Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unsupervised image ranking

In the paper, we propose and test an unsupervised approach for image ranking. Prior solutions are based on image content and the similarity graph connecting images. We generalize this idea by directly estimating the likelihood of each photo in a feature space. We hypothesize the photos at the peaks of this distribution are the most likely photos for any given category and therefore these images are the most representative. Our approach is unsupervised and allows for various feature modalities. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach using both visual-content-based and tag-based features. The experimental evaluation shows that the presented model outperforms baseline approaches. Moreover, the performance of our method will only get better with time as more images move online and it is thus possible to build more detailed models based on the approach presented here.
Retrospective analysis: are fever and altered mental status indications for lumbar puncture in a hospitalized patient who has not undergone neurosurgery?

Although nosocomial meningitis is rare in nonsurgical patients, lumbar punctures are frequently performed on hospitalized medical patients who develop delirium and/or fever. A retrospective review was undertaken to determine the yield of lumbar puncture in this setting and to compare it with the yield for suspected community-acquired meningitis. Of 232 lumbar punctures studied, 51 (22%) were performed to rule out nosocomial meningitis, while 181 (78%) were done to rule out community-acquired meningitis. No lumbar puncture performed for suspected nosocomial meningitis was positive, while results of 26 (14%) of those done for suspected community-acquired meningitis were abnormal (P < .01). Patients whose lumbar punctures were positive more often had headache or meningeal signs than those whose lumbar punctures were negative, and only 11 patients (22%) who had lumbar punctures performed for suspected nosocomial meningitis had headache or meningeal signs. We conclude that lumbar punctures performed for suspected nosocomial meningitis in nonsurgical patients have a low yield and that in some low-risk patients without headache or meningeal signs, lumbar puncture may be unnecessary.
Investigation on cross- and multilingual MLP features under matched and mismatched acoustical conditions

In this paper, Multi Layer Perceptron (MLP) based multilingual bottleneck features are investigated for acoustic modeling in three languages - German, French, and US English. We use a modified training algorithm to handle the multilingual training scenario without having to explicitly map the phonemes to a common phoneme set. Furthermore, the cross-lingual portability of bottleneck features between the three languages are also investigated. Single pass recognition experiments on large vocabulary SMS dictation task indicate that (1) multilingual bottleneck features yield significantly lower word error rates compared to standard MFCC features (2) multilingual bottleneck features are superior to monolingual bottleneck features trained for the target language with limited training data, and (3) multilingual bottleneck features are beneficial in training acoustic models in a low resource language where only mismatched training data is available-by exploiting the more matched training data from other languages.
A Structural Basis for Cellular Uptake of GST-Fold Proteins

It has recently emerged that glutathione transferase enzymes (GSTs) and other structurally related molecules can be translocated from the external medium into many different cell types. In this study we aim to explore in detail, the structural features that govern cell translocation and by dissecting the human GST enzyme GSTM2-2 we quantatively demonstrate that the α-helical C-terminal domain (GST-C) is responsible for this property. Attempts to further examine the constituent helices within GST-C resulted in a reduction in cell translocation efficiency, indicating that the intrinsic GST-C domain structure is necessary for maximal cell translocation capacity. In particular, it was noted that the α-6 helix of GST-C plays a stabilising role in the fold of this domain. By destabilising the conformation of GST-C, an increase in cell translocation efficiency of up to ∼2-fold was observed. The structural stability profiles of these protein constructs have been investigated by circular dichroism and differential scanning fluorimetry measurements and found to impact upon their cell translocation efficiency. These experiments suggest that the globular, helical domain in the ‘GST-fold’ structural motif plays a role in influencing cellular uptake, and that changes that affect the conformational stability of GST-C can significantly influence cell translocation efficiency.
The effect of zinc sulfate in the prevention of high‐dose chemotherapy‐induced mucositis: a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral zinc sulfate in the prevention of chemotherapy‐induced mucositis in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem‐cell transplantation (HSCT). This study was a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled design, with 60 patients undergoing HSCT, divided proportionally in experimental group who received zinc sulfate, and in placebo group. They all had received high‐dose chemotherapy conditioning regimen for allogenic transplantation. Oral mucositis assessed was based on World Health Organization (WHO) oral mucositis scale. There were no significant differences in the development of mucositis between the two groups. Severity of mucositis was not significantly different between the two groups either. The same result was obtained regarding the duration of mucositis. Zinc sulfate did not show any significant adverse effects in experimental group. In conclusion, Zinc sulfate did not have any clinical benefits in prevention or reduction of severity, and duration of high‐dose chemotherapy‐induced mucositis in patients undergoing HSCT. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Negativity towards negative results: a discussion of the disconnect between scientific worth and scientific culture

