Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The area and volume of single human erythrocytes during gradual osmotic swelling to hemolysis.

A double-chambered slide was designed for the microscope which would enable continuous viewing of cells hanging on edge in a Ringer solution which was gradually being reduced in osmotic pressure. This was achieved by putting a dialysis membrane between the cell chamber and a chamber containing distilled water. Photographs were taken at 1-min intervals of single cells on edge (revealing the biconcave profile) until the cells hemolyzed, usually within 30 min. The area and volume of revolution of each cell were calculated from measurements on photographic enlargements. No significant change in area occurs during the swelling series although the red cell changes gradually from biconcave to spherical and remains spherical for approximately 7 min before hemolyzing. This stability is best explained by a leakage of potassium ion from the cell prior to hemolysis (which has been reported by Seeman to be approximately 20%).
InterActive Feature Selection

We study the effects of feature selection and human feedback on features in active learning settings. Our experiments on a variety of text categorization tasks indicate that there is significant potential in improving classifier performance by feature reweighting, beyond that achieved via selective sampling alone (standard active learning) if we have access to an oracle that can point to the important (most predictive) features. Consistent with previous findings, we find that feature selection based on the labeled training set has little effect. But our experiments on human subjects indicate that human feedback on feature relevance can identify a sufficient proportion (65%) of the most relevant features. Furthermore, these experiments show that feature labeling takes much less (about 1/5th) time than document labeling. We propose an algorithm that interleaves labeling features and documents which significantly accelerates active learning.
Family-centred outcome measurement following paediatric stroke.

BACKGROUND/AIM Therapy programmes aim to provide services that are family-centred and address the specific needs of children. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and the Perceived Efficacy and Goal Setting system (PEGS) are two measures that are available to assist in determining therapy priorities for children and their parents; however, the use of these measures has not been documented for children who have sustained a stroke. This project aimed to describe the functional concerns identified by children and their parents following paediatric stroke. METHODOLOGY A cross-sectional design was used. A total of 26 children were recruited from a paediatric stroke outpatient clinic, and functional concerns were identified using either the COPM or the PEGS. RESULTS Children and their parents identified similar issues. Of the 26 participants, 23 (88.5%) reported ongoing functional concerns at three months or more following stroke, whereas three participants did not identify any ongoing functional concerns. Functional concerns were grouped into categories of self-care, productivity and leisure as outlined in the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance. Concerns were identified across all functional domains by both children and their parents. CONCLUSIONS The COPM and PEGS provided useful information about functional issues that are important to children and their parents following paediatric stroke. Use of these client-centred measures provides an opportunity to better understand the impact of paediatric stroke on children's functional abilities, and allows greater scope for service provision and planning for this group of children.
Exploring the interpersonal and intergroup consequences of cross-group romantic relationships

Extensive research over the past half century suggests that many types of intergroup interactions, including contact between strangers, acquaintances, roommates, neighbours, workmates, and teammates, have positive implications for intergroup relations. This extensive research has, moreover, revealed that intimate forms of intergroup contact, such as cross-group friendships, are particularly effective at improving intergroup attitudes. Despite this emphasis on intimate cross-group contact, however, there has yet to be an investigation into the intergroup outcomes of cross-group romantic relationships. The current research utilises and unites research on interpersonal relationships and intergroup contact theory in order to investigate the predictors and outcomes of cross-group romantic relationships. Across a series of cross-sectional and experimental studies, I examine the interpersonal and intergroup consequences of having direct and extended cross-group romantic contact. In addition, I explore intergroup preferences regarding romantic relationships and how the quality and norms associated with cross-group relationships are associated with these preferences. Results indicate that romantic preferences and choices are predicted by a powerful and pervasive ingroup bias. Importantly, the findings also reveal that although there are similarities with other forms of intergroup contact, cross-group romantic relationships are a unique form of contact. Similar to cross-group friendships, for example, extended contact with cross-group romantic relationships is associated with positive intergroup attitudes via perceived ingroup norms. Distinct from friendships, however, results reveal that cross-group partners continue to be maligned and this disapproval is negatively associated with their relationship quality and intergroup attitudes. Nevertheless, as extended contact predicts positive outcomes, future research and interventions could apply the current findings to reduce prejudice towards cross-group couples which would not only benefit the relationships, but would also promote a more harmonious society.
Pool Duration Influences Age and Body Mass at Metamorphosis in the Western Spadefoot Toad : Implications for Vernal Pool Conservation

