Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Mutyh Base Excision Repair Gene Influences the Inflammatory Response in a Mouse Model of Ulcerative Colitis

Background The Mutyh DNA glycosylase is involved in the repair of oxidized DNA bases. Mutations in the human MUTYH gene are responsible for colorectal cancer in familial adenomatous polyposis. Since defective DNA repair genes might contribute to the increased cancer risk associated with inflammatory bowel diseases, we compared the inflammatory response of wild-type and Mutyh−/− mice to oxidative stress. Methodology/Principal Findings The severity of colitis, changes in expression of genes involved in DNA repair and inflammation, DNA 8-oxoguanine levels and microsatellite instability were analysed in colon of mice treated with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). The Mutyh−/− phenotpe was associated with a significant accumulation of 8-oxoguanine in colon DNA of treated mice. A single DSS cycle induced severe acute ulcerative colitis in wild-type mice, whereas lesions were modest in Mutyh−/− mice, and this was associated with moderate variations in the expression of several cytokines. Eight DSS cycles caused chronic colitis in both wild-type and Mutyh−/− mice. Lymphoid hyperplasia and a significant reduction in Foxp3+ regulatory T cells were observed only in Mutyh−/− mice. Conclusions The findings indicate that, in this model of ulcerative colitis, Mutyh plays a major role in maintaining intestinal integrity by affecting the inflammatory response.
A special simplex in the state space for entangled qudits

The focus is on two parties with Hilbert spaces of dimension d, i.e. ‘qudits’. In the state space of these two possibly entangled qudits an analogue to the well-known tetrahedron with the four qubit Bell states at the vertices is presented. The simplex analogue to this magic tetrahedron includes mixed states. Each of these states appears to each of the two parties as the maximally mixed state. Some studies on these states are performed, and special elements of this set are identified. A large number of them are included in the chosen simplex which fits exactly into conditions needed for teleportation and other applications. Its rich symmetry—related to that of a classical phase space—helps to study entanglement, to construct witnesses and perform partial transpositions. This simplex has been explored in detail for d = 3. In this paper, the mathematical background and extensions to arbitrary dimensions are analysed.
The transformational leader as pedagogue, physician, architect, commander, and saint: Five root metaphors in Jack Welch's letters to stockholders of General Electric

We analyse the corpus of CEO letters to stockholders that were signed by a widely revered business leader, Jack Welch, during his tenure as CEO of the General Electric Company [GE], 1981—2000. Our discussion is located within theory pertaining to transformational leadership. We examine Welch's language from the standpoint of how transformational leadership can be conceived as a rhetorical artefact of one-sided dialogue emanating from a powerful leader. We give particular attention to the saturation of Welch's discourse with metaphors, and argue that metaphors illuminate how transformational leadership and the accompanying construct of charisma manifest themselves in practice. Five root metaphors that heightened Welch's persuasive and rhetorical impact on his audience are identified and discussed: Welch as pedagogue , physician, architect, commander and saint . We advocate greater awareness of the rhetorical techniques employed by transformational leaders in attempts to broker compliance with their views.
IL-17A Plays a Critical Role in the Pathogenesis of Liver Fibrosis through Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation

Liver fibrosis is a severe, life-threatening clinical condition resulting from nonresolving hepatitis of different origins. IL-17A is critical in inflammation, but its relation to liver fibrosis remains elusive. We find increased IL-17A expression in fibrotic livers from HBV-infected patients undergoing partial hepatectomy because of cirrhosis-related early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma in comparison with control nonfibrotic livers from uninfected patients with hepatic hemangioma. In fibrotic livers, IL-17A immunoreactivity localizes to the inflammatory infiltrate. In experimental carbon tetrachloride–induced liver fibrosis of IL-17RA–deficient mice, we observe reduced neutrophil influx, proinflammatory cytokines, hepatocellular necrosis, inflammation, and fibrosis as compared with control C57BL/6 mice. IL-17A is produced by neutrophils and T lymphocytes expressing the Th17 lineage–specific transcription factor Retinoic acid receptor–related orphan receptor γt. Furthermore, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) isolated from naive C57BL/6 mice respond to IL-17A with increased IL-6, α-smooth muscle actin, collagen, and TGF-β mRNA expression, suggesting an IL-17A–driven fibrotic process. Pharmacologic ERK1/2 or p38 inhibition significantly attenuated IL-17A–induced HSC activation and collagen expression. In conclusion, IL-17A+ Retinoic acid receptor–related orphan receptor γt+ neutrophils and T cells are recruited into the injured liver driving a chronic, fibrotic hepatitis. IL-17A–dependent HSC activation may be critical for liver fibrosis. Thus, blockade of IL-17A could potentially benefit patients with chronic hepatitis and liver fibrosis.
Approximations of the Generalized Cascade Model

