Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temperature Variation and Heat Wave and Cold Spell Impacts on Years of Life Lost Among the Urban Poor Population of Nairobi, Kenya

Weather extremes are associated with adverse health outcomes, including mortality. Studies have investigated the mortality risk of temperature in terms of excess mortality, however, this risk estimate may not be appealing to policy makers assessing the benefits expected for any interventions to be adopted. To provide further evidence of the burden of extreme temperatures, we analyzed the effect of temperature on years of life lost (YLL) due to all-cause mortality among the population in two urban informal settlements. YLL was generated based on the life expectancy of the population during the study period by applying a survival analysis approach. Association between daily maximum temperature and YLL was assessed using a distributed lag nonlinear model. In addition, cold spell and heat wave effects, as defined according to different percentiles, were investigated. The exposure-response curve between temperature and YLL was J-shaped, with the minimum mortality temperature (MMT) of 26 °C. An average temperature of 21 °C compared to the MMT was associated with an increase of 27.4 YLL per day (95% CI, 2.7–52.0 years). However, there was no additional effect for extended periods of cold spells, nor did we find significant associations between YLL to heat or heat waves. Overall, increased YLL from all-causes were associated with cold spells indicating the need for initiating measure for reducing health burdens.
Attenuation of everolimus-induced cytotoxicity by a protective autophagic pathway involving ERK activation in renal cell carcinoma cells

Aim The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is a critical target for cancer treatment and the mTOR inhibitor everolimus (RAD001) has been approved for treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the limited efficacy of RAD001 has led to the development of drug resistance. Autophagy is closely related to cell survival and death, which may be activated under RAD001 stimulation. The aim of the present study was to identify the underlying mechanisms of RAD001 resistance in RCC cells through cytoprotective autophagy involving activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. Methods and results: RAD001 strongly induced autophagy of RCC cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, as confirmed by Western blot analysis. Importantly, suppression of autophagy by the pharmacological inhibitor chloroquine effectively enhanced RAD001-induced apoptotic cytotoxicity, as demonstrated by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and Western blot analysis, indicating a cytoprotective role for RAD001-induced autophagy. In addition, as was shown by the MTT assay, flow cytometry, and Western blot analysis, RAD001 robustly activated ERK, but not c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38. Activation of ERK was inhibited by the pharmacological inhibitor selumetinib (AZD6244), which effectively promoted RAD001-induced cell death. Moreover, employing AZD6244 markedly attenuated RAD001-induced autophagy and enhanced RAD001-induced apoptosis, which play a central role in RAD001-induced cell death. Furthermore, RAD001-induced autophagy is regulated by ERK-mediated phosphorylation of Beclin-1 and B-cell lymphoma 2, as confirmed by Western blot analysis. Conclusion These results suggest that RAD001-induced autophagy involves activation of the ERK, which may impair cytotoxicity of RAD001 in RCC cells. Thus, inhibition of the activation of ERK pathway-mediated autophagy may be useful to overcome chemoresistance to RAD001.
High rate data hiding in ACELP speech codecs

A new method for hiding digital data in the bitstream of an ACELP speech codec is proposed in this paper. The key element of our method is an alternative search strategy for the ACELP codebook which allows for joint data hiding and speech coding. The concept has been examplarily applied to the AMR speech codec (12.2 kbit/s mode) and it is shown that steganographic data can be reliably transmitted at a rate of up to 2 kbit/s both with a negligible effect on the subjective quality of the coded speech and with reasonable computational complexity. Apart from data hiding, it is further pointed out that our method can also be exploited to reduce the codec bit rate.
Receptor Recognition and Lysosomal Targeting to Enhance Cytotoxicity of Novel Anti-Cancer Agents that Bind Iron and Copper

Despite intensive research efforts, cancer remains a considerable health problem worldwide. To combat this devastating disease, novel drugs, known as chelators, are being developed as anti-cancer agents [1]. These compounds exploit crucial differences in the metabolism of iron and copper between cancer and normal cells to deliver selective anti-tumor activity by interfering with processes such as DNA synthesis and angiogenesis [1,2]. Moreover, tumor cells have increased iron and copper requirements that are necessary to sustain their generally highly proliferative nature [2-4]. Consequently, cancer cells are more susceptible to the deprivation of both these metal ions through chelation, making it an attractive chemotherapeutic avenue with a considerable therapeutic window.
An Integrative Literature Review on the Barriers Impacting Adult Learners’ Return to College

The composition of the college population has shifted from a bastion of full-time 18- to 22-year-old students to a far more diverse population that typically works part-time or full-time, has greater family commitments, is over 24, and is juggling various competing responsibilities while attending college. This shift has prompted researchers to examine the challenges that this student body of adult learners face in their pursuit of a college education. The purpose of this integrative literature review is to offer an updated synthesis of empirical findings on the barriers faced by adult learners who are seeking a college degree. In addition, this review offers potential solutions to college institutions to help their adult learners overcome the barriers they face.
The Influence of Teamwork Quality on Software Team Performance

