Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Efficient Classification Method for Knee MR Image Segmentation

Aiming at application to automated recognition of knee bone magnetic resonance (MR) images, an evolutional classification method called CBGA-LDIC is proposed. CBGA-LDIC finds an appropriate cell set towards efficient image segmentation. This method uses location-dependent image classification (LDIC), which is integrated by genetic algorithm (GA) combined with case based reasoning (CB). LDIC introduces a new but local heuristics for image segmentation, and defines multiple classifiers dependent on location. Each classifier is trained by Gaussian mixture model. CBGA-LDIC decomposes the whole image into some cells, makes a set of cells, and then trains classifiers. Since the knee bones and/or their formations are similar in their location, good combinations of cells seem useful for other clients and are stored in case bases. Thus this method is expected to produce the better results when good combinations of cells are selected from cases as initial individuals of GA, especially through its repetition on restarting GA. This is verified by some experimentations shown in this paper.
Value Relevance of Corporate Donations

Abstract This paper examines whether corporate donations, a form of CSR activity, have a positive impact on firm value. The impact of donations on value may suffer from agency problems or poor quality in the choice of donee. However, we expect that, on balance, donations would have a positive impact on value. We use a sample of 52,199 firm-year observations from 42 countries for the period 1998 to 2014 and conduct our tests using the Collins et al. (1999) adaptation of the Ohlson (1995) model. Our evidence supports our expectation that corporate donations have a positive impact on firm value. We also find that CSR performance, and the country level variables for culture and corruption, moderate the contribution to value. Our results are robust to several sensitivity tests including an alternative measure of donations, additional country-level control variables, and variation in the study sample.
The Effect of Moisture on the Critical Defect Size For Delamination Failure at the Pad/Encapsulant Interface of Plastic IC Packages Undergoing Solder Reflow

During the solder reflow process thermal stresses are induced in a plastic-encapsulated IC package due to the mismatch of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the plastic encapsulant, the silicon chip and the leadframe-pad. Inherent voids or defects at the interface between leadframe-pad and the encapsulant become sites of stress concentration which can result in the delamination of interfaces during solder reflow. Moreover, if the package has absorbed moisture before solder reflow, it is well known that moisture does increase the likelihood of delamination and popcorn failure. In order to assess whether a defect of a particular size would lead to delamination of the pad/encapsulant interface, a necessary prerequisite for popcorn failure, it would be useful to determine what the critical defect size might be and how this is affected by moisture. This is the main objective of this paper. A 160-leaded PQFP was used as the test vehicle in this investigation. The mechanics of delamination growth along the pad/encapsulant interface was studied by varying the initial delamination from 0.1 mm to 3.5 mm. The analysis was done for packages with and without the die. It was found that G increased and reached a maximum before declining with further increase of delamination size. It is significant to note that the point when the maximum G occurred was when the tip of the delamination was just below the die edge. The effects of using different leadframe materials were studied. Alloy 42 was found to give a higher value of G than copper, leading to increased tendency to delamination. It was also found that increasing levels of moisture decreases the critical crack size for delamination
Mutant Huntingtin Impairs Axonal Trafficking in Mammalian Neurons In Vivo and In Vitro

ABSTRACT Recent data in invertebrates demonstrated that huntingtin (htt) is essential for fast axonal trafficking. Here, we provide direct and functional evidence that htt is involved in fast axonal trafficking in mammals. Moreover, expression of full-length mutant htt (mhtt) impairs vesicular and mitochondrial trafficking in mammalian neurons in vitro and in whole animals in vivo. Particularly, mitochondria become progressively immobilized and stop more frequently in neurons from transgenic animals. These defects occurred early in development prior to the onset of measurable neurological or mitochondrial abnormalities. Consistent with a progressive loss of function, wild-type htt, trafficking motors, and mitochondrial components were selectively sequestered by mhtt in human Huntington's disease-affected brain. Data provide a model for how loss of htt function causes toxicity; mhtt-mediated aggregation sequesters htt and components of trafficking machinery leading to loss of mitochondrial motility and eventual mitochondrial dysfunction.
Suppression of Rat Thromboxane Synthase Gene Transcription by Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor γ in Macrophages via an Interaction with NRF2*

