Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of almond-enriched high-monounsaturated fat diet on selected markers of inflammation: a randomised, controlled, crossover study

Frequent consumption of nuts lowers the risk of CHD. While lowering blood lipids is one of the mechanisms for cardioprotection, the present study sought to determine whether monounsaturated fat-rich almonds also influence other CHD risk factors such as inflammation and haemostasis. This was a randomised, controlled, crossover feeding study with twenty-five healthy adults (eleven men; fourteen women), age 22–53 years. Following a 2 week run-in phase (34 % energy from fat), subjects were assigned in random order to three diets for 4 weeks each: a heart-healthy control diet with no nuts ( < 30 % energy from fat), low-almond diet and high-almond diet (10 % or 20 % isoenergetic replacement of control diet with almonds, respectively). Serum E-selectin was significantly lower on the high-almond diet compared with the control diet. E-selectin decreased as the percentage of energy from almonds increased (P < 0·0001). C-reactive protein (CRP) was lower in both the almond diets compared with the control diet. A clear dose response was not observed for either E-selectin or CRP. There was no effect of diet on IL-6 or fibrinogen. Tissue plasminogen activator antigen was significantly lower on the control and high-almond diets compared with the low-almond diet, although the values were within normal range. In conclusion, consumption of almonds influenced a few but not all of the markers of inflammation and haemostasis. A clear dose response was not observed for any of the markers studied.
Scalable Key-Escrow

We propose a cryptosystem that has an inherent key escrow mechanism. This leads us to propose a session based public verifiable key escrow system that greatly improves the amount of key material the escrow servers has to keep in order to decrypt an encryption. In our scheme the servers will only have a single secret sharing, as opposed to a single key from every escrowed player. This is done while still having the properties: 1) public verifiable: the user proves to everyone that the encryption can indeed be escrowed, and 2) no secret leakage: no matter how many decryptions a law enforcement agency is presented, it will gain no more information on the users private key, than it couldn’t have calculated itself.
Random Rotation Ensembles

In machine learning, ensemble methods combine the predictions of multiple base learners to construct more accurate aggregate predictions. Established supervised learning algorithms inject randomness into the construction of the individual base learners in an effort to promote diversity within the resulting ensembles. An undesirable side effect of this approach is that it generally also reduces the accuracy of the base learners. In this paper, we introduce a method that is simple to implement yet general and effective in improving ensemble diversity with only modest impact on the accuracy of the individual base learners. By randomly rotating the feature space prior to inducing the base learners, we achieve favorable aggregate predictions on standard data sets compared to state of the art ensemble methods, most notably for tree-based ensembles, which are particularly sensitive to rotation.
A New Twist on the Generalized Marcum Q-Function QM(a, b) with Fractional-Order M and Its Applications

A new exponential-type integral for the generalized M-th order Marcum Q-function QM(α,β) is obtained when M is not necessarily an integer. This new representation includes a classical formula due to Helstrom for the special case of positive integer order M and an additional integral correction term that vanishes when M assumes an integer value. The new form has both computational utility (numerous existing computational algorithms for QM(α,β) are limited to integer M) and analytical utility (e.g., performance evaluation of selection diversity receiver in correlated Nakagami-m fading with arbitrary fading severity index, unified analysis of binary and quaternary modulations over generalized fading channels, and development of a Markovian threshold model for block errors in correlated Nakagami-m fading channels). Tight upper and lower bounds for QM(α,β) that holds for any arbitrary real order M≥0.5 are also derived.
Foundations of Employment Discrimination Law

