Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automated Template Generation for Question Answering over Knowledge Graphs

Templates are an important asset for question answering over knowledge graphs, simplifying the semantic parsing of input utterances and generating structured queries for interpretable answers. State-of-the-art methods rely on hand-crafted templates with limited coverage. This paper presents QUINT, a system that automatically learns utterance-query templates solely from user questions paired with their answers. Additionally, QUINT is able to harness language compositionality for answering complex questions without having any templates for the entire question. Experiments with different benchmarks demonstrate the high quality of QUINT.
Mexican geneticists’ views of ethical issues in genetics testing and screening. Are eugenic principles involved?

Herein we discuss Mexican geneticists’ views of ethical issues in genetic testing and screening, analyzing whether eugenic principles are involved in this activity. The information was obtained from a comprehensive survey on genetics, ethics, and society organized by Wertz and Fletcher in 1993, in which 37 nations participated. The responses to 21 questions from 64 out of 89 (72%) geneticists invited to participate are analyzed in this paper. The questions were practically the same as those answered recently by a group of Chinese geneticists (Mao X. Chinese geneticists’ views of ethical issues in genetic testing and screening: evidence for eugenics in China. Am J Hum Genet 1998: 63: 688–695), who work in a country where the furtherance of eugenic principles is considered to be the goal of human genetics. We concluded that although there are many similarities in the answers from both countries, this is not indicative of Mexican geneticists pursuing eugenic goals because: a) there is no coercion involved; and b) there is no intention of improving the gene pool.
An Efficient Clustering Algorithm for Device-to-Device Assisted Virtual MIMO

In this paper, the utilization of mobile devices (MDs) as decode-and-forward relays in a device-to-device assisted virtual MIMO (VMIMO) system is studied. Single antenna MDs are randomly distributed on a 2D plane according to a Poisson point process, and only a subset of them are sources leaving other idle MDs available to assist them (relays). Our goal is to develop an efficient algorithm to cluster each source with a subset of available relays to form a VMIMO system under a limited feedback assumption. We first show that the NP-hard optimization problem of precoding in our scenario can be approximately solved by semidefinite relaxation. We investigate a special case with a single source and analytically derive an upper bound on the average spectral efficiency of the VMIMO system. Then, we propose an optimal greedy algorithm that achieves this bound. We further exploit these results to obtain a polynomial time clustering algorithm for the general case with multiple sources. Finally, numerical simulations are performed to compare the performance of our algorithm with that of an exhaustive clustering algorithm, and it shown that these numerical results corroborate the efficiency of our algorithm.
Sesame effects on testicular damage in streptozotocin-induced diabetes rats

Objective(s): Reproductive dysfunction is a consequence of diabetes. Diabetes is associated with changes in testicular tissue. Sesame oil contains large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids and lignin with antioxidant activity, vitamin E, and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA). The present study investigated the effects of sesame on testis histology and male reproductive parameters in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Thirty mature male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups, i.e., control (C), diabetic-control (DC), and sesame-treated diabetic rats (SD). Diabetes was induced by a single dose of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg; i.p). The animals were treated by a single intraperitoneal sesame extract injection (100 mg/kg b.w.) once daily for 6 weeks. Results: The biochemical analysis revealed that the diabetes resulted in significant (p<0.05) reduction in spermiogenesis, testosterone, LH, and FSH levels. Light microscopic analysis showed remarkable (p<0.05) reduction in STD (seminiferous tubules diameter), SPI (spermatogenesis index) thickness of the epithelium, and significant increase in thickness of the interstitial tissue in the diabetic group compared with the control group. Simultaneous administration of the sesame could fairly up-regulate testosterone, LH, and FSH of the animals in this group. However, some differences were manifested with improved histological features as thickness of the epithelium, seminiferous tubules diameter, and spermatogenesis index. Conclusion: These data demonstrated that sesame significantly improved diabetes complication in rat testis. This study suggested that sesame might have a protective effect against oxidative stress-induced impaired testicular functions in diabetic rats.
Face Image Quality Assessment Based on Learning to Rank

