Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving combinatorial optimization

Combinatorial Optimization is an important area of computer science that has many theoretical and practical applications. In this thesis, we present important contributions to several different areas of combinatorial optimization, including nogood learning, symmetry breaking, dominance, relaxations and parallelization. We develop a new nogood learning technique based on constraint projection that allows us to exploit subproblem dominances that arise when two different search paths lead to subproblems which are identical on the remaining unlabeled variables. On appropriate problems, this nogood learning technique provides orders of magnitude speedup compared to a base solver which does not learn nogoods. We present a new symmetry breaking technique called SBDS-1UIP, which is an extension of Symmetry Breaking During Search (SBDS). SBDS-1UIP uses symmetric versions of the 1UIP nogoods derived by Lazy Clause Generation solvers to prune symmetric parts of the search space. We show that SBDS-1UIP can exploit at least as many symmetries as SBDS, and that it is strictly more powerful on some problems, allowing us to exploit types of symmetries that no previous general symmetry breaking technique is capable of exploiting. We present two new general methods for exploiting almost symmetries (symmetries which are broken by a small number of constraints). The first is to treat almost symmetries as conditional symmetries and exploit them via conditional symmetry breaking constraints. The second is to modify SDBS-1UIP to handle almost symmetries. Both techniques are capable of producing exponential speedups on appropriate problems. We examine three reasonably well known problems: the Minimization of Open
Future trend of microprocessor design

In the past thirty years, computer technology advances have fundamentally changed the practice of business and personal computing. During these three decades, the wide acceptance of personal computers and the explosive growth in the performance, capability, and reliability of computers have fostered a new era of computing. The driving forces behind this new computing revolution are due primarily to rapid advances in computer architecture and semiconductor technologies. In this paper, we will examine key architectural and process technology trends that affect microprocessor designs in the next decade.
Three Different Types of Activated Carbon and Manganese-Modified Activated Carbons as Deoxidizers for the Low-Concentration Coalbed Methane Deoxidation

Different activated carbons and manganese-modified activated carbons were prepared as deoxidizers for the low-concentration coalbed methane deoxidation. The results show that the deoxidation performance of the different activated carbons is affected by raw materials for preparation of deoxidizers. One type of activated carbon exhibited the best performance of oxygen removal, due to the relatively low ash content and better adsorption performance. Experimental results show that the manganese-modified deoxidizers exhibit an excellent deoxidation efficiency at low temperature. At 200 °C, one kind of manganese-modified activated carbons decreased the oxygen content to less than 1 vol%, which could maintain about 600 min. This indicated that the addition of manganese greatly improved the reactivity of oxygen with activated carbon. Characterization results demonstrated that the physical structure and species types of oxygen of activated carbons, and manganese have important effects on the activity of deoxidizers in different temperature ranges.
Quercetin, a Bioflavonoid, Attenuates Ferric Nitrilotriacetate‐Induced Oxidative Renal Injury in Rats

An iron chelate, ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe‐NTA), induces acute proximal tubular necrosis as a consequence of lipid peroxidation and oxidative tissue damage, that eventually leads to high incidence of renal adenocarcinomas in rodents. This study was designed to investigate the effect of quercetin, a bioflavonoid with antioxidant potential, on Fe‐NTA‐induced nephrotoxicity in rats. One hour after a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of Fe‐NTA (8 mg iron/kg), a marked deterioration of renal architecture and renal function was observed. Fe‐NTA induced a significant renal oxidative stress demonstrated by elevated thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) and reduction in activities of renal catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase. Pretreatment of animals with quercetin (2 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 minutes before Fe‐NTA administration markedly attenuated renal dysfunction, morphological alterations, reduced elevated TBARS and restored the depleted renal antioxidant enzymes. These results clearly demonstrate the role of oxidative stress and its relation to renal dysfunction, and suggest a protective effect of quercetin on Fe‐NTA‐induced nephrotoxicity in rats.
Microbial activity in the bovine rumen: its measurement and relation to bloat.

