Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distribution of viral antigen gp85 and provirus in various tissues from commercial meat-type and experimental White Leghorn Line 0 chickens with different subgroup J avian leukosis virus infection profiles

Immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to test for the presence of avian leukosis virus (ALV) J viral antigen gp85 and proviral DNA, respectively, in various tissues (adrenal gland, bone marrow, gonad, heart, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, proventriculus, sciatic nerve, spleen, and thymus). Tissues were collected from 32-week-old commercial meat-type and Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory experimental White Leghorn Line 0 chickens with the following different infection profiles: tV + A−, included in ovo-tolerized viraemic chickens with no neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) on any sampling; ntV + A−, included chickens that were viraemic and NAb-negative at the time of termination at 32 weeks post hatch, but had NAbs on up to two occasions; V+ A+, included chickens that were viraemic and NAb-positive at the time of termination at 32 weeks post hatch, and had NAbs on more than two occasions; V − A+, included chickens that were negative for viraemia and NAb-positive at the time of termination at 32 weeks post hatch, and had antibody on more than two occasions; V − A−, included chickens that were never exposed to ALV J virus. There was a direct correlation between viraemia and tissue distribution of gp85, regardless of the NAb status and strain of chickens, as expression of ALV J gp85 was noted in only viraemic chickens (tV + A−, ntV + A−, V+ A+), but not in non-viraemic seroconverted chickens (V − A+). Of the four oligonucleotide primers pairs used in PCR to identify ALV J provirus, only one primer set termed H5/H7 was useful in demonstrating ALV J proviral DNA in the majority of the tissues tested from non-viraemic, antibody-positive chickens (V − A+). The results suggest that PCR using primer pair H5/H7 is more sensitive than immunohistochemistry in identifying ALV J in chickens that have been exposed to virus, but are not actively viraemic.
The Renal Sinus Is the Principal Invasive Pathway: A Prospective Study of 100 Renal Cell Carcinomas

A total of 100 renal cell carcinomas were prospectively examined for renal sinus invasion, 74 clear cell renal cell carcinomas (CC), 3 renal cell carcinomas, unclassified (RUC), 16 papillary renal cell carcinomas (PapC), and 7 chromophobe renal cell carcinomas (ChC). Using the 2002 TNM staging formulation, 49 tumors were T1, 5 were T2, and 46 were T3 or T4. Renal sinus invasion occurred more often than renal capsule invasion. No tumor invaded the capsule that did not also invade the sinus. Renal sinus invasion correlated with Fuhrman grade; 17% of grades 1/2 tumors invaded the sinus, while 71% of grade 3/4 tumor invaded the sinus (P < 0.001). Sinus invasion correlated with tumor type; 2 of 23 PapC and ChC invaded the sinus compared with 44 of 77 CC and RUC. Sinus invasion occurred in approximately 16% of tumors 1 to 4 cm in size, then abruptly increased for larger tumors (P < 0.001). When tumors are staged by the 1997 and 2002 TNM formulation, renal sinus invasion upstaged 28% of cases stage T1 or T2 by the 1997 formulation, to T3 using the 2002 criteria. In conclusion, renal sinus invasion is the most common site of extrarenal extension of renal carcinoma and correlates with tumor type, grade and size. Appropriate evaluation for sinus invasion reduces the incidence of T1b and T2 CC tumors, limiting prognostic utility and suggesting reassessment of the T1 and T2 stage designations.
Testing Creative Writing in Pakistan: Tensions and Potential in Classroom Practice

The paper entitled ‘Testing Creative Writing in Pakistan: Tensions and Potential in Classroom Practice’ aims at discovering the impact of creative writing tests on classroom practice in Pakistan. The data collected from the questionnaire and focus group interview with University of Education postgraduate students – who are also inservice school teachers – discovers that English teachers in Pakistan do not teach to develop the creative and communicative abilities of pupils studying the English language at Matriculation Level in Pakistan. The findings also explicitly indicate that these in-service teachers do not have information about approaches that are widely used for teaching writing in a western educational context, such as the ‘genre approach’ and the ‘process approach’. The classroom assessment is influenced by the Board Examinations, while the students memorise the essays and stories from their textbooks and reproduce them.
A P2CE: Double aff in ity propagation based cluster ensemble

