Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Vitro Bactericidal Activity of 4- and 5-Chloro-2-hydroxy-N-[1-oxo-1-(phenylamino)alkan-2-yl]benzamides against MRSA

A series of nine substituted 2-hydroxy-N-[1-oxo-1-(phenylamino)alkan-2-yl]benzamides was assessed as prospective bactericidal agents against three clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and S. aureus ATCC 29213 as the reference and quality control strain. The minimum bactericidal concentration was determined by subculturing aliquots from MIC determination onto substance-free agar plates. The bactericidal kinetics of compounds 5-chloro-2-hydroxy-N-[(2S)-3-methyl-1-oxo-1-{[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]amino}butan-2-yl]benzamide (1f), N-{(2S)-1-[(4-bromophenyl)amino]-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl}-4-chloro-2-hydroxybenzamide (1g), and 4-chloro-N-{(2S)-1-[(3,4-dichlorophenyl)amino]-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl}-2-hydroxybenzamide (1h) was established by time-kill assay with a final concentration of the compound equal to 1x, 2x, and 4x MIC; aliquots were removed at 0, 4, 6, 8, and 24 h time points. The most potent bactericidal agent was compound 1f exhibiting remarkable rapid concentration-dependent bactericidal effect even at 2x MIC at 4, 6, and 8 h (with a reduction in bacterial count ranging from 3.08 to 3.75 log10 CFU/mL) and at 4x MIC at 4, 6, 8, and 24 h (5.30 log10 CFU/mL reduction in bacterial count) after incubation against MRSA 63718. Reliable bactericidal effect against other strains was maintained at 4x MIC at 24 h.
Weather forecasting using deep learning techniques

Weather forecasting has gained attention many researchers from various research communities due to its effect to the global human life. The emerging deep learning techniques in the last decade coupled with the wide availability of massive weather observation data and the advent of information and computer technology have motivated many researches to explore hidden hierarchical pattern in the large volume of weather dataset for weather forecasting. This study investigates deep learning techniques for weather forecasting. In particular, this study will compare prediction performance of Recurrence Neural Network (RNN), Conditional Restricted Boltzmann Machine (CRBM), and Convolutional Network (CN) models. Those models are tested using weather dataset provided by BMKG (Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics) which are collected from a number of weather stations in Aceh area from 1973 to 2009 and El-Nino Southern Oscilation (ENSO) data set provided by International Institution such as National Weather Service Center for Environmental Prediction Climate (NOAA). Forecasting accuracy of each model is evaluated using Frobenius norm. The result of this study expected to contribute to weather forecasting for wide application domains including flight navigation to agriculture and tourism.
Resolving Response, Decision, and Strategic Control: Evidence for a Functional Topography in Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex

The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) plays a central role in aspects of cognitive control and decision making. Here, we provide evidence for an anterior-to-posterior topography within the DMPFC using tasks that evoke three distinct forms of control demands—response, decision, and strategic—each of which could be mapped onto independent behavioral data. Specifically, we identify three spatially distinct regions within the DMPFC: a posterior region associated with control demands evoked by multiple incompatible responses, a middle region associated with control demands evoked by the relative desirability of decision options, and an anterior region that predicts control demands related to deviations from an individual's preferred decision-making strategy. These results provide new insight into the functional organization of DMPFC and suggest how recent controversies about its role in complex decision making and response mapping can be reconciled.
Embedding Vague Spatial Objects into Spatial Databases using the VagueGeometry Abstract Data Type

Spatial vagueness has been required by geoscientists to handle vague spatial objects, i.e., spatial objects that do not have exact locations, strict boundaries, or sharp interiors. However, there is a gap in the literature in how to handle these objects in spatial database management systems since they mainly provide support to crisp spatial objects, i.e., objects that have well-defined locations, boundaries, and interiors. In this paper, we fill this gap by proposing VagueGeometry, a novel abstract data type that handles vague spatial objects, includes an expressive set of vague spatial operations, and its implementation is open source. Experimental results show that VagueGeometry improved the performance of spatial queries with vague topological predicates from 23% up to 84% if compared with functionalities available in current spatial databases.
Statistical Evaluation of Waveform Collapse Reveals Scale-Free Properties of Neuronal Avalanches

