Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A sequential log barrier method for solving convex-concave problems with applications in robotics

In this paper we present a novel method to solve a convex-concave optimization problem. For this class of problems, several methods have already been developed. Sequential convex programming (SCP) is one of the state-of-the-art methods and involves solving a sequence of convex subproblems by linearizing the concave parts. These convex problems are e.g. solved by a log barrier method which solves a sequence of log barrier problems. To reduce the computational load we propose a sequential convex log barrier (SCLB) method where the main difference with SCP is that we search for an approximated solution of the convex subproblems by only solving one log barrier problem. We prove convergence of the proposed algorithm and we give some numerical examples that illustrate the decrease in computational load and similar convergence behaviour for a practical robotics application.
Epidemiological implications of the susceptibility to BSE of putatively resistant sheep.

The experimental infection of sheep with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) by the oral route and the likelihood that sheep were fed BSE-infected meat and bone meal has led to extensive speculation as to whether or not sheep are naturally infected with BSE. In response, the UK government has initiated the National Scrapie Plan (NSP), an ambitious pound 120 million per year project to create a BSE- and scrapie-resistant national sheep flock, by selectively breeding for a genotype of sheep believed to be resistant to both diseases. This genotype has recently been shown to be susceptible to BSE by intracerebral (i.c.) inoculation. Should these sheep be sufficiently susceptible to BSE via natural transmission, the NSP might fail. Here we estimate the susceptibility of this genotype to horizontal (sheep-to-sheep) transmission of BSE by comparison with more extensive oral and i.c. exposure data for other sheep genotypes. We show that a previous estimate of the risk of BSE transmission to sheep via the feedborne route remains robust. However, using a mathematical model for the within-flock transmission of BSE, we show that, while the best estimate indicates that the NSP should be successful, current data cannot exclude the failure of the NSP.
Distinct Responses of Cytotoxic Ganoderma lucidum Triterpenoids in Human Carcinoma Cells

The medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum is well recognized for its effective cancer‐preventative and therapeutic properties, while specific components responsible for these anticancer effects are not well studied. Six triterpenoids that are ganolucidic acid E, lucidumol A, ganodermanontriol, 7‐oxo‐ganoderic acid Z, 15‐hydroxy‐ganoderic acid S, and ganoderic acid DM were isolated and identified from an extract of the mushroom. All compounds reduced cell growth in three human carcinoma cells (Caco‐2, HepG2, and HeLa cells) dose dependently with LC50s from 20.87 to 84.36 μM. Moreover, the six compounds induced apoptosis in HeLa cells with a maximum increase (22%) of sub‐G1 accumulations and 43.03% apoptotic cells in terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay (15‐hydroxy‐ganoderic acid S treatment). Apoptosis was further confirmed by annexin‐V staining. Four of the compounds also caused apoptosis in Caco‐2 cells with maximum 9.5% increase of sub‐G1 accumulations (7‐oxo‐ganoderic acid Z treatment) and maximum 29.84% apoptotic cells in TUNEL assay (ganoderic acid DM treatment). Contrarily, none of the compounds induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. The different responses of the three cell lines following these treatments indicated that the bioactive properties of these compounds may vary from cells of different sites of origin and are likely acting under diverse regulatory mechanisms. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Designing Property Rights Over Land in Rural China

After nearly four decades, China's rural land tenure arrangement remains by and large how it looked like at the beginning of the economic reform. Rural land remains collectively owned. Peasants contract land from collectives, with their tenure insecure, and their transfer rights restricted. If such an arrangement was deemed a historical legacy at the beginning of the reform, it now looks more and more like a constrained efficient design by historical accident. This article suggests the constraints against which this design may be constrained efficient, and provides a stylised model that matches a wide array of empirical patterns.
GABAB receptors inhibit backpropagating dendritic spikes in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells in vivo

