Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Imbalanced data classification algorithm based on boosting and cascade model

Traditional classification algorithms are difficult in dealing with imbalance data. This paper proposes a classification algorithm called CascadeBoost, which combines with the advantages of boosting algorithm and cascade model that can learn imbalance data. Cascade model allows the pre-training data to be balanced by gradually reducing the number of the major class; and then the most rich information samples based on the weight distribution can be gradually selected using boosting algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed method obtains better performance compared to other methods.
Modelos para detectar la polaridad de los mensajes en redes sociales

Gracias a la expansion de la Web 2.0 y a la participacion activa de los usuarios en redes sociales, blogs, foros y paginas dedicadas a criticas (reviews) en los ultimos anos, se ha visto un crecimiento exponencial de la informacion subjetiva disponible en Internet. Este fenomeno ha originado interes por detectar sentimientos, emociones y opiniones expresadas sobre topicos u objetos diferentes. De esta manera, surge la necesidad de contar con herramientas que detecten, extraigan y estructuren dicha informacion subjetiva. El analisis de sentimientos se ha abierto camino en anos recientes y han aparecido multitud de escenarios de uso y aplicaciones. La relevancia de herramientas de este tipo radica en la posibilidad de evaluar las opiniones expresadas por los usuarios acerca de un topico u objeto de interes y encontrar problemas, debilidades y fortalezas en diferentes aspectos de los productos y servicios que consumen los mismos. Es posible tambien medir el grado de satisfaccion de los usuarios acerca de un fenomeno
Hughlings Jackson and the Cortical Motor Centres in the Light of Physiological Research

Two cases are mentioned by Byrom Bramwell, and two probable cases by Sternberg. As far as we can ascertain there has been no previous record of a common family predisposition to both disfases. Their occurrence in parent and child may be regarded as either accidental or otherwise. The fact that the father only developed symptoms of acromegaly fourteen years after the birth of the child puts out of the question the possibility that a specific poison which produced acromegaly in him was transmitted to his offspring, and in her produced myx2cedema. It is more probable that there was a weakneks of resistance common to both father and daughter, and that the former was unable to resist the factors producing acromegaly, while the latter succumbed to those of myxcedema. Now as the latter disease is universally allowed to be the outcome of diminished or abolished thyroidal activity, the inference is unavoidable that if we suppose a common predisposing cause for the two conditions, we thereby admit that some disturbance of the thyroidal functions is also one of the factors in the production of acromegaly. That this may be the case is suggested also by other facts. Most writers on the subject have referred to the many points of similarity between the two diseases. For instance, as stated by Sternberg: " The tongue of cretins is often large, the lips-puffy, thick, the nose thick and snubbed. "The long bones of cretins often appear very thick and coarse, owing to deficiency in growth and length. ' The skull of cretins is, as in acromegaly, a cranium progeneum. " Enlarged sella turcica is present in such skulls, and the hypophysis is frequently diseamed, not seldom it is enlarged. " On the other hand, symptoms in acromegaly frequently exist which recall myxcedema. Indolence is marked, but not so marked as in the latter disease, and the skin in parts of the body-for example, the back of the hands-resembles myxcedematous skin closely. " Finally, in acromegaly, the thyroid gland is seldom found normal when examined histologically. " In our own case of the father there is some loss of hair, and the face has somewhat the flushed appearance of myxcedema. The hands were thickly padded, and these symptoms were relieved by the exhibition of thyroid extract. Finally, if we consider with some, that the overgrowth of the hypophysis is compensatory for the loss of thyroid function, we shall have less difficulty in seeing how a common predisposing condition to the two diseases may exist. We do not consider, however, that the facts we have presented warrant us in drawing more definite conclusions, but we think it desirable to place these cases on record.
Human Aldehyde Oxidase 1 Interacts with ATP-binding Cassette Transporter-1 and Modulates its Activity in Hepatocytes

