Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Actin cytoskeleton in Arabidopsis thaliana under blue and red light

Background information. Actin cytoskeleton is the basis of chloroplast‐orientation movements. These movements are activated by blue light in the leaves of terrestrial angiosperms. Red light has been shown to affect the spatial reorganization of F‐actin in water plants, where chloroplast movements are closely connected with cytoplasmic streaming. The aim of the present study was to determine whether blue light, which triggers characteristic responses of chloroplasts, i.e. avoidance and accumulation, also influences F‐actin organization in the mesophyll cells of Arabidopsis thaliana. Actin filaments in fixed mesophyll tissue were labelled with Alexa Fluor® 488‐conjugated phalloidin. The configuration of actin filaments, expressed as a form factor (4π·area/perimeter2), was determined for all actin formations which were measured in fluorescence confocal images.
Temporal Stability of the Czech Translation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale: Test-Retest Data over One Week

The present study supplemented the limited 1999 psychometric data by Lewis, et al. on the Czech translation of the Satisfaction With Life Scale by examining the temporal stability of the measure over a 1-wk. period for 64 Czech undergraduate university students. Analysis indicated stability across the two administrations was very high (r = .90), and there was no significant change between Time 1 (M = 23.7, SD = 5.1) and Time 2 (M = 24.1, SD = 5.5). Short-term test-retest reliability of this Czech translation is supported.
Chemical Basis for Qualitative and Quantitative Differences Between ABO Blood Groups and Subgroups: Implications for Organ Transplantation

Blood group ABH(O) carbohydrate antigens are carried by precursor structures denoted type I–IV chains, creating unique antigen epitopes that may differ in expression between circulating erythrocytes and vascular endothelial cells. Characterization of such differences is invaluable in many clinical settings including transplantation. Monoclonal antibodies were generated and epitope specificities were characterized against chemically synthesized type I–IV ABH and related glycans. Antigen expression was detected on endomyocardial biopsies (n = 50) and spleen (n = 11) by immunohistochemical staining and on erythrocytes by flow cytometry. On vascular endothelial cells of heart and spleen, only type II–based ABH antigens were expressed; type III/IV structures were not detected. Type II–based ABH were expressed on erythrocytes of all blood groups. Group A1 and A2 erythrocytes additionally expressed type III/IV precursors, whereas group B and O erythrocytes did not. Intensity of A/B antigen expression differed among group A1, A2, A1B, A2B and B erythrocytes. On group A2 erythrocytes, type III H structures were largely un‐glycosylated with the terminal “A” sugar α‐GalNAc. Together, these studies define qualitative and quantitative differences in ABH antigen expression between erythrocytes and vascular tissues. These expression profiles have important implications that must be considered in clinical settings of ABO‐incompatible transplantation when interpreting anti‐ABO antibodies measured by hemagglutination assays with reagent erythrocytes.
A 5-month, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of galantamine in AD

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and tolerability of galantamine, using a slow dose escalation schedule of up to 8 weeks, in 978 patients with mild to moderate AD. Methods: A 5-month multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Following a 4-week placebo run-in, patients were randomized to one of four treatment arms: placebo or galantamine escalated to final maintenance doses of 8, 16, or 24 mg/day. Outcome measures included the cognitive subscale of the AD Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog), the Clinician’s Interview-Based Impression of Change plus Caregiver Input (CIBIC-plus), the AD Cooperative Study Activities of Daily Living inventory, and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Standard safety evaluations and adverse event monitoring were carried out. Results: After 5 months, the galantamine–placebo differences on ADAS-cog were 3.3 points for the 16 mg/day group and 3.6 points for the 24 mg/day group (p < 0.001 versus placebo, both doses). Compared with placebo, the galantamine 16- and 24-mg/day groups also had a significantly better outcome on CIBIC-plus, activities of daily living, and behavioral symptoms. Treatment discontinuations due to adverse events were low in all galantamine groups (6 to 10%) and comparable with the discontinuation rate in the placebo group (7%). The incidence of adverse events in the galantamine groups, notably gastrointestinal symptoms, was low and most adverse events were mild. Conclusions: Galantamine 16 and 24 mg/day significantly benefits the cognitive, functional, and behavioral symptoms of AD as compared with placebo. Slow dose escalation appears to enhance the tolerability of galantamine, minimizing the incidence and severity of adverse events.
Microenvironment-Dependent Requirement of STAT4 for the Induction of P-Selectin Ligands and Effector Cytokines on CD4+ T Cells in Healthy and Parasite-Infected Mice1

