Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microscopic, Morphometric and Ultrastructural Analysis of Anastomotic Healing in the Intestine of Normal and Diabetic Rats

The purpose of this study was to investigate if experimental alloxanic diabetes could cause qualitative changes in intestinal anastomoses of the terminal ileum and distal colon in rats, as compared to controls. 192 male Wistar rats, weighing +/-300 g were split into four experimental groups of 48 animals each, after 3 months of follow-up: a control group with ileum anastomoses (G1), a control group with colon anastomoses (G2), a diabetic group with ileum anastomoses (G3) and a diabetic group with colon anastomoses (G4). Animals were evaluated and sacrificed on days 4, 14, 21 and 30 after surgery, and fragments of the small and large intestine where the anastomoses were performed were removed. Samples from 6 animals from each sacrifice moment were submitted to ultrastructural analysis of the collagen fibers using a scanning electron microscope and samples from another 6 animals were submitted to histopathology and optical microscopy studies using picrosirius red-staining. Histopathological analysis of picrosirius red-stained anastomosis slides using an optical microscope at 40x magnification showed that the distribution of collagen fibers was disarranged and also revealed a delay in scar tissue retraction. The morphometric study revealed differences in the collagen filled area for the ileum anastomoses 14 days post surgery whereas, in the case of colon anastomoses, differences were observed at days 4 and 30 post surgery, with higher values in the diabetic animals. Ultrastructure analysis of the ileum and colon anastomoses using a scanning electron microscope revealed fewer wide collagen fibers, the presence of narrower fibers and a disarranged distribution of the collagen fibers. We conclude that diabetes caused qualitative changes in scar tissue as well as in the structural arrangement of collagen fibers, what could explain the reduced wound strength in the anastomosis of diabetic animals.
The Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Problems in Children Across the United States With Autism Spectrum Disorders From Families With Multiple Affected Members

Objective: To perform a large registry-based study to determine the relative prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) problems in children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from families with multiple affected members compared with their unaffected sibling(s). Methods: In-home structured retrospective medical history interviews by parent recall were conducted by a pediatric neurologist. Our analysis sample included information about GI health of 589 subjects with idiopathic, familial ASD and 163 of their unaffected sibling controls registered with Autism Genetic Resource Exchange. Individuals with ASD were subgrouped into 3 autism severity groups (Full Autism, Almost Autism, and Spectrum) based on their Autism Diagnostic Interview—Revised and Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale scores. Results: Parents reported significantly more GI problems in children with ASD (249/589; 42%) compared with their unaffected siblings (20/163; 12%) (p < .001). The 2 most common Gl problems in children with ASD were constipation (116/589; 20%) and chronic diarrhea (111/589; 19%). Conditional logistic regression analysis showed that having Full Autism (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 14.28, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.22–32.77) or Almost Autism (AOR = 5.16, 95% CI 2.02–13.21) was most highly associated with experiencing GI problems. Increased autism symptom severity was associated with higher odds of GI problems (AOR for trend = 2.63, 95% CI: 1.56–4.45). Conclusions: Parents report significantly more GI problems in children with familial ASD, especially those with Full Autism, than in their unaffected children. Increased autism symptom severity is associated with increased odds of having GI problems.
A primer on decision making : how decisions happen

Building on lecture notes from his course at Stanford University, James G. March provides an introduction to decision making, a central human activity, fundamental to individual, group, organizational, and societal life. March draws on research from all the disciplines of social and behavioural science to show decision making in its broadest context. By emphasizing how decisions are actually made - as opposed to how they should be made - he enables those involved in the process to understand it both as observers and as participants. In addition, March explains key concepts of vital importance to decision makers, such as limited rationality, history-dependent rules, and ambiguity, and weaves these ideas into a full depiction of decision making.
Kurt Cobain’s Suicide Note Case: Forensic Linguistic Profiling Analysis

Forensic linguistics is the branch of the linguistics study which investigates legal text in crime. From its point of view, forensic linguistics is really helping the court or police or law attribute in investigating criminal case. Aspects of linguistics plays important role when it deals with legal texts such as suicide note. We can use the aspects of linguistics in investigating suicide text in order to see the proposition of the victim referred to suicide, the real motives of writing that letter or reveal what are the intentions of that suicide letter by using the branch of linguistics like phonology, semantic, pragmatics, discourse approaches, etc. The data is taken from Kurt Cobain suicide note which he left before he died. The aimed of this research is to identify the genuineness of his suicide note and also to figure out the motives of the subject dealing with suicide. Furthermore, this research tends to make the authorship profiling of Kurt Cobain based on the lexical which contain negative meaning that are related to his psychological.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Bank monitoring and role of diversification

