Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antioxidants and cataract

Abstract The major causes for cataract formation are free radicals, and these free radicals are neutralized by the presence of endogenous antioxidants in the eye. Using xenobiotics, it has been confirmed that free radicals mediate the formation of cataract. Two cataract model-selenite model and the diabetic cataract model-have been developed to study the pathophysiology of cataract formation due to free radicals and the role of antioxidants during the process of cataractogenesis. This review focuses on natural compounds with antioxidant properties that could actually be applied as an interventional strategy on a large scale and are also relatively inexpensive. A brief overview of plants with antioxidant properties that in addition possess potential anti-cataract properties has been discussed. In addition to plants, three natural compounds (curcumin, vitamin C and vitamin E), on which a lot of data exist showing anti-cataract and antioxidant activities, have also been discussed. These antioxidants can be supplemented in the diet for a better defence against free radicals. Studies on vitamin C and vitamin E have proved that they are capable of preventing lipid peroxidation, thereby preventing the generation of free radicals, but their efficacy as anti-cataract agent is questionable. Unlike vitamins C and E, curcumin is well established as an anti-cataract agent, but the issue of curcumin bioavailability is yet to be addressed. Nanotechnology proves to be a promising area in increasing the curcumin bioavailability, but still a lot more research needs to be done before the use of curcumin as an effective anti-cataract agent for humans.
Intervention in tough-constructions revisited

Adjectives like tough and easy can appear in two syntactic frames that are at least super cially synonymous. In the expletive construction, the adjective takes an in nitival clause as its argument, and the matrix subject position is lled with an expletive (1a). In the tough -construction, the adjective combines with two elements: an in nitival clause containing a gap and a subject DP that is semantically interpreted in the gap position (1b).
Resource Use and Costs up to Two Years Post Diagnosis Among Newly Diagnosed COPD Patients in the UK Primary Care Setting: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract The objective of this study was to estimate the annual resource use and costs before and after COPD diagnosis and compare it across stages of airflow obstruction and levels of dyspnoea in the UK primary care setting. A retrospective cohort of newly diagnosed COPD patients (1/1/2008-31/12/2009) was identified in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Resource use did not include medication costs and comprised of exacerbations, all cause GP interactions, and non-COPD hospitalisations, which were estimated for up to 12 months before and 24 months after COPD diagnosis. It was further stratified using baseline characteristics, Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea score, and stages of airflow limitation. COPD costs were estimated using NHS reference costs. The analysis included 7881 newly diagnosed COPD patients (mean age, 67.2 years; 45% females). In the 2 years follow-up, the cohort experienced moderate and severe exacerbations, non-COPD hospitalisations, and GP surgery visits at an annual rate of 0.51, 0.13, 0.47, and 12.85, respectively. All resource components showed an upward trend with increase airflow limitation and dyspnoea. GP interactions accounted for 58.5% of annual per patient COPD management costs, estimated to be £2047 during the observation period. The annual costs doubled from patients with low levels of dyspnoea (MRC = 1; £1473) to those with high levels of dyspnoea (MRC = 5; £3243). COPD management costs in the primary care setting continued to remain high up to 2 years following initial diagnosis. The cost burden increased with high levels of dyspnoea and airflow obstruction, suggesting that both measures can identify patients requiring increased monitoring.
The edenic theory of reference

