Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genus Bison has the Biggest Sex-Related Difference in Longevity among Mammals

Longevity has become of great interest to researchers in past years. In genus Bison, only limited and statistically not relevant data concerning longevity has been presented until today. The objective of this study was to describe the longevity of American bison and lowland and lowland-Caucasian line of European bison. The median lifespan of European bison is 3.54 years (n=1206) and American bison 3.31 years (n=2912). The median lifespan of female European bison 6.01 years (n=600) exceeds more than two times the median lifespan of male 2.71 years (n=606). Similarly, the median lifespan of female American bison 6.64 years (n=1612) exceeds more than three times the median lifespan of male 2.12 years (n=1300). These differences represent the biggest sex-related differences in the longevity among mammals. The reason for the huge sex-related difference is associated with high mortality of young male calves under the age of 2 years in American bison and under the age of 4 years in European bison. This study can serve as a base for further research in longevity and its genetic background.
Cytotoxic effects of the nickel release from the stainless steel brackets: An in vitro study

Aims: The purpose of the study is to determine whether the nickel released from the stainless steel brackets have any cytotoxic effects on gingival fibroblast. Materials and Methods: Brackets are an important component of fixed orthodontics. Orthodontists are mainly concerned about the brands and various systems incorporated into the brackets. The manufactures claim bracket superiority without valid research. Since we are dealing with a biologic system factors like biocompatibility, cytotoxic potential should be taken into consideration before selecting an appliance to the patient. The cytotoxic activity of the media was investigated with MTT and comet assay. Results: The results of the study show that the amount of nickel leached is capable of bringing damage to the fibroblast. Conclusion: Our study concludes that nickel solution at minimal concentration of 1.18 μg could damage human gingival fibroblast and the nickel released from the different brands of the brackets are not uniform.
Review of the toxicology of styrene.

Styrene is used in the production of plastics and resins, which include polystyrene resins, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resins, styrene-acrylonitrile resins, styrene-butadiene copolymer resins, styrene-butadiene rubber, and unsaturated polyester resins. In 1985, styrene ranked in the top ten of synthetic organic chemicals produced in the U.S. This review focuses on various aspects of styrene toxicology including acute and chronic toxicity, carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, pharmacokinetics, effects on hepatic and extrahepatic xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, pharmacokinetic modeling, and covalent interactions with macromolecules. There appear to be many similarities between the toxicity and metabolism of styrene in rodents and humans. Needed areas of future research on styrene include studies on the molecular dosimetry of styrene in terms of both hemoglobin and DNA adducts. The results of such research should improve our ability to assess the relationship between exposure to styrene and surrogate measures of "effective dose", thereby improving our ability to estimate the effects of low-level human exposures.
The effect of acupressure on cancer-related fatigue among school-aged children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Background: Fatigue is the most common side effect of chemotherapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Acupressure is one of the most popular non-pharmacologic methods used to reduce fatigue in other settings. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of acupressure on reducing fatigue among children with ALL compared with a placebo treatment. Materials and Methods: In a single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 120 hospitalized school-aged children with ALL, 24 h after chemotherapy, they were randomly divided into experimental (n = 60) and placebo groups (n = 60). Intensity of fatigue was rated using the Visual Analog Scale. The intervention (finger acupressure) was applied on ST36 (true points) in the experimental group and on LI12 (sham points) in the placebo group. We evaluated the symptoms of fatigue intensity immediately and 1 h after intervention. Fatigue was also measured 24 h after intervention by Fatigue Scale-Child (FS-C). Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16.0 using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and Chi-square and Fisher exact tests. Results: Significant differences were observed between the two groups in the intensity of fatigue 1 h after intervention (P < 0.001). But there was no significant difference between them regarding fatigue 24 h after intervention. Conclusions: Applying one time acupressure may reduce the intensity of fatigue at 1 h post-treatment. Therefore, acupressure could be recommended as an effective, non-pharmacologic method for some CRF control. Applying one time acupressure did not have a long-term effect.
VLTI/MIDI 10 μm Interferometry of the Forming Massive Star W33A

