Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Large‐Scale Diversification of Skull Shape in Domestic Dogs: Disparity and Modularity

The variation among domestic dog breeds offers a unique opportunity to study large‐scale diversification by microevolutionary mechanisms. We use geometric morphometrics to quantify the diversity of skull shape in 106 breeds of domestic dog, in three wild canid species, and across the order Carnivora. The amount of shape variation among domestic dogs far exceeds that in wild species, and it is comparable to the disparity throughout the Carnivora. The greatest shape distances between dog breeds clearly surpass the maximum divergence between species in the Carnivora. Moreover, domestic dogs occupy a range of novel shapes outside the domain of wild carnivorans. The disparity among companion dogs substantially exceeds that of other classes of breeds, suggesting that relaxed functional demands facilitated diversification. Much of the diversity of dog skull shapes stems from variation between short and elongate skulls and from modularity of the face versus that of the neurocranium. These patterns of integration and modularity apply to variation among individuals and breeds, but they also apply to fluctuating asymmetry, indicating they have a shared developmental basis. These patterns of variation are also found for the wolf and across the Carnivora, suggesting that they existed before the domestication of dogs and are not a result of selective breeding.
p10, the N-terminal domain of p35, protects against CDK5/p25-induced neurotoxicity

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5(CDK5) in complex with its activator, p35 (protein of 35 kDa), is essential for early neurodevelopment in mammals. However, endogenous cleavage of p35 to p25 is associated with neuron death and neurodegenerative disease. Here we show that a peptide (p10′) encoding the N-terminal domain of p35 protects against CDK5/p25-induced toxicity in neurons. p10′ also prevented the death of neurons treated with the neurotoxin, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), which induces conversion of endogenous p35 to p25, and Parkinson disease (PD)-like symptoms in animals. MPP+ induces CDK5/p25-dependent phosphorylation of peroxiredoxin 2 (Prx2), resulting in inhibition of its peroxireductase activity and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We found that p10′ expression inhibited both Prx2 phosphorylation and ROS accumulation in neurons. In addition, p10′ inhibited the p25-induced appearance of antigen of the Ki67 antibody (Ki67) and phosphohistone H2AX (γH2AX), classic markers of cell cycle activity and DNA double-strand breakage, respectively, associated with neuron death. Our results suggest that p10 (protein of 10 kDa) is a unique prosurvival domain in p35, essential for normal CDK5/p35 function in neurons. Loss of the p10 domain results in CDK5/p25 toxicity and neurodegeneration in vivo.
FOR QUANTITATIVE STUDIES IN ECONOMICS AND POPULATIONQSEP JOINT TAXATION AND THE LABOUR SUPPLY OF MARRIED WOMEN : EVIDENCE FROM THE CANADIAN TAX REFORM OF 1988

The Canadian federal tax reform of 1988 replaced a spousal tax exemption with a nonrefundable tax credit. This reduced the “jointness” of the tax system: after the reform, secondary earners’ effective “first dollar” marginal tax rates no longer depended on the marginal tax rates of their spouses. In practice, the effective “first dollar” marginal tax rates faced by women with high income husbands were particularly reduced. Using difference-in-difference estimators, we find a significant increase in labour force participation among women married to higher income husbands. JEL classifications: J22, H24
Cervical Cancer Screening

Recent changes in cervical cancer screening and management guidelines reflect our evolving knowledge about cervical carcinogenesis. In the pursuit of precision, however, decision-making has become complicated. We provide an overview of cervical cancer screening with a focus on what clinicians can do to maximize screening benefits while minimizing screening harms. The approach relies on categorizing women at each step in the screening process by their estimated risk of high-grade precancerous lesions and cervical cancer. Current screening guidelines are designed to find a reasonable balance between benefits and harms by recommending less screening in most women. Current management guidelines are designed to assure consistent decisions regarding referral to colposcopy. After initial colposcopy, we outline three major management options based on risk assessment. For treatment, we recommend ablational procedures when appropriate because they are similarly effective, less costly, and potentially safer than excisional procedures. We advise caution in adopting new screening strategies until they demonstrate cost-effective patient-centered improvements compared with current strategies. Clinicians can maximize their effect on cervical cancer prevention by being attentive to guidelines, assuring that women have access to appropriate human papillomavirus vaccination and providing low-cost, high-quality screening and treatment.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1)-Specific CD4+ T Cells That Proliferate In Vitro Detected in Samples from Most Viremic Subjects and Inversely Associated with Plasma HIV-1 Levels

