Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Financial feasibility of marker-aided selection in Douglas-fir

The land area required for a marker-aided selection (MAS) program to break-even (i.e., have equal costs and benefits) was estimated using computer simulation for coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) in the Pacific Northwestern United States. We compared the selection efficiency obtained when using an index that included the phenotype and marker score with that obtained using only the phenotype. It was assumed that MAS was restricted to within-family selection, that the rotation age was 50 years, and that growth rate ( h 2 = 0.25), tree form (h 2 = 0.25), and (or) wood density (h 2 = 0.45) were the objects of improvement. Several population quantitative trait loci (QTL) models, selection population sizes, and interest rates were considered. When large selection population sizes were em - ployed (500 trees per family) MAS gave considerable increases in efficiency of within-family selection; however, re- sults showed that the combination of small selection population sizes (100 trees per family) and many QTL of moderate effect could lead to losses in gain from MAS compared with phenotypic selection. For many reasonable se- lection scenarios and the simplified assumptions in our model, the land base required for breeding programs to break- even is smaller or near to the limit of those in place under operational breeding programs in the region. Considerably more research is needed to reasonably predict whether MAS would be cost-effective in practice. However, before some of the basic research needed to implement MAS can be done, organizations need to establish large blocks of full-sib families to allow for QTL identification.
Trypanocidal Drug Benznidazole Impairs Lipopolysaccharide Induction of Macrophage Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Transcription Through Inhibition of NF-κB Activation1

In murine macrophages, inducible NO synthase II (NOSII) gene expression is promoted at a transcriptional level by LPS and/or IFN-γ with benznidazole (BZL), a trypanocidal drug, acting to down-regulate NOSII gene induction and hence inhibiting NO production. By performing transient transfection experiments, we now report that BZL also inhibited the expression of NOSII gene promoter or multimerized NF-κB binding site controlled reporter genes. By contrast, no effect was observed on the expression of a reporter gene under the control of the NOSII promoter-derived IFN regulatory factor element. EMSAs demonstrated that BZL inhibited the nuclear availability of NF-κB in stimulated macrophages. NF-κB is activated in macrophages by phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and subsequent proteolysis of IκB. Within this setting, Western blot was also performed to show that BZL blocked IκBα degradation. Collectively, these results demonstrate that BZL is able to specifically inhibit macrophage NF-κB activation after LPS plus IFN-γ stimulation.
Gastric ulcer, atrophic gastritis, and intestinal metaplasia caused by Helicobacter pylori infection in Mongolian gerbils.

BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with gastroduodenal disease in humans. In this study we aimed to show this relationship directly in Mongolian gerbils. METHODS The animals were challenged orally with H. pylori and killed 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after inoculation for histologic and anti-H. pylori antibody titer examination. RESULTS The spiral bacteria were observed in the mucus and gastric pits of all infected animals. A severe infiltration of the lamina propria by polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cells was seen 1 month after H. pylori inoculation. The submucosa was infiltrated by mainly mononuclear cells with formation of lymphoid follicles. Erosion of the gastric mucosa appeared soon after inoculation, whereas gastric ulcers, gastritis cystica profunda, and atrophy with goblet cell metaplasia occurred between 3 and 6 months after inoculation. In the duodenal mucosa a mild inflammatory cell infiltration with ballooning and diminished number of duodenal glands was seen. The IgG anti-H. pylori antibody titer increased gradually after 2 months of inoculation. CONCLUSIONS Since the gastritis, gastric ulcers, atrophic gastritis, and intestinal metaplasia that developed in Mongolian gerbils were similar to those observed in humans, this model may be useful to study the therapy of gastric ulcer and, with a longer observation period, to confirm a possible relationship between H. pylori and malignancy.
ITU-T SG16 QoS Architecture for Multimedia Systems

The purpose of this paper is to show standardization activity in ITU-T SG16 with respect to QoS. The ITU-T SG16 has defined an architecture and framework that permits H.323 applications to request and acquire QoS for its applications in multi-provider networks. This document provides a brief look at that architecture and framework. The H.323 QoS effort is independent of but complementary to the QoS architecture, mechanisms and tools supported in the network domain. The intention is that irrespective of the QoS mechanisms deployed in the network, H.323 applications can negotiate and acquire QoS from the network end to end
What people know about sounds of language

Generative phonology has the goal of developing a comprehensive and predictive model of implicit knowledge of sound structure. In this paper, I review the nature and import of the discoveries about implicit knowledge which were made possible by modern methods for gathering experimental data and for analyzing large data sets. First, it is known that languages di er in extremely ne phonetic detail. These systematic di erences are learned by speakers and represent part of their implicit knowledge. Second, knowledge of phonological grammar gradiently re ects the frequencies of patterns in the lexicon. Third, knowledge of morphophonological alternations re ects the frequencies of word relations in the lexicon. These ndings point to a model of phonology in which gradient phonetic resources are organized and exploited by languages in their lexical inventories, and the phonological grammar arises as generalizations over the lexicon.
Nearly flat bands in two-dimensional magnetic photonic crystals and associated topological properties

