Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunofluorescence method for quantifying the trabecular meshwork glucocorticoid response (TIGR) protein in trabecular meshwork and Schlemm's canal cells.

PURPOSE Decreased flow of aqueous humor through the trabecular meshwork (TM) and into Schlemm's canal (SC) is believed to be a predominant factor in the development of the elevated intraocular pressure found in primary open-angle and steroid glaucoma. Recent biochemical and genetic evidence has suggested that alterations in the expression of the TM glucocorticoid response (TIGR) protein within the chamber angle may play a role in the development of these glaucomas. To understand the process of TIGR induction in outflow pathway cells we developed an assay for TIGR expression that could distinguish both individual cell responses and also provide a semi-quantitative comparison between cell cultures. The present study demonstrates this approach, using digital image capture of immunofluorescently stained human TM and SC cells after treatment with dexamethasone (Dex). METHODS Confluent cultures of human TM and SC cells were treated with 1 M Dex or vehicle control for 10 days. The cells were then fixed, permeabilized, and stained using polyclonal antibodies produced against recombinant TIGR. Digital images of fluorescently stained cells, using the same exposure time within an experiment, were evaluated by tabulating the staining intensity of all cells on each image. Between 10 and 40 cells were evaluated per image, 8-10 frames/ sample, 2-3 samples per treatment. Each cell was ranked as either 0 (background), 1+ (minor), 2+ (moderate) or 3+ (very bright staining). RESULTS TM cells showed a significant basal level of TIGR staining. About 20% of control cells showed appreciable levels of TIGR staining, with intensity levels evenly distributed between 1, 2 and 3+. Dex treatment increased the number of TM cells expressing TIGR to 60-80%, with the majority of cells showing 2+ to 3+ staining throughout the cytoplasm. SC cells showed no basal TIGR staining, but Dex-treated cells exhibited TIGR staining in 6-15% of cells. SC cell TIGR staining varied between 1+ to 2+ in intensity, and showed a distribution different from TM cells. Staining in SC cells was localized to a ribbon-like compartment adjacent to the nucleus. Such perinuclear localization was rarely seen in TM cells. CONCLUSIONS The low standard errors of the mean TIGR responses within each experiment, and the reproducibility between experiments for each cell type, suggests good reliability for this method. At the same time, the consistent, marked contrast between TM and SC cells in their response to glucocorticoids demonstrates that the assay can distinguish significant differences between cell types. The data support the view that Dex has a cell type specific effect on TIGR induction. The different extent, pattern and localization of TIGR staining between cell types suggests that TIGR expression in SC cells could play a functional role in the outflow pathway, but one that may be distinct from that played in TM cells.
Relative age effects in Swiss talent development – a nationwide analysis of all sports

ABSTRACT Relative age effects (RAE) generate consistent participation inequalities and selection biases in sports. The study aimed to investigate RAE across all sports of the national Swiss talent development programme (STDP). In this study, 18 859 youth athletes (female N = 5353; mean age: 14.8 ± 2.5 y and male N = 13 506; mean age: 14.4 ± 2.4 y) in 70 sports who participated in the 2014 competitive season were evaluated. The sample was subdivided by sex and the national level selection (NLS, N = 2464). Odds ratios (ORs) of relative age quarters (Q1-Q4) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. In STDP, small RAE were evident for females (OR 1.35 (95%-CI 1.24, 1.47)) and males (OR 1.84 (95%-CI 1.74, 1.95)). RAE were similar in female NLS athletes (OR 1.30 (95%-CI 1.08, 1.57)) and larger in male NLS athletes (OR 2.40 (95%-CI 1.42, 1.97)) compared to athletes in the lower selection level. In STDP, RAE are evident for both sexes in several sports with popular sports showing higher RAE. RAE were larger in males than females. A higher selection level showed higher RAE only for males. In Switzerland, talent identification and development should be considered as a long-term process.
Philip Carpenter and the convergence of science and entertainment in the early-nineteenth century instrument trade

This article will consider the alignment of scientific and media practice at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Over several decades after 1817 certain instrument makers began to specialise in the domestic entertainment market, transferring skills from optical instrument manufacture to the design of fashionable novelty devices. The instrument trade was expanding into a new middle-class market to exploit an increasing popular trade in optical novelties, exemplified by the 1817 Kaleidoscope craze and new interest among the middle classes for microscopes, telescopes, and magic lanterns. This paper will address this shift towards more popular uses of scientific instruments and optical toys. In particular it will address the involvement of the Birmingham and London optician Philip Carpenter in three popular media formats of the 1810s and 1820s — the 1817 patent Kaleidoscope, 1821 Improved Phantasmagoria Lantern and 1827 Microcosm. The Copper-Plate Sliders are made up of three or four transfer-printed and then hand-painted images on small glass disks, mounted in long wooden frames and secured with wire spring fixtures. These slides were the first to be printed from a single matrix (in this case a copper engraving). Carpenter’s copper-plate transfer process was based on the ceramic transfer process used by Sadler and Green from 1756 onwards (see Figure 23).
Function Finding Using Gene Expression Programming Based Neural Network

Gene expression programming (GEP) is a kind of heuristic method based on evolutionary computation theory. Basic GEP method has been proved to be powerful in symbolic regression and other data mining as well as machine learning tasks. However, GEP's potential for neural network learning has not been well studied. In this paper, we prove that GEP neural network (GEPNN) is not able to solve high order regression problems. Based on our proof, we propose an extended method for evolving neural network with GEP. The extended GEPNN is used in various kinds of function finding problems. Results on multiple leaning methods show the effectiveness of our method.
Crystal structure of a prokaryotic replication initiator protein bound to DNA at 2.6 Å resolution

The initiator protein (RepE) of F factor, a plasmid involved in sexual conjugation in Escherichia coli, has dual functions during the initiation of DNA replication which are determined by whether it exists as a dimer or as a monomer. A RepE monomer functions as a replication initiator, but a RepE dimer functions as an autogenous repressor. We have solved the crystal structure of the RepE monomer bound to an iteron DNA sequence of the replication origin of plasmid F. The RepE monomer consists of topologically similar N‐ and C‐terminal domains related to each other by internal pseudo 2‐fold symmetry, despite the lack of amino acid similarities between the domains. Both domains bind to the two major grooves of the iteron (19 bp) with different binding affinities. The C‐terminal domain plays the leading role in this binding, while the N‐terminal domain has an additional role in RepE dimerization. The structure also suggests that superhelical DNA induced at the origin of plasmid F by four RepEs and one HU dimer has an essential role in the initiation of DNA replication.
Proteomic analysis of the Caulobacter crescentus stalk indicates competence for nutrient uptake

Caulobacter crescentus , a Gram‐negative α ‐purple proteobacterium, is an oligotroph that lives in aquatic environments dilute in nutrients. This bacterium divides asymmetrically. Part of this asymmetric cell division involves the formation of a prosthecum at one pole, referred to as the stalk, which replaces the flagellum of the motile swarmer cell. Little is known about the synthesis or function of the stalk. The stalk is an extension of the cell membranes and peptidoglycan layer, and stalk elongation is stimulated by phosphate starvation. In this study, we have taken advantage of two‐dimensional gel (2D gel) electro‐phoresis as well as the fully sequenced genome of Caulobacter to study the proteome of the stalk. We modified a stalk‐shedding mutant strain of Caulobacter crescentus to increase the yield of stalk material shed and performed 2D gel electrophoresis of purified stalks and cellular fractions. Comparison of the stalk 2D gel with the 2D gels of cell membrane and soluble fractions showed that the stalk is mostly free of cytoplasmic proteins and has a profile very similar to that of the cell membrane. Of the 172 proteins on a stalk 2D gel, we report the identification of 64 spots, corresponding to 39 different proteins present in the stalk of Caulobacter. The identifications include several TonB‐dependent receptors, two OmpA family proteins, a dipeptidase, GlpQ, two alkaline phosphatases, 3‐phytase, a putative TolC protein and 11 proteins of unknown function. These identifications are consistent with the hypothesis that the stalk plays a role in nutrient uptake.
Visceral pleural invasion predict a poor survival among lung adenocarcinoma patients with tumor size ≤ 3cm

Introduction The impact of visceral pleural invasion (VPI) on survival remains controversial for patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study investigated the survival status of VPI among patients with lymph node-negative lung invasive adenocarcinoma smaller than 3cm. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 2537 consecutive patients with pathologic stage I lung invasive adenocarcinoma. All patients had received lobectomy and system lymph nodes resection. Patients were classified into 4 groups according to tumor size and visceral pleural invasion status. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed to evaluate survival difference between these groups. Results 548 patients with VPI while 1989 patients without VPI were included in this study. For patients with tumor size ≤2cm, patients with VPI had significant worse DFS (HR,4.85; 95% CI, 2.98-7.91; p = .000) and OS(HR,3.52; 95% CI, 1.59-7.78; p = .002) compared with non-VPI group. For patients with tumor size between 2-3cm, patients with VPI had significant worse DFS (HR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.16-2.55; p = .006) but no significant OS (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.76-2.24; p = .330) compared with non-VPI group. For patients with VPI, there were no survival difference between tumor size 2-3cm group and ≤2cm group for both DFS(HR,1.02; 95% CI, 0.65-1.61; p = .939) and OS(HR,1.45; 95% CI, 0.71-2.97; p = .315). Conclusions VPI could predict a poor survival even for node-negative invasive lung adenocarcinoma patients with tumor size less than 3cm.
Are Capital Requirements on Small Business Loans Flawed?

We explore an inconsistency in the Basel Committee’s Internal Ratings Based (IRB) rules: the capital charges on corporate loans were calibrated to loan-level data, while the capital charges on small business loans were calibrated to fit the capital that a few international banks held prior to this regulation.We argue that the IRB capital charges do not put small business and corporate loans on a level playing field. While downturn risk of corporate loans is accurately captured by the IRB formulas, we show that small businesses have low downturn risk and require 3.5 times lower capital charges than those prescribed by the Basel Committee.
What might be a desirable FTA path towards global free trade for Asia-Pacific countries?

In response to the lack of progress and the subsequent suspension of negotiations in the Doha Round, a number of Asia-Pacific countries have accelerated bilateral and regional trade initiatives. While global free trade is the ultimate goal, many countries strive not to be left out of the recent wave of free-trade agreements (FTAs). Indeed, all major Asia-Pacific countries are currently negotiating bilateral and/or regional FTAs. Is there an optimal FTA sequencing that would eventually lead to global free trade? Although there are a number of studies on sequencing of real and monetary integration, studies on optimal sequencing of FTAs are extremely scarce. The objective of this paper is to investigate what might be an optimal path of FTAs for countries in the Asia-Pacific using the dynamic GTAP model calibrated to the GTAP 8 database. In particular, we shed light on the relationship between sequencing of FTAs and the extent of structural adjustments. The preliminary results suggest that the combination of the Trans-Pacific track sequencings (moving from TPP12 to enlarged TPP and FTAAP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) would move the industrial structure within each member country closer to that which would prevail under global free trade, while increasing economic welfare of the member countries.
Data-driven adaptive selection of rule quality measures for improving rule induction and filtration algorithms

This paper presents a proposal of a rule induction algorithm selecting a rule quality measure adaptively. The quality measure plays the role of an optimization criterion of the generated rules. Nine quality measures applied by the algorithm are presented and discussed in the paper. It is shown experimentally that the proposed algorithm provides us with obtaining a classifier of the best quality. During experiments, three criteria of the classifier quality were considered: overall accuracy, balanced accuracy (average accuracy of decision classes), and complexity of the classifier (understood to mean the number of induced rules). The experiments were carried out on 34 data sets coming from the UCI machine learning repository. Moreover, a proposal of four-rule filtration algorithms is presented in the paper. Their task is to limit the number of rules in the classifier. In particular, filtration influence on the classifier quality is studied.
An edge classification based approach to the post-processing of transform encoded images

Quantisation noise prevalent in transform encoded images becomes increasingly objectionable as the required bit rate is reduced. The perceptual effect of this coding noise is highly dependent on the focal behaviour of the signal upon which it is superimposed. In this paper, a computationally-efficient edge classifier, employing a histogram treatment of image sub-blocks, is proposed. The classifier forms the basis of an adaptive, non-linear postprocessing algorithm incorporating adaptive /spl alpha/-trimmed mean filtering (where the /spl alpha/-value and window size are determined by the output of the edge classifier) and a transform domain dithering technique. Subjective test results confirm the efficacy of the approach. <<ETX>>
Periostin, a novel biomarker of TH2-driven asthma

Purpose of review Asthma is a heterogeneous disease with multiple, overlapping phenotypes. Biomarkers are currently being investigated to better characterize the disease phenotypes and to identify the responders to specific targeted therapies. This review focuses on the emerging data surrounding the use of one such biomarker for T helper 2 (TH2)-driven asthma: periostin. Recent findings Periostin is an extracellular matrix protein that is induced by interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 in airway epithelial cells and lung fibroblasts. It has proven to be an important biomarker of TH2-associated airway inflammation and a potential predictor of airway eosinophilia. It has also been shown to predict response to treatment with inhaled corticosteroids in patients with these characteristics. Furthermore, recent asthma clinical trials have established that serum periostin may have value in predicting the response to targeted therapy with biologic agents such as lebrikizumab and omalizumab. Summary Emerging data suggest a role for periostin in refining asthma phenotypes and predicting the response to targeted therapy. Although early data are promising, further investigations are needed to confirm these findings and to identify other clinical applications in which periostin may be valuable.
The Competitiveness of Exports from Manufacturing Industries in Croatia and Slovenia to the EU-15 Market: A Dynamic Panel Analysis

