Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Muc5b Is the Major Polymeric Mucin in Mucus from Thoroughbred Horses With and Without Airway Mucus Accumulation

Mucus accumulation is a feature of inflammatory airway disease in the horse and has been associated with reduced performance in racehorses. In this study, we have analysed the two major airways gel-forming mucins Muc5b and Muc5ac in respect of their site of synthesis, their biochemical properties, and their amounts in mucus from healthy horses and from horses with signs of airway mucus accumulation. Polyclonal antisera directed against equine Muc5b and Muc5ac were raised and characterised. Immunohistochemical staining of normal equine trachea showed that Muc5ac and Muc5b are produced by cells in the submucosal glands, as well as surface epithelial goblet cells. Western blotting after agarose gel electrophoresis of airway mucus from healthy horses, and horses with mucus accumulation, was used to determine the amounts of these two mucins in tracheal wash samples. The results showed that in healthy horses Muc5b was the predominant mucin with small amounts of Muc5ac. The amounts of Muc5b and Muc5ac were both dramatically increased in samples collected from horses with high mucus scores as determined visually at the time of endoscopy and that this increase also correlated with increase number of bacteria present in the sample. The change in amount of Muc5b and Muc5ac indicates that Muc5b remains the most abundant mucin in mucus. In summary, we have developed mucin specific polyclonal antibodies, which have allowed us to show that there is a significant increase in Muc5b and Muc5ac in mucus accumulated in equine airways and these increases correlated with the numbers of bacteria.
Clinical and Angiographic Predictors of Short- and Long-Term Ischemic Events in Acute Coronary Syndromes: Results From the Acute Catheterization and Urgent Intervention Triage strategY (ACUITY) Trial

Background—Contemporary adjunctive pharmacology and revascularization strategies have improved the prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACSs). We sought to identify the clinical and angiographic predictors of cardiac ischemic events in patients with ACSs treated with an early invasive strategy. Methods and Results—Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the relation between baseline characteristics and 30-day and 1-year composite ischemia (death, myocardial infarction, or unplanned revascularization) among the 6921 ACS patients included in the prespecified angiographic substudy of the Acute Catheterization and Urgent Intervention Triage strategY (ACUITY) trial. Of the 6921 patients, 3826 (55.3%) were treated with percutaneous coronary intervention, 755 (10.9%) with coronary artery bypass grafting, and 2340 (33.8%) with medical therapy. Composite ischemia occurred in 595 (8.6%) patients at 30 days and in 1153 (17.4%) at 1 year. Renal insufficiency, biomarker elevation, ST-segment deviation, nonuse of aspirin or thienopyridine, insulin-treated diabetes, older age, baseline lower hemoglobin value, history of percutaneous coronary intervention, and current smoking were independently associated with 30-day or 1-year ischemic events. Angiographic characteristics predicting ischemic events included number of diseased vessels, moderate/severe calcification, worst percent diameter stenosis, jeopardy score, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, lesion eccentricity, and thrombus. With use of receiver operating characteristic methodology, the c statistic improved for the predictive model by adding angiographic to clinical parameters for the 30-day composite ischemia (from 0.62 to 0.68) and myocardial infarction (from 0.64 to 0.71) and 1-year composite ischemia (from 0.61 to 0.65) and myocardial infarction (from 0.63 to 0.69) end points. Conclusions—Among ACS patients managed with an early invasive strategy, baseline angiographic markers of disease burden, calcification, lesion severity, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, and morphological characteristics provided important added independent predictive value for 30-day and 1-year ischemic outcomes, beyond the well-recognized clinical risk factors. These findings emphasize the prognostic importance of the diagnostic angiogram in the risk stratification of patients presenting with ACSs. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00093158.
Alleles of RUNX2/CBFA1 Gene Are Associated With Differences in Bone Mineral Density and Risk of Fracture

The aim of this study was to determine if DNA polymorphism within runt‐related gene 2 (RUNX2)/core binding factor A1 (CBFA1) is related to bone mineral density (BMD). RUNX2 contains a glutamine‐alanine repeat where mutations causing cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) have been observed. Two common variants were detected within the alanine repeat: an 18‐bp deletion and a synonymous alanine codon polymorphism with alleles GCA and GCG (noted as A and G alleles, respectively). In addition, rare mutations that may be related to low BMD were observed within the glutamine repeat. In 495 randomly selected women of the Geelong Osteoporosis Study (GOS), the A allele was associated with higher BMD at all sites tested. The effect was maximal at the ultradistal (UD) radius (p = 0.001). In a separate fracture study, the A allele was significantly protective against Colles' fracture in elderly women but not spine and hip fracture. The A allele was associated with increased BMD and was protective against a common form of osteoporotic fracture, suggesting that RUNX2 variants may be related to genetic effects on BMD and osteoporosis.
Beetle Horn Dimorphism: Making the Best of a Bad Lot

