Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum Cytokine of IL-10 and IL-12 in Chronic Liver Disease: The Immune and Inflammatory Response

The current study was designed to investigate the potential association of serum interleukin-10 and interleukin-12 with HCV infection in chronic liver disease and to evaluate their possible role as new biomarkers in HCC development. Material and Methods. Forty-one patients suffering from chronic liver disease (33 patients harbor HCV infection and 8 are HCV-negative patients) were enrolled in the present study and histopathologically diagnosed into 15 patients with HCC, 16 patients with LC, and 10 patients with liver histology compatible with precirrhotic hepatitis (PCH). Ten patients complaining of cholecystitis were included as nondisease control. Serum levels of IL-10 and IL-12 were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results. HCV-infected patients showed elevated expression of IL-10 and IL-12 compared to nondisease controls (P < 0.0001) but there is no significant difference with respect to their expression in HCV-negative patients. Serum IL-10 and IL-12 were elevated significantly with disease progression (P < 0.0001) and a positive correlation coefficient was detected between IL-10, IL-12 (r = 0.785, P < 0.0001), and transaminase values suggesting their possible role in chronic inflammation progression leading to HCC. Conclusion. IL-10 and IL-12 might be involved in chronic inflammation progression leading to HCC and their evaluation could be used as new biomarkers to reflect the degree of inflammation in HCC development.
Estimating seismic velocities at ultrasonic frequencies in partially saturated rocks

Seismic velocities in rocks at ultrasonic frequencies depend not only on the degree of saturation but also on the distribution of the fluid phase at various scales within the pore space. Two scales of saturation heterogeneity are important: (1) saturation differences between thin compliant pores and larger stiffer pores, and (2) differences between saturated patches and undersaturated patches at a scale much larger than any pore. We propose a formalism for predicting the range of velocities in partially saturated rocks that avoids assuming idealized pore shapes by using measured dry rock velocity versus pressure and dry rock porosity versus pressure. The pressure dependence contains all of the necessary information about the distribution of pore compliances for estimating effects of saturation at the finest scales where small amounts of fluid in the thinnest, most compliant parts of the pore space stiffen the rock in both compression and shear (increasing both P‐ and S‐wave velocities) in approximately th.
HIV-1 Drug-Resistance Surveillance among Treatment-Experienced and -Naïve Patients after the Implementation of Antiretroviral Therapy in Ghana

Background Limited HIV-1 drug-resistance surveillance has been carried out in Ghana since the implementation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). This study sought to provide data on the profile of HIV-1 drug resistance in ART-experienced and newly diagnosed individuals in Ghana. Methods Samples were collected from 101 HIV-1-infected patients (32 ART-experienced cases with virological failure and 69 newly diagnosed ART-naïve cases, including 11 children), in Koforidua, Eastern region of Ghana, from February 2009 to January 2010. The pol gene sequences were analyzed by in-house HIV-1 drug-resistance testing. Results The most prevalent HIV-1 subtype was CRF02_AG (66.3%, 67/101) followed by unique recombinant forms (25.7%, 26/101). Among 31 ART-experienced adults, 22 (71.0%) possessed at least one drug-resistance mutation, and 14 (45.2%) had two-class-resistance to nucleoside and non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors used in their first ART regimen. Importantly, the number of accumulated mutations clearly correlated with the duration of ART. The most prevalent mutation was lamivudine-resistance M184V (n = 12, 38.7%) followed by efavirenz/nevirapine-resistance K103N (n = 9, 29.0%), and zidovudine/stavudine-resistance T215Y/F (n = 6, 19.4%). Within the viral protease, the major nelfinavir-resistance mutation L90M was found in one case. No transmitted HIV-1 drug-resistance mutation was found in 59 ART-naïve adults, but K103N and G190S mutations were observed in one ART-naïve child. Conclusions Despite expanding accessibility to ART in Eastern Ghana, the prevalence of transmitted HIV-1 drug resistance presently appears to be low. As ART provision with limited options is scaled up nationwide in Ghana, careful monitoring of transmitted HIV-1 drug resistance is necessary.
Context counts: The impact of social context on gesture rate in verbally fluent adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

Co-speech gestures in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are poorly understood. Historically, all gestures were thought to be reduced in this social-communicative disorder; however, reduced gestures have not been consistently demonstrated in the empirical literature. Just as protodeclarative pointing is reduced in young children with ASD, while protoimperative pointing is not, the varied functions of co-speech gesture may explain these mixed findings. Verbally fluent adolescents with ASD (n = 18) and controls (n = 18) completed a narrative task and a standardized executive function task. Gestures on the narrative task, which serve a wide range of social and cognitive functions, were reduced in ASD. Gestures on the executive function task, which serve primarily cognitive functions, were increased in ASD. Gesture function may be the best predictor of the presence or absence of gesture in ASD. Despite reduced social-communicative gestures, individuals with ASD may benefit from gesture’s internal, cognitive functions.
Categorical perception: effects of the extent and rate of spectral change

