Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Affective Compatibility between Stimuli and Response Goals: A Primer for a New Implicit Measure of Attitudes

We examined whether a voluntary response becomes associated with the (affective) meaning of intended response effects. Four experiments revealed that coupling a keypress with positive or negative consequences produces affective compatibility effects when the keypress has to be executed in response to positively or negatively evaluated stimulus categories. In Experiment 1, positive words were evaluated faster with a keypress that turned the words ON (versus OFF), whereas negative words were evaluated faster with a keypress that turned the words OFF (versus ON). Experiment 2 showed that this compatibility effect is reversed if an aversive tone is turned ON and OFF with keypresses. Experiment 3 revealed that keypresses acquire an affective meaning even when the association between the responses and their effects is variable and intentionally reconfigured before each trial. Experiment 4 used affective response effects to assess implicit in-group favoritism, showing that the measure is sensitive to the valence of categories and not to the valence of exemplars. Results support the hypothesis that behavioral reactions become associated with the affective meaning of the intended response goal, which has important implications for the understanding and construction of implicit attitude measures.
Convulsive seizure detection using a wrist‐worn electrodermal activity and accelerometry biosensor

The special requirements for a seizure detector suitable for everyday use in terms of cost, comfort, and social acceptance call for alternatives to electroencephalography (EEG)–based methods. Therefore, we developed an algorithm for automatic detection of generalized tonic–clonic (GTC) seizures based on sympathetically mediated electrodermal activity (EDA) and accelerometry measured using a novel wrist‐worn biosensor. The problem of GTC seizure detection was posed as a supervised learning task in which the goal was to classify 10‐s epochs as a seizure or nonseizure event based on 19 extracted features from EDA and accelerometry recordings using a Support Vector Machine. Performance was evaluated using a double cross‐validation method. The new seizure detection algorithm was tested on >4,213 h of recordings from 80 patients and detected 15 (94%) of 16 of the GTC seizures from seven patients with 130 false alarms (0.74 per 24 h). This algorithm can potentially provide a convulsive seizure alarm system for caregivers and objective quantification of seizure frequency.
Benzo(a)pyrene metabolism and DNA adduct formation in serially cultivated strains of human epidermal keratinocytes

Six strains of human epidermal keratinocytes were shown to be capable of metabolising benzo(a)pyrene (BP)for at least 40 population doublings in culture. Metabolism was independent of human or mouse fibroblast products, and also the growth rate of the epidermal cultures, at least when cholera toxin and epidermal growth factor were included in the medium. Epidermal strains metabolized and bound to their DNA more BP than human fibroblasts, and themselves exhibited a 2‐to 3‐fold range of inter‐strain variability. Chromatog‐raphic analysis of epidermal DNA containing bound BP showed that the major metabolite which had reacted with the DNA was a 7,8 dihydrodiol ‐ 9,10 oxide of BP (the proposed ultimate carcinogenic metabolite of BP).
Grapheme based speech recognition

Large vocabulary speech recognition systems traditionally represent words in terms of subword units, usually phonemes. This paper investigates the potential of graphemes acting as subunits. In order to develop context dependent grapheme based speech recognizers several decision tree based clustering procedures are performed and compared to each other. Grapheme based speech recognizers in three languages - English, German, and Spanish - are trained and compared to their phoneme based counterparts. The results show that for languages with a close grapheme-to-phoneme relation, grapheme based modeling is as good as the phoneme based one. Furthermore, multilingual grapheme based recognizers are designed to investigate whether grapheme based information can be successfully shared among languages. Finally, some bootstrapping experiments for Swedish were performed to test the potential for rapid language deployment.
An Antagonist of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1 (MCP-1) Inhibits Arthritis in the MRL-lpr Mouse Model

