Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Limited Role of the Intestinal Microflora in the Nephrotoxicity of Hexachloro-1,3-Butadiene in Rats

The nephrotoxicity of hexachlorobutadiene has been investigated in germ-free rats and compared to conventional rats that have a normal intestinal microflora. Presynthesized mercapturate intermediates of hexachlorobutadiene, the glutathione and the cysteine S-conjugate, were also administered. Germ-free rats appeared to be slightly more susceptible to hexachlorobutadiene by judging the extent of morphological changes compared to conventional ones. A similar response was also observed after treatment with the glutathione and cysteine S-conjugates. However, no significant difference between germ-free and conventional animals was monitored in the extent of elevation of blood urea nitrogen and plasma creatinine after treatment with hexachlorobutadiene or the glutathione and the cysteine S-conjugates. The urinary excretion of marker enzymes was monitored and showed that γ-glutamyl transferase was significantly more increased in the germ-free rats when treated with the cysteine S-conjugate. In addition, no difference in the rate of glutathione conjugation of hexachlorobutadiene was measured between the two groups. Although a tendency toward a protective effect by the presence of an intestinal microflora was observed, the role of the intestinal microflora in detoxifying hexachlorobutadiene seems to be of limited importance in rats.
Asynchronous teams : cooperation schemes for autonomous, computer-based agents

An asynchronous team (A-Team) is a strongly cyclic network of autonomous agents (workers) and memories (workplaces). Results (trial solutions to computational problems) circulate continually through this network. Agents work in parallel and cooperate by modifying one another's results. We have accumulated a good deal of experience in making the circulating results converge to better solutions of optimization and constraint satisfaction problems than the agents can find when working independently. This paper does three things. First, it distills our experiences with A-Teams into a protocol for designing them. Second, it points out that a sufficient condition for the circulating results to converge is that the skills of the agents that construct new results be complementary to the skills of the agents that destroy old results. Third, it argues that this complemantarity is relatively easy to achieve. The practical implications are: a) the quality of solutions obtained by any problem-solving-algorithm, even the best one available, can invariably be improved by combining it with other available algorithms into an A-Team, b) the quality of solutions obtained by any A-Team can invariably be improved by expanding its size, and c) expansions are relatively easy to make.
Privacy-Preserving Mining of Frequent Routes in Cellular Network Data

Cellular networks generate a wealth of mobility data that may be applied in numerous application areas such as traffic and transport management, urban planning and crisis management. Due to the sheer size of network data, and since it can contain sensitive information, this potential also comes with great technical challenges with regard to information extraction, data reduction and privacy. In this paper we simultaneously address these three challenges with respect to the specific task of mining frequent routes of terminals and, in extension, people and vehicles. The proposed approach is a pipeline where raw cell data is segmented into sequences that, in turn, are aggregated into groups of similar sequences using a scalable distributed clustering algorithm based on locality-sensitive hashing. Acquired aggregate statistics are then perturbed using an existing differential-privacy framework in order to ensure that sensitive information is not released. This compound approach has been evaluated with respect to cluster quality, data reduction and privacy protection, on coarse empirical call detail record data, as well as on more fine-grained synthetic handover data simulated from measured GPS traces.
Skin Conductance Versus the Modified COMFORT Sedation Score as a Measure of Discomfort in Artificially Ventilated Children

OBJECTIVE. We wanted to use skin conductance as a measure of increased stress in artificially ventilated children. The aim was to examine how changes in skin conductance, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate are associated with changes in the modified COMFORT sedation score during suction from the trachea. Nociceptive stimulation induces an outgoing sympathetic nervous burst to the skin and the palmar and plantar sweat glands are filled, which creates a skin conductance fluctuation. METHODS. Twenty children who were 1 day to 11 years of age were studied. All patients were artificially ventilated and circulatory stable. The data were obtained before, during, and 10 minutes after endotracheal suction. The number of skin conductance fluctuations, the amplitude of skin conductance fluctuations, the mean skin conductance level, arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and the modified COMFORT sedation score were recorded and tested from before to during and from during to after suction in the trachea. RESULTS. The number of skin conductance fluctuations, mean skin conductance level, arterial blood pressure, and the modified COMFORT sedation score increased during suction in the trachea, in contrast to heart rate and amplitude of skin conductance fluctuations. The number of skin conductance fluctuations from before to during and from during to after endotracheal suctioning correlated with changes in the modified COMFORT sedation score. This was in contrast to the other variables that did not. CONCLUSIONS. The number of skin conductance fluctuations during endotracheal suctioning showed better correlation with the increase in the modified COMFORT sedation score than heart rate and arterial blood pressure. Thus, the number of skin conductance fluctuations seems to be an objective supplement to the modified COMFORT sedation score for monitoring increased stress in artificially ventilated and circulatory stable children.
Attacks and improvements on two new-found RFID authentication protocols

