Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Local Convergence of the Proximal Point Algorithm and Multiplier Methods Without Monotonicity

This paper studies the convergence of the classical proximal point algorithm without assuming monotonicity of the underlying mapping. Practical conditions are given that guarantee the local convergence of the iterates to a solution ofT( x) ? 0, whereT is an arbitrary set-valued mapping from a Hilbert space to itself. In particular, when the problem is "nonsingular" in the sense thatT-1 has a Lipschitz localization around one of the solutions, local linear convergence is obtained. This kind of regularity property of variational inclusions has been extensively studied in the literature under the name ofstrong regularity, and it can be viewed as a natural generalization of classical constraint qualifications in nonlinear programming to more general problem classes. Combining the new convergence results with an abstract duality framework for variational inclusions, the author proves the local convergence of multiplier methods for a very general class of problems. This gives as special cases new convergence results for multiplier methods for nonmonotone variational inequalities and nonconvex nonlinear programming.
Using four different online media sources to forecast the crude oil price

This study looks for signals of economic awareness on online social media and tests their significance in economic predictions. The study analyses, over a period of 2 years, the relationship between the West Texas Intermediate daily crude oil price and multiple predictors extracted from Twitter; Google Trends; Wikipedia; and the Global Data on Events, Location and Tone (GDELT) database. Semantic analysis is applied to study the sentiment, emotionality and complexity of the language used. Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Explanatory Variable (ARIMAX) models are used to make predictions and to confirm the value of the study variables. Results show that the combined analysis of the four media platforms carries valuable information in making financial forecasting. Twitter language complexity, GDELT number of articles and Wikipedia page reads have the highest predictive power. This study also allows a comparison of the different fore-sighting abilities of each platform, in terms of how many days ahead a platform can predict a price movement before it happens. In comparison with previous work, more media sources and more dimensions of the interaction and of the language used are combined in a joint analysis.
Financial Inclusion and the Blueprint Financial Ecosystem in Poverty Reduction: An Exploratory Analysis

The developing world has rapid increase in economic wealth over the last two decades, thereby reducing poverty in many countries. However, poverty development strategies in several countries have not resulted in the desired outcomes. A key factor hindering the poor from improving their socioeconomic status is the lack of affordable financial services that cater for their needs. Many of them do not have collateral, and as such, are unable to acquire the relevant resources to help them move up the innovation value chain. Countries across the globe have established microfinance institutions (MFIs) to provide the poor with access to capital that would enable them to acquire credit, financial and management training, and network connection to other economic agents. The levels of success, however, vary across the ASEAN region. In this paper, the performance of ASEAN countries in providing the poor with access to financing is examined. This study will show that the financial ecosystem to support business development in Malaysia is significantly higher than that of other developing countries within ASEAN. Key strategies to improve the financial ecosystem for marginalised communities are discussed in this paper. Lessons from the Malaysian case study will provide valuable insights to other developing countries in the formulation of an effective financial inclusive strategy to reduce poverty.
Extracellular Vesicles Exploit Viral Entry Routes for Cargo Delivery

SUMMARY Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as crucial mediators of intercellular communication, being involved in a wide array of key biological processes. Eukaryotic cells, and also bacteria, actively release heterogeneous subtypes of EVs into the extracellular space, where their contents reflect their (sub)cellular origin and the physiologic state of the parent cell. Within the past 20 years, presumed subtypes of EVs have been given a rather confusing diversity of names, including exosomes, microvesicles, ectosomes, microparticles, virosomes, virus-like particles, and oncosomes, and these names are variously defined by biogenesis, physical characteristics, or function. The latter category, functions, in particular the transmission of biological signals between cells in vivo and how EVs control biological processes, has garnered much interest. EVs have pathophysiological properties in cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, infectious disease, and cardiovascular disease, highlighting possibilities not only for minimally invasive diagnostic applications but also for therapeutic interventions, like macromolecular drug delivery. Yet, in order to pursue therapies involving EVs and delivering their cargo, a better grasp of EV targeting is needed. Here, we review recent progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning EV uptake by receptor-ligand interactions with recipient cells, highlighting once again the overlap of EVs and viruses. Despite their highly heterogeneous nature, EVs require common viral entry pathways, and an unanticipated specificity for cargo delivery is being revealed. We discuss the challenges ahead in delineating specific roles for EV-associated ligands and cellular receptors.
Natural course of sensitization to hen's egg in children not previously exposed to egg ingestion.

