Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Complex Neighborhood based Particle Swarm Optimization

This paper proposes a new variant of the PSO algorithm named Complex Neighborhood Particle Swarm Optimizer (CNPSO) for solving global optimization problems. In the CNPSO, the neighborhood of the particles is organized through a complex network which is modified during the search process. This evolution of the topology seeks to improve the influence of the most successful particles and it is fine tuned for maintaining the scale-free characteristics of the network while the optimization is being performed. The use of a scale-free topology instead of the usual regular or global neighborhoods is intended to bring to the search procedure a better capability of exploring promising regions without a premature convergence, which would result in the procedure being easily trapped in a local optimum. The performance of the CNPSO is compared with the standard PSO on some well-known and high-dimensional benchmark functions, ranging from multimodal to plateau-like problems. In all the cases the CNPSO outperformed the standard PSO.
Antibody neutralization of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibits wound granulation tissue formation.

OBJECTIVE The goal of this work was to test the functional role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in promoting the vigorous granulation tissue formation, wound fluid accumulation, and angiogenic responses characteristic of this wound model. BACKGROUND Formation of vessel-rich granulation tissue is central to wound repair and is thought to be regulated by locally liberated angiogenic factors. Despite the clinical importance of granulation tissue formation in the early stage of wound healing, surprisingly little is known about the molecular identity of signals leading to granulation tissue invasion of a wound space. Methods. A ventral hernia, surgically created in the abdominal wall of 15 swine, was repaired using silicone sheeting and skin closure. An osmotic minipump, inserted in a remote subcutaneous pocket, delivered saline (n = 5), an irrelevant control antibody (n = 5), or neutralizing anti-VEGF antibody (n = 5) into the wound environment. Serial ultrasonography on Days 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, and 14 was used to determine the dimensions of the subcutaneous granulation tissue and wound fluid compartment. VEGF and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) levels in serial wound fluid samples were quantitated by ELISA. On Day 14, animals were sacrificed and the abdominal wall was harvested for histologic, biochemical, and molecular analyses. RESULTS In animals receiving saline or an irrelevant antibody, a nearly linear 4-fold increase in granulation tissue thickness and 7-fold increase in wound fluid volume were measured over the 14-day study interval. In contrast, in animals receiving anti-VEGF neutralizing antibody, Day 14 granulation tissue thickness and wound fluid volume measurements were essentially unchanged from Day 2 values. Moreover, in the anti-VEGF animals, ultrasonography was unable to resolve the "angiogenic zone" typical of both controls, and correspondingly, wound vessel count and vascular surface area estimates derived from image analysis of histological sections were 3-fold lower in the anti-VEGF animals compared with the saline and antibody controls. Finally, VEGF levels in wound fluid detectable by ELISA analysis were strikingly (10-fold) reduced in anti-VEGF animals on Postsurgery Days 7-14. In contrast, TGF-beta1 levels were unaffected by the anti-VEGF treatment. CONCLUSION Functional VEGF is a key mediator in wound angiogenesis, fluid accumulation, and granulation tissue formation.
Radiosonde Temperature Measurements in Strong Inversions: Correction for Thermal Lag Based on an Experiment at the South Pole

Abstract Very steep shallow temperature inversions occur during most of the year in the near-surface layer on the Antarctic Plateau. A radiosonde carried by a balloon rising at a few meters per second does not measure such inversions accurately because the response time of the thermistor is several seconds. To quantify this error, the authors flew a radiosonde on a tethered kite on several occasions in winter at South Pole Station immediately prior to the routine launch of the same sonde on a weather balloon. In all cases, the equilibrated temperatures measured by the tethered sonde at a given pressure level were higher than those from the balloon-borne sonde throughout most of the inversion layer. Assuming that the tethered sonde data represent the true atmospheric temperature profile, a procedure can be developed to correct the temperature data from routine radiosonde soundings for the finite response time of the thermistor. The authors devise an accurate deconvolution method to retrieve the true atmosp.
Nietzsche on the Decadence and Flourishing of Culture: Reply to Critics

