Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Algebraic Geometric Techniques for Depth-4 PIT & Sylvester-Gallai Conjectures for Varieties

We present an algebraic-geometric approach for devising a deterministic polynomial time blackbox identity testing (PIT) algorithm for depth-4 circuits with bounded top fanin. Using our approach, we devise such an algorithm for the case when such circuits have bounded bottom fanin and satisfy a certain non-degeneracy condition. In particular, we present an algorithm that, given blackboxes to P1 · · ·Pd, Q11 · · ·Q1d1 , . , Qk1 · · ·Qkdk where k and the degrees of Pi’s and Qij’s are bounded, determines the membership of P1 · · ·Pd in the radical of the ideal generated by Q11 · · ·Q1d1 , . , Qk1 · · ·Qkdk in deterministic poly(n, d,maxi(di))-time. We also give a Dvir-Shpilka [DS06]-like approach to resolve the degenerate case and, in the process, initiate a new direction in incidence geometry for non-linear varieties. This approach consists of a series of Sylvester-Gallai type conjectures for boundeddegree varieties and, if true, imply a complete derandomization in the bounded bottom fanin case. To the best of our knowledge, these problems have not been posed before. ∗Research supported by MSR India PhD Fellowship.
Inhibitory effects of fasudil on renal interstitial fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction

Renal fibrosis is the major cause of chronic kidney disease, and the Rho/Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase (ROCK) signaling cascade is involved in the renal fibrotic processes. Several studies have reported that ROCK inhibitors attenuate renal fibrosis. However, the mechanism of this process remains to be fully elucidated. The present study assessed the inhibitory effect of fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor using immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses, in vivo and in vitro, to elucidate the mechanisms underlying renal interstitial fibrosis. In mice induced with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), collagen accumulation, the expression of fibrosis-associated genes and the content of hydroxyproline in the kidney increased 3, 7, and 14 days following UUO. Fasudil attenuated the histological changes, and the production of collagen and extracellular matrix in the UUO kidney. The expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and the transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ)-Smad signaling pathway, and macrophage infiltration were suppressed by fasudil in the kidneys of the UUO mice. The present study also evaluated the role of intrinsic renal cells and infiltrated macrophages using NRK-52E, NRK-49F and RAW264.7 cells. The mRNA and protein expression levels of collagen I and α-SMA increased in the NRK-52E and NRK-49F cells stimulated by TGF-β1. Hydroxyfasudil, a bioactive metabolite of fasudil, attenuated the increase in the mRNA and protein expression levles of α-SMA in the two cell types. However, the reduction in the mRNA expression of collagen I was observed in the NRK-49F cells only. Hydroxyfasudil decreased the mRNA expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) induced by TGF-β1 in the NRK-52E cells, but not in the NRK-49F cells. In the RAW264.7 cells, the mRNA expression levels of MCP-1, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor α were increased significantly following lipopolysaccharide stimulation, and were not suppressed by hydroxyfasudil. These data suggested that the inhibition of ROCK activity by fasudil suppressed the transformation of renal intrinsic cells into the myofibroblast cells, and attenuated the infiltration of macrophages, without inhibiting the expression or the activation of cytokine/chemokines, in the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis.
A Transformer-Based Dual-Coupled Triple-Mode CMOS LC-VCO

This paper introduces a transformer-based, dual-coupled, triple-mode voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) using a transformer-based fourth-order tank with tunable transconductance feedback between the primary and secondary coils. The tank impedance can be reshaped by the transconductors through the tuning of their biasing currents. By controlling the bias currents, the VCO has three different operational modes, capable of generating a single frequency in either the 3- or 5-GHz band as well as two frequencies in the 3- and 5-GHz bands simultaneously. The measured phase noise at 1-MHz offset frequency is -109.5 and -118.8 dBc/Hz when the oscillator oscillates at a single frequency of 5.24 or 3.22 GHz, respectively. The phase noise is -104.3 and -112.6 dBc/Hz, respectively, when the oscillator oscillates at 5.34 and 3.03 GHz simultaneously. The triple-mode VCO was fabricated in a 0.13- μm CMOS process, occupies a core area of 0.16 mm 2, and dissipates 5.6 mW from a 1.2-V supply.
CLINICAL VALIDITY Question 18 : How often is the test positive when the disorder is present ?