There has been interest recently in the occurrence in a single species of more than one adaptive behavior or morphology. One kind of explanation for dimorphisms of this type is that they constitute frequency-dependent evolutionary stable strategies (Gadgil 1972; Maynard Smith 1976), with the reproductive payoffs for one type equal to those for the other because of the balances of costs and benefits for the two forms, and that they are thus maintained in a sort of balanced genetic polymorphism. A second possibility is that payoffs for the two forms are not equal but that the alternative forms represent facultative alternatives designed to function in different circumstances (different body size, season, etc.; see Warner et al. 1975; West-Eberhard 1979; Dawkins 1980 discusses both types of explanation). A classic example of such a dimorphism occurs in some species of homed beetles in which there are two more or less distinct forms: large individuals with well-developed horns ("majors"), and smaller ones which lack or have only poorly developed horns ("minors") (Arrow 1951). Evidence is accumulating (Eberhard 1977a; Palmer 1978; Eberhard 1979 and references; Eberhard 1980; M. Peinador, in prep.) that beetle horns commonly function as weapons in intraspecific battles. The fact that the horns of many species represent substantial proportions of the beetles' body weights argues that natural selection in these species has strongly favored increased fighting ability. Since beetles do not grow after their last moult (and minors are thus comdemned to remain minors for their entire adult lives), the continued existence of hornless or nearly hornless forms seems paradoxical since one might think that selection should eliminate those individuals poorly equipped to fight. This study of the dimorphic horned dynastine beetle Podischnus agenor Oliver shows that the behavior and ecology of minor males differs from that of major males in ways which suggest that the minor form is a facultative adaptation designed to reduce direct competition with major males, and thus to compensate partially for the competitive disadvantage resulting from the minors' smaller size.
Automated detection of structural alerts (chemical fragments) in (eco)toxicology

This mini-review describes the evolution of different algorithms dedicated to the automated discovery of chemical fragments associated to (eco)toxicological endpoints. These structural alerts correspond to one of the most interesting approach of in silico toxicology due to their direct link with specific toxicological mechanisms. A number of expert systems are already available but, since the first work in this field which considered a binomial distribution of chemical fragments between two datasets, new data miners were developed and applied with success in chemoinformatics. The frequency of a chemical fragment in a dataset is often at the core of the process for the definition of its toxicological relevance. However, recent progresses in data mining provide new insights into the automated discovery of new rules. Particularly, this review highlights the notion of Emerging Patterns that can capture contrasts between classes of data.
Frequency of Blood Pressure Measuring According to the Degree of Working Population Education in Canton Sarajevo

Introduction: Hypertension (high blood pressure) is one of the most widely spread modern diseases and one of the leading risk factors for heart and blood vessel diseases, particularly stroke and coronary heart disease. The prevalence of hypertension is about 25% in adults. Many studies show that blood pressure tends to have lower values among people with higher education levels. Goal: To determine the frequency of measurement and control of blood pressure in relation to the level of education of the active working population of the Sarajevo Canton. Material and methods: The study was conducted on 443 subjects randomly selected from the categories of the active working population of the Sarajevo Canton. The study was conducted at the Center for Heart, Clinical Center University of Sarajevo University through the project “Prevention of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the active working population of the Sarajevo Canton”. Respondents were at age in range from 18-65 years, who have voluntarily joined the study. Results: Of 443 (100%) of the respondents 153 (34.5%) were males compared to females whose participation in the sample was 290 (65.5%). Regarding the structure of respondents, the majority of them 213 (48.1%) graduated faculty, 142 (32, 1%) graduated secondary vocational schools and 66 (14.9%) with a higher degree, with the lowest number with completed grammar school (1.4%) and secondary school (0.5%). Blood pressure never measure 16 (3.6%) of respondents, which is not insignificant number, more than 5 years ago 23 (5.2%), within last 1-5 years 90 (20.3%), in the past 12 months 88 (19.9% ) and 226 (51%) measured the blood pressure in the past 6 months. Blood pressure never controlled 4.33% of respondents with secondary or higher education and 2.82% of the respondents with university education. Chi-square test showed a difference between education and the prevalence of blood pressure, χ2=7.812; DF=8; p=0.045. Conclusion: Monitoring of blood pressure and frequent measurement can in large number prevent progression of hypertension, which can often remain unnoticed if the blood pressure is not measured regularly. Lower levels of education may be associated with lower socioeconomic status of healthy subjects, as well as the low level of health education, which may be factors that contribute to improper diet, lack of physical activity, smoking, so indirectly affect the occurrence of the disease. Education can be a potential risk factor for high blood pressure during their lifetime and thus the risk factor for other cardiovascular diseases.
Converging Perceptions After a Crisis Leading to Successful Change - Dynamics of CSFs in a Post-Merger ERP Program

