Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Activities of Antioxidant Scavenger Enzymes (Superoxide Dismutase and Glutathione Peroxidase) in Erythrocytes in Adult Women With and Without Type II Diabetes

It is widely believed that oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of type II diabetes. The present study was undertaken to examine the functioning of two antioxidant scavenger enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), in erythrocytes in a population of healthy aging adult women compared with a similar population with type II diabetes. Blood samples were examined from 42 female adult healthy subjects at different ages and from 59 female patients with type II diabetes. A significant increase in SOD activities was correlated with aging in erythrocytes of the healthy control subjects (r = .550, P = .001); however, this correlation was not found in subjects with type II diabetes (r = .250, P < .07). A trend showing a reduction in glutathione peroxidase activities was demonstrated with aging (r = −.331, P = .228); however, this trend was not found in diabetic subjects (r = .031, P < .820). The results indicate a possible imbalance in the antioxidant system in erythrocytes of aging adult women, which is even more pronounced in cases of type II diabetes. This study may indicate possible therapeutic treatment or preventive measures to limit oxidative damage and reduce complications of diabetes.
Lyon’s Auditory Model Inversion: a Tool for Sound Separation and Speech Enhancement

A new implementation of Lyon’s Auditory Model and an optimised inversion procedure will be presented. Both the passive and active Lyon’s cochlea models were studied as new signal processing analysis schemes, while only the first one was considered regarding the inversion procedure. Following the work of M. Slaney, sound resynthesis was obtained inverting the correlogram representation by a new optimised algorithm. The utility of auditory model inversion will be emphasised focusing on the problem of speech enhancement and sound separation.
Expression Profile of Long Noncoding RNAs in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a key role in regulating immunological functions. Their impact on the chronic inflammatory disease multiple sclerosis (MS), however, remains unknown. We investigated the expression of lncRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with MS and attempt to explain their possible role in the process of MS.
Conspicuous male coloration impairs survival against avian predators in Aegean wall lizards, Podarcis erhardii

Abstract Animal coloration is strikingly diverse in nature. Within‐species color variation can arise through local adaptation for camouflage, sexual dimorphism and conspicuous sexual signals, which often have conflicting effects on survival. Here, we tested whether color variation between two island populations of Aegean wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii) is due to sexual dimorphism and differential survival of individuals varying in appearance. On both islands, we measured attack rates by wild avian predators on clay models matching the coloration of real male and female P. erhardii from each island population, modeled to avian predator vision. Avian predator attack rates differed among model treatments, although only on one island. Male‐colored models, which were more conspicuous against their experimental backgrounds to avian predators, were accordingly detected and attacked more frequently by birds than less conspicuous female‐colored models. This suggests that female coloration has evolved primarily under selection for camouflage, whereas sexually competing males exhibit costly conspicuous coloration. Unexpectedly, there was no difference in avian attack frequency between local and non‐local model types. This may have arisen if the models did not resemble lizard coloration with sufficient precision, or if real lizards behaviorally choose backgrounds that improve camouflage. Overall, these results show that sexually dimorphic coloration can affect the risk of predator attacks, indicating that color variation within a species can be caused by interactions between natural and sexual selection. However, more work is needed to determine how these findings depend on the island environment that each population inhabits.
Long-acting inhaled bronchodilators in COPD: how many drugs do we need?

Bronchodilators remain the mainstay of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management and are recommended for the treatment of symptomatic patients at all stages of this disease 1. For many years studies of these drugs focussed on changes in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) or, occasionally, forced vital or slow vital capacity, believing that these robust and reproducible end-points were a legitimate surrogate for the changes in symptomatology, which were the real interest of patients and clinicians alike. By the 1990s, this comfortable assumption had been challenged when it became clear that individual improvement in exercise capacity and breathlessness were not closely related to changes in the magnitude of these spirometric indices 2. This stimulated research into the determinants of exercise performance and dyspnoea in COPD, and why spirometry was of so little help in predicting symptomatic improvement. A range of mechanisms have been identified and have recently been reviewed 3. Principal among these is the change in end-expiratory lung volume (EELV) during exercise in COPD patients. When healthy subjects exercise, EELV is reduced helping to keep the operating lung volumes on the steeper part of the pressure-volume relationship. COPD patients with tidal expiratory flow limitation must either allow EELV to rise 4, or try to overcome flow limitation at their initial lung volume an unsatisfactory strategy which limits exercise performance 5. Most patients with more severe disease adopt for the former approach which allows them to exercise longer, but at the cost of increasing difficulty in breathing as …
Comparison of the efficacy of moclobemide and fluvoxamine in elderly patients with a severe depressive episode

