Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring subnets of colored Petri net models: Online technique for networks perfomance evaluation

For reenterable models of IP networks with dynamic routing according to RIP protocol, measuring subnets for QoS parameters evaluation have been essentially modified and extended. Online algorithms of statistical analysis have been specified by colored Petri nets. The mean and variance of the packet delivery time have been evaluated. As a result, the computation precision has grown and an essential speed-up of computations obtained because the online algorithms use a single pass over input data instead of two passes of classical algorithms. The same approach can be implemented for other statistical moments and spread on colored Petri net models of other networking technologies.
Protein dynamics and conformational disorder in molecular recognition

Recognition requires protein flexibility because it facilitates conformational rearrangements and induced‐fit mechanisms upon target binding. Intrinsic disorder is an extreme on the continuous spectrum of possible protein dynamics and its role in recognition may seem counterintuitive. However, conformational disorder is widely found in many eukaryotic regulatory proteins involved in processes such as signal transduction and transcription. Disordered protein regions may in fact confer advantages over folded proteins in binding. Rapidly interconverting and diverse conformers may create mean electrostatic fields instead of presenting discrete charges. The resultant “polyelectrostatic” interactions allow for the utilization of post‐translational modifications as a means to change the net charge and thereby modify the electrostatic interaction of a disordered region. Plasticity of disordered protein states enables steric advantages over folded proteins and allows for unique binding configurations. Disorder may also have evolutionary advantages, as it facilitates alternative splicing, domain shuffling and protein modularity. As proteins exist in a continuous spectrum of disorder, so do their complexes. Indeed, disordered regions in complexes may control the degree of motion between domains, mask binding sites, be targets of post‐translational modifications, permit overlapping binding motifs, and enable transient binding of different binding partners, making them excellent candidates for signal integrators and explaining their prevalence in eukaryotic signaling pathways. “Dynamic” complexes arise if more than two transient protein interfaces are involved in complex formation of two binding partners in a dynamic equilibrium. “Disordered” complexes, in contrast, do not involve significant ordering of interacting protein segments but rely exclusively on transient contacts. The nature of these interactions is not well understood yet but advancements in the structural characterization of disordered states will help us gain insights into their function and their implications for health and disease. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Influences of Age, Sex and Caste on Goiter Prevalence of the People in Tripura, North East India

Abstract Goiter prevalence of selected population in respect of age, sex and caste was evaluated in the conventional iodine deficient Tripura of north east India during post-salt iodization phase. The study was earned out on 10,801 school-children in the age group 6-15 years of both sexes from randomly selected 22 representative localities. In selected localities, children were clinically examined for goiter categorising them in respect of ages, sexes and castes. Obtained results showed goiter was prevalent at endemic level (more than 5%) in all study localities. With advancement age the rate was found to increase up to the age of JI years in both sexes. However in boys a gradual decline in goiter rate was found and returned to basal level by 15 years while in girls the rate of increase remained steady up to 15 years. Female population was affected more than the male in prevalence and severity. They were exposed under uniform system of iodine supply and dietary goitrogens. however endemic goiter was mostly prevalent in general castes, moderately among scheduled castes and minimum among scheduled tribes These variations might be due to non-uniform environmental adaptability associated with different dietary practices.
Epimorphin Regulates Bile Duct Formation via Effects on Mitosis Orientation in Rat Liver Epithelial Stem-Like Cells

