Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nongenomic Inhibition of Catecholamine Secretion by 17β‐Estradiol in PC12 Cells

Abstract: We investigated the effects of 17β‐estradiol, an estrogen, on [3H]norepinephrine ([3H]NE) secretion in PC12 cells. Pretreatment with 17β‐estradiol reduced 70 mM K+‐induced [3H]NE secretion in a concentration‐dependent manner with a half‐maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 2 ± 1 μM. The 70 mM K+‐induced cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) rise was also reduced when the cells were treated with 17β‐estradiol (IC50 = 15 ± 2 μM). Studies with voltage‐sensitive calcium channel (VSCC) antagonists such as nifedipine and ω‐conotoxin GVIA revealed that both L‐ and N‐type VSCCs were affected by 17β‐estradiol treatment. The 17β‐estradiol effect was not changed by pretreatment of the cells with actinomycin D and cycloheximide for 5 h. In addition, treatment with pertussis or cholera toxin did not affect the inhibitory effect of 17β‐estradiol. 17β‐Estradiol also inhibited the ATP‐induced [3H]NE secretion and [Ca2+]i rise. In PC12 cells, the ATP‐induced [Ca2+]i rise is known to occur through P2X2 receptors, the P2Y2‐mediated phospholipase C (PLC) pathway, and VSCCs. 17β‐Estradiol pretreatment during complete inhibition of the PLC pathway and VSCCs inhibited the ATP‐induced [Ca2+]i rise. Our results suggest that 17β‐estradiol inhibits catecholamine secretion by inhibiting L‐ and N‐type Ca2+ channels and P2X2 receptors in a nongenomic manner.
The Analytical Formula for the Distribution Function of the Variance Gamma Process and its Application to Option Pricing

In this paper we primarily obtain the explicit formulas for the distribution function of the variance gamma process. The formulas are based on values of hypergeometric functions. This result is applied to European option pricing. Basing on the established formulas, we get the prices of binary options, as long as the price of European call which was derived firstly in paper by Madan, Carr and Chang (1998).
Discrepancies in HLA Typing by PCR-SSOP and SBT Techniques: A Case Study

ABSTRACT Six hundred twenty-one samples from Portugal, the Cabo Verde archipelago, and Guinea-Bissau were typed for HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DRB1 using the polymerase chain reaction–sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe (PCR-SSOP) method and the sequence-based typing (SBT) method to characterize and compare discrepancies between the two methods. Fifty-three alleles (4.27% of 1,242 chromosomes typed) identified by the PCR-SSOP method were not concordant with the results obtained using the SBT method. Thirty-four (2.74% of total chromosomes typed) PCR-SSOP mistyping results were discrepancies inside the same allele group and 19 others (1.53% of total chromosomes typed) were relative to nonconcordant results between different groups. PCR-SSOP allele mistyping is the result of interpretation difficulties resulting from less intense, absent, or dubious hybridization patterns. Noncommercial PCR-SSOP procedures are highly exigent on the technicians' experience and the availability of properly calibrated high-precision equipment.
Towards a methodology for developing visualizations

This paper presents a case study of the development of a visualization to represent and explore the relationships between multiple hierarchical structures, specifically botanical taxonomies. The case study outlines the visualization's development from initial meetings with taxonomists, through the early visual sketches of their activities, and through to the prototype as it exists now after two rounds of usability testing. Qualitative user feedback was elicited from taxonomists who used the system, using standard techniques, taken from traditional usability methodologies such as direct observation, concurrent verbal protocols, video recording and software logs. Some difficulties and differences in the testing and stages of development arising from the information visualization (IV) approach to the graphical display, as contrasted to a more standard graphical user interface (GUI), are noted and solutions proposed.
Dead‐end elimination for multistate protein design

