Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Androgen receptor signaling regulates DNA repair in prostate cancers.

UNLABELLED We demonstrate that the androgen receptor (AR) regulates a transcriptional program of DNA repair genes that promotes prostate cancer radioresistance, providing a potential mechanism by which androgen deprivation therapy synergizes with ionizing radiation. Using a model of castration-resistant prostate cancer, we show that second-generation antiandrogen therapy results in downregulation of DNA repair genes. Next, we demonstrate that primary prostate cancers display a significant spectrum of AR transcriptional output, which correlates with expression of a set of DNA repair genes. Using RNA-seq and ChIP-seq, we define which of these DNA repair genes are both induced by androgen and represent direct AR targets. We establish that prostate cancer cells treated with ionizing radiation plus androgen demonstrate enhanced DNA repair and decreased DNA damage and furthermore that antiandrogen treatment causes increased DNA damage and decreased clonogenic survival. Finally, we demonstrate that antiandrogen treatment results in decreased classical nonhomologous end-joining. SIGNIFICANCE We demonstrate that the AR regulates a network of DNA repair genes, providing a potential mechanism by which androgen deprivation synergizes with radiotherapy for prostate cancer.
Dialogical argumentation instruction as a catalytic agent for the integration of school science with Indigenous Knowledge Systems

Abstract In South Africa and elsewhere, the integration of science and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) is a contentious issue. This is due to both knowledge systems being underpinned by diverse epistemic authorities. This paper explores the possibilities and challenges associated with the integration of the two knowledge corpuses and how a Dialogical Argumentation Instruction (DAI) teaching approach could mitigate or aggravate such integration. A science class in a local school in Cape Town was exposed to a series of indigenous knowledge (IK) integrated science lessons for six weeks. The DAI approach comprised lessons structured after Toulmin's Argumentation Pattern (TAP) and with argumentation frames developed to categorize the learners argument responses. Individual, group and whole class activities examined various ways for processing indigenous foods through fermentation. Data sources involved classroom observations, written argumentation frame responses and one focus group interview. The Contiguity Argumentation Theory (CAT) has been used to capture and interrogate learners' arguments and experiences in mediating between science and IKS epistemologies beyond the scope of the logical deductive/inductive approach which TAP analysis employed. Analysis of learners' arguments revealed that they held both science and IKS worldviews and that they used them interchangeably without experiencing cognitive conflicts. The focus group interview showed that learners appreciated the inclusion of IK in the science lessons and felt that its inclusion can enhance their understanding of science. Discounting challenges faced, the DAI showed some promise, pending further investigations, that it could mediate the enactment of a science-IK curriculum.
Per-Antenna Constant Envelope Precoding for Large Multi-User MIMO Systems

We consider the multi-user MIMO broadcast channel with M single-antenna users and N transmit antennas under the constraint that each antenna emits signals having constant envelope (CE). The motivation for this is that CE signals facilitate the use of power-efficient RF power amplifiers. Analytical and numerical results show that, under certain mild conditions on the channel gains, for a fixed M, an array gain is achievable even under the stringent per-antenna CE constraint. Essentially, for a fixed M, at sufficiently large N the total transmitted power can be reduced with increasing N while maintaining a fixed information rate to each user. Simulations for the i.i. d. Rayleigh fading channel show that the total transmit power can be reduced linearly with increasing N (i.e., an O(N) array gain). We also propose a precoding scheme which finds near-optimal CE signals to be transmitted, and has O(MN) complexity. Also, in terms of the total transmit power required to achieve a fixed desired information sum-rate, despite the stringent per-antenna CE constraint, the proposed CE precoding scheme performs close to the sum-capacity achieving scheme for an average-only total transmit power constrained channel.
Targeting DNA Methylation

Two nucleoside inhibitors of DNA methylation, azacitidine and decitabine, are now standard of care for the treatment of the myelodysplastic syndrome, a deadly form of leukemia. These old drugs, developed as cytotoxic agents and nearly abandoned decades ago were resurrected by the renewed interest in DNA methylation. They have now provided proof of principle for epigenetic therapy, the final chapter in the long saga to provide legitimacy to the field of epigenetics in cancer. But challenges remain; we don't understand precisely how or why the drugs work or stop working after an initial response. Extending these promising findings to solid tumors faces substantial hurdles from drug uptake to clinical trial design. We do not know yet how to select patients for this therapy and how to move it from life extension to cure. The epigenetic potential of DNA methylation inhibitors may be limited by other epigenetic mechanisms that are also worth exploring as therapeutic targets. But the idea of stably changing gene expression in vivo has transformative potential in cancer therapy and beyond.
Regulated by IL-4 IgA by Human Naive B Cells Is Differentially IL-21-Induced Isotype Switching to IgG and

