Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supramaximal exercise mobilizes hematopoietic progenitors and reticulocytes in athletes.

Marathon runners show increased circulating CD34+ cell counts and postexercise release of interleukin-6 (IL-6), granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and flt3-ligand (Bonsignore MR, Morici G, Santoro A, Pegano M, Cascio L, Bonnano A, Abate P, Mirabella F, Profita M, Insalaco G, Gioia M, Vignola AM, Majolino I, Testa U, and Hogg JC. J Appl Physiol 93: 1691-1697, 2002). In the present study we hypothesized that supramaximal ("all-out") exercise may acutely affect circulating progenitors and reticulocytes and investigated possible mechanisms involved. Progenitor release was measured by flow cytometry (n = 20) and clonogenic assays (n = 6) in 20 young competitive rowers (13 M, 7 F, age +/- SD: 17.1 +/- 2.1 yr, peak O2 consumption: 56.5 +/- 11.4 ml.min(-1). kg(-1)) at rest and shortly after 1,000 m "all-out. " Release of reticulocytes, cortisol, muscle enzymes, neutrophil elastase, and several cytokines/growth factors was measured. Supramaximal exercise doubled circulating CD34+ cells (rest: 7.6 +/- 3.0, all-out: 16.3 +/- 9.1 cells/mul, P < 0.001), and increased immature reticulocyte fractions; AC133+ cells doubled, suggesting release of angiogenetic precursors. Erythrocyte burst forming units and colony forming units for granulocytes-monocytes and all blood series increased postexercise by 3.4-, 5.5-, and 4.8-fold, respectively (P < 0.01 for all). All-out rowing acutely increased plasma cortisol, neutrophil elastase, flt3-ligand, hepatocyte growth factor, VEGF, and transforming growth factor-beta1, and decreased erythropoietin; K-ligand, stromal-derived factor-1, IL-6, and G-CSF were unchanged. Therefore, all-out exercise is a physiological stimulus for progenitor release in athletes. Release of reticulocytes and proangiogenetic cells and mediators suggests tissue hypoxia as possibly involved in progenitor mobilization.
Inference of Term Structure Models

Compared with deterministic models, the key feature of a stochastic differential equation (SDE) model is its ability to generate a large number of different trajectories. To tackle the challenge, a number of methods have been proposed to infer reliable estimates. But these methods dominantly used the explicit methods for solving SDEs, and thus are not appropriate to deal with experimentaldata with large variations. In this work we develop a new method by using implicit methods to solve SDEs, which is aimed at generating stable simulations for stiff SDE models. The particle swarm optimization method is used as an efficient searching method to explore the optimal estimate in the complex parameter space. Using the interest term structure model as the test system, numerical results showed that the proposed new method is an effective approach for generating reliable estimates of unknown parameters in SDE models.
Experimental Investigation of the Hydrodynamic Interactions between a Sphere and a Large Spherical Obstacle

The hydrodynamic interactions between a spherical particle embedded in a very viscous fluid and a large close spherical obstacle are investigated experimentally. The displacement of the particle is followed by laser interferometry with a 100 nm resolution. The large obstacle is either convex, plane or concave. The experimental results for the drag coefficient on the particle are compared to the theoretical results written as three terms expansions for small gaps, viz. the result of Cox and Brenner (1967) for a plane obstacle, the result of Jeffrey (1982) and Jeffrey and Onishi (1984) for a convex obstacle and an extension of Cooley and O'Neill (1969) for a concave obstacle. Excellent agreement is found between the experimental and the theoretical results for all cases.
Analytical characterization and conceptual assessment of solid and ~ uid temperature di } erentials in porous media Dae !

