Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hunting for Plant Nitric Oxide Synthase Provides New Evidence of a Central Role for Plastids in Nitric Oxide Metabolism

Nitric oxide (NO) has emerged as a central signaling molecule in plants and animals. However, the long search for a plant NO synthase (NOS) enzyme has only encountered false leads. The first works describing a pathogen-induced NOS-like plant protein were soon retracted. New hope came from the identification of NOS1, an Arabidopsis thaliana protein with an atypical NOS activity that was found to be targeted to mitochondria in roots. Although concerns about the NO-producing activity of this protein were raised (causing the renaming of the protein to NO-associated 1), compelling data on its biological role were missing until recently. Strong evidence is now available that this protein functions as a GTPase that is actually targeted to plastids, where it might be required for ribosome function. These and other results support the argument that the defective NO production in loss-of-function mutants is an indirect effect of interfering with normal plastid functions and that plastids play an important role in regulating NO levels in plant cells.
Global Adaptive Learning Control of Robotic Manipulators by Output Error Feedback

This paper addresses the problem of designing a global, output error feedback based, adaptive learning control for robotic manipulators with revolute joints and uncertain dynamics. The reference signals to be tracked are assumed to be smooth and periodic with known period. By developing in Fourier series expansion the input reference signals of every joint, an adaptive, output error feedback, learning control is designed which 'learns' the input reference signals by identifying their Fourier coefficients: global asymptotic and local exponential stability of the tracking error dynamics are obtained when the Fourier series expansion of each input reference signal is finite, while arbitrary small tracking errors are achieved otherwise. The resulting control is not model based and depends only on the period of the reference signals and on some constant bounds on the robot dynamics
CCR5 and CXCR4 chemokine receptor expression and β‐chemokine production during early T cell repopulation induced by highly active anti‐retroviral therapy

Expression of chemokine receptors and β‐chemokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were determined in HIV‐1‐infected individuals before and after highly active anti‐retroviral therapy (HAART) and their relationship to viral load, T cell phenotype and the expression of immunological activation markers was examined. We found that the expression of CCR5 is up‐regulated in HIV‐1‐infected individuals while CXCR4 appears down‐regulated on both CD4 and CD8 T cells compared with normal controls. These alterations are associated with the high levels of viral load. In addition, a relationship was observed between the degree of immune activation and chemokine receptor expression on T cells. However, after 3 months of combined anti‐retroviral regimen, expression of CXCR4 significantly increased while CCR5 decreased when compared with pretherapy determinations. This was seen in strict association with a dramatic decrease of viral load and an increase of both CD45RA+/CD62L+ (naive) and CD45RA−/CD62L+ or CD45RA+/CD62L− (memory) T cells accompanied by a significant decrease of the expression of immune activation markers such as HLA‐DR and CD38. At enrolment, both spontaneous and lectin‐induced RANTES, macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α (MIP‐1α) and MIP‐1β production by PBMC were higher in HIV‐1‐infected individuals compared with normal controls, although differences for MIP‐1β were not statistically significant. However, RANTES and MIP‐1α production decreased during HAART at levels closer to that determined with normal controls, while MIP‐1β production was less consistently modified. These data indicate that the expression of chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4 and the production of β‐chemokines are altered in HIV‐infected individuals, and suggest that their early modifications during HAART reflect both the peripheral redistribution of naive/memory T cell compartments and the decrease in levels of T cell activation. Such modifications in the expression of host determinants of viral tropism and the production of anti‐viral molecules may play a role in the emergence of virus variants when a failure of HAART occurs.
Type IIA Killing spinors and calibrations

We consider the dimensional reduction of 11D supergravity to type IIA in ten dimensions, and study the conditions for supersymmetry in terms of p-form spinor bilinears of the supersymmetry parameter. For a bosonic solution to be supersymmetric these p forms must satisfy a set of differential relations, which we derive in full; the supersymmetry variations of the dilatino give a set of algebraic relations which are also derived. These results are then used to provide the generalized calibration conditions for some of the basic brane solutions, we also follow up a suggestion of Hackett-Jones and Smith and present a calibration condition for IIA supertubes. We find that a probe supertube satisfies this bound but does not saturate it, with the bound successfully accounting for the D0 charge of the supertube but not the string charge; we speculate that there should be a stronger calibration inequality than the one given.
On the Efficacy of State Space Reconstruction Methods in Determining Causality