Traditionally, software quality is thought to depend on sound software engineering and development methodologies such as structured programming and agile development. However, high quality software depends just as much on high quality collaboration within the team. Since the success rate of software development projects is low (Wateridge, 1995; The Standish Group, 2009), it is important to understand which characteristics of interactions within software development teams significantly influence performance. Hoegl and Gemuenden (2001) reported empirical evidence for the relation between teamwork quality and software quality, using a six-factor teamwork quality (TWQ) model. This article extends the work of Hoegl and Gemuenden (2001) with the aim of finding additional factors that may influence software team performance. We introduce three new TWQ factors: trust, value sharing, and coordination of expertise. The relationship between TWQ and team performance and the improvement of the model are tested using data from 252 team members and stakeholders. Results show that teamwork quality is significantly related to team performance, as rated by both team members and stakeholders: TWQ explains 81% of the variance of team performance as rated by team members and 61% as rated by stakeholders. This study shows that trust, shared values, and coordination of expertise are important factors for team leaders to consider in order to achieve high quality software team work.
Porter's stemming algorithm for Dutch

A stemming algorithm provides a simple means to enhance Recall in Text Retrieval systems. The paper describes the development of a Dutch version of the Porter stemming algorithm. The stemmer was evaluated using a method inspired by Paice (Paice, 1994). The evaluation method is based on a list of groups of morphologically related words. Ideally, each group must be stemmed to the same root. The result of applying the stemmer to these groups of words is used to calculate the Understemming and Overstemming Index. These parameters and the diversity of stem group categories that could be generated from the CELEX database enabled a careful analysis of the effects of each stemming rule. The testsuite is extremely fit for a qualitative comparison of different (versions of) stemmers.
A search for extensible low-WAFOM point sets

Abstract Matsumoto, Saito and Matoba recently proposed the Walsh figure of merit (WAFOM), which is a computable criterion for quasi-Monte Carlo point sets using digital nets. Several algorithms have been proposed for finding low-WAFOM point sets. In the existing algorithms, the number of points is fixed in advance, but extensible point sets are preferred in some applications. In this paper, we propose a random search algorithm for extensible low-WAFOM point sets. For this, we introduce a method that uses lookup tables to compute WAFOM faster. Numerical results show that our extensible low-WAFOM point sets are comparable with Niederreiter–Xing sequences for some low-dimensional and smooth test functions.
Short-Term Overfeeding May Induce Peripheral Insulin Resistance Without Altering Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Macrophages in Humans

OBJECTIVE Chronic low-grade inflammation is a feature of obesity and is postulated to be causal in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess whether overfeeding induces peripheral insulin resistance in lean and overweight humans, and, if so, whether it is associated with increased systemic and adipose tissue inflammation. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Thirty-six healthy individuals undertook 28 days of overfeeding by +1,250 kcal/day (45% fat). Weight, body composition, insulin sensitivity (hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp), serum and gene expression of inflammation markers, immune cell activation, fat cell size, macrophage and T-cell numbers in abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry) were assessed at baseline and after 28 days. RESULTS Subjects gained 2.7 ± 1.6 kg (P < 0.001) and increased fat mass by 1.1 ± 1.6% (P < 0.001). Insulin sensitivity decreased by 11% from 54.6 ± 18.7 to 48.9 ± 15.7 μmol/(kg of FFM)/min (P = 0.01). There was a significant increase in circulating C-reactive protein (P = 0.002) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (P = 0.01), but no change in interleukin-6 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1. There were no changes in fat cell size, the number of adipose tissue macrophages or T-cells, or inflammatory gene expression and no change in circulating immune cell number or expression of their surface activation markers after overfeeding. CONCLUSIONS Weight gain-induced insulin resistance was observed in the absence of a significant inflammatory state, suggesting that inflammation in subcutaneous adipose tissue occurs subsequent to peripheral insulin resistance in humans.
Retargeting Strategies for Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Viruses

