Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rethinking axial patterning in amphibians

Recent revisions in the Xenopus laevis fate map led to the designation of the rostral/caudal axis and reassignment of the dorsal/ventral axis (Lane and Smith [1999] Development 126:423–434; Lane and Sheets [ 2000 ] Dev. Biol. 225:37–58). It is unprecedented to reassign primary embryonic axes after many years of research in a model system. In this review, we use insights about vertebrate development from anatomy and comparative embryology, as well as knowledge about gastrulation in frogs, to reexamine several traditional amphibian fate maps. We show that four extant maps contain information on the missing rostral/caudal axis. These maps support the revised map as well as the designation of the rostral/caudal axis and reassignment of the dorsal/ventral axes. To illustrate why it is important for researchers to use the revised map and nomenclature when thinking about frog and fish embryos, we present an example of alternative interpretations of “dorsalized” zebrafish mutations. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Provably secure public key cryptosystem with limited number of encryptions for authorised sharing of outsourced data

Cloud computing paradigm can be used to outsource data and computation to the cloud infrastructure. Providing access control to the outsourced data in public cloud is a challenging task. In this paper, we address the problem of trust reduction on the untrusted cloud storage server to provide the authorised access to the outsourced data in public cloud environment. To enable the trust reduction, we coin the notion of public key cryptosystem with restriction on the number of encryptions. We address the problem of restricting/limiting the number of messages to be encrypted for a user (receiver) without changing the primary or long-term key pair of the user. We formalise the security model and prove that the proposed scheme is semantically secure under Decisional Diffie-Hellman Assumption. We show that the proposed scheme can be used for reducing the trust requirement in untrusted cloud storage service providers for providing authorised access to the outsourced data in public cloud environment.
Ambient Façades

Public spaces get increasingly equipped with displays in terms of shopping window plasma screens, electronic advertisements at the point of sale, kiosk systems at points of interest, etc. While this trend enables numerous applications in the pervasive display systems domain, it also has effects on how people perceive urban environments. In this work we describe the concept, implementation and first experiences from a real life setup of an ambient façades framework expanding the idea of public displays to façades of arbitrary buildings without modifications on the buildings themselves. With such a framework it is possible to integrate information into buildings in a very unobtrusive way and without interference with the building fabric.
Growth suppression of intracranial xenografted glioblastomas overexpressing mutant epidermal growth factor receptors by systemic administration of monoclonal antibody (mAb) 806, a novel monoclonal antibody directed to the receptor.

A mutant epidermal growth factor receptor (variously called DeltaEGFR, de2-7 EGFR, or EGFRvIII) containing a deletion of 267 amino acids of the extracellular domain is frequently highly expressed in human malignant gliomas and has been reported for cancers of the lung, breast, and prostate. We tested the efficacy of a novel monoclonal anti-DeltaEGFR antibody, mAb 806, on the growth of intracranial xenografted gliomas in nude mice. Systemic treatment with mAb 806 significantly reduced the volume of tumors and increased the survival of mice bearing xenografts of U87 MG.DeltaEGFR, LN-Z308.DeltaEGFR, or A1207.DeltaEGFR gliomas, each of which expresses high levels of DeltaEGFR. In contrast, mAb 806 treatment was ineffective with mice bearing the parental U87 MG tumors, which expressed low levels of endogenous wild-type EGFR, or U87 MG.DK tumors, which expressed high levels of kinase-deficient DeltaEGFR. A slight increase of survival of mice xenografted with a wild-type EGFR-overexpressing U87 MG glioma (U87 MG.wtEGFR) was effected by mAb 806 concordant with its weak cross-reactivity with such cells. Treatment of U87 MG.DeltaEGFR tumors in mice with mAb 806 caused decreases in both tumor growth and angiogenesis, as well as increased apoptosis. Mechanistically, in vivo mAb 806 treatment resulted in reduced phosphorylation of the constitutively active DeltaEGFR and caused down-regulated expression of the apoptotic protector, Bcl-XL. These data provide preclinical evidence that mAb 806 treatment may be a useful biotherapeutic agent for those aggressive gliomas that express DeltaEGFR.
Immunization of rabbits with faecal extract of Pediculus humanus, the human body louse: effects on louse development and reproduction

