Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
T cells engineered with a T cell receptor against the prostate antigen TARP specifically kill HLA-A2+ prostate and breast cancer cells

To produce genetically engineered T cells directed against prostate and breast cancer cells, we have cloned the T-cell receptor recognizing the HLA-A2–restricted T-cell recptor γ-chain alternate reading-frame protein (TARP)4–13 epitope. TARP is a protein exclusively expressed in normal prostate epithelium and in adenocarcinomas of the prostate and breast. Peripheral blood T cells transduced with a lentiviral vector encoding the TARP-TCR proliferated well when exposed to peptide-specific stimuli. These cells exerted peptide-specific IFN-γ production and cytotoxic activity. Importantly, HLA-A2+ prostate and breast cancer cells expressing TARP were also killed, demonstrating that the TARP4–13 epitope is a physiologically relevant target for T-cell therapy of prostate and breast cancer. In conclusion, we present the cloning of a T cell receptor (TCR) directed against a physiologically relevant HLA-A2 epitope of TARP. To our knowledge this report on engineering of T cells with a TCR directed against an antigen specifically expressed by prostate cells is unique.
Semantifying Twitter: The Influence Tracker Ontology

In this paper, we propose an ontology schema towards semantification provision of Twitter social analytics. The ontology is deployed over a publicly available service that measures how influential a Twitter account is, by combining its social activity and interaction over Twitter sphere. Apart from influential quantity and quality measures, the service provides a SPARQL endpoint where users can perform advance semantic queries through the RDFized Twitter entities (mentions, replies, hash tags, photos, URLs) over the semantic graph.
Place cell physiology in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive impairments (Selkoe, 2001). Hippocampal place cells are a well understood candidate for the neural basis of one type of memory in rodents; these cells identify the animal's location in an environment and are crucial for spatial memory and navigation. This PhD project aims to clarify the mechanisms responsible for the cognitive deficits in AD at the hippocampal network level, by examining place cell physiology in a transgenic mouse model of AD. I have recorded place cells in tg2576 mice, and found that aged (16 months) but not young (3 months) transgenic mice show degraded neuronal representations of the environment. The level of place cell degradation correlates with the animals' (poorer) spatial memory as tested in a forced-choice spatial alternation T-maze task and with hippocampal, but not neocortical, amyloid plaque burden. Additionally, pilot data show that physiological changes of the hippocampus in tg2576 mice seem to start as early as 3 months, when no pathological and behavioural deficits are present. However, these changes are not obvious at the neuronal level, but only at the hippocampal network level, which represent hippocampal responses to environmental changes. Place cell recording provides a sensitive assay for measuring the amount and rate of functional deterioration in animal models of dementia as well as providing a quantifiable physiological indication of the beneficial effects of potential therapies.
Antigenicity of dextran-protein conjugates in mice. Effect of molecular weight of the carbohydrate and comparison of two modes of coupling.

Protein conjugates of polysaccharides or their breakdown products are being used as improved "T-dependent" vaccines. We tried to define optimal characteristics of future conjugate vaccines by testing the immunogenicity of thirteen conjugates of alpha 1-6 dextran and chicken serum albumin in mice (BALB/c and CBA). All conjugates induced stronger antidextran antibody responses than the polysaccharide, and a fair proportion of these antibodies were IgG. However, there was a range of antigenicities. Consistently strong responses were obtained with conjugates that carried small dextran molecules (m.w. 1000 to 4000) coupled to the protein via the reducing end. Modification of such an "optimal" conjugate either by increasing the size of the saccharide to 40,000 Da, or by permitting multiple attachments of the saccharide molecule to the protein, reduced its antigenicity. Carbohydrate/protein ratios varying from 0.17 to 0.49 were associated with excellent antidextran responses.
Latent Attention For If-Then Program Synthesis

