Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Swimming rate of bull spermatozoa in various media and the effect of dilution.

Summary. The swimming rate of bull spermatozoa diluted in various media was estimated by the stop-watch technique. At a dilution of 20,000 spermatozoa per µ in physiological saline solution, the mean ofthe mean swimming rates of spermatozoa from twenty-seven ejaculates from seventeen bulls was 155-9+5 µ/sec (range of means 107-0 to 203-2 µ/sec). The rate fell progressively with time during incubation at 37° C. The rates at higher dilutions were progressively lower after only 5 min incubation, and the greater the dilution the less well was the rate main¬ tained, so that the differences between different dilutions increased with time. The percentage motile followed the same pattern as the swimming rate, fewest non-motile being present at the highest cell concentration. Maintenance of rate was slightly better than in saline solution and the dilution effect was diminished, but not abolished, if semen was diluted with seminal fluid (from the same ejaculate), 'sperm extract' or Baker's medium. The rates were slightly higher in the last two media than in saline solution, but in seminal fluid the rate was only about two-thirds that in saline solution. the several There was no difference in rate. The impossibility of carrying out an exactly comparable experiment in saline solution was discussed. If spermatozoa were allowed to swim through a strip of mucus into saline solution, the mean rate and frequency distribu¬ tion of rates in this saline solution resembled those of controls directly diluted in saline solution (to a concentration of 10,000/µ ) much more than they resembled the figures for swimming rates in mucus. It was concluded that mucus does not have a 'selecting' effect on spermatozoa with respect to swimming rate.
Recognition rate estimation based on word alignment network and discriminative error type classification

Techniques for estimating recognition rates without using reference transcriptions are essential if we are to judge whether or not speech recognition technology is applicable to a new task. This paper proposes two recognition rate estimation methods for continuous speech recognition. The first is an easy-to-use method based on a word alignment network (WAN) obtained from a word confusion network through simple conversion procedures. A WAN contains the correct (C), substitution error (S), insertion error (I) and deletion error (D) probabilities word-by-word for a recognition result. By summing these CSID probabilities individually, the percent correct and word accuracy (WACC) can be estimated without using a reference transcription. The second more advanced method refines the CSID probabilities provided by a WAN based on discriminative error type classification (ETC) and estimates the recognition rates more accurately. In the experiments on the MIT lecture speech corpus, we obtained 0.97 of correlation coefficient between the true WACCs calculated by a scoring tool using reference transcriptions and the WACCs estimated from the discriminative ETC results.
Surface receptors delivering opposite signals regulate the function of human NK cells.

The effector function of NK cells is regulated by a number of positive and negative signals. The receptors involved in the negative regulation of NK cells are known since several years: they are represented by different families of MHC-specific receptors characterized by ITIM sequences in their cytoplasmic tail. In contrast, the surface molecules responsible for NK cell activation in the process of natural cytotoxicity and tumor cell lysis have remained elusive until recently. Three distinct NK-specific molecules termed 'natural cytotoxicity receptors' (NCR) have recently been identified and cloned. They play a complementary role in mediating NK cell activation in the interaction and lysis of most tumor cells. They are associated with different ITAM-containing adaptor proteins mediating signal transduction. Molecular cloning revealed novel members of the Ig superfamily displaying a limited homology with known human receptors.
Premature obliteration of the sternal sutures and pigeon-breast deformity.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate an uncommon and little known developmental anomaly of the sternum characterized by premature obliteration of its sutures and by a tendency toward forward angulation. Associated with this angulation is an increase in the sagittal diameter of the thorax of the type seen in “arcuate pigeon breast. ” Case Reports Case I: A white male child had been under observation since birth for congenital micrognathia of mild degree, bilateral clubfoot, inguinal hernia, and cryptorchidism. A “pigeon-breast” deformity had also been present since early infancy. When last seen at four years, he appeared well developed, both physically and mentally; the deformity of the feet had improved considerably, the micrognathia only slightly. The child's head was elongated, but there was no roentgen evidence of premature craniosynostosis. The thorax showed a midline bulge, anteriorly (Fig. 1). The lateral roentgenograms of the chest taken at one and at four years are reproduced in Figures 2 and.
Monocyte Subsets in Schistosomiasis Patients with Periportal Fibrosis

