Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuroprotective effects of prostaglandin E2 or cAMP against microglial and neuronal free radical mediated toxicity associated with inflammation

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a product of the cyclooxygenation of arachidonic acid released from membrane phospholipids, plays a critical role in inflammatory neurodegenerative conditions. Despite its classic role as a proinflammatory molecule, exogenous PGE2 was suggested to have protective roles against neuronal death, although the exact protective mechanisms of PGE2 are not yet defined. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of exogenous PGE2 on inflammatory neurotoxicity. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced neuronal toxicity, which was associated with terminal transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)‐positive neuronal death with increased caspase‐3 activity. In neuron‐glial coculture, LPS markedly induced inducible nitric oxide synthase/nitric oxide (iNOS/NO) release from microglial cells, but not from neurons; however, LPS‐induced oxidative stress such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), measured with 2,7‐dichlorofluorescein diacetate oxidation, was increased in neurons, but not in microglial cells. Exogenous PGE2 (1 μg/ml) rescued the neurons, reducing iNOS/NO release from microglial cells and ROS formation from neurons. PGE2 has been known to increase intracelluar cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels. In this study, we found that intracellular cAMP elevating agents, forskolin, and cAMP analogue, dbcAMP and 8‐Br‐cAMP, also prevented LPS‐induced neuronal death. Thus, these results indicate that exogenous PGE2 protects against LPS‐induced neuronal apoptotic cell death through the intracellular cAMP system, and is associated with the modulation of NO from microglial cells and ROS production from neurons. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Current Progress of Genetically Engineered Pig Models for Biomedical Research

Abstract The first transgenic pigs were generated for agricultural purposes about three decades ago. Since then, the micromanipulation techniques of pig oocytes and embryos expanded from pronuclear injection of foreign DNA to somatic cell nuclear transfer, intracytoplasmic sperm injection-mediated gene transfer, lentiviral transduction, and cytoplasmic injection. Mechanistically, the passive transgenesis approach based on random integration of foreign DNA was developed to active genetic engineering techniques based on the transient activity of ectopic enzymes, such as transposases, recombinases, and programmable nucleases. Whole-genome sequencing and annotation of advanced genome maps of the pig complemented these developments. The full implementation of these tools promises to immensely increase the efficiency and, in parallel, to reduce the costs for the generation of genetically engineered pigs. Today, the major application of genetically engineered pigs is found in the field of biomedical disease modeling. It is anticipated that genetically engineered pigs will increasingly be used in biomedical research, since this model shows several similarities to humans with regard to physiology, metabolism, genome organization, pathology, and aging.
Laryngology and phonosurgery.

A normal voice is a necessity for effectiveness at work, as well as for psychosocial health. Vocal difficulties are generally obvious during normal conversation, and all physicians should be prepared to initiate proper evaluation and treatment for patients with laryngeal dysfunction or disease. This review of laryngology and phonosurgery considers current advances in the detection and management of conditions that affect the voice.
Real-time secondary spectrum sharing with QoS provisioning

We study the quality of service (QoS) issue in sec- ondary spectrum sharing subject to an interference temperature constraint. A non-linear optimization problem with the objective to maximize the total transmitting rate of the secondary users is formulated. The non-linear optimization is solved efficiently using geometric programming techniques. When not all the secondary links can be supported with their QoS requirement, a reduced complexity searching algorithm is introduced to find the optimal subset of links which contains the maximum number of links with both QoS and interference temperature constraints satisfied. We also defined a secondary spectrum sharing potential game. The Nash equilibria of this potential game are reached by distributed sequential play. The efficiency of the Nash equilibria solutions is characterized. Finally, the performances of both the reduced complexity algorithm and the sequential play are examined through simulations. I. INTRODUCTION Enhancing spectrum efficiency and use is a significant task of regulatory authorities worldwide. A number of mea- surement studies of spectrum utilization have indicated that spectrum is sporadically used in many geographical areas and times. Low utilization and increased demand for the radio resource suggests the notion of secondary use, which allows unused parts of spectrum to become available temporarily. The secondary use of spectrum is one of the promising ideas that can mitigate unsatisfied spectrum demand, potentially without major changes to incumbents. Then, the question comes to how to share the available spectrum efficiently and fairly. The FCC spectrum Policy Task Force (1) has recommended a paradigm shift in interference assessment, that is, a shift away from largely fixed operations in the transmitter and toward real-time interactions between the transmitter and receiver in an adaptive manner. The recommendation is based on a new metric called the interference temperature, which is intended to quantify and manage the sources of interference in a radio environment. The interference temperature is defined to be the RF power measured at a receiving antenna per unit bandwidth. The key idea for this new metric is that, firstly, the interference temperature at a receiving antenna provides an accurate measure for the acceptable level of RF interference in the frequency band of interest; any transmission in that band is considered to be "harmful" if it would increase the noise floor above the interference temperature threshold. Secondly, given a particular frequency band in which the interference temperature is not exceeded, that band could be made available to secondary users. Hence, a secondary device might attempt to coexist with the primary, such that the presence of secondary devices goes unnoticed.
Spatial Behavior of Land Use Based on Fractal Theory and GIS in Dongjiang Riverhead Area, Jiangxi Province

