Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Superactivation of integrin (α)v(β)3 by low antagonist concentrations

Integrins are implicated in cell adhesion, migration and homeostasis. An important feature is their ability to adopt different affinity states that can be regulated by a variety of intra- and extracellular factors. To study affinity modulation of the integrin ectodomain by extracellular factors, we produced a soluble recombinant form of mouse integrin (α)v(β)3 in a mammalian expression system and isolated it to purity. We show that the two transmembrane truncated integrin subunits stably associate to form a functional receptor, soluble recombinant (α)v(β)3. The affinity of this receptor for its ligands vitronectin, fibronectin and fibrinogen can be modulated by the divalent cations magnesium, calcium and manganese. Most importantly, we found that a cyclic RGD-peptide has a biphasic effect on rs(α)v(β)3and native purified (α)v(β)3, with an antagonistic phase at high concentrations, and an agonistic phase at low concentrations. This integrin superactivation by low antagonist concentrations is shown in binding of sr(α)v(β)3 to immobilized ligands by ELISA, and in adhesion of cells that express the chimaeric integrin ligand KISS31 to immobilized rs(α)v(β)3 and native purified (α)v(β)3. Our results indicate that low concentrations of the ligand mimetic cyclo-RGD can result in superactivation of the extracellular domain of integrin (α)v(β)3 to a comparable level as activation by manganese.
Inhaled nitric oxide effects on lung structure and function in chronically ventilated preterm lambs.

RATIONALE Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) can reverse neonatal pulmonary hypertension and bronchoconstriction and reduce proliferation of cultured arterial and airway smooth muscle cells. OBJECTIVES To see if continuous iNO from birth might reduce pulmonary vascular and respiratory tract resistance (PVR, RE) and attenuate growth of arterial and airway smooth muscle in preterm lambs with chronic lung disease. METHODS Eight premature lambs received mechanical ventilation for 3 weeks, four with and four without iNO (5-15 ppm). Four term lambs, mechanically ventilated without iNO for 3 weeks, served as additional control animals. MEASUREMENTS PVR and RE were measured weekly. After 3 weeks, lung tissue was processed for quantitative image analysis of smooth muscle abundance around small arteries (SMart) and terminal bronchioles (SMtb). Radial alveolar counts were done to assess alveolar number. Endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) protein in arteries and airways was measured by immunoblot analysis. MAIN RESULTS At study's end, PVR was similar in iNO-treated and untreated preterm lambs; PVR was less in iNO-treated preterm lambs compared with term control animals. RE in iNO-treated lambs was less than 40% of RE measured in preterm control animals. SMart was similar in iNO-treated and both groups of control lambs; SMtb in lambs given iNO was significantly less (approximately 50%) than in preterm control animals. Radial alveolar counts of iNO-treated lambs were more than twice that of preterm control animals. eNOS was similar in arteries and airways of iNO-treated preterm lambs compared with control term lambs. CONCLUSIONS iNO preserves structure and function of airway smooth muscle and enhances alveolar development in preterm lambs with chronic lung disease.
Literature review on the feasibility of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in developing vocabulary skills among non-English speaking migrant and refugee women

Acquiring and learning English as a new language is a challenge faced by non-English speaking migrant and refugee women when they arrive to settle in Australia. This paper reviews the literature to explore the feasibility of using mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) to enrich and develop these women's language skills. The findings from the literature review indicate that some women prefer non-formal rather than formal learning even though support for language learning is available. This is due to personal and sociocultural factors that affect these women. The literature also indicates that vocabulary skill is a significant branch of language learning in developing proficiency among non-English speakers. MALL suggests potential benefits when applied and supports different areas of language skills development and learning. The literature review also indicates that no research has been undertaken in the context of integrating MALL into migrant and refugee women's language learning within a nonformal learning setting. A research project is proposed to be undertaken in collaboration with a local community centre to explore and answer four research questions that were generated from this literature review.
Self-definition as resistance: Understanding identities among LGBTQ emerging adults