bengal, asparagus agar (Allen, 1951), asparagus agar plus 1:80,000 crystal violet, and asparagus agar plus 1:15,000 rose bengal. The addition of dyes decreased the number of contaminants but also appeared to inhibit the development of the rhizobia. All plates were examined daily for 2 weeks. Smears of colonies which resembled rhizobia were examined. Pure cultures were obtained by the use of both pour and streak plates. These pure cultures were inoculated into Bacto-MR-VP Medium', alkaline, and very alkaline broth (Hofer, 1935). At the same time, known pure cultures of rhizobia were inoculated into the same media. The reactions of the isolates are given in table 1. After 1 to 2 years' storage under mineral oil at room temperature or refrigerator temperature, all nodules were dark and soft. No typical rhizobia were isolated from nodules stored under mineral oil. The
Reducing working time and inequality: what has the French 35-hour work week experience taught us?

To evaluate the inequality effects of implementing the 35-hour work week, we have used a very general labor demand framework that takes into account various skills and the impact of work duration on wages, hourly productivity and labor organization. Numerical simulations include several components of Aubry devices and consider wide but realistic ranges for the various parameters. The 35-hour work week always increases the employment level but has a negative effect on working hours. Moreover, it reduces employment and wage inequality across the whole labor force and among workers, while probably raising welfare inequality.
Tissue Plasminogen Activator: Chemical and Physiological Aspects

The following review covers mainly the litera­ ture of the last 3 years. It does not include many important historic contributions. An activator of plasminogen is present in most or all human tissues, including the liver. 1 0 6 , 1 1 3 , 1 1 5 , 1 1 6 , 1 2 0 , 1 2 1 , l 2 5 , 1 2 8 , 1 3 6 After tissue homo. genization, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) remains strongly bound to cell particles and can only be solubilized using choatropic agents, such as potassium thiocyanate, 5M urea, or acid buffers. Astrup and co-workers in their pioneer­ ing work were the first to purify partially t-PA and to determine its concentration in many human and animal tissues. T-PA preparations of high purity have been obtained from pig heart,' hog ovaries, human uterus, and Bowes melanoma cell lines'' using a variety of techniques. Like urokinase (UK), the other well-charac­ terized physiologic plasminogen activator, t-PA is synthesized in the endothelial cell. T-PA is released into the circulation as vascular plasminogen activator (v-PA). V-PA, first described and partially isolated by Aoki and von Kaulla, has been purified by several researchers. V-PA and t-PA appear to be identical on the basis of the following criteria: they have the same molecular weight (MW), share the same antigenic properties, and bind strongly to fibrin and to a recently described fast-acting inhibitor of t-PA. 99,112,131 However, it is not yet known if t-PA undergoes minor biochemical changes during its release from the endothelial cell. The recent elucida­ tion of the primary structure of t-PA and of UK Confirms the work of many investi­ gators who have demonstrated their nonidentity. 32,44-46,57,58,78,100,112,120,125,128-130,140 STRUCTURE
Neurogenic Stuttering: Further Corroboration of Site of Lesion

Cases of neurogenic stuttering have been reported in the literature throughout the past century. Site(s) of lesion(s) have been documented usually by association of symptoms, EEG studies and occasionally by computed tomography (CT). The authors present three cases in which the site(s) of lesion(s) are documented by CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and SPECT. This study supports previous findings of neurogenic stuttering following either bilateral diffuse lesions or a unilateral lesion. In at least one case, the actual site of the lesion would have been missed without the use of SPECT testing. EEG studies were not helpful in identifying the site of the lesion.
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment in the UK: a study of injectable use and toxicity in practice.

