Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence of Apoptosis in the Subventricular Zone and Rostral Migratory Stream in the MPTP Mouse Model of Parkinson Disease

1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) is commonly used to create animal models of Parkinson disease. There is conflicting evidence on the occurrence of apoptosis induced by MPTP in the mouse substantia nigra pars compacta. We demonstrated that a single acute injection of MPTP induced apoptosis in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and rostral migratory stream (RMS) in the adult C57BL/6 mouse brain. The number of TUNEL-positive cells peaked at 24 hours after injection and decreased thereafter, paralleling the change in the number of cleaved caspase-3-positive cells after MPTP injection. Results of immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural analyses indicated that the majority of apoptotic cells in the SVZ and RMS were migrating neuroblasts (type A cells), whereas a few were astrocytes (type B cells). No apoptosis occurred in transit-amplifying progenitors (type C cells). The decrease in A cell numbers was most marked on day 2 and lasted to day 8 after the administration. A rapid and transient phagocytosis of apoptotic cells by microglial cells was demonstrated to parallel the MPTP-induced apoptosis. The present findings provide new insight into the extensive neurotoxicity of MPTP and may be valuable in reevaluating the MPTP mouse model of Parkinson disease.
Extinction Risk Escalates in the Tropics

The latitudinal biodiversity gradient remains one of the most widely recognized yet puzzling patterns in nature [1]. Presently, the high level of extinction of tropical species, referred to as the “tropical biodiversity crisis”, has the potential to erode this pattern. While the connection between species richness, extinction, and speciation has long intrigued biologists [2], [3], these interactions have experienced increased poignancy due to their relevancy to where we should concentrate our conservation efforts. Natural extinction is a phenomenon thought to have its own latitudinal gradient, with lower extinction rates in the tropics being reported in beetles, birds, mammals, and bivalves [4]–[7]. Processes that have buffered ecosystems from high extinction rates in the past may also buffer ecosystems against disturbance of anthropogenic origin. While potential parallels between historical and present-day extinction patterns have been acknowledged, they remain only superficially explored and plant extinction patterns have been particularly neglected. Studies on the disappearances of animal species have reached conflicting conclusions, with the rate of extinction appearing either higher [8] or lower [9] in species richness hotspots. Our global study of extinction risk in vascular plants finds disproportionately higher extinction risk in tropical countries, even when indicators of human pressure (GDP, population density, forest cover change) are taken into account. Our results are at odds with the notion that the tropics represent a museum of plant biodiversity (places of historically lowered extinction) and we discuss mechanisms that may reconcile this apparent contradiction.
Learning and Decision Model Selection for a Class of Complex Adaptive Systems

Computer modeling is gaining popularity in the study of systems whose underlying processes are difficult to observe and measure directly, or their controlled experimentation is not an option. Since real-world phenomena, for instance psychological or ecological, are often hugely complicated, and the models trying to capture their essence relatively complex, validation of the models and selection among the candidates is a challenge. Furthermore, not all computer models are used merely for explanatory purposes or to test theories, but some are used to support decision making. Therefore, it is critical which model the decision makers put their confidence on. In this article I discuss a pragmatic method for selecting between classes of models that are designed to increase understanding in the most significant single factor behind the global climate change, namely human land-use. My focus is on agent-based land-use and land-cover change models, and particularly models of learning and decision making. The proposed method fills the void left by traditional statistical model selection methods that are not applicable due to the nature of the model class of interest.
Web Text Classification Using a Neural Network

A web text classification method using a neural network is presented here. The proposed method can classify a set of English text documents into a number of given classes depending on their contents where the number of such classes is not known a priori. Text documents, internet edition of news paper, from various faculties of games and sports are considered for experimentation. The method is found to provide satisfactory results for three sets of data considered for experimentation.
A new P2P traffic identification methodology based on flow statistics

Nowadays P2P traffic consumes a great amount of network bandwidth which brings many difficulties to network management. In order to accurately identify P2P traffic, this paper proposes a methodology based on flow statistics. At first it quickly eliminates those flow features irrelevant to class by the ReliefF algorithm, then from the rest features it uses a wrapper method combined genetic algorithm with support vector machine to select flow features and optimize the parameters of support vector machine model, and finally it outputs the best flow feature set and the optimized support vector machine model. The experimental results indicate that this methodology can achieve improved accuracy with fewer flow features.
Silo: Exploiting JavaScript and DOM Storage for Faster Page Loads