The theory of fractal is a new tool for land use spatial pattern study, and the techniques of remote sensing and GIS offer a technology support. Firstly, supported of RS (remote sensing) and GIS (geographic information systems), the land use classification information is extracted from the Landsat TM imagery of Dongjiang Riverhead area of 1985psilas and 2000psilas, and a spatial database of land use is built. Secondly, in order to improve the understanding about the land use change in Dongjiang Riverhead area, we use the fractal model to calculate fractal indices of different landscape patterns, and some landscape indices including the indices of the number of patches, the fragmentation index of landscape shape, the landscape separation, and through the comparison of all the results, some of land use change characteristics are summed up, and some piece of advice on land use sustainable utilization is given in the end.
Realization of Microsoft Outlook® Add-In for Language Based E-Mail Folder Classification

Web and desktop mail applications support multilingual features for composing and viewing e-mail messages in regional languages besides English language, however, they do not support automatic language based message classification. This paper surveys various online language detection and translation services and the use of Microsoft language translation service to classify incoming e-mail messages into language specific folders. It further reports design of an Add-in for Microsoft Outlook that can be used to improve the existing multi-lingual facilities in it by permitting automatic classification of incoming e-mail messages into different folders on the basis of the language used in the e-mail message.
Reliable Machine Learning for Networking: Key Issues and Approaches

Machine learning has become one of the go-to methods for solving problems in the field of networking. This development is driven by data availability in large-scale networks and the commodification of machine learning frameworks. While this makes it easier for researchers to implement and deploy machine learning solutions on networks quickly, there are a number of vital factors to account for when using machine learning as an approach to a problem in networking and translate testing performance to real networks deployments successfully. This paper, rather than presenting a particular technical result, discusses the necessary considerations to obtain good results when using machine learning to analyze network-related data.
EdgePlex: decomposing the provider edge for flexibilty and reliability

The service provider edge is responsible for connecting customers using standard protocols such as IP and BGP to the service providers internal network while enforcing service specific policies and service guarantees. Today this function is performed by the Provider Edge Router (PE). The specialized nature of the PE, however, restricts operational flexibility and their monolithic design impacts reliability. In this paper, we propose a new edge router architecture following SDN and NFV principals called EdgePlex. EdgePlex is a distributed system where the functions performed by a traditional edge router are decomposed and assigned to different elements in the system. A key aspect of our design is the use of a sandboxed environment (through the use of virtual machines) per customer. This gives EdgePlex the ability to isolate customers from one-another and independently move customers within and across EdgePlex platforms. We describe the architecture and a prototype implementation of EdgePlex. We perform detailed experiments using this prototype and show that EdgePlex is able to saturate the server in terms of throughput while having acceptable latency and jitter overheads. Our results lead us to believe that the EdgePlex design not only addresses the limitations of existing routers, but is also viable and can meet performance demands of production networks.
Laws of Conservation as Related to Brain Growth, Aging, and Evolution: Symmetry of the Minicolumn

Development, aging, and evolution offer different time scales regarding possible anatomical transformations of the brain. This article expands on the perspective that the cerebral cortex exhibits a modular architecture with invariant properties in regards to these time scales. These properties arise from morphometric relations of the ontogenetic minicolumn as expressed in Noether’s first theorem, i.e., that for each continuous symmetry there is a conserved quantity. Whenever minicolumnar symmetry is disturbed by either developmental or aging processes the principle of least action limits the scope of morphometric alterations. Alternatively, local and global divergences from these laws apply to acquired processes when the system is no longer isolated from its environment. The underlying precepts to these physical laws can be expressed in terms of mathematical equations that are conservative of quantity. Invariant properties of the brain include the rotational symmetry of minicolumns, a scaling proportion or “even expansion” between pyramidal cells and core minicolumnar size, and the translation of neuronal elements from the main axis of the minicolumn. It is our belief that a significant portion of the architectural complexity of the cerebral cortex, its response to injury, and its evolutionary transformation, can all be captured by a small set of basic physical laws dictated by the symmetry of minicolumns. The putative preservations of parameters related to the symmetry of the minicolumn suggest that the development and final organization of the cortex follows a deterministic process.
Validating surge test standards by field experience: high-energy tests and varistor performance