Question 18: How often is the test positive when the disorder is present? Question 19: How often is the test negative when the disorder is not present? Question 20: Are there methods to resolve clinical false positive results in a timely manner? Question 21: What is the prevalence of the disorder in this setting? Question 22: Has the test been adequately validated on all populations to which it may be offered? Question 23: What are the positive and negative predictive values? Question 24: What are the genotype/phenotype relationships? Question 25: What are the genetic, environmental or other modifiers? Question 18: How often is the test positive when the disorder is present? Summary • Among non-Hispanic Caucasians, clinical sensitivity of C282Y homozygosity for detecting individuals with primary iron overload and associated morbidity is estimated to be at least 87 percent (95 percent CI 80 to 94%).  It is based on four studies totaling 247 individuals, not all of whom were symptomatic  When the disorder is defined more rigorously in clinical terms, clinical sensitivity of the test increases • Actual clinical sensitivity is likely to be slightly lower, because analytic sensitivity is less than 100 percent (estimated in Question 9 to be 98.4 percent). • It is not possible to confidently estimate clinical sensitivity among other racial/ethnic groups because little, if any, data are published • Among other racial/ethnic groups, the sensitivity appears to be lower • 0% among Hispanic Caucasians according to 6 cases reported in 1 studies • 0% among Black/African Americans according to 14 cases reported in 1 studies • 0% among Asians/Asian Americans according to 23 cases reported in 2 studies Introduction The definitions of clinical sensitivity (Question 18) and clinical specificity (Question 19) can be derived using a two-by-two contingency table for data from case/control or cohort studies. If the data are from a general population cohort, both positive predictive and negative predictive values (Question 23) can also be directly computed. In Table 3-1, the rows are defined by the HFE gene test results, stratified into two categories; C282Y homozygosity and all other test results. The HFE gene has been identified as the major genetic factor leading to iron overload in the Caucasian population, and the C282Y mutation is, by far, the most important mutation in this gene. The columns are defined by the specific clinical disorder that the screening test aims to detect – …
PRE AND POST SYNAPTIC SEROTONINERGIC EXCITATION OF GLOBUS PALLIDUS NEURONS Running title: 5-HT excite pallidal neurons

The basal ganglia (BG) play a critical role in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Recent studies indicate that serotoninergic systems modulate BG activity, and may be implicated in the pathophysiology and treatment of PD. The globus pallidus (GP), the rodent homologue of the primate GPe, is the main central nucleus of the basal ganglia, affecting the striatum, the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and BG output structures. We therefore studied the effect of serotonin (5-HT) and specific 5-HT agonist and antagonist on GP neurons from rat brain slices. Using intra and extra-cellular recording of GP neurons we found that serotonin increases the firing rate of GP neurons. Analyzing the effects of specific 5-HT agonist and antagonist on the firing rate of GP neurons showed that the increase in firing rate is due to the activation of 5-HT1B and 5-HT1A receptors. Intracellular recordings in voltage and current clamp mode revealed that serotonin mediates its effect via pre and post synaptic mechanisms. The pre synaptic effect is mediated by attenuation of GABA release, probably through activation of 5-HT1B receptors. Post synaptically, serotonin activates a hyperpolarization-activated cation channel, probably via 5-HT1A receptors. Furthermore, serotonin decreases the fast synaptic depression characteristic of the striatal afferent input. The decreased serotonin concentrations in the BG nuclei in PD may contribute to depressed GP activity and enhance the emergence of BG pathological synchronous oscillations. We therefore suggest that future therapeutics of PD should be directed towards restoration of normal serotonin levels in BG nuclei. Page 3 of 43
Assumption-Based Planning: Generating Plans and Explanations under Incomplete Knowledge

