Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acoustic Shadowing on B-Mode Ultrasound of the Carotid Artery Predicts Ischemic Stroke: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Background and Purpose We examined the relationship of carotid artery lesions (CALs), with and without acoustic shadowing (AS), to incident ischemic stroke events in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study cohort. Methods The study population consisted of 13123 men and women aged 45 to 64 years, and free of stroke, examined during 1986–1989. Over an average follow-up time of 8.0 years, 226 incident ischemic stroke cases (thromboembolic brain infarctions) were identified and classified by a standardized protocol. Three levels of exposure were defined on the basis of the presence of B-mode ultrasound-detected CALs and AS in a 3-cm segment of the carotid arteries centered at the bifurcation. Results The hazard ratio for ischemic stroke adjusted for age, ethnicity, and study site for women with a CAL without AS, compared with those without a CAL, was 1.92 (95% CI, 1.23, 3.01), and the hazard ratio comparing those with a CAL with AS with those without a CAL was 4.01 (95% CI, 2.28, 7.06). The corresponding hazard ratios for men were 1.99 (95% CI, 1.36, 2.91) and 2.23 (95% CI, 1.32, 3.79). Although adjustment for diabetes, hypertension medication, systolic blood pressure, left ventricular hypertrophy score, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor antigen, and smoking status attenuated these associations somewhat, when compared with no evidence of CALs, CALs with AS remained statistically significant predictors of ischemic stroke in women, while CALs without AS were predictive of ischemic stroke in men. Conclusions B-mode ultrasound-detected CALs and AS serve as markers of atherosclerosis and thus are predictive of ischemic stroke.
Rethinking the French New Right: Alternatives to Modernity

Introduction 1. The French New Right's transnationalism 2. Neither right, nor left? 3. Modern, postmodern, premodern 4. The search for alternative modernity 5. The quest for a new religion of politics 6. 'Europe for Europeans' 7. Analyzing the New Right for the Year 2000 8. Three key messengers 9. Ties to radical right populist parties Conclusion
Improved integrality gap upper bounds for TSP with distances one and two

We study the structure of solutions to linear programming formulations for the traveling salesperson problem (TSP). We perform a detailed analysis of the support of the subtour elimination linear programming relaxation, which leads to algorithms that find 2-matchings with few components in polynomial time. The number of components directly leads to integrality gap upper bounds for the TSP with distances one and two, for both undirected and directed graphs. Our main results concern the subtour elimination relaxation with one additional cutting plane inequality: - For undirected instances we obtain an integrality gap upper bound of 5/4 without any further restrictions, of 7/6 if the optimal LP solution is half-integral. - For instances of order n where the fractional LP value has a cost of n, we obtain a tight integrality gap upper bound of 10/9 if there is an optimal solution with subcubic support graph. The latter property that the graph is subcubic is implied if the solution is a basic solution in the fractional 2-matching polytope. - For directed instances we obtain an integrality gap upper bound of 3/2, and of 4/3 if given an optimal 1/2-integral solution. In the case of undirected graphs, we can avoid to add the cutting plane inequality if we accept slightly increased values. For the tight result, the cutting plane is not required. Additionally, we show that relying on the structure of the support is not an artefact of our algorithm, but is necessary under standard complexity-theoretic assumptions: we show that finding improved solutions via local search is W[1]-hard for k-edge change neighborhoods even for the TSP with distances one and two, which strengthens a result of D\'aniel Marx.
Action in Perception

"Perception is not something that happens to us, or in us," writes Alva Noe. "It is something we do. " In Action in Perception, Noe argues that perception and perceptual consciousness depend on capacities for action and thought -- that perception is a kind of thoughtful activity. Touch, not vision, should be our model for perception. Perception is not a process in the brain, but a kind of skillful activity of the body as a whole. We enact our perceptual experience. To perceive, according to this enactive approach to perception, is not merely to have sensations; it is to have sensations that we understand. In Action in Perception, Noe investigates the forms this understanding can take. He begins by arguing, on both phenomenological and empirical grounds, that the content of perception is not like the content of a picture; the world is not given to consciousness all at once but is gained gradually by active inquiry and exploration. Noe then argues that perceptual experience acquires content thanks to our possession and exercise of practical bodily knowledge, and examines, among other topics, the problems posed by spatial content and the experience of color. He considers the perspectival aspect of the representational content of experience and assesses the place of thought and understanding in experience. Finally, he explores the implications of the enactive approach for our understanding of the neuroscience of perception.
Recruitment and training policies and practices: The case of Turkey as an EU candidate

