Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supporting VoIP Traffic in IEEE 802 . 11 WLAN with EnhancedMedium Access Control ( MAC ) for Quality of Service

With fast deploymentof wir elesslocal areanetworks (WLANs), the ability of WLAN to support real time serviceswith stringent quality of service(QoS)requirementshascomeinto fore. In this paper, we evaluate the capability of the enhancedpoint coordination function (EPCF) and enhanceddistrib uted coordination function (EDCF), which arepart of the mediumaccesscontrol (MAC) enhancementsfor QoS in the IEEE 802.11esupplements, to support voiceover IP (VoIP) applications. The performanceof VoIP under EPCF and EDCF is shown thr ough simulations, and the impact of background traffic on the VoIP performanceis also evaluated. Our resultsshow that under the EPCF modethe endto enddelayof VoIP traffic may beeffectively controlled with admissioncontrol, and is not sensitive to the besteffort traffic offered in contentionbasedoperation mode.
The HMG-I/Y-related Protein p8 Binds to p300 and Pax2trans-Activation Domain-interacting Protein to Regulate thetrans-Activation Activity of the Pax2A and Pax2B Transcription Factors on the Glucagon Gene Promoter*

p8 is a nuclear DNA-binding protein, which was identified because its expression is strongly activated in response to several stresses. Biochemical and biophysical studies revealed that despite a weak sequence homology p8 is an HMG-I/Y-like protein, suggesting that p8 may be involved in transcription regulation. Results reported here strongly support this hypothesis. Using a pull-down approach, we found that p8 interacts with the general co-activator p300. We also found that, similar to the HMG proteins, p300 was able to acetylate recombinant p8in vitro, although the significance of such modification remains to be determined. Then a screening by the two-hybrid system, using p8 as bait, allowed us to identify the Pax2trans-activation domain-interacting protein (PTIP) as another partner of p8. Transient transfection studies revealed that PTIP is a strong inhibitor of the trans-activation activities of Pax2A and Pax2B on the glucagon gene promoter, which was chosen as a model because it is a target of the Pax2A and Pax2B transcription factors. This effect is completely abolished by co-transfection of p8 in glucagon-producing InRIG9 cells, indicating that p8 binding to PTIP prevents inhibition of the glucagon gene promoter. This was not observed in NIH3T3 fibroblasts that do not express glucagon. Finally, expression of p8 enhances the effect of p300 on Pax2A and Pax2B trans-activation of the glucagon gene promoter. These observations suggest that in glucagon-producing cells p8 is a positive cofactor of the activation of the glucagon gene promoter by Pax2A and Pax2B, both by recruiting the p300 cofactor to increase the Pax2A and Pax2B activities and by binding the Pax2-interacting protein PTIP to suppress its inhibition.
Loss of mucosal CD4 lymphocytes is an early feature of HIV infection

T cell subsets in the gut mucosa are distinct populations and their imbalance in HIV has specific implications in infection. Alterations in T cell subsets in duodenal biopsies were investigated in 17 asymptomatic HIV patients, 24 AIDS patients and 10 controls with non‐ulcer dyspepsia. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluoresccnce using MoAbs to CD3, CD4, CDS, CD68, CD45R A, CD45RO and gp 120 were performed on frozen sections. In the lamina propria. there was a significant depletion of CD4+ cells at all stages of HIV, but the density of CDS lamina propria cells was increased. Intraepithelial lymphocytes were decreased in AIDS patients. There was a significant correlation between cellular density and mucosal CD3+ lymphocytes, and between mucosal CD3+ and CDS+ lymphocytes. Although mucosal CD4, CD45RO+‘memory’ cells were decreased, CD8.CD45RO+‘memory’ cells were increased. Mucosal CD4+ lymphocyte depletion occurred early in HIV, and thus their role in mucosal protection against opportunistic infection should be revised. Mucosal CD8+ lymphocytes initially increased, but decreased when CD4 blood counts were depleted, perhaps contributing to loss of host protection against infection. Intraepithelial lymphocyte depletion may also contribute to opportunistic infection.
Distribution of throughfall and stemflow in multi-strata agroforestry, perennial monoculture, fallow and primary forest in central Amazonia, Brazil