Many practical planning problems necessitate the generation of a plan under incomplete information about the state of the world. In this paper we propose the notion of Assumption-Based Planning. Unlike conformant planning, which attempts to find a plan under all possible completions of the initial state, an assumption-based plan supports the assertion of additional assumptions about the state of the world, often resulting in high quality plans where no conformant plan exists. We are interested in this paradigm of planning for two reasons: 1) it captures a compelling form of \emph{commonsense planning}, and 2) it is of great utility in the generation of explanations, diagnoses, and counter-examples -- tasks which share a computational core with We formalize the notion of assumption-based planning, establishing a relationship between assumption-based and conformant planning, and prove properties of such plans. We further provide for the scenario where some assumptions are more preferred than others. Exploiting the correspondence with conformant planning, we propose a means of computing assumption-based plans via a translation to classical planning. Our translation is an extension of the popular approach proposed by Palacios and Geffner and realized in their T0 planner. We have implemented our planner, A0, as a variant of T0 and tested it on a number of expository domains drawn from the International Planning Competition. Our results illustrate the utility of this new planning paradigm.
Inflation Scares and Forecast-Based Monetary Policy

Central bankers frequently emphasize the critical importance of anchoring private inflation expectations for successful monetary policy and macroeconomic stabilization. In most monetary policy models, however, expectations are already anchored through the assumption of rational expectations and perfect knowledge of the economy. In this Paper, we re-examine the role of inflation expectations by positing, instead, that agents have imperfect knowledge of the precise structure of the economy and policy-makers' preferences, and rely on a perpetual learning technology to form expectations. We find that with learning, disturbances can give rise to endogenous inflation scares, that is, significant and persistent deviations of inflation expectations from those implied by rational expectations, even at long horizons. The presence of learning increases the sensitivity of inflation expectations and the term structure of interest rates to economic shocks, in line with the empirical evidence. We also explore the role of private inflation expectations for the conduct of efficient monetary policy. Under rational expectations, inflation expectations equal a linear combination of macroeconomic variables and as such provide no additional information to the policy-maker. In contrast, under learning, private inflation expectations follow a time-varying process and provide useful information for the conduct of monetary policy.
The empty shell of the planetary: re-rooting the urban in the experience of the urbanites

ABSTRACT This paper offers reflections on a body of work that has been produced under the label of “planetary urbanization”. This term has its roots in speculative work by French writer Henri Lefebvre in the late 1960s and early 1970s and has recently been popularized by a new generation of critical urban theorists. In this commentary, I propose that Lefebvre’s idea of planetary urbanization (and the aligned concepts “complete urbanization” and “urban society”) offer a way to think productively about post-capitalist possibilities. Making reference to early writings by Marx and Engels about communism and the end of human pre-history, I argue that planetary urbanization presents a terrain for liberation from the constraints of capitalist histories. Given that this terrain is currently defined by the domains of neoliberalism and climate change a new politics is necessary to unlock the possibilities of urban society.
Wisdom of the Crowd or Wisdom of a Few?: An Analysis of Users' Content Generation

In this paper we analyze how user generated content (UGC) is created, challenging the well known it wisdom of crowds concept. Although it is known that user activity in most settings follow a power law, that is, few people do a lot, while most do nothing, there are few studies that characterize well this activity. In our analysis of datasets from two different social networks, Facebook and Twitter, we find that a small percentage of active users and much less of all users represent 50% of the UGC. We also analyze the dynamic behavior of the generation of this content to find that the set of most active users is quite stable in time. Moreover, we study the social graph, finding that those active users area a highly connected among them. This implies that most of the wisdom comes from a few users challenging the independence assumption needed to have a wisdom of crowds. We also address the content that is never seen by any people (the digital desert), which challenges the assumption that the content of every person should be taken in account in the collective decision. At the end this is not surprising, as the Web is a reflection of our own society, where economical or political power also is in the hands of minorities
Insulin but not PDGF relies on actin remodeling and on VAMP2 for GLUT4 translocation in myoblasts

