Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality of Life for Obese Women and Men in Turkey

Introduction Obesity is a complex, multifaceted disease that is widespread and growing in the developing world. People who are obese experience health-related quality-of-life impairments. Methods We administered the SF-36 Health Survey questionnaire to 1752 obese adults and 400 normal-weight adults in Izmir City, Turkey. We then compared the mean scores of the two groups by sex in eight quality-of-life domains. Results Differences in scores between obese women and normal-weight women were statistically significant in seven of eight SF-36 domains; differences in scores between obese men and normal-weight men were statistically significant in six of eight domains. Obese women were significantly more impaired than obese men in four of eight domains. Among obese women, 45.0% experienced a reduced quality of life, compared with only 13.2% of normal-weight women. Similarly, 41.3% of obese men experienced a reduced quality of life, compared with only 9.3% of normal-weight men. Conclusion Obesity is associated with poor levels of health, particularly poor levels of physical and social well-being.
WordNet::Similarity - Measuring the Relatedness of Concepts

WordNet::Similarity is a freely available software package that makes it possible to measure the semantic similarity and relatedness between a pair of concepts (or synsets). It provides six measures of similarity, and three measures of relatedness, all of which are based on the lexical database WordNet. These measures are implemented as Perl modules which take as input two concepts, and return a numeric value that represents the degree to which they are similar or related.
Sequential requirement of hepatocyte growth factor and neuregulin in the morphogenesis and differentiation of the mammary gland

We have examined the role of two mesenchymal ligands of epithelial tyrosine kinase receptors in mouse mammary gland morphogenesis. In organ cultures of mammary glands, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF, scatter factor) promoted branching of the ductal trees but inhibited the production of secretory proteins. Neuregulin (NRG, neu differentiation factor) stimulated lobulo-alveolar budding and the production of milk proteins. These functional effects are paralleled by the expression of the two factors in vivo: HGF is produced in mesenchymal cells during ductal branching in the virgin animal; NRG is expressed in the mesenchyme during lobulo-alveolar development at pregnancy. The receptors of HGF and NRG (c-met, c-erbB3, and c-erbB4), which are expressed in the epithelial cells, are not regulated. In organ culture, branching morphogenesis and lobulo-alveolar differentiation of the mammary gland could be abolished by blocking expression of endogenous HGF and NRG by the respective antisense oligonucleotides; in antisense oligonucleotide-treated glands, morphogenesis could again be induced by the addition of recombinant HGF and NRG. We thus show that two major postnatal morphogenic periods of mammary gland development are dependent on sequential mesenchymal- epithelial interactions mediated by HGF and NRG.
Asymptotic performance of LDPC codes in impulsive non-Gaussian channel

Advancements in channel coding theory over the past decades have been accomplished considering simple channel such as Additive White Gaussian Noise channels. Much less is known about the consequences when the standard Gaussian assumption is not fulfilled in realistic environments and, more importantly, the appropriate countermeasures. This paper studies and analyzes the performance of low-density parity-check codes (LDPC) in heavy-tailed, non-Gaussian noise channels that can be well adapted to impulsive noise modeling. This non-Gaussian noise are modeled by an indefinite variance symmetric alpha stable noise and the channel is Additive White Symmetric Alpha-Stable Noise channel. The asymptotic Performances of LDPC codes using different demappers over this channel and its capacity are proposed and studied.
Highly Efficient Amplification of Chronic Wasting Disease Agent by Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification with Beads (PMCAb)

Protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) has emerged as an important technique for detecting low levels of pathogenic prion protein in biological samples. The method exploits the ability of the pathogenic prion protein to convert the normal prion protein to a proteinase K-resistant conformation. Inclusion of Teflon® beads in the PMCA reaction (PMCAb) has been previously shown to increase the sensitivity and robustness of detection for the 263 K and SSLOW strains of hamster-adapted prions. Here, we demonstrate that PMCAb with saponin dramatically increases the sensitivity of detection for chronic wasting disease (CWD) agent without compromising the specificity of the assay (i.e., no false positive results). Addition of Teflon® beads increased the robustness of the PMCA reaction, resulting in a decrease in the variability of PMCA results. Three rounds of serial PMCAb allowed detection of CWD agent from a 6.7×10−13 dilution of 10% brain homogenate (1.3 fg of source brain). Titration of the same brain homogenate in transgenic mice expressing cervid prion protein (Tg(CerPrP)1536+/− mice) allowed detection of CWD agent from the 10−6 dilution of 10% brain homogenate. PMCAb is, thus, more sensitive than bioassay in transgenic mice by a factor exceeding 105. Additionally, we are able to amplify CWD agent from brain tissue and lymph nodes of CWD-positive white-tailed deer having Prnp alleles associated with reduced disease susceptibility.
Numerical Methods for Approximating Invariant Manifolds of Delayed Systems

In this paper we develop new methods for computing k-dimensional invariant manifolds of delayed systems for $k\geq2$. Our current implementation is built for $k=2$ only, but the numerical and algorithmic challenges encountered in this case will be also present for any $k>1$. For small delays, we consider methods for approximating delay differential equations (DDEs) with ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Once these approximations are made, any existing method for computing invariant manifolds of ODEs can then be used directly. We derive bounds on errors incurred by the most natural of these approximations. For large delays, we extend to DDEs the method originally introduced by Krauskopf and Osinga [Chaos, 9 (1999), pp. 768–774] for invariant manifolds of ODEs. We test the convergence of the resulting algorithms numerically and further illustrate our approach by computing two-dimensional unstable manifolds of equilibria in the context of phase-conjugate feedback lasers.
A Flexible Natural Gradient Approach to Blind Separation of Complex Signals

In this paper a natural gradient approach to blind source separation in complex environment is presented. It is shown that signals can be successfully reconstructed by a network based on the so called generalized splitting activation function (GSAF). This activation function, whose shape is modified during the learning process, is based on a couple of bi-dimensional spline functions, one for the real and one for the imaginary part of the input, thus avoiding the restriction due to the Louiville's theorem. In addition recent learning metrics are compared with the classical ones in order to improve the speed convergence. Several experimental results are shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Forest fragmentation, the decline of an endangered primate, and changes in host–parasite interactions relative to an unfragmented forest

Forest fragmentation may alter host–parasite interactions in ways that contribute to host population declines. We tested this prediction by examining parasite infections and the abundance of infective helminths in 20 forest fragments and in unfragmented forest in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Over 4 years, the endangered red colobus (Procolobus rufomitratus) declined by 20% in fragments, whereas the black‐and‐white colobus (Colobus guereza) in fragments and populations of both colobines in unfragmented forest remained relatively stable. Seven nematodes (Strongyloides fulleborni, Strongyloides stercoralis, Oesophagostomum sp., an unidentified strongyle, Trichuris sp., Ascaris sp., and Colobenterobius sp.), one cestode (Bertiella sp.), and three protozoans (Entamoeba coli, Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, and Giardia sp.) were detected. Infection prevalence and the magnitude of multiple infections were greater for red colobus in fragmented than in unfragmented forest, but these parameters did not differ between forests for black‐and‐white colobus. Infective‐stage colobus parasites occurred at higher densities in fragmented compared with unfragmented forest, demonstrating greater infection risk for fragmented populations. There was little evidence that the nature of the infection was related to the size of the fragment, the density of the host, or the nature of the infection in the other colobine, despite the fact that many of the parasites are considered generalists. This study suggests that forest fragmentation can alter host–parasite dynamics and demonstrates that such changes can correspond with changes in host population size in forest fragments. Am. J. Primatol. 70:222–230, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The role of nitric oxide in regulation of deformability of red blood cells in acute phase of endotoxaemia in rats.

