Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ocular changes in TgF344-AD rat model of Alzheimer's disease.

PURPOSE Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive decline in learning, memory, and executive functions. In addition to cognitive and behavioral deficits, vision disturbances have been reported in early stage of AD, well before the diagnosis is clearly established. To further investigate ocular abnormalities, a novel AD transgenic rat model was analyzed. METHODS Transgenic (Tg) rats (TgF344-AD) heterozygous for human mutant APPswe/PS1ΔE9 and age-matched wild type (WT) rats, as well as 20 human postmortem retinal samples from both AD and healthy donors were used. Visual function in the rodent was analyzed using the optokinetic response and luminance threshold recording from the superior colliculus. Immunohistochemistry on retinal and brain sections was used to detect various markers including amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques. RESULTS As expected, Aβ plaques were detected in the hippocampus, cortex, and retina of Tg rats. Plaque-like structures were also found in two AD human whole-mount retinas. The choroidal thickness was significantly reduced in both Tg rat and in AD human eyes when compared with age-matched controls. Tg rat eyes also showed hypertrophic retinal pigment epithelial cells, inflammatory cells, and upregulation of complement factor C3. Although visual acuity was lower in Tg than in WT rats, there was no significant difference in the retinal ganglion cell number and retinal vasculature. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we observed pathological changes in the choroid and in RPE cells in the TgF344-AD rat model; choroidal thinning was observed further in human AD retina. Along with Ab deposition, the inflammatory response was manifested by microglial recruitment and complement activation. Further studies are needed to elucidate the significance and mechanisms of these pathological changes [corrected].
Learning Curves for Stochastic Gradient Descent in Linear Feedforward Networks

Abstract Gradient-following learning methods can encounter problems of implementation in many applications, and stochastic variants are sometimes used to overcome these difficulties. We analyze three online training methods used with a linear perceptron: direct gradient descent, node perturbation, and weight perturbation. Learning speed is defined as the rate of exponential decay in the learning curves. When the scalar parameter that controls the size of weight updates is chosen to maximize learning speed, node perturbation is slower than direct gradient descent by a factor equal to the number of output units; weight perturbation is slower still by an additional factor equal to the number of input units. Parallel perturbation allows faster learning than sequential perturbation, by a factor that does not depend on network size. We also characterize how uncertainty in quantities used in the stochastic updates affects the learning curves. This study suggests that in practice, weight perturbation may be slow for large networks, and node perturbation can have performance comparable to that of direct gradient descent when there are few output units. However, these statements depend on the specifics of the learning problem, such as the input distribution and the target function, and are not universally applicable.
Dynamic speed adjustment of a machine tool

We present analytical results related to a tool management model for a flexible machine equipped with a tool magazine, variable cutting speed, and sensors to monitor tool wear, when tool life due to flank wear is stochastic. Under some regularity conditions, we derive the special structure of decision rules for adjusting the cutting speed as a function of remaining distance, each time a tool change occurs, in order to minimize the expected processing time (sum of cutting time and tool setup time). These are near-optimal and easy to compute.
DIVIDEND DISPLACEMENT , MARKET VALUE , REGULAR AND SPECIAL DIVIDENDS , AND SHARE BUYBACKS IN THE UK