An antagonist of human monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, which consists of MCP-1(9-76), had previously been characterized and shown to inhibit MCP-1 activity in vitro. To test the hypothesis that, by inhibiting endogenous MCP-1, the antagonist has antiinflammatory activity in vivo, we examined its effect in the MRL-lpr mouse model of arthritis. This strain spontaneously develops a chronic inflammatory arthritis that is similar to human rheumatoid arthritis. Daily injection of the antagonist, MCP-1(9-76), prevented the onset of arthritis as monitored by measuring joint swelling and by histopathological evaluation of the joints. In contrast, controls treated with native MCP-1 had enhanced arthritis symptoms, indicating that the inhibitory effect is specific to the antagonist. In experiments where the antagonist was given only after the disease had already developed, there was a marked reduction in symptoms and histopathology, although individuals varied in the magnitude of the response. The mechanism of inhibition of disease is not known, although the results suggest that it could be more complex than the competitive inhibition of ligand binding that is observed in vitro. The demonstration of the beneficial effects of an MCP-1 antagonist in arthritis suggests that chemokine receptor antagonists could have therapeutic application in inflammatory diseases.
The Distribution of Two-dimensional Eccentricity of Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect and X-Ray Surface Brightness Profiles

With the triaxial density profile of dark matter halos and the corresponding equilibrium gas distribution, we derive two-dimensional Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect and X-ray surface brightness profiles for clusters of galaxies. It is found that the contour map of these observables can be well approximated by a series of concentric ellipses with scale-dependent eccentricities. The statistical distribution of their eccentricities (or, equivalently, axial ratios) is analyzed by taking into account the orientation of clusters with respect to the line of sight and the distribution of the axial ratios and the concentration parameters of dark matter halos. For clusters of mass 1013 h-1 M☉ at redshift z = 0, the axial ratio is peaked at η ~ 0.9 for both SZ and X-ray profiles. For larger clusters, the deviation from circular distributions is more apparent, with η peaked at η ~ 0.85 for M = 1015 h-1 M☉. To be closer to observations, we further study the axial-ratio distribution for mass-limited cluster samples with the number distribution of clusters at different redshifts described by a modified Press-Schechter model. For a mass limit of value Mlim = 1014 h-1 M☉, the average axial ratio is ⟨η⟩ ~ 0.84, with a tail extended to η ~ 0.6. With the fast advance of high-quality imaging observations of both SZ effect and X-ray emissions, our analyses provide a useful way to probe cluster halo profiles and therefore to test theoretical halo formation models.
The inositol 1,4,5,-trisphosphate receptor in cerebellar Purkinje cells: quantitative immunogold labeling reveals concentration in an ER subcompartment

The Ca2+ mobilization effect of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, the second messenger generated via receptor-stimulated hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, is mediated by binding to intracellular receptors, which are expressed in high concentration in cerebellar Purkinje cells. Partially conflicting previous reports localized the receptor to various subcellular structures: elements of ER, both rough and smooth-surfaced, the nuclear envelope, and even the plasma membrane. We have now reinvestigated the problem quantitatively by using cryosections of rat cerebellar tissue immunolabeled with polyclonal monospecific antibodies against the inositol 1,4,5- trisphosphate receptor. By immunofluorescence the receptor was detected only in Purkinje cells, whereas the other cells of the cerebellar cortex remained negative. In immunogold-decorated ultrathin cryosections of the Purkinje cell body, the receptor was concentrated in cisternal stacks (piles of up to 12 parallel cisternae separated by regularly spaced bridges, located both in the deep cytoplasm and beneath the plasma membrane; average density, greater than 5 particles/micron of membrane profile); in cisternal singlets and doublets adjacent to the plasma membrane (average density, approximately 2.5 particles/micron); and in other apparently smooth- surfaced vesicular and tubular profiles. Additional smooth-surfaced elements were unlabeled. Perinuclear and rough-surfaced ER cisternae were labeled much less by themselves (approximately 0.5 particles/micron, two- to threefold the background), but were often in direct membrane continuity with heavily labeled, smooth-surfaced tubules and cisternal stacks. Finally, mitochondria, Golgi cisternae, multivesicular bodies, and the plasma membrane were unlabeled. In dendrites, approximately half of the nonmitochondrial, membrane-bound structures (cisternae, tubules, and vesicles), as well as small cisternal stacks, were labeled. Dendritic spines always contained immunolabeled cisternae and vesicles. The dendritic plasma membrane, of both shaft and spines, was consistently unlabeled. These results identify a large, smooth-surfaced ER subcompartment that appears equipped to play a key role in the control of Ca2+ homeostasis: in particular, in the generation of [Ca2+]i transients triggered by activation of specific receptors, such as the quisqualate-preferring trans(+/-)-1-amino-1,3-cyclopentamedicarboxylic acid glutamatergic receptors, which are largely expressed by Purkinje cells.
A Semantics based Symbolic Regression Framework for Mining Explicit and Implicit Equations from Data

