Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of Nitric Oxide in Host Defense in Murine Salmonellosis as a Function of Its Antibacterial and Antiapoptotic Activities

ABSTRACT Host defense functions of nitric oxide (NO) are known for many bacterial infections. In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial effect of NO in murine salmonellosis by using inducible NO synthase (iNOS)-deficient mice infected with an avirulent or virulent Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain. All iNOS-deficient mice died of severe septicemia within 6 days after intraperitoneal injection with an avirulent strain (LT2) to which wild-type mice were highly resistant; 50% lethal doses (LD50s) of the LT2 strain for iNOS-deficient and wild-type mice were 30 CFU and 7 × 104 CFU, respectively. Lack of NO production in iNOS-deficient mice was verified directly by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Bacterial yields in liver and blood were much higher in iNOS-deficient mice than in wild-type mice throughout the course of infection. Very small amounts of a virulent strain of serovar Typhimurium (a clinical isolate, strain Gifu 12142; LD50, 50 CFU) given orally caused severe septicemia in iNOS-deficient animals; wild-type mice tolerated higher doses (LD50, 6 × 102 CFU). Histopathology of livers from infected iNOS-deficient mice revealed extensive damage, such as diffuse hepatocellular apoptosis and increased neutrophil infiltration, but livers from infected wild-type mice showed a limited number of microabscesses, consisting of polymorphonuclear cells and macrophages and low levels of apoptotic change. The LT2 strain was much more susceptible to the bactericidal effect of peroxynitrite than the Gifu strain, suggesting that peroxynitrite resistance may contribute to Salmonella pathogenicity. These results indicate that NO has significant host defense functions in Salmonella infections not only because of its direct antimicrobial effect but also via cytoprotective actions for infected host cells, possibly through its antiapoptotic effect.
Navigation and Sequencing Strategy of Learning Process in Distance Learning Context

Distance learning context means that the learners in a digital learning environment achieve their learning objectives through self-spaced learning or collaborative learning, studying the knowledge contents, passing several tests and acquiring the knowledge they needed. In this context, learners face several learning problems, such as studying the same learning content repeatedly, skipping to the next learning unit before achieving the current learning objective, staying at a learning unit for a long time, and browsing the irrelevant learning units. So developing some navigation and sequencing strategies in the learning process is critical. Some e-learning standardization organization has specified the learning process and learning activities in distance learning contexts. These specifications include IMS Simple Sequencing (SS), ADL SCORM SN and CELTS-8. In this paper, we analyzed these specifications and proposed several navigation and sequencing strategies for distance learning process
Knowledge to Policy: Understanding Poverty to Create Policies that Facilitate Zero Poverty in Brunei Darussalam

The Government of Brunei Darussalam aspires to place Brunei Darussalam (hereafter Brunei) in the top ten countries with the highest quality of life by 2035. In line with this aspiration, the government has set a Zero Poverty 2035 target. But what constitutes poverty in Brunei is not well-known, and this is likely to hamper the country’s poverty elimination efforts. Hence, stakeholders have called for studies to understand the nature of poverty in Brunei. The studies, as we argue, should generate poverty knowledge that is reliable for policy creation. Poverty knowledge that is reliable for policy formulation is that which reflects the characteristics of poverty. Characteristically, poverty is context-specific, experiential, multidimensional and complex. The knowledge should also be generated in the realm of human development that underpins Brunei’s Zero Poverty 2035 target. The generation of such knowledge depends on a poverty worldview that the studies will choose. Mostly, poverty is construed through the income, basic needs and capability worldviews. This paper sheds light on how these three worldviews interpret poverty, and it examines the appropriateness of each worldview in generating poverty knowledge that is reliable for policy creation in Brunei. As the paper reveals, the income, basic needs and capability worldviews construe poverty differently. The capability worldview is the most appropriate because it adequately acknowledges the characteristics of poverty and is firmly linked to the human development paradigm.
Predictive biomarkers of chemotherapy efficacy in colorectal cancer: results from the UK MRC FOCUS trial.

