Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
K-d trees for semidynamic point sets

A <italic>K</italic>-d tree represents a set of <italic>N</italic> points in <italic>K</italic>-dimensional space. Operations on a <italic>semidynamic</italic> tree may delete and undelete points, but may not insert new points. This paper shows that several operations that require <italic>&Ogr;</italic>(log <italic>N</italic>) expected time in general <italic>K</italic>-d trees may be performed in constant expected time in semidynamic trees. These operations include deletion, undeletion, nearest neighbor searching, and fixed-radius near neighbor searching (the running times of the first two are proved, while the last two are supported by experiments and heuristic arguments). Other new techniques can also be applied to general <italic>K</italic>-d trees: simple sampling reduces the time to build a tree from <italic>&Ogr;</italic>(<italic>KN</italic> log <italic>N</italic>) to <italic>&Ogr;</italic>(<italic>KN</italic> + <italic>N</italic> log <italic>N</italic>), and more advanced sampling builds a robust tree in the same time. The methods are straightforward to implement, and lead to a data structure that is significantly faster and less vulnerable to pathological inputs than ordinary <italic>K</italic>-d trees.
A 60-Week Prospective RCT of a Self-Management Intervention for Individuals With Serious Mental Illness and Diabetes Mellitus.

OBJECTIVES A 60-week randomized controlled trial assessed the effects of targeted training in illness management (TTIM) versus treatment as usual among 200 individuals with serious mental illness and diabetes mellitus. METHODS The study used the Clinical Global Impression (CGI), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) to assess psychiatric symptoms; the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) to assess functioning; the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) to assess general health, and serum glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) to assess diabetes control. RESULTS Participants' mean±SD age was 52.7±9.5 years, and 54% were African American. They were diagnosed as having depression (48%), schizophrenia (25%), and bipolar disorder (28%). At baseline, depression severity was substantial but psychosis severity was modest. At 60 weeks, there was greater improvement among TTIM participants versus treatment-as-usual recipients on the CGI (p<.001), the MADRS (p=.016), and the GAF (p=.003). Diabetes knowledge was significantly improved among TTIM participants but not in the treatment-as-usual group. In post hoc analyses among participants whose HbA1c levels at baseline met recommendations set by the American Diabetes Association for persons with high comorbidity (53%), TTIM participants had minimal change in HbA1c over the 60-week follow-up, whereas HbA1c levels worsened in the treatment-as-usual group. CONCLUSIONS TTIM was associated with improved psychiatric symptoms, functioning, and diabetes knowledge compared with treatment as usual. Among participants with better diabetes control at baseline, TTIM participants had better diabetes control at 60 weeks compared with recipients of treatment as usual.
Verbal Memory Deficits Are Correlated with Prefrontal Hypometabolism in 18FDG PET of Recreational MDMA Users

Introduction 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) is a recreational club drug with supposed neurotoxic effects selectively on the serotonin system. MDMA users consistently exhibit memory dysfunction but there is an ongoing debate if these deficits are induced mainly by alterations in the prefrontal or mediotemporal cortex, especially the hippocampus. Thus, we investigated the relation of verbal memory deficits with alterations of regional cerebral brain glucose metabolism (rMRGlu) in recreational MDMA users. Methods Brain glucose metabolism in rest was assessed using 2-deoxy-2-(18F)fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography (18FDG PET) in 19 male recreational users of MDMA and 19 male drug-naïve controls. 18FDG PET data were correlated with memory performance assessed with a German version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Results As previously shown, MDMA users showed significant impairment in verbal declarative memory performance. PET scans revealed significantly decreased rMRGlu in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal and inferior parietal cortex, bilateral thalamus, right hippocampus, right precuneus, right cerebellum, and pons (at the level of raphe nuclei) of MDMA users. Among MDMA users, learning and recall were positively correlated with rMRGlu predominantly in bilateral frontal and parietal brain regions, while recognition was additionally related to rMRGlu in the right mediotemporal and bihemispheric lateral temporal cortex. Moreover, cumulative lifetime dose of MDMA was negatively correlated with rMRGlu in the left dorsolateral and bilateral orbital and medial PFC, left inferior parietal and right lateral temporal cortex. Conclusions Verbal learning and recall deficits of recreational MDMA users are correlated with glucose hypometabolism in prefrontal and parietal cortex, while word recognition was additionally correlated with mediotemporal hypometabolism. We conclude that memory deficits of MDMA users arise from combined fronto-parieto-mediotemporal dysfunction.
Knowledge of the Population about Visceral Leishmaniasis Transmission in Endemic Areas near the Banks of the Mossoró River in Northeastern Brazil

