Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of Spirorchiid Trematodes in Gastropod Tissues by Polymerase Chain Reaction: Preliminary Identification of an Intermediate Host of Learedius learedi

Abstract Marine spirorchiid trematodes are associated with morbidity and mortality in sea turtles worldwide. The intermediate hosts remain unknown, and discovery efforts are hindered by the large number and great diversity of potential hosts within sea turtle habitats, as well the potential for low prevalence and overdispersion. A high-throughput DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction–based method was developed to detect the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region of the ribosomal gene of 2 spirorchiid genera, Learedius and Hapalotrema, within pooled samples of gastropod tissues. A model system consisting of freshwater snail (Pomacea bridgesii) tissues and DNA extracts spiked with adult Learedius learedi and known quantities of spirorchiid DNA was used to develop and test the technique. Threshold of detection was found to be equivalent to an early prepatent infection within 1.5 g of gastropod tissue. This technique was used to screen approximately 25 species of marine gastropods at a captive facility where green turtles (Chelonia mydas) become infected by L. learedi. The parasite was detected in a sample of knobby keyhole limpet (Fissurella nodosa), thus providing the first evidence of an intermediate host for a marine spirorchiid trematode. This technique has many potential applications in trematode life cycle discovery studies.
University of Birmingham Topographical expression of class IA and class II phosphoinositide 3-kinase enzymes in normal human tissues is consistent with a role in differentiation

Background: Growth factor, cytokine and chemokine-induced activation of PI3K enzymes constitutes the start of a complex signalling cascade, which ultimately mediates cellular activities such as proliferation, differentiation, chemotaxis, survival, trafficking, and glucose homeostasis. The PI3K enzyme family is divided into 3 classes; class I (subdivided into IA and IB), class II (PI3K-C2α, PI3K-C2β and PI3K-C2γ) and class III PI3K. Expression of these enzymes in human tissue has not been clearly defined. Methods: In this study, we analysed the immunohistochemical topographical expression profile of class IA (antip85 adaptor) and class II PI3K (PI3K-C2α and PI3K-C2β) enzymes in 104 formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded normal adult human (age 33–71 years, median 44 years) tissue specimens including those from the gastrointestinal, genitourinary, hepatobiliary, endocrine, integument and lymphoid systems. Antibody specificity was verified by Western blotting of cell lysates and peptide blocking studies. Immunohistochemistry intensity was scored from undetectable to strong. Results: PI3K enzymes were expressed in selected cell populations of epithelial or mesenchymal origin. Columnar epithelium and transitional epithelia were reactive but mucous secreting and stratified squamous epithelia were not. Mesenchymal elements (smooth muscle and endothelial cells) and glomerular epithelium were only expressed PI3K-C2α while ganglion cells expressed p85 and PI3K-C2β. All three enzymes were detected in macrophages, which served as an internal positive control. None of the three PI3K isozymes was detected in the stem cell/progenitor compartments or in B lymphocyte aggregates. Conclusions: Taken together, these data suggest that PI3K enzyme distribution is not ubiquitous but expressed selectively in fully differentiated, non-proliferating cells. Identification of the normal in vivo expression pattern of class IA and class II PI3K paves the way for further analyses which will clarify the role played by these enzymes in inflammatory, neoplastic and other human disease conditions. Published: 16 October 2003 BMC Clinical Pathology 2003, 3:4 Received: 07 August 2003 Accepted: 16 October 2003 This article is available from: http://www.biomedcentral. com/1472-6890/3/4 © 2003 El Sheikh et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original URL.
DoOR 2.0 - Comprehensive Mapping of Drosophila melanogaster Odorant Responses

Odors elicit complex patterns of activated olfactory sensory neurons. Knowing the complete olfactome, i.e. the responses in all sensory neurons for all relevant odorants, is desirable to understand olfactory coding. The DoOR project combines all available Drosophila odorant response data into a single consensus response matrix. Since its first release many studies were published: receptors were deorphanized and several response profiles were expanded. In this study, we add unpublished data to the odor-response profiles for four odorant receptors (Or10a, Or42b, Or47b, Or56a). We deorphanize Or69a, showing a broad response spectrum with the best ligands including 3-hydroxyhexanoate, alpha-terpineol, 3-octanol and linalool. We include all of these datasets into DoOR, provide a comprehensive update of both code and data, and new tools for data analyses and visualizations. The DoOR project has a web interface for quick queries (http://neuro.uni.kn/DoOR), and a downloadable, open source toolbox written in R, including all processed and original datasets. DoOR now gives reliable odorant-responses for nearly all Drosophila olfactory responding units, listing 693 odorants, for a total of 7381 data points.
Dialog-context dependent language modeling combining n-grams and stochastic context-free grammars

We present our research on dialog dependent language modeling. In accordance with a speech (or sentence) production model in a discourse we split language modeling into two components; namely, dialog dependent concept modeling and syntactic modeling. The concept model is conditioned on the last question prompted by the dialog system and it is structured using n-grams. The syntactic model, which consists of a collection of stochastic context-free grammars one for each concept, describes word sequences that may be used to express the concepts. The resulting LM is evaluated by rescoring N-best lists. We report significant perplexity improvement with moderate word error rate drop within the context of the CU Communicator System; a dialog system for making travel plans by accessing information about flights, hotels and car rentals.
Parenting in the Breach: How Parents Help Children Cope with Developmentally Challenging Circumstances

SYNOPSIS This article advocates for a new focus in the area parenting science; namely, how parents help their children cope with and recover from events and conditions that threaten serious disruption to normal, healthy development. These events and conditions, organized under the rubric of developmentally challenging circumstances (DCCs), include events such as war, natural disasters, parental suicide and sexual abuse, serious personal loss that may come with the death of a family member, highly destabilizing interpersonal circumstances such as can occur when family members have serious mental health and substance abuse problems or when children witness interparental violence, and highly destabilizing social or physical circumstances, which can occur as a result of divorce, homelessness, or parental incarceration. These circumstances are at the upper end of conditions that cause stress; they are of a kind that create high levels of emotional distress and threaten long-term maladaptive reorganization of personality. The article offers a broad framework, organized around the major tasks of parenting, for systematic and integrative inquiry on what parents do to assist their children in managing DCCs and moving toward recovery. It also argues for research on the effects of these efforts.
Scalability study of ultra-dense networks with access point placement restrictions

Network densification appears to be a scalable means of addressing increasing traffic demands. Indeed, network densification can, at least theoretically, logarithmically increase the delivered traffic in a given area when assuming that access points can be placed arbitrarily close to the users. In practice, however, access points cannot be placed arbitrarily close to the users because of geographical constraints. In this paper, we quantitatively evaluate this scalability issue in a very densely populated pedestrian street where access points cannot be placed anywhere on the street itself, but only on walls abutting the street. By means of simulations, we obtain the optimal number of access points for a maximum average user throughput and show how this number is affected by user distribution, street width, and beamwidth of the antenna.
ST–Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Randomized to a Pharmaco-Invasive Strategy or Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Strategic Reperfusion Early After Myocardial Infarction (STREAM) 1-Year Mortality Follow-Up

Background— In the Strategic Reperfusion Early After Myocardial Infarction (STREAM) trial, a pharmaco-invasive (PI) strategy was compared with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) in ST—segment-elevation myocardial infarction patients presenting within 3 hours after symptom onset but unable to undergo pPCI within 1 hour. At 30 days, the PI approach was associated with a nominally but nonstatistically significant lower incidence of the composite primary end point of death, shock, congestive heart failure, and reinfarction when compared with pPCI. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of these strategies on 1-year mortality. Methods and Results— Vital status at 1 year was available in 936 of 944 (99.2%) and 941 of 948 (99.3%) patients in the PI and pPCI arm, respectively. At 1 year, all-cause mortality rates (6.7% versus 5.9%) were similar for PI and pPCI-treated patients (P=0.49; risk ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.79–1.62). Cardiac mortality rates were similar as well (4.0% versus 4.1%, P=0.93; risk ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.62–1.54). Overall, only 34 patients died between day 30 and 1 year, 20 in the PI arm and 14 in the pPCI arm, of whom 20 died of noncardiac reasons (13 in the PI and 7 in the pPCI arm). There was no significant difference in 1-year all-cause mortality between the 2 groups among the prespecified key subgroups. Conclusions— At 1 year, mortality rates in the PI and pPCI arms were similar in ST—segment-elevation myocardial infarction patients presenting within 3 hours after symptom onset and unable to undergo pPCI within 1 hour. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT00623623.
Semidefinite programming duality on n-D behaviors

A semidefinite programming (SDP) is recognized as a valuable numerical tool in the optimization theory. In this paper, we consider the SDP duality on n-dimensional (n-D) system described by high-order partial differential-algebraic equation in the behavioral framework. We derive an alternative condition for the nonnegativity and positivity of a 2n-variable polynomial matrix as a main result. This condition is applied to derive an alternative condition for checking dissipativity of an n-D behavior.
Group Contention-Based OFDMA MAC Protocol for Multiple Access Interference-Free in WLAN Systems

