Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Review of Feature Selection and Feature Extraction Methods Applied on Microarray Data

We summarise various ways of performing dimensionality reduction on high-dimensional microarray data. Many different feature selection and feature extraction methods exist and they are being widely used. All these methods aim to remove redundant and irrelevant features so that classification of new instances will be more accurate. A popular source of data is microarrays, a biological platform for gathering gene expressions. Analysing microarrays can be difficult due to the size of the data they provide. In addition the complicated relations among the different genes make analysis more difficult and removing excess features can improve the quality of the results. We present some of the most popular methods for selecting significant features and provide a comparison between them. Their advantages and disadvantages are outlined in order to provide a clearer idea of when to use each one of them for saving computational time and resources.
The Impact of Psychological Stress on Men's Judgements of Female Body Size

Background Previous work has suggested that the experience of psychological stress may influence physical attractiveness ideals, but most evidence in favour of this hypothesis remains archival. The objective of this study was to experimentally investigate the impact of stress on men's judgements of female body size. Methods Men were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, in which they took part in a task that heightened stress (experimental group, n = 41) or in which they did not take part in such a task (control group, n = 40). Both groups rated the attractiveness of female bodies varying in size from emaciated to obese, completed a measure of appetite sensation, and had their body mass indices (BMIs) measured. Results Between-groups analyses showed that the experimental group was matched with the control group in terms of mean age, BMI, and appetite sensation. Further analyses showed that men in the experimental group rated a significantly heavier female body size as maximally attractive than the control group. Men in the experimental group also rated heavier female bodies as more attractive and idealised a wider range of female figures than did the control group. Conclusion This study found that the experience of stress was associated with a preference among men for heavier female body sizes. These results indicate that human attractiveness judgements are sensitive to variations in local ecologies and reflect adaptive strategies for dealing with changing environmental conditions.
Web 2.0 and Communication Processes at Work: Evidence From China

Research problem: Web 2.0 applications, such as instant messengers and other social media platforms, are fast becoming ubiquitous in organizations, yet their impact on work performance is poorly understood. Research question: What is the relationship between Web 2.0 use, and work-based communication processes and outcomes in China? Literature review: Literature in the fields of information systems and media and communication research supports the value of Web 2.0 for organizations. However, how Web 2.0 can facilitate the organizational communication process and subsequently improve performance is under-investigated. By adapting and extending the communicative ecology framework and previously published work, we developed and tested a theoretical model to investigate these impacts in the Chinese workplace. Methodology: We conducted a quantitative study using the survey method, with participants randomly selected from a panel database in China. Results and conclusions: We analyzed survey data from 179 organizational employees and found that vertical and horizontal communication contribute significantly to individual and teamwork performance, with high levels of variance explained. In this study, we provide empirical evidence of how Web 2.0 applications enable employees to reach out to collaborators and business partners, thereby boosting individual productivity and team collaboration. The study also highlights the fit between Web 2.0 and the need for organizational horizontal communication in this era of knowledge, information, and creativity. Future researchers should verify the research model in different countries, including local contextual characteristics as either independent variables or moderators.
Gender Differences in Mathematical Problem Solving Patterns: A Review of Literature.

A large body of literature reports that there are gender differences in mathematical problem solving favouring males. Strategy use, as a reflection of different patterns in mathematical problem solving between genders, is found to be related to cognitive abilities, together with psychological characteristics and mediated by experience and education. Many complex variables including biological, psychological and environmental variables are revealed to contribute to gender differences in mathematical problem solving in some specific areas. This article suggests that the combined influence of all affective variables may account for the gender differences in mathematical problem solving patterns. gender differences, mathematical problem solving, mathematical problem solving patterns, school students
Initial Validation of the Emotion Expression Scale for Children (EESC)

The Emotion Expression Scale for Children (EESC) is a new self-report scale designed to examine 2 aspects of deficient emotion expression: lack of emotion awareness and lack of motivation to express negative emotion. Validity was assessed using self-report measures of emotion regulation and self- and peer-report of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Using a community sample of 208 fourth- and fifth-grade children, reliability analyses revealed high internal consistency and moderate test-retest reliability of the EESC. The results provide initial support for concurrent validity for the EESC factors evidenced by relations with measures of emotion management. Associations were found between the EESC and measures of internalizing symptoms.
Quantification of the three‐dimensional morphology of coincidence detector neurons in the medial superior olive of gerbils during late postnatal development