Most of the oncolytic herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) exhibit a high safety profile achieved through attenuation. They carry defects in virulence proteins that antagonize host cell response to the virus, including innate response, apoptosis, authophagy, and depend on tumor cell proliferation. They grow robustly in cancer cells, provided that these are deficient in host cell responses, which is often the case. To overcome the attenuation limits, a strategy is to render the virus highly cancer-specific, e.g., by retargeting their tropism to cancer-specific receptors, and detargeting from natural receptors. The target we selected is HER-2, overexpressed in breast, ovarian and other cancers. Entry of wt-HSV requires the essential glycoproteins gD, gH/gL and gB. Here, we reviewed that oncolytic HSV retargeting was achieved through modifications in gD: the addition of a single-chain antibody (scFv) to HER-2 coupled with appropriate deletions to remove part of the natural receptors’ binding sites. Recently, we showed that also gH/gL can be a retargeting tool. The insertion of an scFv to HER-2 at the gH N-terminus, coupled with deletions in gD, led to a recombinant capable to use HER-2 as the sole receptor. The retargeted oncolytic HSVs can be administered systemically by means of carrier cells-forcedly-infected mesenchymal stem cells. Altogether, the retargeted oncolytic HSVs are highly cancer-specific and their replication is not dependent on intrinsic defects of the tumor cells. They might be further modified to express immunomodulatory molecules.
MCjammer: Adaptive Verification for Multi-core Designs

The challenge of verification of multi-core and multi-processor designs grows dramatically with each new generation of systems produced today. Validation of memory coherence of such systems, which include multiple levels of cache and complex protocols, constitutes a major fraction of this task. Unfortunately, current tools are incapable of addressing these challenges, allowing bugs, which cause unpredictable software behavior and wrong computation results, to slip into hardware. In this work we present a scalable approach to the verification of memory coherence protocols in large multi-core and multi-processor systems. We accomplish this task through a distributed network of cooperating agents, which feed the processors with stimuli, each agent attempting to accomplish its own verification goals and support other agents on theirs as well. The agents can dynamically change the stimuli based on coverage and pressure observed during simulation. Since each agent has a minimal knowledge of the entire system, their communication and decision process is greatly simplified. Moreover, since the agents' view of the system is linear in the number of nodes in it, our approach can be efficiently scaled to target large multi-core systems. Experimental results on two common coherence protocols and a range of multi-core configurations demonstrate that our technique can reach high levels of coverage of the system-level protocol much faster than a constrained-random generator.
Direct Conversion Mixer IC for Application to Long Distance Wireless Power Transmission

In this paper, Using the silicon CMOS technology, direct conversion mixer was fabricated on silicon substrate for a realization of the long distance wireless power transmission system. The size of the mixer is 0.8 mm × 0.5 mm. The input frequency of mixer is 24 GHz, and converted BB frequency is 30 MHz. The conversion loss and output power of mixer was -9 dB and -10 dBm, respectively.
Impact of the Indian Ocean SST basin mode on the Asian summer monsoon

Following an El Niño event, a basin‐wide warming takes place over the tropical Indian Ocean, peaks in late boreal winter and early spring, and persists through boreal summer. Our observational analysis suggests that this Indian Ocean warming induces robust climatic anomalies in the summer Indo‐West Pacific region, prolonging the El Niño's influence after tropical East Pacific sea surface temperature has returned to normal. In response to the Indian Ocean warming, precipitation increases over most of the basin, forcing a Matsuno‐Gill pattern in the upper troposphere with a strengthened South Asian high. Near the ground, the southwest monsoon intensifies over the Arabian Sea and weakens over the South China and Philippine Seas. An anomalous anticyclonic circulation forms over the subtropical Northwest Pacific, collocated with negative precipitation anomalies. All these anomaly patterns are reproduced in a coupled model simulation initialized with a warming in the tropical Indian Ocean mixed layer, indicating that the Indian Ocean warming is not just a passive response to El Niño but important for summer climate variability in the Indo‐West Pacific region. The implications for seasonal prediction are discussed.
The Association of PPARγ Pro12Ala and C161T Polymorphisms with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Their Influence on Lipid and Lipoprotein Profiles

Background The aim of present study was to clarify the role of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ Pro12Ala and C161T polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and their influence on lipid and lipoprotein profiles of patients. Materials and Methods The present cross-sectional study consisted of 50 women with PCOS, who referred to the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences Clinic between April and October 2015, and 233 unrelated age-matched healthy women from the same region (West Iran). The PPARγ Pro12Ala and PPARγ C161T polymorphisms were gen- otyped using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Fasting blood sugar (FBS), serum triglycerides (TG), cholesterol, low density lipoprotein- cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein- cholesterol (HDL-C) and estradiol levels were measured. Results The serum level of estradiol was significantly lower in PCOS patients compared to healthy women. The PPARγ Pro12Ala (CG) genotype increased the risk of PCOS 2.96-fold. The frequency of the PPARγ T allele (at C161T) was 21% in patients and 17.2% in controls with no significant difference (P=0.52). In all studied individuals, the PPARγ CG geno- type was associated with significantly higher levels of TG. However, significantly lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL-C were observed in PPARγ TT individuals compared with those with the CC genotype. Within the PCOS group, the PPARγ CG genotype was significantly associated with lower levels of estradiol compared with the CC genotype. Also, the CG genotype was significantly associated with higher levels of TG when compared with the CC genotype. Conclusion Our study shows that, unlike PPARγ C161T, PPARγ Pro12Ala is associated with the risk of PCOS. Also, we found that the lipid and lipoprotein profiles significantly vary based on PPARγ Pro12Ala and C161T genotypes.
Atomistic mechanisms of cyclic hardening in metallic glass