Face image quality is an important factor affecting the accuracy of automatic face recognition. It is usually possible for practical recognition systems to capture multiple face images from each subject. Selecting face images with high quality for recognition is a promising stratagem for improving the system performance. We propose a learning to rank based framework for assessing the face image quality. The proposed method is simple and can adapt to different recognition methods. Experimental result demonstrates its effectiveness in improving the robustness of face detection and recognition.
Looking Forward to Looking Backward

Decisions are powerfully affected by anticipated regret, and people anticipate feeling more regret when they lose by a narrow margin than when they lose by a wide margin. But research suggests that people are remarkably good at avoiding self-blame, and hence they may be better at avoiding regret than they realize. Four studies measured people's anticipations and experiences of regret and self-blame. In Study 1, students overestimated how much more regret they would feel when they “nearly won” than when they “clearly lost” a contest. In Studies 2, 3a, and 3b, subway riders overestimated how much more regret and self-blame they would feel if they “nearly caught” their trains than if they “clearly missed” their trains. These results suggest that people are less susceptible to regret than they imagine, and that decision makers who pay to avoid future regrets may be buying emotional insurance that they do not actually need.
How skill balancing impact the elderly player experience?

Skill balancing increases game engagement by providing users with suitable challenges. Two common methods of skill balancing are manual difficulty adjustment (MDA) and dynamic difficulty adjustment (DDA). However, little is known about the effect of skill balancing on elderly player experience (PX). We compared two types of skill balancing (MDA and DDA) across two controller types (GamePad and Microsoft Kinect). Our results demonstrate that MDA has higher impact on PX of the elderly. Also we found eagerness of the elderly to attempt playing higher challenges.
Intradialytic hypertension during chronic haemodialysis and subclinical fluid overload assessed by bioimpedance spectroscopy

Background Intradialytic hypertension (IDH) increases morbidity and mortality. The prevalence in South Africa is unknown. The pathogenesis is unclear, but it has been suggested that IDH may be due to subclinical fluid overload. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of IDH and to evaluate its association with fluid overload using bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS). Methods A cross-sectional study involving 190 chronic haemodialysis patients in the Western Cape province of South Africa was conducted between January 2013 and May 2014. IDH was defined as a >10 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure in at least four of six prior consecutive haemodialysis sessions. Results The prevalence of IDH was 28.4% (n = 54). There was a trend towards pre-dialysis overhydration in the IDH group when compared with controls {2.6 L [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7–3.4] versus 1.8 L [95% CI 1.4–2.1], respectively; P = 0.06} as measured by BIS, but no difference in mean ultrafiltration (UF) volume (2.4 versus 2.6 L; P = 0.30). A trend towards greater use of antihypertensive drugs was noted in the IDH group [2.5 drugs (95% CI 2.15–2.87) versus 2.1 (95% CI 1.82–2.30); P = 0.05]. More participants in the IDH group received calcium channel blockers (54 versus 36; P = 0.03). Conclusions The prevalence of IDH in our treatment centres is much higher than previously reported. Subclinical fluid overload may be a major contributing factor to the mechanism of this condition. The use of BIS identifies patients who may benefit from additional UF.
EMT-Induced Stemness and Tumorigenicity Are Fueled by the EGFR/Ras Pathway

