Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Piperlongumine Induces Apoptosis in Colorectal Cancer HCT 116 Cells Independent of Bax, p21 and p53 Status

Background/Aim: Colorectal cancer is a common type of cancer with reported resistance to treatment, in most cases due to loss of function of apoptotic and cell-cycle proteins. Piperlongumine (PPLGM) is a natural alkaloid isolated from Piper species, with promising anti-cancer properties. This study investigated whether PPLGM is able to induce cell death in colorectal carcinoma HCT 116 cells expressing wild-type or deficient in Bax, p21 or p53. Materials and Methods: PPLGM was extracted from roots of Piper tuberculatum. Cell viability was determined by reduction of 3-(4,5-dimethilthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and clonogenic assay. Cell death was evaluated by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining and flow cytometry. Plasmid cleavage activity and circular dichroism DNA interaction were also analyzed. Results: PPLGM induced selective cell death in all cell lines (IC50 range from 10.7 to 13.9 μM) with an increase in the number of late apoptotic cells and different profiles in cell-cycle distribution. Plasmid DNA analysis showed that PPLGM does not interact directly with DNA. Conclusion: This paper suggests that PPLGM may be a promising candidate in colorectal cancer therapy.
Do Scale Type Techniques Identify Problems that Affect User eXperience? User Experience Evaluation of a Mobile Application (S)

User experience (UX) is a quality aspect of an application that considers the emotions evoked by the system. There are several types of UX evaluation methods, such as scales, interviews, user monitoring, among others methods. However, there is still not enough information regarding if and in which contexts these methods are more suitable. This paper focuses on finding more information about the feasibility of applying scaletype methods for the UX evaluation in interactive systems. Thus, we carried out a UX evaluation on the Edmodo educational mobile application employing two scale-type methods: AttrakDiff and Hedonic Utility Scale. These methods were chosen after a selection process applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results indicate that it is possible to evaluate the quality of an application at a low cost. However, it is necessary to adapt these methods to provide a more complete report of the UX, allowing users to subjectively report their experiences and, consequently, identify the issues that affected the UX. Keywords-User Experience; UX; AttrakDiff; Hedonic Utility Scale; Edmodo; comparative study;
The AlexNet Moment for Homomorphic Encryption: HCNN, the First Homomorphic CNN on Encrypted Data with GPUs

Fully homomorphic encryption, with its widely-known feature of computing on encrypted data, empowers a wide range of privacy-concerned cloud applications including deep learning as a service. This comes at a high cost since FHE includes highly-intensive computation that requires enormous computing power. Although the literature includes a number of proposals to run CNNs on encrypted data, the performance is still far from satisfactory. In this paper, we push the level up and show how to accelerate the performance of running CNNs on encrypted data using GPUs. We evaluated a CNN to classify homomorphically the MNIST dataset into 10 classes. We used a number of techniques such as low-precision training, unified training and testing network, optimized FHE parameters and a very efficient GPU implementation to achieve high performance. Our solution achieved high security level (> 128 bit) and high accuracy (99%). In terms of performance, our best results show that we could classify the entire testing dataset in 14.105 seconds, with per-image amortized time (1.411 milliseconds) 40.41x faster than prior art.
A fast‐evolving X‐linked duplicate of importin‐α2 is overexpressed in sex‐ratio drive in Drosophila neotestacea

