Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The mouse chimera during intrauterine stages: immunohistochemical analysis with the C3H strain-specific antibody.

Our objective was to establish an immunohistological method for analysis of chimerism in mouse chimeras at embryonic stages with an anti-C3H strain-specific antigen (CSA) antibody. We developed an effective new method to retain CSA antigenicity with good morphology of embryonic tissues by using microwave irradiation (MWI) for pre-fixation, 95% ethanol/1% acetic acid as post-fixative solution, and polyester wax as embedding material. We used a biotinylated mouse monoclonal anti-CSA antibody, peroxidase-avidin, and silver amplification. These procedures were successful in demonstrating the chimerisms in various tissues of C3H<-->Balb/c chimeras at different embryonic stages and postnatal days. In chimeras at Days 7 and 7.5 post coitum (p.c.), both genotypes were clearly identified and well intermingling in every embryonic tissue (embryonic ectoderm, mesoderm, extra-embryonic ectoderm, ectoplacental cone, amnion, and chorion). Chimerisms at Day 14.5 p.c. were also clearly observed in mesencephalon, neural retina, spinal cord, lung, kidney, and liver. We concluded that the present immunohistological procedures for analysis of chimerism during embryonic periods will give us insightful information about dynamic histological changes such as cell proliferation, migration, selection, and death during organogenesis.
Window-time-space flow control (WTFC)

End to end flow control will be essential for data communications in the near future B-ISDN network, because of its heterogeneous structure. The network is considered a black box from the transmitters point of view, and modeled with G/G/I queuing system. The window bounded D/D/1/W model and window-time (WT) plane are defined using the previous result, that with lowering variance and keeping QoS constant, network delay curve approaches the D/D/1 one. On this basis, a new window-time-space flow control (WTFC) is developed, which enables the transmitter to estimate its optimal packet sending rate and window, under condition that total network (path) capacity is known. The total capacity can be signaled from the network or estimated by the transmitter. Simulation measurement results are presented and analyzed.
Loss of Histone H4K20 Trimethylation Occurs in Preneoplasia and Influences Prognosis of Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose: Epigenetic modifications of histone have crucial roles in the control of gene activity, nuclear architecture, and genomic stability. In this respect, they may contribute to the development and progression of cancer. We investigated whether epigenetic changes of histone H4 are involved in lung carcinogenesis. Experimental Design: Epigenetic modifications of histone H4 were studied by immunohistochemistry in normal lung and 157 lung carcinoma using antibodies specifically recognizing the acetylated (Ac) lysines 5 (K5), K8, K12, K16, and trimethylated (me3) K20 residues of histone H4. Western blotting was used to validate the immunohistochemistry results. H4K20me3 was also studied in 17 preneoplastic lesions. Expression of the Suv4-20h1/2 trimethyltransferases was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR in a subset of tumor samples. Results: As compared with normal lung, cancer cells displayed an aberrant pattern of histone H4 modifications with hyperacetylation of H4K5/H4K8, hypoacetylation of H4K12/H4K16, and loss of H4K20 trimethylation. Alteration of H4K20 trimethylation was frequent in squamous cell carcinoma (67%) and was observed in early precursors lesions in which the level of H4K20me3 staining strongly decreased with disease progression. In adenocarcinoma, the down-regulation of H4K20me3 was less frequent (28%) but allowed the identification of a subgroup of stage I adenocarcinoma patients with reduced survival (P = 0.007). Loss of H4K20 trimethylation was associated with decreased expression of Suv4-20h2, a specific H4K20 trimethyltransferase involved in telomere length maintenance. Conclusions: Our findings indicate an important role of histone H4 modifications in bronchial carcinogenesis and highlight H4K20me3 as a candidate biomarker for early detection of and therapeutic approaches to lung cancer.
Exact and Heuristic Algorithms for Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problems with Quadratic Costs Structure