Prior research, especially in the UK, has established a positive relationship, in crosssectional regression analyses, between market value and dividends. This result holds after controlling for the effects of earnings, book value, major media advertising expenditures, research and development expenditures, capital expenditures, capital contributions and ‘other information’. Papers with this result include, for example, Rees, 1997, Akbar and Stark, 2003, Shah, Stark and Akbar, 2009, Dedman, Mouselli, Shen and Stark, 2009. all in the UK, and Hand and Landsman, 2005, in the USA. The result appears to be at odds with theoretical work on the relationship between accounting numbers and market value by, for example, Ohlson (1995) which suggests that the overall impact of dividends, following Miller and Modigliani (1961), ought to reduce market value on a one-to-one basis (dividend displacement). Dividend displacement implies that, in a regression involving market value as the dependent variable, and containing book value and measures of dividends within the set of independent variables, the negative of the estimated coefficient of book value plus the estimated coefficients of the measures of dividends ought to be statistically indistinguishable from minus one. Such a result is strongly rejected by prior empiricism, with the estimated coefficient for dividends substantially higher than that for book value. One possibility for this result is that dividends are capturing the role of permanent earnings in the regression (Giner and Rees, 1999). This conjecture is supported by the observation that the estimated coefficient for earnings is very low and sometimes statistically indistinguishable from zero in some of the studies referred to above (for example, Akbar and Stark, 2003, Dedman, Mouselli, Shen and Stark, 2009, and Shah, Stark and Akbar, 2009), consistent with this coefficient capturing the impact of transitory earnings only. In order to test this conjecture more fully, we refine the research design of the previous studies. First, we observe that the definition of dividends used in the studies referred to above aggregate regular and special dividends. Hence, we estimate the impact of separating dividends between those that are regular and those that are special. Second, prior studies ignore share buybacks as a method of returning assets to shareholders. As a consequence, we investigate the impact of share buybacks on market value. Third, if the conjecture above is correct, we would expect that the estimated coefficient of regular dividends would exceed those for special and share buybacks, on the grounds that the latter are transitory and, as a consequence, less likely to capture permanent earnings. Indeed, the coefficients of special dividends and share buybacks might be, when combined with the coefficient of book value, consistent with dividend displacement. Fourth, prior studies have not separated out profitable from loss-making forms, which Jiang and Stark (2009) suggest could lead
Aseismic Deep Slab and Mantle Flow Beneath Alaska: Insight From Anisotropic Tomography

We present high‐resolution 3‐D images of P wave velocity (Vp), azimuthal anisotropy (AAN), and radial anisotropy (RAN) down to 900‐km depth beneath Alaska obtained by inverting a large number of high‐quality arrival time data from local earthquakes and teleseismic events simultaneously. Our results show that the high‐Vp Pacific slab has subducted down to 450‐ to 500‐km depths. A prominent slab gap is revealed at depths of 65–120 km near the Wrangell volcanic field, which is likely a slab tear acting as a channel that provides ascending mantle materials to generate magmas feeding the surface volcanoes. In the back‐arc mantle wedge near the eastern slab edge, the AAN exhibits trench‐parallel fast‐velocity directions (FVDs), which may reflect along‐strike mantle flow. The FVDs in the subducting Pacific slab are nearly east‐west, which may indicate fossil anisotropy formed at the mid‐ocean ridge. A negative RAN is revealed within the subducting slab, which may be caused by the fast plate subduction with a steep dip angle. Trench‐normal FVDs of the AAN are revealed in the mantle below the Pacific slab, which may reflect mantle flow entrained by the subducting slab. A positive RAN is revealed in the mantle beneath the Yakutat slab, indicating that its shallow subduction flattens the mantle flow below the slab to be subhorizontal. Along‐strike FVDs of the AAN around the eastern slab edge may indicate the edge‐induced toroidal mantle flow.
Preferred pedalling cadence in professional cycling.

PURPOSE The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the preferred cycling cadence of professional riders during competition. METHODS We measured the cadence of seven professional cyclists (28 +/- 1 yr) during 3-wk road races (Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España) involving three main competition requirements: uphill cycling (high mountain passes of approximately 15 km, or HM); individual time trials of approximately 50 km on level ground (TT); and flat, long ( approximately 190 km) group stages (F). Heart rate (HR) data were also recorded as an indicator of exercise intensity during HM, TT, and F. RESULTS Mean cadence was significantly lower (P < 0.01) during HM (71.0 +/- 1.4 rpm) than either F and TT (89.3 +/- 1.0 and 92.4 +/- 1.3 rpm, respectively). HR was similar during HM and TT (157 +/- 4 and 158 +/- 3 bpm) and in both cases higher (P < 0.01) than during F (124 +/- 2 bpm). CONCLUSION During both F and TT, professional riders spontaneously adopt higher cadences (around 90 rpm) than those previously reported in the majority of laboratory studies as being the most economical. In contrast, during HM they seem to adopt a more economical pedalling rate (approximately 70 rpm), possibly as a result of the specific demands of this competition phase.
A Study of the Immunoloregulation of Double Filtration Plasmapheresis in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

