Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Discovering Regression Rules with Ant Colony Optimization

The majority of Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithms for data mining have dealt with classification or clustering problems. Regression remains an unexplored research area to the best of our knowledge. This paper proposes a new ACO algorithm that generates regression rules for data mining applications. The new algorithm combines components from an existing deterministic (greedy) separate and conquer algorithm---employing the same quality metrics and continuous attribute processing techniques---allowing a comparison of the two. The new algorithm has been shown to decrease the relative root mean square error when compared to the greedy algorithm. Additionally a different approach to handling continuous attributes was investigated showing further improvements were possible.
The effect of autocorrelation in environmental variability on the persistence of populations: an experimental test

Despite its significance regarding the conservation and management of biological resources, the body of theory predicting that the correlation between successive environmental states can profoundly influence extinction has not been empirically validated. Identical clonal populations from a model experimental system based on the collembolan Folsomia candida were used in the present study to investigate the effect of environmental autocorrelation on time to extinction. Environmental variation was imposed by variable implementation (present/absent) of a culling procedure according to treatments that represented six patterns of environmental autocorrelation. The average number of culling events was held constant across treatments but, as environmental autocorrelation increased, longer runs of both favourable and unfavourable culling tended to occur. While no difference was found among the survival functions for the various treatments, the time taken for 50% of the component populations to become extinct decreased significantly with increasing environmental autocorrelation. Similarly, analysis of all extinct populations demonstrated that time to extinction was shortened as environmental autocorrelation increased. However, this acceleration of extinction can be fully offset if sequential introduction is used in place of simultaneous introduction when founding the populations.
Studies on the in vitro and the in vivo transcription of the bluetongue virus genome.

VERWOERD, D. W. & HUISMANS, H . Studies on the in vitro and the in vivo transcription of the bluetongue virus genome. Onderstepoort ] . vet. Res. 39 (4) 185-192 (1972). Bluetongue virus particles, converted to a high density form by the selective removal of two polypeptides from their protein capsids, possess RNA dependent RNA polymerase activity. The enzyme, which can be assayed by its ability to incorporate nucleoside triphosphates into RNA in an in vitro system, is dependent on magnesium ions, is stimulated by the presence of manganese ions and shows maximal activity at 28°C. The product of the in vitro reaction was isolated and shown to consist of ten singlestranded RNA segments which can be hybridized with double-stranded RNA isolated from purified bluetongue virus (BTV). The hybridization product, when analyzed by means of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, is indistinguishable from a hybrid obtained using BTV messenger RNA isolated from infected cells. It is therefore deduced that the BTV genome is fully transcribed both in vitro and in vivo by an enzyme present in the viral capsid.
Storied Spaces: The Human Equivalent of Complex Adaptive Systems

Is it legitimate to examine human social systems in terms of the principles of complexity thinking? Stacey (2001), for one, says no. This essay explores the possibility that one can employ the principles of complexity by substituting the idea of "storied spaces" for complexity's complex adaptive systems. From this point of view, one can think of human social life as an intricate nested network of spaces-family and work group, organization and community, profession and nation-in which membership depends on the acceptance of negotiated stories by which each grouping defines the nature of the world and how people in the group must respond to prosper. Each such storied space affects its members' behavior through an interplay between its historically grounded dominant narrative, such as national culture, and the antenarrative stories people in it tell as they try to cope with emerging phenomenon. This interplay creates a network of interpretation, meaning and knowledge that characterizes any human grouping. As a specific example, the essay examines what it would mean to look at business organizations as storied spaces, considering particularly how such a theory of organization explains differences between ATT * Storied space as the social ecosystem by which we humans have adapted to our world, whose dynamics are driven by the interaction between two types of stories-narrative, by which people describe the past, and antenarrative, by which they try to describe the present; * Two organizational examples of the dance that arises as people respond to that interaction and our knowledge emerges from the dance; * Some of the implications of this conception of social environments as storied spaces, especially for organizational managers and consultants. The one perception I hope the reader will come away with is that every story we humans create to explain our world, even the most accurate and helpful in our lives, is partial. No story can be the whole story, The Truth. As a result, I'm acutely aware of a selfreferential irony-that I am creating my own story about our use of stories to co-create our social worlds, a story which, in my own words, must be partial. …
Asymptotic Active Learning

