Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Overlay Multicasting over Multihomed Proxie

Influenced by end-host overlay systems, the overlay multicast routing problem is studied under a singlehomed model in most literatures. This model is no longer applicable to those fixed MSNs(multicast service node), which may have multiple access links to the physical network. In order to solve the problem correctly, we propose a multihomed proxy model in this paper to describe the overlay network more accurately. We also develop a general solution to the routing problem under our model, which includes a path selection process and a multicast routing process. In the end we design an OMMP (overlay multicast over multihomed proxy) architecture, which integrates all MSNs into one framework to realize the overlay multicast service under our model.
3D CNN Based Automatic Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Using Functional and Structural MRI

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental-health disorders. As a neurodevelopment disorder, neuroimaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), coupled with machine learning algorithms, are being increasingly explored as biomarkers in ADHD. Among various machine learning methods, deep learning has demonstrated excellent performance on many imaging tasks. With the availability of publically-available, large neuroimaging data sets for training purposes, deep learning-based automatic diagnosis of psychiatric disorders can become feasible. In this paper, we develop a deep learning-based ADHD classification method via 3-D convolutional neural networks (CNNs) applied to MRI scans. Since deep neural networks may utilize millions of parameters, even the large number of MRI samples in pooled data sets is still relatively limited if one is to learn discriminative features from the raw data. Instead, here we propose to first extract meaningful 3-D low-level features from functional MRI (fMRI) and structural MRI (sMRI) data. Furthermore, inspired by radiologists’ typical approach for examining brain images, we design a 3-D CNN model to investigate the local spatial patterns of MRI features. Finally, we discover that brain functional and structural information are complementary, and design a multi-modality CNN architecture to combine fMRI and sMRI features. Evaluations on the hold-out testing data of the ADHD-200 global competition shows that the proposed multi-modality 3-D CNN approach achieves the state-of-the-art accuracy of 69.15% and outperforms reported classifiers in the literature, even with fewer training samples. We suggest that multi-modality classification will be a promising direction to find potential neuroimaging biomarkers of neurodevelopment disorders.
The methylator phenotype in microsatellite stable colorectal cancers is characterized by a distinct gene expression profile

The CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) in colorectal tumours can be recognized by an increased frequency of aberrant methylation in a specific set of genomic loci. Because of the strong association of CIMP with high microsatellite instability (MSI‐H), the identification of CIMP+ tumours within microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancers may not be straightforward. To overcome this potential limitation, we have built an improved seven‐locus set of methylation markers that includes CACNA1G, IGF2, RUNX3, HTR6, RIZ1, MINT31, and MAP1B. This new set of CIMP markers revealed a bimodal distribution of methylation frequencies in a group of 95 MSS colorectal cancers, which allowed a clearer separation between CIMP classes. Correlation of MSS CIMP+ tumours with bio‐pathological traits revealed significant associations with location to the proximal colon, mucinous histology, BRAF mutation, and chromosomal stability. A potential trend towards an adverse prognosis of CIMP+ cases was associated with the high frequency of BRAF mutations present within this cohort of tumours. Microarray analysis revealed that CIMP+ tumours are characterized by a unique expression profile, a result that confirms that CIMP+ tumours represent a truly distinct molecular class within MSS colorectal cancers. Copyright © 2008 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
N‐terminal phosphorylation of cardiac troponin‐I reduces length‐dependent calcium sensitivity of contraction in cardiac muscle

• β‐Adrenergic stimulation is an important control mechanism, matching cardiac output to venous return during increased metabolic demand. • β‐Adrenergic signalling leads to protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation of myofilament proteins cardiac troponin I (cTnI), cardiac myosin binding protein‐C (cMyBP‐C) and titin, but their specific effects on the sarcomeric length (SL) dependence of contraction – which underlies the Frank–Starling Law of the Heart – is debated. • Recombinant cTnI phosphomimetics were exchanged into cardiac muscle to isolate the effects of cTnI from those of cMyBP‐C/titin phosphorylation on SL‐dependent force–Ca2+ relations and sarcomeric structure. • Results suggest cTnI or cMyBP‐C/titin phosphorylation, separately or together, eliminate the SL dependence of Ca2+ sensitivity of force, but not maximal force. The reduction occurs particularly at long SL, suggesting effects on thin filament access and crossbridge recruitment. • The net effect of PKA phosphorylation is to blunt SL dependence of force at submaximal [Ca2+] to maintain elevated systolic function.
Cytokines and Cytokine Profiles in Human Autoimmune Diseases and Animal Models of Autoimmunity

