Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Empathy on the Evolutionary Dynamics of Fairness in Group-Structured Systems

The ultimatum game has been a prominent paradigm in studying the evolution of fairness. It predicts that responders should accept any nonzero offer and proposers should offer the smallest possible amount according to orthodox game theory. However, the prediction strongly contradicts with the experimental behaviors where the mean offer typically ranges from 0.3 to 0.5 and the mean demand tends to lie between 0.2 and 0.35. To explain the evolution of such fair behaviors, here we introduce empathy in a mutation-selection process with group structure and find that our results quantitatively reproduce the experimental behaviors at low randomness with intermediate empathy or relatively high randomness with small empathy. Moreover, we show that with low randomness more empathy leads to a fairer outcome with a higher mean offer and demand. Counterintuitively, more empathy corresponds to a lower mean offer together with a higher mean demand for relatively high randomness. Finally, we analytically provide the mean offer and demand under both weak and strong intensities of selection when the largest or smallest level of empathy is introduced. Our study provides systematic insights into the evolutionary origin of fairness in a mutation-selection process with empathetic strategies and group structure.
miR-424-5p Promotes Proliferation, Migration and Invasion of Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background Recent studies revealed that miR-424-5p regulates the malignant behavior of multiple cancer types. However, the expression and function of miR-424-5p in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is unclear. Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the association of miR-424-5p level with clinical features of LSCC and investigate the effect and potential mechanism of miR-424-5p on LSCC progression. Methods The expression of miR-424-5p in LSCC and paired adjacent normal margin (ANM) tissues from 106 patients with LSCC were analyzed by quantitative PCR (qPCR), and clinical significance was analyzed. Target genes of miR-424-5p were predicted, followed by functional annotation. The functional role of miR-424-5p in LSCC was investigated by molecular and cellular experiments with LSCC cell lines, with flow cytometry used for cell cycle analysis. In addition, miR-424-5p regulation of the predicted target gene cell adhesion molecule 1 (CADM1) was validated by qPCR, Western blot analysis and luciferase reporter assay. Results miR-424-5p was upregulated in LSCC versus ANM tissues. High miR-424-5p level was significantly associated with poor differentiation, advanced tumor stage and cervical lymph node metastasis. Bioinformatics analysis showed that miR-424-5p target genes are mainly enriched in biological processes of the cell cycle, cell division, and negative regulation of cell migration, and were involved in multiple cancer-related pathways. Overexpression of miR-424-5p promoted proliferation, migration, invasion, and adhesion of LSCC cells and affected the cell cycle progression. Additionally, CADM1 was a direct target of miR-424-5p in LSCC cells. Conclusion miR-424-5p functions as an oncogene to promote the aggressive progression of LSCC, and CADM1 is a direct downstream target of miR-424-5p in LSCC cells. miR-424-5p may be a potential therapeutic target in LSCC.
Interdependency and Vulnerability of Multipartite Networks under Target Node Attacks

Complex networks in reality may suffer from target attacks which can trigger the breakdown of the entire network. It is therefore pivotal to evaluate the extent to which a network could withstand perturbations. The research on network robustness has proven as a potent instrument towards that purpose. The last two decades have witnessed the enthusiasm on the studies of network robustness. However, existing studies on network robustness mainly focus on multilayer networks while little attention is paid to multipartite networks which are an indispensable part of complex networks. In this study, we investigate the robustness of multipartite networks under intentional node attacks. We develop two network models based on the largest connected component theory to depict the cascading failures on multipartite networks under target attacks. We then investigate the robustness of computer-generated multipartite networks with respect to eight node centrality metrics. We discover that the robustness of multipartite networks could display either discontinuous or continuous phase transitions. Interestingly, we discover that larger number of partite sets of a multipartite network could increase its robustness which is opposite to the phenomenon observed on multilayer networks. Our findings shed new lights on the robust structure design of complex systems. We finally present useful discussions on the applications of existing percolation theories that are well studied for network robustness analysis to multipartite networks. We show that existing percolation theories are not amenable to multipartite networks. Percolation on multipartite networks still deserves in-depth efforts.
PtpA and PknG Proteins Secreted by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis are Recognized by Sera from Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case–Control Study

