Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human and experimental evidence supporting a role for osteopontin in alcoholic hepatitis

We identified, in the transcriptome analysis of patients with alcoholic hepatitis (AH), osteopontin (OPN) as one of the most up‐regulated genes. Here, we used a translational approach to investigate its pathogenic role. OPN hepatic gene expression was quantified in patients with AH and other liver diseases. OPN protein expression and processing were assessed by immmunohistochemistry, western blotting and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. OPN gene polymorphisms were evaluated in patients with alcoholic liver disease. The role of OPN was evaluated in OPN−/− mice with alcohol‐induced liver injury. OPN biological actions were studied in human hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and in precision‐cut liver slices. Hepatic expression and serum levels of OPN were markedly increased in AH, compared to normal livers and other types of chronic liver diseases, and correlated with short‐term survival. Serum levels of OPN also correlated with hepatic expression and disease severity. OPN was mainly expressed in areas with inflammation and fibrosis. Two proteases that process OPN (thrombin and matrix metalloproteinase 7) and cleaved OPN were increased in livers with AH. Patients with AH had a tendency of a lower frequency of the CC genotype of the +1239C single‐nucleotide polymorphism of the OPN gene, compared to patients with alcohol abuse without liver disease. Importantly, OPN−/− mice were protected against alcohol‐induced liver injury and showed decreased expression of inflammatory cytokines. Finally, OPN was induced by lipopolysaccharide and stimulated inflammatory actions in HSCs. Conclusion: Human and experimental data suggest a role for OPN in the pathogenesis of AH. Further studies should evaluate OPN as a potential therapeutic target. (Hepatology 2013;58:1742–1756)
Susceptibility of mouse skeletal muscles to exercise injuries

The susceptibility to exercise‐induced myopathy was studied by histological and biochemical methods in various skeletal muscles of mice 3–4 days after a single bout of prolonged running. The degree of exercise injuries varied greatly in different muscles. Soleus and the red deep parts of quadriceps femoris were the most severely affected muscles. Extensive or scattered necrosis of muscle fibers was associated with focal inflammation and a five‐ to nine‐fold increase in the activity of β‐glucuronidase in these muscles. Slight necrotic changes and a two‐ to three‐fold increase in the activity of β‐glucuronidase were observed in tibialis anterior, plantaris, and the red deep parts of gastrocnemius. A statistically significant increase in β‐glucuronidase activity was also observed in the white distal part of quadriceps femoris, biceps femoris, gracilis, extensor digitorum longus, and peroneal muscles but necrotic lesions were infrequent in these muscles. The degree of exercise injuries is probably affected by the different recruitment of muscles during running and by the anatomical location of muscles in separate compartments, which could expose them to differnt levels of ischemic compression by postexercise edema.
BAM! The Behance Artistic Media Dataset for Recognition Beyond Photography

Computer vision systems are designed to work well within the context of everyday photography. However, artists often render the world around them in ways that do not resemble photographs. Artwork produced by people is not constrained to mimic the physical world, making it more challenging for machines to recognize. ,,This work is a step toward teaching machines how to categorize images in ways that are valuable to humans. First, we collect a large-scale dataset of contemporary artwork from Behance, a website containing millions of portfolios from professional and commercial artists. We annotate Behance imagery with rich attribute labels for content, emotions, and artistic media. Furthermore, we carry out baseline experiments to show the value of this dataset for artistic style prediction, for improving the generality of existing object classifiers, and for the study of visual domain adaptation. We believe our Behance Artistic Media dataset will be a good starting point for researchers wishing to study artistic imagery and relevant problems. This dataset can be found at https://bam-dataset.org/
Terahertz Frequency-Domain Spectroscopy Method for Vector Characterization of Liquid Using an Artificial Dielectric

A device for performing vector transmission spectroscopy on aqueous and polar solvent specimens at terahertz frequencies is presented. The device works on the principle of artificial dielectric birefringence by making a microfluidic grating in silicon. The device enables the direct measurement of the complex dielectric function of a liquid, across a wide terahertz band using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Characterization data from a range of liquid specimens, including alcohol, acetone, hydrogen peroxide and whiskies are presented. Using microfluidic sampling, specimen handling is straightforward and direct measurements on strongly terahertz absorbing solvents are possible. The method is scalable to longer or shorter wavelengths.
Sleep control for base stations powered by heterogeneous energy sources