Though there exist a lot of cluster ensemble approaches, few of them consider how to deal with noisy datasets. In this paper, we design a new noise immunization based cluster ensemble framework named as AP2CE to tackle the challenges raised by noisy datasets. AP2CE not only takes advantage of the affinity propagation algorithm (AP) and the normalized cut algorithm (Ncut), but also possesses the characteristics of cluster ensemble. Compared with traditional cluster ensemble approaches, AP2CE is characterized by several properties. (1) It adopts multiple distance functions instead of a single Euclidean distance function to avoid the noise related to the distance function. (2) AP2CE applies AP to prune noisy attributes and generate a set of new datasets in the subspaces consists of representative attributes obtained by AP. (3) It avoids the explicit specification of the number of clusters. (4) AP2CE adopts the normalized cut algorithm as the consensus function to partition the consensus matrix and obtain the final result. The experiments on real datasets show that (1) AP2CE works well on most of real datasets, in particular the noisy datasets; (2) AP2CE is a better choice for most of real datasets when compared with other cluster ensemble approaches; (3) AP2CE has the capability to provide more accurate, stable and robust results.
Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose gel application delays Der p 1 diffusion in vitro

Background: A special hydroxypropylmethyl-cellulose powder (Nasaleze? ) has been used for the alleviation of nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis since 1994. The efficacy of the product has been recently proven but the mechanism of action was still largely unknown. The aim of the study was to investigate the hypothesis that the gel formed after moisture absorption in the nose might act as mechanical barrier that prevents allergen diffusion towards the nasal epithelium. Methods: The diffusion of Der p 1 through HPMC and agar gels was measured in vitro after 15, 30, 60, 180 and 360 minutes using ELISA. Agar blocks were used to simulate the nasal mucosa. Control samples without gel layer were obtained. Results: The control samples with no applied gel barrier absorbed 72.2 % of the Der p 1 solution after 15 minutes and 100 % after 60 minutes. In comparison, the HPMC and agar gel layers both significantly delayed Der p 1 diffu-sion. After 15 minutes 0.76 % had diffused through the HPMC gel layer compared to 28.1 % which diffused through the agar layer. After 360 minutes, 14.1 % of the baseline Der p 1 crossed the HPMC gel layer while 100 % had diffused through the agar layer. Conclusions: HPMC gel significantly reduces Der p 1 diffusion in vitro compared to no barrier and an agar gel layer. This is likely to be due to the small mesh size of the polymer network of HPMC and could have important implications for a preventative treat-ment of allergic rhinitis.
Effect of Rosuvastatin on Outcomes in Chronic Haemodialysis Patients: Baseline Data from the AURORA Study

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Aims: AURORA (A study to evaluate the Use of Rosuvastatin in subjects On Regular haemodialysis: an Assessment of survival and cardiovascular events) is the first large-scale international trial to assess the effects of statins on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with ESRD on chronic haemodialysis. Preliminary baseline data from the randomised population are presented. Methods: A total of 2,775 patients from 280 centres in 25 countries were randomised into the study. Patients aged 50–80 years on regular chronic haemodialysis for at least 3 months before screening were eligible for inclusion. They were randomised 1:1 to receive either rosuvastatin 10 mg or placebo daily and assessed throughout the study. Results: The mean age at baseline was 64 years. Most patients were male (62%) and 85% were white. The median time since commencing renal replacement was 32 months. Mean total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were 4.53 mmol/l (175 mg/dl) and 2.57 mmol/l (99 mg/dl), respectively. Conclusion: Results from the AURORA trial will impact on the current guidelines and use of statins in this patient population.
Iron absorption in patients with Zollinger–Ellison syndrome treated with long‐term gastric acid antisecretory therapy

Gastric acid secretion is important for absorption of dietary non‐haem iron, and iron deficiency is common in gastric hyposecretory states such as after gastric resection. It is not known if prolonged, continuous treatment with potent acid suppressants such as omeprazole will lead to iron deficiency or lower body iron stores.
A Survey of Probabilistic Record Matching Models , Techniques and Tools

Probabilistic record linkage regards the use of stochastic decision models to solve the problem of record linkage (also known as record matching). Data quality has became a key aspect in many institutions and the demand for novel, effective techniques is increasing. Record linkage in general has been studied in the last three decades and a solid probabilistic decision framework has been proposed along with several extensions and specific estimation methods. This paper is a survey work narrowed to the most recent and promising approaches also including a selection of data cleansing tools based on probabilistic decision models.
Geo-location aided cooperative communications

How to efficiently utilize geo-location information in communications has recently received increasing interests for many different issues, like interference management, synchronization, etc. Geo-location information can be either gained and tracked through GPS or by other radio or non-radio aided means. In this paper the focus is on different approaches for cooperative communication that use geo-location information successfully to decide if relay nodes in different setups should be used or not.
Provably convergent on-line structure and motion estimation for perspective systems