Purpose – To provide information on differences between recruitment methods and training practices used in SMEs and large organizations in Turkey, as a representative of a developing country.Design/methodology/approach – A survey as designed by the Cranfield Network on International Human Resource Management (CRANET‐G) was used for this study. The survey aims to obtain data that is based on facts and it does not ask for information based on respondents’ opinions, attitudes or perceptions.Findings – It provides information about recruitment methods and training practices used in organizations in Turkey. It suggests that, in Turkey, small businesses are more likely to rely on employment agencies, which are considered formal recruitment sources in order to fill managerial positions, contrary to the existing literature and theoretical propositions. Additionally, with regard to training practices, it shows that large organizations use more formal training methods compared with small‐and medium‐sized enterprise.
MicroRNA Expression Profile and the Role of miR-204 in Corneal Wound Healing.

PURPOSE MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous short chain (∼ 22-nucleotide) noncoding RNAs that inhibit protein translation through binding to target mRNAs. Recent studies have implied that miRNAs play a regulatory role in corneal development. Here we profile their involvement in corneal epithelial renewal, develop an miRNA-target network that affects wound healing outcome, and investigate the function of miR-204 in this response. METHODS NanoString nCounter technology and bioinformatics analyzed miRNA expression levels and their targets during mouse corneal epithelial wound healing. Real-time RT-PCR was performed to detect miR-204 expression in mouse corneal epithelium. Human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) were transfected with miR-204 using transfection reagent. MTS (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-5-[3-carboxymethoxyphenyl]-2-[4-sulfophenyl]-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt) and a scratch wound-healing assay evaluated the effects of miR-204 expression on HCEC proliferation and migration, respectively. Cell cycle analysis was performed by flow cytometry. Expression of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) was determined by Western blot analysis. RESULTS Fifteen miRNAs were dramatically downregulated, whereas 14 other miRNAs were markedly upregulated during corneal wound healing. Expression of miR-204 fell the most during this process. Transfection of miR-204 into HCECs led to a significant decline in cell proliferation and induced cell cycle G1-arrest. Furthermore, in these cells, miR-204 also inhibited migration. Sirtuin 1 was confirmed as a target of miR-204. CONCLUSIONS During mouse corneal epithelial wound healing, a complex miRNA-gene network was resolved that is modulated by changes in miR-204 expression. Downregulation of this miRNA appears to be an essential response to injury since its decline promotes human corneal epithelial cell proliferation and migration. Therefore, miR-204 could be a biomarker of this process.
Making sensor networks IPv6 ready

With emerging IPv6-based standards such as 6LowPAN and ISA100a, full IPv6 sensor networks are the next major step. With millions of deployed embedded IPv6 devices, interoperability is of major importance, both within the sensor networks and between the sensors and the Internet hosts. We present uIPv6, the first IPv6 stack for memory-constrained devices that passes all Phase-1 IPv6 Ready certification tests. This is an important step for end-to-end interoperability between IPv6 sensors and any IPv6 capable device. To allow widespread community adoption, we release uIPv6 under a permissive open source license that allows both commercial and non-commercial use.
Correlations of mechanical stability, morphology, pulmonary surfactant, and phospholipid content in the developing lamb lung.