Automatic translation from natural language descriptions into programs is a long-standing challenging problem. In this work, we consider a simple yet important sub-problem: translation from textual descriptions to If-Then programs. We devise a novel neural network architecture for this task which we train end-to-end. Specifically, we introduce Latent Attention, which computes multiplicative weights for the words in the description in a two-stage process with the goal of better leveraging the natural language structures that indicate the relevant parts for predicting program elements. Our architecture reduces the error rate by 28.57% compared to prior art. We also propose a one-shot learning scenario of If-Then program synthesis and simulate it with our existing dataset. We demonstrate a variation on the training procedure for this scenario that outperforms the original procedure, significantly closing the gap to the model trained with all data.
Sliding mode control in the presence of delay

This paper provides an overview of recent results for relay-delay systems. In a first section, simple examples illustrate the problems induced by delays in the synthesis of sliding mode controllers. Then, a brief overview of the existing results shows the present advances and limits in this domain. The last parts of the paper are devoted to new results: first, for systems with state delay, then for systems with input delay.
Phenotypic Plasticity of Adventitious Rooting in Arabidopsis Is Controlled by Complex Regulation of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR Transcripts and MicroRNA Abundance[W]

The development of shoot-borne roots, or adventitious roots, is indispensable for mass propagation of elite genotypes. It is a complex genetic trait with a high phenotypic plasticity due to multiple endogenous and environmental regulatory factors. We demonstrate here that a subtle balance of activator and repressor AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR (ARF) transcripts controls adventitious root initiation. Moreover, microRNA activity appears to be required for fine-tuning of this process. Thus, ARF17, a target of miR160, is a negative regulator, and ARF6 and ARF8, targets of miR167, are positive regulators of adventitious rooting. The three ARFs display overlapping expression domains, interact genetically, and regulate each other's expression at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels by modulating miR160 and miR167 availability. This complex regulatory network includes an unexpected feedback regulation of microRNA homeostasis by direct and nondirect target transcription factors. These results provide evidence of microRNA control of phenotypic variability and are a significant step forward in understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating adventitious rooting.
REST Is a Novel Prognostic Factor and Therapeutic Target for Medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma is a malignant pediatric brain tumor. Current treatment following patient stratification into standard and high-risk groups using clinical features has improved survival. However, a subset of patients with standard risk features have unanticipated aggressive disease, underscoring the need for a better understanding of tumor biology and the development of novel treatments. Poor differentiation, a hallmark of medulloblastomas is associated with elevated expression levels of the repressor of neuronal differentiation called repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor (REST). Here, we assessed whether elevated REST expression levels had prognostic significance and whether its pharmacologic manipulation would promote neurogenesis and block tumor cell growth. REST levels in patient tumors were measured by immunohistochemistry and stratified into negative, low/moderate- (+/++/+++), and high-REST (+++++) groups. Kaplan–Meier curves revealed that patients with high-REST tumors had worse overall and event-free survival compared with patients with REST-negative or REST-low tumors. Because histone deacetylases (HDAC) are required for REST-dependent repression of neurogenesis, we evaluated a panel of HDAC inhibitors (HDACI) for their effects on growth and differentiation of established and primary REST-positive cell lines. MS-275, trichostatin-A (TSA), valproic acid (VPA), and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) upregulated expression of the REST-target neuronal differentiation gene, Syn1, suggesting a potential effect of these HDACIs on REST function. Interestingly, VPA and TSA substantially increased histone acetylation at the REST promoter and activated its transcription, whereas SAHA unexpectedly promoted its proteasomal degradation. A REST-dependent decrease in cell growth was also observed following SAHA treatment. Thus, our studies suggest that HDACIs may have therapeutic potential for patients with REST-positive tumors. This warrants further investigation. Mol Cancer Ther; 11(8); 1713–23. ©2012 AACR.
Randomized Phase III Study Comparing Gefitinib With Erlotinib in Patients With Previously Treated Advanced Lung Adenocarcinoma: WJOG 5108L.