We describe and analyze a PAC-asymptotic model for active le arning. We show that in many cases where it has traditionally been believed that active learni ng does not help, active learning does help asymptotically. This view contrasts sharply with the traditional 1/ǫ lower bounds for active learning classes such as non-homogeneous linear separators under th e uniform distribution or unions of k intervals under an arbitrary distribution, both of which are learnabl e at an exponential rate in our model.
Subgingival plaque microbiota in HIV positive patients.

AIM To describe and compare the predominant bacterial and fungal species associated with gingivitis, periodontitis, and linear gingival erythema (LGE), in HIV positive subjects with different immune status. METHODS Viral loads and CD4 levels determined HIV disease status. From pooled subgingival plaque, 16S and 18S rDNA were cloned and sequenced to determine species identity. RESULTS One hundred and nine bacterial species were identified from 14 subjects. Nearly half of the species were not cultivable. Notably, the classical putative periodontal pathogens, Treponema denticola, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia were below the limit of detection and were not detected. Species of Gemella, Dialister, Streptococcus and Veillonella were predominant. In one HIV positive subject with periodontitis and low viral load, Gemella morbillorum, a known opportunistic pathogen, constituted 84% of the clones. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the only fungal species detected in an LGE subject and in periodontitis subjects with high viral loads. In periodontitis patients with low viral loads, Candida albicans was predominant, while S. cerevisiae was only a minor component. CONCLUSION These case studies suggest that other bacterial species, rather than the classical periodontal pathogens, may be involved in periodontal diseases of subjects with HIV. These data are indicative of opportunistic infections in a highly susceptible immunocompromised host.
Comparative Evaluation of Batch and Online Distance Metric Learning Approaches Based on Margin Maximization

Distance metric learning aims at obtaining an appropriate metric that conveniently adapts to a particular recognition problem given a set of training pairs. The idea of maximizing a margin that separates similar and dissimilar objects has been used in different ways in several recent works. This paper considers two different learning schemes aiming at the same goal but posing the learning problem either as a batch or as an online formulation. Extensive experiments and the corresponding discussion try to put forward the advantages and drawbacks of each of the approaches considered.
Thrombospondin-1 mRNA expression in experimental kidney transplantation with heart-beating and non-heart-beating donors.

BACKGROUND Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) is a risk factor for delayed graft function, a clinical syndrome more frequently observed in non-heart-beating donors (NHBDs). Previous studies have reported that transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) gene expression increase in the first few days after kidney transplant and that this increase in TGF-beta1 expression is lower in NHBD animals. The purpose of this study was to extend the gene profile analysis by characterizing TGF-beta1 activator thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) and genes related to HIF-1alpha such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS-2) and NOS-3. METHODS The experimental pig model of kidney transplantation comprised heart-beating donors (HBDs, n=9) and NHBDs (n=22). Cortical biopsies were collected after anesthetic induction (baseline), after warm ischemia (WI), after cold ischemia (CI), after 1 hour of reperfusion (1R) and 5 days (5D) after transplant. TSP-1, HO-1, NOS-2 and NOS-3 mRNA expression was determined by real-time PCR. RESULTS No change in expression of any of the genes analyzed was found during the transplant procedure (WI, CI, 1R) in HBD and NHBD cortical samples. TSP-1 mRNA was significantly increased at 5D in NHBD animals but unchanged in the HBD group. HO-1 was up-regulated in HBD (p<0.05) and NOS-2 mRNA was significantly increased in both groups (p<0.05). No difference in NOS-3 expression was observed at 5D. CONCLUSIONS The increased TSP-1 expression in NHBDs may indicate a compensatory response to the reported diminished TGF-beta1 expression. The augmented NOS-2 and HO-1 expression in HBDs could have a positive effect on the recovery of kidney function.
Utility of the Surgical Apgar Score for Patients Who Undergo Surgery for Spinal Metastasis.

