Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Text Segmentation using Boundary Edit Distance

This work proposes a new segmentation evaluation metric, named boundary similarity (B), an inter-coder agreement coefficient adaptation, and a confusion-matrix for segmentation that are all based upon an adaptation of the boundary edit distance in Fournier and Inkpen (2012). Existing segmentation metrics such as Pk, WindowDiff, and Segmentation Similarity (S) are all able to award partial credit for near misses between boundaries, but are biased towards segmentations containing few or tightly clustered boundaries. Despite S’s improvements, its normalization also produces cosmetically high values that overestimate agreement & performance, leading this work to propose a solution.
The Relative Impacts of Economics Journals: 1970-1990

Our data collection and database assembly efforts were assisted by John P. Sophocleus, Mark Gwartney, Michele Butler, and Scott Ralston. We received extremely valuable computer programming assistance from Jon Brunson and Edward Novak. Constructive comments were receivedfrom two anonymous reviewers. Financial supportfrom the Faculty Development Committee at Salisbury State University is gratefully acknowledged.
The conTribuTion of insecTs To food securiTy, livelihoods and The environmenT1

• Insects have a high feed conversion efficiency because they are coldblooded. Feed-to-meat conversion rates (how much feed is needed to produce a 1 kg increase in weight) vary widely depending on the class of the animal and the production practices used, but nonetheless insects are extremely efficient. On average, insects can convert 2 kg of feed into 1 kg of insect mass, whereas cattle require 8 kg of feed to produce 1 kg of meat.
Treatment of HBV-Related Liver Disease in the Dialysis Population: Reality and Promises

Viral hepatitis is an ancient problem and reference to it can be traced back to Hippocrates (460-375 B.C.). The earliest recognized outbreak of hepatitis B was among Bremen shipyard workers in 1883 (1). The landmark discovery of Australia antigen, subsequently renamed hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was made by Blumberg et al in 1965 (2). For this achievement, Dr. Baruch Blumberg received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1976 (4). Since then, discoveries from around the world have increased our understanding of the complexity of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV infection is associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations in humans (5), ranging from acute or fulminant hepatitis to various forms of chronic infection including asymptomatic carrier state, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The diagnosis of chronic hepatitis B can be made by the finding of persistence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBV DNA in serum which is usually accompanied by persistent serum aminotransferase elevations. The diagnosis is confirmed by findings of chronic hepatitis on liver biopsy. Persistent elevation in serum aminotransferases reflects the magnitude of hepatocyte necrosis and inflammation to some extent. Virologically, chronic infection is marked by the persistence of viral replication as shown by detectable HBV DNA and hepatitis B virus antigen (HBsAg) in serum and liver (6). Hepatitis B infection is a global public health problem. Throughout the world, 400-500 million people have chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), and over 250,000 HBsAg carriers die annually from hepatitis B associated liver disease (1). Patients on maintenance dialysis have long been targets for HBV infection; implementation of preventive measures has dramatically decresed the spread of HBV among patients receiving long-term dialysis in developed countries (7). However, cases of HBV infection in dialysis facilit ies continue to occur (8-11). Prevalence and incidence rates probably remain high within dialysis units of developing countries. Treatment of hepatjtis B has changed from isolation and bed rest in the 1950s to a boom in antiviral therapies in the 1990s (1). The ideal goal of treatment is to eradicate HBV but this may not be achievable. Several tr ials on immunocompetent populations and a few studies concerning patients on regular dialysis with hepatitis B have been carried out. The aim of this manuscript is to review the available literature concerning the treatment of HBV-related liver disease in the dialysis population. We have given emphasis to the novel therapies which have been recently introduced for the antiviral treatment of HBV-related liver disease in patients with normal kidney function.
Epidermal growth factor receptor expression in urinary bladder cancer

