
Prevalence of Parasomnia in School aged Children in Tehran

Objectives Parasomnias can create sleep disruption; in this article we assessed parasomnias in school-aged children in Tehran. Methods In spring 2005, a total of 6000 sleep questionnaires were distributed to school-aged children in 5 districts of Tehran (Iran). A modified Pediatrics sleep questionnaire with 34 questions was used. Results Parasomnias varied from 0.5% to 5.7% among the subjects as follows: 2.7% sleep talking, 0.5% sleepwalking, 5.7% bruxism, 2.3% enuresis, and nightmare 4%. A group of children showed parasomnias occasionally- this was 13.1% for sleep talking, 1.4% for sleepwalking, 10.6% for bruxism, 3.1% for enuresis and 18.4% for nightmares. Conclusion A high proportion of children starting school suffer from sleep problems. In many cases this is a temporary, developmentally related phenomenon, but in 6% of the children the disorder is more serious and may be connected with various stress factors and further behavioral disturbances.
TNF-α Decreases VEGF Secretion in Highly Polarized RPE Cells but Increases It in Non-Polarized RPE Cells Related to Crosstalk between JNK and NF-κB Pathways

Asymmetrical secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells in situ is critical for maintaining the homeostasis of the retina and choroid. VEGF is also involved in the development and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We studied the effect of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) on the secretion of VEGF in polarized and non-polarized RPE cells (P-RPE cells and N-RPE cells, respectively) in culture and in situ in rats. A subretinal injection of TNF-α caused a decrease in VEGF expression and choroidal atrophy. Porcine RPE cells were seeded on Transwell™ filters, and their maturation and polarization were confirmed by the asymmetrical VEGF secretion and trans electrical resistance. Exposure to TNF-α decreased the VEGF secretion in P-RPE cells but increased it in N-RPE cells in culture. TNF-α inactivated JNK in P-RPE cells but activated it in N-RPE cells, and TNF-α activated NF-κB in P-RPE cells but not in N-RPE cells. Inhibition of NF-κB activated JNK in both types of RPE cells indicating crosstalk between JNK and NF-κB. TNF-α induced the inhibitory effects of NF-κB on JNK in P-RPE cells because NF-κB is continuously inactivated. In N-RPE cells, however, it was not evident because NF-κB was already activated. The basic activation pattern of JNK and NF-κB and their crosstalk led to opposing responses of RPE cells to TNF-α. These results suggest that VEGF secretion under inflammatory conditions depends on cellular polarization, and the TNF-α-induced VEGF down-regulation may result in choroidal atrophy in polarized physiological RPE cells. TNF-α-induced VEGF up-regulation may cause neovascularization by non-polarized or non-physiological RPE cells.
Playing the Recording Once or Twice: Effects on Listening Test Performances

Much debate surrounds the issue of whether allowing candidates to listen to recordings twice is more desirable in language tests than offering just one opportunity. Using regression models, this study investigates, analyses and interconnects both item difficulty and stimulus length in relation to the frequency of stimulus presentation and its effect on test results. The study involved 1,266 eighth-grade learners with perceived A2/B1 level in English as a first foreign language. The final discussion seeks to offer explanations for the results that clearly indicate the advantages of listening once; likewise, potential implications for listening tests and classroom practice are raised.
Mixing decoded cursor velocity and position from an offline Kalman filter improves cursor control in people with tetraplegia

Kalman filtering is a common method to decode neural signals from the motor cortex. In clinical research investigating the use of intracortical brain computer interfaces (iBCIs), the technique enabled people with tetraplegia to control assistive devices such as a computer or robotic arm directly from their neural activity. For reaching movements, the Kalman filter typically estimates the instantaneous endpoint velocity of the control device. Here, we analyzed attempted arm/hand movements by people with tetraplegia to control a cursor on a computer screen to reach several circular targets. A standard velocity Kalman filter is enhanced to additionally decode for the cursor's position. We then mix decoded velocity and position to generate cursor movement commands. We analyzed data, offline, from two participants across six sessions. Root mean squared error between the actual and estimated cursor trajectory improved by 12.2 ±10.5% (pairwise t-test, p<;0.05) as compared to a standard velocity Kalman filter. The findings suggest that simultaneously decoding for intended velocity and position and using them both to generate movement commands can improve the performance of iBCIs.
AGenetic AlgorithmOptimization Technique for Multiwavelet-Based Digital AudioWatermarking

