Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SIRT7 promotes genome integrity and modulates non‐homologous end joining DNA repair

Sirtuins, a family of protein deacetylases, promote cellular homeostasis by mediating communication between cells and environment. The enzymatic activity of the mammalian sirtuin SIRT7 targets acetylated lysine in the N‐terminal tail of histone H3 (H3K18Ac), thus modulating chromatin structure and transcriptional competency. SIRT7 deletion is associated with reduced lifespan in mice through unknown mechanisms. Here, we show that SirT7‐knockout mice suffer from partial embryonic lethality and a progeroid‐like phenotype. Consistently, SIRT7‐deficient cells display increased replication stress and impaired DNA repair. SIRT7 is recruited in a PARP1‐dependent manner to sites of DNA damage, where it modulates H3K18Ac levels. H3K18Ac in turn affects recruitment of the damage response factor 53BP1 to DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs), thereby influencing the efficiency of non‐homologous end joining (NHEJ). These results reveal a direct role for SIRT7 in DSB repair and establish a functional link between SIRT7‐mediated H3K18 deacetylation and the maintenance of genome integrity.
Fine Computable Functions and Effective Fine Convergence

In this article, we discuss the Fine computability and the effective Fine convergence for functions on [0, 1) with respect to the Fine metric as the beginning of the effective Walsh-Fourier analysis. First we treat classically the Fine continuity and the Fine convergence. Next, we prove that Fine computability does not depend on the choice of an effective separating set. Subsequently, we propose a notion of effective Fine convergence for a sequence of functions. We prove that the limit of an effectively Fine continuous sequence of functions and the limit of a Fine computable sequence of functions under this effective Fine convergence is effectively Fine continuous and Fine computable respectively. We also investigate some properties of Fine computable functions through examples. Especially, we extend the result of Brattka, which asserts the existence of a Fine computable but not locally uniformly Fine continuous function. Finally, we treat other examples of Fine computable functions.
Narcissism and Social Networking Web Sites

The present research examined how narcissism is manifested on a social networking Web site (i.e., Facebook.com). Narcissistic personality self-reports were collected from social networking Web page owners. Then their Web pages were coded for both objective and subjective content features. Finally, strangers viewed the Web pages and rated their impression of the owner on agentic traits, communal traits, and narcissism. Narcissism predicted (a) higher levels of social activity in the online community and (b) more self-promoting content in several aspects of the social networking Web pages. Strangers who viewed the Web pages judged more narcissistic Web page owners to be more narcissistic. Finally, mediational analyses revealed several Web page content features that were influential in raters' narcissistic impressions of the owners, including quantity of social interaction, main photo self-promotion, and main photo attractiveness. Implications of the expression of narcissism in social networking communities are discussed.
Computability of Julia Sets

Among all computer-generated mathematical images, Julia sets of rational maps occupy one of the most prominent positions. Their beauty and complexity can be fascinating. They also hold a deep mathematical content. Computational hardness of Julia sets is the main subject of this book. By definition, a computable set in the plane can be visualized on a computer screen with an arbitrarily high magnification. There are countless programs to draw Julia sets. Yet, as the authors have discovered, it is possible to constructively produce examples of quadratic polynomials, whose Julia sets are not computable. This result is striking - it says that while a dynamical system can be described numerically with an arbitrary precision, the picture of the dynamics cannot be visualized. The book summarizes the present knowledge (most of it from the authors' own work) about the computational properties of Julia sets in a self-contained way. It is accessible to experts and students with interest in theoretical computer science or dynamical systems.
E5 murine monoclonal antiendotoxin antibody in gram-negative sepsis: a randomized controlled trial. E5 Study Investigators.

CONTEXT Knowledge and understanding of gram-negative sepsis have grown over the past 20 years, but the ability to treat severe sepsis successfully has not. OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy and safety of E5 in the treatment of patients with severe gram-negative sepsis. DESIGN A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted at 136 US medical centers from April 1993 to April 1997, designed with 90% power to detect a 25% relative risk reduction, incorporating 2 planned interim analyses. SETTING Intensive care units at university medical centers, Veterans Affairs medical centers, and community hospitals. PATIENTS Adults aged 18 years or older, with signs and symptoms consistent with severe sepsis and documented or probable gram-negative infection. INTERVENTION Patients were assigned to receive 2 doses of either E5, a murine monoclonal antibody directed against endotoxin (n = 550; 2 mg/kg per day by intravenous infusion 24 hours apart) or placebo (n = 552). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary end point was mortality at day 14; secondary end points were mortality at day 28, adverse event rates, and 14-day and 28-day mortality in the subgroup without shock at presentation. RESULTS The trial was stopped after the second interim analysis. A total of 1090 patients received study medication and 915 had gram-negative infection confirmed by culture. There were no statistically significant differences in mortality between the E5 and placebo groups at either day 14 (29.7% vs 31.1%; P = .67) or day 28 (38.5% vs 40.3%; P = .56). Patients presenting without shock had a slightly lower mortality when treated with E5 but the difference was not significant (28.9% vs 33.0% for the E5 and placebo groups, respectively, at day 28; P = .32). There was a similar profile of adverse event rates between E5 and placebo. CONCLUSIONS Despite adequate sample size and high enrollment of patients with confirmed gram-negative sepsis, E5 did not improve short-term survival. Current study rationale and designs should be carefully reviewed before further large-scale studies of patients with sepsis are conducted.
Understanding culture and HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa

Early in the study of HIV/AIDS, culture was invoked to explain differences in the disease patterns between sub-Saharan Africa and Western countries. Unfortunately, in an attempt to explain the statistics, many of the presumed risk factors were impugned in the absence of evidence. Many cultural practices were stripped of their meanings, societal context and historical positioning and transformed into cofactors of disease. Other supposedly beneficial cultural traits were used to explain the absence of disease in certain populations, implicitly blaming victims in other groups. Despite years of study, assumptions about culture as a cofactor in the spread of HIV/AIDS have persisted, despite a lack of empirical evidence. In recent years, more and more ideas about cultural causality have been called into question, and often disproved by studies. Thus, in light of new evidence, a review of purported cultural causes of disease, enhanced by an understanding of the differences between individual and population risks, is both warranted and long overdue. The preponderance of evidence suggests that culture as a singular determinant in the African epidemic of HIV/AIDS falls flat when disabused of its biased and ethnocentric assumptions.
Mixed Signals Among Panel Cointegration Tests

Time series cointegration tests, even in the presence of large sample sizes, often yield conflicting conclusions (“mixed signals”) as measured by, inter alia, a low correlation of empirical p-values [see Gregory et al., 2004, Journal of Applied Econometrics]. Using their methodology, we present evidence suggesting that the problem of mixed signals persists for popular panel cointegration tests. As expected, there is weaker correlation between residual and system-based tests than between tests of the same group.
Enhancing Boosting by Feature Non-Replacement for Microarray Data Analysis

We have investigated strategies for enhancing ensemble learning algorithms for DNA microarray data analysis. By using modified versions of AdaBoost, LogitBoost and BagBoosting we have shown that feature non-replacement provides an effective enhancement to the performance of all three algorithms, and overall, BagBoosting with feature non-replacement had the lowest error rates when used on six commonly-used cancer datasets.
Cross-species Global Proteomics Reveals Conserved and Unique Processes in Phytophthora sojae and Phytophthora ramorum*S

Phytophthora ramorum and Phytophthora sojae are destructive plant pathogens. P. sojae has a narrow host range, whereas P. ramorum has a wide host range. A global proteomics comparison of the vegetative (mycelium) and infective (germinating cyst) life stages of P. sojae and P. ramorum was conducted to identify candidate proteins involved in host range, early infection, and vegetative growth. Sixty-two candidates for early infection, 26 candidates for vegetative growth, and numerous proteins that may be involved in defining host specificity were identified. In addition, common life stage proteomic trends between the organisms were observed. In mycelia, proteins involved in transport and metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, and other small molecules were up-regulated. In the germinating cysts, up-regulated proteins associated with lipid transport and metabolism, cytoskeleton, and protein synthesis were observed. It appears that the germinating cyst catabolizes lipid reserves through the β-oxidation pathway to drive the extensive protein synthesis necessary to produce the germ tube and initiate infection. Once inside the host, the pathogen switches to vegetative growth in which energy is derived from glycolysis and utilized for synthesis of amino acids and other molecules that assist survival in the plant tissue.
Beryllium in Ultra-Lithium-Deficient Halo Stars: The Blue Straggler Connection

There exists a small group of metal-deficient stars that have Li abundances well below the Li plateau that is defined by over 100 unevolved stars with temperatures above 5800 K and values of [Fe/H] < -1.0. Abundances of Be have been determined for most of these ultra-Li-deficient stars in order to investigate the cause of the Li deficiencies. These Li-deficient stars have implications on the value of primordial Li. High-resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio spectra have been obtained in the Be II spectral region near 3130 Å for six ultra-Li-deficient stars with the Keck I telescope and its new UV-sensitive CCD on the upgraded HIRES. The spectrum synthesis technique has been used to determine Be abundances. All six stars are found to have Be deficiencies also. Two have measurable but reduced Be, and four have only upper limits on Be. These results are consistent with the idea that these Li- and Be-deficient stars are analogous to blue stragglers. The stars have undergone mass transfer events (or mergers) that destroy or dilute both Li and Be. The findings cannot be matched by the models that predict that the deficiencies are due to extramixing in a subset of halo stars that were initially rapid rotators, with the possible exception of one star, G139-8. Because the ultra-Li-deficient stars are also Be-deficient, they appear to be genuine outliers in the population of halo stars used to determine the Li plateau in that they no longer have the Li in their atmospheres that was produced in the big bang.
Residual Viability Is a Predictor of the Perfusion Enhancement Obtained With the Cell Therapy of Chronic Myocardial Infarction: A Pilot Multimodal Imaging Study

