Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of Oxidative Stress Induced by Mobile Phone Radiation in Tissues of Mice using 8-Oxo-7, 8-Dihydro-2'-Deoxyguanosine as a Biomarker

We investigated oxidative DNA damage caused by radio frequency radiation using 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-2'- deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) generated in mice tissues after exposure to 900 MHz mobile phone radio frequency in three independent experiments. The RF was generated by a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) signal generator. The radio frequency field was adjusted to 25 V/m. The whole body specific absorption rate (SAR) was 1.0 W/kg. Animals were exposed to this field for 30 min daily for 30 days. 24 h post-exposure, blood serum, brain and spleen were removed and DNA was isolated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure 8-oxodG concentration. All animals survived the whole experimental period. The body weight of animals did not change significantly at the end of the experiment. No statistically significant differences observed in the levels of oxidative stress. Our results are not in favor of the hypothesis that 900 MHz RF induces oxidative damage. Keywords—Mice, Mobile phone radiation, oxidative stress, 8- oxo-7, 8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine
A method to measure and predict rates of regional visual field decay in glaucoma.

PURPOSE This study was conducted to measure the rate of visual field (VF) decay in glaucoma, to separate faster and slower components of decay, and to predict the rate of VF decay. METHODS Patients who had primary glaucoma and 6 or more years of follow-up were included. Thresholds at each VF location were regressed with linear, quadratic, and exponential models. The best model was used to parse the VF into slower and faster rate components. Two independent cohorts (glaucoma [n = 87] and cataract [n = 38]) were used to determine the technique's ability to distinguish areas of glaucomatous VF changes from those caused by cataract. VF forecasts, derived from the first half of follow-up, were compared with actual VF thresholds at the end of follow-up. RESULTS The mean (±SD) years of follow-up and number of VFs for the main cohort (389 eyes of 309 patients) were 8.2 (±1.1) years and 15.7 (±3.0), respectively. The proportions of best fits were linear 2%, quadratic 1%, and exponential 97%. Proportions of eyes with exponential rates of decay ≥10% for the entire visual field (VF), faster components, and slower components were 20%, 56%, and 4%, respectively. The difference in decay rates between the faster and slower components was greater in the independent glaucoma cohort (19% ± 10%) than in the cataract cohort (5% ± 5%; P < 0.001). Test location forecasts significantly correlated with measured values (r(2) = 0.67; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS This method isolates faster and slower components of VF decay in glaucoma, can identify patients who are fast progressors, and can predict patterns of future VF loss with appropriate confidence intervals. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00000148.).
Asynchrony of the early maturation of white matter bundles in healthy infants: Quantitative landmarks revealed noninvasively by diffusion tensor imaging

Normal cognitive development in infants follows a well‐known temporal sequence, which is assumed to be correlated with the structural maturation of underlying functional networks. Postmortem studies and, more recently, structural MR imaging studies have described qualitatively the heterogeneous spatiotemporal progression of white matter myelination. However, in vivo quantification of the maturation phases of fiber bundles is still lacking. We used noninvasive diffusion tensor MR imaging and tractography in twenty‐three 1–4‐month‐old healthy infants to quantify the early maturation of the main cerebral fascicles. A specific maturation model, based on the respective roles of different maturational processes on the diffusion phenomena, was designed to highlight asynchronous maturation across bundles by evaluating the time‐course of mean diffusivity and anisotropy changes over the considered developmental period. Using an original approach, a progression of maturation in four relative stages was determined in each tract by estimating the maturation state and speed, from the diffusion indices over the infants group compared with an adults group on one hand, and in each tract compared with the average over bundles on the other hand. Results were coherent with, and extended previous findings in 8 of 11 bundles, showing the anterior limb of the internal capsule and cingulum as the most immature, followed by the optic radiations, arcuate and inferior longitudinal fascicles, then the spinothalamic tract and fornix, and finally the corticospinal tract as the most mature bundle. Thus, this approach provides new quantitative landmarks for further noninvasive research on brain‐behavior relationships during normal and abnormal development. Hum Brain Mapp, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Covariance Estimation in Dynamic Portfolio Optimization: A Realized Single Factor Model