Spike backpropagation has been proposed to enhance dendritic depolarization and synaptic plasticity. However, relatively little is known about the inhibitory control of spike backpropagation in vivo. In this study, the backpropagation of the antidromic spike into the dendrites of CA1 pyramidal cells was studied by extracellular recording in urethane‐anesthetized rats. The population antidromic spike (pAS) in CA1 following stimulation of the alveus was recorded simultaneously with a 16‐channel silicon probe and analyzed as current source density (CSD). The pAS current sink was shown to sequentially invade the soma and then the apical and basal dendrites. When the pAS was preceded <400 ms by a conditioning orthodromic CA3 stimulus, the apical and basal dendritic spike sinks were reduced and delayed. Dendritic spike suppression was large after a high‐intensity CA3 conditioning stimulus that evoked a population spike, small after a low‐intensity CA3 conditioning stimulus, and weak after conditioning by another pAS. The late (150–400 ms latency) inhibition of the backpropagating pAS at the apical and basal dendrites was partially relieved by a GABAB receptor antagonist, CGP35348 or CGP56999A, given intracerebroventricularly (icv). CGP35348 icv also decreased the latency of the antidromic spike sinks at all depths. A compartment cable model of a CA1 pyramidal cell with excitable dendrites, combined with a model of extracellular potential generation, confirms that GABAB receptor activation delays a backpropagating spike and blocks distal dendritic spikes. GABAB receptor‐mediated conductance increase and hyperpolarization, amplified by removing dendritic IA inactivation, contribute to conditioned dendritic spike suppression. In addition, the model shows that slow Na+ channel inactivation also participates in conditioned spike suppression, which may partly explain the small dendritic spike suppression after conditioning with a weak orthodromic stimulus or another antidromic spike. Thus, both theory and experiment confirm an important role of the GABAB receptors in controlling dendritic spike backpropagation. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Greenhouse Gas Emission of an Economically Optimized Switchgrass Supply Chain for Biofuel Production: A Case Study in Tennessee

This study estimates the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a switchgrass supply system for a potential biorefinery producing 50 million gallons of biofuel annually in Tennessee. Under the condition of minimizing the cost of feedstock, the estimated annual GHG emissions of the switchgrass supply system are 256 g CO2e/m2.
Demographic Homeostasis and the Evolution of Senescence

Existing theories for the evolution of aging and death treat senescence as a side-effect of strong selection for fertility. These theories are well-developed mathematically, but fit poorly with emerging experimental data. The data suggest that aging is an adaptation, selected for its own sake. But aging contributes only negatively to fitness of the individual. What kind of selection model would permit aging to emerge as a population-level adaptation? I explore the thesis that population dynamics is inherently chaotic, and that aging is selected for its role in smoothing demographic fluctuations. The logistic equation provides a natural vehicle for this model because it has played a central role in two sciences: Population growth in a resource-limited niche has long been modeled by the differential LE; and, as a difference equation, the LE is a canonical example of the emergence of chaos. Suppose that feedback about depleted resources generally arrives too late to avoid a wave of unsupportable population growth; then logistic population dynamics is subject to chaotic fluctuations. It is my thesis that aging is an evolutionary adaptation selected for its stabilizing effect on chaotic population dynamics.
A Pilot Study: Fluid Intake and Bacteriuria in Nursing Home Residents in Southern Taiwan

Background:The significance of bacteriuria or urinary tract infection in incontinent residents and the association with fluid intake has not been explored fully. Objective:The aim of this study was to test whether or not increasing fluid intake changed the occurrence of bacteriuria in incontinent residents in nursing homes between baseline and 6-week follow-up. Methods:A quasiexperimental study with pretest and posttest design was conducted in six nursing homes in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. A 6-week increasing fluid regimen (n = 44) was tested against the maintenance group (n = 30). The intake and output checklist was used to record residents’ fluid intake, and bacteriuria was confirmed by a positive urine culture. Results:The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria was 29.7% at baseline and 17.6% at the 6-week follow-up. Despite higher percentage of reduction in bacteriuria noted in the increasing group (15.9% vs. 6.7%), increasing fluid intake to reduce the occurrence of bacteriuria was not statistically supported. Discussion:Adequate amount of fluid intake, participants’ characteristics, and components of a fluid regimen are major cautions in interpreting the preliminary results. Fluid intake could be the least harmful and the cheapest method to reduce susceptibility for bacteriuria. Combining behavioral approaches such as improving access to fluid or scheduled toileting may be beneficial in reducing the occurrence of bacteriuria in incontinent elders in nursing homes.
A protein‐truncating mutation in CYP17A1 in three sisters with early‐onset breast cancer

The hormonal etiology of breast cancer is well‐established. Many studies have assessed whether polymorphisms in steroid hormone metabolism genes are associated with breast cancer risk. We measured the CYP17A1 –34T>C (c.–34T>C) promoter polymorphism in a population‐based study of 1,404 Australian women with breast cancer diagnosed before age 60 years (case probands), 1,903 relatives, and 788 controls. Within‐family analyses suggested the CC genotype was associated with, on average, a small increased risk. This finding appeared to be influenced by the families of three early‐onset case probands with multiple affected sisters. CYP17A1 mutation screening revealed a case proband diagnosed at age 38 years who had a germline protein‐truncating mutation (c.775C>T, p.Arg239X), which results in a nonfunctional enzyme and has been reported in a male compound heterozygote with 17 α‐hydroxylase deficiency. This mutation was carried by both sisters diagnosed with breast cancer at ages 34 and 42 years, but not by a 57‐year‐old unaffected sister. It was not found in any of the other tested case probands (48 with multiple‐affected relatives and 241 randomly selected) or controls. This study suggests there may be rare mutations in steroid hormone metabolism genes associated with a high dominantly‐inherited breast cancer risk, and demonstrates how “high‐risk susceptibility genes” might be discovered using population‐based case–control‐family studies. Hum Mutat 26(4), 298–302, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mass Spectrometric Characterization of Proteins Extracted from Jurkat T Cell Detergent-Resistant Membrane Domains

