Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cure Characteristics and Physico-Mechanical Properties of Natural Rubber Filled with the Seed Shells of Cherry (Chrysophyllum albidum)

The cure characteristics and the physico-mechanical properties of natural rubber, standard Nigerian rubber, SNR10 filled with cherry seed shell (CSS) and standard carbon black CB (N330) were determined. The results showed that the scorch, cure times and the maximum torque gradually increased with increasing filler content for CSS-filled natural rubber, but in the case of CB-filled natural rubber, the scorch and the cure times decreased while the maximum torque increased with increasing filler content. The tensile strength of both CSS and CB-filled vulcanizates increased to a maximum at 40 phr filler content before declining. The moduli (M100 and M300), specific gravity (S.G), hardness and abrasion resistance increased while the elongation at break and Dunlop resilience decreased with increasing filler content for both vulcanizates. The locally sourced CSS filler, had a lower reinforcement properties compared to the CB (N330) filler, probably due to its higher moisture content and larger particle size.
Deafness‐related decreases in glycine‐immunoreactive labeling in the rat cochlear nucleus

There is increasing evidence of activity‐related plasticity in auditory pathways. The present study examined the effects of decreased activity on immunolocalization of the inhibitory neurotransmitter glycine in the cochlear nucleus of the rat after bilateral cochlear ablation. Specifically, glycine‐immunoreactive puncta adjacent to somatic profiles were compared in normal hearing animals and animals deafened for 14 days. The number of glycine‐immunoreactive puncta surrounding somatic profiles of spherical and globular bushy cells, glycine‐immunoreactive type I stellate multipolar cells, radiate neurons (type II stellate multipolar cells), and fusiform cells decreased significantly. In addition, the number of glycine immunopositive tuberculoventral (vertical or corn) cells in the deep layer of the dorsal cochlear nucleus also decreased significantly. These results suggest that decreased inhibition reported in cochlear nucleus after deafness may be due to decreases in glycine. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Approach to Heterologous Expression of Membrane Proteins. The Case of Bacteriorhodopsin

Heterologous overexpression of functional membrane proteins is a major bottleneck of structural biology. Bacteriorhodopsin from Halobium salinarum (bR) is a striking example of the difficulties in membrane protein overexpression. We suggest a general approach with a finite number of steps which allows one to localize the underlying problem of poor expression of a membrane protein using bR as an example. Our approach is based on constructing chimeric proteins comprising parts of a protein of interest and complementary parts of a homologous protein demonstrating advantageous expression. This complementary protein approach allowed us to increase bR expression by two orders of magnitude through the introduction of two silent mutations into bR coding DNA. For the first time the high quality crystals of bR expressed in E. Coli were obtained using the produced protein. The crystals obtained with in meso nanovolume crystallization diffracted to 1.67 Å.
Maternal depressive symptoms and ratings of emotional disorder symptoms in children and adolescents.

This study uses information collected on two occasions from a probability sample of families with 8- to 12-year-old children (N = 718) participating in a general population study in 1983 and follow-up in 1987. It focuses on the association between maternal depressive symptoms and emotional disorder in children and adolescents, taking into consideration the influences of informant rating errors, contextual variables (economic disadvantage and family dysfunction), and child gender. Covariance structure analysis revealed a strong association between maternal depressive symptoms in girls (beta = .59 in 1983 and beta = .39 in 1987) but not in boys. This association is independent of the impact of contextual variables and the treatment of teacher rating errors. Among adolescent boys, maternal depressive symptoms are correlated with mother rating errors, suggesting the possible presence of maternal bias.
Neuroticism and ABO blood types

In an attempt to interpret previous findings of a higher incidence of blood phenotype A and a lower incidence of blood phenotype 0 in patients with either obsessive‐compulsive neurosis or hysteria, it was hypothesized that phenotype 0 might be associated with personality traits that render the individual less prone to developing neurotic symptoms. To test the validity of this hypothesis Form A of the Eysenck Personality Inventory was administered to 600 normal individuals and their ABO phenotype was determined.
DNA Damage in Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome Cells Leads to PARP Hyperactivation and Increased Oxidative Stress

Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome (NBS), an autosomal recessive genetic instability syndrome, is caused by hypomorphic mutation of the NBN gene, which codes for the protein nibrin. Nibrin is an integral member of the MRE11/RAD50/NBN (MRN) complex essential for processing DNA double-strand breaks. Cardinal features of NBS are immunodeficiency and an extremely high incidence of hematological malignancies. Recent studies in conditional null mutant mice have indicated disturbances in redox homeostasis due to impaired DSB processing. Clearly this could contribute to DNA damage, chromosomal instability, and cancer occurrence. Here we show, in the complete absence of nibrin in null mutant mouse cells, high levels of reactive oxygen species several hours after exposure to a mutagen. We show further that NBS patient cells, which unlike mouse null mutant cells have a truncated nibrin protein, also have high levels of reactive oxygen after DNA damage and that this increased oxidative stress is caused by depletion of NAD+ due to hyperactivation of the strand-break sensor, Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Both hyperactivation of Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and increased ROS levels were reversed by use of a specific Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor. The extremely high incidence of malignancy among NBS patients is the result of the combination of a primary DSB repair deficiency with secondary oxidative DNA damage.
Improved Reconstruction for MR Spectroscopic Imaging

Sensitivity limitations of in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) require that the extent of spatial-frequency (k-space) sampling be limited, thereby reducing spatial resolution and increasing the effects of Gibbs ringing that is associated with the use of Fourier transform reconstruction. Additional problems occur in the spectral dimension, where quantitation of individual spectral components is made more difficult by the typically low signal-to-noise ratios, variable lineshapes, and baseline distortions, particularly in areas of significant magnetic field inhomogeneity. Given the potential of in vivo MRSI measurements for a number of clinical and biomedical research applications, there is considerable interest in improving the quality of the metabolite image reconstructions. In this report, a reconstruction method is described that makes use of parametric modeling and MRI-derived tissue distribution functions to enhance the MRSI spatial reconstruction. Additional preprocessing steps are also proposed to avoid difficulties associated with image regions containing spectra of inadequate quality, which are commonly present in the in vivo MRSI data
Reduced levels of folate transporters (PCFT and RFC) in membrane lipid rafts result in colonic folate malabsorption in chronic alcoholism

We studied the effect of chronic ethanol ingestion on folate transport across the colonic apical membranes (CAM) in rats. Male Wistar rats were fed 1 g/kg body weight/day ethanol (20%) solution orally for 3 months and folate transport was studied in the isolated colon apical membrane vesicles. The folate transport was found to be carrier mediated, saturable, with pH optima at 5.0. Chronic ethanol ingestion reduced the folate transport across the CAM by decreasing the affinity of transporters (high Km) for the substrate and by decreasing the number of transporter molecules (low Vmax) on the colon luminal surface. The decreased transport activity at the CAM was associated with down‐regulation of the proton‐coupled folate transporter (PCFT) and the reduced folate carrier (RFC) which resulted in decreased PCFT and RFC protein levels in the colon of rats fed alcohol chronically. Moreover, the PCFT and the RFC were found to be distributed in detergent insoluble fraction of the CAM in rats. Floatation experiments on Optiprep density gradients demonstrated the association of the PCFT and the RFC protein with lipid rafts (LR). Chronic alcoholism decreased the PCFT and the RFC protein levels in the CAM LR in accordance with the decreased synthesis. Hence, we propose that downregulation in the expression of the PCFT and the RFC in colon results in reduced levels of these transporters in colon apical membrane LR as a mechanism of folate malabsorption during chronic alcoholism. J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 579–587, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cramer-Rao Bound Analog of Bayes' Rule [Lecture Notes]

The estimation of multiple parameters is a common task in signal processing. The Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) sets a statistical lower limit on the resulting errors when estimating parameters from a set of random observations. It can be understood as a fundamental measure of parameter uncertainty [1], [2]. As a general example, suppose denotes the vector of sought parameters and that the random observation model can be written as y = xi + w, (1) where xi is a function or signal parameterized by i and w is a zero-mean Gaussian noise vector. Then the CRB for i has the following notable properties: 1) For a fixed i, the CRB for i decreases as the dimension of y increases. 2) For a fixed y, if additional parameters i u are estimated, then the CRB for i increases as the dimension of i u increases. 3) If adding a set of observations yu requires estimating additional parameters, i u then the CRB for i decreases as the dimension of yu increases, provided the dimension of i u does not exceed that of yu [3]. This property implies both 1) and 2) above. 4) Among all possible distributions of w with a fixed covariance matrix, the CRB for i attains its maximum when w is Gaussian, i.e., the Gaussian scenario is the "worst case" for estimating θ [4]-[6].
Alginate fibres: an overview of the production processes and applications in wound management

