Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of virtual learning environment for discovery learning in school education

This paper focuses on learning which emphasizes experience among discovery learning schemes. Knowledge gained by experience is clearly stable compared with learning acquired by simple symbol manipulations. Thus, realizing a learning environment supporting discovery learning using virtual reality (VR) technology is attempted. The VR technology has many characteristic functions and can provide an interactive learning environment with a high degree of freedom which is required in supporting discovery learning which relies on experience. In this paper, considering applications to curriculum education, in which discovery learning is performed frequently, a framework of a virtual learning environment (VLE), which is a learning environment, integrating the functions of a VR environment and an ITS environment is proposed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 33(7): 61–72, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.1142
Self-awareness and Depression among HIV-Affected Children in India

The objective of the present study is to understand the relationship between self-consciousness and depression among HIV-affected children. Self-consciousness and depression among 70 HIV-affected children are assessed by using Self-conscious scale Revised and Depression self-evaluation scale for children respectively. Statistical analysis conducted by using Spearman’s Rank correlation show that at that place are significant positive correlation between Age, self-awareness and depression among HIV-affected children. The multiple regression analysis shows that both self-awareness and age predicts depression among HIV-affected children.
Clozapine’s critical role in treatment resistant schizophrenia: ensuring both safety and use

ABSTRACT Introduction: Clozapine was first introduced as an antipsychotic in the 1970‘s but a cluster of deaths, later linked to the drug’s risk of agranulocytosis, led to its withdrawal in most countries. However, work in the 1980’s established its unique efficacy in treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS), which constitutes as many as 30% of those with the illness. Clozapine was reintroduced with this indication shortly thereafter, but because of this risk its use requires routine hematologic monitoring. Areas covered: An update is provided regarding clozapine’s risk of neutropenia, agranulocytosis, and associated mortality. In addition, updates are provided on other side effects, specifically myocarditis and bowel obstruction, as evidence suggests these are more common than agranulocytosis and associated with higher mortality rates. Expert opinion: Clozapine remains the only treatment indicated in TRS, but it is dramatically underutilized. Clearly there are serious side effects associated with its use, and while the focus has historically been on hematologic concerns, we highlight other side effects that also demand systematic monitoring. Because it is the only effective treatment option we have for TRS, though, efforts must be implemented that ensure its use in this population while maximizing safety.
Economic Impacts of the U. S. Soybean Aphid Infestation: A Multi-Regional Competitive Dynamic Analysis

We estimated the economic benefits resulting from controlling soybean aphid infestation by using a multi-regional competitive dynamic equilibrium model. Results indicate that the reduction of soybean production resulting from a soybean aphid infestation is largely absorbed by reducing soybean exports, due to the higher price elasticity of export demand compared to domestic demand. Producer benefits resulting from controlling soybean aphids would increase by between $949 million and $1.623 billion in ten years under various scenarios. Results also suggest that it is economically more efficient to control soybean aphids when the rate of intrinsic growth is relatively lower, the supply price elasticity of soybean acreage is relatively more elastic, and insecticide treatment costs per acre are lower. However, if the discovery of the gene Rag-1 (TF04048) leads to new cultivars that withstand the soybean aphid, our estimates will overestimate the actual damages. Even so, our analysis demonstrates that it is critical to control soybean aphids early in their infestation cycle to avoid a rapid increase in damages.
Verbal prompting to improve everyday cognition in MCI and unimpaired older adults.

