Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti-ribosomal P protein antibody induces Th1 responses by enhancing the production of IL-12 in activated monocytes

Autoantibodies to ribosomal P proteins (anti-P) are detected in 12–16% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and have been found to be associated with some manifestations, including lupus psychosis, nephritis and hepatitis. We have recently disclosed that anti-P react with activated human peripheral blood monocytes, and enhance their production of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin (IL)-6. It is also possible that anti-P might regulate other monocyte functions, including the regulation of T helper (Th) responses. The current study was therefore undertaken to explore the effects of anti-P on the induction of Th1 responses. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy donors were cultured with affinity-purified anti-P or control IgG. Highly purified monocytes were cultured with interferon (IFN)-γ in the presence of anti-P or normal IgG. Anti-P significantly enhanced the production of IFN-γ by PBMC. Of note, anti-IL-12 monoclonal antibodies almost completely abrogated the anti-P-mediated upregulation of the IFN-γ production of PBMC. Accordingly, anti-P significantly enhanced the production of IL-12 by activated monocytes. These results indicate that anti-P induce Th1 responses by upregulating the production of IL-12 by activated monocytes. The data therefore suggest that anti-P play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE through the promotion of Th1 responses.
Impulse noise cancellation in OFDM: an application of compressed sensing

We use recently developed convex programming techniques to reconstruct arbitrary sparse signals observed through projections onto a small-dimensional space in background noise in order to estimate and remove impulsive noise in an OFDM system. We develop deterministic construction of projection matrices that provably guarantee reconstruction with high probability. Finally, we compare the achievable rate using our novel method with some simple capacity lower and upper bounds and with the recently obtained capacity of the Gaussian erasure channel. For practical impulse probability the proposed scheme appears to be competitive. This scheme may find some application in DSL and powerline communications, where transmission is typically affected by intersymbol interference, Gaussian noise and impulsive noise.
Declines in ten-pin bowling performance with advancing age.

SIR—One approach to studying the effects of ageing on functional capacity in humans is to analyse peak physical performance of trained athletes with increasing age [1]. Because top master athletes are highly motivated, train vigorously, and experience minimal body composition changes or diseases, analyses of athletic records provide a possible biomarker of ageing [2]. We have previously characterised the age-related reductions in the physically demanding tasks of running, swimming and weightlifting [3–5]. Unlike these athletic events that are determined by muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance or agility, ten-pin bowling offers an unique opportunity to explore the relation between age and athletic performance because the sport is highly skill and technique dependent, and can be performed successfully by many individuals across a wide age-span for many years. Bowling is also distinctive in that its performance is largely determined by skill and technique rather than muscular strength and endurance [6,7]. The primary aim of the present study was to determine ten-pin bowling performance with increasing age in active professional and master bowlers.
Acquisition of Lateralized Predation Behavior Associated with Development of Mouth Asymmetry in a Lake Tanganyika Scale-Eating Cichlid Fish

The scale-eating cichlid Perissodus microlepis with asymmetric mouth is an attractive model of behavioral laterality: each adult tears off scales from prey fishes’ left or right flanks according to the direction in which its mouth is skewed. To investigate the development of behavioral laterality and mouth asymmetry, we analyzed stomach contents and lower jaw-bone asymmetry of various-sized P. microlepis (22≤SL<115mm) sampled in Lake Tanganyika. The shapes of the pored scales found in each specimen’s stomach indicated its attack side preference. Early-juvenile specimens (SL<45mm) feeding mainly on zooplankton exhibited slight but significant mouth asymmetry. As the fish acquired scale-eating (45mm≤SL), attack side preference was gradually strengthened, as was mouth asymmetry. Among size-matched individuals, those with more skewed mouths ate more scales. These findings show that behavioral laterality in scale-eating P. microlepis is established in association with development of mouth asymmetry which precedes the behavioral acquisition, and that this synergistic interaction between physical and behavioral literalities may contribute to efficient scale-eating.
One-bit Compressed Sensing with the k-Support Norm

In one-bit compressed sensing (1-bit CS), one attempts to estimate a structured parameter (signal) only using the sign of suitable linear measurements. In this paper, we investigate 1-bit CS problems for sparse signals using the recently proposed k-support norm. We show that the new estimator has a closed-form solution, so no optimization is needed. We establish consistency and recovery guarantees of the estimator for both Gaussian and subGaussian random measurements. For Gaussian measurements, our estimator is comparable to the best known in the literature, along with guarantees on support recovery. For sub-Gaussian measurements, our estimator has an irreducible error which, unlike existing results, can be controlled by scaling the measurement vectors. In both cases, our analysis covers the setting of model misspecification, i.e., when the true sparsity is unknown. Experimental results illustrate several strengths of the new estimator.
Naturally occurring data as research instrument: analyzing examination responses to study the novice programmer

