Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition: A Journal on Normal and Dysfunctional Development

In this study, we compared executive functioning in 32 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) individuals with that of normally aging controls. Cognitive planning tests (Trail Making, Porteus Maze Test, verbal fluency tests) show a group difference favoring the normal controls, but tests for inhibition of prepotent responses (no-go accuracy, two measures of the Stroop effect, and negative priming) failed to uncover a significant group difference. The results indicate that there is no general executive control function impairment in MCI; rather, the deficits found are compatible with the hypothesis that MCI is an accelerated form of normal aging. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to a clinical condition in which persons experience a memory loss greater than expected on the basis of their chronological age, yet not severe enough to meet currently accepted criteria for clinically probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD; Petersen et al., 2001). Mild cognitive impairment may literally be a transitional state between normal aging and AD; that is, when people with MCI are observed longitudinally, they progress to clinically probable AD at a considerably accelerated rate compared with healthy age-matched individuals. In one 4-year longitudinal study, the conversion rate from MCI to AD was 12% per year, compared to a conversion rate of only 1–2% from normal functioning to either MCI or AD Address correspondence to: Buxin Han, Ph.D., Key Lab of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. Tel. : +86 10 64855830, Fax: +86 10 64855830. E-mail: hanbx@psych.ac. cn D ow nl oa de d by [ M on as h U ni ve rs ity L ib ra ry ] at 1 6: 01 2 6 Se pt em be r 20 13 558 YANMIN ZHANG ET AL. (Petersen et al., 1999). Hence, MCI is believed to be a high-risk condition for the development of clinically probable AD. The generally accepted diagnostic criteria of MCI, as defined by Petersen et al. (1999), are as follows: 1. memory complaint, 2. normal activities of daily living, 3. normal general cognitive function, 4. abnormal memory performance compared to for age,
Prognostic significance of PU.1 in follicular lymphoma

Very few prognostic factors are known in follicular lymphoma (FL), a common malignancy of germinal centre (GC) B‐cells. The Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) thus far appears to be the most important predictor of clinical outcome. This study explores the predictive power of the degree of GC differentiation for outcome in FL. Samples from 73 patients with FL were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for expression of GC markers. Strong PU.1, CD20, and CD75 expression were significantly associated with longer progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results for PFS were independent of the International Prognostic Index or the Italian Lymphoma Intergroup prognostic index for CD75 and PU.1, but only PU.1 expression was independent of FLIPI for PFS and OS. Oct‐2 was weakly expressed overall, but more strongly in higher grades of FL; it had a trend for negative linear association with PU.1 and strong positive linear association with CD27, which possibly reflects its role in terminal B‐cell differentiation. We show that the level of GC differentiation, as determined by the levels of PU.1, CD75, CD20, Bcl‐6, and CD10 expression, has an association with outcome in patients with FL. While this is determined qualitatively in most studies of diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma, in FL there is a quantitative positive association between a high level of expression of GC antigens and longer OS and PFS even when data are stratified by the FLIPI score. Copyright © 2006 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Frequent Vocalizing is Negatively Associated with Brood Parasitism in a Host of the Brown-Headed Cowbird

Abstract. Brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) can substantially affect host species' reproductive success. The “host-activity” hypothesis suggests that parasites eavesdrop on conspicuous behaviors to locate and parasitize hosts, and several studies of cowbird hosts support this hypothesis. In contrast, a recent study of the Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) reported a negative association between the host's vocalization rate near the nest and brood parasitism. This contradictory pattern is intriguing because Bell's Vireo is a common cowbird host and vocalizes near and on its nests. We tested a key assumption of the host-activity hypothesis in a different subspecies (V. b. arizonae) to determine whether the contradictory pattern reported in V. b. pusillus is an anomaly or could be generalized to other subspecies. Unparasitized vireos vocalized more frequently than parasitized birds, confirming that the pattern in Bell's Vireos is the opposite of that reported for other cowbird hosts. Nesting stage played a role: unparasitized birds vocalized more than parasitized birds only during the nest-building and incubation stages. Given that vocalization rate and other behaviors change through the breeding season, future tests of the host-activity hypothesis should control for nesting stage. Moreover, future efforts to identify the underlying cause for the association between vocalization rate and probability of parasitism should consider the possibility of reciprocal causal relationships between them. We propose five additional hypotheses to explain why in Bell's Vireo the pattern between these two traits is opposite of what has been reported in other birds.
A system for real-time fire detection

A real-time system for automatic fire detection using color video input is presented. Such a system has significant advantages over traditional ultraviolet and infrared fire detectors. These include improved detection, fewer false alarms, and additional descriptive information about fire location, size, and growth rate. From the physical properties of fire, algorithms are derived for fire detection based on the spectral, spatial, and temporal properties of fire events. These algorithms are integrated into a system that has been tested successfully on a wide range of fire and false alarm stimuli. Experimental results are presented demonstrating system performance on a burning jet fuel fire. <<ETX>>
Racial Differences in Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among Three Cohorts of Students in the Southern United States

