Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SYM: Toward a New Tool in User's Mood Determination

Even though the emotional state is increasingly taken into account in scientific studies aimed at determining user experience of user acceptance, there are still only a few normalized tools. In this article, we decided to focus on mood determination as we consider this affective state to be more pervasive and more understandable by the person who is experiencing it. Thus, we propose a prototypical tool called SYM (Spot Your Mood) as a new tool in user mood determination to be used in many different situations.
Detection of airway obstructions and sleep apnea by analyzing the phase relation of respiration movement signals

This paper presents a novel computer-aided diagnostic method of sleep apnea syndrome, a very common respiration disorder. Apnea diagnostics require long-term, multichannel vital signal recording called polysomnography. Although various methods already exist for the computer-aided analysis of the polysomnograms, only some of them can detect the type of apnea precisely enough (i.e., central versus obstructive episodes). The system introduced in this paper processes only the thoracic and abdominal excursion signals and can distinguish between obstructive and central episodes of apnea. The main novelty is that the phase difference between the two respiration signals is considered in order to determine the presence and grade of obstructive apnea. Central apnea is recognized if no or only very small respiration movements occur. Unlike many existing systems, the presented signal processing allows on-line implementation, which plays an important role in many clinical applications.
miR-503 inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells by targeting E2F3.

OBJECTIVE Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the major healthcare problems worldwide. A lot of miRNAs are aberrantly expressed in CRC and involved in its development and progression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and function of miR-503 in CRC. METHODS miR-503 expression was detected in CRC tissues and cell lines by Quantitative real-time PCR. Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were measured by flow cytometry. Moreover, luciferase reporter assay and western blot were performed to determine the potential target of miR-503 in CRC cells. RESULTS miR-503 was significantly decreased in CRC tissues and cell lines in comparison with controls. Overexpression of miR-503 in CRC cells remarkably inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, E2F3 was identified as a direct target of miR-503 in CRC cells and down-regulation of E2F3 had a similar effect as miR-503 overexpression on CRC cells. In addition, the expression of E2F3 was negatively correlated with miR-503 level in CRC tissues. CONCLUSIONS miR-503 inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis by directly targeting E2F3 in CRC cells, indicating its potential application in CRC diagnosis and therapy.
Upregulation of the long non‐coding rna hotair promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma metastasis and poor prognosis

Recent studies of the individual functionalities of long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the development and progression of cancer have suggested that HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) is capable of reprogramming chromatin organization and promoting cancer cell metastasis. In order to ascertain the expression pattern of the lncRNA HOTAIR and assess its biological role in the development and progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), HOTAIR expression in ESCC tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues were collected from 78 patients and measured by real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). HOTAIR correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis was also analyzed. Suppression of HOTAIR using siRNA treatment was performed in order to explore its role in tumor progression. Notably elevated HOTAIR expression levels were observed in cancerous tissues compared to adjacent noncancerous tissues (96%, P < 0.01), showing a high correlation with cancer metastasis (P < 0.01), elevated TNM (2009) stage classification (P < 0.01), and lowered overall survival rates (P = 0.003). Multivariate analysis revealed that HOTAIR expression (P = 0.003) is also an independent prognostic factor for comparison of TNM stage (P = 0.024) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.010). Furthermore, in vitro assays of the ESCC cell line KYSE30 demonstrated that knockdown of HOTAIR reduced cell invasiveness and migration while increasing the response of cells to apoptosis. Thus, HOTAIR is a novel molecule involved in both ESCC progression and prognosis. Full elucidation of HOTAIR functionality relevant to ESCC may open avenues for the use of lncRNAs in identification of novel drug targets and therapies for ESCC and other prevalent cancers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Graphics System Architecture for Interactive Application-Specific Display Functions

Interactive computer graphics display requirements have generally been met is one of two ways: by highly specialized systems designed for a particular application, or, more frequently, by devices with a limited set of display functions common to a wide range of applications. A third alternative, presented here, is to use a high-performance, general-purpose display architecture to provide both common and application-specific graphics functions. A sampling data display to solid modeling, shows that significant improvements in interactivity can be obtained by microprogramming such a machine.
Performance analysis of two tier cognitive heterogeneous cellular network

Next generation cellular network is expected to overcome the issues like demand for high data rates, better network coverage, energy, and spectrally efficient system. In this paper, femto based heterogeneous cellular network (HCN) with cognitive approach is considered to address these issues. This paper investigates two tier cognitive based HCN for overlay, underlay, and mixed overlay-underlay spectrum sharing schemes (SSSs). Macro base station (MBS) and cognitive femto base station (CFBS) are considered as a primary user network (PUN) and cognitive user network (CUN), respectively. Outage probability is a fundamental performance measure in HCN design. In this work, stochastic geometry is used for deriving the probability density function (pdf) of the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) and the outage probability of the HCN for different SSSs. Furthermore, energy efficiency (EE) of the HCN and single tier network (MBS only) are also calculated for different SSSs. Numerical results show that outage performance of HCN in mixed overlay-underlay scheme outperforms other schemes. Moreover, it is observed that the effect of BSs density on outage probability is lower for the CFBSs as compared to MBSs.
Novel digital imaging techniques to assess the outcome in oral rehabilitation with dental implants: a narrative review.