BACKGROUND Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is an increasing challenge to health services globally. Although new drugs are in development, current guidelines still recommend prolonged use of injectable antimicrobials (usually amikacin, kanamycin or capreomycin). The evidence base to inform treatment and monitoring strategies is very limited. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study of patients initiating injectable antimicrobials for MDR-TB treatment in five UK centres between January 2004 and December 2009. (i) Current treatment and monitoring strategies were reviewed. (ii) The incidence of ototoxicity (defined both clinically and on audiological testing) and factors associated with ototoxicity were investigated using logistic regression. RESULTS (i) The choice of injectable antimicrobial varied. Of 50 MDR-TB patients, 29/50 (58%) received amikacin, 11/50 (22%) received capreomycin and 10/50 (20%) received streptomycin or a combination; reflecting a difference in policy between centres. Only 21/50 (42%) patients received baseline screening by audiogram within 2 weeks of starting treatment and 16/50 (32%) then had monthly audiograms, with the majority screened more infrequently and 12/50 (24%) receiving no screening. (ii) Of the 50 patients, 14 (28%) experienced ototoxicity, with 9/50 (18%) left with long-term hearing loss. Increased age (P = 0.02), use of amikacin (P = 0.02) and decreased renal function (P = 0.01) were significantly associated with ototoxicity. CONCLUSIONS There is local variation in both the choice of injectable agent and in ototoxicity screening practices. Long-term morbidity from injectable treatment is significant even in this well-resourced setting, and the data suggest capreomycin might be associated with less ototoxicity when compared with amikacin. There is a need for more high-quality clinical data to inform future guidelines for treatment and monitoring.
Significance of self-reported symptoms as part of follow-up routines in patients treated for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND There is little evidence to prove that frequent out-patient consultations lead to better prognosis in patients treated for oral squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, there is no consensus regarding the timing and number of follow-up consultations or the duration of monitoring after completed therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS We prospectively recorded demographic and clinical data of 537 patients treated over a period of 15 years with complete follow-up of 18 years in a tertiary academic Center. RESULTS Out of 537 patients considered free of disease after treatment, 196 (36%) developed recurrent disease during follow-up. Self-reported symptoms led to diagnosis of the recurrence in 78% of the cases. Only 22% of recurrences were detected through physical examination of asymptomatic patients. There was no difference in disease-free survival in-between these two groups. CONCLUSION Follow-up routines are indispensable as part of cancer treatment but can be more cost-efficient when patients are educated and encouraged to report subjective symptoms. Trained personnel in collaboration with head and neck specialists can handle parts of follow-up routines.
Activation of NMDA receptors drives action potentials in superficial dorsal horn from neonatal rats

We have investigated the role of NMDA receptors in mediating synaptic transmission in spinal cord lamina II over the first 2 weeks of postnatal development. High intensity root stimulation evoked D-APV-sensitive slow synaptic activity in lamina II neurons that drove action potential firing. This NMDA receptor-mediated activity was enhanced when bicuculline and strychnine were used to block synaptic inhibition. When activated by repetitive focal stimulation, synaptic activity mediated by NMDA receptors alone drove action potential firing. NMDA receptors were also able to drive action potential firing at synapses where AMPA receptors were present but blocked. Our data show that in lamina II of the dorsal horn, NMDA receptors significantly affect neuronal excitability even in the absence of co-activation of AMPA receptors.
Impact of sudden Arctic sea‐ice loss on stratospheric polar ozone recovery

We investigate the sensitivity of Northern Hemisphere polar ozone recovery to a scenario in which there is rapid loss of Arctic summer sea ice in the first half of the 21st century. The issue is addressed by coupling a chemistry climate model to an ocean general circulation model and performing simulations of ozone recovery with, and without, an external perturbation designed to cause a rapid and complete loss of summertime Arctic sea ice. Under this extreme perturbation, the stratospheric response takes the form of a springtime polar cooling which is dynamical rather than radiative in origin, and is caused by reduced wave forcing from the troposphere. The response lags the onset of the sea‐ice perturbation by about one decade and lasts for more than two decades, and is associated with an enhanced weakening of the North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. The stratospheric dynamical response leads to a 10 DU reduction in polar column ozone, which is statistically robust. While this represents a modest loss, it has the potential to induce a delay of roughly one decade in Arctic ozone recovery estimates made in the 2006 Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion.
Characterization of Corn Cobs from Microwave and Potassium Hydroxide Pretreatment

