Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
a MOUthFUl OF WateR : DO CIDeR PRODUCeRS ReCOGNIZe the aNCIeNt CleaN WateR POteNtIal OF theIR PRODUCtS ?

Will C. McClatchey & David Reedy. 2010. A mouthful of water: Do cider producers recognize the ancient clean water potential of their products? Potable water is the most critical of human needs and until a few hundred years ago was the focus of much daily effort. Now, in most modern societies it is taken for granted. We present an argument that in the past, whole fresh fruit and fermented fruit beverages served dual roles as sources of safe water. Furthermore, biodiverse orchards of cider apples were an important example of this phenomenon that were planted around the world in order to provide a well service of mining and purifying water in contaminated environments. Over the last three years interviews were conducted with cider makers and orchardists in order to indirectly identify if they were aware of the water value of apples and specifically of fermented apple juice (cider). Cider apples and orchards were often found as illustrating cultural and biodiversity conservation efforts. However, none of the 105 informants interviewed in eight countries provided any indication that cider is considered useful as a water source.
Serotonin Axons of the Neostriatum Show a Higher Affinity for Striatal Than for Ventral Mesencephalic Transplants: A Quantitative Study in Adult and Immature Recipient Rats

We previously showed that grafts of fetal ventral mesencephalic tissue are practically not innervated by host serotonin (5-HT) axons after implantation into the striatum of rats aged more than 14 days, at variance with transplants of cortical or striatal tissue into the adult striatum, which are well innervated by these axons. Using 5-HT immunohistochemistry and in vitro [3H]5-HT uptake/autoradiography, we have examined and quantified the innervation of ventral mesencephalic versus striatal grafts several months after implantation into the striatum of neonatal (postnatal day 5 or P5), juvenile (P15), and adult rats. Ventral mesencephalic grafts implanted in P5 rats received a moderate 5-HT innervation, while similar grafts implanted in P15 or adult recipients were almost free of any 5-HT fibers (-80%, compared to P5). The density of 5-HT innervation showed a tendency toward higher values in striatal than in ventral mesencephalic grafts (1.6-2 times higher in P5 and adult recipients; 4 times higher in P15 recipients). The difference was more striking, and significant, when only the true striatal portions of the striatal grafts were considered, i.e., DARPP-32-immunopositive areas (4-5 times higher in P5 and adult recipients; 10 times higher in P15 recipients). Accordingly, these DARPP-32-positive areas were also more densely innervated than the DARPP-32-negative zones of the same grafts (3 times higher at any age). The 5-HT innervation density also decreased with increasing age of the recipients in DARPP-32-positive, as well as DARPP-32-negative compartments of the striatal grafts (-75% in adults), but this decrease appeared more gradual (-50% in juveniles) than with mesencephalic grafts. It is concluded that the 5-HT axons innervating the neostriatum have a better affinity for striatal grafts than for ventral mesencephalic grafts or the nonstriatal portions of striatal grafts. In adulthood, the relative affinity of these axons for the different types of grafts is maintained, even though their growth capacity decreases irrespective of the target tissue considered. This experimental model may prove useful for the identification of the receptors and ligands that are responsible for target recognition by 5-HT axons and to test the possibility that the progressive decrease of axonal growth capacity from neonatal age to adulthood be related to a downregulation of such molecules.
Implications of lower-mantle structural heterogeneity for the existence and nature of whole-mantle plumes

