Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY , TOTAL PHENOLIC AND METALS CONTENTS OF LACTARIUS SALMONICOLOR ( R . HEIM & LECLAIR )

The mushroom Lactarius salmonicolor (R. Heim & Leclair) was investigated for its antioxidant potential, total phenolic and metal contents. The antioxidant activity was studied by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-Azinobis(3ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radicals scavenging, reducing power, ferrous ion chelating and 15lipoxygenase inhibition assays. The total phenolic content was evaluated using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The metals content was analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The ethanolic extract, having a total phenolic content of 11.47 ± 0.19 mg/g, showed a high 15-lipoxygenase inhibitory activity being only 3.5 times less active than (+)-catechin (EC50 = 226.67 ± 0.95 and 64.17 ± 0.15 μg/mL, respectively). The concentrations of As, Cd and Hg in the fruiting bodies were found to be 0.3 ± 0.0, 0.05 ± 0.00 and 0.14 ± 0.00 mg/kg, respectively. With respect to these metals, the consumption of 300 g fresh or 30 g dry fruiting bodies daily has no health risk for the consumer. L. salmonicolor fruiting bodies proved to be an important source of Ca (3607.98 ± 1.15 mg/kg), Mg (934.67 ± 1.07 mg/kg), Se (1.49 ± 0.11 mg/kg) and Zn (152.53 ± 1.05 mg/kg). The results are promising regarding a possible use of L. salmonicolor ethanolic extract in the food supplements industry.
Adaptations of skeletal muscle to exercise: rapid increase in the transcriptional coactivator PGC‐1

Endurance exercise induces increases in mitochondria and the GLUT4 isoform of the glucose transporter in muscle. Although little is known about the mechanisms underlying these adaptations, new information has accumulated regarding how mitochondrial biogenesis and GLUT4 expression are regulated. This includes the findings that the transcriptional coactivator PGC‐1 promotes mitochondrial biogenesis and that NRF‐1 and NRF‐2 act as transcriptional activators of genes encoding mitochondrial enzymes. We tested the hypothesis that increases in PGC‐1, NRF‐1, and NRF‐2 are involved in the initial adaptive response of muscle to exercise. Five daily bouts of swimming induced increases in mitochondrial enzymes and GLUT4 in skeletal muscle in rats. One exercise bout resulted in ~ twofold increases in full‐length muscle PGC‐1 mRNA and PGC‐1 protein, which were evident 18 h after exercise. A smaller form of PGC‐1 increased after exercise. The exercise induced increases in muscle NRF‐1 and NRF‐2 that were evident 12 to 18 h after one exercise bout. These findings suggest that increases in PGC‐1, NRF‐1, and NRF‐2 represent key regulatory components of the stimulation of mitochondrial biogenesis by exercise and that PGC‐1 mediates the coordinated increases in GLUT4 and mitochondria. —Baar, K. , Wende, A. R. , Jones, T. E. , Marison, M. , Nolte, L. A. , Chen, M. , Kelly, D. P., Holloszy, J. O. Adaptations of skeletal muscle to exercise: rapid increase in the transcriptional coactivator PGC‐1. FASEB J. 16, 1879–1886 (2002)
Structured Output Learning with High Order Loss Functions

Often when modeling structured domains, it is desirable to leverage information that is not naturally expressed as simply a label. Examples include knowledge about the evaluation measure that will be used at test time, and partial (weak) label information. When the additional information has structure that factorizes according to small subsets of variables (i.e., is low order, or decomposable), several approaches can be used to incorporate it into a learning procedure. Our focus in this work is the more challenging case, where the additional information does not factorize according to low order graphical model structure; we call this the high order case. We propose to formalize various forms of this additional information as high order loss functions, which may have complex interactions over large subsets of variables. We then address the computational challenges inherent in learning according to such loss functions, particularly focusing on the loss-augmented inference problem that arises in large margin learning; we show that learning with high order loss functions is often practical, giving strong empirical results, with one popular and several novel high-order loss functions, in several settings.
Component Games on Regular Graphs

We study the (1:b) Maker–Breaker component game, played on the edge set of a d-regular graph. Maker's aim in this game is to build a large connected component, while Breaker's aim is to prevent him from doing so. For all values of Breaker's bias b, we determine whether Breaker wins (on any d-regular graph) or Maker wins (on almost every d-regular graph) and provide explicit winning strategies for both players. To this end, we prove an extension of a theorem of Gallai, Hasse, Roy and Vitaver about graph orientations without long directed simple paths.
Role of fibrin D-dimer testing in emergency medicine

