Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributed Regional Weighted Multidimensional Scaling for Network Coordinate System

Network Coordinate System embeds all nodes into a specific metric space and estimate the latency between any node-pair through computing the corresponding metric distance with low-cost. But the metric space is usually uniform while the Internet is heterogeneous since different autonomous systems (AS) always have different routing strategies. To make full use of the clustering characteristic for improving the latency estimating accuracy without any prior knowledge, this paper judges the reference nodes are in the same AS with the target node or not through the metric distance between the target node and the source, and weights them by the Gaussian kernel function. Then the source node can computes a new coordinate to estimates the latency between the target node and itself more precisely. The experiments show this mechanism can reduce the Stress criterion of the entire system by 19.38% without any additional communication overhead, its computation cost is also very small at the same time. DOI : http://dx.doi. org/10.11591/telkomnika.v12i2. 3817
Respiratory adaptation in term infants following elective caesarean section

Objective To determine respiratory rate (RR), tidal volume (TV) and end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) values in full-term infants immediately after caesarean section, and to assess whether infants that develop transient tachypnoea of the newborn (TTN) follow the same physiological patterns. Design and patients A Respironics NM3 Monitor (Philips, Netherlands) continuously measured RR, TV and EtCO2 for 7 min in infants >37 weeks’ gestation following elective caesarean section (ECS). Monitoring was repeated at 2 hours of age for 2 min. Gestation, birth weight, Apgar scores and admissions to neonatal unit were documented. Setting The operative delivery theatre of Cork University Maternity Hospital, Ireland. Results There were 95 term infants born by ECS included. Median (IQR) gestation was 39 weeks (38.2–39.1) and median (IQR) birth weight 3420 g (3155–3740). Median age at initiation of monitoring was 26.5 s (range: 20–39). Data were analysed for the first 7 min of life. Mean breaths per minute (bpm) increased over the first 7 min of life (44.31–61.62). TV and EtCO2 values were correlated and increased from 1 min until maximum mean values were recorded at 3 min after delivery (5.18 mL/kg–6.44 mL/kg, and 4.32 kPa–5.64 kPa, respectively). Infants admitted to the neonatal unit with TTN had significantly lower RRs from 2 min of age compared with infants not admitted for TTN. Conclusions TV and EtCO2 values are correlated and increase significantly over the first few minutes following ECS. RR increases gradually from birth, and rates were lower in infants that develop TTN.
Nephro-Protective Effects of Curcumin, Rosemary and Propolis against Gentamicin Induced Toxicity in Guinea Pigs: Morphological and Biochemical Study

The kidney is a common target for toxic xenobiotics due to its capacity to extract and concentrate toxic substances by highly specialized cells and also, due to its large blood flow. Objective: The present work aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different natural materials (curcumin, rosemary and propolis) against the histological and also biochemical alterations of gentamicin induced nephrotoxicity in guinea pigs. Materials and methods: 48 guinea pigs were used for this study and divided into 8 groups. The first 4 groups were control groups, the 5th group was the experimental and administered gentamicin at a dose of 100 mg/kg body wt for 10 days, and in the 6th , 7th , and 8th groups, gentamicin was co-administered with curcumin, rosemary, and propolis at the doses of 200 mg, 220 mg, and 100 mg/kg body wt respectively. The animals were sacrificed and the kidneys were dissected and specimens were obtained. The specimens were processed for light microscopic examinations. Blood samples were obtained for assessment of urea, creatinine and uric acid levels. Results: In gentamicin treated animals, there were structural changes. The proximal convoluted tubules showed degenerated epithelial lining with disruption of their brush borders and presence of epithelial debris inside their lumens. The renal corpuscle appeared with degeneration of the glomerulus and disrupted Bowman's capsule. The afferent arteriole showed thickening in its wall and degeneration of endothelial lining with extensive perivascular infiltration of inflammatory cells. Massive interstitial hemorrhage was seen. Also, the serum urea, creatinine, and uric acid were elevated. Co-administration of curcumin, rosemary, and propolis significantly improved the structural changes in the kidney and the blood urea, creatinine and uric acid were significantly declined. Conclusion: It can be concluded that, the gentamicin has adverse effects on the kidney. Different natural materials as curcumin, rosemary, and propolis were able to protect the kidney against these effects. So, the patients should be advised to take one of these materials while they are treated by gentamicin.
Relative importance of fluorescent siderophores and other factors in biological control of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici by Pseudomonas fluorescens 2-79 and M4-80R