Neural avalanches are a prominent form of brain activity characterized by network-wide bursts whose statistics follow a power-law distribution with a slope near 3/2. Recent work suggests that avalanches of different durations can be rescaled and thus collapsed together. This collapse mirrors work in statistical physics where it is proposed to form a signature of systems evolving in a critical state. However, no rigorous statistical test has been proposed to examine the degree to which neuronal avalanches collapse together. Here, we describe a statistical test based on functional data analysis, where raw avalanches are first smoothed with a Fourier basis, then rescaled using a time-warping function. Finally, an F ratio test combined with a bootstrap permutation is employed to determine if avalanches collapse together in a statistically reliable fashion. To illustrate this approach, we recorded avalanches from cortical cultures on multielectrode arrays as in previous work. Analyses show that avalanches of various durations can be collapsed together in a statistically robust fashion. However, a principal components analysis revealed that the offset of avalanches resulted in marked variance in the time-warping function, thus arguing for limitations to the strict fractal nature of avalanche dynamics. We compared these results with those obtained from cultures treated with an AMPA/NMDA receptor antagonist (APV/DNQX), which yield a power-law of avalanche durations with a slope greater than 3/2. When collapsed together, these avalanches showed marked misalignments both at onset and offset time-points. In sum, the proposed statistical evaluation suggests the presence of scale-free avalanche waveforms and constitutes an avenue for examining critical dynamics in neuronal systems.
Macrolides sensitize EGFR-TKI-induced non-apoptotic cell death via blocking autophagy flux in pancreatic cancer cell lines

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult types of cancer to treat because of its high mortality rate due to chemotherapy resistance. We previously reported that combined treatment with gefitinib (GEF) and clarithromycin (CAM) results in enhanced cytotoxicity of GEF along with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress loading in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. An epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) such as GEF induces autophagy in a pro-survival role, whereas CAM inhibits autophagy flux in various cell lines. Pronounced GEF-induced cytotoxicity therefore appears to depend on the efficacy of autophagy inhibition. In the present study, we compared the effect on autophagy inhibition among such macrolides as CAM, azithromycin (AZM), and EM900, a novel 12-membered non-antibiotic macrolide. We then assessed the enhanced GEF-induced cytotoxic effect on pancreatic cancer cell lines BxPC-3 and PANC-1. Autophagy flux analysis indicated that AZM is the most effective autophagy inhibitor of the three macrolides. CAM exhibits an inhibitory effect but less than AZM and EM900. Notably, the enhancing effect of GEF-induced cytotoxicity by combining macrolides correlated well with their efficient autophagy inhibition. However, this pronounced cytotoxicity was not due to upregulation of apoptosis induction, but was at least partially mediated through necroptosis. Our data suggest the possibility of using macrolides as ‘chemosensitizers’ for EGFR-TKI therapy in pancreatic cancer patients to enhance non-apoptotic tumor cell death induction.
MEMBRANE SPLITTING IN FREEZE-ETCHING

The freeze-etch technique was used to observe red blood cell ghosts labeled on both surfaces with covalently bound ferritin. Ferritin molecules were never observed on fracture faces, thus indicating that fracture does not show membrane-surface detail. Subliming away the surrounding ice did expose the ferritin on the membrane surface. These results were consistent with the concept that membranes split during the fracture process of freeze-etching.
Microfinance: a tool for poverty reduction in developing countries

Microfinance has proved to be one of the effective tools for poverty reduction in developing countries. Following the success stories of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, the microfinance revolution has stormed the developing countries today. This paper looked at whether or not microfinance is an effective strategy for poverty reduction in developing countries. It was found out from the related literature that microfinance has a positive impact on poverty reduction and so, it is an effective tool for poverty reduction in many countries including Bangladesh, Bolivia etc. However there are doubts about its large scale impact. It also became clear from the literature that the impact of microfinance on poverty alleviation is a keenly debated issue and it is generally accepted that it is not a silver bullet, it has not lived up in general to its expectation. However, when implemented and managed carefully, and when services are designed to meet the needs of clients, microfinance has had positive impacts, not just on clients, but on their families and on the wider community. It was recommended among others that more efforts needs to be geared towards institution building including the strengthening of groups especially Self Help Groups(SHGs). There is also the need for the development of more effective management information system to promote the consolidation of sustainable financial service delivery through well performing Self Help Groups (SHGs).
Knowing Me, Knowing You? Similarity to the CEO and Fund Managers' Investment Decisions

This study provides evidence that investors’ demographic similarity to CEOs affects their investment decisions. We find that mutual fund managers overweight firms led by CEOs who resemble them in terms of age, ethnicity and gender. This finding is robust to excluding educational and local ties and is supported by variation in similarity caused by CEO departures. Investing in firms run by similar CEOs, on average, is associated with superior performance and is more pronounced when CEOs have more impact on their firms. Results suggest that demographic similarity to CEOs facilitates informed trading, implying that investors’ information production incorporates firm management.
Community disassembly by an invasive species

