Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Progress in the development of b -lactams as N -Acylethanolamine Acid Amidase (NAAA) inhibitors: Synthesis and SAR study of new, potent N - O -substituted derivatives European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

The anti-in ﬂ ammatory effects resulting from raising the levels of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), an endogenous bioactive lipid, led to envisage N -Acylethanolamine Acid Amidase (NAAA), the cysteine hydrolase mainly responsible for PEA degradation, as an attractive target for small molecule inhibitors. Previous work in our group identi ﬁ ed serine-derived b -lactams as potent and systemically active inhibitors of NAAA activity. Aiming to expand the SAR study around this class of compounds, we inves- tigated the effect of the substitution on the endocyclic nitrogen by designing and synthesizing a series of N -substituted b -lactams. The present work describes the synthesis of new N - O -alkyl and N - O -aryl substituted b -lactams and reports the results of the structure activity relationship ( SAR ) study leading to the discovery of a novel, single-digit nanomolar NAAA inhibitor ( 37 ). Compound 37 was shown in vitro to inhibit human NAAA via S -acylation of the catalytic cysteine, and to display very good selectivity vs. human Acid Ceramidase, a cysteine amidase structurally related to NAAA. Preliminary in vivo studies showed that compound 37 , administered topically, reduced paw edema and heat hyperalgesia in a carrageenan-induced in ﬂ ammation mouse model. The high in vitro potency of 37 as NAAA inhibitor, and its encouraging in vivo activity qualify this compound as a new tool for the study of the role of NAAA in in ﬂ ammatory and pain states.
Forecasting Bond Risk Premia with Machine Learning

This paper investigates the use of machine learning techniques for forecasting bond returns. A previous literature has documented that neural networks achieve positive predictive power, as opposed to principal-component regressions and tree-based methods. We show that this literature does not take into account issues such as nonstationarity and model uncertainty and is infeasible due to the use of information that is not available at the time of estimation. We propose an alternative setting that greatly improves the forecasting performance of both linear and machine learning techniques. Contrary to the existing literature, we find that all techniques yield positive predictive power. Linear techniques constitute the best performing methods and significantly outperform all machine learning techniques. Our results further indicate trading strategies based on linear forecasts produce significantly higher returns than those based on machine learning forecasts. Finally, machine learning does not provide alpha beyond what is contained in linear approaches. The content of this thesis is the sole responsibility of the author and does not reflect the view of the supervisor, second assessor, Erasmus School of Economics or Erasmus University.
Evaluate Student Satisfaction of Student Information System Utilising Technology Acceptance Model and Trust in China

: In this study, the factors affecting student satisfaction with student information systems have been investigated by applied Technology Acceptance Model and rust. Partial least squares structural equation modelling implemented to study these factors. 400 authentic responses from overseas students in a large number of universities located in Jiangsu province China have been evaluated. The statistical investigation findings demonstrate that student trust has a considerable effect on student satisfaction; meanwhile, the behavioural intention of use has no significant impact on student satisfaction.
Genome-wide analysis of genetic correlation in dementia with Lewy bodies, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

The similarities between dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and both Parkinson ’ s disease (PD) and Alz- heimer ’ s disease (AD) are many and range from clinical presentation, to neuropathological characteris-tics, to more recently identi ﬁ ed, genetic determinants of risk. Because of these overlapping features, diagnosing DLB is challenging and has clinical implications since some therapeutic agents that are applicable in other diseases have adverse effects in DLB. Having shown that DLB shares some genetic risk with PD and AD, we have now quanti ﬁ ed the amount of sharing through the application of genetic correlation estimates, and show that, from a purely genetic perspective, and excluding the strong as- sociation at the APOE locus, DLB is equally correlated to AD and PD.
Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes and Skin with HIVgp160 in SCID-hu Mice Coengrafted Primary Th1 Cell Immunization Against

