Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti-Obesity Phenotypic Screening Looking to Increase OBR Cell Surface Expression

The leptin receptor, OBR, is involved in the regulation of whole-body energy homeostasis. Most obese people are resistant to leptin and do not respond to the hormone. The prevention and reversal of leptin resistance is one of the major current goals of obesity research. We showed previously that increased OBR cell surface expression concomitantly increases cellular leptin signaling and prevents obesity development in mice. Improvement of OBR cell surface expression can thus be considered as an interesting anti-obesity therapeutic strategy. To identify compounds that increase the surface expression of OBR, we developed a cell-based, phenotypic assay to perform a high-content screen (HCS) against a library of 50,000 chemical compounds. We identified 67 compounds that increased OBR cell surface expression with AC50 values in the low micromolar range and no effect on total OBR expression and cellular toxicity. Compounds were classified into 16 chemical clusters, of which 4 potentiated leptin-promoted signaling through the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. In conclusion, development of a robust phenotypic screening approach resulted in the discovery of four new scaffolds that demonstrate the desired biological activity and could constitute an original therapeutic solution against obesity and associated disorders.
On the effect of colluding eavesdroppers on secrecy capacity scaling

In a powerful secrecy attack, eavesdroppers can collude, i.e., they can share their observations. Securing information in such a scenario will be an even more challenging task compared to non-colluding case. We here analyze the effect of eavesdropper collusion on the achievable performance in both the path loss and ergodic multi-path fading models. We provide two results: 1) For the Poisson point process model in a random extended network, if the legitimate nodes have unit intensity (λ = 1) and the colluding eavesdroppers have an intensity of λ<inf>e</inf> = O((log n)<sup>−(2+p)</sup>) for any p > 0, almost all of the nodes can achieve a secure rate of Ω(1/√n); I and 2) In the K-user Gaussian interference channel with E external colluding eavesdroppers, a secure degrees of freedom of η =[1/2−E/K]<sup>+</sup> per frequency-time slot is achievable for each user in the ergodic setting (in the absence of the eavesdropper channel state information).
New Paper-- Wealth as Security : Growth Curve Analyses of Household Income and Net Worth During a Recession Building on evidence of increasing inequality with the 2008 – 2009 recession

Building on evidence of increasing inequality with the 2008-9 recession, we ask whether households experienced different financial trajectories through the recession depending on initial income and net worth. Using growth curve models of households headed by young adults in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we compare the relationship between initial income and net worth and the rate of change of income and net worth from 1989 to 2011 among households with income above and below $50,000. We find different patterns of income change and different relationships among income, net worth, and their rates of change between highand low-income categories. Results suggest initial wealth helped to stabilize income and wealth changes among higher income households, reducing financial insecurity.
Abl Family Kinases Modulate T Cell–Mediated Inflammation and Chemokine-Induced Migration Through the Adaptor HEF1 and the GTPase Rap1

Inhibitors of Abl family kinases block T cell migration and could be used to treat inflammatory diseases. En’Abl’ing T Cell Migration To perform their role in immune surveillance and protective immunity, T cells must continuously circulate through the blood and secondary lymphoid organs (during homeostasis), as well as migrate to sites of inflammation. T cell migration is stimulated by chemokines, which activate small GTPases, including Rap1, that lead to cellular polarization and actin rearrangement. Gu et al. found that the tyrosine kinases Abl and Arg connected chemokine receptor stimulation to Rap1 activation through a pathway that involved the adaptor protein HEF1. Loss of both Abl and Arg in mouse T cells inhibited their homeostatic migration as well as their recruitment to inflammatory sites in vivo. Together, these data suggest that Abl family kinases may provide therapeutic targets for the treatment of inflammatory diseases that are chemokine-dependent. Chemokine signaling is critical for T cell function during homeostasis and inflammation and directs T cell polarity and migration through the activation of specific intracellular pathways. Here, we uncovered a previously uncharacterized role for the Abl family tyrosine kinases Abl and Arg in the regulation of T cell–dependent inflammatory responses and showed that the Abl family kinases were required for chemokine-induced T cell polarization and migration. Our data demonstrated that Abl and Arg were activated downstream of chemokine receptors and mediated the chemokine-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of human enhancer of filamentation 1 (HEF1), an adaptor protein that is required for the activity of the guanosine triphosphatase Rap1, which mediates cell adhesion and migration. Phosphorylation of HEF1 by Abl family kinases and activation of Rap1 were required for chemokine-induced T cell migration. Mouse T cells that lacked Abl and Arg exhibited defective homing to lymph nodes and impaired migration to sites of inflammation. These findings suggest that Abl family kinases are potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of T cell–dependent immune disorders that are characterized by chemokine-mediated inflammation.
A Universal Model for Discourse-Level Argumentation Analysis