Employment discrimination law has emerged from the clash of social, economic, and psychological forces that have shaped the history of the US and defined its central institutions, and has become an area of continuing controversy. In light of the unusual combination of moral and practical issues that bear on the nature of employment discrimination, John Donohue brings together readings from a variety of perspectives - history, philosophy, economics, law, psychology and others in this reader for law school courses. After placing the topic in historical and philosopical perspectives with selections from de Tocqueville, Gunnar Myrdal, Owen Fiss and others, he focuses on race discrimination, with readings from a wide cross-section of viewpoints, among them Richard Posner, Randall Kennedy, Claudia Goldin, and Catherine MacKinnon. The selections have been edited to facilitate accessibility. Each chapter and section has an introduction highlighting and summarizing the readings, and each section includes an extensive set of notes and questions, designed both to provide a deeper understanding of the readings, and to introduce and critique a broader set of perspectives. This book is intended for students and scholars of labour and discrimination law.
Playing with Privacy: Games for Education and Communication in the Politics of Online Privacy

Using the politics of personal information and online privacy as a case study, this article sets out the justification for the use of games in the education and communication of online privacy issues. It draws upon existing research into privacy knowledge and behaviour, game design for education and the experience of the Visualisation and Other Methods of Expression (VOME) project in designing a privacy education game.
A Method for Implementing a Probabilistic Model as a Relational Database

This paper discusses a method for implementing a probabilistic inference system based on an extended relational data model. This model provides a unified approach for a variety of applications such as dynamic programming, solving sparse linear equations, and constraint propagation. In this framework, the probability model is represented as a generalized relational database. Subsequent probabilistic requests can be processed as standard relational queries. Conventional database management systems can be easily adopted for implementing such an approximate reasoning system.
Special Education Subgroups under NCLB: Issues to Consider

Background/Context There are few empirical studies exploring the alleged conflict between the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Objective The purpose of this study was to examine what impact the No Child Left Behind Act has had on students with disabilities. Research Design Specifically, using large data sets from three different states, this article examines how the students with disabilities subgroup has fared under the No Child Left Behind Act. Under NCLB, there are four different subgroups: race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, limited English proficiency, and students with disabilities. If any one of these subgroups fails to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) under NCLB, the entire school fails. Findings This study found that schools fail to make AYP most often because of the students with disabilities subgroup. The failure of the special education subgroup to make AYP occurs mainly because the students with disabilities subgroup is expected to maintain the exact same proficiency levels as their general education peers—a standard that has proved to be problematic because special education students often start out with lower average test scores than general education students. In addition, the students with disabilities subgroup is the only subgroup in which actual limitations on ability to learn might come into play. The existence of these limitations calls into question the wisdom of trying to close the general education–special education “achievement gap” at the same pace as the race- or class-based achievement gaps. In addition to quantitative methods, this study also used legal research techniques to examine the legal impact that the two laws are having on students with disabilities. Conclusions The study found that although judicial challenges may be one route to try to change the law, pressure at the state and local levels by educators and parents of students with disabilities working together with the U.S. Department of Education may have an impact as well.
Phonological awareness training program for brazilian bilinguals deaf children

Um dos pre-requisitos basicos para a aquisicao de leitura e escrita e a consciencia fonologica. Estudos tem comprovado que quando expostas a um treinamento formal de consciencia fonologica as criancas ouvintes melhoram esta habilidade e, consequentemente, aprimoram o desenvolvimento da leitura e da escrita. Entretanto, nao ha evidencias deste tipo de procedimento para criancas surdas. Este estudo objetivou estruturar um Programa de Treinamento de Consciencia Fonologica para criancas surdas bilingues e verificar sua efetividade. Participaram do estudo quatro criancas, que foram avaliadas quanto a consciencia fonologica antes e apos o Treinamento de Consciencia Fonologica. Foram verificados efeitos positivos nos niveis de consciencia fonologica destas criancas apos a realizacao do Treino. Este estudo fornece indicios de que um Treinamento de Consciencia Fonologica pode aprimorar o desenvolvimento da consciencia fonologica em criancas surdas usuarias de lingua de sinais.
Membrane raft microdomains mediate front–rear polarity in migrating cells