The partitioning of rain water into throughfall, stemflow and interception loss when passing through plant canopies depends on properties of the respective plant species, such as leaf area and branch angles. In heterogeneous vegetation, such as tropical forest or polycultural systems, the presence of different plant species may consequently result in a mosaic of situations with respect to quantity and quality of water inputs into the soil. As these processes influence not only the water availability for the plants, but also water infiltration and nutrient leaching, the understanding of plant effects on the repartitioning of rain water may help in the optimization of land use systems and management practices. We measured throughfall and stemflow in a perennial polyculture (multi-strata agroforestry), monocultures of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) for fruit and for palmito, a monoculture of cupuacu (Theobroma grandiflorum), spontaneous fallow and primary forest during one year in central Amazonia, Brazil. The effect on rain water partitioning was measured separately for four useful tree species in the polyculture and for two tree species in the primary forest. Throughfall at two stem distances, and stemflow, differed significantly between tree species, resulting in pronounced spatial patterns of water input into the soil in the polyculture system. For two tree species, peach palm for fruit (Bactris gasipaes) and Brazil nut trees (Bertholletia excelsa), the water input into the soil near the stem was significantly higher than the open-area rainfall. This could lead to increased nutrient leaching when fertilizer is applied close to the stem of these trees. In the primary forest, such spatial patterns could also be detected, with significantly higher water input near a palm (Oenocarpus bacaba) than near a dicotyledonous tree species (Eschweilera sp.). Interception losses were 6·4% in the polyculture, 13·9 and 12·3% in the peach palm monocultures for fruit and for palmito, respectively, 0·5% in the cupuacu monoculture and 3·1% in the fallow. With more than 20% of the open-area rainfall, the highest stemflow contributions to the water input into the soil were measured in the palm monocultures and in the fallow. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lkb1 Deficiency Alters Goblet and Paneth Cell Differentiation in the Small Intestine

The Lkb1 tumour suppressor is a multitasking kinase participating in a range of physiological processes. We have determined the impact of Lkb1 deficiency on intestinal homeostasis, particularly focussing on secretory cell differentiation and development since we observe strong expression of Lkb1 in normal small intestine Paneth and goblet cells. We crossed mice bearing an Lkb1 allele flanked with LoxP sites with those carrying a Cyp1a1-specific inducible Cre recombinase. Lkb1 was efficiently deleted from the epithelial cells of the mouse intestine after intraperitoneal injection of the inducing agent β-naphthoflavone. Bi-allelic loss of Lkb1 led to the perturbed development of Paneth and goblet cell lineages. These changes were characterised by the lack of Delta ligand expression in Lkb1-deficient secretory cells and a significant increase in the levels of the downstream Notch signalling effector Hes5 but not Hes1. Our data show that Lkb1 is required for the normal differentiation of secretory cell lineages within the intestine, and that Lkb1 deficiency modulates Notch signalling modulation in post-mitotic cells.
Associations between the portion sizes of food groups consumed and measures of adiposity in the British National Diet and Nutrition Survey

The objective of the present study was to examine the associations between the portion sizes of food groups consumed with measures of adiposity using data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of British adults. Seven-day weighed dietary records, physical activity diaries and anthropometric measurements were used. Foods eaten were assigned to thirty different food groups and analyses were undertaken separately for men and women. The median daily portion size of each food group consumed was calculated. The potential misreporting of dietary energy intake (EI) was identified using the following equation: EI − estimated energy requirements × 100 = percentage of under-reporting (UR) of energy needs. Multinomial logistic regression (adjusted for age, social class, physical activity level and UR) was used to determine the portion sizes of food groups most strongly associated with obesity status. Few positive associations between the portion sizes of food groups consumed and obesity status were found. However, UR was prevalent, with a median UR of predicted energy needs of 34 and 33 % in men and women, respectively. After the adjustment was made for UR, more associations between the food groups and obesity status became apparent in both sexes. The present study suggests that the true effect of increased portion size of foods on obesity status may be masked by high levels of UR. Alternatively, these data may indicate that an increased risk of obesity is not associated with specific foods/food groups but rather with an overall increase in the range of foods and food groups being consumed.
Setting 2 variables at a time yields a new lower bound for random 3-SAT (extended abstract)