T effector cells require selectin ligands to migrate into inflamed regions. In vitro, IL-12 promotes induction of these ligands as well as differentiation of CD4+ T cells into IFN-γ-producing Th1 but not Th2 cells. STAT4 is strongly involved in these processes. However, the presence of selectin ligands on various T effector cell subsets in vivo points to more complex regulatory pathways. To clarify the role of the IL-12/STAT4 signaling pathway, we analyzed the impact of STAT4 deficiency on the expression of P-selectin ligands (P-lig) on CD4+ T cells in vitro and in vivo, including conditions of infection. In vitro, we found significant expression of P-lig upon activation not only in the presence, but also in the absence, of IL-12, which was independent of STAT4. TGF-β, an alternative inducer of selectin ligands in human T cells, was not effective in murine CD4+ T cells, suggesting a role of additional signaling pathways. In vivo, a significant impact of STAT4 for the generation of P-lig+CD4+ T cells was observed for cells from peripheral lymph nodes, but not for those from spleen or lung. However, upon infection with the Th2-inducing parasite Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, P-lig expression became dependent on STAT4 signaling. Interestingly, also the frequency of IL-4-producing cells was greatly diminished in absence of STAT4. These data reveal a hitherto unknown contribution of STAT4 to the generation of Th2 cells in parasite infection and suggest that signals inducing inflammation-seeking properties in vivo vary depending on environmental conditions, such as type of organ and infection.
Estimation of Subspace Transform for Speaker Recognition

We propose using the maximum-a-posteriori (MAP) estimation of subspace transform for speaker recognition. The linear transform is defined on the mean vectors of the Gaussian mixture model (GMM), where transform matrices and bias vectors are associated with separate regression classes so that both can be estimated with sufficient statistics given limited training data. The transform matrices are further defined as a linear combination of a set of basis transforms so that the weights are parameters to be estimated. We characterize the speakers with the transform parameters and model them using support vector machine (SVM). Experiments on the 2008 NIST SRE task illustrate the effectiveness of the method.
Childhood loss of control eating over five-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE Emerging prospective evidence from mixed samples, mostly covering short-term follow-up periods, suggests that childhood loss of control (LOC) eating predicts significant impairment in mental and physical health. This study sought to investigate the natural course of childhood LOC eating over the long term and in relation to binge-eating disorder (BED) diagnosis, psychopathology, and body weight trajectory in the community. METHOD A total of 60 children (8-13 years) with LOC eating within the past 3 months and 60 demographically matched children without LOC history were assessed with the Eating Disorder Examination adapted for Children and self-report questionnaires over a 5.5 year follow-up period. Missing data were imputed. RESULTS Over follow-up, 38.3% of children showed persistent LOC eating, and 28.3% revealed an onset of LOC eating. Persistent LOC eating significantly predicted onset of partial-/full-syndrome BED at follow-up. Negative prognostic effects on eating disorder psychopathology, depressive symptoms, and body mass index were nonsignificant. DISCUSSION The results indicate a moderate stability of LOC eating over the long term. LOC eating, especially if stable, was suggested as a variable risk factor of clinically relevant eating disturbances. In contrast, a prognostic value for psychopathology and body mass index was not confirmed.
A new approach for measuring 3D digitalized rape leaf parameters based on images

