Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving financial computation speed with full and subproblem memoization

Analysts prototyping trading strategies often reuse previously computed values: both full problems and subproblems. Avoiding recomputing these would increase productivity. We built a memoization library that caches function computations to files to avoid recomputation. This should minimize the need for users to think about whether caching is appropriate while giving them control over speed, accuracy, and space usage. Guo and Engler built an automatic memoization library by modifying the Python interpreter, while jug and joblib are distributed computing libraries that do memoization. Our library attempts to maintain the ease of use of these libraries while offering a higher degree of control of how caching is carried out. It allows control of space usage for individual functions and all memoization, refreshing memoization for a specific function, and accuracy checking, and uses faster hashing and provides a divide and conquer approach to reuse previously computed subproblems. We show that for Markowitz optimization, Fama–French, and the singular value decomposition, memoization using our library greatly speeds up recomputation, often by over 99% versus no memoization and over 80% versus joblib. We also show how a divide‐and‐conquer memoization approach can give large speedups for sorting. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
On the proposition of an EMI-based fault injection approach

The following paper describes a new approach to perform physical fault injection in electronic systems. The approach is settled around a gigahertz transverse electromagnetic (GTEM) cell, which is employed in a controlled process to inject faults in the system under test (SUT). The assumed fault models are delay faults (provoked by signal propagation delay increase in SUT critical paths, thus resulting in de-synchronization between the computed data to be latched and the clock signal) and bit-flips (i.e., corruption of static data stored in memory elements).
Visualization of AqpZ-Mediated Water Permeability in Escherichia coli by Cryoelectron Microscopy

ABSTRACT Transport of water across the plasma membrane is a fundamental process occurring in all living organisms. In bacteria, osmotic movement of water across the cytoplasmic membrane is needed to maintain cellular turgor; however, the molecular mechanisms of this process are poorly defined. Involvement of aquaporin water channels in bacterial water permeability was suggested by the recent discovery of the aquaporin gene, aqpZ, in Escherichia coli. By employing cryoelectron microscopy to compare E. coli cells containing (AqpZ+) and lacking (AqpZ−) aquaporin, we show that the AqpZ water channel rapidly mediates large water fluxes in response to sudden changes in extracellular osmolarity. These findings (i) demonstrate for the first time functional expression of a prokaryotic water channel, (ii) evidence the bidirectional water channel feature of AqpZ, (iii) document a role for AqpZ in bacterial osmoregulation, and (iv) define a suitable model for studying the physiology of prokaryotic water transport.
Neuronal Norepinephrine Responses of the Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla and Nucleus Tractus Solitarius Neurons Distinguish the I1- from the α2-Receptor-Mediated Hypotension in Conscious SHRs

We tested the hypothesis that the I1 receptor mediates the reduction in rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) neuronal norepinephrine (NE; index of sympathetic activity) that leads to hypotension independent of other brainstem areas or the α2-adrenergic receptor. To this end, we developed a model that permitted measurement of real-time changes in neuronal NE in the RVLM or nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) along with blood pressure and heart rate in the conscious SHR in response to localized microinjections of selective I1 (rilmenidine) or α2-adrenergic (α-methylnorepinephrine; α-MNE) agonist versus the mixed I1/α2 agonist clonidine. To further support the hypothesis, we investigated the effects of localized selective α2- (SK&F86466) or I1 (efaroxan) blockade on the reductions in neuronal NE and blood pressure elicited by intra-RVLM rilmenidine. In the latter experiment, changes in RVLM neuronal c-Fos (another marker of sympathetic neural activity) were also investigated. Intra-RVLM rilmenidine (40 nmol) or clonidine (1 nmol) similarly reduced RVLM NE and blood pressure; these responses were approximately 2-fold greater than those elicited by the pure α2-adrenergic agonist α-MNE (10 nmol). By contrast, intra-NTS rilmenidine or clonidine had no effect on NTS NE or blood pressure versus significant reductions in both parameters by α-MNE. Intra-RVLM rilmenidine decreased c-Fos expression, and these responses were abolished by efaroxan but not by SK&F 86466. These findings suggest: (1) in the RVLM, I1-receptor signaling suppresses cardiovascular neuron activity, which leads to lowering of blood pressure; (2) although the α2-adrenergic receptor in the RVLM serves a similar role, it does not exert a tonic neuronal inhibitory effect and is not essential, as a downstream signaling entity, for the I1-evoked neurobiological effects in the brainstem. The potential confounding effects of anesthetics on the I1 and/or α2 receptor-mediated neuronal and cardiovascular responses were circumvented in the present study.
Cloning and Expression of a Novel Galactoside β1,3-Glucuronyltransferase Involved in the Biosynthesis of HNK-1 Epitope*

