Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Closely Related CD103+ Dendritic Cells (DCs) and Lymphoid-Resident CD8+ DCs Differ in Their Inflammatory Functions

Migratory CD103+ and lymphoid-resident CD8+ dendritic cells (DCs) share many attributes, such as dependence on the same transcription factors, cross-presenting ability and expression of certain surface molecules, such that it has been proposed they belong to a common sub-lineage. The functional diversity of the two DC types is nevertheless incompletely understood. Here we reveal that upon skin infection with herpes simplex virus, migratory CD103+ DCs from draining lymph nodes were more potent at inducing Th17 cytokine production by CD4+ T cells than CD8+ DCs. This superior capacity to drive Th17 responses was also evident in CD103+ DCs from uninfected mice. Their differential potency to induce Th17 differentiation was reflected by higher production of IL-1β and IL-6 by CD103+ DCs compared with CD8+ DCs upon stimulation. The two types of DCs from isolated lymph nodes also differ in expression of certain pattern recognition receptors. Furthermore, elevated levels of GM-CSF, typical of those found in inflammation, substantially increased the pool size of CD103+ DCs in lymph nodes and skin. We argue that varied levels of GM-CSF may explain the contrasting reports regarding the positive role of GM-CSF in regulating development of CD103+ DCs. Together, we find that these two developmentally closely-related DC subsets display functional differences and that GM-CSF has differential effect on the two types of DCs.
BPR through ERP: Avoiding change management pitfalls

Abstract ERP-led BPR implementation often leads to fundamental changes within an organization's structure, culture and management process. Literature cites that a fragmented approach to change management practices is the major reason for BPR failures. The purpose of this paper is to look at the change management process in companies where BPR was implemented through ERP, and thereby obtain some insight into the dynamics of this change process. Many ERP implementers are finding themselves in a position to re-engineer their existing processes to fit the software they are implementing. The paper uses a case study approach that investigates six change management issues at three diverse companies where ERP-led BPR was implemented. The paper shows that through close attention to the change management principles the ERP implementers must integrate the changes with company strategic objectives, and through detailed planning and workforce cultural changes navigate the new system.
Conceptual Exploration of Documents and Digital Libraries in the Biomedical Domain

In this demo we present our approach to the use of Semantic Web technology in scholarly communications; it entails the understanding of research papers as an interface to the Web of Data. We are using the connectivity tissue provided by RDF technologies in order to facilitate semantic retrieval as well as to improve the user-experience when interacting with biomedical literature. Availability: http://biotea.idiginfo. org, http://biotea.idiginfo. org/gene/
A Sum-of-Squares Approach to Modeling and Control of Nonlinear Dynamical Systems With Polynomial Fuzzy Systems

This paper presents a sum of squares (SOS) approach for modeling and control of nonlinear dynamical systems using polynomial fuzzy systems. The proposed SOS-based framework provides a number of innovations and improvements over the existing linear matrix inequality (LMI)-based approaches to Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy modeling and control. First, we propose a polynomial fuzzy modeling and control framework that is more general and effective than the well-known T--S fuzzy modeling and control. Secondly, we obtain stability and stabilizability conditions of the polynomial fuzzy systems based on polynomial Lyapunov functions that contain quadratic Lyapunov functions as a special case. Hence, the stability and stabilizability conditions presented in this paper are more general and relaxed than those of the existing LMI-based approaches to T-S fuzzy modeling and control. Moreover, the derived stability and stabilizability conditions are represented in terms of SOS and can be numerically (partially symbolically) solved via the recently developed SOSTOOLS. To illustrate the validity and applicability of the proposed approach, a number of analysis and design examples are provided. The first example shows that the SOS approach renders more relaxed stability results than those of both the LMI-based approaches and a polynomial system approach. The second example presents an extensive application of the SOS approach in comparison with a piecewise Lyapunov function approach. The last example is a design exercise that demonstrates the viability of the SOS-based approach to synthesizing a stabilizing controller.
Dialect levelling in Limburg : structural and sociolinguistic aspects

This volume presents a study of the phenomenon of dialect levelling, the process of the reduction of structural variation. The investigation focuses on an originally rural Limburg dialect of Dutch. The approach is basically quantitatively sociolinguistic, although methods and insights from historical linguistics, dialectology as well as (linear and non-linear) phonological theory also play an important role. After a discussion of the findings, the outlines are sketched of a theory of dialect levelling. The possibilities as well as some of the problems are discussed of an integration of the study of language variation and change on the one hand and formal linguistic theory on the other.
Crossbow: a toolkit for integrated services over cell switched IPv6