OBJECTIVE This study investigated the effect of verbal prompting on elders' 10-year longitudinal change in everyday cognition. Differential effects of prompting associated with impaired cognitive status were also examined. METHOD At baseline, 2,802 participants (mean age = 73.6 years, mean education = 13.5 years) from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly trial were classified as unimpaired, having amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or nonamnestic MCI, based on psychometric algorithm. Participants were given the Observed Tasks of Daily Living (OTDL; a behavioral measure with tasks involving medication management/finances/telephone use) at baseline and at 1-, 2-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year follow-ups. When participants said "I don't know" or did not respond to an item, they received a standardized verbal prompt. At each occasion, unprompted (sum of items correct without prompting) and prompted (sum of items correct including both prompted and unprompted) scores were derived for each participant. Multilevel modeling, adjusting for demographics/health/training group, was used to determine the trajectories of OTDL performance. RESULTS Persons with MCI performed at lower levels than those who were unimpaired (amnestic < nonamnestic < unimpaired), and for all groups, prompted performance exceeded unprompted in all years. There was differential performance of the prompting conditions over time; prompted performance, unlike unprompted, was relatively protected from age-related decline, and persons with MCI experienced greater improvement due to prompting. CONCLUSIONS Very simple prompting appears to enhance and maintain performance on a task of everyday cognition over 10 years for both unimpaired and mildly impaired older adults.
MUCILAGE-RELATED10 Produces Galactoglucomannan That Maintains Pectin and Cellulose Architecture in Arabidopsis Seed Mucilage1[OPEN]

A highly branched polymer defines the distribution of pectin and the structure of cellulose in Arabidopsis mucilage. Plants invest a lot of their resources into the production of an extracellular matrix built of polysaccharides. While the composition of the cell wall is relatively well characterized, the functions of the individual polymers and the enzymes that catalyze their biosynthesis remain poorly understood. We exploited the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seed coat epidermis (SCE) to study cell wall synthesis. SCE cells produce mucilage, a specialized secondary wall that is rich in pectin, at a precise stage of development. A coexpression search for MUCILAGE-RELATED (MUCI) genes identified MUCI10 as a key determinant of mucilage properties. MUCI10 is closely related to a fenugreek (Trigonella foenumgraecum) enzyme that has in vitro galactomannan α-1,6-galactosyltransferase activity. Our detailed analysis of the muci10 mutants demonstrates that mucilage contains highly branched galactoglucomannan (GGM) rather than unbranched glucomannan. MUCI10 likely decorates glucomannan, synthesized by CELLULOSE SYNTHASE-LIKE A2, with galactose residues in vivo. The degree of galactosylation is essential for the synthesis of the GGM backbone, the structure of cellulose, mucilage density, as well as the adherence of pectin. We propose that GGM scaffolds control mucilage architecture along with cellulosic rays and show that Arabidopsis SCE cells represent an excellent model in which to study the synthesis and function of GGM. Arabidopsis natural varieties with defects similar to muci10 mutants may reveal additional genes involved in GGM synthesis. Since GGM is the most abundant hemicellulose in the secondary walls of gymnosperms, understanding its biosynthesis may facilitate improvements in the production of valuable commodities from softwoods.
Fine‐needle cytology of metastatic endometrioid neoplasms: Experience with eight cases

Despite the frequency of endometrioid malignancies, few articles in the literature are found concerning their cytopathologic presentation on fine‐needle cytology samples. This report describes the cytomorphological findings in eight cases of recurrent or metastatic endometrioid neoplasms on fine‐needle cytology samples obtained from various body sites. The cytological findings in metastatic or recurrent endometrioid carcinomas could be classified into five main patterns (i.e.: endometrioid, adeno‐squamous, villo‐glandular, clear cell, and papillary‐serous), in analogy to histology. It is the authors' feeling that an adequate knowledge of the cytopathological features of this group of neoplasms may be important in favoring an early detection of their relapses or metastases and may contribute to save diagnostic time and more invasive procedures to the patients. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Graph Colouring as a Challenge Problem for Dynamic Graph Processing on Distributed Systems