We propose a new approach for optimization in digital audio watermarking using genetic algorithm. The watermarks are embedded into the low frequency coefficients in discrete multiwavelet transform domain. The embedding technique is based on quantization process which does not require the original audio signal in the watermark extraction. We have developed an optimization technique using the genetic algorithm to search for four optimal quantization steps in order to improve both quality of watermarked audio and robustness of the watermark. In addition, we analyze the performance of the proposed algorithm in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, normalized correlation, and bit error rate. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme can achieve a good robustness against most of the attacks which were included in this study.
Performing against the odds: developmental trajectories of children in the EPPSE 3-16 study

The Effective Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE 3 to 16) research project is a large scale, longitudinal, mixed-methods research that is following the progress of 3,000 children since 1997 from the age of 3- to 16-years-old. A focus for EPPSE has been the extent to which pre-school, compulsory education and children’s home learning experiences (HLE) can reduce inequality. Earlier EPPSE found that what parents did with their children was important in terms of the children’s outcomes, not simply ‘who they were’ in terms of social class and income. Following a pilot study with disadvantaged children who were ‘succeeding against the odds’ towards the end of primary school, this study provides in-depth exploration and explanation of how risks and protective factors in the lives of children shape their learning life-courses, and why they lead to academic resilience for some but not for others.
The Adaptive Co-Management Process: an Initial Synthesis of Representative Models and Influential Variables

Collaborative and adaptive approaches to environmental management have captured the attention of administrators, resource users, and scholars. Adaptive co-management builds upon these approaches to create a novel governance strategy. This paper investigates the dynamics of the adaptive co-management process and the variables that influence it. The investigation begins by summarizing analytical and causal models relevant to the adaptive co-management process. Variables that influence this process are then synthesized from diverse literatures, categorized as being exogenous or endogenous, and developed into respective analytical frameworks. In identifying commonalities among models of the adaptive co-management process and discerning influential variables, this paper provides initial insights into understanding the dynamic social process of adaptive co-management. From these insights conjectures for future inquires are offered in the conclusion.
Bearing-Only SLAM in everyday environments using Omnidirectional Vision

SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) mechanisms are a key component towards advanced service robotics applications since knowledge about the own pose and representations of the environment are needed for a series of high level applications. A futher challenge is to design service robots for life-long and robust operation in dynamic environments. To achieve this, two approaches are combined in this work. First, an approach from our previous work [1] is used to handle the problem of the ever growing amount of landmarks over time. Typically, SLAM approaches just accumulate features over time and do not discard them anymore. Therefore, the required resources in terms of memory and processing power are growing over time. In the presented approach, the absolute number of landmarks can be restricted by an upper bound since we introduce a method to specifically select and replace landmarks once the upper bound has been reached. The second approach [2] is related to improving the robustness of the landmark assignment problem in case of image based features as needed with natural landmarks. Real-world experiments are used to demonstrate the performance of our approach. These experiments are performed on a P3DX-platform with an omnidirectional vision based bearingonly SLAM approach.
Modeling Behavioral Regularities of Consumer Learning in Conjoint Analysis

In this note, the authors propose several extensions of the model of consumer learning in conjoint analysis that Bradlow, Hu, and Ho (2004) develop. They present a clarification of the original model, propose an integration of several new imputation rules, add new measurement metrics for pattern matching, and draw a roadmap for further real-world tests. The authors also discuss general modeling challenges when researchers want to mathematically define and integrate behavioral regularities into traditional quantitative domains. They conclude by suggesting several critical success factors for modeling behavioral regularities in marketing.
A CRITERION FOR ERDŐS SPACES

Abstract In 1940 Paul Erdős introduced the ‘rational Hilbert space’, which consists of all vectors in the real Hilbert space $\ell^2$ that have only rational coordinates. He showed that this space has topological dimension one, yet it is totally disconnected and homeomorphic to its square. In this note we generalize the construction of this peculiar space and we consider all subspaces $\mathcal{E}$ of the Banach spaces $\ell^p$ that are constructed as ‘products’ of zero-dimensional subsets $E_n$ of $\mathbb{R}$. We present an easily applied criterion for deciding whether a general space of this type is one dimensional. As an application we find that if such an $\mathcal{E}$ is closed in $\ell^p$, then it is homeomorphic to complete Erdős space if and only if $\dim\mathcal{E}>0$ and every $E_n$ is zero dimensional.
Feeding and general activity patterns of a howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) troop living in a forest fragment at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico

The feeding behavior and general activity patterns of a howler monkey troop living in a 3.6 ha forest fragment were studied at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico, for an annual cycle. Monthly samples of their feeding behavior indicated that they used 52 species of 24 plant families as sources of food. Of these, 67% were trees, which accounted for 96% of total feeding time recorded. Ten species of Moraceae, Cecropiaceae, Anacrdiaceae. and Sapotaceae contributed to 70% of the trees used and to almost 90% of feeding time. The number of plant species used per monthly record varied from 7 to 31 with an average of 19.9 species. Young leaves and ripe fruit were the principal items in the monthly diet of howlers and average percent of time spent consuming these plant parts was 46.7% and 34.8%, respectively. The use of tree species was found to be associated to their importance value and to their pattern of spatial dispersal in the study site. Availability of young leaves was fairly constant from month to month, but it presented a seasonal pattern, and there was a significantly lower number of tree species bearing ripe fruit through the year with brief pulses of production. The monthly activity pattern was found to be related to variations in the availability of young leaves and ripe fruit as well as to the values of the intermonthly overlap in plant species used. Resting and feeding presented a bimodal pattern of occurrence throughout the day that seemed to be related to variations in maximum ambient temperatures. Results are discussed in light of the small size and shape of the forest fragment inhabited by the howler troop. Am. J. Primatol. 48:167–183, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Children with Learning Disabilities

The main purpose of the present study was to know the emotional and behavioral problems of learning disabilities children. The researcher followed descriptive statistic method in this study. The sample of the study consisted of 50childrenwith learning disabilities in Jazan-King of Saudi Arabia. An emotional and behavioral problems scale was developed and used in assessing problems for LD children. The reliability and validity of the scale were established. The researcher used the T-test and percentage to answer the research questions. The results indicated that the emotional and behavioral problems among children with learning problems are: thinking problems, poor concentration, attention deficit, less of activity, lack of interaction, lack of a sense of self-confidence, reduce the value of self, sadness, emotion confusion, and emotional distractions, fidgety (unsettled), aggression, excess consumption of activity, Non-interaction, hyperactivity delinquency, phobia, sleep for short periods, continuing changes in sitting, and busy with concern topics, and the differences exist in emotional and behavioral problems among learning disabilities children according to type of learning disabilities.
Sources of Local Political Involvement

Despite the legal norm of universal adult citizenship in the United States, and thus the legitimacy of participation by all strata of society, the actual level of political involvement in local communities is not high and differs greatly from group to group. Our task here is to spell out some of the conditions of group membership which contribute to local political involvement. Our broader purpose is to argue the need to re-expand the theoretical framework for analysis of political participation and thus to correct the present imbalanced focus upon participation as an individual act. Thus we shall examine some structural, rather than psychological, conditions of local political involvement. In this we shall occasionally use some measures previously reported in other studies and conventionally regarded as tapping psychological attributes of individuals; but these we shall regard as defining sets of role-expectations or as locating categories of persons placed within a certain range of normative obligations; and, more importantly, we shall systematically compare the net effect (upon local political involvement) of such variables with that of the more conventionally defined structural variables.
A large‐scale methane model by incorporating the surface water transport

The effect of surface water movement on methane emissions is not explicitly considered in most of the current methane models. In this study, a surface water routing was coupled into our previously developed large‐scale methane model. The revised methane model was then used to simulate global methane emissions during 2006–2010. From our simulations, the global mean annual maximum inundation extent is 10.6 ± 1.9 km2 and the methane emission is 297 ± 11 Tg C/yr in the study period. In comparison to the currently used TOPMODEL‐based approach, we found that the incorporation of surface water routing leads to 24.7% increase in the annual maximum inundation extent and 30.8% increase in the methane emissions at the global scale for the study period, respectively. The effect of surface water transport on methane emissions varies in different regions: (1) the largest difference occurs in flat and moist regions, such as Eastern China; (2) high‐latitude regions, hot spots in methane emissions, show a small increase in both inundation extent and methane emissions with the consideration of surface water movement; and (3) in arid regions, the new model yields significantly larger maximum flooded areas and a relatively small increase in the methane emissions. Although surface water is a small component in the terrestrial water balance, it plays an important role in determining inundation extent and methane emissions, especially in flat regions. This study indicates that future quantification of methane emissions shall consider the effects of surface water transport.
Advances in mixed-method evaluation : the challenges and benefits of integrating diverse paradigms

