Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Survey on Portuguese Lexical Knowledge Bases: Contents, Comparison and Combination

In the last decade, several lexical-semantic knowledge bases (LKBs) were developed for Portuguese, by different teams and following different approaches. Most of them are open and freely available for the community. Those LKBs are briefly analysed here, with a focus on size, structure, and overlapping contents. However, we go further and exploit all of the analysed LKBs in the creation of new LKBs, based on the redundant contents. Both original and redundancy-based LKBs are then compared, indirectly, based on the performance of automatic procedures that exploit them for solving four different semantic analysis tasks. In addition to conclusions on the performance of the original LKBs, results show that, instead of selecting a single LKB to use, it is generally worth combining the contents of all the open Portuguese LKBs, towards better results.
Cell-Free Culture Supernatant of Bifidobacterium breve CNCM I-4035 Decreases Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines in Human Dendritic Cells Challenged with Salmonella typhi through TLR Activation

Dendritic cells (DCs) constitute the first point of contact between gut commensals and our immune system. Despite growing evidence of the immunomodulatory effects of probiotics, the interactions between the cells of the intestinal immune system and bacteria remain largely unknown. Indeed,, the aim of this work was to determine whether the probiotic Bifidobacterium breve CNCM I-4035 and its cell-free culture supernatant (CFS) have immunomodulatory effects in human intestinal-like dendritic cells (DCs) and how they respond to the pathogenic bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, and also to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in these interactions. Human DCs were directly challenged with B. breve/CFS, S. typhi or a combination of these stimuli for 4 h. The expression pattern of genes involved in Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway and cytokine secretion was analyzed. CFS decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in human intestinal DCs challenged with S. typhi. In contrast, the B. breve CNCM I-4035 probiotic strain was a potent inducer of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines tested, i.e., TNF-α, IL-8 and RANTES, as well as anti-inflammatory cytokines including IL-10. CFS restored TGF-β levels in the presence of Salmonella. Live B.breve and its supernatant enhanced innate immune responses by the activation of TLR signaling pathway. These treatments upregulated TLR9 gene transcription. In addition, CFS was a more potent inducer of TLR9 expression than the probiotic bacteria in the presence of S. typhi. Expression levels of CASP8 and IRAK4 were also increased by CFS, and both treatments induced TOLLIP gene expression. Our results indicate that the probiotic strain B. breve CNCM I-4035 affects the intestinal immune response, whereas its supernatant exerts anti-inflammatory effects mediated by DCs. This supernatant may protect immune system from highly infectious agents such as Salmonella typhi and can down-regulate pro-inflammatory pathways.
Preventive Effect of Cashew-Derived Protein Hydrolysate with High Fiber on Cerebral Ischemia

This study aimed to determine the protective effect of cashew nut-derived protein hydrolysate with high dietary fiber (AO) in cerebral ischemic rats induced by the occlusion of right middle cerebral artery (Rt.MCAO). Acute toxicity was determined and data showed that LD50 of AO > 5000 mg/kg BW. To determine the cerebroprotective effect of AO, male Wistar rats were orally given AO at doses of 2, 10, and 50 mg/kg for 14 days and subjected to Rt.MCAO. Brain infarction volume, neurological score, spatial memory, serum lipid profiles, and C-reactive protein together with the brain oxidative stress status were assessed. All doses of AO significantly decreased brain infarction in cortex, hippocampus, and striatum together with the decreased oxidative stress status. The improvement of spatial memory and serum C-reactive protein were also observed in MCAO rats which received AO at all doses. In addition, the decreased serum cholesterol, TG, and LDL but increased HDL were observed in MCAO rats which received high dose of AO. Taken all together, AO is the potential protectant against cerebral ischemia. The improvement of oxidative stress, inflammation, and dyslipidemia might play roles in the actions. However, further researches are required to understand the precise underlying mechanism.
Investigating evolutionary lag using the species‐pairs evolutionary lag test (SPELT)

For traits showing correlated evolution, one trait may evolve more slowly than the other, producing evolutionary lag. The species‐pairs evolutionary lag test (SPELT) uses an independent contrasts based approach to detect evolutionary lag on a phylogeny. We investigated the statistical performance of SPELT in relation to degree of lag, sample size (species pairs), and strength of association between traits. We simulated trait evolution under two models: one in which trait X changes during speciation and the lagging trait Y catches up as a function of time since speciation; and another in which trait X evolves in a random walk and the lagging trait Y is a function of X at a previous time period. Type I error rates under “no lag” were close to the expected level of 5%, indicating that the method is not prone to false‐positives. Simulation results suggest that reasonable statistical power (80%) is reached with around 140 species pairs, although the degree of lag and trait associations had additional influences on power. We applied the method to two datasets and discuss how estimation of a branch length scaling parameter (κ) can be used with SPELT to detect lag.
Vascular Health and Risk Management Dovepress Video Abstract Validation of Four Devices: Omron M6 Comfort, Omron Hem-7420, Withings Bp-800, and Polygreen Kp-7670 for Home Blood Pressure Measurement According to the European Society of Hypertension International Protocol

