Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A fast collaborative filtering algorithm for implicit binary data

Item-based and user-based collaborative filtering are two well-known algorithms for recommender system in E-commerce. Both the algorithms make use of similarity matrix whose elements represent the similarity of each item pairs or user pairs. A fast algorithm for item-based similarity matrix computation using cosine similarity metric was reviewed and applied for user-based one with some modification. The results show that the fast algorithm can blend well with other similarity metrics, and it can greatly improve the computational performance.
An in vivo study of dentin sensitivity: the relation of dentin sensitivity and the patency of dentin tubules.

Dentin hypersensitivity can be a major problem for periodontal patients. The relationship between dentin hypersensitivity and the patency of dentin tubules in vivo has been established. Thirteen adult patients with teeth scheduled for extraction were selected and a stent fabricated to confirm location of the root surface being examined. Response to a constant air blast was recorded on a numeric pain rating scale (from 0 to 4) during the course of treatment. The tooth surface was initially treated with 0.5 molar EDTA (pH = 7.4), to remove the smear layer and expose tubules. The region was then treated with either a 3% monopotassium-monohydrogen oxalate solution or a 3% sodium chloride solution, both at pH = 2.4. Solutions were prepared to be indistinguishable to the examiner. Response to air was evaluated before and after EDTA treatment and after treatment with a desensitizing agent. The patient was anesthetized and the treated tooth extracted. Specimens were sectioned, critical point dried, sputter coated with gold, and examined under the scanning electron microscope. Photomicrographs were analyzed by computer assisted digital analysis to evaluate the degree of tubule occlusion. Statistical analysis by repeated measures ANOVA for univariate tests of hypothesis for within subject effects showed the sodium chloride solution was more effective in reducing dentin sensitivity than the potassium oxalate solution. Scanning electron micrographic analysis revealed a mean dentin tubule aperture size of 1.720 square microns following EDTA treatment alone, 0.564 square micron following potassium oxalate treatment, and 0.386 square micron following sodium chloride treatment. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Determinants of Speed of Adjustment (SOA) toward Optimum Capital Structure: Evidence from Listed Firms in Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT This research article aims at examining the determinants of speed of adjustment (SOA) toward the optimum capital structure (OCS). Particularly, this study focuses the impact of firm-specific factors and corporate governance factors on the capital structure adjustment in the Sri Lankan context. The methodology utilizes the benefits of the partial (stock) adjustment model, namely, two-step panel framework using generalised method of moments (GMM) to determine the SOA to OCS. The results indicate that Sri Lankan firms are found to have an OCS and do rapidly adjust toward their target structures. Further this study reveals that profitability, size, tangibility, nondebt tax shields, and governance factors such as directors’ compensation and CEO duality significantly affect the SOA to OCS. The past studies in the emerging market context hardly go into corporate governance factors, leaving a large space for research in the area of capital structure. This study of the listed firms in Sri Lanka contributes to the literature, by examining the determinants of SOA to OCS decision.
Abnormalities in centrosome number in human embryos and embryonic stem cells

Chromosomal abnormalities are common in human embryos. Previous studies have suggested links between centrosome number and chromosome abnormalities, but information regarding abnormalities in centrosome number in human embryos is limited. We analyzed abnormalities in centrosome number in human embryos and embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Following normal fertilization, supernumerary centrosomes were present at rates of 7.3% in two‐pronucleus (2PN)‐stage zygotes and 6.5% in first‐cleavage zygotes. Supernumerary centrosomes were also detected in 24.4% of blastomeres from 60% of embryos derived from 2PN zygotes. Conversely, in mono‐ (1PN) and tri‐pronucleus (3PN) zygotes, the frequency of abnormal centrosome number increased substantially at first cleavage. Rates in blastomeres of Day‐3 embryos, however, were about the same between embryos derived from 1PN and 2PN zygotes, whereas abnormalities in centrosome number were higher in those from 3PN zygotes. By comparison, the rate of abnormal centrosome numbers in hESCs was 1.5–11.2%. Thus, abnormalities in centrosome number existed in human zygotes and cleaved embryos—especially those resulting from aberrant fertilization—but the frequency of such abnormalities was lower in hESCs derived from these embryos. These findings identify a source of the chromosomal instability in human embryos and hESCs, and highlight new safety issues for human assisted reproductive technology. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 83: 392–404, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Towards a Sustainable Sun, Sea, and Sand Tourism: The Value of Ocean View and Proximity to the Coast