The complexity of lignocellulosic biomass requires a pretreatment step to improve the yield of fermentable sugars. The efficient pretreatment of corn cobs using microwave and potassium hydroxide and enzymatic hydrolysis was investigated. The objective of this work was to characterize the optimal condition of pretreatment of corn cobs using microwave and potassium hydroxide enhance enzymatic hydrolysis. Corn cobs were submerged in different potassium hydroxide concentration at varies temperature and resident time. The pretreated corn cobs were hydrolyzed to produce the reducing sugar for analysis. The morphology and microstructure of samples were investigated by Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that lignin and hemicellulose were removed by microwave/potassium hydroxide pretreatment. The crystallinity of the pretreated corn cobs was higher than the untreated. This method was compared with autoclave and conventional heating method. The results indicated that microwave-alkali treatment was an efficient way to improve the enzymatic hydrolysis rate by increasing its accessibility hydrolysis enzymes. Keywords—Corn cobs, Enzymatic hydrolysis, Microwave, Potassium hydroxide, Pretreatment.
Chronic major-vessel thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

T hroughout medical history, unusual patient groups have often provided vital clues to the pathogenesis of disease. For example, the discovery of a small group of patients with a1proteinase inhibitor deficiency provided critical insights into the pathogenesis of emphysema. The study of hemophiliacs opened exciting new avenues of research and clinical intervention that are still being fruitfully explored. And chronic major-vessel thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (C T-E PH) promises to be an instance in which a relatively small, unusual group of patients may provide much information about both thromboembolism and pulmonary vascular disease. C T-E PH is the result of single or recurrent pulmonary emboli arising from sites of venous thrombosis. The natural history of most emboli is to undergo total resolution, or resolution leaving minimal residua, with restoration of normal pulmonary hemodynamics.1-5 For reasons still unclear, the emboli in C T-E PH patients do not resolve completely; rather, they follow an aberrant path of organization and recanalization, leaving endothelialized residua that obstruct or significantly narrow major (main, lobar, or segmental) pulmonary arteries. From the reports of others6-1"2141 and our own experience with more than 250 C T-E PH patients, it is clear that there is a wide spectrum of residual embolic obstruction and therefore the degree to which pulmonary vascular resistance is increased. Some patients with chronic obstruction of one or more segmental or lobar arteries are nearly asymptomatic. At the other extreme are those who have major obstructions in multiple central pulmonary arteries and develop severe pulmonary hypertension and progressive right ventricular failure. This disorder is quite distinct from so-called "primary" pulmonary hypertension in which the obstructing lesions appear in the small, distal pulmonary arteries. While in primary pulmonary hypertension there may be thrombotic lesions in these small arter-
Chronic pancreatitis and mutations of the cystic fibrosis gene

The common perception of cystic fibrosis (CF) is that of a recessive disorder presenting in infancy or early childhood with malabsorption and progressive lung disease. However, mild phenotypes have always been recognised. These individuals, who are pancreatic sufficient, present later, have less severe lung disease and significantly lower sweat Cl− concentrations. Following identification of the CF gene in 1989, it was realised that patients with a classic phenotype had severe mutations on both chromosomes, typically ΔF508 which is present in 70% of CF chromosomes, whereas mildly affected individuals had one or more mild alleles. To date, more than 700 mutations have been identified in the CF gene; most, with the exception of G551D, G542X and 621+1 (G-A) are rare, affecting <1% of CF chromosomes. The CF gene codes for a cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) mediated Cl− channel which has been identified in several epithelia including lung, biliary tract, pancreas, and vas deferens.1 This wide distribution accounts for the multi-organ involvement seen in cystic fibrosis. Channel function is mutation specific with five basic classes of mutation recognised (fig1). 2 Mutations that produce no CFTR protein (class I), where CFTR protein fails to reach the apical membrane because of defective processing (class II), or production of protein that fails to respond to cAMP (class III), have <1% channel function and display a severe phenotype with pancreatic insufficiency. Mutations that produce a cAMP responsive channel with reduced conductance (class IV) or mutations that …
Molecular Cloning and Functional Characterization of Chicken Toll-like Receptors