In New Zealand and Australia, the BRACElet project has been investigating students' acquisition of programming skills in introductory programming courses. The project has explored students' skills in basic syntax, tracing code, understanding code, and writing code, seeking to establish the relationships between these skills. This ITiCSE working group report presents the most recent step in the BRACElet project, which includes replication of earlier analysis using a far broader pool of naturally occurring data, refinement of the SOLO taxonomy in code-explaining questions, extension of the taxonomy to code-writing questions, extension of some earlier studies on students' 'doodling' while answering exam questions, and exploration of a further theoretical basis for work that until now has been primarily empirical.
Wronskians as n-Lie multiplications

Filipov proved that Jacobian algebra is n-Lie. In our paper we consider algebras defined on associative commutative algebra U with derivation $\der$ by (k+1)-multiplication $V^{0,1,. ,k}=\der^0\wedge\der^1\wedge. \wedge \der^k$ (Wronskian). We study whether they have (k+1)-Lie, k-left commutative and homotopical (k+1)-Lie structures.
For Personal Use. Only Reproduce with Permission from the Lancet Publishing Group. Genes for Schizophrenia? Recent Findings and Their Pathophysiological Implications

Schizophrenia has a heritability of around 80%. 1 However, the search for chromosomal loci and genes has been slow and frustrating, probably because there are multiple susceptibility genes, each of small effect, which act in conjunction with epigenetic processes and environmental factors. Research has also been hampered by practical problems, notably the lack of monogenic (Mendelian) forms and the absence of a diagnostic neuropathology or other biological marker of the syndrome(s). 1 Nevertheless, replicated linkages to several chromosomal regions are accumulating. Two meta-analyses highlight loci at 8p and 22q, as well as at 2, 3p, 5q, 6p, 11q, 13q, and 20p. 2,3 Several papers published in the past few months describe seven genes which may warrant the title " schizophrenia genes ". One commentator has called the progress " truly a landmark event in the history of psychiatry ". 4 Certainly, the evidence for the genes is, at first sight, statistically robust, and also neurobiologically plausible, with all the genes involved in processes implicated in the pathogenesis of the disorder.
AIRBORNE PARTICULATE MATTER AND DAILYMORTALITY IN BIRMINGHAM , ALABAMAbyJerry

As one of a series of studies on the eeect of atmospheric particles on human mortality, Schwartz (1993) analyzed mortality data from Birmingham, Alabama, as a function of small particles in the atmosphere (PM10), meteorology, and systematic time trends. His overall conclusion was that when the meteorological and systematic time-trend eeects were adjusted for, there is a statistically signiicant eeect of PM10 on mortality. This is a speciic and short-term eeect: high particles, typically measured through three-day averages, have an immediate impact on daily mortality rates. The ndings of Schwartz (1993) mirrored those of a number of other studies by Schwartz and co-workers, which together have contributed to a widely discussed belief that there is a causal relationship between particles and mortality. An independent study by Samet et al. (1995) veriied the numerical correctness of the results but did not examine Schwartz's selection of statistical models for this data set. We reexamine the whole question, using the same initial data as Schwartz but incorporating a wider range of meteorological variables. When we use the same variables as included by Schwartz, we obtain similar results to his. But when we use alternative models we obtain diierent conclusions. In particular, when humidity is included among the meteorological variables (it is excluded in the analysis by Schwartz), we nd that the PM10 eeect is not statistically signiicant. 1 We perform a series of analyses. The rst set of analyses introduce models that t daily death counts to covariates (including PM10) through a variety of standard linear regression methods. The second set duplicates the methodology in Styer et al. (1995) used in the study of Chicago and Salt Lake City. A third set of analyses employs Poisson regression. In all instances, we nd no signiicant eeect due to PM10. The results we nd here are consistent with those of Styer et al.: model selection is critical in making conclusions about the eeect of particulates on mortality, requiring consistent, defensible approaches to assure reliable interpretations. 1 BACKGROUND In recent years, there has been much interest in the health eeects of atmospheric particles. Papers such as Schwartz and Marcus (1990) and Schwartz and Dockery (1992a, 1992b) claimed a statistically signiicant correlation between the level of particles in the atmosphere and daily mortality in the population of 65 years and over. Although various measures of particles have been used in these studies, particular interest has focussed on …
Crisis and Change in Vocational Education and Training. Higher Education Policy Series 36.

