Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing Hydrus-2D Model to Investigate the Effects of Different On-Farm Irrigation Strategies on Potato Crop under Subsurface Drip Irrigation

The objective of this paper was to assess the performance of Hydrus-2D model to simulate the effects of different on-farm irrigation strategies applied on potato crop. The ability of the model to simulate the stress coefficient (Ks), obtained as the ratio between actual and maximum transpiration, and to define the productive function of potato crop under the semi-arid conditions of central Tunisia were also evaluated. Experiments were carried out on potato crop under full (FI) and deficit irrigation (DI) and two different water qualities supplied by means of a subsurface drip irrigation system. Results evidenced that the model, despite some discrepancies locally observed, can fairly accurately predict soil water contents and electrical conductivity around buried emitters. Furthermore, under water and salt stress conditions, “measured” Ks, based on crop water stress index (CWSI) obtained on thermal images, resulted in a good correlation with the corresponding estimated by the model (R2 = 0.8). The database collected during the three growth seasons also allowed the definition of the crop productive function represented by a linear relationship between the relative yield loss and Ks. This function represents a useful guidelines for the sustainable use of irrigation water in countries characterized by a semi-arid climate and a limited availability of water for irrigation.
POTENTIATION OF T-CELL-MEDIATED IMMUNITY BY SELECTIVE SUPPRESSION OF ANTIBODY FORMATION WITH CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE

Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) appears in mice immunized with less than an optimal immunogenic dose of sheep red blood cells (SRBC), but is blocked progressively as antibody production increases in response to larger doses of SRBC. Treatment with cyclophosphamide (CY) was shown to release T cells from this inhibitory influence of the humoral response, and cause enhancement of DTH. The magnitude of this enhancing effect on T-cell activity was markedly dependent on the time of treatment relative to the time of immunization, and on the time chosen for measuring DTH. The reasons for these pronounced effects of timing are threefold: (a) CY given before antigenic stimulation has a long-lasting effect on antibody formation, but no apparent effect on the precursors of activated T cells. (b) After antigenic stimulation, T cells also become susceptible to CY. (c) The production of a nonspecific participant (monocyte) in the DTH reaction is also suppressed by CY, though the supply of circulating monocytes is not immediately affected by the drug. The differential effect of CY on T and B lymphocytes depends on the differing physiological states of the majority of cells that make up these two populations. The former are resting cells that are insensitive to CY until exposed to specific antigen, while the latter are drawn from a rapidly replicating precursor pool and are susceptible to CY at all times.
How Commonwealth Bank of Australia Gained Benefits Using a Standards-Based, Multi-Provider Cloud Model

The standards-based, multi-provider cloud IT sourcing model implemented by Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) enables applications to be frequently and rapidly shifted between cloud providers. Providers have to comply with CBA’s standards, reversing the typical cloud model where providers define interfaces and standards. The model moved CBA toward pay-as-you-go IT, cut some infrastructure provision and maintenance costs by 40%, and reduced time to market for new applications by several weeks. Implementing the model required internal capabilities to design complex IT solutions, manage and integrate external providers, and govern application development.
1 COST EFFECTIVE DIGITAL FILTER DESIGN FOR CONCURRENT TEST

Invariant-based concurrent test schemes can provide economical solutions to the problem of concurrent test of digital lters. Design methodologies for digital lters ensuring concurrent testability are outlined. Experimental results con rm through fault simulation 100% fault coverage within area cost comparable to that of DfT for o -line test and with error detection latency well below human response times.
Assessing Attachment in Psychotherapy: Validation of the Patient Attachment Coding System (PACS).

