Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image analysis of the distribution of turnover rate in the stratum corneum

Background/aims: A common method to evaluate turnover rate in the stratum corneum is to measure the change in fluorescence intensity with time after dyeing the stratum corneum with fluorescent pigments. If these changes in fluorescence over time are carefully observed, the rate of decline in fluorescence intensity differs among different small areas on the skin surface. A possible relationship between these differences and dry skin has been reported. The purpose of this research was to develop a method for analyzing turnover rate in the stratum corneum in each small area on the surface of the skin as well as to investigate the variations in the inconsistencies of turnover rate. Methods: The stratum corneum at six body regions (forehead, cheek, forearm, opisthenar, back and lower leg) was dyed with dansyl chloride (DC), and the change in fluorescence intensity over time was imaged with a highly sensitive television camera through special filters. Then, the fluorescent distribution in the images was analyzed to measure the change in fluorescence intensity with time among the small areas. Also, the decline in fluorescence intensity observed was categorized using specific characteristics into six different types.
The Economics of Open Air Markets

Despite their current prevalence and historical significance, little is known about the economics of open air markets. This paper uses open air markets as a natural laboratory to provide initial insights into the underlying operation of such markets. Using data on thousands of individual transactions gathered from May 2005- August 2008, I report several insights. First, the natural pricing and allocation mechanism in open air markets is capable of approaching full efficiency, even in quite austere conditions. Yet, a second result highlights the fragility of this finding: allowance of explicit seller communication frustrates market efficiency in a broad array of situations. Making use of insights gained from a "mole" in the marketplace, a third set of results revolves around economic questions pertaining to collusive arrangements that are otherwise quite difficult to investigate. Overall, I find data patterns that are consistent with certain theoretical predictions, as the evidence suggests that i) cheating rates increase as the coalition is expanded, ii) sellers cheat less when they have collusive arrangements in several spatially differentiated markets, and iii) sellers cheat more when they are experiencing periods of abnormally high profits. These results follow from a combination of insights gained from building a bridge between the lab and the naturally-occurring environment. By doing so, the study showcases that in developing a deeper understanding of economic science, it is desirable to take advantage of the myriad settings in which economic phenomena present themselves.
Accuracy Evaluation of a $^{87}\hbox{Sr}$  Optical Lattice Clock

In this paper, we report the observation of the higher order frequency shift due to the trapping field in a 87Sr optical lattice clock. We show that at the magic wavelength of the lattice, where the first order term cancels, the higher order shift will not constitute a limitation to the fractional accuracy of the clock at a level of 10-18. We also report an accurate frequency measurement of the clock transition. The frequency is determined to be v 1S0-3P0 = 429 228 004 229 879 (5) Hz with a fractional uncertainty that is comparable to state-of-the-art optical clocks with neutral atoms in free fall
TLR4 mRNA Levels as Tools to Estimate Risk for Early Posttransplantation Kidney Graft Dysfunction

Background The participation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4, an innate immunity receptor, has been previously demonstrated in the pathogenesis of acute renal injury. We aimed to investigate whether messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of TLR4 and its adapter molecule, myeloid differentiation primary response gene (MYD) 88, are associated with delayed graft function (DGF) and could be used as biomarkers of its occurrence. Methods TLR4 and MYD88 gene mRNA levels were evaluated with real-time polymerase chain reaction, in preimplantation biopsies (n=89) and first day posttransplantation samples of urine (n=67) and blood (n=80) from graft recipients and analyzed according to donor type (living or deceased) and DGF occurrence. Results Expression levels of both genes were higher in biopsies from deceased donors than from living donors (P<0.001 for both) but did not differ between deceased-donor kidney transplants with and without DGF; in urine, TLR4 expression levels were higher in patients with prolonged DGF (DGF lasting >14 days) (P=0.05, compared with cases without DGF); in blood, lower mRNA levels of TLR4 and MYD88 predicted pDGF occurrence with an accuracy of 86% and 87%, respectively. Conclusion The expression levels of TLR4 and MYD88 were higher in kidneys from deceased donors than from living donors. Lower levels of expression of both genes in blood were associated with DGF occurrence. The prediction of prolonged DGF by low TLR4 and MYD88 expression levels in blood with a greater the 85% accuracy was the most important finding of this study.
Microinfrared reflection spectroscopic mapping: application to the detection of hydrogen‐related species in natural quartz