An unprecedented growth in data generation is taking place. Data about larger dynamic systems is being accumulated, capturing finer granularity events, and thus processing requirements are increasingly approaching real-time. To keep up, data-analytics pipelines need to be viable at massive scale, and switch away from static, offline scenarios to support fully online analysis of dynamic systems. This paper uses a challenge problem, graph colouring, to explore massive-scale analytics for dynamic graph processing. We present an event-based infrastructure, and a novel, online, distributed graph colouring algorithm. Our implementation for colouring static graphs, used as a performance baseline, is up to an order of magnitude faster than previous results and handles massive graphs with over 257 billion edges. Our framework supports dynamic graph colouring with performance at large scale better than GraphLab's static analysis. Our experience indicates that online solutions are feasible, and can be more efficient than those based on snapshotting.
Species delimitation and phylogeny in the genus Nasutitermes (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) in French Guiana

Species delimitation and identification can be arduous for taxa whose morphologic characters are easily confused, which can hamper global biodiversity assessments and pest species management. Exploratory methods of species delimitation that use DNA sequence as their primary information source to establish group membership and estimate putative species boundaries are useful approaches, complementary to traditional taxonomy. Termites of the genus Nasutitermes make interesting models for the application of such methods. They are dominant in Neotropical primary forests but also represent major agricultural and structural pests. Despite the prevalence, pivotal ecological role and economical impact of this group, the taxonomy of Nasutitermes species mainly depends on unreliable characters of soldier external morphology. Here, we generated robust species hypotheses for 79 Nasutitermes colonies sampled throughout French Guiana without any a priori knowledge of species affiliation. Sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II gene was coupled with exploratory species‐delimitation tools, using the automatic barcode gap discovery method (ABGD) and a generalized mixed Yule‐coalescent model (GMYC) to propose primary species hypotheses (PSHs). PSHs were revaluated using phylogenetic analyses of two more loci (mitochondrial 16S rDNA and nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2) leading to 16 retained secondary species hypotheses (RSSH). Seven RSSHs, represented by 44/79 of the sampled colonies, were morphologically affiliated to species recognized as pests in the Neotropics, where they represent a real invasive pest potential in the context of growing ecosystem anthropization. Multigenic phylogenies based on combined alignments (1426–1784 bp) were also reconstructed to identify ancestral ecological niches and major‐pest lineages, revealing that Guyanese pest species do not form monophyletic groups.
Transvaginal sonography of the yolk sac in normal and abnormal pregnancy

A cross‐sectional study comprising 117 consecutive first trimester singleton pregnancies was performed using transvaginal sonography (TVS) to evaluate size abnormalities of the secondary yolk sac (YS) vis‐à‐vis pregnancy outcome. In normal pregnancy outcome (NPO) the YS diameter showed an increase from the 5th to the 11th week, menstrual age, followed by a decrease and its disappearance after 12 weeks. A YS of abnormal size was statistically significant (p < 0.001) in spontaneous abortion (SA) versus NPO, with a sensitivity of 68.7%, a specificity of 99%, a positive predictive value of 91.6% and a negative predictive value of 95.2%. These preliminary results indicate that a measurement of the YS very early in gestation may be a useful marker of pregnancy outcome. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Involvement of Protein Kinase C-Related Anti-apoptosis Signaling in Radiation-Induced Apoptosis in Murine Thymic Lymphoma(3SBH5) Cells

Abstract Nakajima, T. , Yukawa, O. , Azuma, C. , Ohyama, H. , Wang, B. , Kojima, S. , Hayata, I. and Hama-Inaba, H. Involvement of Protein Kinase C-Related Anti-apoptosis Signaling in Radiation-Induced Apoptosis in Murine Thymic Lymphoma (3SBH5) Cells. Radiat. Res. 161, 528–534 (2004). Protein kinase C (PKC; also known as PRKC) is known to be an important participant in radiation-induced apoptosis. However, its role is not fully clarified. Using 3SBH5 cells, which are radiation-sensitive thymic lymphoma cells, the involvement and functions of PKC were assessed in radiation- induced apoptosis. PMA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate), a PKC activator, inhibited the radiation-induced apoptosis in 3SBH5 cells. On the other hand, chelerythrine, a PKC inhibitor, potentiated apoptosis. In addition, Gö6976, a classical PKC (cPKC) inhibitor, which specifically inhibits PKC (α and βI), also promoted apoptosis. Interestingly, post-treatment (20 min after irradiation) with Gö6976 had no effect on the radiation-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that cPKC is activated early after irradiation for anti-apoptosis signaling and contributes to the balance between cell survival and death. Indeed, an increase of cPKC activity involving PKC (α, βI and βII) was observed in the cytosolic fraction 3 min after irradiation with 0.5 Gy. However, no translocation of cPKC was observed in the cells after irradiation. Our findings indicate that activation of cPKC (α or β) soon after irradiation is critical to the understanding of the regulation of radiation-induced apoptosis in radiation-sensitive cells.
Expression of ERCC1, RRM1 and LRP in non-small cell lung cancers and their influence on chemotherapeutic efficacy of gemcitabine concomitant with nedaplatin.