Plasma membranes of most cell types are thought to contain microdomains commonly referred to as lipid rafts, biochemically distinct from bulk plasma membrane and apparently enriched for proteins involved in signal transduction. In T cells, it is believed that lipid rafts aggregate at the site of T cell receptor engagement and act as foci for initiation of the signaling process. In order to gain insight into the possible functioning of lipid rafts, we applied microcapillary liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (μLC-ESI-MS/MS) methodologies to the identification of proteins which co-purified with lipid rafts. Following isolation of lipid rafts as Triton-insoluble, low-density membrane fractions from Jurkat T cells, tryptic digests were generated of electrophoretically-resolved, individual protein bands. Alternatively, avidin-affinity purification was used to isolate cysteine-containing peptides from total tryptic digests of unseparated lipid raft proteins following protein labeling with a cysteine-specific biotinylation reagent. In both cases, protein identifications were made by comparison of tandem mass spectra, generated by μLC-ESI-MS/MS, with both protein and DNA sequence databases using Sequest software. Proteins identified essentially fell into two groups: cytoskeletal proteins and proteins involved in signal transduction. These findings are discussed in light of the current understanding of both lipid-raft biology and signal transduction.
STAT‐5 is activated constitutively in T cells, B cells and monocytes from patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome

The expression and phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription‐1 (STAT‐1) have been shown to be markedly increased in the salivary gland epithelial cells of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). The present aim was to investigate the activation status of different STAT proteins in peripheral blood (PB) lymphocytes and monocytes, and their correlations with clinical parameters in patients with pSS. To this end, PB samples were drawn from 16 patients with active pSS and 16 healthy blood donors, and the phosphorylation of STAT‐1, ‐3, ‐4, ‐5 and ‐6 proteins was studied in T cells, B cells and monocytes using multi‐colour flow cytometry. In addition, mRNA expression of STAT molecules in PB mononuclear cells (PBMC) was studied with quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR). Basal phosphorylation of STAT‐5 was found to be significantly higher in PB T cells, B cells and monocytes in patients with pSS than in healthy controls. The expression of STAT‐5 mRNA was not increased in PBMC. pSTAT‐5 levels in B cells and monocytes showed a significant correlation with serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G levels and anti‐SSB antibody titres. Constitutive STAT‐5 activation in monocytes and CD4+ T cells was associated with purpura. There were no major differences in the activation of other STATs between pSS patients and healthy controls. In conclusion, STAT‐5 is activated constitutively in PB leucocytes in patients with pSS, and basal STAT‐5 phosphorylation seems to associate with hypergammaglobulinaemia, anti‐SSB antibody production and purpura.
Exploring presence in online learning through three forms of computer-mediated discourse analysis

ABSTRACT This case study examined patterns in online communication using computer-mediated discourse analysis to better understand how teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence are manifested in an online learning environment. The findings indicate that study participants actively participated in the discussion. The instructor and facilitators displayed high teaching presence through posting encouraging social words and maintaining a positive emotional tone, which created an open communication environment for student discussion. To promote students’ cognitive development, the acts that their words described included to “inform” and “elaborate” to help students construct knowledge by providing factual information and extending or embellishing upon points made. Students displayed social presence by using more social and positive emotion words, and tone, which signaled that they were satisfied with the discussion. Students’ cognitive presence was manifested through making claims, providing information and elaboration on posted comments.
International Low-Risk Investing

This article comprehensively examines the performance, investment behavior, and co-movement of minimum-volatility, low-volatility, and low-beta strategies in international markets. First, the authors identify the significant overweighting of non-cyclical stocks from the consumer staples and utilities sectors, relative to the market, as one of the main, industry-specific return drivers of all low-risk strategies. Second, minimum-volatility, low-volatility, and low-beta strategies produce similarly substantial and statistically significant CAPM and three-factor model alphas in the segments of developed markets and emerging markets over the complete sample period, before and after the recent financial crisis. However, during the crisis, there was no significant outperformance, though low-risk strategies could keep risk down. All low-risk strategies share general commonalities with small-cap and value strategies, except in the European market, where they resemble growth strategies. Third, minimum-volatility, low-volatility, and low-beta strategies generally exhibit large and significant co-movements across and within markets. The authors do not find compelling evidence that one strategy generally dominates another. They conclude that minimum-volatility, low-volatility, and low-beta strategies are equally beneficial for participating in low-risk investing around the world.
Comparison of Travel Time Estimation Using Analysis and Queuing Theory to Field Data Along Freeways