Estimation of structure and motion in computer vision systems can be performed using a dynamic systems approach, where states and parameters in a perspective system are estimated. This paper presents a new approach to the structure estimation problem, where the estimation of the 3D-positions of feature points on a moving object is reformulated as a parameter estimation problem. For each feature point, a constant parameter is estimated, from which it is possible to calculate the time-varying 3D-position. The estimation method is extended to the estimation of motion, in the form of angular velocity estimation. The combined structure and angular velocity estimator is shown stable using Lyapunov theory and persistency of excitation based arguments. The estimation method is illustrated with simulation examples, demonstrating the estimation convergence.
Characterization and activity of entomopathogenic fungi isolates against “paraguay tea ampul” (Gyropsylla spegazziniana) (Lizer & Trelles) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)

Paraguay tea is a native crop of southern Brazil and is also socioeconomically important in Paraguay and Argentina. One of the main pests of this crop is Gyropsylla spegazziniana (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). As there are no registered insecticides for this pest in Brazil, the use of entomopathogenic fungi is an alternative method for its control. This study aimed to evaluate and characterize isolates of the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria spp. , Metarhizium anisopliae , Isaria spp. and Lecanicillium spp. on G . spegazziniana . For this purpose, 5th instar nymphs were transferred to Paraguay tea seedlings, followed by spraying of conidial suspensions (1 × 109 conidia mL-1) and then placing the seedlings in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cages and maintaining them in a temperature-controlled room (26 ± 1°C, 12h00 photophase, 60 ± 10% R.H.). Insect mortality was evaluated daily for 10 days, and the selected isolates were characterized according to their vegetative growth, conidial production in synthetic culture medium and rice and insecticidal activity as well as through molecular analyses, including sequencing the rDNA-ITS region and RAPD analysis. The genus Beauveria spp. was the most efficient, particularly the Unioeste 44 isolate, which caused the greatest total mortality of G. spegazziniana (81.7%) and showed among the highest conidial production levels on rice, indicating a significant potential to be used in an integrated management program for this pest. Molecular analysis of the rDNA-ITS region allowed the isolates to be identified as B. bassiana and B. brongniartii , and RAPD markers were found to be associated with virulence.
Predictors of Sun-Protective Practices among Iranian Female College Students: Application of Protection Motivation Theory.

PURPOSE Given the importance of sun protection in the prevention of skin cancer, this study was designed to determine predictors of sun-protective practices among a sample of Iranian female college students based on protection motivation theory (PMT) variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this cross-sectional study, a total of 201 female college students in Iran University of Medical Sciences were selected. Demographic and PMT variables were assessed with a 67-item questionnaire. Multiple linear regression was used to identify demographic and PMT variables that were associated with sun-protective practices and intention. RESULTS one percent of participants always wore a hat with a brim, 3.5% gloves and 15.9% sunglasses while outdoors. Only 10.9% regularly had their skin checked by a doctor. Perceived rewards, response efficacy, fear, self-efficacy and marital status were the five variables which could predict 39% variance of participants intention to perform sun-protective practices. Also, intention and response cost explained 31% of the variance of sun-protective practices. CONCLUSIONS These predictive variables may be used to develop theory-based education interventions interventions to prevent skin cancer among college students.
Text Extraction from Historical Document Images by the Combination of Several Thresholding Techniques

This paper presents a new technique for the binarization of historical document images characterized by deteriorations and damages making their automatic processing difficult at several levels. The proposed method is based on hybrid thresholding combining the advantages of global and local methods and on the mixture of several binarization techniques. Two stages have been included. In the first stage, global thresholding is applied on the entire image and two different thresholds are determined from which the most of image pixels are classified into foreground or background. In the second stage, the remaining pixels are assigned to foreground or background classes based on local analysis. In this stage, several local thresholding methods are combined and the final binary value of each remaining pixel is chosen as the most probable one. The proposed technique has been tested on a large collection of standard and synthetic documents and compared with well-known methods using standard measures and was shown to be more powerful.
Negative regulation of the P0 gene in Schwann cells: suppression of P0 mRNA and protein induction in cultured Schwann cells by FGF2 and TGF beta 1, TGF beta 2 and TGF beta 3.