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review of patients who underwent surgery for spinal metastasis between 2005 and 2011. OBJECTIVE To assess the utility of the surgical Apgar score (SAS) in patients who underwent surgery for spinal metastasis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Surgery for spinal metastasis can be associated with relatively high morbidity and mortality. Consequently, identifying patients at risk for major postoperative complications is important. Several studies have validated SAS for predicting 30-day complication risk. METHODS SASs were calculated and patients stratified into 5 groups: scores 0-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 points. Multivariate logistic regression assessed whether SAS was an independent predictor of major complication 30 days after surgery. Multivariate analysis of covariance assessed whether SAS was independently associated with length of stay. RESULTS Ninety-seven patients with a variety of metastatic tumors were analyzed. There was no obvious trend in complication rates, or significant association between SAS and complication rate (P=0.413). Complication rates were 25.0% for SASs 0-2, 33.3% for 3-4, 18.4% for 5-6, 10.0% for 7-8, and 33.3% for 9-10 points. On multivariate analysis, SAS was not independently associated with complications; age above 65 years (odds ratio 4.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-52.27; P=0.028) and preoperative Karnofsky Performance Score of 10-40 (odds ratio 9.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.42-58.63; P=0.020) were associated with higher odds of complication. SASs 0-2 were an independent predictor of longer hospital stay (P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that SAS is not a significant predictor of major perioperative complications after spinal metastasis surgery; preoperative functional status and age are stronger predictors. The need continues for a preoperative scoring system to reliably predict risk for perioperative complications after spinal metastasis surgery.
Novel APM constellation design for spatial modulation systems

As an entirely hybrid modulation scheme, the performance of spatial modulation (SM) is highly dependent on the specific type of digital modulation schemes. In this paper, a novel amplitude phase modulation (APM) constellation design method suitable for SM transmission is proposed. The designed APM constellation has multi-ring structure with each ring's constellation similar with PSK constellation. Moreover, efficient searching algorithm is provided by traversing over the possible ring number, the constellation points' number in each ring, and the radius of each ring. Simulation results show that the novel design method could successively achieve the APM constellations superior to the traditional PSK and QAM constellations over independent Rayleigh fading channels.
Metabolic Activation of the Tumorigenic Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid, Retrorsine, Leading to DNA Adduct Formation In Vivo

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are naturally occurring genotoxic chemicals produced by a large number of plants. The high toxicity of many pyrrolizidine alkaloids has caused considerable loss of free-ranging livestock due to liver and pulmonary lesions. Chronic exposure of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids to laboratory animals induces cancer. This investigation studies the metabolic activation of retrorsine, a representative naturally occurring tumorigenic pyrrolizidine alkaloid, and shows that a genotoxic mechanism is correlated to the tumorigenicity of retrorsine. Metabolism of retrorsine by liver microsomes of F344 female rats produced two metabolites, 6, 7-dihydro-7-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-5H-pyrrolizine (DHP), at a rate of 4.8 ± 0.1 nmol/mg/min, and retrorsine-N-oxide, at a rate of 17.6±0.5 nmol/mg/min. Metabolism was enhanced 1.7-fold by using liver microsomes prepared from dexamethasone-treated rats. DHP formation was inhibited 77% and retrorsine N-oxide formation was inhibited 29% by troleandomycin, a P450 3A enzyme inhibitor. Metabolism of retrorsine with lung, kidney, and spleen microsomes from dexamethasone-treated rats also generated DHP and the N-oxide derivative. When rat liver microsomal metabolism of retrorsine occurred in the presence of calf thymus DNA, a set of DHP-derived DNA adducts was formed; these adducts were detected and quantified by using a previously developed 32P-postlabeling/HPLC method. These same DNA adducts were also found in liver DNA of rats gavaged with retrorsine. Since DHP-derived DNA adducts are suggested to be potential biomarkers of riddelliine-induced tumorigenicity, our results indicate that (i) similar to the metabolic activation of riddelliine, the mechanism of retrorsine-induced carcinogenicity in rats is also through a genotoxic mechanism involving DHP; and (ii) the set of DHP-derived DNA adducts found in liver DNA of rats gavaged with retrorsine or riddelliine can serve as biomarkers for the tumorigenicity induced by retronecine-type pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
On the reliability of symmetrical CMOS OTA operating in subthreshold region

