Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cross-Modality Binary Code Learning via Fusion Similarity Hashing

Binary code learning has been emerging topic in large-scale cross-modality retrieval recently. It aims to map features from multiple modalities into a common Hamming space, where the cross-modality similarity can be approximated efficiently via Hamming distance. To this end, most existing works learn binary codes directly from data instances in multiple modalities, which preserve both intra-and inter-modal similarities respectively. Few methods consider to preserve the fusion similarity among multi-modal instances instead, which can explicitly capture their heterogeneous correlation in cross-modality retrieval. In this paper, we propose a hashing scheme, termed Fusion Similarity Hashing (FSH), which explicitly embeds the graph-based fusion similarity across modalities into a common Hamming space. Inspired by the fusion by diffusion, our core idea is to construct an undirected asymmetric graph to model the fusion similarity among different modalities, upon which a graph hashing scheme with alternating optimization is introduced to learn binary codes that embeds such fusion similarity. Quantitative evaluations on three widely used benchmarks, i.e., UCI Handwritten Digit, MIR-Flickr25K and NUS-WIDE, demonstrate that the proposed FSH approach can achieve superior performance over the state-of-the-art methods.
In vitro activities and targets of three cephem antibiotics against Haemophilus influenzae

The antimicrobial activities of cefixime, cefpodoxime, and ceftibuten were determined with 18 ampicillin-susceptible (Amps), 13 ampicillin-resistant beta-lactamase-producing (AmprBLP), and 7 ampicillin-resistant non-beta-lactamase-producing (AmprNBLP) strains of Haemophilus influenzae. An effect of inoculum density on apparent MIC, the bactericidal activity of these agents, and the targets of the three cephems were determined. The MICs of cefixime, cefpodoxime, and ceftibuten for 90% of the Amps and AmprBLP isolates were 0.04, 0.08, and 0.08 microgram/ml, respectively. In contrast, the MICs for 90% of the AmprNBLP strains were 0.96, 1.92, and 7.68 micrograms/ml. No significant inoculum effect was observed for any group of strains comparing inocula of 10(3) and 10(5) CFU, whereas only the AmprNBLP isolates showed a marked effect at an inoculum of 10(6) CFU. Although bactericidal levels were achieved for the Amps and AmprBLP strains, tolerance to cefixime and ceftibuten was observed. The bactericidal activity for the AmprNBLP strains was limited, with cefixime showing the highest activity of the three cephems. Penicillin-binding proteins 2, 4, and 5 revealed high affinity, with 50% inhibitory concentration levels below the MIC for all three cephems, suggesting that these are important targets of these agents in H. influenzae. We conclude that the cephems are highly active in vitro against Amps and AmprBLP strains of H. influenzae, but less so against AmprNBLP isolates.
Bioavailability of Micronutrients from Plant Foods: An Update

Abstract Deficiencies of iron, zinc, iodine and vitamin A are widespread in the developing countries, poor bioavailability of these micronutrients from plant-based foods being the major reason for their wide prevalence. Diets predominantly vegetarian are composed of components that enhance as well as inhibit mineral bioavailability, the latter being predominant. However, prudent cooking practices and use of ideal combinations of food components can significantly improve micronutrient bioavailability. Household processing such as heat treatment, sprouting, fermentation and malting have been evidenced to enhance the bioavailability of iron and β-carotene from plant foods. Food acidulants amchur and lime are also shown to enhance the bioavailability of not only iron and zinc, but also of β-carotene. Recently indentified newer enhancers of micronutrient bioaccessibility include sulphur compound-rich Allium spices—onion and garlic, which also possess antioxidant properties, β-carotene-rich vegetables—carrot and amaranth, and pungent spices—pepper (both red and black) as well as ginger. Information on the beneficial effect of these dietary compounds on micronutrient bioaccessibility is novel. These food components evidenced to improve the bioavailability of micronutrients are common ingredients of Indian culinary, and probably of other tropical countries. Fruits such as mango and papaya, when consumed in combination with milk, provide significantly higher amounts of bioavailable β-carotene. Awareness of the beneficial influence of these common dietary ingredients on the bioavailability of micronutrients would help in devising dietary strategies to improve the bioavailability of these vital nutrients.
Role of beta-lactam hydrolysis in the mechanism of resistance of a beta-lactamase-constitutive Enterobacter cloacae strain to expanded-spectrum beta-lactams