Coastal tourism is expanding worldwide, mostly owing to the attraction to relevant ecosystem services such as the scenic beauty and recreational activities. The aim of this study was to analyze the value of these, using hedonic analysis by assessing how prices of hotel rooms are related to the scenic view, location, non-ecosystem amenities, and size of the hotels in three touristic areas of Veracruz, Mexico. We found that, besides the size of the hotel and the number of non-ecosystem amenities, room prices increased by 8% and 57%, depending on the ocean view and accessibility to the beach, respectively. These results help to understand why hotels are built very close to the coastline, despite the high risk of extreme and frequent meteorological events. The unorganized and intense development of the tourist industry may act in contrast to the necessity for conservation of the natural ecosystems, rendering this activity highly unsustainable. The question is how to deal with the dilemma of tourism growth and conservation. We suggest some alternatives that might help with the conservation of natural ecosystems, while maintaining the combined provision of simultaneous coastal ecosystem services such as an aesthetically pleasing view and recreation, as well as additional services such as storm protection.
The Impact of Technical–Nontechnical Factors Synergy on Innovation Performance: The Moderating Effect of Talent Flow

Innovation and talent are the guarantee of the sustainable development of an enterprise. However, internet companies are facing two major problems: innovation scarcity and frequent talent flow. The gradual intensification of competition is leading internet companies to realize the importance of collaborative innovation of an enterprise’s internal elements. Previous studies have pointed out that appropriate talent flow is conducive to improve the corporation’s innovation performance, too low or too high talent flow has a negative impact on the enterprise’s innovation ability. This study explores the relationship between talent flow, technical–nontechnical element synergy and collaborative innovation performance in the internet industry. The results show that the technical–nontechnical element synergy is beneficial to improve the collaborative innovation performance, and the comprehensive coordination of the elements can generate integration advantages that single element synergy cannot produce. As a moderator variable, talent flow can positively moderate the relationship between technical–market synergy, technical–strategy synergy, technical–institution synergy and collaborative innovation performance. However, because of the particularity of organization and culture, talent flow has no moderating effect on the relationship between technical–culture synergy, technical–organization synergy and innovation performance. Finally, this paper puts forward some suggestions on how to promote internet enterprise internal element synergy and use the talent flow frequency to improve collaborative innovation performance.
Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents: A Meta-analysis

CONTEXT: Given the recent expansion of research in the area of music therapy (MT) for preterm infants, there is a need for an up-to-date meta-analysis of rigorously designed studies that focus exclusively on MT. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review and meta-analyze the effect of MT on preterm infants and their parents during NICU hospitalization and after discharge from the hospital. DATA SOURCES: PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CINAHL, ERIC, Web of Science, RILM. STUDY SELECTION: Only parallel or crossover randomized controlled trials of MT versus standard care, comparison therapy, or placebo were included. DATA EXTRACTION: Independent extraction by 2 reviewers, including risk of bias indicators. RESULTS: From 1803 relevant records, 16 met inclusion criteria, of which 14 contained appropriate data for meta-analysis involving 964 infant participants and 266 parent participants. Overall, random-effects meta-analyses suggested significant large effects favoring MT for infant respiratory rate (mean difference, –3.91/min, 95% confidence interval, −7.8 to −0.03) and maternal anxiety (standardized mean difference, –1.82, 95% confidence interval, −2.42 to −1.22). There was not enough evidence to confirm or refute any effects of MT on other physiologic and behavioral outcomes or on short-term infant and service-level outcomes. There was considerable heterogeneity between studies for the majority of outcomes. LIMITATIONS: This review is limited by a lack of studies assessing long-term outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: There is sufficient evidence to confirm a large, favorable effect of MT on infant respiratory rate and maternal anxiety. More rigorous research on short-term and long-term infant and parent outcomes is required.
The Physical Activity for Total Health (PATH) Study: rationale and design.