Point your SmartPhone at the code above. If you have a QR code reader the video abstract will appear. Or use: Withings BP-800, and Polygreen KP-7670, designed for self-blood pressure measurement (SBPM) were evaluated according to the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) International Protocol Revision 2010 in four separate studies. Methods: The four devices measure brachial blood pressure (BP) using the oscillometric method. The Withings BP-800 has to be connected to an Apple ® iOS device such as an iPhone ® , iPad ® , or iPod ®. The ESH International Protocol Revision 2010 includes a total number of 33 subjects. The difference between observer and device BP values was calculated for each measure. Ninety-nine pairs of BP differences were classified into three categories (#5 mmHg, #10 mmHg, #15 mmHg). The protocol procedures were followed precisely in each of the four studies. Results: All four tested devices passed the validation process. The mean differences between the device and mercury readings were: −1.8±5.1 mmHg and −0.4±2.8 mmHg for systolic and dia-stolic BP, respectively, using the Omron M6 Comfort device; 2.5±4.6 mmHg and −1.2±4.3 mmHg for the Omron HEM-7420 device; −0.2±5.0 mmHg and 0.4±4.2 mmHg for the Withings BP-800 device; and 3.0±5.3 mmHg and 0.3±5.2 mmHg for the Polygreen KP-7670 device. KP-7670 readings differing by less than 5 mmHg, 10 mmHg, and 15 mmHg fulfill the ESH International Protocol Revision 2010 requirements, and therefore are suitable for use by patients for SBPM, if used correctly.
Collaborative bug triaging using textual similarities and change set analysis

Bug triaging assigns a bug report, which is also known as a work item, an issue, a task or simply a bug, to the most appropriate software developer for fixing or implementing it. However, this task is tedious, time-consuming and error-prone if not supported by effective means. Current techniques either use information retrieval and machine learning to find the most similar bugs already fixed and recommend expert developers, or they analyze change information stemming from source code to propose expert bug solvers. Neither technique combines textual similarity with change set analysis and thereby exploits the potential of the interlinking between bug reports and change sets. In this paper, we present our approach to identify potential experts by identifying similar bug reports and analyzing the associated change sets. Studies have shown that effective bug triaging is done collaboratively in a meeting, as it requires the coordination of multiple individuals, the understanding of the project context and the understanding of the specific work practices. Therefore, we implemented our approach on a multi-touch table to allow multiple stakeholders to interact simultaneously in the bug triaging and to foster their collaboration. In the current stage of our experiments we have experienced that the expert recommendations are more specific and useful when the rationale behind the expert selection is also presented to the users.
Modelling the factors that influence mobile phone adoption

Technology adoption models specify a pathway of technology acceptance from external variables to beliefs, intentions, adoption and actual usage. Mobile phone adoption has been studied from a variety of perspectives, including sociology, computer-supported cooperative work and human-computer interaction. What is lacking is a model integrating all these factors influencing mobile phone adoption. This paper investigates technology adoption models as a strategy to match mobile phone design to user's technological needs and expectations. Based on the literature study we integrate three existing technology adoption models and then evaluate the proposed model with interviews and a survey. The contribution of this paper is a model for representing the factors that influence mobile phone adoption.
Reversal of the anticoagulant and anti-hemostatic effect of low molecular weight heparin by direct prothrombin activation

Lopap, found in the bristles of Lonomia obliqua caterpillar, is the first exogenous prothrombin activator that shows serine protease-like activity, independent of prothrombinase components and unique lipocalin reported to interfere with hemostasis mechanisms. To assess the action of an exogenous prothrombin activator reversing the anticoagulant and antihemostatic effect induced by low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), male New Zealand rabbits (N = 20, weighing 3.8-4.0 kg) allocated to 4 groups were anticoagulated with 1800 IU/kg LMWH (iv) over 2 min, followed by iv administration of saline or recombinant Lopap (rLopap) at 1 µg/kg (LG1) or 10 µg/kg (LG10), 10 min after the injection of LMWH, in a blind manner. Control animals were treated only with saline. The action of rLopap was assessed in terms of activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), prothrombin fragment F1+2, fibrinogen, and ear puncture bleeding time (BT) at 5, 10, 15, 17, 20, 30, 40, 60, and 90 min after initiation of LMWH infusion. LG10 animals showed a decrease of aPTT in more than 50% and BT near to normal baseline. The level of prothrombin fragment F1+2 measured by ELISA had a 6-fold increase with rLopap treatment (10 µg/kg) and was inversely proportional to BT in LMWH-treated animals. Thus, Lopap, obtained in recombinant form using E. coli expression system, was useful in antagonizing the effect of LMWH through direct prothrombin activation, which can be a possible strategy for the reversal of bleeding and anticoagulant events.
Post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder after kidney transplantation: report of a nationwide French registry and the development of a new prognostic score.