Invasive species pose serious threats to community structure and ecosystem function worldwide. The impacts of invasive species can be more pervasive than simple reduction of species numbers. By using 7 years of data in a biological preserve in northern California, we documented the disassembly of native ant communities during an invasion by the Argentine ant. In sites without the Argentine ant, native ant communities exhibit significant species segregation, consistent with competitive dynamics. In sites with the Argentine ant, native ant communities appear random or weakly aggregated in species co-occurrence. Comparisons of the same sites before and after invasion indicate that the shift from a structured to a random community is rapid and occurs within a year of invasion. Our results show that invasive species not only reduce biodiversity but rapidly disassemble communities and, as a result, alter community organization among the species that persist.
Early events in protein folding: Is there something more than hydrophobic burst?

The presence of native contacts in the denatured state of many proteins suggests that elements of the biologically active structure of these molecules are formed during the initial stage of the folding process. The rapidity with which these events take place makes it difficult to study them in vitro, but, by the same token, suitable for studies in silico. With the help of all‐atom, explicit solvent, molecular dynamics simulations we have followed in time, starting from elongated structureless conformations, the early events in the folding of src‐SH3 domain and of proteins G, L, and CI2. It is observed that within the first 50 ns two important events take place, essentially independent of each other: hydrophobic collapse and formation of a few selected native contacts. The same contacts are also found in simulations carried out in the presence of guanidinium chloride in order to reproduce the conditions used to characterize experimentally the denatured state and testify to the fact that these contacts are to be considered a resilient characterizing property of the denaturated state.
CaMKII-Mediated CREB Phosphorylation Is Involved in Ca2+-Induced BDNF mRNA Transcription and Neurite Outgrowth Promoted by Electrical Stimulation

Electrical stimulation (ES)-triggered up-regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurite outgrowth in cultured rat postnatal dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRGNs) is calcium (Ca2+)-dependent. The effects of increased Ca2+ on BDNF up-regulation and neurite outgrowth remain unclear. We showed here that ES increased phosphorylation of the cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB). Blockade of Ca2+ suppressed CREB phosphorylation and neurite outgrowth. Down-regulation of phosphorylated (p)-CREB reduced BDNF transcription and neurite outgrowth triggered by ES. Furthermore, blockade of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) using the inhibitors KN93 or KN62 reduced p-CREB, and specific knockdown of the CaMKIIα or CaMKIIβ subunit was sufficient to suppress p-CREB. Recombinant BDNF or hyperforin reversed the effects of Ca2+ blockade and CaMKII knockdown. Taken together, these data establish a potential signaling pathway of Ca2+-CaMKII-CREB in neuronal activation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the mechanisms of Ca2+-dependent BDNF transcription and neurite outgrowth triggered by ES. These findings might help further investigation of complex molecular signaling networks in ES-triggered nerve regeneration in vivo.
Pesticide Handling and Exposures Among Cotton Farmers in The Gambia

ABSTRACT Objectives: There are substantial health hazards to farmers and the environment associated with pesticide use in developing countries. Based on observations by the authors and previous reports, most previous studies in Africa are descriptive in nature. The aim of this study was to investigate how cotton farmers are exposed to pesticides in The Gambia and quantify their pesticide exposures and provide information for the formulation of a policy on pesticide safety for the country. Methods: A representative sample of 20 cotton farmers in the Central and Upper River Divisions (CRD and URD) of The Gambia were surveyed by questionnaires. Dermal pesticide exposures among a subset of 10 farmer/pesticide applicators were assessed by dermal patch samples, observation, and postapplication questionnaires. Results: The study revealed that a toxic organochlorine insecticide, Callisulfan (endosulfan), is frequently sprayed on cotton plants by the farmers. The farmers wore no protective equipment and were inadequately dressed for work with this pesticide. Laboratory analysis of the mixed formulation showed a wide range in the concentration of the pesticide solution among the farmer/pesticide applicators and dermal patch samples showed very high residues of endosulfan analytes on their body surfaces. Conclusions : A low level of awareness of pesticide toxicity prevails amonsg cotton farmers in The Gambia. There is a less than adequate control of pesticides and other hazardous agrichemicals in the country.
Cross-Project Defect Prediction Using a Connectivity-Based Unsupervised Classifier

