Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Depression and Oxidative Stress: Results From a Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Objective To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis that quantitatively tests and summarizes the hypothesis that depression results in elevated oxidative stress and lower antioxidant levels. Methods We performed a meta-analysis of studies that reported an association between depression and oxidative stress and/or antioxidant status markers. PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched for articles published from January 1980 through December 2012. A random-effects model, weighted by inverse variance, was performed to pool standard deviation (Cohen’s d) effect size estimates across studies for oxidative stress and antioxidant status measures, separately. Results Twenty-three studies with 4980 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Depression was most commonly measured using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria. A Cohen’s d effect size of 0.55 (95% confidence interval = 0.47–0.63) was found for the association between depression and oxidative stress, indicating a roughly 0.55 of 1-standard-deviation increase in oxidative stress among individuals with depression compared with those without depression. The results of the studies displayed significant heterogeneity (I2 = 80.0%, p < .001). A statistically significant effect was also observed for the association between depression and antioxidant status markers (Cohen’s d = −0.24, 95% confidence interval = −0.33 to −0.15). Conclusions This meta-analysis observed an association between depression and oxidative stress and antioxidant status across many different studies. Differences in measures of depression and markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant status markers could account for the observed heterogeneity. These findings suggest that well-established associations between depression and poor heath outcomes may be mediated by high oxidative stress.
Evolutionary learning of local descriptor operators for object recognition

Nowadays, object recognition is widely studied under the paradigm of matching local features. This work describes a genetic programming methodology that synthesizes mathematical expressions that are used to improve a well known local descriptor algorithm. It follows the idea that object recognition in the cerebral cortex of primates makes use of features of intermediate complexity that are largely invariant to change in scale, location, and illumination. These local features have been previously designed by human experts using traditional representations that have a clear, preferably mathematically, well-founded definition. However, it is not clear that these same representations are implemented by the natural system with the same structure. Hence, the possibility to design novel operators through genetic programming represents an open research avenue where the combinatorial search of evolutionary algorithms can largely exceed the ability of human experts. This paper provides evidence that genetic programming is able to design new features that enhance the overall performance of the best available local descriptor. Experimental results confirm the validity of the proposed approach using a widely accept testbed and an object recognition application.
Effects of etidronate on the Enpp1−/− mouse model of generalized arterial calcification of infancy

Generalized arterial calcification of infancy (GACI) is an autosomal recessive disorder of spontaneous infantile arterial and periarticular calcification which is attributed to mutations in the ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (Enpp1) gene. Whilst the bisphosphonate, etidronate, is currently used off-label for the treatment for GACI, recent studies have highlighted its detrimental effects on bone mineralisation. In the present study, we used the Enpp1−/− mouse model of GACI to examine the effects of etidronate treatment (100 µg/kg), on vascular and skeletal calcification. Micro-computed tomography (µCT) analysis revealed a significant decrease in trabecular bone mass, as reflected by the decrease in trabecular bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV; %), trabecular thickness, trabecular separation, trabecular number and pattern factor (P<0.05) in the Enpp1−/− mice in comparison to the wild-type (WT) mice. Mechanical testing revealed that in the WT mice, treatment with etidronate significantly improved work to fracture and increased work post-failure (P<0.05, in comparison to the vehicle-treated WT mice). This significant increase, however, was not observed in the Enpp1−/− mice. Treatment with etidronate had no effect on bone parameters in the WT mice; however, the Enpp1−/− mice displayed an increased structural model index (SMI; P<0.05). We used a recently developed 3D µCT protocol to reconstruct and quantify the extensive aortic calcification in Enpp1−/− mice in comparison to the WT mice. However, treatment with etidronate did not prevent de novo calcification, and did not arrest the progression of established calcification of the aorta.
INTESTINAL EXCRETION OF A WILD BIRD-ORIGIN H3N8 LOW PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUS IN MALLARDS (ANAS PLATYRHYNCHOS)

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and other dabbling ducks in the genus Anas are an important component of the wild bird reservoir for avian influenza (AI) virus; these viruses are maintained in migratory duck populations through a fecal-oral transmission route. We provide a detailed characterization of intestinal viral shedding in Mallards infected with a wild bird-origin low pathogenic (LP) AI virus. Five of eight, 1-mo-old Mallards inoculated with a high dose of an H3N8 LP AI virus became infected as determined by reisolation and seroconversion. Infected birds excreted high concentrations of virus for up to 14 days postinoculation (DPI) without exhibiting overt clinical signs of disease. The pattern of viral shedding was relatively consistent between individual birds, with peak shedding on 2–3 DPI and a progressive decline over the remainder of infection. Detection of viral shedding varied depending on sample type (excrement sample or cloacal swab) and diagnostic test (virus isolation or real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction). Our data provide detailed insights into the intestinal excretion of an H3N8 LP AI virus in Mallards and the performance of diagnostic assays commonly used in wild bird surveillance. Such information is valuable for estimating potential risks for spillover of LP AI viruses from Mallards to domestic animals, developing accurate transmission models for Mallard populations and facilitating the interpretation and comparison of surveillance results from different studies.
Correction To "rotation And Gray-scale Transform-invariant Texture Classification Using Spiral Resampling, Subband Decomposition, And Hidden Markov Model"