Objectives: Systemic values of the fibrinolytic plasma marker fibrin D-dimer are raised in a variety of acute clinical conditions. D-dimer values can now be rapidly determined and used to aid diagnosis in emergency medicine. However, despite clinical guidelines, inappropriate and unnecessary measurement of D-dimer values is a significant clinical problem. An understanding of the pathophysiological basis and limitations of the value of D-dimer values may help reduce this problem. This review discusses the pathophysiology of the fibrinolytic system. The currently used assays, clinical indications, and limitations of D-dimer measurement are reviewed. Finally, the potential future clinical indications for measurement of D-dimer values in emergency medicine are discussed. Methods: Literature on D-dimer was identified from Medline, along with cross referencing from the reference lists of major articles on the subject Results and conclusions: Systemic D-dimer values aids diagnosis, and is potentially a prognostic indicator, in a variety of clinical conditions in emergency medicine. However, it has limited specificity in patients with comorbid conditions. Although, currently, there is no standard D-dimer assay, immunoturbidimetric assays are the most suitable for use in emergency medicine
How to Close a Stock Market ? The Impact of a Closing Call Auction on Prices and Trading Strategies

We study the effects of the introduction of the call auction at the closing stage of the trading day in Borsa Italiana’s (BIt) equity markets. We show that the Closing Call Auction (CCA) reduces spreads and volatility right before the close. We attribute this change in market quality to agents’ reactions to the new trading opportunity offered by the CCA and we document this explanation by analyzing the effect of the introduction of the CCA on the trading aggressiveness of various types of market participants around the close. We also show how the volume allocation between the end of the continuous phase and the CCA is strongly affected by the BIt decision not to use the Closing Auction Price as the Reference Price for the settlement of financial contracts, using instead a weighted average price of the last 10% of the daily volume. We compare this outcome with that from the introduction of the CCA on Euronext Paris (formerly the Paris Bourse), where the Closing Auction Price is the closing price. Finally, we investigate its effects on the price discovery process, and show that the CCA improved price discovery of the closing prices.
Efficient Object Detection and Matching Using Feature Classification

This paper presents a new approach for efficient object detection and matching in images and videos. We propose a stage based on a classification scheme that classifies the extracted features in new images into object features and non-object features. This binary classification scheme has turned out to be an efficient tool that can be used for object detection and matching. By means of this classification not only the matching process becomes more robust and faster but also the robust object registration becomes fast. We provide quantitative evaluations showing the advantages of using the classification stage for object matching and registration. Our approach could lend itself nicely to real-time object tracking and detection.
LangPro: Natural Language Theorem Prover

LangPro is an automated theorem prover for natural language. Given a set of premises and a hypothesis, it is able to prove semantic relations between them. The prover is based on a version of analytic tableau method specially designed for natural logic. The proof procedure operates on logical forms that preserve linguistic expressions to a large extent. %This property makes the logical forms easily obtainable from syntactic trees. %, in particular, Combinatory Categorial Grammar derivation trees. The nature of proofs is deductive and transparent. On the FraCaS and SICK textual entailment datasets, the prover achieves high results comparable to state-of-the-art.
Aspects of AOP : An Exploration of the Aspect-Oriented Paradigm

As software becomes increasingly complex, the need for abstraction and modularization of system functionality grows harmoniously. Limiting scope to certain aspects of functionality and building upon previous functional analyses compositionally can alleviate complexities associated with building large, sophisticated software systems. Leveraging functional decomposition, design by contract, data abstraction, and other design mechanisms can help separate concerns of system functionality into encapsulated, yet related units. Unfortunately, these traditional techniques may not be powerful enough to solidify common, global concerns that may encompass multiple aspects of functionality. The Aspect-oriented paradigm attempts to solve this problem by modularizing functionality that commonly pertains to multiple functional units, also called cross-cutting concerns. This paper explores the intricacies of the Aspect-oriented paradigm, discussing its nature, motivation, open issues, and relationship to traditional software development approaches and disciplines.
A new algorithm for compressive sensing based on total-variation norm

A new algorithm for the reconstruction of images with sparse gradient is proposed. The algorithm is based on the minimization of the so called total-variation (TV) regularized squared error and is especially suited for image reconstruction from a small number of measurements. The algorithm is developed based on a generalized TV norm and uses a sequential conjugate-gradient method. Simulation results are presented which demonstrate that the proposed algorithm yields significantly improved reconstruction performance for images with sparse gradient and requires significantly reduced computational effort relative to the log-barrier based TV-regularized least-squares algorithm.
Low temperature‐induced dimerization of the bovine sperm serine protease, BSp66

