Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling the Evolution of Users’ Preferences and Social Links in Social Networking Services

Sociologists have long converged that the evolution of a Social Networking Service(SNS) is driven by the interplay between users’ preferences (reflected in user-item interaction behavior) and the social network structure (reflected in user-user interaction behavior). Nevertheless, traditional approaches either modeled these two kinds of behaviors in isolation or relied on a static assumption of a SNS. Thus, it is still unclear how do the roles of the dynamic social network structure and users’ historical preferences affect the evolution of SNSs. Furthermore, can transforming the underlying social theories in the platform evolution modeling process benefit both behavior prediction tasks? In this paper, we incorporate the underlying social theories to explain and model the evolution of users’ two kinds of behaviors in SNSs. Specifically, we present two kinds of representations for users’ behaviors: a direct (latent) representation that presumes users’ behaviors are represented directly (latently) by their historical behaviors. Under each representation, we associate each user's two kinds of behaviors with two vectors at each time. Then, for each representation, we propose the corresponding learning model to fuse the interplay between users’ two kinds of behaviors. Finally, extensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed models for both user preference prediction and social link suggestion.
Waxy Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: monocellular algal mutants defective in amylose biosynthesis and granule-bound starch synthase activity accumulate a structurally modified amylopectin

Amylose-defective mutants were selected after UV mutagenesis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells. Two recessive nuclear alleles of the ST-2 gene led to the disappearance not only of amylose but also of a fraction of the amylopectin. Granule-bound starch synthase activities were markedly reduced in strains carrying either st-2-1 or st-2-2, as is the case for amylose-deficient (waxy) endosperm mutants of higher plants. The main 76-kDa protein associated with the starch granule was either missing or greatly diminished in both mutants, while st-2-1-carrying strains displayed a novel 56-kDa major protein. Methylation and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of wild-type algal storage polysaccharide revealed a structure identical to that of higher-plant starch, while amylose-defective mutants retained a modified amylopectin fraction. We thus propose that the waxy gene product conditions not only the synthesis of amylose from endosperm storage tissue in higher-plant amyloplasts but also that of amylose and a fraction of amylopectin in all starch-accumulating plastids. The nature of the ST-2 (waxy) gene product with respect to the granule-bound starch synthase activities is discussed.
Interindividual variability in acetaminophen glucuronidation by human liver microsomes: identification of relevant acetaminophen UDP-glucuronosyltransferase isoforms.

Interindividual variability in acetaminophen (APAP) glucuronidation may contribute to differences in susceptibility to APAP intoxication in humans. The purpose of this study was to identify the relevant UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms mediating APAP-UGT activity in human liver microsomes (HLMs). APAP-UGT activities and enzyme kinetics were determined using HLMs from 56 donors and nine recombinant human UGTs. Activities mediated by UGT1A1, UGT1A4, UGT1A9, and UGT2B7, and relative UGT1A6 protein content were quantified using 20 livers. More than 15-fold variation in liver microsomal APAP-UGT activities was observed with a distribution skewed toward lower activities. Although most UGTs could glucuronidate APAP, UGT1A1, UGT1A6, and UGT1A9 were most active. UGT1A6 was a relatively high-affinity (K(m) = 2.2 mM), low-capacity enzyme; UGT1A1 was intermediate in affinity (K(m) = 9.4 mM) and capacity; and UGT1A9 was a low-affinity (K(m) = 21 mM), high-capacity enzyme. K(m) values were similar to UGT1A1 in high- and intermediate-activity HLMs (6-10 mM) and UGT1A9 in low-activity HLMs (10-55 mM). APAP-UGT activities correlated best with propofol-UGT (r = 0.85; UGT1A9) and bilirubin-UGT (r = 0.66; UGT1A1) activities, but poorly with UGT1A6 protein (r = 0.30). A kinetic model was constructed from these data that identified UGT1A9 as the predominant APAP-UGT (>55% total activity) in HLMs over a clinically relevant APAP concentration range (50 microM-5 mM). UGT1A1 was also predicted to contribute substantially at toxic concentrations (>1 mM; >28% activity), whereas UGT1A6 was most active at relatively low concentrations (<50 microM; >29% activity).
Template-based automatic breast segmentation on MRI by excluding the chest region.

