Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Randomised controlled trial of inhaled corticosteroids (fluticasone propionate) in cystic fibrosis

BACKGROUND Controlling lung inflammation may be the key to improving morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis. OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of inhaled corticosteroids on lung inflammation in cystic fibrosis. DESIGN Double blind placebo controlled randomised sequence crossover trial. Fluticasone propionate (400 μg/day) was given as a dry powder inhaler for six weeks with a four week washout period before crossover. OUTCOME MEASURES Sputum inflammatory markers (interleukin-8, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and neutrophil elastase—both free and bound to α1-antiprotease), sputum interleukin-10, lung function, and symptomatology. SUBJECTS Twenty three children from a regional cystic fibrosis centre were enrolled into the study, with mean age 10.3 years (range 7 to 17 years) and mean baseline forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) of 64% (range 21% to 102%) predicted for sex and height. One patient was excluded for non-compliance to the study protocol. RESULTS No significant benefit was shown for the use of fluticasone propionate in any of the outcomes. For sputum interleukin-8 there was an estimated true treatment median difference of 142 pg/ml (95% confidence interval (CI) 8 to 2866 pg/ml) in favour of placebo; while for maximal expiratory flow at 25% (MEF25%) remaining forced vital capacity predicted for sex and height there was a 15 percentage points (pp) (95% CI 4 to 26 pp) mean treatment difference in favour of placebo. Sputum interleukin-10 was undetected in any samples and unaffected by fluticasone propionate. Neither atopic status, baseline FEV1, nor concomitant DNase therapy had any effect on response to treatment. CONCLUSIONS Lack of benefit from fluticasone propionate was most likely due to failure of the drug to penetrate the viscid mucus lining the airways. It is suggested a large multicentre trial with higher doses given for a longer time by a different delivery system is required to assess efficacy.
Dynamic visibility graph for path planning

In this paper, we propose a fast dynamic visibility graph (DVG) for constructing a reduced roadmap among convex polygonal obstacles. DVG is extracted from the global environment with the simple geometric method and rules. Moreover, the data preprocessing is based on the concept of V-circle. Through V-circle, the process is speeded up greatly. Finally, DVG is extended to deal with multi-target problems that traditionally require a lot of time for reconstructing configuration space (C-space).
Price Discrimination and Customer Behaviour: Empirical Evidence from Marseille

We analyse the interaction between a seller and customers in a shop on the fruits and vegetables wholesale market in Marseille using an unique data set. We find that customers' bargaining activity is correlated with the kind and location of the business. To determine how the interactions between the seller and the customers influence prices, we compare the price each customer pays for a given good with the daily average price. We find that a customer of the shop is more likely to pay a price higher than other customers for the same good if---ceteris paribus---the customer is unknown to the shop assistants, buys only a small quantity, or buys goods sold on commission. If the customer is known to the shop assistants, then loyalty and bargaining make it more likely that the customer gets better than average price.
Buyer-seller watermarking protocols with off-line trusted third parties

In a buyer-seller watermarking protocol, buyers and sellers protect the ownerships or copyrights of their digital contents through the watermarks embedded in them. However, some known attacks and problems are still threatening the security of the watermarking mechanisms so far. Although several solutions have been introduced in the literature, none can cope with all problems. In this paper, we propose a novel buyer-seller watermarking protocol, with an off-line trusted third party, that can withstand the attacks and resolve the dispute between the buyers and the sellers fairly. Furthermore, our proposed protocol can guarantee the anonymity of the buyers as well.
WNT7B Promotes Bone Formation in part through mTORC1

WNT signaling has been implicated in both embryonic and postnatal bone formation. However, the pertinent WNT ligands and their downstream signaling mechanisms are not well understood. To investigate the osteogenic capacity of WNT7B and WNT5A, both normally expressed in the developing bone, we engineered mouse strains to express either protein in a Cre-dependent manner. Targeted induction of WNT7B, but not WNT5A, in the osteoblast lineage dramatically enhanced bone mass due to increased osteoblast number and activity; this phenotype began in the late-stage embryo and intensified postnatally. Similarly, postnatal induction of WNT7B in Runx2-lineage cells greatly stimulated bone formation. WNT7B activated mTORC1 through PI3K-AKT signaling. Genetic disruption of mTORC1 signaling by deleting Raptor in the osteoblast lineage alleviated the WNT7B-induced high-bone-mass phenotype. Thus, WNT7B promotes bone formation in part through mTORC1 activation.
Multi-target Tracking and Segmentation via Discriminative Appearance Model