We present a theoretical framework for inferring dynamical interactions between weakly or mod- erately coupled variables in systems where deterministic dynamics plays a dominating role. The variables in such a system can be arranged into an interaction graph, which is a set of nodes con- nected by directed edges wherever one variable directly drives another. In a system of ordinary differential equations, a variable x directly drives y if it appears nontrivially on the right-hand side of the equation for the derivative of y. Ideally, given time series measurements of the variables in a system, we would like to recover the interaction graph. We introduce a comprehensive theory show- ing that the transitive closure of the interaction graph is the best outcome that can be obtained from state space reconstructions in a purely deterministic system. Our work depends on extensions of Takens' theorem and the results of Sauer et al. (J. Stat. Phys., 65 (1991), pp. 579-616) that charac- terize the properties of time-delay reconstructions of invariant manifolds and attractors. Along with the theory, we discuss practical implementations of our results. One method for empirical recovery of the interaction graph is presented by Sugihara et al. (Science, 338 (2012), pp. 496-500), called convergent cross-mapping. We show that the continuity detection algorithm of Pecora et al. (Phys. Rev. E, 52 (1995), pp. 3420-3439) is a viable alternative to convergent cross-mapping that is more consistent with the underlying theory. We examine two examples of dynamical systems for which we can recover the transitive closure of the interaction graph using the continuity detection technique. The strongly connected components of the recovered graph represent distinct dynamical subsystems coupled through one-way driving relationships that may correspond to causal relationships in the underlying physical scenario.
Stakeholder Happiness Enhancement: A Neo-Utilitarian Objective for the Modern Corporation

ABSTRACT: Employing utilitarian criteria, Jones and Felps, in “Shareholder Wealth Maximization and Social Welfare: A Utilitarian Critique” (Business Ethics Quarterly 23[2]: 207–38), examined the sequential logic leading from shareholder wealth maximization to maximal social welfare and uncovered several serious empirical and conceptual shortcomings. After rendering shareholder wealth maximization seriously compromised as an objective for corporate operations, they provided a set of criteria regarding what a replacement corporate objective would look like, but do not offer a specific alternative. In this article, we draw on neo-utilitarian thought to advance a refined version of normative stakeholder theory that we believe addresses a major remaining criticism of extant versions, their lack of specificity. More particularly, we provide a single-valued objective function for the corporation—stakeholder happiness enhancement—that would allow managers to make principled choices between/among policy options when stakeholder interests conflict.
A case of hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy.

PURPOSE To report a very rare case of hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy. METHODS Clinical case report and literature review. RESULTS A 6-year-old boy was referred to us for a retinal evaluation after retinal defects were found bilaterally by his optometrist. His ocular symptoms included decreased visual acuity and light sensitivity. His ocular history was unremarkable. Review of systems was positive for hypotrichosis. Fundus examination revealed bull's eye maculopathy bilaterally. The patient was found to have a cadherin-3 genetic defect, which is associated with hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy. In follow-up, fundus autofluorescence revealed severe hypoautofluorescence with severe retinal pigment epithelium loss, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography showed evidence of retinal pigment epithelium, photoreceptor, and inner segment/outer segment disruption bilaterally. CONCLUSION Hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy is a very rare genetic disorder that should be in the differential for macular degeneration during the first 4 decades of life. A detailed review of systems should always be performed on these patients.
Students’ behaviour in peer assessment: a multi-criteria clustering approach

Peer assessment (PA), as formative procedure, enhances learning by providing students with the opportunity to peer assess each other's work. However, since students exhibit different value systems (abilities, experiences, attitudes, cognitive styles, etc.) we propose a diagnostic procedure, which can be applied at the beginning of a course, in order to infer the most prevailing attitude among students. For this purpose, the proposed methodological framework, based on a multi-criteria clustering approach, identifies different assessment behaviours, in order to adopt the most common student assessment policy. To demonstrate the proposed method, an example is presented where two different PA data-sets are examined. The results clearly indicate that students exhibit different PA policies, nevertheless, a densely populated group is formed, the value system of which can be adopted thereafter.
Hierarchical reasoning game theory based approach for evaluation and testing of autonomous vehicle control systems

A hierarchical game theoretic decision making framework is exploited to model driver decisions and interactions in traffic. In this paper, we apply this framework to develop a simulator to evaluate various existing autonomous driving algorithms. Specifically, two algorithms, based on Stackelberg policies and decision trees, are quantitatively compared in a traffic scenario where all the human-driven vehicles are modeled using the presented game theoretic approach.
On a Generalization of the Richardson Extrapolation Process

A convergence result for a generalized Richardson extrapolation process is improved upon considerably and additional results of interest are proved. An application of practical importance is also given. Finally, some known results concerning the convergence of Levin's T-transformation are reconsidered in light of the results of the present work. Let A(y) be a scalar function of a discrete or continuous variable y, defined for 0 < y =< b < ~. Let there exist constants A and ~k, k = 1, 2 . , and functions 4~k (Y), k = 1, 2 . which form an asymptotic sequence in the sense that (1.1) C~k+l(y)=o(d~k(y)) as y~O+, and assume that A (y) has the asymptotic expansion (1.2) A(y). ~A+ ~kC~k(y) as y~0+. k=l Here A(y) and ~k(Y), k=l, 2, . , are assumed to be known for 0<y=<b, but A and ak, k = 1, 2 . are unknown. The problem is to approximate A, which, in many cases is lim A(y) when the latter exists. (When lim A(y) does not y-*O+ y~O+ exist, A is said to be the antilimit of A(y) as y ~ 0+ . )
On the Constant Positive Linear Dependence Condition and Its Application to SQP Methods

