Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is it Over Yet? Learning to Recognize Good News in Financial Media

Until recently, tracking sentiment in news media required professional annotators to identify the polarity of individual articles so that general trends could be identified. In the work described here we use crowdsourcing to gather non-expert annotations, in conjunction with a supervised learning strategy that generalizes from the manual annota- tions to label a larger body of news articles. Our analysis of this strategy shows that, while it is eective, there are three key issues that have to be addressed: consensus, coverage, and bias. By obtaining multiple annotations for an article we can establish a consensus for the article. Alternatively we can seek only a single annotation for each article in or- der to maximize coverage, but without the benefit of a group consensus. With bias, we are not so much concerned by bias among the annotators as by the bias in the learning system which can favor the majority class. In this paper we address these three issues in the context of an analysis of media sentiment towards the Irish economic situation.
Anticancer activity of Mahonia leschenaultii methanolic root extract and berberine on Dalton’s ascitic lymphoma in mice

Objective: To evaluate the effects of methanol root extract of Mahonia leschenaultii and berberine of Mahonia leschenaultii on Dalton’s ascitic lymphoma in Swiss Albino mice. Methods: The methanol root extracts of Mahonia leschenaultii (200 and 400 mg/kg) were given orally, and berberines (10 and 20 mg/kg) were injected intra-peritoneally for 14 successive days in tumor bearing mice. Hematological parameters (white and red blood cells, haemoglobin level, granulocytes, and agranulocytes), lipid parameters (total cholesterol and triglycerides), serum enzymes (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminases, serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminases, and alkaline phosphatise) and mean survival and solid tumor growth were determined and compared with untreated mice. 5-fluorouracil (20 mg/kg) was used as a reference standard drug. Results: Mahonia leschenaultii and berberine reduced the hematocrit significantly. Furthermore, Mahonia leschenaultii and berberine improved the survival of mice significantly and restored the affected hematological and lipid parameters similar to the normal levels. Conclusions: These observations show a strong anticancer effect of methanol root extract of Mahonia leschenaultii and berberine in suppressing Dalton’s ascitic lymphoma cancer cell growth in a mouse model by controlling haematological, lipid, serum enzymes, and other derived parameters effectively.
SEMANTIC SIMILARITY EFFECTS ON WEAK ISLANDS ACCEPTABILITY

Two acceptability judgment experiments were conducted to investigate the role of similarity in weak islands environments. We tested predictions stemming from a narrow ap-proach to similarity (Featural Relativized Minimality) and from a broad approach to similarity (Cue- based memory model) in generating intervention effects. According to Featural Relativized Minimality, only syntactic features triggering movement modulate similarity amongst elements, while according to the Cue- based memory model both syntactic and semantic features modulate similarity. Results show significant effects of both animacy and reversibility of thematic roles, two features that do not trigger movement. Therefore, our results support the broad approach to similarity.
Photocatalytic Abatement of Volatile Organic Compounds by TiO2 Nanoparticles Doped with Either Phosphorous or Zirconium

The aim of this work is to study the activity of novel TiO2-based photocatalysts doped with either phosphorus or zirconium under a UV-Vis source. A set of mesoporous catalysts was prepared by the direct synthesis: TiO2_A and TiO2_B (titanium oxide synthesized by two different procedures), P-TiO2 and Zr-TiO2 (binary oxides with either nonmetal or metal into the TiO2 framework). Complementary characterizations (N2 physisorption at 77 K, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and (DR)UV-Vis spectroscopy) were used to investigate the physicochemical properties of the prepared catalysts. Then, the photocatalysts were tested for the oxidation of propylene and ethylene under UV-Vis light. As a result, the most promising catalyst for both the propylene and ethylene oxidation reactions was the P-TiO2 (propylene conversion = 27.8% and ethylene conversion = 13%, TOS = 3 h), thus confirming the beneficial effect of P-doping into the TiO2 framework on the photocatalytic activity.
Chemokine Receptor Crystal Structures: What Can Be Learned from Them?

Chemokine receptors belong to the class A of G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) and are implicated in a wide variety of physiologic functions, mostly related to the homeostasis of the immune system. Chemokine receptors are also involved in multiple pathologic processes, including immune and autoimmune diseases, as well as cancer. Hence, several members of this GPCR subfamily are considered to be very relevant therapeutic targets. Since drug discovery efforts can be significantly reinforced by the availability of crystal structures, substantial efforts in the area of chemokine receptor structural biology could dramatically increase the outcome of drug discovery campaigns. This short review summarizes the available data on chemokine receptor crystal structures, discusses the numerous applications from chemokine receptor structures that can enhance the daily work of molecular pharmacologists, and describes the challenges and pitfalls to consider when relying on crystal structures for further research applications. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This short review summarizes the available data on chemokine receptor crystal structures, discusses the numerous applications from chemokine receptor structures that can enhance the daily work of molecular pharmacologists, and describes the challenges and pitfalls to consider when relying on crystal structures for further research applications.
A high-temporal resolution algorithm to quantify synchronization during atrial fibrillation