Although a large number of drugs have been used to treat chronic hepatitis C (CHC), there still remains a great challenge to treat maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients with chronic hepatitis C. To clarify the immunnoloregulation of double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) in MHD patients with CHC, DFPP was performed in 20 MHD patients with CHC (HCV-antibody positive, serum HCV RNA >500 IU/ml more than 6 months and HCV genotype 1b). The clinical data was collected and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were analyzed by flow cytometry at the time of hour 0, hour 3, day 3, day 7 and day 28 after the DFPP, respectively. Serum HCV particles could be removed partially by the DFPP. The titer of serum HCV RNA could remain in a lower level even 28 days after the treatment. Compared to MHD patients without HCV infection, the frequencies of innate immune cells were similar in MHD patients with CHC, while Th1/Th2 was elevated and the frequencies of regulatory T (Treg) cells were higher in those MHD patients with CHC. The frequencies of monocytes and natural killer (NK) cells remained after the DFPP in MHD patients with CHC. There were no significant changes of Th1, Th2 and Th1/Th2 in PBMC after DFPP. DFPP could reduce the frequencies of Th17 cells and Treg cells in PBMC from 7 days after DFPP in MHD patients with CHC. DFPP could partially remove the serum HCV particles mechanically. The titer of HCV RNA could remain in a lower level at least for 28 days probably due to the redistribution of the immunocytes in circulation.
Comparison of Bioactive Compounds and Quality Traits of Breast Meat from Korean Native Ducks and Commercial Ducks

The aim of this research was to compare the bioactive compound content and quality traits of breast meat from male and female Korean native ducks (KND) and commercial ducks (CD, Cherry Valley). Meat from three 6-wk old birds of each sex from KND and CD were evaluated for carcass and breast weights, pH, color, cooking loss, shear force, and bioactive compound (creatine, carnosine, anserine, betaine, and L-carnitine) content. KND showed significantly higher carcass weights than CD whereas no such difference (p>0.05) was found between male and female ducks. The breed and sex had no significant effects on the breast weight, pH value, and shear force. However, KND had significantly lower cooking loss values than did CD. Creatine, anserine, and L-carnitine contents were significantly higher in KND than in CD and were predominant in female ducks compared to males. The results of this study provide rare information regarding the amounts and the determinants of several bioactive compounds in duck meat, which can be useful for selection and breeding programs, and for popularizing indigenous duck meat.
A Validated Smartphone-Based Assessment of Gait and Gait Variability in Parkinson’s Disease

Background A well-established connection exists between increased gait variability and greater fall likelihood in Parkinson’s disease (PD); however, a portable, validated means of quantifying gait variability (and testing the efficacy of any intervention) remains lacking. Furthermore, although rhythmic auditory cueing continues to receive attention as a promising gait therapy for PD, its widespread delivery remains bottlenecked. The present paper describes a smartphone-based mobile application (“SmartMOVE”) to address both needs. Methods The accuracy of smartphone-based gait analysis (utilizing the smartphone’s built-in tri-axial accelerometer and gyroscope to calculate successive step times and step lengths) was validated against two heel contact–based measurement devices: heel-mounted footswitch sensors (to capture step times) and an instrumented pressure sensor mat (to capture step lengths). 12 PD patients and 12 age-matched healthy controls walked along a 26-m path during self-paced and metronome-cued conditions, with all three devices recording simultaneously. Results Four outcome measures of gait and gait variability were calculated. Mixed-factorial analysis of variance revealed several instances in which between-group differences (e.g., increased gait variability in PD patients relative to healthy controls) yielded medium-to-large effect sizes (eta-squared values), and cueing-mediated changes (e.g., decreased gait variability when PD patients walked with auditory cues) yielded small-to-medium effect sizes—while at the same time, device-related measurement error yielded small-to-negligible effect sizes. Conclusion These findings highlight specific opportunities for smartphone-based gait analysis to serve as an alternative to conventional gait analysis methods (e.g., footswitch systems or sensor-embedded walkways), particularly when those methods are cost-prohibitive, cumbersome, or inconvenient.
Hibiscus polyphenol‐rich extract induces apoptosis in human gastric carcinoma cells via p53 phosphorylation and p38 MAPK/FasL cascade pathway