In recent years, in order to provide secure communication between Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) users different RFID authentication protocols have been proposed. In this paper, we investigate weaknesses of two newfound RFID authentication protocols that proposed by Shi et al. and Liu et al. in 2014. The Ouafi-Phan privacy model is used for privacy analysis. We show that these two protocols have some weaknesses and could not provide the security and the privacy of RFID users. Furthermore, two improved protocols are proposed that eliminate existing weaknesses in Shi et al.'s and Liu et al.'s protocols.
Fault ride-through of fully enclosed squirrel-cage induction generators for wind farms in Thailand

The increasing amount of wind power generation in Thailand power systems requires stability analysis considering interaction between wind-farms and transmission systems. Dynamics introduced by dispersed wind generators at the distribution level can usually be neglected. However, large wind farms have a considerable influence to power system dynamics and must definitely be considered for analyzing power system dynamics. For this purpose, a detailed dynamic model of fully enclosed squirrel cage induction generator with gearbox (full-scale power electronics converters) of a 2.3 MW wind turbine with has been implemented using the modeling environment of the simulation software DIgSILENT PowerFactory. For investigating grid compatibility aspects of this wind generator concept, a model of a 96.6 MW wind farm, with typical layout, based on 42 wind turbines of the 2.3 MW-class has been analyzed. This paper is focusing on transient stability and fault ride through capability when the grid voltage has dropped to a very low value.
A change that.

HARDLY A WEEK passes without a national newspaper story about abortion and it arouses passions like few other subjects. But while for much of the public the debate might be academic and divorced from their everyday lives, for nurses and midwives it is a real issue. Nurses were on the front line before the Abortion Act was passed, often caring for women suffering the horrific effects of back- street abortions.
Comparison of PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis and PCR-Direct Sequencing Methods for Differentiating Helicobacter pylori ureB Gene Variants

ABSTRACT A method utilizing PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in the Helicobacter pylori genes is widely used to differentiate strains. However, with this typing method only a single base change at a specific restriction site can be detected. In addition, it is unclear whether the nucleotide base change recognized by RFLP is related to a substitution of encoded amino acid. To examine the validity of the PCR-RFLP method, 933-bp PCR products were obtained from 41 different clinical H. pylori isolates and were digested with Sau3A restriction endonuclease. Furthermore, the nucleotides of the same region in the ureB gene were directly sequenced and compared. PCR-RFLP confirmed that there was genetic diversity within the ureB gene with three distinct types, one being well conserved and the other two being variations. However, the direct sequencing method revealed that there was no difference at the nucleotide level among these RFLP types. Base substitutions recognized by Sau3A occurred in the third-base position and did not change the encoded amino acid. In addition, many nucleotide mutations, which could not be recognized bySau3A, were frequently found. These results suggest that the PCR-RFLP method provides for an easy typing scheme of isolates, but does not reveal the true extent of genetic diversity. It is proposed that careful observation is required for the interpretation of results when clinical isolates are differentiated.
Deletion of the gene encoding the adenovirus 5 early region 1b 21,000-molecular-weight polypeptide leads to degradation of viral and host cell DNA

The adenovirus 5 mutant H5dl337 lacks 146 base pairs within early region 1B. The deletion removes a portion of the region encoding the E1B 21,000-molecular-weight (21K) polypeptide, but does not disturb the E1B-55K/17K coding region. The virus is slightly defective for growth in cultured HeLa cells, in which its final yield is reduced ca. 10-fold compared with wild-type virus. The mutant displays a striking phenotype in HeLa cells. The onset of cytopathic effect is dramatically accelerated, and both host cell and viral DNAs are extensively degraded late after infection. This defect has been described previously for a variety of adenovirus mutants and has been termed a cytocidal (cyt) phenotype. H5dl337 serves to map this defect to the loss of E1B-21K polypeptide function. In addition to its defect in the productive growth cycle, H5dl337 is unable to transform rat cells at normal efficiency.
Characteristic differences in barrier and hygroscopic properties between normal and cosmetic dry skin. II. Depth profile of natural moisturizing factor and cohesivity

