Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A confocal microscopical study of the musculature of adult Schistosoma mansoni

Using the filamentous actin marker, FITC-conjugated phalloidin, the major muscle systems of adult male and female schistosomes have been examined. The body wall musculature comprises an outer sheath of circular fibres, within which there is a compact layer of short, spindle-shaped longitudinal fibres and a lattice-like arrangement of inner diagonal fibres. Within the oral sucker and acetabulum 3 fibre types, circular, radial and longitudinal can be distinguished. The wall of the oesophagus is lined by a grid-like array of circular and longitudinal fibres, whereas the walls of the intestinal caeca contain only comparably broad circular fibres. Within the female reproductive system, only circular fibres are present in the oviduct, vitelline duct and uterus. In contrast, the wall of the ootype displays closely arranged circular and longitudinal muscle fibres. Antisera to previously identified myoactive compounds (serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT], neuropeptide F [Moniezia expansa] and GYIRFamide [Bdelloura candida, Dugesia tigrina]) were used as neuronal markers in a preliminary study of the spatial inter-relationships of specific nerve fibres and various muscle systems. Serotoninergic fibres innervate both suckers and also constitute a subtegumental nerve net. In males they provide innervation to the dorso-ventral muscle fibres of the gynaecophoric canal, and in females they innervate the circular and longitudinal muscle fibres of the ootype. Neuropeptide F and the FMRFamide-related peptide, GYIRFamide are both localized within nerve plexuses associated with the dorso-ventral fibres of the gynaecophoric canal, and are evident in the innervation of the ventral and oral sucker.
Deriving Functional Speciﬁcations from Business Requirements with Ampersand

How do we know that a functional speciﬁcation (of some information system) satisﬁes the requirements put forward by the business? This paper proposes a method, Ampersand, as an answer to this problem. It also proposes an accompanying tool, ADL, that generates data models, service catalogues and their speciﬁcations, to assist requirements engineers in producing a sound functional speciﬁcation. Ampersand improves the life of requirements engineers in two ways: it gives them the means to prove business requirements consistent and complete and it gives them several design artifacts to facilitate their discussions with software designers. The generated functional speciﬁcation features platform independence and provable compliance with the rules of the business.Inacase study, a set of requirements is presented together with the formal speciﬁcation generated from it. This example, featuring an order-delivery-invoice process, complies fully with the business rules. Ampersand has been tried in various practical situations with paying customers and classroom experience has shown that this approach can be taught to business analysts. This evidence supports the feasibility from a practitioner’s point of view.
Keratinocyte Growth Factor Protects Mice from Chemotherapy and Radiation-induced Gastrointestinal Injury and Mortality 1

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells including those of the gastrointestinal tract. Although chemotherapeutics and radiation exposure kill rapidly proliferating tumor cells, rapidly dividing normal cells of the host's gas trointestinal tract are also frequently damaged, leading to the clinical condition broadly termed "mucositis. " In this report, recombinant human KGF used as a pretreatment in several mouse models of chemotherapy and/or radiation-induced gastrointestinal injury significantly improved mouse survival. Using multiple-dose 5-fluorouracil, methotrexate, and radiation in combination and total body radiation alone models, KGF increased survival by 55% or greater. In the models that used chemother apy with or without radiation, KGF significantly ameliorated weight loss after injury and accelerated weight gain during recovery. The basis of these systemic benefits appears to be due in part to the trophic effects of the growth factor on the intestinal epithelium because KGF pretreatment caused an increase in measures of mucosa! thickness (villus height and crypt depth) that persisted during the course of 5-fluorouracil chemother apy. Treatment with KGF also afforded a 3.5-fold improvement in crypt survival in the small intestine, suggesting that KGF also has a direct effect on the crypt stem cells. These data indicate that KGF may be therapeutically useful to lessen the intestinal side effects of current cancer therapy regimens.
Studies on the effluent generated during the pulping process in paper industry