ABSTRACT Scholars have questioned the relevance of existing identity categories and labels for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth and emerging adults. Little is understood, however, about the ways in which LGBTQ emerging adults perceive their own identities and self-define the aspects of themselves that are most relevant to who they are. This study qualitatively explored descriptions and depictions of identities and aspects of self among a group of LGBTQ-identified emerging adults. Findings suggest that emerging adults' uses of socially constructed identities are contextually specific, intersectional, and make use of agency. In addition, participants identified aspects of themselves that they saw as emerging from and existing in relation to their LGBTQ-specific identities. These identities are used to resist the social stigma and limitations placed on them as LGBTQ-identified young people, and may serve as sources of resilience.
The Analytic Bethe Ansatz for a Chain with Centrally Extended su ( 2 | 2 ) Symmetry

We investigate the integrable structure of spin chain models with centrally extended su(2|2) and psu(2, 2|4) symmetry. These chains have their origin in the planar AdS/CFT correspondence, but they also contain the one-dimensional Hubbard model as a special case. We begin with an overview of the representation theory of centrally extended su(2|2). These results are applied in the construction and investigation of an interesting S-matrix with su(2|2) symmetry. In particular, they enable a remarkably simple proof of the Yang-Baxter relation. We also show the equivalence of the S-matrix to Shastry’s R-matrix and thus uncover a hidden supersymmetry in the integrable structure of the Hubbard model. We then construct eigenvalues of the corresponding transfer matrix in order to formulate an analytic Bethe ansatz. Finally, the form of transfer matrix eigenvalues for models with psu(2, 2|4) symmetry is sketched.
Rademacher Chaos, Random Eulerian Graphs and The Sparse Johnson-Lindenstrauss Transform

The celebrated dimension reduction lemma of Johnson and Lindenstrauss has numerous computational and other applications. Due to its application in practice, speeding up the computation of a Johnson-Lindenstrauss style dimension reduction is an important question. Recently, Dasgupta, Kumar, and Sarlos (STOC 2010) constructed such a transform that uses a sparse matrix. This is motivated by the desire to speed up the computation when applied to sparse input vectors, a scenario that comes up in applications. The sparsity of their construction was further improved by Kane and Nelson (ArXiv 2010). We improve the previous bound on the number of non-zero entries per column of Kane and Nelson from $O(1/\epsilon \log(1/\delta)\log(k/\delta))$ (where the target dimension is $k$, the distortion is $1\pm \epsilon$, and the failure probability is $\delta$) to $$ O\left({1\over\epsilon} \left({\log(1/\delta)\log\log\log(1/\delta) \over \log\log(1/\delta)}\right)^2\right). $$ We also improve the amount of randomness needed to generate the matrix. Our results are obtained by connecting the moments of an order 2 Rademacher chaos to the combinatorial properties of random Eulerian multigraphs. Estimating the chance that a random multigraph is composed of a given number of node-disjoint Eulerian components leads to a new tail bound on the chaos. Our estimates may be of independent interest, and as this part of the argument is decoupled from the analysis of the coefficients of the chaos, we believe that our methods can be useful in the analysis of other chaoses.
On-line Ramsey Numbers of Paths and Cycles

Consider a game played on the edge set of the infinite clique by two players, Builder and Painter. In each round, Builder chooses an edge and Painter colours it red or blue. Builder wins by creating either a red copy of $G$ or a blue copy of $H$ for some fixed graphs $G$ and $H$. The minimum number of rounds within which Builder can win, assuming both players play perfectly, is the on-line Ramsey number $\tilde{r}(G,H)$. In this paper, we consider the case where $G$ is a path $P_k$. We prove that $\tilde{r}(P_3, P_{\ell+1}) = \lceil 5\ell/4 \rceil = \tilde{r}(P_3, C_\ell)$ for all $\ell \ge 5$, and determine $\tilde{r}(P_4, P_{\ell+1}$) up to an additive constant for all $\ell \ge 3$. We also prove some general lower bounds for on-line Ramsey numbers of the form $\tilde{r}(P_{k+1},H)$.
Preliminary inversion mapping results with a new EMA corpus