Abstract I argue for a theory of the optimal function of the speech act of referring, called the edenic theory. First, the act of singular reference is defined directly in terms of Gricean communicative intentions. Second, I propose a doxastic constraint on the optimal performance of such acts, stating, roughly, that the speaker must not have any relevant false beliefs about the identity or distinctness of the intended object. In uttering a singular term on an occasion, on this theory, one represents oneself as not having any confused beliefs about the object to which one intends to refer. This paves the way for an intentionalist theory of reference that circumvents well-known problems, which have not been adequately addressed before in the literature.
HLA class I associations of ankylosing spondylitis in the white population in the United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the HLA class I associations of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in the white population, with particular reference to HLA-B27 subtypes. METHODS: HLA-B27 and -B60 typing was performed in 284 white patients with AS. Allele frequencies of HLA-B27 and HLA-B60 from 5926 white bone marrow donors were used for comparison. HLA-B27 subtyping was performed by single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) in all HLA-B27 positive AS patients, and 154 HLA-B27 positive ethnically matched blood donors. RESULTS: The strong association of HLA-B27 and AS was confirmed (odds ratio (OR) 171, 95% confidence interval (CI) 135 to 218; p < 10(-99)). The association of HLA-B60 with AS was confirmed in HLA-B27 positive cases (OR 3.6, 95% CI 2.1 to 6.3; p < 5 x 10(-5)), and a similar association was demonstrated in HLA-B27 negative AS (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 11.4; p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in the frequencies of HLA-B27 allelic subtypes in patients and controls (HLA-B*2702, three of 172 patients v five of 154 controls; HLA-B*2705, 169 of 172 patients v 147 of 154 controls; HLA-B*2708, none of 172 patients v two of 154 controls), and no novel HLA-B27 alleles were detected. CONCLUSION: HLA-B27 and -B60 are associated with susceptibility to AS, but differences in HLA-B27 subtype do not affect susceptibility to AS in this white population.
Decreased myocardial nNOS, increased iNOS and abnormal ECGs in mouse models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a devastating neuromuscular disease caused by lack of the protein, dystrophin, in skeletal muscle and heart, although the biochemical mechanism by which dystrophin loss causes muscle dysfunction is unknown. Here we show that the dystrophin-deficient mdx mouse and a mouse lacking both dystrophin and the dystrophin-related protein, utrophin (dko), have abnormal electrocardiograms (ECGs). In skeletal muscle, dystrophin is normally associated with neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) at the sarcolemma. Consequently, we have measured NOS isoform activities in hearts from control, mdx and dko mice. In control mouse hearts, eNOS and nNOS activities increased by 120% and 47%, respectively, between 2 and 6 months of age. In mdx mice, myocardial nNOS activity was decreased by 60%, 84% and 80% at 2, 6 and 12 months of age, respectively. Similarly, hearts from dko mice showed a 65% decrease in nNOS activity compared to controls at 2 months of age. Endothelial NOS (eNOS) activity was not affected by dystrophin loss, but inducible NOS (iNOS) activity was seven-fold higher than control in the mdx mouse heart by 12 months of age. We conclude that lack of dystrophin in the mdx mouse results in abnormal ECGs that are associated with decreased myocardial nNOS and increased iNOS activities.
Robust graph regularized discriminative nonnegative matrix factorization for characteristic gene selection

Recent research shows that characteristic gene selection based on gene expression data remains faced with considerable challenges. This is primarily because vast amount of gene expression data have been generated with the development of gene detection technology. Nonetheless, the recognition rate and reliability of gene selection still need to be improved. In this paper, we propose a novel constrained method: robust graph regularized discriminative nonnegative matrix factorization (RGDNMF) for characteristic gene selection. The method mainly includes two aspects: firstly, we incorporate both intrinsic geometrical structure and discriminative label information into the NMF model. Secondly, we adopt L2,1 -norm minimization to both the error function and the regularization term which is robust to noises and outliers in gene data. Furthermore we present the multiplicative update rules and the convergence proof. Our experiments demonstrate that RGDNMF is far more effective than other existing methods.
CovS/CovR of group B streptococcus: a two‐component global regulatory system involved in virulence

In this study, we carried out a detailed structural and functional analysis of a Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) two‐component system which is orthologous to the CovS/CovR (CsrS/CsrR) regulatory system of Streptococcus pyogenes. In GBS, covR and covS are part of a seven gene operon transcribed from two promoters that are not regulated by CovR. A ΔcovSR mutant was found to display dramatic phenotypic changes such as increased haemolytic activity and reduced CAMP activity on blood agar. Adherence of the ΔcovSR mutant to epithelial cells was greatly increased and analysis by transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence at its surface of a fibrous extracellular matrix that might be involved in these intercellular interactions. However, the ΔcovSR mutant was unable to initiate growth in RPMI and its viability in human normal serum was greatly impaired. A major finding of this phenotypic analysis was that the CovS/CovR system is important for GBS virulence, as a 3 log increase of the LD50 of the mutant strain was observed in the neonate rat sepsis model. The pleiotropic phenotype of the ΔcovSR mutant is in full agreement with the large number of genes controlled by CovS/CovR as seen by expression profiling analysis, many of which encode potentially secreted or cell surface‐associated proteins: 76 genes are repressed whereas 63 were positively regulated. CovR was shown to bind directly to the regulatory regions of several of these genes and a consensus CovR recognition sequence was proposed using both DNase I footprinting and computational analyses.
Pornography and Sexual Promiscuity