AOX1, a member of the cytosolic molybdenum hydroxylase family, has been identified by us earlier as an ABCA1-interacting protein. AOX1 is well-described as xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme, which upon oxidation of acetaldehyde and retinaldehyde to acetic acid and retinoic acid generates reactive oxygen species. Here we show that knock-down of AOX1 in HepG2 by small interfering RNA significantly reduced ABCA1-dependent lipid efflux and enhanced phagocytic uptake of microspheres similar to ABCA1 deficiency, without affecting ABCA1 mRNA and protein levels. ABCA1 and AOX1 are coexpressed in human hepatocytes, kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells, Leydig, and adrenocortical cells. Expression of ABCA1 and AOX1 was investigated by immunohistochemistry in liver tissue arrays. A strong AOX1 expression was found in normal liver, and in cirrhosis. In contrast, hepatocellular carcinomas showed either a complete loss or reduced expression of AOX1. Significant correlations were found between reduced AOX1 expression and tumor stage, or metastatic or regional lymph node states. Deregulation was also observed for ABCA1 expression but to a lesser extent. Our findings show that the interaction of ABCA1 with AOX1 modulates ABCA1-linked cellular functions such as lipid efflux and phagocytosis in hepatocytes, and the reduced expression of AOX1 in malignant transformed hepatocytes supports the differentiation dependent upregulation of AOX1.
Global quantitative proteomic analysis profiles host protein expression in response to Sendai virus infection

Sendai virus (SeV) is an enveloped nonsegmented negative‐strand RNA virus that belongs to the genus Respirovirus of the Paramyxoviridae family. As a model pathogen, SeV has been extensively studied to define the basic biochemical and molecular biologic properties of the paramyxoviruses. In addition, SeV‐infected host cells were widely employed to uncover the mechanism of innate immune response. To identify proteins involved in the SeV infection process or the SeV‐induced innate immune response process, system‐wide evaluations of SeV–host interactions have been performed. cDNA microarray, siRNA screening and phosphoproteomic analysis suggested that multiple signaling pathways are involved in SeV infection process. Here, to study SeV–host interaction, a global quantitative proteomic analysis was performed on SeV‐infected HEK 293T cells. A total of 4699 host proteins were quantified, with 742 proteins being differentially regulated. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that regulated proteins were mainly involved in “interferon type I (IFN‐I) signaling pathway” and “defense response to virus,” suggesting that these processes play roles in SeV infection. Further RNAi‐based functional studies indicated that the regulated proteins, tripartite motif (TRIM24) and TRIM27, affect SeV‐induced IFN‐I production. Our data provided a comprehensive view of host cell response to SeV and identified host proteins involved in the SeV infection process or the SeV‐induced innate immune response process.
Activity of Moxifloxacin, Administered Once a Day, against Streptococcus pneumoniae in an In Vitro Pharmacodynamic Model of Infection

ABSTRACT The antibacterial effect of moxifloxacin was studied by using an in vitro pharmacodynamic model of infection with dosing simulations of 400 mg every 24 h for 48 h. Streptococcus pneumoniaewas tested by using four wild-type strains for which the moxifloxacin MICs were 0.008, 0.12, 0.14, and 3.6 mg/liter. In addition, two isogenic mutants, generated from the strains for which the moxifloxacin MICs were ≤0.12 mg/liter and for which the MICs were 1.0 and 1.6 mg/liter, were also used. Antibacterial efficacy was measured by the following indices: log change in viable count at 12, 24, 36, and 48 h; area under the bacterial kill curve (AUBKC); and time to kill 99.9% of the initial inoculum. With the three strains for which the moxifloxacin MICs were ≤0.14 mg/liter, there was a marked reduction in viable count over 12 to 36 h; in contrast, with strains for which the MICs were ≥1.0 mg/liter, little killing occurred over 48 h. A sigmoid dose-response model indicated that the area under the curve/MIC ratio was strongly related to the log change in viable count at 24 and 48 h and to the AUBKC. These data indicate that moxifloxacin may have a role in management of S. pneumoniae infection.
Inhibition of melanoma growth and metastasis by combination with (−)‐epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate and dacarbazine in mice