AIM To examine the literature on novel digital imaging techniques for the assessment of outcomes in oral rehabilitation with dental implants. MATERIAL AND METHODS An electronic search of Medline and Embase databases including studies published prior to 28th December 2014 was performed and supplemented by a manual search. A synthesis of the publications was presented describing the use of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasonography, optical scanning, spectrophotometry or optical coherence tomography (OCT) related to the outcome measures in implant therapy. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Most of the digital imaging techniques have not yet sufficiently been validated to be used for outcome measures in implant dentistry. In clinical research, cone beam CT (CBCT) is increasingly being used for 3D assessment of bone and soft tissue following augmentation procedures and implant placement. Currently, there are no effective methods for the reduction of artifacts around implants in CBCT. Optical scanning is being used for the 3D assessment of changes in the soft tissue contour. The combination of optical scan with pre-operative CBCT allows the determination of the implant position and its spatial relation to anatomical structures. Spectrophotometry is the method most commonly used to objectively assess the color match of reconstructions and peri-implant mucosa to natural dentition and gingiva. New optical imaging techniques may be considered possible approaches for monitoring peri-implant soft tissue health. MRI and ultrasonography appear promising non-ionizing radiation imaging modalities for the assessment of soft tissue and bone defect morphologies. Optical scanners and OCT may represent efficient clinical methods for accurate assessment of the misfit between the reconstructions and the implants.
Explaining Conflict in Low-Income Countries: Incomplete Contracting in the Shadow of the Future

We examine two factors that help explain the prevalence of conflict in low-income countries: that adversaries cannot enforce long-term contracts in arms, and that open conflict alters the future strategic positions of the adversaries differently than does peace. Using an infinite horizon model, we show the conditions under which adversaries will not be able to sustain short-term contracts even though doing so is Pareto superior to open conflict. Conflict arises because adversaries attempt to gain future strategic supremacy that only victory in conflict brings. Lower incomes or wages, as well as higher discount factors and the less destructive conflict is, the higher is the likelihood of war.
Analysing Security Requirements of Information Systems Using Tropos

Security is an important issue when developing complex information systems, however very little work has been done in integrating security concerns during the analysis of information systems. Current methodologies fail to adequately integrate security and systems engineering, basically because they lack concepts and models as well as a systematic approach towards security. We believe that security should be considered during the whole development process and it should be defined together with the requirements specification. This paper introduces extensions to the Tropos methodology to accommodate security. A description of new concepts is given along with an explanation of how these concepts are integrated to the current stages of Tropos. The above is illustrated using an agent-based health and social care information system as a case study.
Serotyping of Serratia marcescens: current status of seven recently described flagellar (H) antigens

The slightly revised, current scheme of 20 flagellar (H) antigens of Serratia marcesens was examined. The seven new H antigens were demonstrated to be antigenically distinct as determined with Le Minor's H-immobilization test. The H-immobilization antibodies of rabbit anti-H immune sera proved resistant to treatment with 2-mercaptoethanol and dithiothreitol, respectively. On the other hand, dual absorptions of rabbit anti-H immune sera with killed cells of Staphylococcus aureus strain Cowan I, i.e., protein A, failed to reduce significantly H-immobilization titers of rabbit sera, although human immunoglobulins G and M were bound by protein A. It was tentatively concluded that the 2-mercaptoethanol- and dithiothreitol-refractory H-immobilizing rabbit antibodies belonged to the immunoglublin M class. H-antigen (phase) variation was not demonstrable in several extramural, clinical isolates of S. marcescens for which this phenomenon had been claimed. Rather, four of these six isolates were found to consist of cell populations of two distinct serotypes, as also borne out by bacteriocin typing; the flagellar H-antigens of the remaining two isolates were stable, with minor, hterologous H-antigen cross-reactivity.
Interparental Conflict and Family Cohesion