In view of the continuing need for effective anticancer agents, and the association of diet with reduced cancer risk, edible plants are increasingly being considered as sources of anticancer drugs. Hibiscus sabdariffa Linne (Malvaceae), an attractive plant believed to be native to Africa, is cultivated in the Sudan and Eastern Taiwan. Polyphenols had been demonstrated previously to possess antioxidative and antitumor promoting effects. In this study, investigations were conducted to examine the mechanism of the anticancer activity of H. sabdariffa L. , Hibiscus polyphenol‐rich extracts (HPE). Using HPLC assay, HPE was demonstrated to contain various polyphenols. HPE induced cell death of eight kinds of cell lines in a concentration‐dependent manner. Among them human gastric carcinoma (AGS) cells were the most susceptible to HPE (0.95 mg/mL HPE inhibited its growth by 50%). Our results revealed that AGS cells underwent DNA fragmentation, and had an increase in the distribution of hypodiploid phase (apoptotic peak, 52.36%) after a 24‐h treatment with HPE (2.0 mg/mL). This effect of HPE in AGS cells might be mediated via p53 signaling and p38 MAPK/FasL cascade pathway, as demonstrated by an increase in the phosphorylation of p53 and the usage of a specific p38 inhibitor, SB203580. Thus, our data present the first evidence of HPE as an apoptosis inducer in AGS cells and these findings may open interesting perspectives to the strategy in human gastric cancer treatment. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Participation in Leisure Activities by Older Adults after a Stressful Life Event: The Loss of a Spouse

This study aimed to establish if frequent participation in leisure activities helped widows and widowers adapt to widowhood, and to maintain lower stress levels. A small sample of sixty recently bereaved widows (n = 43) and widowers (n = 17) who were living in an Australian city were selected for the study. Their ages ranged from fifty to eight-four years with a mean age of sixty-four years. Each widow or widower was interviewed and provided responses to three scales measuring participation in leisure activities, adaptation to widowhood, and stress. Quantitative and qualitative research techniques were used to interpret the data. The leisure activities most frequently participated in by widows and widowers were found to be home based activities, involving social activities with family and friends. Greater participation in leisure activities was found to be negatively correlated with stress scores, suggesting an association between leisure participation and stress reduction for recently bereaved widows and widowers. However, the study failed to find any association between participation in leisure activities and adaptation after the death of a spouse. In addition, no significant differences were found in the age, gender, income, and type of employment of widows and widowers, although perceived health status was found to be a significant factor in helping to determine future participation in leisure activities.
Assessment of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α levels in the gingival tissue of patients with periodontitis

In periodontal diseases, inflammatory mediators, including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), may promote the degeneration of inflamed periodontal tissues. In previous studies, levels of these three cytokines were demonstrated to be elevated in inflammatory gingival tissues and gingival crevicular fluid. The aim of the present study was to quantify IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α levels in the human gingival tissues of patients with periodontitis and to assess the correlation of these three cytokines with each other. In this study, human gingival tissues from 19 patients with periodontitis (male, n=14; female, n=5) were collected. The tissues were homogenized, centrifuged and the protein in the supernatant was quantified. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used in the measurement of the IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α levels, and the mean levels were observed to be 8.41±0.25, 34.01±1.09 and 20.70±0.31 pg/ml, respectively. The mean levels of IL-8 were higher than those of the other two cytokines. In each sample, the level of TNF-α expression was consistently high, with little difference between the results, which contrasted with the fluctuations in IL-6 and IL-8 levels. The expression of the two ILs (IL-6 and IL-8) showed a positive correlation (r=0.932, P=0.01), whereas TNF-α levels were not correlated with IL-6 or IL-8 levels. These results suggest that IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α may be relevant in the pathophysiology of periodontitis, and the measurement of these cytokines may be beneficial in the identification of patients with periodontitis.
Lightpath assignment for multifibers WDM networks with wavelength translators