We have studied the transcription regulation of the rat thromboxane synthase (TXS) gene by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in macrophages. The transcription activity of a cloned 5′-flanking region (1.6 kilobases) of the rat TXS gene (5′FL-TXS) was examined by luciferase reporter gene assay. TXS mRNA expression and the transcription activity of 5′FL-TXS were inhibited by PPARγ ligands, 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2(PGJ2), and the thiazolidinedione troglitazone (TRO) in a dose-dependent manner. Overexpression of PPARγ also significantly suppressed transcription, and further addition of PGJ2 or TRO augmented the suppression. Deletion analysis showed that the element responsible for the PPARγ effect is located in a region containing the nuclear factor E2 (NF-E2)/AP-1 site (−98/−88), which was indicated to be the major promoter of the TXS gene. By electrophoretic mobility shift assay using the NF-E2/AP-1 site and nuclear extracts from macrophages, we observed a specific protein-DNA complex formation, which was inhibited by a specific antibody against the transcription factor NRF2 (NF-E2-related factor2). Moreover, the complex was decreased with PGJ2, TRO, or in vitro translated PPARγ. The transcription suppression by PPARγ was confirmed using this truncated NRF2-binding element (−98/−88) by the reporter gene assay. Finally, a direct interaction between PPARγ and NRF2 was confirmed by glutathione S-transferase pull-down assay. In conclusion, the NRF2-binding site (−98/−88) is the major promoter of 5′FL-TXS which can be suppressed by activated PPARγ via a protein-protein interaction with NRF2 in macrophages.
Dairy consumption in association with weight change and risk of becoming overweight or obese in middle-aged and older women: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND Studies have reported inconsistent findings on the association between dairy product intake and weight change and obesity. Only a few prospective studies have investigated the role of dairy consumption in both weight change and risk of becoming overweight or obese and whether these associations depend on the initial body weight. OBJECTIVE We prospectively investigated how dairy product intake was associated with weight change and risk of becoming overweight or obese in initially normal-weight women. DESIGN We studied 18,438 women aged ≥45 y from the Women's Health Study who were free of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes and had initial body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)) from 18.5 to <25 at baseline. Dairy intake was assessed with the use of a 131-item food-frequency questionnaire. Women self-reported body weight along with obesity-related risk factors on baseline and annual follow-up questionnaires. At each follow-up time, women were categorized as normal weight (BMI: 18.5 to <25), overweight (BMI: 25 to <30), or obese (BMI ≥30). RESULTS During a mean follow-up of 11.2 y, 8238 women became overweight or obese. Multivariable-adjusted mean ± SD changes in body weight during the follow-up (18 y) were 1.90 ± 0.09, 1.88 ± 0.08, 1.86 ± 0.09, 1.82 ± 0.09, and 1.65 ± 0.09 kg in quintiles 1-5 of total dairy intake, respectively (P-trend = 0.003). Greater intake of high-fat dairy products, but not intake of low-fat dairy products, was associated with less weight gain (P-trend = 0.004). In multivariable-adjusted analyses, lower risk of becoming overweight or obese was observed in the highest quintile of high-fat dairy product intake (HR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.86, 0.99). Dietary or supplemental calcium or vitamin D was not associated with risk of becoming overweight or obese. CONCLUSION Greater consumption of total dairy products may be of importance in the prevention of weight gain in middle-aged and elderly women who are initially normal weight.
Microtubules Facilitate Autophagosome Formation and Fusion of Autophagosomes with Endosomes

Nutrient deprivation of eukaryotic cells provokes a variety of stress responses, including autophagy. Autophagy is carried out by autophagosomes which sequester cytosolic components and organelles for degradation after fusion with protease‐containing endosomes. To determine the role of microtubules in autophagy, we used nocodazole and vinblastine to disrupt microtubules and independently measured formation and fusion of autophagsosomes in primary rat hepatocytes. By measuring the translocation of GFP‐LC3, an autophagosomal marker, to autophagosomes and the lipidation of GFP‐LC3, we quantified the rate and magnitude of autophagosome formation. Starvation increased both the rate of autophagosome formation over the basal level and the total number of autophagosomes per cell. Maximal autophagosome formation required an intact microtubule network. Fusion of autophagosomes with endosomes, assayed by acquisition of protease‐inhibitor sensitivity as well as overlap with LysoTracker Red‐positive endosomes, required intact microtubules. Live‐cell imaging demonstrated that autophagosomes were motile structures, and their movement also required microtubules. Interestingly, vinblastine stimulated autophagosome formation more than twofold before any discernable change in the microtubule network was observed. Stimulation of autophagosome formation by vinblastine was independent of nutrients and mTOR activity but was inhibited by depletion of the Autophagy proteins Atg5 and Atg6, known to be required for autophagy.
Identification of essential nucleotides of the FP1 element responsible for enhancement of low density lipoprotein receptor gene transcription.

