Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum biochemistry and hematology values and hemoglobin electrophoresis in Persian squirrels (Sciurus anomalus).

BACKGROUND Serum biochemical and hematologic parameters are important in the management of game species in Iran, such as Persian squirrels. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to establish baseline serum chemistry and hematology values in Persian squirrels (Sciurus anomalus) and describe blood cell morphology and the electrophoretic pattern of hemoglobin. METHODS Blood samples were collected from 30 Persian squirrels (Sciurus anomalus) maintained in captivity in the Tehran Zoo. Blood was placed into EDTA and serum clot tubes and analyzed using standard manual hematology and biochemical techniques. Hemoglobin electrophoresis was done on cellulose acetate paper strips. RESULTS Minimum, maximum, and median values were obtained for 11 hematologic and 12 serum chemistry parameters. Hypersegmented neutrophils were observed frequently. We did not find basophils or band neutrophils. Hemoglobin electophoresis resulted in a band slightly anodal to that of human hemoglobin A. CONCLUSION Biochemical and hematologic values in Persian squirrels were comparable to those of related species, and may be used as a standard profile for healthy Persian squirrels kept in captivity.
Stromal Cell-Derived Factor-1/CXCL12 Contributes to MMTV-Wnt1 Tumor Growth Involving Gr1+CD11b+ Cells

Background Histological examinations of MMTV-Wnt1 tumors reveal drastic differences in the tumor vasculature when compared to MMTV-Her2 tumors. However, these differences have not been formally described, nor have any angiogenic factors been implicated to be involved in the Wnt1 tumors. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we show that MMTV-Wnt1 tumors were more vascularized than MMTV-Her2 tumors, and this correlated with significantly higher expression of a CXC chemokine, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF1/CXCL12) but not with VEGFA. Isolation of various cell types from Wnt1 tumors revealed that SDF1 was produced by both tumor myoepithelial cells and stromal cells, whereas Her2 tumors lacked myoepithelial cells and contained significantly less stroma. The growth of Wnt1 tumors, but not Her2 tumors, was inhibited by a neutralizing antibody to SDF1, but not by neutralization of VEGFA. Anti-SDF1 treatment decreased the proportion of infiltrating Gr1+ myeloid cells in the Wnt1 tumors, which correlated with a decrease in the percentage of endothelial cells. The involvement of Gr1+ cells was evident from the retardation of Wnt1 tumor growth following in vivo depletion of these cells with an anti-Gr1-specific antibody. This degree of inhibition on Wnt1 tumor growth was comparable, but not additive, to the effect observed with anti-SDF1, indicative of overlapping mechanisms of inhibition. In contrast, Her2 tumors were not affected by the depletion of Gr1+ cells. Conclusions/Significance We demonstrated that SDF1 is important for Wnt1, but not for HER2, in inducing murine mammary tumor and the role of SDF1 in tumorigenesis involves Gr1+ myeloid cells to facilitate growth and/or angiogenesis.
Two strategies for correcting refractive errors in school students in Tanzania: randomised comparison, with implications for screening programmes

Purpose: To compare whether free spectacles or only a prescription for spectacles influences wearing rates among Tanzanian students with un/undercorrected refractive error (RE). Methods: Design: Cluster randomised trial. Setting: 37 secondary schools in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Participants: Distance visual acuity was measured in 6,904 year-1 students (90.2% response rate; median age 14 years; range 11–25 years) using a Snellen E-chart. 135 had RE requiring correction. Interventions: Schools were randomly allocated to free spectacles (arm A) or prescription only (arm B). Primary outcome: Spectacle use at 3 months. Results: The prevalence of un/undercorrected RE was 1.8% (95% CI: 1.5 to 2.2%). At 3 months, 27/58 (47%) students in arm A were wearing spectacles or had them at school compared with 13/50 (26%) in arm B (adjusted OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.0 to 6.7). Free spectacles and myopia were independently associated with spectacle use. Conclusions: The low prevalence of un/undercorrected RE and poor uptake of spectacles, even when provided free, raises doubts about the value of vision-screening programmes in Tanzanian secondary schools. Policy decisions on school vision screening in middle- and low-income countries should take account of the cost-effectiveness as well as competing demands for scarce resources.
Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background and Aim: It is speculated that the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) might increase with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of GERD in patients with asthma and COPD in an area representative of developing countries.
Wound healing : a multidisciplinary approach : combining mathematical models and biological experiments

