Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nitric Oxide and TNFα Effects in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Demyelination

The involvement of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which plays various roles in the progression of autoimmune diseases, was studied in iNOS knockout (KO) mice and wild-type (WT) controls with respect to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The iNOS (KO) mice presented a less severe form of the disease than the WT control mice. Although the levels of TNFα decreased in the periphery in both groups, an increase in the number of TNFα-positive cells was detected in the central nervous system during the acute phase of EAE in the WT mice, but not in the KO mice. These findings suggest that NO and TNFα contribute to the pathogenesis of acute EAE.
Streptomycin Treatment for Meniere's Disease

This paper describes the author's 10-year experience using streptomycin sulfate in the treatment of Meniere's disease in the following: the classical Schuknecht ablation of the vestibular system in bilateral Meniere's disease (eight patients); the classical Schuknecht ablation of the vestibular system in unilateral Meniere's disease in the only hearing ear (five patients); the intratympanic treatment of unilateral Meniere's disease (four patients); and low dose intramuscular outpatient treatment in unilateral Meniere's disease (five patients). The results of bilateral vestibular ablation were similar to those obtained previously by Schuknecht and others: patients developed profound ataxia with a wide-based gait and oscillopsia, which improved rapidly over a period of months; approximately 30% of patients experienced significant improvement in hearing, which usually deteriorated again after several months; and all patients were relieved of vertigo. Patients with unilateral Meniere's disease in the only hearing ear responded similarly, and hearing was preserved in all cases. Intramuscular streptomycin ablation of the vestibular system is strongly recommended in place of surgery in the only hearing ear in Meniere's disease. Controlled intratympanic injection of streptomycin is not successful as yet because of difficulty in controlling the dose. Low dose subototoxic streptomycin treatment on an outpatient basis offers promise for relief of Meniere's attacks, and may improve hearing in some cases without producing the temporary disabling effects of ataxia and oscillopsia. Streptomycin and similar drugs which may reduce endolymph production may eventually be the treatment of choice for Meniere's disease.
12-Tungstophosphoric acid–1,1′-methylenebis(imidazolidine-2,4-dione)–imidazolidine-2,4-dione–water (2/1/4/21.5)

In the asymmetric unit of the title organic–inorganic hybrid material, 2{H3[PW12O40]}·4C3H4N2O2·C7H8N4O4·21.5H2O, there are four crystallographically independent hydantoin molecules, one dimerized hydantoin molecule, viz. 1,1′-methylenebis(imidazolidine-2,4-dione, two independent H3PW12O40 molecules and 21.5 solvent water molecules. Nine of the solvent water molecules were refined as 0.5 occupancy. The tungstophosphoric acid moieties show characteristic features with respect to the bond lengths and angles.
GenMiner: Mining Informative Association Rules from Genomic Data

GENMINER is a smart adaptation of closed itemsets based association rules extraction to genomic data. It takes advantage of the novel NORDI discretization method and of the CLOSE [27] algorithm to efficiently generate min- imal non-redundant association rules. GENMINER facili- tates the integration of numerous sources of biological in- formation such as gene expressions and annotations, and can tacitly integrate qualitative information on biological conditions (age, sex, etc.). We validated this approach ana- lyzing the microarray datasets used by Eisen et al. [10] with several sources of biological annotations. Extracted asso- ciations revealed significant co-annotated and co-expressed gene patterns, showing important biological relationships between genes and their features. Several of these relation- ships are supported by recent biological literature.
Selection for parasitoid resistance alters mating success in Drosophila

Parasite-mediated sexual selection is still a widely discussed hypothesis for the understanding of the evolution of secondary sex traits. Furthermore, it has sparked new fields such as ecological immunology. Despite this, most tests have been restricted to the manipulation of parasite loads. Here, we provide a new experimental approach, where resistance itself was manipulated. Parasitoid-resistant Drosophila melanogaster males achieved a higher mating success compared with non-resistant conspecifics. The underlying mechanism however remains elusive.
In vitro fertilization and embryo development in the marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus).