During the development of peripheral nerves, Schwann cells are induced to form myelin sheaths round the larger axons. This process involves a complex series of events and the nature of the molecular signals that regulate and control myelin formation in Schwann cells is not well understood. Our previous experiments on rat Schwann cells in vitro, using serum-free defined medium, showed that a myelin-related protein phenotype could be induced in early postnatal Schwann cells in culture by elevation of intracellular cyclic AMP levels in the absence of growth factors, conditions under which the cells are not dividing. Cells with this phenotype expressed the major myelin glycoprotein P0 and expression of p75 NGF receptor, N-CAM, GFAP and A5E3 proteins was down-regulated. These changes are all characteristics associated with myelination in vivo. In contrast, when cyclic AMP levels were elevated in the presence of serum, suppression of cyclic AMP-induced differentiation resulted and DNA synthesis was induced. In this paper, we have used this model system and extended our analysis to explore the relationship between defined growth factors and suppression of myelination. We have used pure recombinant growth factors normally present in peripheral nerves, i.e. FGF1 and FGF2 and TGF beta 1, TGF beta 2, and TGF beta 3 and shown that, like serum, they can strongly suppress the forskolin-mediated induction of the P0 gene, both at the level of mRNA and protein synthesis. For both growth factor families, the suppression of P0 gene expression is dose-dependent and takes place in serum-starved cells that are mitotically quiescent. In the case of FGF2, however, even more complete suppression is obtained when the cells are simultaneously allowed to enter the cell cycle by inclusion of high concentrations of insulin in the culture medium. The present results raise the possibility that, in addition to the positive axonal signals that are usually envisaged to control the onset of myelination, growth factors present in the nerve may exert negative regulatory signals during development and thus help control the time of onset and the rate of myelination in peripheral nerves.
A Novel Classification-based Method for Constructing Patent Citation Networks

Patent citation network analysis is an important patent analysis method to find out the fundamental or critical technology developments in a field. The way to construct the patent citation network is typically through an investigation of backward and forward citations. While past research mostly treat all backward citations of a patent equally, this research proposes a novel method to draft patent citation networks based on subject feature through patent classification codes. This allows us to remove patents that are of less interest and construct a more reasonable network. Moreover, the topology of our patent citation network is not prone to the weights set by the researcher.
FFICIENT FEATURE SUBSET SELECTION MODEL FOR HIGH DIMENSIONAL DATA

This paper proposes a new method that intends on reducing the size of high dimensional dataset by identifying and removing irrelevant and redundant features. Dataset reduction is important in the case of machine learning and data mining. The measure of dependence is used to evaluate the relationship between feature and target concept and or between features for irrelevant and redundant feature removal. The proposed work initially removes all the irrelevant features and then a minimum spanning tree of relevant features is constructed using Prim’s algorithm. Splitting the minimum spanning tree based on the dependency between features leads to the generation of forests. A representative feature from each of the forests is taken to form the final feature subset.
Regulatory T Cell Responses Develop in Parallel to Th Responses and Control the Magnitude and Phenotype of the Th Effector Populatio1

Host survival during schistosomiasis requires the development of a tightly regulated and Th2-polarized immune response against parasite egg Ags. In this system, Th1 response suppression has been thought to be enforced through the production of IL-10 by Th2 cells and natural T regulatory (Treg) cells. By comparing Th responses in schistosome egg-injected mice that lack IL-10, IL-4, and/or Treg cells, we have been able to build a detailed picture of the relative contributions of Treg cells, Th2 cells, and IL-10 to regulation of the egg-induced response. Our data indicate that eggs induce a marked Treg cell response, evident as the extensive proliferation of Foxp3+ cells that is proportionally as great as the response occurring within the Th compartment. Furthermore, we show that Treg cells prevent Th1 response development and limit the magnitude of the Th2 response. Although Treg cells are able to produce IL-10 after egg injection, we found no evidence for a role for IL-10 in Treg-mediated suppression of Th cell responses, nor did we find evidence for an inhibitory effect of Th2 cells on Th1 response development. Thus, the magnitude and phenotype of the egg-induced effector Th response are controlled by a parallel response within the Treg population.
The consonant-weighted envelope difference index (cEDI): a proposed technique for quantifying envelope distortion.

PURPOSE The benefits of amplitude compression in hearing aids may be limited by distortion resulting from rapid gain adjustment. To evaluate this, it is convenient to quantify distortion by using a metric that is sensitive to the changes in the processed signal that decrease consonant recognition, such as the Envelope Difference Index (EDI; Fortune, Woodruff, & Preves, 1994). However, the EDI relies on the entire duration of the signal, including portions irrelevant to consonant recognition. METHOD This note describes a computationally efficient method of automatically segmenting speech in time according to the syllable structure. Our technique uses the 1st derivative of the envelope as a basis. Peaks located in the derivative were used to generate a weighting function for the computation of a metric of signal distortion. RESULTS The weighting function significantly improved the variance explained in consonant recognition scores over previous methods. However, only 3.2% of the variance was explained in the revised model. CONCLUSION This technique was effective in focusing the analysis of distortion on specific segments of the signal. Use of the technique has implications for speech analysis. The difference in the amplitude envelope of consonants is not a robust model of the effect of hearing aid compression on consonant recognition.