Multistate protein design is the task of predicting the amino acid sequence that is best suited to selectively and stably fold to one state out of a set of competing structures. Computationally, it entails solving a challenging optimization problem. Therefore, notwithstanding the increased interest in multistate design, the only implementations reported are based on either genetic algorithms or Monte Carlo methods. The dead‐end elimination (DEE) theorem cannot be readily transfered to multistate design problems despite its successful application to single‐state protein design. In this article we propose a variant of the standard DEE, called type‐dependent DEE. Our method reduces the size of the conformational space of the multistate design problem, while provably preserving the minimal energy conformational assignment for any choice of amino acid sequence. Type‐dependent DEE can therefore be used as a preprocessing step in any computational multistate design scheme. We demonstrate the applicability of type‐dependent DEE on a set of multistate design problems and discuss its strength and limitations. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2007
Energy conservation in the residential sector : The role of policy and market forces

In recent years, energy conservation has been a hot topic of debate among policy makers and researchers due to the concerns about global climate change and energy dependency. From a policy perspective, residential sector has been an important target for energy conservation policies as it is a major contributor to the total energy consumption and has a high potential for saving energy through efficiency measures. This dissertation focuses on three main research topics that are associated to the assessment and design of residential energy conservation policies. The first chapter investigates the impact of residential energy efficiency policies on household energy consumption. The second chapter examines the magnitude of rebound effect in residential energy consumption. Finally, the last chapter investigates the capitalization of energy efficiency in the housing market and examines the impact of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) on the capitalization rate.
Visual-search observers for assessing tomographic x-ray image quality.

PURPOSE Mathematical model observers commonly used for diagnostic image-quality assessments in x-ray imaging research are generally constrained to relatively simple detection tasks due to their need for statistical prior information. Visual-search (VS) model observers that employ morphological features in sequential search and analysis stages have less need for such information and fewer task constraints. The authors compared four VS observers against human observers and an existing scanning model observer in a pilot study that quantified how mass detection and localization in simulated digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) can be affected by the number P of acquired projections. METHODS Digital breast phantoms with embedded spherical masses provided single-target cases for a localization receiver operating characteristic (LROC) study. DBT projection sets based on an acquisition arc of 60° were generated for values of P between 3 and 51. DBT volumes were reconstructed using filtered backprojection with a constant 3D Butterworth postfilter; extracted 2D slices were used as test images. Three imaging physicists participated as observers. A scanning channelized nonprewhitening (CNPW) observer had knowledge of the mean lesion-absent images. The VS observers computed an initial single-feature search statistic that identified candidate locations as local maxima of either a template matched-filter (MF) image or a gradient-template MF (GMF) image. Search inefficiencies that modified the statistic were also considered. Subsequent VS candidate analyses were carried out with (i) the CNPW statistical discriminant and (ii) the discriminant computed from GMF training images. These location-invariant discriminants did not utilize covariance information. All observers read 36 training images and 108 study images per P value. Performance was scored in terms of area under the LROC curve. RESULTS Average human-observer performance was stable for P between 7 and 35. In the absence of search inefficiencies, the VS models based on the GMF analysis provided the best correlation (Pearson ρ ≥ 0.62) with the human results. The CNPW-based VS observers deviated from the humans primarily at lower values of P. In this limited study, search inefficiencies allowed for good quantitative agreement with the humans for most of the VS observers. CONCLUSIONS The computationally efficient training requirements for the VS observer are suitable for high-resolution imaging, indicating that the observer framework has the potential to overcome important task limitations of current model observers for x-ray applications.
Wireless Access Virtualization Strategies for Future User-Centric 5G Networks

User-centric wireless access virtualization (WAV) allows each user to be served by a set of carefully selected transmission points (TP)s forming a user-specific virtual base-station (uVBS) adapted to its environment and quality of service (QoS) requirement. In this way, this new concept breaks away from the conventional cell-centric architecture to provide boundaryless communications in future 5G networks. This fundamental structural 5G evolution alongside the ultra-dense multi-tier heterogenous context foreseen in such networks require an inevitable rethinking of efficient scalable TPs clustering. As such, this paper proposes three innovative low-cost clustering approaches that enable user-centric WAV and provide dynamic, adaptive, and overlapping TPs clusters while requiring not only negligible overhead and power costs, but also minimum signaling changes at both network and user sides. In contrast to existing clustering techniques, the new ones we propose better leverage 5G features such as extreme densification and massive connectivity as well as new concepts such as mmWave spectrum and massive MIMO. Furthermore, these approaches are flexible enough to be adapted to different network dimensions (i.e., space, time, etc.), thereby paving the way for achieving the dramatic performance improvements required by 5G networks to cope with the upcoming mobile data deluge.
Investigating the Price Transmission Mechanisms of Greek Fresh Potatoes, Tomatoes and Cucumbers Markets

