Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Apoptosis Regulates Human Vascular Calcification In Vitro: Evidence for Initiation of Vascular Calcification by Apoptotic Bodies

The mechanisms involved in the initiation of vascular calcification are not known, but matrix vesicles, the nucleation sites for calcium crystal formation in bone, are likely candidates, because similar structures have been found in calcified arteries. The regulation of matrix vesicle production is poorly understood but is thought to be associated with apoptotic cell death. In the present study, we investigated the role of apoptosis in vascular calcification. We report that apoptosis occurs in a human vascular calcification model in which postconfluent vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) cultures form nodules spontaneously and calcify after ≈28 days. Apoptosis occurred before the onset of calcification in VSMC nodules and was detected by several methods, including nuclear morphology, the TUNEL technique, and external display of phosphatidyl serine. Inhibition of apoptosis with the caspase inhibitor ZVAD.fmk reduced calcification in nodules by ≈40%, as measured by the cresolphthalein method and alizarin red staining. In addition, when apoptosis was stimulated in nodular cultures with anti-Fas IgM, there was a 10-fold increase in calcification. Furthermore, incubation of VSMC-derived apoptotic bodies with 45Ca demonstrated that, like matrix vesicles, they can concentrate calcium. These observations provide evidence that apoptosis precedes VSMC calcification and that apoptotic bodies derived from VSMCs may act as nucleating structures for calcium crystal formation.
Resting Metabolic Rate and Substrate Utilization during Energy and Protein Availability in Male and Female Athletes

Active athletes frequently develop low energy (LEA) and protein availabilities (LPA) with consequent changes in the vital metabolic processes, especially resting metabolic rate (RMR) and substrate utilization. This study investigated the association of energy and protein intakes with RMR and substrate utilization in male and female athletes and those with LEA and LPA. Sixty athletes (35% female, 26.83 ± 7.12 y) were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric measurements and body composition analysis were reported to estimate fat-free mass (eFFM). Dietary intakes were recorded by two-day multiple-pass 24 h recall records and three-day food records and then analyzed by food processor software to calculate protein intake (PI) and energy intake (EI). Indirect calorimetry was used to measure RMR and percentages of substrate utilization. Activity–energy expenditure (AEE) was assessed by using an Actighrphy sensor for three days. Energy availability was calculated using the following formula (EA = EI − AEE/eFFM). The correlation of EI and PI with RMR and substrate utilization was tested with Pearson correlation. In the LEA group, both EI and PI correlated positively with RMR (r = 0.308, 0.355, respectively, p < 0.05). In addition, EI showed a positive correlation with the percentage of fat utilization. In the male and sufficient-PA groups, PI correlated positively with the RMR and negatively with the percentage of protein utilization. In conclusion, the percentage of LEA is markedly prevalent in our sample, with a higher prevalence among males. Athletes with LEA had lower fat utilization and lower RMR, while those with sufficient PA showed lower protein utilization with excessive PI. These findings may explain the metabolic responses in the cases of LEA and LPA.
Impact of financial news headline and content to market sentiment

Business and financial news are important resources that investors referred to when monitoring the stock performance. News brings us the latest information about the stock market. Studies have shown that business and financial news have a strong correlation with future stock performance. Business and financial news can be used to extract sentiments and opinions that may assist in the stock price predictions. In this paper, we present a sentiment analyser for financial news articles using lexicon-based approach. We utilized two most important elements of news, the headline and the content as our test data. We use polarity lexicon to distinguish between positive and negative polarity of each term in the corpus. We further investigate on how news headline will affect the sentiment analysis by adjusting the weights of the news headline and news contentâ€™s sentiment value. Three sets of experiments were carried out using headline only, content only and headline and content as test data. In the experiment, we used non-stemming tokens and stemming tokens when considering individual word found in the news article. The preliminary results are presented and discussed in this paper.
Combining Mean-Shift and Particle Filter for Object Tracking

Mean-shift is an effective algorithm for object tracking. However, it has a poor performance when the illumination condition changes fast or the tracking target being shadowed. By contract, particle filter based object tracking has a better tracking performance, but the tracking speed is much slower compared to mean-shift. Owing to the limitations of just using a single algorithm, a novel object tracking method based on both mean-shift and particle filter is proposed in this paper. A system with feedback has been constructed by the proposed method, in which the mean-shift technique is used for initial registration, and the particle filter is called to improve the performance of tracking when the tracking result with mean-shift is unconvincing. RGB color histogram is exploited as image feature and Bhattacharyya coefficient is used for measuring the similarity between object model and candidate regions. Tracking experiments evaluated on various videos show that the proposed method is well-behaved in cases that objects have shift-variant, rotation and scaling, and achieves a satisfying tracking speed.
Deposition and early diagenesis of microbial mud in the Florida Everglades

