Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rosiglitazone and AS601245 Decrease Cell Adhesion and Migration through Modulation of Specific Gene Expression in Human Colon Cancer Cells

PPARs are nuclear receptors activated by ligands. Activation of PPARγ leads to a reduction of adhesion and motility in some cancer models. PPARγ transcriptional activity can be negatively regulated by JNK-mediated phosphorylation. We postulated that the use of agents able to inhibit JNK activity could increase the effectiveness of PPARγ ligands. We analysed the effects of rosiglitazone (PPARγ ligand) and AS601245 (a selective JNK inhibitor) alone or in association on adhesion and migration of CaCo-2, HT29, and SW480 human colon cancer cells and investigated, through microarray analysis, the genes involved in these processes. Cell adhesion and migration was strongly inhibited by rosiglitazone and AS601245. Combined treatment with the two compounds resulted in a greater reduction of the adhesion and migration capacity. Affymetrix analysis in CaCo-2 cells revealed that some genes which were highly modulated by the combined treatment could be involved in these biological responses. Rosiglitazone, AS601245 and combined treatment down-regulated the expression of fibrinogen chains in all three cell lines. Moreover, rosiglitazone, alone or in association with AS601245, caused a decrease in the fibrinogen release. ARHGEF7/β-PIX gene was highly down-regulated by combined treatment, and western blot analysis revealed that β-PIX protein is down-modulated in CaCo-2, HT29 and SW480 cells, also. Transfection of cells with β-PIX gene completely abrogated the inhibitory effect on cell migration, determined by rosiglitazone, AS601245 and combined treatment. Results demonstrated that β-PIX protein is involved in the inhibition of cell migration and sustaining the positive interaction between PPARγ ligands and anti-inflammatory agents in humans.
Vibrating insoles for tactile communication with the feet

This paper presents further development of a wearable electronic tactile display that stimulates the mechanoreceptors in the foot sole with vibrations. Following the lessons learned from a previous prototype, we propose a technologically improved second device and new optimized tactile patterns that lead to significant advances in tactile-foot perception. A series of experiments involving directional information, pattern and emotion recognition, and language learning were conducted with 20 healthy sighted voluntary subjects. Results obtained confirm the pertinence of these advances and show the potentials of podotactile stimulation and the proposed device.
A Hybrid Forecasting Model for Foreign Exchange Rate Based on a Multi-neural Network

In this work, a multi-neural network model consisting of three sub-networks and one master network is proposed to combine the fundamental theorem and technical analysis in TWD/USD exchange rate forecasting. The long-term, mid-term, and short-term tendencies of exchange rate are forecasted separately by different sub-networks. Five macro economics factors of price level, interest rates, money supply, imports/exports, and productivity, and seven practical technical indicators of fifteen-day and one-day intervals are selected as the input variables of the three sub-networks. The master network then provides the integrated forecasting according to the three sub-networks. To increase forecasting accuracy, a threshold filtering mechanism was applied in this work. The experiment result shows that the multi-neural network is more effective than the random walk model and single-neural network model, and with the threshold filtering, can achieve high accuracy.
Testing the Factor Structure of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Parent Form Using a Mixed Clinical Sample of Youth

