Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac Purkinje fibers. Effects of caffeine on the intracellular [Ca2+] transient, membrane currents, and contraction

The effects of caffeine on tension, membrane potential, membrane currents, and intracellular [Ca2+], measured as the light emitted by the Ca2+-activated photoprotein aequorin, were studied in canine cardiac Purkinje fibers. An initial, transient, positive inotropic effect of caffeine was accompanied by a transient increase in the second component of the aequorin signal (L2) but not the first (L1). In the steady state, 4 or 10 mM caffeine always decreased twitch tension and greatly reduced both L1 and L2. At a concentration of 2 mM, caffeine usually reduced but occasionally increased the steady state twitch tension. However, 2 mM caffeine always reduced both L1 and L2. Caffeine eliminated the diastolic oscillations of intracellular [Ca2+] induced by high extracellular [Ca2+]. In voltage-clamp experiments, 10 mM caffeine reduced the transient outward current and the peak tension elicited by step depolarization from a holding potential of -45 mV. In the presence of 20 mM Cs+, 10 mM caffeine reduced slow inward current. However, the time course of this reduction was far slower than that in tension and light observed in separate experiments. The simplest explanation of the results is that caffeine inhibits the sequestration of Ca2+ by the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The results also suggest that in Purkinje fibers caffeine increases the sensitivity of the myofilaments to Ca2+.
Charge Movement Associated with the Opening and Closing of the Activation Gates of the Na Channels

The sodium current (I Na) that develops after step depolarization of a voltage clamped squid axon is preceded by a transient outward current that is closely associated with the opening of the activation gates of the Na pores. This "gating current" is best seen when permeant ions (Na and K) are replaced by relatively impermeant ones, and when the linear portion of capacitative current is eliminated by adding current from positive steps to that from exactly equal negative ones. During opening of the Na pores gating current is outward, and as the pores close there is an inward tail of current that decays with approximately the same time-course as I Na recorded in Na-containing medium. Both outward and inward gating current are unaffected by tetrodotoxin (TTX). Gating current is capacitative in origin, the result of relatively slow reorientation of charged or dipolar molecules in a suddenly altered membrane field. Close association with the Na activation process is clear from the time-course of gating current, and from the fact that three procedures that reversibly block I Na also block gating current: internal perfusion with Zn2+, prolonged depolarization of the membrane, and inactivation of I Na with a short positive prepulse.
Model-Based Security Engineering of Distributed Information Systems Using UMLsec

Given the explosive growth of digitally stored information in modern enterprises, distributed information systems together with search engines are increasingly used in companies. By enabling the user to search all relevant information sources with one single query, however, crucial risks concerning information security arise. In order to make these applications secure, it is not sufficient to penetrate- and-patch past system development, but security analysis has to be an integral part of the system design process for such distributed information systems. This work presents the experiences and results of the security analysis of a search engine in the intranet of a German car manufacturer, by making use of an approach to model-based security engineering that is based on the UML extension UMLsec. The focus lies on the application's single-sign-on-mechanism, which was analyzed using the UMLsec method and tools. Main results of the paper include afield report on the employment of the UMLsec method in an industrial context as well as indications on its benefits and limitations.
Fragmented QRS Can Optimize the Exercise Stress Test Results

To the Editor, We thank Pourafkari et al. for their critics and interest in our work. They assert a number of concerns related to the methods and the results of our study. We would clarify some of the issues raised. The exercise stress test (EST) has been the cornerstone of diagnostic testing of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) for a long time. Sensitive/specificity and positive/negative predictive values of EST have been reported in varying proportions in several large studies and meta-analyses. The sensitivity and specificity of EST can range from 45–50% to 85–90%, respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) of EST for diagnosing CAD generally depends on pretest probability of CAD and the prevalence of CAD in the population tested. A large study of 5103 patients reported PPV of 21%, 62%, and 92% in low, intermediate, and high pretest probability groups, respectively. Hence, current guidelines recommend EST for patients with an intermediate pretest probability of CAD. In our work, patients with an intermediate pretest probability for CAD were applied EST. Patients who revealed a positive EST were referred to a diagnostic coronary angiography (CA) according to recommendations in current stable CAD guidelines. Of those with low risk on noninvasive test (EST) were not referred to CA. Significant CAD was demonstrated in 53.7% of patients in our study, which could have been assumed relatively lower compared with previous reports. This result would be caused by ethnic differences, diet, or other lifestyle characteristics and the prevalence of CAD in the population. In our study, enhancing accuracy of EST was aimed in patients with a pretest intermediate likelihood of CAD, and we found that the presence of fragmented QRS (fQRS) increased the PPV of positive EST from 53.7% to 85.1%. FQRS represents myocardial scarring, ischemia, or conduction delay from inhomogeneous activation of the ventricles on surface electrocardiogram (ECG). It is a predictor of mortality and cardiac events in patients with CAD. FQRS also signifies poor prognosis in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, and brugada syndrome. This ECG marker also predicts arrhythmic events and mortality in patients with structural heart diseases. Therefore, fQRS is probably associated with not only myocardial scar but also myocardial ischemia and depolarization abnormality. As mentioned by Pourafkari et al., age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, and smoking are well-known risk factors for CAD. In particular, diabetes and hypertension have been linked to fQRS. Hence, to display the adjustment effect of fQRS on CAD, multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out with all factors influencing CAD in our study. Small sample of the study population could have contributed to these results. Pourafkari et al. mentioned that fQRS has been reported in 19.7% of 10,904 subjects. However, this prevalence is reflecting subjects with and without CAD based on ECG and clinical findings. Pourafkari et al. also noticed that high
Quadratic Markovian Probability Fields for Image Binary Segmentation

