Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Algorithm Based Approach for Reliability Redundancy Allocation Problems in Fuzzy Environment

This paper presents the use of genetic algorithm to solve reliability redundancy allocation problem of complicated system in fuzzy environment. Generally, this problem has been formulated as single objective integer non-linear programming problem with several resource constraints. In this paper, the reliability of each component as well as other parameters related to the problem is considered to be fuzzy valued. In this work, the corresponding constrained optimization problem has been transformed to crisp constrained optimization problem using defuzzification of fuzzy number. Here, widely known Yager ranking Index has been used for defuzzification of fuzzy number. The Big-M penalty function technique has been used to transform the constrained optimization problem into an unconstrained optimization problem. The converted problem has been solved with the help of real coded genetic algorithm. To illustrate the proposed methodology, a numerical example has been considered and solved. To study the performance of the proposed genetic algorithm, sensitivity analyses have been done graphically.
Frequency of Ponticulus Posticus in Lateral Cephalometric Radiography of Peruvian Patients

El ponticulus posticus es una osificacion anomala de origen desconocido en forma de arco que va desde el proceso articular hacia el arco posterior del atlas; puede ser completo o parcial y aloja elementos vasculares y nerviosos; su diagnostico se realiza mediante la radiografia lateral cervical, radiografia cefalometrica o tomografia computarizada. El proposito del estudio fue determinar la frecuencia del ponticulus posticus parcial y completo en radiografias cefalometricas de pacientes peruanos y determinar las diferencias de acuerdo al sexo y edad. Se revisaron 1056 radiografias cefalometricas de pacientes entre los 3 a 56 anos de edad en busca de ponticulus posticus parcial o completo. La edad promedio fue de 14,05±7,43 anos. La frecuencia de ponticulus posticus en general fue 19,79%, con el tipo parcial en un 11,08% y de tipo completo en un 8,71%. Se observo una mayor frecuencia en los hombres (10,22%) que en mujeres (9,56%). No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre la presencia de ponticulus posticus parcial o completo con respecto al sexo y a la edad (p>0,05). El ponticulus posticus no es un hallazgo infrecuente, nuestros resultados fueron similares a los reportados para pacientes americanos y similares a distintos para otros grupos etnicos, se confirmo mediante estadistica que el ponticulus posticus no se encuentra asociado a la edad y se discute la importancia de la presencia del ponticulus posticus en el pronostico de la estabilizacion del complejo vertebral atlas-axis.
A new method to detect long term trends of methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) total columns measured within the NDACC ground-based high resolution solar FTIR network

Total columns measured with the ground-based solar FTIR technique are highly variable in time due to atmospheric chemistry and dynamics in the atmosphere above the measurement station. In this paper, a multiple regression model with anomalies of air pressure, total columns of hydrogen fluoride (HF) and carbon monoxide (CO) and tropopause height are used to reduce the variability in the methane (CH(4)) and nitrous oxide (N(2)O) total columns to estimate reliable linear trends with as small uncertainties as possible. The method is developed at the Harestua station (60 degrees N, 11 degrees E, 600 ma.s.l.) and used on three other European FTIR stations, i.e. Jungfraujoch (47 degrees N, 8 degrees E, 3600 ma.s.l.), Zugspitze (47 degrees N, 11 degrees E, 3000 ma.s.l.), and Kiruna (68 degrees N, 20 degrees E, 400 ma.s.l.). Linear CH(4) trends between 0.13 +/- 0.01-0.25 +/- 0.02% yr(-1) were estimated for all stations in the 1996-2009 period. A piecewise model with three separate linear trends, connected at change points, was used to estimate the short term fluctuations in the CH(4) total columns. This model shows a growth in 1996-1999 followed by a period of steady state until 2007. From 2007 until 2009 the atmospheric CH(4) amount increases between 0.57 +/- 0.22-1.15 +/- 0.17% yr(-1). Linear N(2)O trends between 0.19 +/- 0.01-0.40 +/- 0.02% yr(-1) were estimated for all stations in the 1996-2007 period, here with the strongest trend at Harestua and Kiruna and the lowest at the Alp stations. From the N(2)O total columns crude tropospheric and stratospheric partial columns were derived, indicating that the observed difference in the N(2)O trends between the FTIR sites is of stratospheric origin. This agrees well with the N(2)O measurements by the SMR instrument onboard the Odin satellite showing the highest trends at Harestua, 0.98 +/- 0.28% yr(-1), and considerably smaller trends at lower latitudes, 0.27 +/- 0.25% yr(-1). The multiple regression model was compared with two other trend methods, the ordinary linear regression and a Bootstrap algorithm. The multiple regression model estimated CH(4) and N(2)O trends that differed up to 31% compared to the other two methods and had uncertainties that were up to 300% lower. Since the multiple regression method were carefully validated this stresses the importance to account for variability in the total columns when estimating trend from solar FTIR data.
Section 2 Physiology of CritiCal illness Chapter 13 central nervous System Physiology in critical illness

