Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Proving and argumentation

In this paper, we demonstrate how argumentation theory can be used to explore certain aspects of the development of discovery proof-events in time. The concept of proof-event was introduced by Joseph Goguen, [10], who understood mathematical proof, not as a purely syntactic object, but as a social event, that takes place in specific place and time and involving agents or communities of agents. Proof-events are sufficiently general concepts that can be used to study besides the “traditional” formal proofs, other proving activities, such as incomplete proofs, purported proofs or attempts to verify a conjecture. Since argumentation is inseparable from the process of searching for a mathematical proof, we suggest a modified model of the proof-events calculus, initially suggested by Vandoulakis and Stefaneas [32], based on the versions of argumentation theories advanced by Pollock [26], Toulmin [28] and Kakas and Loizos [14]. We claim that the exchange of arguments and counterarguments set forward to clarify eventual gaps or implicit assumptions occurring in the course of a proof-event can be formalized by appealing to argumentation theories. Additionally, we highlight the connection between proving, human reasoning, cognitive processes and creativity.
On dissipation in stochastic systems

We define the property of dissipativity for controlled Ito diffusions. We investigate elementary properties, and we demonstrate that the framework is useful for control problems in which both probabilistic and worst-case representations of dynamic uncertainty are present. As an example we discuss a problem involving robust /spl Hscr//sub 2/ performance in presence of two types of dynamic uncertainty: /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin// bounded perturbations, and disturbances with finite signal-to-noise ratio in the sense of Skelton (1997).
Cellular Image Segmentation using Morphological Operators and Extraction of Features for Quantitative Measurement

To address the issue of blurriness, artifacts, overlapping of cells and uneven dying of histopathology images of breast cancer cells, a computer assisted image analysis and feature extraction methods are proposed in the present paper which include preprocessing, enhancement, segmentation and features extraction. The proposed method is based on the dysplastic features that work on the computation of features for differentiation of benign and malignant cells. Morphological measures are significantly used to analyze these features. The purpose of choosing morphological operators is based on the fact that these operators principally utilize regularities and distribution of the structural features of cells. Analysis of cell morphology is an important factor that aids the complete evaluation of the microscopic cells, examination of the cell behaviour. This also provides the quantitative measure of area, perimeter, intensity, and texture, etc. present in large populations of cells. For the implementation, of proposed method publicly available image data set of 58 images (26 malignant and 32 benign) has been used. It is observed that malignant cells have the considerably greater magnitude for computed features as compared to benign. Significant variation in features values are also found in a case of malignant cells. Apart from this, an efficient approach of segmenting cells, presented in the histopathology images has been shown, that will provide assistance to the pathologist to identify malignant cells. The results reported here can be further used in the classification of cells for benign and malignant categories.
Correlation between dry eye and refractive error in Saudi young adults using noninvasive Keratograph 4

Purpose: The purpose is to study the correlation between dry eye and refractive errors in young adults using noninvasive Keratograph. Methods: In this cross sectional study, a total of 126 participants in the age range of 19–25 years and who were free of ocular surface disease, were recruited from King Saud University Campus. Refraction was defined by the spherical equivalent (SE) as the following: 49 emmetropic eyes (±0.50 SE), 48 myopic eyes (≤−0.75 SE and above), and 31 hyperopic eyes (>+0.75 SE). All participants underwent full ophthalmic examinations assessing their refractive status and dryness level including noninvasive breakup time (NIBUT) and tear meniscus height using Keratograph 4. Results: The prevalence of dry eye was 24.6%, 36.5%, and 17.4% in emmetropes, myopes, and hypermetropes, respectively. NIBUT has a negative correlation with hyperopia and a positive correlation with myopia with a significant reduction in the average NIBUT in myopes and hypermetropes in comparison to emmetropes. Conclusion: The current results succeeded to demonstrate a correlation between refractive errors and dryness level.
A Fast Filter for Image Retrieval Based on Color-Spatial Features

This paper introduces a new image feature, in the form of a signature, based on the color and spatial information of images. It also presents a fast simple filter for image retrieval in terms of this feature. Requiring little storage space, the proposed filter can prune away many unqualified images quickly. The experimental results are also given to show the performance of the filter.
Experimental coherent laser control of physicochemical processes.

