Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The early allergic response in small airways of human precision-cut lung slices

To study the role of small airways in the early allergic response (EAR), the method of human precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) was developed and used to examine the bronchoconstriction elicited by passive sensitisation and allergen provocation. Viable human PCLS of 250-µm thickness containing airways <1.5 mm in outer diameter were prepared from lung lobes obtained from lung resection and taken into culture. According to the low release of lactate dehydrogenase and the constant ciliary beat frequency, human PCLS were viable for at least 3 days. Following overnight passive sensitisation with serum from allergic individuals, administration of grass-pollen extract or activating immunoglobulin E antibody resulted in immediate airway contraction that was quantified by videomicroscopy. The extent of the EAR increased with decreasing airway size (outer airway diameter), with the strongest response occurring in the terminal bronchioles. Histamine receptor antagonism was ineffective, and leukotriene or thromboxane receptor antagonism attenuated the early allergic response only in some cases. However, simultaneous blockade of leukotriene and thromboxane receptors almost completely prevented the early allergic response in the precision-cut lung slices from all individuals, suggesting such a dual treatment as a potential future asthma therapy.
Threonine Overproduction in Yeast Strains Carrying theHOM3-R2 Mutant Allele under the Control of Different Inducible Promoters

ABSTRACT The HOM3 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiaecodes for aspartate kinase, which plays a crucial role in the regulation of the metabolic flux that leads to threonine biosynthesis. With the aim of obtaining yeast strains able to overproduce threonine in a controlled way, we have placed the HOM3-R2 mutant allele, which causes expression of a feedback-insensitive enzyme, under the control of four distinctive regulatable yeast promoters, namely, PGAL1, PCHA1, PCYC1-HSE2, and PGPH1. The amino acid contents of strains bearing the different constructs were analyzed both under repression and induction conditions. Although some differences in overall threonine production were found, a maximum of around 400 nmol/mg (dry weight) was observed. Other factors, such as excretion to the medium and activity of the catabolic threonine/serine deaminase, also affect threonine accumulation. Thus, improvement of threonine productivity by yeast cells would probably require manipulation of these and other factors.
Edge-based operators for graph characterization

This thesis addresses problems in computer vision and pattern recognition using graphs. The particular focus is on graph matching and characterization using edge-based operators. The thesis commences with a brief introduction in Chapter 1, followed by a review of the relevant literature in Chapter 2. The remainder of the thesis is organized as follows. Chapter 3 discusses the structure of the Ihara coefficients and presents efficient methods to compute these coefficients. One of our contributions in this chapter is to propose a O(k|V|^3) worst-case running time algorithm to compute the set of first k Ihara coefficients.Chapter 4 proposes efficient methods for characterizing labelled as well as unlabelled graphs. One of our contributions in this chapter is to propose a graph kernel based on backtrackless walks for labelled graphs, whose worst-case running time is the same as that of the kernel defined using random walks. The next part of the thesis discusses the edge-based Laplacian and its applications. Chapter 5 introduces the concept of a metric graph and the eigensystem of the edge-based Laplacian. Our novel contribution in this chapter is to fully explore the eigenfunctions of the edge-based Laplacian and develop a method for explicitly calculating the edge-interior eigenfunctions. In Chapter 6, we define a wave equation on a graph and give a complete solution. The solution is used to define a signature to classify weighted as well as unweighted graphs. Chapter 7 presents another application of the edge-based Laplacian, where the edge-based heat diffusion process is used to define a signature for points on the surface of a three-dimensional shape. It is called the edge-based heat kernel signature (EHKS) and it can be used for shape segmentation, correspondence matching and shape classification. Finally, in Chapter 8 we provide concluding remarks and discuss directions for future research.
Duty-ratio feedforward for digitally controlled boost PFC converters

When a 'classical' current control scheme is applied, the input current of a boost power factor correction (PFC) converter leads the input voltage, resulting in a nonunity fundamental displacement factor and in important zero-crossing distortion in applications with a high grid frequency (e.g. 400 Hz power systems on commercial aircraft). To resolve this problem, a current-control scheme is proposed using duty-ratio feedforward. In this paper, the input impedance of the boost PFC converter for both the classical current-loop controller and the controller using duty-ratio feedforward are derived theoretically. A comparison reveals the advantages of the proposed control scheme: a low total-harmonic-distortion (THD) of the input current, a resistive input impedance, virtually no zero-crossing distortion and a fundamental displacement power factor close to unity. The theoretical results obtained are verified using an experimental setup of a digitally controlled boost PFC converter.
Visualization of Big Spatial Data using Coresets for Kernel Density Estimates