Abstract:This article was presented in January 2020 to the North American Nietzsche Society at the American Philosophical Association Eastern Division Meeting as part of a book symposium on Andrew Huddleston's Nietzsche on the Decadence and Flourishing of Culture (2019). Here the author replies to critical commentaries by Kristin Gjesdal and Jacqueline Scott.
Expansion of the criteria for living donor liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma

Purpose of reviewSeveral expanded criteria for liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been suggested out of concern that the Milan criteria may be too strict, and thereby exclude patients who could benefit from this surgical procedure. However, most expanded criteria were designed for deceased donor liver transplantation. Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) differs from that of deceased donor liver transplantation primarily because LDLT liver grafts are not public resources. Recent findingsIn Asian countries, where HCC is endemic, LDLT is the main currently available treatment option for HCC. High-volume LDLT centers throughout Asia have adopted their own expanded selection criteria for LDLT for HCC with acceptable long-term results. Some centers utilize tumor markers as one of the criterion to help select suitable candidates. Indeed, such adjunctive biomarkers may have prognostic relevance for patients with HCC. The use of both biological and histomorphologic parameters may increase the number of transplantable patients. SummaryThe overall chance of survival, and recipient/donor preferences as well as the risk of recurrence are considered in the LDLT setting. Therefore, the selection criteria for liver transplantation for HCC could benefit from expansion for LDLT.
A tutorial on secure outsourcing of large-scale computations for big data

Today's society is collecting a massive and exponentially growing amount of data that can potentially revolutionize scientific and engineering fields, and promote business innovations. With the advent of cloud computing, in order to analyze data in a cost-effective and practical way, users can outsource their computing tasks to the cloud, which offers access to vast computing resources on an on-demand and pay-per-use basis. However, since users' data contains sensitive information that needs to be kept secret for ethical, security, or legal reasons, many users are reluctant to adopt cloud computing. To this end, researchers have proposed techniques that enable users to offload computations to the cloud while protecting their data privacy. In this paper, we review the recent advances in the secure outsourcing of large-scale computations for a big data analysis. We first introduce two most fundamental and common computational problems, i.e., linear algebra and optimization, and then provide an extensive review of the data privacy preserving techniques. After that, we explain how researchers have exploited the data privacy preserving techniques to construct secure outsourcing algorithms for large-scale computations.
Resuscitation of Vibrio vulnificus from the Viable but Nonculturable State

Like many other gram-negative bacteria, the human pathogen Vibrio vulnificus is induced into a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state by incubation at low temperatures. The ability of any bacterium to resuscitate from this dormant state would appear to be essential if the VBNC state is truly a survival strategy. The question as to whether the culturable cells which appear following removal of the inducing stress are a result of true resuscitation or of regrowth of a few residual culturable cells has long been debated. V. vulnificus was examined for its ability to resuscitate from this state following a temperature upshift. Several lines of investigation, including dilution studies, determination of the time necessary for appearance of a culturable population, and the effects of nutrient on recovery, all indicated that, at least for V. vulnificus, true resuscitation does occur. Our studies further suggest that nutrient is in some way inhibitory to the resuscitation of cells in the VBNC state and that studies which add nutrient in an attempt to detect resuscitation are able to detect only residual culturable cells which might be present and which were not inhibited by the added nutrient.
Adjustment in International Students in Malaysian Public University