The acquisition of spatial and functional asymmetry between the rear and the front of the cell is a necessary step for cell chemotaxis. Insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) stimulation of the human adenocarcinoma MCF‐7 induces a polarized phenotype characterized by asymmetrical CCR5 chemokine receptor redistribution to the leading cell edge. CCR5 associates with membrane raft microdomains, and its polarization parallels redistribution of raft molecules, including the raft‐associated ganglioside GM1, glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐anchored green fluorescent protein and ephrinB1, to the leading edge. The non‐raft proteins transferrin receptor and a mutant ephrinB1 are distributed homogeneously in migrating MCF‐7 cells, supporting the raft localization requirement for polarization. IGF‐I stimulation of cholesterol‐depleted cells induces projection of multiple pseudopodia over the entire cell periphery, indicating that raft disruption specifically affects the acquisition of cell polarity, but not IGF‐I‐induced protrusion activity. Cholesterol depletion inhibits MCF‐7 chemotaxis, which is restored by replenishing cholesterol. Our results indicate that initial segregation between raft and non‐raft membrane proteins mediates the necessary redistribution of specialized molecules for cell migration.
Total i.v. anaesthesia with propofol and the laryngeal mask for orthopaedic surgery.

One hundred ASA I orthopaedic surgical patients (four randomized groups) were anaesthetized using continuous propofol and intermittent fentanyl (TIVA), with controlled ventilation via a tracheal tube in groups 1 and 2, and a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in groups 3 and 4. Neuromuscular blockers were used in groups 1 and 3 only. There were no significant differences between groups in total anaesthetic requirements, as assessed by cardiovascular variables and movement. Coughing interfered with surgery and made controlled ventilation difficult to manage. In contrast, movement not associated with coughing did not impair surgery or ventilation. Patients in group 2 (tracheal tube, no neuromuscular blocker) required more interventions for coughing than the other groups, while patients in group 4 (LMA, no neuromuscular blocker) needed more boluses for movement than groups 1 and 3. Groups 1 and 2 (tracheal tube) had significantly higher heart rates and mean arterial pressures than groups 3 and 4 for varying periods up to 5 min after insertion of the airway management device. There was no correlation between mean arterial pressure and plasma concentrations of catecholamines related to insertion of either the tracheal tube or LMA. The LMA was found to be a highly effective device for controlled ventilation in TIVA and easier to manage than the tracheal tube in the absence of neuromuscular blockers.
Modeling the Control of Trypanosomiasis Using Trypanocides or Insecticide-Treated Livestock

Background In Uganda, Rhodesian sleeping sickness, caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, and animal trypanosomiasis caused by T. vivax and T. congolense, are being controlled by treating cattle with trypanocides and/or insecticides. We used a mathematical model to identify treatment coverages required to break transmission when host populations consisted of various proportions of wild and domestic mammals, and reptiles. Methodology/Principal Findings An Ro model for trypanosomiasis was generalized to allow tsetse to feed off multiple host species. Assuming populations of cattle and humans only, pre-intervention Ro values for T. vivax, T. congolense, and T. brucei were 388, 64 and 3, respectively. Treating cattle with trypanocides reduced R 0 for T. brucei to <1 if >65% of cattle were treated, vs 100% coverage necessary for T. vivax and T. congolense. The presence of wild mammalian hosts increased the coverage required and made control of T. vivax and T. congolense impossible. When tsetse fed only on cattle or humans, R 0 for T. brucei was <1 if 20% of cattle were treated with insecticide, compared to 55% for T. congolense. If wild mammalian hosts were also present, control of the two species was impossible if proportions of non-human bloodmeals from cattle were <40% or <70%, respectively. R 0 was <1 for T. vivax only when insecticide treatment led to reductions in the tsetse population. Under such circumstances R 0<1 for T. brucei and T. congolense if cattle make up 30% and 55%, respectively of the non-human tsetse bloodmeals, as long as all cattle are treated with insecticide. Conclusions/Significance In settled areas of Uganda with few wild hosts, control of Rhodesian sleeping sickness is likely to be much more effectively controlled by treating cattle with insecticide than with trypanocides.
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Using Process Evaluation for Program Improvement in Dose, Fidelity and Reach: the Act Trial Experience