We present a Markov random field model for image binary segmentation that computes the probability that each pixel belongs to a given class. We show that the computation of a real valued field has noticeable computational and performance advantages with respect to the computation of binary valued field; the proposed energy function is efficiently minimized with standard fast linear order algorithms as conjugate gradient or multigrid Gauss-Seidel schemes. By providing a good initial guesses as starting point we avoid to construct from scratch a new solution, accelerating the computational process, and allow us to naturally implement efficient multigrid algorithms. For applications with limited computational time, a good partial solution can be obtained by stopping the iterations even if the global optimum is not yet reached. We present a meticulous comparison with state of the art methods: graph cut, random walker and GMMF The algorithms' performance are compared using a cross-validation procedure and an automatics algorithm for learning the parameter set.
A PRESS FOR RECOVERY OF FLUIDS FROM PLANT TISSUES.

The dimensions given are suitable for a press to contain about 25 grams of tissue. For larger samples, the diameters of the piston, cylinder, disc sieve plate and base, and thickness of cylinder wall may be increased proportionately. The height of the press should be limited in order to minimize possible internal resistances to compression of the tissues themselves (1). Increase in height may also be limited by the stroke length of the manual screw or working stroke of the hydraulic jack employed for applying pressure. It is recommended that stainless steel block and tubing be used for all I Clerical assistance in the preparation of this publication was furnished by the personnel of Work Projects Administration Official Project No. 65-1-08-91-B-10. 419
Development of Full Speed Range ACC with SiVIC, a virtual platform for ADAS Prototyping, Test and Evaluation

LIVIC-IFSTTAR develops driving assistance services in order to improve the driving safety. These systems are tested on several real prototypes equipped with sensors and perception, decision and control modules. But tests on real prototypes are not always available, effectively some hardware architectures could be too expensive to implement, scenario may lead to hazardous situations. Moreover, lots of reasons could lead to the inability to obtain both sensors and ground truth data for ADAS evaluation. However, safety applications must be tested in order to guaranty their reliability. For this task, simulation appears as a good alternative to the real prototyping and testing stages. In this context, the simulation must provide the same opportunities as reality, by providing all the necessary data to develop and to prototype different types of ADAS based on local or extended environment perception. The sensor data provided by simulation must be as noised and imperfect as those obtained with real sensors. To address this issue, the SiVIC platform has been developed; it provides a virtual road environment including realistic dynamic models of mobile entities (vehicles), realistic sensors, and sensors for ground truth. To test real embedded applications, an interconnection has been developed between SiVIC and third party applications (ie. RTMaps). In this way, the prototyped application can be directly embedded in real prototypes in order to test it in real conditions. A Full Speed Range ACC application is presented in this paper to illustrate the capabilities and the functionalities of this virtual platform.
Efficient logic variables for distributed computing

We define a practical algorithm for distrubuted rational tree unification and prove its correctness in both the off-line and on-line cases. We derive the distributed algorithm from a centralized one, showing clearly the trade-offs between local and distributed execution. The algorithm is used to realize logic variables in the Mozart Programming System, which implements the Oz language (see http://www/mozart-oz.org). Oz appears to the programmer as a concurrent object-oriented language with dataflow synchronization. Logic variables implement the dataflow behavior. We show that lohgic variables can easily be added to the more restricted models of Java and ML, thus providing an alternative way to do concurent programming in these languages. We present common distributed programming idioms in a network-transparent way using logic variables. We show that in common cases the algorithm maintains the same message latency as explicit message passing. In addition, it is able to handle uncommon cases that arise from the properties of latency tolerance and third-party independence. This is evidence that using logic variables in distributed computing is beneficial at both the system and language levels. At the system level, they improve latency tolerance and third-party independence. At the language level, they help make network-transparent distribution practical.
nfsp: a distributed NFS server for clusters of workstations

