Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Custom-fit processors: letting applications define architectures

In this paper we report on a system which automatically designs realistic VLIW architectures highly optimized for one given application (the input for this system), while running all other code correctly. The system uses a product-quality compiler that generates very aggressive VLIW code. We retarget the compiler until we have found a VLIW architecture idealized for the application on the basis of performance, a cost function and a hardware budget. We show that we can automatically select architectures that achieve large speedups on color and image processing codes. Specialization is shown to be very valuable: The differences between architectural choices, even among reasonable-seeming architectures having similar costs, can be very great, often a factor of 5 (and sometimes much more). We show also that specialization is also very dangerous. A reasonable choice of architecture to fit one algorithm can be a very poor choice for another even in the same domain. There is sometimes an architecture, near in cost and performance to the best, that does much better on a second algorithm.
Expanded safety study of Praneem polyherbal vaginal tablet among HIV-uninfected women in Pune, India: a phase II clinical trial report

Background: Praneem, a candidate vaginal microbicide with reported anti-HIV and contraceptive properties was evaluated for its long-term safety through a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised phase II trial. Methodology: 142 women were screened and 100 HIV-uninfected, eligible women were enrolled, after obtaining written informed consents. Of these, 50 were randomly assigned to the study product arm and 50 to the placebo arm. Participants were requested to use the study product at least half an hour before each sexual act for 6 months. Results: Participants in both treatment groups contributed 601 person-months of follow-up and 95% of the participants completed the last follow-up. Although transient genital discomfort was the main reported adverse experience, none of the study participants discontinued product use. Most of the adverse events were mild and there were no serious adverse events related to study product use and no HIV seroconversions. Discussion: Praneem polyherbal tablet was safe for vaginal use up to 6 months with each act of sex among low-risk women. In light of the failure of Nonoxynol-9, cellulose sulphate and Carraguard in preventing HIV infections among women, additional preclinical evaluations should be undertaken urgently before moving into effectiveness studies.
Pagerank Increase under Different Collusion Topologies

We study the impact of collusion –nepotistic linking– in a Web graph in terms of Pagerank. We prove a bound on the Pagerank increase that depends both on the reset probability of the random walk e and on the original Pagerank of the colluding set. In particular, due to the power law distribution of Pagerank, we show that highly-ranked Web sites do not benefit that much from collusion.
A novel concept drift detection method in data streams using ensemble classifiers

Concept drift, change in the underlying distribution that data points come from, is an inevitable phenomenon in data streams. Due to increase in the number of data streams’ applications such as network intrusion detection, weather forecasting, and detection of unconventional behavior in financial transactions; numerous researches have recently been conducted in the area of concept drift detection. An ideal method for concept drift detection should be able to rapidly and correctly identify changes in the underlying distribution of data points and adapt its model as quickly as possible while the memory and processing time is limited. In this paper, we propose a novel explicit method based on ensemble classifiers for detecting concept drift. The method processes samples one by one, and monitors the distribution of ensemble’s error in order to detect probable drifts. After detection of a drift, a new classifier will be trained on the new concept in order to keep the model up-to-date. The proposed method has been evaluated on some artificial and real benchmark data sets. The experiments’ results show that the proposed method is capable of detecting and adjusting to concept drifts from different types, and it has outperformed well-known stateof-the-art methods. Especially, in the case of high-speed concept drifts.
Loss of RASSF1A Expression in Colorectal Cancer and Its Association with K-ras Status

