Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Upon the dynamic modeling in semantics

The paper discusses the possibility of modeling the meaning conveying of words by a dynamic process of linear superposition of the component phonemes. The phonemes are modeled by chaotic attractors, and their superposition lead to a unique dynamic behavior of the resultant word. This dynamic approach integrates the separate units of language coming in sequence into a unitary meaning whole and can serve as basis for a new dynamic theory of semantics.
Tensor Universality, Quantum Information Flow, Coecke's Theorem, and Generalizations

We show that Coecke's compositionality theorem for quantum information flow follows by the universal property of tensor products from the case in which all relevant states are totally disentangled, for which the proof is almost trivial. With the same technique we deduce a PROP structure behind general multipartite quantum information processing and show that all such are equivalent to a canonical teleportation-type form. Some philosophical issues concerning quantum information are also touched upon.
Design of an optically-interconnected multiprocessor

This paper presents the design of an optically interconnected multiprocessor. The design is oriented to applications where the performance is bandwidth limited in conventional multiprocessors. The system utilizes board-level polymer waveguides to reduce manufacturing costs. The processor interconnection network, called Gemini, has a Banyan topology and is composed of dual optical and electronic networks. The optical data paths (circuit switched) are used for passing large data blocks and the matched electrical data paths (packet switched) are used for control of the optical interconnect and for short data messages.
Encrypted SVM for Outsourced Data Mining

Individuals and companies, taking advantage of cloud computing which affords both resource and compute scalability, are willing to outsource their exploding data to save the storage and managing cost, however, users often do not fully trust the cloud and therefore outsource their private data after encryption to protect the data privacy. Here, as the data are both encrypted and outsourced in the cloud, how to securely and efficiently store and process such data becomes a challenging task and a primary concern. Support vector machine (SVM) classification, among different data mining and machine learning algorithms, has been very widely used in practical applications, which however, does not have a corresponding solution for such outsourced and encrypted data. Also, existing secure methods only assume that the data is locally stored by users rather than outsourced. To address this problem, we propose a novel Protocol for Outsourced SVM (POS) in this paper. POS lets cloud and users perform collaborative operations on encrypted and outsourced data without violating the data privacy contributed by each user. We formally verified that POS is correct and secure. We also conducted experimental analysis.
Mapping a sequence diagram to the related code: Cognitive levels expressed by developers

This paper reports on a study in which developers' cognitive levels were categorised and measured while they mapped a sequence diagram to the related code based on a Usage Based Reading scenario. Results indicate that applying the usage-based reading technique to map a sequence diagram to the underlying code, facilitates a developer to operate at the Knowledge and Comprehension levels of Bloom's cognitive taxonomy, but does not facilitate sustaining it at the Analysis level. The results of this study highlight the need for improved tools and methodologies that aid developers understanding of the system, particularly for those commencing a new project.
Correlation analysis technique revealing ionospheric precursors of earthquakes

Abstract. In this paper we focus on the variability of electron concentration in the ionosphere measured by ground based ionosondes and GPS receivers around the time of strong earthquakes. It has been detected and statistically proven that several days before the seismic shock the level of this variability increases at the station closest to the epicenter, a fact which can be regarded as precursory phenomenon. More precisely the localness of this specific kind of ionospheric variability is used for the correlation analysis of data of several observation points. The similarity of geographical location of the observation points leads to the similarity of ionospheric variations registered at these sites during both quiet and disturbed geomagnetic conditions, except in the case of those located at the seismoactive zone. As a rule, the local anomalies in the F2 layer and TEC accompanying the preparation of strong earthquakes show themselves in the breaking of the mutual correlation of the critical frequencies foF2 or TEC between stations situated in and outside the seismic zone. The precursory phenomenon appears 1 to 7 days before the time of the seismic shock.
Last But Not Least: Cortical Interneurons from Caudal Ganglionic Eminence

