Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of varying chamber construction and embryo pre‐incubation age on survival and growth of chick embryos in shell‐less culture

Shell‐less cultrure involves culturing chick embryos with associated yolk and albumen outside of the eggshell and shell membranes. The technique allows direct access to and continuous observation of cultured embryos almost to the time of hatching. The plastic wrap/culture tripod technique described in this paper allows normal embryonic growth and differentiation from 48 hours (in ovo pre‐incubation age) through at least 10 days of total incubation. As the duration of in ovo pre‐incubation is decreased below 36 hours, there is a concomitant increase in the percentage of grossly abnormal embryos associated with decreased survival and retarded growth and differentiation. Survival of embryos pre‐incubated for 72 hours through 13 and 18 days of total incubation is greater than 80% and 40%, respectively. The wrap/tripod technique allows substantially better survival and more normal development of cultured embryos than does the petri dish technique of Auerbach et al. (1974). Embryonic growth in 7.8‐cm‐diameter chambers is significantly greater than in either larger (10.6 cm) or smaller (5.2 cm) diameter chambers. Some gas exchange through the culture chamber walls appears necessary for optional embryonic survival and growth. Suspending egg contents in either Safeway® or Handi‐Wrap® plastic wrap (both of intermediate permeability) in 7.8‐cm tripods resulted in superior growth and/or survival compared to suspension in Silastic® sheeting (high permeability), Saran Wrap® (low permeability), glass dishes (nonpermeable), or glass dishes lined with an inner layer of Safeway® wrap(nonpermeable).
A semi-automatic approach for bridging DSMLs with UML

Purpose – The definition of modeling languages is a key‐prerequisite for model‐driven engineering. In this respect, Domain‐Specific Modeling Languages (DSMLs) defined from scratch in terms of metamodels and the extension of Unified Modeling Language (UML) by profiles are the proposed options. For interoperability reasons, however, the need arises to bridge modeling languages originally defined as DSMLs to UML. Therefore, the paper aims to propose a semi‐automatic approach for bridging DSMLs and UML by employing model‐driven techniques.Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses problems of the ad hoc integration of DSMLs and UML and from this discussion a systematic and semi‐automatic integration approach consisting of two phases is derived. In the first phase, the correspondences between the modeling concepts of the DSML and UML are defined manually. In the second phase, these correspondences are used for automatically producing UML profiles to represent the domain‐specific modeling concepts in UML.
A single-channel noise cancelation filter in the short-time-fourier-transform domain

This paper develops a single-channel noise cancelation filter in the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) domain by combining the subspace method and the optimal filtering technique via joint diagonalization of the desired clean speech and noise signal correlation matrices. This filter is shown to be flexible in controlling the compromise between the output signal-to-noise ratio (oSNR) and the amount of speech distortion. Simulations are performed to justify the property of this filter.
Clustering of geriatric deficits emerges to be an essential feature of ageing - results of a cross-sectional study in Poland

The majority of old people suffer from various clinical conditions that affect health, functioning and quality of life. This research is a part of a cross-sectional, nationwide PolSenior Study that provides a comprehensive assessment of eight geriatric impairments and their co-occurrence in a representative sample (3471 participant aged 65-104 years, mean age 78.3 years) of the old adults living in the community in Poland. The participants were recruited randomly from all administrative regions of Poland by a three-stage, proportional, stratified-by-age group selection process. Eight geriatric conditions were assessed: falls, incontinences, cognitive impairment, mood disorders, vision and hearing impairments, malnutrition, and functional dependence. We showed that the most common deficits causing disability were vision and hearing impairments, and mood disorders, with more than two thirds of the participants presented at least one geriatric deficit. We showed that presence any of the analyzed conditions significantly increased the risk for co-occurrence of other examined weaknesses. The highest prevalence odds ratios were for functional dependence and, respectively: malnutrition (8.61, 95%CI: 4.70-15.80), incontinences (8.0, 95%CI:5.93-10.70), and cognitive impairment (7.22; 95%CI:5.91-8.83). We concluded that the majority of the old people living in the community present various clinical conditions that prompt disability.
A self-starting linear multistep method for a direct solution of the general second-order initial value problem

In this paper, we propose a linear multistep method of order 5 that is self-starting for the direct solution of the general second-order initial value problem (IVP). The method is derived by the interpolation and collocation of the assumed approximate solution and its second derivative at x=x n+j , j=1, 2, …, r−1, and x=x n+j , j=1, 2, …, s−1, respectively, where r and s are the number of interpolation and collocation points, respectively. The interpolation and collocation procedures lead to a system of (r+s) equations involving (r+s) unknown coefficients, which are determined by the matrix inversion approach. The resulting coefficients are used to construct the approximate solution from which multiple finite difference methods (MFDMs) are obtained and simultaneously applied to provide a direct solution to IVPs. In particular, the method is implemented without the need for either predictors or starting values from other methods. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the efficiency of the method.
Analysis of Respiration for Prediction of "Who Will Be Next Speaker and When?" in Multi-Party Meetings