Proposed IEEE and IEC high-energy surges tests and surge-test modeling are reviewed. The results of modeling the application of a surge test to a family of commonly used varistor sizes (14, 20 and 32 mm diameter) are discussed. For each varistor size, the computations were performed for three levels of manufacturing tolerances on the varistor: nominal value, -10%, and +10%. The results were obtained by quantifying the current through the varistor and the corresponding energy deposited in the variator. The computed results are compared to the published device ratings to predict the likelihood of failure. This likelihood is then compared to the available information from field experience on failure rates. <<ETX>>
Consensus of Multi-Agent Systems using Back-tracking and History following Algorithms

This paper proposes two algorithms, namely "back-tracking" and "history following", to reach consensus in case of communication loss for a network of distributed agents with switching topologies. To reach consensus in distributed control, considered communication topology forms a strongly connected graph. The graph is no more strongly connected whenever an agent loses communication.Whenever an agent loses communication, the topology is no more strongly connected. The proposed back-tracking algorithm makes sure that the agent backtracks its position unless the communication is reestablished, and path is changed to reach consensus. In history following, the agents use their memory and move towards previous consensus point until the communication is regained. Upon regaining communication, a new consensus point is calculated depending on the current positions of the agents and they change their trajectories accordingly. Simulation results, for a network of six agents, show that when the agents follow the previous history, the average consensus time is less than that of back-tracking. However, situation may arise in history following where a false notion of reaching consensus makes one of the agents stop at a point near to the actual consensus point. An obstacle avoidance algorithm is integrated with the proposed algorithms to avoid collisions. Hardware implementation for a three robots system shows the effectiveness of the algorithms.
The Relevance of Power in International Relations ∗

Power is widely considered to be the quintessential determinant of interstate conflict. Still, little consensus exists about how power actually influences war and peace. Realists and others view power as a source of state preferences. Affinities and animosities form around power relations, which in turn determine which nations fight, and when. Political geographers emphasize the role of power in conditioning distance. A loss-of-strength gradient discourages nations from fighting far from home. Bargaining theories treat power interchangeably as the probability of victory or as influence. I argue for a synthesis of political geography and bargaining theory. After modeling the effect of geography on bargaining, I offer evidence of a non-linear relationship between capabilities, proximity, and conflict. Weak states are less likely to fight in distant dyads, while capable countries do the opposite, increasing conflict behavior as distance increases. Rather than determining who fights whom, power appears to matter most for where nations fight. ∗I thank Michele Benson, Bear Braumoeller, David Cunningham, Vesna Danilovic, Shuhei Kurasakai, Jack Levy, Jeffrey Ritter, David Sacko, Stephen Shellman and seminar participants at the University of Buffalo, the University of Georgia, Harvard University, and Rutgers University for comments. Earlier drafts were presented at the ISSS/ISAC Conference, Tucson, AZ, 26-28 October, 2006, and at the the American Political Science Association Meetings, Philadelphia, PA, 1-3 September, 2006. A STATA “do” file replicating the analyses is available from the author. †University of California, San Diego, Department of Political Science, 9500 Gilman Ave., Room 327 Social Sciences Bldg. , La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. E-mail: egartzke@ucsd.edu. The most important events in international politics are explained by differences in the capabilities of states. Waltz (2000, page 52) The causes of war and peace are mainly a function of the balance of power. Mearsheimer (1995, page 13)
Efficient interval estimation of a ratio of marginal probabilities in matched‐pair data: Non‐iterative method

Matched‐pair designs have been commonly employed in diagnostic, epidemiologic and laboratory studies. For estimation of a ratio of two marginal probabilities in matched‐pair data, a Wald‐type logarithmic method is computationally simple, but an actual coverage rate is known to be smaller than a nominal one and a length of the confidence interval is shorter than it should be. The Fieller‐type method based on constrained maximum likelihood (CML) estimators possesses asymptotically optimum statistical properties and a coverage rate is close to a nominal one. However, hitherto the limits have been obtained by numerical iterations. In this paper, we derive the efficient confidence limits based on CML as analytical solutions of a quartic equation and present the confidence limits in a closed form. Published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Relationship Between Site Characteristics, Relationship Quality, and Word of Mouth