Naive B cells can alter the effector function of their Ig molecule by isotype switching, thereby allowing them to secrete not only IgM, but also the switched isotypes IgG, IgA, and IgE. Different isotypes are elicited in response to speciﬁc pathogens. Similarly, dysregulated production of switched isotypes underlies the development of various diseases, such as autoimmunity and immunodeﬁciency. Thus, it is important to characterize mediators controlling isotype switching, as well as their contribution to the overall B cell response. Isotype switching in human naive B cells can be induced by CD40L together with IL-4, IL-10, IL-13, and/or TGF- (cid:1) . Recently, IL-21 was identiﬁed as a switch factor for IgG1 and IgG3. However, the effect of IL-21 on switching to IgA, as well as the interplay between IL-21 and other switch factors, remains unknown. We found that IL-4 and IL-21 individually induced CD40L-stimulated human naive B cells to undergo switching to IgG, with IL-4 predominantly inducing IgG1 (cid:2) cells and IL-21 inducing IgG3. Culture of naive B cells with CD40L and IL-21, but not IL-4, also yielded IgA (cid:2) cells. Combining IL-4 and IL-21 had divergent effects on isotype switching. Speciﬁcally, while IL-4 and IL-21 synergistically increased the generation of IgG1 (cid:2) cells from CD40L-stimulated B cells, IL-4 concomitantly abolished IL-21-induced switching to IgA. Our ﬁndings demonstrate the dynamic interplay between IL-4 and IL-21 in regulating the production of IgG subclasses and IgA, and suggest temporal roles for these cytokines
Mental health and service use of adults with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder

2 Acknowledgements . 3 Abbreviations . 4 Table of contents . 5 List of figures . 8 List of text boxes . 8 List of tables . 9 Publications . 11 Chapter 1: Introduction and background to the thesis . 12 Introduction . 12 Background . 13 Chapter 2: Recognition and assessment of intellectual disability, ASD and comorbid mental health problems. 19 Recognition and assessment of intellectual disability and ASD . 19 Recognition and assessment of mental health problems in adults with intellectual disability and ASD . 32 Conclusion on the recognition and assessment of intellectual disability, ASD and comorbid mental health problems . 42 Chapter 3: Prevalence of intellectual disability, ASD and comorbid psychiatric disorder . 43 Prevalence of intellectual disability . 43 Prevalence of ASD . 44 Adults with intellectual disability and ASD . 46 Psychiatric disorder among adults with intellectual disability and ASD . 50 Patterns of prevalence and characteristics associated with psychiatric disorder in adults with intellectual disability & ASD . 58 Conclusion on the prevalence of intellectual disability, ASD and comorbid mental health problems . 60 Chapter 4: Mental health, behaviour and social functioning of adults with intellectual disability and ASD . 61 Mental health of adults with intellectual disability and ASD . 61 Social functioning of adults with intellectual disability and ASD . 66
Multi-Objective Optimization of Spectra Using Genetic Algorithms

This paper applies genetic algorithms (GAs), a powerful general-purpose biologically motivated optimization technique, to the multi-objective problem of spectrum optimization. Two objectives, color and efficiency, are address using real spectra, although the addition of other objectives (e.g., color rendering, color temperature) is relatively straightforward. The direct application of the method presented is to transform the spectrum of newly developed lighting technologies to have desirable color properties while maximizing efficiency. Other applications of this methodology include the design of a filter for the input of a fiber optic system such that the color at then end of a given length of fiber has particular properties (e.g., appears “white”), while the efficiency of the system is minimally affected. The principal findings described in this paper are the implementation of an efficient multi-objective fitness function tailored to this problem and a method for speeding convergence of the GA by "smoothing the chromosomes. " An algorithm, data and results from several approaches are presented. Introduction It is the goal of lighting manufacturers to produce light sources with maximum luminous efficacy, the ratio of the total luminous flux to total power input (i.e., "amount of light" per Watt). Luminous flux (F) is defined as:
A Bidirectional Grammar-Based Medical Speech Translator

We describe a bidirectional version of the grammar-based MedSLT medical speech system. The system supports simple medical examination dialogues about throat pain between an English-speaking physician and a Spanish-speaking patient. The physician's side of the dialogue is assumed to consist mostly of WH-questions, and the patient's of elliptical answers. The paper focusses on the grammar-based speech processing architecture, the ellipsis resolution mechanism, and the online help system.
Evaluation of quality and personalisation of VR/AR/MR learning systems