In this paper, we introduce a constant positive linear dependence condition (CPLD), which is weaker than the Mangasarian--Fromovitz constraint qualification (MFCQ) and the constant rank constraint qualification (CRCQ). We show that a limit point of a sequence of approximating Karush--Kuhn--Tucker (KKT) points is a KKT point if the CPLD holds there. We show that a KKT point satisfying the CPLD and the strong second-order sufficiency conditions (SSOSC) is an isolated KKT point. We then establish convergence of a general sequential quadratical programming (SQP) method under the CPLD and the SSOSC. Finally, we apply these results to analyze the feasible SQP method proposed by Panier and Tits in 1993 for inequality constrained optimization problems. We establish its global convergence under the SSOSC and a condition slightly weaker than the Mangasarian--Fromovitz constraint qualification, and we prove superlinear convergence of a modified version of this algorithm under the SSOSC and a condition slightly weaker than the linear independence constraint qualification.
International approaches to frontotemporal dementia diagnosis: From social cognition to neuropsychology

The international scientific interest in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has been stimulated by a variety of factors, including new biological discoveries related to the link between FTD and tau, better imaging techniques for differentiating FTD from Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and the realization that FTD offers a powerful model for exploring the anatomic basis for key aspects of social behavior and frontal executive function. The diagnosis of AD has rested almost entirely on the neuropsychological profile, because AD begins in the medial temporal region, an area involved predominantly with a cognitive function, episodic memory. FTD differs from AD because FTD begins in the frontal and anterior temporal lobes and amygdala, not the medial temporal cortex. The functions of these complex brain regions are both cognitive and behavioral, and the most prominent deficits associated with FTD involve frontal executive functions and social behavior. Not surprisingly, attempts to improve diagnosis of FTD have oscillated between the use of neuropsychological testing and the use of social or behavioral tasks. The assessment of both frontal executive function and social cognition in FTD has required the development of new techniques and scales, because neither area has been extensively explored as a diagnostic tool in the setting of dementia. In turn, correlations of cognition and behavior with neuroimaging in FTD have enriched our understanding of the complex functions of the frontal lobes, anterior temporal lobes, and amygdala. The clinical diagnosis of FTD can be challenging, even to experienced clinicians. Some textbooks argue that FTD cannot be differentiated from AD during life. Diagnostic approaches to FTD continue to differ from institution to institution, although recent research criteria for FTD represent the first step toward standardizing the approach to this disorder. Neuropsychological testing alone has not proved sufficiently sensitive or specific to be used in isolation as a diagnostic marker. Indeed, many FTD patients present with social and personality changes that defy the neuropsychological model of dementia, and quantitative behavioral tests are needed to help with diagnosis. Also, there appear to be quantitatively and qualitatively different neuropsychological symptoms during the various stages of FTD. Finally, pathologic and genetic variability contributes to the clinical variability.
Network Analysis of Neurodegenerative Disease Highlights a Role of Toll-Like Receptor Signaling

Despite significant advances in the study of the molecular mechanisms altered in the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), the etiology is still enigmatic and the distinctions between diseases are not always entirely clear. We present an efficient computational method based on protein-protein interaction network (PPI) to model the functional network of NDs. The aim of this work is fourfold: (i) reconstruction of a PPI network relating to the NDs, (ii) construction of an association network between diseases based on proximity in the disease PPI network, (iii) quantification of disease associations, and (iv) inference of potential molecular mechanism involved in the diseases. The functional links of diseases not only showed overlap with the traditional classification in clinical settings, but also offered new insight into connections between diseases with limited clinical overlap. To gain an expanded view of the molecular mechanisms involved in NDs, both direct and indirect connector proteins were investigated. The method uncovered molecular relationships that are in common apparently distinct diseases and provided important insight into the molecular networks implicated in disease pathogenesis. In particular, the current analysis highlighted the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway as a potential candidate pathway to be targeted by therapy in neurodegeneration.
Sequential Design of Experiments via Linear Programming