The vernal pools of California’s Central Valley support an assemblage of four species of native amphibians, Western Spadefoot Toad ( Spea [Scaphiopus ] hammondii ), Pacific Chorus Frog [treefrog] ( Psuedacris [Hyla] regilla), Western Toad ( Bufo boreas ), and California Tiger Salamander ( Ambystoma californiense ). Age, body size, and stored fat at metamorphosis are thought to be important correlates of fitness in amphibians. In this paper I report the results of field studies on the link between these features of life history, breeding pool duration, and the risk of mortality due to drying in several populations of larval S. hammondii . The larval period ranged from 30-79 days (n=8 pools). Body size at metamorphosis ranged from 1.5-10.4 grams (9 pools) and stored body fat at metamorphosis ranged from 13-29% (5 pools). Each of these variables was positively correlated with pool duration. Successful metamorphosis was observed in pools that were filled for 36-133 days (9 pools) and three of 11 pools monitored (27%) dried on or before the day larvae completed development. The association between pool duration and several correlates of fitness suggests that pool duration should be given consideration when planning vernal pool preserves and wetland restoration projects. CITATION. Pages 86-91 in: C.W. Witham, E.T. Bauder, D. Belk, W.R. Ferren Jr., and R. Ornduff (Editors). Ecology, Conservation, and Management of Vernal Pool Ecosystems – Proceedings from a 1996 Conference. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA. 1998.
Purification and Characterization of a Hemolysin-Like Protein, Sll1951, a Nontoxic Member of the RTX Protein Family from the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803

ABSTRACT The hemolysin-like protein (HLP) Sll1951, characterized by the GGXGXDXUX nonapeptide motif implicated in Ca2+ binding, was purified from the glucose-tolerant strain (GT) of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803. HLP was eluted at 560 kDa after gel filtration chromatography. Atomic absorption spectroscopy indicated that the protein bound calcium. The bound Ca2+ was not chelated with EGTA; however, it was released after being heated at 100°C for 1 min, and it rebound to the Ca2+-depleted protein at room temperature. The apparent HLP molecular mass increased to 1,000 kDa and reverted to 560 kDa during the release and rebinding of Ca2+, respectively. The monomers of the respective forms appeared at 90 and 200 kDa after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. HLP showed no apparent hemolytic activity against sheep erythrocytes; however, a slight hemolytic activity was detected during the conformational change caused by the rebinding of Ca2+. Immunoelectron microscopy using polyclonal antibodies against the 200-kDa monomer revealed that HLP is located in the cell surface layer. The localization and Ca2+-induced reversible conformational change suggest that HLP is a member of the repeat in toxin (RTX) protein family despite its latent and low toxicity. In some other cyanobacteria, RTX proteins are reported to be necessary for cell motility. However, the GT was immotile. Moreover, the motile wild-type strain did not express any HLP, suggesting that HLP is one of the factors involved in the elimination of motility in the GT. We concluded that the involvement of RTX protein in cyanobacterial cell motility is not a general feature.
Effects of Nigella sativa oil extract on inflammatory cytokine response and oxidative stress status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Objective: Nigella sativa is a medicinal plant that has long been used in traditional medicine for treating various conditions. Numerous animal studies provided evidences that the seed may elicit a broad anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidant activity. The aim of the present clinical trial was to evaluate anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of Nigella sativa oil in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Materials and Methods: Forty-two patients with RA were assigned into two groups in this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Subjects in intervention group received two capsules, 500 mg each, of Nigella sativa oil, each day for 8 weeks. The other group consumed two capsules as placebo per day for the same period of time. Serum TNF-α, IL-10, and whole blood levels of oxidative stress parameters were measured at baseline and end of the trial. Results: The serum level of IL-10 was increased in the Nigella sativa group (p<0.01). Moreover, treatment with Nigella sativa led to significant reduction of serum MDA and NO compared with baseline (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in the TNF-α, SOD, catalase, and TAS values between or within the groups, before and after the intervention (p>0.05). Conclusion: This study indicates that Nigella sativa could improve inflammation and reduce oxidative stress in patients with RA. It is suggested that Nigella sativa may be a beneficial adjunct therapy in this population of patients.
Genome-Wide Testing of Putative Functional Exonic Variants in Relationship with Breast and Prostate Cancer Risk in a Multiethnic Population