At present, measurement method of crop leaf area mainly proceeds in two-dimensional way, which may lead to certain degree of damage. Therefore, it will be of great significant to propose a non-contact method for the measurement of leaf area. In this paper, pictures of rape are obtained from different viewangles with mobile camera, and then three-dimensional digitization of rape is realized by SFM(Structure From Motion) and MVS(Multiple View Stereo) technologies. We conduct a case study and establish a three-dimensional modeling of rape leaf by applying the NURBS surface fitting. Finally, surface area of rape leaf is automatically calculated, and then compared to the area which is obtained by traditional digital image measurement methodology, in this way it realizes non-destructive detection of rapte growth modeling for precision agriculture. According to the experimental results, the the method of 3D digitalized rape leaf measurement based on images is supported.
Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis: What we know and where are we headed?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune mediated disease of the central nervous system, has historically been considered a disease of young adulthood. However, there has been increasing recognition that the disease can occur in adolescence and even early childhood and recent years have witnessed a surge of studies documenting the clinical features of the disease as it pertains to this young population. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on MS in childhood and adolescence, including the clinical presentation of the disease in this group, neuropathology and pathogenesis, magnetic resonance imaging findings, as well as neuropsychological and psychosocial considerations.
Precipitation and neutralization of bacteriophage MS-2 by rabbit antibodies.

The neutralizing and precipitating activities of 10 hyperimmune rabbit antisera to the RNA-containing coliphage MS-2 were compared. The neutralization constant, K, of these antisera was directly proportional to their concentration of precipitating antibodies. In the quantitative precipitin analysis, phage MS-2 has a minimal antigenic valence of 90 in extreme antibody excess. However, phage MS-2 did not behave as a typical large molecular weight antigen because it demonstrated a relatively narrow equivalence zone. The possible relationship between the precipitin data and the structure of the virus is discussed.
Raman Spectral Characteristics of Oil-Paper Insulation and Its Application to Ageing Stage Assessment of Oil-Immersed Transformers

The aging of oil-paper insulation in power transformers may cause serious power failures. Thus, effective monitoring of the condition of the transformer insulation is the key to prevent major accidents. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of confocal laser Raman spectroscopy (CLRS) for assessing the aging condition of oil-paper insulation. Oil-paper insulation samples were subjected to thermal accelerated ageing at 120 °C for up to 160 days according to the procedure described in the IEEE Guide. Meanwhile, the dimension of the Raman spectrum of the insulation oil was reduced by principal component analysis (PCA). The 160 oil-paper insulation samples were divided into five aging stages as training samples by clustering analysis and with the use of the degree of polymerization of the insulating papers. In addition, the features of the Raman spectrum were used as the inputs of a multi-classification support vector machine. Finally, 105 oil-paper insulation testing samples aged at a temperature of 130 °C were used to further test the diagnostic capability and universality of the established algorithm. Results demonstrated that CLRS in conjunction with the PCA-SVM technique provides a new way for aging stage assessment of oil-paper insulation equipment in the field.
Biological Activities of Zn(II) and Cu(II) Complexes with Quercetin and Rutin: Antioxidant Properties and UV-Protection Capacity

The aim of this study is to determine the changes occurred in the antioxidant capacity and in the UV-protection capacity (sun protection factor-SPF) of quercetin and rutin following the chelating with two different redox-potential cations, Zn(II) and Cu(II). The complexes were obtained using an adapted method from the literature and characterized by elemental analysis, UV-Vis and IR spectroscopy. The antioxidant capacity of the obtained complexes and the ones of the ligands (rutin and quercetin) was measured by photochemiluminometry. Sun protection factor (SPF) for both ligands and the complex compounds was determined using a spectrometric method. The SFP values in all the complexes are lower than the ones of their ligands. The antioxidant capacity is higher in the case of rutin-Zn complex, rutin-Cu(II) complex and quercetin-Cu(II) complex than of the ligands ones. These three complexes have high antioxidant activity which recommends them for further work in possible therapeutic applications identification.
Pasteurization and Sterilization of Milk by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Treatment

