Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence Maximization Under Generic Threshold-based Non-submodular Model

As a widely observable social effect, influence diffusion refers to a process where innovations, trends, awareness, etc. spread across the network via the social impact among individuals. Motivated by such social effect, the concept of influence maximization is coined, where the goal is to select a bounded number of the most influential nodes (seed nodes) from a social network so that they can jointly trigger the maximal influence diffusion. A rich body of research in this area is performed under statistical diffusion models with provable submodularity, which essentially simplifies the problem as the optimal result can be approximated by the simple greedy search. When the diffusion models are non-submodular, however, the research community mostly focuses on how to bound/approximate them by tractable submodular functions so as to estimate the optimal result. In other words, there is still a lack of efficient methods that can directly resolve non-submodular influence maximization problems. In this regard, we fill the gap by proposing seed selection strategies using network graphical properties in a generalized threshold-based model, called influence barricade model, which is non-submodular. Specifically, under this model, we first establish theories to reveal graphical conditions that ensure the network generated by node removals has the same optimal seed set as that in the original network. We then exploit these theoretical conditions to develop efficient algorithms by strategically removing less-important nodes and selecting seeds only in the remaining network. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first graph-based approach that directly tackles non-submodular influence maximization.
13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of Mannitol Cycle and Trehalose Synthesis during Glucose Utilization by the Ectomycorrhizal Ascomycete Cenococcum graniforme

13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been used to follow the utilization of glucose for the synthesis of carbohydrates in the ectomycorrhizal ascomycete Cenococcum graniforme. The fate of 13C label was analyzed in vivo and in mycelial extracts. The major carbohydrates produced from [1-13C]glucose and [6-13C]glucose were mannitol and trehalose. Mannitol was mainly synthesized via a direct route from glucose. Scrambling of the 13C label was observed to occur in trehalose during glycolysis. From the analysis of the scrambling patterns, it is concluded that the mannitol cycle was operative and that a large part of the carbon of glucose was used to form trehalose after cycling through the mannitol pool. The activities of NAD-mannitol-l-P dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.17) and NADP-mannitol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.138), which participate in the mannitol cycle relative to the activity of glycolytic enzymes, provide evidence that the cycle is important for NADPH production.
A new way to measure cirrus cloud ice water content by using ice Raman scatter with Raman lidar

To improve our understanding of cirrus cloud radiative impact on the current and future climate, improved knowledge of cirrus cloud microphysical properties is needed. However, long‐term studies of the problem indicate that accurate cirrus cloud measurements are challenging. This is true for both, remote sensing as well as in situ sampling. This study presents a new method to remotely sense cirrus microphysical properties utilizing the Raman scattered intensities from ice crystals using a Raman lidar. Since the intensity of Raman scattering is fundamentally proportional to the number of molecules involved, this method provides a more direct way of measuring the ice water content compared with other schemes. Case studies presented here show that this method has the potential to provide simultaneous measurements of many of the essential information of cirrus microphysical properties.
Exploring the use of social media tools among students for teaching and learning purpose

Social media network is a fairly recent word used to define a form of learning that can be performed via websites online learning. The exploring of the potential use of social media tools and impact of contingent factors on the relationship between three predictors was investigated. A total of 235 valid responses were received from undergraduate students Faculty of Computing, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in the study. Several factors have been found to correlate with social media use, active learning both to affect teaching and learning. The researchers made use of the structural equation modelling (SEM) method with the SmartPLS program to shed a light on the adoption process. The results show that the use of social media positively and significantly relates to active learning, which in turn affect teaching and learning.
An unusually glycosylated form of acetylcholinesterase is a CSF biomarker for Alzheimer's disease

The identification of a biochemical marker of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major research aim of many groups. Abnormal levels of tau and Aβ have been identified in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of AD patients, although the sensitivity and specificity of the changes in these two biomarkers alone is not sufficient to be of diagnostic value. Recently, our group has identified an abnormality in the glycosylation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The increase in this glycoform of AChE is very specific for Alzheimer's disease and is not seen in many other neurological diseases including other dementias.
Precise Cross-Range Scaling for ISAR Images Using Feature Registration

This letter proposes a precise cross-range scaling algorithm for inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) images by estimating the effective rotation angle through coordinate locations of feature points extracted from two sequenced subaperture ISAR images. In the approach, we first extract adequate feature points and feature descriptor vectors from these two images by scale-invariant feature transform and speeded-up robust features. Then, a two-stage registering scheme is employed to match these feature points to link the two images. Consequently, the effective rotation angle is efficiently and robustly estimated by evaluating a cost function based on the coordinate locations of the matched feature points. Experiments of simulated and real signals validate this proposal.
Impact of Training on Changes in Perceived Stress and Cytokine Production

