Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Immunogenic Proteins of Waddlia chondrophila

Evidence is growing for a role of Waddlia chondrophila as an agent of adverse pregnancy outcomes in both humans and ruminants. This emerging pathogen, member of the order Chlamydiales, is also implicated in bronchiolitis and lower respiratory tract infections. Until now, the serological diagnosis of W. chondrophila infection has mainly relied on manually intensive tests including micro-immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Thus, there is an urgent need to establish reliable high throughput serological assays. Using a combined genomic and proteomic approach, we detected 57 immunogenic proteins of W. chondrophila, of which 17 were analysed by mass spectrometry. Two novel hypothetical proteins, Wim3 and Wim4, were expressed as recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli, purified and used as antigens in an ELISA test. Both proteins were recognized by sera of rabbits immunized with W. chondrophila as well as by human W. chondrophila positive sera but not by rabbit pre-immune sera nor human W. chondrophila negative sera. These results demonstrated that the approach chosen is suitable to identify immunogenic proteins that can be used to develop a serological test. This latter will be a valuable tool to further clarify the pathogenic potential of W. chondrophila.
International Conference on Information Systems ( ICIS ) 1-1-2010 SUSTAINABLE IT-SPECIFIC HUMAN CAPITAL : COPING WITH THE THREAT OF PROFESSIONAL OBSOLESCENCE

This study contributes to research examining how IT professionals cope with the threat of professional obsolescence. In answering this question, this study draws on theories of occupational stress, specifically the theory of conservation of resources (Hobfoll 2002; Hobfoll and Freedy 1993), to relate the threat of professional obsolescence with IT professionals’ coping behaviors. This study extends the theory of conservation of resources in several directions such as theorizing and testing the job mobility intentions of turnover and turnaway as consequences; and by proposing organizational updating climate as a proximal contextual moderating factor. The results obtained from a large sample of IT professionals are both consistent with and contrary to theorized relationships. We also uncover several new findings pertaining to the role played by organization updating climate and its potential limit in supporting updating activities of IT professionals. We conclude this study with a discussion of the results and propose future research directions.
Scalable Transmission Control: SVC-Based Dynamic Resource Allocation for Enhanced Multicast and Broadcast Service

In this letter, a Scalable Transmission Control (STC) scheme is proposed as a new framework of radio resource allocation when Scalable Video Coding (SVC) is used for the Enhanced Multicast & Broadcast Service (E-MBS) in Mobile WiMAX network. We present a marginal utility-based suboptimal solution to the STC problem and demonstrate that the overall system utilities can be significantly improved by the proposed framework for the given system capacity.
Monthly runoff prediction using phase space reconstruction

Abstract A nonlinear prediction method, developed based on the ideas gained from deterministic chaos theory, is employed: (a) to predict monthly runoff; and (b) to detect the possible presence of chaos in runoff dynamics. The method first reconstructs the single-dimensional (or variable) runoff series in a multi-dimensional phase space to represent its dynamics, and then uses a local polynomial approach to make predictions. Monthly runoff series observed at the Coaracy Nunes/Araguari River basin in northern Brazil is studied. The predictions are found to be in close agreement with the observed runoff, with high correlation coefficient and coefficient of efficiency values, indicating the suitability of the nonlinear prediction method for predicting the runoff dynamics. The results also reveal the presence of low-dimensional chaos in the runoff dynamics, when an inverse approach is adopted for identification, as: (a) an optimal embedding dimension exists, and (b) the prediction accuracy decreases with an increase in prediction lead time.
Nefazodone versus sertraline in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder

Objective: Nefazadone is an antidepressant that have a dual effect on serotonergic transmission by acting as both a reuptake inhibitor presynaptically and an antagonist at 5-HT2A receptor postsynaptically. Some authors have suggested that the 5-HT2A receptor may be involved in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this study , the efficacy of nefazodone in treatment of PTSD was investigated in comparison to the efficacy of sertraline. Methods: Subjects were randomly assigned to two treatment groups, nefazodone or sertraline group. Sixty subjects were recruited with 30 subjects in each treatment group. PTSD patients were diagnosed by using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-1) and nonstructured psychiatric interview. Measurements have been made every month for a five-months period with six assessment points including the baseline. Primary outcome measures consisted of the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS), the eight-item Treatment-outcome Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale (TOP-8), Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) ratings. Results: The subjects in both of these groups had significantly improved. There were significant differences between initial and endpoint TOP-8 and CGI scores (p
Brazilian English as foreign language teachers' beliefs about grammar-based feedback on L2 writing