ABSTRACT Diminished in vitro proliferation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-specific CD4+ T cells has been associated with HIV-1 viremia and declining CD4+ T-cell counts during chronic infection. To better understand this phenomenon, we examined whether HIV-1 Gag p24 antigen-induced CD4+ T-cell proliferation might recover in vitro in a group of subjects with chronic HIV-1 viremia and no history of antiretroviral therapy (ART). We found that depletion of CD8+ cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) before antigen stimulation was associated with a 6.5-fold increase in the median p24-induced CD4+ T-cell proliferative response and a 57% increase in the number of subjects with positive responses. These p24-induced CD4+ T-cell proliferative responses from CD8-depleted PBMC were associated with expansion of the numbers of p24-specific, gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-producing CD4+ T cells. Among the 20 viremic, treatment-naïve subjects studied, the only 5 subjects lacking proliferation-competent, p24-specific CD4+ T-cell responses from CD8-depleted PBMC showed plasma HIV-1 RNA levels > 100,000 copies/ml. Furthermore, both the magnitude of p24-induced CD4+ T-cell proliferative responses from CD8-depleted PBMC and the frequency of p24-specific, IFN-γ-producing CD4+ T cells expanded from CD8-depleted PBMC were associated inversely with plasma HIV-1 RNA levels. Therefore, proliferation-competent, HIV-1-specific CD4+ T cells that might help control HIV-1 disease may persist during chronic, progressive HIV-1 disease except at very high levels of in vivo HIV-1 replication.
Direct imaging of APP proteolysis in living cells

Alzheimer’s disease is a multifactorial disorder caused by the interaction of genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors. The formation of cytotoxic oligomers consisting of Aβ peptide is widely accepted as being one of the main key events triggering the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Aβ peptide production results from the specific proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Deciphering the factors governing the activity of the secretases responsible for the cleavage of APP is still a critical issue. Kits available commercially measure the enzymatic activity of the secretases from cells lysates, in vitro. By contrast, we have developed a prototypal rapid bioassay that provides visible information on the proteolytic processing of APP directly in living cells. APP was fused to a monomeric variant of the green fluorescent protein and a monomeric variant of the red fluorescent protein at the C-terminal and N-terminal (mChAPPmGFP), respectively. Changes in the proteolytic processing rate in transfected human neuroblastoma and rat neuronal cells were imaged with confocal microscopy as changes in the red/green fluorescence intensity ratio. The significant decrease in the mean red/green ratio observed in cells over-expressing the β-secretase BACE1, or the α-secretase ADAM10, fused to a monomeric blue fluorescent protein confirms that the proteolytic site is still accessible. Specific siRNA was used to evaluate the contribution of endogenous BACE1. Interestingly, we found that the degree of proteolytic processing of APP is not completely homogeneous within the same single cell, and that there is a high degree of variability between cells of the same type. We were also able to follow with a fluorescence spectrometer the changes in the red emission intensity of the extracellular medium when BACE1 was overexpressed. This represents a complementary approach to fluorescence microscopy for rapidly detecting changes in the proteolytic processing of APP in real time. In order to allow the discrimination between the α- and the β-secretase activity, we have created a variant of mChAPPmGFP with a mutation that inhibits the α-secretase cleavage without perturbing the β-secretase processing. Moreover, we obtained a quantitatively robust estimate of the changes in the red/green ratio for the above conditions by using a flow cytometer able to simultaneously excite and measure the red and green fluorescence. Our novel approach lay the foundation for a bioassay suitable to study the effect of drugs or particular conditions, to investigate in an unbiased way the the proteolytic processing of APP in single living cells in order, and to elucidate the causes of the variability and the factors driving the processing of APP.
Vote Distribution Model for Hough-Based Action Detection