Mammalian cerebral cortex is composed of excitatory glutamatergic principal neurons (∼80% of the total) and inhibitory GABAergic interneurons (∼20%). Although GABAergic interneurons are less abundant, they have a crucial role in regulating cortical excitability and ultimately, in ensuring the
Your Father and Grandfather's Atrial Fibrillation: A Review of the Genetics of the Most Common Pathologic Cardiac Dysrhythmia

Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the most common pathologic dysrhythmia in humans with a prevalence of 1-2% of the total population and as high as 10% of the elderly. AF is an independent risk marker for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, and given the increasing age of the population, represents an increasing burden of disease. Although age and hypertension are known risk factors for development of AF, the study of families with early onset AF revealed mutations in genes coding for ion channels and other proteins involved in electrotonic coupling as likely culprits for the pathology in select cases. Recent investigations using Genome-Wide Association Studies have revealed several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that appear to be associated with AF and have highlighted new genes in the proximity of the SNPs that may potentially contribute to the development of the dysrhythmia. Here we review the genetics of AF and discuss how application of GWAS and next generation sequencing have advanced our knowledge of AF and further investigations may yield novel therapeutic targets for the disease.
Personalidad y gravedad delictiva en adolescentes con conducta antisocial persistente

espanolEnmarcado en los desarrollos teoricos de la criminologia evolutiva, el objetivo de este estudio fue reconocer patrones de personalidad que comandan agrupaciones diferenciadas de adolescentes infractores persistentes, determinando la relacion entre variables de personalidad y gravedad delictiva. Participaron en el estudio 330 adolescentes varones con sancion penal en Chile, evaluados con una bateria multidimensional de 5 instrumentos. Las variables personales, medidas con MACI, se utilizan para establecer los cluster usando la tecnica de analisis Biplot, las restantes mediciones (conducta antisocial, riesgos, recursos y salud mental) se han usado para caracterizar los grupos emergentes y compararlos entre si. Los resultados identifican 5 clusters diferenciados cuyos perfiles de personalidad se interpretan y se etiquetan con las iniciales AE, EA, PD, TV y ND que reconocen las variables dominantes en cada caso; luego se comparan entre si, estableciendo una gradiente de gravedad delictiva que resulta consistente y donde las variables de personalidad juegan un rol activo en la genesis y mantencion de la conducta o como factor que favorece el desistimiento. Se discuten los resultados en funcion de su pertinencia para la implementacion de programas de intervencion efectivos, asi como sus implicaciones para la reduccion y prevencion del delito EnglishPersonalidad y gravedad delictiva en adolescentes con conducta antisocial persistente
Male sperm storage compromises sperm motility in guppies

Sperm senescence can have important evolutionary implications due to its deleterious effects on sperm quality and offspring performance. Consequently, it has been argued that polyandry (female multiple mating) may facilitate the selection of younger, and therefore competitively superior, sperm when ejaculates from multiple males compete for fertilization. Surprisingly, however, unequivocal evidence that sperm ageing influences traits that underlie sperm competitiveness is lacking. Here, we used a paired experimental design that compares sperm quality between ‘old’ and ‘young’ ejaculates from individual male guppies (Poecilia reticulata). We show that older sperm exhibit significant reductions in sperm velocity compared with younger sperm from the same males. We found no evidence that the brightness of the male's orange (carotenoid) spots, which are thought to signal resistance to oxidative stress (and thus age-related declines in sperm fitness), signals a male's ability to withstand the deleterious effects of sperm ageing. Instead, polyandry may be a more effective strategy for females to minimize the likelihood of being fertilized by aged sperm.
Thymic and extrathymic origins of gut intraepithelial lymphocyte populations in mice

