Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Non-concomitant cortical structural and functional alterations in sensorimotor areas following incomplete spinal cord injury

Brain plasticity, including anatomical changes and functional reorganization, is the physiological basis of functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). The correlation between brain anatomical changes and functional reorganization after SCI is unclear. This study aimed to explore whether alterations of cortical structure and network function are concomitant in sensorimotor areas after incomplete SCI. Eighteen patients with incomplete SCI (mean age 40.94 ± 14.10 years old; male:female, 7:11) and 18 healthy subjects (37.33 ± 11.79 years old; male:female, 7:11) were studied by resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Gray matter volume (GMV) and functional connectivity were used to evaluate cortical structure and network function, respectively. There was no significant alteration of GMV in sensorimotor areas in patients with incomplete SCI compared with healthy subjects. Intra-hemispheric functional connectivity between left primary somatosensory cortex (BA1) and left primary motor cortex (BA4), and left BA1 and left somatosensory association cortex (BA5) was decreased, as well as inter-hemispheric functional connectivity between left BA1 and right BA4, left BA1 and right BA5, and left BA4 and right BA5 in patients with SCI. Functional connectivity between both BA4 areas was also decreased. The decreased functional connectivity between the left BA1 and the right BA4 positively correlated with American Spinal Injury Association sensory score in SCI patients. The results indicate that alterations of cortical anatomical structure and network functional connectivity in sensorimotor areas were non-concomitant in patients with incomplete SCI, indicating the network functional changes in sensorimotor areas may not be dependent on anatomic structure. The strength of functional connectivity within sensorimotor areas could serve as a potential imaging biomarker for assessment and prediction of sensory function in patients with incomplete SCI. This trial was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (registration number: ChiCTR-ROC-17013566).
Expression of the OSU rotavirus outer capsid protein VP4 by an adenovirus recombinant

Full-length cDNA of the VP4 gene of porcine rotavirus strain OSU was cloned into adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) downstream of the E3 promoter. The plaque-purified recombinant (Ad5-OSU VP4) expressed apparently authentic VP4 rotavirus outer capsid protein. The protein had the same molecular size (85 kDa) and electrophoretic mobility as did native OSU VP4 and was immunoprecipitated by a polyclonal antiserum raised to OSU VP4. Cotton rats that possessed prechallenge rotavirus antibodies that may have been acquired either passively or actively developed neutralizing antibodies against the OSU strain following intranasal administration of the live Ad5-OSU VP4 recombinant. The neutralizing activity was enhanced by a parenteral booster injection with baculovirus-expressed OSU VP4 antigen. In addition, a high titer of neutralizing antibodies was induced by parenteral administration of the latter antigen and subsequent intranasal administration of the Ad5-OSU VP4 recombinant. These observations indicate that the VP4 outer capsid protein of a rotavirus strain can be expressed by a recombinant adenovirus vector. This approach warrants further exploration for immunization against rotavirus disease.
MUC7 Expression in the Human Lacrimal Gland and Conjunctiva

Purpose. Several mucins including MUC1, MUC2, MUC4, and MUC5AC have been identified at the ocular surface and in tears. The lacrimal gland, however, is not generally considered a source of ocular mucin. Because the lacrimal glands are similar to the salivary glands, we hypothesized that the lacrimal gland would express MUC7, a distinctive salivary mucin. We report the presence of MUC7 RNA and protein in normal human lacrimal glands as determined by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in situ hybridization, and Western blot analysis. Methods. RNA from lacrimal glands and conjunctivae was isolated and subjected to RT-PCR with primers specific for MUC7. The identity of the PCR products was confirmed by sequencing. In situ hybridization with PCR product–based riboprobes was used to locate MUC7 transcripts in the lacrimal gland. MUC7 protein was detected by Western blot analysis. Results. Of six normal human lacrimal glands from which relatively intact mRNA could be extracted, four expressed MUC7. Hybridization with an antisense riboprobe for MUC7 indicates the presence of MUC7 transcripts in the cytoplasm of acinar cells. Western blot analysis confirms expression of the protein in the lacrimal gland. The presence of MUC1, MUC4, and MUC5B was also demonstrated by RT-PCR in lacrimal gland tissue. MUC7 transcripts and protein were also detected in normal human conjunctivae. Conclusions. The mucin profile of the lacrimal gland resembles that of the salivary gland. Both RNA and protein corresponding to MUC7 are present in the normal human lacrimal gland. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction indicates that other transcripts of MUC1, MUC4, and MUC5B are present as well. Ocular MUC7 is also produced by the conjunctival mucosa. The lacrimal gland, therefore, contributes not only to the aqueous component of tears but also, in concert with the conjunctiva, may contribute to the total pool of ocular surface mucins.
Nitric oxide mediates acute lung injury caused by fat embolism in isolated rat's lungs.

