Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Change of retinal pigment epithelial atrophy after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment in exudative age-related macular degeneration

Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the quantitative changes of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) atrophy during a 24-month follow-up period of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study. Sixty-five eyes of 62 consecutive patients with naοve exudative AMD who had received treatment with anti-VEGF therapy and followed for more 24 months were enrolled. All patients received three initial monthly injections of anti-VEGF (ranibizumab or bevacizumab), followed by pro re nata or treat-and-extend protocol. Color fundus image, optical coherence tomography, and fundus autofluorescence were evaluated for RPE atrophy. Multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the predictive factors found during univariate analysis to identify an association with increased RPE atrophic areas. Results: The mean number of anti-VEGF treatments was 9.18. RPE atrophic area was 1.293 ± 1.298 mm 2 at baseline and enlarged to 2.394 ± 1.940 mm 2 after 24 months, which differed significantly (P = 0.001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that larger areas of RPE atrophy at month 4 and larger numbers of anti-VEGF treatments were associated with increased RPE atrophic areas. Conclusions: RPE atrophy progresses in eyes with exudative AMD during anti-VEGF treatment. Larger areas of RPE atrophy at month 4 and larger numbers of anti-VEGF injections were associated with an increased risk of progression of RPE atrophy the following treatment. These ﬁndings may be useful to clinicians using intravitreal anti-VEGF for the treatment of exudative AMD, both for selecting an appropriate treatment plan and for predicting the progression of RPE atrophy.
Polymorphonuclear Neutrophil Leucocytes in Childhood Crohn's Disease: A Morphological Study

Light and electron microscopy was applied to surgical resections and endoscopic biopsies from the ileum and colon of 15 children with Crohn's disease in order to investigate the involvement of neutrophils in the disease process. Clear evidence was found of neutrophil infiltration of the lamina propria and epithelium, neutrophil migration into the gut lumen through epithelial breaks and intact epithelium, neutrophil phagocytosis of luminal and lamina propria bacteria, and the presence of intracellular neutrophils in enterocytes. Similar findings were seen in 5 of 6 children with ulcerative colitis and in a case of an E. coli colitis, but not in 8 controls. The observations demonstrate the involvement of neutrophils in Crohn's disease in childhood and suggest that the response is directed, in part, against luminal enterobacteria and enterocytes.
A genetic algorithm approach to a general category project scheduling problem

A genetic algorithm (GA) approach is proposed for the general resource-constrained project scheduling model, in which activities may be executed in more than one operating mode, and renewable as well as nonrenewable resource constraints exist. Each activity's operation mode has a different duration and requires different amounts of renewable and nonrenewable resources. The objective is the minimization of the project duration or makespan. The problem under consideration is known to be one of the most difficult scheduling problems, and it is hard to find a feasible solution for such a problem, let alone the optimal one. The GA approach described in this paper incorporates problem-specific scheduling knowledge by an indirect chromosome encoding that consists of selected activity operating modes and an ordered set of scheduling rules. The scheduling rules in the chromosome are used in an iterative scheduling algorithm that constructs the schedule resulting from the chromosome. The proposed GA is denoted a hybrid GA (HGA) approach, since it is integrated with traditional scheduling tools and expertise specifically developed for the general resource-constrained project scheduling problem. The results demonstrate that HGA approach produces near-optimal solutions within a reasonable amount of computation time.
The influence of parameter dispersion of electrical cells on the array power output

Energy conversion by electrical (photovoltaic and chemical) cells are of relatively low power and low voltage levels. The cells are therefore connected in an array to produce the higher power and voltage levels desired. The dispersion of the cell parameters affect the array performance in such a way that the power output is lower than that desired, and hence additional cells have to be added. A larger dispersion of the parameters requires a greater amount of additional cells for the same power output requirement to make up for the so-called cell mismatch losses. This paper deals with the influence of parameter dispersions on array output power. The required number of cells in an array is determined analytically for a known distribution of the cell parameters. The nonidentical cell array can now be interchanged with an equivalent identical cell array permitting less complex calculations. The analysis in this paper is given for a large number of ideal electrochemical cells; a similar approach can be applied on other electrical cells.
Propriedades do Solo da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Catorze que Contribuem no Processo Erosivo Laminar