A new method of microinfrared reflection spectroscopy and mapping analysis is briefly introduced. It was used to detect distributions and structures of hydrogen‐related species (e.g. H2O, SiOH and SiH) in plastically deformed natural quartz. We used a Fourier transform‐infrared spectrometer with a microscopic imaging system fully automated for all microscope functions (e.g. focusing, aperture, stage motion and measurements). Mapping can be made in thin sections with a thickness of 50 µm at room temperature and low temperatures (77 K) using a liquid N2 cooling system. Infrared reflection spectra were obtained by five scans for each point with a range from 4000 to 400 cm−1. The spectra were measured five times within about 2.5 s at each position. The scanning interval was 100–150 µm using a 100 × 100 µm2 aperture. All obtained spectral data were stored in computer memory to construct two‐dimensional mappings of infrared absorption. From the comparisons between infrared mapping images and deformation microstructures, in addition to the molecular H2O around 3600–3400 cm−1, the hydrogen‐related point defects (i.e. SiOH and SiH) around 970–900 cm−1 within quartz grains and between grain boundaries increased with decreasing grain sizes (increasing plastic strain). The method can detect the SiOH and SiH along grain boundaries that enhance the hydrolytic weakening of natural quartz.
Genèse et structure du champ religieux

Pierre Bourdieu : Entstehung und Struktur des religiosen Gebietes. Die Soziologie der Religion und — allgemein gesehen die Soziologie der Ideologien — wird beherrscht vom Gegensatz einerseits zwischen der Tradition, die die Religion als ein Kommunikations — und Wissensinstrument ansieht — das heisst, als ein strukturiertes und strukturierendes System — und anderseits der Tradition, die die politischen Funktionen der religiosen Ideologie unter- streicht. In Wirklichkeit erfullt die Religion nur insofern eine politische Funktion der Verewigung der Strukturen — das heisst die Absolutisierung des Relativen und die Legitimation des Willkurlichen und dadurch die Zahmung der Beherrschten — als sie eine logische Funktion erfullt, indem sie dem Denken ihre Strukturen auferlegt.
CommTrust: Computing Multi-Dimensional Trust by Mining E-Commerce Feedback Comments

Reputation-based trust models are widely used in e-commerce applications, and feedback ratings are aggregated to compute sellers' reputation trust scores. The “all good reputation” problem, however, is prevalent in current reputation systems-reputation scores are universally high for sellers and it is difficult for potential buyers to select trustworthy sellers. In this paper, based on the observation that buyers often express opinions openly in free text feedback comments, we propose CommTrust for trust evaluation by mining feedback comments. Our main contributions include: 1) we propose a multidimensional trust model for computing reputation scores from user feedback comments; and 2) we propose an algorithm for mining feedback comments for dimension ratings and weights, combining techniques of natural language processing, opinion mining, and topic modeling. Extensive experiments on eBay and Amazon data demonstrate that CommTrust can effectively address the “all good reputation” issue and rank sellers effectively. To the best of our knowledge, our research is the first piece of work on trust evaluation by mining feedback comments.
Synchronization of Heterogeneous Agents

The task of synchronizing autonomous agents is solved by a networked controller that steers the agents towards a common trajectory. This technical note extends existing analysis and design methods towards sets of linear agents with individual dynamics. A necessary and sufficient synchronization condition is proved and it is shown that the agents can be synchronized by an appropriate networked controller if and only if their dynamics intersect.
Effect of Differing Levels of Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines in Cigarette Smoke on the Levels of Biomarkers in Smokers

