Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Representation and Use of Explicit Justifications for Knowledge Base Refinements

We discuss the representation and use of justification structures as an aid to knowledge base refinement We show how justifications can be used by a system to generate explanations - for its own use-of potential causes of observed failures. We discuss specific information that is usefully included in these justifications to allow the system to isolate potential faulty supporting beliefs for its rules and to effect repairs. This research is part of a larger effort to develop a Learning Apprentice System (LAS) that partially automates initial construction of a knowledge base from first-principle domain knowledge as well as knowledge base refinement during routine use. A simple implementation has been constructed that demonstrates the feasibility of building such a system.
Adipose inflammation in obesity: relationship with circulating levels of inflammatory markers and association with surgery-induced weight loss.

CONTEXT The inflammatory state of the adipose tissue is believed to contribute to systemic low-grade inflammation in obesity. OBJECTIVE This study assessed the relationship between adipose and circulating inflammatory markers as well as the influence of adipose inflammation on bariatric surgery-induced weight reduction. DESIGN This was a cross-sectional and longitudinal study (up to 14 mo). SETTING The study was conducted in the digestive/bariatric surgery department of the Tivoli and Jean Villar clinics, Bordeaux, France. PATIENTS Thirty-seven obese patients [body mass index (BMI)>35-40 kg/m2)] seeking bariatric surgery were included. Twenty-eight of them were successively followed up at 1-3 months after surgery and 25 between 6 and 14 months after surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Fasting serum samples were collected before surgery to assess concentrations of inflammatory markers. Samples of visceral adipose tissue were extracted during surgery and gene expression of cytokines and immune cell markers were evaluated using quantitative RT-PCR. Pre- and postsurgery weight and BMI were collected. RESULTS Gene expression of several cytokines were strongly intercorrelated in the visceral adipose tissue. Adipose expression of macrophage and T cell markers were related to adipose expression of TNF-α and IL-1 receptor antagonist (P<.01) and to systemic levels of TNF-α (P<.01) and IL-6 (P<.05). A higher inflammatory state of the adipose tissue predicted a lower BMI reduction after surgery (P<.05), notably at early stages after surgery. CONCLUSIONS These findings support the involvement of macrophages and T cells in adipose inflammation and provide new information regarding the role of the visceral adipose tissue in the inflammatory state of obesity and its impact on obesity treatment outcomes, such as surgery-induced weight loss.
PLGA nanoparticles codeliver paclitaxel and Stat3 siRNA to overcome cellular resistance in lung cancer cells

Background: Effective cancer chemotherapy remains an important issue in cancer treatment, and signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (Stat3) activation leads to cellular resistance of anticancer agents. Polymers are ideal vectors to carry both chemotherapeutics and small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) to enhance antitumor efficacy. In this paper, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles loaded with paclitaxel and Stat3 siRNA were successfully synthesized, and their applications in cancer cells were investigated. Methods: Firstly, paclitaxel was enclosed by PLGA nanoparticles through solvent evaporation. They were then coated with cationic polyethylenimine polymer (PLGA-PEI-TAX), enabling it to carry Stat3 siRNA on its surface through electrostatic interactions (PLGA-PEI-TAX-S3SI). The size, zeta potential, deliver efficacy, and release profile of the PLGA nanocomplexes were characterized in vitro. The cellular uptake, intracellular nanoparticle trajectory, and subsequent cellular events were evaluated after treatment with various PLGA nanocomplexes in human lung cancer A549 cells and A549-derived paclitaxel-resistant A549/T12 cell lines with α-tubulin mutation. Results: A549 and A549/T12 cells contain constitutively activated Stat3, and silencing Stat3 by siRNA made both cancer cells more sensitive to paclitaxel. Therefore, PLGA-PEI-TAX-S3SI was synthesized to test its therapeutic role in A549 and A549/T12 cells. Transmission electron microscopy showed the size of PLGA-PEI-TAX-S3SI to be around 250 nm. PLGA-PEI nanoparticles were nontoxic. PLGA-PEI-TAX was taken up by A549 and A549/T12 cells more than free paclitaxel, and they induced more condensed microtubule bundles and had higher cytotoxicity in these cancer cells. Moreover, the yellowish fluorescence observed in the cytoplasm of the cancer cells indicates that the PLGA-PEI nanoparticles were still simultaneously delivering Oregon Green paclitaxel and cyanine-5-labeled Stat3 siRNA 3 hours after treatment. Furthermore, after the cancer cells were incubated with the synthesized PLGA nanocomplexes, PLGA-PEI-TAX-S3SI suppressed Stat3 expression and induced more cellular apoptosis in A549 and A549/T12 cells compared with PLGA-PEI-TAX. Conclusion: The PLGA-PEI-TAX-S3SI complex provides a new therapeutic strategy to control cancer cell growth.
The Effect of Belongingness on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in the Use of Online Social Networks