Objective: To evaluate the expression pattern of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in urinary bladder cancer and its association with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), epidermal growth factor (EGF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and high risk human papilloma virus (HPV) types 16 and 18. Materials and Methods: Thirty cases of urothelial carcinoma were analyzed. EGFR, HER2, EGF, and IL-6 expressions in the tissue were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. For HPV, DNA from tissue samples was extracted and detection of HPV was done by PCR technique. Furthermore, evaluation of different intracellular molecules associated with EGFR signaling pathways was performed by the western blot method using lysates from various cells and tissues. Results: In this study, the frequencies of immunopositivity for EGFR, HER2, EGF, and IL-6 were 23%, 60%, 47%, and 80%, respectively. No cases were positive for HPV-18, whereas HPV-16 was detected in 10% cases. Overall, expression of EGFR did not show any statistically significant association with the studied parameters. However, among male patients, a significant association was found only between EGFR and HER2. Conclusions: Overexpression of EGFR and/or HER2, two important members of the same family of growth factor receptors, was observed in a considerable proportion of cases. Precise knowledge in this subject would be helpful to formulate a rational treatment strategy in patients with urinary bladder cancer.
Environmental Microbiota Represents a Natural Reservoir for Dissemination of Clinically Relevant Metallo-β-Lactamases

ABSTRACT A total of 10 metallo-β-lactamase-producing isolates of six different species, including Brevundimonas diminuta (n = 3), Rhizobium radiobacter (n = 2), Pseudomonas monteilii (n = 1), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 2), Ochrobactrum anthropi (n = 1), and Enterobacter ludwigii (n = 1), were detected in the sewage water of a hospital. The presence of blaVIM-13 associated with a Tn1721-class 1 integron structure was detected in all but one of the isolates (E. ludwigii, which produced VIM-2), and in two of them (R. radiobacter), this structure was located on a plasmid, suggesting that environmental bacteria represent a reservoir for the dissemination of clinically relevant metallo-β-lactamase genes.
Hypolipidaemic, gastrointestinal and related responses of broiler chickens to chitosans of different viscosity

Broiler chickens (1-d-old) were fed ad libitum on a control diet based on maize and maize starch or diets containing low-, medium- or high-viscosity chitosans at an inclusion level of 15 g/kg. Body weights and feed intakes of chickens given chitosan-containing diets were generally depressed in comparison with those of control-fed animals on days 11 and 18 of the experiment. On days 12 and 19, feeding the low-viscosity-chitosan diet reduced plasma triacylglycerol and total plasma cholesterol concentrations in relation to chickens receiving the control diet, while the medium- and high-viscosity-chitosan-containing diets reduced total plasma cholesterol and elevated, although not significantly, plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations compared with those of control-fed animals. Chitosan feeding generally improved plasma HDL-cholesterol: total cholesterol ratio in comparison with control feeding, which was attributed to the general reductions in plasma cholesterol concentrations rather than increases in plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations. Feeding the high-viscosity-chitosan-containing diet significantly reduced the ileal digestibility of crude protein (N x 6·25) and crude fat compared with chickens given the control diet. The reduction in ileal crude fat digestibility was greatest among chickens receiving the high-viscosity-chitosan-containing diet and chitosan-containing diets reduced ileal fat digestibility by 8% on average compared with that of control-fed birds. However, increasing the viscosity of the chitosan fraction could not be correlated with increases in terminal ileal digesta viscosity and, therefore, it could not be established that increased ileal lumen viscosity alone contributed to reductions in body weight, feed intake and plasma cholesterol concentrations. However, the fact that ileal digestibility of fat was reduced by feeding chitosan to chickens suggests the action of other hypolipidaemic mechanisms
Motor Cortex in Voluntary Movements: A Distributed System for Distributed Functions