ABSTRACT The paper aims to analyse the problem of quality evaluation and personalisation of virtual reality/augmented reality/mixed reality (VR/AR/MR). First of all, systematic review of relevant scientific literature on the research topic was conducted. After that, findings of the systematic review concerning evaluation of quality and personalisation of VR/AR/MR learning environments are presented. The author’s VR/AR/MR learning systems/environments quality evaluation and personalisation framework is also presented in the paper. Evaluation of quality of VR/AR/MR platforms/environments should be based on (a) applying both expert-centred (top-down) and user-centred (bottom-up) quality evaluation methods and (b) separating ‘internal quality’ criteria, and ‘quality in use’ criteria in the set of quality criteria (model). Personalisation of VR/AR/MR platforms/environments should be based on learners’ models/profiles using students’ learning styles, intelligent technologies, and Semantic Web applications.
Object Oriented Concept Representation

Concept representation is a key to natural language understanding. Several strategies have previously been proposed. But many of them have been confined to illustrations in text books rather than been actually implemented in large scale natural language systems. We propose a concept representation strategy that treats each "concept" as an object. Manipulating the relationships among the concepts are considered as operating on the corresponding objects. We find that this representation not only is convenient in consolidating our view on "concepts", but can be readily implemented using an object oriented language such as C++.
Comparison of transient and successful fusion pores connecting influenza hemagglutinin expressing cells to planar membranes

Time-resolved admittance measurements were used to investigate the evolution of fusion pores formed between cells expressing influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) and planar bilayer membranes. The majority of fusion pores opened in a stepwise fashion to semistable conductance levels of several nS. About 20% of the pores had measurable rise times to nS conductances; some of these opened to conductances of approximately 500 pS where they briefly lingered before opening further to semistable conductances. The fall times of closing were statistically similar to the rise times of opening. All fusion pores exhibited semistable values of conductance, varying from approximately 2-20 nS; they would then either close or fully open to conductances on the order of 1 microS. The majority of pores closed; approximately 10% fully opened. Once within the semistable stage, all fusion pores, even those that eventually closed, tended to grow. Statistically, however, before closing, transient fusion pores ceased to grow and reversed their conductance pattern: conductances decreased with a measurable time course until a final drop to closure. In contrast, pore enlargement to the fully open state tended to occur from the largest conductance values attained during a pore's semistable stage. This final enlargement was characterized by a stepwise increase in conductance. The density of HA on the cell surface did not strongly affect pore dynamics. But increased proteolytic treatment of cell surfaces did lead to faster growth within the semistable range. Transient pores and pores that fully opened had indistinguishable initial conductances and statistically identical time courses of early growth, suggesting they were the same upon formation. We suggest that transient and fully open pores evolved from common structures with stochastic factors determining their fate.
Visual Simulation of Breaking Waves in Shallow Water

We introduce a composite method for simulation and rendering of breaking waves in computer graphics applications. The method generated not only a simple wave belt like previous work, but also a manipulative model by influence of the wind. The particle system we adopted combine POINT primitive as basic particle and fat particle as characteristics particle are well suited for simulate all kinds of spray in shallow water. Rendering makes use of Cg shading language on consumer-level GPU to allow for a representation of reflection, refraction of light.
A framework and algorithm for model-based active testing

Due to model uncertainty and/or limited observability, the multiple candidate diagnoses (or the associated probability mass distribution) computed by a model-based diagnosis (MBD) engine may be unacceptable as the basis for important decision-making. In this paper we present a new algorithmic approach, called FRACTAL (framework for active testing algorithms), which, given an initial diagnosis, computes the shortest sequence of additional test vectors that minimizes diagnostic entropy. The approach complements probing and sequential diagnosis (ATPG), applying to systems where only additional tests can be performed by using a subset of the existing system inputs while observing the existing outputs (called ldquoactive testingrdquo). Our algorithm generates test vectors using a myopic, next-best test vector strategy, using a low-cost approximation of diagnostic information entropy to guide the search. Results on a number of 74XXX/ISCAS85 combinational circuits show that diagnostic certainty can be significantly increased, even when only a fraction of inputs are available for active testing.
Efficient provable certificateless blind signature scheme

Certificateless public key cryptography is a new paradigm introduced by AI-Riyami and Paterson. It eliminates the need of the certificates in traditional public key cryptosystems and the key escrow problem in Identity-based Public Key Cryptography (ID-PKC). Due to the advantages of the certificateless public key cryptography, we propose a novel certificateless blind signature scheme based on pairings in the paper. Firstly, we give formal security definitions of blindness and unforgeability in our scheme. Then an concrete instance is given and we show that the proposed scheme is provably secure in the random oracle model. The security of our schemes is proven based on the hardness of computational Diffie-Hellman problem and the bilinear pairing inversion Problem (BPI). Finally, by comparing our scheme with Zhang's scheme in terms of computational cost and the signature size, we show that our scheme is more efficient, since no pairing computation is required in the signing, and only one pairing computation is required in the verifying phase.
Teacher attrition : the uphill climb to staff the Nations's schools