PURPOSE Candidate predictive biomarkers for irinotecan and oxaliplatin were assessed in 1,628 patients in Fluorouracil, Oxaliplatin, CPT-11: Use and Sequencing (FOCUS), a large randomized trial of fluorouracil alone compared with fluorouracil and irinotecan and compared with fluorouracil and oxaliplatin in advanced colorectal cancer. METHODS The candidate biomarkers were: tumor immunohistochemistry for MLH1/MSH2, p53, topoisomerase-1 (Topo1), excision repair cross-complementing gene 1 (ERCC1), O-6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltranserase (MGMT), and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2); germline DNA polymorphisms in GSTP1, ABCB1, XRCC1, ERCC2, and UGT1A1. These were screened in more than 750 patients for interaction with benefit from irinotecan or oxaliplatin; two markers (Topo1 and MLH1/MSH2) met criteria to be taken forward for analysis in the full population. Primary end points were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival. RESULTS One thousand three hundred thirteen patients (81%) were assessable for Topo1 immunohistochemistry (low, < 10%; moderate, 10% to 50%; or high, > 50% tumor nuclei). In patients with low Topo1, PFS was not improved by the addition of either irinotecan (hazard ratio [HR], 0.98; 95% CI, 0.78 to 1.22) or oxaliplatin (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.68 to 1.07); conversely, patients with moderate/high Topo1 benefited from the addition of either drug (HR, 0.48 to 0.70 in all categories; interaction P = .005; overall, P = .001 for irinotecan; P = .05 for oxaliplatin). High Topo1 was associated with a major overall survival benefit with first-line combination chemotherapy (HR, 0.60; median benefit, 5.3 months); patients with moderate or low Topo1 did not benefit (HR, 0.92 and 1.09, respectively; interaction P = .005). MLH1/MSH2 did not show significant interaction with treatment, although the low rate of loss (4.4%) limits the power of the study for this biomarker. CONCLUSION Topo1 immunohistochemistry identified subpopulations that did or did not benefit from irinotecan, and possibly also from oxaliplatin. If verified independently, this information will contribute to the individualization of treatment for colorectal cancer.
Impact of Silicon Nitride Stoichiometry on the Effectiveness of AlGaN/GaN HEMT Field Plates

Field plate (FP) control of current collapse and channel electric field distribution in AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors is investigated as a function of low-pressure chemical vapor deposition silicon-nitride stoichiometry. Dependence of current collapse is seen, however, this also leads to enhanced FP pinchoff voltages and higher leakage. Electric field concentration at the gate edge is indicated by measuring OFF-state Two dimensional electron gas position with a sense contact technique. A model explaining the FP threshold variation due to barrier leakage is proposed.
Logical machines: Peirce on psychologism

Abstract This essay discusses Peirce’s appeal to logical machines as an argument against psychologism. It also contends that some of Peirce’s anti-psychologistic remarks on logic contain interesting premonitions arising from his perception of the asymmetry of proof complexity in monadic and relational logical calculi that were only given full formulation and explication in the early twentieth century through Church’s Theorem and Hilbert’s broad-ranging Entscheidungsproblem.
The sex lives of ctenophores: the influence of light, body size, and self-fertilization on the reproductive output of the sea walnut, Mnemiopsis leidyi

Ctenophores (comb jellies) are emerging as important animals for investigating fundamental questions across numerous branches of biology (e.g., evodevo, neuroscience and biogeography). A few ctenophore species including, most notably, Mnemiopsis leidyi, are considered as invasive species, adding to the significance of studying ctenophore ecology. Despite the growing interest in ctenophore biology, relatively little is known about their reproduction. Like most ctenophores, M. leidyi is a simultaneous hermaphrodite capable of self-fertilization. In this study, we assess the influence of light on spawning, the effect of body size on spawning likelihood and reproductive output, and the cost of self-fertilization on egg viability in M. leidyi. Our results suggest that M. leidyi spawning is more strongly influenced by circadian rhythms than specific light cues and that body size significantly impacts spawning and reproductive output. Mnemiopsis leidyi adults that spawned alone produced a lower percentage of viable embryos versus those that spawned in pairs, suggesting that self-fertilization may be costly in this species. These results provide insight into the reproductive ecology of M. leidyi and provide a fundamental resource for researchers working with them in the laboratory.
Arrovian Aggregation of Convex Preferences