Recent studies have revealed that differentiated epithelial cells would acquire stem cell-like and tumorigenic properties following an Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT). However, the signaling pathways that participate in this novel mechanism of tumorigenesis have not been fully characterized. In Runx3 −/− p53 −/− murine gastric epithelial (GIF-14) cells, EMT-induced plasticity is reflected in the expression of the embryonal proto-oncogene Hmga2 and Lgr5, an exclusive gastrointestinal stem cell marker. Here, we report the concurrent activation of an EGFR/Ras gene expression signature during TGF-β1-induced EMT in GIF-14 cells. Amongst the altered genes was the induction of Egfr, which corresponded with a delayed sensitization to EGF treatment in GIF-14. Co-treatment with TGF-β1 and EGF or the expression of exogenous KRas led to increased Hmga2 or Lgr5 expression, sphere initiation and colony formation in soft agar assay. Interestingly, the gain in cellular plasticity/tumorigenicity was not accompanied by increased EMT. This uncoupling of EMT and the induction of plasticity reveals an involvement of distinct signaling cues, whereby the EGFR/Ras pathway specifically promotes stemness and tumorigenicity in EMT-altered GIF-14 cells. These data show that the EGFR/Ras pathway requisite for the sustenance of gastric stem cells in vivo and in vitro is involved in the genesis and promotion of EMT-induced tumor-initiating cells.
Cytoplasmic control of nuclear behavior during meiotic maturation of frog oocytes *

The title of this article is taken from a 1971 publication by Yoshio Masui and Clement Markert in which they describe the discoveries of the meiotic regulatory activities maturation promoting factor and cytostatic factor. Here we review the experiments that led to these discoveries and discuss their relation to our current knowledge of the biochemistry of oocyte maturation.
An Efficient Method to Compute Traffic Assignment Problems with Elastic Demands

The traffic assignment problem (TAP) with elastic demands can be formulated as an optimization problem, the objective of which is the sum of a congestion function and a disutility function. We propose to use a variant of the analytic center cutting plane method to solve this problem. We test the method on TAP instances with the Bureau of Public Roads congestion function and different demand functions (constant elasticity and linear). The results of the numerical experiments show that it is possible to solve large instances with high accuracy.
Continuous Fatty Acid Oxidation and Reduced Fat Storage in Mice Lacking Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase 2

Malonyl–coenzyme A (malonyl-CoA), generated by acetyl-CoA carboxylases ACC1 and ACC2, is a key metabolite in the regulation of energy homeostasis. Here, we show thatAcc2 −/− mutant mice have a normal life span, a higher fatty acid oxidation rate, and lower amounts of fat. In comparison to the wild type, Acc2-deficient mice had 10- and 30-fold lower levels of malonyl-CoA in heart and muscle, respectively. The fatty acid oxidation rate in the soleus muscle of theAcc2 −/− mice was 30% higher than that of wild-type mice and was not affected by addition of insulin; however, addition of insulin to the wild-type muscle reduced fatty acid oxidation by 45%. The mutant mice accumulated 50% less fat in their adipose tissue than did wild-type mice. These results raise the possibility that pharmacological manipulation of ACC2 may lead to loss of body fat in the context of normal caloric intake.
Oxidative Stress Causes Imbalance of Renal Renin Angiotensin System (RAS) Components and Hypertension in Obese Zucker Rats

Background Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of hypertension, especially in obesity‐related hypertension. The natriuretic and antinatriuretic components of the renal renin angiotensin system (RAS) maintain sodium homeostasis and blood pressure. Here, we test the hypothesis that increased oxidative stress leads to the imbalance of RAS components and hypertension in obese Zucker rats. Methods and Results Lean and obese rats received vehicle or tempol, a superoxide dismutase mimetic in the drinking water for 4 weeks. Compared with vehicle‐treated lean rats, vehicle‐treated obese rats exhibited higher blood pressure and increased renal oxidative stress, accompanied by increased diuretic and natriuretic responses to AT1R antagonist (Candesartan) and AT2R agonist (CGP‐42112A) and reduced diuretic and natriuretic response to MasR agonist (Ang‐[1 to 7]). Moreover, obese rats had higher ACE, AT1R and AT2R, lower ACE2 and MasR expressions in the kidney. All of the above‐mentioned abnormalities were reversed to some degree by tempol treatment. In primary cultures of renal proximal tubular (RPT) cells from lean and obese rats, tempol treatment also increased AT2R, ACE2, and MasR expressions but decreased AT1R and ACE expressions in obese rats. Conclusions Taken together, our study indicated that the imbalance of renal RAS components was associated with increased oxidative stress in obese rats. Furthermore, antioxidant treatment with tempol reversed the imbalance of renal RAS components and led to diuresis and natriuresis, which, at least in part, explains the blood pressure‐lowering effect of antioxidant supplementation in obesity‐related hypertension.
Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate and CRL Profile

This memo profiles the X.509 v3 certificate and X.509 v2 CRL for use in the Internet. An overview of the approach and model are provided as an introduction. The X.509 v3 certificate format is described in detail, with additional information regarding the format and semantics of Internet name forms (e.g., IP addresses). Standard certificate extensions are described and one new Internet-specific extension is defined. A required set of certificate extensions is specified. The X.509 v2 CRL format is described and a required extension set is defined as well. An algorithm for X.509 certificate path validation is described. Supplemental information is provided describing the format of public keys and digital signatures in X.509 certificates for common Internet public key encryption algorithms (i.e., RSA, DSA, and Diffie-Hellman). ASN.1 modules and examples are provided in the appendices.
D-Pinitol alleviates cyclosporine A-induced renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis via activating Sirt1 and Nrf2 antioxidant pathways

Although the mechanism of cyclosporine A (CsA)-induced renal injury remains to be fully elucidated, accumulating evidence suggests that oxidative stress is critical in producing CsA-induced structural and functional renal impairment. The present study investigated the effect of D-pinitol, a cyclitol present in soybean, on chronic CsA nephropathy. Male ICR mice were treated with vehicle, CsA (30 mg/kg/day), D-pinitol (50 mg/kg/day) or a combination of CsA and D-pinitol for 28 days. To assess which pathway responding to oxidative stress is augmented by D-pinitol, the expression levels of several antioxidant enzymes and their possible regulators were measured. Treatment with D-pinitol significantly suppressed the increase of serum creatinine and decrease of urine osmolality, compared with the CsA control group. Histological examination of Masson's trichrome- and α-smooth muscle actin-stained renal tissue demonstrated that the CsA-induced tubulointerstitial fibrosis and inflammation were attenuated by D-pinitol. Following the administration of D-pinitol, there were increased expression levels of heme oxygenase-1, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1, superoxide dismutase 1 and catalase in CsA-treated kidneys. In addition, D-pinitol increased the level of sirtuin 1 (Sirt1), and the total and nuclear expression levels of nuclear erythroid factor 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), suggesting that activation of the Sirt1 and Nrf2 pathways may induce the cellular antioxi dant system against CsA-induced nephropathy. Collectively, these data suggested that D-pinitol may protect the kidney from CsA-induced fibrosis, and that this renoprotective effect of D-pinitol was due to the inhibition of oxidative stress through the activation of Sirt1 and Nrf2, and the subsequent enhancement of antioxidant enzymes.
Hypothesis: calcium carbonate as phosphate binder--the fallacy of relying on serum phosphorus.

Both high phosphate intake and hyperphosphataemia are associated with an increased risk of vascular calcification and other soft-tissue calcification. The dietary phosphorus content is related to the dietary protein content. It is un-acceptable to reduce protein intake in order to lower serum phosphorus concentration because of the risk of malnutrition, resulting in a negative protein balance. Apart from longer or more frequent dialysis sessions, the only possible alternative is to reduce phosphorus absorption in the gut. This can be achieved either by phosphate binders or — more recently — by inhibitors of the transfer of phosphorus across the intestinal wall [12]. Because of their toxicity, aluminium-based prepara-tions are no longer acceptable as routine phosphate binders in dialysis patients. Because of financial restric-tions and resistance from health care providers because of cost considerations, innovative metal- and calcium-free oral phosphate binders are currently used only in a minority of European dialysis patients. Calcium carbonate or calcium acetates are the most widely used phosphate binders in Europe. The rationale for the use of phosphate binders is to transform phosphate in the food into a non-absorbable form, reducing the risk of soft-tissue calcification.
Lactation Intensity and Postpartum Maternal Glucose Tolerance and Insulin Resistance inWomenWith Recent GDM The SWIFT cohort

RESEARCHDESIGNANDMETHODSdWe selected 522 participants enrolled into the Study of Women, Infant Feeding, and Type 2 Diabetes (SWIFT), a prospective observational cohort study of Kaiser Permanente Northern California members diagnosed with GDM using the 3-h 100-g OGTT by the Carpenter and Coustan criteria. Women were classified as normal, prediabetes, or diabetes according to American Diabetes Association criteria based on the postpartum 2-h 75-g OGTT results.
Clinical, Biological and Genetic Analysis of Prepubertal Isolated Ovarian Cyst in 11 Girls

Background The cause of isolated gonadotropin-independent precocious puberty (PP) with an ovarian cyst is unknown in the majority of cases. Here, we describe 11 new cases of peripheral PP and, based on phenotypes observed in mouse models, we tested the hypothesis that mutations in the GNAS1, NR5A1, LHCGR, FSHR, NR5A1, StAR, DMRT4 and NOBOX may be associated with this phenotype. Methodology/Principal Findings 11 girls with gonadotropin-independent PP were included in this study. Three girls were seen for a history of prenatal ovarian cyst, 6 girls for breast development, and 2 girls for vaginal bleeding. With one exception, all girls were seen before 8 years of age. In 8 cases, an ovarian cyst was detected, and in one case, suspected. One other case has polycystic ovaries, and the remaining case was referred for vaginal bleeding. Four patients had a familial history of ovarian anomalies and/or infertility. Mutations in the coding sequences of the candidate genes GNAS1, NR5A1, LHCGR, FSHR, NR5A1, StAR, DMRT4 and NOBOX were not observed. Conclusions/Significance Ovarian PP shows markedly different clinical features from central PP. Our data suggest that mutations in the GNAS1, NR5A1, LHCGR, FSHR StAR, DMRT4 and NOBOX genes are not responsible for ovarian PP. Further research, including the identification of familial cases, is needed to understand the etiology of ovarian PP.
Particle and Fibre Toxicology Effects of Particulate Matter on the Pulmonary and Vascular System: Time Course in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Background: This study was performed within the scope of two multi-center European Commission-funded projects (HEPMEAP and PAMCHAR) concerning source-composition-toxicity relationship for particulate matter (PM) sampled in Europe. The present study aimed to optimize the design for PM in vivo toxicity screening studies in terms of dose and time between a single exposure and the determination of the biological responses in a rat model mimicking human disease resulting in susceptibility to ambient PM. Dust in thoracic PM size-range (aerodynamic diameter <10 µm) was sampled nearby a road tunnel (RTD) using a high volume cascade impactor. Spontaneously hypertensive rats were exposed to urban dust collected in Ottawa, Canada (EHC-93 10 mg/kg of body weight; reference PM) or different RTD doses (0.3, 1, 3, 10 mg/kg of body weight) by intratracheal instillation. Necropsy was performed at 4, 24, or 48 hr after exposure.
Self-Reported Food Insecurity in Africa During the Food Price Crisis

This article analyzes data on self-reported food insecurity of more than 50,000 individuals in 18 Sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2005–2008, when global food prices increased dramatically. The average level of self-reported food insecurity was high but remarkably stable over time, at about 54%. However, this average hides large heterogeneity, both within countries and across countries. In eight of the sample countries, self-reported food security improved, while it worsened in the ten other countries. Our results suggest that heterogeneous effects in self-reported food security are consistent with economic predictions, as they are correlated with economic growth and net food consumption (both at the household and country level). Specifically, in the face of rising food prices, self-reported food security improved on average in rural households, while it worsened in urban households – a finding that holds when using global prices or domestic food prices. Improvements in food security over time were also positively correlated with net food exports and GDP per capita growth. While the self-reported indicator used in this paper requires further study and one should carefully interpret the results, our findings suggest the need for a critical evaluation of the currently used data and numbers in the public debate on food prices and food insecurity.