This paper considers a cellular network with base stations (BSs) powered by heterogeneous energy sources, i.e., besides conventional BSs connected to the power grid, some BSs are purely powered by the renewable energy. BS sleep is introduced not only to save grid power, but also to store renewable energy for future use when the temporal traffic variation does not match with the energy arrivals. The challenge of the BS sleep control lies in the possible energy outage of those BS powered by the renewable energy, and this will lead to network coverage hole and thus severely affect the service quality. The optimal sleep policy is obtained through dynamic programming, and due to its high complexity, we further propose a simple heuristic algorithm. By simulations, we evaluate and compare the proposed algorithms with a greedy scheme that utilizes renewable energy whenever possible, and show that the greedy scheme can lead to severe energy outage, while our algorithms wisely store harvested energy through BS sleep.
Flexible and Rigid Cystoscopy in Women

Purpose: Previous studies have evaluated the tolerability of rigid versus flexible cystoscopy in men. Similar studies, however, have not been performed in women. We sought to determine whether office-based flexible cystoscopy was better tolerated than rigid cystoscopy in women. Materials and Methods: Following full IRB approval, women were prospectively randomized in a single-blind manner. Patients were randomized to flexible or rigid cystoscopy and draped in the lithotomy position to maintain blinding of the study. Questionnaires evaluated discomfort before, during, and after cystoscopy. Results: Thirty-six women were randomized to flexible (18) or rigid (18) cystoscopy. Indications were surveillance (16), hematuria (15), recurrent UTIs (2), voiding dysfunction (1), and other (2). All questionnaires were returned by 31/36 women. Using a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS), median discomfort during the procedure for flexible and rigid cystoscopy were 1.4 and 1.8, respectively, in patients perceiving pain. Median recalled pain 1 week later was similar at 0.8 and 1.15, respectively. None of these differences were statistically significant. Conclusions: Flexible and rigid cystoscopy are well tolerated in women. Discomfort during and after the procedure is minimal in both groups. Urologists should perform either procedure in women based on their preference and skill level.
Characterization of municipal solid waste in high-altitude sub-tropical regions

ABSTRACT Solid waste management (SWM) is one of the most challenging issues owing to lack of authentic data on different elements of SWM, namely, storage, collection, transportation, separation, processing and disposal. This study presents an assessment of existing status of SWM in conjunction with municipal solid waste (MSW) generation rates, physical and chemical characterization of MSW in high-altitude sub-tropical regions. Weighing of empty and fully loaded trucks per trip revealed total quantity of MSW collected. The average efficiency of MSW collection was 70%. From the baseline data, it is inferred that the population and MSW generation rates are not co-related. The collected MSW included biodegradables (organic wastes), paper, plastic, glass, ceramics, metals, inert materials, ash and debris. The data analysis indicated that the biodegradable components dominate the characterization at 54.83% followed by inert, ash and debris at 21.06%, paper at 8.77%, plastic at 8.18%, glass and ceramics at 4.45% and metals at 2.71%. Statistical measures were also applied and 90% confidence interval (CI) was generated for the characterization data measuring its statistical significance.
Detection of the Diversity of Cytoplasmic Male Sterility Sources in Broccoli (Brassica Oleracea var. Italica) Using Mitochondrial Markers