Background: Smokers are exposed to significant doses of carcinogens, including tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA). Previous studies have shown significant global differences in the levels of TSNAs in cigarette smoke because of the variation in tobacco blending and curing practices around the world. Methods: Mouth-level exposure to 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) measured in cigarette butts and urinary concentrations of its major metabolite 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) were examined among 126 daily smokers in four countries over a 24-hour study period. Results: As mouth-level exposure of NNK increased, the urinary NNAL increased even after adjustment for other covariates (β = 0.46, P = 0.004). The relationship between mouth-level exposure to nicotine and its salivary metabolite, cotinine, was not statistically significant (β = 0.29, P = 0.057), likely because of the very limited range of differences in mouth-level nicotine exposure in this population. Conclusions: We have shown a direct association between the 24-hour mouth-level exposure of NNK resulting from cigarette smoking and the concentration of its primary metabolite, NNAL, in the urine of smokers. Internal dose concentrations of urinary NNAL are significantly lower in smokers in countries that have lower TSNA levels in cigarettes such as Canada and Australia in contrast to countries that have high levels of these carcinogens in cigarettes, such as the United States. Impact: Lowering the levels of NNK in the mainstream smoke of cigarettes through the use of specific tobacco types and known curing practices can significantly affect the exposure of smokers to this known carcinogen. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(6); 1389–98. ©2010 AACR.
FURTHER STUDIES OF THE STIMULATION OF DNA SYNTHESIS IN CULTURES OF SPLEEN CELL SUSPENSIONS BY HOMOLOGOUS CELLS IN INBRED STRAINS OF MICE AND RATS

The early proliferative response previously demonstrated in rabbits has now been shown to follow the mixing of spleen cell suspensions from 2 inbred strains of mice or rats. The size of the response is comparable to that seen in cells from hyperimmune animals exposed to antigen in vitro. Autoradiographs of cells from stimulated cultures showed 1 to 4 per cent of the total population had incorporated thymidine. Modifications in the conditions necessary for the culture of mice and rat spleen cell suspensions and the measurement of thymidine incorporation are described. No responses were observed in isologous mixes. The responses obtained on mixing individual pairs of spleens from different strains showed relatively little variation. Responses were obtained in all of the 21 possible combinations between 7 inbred strains of mice. Responses were obtained when parental cells were mixed with their F1 hybrids. Analysis of these responses showed that, in every case, parental-F1 hybrid responses were less intense than those between the 2 parents. It was shown that there was no inherent defect in the ability of the hybrid cells to respond when mixed with an unrelated strain. The results suggested that the hybrid cells made no response to the parent cells although this was not conclusively established. This has been taken as circumstantial evidence that the response is immunological in nature. The significance of the vigor of the response and the large fraction of the immunologically competent cells that take part is discussed.
The A645D mutation in the hinge region of the human androgen receptor (AR) gene modulates AR activity, depending on the context of the polymorphic glutamine and glycine repeats.

BACKGROUND Sufficient androgen receptor (AR) activity is crucial for normal male sexual differentiation. Here we report on two unrelated 46, XY patients suffering from undervirilization and genital malformations. Both patients had a short polyglycine (polyG) repeat of 10 residues and a relatively long polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat of 28 and 30 residues within the transactivation domain of the AR. In addition, they also harbor a rare A645D substitution. OBJECTIVE We made a set of AR expression plasmid constructs with varying polyQ and polyG tract sizes in context with or without the A645D substitution and analyzed their in vitro transactivation capacity in transfected CHO cells. RESULTS We found that a short polyG repeat downmodulated AR activity to approximately 60-65% of the wild-type receptor. This effect was aggravated by A645D in context of a long polyQ repeat to less than 50% activity. In contrast, in the context of a short polyQ and a short polyG repeat, the A645D mutation rescues AR activity to almost wild-type levels, demonstrating a contradictory effect of this mutation, depending on the size of the polymorphic repeats. CONCLUSIONS A combination of a short polyG repeat with a long polyQ repeat and an A645D substitution might contribute to the development of virilization disorders and explain the observed phenotypes of our patients as a form of androgen insensitivity. The whole recreation of AR sequence variations including individual polymorphic repeat sizes could unravel possible interference of mutations and variations on AR activity by in vitro transfection.
Endurance Running Training Individually Guided by HRV in Untrained Women

