Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ischemic demyelination

Abstract White matter lesions representing ischemic demyelination have evolved in terms of our understanding of their pathogenesis and potential clinical significance. Low density lesions on CT brain scan, most commonly seen in the periventricular region, also frequently seen in the centrum semiovale, have been termed 'leukoaraiosis'. In the past years, it was not uncommon at all to hear the term 'Binswanger's disease' used in an attempt to define the neurological sequelae of such lesions. Further refinement came with the advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan which is particularly sensitive to such white matter areas of increased signal intensity, which tend to be seen particularly well on T2-weighted and fluid attenuation inversion recovery (FLAIR) scans. The major challenge has been to correlate the clinical attributes with such relatively frequent findings in the elderly population. Recent studies have looked at lesion load in a fashion analogous to that seen with multiple sclerosis. A particularly relevant clinical model for white matter disease is cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) which combines the potential components of small vessel disease, resulting in progressive neurological deficit, with a common association with migraine which can also be associated with white matter lesions. However, the most common pathogenic factor associated with the microangiopathy, which appears to be at the heart of ischemic demyelination, continues to be hypertension. How well we are able to tie in the various pathological mechanisms associated with this end organ damage of the brain will determine how well we can arrive at effective interventions for a common contributor to neurological deficits in the elderly.
Tax compliance costs: a business administration perspective

The paper analyses the relationship of tax compliance costs and business strategy. Due to instruments, like information technology, simplified cash accounting or outsourcing compliance activities to tax advisers, private businesses have a set of strategies to optimize their tax compliance cost burden. Under the assumption of rational choice a private business should choose a cost-optimal administration strategy. In spite of that we find empirical evidence for small German businesses using only insufficiently the support of external tax advisers. Therefore, a considerable number of small businesses in Germany could reduce their compliance cost burden by a higher degree of outsourcing tax processes. In contrast, we find no significant evidence for a cost reduction by an electronic data interchange with the tax and social insurance authorities or by a simplified cash accounting method for tax purposes.
Retention state-aware energy management for efficient nonvolatile processors: work-in-progress

Harvested energy is intrinsically unstable and program execution will be interrupted frequently. To solve this problem, nonvolatile processor (NVP) is proposed because it can back up volatile state before the system energy is depleted. However, the backup and the recovery processes also consume non-negligible energy and delay program progress. To improve the performance of NVP, retention state has been proposed recently which can enable a system to retain the volatile data to wait for power resumption instead of saving data immediately. The objective of this paper is to forward program execution progress as much as possible by exploiting the retention state. Compared to the instant backup scheme, preliminary evaluation results report that power failures can be reduced by 81.6% and computation efficiency can be increased by 105%.
Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 3 (FGFR3) Is a Strong Heat Shock Protein 90 (Hsp90) Client

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) is a key regulator of growth and differentiation, whose aberrant activation causes a number of genetic diseases including achondroplasia and cancer. Hsp90 is a specialized molecular chaperone involved in stabilizing a select set of proteins termed clients. Here, we delineate the relationship of Hsp90 and co-chaperone Cdc37 with FGFR3 and the FGFR family. FGFR3 strongly associates with these chaperone complexes and depends on them for stability and function. Inhibition of Hsp90 function using the geldanamycin analog 17-AAG induces the ubiquitination and degradation of FGFR3 and reduces the signaling capacity of FGFR3. Other FGFRs weakly interact with these chaperones and are differentially influenced by Hsp90 inhibition. The Hsp90-related ubiquitin ligase CHIP is able to interact and destabilize FGFR3. Our results establish FGFR3 as a strong Hsp90 client and suggest that modulating Hsp90 chaperone complexes may beneficially influence the stability and function of FGFR3 in disease.
Sequential learning during contextual fear conditioning guides the rate of systems consolidation: Implications for consolidation of multiple memory traces