The present study aimed to extend the literature on mental health disparities in underserved areas by investigating racial differences in symptoms of anxiety and depression in three cohorts of school children in the Southern United States. White and African American students attending elementary, middle, and high school (n = 3,146) were administered a multi-dimensional measure of anxiety and depression. Racial differences were examined using categorical, dimensional, and latent-variable analytic methods. Although effect sizes were small across all levels of analysis, the categorical and dimensional approaches produced different patterns of significant anxiety-related findings. Additionally, confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the dimensional findings were not due to racial differences in the measurement of anxiety. The results of the current investigation suggest that, among school children, race has modest effects on symptoms of anxiety, but not depression. Further, the differential findings observed across analytic approaches reinforce the importance of measurement and methodology when studying psychopathology in children and adolescents.
Epidural Corticosteroid Injection in the Conservative Management of Sciatica

In this prospective randomized clinical trial, the results of epidural corticosteroid injections were evaluated in patients with lumbosciatic pain caused by herniated nucleus pulposus. Thirty-six patients with radicular lumbosciatic pain and positive straight leg raising test because of confirmed prolapsed intervertebral lumbar discs were randomized into two groups with (17 patients) and without (19 patients) epidural corticosteroid injection. Members of the treatment groups received three injections of 100 mg methylprednisolone in 10 mL bupivacaine 0.25% each. Additional therapy was standardized and identical in both groups. Followup examinations were performed at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 6 months. The examinations included pain level (visual analogue scale), straight leg raising test, and functional status (Hannover Functional Ability Questionnaire). At 2 weeks, patients receiving methylprednisolone injection showed a significant improvement in straight leg raising test results compared with patients in the control group. Results were better in the methylprednisolone group, although not statistically significant for pain relief and mobility. At 6 weeks and 6 months, pain relief, improvement of straight leg raising, and improvement of functional status showed no statistical significance. Epidural corticosteroid injections can be recommended as additional therapy only in the acute phase of the conservative management of lumbosciatic pain.
On Self-Selection Biases in Online Product Reviews

Online product reviews help consumers infer product quality, and the mean (average) rating is often used as a proxy for product quality. However, two self-selection biases, acquisition bias (mostly consumers with a favorable predisposition acquire a product and hence write a product review) and underreporting bias (consumers with extreme, either positive or negative, ratings are more likely to write reviews than consumers with moderate product ratings), render the mean rating a biased estimator of product quality, and they result in the well-known J-shaped (positively skewed, asymmetric, bimodal) distribution of online product reviews. To better understand the nature and consequences of these two self-selection biases, we analytically model and empirically investigate how these two biases originate from consumers' purchasing and reviewing decisions, how these decisions shape the distribution of online product reviews over time, and how they affect the firm's product pricing strategy. Our empirical results reveal that consumers do realize both self-selection biases and attempt to correct for them by using other distributional parameters of online reviews, besides the mean rating. However, consumers cannot fully account for these two self-selection biases because of bounded rationality. We also find that firms can strategically respond to these self-selection biases by adjusting their prices. Still, since consumers cannot fully correct for these two self-selection biases, product demand, the firm's profit, and consumer surplus may all suffer from the two self-selection biases. This paper has implications for consumers to leverage online product reviews to infer true product quality, for commercial websites to improve the design of their online product review systems, and for product manufacturers to predict the success of their products.
Matrix metalloproteinase‐19 is highly expressed in active multiple sclerosis lesions

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteases known for their capacity to degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) components. MMPs have been implicated in several central nervous system (CNS) diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Microarray analysis has demonstrated significant increased mRNA levels of MMP‐19 in chronic MS lesions, suggesting a role of MMP‐19 in MS pathogenesis. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the expression pattern and cellular localization of MMP‐19 protein in various well‐characterized MS lesion stages. In normal control patient white matter, MMP‐19 was constitutively expressed by microglia throughout the brain parenchyma, suggesting a physiological role for this MMP family member. Likewise, MMP‐19 was expressed by microglia in (p)reactive MS lesions, albeit more intense. In highly active demyelinating MS lesions, parenchymal and perivascular myelin‐laden macrophages were strongly immunoreactive for MMP‐19, whereas reactive astrocytes were occasionally immunopositive. Astrocytes in chronic inactive lesions were weakly stained for MMP‐19. In vitro, MMP‐19 was expressed in cultures of primary human microglia, not in astrocyte cultures. As MMP‐19 is able to degrade basement membrane constituents and other ECM proteins, it is conceivable that this relatively novel MMP family member contributes to MS pathology by remodelling the ECM of the CNS, thereby influencing leucocyte infiltration, axonal regeneration and astrogliosis.
Développements instrumentaux pour le contrôle de la cristallisation par la dialyse : approche microfluidique et analyse aux rayons X