Critical care of acute neurologic states revolves around limiting or preventing secondary injury. A robust grasp of the physiology behind these secondary deteriorations is imperative in making appropriate treatment decisions. A rapidly growing body of literature keeps adding to our understanding of neurocritical care. In this chapter, we provide a foundation to conceptualize the basics of cerebrovascular physiology. Based upon these foundations, we will outline a rational approach to the treatment of both general and specific neurologic emergencies.
Comparative Analysis on the Key Enzymes of the Glycerol Cycle Metabolic Pathway in Dunaliella salina under Osmotic Stresses

The glycerol metabolic pathway is a special cycle way; glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3pdh), glycerol-3-phosphate phosphatase (G3pp), dihydroxyacetone reductase (Dhar), and dihydroxyacetone kinase (Dhak) are the key enzymes around the pathway. Glycerol is an important osmolyte for Dunaliella salina to resist osmotic stress. In this study, comparative activities of the four enzymes in D. salina and their activity changes under various salt stresses were investigated, from which glycerol metabolic flow direction in the glycerol metabolic pathway was estimated. Results showed that the salinity changes had different effects on the enzymes activities. NaCl could stimulate the activities of all the four enzymes in various degrees when D. salina was grown under continuous salt stress. When treated by hyperosmotic or hypoosmotic shock, only the activity of G3pdh in D. salina was significantly stimulated. It was speculated that, under osmotic stresses, the emergency response of the cycle pathway in D. salina was driven by G3pdh via its response to the osmotic stress. Subsequently, with the changes of salinity, other three enzymes started to respond to osmotic stress. Dhar played a role of balancing the cycle metabolic pathway by its forward and backward reactions. Through synergy, the four enzymes worked together for the effective flow of the cycle metabolic pathways to maintain the glycerol requirements of cells in order to adapt to osmotic stress environments.
Are Loot Boxes Gambling? Random reward mechanisms in video games

In this paper we investigate the phenomenon colloquially known as “loot boxes”. Loot boxes became a hot topic towards the end of 2017 when several legislative bodies proposed that they were essentially gambling mechanisms and should therefore be legislated as such. We argue that the term “loot box” and the phenomena it covers are not sufficiently precise for academic use, and instead introduce the notion of “random reward mechanisms” (RRMs). We offer a categorization of RRMs, which distinguishes between RRMs that are either “isolated” from real-world economies or “embedded” in them. This distinction will be useful in discussions about loot boxes in general, but specifically when it comes to the question of whether or not they represent instances of gambling. We argue that all classes of RRMs have gambling-like features, and may be problematic in different ways, but that only one class can be considered to be genuine gambling.
Representational Power of Probabilistic-Logical Models : From Upgrading to Downgrading ∗

There is a diversity ofprobabilistic-logical models(PLM). No clear understanding of the relative advantages and limitations of different formalisms and their language concepts has yet emerged. To overcome this, we propose to downgradehighly expressive PLMs. This method has several advantages: one can profit from existing research on PLMs and inherit unique semantics, and inference and learning algorithms. Moreover, there is a clear relationship between the new PLM and its more expressive counterpart. No single existing approach is devalued.
Deconstructing a floral phenotype: do pollinators select for corolla integration in Lavandula latifolia?

