Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dendrite Development Regulated by CREST, a Calcium-Regulated Transcriptional Activator

The lasting effects of neuronal activity on brain development involve calcium-dependent gene expression. Using a strategy called transactivator trap, we cloned a calcium-responsive transactivator called CREST (for calcium-responsive transactivator). CREST is a SYT-related nuclear protein that interacts with adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) response element–binding protein (CREB)–binding protein (CBP) and is expressed in the developing brain. Mice that have a targeted disruption of the crest gene are viable but display defects in cortical and hippocampal dendrite development. Cortical neurons from crest mutant mice are compromised in calcium-dependent dendritic growth. Thus, calcium activation of CREST-mediated transcription helps regulate neuronal morphogenesis.
Short-term and long-term relationships between gold prices and oil prices

This article focuses on the econometric analysis of the prices of oil and gold. The aim is to determine the degree and nature of the investigated commodity dependence in terms of short-term and long-term relationships. The work contains basic characteristics, determinants of price development and theoretical description of statistical tools used to analyze dependencies of investigated time series. In the practical part of the article there is given its own analysis and final interpretation of the development of studied commodities. There are used methods of correlation and regression analysis, Granger causality, Augmented Dickey-Fuller test of stationarity, Johansen test. With respect to Engle-Granger test the two variables have a long run equilibrium relationship. Moreover, the Granger causality test reveals that in longterm, the change in prices of gold influences the change in prices of oil, while the chance in prices of oil does not influence the future change in prices of gold. For time series analysis (monthly average commodity prices, April 1983 – December 2016) there was used computer program GRETL.
On-Body Bluetooth Link Budget: Effects of Surrounding Objects and Role of Surface Waves

Bluetooth is very popular to be used in mobile handsets for short range data transfers. Evolution of Bluetooth headsets has added to its popularity and made it an essential part of wireless body area networks (WBAN) and wireless personal area networks (WPAN) notably the cellular phones. Human body is the integral part of such applications and affects their performance due to its lossy nature. This paper investigates the effects of human body and the surrounding objects on the Bluetooth link budget of a mobile handset antenna and Bluetooth headset antenna. A thorough analysis is carried out to demonstrate the importance of surface waves in the on-body Bluetooth link.
Invariant criteria for the zero-coupon bond pricing Vasicek and Cox-Ingersoll-Ross Models

1DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistic al Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesbur g,Wits sl2050, South Africa 2Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Mi mar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul,Turkey 3DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistic al Sciences, School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics,University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesbu rg,Wits sl2050, South Africa
The Incidence of Upper Gastrointestinal Complications of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Elderly Patients

The incidence of upper gastrointestinal (GI) complications of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs remains the most common side effect. The objective of this study was to compare the incidence of upper gastrointestinal complications of Ibuprofen as non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to Celecoxib and Meloxicam as selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This study included 4 groups of subjects aging above 50 years old divided into control group including 10 healthy volunteers suffering from the symptom of dyspepsia and three test groups, each test group included 10 osteoarthritic or rheumatic patients receiving only one NSAIDs (Ibuprofen, Celecoxib or Meloxicam) from at least 1 month. There was a statistically highly significant difference between the studied groups regarding the incidence of dyspepsia (p-value=0.008) and regarding the incidence of gastritis (p-value=0.042). In group II, there was a statistically significant correlation between the duration of administration of Ibuprofen and the incidence of dyspepsia. Similarly, in group III, there was a statistically significant correlation between the duration of administration of Celecoxib and the incidence of dyspepsia. Controversial, in group IV, there was no statistically significant correlation between the duration of administration of Meloxicam and the incidence of dyspepsia or gastritis or ulcer. Incidence of gastrointestinal side effects was lower for Celecoxib than for Meloxicam than for Ibuprofen. The study concluded that Celecoxib was safer than Meloxicam than Ibuprofen on the upper gastrointestinal tract.
Duodenal–jejunal bypass improves diabetes and liver steatosis via enhanced glucagon‐like peptide‐1 elicited by bile acids