R E A D I N G and thinking about this topic has produced in me, as it produces in others, a dangerous certainty as to the rightness of my ideas despite an uneasy appreciation of the necessarily restricted viewpoint upon which they are based. Those at this Conference have a highly specialized viewpoint, usually a sub-specialty of medicine or the law, and have all had personal experience of pornog­ raphy in the past or the present. Wi th a topic which, by its very nature , cannot be scientific, I regard personal experience as valid data . This paper has three main sections: first, pornography is considered from the socio­ logical point of view and from the viewpoint of individual psychology. Secondly, sexual arousal is differentiated from sexual behav­ iour. Sexual arousal I relate to the concept of stimulation potential ; sexual behavioiuto the concept of vulnerability potential. In the third section, an a t tempt is made to relate pornography to other potentially damaging experiences and to consider it in the general context of individual freedom and control in society.
Relationship between body image, body dissatisfaction and weight status in Iranian adolescents

Background: In current society adolescents are concerned about body image. The relationship between body dissatisfaction and obesity is not clear in developing countries. This study sought to describe body image size perception and dissatisfaction, and their relationship with body weight status in adolescents. Methods: Objective measures of weight and height were undertaken on 1109 schoolchildren aged 10-18 (504 girls and 605 boys). BMI z-scores, and weight status were calculated based on the 2007 WHO growth reference charts. Figure rating scales were used to assess perceptions of current and ideal body size and dissatisfaction difference between these perceptions. Multivariate analyses were used to assess the relationship between the perceptions and dissatisfaction with body weight status. Results: Perceived body image size was positively associated with weight status (partial regression coefficient for overweight/obese vs non-overweight/obese was 0.63 (95% CI 0.26-0.99) and for BMI z-score was 0.21 (95% CI 0.10-0.31), adjusted for sex and age). Body dissatisfaction was also associated with weight status, with overweight and obese children more likely to select thinner ideal body size than healthy weight children (adjusted partial regression coefficient for overweight/obese vs nonoverweight/ obese was 1.47 (95% CI 0.99-1.96) and for BMI z-score was 0.54 (95% CI 0.40-0.67). Conclusions: Awareness of body image size and increasing body dissatisfaction with the higher weight status is established at a young age in this population. This needs to be considered when designing interventions to reduce obesity in young children, in terms of both benefits and harms.
Evaluation of Different Image Interpolation Algorithms

Interpolation is the process of transferring image from one resolution to another without losing image quality. In Image processing field, image interpolation is very important function for doing zooming, enhancement of image, resizing any many more. Here in this paper, we have reviewed different interpolation algorithms. We have implemented all reviewed interpolation algorithms and done comparison of all.
An evolutionary perspective on maladaptive traits and cultural conformity

The problem of maladaptive cultural traits is explored through the notion of adaptive psychological mechanisms. It is suggested that the theory of a specific conformity mechanism is plausible, supported by multidisciplinary data, and helpful in explaining the proliferation and persistence of human maladaptive behavior. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Expérimentation et modélisation pour la compréhension des mécanismes de fractionnement des cereales

Pour pouvoir controler la composition et les proprietes des fractions generees par la mouture, il est essentiel de determiner les relations entre la structure des grains et le devenir des tissus lors des procedes. Le developpement d’outils de mesure des proprietes mecaniques des grains ou des tissus, ainsi que les outils de modelisation, permettent d’identifier les caracteristiques impliquees dans les differents modes observes de fractionnement et de developper des modeles predictifs. Une base de donnees a ete construite pour mettre en relation des resultats issus de champs disciplinaires differents et acquis a des niveaux d’echelles distincts.
Samodejna zaznava in nastavitev senzorjev v internetu stvari

