Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mutation of the HEXIM1 Gene Results in Defects During Heart and Vascular Development Partly Through Downregulation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor

Our previous studies and those of others indicated that the transcription factor Hexamethylene-bis-acetamide-inducible protein 1 (HEXIM1) is a tumor suppressor and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, and that these HEXIM1 functions are mainly dependent on its C-terminal region. We provide evidence here that the HEXIM1 C-terminal region is critical for cardiovascular development. HEXIM1 protein was detected in the heart during critical time periods in cardiac growth and chamber maturation. We created mice carrying an insertional mutation in the HEXIM1 gene that disrupted its C-terminal region and found that this resulted in prenatal lethality. Heart defects in HEXIM11 to 312 mice included abnormal coronary patterning and thin ventricular walls. The thin myocardium can be partly attributed to increased apoptosis. Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecular precursor-1 staining of HEXIM11 to 312 heart sections revealed decreased vascularization of the myocardium despite the presence of coronary vasculature in the epicardium. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), known to affect angioblast invasion and myocardial proliferation and survival, was decreased in HEXIM11 to 312 mice compared with control littermates. We also observed decreased fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) expression, suggesting that effects of HEXIM1 in the myocardium are partly mediated through epicardial FGF9 signaling. Together our results suggest that HEXIM1 plays critical roles in coronary vessel development and myocardial growth. The basis for this role of HEXIM1 is that VEGF is a direct transcriptional target of HEXIM1, and involves attenuation a repressive effects of C/EBP&agr; on VEGF gene transcription.
Bmc Evolutionary Biology the Evolutionary History of Cytochrome P450 Genes in Four Filamentous Ascomycetes

Background: The Cytochrome P450 system is important in fungal evolution for adapting to novel ecological niches. To elucidate the evolutionary process of cytochrome P450 genes in fungi with different life styles, we studied the patterns of gene gains and losses in the genomes of four filamentous Ascomycetes, including two saprotrophs (Aspergillus nidulans (AN) and Neurospora crassa (NC)) and two plant pathogens (Fusarium graminearum (FG) and Magnaporthe grisea (MG)).
Preparing for Peace: Military Identity, Value Orientations, and Professional Military Education

Foreword by The Honorable Sean O'Keefe Preface Global Security after the Cold War Resolving Identity Tensions Military Identity: Old Ammo in New Weapons? Duty, Honor, Country: The West Point Experience Learning Peace: Value-Orientations of West Point Cadets The Social Identity of West Point Cadets Professional Military Education: From Student to Officer Warriors for Peace: Socializing Military Leaders for Shifting Roles References Index
Deception detection through automatic, unobtrusive analysis of nonverbal behavior

Every day, hundreds of thousands of people pass through airport security checkpoints, border crossing stations, or other security screening measures. Security professionals must sift through countless interactions and ferret out high-risk individuals who represent a danger to other citizens. During each interaction, the security professional must decide whether the individual is being forthright or deceptive. This task is difficult because of the limits of human vigilance and perception and the small percentage of individuals who actually harbor hostile intent. Our research initiative is based on a behavioral approach to deception detection. We attempted to build an automated system that can infer deception or truthfulness from a set of features extracted from head and hands movements in a video. A validated and reliable behaviorally based deception analysis system could potentially have great impacts in augmenting humans' abilities to assess credibility. An automated, unobtrusive system identifies behavioral patterns that indicate deception from nonverbal behavioral cues and classifies deception and truth more accurately than many humans.
Computational Simulation of Urinary System

The aim of the present study is to create a computational model of the ureteral system that accurately mimics its dynamic functionality. This model will be able to replicate the peristaltic movement of the ureter for a variety of physiological conditions. The objective of this research was met using our in-house fluid solid interaction model, known as coupled Cgles-Y-code in which the moving boundaries between the solid and fluid domain were replicated using a novel immersed boundary method. First, a comprehensive literature review on ureteral physiology was conducted with a focus on the anatomy of the ureter and theories behind mechanisms of ureteral peristaltic function in various physiological and pathological conditions. Next, the nonlinear tensile properties of the ureteral wall were integrated into the Y-code using the equivalent strain method and the resulting model was compared with a model with linear tensile properties. It was shown that the implementation of nonlinear tensile properties was more accurate and more closely matched the behaviour of the native ureteral wall. Next, the development of more anatomically accurate ureter model geometry was presented along with a variety of approaches to optimise the mesh resolution for this complex model. A new algorithm was then developed in order to model the Intra-Abdominal Pressure (IAP) into the Y-code. Next, two separate contraction models, constant radial and time-window-frame, were introduced. It was observed that a use of the time-window-frame contraction model coupled with the IAP algorithm exhibited a better agreement with the existing clinical data than the constant radial contraction model. Finally, a comprehensive study was conducted on the urodynamic responses when different pathological conditions are modelled. The results from using a linear tensile model, replicating an unhealthy condition, showed a high level of shear stress around the contraction lumen and a higher urine velocity in vicinity of the contraction region. In another scenario, a highly depressed amplitude of peristalsis, known to be a consequence of taking vasodilators, was simulated. It was shown that an inefficient contraction can increase the possibility of continuous reflux during the propagation of peristalsis.
Touching a Rubber Hand: Feeling of Body Ownership Is Associated with Activity in Multisensory Brain Areas