Oocytes aspirated from preovulatory (i.e. > or = 2 mm) follicles of marmoset monkeys were graded for maturity according to the degree of cumulus expansion, grade I being most mature and grade IV least mature. After preincubation for 2-5, 9-11 or 21-29 h, 82% of oocytes could be fertilized using epididymal spermatozoa and only 2.3% were polyspermic. Fertilization rate was lowest (60%) in grade IV oocytes and all oocytes preincubated for 2-5 h (53%). Fertilization rate increased to 92% in oocytes preincubated for 21-29 h. Embryos developed in vitro to a mean of eight cells. Embryo development was unaffected by oocyte maturity but correlated with preincubation time. Oocytes preincubated for 2-5 h developed into embryos with significantly fewer cells than those preincubated for 9-11 or 21-29 h (P < 0.001). Fifty-six per cent of embryos showed delayed cleavage and these had fewer cells than non-delayed embryos (P < 0.001). When oocytes were preincubated for 2-5 h, development of all resulting embryos was delayed. However, only 17 and 58% of embryos developing from oocytes preincubated for 9-11 and 21-29 h, respectively, were delayed and this was independent of oocyte maturity.
Identification and Detection of Seed Borne Diseases of Soybean Using Image Processing-A Survey

Soybean is an important commercial crop known as the “GOLDEN BEAN”. Damage is an important quality factor for grading, marketing and end use of Soybean. Seed damage can be caused by weather, fungi, insects, artificial drying, and by mechanical damage during harvest, transportation, storage and handling. Seed-borne pathogens causes enormous losses to crops in the world as well as in India. The presence of pathogenic propagules in a seed lot is pivotal because infected seed may fail to germinate, causes infection to seedlings and growing plants. The crop currently earns about Rs. 6976 crores of foreign exchange through exports of defatted oil cake. India now ranks 4th in terms of global soybean area sown and 5th in terms of soybean production after USA, Brazil, Argentina and China. Currently, soybean yield losses due to individual disease/insect/weed species ranges from 20 to 100 per cent. However, with integrated pest management schedule, 30-35 per cent additional yield can be obtained. Main challenge here is without disintegration finding the defected seeds in big lot. Image processing helps to extract low level features such as colour, texture and shape to identify the diseases and classify them. The paper discusses detail study of diseases, causes and different techniques that can be used to identify and detect them. Input data set consists of 100 Soybean colour images and also microscopic images used in the research at University of Agricultural Science, Dharwad. Proposed work has greater social impact by helping farmers to identify the seed borne diseases at early stage and thereby increasing yield.
Health profiles in 5836 long‐term cancer survivors

Increasingly, prolonged survival follows the diagnosis of cancer. Cancer therapies result in complex and lasting health effects that create unique health‐care needs for the survivors but are poorly understood (especially in survivors of adult cancers). Cancer survivors were asked to respond to a mailed health survey and provide medical and social information pertaining to their cancer experience. Information about demographics and perceived disease‐related medical problems was analyzed. We analyzed the response of 5,836 survivors of adult cancers. Two‐thirds of the responses came from women, and the response rate was 51% in both sexes. The mean interval since cancer diagnosis was 18.0 ± 8.5 years. Younger survivors and men were more likely to report that cancer had affected their health. The health effect most commonly reported by survivors was arthritis/osteoporosis (26% of respondents). Survivors of Hodgkin's disease prominently reported thyroid and lung problems (33.8% of responders with the diagnosis). Prior diagnosis of lymphoma was associated with frequent mention of memory loss (14.7%). The passage of time decreased some perceived effects (memory loss) but increased others (arthritis/osteoporosis, cataracts). Compared with the general population, the incidence of several age‐ and gender‐adjusted health conditions in cancer survivors is different. This group of cancer survivors reported generally good health but outlined multiple lasting medical problems. The health survey described represents 1 approach to the development of comprehensive information about the health needs of cancer survivors. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Patellar Tendon or Semitendinosus Tendon Autografts for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction?