Background: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate how formative program process evaluation was used to improve dose and fidelity of implementation, as well as reach of the intervention into the target population, in the "Active by Choice Today" (ACT) randomized school-based trial from years 1 to 3 of implementation.
Isolated creatine kinase-MB rise with normal cardiac troponins: a strange occurrence with difficult interpretation

A 37-year-old man is admitted to the hospital for retrosternal chest pain lasting more than 30 min and nonspecific ECG findings. Serial assays of cardiac biomarkers reveal an isolated elevation of creatine kinase-MB and negative troponin levels. A coronary angiography shows normal vessels in the presence of a Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) 2 flow. How should this patient be managed and treated? Is it a myocardial infarction? We here provide a review of the relevant literature and suggest that such a strange condition, for which several explanations are possible, involves a worse prognosis than for normal creatine kinase-MB and troponins.
Characterising transgenic APP mutation mouse models of amyloid pathology for use in preclinical immunotherapy

No disease-modifying compounds are available to halt disease progression in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Immunotherapy offers promising possibilities for the manipulation of Aβ levels which the amyloid cascade hypothesis proposes as the causative factor in AD. However, antiAβ antibodies have caused inflammation in vivo. An alternative antibody (2B3) which targets the β-secretase cleavage site of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) from which Aβ is cleaved has been shown to downregulate Aβ in human cell lines. The approach is thought unlikely to cause inflammation as the immune system is not relied upon for Aβ clearance. It was hypothesised that the administration of 2B3 to aged transgenic APP mutation mice would lower Aβ levels through the inhibition of Aβ production, with an associated lowering of cognitive deficits. Two murine APP mutation models [London APP(V717I) and Indiana PDAPP(V717F)] were characterised in order to identify cognitive deficits against which the ability of 2B3 to reduce deficits could be assessed. APP(V717I) mice were assessed in the marble burying task, the elevated plus maze and a foraging task assessing spatial working memory at 3, 6 and 19 months of age. The radial arm water maze was carried out at 10 months, before the T-maze non-matching to position task was administered at 11 months. Object recognition memory was assessed at 18 months. Similarly, PDAPP mice were assessed using the marble burying and elevated plus maze (9.5months), the T-maze (9-10 months), the foraging task (11 and 14 months) and the object recognition task (12 months). Whilst aged transgenic PDAPP mice displayed disrupted spatial working memory, no evidence of agerelated cognitive decline was observed in APP(V717I) transgenic mice despite increases in Aβ pathology with age. 2B3 did not alter Aβ levels or spatial working memory in PDAPP(V717F) mice in a pilot study, whilst the in vitro downregulation of Aβ was successfully replicated in primary murine neurons. The findings indicate that transgenic models of neurodegenerative disease require thorough characterisation to optimise their use in pre-clinical research. Furthermore, the use of alternative immunotherapy in the treatment of AD remains a promising, but early stage avenue of study.
The multi-objective hybridization of particle swarm optimization and fuzzy ant colony optimization

In this paper, we illustrate a novel optimization approach based on Multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) and Fuzzy Ant Colony Optimization (FACO). The basic idea is to combine these two techniques using the best particle of the Fuzzy Ant algorithm and integrate it as the best local Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), to formulate a new approach called hybrid MOPSO with FACO (H-MOPSO-FACO). This hybridization solves the multi-objective problem, which relies on both time performance criteria and the shortest path. Experimental results illustrate that the proposed method is efficient.
Social Anthropology and Human Origins: Introduction