Let X be a set of n Boolean variables and denote by C(X) be the set of all 3-clauses over X, i.e. the set of all 8 ( n 3 ) possible disjunctions of three distinct, non-complementary literals of variables in X. Let F (n,m) be a random 3-SAT formula formed by selecting, with replacement, m clauses uniformly at random from C(X) and taking their conjunction. Finally, let us say that a sequence of events En occurs with high probability (w.h.p.) if limn→∞ Pr[En] = 1. The satisfiability threshold conjecture asserts that there exists a constant r3 such that F (n, rn) is w.h. p. satisfiable for r r3. Experimental evidence suggests r3 ≈ 4.2. We prove r3 > 3.145 improving over the previous best lower bound r3 > 3.003 due to Frieze and Suen. For this, we introduce a new satisfiability heuristic and analyze its performance. The framework we develop for the analysis of our heuristic allows us to recover most of the previous lower bounds along with our new bound in a uniform manner and with little additional effort.
Search for 60Ni excesses in MET-78008 ureilite: An ion microprobe study

We have developed a technique for in-situ Ni isotopic analysis using the ion microprobe, in order to detect 60Ni excess from the decay of the short lived nuclide °Fe (half life= 1.5 Ma) in ureilite samples. The silicate minerals from MET-78008 ureilite with an old U -Pb age of 4.563±0.006 Ga were analyzed. The 56Fe/58Ni ratios of olivine and orthopyroxene are between 2700 and 5400. In spite of the high Fe/Ni ratios, we could not observe any detectable 60Ni excess. From the mean value of oli­ vine core data, we obtain an upper limit of the 6°Fe/56Fe ratio at the time of ureilite formation of l.8x 10-1• The time difference between CAI formation and ureilite for­ mation was estimated to be more than 4 million years, which is consistent with the U­ Pb data from the same meteorite. We concluded that the impact event for the disrup­ tion of the ureilite parent body happened more than 4 million years after CAI forma­ tion. However, a large uncertainty in the initial 6°Fe/56Fe ratio is introduced by the possibility that the MJNi excess observed in CAis is of nucleosynthetic origin. Our conclusion may change if the initial 6°Fe/56Fe ratio of the solar system using CAI data is too high.
Comparison of new and existing global digital elevation models: ASTER G‐DEM and SRTM‐3

A new global elevation dataset known as G‐DEM, based on the ASTER satellite imagery, will be released in late 2008. G‐DEM will be the best freely available global digital elevation model (DEM) at a horizontal resolution of 1 arc second. We assess the quality of G‐DEM in comparison with 3‐arc‐second SRTM DEM, the best current global elevation dataset. Basic geomorphometric parameters (elevation, slope and curvature) were examined for a pre‐release version of G‐DEM and SRTM DEM for western Japan. G‐DEM has fewer missing cells than SRTM DEM, particularly in steep terrain. Also, G‐DEM gives smoother and more realistic representations of lowlands, valleys, steep slopes, and mountain ridges, whereas, SRTM DEM includes many local spikes and holes, and tends to overestimate valley‐floor elevation and underestimate ridge elevation. G‐DEM will be commonly used in geoscientific studies, because of its higher resolution, fewer missing data, and better topographic representation than SRTM DEM.
Longitudinal variability of annual changes in activity of equatorial spread F and plasma bubbles

Global distribution maps of equatorial spread F (ESF) activity for various annual periods were derived from the topside soundings by the Ionosphere Sounding Satellite b (ISS-b) in 1978–1980. The ESF activity during the northern winter period reveals maximum enhancement at the Atlantic longitudes of large westward geomagnetic declination, and during the northern summer at the Pacific longitudes of large eastward declination. On several orbits passing over the region of the ESF activity enhancement, abrupt depletions of the electron density or equatorial plasma bubbles were observed at the satellite altitude of about 1100 km. It has also been found that the background electron density distributions tend to be symmetric with respect to the magnetic equator in the region of the enhanced ESF activity and asymmetric in the region of the suppressed ESF activity. These observations are taken account of by the influence of a transequatorial thermospheric wind upon the suppression of the Rayleigh-Taylor type plasma instability.
Sharks, bony fishes and endodental borings from the Miocene Montpelier Formation (White Limestone Group) of Jamaica

