Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Waldenström macroglobulinemia: a role of HCV infection?

Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia is a rare B,lymphocyte neoplasia characterized by monoclonal production of IgM Igs and by a marrow containing a diffuse infiltrate of plasmocytoid lymphocytes. The etiology of the disease is at present unknown, though epidemiological surveys suggested a possible role of the chronic antigenic stimulation. ’ Because it is known that HCV infection is closely related with essential cryoglobulinemia (usually IgM): the presence of anti-HCV antibodies was investigated in a group of six patients affected by Waldenstrom’s disease with a second-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The diagnosis was previously assessed following standard criteria. In all the patients liver function tests were within the normal range and none of them underwent blood transfusions for the disease. Only two ofsix showed a slight positivity for the presence of antibodies against the C22c protein of HCV, while the others were negative. The presence of viral replication was subsequently determined by amplification of 5°C region of HCV in the serum by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In all six cases (100%) viral RNA was detected in serum. False positivity was excluded by the PCR amplification of the core region of the virus in the same sera. The HCV genotype was also obtained by PCR in three subjects according to Okamoto et al’: two patients showed an infection by type I1 and one an unusual coinfection by four genotypes (I, 11,111, IV). The presence of HCV infection in Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia was previously investigated by several researchers, but only with detection ofanti-HCV antibodies. It is known that in monoclonal neoplasias the level of normal Igs is very low and an impaired synthesis of Igs occurs: therefore the level of anti-HCV antibodies can be under the detection limits ofthe usual methods. Only the use of the PCR allowed for detection of HCV infection in sera of subjects negative for anti-HCV antibodies. Furthermore, after a careful separation of the blood mononuclear cells, positive and negative (replicative) stranded forms of HCV were found in B lymphocytes ofthree patients, whereas monocytes and T lymphocytes were negative. It is known that HCV is able to infect mononuclear cells ofperiphera1 blood,5 but a direct involvement in B-cell neoplasias has never been established. The viral persistence in the immune system could greatly expand clones of Ig-producing cells, by a direct or indirect mechanism, and a mutational event can finally lead to the activation of oncogenes resulting in a plasma cell neoplasia. The appearance of monoclonal gammopathy in 10% ofAleutian minks chronically infected by the Aleutian disease virus6 could demonstrate this hypothesis. The finding of HCV replication in benign (mixed cryoglobulinemia) and neoplastic (Waldenstrom’s disease) IgM gammopathies suggests the need to investigate the possible role of HCV infection in all monoclonal diseases.
THE EFFECT OF TWO WARM‐UP PROTOCOLS ON SOME BIOMECHANICAL PARAMETERS OF THE NEUROMUSCULAR SYSTEM OF MIDDLE DISTANCE RUNNERS

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of 2 different warm-up protocols on the neuromuscular system of well-trained middle distance runners. Seven runners performed 2 different warm-up protocols, one of which included slow running, stretching, and bounding and sprinting exercises, while the other consisted of slow running and stretching only. Before and after warm-up, contractile properties of the vastus lateralis and quadriceps femoris were monitored with a single twitch test, maximal torque, and the level of muscle activation during maximal voluntary extension. The 2 types of warm-up protocols showed statistically significant differences in the increase of peak knee extension torque and muscle activation level. After warm-up 1 maximal twitch torque was increased and twitch contraction time (CT) was shortened. Both maximal torque and the level of activation were increased. Parameter changes after warm-up 2 were similar to those after warm-up 1 but not statistically significant. Sprinting and bounding as part of athletes' warm-up improve muscle activation.
Effects of Parental Socioeconomic Status on the Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students in District Karak (Pakistan)