Data on training of competitive athletes and the inflammatory response, and, more specifically, the utility of psychological inventories to monitor this response in regards to overreaching is limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and inflammatory markers in elite rowers. Eight rowers (males n = 4; females n = 4) were monitored over an 8-week training period, comprising 12 sessions each week and training an average 3.11 h·d−1. Training volume was periodized weekly while intensity was maintained throughout the study. Perceived stress was measured weekly pretraining, and capillary blood samples (500 μL) were taken post-training. Significant associations between perceived stress and cytokines interleukin-6 (p < .05) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (p < .05) were observed. While further investigation of the role of cytokines in the overtraining process is required, these data provide preliminary support for an association between perceived stress and the inflammatory responses to training.
Chronic administration of the L-type calcium channel blocker nimodipine can facilitate the acquisition of sequence learning in a radial-arm maze

Nimodipine, a dihydropyridine L-type voltage-gated calcium-channel blocker, was examined for its potential effect on the acquisition of a complex-arm sequence task in an automated radial maze. Young (60-day-old) male Wistar rats were injected with saline or nimodipine (5 mg/kg) 15 min prior to radial maze training, or immediately following the radial maze testing. The results of the learning task (over 7 days of testing) showed that rats injected with nimodipine each training session acquired the task more quickly and more efficiently compared to saline-treated animals. There were no significant differences for rats that were pre-/post-treated with nimodipine during the maze-learning task. The number of incorrect arm entries and number of additional lever presses in the same arm were found to be significantly lower in rats treated with nimodipine compared to saline-injected controls. The beneficial effect of nimodipine treatment occurred only in rats that were acquiring the task, and not in rats that had already learned the arm sequence paradigm. There were no potential non-specific influences on locomotor activity or appetite caused by chronic nimodipine treatments. These results strongly suggest that nimodipine can facilitate the acquisition of a complex learning task.
T Cell-Signaling Network Analysis Reveals Distinct Differences between CD28 and CD2 Costimulation Responses in Various Subsets and in the MAPK Pathway between Resting and Activated Regulatory T Cells

To uncover signaling system differences between T cell stimuli and T cell subsets, phosphorylation status of 18 signaling proteins at six different time points following TCR triggering and CD28/CD2 costimulation was examined in human T cell subsets by phospho-epitope–specific flow cytometry of fluorescent cell barcoded samples, thereby providing a high-resolution signaling map. Compared with effector/memory T cells, naive T cells displayed stronger activation of proximal signaling molecules after TCR triggering alone. Conversely, distal phosphorylation events, like pErk and pS6-ribosomal protein, were stronger in effector/memory subsets. CD28 costimulation specifically induced signaling necessary for proper NF-κB activation, whereas CD2 signaled more strongly to S6-ribosomal protein. Analysis of resting regulatory T cells (rTregs; CD4+CD45RA+FOXP3+) and activated regulatory T cells (actTregs; CD4+CD45RA−FOXP3++) revealed that, although rTregs had low basal, but inducible, Erk activity, actTregs displayed high basal Erk phosphorylation and little or no Akt activation. Interestingly, the use of Mek inhibitors to block Erk activation inhibited activation-dependent FOXP3 upregulation in rTregs, their transition to actTregs, and the resulting increase in suppressive capacity. In summary, our systems approach unraveled distinct differences in signaling elicited by CD28 and CD2 costimulation and between rTregs and actTregs. Blocking rTreg transition to highly suppressive actTregs by Mek inhibitors might have future therapeutic applications.
Adams–Oliver syndrome: further evidence of an autosomal recessive variant

Adams–Oliver syndrome is characterized by aplasia cutis congenita and variable degrees of terminal transverse limb defects. Other associated anomalies were described in the syndrome. Most described cases follow an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. Sporadic and autosomal recessive cases, however, were reported. In this study, we report on three Egyptian patients with Adams–Oliver syndrome from three different families. The parents were normal and consanguineous in all three families. There was history of similarly affected sibs for two cases. These findings denote autosomal recessive inheritance. The reported cases had typical skull and limb anomalies with cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita. We observed additional rare manifestations in the form of microcephaly, psychomotor retardation, epilepsy, eye anomalies and atrophic skin lesions. MRI of the brain in one of the studied cases revealed retrocerebellar cyst and mild asymmetrical cerebellar hypoplasia, which to our knowledge, were not previously reported in Adams–Oliver syndrome. The results of this study provide further evidence of clinical and genetic heterogeneity and support the presence of autosomal recessive variant of Adams–Oliver syndrome.
Relationships of pelvic structure, body measurements, pelvic area and calving difficulty.