CMOS circuits such as OTAs (operational transconductance amplifiers) operating in the subthreshold (weak inversion) region introduce a versatile solution for the realization of low-power VLSI building blocks. In this paper, hot carrier induced degradation of electrical parameters of CMOS OTAs operating in subthreshold region is investigated by accelerated laboratory measurements. Using the experimental observations a degradation model is proposed for reliability of CMOS OTA. The advantages provided by the degradation model proposed is demonstrated by experiments on design examples of first and second order OTA-C filters. The estimated results are found in good agreement with experiments. The model proposed provides to the IC designer new possibilities to estimate the reliability of OTA-C based topologies operating in subthreshold region
Leadership and Management in China: Philosophies, Theories, and Practices

List of figures List of tables Preface Acknowledgements Introduction: The diversity and dynamism of Chinese philosophies on leadership Chao-Chuan Chen and Yueh-Ting Lee Part I. The Confucianism foundations: 1. The Confucian and Mencian philosophy of benevolent leadership Xin-Hui Yang, Yan-Qin Peng and Yueh-Ting Lee 2. Realistic Confucianism: Xunzi' philosophy of sage-kingship Yan-Qin Peng, Chao-Chuan Chen and Xin-Hui Yang Part II. Alternative Chinese Traditional Leadership Philosophies: 3. Daoist leadership: theory and application Yueh-Ting Lee, Ai-Guo Han, Taammy K. Byron and Hong-Xia Fan 4. Leadership theory of legalism and its function in Confucian society Kwang-Kuo Hwang 5. Strategic leadership of Sunzi in the art of war Hai-fa Sun, Chao-Chuan Chen and Shi-He Zhang Part III. Modern Chinese Leadership Theories and Practices: 6. Paternalistic leadership in Chinese organizations: research progress and future research directions Jiing-Lih Farh, Jian Liang, Li-Fang Chou and Bor-Shiuan Cheng 7. The leadership theories and practices of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping Xin-An Lu and Jie Lu 8. Chinese traditions and western theories: influences on business leaders in China Zhi-Xue Zhang, Chao-Chuan Chen, Leigh Anne Liu and Xue Feng Liu 9. Linking Chinese leadership theory and practice to the world: leadership secrets of the Middle Kingdom George Bear Graen.
Corpus callosum shape and size changes in early Alzheimer's disease: a longitudinal MRI study using the OASIS brain database.

BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been shown to be associated with shrinkage of the corpus callosum mid-sagittal cross-sectional area (CCA). OBJECTIVE To study temporal rates of corpus callosum atrophy not previously reported for early AD. METHODS We used longitudinal MRI scans to study the rates of change of CCA and circularity (CIR), a measure of its shape, in normal controls (NC, n = 75), patients with very mild AD (AD-VM, n = 51), and mild AD (AD-M, n = 21). RESULTS There were significant reduction rates in CCA and CIR in all three groups. While CCA reduction rates were not statistically different between groups, the CIR declined faster in AD-VM (p < 0.03) and AD-M (p < 0.0001) relative to NC, and in AD-M relative to AD-VM (p < 0.0004). CONCLUSION CIR declines at an accelerated rate with AD severity. Its rate of change is more closely associated with AD progression than CCA or any of its sub-regions. CIR may be a useful group biomarker for objective assessment of treatments that aim to slow AD progression.
Ideophones in Awetí

