Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of an interleukin 4 (IL-4) responsive region in the immunoglobulin heavy chain germline epsilon promoter: regulation by NF- IL-4, a C/EBP family member and NF-kappa B/p50

A large body of data indicate that antibody class switching is directed by cytokines by inducing or repressing transcription from unrearranged, or germline, CH genes. Interleukin 4 (IL-4) induces transcription of the germline C epsilon genes in activated B cells and subsequently, cells in this population will undergo switch recombination to immunoglobulin E. Furthermore, the data suggest that transcription of germline C epsilon genes is required for class switching. In this paper we define DNA elements required for induction of transcription of the germline C epsilon genes by IL-4. To do this, segments of DNA from the 5' flank of the initiation sites for germline epsilon RNA were ligated to a luciferase reporter gene and transfected into two mouse B cell lines, one of which can be induced to switch to IgE. By analysis of a series of 5' deletion constructs and linker-scanning mutations, we demonstrate that a 46-bp segment (residing at -126/-79 relative to the first RNA initiation site) contains an IL-4 responsive region. By electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we find that this segment binds three transcription factors: the recently described NF-IL4, one or more members of the C/EBP family of transcription factors, and NF-kappa B/p50. Mutation of any of the binding sites for these three factors abolishes or reduces IL-4 inducibility of the epsilon promoter. A 27-bp segment within this IL-4 response region containing binding sites for NF-IL4 and a C/EBP factor is sufficient to transfer IL-4 inducibility to a minimal c-fos promoter.
Optical Absorption of Graphene Nanoribbon in Transverse and Modulated Longitudinal Electric Field

In this paper, the electronic and optical properties of graphene nanoribbons at both external transverse and modulated longitudinal electric field have been investigated. The single π-band tight-binding method, with the nearest neighbor interactions, is used to describe the electronic properties of the graphene nanoribbons. The optical properties of graphene nanoribbons are investigated by Fermi Golden rule within Gradient approximation. Our calculation has shown that applying the electric field would modify the energy dispersions, remove the state degeneracy, alter the sub band spacing, change the energy band gap, cause semiconductor–metal transition and change feature of optical absorption spectra. It is shown that the strength and the period of the electric field have important role on determining the properties of the adsorption peaks in the adsorption spectra of GNRs, namely, changing the frequency and the height of the first peak, altering the other peak position and height and even producing new peaks. The theoretically obtained results were in agreement by other reports on wider graphene ribbons.
O2 Modulates Large-Conductance Ca2+-Dependent K+ Channels of Rat Chemoreceptor Cells by a Membrane-Restricted and CO-Sensitive Mechanism

Hypoxic inhibition of large-conductance Ca2+-dependent K+ channels (maxiK) of rat carotid body type I cells is a well-established fact. However, the molecular mechanisms of such inhibition and the role of these channels in the process of hypoxic transduction remain unclear. We have examined the mechanisms of interaction of O2 with maxiK channels exploring the effect of hypoxia on maxiK currents recorded with the whole-cell and the inside-out configuration of the patch-clamp technique. Hypoxia inhibits channel activity both in whole-cell and in excised membrane patches. This effect is strongly voltage- and Ca2+-dependent, being maximal at low [Ca2+] and low membrane potential. The analysis of single-channel kinetics reveals a gating scheme comprising three open and five closed states. Hypoxia inhibits channel activity increasing the time the channel spends in the longest closed states, an effect that could be explained by a decrease in the Ca2+ sensitivity of those closed states. Reducing maxiK channels with dithiothreitol (DTT) increases channel open probability, whereas oxidizing the channels with 2,2′-dithiopyridine (DTDP) has the opposite effect. These results suggest that hypoxic inhibition is not related with a reduction of channel thiol groups. However, CO, a competitive inhibitor of O2 binding to hemoproteins, fully reverts hypoxic inhibition, both at the whole-cell and the single-channel level. We conclude that O2 interaction with maxiK channels does not require cytoplasmic mediators. Such interaction could be mediated by a membrane hemoprotein that, as an O2 sensor, would modulate channel activity.
EM programmer's notebook

