Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optical coherence tomography analysis of axonal loss in band atrophy of the optic nerve

Aims: To measure axonal loss in patients with band atrophy of the optic nerve caused by optic chiasm compression using optical coherence tomography and to evaluate its ability in identifying this pattern of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) loss. Methods: Twenty eyes from 16 consecutive patients with band atrophy of the optic nerve and permanent temporal hemianopia due to chiasmal compression, and 20 eyes from an age and sex matched control group of 16 healthy individuals, were studied prospectively. All patients were submitted to an ophthalmic examination including perimetry and evaluation of the RNFL using optical coherence tomography. Mean RNFL thickness around the optic disc was compared between the two groups. Results: The mean (SD) peripapillary RNFL thickness of eyes with band atrophy was 101.00 (9.89) μm, 62.21 (12.71) μm, 104.89 (12.60) μm, and 50.13 (16.88) μm in the superior, temporal, inferior, and nasal regions, respectively. The total RNFL mean was 79.94 (7.17) µm. In the control group, the corresponding values were 140.10 (16.06) μm, 86.50 (12.17) μm, 144.60 (15.70) μm, and 97.94 (16.02) μm. The total RNFL mean was 117.72 (9.53) µm. The measurements were significantly different between the two groups. Measurements in each of twelve 30° divisions provided by the equipment also showed significantly different values between eyes with band atrophy and normal controls. Conclusions: Optical coherence tomography was able to identify axonal loss in all four quadrants as well as in each of the twelve 30° segments of the disc. Thus, it seems to be a promising instrument in the diagnosis and follow up of neuro-ophthalmic conditions responsible for RNFL loss, even if predominantly in the nasal and temporal areas of the optic disc.
Cytoskeletal reorganization leads to induction of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator gene by activating FAK and Src and subsequently the Ras/Erk signaling pathway.

Previously, we showed that cytoskeletal reorganization (CSR) induced by colchicine or cyochalasins leads to activation of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) gene in LLC-PK(1) cells via the Ras/Erk signaling pathway [Irigoyen et al. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 1904]. It remained to be seen how CSR activates Ras/Erk signaling. Changes in cell morphology triggered by extracellular signals are often mediated by integrin-associated proteins, such as focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Src. We found that CSR induced the activation of FAK and Src and the association of FAK and Shc, a signaling molecule linking growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase and Grb2. Furthermore, expression of either FRNK, a kinase-minus FAK-like molecule acting as a dominant negative FAK, or a dominant negative Src suppressed CSR-induced uPA gene promoter activation. These results suggest that cells respond to a morphology change, using the cytoskeleton as a sensor, by activating FAK and Src and subsequently the Ras/Erk signaling pathway.
Bayesian tree-structured image modeling using wavelet-domain hidden Markov models

Wavelet-domain hidden Markov models have proven to be useful tools for statistical signal and image processing. The hidden Markov tree model captures the key features of the joint density of the wavelet coefficients of real-world data. One potential drawback to the HMT framework is the need for computationally expensive iterative training. In this paper, we prose two reduced-parameter HMT models that capture the general structure of a broad class of real-world images. In the image HMT (iHMT) model we use the fact that for a large class of images the structure of the HMT is self-similar across scale. This allows us to reduce the complexity of the iHMT to just nine easily trained parameters. In the universal HMT (uHMT) we take a Bayesian approach and fix these nine parameters. The uHMT requires no training of any kind. While simple, we show using a series of image estimation/denoising experiments that these two new models retain nearly all of the key structure modeled by the full HMT. Finally, we propose a fast shift-invariant HMT estimation algorithm that outperforms all other wavelet- based estimators in the current literature, both in mean- square error and visual metrics.
Directions in Object-Oriented Testing

