Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating oral epithelial dysplasia classification system by near-infrared Raman spectroscopy

Until now, the classification system of oral epithelial dysplasia is still based on the architectural and cytological changes, which relies on the observation of pathologists and is relatively subjective. The purpose of present research was to discriminate the oral dysplasia by the near-infrared Raman spectroscope, in order to evaluate the classification system. We collected Raman spectra of normal mucosa, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and dysplasia by near-infrared Raman spectroscope. The biochemical variations between different stages were analyzed by the characteristic peaks in the subtracted mean spectra. Gaussian radial basis function support vector machines (SVM) were used to establish the diagnostic models. At the same time, principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were used to verify the results of SVM. Raman spectral differences were observed in the range between 730~1913 cm-1. Compared with normal mucosa, high contents of protein and DNA in oral dysplasia and OSCC were observed. There were no significant or gradual variation of Raman peaks among different dysplastic grades. The accuracies of comparison between mild, moderate, severe dysplasia with OSCC were 100%, 44.44%, 71.15%, which elucidated the low modeling ability of support vector machines, especially for the moderate dysplasia. The analysis by PCA-LDA could not discriminate the stages, either. Combined with support vector machines, near-infrared Raman spectroscopy could detect the biochemical variations in oral normal, OSCC and dysplastic tissues, but could not establish diagnostic model accurately. The classification system needs further improvements.
Size and Momentum in European Equity Markets: Empirical Findings from Varying Beta Capital Asset Pricing Model

We use securities listed on 13 European equity markets to form size and momentum portfolios. We find limited evidence of a size premium but significant momentum returns in eight sample markets. We find that these premia may not constitute an anomaly because they are consistent with a varying-beta Capital Asset Pricing Model. We also show that systematic risk is related to the business cycle. Furthermore, the results suggest that although size and especially momentum returns are significant, it would be difficult to exploit them in the short to medium run, because they are positive and sizeable in very few years in our sample.
Performance of a busy tone approach on 802.11 wireless networks

In recent years, the evolution of modern applications in wireless networks has led to the use of 60 GHz frequency band due to its 7 GHz license - free spectrum allocated worldwide. Using this physical layer demands an adaptation of the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer to enhance its performance. In this paper, we propose a scheme based on the adaptation of the IEEE 802.11ad standard MAC protocol for WLANs using the “busy tone” approach and directional antennas with coordination between 60 GHz and 2.4 GHz frequency bands. Simulation results show the efficiency of this model in reducing collisions caused by hidden terminals, therefore, enhancing the performance of the network in terms of transmission delay, retransmission attempts and throughput.
Promoting Regional Power Trade: The Southern African Power Pool

The Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), the first formal international pool to be set outside North American and Western Europe, was inaugurated in 1995. While the utilities of southern Africa have been importing and exporting electricity for four decades, these trades occurred through bilateral contracts that were complex and often difficult to administer. The objective of shifting to the pool is to create a more efficient regional market. Although physically the pool is still embryonic and trade volumes average roughly 3 percent of production, confidence in the market and mutual trust between the members are being strengthened and sector coordination is dramatically improved. This Note reviews the factors that have eased the way for the pool agreements and the challenges that remain in getting the multilateral trading operation under way.
Games-Based Requirements Engineering Training: An Initial Experience Report

The requirements engineering (RE) field recognizes that many practitioners need help attaining the complex set of skills required to perform quality RE work. RE training courses offer a range of opportunities to acquire those skills, however most courses follow a traditional lecture-based approach. Research from other fields has demonstrated that the use of games can be an effective tool to improve student learning. The goal of this paper is to report the authorspsila initial experiences with using games to enhance RE training. This paper introduces existing research on the use of games in training and explains how it was reviewed and applied to RE training. A case study describes the specific experiences with and examples of games created for a requirements visualization training course. Future work is suggested which builds upon these early experiences in using such games.
The Efficacy of Montelukast and Airway Mast Cell Profiles in Patients with Cough Variant Asthma