The celebrated multi-armed bandit problem in decision theory models the basic trade-off between exploration, or learning about the state of a system, and exploitation, or utilizing the system. In this paper we study the variant of the multi-armed bandit problem where the exploration phase involves costly experiments and occurs before the exploitation phase; and where each play of an arm during the exploration phase updates a prior belief about the arm. The problem of finding an inexpensive exploration strategy to optimize a certain exploitation objective is NP-Hard even when a single play reveals all information about an arm, and all exploration steps cost the same. We provide the first polynomial time constant-factor approximation algorithm for this class of problems. We show that this framework also generalizes several problems of interest studied in the context of data acquisition in sensor networks. Our analyses also extends to switching and setup costs, and to concave utility objectives. Our solution approach is via a novel linear program rounding technique based on stochastic packing. In addition to yielding exploration policies whose performance is within a small constant factor of the adaptive optimal policy, a nice feature of this approach is that the resulting policies explore the arms sequentially without revisiting any arm. Sequentiality is a well-studied concept in decision theory, and is very desirable in domains where multiple explorations can be conducted in parallel, for instance, in the sensor network context.
A recombinant vaccine expressed in the milk of transgenic mice protects Aotus monkeys from a lethal challenge with Plasmodium falciparum

Two strains of transgenic mice have been generated that secrete into their milk a malaria vaccine candidate, the 42-kDa C-terminal portion of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP142). One strain secretes an MSP142 with an amino acid sequence homologous to that of the FVO parasite line, the other an MSP142 where two putative N-linked glycosylation sites in the FVO sequence have been removed. Both forms of MSP142 were purified from whole milk to greater than 91% homogeneity at high yields. Both proteins are recognized by a panel of monoclonal antibodies and have identical N termini, but are clearly distinguishable by some biochemical properties. These two antigens were each emulsified with Freund's adjuvant and used to vaccinate Aotus nancymai monkeys, before challenge with the homologous P. falciparum FVO parasite line. Vaccination with a positive control molecule, a glycosylated form of MSP142 produced in the baculovirus expression system, successfully protected five of six monkeys. By contrast, vaccination with the glycosylated version of milk-derived MSP142 conferred no protection compared with an adjuvant control. Vaccination with the nonglycosylated, milk-derived MSP142 successfully protected the monkeys, with 4/5 animals able to control an otherwise lethal infection with P. falciparum compared with 1/7 control animals. Analysis of the different vaccines used suggested that the differing nature of the glycosylation patterns may have played a critical role in determining efficacy. This study demonstrates the potential for producing efficacious malarial vaccines in transgenic animals.
Challenges and approaches to customer development in co-located high-tech start-ups

The paper presents findings of a study of entrepreneurial start-up organisations in the ICT sector. The start-up organisations were co-located in a new business incubator managed by a university in the north-west of England. The study was aimed at understanding the factors and approaches that impacted the ability of the start-ups to manage customer development and, consequently, generate revenue. A longitudinal case study methodology was adopted and the case study was split into five mini-studies. Semi-structured interviews carried out at six-month intervals were used to generate qualitative data. The study indicated that the start-ups faced capacity constraint and skills issues that negatively impacted customer development. In addition, there was no consensus on the impact of co-location on customer development. However, there was an indication that incubator managers need to provide more strategic support for start-ups with respect to customer development.
Erythrocyte Phospholipids in the Newborn Infant.∗

Conclusions and summary The total phospholipids from both the entire erythrocyte and the erythrocyte stroma of the newborn infant have been shown to be equal to the adult. The individual phospholipids from the entire red cell have been shown to be identical to the adult, both in identity and in quantitative determination.
Football Fans’ Views of Violence in British Football

This article draws on the responses of 1,500 fans from across the United Kingdom to an online survey posted from August 2013 to November 2013 regarding their experience of football violence. Reflecting the 2013 Home Office report that indicated a continued long-term decline of football fan violence in England and Wales, 89% of fans illustrate a decrease in violent behavior from the 1980s with 56% indicating this is due to better policing, 56% attributing it to improvements in stadia, 50% highlighting the deterrence provided by CCTV, and 49% ascribing it to a civilized supporter base. Overall, fans reflect on a more sanitized and gentrified culture emerging out of measures introduced since the 1990s (including changing police strategies, banning orders, alcohol bans, higher ticket prices, and CCTV).
Veblen Contra Clark and Fisher: Veblen-Robinson-Harcourt lineages in capital controversies and beyond

In the midst of Joan Robinson’s critique of neoclassical capital theory, she remarked ‘that Thorstein Veblen had made my point, much better than I did, in 1908’. Robinson was referring to Veblen’s attacks on the capital theories of J. B. Clark and Irving Fisher. With little written on these earlier capital controversies, one purpose of this article is to fill in the historical record by providing a capital-specific examination of Veblen’s attacks and Clark’s and Fisher’s responses. The second purpose is to explore the unique connections between the Veblen/Clark/Fisher and the Cambridge capital controversies by focussing on three authors: Veblen, Robinson and Harcourt. These controversies shared clashes of fundamentally different visions of economic life, as well as differences regarding the historical contextualisation of the meaning of capital and the role of social institutions. The adequacy of equilibrium analysis and ideology also play more complex roles compared to other capital controversies conducted within a largely shared vision.