Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quiescin-sulfhydryl oxidase inhibits prion formation in vitro

Prions are infectious proteins that cause a group of fatal transmissible diseases in animals and humans. The scrapie isoform (PrPSc) of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) is the only known component of the prion. Several lines of evidence have suggested that the formation and molecular features of PrPSc are associated with an abnormal unfolding/refolding process. Quiescin-sulfhydryl oxidase (QSOX) plays a role in protein folding by introducing disulfides into unfolded reduced proteins. Here we report that QSOX inhibits human prion propagation in protein misfolding cyclic amplification reactions and murine prion propagation in scrapie-infected neuroblastoma cells. Moreover, QSOX preferentially binds PrPSc from prion-infected human or animal brains, but not PrPC from uninfected brains. Surface plasmon resonance of the recombinant mouse PrP (moPrP) demonstrates that the affinity of QSOX for monomer is significantly lower than that for octamer (312 nM vs 1.7 nM). QSOX exhibits much lower affinity for N-terminally truncated moPrP (PrP89-230) than for the full-length moPrP (PrP23-231) (312 nM vs 2 nM), suggesting that the N-terminal region of PrP is critical for the interaction of PrP with QSOX. Our study indicates that QSOX may play a role in prion formation, which may open new therapeutic avenues for treating prion diseases.
Sequential Sampling with Economics of Selection Procedures

Sequential sampling problems arise in stochastic simulation and many other applications. Sampling is used to infer the unknown performance of several alternatives before one alternative is selected as best. This paper presents new economically motivated fully sequential sampling procedures to solve such problems, called economics of selection procedures. The optimal procedure is derived for comparing a known standard with one alternative whose unknown reward is inferred with sampling. That result motivates heuristics when multiple alternatives have unknown rewards. The resulting procedures are more effective in numerical experiments than any previously proposed procedure of which we are aware and are easily implemented. The key driver of the improvement is the use of dynamic programming to model sequential sampling as an option to learn before selecting an alternative. It accounts for the expected benefit of adaptive stopping policies for sampling, rather than of one-stage policies, as is common in the literature. This paper was accepted by Assaf Zeevi, stochastic models and simulation.
A Refinement to Ait-Sahalia's (2002) 'Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Discretely Sampled Diffusions: A Closed-Form Approximation Approach'

This paper provides a closed-form density approximation when the underlying state variable is a one-dimensional diffusion. Building on Ait-Sahalia (2002), we show that our refinement is applicable under a wide class of drift and diffusion functions. In addition, it facilitates the maximum likelihood estimation of discretely sampled diffusion models of short interest-rate or stock volatility with unknown conditional densities. Our interest-rate examples demonstrate that the analytical approximation is sufficiently accurate.
Visual Representation of Web Service Composition Problems through VLEPpO

This paper discusses the problem of the automatic composition of Semantic Web Services. Web Services constitute a new computing paradigm, which provides a standardized framework that facilitates the interoperability among software systems and machines that are accessible through the Internet. Semantics can significantly improve software reuse and discovery and allow the automatic composition of Web Services in order to produce large scale applications. The use of VLEPpO for the automatic composition of Web Services is proposed. VLEPpO is a visual programming tool for designing planning problems using visual elements and simple mouse operations. In the tool the user simply defines the properties of the available Web Services and the global goals of the application. Then VLEPpO automatically forms the description as a planning problem, solves it by calling an appropriate planning system and exports the solution either to a Web Service execution monitoring system or to a UDDI registry.
Niched Pareto Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm Optimization : Part II : A Simplified Born-Mayer Problem

A new multiobjective selection procedure for Genetic Algorithms based on the paradigms of fuzzy logic is discussed and compared to the niched Pareto selection procedure. In the example presented here the fuzzy logic procedure optimized the parameters of a series of functions in a more efficient manner than the niched Pareto approach. The main advantage that the fuzzy logic approach has over the niched Pareto approach is that its efficiency is completely independent of the number of objectives being optimized and its efficiency is highest with a comparison set size of 1 whereas the optimal comparison set size for the niched Pareto GA changes with the number of objectives. Furthermore, the fuzzy logic approach accounts for the existence of experimental errors in the values to which a function is being optimized. The functions explored in this work are the derivitives of a simplified Born-Mayer function used in molecular dynamic simulations.
Alleviating class imbalance problem in data mining

