Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The early sporogonic cycle of Plasmodium falciparum in laboratory‐infected Anopheles gambiae: an estimation of parasite efficacy

This study investigated the successive losses in the parasite densities of Plasmodium falciparum stages during the early sporogony in laboratory‐reared Anopheles gambiae infected by membrane feeding with blood from naturally infected gametocyte carriers (>50 gametocytes/mm3). The developmental stages of P. falciparum in the mosquito were studied from zygote to oocyst, by immunofluorescent method using monoclonal antibodies against the Pfs25 protein present on the surface of newly formed gametes. This method allows for assessment of the various sporogonic stages before, during and after passage of the midgut wall. Parasite densities were determined within the entire blood meal at 3 h (zygotes and macrogametes) and 24 h (ookinetes) post‐infection. At 48 h after the mosquito blood meal, midguts were checked for the presence of early oocysts. For the mid‐size oocysts count, classic microscopy examination was used at day 7 post‐infection. The parasite efficacy was estimated by following successive losses in parasite densities between different early stages of the sporogonic cycle in A. gambiae. Thirty‐seven experimental infections were realized with high gametocyte densities, ranging from 64 to 2392 gametocytes/mm3. All gametocyte carriers showed infection with round forms 100%; ookinetes were found in 91.9%. The prevalences of infections with oocysts were 48.6% at day 2 (young oocyst) and 37.8% at day 7 (mid‐size oocyst). The mean densities per mosquito for each parasite stage were 12.6 round forms, 5.5 ookinetes, 1.8 young oocyst and 2 mid‐size oocysts. Significant correlations were found between two consecutive parasite stages (round forms/ookinetes, ookinetes/young oocysts, young oocysts/mid‐size oocysts) and between round forms and mid‐size oocysts. The mean parasite density significantly decreased between round forms and ookinetes (yield Y1 = 41.6%) and between ookinetes and young oocysts (Y2 = 61.4%). By contrast, no significant decrease was observed between young oocysts and mid‐size oocysts (Y3 = 91.2%). The overall yield of the early sporogonic cycle (from round form to oocyst at day 7) was equal to 25.7%, indicating that almost 3/4 of the total parasites were lost during the early step of the sporogonic cycle, from 3 h post‐infection to day 7.
An Efficient Graph Search Decoder for Phrase-Based Statistical Machine Translation

In this paper we describe an efficient implementation of a graph search algorithm for phrase-based statistical machi ne translation. Our goal was to create a decoder that could be used for both our research system and a real-time speechto-speech machine translation demonstration system. The search algorithm is based on a Viterbi graph search with an A* heuristic. We were able to increase the speed of our decoder substantially through the use of on-the-fly beam pruning and other algorithmic enhancements. The decoder supports a variety of reordering constraints as well as arbitra ry ngram decoding. In addition, we have implemented disk based translation models and a messaging interface to communicate with other components for use in our real-time speech translation system.
On the calculation of the quasi-bound-state energies and lifetimes in inverted MOS structures with ultrathin oxides and its application to the direct tunneling current

We discuss the inverted MOS structure with extremely thin oxides as a quasi-bound-state system. Its energy subbands can be regarded as resonances of a quantum mechanical system with a continuum of eigenstates. We derive an analytical calculation to extract the defining parameters of the Lorentzian peaks associated with the relative probability of localizing an electron in the confining potential region at the Si/dielectric interface and propose an algorithm that allows to estimate the energy levels and the lifetimes of these states, provided the solution of the approximate bound state system is known. This new method has the advantage of not being affected by computational errors, avoiding the time consuming scanning procedure usually employed in previously reported works. Furthermore, a comparison with semiclassical calculation of the lifetimes is performed and direct tunneling current is calculated, which allows it to fit experimental gate-leakage curves with high accuracy.
Can Leadership Be Developed by Applying Leadership Theories? : An Examination of Three Theory-based Approaches to Leadership Development

The objective of this study is to investigate whether leadership can be developed by applying leadership theories through conducting a critical literature review of the effectiveness of three theory-based leadership development approaches drawn from academic literature: Fiedler’s Contingency Model, the Transformational Leadership Theory, and the Authentic Leadership Theory. Empirical studies testing the application of these theories was obtained and reviewed for evidence of efficacy in leadership development. The conclusion of the study indicates that leadership can be generated utilizing each of the three theories, however an overall framework for developing leadership has yet to be created. A possible framework for developing leadership based on transformational leadership and authentic leadership is offered.
Antiepileptic Drugs Reduce the Efficacy of Methotrexate Chemotherapy through Accelerated Degradation of the Reduced Folate Carrier by the Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway

Background/Aims: Concurrent treatment with methotrexate (MTX) and enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs including phenobarbital (PB) reduces the efficacy of MTX chemotherapy in cancer patients. We have shown that Reduced folate carrier (Rfc1)-mediated uptake of MTX, an essential determinant of MTX chemotherapy, is significantly reduced by PB via protein kinase C (PKC). However, whether PB treatment affects Rfc1 activity through regulation of carrier protein stability and the mechanisms involved remain unclear. Methods/Results: Protein turnover assays using hepatocytoma cells demonstrated that Rfc1 is a long-lived protein that is mainly degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway under basal conditions. Pretreatment with PB significantly reduced Rfc1-mediated MTX uptake and shortened the carrier protein half-life. This effect was abolished by the specific PKC inhibitor Gö6976. Inhibition of proteasomes with MG-132 significantly elevated Rfc1 protein levels and induced colocalization of Rfc1 and ubiquitin particularly in submembranous cellular compartments. Finally, we demonstrated that PB treatment resulted in enhanced levels of Rfc1 polyubiquitin conjugates. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that PB treatment causes downregulation of Rfc1 activity through PKC-dependent accelerated degradation of the Rfc1 protein by the ubiqutin-proteasome pathway. This regulatory mechanism may therefore involve clinically relevant drug resistance in patients concurrently receiving MTX and enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs.
Key Issues for Global it Sourcing: Country and Individual Factors

Abstract Globalization trends, trade liberalization in developing countries, quantum improvements in worldwide telecommunications infrastructures, and cost-cutting pressures have together compelled many companies to examine global opportunities for sourcing some of their IT operations. Such global sourcing, whether it involves insourcing or outsourcing, requires IT project managers to deal with issues unique to operating in heterogeneous international environments. This article examines the influences of country-level and individual-level factors on the effective management of offshore IT sourcing relationships and offers a set of best practices that project managers should consider when entering into such global arrangements.
THE RELATION OF MANURE TO THE NUTRITIVE AND VITAMIN VALUE OF CERTAIN GRAIN

mnent. These fractions were shaken out by hand (1) four times with 15 per cent. NaOHi (2) twice with water; (3) four times with 20 per cent. H2SO by weight; (4) twice with water. C and D after this extraction of acids and bases were dissolved in ether and applied to series of 100 mice. In the " D " series, between the 120th day when 30 mice were alive and the 258th day when 5 mice remained, 8 mice developed epithelioma and one a non-malignant epithelial horn; this is as large a yield of tumours as one would obtain with many samples of crude tar. Fraction C at the present date (355th day) has produced one epithelioma, presenting some remarkable features which will be referred to in a later publication, and among the 9 surviving mice there is one tumour which is almsost cer.tainly malignant, and one papilloma. Thus the higher-boiling fraction D is the more active. The ordinary Prussian blue test shows a very slight trace of nitrogen in C, and a distinctly larger amount in D. Bloch24 mentions cancer-producing fractions of tar containing no acids, bases, nor nitrogen, and a trace only of sulphur, but lhe gives iio details.
Dynamic models of a six degree of freedom parallel manipulators

In recent years, parallel manipulators have received a lot of attention because of the interest they represent for automated assembly. Equations describing the dynamic behaviour of such manipulators are presented. A complete dynamic model in the operational workspace, useful for simulation, is described. This complete model, too complex to be exploited in a control law, can be simplified. The authors show that it is possible to write, in the form of a simple matrix, a model of a robot which takes into account the principal dynamic interactions. This model is the basis of control structures in the operational workspace. <<ETX>>
Transduction of naive CD4 T cells with kinase‐deficient Lck‐HIV‐Tat fusion protein dampens T cell activation and provokes a switch to regulatory function

We show here that T cell differentiation can be altered by exposing naive mouse CD4 T cells to altered T cell receptor signaling, achieved by transducing them with a fusion protein consisting of a modified Lck protein lacking the kinase domain and the HIV‐Tat protein transduction domain. The Lck‐HIV‐Tat fusion protein is internalized into naive mouse T cells within 30 min after application to the medium. Activation of transduced cells in vitro resulted in strongly reduced intracellular calcium mobilization, alterations in cytokine profile, and sustained up‐regulation of CD25. The cells had suppressive activity in vitro, but no Foxp3 expression. Our data indicate that signals encountered by a naive T cell during its initial activation can profoundly influence its subsequent functional behavior and elicit T cells, which can have regulatory activity.
Incidence of Bactobilia Increases over Time after Endoscopic Sphincterotomy