Family environment is related to characteristics of adolescents’ personal development and social interactions. Although potentially different for males and females, decreased family cohesion and increased interparental conflict can inadvertently provide family environments that are associated with increased feelings of loneliness, which may be associated with problems in adolescents’ social interactions (i.e., social anxiety and social avoidance). Analyses of responses from 124 late adolescents revealed that feelings of loneliness were related to perceived levels of interparental conflict for males and females and decreased family cohesion for females. Furthermore, late adolescents’ feelings of social anxiety and social avoidance were related to their feelings of loneliness. The findings in this study show how deteriorated family systems may provide contexts that are associated with adolescents’ feelings of loneliness as well as their ability to engage in social interactions outside of the family system.
60th Anniversary Essay

This essay proposes ways to improve editorial evaluations of manuscripts and to make published research more reliable and trustworthy. It points to troublesome properties of current editorial practices and suggests that editorial evaluations could become more reliable by making more allowance for reviewers’ human limitations. The essay also identifies some troublesome properties of prevalent methodology, such as statistical significance tests, HARKing, and p-Hacking, and proposes editorial policies to mitigate these detrimental behaviors.
Preoperative Atorvastatin Treatment in CABG Patients Rapidly Improves Vein Graft Redox State by Inhibition of Rac1 and NADPH-Oxidase Activity

Background— Statins improve clinical outcome of patients with atherosclerosis, but their perioperative role in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is unclear. We hypothesized that short-term treatment with atorvastatin before CABG would improve the redox state in saphenous vein grafts (SVGs), independently of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL)-lowering. Methods and Results— In a randomized, double-blind controlled trial, 42 statin-naïve patients undergoing elective CABG received atorvastatin 40 mg/d or placebo for 3 days before surgery. Circulating inflammatory markers and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured before and after treatment. SVG segments were used to determine vascular superoxide (O2·−) and Rac1 activation. For ex vivo studies, SVG segments from 24 patients were incubated for 6 hours with atorvastatin 0, 5, or 50 &mgr;mol/L. Oral atorvastatin reduced vascular basal and NADPH-stimulated O2·− in SVGs (P<0.05 for all versus placebo) and reduced plasma MDA (P<0.05), independently of LDL-lowering and of changes in inflammatory markers. In SVGs exposed to atorvastatin ex vivo, without exposure to LDL, basal and NADPH-stimulated O2·− were significantly reduced (P<0.01 for both concentrations versus 0 &mgr;mol/L) in association with a striking reduction in Rac1 activation and 1 membrane-bound Rac1 and p67phox subunit. The antioxidant effects of atorvastatin were reversed by mevalonate, implying a dependence on vascular HMG-CoA reductase inhibition. Conclusions— Short-term treatment with atorvastatin 40 mg/d before CABG improves redox state in SVGs, by inhibiting vascular Rac1-mediated activation of NADPH-oxidase. These novel findings suggest that statin therapy should be maintained or initiated in patients undergoing CABG, independently of LDL levels. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT01013103.
MicroRNA-150 Expression Induces Myeloid Differentiation of Human Acute Leukemia Cells and Normal Hematopoietic Progenitors

In acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and blast crisis (BC) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) normal differentiation is impaired. Differentiation of immature stem/progenitor cells is critical for normal blood cell function. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are small non-coding RNAs that interfere with gene expression by degrading messenger RNAs (mRNAs) or blocking protein translation. Aberrant miRNA expression is a feature of leukemia and miRNAs also play a significant role in normal hematopoiesis and differentiation. We have identified miRNAs differentially expressed in AML and BC CML and identified a new role for miR-150 in myeloid differentiation. Expression of miR-150 is low or absent in BC CML and AML patient samples and cell lines. We have found that expression of miR-150 in AML cell lines, CD34+ progenitor cells from healthy individuals, and primary BC CML and AML patient samples at levels similar to miR-150 expression in normal bone marrow promotes myeloid differentiation of these cells. MYB is a direct target of miR-150, and we have identified that the observed phenotype is partially mediated by MYB. In AML cell lines, differentiation of miR-150 expressing cells occurs independently of retinoic acid receptor α (RARA) signaling. High-throughput gene expression profiling (GEP) studies of the AML cell lines HL60, PL21, and THP-1 suggest that activation of CEPBA, CEBPE, and cytokines associated with myeloid differentiation in miR-150 expressing cells as compared to control cells contributes to myeloid differentiation. These data suggest that miR-150 promotes myeloid differentiation, a previously uncharacterized role for this miRNA, and that absent or low miR-150 expression contributes to blocked myeloid differentiation in acute leukemia cells.
Mapping soil salinity using electromagnetic conductivity imaging—A comparison of regional and location‐specific calibrations