PURPOSE Physical activity has been associated with a decreased risk for breast cancer. Mechanisms for this association may involve hormonal pathways. The Physical Activity for Total Health study is testing the effect of a 1-yr moderate intensity physical activity intervention on the endogenous sex hormone profile of postmenopausal women in a randomized controlled study. METHODS Women (N = 168) who are aged 55-75 yr, not using sex hormones, sedentary, nonsmokers, have no endocrine-related disease or cancer, and with body mass index of 25.0 or greater, are eligible. Women are recruited through mass mailings and media advertising and are randomized to either a 1-yr moderate intensity aerobic and strength training exercise program (monitored group exercise sessions plus home exercise) or a control program (stretching classes). RESULTS Serum hormones to be assayed at baseline and at the end of the study include: total estrone, total estradiol, free estradiol, percent bioavailable estradiol, estrone sulfate, sex hormone binding globulin, albumin, testosterone, free testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, insulin, glucose, and triglycerides. Other outcome measures include: the ratio of urinary 2-hydroxyestrone: 16alpha-hydroxyestrone (an estrogen metabolite ratio that may be associated with risk for breast cancer), weight, body mass index, total fat mass, and body fat distribution (waist:hip circumference ratio, DEXA scan, and abdominal fat measured by computed tomography). CONCLUSION This study is the first to examine the effect of change in physical activity level on sex hormones in postmenopausal women. It will provide insight into possible mechanisms through which physical activity might be associated with reduced risk of breast cancer.
Effect of Buprofezin on Survival of Immature Stages of Harmonia axyridis, Stethorus punctum picipes (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Orius tristicolor (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), and Geocoris spp. (Hemiptera: Geocoridae)

Abstract The effect of buprofezin, a chitin synthesis inhibitor, on development and survival of immature stages of Harmonia axyridis (Pallas), Stethorus punctum picipes Casey, Orius tristicolor (White), Geocoris pallens Stål, and Geocoris punctipes (Say), was examined in a series of laboratory bioassays. Very few H. axyridis larvae (3.1%) treated with buprofezin reached adulthood, although 65% of treated pupae emerged successfully. Buprofezin caused no mortality to eggs of S. punctum picipes but 71.1% of treated early instar larvae failed to complete development. Eighty percent of treated late instars and 92.3% of pupae produced viable adults. Early instar nymphs of O. tristicolor were unaffected by buprofezin, whereas 47.7 and 85% of G. punctipes and G. pallens nymphs, respectively, failed to complete development. Treated eggs of G. pallens hatched successfully. The use of buprofezin in integrated pest management in Washington state wine grapes is discussed.
Effects of intravenous injection of adipose-derived stem cells in a rat model of radiation therapy-induced erectile dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION Radiation therapy (RT) for prostate cancer is frequently associated with posttreatment erectile dysfunction (ED). AIM To investigate whether injection of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) can ameliorate RT-associated ED. METHODS Thirty male rats were divided into three groups. The control + phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) group received tail-vein injection of PBS. The radiation + PBS group received radiation over the prostate and tail-vein injection of PBS. The radiation + ADSC group received radiation over the prostate and tail-vein injection of ADSCs, which were labeled with 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU). Seventeen weeks later, erectile function was evaluated by intracavernous pressure (ICP) in response to electrostimulation of cavernous nerves (CNs). Penile tissue and major pelvic ganglia (MPG) were examined by immunofluorescence (IF) and EdU staining. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Erectile function was measured by ICP. Protein expression was examined by IF, followed by image analysis and quantification. RESULTS Radiation over the prostate caused a significant decrease in erectile function and in the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in penis and MPG. Cavernous smooth muscle (CSM) but not endothelial content was also reduced. Injection of ADSCs significantly restored erectile function, nNOS expression, and CSM content in the irradiated rats. EdU-positive cells were visible in MPG. CONCLUSIONS Radiation appears to cause ED via CN injury. ADSC injection can restore erectile function via CN regeneration.
Social Image Analysis From a Non-IID Perspective