Background. The RAS-association domain family 1 A (RASSF1A) is a classical member of RAS effectors regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis. Loss of RASSF1A expression may shift the balance towards a growth-promoting effect without the necessity of activating K-ras mutations. Its potential association with K-ras mutations in colorectal cancer (CRC) is unclear. Methods. RASSF1A expression was examined in normal mucosa, adenoma, and tumor tissues of colon and rectum, respectively. We examined the association of RASSF1A expression, mutations of K-ras, and EGFR status in 76 primary CRCs. The relationship between clinicopathological characteristics and RASSF1A expression was also analyzed. Results. RASSF1A expression level decreased progressively in normal mucosa, adenoma and, tumor tissues, and the loss of RASSF1A expression occurred more frequently in tumor tissues. Of 76 primary CRCs, loss of RASSF1A expression and/or K-ras mutations were detected in 77% cases. Loss of RASSF1A expression was more frequent in K-ras wild-type than in mutation cases (63% versus 32%, P = 0.011). Conclusions. Our study indicates that loss of RASSF1A may be involved in pathogenesis of CRC, its expression was found predominantly in K-ras wild-type CRCs, suggesting that it may be another way of affecting RAS signaling, in addition to K-ras mutations.
Association of Motorcycle Use with Risk of Overweight in Taiwanese Urban Adults

Sedentary transport is known to adversely affect health. Few studies have focused on motorcycle use. This study examines the association of motorcycle use with overweight in urban adults in Taiwan. Cross-sectional data from 1069 Taiwanese adults aged 20–64 years in three urban cities were collected in 2015. Data on self-reported body mass index, time spent in motorcycle use, lifestyle behavioral factors, and sociodemographic variables were obtained. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models were applied. In Model 1, adults who spent more time using a motorcycle (third quartile, odds ratio (OR) = 1.17; fourth quartile, OR = 1.60) were more likely to be overweight compared with the first quartile. In Model 2, after adjusting for the covariates, only the fourth quartile of motorcycle use (OR = 1.50) was associated with a higher risk of overweight. Higher time spent in motorcycle use is related to higher risk of being overweight, even after adjustment for potential demographic and behavioral confounders. Intervention and behavioral change strategies targeting motorcycle use should be considered.
Transcriptome Sequencing and Comparative Analysis of Saccharina japonica (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae) under Blue Light Induction

Background Light has significant effect on the growth and development of Saccharina japonica, but there are limited reports on blue light mediated physiological responses and molecular mechanism. In this study, high-throughput paired-end RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology was applied to transcriptomes of S. japonica exposed to blue light and darkness, respectively. Comparative analysis of gene expression was designed to correlate the effect of blue light and physiological mechanisms on the molecular level. Principal Findings RNA-seq analysis yielded 70,497 non-redundant unigenes with an average length of 538 bp. 28,358 (40.2%) functional transcripts encoding regions were identified. Annotation through Swissprot, Nr, GO, KEGG, and COG databases showed 25,924 unigenes compared well (E-value <10−5) with known gene sequences, and 43 unigenes were putative BL photoreceptor. 10,440 unigenes were classified into Gene Ontology, and 8,476 unigenes were involved in 114 known pathways. Based on RPKM values, 11,660 (16.5%) differentially expressed unigenes were detected between blue light and dark exposed treatments, including 7,808 upregulated and 3,852 downregulated unigenes, suggesting S. japonica had undergone extensive transcriptome re-orchestration during BL exposure. The BL-specific responsive genes were indentified to function in processes of circadian rhythm, flavonoid biosynthesis, photoreactivation and photomorphogenesis. Significance Transcriptome profiling of S. japonica provides clues to potential genes identification and future functional genomics study. The global survey of expression changes under blue light will enhance our understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying blue light induced responses in lower plants as well as facilitate future blue light photoreceptor identification and specific responsive pathways analysis.
On Curve Negotiation: From Driver Support to Automation

This paper describes a curve negotiation “behavior” that can be used-within subsumption architectures - to produce artificial agents with the ability to negotiate curves in a humanlike way. This may be used to implement functions spanning different levels of automation, from assistance (curve warning) to automated (curve speed control). This paper gives the following: (1) a summary of related works and of the subsumption architecture conceptual framework; (2) a detailed description of the function within this framework; (3) experimental data for validation and tuning derived from user tests; (4) guidelines on integration of the function within advanced driver assistance systems with different automation levels, with examples; and (5) a comparison with experimental data of the human curve speed choice models in the state of the art.
Predicting Corporate Financial Distress : Whither do We Stand ?

