Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relevance vector machine for depression prediction

The objective and automated monitoring of depression using behavioral signals is confounded by the wide clinical profile of this commonly occurring mood disorder. This paper introduces Relevance Vector Machines, a novel method for predicting clinical depression scores from paralinguistic cues. It highlights many of the advantages RVM can offer depression prediction; sparsity, implicit noise characterization, an explicit probabilistic output and heterogeneous mapping property which allow one or more arbitrary, non-linear, transform to be used in conjunction with a RVM. Results indicate that RVMs can perform as strongly as Support Vector Regression in a brute-forcing paradigm. Of particular interest is the heterogeneous mapping property which improves RVM performance without requiring an expensive, in terms of data and time, search of the operating parameter space.
Determination of soil nutrients and pH level using image processing and artificial neural network

In this study, image processing and artificial neural network was used to efficiently identify the nutrients and pH level of soil with the use of Soil Test Kit (STK) and Rapid Soil Testing (RST) of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management: (1) pH, (2) Nitrogen, (3) Phosphorus, (4) Potassium, (5) Zinc, (6) Calcium, and (7) Magnesium. The composition of the system is made of five sections namely soil testing, image capturing, image processing, training system for neural network, and result. The use of Artificial Neural Network is to hasten the performance of image processing in giving accurate result. The system will base on captured image data, 70% for training, 15% for testing and 15% for validation as default of neural network tool of MATLAB. Based on the result, the program will show the qualitative level of soil nutrients and pH. Overall, this study identifies the soil nutrient and pH level of the soil and was proven accurate.
Ophthalmic lesions in neonatal foals evaluated for nonophthalmic disease at referral hospitals.

OBJECTIVE To determine types and frequency of ophthalmic lesions detected in neonatal foals evaluated for nonophthalmic disease at 3 veterinary referral hospitals and to investigate associations between systemic and ophthalmic diseases in these foals. DESIGN Prospective cross-sectional study. ANIMALS 70 foals < 30 days old. PROCEDURES Complete ophthalmic examinations were performed. Signalment, clinical signs, mentation during ophthalmic examination, results of clinicopathologic tests, and diagnosis of systemic disease were recorded. Descriptive data analysis including a χ(2) test for associations was performed. RESULTS Most foals (39/70 [55.7%]) with systemic disease had ≥ 1 ophthalmic lesion detected. Of the 39 foals with ophthalmic disease, 24 (61.5%) had potentially vision-threatening lesions. Clinically important abnormalities included conjunctival hyperemia or episcleral injection (30/70 [42.9%]), uveitis (18/70 [25.7%]), ulcerative keratitis (13/70 [18.6%]), nonulcerative keratitis (10/70 [14.3%]), entropion (8/70 [11.4%]), retinal hemorrhage (8/70 [11.4%]), and cataract (6/70 [8.6%]). Foals with sepsis were significantly more likely to have uveitis than were those without sepsis. Foals with sepsis and uveitis were also significantly less likely to survive to discharge than were foals that had sepsis without uveitis. Acquired ophthalmic disease (detected in 37/70 [52.9%] foals) was significantly more common than congenital ophthalmic disease (detected in 9/70 [12.9%]). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Ophthalmic lesions were detected in 55.7% of neonatal foals with systemic disease. Acquired ophthalmic disease was more commonly detected than congenital ophthalmic disease. Foals with sepsis were more likely to have uveitis than were foals without sepsis. A complete ophthalmic examination is indicated in neonatal foals evaluated for systemic disease.
Recombinant interferon-γ secreted by chinese hamster ovary-320 cells cultivated in suspension in protein-free media is protected against extracellular proteolysis by the expression of natural protease inhibitors and by the addition of plant protein hydrolysates to the culture medium

SummaryBiosafety requirements increasingly restrict the cultivation of mammalian cells producing therapeutic glycoproteins to conditions that are devoid of any compound of animal origin. On cultivation in serum-free media, the proteases inhibitors, usually found in serum, cannot protect secreted recombinant proteins against unwanted endogenous proteolysis. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, secreting recombinant human interferon-γ (CHO-320 cell line) and cultivated in suspension in an original protein-free medium, expressed at least two members of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), either at the cell surface (proMMP-14 and MMP-14) or secreted (proMMP-9). In addition, tissue- and urinary-type plasminogen activators were also secreted in such culture conditions. At the cell surface, dipeptidyl peptidase IV and tripeptidyl peptidase II (TPPII) activities were also detected, and their activities decreased during time course of batch cultures. The proteolytic activities of these proteins were counterbalanced by (1) their expression as zymogens (proMMP-9, proMMP-14), (2) the expression of their natural inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-1 and-2 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), or (3) the addition of plant protein hydrolysates to the culture medium, acting as a nonspecific source of TPPII inhibitors. This study points out that, even in protein-free media, recombinant proteins secreted by CHO cells are actively protected against physiological and unwanted extracellular proteolysis either by endogenous or by exogenous inhibitors.
Microalgae for oil: Strain selection, induction of lipid synthesis and outdoor mass cultivation in a low‐cost photobioreactor