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the effects of parental socioeconomic status on the academic achievement of secondary school students in District Karak (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Pakistan. The objectives of the study were: (a) to find out the effect of parental socioeconomic status on the academic achievement of secondary school students (b) to determine the effect of parental educational level on the academic achievement of secondary school students (c) to find out the effect of parental occupational level on the academic achievement of secondary school students and (d) to suggest workable recommendations for the enhancement of the students’ academic achievement. All the students studying at secondary school level in District Karak constituted the population of the study. The study was delimited to only sixty government boys’ high schools in District Karak. The study was further delimited to the students of 10 th Class. In order to represent adequate representation of population, only 1500 secondary school students were selected randomly at the rate of 25 students from each school. The study was survey type and therefore the researchers decided to develop self-developed questionnaire for the collection of data. Pilot testing was conducted to explore the weakness, misconceptions and ambiguities of the questionnaire. After the conduction of pilot testing, final version of the questionnaire was developed and prepared. The researchers personally visited to the respective sample and distributed questionnaires among the participants. In this way data was collected. After collection of data, the data was organized, tabulated and analyzed. Chi-square and percentage were used for the statistical analysis of the data. After statistical analysis of data, the researchers concluded that parental socio-economic status; parent’s educational level, parental occupational level; and parental income level affect the academic achievement of students at secondary level. Therefore it is strongly recommended that unemployment should be controlled. Poor students should be provided scholarships, free books and other stationary. In addition, it is also recommended that government should take steps to raise socioeconomic status of people. KEY WORDS: Parental Socioeconomic status, academic achievement, secondary school students
Dynamic changes in salivary cortisol and secretory immunoglobulin A response to acute stress

Psychological stress leads to the secretion of cortisol. While this psychoneuroendocrine response helps to maintain physiological as well as psychological homeostasis under stress, exaggerated release of cortisol can suppress aspects of immune function and have negative effects on health. The present study set out to investigate the dynamic changes in salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and cortisol before and after acute stress, and to analyse the relationship between sIgA and cortisol trend. Thirty-five healthy subjects took part in this study. All subjects underwent an acute stress test (mental arithmetic task). Salivary cortisol and sIgA responses were assessed repeatedly before the stress test, immediately after the stress test and 20 min after the stress test. The levels of salivary cortisol and sIgA both significantly increased after the acute mental arithmetic challenge. However, the increase of sIgA is transient; the sIgA fall was significantly correlated with the cortisol rise during the 20 min after stress (r = 0.569, p < 0.001). These results may help determine the timing of effective intervention in order to reduce the hypersecretion of cortisol and improve mucosal immune function. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Teoŕıa de la forma y sistemas dinámicos II

En este trabajo expositivo se presentan algunas relaciones entre las dos ramas de las matemáticas mencionadas en el t́ıtulo. En particular, mostramos algunas propiedades cohomológicas de la descomposición “non-saddle” de un ANR compacto. También se presenta un estudio, basado en la teoŕıa de la forma, de los entornos aislantes de conjuntos invariantes aislados, del cual se obtiene una caracterización de los atractores y algunos resultados nuevos sobre dualidad de Lefschetz del ı́ndice de Conley. Finalmente estudiamos las ecuaciones de Morse para una descomposición de Morse de un conjunto invariante aislado. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 55P55, 54C56, 37B25, 37B30.
Development of Yersinia pestis F1 antigen-loaded microspheres vaccine against plague

