Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Procedure for Isolation and Enumeration of Vibrio parahaemolyticus,

An evaluation of criteria used in the identification of Vibrio parahaemolyticus showed that cultural responses varied with respect to growth in broth with 10% NaCl, type of hemolysis, reactions in triple sugar-iron-agar, and serological reactions. With few or no exceptions, cultures were positive for cytochrome oxidase, utilized glucose fermentatively, were sensitive to pteridine (0/129) and novobiocin, and failed to grow in Trypticase soy broth (TSB) without NaCl. A procedure employing a direct plating technique, with or without prior enrichment, was designed for the isolation and enumeration of V. parahaemolyticus. The plating medium consisted of 2.0% peptone, 0.2% yeast extract, 1.0% corn starch, 7% NaCl, and 1.5% agar, with the pH adjusted to 8.0. The enrichment broth was TSB with 7% NaCl. Dilutions of food homogenates were either spread directly on the plates or inoculated into enrichment broth. TSB enrichments were incubated at 42 C for 18 hr. A loopful of the TSB tubes then was streaked onto the direct plating medium. Incubation of plates was at 42 C for 24 to 48 hr. Smooth, white to creamy, circular, amylase-positive colonies were then picked as suspect V. parahaemolyticus. Confirmation of gram-negative, fermentative, oxidase-positive, pleomorphic rods sensitive to pteridine 0/129 was made by a fluorescent-antibody technique. With this procedure, a satisfactory quantitative recovery of known V. parahaemolyticus from inoculated seafoods was made possible. V. parahaemolyticus was nto isolated from other salted foods.
3-th Ieee International Conference on Peer-to-peer Computing Measuring Large-scale Distributed Systems: Case of Bittorrent Mainline Dht

—Peer-to-peer networks have been quite thoroughly measured over the past years, however it is interesting to note that the BitTorrent Mainline DHT has received very little attention even though it is by far the largest of currently active overlay systems, as our results show. As Mainline DHT differs from other systems, existing measurement methodologies are not appropriate for studying it. In this paper we present an efficient methodology for estimating the number of active users in the network. We have identified an omission in previous methodologies used to measure the size of the network and our methodology corrects this. Our method is based on modeling crawling inaccuracies as a Bernoulli process. It guarantees a very accurate estimation and is able to provide the estimate in about 5 seconds. Through experiments in controlled situations, we demonstrate the accuracy of our method and show the causes of the inaccuracies in previous work, by reproducing the incorrect results. Besides accurate network size estimates, our methodology can be used to detect network anomalies, in particular Sybil attacks in the network. We also report on the results from our measurements which have been going on for almost 2.5 years and are the first long-term study of Mainline DHT.
Molecular hydrogen and (Fe II) in Active Galactic Nuclei

Near-infrared spectroscopy is used to study the kinematics and excitation mechanisms of H2 and (Fe ) lines in a sample of mostly Seyfert 1 galaxies. The spectral coverage allows simultaneous observation of the JHK bands, thus eliminating the aperture and seeing effects that have usually plagued previous works. The H2 lines are unresolved in all objects in which they were detected while the (Fe ) lines have widths implying gas velocities of up to 650 km s −1 . This suggests that, very likely, the H2 and (Fe ) emission does not originate from the same parcel of gas. Molecular H2 lines were detected in 90% of the sample, including PG objects, indicating detectable amounts of molecular material even in objects with low levels of circumnuclear starburst activity. Analysis of the observations favors thermal excitation mechanisms for the H2 lines. Indeed, in NGC 3227, Mrk 766, NGC 4051 and NGC 4151, the molecular emission is found to be purely thermal but with heating processes that vary between the objects. Thermal excitation is also confirmed by the rather similar vibrational and rotational temperatures in the objects for which data were available. (Fe ) lines are detected in all of the sample AGN. The (Fe ) 1.254 µm/Paβ ratio is compatible with excitation of the (Fe ) lines by the active nucleus in most Seyfert 1 galaxies, but in Mrk 766 the ratio implies a stellar origin. A correlation between H2/Brγ and (Fe )/Paβ is found for our sample objects supplemented by data from the literature. The correlation of these line ratios is a useful diagnostic tool in the NIR to separate emitting line objects by their level of nuclear activity. X-ray excitation models are able to explain the observed H2 and part of the (Fe ) emission but fail to explain the observations in Seyfert 2 galaxies. Most likely, a combination of X-ray heating, shocks driven by the radio jet and circumnuclear star formation contributes, in different proportions, to the H2 and (Fe ) lines observed. In most of our sample objects, the (Fe ) 1.257 µm/1.644 µm ratio is found to be 30% lower than the intrinsic value based on current atomic data. This implies either that the extinction towards the (Fe )-emitting clouds is very similar in most objects or there are possible inaccuracies in the A-values in the Fe  transitions.
Classification and staging of thyroid cancer

