Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the properties of antirickettsial activity and interferon in mouse lymphokines

Certain properties of the antirickettsial activity and interferon in lymphokine preparations obtained from concanavalin A-stimulated mouse spleen cells were compared. Both the antirickettsial activity and interferon were relatively stable to heating at 56 degrees C, whereas both activities were destroyed by trypsin, by heating at 80 degrees C, or by exposure to pH 2 for 24 h. Both activities were likewise inhibited after incubation with rabbit antisera to partially purified murine interferon-gamma. In contrast to the mouse lymphokine preparations, which contained both interferon-gamma and antirickettsial activity, a preparation of virus-induced interferons (type I) had no detectable antirickettsial activity. Human foreskin fibroblasts, which were not sensitive to the antirickettsial activity in mouse lymphokines, acquired the ability to inhibit rickettsial growth when they were cocultured with sensitive mouse L929 cells treated with mouse lymphokines. These results are consistent with the idea that the antirickettsial activity in mouse lymphokines is due to interferon-gamma.
A Finite Difference Representation of Neutrino Radiation Hydrodynamics in Spherically Symmetric General Relativistic Spacetime

We present an implicit finite difference representation for general relativistic radiation hydrodynamics in spherical symmetry. Our code, AGILE-BOLTZTRAN, solves the Boltzmann transport equation for the angular and spectral neutrino distribution functions in self-consistent simulations of stellar core collapse and postbounce evolution. It implements a dynamically adaptive grid in comoving coordinates. A comoving frame in the momentum phase space facilitates the evaluation and tabulation of neutrino-matter interaction cross sections but produces a multitude of observer corrections in the transport equation. Most macroscopically interesting physical quantities are defined by expectation values of the distribution function. We optimize the finite differencing of the microscopic transport equation for a consistent evolution of important expectation values. We test our code in simulations launched from progenitor stars with 13 solar masses and 40 solar masses. Half a second after core collapse and bounce, the protoneutron star in the latter case reaches its maximum mass and collapses further to form a black hole. When the hydrostatic gravitational contraction sets in, we find a transient increase in electron flavor neutrino luminosities due to a change in the accretion rate. The μ- and τ-neutrino luminosities and rms energies, however, continue to rise because previously shock-heated material with a nondegenerate electron gas starts to replace the cool degenerate material at their production site. We demonstrate this by supplementing the concept of neutrinospheres with a more detailed statistical description of the origin of escaping neutrinos. Adhering to our tradition, we compare the evolution of the 13 M⊙ progenitor star to corresponding simulations with the multigroup flux-limited diffusion approximation, based on a recently developed flux limiter. We find similar results in the postbounce phase and validate this MGFLD approach for the spherically symmetric case with standard input physics.
Phentolamine Mesylate in Dental Practice: Efficacy and Safety for Reversing Soft Tissue Anesthesia - A Systematic Review

This systematic review assesses the efficacy and safety of Phentolamine Mesylate as a local anesthetic reversal agent in dental procedures. We conducted a comprehensive search for English-language articles from January 2008 to June 2022 in MEDLINE, PubMed, EBSCO, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. After deduplication, 378 articles were identified. Following abstract screening, 306 articles were excluded, leaving 72 potentially relevant studies. Ultimately, 11 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria, and their risk of bias was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool and Cochrane Collaboration methodology. The findings consistently support Phentolamine Mesylate’s therapeutic efficacy, significantly reducing the time needed to recover from residual soft tissue anesthesia across all studies, with high patient satisfaction. Promoting awareness of Phentolamine Mesylate as a local anesthetic reversal agent is crucial to mitigate residual anesthesia’s adverse effects.
Serum microRNA expression profiling in patients with multiple system atrophy

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a sporadic neurodegenerative disease that is pathologically characterized by α-synuclein positive glial cytoplasmic inclusions in oligodendrocytes. The clinical diagnosis of MSA is often challenging as there are no established biomarkers and diagnoses are now based on clinical findings alone. At present, the etiology and pathogenesis of MSA are unclear. It has been reported that dysregulation of microRNA (miRNA/miR) serves an important role in neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The miRNA profile of patients with MSA remains to be established. The present study investigated the serum miRNA expression level of 10 patients with MSA, using microarray chips including 668 miRNAs. It was identified that 50 miRNAs were significantly upregulated and 17 miRNAs were significantly downregulated in the serum of the patients with MSA. The most upregulated miRNA was miR-16, which may induce the accumulation of α-synuclein. The target genes of some miRNAs upregulated in MSA (including miR-17, 20a, 24, 25, 30d and 451) were associated with autophagy-associated molecules. The present study concluded that the expression pattern of miRNAs may be a clinical biomarker for MSA and targeting these miRNAs may provide a novel treatment for MSA.
Shorter Leukocyte Telomere Length in Midlife Women with Poor Sleep Quality