Soil salinization limits agricultural productivity and can ultimately cause desertification and land abandonment. One approach to assess soil salinity over large areas efficiently is to use electromagnetic instruments to measure the soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa, mS m−1). ECa data can be then inverted to generate electromagnetic conductivity images (EMCIs), which provide the vertical distribution of the soil electrical conductivity (σ, mS m−1). In this study, we collected ECa data using an EM38 instrument across four locations with different levels of salinity in an important agricultural area of alluvial origin in Portugal. Using an inversion algorithm, we generated EMCIs and evaluated the potential for prediction of the electrical conductivity of the saturated soil paste extract (ECe). The main aim of our study is to compare regional and location‐specific calibrations in terms of ability to predict ECe from EMCIs. The results showed that the regional calibration predicted ECe unbiased, precisely (root mean square error [RMSE] = 2.54 dS m−1), and with strong concordance (0.93). The location‐specific calibration also predicted ECe unbiased, precisely (RMSE = 1.67 dS m−1), and with strong concordance (0.97). We conclude that the location‐specific calibration has slightly better prediction results, but the regional calibration is more practical for mapping soil salinity in the study area because it can be used at any new location without the need for new calibration. The prediction results at locations 3 and 4 show high to severely high soil salinity, which can compromise agricultural productivity. Therefore, monitoring soil salinity is required to conserve and improve agricultural productivity in the south of the study area.
Diurnal Variations in the Mating Behavior of Male Rats.∗

Conclusions Twenty-seven sexually-inexperienced male rats were maintained under artificial lighting conditions. The living cages were illuminated for 12 hours and darkened for a similar period. All animals were observed in mating tests with receptive females. Males tested during the dark phase of their diurnal cycle were much more active sexually than others tested in the lighted half of the period. When tests were shifted from the light to the dark phase, mating reactions increased promptly. In response to the reverse change sexual activity was reduced. Lowering of responsiveness which accompanied a shift from dark to light phase of the cycle was compensated in part by the effects of experience gained during previous tests conducted in the dark phase. It is concluded that the male rat's tendency to engage in sexual behavior is greater at night than in the day, and that the difference is probably due to the higher metabolic rate which characterizes the early nocturnal portion of the diurnal cycle.
Hyperglycemia-induced teratogenesis is mediated by a functional deficiency of arachidonic acid.

Congenital malformations now represent the largest single cause of mortality in the infant of the diabetic mother. The mechanism by which diabetes exerts its teratogenic effects is not known. This study evaluated whether arachidonic acid might be involved, a possibility raised by the role of arachidonic acid in palatal elevation and fusion, processes analogous to neural tube folding and fusion. This hypothesis was tested in two animal models of diabetic embryopathy, the in vivo pregnant diabetic rat and the in vitro hyperglycemic mouse embryo culture. The subcutaneous injection of arachidonic acid (200-400 mg/kg per day) into pregnant diabetic rats during the period of organ differentiation (days 6-12) did not alter the maternal glucose concentration, the maternal weight gain, or the weight of the embryos. However, the incidence of neural tube fusion defects was reduced from 11% to 3.8% (P less than 0.005), the frequency of cleft palate was reduced from 11% to 4% (P less than 0.005), and the incidence of micrognathia was reduced from 7% to 0.8% (P less than 0.001). The addition of arachidonic acid to B10.A mouse embryos in culture also resulted in a reversal of hyperglycemia-induced teratogenesis. The teratogenic effect of D-glucose (8 mg/ml) in the medium resulted in normal neural tube fusion in only 32% of the embryos (P less than 0.006 when compared to controls). Arachidonic acid supplementation (1 or 10 micrograms/ml) produced a rate of neural tube fusion (67%) that was not significantly different from that observed in controls. The evidence presented indicates that arachidonic acid supplementation exerts a significant protective effect against the teratogenic action of hyperglycemia in both in vivo (rat) and in vitro (mouse) animal models. These data therefore suggest that the mechanism mediating the teratogenic effect of an increased glucose concentration involves a functional deficiency of arachidonic acid at a critical stage of organogenesis.
Occupational gender role stereotypes and career choice of young children

The purpose of this study was to examine the occupational gender role stereotypes of elementary school children. The concern is that young kids are repeatedly exposed to gendered occupational stereotypes, which may limit their vocational options and therefore be less likely to pursue gender bending careers later in life. According the Miller and Budd (1999), children are socialized very early in life to learn that there are certain careers that are just for females and just for males. Research has consistently reported that children desire jobs which match the stereotypes and expectations placed upon their own sex, and a child's gender has been found to be the biggest predictor of their occupational preferences, over interests, monetary gain, etc. (Sellars et al., 1999). This is a concern for guidance counselors, who want their students to have a wide range ofcareer options. This study compared the occupational preferences, perceptions, and gender stereotypes held by fifth and second grade boys and girls at a Midwestern