In the “rubber-hand illusion,” the sight of brushing of a rubber hand at the same time as brushing of the person's own hidden hand is sufficient to produce a feeling of ownership of the fake hand. We shown previously that this illusion is associated with activity in the multisensory areas, most notably the ventral premotor cortex (Ehrsson et al., 2004). However, it remains to be demonstrated that this illusion does not simply reflect the dominant role of vision and that the premotor activity does not reflect a visual representation of an object near the hand. To address these issues, we introduce a somatic rubber-hand illusion. The experimenter moved the blindfolded participant's left index finger so that it touched the fake hand, and simultaneously, he touched the participant's real right hand, synchronizing the touches as perfectly as possible. After ∼9.7 s, this stimulation elicited an illusion that one was touching one's own hand. We scanned brain activity during this illusion and two control conditions, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Activity in the ventral premotor cortices, intraparietal cortices, and the cerebellum was associated with the illusion of touching one's own hand. Furthermore, the rated strength of the illusion correlated with the degree of premotor and cerebellar activity. This finding suggests that the activity in these areas reflects the detection of congruent multisensory signals from one's own body, rather than of visual representations. We propose that this could be the mechanism for the feeling of body ownership.
Inflation and unemployment in Iceland in the light of natural-rate theory

This paper uses Icelandic data to assess standard methods for estimating the natural rate of unemployment. Surprisingly, estimating the path of the natural rate of unemployment for the period 1990-1998 produces a natural-rate path that mirrors the path taken by actual unemployment. The paper goes on to show that this result is misleading for three reasons: First, the unemployment spells of low-income workers appear to have been partly voluntary and their unemployment therefore did not exert much downward pressure on wages and prices, nor did their reemployment at the end of the 1990s threaten price stability. Second, the influx of foreign workers during the recent boom reduced inflationary pressures. Taken together, the two effects caused the effective labour force to adjust to changes in the demand for labour, hence obscuring the relationship between inflation and unemployment over the cycle. In addition, there is an asymmetry in any effect unemployment may have on inflation in that wages and prices exhibit downward rigidity at low inflation rates. As a result, estimating the level of the natural rate of unemployment using data on inflation and unemployment tends to be misleading at low inflation rates.
Do Borders Matter for Social Capital? Economic Growth and Civic Culture in U.S. States and Canadian Provinces

The paper first assesses regional and ethnic group differences in social trust and memberships in both Canada and the United States. The ethnic categories people choose to describe themselves are as important as regional differences, but much less important than education, in explaining differences in trust. Respondents who qualify their nationality by any of seven adjectives, a feature more prevalent in the United States than in Canada, (black, white, Hispanic and Asian in the United States; French, English and Ethnic in Canada) have lower levels of trust than those who consider themselves Canadians or Americans either first or only. The dispersion of incomes across states or provinces has been dropping in both countries, but faster in Canada than in the United States. The 1980s increase in regional income disparity in the United States has no parallel in Canada. In neither country is there evidence that per capita economic growth is faster in regions marked by high levels of trust. However, U.S. migrants tend to move to states with higher perceived levels of trust, thus contributing to higher total growth in those states. The economic responsiveness of migration appears to be even stronger in Canada than in the United States, despite the much more extensive systems of fiscal equalization and social safety nets in Canada.
SOURCE CODE OPTIMIZATIONS FOR LOW POWER CONSUMPTION ON MICROPROCESSOR-BASED SYSTEMS By