Recent seismological studies demonstrate the presence of strong deep-mantle elastic heterogeneity and anisotropy, consistent with a dynamic environment having chemical anomalies, phase changes, and partially molten material. The implications for deep-mantle plume genesis are discussed in the light of the seismological findings. Nearly antipodal large low–shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs) in the lowermost mantle beneath the Pacific Ocean and Africa are circumscribed by high-velocity regions that tend to underlie upper-mantle downwellings. The LLSVPs have sharp boundaries, low VS/VP ratios, and high densities; thus, they appear to be chemically distinct structures. Elevated temperature in LLSVPs may result in partial melting, possibly accounting for the presence of ultra-low-velocity zones detected at the base of some regions of LLSVPs. Patterns in deep-mantle fast shear wave polarization directions within the LLSVP beneath the Pacific are consistent with strong lateral gradients in the flow direction. The thermal boundary layer at the base of the mantle is a likely location for thermal instabilities that form plumes, but geodynamical studies show that the distribution of upwellings is affected when piles of dense chemical heterogeneities are present. The location of lowermost mantle plume upwellings is predicted to be near the boundaries of the large thermochemical complexes comprising LLSVPs. These observations suggest that any large mantle plumes rising from the deep mantle that reach the surface are likely to be preferentially generated in regions of distinct mantle chemistry, with nonuniform spatial distribution. This hypothesis plausibly accounts for some attributes of major hotspot volcanism.
Sexuality and reproductive health following spinal cord injury.

This report focuses on two questions: (1) issues related to fertility pregnancy rates and live births in persons with SCI and (2) issues related to male impotence post-SCI. Reproductive health: What is the current fertility rate for men and women after SCI? Are fertility rates changed by freezing a new patient’s sperm? Are there better fertility rates using electroejaculation or vibration? Does order of method influence outcome? To improve fertility rates when should invasive techniques such as testicular biopsy or aspiration or ICSI be pursued? Are there pregnancy complications and prospective obstetric management issues for SCI females? Male sexuality: How has the availability of Viagra® and other remediation affected sexual function frequency of activity and adjustment after SCI? Is Viagra® really more benign than intracavernous injections? How does the morbidity of prostaglandin injections compare to the older (less expensive) papaverine? What is the morbidity of vacuum tumescence devices? What indications if any remain for implantable penile prosthetic devices? (excerpt)
Dual-Output Boost Resonant Full-Bridge Topology and its Modulation Strategies for High-Performance Induction Heating Applications

Induction heating (IH) is a key technology in modern household appliances and industries. Modern design trends require the design of high efficiency and multiple output power converters. This paper proposes a dual-output boost resonant full-bridge topology to provide a multiple-output converter with improved performance while keeping a cost-effective performance. The proposed converter is detailed and analyzed, and several modulation strategies are proposed to obtain proper output power control. Finally, an experimental prototype is built, verifying the proper operation and performance of the proposed topology.
ASSESSMENT OF MARKET POWER AND COST EFFICIENCY EFFECTS IN THE U.S. BEEF PACKING INDUSTRY

This paper examines the simultaneous impacts of horizontal concentration and vertical integration on oligopoly & oligopsony power and cost efficiency in the U.S. beef packing industry, using both static and time varying empirical industrial organization models. Two separate sources of market power are considered: concentration and the captive supply market. Empirical results show the presence of market power in both beef retail and cattle procurement markets, and that the market power exertion in these markets is positively affected by concentration and captive supply, respectively. The results also show that the market power exertion drastically decreases after the implementation of livestock mandatory price reporting. Finally, our study finds that the market power effect is outweighed by the cost efficiency effect due to the increasing concentration and captive supply.
Longitudinal association between coping and psychological distress in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review

Objective To examine the longitudinal association between coping and psychological distress in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Bibliographic databases up to July 2010 were searched for longitudinal studies with a follow-up of ≥6 months. Two reviewers assessed the methodological quality of the included studies. Study characteristics, coping strategies and coping-psychological distress associations were extracted. Coping strategies were categorised using a hierarchical taxonomy. A best-evidence synthesis determined the level of evidence for a prognostic association of coping with depression, anxiety and general distress. Results From an initial set of 2605 potentially relevant studies, 19 studies (14 cohorts) met the predefined selection criteria. In all, 10 studies were of ‘high quality’ (≥12 of 18 quality criteria). Unadjusted bivariate correlations showed that baseline approach-oriented coping correlated with lower psychological distress (r between 0.007–0.46, p values <0.05) and baseline avoidant-oriented coping correlated with higher psychological distress (r between 0.29–0.64, p values <0.05) at follow-up. Adjusted for baseline psychological distress, limited evidence was found that avoidant-oriented coping was longitudinally associated with an increase in psychological distress. Specifically, the categories helplessness, avoidance and wishful thinking were prognostically associated with increased general psychological distress. Approach-oriented coping was not associated with subsequent psychological distress. Conclusions The prognostic value of coping strategies for later psychological distress in RA is weak. Limited evidence suggests that avoidant-oriented coping is associated with increased subsequent psychological distress. No evidence was found that approach-oriented coping protects against an increase of psychological distress.
Matching Abnormality in Hybrid Machine Translation