BACKGROUND Clinical adverse reactions to egg may occur in infants or children who have never eaten egg. They may be sensitized or even react at first egg ingestion. Few studies are available concerning the reality of egg white allergy in such sensitized children, the natural evolution of this condition and the appropriate decisions to make. OBJECTIVES To analyze the actuality and natural course of egg allergy in children sensitized without previous of hen's egg ingestion. METHODS We set up a clinical decision tree based on clinical history and specific egg white IgE to manage patients who had never ingested egg but were sensitized as demonstrated by a positive SPT and report a cohort of 30 such children RESULTS The mean level of egg white specific IgE at first analysis, i.e. before 12 months, was high, 28.3 KU(A) /L, with a large range, from 0.6 to >100 KU(A) /L, below 6 KU(A) /L in only 8 patients. In 6 children ("no challenge" group), IgE values remained >8 KU(A) /L by the end of the survey and the oral challenge with egg was always denied. Their mean + SD IgE level was at 51.7 + 38 KU(A) /L at 1 year and 19.7 + 13 KU(A) /L at a mean age of 34 + 5 months. All had an associated anaphylactic reaction with milk and 5 were still allergic to milk by the end of the survey. In the remaining 24 infants, egg was given for the first time at a mean age of 30 + 9 months, by error in 4 cases, all exhibiting an immediate reaction, and in a hospital setting in 20, among whom 14 reacted. Among those 18, with a specific IgE level at 9.1 + 10 KU(A) /L at 28 + 9 months, 4 became tolerant between 3 and 4 years, with specific IgE levels below 1.3 KU(A) /L and a 5th one with specific IgE >100 KU(A) /L at 6 months tolerated scrambled eggs at age 7 year, with specific IgE at 2.6 KU(A) /L. In the 6 others, labeled "non allergic", egg white specific IgE levels were significantly lower, whatever the age, than in the "no challenge" group. The age at challenge was 35 + 8 months, with a mean specific IgE level at 1.0 + 0.9 KU(A) /L. CONCLUSION In children sensitized to egg without previous ingestion of that food, egg tolerance appears probably in some by the age of 3 but may reveal much more prolonged in a limited number.
An Examination of the Joint Impacts of Review Content and Reviewer Characteristics on Review Usefulness - the Case of Yelp.com

We examine the interaction effects of review content (certainty) and reviewer characteristics (popularity and expertise) on consumer judgment of review usefulness. Utilizing an extended Poisson regression model, we empirically tested the joint impacts based on 5426 reviews from Yelp.com about 968 restaurants. Our results indicate that (1) reviewer popularity negatively interacts with certainty to affect review usefulness and (2) in contrast, reviewer expertise positively interacts with certainty to affect review usefulness. These findings add new insights into online review research and offer practical implications for online review platforms.
Beyond the "device as portal": meeting the requirements of wireless and mobile devices in the legion grid computing system

Grid computing is an emerging paradigm in which resources in multiple organizations are combined into a single, seamless computing environment. As the storage, processing, and networking capabilities of wireless and mobile devices continue to expand, there will soon be the ability to use such devices as first-class compute- and data-servers (albeit for restricted problem sizes). However, without the proper software architecture for Grid computing, such devices will continue to be only usable as Web portals to high-power backend servers. This paper describes the unique capabilities of the Legion Grid computing infrastructure that will directly support these next-generation, powerful devices as first-class entities.
Ertapenem: the new carbapenem 5 years after first FDA licensing for clinical practice