Rare variation in protein coding sequence is poorly captured by GWAS arrays and has been hypothesized to contribute to disease heritability. Using the Illumina HumanExome SNP array, we successfully genotyped 191,032 common and rare non-synonymous, splice site, or nonsense variants in a multiethnic sample of 2,984 breast cancer cases, 4,376 prostate cancer cases, and 7,545 controls. In breast cancer, the strongest associations included either SNPs in or gene burden scores for genes LDLRAD1, SLC19A1, FGFBP3, CASP5, MMAB, SLC16A6, and INS-IGF2. In prostate cancer, one of the most associated SNPs was in the gene GPRC6A (rs2274911, Pro91Ser, OR = 0.88, P = 1.3×10−5) near to a known risk locus for prostate cancer; other suggestive associations were noted in genes such as F13A1, ANXA4, MANSC1, and GP6. For both breast and prostate cancer, several of the most significant associations involving SNPs or gene burden scores (sum of minor alleles) were noted in genes previously reported to be associated with a cancer-related phenotype. However, only one of the associations (rs145889899 in LDLRAD1, p = 2.5×10−7 only seen in African Americans) for overall breast or prostate cancer risk was statistically significant after correcting for multiple comparisons. In addition to breast and prostate cancer, other cancer-related traits were examined (body mass index, PSA level, and alcohol drinking) with a number of known and potentially novel associations described. In general, these findings do not support there being many protein coding variants of moderate to high risk for breast and prostate cancer with odds ratios over a range that is probably required for protein coding variation to play a truly outstanding role in risk heritability. Very large sample sizes will be required to better define the role of rare and less penetrant coding variation in prostate and breast cancer disease genetics.
El género: ¿constructo mediador en los enfoques de aprendizaje universitario?

Some previous studies (Buendia and Olmedo, 2000, 2001c) they show that the university student, so much of technical careers as of humanities, in the University of Granada they don’t present significant differences in the learning approaches, being for the most part superficial, as much the strategies as the reasons that use in their academic study. In this work we seek to know if the learning approaches are conditioned by the models and cultural patterns of gender. The differences found in some dimensions show as the wombs and cultural identities together with the origin career, they have weight in the learning focus.
Consequences in alcohol use portrayals on emerging adult attitudes

CONSEQUENCES IN ALCOHOL USE PORTRAYALS ON EMERGING ADULT ATTITUDES by Stephanie Jwo Many factors may contribute to forming attitudes to wards alcohol, such as peer groups, family history, and media influences. This study focused on the inclusion of consequences in portrayals of alcohol use and the p ossible influences on emerging adult attitudes towards alcohol. The emerging adult popu lation represents a relatively newly defined developmental stage that roughly spans the ages of 18 to 25 years. Emerging adult attitudes towards alcohol were expected to va ry positively or negatively after reading a vignette of alcohol use that included a p ositive consequence, a negative consequence, or no consequence. Emerging adult att itudes did not vary by the alcoholuse consequences presented, and no difference was f ound between male and female attitudes towards alcohol. The null results may be du to a lack of control during the online survey procedure that led to ineffective exp osure of the experimental stimuli. However, a small effect size of the vignette medium may also play a role in the null results, as no significant results were found when restricting analyses to participants with adequate stimulus exposure. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to dedicate this thesis to my family a nd friends who stayed with me throughout the entire process. Without their love, support, and gentle chiding, I am certain that the final product would be much worse for the wear. Many thanks go out to my committee members Dr. Arle ne Asuncion, Dr. Mark Van Selst, and Dr. Mildred Alvarez, whose engaging instruction during classes and patience during my long “writing” disappearances we re xactly what I needed in my early twenties. The faculty of the San Jose State University Psychology department is made up of amazing educators and I am grateful for thei tutelage through my undergraduate and graduate studies. In particular, Dr. Nancy Eldred provided excellent mentorship and I am truly lucky to have been guided by her iron-clad hand. I would like to acknowledge Dr. Alan Reifman for hi s research into the emerging adult population and for developing the Views of Li fe survey and to thank him for allowing me to use it in my thesis project. Finally, I would like to thank Knowledge Networks I nc. for allowing me to collect data for this project through the nationall y representative KnowledgePanel®. The real-world experience I have gained in working with the company is an invaluable application of the skills I developed in school and I am grateful for the opportunity.
Role of helicobacter pylori in functional dyspepsia

Background: The association of Helicobacter pylori with functional dyspepsia is widely reported, but it remains unclear whether H. pylori infection actually causes symptoms or is just an associated finding. Aims: This study was conducted to determine the role of H. pylori in causing symptoms of functional dyspepsia and to observe any improvement in symptoms after eradication of H. pylori. Setting and Design: This study was conducted in a prospective, randomised double-blind manner at the Surgery Department of our institution. Materials and Methods: Eighty patients with functional dyspepsia were randomly distributed into two groups to receive eradication or placebo therapy after taking biopsies for H. pylori. Symptom evaluation was done at baseline, at one and at three months to notice any improvement. Statistical Analysis: Changes in the dyspepsia score were compared using ANOVA test at baseline, one and at three months to compare the improvement in symptoms. Results: Approximately two-thirds of patients with functional dyspepsia are infected with H. pylori. Significant longterm improvement was observed after eradication in H. pylori infected patients. No significant improvement was seen with placebo therapy. Conclusion: H. pylori plays a significant role in causing symptoms of functional dyspepsia. Treatment with triple drug regimen brings a significant long-term improvement in the symptoms.
Numerical Transcoding Proficiency in 10-Year-Old Schoolchildren is Associated with Gray Matter Inter-Individual Differences: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study