SCID-hu mouse models are of interest in the pathologic investigation of HIV infection, but obtaining a T cell response in SCID-hu-PBL mice is still controversial. We have developed a SCID model by engrafting human skin and autologous PBLs from HIV-seronegative individuals. The study describes the ability of this human-mouse chimera to generate in vivo a primary T lymphocyte response against HIV Ag. The injection of human autologous PBLs was performed 4 to 5 wk after the skin engraftment. Two weeks after injection of PBLs, chimeric mice were immunized with recombinant canary pox virus expressing HIV-1 LAIgp160 (vCP-LAI gp160 ) and supplemented or not with rIL-2. Intradermal vCP-LAI gp160 injection induced an intradermal perivascular human lymphocytic inﬁltrate and an epidermic network of CD1a 1 , CD80 1 , and CD86 1 cells. We derived CD4 1 T cell lines (STLs) from the human skin graft of immunized mice, showing that STLs mediated an MHC class II-restricted cytolytic activity directed against HIV-LAIgp160 Ags. Cytokine gene expression in both human skin cells and in STLs showed a predominance of IL-2, IFN- g , and IL-12 transcripts. Finally, the T cell repertoire analysis using the immunoscope technique showed a very limited CDR3 length polymorphism in the skin inﬁltrating lymphocytes suggesting an Ag-speciﬁc repertoire. The ability to induce a primary Th1 cell response in vivo affords a useful preclinical model for testing vaccine strategies. The Journal of Immunology, 1998, 161: 2060–2069. We therefore developed a SCID model by engrafting both human PBLs and autologous human skin (SCID-hu-PBL/skin) from HIV-seronegative donors and evaluated in this human-mouse chimera the efﬁcacy of raising a primary T lymphocyte response in vivo against HIV-LAI gp160 Ags. Here, we show that intradermal inoculation of a live recombinant canary pox viral vector containing the gene for HIV1-LAIgp160 (vCP-LAI gp160 ) into a human skin graft induced a perivascular human CD4 1 and CD8 1 T cell inﬁltrate with an epidermal recruitment of CD1a 1 CD80 1 CD86 1 Langerhans cells (LC). In addition, we were able to derive CD4 1 T cell lines from such immunized engrafted human skin that mediated in vitro an MHC class II-restricted speciﬁcity directed against HIV-LAIgp160 Ags. These HIV-speciﬁc CD4 1 T cells demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro a Th1 cell differentiation proﬁle.
A Causal Model of Self-Management for adolescents with Asthma

: Self- management behavior is important for controlling symptoms and preventing death from asthma attack. Recent studies have shown that self-management of asthma among adolescents is mostly inadequate. For better design intervention to support self-management, understanding factors and how they influence self-management behaviors is necessary. Thus, this descriptive cross-sectional study developed and tested the Self-Management Model for Adolescents with Asthma. The participants were 442 Thai adolescents with asthma from 13 regional hospitals in Thailand. Data were collected by six self-administered questionnaires including; a demographic and Illness-Related Data Form, the Basic Need Satisfaction in Life Scale, Perception of Parents Scale, the Health Care Climate Questionnaire, the Aspiration Index, and the Thai Version of Asthma Self-Care Practice. Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling were used for analyzing the data. The results showed that the final model fitted the empirical data, in which relatedness need satisfaction, intrinsic life goals, parental autonomy support, and extrinsic life goals variables explained 78% of total variance in self-management behavior. Relatedness need satisfaction and intrinsic life goals had positive direct effect on self-management behaviors. Parental autonomy support had a positive indirect effect, whereas extrinsic life goals had an negative indirect effect on self-management behaviors through relatedness need satisfaction. These findings suggest that nurses can use the model as a guideline for developing nursing interventions to promote relatedness need satisfaction and intrinsic life goals, promote extrinsic life goals for adolescents with asthma, and enhance autonomy support skills for parents. Pacific Rim Int J Nurs Res 2019; 23(4) 320-333
DMSO_A_346528 165..174

Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People’s Republic of China Background: GC (group-specific component globulin) encoding VDBP (Vitamin D binding protein) polymorphisms have been associated with susceptibility to some diseases such as diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and polycystic ovary syndrome, but the evidence for metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the Chinese rural population is inconclusive. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between GC variants (rs7041, rs4588, rs2282679, and rs705117) and MetS risk as well as VDBP levels in the Chinese rural population. Patients and Methods: The participants (range of age: 20–90 years) of this case–control study were recruited from the northern Chinese Han rural population. We matched 445 MetS cases with non-MetS controls in a 1:1 ratio by sex, age (within 5 years). Real-time PCR technology was carried out by TaqMan assays to examine the four variants of rs7041, rs4588, rs2282679, and rs705117 within the GC gene. To identify the association of GC gene polymorphisms with MetS, we calculated ORs using a conditional logistic regression model adjusted for potential confounding factors. Results: We observed inverse associations of CA and AA genotypes of rs4588 with risk of MetS (OR = 0.678, 95% CI 0.505–0.910, P = 0.010; 0.603, 95% CI 0.373–0.973, P = 0.039, respectively) compared with carriers of CC genotype. A similar relationship was also found between rs2282679 and MetS, showing that carrying AC genotype of rs2282679 can decrease the risk of MetS (OR = 0.683, 95% CI 0.509–0.917, P = 0.011) compared with carriers of AA genotype. The results of correlation analysis between MetS components and GC polymorphisms showed that the ORs of AA genotype of rs4588 with high level of TG (triglycerides) and low level of HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) were 0.473 (95% CI 0.245–0.911, P = 0.025) and 0.268 (95% CI 0.117–0.615, P = 0.002), respectively; the ORs of CC genotype of rs2282679 with high level of TG and low level of HDL-C were 0.428 (95% CI 0.217–0.842, P = 0.014) and 0.263 (95% CI 0.110–0.628, P = 0.003), respectively. However, there was no significant association between the concentration of VDBP and MetS risk. Conclusion: Among the Chinese rural population, GC polymorphism was associated with lower metabolic syndrome susceptibility, which might be through affecting blood lipid levels (TG and HDL-C).
on Food, Nutrition & Cancer Can Lifestyle Modiﬁcation Increase Survival in Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer? 1,2