Hough-based voting approaches have been widely used to solve many detection problems such as object and action detection. These approaches for action detection cast votes for action classes and positions based on the local spatio-temporal features of given videos. The voting process of each local feature is performed independently of the other local features. This independence enables the method to be robust to occlusions because votes based on visible local features are not influenced by occluded local features. However, such independence makes discrimination of similar motions between different classes difficult and causes the method to cast many false votes. We propose a novel Hough-based action detection method to overcome the problem of false votes. The false votes do not occur randomly such that they depend on relevant action classes. We introduce vote distributions, which represent the number of votes for each action class. We assume that the distribution of false votes include important information necessary to improving action detection. These distributions are used to build a model that represents the characteristics of Hough voting that include false votes. The method estimates the likelihood using the model and reduces the influence of false votes. In experiments, we confirmed that the proposed method reduces false positive detection and improves action detection accuracy when using the IXMAS dataset and the UT-Interaction dataset. key words: action detection, Hough transform, Hough forests
Use of the Telephone-Administered Minnesota Cognitive Acuity Screen to Detect Mild Cognitive Impairment

This study determined the sensitivity and specificity of the telephone-administered Minnesota Cognitive Acuity Screen (MCAS) to distinguish mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from healthy controls (HCs) and from Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A total of 100 individuals with MCI, 50 individuals with possible/probable AD, and 50 HCs were screened to exclude medical and psychiatric conditions affecting cognition. In-office evaluation included neuropsychological testing, neurologic examination, and neurodiagnostic work-up. Participants with AD obtained significantly lower MCAS total scores than participants with MCI, who in turn performed worse than the HC group. Sensitivity was 86% and specificity was 78% for distinguishing between MCI and HC. Sensitivity was 86% and specificity was 77% for discriminating between MCI and AD. Sensitivity was 91% and specificity was 78% for discriminating between impaired groups (MCI and AD) and HCs. Results suggest that the MCAS successfully discriminates MCI from HC and AD and has potential as an effective telephone-administered screening tool for memory disorders.
13‐cis‐retinoic acid induces cellular differentiation and durable remission in refractory cutaneous ki‐1 lymphoma

A 35‐year‐old man with refractory cutaneous Ki‐1 lymphoma was salvaged successfully with oral 13‐cis‐retinoic acid (1 mg/kg/day). He had a complete remission lasting for 20 months before a single nodule recurred on his skin. Excisional biopsy of the recurrent tumor revealed a distinct morphologic change, suggesting cellular differentiation toward a more benign phenotype. No significant side effects were noted except mild xerostomia, bone pain, and hyperlipidemia. The authors believe that 13‐cis‐retinoic acid should be considered in the treatment of cutaneous Ki‐1 lymphoma.
On the creation of a fuzzy dataset for the evaluation of fuzzy semantic similarity measures

Short text semantic similarity (STSS) measures are algorithms designed to compare short texts and return a level of similarity between them. However, until recently such measures have ignored perception or fuzzy based words (i.e. very hot, cold less cold) in calculations of both word and sentence similarity. Evaluation of such measures is usually achieved through the use of benchmark data sets comprising of a set of rigorously collected sentence pairs which have been evaluated by human participants. A weakness of these datasets is that the sentences pairs include limited, if any, fuzzy based words that makes them impractical for evaluating fuzzy sentence similarity measures. In this paper, a method is presented for the creation of a new benchmark dataset known as SFWD (Single Fuzzy Word Dataset). After creation the data set is then used in the evaluation of FAST, an ontology based fuzzy algorithm for semantic similarity testing that uses concepts of fuzzy and computing with words to allow for the accurate representation of fuzzy based words. The SFWD is then used to undertake a comparative analysis of other established STSS measures.
An ideal model for recursive polymorphic types