In the mammalian medial superior olive (MSO), neurons compute the azimuthal location of sound sources by temporally precise coincidence detection. It is assumed that the dendritic morphology of MSO neurons plays a crucial role in this computational process. However, few quantitative data about the morphology of these neuronal coincidence detectors are available, limiting theoretical approaches. Such a quantitative morphological description of neurons of the mammalian MSO would also allow a comparative analysis with its avian analog, the nucleus laminaris. We used single‐cell electroporation, microscopic reconstruction, and compartmentalization to extract anatomical parameters of MSO neurons and quantitatively describe their morphology and development between postnatal day 9 and 36. We found that developmental refinement occurs until P27, generating morphologically compact, cylinder‐like cells with axons originating from the soma. The complexity of higher order dendrites decreases between postnatal days 9 and 21. This decrease in dendritic complexity is judged from counting and analyzing the location of dendritic branches and determining the distribution of the surface area and total length of neurons. During this developmental period, the average length of terminal branches increases about twofold, indicating an elimination of predominantly small branches. The cell volume increases more than 1.5‐fold between P9 and P27, a change that can be attributed to an increase in dendritic diameter during this developmental period. The developmental profile of the morphology of MSO neurons obtained indicates that maturation is reached 2 weeks after hearing onset. J. Comp. Neurol. 517:385–396, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Toxicity of lead: A review with recent updates

Abstract Lead poisoning has been recognized as a major public health risk, particularly in developing countries. Though various occupational and public health measures have been undertaken in order to control lead exposure, cases of lead poisoning are still reported. Exposure to lead produces various deleterious effects on the hematopoietic, renal, reproductive and central nervous system, mainly through increased oxidative stress. These alterations play a prominent role in disease manifestations. Modulation of cellular thiols for protection against reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been used as a therapeutic strategy against lead poisoning. N-acetylcysteine, α-lipoic acid, vitamin E, quercetin and a few herbal extracts show prophylaxis against the majority of lead mediated injury in both invitro and in vivo studies. This review provides a comprehensive account of recent updates describing health effects of lead exposure, relevant biomarkers and mechanisms involved in lead toxicity. It also updates the readers about recent advances in chelation therapy and newer therapeutic strategies, like nanoencapsulation, to treat lead induced toxic manifestations.
Activated Sludge Biodegradation of 12 Commercial Phthalate Esters

The activated sludge biodegradability of 12 commercial phthalate esters was evaluated in two test systems: (i) a semicontinuous activated sludge test and (ii) an acclimated 19-day die-away procedure. Both procedures demonstrated that phthalate esters are rapidly biodegraded under activated sludge conditions when loss of the parent phthalate ester (primary degradation) is measured.
Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression in Animal Cancers

Cyclooxygenase (COX; also known as prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase) is a key enzyme in the biochemical pathway leading to the synthesis of prostaglandins. A large amount of epidemiological and experimental evidence supports a role for COX-2, the inducible form of the enzyme, in human tumorigenesis, notably in colorectal cancer. COX-2 mediates this role through the production of PGE2 that acts to inhibit apoptosis, promote cell proliferation, stimulate angiogenesis, and decrease immunity. Similarly, COX-2 is believed to be involved in the oncogenesis of some cancers in domestic animals. Here, the author reviews the current knowledge on COX-2 expression and role in cancers of dogs, cats, and horses. Data indicate that COX-2 upregulation is present in many animal cancers, but there is presently not enough information to clearly define the prognostic significance of COX-2 expression. To date, only few reports document an association between COX-2 expression and survival, notably in canine mammary cancers and osteosarcomas. Some evidence suggests that COX inhibitors could be useful in the prevention and/or treatment of certain cancers in domestic animals, the best example being urinary transitional cell carcinomas in dogs. However, determination of the levels of COX-2 in a tumor does not appear to be a good prognostic factor or a good indicator for the response to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapy. Clearly, additional research, including the development of in vitro cell systems, is needed to determine if COX-2 expression can be used as a reliable prognostic factor and as a definite therapeutic target in animal cancers.
n-3 Fatty acids and lipid peroxidation in breast cancer inhibition

