Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isolation and identification of Avibacterium paragallinarum, the causal agent of infectious coryza (IC) from layer chickens in Bangladesh

This study was carried out for the isolation and identification of Avibacterium paragallinarum, the etiological agent of infectious coryza (IC). Pathological changes were also investigated that occurred in organs in layer chickens obtained from some selected areas of Bangladesh. A nasal swabs (n=30) from dead chickens and four swabs from live chickens were collected aseptically. The organisms from swabs were cultured in different media, stained, and followed by sugar fermentation and biochemical tests for identification of causal agent. Histopathology of the affected tissues was also carried out. Swabs from nasal passage (n=30) of dead birds died of other diseases cultured but no A. paragallinarum was isolated and identified. Two out of four suspected clinical cases of IC was confirmed by isolation of A. paragallinarum. The clinical signs of all four cases were nasal discharge; conjunctivitis with swelling of the sinuses, face and wattles; decreased feed and water intake with reduced egg production. At necropsy, hemorrhages were in mucous membrane of nasal passage and trachea. Histopathology of the nasal septum showed acanthosis, congestion, mucous glandular cell hyperplasia, hyperplasia of nasal sinus and parakeratosis. Further studies involving serological and molecular identification of the etiological agent of IC are warranted.
Automatic classification of deformed handwritten numeral characters

Describes a method which utilizes Hopfield neural nets to classify those handwritten numerals presenting deformations and stylistic traces. Information for the classification consists of some topological image features and the image pixel distribution. If the recognition cannot be done by these features due to noise and deformations in the images of the numerals, the classification process is performed by four Hopfield neural nets. Using four such nets, we are able to minimize the problem caused by correlated patterns, and also to increase the neural classifier's pattern storage capacity. The proposed method was tested on 121 Brazilian bank checks, achieving a 92.4% correct recognition rate.
Efficient output transition time modeling in CMOS gates with ramp/exponential inputs

In this paper, the modeling of the output transition time in deep-submicron (DSM) CMOS gates is discussed. In particular, the analysis starts from a previously proposed analytical model valid only for ramp inputs (Maurine et al., 2002 and Auvergne et al., 2000). This model is then improved by introducing two semi-empirical coefficients which have to be tuned by means of two SPICE simulations. Since an exponential input is more and more frequent in current DSM CMOS technologies, the model is extended to this kind of input waveform. Results are validated with simulations on a 0.18-mum CMOS technology. The output transition time model is found to be in good agreement with SPICE simulations, with an average error of only 5%
Constriction of carotid arteries by urokinase-type plasminogen activator requires catalytic activity and is independent of NH2-terminal domains

Summary Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is expressed at increased levels in stenotic, atherosclerotic human arteries. However, the biological roles of uPA in the artery wall are poorly understood. Previous studies associate uPA with both acute vasoconstriction and chronic vascular remodeling and attribute uPA-mediated vasoconstriction to the kringle – not the catalytic domain of uPA. We used an in-vivo uPA overexpression model to test the hypothesis that uPA-induced vasoconstriction is a reversible vasomotor process that can be prevented – and uPA fibrinolytic activity preserved – by: 1) removing the growth factor and kringle domains; or 2) anchoring uPA to the endothelial surface. To test this hypothesis we constructed adenoviral vectors that express: wild-type rabbit uPA (AduPA); a uPA mutant lacking the NH2-terminal growth-factor and kringle domains (Adu-PAdel); a mutant lacking catalytic activity (AduPAS→A), and a cell-surface anchored mutant (AdTMuPA). uPA mutants were expressed and characterised in vitro and in carotid arteries in vivo. uPAS→A had no plasminogen activator activity. Activity was similar for uPA and uPAdel, whereas AdTMuPA had only cell-associated activity. AduPAS→A arteries were not constricted. AduPA, AduPAdel, and AdTM-uPA arteries were constricted (approximately 30% smaller lumens; p≤0.008 vs. AdNull arteries). Papaverine reversed constriction of AduPA arteries. uPA-mediated arterial constriction is a vasomotor process that is mediated by uPA catalytic activity, not by the NH2-terminal domains. Anchoring uPA to the endothelial surface does not prevent vasoconstriction. uPA catalytic activity, generated by artery wall cells, may contribute to lumen loss in human arteries. Elimination of uPA vasoconstrictor activity requires concomitant loss of fibrinolytic activity.
A wavelength- and loss-tunable band-rejection filter based on corrugated long-period fiber grating