Environmental pollution has become a cause for great concern as it continues to increases rapidly day by day. One of the major toxic pollutants comes through paper industry. It directly or indirectly in one form or other pollutes the environment. Pulping additives such as quinone-based additives have been used in the experimental work for the alkaline pulping of. Ipomoea Carnea Jacq (Beshram ). In the present paper a thorough study has been done on the chemical analysis of the effluent from different storms, pollution load of the soda extraction stage effluent and pulp washer effluent was analyzed and studied. This pollution load affects the environment creating a wreak havoc on the surrounding eco system.
Pulmonary Manifestations of Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders in Children

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) are inherited disorders in which one or several components of immune system are decreased, missing, or of non-appropriate function. These diseases affect the development, function, or morphology of the immune system. The group of PID comprises more than 200 different disorders and syndromes and the number of newly recognized and revealed deficiencies is still increasing. Their clinical presentation and complications depend on the type of defects and there is a great variability in the relationship between genotypes and phenotypes. A variation of clinical presentation across various age categories is also presented and children could widely differ from adult patients with PID. Respiratory symptoms and complications present a significant cause of morbidity and also mortality among patients suffering from different forms of PIDs and they are observed both in children and adults. They can affect primarily either upper airways (e.g., sinusitis and otitis media) or lower respiratory tract [e.g., pneumonia, bronchitis, bronchiectasis, and interstitial lung diseases (ILDs)]. The complications from lower respiratory tract are usually considered to be more important and also more specific for PIDs and they determinate patients’ prognosis. The spectrum of the causal pathogens usually demonstrates typical pattern characteristic for each PID category. The respiratory signs of PIDs can be divided into infectious (upper and lower respiratory tract infections and complications) and non-infectious (ILDs, bronchial abnormalities – especially bronchiectasis, malignancies, and benign lymphoproliferation). Early diagnosis and appropriate therapy can prevent or at least slow down the development and course of respiratory complications of PIDs.
Experimental validation of a hybrid Wireless Power Transfer - Power Line Communication system

In this paper the authors perform measurements and simulations of a coupled Wireless Power Transfer and Power Line Communications system: a two coils resonator system is built according to the authors' previous work and the first experimental results are here presented. The system demonstrates its potential and could be used in applications where both wireless power and data transfer are needed, such as vehicles battery charging.
Competitive assessment of protein fold recognition and alignment accuracy

The predictions made for fold recognition and modeling accuracy at the 1996 Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction meeting (CASP2) were assessed to discover which groups did best. With 32 groups making a total of 369 predictions, it was necessary to use simple criteria for distinguishing between the entries. By focusing on the predictors' ability to use the sequence of the unknown target structure to recognize the target fold from a database of known folds and also on the quality of the model judged by the accuracy of the predicted alignment, it is easy to determine the best predictions for a given target. Assessing overall performance of the predictors on all the targets is much more difficult and use was made of weighted averages of fold recognition and alignment accuracy with and without normalization for target difficulty. By plotting these results in two dimensions the winning groups stand out, allowing readers to focus their attention on the most promising methods. When the present results are compared with the results of the earlier CASP1 meeting, held in 1994, it is clear that threading predictions have progressed dramatically. For this assessor, the strongest lesson learned is that subjectivity is pervasive and affects us all. It is abundantly clear that the blind predictions made at CASP are essential if progress is to be made in predicting protein structure. Proteins, Suppl. 1:92–104, 1997. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Mysterious Ways of ErbB2/HER2 Trafficking

