Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Data reduction for weighted and outlier-resistant clustering

Statistical data frequently includes outliers; these can distort the results of estimation procedures and optimization problems. For this reason, loss functions which deemphasize the effect of outliers are widely used by statisticians. However, there are relatively few algorithmic results about clustering with outliers. For instance, the k-median with outliers problem uses a loss function [EQUATION] (x) which is equal to the minimum of a penalty h, and the least distance between the data point x and a center ci. The loss-minimizing choice of {c1,. , ck} is an outlier-resistant clustering of the data. This problem is also a natural special case of the k-median with penalties problem considered by [Charikar, Khuller, Mount and Narasimhan SODA'01]. The essential challenge that arises in these optimization problems is data reduction for the weighted k-median problem. We solve this problem, which was previously solved only in one dimension ([Har-Peled FSTTCS'06], [Feldman, Fiat and Sharir FOCS'06]). As a corollary, we also achieve improved data reduction for the k-line-median problem.
Influence of Substrate Temperature on  ${\rm H}_{2}{\rm S}$ Gas Sensing Properties of Nanocrystalline Zinc Oxide Thin Films Prepared by Advanced Spray Pyrolysis

In this paper, nanocrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) films are deposited onto glass substrates by a novel advanced spray pyrolysis technique, using non-aqueous zinc acetate solution. ZnO films are grown at various substrate temperatures in the range of 423-523 K, keeping the reaction chamber temperature constant. The influence of substrate temperature on film crystallinity and surface morphology electrical properties are investigated. The films are found to be polycrystalline with a wurtzite hexagonal structure. Surface morphological studies reveal columnar growth with enhanced crystallinity and lower activation energy at higher substrate temperature. The H2S gas sensing properties of ZnO films are studied as a function of substrate temperature, operating temperature, and H2S gas concentration. The film grown at a 523 K substrate temeprature exhibits maximum sensitivity (~22%) to 20-ppm H2S exposure at a 573-K working temperature and exhibits good selectivity and stability.
Development of pharmacophore similarity-based quantitative activity hypothesis and its applicability domain: applied on a diverse data-set of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors

Quantitative pharmacophore hypothesis combines the 3D spatial arrangement of pharmacophore features with biological activities of the ligand data-set and predicts the activities of geometrically and/or pharmacophoric similar ligands. Most pharmacophore discovery programs face difficulties in conformational flexibility, molecular alignment, pharmacophore features sampling, and feature selection to score models if the data-set constitutes diverse ligands. Towards this focus, we describe a ligand-based computational procedure to introduce flexibility in aligning the small molecules and generating a pharmacophore hypothesis without geometrical constraints to define pharmacophore space, enriched with chemical features necessary to elucidate common pharmacophore hypotheses (CPHs). Maximal common substructure (MCS)-based alignment method was adopted to guide the alignment of carbon molecules, deciphered the MCS atom connectivity to cluster molecules in bins and subsequently, calculated the pharmacophore similarity matrix with the bin-specific reference molecules. After alignment, the carbon molecules were enriched with original atoms in their respective positions and conventional pharmacophore features were perceived. Distance-based pharmacophoric descriptors were enumerated by computing the interdistance between perceived features and MCS-aligned ‘centroid’ position. The descriptor set and biological activities were used to develop support vector machine models to predict the activities of the external test set. Finally, fitness score was estimated based on pharmacophore similarity with its bin-specific reference molecules to recognize the best and poor alignments and, also with each reference molecule to predict outliers of the quantitative hypothesis model. We applied this procedure to a diverse data-set of 40 HIV-1 integrase inhibitors and discussed its effectiveness with the reported CPH model.
Effect of an Educational Program based on Health Belief Model on Medication Adherence in Elderly Patients with Hypertension

Background: Aging population growth is accompanied by the risk of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension. Medication nonadherence is one of the problems affecting patients, especially elderly individuals with high blood pressure. Aim: The present study aimed to determine the effect of an educational program based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) on medication adherence in older adults suffering from hypertension. Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 60-year-old elderly people referring to health centers in Mashhad, Iran, during 2017. To this end, the intervention group received education on medication adherence while the control group was only subjected to typical routine services. The data were analyzed in SPSS Software (Version 20) through the independent t-test, Chi-square test, and Fisherâ��s exact test. Results: The mean ages of the participants in the intervention and control groups were 69. 1Â±8.3 and 63. 9Â±6.7 years, respectively. The post-test mean score of medication adherence obtained by the intervention group was 6.7Â±0.5 that was significantly higher than that of the control group (3.7Â±1.0) (PE�0.001). Moreover, the mean score of medication adherence in the intervention group had significantly increased in the post-test phase (PE�0.001) based on the within-group results of the paired t-test. Implications for Practice: The HBM might improve medication adherence in elderly individuals with hypertension by changing their beliefs. Therefore, it was recommended to use this model for teaching self-care to older adults suffering from chronic illnesses and also in other senior healthcare centers. Â
Evaluating the Impact of Using Pre-Recorded Voicemail Messages in the National Immunization Surveys