Introduces a new measure of synchronization between electrical activity of relatively close atrial sites during Atrial Fibrillation (AF). It assesses the probability of finding synchronous activations in intra-atrial bipolar electrograms. Data were obtained using multipolar basket catheter in the right atrium, in informed patients during AF. The Index of Synchronization (IS) is based on the assumption that two activations closely spaced in time are likely to belong to the same depolarization wavefront (i.e. synchronized). Relevant features of the proposed index are the high temporal resolution and the robustness to activation time estimation error, to missing or false detections and to the ever changing pattern of propagation, typical of the AF.
Photorefraktive Keratektomie (PRK) zur Korrektur der Restfehlsichtigkeit nach radiärer Keratotomie

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund In den 80er- und 90er-Jahren des vergangenen Jahrhunderts wurde eine Großzahl myoper Patienten mit radiärer Keratotomie (RK) behandelt. Obwohl in vielen Fällen anfangs gut wirksam, ist dieses Verfahren durch schlechte Vorhersagbarkeit der Langzeitergebnisse gekennzeichnet. Dabei kann es sowohl zur Regression der Myopie als auch zur konsekutiven Hyperopie kommen. In dieser retrospektiven Fallserie präsentieren wir den mittel- und langfristigen postoperativen Verlauf einer Patientengruppe, die mit topografiegesteuerter photorefraktiver Keratotomie (PRK) nach RK behandelt wurde. Material und Methoden In dieser retrospektiven Fallserie wurde der Verlauf von Visus und Refraktion über einen postoperativen Zeitraum von mindestens 6 Monaten (41 Monate im Durchschnitt, Min. 9 Max. 96) bei 16 konsekutiven Patienten (16 Augen) nach PRK zur Korrektur einer Restfehlsichtigkeit nach RK erfasst. Resultate Bei 100% der Augen zeigte sich im Verlauf ein Anstieg des unkorrigierten (UDVA) und bei 56% ein Anstieg des bestkorrigierten Visus (CDVA). Bei keinem der Patienten wurde eine schwere oder visuslimitierende Komplikation dokumentiert. Die Refraktion blieb stabil im Rahmen des Beobachtungszeitraums. Schlussfolgerung Die PRK erwies sich als effektive Methode zur Reduktion einer Restfehlsichtigkeit nach RK. Entscheidend neben der regelrechten Umsetzung der Behandlung ist eine gute Aufklärung der Patienten bez. des zu erwartenden funktionellen Ergebnisses.
114 MFLOPS logarithmic number system arithmetic unit for DSP applications

Logarithmic number system (LNS) arithmetic, which represents real numbers by their logarithm in base two, offers inexpensive, error-free multiplication and division, as well as better error characteristics than floating point (FP) arithmetic, but difficult addition/subtraction. While most DSPs use fixed-point arithmetic, floating point would be attractive if it could be achieved at low cost. This paper describes an LNS core that achieves better area than contemporary FP processors. The new approach uses a function interpolator using stored function values, represented in a new interleaved ROM architecture.
Symptom and performance validation in patients with subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment

Abstract Nonauthentic symptom claims (overreporting) and invalid test results (underperformance) can regularly be expected in a forensic context, but may also occur in clinical referrals. While the applicability of symptom and performance validity tests in samples of dementia patients is well studied, the same is not true for patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A sample of 54 memory-clinic outpatients with evidence of SCD or MCI was studied. We evaluated the rate of positive results in three validity measures. A total of 7.4% of the patients showed probable negative response bias in the Word Memory Test. The rate of positive results on the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology was 14.8% while only one participant (1.9%) scored positive on the Self-Report Symptom Inventory using the standard cutoff. The two questionnaires were moderately correlated at . 67. In a combined analysis of all results, five of the patients (9.3%) were judged to show evidence of probable negative response bias (or probably feigned neurocognitive impairment). In the current study, a relatively small but nontrivial rate of probable response distortions was found in a memory-clinic sample. However, it remains a methodological challenge for this kind of research to reliably distinguish between false-positive and correct-positive classifications in clinical patient groups.
Sailing the web with captain Nemo: a personalized metasearch engine