A modern web page contains many objects, and fetching these objects requires many network round trips-- establishing each HTTP connection requires a TCP handshake, and each HTTP request/response pair requires at least one round trip. To decrease a page's load time, designers try to minimize the number of HTTP requests needed to fetch the constituent objects. A common strategy is to inline the page's JavaScript and CSS files instead of using external links (and thus separate HTTP fetches). Unfortunately, browsers only cache externally named objects, so inlining trades fewer HTTP requests now for greater bandwidth consumption later if a user revisits a page and must refetch uncacheable files. Our new system, called Silo, leverages JavaScript and DOM storage to reduce both the number of HTTP requests and the bandwidth required to construct a page. DOM storage allows a web page to maintain a key-value database on a client machine. A Silo-enabled page uses this local storage as an LBFS-style chunkstore. When a browser requests a Silo-enabled page, the server returns a small JavaScript shim which sends the ids of locally available chunks to the server. The server responds with a list of the chunks in the inlined page, and the raw data for chunks missing on the client. Like standard inlining, Silo reduces the number of HTTP requests; however, it facilitates finer-grained caching, since each chunk corresponds to a small piece of JavaScript or CSS. The client-side portion of Silo is written in standard JavaScript, so it runs on unmodified browsers and does not require users to install special plugins.
Simpute: A Simple Genotype Imputation Method

High-throughput technology for genotyping has made genome-wide associations possible. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data derived from array-based technology are usually flawed due to missing data, although they have generally high call rates and good concordance rates across different genotype calling schemes. Missing SNPs can bias the results of association analyses and hence loci with missing data are removed in some studies. Imputation is a method of compensating for the missing data by filling in the most probable values. It can increase the power of the association study and does not involve extra cost to genotype the missing SNPs. In this article, we propose a simple imputation method (Simpute) that takes advantage of the high resolution of SNPs in either the array platform or the mass parallel sequencing platform. It is based on the linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure of the chromosome and only two nearby SNPs are needed to fill in the missing data. Simpute does not use any reference data. We tested this method by randomly masking the genotype data of the international Hap Map phase III project, and the evaluation is made on Chromosome 21. The proposed Simpute algorithm was compared with two algorithms. At highly linked SNP loci, it performs approximately well as BEAGLE, which is a general-purpose algorithm and integrates lots of information. Simpute outperforms the second algorithm proposed by Jung et al., which does not use any reference samples as Simpute. The best feature of Simpute is its computational efficiency with complexity of order, where n is the number of missing SNPs, w is the number of the positions of the missing SNPs and m is the number of people considered. Simpute provides a simple, accurate and fast solution to the whole genome imputation. We have demonstrated that when the SNPs are densely distributed on the chromosome with high linkage disequilibrium between adjacent loci, there is no need to adopt complicated algorithms. Simpute is suitable for regular screening of the large scale SNP genotyping especially when the sample size is large and the efficiency is a major issue of the workflow.
Redox Regulation of Cdc25B by Cell-Active Quinolinediones

Intracellular reduction and oxidation pathways regulate protein functionality through both reversible and irreversible mechanisms. The Cdc25 phosphatases, which control cell cycle progression, are potential subjects of oxidative regulation. Many of the more potent Cdc25 phosphatase inhibitors reported to date are quinones, which are capable of redox cycling. Therefore, we used the previously characterized quinolinedione Cdc25 inhibitor DA3003-1 [NSC 663284 or 6-chloro-7-(2-morpholin-4-yl-ethylamino)-quinoline-5,8-dione] and a newly synthesized congener JUN1111 [7-(2-morpholin-4-yl-ethylamino)-quinoline-5,8-dione] to test the hypothesis that quinone inhibitors of Cdc25 regulate phosphatase activity through redox mechanisms. Like DA3003-1, JUN1111 selectively inhibited Cdc25 phosphatases in vitro in an irreversible, time-dependent manner and arrested cells in the G1 and G2/M phases of the cell cycle. It is noteworthy that both DA3003-1 and JUN1111 directly inhibited Cdc25B activity in cells. Depletion of glutathione increased cellular sensitivity to DA3003-1 and JUN1111, and in vitro Cdc25B inhibition by these compounds was sensitive to pH, catalase, and reductants (dithiothreitol and glutathione), consistent with oxidative inactivation. In addition, both DA3003-1 and JUN1111 rapidly generated intracellular reactive oxygen species. Analysis of Cdc25B by mass spectrometry revealed sulfonic acid formation on the catalytic cysteine of Cdc25B after in vitro treatment with DA3003-1. These results indicate that irreversible oxidation of the catalytic cysteine of Cdc25B is indeed a mechanism by which these quinolinediones inactivate this protein phosphatase.
Disease-related social situation in family of children with chronic kidney disease--parents` assessment. A multicentre study.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children burdens life of patients and their families. Little is known about parents` assessment of families' social situation. However, the knowledge of the details of a patient's and his family's life standards might influence modification and optimization of applied therapy. Therefore, the main goal of the present study was to explore the selected elements of life situation of patients suffering with CKD as well as their parents, depending on the CKD stage and appropriate treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cross-sectional national study was conducted. A total of 203 children with CKD and 388 their parent-proxies (196 women and 192 men) were enrolled into this study. Patient data and questionnaires filled by both parents, concerning social-demographic parameters and assessment of changes in families after CKD diagnosis in the child, were analysed. RESULTS CKD children are being brought up in proper families whose financial situation is not good. Children need help in process of education. Perception of current situation differed between both parents in the change of the income source, taking care of CKD child, change in social relations and evaluating relations with medical staff. Parents do not obtain proper support from social workers. CONCLUSION Families of CKD children require support in area of financial and educational help for school children. The discrepancies in evaluation of family situation between mothers and fathers of ill children might be the source of conflicts possibly resulting in worsening the outcome for CKD children.
Bioequivalence of Orally Administered Generic, Compounded, and Innovator‐Formulated Itraconazole in Healthy Dogs