This article covers two contributions. One contribution is by Dr. Peter Petropoulos, who gives recommendations for the sampling density in finite-difference time-domain simulations. His observations point out that higher-order elements may be essential for large-scale implementations. He also provides a rigorous proof. The second contribution is by Dr. J. Appel-Hansen, who presents a non-trivial problem, but one amenable to a trivial solution. The problem involves two arbitrary but identical, properly placed sources, illuminating a flat plate of an arbitrary shape. Consequently, it can be used to possibly validate scattering and antenna codes. <<ETX>>
QCM as Cell-Based Biosensor

Piezoelectricity is defined as electric polarization produced by mechanical strain in certain crystals, the polarization being proportional to the strain (Cady, 1946). The Curies first observed piezoelectricity in 1880 as a potential difference generated across two surfaces of a quartz crystal under strain. The converse piezoelectric effect, the deformation of a piezoelectric material by an applied electric field, was predicted by Lippmann (Lippmann, 1881). In 1959 Sauerbrey provided a description and experimental proof of the massfrequency relation for foreign layers deposited on thickness-shear mode crystals that are still widely used today for determination of mass-sensing format is commonly referred to as the QCM. The mass increases when a film is deposited onto the crystal surface and monolayer sensitivity is easily reached (Lu & Lewis, 1972). However, when the film thickness increases, viscoelastic effects come into play. In the late 80’s, it was recognized that the QCM can also be operated in liquids (Konash & Bastiaans, 1980), if proper measures are taken to overcome the consequences of the large damping and viscoelastic effects contribute strongly to the resonance properties (Bruckenstein & Shay, 1985; Ward & Buttery, 1990). Today, microweighing is one of several uses of the QCM (Johannsmann, 2008). Measurements of viscosity and more general, viscoelastic properties, are of much importance as well. The “non-gravimetric” QCM is by no means an alternative to the conventional QCM. Many researchers, who use quartz resonators for purposes other than gravimetry, have continued to call the quartz crystal resonator “QCM”. Actually, the term "balance" makes sense even for non-gravimetric applications if it is understood in the sense of a force balance. At resonance, the force exerted upon the crystal by the sample is balanced by a force originating from the shear gradient inside the crystal. This is the essence of the small-load approximation.
outputs Salience and pointing in multimodal reference Conference Item

Pointing combined with verbal referring is one of the most paradigmatic human multimodal behaviours. The aim of this paper is foundational: to uncover the central notions that are required for a computational model of human-generated multimodal referring acts. The paper draws on existing work on the generation of referring expressions and shows that in order to extend that work with pointing, the notion of salience needs to play a pivotal role. The paper investigates the role of salience in the generation of referring expressions and introduces a distinction between two opposing approaches: salience-first and salience-last accounts. The paper then argues that these differ not only in computational efficiency, as has been pointed out previously, but also lead to incompatible empirical predictions. The second half of the paper shows how a saliencefirst account nicely meshes with a range of existing empirical findings on multimodal reference. A novel account of the circumstances under which speakers choose to point is proposed that directly links salience with pointing. Finally, a multidimensional model of salience is proposed to flesh this model out.
Indexing by Latent Dirichlet Allocation and an Ensemble Model

The contribution of this article is twofold. First, we present Indexing by latent Dirichlet allocation (LDI), an automatic document indexing method. Many ad hoc applications, or their variants with smoothing techniques suggested in LDA‐based language modeling, can result in unsatisfactory performance as the document representations do not accurately reflect concept space. To improve document retrieval performance, we introduce a new definition of document probability vectors in the context of LDA and present a novel scheme for automatic document indexing based on LDA. Second, we propose an Ensemble Model (EnM) for document retrieval. EnM combines basic indexing models by assigning different weights and attempts to uncover the optimal weights to maximize the mean average precision. To solve the optimization problem, we propose an algorithm, which is derived based on the boosting method. The results of our computational experiments on benchmark data sets indicate that both the proposed approaches are viable options for document retrieval.
An Implementation of Higher-Order FunctorsPierre Cr