The size of large, geo-located datasets has reached scales where visualization of all data points is inefficient. Random sampling is a method to reduce the size of a dataset, yet it can introduce unwanted errors. We describe a method for subsampling of spatial data suitable for creating kernel density estimates from very large data and demonstrate that it results in less error than random sampling. We also introduce a method to ensure that thresholding of low values based on sampled data does not omit any regions above the desired threshold when working with sampled data. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach using both, artificial and real-world large geospatial datasets.
Business support for new technology‐based firms: a study of entrepreneurs in north Wales

Purpose – This paper seeks to provide insights into key areas of business support used by technology entrepreneurs who start businesses in north west Wales.Design/methodology/approach – This research uses a qualitative research approach and a purposive sample of eight small technology firms based on and off technology parks. A card research methodology is piloted in one firm and then incorporated into semi‐structured interviews with entrepreneurs.Findings – Technology entrepreneurs access direct and indirect support including: grants from local and central government; help from, banks and professionals; universities; technology incubation units, and; collaborations and networks. Evidence also confirms some of the challenges that entrepreneurs face in accessing business support.Research limitations/implications – This research provides clear indications to public sector organisations, universities and business support agencies as being the most important aspects of business support needed for new technolog.
New Developments in Liposomal Drug Delivery.

Bhushan S. Pattni,† Vladimir V. Chupin,‡ and Vladimir P. Torchilin*,†,§,∥ †Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Nanomedicine, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States ‡Laboratory for Advanced Studies of Membrane Proteins, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141700, Russia Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Constitutional Change in Switzerland

The article presents a case of successful constitutional change in Switzerland, the "re-assignment of responsibilities between the federal government and the cantons and the new fiscal equalization scheme," which was adopted in 2004 by referendum. By starting from the general assumption that ways and means are needed to strengthen general interests at the expense of distributive interests in constitutional discussions, the article endeavors to identify favorable conditions for successful constitutional change. By using insights from "constitutional political economy" and "actor-centered institutionalism," four such conditions are revealed: the procedural separation of problem solving and bargaining interaction modes; the importance of ideational factors like "frames," "causal theories," and focal points; active agenda-crafting; and the structuring of constitutional debates by earlier decisions. In addition, this article highlights that other conditions, more directly linked to interest and interest struggle, can help to mitigate the intensity of distributive conflicts and are therefore indirectly conducive to a problem-solving interaction orientation of actors. Copyright 2009, Oxford University Press.
On the globalization of stock markets: An application of VECM, SSA technique and mutual information to the G7?

This paper analyzes the process of stock market globalization on the basis of two different approaches: (i) the linear one, based on cointegration tests and vector error correction models (VECM); and (ii) the nonlinear approach, based on Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) and mutual information tests. While the cointegration tests are based on regression models and typically capture linearities in the data, mutual information and SSA are well suited for capturing global non-parametric relationships in the data without imposing any structure or restriction on the model. The data used in our empirical analysis were drawn from DataStream and comprise the natural logarithms of relative stock market indexes since 1973 for the G7 countries. The main results point to the conclusion that significant causal effects occur in this context and that mutual information and the global correlation coefficient actually provide more information on this process than VECM, but the direction of causality is difficult to distinguish in the former case. In this field, SSA shows some advantages, since it enabled us to capture the nonlinear causality in both directions. In all cases, however, there is evidence that stock markets are closely related in the long-run over the 36 years analyzed and, in this sense, one may say that they are globalized.
Automated Residential Demand Response: Algorithmic Implications of Pricing Models

Smart energy management is an important problem in Smart Grid network, and demand response (DR) is one of the key enabling technologies. If each home uses automated demand response which would opportunistically schedule devices that are flexible to run at any time in a large time window, towards the slots with lower electricity prices, peaks at these slots may happen. We denote such peaks as rebound peaks. We address the potential rebound peak problems of automated DR algorithms, and provide possible solutions. We illustrate why a rebound peak is possible via the insights we obtain from the optimal automated DR algorithm. We show that if the utility electricity supply cost is assumed to be a homogeneous function in the energy consumption over a certain time span, a system of multiple homes and utility company has the lowest total electricity supply cost if the electricity consumption from all the homes is flat over the time span. We study multiple approaches to reduce the rebound peak, and accordingly propose algorithms for DR at each home. Effectiveness of the approaches is verified by numerical results.
Bridging the Tax-Expenditure Gap: Green Taxes and the Marginal Cost of Funds