In this article we introduce the quadratic capacitated vehicle routing problem (QCVRP) motivated by two applications in engineering and logistics: the capacitated vehicle routing problem with angle penalties (angle-CVRP) and the capacitated vehicle routing problem with reload costs (CVRP-RC). We introduce a three-index vehicle-flow formulation of the problem, which is strengthened with valid inequalities, and we derive a branch-and-cut algorithm capable of providing tight lower bounds and solving small- to medium-size instances in short to moderate computing times. Furthermore, we present a hybrid metaheuristic capable of providing high quality solutions in short computing times. The two algorithms are tested on several instances from the CVRP literature modified to mimic the two problems that motivate our study.
Simple Optimal Contracts with a Risk-Taking Agent

Consider an agent who can costlessly add mean-preserving noise to his output. Then, the principal can do no better than o er weakly concave incentives to deter risk-taking. If the agent is risk-neutral and protected by limited liability, optimal incentives are strikingly simple: linear contracts maximize pro t. If the agent is risk averse, we characterize the unique optimal contract and provide conditions under which it takes an intuitive form. We extend our model to analyze costly risktaking, and we show that the model can be reinterpreted as a dynamic setting in which the agent can manipulate the timing of output. ∗We are grateful to Ralph Boleslavsky, Gabriel Carroll, Hugo Hopenhayn, Eddie Lazear, Niko Matouschek, Meg Meyer, Konstantin Milbradt, Dimitri Papanikolaou, Lars Stole, Doron Ravid, Balazs Szentes, Dimitri Vayanos, Glen Weyl, and participants at Cambridge University, Northwestern University, University College London, the University of Miami, the University of Exeter, the University of Warwick, CRETE 2016, the 2016 ASU Theory Conference, and the 2016 Transatlantic Theory Conference for helpful comments and discussions. †Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, U.S.A. D. Barron: d-barron@kellogg.northwestern. edu; G. Georgiadis: g-georgiadis@kellogg.northwestern. edu; J. Swinkels: j-swinkels@kellogg.northwestern. edu
Biological monitoring for industrial exposure to cyanogenic aromatic nitro and amino compounds.

Air analysis based on fixed station or personnel monitor collection cannot provide by itself an adequate industrial htalth conservation program in those cases in which significant absorption occurs through the skin by direct contact with hazardous chemicals or by contact with contaminated clothing and surfaces in the work area. Frequently, the portal of entry determines the toxicity potential as illustrated by p-chloroaniline which by the oral route exhibits a very low order of toxicity, but by skin absorption is a potent cyanogenic agent. Acute exposure usually produces cyanosis with or without significant loss of hemoglobin, whereas chronic exposure may produce a reversible anemia. The primary control program is based on urine analysis to provide early warning of excessive exposure and secondarily on blood analysis to detect the effects of the cyanogenic agent after absorption. Biological threshold limit values (BTLV's) have been established for industrial hygiene control.
Increased cAMP levels and protein kinase (PKA) type I activation in CD4+ T cells and B cells contribute to the retrovirus‐induced immunodeficiency of mice (MAIDS). A useful in vivo model for drug testing in PKA type I‐ induced immunodeficiency

Murine AIDS (MAIDS) is characterized by a lymphoproliferative disease and a profound anergy, which involves mostly CD4+ T cells. To better define the mechanisms responsible for anergy, we measured cAMP concentrations in the different lymphocyte subsets of the infected mice. CD4+ T cells and B cells displayed a dramatic 10‐ to 30‐fold increase of cAMP. cAMP was also significantly increased in CD8+ T cells, although to a far lesser extent. The unusual CD4+ CD90‐T cells, typical of MAIDS, were characterized by a much higher cAMP level than their CD90+ counterparts. T cells of the infected mice were much more sensitive to inhibition by the cAMP analogue 8‐CPT‐cAMP, which confirmed increased in vivo exposure to cAMP. In accordance with the increased cAMP levels, PKA type I was constitutively activated and its C subunit was translocated to the nucleus. Finally, the profound T‐cell anergy associated with MAIDS could be reversed by treating T cells with a PKA type I‐selective antagonist ex vivo. MAIDS could constitute a suitable model for the study of new pharmacological agents aimed at reversing the immunosuppressive effects of cAMP previously shown to be involved in several pathological states, including HIV infection and common variable immunodeficiency.
A new milling procedure for a cost-effective production of nanoscale zero-valent iron for environmental remediation is presented. Conventional ball milling of iron in an organic solvent as Mono Ethylene Glycol