Low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene is regulated at the transcriptional level by the intracellular level of sterols in animal cells. We have recently identified a 20 bp long region (-145 to -126), designated Footprint 1 (FP1), participating in maximal expression of the human LDL receptor gene in the absence of sterols in HepG2 cells [Mehta, K. D. , Chang, R. , Underwood, J., Wise, J. and Kumar, A. (1996) J. Biol. Chem . , 271, 33616-33622]. To determine the minimal FP1 sequence and to define the critical nucleotides required for function, a series of single nucleotide substitutions were introduced in the FP1 region. Twenty-three independent mutations were analyzed by transfection into HepG2 cells. These studies localize the regulatory region to 14 bp and demonstrate the requirement for essential guanine nucleotides at positions -135 and -136 for FP1 function. Furthermore, transfection studies suggest that the FP1-dependent increase in reporter gene expression is possibly mediated through interaction with the sterol-regulatory element. UV cross-linking and Southwestern blot analysis identified FP1-binding factors of approximately 50 and 125 kDa, which we have denoted p50 and p125. Mutations of the critical guanine residues (-135/-136) decreased the formation of the specific protein-DNA complex with the FP1 sequence and abolished its binding to the p125. We conclude that direct interaction of the p125 factor with these nucleotides of the FP1 element potentially contributes to FP1-dependent induction of LDL receptor gene expression.
Reference Price and Its Asymmetric Effects on Price Evaluations: The Moderating Role of Gender

Empirical research shows that customers form price evaluations by comparing the actual price with a reference price. The relative use of an internal reference price (IRP) versus an external reference price (ERP) is an important issue in the lodging industry due to the popularity of price-comparison–based advertising. Although prior literature shows that demographic factors influence the relative use of IRP and ERP, the impact of gender on the relationship between reference prices and price evaluations has received scant attention in both hospitality and marketing contexts. Drawing on the agency-communal theory, the current research examines the effect of gender on the use of IRP and ERP in price evaluations. The findings indicate that males are more susceptible to IRP than to ERP, whereas females are only influenced by ERP. Relevant managerial implications are drawn in terms of pricing and promotional strategies.
1/ $f$  Noise in Mid-Wavelength Infrared Detectors With InAs/GaSb Superlattice Absorber

The role of generation-recombination (g-r) and diffusion currents in the generation of 1/f noise was investigated in mid-wavelength infrared detectors with InAs/GaSb superlattice (SL) absorber. Modeling of the dark current reveals the region where g-r and/or diffusion currents dominate over the leakage current (shuntand/or trap-assisted tunneling). Measurements of 1/f noise at constant reverse bias versus temperature show that noise intensity follows squared leakage current. There is no contribution to 1/f noise from g-r or diffusion currents or it is too small to be observed. This property should be attributed to InAs/GaSb SL material rather than to device specific features, since the batch of examined devices contained specimens with various architecture, passivation method, and substrate. Results for SL-based devices were compared with the state-of-the-art HgCdTe detectors. In these detectors, dedicated for high operating temperature, correlation between g-r/diffusion currents and 1/f noise is significant.
Type 1 diabetes‐associated cognitive decline: A meta‐analysis and update of the current literature 1型糖尿病相关的认知能力下降：一项对最新文献的meta分析

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) can have a significant impact on brain structure and function, which is referred to as T1D‐associated cognitive decline (T1DACD). Diabetes duration, early onset disease, and diabetes‐associated complications are all proposed as factors contributing to T1DACD. However, there have been no comparisons in T1DACD between children and adults with T1D. To obtain a better insight into the occurrence and effects of T1DACD in T1D, the aim of the present meta‐analysis was to investigate differences between children and adults and to analyse factors contributing T1DACD.
Will feeding high sugar grass reduce methane emission by grazing dairy cows

This study aimed at investigating the effect of feeding high sugar grasses to dairy cows on CH4 emission using modeling approaches. The dynamic mechanistic rumen model of Dijkstra et al. (1992) coupled with the CH4 module of Mills et al. (2001) was used. Data from 4 experiments in which high and low sugar grasses were fed to dairy cows was used as an input to the model. The differential magnitude in sugar content between high and low sugar grasses ranged from 24 to 66 g kg DM. Predicted CH4 production by dairy cows consuming high and low sugar grasses was not different. A hypothetical situation in which the difference in sugar content between the two grasses was inflated to 100 g kg DM on the expense of both protein and fiber that were reduced by 50 g kg DM each, while keeping other input parameters constant was simulated. In this situation CH4 production was 20.4 MJ d -1 (1.2 MJ kg DMI) for the high sugar scenario compared to 18.6 MJ d (1.1 MJ kg DMI) for the low sugar scenario. It was concluded that feeding high sugar grass to dairy cows may not reduce methane emission from dairy production systems.
Embracing big data with compressive sensing: a green approach in industrial wireless networks

New-generation industries heavily rely on big data to improve their efficiency. Such big data are commonly collected by smart nodes and transmitted to the cloud via wireless. Due to the limited size of smart node, the shortage of energy is always a critical issue, and the wireless data transmission is extremely a big power consumer. Aiming to reduce the energy consumption in wireless, this article introduces a potential breach from data redundancy. If redundant data are no longer collected, a large amount of wireless transmissions can be cancelled and their energy saved. Motivated by this breach, this article proposes a compressive-sensing-based collection framework to minimize the amount of collection while guaranteeing data quality. This framework is verified by experiments and extensive real-trace-driven simulations.
MAPK recruitment by β‐amyloid in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures depends on physical state and exposure time