Neste estudo estimou-se a suscetibilidade a erosao laminar dos solos da bacia hidrografica do rio Catorze, no municipio de Francisco Beltrao – PR. Foi coletado amostras de solo ao longo da Bacia, para realizacao de analise granulometrica. Usou-se a equacao desenvolvida por Denardin (1990), que considera os teores oxido de aluminio, areia, materia orgânica, e permeabilidade do solo, para estimar os valores do fator K (erodibilidade). Atraves do software Spring 5.1. 8, classificaram-se os solos da Bacia, e utilizando linguagem LEGAL, obteve-se uma grade retangular com os valores do fator erodibilidade de todo seu territorio. As equacoes para estimar o fator erodibilidade dependem das caracteristicas fisicas, quimicas e biologicas dos solos e sao desenvolvidas na tentativa de minimizar erros e se aproximar de um valor real do fator K. Os valores encontrados para o fator erodibilidade na Bacia, variam entre 0,0611 e 0,1238 t.ha-1.h. mm-1.ha. MJ-1, mostrando uma erodibilidade elevada, principalmente para os neossolos, que sao solos menos desenvolvidos. Esses valores mostram a necessidade de uma adequacao no uso e nas praticas conservacionistas ao longo da Bacia, utilizando para isso, o mapa da erodibilidade desenvolvido atraves de geoprocessamento, onde e possivel visualizar as areas mais suscetiveis a erosao, podendo aplicar medidas de controle e prevencao desse processo.
Hepatoprotective and antioxidative effect of ethanolic leaf extract of Langenaria breviflora (bitter gourd) on indomethacin-ulcerated rats.

Studies on the possibility of indomethacin-mediated hepatotoxicity have not received considerable attention over the years. The percentage of chronic users continue to rise, and its consequential hepatotoxic effect is encountered more frequently than ever. This study explored the effect of administration of ethanolic leaves extract of Lageneria breviflora on the hepatocyte and stomach of indomethacin-ulcerated rats. Ulceration was induced with indomethacin (60 mg/kg b.wt). Ulcerated rats were then administered with 200 mg/kg body weight of the extract for 21 days. At the end of the experiment, liver function indices and stomach oxidative status were evaluated. The study indicates that the extract significantly reduced (p< 0.05) serum activities of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase as well as albumin and total bilirubin concentrations. The stomach catalase and superoxide dismutase activities as well as the reduced glutathione level also improved significantly (p< 0.05) following treatment with the extract. Stomach lipid peroxidation in the ulcerated rats was also normalized by the extract. Data from this study indicates that the leaves of Lageneria breviflora possess hepatoprotective and antioxidative activities. Our findings suggest that the extract exerts its antiulcerogenic activity via antioxidative
Political Literacy for Women’s Empowerment in Botswana: A Feminist Perspective

This article serves to illuminate that Botswana’s political landscape in the last 49 years has been very dramatic in the trend of women’s visibility in cabinet and parliament. Post independence trends indicate non-existence of women in the first Botswana parliament, a gradual increase in the number of women in parliament during the 1990s, ranging from 5 to 8, and a sharp collapse in the last decade to only 6 in 2014 (Botswana Gazette, 2014). Women, just like men, need to be groomed to be politically literate and aggressive to make a transition and compete with their male counterparts for parliamentary and cabinet seats. Women’s political illiteracy and history of being invisible in Southern African arliaments, particularly the highest decision-making organ of the Government of Botswana, is evident, based on numbers. Politics has remained a male province, with very few women as cabinet ministers or members of parliament. Based on an analysis of trends in the political landscape in Botswana, political ethnography, historiography and the Critical Third World Feminist Theory, the authors argue that lack of political literacy and patriotism are major sources of women’s failure to make it to parliament. These pose implications for accelerated role of Adult Continuing and lifelong education of women in politics to raise their level of political literacy.
Evaluation of acridine orange stain for detection of Trichomonas vaginalis in vaginal specimens