I present a framework of banking in which banks’ main role is to monitor their borrowers. Within this framework I analyze the benefits of diversification and the threats of systemic risk and inter-bank competition. Diversification improves banks’ monitoring incentives. High systemic risk not only hampers banks’ monitoring incentives, but also makes diversification less effective. I also show that competition lowers monitoring incentives. I match the insights of the analysis with the abundant literature on the role of banks on the asset-side and provide some implications for recent developments in banking.
Prevention of influenza in the general population

Background: Although all jurisdictions in Canada offer annual influenza immunization to people at high risk of complications, only Ontario has provided universal annual immunization of healthy adults and children. Use of chemotherapy (amantidine, neuraminidase inhibitors) to prevent influenza varies among provinces. We sought to systematically review the evidence for the prevention of influenza infection in the general population. Methods: The interventions reviewed were influenza vaccination and prophylactic use of neuraminidase inhibitors. The health outcomes of interest were rates of laboratory-confirmed influenza infection, clinical definitions of influenza-like illness and work absenteeism. MEDLINE and Cochrane databases were searched for relevant articles published between 1966 and March 2003. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected. Evidence was appraised using the methodology of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. Results: Eighteen trials involving more than 33 000 healthy adults were identified that met the inclusion criteria; of these, 15 showed that influenza vaccination with either live-attenuated and inactivated vaccines was efficacious. Eleven trials were considered to be of “good” quality, and 7 were considered to be of “fair” quality. The relative risk reduction (RRR) associated with influenza immunization in adults ranged from 0% to 91%. Fifteen RCTs involving more than 45 000 healthy children aged 6 months to 19 years were identified, of which 9 were considered to contain “good” evidence and 6 “fair” evidence. Results from 12 of these trials showed protection against influenza. The RRR ranged from 0% to 93%. There were 6 RCTs of “good” quality showing that neuraminidase inhibitors are effective in preventing influenza infection. Side effects from both influenza vaccination and neuraminidase inhibitor administration were mild. Interpretation: There are numerous RCTs of good quality in large populations that have consistently shown that influenza vaccination, using inactivated or live-attenuated vaccines, is moderately effective in preventing influenza in the general population (healthy adults and children over 6 months of age). There is good evidence that neuraminidase inhibitor prophylaxis in contacts given within 36 to 48 hours of symptom onset of the household index case is effective; appropriate use of this prevention method requires access to rapid diagnostic methods. Decisions about introduction of routine immunization programs must take into account the cost and cost-effectiveness of a universal program and the burden of illness associated with influenza in each jurisdiction.
Computers and Classroom Culture: Computer Science 1: The Classroom and the Lab as Contrasting Learning Environments

From the Publisher: Computers and Classroom Culture explores the meaning of computer technology for our schools. In clear and direct prose, Janet Schofield examines ways that computer use is shaped by the social context in which it occurs and how attitudinal and organizational barriers obstruct it. She brings to light issues of gender differences and equity, and she provides sound and thoughtful ideas for improving educational use of computers. This book is for all those concerned with the changing shape of the classroom and the future of our schools as well as for sociologists and psychologists interested in educational computing.
Right-to-Left Ventricular Diastolic Delay in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Is Associated With Activation Delay and Action Potential Prolongation in Right Ventricle

Background—Delayed left ventricle (LV)–to–right ventricle (RV) peak shortening results in cardiac output reduction in patients with chronic thromboembolic hypertension (CTEPH) and other types of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Why the synchrony between LV and RV is lost is unknown. We hypothesized that RV electrophysiological remodeling, notably, conduction slowing and action potential prolongation, contribute to this loss in synchrony. Methods and Results—We conducted epicardial mapping during pulmonary endarterectomy in 26 patients with CTEPH and compared these findings with clinical, hemodynamic, and echocardiographic variables. We consecutively placed a multielectrode grid on the epicardium of the RV free wall and LV lateral wall. These regions corresponded to RV and LV areas where echocardiographic Doppler sample volumes were placed to measure RV-to-LV diastolic interventricular delay. RV and LV epicardial action potential duration was assessed by measuring activation-recovery interval. Onset of diastolic relaxation of RV free wall with respect to LV lateral wall (diastolic interventricular delay) was delayed by 38±31 ms in patients with CTEPH versus −12±13 ms in control subjects (P<0.001), because, in patients with CTEPH, RV completed electric activation later than LV (65±20 versus 44±7 ms, P<0.001) and epicardial action potential duration, as assessed by activation-recovery interval measurement, was longer in RV free wall than in LV lateral wall (253±29 versus 240±22 ms, P<0.001). Conclusion—Additive effects of electrophysiological changes in RV, notably, conduction slowing and action potential prolongation, assessed by epicardial activation-recovery interval, contribute to diastolic interventricular delay in patients with CTEPH.
Field-Induced Microwave Absorption in Ni Ferrite Nanoparticles

