Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D Receptor and Retinoid X Receptor α Status and Vitamin D Insufficiency in Models of Murine Colitis

The anti-inflammatory actions of vitamin D have long been recognized and its importance in modulating colon cancer and colitis development is becoming apparent. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is downregulated in human ulcerative colitis and colitis-associated cancer (CAC); however, its status in murine models of colitis has yet to be explored. Snail and Snail2, zinc-finger transcription factors regulated by inflammatory pathways and able to transcriptionally silence VDR, are upregulated in human Ulcerative Colitis and are associated with localized VDR silencing. To signal, VDR must heterodimerize with retinoid X receptor α (RXRα). If either VDR or RXRα are compromised, vitamin D cannot regulate inflammatory pathways. RXRα is downregulated in human colorectal cancer, yet its expression in human and murine colitis has yet to be investigated. To explore the importance of vitamin D and VDR in murine colitis, we used acute and chronic azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium models of murine colitis. VDR was downregulated early in the onset of colitis, whereas RXRα downregulation only occurred as colitis became chronic and developed into CAC. Receptor downregulation was associated with an early increase in the expression of the inflammatory markers, Snail and Snail2. The acute colitis model induced in combination with a vitamin D–deficient diet resulted in increased morbidity, receptor downregulation, inflammatory marker expression, and Snail and Snail2 upregulation. These experiments show the importance of vitamin D and VDR in modulating murine colitis development. Cancer Prev Res; 6(6); 585–93. ©2013 AACR.
A study on reservation-based adaptation for QoS in adversarial MANET environments

Existing quality of service (QoS) solutions for mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) typically use bandwidth reservations along a single path to support the delivery of higher priority traffic. To accommodate the dynamic nature of MANETs, this reservation-based approach has been made adaptive in a number of ways in response to the fluctuating availability of network bandwidth. This approach, however, requires the collaboration and co-operation of intermediate nodes, and assumes they are trustworthy and correctly execute routing and QoS operations. This paper uses a simulation study to demonstrate that this single-path adaptation approach to MANET QoS provisioning is no longer sufficient in adversarial environments, and identifies the conditions under which an additional measure, e.g., an adaptive multi-path routing extension, may be necessary to maintain service quality. The study uses the INSIGNIA signalling system as a facilitator of the single-path adaptation approach, and evaluates its effectiveness in the presence of blackhole and grayhole data forwarding attacks and a denial of QoS request attack on QoS signalling. Results are evaluated using the service quality metric defined in this paper. The results show that blackhole attacks, unlike the other two attacks, can prevent single-path adaptation, thus significantly inhibiting the service quality. Additionally, high network loads contribute to lower service quality. Whilst multi-path adaptation may be used as the routing extension, care must be taken to ensure that the network is not saturated as the result of additional packet transmissions.
A new regression-based method for the eye blinks artifacts correction in the EEG signal, without using any EOG channel

Eye blinks artifacts correction in the EEG signal is a best practice in many applications. Nowadays, different approaches can be used to overcome such an issue: the most used methods are based on regression techniques and Independent Component Analysis. It is not clear which is the best performing method, thus the choice of which method to adopt depends on the specific application, on the basis of the method limitations. In fact, on one hand the regression-based methods require at least one EOG channel, and are affected by the mutual contamination between EEG and EOG signals. On the other hand, the ICA-based methods need a higher number of electrodes and a greater computational effort than the regression-based ones. In this study, a new regression-based method has been proposed and compared with three of the most used algorithms (Gratton, extended InfoMax, SOBI) for eye blinks correction. The results showed that the proposed algorithm was able (i) to achieve similar efficiency of the other methods in correcting the blinks, but without requiring neither EOG channels, nor a great electrodes number, nor a high computational effort, and (ii) to preserve EEG information in blink-free signal segments.
Best-First Utility-Guided Search

