Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Demonstration of p47phox-Dependent Superoxide Anion Production in Murine Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Background—Previous investigations provide evidence that an enzyme related to the phagocyte NADPH oxidase produces superoxide in the blood vessel wall. These data, however, are confounded by observations that both NADPH and NADH serve as substrates for superoxide production in vascular cells. To clarify this issue, we compared the superoxide-generating capabilities of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) derived from wild-type (p47phox+/+;ph agocyte ox idase) mice with those from mice that lack p47phox (p47phox−/−; “knockout”), an essential component of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase. Methods and Results—VSMCs were derived from aortic explants harvested from p47phox+/+ or p47phox−/− mice. VSMCs from p47phox+/+ but not those from p47phox−/− mice produced superoxide after stimulation by phorbol myristate acetate. Consistent with this, p47phox was detected only in p47phox+/+ VSMCs. p47phox-transduced p47phox−/− but not enhanced green fluorescent protein-transduced p47phox−/− VSMCs generated significant levels of superoxide after stimulation by angiotensin II or platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). Enhanced expression of recombinant p47phox in p47phox-transduced p47phox−/− cells correlated with superoxide production in these cells. Conclusions—These data provide direct functional proof that an oxidase requiring the p47phox component mediates superoxide release from VSMCs in the blood vessel wall in response to angiotensin II or PDGF-BB.
MONOAMINES IN THE CAROTID BODY CELLS OF THE CAT

The presence of monoamines in the carotid body cells of the cat was investigated using histochemical methods, microspectrofluorometry and chemical analyses. Large amounts of norepinephrine (31 to 51 ng/carotid body), dopamine (122 to 131 ng/carotid body) and DOPA (86 to 150 ng/carotid body) were found in pooled tissues analyzed with specific chemical techniques. The majority of the glomus cells exhibited an intense fluorescence after formaldehyde treatment, having a spectrum characteristic of catecholamines. Some, but not all, of these cells gave a fluorescence reaction with the trihydroxyindole histochemical method. It is concluded that most of the glomus cells contain norepinephrine or DOPA or a combination of these two compounds while some cells contain only dopamine. A few yellow fluorescent cells were also found after formaldehyde treatment which probably contain 5-hydroxytryptamine.
What makes orphans in Kigali, Rwanda, non-adherent to antiretroviral therapy? Perspectives of their caregivers

Every year, approximately 260,000 children are infected with HIV in low‐ and middle‐income countries. The timely initiation and high level of maintenance of antiretroviral therapy (ART) are crucial to reducing the suffering of HIV‐positive children. We need to develop a better understanding of the background of children's ART non‐adherence because it is not well understood. The purpose of this study is to explore the background related to ART non‐adherence, specifically in relation to the orphan status of children in Kigali, Rwanda.
Profiling of the Molecular Weight and Structural Isomer Abundance of Macroalgae-Derived Phlorotannins

Phlorotannins are a group of complex polymers of phloroglucinol (1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene) unique to macroalgae. These phenolic compounds are integral structural components of the cell wall in brown algae, but also play many secondary ecological roles such as protection from UV radiation and defense against grazing. This study employed Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry to investigate isomeric complexity and observed differences in phlorotannins derived from macroalgae harvested off the Irish coast (Fucus serratus, Fucus vesiculosus, Himanthalia elongata and Cystoseira nodicaulis). Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content assays were used as an index for producing phlorotannin fractions, enriched using molecular weight cut-off dialysis with subsequent flash chromatography to profile phlorotannin isomers in these macroalgae. These fractions were profiled using UPLC-MS with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and the level of isomerization for specific molecular weight phlorotannins between 3 and 16 monomers were determined. The majority of the low molecular weight (LMW) phlorotannins were found to have a molecular weight range equivalent to 4–12 monomers of phloroglucinol. The level of isomerization within the individual macroalgal species differed, resulting in substantially different numbers of phlorotannin isomers for particular molecular weights. F. vesiculosus had the highest number of isomers of 61 at one specific molecular mass, corresponding to 12 phloroglucinol units (PGUs). These results highlight the complex nature of these extracts and emphasize the challenges involved in structural elucidation of these compounds.
Credible Research Designs for Minimum Wage Studies