Ertapenem, a parenteral broad-spectrum 1-β-methyl-carbapenem, was licensed 5 years ago for clinical practice in the US and Europe. The substance has a good in vitro activity against many common aerobic and anaerobic Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. Its in vitro activity against Enterobacteriaceae carrying plasmid- or chromosomal-mediated β-lactamases, including AmpC- and extended-spectrum β-lactamases, is especially clinically significant. Advantages concerning in vitro activity and low potential for so-called ‘collateral damage’, and development of own resistance during therapy, as shown in several randomized, controlled clinical trials, make ertapenem an excellent treatment choice for complicated aerobic and anaerobic mix infections caused by ertapenem-sensitive bacteria. On the other hand, due to its limited activity against Acinetobacter spp. , enterococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, it is less suitable for late-onset nosocomial infections. International guidelines recommend the initial empirical use of ertapenem for intra-abdominal infections, skin and skin-structure infections, acute pelvic infections, complicated urinary tract infections and pneumonia (both community-acquired and ‘early-onset’ nosocomial) in a dose of 1.0 g administered once daily. However, recent results from pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modelling studies in critically ill patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia and adipose volunteers with a body mass index of ≥ 20 kg/m2 showed that the standard dose of 1.0 g/day may not provide adequate free, protein-unbound drug concentrations in plasma and organ tissues. Therefore, a shortening of the dosage interval or continuous infusion of ertapenem should be considered to ensure optimal free concentrations in these particular populations.
Defective triggering of secondary peristalsis in patients with non‐erosive reflux disease

Background and Aim: The pathophysiology of non‐erosive reflux disease is poorly understood. Triggering of secondary peristalsis is impaired in patients with erosive esophagitis but data in patients with non‐erosive reflux disease are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the difference in esophageal motility between patients with non‐erosive reflux disease and healthy subjects.
Effects of different anesthesia protocols on lactation in the postpartum period.

OBJECTIVE Many factors can influence the secretion of breast milk. Cesarean section is a risk factor for late onset of breastfeeding. MATERIAL AND METHODS In our study, we compared the lactation process by mothers who underwent elective cesarean section under general anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, epidural anesthesia, and normal birth; 84 patients between 18-40 years of age with a risk of ASA I-II were included. Randomly patients were divided into four groups: group G (general anesthesia, n:21), group S (spinal anesthesia, n:21), group E (epidural anesthesia, n:21), and group V (vaginal birth, without anesthesia, n:21). Oxytocin and prolactin values of all patients before and after operation or birth were recorded. In addition the initiation time of lactation after delivery or cesarean section were recorded. RESULTS In all groups, there were no significant differences among hormone levels in the prepartum period (p=0.350). Prolactin levels in group G (p=0.011) and oxytocin levels in group V (p=0.012) in the postpartum period were significantly higher than in the other groups. The start of lactation was significantly delayed in group G (p=0.003). CONCLUSION We consider that the onset time of lactation is delayed in patients undergoing cesarean section with general anesthesia when compared with patients who undergo cesarean section with spinal and epidural anesthesia and with patients who undergo normal vaginal birth. Because of the delay of awakening and recovery of cognitive functions in general anesthesia, communication between the mother and the newborn is delayed and so is the lactation.
Factors affecting final facial nerve outcome following vestibular schwannoma surgery.