Background There are well-known problems with the use of bone-patellar tendon-bone autografts for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, especially in terms of donor site morbidity. Hamstring tendon grafts have been increasingly used as an alternative, but there are very few controlled studies comparing the methods. Hypothesis Use of semitendinosus tendon grafts will cause less donor site morbidity and result in better knee-walking ability. Study Design Prospective randomized clinical trial. Methods Seventy-one patients who had a unilateral anterior cruciate ligament rupture underwent arthroscopic reconstruction with interference screw fixation and use of either bone-patellar tendon-bone or semitendinosus tendon graft. Outcome assessment was performed by physiotherapists not involved in the patients' care. Results At the 2-year follow-up, no differences were found in terms of the Lysholm score, Tegner activity level, KT-1000 arthrometer side-to-side laxity measurement, single-legged hop test, or International Knee Documentation Committee classification results. The knee-walking test was rated difficult or impossible to perform by 53% of the bone-patellar tendon-bone group and by only 23% of the semitendinosus graft patients, a significant difference. Conclusions The semitendinosus tendon graft is at least an equivalent option to the bone-patellar tendon-bone graft for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, and we recommend its use.
Vibrational spectroscopy and microscopic imaging: novel approaches for comparing barrier physical properties in native and human skin equivalents

Abstract. Vibrational spectroscopy and imaging have been used to compare barrier properties in human skin, porcine skin, and two human skin equivalents, Epiderm 200X with an enhanced barrier and Epiderm 200 with a normal barrier. Three structural characterizations were performed. First, chain packing and conformational order were compared in isolated human stratum corneum (SC), isolated porcine SC, and in the Epiderm 200X surface layers. The infrared (IR) spectrum of isolated human SC revealed a large proportion of orthorhombically packed lipid chains at physiological temperatures along with a thermotropic phase transition to a state with hexagonally packed chains. In contrast, the lipid phase at physiological temperatures in both porcine SC and in Epiderm 200X, although dominated by conformationally ordered chains, lacked significant levels of orthorhombic subcell packing. Second, confocal Raman imaging of cholesterol bands showed extensive formation of cholesterol-enriched pockets within the human skin equivalents (HSEs). Finally, IR imaging tracked lipid barrier dimensions as well as the spatial disposition of ordered lipids in human SC and Epiderm 200X. These approaches provide a useful set of experiments for exploring structural differences between excised human skin and HSEs, which in turn may provide a rationale for the functional differences observed among these preparations.
Weighted L1-estimates for the First-order Bifurcating Autoregressive Model

We developed robust estimators that minimize a weighted L1 norm for the first-order bifurcating autoregressive model. When all of the weights are fixed, our estimate is an L1 estimate that is robust against outlying points in the response space and more efficient than the least squares estimate for heavy-tailed error distributions. When the weights are random and depend on the points in the factor space, the weighted L1 estimate is robust against outlying points in the factor space. Simulated and artificial examples are presented. The behavior of the proposed estimate is modeled through a Monte Carlo study.
Relationship between working‐memory network function and substance use: a 3‐year longitudinal fMRI study in heavy cannabis users and controls

Deficient executive functions play an important role in the development of addiction. Working‐memory may therefore be a powerful predictor of the course of drug use, but chronic substance use may also impair working‐memory. The aim of this 3‐year longitudinal neuro‐imaging study was to investigate the relationship between substance use (e.g. alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, illegal psychotropic drugs) and working‐memory network function over time in heavy cannabis users and controls. Forty‐nine participants performed an n‐back working‐memory task at baseline and at 3‐year follow‐up. At follow‐up, there were 22 current heavy cannabis users, 4 abstinent heavy cannabis users and 23 non‐cannabis‐using controls. Tensor‐independent component analysis (Tensor‐ICA) was used to investigate individual differences in working‐memory network functionality over time. Within the group of cannabis users, cannabis‐related problems remained stable, whereas alcohol‐related problems, nicotine dependence and illegal psychotropic substance use increased over time. At both measurements, behavioral performance and network functionality during the n‐back task did not differ between heavy cannabis users and controls. Although n‐back accuracy improved, working‐memory network function remained stable over time. Within the group of cannabis users, working‐memory network functionality was not associated with substance use. These results suggest that sustained moderate to heavy levels of cannabis, nicotine, alcohol and illegal psychotropic substance use do not change working‐memory network functionality. Moreover, baseline network functionality did not predict cannabis use and related problems three years later, warranting longitudinal studies in more chronic or dependent cannabis users.
Votar en dos dimensiones: el precio del nacionalismo y la ideología en el comportamiento electoral vasco, 1993-2001