BACKGROUND The involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in acute lung injury (ALI) induced by fat embolism (FE) has not been investigated. The present study elucidated the role of NO in ALI because of FE. METHODS FE was produced by introduction of fatty acid (corn oil micelles) into the isolated rat's lungs. Nonselective NO synthase (NOS) and selective inducible NOS (iNOS) inhibitors, N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) and l-N(1-iminoethyl)-lysine (l-Nil) as well as NO donors, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), and S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) at a dose of 10 mol/L were given 60 minutes before FE. There were six groups of isolated lungs randomly assigned to receive vehicle (physiologic saline solution), FE, FE with pretreatment of l-NAME, l-Nil, SNP, or SNAP. Each group was observed for 4 hours. RESULTS FE significantly increased the lung weight changes, pulmonary arterial pressure, and microvascular permeability. The concentration of nitrate or nitrite, methyl guanidine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-1beta was significantly elevated after FE. Hisotopathologic examination revealed lung edema with multiple fatty droplets in lung tissue. Pretreatment with l-NAME or l-Nil attenuated, whereas SNP or SNAP exacerbated most of the FE-induced changes. Addition of NO donors (SNP or SNAP) into the isolated lungs did not produce significant changes in the lungs, suggesting that NO donation alone without FE does not exerts harmful effect. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that NO production through the iNOS isoform plays a detrimental role in the FE-induced ALI. Free radical and proinflammatory cytokines may also be involved in the pathogenesis of ALI because of FE.
Malting quality indicators of Croatian dual-purpose barley varieties

Malting barley varieties usually demand higher expences than feed varieties, at least as far as management practice is concerned. For this reason, many growers in Croatia search for a quality replacement of malting varieties. Croatian market allows dual-purpose varieties, but strict quality parameters have to be met in order for a variety to be recognized as a malting/feed variety. The aim of this research was to preliminary assess the malting quality of several malting, feed and multipurpose (dual or combined) malting/feed barley varieties. 11 barley varieties were grown in Osijek area during 2011: seven malting/feed (M/F), two malting (M) and two feed barley varieties (F). The suitability for the beer production was assessed according to the malting quality indicators, determined by using standard methods of analytica EBC (European Brewing Convention). As expected, both malting varieties (Vanessa and Tiffany) demonstrated the best malting quality parameters. Most of the combined malting/feed varieties were within recommended values, except Maxim, Lukas and Gazda, which showed the lowest results in friability. Considering that the results were collected and evaluated over a period of one year, this study was taken as a good pointer to future, longer lasting investigations.
Moderasi Inklusi Keuangan Terhadap Hubungan Literasi Keuangan dan Keputusan Struktur Modal UKM

TThis study aims to explain the relationship between financial literacy and the capital structure decisions of SME debtors which are moderated by financial inclusion. This research is an explanatory research in the city of Makassar. The population taken is all traditional market entrepreneurs of SMEs in Makassar City. The selection of research samples uses a non-probability sampling method with a clustering method and stratified random sampling. With the help of SPSS software, data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The results obtained are financial inclusion strengthening the relationship of Financial Literacy with the SME capital structure decision in Makassar City.
A new DFB-laser diode with reduced spatial hole burning

An index coupled antireflection-coated distributed-feedback (DFB)-laser diode which theoretically exhibits a longitudinally uniform power density is proposed. The structure contains an amplitude modulated grating and is far more efficient in reducing spatial hole burning than multiphase-shift lasers. The laser can be expected to be single mode up to high power levels. It can be of interest when long lasers with a reduced linewidth and a flat FM response are to be used or as a laser with small modulation distortion in analog communication. <<ETX>>
Deconvolution of Point Sources: A Sampling Theorem and Robustness Guarantees

In this work we analyze a convex‐programming method for estimating superpositions of point sources or spikes from nonuniform samples of their convolution with a known kernel. We consider a one‐dimensional model where the kernel is either a Gaussian function or a Ricker wavelet, inspired by applications in geophysics and imaging. Our analysis establishes that minimizing a continuous counterpart of the ℓ1‐norm achieves exact recovery of the original spikes as long as (1) the signal support satisfies a minimum‐separation condition and (2) there are at least two samples close to every spike. In addition, we derive theoretical guarantees on the robustness of the approach to both dense and sparse additive noise. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Isolation and Properties of Mutants of Zymomonas mobilis Deficient in Sugar Assimilation

An enrichment method using d-cycloserine was designed for the isolation of spontaneous mutants of Zymomonas mobilis deficient in glucose or fructose utilization. The mutants could easily be isolated since they represented 80 to 90% of the population after two and three enrichment cycles. Glucokinase and fructokinase activities in the mutants were affected.
Frontotemporal Dementia and Semantic Dementia: Anatomic Variations on the Same Disease or Distinctive Entities?