This paper proposes a new texture classification algorithm that is invariant to rotation and gray-scale transformation. First, we convert two-dimensional (2-D) texture images to one-dimensional (1-D) signals by spiral resampling. Then, we use a quadrature mirror filter (QMF) bank to decompose sampled signals into subbands. In each band, we take high-order autocorrelation functions as features. Features in different bands, which form a vector sequence, are then modeled as a hidden Markov model (BMM). During classification, the unknown texture is matched against all the models and the best match is taken as the classification result. Simulations showed that the highest correct classification rate for 16 kinds of texture was 95.14%.
Apoptosis in the mature and developing olfactory neuroepithelium

Neuronal apoptosis is important in the developmental sculpting of a normal nervous system and also in the loss of neurons caused by neurodegenerative disease, ischemia or trauma. In a developing embryo, exquisite mechanisms of regulation exist to balance factors that control neuronal birth and death within a given neuronal group, so that sufficient neurons develop and survive to elicit normal function. Postnatally, the only part of the mammalian nervous system where many of these regulatory balance mechanisms are retained is the olfactory epithelium (OE). During the last 30 years, researchers investigating olfactory receptor neuron cellular and developmental biology have focussed on the regeneration of the neuronal population within the olfactory neuroepithelium, following the induced death of the mature neuronal population. This body of work has thus far overshadowed the equally important and intrinsically linked phenomenon of the death of mature olfactory receptor neurons, which is required to initiate regeneration. The purpose of this review is to reveal what has been established about the different forms of cell death that can occur in neurons of the olfactory epithelium, and highlight the identified pro‐ and anti‐apoptotic pathways that control the normal and induced turnover of olfactory receptor neurons. Microsc. Res. Tech. 58:204–215, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Distributed Computing Through Web Browser

This paper proposes a new approach for distributed computing. The main novelty consists in the exploitation of web browsers as clients, thanks to the availability of Javascript and AJAX. The described solution has two main advantages: it is client- free, so no additional programs have to be installed to perform the computation, and it requires low CPU usage, so clientside computation is no invasive for users. The solution is developed using AJAX technology embedding a pseudoclient into a web page that hosts che computation. While users browse the hosting web page, computation takes place resolving single subproblems and sending the solution to the serverside part of the system. The new architecture has been tested through various performance metrics by implementing two examples of distributed computing, the RSA crack and the correlation index between genetic data sets. Results have shown good feasibility of this approach.
The Cerebral Surfactant System and Its Alteration in Hydrocephalic Conditions

Introduction Pulmonary Surfactant reduces surface tension in the terminal airways thus facilitating breathing and contributes to host’s innate immunity. Surfactant Proteins (SP) A, B, C and D were recently identified as inherent proteins of the CNS. Aim of the study was to investigate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) SP levels in hydrocephalus patients compared to normal subjects. Patients and Methods CSF SP A-D levels were quantified using commercially available ELISA kits in 126 patients (0–84 years, mean 39 years). 60 patients without CNS pathologies served as a control group. Hydrocephalus patients were separated in aqueductal stenosis (AQS, n = 24), acute hydrocephalus without aqueductal stenosis (acute HC w/o AQS, n = 16) and idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH, n = 20). Furthermore, six patients with pseudotumor cerebri were investigated. Results SP A—D are present under physiological conditions in human CSF. SP-A is elevated in diseases accompanied by ventricular enlargement (AQS, acute HC w/o AQS) in a significant manner (0.67, 1.21 vs 0.38 ng/ml in control, p<0.001). SP-C is also elevated in hydrocephalic conditions (AQS, acute HC w/o AQS; 0.87, 1.71 vs. 0.48 ng/ml in controls, p<0.001) and in Pseudotumor cerebri (1.26 vs. 0.48 ng/ml in controls, p<0.01). SP-B and SP-D did not show significant alterations. Conclusion The present study confirms the presence of SPs in human CSF. There are significant changes of SP-A and SP-C levels in diseases affecting brain water circulation and elevation of intracranial pressure. Cause of the alterations, underlying regulatory mechanisms, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic consequences of cerebral SP’s requires further thorough investigations.
Automated Reasoning in Quantified Non-Classical Logics A Logic for Verifying Metric Temporal Properties in Distributed Hybrid Systems