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an anthropozoonosis with high prevalence and incidence in the Northeastern region of Brazil. This study aimed to determine whether people living near the Mossoró River in the city of Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, have knowledge of VL and to characterize the environmental properties of this region. Questionnaires were administered to 478 residents in three neighborhoods near the Mossoró River, addressing the population’s knowledge about VL and environmental characteristics. Most survey participants were female, with ages between 18 and 40 years, 53.8% had completed primary education, and 61.5% owned pet dogs (p < 0.05). The majority (95.9%) showed little knowledge about the characteristics inherent to sandflies, and 85.3% were unaware of the environments preferred by this vector (p < 0.05). Sewage from the homes of respondents was mainly dumped into the river (44.6%), and 76.6% of the respondents complained about the accumulation of garbage in the streets (p < 0.05). The association between education and knowledge about the transmission of VL and preferred vector locations was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The lack of knowledge in the population about VL and the residential environment indicates a risk of maintaining sand fly habitats and hence disease transmission.
Role of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase and Vagal Activity in the Endothelial Protection of Atorvastatin in Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Abstract: Vascular endothelial dysfunction plays a pivotal role in the development and maintenance of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Statins, developed as lipid-lowering drugs, partially restore vagal activity and exhibit pleiotropic effects. This study was aimed at determining the effect of atorvastatin (ATV) on endothelial dysfunction in peripheral resistance arteries after I/R injury. After pretreatment with ATV (10 mg·kg−1·d−1) or its vehicle for 3 days, the superior mesenteric artery was occluded for 60 minutes and reperfusion for 90 minutes or the rats were anesthetized without being subjected to ischemia. In the ATV-treated I/R group, the increased contractions to KCl and 5-hydroxytryptamine induced by I/R were ameliorated, and attenuated endothelium-dependent relaxations to acetylcholine (ACh) were normalized. The restored relaxation to ACh was abolished by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester. ATV prevented the structural damage of vascular endothelial cells. Furthermore, the activities of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, Akt, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase were elevated in mesenteric arteries after ATV treatment. In addition, I/R-induced increment of endothelial cells apoptosis was also attenuated by ATV. Intriguingly, ATV also increased baroreflex sensitivity and serum ACh content after I/R. In conclusion, the endothelial protective effect of ATV in peripheral arteries is associated with the activated phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway and restored vagal activity.
Information-Theoretic Bounds for Differentially Private Mechanisms

There are two active and independent lines of research that aim at quantifying the amount of information that is disclosed by computing on confidential data. Each line of research has developed its own notion of confidentiality: on the one hand, differential privacy is the emerging consensus guarantee used for privacy-preserving data analysis. On the other hand, information-theoretic notions of leakage are used for characterizing the confidentiality properties of programs in language-based settings. The purpose of this article is to establish formal connections between both notions of confidentiality, and to compare them in terms of the security guarantees they deliver. We obtain the following results. First, we establish upper bounds for the leakage of every eps-differentially private mechanism in terms of eps and the size of the mechanism's input domain. We achieve this by identifying and leveraging a connection to coding theory. Second, we construct a class of eps-differentially private channels whose leakage grows with the size of their input domains. Using these channels, we show that there cannot be domain-size-independent bounds for the leakage of all eps-differentially private mechanisms. Moreover, we perform an empirical evaluation that shows that the leakage of these channels almost matches our theoretical upper bounds, demonstrating the accuracy of these bounds. Finally, we show that the question of providing optimal upper bounds for the leakage of eps-differentially private mechanisms in terms of rational functions of eps is in fact decidable.
Supply chain performance measurement: a literature review