A major issue with Schistosoma mansoni infection is the development of periportal fibrosis, which is predominantly caused by the host immune response to egg antigens. Experimental studies have pointed to the participation of monocytes in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. The aim of this study was to characterize the subsets of monocytes in individuals with different degrees of periportal fibrosis secondary to schistosomiasis. Monocytes were classified into classical (CD14++CD16−), intermediate (CD14++CD16+), and nonclassical (CD14+CD16++). The expressions of monocyte markers and cytokines were assessed using flow cytometry. The frequency of classical monocytes was higher than the other subsets. The expression of HLA-DR, IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-β was higher in monocytes from individuals with moderate to severe fibrosis as compared to other groups. Although no differences were observed in receptors expression (IL-4R and IL-10R) between groups of patients, the expression of IL-12 was lower in monocytes from individuals with moderate to severe fibrosis, suggesting a protective role of this cytokine in the development of fibrosis. Our data support the hypothesis that the three different monocyte populations participate in the immunopathogenesis of periportal fibrosis, since they express high levels of proinflammatory and profibrotic cytokines and low levels of regulatory markers.
Heat Shock Proteins hsp90 and hsp70 Protect Neuronal Cells from Thermal Stress but Not from Programmed Cell Death

Abstract: Prior exposure to a mild thermal stress can protect neuronal cells from a subsequent more severe stress including high temperature, ischemia, glutamate toxicity, or stimuli inducing apoptosis. Although the protective effect of thermal stress correlates with the elevated expression of the heat shock proteins (hsps), the protective effect of individual hsps has never been directly demonstrated in neuronal cells. Here we show that the constitutive overexpression of either of the major hsps, hsp90 or hsp70, can protect neuronal cells from thermal stress but not from stimuli that induce apoptosis. The possible mechanisms by which thermal stress can protect neuronal cells from apoptosis are discussed.
Metabolism of the sub-Antarctic caterpillar Pringleophaga marioni during cooling, freezing and thawing

SUMMARY Although general models of the processes involved in insect survival of freezing exist, there have been few studies directly investigating physiological processes during cooling, freezing and thawing, without which these models remain hypothetical. Here, we use open-flow respirometry to investigate the metabolism of the freeze-tolerant sub-Antarctic caterpillar Pringleophaga marioni Viette (Lepidoptera: Tineidae) during cooling, freezing and thawing and to compare animals exposed to non-lethal (–5.8°C) and lethal (–6.0°C, after which caterpillars are moribund for several days, and –18°C, after which caterpillars are completely unresponsive) freezing stress. We found a large decrease in metabolic rate (that is not associated with freezing) at– 0.6±0.1°C and calculated a Q10 of 2.14×103 at this breakpoint. This breakpoint is coincident with the critical thermal minimum (CTmin) and is hypothesised to be a metabolic manifestation of the latter, possibly a failure of the Na+/K+-ATPase pump. This provides a plausible link between processes at the cellular level and observations of the action of the CTmin at tissue and whole-organism levels. Caterpillars froze at –4.6±0.1°C and had detectable metabolism when frozen. Post-thaw, metabolic rates were lower than pre-freezing measurements. Post-thaw metabolic rates did not differ between temperatures that did and did not kill the caterpillars, which suggests that mortality may be a result of a breakdown in processes at the organismal, rather than cellular, level of organisation.
Sexual Abuse Prevention: A Training Program for Developmental Disabilities Service Providers

