Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oxidative DNA damage in human white blood cells in dietary antioxidant intervention studies 1 – 3

Many epidemiologic studies have addressed the possible preventive effects of antioxidants in disease causation and progression. With the use of molecular techniques, it is feasible to investigate specific properties of antioxidants in intervention studies. The most widely used techniques to investigate oxidative DNA damage in white blood cells are the measurement of 7-hydroxy-8-oxo-2 -deoxyguanosine and the comet assay. The types of antioxidant intervention studies include those involving single or multiple supplementations of vitamin C, vitamin E, or carotenoids and those involving various natural food products (eg, carrot juice). In short-term intervention studies (usually weeks or a few months), results have been mixed. Single-dosing studies found that decreased oxidative DNA damage lasted only hours after antioxidant supplementation, suggesting that the preventive effect is relatively short. In addition, many of the positive studies were not placebo-controlled, thus leaving a possibility of falsepositive results caused by period effects, eg, seasonal variation, changes in the lifestyles of the subjects, or variation in measurements over time. Because participation in an antioxidant intervention study may cause changes in dietary habits and because seasonal changes may have profound effects, it is recommended that future studies have a placebo-controlled, parallel design rather than a crossover design. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:303–10.
Estimation and comparison of carbamazepine population pharmacokinetics using dried blood spot and plasma concentrations from people with epilepsy: The clinical implication

To establish using dried blood spot (DBS) as a surrogate to plasma for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of carbamazepine (CBZ), we compared the population pharmacokinetic (PPK) estimates from concurrent DBS and plasma levels. The dose‐concentration relationship, estimated parameter and variability were determined. A total of 98 observations from 97 people with epilepsy (PWE) were included in this study. Data was split into 3:1 ratio for the respective index group and validation group. Non‐linear mixed effects regression with one compartment, first order absorption and elimination model was utilized. Covariates were screened for inclusion into final model via forward stepwise addition and backward elimination method. Predictive performances of the final models were assessed for bias and precision. The typical clearance for CBZ was estimated to be 5.85 and 5.68 L/h from plasma and DBS concentrations, respectively. The final models for clearance estimates obtained from plasma concentrations (Cplasma) included total daily CBZ dose per unit weight (DD) and sex while from DBS concentrations (Cdbs) included only DD. The final models were both precise and non‐bias. The developed PPK models had comparable estimates, errors and predictive performances. Our findings suggest that Cplasma and Cdbs could be used interchangeably for pharmacokinetic studies of CBZ.
Including the p53 ELAV-like protein-binding site in vector cassettes enhances transgene expression in rat submandibular gland.

OBJECTIVE ELAV-like proteins regulate mRNA stability and/or translation. We evaluated whether inclusion of binding sites for ELAV-like HuR proteins in vector cassettes could improve transgene expression in the salivary gland. METHODS Western blots and immunofluorescence staining were used to determine whether HuR protein was expressed in salivary cells and tissue. HuR binding sites were inserted into the pACEF1α-luc-BGH expression plasmid. Cell lines were transfected with plasmids in vitro and luciferase expression measured. Rat submandibular glands were transfected in vivo with plasmids containing ELAV-like HuR protein-binding sites. An adenoviral vector with p53 ELAV-like HuR protein-binding site was generated and also tested in vivo. Four unique 29mer HuR shRNA constructs were used in A5 cells to evaluate whether there was a specific interaction between HuR protein and the p53 HuR protein-binding site. RESULTS Salivary cells express HuR protein. Inclusion of the p53 ELAV-like HuR protein-binding site resulted in high luciferase activity in salivary cells in vitro, with similar results in vivo. In vitro shRNA data demonstrated that the high luciferase activity was mediated by the interaction between HuR protein and the p53 HuR protein-binding site. The AdEF1α-luc-p53BGH, including this binding site, mediated very high luciferase activity, ~4-fold that seen with the CMV promoter, in rat submandibular glands. CONCLUSIONS Including the p53 ELAV-like protein-binding site in transgene cassettes may enhance therapeutic vectors intended for use with salivary glands.
Tight Approximations for the Two Dimensional Gaussian $Q-$function

The aim of this work is the derivation of two approximated expressions for the two dimensional Gaussian Q-function, $Q(x,y;\rho)$. These expressions are highly accurate and are expressed in closed-form. Furthermore, their algebraic representation is relatively simple and therefore, convenient to handle both analytically and numerically. This feature is particularly useful for two reasons: firstly because it renders the derived expressions useful mathematical tools that can be utilized in numerous analytic performance evaluation studies in digital communications under fading; secondly because the two dimensional Gaussian Q-function is neither tabulated nor a built-in function in popular mathematical software packages such as $Maple$, $Mathematica$ and $Matlab$.
Incidence of and Risk Factors for Symptomatic Visceral Leishmaniasis among Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Infected Patients from Spain in the Era of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