This paper is intended to provide a critical literature review on supply chain performance measurement. The study aims at revealing the basic research methodologies/approaches followed, problem areas and requirements for the performance management of the new supply chain era. The review study covers articles coming from major journals related with the topic, including a taxonomy study and detailed investigation as to the methodologies, approaches and findings of these works. The methodology followed during the conduct of this research includes starting with a broad base of articles lying at the intersection of supply chain, information technology (IT), performance measurement and business process management topics and then screening the list to have a focus on supply chain performance measurement. Findings reveal that performance measurement in the new supply era is still an open area of research. Further need of research is identified regarding framework development, empirical cross-industry research and adoption of performance measurement systems for the requirements of the new era, to include the development of partnership, collaboration, agility, flexibility, information productivity and business excellence metrics. The contribution of this study lies in the taxonomy study, detailed description and treatment of methodologies followed and in shedding light on future research.
JUMP: A tag-based database search program for peptide identification by mass spectrometry

We developed a novel fragment-based drug discovery platform, which we call irreversible tethering. In this method a mixture of cysteine reactive drug-like fragments is incubated with the protein of interest that contains druggable cysteines, followed by gel-filtration column to eliminate the excess of small molecules. Subsequent intact protein masspectrometry identifies covalently modified proteins, providing simultaneous readout on what drug-like fragments reacted with the protein of interest. The developed screening protocol allows us to screen 100 compounds in one day, without the use of any robotic equipment and only facility service is required. Importantly, the discovered technology platform is applicable to any proteins that contain both highly reactive catalytic cysteines and less reactive non-catalytic cysteines.
Association of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 gene polymorphisms with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in a Chinese population

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an acquired organ-speciﬁc autoimmune hemorrhagic disease with many immune dysfunctions. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) is a T-lymphocyte surface molecule that can down modulate and terminate immune responses. Recently, several studies have confirmed that some polymorphisms of this gene can influence its expression level, therefore speculating that they might be associated with autoimmune diseases. In order to investigate the role of the CTLA-4 gene in ITP, we investigated -318 and CT60 polymorphisms of the CTLA-4 gene in 186 ITP patients and 162 healthy controls through polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–restriction fragment length polymorphism. No signiﬁcant differences were revealed in genotypes and allele distributions between the patients with ITP and the controls in both sites. Similar results were observed between the two groups when stratified by first onset age and disease course including acute childhood, chronic childhood, acute adult, and chronic adult. In the conclusion, these two single-nucleotide polymorphisms in CTLA-4 are not associated with susceptibility to ITP in a Chinese population.
Isolation of biologically active constituents from Moringa peregrina (Forssk.) Fiori. (family: Moringaceae) growing in Egypt