Yersinia pestis F1 antigen-loaded poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide)/polyethylene glycol (PEG) (PLGA/PEG) microspheres were produced using a water-in-oil-in-water emulsion/solvent extraction technique and assayed for their percent yield, entrapment efficiency, surface morphology, particle size, zeta potential, in vitro release properties, and in vivo animal protect efficacy. The Y. pestis F1 antigen-loaded microspheres (mean particle size 3.8 μm) exhibited a high loading capacity (4.5% w/w), yield (85.2%), and entrapment efficiency (38.1%), and presented a controlled in vitro release profile with a low initial burst (18.5%), then continued to release Y. pestis F1 antigen over 70 days. The distribution (%) of Y. pestis F1 on the microspheres surface, outer layer, and core was 3.1%, 28.9%, and 60.7%, respectively. A steady release rate was noticed to be 0.55 μg Y. pestis F1 antigen/mg microspheres/day of Y. pestis F1 antigen release maintained for 42 days. The cumulative release amount at the 1st, 28th, and 42nd days was 8.2, 26.7, and 31.0 μg Y. pestis F1 antigen/mg microspheres, respectively. The 100 times median lethal dose 50% (LD50) of Y. pestis Yokohama-R strain by intraperitoneal injection challenge in mice test, in which mice received one dose of 40 μg F1 antigen content of PLGA/PEG microspheres, F1 antigen in Al(OH)3, and in comparison with F1 antigen in Al(OH)3 vaccine in two doses, was evaluated after given by subcutaneous immunization of BALB/c mice. The study results show that the greatest survival was observed in the group of mice immunized with one dose of F1 antigen-loaded PLGA/PEG microspheres, and two doses of F1 antigen in Al(OH)3 vaccine (100%). In vivo vaccination studies also demonstrated that F1 vaccines microspheres had a protective ability; its steady-state IgG immune protection in mice plasma dramatic increased from 2 weeks (18,764±3,124) to 7 weeks (126,468±19,176) after vaccination. These findings strongly suggest that F1-antigen loaded microspheres vaccine offer a new therapeutic strategy in optimizing the vaccine incorporation and delivery properties of these potential vaccine targeting carriers.
Learning Rare Word Representations using Semantic Bridging

We propose a methodology that adapts graph embedding techniques (DeepWalk (Perozzi et al., 2014) and node2vec (Grover and Leskovec, 2016)) as well as cross-lingual vector space mapping approaches (Least Squares and Canonical Correlation Analysis) in order to merge the corpus and ontological sources of lexical knowledge. We also perform comparative analysis of the used algorithms in order to identify the best combination for the proposed system. We then apply this to the task of enhancing the coverage of an existing word embedding's vocabulary with rare and unseen words. We show that our technique can provide considerable extra coverage (over 99%), leading to consistent performance gain (around 10% absolute gain is achieved with w2v-gn-500K cf.\S 3.3) on the Rare Word Similarity dataset.
Adaptive monitoring in microkernel OSs

The microkernel architecture has been investigated by both industries and the academia for the development of dependable Operating Systems (OSs). This work copes with a relevant issue for this architecture, namely unresponsive components because of deadlocks and infinite loops. In particular, a monitor sends heartbeat messages to a component that should reply within a timeout. The timeout choice is tricky, since it should be dynamically adapted to the load conditions of the system. Therefore, our approach is based on an adaptive heartbeat mechanism, in which the timeout is estimated from past response times. We implement and compare three estimation algorithms for the choice of the timeout in the context of the Minix 3 OS. From the analysis we derive useful guidelines for choosing the best algorithm with respect to system requirements.
Effect of variety and processing method on functional properties of traditional sweet potato flour (“elubo”) and sensory acceptability of cooked paste (“amala”)

“Amala” is a generic term in Nigeria, used to describe a thick paste prepared by stirring flour (“elubo”) from yam, cassava or unripe plantain, in hot water, to form a smooth consistency. In order to overcome its high perishability and increase the utilization of sweet potato roots, three varieties of sweet potato roots were processed into flour using two methods. The interactive effect of variety and the processing method had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on all the functional properties of the flour except yellowness, setback viscosity, and peak time. Acceptable sweet potato “amala” with average sensory acceptability score of 7.5 were obtained from yellow-fleshed varieties irrespective of the processing method. Flour that produced acceptable “amala” were characterized by lower values of protein (2.20–3.94%), fiber (1.30–1.65%), total sugar (12.41–38.83 μg/mg), water absorption capacity (168–215 g/100 g), water solubility (8.29–14.65%), swelling power (0.52–0.82 g/g), and higher peak time (6.9–8.7 min).
Online Adaptive Parameter Identification and State-of-Charge Coestimation for Lithium-Polymer Battery Cells