Data on 186 Hereford heifers from five South Dakota ranches were collected to evaluate the relationships of pelvic structure and body measurements with calving difficulty (CD) and pelvic area. Body measurements obtained prebreeding and precalving included two internal pelvic and seven external rump measurements, three pelvic angles and two slope of rump measurements. A calving difficulty score (CDS) of 1 (unassisted) to 8 (Caesarean) was assigned at birth, and calf birth weight was recorded. Data were analyzed using both regression and discriminant analyses. Stepwise regression analysis including all 49 variables showed that calf birth weight was the most important variable influencing CDS (R2 = .33), with precalving pelvic area ranking second (cumulative R2 = .45). Prediction equations that included all variables or only prebreeding variables accounted for 63% and 25% of the variation in CDS, respectively. Pelvic angles and slope of rump variables had low correlations with CDS and pelvic area. Ratios of prebreeding and precalving pelvic areas to calf birth weight significantly decreased as CDS increased. A prebreeding ratio of 4.7 cm2/kg may be beneficial in selection of replacement heifers. In discriminant analyses, the most informative variable in differentiating among levels of CD was calf birth weight. All models significantly discriminated between two CD categories (assisted and unassisted). Models using prebreeding variables only performed as well as those based on precalving variables. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The biosynthesis of nitrous oxide in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Over the last decades, several studies have reported emissions of nitrous oxide (N2 O) from microalgal cultures and aquatic ecosystems characterized by a high level of algal activity (e.g. eutrophic lakes). As N2 O is a potent greenhouse gas and an ozone-depleting pollutant, these findings suggest that large-scale cultivation of microalgae (and possibly, natural eutrophic ecosystems) could have a significant environmental impact. Using the model unicellular microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, this study was conducted to investigate the molecular basis of microalgal N2 O synthesis. We report that C. reinhardtii supplied with nitrite (NO2- ) under aerobic conditions can reduce NO2- into nitric oxide (NO) using either a mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (COX) or a dual enzymatic system of nitrate reductase (NR) and amidoxime-reducing component, and that NO is subsequently reduced into N2 O by the enzyme NO reductase (NOR). Based on experimental evidence and published literature, we hypothesize that when nitrate (NO3- ) is the main Nitrogen source and the intracellular concentration of NO2- is low (i.e. under physiological conditions), microalgal N2 O synthesis involves the reduction of NO3- to NO2- by NR followed by the reduction of NO2- to NO by the dual system involving NR. This microalgal N2 O pathway has broad implications for environmental science and algal biology because the pathway of NO3- assimilation is conserved among microalgae, and because its regulation may involve NO.
Moderating Effects of Alexithymia on Associations between the Therapeutic Alliance and the Outcome of Brief Psychodynamic-Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Multisomatoform Disorder

This secondary analysis of a trial on brief psychodynamic-interpersonal therapy (PIT) for patients with multisomatoform disorder investigated whether alexithymia moderates the associations between the therapeutic alliance and the outcome of PIT and whether moderating effects of alexithymia remain significant when controlling for depression. Eighty-three patients with multisomatoform disorder receiving PIT were statistically analyzed. Moderation analyses were performed with the SPSS macro PROCESS. The primary outcome (Y), self-reported physical quality of life at 9-month after the end of PIT, was measured with the physical component summary (PCS) of the SF-36 Health Survey. The potential moderator (M) alexithymia was operationalized with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) at pre-treatment and the predictor (X) the therapeutic alliance was rated by both patients and therapists via the Helping Alliance Questionnaire (HAQ) at the end of PIT. Moreover, the PCS at pre-treatment functioned as covariate in all moderation models. When the patients’ alliance ratings were analyzed, alexithymia did not moderate associations between the alliance and the outcome. When the therapists’ alliance ratings were evaluated, alexithymia moderated the relationship between the alliance and the outcome (p < 0.05): a stronger alliance in the therapists’ perspective was beneficial for the outcome only for patients scoring above 61 on the TAS-20. This moderating effect of alexithymia was, however, not statistically significant anymore when adding the pre-treatment depression scores (PHQ-9) as a covariate to the moderation model. The results underline the importance of a good therapists’ view of the alliance when treating alexithymic patients and highlight the complex interaction between alexithymia and depression. Future studies are needed to extend the scope of research regarding which psychotherapeutic mechanisms of change are beneficial for which patients.
Mapping Homogeneous Graphs on Linear Arrays

This paper presents a formal model of linear array processors suitable for VLSI implementation as well as graph representations of programs suitable for execution on such a model. A distinction is made between correct mapping and correct execution of such graphs on this model and the structure of correctly mappable graphs are examined. The formalism developed is used to synthesize algorithms for this model.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF STREPTOCOCCAL PHARYNGITIS AND THE RELATION OF STREPTOCOCCAL CARRIERS TO THE OCCURRENCE OF OUTBREAKS.