An analytical characterization of forced convective ~ow through a channel _lled with a porous medium is presented in this work[ Based on a two! equation model\ including transverse conduction contributions\ exact solutions are obtained for both ~uid and solid phase temperature _elds[ The Nusselt number is also obtained in terms of the pertinent physical parameters\ namely the Biot number for the internal heat exchange and the ratio of e}ective conductivities between the ~uid and solid phases[ It is shown that the heat transfer characteristics can be classi_ed within three regimes\ each of which is dominated by one of three distinctive heat transfer mechanisms\ i[e[\ ~uid conduction\ solid conduction and internal heat exchange between solid and ~uid phases[ Based on these results\ a complete electrical thermal network representative of transport through porous media is established[ In addition\ an analytical characterization and con! ceptual assessment of solid and ~uid temperature di}erentials is presented\ the validity of the one! equation model is investigated and a practical criterion is suggested for channels with di}erent cross sections[ Þ 0887 Elsevier Science Ltd[ All rights reserved[ Nomenclature a interfacial area per a unit volume of porous media ðmŁ Ac cross! section area of the channel ðmŁ Ai interfacial area between solid and ~uid phases ðmŁ Aw outer surface area of the porous medium ðmŁ Bi Biot number de_ned in equation "03# c constants de_ned in equation "39# cP speci_c heat of the ~uid ðJ kg KŁ c0\ c1 constants de_ned in equations "38# and "49# D hydraulic diameter of the channel ðmŁ E error in the Nusselt number de_ned by equation "52# Ea allowable error in the Nusselt number hi interstitial heat transfer coe.cient ðW m KŁ hw wall heat transfer coe.cient de_ned by equation "12# ðW m KŁ H characteristic length of the channel ðmŁ kf\e} e}ective thermal conductivity of the ~uid ðW m KŁ Corresponding author[ ks\e} e}ective thermal conductivity of the solid ðW m KŁ Nuw Nusselt number de_ned by equation "13# Nuwl Nusselt number calculated from one! equation model P perimeter of the channel ðmŁ q heat ~ux ðW mŁ qw heat ~ux at the wall ðW mŁ R thermal resistance ðm K WŁ T temperature ðKŁ u ~uid velocity ðm sŁ u1 nondimensional velocity de_ned in equation "6# V volume of the porous media _lled in the channel ðmŁ x longitudinal coordinate ðmŁ y transverse coordinate ðmŁ[ Greek symbols Du nondimensional temperature di}erence\ Du us−uf o porosity at the wall h nondimensional transverse coordinate de_ned in equation "6# g geometric constant de_ned by equation "7# D[! Y[ Lee\ K[ Vafai:Int[ J[ Heat Mass Transfer 31 "0888# 312Ð324 313 u nondimensional temperature de_ned in equation "6# k ratio of the e}ective ~uid conductivity to that of the solid\ kf\e}:ks\e} l parameter de_ned by equation "10# r ~uid density ðkg mŁ[ Subscripts f ~uid or conduction in ~uid phase i internal heat exchange o overall s solid or conduction in solid phase ðŁ average over the channel cross section\ ðfŁ ÐAc f dAc:Ac[
Phenanthrene Removal from Soil by a Strain of Aspergillus niger Producing Manganese Peroxidase of Phanerochaete chrysosporium

© 2013 Cortes-Espinosa and Absalon, licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Phenanthrene Removal from Soil by a Strain of Aspergillus niger Producing Manganese Peroxidase of Phanerochaete chrysosporium
Financial Constraints, Innovation Performance and Sectoral Disaggregation

How do the effects of financial constraints on innovation performance vary by sector and firm characteristics? This paper uses innovation survey data from 11 European countries to examine the heterogeneity of these effects. Our results suggest that the impact of direct measures of financial barriers differs in production and service sectors, and also by the firm's export orientation. In particular, financial constraints appear to have more pronounced negative effects in the production sector than in the service sector. Among different types of firms, the response to financial constraints seems to be stronger for non-exporters.
Epithelial-mesenchymal crosstalk induces radioresistance in HNSCC cells

Objective Epithelial-mesenchymal crosstalk (EMC) contributes to tumor progression, chemoresistance and acquisition of a mesenchymal phenotype (EMT) of cancer cells. This study aims to investigate the effects of EMC on radioresistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells. Methods In tumor cell lines, the response of HNSCC cells, stimulated with EMC conditioned medium (CM), to irradiation was evaluated with viability and clonogenic assays. Dose modifying factors (DMF) were calculated from the results of clonogenic assays. Potential pathways involved in radioresistance were analyzed with quantitative Real-Time PCR and western blot. Results CM significantly reduced the doubling time of SCC-25 cells (from 32.8 hours to 16.8 hours, p=0.0001) and Detroit 562 cells (from 88.5 hours to 29.6 hours, p=0.014). Further it increased clonogenic survival after irradiation. The DMF of CM was 2.04 ± 0.43 (mean ± standard deviation) for SCC-25 cells (p=0.015) and 2.14 ± 0.34 for Detroit 562 cells (p=0.008). Treatment with CM more than tripled the ERCC1 and survivin gene expression in SCC-25 cells. Conclusion EMC induced pathways involved in cell survival and DNA repair and led to increased radioresistance in HNSCC cells.
Comparisons on numerically-calculated HRTFs of typical dummy heads

Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF) plays an significant role in the virtual auditory technology. In practical commercial applications, HRTFs of a universal dummy head, e.g. KEMAR, are frequently used. However, previous researches verify that another dummy head, BHead210, is more fit for Chinese since this dummy head is built on average Chinese while KEMAR is on average western people. In this paper, we carefully compare the HRTFs of KEMAR and BHead210 to exam if there is significant difference in auditory perception. Firstly, we use 3D scan and numerical calculation method to obtain the HRTFs of the two dummy heads, so that complicated electro-acoustic measurement is avoided. Secondly, we reveal the differences of the two heads in HRTF magnitude, ITD and ILD. Finally, we organize two subjective listening tests including localization test and A/B comparison. The results confirm that generally the HRTFs of BHead210, especially on bilateral localization, are more preferred by Chinese subjects.
Learning to Design Games: Strategic Environments in Deep Reinforcement Learning

In typical reinforcement learning (RL), the environment is assumed given and the goal of the learning is to identify an optimal policy for the agent taking actions through its interactions with the environment. In this paper, we extend this setting by considering the environment is not given, but controllable and learnable through its interaction with the agent at the same time. This extension is motivated by environment design scenarios in the real-world, including game design, shopping space design and traffic signal design. Theoretically, we find a dual Markov decision process (MDP) w.r. t. the environment to that w.r. t. the agent, and derive a policy gradient solution to optimizing the parametrized environment. Furthermore, discontinuous environments are addressed by a proposed general generative framework. Our experiments on a Maze game design task show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms in generating diverse and challenging Mazes against various agent settings.
Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Financial Performance: Evidence from Listed Banks in Nigeria

The major purpose of the study is to examine the Impact of CSR on Earning Per Share (EPS), Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) and Dividend Per Share (DPS) of listed banks in Nigeria. It is believed by the researchers that this study will be of immense use to the government, financial institutions and the general public. The study covered the period 2010-2014. The Impact of EPS, ROCE and DPS was tested on CSR. Simple regression analysis was employed by the researchers in testing the data collected from the annual published financial statement of the selected banks. The regression result showed that EPS and DPS have negative significant relationship with CSR while ROCE has a positive significant relationship with CSR. The research recommends that the government should by way of legislation through regulatory authorities, compel financial institutions to embark actively in CSR, also CSR should be seen as an investment and reported as such in the financial statements of financial institutions.
Old versus New – Tumor Ablation versus Tumor Nanoablation with Particular Emphasis on Liver Tumors

Loco-regional treatments play a key role in the management of hepatocellular carcino‐ ma (HCC). Image-guided tumor ablation is recommended in patients with early-stage HCC when surgical options are precluded. Radiofrequency ablation is currently es‐ tablished as the standard method for local tumor treatment. Despite major advances in tumor ablation techniques the disease recurs in a high proportion of cases. A major limitation in its overall effectiveness is due to the difficulties of heating large tumors. Small regions of viable tumor may still remain even after apparently good tumor ablation by perfusion-mediated tissue cooling, preventing the whole tumor reaching a sufficient temperature for coagulation and necrosis. Moreover simple heating techni‐ ques have trouble discriminating between tumors and surrounding healthy tissues leading to many side effects. In order to overcome these major limitations numerous groups are investigating the use of energy-absorbing agents localized within tumor tissues to facilitate localized heating. A personal answer based on the review of the literature will be offered to the following questions: NIR photothermal therapy, RFA with nanoparticles, or magnetic fluid hyperthermia for the long term management of HCC? How should we deliver nanoparticles: systemically or directly intratumoral? Ablation versus mild hyperthermia: Pros and Cons in the majority of cases, hyper‐ thermia is applied in one of two ways: a) high temperature for short time periods commonly referred to as ablation, or b) lower temperatures for long time periods, of‐ ten called mild hyperthermia. The former is used to kill cells directly with heat and consequently can be used to thermally ablate tumor. The second method is just above physiological temperature, and these temperatures are more often used to trigger re‐ lease from thermosensitive drug carriers. Both approaches can be combined with heat-sensitive drug targeting. There are many ways to induce nanoparticle mediated thermal therapy in solid tumors including absorption of infrared light, radiofrequency ablation and magnetically induced heating. These approaches have demonstrated high efficacy in preclinical models of HCC and are already tested in human clinical trials.
Clinical and haemato-biochemical changes in rumen acidosis in South Down breed of sheep in Kashmir valley.