Study on international students' adjustment while studying in a foreign environment is widely researched in the United States and Britain. A growing body of research has been carried out to study on its determinants. This paper intended to contribute to the Malaysian literature pertaining to this subject. Less attention is given on how the international students adjust successfully in Malaysian public university. This paper proposes seven antecedent variables in predicting the psychological and sociocultural adjustment among international students. Further, academic achievement is proposed as a result of successful adjustment to the psychological and sociocultural. Based on this relationship, several propositions are developed.
Characterization of choline compounds with in vitro 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy for the discrimination of primary brain tumors.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES The authors sought to compare 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) spectra from extracts of low-grade and high-grade gliomas, especially with respect to the signals of choline-containing compounds. METHODS Perchloric acid extracts of six high-grade and six low-grade gliomas were analyzed by 1H MRS at 9.4 Tesla. RESULTS The signals of glycerophosphocholine (GPC) at 3.23 ppm, phosphocholine (PC) at 3.22 ppm, and choline (Cho) at 3.21 ppm were identified in both types of tumors. The absolute concentrations of all Cho-containing compounds (GPC + PC + Cho) in high-grade and low-grade gliomas were significantly different. The relative contributions of each of the Cho-containing compounds to the total choline signal were also statistically different. For high-grade gliomas, the choline signal is composed of GPC, PC, and Cho in a well-balanced contribution, whereas in low-grade gliomas, the signal is largely due to GPC with a small involvement of PC and Cho. CONCLUSIONS The differences in the concentration and the repartition of Cho-containing compounds seem to be a marker of high-grade gliomas. They could also help to discriminate between high- and low-grade gliomas in some difficult cases, especially if there is histologic uncertainty between anaplastic astrocytomas and low-grade oligodendrogliomas.
Defective human T‐lymphotrophic virus type I provirus in T‐cell prolymphocytic leukaemia

T‐cell prolymphocytic leukaemia (T‐PLL) is a rare form of post‐thymic T‐cell neoplasm, the aetiology of which remains unknown. We examined human T‐lymphotropic virus (HTLV) provirus in five HTLV‐I/II seronegative patients with T‐PLL. Southern blotting did not show monoclonal integration of the HTLV‐I genome in any of the DNA samples. However, two of the five DNA samples contained an HTLV‐I tax sequence. Other sets of oligonucleotide primers for HTLV‐I gag, pol, env and LTR regions were all negative. HTLV‐I tax gene expression and p40tax antibody were not detected in samples from cases with HTLV‐I tax sequence. Our findings suggest that there may be alternative mechanisms involved in HTLV‐associated leukaemogenesis, in which HTLV‐I genome insertion triggers T‐PLL but the deletion of various regions of the integrated provirus subsequently prevents active replication and the expression of the virus.
Effect of electron-beam irradiation on graphene field effect devices

Electron beam exposure is a commonly used tool for fabricating and imaging graphene-based devices. Here, we present a study of the effects of electron-beam irradiation on the electronic transport properties of graphene and the operation of graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs). Exposure to a 30 keV electron-beam caused negative shifts in the charge-neutral point (CNP) of the GFET, interpreted as due to n-doping in the graphene from the interaction of the energetic electron beam with the substrate. The shift in the CNP is substantially reduced for suspended graphene devices. The electron beam is seen to also decrease the carrier mobilities and minimum conductivity, indicating defects created in the graphene. The findings are valuable for understanding the effects of radiation damage on graphene and for the development of radiation-hard graphene-based electronics.
Sense of direction, topological awareness and communication complexity

Based on some recent results, it is here argued that the communication complexity of distributed problems can be greatly affected by two factors hereby identified as 'sense of direction' and 'topological awareness'. It is also suggested that 'insensitivity' to either or both factors is an indicator of the inherent difficulty of a distributed problem. A bibliography of recent results is included.
The Effects of Emotion-Focused versus Instrumental Rumination on the Provision of Social Support

Victims of negative events often report that they do not receive the expected and desired social support (e.g., Dunkel-Schetter, 1984). The current study investigated the impact of two types of victim rumination and gender role expectations on support provision and receipt. Using a 2 (Instrumental vs. Emotion-Focused Rumination) x 2 (Victim Gender) x 2 (Participant Gender) between-subjects factorial design, 136 undergraduate students interacted with one of four "burglary victims" for eight minutes, providing both behavioral and questionnaire data. Results suggest that instrumental ruminators receive more support than emotion-focused ruminators. Women provided more support to victims than did men. Additionally, male victims' coping was evaluated more positively than female victims' coping, regardless of rumination type.
Characterization of a Novel Riboswitch-Regulated Lysine Transporter in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