Vaginal exudates from 105 patients were examined by direct wet-mount microscopy and acridine orange stain for the presence of Trichomonas vaginalis. Both procedures demonstrated greater than 90% agreement in both sensitivity and specificity. When specimens can be examined immediately after collection, it appears that wet-mount microscopy is almost as sensitive as acridine orange staining for detection of T. vaginalis.
Onset of pruritus relief with pimecrolimus cream 1% in adult patients with atopic dermatitis: a randomized trial

Background: Pimecrolimus cream 1% (Elidel, Novartis Pharmaceuticals AG) effectively improves/relieves pruritus associated with atopic dermatitis (AD), but few data are available regarding the timing of relief. The purpose of this study was to investigate the timing of pruritus relief produced with pimecrolimus in adults with mild/moderate AD and moderate/severe pruritus.
Foundations Of Language Brain Meaning Grammar Evolution

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Caenorhabditis elegans Geminin Homologue Participates in Cell Cycle Regulation and Germ Line Development*

Cdt1 is an essential component for the assembly of a pre-replicative complex. Cdt1 activity is inhibited by geminin, which also participates in neural development and embryonic differentiation in many eukaryotes. Although Cdt1 homologues have been identified in organisms ranging from yeast to human, geminin homologues had not been described for Caenorhabditis elegans and fungi. Here, we identify the C. elegans geminin, GMN-1. Biochemical analysis reveals that GMN-1 associates with C. elegans CDT-1, the Hox protein NOB-1, and the Six protein CEH-32. GMN-1 inhibits not only the interaction between mouse Cdt1 and Mcm6 but also licensing activity in Xenopus egg extracts. RNA interference-mediated reduction of GMN-1 is associated with enlarged germ nuclei with aberrant nucleolar morphology, severely impaired gametogenesis, and chromosome bridging in intestinal cells. We conclude that the Cdt1-geminin system is conserved throughout metazoans and that geminin has evolved in these taxa to regulate proliferation and differentiation by directly interacting with Cdt1 and homeobox proteins.
Chronic stress produces enduring decreases in novel stress-evoked c-fos mRNA expression in discrete brain regions of the rat

Chronic stress produces numerous adaptations within the hypothalamic-pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis that persist well after cessation of chronic stress. We previously demonstrated profound attenuation of HPA axis responses to novel environment 4–7 days following chronic stress. The present study tests the hypothesis that this HPA axis hyporesponsivity is associated with reductions in stress-evoked c-fos mRNA expression, a marker of neuronal activation, in discrete brain regions. Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats underwent 1 week of chronic variable stress (CVS), with unhandled rats serving as controls. Independent groups of control and CVS rats were exposed to novel environment at 16 h, 4 days, 7 days, or 30 days after CVS. Marked reductions of c-fos mRNA expression in the CVS group persisted for at least 30 days within the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, and for at least 1 week in rostroventrolateral septum and lateral hypothalamus. Lower levels of c-fos mRNA expression were observed at 16 h recovery in the ventrolateral medial preoptic area, basolateral amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, and prelimbic cortex. The results demonstrate long-term alterations in neuronal activation within neurocircuits critical for regulation of physiological and psychological responses to stressors.
L'intérêt du psychodrame analytique