Systems consolidation has been described as a time‐dependent reorganization process involving the neocortical and hippocampal networks underlying memory storage and retrieval. Previous studies of our lab were able to demonstrate that systems consolidation is a dynamic process, rather than a merely passive, time‐dependent phenomenon. Here, we studied the influence of sequential learning in contextual fear conditioning (CFC) with different training intensities in the time‐course of hippocampal dependency and contextual specificity. We found that sequential learning with high‐intensity shocks during CFC induces generalization of the first learning (context A) and maintains contextual specificity of the second learning (context B) 15 days after acquisition. Moreover, subsequent experiences reorganize brain structures involved in retrieval, accelerating the involvement of cortical structures and diminishing the hippocampal participation. Exposure to original context before novelty seems to only induce context specificity in hippocampal‐dependent memories. We propose that systems consolidation could be considered a potential biological mechanism for reducing possible interferences between similar memory traces. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Hierarchical Modeling and Adaptive Clustering for Real-Time Summarization of Rush Videos

In this paper, we provide detailed descriptions of a proposed new algorithm for video summarization, which are also included in our submission to TRECVID'08 on BBC rush summarization. Firstly, rush videos are hierarchically modeled using the formal language technique. Secondly, shot detections are applied to introduce a new concept of V-unit for structuring videos in line with the hierarchical model, and thus junk frames within the model are effectively removed. Thirdly, adaptive clustering is employed to group shots into clusters to determine retakes for redundancy removal. Finally, each most representative shot selected from every cluster is ranked according to its length and sum of activity level for summarization. Competitive results have been achieved to prove the effectiveness and efficiency of our techniques, which are fully implemented in the compressed domain. Our work does not require high-level semantics such as object detection and speech/audio analysis which provides a more flexible and general solution for this topic.
Settlement Discontinuity and Resistance to Complexity in Cyprus, ca. 4500-2500 B. C. E.

This article presumes that small prestate societies possessed fluctuating asymmetrical political relationships and that those relationships may have left material correlates in the archaeological record. Settlement discontinuity in the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods of Cyprus may be due in part to recurrent community fissioning caused by resistance to attempts by subgroups to extend power. Following Trigger (1990: 145), a brief attempt is made to isolate and assess those new features that eventually eroded resistance to the establishment of stratified society.
Kawasaki syndrome: immunomodulatory benefit and potential toxin neutralization by intravenous immune globulin

Kawasaki Syndrome (KS) is an acute multi‐system vasculitis of infancy and early childhood associated with the development of coronary artery abnormalities. The prevalence of cardiovascular abnormalities can be significantly reduced by treating patients during the first 10 days of illness with high‐dose intravenous immune globulin (IVIG). Despite the widely held belief that KS is caused by an infectious agent, the aetiology of this illness remains controversial. Recent immunological and microbiological studies suggest a potential role for staphylococcal and streptocococcal toxins (superantigens) in the pathogenesis of KS. Confirmation of these findings could result in more effective diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the treatment of this common cause of acquired heart disease in children.
Identification and characterization of the NMDA receptor and its role in regulating 1 reproduction in the cockroach , Diploptera punctata 2 3