Long-chain n-3 fatty acids (FA) consistently inhibit the growth of human breast cancer (BC) cells both in culture and in grafts in immunosuppressed mice. Large cohort studies have, however, failed to confirm a protective effect for fish oils rich in n-3 FA against BC risk. The present review examines new evidence on biological mechanisms which may be involved in the inhibition of mammary carcinogenesis by long-chain n-3 FA, focusing on an apoptotic effect by its lipid peroxidation products. Dietary intake of n-3 FA leads to their incorporation into cell membrane lipids. Increased apoptosis in human BC cells following exposure to long-chain n-3 FA such as eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids is generally ascribed to their inhibition of cyclooxygenase 2 which promotes mammary carcinogenesis. In addition however, long-chain n-3 FA are particularly likely to activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ, a key regulator of lipid metabolism but also capable of modulating proliferative activity in a variety of cells including mammary cells. Expression of PPAR-γ in the nucleus is activated by second messengers such as J series prostaglandins and the latter have been shown to cause apoptosis in vivo in explants of human BC cells in immunosuppressed mice. In mammary tumours, it is observed that long-chain FA not only increase apoptosis, but also increase lipid peroxidation, and the apoptotic effect can be reversed by antioxidants. The rationale for use of n-3 FA dietary supplements in counteracting BC progression needs to be tested clinically in a phase 2 pilot study, while at the same time, the effect on whole-body lipid peroxidation needs to be monitored. Dietary supplements of fish oil rich in n-3 FA are proposed for premenopausal women over the age of 40 years who are shown to be at increased BC risk. Biological markers in breast tissue of BC progression will be monitored, and observed changes related to serial plasma levels of isoprostanes as a measure of whole-body lipid peroxidation.
Kinetics of B-type natriuretic peptide plasma levels in patients with left-sided breast cancer treated with radiation therapy: Results after one-year follow-up

Purpose: To analyze temporal changes of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) used as index of heart remodeling in left-sided breast cancer patients after radiotherapy (RT) and its relationship with dosimetric parameters. Methods and materials: BNP and dose-volume parameters for heart and ventricle were collected in 59 patients (median age 58.0 years) during a 1-year follow-up. Biochemical measurements were performed before the RT treatment (T0), at 15 days during RT (T15day), at the end of RT (TendRT), and then at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 months (T1, T3, T6, T9 and T12). A logistical regression analysis was performed to identify demographic characteristics, dosimetric variables and risk factors associated with increased values of BNP. Results: The ratio between the BNP value at T12 and the BNP value at T0 (BNPT12/BNPT0) increased significantly (p < 0.01). A significant association was found between the variation of BNP values after 1 year and the isodose received by 50% of the volume (D50% [Gy]) both to the heart (p = 0.03) and ventricle (p = 0.04). Conclusions: BNP plasma levels could provide additional information about subclinical RT-induced cardiotoxicity earlier than traditional ecocardiographic data.
NF‐κB DNA‐binding activity after high peak power pulsed microwave (8.2 GHz) exposure of normal human monocytes

The hypothesis investigated is that exposure of a mammalian cell to high peak power pulsed RF, at the frequency of 8.2 GHz, can result in the activation of an important eukaryotic transcriptional regulator, nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB). This DNA‐binding protein controls genes involved in long term cellular regulation. The selection of 8.2 GHz was based on the availability of a high peak power pulsed RF transmitter. In these studies, triplicate cultures of human monocytes (Mono Mac‐6) were exposed to the pulsed wave radiation. The peak to average power ratio was 455:1 (2.2 μs pulse width and pulse repetition rate of 1000 pulses/s). The average power density at the position of exposure was 50 W/m2, and the mean SAR at the bottom of the culture flask was 10.8 ± 7.1 W/kg. The FDTD analysis indicated that 10% of the cells had an SAR of 22–29 W/kg. The cells were exposed continuously for 90 min at 37 °C, reincubated at this temperature, and harvested 4 h postexposure. The nuclear extracts were analyzed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The results showed a profound increase (3.6‐fold) in the DNA binding activity of NF‐κB in monocytes at 4 h after the pulsed RF exposure compared to sham irradiated controls. Competition experiments with cold NF‐κB‐ specific oligonucleotides confirmed the specificity of the DNA binding activity. These results provide evidence that high peak power pulsed radiofrequency radiation can perturb the cell and initiate cell signaling pathways. However, at this point, we are not prepared to advocate that the cause is a nonthermal mechanism. Because of the broad distribution of SAR's in the flask, experiments need to be performed to determine if the changes observed are associated with cells exposed to high or low SARs. Bioelectromagnetics 23:271–277, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Using Citation Behavior to Rethink Academic Impact in Software Engineering