In many shortest-path problems of practical interest, insufficient time is available to find a provably optimal solution. One can only hope to achieve a balance between search time and solution cost that respects the user's preferences, expressed as a utility function over time and cost. Current stateof-the-art approaches to this problem rely on anytime algorithms such as Anytime A* or ARA*. These algorithms require the use of extensive training data to compute a termination policy that respects the user's utility function. We propose a more direct approach, called BUGSY, that incorporates the utility function directly into the search, obviating the need for a separate termination policy. Experiments in several challenging problem domains, including sequence alignment and temporal planning, demonstrate that this direct approach can surpass anytime algorithms without requiring expensive performance profiling.
Person De-Identification in Videos

Advances in cameras and web technology have made it easy to capture and share large amounts of video data over to a large number of people. A large number of cameras oversee public and semi-public spaces today. These raise concerns on the unintentional and unwarranted invasion of the privacy of individuals caught in the videos. To address these concerns, automated methods to de-identify individuals in these videos are necessary. De-identification does not aim at destroying all information involving the individuals. Its ideal goals are to obscure the identity of the actor without obscuring the action. This paper outlines the scenarios in which de-identification is required and the issues brought out by those. We also present an approach to de-identify individuals from videos. Our approach involves tracking and segmenting individuals in a conservative voxel space involving x, y , and time. A de-identification transformation is applied per frame using these voxels to obscure the identity. Face, silhouette, gait, and other characteristics need to be obscured, ideally. We show results of our scheme on a number of videos and for several variations of the transformations. We present the results of applying algorithmic identification on the transformed videos. We also present the results of a user-study to evaluate how well humans can identify individuals from the transformed videos.
Transcription coupled repair of 8-oxoguanine in murine cells: the ogg1 protein is required for repair in nontranscribed sequences but not in transcribed sequences.

To assess the role of the Ogg1 DNA glycosylase in the transcription-coupled repair (TCR) of the mutagenic lesion, 7, 8-dihydro-8oxoguanine (8-OxoG), we have investigated the removal of this lesion in wild-type and ogg1(-/-) null mouse embryo fibroblast (MEF) cell lines. We used nonreplicating plasmids containing a single 8-OxoG.C base pair in a different assay that allowed us to study the removal of 8-OxoG located in a transcribed sequence (TS) or in a nontranscribed sequence (NTS). The results show that the removal of 8-OxoG in a wild-type MEF cell line is faster in the TS than in the NTS, indicating TCR of 8-OxoG in murine cells. In the homozygous ogg1(-/-) MEF cell line, 8-OxoG was not removed from the NTS whereas there was still efficient 8-OxoG repair in the TS. Expression of the mouse Ogg1 protein in the homozygous ogg1(-/-) cell line restored the ability to remove 8-OxoG in the NTS. Therefore, we have demonstrated that Ogg1 is essential for the repair of 8-OxoG in the NTS but is not required in the TS. These results indicate the existence of an Ogg1-independent pathway for the TCR of 8-OxoG in vivo.
Extending and Unifying Chronicle Representation with Event Counters

This paper is dedicated to the chronicle recognition approach used to design an evolution monitoring system for supervising dynamic systems for which time information is relevant. We propose to extend and also to unify the chronicle representation through event counters. The main motivation of such an extension of the chronicle representation arises from alarm processing: counting the occurrences of alarms can be useful to evaluate the severity of a problem and also to discriminate some kind of faults. The paper describes the representation and the corresponding algorithms for processing this extension according to the purpose of supervision in terms of performance.
Fluorescent substance(s) in serum and urine of patients with chronic renal disease.