Abstract Immunization of rabbits with a faecal extract of the human body louse (Pediculus humanus) induced a high titre of specific IgG. The mean weight of Wood taken by females fed on the immunized rabbits was significantly lower (29%) than taken by females fed on the control rabbits. The mean number of eggs per female fed on the immunized rabbits was significantly lower than for females fed on the control rabbits. The hatchability of the eggs laid by lice fed on immunized rabbits (91%) was significantly lower than of those fed on control rabbits (94%). The rate of development of nymphs fed on control rabbits was significantly higher than those fed on the immunized rabbits. There was no difference in survival rates of lice fed on immunized and control rabbits.
‘Tiny talks’ between colleagues: Brief narratives as mediation in teacher development

During my third semester as a student pursuing a Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) – which was also my second semester as an ESL teacher – I was encouraged by a professor of a graduate seminar to think outside the box about professional development (PD). After all, inquiry-based approaches to PD and teacher education emphasize reflection and collaboration instead of relying solely on ‘traditional’ methods that tend to favor theory over practice and can result in ‘fact-cramming’ (Warford, 2011). This challenge led me to ponder those quick moments of time that teachers spend walking and talking: between classes, on the way to their cars, catching up before a meeting. Could these short moments and the brief conversations that occur therein provide opportunities for serious reflection for a novice teacher? This project introduces ‘tiny talks’ as instances of narrative as mediation by examining four conversations between two colleagues (both teacher-students, but with different levels of teaching experience) and four individual reflections by the novice teacher, which followed each conversation. A grounded content analysis identified the most salient elements of the ‘tiny talks’ (charged emotional language, wrestling with dual identities, and connecting theoretical concepts from seminars with teaching in the classroom) and revealed how the ‘tiny talks’ project functioned as a mediational tool in transforming a change in what I thought and facilitating progress in how I came to think about my role as a teacher-student and both being and becoming a teacher. While a powerful benefit of the ‘tiny talks’ and the reflection it fosters is the casual nature of the interactions, possible applications to teacher education and professional development are discussed.
Teachers’ Emotional Competence and Social Support: Assessing the Mediating Role of Teacher Burnout

This study explored the relationships among teachers’ emotional competence, burnout as a mediator, and social support. Teachers’ emotional competence was assessed via measures of emotional intensity and emotional regulation. Social support was evaluated in terms of external versus internal support, and teacher dissatisfaction with support received. Participants were 149 Italian primary school teachers. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The findings suggested that teacher burnout partially mediated the relationship between emotional intensity and satisfaction with social support received. Overall, the results showed that teachers were at risk of highly intense unpleasant emotions in relation to their burnout syndrome. Moreover, teachers’ satisfaction/dissatisfaction with social support received was predicted by burnout symptoms. These results extend the findings of earlier studies, and provide indications as to how to help teachers experiencing burnout.
Prospects for coitally-dependent hormonal contraception: perspectives from women in urban Kenya and Nigeria

Introduction Emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) were developed and marketed with the emergency aspect firmly in mind, but research and anecdotal evidence indicate that some women use them as a form of regular contraception, spurring efforts in the reproductive health community to explore the development of a coitally-dependent oral contraceptive pill. Methods We asked women of reproductive age in Nairobi, Kenya and Lagos, Nigeria how likely they would be to use a hypothetical pericoital pill and why. Results Bivariate logistic regressions indicated that women aged 18–35 years, with secondary education or higher, and who had ever used condoms or short-acting methods, were more likely to say that they would use this hypothetical pill. Women who had ever used a family planning method or ECPs were also more likely to say they would use this pill. The likely adopters reported that they would use the pericoital method if it prevented pregnancy with little or no health problems and was convenient and easy to use. Conclusion The findings suggest that should a safe and effective pericoital hormonal pill become available then a significant number of women would adopt this method.
Changes in heart rate and heart rate variability before ambulatory ischemic events(1).