Purpose Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can result from complex interactions between the affected person’s genetic background and environment. Viral and bacterial infections may play a pathogenetic role in RA through different mechanisms of action. We aimed to evaluate the presence of antibodies (Abs) directed against two proteins of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in sera of RA subjects, which are crucial for the survival of the pathogen within macrophages. Moreover, we analyzed the correlation of immune response to both proteins with the following homologous peptides: BOLF1305–320, MAP_402718–32 and IRF5424–434 to understand how the synergic role of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and MAP infection in genetically predisposed subjects may lead to a possible deregulation of interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5). Materials and methods The presence of Abs against protein tyrosine phosphatase A (PtpA) and protein kinase G (PknG) in sera from Sardinian RA patients (n=84) and healthy volunteers (HCs, n=79) was tested by indirect ELISA. Results RA sera showed a remarkably high frequency of reactivity against PtpA in comparison to HCs (48.8% vs 7.6%; p<0.001) and lower but statistically significant responses towards PknG (27.4% vs 10.1%; p=0.0054). We found a significant linear correlation between the number of swollen joints and the concentrations of antibodies against PtpA (p=0.018). Furthermore, a significant bivariate correlation between PtpA and MAP MAP_402718–32 peptide has been found, suggesting that MAP infection may induce a secondary immune response through cross-reaction with IRF5 (R2=0.5). Conclusion PtpA and PknG are strongly recognized in RA which supports the hypothesis that MAP infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RA.
Genetic characterization of White Fulani cattle in Nigeria: A comparative study

Objective: The objective of the present study was to evaluate heterozygosis in cattle population, and to characterize White Fulani breed by identifying DNA markers considering microsatellites. Materials and Methods: A total of 41 cattle were randomly selected and used for sample (wool) collection for the characterization and identification of phenotypic traits of cattle in Nigeria. The DNA samples from the samples were prepared. Twelve microsatellite primers were used for the microsatellite analysis in the genomic DNA of cattle. The reinforced products were analyzed to determine polymorphic alleles and their frequencies. Results: White Fulani is characterized by a high degree of genetic diversity. The microsatellites have multiple alleles and may show heterozygosity frequencies of at least 70%. White Fulani cows and their F1 descendants form a common cluster, to which the bulls of the Kuru and Red Boro breeds are adjacent. There is a clear differentiation of purebred populations of Tajik zebu-like cattle (Q = 98.7%) and a significant proportion of white Fulani (Q = 81.8%) from Nigeria. The microsatellite analysis of zebu of Nigeria allowed identifying a total of 80 alleles. In the KURU and PAX-KR-BOR rocks, 17 and 19 alleles were identified, respectively. In F1, 51 alleles were detected. Conclusion: White Fulani cattle are characterized by a high degree of genetic diversities. This makes it a highly informative source in genetic analysis. The results can be applied in dealing with the conservation and sustainable applications of genetic resources in the Nigerian cattle population.
Comparison of dexmedetomidine, lidocaine, and their combination in attenuation of cardiovascular and catecholamine responses to tracheal extubation and anesthesia emergence in hypertensive patients

Introduction This study was carried out to compare the effi cacy of the dexmedetomidine– lidocaine combination with each drug alone in suppressing the hemodynamic and catecholamine stress responses during tracheal extubation and emergence from general anesthesia. Patients and methods Sixty hypertensive patients (ASA II– III), defi ned as systolic blood pressure more than 160 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure more than 95 mmHg, undergoing elective surgery were assigned to a randomized, double-blind approach and were divided into three equal groups: group D received 0.25 mg/kg dexmedetomidine intravenously, group L received 1.0 mg/kg lidocaine intravenously, and group DL received dexmedetomidine plus lidocaine at the same doses intravenously 2 min before tracheal extubation. Changes in heart rate, mean arterial pressure, rate– pressure product, and plasma catecholamine levels were measured before and after tracheal extubation. Results It was found that heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and rate– pressure product following tracheal extubation were lower in patients receiving the dexmedetomidine– lidocaine combination than in those receiving dexmedetomidine or lidocaine as a sole drug. In addition, catecholamine concentrations increased significantly after extubation ( P < 0.05) in the three groups, with no signifi cant difference between them. Also, the tracheal extubation score was lower in groups L and DL compared with group D. Conclusion Although dexmedetomidine, lidocaine, or their combination failed to suppress the catecholamine responses to tracheal extubation and emergence from anesthesia, the dexmedetomidine– lidocaine combination was superior to each drug alone in attenuating the cardiovascular changes in hypertensive patients.
Species Distribution And Antibiotic Susceptibility Of Nocardia Isolates From Yantai, China

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the species distributions and drug sensitivities among 19 strains of Nocardia isolated from Yantai, China, from 2017 to 2019. Patients and methods Definitive species identification was performed by sequencing a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene (1480 bp) and by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The susceptibilities of the isolates to 15 commonly-used antibiotics were tested using the microbroth dilution method. Results Among the 19 Nocardia isolates, five species were confirmed. Seventeen of the 19 Nocardia spp. strains were identified consistently by the two methods, while two isolates of N. cyriacigeorgica were misidentified as N. otitidiscaviarum by MALDI-TOF MS. N. farcinica was the most common species (8/19), followed by N. cyriacigeorgica (6/19), N. otitidiscaviarum (2/19), N. brasiliensis (2/19), and N. nova (1/19). All isolates were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and amikacin, followed by linezolid and tigecycline (94.7% susceptibility rates). The sensitivity and minimum inhibitory concentration patterns for ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, clarithromycin, and tobramycin were significantly correlated with the species. Conclusion These results regarding the distribution and antibiotic resistance features of Nocardia species further our understanding of the diversity of Nocardia species circulating in Yantai, China, and thus support the use of more accurate empirical treatments.
A Case Study about Startups' Software Development Practices: A Preliminary Result