Functional Neuroanatomy and Imaging Motor Areas in the Frontal Lobe: The Anatomical Substrate for the Central Control of Movement, Richard P. Dum and Peter L. Strick Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Human Motor Cortex, Andreas Kleinschmidt and Ivan Toni Neuronal Representations in the Motor Cortex Motor Cortex Control of a Complex Peripheral Apparatus: The Neuromuscular Evolution of Individuated Finger Movements, Marc H. Schieber, Karen T. Reilly, and Catherine E. Lang Neuronal Representations of Bimanual Movements, Eilon Vaadia and Simone Cardoso de Oliveira What Is Coded in the Primary Motor Cortex? James Ashe Conceptual Frameworks for interpreting Motor Cortical Function: New Insights from a Planar Multiple-Joint Paradigm, Stephen H. Scott Wheels of Motion: Oscillatory Potentials in the Motor Cortex, William A. MacKay Preparation for Action: One of the Key Functions of the Motor Cortex, Alexa Riehle Is the Motor Cortex Only an Executive Area? Its Role in Motor Cognition, Marc Jeannerod Motor Learning and Performance The Arbitrary Mapping of Sensory Inputs to Voluntary and Involuntary Movement: Learning-Dependent Activity in the Motor Cortex and Other Telencephalic Networks, Peter L. Brasted and Steven P. Wise Learning Dynamics of Reaching, Reza Shadmehr, Opher Donchin, Eun-Jung Hwang, Sarah E. Hemminger, and Ashwini K. Rao Cortical Control of Motor Learning, Camillo Padoa-Schioppa, Emilio Bizzi, and Ferdinando A. Mussa-Ivaldi Reconstruction of Movements Using Brain Activity Advances in Brain-Machine Interfaces, Jose M. Carmena and Miguel A.L. Nicolelis Human Brain-Computer Interface, Gert Pfurtscheller, Christa Neuper, and Niels Birbaumer
Hypertonic Saline Enhances Host Response to Bacterial Challenge by Augmenting Receptor-Independent Neutrophil Intracellular Superoxide Formation

Objective This study sought to determine whether hypertonic saline (HTS) infusion modulates the host response to bacterial challenge. Methods Sepsis was induced in 30 Balb-C mice by intraperitoneal injection of Escherichia coli (5 × 107 organisms per animal). In 10 mice, resuscitation was performed at 0 and 24 hours with a 4 mL/kg bolus of HTS (7.5% NaCl), 10 animals received 4 mL/kg of normal saline (0.9% NaCl), and the remaining animals received 30 mL/kg of normal saline. Samples of blood, spleen, and lung were cultured at 8 and 36 hours. Polymorphonucleocytes were incubated in isotonic or hypertonic medium before culture with E. coli. Phagocytosis was assessed by flow cytometry, whereas intracellular bacterial killing was measured after inhibition of phagocytosis with cytochalasin B. Intracellular formation of free radicals was assessed by the molecular probe CM-H2DCFDA. Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase p38 and ERK-1 phosphorylation, and nuclear factor &kgr; B (NF&kgr;B) activation were determined. Data are represented as means (SEM), and an analysis of variance test was performed to gauge statistical significance. Results Significantly reduced bacterial culture was observed in the animals resuscitated with HTS when compared with their NS counterparts, in blood (51.8 ± 4.3 vs. 82.0 ± 3.3 and 78.4 ± 4.8, P = 0.005), lung (40.0 ± 4.1 vs. 93.2 ± 2.1 and 80.9 ± 4.7, P = 0.002), and spleen (56.4 ± 3.8 vs. 85.4 ± 4.2 and 90.1 ± 5.9, P = 0.05). Intracellular killing of bacteria increased markedly (P = 0.026) and superoxide generation was enhanced upon exposure to HTS (775.78 ± 23.6 vs. 696.57 ± 42.2, P = 0.017) despite inhibition of MAP kinase and NF&kgr;B activation. Conclusions HTS significantly enhances intracellular killing of bacteria while attenuating receptor-mediated activation of proinflammatory cascades.
Watching Pigs

Animal health and welfare can be assessed by examining their behaviour, in particular their movements. In a novel application area, we explore using visual tracking, optical ow computations and attentional techniques for the purpose of monitoring a collection of pigs in a pen. In this paper we only explore the monitoring of a single pig. Techniques are presented that are found to perform at rates of 10 to 15 Hz on a nondedicated Pentium 2 computer equipped with an inexpensive framegrabber. The results are encouraging, albeit preliminary. However, we envision that in the near future some useful tools will result from this work so that animal behaviourists can automatically collect data for performing non-invasive animal behaviour studies. We have yet to explore methods for recording and delivering the computed information in a form that ethologists can quickly ascertain an animal's health.
Riboflavin Lowers Homocysteine in Individuals Homozygous for the MTHFR 677C→T Polymorphism