Pomanjkanje standardizacije na podrocju M2M povzroca nezmožnost povezovanja in slabso interoperabilnost med napravami v internetu stvari. V delu je preucen globalni standard oneM2M, ki razvija standarde na podrocju M2M in specificira skupno storitveno plast, ki bo napravam M2M omogocala komunikacijo na globalni ravni. Preucena je platforma OM2M, ki temelji na specifikacijah oneM2M. OM2M je odprtokodna platforma za komunikacijo M2M, ki je razvita na razsirljivi platformi OSGi. Prikazana je razsiritev platforme OM2M z vticniki treh brezžicnih tehnologij, ki so popularne v internetu stvari: Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy in Z-Wave. Vticniki so razviti na nacin, ki omogoca samodejno zaznavo naprav v posameznem komunikacijskem protokolu. Prikazani so koraki, potrebni za razsirjanje platforme OM2M s tehnologijo, ki ni del sistema oneM2M. Opisana je semantika, ki jo doloca sistem oneM2M, in nacin poteka prevedbe ontologije zunanjega sistema v ontologijo sistema oneM2M.
Planning strategies for the Ambler walking robot

A hierarchy of planning strategies is proposed and explained for a walking robot called the Ambler. The hierarchy decomposes planning into levels of trajectory, gait, and footfall. An abstraction of feasible traversability allows the Ambler's trajectory planner to identify acceptable trajectories by finding paths that guarantee footfalls without specifying exactly which footfalls. Leg and body moves that achieve this trajectory can be generated by the Ambler's gait planner, which incorporates pattern constraints and measures of utility to search for the best next move. By combining constraints from the quality and details of the terrain, the Ambler's footfall planner can select footfalls that insure stability and remain within the tolerances of the gait
Bald aortic arch in Takayasu arteritis

A 20-year-old woman with no comorbid illness was admitted with a history of recurrent episodes of giddiness over the past 6 months. On clinical examination her peripheral pulses were absent and blood pressure was not recordable in both upper limbs. Laboratory investigations showed an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and thrombocytopenia. Liver and renal function tests were normal. …
Signal conditioning for polar all-digital OFDM wireless transmitters

A novel scheme for conditioning OFDM modulated signals is proposed to facilitate the implementation of mixerless all-digital transmitter using polar RF Digital to Analog Converters (RFDACs). The signal conditioning is applied to the OFDM signal to avoid phase discontinuities, thus mitigating the effects of bandwidth expansion in polar decomposition. The absence of mixers and filters offers wide RF bandwidth and takes the design a step closer to reconfigurable transmitter. To validate this concept, the signal conditioning is applied to an LTE signal and sent to a phase modulator circuit. The performance of the phase modulator in terms of signal quality is assessed using Normalized Mean Square Error (NMSE) metric. It is concluded that the signal conditioning results in a signal that may not comply with the existing standards, but is spectrally efficient and thus enables the use of polar architectures for wideband signals.
YOUNG STELLAR OBJECT VARIABILITY (YSOVAR): LONG TIMESCALE VARIATIONS IN THE MID-INFRARED