The purpose of this report is to deve]op a strategy for improving both national and state forecasts of future attrition rates. A theory of teacher attrition is developed that attempts to account for the disparate reasons for attrition, and to explain the patterns of attrition unique to each life cycle and career stage. Existing literature on teacher attrition and present attrition patterns from several states are selectively reviewed for the purpose of testing hypotheses derived from the theory of teacher attrition. Existing data available to support improved attrition models are reviewed, and recommendations are made for better use of these data. Finally, sampling and data collection strategies are identified that will improve the value of data collected in a future national survey.
The Pet-Fish Problem on the World-Wide Web

We identify the presence of Pet-Fish problem situations and the corresponding Guppy effect of concept theory on the World-Wide Web. For this purpose, we introduce absolute weights for words expressing concepts and relative weights between words expressing concepts, and the notion of 'meaning bound' between two words expressing concepts, making explicit use of the conceptual structure of the World-Wide Web. The Pet-Fish problem occurs whenever there are exemplars — in the case of Pet and Fish these can be Guppy or Goldfish — for which the meaning bound with respect to the conjunction is stronger than the meaning bounds with respect to the individual concepts.
A Light-Weight Approach to Recipient Determination When Recommending New Items

Recommending new items can be a challenging problem in practical applications. Since no past user interactions (e.g., ratings) for such items are available, collaborative filtering techniques cannot be directly applied. Even if item feature information and a content-based approach are used as a fallback, the new items might not show up in the recommendation lists of many users. A possible approach in such situations is to determine a limited set of users to whom the new items are recommended even if there are other, longer existing items that might have a higher assumed relevance. In this paper we present a light-weight approach to this recipient determination problem in the context of the recommendation of job offers on a business social network. At its core, the method uses a nearest-neighbor technique and a set of additional domain-specific heuristics to assess the relevance of new job offers for a user. The evaluation in the context of the ACM RecSys 2017 challenge showed that the method, despite its simplicity, led to good results both in the offline and the online setting.
The effects of pentobarbital, ketamine–pentobarbital and ketamine–xylazine anesthesia in a rat myocardial ischemic reperfusion injury model

To achieve reliable experimental data, the side-effects of anesthetics should be eliminated. Since anesthetics exert a variety of effects on hemodynamic data and incidence of arrhythmias, the selection of anesthetic agents in a myocardial ischemic reperfusion injury model is very important. The present study was performed to compare hemodynamic variables, the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias, and infarct size during 30 min of ischemia and 120 min of reperfusion in rats using pentobarbital, ketamine–pentobarbital or ketamine–xylazine anaesthesia. A total of 30 rats were randomly divided into three groups. In group P, pentobarbital (60 mg/kg, intraperitoneally [IP]) was used solely; in group K–P, ketamine and pentobarbital (50 and 30 mg/kg, respectively, IP) were used in combination; and in group K–X, ketamine and xylazine (75 and 5 mg/kg, respectively, IP) were also used in combination. Hemodynamic data and occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias were recorded throughout the experiments. The ischemic area was measured by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. The combination of ketamine–xylazine caused bradycardia and hypotension. The greatest reduction in mean arterial blood pressure during ischemia was in the P group. The most stability in hemodynamic parameters during ischemia and reperfusion was in the K–P group. The infarct size was significantly less in the K–X group. Whereas none of the rats anesthetized with ketamine–xylazine fibrillated during ischemia, ventricular fibrillation occurred in 57% of the animals anesthetized with pentobarbital or ketamine–pentobarbital. Because it offers the most stable hemodynamic parameters, it is concluded that the ketamine–pentobarbital anesthesia combination is the best anesthesia in a rat ischemia reperfusion injury model.
Factors Related To Quality Of Life In Families Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

FACTORS RELATED TO QUALITY OF LIFE IN FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER by JESSICA R. GARRETT December 2014 Advisor: Dr. Stephen B. Hillman Major: Educational Psychology Degree: Doctor of Philosophy The purpose of this study was to explore how caretakers of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are able to move through adverse circumstances with which they are confronted while raising their child with considerable developmental needs and challenges. Family resilience in this study includes family quality of life, locus of control, sense of coherence, perceived stress, uncertainty, severity, and demands. The participants in this study were 153 parents of children diagnosed with ASD. The parents were members of the Autism Society of Oakland County. The participants completed a survey comprised of six scales (Parental Concerns Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, Orientation to Life Questionnaire, Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale, Family Quality of Life, and a short demographic survey) using SurveyMonkey. Three research questions were developed for this study. The results of the statistical analysis indicated that four variables, uncertainty in illness, perceived stress, age of parent, and average socioeconomic status accounted for 33% of the variance in family quality of life. Results of the mediation analysis used to answer the second