Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antiviral Activity of Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid and Its Derivative Tetra-O-Methyl Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid against West Nile Virus and Zika Virus

ABSTRACT Flaviviruses are positive-strand RNA viruses distributed all over the world that infect millions of people every year and for which no specific antiviral agents have been approved. These viruses include the mosquito-borne West Nile virus (WNV), which is responsible for outbreaks of meningitis and encephalitis. Considering that nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) has been previously shown to inhibit the multiplication of the related dengue virus and hepatitis C virus, we have evaluated the effect of NDGA, and its methylated derivative tetra-O-methyl nordihydroguaiaretic acid (M4N), on the infection of WNV. Both compounds inhibited the infection of WNV, likely by impairing viral replication. Since flavivirus multiplication is highly dependent on host cell lipid metabolism, the antiviral effect of NDGA has been previously related to its ability to disturb the lipid metabolism, probably by interfering with the sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP) pathway. Remarkably, we observed that other structurally unrelated inhibitors of the SREBP pathway, such as PF-429242 and fatostatin, also reduced WNV multiplication, supporting that the SREBP pathway may constitute a druggable target suitable for antiviral intervention against flavivirus infection. Moreover, treatment with NDGA, M4N, PF-429242, and fatostatin also inhibited the multiplication of the mosquito-borne flavivirus Zika virus (ZIKV), which has been recently associated with birth defects (microcephaly) and neurological disorders. Our results point to SREBP inhibitors, such as NDGA and M4N, as potential candidates for further antiviral development against medically relevant flaviviruses.
Binomial confidence intervals for testing non-inferiority or superiority: a practitioner’s dilemma

In testing for non-inferiority or superiority in a single arm study, the confidence interval of a single binomial proportion is frequently used. A number of such intervals are proposed in the literature and implemented in standard software packages. Unfortunately, use of different intervals leads to conflicting conclusions. Practitioners thus face a serious dilemma in deciding which one to depend on. Is there a way to resolve this dilemma? We address this question by investigating the performances of ten commonly used intervals of a single binomial proportion, in the light of two criteria, viz., coverage and expected length of the interval.
Loss of CENP-F results in distinct microtubule-related defects without chromosomal abnormalities

Genetic deletion of one microtubule-binding domain in CENP-F results in multiple cellular changes, including changes in cell migration, adhesion, and cilia formation. All of these changes are related to an increase in microtubule stabilization in CENP-F mutants. This suggests that CENP-F plays a role in microtubule organization outside of mitosis.
Estimates of Environmental Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields and Risk of Lymphoma Subtypes

We investigated the association between environmental exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and risk of lymphoma subtypes in a case-control study comprised of 322 patients and 444 individuals serving as controls in Sardinia, Italy in 1998–2004. Questionnaire information included the self-reported distance of the three longest held residential addresses from fixed radio-television transmitters and mobile phone base stations. We georeferenced the residential addresses of all study subjects and obtained the spatial coordinates of mobile phone base stations. For each address within a 500-meter radius from a mobile phone base station, we estimated the RF-EMF intensity using predictions from spatial models, and we performed RF-EMF measurements at the door in the subset of the longest held addresses within a 250-meter radius. We calculated risk of lymphoma and its major subtypes associated with the RF-EMF exposure metrics with unconditional logistic regression, adjusting by age, gender and years of education. In the analysis of self-reported data, risk associated with residence in proximity (within 50 meters) to fixed radio-television transmitters was likewise elevated for lymphoma overall [odds ratio = 2.7, 95% confidence interval = 1.5–4.6], and for the major lymphoma subtypes. With reference to mobile phone base stations, we did not observe an association with either the self-reported, or the geocoded distance from mobile phone base stations. RF-EMF measurements did not vary by case-control status. By comparing the self-reports to the geocoded data, we discovered that the cases tended to underestimate the distance from mobile phone base stations differentially from the controls (P = 0.073). The interpretation of our findings is compromised by the limited study size, particularly in the analysis of the individual lymphoma subtypes, and the unavailability of the spatial coordinates of radio-television transmitters. Nonetheless, our results do not support the hypothesis of a link between environmental exposure to RF-EMF from mobile phone base stations and risk of lymphoma subtypes.
Sintering of polymer particles : Experiments and modelling of temperature- and time-dependent contacts

Introduction High quality performance of modern sintered technical products like e.g. polymeric filter media requires a fundamental understanding of sintering for short and long times-scales. Classical sinter models based on two-spheres like proposed by Frenkel [1] or Pokluda et al. [2] neglected the contribution of surface forces and the resultant contact deformation in the early stage of sintering. Experimental results are required to improve existing sinter models and the theoretical understanding of granular matter under varying temperatureand timeconditions, which is a determining factor in materials processing. In the present work, temperature-, timeand size-dependent sintering kinetics of polystyrene (PS) particles at the single particle and bulk level were analysed by utilizing colloid probe technique, 3D tomography (FIB/SEM), nanoindentation and confocal microscopy. The first method is used for particle surface force measurements during the first seconds of sintering (< 10 s) whereas the last ones give access to the sinter kinetic of larger timescales as well as the bulk-flow behaviour of thin (< 30 particle diameters) layers of sintered particles. A significant effect of multiple contact partners on the sintering rate was shown in simulation [3]. Our experimental results will be correlated with Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations to calibrate temperatureand timedependent sintering model parameters.
Are the surface areas of the gills and body involved with changing metabolic scaling with temperature?