In WLAN systems, the difference in propagation delay among stations (STAs) can exceed the predefined cyclic prefix length, leading to multiple access interference (MAI). To solve this MAI problem, it is necessary to use a longer cyclic prefix length for orthogonality between different subchannels; however, this sacrifices system efficiency due to the cyclic prefix overhead. In this paper, we propose a group contention-based OFDMA to solve the MAI problem with an adequate cyclic prefix length and support a larger number of STAs. The STAs within the cyclic prefix duration that are synchronized to an access point (AP), are included in the same contending group and compete with other STAs of the group in transmitting packets. The proposed scheme allows for the adoption of an adequate cyclic prefix length without MAI, and is able to reduce the cyclic prefix overhead. In addition, since no packet errors are induced by MAI in any of the STAs, the STAs can transmit simultaneously without redundant short interframe spaces (SIFSs) and other control packets. Through analysis and simulation, we show that for a large number of STAs, the proposed scheme achieves higher throughput than 802.11 protocols and a conventional CSMA combined with OFDMA.
Sensitivity Analysis of Wave Propagation in a Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube

Literal expressions of the parameters characterizing the common mode wave propagation in a single-walled carbon nanotube are presented. The sensitivity functions of the line parameters with respect to the frequency and the distributed line constants are represented in analytical form. The “electrically short” nano transmission line is described by a very simple simulation model. Frequency spectra of the line parameters and their sensitivity functions are shown in the range up to 10 GHz.
From Consideration to Commitment: Factors in Adults’ Decisions to Enroll in a Higher Education Degree Program

Abstract This study identified factors associated with the decision to enroll in a higher education degree program. In the context of predicting enrollment in a workforce development credentialing program, this study identified six variables that are strongly related to the likelihood to enroll: time out of school; possibilities for intellectual, personal, and career opportunities; institutional support; synchronizing learning and earning; reflective learner; and match with an academic reputation. Results suggest that enrollment is the result of an interaction among situational, occupational, and institutional factors rather than primarily a desire or need to acquire knowledge as a commodity. The decision to enroll in a long-term commitment is a negotiated activity in which self-interests are balanced among various other interests, including the employer, family, friends, and identity as a learner. This study contributes to the literature by suggesting that time out of school is strongly related to the decision to enroll.
LBS system using online map in 3G networks environment

Recent Location Based Services (LBS) is defined and studied in various fields including mobile telecom and ubiquitous computing for their convergence services nature. Also, there are an increasing number of cases in which satellite-based LBS are provided to various application fields such as emergency rescue, logistics control, navigation, and telematics along with active studies on related technologies and standardization. However, current systems have weaknesses in the way they display location information along with strict terminal restrictions. However, effective location information services are possible if online maps are integrated with the recently emerging LBS technologies using 3G networks. This study developed a system that provides location information using online map APIs and the WIBRO network and this can be utilized in disaster prevention and emergency systems such as fire prevention, emergency rescue, and lost child systems. Recent Location Based Services (LBS) are defined and studied in various fields including mobile telecom and ubiquitous computing for their convergence services nature. Also, there are an increasing number of cases in which satellite-based LBS are provided to various application fields such as emergency rescue, logistics control, navigation, and telematics along with active studies on related technologies and standardization. However, current systems have weaknesses in the way they display location information along with strict terminal restrictions. However, effective location information services will be possible if online maps are integrated with the recently emerging LBS technologies using 3G networks. This study developed a system that provides location information using online map APIs and the WIBRO network and this can be utilized in disaster prevention and emergency systems such as fire prevention, emergency rescue, and lost child systems.
A Modified Method For Road Sign Detection & Recognition

Road sign detection is an important for regulating the traffic. In this paper oversegmentation technique is used for the detection and recognition of a road sign with the integration of shape analysis. The main focus is on the implementation and efficiency aspect of this technique. There is a detailed analysis of oversegmentation has been shown. This proposed algorithm can be used as a part of driver assistant system. The proposed algorithm can detect road signs with any color and any of the shapes (circle, triangle, rectangle, diamond, pentagon, or octagon). The key feature of oversegmention is to make much of segmentation of the image so that the object and background can be distinguished easily . There is also a creation of predefined database of shapes based on various features which is explained in details in following paper . The accuracy also measures for the detection of road sign. Therefore the proposed technique will address to a wide range of problem for detection of the road sign when the sign is partially occluded, rotated, scaled and tilted.
Regulation of secondary wall synthesis and cell death by NAC transcription factors in the monocot Brachypodium distachyon

In several dicotyledonous species, NAC transcription factors act as master switches capable of turning on programmes of secondary cell-wall synthesis and cell death. This work used an oestradiol-inducible system to overexpress the NAC transcription factor BdSWN5 in the monocot model Brachypodium distachyon. This resulted in ectopic secondary cell-wall formation in both roots and shoots. Some of the genes upregulated in the process were a secondary cell-wall cellulose synthase (BdCESA4), a xylem-specific protease (BdXCP1) and an orthologue of AtMYB46 (BdMYB1). While activation of BdMYB1 may not be direct, this study showed that BdSWN5 is capable of transactivating the BdXCP1 promoter through two conserved binding sites. In the course of Brachypodium development, the BdXCP1 promoter was observed to be active in all types of differentiating tracheary elements. Together, these results suggest that Brachypodium SWNs can act as switches that turn on secondary cell-wall synthesis and programmed cell death.
Agent‐based ontology mapping and integration towards interoperability