The precise pathomechanisms of human autoimmune diseases are still poorly understood. However, a deepened understanding of these is urgently needed to improve disease prevention and early detection and guide more specific treatment approaches. In recent years, many new genes and signalling pathways involved in autoimmunity with often overlapping patterns between different disease entities have been detected. Major contributions were made by experiments using DNA microarray technology, which has been used for the analysis of gene expression patterns in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, among which were rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, systemic sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and type-1 diabetes. In systemic lupus erythematosus, a so-called interferon signature has been identified. In psoriasis, researchers found a particular immune signalling cluster. Moreover the identification of a new subset of inflammatory T cells, so-called Th17 T cells, secreting interleukin (IL)-17 as one of their major cytokines and the identification of the IL-23/IL-17 axis of inflammation regulation, have significantly improved our understanding of autoimmune diseases. Since a plethora of new treatment approaches using antibodies or small molecule inhibitors specifically targeting cytokines, cellular receptors, or signalling mechanisms has emerged in recent years, more individualized treatment for affected patients may be within reach in the future.
Posttreatment reactivation of tuberculosis in mice caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis disrupted in mce1R.

BACKGROUND The reactivation of tuberculosis arises in persons who are latently infected and in those who have been previously treated. The mechanism of the reactivation of tuberculosis in either situation is not well understood. A 13-gene mce1 operon of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was previously shown to be associated with latent infection in mice and may also play a role in reactivation. METHODS We tested mce1 operon M. tuberculosis mutants in a Cornell mouse model to examine disease progression and reactivation. RESULTS In BALB/c mice, the wild-type, mce1 operon mutant, and mce1R (negative transcriptional regulator of the mce1 operon) mutant M. tuberculosis strains were equally susceptible to orally administered isoniazid and pyrazinamide. However, after cessation of the treatment, the mce1R mutant rapidly and progressively proliferated in mouse lungs and spleens, whereas the other strains remained latent. The reactivation of the mce1R mutant was associated with disease progression in the mouse lungs. CONCLUSION This observation demonstrates that the constitutive expression of the mce1 genes by M. tuberculosis in the latent state can cause a reactivation of tuberculosis. The constitutive expression of the mce1 genes in the mce1R mutant may allow this mutant to maintain its lipid metabolism, enabling it to survive long-term and proliferate inside granulomas.
Effects of Water Stress on Respiration in Soybean Leaves1

The effect of water stress on respiration and mitochondrial electron transport has been studied in soybean (Glycine max) leaves, using the oxygen-isotope-fractionation technique. Treatments with three levels of water stress were applied by irrigation to replace 100%, 50%, and 0% of daily water use by transpiration. The levels of water stress were characterized in terms of light-saturated stomatal conductance (gs): well irrigated (gs > 0.2 mol H2O m−2 s−1), mildly water stressed (gs between 0.1 and 0.2 mol H2O m−2 s−1), and severely water stressed (gs < 0.1 mol H2O m−2 s−1). Although net photosynthesis decreased by 40% and 70% under mild and severe water stress, respectively, the total respiratory oxygen uptake (Vt) was not significantly different at any water-stress level. However, severe water stress caused a significant shift of electrons from the cytochrome to the alternative pathway. The electron partitioning through the alternative pathway increased from 10% to 12% under well-watered or mild water-stress conditions to near 40% under severe water stress. Consequently, the calculated rate of mitochondrial ATP synthesis decreased by 32% under severe water stress. Unlike many other stresses, water stress did not affect the levels of mitochondrial alternative oxidase protein. This suggests a biochemical regulation (other than protein synthesis) that causes this mitochondrial electron shift.
La gestión transversal. Expectativas y resultados

Entre las temáticas que se han orientado hacia la perspectiva transversal en busca de solución a su necesaria integración en la estructura orgánica pública, más allá del discurso político, pueden resaltarse la política de igualdad de género, la pobreza, la participación ciudadana, la sostenibilidad medioambiental, la gestión de la diversidad y la seguridad. Desde el punto de vista de los segmentos de población, desde hace tiempo, se está recurriendo a la perspectiva transversal en la gestión de la relación y de las políticas dirigidas a colectivos que se encuentran en situación de debilidad o discriminación en más de un aspecto (mujeres, personas mayores, jóvenes, personas con disminuciones,.).
A tree-based forward digest protocol to verify data integrity in distributed media streaming

We design a tree-based forward digest protocol (TFDP) to verify data integrity in distributed media streaming for content distribution. Several challenges arise, including the timing constraint of streaming sessions, the involvement of multiple senders, and the untrustworthiness of these senders. A comprehensive comparison is presented on the performance of existing protocols and TFDP, with respect to communication and computation overhead. Both simulation and Internet-based experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of TFDP.
β2‐agonist treatment enhances uterine oxytocin receptor mRNA expression in pregnant rats