(−)‐Epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenol in green tea, was shown to have cancer chemopreventive activity. In this study, we examined the antimetastatic effects of EGCG or the combination of EGCG and dacarbazine on B16‐F3m melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo. First, the antimetastatic potentials of five green tea catechins were examined by soft agar colony formation assay, and the results show that EGCG was more effective than the other catechins in inhibiting soft agar colony formation. Second, EGCG dose‐dependently inhibited B16‐F3m cell migration and invasion by in vitro Transwell assay. Third, EGCG significantly inhibited the spread of B16‐F3m cells on fibronectin, laminin, collagen, and Matrigel in a dose‐dependent manner. In addition, EGCG significantly inhibited the tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and the activity of matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9). In animal experiments, EGCG alone reduced lung metastases in mice bearing B16‐F3m melanomas. However, a combination of EGCG and dacarbazine was more effective than EGCG alone in reducing the number of pulmonary metastases and primary tumor growths, and increased the survival rate of melanoma‐bearing mice. These results demonstrate that combination treatment with EGCG and dacarbazine strongly inhibits melanoma growth and metastasis, and the action mechanisms of EGCG are associated with the inhibition of cell spreading, cell‐extracellular matrix and cell‐cell interactions, MMP‐9 and FAK activities. J. Cell. Biochem. 83: 631–642, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A modular power conversion system for zinc-bromine flow battery based energy storage system

This paper proposes a power conversion system (PCS) for zinc-bromine (Zn-Br) flow battery based energy storage system. The operation principle of the flow battery is discussed, and the entire hardware configuration is proposed. The PCS consists of four dc-dc converter, one dc-ac inverter, and battery management system (BMS). The battery control strategy including the PCS and the stripping operation is described to perform the charging and the discharging of the flow battery in stable. The proposed PCS is successfully adopted into 25kW Zn-Br flow battery, and experimentally verified its operation.
NeuralGenesis: A software for distributed neural network training

A software for distributed neural network training is introduced here. The introduced software named NeuralGenesis implements a client — server model for parallel genetic algorithms with custom features such as: an enhanced stopping rule, an advanced mutation scheme and periodical application of a local search procedure. The software is coded in Qt5 for portability reasons and it is freely available for the majority of operating system.
Effect of articulation therapy on palatopharyngeal closure, movement of the pharyngeal wall, and tongue posture.

Cinefluorographic data have been interpreted to indicate that speech therapy may improve palatopharyngeal closure (7). However, it is also. possible that provision of therapy to persons with inadequate closure may result in undesirable compensatory elevation and retraction of the tongue, especially in contexts normally involving some degree of tongue retraction (2, 3). This study is concerned with the effects of articulation therapy on a) patterns of palatopharyngeal closure, b) movement of the posterior wall of the pharynx near atlas, velum, or both, c) the relationship between the tongue and the anterior tubercle of the atlas, and d) the relationship between the tongue and the posterior wall of the pharynx. Chisum and her associates (5) compared articulation changes in control and experimental subjects selected on the basis of speech observations as having mild deficiency of palatopharyngeal closure. In her study, articulation of the experimental subjects was tested before and after approximately six months of articulation therapy. Control subjects were tested at comparable time intervals with nointervening treatment. Individual therapy was provided for two thirty-minute periods per week for 30 to 48 lessons. A motor learning approach to therapy was used with emphasis on response-shaping procedures to improve articulation of specific phonemes and to reduce measurable nasal escape of air during articulation of nonnasal sounds (4). All experimental subjects worked on /s/, and most worked on additional fricatives. No attempt was made to strengthen any muscles in the speech mechanism or to develop reflex or voluntary movement of the posterior wall of the pharynx or of the velum. Experimental subjects
Editorial: Alternatives to Antimicrobial Growth Promoters and Their Impact in Gut Microbiota, Health and Disease

In the context of disease pathogenesis, it has been observed that after inadequate administration of antibiotics, animals become more susceptible to intestinal colonization and organ invasion by enteropathogens, these could be related to changes caused in the gastrointestinal microbial community. Therefore, we must reconsider the negative consequences that disruption of the microbiome has in the biology of metazoans (dysbacteriosis). Alternations of the intestinal microbiota composition in animals can be caused by multiple factors, including the misuse of antibiotics, having as a result a negative impact on the development and function of the immune, endocrine, nervous, and digestive systems. For this reason, social concerns regarding the development of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms have resulted in an urgent necessity to find feasible alternatives to maintain animal health and performance without the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP), in order to sustain livestock production as an economically viable source of food for human consumption. Hence, research about AGP alternatives such as probiotics, prebiotics, phytochemicals, organic acids, enzymes, and vaccines has become a priority for many scientists around the world.
Characterization of Endothelin-converting Enzyme-2