OBJECTIVE To determine factors affecting facial nerve outcome of vestibular schwannoma surgery. METHODS This retrospective cohort study comprised 652 patients. The outcome measure was House-Brackmann classification at two years post-operatively. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to determine the factors affecting facial nerve outcome. The incidence rates of hemifacial spasm, metallic taste and crocodile tear syndrome were recorded. RESULTS For tumours less than 1.5 cm, 95 per cent of outcomes were normal, 100 per cent were satisfactory (House-Brackmann grades I-III) and 0 per cent were unsatisfactory (grades IV-VI). For tumours 1.5-2.4 cm, 83 per cent of outcomes were normal, 99 per cent were satisfactory and 1 per cent were unsatisfactory. For tumours 2.5-3.4 cm, 68 per cent of outcomes were normal, 96 per cent were satisfactory and 4 per cent were unsatisfactory. For tumours 3.5-4.4 cm, 52 per cent of outcomes were normal, 80 per cent were satisfactory and 20 per cent were unsatisfactory. For tumours larger than 4.4 cm, 50 per cent of outcomes were normal, 72 per cent were satisfactory and 28 per cent were unsatisfactory. CONCLUSION Tumour size and operation year were significant predictors of facial nerve outcome. The surgical learning curve was steepest for the first 50 patients.
Revisiting Request for Adminship (RfA) within Wikipedia: How Do User Contributions Instill Community Trust?

Research into successful Request for Adminship (RfA) within Wikipedia is primarily focused on the impact of the relationship between adminship candidates and voters on RfA success. Very few studies, however, have investigated how candidates’ contributions may predict their success in the RfA process. In this study, we examine the impact of content and social contributions as well as total contributions made by adminship candidates on the community's overall decision as to whether to promote the candidate to administrator. We also assess the influence of clarity of contribution on RfA success. To do so, we collected data on 754 RfA cases and used logistic regression to test four hypotheses. Our results highlight the important role that user contribution behaviors and activity history have on the user’s success in the RfA process. The results also suggest that tenure and number of RfA attempts play a role in the RfA process. Our findings have implications for theory and practice.
L-arginine-derived nitric oxide: a major determinant of uveal blood flow.

The effect of inhibition of the L-arginine-nitric oxide pathway on regional ocular blood flow was studied in anaesthetized Beagle dogs. Under control conditions (mean arterial blood pressure 105 +/- 6 mmHg) trapping of 11 and 15-microns-diameter tracer microspheres revealed the following regional blood flows (ml min-1 g-1): retina 0.065 +/- 0.016, choroid 5.72 +/- 0.32, ciliary body 0.77 +/- 0.11, iris 0.18 +/- 0.04. After i.v. infusion of nitro-L-arginine methylester (20 mg kg-1), a potent inhibitor of nitric oxide production from L-arginine, mean arterial blood pressure increased from 105 +/- 6 mmHg by 19% to a new steady-state level of 125 +/- 7 mmHg. This increase of arterial blood pressure extended over 3 hr and was reversible after i.v. infusion of L-arginine (100 mg kg-1 over 10 min). Despite the increase in blood pressure following infusion of nitro-L-arginine methylester blood flow of choroid, ciliary body, and iris were significantly decreased by 40, 40 and 48%, respectively. Retinal blood flow did not change significantly (-12%). These results suggest that the L-arginine-nitric oxide pathway is of major importance for the adjustment of uveal blood flow under resting physiological conditions.
Characterization of Statical Properties of Rat's Whisker System

This contribution describes mechanical properties of the whisker system of rats. The motivation for the work was to achieve a better understanding of the functionality of this remarkable sense organ by defining structure-function-correlations. Special features of the different types of whisker are interpreted in terms of their morphological background, e.g., object recognition and texture discrimination. The whiskers are found to be conical in shape. Theoretical considerations of rod types reveal certain advantages of conically shaped rods over cylindrical rods. There is a difference in deformation, with the higher values applying to conical rods. Whiskers have a very flexible tip which is sensitive to very small forces. Uniaxial bending tests using actual whiskers were performed to characterize the static parameters. From experimental data obtained, the spring constant, the Young's modulus and the flexural stiffness are calculated. Young's modulus is one standard parameter for the characterization of materials. It was found that this can be regarded as constant along the whiskers with an average value of 7.36 GPa. Flexural stiffness was found to depend on the hair diameter and decrease from base to tip. The short vibrissae exhibit the lowest flexural stiffness, which means they are sensitive to very small forces. The experimental results obtained might well be used as a basis for the optimization or the construction of bioinspired technical sensor systems.
The quality of maize silages from west region of Slovakia.

