Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optomechanical response of human and monkey lenses in a lens stretcher.

PURPOSE To quantify the forces necessary to change the shape and optical power of human and monkey lenses. METHODS Cynomolgus monkey (n = 48; age: 3.8-11 years), rhesus monkey (n = 35; age: 0.7-17 years) and human (n = 20, age 8-70 years) eyes obtained postmortem, including the lens, capsule, zonules, ciliary body, and sclera were mounted in an optomechanical lens-stretching system. Starting at zero load, the lenses were symmetrically stretched in a stepwise fashion in 0.25- or 0.5-mm steps. The load, lens diameter, inner ciliary body diameter, and lens power were measured at each step and the diameter- and power-load responses were quantified. RESULTS The diameter- and power-load responses were found to be linear in the physiologically relevant range of stretching. The average change in cynomolgus, rhesus, and human lens diameter, respectively, was 0.094, 0.109, and 0.069 mm/g in young lenses, and 0.069, 0.067, and 0.036, mm/g in older lenses. For the same lenses, the average change in lens power was -3.73, -2.83, and -1.22 D/g in young lenses and -2.46, -2.16, and -0.49 D/g in older lenses. CONCLUSIONS The force necessary to change the lens diameter and lens power increases with age in human and monkey lenses. The results agree with the Helmholtz theory of accommodation and with presbyopia theories that predict that the force required to disaccommodate the lens increases with age.
Molecular Basis for Antigenic Diversity of Genus Betanodavirus

Betanodaviruses are the causative agents of viral nervous necrosis (VNN), a devastating disease for the Mediterranean mariculture. Four different betanodavirus species are recognized, Striped jack-, Redspotted grouper-, Tiger puffer-, and Barfin flounder nervous necrosis virus (SJNNV, RGNNV, TPNNV and BFNNV), but there is little knowledge on their antigenic properties. In order to describe the serological relationships among different betanodavirus genotypes, serum neutralization assays were performed using rabbit polyclonal antisera against eight fish nodaviruses that cover a wide species-, temporal-, spatial- and genetic range. The results indicate that the SJNNV and RGNNV are antigenically distinct, constituting serotypes A and C, respectively. The TPNNV and BFNNV, the latter representing cold-water betanodaviruses, are antigenically related and cluster within serotype B. The reassortant viruses RGNNV/SJNNV and SJNNV/RGNNV group within serotypes A and C, respectively, indicating that the coat protein encoded by RNA2 acts as major immunoreactivity determinant. Immunostaining of in vitro expressed wild type and chimeric capsid proteins between the RGNNV and the SJNNV species indicated that the C-terminal part of the capsid protein retains the immunoreactive portion. The amino acid (aa) residues determining RGNNV and SJNNV antigenic diversity were mapped to aa residues 217–256 and aa 257–341, respectively. Neutralization of reverse genetics derived chimeric viruses indicated that these areas determine the neutralizing epitopes. The data obtained are crucial for the development of targeted serological tests for the diagnosis of VNN, and informative for development of cross-protective vaccines against various betanodavirus genotypes.
HIPS: A calibration-less hybrid indoor positioning system using heterogeneous sensors