The class imbalance problem in two-class data sets is one of the most important problems. When samples of one class in a training data set vastly outnumber samples of the other class, standard machine learning algorithms tend to be overwhelmed by the majority class and ignore the minority class. There are several algorithms to alleviate the problem of class imbalance in literature. In this paper experiments have been done comparing the existing algorithms with each other and the algorithm which has the best performance tried to be found.
[POSTER] Deformation Estimation of Elastic Bodies Using Multiple Silhouette Images for Endoscopic Image Augmentation

This study proposes a method to estimate elastic deformation using silhouettes obtained from multiple endoscopic images. Our method can estimate the intraoperative deformation of organs using a volumetric mesh model reconstructed from preoperative CT data. We use this elastic body silhouette information of elastic bodies not to model the shape but to estimate the local displacements. The model shape is updated to satisfy the silhouette constraint while preserving the shape as much as possible. The result of the experiments showed that the proposed methods could estimate the deformation with root mean square (RMS) errors of 5.0&ndash;10 mm.
CD24 promoted cancer cell angiogenesis via Hsp90-mediated STAT3/VEGF signaling pathway in colorectal cancer

CD24 is involved in tumor progression of various cancers, but the effects of CD24 on tumor angiogenesis in colorectal cancer are still unknown. We aimed to investigate the underlying mechanism and role of CD24 on colorectal cancer (CRC) angiogenesis. Our data showed that the microvessal density (MVD) was related to the expression of CD24 in primary and metastasis CRC. Silencing of CD24 could dramatically decrease human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration, invasion and tubule formation, but trivially affected cell proliferation. We also mechanically showed that silencing CD24 could downregulate the expression of VEGF via inhibiting the phosphorylation and translocation of STAT3. Moreover, Hsp90 was identified as the down-interaction protein of CD24 with co-immunoprecipitation assay and systematic mass spectrometry. Immunofluorescence results showed Hsp90 partly co-localized with CD24 in CRC cell membrane and there was a positive correlation between CD24 and Hsp90 expression in CRC tissues. We gradually evidenced that Hsp90 modulated the stability and degradation of CD24 in a proteasome-depended manner, and transferred the signal transmission from CD24 to STAT3. 17-AAG, a specific Hsp90, could abrogate the CD24 induce- HUVEC migration, invasion and tubule formation in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our results suggested that CD24 induced CRC angiogenesis in Hsp90-dependent manner and activated STAT3-mediated transcription of VEGF. We provided a new insight into the regulation mechanism of tumor angiogenesis by exploring the role of CD24 in angiogenesis.
MultiConVis: A Visual Text Analytics System for Exploring a Collection of Online Conversations

Online conversations, such as blogs, provide rich amount of information and opinions about popular queries. Given a query, traditional blog sites return a set of conversations often consisting of thousands of comments with complex thread structure. Since the interfaces of these blog sites do not provide any overview of the data, it becomes very difficult for the user to explore and analyze such a large amount of conversational data. In this paper, we present MultiConVis, a visual text analytics system designed to support the exploration of a collection of online conversations. Our system tightly integrates NLP techniques for topic modeling and sentiment analysis with information visualizations, by considering the unique characteristics of online conversations. The resulting interface supports the user exploration, starting from a possibly large set of conversations, then narrowing down to the subset of conversations, and eventually drilling-down to the set of comments of one conversation. Our evaluations through case studies with domain experts and a formal user study with regular blog readers illustrate the potential benefits of our approach, when compared to a traditional blog reading interface.
Interpolating head related transfer functions in the median plane

This paper describes the interpolation of head related transfer functions (HRTFs) for all direction in the median plane. The interpolation of HRTFs enables us to reduce the number of measurements for new user's HRTFs, and also reduce the data of HRTFs in auditory virtual systems. In this paper, a simple linear interpolation method and the spline interpolation method are evaluated and advantages of both methods clarified. In experiments, the interpolation methods are applied to HRTFs measured using a dummy head. The experimental results show that the two methods are comparable in the best case. The resultant minimum spectral distortion is about 2 dB for both methods. The results clarify that the linear interpolation is effective for a set of elevations selected based on the cross correlation and that the spline interpolation is effective at large and equal intervals. These results indicate that HRTFs in the median plane can be interpolated by the methods.
Does student-centered instruction engage students differently? The moderation effect of student ethnicity