OBJECTIVE To explore the clinical efficacy of gemcitabine concomitant with nedaplatin and drug resistance in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and associated molecular predicators. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 68 patients diagnosed with NSCLC by histology served as the study objects and were randomly divided into an observation group treated with gemcitabine concomitant with nedaplatin and a control group with cisplatin concomitant with gemcitabine, 34 cases for each group. Short-term and long-term efficacies, adverse responses as well as the expression of nucleotide excision repair cross complementing 1 (ERCC1), ribonucleotide reductase subunit M1 (RRM1) and lung resistance-related protein (LRP) in NSCLC tissues in both groups were assessed. RESULTS The short-term objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 35.3% (12/34) and 76.5% (26/34) in the observation group and 38.2% (13/34) and 85.3% (29/34) in the control group, respectively, the differences not being statistically significant. The time to progression (TTP) in both groups were 1~12 months, while the median TTP was 135 d and 144 d, respectively. Though the survival was slightly higher in the control group, there were no significant differences in TTP and survival time. The rates of decreased hemoglobin, vomiting and nausea as well as renal toxicity were evidently lower in the observation group, while other adverse responses demonstrated no significant difference. The positive expression rates of ERCC1, RRM1 and LRP were 47.1% (16/34), 61.8% (21/34) and 64.7% (22/34) in the observation group, respectively. Compared with negative ERCC1 expression, ORR had decreasing trend and the overall survival time (OS) decreased significantly in patients with positive ERCC1 expression, which were markedly decreased by the positive expressions of RRM1 and LRP. CONCLUSIONS Gemcitabine concomitant with nedaplatin has significant effects in the treatment of NSCLC, with an adverse response rate obviously lower than for cisplatin concomitant with gemcitabine, suggesting that wider use in the clinic is warranted. Additionally, the positive expressions of ERCC1, RRM1 and LRP may increase patient drug resistance, so they can be applied as the chemotherapeutic predicators to guide individualized therapy of NSCLC patients.
Comparison of efficacy and immunogenicity of original versus current botulinum toxin in cervical dystonia

The authors compared 130 patients treated for cervical dystonia with original botulinum toxin (BTX) type A (Botox; Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA), 42 of whom were exposed only to the original BTX type A used before 1998 (25 ng protein/100 units), and 119 treated only with the current BTX type A (5 ng of protein/100 units). Blocking antibodies were detected in 4 of 42 (9.5%) patients treated only with original BTX type A but in none of the 119 patients treated exclusively with current BTX type A (p < 0.004). The current preparation decreased the risk of antibody formation by a factor of six. The authors conclude that the low risk of antibody formation after current BTX type A treatment is related to lower protein load.
Defect-Induced Breakdown in Multicrystalline Silicon Solar Cells