We demonstrate a long-period fiber grating composed of an etched corrugated structure that can be used as a wavelength- and loss-tunable band-rejection filter. The tunabilities are based on the index modulation capable of being varied in the corrugated structure under externally applied mechanical forces. The new type of fiber filter enables wavelength and loss tuning ranges of more than 30 nm and 25 dB by adjusting the applied amounts of torsion and tensile forces, respectively.
Factors influencing microencapsulation of a waxy solid by complex coacervation.

Abstract Microencapsulation of stearyl alcohol particles by complex coacervation in a gelatin-acacia system was studied. Spherical particles of solid stearyl alcohol were prepared by vibrating reed and vibrating capillary methods. Encapsulation was attempted on several size fractions of these particles by conventional procedures, but only particles below 250 μ in diameter were encapsulated. A modified procedure was developed to encapsulate particles larger than 250 μ. Microscopic observations indicated that the coacervate droplets had little affinity for the stearyl alcohol particles and that encapsulation of smaller particles was apparently accomplished by aggregation and coalescence of several droplets around the particles. Encapsulation of particles larger than 250 μ by the modified procedure was possibly the result of the direct interaction of gelatin with acacia on the surface of the particles.
Sociological Theories of International Migration: The Case of Refugees

Current theoretical sociological studies of international migration are reviewed with a view to assessing their relevance to the study of refugee migration. The author concludes that such studies have not generally taken the case of refugees into account. He also concludes that empirical studies concerning refugees have been conducted on an ad hoc basis that is largely unconcerned with developments in sociological theory. (SUMMARY IN FRE)
Probability Relations within Response Sequences under Ratio Reinforcement.

Skinner's original description of the effects of fixed-ratio reinforcement schedules in terms of response-rate measures (14) has served as the point of de-parture for all such subsequent investigations. The two salient aspects of fixed-ratio performance that have thus far received the most attention are the high response rates toward the end of the inter-reinforcement period and the character-istic pause after the delivery of a reinforcement (1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 13). Fixed-ratio schedules also have some behavioral effects that are not easily described in terms of response-rate changes. For instance, the internal cohesion of response sequencesmaintainedby ratio reinforcementishigher thanit is for interval reinforcement. The extinction pattern after fixed-ratio reinforcement provides some of the evidence for this property. This pattern is characterized by maximal response rates which are maintained until they give way to an abrupt cessation of responding. If additional responses appear, they appear in bursts, rather than at the intermediate response rates that emerge during extinction after interval reinforcement (14). Further evidence for such cohesion can be seen in Dews' (4) and also in Herrnstein and Morse's (7) pharmacological data, which indicate that be-' havior maintainedunder ratio schedules is more resistant to disintegration by drug action than is behavior maintained under interval schedules. The concept of "Internal cohesion" of response runs (the term run is used in the sense of sequence) will be defined in terms of the probability that the run will termi-nate-- a definition which is not inconsistent with common usage. Thus, the cohesion of a run would be high when the probability of its termination is low. A systematic investigation of this property of response runs would, therefore, involve a description of runs in terms of their probabilistic structure, i. e. , in terms of the probability that the run will terminate at any point. Once a technique is available, the effects of various parameters can be investigated.
An investigation of the mechanisms responsible for acute fluoxetine‐induced anxiogenic‐like effects in mice