We have investigated the origin of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) populations in the murine gut, using reconstitution experiments in which the presence of thymus-derived cells of host or donor origin is rigorously controlled: RAG-/- mutant mice which have no T cells, were injected either with the bone marrow (BM) cells of nude mice or with selected peripheral lymph node (LN) T cells of euthymic mice. In thymectomized RAG-/- mice, injection of BM cells from nude mice led, after 2 mo, to the development of a peripheral B cell compartment and to the appearance, in the gut, of IEL bearing homodimeric CD8 alpha chains and either gamma/delta or alpha/beta TCR. In RAG-/- mice with a thymus, a similar injection led to complete lymphoid reconstitution, with the additional appearance in the gut of CD4+, CD8 alpha/beta+ or CD4+CD8 alpha/alpha+ IEL, all bearing alpha/beta TCR. In contrast, injection of LN T cells into these mice reconstituted a gut IEL population made of CD4+, CD8 alpha/beta+, or CD4+ CD8 alpha/alpha+ cells, all bearing alpha/beta TCR; CD8 alpha/alpha+ TCR-gamma/delta+ or alpha/beta+ IEL were not observed. These results demonstrate that the thymus and/or thymic-derived peripheral T cells are absolutely required for the generation of CD4+, CD8 alpha/beta+, and CD4+CD8 alpha/alpha+ IEL, which are thus thymus dependent. In contrast, TCR+ CD8 alpha/alpha+ IEL appear in the absence of the thymus, and thus are thymus independent.
Influence of Beta Blockers on Survival in Dogs with Severe Subaortic Stenosis

Background Subaortic stenosis (SAS) is one of the most common congenital cardiac defects in dogs. Severe SAS frequently is treated with a beta adrenergic receptor blocker (beta blocker), but this approach largely is empirical. Objective To determine the influence of beta blocker treatment on survival time in dogs with severe SAS. Methods Retrospective review of medical records of dogs diagnosed with severe, uncomplicated SAS (pressure gradient [PG] ≥80 mmHg) between 1999 and 2011. Results Fifty dogs met the inclusion criteria. Twenty‐seven dogs were treated with a beta blocker and 23 received no treatment. Median age at diagnosis was significantly greater in the untreated group (1.2 versus 0.6 years, respectively; P = .03). Median PG at diagnosis did not differ between the treated and untreated groups (127 versus 121 mmHg, respectively; P = .2). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify the influence of PG at diagnosis, age at diagnosis, and beta blocker treatment on survival. In the all‐cause multivariate mortality analysis, only age at diagnosis (P = .02) and PG at diagnosis (P = .03) affected survival time. In the cardiac mortality analysis, only PG influenced survival time (P = .03). Treatment with a beta blocker did not influence survival time in either the all‐cause (P = .93) or cardiac‐cause (P = .97) mortality analyses. Conclusions Beta blocker treatment did not influence survival in dogs with severe SAS in our study, and a higher PG at diagnosis was associated with increased risk of death.
Psychological and sexual disorders in long-term breast cancer survivors

Background The progressive increase in the number of patients surviving long term after a diagnosis of malignant disease has led to a focus on the early and late complications of the disease and its treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of complications which may worsen quality of life and shorten long-term survival. Methods We identified 306 cancer patients who had been disease-free without treatment for at least three years. Of these, 167 with breast cancer were enrolled in this study. A detailed questionnaire-based interview was undertaken to investigate the characteristics of the patients (age, gender, marital status, education), the tumor (date of diagnosis, histology), and treatment. We also used the Beck Depression Inventory to screen for depression, Spitzer’s Quality of Life Index to assess quality of life, and the International Index of Erectile Function and the Female Sexual Function Index to get precise information on sexual function. Results Psychological effects were reported by 121 (72.4%) subjects. Sexual disorders were identified in 60 (35.9%) subjects. A correlation between frequency of psychological disorders and severity of sexual disorders was reported. The proportion of psychological disorders was higher in younger patients, those who were married, and those with low education. Conclusion In survivors of breast cancer, the incidences of psychological and sexual affective disorders are significant and frequently correlated, resulting in diminished quality of life.
Neural Mechanisms Underlying Probabilistic Category Learning in Normal Aging