Personalization on the Web is an issue that has gained a lot of interest lately. Web sites have already started providing services such as preferences for the interface, the layout and the functionality of the applications. Personalization services have also been introduced in Web search and metasearch engines, i.e. tools that retrieve Web pages relevant to keywords given by the users. However, those services deal mostly with the presentation style and ignore issues like the retrieval model, the ranking algorithm and topic preferences. In this paper, we present Captain Nemo, a fully-functionable metasearch engine that exploits personal user search spaces. Users can deflne their personal retrieval model and presentation style. They can also deflne topics of interest. Captain Nemo exploits several popular Web search engines to retrieve Web pages relevant to keywords given by the users. The resulting pages are presented according to the deflned presentation style and retrieval model. For every page, Captain Nemo can recommend a relevant topic of interest to classify the page, exploiting nearest-neighbour classiflcation techniques.
Associations between Absolute and Relative Lower Body Strength to Measures of Power and Change of Direction Speed in Division II Female Volleyball Players

Volleyball is a sport comprised of multiple explosive efforts and multidirectional change of direction speed (CODS) actions. Since strength underpins both of these abilities, it is important to explore the relationship between these variables in order to develop strength and conditioning programs to optimize performance. The purpose of this study is to determine if a relationship exists between absolute and relative strength and measures of power and CODS in collegiate volleyball players. Archived testing data from ten (n = 10, age: 19.1 ± 1.2 yrs, Ht: 173.1 ± 6.64 cm, Wt: 67 ± 7.04 kg) female DII collegiate volleyball players were analyzed. These data included: block vertical jump (Block VJ), approach vertical jump (Approach VJ), a repeat jump test (i.e., four consecutive VJs), modified T-test, 5-0-5 agility test, a single leg triple hop test, and a 1-3RM deadlift. Significant large correlations were observed between relative strength and the repeat jump test, modified T-test, and 5-0-5 agility test. Significant correlations were also observed between absolute strength and the modified T-test. These results indicate that strength and conditioning professionals should emphasize the development of both absolute and relative lower-body strength to improve measures of power and agility in collegiate volleyball players.
Effects of sleep-disordered breathing and hypertension on cognitive function in elderly adults

ABSTRACT Purpose: The prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) increases with aging. SDB is a risk of hypertension, and both might lead to cognitive decline. However, the role of SDB and hypertension on the pathogenesis of age-related cognitive decline remains unclear. We examined the effects of these two diseases on cognitive function in elderly adults. Methods: Fifty-two elderly individuals (mean age, 69.6 ± 4.0 years) free from impairment in daily living activities participated in this study. Apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) and minimum oxygen saturation (SpO2) were assessed using a portable home monitoring device. We evaluated excessive daytime sleepiness with the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS). Cognitive performance was assessed using the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), continuous performance test-Identical pairs (CPT-IP), and N-back task. Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were evaluated via questionnaire and blood pressure value. Results: The WCST category achievement was significantly lower in participants with minimum SpO2 <90% than those with minimum SpO2 ≥90%. The percentage of correct answer on the 0- and 1-back tasks was significantly lower in the hypertensives than normotensives. Minimum SpO2 was correlated with category achievement on the WCST. Multiple regression analysis including age, sex, body mass index, AHI, minimum SpO2, ESS, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus revealed that hypertension was the most significant factor for percentage correct answers on the 0- and 1-back tasks. There were no significant correlations between body mass index, ESS or diabetes mellitus and the parameters of WCST, CPT-IP, or N-back tasks. Conclusion: In elderly adults, nocturnal hypoxia and hypertension had a negative effect on cognitive function.
On collaborative information spreading via randomized gossip (הפצת מידע תוך שיתוף פעולה באמצעות פרוטוקולי רכילות אקראיים.)

P2P networks are becoming increasingly used for wide-scale collaborative information spreading over the Internet. Thus, the ability to share information with large group of network nodes at near-optimal cost may be the one step that will allow P2P networks to replace traditional broadcast. For large groups, there are substantial inefficiencies that result from using deterministic tree-based approaches to share information with many recipients. As P2P networks increase in size, communication protocols must be designed to cope with poor reliability and with the dynamism of the underlying network. To this end, in this thesis, we explore one promising solution for collaborative information spreading, called randomized gossip. Gossip techniques for information dissemination are central in numerous distributed systems, and have been proven to spread information without centralized control, with remarkable speed and inherent fault tolerance. Building on this methodology, we introduce and formally analyze two sets of randomized gossip protocols for collaborative information spreading in P2P networks. First, we study randomized gossip protocols in the context of collaborative data delivery. In this context, multiple fragments of data reside at different nodes, and the challenge is to simultaneously deliver all fragments to all nodes. We analyze the intrinsic relations between the gossip of multiple, simultaneous messages. We provide an efficient solution that exhibits the inherent robustness and scalability of gossip. Moreover, our approach benefits from the simplicity of gossip and has low message connections and computation overhead.
SULT4A1 Protects Against Oxidative-Stress Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Neuronal Cells