The argumentative structure of texts is increasingly exploited for analysis tasks, for example, for stance classification or the assessment of argumentation quality. Most existing approaches, however, model only the local structure of single arguments. This article considers the question of how to capture the global discourse-level structure of a text for argumentation-related analyses. In particular, we propose to model the global structure as a flow of “task-related rhetorical moves,” such as discourse functions or aspect-based sentiment. By comparing the flow of a text to a set of common flow patterns, we map the text into the feature space of global structures, thus capturing its discourse-level argumentation. We show how to identify different types of flow patterns, and we provide evidence that they generalize well across different domains of texts. In our evaluation for two analysis tasks, the classification of review sentiment and the scoring of essay organization, the features derived from flow patterns prove both effective and more robust than strong baselines. We conclude with a discussion of the universality of modeling flow for discourse-level argumentation analysis.
4-Aminopyridinium trans-diaquadioxalatochromate(III) monohydrate

In the non-centrosymmetric structure of the title compound, (C5H7N2)[Cr(C2O4)2(H2O)2]·H2O, the CrIII ion has a slightly distorted octahedral coordination environment defined by two chelating oxalato ligands in equatorial positions and two water molecules in axial positions. An extensive three-dimensional network of hydrogen bonds involving all the water molecules, the 4-aminopyridinium cation and some of the oxalate O atoms contributes to the stabilization of the structure. π–π interactions between adjacent pyridine rings provide additional stability of the crystal packing, with a closest distance between pyridine mean planes of 3.613 (1) Å.
Regulation of Cytochrome P450 2E1 under Hypertonic Environment through TonEBP in Human Hepatocytes

Whereas the liver as well as the other organs are continually exposed to the change of osmotic status, it has never been investigated whether activities and gene expressions of drug-metabolizing enzymes, including cytochromes P450, are dependent on osmotic change in the liver. In the present study, we determined that CYP2E1 is induced under hypertonic environments at a transcriptional level in human primary hepatocytes, as assessed by cDNA microarray and real time-reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses. Both a protein level and the catalytic activity of CYP2E1 were consistently increased in response to hypertonic conditions. In promoter-reporter assay, it was demonstrated that -586 to -566 in the CYP2E1 5′-flanking region was necessary for 2E1 promoter activation by hypertonic stimulation. It is noteworthy that tonicity-response element (TonE) consensus sequence was found at -578 to -568 in human CYP2E1 5′-flanking region, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated the interaction of TonE binding protein (TonEBP) with TonE motif of CYP2E1 promoter. Furthermore, cotransfection of a CYP2E1 promoter construct with wild-type TonEBP expression vector enhanced promoter activity under both isotonic and hypertonic conditions, whereas dominant-negative TonEBP suppressed an induction of CYP2E1 promoter activity. These results indicate that the level of CYP2E1 is induced by hypertonic condition via TonEBP transactivation. The present study suggests that osmotic status may influence individual responses to the substrate of CYP2E1.
A monoclonal antibody that blocks poliovirus attachment recognizes the lymphocyte homing receptor CD44

A monoclonal antibody, AF3, was previously shown to specifically inhibit poliovirus binding to HeLa cells and to detect a 100-kDa glycoprotein only in cell lines and tissues permissive for poliovirus infection. These results suggested that the 100-kDa protein may be involved in the pathogenesis of poliomyelitis and the cellular function of the poliovirus receptor site. To study further the role of the 100-kDa protein in poliovirus attachment, immunoaffinity purification, amino acid sequencing, and cDNA cloning were undertaken. The results demonstrate that antibody AF3 reacts with the lymphocyte homing receptor CD44, a multifunctional cell surface glycoprotein involved in the homing of circulating lymphocytes to lymph nodes and the modulation of lymphocyte adhesion and activation. Antibody AF3 reacts with a subset of CD44 molecules (AF3CD44H), which appears to be a small fraction of the heterogeneously glycosylated CD44 molecules expressed on hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cells. Anti-CD44 monoclonal antibodies, previously reported to induce CD44-mediated modulation of lymphocyte activation and adhesion, compete with 125I-AF3 in binding assays, demonstrating functional overlap among the epitopes. The anti-CD44 monoclonal antibody A3D8, which binds to a greater molecular weight range of CD44 than does AF3, inhibits poliovirus binding to a similar degree. CD44 does not act as a poliovirus receptor, since CD44-expressing mouse L-cell transformants did not bind poliovirus. The poliovirus receptor and AF3CD44H may be noncovalently associated, or they may interact through the cytoskeleton or signal transduction pathways.
Measured and Modeled Horizontal Electric Field From Rocket-Triggered Lightning