ABSTRACT The metabolic-level boundaries (MLB) hypothesis proposes that metabolic level mediates the relative influence of surface area (SA)- versus volume-related metabolic processes on the body-mass scaling of metabolic rate in organisms. The variation in the scaling of SA may affect how metabolic level affects the metabolic scaling exponent. This study aimed to determine the influence of increasing metabolic level at a higher temperature on the metabolic scaling exponent of the goldfish and determine the link between metabolic scaling exponents and SA parameters of both gills and body. The SA of gills and body and the resting metabolic rate (RMR) of the goldfish were assessed at 15°C and 25°C, and their mass scaling exponents were analyzed. The results showed a significantly higher RMR, with a lower scaling exponent, in the goldfish at a higher temperature. The SA of the gills and the total SA of the fish (TSA) were reduced with the increasing temperature. The scaling exponent of RMR (bRMR) tended to be close to that of the TSA at a higher temperature. This suggests that temperature positively affects metabolic level but negatively affects bRMR. The findings support the MLB hypothesis. The lower scaling exponent at a higher temperature can be alternatively explained as follows: the higher viscosity of cold water impedes respiratory ventilation and oxygen uptake and reduces metabolic rate more in smaller individuals than in larger individuals at lower temperature, thus resulting in a negative association between temperature and bRMR. Summary: In the goldfish, temperature positively affects metabolic level but negatively affects the scaling exponent of resting metabolic rate, supporting the metabolic-level boundaries hypothesis.
Cardioprotective effects of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural mediated by inhibition of L‐type Ca2+ currents

The antioxidant 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (5‐HMF) exerts documented beneficial effects in several experimental pathologies and is currently tested as an antisickling drug in clinical trials. In the present study, we examined the cardiovascular effects of 5‐HMF and elucidated the mode of action of the drug.
Long-term function and psychosocial outcomes with venlafaxine extended release 75–225 mg/day versus placebo in the PREVENT study

This post-hoc analysis evaluated long-term psychosocial outcomes in patients with recurrent major depressive disorder treated with venlafaxine extended release (ER) 75–225 mg/day or placebo. Patients who responded to 10-week venlafaxine ER 75–300 mg/day treatment and maintained response through a 6-month continuation treatment were assigned randomly to venlafaxine ER or placebo maintenance-phase treatment. Data from responders to acute and continuation venlafaxine ER 75–225 mg/day treatment were analyzed during 12-month maintenance treatment while receiving venlafaxine ER of up to 225 mg/day. Failure to maintain improvement in psychosocial functioning, on the basis of the Social Adjustment Scale-Self-Report, Life Enjoyment Scale, Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Short-Form Health Survey, was defined as loss of at least 50% of the improvement from acute-phase baseline achieved during acute and continuation treatment or dose escalation of more than 225 mg/day. The probability of remaining well (no failure to maintain improvement in functioning) was significantly higher through 12-month maintenance treatment for patients treated with venlafaxine ER 75–225 mg/day versus placebo Social Adjustment Scale-Self-Report, Life Enjoyment Scale, Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Short-Form Health Survey component summary scores (all P⩽0.0351). Effects of up to 20 months of treatment with venlafaxine ER 75–225 mg/day on psychosocial functioning were consistent with the results for venlafaxine ER 75–300 mg/day.
Low-resolution mapping of the effective attenuation coefficient of the human head: a multidistance approach applied to high-density optical recordings

Abstract. Near infrared (NIR) light has been widely used for measuring changes in hemoglobin concentration in the human brain (functional NIR spectroscopy, fNIRS). fNIRS is based on the differential measurement and estimation of absorption perturbations, which, in turn, are based on correctly estimating the absolute parameters of light propagation. To do so, it is essential to accurately characterize the baseline optical properties of tissue (absorption and reduced scattering coefficients). However, because of the diffusive properties of the medium, separate determination of absorption and scattering across the head is challenging. The effective attenuation coefficient (EAC), which is proportional to the geometric mean of absorption and reduced scattering coefficients, can be estimated in a simpler fashion by multidistance light decay measurements. EAC mapping could be of interest for the scientific community because of its absolute information content, and because light propagation is governed by the EAC for source–detector distances exceeding 1 cm, which sense depths extending beyond the scalp and skull layers. Here, we report an EAC mapping procedure that can be applied to standard fNIRS recordings, yielding topographic maps with 2- to 3-cm resolution. Application to human data indicates the importance of venous sinuses in determining regional EAC variations, a factor often overlooked.
Bleeding complications in acute liver failure