The observation of coherent dynamics ensuing from the excitation of molecular systems by femtosecond laser pulses is at the heart of femtochemistry. The time-dependent evolution of coherent superpositions of quantum states, the physical basis for the observation of coherent dynamics and their manipulation are of central importance to coherent control of physicochemical processes. In the early days of femtochemistry, there was significant skepticism regarding the type of information that could be learned from spectroscopic experiments using very short pulses. There were arguments that one could infer the dynamics from frequency-resolved experiments and that the femtosecond experiments did not offer new information. It was also assumed that experiments with very short pulses would smear the available spectroscopic information because of their broad bandwidths. Approximately two decades after the initial experiments, it has become clear that femtosecond experiments have opened an extremely valuable window into the dynamic behavior of atomic and molecular systems that is influencing how we think about physics, chemistry, and biology. In particular, we highlight the fact that some of the highest resolution spectroscopic measurements being carried out employ femtosecond laser pulses. These experiments, specifically those taking advantage of rotational coherence, provide resolution that rivals microwave spectroscopy. The reason spectroscopic information is not lost in femtochemistry experiments is coherence, a property that can be manipulated to control physicochemical processes by a number of different approaches, which will be reviewed here. This review presents a summary of some of the most salient contributions to the field of coherent laser control from an experimentalist’s perspective. While a number of theoretical papers have made key contributions to the field, it is from the experimental successes, as well as failures, that we can best learn how to implement new strategies and develop future applications. Coherent laser control, in the context of this review, encompasses experiments in which the coherent properties of the laser and/or the molecule are required for controlling a particular physicochemical process. We distinguish for each of the experiments between coherence in the laser field(s), * To whom correspondence should be addressed. Phone (517) 3559715 (ext-315). Fax (517) 353-1793. E-mail dantus@msu.edu. 1813 Chem. Rev. 2004, 104, 1813−1859
Empowering benefits of ERP systems implementation: empirical study of industrial firms

Purpose Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a useful system in today’s organizations that can lead to numerous benefits for them. The employees and managers are the most important stakeholders of this system that can both affect it and be affected by it. This paper aims to study the empowerment benefits resulted from ERP implementation in industrial companies. Design/methodology/approach This paper investigated the ERP benefits through survey by defining 31 empowering benefits for this enterprise system based on reviewing the literature and classifying them into four groups of empowering benefits including informative, communicative, growth and learning and strategic benefits. Statistical population of the study is the core specialist and managers of these corporations. Findings The results indicated that the communicative, strategic and informative empowering benefits are as important common advantages. Furthermore, the results of computing the regression coefficient represent that the empowering benefits of strategic, informative, communicative and growth and learning had the maximum impact on the firms’ empowering benefits from ERP implementation. Originality/value The findings of this study provide a general overview of what to expect from ERP with respect to empowerment and based on it, features, modules and innovations that should be present for realizing these expectations can be determined.
Antimicrobial drug LbL-assembleddelivery system for orthopaedicnanocomposite bone cements

Total joint replacement (TJR) is commonly used for the treatment of end stage arthritis. The use of Poly-methylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement is a gold standard TJR, where it is frequently used for local delivery of antibiotics to provide prophylaxis from prosthetic joint infections (PJI). Currently used antibiotic loaded bone cements have many limitations, including burst release which fall below inhibitory levels leading to the selection of antibiotic resistant strains. This study aims to provide a controlled release for antimicrobial agents from bone cement to provide prophylaxis from postsurgical infections. For this purpose, gentamicin and chlorhexidine were loaded alone or in combination on silica nanoparticles surface using layer-by-layer coating technique (LbL). A novel LbL construct was built using hydrolysable and non-hydrolysable polymers. The nanoparticles were characterised by transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, zeta measurement, and drug release in different media. Then, antimicrobial agents LbL coated nanoparticles were incorporated into PMMA cement and the nanocomposite is characterized for drug release, antimicrobial, mechanical, rheological properties and cytocompatibility. The build-up of LbL coating was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis and zeta measurements. The release of antimicrobial agents was controlled for > 30 days for different drugs used. The nanocomposite drug release profile also continued > 30 days at concentration higher than the commercial formula t ion containing the same amount of antibiotics, where burst release for few days were observed. Moreover, the nanocomposite showed superior antimicrobial inhibit ion for bacterial growth, without adversely affecting the mechanical properties. Different nanocomposites showed cytocompatibility when tested against Saos-2 cells. Techniques from a variety of disciplines were employed in this study and this interdisciplinary approach has allowed many features of PMMA bone cement to be investigated. The developed nanocomposites can have the potential to reduce PJIs, and the newly developed LbL nano-delivery system may have wider application in a variety of biomaterials.
Cysteinyl Leukotriene Receptor 1 and Health Effects of Particulate Exposure in Asthma