List of figures. Foreword by Dr Ernest Theodossin. Preface. Introduction. 1. The Changing Context of Further Education. The national policy context. Standards and quality as contested values in FE. The institutional context of policy. The historical and political context of policy. Linkage between the 1992 FHE Act and the 1988 ERA. The 1992 FHE Act: system-changing legislation. Competing visions and cultures in FE. 2. The Lecturer as a Reflective Practitioner. The organisational context of teaching. Teaching as a profession. Teaching as occupation, work or labour. Rationale for a reflective practitioner model of teaching. Teaching as reflective practice. Conclusion. 3. Researching a College: Methods and Problems. Epistemology. 'Foreshadowed problems' and 'progressive focusing'. Participant observation. Sources of data. The qualitative interview. The case record. The interview group. The methodology of data analysis. Limitations of the study. 4. Quality Assurance. Cultural-political change in further education. The dominance of the notion of quality assurance. Whose quality is it anyway? Lecturers' perspectives on quality. Conclusion. 5. The Competent Lecturer. Competence-based qualifications. Industry lead body standards in FE. Competence-based assessment. A lead body for FE. An alternative model of teaching in FE. 6. Lecturers and Managers. FE lecturers and student learning. Managerialism. A bottom-up model of management. A pedagogic culture. 7. Conclusions: Understanding Teaching in FE and its Importance as a Management Issue. The potential of a reflective practitioner model of teaching. Implications for college managers. Qualitative research methods and management studies. The crisis of reform. References. Subject Index. Names Index.
Scanning the genome for gene single nucleotide polymorphisms involved in adaptive population differentiation in white spruce

Conifers are characterized by a large genome size and a rapid decay of linkage disequilibrium, most often within gene limits. Genome scans based on noncoding markers are less likely to detect molecular adaptation linked to genes in these species. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of a genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) scan focused on expressed genes in detecting local adaptation in a conifer species. Samples were collected from six natural populations of white spruce (Picea glauca) moderately differentiated for several quantitative characters. A total of 534 SNPs representing 345 expressed genes were analysed. Genes potentially under natural selection were identified by estimating the differentiation in SNP frequencies among populations (FST) and identifying outliers, and by estimating local differentiation using a Bayesian approach. Both average expected heterozygosity and population differentiation estimates (HE = 0.270 and FST = 0.006) were comparable to those obtained with other genetic markers. Of all genes, 5.5% were identified as outliers with FST at the 95% confidence level, while 14% were identified as candidates for local adaptation with the Bayesian method. There was some overlap between the two gene sets. More than half of the candidate genes for local adaptation were specific to the warmest population, about 20% to the most arid population, and 15% to the coldest and most humid higher altitude population. These adaptive trends were consistent with the genes’ putative functions and the divergence in quantitative traits noted among the populations. The results suggest that an approach separating the locus and population effects is useful to identify genes potentially under selection. These candidates are worth exploring in more details at the physiological and ecological levels.
How much do electric customers want to pay for reliability; New evidence on an old controversy

Electric utilities are facing competitive challenges from independent power producers, cogenerators, qualifying facilities, and customer bypass, in addition to increasing resistance to building new capacity whether it be conventional or nuclear. Utilities are meeting these challenges by offering an array of demand-side management programs and differentiated tariffs that better match utility rates and customer preferences for service reliability. Customer preferences for service reliability may be gathered by market survey, however, survey estimates are subject to various common criticisms a fact that has retarded the adoption of this approach. by using power survey design techniques and statistical methods, the authors show in this paper, how accurate customer value of service reliability data may be collected with a market survey.
Comparison of the Physical Properties of Showers that the Satisfaction of Shower Feeling among Users in Three Asian Countries

The purpose of this study was to construct a scheme that makes it possible to compare the relationship between water usage, satisfaction, and physical properties in three countries. The physical properties of the shower were measured using physical properties testing apparatus of water-saving standard or scheme for showerheads issued in several water-saving countries and data for users satisfaction evaluation was acquired through bathing experiments. In this paper, we analyzed the result from Taiwanese and Vietnamese individuals to compare them to of Japanese subjects analyzed in the previous study. We compared the physical properties of showers assessed low in satisfaction by Taiwanese, Vietnamese and Japanese subjects. It was assumed that spray pattern tends to decrease satisfaction when the water volume ratio within 100 mm and 150 mm of a measuring device is located a 450 mm distance from the showerhead is low, and that, because all three countries showed the same value, it was imagined that there were no differences in the water volume ratio of high-satisfaction showerheads among three countries. On the other hand, the values of Spray Force-per-Hole, Temperature Drop, and Spray Angle were different among three countries. We speculated that these differences are affected respectively by ethnic differences in pain tolerance, thermoregulatory response and bathing habit.
The interplay between self-determined motivation, self-regulated cognitive strategies, and prior achievement in predicting academic performance

Abstract The present study examined the interplay between self-determined motivation and the use of cognitive strategies in predicting university students’ academic performance while taking into account the effect of prior achievement. A theory based model was tested using structural equation modeling on a sample of 764 Italian university students. Results showed that prior achievement influenced students’ academic performance and their motivation and use of cognitive strategies. Critical thinking was the only cognitive strategy which proved to have a significant impact on students’ academic performance. Autonomous motivation had an indirect positive impact on academic performance through its influence on the critical thinking strategy. Controlled motivation had a direct negative impact on academic performance. On the whole, our findings suggest that autonomously motivated students tend to achieve better academic performance by using critical thinking, while students who are driven by controlled motivation have lower academic performance.
Towards a WirelessHART module for the ns-3 simulator