Realized covariance estimation for large dimension problems is little explored and poses challenges in terms of computational burden and estimation error. In a global minimum volatility setting, we investigate the performance of covariance conditioning techniques applied to the realized covariance matrices of the 30 DJIA stocks. We find that not only is matrix conditioning necessary to deliver the benefits of high frequency data, but a single factor model, with a smoothed covariance estimate, outperforms the fully estimated realized covariance in one-step ahead forecasts. Furthermore, a mixed-frequency single-factor model - with factor coefficients estimated using low-frequency data and variances estimated using high-frequency data performs better than the realized single-factor estimator. The mixed-frequency model is not only parsimonious but it also avoids estimation of high-frequency covariances, an attractive feature for less frequently traded assets. Volatility dimension curves reveal that it is difficult to distinguish among estimators at low portfolio dimensions, but for well-conditioned estimators the performance gain relative to the benchmark 1/N portfolio increases with N.
Faster and Simpler Algorithm for Optimal Strategies of Blotto Game

In the Colonel Blotto game, which was initially introduced by Borel in 1921, two colonels simultaneously distribute their troops across different battleﬁelds. The winner of each battleﬁeld is determined independently by a winner-take-all rule. The ultimate payoff of each colonel is the number of battleﬁelds he wins. This game is commonly used for analyzing a wide range of applications such as the U.S presidential election, innovative technology competitions, advertisements, etc. There have been persistent efforts for ﬁnding the optimal strategies for the Colonel Blotto game. After almost a century Ahmadinejad, Dehghani, Hajiaghayi, Lucier, Mahini, and Seddighin provided a poly-time algorithm for ﬁnding the optimal strategies. They ﬁrst model the problem by a Linear Program (LP) with exponential number of constraints and use Ellipsoid method to solve it. However, despite the theoretical importance of their algorithm, it ishighly impractical. In general, even Simplex method (despite its exponential running-time) performs better than Ellipsoid method in practice. In this paper, we provide the ﬁrst polynomial-size LP formulation of the optimal strategies for the Colonel Blotto game. We use linear extension techniques. Roughly speaking, we project the strategy space polytope to a higher dimensional space, which results in a lower number of facets for the polytope.We use this polynomial-size LP to provide a novel, simpler and signiﬁcantly faster algorithm for ﬁnding the optimal strategies for the Colonel Blotto game. We further show this representation is asymptotically tight in terms of the number of constraints. We also extend our approach to multi-dimensional Colonel Blotto games, and implement our algorithm to observe interesting properties of Colonel Blotto; for example, we observe the behavior of players in the discrete model is very similar to the previously studied continuous model.
Protection from Streptococcus pneumoniae keratitis by passive immunization with pneumolysin antiserum.

PURPOSE To determine whether passive immunization with pneumolysin antiserum can reduce corneal damage associated with pneumococcal keratitis. METHODS New Zealand White rabbits were intrastromally injected with Streptococcus pneumoniae and then passively immunized with control serum, antiserum against heat-inactivated pneumolysin (HI-PLY), or antiserum against cytotoxin-negative pneumolysin (psiPLY). Slit lamp examinations (SLEs) were performed at 24, 36, and 48 hours after infection. An additional four corneas from rabbits passively immunized with antiserum against psiPLY were examined up to 14 days after infection. Colony forming units (CFUs) were quantitated from corneas extracted at 20 and 48 hours after infection. Histopathology of rabbit eyes was performed at 48 hours after infection. RESULTS SLE scores at 36 and 48 hours after infection were significantly lower in rabbits passively immunized with HI-PLY antiserum than in control rabbits (P < or = 0.043). SLE scores at 24, 36, and 48 hours after infection were significantly lower in rabbits passively immunized with psiPLY antiserum than in control rabbits (P < or = 0.010). The corneas of passively immunized rabbits that were examined up to 14 days after infection exhibited a sequential decrease in keratitis, with an SLE score average of 2.000 +/- 1.586 at 14 days. CFUs recovered from infected corneas were not significantly different between each experimental group and the respective control group at 20 or 48 hours after infection (P > or = 0.335). Histologic sections showed more corneal edema and polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) infiltration in control rabbits compared with passively immunized rabbits. CONCLUSIONS HI-PLY and psiPLY both elicit antibodies that provide passive protection against S. pneumoniae keratitis.
Chandra Observations of NGC 4438: An Environmentally Damaged Galaxy in the Virgo Cluster