The objective of this study was to disclose an interaction between β2‐adrenergic (β2‐ARs) and oxytocin (OT) receptors (OTRs) in the late‐pregnant rat uterus. We investigated the level of uterine OTR mRNA expression after the administration of β2‐AR agonists fenoterol and hexoprenaline to rats from day 18 to 22 of pregnancy, and also tested the effect of fenoterol on uterine explants. Hexoprenaline induced a maximum 24% increase of OTR mRNA. Fenoterol in vivo elicited a maximum 125% increase of OTR mRNA, in vitro produced a maximum fourfold increase in OTR mRNA. In fenoterol‐treated rats the maximal contractility increasing effect of OT on isolated uterine rings was significantly higher than in intact term pregnant rats, but the EC50 values were not statistically different. It was concluded that the enhanced expression of OTR mRNA induced by β2‐agonists in the late‐pregnant rat uterus may be a possible drawback to effective therapy of preterm uterine contractions with β2‐agonists. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 69: 60–65, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Decoding High Level Signals for Asynchronous Brain Machine interfaces

While many brain machine interface (BMI) systems have been presented in the literature, most of these systems present the user with an always on interface with no way to shut the interface down when not needed. This paper proposes two extensions of previous BMI work to create an asynchronous BMI in which the system only produces outputs when needed. The first classifies incoming signals into not only task related states, but also an idle state. A refinement of this system utilizes a Markov Model (MM) of the task to impose order on the sequence of states produced by the system. This MM filter improves the accuracy of the system an average of 16%.
Electromagnetically Induced Transparency in Rubidium-Filled HC-PCF

This paper report the observation of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in Rb-filled HC-PCF. We observe EIT in a lambda energy-level configuration with narrow linewidth, in contrast to that obtained by Ghosh et al. (2006). The fibre used in this experiment is large-pitch kagome-structured HC-PCF (Couny et al., 2006), with a core diameter of 11 mum. In order to prevent rubidium from being quickly adsorbed onto the silica walls, the fibre core was coated with PDMS by first filling it with a solution of 2% PDMS in diethyl-ether, and then evaporating the ether. The PDMS wall coating has a strongly beneficial effect in suppressing these dephasing collisions but further measurements at much lower coupling intensities are necessary to quantify how small the dephasing due to the coated wall is.
Failure of Cortisol Blockade to Inhibit Early Morning Increases in Basal Insulin Requirements in Fasting Insulin-dependent Diabetics

SUMMARY Overnight basal insulin requirements to maintain euglycemia were determined in five insulin-dependent diabetic subjects using a closed-loop insulin infusion system. A significant increase in hourly insulin requirements occurred between 0600 h and 0900 h as compared with 0100 h–0600 h. Although the increased insulin requirement was coincident with only the physiologic diurnal increase in plasma cortisol, the oral administration of the 11-beta hydroxylase inhibitor, metyrapone, decreased only the total overnight (0100 h–0900 h) basal insulin requirement, but not the early morning (0600 h-0900 h) rise in insulin required to maintain euglycemia. It would appear that although cortisol is an important counterregulatory factor, its diurnal elevation cannot account for the increase in early morning basal insulin requirements to maintain euglycemia in insulin-dependent diabetics.
The time-course and RNA interference of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β expression on neuropathic pain induced by L5 spinal nerve transection in rats

Background The objective of this study was to investigate the time-course of the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β after L5 spinal nerve transection (SNT), and to determine the effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting these cytokines on neuropathic pain. Methods Rats received control siRNA (CON group, n = 80) or a cocktail of siRNAs targeting these cytokines (COCK group, n = 70). The siRNAs were given via intrathecal catheter 1 d prior to SNT, on the operation day, and 1, 2 and 3 d postoperatively. Behavioral tests and levels of the cytokine mRNAs and proteins as well as glial cell activity were following the L5 SNT. Results In the CON group, TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA levels increased immediately after SNT and remained high for 6 d, while IL-6 transcripts only began to increase after 12 h. TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA levels in the COCK group were lower than in the CON group at all time points (P < 0.05). In the behavioral tests, allodynia and hyperalgesia were significantly lower in the COCK group from 2 d after SNT (P < 0.05). Conclusions The time courses of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β mRNA expression after L5 SNT differ. RNA interference may be a method of reducing the development of mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia in response to nerve injury.
On Energy Surfaces and the Resonance Web

A framework for understanding the global structure of near-integrable n DOF Hamiltonian systems is proposed. To this aim two tools are developed---the energy-momentum bifurcation diagrams and the branched surfaces. Their use is demonstrated on a few near-integrable 3 DOF systems. For these systems possible sources of instabilities are identified in the diagrams, and the corresponding energy surfaces are presented in the frequency space and by the branched surfaces. The main results of this formulation are theorems which describe the connection between changes in the topology of the energy surfaces and the existence of resonant lower dimensional tori.
Application of the MLPDA to bistatic sonar