We consider the problem of finding a lightpath assignment for a given set of communication requests on a multifiber WDM optical network with wavelength translators. Given such a network and w, the number of wavelengths available on each fiber, k, the number of fibers per link, and c, the number of partial wavelength translations available on each node, our problem stands for deciding whether it is possible to find a w-lightpath for each request in the set such that there is no link carrying more that k lightpaths using the same wavelength nor node where more than c wavelength translations take place. Our main theoretical result is the writing of this problem as a particular instance of integral multicommodity flow, hence integrating routing and wavelength assignment in the same model. We then provide three heuristics mainly based upon randomized rounding of fractional multicommodity flow and enhancements that are three different answers to the trade-off between efficiency and tightness of approximation, and discuss their practical performances on both theoretical and real-world instances.
Does mitochondrial genome mutation in subjects with maternally inherited diabetes and deafness decrease severity of diabetic retinopathy?

Two types of retinopathy, diabetic and pigmentary, may be seen in subjects with maternal inheritance diabetes and deafness. The potential for interactions between the two retinopathies has not been explored. The mitochondrial mutation may affect development of diabetic retinopathy in subjects with MIDD by altering normal pathways of glucose metabolism. We identified five unrelated MIDD kindreds with 61 living maternal line family members. Twenty‐three of the family members, 12 with diabetes mellitus and 11 without volunteered to be studied. Subjects were graded for severity of diabetic retinopathy and presence or absence of pigmentary retinopathy after slit lamp biomicroscopy, retinal photography of seven standard fields and fluorescein angiography. Blood was taken, in the fasted state, from MIDD subjects (duration of diabetes 17.0 ± 6.9 yr) and non‐diabetic subjects with the mutation, for assay of sorbitol and glucose and values compared with diabetic and non‐diabetic control subjects without the mutation. Diabetic retinopathy was absent in 9/12 subjects (75 %), with 3 having mild non‐proliferative retinopathy. No one had cataract. Red blood cell sorbitol levels, adjusted for ambient blood glucose, were significantly lower in MIDD subjects compared with diabetic subjects (1.16 ± 0.5 cf. 2.03 ± 1.1, × 10−3 g mmol−1, p = 0.04). Pigmentary retinopathy was present in 15 of 23 subjects, of whom 13 had some abnormality of glucose tolerance. Abnormal glucose tolerance was strongly associated with the development of pigmentary retinopathy (odds ratio 19.5, p = 0.008). In conclusion, there appears to be a decreased prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and cataract in MIDD, which we propose is due to reduced glucose metabolism by the polyol pathway. Abnormal glucose tolerance increases the clinical expression of pigmentary retinopathy in subjects with a mitochondrial genome mutation. A greater understanding of the metabolic effects of mitochondrial DNA mutations has the potential to give insight into the mechanisms of diabetic retinopathy and other complications of diabetes mellitus. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Local Background Enclosure for RGB-D Salient Object Detection

Recent work in salient object detection has considered the incorporation of depth cues from RGB-D images. In most cases, depth contrast is used as the main feature. However, areas of high contrast in background regions cause false positives for such methods, as the background frequently contains regions that are highly variable in depth. Here, we propose a novel RGB-D saliency feature. Local Background Enclosure (LBE) captures the spread of angular directions which are background with respect to the candidate region and the object that it is part of. We show that our feature improves over state-of-the-art RGB-D saliency approaches as well as RGB methods on the RGBD1000 and NJUDS2000 datasets.