We introduce a logic for specifying and verifying metric temporal properties of distributed hybrid systems that combines quantified differential dynamic logic (QdL) for reasoning about the possible behavior of distributed hybrid systems with metric temporal logic (MTL) for reasoning about the metric temporal behavior during their operation. For our combined logic, we generalize the semantics of dynamic modalities to refer to hybrid traces instead of final states. Further, we prove that this gives a conservative extension of QdL for distributed hybrid systems. On this basis, we provide a modular verification calculus that reduces correctness of metric temporal behavior of distributed hybrid systems to generic temporal reasoning and then non-temporal reasoning, and prove that we obtain a complete axiomatization relative to the non-temporal base logic QdL.
Glycan modifying enzymes in luminal fluid of rat epididymis: Are they involved in altering sperm surface glycoproteins during maturation?

Testicular spermatozoa undergo morphological and biochemical alterations, collectively termed epididymal maturation, in the intraluminal environment of epididymis. As a result of these modifications, the spermatozoon becomes a motile and functionally competent cell capable of undergoing capacitation and binding to the zona pellucida, the extracellular coat that surrounds the mammalian oocyte. Although details of all the changes are not fully known, several studies provide evidence suggesting that sperm plasma membrane undergoes extensive biochemical changes, including organization and modification of surface glycoproteins as spermatozoa transit from the proximal to the distal epididymis. In this article, I have attempted to summarize results with two sets of glycoprotein (glycan)‐modifying enzymes, namely, glycohydrolases (hydrolytic enzymes) and glycosyltransferases (synthetic enzymes) present in the epididymal luminal fluid (LF). The in vitro experimental approaches described in this report demonstrate that: 1) a PNA‐positive glycoprotein(s) (containing O‐linked glycan) of 135–150 kDa subunit molecular mass which is present on the surface of caput (but not the cauda) spermatozoa can be degalactosylated by the enzymatic digestion with LF β‐D‐galactosidase; and 2) an N‐linked glycan chain(s) which is present on a sperm surface glycoprotein (apparent subunit molecular mass of 86 kDa) can be fucosylated in vitro when distal caput sperm (or sperm plasma membrane‐rich fractions) are incubated in the presence of a nucleotide sugar (GDP[14C]fucose). Combined, these results strongly suggest a role for the glycan‐modifying enzymes in degalactosylation and fucosylation of sperm surface glycoproteins during epididymal transit. Microsc. Res. Tech. 61:18–27, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evolution of El Niño‐precipitation relationships from satellites and gauges

[1] This study uses a 23 year (1979–2001) satellite-gauge merged community data set to further describe the relationship between El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and precipitation. The globally complete precipitation fields reveal coherent bands of anomalies that extend from the tropics to the polar regions. El Nino-precipitation relationships were analyzed during the six strongest events from 1979 to 2001. El Ninos were defined based on the zonal contrast in rainfall in the equatorial Pacific, and seasons of precipitation evolution (pre-onset, onset, peak, decay, and postdecay) were identified. Areas with a consistent El Nino-precipitation relationship were determined based on this unique definition of El Nino and season of year. The latter analysis confirms previous studies and suggests other areas of significant signal over the oceans (Gulf of Alaska). The former analysis reveals subtle shifts in tropical rainfall from onset to decay, namely negative anomalies moving from the Maritime Continent and South Pacific to the north tropical Pacific and positive anomalies from the central equatorial Pacific southeastward. These distributions of tropical convection appear to be connected to extratropical precipitation anomalies through meridional atmospheric circulations, concentrated in the eastern Indian Ocean sector during onset and in the Pacific sector during decay. The Yangtze River basin, which is known to flood during El Nino, is affected during the entire evolution.
Joint learning of foreground region labeling and depth ordering

This paper considers a joint learning algorithm of foreground region labeling and depth ordering for 3D scene understanding. Given an object-level segmentation, the proposed algorithm classifies each region as either foreground or background while simultaneously infers the relative depth orders between every adjacent region pairs. For this, we consider a graph where regions are considered as nodes while boundaries between adjacent regions as edges, and the problem is formulated as jointly assigning binary labels to every nodes and edges via maximizing a unified linear discriminant function, under the constraints that make the resulting depth order to be always physically plausible. Instead of inferring region and edge labels separately, we infer them jointly by grouping them as a single variable referred to as triplet. Then, the problem is reformulated as multi-class triplet prediction to penalize the inconsistent labeling of regions and edges in a soft manner. As the discriminant function is linear, the parameters can be learned with structured support vector machine(S-SVM), and efficient inference using linear programming relaxation is possible. Experimental results show that the proposed joint inference algorithm improves both foreground region labeling and depth ordering performances.
2001: Reflections on the Spatial Odysseys of New Zealanders