There are several methods available for analyzing freeway bottlenecks, including shockwave analysis, and queuing theory. Even though the two methods are interrelated, previous research has concluded that shockwave and queuing theory are fundamentally different in calculating travel time and delay, while others have shown that the results from the two methods are the same. The objective is to compare travel time estimation using two analytical methods to field-measured travel times. Flow and speed data in one-minute intervals were collected along two freeway sections in Philadelphia, PA. Travel times were collected by tracking unique vehicles along these sections. Results showed that for section 1, travel time using both queuing theory and shockwave analysis was underestimated compared to the field-measured travel time. For section 2, the estimated travel time was similar to the field-measured travel time.
The relationship between alcohol sales and assault in New South Wales, Australia.

AIMS This paper explores the relationship between alcohol sales and assault in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. DESIGN The design was a cross-sectional analysis of the relationship between alcohol sales and assault, taking into account spatial autocorrelation. SETTING The analyses were carried out separately on data from metropolitan Sydney and country NSW. PARTICIPANTS The unit of analysis was local government areas (178 in NSW). MEASUREMENTS The dependent variable was assault rates. The independent variables were overall alcohol sales and sales disaggregated by alcohol and outlet type and relevant demographic and socio-economic factors. FINDINGS Multiple regression analyses revealed a significant relationship between overall alcohol sales in an area and its incidence of assault for both Sydney and country NSW. There were few effects of outlet or alcohol type for Sydney, but the effect of alcohol sales from hotels and off-licences accounted for most of the alcohol-assault relationship for country NSW. CONCLUSIONS Although the current research cannot exclude an opportunity account of the role of alcohol in assault, the results are entirely consistent with alcohol consumption as a causal agent.
Strategies to Improve Inpatients' Quality of Bowel Preparation for Colonoscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and Aims Inpatients' bowel preparation before colonoscopy is frequently inadequate, and various interventions have been investigated to improve it, so far. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of various interventions to improve inpatients' colon preparation quality. Methods We systematically reviewed the literature for publications on interventions aiming to improve the quality of inpatients' colon preparation until June, 2018. Significant heterogeneity—measured with I 2—was detected at the level of P < 0.1. Adequacy rates were measured using inverse variance, and the size effect of different interventions was calculated using random effects model and expressed as odds ratio (OR). Results Seventeen studies enrolling 2733 inpatients were included. Overall, 67% (60-75%) of the participants achieved adequate colon cleansing (I 2 = 97%; P < 0.001). In six studies assessing the impact of educational interventions to patient/physician/nurse vs. no intervention, adequate bowel preparation was achieved in 77% (62-91%) vs. 50% (32-68%) of the patients (OR (95%CI) = 3.49 (1.67-7.28), P = 0.0009; I 2 = 74%; P = 0.002). Ten studies examined variations (qualitative and/or quantitative) in bowel preparation regimens with adequate preparation detected in 71% (60-81%) of the participants, and a single study examined the administration of preparation through an esophagogastroduodenoscope, resulting in adequate prep in 71% of the patients. Conclusions Despite several interventions, only two-thirds of inpatients achieve adequate colon preparation before colonoscopy. Educational interventions significantly improve inpatients' bowel preparation quality.
[Expression Profile of lncRNA NONHSAT040475 in Peripheral Blood Leukocytes of Healthy Persons].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the expression profile of lncRNA NONHSAT040475 in peripheral blood leukocytes of healthy persons. METHODS The peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected from 10 healthy volunteers, the CD3(+) T cells,CD19(+) B cells,CD56(+) NK cells and granulocytes were purified and sorted by flow cytometry. Then, the expression of lncRNA NONHSAT040475 in peripheral blood leukocyte subsets was detected by real-time quantitative PCR. RESULTS the expression levels of lncRNA NONHSAT040475 were various in lymphocyte subsets, its expression in B lymphocytes was significantly higher, as compared with T lymphocytes, while the expressions of lncRNA NONHSAT040475 in NK cells and granulocytes were relative low（P<0.01）. CONCLUSION lncRNA NONHSAT040475 is widely expressed in human peripheral blood leukocytes, and mainly expressed in B lymphocytes, therefore, laying the foundation for further study of B lymphocyte-related diseases. This study has brought a new opportunity for diagnosing and illustrating the molecular mechanism of hematologic disorder or autoimmune disease.