Background: Moringa peregrina is a wild plant that grown in the eastern desert mountains in Egypt. Although, this plant is native to Egypt, no details studies were traced on its chemical composition and biological activity. Materials and Methods: The different fractions of the ethanolic extract of the dried aerial parts of the plants were subjected to fractionation and purification on various silica and sephadex columns for the isolation of the major compounds which were tested for there anticancer activity. The aqueous and ethanolic extract as well as its different fractions were tested for antihyperglycemic effect on Streptozitocin-induced diabetes in rats. Results: Investigation of the different fractions of the ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of M. peregrina yielded lupeol acetate (1), β-amyrin (2), α-amyrin (3), β-sitosterol (4), β-sitosterol-3-O-glucoside (5), apigenin (6), rhamnetin (7), neochlorogenic acid (10), rhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside (12), and 6-methoxy-acacetin-8-C-β-glucoside (13) which were isolated for the first time from the plant. Compound (13) was isolated for the first time from genus Moringa. In addition, quercetin (8), chryseriol-7-O-rhamnoside (9) and quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (11) were also isolated. Identification has been established by spectral data (UV, MS, IR, 1H, 1H -1H COSY, and 13C-NMR). The major isolated compounds were found to have valuable cytotoxic activities against breast (MCF 7) and colon (HCT 116) cancer cell lines and their activities were comparable to the reference drug doxorubicin. On the other hand, the aqueous and ethanolic extracts as well as the n-hexane fraction were found to have potent antihyperglycemic effect on Streptozitocin-induced diabetes in rats. Conclusion: The Egyptian plant M. peregrina is rich in biologically active ingredients which showed potent cytotoxic activity and also its ethanolic extraxt exert a significant antihyperglycemic effect.
PATHOGENIC LEPTOSPIRA SEROVARS IN FREE-LIVING SEA LIONS IN THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA AND ALONG THE BAJA CALIFORNIA COAST OF MEXICO

Abstract The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), a permanent inhabitant of the Gulf of California in Mexico, is susceptible to pathogenic Leptospira spp. infection, which can result in hepatic and renal damage and may lead to renal failure and death. During summer 2013, we used the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) to investigate the prevalence of anti-Leptospira antibodies in blood of clinically healthy sea lion pups from seven rookery islands on the Pacific Coast of Baja California (Pacific Ocean) and in the Gulf of California. We also used PCR to examine blood for Leptospira DNA. Isolation of Leptospira in liquid media was unsuccessful. We found higher antibody prevalence in sea lions from the rookery islands in the gulf than in those from the Pacific Coast. Antibodies against 11 serovars were identified in the Gulf of California population; the most frequent reactions were against serovars Bataviae (90%), Pyrogenes (86%), Wolffi (86%), Celledoni (71%), and Pomona (65%). In the Pacific Ocean population, MAT was positive against eight serovars, where Wolffi (88%), Pomona (75%), and Bataviae (70%) were the most frequent. Serum samples agglutinated with more than one Leptospira serovar. The maximum titer was 3,200. Each island had a different serology profile, and islands combined showed a distinct profile for each region. We detected pathogenic Leptospira DNA in 63% of blood samples, but we found no saprophytic Leptospira. Positive PCR results were obtained in blood samples with high and low MAT titers. Together, these two methods enhance the diagnosis and interpretation of sea lion leptospirosis. Our results may be related to human activities or the presence of other reservoirs with which sea lions interact, and they may also be related to sea lion stranding.
Cardiac indexes, cardiac damage biomarkers and energy expenditure in professional cyclists during the Giro d’Italia 3-weeks stage race

Introduction The study of cardiac response to strenuous and continuous exercise is crucial to understanding the physiology of endurance. N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a potential marker for monitoring myocardial wall stress, and troponins (TnT and TnI) are widely used in the diagnosis of cardiac ischemia and infarction. Strenuous exercise may generate transitory ischemia, myocardial stress, and diastolic left ventricular dysfunction, inducing the increased production of both these biomarkers. We measured changes in NT-proBNP and TnT in elite cyclists during a 3-week stage race, a model of strenuous exercise. Materials and methods: The study population was 9 professional cyclists participating in the 2011 Giro d’Italia. Pre-analytical and analytical phases scrupulously followed official recommendations. Anthropometric data, net energy expenditure and cardiac indexes (rate, diastolic and systolic blood pressure) were recorded. Blood samples were drawn pre-race (day −1) and at days 12 and 22; NT-proBNP and highly sensitive-troponin (Hs-TnT) concentrations were assayed and corrected for plasma volume changes. Results: Body-mass index decreased and energy expenditure increased by 52% during the race. NT-proBNP concentrations increased [day −1: 23.52 ng/L (9.67–34.33); day 12: 63.46 ng/L (22.15–93.31); P = 0.039; day 22: 89.26 ng/L (34.66–129.78) vs. day −1; P < 0.001] and correlated with heart rate (r = −0.51; P = 0.006), systolic pressure (r = 0.39; P = 0.046) and energy expenditure (r = 0.70; P < 0.001). TnT concentrations did not vary, but a widened TnT amplitude distribution was observed. Conclusions: Increases in NT-proBNP correlated with higher energy expenditure over a 3-week cycling stage race, possibly indicating myocardial stress.
Utilization of Agricultural Wastes in the Manufacture of Composite Boards