The authors assess the critique by Neumark, Salas, and Wascher (2014) of minimum wage studies that found small effects on teen employment. Data from 1979 to 2014 contradict NSW; the authors show that the disemployment suggested by a model assuming parallel trends across U.S. states mostly reflects differential pre-existing trends. A data-driven LASSO procedure that optimally corrects for state trends produces a small employment elasticity (–0.01). Even a highly sparse model rules out substantial disemployment effects, contrary to NSW’s claim that the authors discard too much information. Synthetic controls do place more weight on nearby states—confirming the value of regional controls—and generate an elasticity of −0.04. A similar elasticity (−0.06) obtains from a design comparing contiguous border counties, which the authors show to be good controls. NSW’s preferred matching estimates mix treatment and control units, obtain poor matches, and find the highest employment declines where the relative minimum wage falls. These findings refute NSW’s key claims.
Undominated Groves Mechanisms

The family of Groves mechanisms, which includes the well-known VCG mechanism (also known as the Clarke mechanism), is a family of efficient and strategy-proof mechanisms. Unfortunately, the Groves mechanisms are generally not budget balanced. That is, under such mechanisms, payments may flow into or out of the system of the agents, resulting in deficits or reduced utilities for the agents. We consider the following problem: within the family of Groves mechanisms, we want to identify mechanisms that give the agents the highest utilities, under the constraint that these mechanisms must never incur deficits. We adopt a prior-free approach. We introduce two general measures for comparing mechanisms in prior-free settings. We say that a non-deficit Groves mechanism M individually dominates another non-deficit Groves mechanism M' if for every type profile, every agent's utility under M is no less than that under M', and this holds with strict inequality for at least one type profile and one agent. We say that a non-deficit Groves mechanism M collectively dominates another non-deficit Groves mechanism M' if for every type profile, the agents' total utility under M is no less than that under M', and this holds with strict inequality for at least one type profile. The above definitions induce two partial orders on non-deficit Groves mechanisms. We study the maximal elements corresponding to these two partial orders, which we call the individually undominated mechanisms and the collectively undominated mechanisms, respectively.
Circadian Control of Messenger RNA Stability. Association with a Sequence-Specific Messenger RNA Decay Pathway1[w]

Transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation are well-established mechanisms for circadian gene expression. Among the latter, differential messenger RNA (mRNA) stability has been hypothesized to control gene expression in response to the clock. However, direct proof that the rate of mRNA turnover can be regulated by the clock is lacking. Previous microarray expression data for unstable mRNAs in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) revealed that mRNA instability is associated with a group of genes controlled by the circadian clock. Here, we show that CCR-LIKE (CCL) and SENESCENCE ASSOCIATED GENE 1 transcripts are differentially regulated at the level of mRNA stability at different times of day. In addition, the changes in CCL mRNA stability continue under free-running conditions, indicating that it is controlled by the Arabidopsis circadian clock. Furthermore, we show that these mRNAs are targets of the mRNA degradation pathway mediated by the downstream (DST) instability determinant. Disruption of the DST-mediated decay pathway in the dst1 mutant leads to aberrant circadian mRNA oscillations that correlate with alterations of the half-life of CCL mRNA relative to parental plants in the morning and afternoon. That this is due to an effect on the circadian control is evidenced by mRNA decay experiments carried out in continuous light. Finally, we show that the defects exhibited by dst mutants are reflected by an impact on circadian regulation at the whole plant level. Together, these results demonstrate that regulation of mRNA stability is important for clock-controlled expression of specific genes in Arabidopsis. Moreover, these data uncover a connection between circadian rhythms and a sequence-specific mRNA decay pathway.
Beyond Photo-Consistency: Shape, Reflectance, and Material Estimation Using Light-Field Cameras

Light-field cameras have recently become easily accessible in the consumer market, making applications such as post-shot refocusing and viewpoint parallax possible. An important benefit of light-field cameras for computer vision is that multiple viewpoints or subapertures are available in a single light-field image, enabling passive depth estimation. However, most existing approaches are based on photo-consistency, i.e., all viewpoints exhibit the same color when focused to the correct depth. This assumption does not hold in a number of circumstances, e.g., in the presence of occlusions, and when the surface is not Lambertian.In this thesis, we refrain from assuming photo-consistency, and explicitly deal with the situations where it fails to hold. First, we propose a novel framework that can handle occlusions when estimating depth, so we are able to get sharper occlusion boundaries in the obtained depth maps. Next, we extend traditional optical flow to the case of glossy surfaces, and derive a spatially-varying (SV) BRDF invariant equation. Using this equation, we can then recover both shape and reflectance simultaneously using light-field cameras. Finally, we show an application of recognizing materials in light-field images, based on the reflectance information extracted using learning-based methods. By looking beyond photo-consistency, we are able to estimate better depths and recover reflectance and material types, which can be useful for a variety of vision and graphics applications.
A hybrid workload model for wireless metropolitan area networks