Background Itraconazole is commonly used to treat systemic fungal infections in dogs, but problems exist with absorption and cost. Objective To determine oral bioequivalence of generic and compounded itraconazole compared to original innovator (brand name) itraconazole in healthy dogs. Animals Nine healthy, adult research Beagle dogs. Methods A randomized, 3‐way, 3‐period, crossover design with an 8‐day washout period. After a 12‐hour fast, each dog received 100 mg (average: 10.5 mg/kg) of either innovator itraconazole, an approved human generic capsule, or compounded itraconazole (compounded using a commercially available compounding vehicle) with a small meal. Plasma was collected at predetermined intervals for high pressure liquid chromatography analysis. Concentration data were analyzed using noncompartmental pharmacokinetics to determine area under the curve (AUC), peak concentration (CMAX), and terminal half‐life. Bioequivalence tests compared generic and compounded itraconazole to the reference formulation. Results Average ratios of compounded and generic formulations to the reference formulation of itraconazole for AUC were 5.52% and 104.2%, respectively, and for CMAX were 4.14% and 86.34%, respectively. A test of bioequivalence using 2 one‐sided tests and 90% confidence intervals did not meet bioequivalence criteria for either formulation. Conclusion and Clinical Importance Neither generic nor compounded itraconazole is bioequivalent to the reference formulation in dogs. However, pharmacokinetic data for generic formulation were similar enough that therapeutic concentrations could be achieved. Compounded itraconazole produced such low plasma concentrations, it is unlikely to be effective; therefore, compounded itraconazole should not be used in dogs.
A new method for solving context ambiguities using field association knowledge

In computational linguistics, word sense disambiguation is an open problem and is important in various aspects of natural language processing. However, the traditional methods using case frames and semantic primitives are not effective for solving context ambiguities that require information beyond sentences. This paper presents a new method of solving context ambiguities using a field association scheme that can determine the specified fields by using field association (FA) terms. In order to solve context ambiguities, the formal disambiguation algorithm is calculating the weight of fields in that scope by controlling the scope for a set of variable number of sentences. The accuracy of disambiguating the context ambiguities is improved 65% by applying the proposed field association knowledge.
Grounding the Lexical Sets of Causative-Inchoative Verbs with Word Embedding

Lexical sets contain the words filling the argument positions of a verb in one of its senses. They can be grounded empirically through their automatic extraction from corpora. The purpose of this paper is demonstrating that their vector representation based on word embedding provides insights onto many linguistic phenomena, and in particular about verbs undergoing the causative-inchoative alternation. A first experiment aims at investigating the internal structure of the sets, which are known to be radial and continuous categories cognitively. A second experiment shows that the distance between the subject set and object set is correlated with a semantic factor, namely the spontaneity of the verb.
Causal Bounds and Observable Constraints for Non-deterministic Models

Conditional independence relations involving latent variables do not necessarily imply observable independences. They may imply inequality constraints on observable parameters and causal bounds, which can be used for falsification and identification. The literature on computing such constraints often involve a deterministic underlying data generating process in a counterfactual framework. If an analyst is ignorant of the nature of the underlying mechanisms then they may wish to use a model which allows the underlying mechanisms to be probabilistic. A method of computation for a weaker model without any determinism is given here and demonstrated for the instrumental variable model, though applicable to other models. The approach is based on the analysis of mappings with convex polytopes in a decision theoretic framework and can be implemented in readily available polyhedral computation software. Well known constraints and bounds are replicated in a probabilistic model and novel ones are computed for instrumental variable models without non-deterministic versions of the randomization, exclusion restriction and monotonicity assumptions respectively.
Partially automated in-line documentation (PAID): design and implementation of a software maintenance tool

