Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Campylobacter species isolates with phenotypic methods and polymerase chain reaction.

INTRODUCTION Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) and Campylobacter coli (C. coli) are the most common bacterial causes of enterocolitis in humans. However, identification of the species level is not always possible using standard biochemical tests. OBJECTIVE Therefore, the goal of this study was to identify these microorganisms by both phenotyping and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. METHODS A total of 153 species of thermophilic campylobacters were examined with standard biochemical tests and PCR technique to prove hipO genes of C. jejuni and asp genes of C. coli. RESULTS Standard biochemical tests enabled the speciation of 121 strains of C. jejuni, while application of PCR detected 126 C. jejuni strains. CONCLUSION PCR technique allowed not only identification of hippurate-positive C. jejuni, but also hipurat-negative strains of C. jejuni which otherwise would be detected as C. coli if only biochemical tests were applied.
Advances in Maize Genomics and Their Value for Enhancing Genetic Gains from Breeding

Maize is an important crop for food, feed, forage, and fuel across tropical and temperate areas of the world. Diversity studies at genetic, molecular, and functional levels have revealed that, tropical maize germplasm, landraces, and wild relatives harbor a significantly wider range of genetic variation. Among all types of markers, SNP markers are increasingly the marker-of-choice for all genomics applications in maize breeding. Genetic mapping has been developed through conventional linkage mapping and more recently through linkage disequilibrium-based association analyses. Maize genome sequencing, initially focused on gene-rich regions, now aims for the availability of complete genome sequence. Conventional insertion mutation-based cloning has been complemented recently by EST- and map-based cloning. Transgenics and nutritional genomics are rapidly advancing fields targeting important agronomic traits including pest resistance and grain quality. Substantial advances have been made in methodologies for genomics-assisted breeding, enhancing progress in yield as well as abiotic and biotic stress resistances. Various genomic databases and informatics tools have been developed, among which MaizeGDB is the most developed and widely used by the maize research community. In the future, more emphasis should be given to the development of tools and strategic germplasm resources for more effective molecular breeding of tropical maize products.
Familial Aortic Coarctation: A Rare Cause of Refractory Hypertension in the Elderly

AbstractWe report the first case of late presentation of familial aortic coarctation, a rare cause of hypertension. Diagnosis of familial aortic coarctation in the elderly is exceptional, given that in the absence of endovascular or surgical repair patients do not usually survive beyond 50 years of age. Our case concerns a 72-year-old woman with hypertension of long evolution, control of which improved markedly after endovascular repair of the coarctation. Her son had undergone surgery for repair of aortic coarctation at the age of 23 years.
Bootstrap prediction intervals for threshold autoregressive models

This paper examines the performance of prediction intervals based on bootstrap for threshold autoregressive models. We consider four bootstrap methods to account for the variability of estimates, correct the small-sample bias of autoregressive coefficients and allow for heterogeneous errors. Simulation shows that (1) accounting for the sampling variability of estimated threshold values is necessary despite super-consistency, (2) bias-correction leads to better prediction intervals under certain circumstances, and (3) two-sample bootstrap can improve long term forecast when errors are regime-dependent.
Comparison of using passages and documents for blind relevance feedback in information retrieval

This paper compares document blind feedback and passage blind feedback in Information Retrieval (IR), based on the work during the NRRC 2003 Reliable Information Access Summer workshop. The analysis of our experimental results shows overall consistency on the performance impact of using passages and documents for blind feedback. However, it is observed that the behavior of passage blind feedback, compared to document blind feedback, is both system dependent and topic dependent. The relationships between the performance impact of passage blind feedback and the number of feedback terms and the topic's average relevant document length, respectively, are examined to illustrate these dependencies.
Endoscopic ultrasound is highly accurate and directs management in patients with neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas

OBJECTIVE:Preoperative localization of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors with traditional imaging fails in 40–60% of patients. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is highly sensitive in the detection of these tumors. Previous reports included relatively few patients or required the collaboration of multiple centers. We report the results of EUS evaluation of 82 patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.METHODS:We prospectively used EUS early in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with biochemical or clinical evidence of neuroendocrine tumors. Patients had surgical confirmation of tumor localization or clinical follow-up of >1 yr.RESULTS:Eighty-two patients underwent 91 examinations (cases). Thirty patients had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type I. One hundred pancreatic tumors were visualized by EUS in 54 different patients. The remaining 28 patients had no pancreatic tumor or an extrapancreatic tumor. Surgical/pathological confirmation was obtained in 75 patients. The mean tumor diameter was 1.51 cm and 71% of the tumors were ≤2.0 cm in diameter. Of the 54 explorations with surgical confirmation of a pancreatic tumor, EUS correctly localized the tumor in 50 patients (93%). Twenty-nine insulinomas, 18 gastrinomas, as well as one glucagonoma, one carcinoid tumor, and one somatostatinoma were localized. The most common site for tumor localization was the pancreatic head (46 patients). Most tumors were hypoechoic, homogenous, and had distinct margins. EUS of the pancreas was correctly negative in 20 of 21 patients (specificity, 95%). EUS was more accurate than angiography with or without stimulation testing (secretin for gastrinoma, calcium for insulinoma), transcutaneous ultrasound, and CT in those patients undergoing further imaging procedures. EUS was not reliable in localizing extrapancreatic tumors.CONCLUSIONS:In this series, the largest single center experience reported to date, EUS had an overall sensitivity and accuracy of 93% for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Our results support the use of EUS as a primary diagnostic modality in the evaluation and management of patients with neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas.
Regime Switching GARCH Models

We develop univariate regime-switching GARCH (RS-GARCH) models wherein the conditional variance switches in time from one GARCH process to another. The switching is governed by a time-varying probability, specified as a function of past information. We provide sufficient conditions for stationarity and existence of moments. Because of path dependence, maximum likelihood estimation is infeasible. By enlarging the parameter space to include the state variables, Bayesian estimation using a Gibbs sampling algorithm is feasible. We apply this model using the NASDAQ daily return series.
New event detection and topic tracking in Turkish

Topic detection and tracking (TDT) applications aim to organize the temporally ordered stories of a news stream according to the events. Two major problems in TDT are new event detection (NED) and topic tracking (TT). These problems focus on ﬁnding the ﬁrst stories of new events and identifying all subsequent stories on a certain topic deﬁned by a small number of sample stories. In this work, we introduce the ﬁrst large-scale TDT test collection for Turkish, and investigate the NED andTT problems in this language. We present our test-collection-construction approach, which is inspired by the TDT research initiative. We show that in TDT for Turkish with some similarity measures, a simple word truncation stemming method can compete with a lemmatizer-based stemming approach. Our ﬁndings show that contrary to our earlier observations on Turkish information retrieval, in NED word stopping has an impact on effectiveness. We demonstrate that the conﬁdence scores of two different similarity measures can be combined in a straightforward manner for higher effectiveness.The inﬂuence of several similarity measures on effectiveness also is investigated. We show that it is possible to deploy TT applications in Turkish that can be used in operational settings.
Spatial Power Combining of Multi-Sine Signals for Wireless Power Transmission Applications

This paper presents two transmitter architectures for wireless power transmission (WPT) applications. These architectures aim at transmitting high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) multi-sine signals, which have demonstrated to improve the RF-dc conversion efficiency of rectifier circuits, such as the ones in the receiving end of a WPT system. In order to overcome the challenges associated to the amplification of high PAPR signals, the proposed schemes make use of the spatial power combining concept, in which the individual signal components are amplified, radiated, and then combined in free space. In order to achieve the high PAPR signals, proper synchronization of the individual tones is required. Two architectures are proposed. The first one is based on the transmission of single-tone signals that are externally locked to a common reference signal that establishes the necessary phase reference. The second architecture is based on a mode-locked oscillator scheme that requires no external reference signal. Instead, this scheme takes advantage of the synchronization phenomena in oscillator circuits to establish the phase reference. Measurements are presented to validate both schemes and to show their effectiveness in improving the RF-dc conversion efficiency in rectifier circuits.
The expression of beta-catenin in non-small-cell lung cancer: a clinicopathological study.

AIMS: To investigate the expression of beta-catenin in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its clinical significance. METHODS: 101 patients were surgically treated for NSCLC by lobectomy or pneumectomy with systematic lymph node dissection. Follow up was available in all patients, ranging from 24 to 110 months. Immunostaining of tissue sections from primary tumours and (when present) their lymph node metastases was performed and evaluated using a monoclonal antibody against beta-catenin. Correlations were investigated between beta-catenin immunostaining in primary tumours and E-cadherin immunostaining (data available from a previous study), lymph node stage, and survival. RESULTS: There were significant correlations between scores for beta-catenin immunostaining and E-cadherin immunostaining in primary tumours (p = 0.007), and between the beta-catenin immunostaining score in primary tumours and in their lymph node metastases (p = 0.006). An inverse correlation was found between the beta-catenin immunostaining score in primary tumours and lymph node stage N0, N1, or N2 (p = 0.03). According to the Kaplan-Meier survival estimate, the level of beta-catenin expression in primary tumours was a statistically significant prognostic factor (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Reduced beta-catenin expression in surgically treated NSCLC is clearly associated with lymph node metastasis and an infavourable prognosis. The existence of a functional relation between E-cadherin and beta-catenin is supported by the results of this clinicopathological study.
Fostering Conceptual Change by Cognitive Conflict Based Instruction on Students' Understanding of Heat and Temperature Concepts