Wireless local and metropolitan area networks are en route to complement 2nd and 3rd generation cellular networks to provide for broadband wireless access for mobile users. The characterization and generation of realistic workload is important to allow for accurate network planning and traffic engineering. In this paper, we present the instantiation of a novel workload model, which is a hybrid of an empirical mobility model and a synthetic traffic model. We focus on the effects which are induced by user mobility. The model clearly separates the influence of mobility and traffic to allow for greater flexibility. Thus, we are able to integrate different traffic characteristics on top of our mobility model elegantly. We present results for the example of a real city and compare our model to existing synthetic models. Our findings are, that our model is able to cover the macroscopic effects of real world behavior more precise than currently available workload models.
GmFT2a Polymorphism and Maturity Diversity in Soybeans

Background Soybean is a short-day crop of agricultural, ecological, and economic importance. The sensitive photoperiod responses significantly limit its breeding and adaptation. GmFT2a, a putative florigen gene with different transcription profiles in two cultivars (late-maturing Zigongdongdou and early-maturing Heihe 27) with different maturity profiles, is key to flowering and maturation. However, up to now, its role in the diverse patterns of maturation in soybeans has been poorly understood. Methods Eighty varieties, including 19 wild accessions, covering 11 of all 13 maturity groups, were collected. They were planted in pots and maintained under different photoperiodicity conditions (SD, short day; LD, long day; and ND, natural day). The day to first flowering was recorded and the sensitivity to photoperiod was investigated. Polymorphisms in the GmFT2a coding sequence were explored by searching the known SNP database (NCBI dbSNP). The GmFT2a promoter regions were then cloned from these varieties and sequenced. Further polymorphism and association analyses were conducted. Results These varieties varied greatly in time to first flowering under ND and exhibited a consecutive distribution of photoperiod sensitivity, which suggested that there is rich diversity in flowering time. Furthermore, although GmFT2a had only one known synonymous SNP in the coding sequence, there were 17 haplotypes of the GmFT2a promoter region, HT06 of which was extremely abundant. Further association analysis found some SNPs that might be associated with day to first flowering and photoperiod sensitivity. Conclusion Although GmFT2a is a key flowering gene, GmFT2a polymorphism does not appear to be responsible for maturity diversity in soybean.
Mixed synchronous/asynchronous state memory for low power FSM design

Finite state machine (FSM) partitioning proves effective for power optimization. In this paper we propose a design model based on mixed synchronous/asynchronous state memory that results in implementations with low power dissipation and low area overhead for partitioned FSMs. The state memory here is composed of the synchronous local state memory and asynchronous global state memory, where the former is used to distinguish the states inside a sub-FSM, and the latter is responsible for controlling sub-FSM communication. The input and output behaviour of the decomposed FSM is cycle by cycle equivalent to the undecomposed synchronous FSM. Together with clock gating technique, substantial power reduction can be demonstrated.
Black and Hispanic Men Perceived to Be Large Are at Increased Risk for Police Frisk, Search, and Force

Social justice issues remain some of the most pressing problems in the United States. One aspect of social justice involves the differential treatment of demographic groups in the criminal justice system. While data consistently show that Blacks and Hispanics are often treated differently than Whites, one understudied aspect of these disparities is how police officers' assessments of suspects' size affects their decisions. Using over 3 million cases from the New York Police Department (NYPD) Stop, Question, and Frisk (SQF) Database, 2006–2013, this study is the first to explore suspects' race, perceived size, and police treatment. Results indicate that tall and heavy black and Hispanic men are at the greatest risk for frisk or search. Tall and heavy suspects are at increased risk for experiencing police force, with black and Hispanic men being more likely to experience force than white men across size categories.
Honest sexual signalling mediated by parasite and testosterone effects on oxidative balance