12 The NMDA receptor (NMDAR) plays important roles in excitatory neurotransmission and in the 13 regulation of reproduction in mammals. NMDAR in insects comprises two subunits, NR1 and 14 NR2. In this study, we identified two NR1 paralogs and eleven NR2 alternative spliced variants 15 in D. punctata. This is the first report of NR1 paralogs in insects. The tissue distributions and 16 expression profiles of DpNR1A, DpNR1B and DpNR2 in different tissues were also investigated. 17 Previous studies have demonstrated NMDA-stimulated JH biosynthesis in the corpora allata 18 (CA) through the influx of extracellular Ca in Diploptera punctata (Chiang A. et al, 2002). 19 However, our data show that the transcript levels of DpNR1A, DpNR1B and DpNR2 were low in 20 the CA. MK-801, a high-affinity antagonist of NMDAR, did not show any effect on JH 21 biosynthesis in vitro. In addition, neither partial knockdown of DpNR2 nor in vivo treatment with 22 a physiologically relevant dose of MK-801 resulted in any significant change in JH biosynthesis 23 by CA or basal oocyte growth. Injection of animals with a high dose of MK-801 (30 24 μg/animal/injection), which paralyzed the animals for 4-5 h, resulted in a significant decrease in 25 JH biosynthesis on days 4 and 5. However, the reproductive events during the first 26 gonadotrophic cycle in female D. punctata were unaffected. Thus, NMDAR does not appear to 27 http://jeb.biologists. org/lookup/doi/10.1242/jeb.115154 Access the most recent version at J Exp Biol Advance Online Articles. First posted online on 5 February 2015 as doi:10.1242/jeb.115154
Crenotherapy Modulates the Expression of Proinflammatory Cytokines and Immunoregulatory Peptides in Nasal Secretions of Children with Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Background The effect of crenotherapy on major mucosal markers of inflammation, TNF alpha, human beta-defensins 2 (hBD-2), and calprotectin, are largely unexplored in pediatric chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of crenotherapy with sulfate-sodium-chloride water on mucosal markers of inflammation in children with CRS. Methods Children with CRS received 15-day crenotherapy consisting of sulfate-sodium-chloride thermal water inhalations by nasal aerosol (15 minutes/day). Concentrations of nasal mucosal markers of inflammation (TNF alpha, hBD-2, and calprotectin) were measured before and after crenotherapy. Presence of specific symptoms (nasal obstruction, nasal discharge, facial pain, sense of smell, and cough), value of symptoms score sino-nasal 5 (SN5), quality of life (QoL) score (1 [worse] to 10 [optimal]) were also assessed. Results After crenotherapy a significant reduction was observed in TNF alpha (from 0.14 ± 0.02 to 0.08 ± 0.01; p < 0.001), calprotectin (from 2.9 ± 1.0 to 1.9 ± 0.5; p < 9.001), and hBD-2 (from 2.0 ± 0.1 to 0.9 ± 0.6; p < 0.001) concentrations. A significant (p < 0.05) reduction in number of subjects presenting symptoms of nasal obstruction (100% versus 40%), nasal discharge (33% versus 13%), facial pain (30% versus 10%), and sense of smell (60% versus 20%) was observed. A significant improvement of SN5 (from 3.07 ± 0.76 to 2.08 ± 0.42; p < 0.001) was observed after the crenotherapy. QoL also improved after crenotherapy (from 4.2 ± 1.1 to 6.6 ± 1.0; p < 0.001). Conclusion Crenotherapy induced a down-regulation of nasal mucosal inflammatory mediators in children with CRS.
Rapid Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Contaminated BACTEC 12B Broth Cultures by Testing with Amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct Test