There are four major types of thyroid carcinoma: papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic. Follicular carcinoma has two subtypes: encapsulated follicular carcinoma and invasive follicular carcinoma. The incidence of the several types reported by Woolner [ 11, based on 1,18 1 cases, is as follows: papillary carcinoma 62.3%, follicular carcinoma 17.6% (about equally divided between encapsulated and invasive types), medullary carcinoma 6.5%, and anaplastic carcinoma 13.6%. Staging with respect to survival of patients with the neoplasm may be based on normal survival for a 10-year period (about a 10% fall) or calculated on the number of deaths due to the neoplasm for such time, the relative survival rate. The latter will be used in this report: stage I, over 90% survival; stage 11, 60-90%; stage 111, 1 0 4 % ; stage IV, less than 10%
Background on Curves and Jacobians

This chapter introduces the main characters of this book — curves and their Jacobians. To this aim we give a brief introduction to algebraic and arithmetic geometry. We first deal with arbitrary varieties and abelian varieties to give the general definitions in a concise way. Then we concentrate on Jacobians of curves and their arithmetic properties, where we highlight elliptic and hyperelliptic curves as main examples. The reader not interested in the mathematical background may skip the complete chapter as the chapters on implementation summarize the necessary mathematical properties. For full details and proofs we refer the interested reader to the books [CAFL 1996, FUL 1969, LOR 1996, SIL 1986, STI 1993, ZASA 1976]. Throughout this chapter let K denote a perfect field (cf. Chapter 2) and K its algebraic closure. Let L be an extension field of K. Its absolute Galois group AutL(L) is denoted by GL.
Decidual Hemostasis, Inflammation, and Angiogenesis in Pre-Eclampsia

Invasion of the decidua by extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) is accompanied by thrombin generation from decidual cell (DC)-expressed tissue factor (TF). This TF protects against hemorrhage as EVTs breach capillaries and subsequently invade and remodel spiral arteries and arterioles. Pre-eclampsia (P-EC) is the world's leading cause of fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. It is associated with decidual hemorrhage and maternal thrombophilias, which form excess thrombin from DCs, and with maternal infections and other inflammatory conditions that are associated with excess expression of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1 β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α. In human first-trimester leukocyte-free DCs, (1) thrombin enhances expression of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis; (2) thrombin, IL-1β and TNF-α increase monocyte-recruiting chemokine expression leading to a macrophage excess in the pre-eclamptic decidua. The pathogenesis of P-EC likely stems from shallow EVT invasion leading to impaired decidual vascular remodeling. The resulting reduced uteroplacental blood flow is associated with a hypoxic placenta, which appears to secrete excess sFlt-1 into the maternal plasma. A regulatory role for DCs in vascular remodeling is indicated because impaired decidual vascular remodeling could stem from an aberrant local antiangiogenic milieu elicited by excess sFlt-1 and/or macrophage-inhibited EVT decidual invasion.
Collaboration and learning with Logo: does gender make a difference?