The study of infection processes is an important field of science both from the theoretical and the practical point of view, and has many applications. In this paper we focus on the popular Independent Cascade model and its generalization. Unfortunately the exact computation of infection probabilities is a #P-complete problem [8], so one cannot expect fast exact algorithms. We propose several methods to efficiently compute infection patterns with acceptable accuracy. We will also examine the possibility of substituting the Independent Cascade model with a computationally more tractable model.
Scatter and heat conduction correction factors for two glass vessel geometries in sealed water calorimeters.

If properly designed, sealed water calorimeter (SWC) glass vessels containing high purity water induce only small perturbation effects and thus require small corrections which can be determined with acceptably small uncertainties. Nevertheless, it is worth performing a systematic investigation yielding generic formulae as a function of vessel dimensions and/or energy for those correction factors. Two perturbations are due to the presence of a glass vessel: firstly, the perturbation of the radiation field at the point of measurement due to the change in scatter conditions and due to attenuation of the primary beam and secondly, the perturbation due to an excess temperature rise in the glass vessel which produces excess heat to flow towards the point of measurement. In this work, two SWC vessel geometries are investigated for 60 Co photon beams: the cigar type and the pancake type. In the cigar type, which is used in many laboratories and is also called the Domen type, a cylindrical vessel is positioned perpendicular to the beam direction and the thermistors are normally positioned on the cylinder axis. In the pancake type, which is used at NPL and PTB, a cylindrical vessel with two parallel flat faces at the top and bottom is positioned with its cylinder axis coincident with the beam axis. For the cigar type, a set of glass vessels with various diameters and wall thicknesses is used to systematically measure the relative effects of both perturbations. For the pancake type, the work is restricted to numerical work at present. The experimental determination of the scatter perturbation factors was performed using a diamond detector positioned at the point of measurement by comparing its response in the presence of the vessel with that in the absence of the vessel. The experimental results were compared with numerical results from Monte Carlo simulations using the egsnrc code system and from a simplified analytical model. The results for the cigar type vessels obtained by these three methods are found to be in good agreement and are represented by a simple formula as a function of the vessel wall thickness and the vessel diameter. The same set of vessels was used to measure their relative responses in the calorimeter operation. These were compared with results from heat conduction simulations with programs from Ghent and from a commercial package (FEMLab).
Effects of series and shunt resistances on the performance of PV panel under temperature variations

The photovoltaic (PV) array performance is significantly affected by solar irradiation, temperature and its configuration. Indeed, the array configuration has an impact to modify the series (Rs) and the shunt (Rsh) resistances that appear in its mathematical model. Moreover these resistances are dependent on temperature variation. Hence, the latter can affect I-V and P-V characteristics by modifying the Rs and Rsh resistances. Consequently, the maximum power point (MPP) can be shifted and thus the efficiency and reliability of the entire PV system can be affected. This paper is based on modeling and simulation of the I-V and P-V characteristics of a PV array under non uniform temperature that influences the series and shunt resistances. Simulation results show that, compared to the case when temperature variation do not affect the Rs and Rsh resistances, temperature variation effect is always dominated and the resistances effects are more visible for high temperature value. However the comparison Rs and Rsh effects shows that the Rs variation effect versus temperature variation is more significant. The proposed PV array study can be used in PV system design and it permits to evaluate its performance not only under standard conditions but also under resistances variations. Indeed, it is very important to predict the PV array behavior to an effective use of a PV system under all conditions.
A Multi-Case Study of Teens Who Write Outside of School for Their Own Purposes

The purpose of this study is to investigate the phenomenon of the teen writer as defined as one who answers readily to the label of writer and who reports writing regularly outside of school for his or her own purposes. The research questions guiding this work are: (1) What do these young people write on their own time and for their own purposes? and (2) Why do young writers choose to write and how do they value and understand their own writing practices? In this multi-case study, seven teenage participants were interviewed twice, invited into any of three focus groups to learn about their writing practices and beliefs, and shared writing samples. Following interaction with these teens and close iterative coding and analysis of interview transcripts and writing samples, I made several findings including: 1) the seven teens in this study write in a variety of genres for their own purposes, but predominantly write in fictional and narrative modes, and 2) the teens' motivations to write are intimately connected to their ongoing personal/individual and social identity work. These findings hold strong implications for teachers and education policymakers in the age of "Common Core," where less instructional emphasis is placed on writing in fictional/narrative modes. It also provokes consideration of education in its role of personal development and the role of the learner as a stakeholder in his or her own education.
Preparation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to the trichothecene mycotoxin T-2