Executive functions (EF) are cognitive processes that are controlled and coordinated during complex tasks (Monsell, 1996). EF has become increasingly popular in the context of clinical evaluation, and, more recently, in the school setting. If children are inadequate at performing basic classroom functions, such as inhibiting responses, regulating behavior, or predicting outcomes, their academic success is likely to be compromised (Bull & Scerif, 2001; Palfrey et al., 1985). The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF; Gioia et al., 2000) is a behavior-rating scale designed to assess the behavioral characteristics related to executivefunction deficits of youth in school and home environments. However, there continues to be debate regarding the current two-factor, eight-scale factor structure of the BRIEF-Parent form when applied in a mixed clinical (or school) sample of school-age youth. This study examined the factor structure of scores from the BRIEF-Parent form. Ratings were provided by 371 parents or guardians of children living in Western Pennsylvania whose children had been referred for psychoeducational evaluation. The original model (i.e., 2-factor, 8-scale) currently employed in the instrument was examined and compared to six alternative models. Results were analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Findings indicated that in a mixed clinical sample of youth four of the seven models showed a good fit to the data (e.g., 2-factor, 8-scale CFI = .933, SRMR = .049; 3-factor, 9-scale CFI = .956, SRMR = .041). Although there only were small differences between the models, RMSEA was still above the recommended cutoff (i.e., > .08), indicating some potential misfit in all models. Comparisons of the models indicated that the 3-factor, 9-scale model fit the scores slightly better. These findings provide support for the use of the two-factor, eight-scale version, which is the basis for the current BRIEF-Parent
Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imaging of the Circumstellar Disk around TW Hydrae

We present ground-based near-infrared (H-band) imaging of the circumstellar disk around the nearby classical T Tauri star TW Hydrae. The scattered-light image shows a face-on disk with a radius of 4'' (corresponding to 225 AU) and a morphology that agrees with recent images from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Array. The best-fit power-law for the disk's radial surface brightness profile obeys the law r-3.3±0.3. We use our image and published continuum flux densities to derive properties of the disk with a simple model of emission from a flat disk. The best-fit values for disk mass and inner radius are 0.03 M☉ and 0.3 AU, respectively; the best-fit values for the temperature, density, and grain opacity power-law exponents (q, p, and β) are 0.7, 1.3, and 0.9, respectively. These properties are similar to those of disks around classical T Tauri stars located in more distant molecular clouds. Because of TW Hydrae's nearby location and pole-on orientation, it is a uniquely favorable object for future studies of radial disk structure at the classical T Tauri stage.
Q A ] 2 0 O ct 2 00 4 Preprint : IUB-TH-0412 Reconstruction of universal Drinfeld twists from representations

Universal Drinfeld twists are inner automorphisms which relate the coproduct of a quantum enveloping algebra to the coproduct of the undeformed enveloping algebra. Even though they govern the deformation theory of classical symmetries and have appeared in numerous applications, no twist for a semi-simple quantum enveloping algebra has ever been computed. It is argued that universal twists can be reconstructed from their well known representations. A method to reconstruct an arbitrary element of the enveloping algebra from its irreducible representations is developed. For the twist this yields an algebra valued generating function to all orders in the deformation parameter, expressed by a combination of basic and ordinary hypergeometric functions. An explicit expression for the universal twist of su(2) is given up to third order.
Attitudes and aspirations regarding engineering among Chinese secondary school students: comparisons between industrialising and post-industrial geo-engineering regions of Mainland China and Hong Kong

Abstract School-based pipelines/routes for university and technical engineering education are recognised as important for economic development and the high-school years are critical for shaping students’ career aspirations and attitudes. This study examined a range of attitudes/experiences on the aspirations of secondary students to pursue engineering education and vocation. Experiential/attitudinal aspects covered demographic characteristics, family/school support, practical learning experiences, curricular/extra-curricular experiences, attitudes, perceptions and engineering-efficacy that may affect aspirations. A validated questionnaire capturing these variables was administered to respective samples of secondary school students from four Chinese geo-engineering regions (Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and ShanXi; 5965 students) that represent differing degrees of industrialisation. Comparative analyses across regions show ‘doing’ engineering is key to motivating students’ aspirations; while regional variations suggest that schooling and family factors are generally more significant in industrialising Mainland cities, and extracurricular opportunities and personal factors are more significant for students in post-industrial Hong Kong.
The Influence of State Anxiety on Fear Discrimination and Extinction in Females