In this paper, we apply our inversion mapping method, the trajectory mixture density network (TMDN), to a new corpus of articulatory data, recorded with a Carstens AG500 electromagnetic articulograph. This new data set, mngu0, is relatively large and phonetically rich, among other beneficial characteristics. We obtain good results, with a root mean square (RMS) error of only 0.99mm. This compares very well with our previous lowest result of 1.54mm RMS error for equivalent coils of the MOCHA fsew0 EMA data. We interpret this as showing the mngu0 data set is potentially more consistent than the fsew0 data set, and is very useful for research which calls for articulatory trajectory data. It also supports our view that the TMDN is very much suited to the inversion mapping problem. Index Terms: acoustic-articulatory, inversion mapping, neural network.
Hammers and nails. A response to Lindstrøm and to Olsen and Witmore

Abstract Two contrasting arguments on the merits of symmetrical archaeology and an associated discussion of object agency appeared in a recent issue of Archaeological dialogues (Lindstrøm 2015; Olsen and Witmore 2015). While Torill Christine Lindstrøm extends a thorough, yet hardly new, criticism of the notion of object agency and of symmetrical archaeology, Bjørnar Olsen and Christopher Witmore provide a clarification in its defence (even though their article is oddly categorized by Archaeological dialogues as a ‘provocation’). In this reaction article, I take issue with a number of arguments by Lindstrøm and by Olsen and Witmore: first of all, I challenge Lindstrøm's representation of object agency, which I believe is in need of corrections. Second, I contend that Lindstrøm fails to identify a number of fundamental contributions within the framework of symmetrical archaeology, thus allowing her to caricature symmetrical archaeology as ‘old wine in new bags’. Third, even though Olsen and Witmore's defence offers helpful clarifications, I believe that their contribution invites us to discuss the vocabulary of symmetrical archaeology, scrutinizing why there is an apparent tendency to misunderstand its arguments and merits. Lastly, I take issue with Lindstrøm's dismissal of ‘different ontologies’ as a result of political correctness.
Dividend Signaling by Insurance Companies and Price Regulation: A Reexamination

I reexamine Akhigbe, Borde, and Madura’s (1993) study of dividend signaling by insurers and provide an alternative interpretation from a price-regulation perspective. Using a more appropriate data classification system, I partition 161 insurance companies into three categories: life, property-liability, and multi-line. All three types of insurers experience significant abnormal returns during the dividend increase events. The property-liability insurers’ returns are less volatile during the event window period. This implies that investors of property-liability insurers are more confident in the content of dividend signals, perhaps because the price regulators bear part of investors’ monitoring costs. On the other hand, limited information due to price regulation urges investors of property-liability insurers to respond faster than do investors of life insurers. A cross-sectional analysis suggests that property-liability insurers experience large stock price response to dividend signaling. Since price regulation limits information regarding insurers’ performance conveyed through insurance premiums, dividend increases potentially convey more asymmetric information in property-liability insurers.
Pandemic Threat Posed by Avian Influenza A Viruses

SUMMARY Influenza pandemics, defined as global outbreaks of the disease due to viruses with new antigenic subtypes, have exacted high death tolls from human populations. The last two pandemics were caused by hybrid viruses, or reassortants, that harbored a combination of avian and human viral genes. Avian influenza viruses are therefore key contributors to the emergence of human influenza pandemics. In 1997, an H5N1 influenza virus was directly transmitted from birds in live poultry markets in Hong Kong to humans. Eighteen people were infected in this outbreak, six of whom died. This avian virus exhibited high virulence in both avian and mammalian species, causing systemic infection in both chickens and mice. Subsequently, another avian virus with the H9N2 subtype was directly transmitted from birds to humans in Hong Kong. Interestingly, the genes encoding the internal proteins of the H9N2 virus are genetically highly related to those of the H5N1 virus, suggesting a unique property of these gene products. The identification of avian viruses in humans underscores the potential of these and similar strains to produce devastating influenza outbreaks in major population centers. Although highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses had been identified before the 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong, their devastating effects had been confined to poultry. With the Hong Kong outbreak, it became clear that the virulence potential of these viruses extended to humans.
The Usage of Social Networks in Educational Context