La cristallisation des proteines est une etape cruciale dans l’elucidation de la structure tridimensionnelle des proteines. C’est un processus tres delicat qui depend de nombreuses variables environnementales dont le controle precis est difficile, voire impossible, dans les installations typiquement utilisees. Des approches basees sur la parallelisation massive des experiences et la reduction du volume d’echantillon par experience, pour trouver les conditions initiales de cristallisation, montrent leur relative efficacite dans la recherche de ces conditions initiales mais aussi leurs limites quant a l’optimisation des cristaux obtenus.La methode presentee dans cette these differe de ce paradigme. La demarche proposee est une approche sequentielle plutot que la parallelisation d’experiences et est basee sur la connaissance des diagrammes de phase. Cette these repose sur une suite de developpements d’instruments mis en oeuvre pour maitriser et rationaliser la cristallisation par la methode de la dialyse, permettant ainsi l’exploration des diagrammes de phases sans consommer l’echantillon de proteine.Il en resulte un dispositif microfluidique permettant la cristallisation de proteines par la methode de la dialyse, l’utilisation d’un flux continu d’agent de cristallisation et par consequent l’echange continu de conditions de cristallisation ainsi que le controle de la temperature au cours de l’experience. Il est compatible avec le rayonnement X pour la collecte de donnees de diffraction in situ sur les cristaux ayant pousses dans la puce microfluidique. Ce systeme microfluidique est base sur la miniaturisation du banc de cristallisation qui a ete ameliore d’un point de vue : de l’electronique pour l’automatisation, du transport de fluides pour le fonctionnement en flux continu, du developpement logiciel pour le controle des parametres de cristallisation, de la mecanique pour ameliorer la cellule de dialyse et la thermoregulation, et enfin par l’integration d’un systeme UV permettant de realiser des mesures d’absorbance in situ qui offre pour l’avenir la possibilite de mesurer la solubilite de proteine au cours d’une experience de cristallisation par la dialyse.Finalement les developpements instrumentaux et methodologiques ont ete valides par la cristallisation de plusieurs proteines modeles dont les cristaux ont diffractes aux rayons X avec succes. En outre le transport d’especes en solution par la dialyse a ete etudie par une approche combinee experimentale et theorique.
old-inducible expression of AZI 1 and its function in improvement of freezing olerance of Arabidopsis thaliana and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

AZI1 (AZELAIC ACID INDUCED 1) of Arabidopsis thaliana could be induced by azelaic acid and was involved in priming of systemic plant immunity. In the present work, expression of AZI1 in response to low temperature was investigated via RNA gel blot analysis. AZI1 could be induced slowly by cold stress and more than 6 h treatment at 4 ◦C was required to detect an increase in mRNA abundance. However, the high expression state could not be maintained stably and would decline to basal level when the plants were transferred to room temperature. In order to clarify the function of AZI1 in resistance to abiotic stresses, overexpressing, RNA interference and T-DNA knockout lines of this gene were used in electrolyte leakage assays. Overexpression of AZI1 resulted in reduced electrolyte leakage during freezing old-inducible omozygous azi1 mutant verexpression NAi accharomyces cerevisiae damage. In contrast, AZI1 knockdown and knockout lines showed increased tendencies in cellular damage after freezing treatment. To further validate the potential resistance of AZI1 to low-temperature stress, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were transformed with pESC-AZI1 in which AZI1 was under the control of GAL1 promoter. Compared to yeast cells containing empty pESC-URA, the survival rate of yeast cells harboring AZI1 increased obviously after freezing treatment. All these results suggested that AZI1 might be multifunctional and associated with cold tolerance of Arabidopsis.
Development of a Precision Parallel Micro-mechanism for Nano Tele-operation

There is an urgent demand for nano level tele-operating system to carry out three-dimensional high-speed micro manipulations for medical and biotechnological applications. In this paper, we designed a precision parallel micro-mechanism driven by piezo actuators (PZT) as the operating robot with 6 DOF, a movement range of 20 mum, and a resolution of less than 20 nm. Also, we presented the conceptual design, synthesis, control strategy, and evaluation for the precision parallel micro-mechanism. The experimental results indicate that the developed parallel micro-mechanism can be used to manipulate micro-objects at high speed and with high precision.
Discharge conditions and emission spectroscopy of N2 and N2+ active species in a variable power dc pulsed plasma used for steel nitriding