Abstract Online social networks (OSNs) continue to have a transformative influence on how people socialize, partially because they help facilitate social contact that is crucial to fulfilling an innate need to belong. However, there is increasing evidence that some users suffer from OSN addiction, expressed as OSN obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Using the need-to-belong theory as our foundation, we seek a deeper understanding of the relationship between OSN belongingness and OSN OCD by examining the effects that OSN-specific uses and gratifications (U&Gs) and negative emotions have on it. We find that OSN belongingness is positively associated with use of the OSN to gratify needs for purposive value, self-discovery, maintaining interpersonal interconnectivity, social enhancement, and entertainment value. However, gratification of only the purposive value and social enhancement needs increases the likelihood of OSN OCD. Furthermore, we find that while OSN belongingness decreases the likelihood of OSN envy and anxiety, it slightly increases the likelihood of OSN fear of missing out; notably, all three of these negative emotions drive OSN OCD. Our findings indicate that healthy socialization use by well-adjusted individuals decreases OSN OCD risks, but those experiencing unstable emotional responses or unhealthy socialization on the OSN should avoid use.
IV. Neural regulation of gastrointestinal smooth muscle.

G protein-coupled receptors receive many of the neural, hormonal, and paracrine inputs to gastrointestinal (GI) smooth muscle cells. This article examines the major G protein-coupled receptors, G proteins, and effectors that mediate responses to enteric neuromuscular transmitters. Excitatory transmitters primarily couple through Gq/11 and Gi/Goproteins and elicit responses via formation of inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol and inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. Several inhibitory transmitters couple through Gs and activation of adenylyl cyclase. There are interesting examples, however, of inhibitory transmitters apparently using pathways regulated by Gq/11 to elicit responses by localized Ca2+ release and activation of Ca2+-dependent ion channels. G protein-coupled receptors may also be differentially expressed by smooth muscle cells and interstitial cells of Cajal, which may increase the diversity of responses and allow specialized innervation of GI muscle tissues.
Importance of carbohydrate positioning in the recognition of mutated CPY for ER-associated degradation

In the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), N-linked glycans (N-glycans) function as signals to recruit the lectin chaperones involved in protein folding, quality control and ER-associated degradation. We undertook a systematic study of the four N-glycans of mutated carboxypeptidase yscY (CPY*) to determine whether there are positional differences between the glycans in ER-associated degradation. We constructed hypoglycosylated CPY* variants containing one, two or three N-glycans in various combinations and studied their degradation kinetics. We found that the four carbohydrate chains on CPY* are not equal in their signaling function: presence of the Asn368-linked glycan is necessary and sufficient for efficient degradation of CPY*. We also analysed the involvement of the ER lectins Htm1p and Cne1p (yeast calnexin) in the glycan-based recognition process with respect to number and position of N-glycans. We observed that Htm1p function depends on the presence of N-glycans in general but that there is no positional preference for a particular glycan. Cne1p, however, is selective with respect to substrate, and participates in the quality control only of some underglycosylated variants. For cases in which both lectins are involved, Cne1p and Htm1p play competing roles in targeting the substrate for degradation: loss of Cne1p accelerates degradation, whereas loss of Htm1p stabilizes the substrate.
A Framework for Testing Identifiability of Bayesian Models of Perception

Bayesian observer models are very effective in describing human performance in perceptual tasks, so much so that they are trusted to faithfully recover hidden mental representations of priors, likelihoods, or loss functions from the data. However, the intrinsic degeneracy of the Bayesian framework, as multiple combinations of elements can yield empirically indistinguishable results, prompts the question of model identifiability. We propose a novel framework for a systematic testing of the identifiability of a significant class of Bayesian observer models, with practical applications for improving experimental design. We examine the theoretical identifiability of the inferred internal representations in two case studies. First, we show which experimental designs work better to remove the underlying degeneracy in a time interval estimation task. Second, we find that the reconstructed representations in a speed perception task under a slow-speed prior are fairly robust.
Reply to Willie.

to the editor: We are grateful to Dr. Willie ([6][1]) for his letter, which is a welcome contribution to the debate on the complex interaction between cerebrovascular regulatory mechanisms, namely neurovascular coupling (NVC), cerebral autoregulation (CA), and CO2 vasoreactivity (CO2-VR). A
Molecular Identification and Traceability of Illegal Trading in Lignobrycon myersi (Teleostei: Characiformes), a Threatened Brazilian Fish Species, Using DNA Barcode