Abstract This study investigates the price transmission mechanisms between the producer and the consumer for three major Greek agricultural products: fresh potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers. The empirical analysis uses a Markov Switching Vector Error Correction model which accounts for asymmetric responses of the producer and the consumer to price increases and decreases. The asymmetric effects are tested with in-sample as well as out-of-sample measures for each state. The response of the producer and the consumer to long-run deviations from the equilibrium and to lagged price changes is investigated along with the nature of the price shocks for each state. The empirical results show that potatoes and cucumbers give rise to similar price mechanisms even though the underlying characteristics of these two markets are different. Moreover, the empirical analysis shows that tomatoes and cucumbers result in different price relationships between the producer and the consumer despite the similar market characteristics.
Particle Swarm Optimization-Aided Feature Selection for Spam Email Classification

Using a finite set of features to help determine an email as spam or non-spam is a very popular way. However, in most cases, the feature selection is empirically verified. This paper investigates how particle swarm optimization algorithm can help select features relevant for spam email classification. The experimental results show that the proposed approach selects the most proper discriminative features while eliminating irrelevant ones.
Case study on using non-intrusive load monitoring system with renewable energy sources in intelligent grid applications

This paper identifies the problem of the non-intrusive load monitoring method of load disaggregation into separate appliances, when some local generators based on renewable energy sources are connected to the same grid, as they may be mismatched with loads variable in time. Three approaches of electrical energy consumption disaggregation from the energy generated from local renewable energy sources are described.
DIFFERENCES IN THE HUNGARIAN HOUSEHOLDS’ SPORT EXPENDITURES

The paper searches the differences between the groups of Hungarian households regarding the sport expendituresâ€™ presence in household budget and determining factors. I used the latest Household Budget Survey (HBS) of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office from 2008 which contains data of more than 7000 households. My methods were logit and probit models, where the presence of sport expenditures were explained in householdsâ€™ budget. The increase of the following indicators has a positive effect onto the possibility of the sport expenditures: income status, level of education, number of the children in the household, size of settlement. The region of the household is determining the presence of the sport expenditures too, however sex of the householdâ€™s head does not play a significant role.
Zn2+ inhibition of recombinant GABAA receptors: an allosteric, state‐dependent mechanism determined by the γ‐subunit

1 The γ‐subunit in recombinant γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptors reduces the sensitivity of GABA‐triggered Cl− currents to inhibition by Zn2+ and transforms the apparent mechanism of antagonism from non‐competitive to competitive. To investigate underlying receptor function we studied Zn2+ effects on macroscopic and single‐channel currents of recombinant α1β2 and α1β2γ2 receptors expressed heterologously in HEK‐293 cells using the patch‐clamp technique and rapid solution changes. 2 Zn2+ present for > 60 s (constant) inhibited peak, GABA (5 μM)‐triggered currents of α1β2 receptors in a concentration‐dependent manner (inhibition equation parameters: concentration at half‐amplitude (IC50) = 0.94 μM; slope related to Hill coefficient, S= 0.7) that was unaffected by GABA concentration. The γ2 subunit (α1β2γ2 receptor) reduced Zn2+ sensitivity more than fiftyfold (IC50= 51 μM, S= 0.86); increased GABA concentration (100 μM) antagonized inhibition by reducing apparent affinity (IC50= 322 μM, S= 0.79). Zn2+ slowed macroscopic gating of α1β2 receptors by inducing a novel slow exponential component in the activation time course and suppressing a fast component of control desensitization. For α1β2γ2 receptors, Zn2+ accelerated a fast component of apparent desensitization. 3 Zn2+ preincubations lasting up to 10 s markedly increased current depression and activation slowing of α1β2 receptors, but had little effect on currents from α1β2γ2 receptors. 4 Steady‐state fluctuation analysis of macroscopic α1β2γ2 currents (n= 5) resulted in control (2 μM GABA) power density spectra that were fitted by a sum of two Lorentzian functions (relaxation times: 37 ± 5.6 and 1.41 ± 0.15 ms, means ± s.e.m.). Zn2+ (200 μM) reduced the total power almost sixfold and accelerated the slow (23 ± 2.8 ms, P < 0.05) without altering the fast (1.40 ± 0.16 ms) relaxation time. The ratio (fast/slow) of Lorentzian areas was increased by Zn2+ (control, 3.39 ± 0.55; Zn2+, 4.9 ± 0.37, P < 0.05). 5 Zn2+ (500 μM) depression of previously activated current amplitudes (% control) for α1β2γ2 receptors was independent of GABA concentration (5 μM, 13.2 ± 0.72 %; 100 μM, 12.2 ± 2.9 %, P < 0.8, n= 5). Both onset and offset inhibition time courses were biexponential. Onset rates were enhanced by Zn2+ concentration. Inhibition onset was also biexponential for preactivated α1β2 receptors with current depression more than fourfold less sensitive (5 μM GABA, IC50= 3.8 μM, S= 0.84) relative to that in constant Zn2+. 6 The results lead us to propose a general model of Zn2+ inhibition of GABAA receptors in which Zn2+ binds to a single extracellular site, induces allosteric receptor inhibition involving two non‐conducting states, site affinity is state‐dependent, and the features of state dependence are determined by the γ‐subunit.
Analysis of high energy resolution data of 26Mg(3He,t)26Al reaction