Cutaneous wound repair occurs as a continuous process in both space and time; however, studies of healing mechanisms and outcomes frequently generate spatially and temporally sparse datasets. We propose a range of techniques that allow the size, cellular processes and scar tissue properties of wounds to be measured and predicted at high spatial and temporal resolution. A non-invasive wound imaging system is shown to provide reliable measurements of wound diameter, perimeter and surface area, but is less reliable in producing 3D metrics such as volume and depth. Wound size and time post healing have a combined effect on reliability, with more reliable measurements obtained at earlier timepoints. A semi-automated pipeline is found to be appropriate for determining the cellular composition of the wound space, but cannot be applied to areas of healthy epidermis due to the close packing of keratinocytes. A range of mathematical models are employed to predict cell numbers within the wound space. An extended domain, partial differential equation model with spatial control of cell proliferation and migration is found to best recapitulate the cellular dynamics observed in vivo. However, if epidermal stratification is to be incorporated, an agent-based description may be preferable. Finally, we formulate a model system that can predict the alignment of collagen fibres and fibroblasts over continuous orientation space. Parameter sets that include large shear forces (which may result from elongated wound geometries or interventions such as suturing) can produce skewed distributions of orientation that cannot be established using discontinuous approaches. Together, this suite of computational approaches provides a powerful set of tools with which the mechanisms of cutaneous wound healing can be investigated, quantified and elucidated.
Stochastic spintronic device based synapses and spiking neurons for neuromorphic computation

Spintronics devices such as magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) have been investigated for the neuromorphic computation. However, there are still a number of challenges for hardware implementation of the bio-inspired computing, for instance how to use the binary MTJ to mimic the analog synapse. In this paper, a compound scheme is firstly proposed, which employs multiple MTJs connected in parallel operating in the stochastic regime to jointly behave a single synapse, aiming to achieve an analog-like weight spectrum. To further exploit its stochastic switching property for the bio-inspired computing, we present a MTJ based stochastic spiking neuron (SSN) circuit, which can also realize the neural rate coding scheme. A case study is made on the MNIST database for handwritten digital recognition with the proposed compound magnetoresistive synapse (CMS) and SSN. System-level simulation results show that the proposed CMS and SSN can implement neuromorphic computation with high accuracy and immunity to device variation.
Non-model based finite-horizon sampled-data optimal control via global extremum seeking

A non-model based approach to finite-horizon optimal sampled-data control of continuous-time nonlinear systems subject to input saturation constraints is proposed. The approach adapts the global optimisation method DIRECT to computing a periodically piecewise constant system input which minimises a possibly non-quadratic cost involving the system state and input. In the case where several similar plants are available, multi-agent extremum seeking control is considered for the purpose of expediting the search for an optimal control law within a tolerable margin of errors. An example based on pendulum dynamics illustrates the results.
Public–private partnerships and contract negotiations: an empirical study

Despite the increasing popularity in the use of the public–private partnership concept as a procurement strategy, there have been reported cases of problems associated with the initial stages of the process in terms of unduly high bidding costs and pre‐contract time overruns due mainly to the protracted nature of the negotiations. Empirical research conducted in the UK has focused on the extent of these pre‐contract time and cost overruns. The key attributes of both the private sector consortia and the public sector organizations that have significant bearing on the efficiency of the pre‐contract processes are: the nature and strength of the consortium, the quality of the technical proposals they produce for the bid, and the quality of their financial proposals. For the public sector organizations they are the organizational capabilities and technical capabilities. The financial capabilities of the public sector are ranked lowest in influencing the procurement process. Whilst there was broad agreement on the ranking of importance for the various descriptive attributes, differences between the two sectors are revealed relating to risk, previous experience, evaluation criteria in the bidding documents and effect of public opinion. A better understanding of what is important to each party in the negotiations is an important step in improving the PPP process.
MISEP -- Linear and Nonlinear ICA Based on Mutual Information

Linear Independent Components Analysis (ICA) has become an important signal processing and data analysis technique, the typical application being blind source separation in a wide range of signals, such as biomedical, acoustical and astrophysical ones. Nonlinear ICA is less developed, but has the potential to become at least as powerful.This paper presents MISEP, an ICA technique for linear and nonlinear mixtures, which is based on the minimization of the mutual information of the estimated components. MISEP is a generalization of the popular INFOMAX technique, which is extended in two ways: (1) to deal with nonlinear mixtures, and (2) to be able to adapt to the actual statistical distributions of the sources, by dynamically estimating the nonlinearities to be used at the outputs. The resulting MISEP method optimizes a network with a specialized architecture, with a single objective function: the output entropy.The paper also briefly discusses the issue of nonlinear source separation. Examples of linear and nonlinear source separation performed by MISEP are presented.
Phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity in four Italian traditional maize (Zea mays L.) varieties