Microbial carbonate mud in the modern (<4 kyr) palustrine environment of the Florida Everglades is surprisingly susceptible to early diagenetic alteration. The low‐Mg calcite crystals show an open, trellis‐like crystal structure that yields a high surface area to volume ratio. This textural complexity, likely to be a result of organic influence, leads to abundant reaction sites vulnerable to both dissolution and subsequent precipitation. Rapid degradation of organics is attributed to both aerobic and anaerobic metabolisms. Geochemical signatures suggest increased denitrification within the freshwater environment and increased sulphate reduction at the (slightly) brackish mangrove transition zone. A transition from a freshwater to brackish depositional environment is likely to follow the Holocene sea‐level transgression. The textural complexity in these microbial carbonates causes an unexpectedly low preservation potential of original textural and geochemical signatures, even in low‐Mg calcite. Given the potential for early diagenesis of palustrine and perhaps other microbial carbonates, they should be used cautiously as archives for palaeoenvironmental proxies.
Immersive virtual 3D environment based on 499 fps hand gesture interface

This paper presents an immersive and highly responsive virtual 3D environment. By combining state of the art 3D display device zSpace and a high speed 499 fps hand gesture interface system a truly immersive system is achieved. Truly immersive virtual 3D environment can only be achieved with low latency interaction. Utilizing high speed camera, the system is capable of detecting two hands simultaneously. The system offers temporal congruency, spatial congruency, and intuitive interaction. The system offers temporal congruency by having a end-to-end latency of only 27.7 ms. It also offers spatial congruency with an accuracy of less than 3mm. It also provides intuitive interaction by allowing the user to use simple hand gestures to interact with the system. Small and fast movements can be detected easily in this system. Therefore, this system is suitable for settings where reflex speed response is required from the user. The possibility to operate using bare hand also offers a convenience in setting where hand hygiene is important such as in medical surgery.
PSORT-B: improving protein subcellular localization prediction for Gram-negative bacteria

Automated prediction of bacterial protein subcellular localization is an important tool for genome annotation and drug discovery. PSORT has been one of the most widely used computational methods for such bacterial protein analysis; however, it has not been updated since it was introduced in 1991. In addition, neither PSORT nor any of the other computational methods available make predictions for all five of the localization sites characteristic of Gram-negative bacteria. Here we present PSORT-B, an updated version of PSORT for Gram-negative bacteria, which is available as a web-based application at http://www.psort. org. PSORT-B examines a given protein sequence for amino acid composition, similarity to proteins of known localization, presence of a signal peptide, transmembrane alpha-helices and motifs corresponding to specific localizations. A probabilistic method integrates these analyses, returning a list of five possible localization sites with associated probability scores. PSORT-B, designed to favor high precision (specificity) over high recall (sensitivity), attained an overall precision of 97% and recall of 75% in 5-fold cross-validation tests, using a dataset we developed of 1443 proteins of experimentally known localization. This dataset, the largest of its kind, is freely available, along with the PSORT-B source code (under GNU General Public License).
DELINEATING DODONG AND INDAY: A Baseline Study on the Informal Youth Employment in General Santos City

With the seeming presence of the working youth in the Philippines, the need to revisit and check the status of youth employment is viable. In the context of the growing city of General Santos, the study determined the situation of the informal youth employment as well as their socio-demographic profile, employment profile, reasons for working, and their concerns and needs. The study is a qualitative research and utilized descriptive method to meet the desired outcome. The youth considered in the study are aged 15-24 and residents of any of the Top 6 most populous barangays. The sectors included eateries/food services, fishing, agrivet supplies, educational services, construction work, transportation, domestic help, public market/retail stores, IT services, and offices. In terms of socio-demographic profile, the participants are at the average age of 18, mostly Cebuanos and schooling. Most sectors are low-paying so some participants are into short periods of service. Their working conditions are described as flexible, risky and dangerous, humid and dirty, near distant, and the jobs are often recommended by a family/friend. Their reasons for working are to support the family's needs, to provide for their personal needs and additional allowance, and to gain skills and experiences. The concerns and needs revealed that there were issues with compensation, social services benefits, incentives, facilities, and equipment, secured workplace, workload, overtime, employer’s treatment, health/sanitation, job tenure and salary deduction. The severity of the phenomenon must be revisited and reviewed by the authorities since any one of the variables may affect the status and the future of these young employees.
Client / world model synchronous alignement for speaker verification