ABSTRACT Contamination of broth cultures of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) by bacterial species other than Mycobacterium species frequently occurs. Many of these contaminated cultures require redecontamination and reincubation before the appropriate tests can be performed for identification, significantly affecting the turnaround time for reporting culture results. In this study, the Amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct Test (MTD; Gen-Probe) was performed to detect the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) in 125 BACTEC 12B broth cultures with positive growth indices. Among these, 41 grew non-AFB bacteria only, and all 41 were negative by the MTD. The remaining 84 bottles contained contaminated cultures that grew both AFB and other bacteria or yeasts. Repeat decontamination and reincubation of these specimens required a mean time of 13 days (range, 3 to 40 days). The MTD results were positive for 10 samples, 9 of which were MTBC culture positive and 1 of which grew Myobacterium celatum, a species known to cross-react in the MTD. All cultures growing other mycobacterial species were negative by the MTD. The results of this study demonstrate that the MTD is both sensitive and specific in detecting MTBC in contaminated broth cultures and that, when used selectively, the MTD can potentially rule in or out a diagnosis of MTBC as much as 12 days earlier than using nonamplified DNA probe testing alone can.
Hedgehog signaling in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth most common malignancy and one of the leading causes of death world wide. Signaling pathways important for tumor initiation and progression in HCC are poorly understood. Hedgehog signaling (Hh) has been implicated in multiple events during development and has also been proposed to play important roles in several tumor types. However, it remains unclear whether this pathway is activated in HCC. Here, we report the detection of transcripts for hedgehog pathway signaling molecules in both HCC cell lines and tumor samples. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR also revealed the decreased expression of Hip1 and increased expression of Gli1 and smo in HCC samples compared with non-tumor liver tissues. Blocking the hedgehog pathway with cyclopamine inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis and repressed c-Myc and cyclin D expression in a subset of HCC cell lines. The study therefore, for the first time, provides evidence that hedgehog signaling may be activated in some HCC tumors. The results also indicate that the hedgehog pathway may be a new candidate for therapeutic targeting in HCC.
The domestic induction heating appliance: An overview of recent research

In this paper several research topics pertaining to the design and modeling of domestic induction appliances are reviewed. Each topic is summarized, stressing its most significant advances and pointing to its future tendencies. A bibliographic review showing some of the published papers during the last years is included. The emphases and relative contributions of some of them are also discussed.
Automated Performance Evaluation System

Accurately predicting student performance is useful in different contexts in universities. Educational data mining (EDM) is an emerging discipline, concerned with various approaches such as predicting student performance, Analysis and data visualization, providing feedback for supporting instructors, recommendations for students and so on that automatically extracts meaning from large data generated by or related to people's learning activities in an educational setting. For example, identifying exceptional students for scholarships is an essential part of the admissions process in undergraduate and postgraduate institutions, and identifying weak students who are likely to fail is also important for allocating limited tutoring resources. One of the biggest challenges is to improve the quality of the educational processes so as to enhance student’s performance. The results of these studies give insight into techniques for accurately predicting student performance.
Prey specialization may influence patterns of gene flow in wolves of the Canadian Northwest

This study characterizes population genetic structure among grey wolves (Canis lupus) in northwestern Canada, and discusses potential physical and biological determinants of this structure. Four hundred and ninety‐one grey wolves, from nine regions in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and British Columbia, were genotyped using nine microsatellite loci. Results indicate that wolf gene flow is reduced significantly across the Mackenzie River, most likely due to the north–south migration patterns of the barren‐ground caribou herds that flank it. Furthermore, although Banks and Victoria Island wolves are genetically similar, they are distinct from mainland wolf populations across the Amundsen Gulf. However, low‐level island–mainland wolf migration may occur in conjunction with the movements of the Dolphin‐Union caribou herd. Whereas previous authors have examined isolation‐by‐distance in wolves, this study is the first to demonstrate correlations between genetic structure of wolf populations and the presence of topographical barriers between them. Perhaps most interesting is the possibility that these barriers reflect prey specialization by wolves in different regions.
PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF THE SPOTTED SAND BASS, PARALABRAX MACULATOFASCIATUS: DIVERGENCE OF GULF OF CALIFORNIA AND PACIFIC COAST POPULATIONS