Ferrite nanoparticles are in the last years a matter of strong interest due to the fact that nanoscale materials possess size-dependent optical, electronic, magnetic, thermal, mechanical, and chemical properties that are comparable to or superior to those of bulk material counterparts, as well as its potential applications in sensors or microwave devices. Nickel ferrites, which are well-known technological materials in various electronic devices, were prepared in the form of nanoparticles by a modified sol-gel technique employing coconut oil, and then annealed at different temperatures in the 400°C-1200°C range. This route of preparation has been revealed to be one efficient and cheap technique to obain high-quality nickel ferrite nanosized powder. Sample particle sizes obtained with X-ray diffraction data and Scherrer's formula lie in 13-138 nm, with increased size with annealing temperature. Magnetic field-induced microwave absorption in nanoscale ferrites is a recent an active area of research, in order to characterize and explore potential novel applications. In the present work, microwave magnetoabsorption data of the annealed nickel ferrite nanoparticles are presented. These data have been obtained with a system developped in our laboratory, based on a network analyzer that operates in the frequency range 0-8.5 GHz. We can observe a resonance peak with applied fields of up to 400 mT. The results are interpreted on the basis of ferromagnetic resonance theory.
Sperm ldentification in Maize by Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization

The two sperm cells of common origin within the pollen tube of flowering plants are each involved in a fertilization event. It has long been recognized that preferential fusion of one sperm with the egg can occur in B chromosome-containing lines of maize. If the second pollen mitosis begins with a single B chromosome, nondisjunction will result in one sperm possessing two B chromosomes and the other containing no B chromosomes. The B chromosome-containing sperm most often fertilizes the egg, whereas the sperm nucleus with no B chromosomes fuses with the polar nuclei. Despite the obvious advantages of being able to recognize and then track, separate, and analyze one sperm type from the other, it has not been possible because of the lack of sufficient detectable differences between the two types of sperms. In this study, we used a B chromosome-specific DNA sequence (pZmBs) and in situ hybridization to identify and track the B chromosome-containing sperm cell within mature pollen and pollen tubes. Our results are consistent with conclusions from previous genetic studies related to B chromosome behavior during pollen formation. Within pollen tubes, the position in which the B chromosome-containing sperm travels (leading or trailing) in relation to the sperm cell lacking B chromosomes appears to be random.
The Origin and Function of Anti-Fungal Peptides in C. elegans: Open Questions

While innate immunity has been studied in insects since the time of Pasteur and Metchnikoff (Brey, 1998), research into nematode immune defenses was initiated only comparatively recently (Kurz and Ewbank, 2003). In the mid 1990s, through a biochemical approach, Yusuke Kato was able to isolate an antibacterial activity from the body fluid of the parasitic nematode Ascaris suum. This activity was ascribed to A. suum antibacterial factor (ASABF), a peptide that is particularly potent against Gram-positive bacteria (Kato, 1995). The subsequent molecular characterization of ASABF allowed the identification of six orthologous “ABF” peptides in the model nematode C. elegans, one of which, ABF-2 displays in vitro microbicidal activity against a range of bacteria and fungi (Kato and Komatsu, 1996; Kato et al., 2002; Zhang and Kato, 2003). The six ABF peptides were immediately recognized as sharing features with defensins, placing them in the class of cysteine-stabilized α-helix and β-sheet (CSαβ) peptides, the most wide-spread and conserved class of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs; Zhu, 2008). The constitutive expression of abf-1 and abf-2, the best characterized of the six corresponding genes in C. elegans, overlaps in the pharynx (Kato et al., 2002); they are likely to contribute to the breakdown of the microbes that form the nematode's normal diet. Although they undoubtedly act upon both bacteria and fungi, here, we consider only their potential role in anti-fungal defenses. Both abf-1 and abf-2 are up-regulated by infection with the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans (Means et al., 2009), while the expression of abf-1 but not of abf-2 is induced by infection with the natural fungal pathogens Drechmeria coniospora and Harposporium sp. (Engelmann et al., 2011). Conversely, abf-2 is up-regulated by Candida albicans. It is not clear what the underlying regulatory pathways governing abf gene expression are (Pukkila-Worley et al., 2011), but one can speculate that their differential regulation reflects both the various modes of pathogen infection (Labed and Pujol, 2011), and also their potentially distinct spectra of antimicrobial activities.
A comparison between colonic submucosa and mucosa to detect Lewy pathology in Parkinson’s disease