Persons with developmental disabilities are at an increased risk for becoming victims of sexual abuse. Research has revealed that the largest group of identified perpetrators of sexual abuse is developmental disability service providers. The purpose of the present study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a sexual abuse prevention training program. Participants were administered a survey assessing knowledge and attitudes before and after the training workshop. Small improvements in knowledge and attitudes about sexual abuse and the sexuality of persons with developmental disabilities were found; however, ge-neral attitudes about individuals with developmental disabilities did not change. Suggestions for future directions in this area are provided.
Addressing adhesion and reliability concerns of copper-plated c-Si solar cells and modules

Copper-plated contacts for front side crystalline silicon solar cells are a topic of considerable interest, with many recent publications presenting a variety of successful methods and impressive cell results. Several of the more obvious challenges yet to be proven relate to the durability and reliability of plated contacts, especially the adhesion of plated metal to solar cells and the long-term stability of the metals that could potentially result in gradual power degradation. In this work, we have fabricated copper plated cells using several different front side patterning methods. For a resist-based process, we have optimized plated cell processing to achieve adhesion comparable to screenprinted silver paste contacts. For laser-based patterning methods, greater understanding of the metal-silicon interface and microstructure effecting adhesion is still needed.
Assembly and Processing of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Gag Mutants Containing a Partial Replacement of the Matrix Domain by the Viral Protease Domain

ABSTRACT We constructed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) mutants by replacing the matrix domain with sequences encoding the viral protease or p6* and protease. The chimeras retaining matrix myristylation and processing signals underwent efficient autoprocessing with severely defective particle budding. The budding defects of the chimeras were rescued by suppressing the chimera protease activity either through addition of an HIV protease inhibitor or through inactivating the chimera protease via a substitution mutation of the catalytic aspartic acid residue. This resulted in the release of chimeric virus-like particles with the density of a wild-type retrovirus particle. In addition, the assembly-competent but processing-defective chimeras produced proteolytically processed particles with significant reverse transcriptase activity when a downstream native pol gene was present. These results suggest that HIV has the potential to adapt heterologous sequences in place of the matrix sequence without major effects on virus-like particle budding. In addition, the positions of the protease and substrate accessibility may contribute significantly toward avoiding a premature Gag or Gag-Pol process, which leads to severe defects in both particle budding and incorporation.
[Degradation of fatty acid by syntrophic hydrocarbon-degrading consortium M82].

OBJECTIVE Using molecular ecology methods, we screened non-hydrocarbon carbon sources suitable for growth of syntrophic hydrocarbon-degrading Syntrophus sp. METHODS The acclimated methanogenic hexadecane-degrading consortium M82 was subcultured with dodecanedioic acid, tetradecanedioic acid, hexadecanoic acid, propionate and lactate. PCR-DGGE and qPCR were used to analyze the abundance and quantity of syntrophaceae using different carbon sources. The T-RFLP was applied to analyze archaeal community. RESULTS The consortium M82 could grow and produce methane using a variety of fatty acids that also resulted in the change in bacterial microbial community structure. Syntrophaceae bacterial stripe was obviously detected in the culture added additional dodecanedioic acid and tetradecanedioic acid. Furthermore, the results show that the logarithmic abundance of Syntrophaceae was 7.4 and 7.6 in per milliliter culture in the two enrichment cultures respectively, which were 2 - 3 units higher than these in other cultures. The archaeal community structure was mainly composed of acetoclastic methanogens Methanosaeta and hydrogenotrophic methanogens Methanoculleus in all culture. CONCLUSION Syntrophus sp. can use non-hydrocarbon carbon source (dodecanedioic acid and tetradecanedioic acid) as substrate to grow, which provides valuable information to isolate syntrophic hydrocarbon bacteria, and reveal the molecular mechanism of syntrophic hydrocarbon degradation.
Activated Notch1 Inhibits p53-Induced Apoptosis and Sustains Transformation by Human Papillomavirus Type 16 E6 and E7 Oncogenes through a PI3K-PKB/Akt-Dependent Pathway