1. Introduction 2. If chimps could talk 3. Fossils and what they tell us 4. The brain and group size 5. Teaching, sharing and exchange 6. Origins of language and symbolism 7. Elementary structures of kinship 8. A new synthesis 9. Conclusions.
THE SELF-HELP GROUPS’ WORKGROUP CHARACTERISTICS AND ITS RELATIONS WITH THE GROUP’S EFFECTIVENESS - A CONCEPTUAL STUDY

ABSTRACT This conceptual study attempts to examine the applicability of the organizational workgroup characteristics model on the women self-help group. The research was conducted by the Campion et al., (1993). The study conducted the review of literature and stresses the importance of a study on women self-help groups from the perspective of group dynamics perspective.
Molecular Characterization and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolated from Children Hospitalized with Respiratory Infections in Suzhou, China

Background Dissemination of antibiotic resistant clones is recognized as an important factor in the emergence and prevalence of resistance in pneumococcus. This study was undertaken to survey the antimicrobial susceptibility and serotypes distribution of pneumococci and to explore the circulating clones in hospitalized children in Suzhou, China. Methods The pneumococci were isolated from the nasopharyngeal aspirates of children less than 5 years of age admitted to Soochow-University-Affiliated-Children's-Hospital with respiratory infections. The capsular serotypes were identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by E-test. The presence of ermB, mefA/E genes were detected by PCR and the genotypes were explored by Multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Results From July 2012 to July 2013, a total of 175 pneumococcal isolates were collected and all strains were resistant to erythromycin and clindamycin, about 39.4% strains were non-susceptible to penicillin G. Overall, 174 (99.4%) isolates were resistant to ≥3 types of antibiotics. Serotypes 19F (28.1%), 6B (19.7%), 19A (18.0%), and 23F (17.4%) were the most common serotypes in all identified strains. The serotypes coverage of PCV7 and PCV13 were 71.9% and 89.9%, respectively. Four international antibiotic-resistant clones, including Taiwan19F-14 (n = 79), Spain23F-1(n = 25), Taiwan23F-15(n = 7) and Spain6B-2(n = 7), were identified. The Taiwan19F-14 clones have a higher non-susceptibility rate in β-lactams than other clones and non-clone isolates (p<0.001). In addition, 98.7% Taiwan19F-14 clones were positive of both ermB and mefA/E genes, compare to 33.3% in other clones and non-clone strains. Conclusions The spread of international antibiotic-resistant clones, especially Taiwan19F-14 clones, played a predominant role in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistant isolates in Suzhou, China. Considering the high prevalence of PCV7 serotypes and serotype 19A, the introduction of PCV13 may be a promising preventive strategy to control the increasing trend of clonal spread in China.
Control of germination and lipid mobilization by COMATOSE, the Arabidopsis homologue of human ALDP

Embryo dormancy in flowering plants is an important dispersal mechanism that promotes survival of the seed through time. The subsequent transition to germination is a critical control point regulating initiation of vegetative growth. Here we show that the Arabidopsis COMATOSE (CTS) locus is required for this transition, and acts, at least in part, by profoundly affecting the metabolism of stored lipids. CTS encodes a peroxisomal protein of the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter class with significant identity to the human X‐linked adrenoleukodystrophy protein (ALDP). Like X‐ALD patients, cts mutant embryos and seedlings exhibit pleiotropic phenotypes associated with perturbation in fatty acid metabolism. CTS expression transiently increases shortly after imbibition during germination, but not in imbibed dormant seeds, and genetic analyses show that CTS is negatively regulated by loci that promote embryo dormancy through multiple independent pathways. Our results demonstrate that CTS regulates transport of acyl CoAs into the peroxisome, and indicate that regulation of CTS function is a major control point for the switch between the opposing developmental programmes of dormancy and germination.
Bias in Language Assessment

The study of bias in language assessment (as in other areas of educational measurement) is bound up with notions of fairness or disadvantage affecting particular groups of test takers. Keywords: fairness in language assessment; statistical analysis of test results; validation of language assessments; values in language assessment