In a previous paper (Lu et al., International Journal of Cosmetic Science, in press), we reported that in comparison with normal skin, cosmetic dry skin characteristically has a thicker stratum corneum (SC) with weaker barrier quality. Our goal here was to obtain a more complete picture of the difference between normal and cosmetic dry skin, by further analysing the data collected from the same clinical study to address two additional aspects of skin: the amount and depth profile of natural moisturizing factor (NMF) and the cohesivity of the SC.
Inhibitors of Endoplasmic Reticulum α-Glucosidases Potently Suppress Hepatitis C Virus Virion Assembly and Release

ABSTRACT α-Glucosidases I and II are endoplasmic reticulum-resident enzymes that are essential for N-linked glycan processing and subsequent proper folding of glycoproteins. In this report, we first demonstrate that downregulation of the expression of α-glucosidase I, II, or both in Huh7.5 cells by small hairpin RNA technology inhibited the production of hepatitis C virus (HCV). In agreement with the essential role of α-glucosidases in HCV envelope glycoprotein processing and folding, treatment of HCV-infected cells with a panel of imino sugar derivatives, which are competitive inhibitors of α-glucosidases, did not affect intracellular HCV RNA replication and nonstructural protein expression but resulted in the inhibition of glycan processing and subsequent degradation of HCV E2 glycoprotein. As a consequence, HCV virion assembly and secretion were inhibited. In searching for imino sugars with better antiviral activity, we found that a novel imino sugar, PBDNJ0804, had a superior ability to inhibit HCV virion assembly and secretion. In summary, we demonstrated that glucosidases are important host factor-based antiviral targets for HCV infection. The low likelihood of drug-resistant virus emergence and potent antiviral efficacy of the novel glucosidase inhibitor hold promise for its development as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.
Clinical application of HE4 and CA125 in ovarian cancer type I and type II detection and differential diagnosis.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of HE4 in detecting and differentiating between types I and II epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in comparison with CA125. MATERIAL AND METHODS We measured HE4 and CA125 serum concentrations in 206 samples taken from patients operated in Gynecologic Oncology Department due to ovarian tumors. Ovarian cancer was confirmed in 89 cases divided into type I and type II. 52 healthy patients without any gynecological disease formed the control group. The sensitivity and specificity for type I and type II EOC detection and differentiating between both types was evaluated for HE4 and CA125. RESULTS The HE4 and CA125 serum concentrations were significantly higher in type II than in type I EOC (p=0.008696, p=0.000243 respectively). The HE4 and CA125 sensitivity for type I and benign tumors differentiation was 63.16% for both of them and specificity was 87.29% vs 67.89% respectively. For CA125 these differences did not reach statistical significance. The HE4 sensitivity and specificity for type II and benign tumors differentiation were 87.14% and 96.61%, respectively and for CA125 these values were 82.86% and 94.07%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Pretreatment analysis of HE4 serum concentration is superior to CA125 in differential diagnosis of ovarian cancer subtypes (I and II). HE4 is superior to CA125 in detecting ovarian cancer type II. Neither HE4 nor CA125 is an effective diagnostic tool for type I ovarian cancer detection. A new highly specific and highly sensitive tumor marker for type I EOC is needed.
A monoclonal antiidiotypic antibody to MOPC 315 IgA inhibits the growth of MOPC 315 myeloma cells in vitro.

Spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized with MOPC 315 IgA were fused with P3X63/Ag8 myeloma cells. Hybrid clones were screened for antibody production by a plate-binding radioimmunoassay in which MOPC 315 IgA was reacted with culture supernatants and 125I-protein A. One antibody-producing hybridoma clone (D10) was selected and injected i.p. into BALB/c mice. Ascitic fluid of tum or-bearing animals reacted specifically with MOPC 315 IgA and the reaction was inhibited by DNP- aminocaproic acid, indicating that the monoclonal antibody was directed against the hapten-binding site of MOPC 315 IgA. The monoclonal antiidiotypic antibody was of the complement (C)-binding IgG2a subclass and inhibited IgA production and growth of MOPC 315 cells in vitro in the presence of guinea pig C, as assessed by inhibition of formation of plaques and colonies by MOPC 315 cells in agar.
Rolling bearing fault diagnosis and health assessment using EEMD and the adjustment Mahalanobis–Taguchi system