RATIONALE Acute exposure to ambient particle matter is associated with increased levels of the cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT) biomarker, urinary leukotriene E4 (uLTE4), in subjects with asthma. OBJECTIVES The role of CysLTs in mediating asthma worsening after particulate matter exposures was explored. METHODS Daily concentrations of particulate matter of 2.5 μm and smaller diameter (PM2.5) and repeated measurements of albuterol use over a 5-month period were collected in 44 urban school children with persistent asthma. DNA was analyzed for gene polymorphisms on genes involved in the CysLT pathway to identify gene-environment interactions. An experimental challenge study in 16 adults with mild, nonpersistent asthma was performed to define biological pathways explaining these gene-environment interactions. Subjects in the challenge study were exposed on two different days to filtered air or diesel exhaust (300 μg PM2.5/m3). FEV1 and CysLT-related gene DNA methylation and messenger RNA expression changes were measured before and 6 hours after exposure challenges. RESULTS In school children with asthma, associations between PM2.5 and school-time albuterol usage were significantly greater in those with the variant C allele in the CysLT receptor 1 (CysLTR1) rs320995 locus (5.4% increase per interquartile range PM2.5 increase) compared with those homozygous for the wild-type T allele (1.6% decrease; P = 0.005 for allele × PM2.5 interaction). In the challenge study, declines in forced expiratory volume in 1 second after diesel exhaust exposure were associated with lower CysLTR1 expression (r2 = 0.52; P = 0.01), which, in turn, was associated with decreased leukotriene C4 synthase cg1631890 (P = 0.02) and increased CysLTR1 cg26848126 (P = 0.01) methylation, as assessed in a multivariable model (r2 = 0.69). CONCLUSIONS Health effects of acute particulate exposure on asthma are associated with changes in CysLTR1 expression and methylation of CpG sites on CysLTR1 and leukotriene C4 synthase genes.
Extensive reshaping of bacterial operons by programmed mRNA decay

Bacterial operons synchronize the expression of multiple genes by placing them under the control of a shared promoter. It was previously shown that polycistronic transcripts can undergo differential RNA decay, leaving some genes within the polycistron more stable than others, but the extent of regulation by differential mRNA decay or its evolutionary conservation remains unknown. Here, we find that a substantial fraction of E. coli genes display non-uniform mRNA stoichiometries despite being coded from the same operon. We further show that these altered operon stoichiometries are shaped post-transcriptionally by differential mRNA decay, which is regulated by RNA structures that protect specific regions in the transcript from degradation. These protective RNA structures are generally coded within the protein-coding regions of the regulated genes and are frequently evolutionarily conserved. Furthermore, we provide evidence that differences in ribosome densities across polycistronic transcript segments, together with the conserved structural RNA elements, play a major role in the differential decay process. Our results highlight a major role for differential mRNA decay in shaping bacterial transcriptomes.
Methylglyoxal Disrupts Paranodal Axoglial Junctions via Calpain Activation

Nodes of Ranvier and associated paranodal and juxtaparanodal domains along myelinated axons are essential for normal function of the peripheral and central nervous systems. Disruption of these domains as well as increases in the reactive carbonyl species methylglyoxal are implicated as a pathophysiology common to a wide variety of neurological diseases. Here, using an ex vivo nerve exposure model, we show that increasing methylglyoxal produces paranodal disruption, evidenced by disorganized immunostaining of axoglial cell-adhesion proteins, in both sciatic and optic nerves from wild-type mice. Consistent with previous studies showing that increase of methylglyoxal can alter intracellular calcium homeostasis, we found upregulated activity of the calcium-activated protease calpain in sciatic nerves after methylglyoxal exposure. Methylglyoxal exposure altered clusters of proteins that are known as calpain substrates: ezrin in Schwann cell microvilli at the perinodal area and zonula occludens 1 in Schwann cell autotypic junctions at paranodes. Finally, treatment with the calpain inhibitor calpeptin ameliorated methylglyoxal-evoked ezrin loss and paranodal disruption in both sciatic and optic nerves. Our findings strongly suggest that elevated methylglyoxal levels and subsequent calpain activation contribute to the disruption of specialized axoglial domains along myelinated nerve fibers in neurological diseases.
The critical tension in the Cascading DGP model

We study the behaviour of weak gravitational fields in the 6D Cascading DGP model using a bulk-based approach. To deal with the ambiguity in the thin limit of branes of codimension higher than one, we consider a specific regularization of the internal structure of the branes where the 5D brane can be considered thin with respect to the 4D one. We consider the solutions corresponding to pure tension sources on the 4D brane, and study perturbations at first order around these background solutions. We adopt a 4D scalar-vector-tensor decomposition, and focus on the scalar sector of perturbations. We show that, in a suitable 4D limit, the trace part of the 4D metric perturbations obeys a decoupled equation which suggests that it is a ghost for background tensions smaller than a critical tension, while it is a healthy field otherwise. We give a geometrical interpretation of the existence of the critical tension and of the reason why the relevant field is a ghost or not depending on the background tension. We however find a value of the critical tension which is different from the one already found in the literature. Differently from the results in the literature, our analysis implies that, choosing the background tension suitably, we can construct ghost-free models for any value of the free parameters of the theory. We suggest that the difference lies in the procedure used to evaluate the pillbox integration across the codimension-2 brane. We confirm the validity of our analysis by performing numerically the integration in a particular case where the solution inside the thick cod-2 brane is known exactly. We stress that the singular structure of the perturbation fields in the nested branes set-ups is very subtle, and that great care has to be taken when deriving the codimension-2 junction conditions.
Effects of Parenteral Papaverine and Piracetam Administration on Cochlea Following Acoustic Trauma