An increasing number of prediction models has emerged since 1960s following a triggered corporate financial distress. This study provides a comprehensive review of empirical findings of these models and appraises their performance by using their internal assessment criteria. Some methodological issues are also discussed, although our major focus is on analysing the use of various prediction techniques in different countries. Observations and recommendations, presented in the end, are likely to be of significant use to students, academicians, and practitioners in this demanding field. JEL classification: G33; C49; C88
Contrast-Enhanced MRI Correlates for High-Risk Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcomas with Dynamic Phase I Trial of Preoperative Chemoradiation plus Sorafenib

Purpose: We conducted a phase I trial of the addition of sorafenib to a chemoradiotherapy regimen in patients with high-risk (intermediate/high grade, >5 cm) extremity soft tissue sarcoma undergoing limb salvage surgery. We conducted a correlative study of quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) to assess response to treatment. Experimental Design: Patients were treated at increasing dose levels of sorafenib (200mg daily, 400mg daily, 400 mg twice daily) initiated 14 days before three preoperative and three postoperative cycles of epirubicin/ifosfamide. Radiation (28 Gy) was administered during cycle 2 with epirubicin omitted. The primary objective was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of sorafenib. DCE-MRI was conducted at baseline, after 2 weeks of sorafenib, and before surgery. The imaging data were subjected to quantitative pharmacokinetic analyses. Results: Eighteen subjects were enrolled, of which 16 were evaluable. The MTD of sorafenib was 400mg daily. Common grade 3–4 adverse events included neutropenia (94%), hypophosphatemia (75%), anemia (69%), thrombocytopenia (50%), and neutropenic fever/infection (50%). Of note, 38%developed wound complications requiring surgical intervention. The rate of 95% histopathologic tumor necrosis was 44%. Changes in DCE-MRI biomarker DK after 2 weeks of sorafenib correlated with histologic response (R 1⁄4 0.67, P 1⁄4 0.012) at surgery. Conclusion: The addition of sorafenib to preoperative chemoradiotherapy is feasible and warrants further investigation in a larger trial. DCE-MRI detected changes in tumor perfusion after 2 weeks of sorafenib and may be a minimally invasive tool for rapid assessment of drug effect in soft tissue sarcoma. Clin Cancer Res; 19(24); 1–10. 2013 AACR.
Electroporation of Murine Embryonic Stem Cells: A Step‐by‐Step Guide

The manipulation of embryonic stem (ES) cells to generate targeted mutations via homologous recombination has proved an invaluable resource for researchers from fields as diverse as embryology, immunology, physiology, and biophysics. The derivation and culture of these cells has been described in many places, but there is no substitute for hands‐on experience. In lieu of that, here we provide a step‐by‐step guide for the technique of electroporation, complete with micrographs of the cells at each step of the process. This is intended to allow the first time ES cell worker, as well as the more experienced researcher, to view the morphology of ES cells under ideal conditions as well as when the cells are suboptimal and should be discarded.
Comparative In-vitro antioxidant activity on Melochia corchorifolia , Sida acuta and Saccharum officinarum leaf extracts and their Phenolic contents

The present investigation highlights the free radical scavenging activity of Melochia corchorifolia, Sida acuta and Saccharum officinarum leaf extracts and their Phenolic contents by determining DPPH, Nitric oxide, Hydroxyl and Hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity. The shade dried leaves were coarsely powdered and subjected to fractional extraction by using chloroform and ethanol. The extracts were subjected to in-vitro antioxidant activity by various antioxidant assays. The antioxidant activities were compared with that of standard Gallic acid from the results obtained, it was suggested that the Phenolic contents of these leaves exhibit strong free radical scavenging activity in all the tested methods and shows maximum scavenging of DPPH, Nitric oxide, hydroxyl and hydrogen peroxide at 100μg/ml concentration compared to chloroform and ethanol extract of leaves. The phytochemical screening of Melochia corchorifolia, Sida acuta and Saccharum officinarum leaf extracts constitutes flavonoids and tannins and the antioxidant activities may be due to the presence of these phenolic compounds.
Targeted insertion results in a Rhombomere 2‐specific Hoxa2 knockdown and ectopic activation of Hoxa1 expression