The present study was conducted to determine clinico-haemato- biochemical changes in ruminal acidosis-affected South Down sheep in Kashmir valley. Thirty two healthy sheep were taken as control whose parameters were compared with thirty two sheep suffering from ruminal acidosis. Clinical parameters were measured using standard techniques. Ruminal fluid, urine and blood was examined for microscopic, pH and other haemato-biochemical changes. Significant increase was observed in the heart rate, respiration rate, sedimentation activity time, methylene blue reduction time while there was a significant decrease in ruminal motility and rectal temperature. Motility and iodophillic activity of the ruminal protozoa was either slow or absent. Haemato-biochemical studies revealed PCV, Hb, TEC, serum phosphorus and sodium to be significantly higher and blood pH, serum calcium and potassium to be significantly lower in acidosis affected sheep.
Evaluating Future Dangerousness and Need for Treatment: The Roles of Expert Testimony, Attributional Complexity, and Victim Type

In the current study, we explored the effect of risk-assessment testimony, attributional complexity, and victim type on participants’ perceptions of the dangerousness of a sexually violent person and his need for treatment. Participants read details of a hypothetical sexual assault of a female minor and of an adult. Expert testimony of his risk assessment consisted of clinical opinion versus structured-clinical judgment (SCJ) versus actuarial assessment. Participants perceived clinical-opinion and SCJ testimony as equally influential when forming judgments of future dangerousness. In the context of treatment, however, participants relied on actuarial testimony when judging potential for risk. In addition, attributional complexity (AC) moderated perceptions of sexual risk. Overall, results point to the need for continued refinement of assessment techniques when determining dangerousness and need for treatment.
Paranasal Sinus CT Scan Changes in Children with Meningitis: A Cross Section Study, Tehran, IRAN

Background: Meningitis is the most common intracranial complication of sinusitis. Objective: Determine the frequency of sinusitis using CT scans in children with documented meningitis. Methods and materials: A prospective, cross sectional study was done in pediatric infectious ward of Rasul Hospital in Tehran, Iran during 2010-2011. In this study 65 cases with meningitis were evaluated for presence of sinusitis (according to symptoms, criteria and paranasal CT scan). Results: CSF obtained in 112 cases. Cases with meningitis aged 1 month-16 years old with a mean of 4.2 years. Definite bacterial meningitis was the final diagnosis in 40/112 patients (35.7%; missing=5). Second step: Paranasal sinus CT scan had been performed in 65 cases with final diagnosis of meningitis. Cases were between 1 month to 16 years old (mean age of 4.2 y). 51% of the patients were male and 49% were female. Bacterial meningitis was diagnosed in 55.3% (36/65) and aseptic meningitis in 44.7% (29/65). Sinuses were reported to be undeveloped in 7.6% (n=5) of younger than 4 months old cases. Sinusitis was diagnosed in 30.7% (20/65) of all cases with meningitis; 3.4% (1/29) in those with aseptic meningitis and 52% (19/36) in those with bacterial meningitis which shows significant difference between the 2 groups (P<0.05). The involved sinuses included: pan sinusitis with 15% (3/20) case. Maxillary sinusitis the most common type observed (16/20); on the next places comes; sphenoid sinusiti (7/20); ethmoeid sinusitis (4/20) and finally isolated frontal sinusitis was seen in 0% of cases. Chronic type of sinusitis was reported in 50% (n=10) of all cases. Conclusion: The prevalence of sinusitis in documented cases of meningitis (septic & aseptic meningitis) was 31%, and was more common (25%) in bacterial meningitis. Meningeal manifestations (e.g. meningeal signs and symptoms; or CSF changes) might be due to bacterial sinusitis. Most cases of meningitis in children are accompanied with sinusitis. Differentiation between the two sources and definition of the initial site of infection is always problematic. Appropriate bacterial sinusitis treatment is needed to prevent meningitis. We recommend sinus tract to be evaluated in every meningitis patient (septic or aseptic). Furthermore, adequate treatment in chronic sinusitis would help prevent readmission.
Text-bullying among early adolescents.