To date, research in the field of object-orientation is mostly focused on the first phases of the traditional software life-cycle. A big effort has been spent on methodologies and techniques for specification, design and implementation of object-oriented systems. On the contrary, the research in the testing of this kind of system is still in an early phase. Often, the approach followed when testing object-oriented systems is just to apply well-known traditional testing techniques, neglecting the big differences related with this new paradigm of programming. Aspects like information hiding, encapsulation, polymorphism, dynamic binding, inheritance and genericity, typical when not peculiar of object-oriented languages, lead to the need of defining new approaches as far as testing is concerned. The main goal of this article is to classify the problems related with the testing of object-oriented system and to illustrate the approaches proposed so far in literature for
Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 inhibits adipose tissue inflammation and intestinal permeability in mice fed a high-fat diet

Abstract The probiotic Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 (LG2055) has anti-obesity effects. Obesity is closely correlated with inflammation in adipose tissue, and maintaining adipose tissue in a less-inflamed state requires intestinal integrity or a barrier function to protect the intestine from the disruption that can be caused by a high-fat diet (HFD). Here, we examined the anti-inflammatory and intestinal barrier-protecting effects of LG2055 in C57BL/6 mice fed a normal-fat diet (NFD), HFD, or the HFD containing LG2055 (HFD-LG) for 21 weeks. HFD-LG intake significantly prevented HFD-induced increases in body weight, visceral fat mass, and the ratio of inflammatory-type macrophages to anti-inflammatory ones in adipose tissue. Mice fed the HFD showed higher intestinal permeability to a fluorescent dextran administered by oral administration and an elevated concentration of antibodies specific to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in the blood compared with those fed the NFD, suggesting an increased penetration of the gut contents into the systemic circulation. These elevations of intestinal permeability and anti-LPS antibody levels were significantly suppressed in mice fed the HFD-LG. Moreover, treatment with LG2055 cells suppressed an increase in the cytokine-induced permeability of Caco-2 cell monolayers. These results suggest that LG2055 improves the intestinal integrity, reducing the entry of inflammatory substances like LPS from the intestine, which may lead to decreased inflammation in adipose tissue.
Advertising effects of songs' nostalgia and lyrics' relevance

Purpose – When using popular music in advertising, the songs' release period (nostalgia) and the lyrics' relevance to the product are two important characteristics but neglected in previous music‐related studies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of these two variables on consumers' responses to advertisements.Design/methodology/approach – A 2 × 2 experimental design was used to examine the effects of a song's period and the lyrics' relevance. The hypotheses were tested with a structural equation analysis.Findings – Previously heard old songs have positive ad effects due to evoking consumers' good moods or by generating more favorable nostalgia‐related thoughts. High‐relevance lyrics facilitate the production of favorable ad execution‐related thoughts, which improve ad attitude directly and indirectly through good moods.Research limitations/implications – Only undergraduate students are sampled. Further, the experiment focuses solely on music‐dominated ads for low involvement product.
Employed Parents' Support from Partners, Employers, and Friends

Abstract Employed parents (226 fathers, 264 mothers) in Canada were interviewed about the kinds of support that help them balance the dual responsibilities of work and family. The participants received tangible and emotional support from their partners. In the workplace, family-responsibility leave and flexible work arrangements were helpful. The participants also stressed the importance of supportive supervisors and expressed the desire for greater flexibility, shorter hours, and help with child care. The majority of the participants had friends who provided both emotional and practical support in balancing the competing demands of work and family. Comparisons by gender, family type, marital status, and life-cycle stage identified the importance of contextual variables. The findings highlight the importance of multidimensional assessment of support and the necessity to consider both the availability of and gaps in support.
Lane Detection Based on Visual Attention

Vision based lane detection is an essential task in both autonomous lane vehicles research and active safety system development. Hitherto, lane detection is, however, still a challenging issue due to the complexity of the real road scenes. In this paper, we consider lane detection as a visual attention problem. With a Bayesian attention framework, we address the issue from three perspectives: frst, lane markings are assumed to be salient in the road scenes, which will pop out driven by the low level features combining with a bottom-up attention mechanism, second, the target-related features are designed guided by a top-down attention strategy, third, the location prior of the lane markings is also investigated. The experimental results show that the proposed lane detection approach is effcient and robust in real scenes.
Edge-constrained image compositing