Elevated β‐amyloid is thought to trigger the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is marked by progressive loss of cognitive function, an early symptom of which is episodic memory deficits. Impairment of episodic memory is linked to hippocampal pathology. We investigated the signal transduction consequences of exposure to nanomolar to low micromolar concentrations of aggregate forms of β‐amyloid in the hippocampus. We found that, in addition to activation of ERK MAPK and its downstream target ribosomal S6 kinase in hippocampal slice cultures following acute exposure to oligomeric β‐amyloid1−42, ERK activation also requires phosphoinositide‐3 kinase activity. These effects were contingent on the α7 subtype of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Hippocampal slice cultures treated acutely with oligomeric β‐amyloid1−42 did not exhibit JNK MAPK activation; however, chronic exposure to oligomers or high molecular weight aggregates of β‐amyloid1−42 led to JNK MAPK activation coincident with ERK MAPK down‐regulation. In contrast to the effects of acute application of oligomeric β‐amyloid1−42, nicotine activated ERK MAPK via α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors utilizing protein kinase A as an intermediate. In conclusion, we found that both the physical state and duration of exposure to β‐amyloid are determinants of MAPK recruitment in hippocampus. We also found that nicotine and β‐amyloid activate ERK MAPK via α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors but use distinct intermediate kinases. These data indicate the existence of differential coupling of α7 to downstream targets depending on the type of ligand that leads to receptor activation.
Adenosine deaminase estimation and multiplex polymerase chain reaction in diagnosis of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis.

SETTING Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB), including mycobacteriosis, contributes 15-20% of all tuberculosis (TB) cases. The diagnosis of EPTB remains elusive because of the inadequate sensitivity of routine and conventional bacteriological methods for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and related organisms in clinical specimens such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), pleural fluid and peritoneal fluid. OBJECTIVE To develop a better diagnostic marker for EPTB. DESIGN In our study, 179 cases of EPTB were analysed for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear, adenosine deaminase activity (ADA) and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Although estimation of ADA is helpful, its sensitivity and specificity varies widely. On the other hand, a multiplex PCR using amplicons such as IS6110, dnaJ gene and hsp65 genes has high sensitivity (60-88%) and specificity (81-100%). RESULTS On comparing AFB and ADA results with PCR, the PCR is clearly more effective than AFB (P < 0.001) and ADA estimation (P < 0.02) in CSF. The same result was observed with peritoneal fluid (P < 0.001 vs. P < 0.05) and pleural fluid (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The study shows that multiplex PCR remains the best tool and is a much better marker for diagnosing EPTB.
Developing Foreign Language Communicative Competence for English Business Meetings Using Business Meeting Simulations

This article reports on the analysis of business meeting simulation data investigating the use of Business English (BE) in business meeting simulations at the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. The research explores the use of business meeting simulations in a higher education setting in order to bring into focus how patterns of linguistic interactions among BE students are structured, with and without a BE teacher’s corrective feedback. The findings provide possible solutions for the effective integration of business meeting simulations into BE programmes to improve students’ performance in international business meetings in which English is the lingua franca by using business meeting simulations as a BE teaching tool. Corpus analysis and qualitative analysis of linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic elements of foreign language communicative competence (FLCC) were used to explore the development of FLCC elements of BE students in the spoken corpus of English business meeting simulations. The main finding of the study is that whilst repeated business meeting simulation practice may provide BE students with a certain concrete experience of this communicative context even without a teacher’s corrective feedback, practice without corrective feedback does not facilitate the correct and comprehensive development of FLCC.
RsaL, a Novel Repressor of Virulence Gene Expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT As components of a Pseudomonas aeruginosaquorum-sensing system, LasR and PAI-1 globally regulate expression of multiple virulence determinants, as well as the second P. aeruginosa quorum-sensing system. To date, no information exists on negative regulation of the quorum-sensing cascade in P. aeruginosa. Here we describe a novel gene, rsaL, which is located downstream from lasR and transcribed antisense relative to lasR. In P. aeruginosa,overexpression of rsaL results in reduced lasBexpression and decreased elastase activity. With the use of a six-His protein fusion system, we demonstrate that rsaL encodes an 11-kDa protein. Direct quantitation of PAI-1 levels in cultures and studies utilizing Escherichia coli lambda lysogens carryinglacZ transcriptional fusions reveal that RsaL specifically represses transcription of the PAI-1 autoinducer synthase gene,lasI. RsaL’s repressive effect on lasI and the associated decrease in elastase activity have important implications for the expression of all LasR–PAI-1-dependent virulence genes and the overall pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa.