Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Broad Blockade Antibody Responses in Human Volunteers after Immunization with a Multivalent Norovirus VLP Candidate Vaccine: Immunological Analyses from a Phase I Clinical Trial

Background Human noroviruses (NoVs) are the primary cause of acute gastroenteritis and are characterized by antigenic variation between genogroups and genotypes and antigenic drift of strains within the predominant GII.4 genotype. In the context of this diversity, an effective NoV vaccine must elicit broadly protective immunity. We used an antibody (Ab) binding blockade assay to measure the potential cross-strain protection provided by a multivalent NoV virus-like particle (VLP) candidate vaccine in human volunteers. Methods and Findings Sera from ten human volunteers immunized with a multivalent NoV VLP vaccine (genotypes GI.1/GII.4) were analyzed for IgG and Ab blockade of VLP interaction with carbohydrate ligand, a potential correlate of protective immunity to NoV infection and illness. Immunization resulted in rapid rises in IgG and blockade Ab titers against both vaccine components and additional VLPs representing diverse strains and genotypes not represented in the vaccine. Importantly, vaccination induced blockade Ab to two novel GII.4 strains not in circulation at the time of vaccination or sample collection. GII.4 cross-reactive blockade Ab titers were more potent than responses against non-GII.4 VLPs, suggesting that previous exposure history to this dominant circulating genotype may impact the vaccine Ab response. Further, antigenic cartography indicated that vaccination preferentially activated preexisting Ab responses to epitopes associated with GII.4. 1997. Study interpretations may be limited by the relevance of the surrogate neutralization assay and the number of immunized participants evaluated. Conclusions Vaccination with a multivalent NoV VLP vaccine induces a broadly blocking Ab response to multiple epitopes within vaccine and non-vaccine NoV strains and to novel antigenic variants not yet circulating at the time of vaccination. These data reveal new information about complex NoV immune responses to both natural exposure and to vaccination, and support the potential feasibility of an efficacious multivalent NoV VLP vaccine for future use in human populations. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01168401
Overweight/obesity and physical fitness among children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND Physical fitness is strongly associated with several positive health indicators among adolescents. However, its association with body mass index status is inconsistent. The aim of this study was to explore the association between overweight/obesity and physical fitness among children and adolescents. METHODS The design consisted of a cross-sectional study comprising 519 Brazilian students age 7 to 15 years. BMI status was assessed according to sex- and age-specific growth charts. Physical fitness was assessed using 8 tests: sit-and-reach, stationary long jump, 1-minute curl-up, modified pull-up, medicine-ball throw, 9-minute run, 20-m run, and 4-m shuttle-run. RESULTS Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 24% and 12%, respectively. Boys performed better than girls in all tests, except flexibility. Normal weight students performed better than overweight and obese students in all tests, except the sit-and-reach and the medicine-ball throw. Cardiorespiratory fitness had the strongest association with BMI status. The prevalence of obese subjects classified as "most fit" was less than 10%. CONCLUSIONS Higher values of body mass index were associated with declines in physical fitness, independent of age. The majority of obese children and adolescents and almost a half of those overweight were classified in the third tertile of physical fitness (least fit).
Treatment of upper-extremity outflow thrombosis

Approximately 10% of all cases of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) occur in the upper extremities. The most common secondary cause of upper-extremity DVT (UEDVT) is the presence of a venous catheter. Primary UEDVT is far less common and usually occurs in patients with anatomic abnormalities of the costoclavicular space causing compression of the subclavian vein, called venous thoracic outlet syndrome (VTOS). Subsequently, movement of the arm results in repetitive microtrauma to the vein and its surrounding structures causing apparent ‘spontaneous’ thrombosis, or Paget-Schrötter syndrome. Treatment of UEDVT aims at elimination of the thrombus, thereby relieving acute symptoms, and preventing recurrence. Initial management for all UEDVT patients consists of anticoagulant therapy. In patients with Paget-Schrötter syndrome the underlying VTOS necessitates a more aggressive management strategy. Several therapeutic options exist, including catheter-directed thrombolysis, surgical decompression through first rib resection, and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the vein. However, several controversies exist regarding their indication and timing.
Role of New Biomarkers: Functional and Structural Damage

Traditional diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) depends on detection of oliguria and rise of serum creatinine level, which is an unreliable and delayed marker of kidney damage. Delayed diagnosis of AKI in the critically ill patient is related to increased morbidity and mortality, prolonged length of stay, and cost escalation. The discovery of a reliable biomarker for early diagnosis of AKI would be very helpful in facilitating early intervention, evaluating the effectiveness of therapy, and eventually reducing cost and improving outcome. Innovative technologies such as genomics and proteomics have contributed to the discovery of new biomarkers, such as neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), cystatin C (Cys C), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), interleukin-18 (IL-18), and liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP). The current status of the most promising of these novel AKI biomarkers, including NGAL, Cys C, KIM-1, L-FABP, and IL-18, is reviewed.
Peas and pancakes: On apparent disagreement and (null) light verbs in Swedish

Two variants of what looks like disagreement between a subject and a predicative adjective are explored: (i) (ii) Having shown how Construction NOM and Construction PROP differ, I demonstrate that the subject of Construction PROP is clausal. I argue that the topmost XP of the subject phrase of both constructions contains a null neuter element. This accounts for the neuter predicative agreement; hence the idea of default agreement or semantic agreement can be dismissed. I also argue that the subject in (ii) contains a vP, the head of which is a null light verb. Other instances of null light verbs in Swedish are identified too. Finally, I propose an analysis that accounts for the close relation between Construction PROP and the corresponding construction with a med-phrase ‘with-phrase’.
Phonological cross-linguistic effects in bilingual Spanish – English speaking children

Paradis (2001) posed the Interactional Dual Systems Model of language representation in which bilingual children possess two separate phonological systems that have mutual influence. Frequency of phonological cross-linguistic effects has been cited as evidence for determining phonological representation. The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency and types of phonological cross-linguistic effects that occur over time in bilingual children. Three female typically developing, bilingual Spanish – English speaking children, ages 5;0, 6;2, and 7;0 participated in the study. Single word, conversation, and narrative samples were examined for each child to determine the phonological makeup of each participant's speech. Two analyses were performed: (1) analysis of phonemic cross-linguistic effects and (2) analysis of syllabic cross-linguistic effects. There were eight occurrences of cross-linguistic effects across the three children. Overall, the frequency of cross-linguistic effects was low, supporting the Interactional Dual Systems Model in which a child's two phonological systems are separate, but non-autonomous.
The concept of light in Spanish denominal verbs: a cognitive analysis

This chapter analyzes five Spanish verbs related to perception and causation: iluminar, alumbrar, deslumbrar, vislumbrar and columbrar . Although, apparently, these verbs may seem synonymous, a careful survey shows that they are not. It is obvious that the aforementioned verbs share a common etymological feature, since all of them are related to the Latin noun lumen ( light ). However, in spite of their formal and semantic similarities, each of them has developed specific nuances which justify their existence in the language system. Indeed, each of these verbs conceptualizes particular aspects concerning the experience in which light may intervene. Furthermore, their lexical-constructional behavior is placed along the continuum extended between two opposed poles: one is related to causativity and the other is linked to visual perception. Keywords: denominal verbs; perception verbs; causativity
Dried distillers grains as a substitute for grazed forage

A 2-yr study evaluated effects of feeding dried distillers grains (DDG) to yearlings grazing native range at greater-than-recommended stocking rates on BW gain, grazed forage quality, and forage disappearance. Thirty-six paddocks were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 treatments: 1) control, stocked at a moderate stocking rate (1.48 animal unit months/ha in yr 1, 1.06 animal unit months/ha in yr 2) with no DDG; 2) double stocked, in which stocking rate was exactly twice the control with no DDG; and 3) double stocked with 2.27 kg/d (DM) of DDG per animal. Six paddocks per treatment replication were grazed in rotation. A total of 42 yearlings (242 ± 15 kg of BW) in yr 1 and 24 yearlings (229 ± 17 kg of BW) in yr 2 were stratified by BW and assigned randomly to treatment. Diet quality was assessed using esophageally fistulated cattle, and forage disappearance and standing crop were determined by clipping twenty 0.25-m2 quadrats pre- and postgrazing. There was no difference (P = 0.52) in ADG between control and double-stocked-without-DDG yearlings (0.50 and 0.45 kg/d, respectively); however, those fed DDG gained more BW (1.14 kg/d; P 0.05) between the 2 double-stocked treatments. Diet in vitro OM disappearance did not differ (P = 0.53) among treatments. Feeding DDG was an effective means of increasing ADG of grazing yearlings when stocking rate was doubled but did not replace sufficient grazed forage to increase stocking rate 2-fold.
The Relationship Between Efficacy and the Instructional Practices of Special Education Teachers and Consultants

ABSIRACT: The relationship between efficacy and selected instructional vareables was explored for two types of special education teachers. Teachers were categorized either as direct service providers, who provided direct instruction or behavioral interventions to students with mild disabilities, or as indirect service providers, who spent at least 50% of their time consulting, collaborating, or team teaching with general educators. Significant positive correlations found between efficacy and three instructionally-relevant factors were for both types of teachers. Type of service was related to only one instructional component, Instructional Experimentation. Recommendations for teacher education are addressed.
When Accuracy Isn’t Everything

Information elaboration is the mechanism through which diverse group members share unique knowledge and perspectives to form better and more creative responses to tasks. However, little is known about the conditions under which group members will be willing and motivated to engage in information elaboration. This article presents a field study conducted in an energy company to investigate that issue. Regression analysis of survey responses suggests that group members who have deep, underlying differences in perspective from the group engage in less information elaboration, particularly if they perceive themselves as similar to the group. Recognizing deep-level differences is helpful, however, when an individual also differs from the group in surface-level characteristics, because those differences improve information elaboration. This finding suggests that surface-level diversity prompts group members to understand and appreciate their deep-level differences.
L- and X-Band Multi-Temporal InSAR Analysis of Tianjin Subsidence

When synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) technology is applied in the monitoring of land subsidence, the sensor band plays an important role. An X-band SAR system as TerraSAR-X (TSX) provides high resolution and short revisit time, but it has no capability of global coverage. On the other side, an L-band sensor as Advanced Land Observing Satellite-Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS-PALSAR) has global coverage and it produces highly coherent interferograms, but it provides much less details in time and space. The characteristics of these two satellites from different bands can be regarded as complementary. In this paper, we firstly present a possible strategy for X-band optimized acquisition planning combining with L-band. More importantly, we also present the multi-temporal InSAR (MT-InSAR) analysis results from 23 ALOS-PALSAR images and 37 TSX data, which show the complementarity of L- and X-band allows measuring deformations both in urban and non-urban areas. Furthermore, the validation between MT-INSAR and leveling/GPS has been carried out. The combination analysis of L- and X-band MT-InSAR results effectively avoids the limitation of X-band, providing a way to define the shape and the borderline of subsiding center and helps us to understand the subsidence mechanism. Finally, the geological interpretation of the detected subsidence center is given.
Clinical grade vitrification of human ovarian tissue: an ultrastructural analysis of follicles and stroma in vitrified tissue

BACKGROUND Cancer therapy is one of many conditions which may diminish the ovarian reserve. Banking of human ovarian tissue has become an option for the preservation of female fertility. We have shown that vitrification is an excellent method to cryopreserve ovarian tissue. To carry out vitrification in a clinical setting, we have developed a clinical grade closed system to avoid direct contact of ovarian tissue with liquid nitrogen. METHODS Ovarian tissue was obtained by biopsy from 12 consenting women undergoing Caesarean section. Tissues were vitrified in cryotubes, using dimethyl sulphoxide, 1,2-propanediol, ethylene glycol and polyvinylpyrrolidon as cryoprotectants. Non-vitrified and warmed-vitrified tissue was compared by light and electron microscopic morphology of the follicles within the tissues. RESULTS We did not see any differences in the light or electron microscopic ultrastructure of oocytes between non-vitrified and vitrified tissues. No irreversible subcellular alterations in vitrified tissues were seen. CONCLUSIONS The ultrastructure of follicles within the vitrified human ovarian tissue was well preserved using cryotube in a closed vitrification system to avoid direct contact of liquid nitrogen. The system is compatible with the European tissue directive.
Improvement of a speech recognizer for standardized medical assessment of children's speech by integration of prior knowledge

Speech recognition of children is a more difficult task than speech recognition of adults. This problem is amplified for children with articulation disorders like cleft lip and palate (CLP). In this work we improved our automatic speech recognition system by integrating prior knowledge. Prior knowledge focuses on two different aspects: A test-dependent language modeling and an age-dependent acoustic modeling. These two approaches are merged at the end to different test- and age-dependent recognizers. We evaluated our system on a dataset of 35 children with CLP. Significant improvements could be found on this dataset. With our baseline system we achieved a negative word accuarcy (WA) of −11.0%. By an extended language modeling we achieved 27.5%. The age-dependent recognition system gains a huge improvement and achieves aWA of 42.6%. With the significant improvements in WA it is possible to perform an automatic detection and identification of specific words. Thus, we took the first step towards a speech assessment on word and subword level.
Designing an Information Visualization Tool for Sensemaking

The study presents the AVALANCHE visualization test-bed for sensemaking in ill-structured problem domains. AVALANCHE allows the users to develop and frame hypotheses, analyze the hypotheses in the experimental domain, and provide cases for simulation experiments. The visualization and sensemaking support module in AVALANCHE provides human–computer interface and visualization supports. Validation experiments using groups aided with visualization and support tools and groups with no aiding was performed on two open-ended sensemaking cases provided by a military subject matter expert. Statistical analyses revealed mean performance differences in plan accuracy, plan time, and number of cue prompts between aided and unaided groups across task scenarios. In general, the aided group had the highest mean plan outcome accuracy, low planning time, and the least number of prompts. The intention is to extend the study to collaborative sensemaking tasks to address the effects of negotiation on team planning time, cue prompting frequencies, and different types of cue prompting modalities.
Finding Semantic Similarity in Vietnamese