Research into the non-Alzheimer dementias has exploded over the last 2 decades, and frontotemporal lobar degeneration has emerged as the most common cause of dementia in patients below the age of 65. In 1998, an international consortium of investigators focusing on this disease entity met and agreed upon the classification of 3 subtypes of frontotemporal lobar degeneration, using regional atrophy to distinguish them. These are: a frontally predominant form called frontotemporal dementia, a temporally predominant form called semantic dementia, and a left-frontally predominant syndrome, called progressive nonfluent aphasia. With the rise of genetic and neuropathologic findings, however, the usefulness of this subtype classification has been called into question. This paper discusses the major pertinent findings, and the implications of classifying the disease on the basis of atrophy versus genetic or molecular mechanisms.
Quantum Network Coding Based on Controlled Teleportation

This letter proposes new quantum network coding schemes based on controlled teleportation to control the decoding process of receivers in a butterfly network. Firstly, a quantum network coding scheme with two controllers is proposed based on the paradigm XQQ (crossing two qubits) protocol. Then the other scheme based on the perfect quantum network coding protocol with prior entanglement is designed for high fidelity. By introducing the controller, our schemes realize that the decoding process of unicast stream can be controlled, which is helpful to extend these schemes to a general network with unicast or multicast. Our schemes also provide a convenient model to combine authentication into quantum network and would be significant to enhance the security of quantum communication.
Competency Assessment for Entry-level Sport Ticket Sales Professionals

With the emergence of outbound sales philosophies taking hold in sport organizations, sales managers are seeking talent to fill sales positions with candidates launching their careers in the sport industry. However, observers have noted that the infusion of sport ticket sales personnel has not been accompanied by an appropriate professional development and evaluation protocol, which has contributed to high turnover rates. As sport management education programs modernize their curriculum to meet industry needs and sales managers attempt to reduce turnover, a better understanding of the competencies required of entry-level sport ticket sales professionals is required. The purpose of this research was to identify the competencies required for success in an entry-level sport ticket sales position and the extent to which sales managers find it difficult to train salespeople on those competencies. Nineteen sport sales managers served as expert panelists on a study that employed the Delphi method. The result of the study is a 40-item competency model comprised of the following eight global competency areas: knowledge and skill development, relationship building, communication skills, opening the sale, consultative or adaptive sales, closing, maximizing each call, and service and education. Implications for sales managers, human resource managers, sport sales educators, and academic scholarship in sport sales are discussed.
The downside of the network ties between CEO/CFOs and auditors through external directorships: Evidence from auditor selection and subsequent audit quality

We examine whether Chief Executive Officer/Chief Financial Officer (CEO/CFO) outside directorships and resulting network ties to auditors affect auditor selection decisions and subsequent audit quality. The network ties arise when the CEO/CFO of a firm (home firm) serves as an outside director of another firm that hires an auditor (connected auditor). Using a sample of firms that switch auditors over the period 2003-2012, we find that home firms are more likely to appoint connected auditors. We also find that home firms hiring connected auditors experience a significant decline in subsequent audit quality, compared to those hiring non-connected auditors. Specifically, the likelihood of misstatements, the propensity to meet or beat earnings benchmarks, and the magnitude of absolute discretionary accruals increase after home firms appoint connected auditors, compared to other firms switching to non-connected auditors. We further show that the negative effect of hiring connected auditors on subsequent audit quality is more pronounced when the connection is via the same auditor office or audit committee membership.
High-dose vincristine sulfate liposome injection for advanced, relapsed, and refractory adult Philadelphia chromosome-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

PURPOSE Relapsed adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is associated with high reinduction mortality, chemotherapy resistance, and rapid progression leading to death. Vincristine sulfate liposome injection (VSLI), sphingomyelin and cholesterol nanoparticle vincristine (VCR), facilitates VCR dose-intensification and densification plus enhances target tissue delivery. We evaluated high-dose VSLI monotherapy in adults with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) -negative ALL that was multiply relapsed, relapsed and refractory to reinduction, and/or relapsed after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty-five adults with Ph-negative ALL in second or greater relapse or whose disease had progressed following two or more leukemia therapies were treated in this pivotal phase II, multinational trial. Intravenous VSLI 2.25 mg/m(2), without dose capping, was administered once per week until response, progression, toxicity, or pursuit of HCT. The primary end point was achievement of complete response (CR) or CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi). RESULTS The CR/CRi rate was 20% and overall response rate was 35%. VSLI monotherapy was effective as third-, fourth-, and fifth-line therapy and in patients refractory to other single- and multiagent reinduction therapies. Median CR/CRi duration was 23 weeks (range, 5 to 66 weeks); 12 patients bridged to a post-VSLI HCT, and five patients were long-term survivors. VSLI was generally well tolerated and associated with a low 30-day mortality rate (12%). CONCLUSION High-dose VSLI monotherapy resulted in meaningful clinical outcomes including durable responses and bridging to HCT in advanced ALL settings. The toxicity profile of VSLI was predictable, manageable, and comparable to standard VCR despite the delivery of large, normally unachievable, individual and cumulative doses of VCR.
Enhanced light emission from carbon nanotubes integrated in silicon micro-resonator