Although selective 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are widely used in the chronic treatment of several anxiety disorders, increased anxiety has been observed in some patients at the beginning of treatment with these compounds. Similar increases in anxiety‐related behaviors have been observed in animal studies following a single injection with SSRIs. The mechanism underlying this effect is unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a variety of psychoactive compounds on the anxiogenic‐like activity of fluoxetine. The drugs used included the benzodiazepine diazepam, the 5‐HT 1A receptor partial agonist buspirone, the 5‐HT 1A receptor antagonists pindolol and WAY‐100635, the non‐selective 5‐HT 2 receptor antagonists methiothepin, mianserin and ritanserin, the non‐selective dopamine (DA) receptor antagonist haloperidol, the D 1 antagonist SCH23390, the selective D 2 antagonist raclopride, the D 2/3 agonist quinelorane, the cholecystokinin B (CCK B ) receptor antagonist LY 288513, and the corticotropin‐releasing factor 1 (CRF 1 ) receptor antagonist CP‐154,526. Experiments were performed in the free‐exploration test. This model is based on the strong neophobic reactions exhibited by BALB/c mice when confronted simultaneously with a familiar and a novel environment. When administered alone, diazepam (1 and 2 mg/kg), buspirone (1 mg/kg) and mianserin (0.3 mg/kg) produced anxiolytic‐like effects as they significantly increased exploratory activity of the novel compartment. In contrast, fluoxetine (20 mg/kg) almost completely suppressed exploration of the novel area. Diazepam reversed the anxiogenic‐like as well as the locomotor impairment induced by fluoxetine, while quinelorane blocked only the anxiogenic action of fluoxetine. None of the other compounds was able to counteract this effect. Taken together, these results suggest that dopaminergic mechanisms may underlie, at least in part, the behavioral effects of fluoxetine in the free‐exploration test, whereas 5‐HT 1A , 5‐HT 2 , CCK B and CRF 1 receptors may not be involved primarily in these effects.
Specific interaction between lens MIP/Aquaporin-0 and two members of the gamma-crystallin family.

PURPOSE Major Intrinsic Protein (MIP)/Aquaporin 0 is required for lens transparency and is specifically expressed in lens fiber cell membranes. We have demonstrated previously that in the rat lens MIP interacts specifically with gammaE-crystallin, resulting in its recruitment to the plasma membrane. Our goal was to examine the interaction or lack of interaction between MIP and all members of the gamma-crystallin family and to provide evidence for a physiological role these interactions may play in gamma-crystallin or MIP function. METHODS Full length MIP was expressed as untagged, enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) tagged, or myc tagged proteins. Members of the gamma-crystallin family were expressed as red fluorescent protein (HcRed) tagged proteins in the rabbit kidney epithelial cell line RK13. Co-localization of tagged proteins was analyzed by confocal fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS Confocal fluorescence microscopy demonstrated that gammaE- and gammaF-crystallin co-localize specifically with full length MIP in mammalian cells while other gamma-crystallins, including gammaA-, gammaB-, gammaC-, gammaD-, and gammaS-crystallin do not. As a result of this interaction, either gammaE- or gammaF-crystallin was recruited to the plasma membrane from the cytoplasm. MIP does not interact with the Elo mutant of gammaE-crystallin, which has been linked to a dominant cataract phenotype in mice. CONCLUSIONS These experiments demonstrate that MIP interacts selectively with gammaE- and gammaF-crystallin, and not with other gamma-crystallins. This raises the possibility of MIP playing a structural role in the organization of gamma-crystallins in rodent lens fibers and/or that gammaE- and gammaF-crystallin may have a specific role in MIP function in the rodent lens.
Information Design: A Unied Perspective