The classic task of image compositing is complicated by the fact that the source and target images need to be carefully aligned and adjusted. Otherwise, it is not possible to achieve convincing results. Visual artifacts are caused by image intensity mismatch, image distortion or structure misalignment even if the images have been globally aligned. In this paper we extend classic Poisson blending by a constrained structure deformation and propagation method. This approach can solve the above-mentioned problems and proves useful for a variety of applications, e.g. in de-ghosting of mosaic images, classic image compositing or other applications such as super-resolution from image databases. Our method is based on the following basic steps. First, an optimal partitioning boundary is computed between the input images. Then, features along this boundary are robustly aligned and deformation vectors are computed. Starting at these features, salient edges are traced and aligned, serving as additional constraints for the smooth deformation field, which is propagated robustly and smoothly into the interior of the target image. If very different images are to be stitched, we propose to base the deformation constraints on the curvature of the salient edges for C1-continuity of the structures between the images.
Phosphatidylinositol 5-Phosphate Biosynthesis Is Linked to PIKfyve and Is Involved in Osmotic Response Pathway in Mammalian Cells*

The cellular functions, regulation and enzymology of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) 5-P, the newest addition to the family of phosphoinositides (PI), are still elusive. Whereas a kinase that uses PtdIns-5-P as an intracellular substrate has been assigned, a kinase that produces it remained to be identified. Here we report that PIKfyve, the enzyme found to synthesize PtdIns-5-P in vitroand PtdIns-3,5-P2 in vitro and in vivo, is responsible for PtdIns-5-P production in a cellular context. Evidence is based on examination of two groups of cell types by two independent approaches. First, [32P]orthophosphate-labeled cells (Sf9, 3T3-L1 fibroblasts, and 3T3-L1 adipocytes) that show a high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)-detectable peak of the PtdIns-5-P head group at basal conditions demonstrated a 20–50% increase in radioactive PtdIns-5-P amounts upon expression of PIKfyveWT. Second, cell types (HEK293), in which the basal levels of radioactive PtdIns-5-P were undetectable by HPLC head group analysis, demonstrated higher in vitro type II PIP kinase-directed conversion of the endogenous PtdIns-5-P pool into PtdIns-4,5-P2, when induced to express PIKfyveWT. Conversely, a decrease by 60% in the conversion of PtdIns-5-P to PtdIns-4,5-P2 was associated with induced expression of the dominant-negative kinase-deficient PIKfyveK1831E mutant in HEK293 cells. When 3T3-L1 fibroblasts and 3T3-L1 adipocytes were subjected to osmotic shock, levels of PtdIns-5-P measured by both approaches were found to decrease profoundly upon a hypo-osmotic stimulus. Together, these results identify PIKfyve as an enzyme responsible for PtdIns-5-P biosynthesis and indicate a role for PtdIns-5-P in osmotic response pathways in mammalian cells.
Resveratrol Suppresses Colitis and Colon Cancer Associated with Colitis

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenol that exhibits pleiotropic health beneficial effects, including anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective, and cancer-protective activities. It is recognized as one of the more promising natural molecules in the prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Ulcerative colitis is an idiopathic, chronic inflammatory disease of the colon associated with a high colon cancer risk. Here, we used a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) mouse model of colitis, which resembles human ulcerative colitis pathology. Resveratrol mixed in food ameliorates DSS-induced colitis in mice in a dose-dependent manner. Resveratrol significantly improves inflammation score, downregulates the percentage of neutrophils in the mesenteric lymph nodes and lamina propria, and modulates CD3+ T cells that express tumor necrosis factor-α and IFN-γ. Markers of inflammation and inflammatory stress (p53 and p53-phospho-Ser15) are also downregulated by resveratrol. Because chronic colitis drives colon cancer risk, we carried out experiments to determine the chemopreventive properties of resveratrol. Tumor incidence is reduced from 80% in mice treated with azoxymethane (AOM) + DSS to 20% in mice treated with AOM + DSS + resveratrol (300 ppm). Tumor multiplicity also decreased with resveratrol treatment. AOM + DSS–treated mice had 2.4 ± 0.7 tumors per animal compared with AOM + DSS + 300 ppm resveratrol, which had 0.2 ± 0.13 tumors per animal. The current study indicates that resveratrol is a useful, nontoxic complementary and alternative strategy to abate colitis and potentially colon cancer associated with colitis. Cancer Prev Res; 3(4); 549–59. ©2010 AACR.
From Miscegenation to Multiculturalism