Alginate fibers are made from sodium alginate, which is a natural polymer extracted from brown seaweeds. Over the last two decades, alginate fibers have become well established in the wound management industry where their ion-exchange and gel-forming abilities are particularly useful for the treatment of exuding wounds. In order to deliver functional performances for advanced wound management products, many improvements have been made in recent years to enhance the absorption and gel-forming capabilities and the anti-microbial properties of alginate fibers. In addition, attempts have been made to use alginate fibers as a carrier to deliver zinc, silver and other active ingredients that are beneficial to wound healing. This paper reviews the development in the production of various fibers from alginate, and summarizes the production processes for calcium alginate, calcium/sodium alginate, sodium alginate, zinc alginate, silver alginate and other types of alginate fibers containing novel functional ingredients. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry
Diagnosis of Metastatic Tumors in Cerebrospinal Fluid Samples Using Thin-Layer Cytology

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the application of ThinPrep liquid-based cytology (LBC) and present our experience using LBC in the diagnosis of metastatic tumors in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. STUDY DESIGN We examined 38 cytologic specimens of CSF, processed by ThinPrep technique. Of these, 18 presented with a previously diagnosed primary malignancy. Various immunocytochemical markers were performed. RESULTS ThinPrep technology provided preservation of cytomorphologic features, high cellularity per slide and clear background. Analysis revealed 8 breast carcinomas, 5 lung carcinomas, 4 lymphomas, 3 adenocarcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract, 1 squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix and 1 urinary bladder carcinoma. Fifteen samples were negative for malignancy. CONCLUSION CSF cytology is the only examination that verifies the presence of malignancy. Thin monolayer technology is suggested as an appropriate diagnostic method for metastatic tumors in CSF in everyday routine and seems to be a valuable tool for further management and planning of treatment.
BMP4 Was Associated with NSCL/P in an Asian Population

Background The Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 gene (BMP4) is located in chromosome 14q22-q23 which has shown evidence of linkage for isolated nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) in a genome wide linkage analysis of human multiplex families. BMP4 has been shown to play crucial roles in lip and palatal development in animal models. Several candidate gene association analyses also supported its potential risk for NSCL/P, however, results across these association studies have been inconsistent. The aim of the current study was to test for possible association between markers in and around the BMP4 gene and NSCL/P in Asian and Maryland trios. Methodology/Principal Findings Family Based Association Test was used to test for deviation from Mendelian assortment for 12 SNPs in and around BMP4. Nominal significant evidence of linkage and association was seen for three SNPs (rs10130587, rs2738265 and rs2761887) in 221 Asian trios and for one SNP (rs762642) in 76 Maryland trios. Statistical significance still held for rs10130587 after Bonferroni correction (corrected p = 0.019) among the Asian group. Estimated odds ratio for carrying the apparent high risk allele at this SNP was 1.61 (95%CI = 1.20, 2.18). Conclusions Our results provided further evidence of association between BMP4 and NSCL/P.
Evaluation of Hydrogen Embrittlement by Internal High-Pressure Hydrogen Environment in Specimen

A simple testing method for mechanical properties of materials in high-pressure hydrogen environments has been developed. This method does not require any high-pressure vessel but the high-pressure hydrogen environment is produced inside the hole in the specimen. The specimen temperature is easily controlled by outside environment. The effects of hydrogen environment embrittlement (HEE) for SUS304 and 304L at 298, 190, and 77 K were evaluated by the ratio of reduction of area obtained in tensile tests in hydrogen to that obtained in helium. The results of the evaluation by this testing method agreed fairly well with the results by the usual method using a high pressure vessel. The hole in the specimen was machined by electric discharge, wire-cut, and honing. The influence of surface roughness on HEE was compared among these processes and the wire-cut machining was found to be enough for this new method. Changes of HEE with temperature and fracture surface by hydrogen proved the usefulness of this new simple method.
QMeter Tools for Quality Measurement in Telecommunication Network

Call Quality is prevalent and widely used by carriers that transport the calls of telecom operators. But from end-users perspective call quality has been not taken very seriously until now and this is the reason for surge in GSM gateways which resulted in interconnect revenue loss and more importantly the call quality. This particular research developed as QMeter® is focussed to address and derive the call quality parameters from end-users perspective. The call parameters used in our research are Signal Strength, the successful call rate, normal drop call rate, handover drop rate. An attempt to visualize those parameters for better understanding of where the quality is bad with respect to various parameters proposed and implemented. To address the issues of quality in subscriber segment and satisfy its demand for quality of services, an alternative solution proposing the varying tariff based on call and bandwidth quality parameter is proposed. Call statistics for the bundles of ten calls and ten data sessions is proposed to better address the tariff redemption procedures. The proposed methods of quality measurement has been compared and correlated with subjective scores for hundreds of calls and the results show that our results are 85% on an average in correlation with subjective scores.
Phase 1 Phase 3 Phase 2 Development of business models Piloting and promotion Implementation and evaluation