Background. Cough variant asthma (CVA) is characterized by chronic cough without apparent wheezing; its pathophysiology is considered to be similar to that of classic asthma. Objective. The clinical effects of montelukast, a cysteinyl-leukotriene receptor antagonist, on cough variant asthma were assessed, and the activation profile of airway mast cells was examined. Methods. Montelukast (10 mg/day) was given orally to 36 CVA patients (25 women and 11 men; median age, 37.5 years). Before treatment, the patients' bronchial mucosa underwent a biopsy with a fiberoptic bronchoscope. The biopsy specimens were double stained with anti-CD63 antibody and anti-human tryptase antibody. Results. After 2 weeks of montelukast treatment, cough symptoms improved in 22 patients (the effective group) but did not improve in 14 patients (the ineffective group); in the ineffective group, the symptoms disappeared 2 weeks after they were switched to fluticasone propionate (400 μg/day) inhalation therapy. In the effective group, the time interval from the onset of symptoms to the initiation of treatment was significantly shorter than in the ineffective group. The bronchial mucosa biopsy specimens showed that the proportion of CD63-positive cells in tryptase-positive mast cells was significantly higher in the effective group than in the ineffective group; although the total numbers of mast cells were not different between the two groups. Conclusion. There is a subgroup of CVA patients in whom leukotrienes are closely involved in the pathogenesis of their chronic cough; activation of airway mast cells may be an essential feature in these patients.
Myocardial Gene Transfer and Overexpression of &bgr;2-Adrenergic Receptors Potentiates the Functional Recovery of Unloaded Failing Hearts

Background—Mechanical assistance of the failing left ventricle (LV) can lead to functional recovery after a period of unloading, including restoration of &bgr;-adrenergic receptor (&bgr;AR) inotropic reserve. We tested whether prolonged LV unloading of failing rabbit hearts by use of a heterotopic transplantation technique could lead to recovery and whether adenoviral gene transfer of a &bgr;2AR transgene (Adv-&bgr;2AR) could alter this process. Methods and Results—Heart failure was induced by coronary artery ligation in adult New Zealand White rabbits. After 4 weeks, failing hearts were heterotopically transplanted into recipient rabbits, allowing normal coronary perfusion but complete LV unloading. We also placed an LV latex balloon for remote access and in vivo physiological analysis. We found that there was reversal of signaling and functional abnormalities after 30 days of unloading. In another set of failing hearts, we randomly delivered, at the time of transplantation, either 2×1011 viral particles of Adv-&bgr;2AR or saline via the coronary arteries. Sham-operated animals with nonfailing hearts served as controls. After 5 days of unloading, in vivo LV contractility (LV dP/dtmax) and relaxation (LV dP/dtmin) were significantly decreased in saline-treated failing hearts compared with control nonfailing hearts (P <0.05). In failing hearts treated with Adv-&bgr;2AR, however, LV dP/dtmax and LV dP/dtmin were improved in response to higher preloads (P <0.05) and &bgr;AR stimulation (P <0.01). Conclusions—Heterotopic transplantation in the rabbit does allow recovery of the failing heart, and &bgr;2AR overexpression acutely enhances this functional improvement. Accordingly, genetic manipulation of &bgr;AR signaling may represent a novel molecular adjunct to mechanical assistance to facilitate functional myocardial recovery.
Coronary plaque disruption.