Our first blueprint for social interaction comes from our family of origin. To a large extent, this blueprint is based on culture (Gudykunst & Ting-Toomey, 1990). We have come to understand how outside influences affect in-group communication (see Foeman & Pressley, 1987; Kochman, 1981; Orbe, 1994; Stanback & Pearce, 1981, for examples of this dynamic in Black-White race relations). However, much investigation still needs to be conducted to understand communication when individuals from different groups engage in ongoing and intimate relationships, such as interracial marriage. In intimate cross-group contacts, the number of relevant perceptions, metaperceptions, meta-metaperceptions, and so forth become almost incalculable (Bateson, Jackson, Haley, & Weakland, 1956/1972). We can assume that in the course of a long-term relationship that crosses cultural lines, many struggles may occur at the meta level with little chance of easy resolution. The goal of this examination is to consider the dynamics that occur when individuals of different races, in particular African American and European American, attempt to develop successful intimate relationships. African American and European American
Pathology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may be the most common cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries, with an estimated prevalence of up to 24% in the general population. NAFLD is considered the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome and has been etiologically correlated with insulin resistance. The histopathological spectrum of NAFLD ranges from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), with or without fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Liver biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing NASH in a patient with clinical features of NAFLD, image detected steatosis and chronically elevated liver enzymes. This review discusses the histopathological findings of NAFLD in adults and children, including features representing resolution of NASH following treatment and features of prognostic information. Additionally, current systems of semiquantitative assessment in NAFLD and NASH are reviewed and the concurrence of NAFLD and NASH with other chronic liver diseases, mainly hepatitis C, is discussed. Key words: steatosis, steatohepatitis, nonalcoholic, liver, pathology
What Is the Status of High School Athletes 8 Years after Their Senior Year? Statistics in Brief. NCES 2005-303.

Jennifer Thompson Branch Associates Inc. This Statistics in Brief examines the status of high school athletes 8 years after their senior year in high school. Using a representative sample of 10th-graders in 1990, who were seniors in 1992, from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), this Brief provides information on the 1990–1992 high school athletes’ educational, labor market, and health status in the year 2000, eight years after scheduled high school graduation. Outcomes for persons who reported participation in high school athletics (persons who indicated involvement in any school sports, at any level, in 1990 or 1992) are compared to outcomes for persons who did not report any high school athletic participation. In addition, outcomes for different types of high school athletes—persons who participated as elite athletes (team captains or most valuable players [MVPs] in 1990 or 1992), varsity athletes, and junior varsity (JV)/intramural athletes1—are compared.
Synchronization of pulse-coupled biological oscillators

A simple model for synchronous firing of biological oscillators based on Peskin's model of the cardiac pacemaker (Mathematical aspects of heart physiology, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, 1975, pp. 268-278) is studied. The model consists of a population of identical integrate-and-fire oscillators. The coupling between oscillators is pulsatile: when a given oscillator fires, it pulls the others up by a fixed amount, or brings them to the firing threshold, whichever is less. The main result is that for almost all initial conditions, the population evolves to a state in which all the oscillators are firing synchronously. The relationship between the model and real communities of biological oscillators is discussed; examples include populations of synchronously flashing fireflies, crickets that chirp in unison, electrically synchronous pacemaker cells, and groups of women whose menstrual cycles become mutually synchronized.
Capturing Urban Middle School Students' Voices on the Use

