Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultrastructural and ERG findings in mice with adenomatous polyposis coli gene disruption.

PURPOSE In order to continue the previous morphological studies of eyes from mice with adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene mutation at codon 1638, we determined the ultrastructural and electrophysiologic characteristics of these eyes. METHODS Thirty-eight eyes from 20 mice heterozygous for APC gene mutation and 22 eyes from 11 wild-type mice were examined by light microscopy. Six APC-modified eyes without light microscopic abnormalities, four APC-modified eyes with focal light microscopic abnormalities, and four wild-type eyes were examined by electron microscopy. Electroretinograms were recorded from four APC-modified and three wild-type mice. RESULTS Four of 38 APC-modified eyes demonstrated ultrastructural evidence of focal RPE cells with increased melanosome production and atrophy. Other areas of the RPE in these four eyes demonstrated no ultrastructural abnormalities. Three APC-modified eyes demonstrated electron and light microscopic evidence of RPE hyperplasia. Electron microscopic examination of APC-modified eyes without light microscopic evidence of abnormalities demonstrated no ultrastructural differences from age-matched controls. Electroretinography demonstrated no differences in the b-wave or c-wave amplitudes between APC-modified and wild-type mice. CONCLUSIONS While light microscopic RPE alterations are observed in these APC-modified mice, the absence of a generalized, ultrastructural murine RPE defect is in contradistinction to observations in electron microscopic investigations of humans with colonic polyposis, pigmented ocular fundus lesions, and APC gene mutations between codons 463 and 1444. Our results in mice with APC mutation at codon 1638, however, are consistent with a previously identified association between the expression of pigmented ocular fundus lesions and region-specific mutation in the human APC gene. The APC protein may possess a physiologic function for both retinal and RPE development.
Applying Machine Learning for High‐Performance Named‐Entity Extraction

This paper describes a machine learning approach to building an efficient and accurate name spotting system. Finding names in free text is an important task in many text‐based applications. Most previous approaches were based on hand‐crafted modules encoding language and genre‐specific knowledge. These approaches had at least two shortcomings: They required large amounts of time and expertise to develop and were not easily portable to new languages and genres. This paper describes an extensible system that automatically combines weak evidence from different, easily available sources: parts‐of‐speech tags, dictionaries, and surface‐level syntactic information such as capitalization and punctuation. Individually, each piece of evidence is insufficient for robust name detection. However, the combination of evidence, through standard machine learning techniques, yields a system that achieves performance equivalent to the best existing hand‐crafted approaches.
Immunological Correlates for Protection against Intranasal Challenge of Bacillus anthracis Spores Conferred by a Protective Antigen-Based Vaccine in Rabbits

ABSTRACT Correlates between immunological parameters and protection against Bacillus anthracis infection in animals vaccinated with protective antigen (PA)-based vaccines could provide surrogate markers to evaluate the putative protective efficiency of immunization in humans. In previous studies we demonstrated that neutralizing antibody levels serve as correlates for protection in guinea pigs (S. Reuveny et al., Infect. Immun. 69:2888-2893, 2001; H. Marcus et al., Infect. Immun. 72:3471-3477, 2004). In this study we evaluated similar correlates for protection by active and passive immunization of New Zealand White rabbits. Full immunization and partial immunization were achieved by single and multiple injections of standard and diluted doses of a PA-based vaccine. Passive immunization was carried out by injection of immune sera from rabbits vaccinated with PA-based vaccine prior to challenge with B. anthracis spores. Immunized rabbits were challenged by intranasal spore instillation with one of two virulent strains (strains Vollum and ATCC 6605). The immune competence was estimated by measuring the level of total anti-PA antibodies, the neutralizing antibody titers, and the conferred protective immunity. The results indicate that total anti-PA antibody titers greater than 1 × 105 conferred protection, whereas lower titers (between 104 and 105) provided partial protection but failed to predict protection. Neutralizing antibody titers between 500 and 800 provided partial protection, while titers higher than 1,000 conferred protection. In conclusion, this study emphasizes that regardless of the immunization regimen or the time of challenge, neutralizing antibody titers are better predictors of protection than total anti-PA titers.
Fundamentals and applications of silica and nonsilica holey fibers

Microstructured optical fibers are of increasing interest since they offer unique optical properties and design flexibility that cannot be achieved in conventional forms of fiber. We review structural features, fabrication, optical properties and potential applications of index-guiding holey optical fibers. The state-of-the-art is presented for both silica and compound glass holey fibers.
The transmission of mixed infections of pathogenic Trypanosoma species to susceptible hosts by Glossina morsitans morsitans.