Patients with choledochocystolithiasis are usually treated by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography with endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). LC after ES is more difficult than in uncomplicated gallstone disease, possibly due to bacterial colonization of the common bile duct. The goal of this study was to evaluate if bactobilia influences the peri- and postoperative outcomes. Data were obtained from a randomized trial on the timing of LC after ES. Ninety-six patients were randomized after ES to LC either within 72 h (early LC [ELC]) or in 6–8 weeks (delayed LC [DLC]). In 64 of 96 patients bile samples were obtained peroperatively. The overall prevalence of bactobilia was 62.5% [40/64; 50% of ELC patients (n = 13) vs. 71.1% in the DLC group (n = 27); p = 0.088]. Age and group (i.e. ELC/DLC) were independent and significant predictors for the presence of bactobilia. The presence of bactobilia did not influence operating time and difficulty or conversion rate. Patients with bactobilia developed more biliary events in the period between ES and LC (44 vs. 28%). After ES for choledochocystolithiasis, 62.5% of patients have bactobilia at the time of surgery. The prevalence of bactobilia increases with age and time. Patients with bactobilia tend to develop more biliary-related complications awaiting surgery.
A Hybrid Fuzzy ANN System for Agent Adaptation in a First Person Shooter

The aim of developing an agent, that is able to adapt its actions in response to their effectiveness within the game, provides the basis for the research presented in this paper. It investigates how adaptation can be applied through the use of a hybrid of AI technologies. The system developed uses the predefined behaviours of a finite-state machine and fuzzy logic system combined with the learning capabilities of a neural computing. The system adapts specific behaviours that are central to the performance of the bot (a computer-controlled player that simulates a human opponent) in the game, with the paper’s main focus being on that of the weapon selection behaviour; selecting the best weapon for the current situation. As a development platform, the project makes use of the Quake 3 Arena engine, modifying the original bot AI to integrate the adaptive technologies.
Observer-based Direct Power Control for three-level NPC rectifiers

In this paper we propose a direct power controller (DPC) for three phase three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) rectifiers. This type of converter can operate as rectifier or inverter; as rectifier, two capacitors are placed at the dc output in order to produce smooth voltage, while reducing the size of the capacitors themselves. The control objective becomes twofold. From the power management perspective, reactive power must be driven to zero and active power to a pre-specified set-point, while at voltage level, the charge must be equally balanced between both capacitors, taking their voltage difference as a control variable to be stabilized at zero. The power control algorithm introduces a complex nonlinear term in the capacitors voltage dynamics. In this paper, it is shown that this term can be approximated by a third-order harmonic signal that can be estimated by a Luenberger state observer. The estimation is used to cancel the nonlinear term and control the capacitors voltages.
SMOOTH MUSCLE OF THE PERIORBITA AND THE MECHANISM OF EXOPHTHALMOS

of the right eye, illustrates the left fundus and shows a temporal crescent and the perimacular region is suspiciously pathological. Some of the other drawings are poor. There is an index and ophthalmological dictionary. Certain common ophthalmic terms which have not been mentioned in the text are placed in appropriate alphabetical order in the index and receive a few lines of explanation and description.
Image reconstruction from a reduced set of pixels using a simplified gradient algorithm

A reconstruction of images in the DCT transformation domain based on the adaptive gradient algorithm is considered in this paper. Two approaches are used in the reconstruction. In the first approach, the image is pre-processed using 8×8 blocks, such that the smallest DCT coefficients are set to zero in order to make the image sparse. The second approach reconstructs the image without the pre-processing step. It has been assumed that the sparsity is an intrinsic property of the analyzed image. An adaptive gradient based algorithm is used to recover a large number of missing pixels in the image. In order to improve the calculation complexity, in this paper we propose an improved version of recently proposed adaptive gradient algorithm, which is now reduced to a single, automatically determined parameter. The previous reconstruction of black and white and colour images is repeated with a significant calculation efficiency improvement.
Oral glucose tolerance test indexes for insulin sensitivity and secretion based on various availabilities of sampling times.

We have recently proposed a series of indexes for β-cell function and insulin sensitivity to be calculated from glucose and insulin concentrations obtained during a classic World Health Organization oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) (1). The models were validated by the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic and the hyperglycemic clamp technique, respectively. The generation of these indexes was based on simple statistical models using stepwise linear regression analysis. The variables in the model assumed the availability of determinations at 0, 30, …
Cardiopulmonary changes occurring with pulmonary intravascular clearance of live bacteria in sheep.