we present a novel discriminative appearance model for monocular multi-target tracking and segmentation in a comparatively crowded scene. Based on the hypothesis that the discriminability among different targets plays an important role in improving the tracking performance, we choose different feature spaces for every target in the scene to insure the discriminability from other targets. In order to adapt to continuously changing appearance, we propose to adjust the updating ratio of the model according to the change of motion direction. We propose a two-level tracking algorithm to track and segment multi-target, which integrates our discriminative appearance model into a probabilistic data association framework. Our tracking algorithm is more effective and efficient. Tracking results on the public dataset PETS2009, compared with the conventional appearance model in the same feature space, show a great improvement, especially in segmenting much more accurately during occlusions and reducing identity switches more significantly.
Towards a Distributed Service Platform for Extending Enterprise Applications to the Mobile Computing Domain

This paper analyses the dilemma of extending enterprise applications to mobile computing domain. The enterprise environments are very much different from the mobile computing environments, and there are many issues to be addressed when extending the legacy enterprise applications to mobile computing and mobile Internet domains. One way of alleviating the development of mobile extensions to legacy enterprise applications is to provide a service platform that incorporates middleware services needed in the enterprise – mobile computing interface. Previously prototyped service platform architecture, supporting adaptation, personalization, and context-awareness of mobile services in service gateway based service architecture [1] is taken as a starting point. The research problem of the paper is to analyze requirements and challenges in integrating legacy enterprise applications into mobile service environment. The research is based on the constructive method of the related publications and technologies. The results are derived by the abstractive analysis of the available material. The primary conclusions of the study are enhancements and extensions to service platform for enterprise – mobile computing systems. The role and application scenarios of peer to peer technology and content delivery in the enterprise domain are also discussed and adopted to requirements of the service platform.
A Synthetic Lethal Interaction between Glutathione Synthesis and Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species Provides a Tumor-Specific Vulnerability Dependent on STAT3

ABSTRACT Increased production of mitochondrion-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) is characteristic of a metabolic shift observed during malignant transformation. While the exact sources and roles of ROS in tumorigenesis remain to be defined, it has become clear that maintaining redox balance is critical for cancer cell proliferation and survival and, as such, may represent a vulnerability that can be exploited therapeutically. STAT3, a latent cytosolic transcription factor activated by diverse cytokines and growth factors, has been shown to exhibit an additional, nontranscriptional function in mitochondria, including modulation of electron transport chain activity. In particular, malignant transformation by Ras oncogenes exploits mitochondrial STAT3 functions. We used mass spectrometry-based metabolomics profiling to explore the biochemical basis for the STAT3 dependence of Ras transformation. We identified the gamma-glutamyl cycle, the production of glutathione, and the regulation of ROS as a mitochondrion-STAT3-dependent pathway in Ras-transformed cells. Experimental inhibition of key enzymes in the glutathione cycle resulted in the depletion of glutathione, accumulation of ROS, oxidative DNA damage, and cell death in an oncogenic Ras- and mitochondrial STAT3-dependent manner. These data uncover a synthetic lethal interaction involving glutathione production and mitochondrial ROS regulation in Ras-transformed cells that is governed by mitochondrial STAT3 and might be exploited therapeutically.
PARP1 Is Overexpressed in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Inhibition Enhances Radiotherapy

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a rare but highly invasive cancer. As options of agents for effective combination chemoradiotherapy for advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma are limited, novel therapeutic approaches are desperately needed. The ubiquitin ligase CHFR is known to target PARP1 for degradation and is epigenetically inactivated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. We present evidence that PARP1 protein is indeed overexpressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in comparison with immortalized normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. Tissue microarray analysis also indicated that PARP1 protein is significantly elevated in primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues, with strong correlation with all stages of nasopharyngeal carcinoma development. We found that the PARP inhibitor AZD2281 (olaparib) increased DNA damage, cell-cycle arrest, and apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells challenged with ionizing radiation or temozolomide. Isobologram analysis confirmed that the cytotoxicity triggered by AZD2281 and DNA-damaging agents was synergistic. Finally, AZD2281 also enhanced the tumor-inhibitory effects of ionizing radiation in animal xenograft models. These observations implicate that PARP1 overexpression is an early event in nasopharyngeal carcinoma development and provide a molecular basis of using PARP inhibitors to potentiate treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with radio- and chemotherapy. Mol Cancer Ther; 12(11); 2517–28. ©2013 AACR.
[Holmium laser urethrotomy for male urethral stricture].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate transurethral holmium laser incision, its safety and effect in the treatment of male urethral stricture. METHODS Thirty-eight males with urethral stricture were treated by 1045 W holmium laser urethrotomy, 18 with the stricture length shorter than 1.0 cm, 9 between 1.0 cm and 1.5 cm, 7 longer than 1.5 cm , 4 with occlusive stricture and 6 companies with bladder calculus. The average peak urinary flow rate (Q(max)) was (5.6 +/- 2.3) ml/s. RESULTS Successful surgery was achieved in 36 of the cases, with no complications and the average Q(max) increased to (17.5 +/- 3.4) ml/s. Two cases were converted to open surgery. Thirty-two cases were followed up for 3-18 months, of whom 4 received urethral dilation and 2 underwent a second holmium laser urethrotomy. CONCLUSION Holmium laser urethrotomy is a safe, effective and minimally invasive therapeutic modality for male urethral stricture.
Detached white dwarf main-sequence star binaries