Pressure-volume characteristics and surface tension measurements of the lamb of 120 to 130 days gestational age were typical of the mature lung in the upper lobes and the immature lung in the lower lobes. By term both upper and lower lobes had findings characteristic of the mature animal. Phospholipid concentration per milligram DNA and per cent saturated fatty acids on pulmonary phosphatidyl choline were relatively constant from 60 to 120 days gestational age; thereafter there was a significant increase in both measurements. These changes usually coincided with an increase in osmiophilic inclusion bodies in the large alveolar cell.A concentration of disaturated phosphatidyl choline per milligram DNA in excess of 0.170 mg per mg was associated with a minimal surface tension below 13 dynes per cm (p < 0.001). Newborn animal lungs contained over 3 times this critical concentration, whereas adult lungs contained 1.5 times this value. The excess disaturated phosphatidyl choline per milligram DNA may represent a reservoir of pulmonary surfactant.
Can anti‐migratory drugs be screened in vitro? A review of 2D and 3D assays for the quantitative analysis of cell migration

The aim of the present review is to detail and analyze the pros and cons of in vitro tests available to quantify the anti‐migratory effects of anti‐cancer drugs for their eventual use in combating the dispersal of tumor cells, a clinical need which currently remains unsatisfied. We therefore briefly sum up why anti‐migratory drugs constitute a promising approach in oncology while at the same time emphasizing that migrating cancer cells are resistant to apoptosis. To analyze the pros and cons of the various in vitro tests under review we also briefly sum up the molecular and cellular stages of cancer cell migration, an approach that enables us to argue both that no single in vitro test is sufficient to characterize the anti‐migratory potential of a drug and that standardization is needed for the efficient quantitative analysis of cell locomotion in a 3D environment. Before concluding our review we devote the final two parts (i) to the description of new prototypes which, in the near future, could enter the screening process with a view to identifying novel anti‐migratory compounds, and (ii) to the anti‐migratory compounds currently developed against cancer, with particular emphasis on how these compounds were selected before entering the clinical trial phase. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
LSU Digital Commons LSU Digital Commons Pleistocene to holocene expansion of the black-belt cichlid in Pleistocene to holocene expansion of the black-belt cichlid in Central America, Vieja maculicauda (Teleostei: Cichlidae) Central America, maculicauda (Teleostei: Cichlidae)

The distributions of many Northern Hemisphere organisms have been influenced by fluctuations in sea level and climatic conditions during Pleistocene interglacial periods. These cycles are associated with range contraction and refugia for northern-distributed organisms as a response to glaciers. However, lower sea levels in the tropics and sub-tropics created available habitat for expansion of the ranges of freshwater organisms. The goal of this study was to use ecological niche modeling to test the hypothesis of north to south range expansion of Vieja maculicauda associated with Pleistocene glacial cycles. Understanding the biogeography of this widespread species may help us better understand the geology and interconnectivity of Central American freshwaters. Occurrence data for V . maculicauda was based on georeferencing of all museum records of specimens recovered from FishNet2. General patterns of phylogeographic structure were assessed with mtDNA. Present day niche models were generated and subsequently projected onto paleoclimatic maps of the region during the Last Interglacial, Last Glacial Maximum, and mid-Holocene. Phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA sequence data showed no phylogeographic structure throughout the range of this widespread species. Present day niche models were congruent with the observed distribution of V . maculicauda in Central America. Results showed a lack of suitable freshwater . indicates the latter did not the of . Future work at with and modeling
Integrating cohesion and coherence for Automatic Summarization

This paper presents the integration of cohesive properties of text with coherence relations, to obtain an adequate representation of text for automatic summarization. A summarizer based on Lexical Chains is enchanced with rhetorical and argumentative structure obtained via Discourse Markers. When evaluated with newspaper corpus, this integration yields only slight improvement in the resulting summaries and cannot beat a dummy baseline consisting of the ﬁrst sentence in the document. Nevertheless, we argue that this approach relies on basic linguistic mechanisms and is therefore genre-independent.
Facial age estimation by nonlinear aging pattern subspace