Summary In a double-blind study carried out on elderly patients (older than 65 years) the efficacy and tolerability of the new antidepressant moclobemide was compared. Moclobemide belongs to a new class of substances called RIMA (Reversible inhibitor of the monoamine oxidase type A). Fluvoxamine, a selective reuptake-inhibitor of 5-HT, belongs to a class of antidepressants known for their better tolerability compared to tricyclic especially with elderly patients. Forty elderly patients (mean age 75 years) with major depression (according to DSM III) were randomized to receive either moclobemide (300 mg) or fluvoxamine (100 mg) twice daily. Dosages were increased when necessary on day 8, to a maximum of 450 mg moclobemide or 200 mg fluvoxamine and in most cases were maintained at these levels for the remainder of the study period (four weeks). Moclobemide was more effective than fluvoxamine showing a marked antidepressant effect and an earlier effect on psychomotor retardation. The two drugs were well tolerated showing a low incidence of side effects.
A Two-Stage Algorithm for Multi-Speaker Identification System

In this paper, a two-stage multi-speaker identification (SID) system is proposed for mixed speeches with multiple speakers speaking simultaneously. By investigating the second stage processing, we improved the performance of multi-speaker SID from 94.6% to 99.0% on a standard testing set, and comparing with another state-of-art system, the proposed results were also a little better. We also examined the configure parameters of proposed algorithm, and found that the gain compensation parameter and composition model were crucial for multi-speaker SID. Also, the likelihood constrained parameter was an important improvement compared with conventional SID.
The workaday world as a paradigm for CSCW design

EuroPARC is developing an integrated multi-media environment as an integral part of its formal and informal working environment. From our initial experiences with this kind of technology, we and our colleagues believe that it exhibits several qualitatively different properties, which seem to call into question many of our ideas about what computer systems are and how people relate to them. This has caused us to step back and take stock of the design principles we are using and, more generally, to ask what are appropriate principles for CSCW applications and technologies. Like many others in this field, EuroPARC's concern is not simply with artifacts and their enabling technologies, but with understanding the processes and relationships which such artifacts support, including the processes by which they are designed. The discipline of design must involve a constant movement back and forth between the design and use of technologies and reflection upon those activities. This paper is in the reflective mood. We begin to lay out a design paradigm for understanding the social significance of the new technologies available for CSCW.1 By “paradigm” we are not referring to Kuhn's (1962) notion of a revolutionary theory or set of ideas, but rather to a more general pre-Kuhnian notion. We are striving for a design paradigm, not a scientific paradigm; it is a heuristic for bringing forth the important issues facing the designer. For us here, a design paradigm can be any coherent intellectual framework for guiding design. It may be a theory or a metaphor describing the central character of the design domain, both the character of the designed artifacts and the environments in which they fit.
Inter-Operator Resource Management for Millimeter Wave Multi-Hop Backhaul Networks

In this paper, a novel framework is proposed for optimizing the operation and performance of a large-scale multi-hop millimeter wave (mmW) backhaul within a wireless small cell network having multiple mobile network operators (MNOs). The proposed framework enables the small base stations to jointly decide on forming the multi-hop, mmW links over backhaul infrastructure that belongs to multiple, independent MNOs, while properly allocating resources across those links. In this regard, the problem is addressed using a novel framework based on matching theory composed of two, highly inter-related stages: a multi-hop network formation stage and a resource management stage. One unique feature of this framework is that it jointly accounts for both wireless channel characteristics and economic factors during both network formation and resource management. The multi-hop network formation stage is formulated as a one-to-many matching game, which is solved using a novel algorithm, that builds on the so-called deferred acceptance algorithm and is shown to yield a stable and Pareto optimal multi-hop mmW backhaul network. Then, a one-to-many matching game is formulated to enable proper resource allocation across the formed multi-hop network. This game is then shown to exhibit peer effects and, as such, a novel algorithm is developed to find a stable and optimal resource management solution that can properly cope with these peer effects. Simulation results show that, with manageable complexity, the proposed framework yields substantial gains, in terms of the average sum rate, reaching up to 27% and 54%, respectively, compared with a non-cooperative scheme in which inter-operator sharing is not allowed and a random allocation approach. The results also show that our framework improves the statistics of the backhaul sum rate and provides insights on how to manage pricing and the cost of the cooperative mmW backhaul network for the MNOs.
Biochemical, Biophysical and IgE-Epitope Characterization of the Wheat Food Allergen, Tri a 37