Recently software startups have been the focus of intense research, especially in the Software Engineering community. However, we need more empirical evidence that addresses how software startups perform their software development practices. This paper presents a case study of software startups to understand their software development practices. We conducted a multiple case study in ten software startups, incubated in industrial environments at All Saints Bay Ecosystem. The case study consisted of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, non-participative observations, and archiving data analyses covering software development practices. The preliminary results allowed us to build an initial industrial startup model capturing the software startups' practices and the relationship among them. Early-stage startups do not adopt any software development methodology in its completeness. Instead, they work focusing on speed-up software development and guide development based on consumers' feedback. The findings of this study is a preliminary result, which needs to be tested through other interviews with practitioners that work in other startups to validate the model at its current stage.
Lamellar Tarsectomy Procedure In Major Trichiasis Of The Upper Lid

Aims Evaluation of failure rate and outcomes between skin and muscle surgery and lamellar tarsectomy procedure in major trichiasis of the upper lid. Design Quasi-randomized clinical study. Methods and subjects One hundred individuals with major trichiasis of the upper lid were enrolled and assigned to either skin and muscle surgery (group A) or a lamellar tarsectomy procedure (group B). Participants were examined at 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome measure (failure rate) was the percentage of participants having five or more eyelashes touching the globe or having surgery performed at any follow-up time in both groups. The secondary outcomes included failure time and changes in both visual acuity and corneal opacity. Results Risk failure over 6 months was 40% in group A and 10% in group B. Absolute risk reduction was 30% (95% CI=14.08–45.92%). Cumulative risk failure over 12 months was 20% in group A and 0.00% in group B after the second intervention. Absolute risk reduction was 20% (95% CI=8.58–31.42%). The number needed to treat (NNT) was 3.3 patients (95% CI=2.2–7.1). The mean number of rubbing lashes was greater in the skin and muscle group than in the lamellar tarsectomy group for 6 and 12 month examinations (0.002, 0.005). The change in visual acuity between the two groups was not significant. Recurrent trichiasis was noticed earlier, 6 weeks after surgery, in the skin and muscle group participants, and later, 3 months after surgery, in the lamellar tarsectomy group participants. Conclusion The lamellar tarsectomy procedure is a good choice for management of major trichiasis of the upper lid. The subjective symptoms and lid margin conjunctivalization were improved in lamellar tarsectomy participants. Absence of new corneal opacity or a change in existing corneal opacification was noticed at the 12 months follow-up study.
Haptification of performer's control gestures in live electronic music performance

In this paper, we introduce musical haptic wearables for audiences (MHWAs) which provide sensing and haptic stimulation technologies for networked musical interaction using wireless connectivity. We report on a concert experiment during which audience members could experience vibro-tactile feedback mapped to the control gestures of two electronic music performers. Preliminary results suggest that MHWAs may increase the audience's understanding of the musical expression and the presence of the performers when the tempo is slow while no significant effects were found at fast tempi. Participants' comments also indicate that vibro-tactile feedback related to musical attributes such as beat could enrich some aspects of the live music experience.
Impact of Cell Size Effect on Nutrient-Phytoplankton Dynamics

In this paper, a nutrient-phytoplankton model, which is described by a system of ordinary differential equations incorporating the effect of cell size, and its corresponding stochastic differential equation version are studied analytically and numerically. A key advantage of considering cell size effect is that it can more accurately reveal the intrinsic law of interaction between nutrient and phytoplankton. The main purpose of this paper is to research how cell size affects the nutrient-phytoplankton dynamics within the deterministic and stochastic environments. Mathematically, we show that the existence and stability of the equilibria in the deterministic model can be determined by cell size: the smaller or larger cell size can lead to the disappearance of the positive equilibrium, but the boundary equilibrium always exists and is globally asymptotically stable; the intermediate cell size is capable to drive the positive equilibrium to appear and be globally asymptotically stable, whereas the boundary equilibrium becomes unstable. In the case of the stochastic model, the stochastic dynamics including the stochastic extinction, persistence in the mean, and the existence of ergodic stationary distribution is found to be largely dependent on cell size and noise intensity. Ecologically, via numerical simulations, it is found that the smaller cell size or larger cell size can result in the extinction of phytoplankton, which is similar to the effect of larger random environmental fluctuations on the phytoplankton. More interestingly, it is discovered that the intermediate cell size is the optimal size for promoting the growth of phytoplankton, but increasing appropriately the cell size can rapidly reduce phytoplankton density and nutrient concentrations at the same time, which provides a possible strategy for biological control of algal blooms.
The Frequency of Circulating Tumour Cells and the Correlation with the Clinical Response to Standard Chemoradiotherapy in Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Prospective Study