Bariatric surgery not only elicits weight loss but also rapidly resolves diabetes. However, the mechanisms remain unclear. The present study investigates how diabetes and liver steatosis are improved after duodenal–jejunal bypass (DJB) compared with a glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) analog and correlations between bile acids and GLP‐1 secretion.
Two Fast Complex-Valued Algorithms for Solving Complex Quadratic Programming Problems

In this paper, we propose two fast complex-valued optimization algorithms for solving complex quadratic programming problems: 1) with linear equality constraints and 2) with both an l1-norm constraint and linear equality constraints. By using Brandwood's analytic theory, we prove the convergence of the two proposed algorithms under mild assumptions. The two proposed algorithms significantly generalize the existing complex-valued optimization algorithms for solving complex quadratic programming problems with an l1-norm constraint only and unconstrained complex quadratic programming problems, respectively. Numerical simulations are presented to show that the two proposed algorithms have a faster speed than conventional real-valued optimization algorithms.
Immunotherapy of Prolactinoma with a T Helper 1 Activator Adjuvant and Autoantigens: A Case Report

Objective: To date, efforts to reliably manipulate the immune system to promote tumor regression in the brain have been disappointing. We report a unique experience of successful immunotherapy to treat a pituitary macroprolactinoma. Methods: A 31-year-old woman with an established history of pituitary macroprolactinoma who had undergone tumor resection followed by radiation was admitted to our clinic. The diagnosis had been made due to the patient’s symptoms, a serum prolactin (PRL) level of 29,600 mIU/l, a brain MRI revealing a 23 × 19 × 18 mm pituitary mass and a positive PRL immunohistochemistry of the mass. Six months following surgery, she reexperienced headache, excessive sweating and a serum PRL concentration of 2,960 mIU/l despite receiving 30 mg/day bromocriptine. Brain MRI revealed a pituitary mass (3 × 6 × 8 mm) compatible with a pituitary adenoma. Twenty micrograms per milliliter of G2 (as a T helper 1 activator adjuvant) was inoculated intradermally once per week for 24 consecutive weeks (each injection contained 10 µg of G2). The autoantigens were inoculated at the same time with G2. Results: After immunotherapy, serum PRL concentration decreased to 82 mIU/l, the patient’s symptoms disappeared, skin thickness increased to normal and bromocriptine dosage was tapered to 20 mg per week. A follow-up brain MRI revealed almost complete disappearance of the tumor. The patient does not complain of any problems at 1-year follow-up. Conclusion: Activation of both nonspecific (natural killer cells) and specific (cytotoxic T lymphocytes) immunity in relation to the T helper 1 cytokine network is a promising strategy for the treatment of tumors of the central nervous system in humans, especially pituitary macroprolactinomas.
Peru’s “Glass of Milk” program focuses on reducing child malnutrition by assisting primarily children six years old or younger and pregnant and lactating mothers in poor marginal-urban and rural areas. After more than 20 years of program

Peru’s “Glass of Milk” program focuses on reducing child malnutrition by assisting primarily children six years old or younger and pregnant and lactating mothers in poor marginal-urban and rural areas. After more than 20 years of program implementation, there is no evidence that the “Glass of Milk” has a significant effect on child health. This problem is associated with, among other weaknesses, fund leakages in the service delivery chain. This research analyzes the factors associated with high or low rates of leakage in the chain of supply distribution by the “Glass of Milk” program at the stage where mothers’ committees interact with local governments and household beneficiaries. It adds to the literature on accountability mechanisms in public service delivery by determining whether top-down supervision or bottom-up monitoring have significant association with decreased corruption or decreased administrative inefficiencies. The research finds that mothers’ committees receiving bottom-up monitoring (by beneficiaries) have roughly half the leakage rate of those that do not, whereas committees receiving top-down monitoring (by local governments) have the same
Embryotoxicity and teratogenicity of topical retinoic acid.

