Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insulin secretion-independent effects of GLP-1 on canine liver glucose metabolism do not involve portal vein GLP-1 receptors.

Whether glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 requires the hepatic portal vein to elicit its insulin secretion-independent effects on glucose disposal in vivo was assessed in conscious dogs using tracer and arteriovenous difference techniques. In study 1, six conscious overnight-fasted dogs underwent oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) to determine target GLP-1 concentrations during clamp studies. Peak arterial and portal values during OGTT ranged from 23 to 65 pM and from 46 to 113 pM, respectively. In study 2, we conducted hyperinsulinemic-hyperglycemic clamp experiments consisting of three periods (P1, P2, and P3) during which somatostatin, glucagon, insulin and glucose were infused. The control group received saline, the PePe group received GLP-1 (1 pmol.kg(-1). min(-1)) peripherally, the PePo group received GLP-1 (1 pmol.kg(-1). min(-1)) peripherally (P2) and then intraportally (P3), and the PeHa group received GLP-1 (1 pmol.kg(-1). min(-1)) peripherally (P2) and then through the hepatic artery (P3) to increase the hepatic GLP-1 load to the same extent as in P3 in the PePo group (n = 8 dogs/group). Arterial GLP-1 levels increased similarly in all groups during P2 ( approximately 50 pM), whereas portal GLP-1 levels were significantly increased (2-fold) in the PePo vs. PePe and PeHa groups during P3. During P2, net hepatic glucose uptake (NHGU) increased slightly but not significantly (vs. P1) in all groups. During P3, GLP-1 increased NHGU in the PePo and PeHa groups more than in the control and PePe groups (change of 10.8 +/- 1.3 and 10.6 +/- 1.0 vs. 5.7 +/- 1.0 and 5.4 +/- 0.8 micromol.kg(-1). min(-1), respectively, P < 0.05). In conclusion, physiological GLP-1 levels increase glucose disposal in the liver, and this effect does not involve GLP-1 receptors located in the portal vein.
High Temperature Deformation of Twin-Roll Cast Al-Mn-Based Alloys after Equal Channel Angular Pressing

Twin roll cast Al-Mn- and Al-Mn-Zr-based alloys were subjected to four passes of equal channel angular pressing. The resulting grain size of 400 nm contributes to a significant strengthening at room temperature. This microstructure is not fully stable at elevated temperatures and recrystallization and vast grain growth occur at temperatures between 350 and 450 °C. The onset of these microstructure changes depends on chemical and phase composition. Better stability is observed in the Al-Mn-Zr-based alloy. High temperature tensile tests reveal that equal channel angular pressing results in a softening of all studied materials at high temperatures. This can be explained by an active role of grain boundaries in the deformation process. The maximum values of ductility and strain rate sensitivity parameter m found in the Al-Mn-Zr-based alloy are below the bottom limit of superplasticity (155%, m = 0.25). However, some features typical for superplastic behavior were observed—the strain rate dependence of the parameter m, the strengthening with increasing grain size, and the fracture by diffuse necking. Grain boundary sliding is believed to contribute partially to the overall strain in specimens where the grain size remained in the microcrystalline range.
Exploiting Data-Dependent Transmission Control and MAC Timing Information for Distributed Detection in Sensor Networks

In this paper, we propose a data-dependent transmission control policy over the slotted ALOHA MAC protocol and a cross-layered fusion rule that exploits MAC timing information for distributed detection in sensor networks. In this system, each sensor first makes a local decision at the beginning of each observation period and transmits the decision to the fusion center over a random access channel. Based on the slotted ALOHA random access protocol, we propose a class of data-dependent transmission control policies that assign to sensors their transmission probabilities according to the reliability of their local decisions. For the case with i.i. d. observations in each time slot, we show that the optimal transmission control function takes on the form of a thresholding function. That is, a sensor will transmit in a given time slot if and only if its local log-likelihood ratio exceeds a certain threshold. When observations are made only every several time slots, the message arrival time at the fusion center, which is spread over the observation period of duration K > 1, will embed the reliability of the received sensors' decisions as a result of the data-dependent transmission control. This timing information can be accounted for in the fusion rule to further enhance performance. Finally, we extend the proposed strategies to multicluster sensor network scenarios, where the sensors' local decisions are transmitted to the fusion center in a two-hop fashion. We show, through numerical simulations, that the proposed schemes outperform both conventional slotted ALOHA and TDMA-based schemes that do not adopt cross-layered transmission and fusion strategies.
Aromatase expression in the normal human adult adrenal and in adrenocortical tumors: biochemical, immunohistochemical, and molecular studies.

OBJECTIVE The aromatase enzyme catalyzes the final stage of estrogen biosynthesis pathway from androgens. Its expression in the adrenal is poorly studied except for the rare estrogen-producing adrenocortical tumors. In order to further characterize aromatase expression in the adrenal, we evaluated the aromatase enzyme activity, Cyp19a1 gene expression level, and promoter utilization in normal adrenal tissues and in adrenocortical secreting tumors. DESIGN AND METHODS Six normal adult adrenals (NA), 2 feminizing adrenal tumors (FT), 10 cortisol-producing adenomas with overt (CS, n=4) or sub-clinical Cushing syndrome (SCS, n=6) and 3 aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA) were studied. Tissue aromatase activity was determined by the tritiated ((3)H)-water method. Total aromatase mRNA were measured by a competitive RT-PCR. Promoter regions PII and PI.4-derived transcripts were also studied in NA, FT, and other steroid-producing tumors by a semi-quantitative comparative RT-PCR. Immunofluorescence analysis was performed in normal human adrenal tissues. RESULTS Aromatase activity was detected in NA tissues and in all tumor subtypes, at high levels in both FT. In NA, aromatase immunofluorescence was detected in the cytoplasm of steroidogenic cells, mainly from zona reticularis. Compared with NA, aromatase transcript levels were similar in CS and APA, lower in SCS and similar or higher in FT. Promoter analysis suggested predominant PII utilization in NA, APA, and SCS, but similar PII and PI.4 utilization in CS tumors. CONCLUSION Aromatase is expressed at similar levels in normal adrenal and in adrenocortical tumors, but at variably high levels in FT. Different promoter utilization patterns are found among tumor subtypes.
Community-Based Care Coordination

Care coordination programs have been used to address chronic illnesses, including childhood asthma, but primarily via practice-based models. An alternative approach employs community-based care coordinators who bridge gaps between families, health care providers, and support services. Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. (MCAN) sites developed community-based care coordination approaches for childhood asthma. Using a community-based care coordination logic model, programs at each site are described along with program operational statistics. Four sites used three to four community health workers (CHWs) to provide care coordination, whereas one site used five school-based asthma nurses. This school-based site had the highest caseload (82.5 per year), but program duration was 3 months with 4 calls or visits. Other sites averaged fewer cases (35 to 61 per CHW per year), but families received more (7 to 17) calls or visits over a year. Retention was 43% to 93% at 6 months and 24% to 75% at 12 months. Pre–post cross-site data document changes in asthma management behaviors and outcomes. After program participation, 93% to 100% of caregivers had confidence in controlling their child’s asthma, 85% to 92% had taken steps to reduce triggers, 69% to 100% had obtained an asthma action plan, and 46% to 100% of those with moderate to severe asthma reported appropriate use of controller medication. Emergency department visits for asthma decreased by 36% to 63%, and asthma-related hospitalizations declined by 26% to 78%. More than three fourths had fewer school absences. In conclusion, MCAN community-based care coordination programs improved management behaviors and decreased morbidity across all sites.
A probability collectives approach to weighted clustering algorithms for ad hoc networks