Summary Studies have been conducted on mixed infections of T brucei, T. congolense and/or T. vivax in Glossina morsitans morsitans using in vivo feeding on infected hosts or in vitro feeding upon mixed infected heparinised blood. The vector can become infected with double or triple trypanosome infections and can transmit such mixed infections to susceptible hosts.
Organic compound composition in soil and sediments collected in Jackson, Mississippi

ABSTRACT The aim of our study was to identify organic pollutants found in soil and sediment samples collected within the Jackson, MS metropolitan area. The chemical characterization of the organic compound fractions in soil and sediment samples was carried out by separating the organic fraction using column chromatography (CC) and quantitatively analyzing the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), n-alkanes and other organic compounds using gas chromatography–electron impact mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Fifty-six compounds were identified and quantified in the soil samples and 33 compounds were identified and quantified in the sediment samples. The PAHs, n-alkanes and other organic compound profiles in the soil and sediment samples were compared. The percentage contents of the organic compounds in the soil samples were very diverse (from traces to 12.44 ± 1.47%). The compounds present in the highest concentrations were n-alkanes: n-C31 (12.44 ± 1.47%), n-C29 (11.64 ± 1.21%), and n-C33 (8.95 ± 1.08%). The components occurring in smaller quantities (from 1% to 5%) were 2 PAHs (fluoranthene 1.28 ± 0.25%, pyrene 1.16 ± 0.20%), 10 n-alkanes from n-C21 (1.25 ± 0.29%) to n-C32 (2.67 ± 0.52%) and 11 other compounds (e.g., 2-pentanol, 4-methyl (3.33 ± 0.44%), benzyl butyl phthalate (4.25 ± 0.59%), benzenedicarboxylic acid (1.14 ± 0.08%), ethane, 1,1-diethoxy (3.15 ± 0.41) and hexadecanoic acid (2.52 ± 0.34). The soil samples also contained 30 compounds present in concentrations <1% (e.g., anthracene (0.13 ± 0.04%), n-C20 (0.84 ± 0.21%) and acetic acid (0.12 ± 0.04%). The compounds present in the highest concentrations in the sediment samples were PAHs: pyrene (7.73 ± 1.15%) and fluoranthene (6.23 ± 1.07%) and n-alkanes: n-C31 (6.74 ± 1.21%), n-C29 (6.65 ± 0.98%) and n-C27 (6.13 ± 1.09%). The remaining organic compounds were present in smaller quantities (< 5%).
New Learning Rules for Three-layered Feed-forward Neural Networks based on a General Learning Schema

We propose a general schema for learning rules in neural networks, the General Enforcing Rule Schema (GERS), from which we infer new simplified learning rules for in particular supervised learning of three-layered feed-forward networks, namely Enforcing Rule Supervised ERS and ERS2. These rules are comparatively simpler than the established rule of Backpropagation and their performance is at least equivalent. The new rules are compared with Backpropagation in different experiments; an additional comparison is performed with real data for the prediction of parcel delivering.
Beyond Markets and States: Polycentric Governance of Complex Economic Systems

Abstract This excerpt describes the intellectual journey that I have taken the last half-century from when I began graduate studies in the late 1950s. The early efforts to understand the polycentric water industry in California were formative for me. In addition to working with Vincent Ostrom and Charles Tiebout as they formulated the concept of polycentric systems for governing metropolitan areas, I studied the efforts of a large group of private and public water producers facing the problem of an overdrafted groundwater basin on the coast and watching saltwater intrusion threaten the possibility of long-term use. Then, in the 1970s, I participated with colleagues in the study of polycentric police industries serving U.S. metropolitan areas to find that the dominant theory underlying massive reform proposals was incorrect. Metropolitan areas served by a combination of large and small producers could achieve economies of scale in the production of some police services and avoid diseconomies of scale in the production of others.
net Learning Style Preferences of First Year Medical Students of a Rural Medical College , West Bengal , India

The goal of this study was to determine preferred learning styles of first year medical students of BankuraSammilani Medical College, Bankura, a rural medical college of West Bengal, India. Methods: A cross sectional study of first year medical students with 65 male and 30 female (n=95) was performed. The validated VARK questionnaire Version7 was used to categorize the preferred mode of learning styles of students. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the learning styles of the students. Results: 95%was the response rate. 84.21% of students preferred multiple learning styles. Among multi modal learners bimodal learners (32.63%) surpass quad modal (30.52%) and tri modal (21.05%) learners. The most preferred combination of learning style among bimodal students were Auditory-Kinesthetic (9.47%) and KinestheticReading/Writing (9.47%). Conclusion: The result of this study shows that most students of this medical college are able to learn effectively as long as the teacher provide a blend of visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinesthetic activities
Bayesian estimation of the Dirichlet distribution with expectation propagation