Probabilistic category learning engages neural circuitry that includes the prefrontal cortex and caudate nucleus, two regions that show prominent changes with normal aging. However, the specific contributions of these brain regions are uncertain, and the effects of normal aging have not been examined previously in probabilistic category learning. In the present study, using a blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging block design, 18 healthy young adults (mean age, 25.5 ± 2.6 years) and 15 older adults (mean age, 67.1 ± 5.3 years) were assessed on the probabilistic category learning “weather prediction” test. Whole-brain functional images acquired using a 1.5T scanner (General Electric, Milwaukee, WI) with gradient echo, echo planar imaging (3/1 mm; repetition time, 3000 ms; echo time, 50 ms) were analyzed using second-level random-effects procedures [SPM99 (Statistical Parametric Mapping)]. Young and older adults displayed equivalent probabilistic category learning curves, used similar strategies, and activated analogous neural networks, including the prefrontal and parietal cortices and the caudate nucleus. However, the extent of caudate and prefrontal activation was less and parietal activation was greater in older participants. The percentage correct and reaction time were mainly positively correlated with caudate and prefrontal activation in young individuals but positively correlated with prefrontal and parietal cortices in older individuals. Differential activation within a circumscribed neural network in the context of equivalent learning suggests that some brain regions, such as the parietal cortices, may provide a compensatory mechanism for healthy older adults in the context of deficient prefrontal cortex and caudate nuclei responses.
The Association between Genetic Polymorphism and the Processing Efficiency of miR-149 Affects the Prognosis of Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in modulating the neoplastic process of cancers including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). A genetic polymorphism (rs2292832, C>T) has been recently identified in the precursor of miR-149; nevertheless its clinicopathological implications remain obscure. In this study, we showed that miR-149 is down-regulated in HNSCC compared to normal mucosa and this is associated with a poorer patient survival. In addition, HNSCC patients with the T/T genotype have more advanced tumors and a worse prognosis. Multivariate analysis indicated that patients carried the T/T genotype have a 2.81-fold (95% CI: 1.58–4.97) increased risk of nodal metastasis and 1.66-fold (95% CI: 1.05–2.60) increased risk of mortality compared to other groups. T/T genotype also predicted the worse prognosis of buccal mucosa carcinoma subset of HNSCC. In vitro analysis indicated that exogenous miR-149 expression reduces the migration of HNSCC cells. Moreover, HNSCC cell subclones carrying the pri-mir-149 sequence containing the T variant show a low processing efficacy when converting the pre-mir-149 to mature miR-149. These findings suggest that miR-149 suppresses tumor cell mobility, and that the pre-mir-149 polymorphism may affect the processing of miR-149, resulting in a change in the abundance of the mature form miRNA, which, in turn, modulates tumor progression and patient survival.
The XMM-Newton Wide-Field Survey in the COSMOS Field. V. Angular Clustering of the X-Ray Point Sources

We present the first results of the measurements of angular auto-correlation functions (ACFs) of X-ray point sources detected in the XMM-Newton observations of the ~2 deg2 COSMOS field (COSMOS XMM-Newton). Significant positive signals have been detected in the 0.5-2 (SFT) band, in the angle range of 0.5'-24', while the positive signals were at the ~2 and ~3 σ levels in the 2-4.5 (MED) and 4.5-10 (UHD) keV bands, respectively. Correctly taking integral constraints into account is a major limitation in interpreting our results. With power-law fits to the ACFs without the integral constraint term, we find correlation lengths of θc = 1.9′′ ± 0.3′′, 0.8′′ , and 6′′ ± 2′′ for the SFT, MED, and UHD bands, respectively, for γ = 1.8. The inferred comoving correlation lengths, also taking into account the bias by the source merging due to XMM-Newton PSF, are rc ≈ 9.8 ± 0.7, 5.8, and 12 ± 2 h-1 Mpc at the effective redshifts of eff ≈ 1.1, 0.9, and 0.6 for the SFT, MED, and UHD bands, respectively. If we include the integral constraint term in the fitting process, assuming that the power law extends to the scale length of the entire COSMOS XMM-Newton field, the correlation lengths become larger by ~20%-90%. Comparing the inferred rms fluctuations of the spatial distribution of AGNs σ8,AGN with those of the underlying mass, the bias parameters of the X-ray source clustering at these effective redshifts are in the range bAGN = 1.5-4.
Aminolevulinic Acid-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy of Human Meningioma: An in Vitro Study on Primary Cell Lines