The project Crossbow provides a framework to investigate services and mechanisms including resource management and packet scheduling for multimedia/multicast applications. In particular the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6, IP next generation, IPng) protocol suite on top of ATM is considered to demonstrate possible synergy between ATM and IPv6. The presented architecture includes IPv6 and RSVP running on BSD Unix using the 1.2 Gbps APIC (ATM port interconnect controller) chip, as well as support for Ethernet networks.
Altered Brain Response to Drinking Glucose and Fructose in Obese Adolescents

Increased sugar-sweetened beverage consumption has been linked to higher rates of obesity. Using functional MRI, we assessed brain perfusion responses to drinking two commonly consumed monosaccharides, glucose and fructose, in obese and lean adolescents. Marked differences were observed. In response to drinking glucose, obese adolescents exhibited decreased brain perfusion in brain regions involved in executive function (prefrontal cortex [PFC]) and increased perfusion in homeostatic appetite regions of the brain (hypothalamus). Conversely, in response to drinking glucose, lean adolescents demonstrated increased PFC brain perfusion and no change in perfusion in the hypothalamus. In addition, obese adolescents demonstrated attenuated suppression of serum acyl-ghrelin and increased circulating insulin level after glucose ingestion; furthermore, the change in acyl-ghrelin and insulin levels after both glucose and fructose ingestion was associated with increased hypothalamic, thalamic, and hippocampal blood flow in obese relative to lean adolescents. Additionally, in all subjects there was greater perfusion in the ventral striatum with fructose relative to glucose ingestion. Finally, reduced connectivity between executive, homeostatic, and hedonic brain regions was observed in obese adolescents. These data demonstrate that obese adolescents have impaired prefrontal executive control responses to drinking glucose and fructose, while their homeostatic and hedonic responses appear to be heightened. Thus, obesity-related brain adaptations to glucose and fructose consumption in obese adolescents may contribute to excessive consumption of glucose and fructose, thereby promoting further weight gain.
Reducing Amyloid Plaque Burden via Ex Vivo Gene Delivery of an Aβ-Degrading Protease: A Novel Therapeutic Approach to Alzheimer Disease

Background Understanding the mechanisms of amyloid-β protein (Aβ) production and clearance in the brain has been essential to elucidating the etiology of Alzheimer disease (AD). Chronically decreasing brain Aβ levels is an emerging therapeutic approach for AD, but no such disease-modifying agents have achieved clinical validation. Certain proteases are responsible for the catabolism of brain Aβ in vivo, and some experimental evidence suggests they could be used as therapeutic tools to reduce Aβ levels in AD. The objective of this study was to determine if enhancing the clearance of Aβ in the brain by ex vivo gene delivery of an Aβ-degrading protease can reduce amyloid plaque burden. Methods and Findings We generated a secreted form of the Aβ-degrading protease neprilysin, which significantly lowers the levels of naturally secreted Aβ in cell culture. We then used an ex vivo gene delivery approach utilizing primary fibroblasts to introduce this soluble protease into the brains of β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice with advanced plaque deposition. Brain examination after cell implantation revealed robust clearance of plaques at the site of engraftment (72% reduction, p = 0.0269), as well as significant reductions in plaque burden in both the medial and lateral hippocampus distal to the implantation site (34% reduction, p = 0.0020; and 55% reduction, p = 0.0081, respectively). Conclusions Ex vivo gene delivery of an Aβ-degrading protease reduces amyloid plaque burden in transgenic mice expressing human APP. These results support the use of Aβ-degrading proteases as a means to therapeutically lower Aβ levels and encourage further exploration of ex vivo gene delivery for the treatment of Alzheimer disease.
Game Theoretic Modeling of Horizontal Supply Chain Coopetition among Growers

Horizontal supply chains is the term used when suppliers competing at a particular level of the chain form a coalition to benefit from their cooperation rather than the usual competitive strategies used by them to become part of the supply chain. Such horizontal cooperation among competitors is studied by Wood, using qualitative research methodology, based on case studies done in New Zealand. The term "coopetition" is used in the literature to describe such a cooperative behavior among competitors. In this paper we examine the coopetition phenomenon from a game theoretic perspective and give a model that brings out the equilibria that will lead to optimal participation among the coalition partners. The model considers a set of growers who can choose to form a coopetitive alliance to market their production in some external regions, while competing within the internal regions. By means of a general analytical framework of competition, we show the strategies that could provide solutions, in a coopetitive perspective, for the growers. These solutions offer a win–win outcome for the growers, letting them share the pie fairly within a growth path of games. We determine the proportion of resources they'll use and how the gain will be shared.
On the Feasibility of Unilateral Interference Cancellation in MIMO Networks