In patients with acute liver failure (ALF), elevated prothrombin time and thrombocytopenia can fuel a perception of a bleeding tendency. However, the incidence, site, risk factors, and clinical significance of bleeding complications have not been quantified in a large cohort of patients with ALF. We studied 1,770 adult patients enrolled in the ALF Study Group Registry between 1998 and 2016. Bleeding complications and blood component transfusions were collected for 7 days after admission. The relationship of bleeding complications to 21‐day mortality was assessed. Despite a median international normalized ratio of 2.7 and platelet count of 96 × 109/L on admission, bleeding complications were observed in only 187 patients (11%), including 173 spontaneous and 22 postprocedural bleeding episodes. Eighty‐four percent of spontaneous bleeding episodes were from an upper gastrointestinal source and rarely resulted in red blood cell transfusion. Twenty patients experienced an intracranial bleed; half of these occurred spontaneously and half after intracranial pressure monitor placement, and this was the proximate cause of death in 20% and 50%, respectively. Bleeders and patients who received red blood cell transfusions were more acutely ill from extrahepatic organ system failure but not from hepatocellular failure. Consistent with this observation, bleeding complications were associated with lower platelet counts but not higher international normalized ratio. Transfusion of any blood component was associated with nearly 2‐fold increased death or need for liver transplantation at day 21, but bleeding complications were the proximate cause of death in only 5% of cases. Conclusions. Despite a perceived bleeding diathesis, clinically significant bleeding is uncommon in patients with ALF; bleeding complications in patients with ALF are markers of severe systemic inflammation rather than of coagulopathy and so portend a poor prognosis. (Hepatology 2018;67:1931‐1942)
A genome-wide association meta-analysis on lipoprotein (a) concentrations adjusted for apolipoprotein (a) isoforms[S]

High lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] concentrations are an independent risk factor for cardiovascular outcomes. Concentrations are strongly influenced by apo(a) kringle IV repeat isoforms. We aimed to identify genetic loci associated with Lp(a) concentrations using data from five genome-wide association studies (n = 13,781). We identified 48 independent SNPs in the LPA and 1 SNP in the APOE gene region to be significantly associated with Lp(a) concentrations. We also adjusted for apo(a) isoforms to identify loci affecting Lp(a) levels independently from them, which resulted in 31 SNPs (30 in the LPA, 1 in the APOE gene region). Seven SNPs showed a genome-wide significant association with coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. A rare SNP (rs186696265; MAF ∼1%) showed the highest effect on Lp(a) and was also associated with increased risk of CAD (odds ratio = 1.73, P = 3.35 × 10−30). Median Lp(a) values increased from 2.1 to 91.1 mg/dl with increasing number of Lp(a)-increasing alleles. We found the APOE2-determining allele of rs7412 to be significantly associated with Lp(a) concentrations (P = 3.47 × 10−10). Each APOE2 allele decreased Lp(a) by 3.34 mg/dl corresponding to ∼15% of the population’s mean values. Performing a gene-based test of association, including suspected Lp(a) receptors and regulators, resulted in one significant association of the TLR2 gene with Lp(a) (P = 3.4 × 10−4). In summary, we identified a large number of independent SNPs in the LPA gene region, as well as the APOE2 allele, to be significantly associated with Lp(a) concentrations.
Estimation of regression quantiles in complex surveys with data missing at random: An application to birthweight determinants

The estimation of population parameters using complex survey data requires careful statistical modelling to account for the design features. This is further complicated by unit and item nonresponse for which a number of methods have been developed in order to reduce estimation bias. In this paper, we address some issues that arise when the target of the inference (i.e. the analysis model or model of interest) is the conditional quantile of a continuous outcome. Survey design variables are duly included in the analysis and a bootstrap variance estimation approach is proposed. Missing data are multiply imputed by means of chained equations. In particular, imputation of continuous variables is based on their empirical distribution, conditional on all other variables in the analysis. This method preserves the distributional relationships in the data, including conditional skewness and kurtosis, and successfully handles bounded outcomes. Our motivating study concerns the analysis of birthweight determinants in a large UK-based cohort of children. A novel finding on the parental conflict theory is reported. R code implementing these procedures is provided.
A System of Insolvency Prediction for industrial companies using a financial alternative model with neural networks

