Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Une Approche Skyline pour l'Interrogation de Bases de Données de Graphes

La recherche de graphes similaires a une requete a graphe est l'un des problemes fondamentaux des bases de donnees de graphes. Les approches exis- tantes traitant ce probleme s'appuient, generalement, sur une seule mesure de similarite entre les structures de graphes. Dans cet article, nous proposons une approche permettant de rechercher les graphes similaires au graphe d'une re- quete ou la similarite entre graphes n'est plus un scalaire unique mais un vecteur de scalaires. Pour cela, nous introduisons le concept de skyline par similarite d'une requete a graphe defini par un sous-ensemble de graphes, de la base de donnees interrogee, qui sont les plus similaires a la requete au sens de Pareto. Une methode pour raffiner le resultat de la recherche est aussi proposee en s'ap- puyant sur le critere de diversite entre les graphes.
Photocatalytic killing effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on Ls-174-t human colon carcinoma cells.

AIM To investigate the photocatalytic killing effect of photoexcited TiO(2) nanoparticles on human colon carcinoma cell line (Ls-174-t) and to study the mechanism underlying the action of photoexcited TiO(2) nanoparticles on malignant cells. METHODS Ls-174-t human colon carcinoma cells were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 199 mL/L calf serum in a humidified incubator with an atmosphere of 50 mL/L CO(2) at 37 degrees C. Viable cells in the samples were measured by using the MTT method. A GGZ-300 W high pressure Hg lamp with a maximum ultraviolet-A (UVA, 320-400 nm) irradiation peak at 365 nm was used as light source in the photocatalytic killing test. RESULTS The photocatalytic killing of Ls-174-t cells was carried out in vitro with TiO(2) nanoparticles. The killing effect was weak by using UVA irradiation without TiO(2) nanoparticles. In our studies, the photocatalytic killing effect was correlated with the concentration of TiO(2) and illumination time. Once TiO(2) was added, Ls-174-t cells were killed at a much higher rate. In the presence of 1 000 microg/mL TiO(2), 44% of cells were killed after 10 min of UVA irradiation, and 88% of cells were killed after 30 min of UVA irradiation. CONCLUSION When the concentration of TiO(2) is below 200 microg/mL, the photocatalytic killing effect on human colon carcinoma cells is almost the same as that of UVA irradiation alone. When the concentration of TiO(2) is above 200 microg/mL, the remarkable killing effect of photoexcited TiO(2) nanoparticles can be found.
Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Study of Gap Junction Proteins Connexin26 and 43 in Human Arachnoid Villi and Meningeal Tumors

Human arachnoid villi and meningiomas are known to have gap junctions formed by connexin (Cx) proteins. We examined the expression and localization of Cxs in normal human arachnoid villi and meningeal tumors (meningiomas and hemangiopericytomas) by immunohistochemistry and Western blots. In arachnoid villi, strong immunopositivity for connexin26 (Cx26) and connexin43 (Cx43) was detected in the cap cell layer, cap cell cluster, and central core. They were weakly expressed in the fibrous capsule. In meningiomas they were strongly expressed in the meningotheliomatous area and weakly positive in the fibrous area. None of them were expressed in hemangiopericytomas. By immunoelectron microscopy, Cx26 and Cx43 were distributed on the cell membranes in arachnoid villi and meningiomas. In the Western blots in arachnoid villi and meningiomas, Cx26 and Cx43 were shown at bands with molecular weights of 26 kD and 42–47 kD, respectively. The degree of positivity for Cxs was different between subtypes of meningiomas. These findings suggest that expression of Cx26 and Cx43 might be related to the differentiation of the arachnoid villi and meningiomas, and exhibit the different origin of various subtypes of meningiomas. We proposed that Cx expression is one of the useful markers for the differentiation of meningioma and hemangiopericytoma.
Thrombotic microangiopathy, hemolytic uremic syndrome and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: Rare manifestations of Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) envenoming in Sri Lanka