We report on resolved interferometric observations with VLTI/MIDI of the massive young stellar object (MYSO) W33A. The MIDI observations deliver spectrally dispersed visibilities with values between 0.03 and 0.06, for a baseline of 45 m over the wavelength range 8-13 μm. The visibilities indicate that W33A has a FWHM size of approximately 120 AU (0.030″) at 8 μm that increases to 240 AU at 13 μm, scales previously unexplored among MYSOs. This observed trend is consistent with the temperature falling off with distance. One-dimensional (1D) dust radiative transfer models are simultaneously fit to the visibility spectrum, the strong silicate feature, and the shape of the mid-infrared spectral energy distribution (SED). For any power-law density distribution, we find that the sizes (as implied by the visibilities) and the stellar luminosity are incompatible. A reduction to a third of W33A’s previously adopted luminosity is required to match the visibilities; such a reduction is consistent with new high-resolution 70 μm data from Spitzer’s MIPSGAL survey. We obtain best fits for models with shallow dust density distributions of r−0.5 and r−1.0 and for increased optical depth in the silicate feature produced by decreasing the interstellar medium (ISM) ratio of graphite to silicates and using optical grain properties of Ossenkopf et al.
Fast hemicellulose quantification via a simple one‐step acid hydrolysis

As the second most common polysaccharides in nature, hemicellulose has received much attention in recent years for its importance in biomass conversion in terms of producing high yields of fermentable sugars and value‐added products, as well as its role in reducing biomass recalcitrance. Therefore, a time and labor efficient method that specifically analyzes hemicellulose content would be valuable to facilitate the screening of biomass feedstocks. In this study, a one‐step acid hydrolysis method was developed, which applied 4 wt% sulfuric acid at 121°C for 1 h to rapidly quantify XGM (xylan + galactan + mannan) contents in various types of lignocellulosic biomass and model hemicelluloses. This method gave statistically identical results in XGM contents compared to results from conventional two‐step acid hydrolysis while significantly shortening analysis time. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 1088–1096. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dueling CLOCK: Adaptive cache replacement policy based on the CLOCK algorithm

We consider the problem of on-chip L2 cache management and replacement policies. We propose a new adaptive cache replacement policy, called Dueling CLOCK (DC), that has several advantages over the Least Recently Used (LRU) cache replacement policy. LRU's strength is that it keeps track of the 'recency' information of memory accesses. However, a) LRU has a high overhead cost of moving cache blocks into the most recently used position each time a cache block is accessed; b) LRU does not exploit 'frequency' information of memory accesses; and, c) LRU is prone to cache pollution when a sequence of single-use memory accesses that are larger than the cache size is fetched from memory (i.e., it is non scan resistant). The DC policy was developed to have low overhead cost, to capture 'recency' information in memory accesses, to exploit the 'frequency' pattern of memory accesses and to be scan resistant. In this paper, we propose a hardware implementation of the CLOCK algorithm for use within an on-chip cache controller to ensure low overhead cost. We then present the DC policy, which is an adaptive replacement policy that alternates between the CLOCK algorithm and the scan resistant version of the CLOCK algorithm. We present experimental results showing the MPKI (Misses per thousand instructions) comparison of DC against existing replacement policies, such as LRU. The results for an 8-way 1MB L2 cache show that DC can lower the MPKI of SPEC CPU2000 benchmark by an average of 10.6% when compared to the tree based Pseudo-LRU cache replacement policy.
A conformal finite difference time domain technique for modeling curved dielectric surfaces

In this paper, we present a simple yet accurate conformal Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) technique, which can be used to analyze curved dielectric surfaces. Unlike the existing conformal techniques for handling dielectrics, the present approach utilizes the individual electric field component along the edges of the cell, rather than requiring the calculation of its area or volume, which is partially filled with a dielectric material. The new technique shows good agreement with the results derived by mode matching and analytical methods.
Contribution of endosomes to intrahepatic distribution of apolipoprotein B and apolipoprotein E

The endosomal contribution of apolipoprotein B and apolipoprotein E to the intrahepatic distribution of these 2 apolipoproteins was studied. The endosomal contribution of the apolipoproteins was estimated by comparing the specific radioactivities of the injected apolipoproteins with that of apolipoproteins in the liver. The endosomal contribution is further validated by using a least‐squares linear combination method that has been described previously (Wong and Pino: European Journal of Biochemistry 164: 357–367, 1987). The results using these two independent analyses were similar. There was no difference in endosomal contribution of the apolipoproteins between the fasted and fed rats. In both cases, total endosomal contribution in the microsomal fraction of apolipoprotein B was estimated at 7–10% and that for apolipoprotein E was estimated at 62–66%. The molecular weights of the two apolipoproteins in the endosomes closely resembles those of the injected apolipoproteins in the very low density lipoproteins, indicating little or no apolipoprotein loss during receptor‐mediated endocytosis. It is concluded that while there was no substantial contribution of apolipoprotein B to the intrahepatic distribution of that protein, the contribution of extrahepatic apolipoprotein E to intrahepatic apolipoprotein E distribution is substantial.
Estrogen-Induced Activation of the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Cascade in the Cerebral Cortex of Estrogen Receptor-α Knock-Out Mice