Based on exact numerical calculations and physical analyses, we demonstrate that there are two types of flat band in two-dimensional (2D) magnetic photonic crystals (PhCs). One has trivial topology with zero Chern number and the other has non-trivial topology with nonzero Chern number. Physical origins and topological properties of two types of flat band are studied comparatively.
Finding a Maximum Clique in an Arbitrary Graph

We describe a new type of branch and bound procedure for finding a maximum clique in an arbitrary graph $G = (V,E)$. The two main ingredients, both of $O(|V| + |E|)$ time complexity, are (i) an algorithm for finding a maximal triangulated induced subgraph of G; and (ii) an algorithm for finding a maximal k-chromatic induced subgraph of G. We discuss computational experience on randomly generated graphs with up to 400 vertices and 30,000 edges.
Excitons in van der Waals materials: From monolayer to bulk hexagonal boron nitride

We present a general picture of the exciton properties of layered materials in terms of the excitations of their single-layer building blocks. To this end, we derive a model excitonic Hamiltonian by drawing an analogy with molecular crystals, which are other prototypical van der Waals materials. We employ this simplified model to analyze in detail the excitation spectrum of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) that we have obtained from the ab initio solution of the many-body Bethe-Salpeter equation as a function of momentum. In this way, we identify the character of the lowest-energy excitons in hBN, discuss the effects of the interlayer hopping and the electron-hole exchange interaction on the exciton dispersion, and illustrate the relation between exciton and plasmon excitations in layered materials.
Measuring soluble platelet glycoprotein VI in human plasma by ELISA

Recent experimental evidence demonstrates that the platelet-specific collagen receptor, glycoprotein (GP)VI is essentially all uncleaved on normal circulating platelets, but is shed from the platelet surface in a metalloproteinase-dependent manner in response to GPVI ligands (including collagen), anti-GPVI antibodies or activation at the platelet Fc receptor, FcγRIIa. This raises the question of whether shed ectodomain fragment in plasma could be a useful biomarker of thrombotic risk and/or autoimmune thrombocytopenia. In this study, we developed a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for measuring soluble GPVI in human plasma, using rabbit anti-GPVI polyclonal antibody in the solid-phase, murine anti-GPVI monoclonal antibody (1A12) in the fluid-phase and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-coupled anti-mouse antibody and enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) for detection. The ELISA was optimized for sensitivity, reproducibility, inter- and intra-assay precision, addition and recovery and detected GPVI in plasma with a lower detection limit of ∼1 ng/mL. Effects of different anti-coagulants (trisodium citrate, acid-citrate-dextrose or EDTA) were negligible. In ten healthy donors, soluble plasma GPVI levels were 18.9 ± 4.1 ng/mL. Treating normal platelet-rich plasma with a GPVI ligand (collagen-related peptide, CRP), calmodulin inhibitor W7 (that induces GPVI shedding without platelet activation) or N-ethylmaleimide (that directly activates platelet sheddases), under conditions previously shown to induce GPVI shedding, also increased plasma GPVI levels by up to ∼7-fold, compared to previously reported autoimmune (anti-GPVI) patient plasma where soluble GPVI was ∼10-fold higher than normal. Characterization of this sensitive ELISA should facilitate analysis of functional/diagnostic role(s) for soluble GPVI in human plasma associated with thrombotic/immune dysfunction.
A HYPERBOLIC RELAXATION MODEL FOR PRODUCT FLOW IN COMPLEX PRODUCTION NETWORKS

This paper presents a continuum - traffic flow like - model for the flow of products through complex production networks, based on statistical information obtained from extensive observations of the system. The resulting model consists of a system of hyperbolic conservation laws, which, in a relaxation limit, exhibit the correct diffusive properties given by the variance of the observed data.
Primary carcinoma of the liver; a clinicopathologic study of one hundred eight cases.

Primary carcinoma of the liver continues to be a challenging disease, for it is of uncommon occurrence, and it presents a major diagnostic and therapeutic problem. Attention was recently refocused on this disease when it was noted that it had markedly increased in autopsies performed at this hospital during the past decade; the reasons for this increase were analyzed in a previous article from this laboratory, and they will be briefly referred to later. The present study reviews the clinical, pathological, and laboratory features of autopsied cases of primary liver carcinoma at this hospital and contrasts the findings in this series with those of other reports. No attempt has been made to record all previous reports of liver carcinoma, but rather to use the articles dealing either with large numbers of cases, or those dealing with pertinent features of the disease. Early History Among the excellent summaries of the historical
Multiplicity and Diversity of Plasmodium vivax Infections in a Highly Endemic Region in Papua New Guinea