Positioning is a crucial task in pervasive computing, aimed at estimating the user's positions to provide location-based services. In this paper, we study an interesting problem: when we wish to obtain hybrid positioning granularities in an office environment, how can we incorporate heterogeneous sensors to build an indoor positioning system with minimal human calibration effort? We propose a calibration-less solution by incorporating the ultrasound sensors with the radio-frequency sensors. In our solution, we use these two different types of sensors to satisfy the different granularities requirement; and meanwhile, we use the ultrasound sensors to help calibrate the radio-frequency sensors for positioning, so that we can minimize, or even eliminate the labeling effort for the radio-frequency positioning. Finally, we develop a system prototype with real-world sensor networks, and verify the feasibility and effectiveness of our proposed solution.
Avoidable mortality in Europe 1955-1994: a plea for prevention.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse trends of avoidable mortality in Europe, emphasising causes of death amenable to primary prevention through reduction of exposures, secondary prevention through early detection and treatment, and tertiary prevention through improved treatment and medical care. DESIGN: Descriptive study of mortality from avoidable causes for the years 1955 through 1994, for ages 5-64 at time of death. Using the World Health Organisation Mortality Database, five year death rates were standardised to the world population. SETTING: 21 countries of Europe in four regions (northern, central, and southern Europe, Nordic countries). PARTICIPANTS: All causes of deaths for men and women, aged 5-64, at time of death. MAIN RESULTS: Between 1955-59 and 1990-94, the reduction in mortality was somewhat greater for avoidable causes than for all causes: 45.8% v 45.1% (women) and 39.3% v 32.6% among men. Reductions in mortality were greater for causes amenable to improved medical care: 77.9% among women and 76.3% among men. The smallest reduction in mortality was seen in women for causes amenable to secondary prevention (11.0%), and in men for causes amendable to primary prevention including tobacco related conditions (16.6%). From a geographical point of view, there were slight differences in trends between European regions, but overall the patterns were similar. CONCLUSIONS: The greatest reduction of avoidable mortality in Europe from 1955-94 came from causes amenable to improved treatment and medical care for both sexes. Further reductions of avoidable mortality can be achieved through implementation of primary and secondary prevention activities, such as tobacco control, reduction of occupational exposures, and universal access to breast and cervical cancer screening programmes.
Building separating concentric balls to solve a multi-instance classification problem

In this work, we consider a classification problem where the objects to be classified are bags of instances which are vectors measuring d dierent attributes. The classification rule is defined in terms of a ball, whose center and radius are the parameters to be computed. Given a bag, it is assigned to the positive class if at least one element is strictly included inside the ball, and it is labelled as negative otherwise. We model this question as a margin optimization problem. Several necessary optimality conditions are derived leading to a polynomial algorithm in fixed dimension. A VNS type heuristic is proposed and experimentally tested.
Therapy in Prison: Revisiting Grendon 20 Years on

Twenty years ago we conducted an ethnographic study of Grendon in which we examined the incongruous cohabitation of a prison and a therapeutic community (TC) within a single establishment. We concluded that the partnership between the two institutions was inevitably unequal and that, whilst the prison allowed the TC a sphere of influence, penal power prevailed whenever its institutional interests were threatened. In 2010 we revisited the establishment to explore how the relationship between penal and therapeutic functions had evolved over the intervening 20 years, a period marked by considerable change in the wider penal landscape. This article considers how these broader transformations in penal policy have been negotiated within the institution and what their impact has been on the ability of the TCs to maintain their authority, legitimacy and therapeutic integrity. We conclude with some preliminary thoughts about the protection of therapeutic work in prisons and the devolution of power and responsibility across government departments for therapeutic opportunities and the sentence management of serious offenders.
A Bacterial Effector Acts as a Plant Transcription Factor and Induces a Cell Size Regulator

Pathogenicity of many Gram-negative bacteria relies on the injection of effector proteins by type III secretion into eukaryotic cells, where they modulate host signaling pathways to the pathogen's benefit. One such effector protein injected by Xanthomonas into plants is AvrBs3, which localizes to the plant cell nucleus and causes hypertrophy of plant mesophyll cells. We show that AvrBs3 induces the expression of a master regulator of cell size, upa20, which encodes a transcription factor containing a basic helix-loop-helix domain. AvrBs3 binds to a conserved element in the upa20 promoter via its central repeat region and induces gene expression through its activation domain. Thus, AvrBs3 and likely other members of this family provoke developmental reprogramming of host cells by mimicking eukaryotic transcription factors.
Relationship between Cerebral Imaging and Executive Functions in Egyptian Elderly

