Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AVATAR: A Flexible Approach to Improve the Personalized TV by Semantic Inference

Both the TV recommender systems and search engines developed in the Internet are intended to lighten the user burden, by offering them automatically the required information, personalized according to their preferences or needs. In last years, with the goal of improving these search engines, an important research line has been developed in the context of the WWW, known as the Semantic Web. The Semantic Web describes the resources by metadata and reasons on them by discovering new knowledge. Taking the advantage of the Semantic Web in the field of the personalized TV, we propose an intelligent assistant named AVATAR, which uses the semantic inference as a novel recommendation strategy. This approach allows to overcome an important limitation identified in the personalization strategies adopted in other systems: an excessive similarity between the programs known by the user and those suggested by the recommender. In this regard, our approach diversifies and personalizes the elaborated recommendations, by inferring semantic associations of different nature between the user preferences and the suggested TV contents. This inference process requires a formal representation both the knowledge of our application domain, and the user preferences. In this regard, we resort to an OWL ontology to identify resources and relations typical in the TV field, and to reason about them.
Preparation and Mechanical Properties of TiB2 Composites Containing Ni and C

Preparation and Mechanical Properties of TiB2 Composites Containing Ni and C Junichi MATSUSHITA, Hideo NAGASHIMA* and Hajime SAITO*,** Toshiba Ceramics Co., Ltd., 1, Minamifuji, Ogakie-cho, Kariya-shi 448 STK Ceramics Laboratory Corp., 1-11, Tsukisan-cho, Minato-ku, Nagoya-shi 455 Toyota Technological Institute, 2-12-1, Hisakata, Tempaku-ku, Nagoya-shi 468 [Received August 1, 1990; Accepted October 26, 1990]
Rabies Require Extra Caution in Endemic Areas

Rabies in man and animals has been discussed since centuries but still remains one of the neglected zoonotic diseases across the globe. Dogs being reservoir host, bite from an unknown dog and death of the bitten man or animal or of the dog that bit, within a span of ten days to three months, leave a suspicion of rabies especially in endemic areas like India. Though there are strict measures to control rabies by vaccination programmes, abundance of stray dogs makes it difficult to contain the disease. So, choosing the best diagnostic procedure is highly significant.
Survey of general practitioners’ attitudes towards psychiatry

Aims and method There is a lack of current data regarding attitudes of doctors towards psychiatry. General practitioners (GPs) are increasingly involved in teaching psychiatry, and their attitudes towards psychiatry may affect their ability to promote psychiatry. The main aim of the study is to inform on current attitudes of GPs towards psychiatry as a discipline. The Attitudes Towards Psychiatry (ATP-30) questionnaire was administered to all GPs within Shropshire. Results The response rate was 61% ( n = 145 from N = 239). The mean score for the ATP-30 was 113.9. An association was found between GP trainer status and higher ATP-30 scores. Positive associations were found between demographic data (age, length of career, postgraduate experience of psychiatry, involvement in undergraduate teaching, GP trainer status) and individual response items on the ATP-30 scale. Clinical implications General practitioners in Shropshire have a positive attitude towards psychiatry. Associations between demographic data and ATP-30 scores indicate that GPs with more experience of psychiatry and those involved in training may have more positive attitudes. The main limitation of the study is the lack of proven validity of the scale for use in this population. The positive attitude towards psychiatry is consistent with GPs providing the role models needed if they are to be involved to a greater degree with teaching and promoting psychiatry as a career. The need for the development of a more specific tool or an update to the existing tool is discussed.
GLUTAMATE DYSREGULATION AND HIPPOCAMPAL DYSFUNCTION IN EPILEPTOGENESIS