Insulin promotes the translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) from intracellular pools to the surface of muscle and fat cells via a mechanism dependent on phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) 3-kinase, actin cytoskeletal remodeling and the v-SNARE VAMP2. The growth factor PDGF-BB also robustly activates PtdIns 3-kinase and induces actin remodeling, raising the question of whether it uses similar mechanisms to insulin in mobilizing GLUT4. In L6 myoblasts stably expressing Myc-tagged GLUT4, neither stimulus affected the rate of GLUT4 endocytosis, confirming that they act primarily by enhancing exocytosis to increase GLUT4 at the cell surface. Although surface GLUT4myc in response to insulin peaked at 10 minutes and remained steady for 30 minutes, PDGF action was transient, peaking at 5 minutes and disappearing by 20 minutes. These GLUT4myc translocation time courses mirrored that of phosphorylation of Akt by the two stimuli. Interestingly, insulin and PDGF caused distinct manifestations of actin remodeling. Insulin induced discrete, long (>5 μm) dorsal actin structures at the cell periphery, whereas PDGF induced multiple short (<5 μm) dorsal structures throughout the cell, including above the nucleus. Latrunculin B, cytochalasin D and jasplakinolide, which disrupt actin dynamics, prevented insulin- and PDGF-induced actin remodeling but significantly inhibited GLUT4myc translocation only in response to insulin (75-85%, P<0.05), not to PDGF (20-30% inhibition). Moreover, transfection of tetanus toxin light chain, which cleaves the v-SNAREs VAMP2 and VAMP3, reduced insulin-induced GLUT4myc translocation by >70% but did not affect the PDGF response. These results suggest that insulin and PDGF rely differently on the actin cytoskeleton and on tetanus-toxin-sensitive VAMPs for mobilizing GLUT4.
Department of Agriculture Forest Service

These treatments include meadow restoration and enhancement; noncommercial thinning of trees and shrubs less than 7 inches diameter at breast height (DBH), pruning and planting. 7. Recreation related activities include visual treatment of the powerline corridor, enhancement of Short Lake area and around Fox Creek Campground. 8. Thinning and fuels treatments will occur on approximately 802 acres of Riparian Reserves outside of riparian buffers to accelerate and/or improve Aquatic Conservation Strategy Objectives (ACSOs). Additional Riparian Reserve treatments could occur on up to 50 acres within buffers, including diversity thinning in plantations, wood placement in creeks and cutting and leaving conifers in areas of hardwoods to encourage hardwood growth. All treatments will be designed to accelerate and/or improve ACSOs. Nature of Decision To Be Made Given the purpose and need, the scope of the decision to be made by the responsible official will be as follows: • Do the proposed actions comply with all applicable laws governing Forest Service actions? • Do the proposed actions comply with the applicable standards and guidelines found in the Willamette Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP)? • Does the Environmental Impact Statement have sufficient site-specific environmental analysis to make an informed decision? • Do the proposed actions meet the purpose and need for action? With these assurances the responsible official must decide: • Whether or not to select the proposed action or one of any other potential alternatives that may be developed, and what, if any, additional actions should be required. Scoping Process This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides the development of the environmental impact statement. It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the close of the scoping comment period and should clearly articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions. We are interested in your comments on the following questions: • Are there alternative ways to meet the purpose of the project other than the proposed action we offer, which you would like the Forest Service to consider and analyze? • Is there any information about the project area, which you believe is important in the context of the proposed activities that you would like the Forest Service to consider? • What specifically are the potential effects of this proposal that you are particularly …
Negotiating Cultures in Cyberspace: Participation Patterns and Problematics

