Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ant Colony Optimization for Simulated Dynamic Multi-Objective Railway Junction Rescheduling

Minimizing the ongoing impact of train delays has benefits to both the users of the railway system and the railway stakeholders. However, the efficient rescheduling of trains after a perturbation is a complex real-world problem. The complexity is compounded by the fact that the problem may be both dynamic and multi-objective. The aim of this research is to investigate the ability of ant colony optimization algorithms to solve a simulated dynamic multi-objective railway rescheduling problem and, in the process, to attempt to identify the features of the algorithms that enable them to cope with a multi-objective problem that is also dynamic. Results showed that, when the changes in the problem are large and frequent, retaining the archive of non-dominated solution between changes and updating the pheromones to reflect the new environment play an important role in enabling the algorithms to perform well on this dynamic multi-objective railway rescheduling problem.
Predicting the time of entry of nanoparticles in cellular membranes

The understanding of the molecular interactions between nanoparticles (NPs) and biological systems is crucial for the systematic advance in many high-impact fields, such as biomedicine and nanotechnology. A key aspect to understand and predict the biological effect of NPs, e.g., cytotoxicity, bioavailability, is their interaction with membranes, specifically the mechanisms that regulate passive transport, which controls the permeation of most small molecules. In this paper, we introduce a new streamlined theoretical model that is able to predict the interactions between NPs and biological membranes (average permeation time), by separating the NPs’ characteristics (i.e., size, shape, solubility) from the membrane properties (density distribution). This factorization allows the inclusion of data obtained from both experimental and computational sources, as well as rapid estimation of large sets of permutation in new membranes. We validated our approach, by comparing our prediction for the interactions between different carbonaceous NPs and lipid bilayers with both experiments of measuring graphene quantum dot leakage encapsulated in lipid vesicles and time of entry from MD simulations.
Ultraprocessed food consumption and risk of overweight and obesity: the University of Navarra Follow-Up (SUN) cohort study.

BACKGROUND Ultraprocessed food consumption has increased in the past decade. Evidence suggests a positive association between ultraprocessed food consumption and the incidence of overweight and obesity. However, few prospective studies to our knowledge have investigated this potential relation in adults. OBJECTIVE We evaluated the association between ultraprocessed food consumption and the risk of overweight and obesity in a prospective Spanish cohort, the SUN (University of Navarra Follow-Up) study. DESIGN We included 8451 middle-aged Spanish university graduates who were initially not overweight or obese and followed up for a median of 8.9 y. The consumption of ultraprocessed foods (defined as food and drink products ready to eat, drink, or heat and made predominantly or entirely from processed items extracted or refined from whole foods or synthesized in the laboratory) was assessed with the use of a validated semiquantitative 136-item food-frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate adjusted HRs and 95% CIs for incident overweight and obesity. RESULTS A total of 1939 incident cases of overweight and obesity were identified during follow-up. After adjustment for potential confounders, participants in the highest quartile of ultraprocessed food consumption were at a higher risk of developing overweight or obesity (adjusted HR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.45; P-trend = 0.001) than those in the lowest quartile of consumption. CONCLUSIONS Ultraprocessed food consumption was associated with a higher risk of overweight and obesity in a prospective cohort of Spanish middle-aged adult university graduates. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm our results. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02669602.
Feeling the Feed: Reflections (Confessions?) of an Online Teacher on Transitioning from Threaded Discussion to Social Media

This paper presents the background and events to date of a continuing case study of a teacher adapting to social media, from the point of view of the online teacher. It describes the ongoing challenges of using now 'traditional' threaded discussion boards, and details events leading to a simultaneous design experiment conducting an instructional activity in the traditional threaded discussion and a social media platform. It further describes how this experiment has led to trialing full scale teaching in multiple units of study supported only by the social media platform. Observations and reflections are drawn from the case experience
Youth Require Tailored Treatment for Opioid Use and Mental Health Problems: A Comparison with Adults