Background: Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) of Family Viperidae is a highly venomous snake in Sri Lanka and is responsible for the most snakebite deaths. It commonly causes coagulopathy and neuroparalysis. Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) including the triad of acute kidney injury (AKI), thrombocytopenia and microangiopathic hemolysis is a rare complication of its bites. There are two clinical entities of TMA including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) of which, only few records of TMA and HUS following Russell’s viper bites are available in literature.Case presentation: Two patients presented with TMA following Russell’s viper bites. A 36-year-old male who got coagulopathy, respiratory failure, AKI, signs of HUS, and he completely recovered with antivenom and 8 cycles of hemodialysis and discharged on day 19 of snakebite. The other patient was a 66-year-old female who had delayed coagulopathy and persistent drowsiness, the signs of TTP. She required antivenom with 9 cycles of hemodialysis and 6 cycles of therapeutic plasma exchange and got recovered after 30 days in hospital that included intensive care treatments.Discussion: Russell’s viper venom causes activation of Factor V and X which results venom induced consumption coagulopathy and bleeding. The venom also blocks neuromuscular junction and causes neuroparalysis, which are commonly manifested as ptosis and external ophthalmoplegia. It also has direct nephrotoxic effects and there are fibrin depositions in renal microvasculature thereby, causing renal ischemia. In the spectrum of HUS-TTP of TMA, HUS is suggested when there is a severe renal involvement, and TTP is diagnosed when neurological impairment is prominent.Conclusion: Atypical presentations like TMA and HUS may rarely occur following Russell’s viper bites. Further evidence of similar observations is needed to confirm the clinical entity of TTP following Daboia russelii bites.
Efficient Support for Multicomputing on ATM Networks

AbstractThe emergence of a new generation of networks will dramatically increase the attractiveness ofloosely-coupled multicomputers based on workstation clusters. The key to achieving high performancein this environment is efﬁcient network access, because thecost of remote access dictates the granularityof parallelism that can be supported. Thus, in addition to traditional distribution mechanisms such asRPC, workstation clusters should support lightweight communication paradigms for executing parallelapplications.This paper describes a simple communication model based on the notion of remote memory access.Applications executing on one host can perform direct memory read or write operations on user-deﬁnedremote memory buffers. We have implemented a prototype system based on this model using com-mercially available workstations and ATM networks. Our prototype uses kernel-based emulation ofremote read and write instructions, implemented through unused processor opcodes; thus, applications(or runtime libraries) see direct machine support for remote memory access. We show that this modelcan be supportedsafely and efﬁciently on current systems; forexample, a 40-byteremote writeoperationcompletes in 30
Hyaluronic acid: a unique topical vehicle for the localized delivery of drugs to the skin

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring polyanionic, polysaccharide that consists of N‐acetyl‐d‐glucosamine and β‐glucoronic acid. It is present in the intercellular matrix of most vertebrate connective tissues especially skin where it has a protective, structure stabilizing and shock‐absorbing role. The unique viscoelastic nature of HA along with its biocompatibility and non‐immunogenicity has led to its use in a number of clinical applications, which include: the supplementation of joint fluid in arthritis; as a surgical aid in eye surgery; and to facilitate the healing and regeneration of surgical wounds. More recently, HA has been investigated as a drug delivery agent for various routes of administration, including ophthalmic, nasal, pulmonary, parenteral and topical. In fact, regulatory approval in the USA, Canada and Europe was granted recently for 3% diclofenac in 2.5% HA gel, Solaraze®, for the topical treatment of actinic keratoses, which is the third most common skin complaint in the USA. The gel is well tolerated, safe and efficacious and provides an attractive, cost‐effective alternative to cryoablation, curettage or dermabrasion, or treatment with 5‐fluorouracil. The purpose of this review is to describe briefly the physical, chemical and biological properties of HA together with some details of its medical and pharmaceutical uses with emphasis on this more recent topical application.
Superior Cantor Sets and Superior Devil Staircases

Mandelbrot, in 1975, coined the term fractal and included Cantor set as a classical example of fractals. The Cantor set has wide applications in real world problems from strange attractors of nonlinear dynamical systems to the distribution of galaxies in the universe (Schroder, 1990). In this article, we obtain superior Cantor sets and present them graphically by superior devil's staircases. Further, based on their method of generation, we put them into two categories.
QCM Operation in Liquids:  An Explanation of Measured Variations in Frequency and Q Factor with Liquid Conductivity.