ABSTRACT Science is often romanticised as a flawless system of knowledge building, where scientists work together to systematically find answers. In reality, this is not always the case. Dissemination of results are straightforward when the findings are positive, but what happens when you obtain results that support the null hypothesis, or do not fit with the current scientific thinking? In this Editorial, we discuss the issues surrounding publication bias and the difficulty in communicating negative results. Negative findings are a valuable component of the scientific literature because they force us to critically evaluate and validate our current thinking, and fundamentally move us towards unabridged science.
The Open Learning Initiative: Measuring the Effectiveness of the OLI Statistics Course in Accelerating Student Learning.

The Open Learning Initiative (OLI) is an open educational resources project at Carnegie Mellon University that began in 2002 with a grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. OLI creates web-based courses that are designed so that students can learn effectively without an instructor. In addition, the courses are often used by instructors to support and complement face-to-face classroom instruction. Our evaluation efforts have investigated OLI coursesâ€™ effectiveness in both of these instructional modes â€“ stand-alone and hybrid. This report documents several learning effectiveness studies that were focused on the OLI-Statistics course and conducted during Fall 2005, Spring 2006, and Spring 2007. During the Fall 2005 and Spring 2006 studies, we collected empirical data about the instructional effectiveness of the OLI-Statistics course in stand-alone mode, as compared to traditional instruction. In both of these studies, in-class exam scores showed no significant difference between students in the stand-alone OLI-Statistics course and students in the traditional instructor-led course. In contrast, during the Spring 2007 study, we explored an accelerated learning hypothesis, namely, that learners using the OLI course in hybrid mode will learn the same amount of material in a significantly shorter period of time with equal learning gains, as compared to students in traditional instruction. In this study, results showed that OLI-Statistics students learned a full semesterâ€™s worth of material in half as much time and performed as well or better than students learning from traditional instruction over a full semester. Editor: Stephen Godwin (Open University, UK). Reviewers: Tim de Jong (Open University, NL), Elia Tomadaki (Open University, UK), and Stephen Godwin (Open University, UK). Interactive elements: A demonstration of the StatTutor statistics tutorial is available for playback from http://jime.open. ac.uk/2008/14/stattutor_tour/ . The demonstration is in Flash format. http://jime.open. ac.uk/2008/14/stattutor_tour/
Love or Money? The Effects of Owner Motivation in the California Wine Industry

Many industries are characterized by heterogeneous objectives on the part of firm owners. Owners of private firms, in particular, are likely to maximize utility, rather than profits. In this paper, we model and measure motivations of owners in on particular industry, the California wine industry. In both a formal model and an empirical analysis, we examine the implications of these motivations for market behavior. We find evidence that owners with strong non-financial motivations choose higher prices for their wines, controlling for quality; owners with strong profit-maximizing motives choose lower prices for their wines, controlling for quality. We also find that utility-maximizers are more likely to locate at the higher end of the quality spectrum, whereas profit-maximizers are more likely to locate at the lower end. We explore how the presence of a significant number of utility maximizers within an industry affects the competitive interactions within that industry. We conclude that some winery owners 'consume' features of their product or business as a substitute for profits and, in the process, provide softer price competition for for-profits. Additionally, in aggregate, their preference for quality can prevent entry into the high-quality segment on the part of profit-maximizing firms.
Activities of the Triazole Derivative SCH 56592 (Posaconazole) against Drug-Resistant Strains of the Protozoan ParasiteTrypanosoma (Schizotrypanum) cruzi in Immunocompetent and Immunosuppressed Murine Hosts