Objectives: Opioid use has reached crisis proportions in Canada. Youth comprise a particularly vulnerable group, yet little is known about their presenting issues and service needs. This study examined substance use, mental health, and behavioural health problems among youth seeking treatment for problematic opioid use and compared youth and adult samples to understand youth's unique treatment needs. Methods: Participants (n = 120) included 44 youth (17–25 years) and 76 adults (26–57 years) seeking treatment for problematic opioid use from a large Canadian mental health facility. Participants completed measures of sociodemographics, substance use, mental, and behavioural health. Results: Compared with adults, youth reported greater substance use severity requiring intensive intervention (P = 0.002), higher rates of substance use by injection (P = 0.032), and increased fentanyl use (P = 0.008). Youth engaged in more polysubstance use (P = 0.029) and harmful/hazardous alcohol use (P = 0.003). More youth than adults struggled with symptoms of depression (P = 0.005), externalizing disorders (P = 0.005), and crime/violence problems (P = 0.005). Both youth and adults presented with impairment in mental-health-related quality of life (youth: M = 30.1, SD = 10.4; adults: M = 34.2, SD = 14.0). Conclusions: Youth seeking treatment for opioid use present with more severe and complex substance use and mental health problems than adults. These findings suggest that to improve treatment outcomes, youth need easily accessible, developmentally appropriate treatment programs tailored to their unique needs, with a focus on integrated concurrent disorders treatment and harm reduction.
Evolution of the international workshops on quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) in environmental toxicology

This presentation will review the evolution of the workshops from a scientific and personal perspective. From their modest beginning in 1983, the workshops have developed into larger international meetings, regularly held every two years. Their initial focus on the aquatic sphere soon expanded to include properties and effects on atmospheric and terrestrial species, including man. Concurrent with this broadening of their scientific scope, the workshops have become an important forum for the early dissemination of all aspects of qualitative and quantitative structure-activity research in ecotoxicology and human health effects. Over the last few decades, the field of quantitative structure/activity relationships (QSARs) has quickly emerged as a major scientific method in understanding the properties and effects of chemicals on the environment and human health. From substances that only affect cell membranes to those that bind strongly to a specific enzyme, QSARs provides insight into the biological effects and chemical and physical properties of substances. QSARs are useful for delineating the quantitative changes in biological effects resulting from minor but systematic variations of the structure of a compound with a specific mode of action. In addition, more holistic approaches are being devised that result in our ability to predict the effects of structurally unrelated compounds with (potentially) different modes of action. Research in QSAR environmental toxicology has led to many improvements in the manufacturing, use, and disposal of chemicals. Furthermore, it has led to national policies and international agreements, from use restrictions or outright bans of compounds, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mirex, and highly chlorinated pesticides (e.g. DDT, dieldrin) for the protection of avian predators, to alternatives for ozone-depleting compounds, to better waste treatment systems, to more powerful and specific acting drugs. Most of the recent advances in drug development could not have been achieved without the use of QSARs in one form or another. The pace of such developments is rapid and QSARs are the keystone to that progress. These workshops have contributed to this progress and will continue to do so in the future. †Presented at the 12th International Workshop on Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships in Environmental Toxicology (QSAR2006), 8–12 May 2006, Lyon, France.
Comparison of the effect of intra‐tendon applications of recombinant human platelet‐derived growth factor‐BB, platelet‐rich plasma, steroids in a rat achilles tendon collagenase model

This study compared the effect of intra‐tendon (IT) delivery of recombinant human platelet‐derived growth factor‐BB (rhPDGF‐BB), platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) and corticosteroids in a rat tendinopathy model. Seven days after collagenase induction of tendinopathy, a 30‐µl IT injection was administered. Treatments included: saline; 3 µg rhPDGF‐BB; 10 µg rhPDGF‐BB; PRP; and 300 µg triamcinolone acetonide (TCA). Outcomes were assessed 7 and 21 days after treatment. All groups exhibited good to excellent repair. Relative to saline, cell proliferation increased 65% in the 10 µg rhPDGF‐BB group and decreased 74% in the TCA group; inflammation decreased 65% in the TCA group. At 7 days, maximum load‐to‐failure was increased in the 3 µg rhPDGF‐BB group relative to saline, PRP, and TCA (p < 0.025). On day 21, maximum load‐to‐rupture was increased in the 10 µg rhPDGF‐BB group relative to saline, PRP, and TCA (p < 0.035) and in the 3 µg rhPDGF‐BB group compared to saline and TCA (p < 0.027). Stiffness in the 10 µg rhPDGF‐BB group was increased compared to saline, PRP, and TCA (p < 0.038). Histology demonstrated similar repair in all groups. PRP and TCA did not improve mechanical properties compared to saline. Injections of rhPDGF‐BB increased maximum load‐to‐failure (3 and 10 µg) and stiffness (10 µg) relative to controls and commonly used treatments. © 2013 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 32:145–150, 2014.
Temperament and Character Factors in Korean Children With Seizure Disorders