An image in social media, termed a social image, exhibits characteristics different from images widely discussed in image processing. They can be described by both content and social related attributes, called social image attributes, including visual contents, users, tags, and timestamps. There are strong coupling relationships between social image attributes, which make social images not independent and identically distributed (non-IID). By analyzing the relationships among these attributes, we can better understand the semantic activities conducted on such non-IID social images, hence enabling new applications including content organization, recommendation, and social activity understanding. In this article, we present a novel algorithm to analyze the coupling relationships between social images, which involves not only intra-coupled similarity within a social image attribute, but also inter-coupled similarity between attributes, in analyzing the non-IIDness of the similarity between social images. In particular, we propose a multi-entry version of the coupled similarity metric to deal with attributes (i.e., tags) which have a many-to-one relationship with respect to images. Experimental results on a Flickr group dataset show that the proposed algorithm captures coupling relationships and therefore achieves promising results in various applications, including image clustering and tagging.
[Clinical use of software-controlled x-ray tube modulation with "Smart-Scan" in spiral CT].

PURPOSE The modulation of tube current during 360 degree-rotation for equalization of local differences in absorption is able to reduce patient exposure in spiral-CT. The impact on CT investigations of thorax, abdomen and pelvis and the influence of patient geometry within the slice on the decrease of tube current are evaluated. METHODS 300 spiral-CT's were performed on a HiSpeed Advantage scanner (GE) using a software-triggered modulation of tube current ("Smart-Scan"). The local absorption was measured in the 100 central channels of 2 scoutiviews (lateral and a.p.) and used for anatomical adapted modulation. The reduction of exposure as well as the height and width of the body cross-section were measured in reference slices of 100 thorax, 100 abdomen and 100 pelvis examinations. RESULTS The use of "Smart-Scar" enables a decrease of tube current of 7% in thorax, 6% in abdomen and 11% pelvis. There is a significant correlation between the height and width of body cross-section and the reduction of exposure for examinations of thorax and abdomen, but not of the pelvis. CONCLUSION Independent of patient geometry the clinical use of "Smart-Scan" achieves the pelvis. Anatomical regions with an oval body cross-section show a decrease of x-ray tube current, too.
[Studies on the flavonoidls from the herb of Striga asiatica].

OBJECTIVE To study the chemical constituents of the herb of Striga asiatica. METHODS The constituents were isolated by column chromatography and their structrues were elucidated through spectroscopic analysis. RESULTS Eleven compounds were obtained and six flavonoiels were identified as apigenin-7-galacturonide( I ), apigenin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranuronide (II), quercitrin (III), acacetin-7-O-beta-D-glucuronide (IV), apigenin (V), chrysoreiol (VI). CONCLUSION Compounds I - IV are obtained from this plant for the first time.
On the massive string matching problem

In this paper, we discuss an efficient and effective index mechanism to support the matching of massive pattern strings in against a very long target string. It is very important to the next generation sequencing in the biological research. The main idea behind it is to construct an automaton over all the pattern strings, and search the automaton against a BWT-array L created for a target string s to locate all the occurrences of every pattern in s once for all. Experiments have been conducted, which show that our method for this problem is better than the existing approaches.
Induction of dendritic cell costimulator molecule expression is suppressed by T cells in the absence of antigen‐specific signalling: role of cluster formation, CD40 and HLA‐class II for dendritic cell activation