of Thesis Presented to the Office of Graduate Studies of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science SOURCE CODE OPTIMIZATIONS FOR LOW POWER CONSUMPTION ON MICROPROCESSOR-BASED SYSTEMS By David Andrés Ortiz López November 2007 Chair: Nayda G. Santiago Major Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering Power consumption is an important constraint in the design of battery-operated embedded systems. Minimizing power dissipation may be handled in terms of hardware or software optimizations. Source code-level optimization techniques have been used as an alternative to achieve low power consumption when programming embedded systems, however these techniques should be analyzed with statistical sound methods in order to reach strong conclusions about their actual impact on the power consumption. In this work, source code optimizations are applied on a set of representative benchmarks for embedded processors (MiBench), to analyze whether the techniques have or not an effect on the power dissipation of a set of microprocessorbased platforms. Design of experiments techniques (DOE) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are used to achieve statistical sound conclusions. Results showed that not all optimizations have an effect on power consumption, moreover some techniques depend on the target platform where they are run.
Effects of TGF-β1 on OPG/RANKL Expression of Cementoblasts and Osteoblasts Are Similar without Stress but Different with Mechanical Compressive Stress

Introduction. This study aimed to explore the effects of TGF-β1 on regulating activities of cementoblasts and osteoblasts with or without stress. Material and Methods. Human recombinant TGF-β1 was added with different doses. Immunohistochemical test of osteoprotegerin (OPG)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL) and Alizarin Red-S staining were conducted. Mechanical compressive stress was obtained by increasing the pressure of gaseous phase. OPG/RANKL expression was detected in both cells through quantitative real-time PCR. Results. Similar significant differences (P < 0.05) existed in OPG/RANKL change with increasing concentration of TGF-β1 without mechanical stress for cementoblasts and osteoblasts. However, under 3 h stress, OPG increased and RANKL decreased significantly (P < 0.01) but with similar OPG/RANKL change. Moreover, under 24 h stress, OPG change exhibited no difference (P > 0.05), but RANKL decreased significantly (P < 0.01) at 10 and 100 ng/mL TGF-β1 in cementoblasts. In osteoblasts, OPG increased significantly (P < 0.01) at 10 and 100 ng/mL, whereas RANKL decreased with statistical difference (P < 0.05) at 1 and 10 ng/mL. Conclusions. The effects of TGF-β1 on OPG/RANKL expression of cementoblasts and osteoblasts are similar even without mechanical stress. However, these effects are different under mechanical compressive stress.
CEO power, disclosure quality and the variability of firm performance: Evidence from China

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate how disclosure quality affects the relation between chief executive officer (CEO) power and the variability of firm performance. Moreover, it also examines the impacts of ownership structure and disclosure quality on the relationship between CEO power and performance variability. Design/methodology/approach - Empirical research was carried out. Findings - It was found that: first, firms whose CEOs have more power will exhibit higher performance, but display more variability in firm performance. Second, disclosure quality can affect the relationship between CEO power and the variability of firm performance and more specifically, increase in disclosure quality reduces the performance variability caused by CEO power. Third, the effects of CEO power on the variability of firm performance are higher in state-owned firms than in non-state-owned firms. Moreover, the effect of higher disclosure quality for lowering the variability of firm performance is stronger in state-owned firms than in non-state-owned firms. Practical implications - First, the authors find that when evaluating corporate governance practices, both firm performance and the variability of firm performance should be taken into account. Second, this paper fills the void in the extant literatures by demonstrating that CEO power, as well as disclosure quality, can affect firms' operational risk. Third, for firm owners, when firms are facing large uncertainty from institutional environment, a great trade-off between firm performance and operational risk, when determining the degree of CEO power, will play an important role in corporate governance. Originality/value - This paper complements the extant literatures by examining the impacts of CEO power to firm output from the dimensions of both firm performance and operational risk; and by examining the impacts of ownership structure and disclosure quality on the relationship between CEO power and performance variability.
Generalized cluster complexes and Coxeter combinatorics

We introduce and study a family of simplicial complexes associated to an arbitrary finite root system and a nonnegative integer parameter m. For m=1, our construction specializes to the (simplicial) generalized associahedra or, equivalently, to the cluster complexes for the cluster algebras of finite type. Our computation of the face numbers and h-vectors of these complexes produces the enumerative invariants defined in other contexts by C.A. Athanasiadis, suggesting links to a host of well studied problems in algebraic combinatorics of finite Coxeter groups, root systems, and hyperplane arrangements. Recurrences satisfied by the face numbers of our complexes lead to combinatorial algorithms for determining Coxeter-theoretic invariants. That is, starting with a Coxeter diagram of a finite Coxeter group, one can compute the Coxeter number, the exponents, and other classical invariants by a recursive procedure that only uses most basic graph-theoretic concepts applied to the input diagram. In types A and B, we rediscover the constructions and results obtained by E.Tzanaki .
Generation of excitation signals with prescribed autocorrelation for input and output constrained systems