Understanding how hepatic precursor cells can generate differentiated bile ducts is crucial for studies on epithelial morphogenesis and for development of cell therapies for hepatobiliary diseases. Epimorphin (EPM) is a key morphogen for duct morphogenesis in various epithelial organs. The role of EPM in bile duct formation (DF) from hepatic precursor cells, however, is not known. To address this issue, we used WB-F344 rat epithelial stem-like cells as model for bile duct formation. A micropattern and a uniaxial static stretch device was used to investigate the effects of EPM and stress fiber bundles on the mitosis orientation (MO) of WB cells. Immunohistochemistry of liver tissue sections demonstrated high EPM expression around bile ducts in vivo. In vitro, recombinant EPM selectively induced DF through upregulation of CK19 expression and suppression of HNF3α and HNF6, with no effects on other hepatocytic genes investigated. Our data provide evidence that EPM guides MO of WB-F344 cells via effects on stress fiber bundles and focal adhesion assembly, as supported by blockade EPM, β1 integrin, and F-actin assembly. These blockers can also inhibit EPM-induced DF. These results demonstrate a new biophysical action of EPM in bile duct formation, during which determination of MO plays a crucial role.
Cosmic Airburst on Developing Allerød Substrates (Soils) in the Western Alps, Mt. Viso Area

Abstract Although much has been written about a cosmic impact event in the Western Alps of the Mt. Viso area, the event closely tied with the Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB) of 12.8 ka and onset of the Younger Dryas (YD), the affected land surface is considered to contain a similar black mat suite of sediment found on three continents. While work elsewhere has focused on recovered sediment from lake and ice cores, buried lacustrine/alluvial records, and surface glacial and paraglacial records, no one has traced a mountain morphosequence of deposits with the objective of investigating initial weathering/ soil morphogenesis that occurred in ice recessional deposits up to the YDB when the surface was subjected to intense heat, presumably, as hypothesized by Mahaney et al. (2016a) from a cosmic airburst. With the land surface rapidly free of ice following glacial retreat during the Bølling-Allerød interstadial, weathering processes ~13.5 to 12.8 ka led to weathering and soil morphogenesis in a slow progression as the land surface became free of ice. To determine the exposed land character in the mid- to late-Allerød, it is possible to utilize an inverted stratigraphic soil morphogenesis working backward in time, from known post-Little Ice Age (LIA) (i.e. time-zero) through LIA (~0.45 to ~0.10 ka), to at least the middle Neoglacial (~2 ka), to answer several questions. What were the likely soil profile states in existence at the end of the Allerød just prior to the cosmic impact/airburst (YDB)? Assuming these immature weathered regolith sections of the Late Allerød approximated the <1 ka old profiles seen today, and assuming the land surface was subjected to a hypothesized instant temperature burst from ambient to ~2200°C at ~12.8 ka, what would be the expected effect on the resident sediment? To test the mid-LG (YDB) to YD relationship we analyzed the paleosols in both suites of deposits - mid-LG to YD - to test that the airburst grains are restricted to Late Allerød paleosols and using relative-age-determination criteria, that the overlapping YD to mid-LG moraines are closely related in time. These are some of the questions about the black mat that we seek to answer with reference to sites in the upper Guil and Po rivers of the Mt. Viso area.
win and sin: predicate transformers for concurrency

The <italic>weakest liberal precondition</italic> and <italic>strongest postcondition</italic> predicate transformers are generalized to the <italic>weakest invariant</italic> and <italic>strongest invariant</italic>. These new predicate transformers are useful for reasoning about concurrent programs containing operations in which the grain of atomicity is unspecified. They can also be used to replace behavioral arguments with more rigorous assertional ones.
An Evidence-based Guideline for Prehospital Analgesia in Trauma