All-trans-retinoic acid is a potent developmental toxicant in all species examined. The teratogenic risk of topical all-trans-retinoic acid is reviewed. Experimental studies are limited because of the high maternal toxicity, including skin irritation, with doses below those resulting in significant teratogenic response with other application routes, such as oral application. The maximal systemic availability reported for transdermal exposure of all-trans-retinoic acid was 5-6% in the rat, 9.6% in the monkey (48% with dermatitic skin) and 5-7% in the human. Oral administration of threshold teratogenic doses of all-trans-retinoic acid (6 mg/kg/day) to Wistar rats and Swiss hare rabbits resulted in embryonic area under the concentration time curve levels (approximately 1,000 ng.h/g) which were 2- to 4-fold higher than the endogenous all-trans-retinoic acid levels; corresponding maternal plasma area under the concentration time curve values were 98 and 321 ng.h/ml in rat and rabbit, respectively. The 4-oxo-metabolite was also found in maternal plasma and embryo. Large, controlled studies on the possible developmental toxicity of topical all-trans-retinoic acid in the human are not available. Isolated case reports appeared in the literature claiming teratogenic outcome resembling effects after oral isotretinoin use or those observed in experimental studies with oral or parenteral all-trans-retinoic acid administration. The dose absorbed from daily cosmetic or therapeutic application of all-trans-retinoic acid is expected to be below 0.015 mg/kg, which is at least 30-fold lower than the lowest teratogenic dose of isotretinoin in the human. Topical all-trans-retinoic acid application did not appreciably alter endogenous plasma retinoid levels. The influence of nutrition, diurnal variation and in particular oral vitamin A supplements are more important determinants of plasma retinoic acid compounds than topical all-trans-retinoic acid. These results imply a low risk of therapeutic or cosmetic application of topical all-trans-retinoic acid. However, the highly specific spatial and temporal distribution of binding proteins and nuclear receptors in the embryo suggests that even small alterations in endogenous levels of all-trans-retinoic acid in the embryo may alter crucial developmental processes such as morphogenes; this aspect should be further investigated.
Based Programming of GPU Accelerated Systems

Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are commodity chips primarily used as coprocessors for processing high definition graphics on a computer system. It possess faster processing power and efficiency in handling accurate single and double floating point numbers with less power consumption compared to CPUs. Realising its potential in general purpose computing manufacturers of these chips have added programmability feature so that enormous power of these chips can be utilized for general purpose computing. However, programming these chips has emerged new area of research and persuaded many companies into determining ways of flexibility and ease of programming. Presently there are few programming models which have their own advantages and disadvantages but most matured and widely used of its kind is CUDA developed by NVidia however it is architecture dependent on NVidia architecture. Another directive based programming model OpenMP for Accelerator is under development by OpenMP forum which is architecture independent. Evaluations of both these models are elaborated by porting serial Molecular Dynamics code on each of these models. It appears that directive based approach is easier and less time consuming however it is slower in performance compared to CUDA. Moreover when these models are compared with Host OpenMP, they proved widely scalable with additional advantages of economics over maintainability and hardware cost.
A hierarchical partition method for user influence on micro-blog users

The user hierarchical partition is an important part of the public opinion analysis. To solve the problem of incomplete user influential characteristics, multi-dimensional information mining is used to analyze the factors of user influence hierarchy by integration of user subject similarity, emotional tendency, community influence and other characteristics. A hierarchical partition method of user influence based on fusion feature similarity is proposed. Experiments from real micro blog data show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Chapter 6 Bioactive Nanomaterials for Neural Engineering