Approximately a decade ago the maximum likelihood probabilistic data association (MLPDA) tracking architecture was proposed; it was found, via simulation, to be a very effective (perhaps the only) way to track very low-observable contacts - down to 7-8dB (post signal processing), meaning that in a large field of view a given true contact might only rank consistently among the top five or six of those obtained. The MLPDA is based on maximizing statistical likelihood according to a precise model. Its application to real multistatic data (which is unlikely to fit MLPDA assumptions) is both a test of its effectiveness and an opportunity to explore new ways to improve it. We shall see in what follows: bistatic operation; automatic registration via the "direct blast"; the use of the Savage amplitude feature; false-alarm density modification; and a smart grid-search
Evaluation of Metal Ion Concentration in Hard Tissues of Teeth in Residents of Central Poland

Objectives. The aim of the study was an assessment of the content of trace elements in enamel and dentin of teeth extracted in patients residing in urban and agricultural areas of Poland. Methods. The study included 30 generally healthy patients with retained third molars. 65 samples of enamel and dentin from individuals living in urban areas and 85 samples of enamel and dentin from individuals living in agricultural areas were prepared. The content of manganese, lead, cadmium, and chromium in the studied enamel and dentin samples from retained teeth was determined by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. In the process of statistical hypothesis testing, the level of significance was assumed at α = 0.05. Results. A comparative analysis of the data showed that enamel and dentin of inhabitants of industrialized areas contain significantly higher amounts of lead and cadmium than hard tissues of teeth in residents of agricultural areas and comparable amounts of manganese and chromium. Significance. It appears that hard tissues of retained teeth may constitute valuable material for assessment of long-term environmental exposure to metal ions. The study confirms that the risk of exposure to heavy metals depends on the place of residence and environmental pollution.
Clonidine Improved Laboratory-Measured Decision-Making Performance in Abstinent Heroin Addicts

Background Impulsivity refers to a wide spectrum of actions characterized by quick and nonplanned reactions to external and internal stimuli, without taking into account the possible negative consequences for the individual or others, and decision-making is one of the biologically dissociated impulsive behaviors. Changes in impulsivity may be associated with norepinephrine. Various populations of drug addicts all performed impulsive decision making, which is a key risk factor in drug dependence and relapse. The present study investigated the effects of clonidine, which decreased norepinephrine release through presynaptic alpha-2 receptor activation, on the impaired decision-making performance in abstinent heroin addicts. Methodology/Principal Findings Decision-making performance was assessed using the original version of Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Both heroin addicts and normal controls were randomly assigned to three groups receiving clonidine, 0, 75 µg or 150 µg orally under double blind conditions. Psychiatric symptoms, including anxiety, depression and impulsivity, were rated on standardized scales. Heroin addicts reported higher scores on the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and exhibited impaired decision-making on the IGT. A single high-dose of clonidine improved the decision-making performance in heroin addicts. Conclusions/Significance Our results suggest clonidine may have a potential therapeutic role in heroin addicts by improving the impaired impulsive decision-making. The current findings have important implications for behavioral and pharmacological interventions targeting decision-making in heroin addiction.
Kant on Citizenship and Universal Independence

Kant’s political philosophy draws a distinction between ‘passive’ citizens who are merely protected by the law and ‘active’ citizens who may also contribute to it. Although the distinction between passive and active citizens is often dismissed by scholars as an ‘illiberal and undemocratic’ relic of eighteenth century prejudice, the distinction is found in every democracy that distinguishes between mere inhabitants - such as tourists and guest workers - and enfranchised citizens. The purpose of this essay is both interpretive and suggestive. First, I will argue that Kant’s mature distinction between active and passive citizens follows from an institutional deficiency in the developing state rather than the natural deficiency of passive citizens, as Kant’s critics have alleged. Second, I will draw on systematic features of Kant’s political thought in order to claim that the state has a duty to create the institutional conditions of universal active citizenship.
Performance analysis of a system using coordinate interleaving and constellation rotation in frequency-selective fading channels

Performance analysis of a system employing coordinate interleaving and constellation rotation in frequency-selective fading channels is presented. The achievable performance for L-branch microdiversity using maximum ratio combining (MRC) receiver is analyzed and an upper bound on the average probability of bit error (Pb) is presented. Exact closed form expressions for pairwise error probability (PEP) are derived for single-symbol transmission in a multi-path fading environment. It is shown that the derived upper bound is tight for high signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). The optimum rotation angles are found by minimizing the upper bound and it is shown that the optimum rotation angles change as the number of diversity branches is increased. Furthermore the effect of different signal constellation mappings on the system performance is also presented and it is shown that the Gray signal constellation mapping is not necessarily the best option for the entire range of signal constellation rotation.