We isolated a cDNA encoding a novel glucuronyltransferase, designated GlcAT-D, involved in the biosynthesis of the HNK-1 carbohydrate epitope from rat embryo cDNA by the degenerate polymerase chain reaction method. The new cDNA sequence revealed an open reading frame coding for a protein of 324 amino acids with type II transmembrane protein topology. The amino acid sequence of GlcAT-D displayed 50.0% identity to rat GlcAT-P, which is involved in the biosynthesis of the HNK-1 epitope on glycoproteins. Expression of GlcAT-D in COS-7 cells resulted in the formation of the HNK-1 epitope on the cell surface. The enzyme expressed in COS-7 cells transferred a glucuronic acid (GlcA) not only to asialo-orosomucoid, a glycoprotein bearing terminal N-acetyllactosamine structure, but also to paragloboside (lacto-N-neotetraosylceramide), a precursor of the HNK-1 epitope on glycolipids. Furthermore, substrate specificity analysis using a soluble chimeric form of GlcAT-D revealed that GlcAT-D transfers a GlcA not only to Galβ1–4GlcNAcβ1–3Galβ1–4Glc-pyridylamine but also to Galβ1–3GlcNAcβ1–3Galβ1–4Glc-pyridylamine. Enzymatic hydrolysis and Smith degradation of the reaction product indicated that GlcAT-D transfers a GlcA through a β1,3-linkage to a terminal galactose. The GlcAT-D transcripts were detected in embryonic, postnatal, and adult rat brain. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that the expression pattern of GlcAT-D transcript in embryo is similar to that of GlcAT-P, but distinct expression of GlcAT-D was observed in the embryonic pallidum and retina. Regions that expressed GlcAT-D and/or GlcAT-P were always HNK-1-positive, indicating that both GlcATs are involved in the synthesis of the HNK-1 epitope in vivo.
Effect of uric acid on inflammatory COX-2 and ROS pathways in vascular smooth muscle cells

Abstract Hyperuricemia is thought to play a role in cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including hypertension, coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis. However, exactly how uric acid contributes to these pathologies is unknown. An underlying mechanism of inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis, includes enhanced production of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and superoxide anion. Here, we aimed to examine the effect of uric acid on inflammatory COX-2 and superoxide anion production and to determine the role of losartan. Primarily cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were time and dose-dependently induced by uric acid and COX-2 and superoxide anion levels were measured. COX-2 levels were determined by ELISA, and superoxide anion was measured by the superoxide dismutase (SOD)-inhibitable reduction of ferricytochrome c method. Uric acid elevated COX-2 levels in a time-dependent manner. Angiotensin-II receptor blocker, losartan, diminished uric-acid-induced COX-2 elevation. Uric acid also increased superoxide anion level in VSMCs. Uric acid plays an important role in CVD pathogenesis by inducing inflammatory COX-2 and ROS pathways. This is the first study demonstrating losartan’s ability to reduce uric-acid-induced COX-2 elevation.
Toll-Like Receptor 2–Blocking Antibodies Promote Angiogenesis and Induce ERK1/2 and AKT Signaling via CXCR4 in Endothelial Cells