Pseudomonas fluorescens 2-79 suppresses take-all, a major root disease of wheat caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici. The bacteria produce an antibiotic, phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), and a fluorescent pyoverdin siderophore. Previous studies have established that PCA has an important role in the biological control of take-all but that antibiotic production does not account fully for the suppressiveness of the strain. To define the role of the pyoverdin siderophore more precisely, mutants deficient in production of the antibiotic, the siderophore, or both factors were constructed and compared with the parental strain for control of take-all on wheat roots. In all cases, strains that produced PCA were more suppressive than those that did not, and pyoverdin-deficient mutant derivatives controlled take-all as effectively as their respective fluorescent parental strains. Thus, the phenazine antibiotic was the dominant factor in disease suppression and the fluorescent siderophore had little or no role. The siderophore also was of minor importance in a second strain, P. fluorescens M4-80R, that does not produce PCA. Strains 2-79 and M4-80R both produced substances distinct from the pyoverdin siderophore that were responsible for fungal inhibition in vitro under iron limitation, but these substances also had, at most, a minor role in disease suppression in situ.
Effects of Ag nanoparticles on survival and oxygen consumption of zebra fish embryos, Danio rerio

Ultrafine silver (Ag) particles, defined as having one dimension in 1–100 nanometer (nm) size range, pose a unique threat to aquatic ecosystems due to their wide use in the healthcare and commercial industries. Previous studies have demonstrated some consequences of nanosilver exposure for earlier life stages of aquatic organisms, but few focus on the effects on metabolic processes such as oxygen consumption. Additionally, few authors have tackled the issue of how size, shape and composition of nanosilver particles are important in determining their level of bioactivity and biodistribution in the aquatic environment. In this study, embryos of the zebra fish, Danio rerio, (n = 2373) were exposed to varying concentrations of two Ag particle sizes, 12 and 21 nm, at time points 24 and 48 h after fertilization. The 12 nm particles were found to be more bioactive with a lethal dose 50 (LD50) concentration of 15.8 μg/mL compared to 50.1 μg/mL for 21 nm particles. The effective dose level (ED) was measured as 12.6 μg/mL for the 12 nm particles and 5.0 μg/mL for the 21 nm particles. Using survival curves, we found that in terms of number of particles in suspension, 21 nm particles have a greater impact on survival than 12 nm particles. Our measured respiration rates for 24 and 48 h embryos (n = 528) exposed to 0 0.02–0.14 mg/mL Ag showed no active upregulation of an energetically expensive detoxification pathway at this early point in development. Results from this study illustrate that advancements in the development of environmentally friendly nanoparticles can only occur if there is continued research to identify the most bioactive characteristics of these metallic particles.
The CD14 C-159T polymorphism is not associated with asthma or asthma severity in an Australian adult population