Este articulo es un estudio del peso que los votantes vascos otorgan a la dimension izquierda-derecha y al nacionalismo a la hora de decidir su voto. Para ello, se utiliza una perspectivade modelos espaciales de voto en el que los electores eligen candidaturas cercanasa sus preferencias en dos dimensiones, aplicando modelos de logit condicional a datosde encuestas desde 1993 a 2001. Contrariamente a la opinion generalizada, la dimensionizquierda-derecha ha pesado siempre mas que la nacionalista en todas las convocatoriaselectorales analizadas en dicho periodo, aunque en los ultimos anos la dimension nacionalistaha ido creciendo en importancia. En la segunda parte del articulo se analiza comoel peso relativo de cada dimension puede ser alterado a traves del proceso politico. Enconcreto, se muestra como el PNV intento a finales de los 90 incrementar la importanciade la dimension identitaria, lo cual sirvio para compensar el esperado castigo electoralcausado por su radicalizacion nacionalista.
Adverse prognostic significance of CD20 positive Reed–Sternberg cells in classical Hodgkin's disease *

The prognostic significance of CD20 positive classical Hodgkin's disease (cHD) is uncertain. All cHD cases referred to the Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) were retrospectively identified (5/92–11/00); the samples were immunostained, and clinical data ascertained. Cases were re‐reviewed without knowledge of clinical outcome. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed 248 patients had cHD: 28 CD20+ (11%); 220 CD20−. All clinical characteristics were comparable except haemoglobin level at presentation. With a median follow‐up of 29·2 months, significant prognostic factors in multivariate analysis were: CD20 positivity, elevated white blood cell count (WBC) and low absolute lymphocyte count for time‐to treatment failure (TTF); and for overall survival (OS), CD20 positivity, elevated WBC count, bone marrow involvement and age ≥45 years. TTF was significantly poorer for ABVD‐treated patients with CD20+ cHD as compared with CD20− cHD. Among 167 patients treated at MSKCC, both TTF (P < 0·0001) and OS (P = 0·017) were significantly decreased in CD20+ patients as compared with CD20− cHD. CD20+ cHD is a poor prognostic factor for TTF and OS. All cHD cases should be immunophenotyped for CD20. A large prospective trial is needed to confirm these findings.
Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition as a Major Determinant a High-throughput Study in Melanoma Identifies Updated Version Material Supplementary Cited Articles Citing Articles E-mail Alerts a High-throughput Study in Melanoma Identifies Epithelial- Mesenchymal Transition as a Major Determinant of Meta

Metastatic disease is the primary cause of death in cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) patients. To understand the mechanisms of CMM metastasis and identify potential predictive markers, we analyzed gene-expression profiles of 34 vertical growth phase melanoma cases using cDNA micro-arrays. All patients had a minimum follow-up of 36 months. Twenty-one cases developed nodal metastatic disease and 13 did not. Comparison of gene expression profiling of metastatic and nonmetastatic melanoma cases identified 243 genes with a >2-fold differential expression ratio and a false discovery rate of <0.2 (206 up-regulated and 37 down-regulated). This set of genes included molecules involved in cell cycle and apoptosis regulation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), signal transduction, nucleic acid binding and transcription , protein synthesis and degradation, metabolism, and a specific group of melanoma-and neural-related proteins. Validation of these expression data in an independent series of melanomas using tissue microarrays confirmed that the expression of a set of proteins included in the EMT group (N-cadherin, osteopontin, and SPARC/osteonectin) were significantly associated with metastasis development. Our results suggest that EMT-related genes contribute to the promotion of the metastatic phenotype in primary CMM by supporting specific adhesive, invasive, and migratory properties. These data give a better understanding of the biology of this aggressive tumor and may provide new prognostic and patient stratification markers in addition to potential therapeutic targets.
The ultrastructure of fertilization and zygote formation in the green alga Ulva mutabilis Foyn.