Plasmodium vivax is highly endemic in the lowlands of Papua New Guinea and accounts for a large proportion of the malaria cases in children less than 5 years of age. We collected 2117 blood samples at 2-monthly intervals from a cohort of 268 children aged 1 to 4.5 years and estimated the diversity and multiplicity of P. vivax infection. All P. vivax clones were genotyped using the merozoite surface protein 1 F3 fragment (msp1F3) and the microsatellite MS16 as molecular markers. High diversity was observed with msp1F3 (H E = 88.1%) and MS16 (H E = 97.8%). Of the 1162 P. vivax positive samples, 74% harbored multi-clone infections with a mean multiplicity of 2.7 (IQR = 1–3). The multiplicity of P. vivax infection increased slightly with age (P = 0.02), with the strongest increase in very young children. Intensified efforts to control malaria can benefit from knowledge of the diversity and MOI both for assessing the endemic situation and monitoring the effects of interventions.
On the effect of dynamic flow conditions on blood microstructure investigated with optical shearing microscopy and rheometry

Abstract Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation affects significantly the flow of blood at low shear rates. Increased RBC aggregation is associated with various pathological conditions; hence an accurate quantification and better understanding of the phenomenon is important. The present study aims to improve understanding of the effect of dynamic flow conditions on aggregate formation; whole blood samples from healthy volunteers, adjusted at 0.45 haematocrit were tested in different flow conditions with a plate-plate optical shearing system, image analysis, and a double-walled Couette rheometric cell. Results are presented in terms of aggregation index Aa, aggregate size index As and number of aggregates, which are shown to vary with shear rate γ and with different shear rate variations with time γ. The aggregation index Aa was observed to increase as the shear rate decreased between 10 and 3 s−1. Above 10 s−1, Aa was found to have a minimum value indicating minimal aggregation while, at approximately 3 s−1, Aa reaches a maximum. The aggregation size index As, the number of aggregates, and the blood viscosity were found to vary considerably when the same sample was examined over the same shear rate range, but for different variations of shear rate with time, γ.
Classification of oil spill in the Krishna-Godavari offshore using ERS-1 SAR images with a fuzzy logic approach

In the present study new features are extracted from the dark spot and fuzzy based techniques were utilized for classifications of the dark spot into oil spill and look alike. Threshold is defined for detection of dark spot, which is obtained from histogram analysis, where the image histograms consist of two peaks. For scenes devoid of two peaks in the histogram, an empirical formula is developed from the scene statistics, which designate the threshold for segmentation of the dark spot. A centerline concept is introduced which bisects the slick along the major axis. This is further used to determine the width, shape and orientation of the suspected slick. Abrupt turn and curving of the slick is also monitored from the centerline. According to the characteristic of each feature, separate membership functions were assigned to obtain its fuzzy set. Few features were identified to have high discriminatory power, whose values were having marked contrast for oil spill and look alike. Five classes were defined: 1) oil spill, 2) tending to oil spill, 3) uncertain, 4) tending to look alike and 5) look alike. From 30 dark spots obtained from six ERS-1 SAR scenes, six were classified as oil spill and four dark spots as look alike. Six dark spots were classified as tending to oil spill and five as tending to look alike, whereas classification of nine dark spots was found to be uncertain.
Linear precoding based on switched interleaving and limited feedback for interference suppression in downlink multi-antenna MC-CDMA systems

In this work, a new hybrid transmit processing technique based on switched interleaving and chip-wise precoding is proposed to suppress the multiuser interference (MUI) for downlink multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) multiple antenna systems. A set of possible chip-interleavers are constructed and prestored at both the base station (BS) and mobile stations (MSs), which are also equipped with another codebook of quantized downlink channel state information (CSI). Each MS quantizes its own downlink CSI and feeds back the index to the BS by a low-rate feedback channel, then the selection function at the BS determines the optimum interleaver based on all users' quantized CSIs to transmit signals. Simulation results show that the performance of the proposed techniques is significantly better than prior art.
Materializing trust as an understandable digital concept

Trust is a very complex concept in digital environments. While trust is understandable by users in an inter-personal context, the transfer of this concept to a digital world holds many problems. As a result, the provision of feedback on a system's trustworthiness, particularly in connection with new technologies, such as the Internet of Things or ubiquitous and wearable computing, holds many obstacles. Therefore it is the goal of this PhD to re-use familiar concepts from interaction design, as well as known materials to provide understandable and intuitive trustworthiness feedback in new technological environments.
A conserved retinoic acid responsive element in the murine Hoxb-1 gene is required for expression in the developing gut.