BSp120 and BSp66 are trypsin‐like serine proteases from bovine spermatozoa. The former is active in cryopreserved sperm samples while the latter shows proteolytic activity in recently obtained fresh sperm. Both proteases are immunologically related and co‐localize in the apical portion of the sperm head. In Western blots with specific antibodies, sperm samples incubated with reducing agents showed a decrease in the amount of BSp120, while BSp66 was detected with both anti‐BSp120 and anti‐BSp66 antibodies. BSp120 was evident in frozen intact spermatozoa after 60 days of semen cryopreservation and the kinetic of appearance of this protein was coincident with the decrease in the amount of BSp66. Identical results were obtained by freezing sperm extracts from fresh semen at −20°C. Our results suggest that BSp120 results from disulfide bond‐dimerization of BSp66 and that this process may be induced by temperatures below zero in both intact spermatozoa and in sperm extracts. J. Cell. Biochem. 88: 1057–1065, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The entropy formula for the Ricci flow and its geometric applications

We present a monotonic expression for the Ricci flow, valid in all dimensions and without curvature assumptions. It is interpreted as an entropy for a certain canonical ensemble. Several geometric applications are given. In particular, (1) Ricci flow, considered on the space of riemannian metrics modulo diffeomorphism and scaling, has no nontrivial periodic orbits (that is, other than fixed points); (2) In a region, where singularity is forming in finite time, the injectivity radius is controlled by the curvature; (3) Ricci flow can not quickly turn an almost euclidean region into a very curved one, no matter what happens far away. We also verify several assertions related to Richard Hamilton's program for the proof of Thurston geometrization conjecture for closed three-manifolds, and give a sketch of an eclectic proof of this conjecture, making use of earlier results on collapsing with local lower curvature bound.
Semi-definite programming approach to sensor network node localization with anchor position uncertainty

The problem of node localization in a wireless sensor network (WSN) with the use of the incomplete and noisy distance measurements between nodes as well as anchor position information is currently an an important yet challenging research topic. Most WSN localization studies at present have assumed that the anchor positions are perfectly known which is not valid in the underwater and underground scenarios. In this paper, semi-definite programming (SDP) algorithms are devised for finding the localizations of unknown-position nodes in the presence of anchor position uncertainty. Computer simulations are included to contrast the performance of the proposed algorithms with the conventional SDP method and Cramér-Rao lower bound.
Putting Context in Context: The Role and Design of Context Management in a Mobility and Adaptation Enabling Middleware

The operating context of mobile applications and services is constantly changing. In order to achieve higher levels of usability, mobile applications and services need to adapt to changes in context. This paper argues the need for adaptation enabling middleware that simplifies the development of context aware adaptive applications, and makes it economically and practically feasible to develop such applications. We claim that the traditional approach of simply providing contextual information to applications and let them handle the adaptation can be ineffective. We suggest a holistic approach where context management is an integral part of a more comprehensive adaptation enabling middleware. This paper describes the role and the design of the context management component in such a middleware architecture. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated in a scenario where proof-of-concept implementations have been developed and evaluated.
An experimental mobile robot platform for the study of dynamic effects and high speed control

In this article a wheeled mobile robot system is presented, designed for the investigation of vehicle properties at dynamic maneuvering. The proposed solution comprises two different aspects: the mechanical design and a system-on-chip control system. As many other differentially steered mobile robots, the vehicle has two coaxial driving wheels and a passive castor wheel. This freely moving unconstrained wheel is equipped with additional rotary encoders, while the wheel angular speeds are accurately determined by a hardware timer based measurement. Thus, improved vehicle speed estimation is achieved, including the detection and quantification of possible slip on the actuated wheels. These measurements are sufficiently accurate to derive of a simple case specific empirical tire model, based only on odometry data.
Cell Cycle–related Changes in the Conducting Properties of r-eag K+ Channels