Purpose Up to now, there has been limited investigation into cell therapy in the chronic phase of severe myocardial infarction (MI), and many questions remain concerning the contribution of the engrafted cells and especially their impact on the reperfusion of MI areas, when assessed by objective quantitative imaging techniques. This randomized pilot SPECT, PET, and MRI study was aimed at assessing the effects of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMNCs) when implanted in areas of severe and chronic MI. Materials and Methods Fourteen patients, who were referred for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and in whom a screening MIBI-SPECT revealed severely damaged myocardium (<50% uptake under nitrate), were randomized between a cell therapy group (n = 7; CABG and injection of BMNCs within MI areas) and a control group (n = 7; CABG alone). Results The MI areas exhibited a posttherapeutic enhancement in the rest–uptake of MIBI in the cell therapy group [difference between 6-month control and baseline: +6.8% (5.4%), P = 0.03] but not in the control group [+1.0% (4.3%)]. However, in a per-patient analysis, this improvement was significant (> +9%) in only 3 cell therapy patients, whose MI areas before therapy had a higher FDG uptake [59% (9%) vs 38% (8%), P = 0.03] and a lower transmural extent at MRI [40% (6%) vs 73% (18%), P = 0.03] when compared with the other cell therapy patients. Conclusions Perfusion enhancement, obtained with BMNCs in areas of chronic MI, might require an intermediate level of viability documented with FDG-PET and MRI and that totally necrotic MI seems refractory to this cell therapy technique.
Transfer defect learning

Many software defect prediction approaches have been proposed and most are effective in within-project prediction settings. However, for new projects or projects with limited training data, it is desirable to learn a prediction model by using sufficient training data from existing source projects and then apply the model to some target projects (cross-project defect prediction). Unfortunately, the performance of cross-project defect prediction is generally poor, largely because of feature distribution differences between the source and target projects. In this paper, we apply a state-of-the-art transfer learning approach, TCA, to make feature distributions in source and target projects similar. In addition, we propose a novel transfer defect learning approach, TCA+, by extending TCA. Our experimental results for eight open-source projects show that TCA+ significantly improves cross-project prediction performance.
Effect of fines on the drying crack resistance of composite soil stabiliser-stabilised gravel soil

The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of fines on the drying crack resistance of composite soil stabiliser-stabilised gravel soil (CSSSGS) using the following laboratory tests: indirect tensile strength (ITS), indirect tensile resilient modulus (ITRM), and drying shrinkage (DS). The indirect tensile failure strain (ITFS), which was calculated according to the ITS and ITRM, was used to replace the direct tensile failure strain (DTFS). The DS energy anti-cracking coefficient (DSEAC) and the ratio of ITFS to DS strain (RID) were used to estimate the crack resistance of CSSSGS with varying fines contents. This study showed that the values of these two indices decreased with the increase in fines content and water loss time, indicating that fines content and water loss adversely affect the crack resistance of CSSSGS.
High quality voice manipulation method based on the vocal tract area function obtained from sub-band LSP of straight spectrum

This paper describes a high-quality manipulation method of voice quality base on the vocal tract area function (VTAF) obtained from sub-band LSP of STRAIGHT spectrum. Our research group had developed the manipulation technique of voice quality based on VTAF that can generate natural formant transition. However, it is observed that the generated sound sometimes results in degradation when the input signal has a high sampling frequency. Therefore, we develop a new method that extracts VTAF properly from such input signal. This method firstly divides the input spectral envelope represented by STRAIGHT spectrum into lower and higher frequency bands, secondly extracts the Line spectrum pair (LSP) in each frequency band after spectral flattening that is appropriate for the frequency band, thirdly concatenates a pair of the sub-band LSP, and finally obtains VTAF from PARCOR coefficients converted from the concatenated LSP. A subjective experiment proved that the proposed method is high quality enough.
Choice of mother wavelets in CWT spectral decomposition

Summary Spectral decomposition carried out with the use of the continuous wavelet transform requires the choice of a mother wavelet, which in turn is used to derive a family of wavelet functions. These wavelet functions are scaled and shifted to ‘fit’ them to the input seismic data traces. Unlike the fixedlength discrete Fourier transform method, the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) window varies with frequency, resulting in better temporal resolution at high frequencies and better frequency resolution. We evaluate the relative value and use of Morlet, Mexican Hat, Derivative of Gaussian (DOG), and the Shannon wavelets in the analysis of a fluvial-deltaic system. Spectral decomposition carried out on two seismic data volumes shows that the Morlet wavelet is more robust and yields better results than the others. While we do not suggest that this conclusion be generalized, we do recommend that this exercise be carried out on a test volume to select the best mother wavelet to be used in the spectral decomposition.
Assessment of methodologic search filters in MEDLINE.