The aim of this work was to determine the quality of maize silages from Western Slovak Region analyzed in 2009 and 2010 on the Department of animal nutrition, Faculty of agrobiology and food resources, Slovak university of agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia. Maize silages were evaluated on the base of nutritional value, the result of fermentation process and silage quality according to Regulation of the Government of Slovak Republic no. 439/2006, appendix no.7, part C – Silage. We found in maize silages the average dry matter content 357.87 g.kg-1 (2009) and 340.00 g.kg-1 (2010) while only in 2010 samples had got 15.4 % of dry matter content below 300 g.kg-1. Content of crude fiber was lower than 260 g.kg-1 of dry matter in all samples. Higher content of acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber had maize silages from 2010. The average value of net energy of lactation was 6.32 MJ.kg-1 of dry matter (2009) and 6.27 MJ.kg-1 of dry matter (2010). Only in one sample from 2010 we found a lower lactic acid content than 10 g.kg-1 of original matter. Content of acetic acid was lower in silages from 2009 (24.33 g.kg-1 of dry matter) in comparison with silages from 2010 (28.92 g.kg-1 of dry matter). Undesirable butyric acid was not found in maize silages. The value of pH fluctuated from 3.52 to 3.80 (2009) and from 3.58 to 4.14 (2010). Only 17 % of evaluated samples satisfied the criteria for silage of I. class in 2009 and 23 % in 2010 mainly because of the higher acetic acid content.
Effects of amylin on glucose metabolism and glycogenolysis in vivo and in vitro.

The effects of amylin on glucose metabolism and glycogenolysis were examined in vivo and in vitro. Eighteen-hour-fasted rats were infused with 5 nmol.kg-1.min-1 amylin and [3-3H]glucose for 120 min. Blood glucose levels increased an average of 45% during the infusion. Glucose turnover measurements indicated that the overall rate of glucose appearance (Ra) did not change, but the metabolic clearance rate of glucose was decreased by 42%. Samples of liver, gastrocnemius, and soleus muscles were freeze-clamped at the end of the infusion period and analyzed for glycogen and glucose 6-phosphate levels. Glycogen levels were decreased in all tissue samples, whereas glucose 6-phosphate was elevated in gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Isolated soleus muscles were incubated in vitro with 200 microU/ml of insulin and 1, 10, or 100 nM amylin. Amylin treatment had no effect on 3-O-methyl-D-glucose transport; however, 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake was inhibited by 33 or 48% at 10 or 100 nM amylin, respectively. Glycogen levels were also decreased after treatment with 10 and 100 nM amylin. Glucose 6-phosphate levels were not affected by amylin treatment in the presence of insulin but were increased nearly twofold in its absence. The data suggest that amylin stimulates glycogenolysis and inhibits glucose uptake both in vivo and in vitro and that the inhibition of glucose uptake is due to inhibition of glucose phosphorylation (i.e., hexokinase).
Impulse control differences between abstinent heroin users and matched controls

Objective : Heroin use has been associated with increased impulsive behaviour. This study examined the lasting effect of heroin use on impulse control in a group of ex-heroin addicts. Research design and method : Twenty-eight men, 14 ex-heroin addicts and 14 matched controls, participated in this study. The impulse control ability between the two groups was compared. Each participant was individually interviewed for demographic data and testing of their impulse control ability using the Porteus Maze Test. Results : The findings indicated that the ex-heroin addicts performed significantly more poorly on the measure of impulse control than the matched controls. Conclusions : This observation suggests that the adverse effect of heroin on impulse control may be long lasting. Alternative explanations for the findings were also discussed.