Abstract Student-centered instruction is featured in reforms that aim to improve excellence and equity in mathematics education. Although research on stereotype threat suggests that student-centered instruction may have differential effects on racial minority students, the relationship between student-centered mathematics instruction and student engagement remains understudied. This study examined the relationship between student-centered mathematics instruction and adolescents’ behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social engagement in mathematics and whether the relationship differed by ethnicity. The authors used a multilevel path analysis with data from 3,883 sixth- to 12th-grade students (52.1% girls, 38.2% eligible for free/reduced lunch, 66.1% Caucasian, 23.8% African American, 7.2% multiracial, and 2.9% Asian American). The results showed that student-centered instruction was positively related to all dimensions of mathematics engagement. However, the positive association between student-centered mathematics instruction and student engagement was weaker for African American students. This study provides empirical evidence for the benefits of student-centered instruction while suggesting differential effects based on students’ ethnicity.
Modular Minimization of Deterministic Finite State Machines

This work presents a modular technique for minimizing a deterministic nite state ma chine FSM while preserving its equivalence to the original system Being modular the minimization technique should consume less time and space Preserving equivalence the resulting minimized model can be employed in both temporal logic model checking and sequential equivalence checking thus reducing their time and space consumption As deterministic FSMs are commonly used for modeling hardware designs our approach is suitable for formal veri cation of such designs We develop a new BDD framework for the representation and manipulation of func tions and show how our minimization technique can be e ectively implemented within this framework
A Least-Squares Approach for Extending Common Spatial Pattern Algorithm to Multi-class in Brain-Computer Interfaces

Common spatial pattern (CSP) algorithm achieves great success in two-class motor imagery based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Low information transfer rate is an intrinsic drawback of binary BCIs that limits their practical application. This paper generalizes the CSP algorithm from two-class to multi-class using a least-squares approach. The multi-class CSP algorithm is implemented by approximate joint diagonalization of multiple covariance matrices based on Frobenius norm formulation. Five subjects participated in a BCI experiment during which they were instructed to imagine movement of left hand, right hand or foot. The multi-class CSP algorithm is applied to the five data sets recorded during the BCI experiment. The averaged classification accuracy of 85.8% is acquired and the operating speed of the algorithm is fast, verifying the usefulness and effectiveness of the method.
Touristic Destinations’ Perceived Risk And Perceived Value As Indicators Of E-Wom And Revisit Intentions

In the process of destination selection, it is known that tourists perceive many different risks and use eWOM behavior as a risk reduction tool. Also the risks that consumers perceive are influential on the values they perceive. For this reason, spreading positive eWOM messages and encouraging revisit intentions are seen as significant competitive advantages in terms of destination management. In this context, to measure the effects of tourists’ perceived risk on their perceived value and the effects of their perceived value on their eWOM dissemination and revisit intentions, have been identified as the main objectives of this study. The sample of the study consists 228 tourists who visited the Fethiye (TR) destination in 2017. As a result of analysis of the data with Structural Equation Modeling, it is found that perceived risk variable has an impact on perceived value, perceived value variable has impacts on eWOM dissemination intention and revisit intention and eWOM dissemination intention has an impact on revisit intention.
X-ray emission from T Tauri stars

We have modelled the X-ray emission of T Tauri stars assuming that they have isothermal, magnetically confined coronae. These coronae extend outwards until either the pressure of the hot coronal gas overcomes the magnetic field, or, if the corona interacts with a disc before this happens, by the action of the disc itself. This work is motivated by the results of the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project that show an increase in the X-ray emission measure (EM) with increasing stellar mass. We find that this variation (and its large scatter) results naturally from the variation in the sizes of the stellar coronae. The reduction in the magnitude of the X-ray emission due to the presence of a disc stripping the outer parts of the stellar corona is most pronounced for the lower mass stars. The higher mass stars with their greater surface gravities have coronae that typically do not extend out as far as the inner edge of the disc and so are less affected by it. For these stars, accretion takes place along open field lines that connect to the disc. By extrapolating surface magnetograms of young main-sequence stars, we have examined the effect on the X-ray emission of a realistic degree of field complexity. We find that the complex fields (which are more compact) give densities of some (2.5-0.6) x 10 10 cm -3 . This is consistent with density estimates of (1-8) x 10 10 cm -3 from modelling of individual flares. A simple dipole field in contrast gives densities typically an order of magnitude less. For the complex fields, we also find surface hotspots at a range of latitudes and longitudes with surface-filling factors of only a few per cent. We find that the dipolar fields give a relationship between X-ray EM and stellar mass that is somewhat steeper than observed, while the complex fields give a relation that is shallower than observed. This may suggest that T Tauri stars have coronal fields that are slightly more extended than their main-sequence counterparts, but not as extended as a purely dipolar field.
Y-chromosome evidence supports widespread signatures of three-species Canis hybridization in eastern North America