Recently the module language of SML of New Jersey has been augmented with higher-order functors. Their semantics is described in Tof94, MT94]. This paper sketches how higher-order functors can be implemented with eecient static representations. The key idea of the SML/NJ implementation is the sharing of signature environments , and this idea has been carried over to the higher-order case.
Kinetics of the phase selective localization of silica in rubber blends

The Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy on the rubber-filler gel has been used as a tool for the quantitative characterization of the phase selective silica localization in styrene butadiene rubber (SBR)/ natural rubber (NR) blends. The so-called rubber-layer L was introduced to describe the selective wetting behavior of the rubber phases to the filler. SBR/NR blends filled with silica were the focus of the experimental investigation. NR shows a higher wetting rate than SBR. Silane addition does not affect the wetting of NR but slowdowns the wetting of SBR. With increasing chamber temperature the value of the rubber-layer L of all mixtures increases owing to the different thermal activated rubber-filler bonding processes. Using the wetting concept the kinetics of silica localization in the phases of heterogeneous rubber blends was characterized. Because of the higher wetting rate of the NR component, in the first stage of mixing of NR/SBR blends more silica is found in the NR phase than in the SBR phase. In the next stage, silica is transferred from the NR phase to the SBR phase until the loosely bonded components of NR rubber-layer are fully replaced by SBR molecules. POLYM. COMPOS. , 00:000– 000, 2010. a 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers
Xen Live Migration with Slowdown Scheduling Algorithm

With the increasing number of technology areas using Virtual Machine (VM) platforms, challenges exist in Virtual Machine migrating from one physical host to another. However, the complexity of these virtualized environments presents additional management challenges. Unfortunately, many traditional approaches may be either not effective well for reducing downtime or migration time, or not suitable well for Xen VMs platforms. This paper presents the design and implementation of a novel Slowdown Scheduling Algorithm (SSA) for Xen live VM migration. In our SSA methodology, the CPU resources which have been assigned to migration domain are decrease properly. That is, the dirtying page rate is reduced according to the decrease of CPU activity. Experimental results illustrate that our SSA approach can shorten both the total migration time and downtime obviously under high dirty page rate environment.
Randomized Controlled Trial of Exercise for ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders.

PURPOSE The objective of this study is to test the feasibility and impact of a 10-wk after-school exercise program for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and/or disruptive behavior disorders living in an urban poor community. METHODS Children were randomized to an exercise program (n = 19) or a comparable but sedentary attention control program (n = 16). Cognitive and behavioral outcomes were collected pre-/posttest. Intent-to-treat mixed models tested group-time and group-time-attendance interactions. Effect sizes were calculated within and between groups. RESULTS Feasibility was evidenced by 86% retention, 60% attendance, and average 75% maximum HR. Group-time results were null on the primary outcome, parent-reported executive function. Among secondary outcomes, between-group effect sizes favored exercise on hyperactive symptoms (d = 0.47) and verbal working memory (d = 0.26), and controls on visuospatial working memory (d = -0.21) and oppositional defiant symptoms (d = -0.37). In each group, within-group effect sizes were moderate to large on most outcomes (d = 0.67 to 1.60). A group-time-attendance interaction emerged on visuospatial working memory (F[1,33] = 7.42, P < 0.05), such that attendance to the control program was related to greater improvements (r = 0.72, P < 0.01), whereas attendance to the exercise program was not (r = 0.25, P = 0.34). CONCLUSIONS Although between-group findings on the primary outcome, parent-reported executive function, were null, between-group effect sizes on hyperactivity and visuospatial working memory may reflect adaptations to the specific challenges presented by distinct formats. Both groups demonstrated substantial within-group improvements on clinically relevant outcomes. Findings underscore the importance of programmatic features, such as routines, engaging activities, behavior management strategies, and adult attention, and highlight the potential for after-school programs to benefit children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and disruptive behavior disorder living in urban poverty where health needs are high and services resources few.
Influence of Microencapsulation on Combustion Behavior and Thermal Degradation of Intumescent Flame-Retarded Epoxy Composite