As a member of the exponential family, the Dirichlet distribution has its conjugate prior. However, since the posterior distribution is difficult to use in practical problems, Bayesian estimation of the Dirichlet distribution, in general, is not analytically tractable. To derive practically easily used prior and posterior distributions, some approximations are required to approximate both the prior and the posterior distributions so that the conjugate match between the prior and posterior distributions holds and the obtained posterior distribution is easy to be employed. To this end, we approximate the distribution of the parameters in the Dirichlet distribution by a multivariate Gaussian distribution, based on the expectation propagation (EP) framework. The EP-based method captures the correlations among the parameters and provides an easily used prior/posterior distribution. Compared to recently proposed Bayesian estimation based on the variation inference (VI) framework, the EP-based method performs better with a smaller amount of observed data and is more stable.
Natural Language Processing for Joint Fire Observer Training

Abstract : We describe recent research to enhance a training system which interprets Call for Fire (CFF) radio artillery requests. The research explores the feasibility of extending the system to also understand calls for Close Air Support (CAS). This work includes automated analysis of complex language behavior in CAS missions, evaluation of speech recognition performance, and simulation of speech recognition errors.
A First-Order Theory of Stanislavskian Scene Analysis

At the turn of the last century, Constantin Stanislavski developed a new system of acting, replacing the mannered gestures and forced emotion then popular with a more natural style. The core of his system lay in having actors perform a process of scene analysis, in which an actor would flesh out the circumstances of the play so that the character's motivations and actions would follow logically. This paper is an attempt to ground Stanislavski's method of scene analysis in a formal theory of action. We discuss the relations between Stanislavskian and formal AI theories of action and planning, give a formal definition of the end product of a scene analysis, and characterize the conditions under which a scene analysis is coherent.
From Semantic Search & Integration to Analytics

Semantics is seen as the key ingredient in the next phase of the Web infrastructure as well as the next generation of enterprise content management. Ontology is the centerpiece of the most prevalent semantic technologies and provides the basis of representing, acquiring, and utilizing knowledge. With the availability of several commercial products and many research tools, specifications and increasing adoption of Semantic Web standards such as RDF for metadata and OWL for ontology representation, ontology-driven techniques and systems have already enabled a new generation of industry strength semantic applications. In particular, Semagix's Freedom has powered applications in leading verticals such as, financial services, government & intelligence, pharmaceuticals, and media & entertainment. In this paper, we portray some of the requirements of high-end enterprise applications requiring search to integration, and more advanced analytical capabilities, discuss the enterprise scale capabilities expected of a semantic technology, and how Semagix has put an ontology-driven approach to use.
Effect of Fiber Swelling on the Structure of Lyocell Fabrics

The effect of liquid swelling on the structural rearrangement of lyocell twill fabrics is studied using a variety of techniques, including optical microscopy, dimensional measurements, and water and hexadecane retention. Lyocell fibers swell predominately laterally in water by about 30% over the dry diameter. Fiber lateral swelling in NaOH solutions is greater than in water, with diameters increasing by over 200% at optimum concentrations. The lateral expansion in the fibers leads to fabric shrinkage (reduced planar dimensions and increased fabric thickness), which explains most of the irreversible constructional changes that occur during tensioned preparation from the loomstate. Fabric structural changes during subsequent wetting and drying are also explained using swelling-shrinkage and hygral expansion-contraction models. Irreversible swelling-shrinkage in NaOH is exaggerated, and subsequent rewetting leads to reversible fabric growth rather than the reversible shrinkage experienced by fabrics prepared in water. NaOH treated fabrics also have lower wet state rigidity than fabrics prepared in water. Tensioned NaOH treatment allow fabrics to be stabilized at larger dimensions and a permanent, flatter fabric construction with lower amplitude reversible behavior.
Auto-Generating Publication-Quality Circuit Schematics Using Open Technologies

For effective learning and assessment processes, it is customary to test the students with previously-unseen test questions. The need for distinct sets of questions is more evident in the case of massive open online courses. For electrical and computer engineering courses, using schematic capture programs for manually preparing a large number of circuit schematics for online testing would be a very laborious task. This paper presents a tool that enables the automated generation of a large number of unique publication-quality circuit schematics for use in the assignments and tests for both online and traditionally taught courses. The tool is configurable and is based on open technologies. The methodology on which the tool is founded is generic enough for adoption for many courses in the field of engineering.
Compressive Strength and Morphology of Fly Ash Based Geopolymer as Artificial Aggregate with Different Curing Temperature