OF THESIS GLUTAMATE DYSREGULATION AND HIPPOCAMPAL DYSFUNCTION IN EPILEPTOGENESIS Epileptogenesis is the complex process of the brain developing epileptic acitivity. Due to the role of glutamate and the hippocampus in synaptic plasticity a dysregulation in glutamate neurotransmission and hippocampal dysfunction are implicated in the process of epileptogenesis. However, the exact causal factors that promote epileptogenesis are unknown. We study presynaptic proteins that regulate glutamate neurotransmission and their role in epileptogenesis. The presynaptic protein, tomosyn, is believed to be a negative regulator of glutamate neurotransmission; however, no one has studied the effects of this protein on glutamate transmission in vivo. Furthermore, evidence suggests that mice lacking tomosyn have a kindling phenotype. Thus, in vivo glutamate recordings in mice lacking tomosyn have the potential to elucidate the exact role of tomosyn in glutamate neurotransmission and its potential relationship to epileptogenesis. Here we used biosensors to measure glutamate in the dentate gyrus (DG), CA3, and CA1 of the hippocampus in tomosyn wild-type (Tom), heterozygous (Tom), and knock out (Tom) mice. We found that, in the DG, that glutamate release increases as tomosyn expression decreases across genotype. This suggests that tomosyn dysregulation in the DG leads to an increase in glutamate release, which may explain why these mice have an epileptogenic phenotype.
Composite polymer-coated mineral grafts for bone regeneration: material characterisation and model study

Introduction This study discusses composite polymer-coated mineral grafts for bone regeneration. Materials and Methods Bone xenografts are coated with degradable synthetic [poly(L-lactide-co-e-caprolactone)] and natural (polysaccharides) polymers in order to increase their mechanical properties, on one side, and to improve cell adhesion, on the other, with the purpose of developing a novel composite material for bone tissue engineering. In vitro assays help examine the microstructure of the scaffold by Fourier transform infrared and environmental scanning electron microscopy analyses and the porosity of the material by micro-computed tomography. The good adhesion property of polymer coated on to the mineral scaffold is deeply analysed and proved. The in vitro polymer degradation, in terms of time evolution of polymer-coating thickness, was rationalised with a mathematical model. The purpose of such modelling activity is to provide a simple but powerful tool to understand the influence of design parameters on coating behaviour. Results The fabricated bone graft exhibited regular microstructure similar to healthy iliac bones with an average of 27% open porosity and an adequately rigid structure, which ensures a better osteointegration once implanted. Conclusion This approach avoids the use of trialand-error methods and consents a better a priori material design.
Visual-Cerebellar Pathways and Their Roles in the Control of Avian Flight

In this paper, we review the connections and physiology of visual pathways to the cerebellum in birds and consider their role in flight. We emphasize that there are two visual pathways to the cerebellum. One is to the vestibulocerebellum (folia IXcd and X) that originates from two retinal-recipient nuclei that process optic flow: the nucleus of the basal optic root (nBOR) and the pretectal nucleus lentiformis mesencephali (LM). The second is to the oculomotor cerebellum (folia VI-VIII), which receives optic flow information, mainly from LM, but also local visual motion information from the optic tectum, and other visual information from the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (Glv). The tectum, LM and Glv are all intimately connected with the pontine nuclei, which also project to the oculomotor cerebellum. We believe this rich integration of visual information in the cerebellum is important for analyzing motion parallax that occurs during flight. Finally, we extend upon a suggestion by Ibbotson (2017) that the hypertrophy that is observed in LM in hummingbirds might be due to an increase in the processing demands associated with the pathway to the oculomotor cerebellum as they fly through a cluttered environment while feeding.
Successful Intensification of Intravenous Rheological Treatment ofPhalanges Ischemia in SSc Patient Using Alprostadil

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare, auto immunological, connective tissue disease characterized by vasomotor disturbances, fibrosis and further atrophy of the skin and internal organs. There are many factors leading to immunological and vascular changes. One of the most prominent vascular symptoms is Raynaud’s phenomenon, which may be caused by different factors such as cold or excessive stress. This case report presents a 37- year old Caucasian woman with SSc, with severely impaired microcirculation of the hands and necrosis of the distal phalanges due to several hours of exposure to the cold. The patient required intensification of intravenous rheological treatment with alprostadil and oral usage of sildenafil, which had a positive effect on the improvement of the impaired microcirculation. Like many others, this case demonstrates that IV. rheological treatment may be effective in restoring microcirculation in such cases among SSc patients.
A Protocol for Incorporating Biometrics in 3G with Respect to Privacy