Microencapsulated ammonium polyphosphate (MEAPP) with a shell of epoxy resin (EP) is prepared by in situ polymerization, and characterized by FTIR and SEM. The results of FTIR and SEM show that APP is microencapsulated by a layer of EP. After microencapsulation, a great improvement in water resistance is observed from the experiment of water resistance. And then, MEAPP is incorporated into EP to obtain flame retarded EP (FREP). The flammability of FREP is studied by UL 94 and Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI) Tests, and their thermal stability is evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). At the loading of 6 wt. %, EP/MEAPP and EP/APP composites both meet the request of UL 94 V-0 rating, though the LOI value of EP/MEAPP is a little lower than that of EP/APP. However, after water treatment (75°C, 6 days), EP/MEAPP (6 wt.%) maintains the V-0 level in UL 94 test, while EP/APP does not pass any rating at the same loading. The thermal degradation behaviors of MEAPP in EP composite are also investigated by thermogravimetry-Fourier transform infrared spectra (TG-FTIR).
Optimizing Feature Representation for Automated Systematic Review Work Prioritization

Automated document classification can be a valuable tool for enhancing the efficiency of creating and updating systematic reviews (SRs) for evidence-based medicine. One way document classification can help is in performing work prioritization: given a set of documents, order them such that the most likely useful documents appear first. We evaluated several alternate classification feature systems including unigram, n-gram, MeSH, and natural language processing (NLP) feature sets for their usefulness on 15 SR tasks, using the area under the receiver operating curve as a measure of goodness. We also examined the impact of topic-specific training data compared to general SR inclusion data. The best feature set used a combination of n-gram and MeSH features. NLP-based features were not found to improve performance. Furthermore, topic-specific training data usually provides a significant performance gain over more general SR training.
A preliminary fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography study in healthy adults reporting dream-enactment behavior.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that healthy adults reporting dream-enactment behavior (DEB+) have reduced cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (CMRgl) in regions preferentially affected in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). DESIGN Automated brain-mapping algorithms were used to compare regional fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) measurements from previously evaluated DEB cases and controls. SETTING Tertiary-care academic medical centers. PARTICIPANTS Seventeen cognitively normal patients with DEB+ and 17 control subjects (DEB-) who were individually matched for age (59 +/- 11 years), education level (16 +/- 4 years), sex (67% women), body mass index (26 +/- 4.8 kg/m2), first-degree relative with dementia (85%), and proportion of apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 carriers (13 e4 carriers, 4 noncarriers). INTERVENTIONS FDG-PET. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS DEB was associated with significantly lower CMRgl in several brain regions known to be preferentially affected in both DLB and Alzheimer disease (parietal, temporal, and posterior cingulate cortexes) and in several other regions, including the anterior cingulate cortex (p < .001, uncorrected for multiple comparisons). The DEB-associated CMRgl reductions were significantly greater in the APOE e4 noncarriers than in the carriers. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary findings suggest that cognitively normal persons with DEB have reduced CMRgl in brain regions known to be metabolically affected by DLB, supporting further study of DEB as a possible risk factor for the development of DLB.
ASKNet : automatically creating semantic knowledge networks from natural language text

To Sophie: You are the love of my life and have made me happier than I ever thought possible. You mean everything to me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me? Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Stephen Clark for his continued support throughout my time at Oxford. It was his assistance and guidance that made this thesis possible. I would also like to thank my family, especially my parents who have always provided me with moral (not to mention financial) support. Finally, I would like to thank Sophie for her role in motivating me. It is my desire to start a life with her that has pushed me through the final stages of writing this thesis and prevented me from becoming a perpetual student.
High risk of tobacco-related cancers in CDKN2A mutation-positive melanoma families