A consequence of the increasing popularity of Beowulf clusters has been their increasing size (in number of nodes). Yet, the hard drives available on these nodes are only used for the system and temporary files, thus wasting a lot of space (several TiB on large clusters! ). The systems that might help recycling this otherwise-unused space are few and far between. This paper presents a NFS server that aims at using the unused disk space spread over the cluster nodes and at offering performance and scalability improvements (compared to the plain NFS servers). The architecture of our solution uses a metaserver and I/O daemons. The client only sees plain NFS, thanks to NFS over UDP spoofing techniques. A first implementation and early performances are shown for this approach.
Rate control scheme for congestion control in wireless body area networks

Congestion control is one of the most important factors when a Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) is designed, due to its direct impact in the Quality of Service (QoS) and the energy efficiency of the network. The congestion in a WBAN can produce packet loss and high energy consumption. The IEEE 802.15. 6 Standard supports QoS, but it does not suggest any explicit congestion control scheme. This paper proposes a new rate control scheme for mitigating congestion in WBANs based on an energy-efficient and emergency-aware MAC (Medium Access Control) protocol and the IEEE 802.15. 6 Standard. The scheme is context-aware and responses to emergency events in any node controlling the normal traffic rate. The proposed solution improves the performance of both the MAC protocol and the IEEE 802.15. 6 Standard.
Description, simulation and implementation of communication protocols using PDIL

This paper presents the basis of PDIL, a language designed for specifying protocols and services and allowing automatic implementation. The main objectives of the language are unambiguous description, simulation and automatic implementation. The first part presents the objects that PDIL allows to manipulate : machines, channels, contexts, automata, interactions. The second part gives an overview of a PDIL description unit in its language aspect. This paper also introduces general ideas about the description of simulation and automatic implementation of protocols or services. This work is largely based on the present result of subgroups A and B of ISO/SC16/WG1/FDT with significant extensions.
Government Spending Multipliers in Good Times and in Bad: Evidence from US Historical Data

We investigate whether US government spending multipliers are higher during periods of economic slack or when interest rates are near the zero lower bound. Using new quarterly historical US data covering multiple large wars and deep recessions, we estimate multipliers that are below unity irrespective of the amount of slack in the economy. These results are robust to two leading identification schemes, two different estimation methodologies, and many alternative specifications. In contrast, the results are more mixed for the zero lower bound state, with a few specifications implying multipliers as high as 1.5.
Using email for social and domestic purposes : effectiveness in fulfillment of interpersonal communication motives

While computer mediated communication (CMC) has been used in work and learning environments for many years, its widespread uptake in the domestic setting for social interaction is much more recent. By the time of this study (1999-2002) email had become an important medium for social communication for a significant proportion of the population. Email use in the UK can now, within certain groups of people, be regarded as approaching what Markus (1990) refers to as having the critical mass necessary for the technology’s acceptance. In order to understand the role of email in social interaction it needs to be examined along with established media such as telephone, fax, conventional mail (letter and cards sent through the post) and face-to-face (Zach 1994; Michailidis and Rada 1997; Frohlich et al, 1997; Hill and Monk, 2000).
Common Patterns in Combinatorial Models

Combinatorial test design (CTD) is an effective test planning technique that systematically exercises interactions between parameters of the test space. The test space is manually modeled by a set of parameters, their respective values, and restrictions on the value combinations. A subset of the test space is then automatically constructed so that it covers all valid value combinations of every t parameters, where t is a user input. This paper describes patterns that we have found to be recurring in combinatorial models, i.e., recurring properties of the modeled test spaces. These patterns are often hard to identify and capture correctly in a model, thus are common pitfalls in combinatorial modeling. We describe these patterns, supply methods for identifying them, and suggest simple yet effective solutions for them.
Stress Distribution in Bonded Joints *

The stress distribution in plates bonded through stepped joints is analyzed. The problem is solved under the assumption of gen eralized plane stress. A series of examples are worked out on specific plate geometries and material combinations. The effect of step ends is separately studied. As a limiting case, the solution for bonded plates with a smoothly tapered joint is given, and its results are compared with that of stepped joint.
Specific Inflammatory Stimuli Lead to Distinct Platelet Responses in Mice and Humans