Recent MT paradigms, such as example-based MT, pattern-based MT, and hybrid MT contribute to overcoming the shortcoming of rule-based MT by improving the quality of translations. However, a problem with erroneous selection of examples or patterns also exists in these types of MTs. In this paper, we discover a matching abnormality, which we term an Over-Specification Problem that occurs when an input sentence corresponding to the pattern of general sense is actually matched to the patterns of exceptional sense, and thus is incorrectly translated. We formally define the problem and propose a solution based on the similarity of dependency trees and lexical association ratio to detect whether the input tree is dragged into the exceptional range of example trees or not. Finally, promising experimental results are provided. We take a hybrid MT as a testing MT and Chinese-to-Korean as a sample language pair.
Java Data Objects

Introducing a new hobby for other people may inspire them to join with you. Reading, as one of mutual hobby, is considered as the very easy hobby to do. But, many people are not interested in this hobby. Why? Boring is the reason of why. However, this feel actually can deal with the book and time of you reading. Yeah, one that we will refer to break the boredom in reading is choosing java data objects as the reading material.
Inhibition of interferon gene activation by death-effector domain-containing proteins from the molluscum contagiosum virus

Significance Viruses express proteins that circumvent immune responses. In some cases, these viral proteins are homologous to cellular proteins. For example the poxviral MC159 and MC160 proteins are homologous to cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein (FLIP). Each protein inhibited IFN-β activation, identifying a unique function for FLIPs. Surprisingly, the viral proteins possessed different biological mechanisms for inhibition. MC159 bound to upstream activators of this pathway (namely TBK1 and IKKε) to inhibit IRF3 but MC160 did not. Moreover, the MC159 and MC160 regions responsible for inhibition did not overlap. Scientists can uncover new pathways of immune system regulation and new means for manipulating immune responses by comparing the molecular functions of these viral and cellular FLIPs. Apoptosis, NF-κB activation, and IRF3 activation are a triad of intrinsic immune responses that play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, cancer, and autoimmunity. FLIPs are a family of viral and cellular proteins initially found to inhibit apoptosis and more recently to either up- or down-regulate NF-κB. As such, a broad role for FLIPs in disease regulation is postulated, but exactly how a FLIP performs such multifunctional roles remains to be established. Here we examine FLIPs (MC159 and MC160) encoded by the molluscum contagiosum virus, a dermatotropic poxvirus causing skin infections common in children and immunocompromised individuals, to better understand their roles in viral pathogenesis. While studying their molecular mechanisms responsible for NF-κB inhibition, we discovered that each protein inhibited IRF3-controlled luciferase activity, identifying a unique function for FLIPs. MC159 and MC160 each inhibited TBK1 phosphorylation, confirming this unique function. Surprisingly, MC159 coimmunoprecipitated with TBK1 and IKKε but MC160 did not, suggesting that these homologs use distinct molecular mechanisms to inhibit IRF3 activation. Equally surprising was the finding that the FLIP regions necessary for TBK1 inhibition were distinct from those MC159 or MC160 regions previously defined to inhibit NF-κB or apoptosis. These data reveal previously unappreciated complexities of FLIPs, and that subtle differences within the conserved regions of FLIPs possess distinct molecular and structural fingerprints that define crucial differences in biological activities. A future comparison of mechanistic differences between viral FLIP proteins can provide new means of precisely manipulating distinct aspects of intrinsic immune responses.
Exploring Web site log data with a multi-classification interface