We initiated a comprehensive state of the art binary population synthesis study of white dwarf main-sequence star (WDMS) binaries to serve as a foundation for subsequent studies on pre-cataclysmic variables, double white dwarfs, and white dwarf + B-star binaries. We considered seven distinct formation channels subdivided into three main groups according to the evolutionary process that gives rise to the formation of the white dwarf or its helium-star progenitor: dynamically stable Roche- lobe overflow (Algol-type evolution), dynamically unstable Roche-lobe overflow (common-envelope evolution), or stellar winds (single star evolution). For each formation channel, we examine the sensitivity of the population to changes in the amount of mass lost from the system during dynamically stable Roche-lobe overflow, the common-envelope ejection efficiency, and the initial mass ratio or initial secondary mass distribution. In the case of a flat initial mass ratio distribution, the local space density of WDMS binaries is of the order of ∼10 −3 pc −3 . This number decreases to ∼10 −4 pc −3 when the initial mass ratio distribution is approximately proportional to the inverse of the initial mass ratio. More than 75% of the WDMS binary population originates from wide systems in which both components essentially evolve as if they were single stars. The remaining part of the population is dominated by systems in which the white dwarf is formed in a common-envelope phase when the primary ascends the first giant branch or the asymptotic giant branch. When dynamically stable mass transfer proceeds highly conservative and the common-envelope ejection process is very efficient, the birthrate of WDMS binaries forming through a common-envelope phase is about 10 times larger than the birthrate of WDMS binaries forming through a stable Roche-lobe overflow phase. The ratio of the number of helium white dwarf systems to the number of carbon/oxygen or oxygen/neon/magnesium white dwarf systems derived from large samples of observed WDMS binaries by, e.g., future planet-search missions such as SuperWASP, COROT, and Kepler may furthermore constrain the common-envelope ejection efficiency.
PPR: partial packet recovery for wireless networks

Bit errors occur in wireless communication when interference or noise overcomes the coded and modulated transmission. Current wireless protocols may use forward error correction (FEC) to correct some small number of bit errors, but generally retransmit the whole packet if the FEC is insufficient. We observe that current wireless mesh network protocols retransmit a number of packets and that most of these retransmissions end up sending bits that have already been received multiple times, wasting network capacity. To overcome this inefficiency, we develop, implement, and evaluate a partial packet recovery (PPR) system. PPR incorporates two new ideas: (1) SoftPHY, an expanded physical layer (PHY) interface that provides PHY-independent hints to higher layers about the PHY's confidence in each bit it decodes, and (2) a postamble scheme to recover data even when a packet preamble is corrupted and not decodable at the receiver. Finally, we present PP-ARQ, an asynchronous link-layer ARQ protocol built on PPR that allows a receiver to compactly encode a request for retransmission of only those bits in a packet that are likely in error. Our experimental results from a 31-node Zigbee (802.15.4) testbed that includes Telos motes with 2.4 GHz Chipcon radios and GNU Radio nodes implementing the 802.15. 4 standard show that PP-ARQ increases end-to-end capacity by a factor of 2x under moderate load.
Porocercospora seminalis gen. et comb. nov., the causal organism of buffalograss false smut

False smut caused by Cercospora seminalis is an important disease of buffalograss (Buchloë dactyloides) affecting seed production. The pathogen prevents normal caryopsis development and causes considerable yield loss and reduced seed germination. The current taxonomic placement of the false-smut causal pathogen in the genus Cercospora is incorrect based on its morphological characteristics and DNA phylogeny. In the present study the phylogenetic position of C. seminalis is clarified based on DNA sequence analysis of three loci namely the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, partial nuclear ribosomal large subunit (LSU) and partial sequences of the RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2). A collection of C. seminalis isolates was made from buffalograss sites near Lincoln, Nebraska. DNA sequence data indicated that Cercospora seminalis is phylogenetically close to but distinct from species of Bipolaris and Curvularia (Pleosporaceae, Pleosporales). Cercospora seminalis morphologically had unique characteristics, namely densely aggregated and repeatedly branched conidiophores arising from a brown stroma, monotretic conidiogenous cells with inconspicuous loci, and scolecosporous conidia with distosepta, and thickened, darkened hila. Porocercospora is introduced as a new genus to accommodate the buffalograss false-smut pathogen.
Draft Genome Sequence of Umbilicaria muehlenbergii KoLRILF000956, a Lichen-Forming Fungus Amenable to Genetic Manipulation