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive conflict based physics instruction over traditionally designed physics instruction on preservice primary school teachers at grade 2. The subjects were 82 (27 boys, 55 girls) second grade pre-service teachers in two classes. One of the classes (42 students) was randomly assigned as experimental and the other class (40 students) assigned as control group. Both groups were taught by the same instructor. While the experimental group received cognitive conflict based physics instruction, control group were taught by traditionally designed physics instruction. The data were obtained through Thermal Concept Evaluation test (TCE). Prior to instruction, students in both groups were pre-tested by TCE in order to determine their initial understanding of heat and temperature at the beginning of instruction. The same tests were applied as posttest after the instruction. Independent samples t-test on pre-test scores showed that there was no statistical significant difference between experimental and control group at the beginning of the instruction in terms of understanding of heat and temperature concepts. ANCOVA results showed that mean scores on the post-TCE of students in experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group. While interaction between gender difference and treatment made a significant contribution to the variation in achievement, gender difference did not.
Investigation of the Effect of Dimple Bionic Nonsmooth Surface on Tire Antihydroplaning

Inspired by the idea that bionic nonsmooth surfaces (BNSS) reduce fluid adhesion and resistance, the effect of dimple bionic nonsmooth structure arranged in tire circumferential grooves surface on antihydroplaning performance was investigated by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The physical model of the object (model of dimple bionic nonsmooth surface distribution, hydroplaning model) and SST k − ω turbulence model are established for numerical analysis of tire hydroplaning. By virtue of the orthogonal table L16(45), the parameters of dimple bionic nonsmooth structure design compared to the smooth structure were analyzed, and the priority level of the experimental factors as well as the best combination within the scope of the experiment was obtained. The simulation results show that dimple bionic nonsmooth structure can reduce water flow resistance by disturbing the eddy movement in boundary layers. Then, optimal type of dimple bionic nonsmooth structure is arranged on the bottom of tire circumferential grooves for hydroplaning performance analysis. The results show that the dimple bionic nonsmooth structure effectively decreases the tread hydrodynamic pressure when driving on water film and increases the tire hydroplaning velocity, thus improving tire antihydroplaning performance.
Multidrug Efflux Pumps at the Crossroad between Antibiotic Resistance and Bacterial Virulence

Multidrug efflux pumps can be involved in bacterial resistance to antibiotics at different levels. Some efflux pumps are constitutively expressed at low levels and contribute to intrinsic resistance. In addition, their overexpression may allow higher levels of resistance. This overexpression can be transient, in the presence of an effector (phenotypic resistance), or constitutive when mutants in the regulatory elements of the expression of efflux pumps are selected (acquired resistance). Efflux pumps are present in all cells, from human to bacteria and are highly conserved, which indicates that they are ancient elements in the evolution of different organisms. Consequently, it has been suggested that, besides antibiotic resistance, bacterial multidrug efflux pumps would likely contribute to other relevant processes of the microbial physiology. In the current article, we discuss some specific examples of the role that efflux pumps may have in the bacterial virulence of animals’ and plants’ pathogens, including the processes of intercellular communication. Based in these evidences, we propose that efflux pumps are at the crossroad between resistance and virulence of bacterial pathogens. Consequently, the comprehensive study of multidrug efflux pumps requires addressing these functions, which are of relevance for the bacterial–host interactions during infection.
Cognitive Radio Networks (CRN): Resource Allocation Techniques Based On DNA-inspired Computing

Spectrum is a scarce commodity, and considering the spectrum scarcity faced by the wireless-based service providers led to high congestion levels. Technical inefficiencies from pooled, since all networks share a common pool of channels, exhausting the available channels will force networks to block the services. Researchers found that cognitive radio (CR) technology may resolve the spectrum scarcity. A CR is a self-configuring entity in a wireless networking that senses its environment, tracks changes, and frequently exchanges information with their networks. However, CRN facing challenges and condition become worst while tracks changes i.e. reallocation of another under-utilized channels while primary network user arrives. In this paper, channels or resource reallocation technique based on DNA-inspired computing algorithm for CRN has been proposed. Keywords—Ad hoc networks, channels reallocation, cognitive radio, DNA local sequence alignment.
A pareto-based genetic algorithm for optimized assignment of VM requests on a cloud brokering environment