Nervous system is a highly co mplex interconnected network and higher organisms including humans have limited neural regeneration capacity. Neurodegenerative diseases result in signifi cant cognitive, sensory, or motor impairments. Following an injury in the neural network, there is a balance between promotion and inhibition of regeneration and this balance is shifted to different directions in central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). More regeneration capacity is observed in the PNS compared to the CNS. Although, several mechanisms play roles in the inhibitory and growth-promoting natures of the CNS and PNS, extracellular matrix (ECM) elements are key players in this process. ECM is a threedimensional environment where the cells migrate, proliferate, and differentiate (Rutka et al. 1988 ; Pan et al. 1997 ). After a comprehensive investigation of the interactions between the ECM proteins and cell receptors, the ECM environment was found to regulate signifi cant cellular processes such as survival, proliferation, differentiation, and migration (Yurchenco and Cheng 1994 ; Aszodi et al. 2006 ). Its components have major roles not only in neurogenesis during development of the nervous system but also in normal neural functioning during adulthood (Hubert et al. 2009 ).
Synthesis, Characterization and Photocatalytic Application of Different Sizes of Gold Nanoparticles on 4-Nitrophenol

In this work, different sizes of gold nanoparticles were synthesized at room temperature by using trisodium citrate as a surfactant stabilizing agent and sodium borohydride as a reducing agent. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) confirmed that the samples were synthesized in spherical shapes with three different particle sizes: 4 nm, 7 nm and 11 nm. Ultraviolet-visible spectra measurements were used to analyze the way that surface plasmon bands were affected by the different particles sizes. The effect of sphere size on photocatalytic reduction of 4-Nitrophenol was then studied and the rate constant of the reduction was calculated to be 0.014 s-1, 0.0091 s-1 and 0.003 s-1 for particles sizes of 4 nm, 7 nm and 11 nm, respectively. The results obtained indicated that small particles were more active in catalytic reduction due to their high surface energy.
Bordetella bronchiseptica pneumonia: beware of the dog!

We report the case of a 35-year-old quadriplegic male with confirmed Bordetella bronchiseptica pneumonia, manifesting with acute hypoxic respiratory failure on a background of chronic hypercarbia requiring mechanical ventilation in intensive care. B. bronchiseptica are known to colonise the upper respiratory tracts of many mammals but are very rarely responsible for acute respiratory tract infections in humans. A review of the literature suggests preponderance for immunocompromised or immunoincompetent patients who have experienced environmental exposure to colonised animals. The disease pattern of B. bronchiseptica infection is non-uniform and while it is rarely described as a commensal or colonising organism, very few case reports describe severe respiratory infections.
Nonparametric empirical Bayes improvement of common shrinkage estimators

We consider the problem of estimating a vector μ = (μ1, . . . , μn) under a squared loss, based on independent observations Yi ∼ N(μi, 1), i = 1, . , n, and possibly extra structural assumptions. We argue that many estimators are asymptotically equal to μ̂i = αμ̃i + (1− α)Yi + ξi = μ̃i + (1− α)(Yi − μ̃i) + ξi, where α ∈ [0, 1] and μ̃i may depend on the data, but is not a function of Yi, and ∑ ξ2 i = Op(n). We consider the optimal estimator of the form μ̃i +g(Yi− μ̃i) for a general, possibly random, function g, and approximate it using non-parametric empirical Bayes ideas and techniques. We consider both the retrospective and the sequential estimation problems. We elaborate and demonstrate our results on the case where μ̂i are Kalman-Filter estimators. Simulations and a real data analysis are also provided.
MmpL3 Is the Cellular Target of the Antitubercular Pyrrole Derivative BM212

ABSTRACT The 1,5-diarylpyrrole derivative BM212 was previously shown to be active against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates and Mycobacterium tuberculosis residing within macrophages as well as against Mycobacterium avium and other atypical mycobacteria. To determine its mechanism of action, we identified the cellular target. Spontaneous Mycobacterium smegmatis, Mycobacterium bovis BCG, and M. tuberculosis H37Rv mutants that were resistant to BM212 were isolated. By the screening of genomic libraries and by whole-genome sequencing, we found that all the characterized mutants showed mutations in the mmpL3 gene, allowing us to conclude that resistance to BM212 maps to the MmpL3 protein, a member of the MmpL (mycobacterial membrane protein, large) family. Susceptibility was unaffected by the efflux pump inhibitors reserpine, carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, and verapamil. Uptake/efflux experiments with [14C]BM212 demonstrated that resistance is not driven by the efflux of BM212. Together, these data strongly suggest that the MmpL3 protein is the cellular target of BM212.
Consumer involvement in oral nutritional supplements purchasing behavior