Release from arrest in G2 phase of the cell cycle causes profound changes in rat ether-à-go-go (r-eag) K+ channels heterologously expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The most evident consequence of the onset of maturation is the appearance of rectification in the r-eag current. The trigger for these changes is located downstream of the activation of mitosis-promoting factor (MPF). We demonstrate here that the rectification is due to a voltage-dependent block by intracellular Na+ ions. Manipulation of the intracellular Na+ concentration indicates that the site of Na+ block is located ∼45% into the electrical distance of the pore and is only present in oocytes undergoing maturation. Since the currents through excised patches from immature oocytes exhibited a fast rundown, we studied CHO-K1 cells permanently transfected with r-eag. These cells displayed currents with a variable degree of block by Na+ and variable permeability to Cs+. Partial synchronization of the cultures in G0/G1 or M phases of the cell cycle greatly reduced the variability. The combined data obtained from mammalian cells and oocytes strongly suggest that the permeability properties of r-eag K+ channels are modulated during cell cycle–related processes.
Songs in the key of life : the Musical habitus and young people's community music participation

Community arts initiatives have risen quickly up the agendas of policymakers and local authorities alike in recent years. In particular, low-cost and flexible community arts projects have increasingly been framed as an effective means of combating social exclusion and contributing to neighbourhood renewal. Yet at a time when the community arts movement is benefiting from unprecedented levels of funding and rhetorical backing, the need to resolve complex questions surrounding eYaluation, outcomes and conflicting agendas persists. Focussing upon the community music participation of 'young people living in areas of social and economic need who might otherwise lack opportunity' (Youth Music 2006), this thesis seeks to make a key contribution in the developing academic study of community arts activities. The study draws upon and adapts the work of Pierre Bourdieu in proposing a theory of musical habitus. This theory recognises the significantly socially structured and structuring elements of actors' habitus and the implications of their correspondingly varied valuations at the level of musical meaning. On the basis of an appreciation of actors' musical habitus, the degree to which specific forms of community music participation initially appeal to and sustain the interest of young people is portrayed as responding to patterns of a quasipredictable yet at the same time indeterminate nature. The theory of musical habitus seeks to be of heuristic value to those hoping to comprehend the outcomes of community music participation and respond to calls for the community arts to 'identify best practice [and] understand processes and the type of provision best suited to achieve particular outcomes' (Coalter 1991). The study was undertaken in collaboration with the Learning and Participation Department of The Sage Gateshead. Taking four cases studies, the methodological approach was participatory and ethnographic and the data collection methods employed included participant observation, informal group discussion and semistructured interviews.
Phagocytosis by neutrophils induces an amino acid deprivation response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans

The transcriptional profiles of yeast cells that have been phagocytosed by either human neutrophils or monocytes were compared by using whole genome arrays. After phagocytosis by neutrophils, both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans respond by inducing genes of the methionine and arginine pathways. Neither of these pathways is induced upon phagocytosis by monocytes. Both fungi show a similar induction of these pathways when transferred from amino acid-rich medium to amino acid-deficient medium. These data suggest that the internal phagosome of the neutrophil is an amino acid-deficient environment.
High Molecular Weight Kininogen Binds Phosphatidylserine and Opsonizes Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor–Mediated Efferocytosis

Phagocytosis of apoptotic cells (efferocytosis) is essential for regulation of immune responses and tissue homeostasis and is mediated by phagocytic receptors. In this study, we found that urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) plays an important role in internalization of apoptotic cells and also characterized the underlying mechanisms. In a flow cytometry–based phagocytic assay, uPAR-deficient macrophages displayed significant defect in internalization but not tethering of apoptotic cells. When uPAR-deficient mice were challenged with apoptotic cells, they exhibited pronounced splenomegaly resulting from accumulation of abundant apoptotic cells in spleen. Overexpression of uPAR in HEK-293 cells enhanced efferocytosis, which was inhibited by Annexin V and phosphatidylserine (PS) liposome, suggesting that uPAR-mediated efferocytosis is dependent on PS. In serum lacking high m.w. kininogen (HK), a uPAR ligand, uPAR-mediated efferocytosis was significantly attenuated, which was rescued by replenishment of HK. As detected by flow cytometry, HK selectively bound to apoptotic cells, but not viable cells. In purified systems, HK was specifically associated with PS liposome. HK binding to apoptotic cells induced its rapid cleavage to the two-chain form of HK (HKa) and bradykinin. Both the H chain and L chain of HKa were associated with PS liposome and apoptotic cells. HKa has higher binding affinity than HK to uPAR. Overexpression of Rac1/N17 cDNA inhibited uPAR-mediated efferocytosis. HK plus PS liposome stimulated a complex formation of CrkII with p130Cas and Dock-180 and Rac1 activation in uPAR-293 cells, but not in control HEK-293 cells. Thus, uPAR mediates efferocytosis through HK interaction with PS on apoptotic cells and activation of the Rac1 pathway.