In this paper, we deal with cloud brokering for the assignment optimization of VM requests in three-tier cloud infrastructures. We investigate the Pareto-based meta-heuristic approach to take into account multiple client and broker-centric optimization criteria. We propose a new multi-objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA-CB ) that can be integrated in a cloud broker. Two objectives are considered in the optimization process: minimizing both the response time and the cost of the selected VM instances to satisfy the clients and to maximize the profit of the broker. The approach has been experimented using realistic data of different types of Amazon EC2 instances and their pricing history. The reported results show that MOGA-CB provides efficiently effective Pareto sets of solutions.
Detection of coral bleaching using high spatial resolution satellite images

Recent dramatic bleaching events on coral reefs have enhanced the need for global environmental monitoring. This paper investigates the value of present high spatial resolution satellites to detect coral bleaching using a change detection technique. We compared an IRS LISS-III image taken during the 1998 bleaching event in Belize to images taken before the bleaching event. The sensitivity of the sensors was investigated and a simulation was made to estimate the effect of sub-pixel changes. A manual interpretation of coral bleaching, based on differences between the images, was performed and the outcome was compared to field observations. The spectral characteristics of the pixels corresponding to the field observations and the manually interpreted bleachings were analysed and compared to pixels from unaffected areas. 1 Centre for Image Analysis, Uppsala University, Lagerhyddvagen 17, SE-752 37 Uppsala, Sweden. petra@cb.uu. se 2 MGG/RSMAS, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy, Miami, FL 33149
DocTr: a unifying framework for tracking physical documents and organisational structures

Despite major advancements in digital document management, paper documents still play an important role in our daily work and are often used in combination with digital documents and services. Over the last two decades, we have seen a number of augmented reality solutions helping users in managing their paper documents in office settings. However, since data is mainly managed at the application layer, the use of multiple document tracking setups results in fragmented and inconsistent tracking data. Furthermore, existing tracking solutions often focus on the tracking of paper documents in organisational structures such as folders or filing cabinets without taking into account the flow of documents across these organisational structures. We present the Document Tracking (DocTr) framework for unifying existing document tracking setups and managing document metadata across organisational structures. The DocTr framework has been implemented based on a user-centric requirements analysis and simplifies the development of interactive computing systems for personal cross-media information management.
Generalized Probabilistic Satisfiability

This paper studies the Generalized Probabilistic Satisfiability (GPSAT) problem, where the probabilistic satisfiability problem is extended by allowing Boolean combinations of probabilistic assertions and nested probabilistic formulas. We introduce a normal form for this problem and show that nesting of probabilities does not increase the expressivity in GPSAT. An algorithm to solve GPSAT problems via mixed integer programming is proposed, and its implementation shows evidence of phase-transition phenomena.
Wavelet-based indexing of audio data in audio/multimedia databases

The phenomenal increase in the amounts of audio (and multimedia) data being generated, processed, and used in several computer applications have necessitated the development of audio (and multimedia) database systems with newer features such as content-based queries and similarity searches to manage and use such data. Example applications of audio databases are in digital libraries, entertainment industry, forensic laboratories and virtual reality, among others. Fast and accurate retrieval for content-based queries are crucial for such systems to be useful. Efficient content-based indexing and similarity searching schemes are keys to providing fast and relevant data retrieval. This paper presents a scheme for indexing of audio data based on wavelets. The performance of this scheme has been experimentally evaluated and is seen to be more resilient to noise than the indexing schemes using signal-level statistics, and give better retrieval precision than DCT-based indexing.
Financial Development, Capital Accumulation and Productivity Improvement: Evidence from China

Financial sector development may contribute to economic growth by facilitating capital accumulation and by improving productivity. This article investigates empirically the contribution that financial development may make to these two alternative drivers of economic growth in China using annual data for the period 1952 to 2005. Using cointegration and Granger-causality testing we examine the relationship between financial development and, respectively, capital accumulation and productivity in a time-series vector autoregression (VAR) framework. The substantive findings are that there is either bi-directional Granger causality between financial development and capital accumulation or that Granger causality runs from capital accumulation to financial development, depending on how capital accumulation and financial development are measured. The link between financial development and productivity is found to be statistically weak.
TRADE LIBERALIZATION AND INTER­INDUSTRY REALLOCATION IN INDONESIA

First and foremost I would like to thank Professor Joel Rodrigue, without whom none of this would have been possible. My greatest thanks to Professor Mario Crucini as well, for numerous helpful suggestions along the way. I am indebted to the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Summer Research Program for their generous support of my research during the summer of 2010. And thank you to my fellow honors students, who helped shape the most significant academic experience of my life.