ABSTRACT Two experiments evaluated a potential explanation of categorical perception (CP) for place of articulation – namely, that listeners derive limited information from rapid spectral changes. Experiment 1 examined vowel context effects for /b/–/d/ continua that included consonant–vowel tokens with F2 onset frequencies that varied systematically from the F2 frequencies of their corresponding steady-states. Phoneme categorisation sharply shifted with F2 direction at locations along the continuum where discrimination performance peaked, indicating CP. Experiment 2 compared findings for a replicated condition against conditions with vowels reduced to match consonant duration or consonants extended to match vowels. CP was similarly obtained for replicated and vowel-reduced conditions. However, listeners frequently perceived diphthongs centrally on the consonant-extended continuum. Some listeners demonstrated CP, although aggregate performance appeared more continuous. These experiments indicate a model based upon the perceived direction of frequency transitions.
Architectural Challenges in Memory-Intensive, Real-Time Image Forming

The real-time image forming in future, high-end synthetic aperture radar systems is an example of an application that puts new demands on computer architectures. The initial question is whether it is at all possible to meet the demands with state-of-the-art technology or foreseeable new technology. It is therefore crucial to understand the computational flow, with its associated memory, bandwidth and processing demands. In this paper we analyse the application in order to, primarily, understand the algorithms and identify the challenges they present on a basic architectural level. The processing in the radar system is characterized by working on huge data sets, having complex memory access patterns, and doing real-time compensations for flight path errors. We propose algorithm solutions and execution schemes in interplay with a two-level (coarse-grain/fine-grain) system parallelization approach, and we provide approximate models on which the demands are quantified. In particular, we consider the choice of method for the performance- intensive data interpolations. This choice presents a trade-off problem between computational performance and size of working memory. The results of this "upstream " study will serve as a basis for further, more detailed architecture studies.
Comparing Simplification and Image-Based Techniques for 3D Client-Server Rendering Systems

A mathematical model is presented for comparing geometric and image-based simplification methods. Geometric simplification reduces the number of polygons in the virtual object and image-based simplification replaces the object with an image. Our model integrates and extrapolates existing accuracy estimates, enabling the comparison of different simplification methods in order to choose the most efficient method in a given situation. The model compares data transfer and rendering load of the methods. Byte size and expected lifetime of simplifications are calculated as a function of the desired visual quality and the position and movement of the viewer. An example result is that, in typical viewing and rendering conditions and for objects with a radius in the order of one meter, imposter techniques can be used at viewing distances above 15 meters. Below that, simplified polygon objects are required and, below one meter distance, the full-resolution virtual object has to be rendered. An electronic version of the model is available on the web.
Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate Localization in Recycling Endosomes Is Necessary for AP-1B–dependent Sorting in Polarized Epithelial Cells

The authors show that PI(3,4,5)P3 in recycling endosomes is needed for AP-1B recruitment and AP-1Bdependent sorting to the basolateral membrane. Interestingly, AP-1B expression itself triggers the formation of PI(3,4,5)P3 in this location.
Plant Leaf Recognition using Shape based Features and Neural Network classifiers

This paper proposes an automated system for recognizing plant species based on leaf images. Plant leaf images corresponding to three plant types, are analyzed using two different shape modeling techniques, the first based on the Moments-Invariant (M-I) model and the second on the Centroid- Radii (C-R) model. For the M-I model the first four normalized central moments have been considered and studied in various combinations viz. individually, in joint 2-D and 3-D feature spaces for producing optimum results. For the C-R model an edge detector has been used to identify the boundary of the leaf shape and 36 radii at 10 degree angular separation have been used to build the feature vector. To further improve the accuracy, a hybrid set of features involving both the M-I and C-R models has been generated and explored to find whether the combination feature vector can lead to better performance. Neural networks are used as classifiers for discrimination. The data set consists of 180 images divided into three classes with 60 images each. Accuracies ranging from 90%-100% are obtained which are comparable to the best figures reported in extant literature. Keywords-plant recognition; moment invariants; centroid-radii model; neural network; computer vision.
Antitakeover Provisions and Shareholder Value Implications: A Review and a Contingency Framework

This paper reviews literatures on the two competing theoretical views of the antitakeover provisions–shareholder value relationship — managerial entrenchment and shareholder interests — and offers a contingency framework to reconcile these views. This framework, based on a broader agency theory perspective and the organizational literatures on power, incorporates two key moderators: corporate board and shareholder monitoring, and draws attention to when rather than on whether antitakeover provisions enhance or erode shareholder value.
p38 MAPK-dependent shaping of the keratin cytoskeleton in cultured cells

Plasticity of the resilient keratin intermediate filament cytoskeleton is an important prerequisite for epithelial tissue homeostasis. Here, the contribution of stress-activated p38 MAPK to keratin network organization was examined in cultured cells. It was observed that phosphorylated p38 colocalized with keratin granules that were rapidly formed in response to orthovanadate. The same p38p recruitment was noted during mitosis, in various stress situations and in cells producing mutant keratins. In all these situations keratin 8 became phosphorylated on S73, a well-known p38 target site. To demonstrate that p38-dependent keratin phosphorylation determines keratin organization, p38 activity was pharmacologically and genetically modulated: up-regulation induced keratin granule formation, whereas down-regulation prevented keratin filament network disassembly. Furthermore, transient p38 inhibition also inhibited keratin filament precursor formation and mutant keratin granule dissolution. Collectively, the rapid and reversible effects of p38 activity on keratin phosphorylation and organization in diverse physiological, stress, and pathological situations identify p38-dependent signalling as a major intermediate filament–regulating pathway.
The Study on Functional Connectivity between Frontal Eye Field and Other Brain Cortex in Visual Processing

Scientists have done many researches on human vision, they believe that computational model of human vision can inspire computer vision. FEF (Frontal Eye Field) is one of the important cortex of human being which plays a central role in the production of purposeful eye movements. A fMRI experiment was performed in this study to examine the cognitive role and functional connectivity mode between FEF and other brain cortex, such as FG (Fusiform Gyrus), PPC (Posterior Parietal Cortex) and PFC (Prefrontal Cortex). The results show that there are strong connectivity between FEF and these cortexes, and the functional connectivity pattern differs along with the complexity of task, the more complex, the higher connect intensity. Thus we infer that FEF may play an important role in visual processing not only eye movements but also high cognitive controlling. We also propose a probable reference model of visual processing which involved visual perception, visual encoding, visual imagination and declarative memorizing, FG, PPC, PFC may take part in such visual processing, and FEF may play a control role in such visual processing. Hopefully, this model could be used in computer vision processing.
Correlates of coping based on the concept of the sociotype: a secondary data analysis of an Israeli National Survey

ABSTRACT Background and objective: the sociotype and its domains – Individual Health (IH), Relationships (R) and Context (C) – extends the bio-psychosocial model as an ecological construct that interacts with the genotype to determine phenotypic behavior throughout life. The sociotype framework enables classifying both the nature of stress and the varying responses to it. This paper provides empirical evidence for the sociotype and examines its relation to perceived coping. Design and methods: we conducted a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey on health inequalities in a representative Israeli Jewish sample of 1328 individuals, 30–70 yrs (45% men). Thirty variables were arranged into the above domains and composite scores calculated from sequential regression analyses. A coping score (CS) was determined from questions relating to mastery and coping efficacy. Results: The mean population CS was 5.09 (SD 1.03; range 1.50–7.20); 5.23 for men vs. 4.97 for women (p < .00001). On univariate analysis, CS was not related to age; there were positive associations with health behaviors, education and economic situation and negative ones with smoking, stress and living alone. Correlations between the three domains ranged from 0.353 to 0.421 (all at p < .001). The individual contributions of each of the sociotype domains to the CS was 31.5% for IH, 16.8% for R and 17.8% for C; when combined they explained 32% of the variance. This was higher in men (40.7%) than in women (26.0%), who valued context more than relationships. Conclusions: In this population, the domains of the sociotype were related to perceived coping: longitudinal studies can determine its best predictors and the significance of any gender differences. The sociotype ecological model requires further testing in different settings, and for other phenotypic behaviors and responses to stresses, such as coping with chronic disease (adherence to medication) (IH), bereavement (R) and economic hardships (C).
Experiences of hospital care and treatment seeking for pain from sickle cell disease: qualitative study