The murine Hoxb-1 gene contains a homeobox sequence and is expressed in a spatiotemporal specific pattern in neuroectoderm, mesoderm and gut endoderm during development. We previously identified a conserved retinoic acid (RA)-inducible enhancer, named the RAIDR5, which contains a DR5 RARE; this RAIDR5 enhancer is located 3' of the Hoxb-1-coding region in both the mouse and chick. In the F9 murine teratocarcinoma cell line, this DR5 RARE is required for the RA response of the Hoxb-1 gene, suggesting a functional role of the DR5 RARE in Hoxb-1 gene expression during embryogenesis. From the analysis of Hoxb-1/lacZ reporter genes in transgenic mice, we have shown that a wild-type (WT) transgene with 15 kb of Hoxb-1 genomic DNA, including this Hoxb-1 3' RAIDR5, is expressed in the same tissues and at the same times as the endogenous Hoxb-1 gene. However, a transgene construct with point mutations in the DR5 RARE (DR5mu) was not expressed in the developing foregut, which gives rise to organs such as the esophagus, lung, stomach, liver and pancreas. Like the wild-type transgene, this DR5 RARE mutated transgene was expressed in rhombomere 4 in 9.5 day postcoitum (d.p.c.) embryos. Similarly, transgene staining in the foregut of animals carrying a deletion of the entire Hox-b1 RAIDR5 enhancer (3'-del) was greatly reduced relative to that seen with the WT transgene. We also demonstrated that expression of the WT transgene in the gut increases in response to exogenous RA, resulting in anterior expansion of the expression in the gut. These observations that the Hoxb-1 gene is expressed in the developing gut and that this expression is regulated through a DR5 RARE strongly suggest a role for Hoxb-1 in the anteroposterior axis patterning of the gut and a critical role for endogenous retinoids in early gut development.
Obscurity by Design : An Approach to Building Privacy into Social Media

Responding to the privacy challenges of pervasive technologies such as social network sites, regulators propose that privacy protections be built into all phases of the software development lifecycle. The proposed solution, privacy-by-design, has been difficult to implement in practice. Therefore, we propose obscurityby-design, an evidence-based, flexible set of principles designers can consider when building privacy in to interactional social media spaces.
Sentiment Analysis in Social Networks: a Study on Vehicles

This paper presents partial results of a research project that aims to create a process of sentiment analysis based on ontologies in the automobile domain and then to develop a prototype. The process aims at making a social media analysis, identifying feelings and opinions about brands and vehicle parts. The method that guided the development process involves the construction of ontologies and a dictionary of terms that reflect the structure of the vocabulary domain. The proposed process is capable of generating information that answers questions such as: “In the opinion of the customer, which car is better: Corsa or Palio? Which one is more beautiful? Which engine is stronger? ” To answer these questions by comparison, one can show a general view reflected on different social networks, indicating, for example, that for a given vehicle, a certain percentage of responses are considered positive, while for others, the percentage is considered negative. The results can be used for various purposes such as guiding decisions to improve the products or directing specific marketing strategies. The process can be generalized and applied to other areas in which organizations are interested in monitoring views expressed about their products and services.1
Nuoren taitoluistelijan fyysisen suorituskyvyn vaatimukset

28 April 2009 Degree programme in sport and leisure management Authors Janita Mantynen Group or year of entry LOT-2009 The title of thesis Physiological Performance Requirements of Young Figure Skater Number of pages and appendices 52 + 2 Supervisors Riina Valto & Timo Vuorimaa The purpose of this thesis was to establish physiological requirements for young and adolescent figure skaters. The second aim of this thesis was to examine how the young skaters who had proceeded to team Finland from Projekti-group differed from the same aged figure skaters during the age of 10 to 15. The final aim of the thesis was to study three Finnish elite female figure skaters and development of their physiological performance. The data was provided by the Sports Institute of Finland and collected during the physiological tests conducted by the Finnish Figure Skating Association s Projekti-group, Projekti-group qualifications and Team Finland during the years 1998 to 2008. For the physiological performance requirements study, the data from Projekti-group and Projekti-group qualifications was divided into age groups from 10 to 15. After the age groups were formed the test result averages and medians were calculated and analysed with Microsoft Office Excel and the physiological performance requirement tables were formulated. In the second part, data of the differencens in the physiology between skaters who had proceeded to team Finland and the same aged figure skaters in Projekti-group, was and was analysed with comparing test averages between age groups 10 to 15. In the physiological development study on three Finnish elite female figure skaters the data was fed to diagrams and analysed. The physiological demands research showed that an adolescent has to improve every year to keep up with the progress. The comparison between figure skaters who had proceeded to team Finland and figure skaters in Projekti-group showed that members of team Finland were physically more fit than figure skaters in Projekti-group after the age of 13. Three Finnish elite female figure skaters physical development had mostly positive and slightly negative variation during the test period. Briefly, it can be said that the physiological performance requirements for elite figure skaters are high. To keep up with the trend one has to improve, though the development does not need to be incessant.