Purpose Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) have been found to correlate with treatment response and prognosis in some cancers; however, such correlations have not been reported in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We aimed to determine the relationship between CTCs and the treatment response in NPC. Patients and methods In this prospective study, we ascertained the karyotype of CTCs and identified a possible correlation between karyotype and treatment response in locally advanced NPC (LANPC). We prospectively collected peripheral blood from LANPC patients. CTCs were measured by negative enrichment with immunofluorescence in situ hybridization (imFISH) and a centromere of chromosome 8 (CEP8) probe. Chromosome 8 was karyotyped in CTCs, which were identified as triploid, tetraploid or multiploid. Patients were then treated with platinum-based induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy. CTCs were measured before and after treatment. Results We detected CTCs in 27 of 50 (54%) patients, which served as a baseline value. The results were independent of age, smoking history and NPC clinical stage. All of the 27 evaluable enrolled patients with detectable CTCs showed decreases in both total CTCs and CTCs of different ploidies after treatment (P<0.05). Reductions in CTCs were significantly more common in patients with a complete response (CR) than in those with a partial response (PR) (P<0.05). The presence of fewer tetraploid CTCs before treatment had a positive predictive value for a CR to chemoradiotherapy (P<0.05). CTC-positive patients had a shorter PFS after treatment (P=0.03). Conclusion The decrease in CTCs was correlated with therapeutic efficacy in patients with LANPC, and the presence of tetraploid CTCs before treatment is a potential predictive factor for clinical outcomes.
Clinic, Anthropometric And Metabolic Changes In Adults With Class III Obesity Classified As Metabolically Healthy And Metabolically Unhealthy

Purpose To describe clinical, biochemical and anthropometric profiles in adults with class III obesity classified as metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUHO). Patients and methods This is a cross-sectional study with patients classified as MHO and MUHO according to the NCEP-ATP III. Anthropometric, biochemical and clinical variables were analyzed. Results A total of 223 subjects were evaluated and 32.73% were classified as MHO and 67.26% as MUHO, respectively. The insulin resistance homeostasis model (HOMA-IR) showed elevation in the MUHO group (p=0.003) and anthropometric variables were correlated with bone markers [body index mass (BMI) vs phosphorus: r=0.31, p<0.001; BMI vs 25(OH)D: r=−0.31, p=0.041]. Visceral adiposity index was lower in MHO (p=0.001). Negative correlations between inflammatory markers and bone markers were observed in the MHO group (calcium vs C-reactive protein: −0.30, p=0.017; parathyroid hormone vs HOMA-IR: r=−0.28, p=0.017. Conclusion MHO individuals showed important metabolic changes, such as those observed in MUHO, despite lower prevalence and severity. Continuous monitoring of these individuals is suggested, given the transient nature of the MHO phenotype.
Enhancement of Radiosensitization by Silver Nanoparticles Functionalized with Polyethylene Glycol and Aptamer As1411 for Glioma Irradiation Therapy

Background The efficacy of radiotherapy for glioma is often limited by the radioresistance of glioma cells. The radiosensitizing effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on glioma were found in the previous studies of our group. In order to enhance the radiosensitivity of tumor cells and selectively kill them while reducing the side effects of irradiation therapy, targeted modification of AgNPs is urgently needed. Materials and methods In the present study, AgNPs functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and aptamer As1411 (AsNPs) were synthesized and subsequently characterized by transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Then the targeting property of AsNPs was evaluated by dark-field imaging, confocal microscopy and in vivo imaging. Both colony formation assay and glioma-bearing mouse model were employed to study the radiosensitizing effect of AsNPs. Results The characterization results revealed a spherical shape of AgNPs with an average diameter of 18 nm and the successful construction of AsNPs. AsNPs were confirmed to specifically target C6 glioma cells, but not normal human microvascular endothelial cells. Moreover, AsNPs could not only internalize into tumor cells, but also penetrate into the core of tumor spheroids. In vitro experiments showed that AsNPs exhibited a better radiosensitizing effect than AgNPs and PEGylated AgNPs (PNPs), inducing a higher rate of apoptotic cell death. In vivo imaging demonstrated that Cy5-AsNPs preferentially accumulated at the tumor site, and the ratio of fluorescence intensity of Cy5-AsNPs to that of Cy5-PNPs reached the maximum at 6 h post-systemic administration. Furthermore, the combination of AsNPs with irradiation significantly prolonged the median survival time of C6 glioma-bearing mice. Conclusion Our results indicated that AsNPs could be an effective nano-radiosensitizer for glioma targeting treatment.