Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unsupervised Quaternion Feature Learning for Remote Sensing Image Classification

Bag-of-words image representations based on local descriptors are common in image classification and retrieval tasks. However, in order to achieve state-of-the-art results, complex hand-crafted feature filters and/or support vector classifiers with nonlinear kernels are needed. Compared with hand-crafted features, unsupervised feature learning is a popular alternative, which results in feature filters adapted to the problem domain at hand. Although both color and intensity are important cues for remote sensing image classification and color images are commonly used for unsupervised feature learning, most of the existing algorithms do not take into account interrelationships between intensity and color information. We address this problem using quaternion representation for color images and propose unsupervised learning of quaternion feature filters, as well as feature encoding using quaternion orthogonal matching pursuit (Q-OMP). By using quaternion representation, we are able to jointly encode intensity and color information in an image. We obtain local descriptors by soft thresholding and computing absolute values of scalar and three vector parts of the quaternion-valued sparse code. Local descriptors are pooled, power-law transformed, and normalized, yielding the resulting image representation. The experimental results on UC Merced Land Use and Brazilian Coffee Scenes datasets are comparable or better than the state of the art, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The proposed method for quaternion feature learning is able to adapt to the characteristics of the available data, and being fully unsupervised, it emerges as a viable alternative to both hand-crafted representations and convolutional neural networks, especially in application scenarios with scarce-labeled training data.
Formulation and Evaluation of Alendronate Sodium Gel for the Treatment of Bone Resorptive Lesions in Periodontitis

Alendronate sodium is formulated into gels and evaluated for the treatment of bone resorptive lesions in periodontitis. Carbopol 934P was used for the preparation of gels in three different concentrations. The prepared gel was evaluated for various properties such as preformulation, content uniformity, viscosity, compatibility, sterility, in vitro diffusion, and in vivo studies. The drug and the polymer were found to be compatible and confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Viscosity of the gels increased with the increase in the polymer concentration. The formulations were found to be sterile. In vitro release study revealed that drug released from the gel follows non-Fickian diffusion followed by first-order release. In vivo studies were carried out for 6 months in patients. The results revealed a significant improvement in the clinical parameters such as gingival index, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and potent inhibitory effect on bone resorption by inhibition of osteoclasts. In addition, there was increase in the new bone formation.
Impact of early childhood caries and its treatment under general anesthesia on orofacial function and quality of life: A prospective comparative study

Background Early Childhood Caries (ECC) has become a major public health concern worldwide, mostly affecting children from disadvantaged families in increasingly severe forms. This condition has been frequently reported to alter children’s nutrition, growth and general development. It negatively impacts their quality of life, through painful episodes and severe eating difficulties. While this period is crucial for oral praxes development, the impact of dental state on oro-facial functions is poorly documented. This study evaluated the impact of ECC and its treatment under general anesthesia on oro-facial functions and quality of life in pre-school children. Material and Methods The dysfunction and quality of life scores from 25 children with ECC were evaluated before treatment (T0), one month (T1) and three months after treatment (T2), using the Nordic Orofacial Test-Screening (NOT-S) and the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS), respectively, in comparison with 16 caries-free children. The number and extent of inter-arch dental contacts were also observed. Results The pre-operative higher NOT-S score observed in children with ECC decreased to reach the control level at T2. The mastication item was the most affected in the ECC group throughout the study. Their mean ECOHIS score also significantly decreased post-operatively and differences remaining between both groups were no longer clinically relevant. In addition, in children with ECC, values of functional inter-arch surfaces tended to increase over the follow-up period. Conclusions Oro-facial functions and quality of life, altered by ECC, could be restored through a conservative treatment approach. Relations between dental state, orofacial functions and particularly chewing, and nutrition should be investigated further. Key words:Early childhood caries, children, orofacial dysfunction, general anesthesia, quality of life, occlusal contacts.
Human liver spheroid cultures in microfluidic chip co-cultures and comparative MetID studies