Background— Meta-analyses predict that a 25% lowering of plasma homocysteine would reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 11% to 16% and stroke by 19% to 24%. Individuals homozygous for the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677C→T polymorphism have reduced MTHFR enzyme activity resulting from the inappropriate loss of the riboflavin cofactor, but it is unknown whether their typically high homocysteine levels are responsive to improved riboflavin status. Methods and Results— From a register of 680 healthy adults 18 to 65 years of age of known MTHFR 677C→T genotype, we identified 35 with the homozygous (TT) genotype and age-matched individuals with heterozygous (CT, n=26) or wild-type (CC, n=28) genotypes to participate in an intervention in which participants were randomized by genotype group to receive 1.6 mg/d riboflavin or placebo for a 12-week period. Supplementation increased riboflavin status to the same extent in all genotype groups (8% to 12% response in erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficient; P<0.01 in each case). However, homocysteine responded only in the TT group, with levels decreasing by as much as 22% overall (from 16.1±1.5 to 12.5±0.8 &mgr;mol/L; P=0.003; n=32) and markedly so (by 40%) in those with lower riboflavin status at baseline (from 22.0±2.9 and 13.2±1.0 &mgr;mol/L; P=0.010; n=16). No homocysteine response was observed in the CC or CT groups despite being preselected for suboptimal riboflavin status. Conclusions— Although previously overlooked, homocysteine is highly responsive to riboflavin, specifically in individuals with the MTHFR 677 TT genotype. Our findings might explain why this common polymorphism carries an increased risk of coronary heart disease in Europe but not in North America, where riboflavin fortification has existed for >50 years.
Perceptions of Participating in Longitudinal Trauma Research among Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Abuse

We examine motivations for, and costs/benefits of, participation in three interviews across a one-year period among women recently exposed to intimate partner abuse (IPA). Recruited from publicly accessible police reports, women were not informed that the study focused on IPA in recruiting materials or when they scheduled the first interview. Women's ratings on the Response to Research Participation Questionnaire (RRPQ) indicated a positive benefit-to-cost ratio across all three interviews. Negative responses to participation as well as severity of IPA and PTSD symptoms did not predict retention at the next interview. These data demonstrate that studies asking about IPA experiences, even when survivors do not know in advance that IPA will be the focus of study, can be implemented within a stable benefit-to-cost ratio over time.
Detection of EBV Infection and Gene Expression in Oral Cancer from Patients in Taiwan by Microarray Analysis

Epstein-Barr virus is known to cause nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Although oral cavity is located close to the nasal pharynx, the pathogenetic role of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in oral cancers is unclear. This molecular epidemiology study uses EBV genomic microarray (EBV-chip) to simultaneously detect the prevalent rate and viral gene expression patterns in 57 oral squamous cell carcinoma biopsies (OSCC) collected from patients in Taiwan. The majority of the specimens (82.5%) were EBV-positive that probably expressed coincidently the genes for EBNAs, LMP2A and 2B, and certain structural proteins. Importantly, the genes fabricated at the spots 61 (BBRF1, BBRF2, and BBRF3) and 68 (BDLF4 and BDRF1) on EBV-chip were actively expressed in a significantly greater number of OSCC exhibiting exophytic morphology or ulceration than those tissues with deep invasive lesions (P = .0265 and .0141, resp.). The results may thus provide the lead information for understanding the role of EBV in oral cancer pathogenesis.
Muscle Activation of Vastus Medialis Oblique and Vastus Lateralis in Sling-Based Exercises in Patients with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: A Cross-Over Study

Objectives. To examine what changes are caused in the activity of the vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL) at the time of sling-based exercises in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and compare the muscular activations in patients with PFPS among the sling-based exercises. Methods. This was a cross-over study. Sling-based open and closed kinetic knee extension and hip adduction exercises were designed for PFPS, and electromyography was applied to record maximal voluntary contraction during the exercises. The VMO and VL activations and VMO : VL ratios for the three exercises were analyzed and compared. Results. Thirty male (age = 21.19 ± 0.68 y) and 30 female (age = 21.12 ± 0.74 y) patients with PFPS were recruited. VMO activations during the sling-based open and closed kinetic knee extension exercises were significantly higher (P = 0.04 and P = 0.001) than those during hip adduction exercises and VMO : VL ratio for the sling-based closed kinetic knee extension and hip adduction exercises approximated to 1. Conclusions. The sling-based closed kinetic knee extension exercise produced the highest VMO activation. It also had an appropriate VMO : VL ratio similar to sling-based hip adduction exercise and had beneficial effects on PFPS.
Optimization of a GCaMP Calcium Indicator for Neural Activity Imaging

Genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) are powerful tools for systems neuroscience. Recent efforts in protein engineering have significantly increased the performance of GECIs. The state-of-the art single-wavelength GECI, GCaMP3, has been deployed in a number of model organisms and can reliably detect three or more action potentials in short bursts in several systems in vivo. Through protein structure determination, targeted mutagenesis, high-throughput screening, and a battery of in vitro assays, we have increased the dynamic range of GCaMP3 by severalfold, creating a family of “GCaMP5” sensors. We tested GCaMP5s in several systems: cultured neurons and astrocytes, mouse retina, and in vivo in Caenorhabditis chemosensory neurons, Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction and adult antennal lobe, zebrafish retina and tectum, and mouse visual cortex. Signal-to-noise ratio was improved by at least 2- to 3-fold. In the visual cortex, two GCaMP5 variants detected twice as many visual stimulus-responsive cells as GCaMP3. By combining in vivo imaging with electrophysiology we show that GCaMP5 fluorescence provides a more reliable measure of neuronal activity than its predecessor GCaMP3. GCaMP5 allows more sensitive detection of neural activity in vivo and may find widespread applications for cellular imaging in general.
Observations of the nightside ionosphere of Mars by the Mars Express Radio Science Experiment (MaRS)

[1] The vertical structure of the nightside ionosphere of Mars and its dependence on solar zenith angle are currently poorly determined, as is the importance of two key sources of nightside plasma, electron precipitation and transport of dayside plasma. We examined 37 electron density profiles of the ionosphere of Mars at solar zenith angles of 101°–123° obtained by the Mars Express Radio Science Experiment (MaRS) between 18 August and 1 October 2005. In general, solar activity was low during this period, although several solar energetic particle events did occur. The results show that (1) trends in peak electron density and altitude with solar zenith angle are consistent with transport of dayside plasma as an important plasma source up to 115°, but not higher; (2) peak altitudes of around 150 km observed at larger (>115°) solar zenith angles are consistent with simulated plasma production by electron precipitation; and (3) peak altitudes observed during solar energetic particle events are at 90 km, consistent with accepted models. Solar energetic particle events can be the main source of nightside plasma. These results challenge current models of the nightside ionosphere, including their implications for plasma sources. The total electron content is correlated with peak electron density, requiring explanation. Due to the geographical distribution of this data set (latitudes poleward of 38°N), we do not explore the influence of crustal field strength and direction on the nightside ionosphere.
Secure Outsourcing of Virtual Appliance

Computation outsourcing using virtual appliance is getting prevalent in cloud computing. However, with both hardware and software being controlled by potentially curious or even malicious cloud operators, it is no surprise to see frequent reports of security accidents, like data leakages or abuses. This paper proposes Kite, a hardware-software framework that guards the security of tenant’s virtual machine (VM), in which the outsourced computation is encapsulated. Kite only trusts the processor and makes no security assumption on external memory, devices, or hypervisor. Unlike prior hardware-based approaches, Kite retains transparency with existing VM and requires few changes to the (untrusted) hypervisor by introducing VM-Shim mechanism. Each VM-Shim instance runs in between its VM and the hypervisor, which only transfers necessary information designated by the VM to the hypervisor and external environments. Kite also considers the high-level semantic of interaction between VM and hypervisor to defend against attacks through legitimate operations or interfaces. We have implemented a prototype of Kite’s secure processor in a QEMU-based full-system emulator and its software components on real machine. Evaluation shows that the performance overhead of Kite ranges from 0.5-14.0 percent on simulated platform and 0.4-7.3 percent on real hardware.