Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in cognitive processing following short-term cumulative partial sleep deprivation and recovery oversleeping

Abstract The effects on cognitive processing of 1 and 5 cumulative nights of partial sleep deprivation (PSD) and 1 and 2 nights of subsequent recovery oversleep was studied using an anagrams test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Seven paid undergraduate volunteers (5 male; 2 female) aged 18–23 who had normative 6.5–8.0 hr sleep patterns participated. They followed an 8-day schedule of morning and afternoon testing sessions consisting of 2 days in each of the experimental conditions: prebase-line, PSD, recovery sleep, and postbaseline. Sleep duration was calculated relative to individual habitual by subtracting 40% per night (PSD) and adding 40% and 20%, respectively (recovery sleep). On the anagrams test, results showed exaggerated time of day differences during both sleep manipulation conditions. Card-sorting performance was characterized by lesser efficiency of cognitive strategies (> non-perseverative errors) during recovery sleep and tendency towards perseveration with sleep loss. Results were dis.
Simultaneous catheter and environment modeling for Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Implantation

This paper proposes a new vasculature reconstruction and catheter modeling scheme based on data fusion from intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging, electromagnetic (EM) tracking and shape sensing for trans-femoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI). The system is suitable for obtaining inner cross sectional images of the aorta with an IVUS probe, reconstructing its 3D virtual model using sensor fusion of the corresponding pose information of IVUS probe from an electromagnetic (EM) sensor, as well as reconstructing the catheter shape based on optical fibers with Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. A hybrid probe consisting of an IVUS sensor, an EM sensor and an optical shape sensor has been created and tested on in-vitro silicone aortic phantoms. A practical image processing method based on the gradient vector flow (GVF) snake has been proposed, followed by fusion with pose information from an EM sensor for the anatomical model reconstruction. Demonstration of the proposed method was performed on two aortic phantoms. Preliminary results show how the catheter shape reconstruction is realized by the shape sensor. The proposed method could facilitate intra-operative surgical guidance for valve alignment, improve the precision for positioning, reduce the time of the TAVI procedure, minimize the use of contrast agent, and assess the status of the deployed valve after surgery.
Estimating price sensitivity of economic agents using discontinuity in nonlinear contracts

This paper proposes a method to estimate price sensitivity of economic agents exploiting discontinuity in nonlinear contracts. As an application, we study contracts between a managed care organization and hospitals for organ transplants. Exploiting donut holes in the reimbursement contracts, we show that the impact of the reimbursement rate on hospitals' provision of health care services varies significantly across patients with different levels of illness severity. Our methodology is applicable to important classes of models such as consumer choice under nonlinear pricing and contracting with nonlinear incentives.
Transient dominant selection of recombinant vaccinia viruses

A general method for constructing and selecting recombinant vaccinia viruses with insertions, deletions, or mutations in any gene that is similar in principle to one originally devised for Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. Scherer and R. W. Davis, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 76:4951-4955, 1979) is described. The selectable marker used, Escherichia coli guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, is not retained within the final recombinant virus, and hence, this procedure may be used serially to introduce several foreign genes or to make multiple site-directed mutations.
Influence of W-Methyl-W-Nitrosourea, Testosterone, and A^-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-all- Â¿ra/is-retinamide on Prostate Cancer Induction in Wistar-Unilever Rats1