Fixing a game with uncertain payo¤s, information design identi es the information structure and equilibrium that maximizes the payo¤ of an information designer. We show how this perspective uni es existing work, including that on communication in games (Myerson (1991)), Bayesian persuasion (Kamenica and Gentzkow (2011)) and some of our own recent work. Information design has a literal interpretation, under which there is a real information designer who can commit to the choice of the best information structure (from her perspective) for a set of participants in a game. We emphasize a metaphorical interpretation, under which the information design problem is used by the analyst to characterize play in the game under many di¤erent information structures. Keywords: Information design, Bayesian persuasion, correlated equilibrium, incomplete information, robust predictions, information structure. JEL Classification: C72, D82, D83. We acknowledge nancial support from NSF Grants SES 0851200 and 1459899. This material has been presented in lectures at the 2015 Instanbul meetings of the Society of Economic Design, the 2015 Delhi School of Economics Winter School, the 2016 AEA meetings, the North American Summer Meeting of the Econometric Society, the Gerzensee Summer Symposium in Economic Theory, the Becker Friedman Institute conference on Frontiers and Economic Theory and Computer Science, the Harris lecture at Harvard University and the 2016 fall Finance Theory group conference at Princeton. Some of the material in this paper was previewed in Bergemann and Morris (2016b). We have bene ted from discussions and correspondence about the material in this paper with Ben Brooks, Laura Doval, Je¤ Ely, Francoise Forges, Drew Fudenberg, Olivier Gossner, Tibor Heumann, Atsushi Kajii, Emir Kamenica, Rohit Lamba, Laurent Mathevet, Roger Myerson, Tymo y Mylanov, Alessandro Pavan, Eran Shmaya, Jonathan Weinstein and Juan Pablo Xandri; and from valuable research assistance from Ian Ball, Denis Shishkin, Áron Tóbiás and Xinyang Wang. yDepartment of Economics, Yale University, New Haven, U.S.A. , dirk.bergemann@yale.edu. zDepartment of Economics, Princeton University, Princeton, U.S.A. , smorris@princeton.edu.
Efficient Algorithms for All-to-All Communications in Multiport Message-Passing Systems

We present efficient algorithms for two all-to-all communication operations in message-passing systems: index (or all-to-all personalized communication) and concatenation (or all-to-all broadcast). We assume a model of a fully connected message-passing system, in which the performance of any point-to-point communication is independent of the sender-receiver pair. We also assume that each processor has k/spl ges/1 ports, through which it can send and receive k messages in every communication round. The complexity measures we use are independent of the particular system topology and are based on the communication start-up time, and on the communication bandwidth.
β1 integrins and neural stem cells: making sense of the extracellular environment

Neural Stem Cells (NSC) are present in the developing and adult CNS. In both the embryonic and adult neurogenic regions, β1 integrins may act as sensors for the changing extracellular matrix. Here we highlight the integrative functions that β1 integrins may play in the “niche” by regulating NSC growth factor responsiveness in a timely and spatially controlled manner. β1 integrins may provide NSC with the capacity to react to a dynamic “niche”, and to respond adequately by either remaining as stem cells or by differentiating and migrating away to shape the developing cortex. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. BioEssays 27:698–707, 2005. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The papillomavirus E 2 DNA binding domain

1. Abstract 2. Introduction 3.The DNA binding domain of the papillomavirus E2 master regulator 3.1. The E2 protein 3.2. The DNA binding activity of E2 3.3. Structures of E2C domains 3.4. The structure of the DNA binding sites 3.5. The structure of E2C-DNA complexes 3.6. Folding mechanism of HPV16 E2C: a prototypic dimeric ß-barrel domain 3.7. Mechanism of DNA site recognition in solution 3.8. Energetic analysis of DNA recognition by E2C using rational site-directed mutagenesis 3.9. HPV 16 E2C can enter a quasi-spontaneous amyloid route 3.10. Concluding remarks 3.11. Future prospects 4. Acknowledgements 5. References
NuSTAR AND XMM-NEWTON OBSERVATIONS OF NGC 1365: EXTREME ABSORPTION VARIABILITY AND A CONSTANT INNER ACCRETION DISK

We present a spectral analysis of four coordinated NuSTAR+XMM-Newton observations of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 1365. These exhibit an extreme level of spectral variability, which is primarily due to variable line-of-sight absorption, revealing relatively unobscured states in this source for the first time. Despite the diverse range of absorption states, each of the observations displays the same characteristic signatures of relativistic reflection from the inner accretion disk. Through time-resolved spectroscopy, we find that the strength of the relativistic iron line and the Compton reflection hump relative to the intrinsic continuum are well correlated, which is expected if they are two aspects of the same broadband reflection spectrum. We apply self-consistent disk reflection models to these time-resolved spectra in order to constrain the inner disk parameters, allowing for variable, partially covering absorption to account for the vastly different absorption states that were observed. Each of the four observations is treated independently to test the consistency of the results obtained for the black hole spin and the disk inclination, which should not vary on observable timescales. We find both the spin and the inclination determined from the reflection spectrum to be consistent, confirming that NGC 1365 hosts a rapidly rotating black hole; in all cases the dimensionless spin parameter is constrained to be a* > 0.97 (at 90% statistical confidence or better).
Docetaxel Plus Gemcitabine in Recurrent and/or Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head And Neck: A Phase II Multicenter Study