We present results from a 25 ks Chandra ACIS-S observation of galaxies NGC 4438 and NGC 4435 in the Virgo Cluster. X-ray emission in NGC 4438 is observed in a ~700 pc nuclear region, a ~2.3 kpc spherical bulge, and a network of filaments extending 4-10 kpc to the west and southwest of the galaxy. The X-ray emission in all three regions is highly correlated to similar features observed in Hα. Spectra of the filaments and bulge are well represented by a 0.4 keV MEKAL model with combined 0.3-2 keV intrinsic luminosity LX = 1.24 × 1040 ergs s-1, electron densities ~0.02-0.04 cm-3, cooling times of 400-700 Myr, and X-ray gas mass ≲3.7 × 108 M☉. In the nuclear region of NGC 4438 X-ray emission is seen from the nucleus and from two outflow bubbles extending 360 pc (730 pc) to the northwest (southeast) of the nucleus. The spectrum of the northwest outflow bubble plus nucleus is well fitted by an absorbed (nH = 1.9 × 1021 cm-2) 0.58 keV MEKAL plasma model plus a heavily absorbed (nH = 2.9 × 1022 cm-2) Γ = 2, power-law component. The electron density, cooling time, and X-ray gas mass in the northwest outflow are ~0.5 cm-3, 30 Myr, and 3.5 × 106 M☉, respectively. Weak X-ray emission is observed in the central region of NGC 4435 with the peak of the hard emission coincident with the galaxy's optical center, while the peak of the soft X-ray emission is displaced 316 pc to the northeast. The spectrum of NGC 4435 is well fitted by a nonthermal power law plus a thermal component from 0.2-0.3 keV diffuse interstellar medium gas. We argue that the X-ray properties of gas outside the nuclear region in NGC 4438 and NGC 4435 favor a high-velocity, off-center collision between these galaxies ~100 Myr ago, while the nuclear X-ray-emitting outflow gas in NGC 4438 has been heated only recently (within ~1-2 Myr) by shocks (vs ~ 600 km s-1) possibly powered by a central active galactic nucleus.
How Emotional Intelligence Might Get You the Job: The Relationship Between Trait Emotional Intelligence and Faking on Personality Tests

ABSTRACT This study examined trait emotional intelligence (EI) in relation to the ability to fake on personality tests. Undergraduate students (N = 129) were first instructed to fill out a personality inventory honestly, and subsequently in such a way as to maximize their chances of obtaining two distinctive job positions (lawyer and file clerk). Participants were able to change their scores in line with the hypothesized job profiles. Regression analyses showed that EI statistically predicted faking ability to an equal degree in both job scenarios. Finally, EI showed incremental validity over general mental ability and the Big Five personality traits in predicting the ability to fake. Possible implications of the results for the predictive validity of personality tests are discussed.
Media Access Protocol Selection for Hierarchical Optical Ring Interconnection Network ( HORN )