PURPOSE The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase has been an important target for non-small-cell lung cancer. Several EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are currently approved, and both gefitinib and erlotinib are the most well-known first-generation EGFR-TKIs. This randomized phase III study was conducted to investigate the difference between these two EGFR-TKIs. PATIENTS AND METHODS Previously treated patients with lung adenocarcinoma were randomly assigned to receive gefitinib or erlotinib. This study aimed to investigate the noninferiority of gefitinib compared with erlotinib. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS Five hundred sixty-one patients were randomly assigned, including 401 patients (71.7%) with EGFR mutation. All baseline factors (except performance status) were balanced between the arms. Median PFS and overall survival times for gefitinib and erlotinib were 6.5 and 7.5 months (hazard ratio [HR], 1.125; 95% CI, 0.940 to 1.347; P = .257) and 22.8 and 24.5 months (HR, 1.038; 95% CI, 0.833 to 1.294; P = .768), respectively. The response rates for gefitinib and erlotinib were 45.9% and 44.1%, respectively. Median PFS times in EGFR mutation-positive patients receiving gefitinib versus erlotinib were 8.3 and 10.0 months, respectively (HR, 1.093; 95% CI, 0.879 to 1.358; P = .424). The primary grade 3 or 4 toxicities were rash (2.2% for gefitinib v 18.1% for erlotinib) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevation (6.1%/13.0% for gefitinib v 2.2%/3.3% for erlotinib). CONCLUSION The study did not demonstrate noninferiority of gefitinib compared with erlotinib in terms of PFS in patients with lung adenocarcinoma according to the predefined criteria.
Receptor heteromerization in adenosine A2A receptor signaling

Recently evidence has been presented that adenosine A2A and dopamine D2 receptors form functional heteromeric receptor complexes as demonstrated in human neuroblastoma cells and mouse fibroblast Ltk− cells. These A2A/D2 heteromeric receptor complexes undergo coaggregation, cointernalization, and codesensitization on D2 or A2A receptor agonist treatments and especially after combined agonist treatment. It is hypothesized that the A2A/D2 receptor heteromer represents the molecular basis for the antagonistic A2A/D2 receptor interactions demonstrated at the biochemical and behavioral levels. Functional heteromeric complexes between A2A and metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors (mGluR5) have also recently been demonstrated in HEK-293 cells and rat striatal membrane preparations. The A2A/mGluR5 receptor heteromer may account for the synergism found after combined agonist treatments demonstrated in different in vitro and in vivo models. D2, A2A, and mGluR5 receptors are found together in the dendritic spines of the striatopallidal GABA neurons. Therefore, possible D2/A2A/mGluR5 multimeric receptor complexes and the receptor interactions within them may have a major role in controlling the dorsal and ventral striatopallidal GABA neurons involved in Parkinson’s disease and in schizophrenia and drug addiction, respectively.
Reelin signaling is necessary for a specific step in the migration of hindbrain efferent neurons

The cytoarchitecture of the hindbrain results from precise and co-ordinated sequences of neuronal migrations. Here, we show that reelin, an extracellular matrix protein involved in neuronal migration during CNS development, is necessary for an early, specific step in the migration of several hindbrain nuclei. We identified two cell populations not previously known to be affected in reeler mutants that show a common migratory defect: the olivocochlear efferent neurons and the facial visceral motor nucleus. In control embryos, these cells migrate first toward a lateral position within the neural tube, and then parallel to the glial cell processes, to a ventral position where they settle close to the pial surface. In reeler mutants, the first migration is not affected, but the neurons are unable to reach the pial surface and remain in an ectopic position. Indeed, this is the first evidence that the migration of specific hindbrain nuclei can be divided into two parts: a reelin-independent and a reelin-dependent migration. We also show that reelin is expressed at high levels at the final destination of the migratory process, while the reelin intracellular effector Dab1 was expressed by cell groups that included the two populations affected. Mice mutant at the Dab1 locus, called scrambler, exhibit the same phenotype, a failure of final migration. However, examination of mice lacking both reelin receptors, ApoER2 and VLDLR, did not reveal the same phenotype, suggesting involvement of an additional reelin-binding receptor. In the hindbrain, reelin signaling might alter the adhesive properties of efferent neurons and their ability to respond to directional cues, as has been suggested for the migration of olfactory bulb precursors.
Fast Computation of Graph Kernels