Wheat is an important staple food and potent allergen source. Recently, we isolated a cDNA coding for wheat alpha-purothionin which is recognized by wheat food allergic patients at risk for severe wheat-induced allergy. The purpose of the present study was the biochemical, biophysical and IgE epitope characterization of recombinant alpha-purothionin. Synthetic genes coding for alpha-purothionin were expressed in a prokaryotic system using Escherichia coli and in a eukaryotic expression system based on baculovirus-infected Sf9-insect cells. Recombinant proteins were purified and characterized by SDS-PAGE, mass spectrometry, circular dichroism, chemical cross-linking and size exclusion chromatography. Five overlapping peptid were synthesized for epitope mapping. Alpha-purothionin-specific rabbit antibodies were raised to perform IgE-inhibition experiments and to study the resistance to digestion. The IgE reactivity of the proteins and peptides from ten wheat food allergic patients was studied in non-denaturing RAST-based binding assays. Alpha-purothionin was expressed in the prokaryotic (EcTri a 37) and in the eukaryotic system (BvTri a 37) as a soluble and monomeric protein. However, circular dichroism analysis revealed that EcTri a 37 was unfolded whereas BvTri a 37 was a folded protein. Both proteins showed comparable IgE-reactivity and the epitope mapping revealed the presence of sequential IgE epitopes in the N-terminal basic thionin domain (peptide1:KSCCRSTLGRNCYNLCRARGAQKLCAGVCR) and in the C-terminal acidic extension domain (peptide3:KGFPKLALESNSDEPDTIEYCNLGCRSSVC, peptide4:CNLGCRSSVCDYMVNAAADDEEMKLYVEN). Natural Tri a 37 was digested under gastric conditions but resistant to duodenal digestion. Immunization with EcTri a 37 induced IgG antibodies which recognized similar epitopes as IgE antibodies from allergic patients and inhibited allergic patients' IgE binding. Reactivity to Tri a 37 does not require a folded protein and the presence of sequential IgE epitopes indicates that sensitization to alpha-purothionin occurs via the gut. Both allergens can be used for in-vitro diagnosis of wheat food allergy. The induction of blocking IgG antibodies suggests the usefulness for immunotherapy.
α‐Synuclein and Parkinson's disease

Alpha‐synuclein (α‐syn) is a small soluble protein expressed primarily at presynaptic terminals in the central nervous system. Interest in α‐syn has increased dramatically after the discovery of a relationship between its dysfunction and several neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD). The physiological functions of α‐syn remain to be fully defined, although recent data suggest a role in regulating membrane stability and neuronal plasticity. Various trigger factors, either environmental or genetic, can lead to a cascade of events involving misfolding or loss of normal function of α‐syn. In dopaminergic neurons, this may promote a vicious cycle in which elevation in cytoplasmic dopamine, oxidative stress, α‐syn dysfunction, and disruption of vesicle function lead to dopaminergic cell loss and PD. α‐Syn dysfunction appears to be a common feature of all forms of PD. The mechanism by which α‐syn induces neuronal cell toxicity may invoke multiple pathways, such as aggregation or interaction with other proteins and molecules, including synphilin‐1, chaperone 14‐3‐3 protein, and dopamine itself. This complexity has hindered the development of models to study PD. The available animal models of PD, each present distinct advantages and limits. Findings to date suggest that α‐syn‐based models represent a paradigm, which is closest to the human pathology. — Recchia, A. , Debetto, P., Negro, A. , Guidolin, D. , Skaper, S. D. , Giusti, P. α‐Synuclein and Parkinson's disease.
Network Working Group Encoding of Attributes for Multiprotocol Label Switching (mpls) Label Switched Path (lsp) Establishment Using Resource Reservation Protocol-traffic Engineering (rsvp-te)

Status of This Memo This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. Abstract Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Label Switched Paths (LSPs) may be established using the Resource Reservation Protocol Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE) extensions. This protocol includes an object (the SESSION_ATTRIBUTE object) that carries a Flags field used to indicate options and attributes of the LSP. That Flags field has eight bits allowing for eight options to be set. Recent proposals in many documents that extend RSVP-TE have suggested uses for each of the previously unused bits. This document defines a new object for RSVP-TE messages that allows the signaling of further attribute bits and also the carriage of arbitrary attribute parameters to make RSVP-TE easily extensible to support new requirements. Additionally, this document defines a way to record the attributes applied to the LSP on a hop-by-hop basis.
Constrained free space diagrams: a tool for trajectory analysis

Time plays an important role in the analysis of moving object data. For many applications it is not sufficient to only compare objects at exactly the same times, or to consider only the geometry of their trajectories. We show how to leverage between these two approaches by extending a tool from curve analysis, namely the free space diagram. Our approach also allows us to take further attributes of the objects like speed or direction into account. We demonstrate the usefulness of the new tool by applying it to the problem of detecting single file movement. A single file is a set of moving entities, which are following each other, one behind the other. Our algorithm is the first one developed for detecting such movement patterns. For this application, we analyse demonstrate the performance of our tool both theoretically experimentally.
Structural and Affinity Analyses of G-Quadruplex DNA Aptamers for Camptothecin Derivatives