Recently, several reports have shown that when one side of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is exposed to a liquid, the parallel (but not the series) resonant frequency is influenced by the conductivity and dielectric constant of the liquid. The effect is still controversial and constitutes a serious complication in many applications of the QCM in liquid environments. One suggestion has been that acoustically induced surface charges couple to charged species in the conducting liquid. To explore this effect, we have measured the parallel and the series mode resonance frequencies, and the corresponding Q factors, for a QCM with one side facing a liquid. These four quantities have all been measured versus liquid conductivity, using a recently developed experimental setup. It allows the simultaneous measurement of the resonant frequency and the Q factor of an oscillating quartz crystal, intermittently disconnected from the driving circuit. Based on these results, a simple model together with an equivalent circuit for a quartz crystal exposed to a liquid is presented. The analysis shows that it is not necessary to infer the existence of surface charges (or other microscopic phenomena such as electrical double layers) to account for the influence of the liquid's electrical properties on the resonant frequency. Our results show that the contacting conductive liquid, in effect, enlarges the electrode area on the liquid side and thereby changes the parallel resonant frequency. By proper design of the QCM measurement, perturbing effects due to the liquid's electrical properties can be circumvented.
CONTRIBUIÇÕES PARA A CONSTRUÇÃO DO CONHECIMENTO SOBRE GESTÃO DA INOVAÇÃO SUSTENTÁVEL: UM RECORTE DA PRODUÇÃO CIENTÍFICA RECENTE

E notorio o crescente interesse e novas discussoes sobre a sustentabilidade tanto no meio academico como empresarial. No ambiente de negocios os desafios da sustentabilidade oferecem um potencial significativo para inovacoes e oportunidades comerciais a ela relacionadas. Neste artigo a atencao volta-se para a gestao da inovacao sustentavel cujo objetivo e realizar uma analise bibliometrica acerca das publicacoes cientificas na base de dados Web of Science . Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa-quantitativa do tipo descritiva que considerou como intervalo temporal para fins de analise entre 2008 a 2017 e estudando de forma especifica o tema nos seguintes campos do conhecimento: Gestao, Negocios, Economia, Ciencias Sociais Interdisciplinar, Financas Empresariais e Administracao Publica. Diante dos dados coletados, constatou-se que o numero de trabalhos dobrou no periodo investigado, contudo, o Brasil figura na 12a posicao com somente 33 publicacoes, logo, isso evidencia que ha uma carencia de estudos que discutam o assunto no pais.
Conservation and divergence of BMP2/4 genes in the lamprey: expression and phylogenetic analysis suggest a single ancestral vertebrate gene

Summary Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) molecules are members of a large family of signaling molecules important in numerous developmental pathways throughout the metazoa. Single members of the BMP2/4 class have been found in invertebrates such as cnidarians, arthropods, nematodes, echinoderms, ascidians, and cephalochordates. In all vertebrates studied, there are at least two copies, BMP2 and BMP4, that play important roles in axial patterning, tissue specification, and organogenesis. The basal vertebrate, lamprey, diverged near the time of vertebrate origins and is useful for understanding the gene duplication events that led to the increased complexity of the vertebrate genome. We characterized the sequence and expression pattern of BMP2/4 class genes in the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus. We uncovered three genes that we named PmBMP2/4A, PmBMP2/4B, and PmBMP2/4C. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that PmBMP2/4A is closer than PmBMP2/4B or PmBMP2/4C in sequence identity to both BMP2 and BMP4 ofgnathostomes. The developmental expression pattern of PmBMP2/4A also more closely resembles the combined early expression patterns of gnathostome BMP2 and BMP4, whereas PmBMP2/4B and PmBMP2/4C appear to play roles only later in development. Cell labeling showed that the BMP‐expressing cells in the branchial arches of lampreys are of neural crest origin. Taken together, our sequence and expression data support the duplication of BMP2/4 genes in the lamprey from a single ancestral vertebrate BMP2/4 gene.
Alinhamento entre Formulação e Implementação da Estratégia em Instituições de Ensino Superior no Brasil