An experimental field study was undertaken to assess whether correlational selection generated by pollinators can account for observed phenotypic integration of the two corolla lips in the zygomorphic flowers of the insect‐pollinated Mediterranean shrub, Lavandula latifolia (Labiatae). The experiment consisted of manipulating the upper and lower corolla lips according to a two‐way factorial design with interaction, and involved the complete (lower lip) or extensive (distal two thirds of upper lip) excision of one or the two lips. Per‐flower male (proportion of pollen grains removed) and female (number of pollen tubes down the style) pollination success, and maternal fecundity (seed set), of experimental flowers were evaluated after exposure to natural pollination in the field. Artificially induced corolla variation had no significant effects on either male or female pollination success, and two aberrant floral morphologies, characterized by lack of corolla integration, had a maternal fecundity advantage over normal two‐lipped phenotypes. These results do not support a predominant role of correlational selection by pollinators in maintaining corolla integration in L. latifolia, but are instead consistent with the alternative view that integration is mainly the consequence of genetic and/or developmental factors.
Cooperative space-time coding for wireless networks

We consider a cooperative system in which the partnering mobiles are equipped with multiple antennas. We present space-time codes that have the capability of providing full cooperation diversity, while achieving maximum possible diversity and best performance in the inter-user channel. Our codes also perform well when cooperation does not take place. We illustrate that cooperative space-time coding offers significant performance improvement over direct transmission even when the inter-user channel is noisy. We also consider code design for users with different numbers of antennas.
On products of graphs for LDPC codes

The notion of product block codes, whose generator matrix is the tensor product of the constituent generator matrices, is well established. Typically, they have good performance and a decoding algorithm with complexity on the order of the complexity of the decoding algorithms of the constituent codes. There has been much recent attention on the construction of bipartite graphs for low density parity check codes whose parity check matrices are the incidence matrices of right versus left vertices of the graph. The relation of the properties of the incidence matrix to code performance is difficult to establish precisely, although some guidelines are available. Two types of incidence matrix constructions are given here that show promise. In the first instance, a combinatorial construction is given, and, secondly, two types of graph products are considered for their application to LDPC codes.
Fast decoding algorithm for LDPC over GF(2/sup q/)

We present a modification of belief propagation that enables us to decode LDPC codes defined on high order Galois fields with a complexity that scales as p log/sub 2/ (p), p being the field order. With this low complexity algorithm, we are able to decode GF(2/sup q/) LDPC codes up to a field order value of 256. We show by simulation that ultra-sparse regular LDPC codes in GF(64) and GF(256) exhibit very good performance.
Global Radiative Flux and Cloudiness Variability for the Period 1959–2010 in Belgium: A Comparison between Reanalyses and the Regional Climate Model MAR

The use of regional climate models (RCMs) can partly reduce the biases in global radiative flux (Eg↓) that are found in reanalysis products and global models, as they allow for a finer spatial resolution and a finer parametrisation of surface and atmospheric processes. In this study, we assess the ability of the MAR («Modèle Atmosphérique Régional») RCM to reproduce observed changes in Eg↓, and we investigate the added value of MAR with respect to reanalyses. Simulations were performed at a horizontal resolution of 5 km for the period 1959–2010 by forcing MAR with different reanalysis products: ERA40/ERA-interim, NCEP/NCAR-v1, ERA-20C, and 20CRV2C. Measurements of Eg↓ from the Global Energy Balance Archive (GEBA) and from the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (RMIB), as well as cloud cover observations from Belgocontrol and RMIB, were used for the evaluation of the MAR model and the forcing reanalyses. Results show that MAR enables largely reducing the mean biases that are present in the reanalyses. The trend analysis shows that only MAR forced by ERA40/ERA-interim shows historical trends, which is probably because the ERA40/ERA-interim has a better horizontal resolution and assimilates more observations than the other reanalyses that are used in this study. The results suggest that the solar brightening observed since the 1980s in Belgium has mainly been due to decreasing cloud cover.
ING4 suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma via a NF-κB/miR-155/FOXO3a signaling axis