Using the shear stress laser diffractometer (Rheodyn) we have studied the role of nitric oxide on erythrocyte deformability during the initial 10 min after the i.v. administration of LPS at a dose of 5 mg/kg. At the stress shear force of 30 Pa the control erythrocytes elongation index (Ei) of untreated animals was 38% +/- 1.5 (mean +/- SD, n = 6) while in LPS treated animals it was decreased to 33% +/- 1.8 (n = 6) indicating significant (p < 0.01) loos of red blood cell deformability. The loss of deformability was accompanied by increased fragility of erythrocyte membranes as measured by enhanced release of free hemoglobin (E lambda 420 = 0.43 +/- 0.05 in control vs. E lambda 420 = 0.65 +/- 0.07 in LPS group) from isolated erythrocytes exposed to centrifuging at a speed of 3000 rpm for 10 min. Inhibitor of NO-synthase, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 10 mg/kg i.v.), significantly decreased deformability (Ei = 33.5- +/- 4.6, n = 6, p < 0.01) but did not influence fragility (E lambda 420 = 0.36 +/- 0.14, n = 6) of erythrocytes. However, when L-NAME was administered 10 min. prior to LPS it significantly improved the LPS-impaired fragility (E lambda 420 = 0.38 +/- 0.1, n = 6, p < 0.01) as compared to rats treated with LPS-alone (E lambda 420 = 0.65 +/- 0.07, n = 6). A similar protective effect of L-NAME was observed for LPS-induced impairment of erythrocyte deformability. It is concluded that NO seems to influence deformability and fragility of erythrocytes at the first stage of sepsis. During an acute phase of LPS action, possibly reflected by stimulation of endothelial constitutive (ecNOS) but not inducible NO-synthase (iNOS), the excessive amount of NO leads to a damage of erythrocyte plasticity and then the pretreatment with L-NAME exerts a protective action of LPS-impaired deformability and fragility of erythrocytes. On the other hand, basal release of NO maintains erythrocyte deformability at the physiological range and lowering of the basal level of NO by NOS-inhibitors leads to impairment or erythrocyte deformability.
Can APC mutation analysis contribute to therapeutic decisions in familial adenomatous polyposis? Experience from 680 FAP families

BACKGROUND AND AIMS In familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), correlations between site of mutation in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene and severity of colonic polyposis or extracolonic manifestations are well known. While mutation analysis is important for predictive diagnosis in persons at risk, its relevance for clinical management of individual patients is open to question. METHODS We examined 680 unrelated FAP families for germline mutations in theAPC gene. Clinical information was obtained from 1256 patients. RESULTS APC mutations were detected in 48% (327/680) of families. Age at diagnosis of FAP based on bowel symptoms and age at diagnosis of colorectal cancer in untreated patients were used as indicators of the severity of the natural course of the disease. A germline mutation was detected in 230 of 404 patients who were diagnosed after onset of bowel symptoms (rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, diarrhoea). When these patients were grouped according to the different sites of mutations, mean values for age at onset of disease differed significantly: patients carryingAPC mutations at codon 1309 showed a disease onset 10 years earlier (mean age 20 years) compared with patients with mutations between codons 168 and 1580 (except codon 1309) (mean age 30 years), whereas patients with mutations at the 5′ end of codon 168 or the 3′ end of codon 1580 were diagnosed at a mean age of 52 years. Within each group of patients however large phenotypic variation was observed, even among patients with identical germline mutations. A higher incidence of desmoids was found in patients with mutations between codons 1445 and 1580 compared with mutations at other sites, while no correlation between site of mutation and presence of duodenal adenomas was observed. CONCLUSIONS As age at manifestation and course of the disease may be rather variable, even in carriers of identical germline mutations, therapeutic decisions should be based on colonoscopic findings in individual patients rather than on the site of mutation. However, in patients with mutations within codons 1445–1580, it may be advisable to postpone elective colectomy because desmoids may arise through surgical intervention.
B‐type natriuretic peptide attenuates cardiac hypertrophy via the transforming growth factor‐β1/smad7 pathway in vivo and in vitro

1. Previously, we showed that long‐term treatment of rats after myocardial infarction (MI) with B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) prevented ventricular remodelling. However, it is unclear whether long‐term BNP treatment affects cardiac hypertrophy and, if so, its mechanism of action. In the present study, we investigated the effects of long‐term BNP treatment on cardiac hypertrophy and the molecular mechanisms involved.
Study on Texture of AZ80 Magnesium Alloy Induced by Multi-Axial Forging