The EGFR- or ErbB-family of receptor tyrosine kinases consists of EGFR/ErbB1, ErbB2/HER2, ErbB3/HER3 and ErbB4/HER4. Receptor activation and downstream signaling are generally initiated upon ligand-induced receptor homo- or heterodimerization at the plasma membrane, and endocytosis and intracellular membrane transport are crucial for regulation of the signaling outcome. Among the receptors, ErbB2 is special in several ways. Unlike the others, ErbB2 has no known ligand, but is still the favored dimerization partner. Furthermore, while the other receptors are down-regulated either constitutively or upon ligand-binding, ErbB2 is resistant to down-regulation, and also inhibits down-regulation of its partner upon heterodimerization. The reason(s) why ErbB2 is resistant to down-regulation are the subject of debate. Contrary to other ErbB-proteins, mature ErbB2 needs Hsp90 as chaperone. Several data suggest that Hsp90 is an important regulator of factors like ErbB2 stability, dimerization and/or signaling. Hsp90 inhibitors induce degradation of ErbB2, but whether Hsp90 directly makes ErbB2 endocytosis resistant is unclear. Exposure to anti-ErbB2 antibodies can also induce down-regulation of ErbB2. Down-regulation induced by Hsp90 inhibitors or antibodies does at least partly involve internalization and endosomal sorting to lysosomes for degradation, but also retrograde trafficking to the nucleus has been reported. In this review, we will discuss different molecular mechanisms suggested to be important for making ErbB2 resistant to down-regulation, and review how membrane trafficking is involved when down-regulation and/or relocalization of ErbB2 is induced.
High-temperature superconductivity in atomic metallic hydrogen

Superconductivity in the recently proposed ground-state structures of atomic metallic hydrogen is investigated over the pressure range 500 GPa to 3:5 TPa. Near molecular dissociation, the electron{phonon coupling and renormalized Coulomb repulsion are similar to the molecular phase. A continuous increase in the critical temperature Tc with pressure is therefore expected, to 356K near 500 GPa. As the atomic phase stabilizes with increasing pressure, increases, causing Tc to approach 481K near 700 GPa. At the rst atomic{atomic structural phase transformation
Wideband dual mode microstrip bandpass filters using a new perturbation with notch rectangular slots

This paper presents wideband dual mode microstrip bandpass filters using a square ring resonator structure with a novel perturbation by notch rectangular slot. A rectangular slot shape perturbation is excited to degenerate a dual mode, which is made the two reject bands on each side of passband, resulting in high sharp cutoff frequency and low insertion loss. The proposed filters have been designed at a center frequency fo of 5 GHz. It has been found that performances of the proposed filters have been improved with a bandwidth greater than 50%, a sharp cutoff frequency greater than 195 dB/GHz, an insertion loss better than 0.4 dB, a return loss more than 10 dB, and two reject bands greater than 32 dB. This proves that the new perturbations can improve the performances of the proposed filters.
Inflation in an Era of Relative Pirce Shocks

Movements in commodity prices can have large effects on output and inflation. From both an academic and policy perspective, changes in commodity prices relative to the prices of services and manufactured goods pose a number of important questions. First, what are the fundamental processes or shocks that drive these changes and how persistent are they likely to be? Second, through what transmission mechanism do these shocks affect output and inflation and how does economic structure and the policy environment affect the transmission? And third, how should policy-makers respond to movements in relative prices?
Phase I study of adoptive T-cell therapy using antigen-specific CD8+ T cells for the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma.

PURPOSE The adoptive transfer of in vitro generated tumor antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) provides a promising approach to the immunotherapy of cancer. A phase I study was conducted to test the feasibility, safety, and survival of adoptively transferred Melan-A-specific CTL lines in melanoma patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eleven HLA-A2+ patients with metastatic melanoma received at least three intravenous infusions of Melan-A-specific CTL at 2-week intervals. CTL were generated by four rounds of in vitro stimulation of purified CD8+ peripheral blood lymphocytes with autologous dendritic cells pulsed with an HLA-A2 binding Melan-A peptide. Each T-cell infusion was accompanied by a 6-day course of low-dose interleukin-2. RESULTS A total of 52 T-cell infusions were administered, averaging 2.1 x 10(8) Melan-A-specific CTL per infusion. Clinical adverse effects were mild and consisted of chills and low-grade fever in seven of 11 patients. Clinical and immunologic responses revealed an antitumor response in three of 11 patients (one complete regression, one partial regression, one mixed response), an elevated frequency of circulating Melan-A tetramer+ T cells up to 2 weeks in all the patients with a maximal frequency of 2% of total CD8+ T cells, an increase in eosinophils to up to 50% in seven of 11 patients, and a selective loss of Melan-A expression in lymph node metastases in two evaluated patients after T-cell transfer. CONCLUSION Our data indicate that the adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T cells in melanoma patients can induce clinical tumor-specific immune responses without major adverse effects.
Performance Prediction of Large Scale Vacuum Furnace Using Thermal Analysis