PURPOSE Post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is associated with significant mortality in kidney transplant recipients. We conducted a prospective survey of the occurrence of PTLD in a French nationwide population of adult kidney recipients over 10 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS A French registry was established to cover a nationwide population of transplant recipients and prospectively enroll all adult kidney recipients who developed PTLD between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2007. Five hundred patient cases of PTLD were referred to the French registry. The prognostic factors for PTLD were investigated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox analyses. RESULTS Patients with PTLD had a 5-year survival rate of 53% and 10-year survival rate of 45%. Multivariable analyses revealed that age > 55 years, serum creatinine level > 133 μmol/L, elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels, disseminated lymphoma, brain localization, invasion of serous membranes, monomorphic PTLD, and T-cell PTLD were independent prognostic indicators of poor survival. Considering five variables at diagnosis (age, serum creatinine, lactate dehydrogenase, PTLD localization, and histology), we constructed a prognostic score that classified patients with PTLD as being at low, moderate, high, or very high risk for death. The 10-year survival rate was 85% for low-, 80% for moderate-, 56% for high-, and 0% for very high-risk recipients. CONCLUSION This nationwide study highlights the prognostic factors for PTLD and enables the development of a new prognostic score. After validation in an independent cohort, the use of this score should allow treatment strategies to be better tailored to individual patients in the future.
Building a Word Segmenter for Sanskrit Overnight

There is an abundance of digitised texts available in Sanskrit. However, the word segmentation task in such texts are challenging due to the issue of 'Sandhi'. In Sandhi, words in a sentence often fuse together to form a single chunk of text, where the word delimiter vanishes and sounds at the word boundaries undergo transformations, which is also reflected in the written text. Here, we propose an approach that uses a deep sequence to sequence (seq2seq) model that takes only the sandhied string as the input and predicts the unsandhied string. The state of the art models are linguistically involved and have external dependencies for the lexical and morphological analysis of the input. Our model can be trained "overnight" and be used for production. In spite of the knowledge lean approach, our system preforms better than the current state of the art by gaining a percentage increase of 16.79 % than the current state of the art.
Consistent feature attribution for tree ensembles

Note that a newer expanded version of this paper is now available at: arXiv:1802.03888 It is critical in many applications to understand what features are important for a model, and why individual predictions were made. For tree ensemble methods these questions are usually answered by attributing importance values to input features, either globally or for a single prediction. Here we show that current feature attribution methods are inconsistent, which means changing the model to rely more on a given feature can actually decrease the importance assigned to that feature. To address this problem we develop fast exact solutions for SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanation) values, which were recently shown to be the unique additive feature attribution method based on conditional expectations that is both consistent and locally accurate. We integrate these improvements into the latest version of XGBoost, demonstrate the inconsistencies of current methods, and show how using SHAP values results in significantly improved supervised clustering performance. Feature importance values are a key part of understanding widely used models such as gradient boosting trees and random forests, so improvements to them have broad practical implications.
Effect of variability in SWCNT-based logic gates

This work is concerned with Carbon Nanotube diameter variations and the resulting uncertainties on the behavior of logic gates made from Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs). Monte Carlo simulations were performed for logic gates based on CNTs of different mean diameters using the Stanford CNFET model. Delay characteristics of logic gates (NOT, NAND, NOR) are studied. This work reveals that logic gates employing SWCNTs with mean diameters greater than about 1.2 nm, show less variation in their timing characteristics, provided that a CNT diameter standard deviation of less than 0.1nm can be guaranteed by a technology process.
In situ synchrotron radiation monitoring of phase transitions during microwave heating of Al–Cu–Fe alloys

The effect of rapid microwave heating has so far been evaluated mainly by comparing the state of materials before and after microwave exposure. Yet, further progress critically depends on the ability to follow the evolution of materials during ultrafast heating in real time. We describe the first in situ time-resolved monitoring of solid-state phase transitions during microwave heating of metallic powders using wide-angle synchrotron radiation diffraction. Single-phase Al–Cu–Fe quasicrystal powders were obtained by microwave heating of nanocrystalline alloy precursors at 650 °C in <20 s.
Power Sharing and Voltage Vector Distribution Model of a Dual Inverter Open-End Winding Motor Drive System for Electric Vehicles

A drive system with an open-end winding permanent magnet synchronous motor (OW-PMSM) fed by a dual inverter and powered by two independent power sources is suitable for electric vehicles. By using an energy conversion device as primary power source and an energy storage element as secondary power source, this configuration can not only lower the DC-bus voltage and extend the driving range, but also handle the power sharing between two power sources without a DC/DC (direct current to direct current) converter. Based on a drive system model with voltage vector distribution, this paper proposes a desired power sharing calculation method and three different voltage vector distribution methods. By their selection strategy the optimal voltage vector distribution method can be selected according to the operating conditions. On the basis of the integral synthesizing of the desired voltage vector, the proposed voltage vector distribution method can reduce the inverter switching frequency while making the primary power source follow its desired output power. Simulation results confirm the validity of the proposed methods, which improve the primary power source’s energy efficiency by regulating its output power and lessen inverter switching loss by reducing the switching frequency. This system also provides an approach to the energy management function of electric vehicles.
Dental fear and adult oral health in Australia.