Abstract da Silva, DF, Ferraro, ZM, Adamo, KB, and Machado, FA. Endurance running training individually guided by HRV in untrained women. J Strength Cond Res 33(3): 736–746, 2019—The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of heart rate variability (HRV)-guided training compared with a standardized prescription on (a) time to complete 5-km running performance (t5km), (b) peak treadmill running speed (Vpeak) and its time limit (tlim at Vpeak), and (c) autonomic cardiac modulation (i.e., parasympathetic activity and recovery) in untrained women. Additionally, we correlated changes in t5km with changes in Vpeak, tlim at Vpeak and autonomic cardiac modulation. Thirty-six untrained women were divided into a HRV-guided training group (HRVG) and a control group (CG). The CG followed a predefined program, alternating moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). The determination of MICT or HIIT was based on the pretraining HRV for HRVG. MICT was performed if HRV was <mean − 1 SD of previous measures. Otherwise, HIIT was prescribed. The t5km, Vpeak, tlim at Vpeak, parasympathetic activity (i.e., rMSSD) and parasympathetic reactivation (i.e., HRR) were measured before and after the training period. The t5km decreased to a greater magnitude in the HRVG (−17.5 ± 5.6% vs. −14 ± 4.7%; Effect Size (ES) between-group difference = moderate). rMSSD and tlim at Vpeak only improved in HRVG (+23.3 ± 27.8% and +23.6 ± 31.9%, respectively). The HRVG experienced greater improvements in Vpeak and HRR (Vpeak: 10 ± 7.3% vs. 8.2 ± 4.7%; HRR: 19.1 ± 28.1% vs. 12.6 ± 12.9%; ES between-group difference = small). Although HRVG performed less MICT than CG, the volume of MICT was negatively related to changes in t5km. Vpeak changes were highly correlated with t5km changes. The greater improvements in HRVG for t5km and autonomic modulation reinforce the potential application of this tool.
Clinical evaluation of melanomas and common nevi by spectral imaging

A clinical trial on multi-spectral imaging of malignant and non-malignant skin pathologies comprising 17 melanomas and 65 pigmented common nevi was performed. Optical density data of skin pathologies were obtained in the spectral range 450–950 nm using the multispectral camera Nuance EX. An image parameter and maps capable of distinguishing melanoma from pigmented nevi were proposed. The diagnostic criterion is based on skin optical density differences at three fixed wavelengths: 540nm, 650nm and 950nm. The sensitivity and specificity of this method were estimated to be 94% and 89%, respectively. The proposed methodology and potential clinical applications are discussed.
A satisfactory-oriented approach to multiexpert decision-making with linguistic assessments

This paper proposes a multiexpert decision-making (MEDM) method with linguistic assessments, making use of the notion of random preferences and a so-called satisfactory principle. It is well known that decision-making problems that manage preferences from different experts follow a common resolution scheme composed of two phases: an aggregation phase that combines the individual preferences to obtain a collective preference value for each alternative; and an exploitation phase that orders the collective preferences according to a given criterion, to select the best alternative/s. For our method, instead of using an aggregation operator to obtain a collective preference value, a random preference is defined for each alternative in the aggregation phase. Then, based on a satisfactory principle defined in this paper, that says that it is perfectly satisfactory to select an alternative as the best if its performance is as at least "good" as all the others under the same evaluation scheme, we propose a linguistic choice function to establish a rank ordering among the alternatives. Moreover, we also discuss how this linguistic decision rule can be applied to the MEDM problem in multigranular linguistic contexts. Two application examples taken from the literature are used to illuminate the proposed techniques.
Improved Method for Preparation of Amidoxime Modified Poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid): Characterizations and Adsorption Case Study