Abstract Flours of four pigmented (from orange to red and dark red) local Italian corns, studied for their soluble, soluble conjugate, and insoluble-bound phenols and flavonoids, showed a prevalence of the insoluble-bound fraction (70–80%). Correlations were found between the flours antioxidant capacity, measured with CUPRAC, FRAP, and DPPH methods, and soluble phenols and flavonoids content. A correlation was also found between ascorbic acid content and flours antioxidant power. Anthocyanins were present in small amounts in the red/dark red seeds; however, acid-alcohol assays and spectral analyses of pericarp extracts indicated the presence of red-brick phlobaphenes in these varieties. Spectrophotometrically quantified total carotenoids were significantly higher in one of the local varieties (Nano); RP-HPLC analyses indicated that the local varieties contained significantly higher amounts of zeaxanthin and β-carotene, and lower amounts of lutein, than a commercial line. Among local varieties, Nano expressed the highest levels of zeaxanthin, β-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin.
SepBCTF4 Is Required for the Formation of DNA-Damage-Induced UvsCRAD51 Foci in Aspergillus nidulans

SepB is an essential, conserved protein required for chromosomal DNA metabolism in Aspergillus nidulans. Homologs of SepB include yeast Ctf4p and human hAnd-1. Molecular and bioinformatic characterization of these proteins suggests that they act as molecular scaffolds. Furthermore, recent observations implicate the yeast family members in lagging-strand replication and the establishment of sister-chromatid cohesion. Here, we demonstrate that SepB functions in the A. nidulans DNA damage response. In particular, analysis of double mutants reveals that SepB is a member of the UvsCRAD51 epistasis group. In accord with this prediction, we show that UvsCRAD51 forms DNA-damage-induced nuclear foci in a manner that requires SepB function. We also provide evidence that implicates SepB in sister-chromatid cohesion, thereby suggesting that cohesion may play a role in regulating the localization and/or assembly of UvsCRAD51 complexes.
Voiced labiodental fricatives or glides-all the same to Germans ?

Dutch has a three-way contrast in labiodental sounds, which causes problems for native speakers of German in their acquisition of Dutch, since German contrasts only two labiodentals. The present study investigates the perception of the Dutch labiodental fricative system by German L2 learners of Dutch and shows that native Germans with no or little knowledge of the Dutch language categorize the Dutch labiodental voiced fricative and approximant as their native voiced fricative. Advanced learners, however, succeed in acquiring a category for the voiced fricative, illustrating that plasticity in the perception of a second language develops with the amount of exposure to the language.
[18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography is more sensitive than skeletal scintigraphy for detecting bone metastasis in endemic nasopharyngeal carcinoma at initial staging.

PURPOSE Bone metastasis occurs frequently in patients with endemic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The main objective of this study is to evaluate positron emission tomography (PET) using fluorine-18-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) and conventional skeletal scintigraphy (SS) for detecting bone metastasis at initial staging. Auxiliary objectives are to identify risk factors for bone metastasis and features associated with poor survival in patients with bone metastasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with endemic NPC before initiation of treatment were enrolled. PET and SS were performed at initial staging and compared using McNemar's paired-sample test. Bone metastasis was considered to be present if there was any reliable evidence identified within 1 year after primary diagnosis. Multiple logistic regression and Cox's proportional hazards models were used for auxiliary objectives. RESULTS Thirty (15%) of 202 eligible patients were found to have bone metastasis. [18F]FDG PET was found to be more sensitive than SS in the patient-based analysis (P = .006) and in the region-based analysis at the spine (P = .001). Advanced N stage was the only significant risk factor (P < .0001), and the coexistence of hepatic metastasis was a prognosticator of poor survival (P = .017). The survival was not significantly better for patients with bone metastasis undetected at primary staging than for those with initially detectable bone metastasis (P = .620). CONCLUSION [18F]FDG PET is more sensitive than SS for detecting bone metastasis in endemic NPC at initial staging, whereas SS can be considered as supplementary in this setting.
Mechanical, thermomechanical, and creep performance of CNT embedded epoxy at elevated temperatures: An emphasis on the role of carboxyl functionalization

In contrast to polymeric composites, the role of interface/interphase has been widely acknowledged to govern their overall properties and performance. Environmental temperature has substantial effects on the interfacial durability of polymer nanocomposites. In this regard, present investigation has been carried out to study the mechanical performance of pristine (UCNT) and carboxylic functionalized CNT (FCNT) embedded epoxy nanocomposites under different elevated temperatures. Higher flexural strength and modulus of FCNT-EP nanocomposite were recorded over UCNT-EP and neat epoxy at room temperature environment. Flexural testing at elevated temperatures revealed a higher rate of strength degradation in polymer nanocomposites over neat epoxy. Postfailure analysis of specimens has been conducted to understand the alteration in failure micro-mechanisms upon UCNTs and FCNTs addition in epoxy. Variation in viscoelastic properties with temperature has been studied from dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and significant reduction in glass transition temperature (Tg) is observed for nanocomposites. In the studied temperature and stress combinations, FCNT-EP nanocomposites exhibited better creep resistance over UCNT-EP and neat epoxy. Room temperature strengthening, elevated temperature strength degradations, improved creep resistance and reduction in Tg in nanocomposites over neat polymer have been discussed in terms of dynamic nature and gradient structure of CNT/epoxy interphase. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 133, 44851.
Water polarizability in condensed phase: Ab initio evaluation by cluster approach