Increased availability of cell-phones has provided new avenues through which adolescents can bully their peers. Text-bullying is an emerging form of bullying which may threaten the emotional well-being of early adolescents. In this study 565 early adolescents (10-13 years old) completed questionnaires regarding their experiences with bullying (text-message and traditional) and measures of depression and self-esteem. Findings were that: (a) 15% of early adolescents had been text-bullied in the current school year: (b) victims of text-bullying reported more depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem than non-victims, and (c) victims who experienced both traditional and text-bullying in the current school year report more depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem than those not involved or those who were bullied only at school Text-bullying may add to negative outcomes suffered by victims of traditional forms of bullying.
Prokaryotic BirA ligase biotinylates K 4 , K 9 , K 18 and K 23 in histone H 3 †

BirA ligase is a prokaryotic ortholog of holocarboxylase synthetase (HCS) that can biotinylate proteins. This study tested the hypothesis that BirA ligase catalyzes the biotinylation of eukaryotic histones. If so, this would mean that recombinant BirA ligase is a useful surrogate for HCS in studies of histone biotinylation. The biological activity of recombinant BirA ligase was confirmed by enzymatic biotinylation of p67. In particular, it was found that BirA ligase biotinylated both calf thymus histone H1 and human bulk histone extracts. Incubation of recombinant BirA ligase with H3-based synthetic peptides showed that lysines 4, 9, 18, and 23 in histone H3 are the targets for the biotinylation by BirA ligase. Modification of the peptides (e.g., serine phosphorylation) affected the subsequent biotinylation by BirA ligase, suggesting crosstalk between modifications. In conclusion, this study suggests that prokaryotic BirA ligase is a promiscuous enzyme and biotinylates eukaryotic histones. Moreover the biotinylation of histones by BirA ligase is consistent with the proposed role of human HCS in chromatin. [BMB reports 2008; 41(4): 310-315]
Defect assistant band alignment transition from staggered to broken gap in mixed As/Sb tunnel field effect transistor heterostructure

The compositional dependence of effective tunneling barrier height (Ebeff) and defect assisted band alignment transition from staggered gap to broken gap in GaAsSb/InGaAs n-channel tunnel field effect transistor (TFET) structures were demonstrated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). High-resolution x-ray diffraction measurements revealed that the active layers are internally lattice matched. The evolution of defect properties was evaluated using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The defect density at the source/channel heterointerface was controlled by changing the interface properties during growth. By increasing indium (In) and antimony (Sb) alloy compositions from 65% to 70% in InxGa1−xAs and 60% to 65% in GaAs1−ySby layers, the Ebeff was reduced from 0.30 eV to 0.21 eV, respectively, with the low defect density at the source/channel heterointerface. The transfer characteristics of the fabricated TFET device with an Ebeff of 0.21 eV show 2× improvement in ON-state current compare.
Running Head : Word-Final Clusters The acquisition of word-final clusters in French *

The structure of French syllables has long been controversial, particularly with respect to the status of word-final consonants. Some researchers suggest that word-final consonants are syllabified as codas, whereas others propose that these are onsets of empty-headed syllables. This raises questions regarding the nature of syllabic representations in children’s developing French, a topic that has received little attention. This study examines 2-year-olds’ elicited productions of word-final obstruent-liquid (OL) clusters, and compares these with the acquisition of word-initial OL clusters. The acquisition of singleton word-final consonants is also discussed. Although word-final clusters are acquired later than both word-initial clusters and word-final singletons, the error patterns are the same, with earlier acquisition and preservation of obstruents. A few children exhibit final vowel epenthesis, raising the possibility that some French-speaking children may syllabify word-final consonants as onsets. The paper concludes with a discussion of the cross-linguistic implications of these findings, identifying several areas for further research.