‘Brain drain’ has been one of the abiding topics of public debate during 2000. Emigration of New Zealanders much more than immigration of new settlers has dominated discourses about international migration, even though for much of the year the country experienced overall net migration gains rather than net losses. This paper addresses the migration of New Zealanders with reference to both the international shortage of skilled labour, especially ‘white’ English speaking labour, and the growing debate about ‘replacement’ migration. The gradual recognition, both by politicians and academics, of a ‘New Zealand diaspora’ is examined.
Standing Balance and Functional Recovery of Patients with Right and Left Hemiparesis in the Early Stages of Rehabilitation

The objective was to determine the effects of the side of brain lesion on recovery of functional abilities and balance control among subjects 2 months following a stroke. There were 104 patients admitted consecutively to a geriatric rehabilitation center following their first stroke to the anterior brain circulation who were followed for 2 months. Fifteen age-matched individuals with no known impairments served as the control group. Functional ability was assessed with the Barthel Index and the Functional Ambulation Category. Posturographic testing was used to determine total sway and symmetry of weight distribution with eyes open and closed. Tests were performed 1 and 2 months poststroke. The results show that lesion side affects the recovery of independent stance 2 months following a stroke, with more patients with right hemiparesis able to reach this milestone. However, no difference was found in functional ability and balance control between patients with left and right hemiparesis who are able to stand independently by 1 month poststroke. Function and mobility improve during the 2nd month of rehabilitation (P = 0.001), but stance unsteadiness and asymmetry do not. The side of brain lesion seems to affect recovery of independent stance with an advantage to patients with right hemiparesis. However, there is no difference between balance control of individuals with left versus right hemiparesis in patients who reach independent stance by the end of the 1st month following their stroke.
Non-convex Rank/Sparsity Regularization and Local Minima

This paper considers the problem of recovering either a low rank matrix or a sparse vector from observations of linear combinations of the vector or matrix elements. Recent methods replace the non-convex regularization with ℓ1 or nuclear norm relaxations. It is well known that this approach recovers near optimal solutions if a so called restricted isometry property (RIP) holds. On the other hand it also has a shrinking bias which can degrade the solution. In this paper we study an alternative non-convex regularization term that does not suffer from this bias. Our main theoretical results show that if a RIP holds then the stationary points are often well separated, in the sense that their differences must be of high cardinality/rank. Thus, with a suitable initial solution the approach is unlikely to fall into a bad local minimum. Our numerical tests show that the approach is likely to converge to a better solution than standard ℓ1/nuclear-norm relaxation even when starting from trivial initializations. In many cases our results can also be used to verify global optimality of our method.
An Iterative and Toolchain-Based Approach to Automate Scanning and Mapping Computer Networks

As today's organizational computer networks are ever evolving and becoming more and more complex, finding potential vulnerabilities and conducting security audits has become a crucial element in securing these networks. The first step in auditing a network is reconnaissance by mapping it to get a comprehensive overview over its structure. The growing complexity, however, makes this task increasingly effortful, even more as mapping (instead of plain scanning), presently, still involves a lot of manual work. Therefore, the concept proposed in this paper automates the scanning and mapping of unknown and non-cooperative computer networks in order to find security weaknesses or verify access controls. It further helps to conduct audits by allowing comparing documented with actual networks and finding unauthorized network devices, as well as evaluating access control methods by conducting delta scans. It uses a novel approach of augmenting data from iteratively chained existing scanning tools with context, using genuine analytics modules to allow assessing a network's topology instead of just generating a list of scanned devices. It further contains a visualization model that provides a clear, lucid topology map and a special graph for comparative analysis. The goal is to provide maximum insight with a minimum of a priori knowledge.
Making Sense of Traumatic Experiences: Telling Your Life With Fragile X Syndrome

The discourse of individuals with fragile X syndrome has been described as fragmented, tangential, and associatively connected, resulting in autobiographical narratives that are incoherent and difficult to understand. In this article, the authors discuss the case of an adolescent female with moderate mental retardation due to fragile X syndrome. The analysis of her autobiographical stories, rather than being primarily reflective of cognitive impoverishment, reveals a different—narrative—mode of thought. The authors present and examine some of her narratives in terms of their specific functions: communication, coherence, exploration, distancing, and evaluation. Their findings suggest that narrative analysis can be an important complement to traditional neuropsychological assessment.