The liver is the most important site of drug metabolism in the human body. During drug development, it is therefore of high importance to employ a robust in vitro model that resembles the in vivo microenvironment, and is able to accurately predict the metabolism and disposition of compounds. This thesis is divided into two major parts. First, the metabolism of a set of compounds was characterized qualitatively in spheroids made from primary human hepatocytes (PHH), and the resulting data was compared to previous data from hepatocyte suspension culture and human in vivo data. The metabolites formed during a 72 hour incubation period was analyzed by LC-MS. Second, a co-culture between human liver spheroids, made from HepaRG cells and primary hepatic stellate cells, and primary human pancreatic islets in microfluidic 2-organ-chips was established, and the liver spheroids were functionally characterized. A total of 5 chip experiments were performed, where each chip experiment lasted for 7 days, and different conditions such as medium composition where examined. Various staining techniques and measurements of secreted albumin and LDH were used to assess long-term sustainability, function and viability of the spheroids. Some of the metabolites seen in humans were also formed in PHH spheroids, but the spheroid model was not able to fully predict the human in vivo metabolism. Spheroids were not shown to be a significantly better model to use compared to suspension cultures during these experiments. CYP activity analysis showed that decreasing metabolic function after a change in medium composition might be a factor. HepaRG spheroids were able to display several liver-like functions when cultured in the multi-organ chips, but the large size of the spheroids led to the formation of necrotic cores. Overall, while certain parameters need to be improved, the liver spheroids are promising models for studying several different aspects of liver functions as well as for establishing organ system models.
Sampling issues in family studies of schizophrenia.

Data from an epidemiologic study of schizophrenia were used to determine how many subjects in the large sample pool met eligibility criteria for family study. Of 549 patients with interview data only 29.1% were eligible. Eligible were compared with ineligible schizophrenic patients on 15 variables likely to influence family interaction patterns; the small group of male patients who actually cooperated in the Family Study were compared on the same variables with those who refused to participate. On nine variables the groups were similar, but they differed on six. Eligible and cooperating patients were of higher socioeconomic status and earlier birth order; they were younger when interviewed and when admitted to the hospital; and were more likely to have been diagnosed acute rather than paranoid or chronic schizophrenic.
Adult survivors of childhood cancer employment and insurance issues in different age groups

Survivors of adult forms of cancer have noted discrimination in obtaining employment appropriate to their abilities/training and in securing comprehensive, affordable health and life insurance. Among survivors of childhood cancer, these problems are complicated, because most survivors of childhood cancer have no employment record and only family‐related insurance before the onset of cancer. Relative to these issues, adults who are survivors of childhood cancer can be divided into two groups, i.e., those who are younger and those older than 30 years of age. In the older age group (30–50 years), the general indicators of economic achievement and insurability are similar to those of control subjects. Exceptions in this age group include denial of entry into the uniformed services and rejection of applications for life insurance. Survivors who are 20–29 years of age have a wider range of areas in which there is variance from control subjects, including educational achievement, employment, workplace relationships, and the ability to obtain health and life insurance.
A Step in a New Direction? The Effect of the Parent's Money Reform of 2007 on Employment Rates of Mothers in Germany

Increasing maternal employment rates engage policies and people for decades. It is pushed but also questioned at the same time depending on whether women are regarded in first line as mothers or workers. In Germany, the male breadwinner model is traditionally favored. The parent's money reform of 2007 is regarded as a first step towards the dual earner - dual carer model by some scholars. Compared to previous reform, it introduced a shorter time span of receiving a child-raising benefit, a higher benefit and two additional months extending the reference period if both parents participate in child raising. This paper addresses the question what is the effect of the parent's money reform of 2007 on maternal employment rates? Using the SOEP, an ex-post impact evaluation with difference-in-difference estimator and propensity score matching is done to investigate causal effects of the reform on the employment rates of mothers. The results reveal that the mothers giving birth under the new reform start significantly earlier working than mothers bearing a child under the old reform, but the number of working mothers did not increase. This observationresults in the conclusion that the parent's money reform did not fulfill its role as a driver towards a shift the dual earner - dual carer model. Future policies should have an explicit holistic approach to improve the reconciliation of work and family life.
Molecular cloning and characterization of a transferrin cDNA from the white-spotted flower chafer, Protaetia brevitarsis

A full-length cDNA clone with high homology to insect transferrin genes was cloned by screening a Protaetia brevitarsis cDNA library. This gene (PbTf) had a total length of 2338 bp with an open reading frame (ORF) of 2163 bp, and encoded a predicted peptide of 721 amino acid residues. Like known cockroach, termite, and beetle transferrins, PbTf appears to have residues comprising iron-binding sites in both N- and C-terminal lobes. The deduced amino acid sequence of the PbTf cDNA was closest in structure to the beetle Apriona germari transferrin (68% protein sequence identity). Northern blot analysis revealed that PbTf exhibited fat body-specific expression and was upregulated by wounding, bacterial or fungal infection and iron overload, suggesting a functional role for PbTf in defense and stress responses.
Biocompatibility of Polycations: In Vitro Agglutination and Lysis of Red Blood Cells And In Vivo Toxicity