PURPOSE Methods for quantification of breast density on MRI using semiautomatic approaches are commonly used. In this study, the authors report on a fully automatic chest template-based method. METHODS Nonfat-suppressed breast MR images from 31 healthy women were analyzed. Among them, one case was randomly selected and used as the template, and the remaining 30 cases were used for testing. Unlike most model-based breast segmentation methods that use the breast region as the template, the chest body region on a middle slice was used as the template. Within the chest template, three body landmarks (thoracic spine and bilateral boundary of the pectoral muscle) were identified for performing the initial V-shape cut to determine the posterior lateral boundary of the breast. The chest template was mapped to each subject's image space to obtain a subject-specific chest model for exclusion. On the remaining image, the chest wall muscle was identified and excluded to obtain clean breast segmentation. The chest and muscle boundaries determined on the middle slice were used as the reference for the segmentation of adjacent slices, and the process continued superiorly and inferiorly until all 3D slices were segmented. The segmentation results were evaluated by an experienced radiologist to mark voxels that were wrongly included or excluded for error analysis. RESULTS The breast volumes measured by the proposed algorithm were very close to the radiologist's corrected volumes, showing a % difference ranging from 0.01% to 3.04% in 30 tested subjects with a mean of 0.86% ± 0.72%. The total error was calculated by adding the inclusion and the exclusion errors (so they did not cancel each other out), which ranged from 0.05% to 6.75% with a mean of 3.05% ± 1.93%. The fibroglandular tissue segmented within the breast region determined by the algorithm and the radiologist were also very close, showing a % difference ranging from 0.02% to 2.52% with a mean of 1.03% ± 1.03%. The total error by adding the inclusion and exclusion errors ranged from 0.16% to 11.8%, with a mean of 2.89% ± 2.55%. CONCLUSIONS The automatic chest template-based breast MRI segmentation method worked well for cases with different body and breast shapes and different density patterns. Compared to the radiologist-established truth, the mean difference in segmented breast volume was approximately 1%, and the total error by considering the additive inclusion and exclusion errors was approximately 3%. This method may provide a reliable tool for MRI-based segmentation of breast density.
Histological classification of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancers in SEER registries.

UNLABELLED Clear definitions of histological groups are essential for studies of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancers. Thus, we developed a classification system based on abstracted information on histologies of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancers diagnosed during 1978-2007 within all Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries. Of 61,990 reported primary liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancers, 108 distinct ICD-O histology codes were identified. During the 5 recent years of diagnosis, 2003-2007, the leading histological groups were hepatocellular carcinoma (75%) and cholangiocarcinoma (12%). The remaining categories were other specified (3%) and poorly specified carcinomas (3%), hepatoblastomas (1%), sarcomas (1%), embryonal sarcomas (0.1%), other specified malignancies (0.05%), and poorly specified malignancies (5%). During 2003-2007, only 68% of diagnoses were microscopically confirmed. Factors contributing to incomplete histological classification may include reluctance to obtain diagnostic specimens from late stage cases and administration of therapy in lieu of histological confirmation after positive diagnostic imaging. CONCLUSION The proposed histological classification in this report may facilitate studies of primary liver cancers. This is of value because the inconsistent characterization of some cancers, particularly cholangiocarcinomas, may affect interpretation of incidence trends. Incomplete histological characterization of hepatocellular carcinomas was noted in this report. It is likely to be explained by guidelines affirming the use of non-invasive diagnostic and treatment procedures for this cancer.
Determinants of Islamic banks’ profitability: international evidence

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to investigate the determinants of Islamic banks’ profitability using longitudinal data from 1992 to 2008 of almost all Islamic banks in the world. Design/methodology/approach An unbalanced panel data fixed-effects regression model was used. Findings The results of the study indicate that capital ratio, other operating income, GDP per capita, bank size, concentration and oil prices affected Islamic banks positively. Insurance schemes, foreign ownership and real GDP growth affected Islamic banks negatively. Research limitations/implications This study did not include data beyond 2008 (the financial crisis), which can be considered a limitation to this study. However, evidence suggests that including data beyond 2008 would not have changed the outcome of the study[1]. Originality/value The paper adds to the literature on the determinants of Islamic banks’ profitability for the reasons mentioned above. In addition, this study used a purified sample of Islamic banks (see the Data section for details). Furthermore, to the author’s knowledge, this is the first time deposit insurance has been included in a study related to Islamic banks’ profitability.
Analysis of cervical lesions for presence of HSV-2 and HPV-16 and HPV-18 in Iranian patients by PCR