The polarizability of a water molecule in liquid is evaluated via ab initio and density functional calculations for water clusters. This work has considerably improved our previous effort [J Chem Phys 1999, 110, 11987] to attain quantitative accuracy for polarizability. The calculations revealed that the water polarizability in the liquid is reduced from that in the gaseous phase by 7–9%. These results suggest significant implications for polarizable water models. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 23: 1466–1471, 2002
Environmental Factors Associated with Distribution and Range Limits of Malaria Vector Anopheles farauti in Australia

Abstract Ecological factors associated with the narrow coastal distribution of Anopheles farauti Laveran s.s. were investigated using decision tree software and a recently developed software tool that permits analysis of environmental gradients across distributional boundaries. Significant variables identified by these procedures were then used to develop ecological niche models that permitted detailed—and improved—predictions of the species’ overall distribution. These methods identified seven climatic factors (four of temperature factors and three atmospheric moisture factors) from among 40 environmental variables related to the range of this species. In addition, the gradient-analysis tool identified elevation as being particularly important. The distributional hypothesis predicted using ecological niche modeling of these factors included all of the record sites from which An. farauti s.s. was collected in northern Australia and successfully reconstructed its narrow limitation to coastal areas. Omission of elevation from analyses resulted in unrealistic predictions of potential distributional areas >100 km inland, where the species has not been found.
Botulinum toxin therapy of hemifacial spasm: comparing different therapeutic preparations

Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is characterized by involuntary irregular clonic or tonic movements of the muscles innervated by cranial nerve VII on one side of the face, and is most often a result of vascular compression of the facial nerve at the root exit zone (Muscle and Nerve 1998;21:1740). Disability associated with this disorder ranges from social embarrassment to interference with vision resulting from involuntary eye closure. Treatment of HFS most often involves botulinum toxin injections, but may also include medications and surgery. We describe treatment with the three types of botulinum toxin currently commercially available – Botox®, Dysport® and Myobloc®/NeuroBloc®.
Global ERP Implementations and Harmonization of Practices in Multinational Corporations: A Conceptual Framework

Multinational corporations have been at the front of the ERP movement since its origins. The globalization of markets had a profound effect on multinational corporations’ IT strategies, including ERP systems, to facilitate supporting the global outlook. Despite the increasing growth of global ERP systems, the focus of research has been mostly on the intraorganizational aspects. Implementation of ERP systems in multinational corporations is considerably more difficult due to the presence of different business actors and their heterogeneous interests influenced by the local strategies and context. Inspired by the social and economic theories explaining standardization, convergence and transfer of practices in a network context, this study is intended to provide a descriptive and explanatory framework of factors decisive for harmonization of practices during global ERP implementation in multinational corporations. The framework is tentatively verified based on the secondary data as well as a case study conducted in a multinational corporation.
ICTs and the Education of Design Professionals

New information and communication technologies (ICTs) have dramatically altered the landscape of education at all levels. The present article explores how such technologies are integrated into the classroom environment and also their influences, especially on post-secondary faculty development. This paper makes a case for the full implementation of ICT in university programs for the education of professionals, typically architects and civil engineers -- those who are learning to design in the marketplace of the future. The evidence that the potential influence of these technologies is more positive than negative is overwhelming if instructional strategies and techniques are adapted to the new technologies rather than the new technologies merely being grafted onto old methods. Discussion of the cultural and theoretical dimensions of using ICTs for professional education with a brief consideration of the effects of ICTs on faculty collegiality will be explored. The author concludes that whatever their limitations and difficulties, ICTs should be implemented integrally and extensively in the future education of design professionals.
Effect of home-based HIV counselling and testing on stigma and risky sexual behaviours: serial cross-sectional studies in Uganda

A large, district‐wide, home‐based HIV counselling and testing (HBHCT) programme was implemented in Bushenyi district of Uganda from 2004 to 2007. This programme provided free HBHCT services to all consenting adults of Bushenyi district and had a very high uptake and acceptability. We measured population‐level changes in knowledge of HIV status, stigma and HIV‐risk behaviours before and after HBHCT to assess whether widespread HBHCT had an effect on trends of risky sexual behaviours and on stigma and discrimination towards HIV.
A note on interaction energies associated with cracks in anisotropic solids

Abstract A direct solution is given to the problem of determining the interaction energy associated with a slit crack in an arbitrarily anisotropic solid. The method of solving the problem is basically due to Eshelby so that the crack is regarded as the appropriate limit of an ellipsoid. An apparent discrepancy between the results given here and some earlier work of Stroh (1958) is identified and resolved.