This paper considers the problem of realizing an input signal with a desired autocorrelation sequence satisfying both input and output constraints for the system it is to be applied to. This is a important problem in system identification. Firstly, the properties of the identified model are highly dependent on the used excitation signal during the experiment and secondly, on real processes, due to actuator saturation and safety considerations, it is important to constrain the inputs and outputs of the process. The proposed method is formulated as a nonlinear model predictive control problem. In general this corresponds to solving a non-convex optimization problem. Here we show how this can be solved in one particular case. For this special case convergence is established for generation of pseudo-white noise. The performance of the algorithm is successfully verified by simulations for a few different auto-correlation sequences, with and without input and output constraints.
A rapid assay for affinity and kinetics of molecular interactions with nucleic acids

The Differential Radial Capillary Action of Ligand Assay (DRaCALA) allows detection of protein interactions with low-molecular weight ligands based on separation of the protein–ligand complex by differential capillary action. Here, we present an application of DRaCALA to the study of nucleic acid–protein interactions using the Escherichia coli cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP). CRP bound in DRaCALA specifically to 32P-labeled oligonucleotides containing the consensus CRP binding site, but not to oligonucleotides with point mutations known to abrogate binding. Affinity and kinetic studies using DRaCALA yielded a dissociation constant and dissociation rate similar to previously reported values. Because DRaCALA is not subject to ligand size restrictions, whole plasmids with a single CRP-binding site were used as probes, yielding similar results. DNA can also function as an easily labeled carrier molecule for a conjugated ligand. Sequestration of biotinylated nucleic acids by streptavidin allowed nucleic acids to take the place of the protein as the immobile binding partner. Therefore, any molecular interactions involving nucleic acids can be tested. We demonstrate this principle utilizing a bacterial riboswitch that binds cyclic-di-guanosine monophosphate. DRaCALA is a flexible and complementary approach to other biochemical methods for rapid and accurate measurements of affinity and kinetics at near-equilibrium conditions.
A Novel Technological Imaging Process Using Ionizing Radiation Properties

Diverse imaging technologies have been invented during the last decades to uncover the hidden parts of objects of interest for diagnostic, evaluation, accident prevention, etc. The key issue is to produce a faithful image of details buried in the bulk of matter. In this work we describe a new way to achieve this goal by cleverly exploiting the propagation property of gamma radiation in material medium. The proposed scanning device is simple and can rapidly collect measurements necessary to reconstruct the sought image. The relevance and reliability of this procedure is demonstrated by efficient algorithms and numerical simulations.
The Link between Ability and Specialization: An Explanation for Observed Correlations between Wages and Mobility Rates.

Wage levels and turnover rates are negatively correlated across types of employment, and this fact is often interpreted as evidence that high-wage jobs are rationed. A simple training model illustrates, however, that this correlation may arise because able workers have an incentive to choose highly specialized jobs. In any job, the most able workers possess the most valuable stocks of specific skills and therefore face the highest mobility costs. Thus, able workers may have a comparative advantage in specialized employments. Data from the national Longitudinal Survey of Youth provide an opportunity to evaluate the merits of the training model developed here. Data on worker training and mobility provide support for several implications of the model. The model also provides new ways to interpret existing results in the literature on interindustry wage differentials.
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY OF NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL, CONSTRUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING RALEIGH

RAO, SUNIL, MURALI. Tchebycheff Method-based Evolutionary Algorithm for Multiobjective Optimization (Under the direction of Dr. Ranji Ranjithan) In the operations research literature, the Tchebycheff method has been demonstrated to be a useful approach for exploring the non-dominated solutions for multiobjective optimization problems. While this method has been investigated with mathematical programming-based solution approaches, its application with modern heuristic search procedures is lacking. As heuristic search procedures continue to show promise as practical solution approaches for realistic engineering problems typically with multiple design objectives, the need for their applications in multiobjective optimization is becoming increasingly important. This paper investigates a new evolutionary algorithm-based multiobjective optimization procedure that builds upon the Tchebycheff method. By embedding a beneficial seeding approach, the efficiency of the algorithm is expectedly enhanced. This Tchebycheff Method-based Evolutionary Algorithm (TMEA) is tested and evaluated using a suite of 2-objective test problems, representing a range of complexities in the decision space as well as in the objective space. The performance of TMEA with those of other multiobjective evolutionary algorithms are compared using several performance metrics that are reported in the literature. For the problems considered in this paper, TMEA performs relatively well in generating non-dominated solutions that are close to the known Pareto set and are well distributed in the non-inferior space. TCHEBYCHEFF METHOD-BASED EVOLUTIONARY ALGORITHM FOR MULTIOBJECTIVE OPTIMIZATION