Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Presence production by Claus

Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Technology, to be presented with due permission for public examination and criticism in the Seminar Room Abstract This investigation has been carried out at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. The main goal has been to investigate the factors determining the production of a sense of presence and reality in video mediated communication. Presence is in these studies defines as the subjective experience of being together in one place when one is physically situated in another. Presence is an emergent property; it has no physicality, but arises as a mental sensation. Special attention has been paid to spatial factors, embodiment issues, and narrative elements related to the production of presence. A context map has been used in order to model the semantics of presence production and to visualize the relationships between the determining factors. The conclusions may be summarized as follows: • Knowledge about physical and extended spaces and bodies and of the shifting of attention between these is important in presence production. • Well planned design of physical and virtual spaces enhances the sense of presence. • Coherent design and production of mediated embodiment can enhance the sense of presence. • Conscious use of content characteristics, e.g., good storytelling, can enhance the sense of presence. • Different communication modes need the support of different combinations of presence production factors. • Even technically poorly mediated communication may support a sense of presence and reality if the storytelling is good. • The human sensory environment should be supported by a sense of non-mediation, technological transparency, on the plane of discourse. • The results indicate that individual differences influence the sense of presence and reality. The perception of video mediated communication evolves as people become daily users. People seem to intuitively begin to interpret new types of mediated cues, adding what is missing in comparison to a real time physical communication experience.
Additional Information: Use Policy Educational Research, Peer Review and Editor Engagement *

The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. ABSTRACT Peer review of research articles is known to have shortcomings in a variety of disciplines. Many of these shortcomings are explained by reference to situational, psychological, sociological and ethical influences on reviewers' behaviour. Ways of combating these shortcomings have been proposed, usually aimed at the reviewer. Given that reviewing is voluntary, these proposals tend to be unrealistic. An opportune study indicated that the reviewing of articles for some journals in education showed similar shortcomings. Here, attention is turned largely to the editor and author. Suggestions are made which, in effect, empower the author through the critical engagement of the editor with reviews. For the longer term, it is proposed that professional ethics, sources of bias in reviewing and the practice of reviewing is taught on professional training courses for researchers. Peer review is not confined to articles but is also used to assess other submissions, such as research proposals for grants and the quality of a person's or department's research work. Much can be at stake so the process and outcomes need to be defensible. Introduction Like other academics, those who study education must often teach, research and administrate. But, for advancement, research is often essential and success in it entails publishing that research in academic journals (Snodgrass, 2006). Publication may draw attention to an institution, add to its prestige and earn it income through external assessments of its research activity. In short, a lot hangs on it – unpublished research rarely counts for much (Hopps, 1990).
What Nature's Knockout Teaches Us about GnRH Activity: Hypogonadal Mice and Neuronal Grafts

The hypogonadal mouse is one of "nature's knockouts," bearing a specific deletion in the gene for gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), with the result that no GnRH peptide is detectable in the brain. The lack of reproductive development after birth provides an animal model that has proved fruitful in clarifying the role of GnRH in reproductive behavior and physiology. Behavioral studies with hypogonadal mice convincingly demonstrate that although GnRH may facilitate the appearance of sexual behavior, this peptide is not essential for either male or female sexual behavior in the mouse. Administration of GnRH to hypogonadal mice with regimens mimicking GnRH pulsatility initiates reproductive development. Surprisingly, continuous exposure to GnRH stimulates remarkable ovarian and uterine growth and increased FSH release, although pituitary content of LH and FSH remains unchanged. In contrast, when brain grafts of normal fetal preoptic area (POA), containing GnRH cells, are implanted in the third ventricle of adult hypogonadal mice, both pituitary and plasma gonadotropin levels increase. Grafted GnRH neurons innervate the median eminence of the host and support pulsatile LH secretion in the majority of animals with graft-associated gonadal development. Studies of hypogonadal mice with POA grafts demonstrate that distinct components of reproductive function are dissociable: hosts may demonstrate reflex but not spontaneous ovulation; others may show positive but not negative feedback. Activation of grafted GnRH cells in response to sensory input to the host, as revealed in Fos expression studies, is an example of the integration of the graft with the host brain that underlies such capabilities. A goal of these studies is to elucidate the specific connectivity underlying discrete aspects of reproductive function.
Role of transcriptional coregulator GRIP1 in the anti-inflammatory actions of glucocorticoids

Inhibition of cytokine gene expression by the hormone-activated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is the key component of the anti-inflammatory actions of glucocorticoids, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain obscure. Here we report that glucocorticoid repression of cytokine genes in primary macrophages is mediated by GR-interacting protein (GRIP)1, a transcriptional coregulator of the p160 family, which is recruited to the p65-occupied genomic NFκB-binding sites in conjunction with liganded GR. We created a mouse strain enabling a conditional hematopoietic cell-restricted deletion of GRIP1 in adult animals. In this model, GRIP1 depletion in macrophages attenuated in a dose-dependent manner repression of NFκB target genes by GR irrespective of the upstream Toll-like receptor pathway responsible for their activation. Furthermore, genome-wide transcriptome analysis revealed a broad derepression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced glucocorticoid-sensitive targets in GRIP1-depleted macrophages without affecting their activation by LPS. Consistently, conditional GRIP1-deficient mice were sensitized, relative to the wild type, to a systemic inflammatory challenge developing characteristic signs of LPS-induced shock. Thus, by serving as a GR corepressor, GRIP1 facilitates the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids in vivo.
Does the Mortality Decline Promote Economic Growth?

This paper analyzes qualitatively and quantitatively the effects of declining mortality rates on fertility, education and economic growth. The analysis demonstrates that if individuals are prudent in the face of uncertainty about child survival, a decline in an exogenous mortality rate reduces precautionary demand for children and increases parental investment in each child. Once mortality is endogenized, population growth becomes a hump-shaped function of income per capita. At low levels of income population growth rises as income per capita rises leading to a Malthusian steady-state equilibrium, whereas at high levels of income population growth declines leading to a sustained growth steady-state equilibrium.
Genomic Variability within an Organism Exposes Its Cell Lineage Tree

What is the lineage relation among the cells of an organism? The answer is sought by developmental biology, immunology, stem cell research, brain research, and cancer research, yet complete cell lineage trees have been reconstructed only for simple organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans. We discovered that somatic mutations accumulated during normal development of a higher organism implicitly encode its entire cell lineage tree with very high precision. Our mathematical analysis of known mutation rates in microsatellites (MSs) shows that the entire cell lineage tree of a human embryo, or a mouse, in which no cell is a descendent of more than 40 divisions, can be reconstructed from information on somatic MS mutations alone with no errors, with probability greater than 99.95%. Analyzing all ~1.5 million MSs of each cell of an organism may not be practical at present, but we also show that in a genetically unstable organism, analyzing only a few hundred MSs may suffice to reconstruct portions of its cell lineage tree. We demonstrate the utility of the approach by reconstructing cell lineage trees from DNA samples of a human cell line displaying MS instability. Our discovery and its associated procedure, which we have automated, may point the way to a future “Human Cell Lineage Project” that would aim to resolve fundamental open questions in biology and medicine by reconstructing ever larger portions of the human cell lineage tree.
Debris-flow activity in five adjacent gullies in a limestone mountain range

Abstract Debris-flows are infrequent geomorphic phenomena that shape steep valleys and can repre-sent a severe hazard for human settlements and infrastructure. In this study, a debris-flow event chro-nology has been derived at the regional scale within the Gesäuse National Park (Styria, Austria) using dendrogeomorphic techniques. Sediment sources and deposition areas were mapped by combined field investigation and aerial photography using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Through the analysis of 384 trees, a total of 47 debris-flows occurring in 19 years between AD 1903 and 2008 were identified in five adjacent gullies. Our results highlight the local variability of debris-flow activi-ty as a result of local thunderstorms and the variable availability of sediment sources.
Comparison of Test Result and Design Stage Prediction of Switched Reluctance Motor Competitive With 60-kW Rare-Earth PM Motor

A switched reluctance motor has been designed with identical outer dimensions, maximum torque, operating area, and maximum efficiency as rare-earth permanent-magnet motors used in the Toyota Prius. In this paper, a test machine has been constructed, and test results are presented over the entire speed range. The targets are torque of 207 N·m, a shaft output of 60 kW, and the maximum efficiency of 96%, as well as a speed range of 2768-13 900 r/min with an output of 60 kW and an outer diameter and an axial length of 264 and 112 mm, respectively. It is found that a shaft output of 100 kW is possible at high rotational speed under the voltage and current ratings. The possible operation area in a torque-speed plane is found to be enhanced. It is also found that the design stage prediction is close to the test results, except in two operation regions.
Evidence that the adenosine triphosphate‐binding cassette G5/G8‐independent pathway plays a determinant role in cholesterol gallstone formation in mice

The adenosine triphosphate‐binding cassette (ABC) sterol transporter, Abcg5/g8, is Lith9 in mice, and two gallstone‐associated variants in ABCG5/G8 have been identified in humans. Although ABCG5/G8 plays a critical role in determining hepatic sterol secretion, cholesterol is still secreted to bile in sitosterolemic patients with a defect in either ABCG5 or ABCG8 and in either Abcg5/g8 double‐ or single‐knockout mice. We hypothesize that in the defect of ABCG5/G8, an ABCG5/G8‐independent pathway is essential for regulating hepatic secretion of biliary sterols, which is independent of the lithogenic mechanism of the ABCG5/G8 pathway. To elucidate the effect of the ABCG5/G8‐independent pathway on cholelithogenesis, we investigated the biliary and gallstone characteristics in male wild‐type (WT), ABCG5(‐/‐)/G8(‐/‐), and ABCG8 (‐/‐) mice fed a lithogenic diet or varying amounts of cholesterol, treated with a liver X receptor (LXR) agonist, or injected intravenously with [3H]sitostanol‐ and [14C]cholesterol‐labeled high‐density lipoprotein (HDL). We found that ABCG5(‐/‐)/G8(‐/‐) and ABCG8 (‐/‐) mice displayed the same biliary and gallstone phenotypes. Although both groups of knockout mice showed a significant reduction in hepatic cholesterol output compared to WT mice, they still formed gallstones. The LXR agonist significantly increased biliary cholesterol secretion and gallstones in WT, but not ABCG5(‐/‐)/G8(‐/‐) or ABCG8 (‐/‐), mice. The 6‐hour recovery of [14C]cholesterol in hepatic bile was significantly lower in both groups of knockout mice than in WT mice and [3H]sitostanol was detected in WT, but not ABCG5(‐/‐)/G8(‐/‐) or ABCG8 (‐/‐), mice. Conclusions: The ABCG5/G8‐independent pathway plays an important role in regulating biliary cholesterol secretion, the transport of HDL‐derived cholesterol from plasma to bile, and gallstone formation, which works independently of the ABCG5/G8 pathway. Further studies are needed to observe whether this pathway is also operational in humans. (Hepatology 2016;64:853‐864)
Increasing body fat mass reverses bone loss in osteopenia as detected by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans.

OBJECTIVE Low body mass index (BMI) is a known risk factor for osteoporosis and is part of the FRAX™ 10-year fracture risk stratification tool for predicting fragility fractures. Little is known regarding the effects of changing body composition on bone mineral density (BMD). However, increasing fat mass (FM) improves BMD in young women with anorexia nervosa. This study aimed to assess whether changes in FM over time affected BMD in the general population. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data was collected from patients who underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) assessment between 2004 and 2011. Patients were included if they had multiple scans, including FM measurements. Our scanners limited these to scans of the lumbar spine. Linear regression analysis was performed to identify the relationship between changes in FM and BMD. Backwards stepwise linear regression analysis was performed to identify confounding factors, including sex, risk factors, previous fractures, and baseline BMI. RESULTS In this study, 23,239 patients were included, of which 702 met the inclusion criteria. There were 609 (86%) females and 93 (13%) males with a mean age of 64.5 (SD 11.2) years at first scan. We identified a strong positive correlation between increasing FM and BMD between scans (coefficient 28.4; p<0.01; 95% CI, 26.6-30.1). Previous pelvic and femur fractures and a history of inflammatory diseases were also associated with increasing FM (p<0.05). This relationship was true regardless of patients BMI at their first scan. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that patients at high risk of fragility fractures should be encouraged to increase their FM as long as they are at a low risk for disease states related to high FM.
Mutation analysis at codon 838 of the Guanylate Cyclase 2D gene in Spanish families with autosomal dominant cone, cone-rod, and macular dystrophies

Purpose Heterozygous mutations around codon 838 of the guanylate cyclase 2D (GUCY2D) gene have recently been associated with more than a third of autosomal dominant macular dystrophy patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of these mutations in Spanish families with autosomal dominant cone, cone-rod, and macular dystrophies. Methods Mutation analysis was performed by PCR amplification of exon 13 of GUCY2D and subsequent restriction analysis. To confirm the results, automatic sequencing analysis was also performed. Results Among the 22 unrelated Spanish families included in the study, we found two associated disease mutations at codon 838 of the GUCY2D gene, one of which had not been previously described (p.R838P). This novel mutation exhibited phenotypic variability. Conclusions The prevalence of mutations around codon 838 of GUCY2D in our group of families (9.09%) is lower than that previously reported in other populations. However, the discovery of a novel mutation at codon 838 further suggests that this locus is a mutation hotspot within the GUCY2D gene, and confirms the importance of analyzing this codon to characterize molecularly these autosomal dominant retinal disorders.
Tenebrio molitor Larvae Inhibit Adipogenesis through AMPK and MAPKs Signaling in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and Obesity in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Despite the increasing interest in insect-based bioactive products, the biological activities of these products are rarely studied adequately. Larvae of Tenebrio molitor, the yellow mealworm, have been eaten as a traditional food and provide many health benefits. Therefore, we hypothesized that T. molitor larvae might influence adipogenesis and obesity-related disorders. In the present study, we investigated the anti-adipogenic and antiobesity effects of T. molitor larvae in vitro and in vivo. The lipid accumulation and triglyceride content in mature adipocytes was reduced significantly (up to 90%) upon exposure to an ethanol extract of T. molitor larvae, without a reduction in cell viability. Exposure also resulted in key adipogenic and lipogenic transcription factors. Additionally, in adipogenic differentiation medium the extract induced phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinases. Daily oral administration of T. molitor larvae powder to obese mice fed high-fat diet attenuated body weight gain. We also found that the powder efficiently reduced hepatic steatosis as well as aspartate and alanine transaminase enzyme levels in mice fed a high-fat diet. Our results suggest that T. molitor larvae extract has an antiobesity effect when administered as a food supplement and has potential as a therapeutic agent for obesity.
Alias Analysis for Exceptions in Java

We propose a flow-sensitive alias analysis algorithm that computes safe and efficient alias sets in Java. For that, we propose a references-set representation of aliased elements, its type table, and its propagation rules. Also, for an exception construct, we consider try/catch/finally blocks as well as potential exception statement nodes while building a control flow graph. Finally, for the safe alias computation on a control flow graph, we present a structural order traverse of each block and node.
Combinatorial biosynthesis of novel antibiotics related to daptomycin

Daptomycin, a cyclic lipopeptide produced by Streptomyces roseosporus, is the active ingredient of Cubicin (daptomycin-for-injection), a first-in-class antibiotic approved for treatment of skin and skin-structure infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens and bacteremia and endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant strains. Genetic engineering of the nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) in the daptomycin biosynthetic pathway was exploited for the biosynthesis of novel active antibiotics. λ-Red-mediated recombination was used to exchange single or multiple modules in the DptBC subunit of the NRPS to modify the daptomycin cyclic peptide core. We combined module exchanges, NRPS subunit exchanges, inactivation of the tailoring enzyme glutamic acid 3-methyltransferase, and natural variations of the lipid tail to generate a library of novel lipopeptides, some of which were as active as daptomycin against Gram-positive bacteria. One compound was more potent against an Escherichia coli imp mutant that has increased outer membrane permeability. This study established a robust combinatorial biosynthesis platform to produce novel peptide antibiotics in sufficient quantities for antimicrobial screening and drug development.
Broadcasting in Prefix Space: P2P Data Dissemination with Predictable Performance

A broadcast mode may augment peer-to-peer overlay networks with an efficient, scalable data replication function, but may also give rise to a virtual link layer in VPN-type solutions. We introduce a generic, simple broadcasting mechanism that operates in the prefix space of distributed hash tables without signaling. This paper concentrates on the performance analysis of the prefix flooding scheme. Starting from simple models of recursive $k$-ary trees, we analytically derive distributions of hop counts and the replication load. Further on, extensive simulation results are presented based on an implementation within the OverSim framework. Comparisons are drawn to Scribe, taken as a general reference model for group communication according to the shared, rendezvous-point-centered distribution paradigm. The prefix flooding scheme thereby confirmed its widely predictable performance and consistently outperformed Scribe in all metrics. Reverse path selection in overlays is identified as a major cause of performance degradation.
Templates and subtemplates of Rössler attractors from a bifurcation diagram

We study the bifurcation diagram of the Rössler system. It displays the various dynamical regimes of the system (stable or chaotic) when a parameter is varied. We choose a diagram that exhibits coexisting attractors and banded chaos. We use the topological characterization method to study these attractors. Then, we detail how the templates of these attractors are subtemplates of a unique template. Our main result is that only one template describes the topological structure of eight attractors. This leads to a topological partition of the bifurcation diagram that gives the symbolic dynamic of all bifurcation diagram attractors with a unique template.
TASTY: tool for automating secure two-party computations

Secure two-party computation allows two untrusting parties to jointly compute an arbitrary function on their respective private inputs while revealing no information beyond the outcome. Existing cryptographic compilers can automatically generate secure computation protocols from high-level specifications, but are often limited in their use and efficiency of generated protocols as they are based on either garbled circuits or (additively) homomorphic encryption only. In this paper we present TASTY, a novel tool for automating, i.e., describing, generating, executing, benchmarking, and comparing, efficient secure two-party computation protocols. TASTY is a new compiler that can generate protocols based on homomorphic encryption and efficient garbled circuits as well as combinations of both, which often yields the most efficient protocols available today. The user provides a high-level description of the computations to be performed on encrypted data in a domain-specific language. This is automatically transformed into a protocol. TASTY provides most recent techniques and optimizations for practical secure two-party computation with low online latency. Moreover, it allows to efficiently evaluate circuits generated by the well-known Fairplay compiler. We use TASTY to compare protocols for secure multiplication based on homomorphic encryption with those based on garbled circuits and highly efficient Karatsuba multiplication. Further, we show how TASTY improves the online latency for securely evaluating the AES functionality by an order of magnitude compared to previous software implementations. TASTY allows to automatically generate efficient secure protocols for many privacy-preserving applications where we consider the use cases for private set intersection and face recognition protocols.