Recent studies indicated that retention of selectable marker cassettes in targeted Hox loci may cause unexpected phenotypes in mutant mice, due to neighborhood effects. However, the molecular mechanisms have been poorly investigated. Here, we analysed the effects of the targeted insertion of a PGK‐neo cassette in the 3′ untranslated region of Hoxa2. Even at this 3′ position, the insertion resulted in homozygous mutants that unexpectedly did not survive beyond 3 weeks of age. Molecular analysis of the targeted allele revealed a selective “knockdown” of Hoxa2 expression in rhombomere 2 and associated patterning abnormalities. Moreover, Hoxa1 was ectopically expressed in the hindbrain and branchial arches of mutant embryos. Of interest, we demonstrated that the ectopic expression was due to the generation of neo‐Hoxa1 fusion transcripts, resulting from aberrant alternative splicing. These defects could be rescued after removal of the PGK‐neo cassette by Flp‐mediated recombination. These results underscore the complexity of transcriptional regulation at Hox loci and provide insights into the in vivo regulation of Hoxa2 segmental expression. They also provide a molecular basis for the interpretation of unexpected Hox knockout phenotypes in which the targeted selectable marker is retained in the locus. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regular Prices and Sales

We study the properties of a profit-maximizing monopolist's optimal price distribution when selling to a loss-averse consumer, where (following Koszegi and Rabin (2006)) we assume that the consumer's reference point is her recent rational expectations about the purchase. If it is close to costless for the consumer to observe the realized price of the product, then – in a pattern consistent with several recently documented facts regarding supermarket pricing – the monopolist chooses low and variable “sale” prices with some probability and a high and sticky “regular” price with the complementary probability. Realizing that she will buy at the sale prices and hence that she will purchase with positive probability, the consumer chooses to avoid the painful uncertainty in whether she will get the product by buying also at the regular price. If it is more costly for the consumer to observe the realized price, then – in a pattern consistent with the pricing behavior of some other retailers (e.g. movie theaters) – the monopolist chooses a sticky price and holds no sales. In this case, a sale is less tempting and hence less effective in generating an expectation to purchase with positive probability. We also show that ex-ante competition for loyal consumers leads to sticky pricing while ex-post competition leads to marginal-cost pricing, and discuss several other extensions of the model.
PROACTIVE PERSONALITY AND INGENIOUS WORK INVOLVEMENT: EVIDENCE FROM NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Research evidences show that proactive personality and high quality Leader-Member relationship helps to develop ingenuity at work. However, this direct relationship doest not sustain empirical support in certain condition for different reasons. This research aims to find out the moderating role of task identity in relationship between proactive personality, leader member exchange and ingenious work involvement of NGO employees. The research focuses that the antecedents of ingenious work involvement are strongly related to it when employees have task identity. Cross sectional study conducted in NGO sector revealed a positive relation between antecedents under study and ingenious work involvement and it also confirmed the moderating role of task identity. The study points out the importance of proactive personality, leader member exchange and job design issues for increasing employee’s creativity at work.
Theory on asymmetrical coupled‐parallel‐line transmission and reflection zeros

This paper treats an innovative methodology on the synthesis mechanism of the coupled‐parallel‐line (CPL) transmission zero (TZ) and reflection zero (RZ). The CPL structure under study is configured as a reflection type distributed arbitrarily loaded stub circuits. On the basis of the equivalent Z‐matrix analysis, the CPL input impedance theoretical model is established. Mathematical analysis is performed to predict accurately the TZ and RZ frequency shifts in function of the CPL physical parameters. The input impedance behavioral model in function of asymmetrical CPL load parameters is determined. The TZ and RZ existence conditions are established. Then, the characteristic equations illustrating the TZ and RZ fundamental formulas in function of the CPL coupling coefficient and characteristic impedances are examined. Furthermore, innovative graphical representations of the TZ and RZ existence conditions in function of the CPL parameter ranges are explored. The developed CPL model was validated with different cases of simulated microstrip proof of concept. As expected, a good correlation between the TZ and RZ frequency shifts from the analytical calculations and simulations is obtained. The developed CPL model is useful for the TZ and RZ frequency shifts fast monitoring during the Radio Frequency (RF)/microwave circuit design phase. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Small Molecule Inhibitor YM155-Mediated Activation of Death Receptor 5 Is Crucial for Chemotherapy-Induced Apoptosis in Pancreatic Carcinoma