M. Cernik V. Martí J. A. Benito Phone +34-934010946 Email josep.a. benito@upc.edu Fundació CTM Centre Tecnològic de Manresa, Plaça de la Ciència 2, 08243 Manresa, Spain Department of Chemical Engineering, ETSEIB, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Av. Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation, Technical University of Liberec, Studentská 1402/2, 461 17 Liberec 1, Czech Republic Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, EUETIB, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Comte d’Urgell 187, 08036 Barcelona, Spain Materials Science Department, Pavelló E. ETSEIB, Av. Diagonal, 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Activation of the extracellular signal‐regulated kinases 1 and 2 by glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor and its relation to neuroprotection in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease

Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has been shown to be neuroprotective in animal models of the dopamine deficiency in Parkinson's disease. To examine the role of the extracellular signal‐regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) in this process, we infused a single dose of GDNF into the striatum of mice and analyzed the effect on ERK1/2 by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. GDNF caused an increase in the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 both in the striatum and in tyrosine hydroxylase‐positive neurons in the substantia nigra. In the striatum, the increase in ERK1/2 phosphorylation was evident by 3 hr and persisted for at least 7 days, whereas, in the substantia nigra, an increase in phosphorylated ERK1/2 was first evident at 24 hr and persisted for at least 7 days. The increase in phosphorylated ERK1/2 was maximal at 0.45 μg GDNF at the time points examined. GDNF also protected dopamine terminals against the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity normally associated with the intrastriatal administration of 6‐hydroxydopamine (0.5 μg/0.5 μl). However, this was observed only at a much higher dose of GDNF, 4.5 μg. Thus, our results suggest that the ability of GDNF to protect dopamine neurons cannot be explained solely in terms of its influence on ERK1/2 and that the role of other signaling pathways should be explored. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A phase compensation method for Monopulse tracking receiver of ship-borne satcom station

To solve the phase deviation problem caused by antenna orientation centre deviation during the phase calibration of Monopulse tracking receiver on ship-borne sitcom station, a phase compensation method is proposed to enhance the phase calibration precision. The working principle of monopulse tracking receiver is discussed, the demodulation process of sum and difference signal, and the cause of phase deviation based on current phase calibration method is analysed. Then, a phase compensation method based on deviation source is proposed, and the phase calibration operation procedure detail is discussed. Results based on the current and proposed phase calibration methods are compared, and the proposed method enhances the phase calibration index effectively, which means a more precise phase result is acquired.
Evaluation of Surgical Outcomes for Ptosis Surgery by Face Recognition Software

PurposeThis study was aimed to use the age estimation segment of face recognition software to determine whether patients appeared younger after surgery for aponeurotic ptosis and dermatochalasis. DesignThis is a prospective interventional case series. MethodsFace recognition software was used to estimate the age of 12 Japanese patients who had surgery to repair aponeurotic ptosis or dermatochalasis. Photographs of the faces before and 1 month after the surgery were taken and uploaded to the face recognition software to estimate the age of the subjects. ResultsThe preoperative estimated age significantly correlated with the actual age (r = 0.647, P = 0.023), and the postoperative estimated age also significantly correlated with the actual age (r = 0.727, P = 0.007). The scores of the palpebral fissure width of the right eyes (P = 0.003) and left eyes (P = 0.002) significantly improved postoperatively. However, the postoperative estimated age was not significantly younger than the preoperative estimated age (P = 0.173). ConclusionsThe face recognition software may not be influenced by the lid plastic surgery. Many factors other than the width of the palpebral fissure influence the estimation of age by the face recognition software.
A Process Model of Empathy For Virtual Agents

For more than a century, empathy has been a central topic in the study of human emotion. It plays a crucial role in our everyday social life, having implications for the survival of the species. In the case of agents that inhabit virtual worlds and interact socially among each other and with humans, empathy has also been considered to be an important mechanism to promote engaging and believable interactions. However, creating empathic agents, until recently, has been accomplished mostly through the implementation of specific empathic behaviors or by using domain-dependent empirical models. In this article, we propose a generic computational model of empathy that is grounded on recent psychological theories about empathy. The proposed model treats empathy as a process in which the intensity of the empathic response is modulated by a set of factors that involve the relationship between the agents of the empathic interaction, namely, the similarity and affective link, as well as some characteristics of the empathizer agent, such as mood and personality. This model was implemented into an affective agent architecture, which was then used in an evaluation that had 77 participants. The results indicate that our empathy model, when used to simulate a social scenario with a small group of agents, significantly changed the way that the users perceived and described the interactions between those agents.
A Hybrid Sorting Algorithm on Heterogeneous Architectures

Nowadays high performance computing devices are more common than ever before. The capacity of main memories becomes very huge, CPUs get more cores and computing units that have greater performance. There are more and more machines get accelerators such as GPUs, too. Take full advantages of modern machines that use heterogeneous architectures to get higher performance solutions is a real challenge. There are so much literatures on only use CPUs or GPUs, however, research on algorithms that utilize heterogeneous architectures is comparatively few. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid sorting algorithm that let CPU cooperate with GPU. To fully utilize computing capability of both CPU and GPU, we used SIMD intrinsic instructions to implement sorting kernels that run on CPU, and adopted radix sort kernels that implemented by CUDA(Compute Unified Device Architecture) that run on GPU. Performance evaluation is promising that our algorithm can sort one billion 32-bit float data in no more than 5 seconds.
Implementación de un banco de parásitos intestinales de humanos de importancia clínica con fines didácticos para el Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud

En Ecuador las parasitosis intestinales son un problema de Salud Publica que afectan a un 80% de la poblacion en el area rural y un 40% a la poblacion urbana. Por la dificultad de conseguir muestras parasitologicas que permitan ser material de ensenanza docente para la catedra de Parasitologia, se implemento un banco de parasitos intestinales de importancia clinica en la ciudad de Loja. Se recolectaron 730 muestras fecales, de las cuales 360 resultaron positivas. A las muestras se les aplico protocolos de: concentracion, conservacion, fijacion, coloracion y posteriormente se realizo la preparacion de placas. En la concentracion, el metodo de Ritchie resulto efectivo para quistes de protozoos y larvas de S. stercoralis; mientras que el metodo de Faust para huevos de Hymenolepis nana. En la conservacion, formol al 10% y merthiolate-yodo-formol dieron mejores resultados, excepto en quistes de Blastocystis hominis y Iodamoeba butschlii. Entre los fijadores utilizados el fijador de Schaudinn resulto ser el mas efectivo. Por lo tanto el estudio de los parasitos intestinales es relevante para el componente academico de Parasitologia, ya que constituye una herramienta esencial para docentes y alumnos.
Optimum reduction of switching losses based on the two-phase PWM modulation method for two-level inverter

This paper proposes an optimum PWM method which reduces switching losses of an inverter most effectively by the two-phase modulation method. It selects the optimum one which minimizes a new switching (SW) loss estimation based on reduction effects in switching times considering phase currents among multiple reduction patterns. The proposed method was experimentally verified to select a optimal switching pattern which reduces its SW loss most effectively according to the on-line loss estimation by a DSP-based digital control system. The proposed method made it possible to reduce number of switching times of the largest or secondly largest current phase to 2/3 times. And it can automatically adapt to load conditions with various power factors. Measured switch losses are reduced to about 50-60% by the proposed method.
A critical review of the effectiveness of non-speech oral motor exercises (NSOMEs) on speech intelligibility in children with articulation difficulties