This study aimed at assessing the relationship between executive functions and left sided hemiplegia due to non hemorrhagic supratentorial infarction in elderly Egyptians. It is considered a case control study which was conducted among 90 elderly participants, who were divided into two groups: a case group, 45 cases with cerebral infarctions of 6 months duration or more, and a control group who did not have previous cerebral infarctions. Both groups were selected from Ain shams University Hospital. Each participant was subjected to comprehensive geriatric assessment, executive functions assessment using, block design test, digit span, letter verbal fluency test, animal verbal fluency test and clock drawing test, and then a Computed Tomography (CT) brain was performed. It was found that cases were suffering from more functional impairment than controls, and have had significant lower scores in Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) (P
A Reconfigurable Baseband Transmitter for Adaptive Image Coding

Adaptive image coding scheme are well adapted to multirate cognitive networks. A Cognitive device will be able to reconfigure itself to adapt its baseband radio transmitter to the required bit rate of the coding scheme. In this paper, a such platform able to adapt the radio access technology (RAT) to the image coding scheme is described. To optimize the RAT bit rate to the image coding bit rate, our system chooses and reconfigures in real time the radio baseband functions. It makes some cross-layer adaptation between PHY and application layers.
Employee Performance Management Across Borders: A Review of Relevant Academic Literature

The purpose of this paper is to survey the emerging academic literature on employee performance management (PM) from an international perspective. The primary information source was a search of electronic databases. Two criteria were used to determine which studies to include in the literature survey: (1) those published in an English-language blind refereed academic journal, and (2) those focused on employee PM or performance appraisal (PA) from an international/global perspective. Sixty-four articles, published between 1985 and 2005, met the criteria. A preliminary scheme was developed for classifying the existing academic research into conceptual and empirical articles. The empirical articles were further classified by their foci and themes. In addition to classifying the articles, the paper presents a summary of what can be learned from the major findings of the empirical studies. The major conclusion is that the academic literature on cross-border PM is relatively atheoretical and exploratory in nature and that the design and substance of the research studies are weak. With regard to themes, there are a number of foci in the literature with only scant attention paid to the central concern with the PM of expatriates as expressed by firms. The empirical articles look at the disparate components of PA and are interested mainly in cultural differences as an intervening variable. Several recommendations are presented for researchers to help focus future research on cross-border PM.
Variables Predicting Students' Problem Behaviors

Abstract Data from the 1988 National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88) were analyzed to identify variables related to five types of student behavior: misbehavior, violent behavior, substance abuse, preparedness for class, and classroom behavior. It was found that, while variables not under school control (such as students' family background, school control, and grade span) are important predictors of student behavior, some school practices and policies are also significantly associated with student behavior. Specifically, schools with high-achieving and interested students; drug/alcohol-free environments; disciplined, structured environments', positive climates; and involved parents have fewer behavior problems. Implications for school practices and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Update on Cyclospora cayetanensis, a Food-Borne and Waterborne Parasite

SUMMARY The coccidian parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis is recognized as an emerging pathogen that causes protracted diarrhea in humans. The first cases of Cyclospora infection were reported in the late 1970s and were observed among expatriates and travelers in regions where infections are endemic. Since then, Cyclospora has been considered a cause of traveler's diarrhea. Epidemiological investigations were reported and examined in areas of endemicity even before the true identity of Cyclospora was elucidated. Cyclospora was fully characterized in the early 1990s, but it was not until the 1995 Cyclospora outbreak in the United States and Canada that it caught the attention of the public and physicians. The biology, clinical presentation, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and control of cyclosporiasis are reviewed, with a focus on diagnostic assays currently being used for clinical and environmental samples. Challenges and limitations in working with Cyclospora are also discussed.
Suggestive linkage of a chromosomal locus on 18p11 to cyclothymic temperament in bipolar disorder families