The authors present and validate the Patient Attachment Coding System (PACS), a transcript-based instrument that assesses clients' in-session attachment based on any session of psychotherapy, in multiple treatment modalities. One-hundred and sixty clients in different types of psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioural, cognitive-behavioural-enhanced, psychodynamic, relational, supportive) and from three different countries were administered the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) prior to treatment, and one session for each client was rated with the PACS by independent coders. Results indicate strong inter-rater reliability, and high convergent validity of the PACS scales and classifications with the AAI. These results present the PACS as a practical alternative to the AAI in psychotherapy research and suggest that clinicians using the PACS can assess clients' attachment status on an ongoing basis by monitoring clients' verbal activity. These results also provide information regarding the ways in which differences in attachment status play out in therapy sessions and further the study of attachment in psychotherapy from a pre-treatment client factor to a process variable. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE The Patient Attachment Coding System is a valid measure of attachment that can classify clients' attachment based on any single psychotherapy transcript, in many therapeutic modalities Client differences in attachment manifest in part independently of the therapist's contributions Client adult attachment patterns are likely to affect psychotherapeutic processes.
Optimum low cost two channel IIR orthonormal filter bank

In this paper, we statistically optimize a well known class of IIR two channel orthonormal filter banks parameterized by a single coefficient when subband quantizers are present. The optimization procedure is extremely simple and very fast compared for example to the linear programming method used in the FIR case to achieve similar compaction (coding) gains. The special form of the filters assure the existence of a zero at /spl pi/ which can be important for some wavelet applications and eliminate some of the major concerns that arise in the FIR design case. Finally, the compaction gain obtained is high and numerically very close to two (ideal case) for low pass spectra, high pass spectra and certain cases of multiband spectra. For these cases, the use of higher order IIR filters does not increase the compaction (coding) gain.
Temperature and CO2 additively regulate physiology, morphology and genomic responses of larval sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

Ocean warming and ocean acidification, both consequences of anthropogenic production of CO2, will combine to influence the physiological performance of many species in the marine environment. In this study, we used an integrative approach to forecast the impact of future ocean conditions on larval purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) from the northeast Pacific Ocean. In laboratory experiments that simulated ocean warming and ocean acidification, we examined larval development, skeletal growth, metabolism and patterns of gene expression using an orthogonal comparison of two temperature (13°C and 18°C) and pCO2 (400 and 1100 μatm) conditions. Simultaneous exposure to increased temperature and pCO2 significantly reduced larval metabolism and triggered a widespread downregulation of histone encoding genes. pCO2 but not temperature impaired skeletal growth and reduced the expression of a major spicule matrix protein, suggesting that skeletal growth will not be further inhibited by ocean warming. Importantly, shifts in skeletal growth were not associated with developmental delay. Collectively, our results indicate that global change variables will have additive effects that exceed thresholds for optimized physiological performance in this keystone marine species.
Activation of single‐chain urokinase‐type plasminogen activator by platelet‐associated plasminogen: a mechanism for stimulation of fibrinolysis by platelets

Summary. Background and Objective: Platelets are essential for hemostasis, and they cause resistance to fibrinolysis by tissue‐type plasminogen activator. In contrast, platelets enhance fibrinolysis mediated by single‐chain urokinase‐type plasminogen activator (scu‐PA). This study investigated the mechanism behind this profibrinolytic role of platelets. Methods and Results: Platelets enhanced scu‐PA activity, but not urokinase‐type plasminogen activator (u‐PA) activity, in plasma clot lysis and chromogenic assays. We established, using the non‐cleavable scu‐PA mutant (Lys158→Glu) and protease inhibitors, that platelets increased activation to u‐PA by a serine protease. Activation of scu‐PA was platelet‐dependent, even in plasma. It occurred in platelet‐rich but not in platelet‐poor plasma, as assessed by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and zymography after addition of plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1. Candidate proteases that are known to activate scu‐PA and are present in platelet preparations were investigated. Factor VII activating protease was detected in platelet preparations by western blotting, but its inhibition by antibodies did not inhibit activation of scu‐PA by platelets. Plasmin and plasma kallikrein both mimicked the platelet effect, but were distinguished by their responses to a range of inhibitors. Analysis of platelet‐associated protease activity and the time course of scu‐PA activation pointed towards plasminogen, and the data were consistent with a mechanism of reciprocal activation. The essential role of plasminogen was revealed using platelets from plasminogen‐deficient mice, which could not activate scu‐PA. Local plasminogen on platelet membranes was markedly more effective than solution‐phase plasminogen in activation of scu‐PA. Conclusions: Platelets enhance fibrinolysis by scu‐PA through reciprocal activation of scu‐PA and platelet‐associated plasminogen, a system that is potentially important in the lysis of platelet‐rich thrombi.
Morphological Evolution of the Lower Tisza River (Hungary) in the 20th Century in Response to Human Interventions