Most neuroendocrine peptides are generated by proteolysis of the precursors at basic residue cleavage sites. Prohormone convertases belonging to the subtilisin family of serine proteases are primarily responsible for processing at these “classical sites. ” In addition to the classical cleavages, a subset of bioactive peptides is generated by processing at “nonclassical” sites. The proteases responsible for these cleavages have not been well explored. Members of several metalloprotease families have been proposed to be involved in nonclassical processing. Among them, endothelin-converting enzyme-2 (ECE-2) is a good candidate because it exhibits a neuroendocrine distribution and an acidic pH optimum. To examine the involvement of this protease in neuropeptide processing, we purified the recombinant enzyme and characterized its catalytic activity. Purified ECE-2 efficiently processes big endothelin-1 to endothelin-1 by cleavage between Trp21 and Val22 at acidic pH. To characterize the substrate specificity of ECE-2, we used mass spectrometry with a panel of 42 peptides as substrates to identify the products. Only 10 of these 42 peptides were processed by ECE-2. A comparison of residues around the cleavage site revealed that ECE-2 exhibits a unique cleavage site selectivity that is related to but distinct from that of ECE-1. ECE-2 tolerates a wide range of amino acids in the P1-position and prefers aliphatic/aromatic residues in the P1′-position. However, only a small fraction of the aliphatic/aromatic amino acid-containing sites were cleaved, indicating that there are additional constraints beyond the P1- and P1′-positions. The enzyme is able to generate a number of biologically active peptides from peptide intermediates, suggesting an important role for this enzyme in the biosynthesis of regulatory peptides. Also, ECE-2 processes proenkephalin-derived bovine adrenal medulla peptides, and this processing leads to peptide products known to have differential receptor selectivity. Finally, ECE-2 processes PEN-LEN, an endogenous inhibitor of prohormone convertase 1, into products that do not inhibit the enzyme. Taken together, these results are consistent with an important role for ECE-2 in the processing of regulatory peptides at nonclassical sites.
Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Phosphorylates and Negatively Regulates Basic Helix-Loop-Helix-PAS Transcription Factor BMAL1*

In vertebrates, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) exhibits circadian activation in several clock structures and likely participates in the timekeeping mechanism of the circadian clock. Here we show that MAPK associates with a basic helix-loop-helix-PAS transcription factor BMAL1, a positive regulator for the autoregulatory feedback loop of the circadian oscillator. MAPK phosphorylates BMAL1 at multiple sites, including Ser-527, Thr-534, and Ser-599, in vitro, and BMAL1:CLOCK-induced transactivation from the E-box element is inhibited by expression of a constitutive active form of MAPK kinase in 293 cells. The inhibitory effect is reversed by coexpression of the kinase-dead mutant of MAPK or by mutation of BMAL1 at Thr-534. These results indicate that BMAL1:CLOCK-induced transcription is negatively regulated by MAPK-mediated phosphorylation of BMAL1 at Thr-534 and suggest a molecular link between circadian-activated MAPK and the clock oscillator.
Rethinking Plagiarism in the Digital Age

Plagiarism is a complex issue in need of reexamination. A common misconception is there is consensus on what constitute plagiarism, and general agreement that engaging in plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty is a major breech of ethics. There seems to be little concern for differentiating degrees of seriousness; the intentional copying of large amounts of text without acknowledgement is often viewed the same as failing to properly cite sources. Furthermore, instruction that addresses issues related to plagiarism is rare. In this article, the authors explore the issue in relation to the ever-changing digital environment, and provide one specific example of explicit instruction that engages students in copying information from the Internet, rewriting or paraphrasing, then citing appropriately. Knowing students will utilize technology for writing and research, instruction should aim at demystifying the concept of plagiarism while at the same time improving students’ research and writing skills.
Five novel mutations in the lysosomal sialidase gene (NEU1) in type II sialidosis patients and assessment of their impact on enzyme activity and intracellular targeting using adenovirus‐mediated expression