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) is an important commercial vegetable crop. As part of an efficient pollination system, cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) has been widely used for broccoli hybrid production. Identifying the original sources of CMS in broccoli accessions has become an important part of broccoli breeding. In this study, the diversity of the CMS sources of 39 broccoli accessions, including 19 CMS lines and 20 hybrids, were analyzed using mitochondrial markers. All CMS accessions contained the ogu orf138-related DNA fragment and the key genes of nap CMS, pol CMS, and tour CMS were not detected. The 39 CMS accessions were divided into five groups using six orf138-related and two simple sequence repeat markers. We observed that ogu CMS R3 constituted 79.49% of the CMS sources. CMS6 and CMS26 were differentiated from the other accessions using a specific primer. CMS32 was distinguished from the other accessions based on a 78-nucleotide deletion at the same locus as the orf138-related sequence. When the coefficient was about 0.90, five CMS accessions (13CMS6, 13CMS23, 13CMS24, 13CMS37, and 13CMS39) exhibiting abnormal floral organs with poor seed setting were grouped together. The polymerase chain reaction amplification profiles for these five accessions differed from those of the other accessions. We identified eight useful molecular markers that can be used to detect CMS types during broccoli breeding. Our data also provide important information relevant to future studies on the possible origins and molecular mechanisms of CMS in broccoli.
A Study of English Writing and Domain-Specific Motivation and Self-Efficacy of Chinese EFL Learners

This paper aims to analyze the relationships between English writing and domain-specific motivation and self-efficacy of Chinese EFL learners. 66 English major students from two grades were invited as participants to complete a writing task and two self-designed questionnaires on English writing motivation and self-efficacy, respectively. It was found that the students were largely not self-efficacious with respect to English writing although they had a relatively high motivation for English writing. The results of correlation analyses indicated that English writing motivation, self-efficacy and English writing proficiency positively and significantly correlated with each other for English major freshmen, but not for sophomores. Moreover, the two groups of students differed significantly in terms of English writing proficiency, English writing self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. These results are partially consistent with those of the previous research and have important implications for the teaching of English writing in EFL countries.
The size, burden and cost of disorders of the brain in the UK

Aim: The aim of this paper is to increase awareness of the prevalence and cost of psychiatric and neurological disorders (brain disorders) in the UK. Method: UK data for 18 brain disorders were extracted from a systematic review of European epidemiological data and prevalence rates and the costs of each disorder were summarized (2010 values). Results: There were approximately 45 million cases of brain disorders in the UK, with a cost of €134 billion per annum. The most prevalent were headache, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, mood disorders and somatoform disorders. However, the five most costly disorders (€ million) were: dementia: €22,164; psychotic disorders: €16,717; mood disorders: €19,238; addiction: €11,719; anxiety disorders: €11,687. Apart from psychosis, these five disorders ranked amongst those with the lowest direct medical expenditure per subject (<€3000). The approximate breakdown of costs was: 50% indirect costs, 25% direct non-medical and 25% direct healthcare costs. Discussion: The prevalence and cost of UK brain disorders is likely to increase given the ageing population. Translational neurosciences research has the potential to develop more effective treatments but is underfunded. Addressing the clinical and economic challenges posed by brain disorders requires a coordinated effort at an EU and national level to transform the current scientific, healthcare and educational agenda.
The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey: The bias of galaxies and the density of the Universe

We compute the bispectrum of the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS) and use it to measure the bias parameter of the galaxies. This parameter quantifies the strength of clustering of the galaxies relative to the mass in the Universe. By analysing 80 x 10 6 triangle configurations in the wavenumber range 0.1 < k < 0.5 h Mpc - 1 (i.e. on scales roughly between 5 and 30 h - 1 Mpc) we find that the linear bias parameter is consistent with unity: b 1 = 1.04 ′ 0.11, and the quadratic (non-linear) bias is consistent with zero: b 2 = -0.054 ′ 0.08. Thus, at least on large scales, optically selected galaxies do indeed trace the underlying mass distribution. The bias parameter can be combined with the 2dFGRS measurement of the redshift distortion parameter β ≃ Ω 0 . 6 m /b 1 , to yield Ωm = 0.27 ′0.06 for the matter density of the Universe, a result that is determined entirely from this survey, independent of other data sets. Our measurement of the matter density of the Universe should be interpreted as Ω m at the effective redshift of the survey (z = 0.17).
Acute tryptophan depletion in schizophrenia