Optical fibers offer high potential for interconnection net works (INs) for multiprocessing and multicomputing due to t heir ability to carry a large number of wavelengths at high transm is ion rates but current technology limits their use to only a few dozen wavelengths. One approach to circumvent this limitat ion is to arrange processing nodes (PNs) on fibers in groups an d spatially separating those clusters. Grouping those clust ers together in a higher level structure, or hierarchy, allo ws any node to communicate with any other in a large network while using o ly a few wavelengths. One potential hierarchy presented previously [1], Hierarchical Optical Ring Interconnectio n Network (HORN), uses a clustered hierarchical approach in which clusters consist of a set of PEs optically interconnected an d these clusters are optically connected by higher level rin gs. As such, a highly scalable architecture is achieved, overcoming the fixed number of available wavelengths through spatial reuse of the same set of available wavelengths. Under hierarchical topo logies like HORN nodes are separated spatially and spectral ly but these two methods only reduce substantially the number of co llisions of data from multiple sources, they can’t complete ly prevent them. An additional method, or protocol, is needed to ac hieve single-hop, non-blocking, and collision-free commu nication with minimal delay and high throughput. There are a wide vari ety of potential protocols for this type of application but m any are inappropriate or unacceptable for one reason or another . Pr liminary analysis narrowed consideration and indepth analysis down to five promising protocols: time division multiple acc ess (TDMA), TDMA with arbitration, FatMAC [2, 3], DMON [4], and token hierarchical optical ring network (THORN). These ar analyzed in terms of average delay, system throughput, n ode complexity, bandwidth and scalability. They are also asses sed more qualitatively with respect to their abilities to ac comodate bursty communication traffic. The first four protocols are do cumented in the literature but the fifth, THORN, was develope d expressly for HORN and is an adaptation of the token ring and D MON protocols. Not suprisingly, the protocols that have variable cycle lengths (FatMAC, DMON, and THORN) are found t o be superior in terms of delay than the protocols with fixed cycle lengths (TDMA and TDMA/arbitration). While all the pr otocols support the scalability objectives of HORN, THORN i s shown to have the lowest delays with minimal increases in nod e and algorithm complexities. While this protocol analysis i performed for a HORN only, the results should be general enou gh to apply to other hierarchies.
Nocardia mexicana sp. nov., a New Pathogen Isolated from Human Mycetomas

ABSTRACT Three isolates collected from human mycetomas and showing an unusual brownish purple pigmentation on Bennett agar plates were analyzed by a polyphasic taxonomic approach, including morphological, biochemical, physiological, and chemotaxonomic properties coupled with genomic and phylogenetic analysis. It clearly appeared that these microorganisms were distinct from their closest phenotypic and genetic match, the most related species according to 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis being Nocardia pseudobrasiliensis. The data obtained indicated that the three clinical strains should be recognized as a new species for which the name Nocardia mexicana sp. nov. is proposed.
Coalescing times for IID random variables with applications to population biology

We consider a coalescing particle model where particles move in discrete time. At each time period, each remaining ball is independently put in one of n bins according to a probability distribution p = (p1, …, pn), and all balls put into the same bin merge into a single ball. Starting with k balls, we are interested in the properties of E[N(p, k)], the expected time until all balls merge into one. We derive both upper and lower bounds for E[N(p, k)], some asymptotic results, and show that P{N(p, k) > t}, and thus E[N(p, k)], is a Schur concave function of p. Applications to population biology are noted. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 23: 155–166, 2003
On weight functions which admit explicit Gauss-Turán quadrature formulas

The main purpose of this paper is the construction of explicit Gauss-Turan quadrature formulas: they are relative to some classes of weight functions, which have the peculiarity that the corresponding s-orthogonal polynomials, of the same degree, are independent of s. These weights too are introduced and discussed here. Moreover, highest-precision quadratures for evaluating Fourier-Chebyshev coefficients are given.
Identification of lipid-phosphatidylserine (PS) as the target of unbiasedly selected cancer specific peptide-peptoid hybrid PPS1