To build a model for predicting the next speaker and the start time of the next utterance in multi-party meetings, we performed a fundamental study of how respiration could be effective for the prediction model. The results of the analysis reveal that a speaker inhales more rapidly and quickly right after the end of a unit of utterance in turn-keeping. The next speaker takes a bigger breath toward speaking in turn-changing than listeners who will not become the next speaker. Based on the results of the analysis, we constructed the prediction models to evaluate how effective the parameters are. The results of the evaluation suggest that the speaker's inhalation right after a unit of utterance, such as the start time from the end of the unit of utterance and the slope and duration of the inhalation phase, is effective for predicting whether turn-keeping or turn-changing happen about 350 ms before the start time of the next utterance on average and that listener's inhalation before the next utterance, such as the maximal inspiration and amplitude of the inhalation phase, is effective for predicting the next speaker in turn-changing about 900 ms before the start time of the next utterance on average.
They Saw a Game

Students at football games in the United States (the Rose Bowl) and Japan (the Flash Bowl) evaluated in-group and out-group universities and students before and after the games. In both cultures, the university with the better academic reputation lost the game, whereas the university with the better football program won. European American students from both universities evaluated their in-groups more positively than out-groups on all measures before and after the game. In contrast, Japanese students' ratings offered no evidence of intergroup bias, although Japanese students were as identified with their teams and the game's outcome as were European American students. Instead, Japanese students' ratings reflected the universities' statuses in the larger society and the students' statuses in the immediate situation.
MicroRNAs Are Part of the Regulatory Network that Controls EGF Induced Apoptosis, Including Elements of the JAK/STAT Pathway, in A431 Cells

MiRNAs are known to regulate gene expression and in the context of cancer have been shown to regulate metastasis, cell proliferation and cell death. In this report we describe potential miRNA regulatory roles with respect to induction of cell death by pharmacologic dose of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF). Our previous work suggested that multiple pathways are involved in the induction of apoptosis, including interferon induced genes, cytokines, cytoskeleton and cell adhesion and TP53 regulated genes. Using miRNA time course expression profiling of EGF treated A431 cells and coupling this to our previous gene expression and proteomic data, we have been able to implicate a number of additional miRNAs in the regulation of apoptosis. Specifically we have linked miR-134, miR-145, miR-146b-5p, miR-432 and miR-494 to the regulation of both apoptotic and anti-apoptotic genes expressed as a function of EGF treatment. Whilst additional miRNAs were differentially expressed, these had the largest number of apoptotic and anti-apoptotic targets. We found 5 miRNAs previously implicated in the regulation of apoptosis and our results indicate that an additional 20 miRNAs are likely to be involved based on their correlated expression with targets. Certain targets were linked to multiple miRNAs, including PEG10, BTG1, ID1, IL32 and NCF2. Some miRNAs that target the interferon pathway were found to be down regulated, consistent with a novel layer of regulation of interferon pathway components downstream of JAK/STAT. We have significantly expanded the repertoire of miRNAs that may regulate apoptosis in cancer cells as a result of this work.
Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing by Flow Cytometry