Symbolic Regression (SR) is commonly used to identify relationships among variables and responses in a data in the form of analytical, preferably compact expressions. Genetic Programming (GP) is one of the common ways to perform SR. Such relationships could be represented using explicit or implicit expressions, of which the former has been more extensively studied in literature. Some of the key challenges that face SR are bloat, loss of diversity, and accurate determination of coefficients. More recently, semantics and multi-objective formulations have been suggested as potential tools to build more intelligence in the search process. However, studies along both these directions have been in isolation and applied only to selected components of SR so far. In this paper, we intend to build a framework that integrates semantics deeper into more components of SR. The framework could be operated in traditional single objective as well as multi-objective mode and is capable of dealing with both explicit and implicit functions. The constituent modules utilize semantics for compaction of expressions, maintaining diversity by identifying unique individuals, crossover and local exploitation. A comparison of obtained results with those from existing semantics-based and multi-objective approach demonstrates the advantages of the proposed framework.
The Navigability of strong ties: small worlds, tie strength, and network topology

We examine data on and models of small world properties and parameters of social networks. Our focus, on tie-strength, multilevel networks and searchability in strong-tie social networks, allows us to extend some of the questions and findings of recent research and the fit of small world models to sociological and anthropological data on human communities. We offer a navigability of strong ties hypothesis about network topologies tested with data from kinship systems, and potentially applicable to corporate cultures and business networks.
Expression of angiotensinogen during hepatic fibrogenesis and its effect on hepatic stellate cells

Summary Background The liver renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in promoting the development of hepatic fibrogenesis. Angiotensinogen (AGT) is an important precursor in tissue RAS. This study aimed to investigate the expression and cellular source of AGT in hepatic fibrogenesis and its effect on proliferation and collagen metabolism of hepatic stellate cells. Material/Methods In a rat carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis model the mRNA expression of AGT was determined by real-time PCR and the cellular source of AGT was determined by immunohistochemical staining. In vitro HSC-T6 cells were transfected with AGT, and the expression plasmid, AGT shRNA plasmid and negative shRNA plasmid were constructed. Real-time PCR and ELISA were applied to determine the mRNA expressions and contents of TIMP-1, TGF-β1, type I collagen and type III collagen of the cells or in the supernatants. Results Compared to normal liver, the AGT and α-SMA mRNA expressions increased at the early stage of hepatic fibrosis and decreased in hepatic cirrhosis. The expressions of AGT and α-SMA mRNA were correlated with the hepatic fibrosis (r=0.915, P=0.03). Immunohistochemistry demonstrated the activated HSCs were the main source of AGT due to colocalization of AGT and α-SMA expressions. The mRNA and protein of TGF-β1, TIMP-1, type I collagen and type III collagen were markedly up-regulated. Conclusions ACEI and angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist (AT1RA) could attenuate the progression of hepatic fibrosis in the early stage. Direct inhibition of AGT from aHSCs may become an effective antifibrotic anti-liver fibrosis strategy.
Identification and characterisation of regional variations in the material properties of ureter according to microstructure