ABSTRACT The way in which the extensive use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has influenced the incidence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) among human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1)-infected patients is not yet understood. The present study assessed whether the incidence of symptomatic VL in HIV-infected patients has decreased since the introduction of HAART. Likewise, the role of other potential risk factors for VL was also analyzed. Therefore, 479 HIV-1-infected patients receiving antiretroviral treatment, according to the available drugs at each moment, were prospectively followed from April 1989 to June 2000 in two university hospitals in southern Spain. A bone marrow aspiration was performed when patients showed symptoms suggestive of kala-azar. A diagnosis of VL was made when Leishmania amastigotes were seen in Giemsa-stained samples or promastigotes were cultured in specific media. The median follow-up time was 1,380 [8 to 4,536] days. Twenty-one patients were diagnosed with symptomatic VL. The density of incidence of VL has decreased 64.8% as of January 1997, when HAART began to be used extensively in our area. The use of HAART was the main independent factor associated with VL; this therapy was a protective factor (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02 to 0.15). CDC clinical category C at entry in the cohort (HR, 4.08; 95% CI, 1.46 to 11.35) and CD4+ cell counts below 300 cells/mm3 during the follow-up (HR, 3.96; 95% CI, 1.56 to 10.01) were also independently associated with kala-azar. A VL diagnosis prior to follow-up and low compliance with antiretroviral therapy were not independently associated with symptomatic VL, although statistical significance was almost reached (P = 0.1 and P = 0.08, respectively). In summary, the use of HAART has led to a fall in the incidence of symptomatic VL in HIV-infected patients. The main risk factor associated with kala-azar emergence in patients infected with HIV is deep immunosuppression.
Left Ventricular Rupture Post Mitral Valve Replacement

Prevention is better than cure best applies here. As per many authors, posterior leaflet chordae preservation prevent Left ventricular rupture (LVR) and preserve LV geometry. We are presenting here 5 types of left ventricular rupture (LVR) post Mitral valve replacement (MVR) with different methods to repair with the advantages and disadvantages of each. The mortality rate is still very high despite the advances in cardiac surgery. Many therapeutic approaches have been adopted. Yet, none is ideal.
Application of Neural Network approach for Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell systems

Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques, particularly the Neural Networks (NNs), are recently having significant impact on power electronics. In a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell system, there is a strong relationship between the available electrical power and the actual operating conditions: gas conditioning, membrane hydration state, temperature, current set point, etc. Thus, a 'minimal behavioural model' of a fuel cell system able to evaluate the output variables and their variations is highly interesting. In this paper, we are interested in controlling the powers by using Neural Networks Controllers under the assumption that any system of production is subjected permanently to load steps change variations. So a static production system including a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is subjected to variations of active and reactive power. Then, the goal is to make the system follows these imposed variations. In this work, a PEM fuel cell NN model is proposed using a quasi-Newton method and implemented on Matlab/Simulink® software, Levenberg-Marquardt training algorithm, activation functions and their causes on the effectiveness of the performance modelling are discussed, the quasi-Newton NN control is described and results from the analysis as well as the limitations of the approach are presented.
Location Determination of Salatiga City Park Potential with Geographic Information System

Based on Salatiga Urban Land Use Plan 2010-2030, Salatiga still having lacked 30% of the green open space from its area. The addition of the city park is one of the green open space planning that can support the lack, so the research about Salatiga city park location determination with Geographic Information System (GIS) was as one part of the planning of the city park addition. The purpose of the study is ideal location determine for the city park in Salatiga which it was based on population density, population preferences and city park manager, land characteristics, and government regulation about the green open space. The research method was used the descriptive method through quantitative and qualitative approach by utilizing GIS software, questionnaire, and an interview. The research result showed the city park can be developed in protected areas (especially in urban forest sites) or in cultivation areas. However, the city park development must be in accordance with government regulations, land character and land suitability requirements for the city parks. Potential locations for urban parks in Salatiga city can be distinguished by two categories: 1. Recommended class area with 944,584 ha (16.64% of total area) and 2) Highly Recommended class area with 123.37 ha (2.17% of total area).
The first real operating system for reconfigurable computers

Traditional reconfigurable computing platforms are designed to be single user and have been acknowledged to be difficult to design applications for. The design tools are still primitive and as reconfigurable computing becomes mainstream the development of new design tools and run time environments is essential. As the number of system gates is reaching 10 million on current FPGAs, there is an increase in demand to share a single FPGA amongst multiple applications. A third party must be introduced to handle the sharing of the FPGA and we therefore introduce the first real single FPGA concurrent multi-user operating system for reconfigurable computers. In this paper we describe the complete operating system for reconfigurable architecture and the implementation details for the first limited multi-user operating system. The first OS is a loader, it allocates FPGA area and it can dynamically partition, place and route applications at run-time. As OS for reconfigurable computing is a new area of research, we also had to develop techniques for regression testing and performance comparison. This involved the development of a test suite.
Targeting the EGF receptor ectodomain in the context of cancer