Introduction: Noise exposure, the main cause of hearing loss in countries with lot of industries, may result both in temporary or permanent hearing loss. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of parenteral papaverine and piracetam administration following an acoustic trauma on hearing function with histopathologic correlation. Materials and Methods: Eighteen Wistar albino rats exposed to noise for 8 h in a free environment were included. We divided the study population into three groups, and performed daily intraperitoneal injections of papaverine, piracetam, and saline, respectively, throughout the study. We investigated the histopathologic effects of cellular apoptosis on inner hair cells (IHCs) and outer hair cells (OHCs) and compared the distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) thresholds among the groups. Results and Discussion: On the 3rd and 7th days, DPOAE thresholds at 8 kHz were significantly higher both in papaverine and piracetam groups compared with the control group (P = 0.004 for 3rd day, P = 0.016 and P = 0.028 for 7th day, respectively). On the 14th day, piracetam group had significantly higher mean thresholds at 8 kHz (P = 0.029); however, papaverine group had similar mean thresholds compared to the control group (P = 0.200). On the 3rd and 7th days following acoustic trauma, both IHC and OHC loss were significantly lower in both papaverine and piracetam groups. On the 7th day, the mean amount of apoptotic IHCs and OHCs identified using Caspase-3 method were significantly lower in both groups, but the mean amount identified using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling method were similar in both groups compared to the control group. Conclusion: We demonstrated the effects of papaverine and piracetam on the recovery of cochlear damage due to acoustic trauma on experimental animals using histopathologic and electrophysiologic examinations.
Genetic Dissection of Photoperiod Response Based on GWAS of Pre-Anthesis Phase Duration in Spring Barley

Heading time is a complex trait, and natural variation in photoperiod responses is a major factor controlling time to heading, adaptation and grain yield. In barley, previous heading time studies have been mainly conducted under field conditions to measure total days to heading. We followed a novel approach and studied the natural variation of time to heading in a world-wide spring barley collection (218 accessions), comprising of 95 photoperiod-sensitive (Ppd-H1) and 123 accessions with reduced photoperiod sensitivity (ppd-H1) to long-day (LD) through dissecting pre-anthesis development into four major stages and sub-phases. The study was conducted under greenhouse (GH) conditions (LD; 16/8 h; ∼20/∼16°C day/night). Genotyping was performed using a genome-wide high density 9K single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) chip which assayed 7842 SNPs. We used the barley physical map to identify candidate genes underlying genome-wide association scans (GWAS). GWAS for pre-anthesis stages/sub-phases in each photoperiod group provided great power for partitioning genetic effects on floral initiation and heading time. In addition to major genes known to regulate heading time under field conditions, several novel QTL with medium to high effects, including new QTL having major effects on developmental stages/sub-phases were found to be associated in this study. For example, highly associated SNPs tagged the physical regions around HvCO1 (barley CONSTANS1) and BFL (BARLEY FLORICAULA/LEAFY) genes. Based upon our GWAS analysis, we propose a new genetic network model for each photoperiod group, which includes several newly identified genes, such as several HvCO-like genes, belonging to different heading time pathways in barley.
The Role of Zataria multiflora Essence (Iranian herb) on Innate Immunity of Animal Model.

BACKGROUND Herbal medicines have been used since ancient times as drugs for treatment of a range of diseases and have represented stimulatory effects on the function of innate immunity. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of Zataria multiflora (Z. multiflora) on the function of innate immunity including phagocytic activity and TNF-alpha secretion in animal model. METHODS BALB/c mice were divided into 2 groups with 8 mice: group A (mice administered with Z. multiflora essence intraperitoneally), group B (mice administered with distilled water intraperitoneally). Blood was taken from 4 mice in each group at days 4 and 7 after injection phagocytic activity and TNF- alpha secretion were assayed by chemiluminescence and ELISA methods, respectively. RESULTS The results of chemiluminescence and ELISA tests showed significant increasing in phagocytic activity and TNF-alpha secretion of group A in compare with control group at days 4 and 7. CONCLUSION Z. multiflora essence can stimulate remarkably innate immunity function and it may be used to immunize individuals as prophylactic and/or therapeutic adjuvant alone or in combination with other immunostimulatory agents.