In speaker verification, two independent stochastic models, i.e. a client model and a non-client (world) model, are generally used to verify the claimed identity using a likelihood ratio score. This paper investigates a variant of this approach based on a common hidden process for both models. In this framework, both models share the same topology, which is conditioned by the underlying phonetic structure of the utterance. Then, two different output distributions are defined corresponding to the client vs. world hypotheses. Based on this idea, a synchronous decoding algorithm and the corresponding training algorithm are derived. Our first experiments on the SESP telephone database indicate a slight improvement with respect to a baseline system using independent alignments. Moreover, synchronous alignment offers a reduced complexity during the decoding process. Interesting perspectives can be expected. Keywords : Stochastic Modeling, HMM, Synchronous Alignment, EM algorithm
Keynesian Macroeconomics Without the Lm Curve

Changes in both the macroeconomy and in macroeconomics suggest that the IS-LM-AS model is no longer the best baseline model of short-run fluctuations for teaching and policy analysis. This paper presents an alternative model that replaces the assumption that the central bank targets the money supply with an assumption that it follows a simple interest rate rule. The resulting model is simpler, more realistic, and more coherent than IS-LM-AS, not just in its treatment of monetary policy but in many other ways. The paper also discusses other alternatives to IS-LM-AS.
Should Governments Invest More in Nudging?

Governments are increasingly adopting behavioral science techniques for changing individual behavior in pursuit of policy objectives. The types of “nudge” interventions that governments are now adopting alter people’s decisions without coercion or significant changes to economic incentives. We calculated ratios of impact to cost for nudge interventions and for traditional policy tools, such as tax incentives and other financial inducements, and we found that nudge interventions often compare favorably with traditional interventions. We conclude that nudging is a valuable approach that should be used more often in conjunction with traditional policies, but more calculations are needed to determine the relative effectiveness of nudging.
Plasticity of fire related traits of some obligate seeder species in different fire-prone areas of SE France: the goals and methodology used

Species having traits adapted to a given fire regime can be endangered when the fire regime changes if these traits do not vary at the same time, especially with the increase in fire recurrence following the global change. In this framework, an on-going PhD work studies plant fire-traits and flammability according to the fire regime to highlight a possible adaptation of these traits which would confer a better flammability when the fire recurrence increases to the resilient species Pinus halepensis and a better resistance to fire to the resistant species Pinus sylvestris . The study area encompasses two locations located on North-South gradient of the Provence area (SE France) to verify is the trend is the same within the biogeographical range of the species and at its boundaries. The current paper presents the goals of this work and methodology implemented to achieve them
[Congenital toxoplasmosis: a new case of infection during pregnancy in an previously immunized and immunocompetent woman].

UNLABELLED Congenital toxoplasmosis is a potentially serious infection which usually affects infants born to non immune women. CASE REPORT Our case report focuses on a baby born to a normally immunocompetent woman previously immunized against toxoplasmosis. To our knowledge only three similar cases have been published until now. CONCLUSION We conclude that in front of a patient neonatal congenital infection picture, toxoplasmosis cannot be excluded on the ground of maternal immunity status and must be quickly investigated, given the emergency of appropriate treatment.
Evaluation of the Comet Assay for Assessing the Dose-Response Relationship of DNA Damage Induced by Ionizing Radiation

Dose- and time-response curves were combined to assess the potential of the comet assay in radiation biodosimetry. The neutral comet assay was used to detect DNA double-strand breaks in lymphocytes caused by γ-ray irradiation. A clear dose-response relationship with DNA double-strand breaks using the comet assay was found at different times after irradiation (p < 0.001). A time-response relationship was also found within 72 h after irradiation (p < 0.001). The curves for DNA double-strand breaks and DNA repair in vitro of human lymphocytes presented a nice model, and a smooth, three-dimensional plane model was obtained when the two curves were combined.
Wavelet and neuro-fuzzy conjunction model for predicting water table depth fluctuations

The ability of a wavelet and neuro-fuzzy conjunction technique for groundwater depth forecasting was investigated in this study. The wavelet-neuro-fuzzy model was improved by combining two methods, the discrete wavelet transform and the neuro-fuzzy model. The conjunction model was applied to different input combinations of daily groundwater depth data of Bondville and Perry wells. Root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient ( R ) statistics were used for evaluating the accuracy of wavelet-neuro-fuzzy models. The accuracy of the conjunction models was compared with those of the single neuro-fuzzy models in one-, two- and three-day-ahead groundwater depth forecasting. Comparison of the results revealed that the wavelet-neuro-fuzzy models perform better than the neuro-fuzzy models especially for the two- and three-day-ahead forecasting cases.
A nonpathogenic GAAGGA repeat in the Friedreich gene: Implications for pathogenesis