We recently selected DNA aptamers that bind to camptothecin (CPT) and CPT derivatives from a 70-mer oligodeoxyribonucleotide (ODN) library using the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX) method. The target-binding activity of the obtained 70-mer CPT-binding DNA aptamer, termed CA-70, which contains a 16-mer guanine (G)-core motif (G3TG3TG3T2G3) that forms a three-tiered G-quadruplex, was determined using fluorescence titration. In this study, truncated fragments of CA-70 that all have the G-core motif, CA-40, -20, -19, -18A, -18B, -17, and -16, were carefully analyzed. We found that CA-40 retained the target-binding activity, whereas CA-20, -19, and -18B exhibited little or no binding activities. Further, not only CA-18A but also the shorter length fragments CA-17 and -16 clearly retained the binding activity, indicating that tail strands of the G-quadruplex structure can significantly affect the target binding of G-quadruplex DNA aptamers. Further analyses using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and fluorescence polarization (FP) assay were conducted to investigate the structure and affinity of G-quadruplex DNA aptamers.
Evolutionarily Conserved Network Properties of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

Background Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) lack a stable tertiary structure in isolation. Remarkably, however, a substantial portion of IDPs undergo disorder-to-order transitions upon binding to their cognate partners. Structural flexibility and binding plasticity enable IDPs to interact with a broad range of partners. However, the broader network properties that could provide additional insights into the functional role of IDPs are not known. Results Here, we report the first comprehensive survey of network properties of IDP-induced sub-networks in multiple species from yeast to human. Our results show that IDPs exhibit greater-than-expected modularity and are connected to the rest of the protein interaction network (PIN) via proteins that exhibit the highest betweenness centrality and connect to fewer-than-expected IDP communities, suggesting that they form critical communication links from IDP modules to the rest of the PIN. Moreover, we found that IDPs are enriched at the top level of regulatory hierarchy. Conclusion Overall, our analyses reveal coherent and remarkably conserved IDP-centric network properties, namely, modularity in IDP-induced network and a layer of critical nodes connecting IDPs with the rest of the PIN.
A Building Block for Coarse-Grain Optimizations in the On-Chip Memory Hierarchy

Current on-chip block-centric memory hierarchies exploit access patterns at the fine-grain scale of small blocks. Several recently proposed memory hierarchy enhancements for coherence traffic reduction and prefetching suggest that additional useful patterns emerge with a macroscopic, coarse-grain view. This paper presents RegionTracker, a dual-grain, on-chip cache design that exposes coarse-grain behavior while maintaining block-level communication. RegionTracker eliminates the extraneous, often imprecise coarse-grain tracking structures of previous proposals. It can be used as the building block for coarse-grain optimizations, reducing their overall cost and easing their adoption. Using full-system simulation of a quad-core chip multiprocessor and commercial workloads, we demonstrate that RegionTracker overcomes the inefficiencies of previous coarse-grain cache designs. We also demonstrate how RegionTracker boosts the benefits and reduces the cost of a previously proposed snoop reduction technique.
Development of a dynamic scenario model for the interaction of critical infrastructures

This paper summarizes the development of a Cross Impact and Interpretive Structural Model of the interactions of 16 critical infrastructures during disasters. It is based on the estimates of seven professionals in Emergency Management areas and was conducted as an online survey and Delphi Process. We describe the process used and the current results, indicating some of the disagreements in the estimates. The initial results indicate some very interesting impacts of events on one another, resulting in the clustering of events into mini-scenarios.
Curious model-building control systems

A novel curious model-building control system is described which actively tries to provoke situations for which it learned to expect to learn something about the environment. Such a system has been implemented as a four-network system based on Watkins' Q-learning algorithm which can be used to maximize the expectation of the temporal derivative of the adaptive assumed reliability of future predictions. An experiment with an artificial nondeterministic environment demonstrates that the system can be superior to previous model-building control systems, which do not address the problem of modeling the reliability of the world model's predictions in uncertain environments and use ad-hoc methods (like random search) to train the world model. <<ETX>>
CPA performance comparison based on Wavelet Transform

Correlation Power Analysis (CPA) is a very effective attack method for finding secret keys using the statistical features of power consumption signals from cryptosystems. However, the power consumption signal of the encryption device is greatly affected or distorted by noise arising from peripheral devices. When a side channel attack is carried out, this distorted signal, which is affected by noise and time inconsistency, is the major factor that reduces the attack performance. A signal processing method based on the Wavelet Transform (WT) has been proposed to enhance the attack performance. Selecting the decomposition level and the wavelet basis is very important because the CPA performance based on the WT depends on these two factors. In this paper, the CPA performance, in terms of noise reduction and the transform domain, is compared and analyzed from the viewpoint of attack time and the minimum number of signals required to find the secret key. In addition, methods for selecting the decomposition level and the wavelet basis using the features of power consumption are proposed, and validated through experiments.