Recently, we introduced a specific method for determination of creatinine in paired serum analyses, combining the use of alkaline-picrate reaction with the enzymic conversion of creatinine by creatinine amidohydrolase (EC 3.5.2.10) and creatine kinase (CK; ATP:creatine N-phosphotranaferase, EC 2.7.3.2). The difference in absorbance (A ) between the sample (enzyme treated) and its blank (untreated) measured at 510 nm after the addition of alkaline picrate is due to creatinine (1 ). The precision of this method was acceptable at normal or high concentrations of creatinine, but low (CV about 7%) at low creatinine concentrations. The main reason for this was the low A values obtained (a 2A of 0.025 represented 95-100 Mmol of creatinine per litre). We have investigated each stage of the method and verified that changes in the enzyme pre-incubation stage do not improve the i.A values significantly. The solutions of creatine kinase contaming ATP and Mg2 and the creatinine amidohydrolase can be mixed in equal proportions before analysis and 100 MLofthis mixture used instead of 50 ML of each enzyme. This improves the precision of the method slightly, but the enzyme mixture is not stable for more than 4 h at either room temperature or 4 #{176}C. We have also investigated the alkaline-picrate reaction, using solutions containing picric acid ranging in concentration from 5.7 to 17.1 mmol/L and NaOH concentrations ranging from 88 to 408 mmol/L in the alkaline-picrate reagent. The concentration of Triton x-100 was unaltered in all the reagents. Analyses were performed on pooled serum samples as outlined before (1), with use of 100 ML of the enzyme mixture in the pre-incubation stage. We found that the A values with the al. kaline picrate reagent containing 11.4 mmol of picric acid and 88 mmol of NaOH per litre were 2.6 times greater than those obtained with the reagent containing 11.4 mmol ofpicric acid and 408 mmol of NaOH per litre. Since identical . A values are obtained when the picric acid concentration is increased (NaOH constant at 88 mmol/L), the use of more picric acid is not recommended. Neither the linearity nor the specificity of the method are affected by this modification. The coefficients of variation for within-run analyses were 3.5, 2.1, and 1.3% for creatinine concentrations of 50, 100, and 340 Mmol/L, respectively, with the alkaline picrate reagent containing 11.4 mmol picric acid and 88 mmol NaOH per litre, as compared with CVs of 7, 4.6, and 1.5% with the picrate reagent containing 11.4 mmol picric acid and 408 mmol NaOH per litre. The CV for within-day analyses and betweenday analyses improved from 4 and 6.5%, respectively, to 2.8 and 4%, respectively. Hence we recommend that the stock solution of picric acid (57 mmol/L) be diluted fivefold with 100 mmoIfL NaOH solution (or 110 mmol/L NaOH if the picric acid is not already alkalized).
Emerging Rickettsioses of the Thai-Myanmar Border

To investigate the presence of rickettsioses in rural residents of the central Thai-Myanmar border, we tested the blood of 46 patients with fever. Four patients had murine typhus, three patients had scrub typhus, and eight patients had spotted fever group rickettsioses, including the first case of Rickettsia felis infection reported in Asia.
Identifying Victims of Workplace Bullying by Integrating Traditional Estimation Approaches Into a Latent Class Cluster Model

Research findings underline the negative effects of exposure to bullying behaviors and document the detrimental health effects of being a victim of workplace bullying. While no one disputes its negative consequences, debate continues about the magnitude of this phenomenon since very different prevalence rates of workplace bullying have been reported. Methodological aspects may explain these findings. Our contribution to this debate integrates behavioral and self-labeling estimation methods of workplace bullying into a measurement model that constitutes a bullying typology. Results in the present sample (n = 1,619) revealed that six different groups can be distinguished according to the nature and intensity of reported bullying behaviors. These clusters portray different paths for the workplace bullying process, where negative work-related and person-degrading behaviors are strongly intertwined. The analysis of the external validity showed that integrating previous estimation methods into a single measurement latent class model provides a reliable estimation method of workplace bullying, which may overcome previous flaws.
The Effects of Defined Benefit Pension Incentives and Working Conditions on Teacher Retirement Decisions