Lignobrycon myersi is a threatened freshwater fish species and endemic of a few coastal rivers in northeastern Brazil. Even though the Brazilian laws prohibit the fisheries of threatened species, L. myersi is occasionally found in street markets, being highly appreciated by local population. In order to provide a reliable DNA barcode dataset for L. myersi, we compared mitochondrial sequences of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) from fresh, frozen, and salt-preserved specimens. Phylogenetically related species (Triportheus spp.) and other fish species (Astyanax fasciatus) commonly mixed with L. myersi in street markets were also included to test the efficiency of molecular identification. In spite of the differences in conservation processes and advanced deterioration of some commercial samples, high-quality COI sequences were obtained and effective in discriminating L. myersi specimens. In addition, while populations from Contas and Almada River basins seem to comprise a single evolutionary lineage, the specimens from Cachoeira River were genetically differentiated, indicating population structuring. Therefore, DNA barcoding has proved to be useful to trace the illegal trading of L. myersi and to manage threatened populations, which should focus on conservation of distinct genetic stocks and mitigation on human impacts along their range.
RFID Networking Mechanism Using Address Management Agent

The ubiquitous network aims at the communication using IP between entities by the converged network like BcN. RFID is the core technology for comprising ubiquitous network. RFID is also applied to the above features. In RFID network, the communication has to be possible. In this paper, we propose a networking mechanism using address management agent so that networking using IP in RFID. Network mechanism using address management agent receives RFID tag ID of various length and generates IP address. Also, the information of RFID tag ID and IP address is mapped and it stored in address management agent. By using the mapping information stored in the address management agent, RFID is able to make the networking using IP between RFID tags.
Recovery and treatment of aphasia after stroke: functional imaging studies

Purpose of reviewIn this review of papers published between May 2006 and May 2007, we discuss functional neuroimaging studies of recovery and treatment of patients with aphasia after stroke. Recent findingsStudies of recovery of aphasia have highlighted the importance of right inferior frontal gyrus activation, especially early after stroke, when it correlates with language recovery. In contrast, in the later stages after stroke left hemisphere activations predict chronic aphasia; speech production recovery appears to depend on left frontal activation, whereas speech comprehension depends on left temporal activation. There have been few studies of treatment of aphasia, but preliminary evidence suggests that treatment of speech production difficulties, even years after stroke, may be effective and deserves further study. SummaryRecent studies of aphasia recovery allow a deeper appreciation of the changing neuronal activation patterns associated with time after stroke. The distinction between neuronal reorganization that does and does not sustain recovery in the chronic phase after stroke, either spontaneous or in response to treatment, remains controversial and further studies are necessary. Clinical diagnosis and treatment of aphasia requires many more longitudinal studies with larger patient numbers and more detailed behavioural and lesion characterization of stroke patients.
Potential Attenuation of Disease Progression in Recurrent Prostate Cancer With Plant-Based Diet and Stress Reduction

A rising level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), after primary surgery or radiation therapy, is the hallmark of recurrent prostate cancer and is often the earliest sign of extraprostatic spread in patients who are otherwise asymptomatic. While hormonal therapy may slightly extend survival in a minority of patients, it is not curative and produces side effects including hot flashes, decreased libido, and loss of bone mass. Alternatively, dietary modification may offer an important tool for clinical management. Epidemiologic studies have associated the Western diet not only with prostate cancer incidence but also with a greater risk of disease progression after treatment. Conversely, many elements of plant-based diets have been associated with reduced risk of progression. However, dietary modification can be stressful and difficult to implement. We therefore conducted a 6-month pilot clinical trial to investigate whether adoption of a plant-based diet, reinforced by stress management training, could attenuate the rate of further PSA rise. Urologists at the University of California, San Diego, and San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Centers recruited 14 patients with recurrent prostate cancer. A pre-post design was employed in which each patient served as his own control. Rates of PSA rise were ascertained for each patient for the following periods: from the time of posttreatment recurrence up to the start of the study (prestudy) and from the time immediately preceding the intervention (baseline) to the end of the intervention (0-6 months). There was a significant decrease in the rate of PSA rise from prestudy to 0 to 6 months ( P < .01). Four of 10 evaluable patients experienced an absolute reduction in their PSA levels over the entire 6-month study. Nine of 10 had a reduction in their rates of PSA rise and an improvement of their PSA doubling times. Median PSA doubling time increased from 11.9 months (prestudy) to 112.3 months (intervention). These results provide preliminary evidence that adoption of a plant-based diet, in combination with stress reduction, may attenuate disease progression and have therapeutic potential for clinical management of recurrent prostate cancer.
A dynamic navigation scheme for vehicular ad hoc networks