Although the organic and psychosocial consequences of seizure disorders are thought to affect temperament and character patterns, these patterns in children with seizure disorders have not yet been investigated. We therefore investigated temperament and character patterns in Korean children with seizure disorders and their associations with seizure-related variables. The Korean version of the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory was used to assess temperament and character factors of 65 children with seizure disorders (32 boys, 33 girls; mean age, 10.6 ± 1.8 years) and 65 healthy controls matched for age and sex. Children with seizure disorders showed higher harm avoidance, and lower persistence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness than controls. In children with seizure disorders, character factors such as self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence were significantly associated with seizure type, and cooperativeness was correlated with seizure severity. Novelty seeking and self-directedness were correlated with paternal educational level and parental economic status, respectively. These findings suggest that children with seizure disorders have distinctive temperament and character patterns, with seizure type being the most influential factor modulating character patterns.
Determination of an optimal training strategy for a BCI classification task with LDA

Brain computer interfaces (BCIs) translate brain activity into computer commands. To enhance the performance of a BCI, it is necessary to improve the feature extraction techniques being applied to decode the users' intentions. Objective comparison methods are needed to analyze different feature extraction techniques. One possibility is to use the classifier performance as a comparative measure. In this paper, we study the behavior of linear discriminant analysis (LDA) when used to distinguish between electroencephalographic (EEG) signals with and without the presence of event related potentials (ERPs).
Seismic Spectral Ratios Between North Korean Nuclear Tests: Implications for Their Seismic Sources

Seismic spectral ratios between the 3 September 2017 North Korean nuclear test (NKT2017) and four earlier Korean tests (25 May 2009, NKT2009; 12 February 2013, NKT2013; 6 January 20016, NKT2016J; and 9 September 2016, NKT2016S) are investigated. All the observed teleseismic P wave spectral ratios exhibit a unique notch at approximately 2.5 Hz, but it is not observed for spectral ratios of regional P and Lg waves. Meanwhile, for a given event pair, the network‐averaged Lg wave spectral ratio is similar to that of regional P wave, but with the explosions' source corner frequencies significantly reduced, supporting the conjecture by Fisk (2006, https://doi.org/10.1785/0120060023). We demonstrated that the observed notch of teleseismic P wave spectral ratios may be well modeled with interference between pP and P waves with an apparent pP‐P time delay ΔtpP of about 0.4 s for NKT2017, while regional P wave spectral ratios may be well fitted with source spectral ratios predicted by classical explosion source models including Mueller and Murphy (1971, https://doi.org/10.2172/4107998) (MM71), Denny and Johnson (1991, https://doi.org/10.1029/gm065p0001) (DJ91), and their two hybrids. Via the above modeling, yield sizes of the explosions and the depth of burials of NKT2009–2016S are determined as functions of NKT2017's buried depth h0. Our result indicate that, for h0 in the range of 600–1,100 m, the MM71‐related models give yield estimations about 100–300 kt for NKT2017, 3–7 kt for NKT2009, 6–15 kt for NKT2013 and NKT2016J, and 10–25 kt for NKT2016S, while yield sizes obtained by model DJ91 are much smaller. Nevertheless, for all the above source models, the obtained depths of burial estimations of NKT2009–2016S are always significantly smaller than NKT2017's depth of burial h0.
Global Antitakeover Devices

This Article explores a “hidden” mechanism that insulates management from hostile takeovers and activist intervention: the global antitakeover device (“GAD”). A GAD is based on the ability of public firms to “mix and match” between different forms of regulations through cross-listing in multiple stock exchanges or incorporation in foreign jurisdictions. This action subjects any hostile engagement with these firms to multiple jurisdictions’ regulatory frameworks and creates regulatory barriers, complexity, and uncertainty. This Article provides a comprehensive analysis of these GADs, the costs they generate to potential bidders, and the unique feature they have in comparison to traditional antitakeover devices. GADs are not an isolated phenomenon. Their potential economic impact is significant, as one in seven firms traded on U.S. exchanges are incorporated or cross-listed in foreign jurisdictions. Moreover, the impact of these devices could extend beyond the market for corporate control, as foreign firms could also enjoy a partial insulation from activist hedge funds. The Article also offers policy recommendations for overcoming GADs’ insulation from takeover attempts and activism.
Tunable sampled-grating DBR lasers using quantum-well intermixing

Widely tunable lasers are key components for wavelength division multiplexing fiber optic networks. They reduce cost in sparing, enable dynamic networking applications, and present opportunities for future monolithically integrated wavelength division multiplexing components. The sampled-grating distributed Bragg reflector (SGDBR) laser is ideal for these purposes. The authors present a centered quantum-well SGDBR laser which uses quantum-well intermixing in order to improve device characteristics over previous designs. The mode overlap is improved by 50% over the offset quantum-well design, improving the modal gain. Current injection tuning in the intermixed material is demonstrated for the first time; the maximum modal group index change was measured to be 1%.
Children with cystic fibrosis: who should visit the otorhinolaryngologist?