: To understand the hydro-morphological responses of a river to engineering works is a key to future sustainable engineering projects. The Tisza River in the Carpathian Basin has been the subject of human interventions in the 19th–20th centuries, with regular monitoring since the ﬁrst intervention. Therefore, it provides a unique opportunity to understand the long-term responses of a lowland river on engineering works. Here the interventions include the construction of embanked levees, artiﬁcial meander cutoffs, construction of revetments and groynes, and construction of lock-dams, whose differing effects can be analysed in detail. The Lower Tisza River, Hungary was shortened by up to a third of its 89-km length during late-19th-century regulation works. Simultaneously, it was disconnected from its 10–20 km wide natural ﬂoodplain, which was restricted to 1–5 km. Revetments were constructed along 25% of the banks since the early 20th century. This paper evaluates the effects of these regulation works on the Lower Tisza channel based on channel-surveys (1891, 1931, 1961, 1976 and 1999). Based on the results, the channel responded to every stage of the regulation works by adjusting its cross-sectional area, thalweg depth and bankfull width. From 1891 to 1961, the cross-sectional area of the channel increased in response to the artiﬁcial meander cutoffs through rapid incision and channel widening. The construction of revetments and groynes distorted this morphological development. After their construction, the cross-sectional area of the channel reduced by up to 50% between 1961 and 1976. The channel experienced incision and narrowing within this period. Whilst the morphological response of the river to cutoffs was improved ﬂood conveyance, the revetments drastically decreased the ﬂood conveyance; therefore, the ﬂood levels increased without an increase in discharge, so the revetment constructions indirectly increased the ﬂood risk.
Wireless Sensor Network-Based Greenhouse Environment Monitoring and Automatic Control System for Dew Condensation Prevention

Dew condensation on the leaf surface of greenhouse crops can promote diseases caused by fungus and bacteria, affecting the growth of the crops. In this paper, we present a WSN (Wireless Sensor Network)-based automatic monitoring system to prevent dew condensation in a greenhouse environment. The system is composed of sensor nodes for collecting data, base nodes for processing collected data, relay nodes for driving devices for adjusting the environment inside greenhouse and an environment server for data storage and processing. Using the Barenbrug formula for calculating the dew point on the leaves, this system is realized to prevent dew condensation phenomena on the crop’s surface acting as an important element for prevention of diseases infections. We also constructed a physical model resembling the typical greenhouse in order to verify the performance of our system with regard to dew condensation control.
Defining reference values for TSH: nearing perfection in a imperfect world.

