Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of motility in bovine brain endothelial cells

Scatter factor (SF) is a fibroblast‐derived cytokine which stimulates motility of epithelial and vascular endothelial cells. We used a quantitative assay based on migration of cells from microcarrier beads to flat surfaces to study the regulation of motility in bovine brain endothelial cells (BBEC). Peptide growth factors (EGF, ECGF, basic FGF) did not stimulate migration. Tumor promoting phorbol esters (PMA, PDD) markedly stimulated migration, while inactive phorbol esters (4a‐PDD, phorbol‐13,20‐diacetate) did not affect migration. Both SF‐ and PMA‐stimulated migration were inhibited by (1) TGF‐beta; (2) protein kinase inhibitors (e.g., staurosporine, K‐252a); (3) activators of the adenylate cyclase signaling pathway (e.g., dibutyryl cyclic AMP, theophylline); (4) cycloheximide; and (5) anti‐cytoskeleton agents (e.g., cytochalasin B, colcemid). However, PMA and SF pathways were distinguishable: (1) PMA induced additional migration at saturating SF concentrations; (2) the onset of migration‐stimulation was immediate for PMA and delayed for SF; and (3) down‐modulation of protein kinase C (PKC) ablated PMA but not SF responsiveness. Assessment of PKC by (3H)‐phorbol ester (PDBu) binding and by immunoblot showed (1) scatter factor does not cause significant redistribution or down‐modulation of PDBu binding or alpha‐PKC; and (2) PDBu mediates redistribution and down‐modulation of both binding and alpha‐PKC. These findings suggest two pathways for BBEC motility: a PKC‐dependent pathway and an SF‐stimulated/PKC‐independent pathway.
Fundamental Theorems of Evolution

Evolutionary biology is undergirded by an extensive and impressive set of mathematical models. Yet only one result, Fisher’s theorem about selection and fitness, is generally accorded the status of a fundamental theorem. I argue that although its fundamental status is justified by its simplicity and scope, there are additional results that seem similarly fundamental. I suggest that the most fundamental theorem of evolution is the Price equation, both because of its simplicity and broad scope and because it can be used to derive four other familiar results that are similarly fundamental: Fisher’s average-excess equation, Robertson’s secondary theorem of natural selection, the breeder’s equation, and Fisher’s fundamental theorem. These derivations clarify both the relationships behind these results and their assumptions. Slightly less fundamental results include those for multivariate evolution and social selection. A key feature of fundamental theorems is that they have great simplicity and scope, which are often achieved by sacrificing perfect accuracy. Quantitative genetics has been more productive of fundamental theorems than population genetics, probably because its empirical focus on unknown genotypes freed it from the tyranny of detail and allowed it to focus on general issues.
Parametric representation for singing voice synthesis: A comparative evaluation

Various parametric representations have been proposed to model the speech signal. While the performance of such vocoders is well-known in the context of speech processing, their extrapolation to singing voice synthesis might not be straightforward. The goal of this paper is twofold. First, a comparative subjective evaluation is performed across four existing techniques suitable for statistical parametric synthesis: traditional pulse vocoder, Deterministic plus Stochastic Model, Harmonic plus Noise Model and GlottHMM. The behavior of these techniques as a function of the singer type (baritone, counter-tenor and soprano) is studied. Secondly, the artifacts occurring in high-pitched voices are discussed and possible approaches to overcome them are suggested.
The cytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles coated with different free fatty acids on the Balb/c macrophages: an in vitro study

Abstract Nanoparticles (NPs) can adsorb different molecules, because of their high local charge density and specific surface area. The toxicity of NPs is changed after adsorption, which may be different from unbound or unbound NPs. In this study, unbound silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and Ag NPs coated with different free fatty acids (FFAs) including lauric acid, alpha linoleic acid, oleic acid, and palmitic acid were incubated with mouse macrophages for 24 hours at 37 °C. After incubation, their toxicities, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and uptake were separately investigated. This study showed that FFA-coated Ag NPs had less toxicity, higher uptake, and less ROS generation than unbound Ag NPs. Based on the results, unbound Ag NPs aggregated in RPMI1640 medium, and their size distribution was near 100–1000 nm. But all FFA-coated Ag NPs had nano metric size (near 20--40 nm) without agglomeration.
A preliminary examination of the psychometric properties of the Coparenting Questionnaire and the Diabetes-Specific Coparenting Questionnaire in families of children with type I diabetes.

OBJECTIVES To examine the structure and psychometric properties of a general childrearing [Coparenting Questionnaire (CQ)] and an adapted Diabetes-Specific Coparenting Questionnaire (DCQ) and compare general and diabetes-specific coparenting among two-parent families caring for a child with type I diabetes. METHODS Mothers and fathers of children (N=61) aged 8-12 years with type I diabetes completed self-report measures of marital functioning, parenting, and coparenting, including the CQ and DCQ. RESULTS Confirmatory factor analyses favored the hypothesized 3-factor model for mothers and fathers for the CQ and DCQ. The internal consistencies and convergent validities of the CQ and DCQ were adequate. Coparenting conflict and triangulation were significantly higher for general child management than diabetes-specific issues. CONCLUSIONS The CQ and DCQ represent two assessments that differentiate couples' cooperation, conflict, and triangulation coparenting behaviors for general and diabetes-specific issues, and may potentially help inform family-based interventions.
Dynamic Scene Deblurring

Most conventional single image deblurring methods assume that the underlying scene is static and the blur is caused by only camera shake. In this paper, in contrast to this restrictive assumption, we address the deblurring problem of general dynamic scenes which contain multiple moving objects as well as camera shake. In case of dynamic scenes, moving objects and background have different blur motions, so the segmentation of the motion blur is required for deblurring each distinct blur motion accurately. Thus, we propose a novel energy model designed with the weighted sum of multiple blur data models, which estimates different motion blurs and their associated pixel-wise weights, and resulting sharp image. In this framework, the local weights are determined adaptively and get high values when the corresponding data models have high data fidelity. And, the weight information is used for the segmentation of the motion blur. Non-local regularization of weights are also incorporated to produce more reliable segmentation results. A convex optimization-based method is used for the solution of the proposed energy model. Experimental results demonstrate that our method outperforms conventional approaches in deblurring both dynamic scenes and static scenes.
Policy Authoring and Analysis Processes for Federation Policies

Federations are viewed as persistent agreements between organisations that enable them to share information or capabilities in a controlled manner. Policy based management techniques can be used to support federations of service providers in two ways: 1) policies alleviate the need for expensive human attention in the federation set-up and maintenance processes, and 2) policies can operate and maintain the federation in a more automated, but guided fashion requiring less manual intervention by system administrators. This thesis presents a federation policy authoring process that allows for specification and consistency analysis of federation policies that adhere to a federation model during refinement. Federation policies are refined into multiple lower-level device language implementations using model-driven language development techniques. During refinement, and as part of the policy authoring process, the consistency analysis process uses ontologies and semantic web rules to retrieve deployed policies for consistency analysis using a policy element match algorithm. The element match algorithm analyses groups of related policies to detect relationships between them; this contrasts with state-of-the-art pairwise policy analysis which is not capable of detecting all inconsistency cases. In addition, an approach to tailor policy evaluation for enterprise social networks is proposed to cater for different policy execution environments ranging from low to high risk security environments; this approach is shown to increase evaluation performance.
- Power Semiconductor Devices

Power semiconductor devices constitute the heart of modern power electronic apparatus. They are used in power electronic converters in the form of a matrix of on-off switches, and help to convert power from ac-to-dc (rectifier), dc-to-dc (chopper), dc-to-ac (inverter), and ac-to-ac at the same (ac controller) or different frequencies (cycloconverter). The switching mode power conversion gives high efficiency, but the disadvantage is that due to the nonlinearity of switches, harmonics are generated at both the supply and load sides. The switches are not ideal, and they have conduction and turn-on and turn-off switching losses. Converters are widely used in applications such as heating and lighting controls, ac and dc power supplies, electrochemical processes, dc and ac motor drives, static VAR generation, active harmonic filtering, etc. Although the cost of power semiconductor devices in power electronic equipment may hardly exceed 20–30 percent, the total equipment cost and performance may be highly influenced by the characteristics of the devices. An engineer designing equipment must understand the devices and their characteristics thoroughly in order to design efficient, reliable, and cost-effective systems with optimum performance. It is interesting to note that the modern technology evolution in power electronics has generally followed the evolution of power semiconductor devices. The advancement of microelectronics has greatly contributed to the knowledge of power device materials, processing, fabrication, packaging, modeling, and simulation. Today’s power semiconductor devices are almost exclusively based on silicon material and can be classified as follows:
The Effect of Learning Styles on Education and the Teaching Process

Problem statement: It is of great importance that individuals actively participate in the learning process; that, starting from the early ages, their awareness be raised about the efficiency of the learning styles in developing their academic success and self-confidence; and that the learning styles they have be determined. For this reason, this study aimed to reveal the learning styles having great importance for succeeding in the learning process and to determine the efficiency of these styles in learning process. Approach: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of learning styles on education and the teaching processes. This empirical research served two key purposes: First purpose was to detect the impacts of the learning styles on teaching and learning methods and second purpose was to evaluate the key models in a variety of learning environments to better understand their merits and deficiencies. In this regard, after emphasizing “learning style“ concept, this study examined the conceptual and applied researches that can explain the effects of learning styles on teaching and learning processes. Results: Education should help raising individuals who are able to look at the world from various perspectives. Individual differences should be taken into consideration in achieving these objectives. Education should be given by taking these differences into consideration in the educational and instructional processes. Individual brings some latent potencies produced by the genetic heritage; these latent potencies may be modified or develop by social acculturation in time. Conclusion: To provide the best way of learning to the individuals, learning style should be determined beforehand by considering the differences such as personality, perception, ability and intelligence.
Seven distinct dietary patterns identified among pregnant Finnish women – associations with nutrient intake and sociodemographic factors

Abstract Objectives To identify and describe dietary patterns in a cohort of pregnant women and investigate whether the dietary patterns are associated with dietary intake and sociodemographic factors. Design Mothers entering the Finnish Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) Nutrition Study in 1997–2002 were retrospectively asked to complete a food-frequency questionnaire concerning their diet during pregnancy. Principal components analysis was used to identify dietary patterns. Setting Finland. Subjects Subjects were 3730 women with a newborn infant carrying increased genetic susceptibility to type 1 diabetes mellitus. Results Seven factors were identified and named. Energy intake correlated positively with ‘Healthy’, ‘Fast food’, ‘Traditional bread’, ‘Traditional meat’ and ‘Coffee’ patterns and inversely with the ‘Alcohol and butter’ pattern. Intake of dietary fibre correlated positively with ‘Healthy’, ‘Traditional bread’ and ‘Low-fat foods’ patterns and inversely with the ‘Alcohol and butter’ pattern. The seven dietary patterns seemed to account for relatively large proportions of the variance in energy and nutrient intakes except for the intake of vitamin D, vitamin C, carotenoids and calcium. Maternal age and higher level of education were associated with higher scores on ‘Healthy’, ‘Low-fat foods’ and ‘Alcohol and butter’ patterns. Conclusion Principal components analysis produced seven dietary patterns which may be useful for further research concerning maternal diet and health outcomes among both mothers and their offspring.
A Niched-Penalty Approach for Constraint Handling in Genetic Algorithms

Mostapplicationsof geneticalgorithms(GAs)in handlingconstraintsusea straightforwardpenaltyfunction method. Such techniquesinvolve penaltyparameterswhich mustbesetright in order for GAs to work. Although many researchersuse adapti vevariationof penaltyparametersandpenaltyfunctions, thegeneralconclusionis that thesevariationsarespecificto a problemandcannotbegeneralized.In this paper , we propose a niched-penaltyapproachwhich doesnot requireany penalty parameter . The penaltyfunction createsa selecti ve pressure towardsthe feasibleregion anda niching maintainsdiversity amongfeasiblesolutionsfor the geneticrecombinationoperator to find new feasiblesolutions. The approachis only applicable to population-basedapproaches, therebygiving GAs (or other evolutionary algorithms)a niche in exploiting this penalty-parameter -lesspenalty approach. Simulationresults on a numberof constrainedoptimizationproblemssuggesthe efficacy of theproposedmethod.
Gut Microbiome of the Critically Endangered New Zealand Parrot, the Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus)

The kakapo, a parrot endemic to New Zealand, is currently the focus of intense research and conservation efforts with the aim of boosting its population above the current ‘critically endangered’ status. While virtually nothing is known about the microbiology of the kakapo, given the acknowledged importance of gut-associated microbes in vertebrate nutrition and pathogen defense, it should be of great conservation value to analyze the microbes associated with kakapo. Here we describe the first study of the bacterial communities that reside within the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of both juvenile and adult kakapo. Samples from along the GIT, taken from the choana (≈throat), crop and faeces, were subjected to 16 S rRNA gene library analysis. Phylogenetic analysis of >1000 16 S rRNA gene clones, derived from six birds, revealed low phylum-level diversity, consisting almost exclusively of Firmicutes (including lactic acid bacteria) and Gammaproteobacteria. The relative proportions of Firmicutes and Gammaproteobacteria were highly consistent among individual juveniles, irrespective of sampling location, but differed markedly among adult birds. Diversity at a finer phylogenetic resolution (i.e. operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of 99% sequence identity) was also low in all samples, with only one or two OTUs dominating each sample. These data represent the first analysis of the bacterial communities associated with the kakapo GIT, providing a baseline for further microbiological study, and facilitating conservation efforts for this unique bird.
A Quantitative and Dynamic Model of the Arabidopsis Flowering Time Gene Regulatory Network

Various environmental signals integrate into a network of floral regulatory genes leading to the final decision on when to flower. Although a wealth of qualitative knowledge is available on how flowering time genes regulate each other, only a few studies incorporated this knowledge into predictive models. Such models are invaluable as they enable to investigate how various types of inputs are combined to give a quantitative readout. To investigate the effect of gene expression disturbances on flowering time, we developed a dynamic model for the regulation of flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana. Model parameters were estimated based on expression time-courses for relevant genes, and a consistent set of flowering times for plants of various genetic backgrounds. Validation was performed by predicting changes in expression level in mutant backgrounds and comparing these predictions with independent expression data, and by comparison of predicted and experimental flowering times for several double mutants. Remarkably, the model predicts that a disturbance in a particular gene has not necessarily the largest impact on directly connected genes. For example, the model predicts that SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS (SOC1) mutation has a larger impact on APETALA1 (AP1), which is not directly regulated by SOC1, compared to its effect on LEAFY (LFY) which is under direct control of SOC1. This was confirmed by expression data. Another model prediction involves the importance of cooperativity in the regulation of APETALA1 (AP1) by LFY, a prediction supported by experimental evidence. Concluding, our model for flowering time gene regulation enables to address how different quantitative inputs are combined into one quantitative output, flowering time.
Does Culture Influence Web Site Quality Expectations?

This article investigates the link between culture and Web site quality expectations. Web site quality is measured through a recently developed instrument (WEBQUAL), whereas culture is measured through Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. The analysis reveals that two cultural dimensions (masculinity and long-term orientation) are associated with higher Web site quality expectations. The findings have important managerial implications for globalization of e-services.
Budget constrained auctions with heterogeneous items

In this paper, we present the first approximation algorithms for the problem of designing revenue optimal Bayesian incentive compatible auctions when there are multiple (heterogeneous) items and when bidders have arbitrary demand and budget constraints (and additive valuations). Our mechanisms are surprisingly simple: We show that a sequential all-pay mechanism is a 4 approximation to the revenue of the optimal ex-interim truthful mechanism with a discrete type space for each bidder, where her valuations for different items can be correlated. We also show that a sequential posted price mechanism is a O(1) approximation to the revenue of the optimal ex-post truthful mechanism when the type space of each bidder is a product distribution that satisfies the standard hazard rate condition. We further show a logarithmic approximation when the hazard rate condition is removed, and complete the picture by showing that achieving a sub-logarithmic approximation, even for regular distributions and one bidder, requires pricing bundles of items. Our results are based on formulating novel LP relaxations for these problems, and developing generic rounding schemes from first principles.
Sign-Magnitude Encoding for Efficient VLSI Realization of Decimal Multiplication

Decimal X × Y multiplication is a complex operation, where intermediate partial products (IPPs) are commonly selected from a set of precomputed radix-10 X multiples. Some works require only [0, 5] × X via recoding digits of Y to one-hot representation of signed digits in [-5,5]. This reduces the selection logic at the cost of one extra IPP. Two's complement signed-digit (TCSD) encoding is often used to represent IPPs, where dynamic negation (via one xor per bit of X multiples) is required for the recoded digits of Y in [-5, -1]. In this paper, despite generation of 17 IPPs, for 16-digit operands, we manage to start the partial product reduction (PPR) with 16 IPPs that enhance the VLSI regularity. Moreover, we save 75% of negating xors via representing precomputed multiples by sign-magnitude signed-digit (SMSD) encoding. For the first-level PPR, we devise an efficient adder, with two SMSD input numbers, whose sum is represented with TCSD encoding. Thereafter, multilevel TCSD 2:1 reduction leads to two TCSD accumulated partial products, which collectively undergo a special early initiated conversion scheme to get at the final binary-coded decimal product. As such, a VLSI implementation of 16 × 16-digit parallel decimal multiplier is synthesized, where evaluations show some performance improvement over previous relevant designs.
Science, AskScience, and BadScience: On the Coexistence of Highly Related Communities

When large social-media platforms allow users to easily formand self-organize into interest groups, highly related communities can arise. For example, the Reddit site hosts not just a group called food, but also HealthyFood, foodhacks,foodporn, and cooking, among others. Are these highly related communities created for similar classes of reasons (e.g.,to focus on a subtopic, to create a place for allegedly more “high-minded” discourse, etc.)? How do users allocate attention between such close alternatives when they are available or emerge over time? Are there different types of relations between close alternatives such as sharing many users vs. a new community drawing away members of an older one vs. a splinter group failing to cohere into a viable separate community? We investigate the interactions between highly related communities using data from reddit.com consisting of 975M posts and comments spanning an 8-year period. We identify a set of typical affixes that users adopt to create highly related communities and build a taxonomy of affixes. One interesting finding regarding users’ behavior is: after a newer community is created, for several types of highly-related community pairs, users that engage in a newer community tend to be more active in their original community than users that do not explore, even when controlling for previous level of engagement.