Coronary atherosclerosis is by far the most frequent cause of ischemic heart disease, and plaque disruption with superimposed thrombosis is the main cause of the acute coronary syndromes of unstable angina, myocardial infarction, and sudden death.1 2 3 4 5 Therefore, for event-free survival, the vital question is not why atherosclerosis develops but rather why, after years of indolent growth, it suddenly becomes complicated by life-threatening thrombosis. The composition and vulnerability of plaque rather than its volume or the consequent severity of stenosis produced have emerged as being the most important determinants for the development of the thrombus-mediated acute coronary syndromes; lipid-rich and soft plaques are more dangerous than collagen-rich and hard plaques because they are more unstable and rupture-prone and highly thrombogenic after disruption.6 This review will explore potential mechanisms responsible for the sudden conversion of a stable atherosclerotic plaque to an unstable and life-threatening atherothrombotic lesion—an event known as plaque fissuring, rupture, or disruption.7 8 Atherosclerosis is the result of a complex interaction between blood elements, disturbed flow, and vessel wall abnormality, involving several pathological processes: inflammation, with increased endothelial permeability, endothelial activation, and monocyte recruitment9 10 11 12 13 14 ; growth, with smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation, migration, and matrix synthesis15 16 ; degeneration, with lipid accumulation17 18 ; necrosis, possibly related to the cytotoxic effect of oxidized lipid19 ; calcification/ossification, which may represent an active rather than a dystrophic process20 21 ; and thrombosis, with platelet recruitment and fibrin formation.1 22 23 Thrombotic factors may play a role early during atherogenesis, but a flow-limiting thrombus does not develop until mature plaques are present, which is why thrombosis often is classified as a complication rather than a genuine component of atherosclerosis. ### Mature Plaques: Atherosis and Sclerosis As the name atherosclerosis implies, mature …
Thrift shopping: Combining utilitarian thrift and hedonic treat benefits

Through an ethnography of shopping that takes place in five thrift stores in a US midwestern town, the authors examine the role of thrift in a shopping process that is both economic and hedonic—‘thrift shopping’. Taking a dialectical perspective on the study of shopping (Sherry, 1990), Miller's (1998) findings on the role of thrift are extended by showing that in the thrift shopping context thrift coexists with treat, and the pursuit of thrift can itself become a hedonic experience. In addition, the authors identify six ways in which consumers practise thrift in thrift shopping and the hedonic benefits that they derive from this money-saving activity. The findings challenge the traditional frugality perspective of dichotomising thrift and hedonic desire being opposite and contradictory orientations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Lactobacillus helveticus-Specific DNA Probe Detects Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms in This Species

A cloned 2-kb EcoRI fragment (fragment f) from a 34-kb plasmid of Lactobacillus helveticus CNRZ 1094 was shown by dot blot to specifically hybridize to total DNAs of 75 L. helveticus strains. No hybridization was found with L. acidophilus, L. crispatus, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis, L. gasseri, or L. intestinalis strains. When Southern blots of EcoRI digests of L. helveticus strains were probed with fragment f, these strains displayed restriction fragment length polymorphisms on the basis of which they could be grouped into several clusters.
Vehicle Size and Driver Perceptions of Safety

ABSTRACT A sample of 496 car and sport utility vehicle (SUV) drivers responded to questionnaires that examined attitudes toward vehicle size and safety. The aim of this research is to determine whether drivers perceive larger vehicles to be safer and whether this concern for safety motivates drivers to purchase SUVs. Alternatively, non–safety influences are also examined, including environmental concern, vehicle power, prestige, and vehicle utility. Perceptions that large vehicle are safer, off-road use, and prestige all relate strongly to SUV use. The safety arguments raised by SUV drivers appear to be based on an egocentric concern for “bigger is safer” rather than a broader understanding of vehicle fleet safety. To encourage sustainable transport, it is suggested that road safety policy should shift drivers' concerns from personal collision protection to overall road user protection.
Human Papillomavirus Type 16 E7 Oncoprotein Binds and Inactivates Growth-Inhibitory Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3