Supercritical (SC) CO2 treatment of row skim milk was studied in order to improve the shelflife while maintaining its nutritional and organoleptic properties. To this purpose, experimental laboratory tests were made and an optimal set of operating process parameters were found. In fact, at P = 150 bar, 35 °C ≤ T < 40°C, and CO2 /Milk feed ratio equal to 0.33, the treatment is significantly more efficient than the traditional thermal pasteurization (HTST technology, at 75÷80 °C for 15÷20 s) made in continuous mode by using a proper thermal exchanger system. Finally, a new process for the SC CO2 mild pasteurization of whole milk at industrial scale was described and discussed.
Preconditioning Induces Sustained Neuroprotection by Down Regulation of AMPK

Background and Purpose—Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) induces endogenous neuroprotection from a subsequent ischemic injury. IPC involves down-regulation of metabolic pathways. As Adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a critical sensor of energy balance and plays a major role in cellular metabolism, its role in IPC was investigated. Methods—A brief 3 minute middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was employed to induce IPC in male mice 72 hours prior to 90 minute MCAO. Levels of AMPK and pAMPK, the active form of the kinase, were assessed after IPC. A pharmacological activator or inhibitor of AMPK was utilized to determine the dependence of IPC on AMPK signaling. Additionally, AMPK-α2 null mice were subjected to IPC and subsequent infarct damage was assessed. Results—IPC induced neuroprotection, enhanced HSP70 and improved behavioral outcomes. These beneficial effects occurred in parallel with a significant inhibition of pAMPK protein expression. Although both pharmacological inhibition of AMPK or IPC led to neuroprotection, IPC offered no additional protective effects when co-administered with an AMPK inhibitor. Moreover, pharmacological activation of AMPK with Metformin abolished the neuroprotective effects of IPC. AMPK-α2 null mice that lack the catalytic isoform of AMPK failed to demonstrate a preconditioning response. Conclusions—Regulation of AMPK plays an important role in IPC mediated neuroprotection. AMPK may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of cerebral ischemia.
OFDM based adaptive beamforming for hybrid terrestrial-satellite mobile system with pilot reallocation

Next generation networks will have to provide global connectivity to ensure success. Both satellite and terrestrial networks cannot guarantee this on their own. This incapability is attributed to capacity coverage issues in densely populated areas for satellites and lack of infrastructure in rural areas for terrestrial networks. Therefore, we consider a hybrid terrestrial-satellite mobile system based on frequency reuse. However, this frequency reuse introduces severe Co-Channel Interference (CCI) at the satellite end. To mitigate CCI, we propose an OFDM based adaptive beamformer implemented on-board the satellite with pilot reallocation at the transmitter side. Results show that the proposed scheme outperforms the conventional approach.
Using the Standardized Difference to Compare the Prevalence of a Binary Variable Between Two Groups in Observational Research

Researchers are increasingly using the standardized difference to compare the distribution of baseline covariates between treatment groups in observational studies. Standardized differences were initially developed in the context of comparing the mean of continuous variables between two groups. However, in medical research, many baseline covariates are dichotomous. In this article, we explore the utility and interpretation of the standardized difference for comparing the prevalence of dichotomous variables between two groups. We examined the relationship between the standardized difference, and the maximal difference in the prevalence of the binary variable between two groups, the relative risk relating the prevalence of the binary variable in one group compared to the prevalence in the other group, and the phi coefficient for measuring correlation between the treatment group and the binary variable. We found that a standardized difference of 10% (or 0.1) is equivalent to having a phi coefficient of 0.05 (indicating negligible correlation) for the correlation between treatment group and the binary variable.
CitySense: blockchain-oriented smart cities

A smart city is a connected system in which things produce a huge quantity of data. We focused the attention on monitoring the environment quality in urban area by means of a distributed network of small mobile sensors that are devices on the Internet of Things (IoT). Sensors produce digital measurements, useful for investigating and studying the life quality in every part of the city. In our vision, environmental data must be available by everyone and shared with citizens, but it must be unmodifiable. We propose to solve the problem of the sensors data storage and management using a disruptive technology called blockchain. The blockchain responds to the demand of availability and unchangeability and, thanks to the potentiality of smart contracts, makes us able to manage sensor information and implement a control logic. In order to develop the software based on blockchain we chose to apply the SCRUM methodology because of its capabilities of being a flexible, adaptive and iterative methodology.
Heat resistance of Salmonella in dried milk.