The problem of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) feasiblity refers to whether it is possible to support specified numbers of streams allocated to the links of an MIMO network while canceling all interference. In unilateral interference cancellation, nodes account only for interfering links that they have been assigned to cancel and ignore other interfering links. We present several different formulations of the unilateral MIMO feasibility problem and use these formulations to analyze the problem's complexity and develop heuristic feasibility algorithms. We first prove that the general unilateral feasibility problem is NP-complete. We then identify several special cases where the problem is solvable in polynomial time. These include when only receiver-side interference cancellation is performed, when all nodes have two antenna elements, and when the maximum degree of the network's interference graph is two. Finally, we present several heuristic feasibility algorithms derived from different problem formulations and evaluate their accuracies on randomly generated MIMO networks.
A Reply and Comment on Joginder P. Singh: 'Managerial Culture and Work-related Values in India'

Because the samples were unusually well matched (same employer, same jobs, same age brackets, same gender distribution) in every aspect except nationality, they show the effect of nationality differences on value choices unusually clearly. The differences have been subsumed in four dimensions which together explain 49 percent of the variance in country means among 32 value questions. Two of the dimensions are calculated from three questions each; two others were calculated from factor scores. The country scores on the four dimensions could be shown to be significantly correlated with country scores from 38 other comparative studies by other researchers on other populations, including representative samples of the public drawn by market research agencies. In addition, they show significant and meaningful correlations with geographic, economic, demographic and political national indicators. Some readers of Culture’s Consequences have been sufficiently turned on by the book’s message to try to replicate the research in some way. I am partly guilty of this myself, because an Appendix to the book contains a Values Survey Module, recommended for future cross-cultural survey studies. This Values Survey Module is included both in the 1980 integral hardcover edition of Culture’s Consequences and in the 1984 abridged paperback edition. In 1981 and 1982 experimentally improved versions (VSM 81 and VSM 82) were issued by IRIC, the Institute for Research on Intercultural Cooperation now located at the University of Limburg. To date I have received information on about thirty replications. These replications present their own pitfalls, and Singh’s paper in this issue of OS offers a good opportunity for cautioning future replicators against these.
Influence of Host Biological Features on Macroparasites of the Two European Anglerfish Species, Lophius piscatorius and Lophius budegassa, off North and Northwest Spain

Abstract Two anglerfish species, Lophius piscatorius and Lophius budegassa, caught off the north and northwest coast of Spain in 2007, were examined for parasite infections. Four parasite taxa were chosen for study, i.e., Anisakis larvae Type I (sensu Berland, 1961), Hysterothylacium rigidum (Nematoda), Spraguea lophii (Microsporidia), and Chondracanthus lophii (Copepoda). Prevalence, intensity, and abundance were determined and related to host size and sex. The abundance of Anisakis larvae Type I significantly increased with size in both anglerfish species, and C. lophii was also more abundant in larger L. piscatorius specimens. The abundance of H. rigidum and the prevalence of S. lophii were unrelated to host size. The infestation with the parasites studied was not affected by host sex.
Computational modeling of high‐level cognition and brain function

This article describes a computational modeling architecture, 4CAPS, which is consistent with key properties of cortical function and makes good contact with functional neuroimaging results. Like earlier cognitive models such as SOAR, ACT‐R, 3CAPS, and EPIC, the proposed cognitive model is implemented in a computer simulation that predicts observable variables such as human response times and error patterns. In addition, the proposed 4CAPS model accounts for the functional decomposition of the cognitive system and predicts fMRI activation levels and their localization within specific cortical regions, by incorporating key properties of cortical function into the design of the modeling system. Hum. Brain Mapping 8:128–136, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Estimation of the excitation variances of speech and noise AR-models for enhanced speech coding

In this paper, we consider the estimation of short-term predictor (STP) parameters under noisy conditions. The possible autoregressive spectral shapes of the speech and additive noise are stored in AR-coefficient codebooks. The product codebook is then searched to maximize the likelihood function of the observed noisy speech signal frame. The maximum likelihood (ML) estimates of the variances of the driving term are computed for each pair of the speech and noise AR spectra. For further processing (e.g., Kalman filtering or speech coding using enhanced STP parameters), the spectra and variances that yield the maximum of the likelihood function are selected. To evaluate the proposed method, the estimates of the spectral shapes and variances are compared with those computed from clean speech signal using a common spectral distortion measure. Globally maximizing the likelihood function over some restricted region of the parameter space, the presented approach provides robust estimates.
Differential endocytosis and signaling dynamics of insulin receptor variants IR-A and IR-B