The YSOVAR (Young Stellar Object VARiability) Spitzer Space Telescope observing program obtained the first extensive mid-infrared (3.6 and 4.5 μm) time series photometry of the Orion Nebula Cluster plus smaller footprints in 11 other star-forming cores (AFGL 490, NGC 1333, Mon R2, GGD 12-15, NGC 2264, L1688, Serpens Main, Serpens South, IRAS 20050+2720, IC 1396A, and Ceph C). There are ∼29,000 unique objects with light curves in either or both IRAC channels in the YSOVAR data set. We present the data collection and reduction for the Spitzer and ancillary data, and define the “standard sample” on which we calculate statistics, consisting of fast cadence data, with epochs roughly twice per day for ∼40 days. We also define a “standard sample of members” consisting of all the IR-selected members and X-ray-selected members. We characterize the standard sample in terms of other properties, such as spectral energy distribution shape. We use three mechanisms to identify variables in the fast cadence data—the Stetson index, a χ2 fit to a flat light curve, and significant periodicity. We also identified variables on the longest timescales possible of six to seven years by comparing measurements taken early in the Spitzer mission with the mean from our YSOVAR campaign. The fraction of members in each cluster that are variable on these longest timescales is a function of the ratio of Class I/total members in each cluster, such that clusters with a higher fraction of Class I objects also have a higher fraction of long-term variables. For objects with a YSOVAR-determined period and a [3.6]–[8] color, we find that a star with a longer period is more likely than those with shorter periods to have an IR excess. We do not find any evidence for variability that causes [3.6]–[4.5] excesses to appear or vanish within our data set; out of members and field objects combined, at most 0.02% may have transient IR excesses.
Functional neuroimaging in post-traumatic stress disorder

Traumatic stress has a broad range of effects on brain function. Brain areas implicated in the stress response include the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Brain studies in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder replicated findings in animal studies by finding alterations in these brain areas. Brain areas implicated in post-traumatic stress disorder play an important role in the stress response as well as memory, highlighting the important interplay between memory and the traumatic stress response. Future studies are required to assess the relationship between recovery from traumatic stress and changes in brain function.
Modellierung statt Interviews? Eine 'neue' qualitative Erhebungsmethode

Vor dem Hintergrund empirischer Forschungsmethoden wird eine ‚neue’ Form einer Erhebungsmethode dargestellt und reflektiert: die grafische Modellierung (GM), die bei der Gestaltung von informationstechnischen Systemen (z.B. fur Workflow-Management-Systeme, komplexe Webanwendungen) eingesetzt wird. Ihre Relevanz als ein qualitatives Erhebungsinstrument zur Informationserfassung wird jedoch unterschatzt. Der vorliegende Beitrag zeigt Bedingungen und Eigenschaften auf, unter denen eine grafische Modellierung als Erhebungsinstrument sinnvoll einsetzbar ist. Es wird an verschiedenen Fallbeispielen deutlich, dass eine GM die Integration verschiedener Perspektiven unterstutzt, indem sie Modellierung, Interviews und Gruppendiskussion kombiniert. Diese Art der Erhebung kann als Grundlage fur sozio-technische Systementwicklung, z.B. Wissensmanagement, dienen.
Serum markers of GH and insulin action in 12-year-old children born small for gestational age.

OBJECTIVES Our aim was to determine whether markers of growth hormone and insulin action differ between children born small for gestational age (SGA) and those born of an appropriate size for gestational age (AGA). DESIGN Fifty-five SGA children and their 55 age- and sex-matched AGA control subjects were studied in a case-control setting at 12 years of age. METHODS We examined serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, IGF-II, IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-1 and IGFBP-3, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), leptin, fasting insulin, and blood glucose. Insulin sensitivity was evaluated by the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). RESULTS The body mass index (BMI), sex, and puberty-adjusted mean serum IGF-I concentration was higher in the SGA than in the AGA children (303.4 vs 282.3 microg/l, P = 0.006). The mean serum concentrations of IGF-II, IGFBP-I, IGFBP-3, SHBG, fasting insulin, blood glucose and HOMA-IR did not differ between the SGA and the AGA group. The BMI, sex, and puberty-adjusted mean serum leptin concentration was lower in the SGA than in the AGA children (7.9 vs 10.1 microg/l, P = 0.037). In multiple logistic regression analysis, high HOMA-IR predicted high serum IGF-I levels in the SGA children (odds ratio 8.3; 95% confidence interval 1.7-41; P = 0.010), whereas in the AGA group HOMA-IR did not associate with the serum IGF-I level. CONCLUSIONS The BMI, sex, and puberty-adjusted mean serum IGF-I concentration was significantly higher and the leptin concentration was lower in the SGA than in the AGA children. No differences were found in the indices of insulin action or sensitivity between the SGA and AGA children at 12 years of age. However, HOMA-IR strongly associated with serum IGF-I levels in the SGA children.