L'extension des indications de la psychanalyse aux enfants, ainsi qu'aux patients d'organisations non nevrotiques, rend necessaire une distinction plus rigoureuse entre la methode psychanalytique et les dispositifs au moyen desquels celle-ci est instauree concretement. Le psychodrame analytique est l'un de ces dispositifs parmi les plus feconds. Alternant argumentations metapsychologiques et illustrations cliniques, ce livre demontre que l'interet du psychodrame analytique reside dans sa capacite a offrir les benefices de la methode analytique a des patients inaptes a l'usage de la seule association libre verbale.
Caméras virtuelles pour l'étalonnage d'un système de réalité augmentée sur affichage semi-transparent

We present a novel extrinsic calibration method for optical see-through systems. It is primarily aimed at tablet-like systems with a semi-transparent screen, a user-tracking device and a device dedicated to the localization of the system in the environment but easily generalizable to any optical see-through setup. The proposed algorithm estimates the relative poses of those three component based on the user indicating the projections onto the screen of several reference points chosen on a known object. A convex estimation is computed through the resectioning of virtual cameras and used to initialize a global bundle adjustment. Both synthetic and real experiments show the viability of our approach.
Modular Cross-Coupling Controller for 5-Axis Machine Tools

This paper proposes a modular cross-coupling controller to improve the contouring and tool orientation accuracies in 5-axis CNC machining. The proposed cross-coupling controller is based on real-time estimation of contour and tool orientation errors. In the proposed controller, a 3-diemnsional contour error model and a newly introduced tool orientation error model can provide accurate information respectively on contour and tool orientation errors in real time for an arbitrary machined surface. Both models utilize only interpolator outputs and position and angle feedback from each axis. Therefore, the proposed controller offers a modular structure and can be easily integrated with any type of existing interpolators and servo controllers in a plug and play manner without any additional hardware. The proposed cross-coupling controller coordinates five axes of motion simultaneously, resulting in better performance than the conventional individual axis controllers. The accuracy of the 3-dimensional contour error and new tool orientation error models is compared with that of the existing model. The performance of the proposed cross-coupling controller is also evaluated by computer simulations in comparison with the conventional controller and the existing 5-axis cross-coupling controller.
Transient measurements in the Austrian high voltage transmission system

Transient measurements in several substations in the Austrian transmission system were performed in the last years. Based on these measurements it was possible to detect signal sequences which show direct and nearby lightning discharges as well as the coupling effects between phases and ground wire after lightning strikes. These transient voltages were measured by using resistive-capacitive voltage dividers (RC-divider) to generate a high quality dataset. The high bandwidth of the RC-divider and its resulting frequency stability is needed to analyzed such transient events. A correlation between the measurements and the data of the Austrian Lightning Location System was performed. In this paper, three different representative measurements of atmospheric discharges to or close to transmission lines will be presented.
Subdominant CD8+ T-Cell Responses Are Involved in Durable Control of AIDS Virus Replication

ABSTRACT “Elite controllers” are individuals that durably control human immunodeficiency virus or simian immunodeficiency virus replication without therapeutic intervention. The study of these rare individuals may facilitate the definition of a successful immune response to immunodeficiency viruses. Here we describe six Indian-origin rhesus macaques that have controlled replication of the pathogenic virus SIVmac239 for 1 to 5 years. To determine which lymphocyte populations were responsible for this control, we transiently depleted the animals’ CD8+ cells in vivo. This treatment resulted in 100- to 10,000-fold increases in viremia. When the CD8+ cells returned, control was reestablished and the levels of small subsets of previously subdominant CD8+ T cells expanded up to 2,500-fold above predepletion levels. This wave of CD8+ T cells was accompanied by robust Gag-specific CD4 responses. In contrast, CD8+ NK cell frequencies changed no more than threefold. Together, our data suggest that CD8+ T cells targeting a small number of epitopes, along with broad CD4+ T-cell responses, can successfully control the replication of the AIDS virus. It is likely that subdominant CD8+ T-cell populations play a key role in maintaining this control.
Conditionals, events, and unbound pronouns