A method using thermal analysis has been recommeded to substitute the original method what was based on trial and error for manufacturing a high performance, low cost product. At first, a large scale vacuum furnace was modeled according to a real product, and it was simulated using the material properties in a previous study under the condition of having argon ambient gas. Finally, the performance of the large scale vacuum furnace was discussed using the obtained results of analysis. The method in this study will be used to produce an energy efficient, low cost product using optimization technique under the condition of fully satisfying user's design requirements.
Toward an Ex Ante Cost-of-Capital

We use a discounted residual-income valuation model to compute an ex-ante cost-of-capital for a large sample of U.S. stocks that are covered by I/B/E/S analysts. We show that the ex ante cost-of-capital computed in this manner is correlated with a firm's degree of leverage, market liquidity, information environment, and earnings variability. Specifically, the market demands a higher risk premia for stocks with high book leverage and market leverage, low dollar trading volume or market capitalization, low analyst coverage, and more volatile (less predictable) earnings. The market also demands a higher risk premia for stocks with high book-to-market ratios and low price momentum. Traditional market risk proxies such as beta and return volatility are not significantly correlated with the ex ante cost-of-capital.
In-system and on-the-fly clock tuning mechanism to combat lifetime performance degradation

Addressing lifetime performance degradation caused by circuit ageing has been a topic of active research for the past few years. In this paper we present a different perspective to this problem, by leveraging the presence of clock tuning elements that are commonly available in high-performance designs. By combining clock tuning elements with on-chip sensors for predicting setup/hold-time violations, we introduce a new clock tuning mechanism that operates on-the-fly and it maintains the maximum achievable performance in-system for each circuit sample affected by ageing.
Optional formative assessment and class attendance: their impact on student performance

This study investigates the impact of class attendance and the use of optional formative assessment tasks on student performance. We hypothesise that a positive relationship exists between students’ attendance rates and their success on assessment tasks. We also hypothesise a positive relationship between the extent to which students use formative assessment tasks (in the form of on-line multiplechoice question sets) and their success on summative assessment tasks. The question of whether attendance and the use of formative assessment have a complementary or substitutional impact on results is also investigated. The results indicate that after controlling for other factors likely to affect student performance, attendance at class and use of on-line formative assessment tasks do affect student performance. However, there is no further synergistic performance improvement to be achieved from both being a good attendee and a high user of the self-assessment quizzes.Further, attendance and self-assessment opportunities do not act as substitutes for each other. That is, students cannot compensate for poor attendance by making greater use of the self- assessment opportunities and vice versa.
Averaging and deterministic optimal control

Averaging is often used in ordinary differential equations when dealing with fast periodic phenomena. It is shown here that it can be used efficiently in optimal control. As the period tends to zero, a limit or “averaged” problem is defined. The open loop optimal control of the limit problem induces a cost which is optimal up to the second order when evaluated through the original dynamics. The definition of the averaged problem is then generalized to the nonperiodic case. It is shown that the Bellman function of the original “fast” problem tends uniformly on any compact set to that of the averaged problem.
Reciprocal regulation between sirtuin-1 and angiotensin-II in the substantia nigra: implications for aging and neurodegeneration