Two mouse immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibodies that bind to the trichothecene mycotoxin T-2 were prepared. These antibodies, designated 12C12 and 15H6, had affinities for T-2 of 3.5 X 10(6) and 5.8 X 10(7) liters/mol, respectively. A competitive inhibition enzyme immunoassay that employed these antibodies had a sensitivity for T-2 of 50 ng per assay. Both antibodies bound to the metabolite HT-2 but not to the related trichothecenes monoacetoxyscirpenol, diacetoxyscirpenol, deoxynivalenol, and deoxyverrucarol. Evidence is presented that T-2-protein conjugates inhibit protein synthesis in lymphoid cells and that this apparent immunotoxicity may be due to the release of T-2 from the protein carrier.
How and When Selection Experiments Might Actually be Useful1

Abstract Laboratory natural selection and artificial selection are vital tools for addressing specific questions about evolutionary patterns of variation. Laboratory natural selection can illuminate whether a putative selective agent is capable of generating long-term, sustained changes in individual traits and suites of traits. Artificial selection is the essential tool for understanding the general evolvability of traits and the extent to which genetic correlations constrain evolution. We review the contexts in which each type of experiment seems capable of offering key insights into important evolutionary issues. We also discuss theoretical and methodological considerations that play critical roles in designing selection experiments that are relevant to evolutionary patterns of trait variation. In particular, we focus on the critical role of selection intensity and the consequences of experiments with different intensities. While selection experiments are not practical in many cases, sophisticated selection experiments—designed with careful consideration of the theory of selection—should be taken beyond model organisms and used in well-chosen natural systems to understand natural patterns of variation.
Implementation of Plastic Surgery Face Recognition Using Multimodal Biometric Features

Plastic surgery procedures provide a proficient and enduring way to enhance the facial appearance by correcting feature anomalies and treating facial skin to get a younger look. When an individual undergoes plastic surgery, the facial features are reconstructed either globally or locally. However, the variations introduced by plastic surgery remain difficult to be modelled by existing face recognition systems and degrade the performances of face recognition algorithm. Therefore Facial plastic surgery changes facial features to large extend and thus creating a major problem to face recognition system This paper proposes a new Multimodal Biometric approach using principle component analysis and local binary pattern feature extraction algorithm cascaded with periocular feature for plastic surgery invariant face recognition. This method capable of extracting shape as well as texture features and improve the recognition rate using periocular biometric. The experiments conducted using non-surgery face database and plastic surgery face database. On the plastic surgery face database and non-surgery face database, the proposed algorithm yields high identification accuracy as compared to existing face recognition system. Keywords— Face Recognition, Local Binary Pattern, Multimodal Biometric, Periocular Biometric, Plastic Surgery, Principal Component Analysis.
Adaptive Position Tracking of VTOL UAVs

An adaptive position-tracking control scheme is proposed for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned airborne vehicles (UAVs) for a set of bounded external disturbances. The control design is achieved in three main steps. The first step is devoted to the design of an a priori bounded linear acceleration driving the translational dynamics toward the desired trajectory. In the second step, we extract the required a priori bounded thrust and the desired attitude, in terms of unit quaternion, from the desired acceleration derived in the first step. In the last step, we design the required torque for the rotational dynamics, allowing the system's attitude to be driven toward the desired attitude obtained at the second step. Two control laws for the system control torque are rigorously designed. The first control law ensures that the position-tracking objective is satisfied for any initial conditions, whereas the second ensures that the tracking objective is satisfied for a set of initial conditions, which is dependant on the control gains. The latter case is included, since it is less complicated than the former control law and may be advantageous from a practical point of view. Finally, simulation results are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
Research on three-phase four-wire shunt active power filter for harmonic and reactive compensation

The conventional harmonic and reactive control strategy based on the instantaneous reactive power theory strategy reveals poor performance under distorted and/or unbalanced conditions. In order to overcome this problem, a novel control strategy based on the decoupled double synchronous reference frame (DDSRF) PLL is proposed in this paper. The DDSRF-PLL uses a dual synchronous reference frame and a decoupling network to effectively extract the positive-sequence voltage components in a fast and accurate way, which enables the superior harmonic and reactive compensation for active power filters in the non-ideal conditions. Results obtained by simulations with Matlab /Simulink show that the proposed approach is an effective approach for compensating reactive power and harmonic currents of the load, even if the source voltages are severely distorted and unbalanced.
Compensating for Quantizer Delay in Excess of One Clock Cycle in Continuous-Time $\Delta\Sigma$ Modulators