Single-walled carbon nanotubes are considered a fascinating nanomaterial for photonic applications and are especially promising for efficient light emitters in the telecommunication wavelength range. Furthermore, their hybrid integration with silicon photonic structures makes them an ideal platform to explore their intrinsic properties. Here we report on the strong photoluminescence enhancement from carbon nanotubes integrated in silicon ring resonator circuits under two pumping configurations: surface-illuminated pumping at 735 nm and collinear pumping at 1.26 &mgr; m ? > . Extremely efficient rejection of the non-resonant photoluminescence was obtained. In the collinear approach, an emission efficiency enhancement by a factor of 26 has been demonstrated in comparison with the classical pumping scheme. This demonstration paves the way for the development of integrated light sources in silicon based on carbon nanotubes.
The sanitary condition of rural drinking water in a Nile Delta village: II. Bacterial contamination of drinking water in a Nile Delta village

SUMMARY Whilst the major danger associated with drinking water is that it may be contaminated with sewage or human excreta, the danger of pollution from animals must not be overlooked. Outbreaks of infection from drinking water are frequently reported (Melnick & Gerba, 1979) and high prevalence rates of diarrhoeal diseases have been found in the Nile Delta (Sallam et al. unpublished data). The supply of potable water is a critically urgent national problem and is of especial importance to communities which must rely on poorly designed supply systems and which lack even the minimum quality control services.
Pyloric tonsil as a novel gut‐associated lymphoepithelial organ of the chicken

The pyloric tonsil is a novel peripheral lymphoepithelial organ of the gastrointestinal tract in the chicken. It forms a complete lymphoid ring at the beginning of the duodenum, where crypts of Lieberkühn are transformed to tonsillar crypts with lymphoepithelial lining. The oesophageal (described previously) and pyloric tonsils are characteristic of the chicken, while they are absent in mammals. The lymphoid system develops from the middle germ layer, the mesoderm, and forms connections with the ecto‐ and endoderm, namely the skin and gut, respectively. These connections are based on the lymphoepithelial lining of the crypts, and provide gates for environmental antigens. Recent findings, taken together with the literature, suggest that in birds the lymphoid system forms connections with the endoderm‐derived organs that are anatomically and histologically more extensive than the ectoderm‐derived ones, which may be explained by the absence of regional lymph nodes, and the less developed lymphoid circulation of the skin.
Evolution of the stellar-merger red nova V1309 Scorpii: SED analysis

One very important object for understanding the nature of red novae is V1309 Sco. Its pre-outburst observations showed that, before its red-nova eruption in 2008, it was a contact binary quickly evolving to the merger of the components. It thus provided us with a direct evidence that the red novae result from stellar mergers. We analyse the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the object and its evolution with time. From various optical and infrared surveys and observing programmes carried out with OGLE, HST, VVV, Gemini South, WISE, Spitzer, and Herschel we constructed observed SED in 2010 and 2012. Some limited data are also available for the red-nova progenitor in 2007. We analyse the data with our model of a dusty envelope surrounding a central star. Dust was present in the pre-outburst state of V1309 Sco. Its high temperature (900-1000 K) suggests that this was a freshly formed dust in a presumable mass-loss from the spiralling-in binary. Shortly after its 2008 eruption, V1309~Sco became almost completely embedded in dust. The parameters (temperature, dimensions) of the dusty envelope in 2010 and 2012 evidence that we then observed matter lost by the object during the 2008 outburst. Its mass is at least $10^{-3}\,M_\odot$. The object remains quite luminous, although since its maximum brightness in September 2008, it has faded in luminosity by a factor of ~50 (in 2012). Far infrared data from Herschel reveal presence of a cold (~30 K) dust at a distance of a few thousand AU from the object. This conclusion could be verified by submillimeter interferometric observations.
Exploring Hotel Management Innovation

The study of management innovation has gained relevance in recent years, but there is a lack of empirical research analyzing the factors that favor it. This article contemplates two types of antecedents of management innovation in the hospitality industry. In the internal context of the company, the influence of the employees’ knowledge and skills is analyzed, as well as the company’s capacity to integrate this knowledge. In the external setting, an evaluation is performed of the way relationships established with tourist industry agents and external change agents affect the development of management innovation. The data obtained from 27 firms operating hotel establishments in Taiwan show that both the internal resources and the relations with external change agents determine the introduction of management innovations. However, access to knowledge held by tourist industry agents does not influence management innovation.