Finding semantic similarity is an important task in many natural language processing applications. Despite numerous works for popular languages, there is still limited research done for Vietnamese. In this paper, we tackle the problem of finding semantic similarity for Vietnamese using Random Indexing and Hyperspace Analogue to Language to represent the semantics of words and documents. We build a system to find synonyms in Vietnamese. Experimental results show that our system achieves accuracies of 75% for finding synonyms for verbs and 65% for synonyms for nouns.
Congeneric Amphipods Show Differing Abilities to Maintain Metabolic Rates with Latitude

Metabolic variability across latitudinal populations of gammarid amphipods was examined in the summer by determining whole-animal rates of oxygen uptake () in four species with overlapping distribution patterns in the northeast Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Comparisons were made between an arctic/boreal species, Gammarus setosus, a subarctic/boreal species, Gammarus oceanicus, a boreal/temperate species, Gammarus duebeni duebeni, and a temperate species, Gammarus locusta. Measurements included acclimatized in all four species and after acclimation to 10°C in two populations of G. oceanicus and G. locusta. In G. oceanicus, acclimatized declined with latitude (13° to 5°C) so that metabolic rates were lower in subarctic (79°N) relative to temperate (58°N) populations and similar to the values in G. setosus at 79°N. Consequently, there was no evidence for metabolic rate compensation in the colder-water, high-latitude populations in the summer. Further examination of the specific effects of temperature revealed similarities in between populations of G. oceanicus acclimated at 10°C and similarities in thermal sensitivity (Q10) and activation energies (Ea) on exposure to acute temperature change. In sharp contrast, there was no variation in summer acclimatized with latitude in either G. d. duebeni between 48° and 70°N or G. locusta between 38° and 53°N. Instead, the two species maintained relatively high metabolic rates across latitudes, which were associated in G. locusta with differences in and with Q10 and Ea values in amphipods acclimated at 10°C. The ability to compensate metabolic rate with latitude in the summer suggests greater metabolic flexibility, which predicts a greater capacity for survival during climate change of the temperate/boreal over the subarctic and arctic gammarid species.
Perceiving translucent materials

Many common materials, including fruit, wax and human skin, are somewhat translucent. What makes an object look translucent or opaque? Here we use a recently developed computer graphics model of subsurface light transport [Jensen, et al., 2001] to study the factors that determine perceived translucency. We discuss how physical factors, such as light-source direction can alter the apparent translucency of an object, finding that objects are perceived to be more translucent when illuminated from behind than in front. We also study the role of a range of image cues, including colour, contrast and blur, in the perception of translucency. Although we learn a lot about images of translucent materials, we find that many simple candidate sources of information fail to predict how translucent an object looks. We suggest that the visual system does not rely solely on these simple image statistics to estimate translucency: the relevant stimulus information remains to be discovered.
Depression among Elderly Residents of Local-Authority Residential Homes

Of 390 residents in 12 local-authority homes for the elderly, 93 had evidence of depression on screening and underwent standard clinical assessment. Half had an affective disorder, and a further third had depressive symptoms in the setting of an organic mental disorder. The 93 residents had a high rate of physical illness and disability, undertook little social activity, and were visited infrequently. A range of interventions for depressed residents, the majority social in type, mostly proved difficult to implement. There was no evidence of efficacy of psychiatric intervention at three months; at one-year follow-up a quarter of study participants had died, and 28% of those who were reassessed for depression showed evidence of recovery.
Biomedical Modeling of the Human Head for Physically-based, Non-rigid Image Registration

The accuracy of image-guided neurosurgery generally suffers from brain deformations due to intraoperative changes. These deformations cause significant changes of the anatomical geometry (organ shape and spatial interorgan relations), thus making intraoperative navigation based on preoperative images error prone. In order to improve the navigation accuracy, the authors developed a biomechanical model of the human head based on the finite element method, which can be employed for the correction of preoperative images to cope with the deformations occurring during surgical interventions. At the current stage of development, the two-dimensional (2-D) implementation of the model comprises two different materials, though the theory holds for the three-dimensional (3-D) case and is capable of dealing with an arbitrary number of different materials. For the correction of a preoperative image, a set of homologous landmarks must be specified which determine correspondences. These correspondences can be easily integrated into the model and are maintained throughout the computation of the deformation of the preoperative image. The necessary material parameter values have been determined through a comprehensive literature study. The authors' approach has been tested for the case of synthetic images and yields physically plausible deformation results. Additionally, they carried out registration experiments with a preoperative MR image of the human head and a corresponding postoperative image simulating an intraoperative image. The authors found that their approach yields good prediction results, even in the case when correspondences are given in a relatively small area of the image only.