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo propor um modelo para alinhar a formulação e implementação da estratégia em Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) por meio da pesquisa quali-quantitativa e survey aplicado com especialistas do Brasil e do exterior. Para construção do modelo foi utilizado o Método de Cenário como ‘input’ e considerados os principais elementos que possibilitam a formulação e implementação da estratégia. Por fim, foi apresentada uma extensão do modelo a partir da contribuição dos especialistas, a fim de ilustrar como os ‘fatores externos’ podem influenciar os ‘fatores internos’ do modelo proposto. Diante disso, essa pesquisa contribuiu para o conhecimento do processo de formulação e implementação da estratégia a partir da proposição do modelo, o qual avança e contribui com o estado da arte existente, constituindo um instrumento relevante para a gestão estratégica das IES.
Balancing control based on states of charge and states of health estimates at cell level

Optimized balancing strategies are required to manage in the long-term the imbalances in batteries with cells strings. They are usually based on voltage monitoring and/or instantaneous estimates of the cells states of charge and aim to equalize the states of the cells at the end of a charge. The present paper proposes to take benefit from estimates of the cells capacity disparities to optimize these strategies. It allows the battery management system to predict the balancing needs in order that each of the cells reaches its individualized objective. After the presentation of the algorithm principle, a focus is done on passive balancing systems. They are implemented for numeric simulations with a Li-ion battery.
Studies on the mechanism of the UVA light-dependent loss of glutathione reductase activity in human lenses.

PURPOSE To determine the mechanism that leads to the UVA light-dependent loss of glutathione reductase (GR) activity in human lens (HL). METHODS Both the HL water-soluble (WS) fraction and yeast GR were irradiated with UVA light (200 mW/(cm(2). h) for 1 hour at +20 degrees C, and the specific activity (SA) was observed. GR apoenzyme (apo-GR) was prepared from either HL-WS fractions or yeast GR by treatment with a cold solution of acidic ammonium sulfate. Reconstitution of apo-GR was conducted by mixing enzyme with an excess of flavine adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and purification of GR on a size-exclusion separation column. RESULTS One hour of UVA photolysis of an HL-WS fraction resulted in a 96% decrease in the SA of GR (6.32 +/- 0.22 vs. 0.39 +/- 0.01 mU/mg lens protein). Action spectra of GR SA in the WS fraction from HL within the range 320 to 500 nm showed that the enzyme was most vulnerable to the wavelengths in the UVA region with the highest decrease in the SA at 320 to 350 nm ( approximately 23%-28% activity loss within 1 hour of irradiation), and lowest with the wavelengths beyond 400 nm (7%-8% SA loss). UVA irradiation of apo-GR in the crude HL-WS fraction, followed by reconstitution with FAD, showed that 90% of the original SA was recovered. The original GR activity either in HL or yeast GR, however, was not recovered by (NH(4))(2)SO(4) (pH 2.25) treatment followed by reconstitution with FAD after UVA photolysis. Experiments with UVA-photolyzed yeast GR revealed that UVA photolysis caused the formation of additional SH groups within the enzyme, as shown by the incorporation of an SH-specific fluorescent probe, 4-(aminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (ABD-F). Similar results were obtained on the photolyzed iodoacetamide-alkylated yeast GR, which was evaluated by matrix-assisted desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. CONCLUSIONS The results show that the reduction of HL GR activity by UVA light was directly linked to the presence of FAD within the enzyme. That the irradiated GR showed de novo formed SH groups argues that UVA photolysis of GR leads to the reduction of the redox-active disulfide within the reaction center of the enzyme, making it inactive.
Prospects for the therapeutic application of sulfated polysaccharides of brown algae in diseases of the cardiovascular system: review