Thirty microalgal strains were screened in the laboratory for their biomass productivity and lipid content. Four strains (two marine and two freshwater), selected because robust, highly productive and with a relatively high lipid content, were cultivated under nitrogen deprivation in 0.6‐L bubbled tubes. Only the two marine microalgae accumulated lipid under such conditions. One of them, the eustigmatophyte Nannochloropsis sp. F&M‐M24, which attained 60% lipid content after nitrogen starvation, was grown in a 20‐L Flat Alveolar Panel photobioreactor to study the influence of irradiance and nutrient (nitrogen or phosphorus) deprivation on fatty acid accumulation. Fatty acid content increased with high irradiances (up to 32.5% of dry biomass) and following both nitrogen and phosphorus deprivation (up to about 50%). To evaluate its lipid production potential under natural sunlight, the strain was grown outdoors in 110‐L Green Wall Panel photobioreactors under nutrient sufficient and deficient conditions. Lipid productivity increased from 117 mg/L/day in nutrient sufficient media (with an average biomass productivity of 0.36 g/L/day and 32% lipid content) to 204 mg/L/day (with an average biomass productivity of 0.30 g/L/day and more than 60% final lipid content) in nitrogen deprived media. In a two‐phase cultivation process (a nutrient sufficient phase to produce the inoculum followed by a nitrogen deprived phase to boost lipid synthesis) the oil production potential could be projected to be more than 90 kg per hectare per day. This is the first report of an increase of both lipid content and areal lipid productivity attained through nutrient deprivation in an outdoor algal culture. The experiments showed that this marine eustigmatophyte has the potential for an annual production of 20 tons of lipid per hectare in the Mediterranean climate and of more than 30 tons of lipid per hectare in sunny tropical areas. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 100–112. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cannabis for dyskinesia in Parkinson disease: A randomized double-blind crossover study

To the Editor: I read the article by Carroll et al.1 with interest. Although the outcome was negative, an unusual finding may warrant further studies and the outcome highlights the need to consider routes of administration. The improvement in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in the pilot study could have been followed with a comparison of MMSE results after the various segments of the crossover trial, compensating for practice effects. Effects on cognition are very important as cannabis has been recommended for behavior in patients with Alzheimer disease.2 It is disappointing that patients report benefits from cannabis and the study found none. If cholera or anorexia is being treated,3 delivering the drug to the bowel makes sense. Patients using Marinol for nausea report variability in dose effect from toxicity in 45 minutes to nothing in 2 hours, presumably depending on other foods in the bowel and hepatic enzyme activity. The authors found peak blood levels of “0.25 ng/mL to 5.4 ng/mL, with no clear dose response. ” Future studies of systemic effects should use routes of administration that do not make a first pass through the liver. The effects of the mix of metabolites from the first pass differs from the effects of sublingual or vaporized cannabis is further illustrated by the observation that patients did not feel better on cannabis “treatment effect 0.7, CI 1.5 to 0.2” in contrast to the subjective response of some patients and other users. It is possible that only some patients respond favorably and perhaps only to certain cultivars. The study does illustrate the complexities of finding the basis of patients’ observation of improvement and oral Cannador does not have a therapeutic role in the treatment of dyskinesia in this study group.
The Meanings and Purpose of Employee Voice Author

In this article we present and assess an analytical framework for examining the different ‘meanings, purposes and practices’ of employee voice. The data was colected from 18 organisations in England, Scotland and Ireland. Managers defined voice very much in terms of the perceived contribution to efficiency and tended to downplay notions of rights; however, the linkages between voice and performance outcomes remain problematic. Overall, employee voice is best understood as a complex and uneven set of meanings and purposes with a dialectic shaped by external regulation on the one hand and internal management choice on the other. The evidence suggests that the degree to which voice practices are embedded in an organisation is much more important than reporting the extent of any particular individual or collective schemes for
Ownership Structure and Firm Performance: Evidence from Taiwan

This paper examines the relationship between firm performance and ownership structure for listed and OTC manufacturing firms in Taiwan. By classifying ownership into three categories (managerial owners, institutional owners and the control group), the study addresses two related empirical issues-the commonly examined piecewise and the Granger causality relationships between ownership and performance. The empirical results show that except managerial ownership, there is a positive relationship between ownership and performance. Meanwhile, the piecewise relationship surfaces only for the control group, with the inflection points of 12.5% and 20%. The Granger causality test demonstrates a significant feedback relationship between institutional ownership and performance, consistent with the better expertise of institutional owners in monitoring and investment selection. Firm performance Granger-causes the ownership of the control group and is independent of managerial ownership. As auxiliary tests, this study provides a formal approach to search for inflection points and reconcile different firm performance measures.
Photoemission tests of a Pb/Nb superconducting photoinjector

We report recent progress in the development of a hybrid lead/niobium superconducting RF (SRF) photoinjector. The goal of this effort is to produce an injector with the SRF properties of a niobium cavity along with the superior quantum efficiency (QE) of a lead photocathode. Quantum efficiency measurements have been performed on an RF cavity with an electroplated lead plug as the photocathode. The effect of the laser on the RF performance of the cavity was characterized. Further measurements of the cavity RF performance are reported in these proceedings [6].
Is umbilical cord milking always an advantage?

Abstract Objective: The role of cord milking as an alternative to delayed cord clamping is an area that requires more research. Purpose of this clinical trial was to investigate the impact of umbilical cord milking on the absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs) and the neutropenia frequency of preterm infants. Methods: Fifty-eight pregnant women were randomly assigned to one of the umbilical cord milking and control groups. A total of 54 preterm infants (gestational age ≤32 weeks) were enrolled into the study. The umbilical cords of 25 infants were clamped immediately after birth, and in 29 infants, umbilical cord milking was performed first. Results: The ANCs were statistically significantly lower in the cord milking group compared with the control group on days 1, 3 and 7. The frequency of neutropenia was higher in the cord milking group compared with the control group. Conclusion: In our study, ANCs were lower in the cord milking group and the frequency of neutropenia was higher. Umbilical cord milking plays a role on the ANCs of preterm infants.
Entropy capacity determines protein folding

Search and study of the general principles that govern kinetics and thermodynamics of protein folding generate a new insight into the factors controlling this process. Here, based on the known experimental data and using theoretical modeling of protein folding, we demonstrate that there exists an optimal relationship between the average conformational entropy and the average energy of contacts per residue—that is, an entropy capacity—for fast protein folding. Statistical analysis of conformational entropy and number of contacts per residue for 5829 protein structures from four general structural classes (all‐α, all‐β, α/β, α+β) demonstrates that each class of proteins has its own class‐specific average number of contacts (class α/β has the largest number of contacts) and average conformational entropy per residue (class all‐α has the largest number of rotatable angles ϕ, ψ, and χ per residue). These class‐specific features determine the folding rates: α proteins are the fastest folding proteins, then follow β and α+β proteins, and finally α/β proteins are the slowest ones. Our result is in agreement with the experimental folding rates for 60 proteins. This suggests that structural and sequence properties are important determinants of protein folding rates. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
5 Temporal Trends in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common malignancies of the digestive system and, depending on the geographic area, fourth or fifth leading cause of cancer deaths (Lillemoe et al, 2000; Simon & Printz, 2001). Between 1960 and 1980, the incidence rates had increased significantly in most industrialised countries, including Poland. Corresponding 5-year survival rates demonstrated only slight variations and remained stable at about 1-3%. Surprisingly, results obtained from some population databases suggest that only about 30% of patients registered as pancreatic cancer have been adequately verified by histopathology (Wood et al, 2006). Moreover, since many studies included only small groups of patients, previous reports did not properly reflect the actual changes, including long-term results of treatment (Gudjonsson, 1995). As incidence rates were relatively high and the efficacy of therapeutic methods was questionable, pancreatic cancer was subject to numerous clinical trials (Jafari & Abbruzzese, 2004). However, no clear conclusions could be drawn in terms of the best therapeutic approach due to marked differences between individual studies (Gudjonsson, 1995).
Texas: mit besonderer Rücksicht auf deutsche Auswanderung und die physischen Verhältnisse des Landes nach eigener Beobachtung geschildert

This German text is an account of the author's travels in Texas from December, 1845 to April, 1847. The book describes Texas primarily from a natural history perspective, although the author recounts all aspects of his travels including interactions with Native Americans. According to the author, the book was written with German emigrants in mind.
Exposure-response relationships in the formation of specific antibodies to hexahydrophthalic anhydride in exposed workers.

OBJECTIVES Exposure-response relationships in the formation of specific antibodies to hexahydrophthalic anhydride (HHPA) was studied in exposed workers. METHODS The relation between exposure to HHPA and the levels of specific immunoglobin E [(radioallergosorbent test (RAST)] and immunoglobin G (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) antibodies was investigated in a cross-sectional study on 95 workers from two plants using epoxy resin with HHPA as a hardener; the mean time of exposure was 7 (range 0.1-25) years. RESULTS The specific immunoglobin E and immunoglobin G was significantly increased in exposed workers when they were compared with unexposed workers or external referents. There was no significant difference in the number of RAST positives [N = 23 (24%)] between the groups of workers exposed to < 10 micrograms.m-3, 10--< 50 micrograms.m-3, or > or = 50 micrograms.m-3. No effects were found of atopy or smoking habits on the prevalence of RAST positives. Five out of seven workers positive for immunoglobulin E in the group with the lowest exposures reported frequent short-time (minutes per day) exposures exceeding 50 micrograms.m-3. A correlation was seen between specific immunoglobulin E and G antibodies (rs = 0.5). CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that HHPA is a sensitizing compound even at low exposure levels and that short-time peak exposures may have an impact on immunoglobulin E sensitization.
Adaptive frameless slotted ALOHA considering energy efficiency

Random access protocols play an important role in the communication between elements of different newly emerged networks such as radio frequency identification (RFID), wireless sensor networks (WSN), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication networks. New random multiple access (MAC) protocols have been suggested to satisfy the needs of such networks. These MAC protocols are recently aimed at the improvement of systems efficiency by resolving interferences and collisions in the received signals. This work considers one of such protocols called frameless ALOHA and proposes a technique to improve its energy efficiency without any loss in the network throughput comparing to the highest yet achieved in this scheme. More specifically, we propose a mechanism to adaptively change the probability of access at the users side. The proposed technique is the same as the original frameless ALOHA that does not need a coordination between the users. Our simulation results verify the improvement in energy efficiency when our proposed algorithm is the method of access.
Serum 5-Nucleotidase

Reis (1934, 1940, 1951) has demonstrated the presence of alkaline phosphatase in various tissues specifically hydrolysing 5-nucleotidase such as adenosine and inosine-5-phosphoric acids. The enzyme has its optimum action at pH 7.8 and in all human tissues except intestinal mucosa its activity, at the physiological pH range, is much more pronounced than that of the non-specific alkaline phosphatase. Thus ossifying cartilage, one of the classical sites of high alkaline phosphatase activity, although very active against say phenyl phosphoric acids at pH 9, is more active against adenosine-5phosphoric at pH 7.5. This finding suggested to Reis that the enzyme might play a part in calcification mechanisms. Studies designed to elucidate the physiological significance of phosphatase are frequently based on measurements of enzyme activity in blood serum or plasma, and there is an enormous literature dealing with such variations caused by different pathological conditions. It seemed, therefore, of interest to determine the activity of both serum-5-nucleotidase and non-specific alkaline phosphatase in a number of disease states.
Self-reported concern about food security associated with obesity--Washington, 1995-1999.

Obesity is epidemic among all segments of the U.S. population and in all regions of the country, and persons who are obese are at higher risk for several chronic diseases. Previous studies have suggested a possible relation between obesity and food insecurity (i.e., not having access at all times to enough safe and nutritious food for an active, healthy lifestyle because such foods are not available consistently or household resources are insufficient to meet the cost). To assess the relation between obesity and concern about food security, the Washington state Department of Health analyzed statewide data from the 1995-1999 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). This report summarizes the results of the analysis, which indicate that concern about food security is associated with obesity. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether food insecurity causes obesity so appropriate interventions can be designed and implemented.
Bacterial phospholipases C

A variety of pathogenic bacteria produce phospholipases C, and since the discovery in 1944 that a bacterial toxin (Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin) possessed an enzymatic activity, there has been considerable interest in this class of proteins. Initial speculation that all phospholipases C would have lethal properties has not been substantiated. Most of the characterized enzymes fall into one of four groups of structurally related proteins: the zinc-metallophospholipases C, the sphingomyelinases, the phosphatidylinositol-hydrolyzing enzymes, and the pseudomonad phospholipases C. The zinc-metallophospholipases C have been most intensively studied, and lethal toxins within this group possess an additional domain. The toxic phospholipases C can interact with eukaryotic cell membranes and hydrolyze phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, leading to cell lysis. However, measurement of the cytolytic potential or lethality of phospholipases C may not accurately indicate their roles in the pathogenesis of disease. Subcytolytic concentrations of phospholipase C can perturb host cells by activating the arachidonic acid cascade or protein kinase C. Nonlethal phospholipases C, such as the Listeria monocytogenes PLC-A, appear to enhance the release of the organism from the host cell phagosome. Since some phospholipases C play important roles in the pathogenesis of disease, they could form components of vaccines. A greater understanding of the modes of action and structure-function relationships of phospholipases C will facilitate the interpretation of studies in which these enzymes are used as membrane probes and will enhance the use of these proteins as models for eukaryotic phospholipases C.