Background. Brain 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) function is implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and the action of new generation antipsychotic drugs. By the method of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) 5-HT can be selectively manipulated. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of ATD on symptoms, mood and cognition in schizophrenic patients. Methods. Twenty-eight schizophrenic patients participated in a within subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled counterbalanced cross-over study. Patients with a concurrent DSM-IV axis I diagnosis were excluded. Symptoms, mood and cognitive function were evaluated following ATD or ingestion of a control drink. Results. The depleting drink significantly reduced plasma total and free tryptophan. Tryptophan/LNAA ratios did not alter with the administration of the control drink, but differed significantly with ATD; however there was no significant change in tyrosine/LNAA ratio. ATD led to impairment in executive function that was dependent upon the order of administration. Tests of sustained attention, speed of processing, and everyday memory were not affected. No effects were observed on subjective mood ratings, movement disorders or PANSS scores. Conclusions. Acute tryptophan depletion selectively alters cognition in schizophrenia, but has no effect on symptoms, mood ratings or movement disorders.
Dandy – Walker syndrome and corpus callosum agenesis in 5p deletion

5p deletion syndrome commonly known as cri du chat is well described in affected neonates with catlike cry and hypotonia. Karyotyping will usually show a deletion of the short arm of one chromosome 5 with variable breakpoints. Only a few cases have been reported prenatally, and the fetal form of the syndrome has not been clearly individualised. We report a new case of 5p deletion syndrome diagnosed prenatally in association with Dandy–Walker syndrome and agenesis of the corpus callosum. Other brain anomalies have been reported previously, but this unusual association suggests the use of a specific probe in the investigation of these malformations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Essays on the impact of demographic change on capital, goods and labor markets

Diese Dissertation umfast vier empirische Beitrage zu den Auswirkungen des demographischen Wandels auf Kapital-, Arbeits- und Gutermarkte. Der erste Beitrag behandelt die Auswirkungen der gegenwartigen und in Zukunft zu erwartenden Bevolkerungsalterung auf internationale Kapitalstrome aus makrookonomischer Perspektive. Die Auswirkungen des demographischen Wandels auf die Konsumstruktur werden im zweiten Beitrag untersucht. Hier wird ein mikrobasiertes Instrument zur Projektion der zukunftigen gesamtwirtschaftlichen Veranderungen der Nachfrage deutscher Haushalte nach verschiedenen Konsumgutern entwickelt. Der dritte Teil dieser Dissertation ist der Analyse des Konsumentenverhaltens zum Zeitpunkt des Renteneintritts gewidmet. Ich untersuche die Rolle der Eigenproduktion von Haushaltsgutern und –services als Erklarungsfaktor fur das deutliche Sinken der Konsumausgaben bei Renteneintritt, dem sogenannten "retirement consumption puzzle". Der letzte Teil der Arbeit schlieslich modelliert die Auswirkungen einer Erhohung der Arbeitszeit auf die Arbeitslosenquote von Niedrigqualifizierten in einem allgemeinen Gleichgewichtsmodell. Ein besseres Verstandnis von Arbeitsmarktmechanismen ist angesichts der Diskussion um eine langere Lebensarbeitszeit sowie einer schrumpfenden Erwerbsbevolkerung unerlaslich, um die okonomischen Auswirkungen des demographischen Wandels zu prognostizieren. Das entwickelte Modell erlaubt Wechselwirkungen zwischen Arbeits- und Gutermarkt und bringt so ein neues Argument in der Debatte uber die Beschaftigungseffekte einer Arbeitszeitverlangerung auf. Die empirische Untersuchung bestaetigt die theoretischen Vorhersagen des Modells.
Feedback Cancellation for T-DMB Repeaters Based on Frequency-Domain Channel Estimation