With the discovery of the involvement of the ErbB family of transmembrane growth factor receptors in tumour malignancy, major efforts have been undertaken to develop agents able to specifically target these receptors. With varying success, these agents have been applied to either detect the presence of ErbB receptors on cancer cells or to neutralize receptor function in order to put a hold on the unbridled tumour growth. The two most exploited classes of ErbB-targeting agents are monoclonal antibodies binding the extracellular portion of the receptor and small molecules able to interfere with the intracellular tyrosine kinase activity. Here we focus on the various kinds of agents that have recently been developed to target the extracellular region of the EGFR, the best characterised member of the ErbB family. Because clinical successes are relatively poor, alternative but less developed approaches for receptor targeting are being evaluated. Much effort has been put into the development of smaller antibody fragments. In this context, EGFR-binding nanobodies and affibodies may prove to be a more efficient novel approach in targeting EGFR-positive tumours for therapeutic and diagnostic use.
Challenges of mobile applications development: Initial results

Mobile application development is rapidly evolving with prodigious economic and scientific interest. One of the major reasons for mobile application development failure is the increasing number of mobile platforms; a number of organizations endorse mobile application development prior to understanding the associated development challenges of each target platform. The objective of this paper is to identify the challenges of native, web and hybrid mobile applications, which can undermine the successful development of such applications. We have performed Systematic Literature Review (SLR) by applying customized search strings derived from our research question. We have identified challenges such as fragmentation, testing, compatibility, and performance etc. as key challenges in mobile application development. Our ultimate aim is to develop a framework in order to enable organizations to develop mobile applications (native, web or hybrid) effectively.
Coming of AGE

Live attenuated vaccine strains for bacterial pathogens are conventionally constructed by inactivating genes important for virulence or metabolism to render the organism less virulent. Ideally, these strains follow a natural route of infection, yet elicit an immune response without causing disease. In particular, live attenuated vaccines often have the advantage of generating cellular immune responses that killed organisms and purified antigens fail to stimulate. Importantly, a fine balance between attenuation and sufficient persistence in the host must be achieved in order to produce a protective and durable immune response. Unfortunately, the reality is that, in most cases, the complete repertoire of factors responsible for virulence is unknown or not well understood, hindering the creation of attenuated vaccine strains. Thus, the generation of live attenuated vaccines would be greatly facilitated by novel, portable approaches for attenuating Gram-negative pathogens.
Superlinear parallelization of k-nearest neighbor retrieval

With m processors available, the k-nearest neighbor classifier can be straightforwardly parallelized with a linear speed increase of factor m. In this paper we introduce two methods that in principle are able to achieve this aim. The first method splits the test set in m parts, while the other distributes the training set over m sub-classifiers, and merges their m nearest neighbor sets with each classification. For our experiments we use TIMBL, an implementation of the k-NN classifier that uses a decision-tree structure for retrieving nearest neigbors, and that employs feature weighting. While the first method consistently scales linearly, with the second method we observe cases of both superlinear and sublinear scaling. Analysis shows that superlinear scaling can occur with datasets of which the feature weights exhibit a low variance; retrieval of nearest neighbors from the tree structure becomes exponentially slower with more data. Hence, the retrieval of classifications from m subclassifier decision structures based on 1/mth parts of the training set can be substantially more than m times faster.
Perception of a humanoid robot: A cross-cultural comparison

This study focuses on differences and similarities of perception of a small humanoid robot between Japanese and Australian participants. Two conditions were investigated: participants actively interacting with the robot and bystanders observing the interaction. Experimental results suggested that, while the robot was perceived as highly likeable, Japanese participants rated the robot higher for animacy, intelligence and safety. Furthermore, passive observations of the interaction (rather than active interaction) resulted in higher ratings by Japanese participants for anthropomorphism, animacy, intelligence and safety. The findings are discussed in terms of cultural background and robot perception.
A Frictional Matching Model of Two-Sided Platforms Kong

Based on the frictional matching framework, the paper provides a theoretical model for the two-sided platform in which the number of participants on both sides of the platform and the source of network externalities are endogenously determined. The platform is shown to exhibit both positive and negative networks externalities: The utility of a participant is increasing (decreasing) in the number of participants on the other (same) side of the platform. Unlike the past literature, a participant’s utility is bounded, even if the number of participants on the other side of the platform goes to infinity. The optimal prices of the platform owner are shown to depend not only on costs, but also on the effect that a new entrant (either a buyer or a seller) has on the matching probability.
Targeting the heat shock protein 90: a rational way to inhibit macrophage migration inhibitory factor function in cancer