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the time course of autonomic nervous system activity preceding ambulatory ischemic events. BACKGROUND Vagal withdrawal can produce myocardial ischemia and may be involved in the genesis of ambulatory ischemic events. We analyzed trajectories of heart rate variability (HRV) 1 h before and after ischemic events, and we examined the role of exercise and mental stress in preischemic autonomic changes. METHODS Male patients with stable coronary artery disease (n = 19; 62.1 +/- 9.3 years) underwent 48-h ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring. Frequency domain HRV measures were assessed for 60 min before and after each of 68 ischemic events and during nonischemic heart rate-matched control periods. RESULTS High-frequency HRV decreased from -60, -20 to -10 min before ischemic events (4.8 +/- 1.3; 4.6 +/- 1.3; 4.4 +/- 1.2 ln [ms(2)], respectively; p = 0.04) and further from -4, -2 min, until ischemia (4.4 +/- 1.3; 4.1 +/- 1.3; 3.7 +/- 1.2 ln [ms(2)]; p's < 0.01). Low frequency HRV decreases started at -4 min (p < 0.05). Ischemic events occurring at high mental activities were preceded by depressed high frequency HRV levels compared with events at low mental activity (p = 0.038 at -4 min, p = 0.045 at -2 min), whereas the effects of mental activities were not observed during nonischemic control periods. Heart rate variability measures remained significantly decreased for 20 min after recovery of ST-segment depression when events were triggered by high activity levels. CONCLUSIONS Autonomic changes consistent with vagal withdrawal can act as a precipitating factor for daily life ischemia, particularly in episodes triggered by mental activities.
Spatial and Temporal Models in Contextual Classification

Different kinds of spatial and temporal models and their use for contextual classification of satellite images are discussed. Models describing the ground cover and its changes over time and models of the spectral signatures in multitemporal images are studied. Isotropic autocorrelation models as well as mosaic models are used for quantification of the variation in space and time. For the different models parameter estimation, robustness properties, and classification performance are examined. The use of appropriate estimation techniques is crucial for the result of the classification. The use of multitemporal images makes it easier to construct robust estimation m e t h o b n d also improves the classification results.
A cluster-based representation for multi-system MT evaluation

Automatic evaluation metrics are often used to compare the quality of different systems. However, a small difference between the scores of two systems does not necessary reflect a real difference between their performance. Because such a difference can be significant or only due to chance, it is inadvisable to use a hard ranking to represent the evaluation of multiple systems. In this paper, we propose a cluster-based representation for quality ranking of Machine Translation systems. A comparison of rankings produced by clustering based on automatic MT evaluation metrics with those based on human judgements shows that such interpretation of automatic metric scores provides dependable means of ordering MT systems with respect to their quality. We report experimental results comparing clusterings produced by BLEU, NIST, METEOR, and GTM with those derived from human judgement (of adequacy and fluency) on the IWSLT-2006 evaluation campaign data.
Development and Robotics

We propose that the development of causality can be seen as a primitive for understanding and constructing complex systems either biological or artificial. Furthermore, we put forward a view of development in terms of the control of complexity. Although some of these elements are at the moment speculative or barely outlined, the theoretical test and verification are part of the ongoing research. On the artificial side, we will show how developmental principles are used within the architecture of a humanoid robot. The reference problem is the ontogenesis of sensori-motor coordination. Visual, acoustic and inertial cues constitute the sensory repertoire of the robot; computation, in the form of mappings, represents its brain activity. The continuous and meaningful adaptation during the natural interaction of the robot with the environment is one of the key aspects of the implementation.
6% Hydroxyethyl starch (130/0.4) vs Ringer's lactate preloading before spinal anaesthesia for Caesarean delivery: the randomized, double-blind, multicentre CAESAR trial.