The retirement behavior of Pennsylvania public school teachers in 199798 and 199899, a period when state early retirement incentives were temporarily increased, is modeled using a choice framework that emphasizes both pecuniary and nonpecuniary factors of the retirement decision under a defined benefit retirement plan. We find each to have large and statistically significant effects on the decision to retire. The present value of inflation-adjusted pension benefits of a public defined benefit plan is found to be an important and sizable determinant of retirement. A $1,000 (or .4 percent) increase in the real present value of pension benefits is estimated to increase the probability of retirement for female teachers by . 02 to . 08 percentage points; this implies an elasticity of retirement for female teachers with respect to the present value of real pensions of between 2.0 to 3.5. These estimated defined benefit pension elasticities for female teachers are higher than for male teachers, whose comparable retirement elasticity was 1.9 to 2.5. A $1,000 increase in current salary is found to reduce themean probability of retirement by . 1 percentage points, implying an elasticity of 1.4. Thus, substantial salary increases systematically reduce the probability of older teachers retiring.
Purification and partial characterization of the major outer membrane protein of Haemophilus somnus

We purified the major outer membrane protein (MOMP), which is the most abundant OMP (with an apparent molecular mass of 40 kDa), from Haemophilus somnus strain 8025. The method involves solubilization of the MOMP with Zwittergent 3-14 and further purification accomplished by ion-exchange and molecular-sieve chromatographies. The amino-terminal sequence of the MOMP showed considerable similarity to those of porin proteins from other gram-negative bacteria. The MOMP of H. somnus is immunogenic to rabbits and calves. Hyperimmune sera from rabbits and calves reacted with both the MOMP and lipopolysaccharides in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblot analysis. The rabbit antiserum to the MOMP was cross-reactive with whole-cell preparations from strains 8025, D1238, NT2301, and 540 at a band with a molecular mass of 40 kDa in immunoblot analysis, although the reactivity of the rabbit antiserum with strain 540 was lower than those with the other strains tested. Two murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the MOMP were developed. ELISA with the OMP fractions as the antigens showed that one MAb was cross-reactive with the four strains but that the other MAb was reactive with the three strains other than strain 540. These results indicate that the MOMP of H. somnus possesses at least two antigenic determinants and that the MOMP of strain 540 is antigenically different from those of the other strains. The antigenic heterogeneity of the H. somnus MOMP has implications regarding the development of a serotyping system with MAbs that is based on the MOMP epitopes.
Linking sandeel consumption and the likelihood of starvation in harbour porpoises in the Scottish North Sea: could climate change mean more starving porpoises?

Sandeels are known to be negatively affected by climate change in a number of ways. This study investigated whether these changes are affecting the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), a species which consumes sandeels. Porpoise diet was examined in spring (March–May), a critical time of year for survival when sandeels are important prey, from 1993 to 2001 to provide baseline information on the proportion of sandeels consumed. When data from spring 2002 and 2003 were compared to these baseline data, the diet was found to be substantially different, with a significant and substantially smaller proportion of sandeels being consumed in March and May. There were also differences in the number of porpoises starving between the two time periods (33% in spring 2002 and 2003 died of starvation, but only 5% in the baseline period). This suggests that a lower proportion of sandeels in the diet of porpoises in spring increases the likelihood of starvation. Therefore, we suggest that the negative effects of climate change on sandeel availability may have serious negative effects on harbour porpoise populations in the North Sea by increasing the likelihood of starvation in spring.
Combining region inference and garbage collection

This paper describes a memory discipline that combines region-based memory management and copying garbage collection by extending Cheney's copying garbage collection algorithm to work with regions. The paper presents empirical evidence that region inference very significantly reduces the number of garbage collections; and evidence that the fastest execution is obtained by using regions alone, without garbage collection. The memory discipline is implemented for Standard ML in the ML Kit compiler and measurements show that for a variety of benchmark programs, code generated by the compiler is as efficient, both with respect to execution time and memory usage, as programs compiled with Standard ML of New Jersey, another state-of-the-art Standard ML compiler.
Labeling Anaphes ovijentatus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae)., an Egg Parasite of Lygus spp. (Hemiptera: Miridae)., with Rubidium