The present study represented the final in a series of five which explored the performance of children in Logo tasks while they worked in one of three gender pairs (girl, boy or boy/ girl). Differences in perfor­ mance based on the gender of the pair had been appar­ ent in the early studies when specific types of tasks were presented as initial experiences in the new do­ main. The present study analysed the strategies and interactions of 30 pairs of children (mean age 7 years 3 months) in relation to three sets of tasks. The children worked with the screen version of Logo (LCSI) in tasks that required them to make accurate copies of given (Logo) figures and to direct the turtle up a path to a destination The results revealed that when the copy task was presented first and followed by the track task there were no significant differences in perfor­ mance in terms of accuracy or efficiency of moves made in order to reach the end of the path. This was a contrast to previous findings when the track task had been presented first. The current research illustrated that performance was moderated by the type of strate­ gies that were deployed and the nature of the collabora­ tion of the pairs.
TAKING THE MEASURE OF A MARK:EXPLORATORY SIZE AND SHAPE ANALYSIS OF CUT MARKS

A database of 128 measured incised butchery marks (Le., the classic cut mark) was the basis for exploratory statistical tests of length and width measurements from late Pleistocene mammoth localities and an early Holocene bison locality. The tests reveal several trends. The initial approach uses univariate descriptive statistics, regression, and ANOYA to examine differences in size and shape of marks. Significant differences are noted in length and width of marks based on location, element, and type. Length and width variables demonstrate low variability within incised marks. Results demonstrate a consistency in incised marks across the two taxa. Other consistencies are noted that indicate a regular or standardized way of producing marks in particular places on bones and on particular elements. Location or placement of marks appears to influence mark length, and in general, mark width is constrained. Mark orientation can at times influence mark length. Shape of mark ends may be related to the type of tool and size oftool bit. Using a morphometric approach (size and shape) removes some of the subjectivity in evaluating marks on a visual basis. While exploratory in nature, this morphometric approach crosscuts time and space boundaries and should be applicable to any bone assemblage.
Altered Human CYP3A4 Activity Caused by Antley-Bixler Syndrome-Related Variants of NADPH-Cytochrome P450 Oxidoreductase Measured in a Robust In Vitro System

NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CYPOR) variants have been described in patients with perturbed steroidogenesis and sexual differentiation, related to Antley-Bixler syndrome (ABS). It is important to determine the effect of these variants on CYP3A4, the major drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 (P450) in humans. In this study, 12 CYPOR_ABS variants were separately coexpressed with CYP3A4 in a robust in vitro system to evaluate the effects of these variants on CYP3A4 activity in a milieu that recapitulates the stoichiometry of the mammalian systems. Full-length CYPOR variants were coexpressed with CYP3A4, resulting in relative expression levels comparable to those found in hepatic tissue. Dibenzylfluorescein (DBF), a CYP3A-specific reporter substrate (Biopharm Drug Dispos 24:375–384, 2003), was used to compare the variants and wild-type (WT) CYPOR activities with that of human liver microsomes. CYP3A4, combined with WT CYPOR, demonstrated kinetic parameters (kcat and Km) equal to those for pooled human liver microsomes. CYPOR variants Y181D, Y459H, V492E, L565P, and R616X all demonstrated maximal loss of CYP3A4 catalytic efficiency, whereas R457H and G539R retained ∼10 and 30% activities, respectively. Conversely, variants P228L, M263V, A287P, and G413S each showed WT-like capacity (kcat/Km), with the A287P variant being formerly reported to exhibit substantially lower catalytic efficiency. In addition, Q153R exhibited 60% of WT CYPOR capacity to support the DBF O-debenzylation reaction, contradicting increased catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) relative to that for the WT, reported previously. Our data indicate the importance of use of simulated, validated in vitro systems, employing full-length proteins with appropriate stoichiometric incorporation of protein partners, when pharmacogenetic predictions are to be made for P450-mediated biotransformation.
Morphological and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Spontaneous Thyroid Gland Neoplasms in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus)