Background: CD14 functions as a multifunctional receptor for bacterial cell wall components including endotoxin and lipopolysaccharide and is likely to play a role in the polarisation of T lymphocytes into Th1 and Th2 subsets, thereby influencing the cytokine profile and subsequent IgE production in response to antigen/allergen contact in allergic phenotypes. A functional C-159T polymorphism has been described in the promoter region of the gene and has been associated with increased gene expression, atopy, and non-atopic asthma in different ethnic populations. A study was undertaken to examine the association between the C-159T polymorphism and asthma, asthma severity, and atopy in a large Australian white population. Methods: PCR-RFLP analysis was used to characterise the C-159T polymorphism in mild (n = 264), moderate (n = 225) and severe (n = 79) asthmatic patients and non-asthmatic controls (n = 443), including atopic (n = 688) and non-atopic (n = 323) individuals. Association analyses were performed using χ2 tests. Results: There was no association between the polymorphism and asthma (p = 0.468) or asthma severity (p = 0.727), and only a very weak association with atopy (p = 0.084). A meta-analysis of all studies conducted to date revealed similar genotypic frequencies in white ethnic populations and confirmed that there was no overall association with atopy (p = 0.52) or asthma (p = 0.23), although there was significant between study heterogeneity (p = 0.01). Conclusions: This study confirms that there is no association between the CD14 C-159T polymorphism and asthma or asthma severity and a weak association between this polymorphism and atopy in an adult population.
Achieving Millennium Development Goal 5: is India serious?

India has the largest number of births per year (27 million) in the world.1 With its high maternal mortality of about 300–500 per 100 000 births, about 75 000 to 150 000 maternal deaths occur every year in India.2,3 This is about 20% of the global burden hence India’s progress in reducing maternal deaths is crucial to the global achievement of Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG 5). Why is India’s maternal mortality high in spite of rapid economic growth? We believe the key reasons are political, administrative and managerial rather than a lack of technical knowledge.
Evolution of stickleback in 50 years on earthquake-uplifted islands

Significance On several Alaskan islands, phenotypically variable threespine stickleback fish now live in ponds that were formed during uplift caused by the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake. We analyzed phenotypic and genome-wide genetic divergence of resident freshwater and oceanic threespine stickleback populations from three islands. These data support the hypothesis that the freshwater populations evolved repeatedly from their oceanic ancestors in the past half-century, and have differentiated to nearly the same extent as populations that were founded thousands of years ago. This work raises the possibility that much of the evolution that occurs when oceanic stickleback invade fresh water takes place in fewer than 50 generations after colonization, rather than gradually over thousands of years. How rapidly can animal populations in the wild evolve when faced with sudden environmental shifts? Uplift during the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake abruptly created freshwater ponds on multiple islands in Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska. In the short time since the earthquake, the phenotypes of resident freshwater threespine stickleback fish on at least three of these islands have changed dramatically from their oceanic ancestors. To test the hypothesis that these freshwater populations were derived from oceanic ancestors only 50 y ago, we generated over 130,000 single-nucleotide polymorphism genotypes from more than 1,000 individuals using restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq). Population genomic analyses of these data support the hypothesis of recent and repeated, independent colonization of freshwater habitats by oceanic ancestors. We find evidence of recurrent gene flow between oceanic and freshwater ecotypes where they co-occur. Our data implicate natural selection in phenotypic diversification and support the hypothesis that the metapopulation organization of this species helps maintain a large pool of genetic variation that can be redeployed rapidly when oceanic stickleback colonize freshwater environments. We find that the freshwater populations, despite population genetic analyses clearly supporting their young age, have diverged phenotypically from oceanic ancestors to nearly the same extent as populations that were likely founded thousands of years ago. Our results support the intriguing hypothesis that most stickleback evolution in fresh water occurs within the first few decades after invasion of a novel environment.
Radiologic Classification of Joint Destruction in Juvenile Chronic Arthritis

A radiologic classification of the destruction of the large joints in juvenile chronic arthritis is described. Its principles are the same as previously published by the authors for evaluation of the knee joint. Osteoporosis, enlargement or other growth disturbance of the bone ends, cyst formation, erosions or deformation of the subchondral joint surface is expressed in terms of a score. In a retrospective study of 74 examinations of the large joints in 30 patients aged 6–18 years, the suggested classification was used. The radiologic score obtained had a good correlation to the clinical findings.
Identification of an rsh Gene from a Novosphingobium sp. Necessary for Quorum-Sensing Signal Accumulation