Sulfotransferase 4A1 (SULT4A1), a member of cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULT), is exclusively expressed in neurons with no known function. Severe phenotype and early postnatal death in SULT4A1 knockout mice revealed that SULT4A1 is an essential neuronal protein. Localization of SULT4A1 in different cytosolic compartments, including mitochondria, suggests multiple roles for this protein. We observed that knockdown of SULT4A1 results in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species in primary cortical neurons, suggesting a potential role of SULT4A1 in regulating redox homeostasis. Expression of SULT4A1 in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells revealed a defused but nonuniform staining pattern in the cytoplasm, with increased density around mitochondria. Subcellular fractionation of SULT4A1 expressing SH-SY5Y cells confirms the presence of SULT4A1 in mitochondrial fractions. SULT4A1 expressing cells display significant protection against H2O2-mediated defects in mitochondrial function and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Expression of SULT4A1 in SH-SY5Y cells also protects against H2O2-induced cell death. These data indicate that SULT4A1 protects mitochondria against oxidative damage and may serve as a potential pharmacological target in neural diseases involving mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Studies on SULT4A1 knockout mice suggest that SULT4A1 plays a vital role in neuronal function and survival via yet undefined mechanisms. Our data demonstrate that depletion of SULT4A1 induces oxidative stress in neurons and expression of SULT4A1 in SH-SY5Y cells protects against oxidative-stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death. These results suggest that SULT4A1 may have a crucial protective function against mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, and may serve a potential therapeutic target in different neurological diseases involving mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.
Innovative Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer Assay Reveals Differential Agonist-Induced D2 Receptor Intracellular Trafficking and Arrestin-3 Recruitment

The dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) mediates ligand-biased signaling with potential therapeutic implications. However, internalization, choice of endocytic routes, and degradation of the D2R in lysosomes may also participate in agonist-directed trafficking. We developed bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) assays that measure relative distances between Renilla luciferase8–tagged D2R and green fluorescent protein 2 (GFP2)–tagged K-Ras (plasma membrane marker), and between luciferase8–tagged D2R and GFP2-Rab5 (early), GFP2-Rab4 (recycling), or GFP2-Rab7 (late) endosomal markers. The BRET signal between D2R-Luc and GFP2–K-Ras was robustly diminished after receptor internalization induced by dopamine, with subsequent BRET signals increasing when luciferase8–tagged D2R approached GFP2-Rab proteins in endosomal compartments. All BRET signals were blocked by the selective D2R antagonist haloperidol and were decreased by low temperature and high sucrose blocks, two parameters interfering with internalization. Some antipsychotic drugs, such as aripiprazole, are less efficacious in internalizing D2R than most of the antiparkinsonian agents. However, antipsychotics were nearly as efficacious as antiparkinsonians in directing the D2R toward early and recycling endosomes. The Rab7 marker for the late endosome/lysosome route was also capable of discriminating between D2R compounds. We could show that some drugs engaged the D2R either to interact preferentially with arrestin-3 or to internalize. Our study revealed that D2R trafficking in cells was differentially regulated by antipsychotic and antiparkinsonian drugs. Taken together, the BRET assays reported here could further help decipher D2R ligand–induced arrestin-3 recruitment and trafficking, with potentially more selective therapeutic profiles and fewer undesired side effects.
Overexpression of an LaeA-like Methyltransferase Upregulates Secondary Metabolite Production in Aspergillus nidulans.

Fungal secondary metabolites (SMs) include medically valuable compounds as well as compounds that are toxic, carcinogenic, and/or contributors to fungal pathogenesis. It is consequently important to understand the regulation of fungal secondary metabolism. McrA is a recently discovered transcription factor that negatively regulates fungal secondary metabolism. Deletion of mcrA ( mcrAΔ), the gene encoding McrA, results in upregulation of many SMs and alters the expression of more than 1000 genes. One gene strongly upregulated by the deletion of mcrA is llmG, a putative methyl transferase related to LaeA, a major regulator of secondary metabolism. We artificially upregulated llmG by replacing its promoter with strong constitutive promoters in strains carrying either wild-type mcrA or mcrAΔ. Upregulation of llmG on various media resulted in increased production of the important toxin sterigmatocystin and compounds from at least six major SM pathways. llmG is, thus, a master SM regulator. mcrAΔ generally resulted in greater upregulation of SMs than upregulation of llmG, indicating that the full effects of mcrA on secondary metabolism involve genes in addition to llmG. However, the combination of mcrAΔ and upregulation of llmG generally resulted in greater compound production than mcrAΔ alone (in one case more than 460 times greater than the control). This result indicates that deletion of mcrA and/or upregulation of llmG can likely be combined with other strategies for eliciting SM production to greater levels than can be obtained with any single strategy.