Sheep were infused with live bacteria to determine if the bacteria are phagocytized in the pulmonary circulation and to study the associated cardiopulmonary changes. Unanesthetized animals (n = 9) with chronic hemodynamic and pulmonary lymph catheters received a 1 hr central venous infusion of live Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5 x 10(7) Ps. /minute) and were compared to a sham group (n = 7). The pulmonary arterial levels of bacteria were five to 100 times higher than the aortic levels. Pulmonary intravascular clearance rates were 79-91%. Electron microscopy of the lungs 24 hr after the bacterial infusion showed that pulmonary intravascular macrophages and neutrophils phagocytosed the bacteria. Severe initial and mild persistent pulmonary hypertension occurred. The pulmonary lymph flow was elevated, initially from hydrostatic pressure and later from increased permeability. A hyperdynamic circulation occurred from 6 to 18 hr, with elevated cardiac index and lowered systemic vascular resistance and mean arterial pressure, mimicking cardiopulmonary changes seen in clinical sepsis. The removal of bacteria in the lungs may contribute to the injury in sheep.
High-alcohol preferring mice are more impulsive than low-alcohol preferring mice as measured in the delay discounting task.

BACKGROUND Repeated studies have shown that high impulsivity, when defined as the tendency to choose small immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards, is more prevalent in drug addicts and alcoholics when compared with nonaddicts. Assessing whether impulsivity precedes and potentially causes addiction disorders is difficult in humans because they all share a history of drug use. In this study, we address this question by testing alcohol-naïve mice from lines showing heritable differences in alcohol intake. METHODS Replicated selected lines of outbred high-alcohol preferring (HAP) mice were compared to a low-alcohol preferring (LAP) line as well as the low-drinking progenitor line (HS/Ibg) on an adjusting amount delay discounting (DD) task. The DD task employs 2 levers to present subjects with a choice between a small, immediate and a large, delayed saccharin reward. By adjusting the quantity of the immediate reward up and down based on choice behavior, the task allows an estimate of how the subjective value of the delayed reinforcer decreases as delays increase. Latency to respond was also measured for each trial. RESULTS Both HAP2 and HAP1 lines of mice were more impulsive than the LAP2 and HS/Ibg lines, respectively. Hyperbolic curve-fitting confirmed steeper discounting in the high-alcohol drinking lines. In addition, the high-alcohol drinking lines demonstrated greater within-session increases in reaction times relative to the low-alcohol drinking lines. No other differences (consumption of saccharin, total trials completed) consistently mapped onto genetic differences in alcohol drinking. CONCLUSIONS Alcohol-naïve outbred mice selected for high-alcohol drinking were more impulsive with saccharin reinforcers than low-alcohol drinkers. These data are consistent with results seen using inbred strain descendents of high-alcohol drinking and low-alcohol drinking rat lines, and suggest that impulsivity is a heritable difference that precedes alcoholism.
The Deciphering Developmental Disorders (DDD) study

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY One of the main frustrations facing paediatric neurologists, community paediatricians, and clinical geneticists in everyday practice is the poor success rate in making accurate diagnoses for children with severe or profound neurological disability. Accurate diagnosis is the cornerstone of good medical care. However, the chance of achieving a genetic diagnosis for a child with severe developmental delay is low where no diagnosis is apparent after routine investigation – yet the majority of children with developmental disorders fall into this category. Although individually rare, collectively these conditions represent a significant burden for individuals, families, and health services. There has been a growing appreciation in recent years of the importance of genetic disorders in childhood neurodisability, although in many cases the location and nature of the causal mutation is unknown. In clinical practice, a family history of other similarly affected individuals is a strong pointer to a genetic aetiology, but the converse does not necessarily hold and the concept that de novo dominant mutations may cause apparently sporadic disorders is gaining acceptance. If a de novo mutation severely impairs development such that the affected individual does not reproduce, the genetic basis of their condition may remain unrecognized. Speculatively, such events may explain some cases of severe cerebral palsy or severe epileptic encephalopathy as well as severe intellectual disability. In addition, there are many undiagnosed recessively inherited neurodevelopmental disorders collectively responsible for a substantial proportion of the excess morbidity and mortality amongst infants born to consanguineous parents. Genomic microarray analysis has proven to be valuable for improving rates of diagnosis amongst children with developmental delay ⁄ intellectual disability caused by large structural variants (such as deletions and duplications of >50kb). For smaller mutations, the revolution in ‘next generation’ DNA sequencing technologies is now enabling genomic analysis on an unprecedented scale. Massively parallel sequencing enables the rapid, systematic identification of variants on a large scale, either across the whole genome or targeted at functional coding regions (the exome). This has accelerated the pace of gene discovery and disease diagnosis on a molecular level and may substantially improve the diagnosis of children with developmental disorders.