This paper proposes a protocol, called BIO3G, for embedding biometrics in 3G security. BIO3G is an enhanced alternative to the common practice of utilizing biometrics locally, for gaining access to the device. BIO3G provides real end-to-end strong user authentication to the mobile operator, requiring no storing or transferring of biometric data and eliminating the need for biometric enrolment and administration procedures, which are time-consuming for the user and expensive for the mobile operator.
Hough transform search for continuous gravitational waves

This paper describes an incoherent method to search for continuous gravitational waves based on the Hough transform, a well-known technique used for detecting patterns in digital images. We apply the Hough transform to detect patterns in the time-frequency plane of the data produced by an earth-based gravitational wave detector. Two different flavors of searches will be considered, depending on the type of input to the Hough transform: either Fourier transforms of the detector data or the output of a coherent matched-filtering type search. We present the technical details for implementing the Hough transform algorithm for both kinds of searches, their statistical properties, and their sensitivities.
High Aspect Ratio Nanoimprint Mold-Cavity Filling and Stress Simulation Based on Finite-Element Analysis

High aspect ratio three-dimensional micro- and nanopatterns have important applications in diverse fields. However, fabricating these structures by a nanoimprinting method invites problems like collapse, dislocation, and defects. Finite-element analysis (FEA) is a good approach to help understand the filling process and stress distribution. The FEA method was employed to simulate the nanoimprinting process using positive and negative molds with aspect ratios of 1:1, 3:1, 5:1, and 7:1. During the filling process, the resist adjacent to boundaries has the maximum displacement. The corners of contact areas between the protruding part of the mold and the resist has the maximum Von Mises stress. For both positive and negative molds, the maximum stress in the mold increases with aspect ratio. However, filling up negative molds is more difficult than positive ones. With the same aspect ratio, the maximum stress in a negative mold is approximately twice as large as that in a positive one.
SiOC ceramics with ordered porosity by 3D-printing of a preceramic polymer

Ceramic parts possessing an ordered porosity were produced for the first time by powder-based three-dimensional printing of a preceramic polymer followed by pyrolysis in an inert atmosphere. The main parameters involved in the process were investigated, and the precision of the printed and ceramized parts was assessed by means of scanning electron microscopy and micro computed tomography. The influence of two different printing solvents was investigated and the use of a mixture of 1-hexanol and hexylacetate in particular allowed the production of parts with a relative density of 80% both in the polymeric and in the ceramic state. The mixing of a cross-linking catalyst directly with the printing liquid greatly simplified the process, minimizing the necessity of preprocessing the starting powder. Three-dimensional printing of a preceramic polymer not containing any inert or active fillers was proved to be a feasible, convenient and precise process for the production of porous ceramic possessing a complex, ordered structure, such as stretch-dominated lattices.
Association of EPHX2 R287Q Polymorphism with Diabetic Nephropathy in Chinese Type 2 Diabetic Patients

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between EPHX2 rs751141 (R287Q polymorphism) and diabetic nephropathy (DN) in Chinese type 2 diabetes (T2D). This case-control study explored the association between EPHX2 rs751141 and DN in a total of 870 Chinese T2D patients (406 T2D patients with DN and 464 T2D patients without DN). DNA was extracted from peripheral leukocytes of the patients and rs751141 was genotyped. The A allele frequency of rs751141 was significantly lower in DN patients (20.94%) compared with non-DN controls (27.8%) (P = 0.001), and the A allele of rs751141 was associated with a significantly lower risk of DN after adjustment for multiple covariates in the additive genetic model (OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.52–0.88, P = 0.004). Significant association between rs751141 and homocysteine (Hcy) level on the risk of DN was observed, indicating that in patients with the highest Hcy levels, the A allele showed marked association with lower risk of DN in all three genetic models. In conclusion, the A allele of exonic polymorphism in EPHX2 rs751141 is negatively associated with the incidence of DN in the Chinese T2D population, which could be modulated by Hcy level status.
Dysregulation of Long Non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Genes and Predicted lncRNA-Protein Interactions during Zika Virus Infection