The eggs of Lygus hesperus (Knight) were labeled with the element rubidium (Rb) by rearing the nymphs and maintaining the adults on diet with 100, 500, or 1,000 ppm rubidium chloride (RbCl). Anaphes ovijentatus (Crosby and Leonard), a parasite of Lygus spp. eggs, was marked with Rb concentrations above laboratory and field endogenous levels when reared from labeled eggs of Lygus adults fed diets with 500 and 1,000 ppm RbCI. Rb concentrations remained sufficiently high to distinguish labeled parasites from those collected in alfalfa fields for 4 d. The parasites that developed in eggs of L. hesperus reared on diet with 1,000 ppm RbCI tended to be shorter-lived and to produce fewer progeny than those from eggs of Lygus fed diets with lower concentrations, but only differences in longevity of males were statistically significant.
Aging and Mental Health

5. Beliefs about mental illness and willingness to seek help: A cross‐sectional study, D. 6. Improved quality of life and cognitive stimulation therapy in dementia, B. 7. Elderly depressed patients: What are their views on treatment options? , T. 9. Physical health and mental disorder in elderly suicide: A case‐control study, (Volume 9, issue 6, 2005) 10. Music interventions for people with dementia: a review of the literature, K.
Randomized phase II trial of erlotinib versus temozolomide or carmustine in recurrent glioblastoma: EORTC brain tumor group study 26034.

PURPOSE Approximately 50% of glioblastomas (GBMs) are characterized by overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and EGFR gene amplification. In approximately 25% of instances, constitutively activated EGFR mutants are present. These observations make EGFR-inhibiting drugs a logical approach for trials in recurrent GBM. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a randomized, controlled, phase II trial, 110 patients with progressive GBM after prior radiotherapy were randomly assigned to either erlotinib or a control arm that received treatment with either temozolomide or carmustine (BCNU). The primary end point was 6-month progression-free survival (PFS). Tumor specimens obtained at first surgery were investigated for EGFR expression; EGFRvIII mutants; EGFR amplification; EGFR mutations in exons 18, 19, and 21; and pAkt. These results were correlated with outcome. Pharmacokinetic analysis was part of the study. RESULTS; Treatment was well tolerated in general; skin toxicity was the most frequent adverse effect of erlotinib. The 6-month PFS rate in the erlotinib arm was 11.4% (95% CI, 4.6% to 21.5%), and it was 24% in the control arm. Of all explored biomarkers, only low pAkt expression appeared to be of borderline significance to an improved outcome. None of the eight patients who had tumors with EGFRvIII mutant presence and PTEN expression had 6-month PFS. The use of enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants significantly increased erlotinib clearance, but pharmacokinetic findings were not related to outcome. CONCLUSION Erlotinib has insufficient single-agent activity in unselected GBM. No clear biomarker associated with improved outcome to erlotinib was identified.
Accelerated Neural Evolution through Cooperatively Coevolved Synapses

Many complex control problems require sophisticated solutions that are not amenable to traditional controller design. Not only is it difficult to model real world systems, but often it is unclear what kind of behavior is required to solve the task. Reinforcement learning (RL) approaches have made progress by using direct interaction with the task environment, but have so far not scaled well to large state spaces and environments that are not fully observable. In recent years, neuroevolution, the artificial evolution of neural networks, has had remarkable success in tasks that exhibit these two properties. In this paper, we compare a neuroevolution method called Cooperative Synapse Neuroevolution (CoSyNE), that uses cooperative coevolution at the level of individual synaptic weights, to a broad range of reinforcement learning algorithms on very difficult versions of the pole balancing problem that involve large (continuous) state spaces and hidden state. CoSyNE is shown to be significantly more efficient and powerful than the other methods on these tasks.
Reflections of Elementary School Literacy Coaches on Practice: Roles and Perspectives

In this study, we examined the perceptions of Ontario elementary (primary K – 3 and junior 4 – 6) literacy coaches to determine their roles, beliefs, and practices. We inter‐ viewed thirteen literacy coaches working in one Ontario school board about their literacy coaching. All coaches interviewed were teachers with specialized experience working in a literacy intervention program in their school board. We identified three major topics in participants’ statements: coaches’ role, barriers to effective literacy coaching, and overcoming barriers. This research offers suggestions for change in practice and provides insight into the role of literacy coaching as a mode of profes‐ sional development in a Canadian urban centre.