Background. Accumulating evidence supports leukocyte telomere length (LTL) as a biological marker of cellular aging. Poor sleep is a risk factor for age-related disease; however, the extent to which sleep accounts for variation in LTL is unknown. Methods. The present study examined associations of self-reported sleep duration, onset latency, and subjective quality with LTL in a community-dwelling sample of 245 healthy women in midlife (aged 49–66 years). Results. While sleep duration and onset latency were unrelated to LTL, women reporting poorer sleep quality displayed shorter LTL (r = 0.14, P = 0.03), independent of age, BMI, race, and income (b = 55.48, SE = 27.43, P = 0.04). When analyses were restricted to participants for whom sleep patterns were chronic, poorer sleep quality predicted shorter LTL independent of covariates and perceived psychological stress. Conclusions. This study provides the first evidence that poor sleep quality explains significant variation in LTL, a marker of cellular aging.
Temporally Regulated and Tissue-Specific Gene Manipulations in the Adult and Embryonic Heart Using a Tamoxifen-Inducible Cre Protein

Abstract— The advent of conditional and tissue-specific recombination systems in gene-targeted or transgenic mice has permitted an assessment of single gene function in a temporally regulated and cell-specific manner. Here we generated transgenic mice expressing a tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase protein fused to two mutant estrogen-receptor ligand-binding domains (MerCreMer) under the control of the &agr;-myosin heavy chain promoter. These transgenic mice were crossed with the ROSA26 lacZ-flox–targeted mice to examine Cre recombinase activity and the fidelity of the system. The data demonstrate essentially no Cre-mediated recombination in the embryonic, neonatal, or adult heart in the absence of inducing agent but >80% recombination after only four tamoxifen injections. Expression of the MerCreMer fusion protein within the adult heart did not affect cardiac performance, cellular architecture, or expression of hypertrophic marker genes, demonstrating that the transgene-encoded protein is relatively innocuous. In summary, MerCreMer transgenic mice represent a tool for temporally regulated inactivation of any loxP-targeted gene within the developing and adult heart or for specifically directing recombination and expression of a loxP-inactivated cardiac transgene in the heart.
Is non-pharmacological treatment an option for certain schizophrenia patients?

BACKGROUND Schizophrenia treatment has been debated at length and presently pharmacological treatment is being advocated as the most beneficial for patients. However, research has shown contradictory results regarding the suitability of pharmacological treatment for certain groups of schizophrenia patients. METHODS The present review discusses results from the literature indicating good outcomes only for patients who adhered to prescribed pharmacological treatments. It also describes studies favoring non-drug treatments in certain schizophrenic patients. RESULTS The authors described two groups of patients where the long-term use of neuroleptics may be useless, if not harmful. The first group comprised schizophrenic people with a single psychotic episode and therefore very good prognosis. In their case, the prolonged use of antipsychotics would not be beneficial due to pharmacological and social (stigma) side effects. Further research is warranted to identify and investigate biological, environmental, and psychological factors associated with single-episode schizophrenia. The second group comprised ultra-resistant schizophrenic patients. In their case, in the absence of a therapeutic response in acute episodes or aggressive behavior, clinicians should use short episodes of treatment with benzodiazepines or other sedative medications such as mood stabilizers. CONCLUSIONS The present paper attempted to answer the important question as to whether all schizophrenic people should be treated with antipsychotics for the same good prognosis. The authors have provided solutions for better outcomes in a greater number of patients using alternative treatment after identifying schizophrenic patients who should not receive neuroleptic treatment. Suggestions for future research are also discussed.
Chaos theory as a model for interpreting information systems in organizations