The tumor suppressor ING4 has been shown to be reduced in human HCC. The alteration of ING4 contributes to HCC progression. However, its effect in HCC and the potential mechanism is largely unclear. Herein, we found that downregulation of ING4 in HCC tumor tissues was closely associated with cancer staging, tumor size and vascular invasion. Lentivirus-mediated ING4 overexpression significantly inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced cell cycle G1 phase arrest and apoptosis in MHCC97H human HCC cells. Moreover, overexpression of ING4 dramatically suppressed MHCC97H tumor cell growth and metastasis to lung in vivo in athymic BALB/c nude mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that overexpression of ING4 markedly increased expression of FOXO3a both at the mRNA and protein level as well as enhanced nuclear level and transcriptional activity of FOXO3a in MHCC97H tumor cells. In addition, ING4 repressed transcriptional activity of NF-κB and expression of miR-155 targeting FOXO3a. Knockdown of ING4 exhibited opposing effects in MHCC97L human HCC cells. Interestingly, knockdown of FOXO3a attenuated not only ING4-elicited tumor suppression but also ING4-mediated regulatory effect on FOXO3a downstream targets, confirming that FOXO3a is involved in ING4-directed tumor-inhibitory effect in HCC. Overexpression of miR-155 attenuated ING4-induced upregulation of FOXO3a, whereas inhibition of miR-155 blunted ING4 knockdown-induced reduction of FOXO3a. Furthermore, inhibition of NF-κB markedly impaired ING4 knockdown-induced upregulation of miR-155 and downregulation of FOXO3a. Taken together, our study provided the first compelling evidence that ING4 can suppress human HCC growth and metastasis to a great extent via a NF-κB/miR-155/FOXO3a pathway.
Signaling Mechanisms Underlying Genetic Pathophysiology of Craniosynostosis

Craniosynostosis, is the premature fusion of one or more cranial sutures which is the second most common cranial facial anomalies. The premature cranial sutures leads to deformity of skull shape and restricts the growth of brain, which might elicit severe neurologic damage. Craniosynostosis exhibit close correlations with a varieties of syndromes. During the past two decades, as the appliance of high throughput DNA sequencing techniques, steady progresses has been made in identifying gene mutations in both syndromic and nonsyndromic cases, which allow researchers to better understanding the genetic roles in the development of cranial vault. As the enrichment of known mutations involved in the pathogenic of premature sutures fusion, multiple signaling pathways have been investigated to dissect the underlying mechanisms beneath the disease. In addition to genetic etiology, environment factors, especially mechanics, have also been proposed to have vital roles during the pathophysiological of craniosynostosis. However, the influence of mechanics factors in the cranial development remains largely unknown. In this review, we present a brief overview of the updated genetic mutations and environmental factors identified in both syndromic and nonsyndromic craniosynostosis. Furthermore, potential molecular signaling pathways and its relations have been described.
Association between Total Diet Quality and Metabolic Syndrome Incidence Risk in a Prospective Cohort of Korean Adults