Human age estimation by face images is an interesting yet challenging research topic emerging in recent years. This paper extends our previous work on facial age estimation (a linear method named AGES). In order to match the nonlinear nature of the human aging progress, a new algorithm named KAGES is proposed based on a nonlinear subspace trained on the aging patterns, which are defined as sequences of individual face images sorted in time order. Both the training and test (age estimation) processes of KAGES rely on a probabilistic model of KPCA. In the experimental results, the performance of KAGES is not only better than all the compared algorithms, but also better than the human observers in age estimation. The results are sensitive to parameter choice however, and future research challenges are identified.
A survey for cool white dwarfs and the age of the Galactic disc

We describe a new multi-colour proper motion survey for cool white dwarfs (CWDs). The observational database consists of ~300 digitally scanned Schmidt plates in ESO/SERC field 287. The entire survey procedure, from the raw Schmidt plate data to final white dwarf luminosity function (WDLF) is described, with special emphasis on completeness concerns. We obtain a sample of 58 WDs, for which we have follow up CCD photometry and spectroscopy of a representative sub--sample. Effective temperatures and luminosities of our sample objects are determined by comparing photometry with the model atmosphere predictions of Bergeron, Saumon and Wesemael. Space densities are calculated using an adaptation of Schmidts (1/Vmax) method, from which a WDLF is constructed. Comparison of our observational LF with the models of both Wood and Garcia-Berro et al. indicate an age for the local Galactic Disc of 10{-1}_{+3}Gyr. Importantly, we find no evidence of incompleteness in our survey sample. Proper motion number counts imply the survey is complete, and the WD sample passes the (V/V_{max}) completeness test.
Role of an mSin3A-Swi/Snf Chromatin Remodeling Complex in the Feedback Repression of Bile Acid Biosynthesis by SHP

ABSTRACT The orphan receptor SHP interacts with many nuclear receptors and inhibits their transcriptional activities. SHP is central to feedback repression of cholesterol 7α hydroxylase gene (CYP7A1) expression by bile acids, which is critical for maintaining cholesterol homeostasis. Using CYP7A1 as a model system, we studied the molecular mechanisms of SHP repression at the level of native chromatin. Chromatin immunoprecipitation studies showed that mSin3A and a Swi/Snf complex containing Brm as a central ATPase were recruited to the promoter. This recruitment was associated with chromatin remodeling after bile acid treatment that was blunted by inhibition of the endogenous Swi/Snf function by dominant-negative ATPase mutants. Biochemical studies indicated that SHP was associated with the mSin3A-Swi/Snf complex by direct interaction with Brm and mSin3A through its repression domain. Expression of Brm, but not an ATPase mutant, inhibited CYP7A1 promoter activity and further enhanced SHP-mediated repression. Bile acid-induced recruitment of mSin3A/Brm, chromatin remodeling, and concomitant repression of endogenous CYP7A1 expression were impaired when SHP expression was inhibited by SHP small interfering RNA. Our results suggest that SHP mediates recruitment of mSin3A-Swi/Snf to the CYP7A1 promoter, resulting in chromatin remodeling and gene repression, which may also be a mechanism for the repression by SHP of genes activated by many nuclear receptors. Our study establishes the first link between a Swi/Snf complex and regulation of cholesterol metabolism.
From least squares to sparse: A non-convex approach with guarantee

This paper aims to provide theoretical guarantees via non-convex optimization for sparse recovery. It is shown that the sparse signal is the unique local optimal solution within a neighborhood, which contains the least squares solution if the sparsity-inducing penalties are not too non-convex. The idea of projected subgradient method is generalized to solve this non-convex optimization problem. A uniform approximate projection is applied in the projection step to make the algorithm more computationally tractable. The theoretical convergence analysis of the proposed method, approximate projected generalized gradient (APGG), is performed in the noisy scenario. The result reveals that if the non-convexity of the penalties is under a threshold, the bound of the recovery error is linear in both the noise bound and the step size. Numerical simulations are performed to test the performance of APGG and verify its theoretical analysis.
A Causal Role for the Cortical Frontal Eye Fields in Microsaccade Deployment