ABSTRACTS For the timely identification of the potential faults of a rolling bearing and to observe its health condition intuitively and accurately, a novel fault diagnosis and health assessment model for a rolling bearing based on the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method and the adjustment Mahalanobis–Taguchi system (AMTS) method is proposed. The specific steps are as follows: First, the vibration signal of a rolling bearing is decomposed by EEMD, and the extracted features are used as the input vectors of AMTS. Then, the AMTS method, which is designed to overcome the shortcomings of the traditional Mahalanobis–Taguchi system and to extract the key features, is proposed for fault diagnosis. Finally, a type of HI concept is proposed according to the results of the fault diagnosis to accomplish the health assessment of a bearing in its life cycle. To validate the superiority of the developed method proposed approach, it is compared with other recent method and proposed methodology is successfully validated on a vibration data-set acquired from seeded defects and from an accelerated life test. The results show that this method represents the actual situation well and is able to accurately and effectively identify the fault type.
A TDC-Based Two-Step Quantizer With Swapper Technique for a Multibit Continuous-Time Delta–Sigma Modulator

A time-to-digital converter (TDC)-based two-step quantizer is proposed for a multibit continuous-time delta-sigma modulator (CTDSM). In the proposed time-domain quantizer, the barrel-shifting operation realizes the dynamic element matching (DEM) function inherently, eliminating an explicit DEM circuit and the associated circuit latency. The two-step quantization scheme further reduces the hardware and power consumption of a multibit TDC quantizer. A swapper technique, in addition to the inherent DEM, is incorporated to randomize the selection of the two banks of digital-to-analog converter cells, which ensure good linearity. A third-order CTDSM incorporating the proposed TDC-based two-step quantizer is fabricated in a 90-nm CMOS process. The modulator achieves a signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio of 69.6 dB over a 1-MHz signal bandwidth. Operated from 1.2-V analog and 1-V digital supplies, the whole CTDSM consumes 1.79 mW and achieves a figure of merit of 361 fJ/conversion.
A New Self-Adapting Knowledge Fusion System

This paper presents a new knowledge fusion method with a feedback and self-adapting mechanism. Representing structure of distributed knowledge objects is uniformed by ontology technology and meta-knowledge. A detailed improved knowledge fusion algorithm based on genetic algorithm and semantic filter is described. The proposed feedback mechanism is based on message communication between knowledge space and application service, which can evaluate the fusion results and optimize the fusion process to adapt to the requirements. Experimental results of emulator procedures show the validity and feasibility of design rationale.
Integrating Web 2.0 in e-learning environments: a socio-technical approach

The great diffusion of Web 2.0 is having a tremendous effect and change on the way people search, find, collaboratively develop and consume information and knowledge. Education and learning are not an exception of Web 2.0 trends, as the number of Web 2.0 empowered e-learning environments are booming. Although research in Web 2.0 applications in learning is rising, the studies tend to be very descriptive failing to identify and discuss the pedagogical theories and models that support and enhance the exploitation of Web 2.0 tools in (e)-learning environments. This paper aims to first discuss the use of Web 2.0 in (e)-learning and the new skills that they enable, and then, debate the pedagogical theories that support the exploitation of Web 2.0 for creating personalised and collaborative learning environments. To achieve that, a socio-technical approach is suggested.
Exploring Emerging Hacker Assets and Key Hackers for Proactive Cyber Threat Intelligence

Abstract Cyber attacks cost the global economy approximately $445 billion per year. To mitigate attacks, many companies rely on cyber threat intelligence (CTI), or threat intelligence related to computers, networks, and information technology (IT). However, CTI traditionally analyzes attacks after they have already happened, resulting in reactive advice. While useful, researchers and practitioners have been seeking to develop proactive CTI by better understanding the threats present in hacker communities. This study contributes a novel CTI framework by leveraging an automated and principled web, data, and text mining approach to collect and analyze vast amounts of malicious hacker tools directly from large, international underground hacker communities. By using this framework, we identified many freely available malicious assets such as crypters, keyloggers, web, and database exploits. Some of these tools may have been the cause of recent breaches against organizations such as the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The study contributes to our understanding and practice of the timely proactive identification of cyber threats.
MANET Mining: Mining Temporal Association Rules

A wireless ad hoc network (MANET) is a collection of autonomous nodes or terminals that communicate with each other by forming a multihop radio network and maintaining connectivity in a decentralized manner. MANET is characterized by a rapidly changed topology. As a result packets select different multi-hops paths to reach their destinations. Even though packets are somehow independent from each other, there are still some hidden relations (patterns) among them. These relations may be utilized to give useful information to different MANET protocols. In this work, association rules technique is applied in time domain to obtain these hidden relations.