Fertilization and zygote formation in the multicellular green alga Ulva mutabilis Foyn were studied with the aid of transmission and scanning electron microscopes. The growth mutant ‘slender’ was used in this investigation. The initial contact between mating gametes is made by the flagella, whereupon cytoplasmic contact is established within a few seconds. Fusion of the cytoplasm of the 2 cells is completed in 5 min and the nuclei can be seen to fuse 30 min after the onset of copulation. The settling of the young zygotes initiates a process during which the 4 flagella are absorbed into the cell. Cell wall formation also starts when the zygotes settle. Observations indicate disintegration of one of the 2 chloroplasts in the young zygote.
One button machine for automating feature engineering in relational databases

Feature engineering is one of the most important and time consuming tasks in predictive analytics projects. It involves understanding domain knowledge and data exploration to discover relevant hand-crafted features from raw data. In this paper, we introduce a system called One Button Machine, or OneBM for short, which automates feature discovery in relational databases. OneBM automatically performs a key activity of data scientists, namely, joining of database tables and applying advanced data transformations to extract useful features from data. We validated OneBM in Kaggle competitions in which OneBM achieved performance as good as top 16% to 24% data scientists in three Kaggle competitions. More importantly, OneBM outperformed the state-of-the-art system in a Kaggle competition in terms of prediction accuracy and ranking on Kaggle leaderboard. The results show that OneBM can be useful for both data scientists and non-experts. It helps data scientists reduce data exploration time allowing them to try and error many ideas in short time. On the other hand, it enables non-experts, who are not familiar with data science, to quickly extract value from their data with a little effort, time and cost.
Propagation Characteristics, Metrics, and Statistics for Virtual MIMO Performance in a Measured Outdoor Cell

Abstract-Distributing the construction of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system among more than one mobile user reduces hardware and processing complexity at the terminal end, and may result in improved channel propagation conditions, particularly those related to spatial correlation. In this paper, measured outdoor propagation data is used to study a 4 × 4 virtual MIMO system formed from a two-user 4×4 classical system using only two of the antennas at each constituent user. The capacity, if-factor, and spatial correlation are evaluated for 226 possible pairs of users whose channels were measured while standing and walking. The proportions of pairings that result in a capacity increase and if-factor and correlation reductions over both, only one and neither of the constituents are determined. It is found that correlation reduction appears to be a stronger sign of capacity improvement than is if-factor reduction. When choosing a partner for a given single user, results show that it is easier to improve these three parameters as the user's value of them becomes poorer, so thresholds applicable to this data set are found which specify values of capacity, if, and correlation beyond which at least 50% of possible pairings improve matters.
Improving octree-based occupancy maps using environment sparsity with application to aerial robot navigation

In this paper, we present an improved octree-based mapping framework for autonomous navigation of mobile robots. Octree is best known for its memory efficiency for representing large-scale environments. However, existing implementations, including the state-of-the-art OctoMap [1], are computationally too expensive for online applications that require frequent map updates and inquiries. Utilizing the sparse nature of the environment, we propose a ray tracing method with early termination for efficient probabilistic map update. We also propose a divide-and-conquer volume occupancy inquiry method which serves as the core operation for generation of free-space configurations for optimization-based trajectory generation. We experimentally demonstrate that our method maintains the same storage advantage of the original OctoMap, but being computationally more efficient for map update and occupancy inquiry. Finally, by integrating the proposed map structure in a complete navigation pipeline, we show autonomous quadrotor flight through complex environments.