Attempts to identify bipolar disorder (BP) genes have only enjoyed limited success. One potential cause for this problem is that the traditional categorical BP phenotypes currently used in genetic linkage studies are not the most informative, efficient, or biologically relevant. An alternative to these strict categorical BP phenotypes is quantitative BP phenotypes. By isolating one aspect of a complex trait such as BP into a simple, intermediate, quantitative trait, genes that contribute to the larger complex trait can be more readily identified. Along these lines, we utilized a temperament‐based measure (cyclothymic temperament) as a quantitative, intermediate BP phenotype in linkage analyses and hypothesized that this measure might more efficiently detect loci for BP or temperamental traits that predispose to BP. A total of 158 individuals with temperament data from 28 BP families were used in the linkage analyses. All pedigrees had a proband diagnosed with BPI or BPII and at least two other family members with a mood disorder diagnosis. An 8 cM genome scan was performed and analyzed using MERLIN nonparametric multipoint regression linkage for a cyclothymic temperament trait. The highest overall LOD score was on chromosome 18 (LOD = 2.71, P = 0.0002). Other linkage peaks which may indicate potential regions of interest were found on chromosomes 3 and 7. The temperament‐based cyclothymic trait yielded a higher peak LOD score and a lower P‐value than analyses using traditional, categorical phenotypes in a separate analysis including these same families. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hdmx Recruitment into the Nucleus by Hdm2 Is Essential for Its Ability to Regulate p53 Stability and Transactivation*

The Hdmx gene product is related to the Hdm2 oncoprotein, both of which interact with and regulate p53 stability and function. Like Hdm2, Hdmx is able to inhibit p53 transactivation; however, at variance with Hdm2, which promotes ubiquitination, nuclear export, and degradation of p53, Hdmx increases p53 stability. We report here (i) that overexpressed Hdmx is cytoplasmic and Hdm2 recruits Hdmx into the nucleus and (ii) that nuclear Hdmx blocks Hdm2-mediated nuclear export of p53 and down-regulates p53-dependent transcription. Furthermore we showed that Hdmx inhibits Hdm2-mediated p53 ubiquitination. It appears, therefore, that a regulatory loop exists in which Hdm2 regulates the intracellular localization of Hdmx, and nuclear Hdmx regulates several functions of Hdm2 (ubiquitin ligase activity and p53 nuclear export).
Enhancement of E. coli acyl-CoA synthetase FadD activity on medium chain fatty acids

FadD catalyses the first step in E. coli beta-oxidation, the activation of free fatty acids into acyl-CoA thioesters. This activation makes fatty acids competent for catabolism and reduction into derivatives like alcohols and alkanes. Alcohols and alkanes derived from medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs, 6–12 carbons) are potential biofuels; however, FadD has low activity on MCFAs. Herein, we generate mutations in fadD that enhance its acyl-CoA synthetase activity on MCFAs. Homology modeling reveals that these mutations cluster on a face of FadD from which the co-product, AMP, is expected to exit. Using FadD homology models, we design additional FadD mutations that enhance E. coli growth rate on octanoate and provide evidence for a model wherein FadD activity on octanoate can be enhanced by aiding product exit. These studies provide FadD mutants useful for producing MCFA derivatives and a rationale to alter the substrate specificity of adenylating enzymes.
Energy efficiency metrics for green wireless communications

Recently the concern on energy efficiency in wireless communications has been growing rapidly as energy consumption increasingly becomes a global environment problem. Lots of research and development efforts have been spent in wireless industry, aiming for energy efficient solutions which lead to green wireless communications. In this paper we provide a brief overview on those efforts, with an emphasis on introducing energy efficiency metrics. Since energy efficiency metrics are indicators of efficiency, understanding those metrics provides us a better view on how energy efficiency can be achieved in wireless systems/networks. Observing energy is a concern at every corner of a wireless system/network, we describe those metrics from at component, equipment and system/networks level, respectively. From our observation, energy efficiency metrics for components and equipments have been well established. However, studied for system/network level solutions and metrics deserve more attention. We believe new energy efficient architecture and associated metrics will be the key for the energy consumption problem in wireless industry.
Psychosocial variables related to transit safety: The application of catastrophe theory