Empirical findings have suggested that what teachers do in the classroom mirrors what they believe and these beliefs often influence their instructional decisions (Farrell & Lim, 2005). Research in teacher belief is vast and diverse (Borg, 2003) as is investigation about the effectiveness of written corrective feedback per se (Ferris, 2006; Truscott, 2009); however, little is known about teachers’ beliefs about written corrective feedback (Lee, 2009). Therefore, this study aimed at investigating Brazilian EFL teachers’ beliefs about grammar-based feedback on L2 writing and the extent to which their beliefs are related to their perceived classroom practice. Fifteen Brazilian EFL teachers answered a five-point Likert scale survey composed of twenty-two statements that covered key issues related to written corrective feedback. Results suggest that Brazilian teachers tend to believe that formfocused correction is a recommendable instructional approach. In addition, the qualitative analysis of the teachers’ perception of classroom practice in regards to written feedback provision implied that their pedagogical decisions are likely to be shaped by beliefs and contextual factors related to their working settings.
A Switched-Capacitor Front-End for Velocity-Selective ENG Recording

Multi-electrode cuffs (MECs) have been proposed as a means for extracting additional information about the velocity and direction of nerve signals from multi-electrode recordings. This paper discusses certain aspects of the implementation of a system for velocity selective recording (VSR) where multiple neural signals are matched and summed to identify excited axon populations in terms of velocity. The approach outlined in the paper involves the replacement of the digital signal processing stages of a standard delay-matched VSR system with analogue switched-capacitor (SC) delay lines which promises significant savings in both size and power consumption. The system specifications are derived and two circuits, each composed of low-noise preamplifiers connecting to a 2nd rank SC gain stage, are evaluated. One of the systems provides a single-ended SC stage whereas the other system is fully differential. Both approaches are shown to provide the low-noise, low-power operation, practically identical channel gains and sample delay range required for VSR. Measured results obtained from chips fabricated in 0.8 μm CMOS technology are reported.
Genotypic analysis of pseudoepidemic due to contamination of Hanks' balanced salt solution with Candida parapsilosis

A cluster of isolates of Candida parapsilosis recovered from clinical specimens was demonstrated, by both classical and molecular epidemiological techniques, to have resulted from contamination in the laboratory. The source of the pseudoepidemic was a repeatedly utilized contaminated container of Hanks' balanced salt solution used in specimen processing. The patterns of restriction fragment length polymorphisms of DNA extracted from the clinical and environmental isolates were identical to each other but composed a newly identified unique C. parapsilosis DNA type.
Drug-Induced Apoptosis: Mechanism by which Alcohol and Many Other Drugs can Disrupt Brain Development

Maternal ingestion of alcohol during pregnancy can cause a disability syndrome termed Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which may include craniofacial malformations, structural pathology in the brain, and a variety of long-term neuropsychiatric disturbances. There is compelling evidence that exposure to alcohol during early embryogenesis (4th week of gestation) can cause excessive death of cell populations that are essential for normal development of the face and brain. While this can explain craniofacial malformations and certain structural brain anomalies that sometimes accompany FASD, in many cases these features are absent, and the FASD syndrome manifests primarily as neurobehavioral disorders. It is not clear from the literature how alcohol causes these latter manifestations. In this review we will describe a growing body of evidence documenting that alcohol triggers widespread apoptotic death of neurons and oligodendroglia (OLs) in the developing brain when administered to animals, including non-human primates, during a period equivalent to the human third trimester of gestation. This cell death reaction is associated with brain changes, including overall or regional reductions in brain mass, and long-term neurobehavioral disturbances. We will also review evidence that many drugs used in pediatric and obstetric medicine, including general anesthetics (GAs) and anti-epileptics (AEDs), mimic alcohol in triggering widespread apoptotic death of neurons and OLs in the third trimester-equivalent animal brain, and that human children exposed to GAs during early infancy, or to AEDs during the third trimester of gestation, have a significantly increased incidence of FASD-like neurobehavioral disturbances. These findings provide evidence that exposure of the developing human brain to GAs in early infancy, or to alcohol or AEDs in late gestation, can cause FASD-like neurodevelopmental disability syndromes. We propose that the mechanism by which alcohol, GAs and AEDs produce neurobehavioral deficit syndromes is by triggering apoptotic death and deletion of neurons and OLs (or their precursors) from the developing brain. Therefore, there is a need for research aimed at deciphering mechanisms by which these agents trip the apoptosis trigger, the ultimate goal being to learn how to prevent these agents from causing neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Counselling children using a multiple intelligences framework

This paper presents a three-stage framework that has been shown to be useful in the counselling of children. Some of the qualitative results of a study into counselling practice informed by Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences are reported. The study, which sought to explore the essence of the counselling act, highlights techniques and environmental factors that are useful in the counselling of children, particularly small children who have not developed the language required for more formal counselling sessions. The use of Gardner's (1983) theory of multiple intelligences as a framework enabled the counsellors to make available a variety of activities that tapped a variety of talents.
Apolipoprotein E4 Genotype and Depressive Symptoms as Risk Factors for Dementia in an Older Korean Population