The Weighted Clustering Algorithm has been proposed for mobile ad hoc wireless networks to select a subset of the nodes to be local purveyors of media access control services to the rest of the nodes. The nodes selected are called clusterheads, and each clusterhead services the other nodes within its radio range. The underlying optimal assignment problem is NP-hard. We introduce a new metaheuristic known as probability collectives to the problem of assigning clusterheads. This is an agent-based approach, with each node in the network acting in a quasi-autonomous way. This new approach shows improved clustering results, particularly with regard to the distribution and balance of cluster sizes.
Asian Hydroclimate Changes and Mechanisms in the Preboreal from an Annually‐laminated Stalagmite, Daoguan Cave, Southern China

One‐year‐resolved and annually‐counted stalagmite multi‐proxies (δ18O, δ13C, and layer width) from Daoguan Cave, Guizhou Province revealed detailed variability regarding the Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM) and local humidity across Bond events (BE) in the Preboreal. During BEs 8 and 7, 1.5± enrichments in δ18O values were generally consistent with high‐ to low‐latitude climate changes. In detail, the decadal‐scale minor δ18O oscillations in BE8 were broadly less than the mean value, in contrast to the significant changes in local soil moisture derived from the δ13C values and layer records. In the mid‐BE7, δ18O variability was generally above the average level, and higher‐ amplitude variations were observed in the three proxy indicators. Wavelet analysis on the total δ18O time series and across the specific time windows of BEs 8 and 7 identified periodicities of about 130, 60, and 20‐a, respectively. Exceptionally strong in BE7, the 60‐a cycle, pervasively observed in instrumental studies, became prominent starting at 11.4 kaBP. Thus, glacial background conditions are important for suppressing the ASM intensity in BE8, while during BE7, tropical hydrological circulations were potentially actively involved. Consequently, climate internal oscillations, analogous to modern conditions, might have occurred in the distant past once the link between the tropical ocean and atmosphere was established as occurs today.
A formula for the generating functions of powers of Horadam's sequence

The second-order linear recurrence sequence (wn(a, b; p, q))n≥0, or briefly (wn)n≥0, is defined by wn+2 = pwn+1 + qwn, (1) with w0 = a, w1 = b and n ≥ 0. This sequence was introduced in 1965 by Horadam [3, 4], and it generalizes many sequences (see [1, 5]). Examples of such sequences are Fibonacci number sequences (Fn)n≥0, Lucas number sequences (Ln)n≥0, and Pell number sequences (Pn)n≥0, when one has p = q = b = 1, a = 0; p = q = b = 1, a = 2; and p = 2, q = b = 1, a = 0; respectively. In this paper we are interested in studying the generating function for powers of Horadam’s sequence, that is, Hk(x; a, b, p, q) = Hk(x) = ∑ n≥0 w k nx . In 1962, Riordan [7] found the generating function for powers of Fibonacci numbers. He proved that the generating function Fk(x) = ∑ n≥0 F k nx n satisfies the recurrence relation
Quantifying Political Leaning from Tweets and Retweets

Media outlets and pundits have been quick to embrace online social networks to disseminate their own opinions. But pundits’ opinions and news coverage are often marked by a clear political bias, as widely evidenced during the fiercely contested2012 U.S. presidential elections. Given the wide availability of such data from sites like Twitter, a natural question is whether we can quantify the political leanings of media outlets using OSN data. In this work, by drawing a correspondence between tweeting and retweeting behavior, we formulate political leaning estimation as an ill-posed linear inverse problem. The result is a simple and scalable approach that does not require explicit knowledge of the network topology. We evaluate our method with a dataset of 119 million election-related tweets collected from April to November, and use it to study the political leaning of prominent tweeters and media sources.
Comparison of 19 pre-operative risk stratification models in open-heart surgery.