Epidemiologic studies have linked diets high in vegetables and fruit with an increased likelihood of survival after the diagnosis of breast cancer, and clinical and epidemiologic studies have identiﬁed obesity as an important negative prognostic factor. Of the 26 studies published since 1990 that examined the relationship with obesity and survival, 17 reported a signiﬁcant inverse relationship. Five of the eight cohort studies of breast cancer survivors that examined intakes of vegetables, fruit and related micronutrients published since 1985 reported a positive relationship between these factors and survival. The hypothesis that lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity may improve the prognosis in women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer is currently under study. The Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study is a randomized controlled study that tests the effects of a diet high in vegetables, fruit and ﬁber and low in fat on disease-free survival after treatment for early stage breast cancer ( n (cid:1) 3109). In the Healthy Weight Management for Breast Cancer Survivors Study, a multifaceted approach to promoting weight loss and long-term weight maintenance is being tested in 85 women at risk for breast cancer recurrence. The intervention emphasizes increased physical activity, strategies to improve body image and self-acceptance, and cognitive-behavioral therapy to promote healthy eating attitudes and behaviors. The results of these studies will contribute to understanding the roles of diet and physical activity in the progression of breast cancer. J. Nutr. 132: 3504S–3509S, 2002.
Can pairing strategies be even more profitable?

Pairs trading is considered as a profitable Wall Street strategy. We analyse the influence of K-Means clustering using EPS and book-value per share ratios on pairs trading returns in the formation period, before coupling pairs, while using 3 different ranking methodologies which include the one proposed by Gatev et al. (2006). We use data from the Russel 2000 index from January 2003 to the end of June 2013, on 3.711 stocks. We find that a strategy based on the orthogonal regression approach outputs an impressive 4.35% statistically significant average excess monthly return and a Sharpe ratio of 3.23 if the K-Means clustering is applied and 20 pairs are selected, which compares to the Gatev’s strategy holding -0.54% without clustering for the same sample. We also find that the orthogonal regression method outputs on average 94 b.p. higher monthly excess returns than the average squared deviation methodology and that using the Pearson correlation coefficient for ranking pairs outputs permanently negative returns, independently of the clustering and number of pairs. Likewise, we find that the profitability of the pairs trading strategy is not dependent on the utilities sector.
PII: S0887-6177(01)00178-0

Blood pressure is often lower among patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) compared to nondemented older adults. Lower blood pressure in AD correlates with reduced cerebral blood flow and cortical atrophy, but its effect on neuropsychological functioning is unclear. We assessed the effects of blood pressure on tests of dementia severity, attention, memory, language, verbal and nonverbal reasoning, motor/psychomotor functioning, and activities of daily living (ADL) among probable AD patients ( n = 609). As hypothesized, lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) predicted reduced attention (Digits Forward and Backward), memory (Visual Reproduction I), and ADLs. Unexpectedly, lower pulse pressure (SBP–DBP) predicted greater dementia severity (Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE), attention (Digits Forward and Backward), memory (Logical Memory I and Visual Reproduction I), and ADLs. These findings may reflect a tendency for less severely demented patients to exhibit normal age-related changes in blood pressure, whereas abnormal patterns may develop with increased dementia severity. © 2002 National Academy of Neuropsychology. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
MACROMYCETES CONTAMINATION WITH HEAVY METALS IN DUMP PLANTATIONS FROM CĂLIMANI NATIONAL PARK (ORIENTAL CARPATHIANS)