Real-time estimation of the state of charge (SOC) of the battery is a crucial need in the growing fields of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and smart grid applications. The accuracy of the estimation algorithm directly depends on the accuracy of the model used to describe the characteristics of the battery. Considering a resistance-capacitance (RC)-equivalent circuit to model the battery dynamics, we use a piecewise linear approximation with varying coefficients to describe the inherently nonlinear relationship between the open-circuit voltage (VOC) and the SOC of the battery. Several experimental test results on lithium (Li)-polymer batteries show that not only do the VOC-SOC relationship coefficients vary with the SOC and charging/discharging rates but also the RC parameters vary with them as well. The moving window least squares parameter-identification technique was validated by both data obtained from a simulated battery model and experimental data. The necessity of updating the parameters is evaluated using observers with updating and nonupdating parameters. Finally, the SOC coestimation method is compared with the existing well-known SOC estimation approaches in terms of performance and accuracy of estimation.
The Truth about Teaching and Touching

'Ft ack in the 1970s, teachers were told that "Teaching is to touch a life forever. " Now, because of liability concerns, the National Education Association has recommended educators "teach, but don't touch (Colt, 1997). Many U.S. teachers refrain from hugging, patting, or touching their students because they are afraid they will be charged with child abuse. Is this an accurate perception? Does touching enhance or impede children's growth? It is time to tell the truth about teaching and touching. Touching is the most intense channel of nonverbal communication and the one most people are reluctant to discuss. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, giving and receiving love and affection is a foundation element. It is like the sun in the midst of the solar system-everything else revolves around it. Touch is one manifestation of the love and consideration that all people need in order to survive. Love and touch are indivisible (Key, 1975; Montagu, 1971; Montagu & Matson, 1979). Throughout people's lives, "touch is no short-lived event, finished when a hand is removed from the person, but rather is perceived as part of one's history, an event of real magnitude, effecting some permanent change" (Henley, 1973, p. 96). If touch is so important, why is it so relatively rare in the United States? According to anthropologists, the United States is a non-tactile society. In fact, compared with cultures around the world, the mainstream U.S. citizen seems to be "touchy" about touching. French parents touch their children three times more often than do U.S. parents. Men in the Middle East, Korea, China, and Indochina walk arm-and-arm or hold hands without any homosexual undertones. Jewish men are very tactile; they often embrace and kiss. Puerto Rican couples might touch approximately 180 times in an hour; French pairs touch 110 times; couples in Florida touch twice; and couples in London don't touch at all (Axtell, 1991; Colt, 1997; Jourard, 1983; Montagu & Matson, 1979). Researchers discovered that as immigrants become assimilated into U.S. society, they reduce the frequency with which they touch one another. For example, one study found that newly arrived Italian immigrants might touch every 27 seconds. After becoming assimilated U.S. suburbanites, they might touch only every 40 seconds. Is this a positive change in behavior? Touchingg is the
Educating the Whole Student: The Growing Academic Importance of Student Affairs

rofessors, department chairs, and deans no longer are the sole sources of the learning experiences that undergraduate students benefit from on our campuses. Recent years have seen the growth or expansion of a wide variety of out-of-the classroom supplements to classroom education, including learning communities, “theme” housing beyond the traditional language-focused settings, service learning, leadership-development programs, and peer-related education. Central to many of the new learning venues that have blossomed over the past decade or two are student affairs professionals.
Calcium uptake by rat kidney mitochondria.