Abstract We find in the accounting literature the use of neural networks (NN) for the prediction of insolvency data from the last financial year before the bankruptcy, with a success rate below 85%. The objective of this work is to increase the predictive power of the NN models to discriminate between solvent and insolvent companies incorporating for this purpose a new set of financial ratios. A sample of about 500 European industrial companies that have filed for bankruptcy between 2007 and 2009 was confronted with about 500 solvent companies, matched by year, country and asset size. To do this, we have used five sets of different input data for training the NN. For each input set, 20 NN have been trained for each number of neurons in hidden layer, from 1 to 50 neurons, giving a total of 5 000 trained NN. The proposed model predicts correctly the 92.5 and 92.1 percent of the estimates of the training set and testing set (accuracy), respectively, using financial information for two years prior to bankruptcy.
Acoustic radiation force impulse accuracy and the impact of hepatic steatosis on liver fibrosis staging

The accuracy of Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging has been validated in the setting of hepatitis C, however, the accuracy in the setting of fatty liver disease (FLD) has been less well‐established. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of ARFI in the setting of hepatic steatosis.
Influence of Thermal Aging Parameters on the Characteristics of Aluminum Semi-Solid Alloys

The current study aimed at analyzing the response of semisolid A357 aluminum alloys to unconventional thermal treatment cycles of T4/T6/T7 conditions. The mechanical, electrical, and microstructural characterizations of such semisolid alloys were investigated. The microstructure evolutions of Fe-intermetallic phases and strengthening precipitates were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The mechanical failure of such semi solid A357 aluminum alloys, used for suspension automotive parts, is mostly related to cracking issues which start from the surface due to hardness problems and propagate due to severe load variations. For these reasons, the multiple thermal aging cycles, in this study, are applied to enhance the mechanical properties and to have compromised values compared to those obtained by standard thermal treatments. The results obtained in this work indicate that the heat treatment of this alloy can be optimized. The results showed that the optimum characteristics of A357 semisolid alloys were obtained by applying thermal under-aging cycle, interrupted thermal aging cycles and a T7/T6 two steps aging treatment condition. The electrical conductivity and electron microscopy were applied in this study to analyze the characteristics of hardening phases formed due to different aging cycles applied to the alloys investigated.
Consistent Weighted Sampling Made More Practical

Min-Hash, which is widely used for efficiently estimating similarities of bag-of-words represented data, plays an increasingly important role in the era of big data. It has been extended to deal with real-value weighted sets -- Improved Consistent Weighted Sampling (ICWS) is considered as the state-of-the-art for this problem. In this paper, we propose a Practical CWS (PCWS) algorithm. We first transform the original form of ICWS into an equivalent expression, based on which we find some interesting properties that inspire us to make the ICWS algorithm simpler and more efficient in both space and time complexities. PCWS is not only mathematically equivalent to ICWS and preserves the same theoretical properties, but also saves 20% memory footprint and substantial computational cost compared to ICWS. The experimental results on a number of real-world text data sets demonstrate that PCWS obtains the same (even better) classification and retrieval performance as ICWS with 1/5~1/3 reduced empirical runtime.
Contextual Outlier Interpretation

While outlier detection has been intensively studied in many applications, interpretation is becoming increasingly important to help people trust and evaluate the developed detection models through providing intrinsic reasons why the given outliers are identified. It is a nontrivial task for interpreting the abnormality of outliers due to the distinct characteristics of different detection models, complicated structures of data in certain applications, and imbalanced distribution of outliers and normal instances. In addition, contexts where outliers locate, as well as the relation between outliers and the contexts, are usually overlooked in existing interpretation frameworks. To tackle the issues, in this paper, we propose a Contextual Outlier INterpretation (COIN) framework to explain the abnormality of outliers spotted by detectors. The interpretability of an outlier is achieved through three aspects, i.e., outlierness score, attributes that contribute to the abnormality, and contextual description of its neighborhoods. Experimental results on various types of datasets demonstrate the flexibility and effectiveness of the proposed framework.
Non-linear time-dependent analysis of cracked reinforced concrete bar

A numerical model for analysis of crack appearance and propagation along reinforced concrete bar due to external load with the influence of aggregate bridging is presented. The governing equations are solved by a novel strain-based finite element method. The concrete cover and the reinforcing bar are each modelled separately. The tangential slip between the concrete and the reinforcing bar is fully accounted for, whereas the delamination is neglected. The discrete crack concept is employed, in which the aggregate bridging between two uncracked parts of concrete, separated by a crack, is accounted for by a non-linear spring. The adequacy, accuracy and the efficiency of the present model are verified in studies of reinforced concrete bar subjected to short-term tensile tests. It is found out that by the present numerical model, the spreading of cracks and varying of the length of reinforced concrete bar may be described relatively well. The model also enables the time-dependent analysis of the appearance and propagation of cracks due to restrained shrinkage and creep of concrete.