There has been considerable discussion on the origin of the red wolf and eastern wolf and their evolution independent of the gray wolf. We analyzed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and a Y-chromosome intron sequence in combination with Y-chromosome microsatellites from wolves and coyotes within the range of extensive wolf–coyote hybridization, that is, eastern North America. The detection of divergent Y-chromosome haplotypes in the historic range of the eastern wolf is concordant with earlier mtDNA findings, and the absence of these haplotypes in western coyotes supports the existence of the North American evolved eastern wolf (Canis lycaon). Having haplotypes observed exclusively in eastern North America as a result of insufficient sampling in the historic range of the coyote or that these lineages subsequently went extinct in western geographies is unlikely given that eastern-specific mtDNA and Y-chromosome haplotypes represent lineages divergent from those observed in extant western coyotes. By combining Y-chromosome and mtDNA distributional patterns, we identified hybrid genomes of eastern wolf, coyote, gray wolf, and potentially dog origin in Canis populations of central and eastern North America. The natural contemporary eastern Canis populations represent an important example of widespread introgression resulting in hybrid genomes across the original C. lycaon range that appears to be facilitated by the eastern wolf acting as a conduit for hybridization. Applying conventional taxonomic nomenclature and species-based conservation initiatives, particularly in human-modified landscapes, may be counterproductive to the effective management of these hybrids and fails to consider their evolutionary potential.
Investigating syntactic priming during sentence comprehension in developmental dyslexia: evidence for behavioral and neuronal effects

Developmental dyslexia (hereafter, dyslexia) is a specific learning disorder of neurological origin primarily caused by a deficit in phonological processing (Lyon et al., 2003; Ramus, 2003; Snowling, 1995). Although considerable research in dyslexia has been devoted to a phonological deficit, rather less attention has been paid to the question to what extent other aspects of language processing are affected in dyslexia (Rüsseler, Becker, Johannes, & Münte, 2007). The present dissertation aimed at exploring sentence processing in individuals with dyslexia using the syntactic priming paradigm. More specifically, this dissertation sought to explore (1) whether dyslexics are susceptible to syntactic priming effects; (2) whether these effects are long-lasting and cumulative; (3) whether these effects are comparable to the ones observed in the control group; (4) how behavioral priming effects correlate with the brain activity measured by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The dissertation reports three studies that employed a self-paced reading task where the syntactic structure of active and passive sentences as well as the headword (the verb) were repeated between prime and target sentences. Study I and Study III investigated behavioral priming effects in 20 dyslexic and 25 control children and in 20 dyslexic and 21 control adults, respectively. Study II examined fMRI syntactic priming effects in 8 dyslexic children. The behavioral results revealed that dyslexics had stronger syntactic priming effects for passives than actives and these effects were long lasting and cumulative. In comparison to the control group, dyslexics also experienced more benefits of priming effects in the form of reduced reading time. The fMRI results showed repetition enhancement effects in the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and the left middle frontal gyrus (LMFG) for passives and a repetition suppression effect in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) for actives. Together, the results of the three studies suggest that stronger syntactic priming effects for the infrequent passive structure rather than the frequent active structure are due to surprisal-sensitivite persistence (Jaeger & Snider, 2007). Contrasting patterns of syntactic priming effects between two conditions (passives and actives) as well as between the two group populations (dyslexics and non-dyslexics) indicate that dyslexics differ qualitatively from non-dyslexics in processing syntax. Importantly, longlasting and cumulative effects for passives in the dyslexic population provide support to implicit learning as the principal mechanism behind syntactic priming (Chang, Dell, & Bock, 2006).
Promoting Upstanding Behavior in Youth: A Proposed Model

Despite what we have learned about the causes and consequences of bullying, efforts to reduce bullying through interventions to date have yielded modest results. Most bullying prevention efforts have targeted perpetrators and victims, ignoring the powerful role that observers play in maintaining cycles of bullying. This article presents literature from the fields of bystander behavior, empathy training, multicultural education, and ally/social justice orientation development; integrates relevant findings; and proposes a comprehensive model of upstanding behavior to inform prevention efforts. Through helping youth understand the value of being upstanders, there is a greater propensity for our schools and communities to become safer, more compassionate places that value the contributions of all members.