Abstract Objective Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the leading causes of deaths from cancer among women worldwide. Viral infections is now one of the known risk factors for CC. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), human papilloma virus types 16 (HPV-16) and human papilloma virus types 18 (HPV-18) in Iranian patients with CC using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Materials and methods This case-control study was conducted on a total of 45 patients with CC from Khatam-Al-Anbiya Hospital, Hamadan, Iran during 2014, and 30 samples from healthy subjects as controls. The presence of HSV-2 and HPV-16/18 DNA sequences was detected by PCR. Results Eight of CC patients (17.77%) had HPV-16/18 DNA and only one patient (2.22%) with HSV-2 was identified. These viruses were not detected in control cases. Among HPV-16/18 positive patients, 62.5% and 37.5% biopsies were positive for HPV-16 and HPV-18, respectively. On the other hand, only one case (2.22%) was positive for HPV-16/18, but HSV-2 and this co-infection was not detected in the control group. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that there was no direct molecular evidence to support a cofactor relationship between HSV-2 and HPV-16/18 in cervical malignancies. However, the results about HPV-16/18 was in accordance with previous studies.
Mathematical and numerical modeling of moving inhomogeneous weakly ionized gas-plasma flows for determination of target scattered fields

The electrodynamic models of scattered fields of moving inhomogeneous weakly ionized plasma media are based on the study of its gas dynamic and plasma physical properties. The solution of different radio physical (radar) problems requires the determination of the electron density distribution over jet volume. Such distributions have been obtained by the help of presented in this paper full and simplified analytical and numerical models of gas dynamical jet in air wake. It has been detected that these distributions are not connected with the gas density distribution and are determined by the temperature distribution. The developed model allows simulating the jet behaviour with high enough accuracy. The calculations of spatial electron density distribution in the wide range of flight velocities and power plant parameters and for different regimes of jet effluxes in ambient space were performed.
Three-Dimensional Optical Sensing and Visualization Using Integral Imaging

Three-dimensional (3-D) optical image sensing and visualization technologies have been researched extensively for different applications in fields as diverse as entertainment, medical sciences, robotics, manufacturing, and defense. In many instances, the capabilities of 3-D imaging and display systems have revolutionized the progress of these disciplines, enabling new detection/display abilities that would not have been otherwise possible. As one of the promising methods in the area of 3-D sensing and display, integral imaging offers passive and relatively inexpensive way to capture 3-D information and to visualize it optically or computationally. The integral imaging technique belongs to the broader class of multiview imaging techniques and is based on a century old principle which has only been resurrected in the past decade owing to advancement of optoelectronic image sensors as well as the exponential increase in computing power. In this paper, historic and physical foundations of integral imaging are overviewed; different optical pickup and display schemes are discussed and system parameters and performance metrics are described. In addition, computational methods for reconstruction and range estimation are presented and several applications including 3-D underwater imaging, near infra red passive sensing, imaging in photon-starved environments, and 3-D optical microscopy are discussed among others.
Volunteering, Match Quality, and Internet Use

Abstract We use boosted regression trees to study the interplay between match quality and Internet use of volunteers. Match quality reflects the congruence of volunteers’ motives for doing volunteer work and their utility experiences. Using data from an online survey questionnaire of volunteers working for the German Red Cross, we find a positive correlation between match quality and social media use and, to a lesser extent, the intensity of volunteering-related Internet use. We study the relative importance of Internet use and other control variables for match quality, the partial dependence of match quality on Internet use and the control variables, and the interaction of Internet use with the control variables. JEL Codes: H41, J22, L31
Characteristics of early colorectal carcinoma with lymph node metastatic disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Endoscopic resection may safely and effectively remove early colorectal cancers. However, additional surgical treatment is needed in cases with metastatic lymph nodes for curative treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between lymph node metastasis and various pathological parameters in early colorectal cancers. METHODOLOGY The clinicopathological records of 3,557 colorectal adenocarcinoma patients who underwent surgical resection at the Samsung Medical Center from August 1995 to June 2005 were reviewed. One hundred forty seven tissue samples with early colorectal cancer were used in this study. Various parameters were studied including gender, location, macroscopic appearance, differentiation, lymphatic tumor emboli, and the depth of tumor invasion. RESULTS Twenty five patients (17.0%) had lymph node metastasis. Male gender, left colon, macroscopically depressed lesions, moderately or poorly differentiated carcinoma, depth of tumor invasion (Sm2 or Sm3), and presence of lymphatic tumor emboli were the risk factors for lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS Early colorectal cancers with male gender, location in the left colon, macroscopically depressed lesion, moderate or poor differentiation, depth in Sm2 or Sm3, and the presence of lymphatic tumor emboli have higher risk of lymph node metastasis than those without. The early colorectal cancers with these risk factors should have surgical resection.
Comparison of pulmonary inflammatory responses following intratracheal instillation and inhalation of nanoparticles