Using extensions of linear algebra concepts to Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces (RKHS), we define a unifying framework for random walk kernels on graphs. Reduction to a Sylvester equation allows us to compute many of these kernels in O(n3) worst-case time. This includes kernels whose previous worst-case time complexity was O(n6), such as the geometric kernels of Gartner et al. [1] and the marginal graph kernels of Kashima et al. [2]. Our algebra in RKHS allow us to exploit sparsity in directed and undirected graphs more effectively than previous methods, yielding sub-cubic computational complexity when combined with conjugate gradient solvers or fixed-point iterations. Experiments on graphs from bioinformatics and other application domains show that our algorithms are often more than 1000 times faster than existing approaches.
Bit-map based resource partitioning in LTE-A femto deployment

Self organizing network techniques are needed to manage serious two-tier interference in an ad hoc operation of dense femtocell deployment. This paper considers downlink frequency domain inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) in femtocell deployment. The studied resource partitioning method works such that each active femtocell may adapt, determine, and advertise a so-called binary resource partition sequence indicating which physical resource blocks (PRBs) the femtocells may occupy for their current operation. The main idea is to avoid interference from neighbor femto access points (FAPs) and try to achieve guaranteed bit-rate to femto users. The considered coordination method requires only low rate, infrequent updates in stationary phase and enables ICIC in distributed self organizing manner. The resource partitioning strategies are simulated in an LTE compliant system level simulator. The system level results show that different resource partitioning methods provide substantial gain when MRC receiver is used. When LMMSE receiver is used gains are smaller but at least one of the resource partitioning methods provided a gain over the case without ICIC. Furthermore, it is shown that proposed method works in two different femto environments.
Isolated voltage sensing using micro-resonator

A non-contact voltage sensor is proposed for realizing the isolation from the main circuit of the power line. The high voltage generates the electrostatic force. The sensing is based on the nature of the electrostatic force. The applying the electrostatic force is same with adding the negative spring to the resonator. The resonant frequency decreases with the voltage. The parallel plate electrode is used for sensing due to the strong gap dependency. The comb electrode is used for exciting the vibration of the resonator due to the little gap dependency. The relation between the shift of the resonant frequency and the applied voltage is well explained by the theory.
Caching : Proxy Caching Mechanism for YouTube Videos in Campus Network

—Nowadays, YouTube has become a very popular website offering video sharing service. YouTube accounts for a significant portion of Internet traffic in global and local networks. Many techniques have been implemented to deliver videos smoothly to every user. Streaming proxy servers are put into action to reduce user-perceived latency as well as network resource utilization. " What is viewed next " can be guessed from relationships of YouTube videos. This paper proposes PP caching mechanism that benefits from prefix caching and prefetching technique. Certain parts of selected videos are prefetched and kept at the proxy cache. The experimental results show that startup delay decreases and cache hit rate increases when the proposed mechanism is tested against actual YouTube traces from two campuses.
The case for mobile forensics of private data leaks: towards large-scale user-oriented privacy protection

Privacy protection against mobile applications on mobile devices is becoming a serious concern as user sensitive data may be leaked without proper justification. Most current leak detection tools only report leaked private data, but provide inadequate information about the causes of the leaks for end users to take preventive measures. Hence, users often cannot reconcile the way they have used an application to a reported leak --- i.e., they are unable to comprehend the (il)legitimacy of the leak or make a decision on whether to allow the leak. This paper aims to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of identifying the causes of leaks from a user's point of view, which we call mobile forensics of privacy leaks. Its goal is to correlate user actions to leaks, and report the causes from a user-oriented perspective. To make the case, we have performed a preliminary study that identifies leak causes based on logs of user actions in more than 220 Android applications and corresponding leak reports from a leak detection tool. Our results show that more than 60% of the 105 applications (of the 220 we sampled) that leak private data leak data do so due to user actions on certain in-application GUI widgets. About 44% also leak data right after users launch them, while 32% leak data periodically after launch. We also constructed a database containing leak causes from all tested apps, and demonstrated the use of visual overlays to warn users about potential leaks.
Student Task Persistence in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study: A Major Source of Acheievement Differences at the National, Classroom, and Student Levels.