There are few previous studies on the elastic properties of ureter and most have been limited to essentially one-dimensional deformation measurements. The object of this study was, therefore, to identify regional variations in the multiaxial behaviour of rabbit ureter, subjected to in vitro inflation/extension testing under a physiological range of intraluminal pressures and longitudinal forces. A microstructure-motivated material model (via two- and four-fibre families in turn for elastin and collagen) was implemented and its capacity to mathematically characterise the experimental data contrasted favourably with that of the well-established phenomenological models, but it was compromised by parameter covariance. Extensive optimisation studies confirmed that the reduced model without contribution to the elastin and circumferential-fibre (collagen) families characterised the data equally well without over-parameterisation. In view of the fitted parameters, the ureteral tissue was stiffer longitudinally, justified by the preferential alignment of collagen along that axis and the lower ureter was stiffer than the upper ureter, justified by the histological observation of a thickest lamina propria, i.e. of highest collagen content, there. The lower ureter was less anisotropic than the upper ureter, possessing a comparatively larger amount of diagonally arranged collagen fibres in tunica mucosa, while having the usual amounts of longitudinally arranged fibres in tunica adventitia and of circumferentially arranged fibres in tunica muscularis. The present data may be used as inputs to mathematical models of the ureter, assessing regional and intramural stress distributions, through which it is hoped that an improved appreciation of ureteral function may be attained in both health and disease.
Real-time data analysis at the LHC: present and future

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which collides protons at an energy of 14 TeV, produces hundreds of exabytes of data per year, making it one of the largest sources of data in the world today. At present it is not possible to even transfer most of this data from the four main particle detectors at the LHC to "offline" data facilities, much less to permanently store it for future processing. For this reason the LHC detectors are equipped with real-time analysis systems, called triggers, which process this volume of data and select the most interesting proton-proton collisions. The LHC experiment triggers reduce the data produced by the LHC by between 1/1000 and 1/100000, to tens of petabytes per year, allowing its economical storage and further analysis. The bulk of the data-reduction is performed by custom electronics which ignores most of the data in its decision making, and is therefore unable to exploit the most powerful known data analysis strategies. I cover the present status of real-time data analysis at the LHC, before explaining why the future upgrades of the LHC experiments will increase the volume of data which can be sent off the detector and into off-the-shelf data processing facilities (such as CPU or GPU farms) to tens of exabytes per year. This development will simultaneously enable a vast expansion of the physics programme of the LHC's detectors, and make it mandatory to develop and implement a new generation of real-time multivariate analysis tools in order to fully exploit this new potential of the LHC. I explain what work is ongoing in this direction and motivate why more effort is needed in the coming years.
Cellular Correlates of Long-Term Sensitization inAplysia

Although in vitro analyses of long-term changes in the sensorimotor connection of Aplysia have been used extensively to understand long-term sensitization, relatively little is known about the ways in which the connection is modified by learningin vivo. Moreover, sites other than the sensory neurons might be modified as well. In this paper, several different biophysical properties of sensory neurons, motor neurons, and LPl17, an identified interneuron, were examined. Membrane properties of sensory neurons, which were expressed as increased excitability and increased spike afterdepolarization, were affected by the training. The biophysical properties of motor neurons also were affected by training, resulting in hyperpolarization of the resting membrane potential and a decrease in spike threshold. These results suggest that motor neurons are potential loci for storage of the memory in sensitization. The strength of the connection between sensory and motor neurons was affected by the training, although the connection between LPl17 and the motor neuron was unaffected. Biophysical properties of LPl17 were unaffected by training. The results emphasize the importance of plasticity at sensory–motor synapses and are consistent with the idea that there are multiple sites of plasticity distributed throughout the nervous system.
Phylogenetic relationship of the twenty-one DNA groups of the genus Acinetobacter as revealed by 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis.