Zika Virus (ZIKV) is a causative agent for poor pregnancy outcome and fetal developmental abnormalities, including microcephaly and eye defects. As a result, ZIKV is now a confirmed teratogen. Understanding host-pathogen interactions, specifically cellular perturbations caused by ZIKV, can provide novel therapeutic targets. In order to complete viral replication, viral pathogens control the host cellular machineries and regulate various factors, including long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) genes, at transcriptional levels. The role of lncRNA genes in the pathogenesis of ZIKV-mediated microcephaly and eye defects is currently unknown. To gain additional insights, we focused on profiling the differentially expressed lncRNA genes during ZIKV infection in mammalian cells. For this study, we employed a contemporary clinical Zika viral isolate, PRVABC59, of Asian genotype. We utilized an unbiased RNA sequencing approach to profile the lncRNA transcriptome in ZIKV infected Vero cells. We identified a total of 121 lncRNA genes that are differentially regulated at 48 hours post-infection. The majority of these genes are independently validated by reverse-transcription qPCR. A notable observation was that the lncRNAs, MALAT1 (Metastasis Associated Lung Adenocarcinoma Transcript 1) and NEAT1 (Nuclear Paraspeckle Assembly Transcript 1), are down-regulated upon Zika viral infection. MALAT1 and NEAT1 are known as nuclear localized RNAs that regulate gene expression and cell proliferation. Protein-lncRNA interaction maps revealed that MALAT1 and NEAT1 share common interacting partners and form a larger network comprising of 71 cellular factors. ZIKV-mediated dysregulation of these two regulatory lncRNAs can alter the expression of respective target genes and associated biological functions, an important one being cell division. In conclusion, this investigation is the first to provide insight into the biological connection of lncRNAs and ZIKV which can be further explored for developing antiviral therapy and understanding fetal developmental processes.
Fine-grained I/O Complexity via Reductions: New Lower Bounds, Faster Algorithms, and a Time Hierarchy

This paper initiates the study of I/O algorithms (minimizing cache misses) from the perspective of fine-grained complexity (conditional polynomial lower bounds). Specifically, we aim to answer why sparse graph problems are so hard, and why the Longest Common Subsequence problem gets a savings of a factor of the size of cache times the length of a cache line, but no more. We take the reductions and techniques from complexity and fine-grained complexity and apply them to the I/O model to generate new (conditional) lower bounds as well as faster algorithms. We also prove the existence of a time hierarchy for the I/O model, which motivates the fine-grained reductions. Using fine-grained reductions, we give an algorithm for distinguishing 2 vs. 3 diameter and radius that runs in $O(|E|^2/(MB))$ cache misses, which for sparse graphs improves over the previous $O(|V|^2/B)$ running time. We give new reductions from radius and diameter to Wiener index and median. We show meaningful reductions between problems that have linear-time solutions in the RAM model. The reductions use low I/O complexity (typically $O(n/B)$), and thus help to finely capture the relationship between "I/O linear time" $\Theta(n/B)$ and RAM linear time $\Theta(n)$. We generate new I/O assumptions based on the difficulty of improving sparse graph problem running times in the I/O model. We create conjectures that the current best known algorithms for Single Source Shortest Paths (SSSP), diameter, and radius are optimal. From these I/O-model assumptions, we show that many of the known reductions in the word-RAM model can naturally extend to hold in the I/O model as well (e.g., a lower bound on the I/O complexity of Longest Common Subsequence that matches the best known running time). Finally, we prove an analog of the Time Hierarchy Theorem in the I/O model.
Prognostic microRNAs and their potential molecular mechanism in pancreatic cancer: A study based on The Cancer Genome Atlas and bioinformatics investigation