BACKGROUND Vasopressor administration is recommended to prevent hypotension during spinal anaesthesia (SA) for elective Caesarean delivery. We aimed to test the superior efficacy and ensure safety of a hydroxyethyl starch (HES) vs a Ringer's lactate (RL) preloading, when combined with a phenylephrine-based prophylaxis. METHODS A total of 167 healthy parturients undergoing elective Caesarean delivery under SA were included in this multicentre, randomized, double-blind study. Patients received 500 ml of 6% HES (130/0.4)+500 ml of RL (HES group) or 1000 ml of RL (RL group) i.v. before SA. After SA, i.v. phenylephrine boluses were titrated when systolic arterial pressure (SAP) was below 95% of baseline. The primary outcome was the incidence of maternal hypotension (SAP <80% of baseline). RESULTS The incidence of both hypotension and symptomatic hypotension (i.e. with dizziness, nausea/vomiting, or both) was significantly lower in the HES group vs the RL group: 36.6% vs 55.3% (one-sided P=0.025) and 3.7% vs 14.1%. There was no significant difference in total phenylephrine requirements [median (range): 350 (50-1800) vs 350 (50-1250) µg]. The decrease in maternal haemoglobin value the day after surgery was similar in the two groups [1.2 (1.0) vs 1.0 (0.9) g dl(-1)]. There was no detectable placental transfer of HES in six umbilical cord blood samples analysed in the HES group. Neonatal outcomes were comparable between the groups. CONCLUSIONS Compared with a pure RL preloading, a mixed HES-RL preloading significantly improved prevention of both hypotension and symptomatic hypotension based on early phenylephrine bolus administration and did not induce adverse effects. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT00694343 (http://clinicaltrials.gov).
Eyes-Free Art

Engagement in the arts1 is an important component of participation in cultural activities, but remains a largely unaddressed challenge for people with sensory disabilities. Visual arts are generally inaccessible to people with visual impairments due to their inherently visual nature. To address this, we present Eyes-Free Art, a design probe to explore the use of proxemic audio for interactive sonic experiences with 2D art work. The proxemic audio interface allows a user to move closer and further away from a painting to experience background music, a novel sonification, sound effects, and a detailed verbal description. We conducted a lab study by creating interpretations of five paintings with 13 people with visual impairments and found that participants enjoyed interacting with the artwork. We then created a live installation with a visually impaired artist to iterate on this concept to account for multiple users and paintings. We learned that a proxemic audio interface allows for people to feel immersed in the artwork. Proxemic audio interfaces are similar to visual because they increase in detail with closer proximity, but are different because they need a descriptive verbal overview to give context. We present future research directions in the space of proxemic audio interactions.
High-Purity Isolation and Recovery of Circulating Tumor Cells using Conducting Polymer-deposited Microfluidic Device

We have developed a conductive nano-roughened microfluidic device and demonstrated its use as an electrically modulated capture and release system for studying rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs). The microchannel surfaces were covalently decorated with epithelial cancer-specific anti-EpCAM antibody by electrochemical deposition of biotin-doped polypyrrole (Ppy), followed by the assembly of streptavidin and biotinylated antibody. Our method utilizes the unique topographical features and excellent electrical activity of Ppy for i) surface-induced preferential recognition and release of CTCs, and ii) selective elimination of non-specifically immobilized white blood cells (WBCs), which are capable of high-purity isolation of CTCs. In addition, the direct incorporation of biotin molecules offers good flexibility, because it allows the modification of channel surfaces with diverse antibodies, in addition to anti-EpCAM, for enhanced detection of multiple types of CTCs. By engineering a series of electrical, chemical, and topographical cues, this simple yet efficient device provides a significant advantage to CTC detection technology as compared with other conventional methods.
The UVR8 UV-B Photoreceptor: Perception, Signaling and Response