Objective Growing evidence suggests the separate associations of apolipoprotein E e4 allele (apo E4) and depression with incident dementia. This study investigated the separate and combined effects of apo E4 and depression on the incidence of dementia in both men and women. Methods Of 625 elderly without dementia at baseline, 518 (83%) were followed over a 2.4-year period and were assessed clinically for incident dementia. The apo E polymorphism was ascertained, and depression was identified using the Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS). Covariates included age, gender, education, disability, alcohol history, physical activity, and vascular risk factors. Results The incidence of dementia was significantly higher in elderly Koreans with both apo E4 and depression compared to those without both factors [adjusted odds ratio (95% CI)=5.85 (1.77-19.38)]. This interaction was significant in men (p=0.049), but not in women (p=0.354). Conclusion Depressed elderly people are at great risk for incident dementia in the presence of apo E4. Potential gender differences require further evaluation.
A Survey of the Criminal Careers of Restriction Order Patients

Summary The offenders committed to local hospitals in 1962 and 1964 under a hospital order with restriction of discharge were followed up for 15 years with regard to subsequent court appearances, hospital admissions, and death. One hundred and forty-six were traced. Of these, 49 per cent had been diagnosed as mentally ill: most of this group were committed for violent offences. Thirty-five per cent were mentally subnormal: they were frequently committed for sexual offences, arson and property offences. Twelve per cent were diagnosed psychopathic: this group had a wide variety of committal offences. Fourteen per cent of the mentally ill and 17 per cent of the mentally subnormal were still in hospital after 15 years, but 51 per cent of the mentally ill and 36 per cent of the mentally subnormal were released within three years. Sixty-one per cent of the psychopaths were released within two years. Few of the subsequent offences were serious in any of the diagnostic groups. Since 1973 there has been a dramatic fall in restriction orders, especially for mentally subnormal patients.
How Robust is Peer Punishment for Promoting Efficient Cooperation ? Evidence from Nonlinear Environments *

Most social dilemma and public goods provision problems exhibit nonlinearities that lead to equilibrium outcomes in the interior of the choice space. Yet this environment has been ignored in most experimental studies of peer punishment. This paper examines the effectiveness of peer punishment in promoting socially efficient behavior in such nonlinear environments. We report results from a laboratory experiment comparing the impact of peer punishment in a linear public good game with two nonlinear social dilemma games: a piecewise linear public good game and a common pool resource game. We find that while peer punishment reduces free riding in these new environments, the impact of punishment is weaker and takes longer to be effective.
Prevention of Ocular Scarring Post Glaucoma Filtration Surgery Using the Inflammatory Cell and Platelet Binding Modulator Saratin in a Rabbit Model

Clinical Relevance Late complications can occur with use of current antimetabolites to prevent scarring following glaucoma filtration surgery (GFS). Safer, more targeted, anti-fibrosis agents are sought. Objectives The protein saratin has been shown to exhibit anti-fibrotic and anti-thrombotic properties in response to injury, but had not been used for glaucoma surgery. The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of saratin with that of the widely accepted mitomycin-C (MMC) in prolonging bleb survival following GFS in the rabbit model. Two saratin delivery routes were compared; a single intraoperative topical application versus a combination of intraoperative topical application with two additional postoperative injections. Methods Twenty-four New Zealand White rabbits underwent GFS and received either intraoperative topical saratin, intraoperative topical saratin plus two injections on post-operative days 4 and 8, balanced saline solution (BSS), or MMC. The bleb tissues and their elevation durations were compared based on clinical and histological findings. Results Rabbits receiving topical+injections of saratin had a mean bleb survival of 33.6±8.5 days, significantly higher than the negative BSS controls, which averaged 17.4±6.0 days (p = 0.018). No improvement over BSS was seen for rabbits receiving topical saratin only (15.5±4.8 days, p = 0.749). Rabbits receiving saratin did not develop bleb avascularity and thinning associated with MMC treatment and there were no apparent clinical signs of toxicity. Conclusions Treatment with a single intraoperative topical application plus two additional postoperative injections significantly prolonged bleb elevation comparable to MMC, but without toxicity; however, topical application alone was ineffective.
Association between Mediterranean and Nordic diet scores and changes in weight and waist circumference: influence of FTO and TCF7L2 loci.