Reports of thyroid gland neoplasms in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) are rare, but thyroid tumors are among the most common neoplasms seen in cases submitted to Northwest ZooPath. This report describes the histological and immunohistochemical characteristics of thyroid neoplasms and lists the concurrent conditions found in guinea pig cases submitted to Northwest ZooPath during 1998 to 2008. Of 526 guinea pig case submissions, 19 had thyroid neoplasms. The most common clinical findings included a palpable mass on the ventral neck and progressive weight loss. Neoplasms were removed as an excisional biopsy from 7 guinea pigs, and 3 of these animals died within a few days after surgery. Radiographic mineral density was detected in 2 masses. Five of the neoplasms were reported as cystic; 5 were black or a dark color. Histologically, the neoplasms were classified as macrofollicular thyroid adenoma (8), thyroid cystadenoma (1), papillary thyroid adenoma (3), follicular thyroid carcinoma (5), follicular-compact thyroid carcinoma (1), and small-cell thyroid carcinoma (1). Osseous metaplasia was present in 8 neoplasms, and myeloid hyperplasia was present in 1 neoplasm. All 19 neoplasms were positive for thyroid transcription factor 1 and thyroglobulin but negative for parathyroid hormone and calcitonin. Numerous concurrent diseases, including hepatopathies, cardiomyopathies, and nephropathies, were present and considered to be the cause of death in many cases. Research is needed to determine the appropriate modalities for antemortem diagnosis and treatment and whether thyroid disease plays a role in the pathogenesis of chronic degenerative diseases in guinea pigs.
News Shocks and the Slope of the Term Structure of Interest Rates

We adopt a statistical approach to identify the shocks that explain most of the fluctuations of the slope of the term structure of interest rates. We find that one single shock can explain the majority of all unpredictable movements in the slope over a 10-year forecast horizon. Impulse response functions lead us to interpret this shock as news about future total factor productivity (TFP). We confirm this interpretation formally by identifying a TFP news shock following recent work by Barsky and Sims (2011). By showing that the 'slope shock' and the 'TFP news shock' are closely related, we provide a new explanation for the relationship between the slope of the term structure and macroeconomic fundamentals and for why the yield curve is one of the most reliable predictors of future economic growth. Our results also provide a new empirical benchmark for structural models at the intersection of macroeconomics and finance.
Lattice Codes for the Gaussian Relay Channel: Decode-and-Forward and Compress-and-Forward

Lattice codes are known to achieve capacity in the Gaussian point-to-point channel, achieving the same rates as i.i. d. random Gaussian codebooks. Lattice codes are also known to outperform random codes for certain channel models that are able to exploit their linearity. In this paper, we show that lattice codes may be used to achieve the same performance as known i.i. d. Gaussian random coding techniques for the Gaussian relay channel, and show several examples of how this may be combined with the linearity of lattices codes in multisource relay networks. In particular, we present a nested lattice list decoding technique in which lattice codes are shown to achieve the decode-and-forward (DF) rate of single source, single destination Gaussian relay channels with one or more relays. We next present two examples of how this DF scheme may be combined with the linearity of lattice codes to achieve new rate regions which for some channel conditions outperform analogous known Gaussian random coding techniques in multisource relay channels. That is, we derive a new achievable rate region for the two-way relay channel with direct links and compare it to existing schemes, and derive a new achievable rate region for the multiple access relay channel. We furthermore present a lattice compress-and-forward (CF) scheme for the Gaussian relay channel which exploits a lattice Wyner-Ziv binning scheme and achieves the same rate as the Cover-El Gamal CF rate evaluated for Gaussian random codes. These results suggest that structured/lattice codes may be used to mimic, and sometimes outperform, random Gaussian codes in general Gaussian networks.
Characterization of Ternary Batched Concrete Parking Lots on the Ground Containing Saw Dust Ash and Egg Shell Powder