Des travaux ont soutenu que la conception de l'anaphore faisant fonction de description definie n'etait pas applicable a certaines constructions complexes comme, par exemple, la construction conditionnelle. L'A. montre que la theorie descriptive des pronoms anaphoriques est plausible, en particulier lorsqu'est definie une theorie des conditionnels avec quantification implicite sur les evenements
5* Magic Wand: An RGBD Camera-Based 5 DoF User Interface for 3D Interaction

This paper introduces the 5* Magic Wand: a user interface that provides an inexpensive way for input of 3D data. Drawing upon the metaphor of the "wizard", a user can point to places, perform gestures and cast "spells" to interact with the computer. We describe a computer vision technique that tracks the wand with 5 degrees of freedom. A prototype implementation, composed of a standard PC, a RGBD camera and a hand-made stick, is presented. Finally, a demo application showing how the wand may be used to navigate on planet Earth is presented.
Autotaxin controls caudal diencephalon‐mesencephalon development in the chick

The diencephalon is the embryonic anlagen of the higher integration centers of the brain. Recent studies have elucidated how the cells in the rostral diencephalon acquire their regional identities. However, the understanding of the mechanisms under which the caudal diencephalon is formed is still limited. Here we focus on the role of Autotaxin (ATX), a lysophospholipid‐generating exoenzyme, whose mRNA is detected in the caudal diencephalon. RNA interference against ATX altered the expression pattern of Pax6‐regualted genes, Tcf4, Lim1, and En1, implying that ATX is required for the maintenance of the regional identity of the caudal diencephalon and the diencephalon‐mesencephalon boundary (DMB). Furthermore, ATX‐RNAi inhibited neuroepithelial cell proliferation on both sides of the DMB. We propose a dual role of ATX in chick brain development, in which ATX not only contributes to the formation of caudal diencephalon as a short‐range signal, but also regulates the growth of mesencephalon as a long‐range signal. Developmental Dynamics 239:2647–2658, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Nonuniform Subband Superposed OFDM with Variable Granularity Spectrum Allocation for 5G

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) can not meet the diverse scenarios of the future fifth generation (5G) networks due to its high out-of-band emission (OOBE), relatively low spectrum efficiency, and poor flexibility. In this paper, a nonuniform subband superposed OFDM (NSS-OFDM) scheme, based on a variable granularity (VG) spectrum allocation technique, is proposed as a candidate waveform for 5G. The VG method is exploited to divide the transmission band into a certain amount of subbands, each of which is applied to a specified application scenario through configuring the signaling parameters. To reduce the computational complexity, a multistage polyphase subfiltering architecture is utilized. Additionally, with subtly designed filters, the OOBE is significantly suppressed, which can minimize the frequency guard intervals between subbands. At the receiver, bit-error- rate is investigated for the additive white Gaussian noise and frequency selective channel. Simulation results show that the spectral efficiency, in terms of spectrum utilization rate, is increased up to 98.85% when ignoring the BER performance loss.
Linear dichroism studies of nucleic acids. II. Calculation of reduced dichroism curves of A‐and B‐form DNA

We have calculated the uv linear dichroism for the A‐ and B‐forms of DNA using π‐π* transition moments and band components determined from the free DNA bases. The reduced dichroism (LDR) as a function of wavelength is estimated is in the 220–300‐nm region, for both the oriented‐gas model and a simple exciton model. For B‐form DNA, LDR is obtained to −1.48S (S being the orientation factor) over the whole wavelenth region by both models. For A‐form DNA, LDR is not constant, but changes monotonically from about −1.15S at 220 nm to about −1.35S to −1.45S at 300 nm, depending on base combination and degree of interaction (−1.35S for the oriented gas). It is emphasized that a common assumption of a single “effective” transition moment of the principal band at 260 nm may not generally be made because of the extensive overlap of differently polarized bands. The possibility of using the reduced dichroism curve for characterizing the secondary structure of DNA is discussed.