Full activation of T lymphocytes by dendritic cells (DC) during antigen presentation is known to require the interaction of several inducible receptor–ligand pairs. We have postulated that the reciprocal activation of DC by T lymphocytes is also important. Potential signalling molecules that might increase the stimulatory capacity of DC during antigen presentation to T lymphocytes were tested using an in vitro model. Fresh human blood DC were cocultured with CD4+ and CD8+ allogeneic or with autologous T lymphocytes plus Staphylococcus superantigen A (SEA). Surprisingly, costimulator expression on DC cocultured with T lymphocytes was reduced in comparison to DC cultured alone. However, the minority (10–30%) of DC clustering with T lymphocytes showed antigen‐specific up‐regulation of the CD40, CD80 and CD86 costimulator molecules, whereas the non‐clustered DC (70–90%) had less up‐regulation than control DC cultured alone and did not respond to antigen‐specific triggering. Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to CD40 ligand (CD40L) and human leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐DR, but not lymphocyte function‐associated antigen‐1 (LFA‐1), LFA‐3 or HLA‐class I, significantly inhibited the T‐lymphocyte induction of DC costimulator expression. Since HLA‐class II, but not HLA‐class I mAb, inhibited allogeneic T‐lymphocyte‐mediated activation of DC, CD4T lymphocytes appear to be the main subset activating DC in the mixed lymphocyte reaction. Cross‐linking of CD40, but not HLA‐class II, up‐regulated DC or B‐cell costimulator expression. Although direct class II signalling does not appear to play a role in DC activation, antigen‐specific T‐cell recognition contributes via other mechanisms to regulate DC activation.
Deepening how cultural capital structures consumption of the performing arts

Abstract This paper deepens existing research that suggests cultural capital (CC), a status-laden resource linked to social class, associates with differences in consumption values, consumption portfolios (range of products consumed), and emic (consumers’ own) interpretations of performing arts. Our research context comprises attendance at the live and recorded performing arts in a large metropolitan city located in a Western country in which the dominant language is English. The research methods comprise long interviews with, and observations of, a sample of 36 performing arts patrons who had attended a classical music concert at least once: specifically, 18 low CC and 18 high CC. Analysis suggests several advances on previous research. Specific subsets of consumption values linked to CC in the prior literature, associate with LCC or HCC. These consumption values can be viewed as macro-values, which associate with numerous micro-values. Additional consumption values worthy of additional exploration emerged from data analysis. Consumption portfolios identified in prior research, are confirmed as associating with CC.
Impacts of the Psyllid Arytinnis hakani (Homoptera: Psyllidae) on Invasive French Broom in Relation to Plant Size and Psyllid Density

Abstract The impacts of weed biological control agents may vary with plant ontogeny. As plants grow, structural and chemical changes can alter plant resistance, which may reduce herbivory via chemical or structural defenses, and plant tolerance, which may enable plants to maintain fitness despite attack. Resistance and tolerance generally increase as plants grow. Nonetheless, prerelease tests of agent efficacy often overlook plant ontogeny. Here, we assess the performance and impacts of a candidate biocontrol agent, the psyllid Arytinnis hakani (Loginova), in relation to the age of its host plant, the invasive shrub French broom, Genista monspessulana. We also examined whether the psyllid can consistently kill plants when its densities are sufficiently high. Survival of psyllids to adulthood and the timing of adult emergence did not differ between plant sizes, indicating that performance of nymphs was not influenced by plant size. However, adult psyllid survival was reduced on small plants, suggesting that nymphs and adults responded differently to ontogenetic changes in plant quality. Psyllids affected the growth of small and large plants similarly; all measured plant growth parameters were lower in the presence of psyllids regardless of plant size. In a separate experiment, effects on plant survival depended on psyllid density, as higher realized densities of ~9 psyllids per cm stem length were necessary to consistently kill plants. Thus, results suggest that the psyllid would be equally effective on a range of plant sizes, particularly at high densities, and show the potential of the psyllid to help control French broom in California.