The texture of as-cast AZ80 magnesium alloy after multi-axial forging processes was investigated by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results show that, the first cycle induced two groups of texture forming, which had certain angles to the elongated direction and had high strength surface texture in specimen. However, after the second process, dynamic recrystallization occurred and majority of tensile twins developed, which made a small deflection on basal plane, and the orientation of the texture of basal plane changed. It resulted in the texture intensity decrease. The weak texture formed during multi-axial forging process is different from that formed during extrusion, rolling and other processes significantly.This template explains and demonstrates how to prepare your camera-ready paper for Trans Tech Publications. The best is to read these instructions and follow the outline of this text.
Endogenous Epoxygenases Are Modulators of Monocyte/Macrophage Activity

Background Arachidonic acid is metabolized through three major metabolic pathways, the cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase and CYP450 enzyme systems. Unlike cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenases, the role of CYP450 epoxygenases in monocyte/macrophage-mediated responses is not known. Methodology/Principal Findings When transfected in vitro, CYP2J2 is an efficient activator of anti-inflammatory pathways through the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α. Human monocytes and macrophages contain PPARα and here we show they express the epoxygenases CYP2J2 and CYP2C8. Inhibition of constitutive monocyte epoxygenases using the epoxygenase inhibitor SKF525A induces cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression and activity, and the release of TNFα, and can be reversed by either add back of the endogenous epoxygenase products and PPARα ligand 11,12- epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET) or the addition of the selective synthetic PPARα ligand GW7647. In alternatively activated (IL-4-treated) monocytes, in contrast to classically activated cells, epoxygenase inhibition decreased TNFα release. Epoxygenases can be pro-inflammatory via superoxide anion production. The suppression of TNFα by SKF525A in the presence of IL-4 was associated with a reduction in superoxide anion generation and reproduced by the superoxide dismutase MnCl2. Similar to these acute activation studies, in monocyte derived macrophages, epoxygenase inhibition elevates M1 macrophage TNFα mRNA and further decreases M2 macrophage TNFα. Conclusions/Significance In conclusion, epoxygenase activity represents an important endogenous pathway which limits monocyte activation. Moreover endogenous epoxygenases are immuno-modulators regulating monocyte/macrophage activation depending on the underlying activation state.
Suppression of liver cell apoptosis in vitro by the non-genotoxic hepatocarcinogen and peroxisome proliferator nafenopin

Suppression of apoptosis has been implicated as a mechanism for the hepatocarcinogenicity of the peroxisome proliferator class of non- genotoxic carcinogens. The ability of the peroxisome proliferator nafenopin to suppress or delay the onset of liver apoptosis was investigated using primary cultures of rat hepatocytes and the Reuber hepatoma cell line FaO. 50 microM nafenopin reversibly maintained the viability of primary rat hepatocyte cultures which otherwise degenerated within 8 d of establishment. The maintenance of viability of hepatocyte monolayers was associated with a significant decrease in the number of cells exhibiting chromatin condensation patterns typical of apoptosis. Apoptosis could be induced in hepatocytes by administration of 5 ng/ml TGF beta 1. Co-addition of 50 microM nafenopin significantly reduced TGF beta 1-induced apoptosis by 50-60%. TGF beta 1 (1-5 ng/ml) also induced apoptosis in the FaO rat hepatoma cell line. Cell death was accompanied by detachment of FaO cells from the monolayer and detached cells exhibited chromatin condensation and non-random DNA fragmentation patterns typical of apoptosis. Co-addition of 50 microM nafenopin to TGF beta 1-treated FaO cultures significantly reduced the number of apoptotic cells detaching from the monolayer at 24 h. In contrast, nafenopin had no significant effect on FaO apoptosis induced by the DNA damaging agents etoposide and hydroxyurea. We conclude that suppression of liver cell death by apoptosis may play a role in the hepatocarcinogenicity of the peroxisome proliferators, although the extent of this protection is dependent on the nature of the apoptotic stimulus.
Diagnosis of electric power apparatus using the decision tree method

To diagnose the electric power apparatus, the decision tree method can be a highly recommended classification tool because it provides the if-then-rule in visible, and thus we may have a possibility to connect the physical phenomena to the observed signals. The most important point in constructing the diagnosing system is to make clear the relations between the faults and the corresponding signals. Such a database system can be built up in the laboratory using a model electric power apparatus, and we have made it. The next important thing is the feature extraction. We used oslash - V - n patterns and POW patterns for feature variables, and feature extraction is made by the extended moments, usual moments, and the parameters in the underlying distributions such as the generalized normal distribution and the Weibull distribution. By simple arrangements, we will be able to classify the faults and noise with high accuracy such that the misclassification rate is lower than 5%. If we set appropriate pre-processing procedure carefully, we might have a possibility of classification accuracy of less than 2%. Therefore, the decision tree with adequate feature extraction is considered to be a promising method as one of the classification tools.
NAIST at the NLI 2013 Shared Task

This paper describes the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) native language identification (NLI) system in the NLI 2013 Shared Task. We apply feature selection using a measure based on frequency for the closed track and try Capping and Sampling data methods for the open tracks. Our system ranked ninth in the closed track, third in open track 1 and fourth in open track 2.
Boost sparse coding based abnormal event detection via explicitly applying temporal continuity constraint

With various novel methods having been proposed, recent years witnessed great progress in abnormal event detection. Broadly speaking, most existing methods can be divided into two categories: global feature representation based ones and local feature representation based ones, though the specific feature model and scale differ a lot. These two types of methods have reverse pros and cons: global feature representation methods can better guarantee spatial-temporal continuity of abnormal events but lack the ability to accurately model features of the basic event elements, while local feature methods are just the opposite. That makes their results complement each other. In this paper, we propose to explicitly apply temporal continuity constraint on sparse coding based local feature representation method, not just enlarging the scale of local feature representation. Experiments demonstrate that our method can usually achieve more stable and smooth results, thus more high detection accuracy. In some cases, the performance gain can be enormous.
Optimized eeeBond: Energy Efficiency with non-Proportional Router Network Interfaces

The recent Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) standard and the eBond protocol provide two orthogonal approaches that allow significant energy savings on routers. In this paper we present the modeling and performance evaluation of these two protocols and a hybrid protocol. We first present eeeBond, pronounced ``triple-e bond'', which combines the eBond capability to switch between multiple redundant interfaces with EEE's active/idle toggling capability implemented in each interface. Second, we present an analytic model of the protocol performance, and derive closed-form expressions for the optimized parameter settings of both eBond and eeeBond. Third, we present a performance evaluation that characterizes the relative performance gains possible with the optimized protocols, as well as a trace-based evaluation that validates the insights from the analytic model. Our results show that there are significant advantages to combine eBond and EEE. The eBond capability provides good savings when interfaces only offer small energy savings when in short-term sleep states, and the EEE capability is important as short-term sleep savings improve.
Fast, accurate simulation for SDN prototyping

Thorough test and evaluation of new software-defined network (SDN)-based applications and configurations present many challenges. Examples of these challenges include scaling to large networks, accuracy, and efficiency in evaluation along with the ability to easily transition between prototype and test environments. Current methods for test and evaluation include new programming languages and frameworks, debugging and static analysis techniques, and VM- and container-based emulation tools. In this paper we describe a simulation-based tool called fs-sdn that complements and expands upon these existing approaches. Our work is designed to address the problem of prototyping and evaluating new SDN-based applications accurately, at large scale, and in a way that enables easy translation to real controller platforms like POX and NOX. We describe the design, implementation and use of fs-sdn, and demonstrate its capability by carrying out a series of experiments using fs-sdn and the Mininet platform in nearly identical configurations. We show that the measurements derived from fs-sdn are accurate compared with Mininet, but offer significant speed and scalability advantages.