ABSTRACT Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is an opportunistic pathogen that resides primarily in the mammalian oral cavity. In this environment, A. actinomycetemcomitans faces numerous host- and microbe-derived stresses, including intense competition for nutrients and exposure to the host immune system. While it is clear that A. actinomycetemcomitans responds to precise cues that allow it to adapt and proliferate in the presence of these stresses, little is currently known about the regulatory mechanisms that underlie these responses. Many bacteria use noncoding regulatory RNAs (ncRNAs) to rapidly alter gene expression in response to environmental stresses. Although no ncRNAs have been reported in A. actinomycetemcomitans, we propose that they are likely important for colonization and persistence in the oral cavity. Using a bioinformatic and experimental approach, we identified three putative metabolite-sensing riboswitches and nine small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) in A. actinomycetemcomitans during planktonic and biofilm growth. Molecular characterization of one of the riboswitches revealed that it is a lysine riboswitch and that its target gene, lysT, encodes a novel lysine-specific transporter. Finally, we demonstrated that lysT and the lysT lysine riboswitch are conserved in over 40 bacterial species, including the phylogenetically related pathogen Haemophilus influenzae.
Development of an Eddy-Current Separation Equipment With High Gradient Superconducting Magnet

A high gradient magnetic separator (HGMS) used for recovery of waste electric and electronic equipment has been designed and fabricated in the Institute of High Energy Physics of China. It has a warm bore of 200 mm diameter and consists of two superconducting solenoid coils made of epoxy-impregnated NbTi/Cu superconductors. The designed center field is 5 T, and the field gradient more than 36 T/m. The magnet suffered several trainings to reach its designed current of 153 A and stably operated during many charging and discharging. In this paper, the detailed development of this magnet is presented.
Constitutive activation of transcription factors NF‐κB, AP‐1, and NF‐IL6 in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines that express pro‐inflammatory and pro‐angiogenic cytokines

We previously reported that human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) express the pro‐inflammatory and pro‐angiogenic cytokines interleukin (IL)‐1α, IL‐6, IL‐8, and granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor in vitro and in vivo. The promoter region of the genes encoding these cytokines include binding sites for the transcription factors nuclear factor (NF) κB/Rel A, activator protein‐1 (AP‐1), and CCAAT enhancer‐binding protein β (C/EBPβ, or NF‐IL6), which have been reported to contribute to activation of these cytokine genes. In the study presented here, we examined the activation, composition, and function of these transcription factors in HNSCC cell lines that express pro‐inflammatory cytokines, by using electrophoretic mobility shift and reporter‐gene assays. Constitutive activation of NF‐κB, AP‐1, and NF‐IL6 DNA‐binding proteins was detected. Supershift analysis with antibodies specific for NF‐κB, AP‐1, and NF‐IL6 binding proteins showed that the NF‐κB–binding protein included p65/Rel A and p50; AP‐1 activity included c‐jun, junB, junD, and Fra‐1; and NF‐IL6 included C/EBPβ. Mutational analysis of the NF‐κB, AP‐1, and NF‐IL6 sites in the IL‐8 promoter region showed that NF‐κB and AP‐1 sites contributed to constitutive IL‐8 reporter activity in HNSCC. HNSCC lines that exhibited increased IL‐8 secretion relative to simian virus 40–immortalized and primary keratinocyte cell lines also demonstrated a concordant increase in NF‐κB reporter activity relative to nonmalignant keratinocytes. We concluded that the early transcription factors NF‐κB, AP‐1, and NF‐IL6 are constitutively activated in human HNSCC cell lines and that NF‐κB and AP‐1 promote expression of the pro‐inflammatory and pro‐angiogenic cytokine IL‐8 in HNSCC. The demonstration of the activation of these transcription factors will be helpful in defining the identity and role of these and other early gene products that contribute to pathogenesis of the malignant phenotype in HNSCC and in defining potential targets for pharmacologic and molecular therapy of HNSCC. Mol. Carcinog. 26:119–129, 1999. Published 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Archive of SID Cloning and Expression of Helicobacter pylori HpaA Gene

Received: 14/Sep/2008, Accepted: 22/Nov/2008 Objective: Helicobacter pylori is associated with chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, gastric adenocarcinoma and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Antibiotic therapies do not protect from potential re-infection and have a risk for development of drug resistance. Therefore, prophylactic vaccine mediated protection against H. pylori is an attractive clinical interest. H. pylori adhesin A (HpaA) is a conserved surface lipoprotein and plays important roles in the pathogenesis of infection. In this study the recombinant protein (rHpaA) was over-expressed in E.coli. Materials and Methods: The hpaA gene was amplified by PCR. Prokaryote expression vector pET28a-hpaA was constructed, and used to transform E.coli BL21DE3. The expression of recombinant protein induced by IPTG was examined by SDS-PAGE. Western blot were used to determine immunoreactivity of rHpaA by a rabbit polyclonal antibodies against whole cell of H. pylori. Results: The hpaA gene nucleotide sequence in the recombinant plasmid vector of pET- 28a -hpaA was consistent with that of H.pylori hpaA as published in the GenBank. SDS-PAGE demonstrated that the constructed prokaryotic expression efficiently produced rHpaA at the 1.5 mmol/L of IPTG. HpaA fusion protein was able to react with the rabbit polyclonal antibody against whole cells of H. pylori. Conclusion: A prokaryotic expression system pET- 28a -hpaA-BL21 with high efficiency of H. pylori hpaA gene was successfully established and the HpaA fusion protein showed satisfactory immunoreactivity. These results indicate that production of a specific recombinant protein is an alternative and potentially more expeditious strategy for development of H. pylori vaccine.
Life stress and mental disorders in the South African stress and health study.

BACKGROUND Although stressful life events (SLEs) are associated with psychopathology, the contribution from distal and proximal events and the specificity of their association with common mental disorders require further exploration. We examined the association of recent life events and past adversities to mood, anxiety, substance use and impulse control disorders in South Africa. METHODS Data were analysed from the South African Stress and Health study, a population-based study of mental disorders in a nationally representative sample of 4 351 adults. Psychiatric disorders were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). This included questions covering early and later SLEs (negative life events, relationship stress, partner violence, social strain and adverse events during childhood) and various sociodemographic variables. Logistic regression models were constructed for 3957 respondents (2371 female, 1586 male) with no missing covariate data, to assess life stress and sociodemographic predictors of 12-month and lifetime disorder. RESULTS Recent negative life events and relationship problems were significant predictors of any 12-month disorder and any lifetime disorder. Physical partner violence predicted any lifetime disorder. There was evidence of specificity for the prediction of mood versus anxiety disorders, with childhood adversity specifically associated with mood disorders but not anxiety disorders. Single marital status was the strongest socio-demographic predictor of any 12-month and any lifetime disorder. CONCLUSIONS Stressful life events, distal and proximal, contribute significantly and independently to the prediction of major psychiatric disorders among South Africans, underscoring the importance of screening adversities in adults with common mental disorders, and of providing appropriate adjunctive interventions.
Role of Pegylated Lyposomal Doxorubicin (PLD) in Systemic Kaposi's Sarcoma: A Systematic Review

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a form of skin cancer that can involve internal organs. It is often found in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and can be fatal. Kaposi's sarcoma produces pink, purple or brown tumors on the skin, mucous membranes or internal organs. Treatment goals for KS are simple: to reduce the severity of the symptoms, shrink tumors and prevent disease progression. Unfortunately, there is no single best treatment-plan that can achieve all these goals. With widespread KS lesions over the body surface or evidence of spreading to other parts of the body, the physicians need to treat the patients with systemic chemotherapy. A new class of drugs, called liposomal anthracyclines, appears to produce good results with fewer toxic side effects than more conventional cytotoxic drugs. One of these drugs, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) has become the treatment of choice. This article summarizes all the studies with PLD in systemic Kaposi's sarcoma.