One of the most difficult problems confronting physicians interested in the control of infectious diseases is that of "post-infection" and "healthy" carriers. The epidemiology of diseases associated with streptococci is particularly baffling because of the frequent occurrence of these microorganisms in the throats of normal individuals. It is only since the development of serological methods for differentiating hemolytic streptococci into groups and types by Lancefield (1, 2) and Griffith (3) that accurate epidemiological studies of streptococcal diseases have become possible. Although several surveys of epidemic scarlet fever and streptococcal pharyngitis, in which the strains were identified by these serological methods, have been published, most of these reports cover mainly the period of the outbreak and do not include data on preepidemic carrier rates. It seemed worthwhile, therefore, to report observations' covering a 6-year period on the incidence of carriers of various Goup A streptococci and their relation to the occurrence of outbreaks of streptococcal pharyngitis among groups of rheumatic children under close observation in a sanatorium.
Quelling: transient inactivation of gene expression in Neurospora crassa by transformation with homologous sequences

Up to 36% of Neurospora crassa transformants showing an albino phenotype were recovered by transforming a wild‐type strain with different portions of the carotenogenic albino‐3 (al‐3) and albino‐1 (al‐1) genes. The presence of the exogenous sequences (which were randomly integrated in ectopic locations) provoked a severe impairment in the expression of the endogenous al‐1 or al‐3 genes. This phenomenon, which we have termed‘quelling’, was found to be spontaneously and progressively reversible, leading to wild‐type or intermediate phenotypes. The phenotypic reversion is characterized by a progressive release of the transcriptional inhibition and seems to correlate with a reduction of the number of the ectopic integrated sequences. Moreover, quelling appears to be monodirectional, as, once relieved, it cannot take place again, despite the continuing presence of some of the ectopic sequences in the genome.
The Centrality of Awareness in the Formation of User Behavioral Intention toward Protective Information Technologies

While there is a rich body of literature on user acceptance of technologies with positive outcomes, little is known about user behavior toward what we call protective technologies: information technologies that protect data and systems from disturbances such as viruses, unauthorized access, disruptions, spyware, and others. In this paper, we present the results of a study of user behavioral intention toward protective technologies based on the framework of the theory of planned behavior. We find that awareness of the threats posed by negative technologies is a strong predictor of user behavioral intention toward the use of protective technologies. More interestingly, in the presence of awareness, the influence of subjective norm on individual behavioral intention is weaker among basic technology users but stronger among advanced technology users. Furthermore, while our results are consistent with many of the previously established relationships in the context of positive technologies, we find that the determinants “perceived ease of use” and “computer self-efficacy” are no longer significant in the context of protective technologies. We believe that this result highlights the most significant difference between positive technologies and protective technologies: while the former are used for their designed utilities, for which usefulness and ease of use have a significant impact, the latter are used out of fear of negative consequences, for which awareness becomes a key determinant. We discussed the theoretical and practical implications of these findings. The findings of this study extend the theory of planned behavior to the context of protective technologies and shed insights on designing effective information security policies, practices, and protective technologies for organizations and society.
Altered renal P-450 metabolism of arachidonic acid in Dahl salt-sensitive rats.

The renal metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA) was compared in male and female prehypertensive Dahl salt-sensitive (SS/Jr) and salt-resistant (SR/Jr) rats maintained on a low- (0.3%) sodium chloride diet. Renal cortical microsomes incubated with AA produced 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), 14,15- and 11,12-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, and a new metabolite of AA, 11,12-epoxy-20-hydroxyeicosatrienoic acid. The production of 20-HETE was similar in cortical microsomes of female SS/Jr and SR/Jr rats maintained on a low-salt diet (72 +/- 5 vs. 66 +/- 3 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1); however, the formation of epoxygenase metabolites was significantly less in SS/Jr than in SR/Jr rats (45 +/- 2 vs. 70 +/- 3 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1). Outer medullary microsomes produced primarily 20-HETE, and the formation of this compound was significantly lower in SS/Jr than in SR/Jr female rats fed a low-salt diet (8 +/- 2 vs. 18 +/- 3 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1). Renal papillary microsomes produced prostaglandin E2 and F2 alpha, and the formation of these compounds was similar in female SS/Jr and SR/Jr rats fed a low-salt diet. Similar differences in the metabolism of AA by P-450 were observed in microsomes prepared from the renal cortex and outer medulla of male SS/Jr and SR/Jr rats. These results indicate that the renal metabolism of AA by P-450 is altered in prehypertensive Dahl SS/Jr rats; however, the functional significance of this system in resetting renal function and in the development of hypertension in this model remains to be established.