The influence of chemical carcinogen, hormonal stimulation, and chronic dietary administration of the synthetic retinoid, ,Y-(4-h vdroxvplii'iiyh-all-/rÂ«H.v-retinamidc (4-HPR), on the induction of prostate cancer in male Wistar-Unilever rats was determined. Three different tumor induc tion regimens were used: (a) a single i.v. dose of 50 mg of A-inclIn I-Vnitrosourea (MNU) per kg body weight, followed by chronic androgen stimulation via s.c. implantation of two silastic capsules containing 40 mg testosterone each; dÂ»a single i.v. dose of 50 mg of MNU per kg body weight (no testosterone treatment); and (c) chronic androgen stimulation with implanted testosterone capsules (no MNU treatment). In a fourth series of animals, the incidence of spontaneous prostate tumors was de termined in groups of rats receiving neither carcinogen nor hormone stimulation. Within each series, parallel groups of animals were fed a control (vehicle-supplemented) diet or control diet supplemented with 4-HPR beginning 1 day after carcinogen administration; retinoid admin istration was continuous until termination of the study at 450 days. The incidence of accessory sex gland cancer in rats treated sequentially with MNU + testosterone was >60%, in comparison with cancer incidences of <20% in rats receiving MNU only and <5% in rats treated with testos terone only. No spontaneous accessory sex gland tumors were observed in rats receiving no carcinogen and no testosterone. Tumor induction in the accessory sex glands by MNU + testosterone was relatively specific for the prostate: the incidence of carcinoma of the dorsolateral/anterior prostate was more than 5-fold greater than the incidence of cancer present only in the seminal vesicle. 4-HPR conferred no protection against cancer induc tion in the prostate by any regimen of MNU and/or testosterone. These results demonstrate the importance of both carcinogen exposure and hormone stimulation on the induction of neoplasia in the prostate of Wistar-Unilever rats.
P-static source location on aircraft based on time domain measurements

Static charging of an aircraft surface can lead to electromagnetic disturbances on aircraft radio and avionic systems. This phenomenon is called Precipitation Static. Arc discharges are the main causes, and they often occur when there is a bonding defect on the surface of the aircraft. This paper presents a method that aims at reducing the time needed for the search of outer bonding issues. The system is composed of an instrumentation to be used in-flight, that measures the electromagnetic emissions of P-Static sources using several sensors placed on the surface of the aircraft. Then, given several signals measured from sensors and using a time domain location method based on delay estimation, it is possible to compute the source position. The method is validated on a reduced fuselage mock-up as well as on an aircraft case, taking into account the possible error sources.
Ferric Iron Reduction by Acidophilic Heterotrophic Bacteria

Fifty mesophilic and five moderately thermophilic strains of acidophilic heterotrophic bacteria were tested for the ability to reduce ferric iron in liquid and solid media under aerobic conditions; about 40% of the mesophiles (but none of the moderate thermophiles) displayed at least some capacity to reduce iron. Both rates and extents of ferric iron reduction were highly strain dependent. No acidophilic heterotroph reduced nitrate or sulfate, and (limited) reduction of manganese(IV) was noted in only one strain (Acidiphilium facilis), an acidophile which did not reduce iron. Insoluble forms of ferric iron, both amorphous and crystalline, were reduced, as well as soluble iron. There was evidence that, in at least some acidophilic heterotrophs, iron reduction was enzymically mediated and that ferric iron could act as a terminal electron acceptor. In anaerobically incubated cultures, bacterial biomass increased with increasing concentrations of ferric but not ferrous iron. Mixed cultures of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans or Leptospirillum ferrooxidans and an acidophilic heterotroph (SJH) produced sequences of iron cycling in ferrous iron-glucose media.
Early Transcription of Agrobacterium T-DNA Genes in Tobacco and Maize Soma 6

We developed a sensitive procedure to investigate the kinetics of transcription of an Agrobacterium tumefaciens transferred (T)-DNA-encoded B-glucuronidase gusA (uidA) gene soon after infection of plant suspension culture cells. The procedure uses a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and enables detection of gusA transcripts within 18 to 24 hr after cocultivation of the bacteria with either tobacco or maize cells. Detection of gusA transcripts depended absolutely on the intact virulence (vir) genes virB, virDllvirD2, and virD4 within the bacterium. Mutations in virC and virE resulted in delayed and highly attenuated expression of the gusA gene. A nonpolar transposon insertion into the Cterminal coding region of virD2 resulted in only slightly decreased production of gusA mRNA, although this insertion resulted in the loss of the nuclear localization sequence and the important o region from VirDP protein and rendered the bacterium avirulent. However, expression of gusA transcripts in tobacco infected by this virD2 mutant was more transient than in cells infected by a wild-type strain. lnfection of tobacco cells with an Agrobacterium strain harboring a mutant virD2 allele from which the o region had been deleted resulted in similar transient expression of gusA mRNA. These data indicate that the C-terminal nuclear localization signal of the VirD2 protein is not essential for nuclear uptake of T-DNA and further suggest that the w domain of VirD2 may be required for efficient integration of T-DNA into the plant genome. The finding that the initial kinetics of gusA gene expression in maize cells are similar to those shown in infected tobacco cells but that the presence of gusA mRNA in maire is highly transient suggests that the block to maize transformation involves T-DNA integration and not T-DNA entry into the cell or nuclear targeting.
‘Measuring Up’? Assessment and students with disabilities in the modern university

In this article, I ask how university students with disabilities negotiate with staff arrangements for alternative assessment practices. I draw on three case studies using a personal pronoun perspective to challenge the conventional view that educational policy and teaching practice are forms of rational action. I demonstrate how the lives of students and staff are typically characterised by unexpected events, disorder, emotion and prejudice. The analytic perspective offered here establishes how meanings, intentions and different viewpoints and alliances emerge as social actors work to create specific faculty and institution cultures. The case studies also reveal what does and what does not work – some of the obstacles – and what needs to be done if we are serious about equity and inclusive education. They include practical assistance in recognising the specific requirements of students with disabilities and how to design alternative assessment for students with specific ‘conditions’. I argue that professional development and specific techniques in curriculum design are needed. Some staff also require help in recognising their policy and legal obligations. A cultural change which identifies and challenges prejudice is a larger task if universities are to become places in which equal opportunity principles and inclusive education are present and actively practised.
The flavivirus NS1 protein's mysteries unveiled?

Flaviviruses encompass major human pathogens including dengue virus (DENV), responsible for the most devastating hemorrhagic feverworldwide, and West Nile virus (WNV), a growing cause of encephalitis in human populations. These small enveloped RNA viruses, transmitted to their vertebrate hosts by a mosquito vector, encode a fascinating accessory protein of 50 kDa, NS1, which remodels cell membranes, orchestrates virus replication in dedicated intracellular organelles and colonizes the extracellular space with a myriad of small lipid-loaded “spaceships” launched against the host biological and immunological barriers [1–3]. In an attempt to specify NS1 function(s) and the related molecular determinants, several laboratories around the world have tackled the challenge of crystallizing NS1 for many years. The recent success in solving the three-dimensional structure of the DENV NS1 and WNV NS1 raises hopes that this versatile protein will unveil some of its mysteries at last [4, 5], as discussed in the review from Akey et al. in this issue [6]. The first striking observation is that the folds of the DENV NS1 and WNV NS1 look alike, suggesting that the major functionalities of the protein have been maintained during virus evolution. In effect, the maturation process of all flavivirus NS1 proteins is remarkably similar. NS1 is known to assemble in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as stable homodimers that acquire the ability to interact with membranes and remain associated to the cell during viral infection [2]. Alternatively, trimers of NS1 dimers pinch off membranes and carry away proximal lipids in such a way that
People re-identification in camera networks based on probabilistic color histograms

People tracking has to face many issues in video surveillance scenarios. One of the most challenging aspect is to re-identify people across different cameras. Humans, indeed, change appearance according to pose, clothes and illumination conditions and thus defining features that are able to robustly describe people moving in a camera network is a not trivial task. While color is widely exploited in the distinction and recognition of objects, most of the color descriptors proposed so far are not robust in complex applications such as video surveillance scenarios. A new color based feature is introduced in this paper to describe the color appearance of the subjects. For each target a probabilistic color histogram (PCH) is built by using a fuzzy K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) classifier trained on an ad-hoc dataset and is used to match two corresponding appearances of the same person in different cameras of the network. The experimental results show that the defined descriptor is effective at discriminating and re-identifying people across two different video cameras regardless of the viewpoint change between the two views and outperforms state of the art appearance based techniques.
Spiroplasma eriocheiris Adhesin-Like Protein (ALP) Interacts with Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) Domain Proteins to Facilitate Infection

Spiroplasma eriocheiris is a novel pathogen found in recent years, causing the tremor disease (TD) of Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis. Like Spiroplasma mirum, S. eriocheiris infects the newborn mouse (adult mice are not infected) and can cause cataract. Adhesion-related protein is an important protein involved in the interaction between pathogen and host. In this study, the Adhesin-like Protein (ALP) of S. eriocheiris was detected on its outer membrane by using immune electron microscopy, and was found to be involved in the bacterium's infection of mouse embryo fibroblasts (3T6-Swiss albino). Yeast two-hybrid analysis demonstrated that ALP interacts with a diverse group of mouse proteins. The interactions between recombinant partial fibulin7 (FBLN7; including two epidermal growth factor [EGF] domains) and ALP were confirmed by Far-western blotting and colocalization. We synthetized the domains of FBLN7 [EGF domain: amino acids 136–172 and complement control protein (CCP) domain: 81–134 amino acids], and demonstrated that only EGF domain of FBLN7 can interact with ALP. Because the EGF domain has high degree of similarity to EGF, it can activate the downstream EGFR signaling pathway, in key site amino acids. The EGFR pathway in 3T6 cells was restrained after rALP stimulation resulting from competitive binding of ALP to EGF. The unborn mouse, newborn mouse, and the adult mouse with cataract have a small amount of expressed FBLN7; however, none was detected in the brain and very little expression was seen in the eye of normal adult mice. In short, ALP as a S. eriocheiris surface protein, is critical for infection and further supports the role of ALP in S. eriocheiris infection by competitive effection of the EGF/EGFR axis of the target cells.
What to Do With the Resource-Based View

The intention of this essay is to point out the key weaknesses of the resource-based view (RBV) and provide prescriptions for curing them. The authors begin with Gibbert’s (this issue) question of whether the RBV is ready for generalization and concluded generalizability is an inappropriate goal for the RBV. Furthermore, they believe that the RBV is simply not ready for generalization. They argue that the quest for generalizability is counter productive when applied to the RBV. Generalizability is not only the least relevant of the external validity criteria but also can only be assessed after valid operationalizations for constructs are developed across different contexts, industries, samples, and so on. Because they believe that RBV researchers have yet to achieve construct validity within their empirical testing, it appears to them that the RBV is simply not ready for generalizability. Finally, when they incorporate RBV developments that have occurred since Barney such as the knowledge-based view and dynamic capabilities, many arguments by Gibbert and others are rendered obsolete.
Identification of spatially quantised tachistoscopic images of faces: How many pixels does it take to carry identity?

Abstract Six images of human faces were quantised into isoluminant square-shaped pixels (16 grey levels) at eight different spatial levels of quantisation. The subjects had to identify the faces that were presented with different exposure durations (from 1 to 200 msec) and with one of two brightness conditions (variable brightness in Experiment 1 or isobrightness in Experiment 2). All finer quantisation levels led to better identification than the most coarse quantisation level (15 pixels per face in the horizontal dimension) at all exposure durations. The observation of an abrupt decrease in identification efficiency on moving from 18 or more pixels per face to 15 pixels per face and the approximate equality in identification efficiency within a broad range of quantisation levels above 18 pixels per face pose some problems for existing theories of face recognition. The implications of these findings for prototype-related, auto correlation and micro genetic accounts of face and pattern processing are disc.
Full-Endoscopic Interlaminar and Transforaminal Lumbar Discectomy Versus Conventional Microsurgical Technique: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Study