Enterobacter cloacae strains producing chromosomally mediated beta-lactamase constitutively show high degrees of resistance to most of the third-generation beta-lactams. It has been proposed that this resistance is due to the nonhydrolytic binding or trapping of beta-lactams by the enzyme. We found that the outer membrane of E. cloacae strain 55M indeed had permeability to cefazolin about 14-fold lower than that of Escherichia coli, and that the number of beta-lactamase molecules produced by this constitutive mutant was exceptionally large (2 X 10(5) per cell). These conditions are expected to produce a low degree of resistance, but could not explain the high resistance level of the mutant. We showed that the beta-lactamase of this strain hydrolyzed third-generation beta-lactams at measurable rates. Although the V max for these compounds was less than 0.01% of that for cefazolin, the enzyme could hydrolyze them at rates comparable to the rate for cefazolin when the substrate concentration was near 0.1 microM, a concentration thought to be physiologically relevant for the inhibition of cell growth, because of the exceptionally high affinity of the enzyme to many third-generation compounds. Calculations based on kinetic parameters of the enzyme, outer membrane permeability, and affinity toward penicillin-binding proteins succeeded in predicting the MICs for several third-generation beta-lactams. The data suggest that hydrolysis may be more important than nonhydrolytic binding for the expression of the resistant phenotype, and that studies on the susceptibility of beta-lactams to beta-lactamases should be carried out at physiologically relevant, very low concentrations of the drug, rather than the customary very high concentrations, such as 100 microM.
High Concordance of Results of Testing for Human Papillomavirus in Cervicovaginal Samples Collected by Two Methods, with Comparison of a Novel Self-Sampling Device to a Conventional Endocervical Brush

ABSTRACT A user-friendly self-sampling method for collecting representative cervical cell material would lower the threshold for women to respond to the invitation for cervical screening. In the present article, we introduce such a device; we have evaluated its sensitivity and specificity to detect high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), via high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) detection and liquid-based cytology (LBC), compared to endocervical brush samples obtained by gynecologists. Women who had a cervical smear reading of moderate dyskaryosis or worse or a repeat equivocal Pap smear result in the cervical screening program (n = 64) and healthy volunteers (n = 32) took a self-obtained sample at home prior to their visit to the gynecological outpatient department. At the outpatient department, an endocervical brush smear was taken, followed by colposcopy and biopsy whenever applicable. Both self-obtained samples and endocervical brush samples were immediately collected in Surepath preservation solution and used for LBC and hrHPV testing (by general primer-mediated GP5+/6+ PCR). hrHPV test results showed a good concordance between the two sample types (87%; κ = 0.71), with sensitivities for prevalent high-grade CIN that did not differ significantly (92% and 95%; P = 1.0). The hrHPV test on self-obtained samples proved to be at least as sensitive for high-grade CIN as cytology on endocervical brush samples (34/37 versus 31/37; P = 0.5). LBC showed a poor concordance between self-obtained and endocervical brush samples (60%; κ = 0.27). In conclusion, self-obtained samples taken by this novel device are highly representative of the hrHPV status of the cervix. In combination with hrHPV testing, the use of this device may have implications for increasing the attendance rate for cervical screening programs.
Fine temporal structure of beta oscillations synchronization in subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson's disease.