The inter- and intrageneric relationships of members of the genus Acinetobacter were investigated by performing a comparative sequence analysis of PCR-amplified 16S ribosomal DNAs (rDNAs) from 21 strains representing all of the DNA groups that have been described. Phylogenetic treeing confirmed that Acinetobacter spp. form a coherent cluster within the gamma subdivision of the class Proteobacteria that includes strains with overall levels of 16S rDNA sequence similarity of more than 94%. The analysis of intrageneric relationships suggested that the majority of the strains cluster in five clearly distinguishable clusters, and this conclusion was supported by the results obtained with the different methods used for phylogenetic analysis (i.e., the maximum-likelihood, parsimony, and distance matrix methods). The first cluster contains the representatives of DNA groups 2 (Acinetobacter baumannii) and TU13, whereas the second cluster comprises representatives of DNA groups 3, "Close To TU13," and "between 1 and 3. " The representatives of closely related Acinetobacter DNA groups 8 (Acinetobacter twoffii) and 9 belong to the third cluster, which includes the representative of DNA group 6 as well. The fourth cluster is formed by DNA groups BJ15, BJ16, and BJ17, and the fifth cluster comprises DNA groups 1 (Acinetobacter calcoaceticus), BJ14, 10, and 11. Within the fifth cluster the 16S rDNA sequences of DNA group 10 and 11 strains are nearly identical. The representatives of DNA groups 4 (Acinetobacter haemolyticus), 5 (Acinetobacter junii), 7 (Acinetobacter johnsonii), 12 (Acinetobacter radioresistens), TU14, and TU15 form individual branches that are not significantly affiliated with any of the five clusters identified. Apart from the clustering of the most closely related DNA groups, the general topology of the distance dendrogram revealed some discrepancy with previous DNA-DNA hybridization data, which may point to the inadequacy of comparative 16S rDNA sequence analysis for reflecting true evolutionary relationships of closely related bacterial taxa. Important, however, was the presence of unique sequence motifs in each of the 21 different DNA groups studied, which may be useful for rapid differentiation of DNA groups of the genus Acinetobacter.
Voltage Clamp Fluorometric Measurements on a Type II Na+-coupled Pi Cotransporter: Shedding Light on Substrate Binding Order

Voltage clamp fluorometry (VCF) combines conventional two-electrode voltage clamp with fluorescence measurements to detect protein conformational changes, as sensed by a fluorophore covalently attached to the protein. We have applied VCF to a type IIb Na+-coupled phosphate cotransporter (NaPi-IIb), in which a novel cysteine was introduced in the putative third extracellular loop and expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Labeling this cysteine (S448C) with methanethiosulfonate (MTS) reagents blocked cotransport function, however previous electrophysiological studies (Lambert G., I.C. Forster, G. Stange, J. Biber, and H. Murer. 1999. J. Gen. Physiol. 114:637–651) suggest that substrate interactions with the protein can still occur, thus permitting study of a limited subset of states. After labeling S448C with the fluorophore tetramethylrhodamine MTS, we detected voltage- and substrate-dependent changes in fluorescence (ΔF), which suggested that this site lies in an environment that is affected by conformational change in the protein. ΔF was substrate dependent (no ΔF was detectable in 0 mM Na+) and showed little correlation with presteady-state charge movements, indicating that the two signals provide insight into different underlying physical processes. Interpretation of ion substitution experiments indicated that the substrate binding order differs from our previous model (Forster, I., N. Hernando, J. Biber, and H. Murer. 1998. J. Gen. Physiol. 112:1–18). In the new model, two (rather than one) Na+ ions precede Pi binding, and only the second Na+ binding transition is voltage dependent. Moreover, we show that Li+, which does not drive cotransport, interacts with the first Na+ binding transition. The results were incorporated in a new model of the transport cycle of type II Na+/Pi cotransporters, the validity of which is supported by simulations that successfully predict the voltage and substrate dependency of the experimentally determined fluorescence changes.