Objective—Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) inhibition by function blocking antibodies (ABs) is associated with enhanced preservation of endothelial cell function during vascular disease. In the present study, we investigated the capacity of TLR2-blocking ABs to modulate the angiogenic response of endothelial cells in vitro and in vivo. Approach and Results—Incubation of endothelial cells with mono- or polyclonal anti-TLR2 ABs resulted in increased tube formation, sprouting, and migration of endothelial cells compared with controls. In a mouse model of hindlimb ischemia, using TLR2-deficient or anti-TLR2 AB–treated wild-type mice resulted in increased new capillary formation and enhanced reperfusion. The effects of anti-TLR2 ABs were similar to those exerted by stromal cell–derived factor-1, and we show that anti-TLR2 ABs yet not TLR2 ligands lead to comparable activation of extracellular signal–regulated kinase1/2 and AKT but not p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase as activation of the CXCR4 canonical signal transduction pathways by stromal cell–derived factor-1. Immunoprecipitation of TLR2 revealed that anti-TLR2 ABs initiate an association of TLR2 with CXCR4 and mitogen-activated protein kinase activation. The proangiogenic properties of anti-TLR2 ABs were abolished by both G-protein inhibition and CXCR4 knockdown in endothelial cells. Conclusions—Our results provide evidence for a proangiogenic effect of TLR2-blocking ABs on endothelial cells in vitro and in vivo. They identify a novel molecular mechanism linking TLR2 to angiogenic processes that is independent from the activation of inflammatory cascades and further support the concept of a beneficial effect of TLR2 inhibition for endothelial cell function in vascular disease.
Genre Theory and Historicism

Genre is a word whose time has come — and gone — and might now, perhaps, be coming back again. Debates about particular literary kinds have been common in literary criticism since Aristotle's Poetics, but they acquired a new intensity and reflexivity in the third quarter of the twentieth century, as structuralists and post-structuralists struggled to redefine the concept of genre itself. From Northrop Frye's Anatomy of Criticism (1957) through Jacques Derrida's "Law of Genre" (1980), genre theory gave scholars a way to connect literary works to durable cultural patterns — or challenge the possibility of that connection.
Methionine inhibits developmental aggregation of Myxococcus xanthus by blocking the biosynthesis of S-adenosyl methionine

Previous studies showed that high concentrations of methionine (> 1 mM) inhibited aggregation and fruiting body formation in Myxococcus xanthus (E. Rosenberg, D. Filer, D. Zafriti, and S. H. Kindler, J. Bacteriol. 115: 29-34, 1973, and J. M. Campos and D. R. Zusman, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 72:518-522, 1975). However, the mechanism for the inhibition was unclear. In this study, we found that high levels of methionine inhibited the biosynthesis of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and that reduced intracellular levels of SAM are correlated with defective chemotactic movements and reduced developmental gene expression. In addition, we found that methionine analogs and high concentrations of amino acids which are known to affect SAM synthesis in other bacteria, such as threonine, lysine, and isoleucine, also caused reduced cellular levels of SAM and blocked fruiting body formation in M. xanthus. These results indicate that SAM is required for development of M. xanthus and the inhibitory effect of methionine on development results, at least in part, from its blocking of the biosynthesis of SAM.
Iterative MMSE equalization and CFO compensation for the uplink SC‐FDMA transmission

Single‐carrier frequency division multiple access is greatly sensitive to carrier frequency offset (CFO) between transceivers. This leads to the destruction of orthogonality among subcarriers, which in turn leads to inter‐carrier interference and multiple access interference between different users. Minimum mean square error (MMSE) equalizer that uses an inverse operation on an interference matrix with a dimension equal to the number of subcarriers is normally used to invalidate CFO effects. Hence, the terminal processing complexity is very high. The proposed conjugate gradient method attempts to mitigate the higher computational complexity by iteratively evaluating the MMSE solution without direct matrix inverse operation. To further mitigate the multiple access interference, MMSE combined with parallel interference cancellation is also implemented. The analysis of the proposed method shows better performance and fast convergence in single‐carrier frequency division multiple access systems. The maximum iteration number to formulate an accurate solution is almost equal to the number of active users in the uplink access. Simulation results bring out the effectiveness of the present method compared with the existing CFO compensation schemes in terms of computational complication and system performance with large frequency offsets. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dispersion Properties of Optical Polymers