A critical review of research on the use of non-speech oral motor exercises (NSOMEs) to treat children with articulation disorders was performed. Research studies reviewed include two group studies, one survey and three retrospective literature reviews. Overall the consensus from these studies is that there is very limited evidence to support the use of NSOMEs in clinical practice for treatment of articulation difficulties. Further research, using high quality experimental studies, is recommended.
Creep cavitation bands control porosity and fluid flow in lower crustal shear zones

Shear zones channelize fluid flow in Earth’s crust. However, little is known about deep crustal fluid migration and how fluids are channelized and distributed in a deforming lower crustal shear zone. This study investigates the deformation mechanisms, fluid-rock interaction, and development of porosity in a monzonite ultramylonite from Lofoten, northern Norway. The rock was deformed and transformed into an ultramylonite under lower crustal conditions (temperature = 700–730 °C, pressure = 0.65–0.8 GPa). The ultramylonite consists of feldspathic layers and domains of amphibole + quartz + calcite, which result from hydration reactions of magmatic clinopyroxene. The average grain size in both domains is <25 mm. Microstructural observations and electron backscatter diffraction analysis are consistent with diffusion creep as the dominant deformation mechanism in both domains. Festoons of isolated quartz grains define C'-type bands in feldspathic layers. These quartz grains do not show a crystallographic preferred orientation. The alignment of quartz grains is parallel to the preferred elongation of pores in the ultramylonites, as evidenced from synchrotron X-ray microtomography. Such C'-type bands are interpreted as creep cavitation bands resulting from diffusion creep deformation associated with grain boundary sliding. Mass-balance calculation indicates a 2% volume increase during the protolith-ultramylonite transformation, which is consistentmore » with synkinematic formation of creep cavities producing dilatancy. Thus, this study presents evidence that creep cavitation bands may control deep crustal porosity and fluid flow. Nucleation of new phases in creep cavitation bands inhibits grain growth and enhances the activity of grain size–sensitive creep, thereby stabilizing strain localization in the polymineralic ultramylonites. « less
Evolutionary analysis of HBV “S” antigen genetic diversity in Iranian blood donors: A nationwide study

The genetic diversity of the HBV S gene has a significant impact on the prophylaxis and treatment of hepatitis B infection. The effect of selective pressure on this genetic alteration has not yet been studied in Iranian blood donors. To explore HBV evolution and to analyze the effects and patterns of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) mutations on blood screening assays, 358 Iranian blood donors diagnosed as asymptomatic HBV carriers were enrolled in this nationwide study. Large S and partial S genes were amplified and sequenced. HBV (sub) genotypes and synonymous and nonsynonymous mutations were investigated. The impact of naturally occurring mutations on HBsAg ELISA results was explored. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that isolated strains were of genotype D. The dominant subgenotype/subtype was D1/ayw2. Deletions and naturally occurring stop codons in the pre‐S1 and major hydrophilic region (MHR) were identified. In total, 32.8% of the studied strains harbored 195 single or multiple mutations in the MHR, the majority of which were located at the first loop of the “a determinant” domain. The ayw2 subtype showed a significant effect on the ELISA signal/cut‐off value and carried fewer mutations in the MHR. Nonsynonymous/synonymous substitution value indicated that negative selection was the dominant evolutionary force in the HBV S gene. This nationwide study revealed that mutation frequency of HBsAg among Iranian blood donors was much higher than previous reports from the different local regions. These findings regarding the significant differences in reactivity of ELISA among different subtypes of HBV and its correlation with the number of mutations at the MHR will be valuable to public health authorities. J. Med. Virol. 86:144–155, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.