ABSTRACT We have studied the in vivo activity of the new experimental triazole derivative SCH 56592 (posaconazole) against a variety of strains of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma(Schizotrypanum) cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease, in both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed murine hosts. The T. cruzi strains used in the study were previously characterized as susceptible (CL), partially resistant (Y), or highly resistant (Colombiana, SC-28, and VL-10) to the drugs currently in clinical use, nifurtimox and benznidazole. Furthermore, all strains are completely resistant to conventional antifungal azoles, such as ketoconazole. In the first study, acute infections with the CL, Y, and Colombiana strains in both normal and cyclophosphamide-immunosuppressed mice were treated orally, starting 4 days postinfection (p.i.), for 20 consecutive daily doses. The results indicated that in immunocompetent animals SCH 56592 at 20 mg/kg of body weight/day provided protection (80 to 90%) against death caused by all strains, a level comparable or superior to that provided by the optimal dose of benznidazole (100 mg/kg/day). Evaluation of parasitological cure revealed that SCH 56592 was able to cure 90 to 100% of the surviving animals infected with the CL and Y strains and 50% of those which received the benznidazole- and nifurtimox-resistant Colombiana strain. Immunosuppression markedly reduced the mean survival time of untreated mice infected with any of the strains, but this was not observed for the groups which received SCH 56592 at 20 mg/kg/day or benznidazole at 100 mg/kg/day. However, the overall cure rates were higher for animals treated with SCH 56592 than among those treated with benznidazole. The results were confirmed in a second study, using the same model but a longer (43-dose) treatment period. Finally, a model for the chronic disease in which oral treatment was started 120 days p.i. and consisted of 20 daily consecutive doses was investigated. The results showed that SCH 56592 at 20 mg/kg/day was able to induce a statistically significant increase in survival of animals infected with all strains, while benznidazole at 100 mg/kg/day was able to increase survival only in animals infected with the Colombiana strain. Moreover, the triazole was able to induce parasitological cures in 50 to 60% of surviving animals, irrespective of the infecting strain, while no cures were obtained with benznidazole. Taken together, the results demonstrate that SCH 56592 has in vivo trypanocidal activity, even against T. cruzistrains naturally resistant to nitrofurans, nitroimidazoles, and conventional antifungal azoles, and that this activity is retained to a large extent in immunosuppressed hosts.
Explaining delusions of control : a comparison of motor related neuronal activation during and after acute psychosis

Background: Delusions and hallucinations are classic positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Contemporary cognitive theories suggest that the misattribution of self-generated actions may underlie these symptoms. However, there are very few longitudinal functional imaging studies investigating neural activation associated with change in symptoms. Design and Results: We studied brain activation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a motor task in 11 patients with schizophrenia and 9 healthy controls. The patient group was tested at two time points separated by 6-8 weeks. At initial testing, the patient group had a mean Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale score of 56.3, and showed significantly increased activation within the left inferior parietal lobe (IPL) compared to controls. Patients reported significantly decreased positive symptoms at 6-8 week followup and IPL activation had returned to normal. Our results demonstrate that first-rank positive symptoms are associated with hyperactivation in the secondary somatosensory cortex (IPL). Conclusions: These findings lend further credence to the theory that a dysfunction in the sensory feedback system underlying our sense of agency may contribute to the aetiology of first-rank symptoms.
The visual pigments of a deep-sea teleost, the pearl eye Scopelarchus analis