t, 2 X 10-3. n2 Therefore the condition for convergence of the perturbation series is by no means fulfilled, and in order to get a valid approximation, one would have to solve the secular equation. which would lead to nonlocalized states. Further work in this direction is in progress. The above considerations hold also for more extensive systems. It seems possible that they can be applied to biological processes other than photosynthesis. For example, excitation processes in the retina could be mentioned. The light wave focused on one visual rod is coherent within the area of this rod. It s:ems probable that this collective character of the excitation is important for the formation of the signal in the adjoining nervous system. It also seems possible that collective activities play a role in the function of the central nervous system and relations may be found, say, between conscience and nonlocalized electronic states, or S and storage of memory. * This research was supported by grants from The Commonwealth Fund, the National Science Foundation (Grant B-10805) and The National Institutes of Health, (Grant H-2042, C5-7, BBC). t On leave from the National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C. 'Perrin, F. , Ann. Chem. et Phys., 17, 283 (1932). 2 Fbrster, T. , Ann. Phys., 2, 55 (1948); Radiation Res., suppl. 2, 326 (1960). 3 Frenkel, J., Phys. Rev., 37, 17, 1276 (1931). 4 See the review of M. Kasha, Revs. Mod. Phys., 31, 162 (1959). 'Emerson, R. , and W. Arnold, J. Gen. Physiol. , 15, 391 (1932); 16, 191 (1932). 6 Franck, J., and R. Livingston, Revs. Mod. Phys., 21, 505 (1949).
NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation by Viroporins of Animal Viruses

Viroporins are a group of low-molecular-weight proteins containing about 50–120 amino acid residues, which are encoded by animal viruses. Viroporins are involved in several stages of the viral life cycle, including viral gene replication and assembly, as well as viral particle entry and release. Viroporins also play an important role in the regulation of antiviral innate immune responses, especially in inflammasome formation and activation, to ensure the completion of the viral life cycle. By reviewing the research progress made in recent years on the regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by viroporins of animal viruses, we aim to understand the importance of viroporins in viral infection and to provide a reference for further research and development of novel antiviral drugs.
DELLA Signaling Mediates Stress-Induced Cell Differentiation in Arabidopsis Leaves through Modulation of Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome Activity1[W][OA]

Drought is responsible for considerable yield losses in agriculture due to its detrimental effects on growth. Drought responses have been extensively studied, but mostly on the level of complete plants or mature tissues. However, stress responses were shown to be highly tissue and developmental stage specific, and dividing tissues have developed unique mechanisms to respond to stress. Previously, we studied the effects of osmotic stress on dividing leaf cells in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and found that stress causes early mitotic exit, in which cells end their mitotic division and start endoreduplication earlier. In this study, we analyzed this phenomenon in more detail. Osmotic stress induces changes in gibberellin metabolism, resulting in the stabilization of DELLAs, which are responsible for mitotic exit and earlier onset of endoreduplication. Consequently, this response is absent in mutants with altered gibberellin levels or DELLA activity. Mitotic exit and onset of endoreduplication do not correlate with an up-regulation of known cell cycle inhibitors but are the result of reduced levels of DP-E2F-LIKE1/E2Fe and UV-B-INSENSITIVE4, both inhibitors of the developmental transition from mitosis to endoreduplication by modulating anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome activity, which are down-regulated rapidly after DELLA stabilization. This work fits into an emerging view of DELLAs as regulators of cell division by regulating the transition to endoreduplication and differentiation.
A non-myopic, receding horizon control strategy for an AUV to track an underwater target in a bistatic sonar scenario

We investigate how to improve the autonomy of AUVs to operate effectively in a multistatic network for littoral surveillance. We present a novel algorithm to control the movement of an AUV towing a line array acting as a receiver node in the network. The proposed algorithm uses a non-myopic, receding horizon policy to control the AUV heading to minimize the expected target position estimation error of a tracking filter. Minimizing this error is typically of the utmost interest in target state estimation since it is one way of maintaining track. Methods to simplify the resulting decision tree are used together with a branch and bound technique to solve an optimization problem at each ping time with the low computational power available onboard AUVs. Results from COLLAB13 sea trials are reported and show both the feasibility of running the algorithm in real-time on an onboard computer and the benefits of using the proposed algorithm over conventional predefined paths. These results represent, to the best of our knowledge, the first successful demonstration at sea of a complex non-myopic algorithm running in real-time on AUVs in a realistic multistatic littoral surveillance scenario.