Flow cytometry can provide a rapid indication of antibiotic susceptibility. This unit describes a number of fluorescent dyes that allow the cytometer to distinguish the heterogeneic nature of populations exposed to antibiotics. No single method can be used for multiple organisms, since it is the interference with the organisms growth and structural integrity that signals the impact of the antibiotic so rapidly. This unit discusses membrane structural changes as well as alterations in nucleic acid and the probes that can be successfully used with flow cytometry.
UNC-64 and RIC-4 , the plasma membrane-associated SNAREs syntaxin and SNAP-25 , regulate fat storage in nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Objective To investigate whether genes required for synaptogenesis and synaptic function are also involved in fat storage control in Caenorhabditis elegans. Methods Fat storage was examined in mutants of genes affecting the synaptogenesis and synaptic function. In addition, the genetic interactions of SNAREs syntaxin/unc-64 and SNAP-25/ric-4 with daf-2, daf-7, nhr-49, sbp-1 and mdt-15 in regulating fat storage were further investigated. The tissue-specific activities of unc-64 and ric-4 were investigated to study the roles of unc-64 and ric-4 in regulating fat storage in the nervous system and/or the intestine. Results Mutations of genes required for the formation of presynaptic neurotransmission site did not obviously influence fat storage. However, among the genes required for synaptic function, the plasma membrane-associated SNAREs syntaxin/unc-64 and SNAP-25/ric-4 genes were involved in the fat storage control. Fat storage in the intestinal cells was dramatically increased in unc-64 and ric-4 mutants as revealed by Sudan Black and Nile Red strainings, although the fat droplet size was not significantly changed. Moreover, in both the nervous system and the intestine, expression of unc-64 significantly inhibited the increase in fat storage observed in unc-64 mutant. And expression of ric-4 in the nervous system completely restored fat storage in ric-4 mutant. Genetic interaction assay further indicated that both unc-64 and ric-4 regulated fat storage independently of daf-2 [encoding an insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) receptor], daf-7 [encoding a transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) ligand], and nhr-49 (encoding a nuclear hormone receptor). Besides, mutation of daf-16 did not obviously affect the phenotype of increased fat storage in unc-64 or ric-4 mutant. Furthermore, unc-64 and ric-4 regulated fat storage probably through the ARC105/mdt-15and SREBP/sbp-1-mediated signaling pathways. In addition, fat storage in unc-64; ric-4 was higher than that in either unc-64 or ric-4 single mutant nematodes, suggesting that unc-64 functions in parallel with ric-4 in regulating fat storage. Conclusion The plasma membrane-associated SNAREs syntaxin/ unc-64 and SNAP-25/ric-4 function in parallel in regulating fat storage in C. elegans, probably through the ARC105/mdt-15and SREBP/sbp-1-mediated signaling pathways.
Sirius Implications for Future Warehouse-Scale Computers

Demand is expected to grow significantly for cloud services that deliver sophisticated artificial intelligence on the critical path of user queries, as is the case with intelligent personal assistants such as Apple's Siri. If the prediction of the trend is correct, these types of applications will likely consume most of the world's computing cycles. The Sirius project was motivated to investigate what this future might look like and how cloud architectures should evolve to achieve it.
Evaluation of APD and SiPM matrices as sensors for monolithic PET detector blocks

Gamma detectors based on monolithic scintillator blocks coupled to APDs matrices have proved to be a good alternative to pixelated ones for PET scanners. They provide comparable spatial resolution, improve the sensitivity and make easier the mechanical design of the system. In this study we evaluate by means of Geant4-based simulations the possibility of replacing the APDs by SiPMs. Several commercial matrices of light sensors coupled to LYSO:Ce monolithic blocks have been simulated and compared. Regarding the spatial resolution and linearity of the detector, SiPMs with high photo detection efficiency could become an advantageous replacement for the APDs.
Photoproduction of nucleon resonances and nucleon spin structure function in the resonance region

The photo-production of nucleon resonances is calculated based on a chiral constituent quark model including both relativistic corrections H{rel} and two-body exchange currents, and it is shown that these effects play an important role. We also calculate the first moment of the nucleon spin structure function g1 (x,Q^2) in the resonance region, and obtain a sign-changing point around Q^2 ~ 0.27 {GeV}^2 for the proton.
Experiences in the design of the well, a group communication device for teleconviviality

Over the last forty years, a number of audiovisual systems have been proposed to allow people to communicate over distance. However, although these systems have greatly improved in their ability to support formal meetings, they are still hardly usable for the informal discussions that take place before and after the meeting or during breaks. This paper presents the well, a group communication device that combines audio and video links with an original design to support teleconviviality, the emergence of a relaxed atmosphere well adapted to distributed informal communication. The well is not intended to replace existing video-conferencing systems, but rather to supplement them as a solution to the informal communication problem. After introducing some related work, we provide an overview of the design concept of the well. We then present some details about its hardware configuration and the video compositing software it uses. Finally, we discuss some lessons learned from this work and conclude with directions for future research.
An adaptive soft clipping method for spectrum sharing OFDMA systems

This paper proposes an adaptive soft clipping method for spectrum sharing OFDMA systems. The proposed method controls in-band and out-of-band distortion power by changing the nonlinearity parameter of soft clipping. The simulation results show that the proposed method can control the distortion power by 10 dB for a practical power amplifier. The results also show that a low-peak OFDMA transmitter can be realize with reasonable computational complexity because iterative processing for peak power reduction is unnecessary.
Dynamic Frequency Scaling for Energy Consumption Reduction in Synchronous Distributed Applications

Dynamic Voltage Frequency Scaling (DVFS) can be applied to modern CPUs. This technique is usually used to reduce the energy consumed by a CPU while computing. Thus, decreasing the frequency reduces the power consumed by the CPU. However, it can also significantly affect the performance of the executed program if it is compute bound and if a low CPU frequency is selected. Therefore, the chosen scaling factor must give the best possible trade-off between energy reduction and performance. In this paper we present an algorithm that predicts the energy consumed with each frequency gear and selects the one that gives the best ratio between energy consumption reduction and performance. This algorithm works online without training or profiling and has a very small overhead. It also takes into account synchronous communications between the nodes that are executing the distributed algorithm. The algorithm has been evaluated over the SimGrid simulator while being applied to the NAS parallel benchmark programs. The results of the experiments show that it outperforms other existing scaling factor selection algorithms.
A TWO-STEP ESTIMATOR FOR A SPATIAL LAG MODEL OF COU TS : THEORY