Abstract Background. The management of acute traumatic pain is a crucial component of prehospital care and yet the assessment and administration of analgesia is highly variable, frequently suboptimal, and often determined by consensus-based regional protocols. Objective. To develop an evidence-based guideline (EBG) for the clinical management of acute traumatic pain in adults and children by advanced life support (ALS) providers in the prehospital setting. Methods. We recruited a multi-stakeholder panel with expertise in acute pain management, guideline development, health informatics, and emergency medical services (EMS) outcomes research. Representatives of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (sponsoring agency) and a major children's research center (investigative team) also contributed to the process. The panel used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology to guide the process of question formulation, evidence retrieval, appraisal/synthesis, and formulation of recommendations. The process also adhered to the National Prehospital Evidence-Based Guideline (EBG) model process approved by the Federal Interagency Council for EMS and the National EMS Advisory Council. Results. Four strong and three weak recommendations emerged from the process; two of the strong recommendations were linked to high- and moderate-quality evidence, respectively. The panel recommended that all patients be considered candidates for analgesia, regardless of transport interval, and that opioid medications should be considered for patients in moderate to severe pain. The panel also recommended that all patients should be reassessed at frequent intervals using a standardized pain scale and that patients should be re-dosed if pain persists. The panel suggested the use of specific age-appropriate pain scales. Conclusion. GRADE methodology was used to develop an evidence-based guideline for prehospital analgesia in trauma. The panel issued four strong recommendations regarding patient assessment and narcotic medication dosing. Future research should define optimal approaches for implementation of the guideline as well as the impact of the protocol on safety and effectiveness metrics.
Seizures in Acute Stroke: Incidence, Risk Factors and Prognosis

Background and Purpose: Studies on post-stroke seizures have produced conflicting results. Our study aim was to further elucidate the incidence and predictive factors of early post-stroke seizures (ES) and their relationship with outcome. Methods: relevant clinical data were prospectively collected in 2,053 patients with acute stroke admitted to the Stroke Unit from 2004 to 2008. Results: Sixty-six patients (8 hemorrhagic and 58 ischemic strokes) aged 73–88 years (mean age 82 years) presented seizures in the first week after stroke onset. The type of ischemic stroke was atherothrombotic in 10 patients, cardioembolic in 21, lacunar in 4, undetermined in 19, and of other etiology in 4. Twenty-seven patients had generalized convulsive, 6 had complex partial, and 33 had simple partial seizures. Status epilepticus was observed in 13 patients. The severity of strokes in patients with ES was greater than in those without (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale >14 in 50 vs. 25%), so mortality (30 days) was higher (29 vs. 14%). Independent seizure predictors were: total anterior circulation infarct, hemorrhagic transformation, hyperglycemia, and the interaction term diabetes × hyperglycemia. Conclusions: ES may be considered a marker of stroke severity. Cortical location of the lesion, hemorrhagic transformation, and hyperglycemia in patients without diabetes are important predictors of ES.
The Broadband Digital Divide and the Nexus of Race, Competition, and Quality

We examine the gap in broadband access to the Internet between minority groups and white households with geographically fine data on DSL subscription. In addition to income and demographics, we also examine quality of service and competition as components of the Digital Divide. The gaps in DSL demand for blacks and Hispanics do not disappear when income, education, and other demographic variables are accounted for. However, lack of competition is an important driver of the Digital Divide for blacks. Service quality is an important determinant of demand, and ignoring it masks the true size of the DSL gap for Hispanics.
Molecular Mechanisms Associated With PTHrP‐Induced Proliferation of Colon Cancer Cells

Parathyroid Hormone‐related Protein (PTHrP) is normally produced in many tissues and is recognized for its endocrine, paracrine, autocrine and intracrine modes of action. PTHrP is also implicated in different types of cancer and its expression correlates with the severity of colon carcinoma. Using the human colon cell line Caco‐2 we recently obtained evidence that PTHrP, through a paracrine pathway, exerts a protective effect under apoptotic conditions. However, if exogenous PTHrP is able or not to induce the proliferation of these intestinal tumor cells is not known. We found that PTHrP treatment increases the number of live Caco‐2 cells. The hormone induces the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of ERK 1/2, α p38 MAPK, and Akt, without affecting JNK phosphorylation. In addition, PTHrP‐dependent ERK phosphorylation is reverted when PI3K activity was inhibited. Following MAPKs nuclear translocation, the transcription factors ATF‐1 and CREB were activated in a biphasic manner. In addition PTHrP induces the translocation into the nucleus of β‐catenin, protein that plays key role in maintaining the growth and proliferation of colorectal cancer, and increases the amount of both positive cell cycle regulators c‐Myc and Cyclin D. Studies with ERK1/2, α p38 MAPK, and PI3K specific inhibitors showed that PTHrP regulates Caco‐2 cell proliferation via these signaling pathways. In conclusion, the results obtained in this work expand our knowledge on the role of exogenous PTHrP in intestinal tumor cells and identify the signaling pathways that are involved in the mitogenic effect of the hormone on Caco‐2 cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 115: 2133–2145, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Optimization of Multitrain Operations in a Subway System