BACKGROUND Sinonasal complications are common in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Generally, those children with persistent symptoms of sinonasal polyposis are referred to an otorhinolaryngologic (ORL) physician for sinus surgery. Several studies have reported differences in clinical characteristics between CF patients with and without sinonasal polyps. OBJECTIVES To predict the presence of sinonasal polyposis in children with CF on the basis of symptoms and clinical characteristics and so to select those children who might benefit from referral to an ORL physician. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Survey of data from a database on the results of yearly multidisciplinary examinations of 140 children with CF. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Presence of sinonasal polyposis. RESULTS In the total population of 140 children, no combination of ORL symptoms and clinical characteristics could accurately predict the presence of sinonasal polyposis. In a subgroup of 73 children with a history of nasal symptoms, independent predictors for the presence of sinonasal polyposis were male sex, age 10 years or older, presence of rhinorrhea, and a forced vital capacity 70% or more of the predicted value. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of a scoring rule including these independent predictors was 0.77. The positive and negative predictive values of this rule were 0.86 and 0.71, respectively. CONCLUSION A scoring rule including the independent predictors sex, age, symptoms of rhinorrhea, and forced vital capacity values could reasonably classify children with CF and nasal symptoms into a category with increased risk for sinonasal polyposis, thus facilitating the decision on ORL referral.
Exopolysaccharide Production Is Required for Development of Escherichia coli K-12 Biofilm Architecture

ABSTRACT Although exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are a large component of bacterial biofilms, their contribution to biofilm structure and function has been examined for only a few organisms. In each of these cases EPS has been shown to be required for cellular attachment to abiotic surfaces. Here, we undertook a genetic approach to examine the potential role of colanic acid, an EPS of Escherichia coliK-12, in biofilm formation. Strains either proficient or deficient in colanic acid production were grown and allowed to adhere to abiotic surfaces and were then examined both macroscopically and microscopically. Surprisingly, we found that colanic acid production is not required for surface attachment. Rather, colanic acid is critical for the formation of the complex three-dimensional structure and depth of E. coli biofilms.
Dynamics of DNA methylation levels in maternal and paternal rabbit genomes after fertilization

The reprogramming of DNA methylation in early embryos has been considered to be essential for the reprogramming of differentiated parental genomes to totipotency, the transcription of embryonic genome activation (EGA) and subsequent development. However, its degree appears to differ as a function of species and it may be altered by the in vitro environment. While the rabbit is a pertinent model for species with a delayed EGA because both in vivo and in vitro developed embryos are easily available, the status of DNA methylation levels in both parental genomes after fertilization remains controversial. In order to generate precise data on the DNA methylation status in rabbit zygotes, we first of all defined five pronuclear (PN) stages during the first cell cycle and then classified in vivo and in vitro developed rabbit zygotes according to these PN stages. Using this classification we precisely quantified both methylated DNA and the total DNA content during the one cell stage. The quantification of methylated DNA, normalized for the total DNA content, showed that both pronuclei displayed distinct patterns of DNA methylation reprogramming. In the maternal pronucleus (MP) the methylation level remained constant throughout the one cell stage, thanks to maintenance methylation during the S phase. Conversely, in the paternal pronucleus (PP) partial demethylation occurred before replication, probably as a result of active DNA demethylation, while maintenance methylation subsequently occurred during the S phase. Interestingly, we showed that PP DNA methylation reprogramming was partially altered by the in vitro environment. Taken together, our approach evidenced that rabbit is one of the species displaying partial DNA demethylation in the PP, and for the first time demonstrated maintenance methylation activity in both pronuclei during the first S phase.
Multimodality noninvasive imaging of gene transfer using the human sodium iodide symporter.

UNLABELLED In this study we investigated the feasibility of using radionuclide accumulation mediated by the human sodium iodide symporter (hNIS) gene in conjunction with various imaging modalities as a reporter system to noninvasively monitor the expression of transgenes delivered for gene therapy. METHODS NIS-expressing adenovirus (Ad-hNIS) was delivered in vitro to MB-435 breast carcinoma cells. NIS-mediated accumulation of (125)I(-), (99m)TcO(4)(-), and (76)Br(-) by the cells was visualized using autoradiography, gamma-camera scintigraphy, and PET imaging, respectively. RESULTS For all imaging modalities, signal intensity generated by the cells correlated linearly both with the amount of Ad-hNIS and with the activity of radionuclide added to the cells. CONCLUSION hNIS-mediated cellular accumulation of radionuclide was clearly visualized by all 3 imaging modalities tested. This preliminary study demonstrates the feasibility of using hNIS for monitoring the location and magnitude of expression of genes delivered during gene therapy.