Redox polymerization of poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid) (poly(AN-co-AA)) is performed at 40 °C under N2 gas by varying the ratio of acrylonitrile (AN) and acrylic acid (AA) in the feed. The yield production of poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) is 73% and poly(AN-co-AA) with a feed ratio of 93:7 is the highest yield (72%). The PAN and poly(AN-co-AA) are further chemically modify with hydroxylamine hydrochloride. The FTIR spectroscopy is used to confirm the copolymerization of poly(AN-co-AA) and chemical modification of poly(AN-co-AA). Elemental microanalysis shows that the overall trend percentage of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen for all feed ratios are slightly decreasing as the feed ratio of AA is increasing except for poly(AN-co-AA) 93:7. The SEM images shows that spherical diameter of poly(AN-co-AA) is smaller compared to the PAN and amidoxime (AO)
Increased Porphyrins in Primary Liver Cancer Mainly Reflect a Parallel Liver Disease

Hepatic porphyries have been associated with an increased risk of primary liver cancer (PLC), which on the other hand may cause an increased porphyrin production. To evaluate the role of an underlying liver disorder we analyzed porphyrins in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (n = 65), cholangiocellular carcinoma (n = 3), or suspected PLC, which turned out to be metastases (n = 18) or a benign disorder (n = 11). None of the patients had a family history of porphyry or clinical signs of porphyry. Increased aminolevulinic acid or porphyrin values were common not only in patients with PLC (43%) but also in metastatic (50%) and benign (64%) liver disorders. The corresponding proportion for HCC patients with liver cirrhosis (55%) was higher (P < .05) than in those without cirrhosis (17%). We conclude that symptomatic porphyries are unusual in PLC, whereas elevated urinary and/or faecal porphyrins are common, primarily reflecting a parallel liver disease and not the PLC.
Stability Properties of High-Beta Geotail Flux Tubes

Kinetic theory is used to investigate the stability of ballooning-interchange modes in the high pressure geotail plasma. A variational form of the stability problem is used to compare new kinetic stability results with earlier MHD, FAST-MHD and Kruskal-Oberman stability results (Kruskal and Oberman, 1958). Two types of drift modes are analyzed. A kinetic ion pressure gradient drift wave with a frequency given by the ion diamagnetic drift frequency ω∗pi, and a very low frequency mode |ω |� ω∗pi ,ω Di that is often called a convective cell or the trapped particle mode. For these slow modes a general procedure for solving the
Effect of clinical factors and gene polymorphism of CYP2C19*2, *17 and CYP4F2*3 on early stent thrombosis.

AIM To determine the main clinical and genetic factors having impact on early coronary stent thrombosis. MATERIALS & METHODS Genotyping of CYP2C19*2, *17 and CYP4F2*3 in patients with (n = 31) and without stent thrombosis (n = 456) was performed. Clinical and genetic data were analyzed by binary logistic regression. RESULTS Smoking (OR: 0.317; 95% CI: 0.131-0.767), high-density lipoprotein level in mmol/l (OR: 0.142; 95% CI: 0.040-0.506), CYP2C19*2*2 versus *1*1 and *1*2 genotype (OR: 11.625; 95% CI: 3.498-38.633), CYP4F2 AA versus GA and GG genotype (OR: 3.532; 95% CI: 1.153-10.822) were associated with early stent thrombosis. CONCLUSION For the first time we have identified a clinically important polymorphism (CYP4F2 G1347A) that was independently associated with early stent thrombosis. Original submitted 18 August 2014; Revision submitted 10 November 2014.
Household income and depressive mood among single women in midlife : a nuanced approach across economic strata

"Using data from the 1999 wave of the National Longitudinal Survey of Young Women (NLS-YW), this study examined the relationship between income and self-reported depressive mood in a national sample of 772 unmarried women aged 45 to 58. ANCOVA was used to compare depressive mood among three U. S. Census-based income groups (lower, middle, and higher) net of the effects of race and self-rated health. Mean levels of depressive mood did not vary significantly between women in the lower and middle-income groups, but were significantly lower in the higher-income group. Additionally, a series of multiple regression analyses was used to predict depressive mood in the total sample and the three income groups from nine sources of income, net of the effects of race, health, and total income. In the total sample, women who had income from labor had significantly lower levels of depressive mood than those not in the work force. Women who received alimony and hardship payments had significantly higher levels of depressive mood than those without income from these sources. Similar but distinct patterns emerged for the three income groups. "--Abstract from author supplied metadata.