— Possible advantages of technology in educational context required the defining boundaries of formal and informal learning. Increasing opportunity to ubiquitous learning by technological support has revealed a question of how to discover the potential of individuals in the spontaneous environments such as social networks. This seems to be related with the question of what purposes in social networks have been being used? Social networks provide various advantages in educational context as collaboration, knowledge sharing, common interests, active participation and reflective thinking. As a consequence of these, the purpose of this study is composed of proposing a new model that could determine factors which effect adoption of social network applications for usage in educational context. While developing a model proposal, the existing adoption and diffusion models have been reviewed and they are thought to be suitable on handling an original perspective instead of using completely other diffusion or acceptance models because of different natures of education from other organizations. In the proposed model; social factors, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and innovativeness are determined four direct constructs that effect adoption process. Facilitating conditions, image, subjective norms and community identity are incorporated to model as antecedents of these direct four constructs.
Dual TLR2/9 Recognition of Herpes Simplex Virus Infection Is Required for Recruitment and Activation of Monocytes and NK Cells and Restriction of Viral Dissemination to the Central Nervous System

The importance of TLR2 and TLR9 in the recognition of infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV) and HSV-caused diseases has been described, but some discrepancies remain concerning the benefits of these responses. Moreover, the impact of TLR2/9 on innate and adaptive immune responses within relevant mucosal tissues has not been elucidated using natural mucosal infection model of HSV. Here, we demonstrate that dual TLR2/9 recognition is essential to provide resistance against mucosal infection with HSV via an intravaginal route. Dual TLR2/9 ablation resulted in the highly enhanced mortality with exacerbated symptoms of encephalitis compared with TLR2 or TLR9 deficiency alone, coinciding with highly increased viral load in central nervous system tissues. TLR2 appeared to play a minor role in providing resistance against mucosal infection with HSV, since TLR2-ablated mice showed higher survival rate compared with TLR9-ablated mice. Also, the high mortality in dual TLR2/9-ablated mice was closely associated with the reduction in early monocyte and NK cell infiltration in the vaginal tract (VT), which was likely to correlate with low expression of cytokines and CCR2 ligands (CCL2 and CCL7). More interestingly, our data revealed that dual TLR2/9 recognition of HSV infection plays an important role in the functional maturation of TNF-α and iNOS-producing dendritic cells (Tip-DCs) from monocytes as well as NK cell activation in VT. TLR2/9-dependent maturation of Tip-DCs from monocytes appeared to specifically present cognate Ag, which effectively provided functional effector CD4+ and CD8+ T cells specific for HSV Ag in VT and its draining lymph nodes. TLR2/9 expressed in monocytes was likely to directly facilitate Tip-DC-like features after HSV infection. Also, dual TLR2/9 recognition of HSV infection directly activated NK cells without the aid of dendritic cells through activation of p38 MAPK pathway. Taken together, these results indicate that dual TLR2/9 recognition plays a critical role in providing resistance against mucosal infection with HSV, which may involve a direct regulation of Tip-DCs and NK cells in VT. Therefore, our data provide a more detailed understanding of TLR2/9 role in conferring antiviral immunity within relevant mucosal tissues after mucosal infection with HSV.
Classification of Terpenoids according to the Methylerythritolphosphate or the Mevalonate Pathway with Natural 12 C/13 C Isotope Ratios: Dynamic Allocation of Resources in Induced Plants.

Plants utilize two different pathways for the biosynthesis of isopentenyl diphosphate, the universal building block of all terpenes. Application of compound-specific isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS) to volatile terpenoids allows distinction between the pathways on the basis of natural 12 C/13 C ratios.
Sexual morality: The cultures and emotions of conservatives and liberals.