Bulk samples of Miocene carbonate sediments (deep-water chalks and shallow-water-derived calcarenites) from the Montpelier Formation (White Limestone Group) in Duncans Quarry, Jamaica, have yielded a small, but diverse, fauna of disassociated fish remains. Shark remains include the teeth of five species, four of which are squalids. A diverse, but taxonomically indeterminate, osteichthyan tooth assemblage is also present. A number of the teeth contain microborings of two ichnotaxa. The assemblage is considered to be typical of a deep-water continental slope fauna, and indicates an abrupt northern margin of the Miocene shallow-water carbonate platforms.
Motor Skill Performance of Children with Sensor Impairments

According to ICD – 10 (1993) there are two big groups of specific developmental disabilities: learning disabilities and motor disabilities. The first includes a group of disorders which characterize problems in school achievement, especially in reading and math. The second includes a group of disorders in motor coordination, balance, lateralization, which cannot be explained by general problems in intellectual development or any other specific neurological disorder. The etiology of these disorders is unknown, but there is a hypothesis that they are the consequence of interaction between biological factors and the influence of social environment, as much as interaction between those two factors and quality of educational processes.
Amputation Is Not Isolated: An Overview of the US Army Amputee Patient Care Program and Associated Amputee Injuries

&NA; Rates of amputation as a percentage of all combat injuries have increased significantly since the Korean War. Following traumatic and combat‐related amputation, definitive treatment and rehabilitation require a large, multidisciplinary team to provide comprehensive medical and supportive care. Associated injuries are remarkably frequent, complicating treatment and potentially delaying rehabilitation and/or limiting outcomes. Patient and family psychosocial issues also must be assessed and appropriately addressed. The US Army Amputee Patient Care Program, with the support of numerous other government and private organizations, has been developed to meet the comprehensive medical, rehabilitative, and social needs of amputees injured in the current global war on terrorism, with the goal of maximizing subsequent patient outcomes utilizing a sports medicine approach.
Temporal constraints on basin inversion provided by 3D seismic and well data: a case study from the South Viking Graben, offshore Norway

Three‐dimensional (3D) seismic, well and biostratigraphic data are integrated to determine the timing of inversion on the hangingwall of the South Viking Graben, offshore Norway. Within the study area two, NW–SE to NE–SW trending normal faults are developed which were active during a Late Jurassic rift event. In the hangingwall of these faults asymmetric, 2–5 km wide anticlines are developed which trend parallel to the adjacent faults and are interpreted as growth folds formed in response to compressional shortening (inversion) of the syn‐rift basin‐fill. Marked thickness variations are observed in Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous growth strata with respect to the inversion‐related folds, with seismic data indicating onlap and thinning of these units across the folds. In addition, well data suggests that not only are erosional surfaces only locally developed towards the crests of the folds, but these surfaces may also truncate underlying flooding surfaces towards the fold crests. Taken together, these observations indicate that inversion and growth of inversion‐related structures initiated in the late Early Volgian and continued until the Late Albian. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that individual folds amplified and propagated laterally through time, and that fold growth was not synchronous across the study area. This study demonstrates that the temporal evolution of structures associated with the inversion of sedimentary basins can be accurately determined through the integration of 3D seismic, well and biostratigraphic data. Furthermore, this study has local implications for constraining the timing of inversion within the South Viking Graben during the Late Mesozoic.
Deep intronic variations may cause mild hemophilia A