We consider social welfare functions that satisfy Arrow's classic axioms of independence of irrelevant alternatives and Pareto optimality when the outcome space is the convex hull of some finite set of alternatives. Individual and collective preferences are assumed to be continuous and convex, which guarantees the existence of maximal elements and the consistency of choice functions that return these elements, even without insisting on transitivity. We provide characterizations of both the domains of preferences and the social welfare functions that allow for anonymous Arrovian aggregation. The domains admit arbitrary preferences over alternatives, which completely determine an agent's preferences over all mixed outcomes. On these domains, Arrow's impossibility turns into a complete characterization of a unique social welfare function, which can be readily applied in settings involving divisible resources such as probability, time, or money.
The market for person-controlled personal data with the Hub-of-all-Things (HAT)

This paper theorises personal data more fundamentally and exposes the vulnerability of organisation-controlled personal data. It then reports on the micro-economic model design of a new personal data exchange by designing and creating PPD or person-controlled personal data through a new technological artefact called the Hub-of-all-Things (HAT) and report the build and implementation of the mechanisms, coordination and incentive structures for PPD exchanges.
Actual situation of computer crime in the credit and financial sphere of Ukraine (modern aspects)

The purpose of the article is to study computer crimes in the credit and financial sphere based on elements of forensic characteristics of crimes and analysis of the ways of their commission. The relevance of the study is due to the rapid increase in the number of computer crimes in the credit and financial sphere and the low level of their disclosure. The research was conducted using the method of system analysis and synthesis of information obtained from criminal proceedings, as well as reports from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the National Police of Ukraine, from 2014 to 2018. The most actual motives and methods of committing computer crimes in the financial sphere have been analyzed and it has been established that during the period of Ukraine’s independence, the level of economic crimes has increased by almost 300%. The increase in the number of crimes contributes to the distrust of the injured party to the law enforcement agencies, savings of funds of financial institutions on cyber security, low level of information security of the financial sphere of Ukraine, lack of clear coordination between the relevant departments, which are responsible for the investigation of these crimes. The necessity of conducting separate investigative actions at the initial stage of the investigation has been justified in order to facilitate the rapid identification of the suspect, causing material damage and, in general, the investigation process.
A model for predicting individuals’ absolute risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma: Moving toward tailored screening and prevention

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is characterized by rapidly increasing incidence and poor prognosis, stressing the need for preventive and early detection strategies. We used data from a nationwide population‐based case‐control study, which included 189 incident cases of EAC and 820 age‐ and sex‐matched control participants, from 1995 through 1997 in Sweden. We developed risk prediction models based on unconditional logistic regression. Candidate predictors included established and readily identifiable risk factors for EAC. The performance of model was assessed by the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with cross‐validation. The final model could explain 94% of all case patients with EAC (94% population attributable risk) and included terms for gastro‐esophageal reflux symptoms or use of antireflux medication, body mass index (BMI), tobacco smoking, duration of living with a partner, previous diagnoses of esophagitis and diaphragmatic hernia and previous surgery for esophagitis, diaphragmatic hernia or severe reflux or gastric or duodenal ulcer. The AUC was 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.81–0.87) and slightly lower after cross‐validation. A simpler model, based only on reflux symptoms or use of antireflux medication, BMI and tobacco smoking could explain 91% of the case patients with EAC and had an AUC of 0.82 (95% CI 0.78–0.85). These EAC prediction models showed good discriminative accuracy, but need to be validated in other populations. These models have the potential for future use in identifying individuals with high absolute risk of EAC in the population, who may be considered for endoscopic screening and targeted prevention.
Assessment of the future resources and needs for hospitalization in Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative District).