Background Lewy bodies and neurites (LN), the two pathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease (PD), are found in the enteric nervous system (ENS). Previously, we have shown that whole mounts of submucosa obtained after microdissection of colonic biopsies can be used for the detection of LN in the submucosal plexus (SMP) of PD patients. Recent reports suggest that Lewy pathology may extend beyond the submucosa to involve the digestive mucosa. The aim of the present research was to determine whether the analysis of the mucosa obtained after microdissection may help improve the sensitivity of colonic biopsies to detect Lewy pathology in the colon of PD patients.
Balancing the Size-Number Tradeoff in Clonal Broods

The trade-off between the number of offspring in a brood and the sizes of those offspring has been documented in a diverse array of species. Here we consider the factors that might account for the way that the trade-off achieves a particular size-number balance for female offspring. In particular, we determine whether bet hedging, along with traits influencing the expected short-term reproductive success of the brood, could select for a brood size and body mass that maximize long-term fitness. We also evaluate whether the optima based on these characteristics agree qualitatively with documented responses to brood resource levels. To develop a model incorporating these phenomena and keep it as simple and general as possible, we consider an organism that produces clonal broods, eliminating the complexities associated with parent-offspring and sibling conflict. We use the polyembryonic parasitoid wasp Copidosoma bakeri as the focal example. We find that bet hedging effects and key reproductive traits (the number of searching females, their host-finding efficiency, and survival prospects) are often sufficient to produce an optimal size-number balance and can account for the frequent tendency of both brood size and body mass to increase with brood resources (host size). Under some conditions, however, balancing the trade-off requires an additional minimum body-size constraint. Future empirical work and spatially explicit models must better establish the parameter magnitudes and functional relationships so that a deeper understanding and more precise predictions are obtained.
Information sequencing in Modern Standard Chinese

The hypothesis presented in this paper is that the sequence of ‘modifier-modified’ is a fundamental unit of sequencing in Modern Standard Chinese (MSC). It is shown that this sequencing unit extends beyond word pairs such as adjective-noun to sentences with complex clauses and also that it constitutes a fundamental principle of sequencing at discourse and text levels. Examples of ‘modifier—modified’ sequencing (also called ‘because—therefore’ sequencing) occurring at levels of the complex sentence, extended spoken discourse and written text are provided. These examples are taken from naturally occurring MSC data. A discussion concerning the implications of the differences in information sequencing between MSC and English in the fields of cross-cultural communication and language teaching concludes the paper.
Shear stress statistics and wall similarity analysis in turbulent boundary layers using a high-resolution 3-D ADVP

Three-dimensional (3-D) quasi-instantaneous acoustic Doppler velocity profiles at the center of uniform, turbulent open-channel flow over smooth and rough beds have been analyzed for the dynamics of coherent structures. The qualitative aspects of simultaneously measured Eulerian velocity and shear stress signatures identify coherent structures in the water column. A cumulant discard method is applied to describe the statistical properties of the covariance terms u'w' along the mean flow and v'w' across the mean flow relative to their time means. Conditional statistics and conditional sampling are used to compare the theoretical and experimental relative covariance contributions from the four quadrants in the longitudinal and transverse planes. The results in the (u', w') plane show the dominance of ejections (quadrant 2; u'<0, w'>0) and sweeps (quadrant 4; u'>0, w'<0). In contrast, the distribution of fractional v'w' events in the transverse plane is quasi-uniform over the four quadrants. Based on these experimentally determined statistical properties of the covariance terms in different flow conditions, a simplified form of the vertical turbulent energy flux in the intermediate flow region is given and the concept of wall similarity in turbulent boundary layers is validated. Since the validity of the wall similarity concept over a wide range of bed roughness has been shown, it is proposed to determine the mean bed friction velocity from the evaluation of the vertical turbulent energy flux.
Novel Meta-Heuristic Algorithmic Approach for Software Cost Estimation

-The Software Cost Estimation is very important task for completing the project successfully. The estimation in software development depends on various factors especially on cost and effort factors for which further AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Algorithmic models have been put into usage. This paper aims to discuss the methods for calculating the effort by using meta-heuristic algorithms for software development. This work lists two major aspects. First a thorough survey of already implemented meta-heuristic algorithms like MOPSO, Bee Colony Optimization and Firefly, have been presented. In the subsequent section, two novel techniques viz., BAT algorithm and Human Opinion Dynamics algorithms have been proposed for software cost estimation using effort parameter.