Extravagant ornaments evolved to advertise their bearers' quality, the honesty of the signal being ensured by the cost paid to produce or maintain it. The oxidation handicap hypothesis (OHH) proposes that a main cost of testosterone-dependent ornamentation is oxidative stress, a condition whereby the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) overwhelms the capacity of antioxidant defences. ROS/RNS are unstable, very reactive by-products of normal metabolic processes that can cause extensive damage to key biomolecules (cellular proteins, lipids and DNA). Oxidative stress has been implicated in the aetiology of many diseases and could link ornamentation and genetic variation in fitness-related traits. We tested the OHH in a free-living bird, the red grouse. We show that elevated testosterone enhanced ornamentation and increased circulating antioxidant levels, but caused oxidative damage. Males with smaller ornaments suffered more oxidative damage than those with larger ornaments when forced to increase testosterone levels, consistent with a handicap mechanism. Parasites depleted antioxidant defences, caused oxidative damage and reduced ornament expression. Oxidative damage extent and the ability of males to increase antioxidant defences also explained the impacts of testosterone and parasites on ornamentation within treatment groups. Because oxidative stress is intimately linked to immune function, parasite resistance and fitness, it provides a reliable currency in the trade-off between individual health and ornamentation. The costs induced by oxidative stress can apply to a wide range of signals, which are testosterone-dependent or coloured by pigments with antioxidant properties.
Forces in the normal and abnormal hand

An analytc model for human hand force analysis was developed through anatomical study and measurement of multiple cadaveric specimens. A method of solution was developed to determine muscle and joint force distributions under various isometric hand functions. Applications of this model to abnormal conditions include studying the effects of tendon laceration, neuromuscular weakness, and surgical restoration by tendon transfer. Limitations and further applications of the model are discussed in detail.
A unifying modeling of plant shoot gravitropism with an explicit account of the effects of growth

Gravitropism, the slow reorientation of plant growth in response to gravity, is a major determinant of the form and posture of land plants. Recently a universal model of shoot gravitropism, the AC model, was presented, in which the dynamics of the tropic movement is only determined by the conflicting controls of (1) graviception that tends to curve the plants toward the vertical, and (2) proprioception that tends to keep the stem straight. This model was found to be valid for many species and over two orders of magnitude of organ size. However, the motor of the movement, the elongation, was purposely neglected in the AC model. If growth effects are to be taken into account, it is necessary to consider the material derivative, i.e., the rate of change of curvature bound to expanding and convected organ elements. Here we show that it is possible to rewrite the material equation of curvature in a compact simplified form that directly expresses the curvature variation as a function of the median elongation and of the distribution of the differential growth. By using this extended model, called the ACĖ model, growth is found to have two main destabilizing effects on the tropic movement: (1) passive orientation drift, which occurs when a curved element elongates without differential growth, and (2) fixed curvature, when an element leaves the elongation zone and is no longer able to actively change its curvature. By comparing the AC and ACĖ models to experiments, these two effects are found to be negligible. Our results show that the simplified AC mode can be used to analyze gravitropism and posture control in actively elongating plant organs without significant information loss.
A Kernel Revision Operator for Terminologies

In this paper, we propose a new method for revising terminologies in description logic-based ontologies. Our revision method is a reformulation of the kernel revision operator in belief revision. We first define our revision operator for terminologies in terms of MIPS (minimal incoherence-preserving sub-terminologies), and we show that it satisfies some desirable logical properties. Second, two concrete algorithms are developed to implement the revision operator.
ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF GAMIFIED ACTIVITIES IN THE CLASSROOM

This paper presents a case study of developing gamified activities in the classroom, supported by simple web-based software tools. The followed gamification approach consists of the instantiation of a generic framework for the design and implementation of gamified activities in a given context, which aims to establish the appropriate player types and gamification mechanics for that context. Such instantiation of the framework is preliminary evaluated in a user study with Higher Education students, validating the approach and bringing ideas about how to develop effective gamified e-learning activities.
Continuous user authentication using temporal information

Conventional computer systems authenticate users only at the initial log-in session, which can be the cause of a critical security flaw. To resolve this problem, systems need continuous user authentication methods that continuously monitor and authenticate users based on some biometric trait(s). We propose a new method for continuous user authentication based on a Webcam that monitors a logged in user's face and color of clothing. Our method can authenticate users regardless of their posture in front of the workstation (laptop or PC). Previous methods for continuous user authentication cannot authenticate users without biometric observation. To alleviate this requirement, our method uses color information of users' clothing as an enrollment template in addition to their face information. The system cannot pre-register the clothing color information because this information is not permanent. To deal with the problem, our system automatically registers this information every time the user logs in and then fuses it with the conventional (password) identification system. We report preliminary authentication results and future enhancements to the proposed system.
Stability Considerations in Thermoelastic Contact

A simple one-dimensional model is described in which thermoelastic contact conditions gioe rise to nonuniqueness of solution. The stability of the various steady-state solutions discovered is investigated using a perturbation method. The results can be expressed in terms of the minimization of a certain energy function, but the authors have so far been unable to justify the use of such a function from first principles in view of the nonconservative nature of the system.