OBJECTIVES To study the 'compression of morbidity' theory in the Hong Kong SAR by analysing the age and gender-specific hospitalization rates and the expected length of stay per patient for the period 1996-2000. 'Compression of morbidity' refers to the hypothesis that medical progress will reduce the duration of morbidity during life more significantly than increasing morbidity by extending life. DESIGN This is a retrospective study based on hospital admissions data from the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong which covers 93% of the patient population. SETTING Age and gender-specific hospitalization rates, expected length of stay and hospitalization needs for each specific age group in Hong Kong from 1996 to 2000, are estimated. MAIN RESULTS There is no empirical support for compression theory; and there is no significant change in the hospital admission rates for the period 1996-2000. The total number of patient days is expected to increase by 80% because of the ageing effect alone. It is projected that the geriatric service will account for more than 60% of the hospital patient days utilization in 2029. The elderly dependency ratio will increase and the social burden for the next generation will be increased, as the working populations size continues to decrease due to low fertility in the Hong Kong SAR. CONCLUSION The health care burden on the government is large and increasing. It is therefore essential to make plans to deal with the ageing population, which is predicted to be at its highest in 2020. The rising effect of public expectations on hospital services exerts further pressure on demand.
[POSTER] Augmented Things: Enhancing AR Applications leveraging the Internet of Things and Universal 3D Object Tracking

With Augmented Reality (AR) reaching its technological maturity, there is a constantly increasing request for AR applications that address a broadened user base. Current AR applications still tend to be spatially and temporally confined either by applying to a single use case or by their tracking requirements. At the same time, with the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), more and more everyday objects are fitted with wireless connection interfaces. In this work, we present the concept of Augmented Things, in which objects carry all the necessary tracking and augmentation information required for AR applications. This allows a user to connect to them, load this information on his personal device and have augmentations such as maintenance instructions or product origin and usage displayed. For this, we also present and evaluate a universally robust 3D object tracking framework based on high quality 3D scans of the objects.
Convergence results of the fictitious domain method for a mixed formulation of the wave equation with a Neumann boundary condition

The problem of modeling acoustic waves scattered by an object with Neumann boundary condition is considered. The boundary condition is taken into account by means of the fictitious domain method, yielding a first order in time mixed variational formulation for the problem. The resulting system is discretized with two families of mixed finite elements that are compatible with mass lumping. We present numerical results illustrating that the Neumann boundary condition on the object is not always correctly taken into account when the first family of mixed finite elements is used. We, therefore, introduce the second family of mixed finite elements for which a theoretical convergence analysis is presented and error estimates are obtained. A numerical study of the convergence is also considered for a particular object geometry which shows that our theoretical error estimates are optimal.
Dosage Effect of the Spelta Gene Q of Hexaploid Wheat.