The effects of six polycations were studied in vitro on red blood cells (RBC) and in vivo after intravenous administration. Hemagglutination and hemolysis depended not only on the molar mass and the concentration of these polycations, but also on their chemical nature. The hemagglutination and hemolysis induced by poly (l -lysine), diethylaminoethyldextran, poly(dimethyldiallylammonium) chloride and poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] was low to moderate, whereas a severe hemolysis was induced by a partially quaternized poly[thio-1- (N, N -diethyl-aminoethyl)ethylene]. In the case of poly (ε -lysine), no significant hemagglutination nor hemolysis was observed. The presence of plasma proteins reduced both agglutination and hemolysis. This protective effect was enhanced when the polycations interacted with plasma proteins before contact with RBC. In the presence of albumin, the behavior depended on the polycation and on the order of addition of the three components of the suspension, namely albumin, polycation and RBC. Depending on the polycation, albumin-polycation complexes were either less active or more active on RBC than the same polycation in protein-free medium. In vivo the studied polycations induced an immediate mortality except poly (ε -lysine), which induced a delayed mortality. The minimal dose of polycations inducing immediate mortality paralleled their effect on RBC.
Toward a threshold for subthreshold depression: an analysis of correlates of depression by severity of symptoms using data from an elderly community sample.

PURPOSE The prevalence of depressive symptoms in elderly adults is high, yet the criteria to identify clinically significant depression may leave many elders undiagnosed and untreated. We explored the demographic and risk factor profiles of two groups, one with more severe depression and one with less severe depression. DESIGN AND METHODS The data come from the Duke University Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) baseline survey of 4,162 community-dwelling adults aged 65 or older. RESULTS The prevalence of depression meeting criteria of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D) and sub-threshold depression was 9.1% and 9.9%, respectively. In ordinal logistic regression, both CES-D and subthreshold depression were associated with impairment in physical functioning, disability days, poorer self-rated health, use of psychotropic medications, perceived low social support, female gender, and being unmarried. IMPLICATIONS Depression appears to exist along a continuum, with demographic and social and physical health predictors of subthreshold depression similar to predictors of depression as defined by the CES-D scale.
The prevalence of food hypersensitivity in an unselected population of children and adults

A rising prevalence of food hypersensitivity (FHS) and severe allergic reactions to food has been reported the last decade. To estimate the prevalence of FHS to the most common allergenic foods in an unselected population of children and adults. We investigated a cohort of 111 children <3 yr of age, 486 children 3 yr of age, 301 children older than 3 yr of age and 936 adults by questionnaire, skin prick test, histamine release test and specific immunoglobulin E followed by oral challenge to the most common allergenic foods. In total, 698 cases of possible FHS were recorded in 304 (16.6%) participants. The prevalence of FHS confirmed by oral challenge was 2.3% in the children 3 yr of age, 1% in children older than 3 yr of age and 3.2% in adults. The most common allergenic foods were hen's egg affecting 1.6% of the children 3 yr of age and peanut in 0.4% of the adults. Of the adults, 0.2% was allergic to codfish and 0.3% to shrimp, whereas no challenges with codfish and shrimp were positive in the children. The prevalence of clinical reactions to pollen‐related foods in pollen‐sensitized adults was estimated to 32%. This study demonstrates the prevalence of FHS confirmed by oral challenge to the most common allergenic foods in an unselected population of children and adults.
Climate change and its impact on health in Bangladesh

This background paper was prepared for a workshop on Climate Change and Health in Bangladesh, held on 19–20 November 2007 in Dhaka. The workshop was organized jointly by the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office, Dhaka and the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS). The primary objective of this background paper was to facilitate discussion during workshop by providing latest scientific assessment on: climate change and health; burden and distribution of health impact in Bangladesh related to climate change and extreme weather events; existing response mechanisms; and the way forward.
Comprehensive geriatric assessment: comparison of elderly hemodialysis patients and primary care patients

Abstract Backgrounds: The quality of life and survival of elderly depend not only on their age but on many social and health factors. In the present study, comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) was made in elderly patients on regular hemodialysis (HD) and those without chronic kidney disease recruited in primary health care in order to compare their sociodemographic characteristics, physical health, functional ability and social support. Method: The 106 HD patients and 300 primary care patients aged 70 years and more were studied. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, neurosensory deficits, pain, falls, polypharmacy, basic activities of daily living (ADL) questionnaire, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) questionnaire were obtained during interview. The Timed Up and Go, Nutritional Health Checklist, Two Question Instrument for depression and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) were applied. Results: No significant differences were found for age, gender, education level and dwelling between the two groups. A lower percentage of HD patients lived alone when compared with controls. BMI >25 kg/m2 had 43.4% of HD patients and 49.3% of controls. CCI differed significantly between HD and primary care patients (median: 6 vs. 4) and significantly more HD patients reported depression. No significant difference was found between groups for cognitive dysfunction and ADL, but HD patients had significantly lower IADL scores than controls. The mobility of HD patients was worse; 45.7% of them reported falls in the previous year but only 9.7% from the controls. Conclusions: CGA revealed that HD patients had significantly higher CCI, worse IADL score, mobility and reported more frequent falls, depression and impaired vision than primary care patients.
How Close Are We to Understanding What (if Anything) γ Oscillations Do in Cortical Circuits?