Local angiotensin II (AII) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) play a major role in the modulation of neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and aging-related dopaminergic vulnerability to damage. However, it is not known whether the modulation is related to reciprocal regulation between SIRT1 and AII. In the present study, a single intraventricular injection of AII increased nigral SIRT1 levels in young adult rats. Although AII activity is known to be increased in aged rats, levels of SIRT1 were significantly lower than in young controls. Treatment with the SIRT1-activating compound resveratrol increased nigral SIRT1 levels in aged rats. Levels of SIRT1 were significantly higher in aged wild type mice than in AII type-1 receptor (AT1) deficient mice. In cell culture studies, treatment with AII also induced a transitory increase in levels of SIRT1 in the MES 23.5 dopaminergic neuron and the N9 microglial cell lines. In aged rats, treatment with resveratrol induced a significant decrease in the expression of AT1 receptors and markers of NADPH-oxidase activation (p47phox). In aged transgenic mice over-expressing SIRT1, levels of AT1 and p47phox were lower than in aged wild type controls. In vitro, the inhibitory effects of resveratrol on AII/AT1/NADPH-oxidase activity were confirmed in primary mesencephalic cultures, the N9 microglial cell line, and the dopaminergic neuron cell line MES 23.5, and they were blocked by the SIRT1 specific inhibitor EX527. The present findings show that SIRT1 and the axis AII/AT1/NADPH-oxidase regulate each other. This is impaired in aged animals and may be mitigated with sirtuin-activating compounds.
Subclonal phylogenetic structures in cancer revealed by ultra-deep sequencing

During the clonal expansion of cancer from an ancestral cell with an initiating oncogenic mutation to symptomatic neoplasm, the occurrence of somatic mutations (both driver and passenger) can be used to track the on-going evolution of the neoplasm. All subclones within a cancer are phylogenetically related, with the prevalence of each subclone determined by its evolutionary fitness and the timing of its origin relative to other subclones. Recently developed massively parallel sequencing platforms promise the ability to detect rare subclones of genetic variants without a priori knowledge of the mutations involved. We used ultra-deep pyrosequencing to investigate intraclonal diversification at the Ig heavy chain locus in 22 patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Analysis of a non-polymorphic control locus revealed artifactual insertions and deletions resulting from sequencing errors and base substitutions caused by polymerase misincorporation during PCR amplification. We developed an algorithm to differentiate genuine haplotypes of somatic hypermutations from such artifacts. This proved capable of detecting multiple rare subclones with frequencies as low as 1 in 5000 copies and allowed the characterization of phylogenetic interrelationships among subclones within each patient. This study demonstrates the potential for ultra-deep resequencing to recapitulate the dynamics of clonal evolution in cancer cell populations.
Temporal difference learning with Interpolated N-Tuple networks: initial results on pole balancing

Temporal difference learning (TDL) is perhaps the most widely used reinforcement learning method and gives competitive results on a range of problems, especially when using linear or table-based function approximators. However, it has been shown to give poor results on some continuous control problems and an important question is how it can be applied to such problems more effectively. The crucial point is how TDL can be generalized and scaled to deal with complex, high-dimensional problems without suffering from the curse of dimensionality. We introduce a new function approximation architecture called the Interpolated N-Tuple network and perform a proof-of-concept test on a classic reinforcement learning problem of pole balancing. The results show the method to be highly effective on this problem. They offer an important counter-example to some recently reported results that showed neuro-evolution outperforming TDL. The TDL with Interpolated N-Tuple networks learns to balance the pole considerably faster than the leading neuro-evolution techniques.
Regional Trading Blocs, Mobile Capital and Exchange Rate Co-Ordination

Two recent issues in the world economy have been the emergence of regional trade blocs and the increasing extent of international financial deregulation. Direction of trade data are used to look at the evolution of regional trade patterns in Europe, North America and East Asia, and saving investment data are used to examine the extent of international capital mobility. The results indicate some trend toward increasing regional insularity of trade together with increasing international capital mobility. The policy implications of these trends are then discussed.