ABSTRACT The stringent response is a mechanism by which bacteria adapt to environmental stresses and nutritional deficiencies through the synthesis and hydrolysis of (p)ppGpp by RelA/SpoT enzymes. Alphaproteobacteria and plants contain a single Rsh enzyme (named for RelA/SpoT homolog) that is bifunctional. Here we report the identification of a new species of bacteria belonging to the genus Novosphingobium and characterization of an rsh mutation in this plant tumor-associated isolate. Isolate Rr 2-17, from a grapevine crown gall tumor, is a member of the Novosphingobium genus that produces the N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) quorum-sensing (QS) signals. A Tn5 mutant, Hx 699, deficient in AHL production was found to have an insertion in an rsh gene. The Rsh protein showed significant percent sequence identity to Rsh proteins of alphaproteobacteria. The Novosphingobium sp. rsh gene (rsh Nsp) complemented the multiple amino acid requirements of the Escherichia coli relA spoT double mutant by restoring the growth on selection media. Besides QS signal production, the rsh mutation also affects soluble polysaccharide production and cell aggregation. Genetic complementation of the Hx 699 mutant with the rsh Nsp gene restored these phenotypes. This is the first discovery of a functional rsh gene in a member of the Novosphingobium genus.
Chlamydia– Host Cell Interactions: Recent Advances on Bacterial Entry and Intracellular Development

Bacteria of the Chlamydiales order are very successful intracellular organisms that grow in human and animal cells, and even in amoebae. They fulfill several essential functions to enter their host cells, establish an intracellular environment favorable for their multiplication and exit the host cell. They multiply in a unique organelle called the inclusion, which is isolated from the endocytic but not the exocytic pathway. A combination of host cell factors and of proteins secreted by the bacteria, from within the inclusion, contribute to the establishment and development of this inclusion. Here we review recent data on the entry mechanisms and maturation of the inclusion.
Prevention of arterial stiffening by pyridoxamine in diabetes is associated with inhibition of the pathogenic glycation on aortic collagen

Background and purpose: Our team previously demonstrated that diabetes induces a deterioration in vascular dynamics, in parallel with the enhanced formation of advanced glycation end products. The aim of this study was to determine whether prevention of the arterial stiffening by pyridoxamine in diabetes is associated with inhibition of the pathogenic glycation on aortic collagen.
In Vitro Nitrosation of Insulin A- and B-Chains

The physiological roles of insulin and nitric oxide (NO) have recently been recognized by several studies. A diversity of chemical modifications of insulin is reported both in vivo and in vitro. S-nitrosation, the covalent linkage of NO to cysteine-free thiol, is recognized as an important post-translational regulation in many proteins. Here, we report the in vitro synthesis of a S-nitrosothiol of bovine insulin A- and B-chains. These compounds were characterized by their HPLC chromatographic behavior, monitored by UV visible spectroscopy and electron spray ionization mass spectrometry. The experimental results indicate that each A- and B-chain were S-nitrosated with only one NO group. Stability and solubility of these synthesized derivatives is described for physiological purposes. In this work, nitroso A- and B-chains of insulin were synthesized in vitro in order to better understand the possible interactions between insulin and NO that may be involved in the etiology of insulin resistance.
The State of Fair Value Accounting, Global Financial Crisis and Implications to Thailand