: The paper deals with the distribution of dump heavy metals in the circuit soil-macromycetes. Soil samples and macromycetes from dump plantations situated at 1600–1800 m altitude have been analyzed. The investigated dumps resulted due to the exploitation of iron and sulfur ore from Călimani National Park (Oriental Carpathian). In order to realize an ecological reconstruction in the dumps, Picea abies (L.) Karst. , Pinus mugo Turra, Pinus cembra L. , Larix decidua Mill. and Sorbus aucuparia L. have been planted. Metal content has been determined by atomic spectrometry, and the results have been performed using Microsoft Excel, Origin and SPSS programs. Our results evidence macromycetes flexible capacity to accumulate various categories of metals. The distribution of the heavy metals in the soil varies from one region to another and depends on the sampling depth.
The wound microenvironment reprogrammes Schwann cells to invasive mesenchymal- like cells to drive peripheral nerve regeneration

1Cell Interactions and Cancer Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom 2Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom 3Quantitative Gene Expression Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom 4MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom 5UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, 72 Huntley Street, London WC1E 6DD, United Kingdom
CNN implementation in Resource Limited FPGAs - Key Concepts and Techniques

—Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is a speciﬁc type of algorithm that has become dominant in image recognition and classiﬁcation. Currently, there is a tendency to migrate CNN implementations from the cloud to the edge (closer to the data source) in order to reduce both latency and communication bandwidth and at the same time, increase security and system efﬁciency. Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a good option for implementing CNN in the edge , since even the lowest cost FPGAs have a good energy efﬁciency and a sufﬁcient throughput to enable real-time applications. In this paper, key concepts about CNN are reviewed. Next, the most popular compression methods used in the CNN training phase are described. Finally, we present the most popular frameworks for hardware accelerator design and key hardware optimization techniques used by many of those frameworks to enable CNN inference on resource limited devices.
Effect of methanolic leaf extract of Ficus thonningii on hematological indices of Swiss albino mice

Background/Objective: Ficus thonningii is an evergreen medicinal tree. Ficus thonningii leaf is used in Nigerian folkloric medicine. This study aims to examine the effect of methanolic leaf extract of F. thonningii on hematological indices of albino mice. Materials and Methods: 70 adult Swiss albino mice of both sexes with mean weight of 22 ± 5g were used for this study. Leaves of Ficus thonningii was pulverized to coarse powder from which methanolic extract was obtained. Mice were divided into five groups comprising 3 experimental, 1 toxicity group and 1 negative control groups. The experimental group was administered with 0.2ml of 50mg/kg, 100mg/k, and 200mg/kg of methanol leaf extract of F. thonningii respectively. The negative control group was administered with 1ml of distilled water while the toxicity group was used for acute toxicity test. 1.5ml of blood was collected from the mice into EDTA bottle through cardiac puncture. Full blood count was estimated in the blood using Abacus-80 hematological analyzer. Result: The ingestion of 50mg/kg and 200mg/kg of the extract reduces Packed Cell Volume from 31.4±0.55% to 26.3±0.077% and 15.4±0.180% respectively at P < 0.05. While ingestion of 200mg/kg of extract increases the lymphocyte value from 29.4±7.35 to 83.4±0.47%. The ingestion of 50mg/kg of the extract increases platelet count value from 99.0±0.52 x 10 9 /l to 409±0.56 x 10 9 /l at p <0.05. Conclusion: Ingestion of methanolic leaf extract of F. thonningii alters the hematological indices and increases lymphocyte and platelet count. The extract therefore has the potential of improving immune and heamostasis system of mammals. Information provided in this study can enhance appropriate use of F. thonningii in folkloric medicine in Nigeria.
Media Coverage and Corporate Payout Policy

Using a sample combining various datasets over the period 2000 to 2012, this paper examines the relationship between media coverage and payout policy in US public firms. I find that media coverage is negatively associated with a firm’s likelihood of paying dividends and positively associated with the decisions to cut and omit dividends. Firms with high media coverage also have a lower level of dividend smoothing. These findings are based on a relatively representative sample and persist after accounting for contemporaneous repurchasing activities, different combinations of firm characteristic control variables, and industry, time and firm fixed effects. Moreover, I also find that investors react less negatively to the dividend cut announcements of high coverage firms. Overall, my results suggest that, as higher media coverage attracts more potential investors to a stock, managers become less conservative regarding dividend policy. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). Xueting Zhang . Signature . Witness 28/08/2014 . Date The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: