Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kappa opioid receptor contributes to EGF-stimulated neurite extension in development

Epidermal growth factor (EGF), a mitogen, also stimulates neurite extension during development, but the underlying mechanism is elusive. This study reveals a functional role for kappa opioid receptor (KOR) in EGF-stimulated neurite extension, and the underlying mechanism. EGF and activated EGF receptor (EGFR) levels are elevated in embryonic spinal cords during late gestation stages, with concurrent rise in protein levels of KOR and axon extension markers, growth-associated protein 43 (GAP43), and transient axonal glycoprotein-1 (TAG-1). Both GAP43 and TAG-1 levels are significantly lower in KOR-null (KOR−/−) spinal cords, and EGFR inhibitors effectively reduce the levels of KOR, GAP43, and TAG-1 in wild-type embryonic spinal cords. For KOR−/− or KOR-knockdown dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, EGF can no longer effectively stimulate axon extension, which can be rescued by introducing a constitutive KOR expressing vector but not by a regulated KOR vector carrying its 5′ untranslated region, which can be bound and repressed by growth factor receptor-bound protein 7 (Grb7). Furthermore, blocking KOR activation by application of anti-dynorphin, KOR antagonist, or EGFR inhibitor effectively reduces axon extension of DRG neurons. Thus, EGF-stimulated axon extension during development is mediated, at least partially, by specific elevation of KOR protein production at posttranscriptional level, as well as activation of KOR signaling. The result also reveals an action of EGF to augment posttranscriptional regulation of certain mRNAs during developmental stages.
Ultra scalable optoelectronic switching fabric for streaming media over IP

As data traffic on the Internet continues to grow exponentially, there is a real need to solve the switch bottleneck by developing ultra-scalable switching fabrics. Although in recent years there have been a lot of efforts to solve the switching fabric scalability problem, in the optical domain, the proposed solutions have been (very) expensive, (very) complex and (much) larger than electronic switching fabric alternatives. Unfortunately, electrical interconnection of existing (off-the-shelf) electronic switching devices is very difficult due to wave reflections on transmission lines, impedance mismatching, crosstalk and noise. Consequently, electronic switching with electrical interconnections has major scalability limitations. Thus, the question is whether and how optical interconnects can be used to link off-the-shelf electronic switching devices in order to develop optoelectronic switching fabrics that can scale up to 10-100 terabit per second (Tb/s) capacity in a single chassis. In order to further increase the scalability of the proposed novel optoelectronic switching fabric a UTC-based (coordinated universal time) time driven switching or fractional lambda switching (FlambdaS) architecture is proposed. This novel low-complexity switching architecture capitalizes on the ubiquitous of UTC from GPS and Galileo. FlambdaS architecture is especially suitable to support high capacity streaming media applications over the Internet
Overcoming Chemotherapy Resistance in Prostate Cancer

Although treatment for prostate cancer has improved over the past several years, taxanes remain the only form of chemotherapy that improves survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). In addition to the promising therapeutic cancer vaccines and newly developed agents targeting androgen receptor signaling, chemotherapy-based treatments will likely continue to play a significant role in patients with mCRPC. Recently published data that showed that a second taxane (cabazitaxel) extends survival after progression on docetaxel was a significant step forward, but also highlighted the need to overcome taxane resistance in prostate cancer. Preliminary evidence suggests that several treatment strategies may improve the activity of taxanes in prostate cancer and perhaps enhance clinical outcomes. Clin Cancer Res; 17(12); 3892–902. ©2011 AACR.
Effect of prior statin therapy on capillary permeability in the lungs after cardiac or vascular surgery

Cholesterol-lowering statins can ameliorate severe forms of vascular hyperpermeability in experimental studies, and may thereby ameliorate acute lung injury and sepsis. It is unknown whether this also applies to humans. This study aimed to define whether or not prior statin therapy reduces mild post-operative increases in pulmonary capillary protein permeability associated with acute lung injury after cardiac or major vascular surgery. A prospective observational study was performed in an intensive care unit of a university hospital on 64 patients, 37 after elective cardiac and 27 after major vascular surgery, of whom 68 and 44%, respectively, had received prior statin therapy. A mobile probe system was used to measure the pulmonary leak index (PLI), i.e. the transvascular transport rate of gallium-67-radiolabelled transferrin. For all of the patients together, the mean PLI did not differ between the statin and control groups (22.9 versus 24.4×10−3 min−1). The prevalence of an elevated PLI was 57% in the statin and 59% in the control group. Subgroup analysis did not reveal significant differences caused by statins in the PLI of these patients. Prior statin therapy neither has an adverse effect on mildly increased pulmonary capillary permeability in patients after cardiac or major vascular surgery nor does it ameliorate this increased capillary permeability.
On clustering and retrieval of video shots through temporal slices analysis

Based on the analysis of temporal slices, we propose novel approaches for clustering and retrieval of video shots. Temporal slices are a set of two-dimensional (2-D) images extracted along the time dimension of an image volume. They encode rich set of visual patterns for similarity measure. In this paper, we first demonstrate that tensor histogram features extracted from temporal slices are suitable for motion retrieval. Subsequently, we integrate both tensor and color histograms for constructing a two-level hierarchical clustering structure. Each cluster in the top level contains shots with similar color while each cluster in bottom level consists of shots with similar motion. The constructed structure is then used for the cluster-based retrieval. The proposed approaches are found to be useful particularly for sports games, where motion and color are important visual cues when searching and browsing the desired video shots.
Relationship between leaf traits and fire-response strategies in shrub species of a mountainous region of south-eastern Australia.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Resprouting and seed recruitment are important ways in which plants respond to fire. However, the investments a plant makes into ensuring the success of post-fire resprouting or seedling recruitment can result in trade-offs that are manifested in a range of co-occurring morphological, life history and physiological traits. Relationships between fire-response strategies and other traits have been widely examined in fire-prone Mediterranean-type climates. In this paper, we aim to determine whether shrubs growing in a non-Mediterranean climate region exhibit relationships between their fire-response strategy and leaf traits. METHODS Field surveys were used to classify species into fire-response types. We then compared specific leaf area, leaf dry-matter content, leaf width, leaf nitrogen and carbon to nitrogen ratios between (a) obligate seeders and all other resprouters, and (b) obligate seeders, facultative resprouters and obligate resprouters. KEY RESULTS Leaf traits only varied between fire-response types when we considered facultative resprouters as a separate group to obligate resprouters, as observed after a large landscape-scale fire. We found no differences between obligate seeders and obligate resprouters, nor between obligate seeders and resprouters considered as one group. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that facultative resprouters may require a strategy of rapid resource acquisition and fast growth in order to compete with species that either resprout, or recruit from seed. However, the overall lack of difference between obligate seeders and obligate resprouters suggests that environmental factors are exerting similar effects on species' ecological strategies, irrespective of the constraints and trade-offs that may be associated with obligate seeding and obligate resprouting. These results highlight the limits to trait co-occurrences across different ecosystems and the difficulty in identifying global-scale relationships amongst traits.
Patents, R&D subsidies and endogenous market structure in a Schumpeterian economy

This study explores the different implications of patent breadth and R&D subsidies on economic growth and endogenous market structure in a Schumpeterian growth model. We find that when the number of firms is fixed in the short run, patent breadth and R&D subsidies serve to increase economic growth as in previous studies. However, when market structure adjusts endogenously in the long run, R&D subsidies increase economic growth but decrease the number of firms, whereas patent breadth expands the number of firms but reduces economic growth. Therefore, in accordance with empirical evidence, R&D subsidy is perhaps a more suitable policy instrument than patent breadth for the purpose of stimulating long-run economic growth.
Multi-Gas Emission Reduction for Climate Change Policy: An Application of Fund

The costs of greenhouse gas emission reduction with abatement of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are investigated using the FUND model. The central policy scenario keeps anthropogenic radiative forcing below 4.5 Wm2. If CO2 emission reduction were the only possibility to meet this target, the net present value of consumption losses would be $45 trillion; with abatement of the other gases added, costs fall to $33 trillion. The bulk of these costs savings can be ascribed to reductions of nitrous oxide. Because nitrous oxide emission reduction is so much more important than methane emission reduction, the choice of equivalence metric between the greenhouse gases does not matter much. Sensitivity analyses show that the shape of the cost curves for CH4 and N2O emission reductions matter, and that the inclusion of sulphate aerosols makes policy targets substantially harder to achieve. The costs of emission reduction vary greatly with the choice of stabilisation target. A target of 4.5 Wm-2 is not justified by our current knowledge of the damage costs of climate change.
Governing at the Nanoscale: People, Policies and Emerging Technologies

Based on a two-year ESRC-funded project by Demos and Lancaster University, this report examines the technical and social implications of nanotechnologies. Rapid advances in nanotechnologies are giving rise to new economic, social and ethical questions. Are systems of governance and regulation keeping pace? How can we imagine the social possibilities created by emerging technologies and choose among them wisely? This pamphlet presents the findings of a two-year ESRC-funded project, which aimed to understand the social and scientific visions that are influencing nanotechnology research, and develop opportunities for ‘upstream’ dialogue between scientists and the wider public. Through interviews with scientists and policymakers, and by spending time in nanoscience laboratories, the project tried to draw out the implicit assumptions – what are sometimes termed the ‘imaginaries’ – of key players in the nanotechnology field. This was followed by a series of public focus groups, which explored questions of risk, responsibility and control, and identified potential faultlines of public controversy. At a final workshop, a group of nanoscientists and citizens shared their hopes, fears and concerns. The tone of their conversation was open and realistic, and generated a surprising degree of consensus, as members of the public developed a better sense of life in the laboratory, and the scientists grew to appreciate the legitimacy of public concerns.
A novel approach to improve the precision of monocular visual odometry

Monocular visual odometry is an active research topic for mobile robot navigation due to its availability and simpleness. However, it inherently suffers from scale ambiguity inherently, so that the precesion of odometry becomes poor. In this paper, we propose a new method to resolve scale ambiguity for monocular visual odometry based on ground area extraction and a modified adaptive kalman-filter which is based on Support Vector Machine (SVM). Firstly, instead of using Homography directly, we combine the Watershed Algorithm with the proposed Edge Expansion Method (EEM) to realize the ground extraction. Secondly, for the purpose of reducing the possibility of divergency when using the kalman filtering algorithm in real scenes, this paper applies a modified SVM-based Adaptive Kalman Filtering algorithm (SVMAKF) to visual navigation area. We conduct some experiments in outdoor scenes to validate that these approaches can improve the accuracy of monocular visual odometry.
Time varying …scal policy in the U.S. ¤

To investigate time heterogeneity in the eects of …scal policy in the U.S., we use a non-recursive, Blanchard and Perotti-like structural VAR with time-varying parameters, estimated through Bayesian simulation over the 1965:2-2009:2 period. Our evidence suggests that …scal policy has lost some capacity to stimulate output but that this trend is more pronounced for taxes net of transfers than for government expenditure, whose eectiveness declines only slightly. Fiscal multipliers keep conventional signs throughout. An investigation of changes in …scal policy conduct indicates an increase in the countercyclical activism of net taxes over time, which appears to have reached a maximum during the 2008-09 recession.
Chapter 6 Spatial Navigation in Virtual World

Absract One of the most challenging and complex tasks when working with virtual worlds is the navigation process. This chapter presents the possibilities of using neural networks as a tool for studying spatial navigation within virtual worlds. How it learns to predict the next step for a given trajectory, acquiring basic spatial knowledge in terms of landmarks and configuration of spatial layout. In addition, how it builds a spatial representation of the virtual world, rather like a cognitive map. The benefits of this approach and the possibility of extending the methodology to the study of navigation in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and other applications are described in brief. The study of computation models of navigation and the potential of using cognitive maps in the modeling of navigational processes are described. Non-visual spatial learning model is presented for the spatial learning through virtual world exploration. Different types of locomotion in virtual world with their constraints and benefits are discussed. Intended readers of the chapter would be the mobility trainer, architect, city planner, cartographer, psychologist, and game developer.
Parameterized Algorithmics for Network Analysis: Clustering & Querying

Preface This thesis summarizes some of my results on NP-hard graph problems that have applications in the areas of network clustering and querying. The research for obtaining these results was Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), as a researcher in the DFG project " Parameterized Algorithmics for Bioinformatics " (PABI, NI 369/7). I want to express my gratitude to Rolf Niedermeier for giving me the opportunity to work in his group and for his advice and support that eventually led to this thesis. Furthermore, I want to thank my colleagues and former colleagues for creating an enjoyable working atmosphere and for many inspiring and instructive discussions. Moreover, I owe sincere thanks to my coauthors for the pleasant and productive cooperation. In particular, I would like to thank René van Bevern for his implementation of the algorithms in Chapter 6. Finally, I want to thank the anonymous referees of several journals and scientific conferences for many pieces of advice that helped improving this work. The results in this thesis are partially contained in journal and conference publications that were created in close collaboration with coauthors. Below, I will describe which publications contributed to which chapters, and I will also specify my contributions to these publications. Further work to which I have contributed but that is not part of this thesis is concerned with parameterized algorithmics for graph modification problems [van Bevern et al. The latter collection of publications deals with extensions of the classical clustering notion, for example with hierarchical clusterings. In this work, the focus is on " classical " clusterings, that is, partitions of a set of objects. iii iv Preface Part II: Clustering. Chapter 2 is based on parts of the publication " Alternative Parameterizations for Cluster Editing " , which appeared in the proceedings of the 37th International Conference on Current Trends in Theory and Practice of Computer Science (SOFSEM '11) [Komusiewicz and Uhlmann 2011]; a full version of this publication is in preparation. I proposed to study the parameter " local modification bound " , participated in the development of the reduction from 3-SAT to CLUSTER EDITING, and observed the connections between CLUSTER DELETION and PARTITION INTO TRIANGLES. Furthermore, I developed the kernelization algorithms. Chapter 3 is based on the two publications " A More Relaxed Model for Graph-Based Data Clustering: s-Plex Cluster Editing " , which appeared in SIAM Journal on Discrete Mathematics [Guo et al. 2010b], and " …
Studying The Effect of Infertility on Marital Violence in Turkish Women

Background: The aim of this descriptive study was to evaluate the level of marital violence among Turkish women and to determine whether infertility was a risk factor for marital violence. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted during January-July 2009 at a training hospital. The study groups comprised 204 fertile and 228 infertile women. We administered the Descriptive Information Questionnaire and Scale for Marital Violence against Women (SDVW) to obtain data. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between infertile and fertile women for the total score of violence in marriage. The emotional, economic and sexual violence scores were higher in the infertile group. However, the verbal violence score was lower Conclusion: We performed a detailed study aimed at uncovering the presence of any violence from the data collection stage to the end of treatment in infertile couples with the intent to include questions to this effect in the care plan.
The Evolution of Helium and Hydrogen Ionization Corrections as H II Regions Age

Helium and hydrogen recombination lines observed in low-metallicity, extragalactic, H II regions provide the data used to infer the primordial helium mass fraction, YP. When abundances are derived from observations, the correction for unseen neutral helium or hydrogen is usually assumed to be absent; i.e., the ionization correction factor (icf) is taken to be unity (icf ≡ 1). In a previous paper, we revisited the question of the icf for H II regions ionized by clusters of young, hot, metal-poor stars, confirming earlier work which had demonstrated a "reverse" ionization correction: icf < 1. In that work, the icf was calculated using more nearly realistic models of inhomogeneous H II regions, revealing that for those H II regions ionized by young stars with "hard" radiation spectra the icf is reduced even farther below unity compared with homogeneous models. Based on these results, our previous paper suggested that the published values of YP needed to be reduced by an amount of order 0.003. As star clusters age, their stellar spectra evolve and so, too, will their icf's. Here the evolution of the icf is studied, along with that of two alternate measures of the "hardness" of the radiation spectrum. The differences between the icf for radiation-bounded and matter-bounded models are also explored, along with the effect on the icf of the He/H ratio (since He and H compete for some of the same ionizing photons). Particular attention is paid to the amount of doubly ionized helium predicted, leading us to suggest that observations of, or bounds to, He++ may help to discriminate among models of H II regions ionized by starbursts of different ages and spectra. We apply our analysis to the Izotov & Thuan data set, utilizing the radiation softness parameter, the [O III]/[O I] ratio, and the presence or absence of He++, to find 0.95 ≲ icf ≲ 0.99. This suggests that the Izotov & Thuan estimate of the primordial helium abundance should be reduced by ΔY ≈ 0.006 ± 0.002, from 0.244 ± 0.002 to 0.238 ± 0.003.
Social and Economic Characteristics Related to the Immediate College Transition of Recent High School Graduates: A Study of Southwest Region TRIO Participants' College Continuation

The purpose of this study was to determine whether: 1) Southwest Region TRIO high school students between the years 1991 - 2001 continued to college immediately after high school at rates significantly different than similar population students on national and state levels; and 2) immediate college continuation for this group was a function of social and economic characteristics including race, gender, parental education, and home-care environment. The sample included 414 TRIO program participants from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Data on the 414 participants were gathered using an existing database containing demographic and post-secondary enrollment information on study participants. The findings of this study reveal Southwest Region TRIO students during this ten-year period continued to college immediately after high school at rates not significantly different than the national low-income population of students. Results indicate that when compared to all students in the five-state southwest region, the majority low-income, first-generation TRIO population continued to college at rates not significantly different than all-income students in the region. Findings of this study also revealed select social and economic characteristics were not predictors of immediate college continuation for this group. Finally, the study showed out-of-home care environment students continued to college at significantly higher rates than in-home care Southwest Region TRIO students.
The Alignment of Dark Matter Halos with the Cosmic Web

We investigate the orientation of the axes and angular momentum of dark matter halos with respect to their neighboring voids using high-resolution N-body cosmological simulations. We find that the minor axis of a halo tends to be aligned along the line joining the halo with the center of the void and that the major axis tends to lie in the plane perpendicular to this line. However, we find that the angular momentum of a halo does not have any particular orientation. These results may provide information about the mechanisms whereby the large-scale structure of the universe affects galaxy formation, and they may cast light on the issue of the orientation of galaxy disks with respect to their host halos.