Several spatial econometric approaches are available to model spatially correlated disturbances in count models, but there are at present no structurally consistent count models incorporating spatial lag autocorrelation. A two-step, limited information maximum likelihood estimator is proposed to fill this gap. The estimator is developed assuming a Poisson distribution, but can be extended to other count distributions. The small sample properties of the estimator are evaluated with Monte Carlo experiments. Simulation results suggest that the spatial lag count estimator achieves gains in terms of bias over the aspatial version as spatial lag autocorrelation and sample size increase. An empirical example deals with the location choice of single-unit start-up firms in the manufacturing industry in the US between 2000 and 2004. The empirical results suggest that in the dynamic process of firm formation, counties dominated by firms exhibiting (internal) increasing returns to scale are at a relative disadvantage even if localization economies are present.
An Australian Version of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale: Validity Evidence

This study examined validity evidence for the Australian version of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS-AU). A stratified two-stage cluster sampling design was used to recruit 2,650 adults from Adelaide (Australia). The sample was drawn from residential addresses within eight high-walkable and eight low-walkable suburbs matched for socio-economic status (SES). Neighborhood walkability was measured using Geographic Information Systems data on dwelling density, intersection density, net retail area, and land-use mix. Participants completed the NEWS-AU and reported weekly minutes of walking for transport and recreation (International Physical Activity Questionnaire [IPAQ]). Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA) was used to define the individual- and Census Collection District (CCD)-level measurement model of the NEWS-AU. Seven individual-level and five CCD-level factors were identified. These measurement models were somewhat similar to those of the original Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS). Patterns of associations between the NEWS-AU factors/scales and the walking measures provided some validity evidence for the instrument.
The Combined Effect of Defendant Race and Alleged Gang Affiliation on Mock Juror Decision-Making

Previous research has investigated the influence of several defendant characteristics on mock juror decision-making, but to date, no published research has examined the effect of a defendant's alleged gang membership on verdict decisions. The current study sought to investigate this effect, as well as how it might interact with the defendant's race. One hundred and five participants read a trial transcript involving a robbery case, in which the defendant was depicted as White, Black, or Aboriginal Canadian. In half of the transcripts, the arresting officer testified that the defendant was a known member of a gang. Results demonstrated that in general, participants judged the defendant more harshly when he was a gang member, but only when he was Black. When the defendant was depicted as White, no differences emerged as a function of alleged gang membership. Most interestingly, when the defendant was Aboriginal Canadian, participants treated him less harshly when he was an alleged gang member than when no such allegation was made.
Epigenetic modulation of endogenous tumor suppressor expression in lung cancer xenografts suppresses tumorigenicity

Epigenetic changes involved in cancer development, unlike genetic changes, are reversible. DNA methyltransferase and histone deacetylase inhibitors show antiproliferative effects in vitro, through tumor suppressor reactivation and induction of apoptosis. Such inhibitors have shown activity in the treatment of hematologic disorders but there is little data concerning their effectiveness in treatment of solid tumors. FHIT, WWOX and other tumor suppressor genes are frequently epigenetically inactivated in lung cancers. Lung cancer cell clones carrying conditional FHIT or WWOX transgenes showed significant suppression of xenograft tumor growth after induction of expression of the FHIT or WWOX transgene, suggesting that treatments to restore endogenous Fhit and Wwox expression in lung cancers would result in decreased tumorigenicity. H1299 lung cancer cells, lacking Fhit, Wwox, p16INK4a and Rassf1a expression due to epigenetic modifications, were used to assess efficacy of epigenetically targeted protocols in suppressing growth of lung tumors, by injection of 5‐aza‐2‐deoxycytidine (AZA) and trichostatin A (TSA) in nude mice with established H1299 tumors. High doses of intraperitoneal AZA/TSA suppressed growth of small tumors but did not affect large tumors (200 mm3); lower AZA doses, administered intraperitoneally or intratumorally, suppressed growth of small tumors without apparent toxicity. Responding tumors showed restoration of Fhit, Wwox, p16INKa, Rassf1a expression, low mitotic activity, high apoptotic fraction and activation of caspase 3. These preclinical studies show the therapeutic potential of restoration of tumor suppressor expression through epigenetic modulation and the promise of re‐expressed tumor suppressors as markers and effectors of the responses. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.