Toll-like receptors (TLR) in the innate immune system have not been identified in non-mammalian vertebrates. Two types of TLR were cloned from a chicken bursa cDNA library using degenerate primers based on the consensus sequences of mouse and Drosophila Toll and designated as chicken TLR(chTLR) type 1 and type 2. Of the nine human TLRs reported to date, these chTLRs showed the highest homology to human TLR2. The extracellular regions of type 1 and type 2 contained a distinct ∼200-amino acid stretch and were 45.3 and 46.3% homologous to that of human TLR2. The intracellular Toll/interleukin-1R homology domain of type 1 and type 2 was perfectly identical to each other and highly homologous (80.7%) to that of human TLR2. Both types were widely detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting in various chicken organs, especially those rich in connective tissue. Both genes were mapped to chromosome 4q1.1, suggesting that they arose by gene duplication. By reporter gene assay, type 2 and to a lesser extent type 1, selectively signaled the presence of mycoplasma macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2/M161Ag in the human embryonic kidney 293 cell system. Cotransfection of type 2 and human CD14 or MD-2 into human embryonic kidney 293 cells allowed the response to Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), whereas type 1 did not signal LPS or any other microbial components tested. These results indicated that chTLR type 2 covers two major microbe patterns, lipoproteins and LPS, which are regulated by TLR2 and TLR4 in mammals. In oviparous animals, the duplicated TLRs in the pattern-recognition system may function for host-pathogen discrimination in a manner that is distinct from that in mammals.
Dimethylether Treatment for Condyloma Acuminata in Women

Objective Our aim was to test a new cryosurgical wart treatment, dimethylether (Histofreezer), for clinical effi-cacy in newly diagnosed cases of genital warts. Methods All patients of the gynecology clinic of a teaching hospital who were at least 12 years of age and who had between one and eight external genital warts were eligible. Treatment occurred at the initial visit and at follow-up visits at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks. If all warts were gone at any particular visit, the patient had completed the study and was not required to return. Results In 14 of 15 patients [93%; 95% confidence interval (Cl), 81–100%], all warts resolved within the 8-week study period. This included 39 of 44 warts (89%; 95% Cl 80–98%). Most warts [35 of 44 (80%)] resolved within 4 weeks. One patient with five warts failed treatment. No known complications were seen. Condusion. Dimethylether (Histofreezer) is an effective cryosurgical treatment for genital warts.
Bio-inspired artemether-loaded human serum albumin nanoparticles for effective control of malaria-infected erythrocytes.

AIM The intra-erythrocytic development of the malarial parasite is dependent on active uptake of nutrients, including human serum albumin (HSA), into parasitized red blood cells (pRBCs). We have designed HSA-based nanoparticles as a potential drug-delivery option for antimalarials. METHODS Artemether-loaded nanoparticles (AANs) were designed and antimalarial activity evaluated in vitro/in vivo using Plasmodium falciparum/Plasmodium berghei species, respectively. RESULTS Selective internalization of AAN into Plasmodium-infected RBCs in preference to healthy erythrocytes was observed using confocal imaging. In vitro studies showed 50% dose reduction for AAN as compared with drug-only controls to achieve IC50 levels of inhibition. The nanoparticles exhibited twofold higher peak drug concentrations in RBCs with antimalarial activity at 50% of therapeutic doses in P. bergei infected mice. CONCLUSION Novel HSA-based nanoparticles offer safe and effective approach for selective targeting of antimalarial drugs.
The use of X-ray synchrotron radiation for structural research in biology

Synchrotron radiation is intense electromagnetic radiation with a continuous spectral distribution emitted by high-energy electron (or positron) synchrotrons or storage rings in the visible, vacuum ultraviolet and X-ray regions. For a long time only an unwanted but inevitable by-product of ring accelerators in elementary particle research, synchrotron radiation is now becoming a most widely used tool in atomic, molecular and solid-state spectroscopy, surface physics, structural research on solids, soft X-ray microscopy, lithography. It is not yet clear how large the field of applications really is nor which line of research will prove to be the most fruitful one in the long run.