Microsaccades aid vision by helping to strategically sample visual scenes. Despite the importance of these small eye movements, no cortical area has ever been implicated in their generation. Here, we used unilateral and bilateral reversible inactivation of the frontal eye fields (FEF) to identify a cortical drive for microsaccades. Unexpectedly, FEF inactivation altered microsaccade metrics and kinematics. Such inactivation also impaired microsaccade deployment following peripheral cue onset, regardless of cue side or inactivation configuration. Our results demonstrate that the FEF provides critical top-down drive for microsaccade generation, particularly during the recovery of microsaccades after disruption by sensory transients. Our results constitute the first direct evidence, to our knowledge, for the contribution of any cortical area to microsaccade generation, and they provide a possible substrate for how cognitive processes can influence the strategic deployment of microsaccades.
Measuring Female Role Portrayals in Asian Advertising

Abstract Researchers have concentrated on issues of female role portrayals in advertising (FRPA) for over 30 years. However, their diversified purposes and methodologies resulted in variations between the definitions and manipulations found in the FRPA–related literature, thus hindering the integration, generalization and extension of the findings. In addition, relatively few articles discussed FRPA issues in Asia. Thus, while focusing on Asian women, this study seeks to construct a useful taxonomy of FRPA and a scale to measure FRPA in a broader and more effective way. Three conceptual constructs–Power Roles, Career Roles, and Sensual Roles–were extracted as the framework for constructing the FRPA taxonomy in an exploratory study based upon Lundstrom and Sciglimpaglia' (1977) Sex Roles Scale. The taxonomy is constructed through a four–phase hierarchical content analysis. Consequently, 11 measure constructs of FRPA, resulting an 11–item bipolar scale, were generated to survey Taiwanese and Japanese audiences' cognition toward FRPA. The empirical results show that the model has good internal consistency, eliability, and validity. Differences on FRPA are observed between the Taiwanese and Japanese
Regroupement automatique de documents en classes événementielles

Cet article porte sur le regroupement automatique de documents sur une base événementielle. Après avoir précisé la notion d’événement, nous nous intéressons à la représentation des documents d’un corpus de dépêches, puis à une approche d’apprentissage pour réaliser les regroupements de manière non supervisée fondée sur k-means. Enfin, nous évaluons le système de regroupement de documents sur un corpus de taille réduite et nous discutons de l’évaluation quantitative de ce type de tâche.
Role of CXCR4 in the Pathogenesis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

The Chemokine receptor CXCR4 and its ligand stromal derived factor-1 (SDF-1/CXCL12) are important players involved in cross-talk between leukemia cells and the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. CXCR4 expression is associated with poor prognosis in AML patients with and without the mutated FLT3 gene. CXCL12 which is constrictively secreted from the BM stroma and AML cells is critical for the survival and retention of AML cells within the BM. In vitro, CXCR4 antagonists were shown to inhibit the migration of AML cells in response to CXCL12. In addition, such antagonists were shown to inhibit the survival and colony forming potential of AML cells and abrogate the protective effects of stromal cells on chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in AML cells. In vivo, using immune deficient mouse models, CXCR4 antagonists were found to induce the mobilization of AML cells and progenitor cells into the circulation and enhance anti leukemic effects of chemotherapy. The hypothesis that CXCL12/CXCR4 interactions contribute to the resistance of AML cells to signal transduction inhibitor- and chemotherapy-induced apoptosis is currently being tested in a series of Phase I/II studies in humans.
Soluble proteins delivered to dendritic cells via pH-sensitive liposomes induce primary cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in vitro

Effective immunity to many infectious agents, particularly viruses, requires a CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response. Understanding how to achieve CTL induction with soluble proteins is important for vaccine development since such antigens are usually not processed appropriately to induce CTL. In the present report, we have demonstrated that a potent primary CTL response against a soluble protein can be achieved by delivering antigen in pH-sensitive liposomes to dendritic cells (DC) either in vivo or in vitro. Since the pH- sensitive liposome delivery system is efficient and easy to use, the approach promises to be valuable both in the study of basic mechanisms in antigen processing, and as a practical means of immunization.