Abstract The effects of heat, moisture, storage temperatures, and chemical additives on the growth and survival of salmonellae in nonfat dried milks were determined. Artificially contaminated powders of various moisture levels were subjected to tests which included storage at temperatures of 4.4 to 50 C, storage with chemical additives, exposure of thin layers to oven heat ranging from 60 to 115 C, boiling of fixed beds of powder with hot air streams at 87.7 to 148.8 C, and determination of time-temperature necessary for destruction of salmonellae in fluid and concentrated milks. Moisture levels and storage temperatures influenced growth and survival, and salmonellae added to nonfat dried milk were quite resistant to dry heat.
Association of methanogenic bacteria with ovine rumen ciliates

1. The frequency of association between methanogenic bacteria and ovine rumen ciliates was studied in the rumen fluid of a fistulated sheep. 2. A period of fasting and flushing of the rumen content with nitrogen resulted in a relatively high association, whereas the intake of food and flushing with hydrogen caused a detachment of the methanogenic bacteria from the ciliates. 3. The changes in the frequency of association can be correlated with the relative attribution to the H2 production by hydrogenogenic bacteria and rumen ciliates.
Bistatic Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery simulation of sea surface

A bistatic Synthetic Aperture Radar (Bis-SAR) imagery simulation of an extended sea surface is presented which is based on a facet scattering model. A semi-deterministic approach is developed to calculate high frequency bistatic raw data from the model of large sea surface. An effective method of modified nonlinear chirp scaling (NLCS) algorithm is presented to handle a general case of bistatic raw data and generate the simulation imagery of sea surface. This algorithm solves the inefficient problem for some time-domain algorithms and extends the limited number of bistatic cases to general for some frequency-domain methods. The concrete models and imagery results are illustrated.
Temporal pole signal abnormality on MR imaging in temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis: a fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery study.

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency and regional involvement of temporal pole signal abnormality (TPA) in patients with hippocampal sclerosis (HS) using fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) MR imaging, and to correlate this feature with history. METHOD Coronal FLAIR images of the temporal pole were assessed in 120 patients with HS and in 30 normal subjects, to evaluate gray-white matter demarcation. RESULTS Ninety (75%) of 120 patients had associated TPA. The HS side made difference regarding the presence of TPA, with a left side prevalence (p=0.04, chi2 test). The anteromedial zone of temporal pole was affected in 27 (30%) out of 90 patients. In 63 (70%) patients the lateral zone were also affected. Patients with TPA were younger at seizure onset (p=0.018), but without association with duration of epilepsy. CONCLUSION Our FLAIR study show temporal pole signal abnormality in 3/4 of patients with HS, mainly seen on the anteromedial region, with a larger prevalence when the left hippocampus was involved.
Effects of various cryoprotective agents on post-thaw drone semen quality.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different cryoprotectants on post-thaw semen motility and plasma membrane integrity of drone spermatozoa. Semen was obtained from mature drones (16 days or older) harvested from four colonies. Collected semen was diluted to a final concentration of 1/5 (semen/extender) in 0% cryoprotectant (control), 6% glycerol, 6% Ethylene Glycol, 6% 1,2 propanediol or 6% DMSO using a two-step dilution method. The equilibrated semen was frozen in 0.25-ml straws. The percentage of sperm motility and swollen tails (HOST) spermatozoa were evaluated following dilution with extender A (non-cryoprotectant), equilibration and post-thaw stages. In terms of post-thaw motility and plasma membrane integrity recovery we can rank the used cryoprotectant as DMSO, Ethylene Glycol, Glycerol and 1,2 Propanediol; respectively. In conclusion, post-thaw sperm motility and plasma membrane integrity of the present study was significantly better when sperm was frozen in DMSO with respect to control, glycerol, ethylene glycol, 1,2 propanediol (P<0.05).