Selfish genetic elements that manipulate gametogenesis to achieve a transmission advantage are known as meiotic drivers. Sex‐ratio X chromosomes (SR) are meiotic drivers that prevent the maturation of Y‐bearing sperm in male carriers to result in the production of mainly female progeny. The spread of an SR chromosome can affect host genetic diversity and genome evolution, and can even cause host extinction if it reaches sufficiently high prevalence. Meiotic drivers have evolved independently many times, though only in a few cases is the underlying genetic mechanism known. In this study we use a combination of transcriptomics and population genetics to identify widespread expression differences between the standard (ST) and sex‐ratio (SR) X chromosomes of the fly Drosophila neotestacea. We found the X chromosome is enriched for differentially expressed transcripts and that many of these X‐linked differentially expressed transcripts had elevated Ka/Ks values between ST and SR, indicative of potential functional differences. We identified a set of candidate transcripts, including a testis‐specific, X‐linked duplicate of the nuclear transport gene importin‐α2 that is overexpressed in SR. We find suggestions of positive selection in the lineage leading to the duplicate and that its molecular evolutionary patterns are consistent with relaxed purifying selection in ST. As these patterns are consistent with involvement in the mechanism of drive in this species, this duplicate is a strong candidate worthy of further functional investigation. Nuclear transport may be a common target for genetic conflict, as the mechanism of the autosomal Segregation Distorter drive system in D. melanogaster involves the same pathway.
A Cross-Layer Methodology for Design and Optimization of Networks in 2.5D Systems

2.5D integration technology is gaining popularity in the design of homogeneous and heterogeneous many-core computing systems. 2.5D network design, both inter- and intra-chiplet, impacts overall system performance as well as its manufacturing cost and thermal feasibility. This paper introduces a cross-layer methodology for designing networks in 2.5D systems. We optimize the network design and chiplet placement jointly across logical, physical, and circuit layers to achieve an energy-efficient network, while maximizing system performance, minimizing manufacturing cost, and adhering to thermal constraints. In the logical layer, our co-optimization considers eight different network topologies. In the physical layer, we consider routing, microbump assignment, and microbump pitch constraints to account for the extra costs associated with microbump utilization in the inter-chiplet communication. In the circuit layer, we consider both passive and active links with five different link types, including a gas station link design. Using our cross-layer methodology results in more accurate determination of (superior) inter-chiplet network and 2.5D system designs compared to prior methods. Compared to 2D systems, our approach achieves 29% better performance with the same manufacturing cost, or 25% lower cost with the same performance.
Apprentissage de réseaux causaux avec variables latentes et applications à des contextes génomiques et cliniques. (Learning causal networks with latent variable and applications to genomic and clinical contexts)

L’algorithme developpe durant ma these utilise la theorie de l’information pour l’apprentissage d’une grande variete de classes de modeles graphiques a partir de donnees issues uniquement de l’observation d’un systeme. Il permet egalement de prendre en compte les effets de variables dites « latentes » c’est-a-dire non observees durant l’experimentation, un probleme majeur de ce domaine de recherche. Notre methode, baptisee Miic (Multivariate Information-based Inductive Causation), part d’un reseau entierement connecte, et supprime de facon iterative les liens non essentiels a l’explication des donnees. La seconde partie de mon travail de these a ete d’analyser les reseaux reconstruits sur deux types de donnees biologiques. Des donnees genomiques d’une part : Miic a ete utilise pour reconstituer les reseaux d’interactions transcriptomiques entre les facteurs de transcriptions responsables de la differentiation des premieres cellules hematopoietiques de l’embryon. Des donnees cliniques d’autre part : Miic a egalement ete utilise sur deux jeux de donnees issus de deux cohortes distinctes, obtenues grâce a des collaborations avec la Pitie-Salpetriere (donnees de neurologie) et avec l’Institut Curie (donnees sur le cancer du sein). Nous demontrons l’apport de la reconstruction de modeles graphiques sur l’analyse et la comprehension de ces donnees. Les tests realises durant le developpement ainsi que les resultats obtenus via l’analyse des resultats des differentes applications presentees dans ce manuscrit demontrent l’efficacite de Miic non seulement pour la detection de relations precedemment inconnues, mais egalement pour le controle de la qualite de donnees de ce type.
Corrosion behavior and biocompatibility evaluation of a novel zinc-based alloy stent in rabbit carotid artery model.