OBJECTIVE To determine the retrieval characteristics of methodologic textwords and MeSH terms in MEDLINE for identifying methodologically sound studies on the etiology, prognosis, diagnosis, and prevention and treatment of disorders in general adult medicine. DESIGN Comparison of methodologic search terms and phrases for the retrieval of citations in MEDLINE with a manual hand search of the literature (the gold standard) for 10 internal and general medicine journals for 1986 and 1991. MEASURES Sensitivity (proportion of methodologically sound and correct topic studies retrieved) and specificity (proportion of unsound or wrong topic articles not retrieved) of the search strategies. RESULTS The individual terms yielding the best sensitivity for 1991 by purpose category were: risk (tw) for etiology; exp cohort studies for prognosis; sensitivity (tw) for diagnosis; and clinical trial (pt) for treatment. The corresponding terms for 1986 were: risk (tw) for etiology; prognosis: (tw) for prognosis; sensitivity (tw) for diagnosis; and random: (tw) for treatment. CONCLUSIONS The performance of methodologic MeSH terms and textwords varied greatly in MEDLINE and changed from 1986 to 1991. More complex search strategies may be required to optimize retrieval.
Language Models Based on Semantic Composition

In this paper we propose a novel statistical language model to capture long-range semantic dependencies. Specifically, we apply the concept of semantic composition to the problem of constructing predictive history representations for upcoming words. We also examine the influence of the underlying semantic space on the composition task by comparing spatial semantic representations against topic-based ones. The composition models yield reductions in perplexity when combined with a standard n-gram language model over the n-gram model alone. We also obtain perplexity reductions when integrating our models with a structured language model.
Contractile properties of standard and nerve‐intact muscle grafts in the rat

The contractile properties of standard and nerve‐intact grafts of extensor digitorum longus muscles of rats were compared in vitro. Fourteen days after grafting, the time to peak tension and the half‐relaxation times of nerve‐intact grafts were shorter than those of standard grafts, but both were longer than control values. By 60 days, these variables attained normal values. At every sample period, the tetanic tensions of nerve‐intact grafts were higher than those of standard grafts. Even at the early sampling periods, the twitch‐tetanic tension ratios of nerve‐intact grafts were close to normal values, whereas those of standard grafts were higher than normal. Stabilized nerve‐intact grafts had a larger mass and greater maximum tetanic tension development than standard grafts, but were more fatigable. Compared with control EDL muscles, stable nerve‐intact grafts show no differences except for lessened fatigability, whereas standard grafts demonstrate significant functional deficits.
Contaminant intrusion in water distribution systems

The research described in this article concerns contaminant intrusion into a water distribution system associated with transient events. A Lagrangian‐based contaminant transport model was coupled with an Eulerian‐based transient hydraulic model to study contaminant intrusion and its propagation in a water distribution system. The hydraulic model was used to detect negative pressures during normal system operations. The Lagrangian‐based contaminant transport model reduced simulation time and avoided numerical dissipation and dispersion errors that often occur with Eulerian‐based modeling. The proposed water quality model was used to evaluate two systems described in the literature for their potential vulnerability to contaminant intrusion. The new transient water quality model realistically simulated intrusion events and contaminant propagation in both systems.
A General Control Strategy for Input-Series–Output-Series Modular DC–DC Converters

Input-series-output-series (ISOS) connected dc-dc converters enable the utilization of low-voltage rating switches in high-voltage-input and high-voltage-output applications that require galvanic isolation. To achieve input or output power balance among all the constituent modules, a general control strategy eliminating the use of input-voltage sharing (IVS) loops is proposed. The instability mechanism of independent output-voltage sharing control has been investigated by using the Routh-Hurwitz criterion. From the same criterion, a stability design method for the proposed control strategy has been developed. Detailed comparison of the proposed control technique, voltage-mode IVS, and current-mode IVS control methods is made. In comparison, the proposed control strategy has the same performance compared with current-mode IVS control. The control system design is simplified by avoiding mandatory IVS loops which are needed for IVS control. Both the steady-state and dynamic performance are improved with the proposed control strategy in comparison with voltage-mode IVS control. Using the proposed control strategy, excellent input and output power balance can be achieved for the ISOS connection during transient and steady-state conditions. The proposed control strategy performance is validated by experimental results of a 960-W ISOS system composed of three two-transistor forward dc-dc converters.