The paper aimed to get insight of consumer involvement in purchasing behavior towards ONS (Oral Nutritional Supplements) for children. By implementing an online survey with sample size of 100, the research investigated the factors (motivation and stimulus factor) influencing consumer involvement and the causality between consumer involvement with the product knowledge as well as purchasing behavior. The research tool used was a 5-points Likert questionnaire in which respondents were asked to show their agreements about 40 items of 5 constructs. A partial least square - structural equation modeling by Smart-PLS software used to test the model. The results of this research also comes to conclusion that motivation and stimulus factor had significant affects on consumer involvement, consumer involvement had significant influence to product knowledge as well as ONS purchasing behavior, however product knowledge did not have significant affects on purchasing behavior. The results also showed that the product involvement has an important influence on consumers behavior.
Recent Progress in Constructing Plasmonic Metal/Semiconductor Hetero-Nanostructures for Improved Photocatalysis

Hetero-nanomaterials constructed by plasmonic metals and functional semiconductors show enormous potential in photocatalytic applications, such as in hydrogen production, CO2 reduction, and treatment of pollutants. Their photocatalytic performances can be better regulated through adjusting structure, composition, and components’ arrangement. Therefore, the reasonable design and synthesis of metal/semiconductor hetero-nanostructures is of vital significance. In this mini-review, we laconically summarize the recent progress in efficiently establishing metal/semiconductor nanomaterials for improved photocatalysis. The defined photocatalysts mainly include traditional binary hybrids, ternary multi-metals/semiconductor, and metal/multi-semiconductors heterojunctions. The underlying physical mechanism for the enhanced photocatalysis of the established photocatalysts is highlighted. In the end, a brief summary and possible future perspectives for further development in this field are demonstrated.
Hyaluronidase and Hyaluronan in Insect Venom Allergy

Background: Insect venoms contain an allergen hyaluronidase that catalyzes the hydrolysis of hyaluronan (HA), a polymer of disaccharide GlcUA-GlcNAc in skin. HAs depending on their size have variable function in inflammation and immunity. This paper reports on whether hyaluronidase, HA polymers and oligomers can promote antibody response in mice. Methods: HA oligomers (8- to 50-mer; 3–20 kDa) were obtained by bee venom hyaluronidase digestion of HA polymers (750- to 5,000-mer; 300–2,000 kDa). Antibody responses in mice were compared following 3 biweekly subcutaneous injection of ovalbumin (OVA) with or without test adjuvant. Results: OVA-specific IgG1 levels were approximately 2 times higher in BALB/c and C3H/HeJ mice receiving OVA and HA oligomer or polymer than those treated with OVA alone, and no increase in total IgE level was observed. In C57Bl/6 mice, observed increases in IgG1 and IgE were 3.5- and 1.7-fold, respectively, for the oligomer and 16- and 5-fold (p < 0.05), respectively, for the polymer. Conclusion: Hyaluronidase by its action on HA in skin can function indirectly as adjuvant to promote IgE and IgG1 response in mice. Insect venoms also have cytolytic peptides and phospholipases with inflammatory roles. These activities found in mice may contribute to venom allergenicity in susceptible people.
The Relationship between Coal Consumption and Economic Growth in Indonesia

Abstract Indonesia is one of the largest coal producer countries in the world. In the previous research, it is stated that coal producer countries are able to affect economic growth. The purpose of the study is to investigate the cointegration and causal relationships between coal consumption and income in Indonesia for the period of 1965- 2016 using Granger causality test based on Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) employing population as the control variable in bivariate system. The Augmented Dicky-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (PP) tests were used to determine the variable stationarity. From Johansen’s co-integration tests, it is indicated that there is a long-run relationship between the variables. The empirical study shows that there is no causal relationship between coal consumption and economic growth in Indonesia since coal consumption in fact cannot affect economic growth in Indonesia. Export tax becomes government revenues earned from energy sectors including coal.