Zinc (Zn) and its alloys have been proved to be promising candidate materials for biodegradable cardiovascular stents. In this study, a novel extruded Zn-0.02 Mg-0.02Cu alloy was prepared. Compared with pure Zn, the Zn-based alloy showed higher mechanical properties, and the Zn-based alloy could significantly accelerate Zn2+ release, reaching 0.61 ± 0.11 μg/mL at 15 days of immersion. In vitro biocompatibility studies demonstrated that the Zn-based alloy had excellent cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility, including low hemolysis rate (0.63 ± 0.12%) and strong inhibitory effect on platelet adhesion. Subsequently, the Zn-based alloy stent was implanted into the left carotid arteries of New Zealand white rabbits for 12 months. All the rabbits survived without any adverse clinical events, and all the stented arteries were patent during the study period. Rapid endothelialization at 1 week of implantation was observed, suggesting a low cytotoxicity and thrombosis risk. The stent corroded slowly and no obvious intimal hyperplasia was observed for 6 months, after which corrosion accelerated at 12 months. In addition, no obvious thrombosis and systemic toxicity during implantation period were observed, indicating its potential as the backbone of biodegradable cardiovascular stents. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: 00B: 000-000, 2018.
LAC: Practical Ring-LWE Based Public-Key Encryption with Byte-Level Modulus

Lattice based cryptography is one of the leading candidates of the post quantum cryptography. A major obstacle of deployment, though, is that its payload is relatively larger than the classical solutions, such as elliptic curve Diﬃe-Hellman. In this paper, we push the limit of state-of-the-art, and propose the ﬁrst instantiation to the family of ring learning with error based solutions where the modulus is at a byte level and the noise is at a bit level. Additionally, we present techniques to deal with side aﬀects incurred by the decreasing of the modulus, namely, the increase of decryption errors, and the loss of eﬃciency. Our method of managing decryption errors has sparked rich discussion and new analysis within the post-quantum community. In the meantime, our choice of parameters, although are no longer NTT-friendly, still allows for high parallelization. We present implementation characteristics on Intel x86-64. Our result shows that LAC is more compact than all existing (Ring-) LWE based solutions, and only slightly less eﬃcient compared with popular solutions in this domain, such as Kyber.
Geographical variation of parental-reported sleep bruxism among children: comparison between the Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate whether geographical variation exists in the prevalence rates and associated factors of parental-reported sleep bruxism (SB) among 7- to 12-year-old children living in three culturally different countries. METHODS An identical questionnaire was completed by parents or guardians of children in the Netherlands (Europe), Armenia (West Asia) and Indonesia (Southeast Asia). Pearson's chi-square tests were used to investigate geographical variation in occurrence; logistic regression analyses were performed to study associations. RESULTS In total, data of 2,562 questionnaires were analysed. The overall prevalence of parental-reported SB was significantly higher in Armenia (36.5%) than in the Netherlands and Indonesia (19.5% and 24.2%, respectively; P < 0.001). However, differences between countries seemed to have disappeared in children around the age of 12. Geographical variation in associated factors is reflected in the fact that, depending on the country, a variety of variables were positively related with parental-reported SB (i.e. younger age, and/or having male gender, and/or experiencing pressure or tension from the home situation, and/or being more easily scared and/or having difficulties in falling asleep). CONCLUSIONS Considerable geographical variation can exist in the epidemiology of parental-reported SB in children. Cultural rules and standards could explain these findings.
Kernel Distribution Embeddings: Universal Kernels, Characteristic Kernels and Kernel Metrics on Distributions

Kernel mean embeddings have recently attracted the attention of the machine learning community. They map measures $\mu$ from some set $M$ to functions in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) with kernel $k$. The RKHS distance of two mapped measures is a semi-metric $d_k$ over $M$. We study three questions. (I) For a given kernel, what sets $M$ can be embedded? (II) When is the embedding injective over $M$ (in which case $d_k$ is a metric)? (III) How does the $d_k$-induced topology compare to other topologies on $M$? The existing machine learning literature has addressed these questions in cases where $M$ is (a subset of) the finite regular Borel measures. We unify, improve and generalise those results. Our approach naturally leads to continuous and possibly even injective embeddings of (Schwartz-) distributions, i.e., generalised measures, but the reader is free to focus on measures only. In particular, we systemise and extend various (partly known) equivalences between different notions of universal, characteristic and strictly positive definite kernels, and show that on an underlying locally compact Hausdorff space, $d_k$ metrises the weak convergence of probability measures if and only if $k$ is continuous and characteristic.
Noninvasive assessment of carotid arterial wave speed and distensibility.