We have shown previously in the developing cerebral cortex that estrogen elicits the rapid and sustained activation of multiple signaling proteins within the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade, including B-Raf and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Using estrogen receptor (ER)-α gene-disrupted (ERKO) mice, we addressed the role of ER-α in mediating this action of estrogen in the brain. 17β-Estradiol increased B-Raf activity and MEK (MAP kinase/ERK kinase)-dependent ERK phosphorylation in cerebral cortical explants derived from both ERKO and their wild-type littermates. The ERK response was stronger in ERKO-derived cultures but, unlike that of wild-type cultures, was not blocked by the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780. Surprisingly, both the ER-α selective ligand 16α-iodo-17β-estradiol and the ER-β selective ligand genistein failed to elicit ERK phosphorylation, suggesting that a different mechanism or receptor may mediate estrogen-induced ERK phosphorylation in the cerebral cortex. Interestingly, the transcriptionally inactive stereoisomer 17α-estradiol did elicit a strong induction of ERK phosphorylation, which, together with the inability of the ER-α- and ER-β-selective ligands to elicit ERK phosphorylation, and of ICI 182,780 to block the actions of estradiol in ERKO cultures, supports the hypothesis that a novel, estradiol-sensitive and ICI-insensitive estrogen receptor may mediate 17β-estradiol-induced activation of ERK in the brain.
VARIABILITE SPATIALE ET TEMPORELLE DES PRECIPITATIONS DU NORD-OUEST DE L?ALGERIE

Resume : Les projets de developpement en agriculture et en amenagement hydraulique necessitent une etude de la variabilite des precipitations a differentes echelles temporelles. Egalement, elle est precieuse dans l? etude des changements climatiques. Pour deceler d? eventuels changements dans le regime pluviometrique, nous avons utilise un certain nombre de tests statistiques sur dix stations pluviometriques du Nord Ouest Algerien possedant de longues series de mesures. L? etude a montre une rupture dans la decennie 70 (reduction de la pluviometrie) pour la quasitotalite des postes etudies. La variabilite interannuelle des pluies augmente lorsque l? on se rapproche des regions arides. L? augmentation de la variabilite suit l? accroissement de la longitude et la diminution de la latitude. L? altitude attenue cet accroissement. Abstract : Development projects in agriculture and water field require a study of the precipitation variability at different scales. Also, it is valuable in the climate change study. To detect any changes in the rainfall regime, we used a number of statistical tests on ten rainfall stations localized in the Northwest of Algeria with lengthy series of measures. The study showed a rupture in the 70's (reduction in rainfall) for the major part of studied stations. The interannual variability of rainfall increases when one approaches to the arid regions. The increased variability follows increasing in longitude and decreasing in latitude. The elevation mitigates this increase.
Effects of Fumaric Acids on Cuprizone Induced Central Nervous System De- and Remyelination in the Mouse

Background Fumaric acid esters (FAE) are a group of compounds which are currently under investigation as an oral treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. One of the suggested modes of action is the potential of FAE to exert a neuroprotective effect. Methodology/Principal Findings We have investigated the impact of monomethylfumarate (MMF) and dimethylfumaric acid (DMF) on de- and remyelination using the toxic cuprizone model where the blood-brain-barrier remains intact and only scattered T-cells and peripheral macrophages are found in the central nervous system (CNS), thus excluding the influence of immunomodulatory effects on peripheral immune cells. FAE showed marginally accelerated remyelination in the corpus callosum compared to controls. However, we found no differences for demyelination and glial reactions in vivo and no cytoprotective effect on oligodendroglial cells in vitro. In contrast, DMF had a significant inhibitory effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced nitric oxide burst in microglia and induced apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Conclusions These results contribute to the understanding of the mechanism of action of fumaric acids. Our data suggest that fumarates have no or only little direct protective effects on oligodendrocytes in this toxic model and may act rather indirectly via the modulation of immune cells.
RECOGNITION GROUPS : A NEW METHOD FOR DESCRIPTION AND PREDICTION OF TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR BINDING SITES

To try to increase the accuracy of transcription factor binding site prediction we propose a new approach of binding site description by means of recognition groups that are high-homology sets of short oligonucleotides. We perform an analysis of actual binding sites to identify and remove the non-significant flanking positions. To compare the accuracy of various recognition procedures we have developed the penalty function technique.
Homogeneous stabilization of driftless input-affine systems using Wiener processes