Molecular dynamics with an embedded-atom method potential is used to simulate the nanoindentation of Cu63.5Zr36. 5 metallic glasses. In particular, the effects of cyclic loading within the nominal elastic range on the overall strength and plasticity of metallic glass are studied. The simulated results are in line with the characteristics of experimentally observed hardening effects. In addition, analysis based on local von Mises strain suggests that the hardening is induced by confined microplasticity and stiffening in regions of the originally preferred yielding path, requiring a higher applied load to trigger a secondary one.
Parallel Hierarchical Clustering in Linearithmic Time for Ultra-Large-Scale Sequence Analysis Supplementary Data

Parallel Hierarchical Clustering in Linearithmic Time for Ultra-Large-Scale Sequence Analysis Supplementary Data Qi Mao1, Wei Zheng2, Li Wang4, Yunpeng Cai5, Volker Mai6, Yijun Sun1,2,3∗ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Department of Biostatistics, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA. The Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM), Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA. Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China. Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
Towards a logical formalization of responsibility

In this paper, we are interested in formally modeling the concept of responsibility. It appears that this concept is essential in order to reason in many norm-governed organizations. However, obtaining a formal representation of responsibility is quite complex because of the very different meanings this concept can take. Therefore, our first task will be to clarify and classify the various meanings. We then propose a logical framework and show how it enables us to model several aspects of responsibility, This framework combines a deontic logic with a logic of actions and it distinguishes between direct and indirect agencies. We finally present an example to illustrate how this framework enables us to analyze some subtleties of a specific situation.
Semantic-oriented 3d Shape Retrieval Using Relevance Feedback *

Shape-based retrieval of 3D models has become an important challenge in computer graphics. Object similarity, however, is a subjective matter, dependent on the human viewer, since objects have semantics and are not mere geometric entities. Relevance feedback aims at addressing the subjectivity of similarity. This paper presents a novel relevance feedback algorithm that is based on supervised as well as unsupervised feature extraction techniques. It also proposes a novel signature for 3D models, the sphere projection. A Web search engine that realizes the signature and the relevance feedback algorithm is presented. We show that the proposed approach produces good results and outperforms previous techniques.
Evaluation of the Combined Effects of Stilbenoid from Shorea gibbosa and Vancomycin against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

The aim of this study is to determine the combined effects of stilbenoids from Shorea gibbosa and vancomycin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). A total of nine pure compounds, five stilbenoid dimers ε-viniferin, ampelopsin A, balanocarpol, laevifonol and diptoindonesin G and four stilbenoid trimers α-viniferin, johorenol A, ampelopsin E and vaticanol G were evaluated for their antibacterial activities against ATCC 33591 and a HUKM clinical isolate. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for each active compound were determined using the serial microdilution and plate-streak techniques. The combined effect of stilbenoids with vancomycin against MRSA was evaluated using the checkerboard assay to determine their fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) index values. The MIC value of α-viniferin on both MRSA strains was 100 μg/mL, whereas those of johorenol A on ATCC 33591 and HUKM strain were 100 μg/mL and 200 μg/mL, respectively. The MIC values of ampelopsin E and vaticanol G were higher than 400 μg/mL. Out of the five stilbenoid dimers, only ε-viniferin was capable of inhibiting the growth of both MRSA strains at MIC 400 μg/mL. The MBC value of ε-viniferin, α-viniferin and johorenol A showed bacteriostatic action against MRSA. The FIC index value of ε-viniferin and α-viniferin in combination with vancomycin showed an additive effect (0.5 < FIC ≤ 2.0) against both MRSA strains. Johorenol A-vancomycin combination was also additive against HUKM strain, but it showed synergistic interaction with vancomycin against ATCC 33591 (FIC < 0.5). Stilbenoid compounds from Shorea gibbosa have anti-MRSA activity and huge potential as an alternative phytotherapy in combating MRSA infections.
Low-grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma: a case report and review of the literature

Low-grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma is an extremely rare tumor, with only a limited number of cases reported in the literature. Some published studies have paid more attention to the clinicopathological features of nasopharyngeal adenocarcinoma, while little effort has been made to study the optimal therapeutic strategies. We report about a woman diagnosed with low-grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma. She received the treatment approach that combined transnasal endoscopic surgery to remove the lesion with postoperative radiotherapy for nasal cavity. There was no evidence of recurrence after 4 months of surgery, and further follow-up is being continued. Through this example, we wanted to explore the optimal therapeutic strategies for primary nasopharyngeal adenocarcinomas.