Defect prediction on projects with limited historical data has attracted great interest from both researchers and practitioners. Cross-project defect prediction has been the main area of progress by reusing classifiers from other projects. However, existing approaches require some degree of homogeneity (e.g., a similar distribution of metric values) between the training projects and the target project. Satisfying the homogeneity requirement often requires significant effort (currently a very active area of research). An unsupervised classifier does not require any training data, therefore the heterogeneity challenge is no longer an issue. In this paper, we examine two types of unsupervised classifiers: a) distance-based classifiers (e.g., k-means); and b) connectivity-based classifiers. While distance-based unsupervised classifiers have been previously used in the defect prediction literature with disappointing performance, connectivity-based classifiers have never been explored before in our community. We compare the performance of unsupervised classifiers versus supervised classifiers using data from 26 projects from three publicly available datasets (i.e., AEEEM, NASA, and PROMISE). In the cross-project setting, our proposed connectivity-based classifier (via spectral clustering) ranks as one of the top classifiers among five widely-used supervised classifiers (i.e., random forest, naive Bayes, logistic regression, decision tree, and logistic model tree) and five unsupervised classifiers (i.e., k-means, partition around medoids, fuzzy C-means, neural-gas, and spectral clustering). In the within-project setting (i.e., models are built and applied on the same project), our spectral classifier ranks in the second tier, while only random forest ranks in the first tier. Hence, connectivity-based unsupervised classifiers offer a viable solution for cross and within project defect predictions.
Patient safety climate profiles across time: Strength and level of safety climate associated with a quality improvement program in Switzerland—A cross-sectional survey study

Safety Climate has been acknowledged as an unspecific factor influencing patient safety. However, studies rarely provide in-depth analysis of climate data. As a helpful approach, the concept of “climate strength” has been proposed. In the present study we tested the hypotheses that even if safety climate remains stable on mean-level across time, differences might be evident in strength or shape. The data of two hospitals participating in a large national quality improvement program were analysed for differences in climate profiles at two measurement occasions. We analysed differences on mean-level, differences in percent problematic response, agreement within groups, and frequency histograms in two large hospitals in Switzerland at two measurement occasions (2013 and 2015) applying the Safety Climate Survey. In total, survey responses of 1193 individuals were included in the analyses. Overall, small but significant differences on mean-level of safety climate emerged for some subgroups. Also, although agreement was strong at both time-points within groups, tendencies of divergence or consensus were present in both hospitals. Depending on subgroup and analyses chosen, differences were more or less pronounced. The present study illustrated that taking several measures into account and describing safety climate from different perspectives is necessary in order to fully understand differences and trends within groups and to develop interventions addressing the needs of different groups more precisely.
A Social Information Processing Perspective of Coworker Influence on a Focal Employee

Acritical omission in the coworker influence literature is how a coworker influences a closely related focal employee's job performance behaviors and whether this influence is contingent on that coworker's own behaviors. By integrating social information processing and social cognitive theories with social exchange and role theories, we hypothesize that there are, at least, three distinct types of coworker dyadic influence. Accordingly, we developed and tested a moderated mediation model to explicate such influence. Two multisource, field-design studies conducted in Hong Kong support the modeled relationships in that employee role ambiguity partially mediated the relationships between coworker-employee exchange and two types of employee job performance behaviors-task performance and organizational citizenship behavior OCB. Furthermore, coworker OCB fostered employee job performance behavior both directly and interactively, acting as a moderator to weaken the relationships between employee role ambiguity and the two types of job performance behaviors.
Significance of immunohistochemistry in accurate characterization of malignant tumors.

BACKGROUND To determine in a large series of surgical biopsies the role and significance of immunohistochemistry in the adequate and accurate characterization of malignant tumors. METHODS A retrospective study of 20,000 consecutive surgical biopsies reported in the Section of Histopathology, AKU in 2003. Data was obtained by retrieving the filed surgical biopsy reports in the section. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Out of the 20,000 biopsies, 6534 (32.67%) were neoplastic. 4726 neoplasms (72.33%) were malignant, and 1808 (27.67%) were benign. Immunohistochemistry was performed on 29.49% of malignant tumors, and 4.97% of benign tumors. Immunos were performed on only 2.82% of routine squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of various organs, and in only 1.9% of infiltrating breast carcinomas, the commonest malignant tumors in females. In contrast, immunos were performed on 97.12% of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, 97.94% of Hodgkin's lymphomas, 98.09% of malignant spindle cell neoplasms, 87.96% of small round blue cell tumors of childhood, 87.30% of neuroendocrine neoplasms, and 84.37% cases of malignant melanomas. In addition, immunos were performed on all cases of malignant undifferentiated neoplasms and were able to resolve the issue in over 89% of such cases. Immunos were also performed on 54.74% of metastatic tumors. Lymph nodes were the commonest organs on which immunos were performed i.e. 96.50% of lymph node tumors, followed by CNS and renal neoplasms with 33.01% and 25.92% respectively.