When constants are added to the pure lambda calculus, run-time errors can occur if the constants are used improperly, for example, if an at tempt is made to apply a natural number as if it were a function or if the first argument of a conditional is not a truth value. We consider "types" as somehow being or generating constraints on expressions. A consistent type discipline ensures that any expression satisfying the constraints will not produce a "run-time error. "
Early Stages of Hyaline Membrane Formation Detected in Alveolar Mouths in Diffuse Alveolar-Damage-Associated Diseases

To study the early stages of hyaline membrane (HM) formation, diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) was thoroughly investigated using immunohistochemical methods in 15 autopsy cases, which consisted of various types of interstitial pneumonias and pulmonary diseases derived from nonmalignant or malignant diseases. Alveolar mouths (AMs) that were presumed to be normal were ultrastructurally examined in detail, by using pulmonary tissues in the pneumothorax. It is interesting to note that during the initial stages of HM formation in AMs, fragmented eosinophilic masses were closely attached to AMs as irregular fragments or by a cap-like structure. The ultrastructure revealed some distance between the capillary spaces and surface epithelium of the AMs, indicating that the epithelial cells at the AMs might be often easily damaged even by minor stimuli; they can be considered as “locus minoris resistentiae. ” HMs were found to be formed initially at the site of AMs derived from fragmented eosinophilic masses in not only pulmonary but also extrapulmonary diseases, including both nonmalignant and malignant diseases. These irregular eosinophilic masses, representing the early shape of HMs, were immunohistochemically positive for the epithelial membrane antigens, namely, surfactant protein A and factor VIII antigen, and occasionally for KL-6 and cytokeratins. These results suggested that fragmented irregular masses represent the initial phase of HM formation. Five of 15 cases were focally negative for KL-6 at the initial irregular mass of HMs. Because KL-6 is one of the fundamental components of pulmonary surface elements, it needs to be studied further by detailed clinicopathological examination.
Dark-light: model for nightblindness from the human rhodopsin Gly-90-->Asp mutation.

A human rhodopsin mutation, Gly-90-->Asp (Gly90Asp), cosegregated with an unusual trait of congenital nightblindness in 22 at-risk members of a large autosomal dominant kindred. Although rhodopsin mutations typically are associated with retinal degeneration, Gly90Asp-affected subjects up to age 33 did not show clinical retinal changes. Absolute threshold for visual perception was elevated nearly 3 logarithmic units in 7 individuals tested (ages 11-64), indicating greatly compromised rod threshold signaling. However, in vivo rhodopsin density was normal. Although the 38-year-old proband could not perceive dim lights, his rod increment threshold function was normal on brighter backgrounds. The impaired rod vision for dim but not bright backgrounds is consistent with a mechanism of increased basal "dark-light" from thermal isomerization equivalent to an increase of > 10(4) over that of wild-type rhodopsin. The Gly90Asp mutation on the second transmembrane helix places an extra negative charge in the opsin pocket; this could contribute to partial deprotonation of the retinal Schiff base and thereby increase photoreceptor noise. In vitro evidence had suggested that transducin is activated by the Gly90Asp mutation in the absence of both the retinal chromophore and light, termed "constitutive activity. " The apparent preservation of functioning rods despite extensive and lifelong night-blindness in this kindred is inconsistent with one current hypothesis that chronic rod activation from constitutively active mutant rhodopsin necessarily contributes significantly to photoreceptor demise in human retinal dystrophies.
Eosinophilic Inflammation, Remodeling of Lower Airway, Bronchial Responsiveness and Cough Reflex Sensitivity in Non-Asthmatic Subjects with Nasal Allergy