AIMS To compare 19 risk score algorithms with regard to their validity to predict 30-day and 1-year mortality after cardiac surgery. METHODS AND RESULTS Risk factors for patients undergoing heart surgery between 1996 and 2001 at a single centre were prospectively collected. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to describe the performance and accuracy. Survival at 1 year and cause of death were obtained in all cases. The study included 6222 cardiac surgical procedures. Actual mortality was 2.9% at 30 days and 6.1% at 1 year. Discriminatory power for 30-day and 1-year mortality in cardiac surgery was highest for logistic (0.84 and 0.77) and additive (0.84 and 0.77) European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) algorithms, followed by Cleveland Clinic (0.82 and 0.76) and Magovern (0.82 and 0.76) scoring systems. None of the other 15 risk algorithms had a significantly better discriminatory power than these four. In coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)-only surgery, EuroSCORE followed by New York State (NYS) and Cleveland Clinic risk score showed the highest discriminatory power for 30-day and 1-year mortality. CONCLUSION EuroSCORE, Cleveland Clinic, and Magovern risk algorithms showed superior performance and accuracy in open-heart surgery, and EuroSCORE, NYS, and Cleveland Clinic in CABG-only surgery. Although the models were originally designed to predict early mortality, the 1-year mortality prediction was also reasonably accurate.
Numerical Simulation of Hydraulic Transients in Rijeka HPP

In this work a new approach considering numerical modeling of waterhammer dissipation and attenuation is proposed. Classical Allievi liquid flow model is extended with Brunone unsteady friction model with separation of local and convective unsteady friction factor. Widely adopted approach in solving this model is treatment of the unsteady friction term as a classical source term, while the authors proposed the nonconservative formulation due to the existence of the nonconservative source term. Numerical simulations of transient flow in HPP Rijeka performed are performed by using the second order flux limited scheme with the proposed formulation. The obtained numerical results for two different operating regimes are in good agreement with measured data.
Contribution of the Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule to Neuronal and Synaptic Plasticity

The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) and its polysialylated form PSA-NCAM contribute to many aspects of the development and plasticity of the central nervous system. This includes mechanisms of cell differentiation and migration, neurite outgrowth, establishment of specific patterns of synaptic connections, synaptic plasticity and long-term potentiation. How NCAM and PSA-NCAM contribute to regulate all these different mechanisms remains essentially unknown. Adhesive properties appear to be important, but recent studies also point to possible interactions between NCAM and PSA-NCAM with intracellular signalling cascades that are essential to biological functions. Some of these mechanisms are discussed and a hypothesis is proposed based on the existence of cross-talk between these molecules and signalling pathways mediated by growth factors.
The Effect of Strategic Orientation and Adaptability on Organizational Behaviors and Performance: The Case of Electronic Commerce in the Hosiery Industry

The primary purpose of this research is to bring together the existing evidence about the relationships among strategy, adaptability, behavior and performance into an integrated theoretical model and to empirically test the hypothesized relationships in a particular context. The past two decades have witnessed a proliferation of conceptual approaches describing the relationships among these variables. However, empirical evidence is noticeably sparse. Specifically, this study investigates the interrelationship among strategic orientation, adaptability, behaviors and performance within the context of the adoption of Electronic Commerce in the hosiery industry.
Annexin I Regulates SKCO-15 Cell Invasion by Signaling through Formyl Peptide Receptors*

Annexin 1 (AnxA1) is a multifunctional phospholipid-binding protein associated with the development of metastasis in some invasive epithelial malignancies. However, the role of AnxA1 in the migration/invasion of epithelial cells is not known. In this study, experiments were performed to investigate the role of AnxA1 in the invasion of a model epithelial cell line, SKCO-15, derived from colorectal adenocarcinoma. Small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of AnxA1 expression resulted in a significant reduction in invasion through Matrigel-coated filters. Localization studies revealed a translocation of AnxA1 to the cell surface upon the induction of cell migration, and functional inhibition of cell surface AnxA1 using antiserum (LCO1) significantly reduced cell invasion. Conversely, SKCO-15 cell invasion was increased by ∼2-fold in the presence of recombinant full-length AnxA1 and the AnxA1 N-terminal-derived peptide mimetic, Ac2-26. Because extracellular AnxA1 has been shown to regulate leukocyte migratory events through interactions with n-formyl peptide receptors (nFPRs), we examined the expression of FPR-1, FPRL-1, and FPRL-2 in SKCO-15 cells by reverse transcriptase-PCR and identified expression of all three receptors in this cell line. Treatment of SKCO-15 cells with AnxA1, Ac2-26, and the classical nFPR agonist, formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine, induced intracellular calcium release consistent with nFPR activation. Furthermore, the nFPR antagonist, Boc2, abrogated the AnxA1 and Ac2-26-induced intracellular calcium release and increase in SKCO-15 cell invasion. Together, these results support an autocrine/paracrine role for membrane AnxA1 in stimulating SKCO-15 cell migration through nFPR activation. The findings in this study suggest that activation of nFPRs stimulates epithelial cell motility important in the development of metastasis as well as wound healing.
Interacting regulatory networks in the facultative photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1.