Since the release of results from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 1996, scholars have recognized that the central importance of TIMSS lies in its contribution to a better understanding of factors that are responsible for cross-national differences in average student achievement. Among many such factors may be differences in student ability and motivation to perform the task of completing the TIMSS achievement tests in math and science. In fact, national differences in math and science achievement scores may be determined more by differences in student test-taking ability and motivation than by . differences in student knowledge of math and science content. This possibility is explored in the research reported here. Disciplines Education This working paper is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/gse_pubs/412 STUDENT TASK PERSISTENCE IN THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE STUDY: A MAJOR SOURCE OF ACHIEVEMENT DIFFERENCES AT THE NATIONAL, CLASSROOM, AND STUDENT LEVELS 1 Erling E. Boe, Ph.D. Professor of Education Henry May, Ph.D. Research Assistant
Open Overheid : Internationale beleidsanalyse en aanbevelingen voor Nederlands beleid

De opkomst van nieuwe internettechnologieen, zoals het mobiel internet en web2.0, brengen nieuwe mogelijkheden met zich mee om overheidsinformatie toegankelijk te maken, her te gebruiken, te combineren met informatie van andere bronnen en te analyseren. Waar ’Open Overheid’-beleid traditioneel bestond uit het juridisch verankeren van het recht van burgers om overheidsgegevens op te vragen (bijvoorbeeld in Nederland in de Wet Openbaarheid van Bestuur), gaan steeds meer overheden over tot het gratis publiceren van ruwe, gestructureerde (open formaat) en ‘machine-readable’ overheidsinformatie, ook wel open data genoemd. TNO maakt in opdracht van het Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties een overzicht van de ervaringen met ‘Open Overheid’-beleid van zes landen: de Verenigde Staten, het Verenigd Koninkrijk, Australie, Denemarken, Spanje en Estland. Vervolgens trekt TNO lessen uit deze internationale ervaringen voor mogelijke beleidsactiviteiten in Nederland.
Instant messaging & presence management in mobile adhoc networks

The combination of real-time message delivery and presence awareness has to lead the rapid rise in popularity of instant messaging (IM) in recent years. The extension of IM to mobile adhoc networks certainly offers considerable potential. However, the dynamic topology and decentralized nature of these networks requires several major issues to be addressed. Specifically, difficulties exist in providing an effective reliable service in the absence of a continuously available server. We present here the Dawn IM system, which takes a decentralized approach to bringing the functionality inherent in fixed-network IM systems to an adhoc environment. In addition we discuss a test-bed implementation that supports collaboration between users equipped with handheld devices.
Predictors of spouses' provided support for patients receiving laparoscopic radical prostatectomy peri‐surgery

Close relationships are usually the most important source of social support. But even in close relationships, symptoms of distress in one or both partners may undermine support processes. Seventy‐seven patients receiving laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (44–73 years) and their spouses (38–72 years) provided data 1 day prior to surgery as well as 2 days and 2 weeks post‐surgery. Our assumption that the commonly found support‐eroding potential of receivers' depressive symptoms would not be evident during early stages of an acute crisis situation, such as major tumor surgery, tended to be supported by the data. However, depressive symptoms and degree of patient‐reported post‐operative pain were associated with a delayed decrease in spousal instrumental support provision 2 weeks after surgery. Spousal depression was largely unrelated to the provision of support. The present findings hint at the limits of a loved‐one's capacity to assist in times of need. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.