This paper presents a novel feedback canceller for a terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting (T-DMB) on-channel repeater (OCR). There is a crucial requirement for an OCR that the isolation between the transmitter and the receiver antennas should be sufficiently secured to prevent unwanted oscillation. The required isolation, however, may not be satisfied by some physical or technical limitations. In order to overcome these obstacles, undesired feedback signals have been usually reduced by feedback cancellation techniques based on pilot-aided frequency-domain channel estimation (FDCE). In case of the T-DMB system, however, there are no pilot symbols except for the phase reference symbols (PRSs), which are transmitted only once every 76 OFDM symbols. Consequently, the convergence speed and the tracking capability of the FDCE-type feedback cancellers may not meet the required robustness in coping with dynamic feedback channels. To improve the immunity to time-varying channels, we increase the usable number of updates in our feedback canceller, where the PRS is divided into several sub-PRSs during the PRS period and pseudo pilots are generated by decision-directed estimation in the data-symbol duration. Simulation results show that the proposed methods do improve the convergence speed and the tracking capability of the conventional method in both static and dynamic feedback channels.
Nitrogen and Ionospheric Chemistry in the Thermospheric LMD-MGCM

NO nightglow emissions, already detected on Venus by Pioneer Venus [1], have been observed for the first time on Mars by SPICAM on board Mars Express [2]. These emissions are produced by the recombination of Nitrogen and Oxygen atoms. These atoms are created by photodissociation of CO2 and O2 in the dayside thermosphere. The interhemispheric transport followed by a downwelling takes them to the nightside lower thermosphere/upper mesosphere, where they recombine. Each recombination produces a photon in the γ and δ bands of NO. So, a coupling of radiative, transport and radiative processes is at the core of this emission. It is for this reason that the observations of the NO nightglow by SPICAM can be very valuable to constrain the rather unknown dynamics of the Martian upper atmosphere. MGS Radio Science (RS) experiment and Mars Express MaRS instrument have allowed to measure the electron density profiles of the Martian atmosphere [3,4]. Given that the electron density at the peak is controlled by local photochemistry and it is thus very sensitive to the neutral density, these measurements of the electron density profiles can provide important information about the coupling between the lower and the upper atmosphere [3]. Both datasets are very valuable to constrain the recently extended to the thermosphere LMD-MGCM. However, specific tools to simulate these processes have to be included in the model, that does not include, in its reference version [5], nor the chemistry of the Nitrogen species neither ionospheric chemistry. This is the main aim of this work.
Searchers' criteria For assessing web pages

We investigate the criteria used by online searchers when assessing the relevance of web pages to information-seeking tasks. Twenty four searchers were given three tasks each, and indicated the features of web pages which they employed when deciding about the usefulness of the pages. These tasks were presented within the context of a simulated work-task situation. The results of this study provide a set of criteria used by searchers to decide about the utility of web pages. Such criteria have implications for the design of systems that use or recommend web pages, as well as to authors of web pages.
Psychosocial adjustment among pediatric cancer patients and their parents

Abstract Children with cancer face both physical and psychosocial challenges. However, there is not enough empirical evidence in Taiwan regarding how they and their families cope with their illness. The purpose of the present study was to explore the psychosocial impact of cancer on target children and their families as well as the degree of depression experienced by these children. Twenty‐four pediatric cancer patients, aged 8 through 17 years, completed the Chinese version of Children Depression Inventory (CDI). Both these patients and 18 parents completed questionnaires about their psychosocial adjustment since the diagnosis of cancer. The results showed: (i) patients did not perceive significant changes in their psychosocial adjustment, whereas parents indicated significantly lower mood of patients and a slight decrease in the number of friends; (ii) both parents and siblings showed positive adjustment; and (iii) there was neither significant difference on the CDI scores between the pediatric cancer patients and a normative group, nor significant relationships between patients’ CDI scores and demographic characteristics of both patients and their parents, parenting attitudes, as well as variables related to the illness. Lastly, the results are discussed in terms of issues of methodology and instruments. Possible direction for further investigations is suggested.
Tomographic Imaging Using Photonically Generated Low-Coherence Terahertz Noise Sources

Three-dimensional (3D) terahertz (THz) imaging or THz tomography has recently proven to be powerful for non-destructive testing of industrial materials and structures. In order to reduce complexity and cost of conventional THz tomography systems, we propose a new approach using broadband THz noise sources based on amplified spontaneous emission noise, which is analogous to the optical coherence tomography (OCT) using broadband infrared sources. We have experimentally demonstrated a 3D imaging system with depth and spatial resolutions of 1 and 2 mm, respectively, by 280-380 GHz band noise signals.