Abstract This research applied a paradigm for the study of occupational safety and health risks in manufacturing settings to the risks associated with urban and regional transit operation. Subjects were 290 transit operators who completed a questionnaire measuring safety management, danger ratings, beliefs about accident control, work experience, physical stress, social stress, anxiety, environmental hazards, transit hazards (assaults and insults upon the operator, the need to reprimand passengers for various infractions, etc.), vehicle crashes and operator injuries, and alcohol and drug use. Principal findings were that operator injuries were most closely associated with transit hazards, which were more frequent at night and on the least desirable routes. Injuries occurred in a climate of elevated stress and anxiety which may have hampered the operators' ability to respond effectively to potentially dangerous situations. The cusp catastrophe model provided a non-linear dynamic explanation for accident oc.
Projective Dirac operators, twisted K-theory, and local index formula

We construct a canonical noncommutative spectral triple for every oriented closed Riemannian manifold, which represents the fundamental class in the twisted K-homology of the manifold. This so-called "projective spectral triple" is Morita equivalent to the well-known commutative spin spectral triple provided that the manifold is spin-c. We give an explicit local formula for the twisted Chern character for K-theories twisted with torsion classes, and with this formula we show that the twisted Chern character of the projective spectral triple is identical to the Poincare dual of the A-hat genus of the manifold.
Psychopathology in preadolescent sons of fathers with substance use disorders.

OBJECTIVE While preadolescent children of parents with substance use disorders (SUDs) are known to have more behavior problems, depression, and anxiety than expected, psychiatric disorders in these children and their relationships with parental disorders have not been systematically investigated. This study compares the psychiatric disorders of preadolescent boys of fathers with and without SUDs and examines the relationships between offspring and parental psychopathology. METHOD Fathers (i.e., probands) of boys 10 through 12 years old were recruited to represent families of boys with paternal SUD (high risk or HR: n = 113) and boys without paternal SUD (low average risk or LAR: n = 170). These boys (i.e., index cases) and their biological parents participated in structured diagnostic interviews, and diagnoses were determined by the best-estimate method. RESULTS Disruptive behavior disorders and anxiety disorders were more prevalent in HR than in LAR index cases. Logistic regression analyses examining the relationships between parental and index case psychopathology indicated that parental childhood psychiatric disorders were more strongly predictive of index case psychiatric disorders than parental adulthood psychiatric disorders, including SUDs. CONCLUSIONS Inasmuch as HR boys had increased rates of disruptive behavior disorders and anxiety disorders, these disorders may be important targets for early intervention to prevent the development of SUD, as well as the morbidity associated with these disorders. Prevention efforts and studies of the transmission of liability for psychiatric disorders in children should carefully consider parental childhood characteristics.
Written Extended-Response Questions as Classroom Assessment Tools for Meaningful Understanding of Evolutionary Theory.

This qualitative study analyzed grade 12 biology students' answers to written extended-response questions that describe hypothetical scenarios of animals' evolution. We investigated whether these type of questions are suitable for students (n = 24) to express a meaningful understanding of evolutionary theory. Meaningful understanding is comprised of factual, procedural (rules, algorithms), schematic (“knowing why”), and strategic knowledge (when, where and how to apply knowledge). Evolutionary theory as a multi-level concept includes concepts on three different levels (descriptive, hypothetical, and theoretical). Students' answers are examined as to whether they reflect the meaningful linking of all concepts through appropriate use of scientific language. Results showed that students (a) predominantly linked descriptive concepts and, although expected, (b) demonstrated only some cross-concept-level links (theoretical–descriptive), (c) exhibited even fewer multi-concept-level links (theoretical–descriptive–hypothetical), and (d) avoided the linking of hypothetical concepts with theoretical ones. All these results showed the lack of explanations and reasoning (absence of schematic and strategic knowledge) and knowledge of how to link concepts about evolutionary theory meaningfully. The results indicate further that written extended-response questions are only partially suitable for demonstrating meaningful understanding. Implications for teaching of evolutionary theory are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 46: 333–356, 2009