Abstract. Chaos theory concerns the qualitative study of unstable aperiodic behaviour in deterministic non‐linear dynamical systems. Concepts from chaos theory have recently been applied as a model for interpreting organizational change and understanding organizational behaviour. This paper applies these concepts to the study of information systems in organizations. Key concepts from chaos theory are identified and used to develop an interpretive framework. The importance of understanding the initial conditions when an information systems strategy is developed or an information system is implemented is highlighted. The idea of strange attractors, patterns of behaviours of information systems, organizations and actors, which are repeated is developed, and the effect of internal and external events and choices is considered. These chaos theory concepts are applied to a case study of information systems strategy implementation in the UK probation service. It is concluded that concepts from chaos theory offer valuable support in developing a coherent and meaningful story concerning interactions between information systems and their host organizations.
Serum Magnesium Level and Clinical Deterioration in Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: Recent studies suggest that magnesium, which specially affects the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor response to excitatory amino acids, may be a supportive therapeutic agent in Alzheimer’s disease. Objective: To investigate the relationship between magnesium levels and the cognitive test results and clinical stages of the patients. Methods: Thirty-seven patients (20 women, 17 men) and 34 controls were included in the study. The patients were staged according to Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). Results: There was a significant difference for Mg levels according to GDS (p = 0.030). Similarly, Mg levels were different between patients with low and high CDR stages (p = 0.003). Mg levels were lower in the group whose MMSE scores were <20 than in those whose MMSE scores were ≧20. A negative correlation was found between Mg levels and GDS and CDR (respectively: r = –0.35, p = 0.033; r = –0.360, p = 0.029). Conclusion: Our data suggest that there is a relationship between serum Mg levels and the degree of Alzheimer’s disease and that the determination of the Mg level at various stages may provide valuable information in further understanding the progression and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Synchronization in Small Networks of Time-delay Coupled Chaotic Diode Lasers References and Links

Topologies of two, three and four time-delay-coupled chaotic semiconductor lasers are experimentally and theoretically found to show new types of synchronization. Generalized zero-lag synchronization is observed for two lasers separated by long distances even when their self-feedback delays are not equal. Generalized sub-lattice synchronization is observed for quadrilateral geometries while the equilateral triangle is zero-lag synchronized. Generalized zero-lag synchronization, without the limitation of precisely matched delays, opens possibilities for advanced multiuser communication protocols. Stable isochronal synchronization of mutually coupled chaotic lasers, " Phys. Synchronization of unidirectional time delay chaotic networks and the greatest common divisor, " Europhys. Fast physical random bit generation with chaotic semiconductor lasers, " Nat. " Synchronization of random bit generators based on coupled chaotic lasers and application to cryptography, " Opt. Using synchronization for prediction of high-dimensional chaotic dynamics, " Phys. collapse in single-mode semiconductor lasers due to optical feedback, " IEEE J. Zero-lag synchronization and multiple time delays in two coupled chaotic systems, " Phys. and synchronization: influence of asymmetries in systems of two delay-coupled lasers, " Phys. Experimental synchronization of chaotic oscillations in externally injected semiconductor lasers in a low-frequency fluctuation regime, " Opt. External optical feedback effects on semiconductor injection laser properties, " IEEE Crowd synchrony and quorum sensing in delay-coupled lasers, " Phys. Synchronization via clustering in a small delay-coupled laser network, " Europhys.
Collaborative ordinal regression

Ordinal regression has become an effective way of learning user preferences, but most research focuses on single regression problems. In this paper we introduce collaborative ordinal regression, where multiple ordinal regression tasks are handled simultaneously. Rather than modeling each task individually, we explore the dependency between ranking functions through a hierarchical Bayesian model and assign a common Gaussian Process (GP) prior to all individual functions. Empirical studies show that our collaborative model outperforms the individual counterpart in preference learning applications.
Survival adjusted cancer risks attributable to radiation exposure from cardiac catheterisations in children

Objectives To estimate the risk of developing cancer in relation to the typical radiation doses received from a range of X-ray guided cardiac catheterisations in children, taking variable survival into account. Methods Radiation doses were estimated for 2749 procedures undertaken at five UK hospitals using Monte Carlo simulations. The lifetime attributable risk (LAR) of cancer incidence was estimated using models developed by the Biological Effects of Ionising Radiation committee, based on both normal life expectancy, and as a function of attained age, from 20 to 80 years, to take reduced life expectancy into account. Results The radiation-related risks from these procedures are dominated by lung and breast cancer (for females). Assuming normal life expectancy, central LAR estimates for cancer incidence, based on median doses, ranged from <1 in 2000 for atrial septal defect occlusions to as high as 1 in 150 for valve replacements. For a reduced life expectancy of 50 years, estimated risks are lower by a factor of around 7. For conditions with especially poor survival (age 20 years), such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, estimated cancer risks attributable to radiation were <1 in 20 000. Conclusions Based on recent UK radiation dose levels, the risk of cancer following cardiac catheterisations is relatively low and strongly modified by survival and the type of procedure. The risk of breast cancer, especially following pulmonary artery angioplasty and valve replacements, is the greatest concern.
Treatment of relapsing polychondritis with rituximab: a retrospective study of nine patients.

