Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear Adaptive Feedforward in a Two-Degrees-of-Freedom Controller

An adaptive feedforward steady-state gain in a two-degrees-of-freedom controller for a nonlinear SISO plant is investigated. The examination of a less complicated structure gives hints to how an update law may be constructed in the nonlinear case. Stability is shown in the simpler case for an update law based on an estimation error using projection, and simulations show that Altering may lead to improved performance. By using an adaptive feedforward function inspired by gain-scheduling techniques, a simulation example for the nonlinear structure is also shown. The conclusions are that the scheme has potential but that more research is needed for the nonlinear setup.
Dietary ascorbate intake affects steady state tissue concentrations in vitamin C-deficient mice: tissue deficiency after suboptimal intake and superior bioavailability from a food source (kiwifruit).

BACKGROUND Humans acquire vitamin C (ascorbate) from their diet, and optimal tissue concentrations are required to maintain its enzyme cofactor and antioxidant activities. How dietary intake affects tissue concentrations is difficult to monitor and has generally been based on the measurement of plasma concentrations. OBJECTIVE We aimed to determine the effect of various ascorbate intakes on tissue concentrations in the Gulo mouse model of vitamin C deficiency and to compare the effectiveness of delivery when ascorbate was added to the drinking water or obtained through a fruit source (kiwifruit). DESIGN Gulo(-/-) mice were fed various amounts of ascorbate for 1 mo, either in their drinking water or as a kiwifruit gel. Tissue vitamin C content was measured and compared with concentrations in wild-type mice. RESULTS Ascorbate concentrations in serum, liver, kidney, heart, and white blood cells were extremely labile and were well below concentrations observed in the wild-type mice when serum concentrations were below saturation. All tissues except for brain were rapidly depleted when intake was stopped. Consumption of a preparation of fresh kiwifruit (either green or gold varieties) resulted in up to 5 times more effective delivery to tissues than when ascorbate was administered via the drinking water. CONCLUSIONS Subsaturation concentrations of plasma ascorbate resulted in severe deficiency in many tissues, and saturating amounts were required to achieve tissue concentrations similar to those found in wild-type animals. It is possible that the bioavailability of ascorbate is superior from some foods, such as kiwifruit. These results have important implications for human nutrition.
Immune checkpoint pathways: perspectives on myeloid malignancies

Abstract Immunologic tolerance to cancer has recently been shown to have major implications for the ability of tumors to survive despite a variety of therapeutic approaches. A critical mechanism underlying this microenvironment dysfunction relates to the ability of tumor cells to block immune check points through expression of specific proteins that interfere with immune cell effector function. Recent advances based on this model have led translational work showing therapeutic efficacy in a variety of solid and lymphoid tumors. Myeloid malignancies, in particular myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), have significant immune dysregulation of variable degree based on their clinical stages which makes feasible extending such therapeutic approaches to this group of diseases. This review will discuss recent advances in the field of immune checkpoint biology including recent clinical trials with checkpoint inhibitors in patients with a variety of clinical conditions, with focus on such potential therapy in patients with myeloid malignancies.
Logo detection in images using HOG and SIFT