In this report dispersion properties of dierent types of optical polymers are discussed on the base of measured refractive indices and the Cauchy‐Schott approximation. A number of dispersion curves are presented in the visible and near infrared spectral regions between 400 and 1060 nm. A comparison with some optical glasses with similar refraction is performed. The nonlinear dependence of dn=d‚ of polymer materials and test glasses on the wavelength is calculated and analyzed. Normalized dispersion curves at 550 nm and 880 nm are presented to illustrate better the dispersion of the polymers in the considered spectral regions, separately. Abbe numbers are calculated to exhibit the mean and partial dispersion.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) In vitro evaluation of a novel bioreactor based on an integral oxygenator and a spirally wound nonwoven polyester matrix for hepatocyte culture as small aggregates

Citation for published version (APA): Flendrig, L. M. , la Soe, J. W. , Jorning, G. G. A. , Steenbeek, A. , Karlsen, O. T. , Bovee, W. M. M. J., . Chamuleau, R. A. F. M. (1997). In vitro evaluation of a novel bioreactor based on an integral oxygenator and a spirally wound nonwoven polyester matrix for hepatocyte culture as small aggregates. Journal of hepatology, 26, 1379-1392. DOI: 10.1016/S0168-8278(97)80475-8
Aalborg Universitet Progesterone , estradiol , arachidonic acid , oxytocin , forskolin and cAMP influence on aquaporin 1 and 5 expression in porcine uterine explants during the mid-luteal phase of the estrous cycle and luteolysis

Background: The cell membrane water channel protein, aquaporins (AQPs), regulate cellular water transport and cell volume and play a key role in water homeostasis. Recently, AQPs are considered as important players in the field of reproduction. In previous studies, we have established the presence of AQP1 and 5 in porcine uterus. Their expression at protein level altered in distinct tissues of the female reproductive system depending on the phase of the estrous cycle. However, the regulation of aquaporin genes and proteins expression has not been examined in porcine uterine tissue. Therefore, we have designed an in vitro experiment to explain whether steroid hormones, progesterone (P4) and estradiol (E2), and other factors: oxytocine (OT), arachidonic acid (AA; substrate for prostaglandins synthesis) as well as forskolin (FSK; adenylate cyclase activator) and cAMP (second messenger, cyclic adenosine monophosphate) may impact AQPs expression. Methods: Uterine tissues were collected on Days 10–12 and 14–16 of the estrous cycle representing the mid-luteal phase and luteolysis. Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to examine the expression of porcine AQP1 and AQP5. Their expression in the uterine explants was also evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results: The results indicated that uterine expression of AQP1 and AQP5 potentially remains under control of steroid hormones and AA-derived compounds (e.g. prostaglandins). P4, E2, AA, FSK and cAMP cause translocation of AQP5 from apical to the basolateral plasma membrane of the epithelial cells, which might affect the transcellular water movement (through epithelial cells) between uterine lumen and blood vessels. The AC/cAMP pathway is involved in the intracellular signals transduction connected with the regulation of AQPs expression in the pig uterus. Conclusions: This study documented specific patterns of AQP1 and AQP5 expression in response to P4, E2, AA, FSK and cAMP, thereby providing new indirect evidence of their role in maintaining the local fluid balance within the uterus during the mid-luteal phase of the estrous cycle and luteolysis in pigs.
What Goes Around Comes Around — Improving Linked Open Data through On-Demand Model Creation

We present a method for growing the amount of knowledge available on the Web using a hermeneutic method that involves background knowledge, Information Extraction techniques and validation through discourse and use of the extracted information. We exemplify this using Linked Data as background knowledge, automatic Model/Ontology creation for the IE part and a Semantic Browser for evaluation. The hermeneutic approach, however, is open to be used with other IE techniques and other evaluation methods. We will present results from the model creation and anecdotal evidence for the feasibility of "Validation through Use".
Predicting User-Centric Behavior : mobility and content popularity. (Prédiction du comportement des utilisateurs : mobilité et popularité des contenus)