Formal theories have linked pathological anxiety to a failure in fear response inhibition. Previously, we showed that aberrant response inhibition is not restricted to anxiety patients, but can also be observed in anxiety-prone adults. However, less is known about the influence of currently experienced levels of anxiety on inhibitory learning. The topic is highly important as state anxiety has a debilitating effect on cognition, emotion, and physiology and is linked to several anxiety disorders. In the present study, healthy female volunteers performed a fear conditioning task, after being informed that they will have to perform the Trier Social Stress Test task (n = 25; experimental group) or a control task (n = 25; control group) upon completion of the conditioning task. The results showed that higher levels of state anxiety corresponded with a reduced discrimination between a stimulus (CS+) typically followed by an aversive event and a stimulus (CS-) that is never followed by an aversive event both during the acquisition and the extinction phase. No effect of state anxiety on the skin conductance response associated with CS+ and CS- was found. Additionally, higher levels of state anxiety coincided with more negative valence ratings of the CSs. The results suggest that increased stress-induced state anxiety might lead to stimulus generalization during fear acquisition, thereby impairing associative learning.
Game Semantics for Good General References

We present a new fully abstract and effectively presentable denotational model for RefML, a paradigmatic higher-order programming language combining call-by-value evaluation and general references in the style of ML. Our model is built using game semantics. In contrast to the previous model by Abramsky, Honda and McCusker, it provides a faithful account of reference types, and the full abstraction result does not rely on the availability of spurious constructs of reference type (bad variables). This is the first denotational model of this kind, preceded only by the trace model recently proposed by Laird [16].
Post-transcriptional Silencing of Chalcone Synthase in Petunia Using a Geminivirus-based Episomal Vector

A vector that produces DNA replicons (multicopy plant episomes) was constructed using elements of the gemini-virus tobacco yellow dwarf virus (TYDV). All plant cells contain an integrated chromosomal T-DNA copy of the TYDV elements that provides a template for the production of episomes in the cell nucleus. Transgenic Petunia hybrida plants containing a CaMV 35S promoter-driven chalcone synthase A (ChsA) gene cloned into the episomal vector produced flowers with a white-spotted phenotype at high frequency. The spots were found at random locations in the petals and occurred in corresponding positions in both the upper and lower epidermis, indicating that the spots were non-clonal. The spotted phenotype was somatically stable and was inherited through meiosis. In white-spotted flower tissue, steady-state ChsA mRNA levels were down-regulated but rates of RNA transcription were unaffected, suggesting that the phenotype resulted from post-trans-criptional gene silencing of the endogenous and episomal ChsA genes. Increases in both the frequency and extent of gene silencing in flowers correlated with increases in episome copy number in mature flowers, flower buds and young and fully expanded leaves. Relatively small increases in episome copy number (less than threefold) appeared sufficient to trigger the gene-silenced phenotype.
Building an e-Government e-Trust Infrastructure

This paper presents a Trust Model for e-Government implementation. In the first part of the paper, the trust definition from different points of view (psychology, philosophy, linguistic, sociology, and mathematics) was presented. Most people think that to build trust between the government and its customers or citizens, one must start by implementing IT Security and some kinds of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and that will lead to a full customer trust. However, this was not always true; most citizens or customers do not have positive attitudes toward their governments for political reasons, social reasons, and other reasons. The second part of the paper shows the main elements of trust with some examples. The last part discusses the proposed e- Government trust model and shows that trust was a multidimensional issue. Each part was fully integrated with the others in a certain relationship that formulates trust. The main building blocks of trust are: IT security, process automation, policies and procedures, social and culture practices, and legislation. This model represents a suitable guideline for any government who wishes to build or rebuild trust with its customers. It is necessary to use modern technologies to complete the trust architecture.
A Greenhouse Gas and Soil Carbon Model for Estimating the Carbon Footprint of Livestock Production in Canada