Although certain biomarkers that are directly associated with the overall survival (OS) of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) have been identified, the efficacy of a single factor is limited to predicting the prognosis. The aim of the present study was to identify a combination micro (mi)RNA signature that enhanced the prognostic prediction for PAAD. Following analysis of the data available from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), 175 PAAD samples were selected for the present study, and the associations between 494 miRNAs and OS were investigated. The prognostic value of all miRNAs was analyzed by multivariate Cox regression, and the miRNAs were ranked according to the hazard ratio (HR) and P-values. The top 5 miRNAs (miR-1301, miR-125a, miR-376c, miR-328 and miR-376b) were significantly associated with OS (HR=0.139; 95% confidence interval, 0.043–0.443; P<0.001), thus demonstrating that this panel was able to serve as an independent prognostic factor for PAAD. In addition, the present study also predicted the target genes of the top 10 miRNAs with the highest prognostic values using 12 different prediction software, and enrichment signaling pathway analyses elucidated that several pathways may be markedly associated with these miRNAs, including ‘Pathways in cancer’, ‘Chronic myeloid leukemia’, ‘Glioma’ and ‘MicroRNAs in cancer’. Lastly, ubiquitin C, epidermal growth factor receptor, estrogen receptor 1, mitogen-activated protein kinase 1, mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 and androgen receptor may be the hub genes revealed by STRING analysis. The present study identified several miRNAs, particularly a five-miRNA-pool, that may be reliable, independent factors for predicting survival in patients with PAAD. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms require further investigation in the future.
Comparing Type 2 Diabetes, Prediabetes, and Their Associated Risk Factors in Asian Indians in India and in the U.S.: The CARRS and MASALA Studies

OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes and the associated risk factors in two Asian Indian populations living in different environments. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We performed cross-sectional analyses, using representative samples of 2,305 Asian Indians aged 40–84 years living in Chennai, India, from the Centre for cArdiometabolic Risk Reduction in South-Asia study (CARRS) (2010–2011), and 757 Asian Indians aged 40–84 years living in the greater San Francisco and Chicago areas from the U.S. Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study (2010–2013). Diabetes was defined as self-reported use of glucose-lowering medication, fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL, or 2-h glucose ≥200 mg/dL. Prediabetes was defined as fasting glucose 100–125 mg/dL and/or 2-h glucose 140–199 mg/dL. RESULTS Age-adjusted diabetes prevalence was higher in India (38% [95% CI 36–40]) than in the U.S. (24% [95% CI 21–27]). Age-adjusted prediabetes prevalence was lower in India (24% [95% CI 22–26]) than in the U.S. (33% [95% CI 30–36]). After adjustment for age, sex, waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure, living in the U.S. was associated with an increased odds for prediabetes (odds ratio 1.2 [95% CI 0.9–1.5]) and a decreased odds for diabetes (odds ratio 0.5 [95% CI 0.4–0.6]). CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate possible changes in the relationship between migration and diabetes risk and highlight the growing burden of disease in urban India. Additionally, these results call for longitudinal studies to better identify the gene-environment-lifestyle exposures that underlie the elevated risk for type 2 diabetes development in Asian Indians.
Female genital morphology and sperm priority patterns in spiders ( Araneae )

For spiders, gross female spermathecal morphology has been widely used as the major predictor of sperm priority pattern depending either upon taxonomic classification or on the number of ducts that connect with the spermathecae. In order to establish whether, or to what degree, the female reproductive tract follows a cul-de-sac (one duct connects to the spermatheca) or a conduit design (two ducts connect to the spermatheca at opposite ends) I present information on genital morphology of two haplogyne species (Pholcus phalangioides, Pholcidae; Dysdera erythrina, Dysderidae) and two entelegyne species (Nephila clavipes, Tetragnathidae; Pityohyphantes phrygianus, Linyphiidae). Predictions based on female anatomy and copulatory mechanisms are compared to available data on sperm utilization patterns. Female genital anatomy deviates markedly from the expected pattern in all cases. There are more than the two predicted types of sperm storage sites: sperm can either be stored in the bursa, or in spermathecae connected by two ducts that lie close together, or in multiple sperm stores of different morphology. If males are able to insert their genital structures as far as to the lumen of the female sperm storage organ, male manipulation of sperm masses stored from previous males are possible and changes in sperm priority patterns can be expected. Combined information on detailed female anatomy and copulatory mechanism do not suffice to make reliable predictions on the pattern of sperm priority. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are briefly outlined.