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) is an intrinsic part of sunlight that is accompanied by significant biological effects. Plants are able to perceive UV-B using the UV-B photoreceptor UVR8 which is linked to a specific molecular signaling pathway and leads to UV-B acclimation. Herein we review the biological process in plants from initial UV-B perception and signal transduction through to the known UV-B responses that promote survival in sunlight. The UVR8 UV-B photoreceptor exists as a homodimer that instantly monomerises upon UV-B absorption via specific intrinsic tryptophans which act as UV-B chromophores. The UVR8 monomer interacts with COP1, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, initiating a molecular signaling pathway that leads to gene expression changes. This signaling output leads to UVR8-dependent responses including UV-B-induced photomorphogenesis and the accumulation of UV-B-absorbing flavonols. Negative feedback regulation of the pathway is provided by the WD40-repeat proteins RUP1 and RUP2, which facilitate UVR8 redimerization, disrupting the UVR8-COP1 interaction. Despite rapid advancements in the field of recent years, further components of UVR8 UV-B signaling are constantly emerging, and the precise interplay of these and the established players UVR8, COP1, RUP1, RUP2 and HY5 needs to be defined. UVR8 UV-B signaling represents our further understanding of how plants are able to sense their light environment and adjust their growth accordingly.
Migratool: Towards a Web-Based Spatial Database Migration Tool

The plethora of different GIS solutions has brought a new challenge: how to provide transportability among heterogeneous data sources with minimal impact on IT, reducing costs and time? The advent of open software is pushing this issue for using universal spatial-aware standards such as GML. This paper presents a software tool known as Migratool, which aims to easy the geospatial data migration among both distributed and heterogeneous data sources. This tool is based on a three tiers architecture and it has been implemented using the J2EE architecture
Prefiltered space-time M-BCJR equalizer for frequency-selective channels

This paper addresses the problem of soft equalization for space-time-coded transmissions over frequency-selective fading channels. The structure of the space-time code is embedded in the channel impulse response for efficient joint equalization and decoding. The proposed equalization/decoding approach uses a prefilter to concentrate the effective channel power in a small number of taps followed by a reduced-complexity maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) equalizer/decoder to produce soft decisions. The prefilter introduces residual intersymbol interference which degrades the performance of MAP when applied to the trellis of the shortened channel. However, the shape of the overall shortened channel impulse response allows the M-algorithm to approximate the prefiltered MAP performance with a small number of states. Based on this general framework, we investigate several enhancements such as using different prefilters for the forward and backward recursions, concatenating two trellis steps during decoding, and temporal oversampling. The performance is evaluated through simulations over the EDGE typical urban channel.
Do Circadian Preferences Influence the Sleep Patterns of Night Shift Drivers?

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of individual circadian preferences of drivers with fixed night work schedules on sleep patterns. Subjects and Methods: A total of 123 professional drivers, 32 indifferent preference drivers and 91 morning preference drivers of an intermunicipality and interstate bus transportation company were evaluated. All drivers underwent polysomnographic recordings after their shifts. Furthermore, they filled out a questionnaire that contained sociodemographic and health questions. The Horne and Östberg questionnaire was used to assess the subjects' morningness-eveningness preference. Results: The mean age was 42.54 ± 6.98 years and 82 (66.66%) of the drivers had worked for ≥15 years. A significant effect on rapid eye movement (REM) was observed in the morning preference drivers. They showed an increased sleep latency and an REM sleep percentage of 5% of the total REM time. This reveals a significant effect on sleep architecture associated with work time. Conclusion: The drivers reported that morning preference had a significant effect on their sleep pattern indicating less REM sleep and longer REM sleep latency in the morning preference group. Thus, it is important to evaluate interactions between individual aspects of health and other parameters, such as sleep quality and work organizational factors, to promote night shift workers' health and well-being.