ABSTRACT Umbilicaria muehlenbergii strain KoLRILF000956 is amenable to Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT), making it the only known genetically tractable lichen-forming fungus to date. We report another advancement in lichen genetics, a draft genome assembly for U. muehlenbergii with a size of 34,812,353 bp and a GC content of 47.12%, consisting of seven scaffolds.
Chromatin Structure and Transcription of the R1- and R2-Inserted rRNA Genes of Drosophila melanogaster

ABSTRACT About half of the rRNA gene units (rDNA units) of Drosophila melanogaster are inserted by the retrotransposable elements R1 and R2. Because transcripts to R1 and R2 were difficult to detect on blots and electron microscopic observations of rRNA synthesis suggested that only uninserted rDNA units were transcribed, it has long been postulated that inserted rDNA units are in a repressed (inactive) chromatin structure. Studies described here suggest that inserted and uninserted units are equally accessible to DNase I and micrococcal nuclease and contain similar levels of histone H3 and H4 acetylation and H3K9 methylation. These studies have low sensitivity, because psoralen cross-linking suggested few (estimated <10%) of the rDNA units of any type are transcriptionally active. Nuclear run-on experiments revealed that R1-inserted and R2-inserted units are activated for transcription at about 1/5 and 1/10, respectively, the rate of uninserted units. Most transcription complexes of the inserted units terminate within the elements, thus explaining why previous molecular and electron microscopic methods indicated inserted units are seldom transcribed. The accumulating data suggest that all units within small regions of the rDNA loci are activated for transcription, with most control over R1 and R2 activity involving steps downstream of transcription initiation.
Self-Reconfigurable Embedded Systems on Low-Cost FPGAs

Hardware acceleration significantly increases the performance of embedded systems built on programmable logic. allowing an fpga-based mlcroblaze processor to self-select the coprocessors it uses can help reduce area requirements and increase a system's versatility. with a simple hardware arrangement, requiring only a few external connections and no additional components, low-cost FPGAs such as Xilinx's spartan-3 can become self-reconfigurable platforms.
Passive radar imaging using DVB-S2

This paper investigates the utilization of satellite broadcast signals such as DVB-S and DVB-S2 as illuminator of opportunity for passive radar imaging techniques like SAR or ISAR. It includes an analysis of the key elements of the structure of the DVB-S2 signal and their implications for SAR/ISAR signal processing, with particular emphasis on the interference properties due to the presence of multiple illuminating satellites. Moreover, first real world DVB-S based radar images are presented using a newly developed passive radar system.
Signal Extraction by Two-stage Space-time Adaptive Noise Cancellation and Beamforming

A two-stage space-time adaptive signal cancellation algorithm cascading with delay-and-sum beamforming is presented in this paper to extract signal corrupted by environmental noises. The scheme is effective to various noises and adaptive to the changes of noises environment and signal source. It also permits locating the sensors in close proximity to make the sensor array very small in size. Experiment results of speech signal extraction from noisy environment have indicated that this scheme has advantages in SNR improvement and speech signal intelligibility
Antecedents of the Digital Divide in Lebanon

This paper reports the results of a study to investigate the digital divide in Lebanon based on data collected in August 2008 from 330 potential users of Lebanese public e-services. The study investigated factors that make a difference for e-access and e-skills and how socio-economic, demographic, and cultural factors explain the digital divide. Overall, results show that gender, age, religion, and geographic disparities related to income, to educational attainment, and to occupation influence the e-skills and e-access divides. Income and education have effects on e-skills but no effect on the e-access divide. When educational attainment increases, the e-skills divide decreases. Gender and religion have an impact on the e-skills divide but no significant impact on the e-access divide: men and Christians have more e-skills than women and Muslims. The impact of urban-rural disparities is unambiguous. Age is the only factor that impacts both the e-access and e-skills divide. Young urban males with high income and high educational attainment levels have more advanced eskills than their less advantaged counterparts; thus, these elite members of the Lebanese society are expected to benefit from the advantages of public online services. That will, however, not be the case of those in the less advantaged segments of the population. Inequalities in Lebanese society will continue.