The National Immunization Surveys (NIS) are large random-digit-dial (RDD) telephone surveys to assess vaccination coverage in the United States among children age 19-35 months (NIS-Child) and adolescents age 13-17 years (NIS-Teen), and to assess influenza vaccination coverage among children 6 months-17 years (NIS-Flu). Among working telephone numbers in the RDD samples, the most common NIS call outcome is reaching a potential respondent’s answering machine or voicemail. When messages are left for the respondent, under the standard NIS procedure, the message is left live by the interviewer making the call. An alternative is the use of a pre-recorded message. Relative to a live message, a pre-recorded message should result in a reduction in interviewer time, potentially improving the cost-effectiveness of survey administration, as the interviewers will no longer be spending time leaving messages. A pre-recorded message could also affect response rates, either positively or negatively. The use of a pre-recorded message allows for more control over the clarity, pacing, and vocal characteristics of the message left and therefore could result in higher response rates on subsequent calls. However, if the respondent can tell the message is a recording, response rates could suffer. Beginning in Quarter 4 of 2017, an evaluation was conducted in the NIS-Child, NIS-Teen, and NIS-Flu to examine the impact of pre-recorded messages on interviewer time and on response rates. Households were randomly assigned to receive either a live message (control group) or one of four versions of a pre-recorded message (experimental group) when a respondent’s answering machine or voicemail was encountered. Pre-recorded messages differed by the age and gender of the person recording the message. We examined the interviewer time spent on calls on which messages were left and compared post-message contact rates among the control group and treatment groups. We found that the use of pre-recorded messages significantly reduced interviewer time spent on these calls compared with live messages, and we found similar post-message contact rates between pre-recorded and live messages in both the landline and cell-phone samples. Postmessage contact rates did not differ by the age of the person recording the message. Postmessage contact rates were significantly higher for female recorded voices than male recorded voices in the landline sample but not in the cell-phone sample. We speculate that this may be due to the availability of message transcription on many cell-phone devices. In this paper, we present the study design, study results, conclusions, limitations, and recommendations for future research.
The rice OsNAC6 transcription factor orchestrates multiple molecular mechanisms involving root structural adaptions and nicotianamine biosynthesis for drought tolerance

Summary Drought has a serious impact on agriculture worldwide. A plant's ability to adapt to rhizosphere drought stress requires reprogramming of root growth and development. Although physiological studies have documented the root adaption for tolerance to the drought stress, underlying molecular mechanisms is still incomplete, which is essential for crop engineering. Here, we identified OsNAC6‐mediated root structural adaptations, including increased root number and root diameter, which enhanced drought tolerance. Multiyear drought field tests demonstrated that the grain yield of OsNAC6 root‐specific overexpressing transgenic rice lines was less affected by drought stress than were nontransgenic controls. Genome‐wide analyses of loss‐ and gain‐of‐function mutants revealed that OsNAC6 up‐regulates the expression of direct target genes involved in membrane modification, nicotianamine (NA) biosynthesis, glutathione relocation, 3′‐phophoadenosine 5′‐phosphosulphate accumulation and glycosylation, which represent multiple drought tolerance pathways. Moreover, overexpression of NICOTIANAMINE SYNTHASE genes, direct targets of OsNAC6, promoted the accumulation of the metal chelator NA and, consequently, drought tolerance. Collectively, OsNAC6 orchestrates novel molecular drought tolerance mechanisms and has potential for the biotechnological development of high‐yielding crops under water‐limiting conditions.
Renal denervation supersensitivity revisited.

To determine whether the chronically denervated kidney is supersensitive to either physiological or pathophysiological plasma levels of norepinephrine (NE), studies were conducted in conscious dogs subjected to unilateral renal denervation and surgical division of the urinary bladder into hemibladders to allow separate 24-h urine collection from denervated and innervated kidneys. Plasma NE concentration was increased by chronic infusion of NE (4-5 days) at rates of 25, 100, and 200 ng . kg-1 . min-1. Twenty-four-hour control values for mean arterial pressure (MAP), plasma NE concentration, and ratios for urinary sodium and potassium excretion from denervated and innervated kidneys (Den/Inn) were 94 +/- 4 mmHg, 145 +/- 24 pg/ml, 1.05 +/- 0.05, and 0.97 +/- 0.07, respectively. With infusions of NE producing plasma levels of NE of up to approximately 3,000 pg/ml or plasma concentrations of NE at least threefold greater than present under most pathophysiological conditions and during acute activation of the sympathetic nervous system, there were no significant long-term changes in MAP or relative excretion rates of sodium and potassium from denervated and innervated kidneys. In marked contrast, pharmacological plasma levels of NE ( approximately 7,000 pg/ml) produced chronic increases in MAP (to 116 +/- 2% of control) and sustained reductions in Den/Inn for urinary sodium and potassium excretion to 57 +/- 4 and 68 +/- 5% of control, respectively, indicating a lower excretion rate of these electrolytes from denervated vs. innervated kidneys. We conclude that the chronically denervated kidney does not exhibit an exaggerated antinatriuretic response to either physiological or pathophysiological levels of circulating NE. It is therefore unlikely that renal denervation supersensitivity is a confounding issue in studies employing chronic renal denervation to elucidate the role of the renal nerves in the regulation of sodium excretion.
Magnitude and Correlates of Intimate Partner Violence against Women and Its Outcome in Southwest Ethiopia

Background Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a major public health problem with serious consequences. This study was conducted to assess the magnitude of IPV in Southwest Ethiopia in predominantly rural community. Methods This community based cross-sectional study was conducted in May, 2009 in Southwest Ethiopia using the World Health Organization core questionnaire to measure violence against women. Trained data collectors interviewed 851 ever-married women. Stata version 10.1 software and SPSS version 12.0. 1 for windows were used for data analysis. Result In this study the life time prevalence of sexual or physical partner violence, or both was 64.7% (95%CI: 61.4%–67.9%). The lifetime sexual violence [50.1% (95% CI: 46.7%–53.4%)] was considerably more prevalent than physical violence [41.1% (95%:37.8–44.5)]. A sizable proportion [41.5%(95%CI: 38.2%–44.8%)] of women reported physical or sexual violence, or both, in the past year. Men who were controlling were more likely to be violent against their partner. Conclusion Physical and sexual violence is common among ever-married women in Southwest Ethiopia. Interventions targeting controlling men might help in reducing IPV. Further prospective longitudinal studies among ever-married women are important to identify predictors and to study the dynamics of violence over time.
The impact of student‐generated learning issues on individual study time and academic achievement

The aim of this study was twofold. The first question concerns the way students make use of the learning issues they generate (as strict guidelines or as global guidelines) and whether this changes across years of training. The second question concerned the relationship between the way students make use of learning issues and the time spent on individual study and achievement on two tests of knowledge.
Personality, Job Resources, and Self-Efficacy as Predictors of Volunteer Engagement in Non-Governmental Organizations

Abstract As volunteer engagement in non-governmental organizations vary between individuals, it is vital to get to know its predictors. It can be of profit to volunteers and the ones who profit from their activities. The aim of present study was to examine a model explaining volunteer engagement examining volunteer self-efficacy as a mediator and personality traits, job resources (skill variety and autonomy) as its predictors. Respondents (N = 165) were asked to fill in questionnaires accessible online. Those consisted of demographic questions as well as Ten-item Personality Inventory (TIPI), and three measures adjusted to volunteer environment: Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Results. Results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that conscientiousness, skill variety and self-efficacy are statistically significant predictors of volunteer engagement. It was shown that the effects of conscientiousness and skill variety on volunteer engagement are mediated by volunteer self-efficacy.
Increased Expression of Neuronal Apolipoprotein E in Human Brain With Cerebral Infarction

Background and Purpose— Cellular origin of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) in the human brain and its roles in physiological and pathological conditions remain to be clarified. Methods— Immunolocalization of ApoE was investigated in a series of autopsied human brains with or without infarction. ApoE expression was also estimated on immunoblot on protein extracts from autopsied brains and a cultured neuroblastoma cell line of human origin (GOTO) subjected to an oxidative stress induced by exposure to hydrogen peroxide (0.2 mmol/L). Results— In addition to astrocytes and microglia, neurons and degenerated axons in and around the ischemic foci contained ApoE-like immunoreactivity, which was more intense in recent ischemic foci. Immunoblot demonstrated an increase in expression of ApoE in brain extracts from ischemic lesion, and this increase was also pronounced in the cultured neuroblastoma cell line after the stress. Conclusions— Accumulation of ApoE in neurons in and around ischemic foci of the human brain is related to an increase in ApoE synthesis in neurons, as seen in cultured neuronal cells after oxidative stress. Intrinsic regenerative activity of neuron in reaction to external insults may be related to this increase in ApoE of neuronal origin.
Elevated sensitivity of macrosteatotic hepatocytes to hypoxia/reoxygenation stress is reversed by a novel defatting protocol