Abstract Objective: To investigate how sociocultural factors influence management of pain from sickle cell disease by comparing the experiences of those who usually manage their pain at home with those who are more frequently admitted to hospital for management of their pain. Design: Qualitative analysis of semistructured individual interviews and focus group discussions. Participants: 57 participants with genotype SS or S/β-thal (44 subjects) or SC (9) (4 were unknown). 40 participants took part in focus groups, six took part in both focus groups and interviews, and nine were interviewed only. Participants were allocated to focus groups according to number of hospital admissions for painful crisis management during the previous year, ethnic origin, and sex. Results: The relation between patients with sickle cell disease and hospital services is one of several major non-clinical dimensions shaping experiences of pain management and behaviour for seeking health care. Experiences of hospital care show a range of interrelated themes, which are common to most participants across variables of sex, ethnicity, and hospital attended: mistrust of patients with sickle cell disease; stigmatisation; excessive control (including both over- and undertreatment of pain); and neglect. Individuals respond to the challenge of negotiating care with various strategies. Patients with sickle cell disease who are frequently admitted to hospital may try to develop long term relationships with their carers, may become passive or aggressive in their interactions with health professionals, or may regularly attend different hospitals. Those individuals who usually manage their pain at home express a strong sense of self responsibility for their management of pain and advocate self education, assertiveness, and resistance as strategies towards hospital services. Conclusions: The current organisation and delivery of management of pain for sickle cell crisis discourage self reliance and encourage hospital dependence. Models of care should recognise the chronic nature of sickle cell disorders and prioritise patients' involvement in their care.
Judgments of Vocal Quality, Speech Fluency, and Confidence of Southern Black and White Speakers

The present study was concerned with comparative judgments of vocal quality, speech fluency, and confidence of black and white speakers in southern universities. Specific objectives were to determine whether the following were related: (1) perception of vocal quality and judgment of confidence in the voice, (2) quality and fluency, (3) speech fluency and judgment of confidence; and to ascertain the differences between black and white speakers in vocal quality, speech fluency, and confidence. Stimuli were taken from a short passage read by 25 Negroes and 25 Caucasians. Using a seven-point scale, the following results were obtained: (1) the 50 speakers were correctly identified as to race by a majority of 36 listeners; (2) vocal quality and speech fluency were both perceived to be significantly better for white speakers; (3) confidence as perceived in the voice was also significantly better for white speakers; (4) relationships between all combinations of quality, fluency, and confidence were significant.
Practical approximate projection schemes in greedy signal space methods

Compressive sensing (CS) is a new signal acquisition paradigm which shows that far fewer samples are required to reconstruct sparse signals than previously thought. Although most of the literature focuses on signals sparse in a fixed orthonormal basis, recently the Signal Space CoSaMP (SSCoSaMP) greedy method was developed for the reconstruction of signals compressible in arbitrary redundant dictionaries. The algorithm itself needs access to approximate sparse projection schemes, which have been difficult to obtain and analyze. This paper investigates the use of several different projection schemes and catalogs for what types of signals each scheme can successfully be utilized. In addition, we present novel hybrid projection methods which outperform all other schemes on a wide variety of signal classes.
ADAPTATION AND VALIDATION OF THE PORTUGUESE VERSION OF THE HEALTHY LIFE STYLES QUESTIONNAIRE

The aim of this study was the adaptation and validation of Healthy Lifestyle Questionnaire (EVS), of Jimenez Castuera (2004) adapted of Wold (1995), using an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the measurement model, with a sample of sports veterans. In the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis part 684 Portuguese veteran athletes of both genders, aged between 30 and 90 years (M=43.78 SD=8.61), of which 547 male subjects and 137 subjects were female, which are competitors of various sports. The main results showed that the psychometric qualities of both the exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis, proved the adequacy of adaptation performed, demonstrating that the factor structure (Adaptation to Sports Questionnaire EVS: 3 factors/20 items) It has quite acceptable levels of validity (χ2 = 172.117, df=41, p = .000, χ2/g.l. = 4.190, CFI = .966, IFI = .966, MFI = .909, GFI = .955, AGFI = .927, RMR = .049, SRMR = .043, RMSEA = .068), with reasonable levels of internal consistency of the three primary factors (eating habits =.80; tobacco consumption =.91; resting habits =.84). This led us to conclude that the adaptation to the Sports of the Portuguese version of the EVS can be used with high confidence in the assessment of healthy lifestyles in the sports context.
Extraction of correlated gene clusters from multiple genomic data by generalized kernel canonical correlation analysis

MOTIVATION A major issue in computational biology is the reconstruction of pathways from several genomic datasets, such as expression data, protein interaction data and phylogenetic profiles. As a first step toward this goal, it is important to investigate the amount of correlation which exists between these data. RESULTS These methods are successfully tested on their ability to recognize operons in the Escherichia coli genome, from the comparison of three datasets corresponding to functional relationships between genes in metabolic pathways, geometrical relationships along the chromosome, and co-expression relationships as observed by gene expression data.