Abstract: Interoperability is an important issue in ontology research. In this paper, a novel agent‐based framework for managing ontologies in a dynamic environment is developed. The framework has several key characteristics such as flexibility and extensibility that differentiate this research from others. Based on the proposed framework, ontology mapping and integration are investigated. It is believed that inter‐ontology processes like ontology mapping with logical semantics are foundations of ontology‐based applications. Accordingly, several types of semantic relations are proposed and corresponding mapping mechanisms are developed. Based on mapping results, ontology integration is developed to provide abstract views for participating organizations in the presence of a variety of ontologies. A prototype is built to demonstrate the design and functionalities and is applied to beer ontologies. The prototype shows that the framework is not only flexible but also practical. All agents derived from the framework exhibit their behaviours as expected.
Transient pulses from exploding primordial black holes as a signature of an extra dimension

An evaporating black hole in the presence of an extra spatial dimension would undergo an explosive phase of evaporation. We show that such an event, involving a primordial black hole, can produce a detectable, distinguishable electromagnetic pulse, signaling the existence of an extra dimension of size L∼10−18–10−20 m. We derive a generic relationship between the Lorentz factor of a pulse-producing ‘fireball’ and the TeV energy scale. For an ordinary toroidally compactified extra dimension, transient radio-pulse searches probe the electroweak energy scale (∼0.1 TeV), enabling comparison with the Large Hadron Collider.
Kitchen Conversations: Democracy in Action at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum

Abstract This article describes the Lower East Side Tenement Museum9s ongoing public dialogue on immigration, the first in the United States. As she joins facilitators in reflecting on the importance of dialogue in a democracy, museum president Ruth J. Abram explains how and why the program was initiated, the obstacles that had to be overcome, and the public reaction to it. Kitchen Conversations represents the museum9s commitment to the proposition that historic sites must function as places of civic engagement, using the history they interpret as a starting place for dialogue on related contemporary issues.
Learning unfair trading: A market manipulation analysis from the reinforcement learning perspective

Market manipulation is a strategy used by traders to alter the price of financial assets. One type of manipulation is based on the process of buying or selling assets by using several trading strategies, among them spoofing is a popular strategy and is considered illegal by market regulators. Some promising tools have been developed to detect price manipulation, but cases can still be found in the markets. In this paper we model spoofing and pinging trading from a macroscopic perspective of profit maximisation, two strategies that differ in the legal background but share the same elemental concept of market manipulation. We use a reinforcement learning framework within the full and partial observability of Markov decision processes and analyse the underlying behaviour of the perpetrators by finding the causes of what encourages these traders to perform fraudulent activities. Procedures can be applied to counter the problem as our model predicts the activity of the manipulators.
Variations in the STK10 gene and possible associations with aspirin-intolerant asthma in a Korean population.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Lymphocyte-oriented kinase deficiency encoded by the serine/threonine kinase 10 (STK10) gene correlates with the intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1)/lymphocyte function associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) complex in aspirin hypersensitivity. This study investigated the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of STK10 and aspirin-intolerant asthma (AIA). METHODS A total of 54 SNPs were genotyped in 163 AIA patients and 429 aspirin-tolerant asthma (ATA) controls. RESULTS Logistic regression revealed that a synonymous variant (rs2306961G>A) had the most significant association with AIA (P = .008 under the codominant model; P = .004 under the dominant model), suggesting that tissue-specific codon usage between Lys_TTT and Lys_CTT could play a role in regulating expression of STK10 in airway epithelium. Haplotype analysis revealed that 4 haplotypes, including STK10_BL4-ht1, which is unique to rs2306961G>A, were significantly associated with aspirin hypersensitivity in asthmatics (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS Although replications in independent cohorts and further functional evaluations are needed, our preliminary findings suggest that STK10 polymorphisms might be susceptible genetic markers of AIA and that gene expression could be mediated by tissue-specific codon usage.
Lexical but nonsemantic spelling

Abstract The paper presents a case report of an aphasic patient who, at 3–4 months after his cerebro-vascular accident, displayed one rather remarkable language skill. Although GE could not speak, repeat, read aloud, name objects, write the names of objects or write spontaneously, he could write words to dictation with an impressively high degree of success. It seems that for GE, unlike patients previously described in the literature with writing substantially more preserved than speech, proceeding from recognition of a spoken word to its orthography was not primarily based upon a semantic representation. It is suggested that GE may provide some of the first convincing evidence for a ‘third’ routine in spelling.