We have identified at least five different kinds of local breakdown according to the temperature coefficient (TC) and slope of their characteristics and electroluminescence (EL) under a reverse bias. These are 1) early prebreakdown (negative TC, low slope), 2) edge breakdown (positive TC, low slope, no EL), 3) weak defect-induced breakdown (zero or weakly negative TC, moderate slope, 1550-nm defect luminescence), 4) strong defect-induced breakdown (zero or weakly negative TC, moderate slope, no or weak defect luminescence), and 5) avalanche breakdown at dislocation-induced etch pits (negative TC, high slope). The latter mechanism usually dominates at a high reverse bias. The defects leading to the etch pits are investigated in detail. In addition to the local breakdown sites, there is evidence of an areal reverse current between the dominant breakdown sites showing a positive TC. Defect-induced breakdown shows a zero or weakly negative TC and also leads to weak avalanche multiplication. It has been found recently that it is caused by metal-containing precipitates lying in grain boundaries.
Abnormalities of the electrogastrogram in functional gastrointestinal disorders

OBJECTIVE:Cutaneous electrogastrography records gastric electrical activity and detects gastric arrhythmias. Abnormalities of the electrogastrogram have been described in a variety of disorders, but their specificity and their prevalence in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders has not been reported. The aim of this study was to assess the specificity of electrogastrography as well as the prevalence and pattern of abnormalities in functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome.METHODS:Electrogastrography was performed in 170 patients with functional dyspepsia, 70 patients with irritable bowel syndrome, 20 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, and 30 asymptomatic controls. The abnormal electrogastrogram was defined as <70% normal electrical activity either before or after a test meal.RESULTS:The electrogastrogram was abnormal in 36% of patients with functional dyspepsia and in 25% with irritable bowel syndrome who complained of concurrent dyspepsia. The electrogastrogram was normal in 93% of asymptomatic controls, 90% of patients with gastroesophageal reflux, and 92% of patients with irritable bowel syndrome who did not complain of dyspepsia. As a group, functional dyspepsia patients had a greater degree of tachygastrias both before (p < 0.02) and after (p < 0.01) a test meal. The electrical frequency after the test meal was also more unstable (p < 0.003). CONCLUSIONS:The electrogastrogram is abnormal in approximately 36% of functional dyspepsia patients and has a specificity of approximately 93%. Electrogastrography defines a subgroup of patients with functional dyspepsia and electrical rhythm disturbance. In irritable bowel syndrome, the electrogastrogram is usually abnormal only if concurrent dyspepsia is present.
Tracking Noisy Targets: A Review of Recent Object Tracking Approaches

Visual object tracking is an important computer vision problem with numerous real-world applications including human-computer interaction, autonomous vehicles, robotics, motion-based recognition, video indexing, surveillance and security. In this paper, we aim to extensively review the latest trends and advances in the tracking algorithms and evaluate the robustness of trackers in the presence of noise. The first part of this work comprises a comprehensive survey of recently proposed tracking algorithms. We broadly categorize trackers into correlation filter based trackers and the others as non-correlation filter trackers. Each category is further classified into various types of trackers based on the architecture of the tracking mechanism. In the second part of this work, we experimentally evaluate tracking algorithms for robustness in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise. Multiple levels of additive noise are added to the Object Tracking Benchmark (OTB) 2015, and the precision and success rates of the tracking algorithms are evaluated. Some algorithms suffered more performance degradation than others, which brings to light a previously unexplored aspect of the tracking algorithms. The relative rank of the algorithms based on their performance on benchmark datasets may change in the presence of noise. Our study concludes that no single tracker is able to achieve the same efficiency in the presence of noise as under noise-free conditions; thus, there is a need to include a parameter for robustness to noise when evaluating newly proposed tracking algorithms.
The role of genetic markers in hepatitis C virus therapy: a major step for individualized care

It has been understood for some time that the treatment outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is influenced by host genetic factors. Three independent genome‐wide association studies have recently identified that a genetic variation in the IL28B gene [interferon‐λ3 (IFN‐λ3)] determines the outcome of IFN‐α‐based therapy in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C infection. This genetic polymorphism is also strongly associated with a higher likelihood of spontaneous clearance following acute hepatitis C infection. These results confirm the importance of specific host genetic markers in predicting outcome and treatment response. They also provide the framework and potential for a clinically relevant and meaningful pharmacogenomic approach to personalizing anti‐HCV treatment.