Sialidosis is an autosomal recessive disease resulting from a deficiency of lysosomal sialidase. Type II sialidosis is a rare disease characterized clinically by hydrops fetalis, hepatosplenomegaly, and severe psychomotor retardation. Genomic DNA from four unrelated sialidosis patients was screened for mutations within the sialidase gene NEU1. Five novel mutations were identified. Four are missense and one is nonsense: c.674G>C (p.R225P), c.893C>T (p.A298V), c.3G>A (p.M1? ), c.941C>G (p.R341G), and c.69G>A (p.W23X). We have used our findings and diagnostic tools to confirm the presence of a homozygous null allele in a neonate sibling. Recombinant adenoviruses expressing the mutant sialidase alleles in primary cell cultures were utilized to assess the impact of each mutation on enzyme activity and intracellular localization. None of the mutant alleles expressed significant enzymatic activity. The p.R341G mutation exerts its pathological effect by perturbing substrate binding, while the p.A298V and p.R225P mutations appear to impair the folding of the sialidase enzyme. Our findings point to mutation‐sensitive amino acids involved in catalytic function or structural stability and indicate the potential utility of these mutations for molecular diagnosis of this rare disease. Hum Mutat 23:32–39, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Joint Relay Selection and Power Allocation for Decode-and-Forward Cellular Relay Network with Channel Uncertainty

In this paper, we propose joint relay selection and power allocation algorithms that can work robustly under imperfect channel knowledge for a decode-and-forward (DF) cellular relay network. The objective is to minimize the uplink transmit power of the network taking each user's target data rate as the quality of service (QoS) constraint in the presence of imperfect channel state information (CSI). We consider the worst-case optimization approach, in which QoS constraint is satisfied for all users assuming both probabilistic and deterministic channel estimation error models. In this optimization framework, equivalent convex formulations are derived for the nonlinear optimization problems that are often combinatorially hard to solve in their original forms. After relay selection, efficient centralized as well as distributed power allocation algorithms scalable with respect to the size of the networks are developed. We also consider the case of power constrained networks where the objective is to provide QoS in the presence of limited power budgets on source and relays. The robust optimization problem is reformulated accordingly and efficient solution is provided. Numerical results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and demonstrate the implications of ignoring channel estimation errors while developing relay selection and power allocation algorithms.
Attachment to challenging substrates – fouling, roughness and limits of adhesion in the northern clingfish (Gobiesox maeandricus)

Northern clingfish use a ventral suction disc to stick to rough substrates in the intertidal zone. Bacteria, algae and invertebrates grow on these surfaces (fouling) and change the surface properties of the primary substrate, and therefore the attachment conditions for benthic organisms. In this study, we investigate the influence of fouling and surface roughness on the adhesive strength of northern clingfish, Gobiesox maeandricus. We measured clingfish tenacity on unfouled and fouled substrates over four surface roughnesses. We exposed surfaces for 6 weeks in the Pacific Ocean, until they were covered with periphyton. Clingfish tenacity is equivalent on both fouled and unfouled smooth substrates; however, tenacity on fouled rough surfaces is less compared with tenacity on unfouled ones. We hypothesize that parts of biofilm may act as a lubricant and decrease friction of the disc margin, thereby making disc margins slip inwards and fail at lower tenacities. Nevertheless, even on fouled surfaces the adhesive forces are approximately 150 times the body weight of the fish. To identify the upper threshold of surface roughness the fish can cling to, we tested seven unfouled substrates of increasing surface roughness. The threshold roughness at which northern clingfish failed increased with specimen size. We hypothesize that because of the elastic properties of the disc margin, a larger disc can adapt to larger surface irregularities. The largest specimens (length 10–12 cm) were able to cling to surfaces with 2–4 mm grain size. The fish can attach to surfaces with roughness between 2 and 9% of the suction disc width.