A dosage effect of chromosome 5A (formerly IX) of common wheat, Triticum aestivum L. emend Thell. ssp. vulgare, has been well established. With increasing dosage from monosomic to tetrasomic, the phenotype changes from speltoid to normal vulgare type (squarehead) to subcompactoid to compactoid (HUSKINS 1946; SEARS 1952, 1954) (Figure 1 and Table 3) . This is due to the pleiotropic gene Q located near the distal end of the long arm of the chromosome (UNRAU, SMITH and MCGINNIS 1950; MACKEY 1954). The two major effects of Q, speltoid suppression and squareheadedness, were thought to be controlled by two different genes, k and q, until MACKEY (1954) found that the two genes were actually identical and incorporated them into a single dominant gene Q. It is the gene Q which makes ssp. vulgare different from ssp. spelta, and spontaneous or induced speltoid mutation (similar to ssp. spelta) in ssp. uulgare is considered to be a deficiency for a segment including Q (SMITH, HUSKINS and SANDER 1949; MACKEY 1954). MACKEY also suggested that the difference between the spelta and speltoid effects is simply due to the modifying effect of genes at other loci. In ssp. vulgare there are many varieties which are squarehead. The difference between squareheadedness and non-squareheadedness is also attributed to genes that modify Q rather than to any difference in Q itself (SEARS 1956). SEARS (unpublished) demonstrated this by substituting chromosome 5A from the non-squarehead strain “Hope” into the squarehead variety Chinese Spring. using a monosomic method (SEARS 1953). The resulting plant was as squarehead as Chinese Spring. Thus Chinese Spring provides a background that leads to squareheadedness in the presence of two Q genes. This dependence of squareheadedness on modifiers fits well with the fact mentioned by HUSKINS and SANDER (1949) that there is little difference in glume characters among speltoid mutants, although the parent strains show wide variation. The dosage series of the spelta gene q (an allele of Q) was also obtained up to four doses (SEARS unpublished). The gene behaved as a null allele. This result tends to favor MACKEY’S (1954) suggestion that ssp. spelta originated as a speltoid mutation-i.e., as a deficiency for Q locus. As SEARS (1954, 1956)
Optimizing the utilization of kidneys from small pediatric deceased donors under 15 kg by choosing pediatric recipients

Currently, most kidneys from small pediatric deceased donors are transplanted into adult recipients (i.e., PTA). However, due to the weight mismatch, there is a high discard rate and a high ratio of EBKTs if adopting PTA. Here, we sought both to optimize utilization of these challenging but scarce donor grafts by selecting pediatric recipients and to characterize the feasibility and efficacy of this PTP allocation strategy. From February 2012 to October 2014, kidneys from 27 infant donors ≤15 kg were procured and distributed to 38 pediatric candidates in our center. The grafts were utilized for EBKT if the donor weighed 2.5–5 kg and for SKT if the donor weighed 5–15 kg, leading to 10 EBKTs and 28 SKTs. The overall utilization rate from small pediatric deceased donors was 94.12%. After a follow‐up of 3–26 months, the graft survival rate was 89.47%, with four graft losses due to vascular thrombosis. Kidneys from low‐body‐weight donors should be applied to pediatric recipients, and the kidneys from infant donors ≥5 kg can be used in single‐kidney‐transplant procedures at experienced centers to optimize utilization.
Artefacts in measuring joint moments may lead to incorrect clinical conclusions: the nexus between science (biomechanics) and sports injury prevention!

Measuring joint moments at high speed is integral for sports-related research, but substantial artefacts can arise with certain computational methods. This is relevant for BJSM readers as measurement errors can lead to flawed conclusions. Potential settings where errors have the potential to creep in include anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) risk factor studies, running biomechanics analysis and other fields where biomechanists study fast movements. Our recent paper in Journal of Biomechanics demonstrated the effect of different filtering of force and marker data in joint moment calculations.1 This paper explains those findings for the clinical readership of BJSM and highlights the areas where it may be wise to ‘proceed with caution’ when interpreting previous studies that aim to identify key risk factors for injury. Estimates of joint moments are fundamental in the study of sporting motion. Joint moments calculated in standard motion analysis are net joint moments, the total effect of all structures that produce forces that work across the joint. Joint moments stem from muscle forces, articular contact and ligaments. We are interested in joint moments because, unlike these separate forces, they can be measured. A correct interpretation of joint moments may help us understand which muscles and ligaments are at risk of injury in certain settings. If biomechanics is not your thing, feel free to skip down to ‘Implications’ below. Joint moments are normally calculated through the process of inverse dynamics, where ground reaction forces (force plate data) and segment accelerations (marker data—the reflective markers attached to the participant) are combined. In all high-impact movements, such as running and sidestep cutting, it is normal to see an impact peak in ground reaction force that will result in high acceleration of body segments. Unfortunately, due to random noise in the measurement of marker positions, current motion analysis systems cannot reliably …