Objective: Five-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-induced porphyrins in malignant gliomas are potent photosensitizers. Promising results of ALA-PDT (photodynamic therapy) in recurrent glioblastomas have been published. Recently, 5-ALA-induced fluorescence was studied in meningioma surgery. Here, we present an experimental study of ALA-PDT in an in vitro model of primary meningioma cell lines. Methods: We processed native tumor material obtained intra-operatively within 24 h for cell culture. Epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) immunohistochemistry was performed after the first passage to confirm that cells were meningioma cells. For 5-ALA-PDT treatment, about 5000 cells per well were seeded in 20 wells of a blank 96-well plate. Each block of 4 wells was inoculated with 150 µL of 0, 25, 50 and 100 µg/mL 5-ALA solutions; one block was used as negative control without 5-ALA and without PDT. Following incubation for 3 h PDT was performed using a laser (635 nm, 18.75 J/cm2). The therapeutic response was analyzed by the water soluble tetrazolium salt (WST-1) cell viability assay 90 min after PDT. Results: 5-ALA-PDT was performed in 14 primary meningioma cell lines. EMA expression was verified in 10 primary cell cultures. The remaining 4 were EMA negative and PDT was without any effect in these cultures. All 10 EMA-positive cell lines showed a significant and dose-dependent decrease in viability rate (p < 0.001). Cell survival at 5-ALA concentrations of 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 μg/mL was 96.5% ± 7.6%, 67.9% ± 29.9%, 24.0% ± 16.7% and 13.8% ± 7.5%, respectively. For the negative controls (no 5-ALA/PDT and ALA/no PDT), the viability rates were 101.72% ± 3.5% and 100.17% ± 3.6%, respectively. The LD50 for 5-ALA was estimated between 25 and 50 µg/mL. Conclusion: This study reveals dose-dependent cytotoxic effects of 5-ALA-PDT on primary cell lines of meningiomas. Either 5-ALA or PDT alone did not affect cell survival. Further efforts are necessary to study the potential therapeutic effects of 5-ALA-PDT in vivo.
Globalisation , Productivity and Technology Research Paper 2007 / 04 The returns to exporting : Evidence from UK firms

The question of learning versus self-selection has dominated the micro-econometric literature on firm export decisions, without leading to any firm conclusions. In part this reflects the limited information content of the data typically used. In this paper we use survey data on UK firms to offer some new insights into this debate. Consistent with the literature we find that the impacts of exporting on the size of firms are strongest, but that productivity type impacts also occur. These effects are larger the higher the export intensity of firms and the shorter their export experience. JEL classification: D21, F14
DRINA: A Lightweight and Reliable Routing Approach for In-Network Aggregation in Wireless Sensor Networks

Large scale dense Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) will be increasingly deployed in different classes of applications for accurate monitoring. Due to the high density of nodes in these networks, it is likely that redundant data will be detected by nearby nodes when sensing an event. Since energy conservation is a key issue in WSNs, data fusion and aggregation should be exploited in order to save energy. In this case, redundant data can be aggregated at intermediate nodes reducing the size and number of exchanged messages and, thus, decreasing communication costs and energy consumption. In this work, we propose a novel Data Routing for In-Network Aggregation, called DRINA, that has some key aspects such as a reduced number of messages for setting up a routing tree, maximized number of overlapping routes, high aggregation rate, and reliable data aggregation and transmission. The proposed DRINA algorithm was extensively compared to two other known solutions: the Information Fusion-based Role Assignment (InFRA) and Shortest Path Tree (SPT) algorithms. Our results indicate clearly that the routing tree built by DRINA provides the best aggregation quality when compared to these other algorithms. The obtained results show that our proposed solution outperforms these solutions in different scenarios and in different key aspects required by WSNs.