Evaluation theory and practice today are characteristically pluralistic, embracing diverse perspectives, methods, data, and values within and across studies that aim to generate more insightful and meaningful evaluative claims. This volume seeks to strengthen the promise of pluralistic evaluation by advancing an enhanced conceptual framework for planning and implementing mixed-method evaluation studies. Previous mixed-method work has concentrated on the technical level of method, focusing on combining qualitative and quantitative methods within one evaluation study. The present mixed-method volume addresses the philosophical level of paradigm, analyzing the challenges of combining in one study different, even conflicting, assumptions about the nature of social phenomena and our claims to know them. The volume argues for a shift in the mixed-method conversation. The shift would be away from a preoccupation with explicit assumptive differences among paradigms, such as objectivity-subjectivity and realism-relativism, and toward other characteristics of social inquiry traditions. Such characteristics define these traditions in important ways but are not logically irreconcilable. The significant advance here is to redirect the bases for mixing methods away from what may well be incommensurable philosophical assumptions and toward other inquiry characteristics that can more productively share a common analytic space. Through analysis of illustrative cases, this volume presents an array of conceptual and practical ideas for promising mixed-method inquiry directions. This is the 74th issue of the quarterly journal" New Directions for Evaluation. "
Association of smoking in adolescence with abdominal obesity in adulthood: a follow-up study of 5 birth cohorts of Finnish twins.

OBJECTIVES We studied the association of adolescent smoking with overweight and abdominal obesity in adulthood. METHODS We used the FinnTwin16, a prospective, population-based questionnaire study of 5 consecutive and complete birth cohorts of Finnish twins born between 1975 and 1979 (N = 4296) and studied at four points between the ages of 16 and 27 years to analyze the effect of adolescent smoking on abdominal obesity and overweight in early adulthood. RESULTS Smoking at least 10 cigarettes daily when aged 16 to 18 years increased the risk of adult abdominal obesity (odds ratio [OR]=1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.39, 2.26). After we adjusted for confounders, the OR was 1.44 (95% CI = 1.11, 1.88), and after further adjustment for current body mass index (BMI), the OR was 1.34 (95% CI = 0.95, 1.88). Adolescent smoking significantly increased the risk of becoming overweight among women even after adjustment for possible confounders, including baseline BMI (OR = 1.74; 95% CI = 1.06, 2.88). CONCLUSIONS Smoking is a risk factor for abdominal obesity among both genders and for overweight in women. The prevention of smoking during adolescence may play an important role in promoting healthy weight and in decreasing the morbidity related to abdominal obesity.
Effects of 2 inhaled corticosteroids on growth: results of a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE To compare the long-term effect of treatment with fluticasone propionate or beclomethasone dipropionate on growth in asthmatic children. DESIGN Prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study. SETTING Children requiring regular treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and with a sexual maturity rating of Tanner stage 1 (prepubertal). PATIENTS Three hundred forty-three children aged 4 to 11 years with asthma. The growth population (excluding patients with protocol violations likely to affect growth measurements) included 277 patients. INTERVENTIONS Fluticasone propionate or beclomethasone dipropionate, both at a dosage of 200 microg administered twice daily via a dry powder inhaler (Diskhaler) for 12 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Growth velocity, lung function, and serum and urinary cortisol levels. RESULTS The adjusted mean growth velocity in the fluticasone group was significantly greater than that in the beclomethasone group (5.01 [SE, 0.14] vs 4.10 [SE, 0.15] cm/y; difference, 0.91 cm; 95% confidence interval, 0.63-1.20 cm; P<.001). Both treatments improved lung function, with significant differences in favor of fluticasone. Adverse events were similar in both groups, and there were no significant differences in effect on serum and urinary cortisol levels. CONCLUSIONS The more favorable risk-benefit ratio of fluticasone indicates that this agent is preferable to beclomethasone for the long-term treatment of children with asthma, especially if moderate doses are required.