ABSTRACT Activated Notch1 (AcN1) alleles cooperate with oncogenes from DNA tumor viruses in transformation of epithelial cells. AcN1 signaling has pleiotropic effects, and suggested oncogenic roles include driving proliferation through cyclin D1 or the generation of resistance to apoptosis on matrix withdrawal through a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-PKB/Akt-dependent pathway. Here, we extend the antiapoptotic role for AcN1 by showing inhibition of p53-induced apoptosis and transactivation. Chemical inhibitors of the PI3K pathway block AcN1-induced inhibition of p53-dependent apoptosis and nuclear localization of Hdm2. We show that expression of wild-type p53 does not inhibit synergistic transformation by AcN1 and human papillomavirus E6 and E7 oncogenes. We suggest that activation of Notch signaling may serve as an additional mechanism to inhibit wild-type p53 function in papillomavirus-associated neoplasia.
Working with Open BIM Standards to Source Legal Spaces for a 3D Cadastre

Much work has already been done on how a 3D Cadastre should best be developed. An inclusive information model, the Land Administration Model (LADM ISO 19152) has been developed to provide an international framework for how this can best be done. This conceptual model does not prescribe the technical data format. One existing source from which data could be obtained is 3D Building Information Models (BIMs), or, more specifically in this context, BIMs in the form of one of buildingSMART’s open standards: the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). The research followed a standard BIM methodology of first defining the requirements through the use of the Information Delivery Manual (IDM ISO29481) and then translating the process described in the IDM into technical requirements using a Model View Definition (MVD), a practice to coordinate upfront the multidisciplinary stakeholders of a construction project. The proposed process model illustrated how the time it takes to register 3D spatial units in a Land Registry could substantially be reduced compared to the first 3D registration in the Netherlands. The modelling of an MVD or a subset of the IFC data model helped enable the creation and exchange of boundary representations of topological objects capable of being combined into a 3D legal space overview map.
Comment on "Biologically inspired protection of deep networks from adversarial attacks"

A recent paper suggests that Deep Neural Networks can be protected from gradient-based adversarial perturbations by driving the network activations into a highly saturated regime. Here we analyse such saturated networks and show that the attacks fail due to numerical limitations in the gradient computations. A simple stabilisation of the gradient estimates enables successful and efficient attacks. Thus, it has yet to be shown that the robustness observed in highly saturated networks is not simply due to numerical limitations.
The Accuracy of Death Certificate Completion in a Suburban Community

Background:Death certificates provide epidemiologists and other researchers with statistical data regarding causes of death within the community. When the certificates are filled out erroneously they provide misleading and inaccurate information. The aim of our investigation was to determine whether these certificates are being completed correctly by clinicians, how frequently errors are occurring, and what types of errors are being committed by the physicians in our county. Methods:A total of 371 consecutive death certificates issued by community physicians from Broward County between February 2007 and March 2007 were reviewed. Errors were grouped into major categories as follows: unacceptable cause of death (UC), nonspecific cause of death, irrelevant information, incorrect order, and incorrectly completed. Results:About 48% of death certificates were found to have at least 1 of the 5 types of errors in the cause of death section. These were unacceptable cause errors 30.2%, non-specific errors 14.8%, incorrectly completed errors 6.5%, irrelevant information errors 4.0%, and incorrect order errors 3.5%. Discussion/Conclusions:Nearly half of all death certificates reviewed in this study were found to be inaccurate. Using the results of this study, the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office has been able to tailor new physician education programs for the community.
Comprehensive Investigation of Statistical Effects in Nitride Memories—Part I: Physics-Based Modeling

This paper presents a comprehensive investigation of statistical effects in deeply scaled nitride memory cells, considering both atomistic substrate doping and the discrete and localized nature of stored charge in the nitride layer. By means of 3-D TCAD simulations, the statistical dispersion of the threshold voltage shift induced by a single localized electron in the nitride is evaluated in presence of non-uniform substrate conduction. The role of 3-D electrostatics and atomistic doping on the results is highlighted, showing the latter as the major spread source. The threshold voltage shift induced by more than one electron in the nitride is then analyzed, showing that for increasing numbers of stored electrons a correlation among single-electron shifts clearly appears. The scaling trend and the practical impact of these statistical effects on cell operation are discussed in Part II of this paper.
Sedentary behaviour and adiposity in elite athletes