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the association between dental fear and both dental caries and periodontal indicators. METHODS A three-stage stratified clustered sample of the Australian adult population completed a computer-assisted telephone interview followed by a clinical examination. Oral health measures were the DMFT index and its components, periodontitis and gingivitis. A total of 5364 adults aged 18-91 years were dentally examined. RESULTS Higher dental fear was significantly associated with more decayed teeth (DT), missing teeth (MT) and DMFT. There was an inverted 'U' association between dental fear and the number of filled teeth (FT). Periodontitis and gingivitis were not associated with dental fear. The association between dental fear and DMFT was significant for adults aged 18-29 and 30-44 years, but not in older ages. Dental fear was significantly associated with more DT, MT, and DMFT but with fewer FT after controlling for age, sex, income, employment status, tertiary education, dental insurance status and oral hygiene. CONCLUSION This study helps reconcile some of the conflicting results of previous studies and establishes that dental fear is associated with more decayed and missing teeth but fewer FT. That people with higher dental fear have significantly more caries experience underlines the importance of identifying and then reducing dental fear as important steps in improving adult oral health.
A theory of how active behavior stabilises neural activity: Neural gain modulation by closed-loop environmental feedback

During active behaviours like running, swimming, whisking or sniffing, motor actions shape sensory input and sensory percepts guide future motor commands. Ongoing cycles of sensory and motor processing constitute a closed-loop feedback system which is central to motor control and, it has been argued, for perceptual processes. This closed-loop feedback is mediated by brainwide neural circuits but how the presence of feedback signals impacts on the dynamics and function of neurons is not well understood. Here we present a simple theory suggesting that closed-loop feedback between the brain/body/environment can modulate neural gain and, consequently, change endogenous neural fluctuations and responses to sensory input. We support this theory with modeling and data analysis in two vertebrate systems. First, in a model of rodent whisking we show that negative feedback mediated by whisking vibrissa can suppress coherent neural fluctuations and neural responses to sensory input in the barrel cortex. We argue this suppression provides an appealing account of a brain state transition (a marked change in global brain activity) coincident with the onset of whisking in rodents. Moreover, this mechanism suggests a novel signal detection mechanism that selectively accentuates active, rather than passive, whisker touch signals. This mechanism is consistent with a predictive coding strategy that is sensitive to the consequences of motor actions rather than the difference between the predicted and actual sensory input. We further support the theory by re-analysing previously published two-photon data recorded in zebrafish larvae performing closed-loop optomotor behaviour in a virtual swim simulator. We show, as predicted by this theory, that the degree to which each cell contributes in linking sensory and motor signals well explains how much its neural fluctuations are suppressed by closed-loop optomotor behaviour. More generally we argue that our results demonstrate the dependence of neural fluctuations, across the brain, on closed-loop brain/body/environment interactions strongly supporting the idea that brain function cannot be fully understood through open-loop approaches alone.
Explicitly representing expected cost: an alternative to ROC representation

ABSTRACT This paper proposes an alternative to ROC representation, in which the expected cost of a classi er is represented explicitly. This expected cost representation maintains many of the advantages of ROC representation, but is easier to understand. It allows the experimenter to immediately see the range of costs and class frequencies where a particular classi er is the best and quantitatively how much better it is than other classi ers. This paper demonstrates there is a point/line duality between the two representations. A point in ROC space representing a classi er becomes a line segment spanning the full range of costs and class frequencies. This duality produces equivalent operations in the two spaces, allowing most techniques used in ROC analysis to be readily reproduced in the cost space.
Characterization of enhanced antibacterial effects of novel silver nanoparticles

In the present study, we report the preparation of silver nanoparticles in the range of 10–15 nm with increased stability and enhanced anti-bacterial potency. The morphology of the nanoparticles was characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles used in this study was found to be far more potent than that described in the earlier reports. This effect was dose dependent and was more pronounced against gram-negative bacteria than gram-positive organisms. Although bacterial cell lysis could be one of the reasons for the observed antibacterial property, nanoparticles also modulated the phosphotyrosine profile of putative bacterial peptides, which could thus affect bacterial signal transduction and inhibit the growth of the organisms.