Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sphingosine‐1‐phosphate induces development of functionally mature chymase‐expressing human mast cells from hematopoietic progenitors

Mast cells (MCs) play a critical role in both acute and chronic inflammation and mature in peripheral tissues from bone marrow‐derived progenitors that circulate in the blood as immature precursors. MCs developed from cord blood‐derived progenitors cultured with stem cell factor (SCF) alone express intragranular tryptase (MCTs), the phenotype predominant in the lung. MC progenitors are likely to encounter the serum‐borne bioactive sphingolipid metabolite, sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P), during migration to target tissues. S1P accelerated the development of cord blood‐derived MCs (CB‐MCs) and strikingly increased the numbers of MC‐expressing chymase. These MCs have functional FcsRIs, and similar to skin MCTCs that express both tryptase and chymase, also express CD88 and are activated by anaphylatoxin C5a and the secretagogue compound 48/80. S1P induced release of IL‐6, a cytokine known to promote development of functionally mature MCTCs, from cord blood cultures containing adherent macrophages, and from highly purified macrophages, but not from macrophage‐depleted CB‐MCs. In contrast, S1P stimulated secretion of the chemokine, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP‐1/CCL2), from these macrophage‐depleted and purified CB‐MCs. These results suggest crucial roles for S1P in regulating development of human MCs and their functions and reveal a complex interplay between macrophages and MC progenitors in the development of mature human MCs. —Price, M. M. , Kapitonov, D. , Allegood, J., Milstien, S. , Oskeritzian, C. A. , Spiegel, S. Sphingosine‐1‐phosphate induces development of functionally mature chymase‐expressing human mast cells from hematopoietic progenitors. FASEB J. 23, 3506–3515 (2009). www.fasebj. org
An uncommon scholar

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the elements of the life of Professor Stanley C. Hollander (1919‐2004), a marketing scholar extraordinaire.Design/methodology/approach – In total, 28 marketing scholars who had been students, colleagues, and friends of Professor Hollander were asked to contribute to the author's personal knowledge of him. Selma Hollander (his wife) was interviewed. Stan Hollander's own written work was reviewed for insight into his characteristics.Findings – A brief chronology of his life is provided as a framework within which his personal characteristics and relationships can be examined. The major contributors to his success as a person and scholar are first, the relationship with his wife, Selma; second, the characteristics of his intellect; and third, his fascination with the arts. The result was not only an uncommon scholar considered a giant in the field of marketing but also one who enabled many others through the sharing of his mind and his humor.Originality/value.
Neuroimaging Studies of Essential Tremor: How Well Do These Studies Support/Refute the Neurodegenerative Hypothesis?

Background Tissue-based research has recently led to a new patho-mechanistic model of essential tremor (ET)—the cerebellar degenerative model. We are not aware of a study that has reviewed the current neuroimaging evidence, focusing on whether the studies support or refute the neurodegenerative hypothesis of ET. This was our aim. Methods References for this review were identified by searches of PubMed (1966 to February 2014). Results Several neuroimaging methods have been used to study ET, most of them based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The methods most specific to address the question of neurodegeneration are MRI-based volumetry, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and diffusion-weighted imaging. Studies using each of these methods provide support for the presence of cerebellar degeneration in ET, finding reduced cerebellar brain volumes, consistent decreases in cerebellar N-acetylaspartate, and increased mean diffusivity. Other neuroimaging techniques, such as functional MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) are less specific, but still sensitive to potential neurodegeneration. These techniques are used for measuring a variety of brain functions and their impairment. Studies using these modalities also largely support cerebellar neuronal impairment. In particular, changes in 11C-flumazenil binding in PET studies and changes in iron deposition in an MRI study provide evidence along these lines. The composite data point to neuronal impairment and likely neuronal degeneration in ET. Discussion Recent years have seen a marked increase in the number of imaging studies of ET. As a whole, the combined data provide support for the presence of cerebellar neuronal degeneration in this disease.
Convex Two-Layer Modeling with Latent Structure

Unsupervised learning of structured predictors has been a long standing pursuit in machine learning. Recently a conditional random field auto-encoder has been proposed in a two-layer setting, allowing latent structured representation to be automatically inferred. Aside from being nonconvex, it also requires the demanding inference of normalization. In this paper, we develop a convex relaxation of two-layer conditional model which captures latent structure and estimates model parameters, jointly and optimally. We further expand its applicability by resorting to a weaker form of inference---maximum a-posteriori. The flexibility of the model is demonstrated on two structures based on total unimodularity---graph matching and linear chain. Experimental results confirm the promise of the method.
Cytology specimens offer an effective alternative to formalin‐fixed tissue as demonstrated by novel automated detection for ALK break‐apart FISH testing and immunohistochemistry in lung adenocarcinoma