X Jonathan P. Mynard, Avinash Kondiboyina, Melanie M. Clarke, Remi Kowalski, Michael M. H. Cheung, and Joseph J. Smolich Heart Research, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; and Department of Cardiology, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
The relationship between placental transfusion, and thymic size and neonatal morbidities in premature infants - A Randomized Control Trial

OBJECTIVE To compare the effect of umbilical cord milking and early cord clamping on thymic size, and neonatal mortality and morbidity in preterm infants. METHODS This single-center, prospective, double-blind, randomised controlled study was conducted at Baskent University, Konya Education and Research Centre, Konya, Turkey, between October 2015 and April 2016. Pregnant women who delivered before 32 weeks of gestation were randomised to receive umbilical cord milking (group 1) or early cord clamping (group 2). Ultrasonographic evaluation was performed in each newborn by an experienced radiologist within the first 24 hours of life. Thymic si ze was estimated in l ine with literatu re. SPSS 15 was u sed for a ll data analyses. RESULTS There were 38 subjects in group 1 and 37 in group 2. There were as many infants in the two groups (p>0.05) The haemoglobin levels was higher in group 1, but not significantly (p=0.213). The absolute neutrophil count in group 1 was significantly lower (p= 0.017) than group 2. In terms of neonatal mortaility and morbidity, there were no significant differences between the groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Umbilical cord milking was not associated with thymic size during the the first 24h of life.
Polarized Light Field Imaging for Single-Shot Reflectance Separation †

We present a novel computational photography technique for single-shot separation of diffuse/specular reflectance, as well as novel angular domain separation of layered reflectance. We present two imaging solutions for this purpose: two-way polarized light-field (TPLF) imaging and four-way polarized light-field (FPLF) imaging. TPLF imaging consists of a polarized light-field camera, which simultaneously captures two orthogonal states of polarization. A single photograph of a subject acquired with the TPLF camera under polarized illumination then enables standard separation of diffuse (depolarizing) and polarization preserving specular reflectance using light-field sampling. We further demonstrate that the acquired data also enable novel angular separation of layered reflectance including separation of specular reflectance and single scattering in the polarization preserving component, as well as separation of shallow scattering from deep scattering in the depolarizing component. FPLF imaging further generalized the functionality of TPLF imaging under uncontrolled unpolarized or partially polarized illumination such as outdoors. We apply our approach for efficient acquisition of facial reflectance including diffuse and specular normal maps and novel separation of photometric normals into layered reflectance normals for layered facial renderings. We validate our proposed single-shot layered reflectance separation under various imaging conditions and demonstrate it to be comparable to an existing multi-shot technique that relies on structured lighting while achieving separation results under a variety of illumination conditions.
Biomarkers for major depressive and bipolar disorders using metabolomics: A systematic review

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) lack robust biomarkers useful for screening purposes in a clinical setting. A systematic review of the literature was conducted on metabolomic studies of patients with MDD or BD through the use of analytical platforms such as in vivo brain imaging, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Our search identified a total of 7,590 articles, of which 266 articles remained for full‐text revision. Overall, 249 metabolites were found to be dysregulated with 122 of these metabolites being reported in two or more of the studies included. A list of biomarkers for MDD and BD established from metabolites found to be abnormal, along with the number of studies supporting each metabolite and a comparison of which biological fluids they were reported in, is provided. Metabolic pathways that may be important in the pathophysiology of MDD and BD were identified and predominantly center on glutamatergic metabolism, energy metabolism, and neurotransmission. Using online drug registries, we also illustrate how metabolomics can facilitate the discovery of novel candidate drug targets.
Twenty years of the Journal of Knowledge Management: a bibliometric analysis