BACKGROUND Several studies have shown that adherence to the Mediterranean Diet measured by using the Mediterranean diet score (MDS) is associated with lower obesity risk. The newly proposed Nordic Diet could hold similar beneficial effects. Because of the increasing focus on the interaction between diet and genetic predisposition to adiposity, studies should consider both diet and genetics. OBJECTIVE We investigated whether FTO rs9939609 and TCF7L2 rs7903146 modified the association between the MDS and Nordic diet score (NDS) and changes in weight (Δweight), waist circumference (ΔWC), and waist circumference adjusted for body mass index (BMI) (ΔWCBMI). DESIGN We conducted a case-cohort study with a median follow-up of 6.8 y that included 11,048 participants from 5 European countries; 5552 of these subjects were cases defined as individuals with the greatest degree of unexplained weight gain during follow-up. A randomly selected subcohort included 6548 participants, including 5496 noncases. Cases and noncases were compared in analyses by using logistic regression. Continuous traits (ie, Δweight, ΔWC, and ΔWCBMI) were analyzed by using linear regression models in the random subcohort. Interactions were tested by including interaction terms in models. RESULTS A higher MDS was significantly inversely associated with case status (OR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.00), ΔWC (β = -0.010 cm/y; 95% CI: -0.020, -0.001 cm/y), and ΔWCBMI (β = -0.008; 95% CI:-0.015, -0.001) per 1-point increment but not Δweight (P = 0.53). The NDS was not significantly associated with any outcome. There was a borderline significant interaction between the MDS and TCF7L2 rs7903146 on weight gain (P = 0.05), which suggested a beneficial effect of the MDS only in subjects who carried 1 or 2 risk alleles. FTO did not modify observed associations. CONCLUSIONS A high MDS is associated with a lower ΔWC and ΔWCBMI, regardless of FTO and TCF7L2 risk alleles. For Δweight, findings were less clear, but the effect may depend on the TCF7L2 rs7903146 variant. The NDS was not associated with anthropometric changes during follow-up.
A fast parallel SGD for matrix factorization in shared memory systems

Matrix factorization is known to be an effective method for recommender systems that are given only the ratings from users to items. Currently, stochastic gradient descent (SGD) is one of the most popular algorithms for matrix factorization. However, as a sequential approach, SGD is difficult to be parallelized for handling web-scale problems. In this paper, we develop a fast parallel SGD method, FPSGD, for shared memory systems. By dramatically reducing the cache-miss rate and carefully addressing the load balance of threads, FPSGD is more efficient than state-of-the-art parallel algorithms for matrix factorization.
Estudo de validação da versão portuguesa da Escala de Respostas Ruminativas - Versão Reduzida

Rumination has been widely studied in the field of cognitive vulnerabilities to depression. According to the Response Styles Theory (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1987) rumination plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of depressive mood. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Ruminative Responses Scale (short form) (Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1991), which recently underwent changes - items that had a confounding content with measures of depressive symptoms were eliminated (Treynor, Gonzalez, & Nolen- Hoeksema, 2003). Analyses conducted on a sample of the general population, reveal that the Portuguese version of the instrument has good psychometric properties. The results of factor analysis confirm the existence of a two-dimensional structure, consisting of the brooding and reflective pondering, which have differential relations with measures of psychopathology. The results provide further empirical support for the need to differentiate between these two components in future research on rumination.
Determination of the Resistance Level of Two-Spotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) Populations in Apple Orchards in Isparta Province Against Some Pesticides*

This study was conducted to determine the resistance of two-spotted spider mites to some pesticides (propargite, chlorpyrifos and abamectin) used in apple orchards around Isparta province where apple production is intense. The LC50 and LC90 levels of all populations to these pesticides were determined using Petri plate spray tower method. The LC50 value of Tetranychus urticae Koch populations to propargite, chlorpyrifos and abamectin was found to be 137.69 – 295.07 μ l l distilled water, 70.99 – 1219.46 μ l l distilled water and 6.41 – 15.13 μ l l distilled water, respectively. Resistant ratios of populations were calculated by dividing the LC50 values of field populations by that of a susceptible population of T. urticae strain GSS. The resistance ratios for all T. urticae populations ranged from <1.0 – 1.1 fold for propargite, 2.3 – 40.2 fold for chlorpyrifos and <1.0 – 1.4 fold for abamectin (based on LC50). As a result of this study, it was found that T. urticae populations collected from apple orchards were resistant to chlorpyrifos but they were susceptible to propargite and abamectin.
Reinterpreting a fuzzy subset by means of a Sincov's functional equation

Throughout the paper it is shown that the classical definition of a fuzzy subset carries additional structures. The concept of a fuzzy subset is regarded from an alternative point of view: namely, the characteristic function of a fuzzy subset may be reinterpreted in terms of a Sincov’s functional equation in two variables. Since the solutions of a Sincov’s functional equation are also closely related to the existence of representable total preorders, an special attention is paid to the relationship between fuzzy subsets and total preorders defined on a universe. Some possible applications of this approach are pointed out in the final section