In this paper, we present a dynamic navigation algorithm (DNA) that can be combined with GPS receivers, digital maps, and wireless technologies such as DSRC, 802.11p, and WiMAX. By calculating the score, a weighted sum of average vehicle speed, average inter-vehicle distance, road type, and road gain, for each candidate road, the DNA can generate a road score table and choose the road with the highest score among the candidate roads toward the destination. In addition, a dynamic rebroadcasting block (DRB) is designed in the DNA to carry out Road-Request (R-REQ) rebroadcasting function. The DRB mechanism can prevent from network congestion incurred by R-REQ rebroadcasting. For the purpose of performance evaluation, we compare our proposed DNA with three previous works via simulations. Simulation results have shown that the DNA performs much better than the other navigational schemes in reaching a destination with shorter travel distance and less travel time.
Customized Regulation of Diverse Stress Response Genes by the Multiple Antibiotic Resistance Activator MarA

Stress response networks frequently have a single upstream regulator that controls many downstream genes. However, the downstream targets are often diverse, therefore it remains unclear how their expression is specialized when under the command of a common regulator. To address this, we focused on a stress response network where the multiple antibiotic resistance activator MarA from Escherichia coli regulates diverse targets ranging from small RNAs to efflux pumps. Using single-cell experiments and computational modeling, we showed that each downstream gene studied has distinct activation, noise, and information transmission properties. Critically, our results demonstrate that understanding biological context is essential; we found examples where strong activation only occurs outside physiologically relevant ranges of MarA and others where noise is high at wild type MarA levels and decreases as MarA reaches its physiological limit. These results demonstrate how a single regulatory protein can maintain specificity while orchestrating the response of many downstream genes.
Neverland is an evolutionally conserved Rieske-domain protein that is essential for ecdysone synthesis and insect growth

Steroid hormones mediate a wide variety of developmental and physiological events in multicellular organisms. During larval and pupal stages of insects, the principal steroid hormone is ecdysone, which is synthesized in the prothoracic gland (PG) and plays a central role in the control of development. Although many studies have revealed the biochemical features of ecdysone synthesis in the PG, many aspects of this pathway have remained unclear at the molecular level. We describe the neverland (nvd) gene, which encodes an oxygenase-like protein with a Rieske electron carrier domain, from the silkworm Bombyx mori and the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. nvd is expressed specifically in tissues that synthesize ecdysone, such as the PG. We also show that loss of nvd function in the PG causes arrest of both molting and growth during Drosophila development. Furthermore, the phenotype is rescued by application of 20-hydroxyecdysone or the precursor 7-dehydrocholesterol. Given that the nvd family is evolutionally conserved, these results suggest that Nvd is an essential regulator of cholesterol metabolism or trafficking in steroid synthesis across animal phyla.
00 07 11 8 v 2 2 J an 2 00 1 Relativistic Aharonov-Casher Phase in Spin One

The Aharonov-Casher (AC) phase is calculated in relativistic wave equations of spin one. The AC phase has previously been calculated from the Dirac-Pauli equation using a gauge-like technique [1, 2]. In the spin-one case, we use Kemmer theory (a Dirac-like particle theory) to calculate the phase in a similar manner. However the vector formalism, the Proca theory, is more widely known and used. In the presence of an electromagnetic field, the two theories are ‘equivalent’ and may be transformed into one another. We adapt these transformations to show that the Kemmer theory results apply to the Proca theory. Then we calculate the Aharonov-Casher phase for spin-one particles directly in the Proca formalism.
Adaptive confidence intervals for regression functions under shape constraints

Adaptive confidence intervals for regression functions are constructed under shape constraints of monotonicity and convexity. A natural benchmark is established for the minimum expected length of confidence intervals at a given function in terms of an analytic quantity, the local modulus of continuity. This bound depends not only on the function but also the assumed function class. These benchmarks show that the constructed confidence intervals have near minimum expected length for each individual function, while maintaining a given coverage probability for functions within the class. Such adaptivity is much stronger than adaptive minimaxity over a collection of large parameter spaces.
Identification of Mandarin Tone-2 and Tone-3 in Disyllabic Contexts by Chinese Natives and Japanese Students

This study primarily explores the perception of Mandarin Tone-2 (T2) and Tone-3 (T3) in disyllabic contexts by Chinese natives and Japanese students. Seventeen contours of a T2-T3 continuum and twelve contours of a T2̳Half T3‘ continuum are respectively synthesized and connected before or after the four tones separately as stimuli. The results of their perception show that: (1) Both Chinese and Japanese participants are affected by contexts in tone identifying; (2) Japanese rely more on acoustic characteristics other than phonological rules; (3) T3 identification is more difficult than T2 for Japanese, especially when it is after the context tone.