Purpose In 2017, the Journal of Knowledge Management (JKM) celebrates its 20th anniversary. This study aims to show an updated analysis of their publications to provide a general overview of the journal, focusing on a bibliometric analysis of its publications between 1997 and 2016. Design/methodology/approach The methodology involves two procedures: a performance analysis and a science mapping analysis of JKM. The performance analysis uses a series of bibliometric indicators such as h-index, productivity and citations. This analysis considers different dimensions, including papers, authors, universities and countries. VOSviewer software is used to carry out the mapping of science of JKM, which, based on the concurrence of key words and co-citation points of view, seeks to graphically analyze the structure of the references of this journal. Findings There is a positive evolution in the number of publications (although with certain oscillations), which shows a growing interest in publishing in JKM. The USA and the UK lead the publications in this journal, although at a regional level, Europe is the most productive. The low participation of emerging economies in JKM is also observed. Practical implications The paper will identify the leading trends in the journal in terms of papers, authors, institutions, countries, journals and keywords. This study is useful for obtaining a quick snapshot of what is happening in the journal. Originality/value From the historical record of JKM publications, this study presents an exclusive bibliometric analysis of its publications until 2016 and identifies its main trends.
Distribution and density of mixed‐input ON bipolar cells of the goldfish (Carassius auratus) during growth

Neurons are continuously produced at different rates and locations in the teleost retina. Goldfish rods are homogeneously distributed and maintain a stable density throughout growth, whereas little is known about their postsynaptic partners. We examined the distribution and density of mixed‐input ON bipolar cells (ON mBCs) in 57 goldfish of various sizes by immunolabeling their retinas with an antibody against PKCα and counting PKCα‐positive neurons in wholemounts. Cell densities were correlated with morphometric data for the same animals, and the spatial resolution of the ON mBC mosaic was calculated in each case. The distribution of ON mBCs is homogeneous throughout growth. For a 10‐fold change in body size (i.e., from 20 to 200 mm), the total number of ON mBCs increases 2.8 times, while retinal area expands around 10 times. As a consequence, the density of ON mBCs in large fish falls to ∼1/3 of that of small animals, and intercellular spacing doubles. The eye and the lens become around three times larger from small to large fish. This causes the retinal magnification factor (and thereby the image projected onto retina) to augment by the same amount. Because the retinal magnification factor rises more than the intercellular spacing in the same animals, the spatial resolution of the ON mBC mosaic improves from 0.8 to 1.4 cycles/degree as the body size increases from 20 to 200 mm. As ON mBCs are mostly rod‐driven, our results suggest that the scotopic acuity of the goldfish may improve as the animal grows.
Markov Blanket and Markov Boundary of Multiple Variables

Markov blanket (Mb) and Markov boundary (MB) are two key concepts in Bayesian networks (BNs). In this paper, we study the problem of Mb and MB for multiple variables. First, we show that Mb possesses the additivity property under the local intersection assumption, that is, an Mb of multiple targets can be constructed by simply taking the union of Mbs of the individual targets and removing the targets themselves. MB is also proven to have additivity under the local intersection assumption. Second, we analyze the cases of violating additivity of Mb and MB and then put forward the notions of Markov blanket supplementary (MbS) and Markov boundary supplementary (MBS). The properties of MbS and MBS are studied in detail. Third, we build two MB discovery algorithms and prove their correctness under the local composition assumption. We also discuss the ways of practically doing conditional independence tests and analyze the complexities of the algorithms. Finally, we make a benchmarking study based on six synthetic BNs and then apply MB discovery to multi-class prediction based on a real data set. The experimental results reveal our algorithms have higher accuracies and lower complexities than existing algorithms.