Despite much effort, pancreatic cancer survival rates are still dismally low. Novel therapeutics may hold the key to improving survival. YM155 is a small molecule inhibitor that has shown antitumor activity in a number of cancers by reducing the expression of survivin. The aim of our study is to understand the mechanisms by which YM155 functions in pancreatic cancer cells. We established the antitumor effect of YM155 with in vitro studies in cultured cells, and in vivo studies using a mouse xenograft model. Our data demonstrated that YM155 reduced the expression of survivin; however, downregulation of survivin itself is insufficient to induce apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. We showed for the first time that treatment with YM155 increased death receptor 5 (DR5) expression in pancreatic cancer cells. We found that YM155 induced apoptosis by broad-spectrum inhibition of IAP family member proteins (e.g., CIAP1/2 and FLIP) and induced proapoptotic Bak protein upregulation and activation; the antitumor effect of YM155 treatment with either the DR5 agonist lexatumumab or gemcitabine on pancreatic cancer cells was synergistic. Our data also revealed that YM155 inhibits tumor growth in vivo, without apparent toxicity to the noncancerous human pancreatic ductal epithelial cell line. Together, these findings suggest that YM155 could be a novel therapeutic agent for pancreatic cancer. Mol Cancer Ther; 14(1); 80–89. ©2014 AACR.
A Risk Minimization Framework for Extractive Speech Summarization

In this paper, we formulate extractive summarization as a risk minimization problem and propose a unified probabilistic framework that naturally combines supervised and unsupervised summarization models to inherit their individual merits as well as to overcome their inherent limitations. In addition, the introduction of various loss functions also provides the summarization framework with a flexible but systematic way to render the redundancy and coherence relationships among sentences and between sentences and the whole document, respectively. Experiments on speech summarization show that the methods deduced from our framework are very competitive with existing summarization approaches.
Prebiotics: A Potential Treatment Strategy for the Chemotherapy-damaged Gut?

Mucositis, characterized by ulcerative lesions along the alimentary tract, is a common consequence of many chemotherapy regimens. Chemotherapy negatively disrupts the intestinal microbiota, resulting in increased numbers of potentially pathogenic bacteria, such as Clostridia and Enterobacteriaceae, and decreased numbers of “beneficial” bacteria, such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. Agents capable of restoring homeostasis in the bowel microbiota could, therefore, be applicable to mucositis. Prebiotics are indigestible compounds, commonly oligosaccharides, that seek to reverse chemotherapy-induced intestinal dysbiosis through selective colonization of the intestinal microbiota by probiotic bacteria. In addition, evidence is emerging that certain prebiotics contribute to nutrient digestibility and absorption, modulate intestinal barrier function through effects on mucin expression, and also modify mucosal immune responses, possibly via inflammasome-mediated processes. This review examines the known mechanisms of prebiotic action, and explores their potential for reducing the severity of chemotherapy-induced mucositis in the intestine.
A fast pattern matching algorithm for highly similar sequences

With the advent of NGS technologies there are more and more genomic sequences of individuals of the same species available. These sequences only differ by a very small amount. There is thus a strong need for efficient algorithms for performing fast pattern matching in such specific sets of sequences. In this paper we propose a very efficient algorithm that solves the on-line exact pattern matching problem in a set of highly similar DNA sequences. The algorithm we propose extends variants of the Boyer-Moore exact string matching algorithm. Experimental results show that our new algorithm exhibits the best performances in practice.