Regulation of photosynthetic membrane synthesis in Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4. 1 is dependent on the interactions of numerous regulatory elements, with two of the most important being the cbb(3) terminal oxidase and the PrrBAC two-component regulatory system. Here, we reveal that the cbb(3) terminal oxidase possesses extensive, additional regulatory activities under anaerobic conditions, and that the PrrBAC system is further involved in the regulation of the expression of more than 20% of the R. sphaeroides genome under anaerobic conditions, extending well beyond functions related to redox gene expression.
Modeling the Dynamics of Learning Activity on the Web

People are increasingly relying on social media and the Web to find solutions to their problems in a wide range of domains. In this setting, closely related problems often lead to the same characteristic learning pattern --- people sharing a similar problem visit closely related pieces of information, perform almost identical queries or, more generally, take a series of similar actions at a similar pace. In this paper, we introduce a novel modeling framework for clustering continuous-time grouped streaming data, the Hierarchical Dirichlet Hawkes process (HDHP), which allows us to automatically uncover a wide variety of learning patterns from detailed traces of learning activity. Our model allows for efficient inference, scaling to millions of actions and thousands of users. Experiments on real data from Stack Overflow reveal that our framework recovers meaningful learning patterns, accurately tracks users' interests and goals over time and achieves better predictive performance than the state of the art.
How strong is strong enough? Strengthening instruments through matching and weak instrument tests

In a natural experiment, treatment assignments are made through a haphazard process that is thought to be as-if random. In one form of natural experiment, encouragement to accept treatment rather than treatments themselves are assigned in this haphazard process. This encouragement to accept treatment is often referred to as an instrument. Instruments can be characterized by different levels of strength depending on the amount of encouragement. Weak instruments that provide little encouragement may produce biased inferences, particularly when assignment of the instrument is not strictly randomized. A specialized matching algorithm can be used to strengthen instruments by selecting a subset of matched pairs where encouragement is strongest. We demonstrate how weak instrument tests can guide the matching process to ensure that the instrument has been sufficiently strengthened. Specifically, we combine a matching algorithm for strengthening instruments and weak instrument tests in the context of a study of whether turnout influences party vote share in US elections. It is thought that when turnout is higher, Democratic candidates will receive a higher vote share. Using excess rainfall as an instrument, we hope to observe an instance where unusually wet weather produces lower turnout in an as-if random fashion. Consistent with statistical theory, we find that strengthening the instrument reduces sensitivity to bias from an unobserved confounder.
AIS Electronic

The human is frequently referred to as the weakest link of security. Employees who engage in behaviors contrary to their organization’s security policy often cause undesirable outcomes. This research presents a dual-processing model explaining and predicting secure behavior in relation to password policies. The model posits that the number of password security layers (technical controls), training (educational controls), and manager attitude toward secure behavior (managerial controls) influence secure behavior directly and also indirectly through security policy satisfaction. An experiment was designed to test our model utilizing a realistic corporate environment that captures users’ security policy compliance. The results show that the combination of low technical controls and the presence of training significantly increase new employees’ compliance with the security policy. Positive managerial controls and low technical controls increase satisfaction with the security policy; however, satisfaction with the security policy was not significantly related to secure behavior for new employees.