It is often stated that the growth prospects of nations are closely related to patterns of competitiveness exercised by their firms and industries in the international market. Building on foundations of endogenous growth and new trade theories academics and policy-makers postulate that quality-driven competitiveness bears higher growth potential than the ability to compete in terms of prices. The transition of Central and Eastern European Countries has been characterised by movement from the latter towards the former pattern of competitiveness. This process was facilitated by the transfer of knowledge and skills through the outsourcing of production from their most important trading partners, the West European members of the European Union (EU-15 countries), which paved the way for the development of intra-industry trade. This paper explores the competitiveness of manufacturing industries from Croatia and Slovenia in the EU-15 market. Using dynamic panel analysis we find that between 2002 and 2007 producers from the two countries followed different patterns of competitiveness. While in Slovenia the quality of exports is the main determinant of EU-15 market share, the competitiveness of Croatian producers still depends on their labour costs. We also find a strong impact of intra-industry trade on the competiveness of industries from the two countries in the EU-15 market.
One minute to assess frailty, but what should we do next?

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Complexity and Sophistication

Many financial situations present individuals with simple alternatives to solving complex problems. Are individuals sophisticated; do they know when they are better off opting out of complexity? We tested complexity's effects and evaluated sophistication in a large and diverse sample. We randomly assigned both complexity to portfolio problems and the offer of a simple alternative to portfolio choice. The less skilled opt out more often under complexity and thus earn lower returns, often from dominated choices. Estimated with a novel identification strategy, the structural parameters of a rational inattention model are, nevertheless, consistent with substantial sophistication. Substantial fractions of the money lost by opting out can be justified by attention cost savings.
Understanding the Influence of the Providers' Organizational and Environmental Context on the Success of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Seeking to Access the Benefits of Outsourcing Through Aggregation

Aggregating demand may provide a route to realizing many of the benefits of outsourcing for those organizations too small to embrace it alone. Case studies of four joint service providers (JSPs) in the Australian public sector however highlight how the providers’ organizational and environmental context can influence success. Key differences that distinguish the more successful JSPs appear to relate to them having a greater focus on how to realize the promise of economies of scale and the capabilities and freedom to deliver – through process improvement, standardization and managing the required process of change in particular.
3D skeletonization using an enhanced voxel tree

Although mesh mapped with texture is observed by viewers, skeleton is often used as a compact and simplified form to represent a complex 3D object for backend processing, e.g. animation, similarity match from database, shape comparison and perceptual evaluation [ZY96][CGC*02][HK00], because the original object is too computationally expensive to analyze given time constraints and limited resources. Many skeletonization algorithms have been discussed in the literature including the medial axis and thinning approaches [BO04][PSB01]. However, these algorithms may not generate a stable skeleton. These techniques either focus on a volume, e.g. medical DICOM data, or mesh data. Our skeletonization method using voxels is stable and can be used for both mesh and volume data. Figure 1 shows (a) the original 3D horse model, (b) model covered with voxels on the surface after three iterations, and (c) the tightly bound voxels after running six iterations of our algorithm, giving a good approximation of the horse.
The impact of BRD: the current dairy experience

Abstract The primary source of data on bovine respiratory disease (BRD) prevalence in US adult dairy cattle is producer surveys, which estimate that 2.4–2.9% of cattle are affected. This estimate appears low when compared to calculations based on limited data regarding on-farm deaths due to BRD and the number of carcasses at slaughter with severe BRD. These calculations indicate that approximately 3% of dairy cows die on farm or go to slaughter with severe BRD. Not included in these data are cows that are treated for BRD and retained. The primary manifestation of BRD on dairy farms is in calves. Nationwide surveys have estimated that 12.4–16.4% of preweaned dairy heifer calves are affected with BRD, and 5.9–11% of calves are affected after weaning. More detailed prevalence studies have generally included a limited number of small farms, with limited calf age range studied. All studies relied on producer diagnosis. Prevalence in these studies ranged from 0 to 52%, with many cases occurring before weaning, and with BRD being associated with increased calf death rates. BRD affects heifer growth. It appears to have a small effect on age at first calving, and some studies have shown small effects on performance and herd life after calving. First lactation performance of heifers depends on many factors that can obscure the effects of calfhood BRD.