As mobile technological capabilities advance, so does the search for new mobile business models and services. One new possibility is the broadcasting of ‘television’ to a mobile handset. This is known as DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting). We have explored this new technology and possible associated services under the auspices of INCCOMs (Integrated Cross-Media Customer Orientated Models) research – This is a European Commission 6th Framework project that gathers experience from organizations and research projects that deal with cross-media technology environments with the aim of proposing successful business models in the domain. In this paper we report preliminary results of a study that explored European (German) user’s requirements and perceptions for new Digital Multimedia Broadcasting services. We compare this with the results of a similar study that was conduced in a different geographical region (Korea), with different users. Our preliminary results show that, in general, users perceive a need for such new mobile services and are prepared to pay a premium for them. There also appear to be little differences in the perceived requirements of the different user groups (German and Korean).
Anchoring Bias in Recall Data: Evidence from Central America

&NA; Self‐reported retrospective survey data is widely used in empirical work but may be subject to cognitive biases, even over relatively short recall periods. This paper examines the role of anchoring bias in self‐reports of objective and subjective outcomes under recall. We use a unique panel‐survey dataset of smallholder farmers from four countries in Central America collected over a period of three years. We exploit differences between recalled and concurrent responses to quantify the degree of mental anchoring in survey recall data. We assess whether respondents use their reported value for the most recent period as a cognitive heuristic when recalling the value from a previous period, while controlling for the value they reported earlier. The results show strong evidence of sizeable anchoring bias in self‐reported retrospective indicators for both objective measures (income, wages, and working hours) and subjective measures (reports of happiness, health, stress, and well‐being). We also generally observe a larger bias in response to negative changes for objective indicators and a larger bias in response to positive changes for subjective indicators.
Randomized study of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation for high-risk lymphoid malignancies.

PURPOSE The aim of this prospective randomized trial was to examine the efficacy and safety of filgrastim after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT). PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with poor-risk non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or relapsed Hodgkin's disease were treated in a randomized, open-label trial to study the use of filgrastim as an adjunct to high-dose chemotherapy and ABMT. Of 43 assessable patients, 19 were randomized to receive filgrastim by continuous subcutaneous infusion at a dose of 10 micrograms/kg/d, 10 to filgrastim 20 micrograms/kg/d, and 14 to a parallel control group that received no filgrastim after ABMT. RESULTS For all filgrastim-treated patients analyzed together, the median time to neutrophil recovery > or = 0.5 x 10(9)/L after the day of ABMT was significantly accelerated to 10 days compared with 18 days in control patients (P = .0001). The median number of platelet transfusions was identical in both groups. Clinical parameters, including the median number of days with fever (1 v 4, P = .0418) and neutropenic fever (5 v 13.5, P = .0001) were significantly shorter in the filgrastim than in the control group. The number of days on intravenous antibiotics and duration of hospitalization were also shorter in the treated groups; however, the differences did not reach statistical significance. For patients treated with the two different dose levels of filgrastim, the neutrophil recovery and clinical results were similar. Filgrastim-associated toxicity appeared to be minimal, with five adverse events considered at least possibly related to filgrastim: two in the higher-dose group and three in the lower-dose group. All of these were rated moderate, except one case of severe bone pain that did not preclude continued filgrastim treatment at a lower dose. Survival and relapse-free survival were similar for control and filgrastim-treated patients. CONCLUSION Taken together, the results of this first randomized study support the role of filgrastim given as an adjunct to ABMT in accelerating neutrophil recovery, as well as in reducing treatment-related morbidity and overall duration of the treatment procedure.
Lidar-assisted wind turbine feedforward torque controller design below rated

Two below-rated feedforward torque control strategies are investigated for a megawatt-scale commercial turbine to regulate rotor speed and reduce turbine structural loads. The investigated regime for this research is the transition region when the turbine is operating just below rated wind speed. In this transition region, the rotor speed has reached its rated value but the generator torque has not. The first of the two controllers designed is a nonlinear feedforward controller that is based on aerodynamic torque balance computed from a light detection and ranging (lidar) measurement and a feedback power measurement from the turbine. A linear disturbance accommodating control (DAC) based torque controller has also been adapted and compared with the nonlinear control strategy. This DAC depends only on the lidar feedforward measurement without using feedback measurement from the turbine. The controllers are verified with a nonlinear FAST turbine model and turbulent wind fields.