The maximum sampling rate of a continuous-time ΔΣ modulator is limited by quantizer delay. Most conventional delay compensation techniques address less than a clock cycle of delay. A technique previously proposed for compensating quantizer delays in excess of a clock cycle in bandpass modulators involves a parallel feedback path that bypasses the quantizer. We analyze this technique for low-pass modulators and show that sampling rates hitherto not possible can be achieved. Design tradeoffs are investigated, and simulation results showing the effectiveness of the technique are given.
The timing of cranial radiation in elderly patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme

There are few and conflicting studies on the optimal timing of initial cranial radiation in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) but none of them have addressed this issue in the elderly population. We used the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Medicare database to investigate whether the time interval from surgery to initiation of radiation is a significant prognostic factor for survival in subjects aged ≥65 years with newly diagnosed GBM. Cox modeling was used to assess the effect of waiting time on overall survival. We identified a total of 1,375 patients, 296 with biopsies and 1,079 with resections. The median time to the initiation of radiotherapy was 15 days post operation (interquartile range 12–21). In the univariate Cox analysis of those who had debulking surgeries, a waiting time of >22 days showed a significant inverse relationship with survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.82, 95% CI 0.70–0.97, p = 0.02), but after adjustment for confounders, it was not a statistically significant factor in the final Cox model (HR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.97–1.01, p = 0.14). Therefore, waiting time was not a significant prognostic factor for subjects with biopsies in both the univariate and multivariate analyses. Although effort should be made to initiate radiotherapy as soon as possible after surgical resection/biopsy, a brief delay similar to that experienced by our cohort does not have a significant impact on survival.
Improving Representational Analysis : An Example from the Enterprise Systems Interoperability Domain

Representational analysis is increasing in popularity, not just in the area of evaluation of conceptual modelling grammars, but in any real-world modelling situation where semantics are being communicated through the use of grammatical constructs or symbols. However, critical questions remain as to choosing the appropriate reference ontology as a representational benchmark for a given situation and applying that ontology analytically in the process of representational analysis. This paper demonstrates how meta-models of proposed reference ontologies can be compared and evaluated on the bases of equivalence, structure and scope in order to aid the selection task. Having selected the reference ontology, this paper explains the current practice of representational analysis and clearly delineates the limitations of the procedure at the input, process and output stages. Finally, this paper explains how an improved version of the representational analytical methodology can be used to establish the ‘common’ set of requirements for full enterprise systems interoperability – an application domain well outside that of traditional conceptual modelling.
Analysing top-level and domain ontology alignments from matching systems

Top-level ontologies play an important role in the construction and integration of domain ontologies, providing a well-founded reference model that can be shared across knowledge domains. While most efforts in ontology matching have been particularly dedicated to domain ontologies, the problem of matching domain and top-level ontologies has been addressed to a lesser extent. This is a challenging task, specially due to the different levels of abstraction of these ontologies. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of the alignments between one domain ontology from the OAEI Conference track and three well known top-level ontologies (DOLCE, GFO and SUMO), as generated by a set of matching tools. A discussion of the problem is presented on the basis of the alignments generated by the tools, compared to the analysis of three evaluators. This study provides insights for improving matching tools to better deal with this particular task.
A lightweight forum-based distributed requirement elicitation process for open source community

Nowadays, lots of open source communities adopt forum to acquire scattered stakeholders' requirements. But the requirements collection process always suffers from the unformatted description and unfocused discussions. In this paper, we establish a framework ReqForum to define the metamodel of the requirement elicitation forum. Based on it, we propose a lightweight forum-based requirements elicitation process which includes six steps: template-based requirements creation, opinions collection, requirements collection, requirements management, capability identification and the incentive mechanism. According to the proposed process, the prototype SKLSEForum is established by composing the Discuz and its existed pulg-ins. The implementation indicates that the process is feasible and the cost is economic.
Efficient solution of quadratically constrained quadratic subproblems within the MADS algorithm ∗

The Mesh Adaptive Direct Search algorithm (MADS) is an iterative method for constrained blackbox optimization problems. One of the optional MADS features is a versatile search step in which quadratic models are built leading to a series of quadratically constrained quadratic subproblems. This work explores different algorithms that exploit the structure of the quadratic models: the first one applies an l1 exact penalty function, the second uses an augmented Lagrangian and the third one combines the former two, resulting in a new algorithm. These methods are implemented within the NOMAD software package and their impact are assessed through computational experiments on 65 analytical test problems and 4 simulation-based engineering applications.