The dissertation describes the phenomenon of ideophones in Aweti, a Tupian language spoken in the Amazonian lowlands in Central Brazil. Ideophones are marked words in Aweti discourse which are performed rather than simply spoken and which depict salient features of activities. The dissertation also includes a concise grammar of the Aweti language.
The Role of Anterior Cingulate Cortex in the Affective Evaluation of Conflict

An influential theory of ACC function argues that this brain region plays a crucial role in the affective evaluation of performance monitoring and control demands. Specifically, control-demanding processes such as response conflict are thought to be registered as aversive signals by ACC, which in turn triggers processing adjustments to support avoidance learning. In support of conflict being treated as an aversive event, recent behavioral studies demonstrated that incongruent (i.e., conflict inducing), relative to congruent, stimuli can speed up subsequent negative, relative to positive, affective picture processing. Here, we used fMRI to investigate directly whether ACC activity in response to negative versus positive pictures is modulated by preceding control demands, consisting of conflict and task-switching conditions. The results show that negative, relative to positive, pictures elicited higher ACC activation after congruent, relative to incongruent, trials, suggesting that ACC's response to negative (positive) pictures was indeed affectively primed by incongruent (congruent) trials. Interestingly, this pattern of results was observed on task repetitions but disappeared on task alternations. This study supports the proposal that conflict induces negative affect and is the first to show that this affective signal is reflected in ACC activation.
Molecular Dosimetry of 04-Ethyldeoxythymidine in Rats Continuously Exposed to Diethylnitrosamine 1

There is considerable interest in incorporating mechanistically based biological data into the process of quantitative risk assessment. Presently, no adequate data bases for internal dosimeters, such as DNA adducts, exist for humans or experimental animals. Therefore, the major promutagenic ethyl adduct, 04-ethyldeoxythymidine (04-EtdT), has been quantitated in liver DNA after continuous exposure of rats to drinking water containing 0.4, 1, 4, 10, 40, or 100 ppm diethylnitrosamine (DEN) for 1, 4, 7, 14, 28, 49, or 70 days. The rate of 04-EtdT accumulation was modeled as the difference between a DEN-dependent rate of formation and an 04-EtdT concentration-dependent rate of loss. In general, O4I i<lI concentrations increased rapidly during the first 7 days of exposure and by 7-28 days 04-EtdT had accumulated to apparent steady-state concentrations that were DEN concentration-dependent over the entire dose range. The concentration of the adduct increased with DEN concen tration over the entire dose range for exposures of 28 days or less and for doses of 0.4 to 40 ppm DEN the adduct level increased with DEN concentration for exposures of 70 days or less. Although the dose response of O'-l ul I was relatively linear, with increasing DEN concen tration a trend toward a less than linear relationship was observed. This suggests that there was a lower efficiency of formation and/or greater loss of 04-EtdT during high-dose exposures. This study provides a data base that can be used to qualitatively and quantitatively examine the relationship between external dose and 04-EtdT over a DEN dose range covering several orders of magnitude.
Exosomes from human saliva as a source of microRNA biomarkers.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the presence of microRNAs (miRNAs) within exosomes isolated from human saliva and to optimize and test methods for successful downstream applications. DESIGN Exosomes isolated from fresh and frozen glandular and whole human saliva were used as a source of miRNAs. The presence of miRNAs was validated with TaqMan quantitative PCR and miRNA microarrays. RESULTS We successfully isolated exosomes from human saliva from healthy controls and a patient with Sjögren's syndrome. microRNAs extracted from the exosomal fraction were sufficient for quantitative PCR and microarray profiling. CONCLUSIONS The isolation of miRNAs from easily and non-invasively obtained salivary exosomes with subsequent characterization of the miRNA expression patterns is promising for the development of future biomarkers of the diagnosis and prognosis of various salivary gland pathologies.