SUMMARY The eyes of deep-sea fish have evolved to function under vastly reduced light conditions compared to those that inhabit surface waters. This has led to a bathochromatic shift in the spectral location of maximum absorbance (λmax) of their rod (RH1) pigments and the loss of cone photoreceptors. There are exceptions to this, however, as demonstrated by the deep-sea pearl eye Scopelarchus analis. Here we show the presence of two RH1 pigments (termed RH1A and RH1B) and a cone RH2 pigment. This is therefore the first time that the presence of a cone pigment in a deep-sea fish has been confirmed by molecular analysis. The λmax values of the RH1A and RH1B pigments at 486 and 479 nm, respectively, have been determined by in vitro expression of the recombinant opsins and show the typical short-wave shifts of fish that live in deep water compared to surface dwellers. RH1B, however, is expressed only in more adult fish and lacks key residues for phosphorylation, indicating that it may not be involved in image formation. In contrast, the RH2 pigment has additional residues near the C terminus that may be involved in phosphorylation and does not show temporal changes in expression. The distribution of these pigments within the multiple retinae of S. analis is discussed.
CD82 Blocks cMet Activation and Overcomes Hepatocyte Growth Factor Effects on Oligodendrocyte Precursor Differentiation

Mechanisms that regulate oligodendrocyte (OL) precursor migration and differentiation are important in normal development and in demyelinating/remyelinating conditions. We previously found that the tetraspanin CD82 is far more highly expressed in O4+ OL precursors of the adult rat brain than those of the neonatal brain. CD82 has been physically linked to cMet, the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptor, in tumor cells, and this interaction decreases downstream signaling. We show here that CD82 inhibits the HGF activation of cMet in neonatal and adult rat OL precursors. CD82 expression is sufficient to allow precursor differentiation into mature OLs even in the presence of HGF. In contrast, CD82 downregulation in adult O4+/CD82+ cells inhibits their differentiation, decreases their accumulation of myelin proteins, and causes a reversion to less mature stages. CD82 expression in neonatal O4+/CD82− cells also blocks Rac1 activation, suggesting a possible regulatory effect on cytoskeletal organization and mobility. Thus, CD82 is a negative regulator of HGF/cMet during OL development and overcomes HGF inhibitory regulation of OL precursor maturation.
Antiproteinuric Effect of Losartan in Non-Diabetic Renal Disease Is Not Dependent on ACE Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism

Background: The antiproteinuric effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors appears to vary depending on the ACE insertion (I)/deletion (D) genotype in non-diabetic nephropathy. This interaction may be overcome by using an angiotensin II receptor blocker. We evaluated the short-term antiproteinuric effect of losartan according to the ACE I/D genotype in patients with non-diabetic proteinuric renal diseases. Methods: Ninety-nine (II/ID/DD: 36/52/11) non-diabetic patients with overt proteinuria were enrolled. The patients received losartan 50 mg daily followed by 100 mg in two treatment periods each lasting 12 weeks. Clinical parameters including proteinuria were measured at baseline and at the end of each period. Results: At baseline each genotype (II/ID/DD) had comparable mean arterial blood pressure (mean ± SD) 103.2 ± 11.1/102.7 ± 10.6/104.1 ± 15.3; proteinuria (geometric mean, 95% CI, mg/day) 1,839 (1,518–2,227)/1,998 (1,683–2,372)/1,613 (1,072–2,427), and creatinine clearance (ml/min/1.73 m2) 65.7 ± 28.4/63.2 ± 27.8/68.8 ± 25.3, respectively. Both doses of losartan significantly lowered blood pressure and proteinuria (p < 0.05 vs. baseline), and losartan 100 mg was more effective than 50 mg in reducing proteinuria (52.5 ± 29.0 vs. 40.5 ± 30.8%, respectively, p = 0.001). No differences in the antiproteinuric effect of losartan was observed among the ACE I/D genotype. Losartan 100 mg demonstrated a comparable degree of mean arterial pressure (mean ± SD, %) (II/ID/DD, 13.3 ± 7.6/10.8 ± 9.8/13.0 ± 11.6, respectively, p = NS) and proteinuria reduction (mean, 95% CI) among the three genotypes (51.4% (40.3–62.5%)/53.4% (45.5–61.4%)/51.4% (40.0–63.8%), respectively, p = NS). Conclusion: Our data suggest that losartan provides a similar short-term antiproteinuric response for all three genotypes of ACE I/D genotype in non-diabetic proteinuric chronic renal disease.
Density of Multipoint Relays in Dense Wireless Multi-hop Networks

Multipoint relays (MPRs) support efficient flooding of topology control messages in OLSR. Since the shortest path is constructed as a sequence of MPRs, MPRs are the nodes of the backbone network. In this paper, we explore dense wireless multi-hop networks, and analyze the density of MPRs in such networks. We explain three properties to increase the number of MPRs: (1) each MPR is far from its selector, (2) MPRs of a node are close to each other, and (3) even if two nodes are close to each other, they tend to select different MPRs, in dense networks. These properties make the density of MPRs high. Concerning the third property, we explain a non-distributed MPR selection algorithm, to show the chance to select the same MPRs with neighbors. Finally, we measure the MPR ratio and the routing overhead of topology control messages, in dense wireless multi-hop networks by simulation.
HGVbaseG2P: a central genetic association database

The Human Genome Variation database of Genotype to Phenotype information (HGVbaseG2P) is a new central database for summary-level findings produced by human genetic association studies, both large and small. Such a database is needed so that researchers have an easy way to access all the available association study data relevant to their genes, genome regions or diseases of interest. Such a depository will allow true positive signals to be more readily distinguished from false positives (type I error) that fail to consistently replicate. In this paper we describe how HGVbaseG2P has been constructed, and how its data are gathered and organized. We present a range of user-friendly but powerful website tools for searching, browsing and visualizing G2P study findings. HGVbaseG2P is available at http://www.hgvbaseg2p. org.
Structure, Composition and Diversity of Degraded Dry Tropical Forest in Balamdi Watershed of Chhattisgarh Plain, India

Abstract Pattern of structure, composition and diversity of woody vegetation in over and under storey degraded Dry Tropical Forest of Chhattisgarh, India was evaluated in four different aspects. The density, frequency, basal area and IVI alongwith diversity indices viz. Shannon index, Simpson index, Species richness, Equitability and Beta diversity were computed to see the variation in plant community. The study illustrated the variation in tree species from 6 (eastern aspect) to 9 (southern aspect) in overstorey and 5 (eastern and western aspect) to 9 (southern aspect) in understoried forest. The Cleistanthus collinus with highest IVI value in northern (52.52) and western aspect (59.90), Boswellia serrata in southern (48.98) and Terminalia alata in eastern aspect (56.16) were the predominant tree species in overstorey vegetation. The highest IVI of Diospyros melanoxylon (64.80) in northern, Boswellia serrata and Madhuca indica (both with 39.15) in southern, Madhuca indica (71.40) in eastern and Cleistanthus collinus (75.15) in western aspect recorded predominant vegetation layer in the understorey of dgraded forest. The Shannon index, Simpson’s index, Species richness, Equitability and Beta diversity values were almost higher in overstorey as compared to understorey as a result; the present study reveals the poor regeneration pattern in the degraded forest.
Genetic polymorphism and clinical outcome: identification of individuals at risk of a poor clinical outcome

Susceptibility and outcome in complex disorders such as asthma and cancer appear to be determined, at least in part, by genetic polymorphism. However, while our ability to identify new allelic variants and study them in case and control populations has greatly improved, considerable difficulties remain in elucidating how many genes determine particular clinical phenotypes. This is because most studies have concentrated on study of single genes in relatively small study groups. The important issues of gene–gene interactions (epistasis) and high‐risk subgroups have not yet been adequately addressed. We now describe a general approach, using patients with head and neck cancers as an example. Our purpose is to demonstrate candidate gene selection, statistical approaches, and identification of patient subgroups.