This paper presented the compressive strength of geopolymer paste with different NaOH concentration and morphology analysis for sintered artificial aggregate. This artificial aggregate was produce based on mix design with highest compressive strength which is 12 M. The sample was cured at 70 °C for 24 hours and then it was exposed to different temperature at range 500 °C to 700 °C. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) has been used to identify the formation of microstructure. The geopolymer artificial aggregate was an alternative ways to produce a greener environmental. In this study, the compressive strength for different Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio has been analyzed. The morphology for best mix design then were analyze for different curing temperature. The result shows fly ash based geopolymer paste with 12 M of NaOH concentration shows excellent result with 7.30 MPa at 2.5 ratio of Na2SiO3/NaOH and for geopolymer artificial aggregate, when temperature of heat treatment increased, the open porosity of porous geopolymer surface decreased.
Vessel tracking in peripheral CTA datasets-an overview

We describe the results of the literature review focused on the peripheral vessel segmentation in 3D medical datasets, acquired by computer tomography angiography (CTA) of the human leg. The fundamental aim of such a segmentation task is a robust method for the detection of main vessels in the leg that simultaneously preserves the vessel calcification (the sediment is called plaque) and allows localization of vessel narrowings (called stenoses). This segmentation has to be free from artifacts, i.e., without false detections of stenoses and without false omitting of any stenotic part. The paper collects seven methods applicable for vessel segmentation.
Functional Coupling of a Nematode Chemoreceptor to the Yeast Pheromone Response Pathway

Sequencing of the Caenorhabditis elegans genome revealed sequences encoding more than 1,000 G-protein coupled receptors, hundreds of which may respond to volatile organic ligands. To understand how the worm's simple olfactory system can sense its chemical environment there is a need to characterise a representative selection of these receptors but only very few receptors have been linked to a specific volatile ligand. We therefore set out to design a yeast expression system for assigning ligands to nematode chemoreceptors. We showed that while a model receptor ODR-10 binds to C. elegans Gα subunits ODR-3 and GPA-3 it cannot bind to yeast Gα. However, chimaeras between the nematode and yeast Gα subunits bound to both ODR-10 and the yeast Gβγ subunits. FIG2 was shown to be a superior MAP-dependent promoter for reporter expression. We replaced the endogenous Gα subunit (GPA1) of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ste2Δ sst2Δ far1Δ) triple mutant (“Cyb”) with a Gpa1/ODR-3 chimaera and introduced ODR-10 as a model nematode GPCR. This strain showed concentration-dependent activation of the yeast MAP kinase pathway in the presence of diacetyl, the first time that the native form of a nematode chemoreceptor has been functionally expressed in yeast. This is an important step towards en masse de-orphaning of C. elegans chemoreceptors.
Classification of Adults with Problematic Internet Experiences: Linking Internet and Conventional Problems from a Clinical Perspective

This article utilizes data from clinical reports of 929 adults to examine whether various problematic Internet experiences are distinctly different from or extensions of conventional problems. A TwoStep Cluster Analysis identified three mutually exclusive groups of adults, those with (1) online relationship problems and victimization; (2) online and offline problems; and (3) marital discord. Results suggest some initial support for the idea that problematic Internet experiences are often extensions of experiences and behaviors that pre-date the Internet. However, the Internet may be introducing some qualitatively new dimensions-such as an increased severity, an increased frequency, or unique dynamics-that require new responses or interventions.
Characterization of Genipin-Modified Dentin Collagen

Application of biomodification techniques to dentin can improve its biochemical and biomechanical properties. Several collagen cross-linking agents have been reported to strengthen the mechanical properties of dentin. However, the characteristics of collagen that has undergone agent-induced biomodification are not well understood. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of a natural cross-linking agent, genipin (GE), on dentin discoloration, collagen stability, and changes in amino acid composition and lysyl oxidase mediated natural collagen cross-links. Dentin collagen obtained from extracted bovine teeth was treated with three different concentrations of GE (0.01%, 0.1%, and 0.5%) for several treatment times (0–24 h). Changes in biochemical properties of NaB3H4-reduced collagen were characterized by amino acid and cross-link analyses. The treatment of dentin collagen with GE resulted in a concentration- and time-dependent pigmentation and stability against bacterial collagenase. The lysyl oxidase-mediated trivalent mature cross-link, pyridinoline, showed no difference among all groups while the major divalent immature cross-link, dehydro-dihydroxylysinonorleucine/its ketoamine in collagen treated with 0.5% GE for 24 h, significantly decreased compared to control (P < 0.05). The newly formed GE-induced cross-links most likely involve lysine and hydroxylysine residues of collagen in a concentration-dependent manner. Some of these cross-links appear to be reducible and stabilized with NaB3H4.