Energy efficiency is paid more and more attention in railway systems for reducing the cost of operation companies and emissions to the environment. In subway systems, the optimizations on timetable and driving strategy are two important and closely dependent parts of energy-efficient operations. The former regulates the fleet size and the trip time at interstations, and the latter determines the control sequences of traction and braking force during the trip. Most conventional research optimized the timetable and the driving strategy separately such that global optimality cannot be achieved. In this paper, we analyze the hierarchy of energy-efficient train operation and then propose an integrated algorithm to generate the globally optimal operation schedule, which can get better energy-saving performance. Within the criteria of meeting the passenger demand, the integrated energy-efficient algorithm can simultaneously obtain the optimal timetable and driving strategy for trains, which realizes the combination of the high-level transportation management and the low-level train operation control. The simulation results based on the Beijing Yizhuang Subway Line illustrate that the integrated algorithm can achieve a 24.0% energy reduction for one day, on average. In addition, the computation time is within 2 s, which is short enough to be applied for real-time control system.
Variability in seed quality traits in castor germplasm

Castor is an industrial oilseed crop with great potential for biorefineries. However, little is known about the variability in the bioactive compounds in castor germplasm. This study evaluated seed weight, oil content, fatty acid profile, tocopherols, and phytosterols in 160 accessions of the USDA-ARS castor germplasm collection. The accessions were grown in Cordoba, Spain, under three different environmental conditions. Environmental and genotype-by-environment interaction effects were predominant for most traits, resulting in moderate to low broad-sense heritabilities, which ranged from 0.12 for total tocopherol content to 0.88 for hundred-seed weight. The genetic variability in the seed quality traits identified in the collection was lower than that reported previously for the germplasm of wild and semi-wild accessions from Spain, which is attributed to the lower genetic diversity in cultivated than in wild forms. The variation in seed quality traits in castor germplasm can be exploited to improve the concentration of bioactive compounds in castor cultivars.
An Algebraic Preservation Theorem for Aleph-Zero Categorical Quantified Constraint Satisfaction

We prove a preservation theorem for positive Horn definability in aleph-zero categorical structures. In particular, we define and study a construction which we call the periodic power of a structure, and define a periomorphism of a structure to be a homomorphism from the periodic power of the structure to the structure itself. Our preservation theorem states that, over an aleph-zero categorical structure, a relation is positive Horn definable if and only if it is preserved by all periomorphisms of the structure. We give applications of this theorem, including a new proof of the known complexity classification of quantified constraint satisfaction on equality templates.
RLN2 Is a Positive Regulator of AKT-2-Induced Gene Expression Required for Osteosarcoma Cells Invasion and Chemoresistance

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of H2 relaxin (RLN2) on invasion, migration, and chemosensitivity to cisplatin in human osteosarcoma U2-OS and MG-63 cells and then to investigate the effect of RLN2 on the AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway. The expression of RLN2, p-AKT (Ser473), and p-ERK1/2 (Phospho-Thr202/Tyr204) proteins was detected by western blot in OS tissues from 21 patients with pulmonary metastatic disease, and the correlation between RLN2 and p-AKT or RLN2 and p-ERK1/2 expression was investigated. RLN2 expression was inhibited by RLN2 siRNA transfection in the MG-63 cells. RLN2 was overexpressed in the U2-OS cells by treatment with recombinant relaxin. The results showed that positive relation was found between RLN2 and p-AKT expression in tissues of OS. Silencing RLN2 inhibited cell migratory and invasive ability and angiogenesis formation and increased the chemosensitivity to cisplatin in MG-63 cells. RLN2 overexpression promoted migratory and invasive ability and angiogenesis and increased the chemoresistance to cisplatin in U2-OS cells. Silencing RLN2 inhibited the activity of AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway in MG-63 cells, and vice versa. Blockage of both pathways by specific inhibitors abrogated RLN2-induced survival and invasion of OS cells, and vice versa. Our results indicated RLN2 confers to migratory and invasive ability, angiogenesis, and chemoresistance to cisplatin via modulating the AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway in vitro.
A Note on Rate-Distortion Functions for Nonstationary Gaussian Autoregressive Processes