Abstract In order to examine whether intratracheal instillation studies can be useful for determining the harmful effect of nanoparticles, we performed inhalation and intratracheal instillation studies using samples of the same nanoparticles. Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2) were used as chemicals with high and low toxicities, respectively. In the intratracheal instillation study, rats were exposed to 0.2 or 1 mg of NiO or TiO2. Cell analysis and chemokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analyzed from 3 days to 6 months following the single intratracheal instillation. In the inhalation study, rats were exposed to inhaled NiO or TiO2 (1.65, 1.84 mg/m3, respectively) for 4 weeks. The same endpoints were examined from 3 days to 3 months after the end of exposure. Inhalation of NiO induced an increase in the number of neutrophils in BALF and concentrations of cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC)-1, CINC-2 and heme oxygenase (HO)-1. Intratracheal instillation of NiO induced persistent inflammation and upregulation of these cytokines was observed in the rats. However, inhalation of TiO2 did not induce pulmonary inflammation, and intratracheal instillation of TiO2 transiently induced an increase in the number of neutrophils in BALF and the concentrations of CINC-1, CINC-2 and HO-1. Taken together, a difference in pulmonary inflammation was observed between the high and low toxicity nanomaterials in the intratracheal instillation studies, as in the inhalation studies, suggesting that intratracheal instillation studies may be useful for ranking the harmful effects of nanoparticles.
Mutational Analysis of Conserved Residues in the Putative DNA-Binding Domain of the Response Regulator Spo0A ofBacillus subtilis

ABSTRACT The Spo0A protein of Bacillus subtilis is a DNA-binding protein that is required for the expression of genes involved in the initiation of sporulation. Spo0A binds directly to and both activates and represses transcription from the promoters of several genes required during the onset of endospore formation. The C-terminal 113 residues are known to contain the DNA-binding activity of Spo0A. Previous studies identified a region of the C-terminal half of Spo0A that is highly conserved among species of endospore-formingBacillus and Clostridium and which encodes a putative helix-turn-helix DNA-binding domain. To test the functional significance of this region and determine if this motif is involved in DNA binding, we changed three conserved residues, S210, E213, and R214, to Gly and/or Ala by site-directed mutagenesis. We then isolated and analyzed the five substitution-containing Spo0A proteins for DNA binding and sporulation-specific gene activation. The S210A Spo0A mutant exhibited no change from wild-type binding, although it was defective in spoIIA and spoIIE promoter activation. In contrast, both the E213G and E213A Spo0A variants showed decreased binding and completely abolished transcriptional activation of spoIIA and spoIIE, while the R214G and R214A variants completely abolished both DNA binding and transcriptional activation. These data suggest that these conserved residues are important for transcriptional activation and that the E213 residue is involved in DNA binding.
Relationship between electrical-tribological behavior and properties of sliding surfaces of copper containing diamond-like carbon nanocomposite coated plate and brass ball

Reducing the electrical contact resistance (ECR) and the coefficient of friction (CoF) are major technological requirements for sliding contacts. This report provides electrical-tribological characteristics of a Copper containing Diamond-like Carbon (Cu-DLC) nanocomposite coating deposited on a brass plate, investigated by using a ball/plate reciprocating tribometer. The counterpart was a brass ball. While the initial ECR was hundreds of milliohms, it gradually decreased with cycles and reached approximately 2 milliohms after 600 cycles. CoF started below 0.35 and decreased progressively, and stabilized around 0.25 after 600 cycles. The good electrical-tribological characteristics lasted up to approximately 7500 cycles and CoF increased rapidly after. Sliding surfaces at different cycles were analyzed by optical microscope, laser-scanning microscope, EDX, TEM and nanoindentation. The results of analyses revealed that a copper-rich tribofilm was built up on the ball, which grew with cycles. The Cu-DLC wore gradually and its substrate was exposed after less than 1000 cycles. Nevertheless, detrimental effects were not observed either on ECR or on CoF up to 7500 cycles. The unique structures and properties of the tribofilm and the worn Cu-DLC surface are discussed, attempting to account for their key roles on the good characteristics.
The Effects of Structural Complexity on Age-Related Deficits in Implicit Probabilistic Sequence Learning.

OBJECTIVE The primary objective was to determine whether age deficits in implicit sequence learning occur not only for second-order probabilistic regularities (event n - 2 predicts n), as reported earlier, but also for first-order regularities (event n - 1 predicts event n). A secondary goal was to determine whether age differences in learning vary with level of structure. METHOD Younger and older adults completed a nonmotor sequence learning task containing either a first- or second-order structure. Learning scores were calculated for each subject and compared to address our research objectives. RESULTS Age deficits in implicit learning emerged not only for second-order probabilistic structure, but also for simple, first-order structure. In addition, age differences did not vary significantly with structure; both first and second order yielded similar age deficits. DISCUSSION These findings are consistent with the view that there is an associative binding deficit in aging and that this deficit occurs for implicit as well as explicit learning and across simple and more complex sequence structures.