Although citation counts are often considered a measure of academic impact, they are criticized for failing to evaluate impact as intended. In this paper we propose that software engineering citations may be classified according to how the citation is used by the author of the citing paper, and that through this classification of citation behaviour it is possible to achieve a more refined understanding of the cited paper's impact. Our objective in this work is to conduct an initial evaluation using the citation behaviour taxonomy proposed by Bornmann and Daniel. We independently classified citations to ten highly-cited papers published at the International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement (ESEM). The degree to which classifications were consistent between researchers was analyzed in order to assess the clarity of Bornmann and Daniel's taxonomy. We found poor to fair agreement between researchers even though the taxonomy was perceived as relatively easy to apply for the majority of citations. We were nevertheless able to identify clear differences in the profile of citation behaviors between the cited papers. We conclude that an improved taxonomy is required if classification is to be reliable, and that a degree of automation would improve reliability as well as reduce the time taken to make a classification.
Posttraumatic epilepsy: The endophenotypes of a human model of epileptogenesis

Posttraumatic epilepsy is a common complication of traumatic brain injury (TBI), occurring in up to 15–20% of patients with severe brain trauma. Trauma accounts for approximately 5% of chronic epilepsy in the community. Because it is a common condition, and because of the relatively short latency period between injury and onset of chronic seizures, posttraumatic epilepsy represents a good model to test antiepileptogenic therapies. However, several well‐conducted clinical trials have failed to demonstrate antiepileptogenic efficacy for several common anticonvulsants. Posttraumatic epilepsy can arise through a number of mechanisms, which often coexist within a single patient. Penetrating brain injury produces a cicatrix in the cortex and is associated with a risk of posttraumatic epilepsy of approximately 50%, whereas nonpenetrating head injury may produce focal contusions and intracranial hemorrhages, and is associated with a risk of posttraumatic epilepsy of up to 30%. Furthermore, closed head injury often produces diffuse concussive injury, with shearing of axons and selective damage to vulnerable brain regions, such as the hippocampus. The clinical, neurophysiologic, imaging, and neuropathologic features or epileptogenicity differ between these alternate mechanisms. It is likely that better understanding of the subtypes of epilepsy resulting from brain trauma will be required to successfully identify antiepileptogenic therapies.
A regulated charge pump with small ripple voltage and fast start-up

A regulated charge pump circuit is realized in a 3.3-V 0.13-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. The charge pump exploits an automatic pumping control scheme to provide small ripple output voltage and fast start-up by decoupling output ripple and start-up time. The automatic pumping control scheme is composed of two schemes, an automatic pumping current control scheme and an automatic pumping frequency control scheme. The former automatically adjusts the size of pumping driver to reduce ripple voltage according to output voltage. The latter changes the pumping period by controlling a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). The output frequency of the VCO varies from 400 kHz to 600 kHz by controlling the input bias voltage of the VCO. The prototype chip delivers regulated 4.5-V output voltage from a supply voltage of 3.3 V with a flying capacitor of 330 nF, while providing 30 mA of load current. The area is 0.25 mm/sup 2/ and the measured output ripple voltage is less than 33.8 mV with a 2-/spl mu/F load capacitor. The power efficiency is greater than 70% at the range of load current from 1 to 30 mA. An analytical model for ripple voltage and recovery time is proposed demonstrating a reasonable agreement with SPICE simulation results.
Experimental determination of inverter losses and sound consequences of using DPWM in an HEV

This paper presents an experimental determination of the inverter losses and acoustic noise consequences of using discontinuous PWM in a hybrid/electric vehicle application. Acoustic noise and stator vibrations were evaluated using measurements and inverter losses were evaluated both with the use of measurements as well as simulations. The entire operational area for positive torque was covered in the analysis. The results show that the total inverter losses were decreased with about 10–20% when DPWM was used. The introduction of discontinuity in the voltage modulation affects the harmonic content of the phase current. This was further investigated, both electrically and acoustically, focusing on harmonics around the switching frequency, since these are acoustically challenging in the intended application. Measurements show that the magnitude of phase current harmonics around the switching frequency were increased when discontinuous PWM was used. This increase, in the magnitude of these phase current harmonics, amplifies the corresponding harmonics in the stator vibrations which also increased the associated acoustic noise. Therefore, the acoustic noise radiated from the machine and the inverter was enlarged when discontinuous PWM was used. However, the results also show that the adverse acoustic effects were significantly decreased as the machine was operated in the field weakening area.
Disease Modifying Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system characterized by inflammatory demyelination and axonal degeneration. It is the commonest cause of permanent disability in young adults. Environmental and genetic factors have been suggested in its etiology. Currently available disease modifying drugs are only effective in controlling inflammation but not prevention of neurodegeneration or accumulation of disability. Search for an effective neuroprotective therapy is at the forefront of multiple sclerosis research.