Abstract Have the warm tropical waters and currents of the southern Gulf of California, Mexico (also known as the Sea of Cortez), formed a barrier to gene flow, resulting in disjunct populations in the upper gulf that are isolated from the outer Pacific Coast? Phylogeographic and genetic divergences of the spotted sand bass, Paralabrax maculatofasciatus, from three Gulf of California and two outer Pacific coastal locations were tested using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences. Sequence data from two congeners that are sympatrically distributed along the outer Pacific Coast, the barred sand bass, P. nebulifer, and the kelp bass, P. clathratus, were used to gauge the levels of genetic divergences. Differences among the three species and between the northern gulf and outer Pacific coastal populations of P. maculatofasciatus also were analyzed using 40 allozymic presumptive gene loci. Allozyme and mtDNA analyses each revealed many fixed differences among the species. Three significant allozymic frequency differences and two fixed mtDNA substitutions differentiated the gulf and outer Pacific coastal populations of P. maculatofasciatus. Three unique mtDNA haplotypes and three unique allozyme alleles were identified from the outer Pacific coastal population. The gulf sites contained four unique mtDNA haplotypes and six unique allozyme alleles. Partitioning of the mtDNA variation revealed that 72% of the variance occurred between the gulf and outer Pacific Coast, 20% between sampling sites in the two regions, and 8% within the sites. There appears to be little gene flow across the waters of the southern Baja Penninsula, producing divergence estimated as 120,000 to 600,000 years between the outer Pacific coastal and the Gulf of California populations. This separation level may date to a hypothesized seaway closure near La Paz, Mexico, during the mid-Pleistocene, and characterizes other fish populations. A second pattern of deeper allopatric species-level divergences in some other fishes may date to a Pliocene closure of a mid–Baja Penninsular seaway. Significant differences also were discerned in P. maculatofasciatus between the San Diego and central Baja California coastal sites and between the upper/central and the lower gulf locations. Variation between locations in the two regions may be indicative of larval retention and low adult migration, which needs to be tested further. Corresponding Editor: S. Karl
Theoretical analysis of the target detection rules for the UAV-based wireless sensor networks

A wireless sensor network (WSN) is usually deployed in a field of interesting (FoI) for detecting or monitoring some special events. Traditionally, the WSN requires intensive deployment in which the extra sensor nodes are deployed to achieve the required coverage level. While, depending on the developments of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) techniques, the UAV has been widely adopted in both military and civilian applications. Comparing with the traditional mobile sensor nodes, the UAV has much faster moving speed, longer deployment range and relative long serving time. Consequently, the UAV can be considered as a perfect carrier for the existing sensing equipment and used to form a UAV-based WSN (UWSN). Naturally, in order to determine the efficiency of a UWSN, a question, “what is the probability of detecting a target in the Fol, if an UAV randomly scanned the FoI n times”, is raised. To solve this question, in this article, we theoretically analysed the target detection problem in the UWSN by considering static target and mobile target, respectively. The experimental results further verified our theoretical results.
Characterization and Inductive Expression Analysis of Interferon Gamma-Related Gene in the Indian Major Carp , Rohu ( Labeo rohita )

Interferon gamma (IFN-g) is one of the key cytokines that plays a major role against viral and intracellular bacterial infection. In addition to the IFN-g gene, teleost fish possess a second copy known as IFN-g-related (IFN-grel) gene. This report describes structural and functional properties of IFN-grel gene in the Indian major carp, rohu (Labeo rohita), a commercially important freshwater fish species in the Indian subcontinent. The rohu IFN-grel gene consisted of four exons with three intervening introns and phylogenetically closely related to grass carp. The full-length IFN-grel cDNA comprised 927 bp nucleotides with a single open reading frame of 504 bp, encoding 167 amino acids (aa) polypeptide with a signal peptide of 24 aa. The mature rohu IFN-grel protein was 143 aa with a predicted molecular weight of 16.85 kDa. Basal expression analysis of IFN-grel showed its wide range of expression in all examined tissues: The highest was in the skin and the lowest was in the liver. In response to LPS, poly I:C, iE-DAP, muramyl dipeptide stimulations, and bacterial infections, IFNgrel gene expression was significantly ( p < 0.05) induced in treated fish tissues as compared with their control. The IFN-grel was expressed as recombinant protein (rIFN-grel) and confirmed through western blot. Stimulation of peripheral blood leukocytes with rIFN-grel protein resulted in the activation of IFN-g receptor and marked induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase gene expression. These results together may suggest the important role of IFN-grel as an antimicrobial cytokine in fish.