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is an anionic phospholipid maintained on the inner-leaflet of the cell membrane and is externalized in malignant cells. We previously launched a careful unbiased selection targeting biomolecules (e.g. protein, lipid or carbohydrate) distinct to cancer cells by exploiting HCC4017 lung cancer and HBEC30KT normal epithelial cells derived from the same patient, identifying HCC4017 specific peptide-peptoid hybrid PPS1. In this current study, we identified PS as the target of PPS1. We validated direct PPS1 binding to PS using ELISA-like assays, lipid dot blot and liposome based binding assays. In addition, PPS1 recognized other negatively charged and cancer specific lipids such as phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylglycerol. PPS1 did not bind to neutral lipids such as phosphatidylethanolamine found in cancer and phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin found in normal cells. Further we found that the dimeric version of PPS1 (PPS1D1) displayed strong cytotoxicity towards lung cancer cell lines that externalize PS, but not normal cells. PPS1D1 showed potent single agent anti-tumor activity and enhanced the efficacy of docetaxel in mice bearing H460 lung cancer xenografts. Since PS and anionic phospholipid externalization is common across many cancer types, PPS1 may be an alternative to overcome limitations of protein targeted agents.
Periodic Perturbations With Delay of Autonomous Differential Equations on Manifolds

Abstract We apply topological methods to the study of the set of harmonic solutions of periodically perturbed autonomous ordinary differential equations on differentiable manifolds, allowing the perturbing term to contain a fixed delay. In the crucial step, in order to cope with the delay, we define a suitable (infinite dimensional) notion of Poincaré T-translation operator and prove a formula that, in the unperturbed case, allows the computation of its fixed point index.
International Equity Correlations, Integration and Contagion

This paper attempts to provide a comprehensive depiction of the dynamics of the correlation structure of international equity returns. In this pursuit, we employ a powerful yet parsimonious dynamic latent factor model with time-varying loadings and stochastic volatility. Such a specification allows us to account for the complex dynamics between international equity returns but is flexible enough to be estimated with a sample of daily data spanning over 20 years across a geographically diverse set of 15 major international markets. We first document that average global and regional correlations have risen steadily over the past two decades. Our main findings are that international equity returns have become increasingly exposed to common sources of variation, and that the entire low-frequency change in equity correlations is due to changing risk exposures rather than changing systematic risk. We also demonstrate significant financial contagion effects during the 1994 Mexican and 1997 Asian crises.
Functional interactions between BLM and XRCC3 in the cell

Bloom's syndrome (BS), which is caused by mutations in the BLM gene, is characterized by a predisposition to a wide variety of cancers. BS cells exhibit elevated frequencies of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), interchanges between homologous chromosomes (mitotic chiasmata), and sensitivity to several DNA-damaging agents. To address the mechanism that confers these phenotypes in BS cells, we characterize a series of double and triple mutants with mutations in BLM and in other genes involved in repair pathways. We found that XRCC3 activity generates substrates that cause the elevated SCE in blm cells and that BLM with DNA topoisomerase IIIα suppresses the formation of SCE. In addition, XRCC3 activity also generates the ultraviolet (UV)- and methyl methanesulfonate (MMS)–induced mitotic chiasmata. Moreover, disruption of XRCC3 suppresses MMS and UV sensitivity and the MMS- and UV-induced chromosomal aberrations of blm cells, indicating that BLM acts downstream of XRCC3.
Happiness and Development : The E ¤ ect of Mental Well-being on Economic Growth

This paper examines the impact of overall happiness of citizens on economic growth across countries. We rst document a robust positive correlation between overall happiness level and economic growth across countries, and then exploit the variation in sex imbalance, a factor that impedes normal mating and thus causes unhappiness, to instrument happiness and identify its causal impact on economic growth. Our results show that happiness has a positive causal e¤ect on economic growth. Other things being equal, a one-standard-deviation increase in happiness raises growth rate by approximately two percentage points. In addition, we nd that life expectancy and investment ratio are two possible channels through which happiness works.