Simple Summary We developed a model to estimate the carbon footprint of Canadian livestock production. To include long term soil carbon storage and loss potential we introduced a payback period concept. The model was tested by reallocating 10% only of the protein production from a ruminant to a non ruminant source to minimize the risk of including rangeland or marginal lands. This displacement generated residual land which was found to play a major role in the potential mitigation of GHG emissions. The model will allow land use policies aimed at reducing the agricultural GHG emissions to be assessed. Abstract To assess tradeoffs between environmental sustainability and changes in food production on agricultural land in Canada the Unified Livestock Industry and Crop Emissions Estimation System (ULICEES) was developed. It incorporates four livestock specific GHG assessments in a single model. To demonstrate the application of ULICEES, 10% of beef cattle protein production was assumed to be displaced with an equivalent amount of pork protein. Without accounting for the loss of soil carbon, this 10% shift reduced GHG emissions by 2.5 TgCO2e y−1. The payback period was defined as the number of years required for a GHG reduction to equal soil carbon lost from the associated land use shift. A payback period that is shorter than 40 years represents a net long term decrease in GHG emissions. Displacing beef cattle with hogs resulted in a surplus area of forage. When this residual land was left in ungrazed perennial forage, the payback periods were less than 4 years and when it was reseeded to annual crops, they were equal to or less than 40 years. They were generally greater than 40 years when this land was used to raise cattle. Agricultural GHG mitigation policies will inevitably involve a trade-off between production, land use and GHG emission reduction. ULICEES is a model that can objectively assess these trade-offs for Canadian agriculture.
Promoting CXCR-2-Dependent Angiogenesis Cell Lung Cancer in SCID Mice through and In Vivo Growth of Human Non-Small IL-17 Enhances the Net Angiogenic Activity

In this study, we examined the biological action of IL-17 on human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although IL-17 had no direct effect on the in vitro growth rate of NSCLC, IL-17 selectively augmented the secretion of an array of angiogenic CXC chemokines, including CXCL1, CXCL5, CXCL6, and CXCL8 but not angiostatic chemokines, by three different NSCLC lines. Endothelial cell chemotactic activity (as a measure of net angiogenic potential) was increased in response to conditioned medium from NSCLC stimulated with IL-17 compared with those from unstimulated NSCLC. Enhanced chemotactic activity was suppressed by neutralizing mAb(s) to CXCL1, CXCL5, and CXCL8 or to CXCR-2 but not to vascular endothelial growth factor-A. Transfection with IL-17 into NSCLC had no effect on the in vitro growth, whereas IL-17 transfectants grew more rapidly compared with controls when transplanted in SCID mice. This IL-17-elicited enhancement of NSCLC growth was associated with increased tumor vascularity. Moreover, treatment with anti-mouse CXCR-2-neutralizing Ab signiﬁcantly attenuated the growth of both neomycin phosphotransferase gene-transfected and IL-17-transfected NSCLC tumors in SCID mice. A potential role for IL-17 in modulation of the human NSCLC phenotype was supported by the ﬁndings that, in primary NSCLC tissues, IL-17 expression was frequently detected in accumulating and inﬁltrating inﬂammatory cells and that high levels of IL-17 expression were associated with increased tumor vascularity. These results demonstrate that IL-17 increases the net angiogenic activity and in vivo growth of NSCLC via promoting CXCR-2-dependent angiogenesis and suggest that targeting CXCR-2 signaling may be a novel promising strategy to treat patients with NSCLC. The Journal of Immunology, 2005, 175: 6177–6189. CXC chemokines, including CXCL1, CXCL5, CXCL6, and CXCL8 but not angiostatic chemokines, from NSCLC lines in vitro. Therefore, these characteristic biologic ac-tivities of IL-17 prompted us to further investigate the role for this cytokine in in vivo biologic action of NSCLC. In this study, we show that IL-17 signiﬁcantly enhances the net angiogenic activity and in vivo growth of NSCLC through promoting CXCR-2-de-pendent angiogenesis. polyclonal Ab human IL-17 polyclonal Ab CD3 were as a primary Ab. The dilution of primary Ab used in this was 1/500 for IL-17 and 1/100 for CD3. Ag retrieval was performed by the in a microwave oven for 15 min for IL-17 or by treatment with protease K (Sigma-Aldrich) for for Ag-Ab complex was visualized DAB counterstained hematoxylin. a positive tions of Formalin-ﬁxed, parafﬁn-embedded, IL-23-stimulated human CD4 T cells. immunohistochemical pre-
Chemosensitivity, Cardiovascular Risk, and the Ventilatory Response to Exercise in COPD

COPD is associated with elevated cardiovascular risk and a potentiated ventilatory response to exercise. Enhanced carotid chemoreceptor (CC) activity/sensitivity is present in other clinical conditions, has been shown to contribute to sympathetic vasoconstrictor outflow, and is predictive of mortality. CC activity/sensitivity, and the resulting functional significance, has not been well examined in COPD. We hypothesized that CC activity/sensitivity would be elevated in COPD, and related to increased pulse wave velocity (a marker of CV risk) and the ventilatory response to exercise. Methods: 30 COPD patients and 10 healthy age-matched controls were examined. Participants performed baseline cardiopulmonary exercise and pulmonary function testing. CC activity was later evaluated by the drop in ventilation with breathing 100% O2, and CC sensitivity was then assessed by the ventilatory response to hypoxia (ΔVE/ΔSpO2). Peripheral arterial stiffness was subsequently evaluated by measurement of pulse wave velocity (PWV) using applanation tonometry while the subjects were breathing room air, and then following chemoreceptor inhibition by breathing 100% O2 for 2 minutes. Results: CC activity, CC sensitivity, PWV and the ventilatory response to exercise were all increased in COPD relative to controls. CC sensitivity was related to PWV; however, neither CC activity nor CC sensitivity was related to the ventilatory response to exercise in COPD. CC inhibition by breathing 100% O2 normalized PWV in COPD, while no effect was observed in controls. Conclusion: CC activity and sensitivity are elevated in COPD, and appear related to cardiovascular risk; however, CC activity/sensitivity does not contribute to the potentiated ventilatory response to exercise.
How seeing iconic gestures facilitates action event memory and verb learning in 3-year-old children

People naturally produce iconic gestures when they speak. Iconic gestures that depict people's actions may influence the way children process action events. This dissertation investigates experimentally whether seeing such iconic gestures promotes 3-year-old children's action event memory and verb learning. Chapter 1 introduces the topic and presents an outline of the dissertation. Chapter 2 provides a working de nition of gesture and a literature review on iconicity. Chapter 3 describes the development and norming of a large database that contains stimuli videos of actions events and iconic gestures. Action videos showed actors moving in unusual manners and iconic gestures depicted how the actors moved. Chapter 4 examines whether children remember action events differently when they see iconic gestures while encoding these events. Seeing iconic gestures that depicted how actors moved while encoding action events boosted children's memory of actors and their actions. Specifically, children showed better memory for event aspects that were depicted in gesture. Chapter 5 asks whether prior action knowledge promotes verb learning and whether seeing iconic gestures influences this process. Pre-exposure to unlabeled actions facilitated verb learning when those actions were shown with iconic gestures and when children were shown two actors performing the same actions simultaneously, but children performed better in the iconic-gesture condition. Chapter 6 investigates whether children learn that verbs typically refer to actions from seeing iconic gestures that depict individual verb meanings. Children who were taught verbs with iconic gestures demonstrated such word-category knowledge about verbs in an immediate and delayed novel verb learning task in which different novel verbs were taught without iconic gestures. Chapter 7 discusses theoretical and practical implications of the experimental findings. Iconic gestures are meaningful social cues that help children individuate people's actions, encode and remember complex action events, acquire individual verb meanings, and generate word-category knowledge about verbs.