ABSTRACT The E7 protein encoded by human papillomavirus type 16 is one of the few viral genes that can immortalize primary human cells and thereby override cellular senescence. While it is generally assumed that this property of E7 depends on its interaction with regulators of the cell cycle, we show here that E7 targets insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3), the product of a p53-inducible gene that is overexpressed in senescent cells. IGFBP-3 can suppress cell proliferation and induce apoptosis; we show here that IGFBP-3-mediated apoptosis is inhibited by E7, which binds to IGFBP-3 and triggers its proteolytic cleavage. Two transformation-deficient mutants of E7 failed to inactivate IGFBP-3, suggesting that inactivation of IGFBP-3 may contribute to cell transformation.
Powered Mobility for Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Systematic Review of Outcomes and Appraisal of Published Evidence

Auger C, Demers L, Gélinas I, Jutai J, Fuhrer MJ, DeRuyter F: Powered mobility for middle-aged and older adults: systematic review of outcomes and appraisal of published evidence. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2008;87:666–680. Objective:To identify the outcomes of power mobility devices for middle-aged and older adult users, and to critically appraise the research evidence. Design:Systematic review of primary source studies involving adults aged 50 and over using power mobility devices (1996–2007). Articles were (i) mapped to the Taxonomy of Assistive Technology Device Outcomes, which describes categories of impact of assistive devices from the vantages of effectiveness, social significance, and subjective well-being; and (ii) appraised using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria. Results:This review retained 19 studies and identified 52 different categories of impacts of power mobility devices spanning the three vantages of the taxonomy. The coverage of outcome dimensions was not as extensive for adults age 50 and over as it was for mixed-age groups. Most of the research designs were assigned very low evidence grades. Three studies were low to moderate in quality of evidence, among which one was a randomized trial. Conclusions:A vast array of potential impacts of powered mobility devices have been described in the last decade. The level of quality of this evidence is improving, but most of these studies were not designed to verify causal relationships, and this is largely responsible for the absence of unequivocal evidence for directly attributing benefits to devices themselves and for quantifying relationships between power mobility device intervention and outcome. To raise the level of evidence about power mobility device interventions in older adults, studies are needed that use prospective designs, better-defined user groups, and well-grounded conceptual frameworks for measuring interventions and outcomes.
Autoregulation of the Synthesis of Nitrate Reductase in Aspergillus nidulans

In Aspergillus nidulans, the syntheses of nitrate and nitrite reductases are induced by nitrate, and are repressed by ammonium. It is possible in wild-type strains to overcome partially the repressive effect of ammonium, by the addition of high concentrations of nitrate to the growth medium. Mutations which lead to the production of abnormal nitrate reductase affect in addition the control of the synthesis of the nitrate-metabolizing enzymes, which in these strains are produced constitutively. That this is not due to the accumulation of an internal inducer has now been shown, as these mutants have been found to be unable to respond to nitrate induction in the presence of ammonium in the same way as do wild-type strains. To explain these findings, we propose that the nitrate reductase molecule provides the recognition site for nitrate in the control system, such that when it is not complexed with nitrate it acts as a co-repressor, and, when it is complexed, as a co-inducer.
A 6-MV Pulser to Drive Horizontally Polarized EMP Simulators

L-3 Pulse Sciences (L-3 PS) is fabricating a 6-MV biconic pulse generator to drive a horizontally polarized dipole electromagnetic pulse simulator antenna at the Naval Air Systems Command, Pax River. The L-3 PS pulser, i.e., the horizontal fast rise electromagnetic pulser (HFREMP), will replace the Maxwell Laboratories ML-5 pulser. The HFREMP project is funded through the Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program (CTEIP). The CTEIP was established by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to provide joint initiatives, avoid unwarranted duplication of capability, and increase interoperability through capability improvement projects for the DoD Major Ranges and Test Facility Bases. Like the Physics International Fast Risetime EMP Simulator (FEMPS) 2000, which drives an identical antenna at the Centre d'Etudes de Gramat, France, the HFREMP uses two stages of pulse compression. In fact, output capacitors, output switches, intermediate capacitors, and intermediate switches all use the same type of design as the FEMPS 2000. The Marx generator is of a different lower inductance design, and where FEMPS 2000 has a 2.7-MV Marx pulser in only one side, the HFREMP has a 3-MV pulser in each side of the 150- bicone that is the central part of the antenna. When the HFREMP drives the existing Pax River antenna, which is a variable height antenna (30-18 m), it will produce a 60- to 117.5-kV/m peak at the reference sensor with a waveform similar to that of the ML-5, which produces 47-92 kV/m. The HFREMP has also been considered to drive a bounded wave antenna of a different design, which is a fixed height antenna (30 m), producing at the reference sensor a peak field of over 80 kV/m and a wider more smoothly decaying pulse. The design of the HFREMP is described and compared with the designs of ML-5 and FEMPS 2000. Predictions of its performance into both types of antennas are presented.
Abnormalities of chromosome 1 in myeloproliferative disorders