The variations of stainless steel cathode temperature (T c ) as a function of nominal plasma power (driven by discharge frequency) and duty cycle at different pressures (0.6-3.2 torr) in nitrogen plasma are reported in conditions favourable for plasma nitriding. Above power at 200 kHz, it is found that increase in power does not have any significant effect on T c . Corresponding optical emission spectroscopy (OES) study near the cathode surface shows that the presence of vibrational bands of second positive system of N 2 (Av = 0, -1, -2, -3) and first negative system of N 2 + (Δv = 0, -1, -2) are dominant. The variation of intensity of those nitrogen molecular bands as a function of discharge power at various pressures has been studied. At 2 torr, the vibrational temperature of N 2 molecule is calculated from N 2 vibrational spectra at different discharge power regime as frequency is varied from 100 to 500 kHz. The variation of power in this frequency range 50-500 kHz has a similar effect on T c and optical emission intensity. Floating potential in variable power conditions has been measured by Langmuir probe which shows a plateau after 3.2 Watt/cm 2 (at 200 kHz) plasma power density.
Linear codes in generalized construction of resilient functions with very high nonlinearity

We provide a new generalized construction method for highly nonlinear t-resilient functions, F:F/sub 2//sup n//spl rarr/ F/sub 2//sup m/. The construction is based on the use of linear error-correcting codes together with highly nonlinear multiple output functions. Given a linear [u, m, t+1] code we show that it is possible to construct n-variable, m-output, t-resilient functions with very high nonlinearity for n>u. The method provides the currently best known nonlinearity results for most of the cases.
Engineering Crop Plants for Nematode Resistance through Host-Derived RNA Interference

Plant parasitic nematodes are major threat for crop plants and cause severe economic losses worldwide annually. Various strategies deployed for the control of these notorious parasites has resulted either in limited success, or having huge negative impact on environment. RNA interference (RNAi) is a gene-silencing phenomenon that is conserved in various eukaryotes. Experimentally induced RNAi is highly specific and potent, leading to its wide utilization in functional studies for exploring gene functions. Crops engineered through RNAi have proven to be successful in protection against pest and parasites, including nematodes. Engineering nematode resistance in crop plants through host-derived RNAi is largely based on the selection of target gene. The expression of nematode specific dsRNA in plants generates siRNAs and taken up by nematodes on feeding. Depending upon the function, level of expression and silencing efficacy of the target gene, resistance was determined. RNAi seems to be promising in many aspects, such as providing durable resistance to crops against plant parasitic nematodes in the near future. In the present article, we have reviewed the published work on the host-derived RNAi for developing nematode resistance in plants.
Activities: A Modeling Methodology

The concepts of activity and activity graphs are introduced. The notion of activity is a versatile tool for modeling in general. We will focus on applications to knowledge-based engineering and model-driven programming. The combinatory model is suitable for modeling intelligent agents acting on (a subset) of the feature-based design and manufacturing processes. This is an instance of a more general ontological commitment context. Particularly, the problem of assembling complex components from simple ones is formulated as an equation in the combinatory algebra of (generalized) functionality types. The consistency restrictions are represented by connectivity type matching .
The wraetlic NLP suite

In this paper, we describe the second release of a suite of language analysers, developed over the last five years, called wraetlic, which includes tools for several partial parsing tasks, both for English and Spanish. It has been successfully used in fields such as Information Extraction, thesaurus acquisition, Text Summarisation and Computer Assisted Assessment.
Metabolism of des(64,65)-Human Proinsulin in the Rat: Evidence for the Proteolytic Processing to Insulin

The metabolism of des(64,65)-human proinsulin was examined in rats after subcutaneous administration. Profiles of circulating insulin-like immunoreactivity in rat plasma 25 min after subcutaneous administration were evaluated by anion exchange fast protein liquid chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Both techniques indicated the presence of circulating immunoreactivity having retention characteristics of human insulin. This metabolite peak comprised 5–10% of circulating immunoreactivity; the remainder had retention characteristics of des(64,65)-human proinsulin. The peaks of immunoreactive material were isolated and their structure determined using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The major circulating component co-eluted with des(64,65)-human proinsulin and had an identical mass spectrum. Two circulating metabolites were identified. These metabolites co-eluted by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with human insulin and diarginyl(B31,32)-human insulin and had mass spectra identical to the standard compounds. The data indicate proteolytic processing of des(64,65)-human proinsulin involves an initial tryptic cleavage at the carboxy side of ArgB32, with the formation of human insulin by the subsequent action of a carboxypeptidase to remove the ArgB31-ArgB32 dipeptide from diarginyl(B31,32)-human insulin. The results suggest that some of the pharmacological activity of des(64,65)-human proinsulin may be mediated in part by circulating insulin-like metabolites.