In this paper we present a study of logo detection in images from a media agency. We compare two most widely used methods — HOG and SIFT on a challenging dataset of images arising from a printed press and news portals. Despite common opinion that SIFT method is superior, our results show that HOG method performs significantly better on our dataset. We augment the HOG method with image resizing and rotation to improve its performance even more. We found out that by using such approach it is possible to obtain good results with increased recall and reasonably decreased precision.
Childhood Wilm\'s tumour: prognostic factors in north central Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Childhood Wilms' tumour or nephroblastoma represents one of the challenges for paediatric oncologists in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical characteristics and outcome of management of childhood nephroblastoma in North- Central Nigeria. METHODS: The clinical, operative and histological records of children aged 15 years and below, that were managed for Wilms' tumour at the Jos University Teaching Hospital between 1998 and 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: There were 32 children (M:F=1.9:1) with histologically confirmed nephroblastoma seen over the 7-year period. Their median(range) age was 4 (3-15) years. The patients invariably presented with a palpable abdominal mass, but haematuria was exceptional. The neoplasm tended to be larger on average than those reported previously among Caucasian children. At presentation, 1 (3.1%) patient was in stage I, 8 (25%) stage II, 11 (34.4%) stage III and 12 (37.5%) stage IV. About 72% of the patients presented with stage III-IV disease. Poorly differentiated neoplasm was more common in male than in female patients. Nephrectomy and chemotherapy were the modality of treatment. Fifteen (46.9%) of the patients received little or no induction chemotherapy due to unavailability of drugs while only 12 (37.5%) received the prescribed maintenance treatment with the remainder getting erratic or no treatment. Overall, only 43.8% were alive between 1 and 9 months (median: 6 months) of follow-up period, but there was no survivor at two years after treatment. CONCLUSION: Childhood nephroblastoma has a high mortality rate in north central Nigeria because of late clinical presentation with advanced disease, poor availability of cytotoxic drugs and frequent interruptions in treatment and inadequate follow-up.
Homogeneous GTP Binding Assay Employing QRET Technology

Functional cell signaling assays have become important tools for measuring ligand-induced receptor activation in cell-based biomolecular screening. Guanosine-5′-triphosphate (GTP) is a generic signaling marker responsible for the first intracellular signaling event of the G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). [35S]GTPγS binding assay is the classical well-established method for measuring agonist-induced G-protein activation requiring a separation of free and bound fractions prior to measurement. Here a novel, separation-free, time-resolved fluorescence GTP binding assay has been developed based on a non–fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) single-label approach and quenching of a nonbound europium-labeled, nonhydrolyzable GTP analog (Eu-GTP). The quenching resonance energy transfer (QRET) method relies on the use of Eu-GTP, providing a time-resolved fluorescent detection as an alternative to the radiolabel [35S]GTPγS assay. Upon activation of recombinant human α2A-adrenoceptors (α2A-AR) expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, guanosine-5′-diphosphate is released from the α-subunit of Gi-proteins, enabling the subsequent binding of Eu-GTP. Activation of α2A-AR with 5 different α2-AR agonists was measured quantitatively using the developed QRET GTP assay and compared to [35S]GTPγS and heterogeneous Eu-GTP filtration assays. Equal potencies and efficacy rank orders were observed in all 3 assays but with a lower signal-to-background ratio and increased assay variation in the QRET assay compared to the Eu-GTP filtration and the nonhomogeneous [35S]GTPγS binding assays.
Changes of voltage‐dependent anion‐selective channel proteins VDAC1 and VDAC2 brain levels in patients with Alzheimer's disease and Down Syndrome

Voltage‐dependent anion‐selective channel proteins (VDACs) are pore‐forming proteins found in the outher mitochondrial membrane of all eukaryotes and in brain postsynaptic membranes. VDACs regulate anion fluxes of a series of metabolites including ATP, thus regulating mitochondrial metabolic functions. We determined protein levels of VDACs in individual post‐mortem brain regions of patients with Down Syndrome (DS) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) using two‐dimensional electrophoresis (2‐DE) and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization‐mass spectroscopy (MALDI‐MS). VDAC1 (SWISS‐PROT accession number P21796) and VDAC2 (P45880) were unambiguously identified and quantified, but VDAC3 was not found. The spots representing VDAC1 were separated with different pIs (pI 7.5, 8.5, and 10.0) probably caused by post‐translational modifications as, e.g., phosphorylation. In DS cerebellum, total VDAC1 protein was elevated significantly whereas VDAC2 did not show any significant alterations. In AD brains, VDAC1 pI 10.0 was significantly reduced in temporal, frontal, and occipital cortex with the pI 7.5 form elevated in occipital cortex. Total VDAC1 was significantly decreased in frontal cortex and thalamus. VDAC2 was significantly elevated in temporal cortex only. The biological meaning of our results may be derangement of voltage‐dependent anion‐selective channel function and reflecting impaired glucose, energy, and intermediary metabolism as well as apoptotic mechanisms.
SINIF ÖĞRETMENİ ADAYLARININ CİNSİYETLERİNE, BULUNDUKLARI SINIFLARA VE BAŞARI DÜZEYLERİNE GÖRE FEN ÖĞRETİMİNE İLİŞKİN ÖZ-YETERLİK İNANÇLARININ KARŞILAŞTIRILMASI

Bu arastirmada, sinif ogretmeni adaylarinin cinsiyetlerine, bulunduklari siniflara ve basari duzeylerine gore fen ogretimine iliskin oz-yeterlik inanclarinin karsilastirilmasi amaclanmistir. Arastirma, Marmara Universitesi Ilkogretim Bolumu Sinif Ogretmenligi Lisans Programinin 3. ve 4. siniflarina devam eden 405 ogretmen adayi uzerinde gerceklestirilmistir. Iliskisel tarama yonteminin kullanildigi arastirmada, sinif ogretmeni adaylarinin fen ogretimine iliskin oz-yeterlik inanclarini olcmek amaciyla Riggs ve Enochs tarafindan 1990 yilinda gelistirilen Bikmaz (2002) tarafindan Turkce’ye uyarlanan “Sinif Ogretmeni Adaylarinin Fen Ogretiminde Oz-yeterlik Inanci Olcegi” kullanilmistir. Ogretmen adaylarinin basari duzeylerinin tespit edilmesinde ise Fen Bilgisi Ogretimi I dersi not ortalamalarindan faydalanilmistir. Arastirma sonuclari, 4. sinifa devam eden ogretmen adaylarinin fen ogretimine iliskin oz-yeterlik inancinin 3. sinifa devam eden ogretmen adaylarindan daha yuksek oldugunu gostermis, bayan ogretmen adaylarinin erkek ogretmen adaylarina gore daha yuksek duzeyde oz-yeterlik inancina sahip olduklarini ortaya koymustur. Ayrica sonuclar, basari duzeyi yuksek olan ogretmen adaylarinin basari duzeyi dusuk olan ogretmen adaylarina gore daha yuksek duzeyde fen ogretimde oz-yeterlik inancina ve sonuc beklentisine sahip olduklarini gostermistir.
Atypical Structural Asymmetry of the Planum Temporale is Related to Family History of Dyslexia

Research on the neural correlates of developmental dyslexia indicates atypical anatomical lateralization of the planum temporale, a higher-order cortical auditory region. Yet whether this atypical lateralization precedes reading acquisition and is related to a familial risk for dyslexia is not currently known. In this study, we address these questions in 2 separate cohorts of young children and adolescents with and without a familial risk for dyslexia. Planum temporale surface area was manually labeled bilaterally, on the T1-weighted MR brain images of 54 pre-readers (mean age: 6.2 years, SD: 3.2 months; 33 males) and 28 adolescents (mean age: 14.7 years, SD: 3.3 months; 11 males). Half of the pre-readers and adolescents had a familial risk for dyslexia. In both pre-readers and adolescents, group comparisons of left and right planum temporale surface area showed a significant interaction between hemisphere and family history of dyslexia, with participants who had no family risk for dyslexia showing greater leftward asymmetry of the planum temporale. This effect was confirmed when analyses were restricted to normal reading participants. Altered planum temporale asymmetry thus seems to be related to family history of dyslexia.
The importance of stretching the "X-Factor" in the downswing of golf: The "X-Factor Stretch"

The “X-Factor” is a popular term for the relative rotation of shoulders with respect to hips during the golf swing. A relatively large X-Factor at top of backswing is thought to facilitate high club head speed at impact. Little consideration, however, has been given to how the X-Factor changes early in the downswing. We tested the hypotheses that highly skilled golfers have a higher X-Factor at the top of the backswing and a greater increase in the X-Factor early in the downswing (“X-Factor Stretch”) than less skilled golfers. Multiple swings of 10 highly skilled (handicap 0 or better plus one long drive champion) and 9 less-skilled (handicap ≥ 15) golfers were captured with a SkillTec 3D-GolfTM swing analysis system (Skill Technologies Inc., Phoenix AZ). The X-Factor was measured at the top of backswing and at its maximum in the downswing. A contrast of the X-Factor means at the top of backswing showed no significant difference between the highly skilled and less skilled golfers, (t=1.017, p=0.326). Further, the effects of skill level (highly skilled and less skilled) and swing position (top and maximum) on the X-Factor were assessed using a two-factor ANOVA. The X-Factor averaged for both the top and maximum was 11% higher in highly skilled golfers than the less-skilled players, but this difference was not statistically significant (group main effect F1,17=1.93, p=.18). The X-Factor Stretch occurred during the early stages of the downswing for both highly skilled and less skilled golfers (swing position main effect F1,17=131.57, p<.001), but was significantly greater for the highly skilled players (19%) than the less skilled golfers (13%; group x swing position interaction F1,17=6.90, p=.02). This suggests X-Factor Stretch early in the downswing is more important to an effective swing than simply the X-Factor at the top of backswing.
New molecule in the etiology of schizophrenia: Urotensin II

Urotensin II (U‐II) is a cyclic peptide that was first isolated from the caudal neurosecretory system of goby fish. U‐II receptors were detected in the vascular endothelium, brain and kidney cortex. Urotensin is by far the most powerful vasoconstrictor identified. U‐II molecules were previously isolated from the brain of rats and were shown to have an impact on rat behavior. The aim of the present study was to measure the level of U‐II molecule in schizophrenia patients and to investigate whether the U‐II level is associated with the etiology of schizophrenia.
Using multiple saliencies for the estimation of flux, position, and velocity in AC machines

This paper presents an improved method of estimating the flux angle, rotor position and velocity by tracking the position of spatial saliencies in an AC machine. Specifically, a machine model is presented which accurately models the behavior of AC machines with multiple spatial harmonic saliencies. The effects of multiple spatial harmonic saliencies on the estimation of flux angle, position and velocity is analyzed, and methods are presented utilizing multiple spatial harmonic saliencies to provide wide bandwidth, high accuracy estimates of machine flux angle, rotor position and velocity.
Clinical Features and Duration of Traveler's Diarrhea in Relation to Its Etiology

Abstract Clinical features of traveler's diarrhea (TD) were studied among 126 adult Finnish tourists who developed this illness during or shortly after a visit to Morocco. Enteric pathogens were identified in 76 (60%) of cases, whereas the etiology remained unidentified in 50 cases (40%). Patients with an identified pathogen did not differ from those with TD of unknown etiology in terms of the time of onset of illness or the median frequency of unformed stools in the first 24 hours. In contrast, the median frequency of unformed stools between 24 and 48 hours (i.e., on the second day) was 1.0 among patients with no pathogen and 2.0 among those with enteric pathogens identified (P < .001). A similar difference was evident on the third day (1.0 vs. 2.5). Moreover, a lower proportion of patients with no pathogen identified had watery stools (28% vs. 55%). The durations of diarrhea and concomitant symptoms were significantly shorter and the recovery from TD was significantly quicker among the patients without an identified pathogen. Patients with one or more invasive pathogens had disease that was clearly more severe than that of patients with no pathogen identified; the difference in severity of disease was less marked for patients with invasive vs. noninvasive pathogens. Individuals with diarrhea due to Campylobacter species tended to have the most severe disease, whereas diarrhea caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli seemed milder than that caused by other agents. Unfortunately, the clinician has only a limited opportunity to predict the etiology of TD and thus to assess the need for antimicrobial therapy at the onset of disease.
PHARMACOLOGICAL AND MEDICINAL USES OF ACHYRANTHES ASPERA

Herbal medicines are widely used since time immemorial indicating that herbs are a growing part of modern, high-tech medicine. India has an ancient heritage of traditional herbal medicine. The medicinal plants are used for treatment of various diseases because of their safety and effectiveness. The problem of microbial resistance is growing and the outlook for the use of antimicrobial drugs in the future is still uncertain. Therefore, actions must be taken to control the use of antibiotic, to develop research to better understand the genetic mechanisms of resistance, and to continue studies to develop either synthetic or natural new drugs. Numerous studies have been done on herbals confirming their potential antimicrobial property against microorganisms. One of the strategies towards attaining this objective is the rational localization of bioactive phytoconstituents. Achyranthes aspera (Amaranthaceae) is an important medicinal herb found as a weed throughout India. Though almost all of its parts are used in traditional systems of medicines, seeds, roots and shoots are the most important parts which are used medicinally. The present review describes some of the important medicinal properties of Achyranthes aspera, which are instrumental in making it potent against infections.
In vivo adherence and colonization of Vibrio cholerae strains that differ in hemagglutinating activity and motility

A scanning electron microscopic study was carried out to compare the in vivo pathogenicity of two strains of Vibrio cholerae in an adult rabbit ligated-gut test model. V. cholerae C5 (serotype Ogawa, biotype El Tor), a motile strain possessing hemagglutinating activity in vitro, and C21 (serotype Ogawa, classical biotype), a nonmotile strain possessing no hemagglutinating activity, were tested. Tissue samples from small intestinal loops were examined 3, 6, 9, and 12 h postinoculation. Contradictory to most published data, neither hemagglutinating activity nor motility appeared to be essential prerequisites for the pathogenesis of cholera in the experimental animal model used: nonmotile hemagglutinin-negative strain C21 adhered to and colonized the small intestine at least to the same extent as did motile hemagglutinin-positive strain C5. Maximum colonization was seen at 9 h postinoculation for both strains. C5 and C21 vibrios caused comparable damage to the villi of the small intestine. The villous epithelium showed only mild changes during the first 9 h postinoculation. However, after 12 h the epithelium was seriously damaged concomitant with a decrease in the number of vibrios. Many villi showed partial or total denudation, owing to repelled epithelium, leaving a bare basal lamina with only some to moderate numbers of vibrios attached. Since similar changes were induced by pure cholera enterotoxin, these changes were likely the result of excessive fluid accumulation. From this study it is concluded that, at least in the animal model used, factors other than hemagglutinating activity and motility may also play a role in the association of V. cholerae with the small intestinal surface.
Assessment of the effects of different noise levels on mental performance of individual doing mathematical calculation

Noise is one of the most important adverse working conditions that experience in most workplaces. Effect of noise on job performance is a controversial topic among researchers. Noise is an environmental stressor, caused inaccuracy in brain activity, lack of coordination in intellectual task, enhancing in mental disorders and influence on efficiency. The sounds were required to be prepared and approved. The numbers of cases involving male students were determined. A checklist was used for entrance into the study. The study was performed using standard methods to control and limit confounding factors. The subjects were exposed to three sound level of 35 dB (sound-based), 75 and 85 dB. Simultaneously, samples were doing the mathematical calculations. Results showed that there was a significant correlation between different levels of noise and increased reaction time, depth of both middle and deep mental process (reduction of computational efficiency and precision). There is no significant relationship between different levels of noise and mental processes at shallow level. With rising the noise levels, reaction time increased and precision and efficiency calculations reduced.
Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity in the Electrical Activity of Suprachiasmatic Nuclei Neurons and their Response to Photoperiod

The coordinated activity of thousands of cellular oscillators in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) temporally regulates mammalian physiology to anticipate daily environmental changes across the seasons. The phasing of clock gene expression varies according to anatomical location in the SCN and is thought to encode photoperiodic information. However, it is unclear whether similar variations in phase occur in the electrical activity of SCN neurons, a measure of both intraSCN signaling and clock output. To address this, we recorded single-unit and multiunit activity (SUA/MUA) from dorsal and ventral subregions of the middle level of the rostrocaudal axis of the SCN in coronal brain slices prepared from mice housed under different photoperiods. We demonstrate that under a symmetrical (12 h light:12 h dark) photoperiod, cells in the dorsal SCN are less tightly synchronized than those in the ventral SCN. Comparison of recordings made from mice under short (8 h light:16 h dark) or long (16 h light:8 h dark) photoperiods shows that the phase distribution of ventral, but not dorsal, SCN neurons expands with increasing day length. Conversely, the duration that individual neurons are active increases in dorsal, but not ventral, SCN under long days. These data indicate that in the ventral SCN photoperiod is encoded at the network level, while this coding occurs at the level of individual cells in the dorsal SCN.