Study Design. Prospective, randomized, controlled study of patients with lumbar disc herniations, operated either in a full-endoscopic or microsurgical technique. Objective. Comparison of results of lumbar discectomies in full-endoscopic interlaminar and transforaminal technique with the conventional microsurgical technique. Summary of Background Data. Even with good results, conventional disc operations may result in subsequent damage due to trauma. Endoscopic techniques have become the standard in many areas because of the advantages they offer intraoperatively and after surgery. With the transforaminal and interlaminar techniques, 2 full-endoscopic procedures are available for lumbar disc operations. Methods. One hundred seventy-eight patients with full-endoscopic or microsurgical discectomy underwent follow-up for 2 years. In addition to general and specific parameters, the following measuring instruments were used: VAS, German version North American Spine Society Instrument, Oswestry Low-Back Pain Disability Questionnaire. Results. After surgery 82% of the patients no longer had leg pain, and 14% had occasional pain. The clinical results were the same in both groups. The recurrence rate was 6.2% with no difference between the groups. The full-endoscopic techniques brought significant advantages in the following areas: back pain, rehabilitation, complications, and traumatization. Conclusion. The clinical results of the full-endoscopic technique are equal to those of the microsurgical technique. At the same time, there are advantages in the operation technique and reduced traumatization. With the surgical devices and the possibility of selecting an interlaminar or posterolateral to lateral transforaminal procedure, lumbar disc herniations outside and insidethe spinal canal can be sufficiently removed using the full-endoscopic technique, when taking the appropriate criteria into account. Full-endoscopic surgery is a sufficient and safe supplementation and alternative to microsurgical procedures.
Should we aim to reduce relative or absolute inequalities in mortality?

Suppose that in country X the mortality rate declines from 100 to 50 among the rich and from 200 to 120 among the poor. This fictitious but realistic example illustrates a fundamental disagreement, because while the decline in mortality will be welcomed by everyone, the resulting change in magnitude of inequalities between rich and poor will not. Some will regret that inequalities have gone up because the rate ratio has increased from 2.0 (200/100) to 2.4 (120/50). Others will rejoice that inequalities have gone down because the rate difference has fallen from 100 (200−100) to 70 (120−50). Such opposing trends for relative and absolute inequalities are quite common, as recent studies of trends in health inequalities in European countries have shown.1 The reason why such opposing trends are quite common is the result of a mathematical regularity that is often observed in epidemiology: where and when the background risk of mortality is lower, relative risks of mortality for a particular determinant tend to be higher. This is also true …
Hematopoietic supportive care.

Introduction Over the past 35 or more years, mature and immature allogeneic and autologous hematopoietic cells collected from the PB3 have been used in the supportive care management of patients with therapy or disease-induced intermittent, recurrent, and often prolonged periods of BM suppression. Clinical, laboratory, and technological research has been directed into the cellular contents of the intravascular and extravascular space, where cell populations of interest in quantities ranging from l06 1012 were available for use. It is most fitting today that we pause to recognize and honor Dr. Emil Freireich for his major role in defining the principles of hematopoietic supportive care in the l960s and l970s, explore the pursuit and expansion of those principles by his students and colleagues in the l980s and 1990s, evaluate how the principles derived from those studies may remain relevant in today’s management of myelosuppressed patients, and speculate on the future of supportive care. Supportive care concepts began with the investigation of the treatment and biology of AL in the 1950s. As so aptly stated by Dr. Freireich, “When we started working on leukemia, a disease whose prime manifestation is BM failure, we realized that the morbidity and mortality from the disease was accounted for almost entirely by hemorrhage and infection” (1). He recognized that replacement of physiologically appropriate quantities of granulocytes and platelets required research into the biology, kinetics, and vascular distribution of these cells once they were transfused into neutropenic and thrombocytopenic patients, and his realization that single units of whole blood contained inadequate quantities of cells for transfusion led to his direct participation in the development of CF-BCS centrifugal technology, by which large volumes of donor blood could be processed for specific cell collection (2). Among the transfusion principles first described by Freireich for leukocytes but subsequently shown to be applicable to all other PB cell populations used for hematopoietic support were that the quantity of cells recovered in the patient’s PB related to the dose of cells transfused, and the circulating PB