Objectives:This phase II study was conducted to assess the efficacy of docetaxel plus gemcitabine in locally recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Patients and Methods:Forty patients with pharynx or larynx cancer were included and treated with an intravenous infusion of docetaxel 75 mg/m2 on day 8 and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 day 1 and day 8 every 3 weeks for 6 cycles. Results:Among the 40 patients included, 17 had metastatic disease and 18 had received prior chemotherapy. Thirty-two patients were assessable for response. The overall response rate was 20.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.0%–35.7%), with 8 (20.0%) partial responses. Thirteen patients (32.5%) had stable disease, whereas 11 patients (27.5%) had progressive disease. The median response duration was 6.5 months (95% CI, 5.8–7.2). Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia was observed in 18 patients (45.0%). Three treatment-related deaths due to infection were reported. Conclusion:The docetaxel and gemcitabine combination is an active treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer. However, this regimen is associated with a high hematologic toxicity. A new schedule of administration must be explored.
Conceptualization of a personalized ecoach for wellness promotion

Evidence-based health promotion programs implement clinical practice guidelines built upon results of clinical trials with a definite number of participants, collected during a specific period of time. Wearable technologies allow for continuous observation of wellness parameters of multiple citizens, combined with monitoring of activities and context parameters involved in citizens' wellness. A statistical inference model can describe the relation between multidimensional activities and context parameters, the wellness of an individual and a comparable reference group, utilizing machine learning techniques and knowledge from continuous observations of multiple citizens. This paper presents a holistic concept of a coach system, namely eCoach, that combines specialized medical evidence available from randomized control trials, with individual and reference knowledge to create and reinforce wellness-based recommendations. The eCoach adapts these recommendations in a continuous personalized coaching dialog addressing citizen's needs and preferences.
Fare Prediction Websites and Transaction Prices: Empirical Evidence from the Airline Industry

The marketing and operations disciplines have increasingly accounted for the presence of strategic consumer behavior. Theory suggests that such behavior exists when consumers are able to consider future distribution of prices, and that this behavior exposes firms to intertemporal competition that results with a downward pressure on prices. However, deriving future distribution of prices is not a trivial task. Online decision support tools that provide consumers with information about future distributions of prices can facilitate strategic consumer behavior. This paper studies whether the availability of such information affects transacted prices by conducting an empirical analysis in the context of the airline industry. Studying the effect at the route level, we find significant price reduction effects as such information becomes available for a route, both in fixed-effects and difference-in-differences estimation models. This effect is consistent across the different fare percentiles and amounts to a reduction of approximately 4%–6% in transactions’ prices. Our results lend ample support to the notion that price prediction decision tools make a statistically significant economic impact. Presumably, consumers are able to exploit the information available online and exhibit strategic behavior.Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi. org/10.1287/mksc.2015. 0965 .
Design of semantic information broker for localized computing environments in the internet of things

Emerging communication technologies of the Internet of Things (IoT) make all the devices of a spatial-limited physical computing environment locally interconnected as well as connected to the Internet. Software agents running on devices make the latter “smart objects” that are visible in our daily lives as real participating entities. Based on the M3 architecture for smart spaces, we consider the problem of creating a smart space deploying a Semantic Information Broker (SIB) in a localized IoT-environment. SIB supports agent interaction in the smart space via sharing and self-generating information and its semantics. This paper proposes a renewed SIB design with increased extensibility, dependability, and portability. The research done is a step towards an efficient open interoperability platform for the smart space application development.