Purpose of review Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), originally identified as a proinflammatory cytokine, is highly elevated in many human cancer types, independent of their histological origin. MIF's tumour promoting activities correlate with tumour aggressiveness and poor clinical prognosis. Genetic depletion of MIF in mouse cancer models results in significant inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis, making it an attractive target for anticancer therapies. Here, we summarize the current possibilities to inhibit MIF function in cancer. Recent findings All known small molecule MIF inhibitors antagonize MIF's enzymatic function. However, a recent knockin mouse model suggested that protein interactions play a bigger biological role in tumour cell growth regulation than MIF's enzymatic activity. Thus, alternative strategies are important for targeting MIF. Recently, we identified that MIF in cancer cells is highly stabilized through the heat shock protein 90 machinery (HSP90). Thus, MIF is an HSP90 client. Pharmacological inhibition of the Hsp90 ATPase activity results in MIF degradation in several types of cancer cells. This provides a new way to inhibit MIF function independent of its enzymatic activity. Summary Targeting the HSP90 machinery is a promising way to inhibit MIF function in cancer. Along with MIF and dependent on the molecular make-up of the tumour, a large number of other critical tumourigenic proteins are also destabilized by HSP90 inhibition, overall resulting in a profound block of tumour growth.
eKichabi: Information Access through Basic Mobile Phones in Rural Tanzania

This paper presents eKichabi, a tool for retrieving contact information for agriculture-related enterprises in Tanzania. eKichabi is an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) application which users can access through basic mobile phones. We describe our focus groups, a design iteration, deployment in four villages, and follow up interviews by phone. This work demonstrates the feasibility of USSD for information access applications that have the potential for deployment on a large scale in the developing world. From user interviews, we identified strong evidence of eKichabi fulfilling an unmet need for business related information, both in identifying business contacts in other villages, as well locating specific service providers. One of our key findings demonstrates that users access information through multiple modes, including text search, in addition to menu navigation organized by both business sector category and geographic area.
Filtering Probabilistic Depth Maps Received from a Focused Plenoptic Camera

—This paper presents a ﬁltering approach for semi-dense probabilistic depth map received from a focused plenoptic camera. In the probabilistic depth map each valid depth pixel contains, beside the depth value itself, a variance which gives a measure for the certainty of the estimated depth. This variance is used in a weighted ﬁltering approach. Here, beside removing outliers and ﬁlling holes in the semi-dense depth map, pixel neighborhoods are modeled in a Markov-Random-Field (MRF). The presented approach is working in two steps, ﬁrstly a rough regularization is performed in each micro image separately and secondly, after projection to the virtual image space, another more precise regularization is performed. The presented ﬁltering approach considers properties of the plenoptic imaging, like varying spatial resolution over object distance. Besides, it preserves discontinuities in the depth map. The algorithm aims for low complexity and due to its nature it can easily be implemented in parallel.
Lactobacillus reuteri-induced regulatory T cells protect against an allergic airway response in mice.

RATIONALE We have previously demonstrated that oral treatment with live Lactobacillus reuteri can attenuate major characteristics of the asthmatic response in a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects remain to be determined. OBJECTIVES We tested the hypothesis that regulatory T cells play a major role in mediating L. reuteri-induced attenuation of the allergic airway response. METHODS BALB/c mice were treated daily with L. reuteri by gavage. Flourescent-activated cell sorter analysis was used to determine CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+)T cell populations in spleens following treatment with L. reuteri or vehicle control. Cell proliferation assays were performed on immunomagnetic bead separated CD4(+)CD25(+) and CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells. CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells isolated from, ovalbumin naive, L. reuteri treated mice were transferred into ovalbumin-sensitized mice. Following antigen challenge the airway responsiveness, inflammatory cell influx and cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of recipient mice were assessed. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Following 9 days of oral L. reuteri treatment, the percentage and total number of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+)T cells in spleens significantly increased. CD4(+)CD25(+) cells isolated from L. reuteri-fed animals also had greater capacity to suppress T-effector cell proliferation. Adoptive transfer of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells from L. reuteri-treated mice to ovalbumin-sensitized animals attenuated airway hyper-responsiveness and inflammation in response to subsequent antigen challenge. CONCLUSIONS These results strongly support a role for nonantigen-specific CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells in attenuating the allergic airway response following oral treatment with L. reuteri. This potent immuno-regulatory action may have therapeutic potential in controlling the Th2 bias observed in atopic individuals.