Synchronous oscillatory dynamics in the beta frequency band is a characteristic feature of neuronal activity of basal ganglia in Parkinson's disease and is hypothesized to be related to the disease's hypokinetic symptoms. This study explores the temporal structure of this synchronization during episodes of oscillatory beta-band activity. Phase synchronization (phase locking) between extracellular units and local field potentials (LFPs) from the subthalamic nucleus (STN) of parkinsonian patients is analyzed here at a high temporal resolution. We use methods of nonlinear dynamics theory to construct first-return maps for the phases of oscillations and quantify their dynamics. Synchronous episodes are interrupted by less synchronous episodes in an irregular yet structured manner. We estimate probabilities for different kinds of these "desynchronization events. " There is a dominance of relatively frequent yet very brief desynchronization events with the most likely desynchronization lasting for about one cycle of oscillations. The chances of longer desynchronization events decrease with their duration. The observed synchronization may primarily reflect the relationship between synaptic input to STN and somatic/axonal output from STN at rest. The intermittent, transient character of synchrony even on very short time scales may reflect the possibility for the basal ganglia to carry out some informational function even in the parkinsonian state. The dominance of short desynchronization events suggests that even though the synchronization in parkinsonian basal ganglia is fragile enough to be frequently destabilized, it has the ability to reestablish itself very quickly.
Extreme Elemental Processing in a High Schizotypy Population: Relation to Cognitive Deficits

The cognitive deficits observed in schizophrenia have been characterized as a failure to utilize task-setting information to guide behaviour, especially in situations in which there is response conflict. Recently, we have provided support for this account; high schizotypy individuals demonstrated inferior biconditional discrimination performance compared to low scorers, but were not impaired on a simple discrimination that did not require the use of task-setting cues. These results may, however, also be explained by the way in which individuals with high schizotypy process stimulus compounds. Here, we examine the initial approaches to solving biconditional and control discrimination tasks of participants with high and low schizotypy scores. In particular, we focus on performance during the first block of training trials to capture processing style before the acquisition of the discrimination tasks. Participants scoring highly on the introvertive anhedonia subscale (which has been allied to the negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia) demonstrated better biconditional performance during the first block of training trials than did low-schizotypy individuals, consistent with a highly elemental approach to stimulus processing. Subsequent recognition tests confirmed this analysis demonstrating that the pattern of performance observed in participants with high schizotypy was associated with a failure to discriminate conjunctions of items that had been seen before from those that had not. These results suggest that the negative/cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia may reflect an extreme bias towards elemental, as opposed to configural, processing of stimulus conjunctions.
ADHD Symptoms and Entrepreneurial Orientation of Small Firm Owners

This study investigates the link between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and entrepreneurial orientation (EO). EO is known to be a crucial factor for small firm survival and growth, conceptualised as a business characteristic but influenced by the personality of the small business owner and measured at her individual level. There is ample anecdotal evidence claiming that ADHD symptoms have helped entrepreneurs in their careers. Using a data set of French small firm owners, we are the first to go beyond the anecdotal level in linking ADHD symptoms and EO. Our study contributes to our understanding of entrepreneurship, particularly the determinants of EO, and to \textquotedblleftdestigmatising\textquotedblright ADHD, which is considered solely a clinical disorder that should be treated.
Research on modified cavitation model for self-excited oscillation pulsed jet nozzle

Based on the mechanism of the cavitation effect in the self-excited oscillation pulsed jet nozzle, a modified cavitation model is proposed for improving the precision of the simulation, which considers the influence of Reynolds shear stress, the viscous shear stress and the turbulent pressure fluctuations existed in the shear layer on the vapor pressure. The modified cavitation model is hooked in the Fluent through the user defined function (UDF) to define the vapor pressure property which plays a role of criterion for cavitation. The fluctuation, frequency and magnitude distribution of the velocity at the outlet of the nozzle are analyzed and compared with the corresponding results obtained by using the original cavitation model. It is observed that the results obtained by the modified model are more consistent with the actual working situation of the nozzle. Finally, the effect of the inlet pressure on the occurrence of the cavitaion is investigated for exploring the relationship of the cavitation chance and the factors considered in the modified cavitation.
Cleavage and Activation of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Spike Protein by Human Airway Trypsin-Like Protease