This paper presents a method for the homogeneous stabilization of homogeneous driftless input-affine systems using feedback controllers with Wiener processes. Although previous studies have shown methods for the stabilization of nonholonomic systems by using Wiener processes, the closed-loop systems sometimes show slow convergence. To improve the convergence rate, we show a method that gives a homogeneous controller by redesigning the controllers designed by the previous methods. By the virtue of the homogeneity, the closed-loop systems exhibit almost sure exponential stability with respect to homogeneous norms. A numerical example shows the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Hardware architectures for successive cancellation decoding of polar codes

The recently-discovered polar codes are widely seen as a major breakthrough in coding theory. These codes achieve the capacity of many important channels under successive cancellation decoding. Motivated by the rapid progress in the theory of polar codes, we propose a family of architectures for efficient hardware implementation of successive cancellation decoders. We show that such decoders can be implemented with O(n) processing elements and O(n) memory elements, while providing constant throughput. We also propose a technique for overlapping the decoding of several consecutive codewords, thereby achieving a significant speed-up factor. We furthermore show that successive cancellation decoding can be implemented in the logarithmic domain, thereby eliminating the multiplication and division operations and greatly reducing the complexity of each processing element.
Position Paper: Towards a Moving Target Defense Approach for Attribute-based Access Control

In recent years, attribute-based access control has been recognized as a convenient way to specify access mediation policies that leverage attributes originating from different security domains, e.g., independently-run organizations or supporting platforms. However, this new paradigm, while allowing for enhanced flexibility and convenience, may also open the door to new kinds of attacks based on forging or impersonating attributes, thus potentially allowing for attackers to gain unintended access to protected resources. In order to alleviate this problem, we present an ongoing effort based on moving target defense, an emerging technique for proactively providing security measurements. In our approach, we aim to analyze attribute-based data obtained at runtime in order to dynamically change policy configurations over time. We present our approach by leveraging a case study based in electronic health records, another trending methodology widely used in practice for mediating access to sensitive healthcare information in mission-critical applications.
Neuronal Activity in Monkey Superior Colliculus Related to the Initiation of Saccadic Eye Movements

The introduction of a temporal gap between the disappearance of an initially fixated target and the appearance of an eccentric saccadic target results in a general reduction of saccadic reaction times (SRTs)—the gap effect—and often in the production of express saccades, the latencies of which approach the conduction time of the shortest neural pathways from the retina to the eye muscles. We investigated saccade initiation by recording neuronal activity in the superior colliculus in monkeys performing the gap paradigm. Fixation-related neurons reduced their discharge rate during the gap period, regardless of the SRT. This reduction in activity is consistent with the hypothesized release of ocular fixation that facilitates premotor processes and may contribute to the gap effect. In addition to saccade-related discharges, many saccade-related neurons displayed phasic target-related responses and/or low-frequency preparatory activity during the gap period. The level of this preparatory activity correlated with both SRT and express saccade occurrence when the saccade was made into the response field of the neuron. Evidence indicates that advanced motor preparation is required for express saccade generation, which may be subserved by specific increases in the preparatory activity of saccade-related neurons. Increased preparatory activity may allow the target-related responses to trigger short-latency express saccades directly. This study provides insights into the functional mechanism of saccade initiation and may be relevant to the generation of all voluntary motor responses.
2.5D cartoon models

We present a way to bring cartoon objects and characters into the third dimension, by giving them the ability to rotate and be viewed from any angle. We show how 2D vector art drawings of a cartoon from different views can be used to generate a novel structure, the 2.5D cartoon model, which can be used to simulate 3D rotations and generate plausible renderings of the cartoon from any view. 2.5D cartoon models are easier to create than a full 3D model, and retain the 2D nature of hand-drawn vector art, supporting a wide range of stylizations that need not correspond to any real 3D shape.
Design and Exploration of Mid-Air Authentication Gestures

Authentication based on touchless mid-air gestures would benefit a multitude of ubiquitous computing applications, especially those that are used in clean environments (e.g., medical environments or clean rooms). In order to explore the potential of mid-air gestures for novel authentication approaches, we performed a series of studies and design experiments. First, we collected data from more then 200 users during a 3-day science event organized within a shopping mall. These data were used to investigate capabilities of the Leap Motion sensor, observe interaction in the wild, and to formulate an initial design problem. The design problem, as well as the design of mid-air gestures for authentication purposes, were iterated in subsequent design activities. In a final study with 13 participants, we evaluated two mid-air gestures for authentication purposes in different situations, including different body positions. Our results highlight a need for different mid-air gestures for differing situations and carefully chosen constraints for mid-air gestures. We conclude by proposing an exemplary system, which aims to provide tool-support for designers and engineers, allowing them to explore authentication gestures in the original context of use and thus support them with the design of contextual mid-air authentication gestures.