Macrosteatotic livers exhibit elevated intrahepatic triglyceride (TG) levels in the form of large lipid droplets (LDs), reduced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and this contributes to their elevated sensitivity to ischemia/reperfusion injury during transplantation. Reducing macrosteatosis in living donors through dieting has been shown to improve transplant outcomes. Accomplishing the same feat for deceased donor grafts would require ex vivo exposure to potent defatting agents. Here we used a rat hepatocyte culture system exhibiting a macrosteatotic LD morphology, elevated TG levels, and an elevated sensitivity to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) to test for such agents and ameliorate H/R sensitivity. Macrosteatotic hepatocyte preconditioning for 48 hours with a defatting cocktail that was previously developed to promote TG catabolism reduced the number of macrosteatotic LDs and intracellular TG levels by 82% and 27%, respectively, but it did not ameliorate sensitivity to H/R. Supplementation of this cocktail with l‐carnitine, together with hyperoxic exposure, yielded a similar reduction in the number of macrosteatotic LDs and a 57% reduction in intrahepatic TG storage, likely by increasing the supply of acetyl coenzyme A to mitochondria, as indicated by a 70% increase in ketone body secretion. Furthermore, this treatment reduced ROS levels by 32%, increased ATP levels by 27% (to levels near those of lean controls), and completely abolished H/R sensitivity as indicated by approximately 85% viability after H/R and the reduction of cytosolic lactate dehydrogenase release to levels seen in lean controls. Cultures maintained for 48 hours after H/R were approximately 83% viable and exhibited superior urea secretion and bile canalicular transport in comparison with untreated macrosteatotic cultures. In conclusion, these findings show that the elevated sensitivity of macrosteatotic hepatocytes to H/R can be overcome by defatting agents, and they suggest a possible route for the recovery of discarded macrosteatotic grafts. Liver Transpl 20:1000–1011, 2014. © 2014 AASLD.
Epitaxial graphene-encapsulated surface reconstruction of Ge(110)

Gavin P. Campbell,1 Brian Kiraly,1,2 Robert M. Jacobberger,3 Andrew J. Mannix,1,2 Michael S. Arnold,3 Mark C. Hersam,1,4 Nathan P. Guisinger,2 and Michael J. Bedzyk1,5,* 1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA 2Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA 3Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA 4Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA 5Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
Occupational hearing loss: screening with distortion-product otoacoustic emissions

Hearing assessment of applicants for occupational hearing loss compensation can be a time-consuming process. An accurate screening procedure that is sensitive to occupational hearing loss may have application in many situations. The present study developed distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) screening criteria to identify subjects likely to meet the Hong Kong requirements for occupational hearing loss compensation, namely a bilateral sensorineural loss ≥ 40 dB HL (average of 1000, 2000 and 3000 Hz). The screening criteria of 1500 and/ or 2000 Hz, with a signal-to-noise ratio of >0 or 3 dB, yielded high sensitivity and specificity. DPOAE measures therefore have the potential to accurately indicate possible occupational hearing loss. However, DPOAEs should be used as a screening tool only, as conventional pure-tone audiometry remains the more comprehensive measure of hearing sensitivity. Sumario La evaluacio´n auditiva de candidatos a indemnizacio´n por hipoacusia ocupacional puede consumir demasiado tiempo. Un procedimiento certero y sensible para evaluar la hipoacusia ocupacional podri´a aplicarse en muchas situaciones. Este estudio desarrolla los criterios de los productos de distorsio´n (DPOAE) para identificar sujetos que cumplan los requisitos para la compensacio´n por hipoacusia ocupacional de Hong Kong; es decir una hipoacusia bilateral sensorineural ≥40 dB HL (promedio de 1000, 2000 y 3000 Hz). El criterio de identificacio´n de 1500 y/o 2000 Hz con diferencia sen˜al ruido >0o 3 dB demostro´ una alta sensibilidad y especificidad. Por lo tanto, las mediciones de DPOAE tienen un alto potencial para poder identificar una posible hipoacusia ocupacional. Sin embargo, los DPOAE deben ser utilizados solamente como una herramienta de identificacio´n y la audiometri´a tonal convencional sigue siendo la mejor medicio´n de la sensibilidad auditiva.
A Drug-Induced Colon Lesions Show Up-Regulation of Proin fl ammatory Genes and Down-Regulation of b-Catenin Target Genes

Mouse Model of Mutated in Colorectal Cancer Gene Deletion Reveals Novel Pathways in Inflammation and Cancer Nicola Currey,* Zeenat Jahan,* C. Elizabeth Caldon, Phuong N. Tran, Fahad Benthani, Penelope De Lacavalerie, Daniel L. Roden, Brian S. Gloss, Claudia Campos, Elaine G. Bean, Amanda Bullman, Saskia Reibe-Pal, Marcel E. Dinger, Mark A. Febbraio, Stephen J. Clarke, Jane E. Dahlstrom, and Maija R. J. Kohonen-Corish