It can be expected that the accounting of object economy have been eroded to the accounting of the monetary economy so to speak when applying it to the world of accounting. We should not confuse information "disclosure" (provision of information, A Statement of Basic Accounting Theory so-called ASOBAT 1966) with the accounting "calculation" (the adjustment of interest). Strengthening information disclosure and the evolution of the accounting calculation is not same thing. The feature of recent accounting movement is that the information disclosure intention has come out strongly forward. In the accounting standard (rule), there are a standard related to the accounting calculation and a standard related to disclosure. The request to a latter rule has risen relatively today. The main reasons are in diversity, the upgrade, and the complication (expansion) of the monetary economy rather than the influence of the object economy. In such a situation, the evaluation judge function is also requested under the name of the accounting and the audit. Personally we believe that finance is supposed to play a supportive role for growth of object economy. Originally, computational or mathematical finance was for object economy to hedge the risk of creation of credit. Ironically, this "advanced scientific approach" drove up current financial crisis (as one of the most significant factors). What the world needing now is not engineering (skill) but a philosophy (thought), ethics rather than technique. The object economy bears the value creation, and there is finance only to support it (at least originally it was so). The philosophy for improving society is supposed to play more significant role and this is the original ideal way of scholarship hence power of wisdom. The evolution of the technology (e.g., mathematical financial tool) does not make the person happy at once. The present-day that the opposite has occurred is good example of this.
2 . 3 “ Masspersonal ” Maintenance : Convergence of Interpersonal and Mass Media Channels

As social network websites (SNSs) occupy the intersection of both interpersonal and mass media communication, the current research examined how public, private, and “masspersonal” features of SNSs affect relational maintenance between romantic couples. In Study 1, a survey of 309 Facebook users revealed that increases in dyadic public and private maintenance, and network maintenance communication were associated with greater feelings of presence and satisfaction. However, public and private dyadic maintenance had opposite relationships with partner uncertainty. To further examine these patterns, Study 2 employed an in-depth content analysis of maintenance messages. Results from a sample of 94 Facebook users’ maintenance messages indicated that selection of public and private SNS channels varied with respect to the valence and intimacy of the message.
Reaching the poorest : lessons from the graduation model

Microfinance is about extending financial access to poor and excluded people. However, apart from a few notable exceptions, microfinance has not typically reached extremely poor people those at the lowest level of the economic ladder. The majority of the world's estimated 150 million microcredit clients are thought to live just below and, more often, just above the poverty line. This achievement is not negligible since, for most of these clients, the only other options are informal sources of finance that are often more costly and less reliable. This paper highlights the lessons learned from the graduation program first by describing how the model works and how various partner organizations implement it in the field. A subsequent section distills the early findings and is followed by a section on costs. The final section takes stock of the learning to date, including key constraints and outstanding questions.
Fast Food Marketing and the African American Consumers

Abstract Although African American consumers form a large and growing market segment, relatively little study has been done on their fast food consumption preferences. This paper examines the frequency of patronizing fast food restaurants by this important sub-cultural group, the criteria that they use to evaluate service quality in fast food restaurants, as well as the socio-economic and demographic factors that determine these. Results show that “hygiene and reliability,” “expeditiousness,” “availability,” and “courtesy” are the four dimensions of service quality most important to this group of consumers. Gender, age, income, and marital status were found to influence their patronage frequency, as well as the service quality evaluative criteria. Managerial implications of these findings for international fast food marketers are discussed, and directions for future research are given.
The Governance of Not-for-Profit Organizations

Not-for-profit organizations play a critical role in the American economy. In health care, education, culture, and religion, we trust not-for-profit firms to serve the interests of their donors, customers, employees, and society at large. We know that such firms don't try to maximize profits, but what do they maximize? This book attempts to answer that question, assembling leading experts on the economics of the not-for-profit sector to examine the problems of the health care industry, art museums, universities, and even the medieval church. Contributors look at a number of different aspects of not-for-profit operations, from the problems of fundraising, endowments, and governance to specific issues like hospital advertising. The picture that emerges is complex and surprising. In some cases, not-for-profit firms appear to work extremely well: competition for workers, customers, and donors leads not-for-profit organizations to function as efficiently as any for-profit firm. In other contexts, large endowments and weak governance allow elite workers to maximize their own interests, rather than those of their donors, customers, or society at large. Taken together, these papers greatly advance our knowledge of the dynamics and operations of not-for-profit organizations, revealing the under-explored systems of pressures and challenges that shape their governance.