Research on Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) implementations has paid so far little attention to (1) ERP programs and challenges stemming from interdependent, related projects, and (2) intergroup relations, which are particularly evident in these implementations. We approach this gap and identify CSFs through a single, interpretive, post-merger case study of a complex ERP program, using a grounded theory approach, particularly as a coding technique. We use the Social Identity Theory (SIT) as a lens for understanding the dynamics within the ERP program life-cycle. Our results suggest that, within the ERP program the perceptions of different groups were diverging, which contributed to the crisis within the main project. However, a positive reflection and converging views after the crisis eventually resulted in a successful program. Using the SIT perspective was valuable to interpret the identified CSFs, which offer important implications for research and practice.
From on High: The Effect of Elite Polarization on Mass Attitudes and Behaviors: 1972–2012

There is widespread agreement that American political elites have become increasingly ideologically polarized. However, there is disagreement about how the mass electorate has responded to the increase in polarization at the elite level. We argue that individuals’ expressions of ideology and partisanship respond to changes in elite-level polarization. Because party elites have become more polarized, individuals are better able to the party that best matches their own ideological positions, thereby contributing to polarization at the mass level. We test this argument using 36 years of ANES and DW-NOMINATE data. Placing voters in policy space using a measurement model, we assess whether or not elite-level factors condition how individuals’ underlying ideology translates into political behavior. We find that the relationship between a voter’s position in policy space and their political behavior is indeed conditional upon polarization at the elite level.
A Hybrid Genetic Algorithm for the Quadratic Assignment Problem

A heuristic technique that combines a genetic algorithm with a Tabu Search algorithm is applied to the Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP). The hybrid algorithm improves the results obtained through the application of each of these algorithms separately. The QAP is a NP-hard problem and instances of size n> > 15 are still considered intractable. The results of our experiments suggest that CHC combined with TS (CHC+TS), and a TS with elitist backtracking algorithm are able to obtain good near optimal solutions within 0.75% of the best-known solutions. CHC+TS produces the best-known solution in 12 of the 16 QAPLIB problems tested, where n ranges from 10 to 256.
A phase II study of carboplatin and paclitaxel for recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer

The aim of this study was to investigate the activity and safety of a regimen containing carboplatin and paclitaxel in patients affected by recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer. Eligible patients were treated with a 3-week combination of paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 and carboplatin area under the concentration time curve 5 mg/ml/min for a maximum of four cycles. A total of 27 patients entered the study. One patient (3.7%) had a complete response, whereas six patients (22.2%) obtained a partial response. Stable disease was observed in seven patients (25.9%). The disease control rate was 51.8% (95% confidence interval: 32.0–71.3), whereas overall response rate was 25.9% (95% confidence interval: 11.1–46.3). The median overall survival was 8.0 months (range: 2–27), with a 1-year survival of 30.5%. The median progression-free survival was 1.0 month (range: 0–14). Treatment-related deaths or episodes of neutropenic fever were not registered. Grades 3–4 neutropenia was observed in two patients (7.4%), grades 3–4 anaemia and thrombocytopenia in four (14.8%) and one (3.7%) patients, respectively. Nine patients (33.3%) experienced grades 1–2 and one patient (3.7%) grade 3 peripheral neuropathy. The combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel is safe and moderately effective for the treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer.
Proposal for a Standard Default Color Space for the Internet - sRGB

Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft propose the addition of support for a standard color space, sRGB, within the Microsoft operating systems, HP products, the Internet, and all other interested vendors. The aim of this color space is to complement the current color management strategies by enabling a third method of handling color in the operating systems, device drivers and the Internet that utilizes a simple and robust device independent color definition. This will provide good quality and backward compatibility with minimum transmission and system overhead. Based on a calibrated colorimetric RGB color space well suited to Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors, television, scanners, digital cameras, and printing systems, such a space can be supported with minimum cost to software and hardware vendors. Our intent here is to promote its adoption by showing the benefits of supporting a standard color space, and the suitability of the standard color space, sRGB, we are proposing. We will describe some of the system issues and propose a methodology for to implement support for sRGB and color management on the World Wide Web.
Detection and counting of cars in aerial images