This paper presents the results of experiments carried out with rocket-triggered lightning and the related theoretical analysis. It describes the test setup and presents the electric field waveform recorded at the earth surface alongside with the simultaneous measurement of the lightning return stroke current at the channel base. The relevant parameters that allow the validation of a model to correlate the two waveforms are presented, i.e., the return stroke velocity, the distance from the lightning channel base, and the earth parameters (resistivity and permittivity). A theoretical analysis is also presented, which models the phenomenon by the superposition of an induced and a conducted component, providing results that are in good agreement with the measurements. Finally, the paper presents a discussion about the range of validity of the theoretical model and analyzes the behavior of the two components of the electric field.
Adaption of Norway spruce and European beech forests under climate change: from resistance to close-to-nature silviculture

Abstract In time of climate change, close-to-nature silviculture is growing in importance as a tool for future forest management. The paper study the tree layer and natural regeneration of monospecific Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.), trough mixed spruce-beech to dominant European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests in Jizerské hory Mts. , the Czech Republic. In the locality, shelterwood and selection system have been applied since 2000. The research objectives were to evaluate production parameters, structural diversity, species richness, natural regeneration dynamics and radial growth of individual tree species in relation to climatic factors and air pollution. The stand volume on permanent research plots amounted to 441 – 731 m3 ha−1 in initial stage of transformation. Natural regeneration showed high expansion of beech and decrease of spruce compared to mature tree species composition. Radial growth of spruce was in significant negative correlation with SO2 and NOX concentrations compared to no effect on beech increment. Moreover, spruce was more sensitive to significant years with extreme low radial growth. Beech was more stable in radial growth. Spruce was more resistant to air pollution and climatic stress in mixed stands. Low temperature was limiting factor of radial growth together with climate extremes (such as strong frosts and more frequent droughts) and biotic factors (bark beetle, beech scale). Close-to-nature management supporting admixed tree species should lead in future to diversification of stand structure toward higher species, spatial and age structure to mitigate negative effect of climatic change.
Google+facebook: a social-network-optimized web search approach

Social search and social network are both prevalent approaches for people seeking information on the Web. Existing work generally addresses issues of the two approaches in an isolated way. In this paper, we introduce a method for incorporating social network in social search processes. Our method integrates social networking into a novel epistemology-based social search framework, where users in a social search community contribute epistemologies that include all information derived from their search processes, and forms and utilizes social networks from their search activities to improve the social search experience. We designed and developed a prototype system in which the proposed approach is implemented. We also conducted experiments to validate this approach. The results show that the social-network-optimized social search system outperforms a conventional search engine.
Absorptive capacity: A hub of blue ocean and red ocean strategies and capability transformation in innovative business environments

Firms operating in innovative environments often keep track of their strategies (Blue Ocean and Red Ocean) by keeping a balance of market exploration and exploitation. There comes a point where companies feel that transformation of their capabilities to adopt a contrasting strategy requires capability transformation. This study addresses this process through absorptive capacity. Our study argues the pivot role of absorptive capacity by effective utilization of resources in capability transformation to adopt the contrasting strategy while keeping a balance of exploration and exploitation in the organisation.
Frequency- and time-domain measurement of reverberation chamber Q: An in-silico analysis

An in-silico (numerical) study of the measurement of the quality factor (“Q”) of a reverberation chamber has been performed using an efficient moment method based on the cavity Greens function. Antenna mismatches directly reduce the Q measured in the frequency domain but not in the time domain. Well matched antennas load the chamber more severely than mismatched antennas and yield lower measured quality factors, particularly at lower frequencies. Quality factors measured in the time domain are approximately equal to the mean of the frequency-domain Qs averaged across the pulse bandwidth and are therefore less affected by non-ideal field distributions in chambers operating at low frequency.
Human Demography and Disease