The marginal cost of public funds is usually seen as a number greater than one, reflecting the efficiency cost of distortionary taxes. But economic intuition suggests that since green taxes are efficiency-enhancing the MCF with such taxes will be less than one. The paper demonstrates that this intuition is not necessarily true, even when a green tax is the sole source of funds. The analysis also considers the MCF with a proportional income tax, given the presence of green taxes. It compares the optimization approach to the MCF with that of a balanced budget reform and shows that they lead to equivalent results.
An online fuzzy Decision Support System for Resource Management in cloud environments

Cloud computing is a large-scale distributed computing paradigm driven by economies of scale, in which a pool of abstracted, virtualized, dynamically-scalable, managed computing power, storage, platforms, and services are delivered on demand to external customers over the Internet. Although a significant amount of studies have been developed to optimize resource management and task scheduling in cloud computing, none of them considered the impact of task scheduling patterns on resource management and vice versa. To overcome this drawback, and considering the lack of resources in cloud environments and growing customer demands for cloud services, this paper proposes an Online Resource Management Decision Support System (ORMDSS) that addresses both tasks scheduling and resource management optimization in a unique system. In addition, ORMDSS contains a fuzzy prediction method for predicting VM workload patterns and VM migration time by applying neural networks and fuzzy expert systems. This ORMDSS helps cloud providers to automatically allocate scare resources to the applications and services in an optimal way. It is expected that the ORMDSS not only increases cloud utilization and QoS, but also decreases cost and response time.
From measurement to management: how accounting evolved to form a new research field

Accounting evolved from a convenient and sketchy measure of reality - a systematic account of economic values of business transactions for bookkeeping purposes - in early days to becoming a tool of managing a company's financial appearance in the capital market in modern times. Accounting research evolved along in seeking to be 'scientific'. While the direction of this academic pursuit is well justified and accounting indeed evolved such that it was ready to be a field of scientific research, this goal was never reached.
Competition and Efficiency in the Banking System--Empirical Research and Its Policy Implications

T ilHis paper focuses on the results and implications of recent cost studies in banking. Additional materials are discussed with a view toward placing the cost analyses in perspective. The following section provides a definition of a "socially optimal" banking structure in order to indicate the possible importance of returns to scale in banking. Succeeding sections consider the cost studies individually and provide an interpretation of their findings. An addendum treats selected problems of recent banking-structure research outside the area of cost analysis.
Mitochondrial Polymorphisms Are Associated Both with Increased and Decreased Longevity

Previous work compared frequency of longevity-associated polymorphisms (LAPS) in long-lived individuals and in controls from the general population (primarily in Europe and Japan), suggesting the polymorphisms are responsible for unusual longevity. However, individuals from the general population are not the control group for long-lived subjects because both were born in different periods. We report results of a project which collected mtDNA from living subjects in Costa Rica, and traced back their maternal genealogy. Since mtDNA does not recombine and its probability of mutation is low, we can assume that the maternal ancestors had the same mtDNA of their descendants. We compared the longevity of individuals with LAPS with the longevity of controls born in the same time period. We did not confirm previous associations for several markers, but found that the 5178A mutation in haplogroup D is associated with decreased longevity, whereas the 150T mutation is associated with increased longevity. These associations however, are not significant for all time periods under study. While our data confirm that mtDNA make up affects longevity, they also indicate that the time period in which a person was born had a much greater impact on longevity than presence or absence of a marker.
Study on the force myography sensors placement for robust hand force estimation

Force Myography (FMG) is a method of tracking functional motor activity using volumetric changes associated with muscle function. With comparable accuracy and multiple advantages over traditional methods of functional motor activity tracking, FMG has shown a promising potential in terms of applications in human-machine interfaces, tele-operation and healthcare devices. This paper provides a study that explores the effect of the spatial coverage and placement of the Force Myography (FMG) measurements on the accuracy and predictability of the machine learning models of isometric hand force. Five participants were recruited in this study and were asked to exert isometric force along three perpendicular axes while wearing custom built FMG devices. During the tests, the isometric force was measured using a 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF) load cell whereas the FMG signals were recorded using a total number of 60 FSRs, which were embedded into four bands worn on the arm. General Regression Neural Network (GRNN) model was employed in this study for predicting the hand force in three axes from the recorded FMG signals. The regression model was trained using all possible band combinations to find the optimal placement for the FMG measurements. The results showed that the accuracy significantly improved when increasing the spatial coverage from 1 FMG band to 2 or 3 bands for all axes. While the accuracy slightly improved when the 4 bands used instead of 3. Specifically, the average R2 across all subjects and axes are 0.68 ± 0.12, 0.84 ± 0.04, 0.91 ± 0.02 and 0.95 ± 0.01 using single, double, triple and four bands combination, respectively, in 5-fold cross-validation evaluation. The knowledge generated from this work aims serve as a guide towards the development of portable FMG based technology for widespread deployment in the general population.
Prothrombin kringle‐2 induces death of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons in vivo and in vitro via microglial activation