Many interface designs have been developed for the exploration of multidimensional data sets, many based on finding subsets by filtering attribute values independently or successively. However, many of these interfaces do not also support the use of hierarchies for selection and summarisation. We show how an interface that uses coordinated hierarchy views of data supports the exploration of such data. Our interface is demonstrated with our SGViewer tool and a Web site log dataset where visits to a Web site have been organised into time, downloads, visitor address and referrer address dimensions. A configurable nested tree visualisation is used to present each dimension hierarchy. We show how both rapid and flexible exploration of this data is supported by our interface.
Attentional Demands and Daily Functioning Among Community-Dwelling Elders

Everyday life is full of numerous demands for attention that can affect the ability to function. For elders, examples of these attentional demands include negotiating public transportation and driving, sensory losses, and physical discomforts and worries that make it harder to concentrate and complete tasks. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between attentional demands and the ability to manage daily activities requiring concentration for 54 community-dwelling elders (34 women, 20 men). As theorized, attentional demands correlated (r = –.58) significantly with daily functioning: Elders with more attentional demands perceived themselves as having greater difficulty managing tasks requiring concentration. Attentional demands accounted for a significant proportion of variance in functioning (12%), even after partialling out the effects of depressive symptoms and health. Findings support the theorized relation between attentional demands and daily functioning, as well as nursing interventions aimed at decreasing attentional demands to promote effective functioning for elders.
The evaluation of media used to enumerate sulphate reducing bacteria.

Summary. Several media were used to enumerate bacteria in cultures of Desulfovibrio vulgaris, the most suitable being a modification of Iron Sulphite Agar (Oxoid). This medium was also suitable for the enumeration of D. desulfuricans and, with extra salt, D. salexigens. Cultures of D. africanus and D. gigas were enumerated in a lactate-sulphate agar medium which gave higher counts than similar media described in the literature. These media were suitable for counting the organisms in pure and mixed cultures. Neither of these media can be used successfully to enumerate Desulfotomaculum spp.
Nutrient compositions of acorns and horse chestnuts in relation to seed-hoarding

Nutritional compositions of acorns (Quercus serrata Thunb. and Quercus mongolica Fisch. var. grosseserrata Rehd. et Wils.) and horse chestnuts (Aesculus turbinata Blume) were analyzed. Major nutrients of acorns and horse chestnuts were carbohydrate, protein and fat. They proved to contain considerable amounts of tannins (7.28–11.72% dry mass−1) and saponins (6.20%), respectively. The nutrients and the secondary metabolites of seeds buried for either 1 month or 3 months were analyzed to evaluate effects of seed-caching by animals. Noticeable changes were not observed, which suggested that caching may not bring any advantages to the seed-hoarders with respect to nutrition.
An analysis of factors related to recurrence of myxofibrosarcoma.

OBJECTIVE Myxofibrosarcoma is clinically characterized by a high frequency of local recurrence after surgery. To improve the clinical outcome of patients with myxofibrosarcoma, it is imperative to control any postsurgical local recurrence. METHODS In this study, we performed a retrospective clinicopathologic analysis of 100 consecutive patients with myxofibrosarcoma to identify factors related to poor prognosis. All of the patients had been diagnosed, and had undergone surgery at the National Cancer Center Hospital between 1999 and 2008. RESULTS At the initial visit to our hospital, 64 patients had primary myxofibrosarcoma, whereas 36 had undergone primary unplanned resection at other facilities. Of the 36 patients, 11 consulted our hospital before recurrence and 25 did so after recurrence. A histologically positive margin after surgery was evident in 28% of the cases overall. The estimated 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 74.8%. Univariate analysis showed that primary unplanned resection at another facility (P = 0.0001) and a histologically positive margin (P = 0.0224) were significant predictors of local recurrence. When these two factors were subjected to multivariate analysis, only primary unplanned resection at another facility was significantly correlated with the estimated recurrence-free survival rate (P = 0.0011). Primary unplanned resection was also significantly related to the 5-year disease-free survival rate (P = 0.0401). CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that primary unplanned resection at a non-referral hospital is the most important risk factor related to poor prognosis of myxofibrosarcoma. Accurate diagnosis and adequate initial surgery are most important factors for improving the clinical outcomes of myxofibrosarcoma.
A Phase I Study of the First-in-Class Antimitochondrial Metabolism Agent, CPI-613, in Patients with Advanced Hematologic Malignancies