Source coding theorems and Shannon rate-distortion functions were studied for the discrete-time Wiener process by Berger and generalized to nonstationary Gaussian autoregressive processes by Gray and by Hashimoto and Arimoto. Hashimoto and Arimoto provided an example apparently contradicting the methods used in Gray, implied that Gray's rate-distortion evaluation was not correct in the nonstationary case, and derived a new formula that agreed with previous results for the stationary case and held in the nonstationary case. In this correspondence it is shown that the rate-distortion formulas of Gray and Hashimoto and Arimoto are in fact consistent and that the example of Hashimoto and Arimoto does not form a counterexample to the methods or results of the earlier paper. Their results do provide an alternative, but equivalent, formula for the rate-distortion function in the nonstationary case and they provide a concrete example that the classic Kolmogorov formula differs from the autoregressive formula when the autoregressive source is not stationary. Some observations are offered on the equality of the asymptotic distributions of the eigenvalues of the sequence of inverse autocorrelation matrices of possibly nonstationary autoregressive processes and of their Toeplitz approximations.
Medicolegal Study of Child Sexual Abuse in Greater Cairo, Egypt, During a 7-Year Period: 2005–2011

AbstractChild sexual abuse has gained public attention and has become 1 of the most high-profile crimes. This study aimed to determine the demographic and medicolegal aspects of child sexual abuse in greater Cairo, Egypt. This is a retrospective study from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2011. Data were collected from a Cairo medicolegal department and were statistically analyzed. The total number of cases was 1832 victims; 57.9% were males and 42.1% were females. Most assaults occurred in 2010 (16.2%) and 2011 (17.5%). The age group 6 to 12 years accounted for higher rate (49%), mostly in males (71.8%). A total of 83.3% of the victims belonged to low social class, and 72.3% of the victims were out of school. Only 1.9% of the victims had a mental disability. The crime scene was an unknown place in 78.1%. All offenders were males; most cases had 1 offender (82.5 %); and most offenders were extrafamilial (94.2%), of low social level, illiterate, unemployed, and between 18 and 30 years old. The unmarried offenders assaulted the females more than the males, whereas the married assaulted the males more than the females. A total of 5.8% were intrafamilial offenders; 62.7% of these cases were incest against girls and 37.3% were sodomy against boys. Clothes were normal in 48.8%. Anal assault (52.3%) and incomplete vaginal penetration (32%) were the commonest types. There was no significant relation between findings, investigations, and time. In conclusion, child sexual abuse in greater Cairo represents a problem. Therefore,forensic medicine should be a part of a multidisciplinary approach to prevent, investigate, and treat the problem.
Real-world visual statistics and infants' first-learned object names

We offer a new solution to the unsolved problem of how infants break into word learning based on the visual statistics of everyday infant-perspective scenes. Images from head camera video captured by 8 1/2 to 10 1/2 month-old infants at 147 at-home mealtime events were analysed for the objects in view. The images were found to be highly cluttered with many different objects in view. However, the frequency distribution of object categories was extremely right skewed such that a very small set of objects was pervasively present—a fact that may substantially reduce the problem of referential ambiguity. The statistical structure of objects in these infant egocentric scenes differs markedly from that in the training sets used in computational models and in experiments on statistical word-referent learning. Therefore, the results also indicate a need to re-examine current explanations of how infants break into word learning. This article is part of the themed issue ‘New frontiers for statistical learning in the cognitive sciences’.