We have shown that prothrombin kringle‐2 (pKr‐2), a domain of human prothrombin distinct from thrombin could activate cultured rat brain microglia in vitro. However, little is known whether pKr‐2‐induced microglial activation could cause neurotoxicity on dopaminergic (DA) neurons in vivo. To address this question, pKr‐2 was injected into the rat substantia nigra (SN). Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry experiments demonstrate significant loss of DA neurons seven days after injection of pKr‐2. In parallel, pKr‐2‐activated microglia were detected in the SN with OX‐42 and OX‐6 immunohistochemistry. Reverse transcription PCR and double‐label immunohistochemistry revealed that activated microglia in vivo exhibit early and transient expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) and several proinflammatory cytokines. The pKr‐2‐induced loss of SN DA neurons was partially inhibited by the NOS inhibitor NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, and the COX‐2 inhibitor DuP‐697. Extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2, c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase and p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase were activated in the SN as early as 1 hr after pKr‐2 injection, and localized within microglia. Inhibition of these kinases led to attenuation of mRNA expression of iNOS, COX‐2 and several proinflammatory cytokines, and rescue of DA neurons in the SN. Intriguingly, following treatment with pKr‐2 in vitro, neurotoxicity was detected exclusively in co‐cultures of mesencephalic neurons and microglia, but not microglia‐free neuron‐enriched mesencephalic cultures, indicating that microglia are required for pKr‐2 neurotoxicity. Our results strongly suggest that microglia activated by endogenous compound(s), such as pKr‐2, are implicated in the DA neuronal cell death in the SN. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Decision Modeling in Case Selection for Medical Utilization Review

A situation is described in which large amounts of physician time are being spent reviewing patient records. In order to promote efficient use of their time, careful selection of the cases they review is called for. A methodology is developed to elicit criteria from physicians for the use of nonphysicians in case selection. The methodology, called the direct approach to approximate decision models, involves the use of interviews and questionnaires asking the physician directly about the criteria he uses, rather than inferring his criteria by indirect means. He is asked to interpret these criteria in a way that will allow a nonphysician to use them for case selection so that the resulting model is an approximation to the physician's decision process.
Gut microbial diversity in health and disease: experience of healthy Indian subjects, and colon carcinoma and inflammatory bowel disease patients

ABSTRACT Background: The intestinal microbiota, through complex interactions with the gut mucosa, play a key role in the pathogenesis of colon carcinoma and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The disease condition and dietary habits both influence gut microbial diversity. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the gut microbial profile of healthy subjects and patients with colon carcinoma and IBD. Healthy subjects included ‘Indian vegetarians/lactovegetarians’, who eat plant produce, milk and milk products, and ‘Indian non-vegetarians’, who eat plant produce, milk and milk products, certain meats and fish, and the eggs of certain birds and fish. ‘Indian vegetarians’ are different from ‘vegans’, who do not eat any foods derived wholly or partly from animals, including milk products. Design: Stool samples were collected from healthy Indian vegetarians/lactovegetarians and non-vegetarians, and colon cancer and IBD patients. Clonal libraries of 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of bacteria were created from each sample. Clones were sequenced from one representative sample of each group. Approximately 500 white colonies were picked at random from each sample and 100 colonies were sequenced after amplified rDNA restriction analysis. Results: The dominant phylum from the healthy vegetarian was Firmicutes (34%), followed by Bacteroidetes (15%). The balance was reversed in the healthy non-vegetarian (Bacteroidetes 84%, Firmicutes 4%; ratio 21:1). The colon cancer and IBD patients had higher percentages of Bacteroidetes (55% in both) than Firmicutes (26% and 12%, respectively) but lower Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratios (3.8:1 and 2.4:1, respectively) than the healthy non-vegetarian. Bacterial phyla of Verrucomicrobiota and Actinobacteria were detected in 23% and 5% of IBD and colon patients, respectively. Conclusions: Ribosomal Database Project profiling of gut flora in this study population showed remarkable differences, with unique diversity attributed to different diets and disease conditions.
A Cross-Sectional Test of an Investment-Based Asset Pricing Model

I examine a factor pricing model for stock returns. The factors are returns on physical investment, inferred from investment data via a production function. I examine the model's ability to explain variation in expected returns across assets and over time. The model is not rejected. It performs about as well as the CAPM and the Chen, Roll, and Ross factor model, and it performs substantially better than a simple consumption-based model. I also provide an easy technique for estimating and testing dynamic, conditional asset pricing models--one simply includes factors and returns scaled by instruments in an unconditional estimate--and for comparing such models.