Purpose: The lipoate derivative CPI-613 is a first-in-class agent that targets mitochondrial metabolism. This study determined the effects of CPI-613 on mitochondrial function and defined the MTD, pharmacokinetics, and safety in patients with relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies. Experimental Design: Human leukemia cell lines were exposed to CPI-613 and mitochondrial function was assayed. A phase I trial was conducted in which CPI-613 was given as a 2-hour infusion on days 1 and 4 for 3 weeks every 28 days. Results: CPI-613 inhibited mitochondrial respiration of human leukemia cells consistent with the proposed mechanism of action. In the phase I trial, 26 patients were enrolled. CPI-613 was well tolerated with no marrow suppression observed. When the infusion time was shortened to 1 hour, renal failure occurred in 2 patients. At 3,780 mg/m2, there were two dose-limiting toxicities (DLT). At a dose of 2,940 mg/m2 over 2 hours, no DLTs were observed, establishing this as the MTD. Renal failure occurred in a total of 4 patients and resolved in all but 1, who chose hospice care. CPI-613 has a triphasic elimination with an alpha half-life of approximately 1.34 hours. Of the 21 evaluable, heavily pretreated patients, 4 achieved an objective response and 2 achieved prolonged stabilization of disease for a clinical benefit rate of 29%. Following drug exposure, gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from responders demonstrated immune activation. Conclusion: CPI-613 inhibits mitochondrial function and demonstrates activity in a heavily pretreated cohort of patients. Clin Cancer Res; 20(20); 5255–64. ©2014 AACR.
Quantitative Analysis of the Retinal Ganglion Cell Layer in the Ostrich, Struthio camelus

The total number, distribution and peak density of ganglion cells were evaluated in the Nissl-stained retina of the ostrich (Struthio camelus). The mean (n = 4) total number of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) was estimated at 2,274,128 (s.d. = 273, 152). The ostrich retina exhibited a prominent horizontal visual streak along which a central area located nasal to the pecten had a peak density of 9,500 cells/mm2. A high concentration of cells with a peak density of 2,646 cells/mm2 was also observed in the temporal retina, slightly dorsal to the visual streak. The results further showed that the ostrich eye has a 15-mm pupil entrance diameter, its mean axial length is 39.81 mm, the estimated retinal magnification factor is 0.4075 mm/deg and the maximum visual acuity along the well-defined visual streak was estimated to be 19.32 cycles/deg. The latter component of the retina might subserve vision along the horizon while the temporal region mediates binocular processing. The data also showed that the degree of retinal illumination in this bird could be comparable to that noted in some nocturnal species. The findings in this study suggest that the ostrich might not be restricted to diurnal activity.
Nano & microelectronics curricula development: Exploration tasks and experiments for students in electrical engineering

This paper presents the tri-national institutional partnership project “Skills Development for Young Researchers and Educational Personnel in Nano and Microelectronics Curricula: Implementation of Methods for Bilateral Knowledge Transfer between Universities and SMEs” of the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland - Haute Ecole d'Ingénierie et de Gestion du Canton de Vaud, the Ss Cyril & Methodius University Skopje (Macedonia) and the Technical University of Sofia (Bulgaria). Nanoelectronic curricula development and experiments for students of technical engineering are presented.