The importance of accurate technical documentation to the maintenance process is presented. A possible solution to the lack of adequate technical documentation is suggested in the form of a partially automated in-line documentation system. This system uses software metrics to determine where comments should be placed in source programs. The system can be used as a tool in software development and/or software maintenance. <<ETX>>
Latinos in the United States: diversity and change

from the lived reality and perspective of American Muslims. Similarly, the racialization section is not merely descriptive but it is analytical in providing context and examples through which to see the realization of racialization itself. This lends the reader the opportunity to embrace another standpoint. The book uses the offering of this standpoint to document contemporary denials of human rights, such as the ability of states to render people stateless, as aliens and as being outside humanity. The book is about identity, lived experiences and the standpoint of the “other”. It does not seek to speak for this standpoint but instead places this standpoint central and describes how the world exists from this position. In discussing the war on terror culture from this position the book is important, as it unites these themes and through doing so exposes knowledge that is usually omitted from academic literature. Reading this book is about learning and through doing so the reader is exposed to the narrative of the otherized, racialized individual rather than merely a constructed projected account of the individual.
Semantically Rich Recommendations in Social Networks for Sharing and Exchanging Semantic Context

Recommender algorithms have been quite successfully employed in a variety of scenarios from filtering applications to recommendations of movies and books at Amazon.com. However, all these algorithms focus on single item recommendations and do not consider any more complex recommendation structures. This paper explores how semantically rich complex recommendation structures, represented as RDF graphs, can be exchanged and shared in a distributed social network. After presenting a motivating scenario we define several annotation ontologies we use in order to describe context information on the user desktop and show how search result ranking can be built on this information. We then discuss how social distributed networks and interest groups are specified using extended FOAF vocabulary, and how members of such interest groups share semantically rich recommendations in such a network. These recommendations transport shared context information as well as ranking information, as described in the annotation ontologies.
Exploring the impact of country-of-origin fit and team identification in sports brand evaluation

ABSTRACT Research question: This study sought to identify the effects of perceived quality of products associated with country-of-origin (COO) images and its interplay with team identification on overall consumer brand evaluation. Research methods: In order to test the proposed hypotheses, an experimental study using a series of 2 (COO images: incongruent vs. congruent) × 2 (team identification: low vs. high) mixed factorial designs was conducted. One hundred thirty-six college student subjects from a northeastern university in the US participated in the main experiment. Results and findings: Subjects in the congruent COO image condition showed significantly greater positive post-alliance evaluation changes toward the host brand than those in the incongruent COO image condition. Meanwhile, subjects in the incongruent COO image condition showed significantly greater positive post-alliance evaluation changes toward the partner brand than those in the congruent COO image condition. Implications: This study implies that the COO images and consumer team identification jointly affect the product evaluation in a cross-border strategic brand alliance context. In order to target lowly identified consumers, the host brand should collaborate with a partner brand with a favorable country image. By contrast, for highly identified consumers, the partner brand need to ally with a well-known host brand with a favorable COO image so that the partner brand can leverage off the favorable COO image of the host brand.
Performance of Dual Wi-Fi Radios in Infrastructure-Supported Multi-Hop Networks

Wireless multi-hop networks are a promising approach to provide connectivity in areas with sparse wireless infrastructure. In multi-hop networks, data is relayed from one mobile device to another until it reaches the destination (e.g. a Wi-Fi access points). Different hops preferably use different radio channels to avoid interfering with each other. It is not practical to use multiple channels with single-radio devices because the network would suffer from partitioning. The addition of the second radio interface to the devices may simplify the multi-channel management and improve the overall network performance. In this paper, we evaluate the potential benefits of the dual Wi-Fi radio devices in terms of throughput and energy consumption. For the evaluation, we use our Wi-Fi network simulator, Jemula802, extended with the models of multi-channel radio management algorithms.
PhD forum: Correlation coefficient based template matching for indoor people tracking

One of the most popular methods to extract information from an image sequence is template matching. The principle of template matching is tracking a certain feature or target over time based on the comparison of the content of each frame with a simple template. In this article, we propose an correlation coefficient based template matching which is invariant to linear intensity distortions to do correction or verification of our existing indoor people tracking system [1].