OBJECTIVE Rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody directed against the CD20 antigen expressed by B cells, is now considered an effective second-line therapy in various systemic diseases. We describe here the effects of rituximab in patients with relapsing polychondritis. METHODS This was a retrospective study of 9 patients with relapsing polychondritis who received different regimens of rituximab in addition to their ongoing therapies. Clinical, laboratory, physiologic, and radiologic indicators were used to assess disease activity. We also examined their corticosteroid doses and any change in immunosuppressive agents. We then compared disease activity in the 6 months preceding rituximab administration and at 6 and 12 months after. RESULTS At 6 months, 2 patients showed partial improvement, 4 were stable, and 3 had worsened disease; however, no patient had complete remission. At 12 months (after exclusion of the 3 patients whose disease had worsened at 6 months), 2 patients remained stable and 4 had worsened disease; however, there were no partial or complete remissions. B cells were counted in 8 patients during the first 6 months after treatment, and B cell depletion was observed in all of the patients. CONCLUSION Although we cannot rule out the possibility that rituximab had a small effect, our patients' clinical courses did not improve significantly with this treatment.
Content Recommendation through Semantic Annotation of User Reviews and Linked Data

Nowadays, most recommender systems exploit user-provided ratings to infer their preferences. However, the growing popularity of social and e-commerce websites has encouraged users to also share comments and opinions through textual reviews. In this paper, we introduce a new recommendation approach which exploits the semantic annotation of user reviews to extract useful and non-trivial information about the items to recommend. It also relies on the knowledge freely available in the Web of Data, notably in DBpedia and Wikidata, to discover other resources connected with the annotated entities. We evaluated our approach in three domains, using both DBpedia and Wikidata. The results showed that our solution provides a better ranking than another recommendation method based on the Web of Data, while it improves in novelty with respect to traditional techniques based on ratings.
Understanding and Controlling Software Costs

A discussion is presented of the two primary ways of understanding software costs. The black-box or influence-function approach provides useful experimental and observational insights on the relative software productivity and quality leverage of various management, technical, environmental, and personnel options. The glass-box or cost distribution approach helps identify strategies for integrated software productivity and quality improvement programs using such structures as the value chain and the software productivity opportunity tree. The individual strategies for improving software productivity are identified. Issues related to software costs and controlling them are examined and discussed. It is pointed out that a good framework of techniques exists for controlling software budgets, schedules, and work completed, but that a great deal of further progress is needed to provide an overall set of planning and control techniques covering software product qualities and end-user system objectives. >
Proposition algebra

Sequential propositional logic deviates from conventional propositional logic by taking into account that during the sequential evaluation of a propositional statement, atomic propositions may yield different Boolean values at repeated occurrences. We introduce “free valuations” to capture this dynamics of a propositional statement's environment. The resulting logic is phrased as an equationally specified algebra rather than in the form of proof rules, and is named “proposition algebra. ” It is strictly more general than Boolean algebra to the extent that the classical connectives fail to be expressively complete in the sequential case. The four axioms for free valuation congruence are then combined with other axioms in order define a few more valuation congruences that gradually identify more propositional statements, up to static valuation congruence (which is the setting of conventional propositional logic). Proposition algebra is developed in a fashion similar to the process algebra ACP and the program algebra PGA, via an algebraic specification which has a meaningful initial algebra for which a range of coarser congruences are considered important as well. In addition, infinite objects (i.e., propositional statements, processes and programs respectively) are dealt with by means of an inverse limit construction which allows the transfer of knowledge concerning finite objects to facts about infinite ones while reducing all facts about infinite objects to an infinity of facts about finite ones in return.
MR-ECOCD : AN EDGE CLUSTERING ALGORITHM FOR OVERLAPPING COMMUNITY DETECTION ON LARGE-SCALE NETWORK USING MAPREDUCE

Overlapping community detection is progressively becoming an important issue in complex networks. Many in-memory overlapping community detection algorithms have been proposed for graphs with thousands of nodes. However, analyzing massive graphs with millions of nodes is impossible for the traditional algorithm. In this paper, we propose MR-ECOCD, a novel distributed computation algorithm using MapReduce to detect overlapping communities efficiently on large-scale network. Firstly, the similarities of all adjacent edges are calculated by SimilarityMap algorithm to measure the distance of edges. Secondly, we define the direct edge communities (DEC) and mergeable direct edge communities (MDEC) based on edge density clustering method. Then, MarkMap algorithm and ClusteringReduce algorithm are designed to mark DEC and merge MDEC respectively for getting finally edge communities (FEC). Finally, we transform the FEC into node communities, and a node is an overlapping node in node communities if it belongs to different edges in different FEC. MR-ECOCD consists of four major stages, and all operations are executed in parallel using MapReduce. Extensive experiments show that our algorithm can effectively and fast detect overlapping communities.