Background Germline mutations in the tumour suppressor gene CDKN2A occur in 5–20% of familial melanoma cases. A single founder mutation, p.Arg112dup, accounts for the majority of CDKN2A mutations in Swedish carriers. In a national program, carriers of p.Arg112dup mutation have been identified. The aim of this study was to assess cancer risks in p.Arg112dup carriers and their first degree relatives (FDRs) and second degree relatives (SDRs). Methods In this prospective cohort study, cancer diagnoses in carriers (n=120), non-carriers (n=111), carriers’ FDRs (n=275) and SDRs (n=321) and controls (n=3976) were obtained from the Swedish Cancer Registry. Relative risks (RRs) for cancers were calculated (number of cancers/person years). Two-sided 95% CIs were calculated for all RRs. Results In carriers prospective RR for non-melanoma cancers was 5.0 (95% CI 3.7 to 7.3), for pancreatic cancer 43.8 (95% CI 13.8 to 139.0), for cancers in upper digestive tissues 17.1 (95% CI 6.3 to 46.5), and in respiratory tissues 15.6 (5.4 to 46.0). In FDRs and SDRs RRs were significantly elevated for cancers in pancreas, respiratory and upper digestive tissues. In ever-smoking carriers compared with never-smoking carriers, the odds ratio (OR) of cancers in pancreas, respiratory or upper digestive tissues was 9.3 (95% CI 1.9 to 44.7). Conclusions CDKN2A p.Arg112dup mutation carriers from melanoma-prone families and their FDRs and SDRs have elevated risk for pancreatic, lung, head and neck and gastro-oesophageal carcinomas. These cancers were mainly seen in ever-smoking carriers. Germline CDKN2A mutations may confer an increased sensitivity to carcinogens in tobacco smoke. CDKN2A mutation carriers should be counselled to abstain from smoking.
Effects of Oxygen Plasma Treatment on the Wettability of Polypropylene Fabrics

The objective of this study is to give PP(polypropylene) fabric a good affinity for water. Oxygen plasma was treated to PP fabrics in a commercial glow discharge reactor with different RF power, discharge pressure, and reaction time. The PP fiber surfaces were characterized by the measurement of contact angle and ESCA. A JEOL scanning elec- tron microscope was used to observe the surface morphology of fibers. The spontaneous water uptake amount of PP fab- rics was determined by the demand wettability test. To determine the effect of aging on the surface properties of O2 plasma treated PP, all the above measurements of the samples were carried out after 1, 7, 30, 60, and 150 days. The results are as follows. The PP fiber surfaces treated by O2 plasma treatment have a chemical composition that consisted of various oxygen containing polar groups. Consequently, the contact angles of the treated PP fibers decreased, which improved the water uptake rate of PP fabrics. Surface roughness of the treated PP affected the fabric wettabiity as well. Wettability of the treated PP decreased and leveled off with aging. The O2 plasma treatment is a simple and effective method to increase the water uptake rate of PP fabrics.
STREAM COMBINATION BEFORE AND/OR AFTER THE ACOUSTIC MODEL

Combining a number of diverse feature streams has proven to be a very flexible and beneficial technique in speech recognition. In the context of hybrid connectionist-HMM recognition, feature streams can be combined at several points. In this work, we compare two forms of combination: at the input to the acoustic model, by concatenating the feature streams into a single vector (feature combination or FC), and at the output of the acoustic model, by averaging the logs of the estimated posterior probabilities of each subword unit (posterior combination or PC). Based on four feature streams with varying degrees of mutual dependence, we find that the best combination strategy is a combination of feature and posterior combination, with streams that are more independent, as measured by an approximation to conditional mutual information, showing more benefit from posterior combination.