Three patients with myeloproliferative disorders showed a similar chromosome abnormality, accompanied by other abnormalities that were different in each case. Marrow cells from all three patients were trisomic either for the entire chromosome 1 or for its long arm. Patient 1 had a brief period of anemia and thrombocytopenia which preceded a terminal acute leukemia; Patient 2 had polycythemia vera (P.V.) that terminated in acute leukemia; and Patient 3 has P.V. The detection of an abnormal karyotype in Patients 1 and 2 was an important factor in establishing the diagnosis of acute leukemia. Preliminary evidence supports the suggestion that some chromosomal changes are nonrandom in myeloproliferative diseases. Nonrandom abnormalities involving the same chromosome have been observed in several human neoplastic disorders.
Testing the efficiency of the futures market for crude oil in the presence of a structural break

The efficiency of the futures market for crude oil has been the subject of significant study, with the basis regression representing a popular methodology. However, the parameters of this model are subject to a structural break, casting doubt on any conclusion regarding the efficiency of the futures market. To address this problem, this article employs a simple generalization which is capable of testing the efficiency of a futures market in the presence of a structural break. Using this approach, strong evidence of inefficiency is found in the one month futures contract for West Texas Intermediate for the period between 1985 and 2013, which is otherwise not detected.
THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORMS ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN DANISH SCHOOLS

Many resources have been invested in reforming the public sectors of most countries in the world during the last 20 years. Greater focus on evaluation and performance is one of the most central aspects of these reforms, but despite much academic research virtually no systematic evaluations of the outcome of the reforms themselves are found. This paper presents a study of the effect of performance management reforms of Danish public schools on the achievements of more than 80,000 lower secondary students. The study finds no or very small effects on performance measured as average exam scores, but highly significant effects on inequity in the sense that students with low socioeconomic status perform worse at reforming schools than at similar non-reforming schools. These results, as well as the methodological challenges involved in estimating reform impact, emphasize the need for more empirical scrutiny of what effects the reforms have.
Investigation of Model Simplification and Its Influence on the Accuracy in FEM Magnetic Calculations of Gearless Drives

Finite-element models of electrical motors often become very complex and time consuming to evaluate when taking into account every little detail. There is therefore a need for simplifications to make the models computational within a reasonable time frame. This is especially important in an optimization process, as many iterations usually have to be performed. The focus of this work is an investigation of the electromagnetic part of a gearless mill drive based on real system data which is part of a larger project building a multiphysics model including electromagnet, thermal, and structural interactions. This multiphysics model will later on be used for simulating and parameter optimization of a gearless mill drive with the use of Evolution Strategies which necessitates the reduction in computation time. What has been investigated is how model simplifications influence the accuracy on the calculated forces and torque coming from the drive where each simplification made is described and justified. To further reduce the evaluation time, it is examined how coarse the mesh can be, while still predicting the results with a high accuracy. From this investigation, it is shown that there are certain ratios between the mesh size in the air gap and the iron core, which will result in an optimal determination of the forces and torque. It will be shown that it is possible, just through simplifications and choosing the correct mesh size, to reduce the computational time by 98%, keeping an accuracy for the torque and forces of less than 0.3% and 1.2%, respectively.