The present study seeks to explore middle school students’ perception of the kind of science instruction going on in their classrooms and its relevance to their daily lives outside the classroom. Data were collected using a five point Likert type survey instrument that was administered to 262 middle school (Grades 6, 7& 8) students in six middle schools in Southern California. This instrument consisted of demographic information and thirty six statements organized in clusters to elicit responses on a number of statements about students’ 1) their emotional disposition toward science, 2) perception of and understanding of the usefulness of science, and 3) emotional disposition towards science inquiry and their perceptions of their teacher’s use of inquiry-based instruction in their classrooms. Results revealed that generally, students’ percentage responses were low for all the three research questions even though they were high for specific survey statements for the three clusters of survey statements. Suggestions were made for future research on the topic.
Does HPV type 16 or 18 prevalence in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 lesions vary by age? An important issue for postvaccination surveillance.

AIM We used existing data to investigate whether prevalence of HPV16/18 in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3 (CIN3) varies by age, in order to determine whether age specific baseline data is required as the prevaccination comparator for type-specific surveillance following HPV vaccination programs. MATERIALS & METHODS We analyzed available Australian HPV typing data from 317 cervical smears from women with concurrent CIN3 on biopsy and conducted a review and analysis of the international literature. RESULTS Among 317 women with CIN3, HPV16 was detected in 70% of those 16-25 years old, 59% of 26-35-year-olds and 48% of >36-year-olds (p = 0.025). This association took the form of a trend with decreasing HPV16 prevalence with increasing age (p = 0.007). That HPV16 is commoner in younger women with high-grade cervical lesions was consistent with all but one study of 18 identified in the literature. CONCLUSION In screened populations, younger women with CIN3 are more likely to have HPV16 detected. To make valid pre- and post-vaccination comparisons, surveillance specimens for HPV typing should be both age stratified and lesion specific.
No Additional Benefit of Repeat-Sprint Training in Hypoxia than in Normoxia on Sea-Level Repeat-Sprint Ability.

To assess the impact of 'top-up' normoxic or hypoxic repeat-sprint training on sea-level repeat-sprint ability, thirty team sport athletes were randomly split into three groups, which were matched in running repeat-sprint ability (RSA), cycling RSA and 20 m shuttle run performance. Two groups then performed 15 maximal cycling repeat-sprint training sessions over 5 weeks, in either normoxia (NORM) or hypoxia (HYP), while a third group acted as a control (CON). In the post-training cycling RSA test, both NORM (13.6%; p = 0.0001, and 8.6%; p = 0.001) and HYP (10.3%; p = 0.007, and 4.7%; p = 0.046) significantly improved overall mean and peak power output, respectively, whereas CON did not change (1.4%; p = 0.528, and -1.1%; p = 0.571, respectively); with only NORM demonstrating a moderate effect for improved mean and peak power output compared to CON. Running RSA demonstrated no significant between group differences; however, the mean sprint times improved significantly from pre- to post-training for CON (1.1%), NORM (1.8%), and HYP (2.3%). Finally, there were no group differences in 20 m shuttle run performance. In conclusion, 'top-up' training improved performance in a task-specific activity (i.e. cycling); however, there was no additional benefit of conducting this 'top-up' training in hypoxia, since cycle RSA improved similarly in both HYP and NORM conditions. Regardless, the 'top-up' training had no significant impact on running RSA, therefore the use of cycle repeat-sprint training should be discouraged for team sport athletes due to limitations in specificity. Key points'Top-up' repeat-sprint training performed on a cycle ergometer enhances cycle repeat-sprint ability compared to team sport training only in football players.The addition of moderate hypoxia to repeat-sprint training provides no additional performance benefits to sea-level repeat-sprint ability or endurance performance than normoxic repeat-sprint training. 'Top-up' cycling repeat-sprint training provides no significant additional benefit to running RSA or endurance performance than team sport training only, and therefore running based repeat-sprint interventions are recommended for team sport athletes.