Understanding user behavior is fundamental in the design of efficient communication systems. Unveiling the complex online and real-life interactions among users, deciphering online activity, or understanding user mobility patterns all forms of user activity have a direct impact on the performance of the network. But observing user behavior is not sufficient. To transform information in valuable knowledge, one needs however to make a step forward and go beyond observing and explaining the past to building models that will predict future behavior. In this thesis, we focus on the case of users consuming content on the move, especially when connectivity is poor or intermittent. We consider both traditional infrastructure-based communications and opportunistic device-to-device transfers between neighboring users. We offer new perspectives of how to use additional information about user behavior in the design of more efficient solutions for mobile opportunistic communications. In particular, we put forward the case that the collective user behavior, both in terms of content consumption and contacts between mobile users, can be used to build dynamic data replication strategies.
An agent structure for evaluating micro-level MAS performance

Although the need for well-established engineering approaches in Intelligent Systems (IS) performance evaluation is urging, currently no widely accepted methodology exists, mainly due to lack of consensus on relevant definitions and scope of applicability, multi-disciplinary issues and immaturity of the field of IS. Even existing well-tested evaluation methodologies applied in other domains, such as (traditional) software engineering, prove inadequate to address the unpredictable emerging factors of the behavior of intelligent components. In this paper, we present a generic methodology and associated tools for evaluating the performance of IS, by exploiting the software agent paradigm as a representative modeling concept for intelligent systems. Based on the assessment of observable behavior of agents or multi-agent systems, the proposed methodology provides a concise set of guidelines and representation tools for evaluators to use. The methodology comprises three main tasks, namely metrics selection, monitoring agent activities for appropriate measurements, and aggregation of the conducted measurements. Coupled to this methodology is the Evaluator Agent Framework, which aims at the automation of most of the provided steps of the methodology, by providing Graphical User Interfaces for metrics organization and results presentation, as well as a code generating module that produces a skeleton of a monitoring agent. Once this agent is completed with domain-specific code, it is appended to the runtime of a multi-agent system and collects information from observable events and messages. Both the evaluation methodology and the automation framework are tested and demonstrated in Symbiosis, a MAS simulation environment for competing groups of autonomous entities.
Reconocimiento de voz continua mediante técnicas MVQHMM

En el presente trabajo se desarrolla un sistema de reconocimiento de habla continua con el fin de abordar tareas reales a traves de una comunicacion hombre-maquina mas fluida.La exposicion de este trabajo comienza presentando el problema que se trata de abordar asi como las soluciones mas comunmente aceptadas y utilizadas en la bibliografia. En base a ellas se ha implementado un sistema base de referencia, para finalizar con el desarrollo de algunas propuestas particulares desarrollada por nuestro grupo. Las contribuciones al tema de reconocimiento introducidas en la presente tesis se perfilan a lo largo de los capitulos 5, 6 y 7: a) el primero de ellos no tiene por objeto el desarrollo de aspectos practicos del sistema de reconocimiento, sin la discusion y resolucion de aspectos colaterales. Se discute lo inadecuado de las medidas de comparacion de sistemas proponiendo una medida alternativa. Se proponen mejoras al sistema de referencia relativas a la seleccion dinamica de gausianas y reestimacion de medias y varianzas en los modelos schmm. Finalmente, se implementa un tipo de modelado acustico alternativo denominado mvqhmm, que proporciona mejoras significativas respecto al sistema de referencia.
Wet Chemical Synthesis of Silver Nanowire Thin Films at Ambient Temperature

Novel silver nanowire thin films, which consist of interwoven bundles of single-crystalline silver nanowires about 30−40 nm in diameter, have been successfully synthesized on glass wall by mild chemical reduction in aqueous solutions of poly(methacrylic acid) at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV−vis absorption spectroscopy have been used to characterize the obtained silver products. It was found that there existed a competition between precipitation of spherical particles, precipitation of individual nanowires, and formation of silver nanowire films. It was revealed that the negatively charged glass surface provided heterogeneous nucleation sites for the growth of bundles of silver nanowires. Appropriate pH values and polymer concentrations were crucial for the growth of dense silver nanowire films on the glass wall. A polymer-mediated heterogeneous nucleation and growth process has been proposed for the for.