Summary. Background: In about 10% of patients with mild hemophilia A, no candidate gene mutations are apparent after complete gene sequencing. Aim of the study: To analyze factor VIII gene (F8) mRNA for mutations in five families with mild hemophilia A with no apparent genomic mutation and a reduced response to desmopressin. Results: In four cases, mRNA studies revealed the presence of an abnormal mRNA transcript in addition to normal F8 mRNA. Sequencing of the abnormal transcripts revealed complex abnormalities, which allowed the identification of three different intronic variations (c.2113+1152delA, c.5587‐93C>T and c.5999‐277G>A) at the DNA level, absent from 387 normal alleles. By in silico analysis, c.2113+1152delA and c.5587‐93C>T were strongly predicted to result in the generation of new splice sites with the introduction of premature termination codons, while c.5999‐277G>A was predicted to generate a new protein with 30 additional amino acids. However, these predictions were not homogeneous across the different mutations and programs used. The detrimental effect of two mutations was also confirmed by in vitro expression studies. These changes were also identified in related female carriers and in other mild HA patients not included in the original study. No mRNA abnormality was identified in the remaining patient. Conclusions: Although rare, deep intronic variations may be responsible for mild hemophilia A where no other F8 mutations have been identified and may be associated with a reduced biologic response to desmopressin. F8 mRNA analysis is a useful tool for the identification of deep intronic variation not detectable by standard DNA sequencing.
Tectonics of the Xining Basin in NW China and its implications for the evolution of the NE Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau

The continuous Cenozoic strata in the Xining Basin record the growth and evolution of the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Here, the mechanisms and evolution of the Xining Basin during the Cenozoic were investigated by studying the sedimentary facies of 22 Cenozoic sections across the basin and detrital zircon U‐Pb ages of three Cenozoic sections located in the eastern, central and western basin, respectively. In the Eocene (ca. 50–44 Ma), the India‐Eurasia Collision affected the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. The Central Qilian Block rotated clockwise by ca. 24° to form the Xining Basin. The Triassic flysch sediments surrounding the basin were the primary sources of sediment. Between ca. 44–40 Ma, the basin enlarged and deepened, and sedimentation was dominated by saline lake sediments. Between ca. 40–25.5 Ma, the Xining Basin began to shrink and dry, resulting in the deposition of saline pan and saline mudflat sediments in the basin. After ca. 20 Ma, the Laji Shan to the south of the Xining Basin was uplifted due to the northward compression of the Guide Basin to the south. Clasts that eroded from this range dominated the sediments as the basin evolved from a lacustrine environment into a fluvial system. The Xining Basin was an extensional basin in the Early Cenozoic, but changed into a compressive one during the Late Cenozoic, it was not a foreland basin either to the Kunlun Shan or to the western Qinling Shan in the whole Cenozoic. The formation and deformation of the Xining Basin are the direct responses of the India‐Eurasia Collision and the growth of the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau.
The role of branchial carbonic anhydrase in acid-base regulation in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

SUMMARY The objective of the present study was to examine the branchial distribution of the recently identified rainbow trout cytoplasmic carbonic anhydrase isoform (tCAc) and to investigate its role in the regulation of acid-base disturbances in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In situ hybridization using an oligonucleotide probe specific to tCAc revealed tCAc mRNA expression in both pavement cells and mitochondria-rich cells (chloride cells). Similarly, using a homologous polyclonal antibody, tCAc immunoreactivity was localized to pavement cells and mitochondria-rich cells in the interlamellar region and along the lamellae of the gills. Exposure of rainbow trout to hypercarbia (∼0.8% CO2) for 24 h resulted in significant increases in tCAc mRNA expression (∼20-fold; quantified by real-time PCR) and protein levels (∼1.3-fold; quantified by western analysis) but not enzyme activity (assessed on crude gill homogenates using the delta-pH CA assay). Inhibition of branchial CA activity in vivo using acetazolamide reduced branchial net acid excretion significantly by 20%. This effect was enhanced to a 36% reduction in branchial net acid excretion by subjecting the trout to hypercarbia (∼0.8% CO2) for 10 h prior to acetazolamide injection, an exposure that significantly increased branchial net acid excretion. The results of the present study support the widely held premise that branchial intracellular CA activity (tCAc) plays a key role in regulating acid-base balance in freshwater teleost fish.