Are individual differences in numerical performance sustained by variations in gray matter volume in schoolchildren? To our knowledge, this challenging question for neuroeducation has not yet been investigated in typical development. We used the Voxel-Based Morphometry method to search for possible structural brain differences between two groups of 10-year-old schoolchildren (N = 22) whose performance differed only in numerical transcoding between analog and symbolic systems. The results indicated that children with low numerical proficiency have less gray matter volume in the parietal (particularly in the left intraparietal sulcus and the bilateral angular gyri) and occipito-temporal areas. All the identified regions have previously been shown to be functionally involved in transcoding between analog and symbolic numerical systems. Our data contribute to a better understanding of the intertwined relationships between mathematics learning and brain structure in healthy schoolchildren.
Robust design of dynamic controller for Nonlinear Networked Control Systems with packet dropout

In this paper, the design of nonlinear observer-based dynamic controller for Nonlinear Networked Control Systems (NNCS) will be presented on the assumption that there exist packet loss between the sensor and the controller and between the controller and the actuator. Two different linear function of a stochastic variable satisfying a Bernoulli random binary distribution will represent the existence of the packet loss. The formulation of NNCS problem will be reduced to solving Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI). Finally, a demonistrative example will be presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed LMI approach.
Urban Middle and High School Students Reading Attitudes and Beliefs: A Large-Sample Survey

Reading attitudes and beliefs about reading competency are thought to affect reading frequency, and thus exert an indirect influence on reading achievement. This study examines student attitudes and beliefs concerning recreational and academic reading among a large sample (N = 14,315) of urban middle and high school students (grades 7 to 12). Contrary to previous findings on elementary age students, the present study found that positive attitudes toward reading do not appear to decline as students get older, nor does the gap in positive attitudes widen between good and poor readers. Consistent with other research, beliefs about reading competence were stable or rising in high school. Girls were found to have more positive attitudes toward reading than boys, and students with higher self-reported English/reading grades had substantially higher levels of reading motivation and reading self-efficacy. Implications for theories of reading attitude formation, reading self-efficacy, and reading instruction are discussed.
Brodmann's localisation in the cerebral cortex

Part 1 The principles of comparative cortical cytoarchitectonics: the basic laminar pattern of the cerebral cortex - homogenetic and heterogenetic cortical formations regional variations in cell structure of the cerebral cortex particularities of the cytoarchitecture in different animals. Part 2 The principles of comparative field organisation in the cerebral cortex: description of individual brain maps common features in cortical architectonics variations in cortical architectonics. Part 3 Synthesis - hypothesis of the cortex as a morphological, physiological and pathological organ - histological cortical: localization in relation to morphology localization and histopathology physiology of the cortex as an organ.
Mechanisms of auditory perceptual learning

Practice improves performance on many basic auditory tasks. However, while the phenomenon of auditory perceptual learning is well established, little is known about the mechanisms underlying such improvements. What is learned during auditory perceptual learning? This thesis attempts to answer this question by applying models of performance to behavioural response data, and examining which parameters change with practice. On a simple pure tone discrimination task, learning is shown to primarily represent a reduction in internal noise, with encoding efficiency, attentiveness and bias appearing invariant. In a more complex auditory detection task, learning and development are also shown to involve improvements in listening strategy, with listeners becoming better able to selectively-attend to task-relevant information. Finally, task performance is potentially constrained not just by the strength of the sensory evidence, but also by the efficiency of the wider decision process that the sensory evidence informs. Thus, in the final chapters learning is also shown to involve reductions in both stationary and nonstationary bias. In short, learning is shown to be subserved by multiple mechanisms that: operate in parallel, vary in importance depending on the task demands, and incorporate both sensory and non-sensory processes. The methods of analysis described herein are shown to effectively partition components of perception in normal hearing children and adults, and may help to understand learning processes needed for the rehabilitation of listening difficulties.
Foreign language reading anxiety: A Turkish case

This paper examines a Turkish graduate student’s academic reading process and describes his reading habits both in his native Turkish and in English, his foreign language, the difficulties that he experiences in academic reading and the reading strategies that he applies. Data was gathered from one twenty-seven year old Turkish student throughout an autumn semester of his graduate study, through interviews, recall protocols, think aloud protocol and text analysis. The result of this study indicates that the participant experiences difficulty in focusing on, and being able to maintain a satisfactory level of academic reading. It is likely that unfamiliar vocabulary or contexts trigger reading anxiety, which blocks his reading comprehension.