Introduction Diverse and multi-factorial processes contribute to the progression of cardiovascular disease. These processes affect cells involved in the development of this disease in varying ways, ultimately leading to atherothrombosis. The goal of our study was to compare the differential effects of specific stimuli – two bacterial infections and a Western diet – on platelet responses in ApoE-/- mice, specifically examining inflammatory function and gene expression. Results from murine studies were verified using platelets from participants of the Framingham Heart Study (FHS; n = 1819 participants). Methods Blood and spleen samples were collected at weeks 1 and 9 from ApoE-/- mice infected with Porphyromonas gingivalis or Chlamydia pneumoniae and from mice fed a Western diet for 9 weeks. Transcripts based on data from a Western diet in ApoE-/- mice were measured in platelet samples from FHS using high throughput qRT-PCR. Results At week 1, both bacterial infections increased circulating platelet-neutrophil aggregates. At week 9, these cells individually localized to the spleen, while Western diet resulted in increased platelet-neutrophil aggregates in the spleen only. Microarray analysis of platelet RNA from infected or Western diet-fed mice at week 1 and 9 showed differential profiles. Genes, such as Serpina1a, Ttr, Fgg, Rpl21, and Alb, were uniquely affected by infection and diet. Results were reinforced in platelets obtained from participants of the FHS. Conclusion Using both human studies and animal models, results demonstrate that variable sources of inflammatory stimuli have the ability to influence the platelet phenotype in distinct ways, indicative of the diverse function of platelets in thrombosis, hemostasis, and immunity.
Rapid and sensitive profiling and quantification of the human cell line proteome by LC‐MS/MS without prefractionation

In this paper, we demonstrate a rapid and reproducible 1D LC‐MS/MS workflow for fast quantitative proteomic research. We have optimized the LC‐MS/MS conditions, including digestion and gradient conditions, sample loading amount, and MS parameter settings. As a result, we were able to obtain twice as many protein identifications compared with the LC‐MS/MS conditions before optimization. More than 4500 protein groups and 50 000 peptides were identified in less than 8 h without any fractionation. This 1D workflow was then applied to the analysis of the MLN4924 treated/untreated human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) samples with label‐free quantification. In these experiments, a total of 179 proteins showed a statistically significant expression change after the MLN4924 treatment. Functional analysis showed that these proteins are associated with cell death and survival; gene expression; cell cycle; and DNA replication, recombination, and repair.
WebLab: A Web-Based Setup for PA Digital Predistortion and Characterization [Application Notes]

The WebLab that is described here was initially motivated by the 2014 IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society International Microwave Symposium's (IMS2014's) Student Design Competition on Digital Predistortion (DPD) Linearization, described in "Accurate Linearization with Low-Complexity Models Using Cascaded Digital Predistortion Systems," by Barradas et. al on page 94 in this issue of IEEE Microwave Magazine. To make a comparison of DPD algorithm performance, it is necessary to have one device under test (DUT), a Doherty power amplifier (PA), and one measurement setup for everybody to use. This was not a problem for the finals of the competition because the competitors would all be physically present at the same location. However, for the preparations starting half a year in advance, this posed a serious problem. The solution we implemented takes advantage of the fact that most universities today provide a decent Internet connection for their employees and students. A remotely accessible WebLab seemed to be a viable solution to the problem of letting the competitors practice on the actual DUT using the same measurement setup before the final competition at IMS2014. We decided to construct a Web-based remote-controlled PA measurement setup that allowed any user (not only the competitors) to upload his or her own input data and download the resulting measured output data. The Web page and instructions for using it can be found at http://dpdcompetition.com.
Near-field focusing with holographic two-dimensional tapered leaky-wave slot antennas

The design of holographic printed-slot leaky-wave microwave lenses is presented in this paper. By properly modulating the radial separation between slots and the width of the slot unit-cell, the surface-to-leaky transformation can be tailored, modulating the leaky-mode pointing angle and leakage rate in order to efficiently synthesize focused near-field patterns, conceiving new planar leaky-wave lenses. Two topologies are proposed: a first one is based on an Archimedean-shaped modulated slot, and a second design uses concentric circularly-shaped modulated slot-rings. The first geometry offers circular transverse polarization of the focused near-fields, while the second one presents linear-axial (vertical) polarized focused fields. Simulation results are reported in this paper, showing high radiation and aperture efficiencies (above 70%), while keeping a flat single-layer low-profile planar design which is simply fed by a vertical coaxial probe. The phenomenon of frequency steering of the focal region is also described. Finally, the design approach is particularized to the synthesis of far-field focused radiation patterns, illustrating the possibility and limitations to obtain high-efficiency broadside-directed antennas. In this way, it is anticipated a new type of low-cost, planar, low-profile, high-gain, simply fed, printed-slot two-dimensional leaky-wave radiator.