Minimally invasive sampling by cytology or core needle biopsy often provides an initial diagnosis for treatment in patients with lung nodules. From these limited specimens, multiple molecular studies are frequently requested. Current guidelines from the US Food and Drug Administration recommend using formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue sections for the detection of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangement by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The authors compared alcohol‐fixed and formalin‐fixed cytology specimens using a novel automated detection for ALK rearrangements by FISH and immunohistochemistry (IHC).
Internet packet filter management and rectangle geometry

We consider rule sets for internet packet routing and filtering, where each rule consists of a range of source addresses, a range of destination addresses, a priority, and an action. A given packet should be handled by the action from the maximum priority rule that matches its source and destination. We describe new data structures for quickly finding the rule matching an incoming packet, in near-linear space, and a new algorithm for determining whether a rule set contains any conflicts, in time &Ogr;(n3/2).
Interaction between Short-Term Heat Pretreatment and Avermectin on 2nd Instar Larvae of Diamondback Moth, Plutella Xylostella (LINN)

Based on the cooperative virulence index (c.f.), the interaction effect between short-term heat pretreatment and avermectin on 2nd instar larvae of diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus), was assessed. The results suggested that the interaction results between short-term heat pretreatment and avermectin on the tested insects varied with temperature level as well as its duration and avermectin concentration. Interaction between heat pretreatment at 30°C and avermectin mainly resulted in addition. Meanwhile, pretreatment at 35°C for 2 or 4 h could antagonize the toxicity of avermectin at lower concentrations, which indicated a hormetic effect occurred. The results indicate that cooperative virulence index (c.f.) may be adopted in hormetic effect assessment.
Magnetic Recording Measurements of Sputtered Media on Tape at an Areal Density of 14  ${\rm Gb/in}^{2}$

Magnetic recording characteristics of a thin-film sputtered media on tape are studied with an HDD head in a high precision nano-positioning system. Signal spectrum roll-off slope is used to determine the effective magnetic spacing to be about 108 nm. The optimum broadband SNR at a linear density of 254 kbpi is 10 dB with a GMR read width of 0.1 mum. The estimated minimum track pitch, limited by side-track interference, is approximately 0.45 mum.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features of the Nigrostriatal System: Biomarkers of Parkinson’s Disease Stages?

Introduction Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to identify biomarkers in Parkinson’s disease (PD); R2* values reflect iron content related to high levels of oxidative stress, whereas volume and/or shape changes reflect neuronal death. We sought to assess iron overload in the nigrostriatal system and characterize its relationship with focal and overall atrophy of the striatum in the pivotal stages of PD. Methods Twenty controls and 70 PD patients at different disease stages (untreated de novo patients, treated early-stage patients and advanced-stage patients with L-dopa-related motor complications) were included in the study. We determined the R2* values in the substantia nigra, putamen and caudate nucleus, together with striatal volume and shape analysis. We also measured R2* in an acute MPTP mouse model and in a longitudinal follow-up two years later in the early-stage PD patients. Results The R2* values in the substantia nigra, putamen and caudate nucleus were significantly higher in de novo PD patients than in controls. Early-stage patients displayed significantly higher R2* values in the substantia nigra (with changes in striatal shape), relative to de novo patients. Measurements after a two-year follow-up in early-stage patients and characterization of the acute MPTP mouse model confirmed that R2* changed rapidly with disease progression. Advanced-stage patients displayed significant atrophy of striatum, relative to earlier disease stages. Conclusion Each pivotal stage in PD appears to be characterized by putative nigrostriatal MRI biomarkers: iron overload at the de novo stage, striatal shape changes at early-stage disease and generalized striatal atrophy at advanced disease.
In Search of the Underlying Mechanism of the Disposition Effect

Using comprehensive data from the Finnish stock market, we assess the explanatory value of the three most commonly cited explanations for the disposition effect: prospect theory, belief in mean reversion, and escalation of commitment. In general, the results provide evidence for the presence of the disposition effect. More importantly, the effect appears to be significantly more pronounced when investors are personally responsible for the initial investment decision. This finding suggests that investor behavior is influenced above all by self-justificatory concerns, an interpretation that is consistent with the escalation of commitment-based explanation of the disposition effect. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Rupture Risk of Aneurysm in the Anterior Communicating Artery: A Single Center Study

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of ruptured aneurysms at anterior communicating artery (A com) with an analysis of clinical and morphological data, which could further our understanding of the risks of ruptured A com aneurysms. Materials and Methods An analysis of data with 86 ruptured and 44 unruptured A com aneurysms were analyzed using a digital subtraction angiography or 3-dimensional computed tomography angiography between January 2010 and December 2015 in a single center. Results Fifty-five percent of ruptured A com aneurysms were smaller than 4 mm in size. They had a smooth wall (44%), with a mean size ratio of 4.22 (range: 0.7-14.3) and mean height/width ratio of 1.48 (range: 0.5-2.9); 23 patients of A1 positive difference. Unruptured aneurysms were mostly 2-10 mm in size (94%) and had an irregular wall (43%), with a mean size ratio of 4.1 (range: 0.8-9.1) and mean height/width ratio of 1.2 (range: 0.1-2.6); 6 patients of A1 positive difference. In terms of the morphology of aneurysms, size of A com, maximum aneurysm size, neck width, aneurysm wall morphology, and size ratio were not different with statistical significance. However, dominance of A1 (p = 0.01) and height/width ratio (p = 0.03) were found to be a significant predictive factor for rupture of A com aneurysms. Conclusion To better understand the rupture risk of A com aneurysms, a large, multicenter, collaborative, and prospective study should be performed in the future.
Content delivery system for optimal VoD streaming

The demand of video contents has rapidly increased in the past years as a result of the wide deployment of IPTV and the variety of services offered by the network operators. One of the services that has especially become attractive to the customers is real-time video on demand (VoD) because it offers an immediate streaming of a large variety of video contents. The price that the operators have to pay for this convenience is the increased traffic in the networks, which are becoming more congested due to the higher demand for VoD contents and the increased quality of the videos. As a solution, in this paper we propose a hierarchical network system for VoD content delivery in managed networks, which implements redistribution algorithm and a redirection strategy for optimal content distribution within the network core and optimal streaming to the clients. The system monitors the state of the network and the behavior of the users to estimate the demand for the content items and to take the right decision on the appropriate number of replicas and their best positions in the network. The system's objectives are to distribute replicas of the content items in the network in a way that the most demanded contents will have replicas closer to the clients so that it will optimize the network utilization and will improve the users' experience. It also balances the load between the servers concentrating the traffic to the edges of the network.
Drivers' Gaze Patterns in Braking From Three Different Approaches to a Crash Barrier

In our previous research, we found that drivers when engaged in straight-road driving, and also braking, tend to look in the direction of their intended movement regardless of speed or expertise (Rogers, Kadar, & Costall, this issue). Furthermore, gaze direction is highly constrained in braking, suggesting that speed control might be based on global optic flow. This study further investigates gaze when drivers are braking in front of a vertical barrier and either approaching the barrier orthogonally or from the right or the left. These three different directions of approach entail three different potential points of collision: the nose of the car, or the front right or left wheel. In all conditions, drivers directed their gaze in the direction of their movement. However, in the case of nonorthogonal approach, the drivers at the very end of their approach shifted their gaze away from their direction of travel and toward the potential collision point on the barrier. On the basis of these findings, we propose that drivers tend to rely on global optic flow to control their speed, but can also control speed by the local rate of optic expansion around the point of fixation (i.e., the point of potential collision).
Givers and Takers: Clinical Biopsychological Perspectives on Relationship Behavior Patterns

To date, limited progress has been made in advancing a comprehensive biopsychological model to explain behavior patterns in human relationships. This paper describes such a model. A simplified description of a theory of cortical functioning is presented, followed by a discus sion of two patterns of human relationship behaviors that are explained within the context of the model. A comparison of the current model and the dominant Big Five model of personality traits is then briefly discussed. Conclusions focus on the need for future research to determine the effectiveness of a clinical biopsychology approach, including the accuracy of the relation ship patterns.
Marital Alternatives and Marital Disruption.

Using longitudinal data from a panel of married white urban couples from 16 United States urban areas this paper explores the usefulness of marital alternatives as a dimension in explaining marital stability. A scale is employed to measure the respondents perception of how much better or worse off they would be without their present spouse and how easily that spouse could be replaced with one of comparable quality. Even when taken independently the dimension of marital alternatives appears to be a better predictor of marital disruption than is marital satisfaction. It is found that "marital alternatives correlate positively with resources of the self and negatively with spouses resources. The marital alternatives concept appears to be useful in understanding the social psychology of marital stability. " (EXCERPT)
Artificial Extracellular Matrices with Oversulfated Glycosaminoglycan Derivatives Promote the Differentiation of Osteoblast-Precursor Cells and Premature Osteoblasts

Sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAG) are components of the bone marrow stem cell niche and to a minor extent of mature bone tissue with important functions in regulating stem cell lineage commitment and differentiation. We anticipated that artificial extracellular matrices (aECM) composed of collagen I and synthetically oversulfated GAG derivatives affect preferentially the differentiation of osteoblast-precursor cells and early osteoblasts. A set of gradually sulfated chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronan derivatives was used for the preparation of aECM. All these matrices were analysed with human bone marrow stromal cells to identify the most potent aECM and to determine the influence of the degree and position of sulfate groups and the kind of disaccharide units on the osteogenic differentiation. Oversulfated GAG derivatives with a sulfate group at the C-6 position of the N-acetylglycosamine revealed the most pronounced proosteogenic effect as determined by tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium deposition. A subset of the aECM was further analysed with different primary osteoblasts and cell lines reflecting different maturation stages to test whether the effect of sulfated GAG derivatives depends on the maturation status of the cells. It was shown that the proosteogenic effect of aECM was most prominent in early osteoblasts.
The Death of the Concerned Intellectual

This paper offers a definition of the intellectual covering both professional and moral dimensions: An intellectual is a specialist who creates and communicates symbolised knowledge as means of living, and hopefully intervenes in social and political affairs in the name of universal values, truth and justice. "Symbolised knowledge" is used in the definition to avoid the confusion with other forms of knowledge derived from direct personal experience in production and life. The purpose of using "specialist" as the subject term is to exclude those categories such politicians, soldiers and business people who exercise political, military, financial and other forms of power instead of intellectual power in their social function. This paper argues that there are many roles played by intellectuals, and the social location and function of intellectuals can be fundamentally different in different societies. When production and communication of knowledge are taken as the primary concern of intellectuals, ‘the death of the concerned intellectual’ becomes an unwarranted anxiety, because there is no reason to believe that knowledge and truth will no longer be pursued and valued by humankind. Political marginalisation of critical intellectuals, where it is a reality, seems to be caused not so much by the lack of power of intellectuals as by the lack of solidarity among intellectuals to fight for a common cause. The problem lies as much in the lack of enthusiasm among intellectuals to transcend the boundaries of their professional relevance and intervene in broad social and political issues, as in institutional structures consuming too much energy and time of the intellectuals and seducing them to give up their social responsibilities for personal career.
A high throughput CABAC encoder for ultra high resolution video

In this paper, a high throughput fully hardwired CABAC encoder is proposed for real-time encoding video of ultra high resolution, e.g., QFHD (3840×2160). We analyze the distribution of bins in various syntax elements and accordingly propose a new architecture which includes an optimized context memory access scheme, a multi-bin Binary Arithmetic Encoder (BAE), and an SE-specific cycle-reduction context modeler for increasing BAE utilization. Our architecture can process up to 8 bins per cycle. Running at 222 MHz, it is capable of real-time encoding QFHD video in the worst case of main profile Level 5.1. We have successfully integrated the proposed CABAC encoder into an H.264/AVC encoder system using a multi-media SoC platform.
Mindfulness-based prevention for eating disorders: A school-based cluster randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE Successful prevention of eating disorders represents an important goal due to damaging long-term impacts on health and well-being, modest treatment outcomes, and low treatment seeking among individuals at risk. Mindfulness-based approaches have received early support in the treatment of eating disorders, but have not been evaluated as a prevention strategy. This study aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a novel mindfulness-based intervention for reducing the risk of eating disorders among adolescent females, under both optimal (trained facilitator) and task-shifted (non-expert facilitator) conditions. METHOD A school-based cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in which 19 classes of adolescent girls (N = 347) were allocated to a three-session mindfulness-based intervention, dissonance-based intervention, or classes as usual control. A subset of classes (N = 156) receiving expert facilitation were analyzed separately as a proxy for delivery under optimal conditions. RESULTS Task-shifted facilitation showed no significant intervention effects across outcomes. Under optimal facilitation, students receiving mindfulness demonstrated significant reductions in weight and shape concern, dietary restraint, thin-ideal internalization, eating disorder symptoms, and psychosocial impairment relative to control by 6-month follow-up. Students receiving dissonance showed significant reductions in socio-cultural pressures. There were no statistically significant differences between the two interventions. Moderate intervention acceptability was reported by both students and teaching staff. DISCUSSION Findings show promise for the application of mindfulness in the prevention of eating disorders; however, further work is required to increase both impact and acceptability, and to enable successful outcomes when delivered by less expert providers.
Detection of Pedestrian Crossing using Bipolarity and Projective Invariant

A novel image-based approach for detecting pedestrian crossings to enhance the safety and mobility of blind people while crossing a road is described. This is achieved through bipolarity-based segmentation and projective invariantbased recognition. A thorough evaluation of the proposed approach was conducted using 100 real images with and without crossings. It was found that the proposed technique perform with 96% accuracy and with no dangerous error.