Abstract Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a health risk. Even in athletes an increased adiposity affects health and performance. Sedentary behaviour has been associated with higher levels of adiposity, independent of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. However, it is unclear whether this independent relationship still exists in highly trained athletes. The aim of this study was to examine the association of sedentary behaviour with body fatness in elite athletes. Cross-sectional data from 82 male athletes (mean age 22 years) were used. Total and regional body composition was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Self-reported time spent in sedentary behaviour and weekly training time was assessed in all participants at one time point and multiple regression analyses were used. Sedentary behaviour predicted total fat mass (β = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.36–1.19, P < 0.001) and trunk fat mass (β = 0.25; 95% CI: 0.07–0.43, P = 0.007), independent of age, weekly training time, and residual mass (calculated as weight-dependent variable) but not abdominal fat. Also, no associations of sedentary behaviour with fat-free mass, appendicular lean soft tissue, and body mass index were found. These findings indicate that athletes with higher amounts of sedentary behaviour presented higher levels of total and trunk fatness, regardless of age, weekly training time, and residual mass. Therefore, even high moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels do not mitigate the associations between sedentary behaviour and body fatness in highly trained athletes.
Oncogenes and Tumor Angiogenesis : Differential Modes of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Up-Regulation in ras-transformed Epithelial Cells and Fibroblasts 1

A possible link between oncogenes and tumor angiogenesis has been implicated by the finding that expression of various oncogenes, particularly mutant ras, can lead to a marked induction of a potent paracrine stimulator of angiogenesis, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). We sought to determine how oncogenic ras induction of VEGF is mediated at the molecular level and whether the mechanisms involved differ fundamentally between transformed epithelial cells and fibroblasts. Our results suggest that in a subline (called RAS-3) of immortalized nontumorigenic rat intestinal epithelial cells (IEC-18) that acquired a tumorigenic phenotype upon transfection of mutantras, up-regulation of VEGF occurs in the absence of an autocrine growth factor circuit. The expression of VEGF mRNA and protein by RAS-3 cells was strongly suppressed in the presence of LY294002, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3*-kinase, but remained largely unaffected in the same cells treated with an inhibitor (PD98059) of mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase 1 (MKK/MEK-1). This is consistent with the observation that overexpression of a constitutively activated mutant of MEK-1 (DN3/ S222D) in the parental IEC-18 cells did not result in up-regulation of VEGF production. The impact of mutant ras on VEGF expression was also significantly amplified at high cell density, conditions under which RAS-3 cells became less sensitive to LY294002-induced VEGF downregulation. In marked contrast to cells of epithelial origin, ras-transformed murine fibroblasts (3T3RAS) up-regulated VEGF in a manner that was strongly inhibitable by MEK-1 blockade (i.e. treatment with PD98059), whereas these cells were relatively unaffected by treatment with the phosphatidylinositol 3*-kinase inhibitor LY294002. In addition, VEGF was upregulated by 2–3-fold in NIH3T3 cells overexpressing mutant MEK-1. Collectively, the data suggest that the stimulatory effect of mutantras on VEGF expression is executed in a nonautocrine and cell type-dependent manner and that it can be significantly exacerbated by physiological/ environmental influences such as high cell density.
Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis of 201 Mycoplasma pneumoniae Isolates from Beijing, China, from 2008 to 2011

ABSTRACT A total of 201 Mycoplasma pneumoniae clinical isolates from Beijing, China, isolated from 2008 to 2011, were clustered into 16 multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) types, of which 6 new MLVA types have never been reported previously. Type 1 isolates based on p1 gene genotyping were mainly MLVA types E, J, P, U, and X. There was no correlation between macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae and their MLVA type.