Article abstract An individual with late-onset ataxia was found to be heterozygous for an unusual (GAAGGA)65 sequence and a normal GAA repeat in the frataxin gene. No frataxin point mutation was present, excluding a form of Friedreich ataxia. (GAAGGA)65 did not have the inhibitory effect on gene expression in transfected cells shown by pathogenic GAA repeats of similar length. GAA repeats, but not (GAAGGA)65, adopt a triple helical conformation in vitro. We suggest that such a triplex structure is essential for suppression of gene expression.
Inactivation of Enteric Adenovirus and Feline Calicivirus by Chlorine Dioxide

ABSTRACT Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) inactivation experiments were conducted with adenovirus type 40 (AD40) and feline calicivirus (FCV). Experiments were carried out in buffered, disinfectant demand-free water under high- and low-pH and -temperature conditions. Ct values (the concentration of ClO2 multiplied by contact time with the virus) were calculated directly from bench-scale experiments and from application of the efficiency factor Hom (EFH) model. AD40 Ct ranges for 4-log inactivation (Ct99.99%) at 5°C were >0.77 to <1.53 mg/liter × min and >0.80 to <1.59 mg/liter × min for pH 6 and 8, respectively. For 15°C AD40 experiments, >0.49 to <0.74 mg/liter × min and <0.12 mg/liter × min Ct99.99% ranges were observed for pH 6 and 8, respectively. FCV Ct99.99% ranges for 5°C experiments were >20.20 to <30.30 mg/liter × min and >0.68 mg/liter × min for pH 6 and 8, respectively. For 15°C FCV experiments, Ct99.99% ranges were >4.20 to <6.72 and <0.18 mg/liter × min for pH 6 and 8, respectively. Viral inactivation was higher at pH 8 than at pH 6 and at 15°C than at 5°C. Comparison of Ct values and inactivation curves demonstrated that the EFH model described bench-scale experiment data very well. Observed bench-scale Ct99.99% ranges and EFH model Ct99.99% values demonstrated that FCV is more resistant to ClO2 than AD40 for the conditions studied. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidance manual Ct99.99% values are higher than Ct99.99% values calculated from bench-scale experiments and from EFH model application.
Power Theft Detection Using Advanced Neural Network in Three-phase Distribution Systems

To achieve a fully cost-effective efficient smart grid, the problem of nontechnical losses (NTLs) must be properly addressed. Power theft (PT), being one of the most crucial NTL, must be mitigated considerably. In this study, a PT detection (PTD) method based on parameter estimation of an unbalanced distribution line is proposed. This technique can also be utilized to locate the distribution line undergoing illegal electricity tapping. It uses the node voltages and power quantities to estimate the feeder parameters, thereby detecting instances of PT and the affected line. The proposed process does not require the phasor measurement unit (PMU) technology. A hybrid general regression neural network model equipped with multirun optimization (GRNN-MRO) is also developed to map the line parameters and power quantities. A PTD index is developed using the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) values obtained through the GRNN-MRO estimation process. The proposed PTD algorithm along with the parameter estimation process is verified and compared with other standard methods. The results show that the PTD scheme works accurately on IEEE 13 and IEEE 37 bus systems compared with other conventional methods.
It's Big Surgery: Preoperative Expressions of Risk, Responsibility, and Commitment to Treatment After High-Risk Operations

Objective:To identify the processes, surgeons use to establish patient buy-in to postoperative treatments. Background:Surgeons generally believe they confirm the patient's commitment to an operation and all ensuing postoperative care, before surgery. How surgeons get buy-in and whether patients participate in this agreement is unknown. Methods:We used purposive sampling to identify 3 surgeons from different subspecialties who routinely perform high-risk operations at each of 3 distinct medical centers (Toronto, Ontario; Boston, Massachusetts; Madison, Wisconsin). We recorded preoperative conversations with 3 to 7 patients facing high-risk surgery with each surgeon (n = 48) and used content analysis to analyze each preoperative conversation inductively. Results:Surgeons conveyed the gravity of high-risk operations to patients by emphasizing the operation is “big surgery” and that a decision to proceed invoked a serious commitment for both the surgeon and the patient. Surgeons were frank about the potential for serious complications and the need for intensive care. They rarely discussed the use of prolonged life-supporting treatment, and patients' questions were primarily confined to logistic or technical concerns. Surgeons regularly proceeded through the conversation in a manner that suggested they believed buy-in was achieved, but this agreement was rarely forged explicitly. Conclusions:Surgeons who perform high-risk operations communicate the risks of surgery and express their commitment to the patient's survival. However, they rarely discuss prolonged life-supporting treatments explicitly and patients do not discuss their preferences. It is not possible to determine patients' desires for prolonged postoperative life support on the basis of these preoperative conversations alone.