This work has the objective to present the first development results of a WirelessHART module for the ns-3. Our focus is the implementation of the Physical layer in order to provide the basis for the development of the superior layers such as MAC and Application. Thus, we presente an energy consumption model, a Gilbert/Elliot error model and an analysis for the currently avaliable ns-3 propagation loss models. For further development we mainly aim for the implementation of the time slot scheduler (Network Manager) and the development of an inter protocol simulation with mutual interference.
MiR-26a and miR-144 inhibit proliferation and metastasis of esophageal squamous cell cancer by inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2

The altered expression of miRNAs is involved in carcinogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but whether miRNAs regulate COX-2 expression in ESCC is not clear. To this end, the expression levels of miR-26a and miR-144 in ESCC clinical tissues and cell lines were investigated by qRT-PCR. COX-2 and PEG2 were quantified by western blot and ELISA. Decrease in miR-26a and miR-144 expression in ESCC was found by a comparison between 30 pairs of ESCC tumor and adjacent normal tissues as well as in 11 ESCC cell lines (P < 0.001). Co-transfection of miR-26a and miR-144 in ESCC cell lines more significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion than did either miR-26a or miR-144 alone (all P < 0.001), as shown by assays of CCK8, migration and invasion and flow cytometry. The inhibitory effect of these two miRNAs in vivo was also verified in nude mice xenograft models. COX-2 was confirmed as a target of miR-26a and miR-144. In conclusion, miR-26a and miR-144 expression is downregulated in ESCC. Co-expression of miR-26a and miR-144 in ESCC cells resulted in inhibition of proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that targeting COX-2 may be the mechanism of these two miRNAs.
Cardiovascular effects of simultaneous occlusion of the inferior vena cava and aorta in patients treated with hypoxic abdominal perfusion for chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND Animal studies suggest less cardiovascular disturbance if the aorta and vena cava are occluded simultaneously. We set out to establish the effects of simultaneous clamping in humans, because oncologists suggested that perfusion for chemotherapy could be done under local anaesthesia without invasive haemodynamic monitoring. METHODS We studied the cardiovascular effects of the onset and removal of simultaneous occlusion of the thoracic aorta and inferior vena cava, in seven ASA II patients. Two stop-flow catheters positioned in the aorta and in the inferior vena cava were inflated to allow hypoxic abdominal perfusion to treat pancreatic cancer. We measured the arterial pressure, heart rate (HR), right atrial pressure (RAP), pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) and cardiac output (CO), and calculated systemic vascular resistance index (SVRi), pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRi), left ventricular stroke work index (LVSWi) and right ventricular stroke work index (RVSWi). Three patients were studied with transoesophageal echocardiography. RESULTS Six patients needed intravenous nitroprusside during the occlusion because mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased to more than 20% of baseline (SVRi increased by 87%). One minute after occlusion release, all patients had a 50% decrease in MAP, and mPAP increased by 50%. The procedure had severe cardiovascular effects, shown by a 100% increase in cardiac index at occlusion release with increases in left and right ventricular stroke work indices of 75% and 147%. Left ventricular wall motion abnormalities were seen on transoesophageal echocardiography. CONCLUSIONS Serious haemodynamic changes occur during simultaneous occlusion of the thoracic aorta and inferior vena cava, which may need invasive haemodynamic monitoring.
DNA Supercoiling and the Lrp Protein Determine the Directionality of fim Switch DNA Inversion in Escherichia coli K-12

ABSTRACT Site-specific recombinases of the integrase family usually require cofactors to impart directionality in the recombination reactions that they catalyze. The FimB integrase inverts the Escherichia coli fim switch (fimS) in the on-to-off and off-to-on directions with approximately equal efficiency. Inhibiting DNA gyrase with novobiocin caused inversion to become biased in the off-to-on direction. This directionality was not due to differential DNA topological distortion of fimS in the on and off phases by the activity of its resident P fimA promoter. Instead, the leucine-responsive regulatory (Lrp) protein was found to determine switching outcomes. Knocking out the lrp gene or abolishing Lrp binding sites 1 and 2 within fimS completely reversed the response of the switch to DNA relaxation. Inactivation of either Lrp site alone resulted in mild on-to-off bias, showing that they act together to influence the response of the switch to changes in DNA supercoiling. Thus, Lrp is not merely an architectural element organizing the fim invertasome, it collaborates with DNA supercoiling to determine the directionality of the DNA inversion event.