Abstract Context: Fucoidans are water-soluble, highly sulfated, branched homo- and hetero-polysaccharides derived from the fibrillar cell walls and intercellular spaces of brown seaweeds of the class Phaeophyceae. Fucoidans possess mimetic properties of the natural ligands of protein receptors and regulate functions of biological systems via key signaling molecules. Objectives: The aim of this review was to collect and combine all available scientific literature about the potential use of the fucoidans for diseases of cardiovascular system. Materials and methods: The review has been compiled using references from major databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Elsevier, Springer and Google Scholar (up to September 2015). After obtaining all reports from database (a total number is about 580), the papers were carefully analyzed in order to find data related to the topic of this review (129 references). Results: An exhaustive survey of literature revealed that fucoidans possess a broad spectrum of biological activity, including anti-coagulant, hypolipidemic, anti-thrombotic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, anti-adhesive and anti-hypertensive properties. Numerous investigations of fucoidans in diseases of the cardiovascular system mainly focus on pleiotropic anti-inflammatory effects. Fucoidans also possess pro-angiogenic and pro-vasculogenic properties. Conclusion: A great number of investigations in the past years have demonstrated that fucoidans has great potential for in-depth investigation of their effects on cardiovascular system. Through this review, the authors hope to attract the attention of researchers to use fucoidan as mimetic of natural ligand receptor protein with the view of developing new formulations with an improved therapeutic value.
Cybertherapy Meets Facebook, Blogger, and Second Life: an Italian Experience

Our project is based on the study of Cybertherapy in the international sphere (USA, Northern Europe) and on the application of this discipline to the Italian psychiatric and psychological reality. CyberTherapy can be used as an "aim", referring to it as real and proper therapy, which lives on personalized paths created by a qualified staff, conceived as ludic, for recreational, psycoterapic, and educational purpose. Moreover, Cybertherapy can be used as a "mean" (and in this way we want to propose it) with the aim of making the user, who feels a psychiatric or a psychological uneasiness, to become closer to qualified staff; a considerable advantage of this discipline is to reduce to a minimum the initial embarrassment which is created between the specialist and the psychiatric patient, uneasiness stirred up and accentuated by the problem, which is unfortunately not resolved in the Italian sphere of the Stigma.
Immunomodulating effects of ozone on macrophage functions important for tumor surveillance and host defense.

Ozone (O3) is a toxic gaseous pollutant that has been implicated in laboratory studies as a potential lung carcinogen or cocarcinogen in mice. To begin to assess the role of altered macrophage (M phi) responses as a possible mechanism by which O3 may influence carcinogenesis, we examined the effects of repeated in vivo O3 exposure on pulmonary M phi functional and biochemical activities deemed important in tumor surveillance, and host defense in general. Rabbits were exposed by inhalation to 1 ppm O3 for 3 d (2 h/d) and the lungs were lavaged immediately (t0) and 24 h (t24) after exposure. Results demonstrate that O3 reduced M phi viability and increased the number of neutrophils collected immediately after exposure. Effects of O3 on M phi movement were as follows: random migration was depressed immediately after the final exposure and chemotactic migration increased after 24 h. M phi-mediated cytotoxicity toward xenogeneic tumor cells in vitro was significantly depressed, compared to control, immediately and 24 h after O3 exposure. Release of cytotoxic factors deemed important for mediating tumor cell destruction was also assessed. Spontaneous and stimulated production of tumor necrosis factor, as measured by cytotoxicity toward LM cells (a clone of L-929 mouse fibroblasts), was unaffected by exposure to O3. Zymosan-stimulated production of superoxide anion radical (.O2-) was depressed at t0 and increased at t24; however, no significant effects on H2O2 production by resting or zymosan-stimulated M phi were observed at either time interval. Inhaled toxicants such as O3, which can compromise M phi functions important in tumor surveillance, could potentially alter host susceptibility to pulmonary cancer. Results of this study have important implications for human health, and demonstrate the need for further studies examining the carcinogenic/cocarcinogenic potential of O3.