The quality of a concrete parking lots, floors or slabs is highly dependent on achieving a hard and durable surface that is flat, relatively free of cracks and at the proper grade and elevation. The properties are determined by the aggregate characteristics, cementitious materials and the mixture proportions. Concrete industry is one of the largest consumers of natural resources due to which sustainability of concrete industry is under threat. The environmental and economic concern is the biggest challenge concrete industry is facing. This study addressed, the issues of environmental and economic concern through the use of saw dust ash and egg shell powder mixture as partial replacement of cement in concrete. Hydraulic Cement was replaced by the mixture of Saw Dust Ash and egg shell powder at 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% by weight. The cylindrical concrete specimens were tested for compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, slump and density . The compressive strength of the specimens was evaluated at the 3 rd , 7 th , 14 th , 28 th and 56 th days of age. The flexural strength and the splitting tensile strengths were evaluated at 14 th and 28 days of age. The results obtained satisfied the minimum specifications of relevant standards and manuals. The study concluded that mixture of saw dust ash and egg shell powder is a suitable supplementary cementitious material and can satisfactorily replace hydraulic cement up to 20% by weight in the construction and maintenance of concrete parking lot placed on the ground. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.sace. 21.4. 19331
An Information-Theoretic Definition of Similarity

Similarity is an important and widely used concept. Previous definitions of similarity are tied to a particular application or a form of knowledge representation. We present an informationtheoretic definition of similarity that is applicable as long as there is a probabilistic model. We demonstrate how our definition can be used to measure the similarity in a number of different domains.
Preparation, GIAO NMR Calculations and Acidic Properties of Some Novel 4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-one Derivatives with Their Antioxidant Activities

Six novel 3-alkyl(aryl)-4-(p-nitrobenzoylamino)-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5- ones (2a-f) were synthesized by the reactions of 3-alkyl(aryl)-4-amino-4,5-dihydro-1H- 1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (1a-f) with p-nitrobenzoyl chloride and characterized by elemental analyses and IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and UV spectral data. The newly synthesized compounds 2 were titrated potentiometrically with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide in four non-aqueous solvents such as acetone, isopropyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol and N,N-dimethylformamide, and the half-neutralization potential values and the corresponding pKa values were determined for all cases. Thus, the effects of solvents and molecular structure upon acidity were investigated. In addition, isotropic 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic shielding constants of compounds 2 were obtained by the gauge-including-atomic-orbital (GIAO) method at the B3LYP density functional level. The geometry of each compound has been optimized using the 6-311G basis set. Theoretical values were compared to the experimental data. Furthermore, these new compounds and five recently reported 3-alkyl-4-(2-furoylamino)-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (3a–c,e,f) were screened for their antioxidant activities.
A Turbulent Interstellar Medium Origin of the Binary Period Distribution

We present a semiempirical model of isolated binary star formation. This model includes the effects of turbulence in the initial state of the gas and has binary orbital parameters consistent with observation. This model therefore provides a framework with which to examine the relative importance of turbulence in the context of isolated binary star formation and to make quantitative predictions to compare against observation. The primary results of this model are as follows: (1) a quantitative prediction of the initial width of the binary period distribution (σ = 1.6-2.1 for a star formation efficiency in the range ϵ* = 0.1-0.9), (2) a robust anticorrelation of binary period and mass ratio, (3) a robust, positive correlation of binary period and eccentricity, and (4) a robust prediction that the binary separation of low-mass systems should be less than that of solar-mass or larger systems. These predictions are in good agreement with observations of pre-main-sequence binary systems with periods of P > 103 days, which account for the majority of all binaries. We conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of our results for observational and theoretical studies of multiple star formation.
Comparisons of EOS MLS cloud ice measurements with ECMWF analyses and GCM simulations: Initial results

To assess the status of global climate models (GCMs) in simulating upper‐tropospheric ice water content (IWC), a new set of IWC measurements from the Earth Observing System's Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) are used. Comparisons are made with ECMWF analyses and simulations from several GCMs, including two with multi‐scale‐modeling framework. For January 2005 monthly and daily mean values, the spatial agreement between MLS and ECMWF is quite good, although MLS estimates are higher by a factor of 2–3 over the Western Pacific, tropical Africa and South America. For the GCMs, the model‐data agreement is within a factor of 2–4 with larger values of disagreement occurring over Eastern Pacific and Atlantic ITCZs, tropical Africa and South America. The implications arising from sampling and uncertainties in the observations, the modeled values and their comparison are discussed. These initial results demonstrate the potential usefulness of this data set for evaluating GCM performance and guiding development efforts.