The use of diagnostic laboratory tests usually includes a comparison of the result obtained in a given patient to a reference range. The definition of this reference or “normal” range is a priori simple: one has to measure the analyte in a “normal” population using a reference method, and there you are! Unfortunately life is not that easy. Routine methods frequently provide results that are not exactly comparable to the reference methods and, worst of nightmares, we don’t really know what a “normal” population is. Let’s take the example of TSH measurement. Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is a complex glycoprotein that contains two different subunits (alpha and beta) that organize as a heterodimeric complex. Being a glycosylated protein, the amount of sugar can vary substantially with implications on the antibody recognition as well as on the biological action. As a consequence, several forms are found in circulation. The seminal work of Utiger (1) describing the first practical TSH radioimmunoassay, introduced the possibility of routine measurement of TSH and its use as a diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of thyroid diseases. Since that time (1965) measuring TSH has become an extremely useful tool in the study of thyroid diseases. The first radioimmunoassay methods for the measurement of TSH had limitations in sensitivity, and at that time TRH stimulation tests were used to define hyperthyroidism and borderline cases of hypothyroidism (2). With methodological evolution provided by the availability of monoclonal antibodies and the introduction of the non-competitive immunometric design, sensitivity no longer poses a problem (3). Automatic, extremely sensitive and reproducible methods are provided by all the major diagnostic companies, and are widely available for clinical use. Assay specificity and comparability is a pending issue, but efforts in standardization and harmonization of the most used assays are strongly being pursued (4). Thyroid diseases are quite common and sometimes oligo or asymptomatic. As a consequence TSH measurement became one of the most requested laboratory tests. The fact that the TSH results do not follow a Gaussian distribution poses an extra challenge, mainly in the definition of the upper limit of the normal range. Additionally, TSH levels in the normal population present a higher inter than intra individual variation, in other words, one should interpret a given TSH value bearing in mind that each person has his own range of variation of thyroid hormone levels, a phenomenon very well described by the Danish group of Andersen and cols. (5). Genetic reasons may be behind this characteristic (6). 1 Associate professor, Division of Endocrinology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp/ EPM); medical advisor, Grupo Fleury, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Threshold Effects in Cointegrating Relationships

In this paper, we introduce threshold-type nonlinearities within a single-equation cointegrating regression model and propose a testing procedure for testing the null hypothesis of linear cointegration vs. cointegration with threshold effects. Our framework allows the modelling of long-run equilibrium relationships that may change according to the magnitude of a threshold variable assumed to be stationary and ergodic, and thus constitutes an attempt to deal econometrically with the potential presence of multiple equilibria. The framework is flexible enough to accommodate regressor endogeneity and serial correlation.
Occurence and Clinical Predictors of Spasticity After Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— There is currently no consensus on (1) the percentage of patients who develop spasticity after ischemic stroke, (2) the relation between spasticity and initial clinical findings after acute stroke, and (3) the impact of spasticity on activities of daily living and health-related quality of life. Methods— In a prospective cohort study, 301 consecutive patients with clinical signs of central paresis due to a first-ever ischemic stroke were examined in the acute stage and 6 months later. At both times, the degree and pattern of paresis and muscle tone, the Barthel Index, and the EQ-5D score, a standardized instrument of health-related quality of life, were evaluated. Spasticity was assessed on the Modified Ashworth Scale and defined as Modified Ashworth Scale >1 in any of the examined joints. Results— Two hundred eleven patients (70.1%) were reassessed after 6 months. Of these, 42.6% (n=90) had developed spasticity. A more severe degree of spasticity (Modified Ashworth Scale ≥3) was observed in 15.6% of all patients. The prevalence of spasticity did not differ between upper and lower limbs, but in the upper limb muscles, higher degrees of spasticity (Modified Ashworth Scale ≥3) were more frequently (18.9%) observed than in the lower limbs (5.5%). Regression analysis used to test the differences between upper and lower limbs showed that patients with more severe paresis in the proximal and distal limb muscles had a higher risk for developing spasticity (P≤0.001). Spasticity of the upper and lower limb was more frequent in patients with hemihypesthesia than in patients without sensory deficits (P≤0.001). Patients with spasticity showed a lower Barthel Index and EQ-5D score compared with the group without spasticity. Conclusions— Spasticity was present in 42.6% of patients with initial central paresis. However, severe spasticity was relatively rare. Predictors for the development of spasticity were a severe degree of paresis and hemihypesthesia at stroke onset.
Implicating Calpain in Tau-Mediated Toxicity In Vivo