γ oscillations, which can be identified by rhythmic electrical signals ∼30–100 Hz, consist of interactions between excitatory and inhibitory neurons that result in rhythmic inhibition capable of entraining firing within local cortical circuits. Many possible mechanisms have been described through which γ oscillations could act on cortical circuits to modulate their responses to input, alter their patterns of activity, and/or enhance the efficacy of their outputs onto downstream targets. Recently, several studies have observed changes in behavior after optogenetically manipulating neocortical γ oscillations. Now, future studies should determine whether these manipulations elicit physiological correlates associated with specific mechanisms through which γ oscillations are hypothesized to modulate cortical circuit function. There are numerous such mechanisms, so identifying which ones are actually engaged by optogenetic manipulations known to affect behavior would help flesh out exactly how γ oscillations contribute to cortical circuit function under normal and/or pathological conditions.
BACE-1, PS-1 and sAPPβ Levels Are Increased in Plasma from Sporadic Inclusion Body Myositis Patients: Surrogate Biomarkers among Inflammatory Myopathies

Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is a rare disease that is difficult to diagnose. Muscle biopsy provides three prominent pathological findings: inflammation, mitochondrial abnormalities and fibber degeneration, represented by the accumulation of protein depots constituted by β-amyloid peptide, among others. We aim to perform a screening in plasma of circulating molecules related to the putative etiopathogenesis of sIBM to determine potential surrogate biomarkers for diagnosis. Plasma from 21 sIBM patients and 20 age- and gender-paired healthy controls were collected and stored at −80°C. An additional population of patients with non-sIBM inflammatory myopathies was also included (nine patients with dermatomyositis and five with polymyositis). Circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α), mitochondrial-related molecules (free plasmatic mitochondrial DNA [mtDNA], fibroblast growth factor-21 [FGF-21] and coenzyme-Q10 [CoQ]) and amyloidogenic-related molecules (beta-secretase-1 [BACE-1], presenilin-1 [PS-1], and soluble Aβ precursor protein [sAPPβ]) were assessed with magnetic bead-based assays, real-time polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Despite remarkable trends toward altered plasmatic expression of inflammatory and mitochondrial molecules (increased IL-6, TNF-α, circulating mtDNA and FGF-21 levels and decreased content in CoQ), only amyloidogenic degenerative markers including BACE-1, PS-1 and sAPPβ levels were significantly increased in plasma from sIBM patients compared with controls and other patients with non-sIBM inflammatory myopathies (p < 0.05). Inflammatory, mitochondrial and amyloidogenic degeneration markers are altered in plasma of sIBM patients confirming their etiopathological implication in the disease. Sensitivity and specificity analysis show that BACE-1, PS-1 and sAPPβ represent a good predictive noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of sIBM, especially in distinguishing this disease from polymyositis.
Exploration of the prevalence and correlates of depression among South Korean workers with injuries.

OBJECTIVE This study identified the prevalence of depression and explored demographic and psycho-social factors that predict depression among workers with on-the-job injuries in South Korea. PARTICIPANTS Participants consisted of 549 Korean workers with injuries; 80% were males. Ages ranged from 20 to 60 years old (mean, 42.2; SD=9.27). METHODS Each participant completed a self-administered questionnaire. Analyses were conducted using multiple linear regression to explore predictors of depression. Depression was measured by the Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory and items drawn from the Work Potential Profile scale and AUDIT-K were used. RESULTS More than half of study participants needed professional assessment and treatment for depression. Preoccupation with health, subjective economic stability, self-image, employment status, and alcohol problems were significant predictors of depression. CONCLUSIONS Policymakers and practitioners working with workers with injuries should be aware of the extent of serious mental health issues among such workers. There is also a need for enhanced rehabilitation services for depression treatment.
Paradox in the Woods: The Twin Destiny of Elves and Men in the Forests of Beleriand

Abstract In J. R. R. Tolkien’s tales set in the fictional region of Beleriand, the paradox of a union between immortal and mortal beings, and all that this dichotomy implies, is consistently reflected in wooded settings. At the same time, we can also discern a general direction, which will eventually bring both Elves and Men out of the dark woods and into the light in a symbolical process of enlightenment. However, the woods in the tales reflect both pitfalls and promises, making it impossible to interpret this natural environment as unequivocally positive or negative, but a mixture of both. Tolkien’s stance towards trees and forests can thus be seen as realistic rather than escapist in these tales.