Preface 1. Introduction 2. Tools for demography and epidemiology 3. Identification of population oscillations: a case study 4. Density-dependent control and feedback 5. Modelling the endogenous oscillations and predictions from time-series analysis 6. Cycles in the grain price series 7. Interactions of exogenous cycles: a case study 8. Mortality crises and the effects of the price of wool 9. Modelling epidemics for the demographer: the dynamics of smallpox in London 10. Non-linear modelling of the two-yearly epidemics in smallpox: the genesis of chaos? 11. Measles and whooping cough in London 12. Integration of the dynamics of infectious diseases with the demography of London 13. Smallpox in rural towns in England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries 14. Infectious diseases in England and Wales in the nineteenth century 15. Prospectives - towards a meta-population study References Index.
Developing theoretical coherence in teaching and learning: case of neuroscience-framed learning study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe two cycles of learning study (LS) involving eight elementary teachers in British Columbia, Canada. The study explored the teachers’ experiences of learning to plan and teach lessons as informed by recent brain research. Design/methodology/approach The case study was constructed using data sources including teacher semi-structured interviews (pre-study, post-study and delayed post-study), classroom materials (including student assignments), LS training materials, fieldnotes and recordings of meetings and research lessons; sources were triangulated. Thematic analysis was applied. Contemporary neuroscience perspectives framed the LS discourse and analysis. Findings The teachers developed theoretical coherence and could better articulate reasons for their pedagogy. They developed understandings of the cognitive architecture underlying functions like learning and memory, allowing them to identify pedagogical actions that are consistent with human biology and understand why these actions are effective in promoting learning. Practical implications LS is shown to be an effective professional development (PD) model where theoretical knowledge, like neuroscience, could be employed and tested in classroom settings to provide depth to support teachers’ praxis. This teaching–research nexus supports exploration of fruitful connections between theoretical knowledge and education to advance the science of learning and the science of instruction. Originality/value Findings demonstrated how LS could be employed with alternative theoretical perspectives to promote teacher PD, thus extending beyond the dominant use of variation theory. Also, illustrated is the potential use of LS to bridge the knowledge gap between neuroscience and education.
Solving the tool switching problem with memetic algorithms

Abstract The tool switching problem (ToSP) is well known in the domain of flexible manufacturing systems. Given a reconfigurable machine, the ToSP amounts to scheduling a collection of jobs on this machine (each of them requiring a different set of tools to be completed), as well as the tools to be loaded/unloaded at each step to process these jobs, such that the total number of tool switches is minimized. Different exact and heuristic methods have been defined to deal with this problem. In this work, we focus on memetic approaches to this problem. To this end, we have considered a number of variants of three different local search techniques (hill climbing, tabu search, and simulated annealing), and embedded them in a permutational evolutionary algorithm. It is shown that the memetic algorithm endowed with steepest ascent hill climbing search yields the best results, performing synergistically better than its stand-alone constituents, and providing better results than the rest of the algorithms (including those returned by an effective ad hoc beam search heuristic defined in the literature for this problem).
GIV/Girdin Transmits Signals from Multiple Receptors by Triggering Trimeric G Protein Activation*

Activation of trimeric G proteins has been traditionally viewed as the exclusive job of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). This view has been challenged by the discovery of non-receptor activators of trimeric G proteins. Among them, GIV (a.k.a. Girdin) is the first for which a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) activity has been unequivocally associated with a well defined motif. Here we discuss how GIV assembles alternative signaling pathways by sensing cues from various classes of surface receptors and relaying them via G protein activation. We also describe the dysregulation of this mechanism in disease and how its targeting holds promise for novel therapeutics.
A Survey of Contextual Advertising

Contextual advertising, a growing category of search advertising, refers to showing a list of ads in a web page. In recent years, more and more researches have been carried on and various methods have been proposed. In this paper, the up-to-date methods for contextual advertising are studied. After giving a brief review of contextual advertising, three main approaches of current research, i.e. the matching, Genetic programming(GP) and semantic approaches, are described and compared. At last, some challenges in contextual advertising are discussed, together with the potential future research directions.
Characterizing and Evaluating Problem Solving Self-* Systems

In the last few years, the growing complexity of current applications has led to the design of self-organizing systems presenting self-* properties. Those systems are composed of several autonomous interactive entities. They behave autonomously and present interesting characteristics allowing them to handle dynamics coming from exogenous and endogenous changes. As those systems are different from classical ones, new or updated characterization and evaluation criteria are required for analyzing the contribution of self-* properties and system performance.This work is a first step for evaluating self-* systems. Its main purpose is to propose a simulation based evaluation framework which aims at guiding the evaluation of this kind of systems from the design phase all the way to the execution results: evaluation of the system at run-time, intrinsic and development methodologies characterization.
Peripheral arterial disease.

INTRODUCTION Up to 20% of adults aged over 55 years have detectable peripheral arterial disease of the legs, but this may cause symptoms of intermittent claudication in only a small proportion of affected people. The main risk factors are smoking and diabetes mellitus, but other risk factors for cardiovascular disease are also associated with peripheral arterial disease. METHODS AND OUTCOMES We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of treatments for people with chronic peripheral arterial disease? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library and other important databases up to December 2006. (BMJ Clinical evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). RESULTS We found 55 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions. CONCLUSIONS In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: antiplatelet agents, bypass surgery, cilostazol, exercise, pentoxifylline, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, prostaglandins, smoking cessation, statins.