Alzheimer's disease and other related neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies are characterized by the accumulation of abnormally phosphorylated and aggregated forms of the microtubule-associated protein tau. Several laboratories have identified a 17 kD proteolytic fragment of tau in degenerating neurons and in numerous cell culture models that is generated by calpain cleavage and speculated to contribute to tau toxicity. In the current study, we employed a Drosophila tauopathy model to investigate the importance of calpain-mediated tau proteolysis in contributing to tau neurotoxicity in an animal model of human neurodegenerative disease. We found that mutations that disrupted endogenous calpainA or calpainB activity in transgenic flies suppressed tau toxicity. Expression of a calpain-resistant form of tau in Drosophila revealed that mutating the putative calpain cleavage sites that produce the 17 kD fragment was sufficient to abrogate tau toxicity in vivo. Furthermore, we found significant toxicity in the fly retina associated with expression of only the 17 kD tau fragment. Collectively, our data implicate calpain-mediated proteolysis of tau as an important pathway mediating tau neurotoxicity in vivo.
The role of moisture transport for precipitation in the inter-annual and inter-daily fluctuations of the Arctic sea ice extension

Abstract. By considering the moisture transport for precipitation (MTP) for a target region to be the moisture that arrives in this region from its major moisture sources and which then results in precipitation in that region, we explore (i) whether the MTP from the main moisture sources for the Arctic region is linked with inter-annual fluctuations in the extent of Arctic sea ice superimposed on its decline and (ii) the role of extreme MTP events in the inter-daily change in the Arctic sea ice extent (SIE) when extreme MTP simultaneously arrives from the four main moisture regions that supply it. The results suggest (1) that ice melting at the scale of inter-annual fluctuations against the trend is favoured by an increase in moisture transport in summer, autumn, and winter and a decrease in spring and, (2) on a daily basis, extreme humidity transport increases the formation of ice in winter and decreases it in spring, summer, and autumn; in these three seasons extreme humidity transport therefore contributes to Arctic sea ice melting. These patterns differ sharply from that linked to the decline on a long-range scale, especially in summer when the opposite trend applies, as ice melt is favoured by a decrease in moisture transport for this season at this scale.
Ki67 Frequency in Breast Cancers without Axillary Lymph Node Involvement and its Relation with Disease-free Survival.

BACKGROUND Breast cancer prognosis is influenced by several histopathology and clinical factors including expression of Ki67 which may have a predictive role in lymph node negative breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to assess Ki67 expression in breast cancers without axillary lymph node involvement and to evaluate its prognostic value with regard to disease-free survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS Subjects were selected from non-metastatic invasive breast cancer patients who were referred to the oncology department of Ghaem hospital during 1 April 2001 to 1 April 2008. Ki67 levels were measured using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and compared with clinicopathological features. The relation of Ki67 expression with disease-free survival was also analysed. RESULTS A total of 106 women with a mean age of 49 were examined. Some 94.3% were classified as having invasive ductal carcinomas and the mean tumour diameter at the time of diagnosis was 2.8 cm. Some 50.9% of cases were ER positive and 47.2% were PR positive. P53 expression was positive in 48.1% of the cases. According to the IHC results, only 8.5% of the patients were Her2/neu positive. Ki67 was positive in 66 (62.3%) with a significant relation to lower age (p=0.0229) and P53 positivity (p=0.005). After an average of 40-months follow up, 13 (12.3%) demonstrated recurrence, most commonly systemic. Of 13 cases with relapse, 10 patients (77%) were Ki67 positive. CONCLUSIONS In our population Ki67 appeared to be an independent prognostic factor for three-year survival. However, we stress that a survival study with a bigger sample size would help to support this conclusion.
On the superlinear problem involving the p(x)-Laplacian

This paper deals with the superlinear elliptic problem without Ambrosetti and Rabinowitz type growth condition of the form: ( − div(|∇u| p(x)−2 ∇u) = �f(x,u) in , u = 0 on@, where ⊂ R N (N ≥ 2) is a bounded domain with smooth boundary @, � > 0 is a parameter. Existence of nontrivial solution is established for arbitrary � > 0. Firstly, by using the mountain pass theorem a nontrivial solution is constructed for almost every parameter � > 0. Then, it is considered the continuation of the solutions. Our results are a generalization of Miyagaki and Souto.