In this paper we report findings of a multidisciplinary study of online participation by culturally diverse participants in a distance adult education course offered in Canada and examine in detail three of the study's findings. First, we explore both the historical and cultural origins of "cyberculture values" as manifested in our findings, using the notions of explicit and implicit enforcement of those values and challenging the assumption that cyberspace is a culture free zone. Second, we examine the notion of cultural gaps between participants in the course and the potential consequences for online communication successes and difficulties. Third, the analysis describes variations in participation frequency as a function of broad cultural groupings in our data. We identify the need for additional research, primarily in the form of larger scale comparisons across cultural groups of patterns of participation and interaction, but also in the form of case studies that can be submitted to microanalyses of the form as well as the content of communicator's participation and interaction online.
Prevalence of Clonal Complexes and Virulence Genes among Commensal and Invasive Staphylococcus aureus Isolates in Sweden

Staphylococcus aureus encodes a remarkable number of virulence factors which may contribute to its pathogenicity and ability to cause invasive disease. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the association between S. aureus invasiveness and bacterial genotype, in terms of the presence of virulence genes and affiliation to clonal complexes. Also, the significance of different virulence genes, mainly adhesins, for the development of infective endocarditis was investigated. DNA microarray technology was used to analyze 134 S. aureus isolates, all methicillin-susceptible, derived from three groups of clinically well-characterized patients: nasal carriers (n=46), bacteremia (n=55), and bacteremia with infective endocarditis (n=33). Invasive isolates were dominant in four of the major clonal complexes: 5, 8, 15, and 25. Of the 170 virulence genes examined, those encoding accessory gene regulator group II (agr II), capsule polysaccharide serotype 5 (cap5), and adhesins such as S. aureus surface protein G (sasG) and fibronectin-binding protein B (fnbB) were found to be associated with invasive disease. The same was shown for the leukocidin genes lukD/lukE, as well as the genes encoding serine protease A and B (splA/splB), staphylococcal complement inhibitor (scn) and the staphylococcal exotoxin-like protein (setC or selX). In addition, there was a trend of higher prevalence of certain genes or gene clusters (sasG, agr II, cap5) among isolates causing infective endocarditis compared to other invasive isolates. In most cases, the presence of virulence genes was linked to clonal complex affiliation. In conclusion, certain S. aureus clonal lineages harboring specific sets of virulence genes seem to be more successful in causing invasive disease.
Endothelial glucocorticoid receptor promoter methylation according to dexamethasone sensitivity

We have previously shown that in vitro sensitivity to dexamethasone (DEX) stimulation in human endothelial cells is positively regulated by the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1, GR). The present study determined the role of differential GR transcriptional regulation in glucocorticoid sensitivity. We studied 25 human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) that had been previously characterized as DEX-sensitive (n = 15), or resistant (n = 10). Real-time PCR analysis of GR 5′UTR mRNA isoforms showed that all HUVECs expressed isoforms 1B, 1C, 1D, 1F, and 1H, and isoforms 1B and 1C were predominantly expressed. DEX-resistant cells expressed higher basal levels of the 5′UTR mRNA isoforms 1C and 1D, but lower levels of the 5′UTR mRNA isoform 1F than DEX-sensitive cells. DEX treatment significantly decreased GRα and GR-1C mRNA isoform expression in DEX-resistant cells only. Reporter luciferase assays indicated that differential GR mRNA isoform expression was not due to differential promoter usage between DEX-sensitive and DEX-resistant cells. Analysis of promoter methylation, however, showed that DEX-sensitive cells have higher methylation levels of promoter 1D and lower methylation levels of promoter 1F than DEX-resistant cells. Treatment with 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine abolished the differential 5′UTR mRNA isoform expression between DEX-sensitive and DEX-resistant cells. Finally, both GRα overexpression and 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine treatment eliminated the differences between sensitivity groups to DEX-mediated downregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3), and upregulation of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (SERPINE1). In sum, human endothelial GR 5′UTR mRNA expression is regulated by promoter methylation with DEX-sensitive and DEX-resistant cells having different GR promoter methylation patterns.