Development of useful composite materials out of agricultural waste has become a desirable option in recycling. This led to the production of composite boards being used in the construction industry. In this paper, three types of available agricultural wastes in the province of Batangas — peanut shells, corn husks and banana sheath — were independently utilized in the production of composite boards. The raw materials were either air or sun dried, then crushed (for peanut shells) and extracted (for banana sheath and corn husks) before mixing with the binder. Urea formaldehyde (UF) was used as binder for peanut shells and banana sheaths while cleaned used plastic bags were chopped and mixed with corn husks before subjecting to hot compress machine. For each mat, the followingproportions were used:1000 gm banana fibres, 500 gm of UF mixed with 250 gm of water; 720 gm of crushed peanut shells, 133 gm UF with 12% resin content; 40% corn husks, 60% plastic strips by weight. The physical and mechanical characteristics like modulus of rupture (MOR), internal bond, face screw head test (FSHT) or Nail Head Pull through (NHPT), water absorption and thicknessswelling were determined for each board and the results were compared to the values set by the Philippine National Standards (PNS). Based on statistical results, the corn husk-plastic composite boards conformed to all parameters in the PNS; the density, thickness swelling, IBS, and NHPT/ FSHT of peanut shell-resin composite boards conformed to the PNS; and the thickness swelling,density, MOR and NHPT/FSHT of the banana sheath-UF composite boards conformed to the PNS.
Constitutive and Companion Cell-Specific Overexpression of AVP1, Encoding a Proton-Pumping Pyrophosphatase, Enhances Biomass Accumulation, Phloem Loading, and Long-Distance Transport1[OPEN]

H+-pumping pyrophosphatases appear to function in companion cells to increase phloem loading and long-distance transport, leading to more robust plants with enhanced growth. Plant productivity is determined in large part by the partitioning of assimilates between the sites of production and the sites of utilization. Proton-pumping pyrophosphatases (H+-PPases) are shown to participate in many energetic plant processes, including general growth and biomass accumulation, CO2 fixation, nutrient acquisition, and stress responses. H+-PPases have a well-documented role in hydrolyzing pyrophosphate (PPi) and capturing the released energy to pump H+ across the tonoplast and endomembranes to create proton motive force (pmf). Recently, an additional role for H+-PPases in phloem loading and biomass partitioning was proposed. In companion cells (CCs) of the phloem, H+-PPases localize to the plasma membrane rather than endomembranes, and rather than hydrolyzing PPi to create pmf, pmf is utilized to synthesize PPi. Additional PPi in the CCs promotes sucrose oxidation and ATP synthesis, which the plasma membrane P-type ATPase in turn uses to create more pmf for phloem loading of sucrose via sucrose-H+ symporters. To test this model, transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants were generated with constitutive and CC-specific overexpression of AVP1, encoding type 1 ARABIDOPSIS VACUOLAR PYROPHOSPHATASE1. Plants with both constitutive and CC-specific overexpression accumulated more biomass in shoot and root systems. 14C-labeling experiments showed enhanced photosynthesis, phloem loading, phloem transport, and delivery to sink organs. The results obtained with constitutive and CC-specific promoters were very similar, such that the growth enhancement mediated by AVP1 overexpression can be attributed to its role in phloem CCs. This supports the model for H+-PPases functioning as PPi synthases in the phloem by arguing that the increases in biomass observed with AVP1 overexpression stem from improved phloem loading and transport.