Insulin signaling comprises a complex cascade of events, playing a key role in the regulation of glucose metabolism and cellular growth. Impaired response to insulin is the hallmark of diabetes, whereas upregulated insulin activity occurs in many cancers. Two splice variants of the insulin receptor (IR) exist in mammals: IR-A, lacking exon 11, and full-length IR-B. Although considerable biochemical data exist on insulin binding and downstream signaling, little is known about the dynamics of the IR itself. We created functional IR transgenes fused with visible fluorescent proteins for use in combination with biotinamido-caproyl insulin and streptavidin quantum dots. Using confocal and structured illumination microscopy, we visualized the endocytosis of both isoforms in living and fixed cells and demonstrated a higher rate of endocytosis of IR-A than IR-B. These differences correlated with higher and sustained activation of IR-A in response to insulin and with distinctive ERK1/2 activation profiles and gene transcription regulation. In addition, cells expressing IR-B showed higher AKT phosphorylation after insulin stimulation than cells expressing IR-A. Taken together, these results suggest that IR signaling is dependent on localization; internalized IRs regulate mitogenic activity, whereas metabolic balance signaling occurs at the cell membrane.
Integrating a Piecewise Linear Representation Method and a Neural Network Model for Stock Trading Points Prediction

Recently, the piecewise linear representation (PLR) method has been applied to the stock market for pattern matching. As such, similar patterns can be retrieved from historical data and future prices of the stock can be predicted according to the patterns retrieved. In this paper, a different approach is taken by applying PLR to decompose historical data into different segments. As a result, temporary turning points (trough or peak) of the historical stock data can be detected and inputted to the backpropagation neural network (BPN) for supervised training of the model. After this, a new set of test data can trigger the model when a buy or sell point is detected by BPN. An intelligent PLR (IPLR) model is further developed by integrating the genetic algorithm with the PLR to iteratively improve the threshold value of the PLR. Thus, it further increases the profitability of the model. The proposed system is tested on three different types of stocks, i.e., uptrend, steady, and downtrend. The experimental results show that the IPLR approach can make significant amounts of profit on stocks with different variations. In conclusion, the proposed system is very effective and encouraging in that it predicts the future trading points of a specific stock.
Matching voters with political parties and candidates: an empirical test of four algorithms

Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) have enjoyed a growing popularity across Europe in recent years and, increasingly, in other parts of the globe too. In response a growing literature is emerging around the promises and potential perils associated with VAAs. This paper contributes to these debates by addressing a core methodological aspect of VAA design: how voters' policy preferences are aggregated to produce measures of concordance with parties/candidates. To this end, the paper analyses the performance of four VAA models that are based on competing algorithms. The findings, which draw from the analysis of VAA–generated data from four experiments, raise a number of concerns for the future design of VAA systems.
Educational Level and Primary Beliefs about Unidentified Flying Objects Held by Recognized Ufologists

Academic degree and primary beliefs about the nature of UFOs were collected from 102 recognized urologists by two independent raters. Over a third of the population of ufologists held doctorates while another third had bachelor's or Master's degrees. The most frequent belief about the nature of UFOs is that they are extraterrestrial in nature (39%) while a large percentage of the ufologists did not express a primary belief (30%). It was suggested that the epistemology underlying UFO beliefs is fertile ground for research.
TIME SYNCHRONIZATION IN WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS: A SURVEY

Time synchronization is a critical piece of infrastructure for any distributed system. Wireless sensor networks have emerged as an important and promising research area in the recent years. Time synchronization is important for many sensor network applications that require very precise mapping of gathered sensor data with the time of the events, for example, in tracking and vehicular surveillance. It also plays an important role in energy conservation in MAC layer protocols. The paper studies different existing methods, protocols, significant time parameters (clock drift, clock speed, synchronization errors, and topologies) to achieve accurate synchronization in a sensor network. The studied Synchronization protocols include conventional time sync protocols (RBS, Timing-sync Protocol for Sensor Networks -TPSN, FTSP), and other application specific approaches such as all node-based approach, a diffusion-based method and group sync approaches aiming at providing network-wide time. The goal for writing this paper is to study most common existing time synchronization approaches and stress the need of a new class of secure-time synchronization protocol that is scalable, topology independent, fast convergent, energy efficient, less latent and less application dependent in a heterogeneous hostile environment. Our survey provides a valuable framework by which protocol designers can compare new and existing synchronization protocols from various metric discussed in the paper. So, we are hopeful that this paper will serve a complete one-stop investigation to study the characteristics of existing time synchronization protocols and its implementation mechanism in a Sensor network environment.