Background: It has been reported that nasal allergy influences the lower airway inflammation and functions. We elucidated whether nasal allergy would contribute to lower airway inflammation and functions. Methods: 266 subjects aged 21–39 years were interviewed with special emphasis on history of asthma and nasal allergies (perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) and seasonal allergic rhinitis (Japanese cedar pollinosis; PO)). Symptomatic subject was defined when nasal symptoms were present during a 3-week study period. Pulmonary function, provocative concentration of methacholine causing a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (PC20), capsaicin cough threshold defined as capsaicin concentration eliciting 5 or more coughs (C5) and eosinophil percentage in hypertonic saline-induced sputum were measured. Results: Based on the interview, 232 subjects without asthma were divided into symptomatic (n = 25) and asymptomatic (n = 22) PAR, PO on-season (n = 15) and off-season (n = 36), and non-nasal allergy subjects (control) (n = 134). Sputum eosinophils were significantly greater in symptomatic PAR than another four groups (p < 0.01). FEV1/FVC ratio was significantly lower in PAR than control (p < 0.05). Maximum mean expiratory flow was lower in PAR than control (asymptomatic: p < 0.05, symptomatic: p = 0.06). C5 was not different among groups. PAR tended to have a lower PC20 compared to control (symptomatic: p = 0.078; asymptomatic: p = 0.086). Conclusions: These results suggest that eosinophilic inflammation occurred in symptomatic period of PAR may contribute to development of lower airway remodeling and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Reversely, PO may not be associated with lower airway eosinophilic inflammation or abnormal bronchial functions. Nasal allergy dose not influence the cough reflex sensitivity.
Simplification of Visual Rendering in Simulated Prosthetic Vision Facilitates Navigation

Visual neuroprostheses are still limited and simulated prosthetic vision (SPV) is used to evaluate potential and forthcoming functionality of these implants. SPV has been used to evaluate the minimum requirement on visual neuroprosthetic characteristics to restore various functions such as reading, objects and face recognition, object grasping, etc. Some of these studies focused on obstacle avoidance but only a few investigated orientation or navigation abilities with prosthetic vision. The resolution of current arrays of electrodes is not sufficient to allow navigation tasks without additional processing of the visual input. In this study, we simulated a low resolution array (15 × 18 electrodes, similar to a forthcoming generation of arrays) and evaluated the navigation abilities restored when visual information was processed with various computer vision algorithms to enhance the visual rendering. Three main visual rendering strategies were compared to a control rendering in a wayfinding task within an unknown environment. The control rendering corresponded to a resizing of the original image onto the electrode array size, according to the average brightness of the pixels. In the first rendering strategy, vision distance was limited to 3, 6, or 9 m, respectively. In the second strategy, the rendering was not based on the brightness of the image pixels, but on the distance between the user and the elements in the field of view. In the last rendering strategy, only the edges of the environments were displayed, similar to a wireframe rendering. All the tested renderings, except the 3 m limitation of the viewing distance, improved navigation performance and decreased cognitive load. Interestingly, the distance-based and wireframe renderings also improved the cognitive mapping of the unknown environment. These results show that low resolution implants are usable for wayfinding if specific computer vision algorithms are used to select and display appropriate information regarding the environment.
Performance improvement of channel estimation based on pilot structure variations for cellular OFDMA systems

An increasing number of systems are adopting orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) as their high-speed wireless transmission method supporting multiple users, and impacts on performance of OFDMA systems under mobile cellular environments are currently being investigated. In this paper, channel state and quality estimation performance issues are addressed for varying types of pilot structures in the transmitted burst. It is demonstrated that significant performance variations can occur in estimation of the state and quality of the wireless link depending on the pilot pattern used in the preamble symbol. In particular, advantages of using disjoint patterns for downlink transmission from adjacent cells are quantitatively presented, by evaluating the bit error rate and the carrier-to-interference ratio (CIR) estimation performance.