ABSTRACT The highly pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) poses a constant threat to human health. The viral spike protein (SARS-S) mediates host cell entry and is a potential target for antiviral intervention. Activation of SARS-S by host cell proteases is essential for SARS-CoV infectivity but remains incompletely understood. Here, we analyzed the role of the type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSPs) human airway trypsin-like protease (HAT) and transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2), in SARS-S activation. We found that HAT activates SARS-S in the context of surrogate systems and authentic SARS-CoV infection and is coexpressed with the viral receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in bronchial epithelial cells and pneumocytes. HAT cleaved SARS-S at R667, as determined by mutagenesis and mass spectrometry, and activated SARS-S for cell-cell fusion in cis and trans, while the related pulmonary protease TMPRSS2 cleaved SARS-S at multiple sites and activated SARS-S only in trans. However, TMPRSS2 but not HAT expression rendered SARS-S-driven virus-cell fusion independent of cathepsin activity, indicating that HAT and TMPRSS2 activate SARS-S differentially. Collectively, our results show that HAT cleaves and activates SARS-S and might support viral spread in patients.
Dietary Supplementation of Honey Bee Larvae with Arginine and Abscisic Acid Enhances Nitric Oxide and Granulocyte Immune Responses after Trauma

Many biotic and abiotic stressors impact bees’ health, acting as immunosupressors and contribute to colony losses. Thus, the importance of studying the immune response of honey bees is central to develop new strategies aiming to enhance bees’ fitness to confront the threats affecting them. If a pathogen breaches the physical and chemical barriers, honey bees can protect themselves from infection with cellular and humoral immune responses which represent a second line of defense. Through a series of correlative studies we have previously reported that abscisic acid (ABA) and nitric oxide (NO) share roles in the same immune defenses of Apis mellifera (A. mellifera). Here we show results supporting that the supplementation of bee larvae’s diet reared in vitro with l-Arginine (precursor of NO) or ABA enhanced the immune activation of the granulocytes in response to wounding and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection.
Suppression of human IL-1beta, IL-2, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha production by cigarette smoke extracts.

BACKGROUND Although cigarette smoking is known to have detrimental effects on the immune system, the nature of the immunosuppressive agent or agents is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of cigarette smoke extracts from high-tar (unfiltered Camel), medium-tar (Marlboro), and low-tar (Carlton) cigarettes on the in vitro production of IL-1beta, IL-2, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha. METHODS The concentrations of hydroquinone and catechol in cigarette smoke extracts were determined by using HPLC. Human PBMCs were treated with cigarette smoke extracts, hydroquinone, or catechol, and stimulated with anti-CD3 and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate. Cytokine levels in the supernatants were quantified by ELISA. RESULTS Pretreatment of PBMCs with cigarette smoke extracts derived from a single high- or low-tar cigarette suppressed the production of IL-1beta, IL-2, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha by greater than 90% without significant loss of cell viability. Nicotine, at a concentration comparable with that found in the highest-tar cigarettes (200 microg/mL), suppressed the production of IL-2, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha by only 21% to 38%. Catechol (50 micromol/L) inhibited production of IL-2 and IL-1beta by 62% to 73% but had little effect on TNF-alpha or IFN-gamma production. In contrast, hydroquinone inhibited the production of all 4 cytokines with IC(50) values ranging from 3 micromol/L(IL-1beta) to 29 micromol/L (IFN-gamma). However, HPLC determination of the hydroquinone concentrations in cigarette smoke extracts from single Camel (33+/-4 micromol/L), Marlboro (13+/-2 micromol/L), and Carlton (<1 micromol/L) cigarettes clearly demonstrated that the potent inhibitory effects of the low-tar cigarettes could not be accounted for by either hydroquinone or catechol. CONCLUSION These studies indicate that cigarette smoke contains potent inhibitors of cytokine production, at least one of which is present even in low-tar cigarettes.
The effects of cimetidine, ranitidine, and famotidine on human neutrophil functions.

UNLABELLED Neutrophil functions, which play an important role in the antibacterial host defense system, are inhibited by various anesthetics and surgical procedures. Histamine H2-receptor antagonists are perioperatively used as a prophylaxis against acid aspiration syndrome or stress ulceration. We examined the effect of cimetidine, ranitidine, and famotidine, at clinically relevant concentrations and at 10 and 100 times this concentration, on several aspects of human neutrophil function using an in vitro system. The three H2-receptor antagonists did not impair neutrophils' chemotaxis or phagocytosis. Cimetidine and famotidine inhibited superoxide (O2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production of the neutrophils in a dose-dependent manner, although the inhibitory effects were minimal. In contrast, ranitidine failed to change O2- or H2O2 production of neutrophils. The three H2-receptor antagonists did not scavenge these reactive oxygen species generated by the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system. The increase in intracellular calcium concentrations in neutrophils by a stimulant were dose-dependently attenuated with cimetidine or famotidine. This decreasing effect of the drugs on [Ca2+]i in neutrophils may represent one of mechanisms responsible for inhibition of reactive oxygen species generation. IMPLICATIONS Neutrophils play a pivotal role in the antibacterial host defense system and tissue injury. We found that cimetidine and famotidine slightly reduced the O2- or H2O2 production of neutrophils in a dose-dependent manner, although ranitidine failed to do so. At least ranitidine does not seem to have any deleterious effect on neutrophil function, which is clearly an important consideration in its use in severely ill patients.
Effect of cardiac sympathetic nervous activity on mode of death in congestive heart failure.

AIMS To investigate whether strong cardiac sympathetic activity contributes primarily to sudden death or to worsening heart failure, and to determine the relationship of the size of cardiac noradrenaline stores to the mode of death. METHODS AND RESULTS The study population comprised 116 patients with congestive heart failure (ejection fraction 19+/-7%) and a mean follow-up of 18+/-19 months. Cardiac sympathetic nervous function was measured using coronary sinus blood sampling and noradrenaline isotope dilution methodology. Cardiac sympathetic activity was estimated from cardiac noradrenaline spillover, and noradrenaline stores from the overflow of the tritiated noradrenaline metabolite [(3)H]dihydroxyphenylglycol, which is produced by monoamine oxidase inside nerve endings. Small cardiac noradrenaline stores (below median) predicted death from worsening heart failure (hazard ratio=4.18, P<0.05), particularly if cardiac noradrenaline spillover was elevated (hazard ratio=2.36 per tertile, P<0.01), indicating progression of disease associated with defective sympathetic innervation. In contrast, large stores (hazard ratio=2.81, P<0.05), especially if coupled with increased noradrenaline spillover (hazard ratio=1.64 per tertile, P<0.05), were related to sudden death. CONCLUSION High cardiac sympathetic activity is a risk factor for sudden death, particularly in the presence of intact cardiac sympathetic innervation. Conversely, progression of myocardial disease and heart failure is closely associated with depletion of sympathetic nerves in the heart, especially if rates of noradrenaline release paradoxically remain high.
Time-Varying Interdependencies of Tourism and Economic Growth: Evidence from European Countries

In this study, we employ the novel measure of a VAR-based spillover index, developed by Diebold and Yilmaz (2012) to investigate the time-varying relationship between tourism and economic growth in selected European countries. Overall, the findings suggest that (i) the tourism-economy relationship is not stable over time in terms of both its magnitude and direction, (ii) the relationship exhibits patterns in its magnitude and/or direction during major economic events, such as the Great Recession of 2007 and the Eurozone debt crisis of 2010, and (iii) the impact of these economic events on the relationship between the tourism sector and the economy is more apparent to Cyprus, Greece, Portugal and Spain, which are the European countries that have experienced the most severe economic downturn since 2009. These results are important to tourism actors and policy makers, suggesting that they should pay particular attention to this time-varying relationship and the factors that influence it when designing their tourism strategies. In addition, the findings of this study carry significant implications for researchers, as they underline a strand of the literature which deserves further attention.