Political conservatives and liberals were interviewed about 3 kinds of sexual acts: homosexual sex, unusual forms of masturbation, and consensual incest between an adult brother and sister. Conservatives were more likely to moralize and to condemn these acts, but the differences were concentrated in the homosexual scenarios and were minimal in the incest scenarios. Content analyses reveal that liberals had a narrow moral domain, largely limited to the “ethics of autonomy” (Shweder. Much, Mahapatra, & Park, 1997) while conservatives had a broader and more multifaceted moral domain. Regression analyses show that, for both groups, moral judgments were best predicted by affective reactions, and were not predicted by perceptions of harmfulness. Suggestions for calming the culture wars over homosexuality are discussed.
Multiprocessor Schedulability Analysis for Self-Suspending Task Systems ∗

In many real-time systems, tasks may experience suspension delays. The problem of analyzing task systems with such suspensions on multiprocessors has been relatively unexplored and is thought to be difficult (as it is on uniprocessors). In this paper, hard/soft multiprocessor schedulability tests for arbitrary-deadline sporadic self-suspending task systems are presented for both global EDF and global fixed-priority scheduling. The presented analysis shows that suspensions surprisingly have a rather limited impact on schedulability. In experiments presented herein, the proposed schedulability tests proved to be superior to prior tests. Moreover, for arbitrary-deadline ordinary sporadic task systems with no suspensions, the proposed analysis for fixed-priority scheduling improves upon prior analysis.
Quality of full and final publications reporting acute stroke trials: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Several studies have shown that the quality of reporting of trials throughout medicine is variable and often poor. We report on the quality of the final reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of drug therapies assessed in acute stroke. METHODS English-language reports published up to the end of 1996 relating to completed RCTs in acute stroke were identified from electronic searches of the Cochrane Stroke Review Group database of stroke trials and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CD-ROM issue 1, 1997, of the Cochrane Library). Report quality was assessed with the 33 criteria of the CONSORT statement and 53 additional factors relevant to acute stroke or trials in general. Trial quality was also assessed with a 7-point scale. RESULTS Up to 1996, 114 RCTs were published which involved 20 536 patients (median, 80; range, 16 to 1267 per trial); 39 (35.5%) of these were published in Stroke. The median total report quality was 40/86 (range, 15 to 61) for all criteria and 19/33 (range, 9 to 29) for the CONSORT criteria alone. Although adequate information was given in the introduction and discussion sections of most reports, insufficient details were given on methods, assignment of patients to treatment groups, statistical analyses, the prevalence of risk factors, and assessment of outcomes. Report quality has improved between 1956 and 1996 (Spearman correlation coefficient [rs], 0.575; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0. 439 to 0.685) and was superior in large trials (rs=0.434; 95% CI, 0. 274 to 0.571). Although report quality was related to trial quality (rs=0.675; 95% CI, 0.563 to 0.763), it was not related to journal impact factor (rs=0.170; 95% CI, -0.015 to 0.344). Trials with a positive outcome tended to be less well reported than those with a neutral or negative outcome (rs=-0.192; 95% CI, -0.351 to -0.011). CONCLUSIONS The overall quality of study reports for parallel group RCTs in acute stroke is poor but appears to be improving with time and in parallel with an increase in trial size. Reports often lack detailed information on the methods of randomization, concealment of allocation, and statistical analysis, all factors which can, if undertaken poorly, affect trial results and validity. It is vital that future trials are adequately reported; we believe that authors should follow the CONSORT guidelines and that referees and editors should ensure this happens.
Elcano: A Geospatial Big Data Processing System based on SparkSQL

Big data are in the midst of many scientific and economic issues. Furthermore, their volume is continuously increasing. As a result, the need for management and processing solutions has become critical. Unfortunately, while most of these data have a spatial component, almost none of the current systems are able to manage it. For example, while Spark may be the most efficient environment for managing Big data, it is only used by five spatial data management systems. None of these solutions fully complies with ISO standards and OGC specifications in terms of spatial processing, and many of them are neither efficient enough nor extensible. The authors seek a way to overcome these limitations. Therefore, after a detailed study of the limitations of the existing systems, they define a system in greater accordance with the ISO19125 standard. The proposed solution, Elcano, is an extension of Spark complying with this standard and allowing the SQL querying of spatial data. Finally, the tests demonstrate that the resulting system surpasses the current available solutions on the market.