The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between site characteristics, relationship quality, and word of mouth in online retailing. Based on the analysis of 279 questionnaires, the following research findings were obtained. First, all characteristics of online retailing positively affect customer satisfaction, and security has more of a positive effect on satisfaction than the other characteristics do. Second, customer satisfaction positively affects e-trust, e-commitment, and word of mouth. Third, e-trust positively affects ecommitment, and e-commitment has a positive effect on word of mouth. It was found, however, that e-trust does not positively affect word of mouth. Fourth, all characteristics of online retailing indirectly affect e-trust, e-commitment, and word of mouth, and it does this by moderating customer satisfaction. Fifth, customer satisfaction indirectly affects e-commitment and word of mouth by moderating e-trust. Sixth, e-trust indirectly affects word of mouth by moderating e-commitment.
Vaccinia‐Virus‐Induced Cellular Contractility Facilitates the Subcellular Localization of the Viral Replication Sites

Poxviruses, such as vaccinia virus (VV), replicate their DNA in endoplasmic‐reticulum‐enclosed cytoplasmic sites. Here, we compare the dynamics of the VV replication sites with those of the attenuated strain, modified VV Ankara (MVA). By live‐cell imaging, small, early replication sites of both viruses undergo motility typical of microtubule (MT)‐motor‐mediated movement. Over time, growing replication sites of VV collect around the nucleus in a MT‐dependent fashion, whereas those of MVA remain mostly scattered in the cytoplasm. Surprisingly, blocking the dynein function does not impair the perinuclear accumulation of large VV replication sites. Live‐cell imaging demonstrates that in contrast to small replication sites, large sites do not display MT‐motor‐mediated motility. Instead, VV infection induces cellular contractility that facilitates the collection of growing replication sites around the nucleus. In a subset of cells (30–40%), this VV‐induced contractility is alternated by phases of directed cell migration, suggesting that the two processes may be linked. The MVA‐infected cells do not display contractility or cell migration, supporting the idea that these cellular activities facilitate the efficient accumulation of the VV replication sites around the nucleus. We propose that the recently described cytoskeletal rearrangements induced by VV are a prerequisite for the observed cell contractility and migration activities that apparently contribute to the organization of the complex cytoplasmic life cycle of VV.
Original article The relationship between patella position and length of the iliotibial band as assessed using Ober's test

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between length of the iliotibial band (ITB) and the medio-lateral position patella. Eighty subjects (37 male, 43 female) were examined for patella position and ITB length. All subjects were physically active, asymptomatic and aged between 18 and 34 years (mean 21.5 years). ITB length was assessed using the Ober’s test and modified Ober’s test, with hip adduction angle being measured using a fluid goniometer. Patella position was assessed using the method first described by McConnell [The management of chondromalacia patellae: a long term solution. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy 1986;32:215–22]. Patella position had a weak correlation (r ¼ 0:28) with modified Ober’s (extended knee) test and a poor correlation with Ober’s (knee flexed) test (r ¼ 0:1). In the group of 47 subjects with laterally displaced patellae, patella position had a moderate statistically significant correlation to ITB length measured by modified Ober’s test (r ¼ 0:34, P ¼ 0:012). Only a poor relationship existed between Ober’s test and patella position in the laterally displaced group. The results of this study only partially support the hypothesis that there is a relationship between ITB length and lateral patella displacement. The relationship was not strong enough to confirm ITB length as the only cause of lateral patella displacement. r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
REMPI Spectroscopy of Jet-Cooled Guanine

Figure 1. REMPI spectrum of jet-cooled guanine. The spectrum consists of four parts, as indicated by the horizontal arrows, that were recorded independently. In each part the ionization laser fluence varies such that it is highest in the center of the respective range. The peaks are not normalized for laser fluence. The top panel shows IR data from ref 8, plotted relative to the lowest energy peak in the REMPI spectrum for comparison.
Happy to help: further exploring the relationship between subjective well-being and prosocial behaviour

Previous research has indicated a potential causal relationship between prosocial spending and subjective well-being (SWB), with individuals who spend prosocially reporting greater increases in SWB than individuals who spend on themselves. However, these studies have largely been limited to self-report measures. In the present study, 28 participants completed measures of happiness, self-esteem, personality and mood before playing an online game in which correct answers result in real-world donations of rice. Some participants received the opportunity to pledge a donation to a charity before playing, whereas the rest did not. The researcher’s primary prediction was that individuals who pledged a donation would earn more rice, with the amount of rice earned correlating with happiness and therefore functioning as a potential behavioural measure of SWB. There was no significant difference in rice earned between the two groups, and happiness did not predict the amount of rice earned. Further analysis showed that among participants who reported high levels of happiness, those who received an opportunity to donate earned significantly more rice than those who did not receive an opportunity. This was true for participants who pledged a donation, as well as for participants who neglected to donate, suggesting that exposure to the pledge sheet was most important in determining the amount of rice earned. Positive affect, openness, and conscientious were also all found to play a role in moderating the amount of rice earned