This paper introduces a new approach to automatic car detection in monocular large scale aerial images. The extraction is based on a hierarchical 3D-model that describes the prominent geometric features of cars or different levels of detail. Furthermore, vehicle color, windshield color, and intensity of a car's shadow area are included as radiometric features. The model automatically adapts the expected saliency of different features depending on vehicle color and the current illumination direction which are measured from the image during extraction or given a priori, respectively. Car extraction is carried out by matching the model "top-down" to the image and evaluating the support found in the image. In contrast to most of the related work, our approach does not rely on external information like digital maps or site models. Various examples illustrate the applicability of this approach. However, they also show the deficiencies which clearly define the next steps of our future work.
Heat Treatment and Thirty-Day Storage Period Do Not Affect the Stability of Omega-3 Fatty Acid in Brown Flaxseed (Linum Usitatissimum) Whole Flour

This study was conducted to verify if the processing and storage of brown flaxseed whole flour result in loss of func-tional properties, such as reduced linolenic acid content, increased lipid peroxidation and sensory changes. The flours were obtained from seeds dried by heat treatment in oven at 150? C, for 15 minutes and subsequent grinding to obtain flour with a particle size of 20 mesh. Meal samples, with and without synthetic antioxidants (BHA and BHT combined, at 100 ppm each), were stored for a thirty-day period, under similar conditions to those used commercially. The linolenic acid content was quantified by gas chromatography. Lipid peroxidation was analyzed by thiobarbituric acid reactive substance assay. Color and flavor were evaluated by sensory tests. The linolenic acid content and lipid peroxidation did not significantly change after processing or during storage. Fluctuations in color and flavor occurred during storage, but at the end of 30 days, only the heat treatment presented negative effect (p < 0.05) on the parameter color. Heat treatment and thirty-day storage period do not change the stability of n-3 fatty acid in brown flaxseed whole flour.
Chaotic generation of PN sequences: a VLSI implementation

Generation of repeatable pseudo-random sequences with chaotic analog electronics is not feasible using standard circuit topologies. Component variation caused by imperfect fabrication causes the same divergence of output sequences as does varying initial conditions. By quantizing the output of a simple chaotic difference equation and using delayed feedback, we are able to construct a circuit which has properties both of randomness and repeatability. Simulation results show sequence lengths in excess of 10000 bits with cross correlations less than 0.02 for our architecture. The system has been implemented using AMI 1.2 /spl mu/m CMOS technology, and digitally using AMD MACH complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs). Circuit measurements are in agreement with our theoretical findings.
The effects of immediate and delayed summarizing on judgments of learning, studying patterns and achievement

This study explored whether writing a summary immediately or with delay after studying can improve learners' metacomprehension accuracy, influence their regulation of study, and enhance reading comprehension immediately and under transfer conditions. Undergraduates (N=75) were randomly assigned to three groups: no summary, immediate summary and delayed summary. After screening data to remove participants who did not apply plausible effort, no statistically detectable differences were found for test performance across groups nor was transfer of the hypothesized effect observed. T conclude there is need to consider difficulties of reading texts and tests, and learners' metacomprehension skills to achieve a high level of metacomprehension accuracy and affect studying productively.
Utility Elicitation as a Classification Problem

We investigate the application of classification techniques to utility elicitation. In a decision problem, two sets of parameters must generally be elicited: the probabilities and the utilities. While the prior and conditional probabilities in the model do not change from user to user, the utility models do. Thus it is necessary to elicit a utility model separately for each new user. Elicitation is long and tedious, particularly if the outcome space is large and not decomposable. There are two common approaches to utility function elicitation. The first is to base the determination of the user's utility function solely on elicitation of qualitative preferences. The second makes assumptions about the form and decomposability of the utility function. Here we take a different approach: we attempt to identify the new user's utility function based on classification relative to a database of previously collected utility functions. We do this by identifying clusters of utility functions that minimize an appropriate distance measure. Having identified the clusters, we develop a classification scheme that requires many fewer and simpler assessments than full utility elicitation and is more robust than utility elicitation based solely on preferences. We have tested our algorithm on a small database of utility functions in a prenatal diagnosis domain and the results are quite promising.
NetTrust - Recommendation System for Embedding Trust in a Virtual Realm

NetTrust is a system that embeds social context in browsing by combining individual histories, social networks, and explicit ratings. NetTrust embeds two types of recommendation systems to communicate recommendations about the trustworthiness of a website. The flrst recommendation system uses shared browsing histories from a user’s self- selected social networks to create both explicit and implicit data collection. The second recommendation system is based on listings by third parties. NetTrust targets the human element of trust and proposes reputation based solutions to issues of trust on the web. The reputation systems used in NetTrust allow an individual to select their own trusted sources of information and rate particular sites as trustworthy (or not). NetTrust allows an individual to select their own trusted sources of information from a market of ratings agencies and combine these ratings with the reputation information from their individual social network.