The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the relation between total diet quality and metabolic syndrome in Korean adults. A community-based cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) provided basis for this study. During the total follow-up period of 38,171 person-years of 5,549 subjects, a total of 1,891 metabolic syndrome incident cases were identified. Metabolic syndrome was defined by the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel. Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, and Recommended Food Score (RFS) were used to assess total diet quality. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for metabolic syndrome associated with total diet quality. In men, the incidence of metabolic syndrome in the 5th MDS quintile group decreased by approximately 25% compared to the 1st quintile group (p for trend < 0.01) after adjusting for age and energy intake. In women, significant decreasing trend of metabolic syndrome incidence risk was observed across the quintiles of RFS in an age and energy intake-adjusted model (HR [95% CI] of Q5 vs. Q1; 0.662 [0.521–0.842], p for trend < 0.01). However, such associations did not reach at a significance level when additional covariates were included. In this first study looking at prospective relation of metabolic syndrome with total diet quality in a Korean population, study findings suggest some protective role of better diet quality in preventing future metabolic syndrome. But no convincing evidence was observed in this study.
Remembering What We Learn

Editor’s Note Memories are the internal mental records that we maintain, which give us instant access to our personal past, complete with all of the facts that we know and the skills that we have cultivated. While the mind’s capacity to store and recall information is truly wondrous, there are desirable and undesirable difficulties in learning. Our authors provide examples of retrieval practice and individual differences in long-term retention and explore quick and slow learners.
IL-15 Generates IFN-γ-producing Cells Reciprocally Expressing Lymphoid-Myeloid Markers during Dendritic Cell Differentiation

Recently, interest in IL-15-differentiated cells has increased; however, the phenotypic definition of IL-15-differentiated bone marrow-derived cells (IL-15-DBMCs) is still under debate, particularly the generation of IFN-γ-producing innate cells such as premature NK (pre-mNK) cells, natural killer dendritic cells (NKDCs), interferon-producing killer dendritic cells (IKDCs), and type 1 innate lymphoid cells (ILC1s), all of which are IL-15-dependent. Here, we revisited the immunophenotypic characteristics of IFN-γ-producing IL-15-DBMCs and their functional role in the control of intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection. When comparing the cytokine levels between bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) and IL-15-DBMCs upon stimulation with various TLR agonists, only the CD11cint population of IL-15-DBMCs produced significant levels of IFN-γ, decreased levels of MHC-II, and increased levels of B220. Neither BMDCs nor IL-15-DBMCs were found to express DX5 or NK1.1, which are representative markers for the NK cell lineage and IKDCs. When the CD11cintB220+ population of IL-15-DBMCs was enriched, the Thy1.2+Sca-1+ population showed a marked increase in IFN-γ production. In addition, while depletion of the B220+ and Thy1.2+ populations of IL-15-DBMCs, but not the CD19+ population, inhibited IFN-γ production, enrichment of these cell populations increased IFN-γ. Ultimately, co-culture of sorted IFN-γ-producing B220+Thy1.2+ IL-15-DBMCs with Mtb-infected macrophages resulted in control of the intracellular growth of Mtb via the IFN-γ-nitric oxide axis in a donor cell number-dependent manner. Taken together, the results indicate that IFN-γ-producing IL-15-DBMCs could be redefined as CD11cintB220+Thy1.2+Sca-1+ cells, which phenotypically resemble both IKDCs and ILC1s, and may have therapeutic potential for controlling infectious intracellular bacteria such as Mtb.
Universal scaling across biochemical networks on Earth

Studying biochemical networks at a planetary scale reveals a deeper level of organization than what has been understood so far. The application of network science to biology has advanced our understanding of the metabolism of individual organisms and the organization of ecosystems but has scarcely been applied to life at a planetary scale. To characterize planetary-scale biochemistry, we constructed biochemical networks using a global database of 28,146 annotated genomes and metagenomes and 8658 cataloged biochemical reactions. We uncover scaling laws governing biochemical diversity and network structure shared across levels of organization from individuals to ecosystems, to the biosphere as a whole. Comparing real biochemical reaction networks to random reaction networks reveals that the observed biological scaling is not a product of chemistry alone but instead emerges due to the particular structure of selected reactions commonly participating in living processes. We show that the topology of biochemical networks for the three domains of life is quantitatively distinguishable, with >80% accuracy in predicting evolutionary domain based on biochemical network size and average topology. Together, our results point to a deeper level of organization in biochemical networks than what has been understood so far.