The Gamow-Teller (GT) transition is a powerful tool to study nuclear structure because of its simple form of the operator στ. The structure of 26Al is studied through Gamow-Teller transitions using nuclear charge-exchange reaction. The reaction 26Mg(3He,t)26Al was performed at an incident energy of 140 MeV/nucleon and scattering angle at and near 0˚. The energy resolution of ΔE = 22 keV allowed us to study many discrete states. Most of the prominent states are suggested that they are excited with ΔL = 0 GT transitions. The GT states were studied up to 18.5 MeV. For the extraction of the B(GT) value, the proportionality between cross section and B(GT) was used. The standard B(GT) values were obtained from the 26Si beta decay, where the mirror symmetry of B(GT) was obtained. The T = 2 GT states are expected in the region Ex ≥ 13.5 MeV. By comparing with the results of 26Mg(t, 3He)26Na reactions, the isospin symmetry of T = 2 GT states is discussed. Due to the high-energy resolution, the decay widths Γ for the states in the Ex > 9 MeV region could be studied. The narrow width of the T = 2 states at 13.592 MeV is explained in terms of isospin selection rules.
Variation in Working Memory and the Optimal Design of STEM Labs

John M. Basey, Anastasia Maines and Clinton Francis Summary: In the original proposal, I had collaborated with Dr. Akira Miyake and had submitted an NSF, TUES grant proposal in May 2010, to pair an investigation comparing student learning from different pedagogical approaches to plant biodiversity labs in introductory biology, and the load on working memory imposed by the pedagogical approaches relative to individual working memory capacity of students. I used funds from the Chancellor’s award to develop this investigation during summer 2010, prior to any NSF funding and to seed a second proposal to NSF, REESE on a related study. When the NSF proposals were not funded, I examined student learning from the following pedagogical approaches to plant biodiversity labs in Spring 2011: (1) lab styles (the learning cycle with a problem-based application phase vs. a modified expository with back-loaded opportunities for reflection, argumentation and induction) and (2) visualization methods used during lab activities (digital photography vs. hand drawing). However, I did not team up with Dr. Miyake to evaluate variations in individual working memory capacity. In spring 2011, I worked with Anastasia Maines, a graduate student in education at the time, to start preliminary evaluations of the research. In May 2011, I again collaborated with Dr. Miyake to revise and submit a second TUES proposal using preliminary results from the investigation. In summer 2011, Anastasia Maines extensively coded assessments. The revised TUES grant was not funded. We have recently completed the statistical analysis by collaborating with Dr. Clinton Francis from The National Evolution Synthesis Center. With collaboration from Miss Maines and Dr. Francis, I am currently planning on writing up the research over the summer and into the fall of 2012 and submitting for publication. I am also planning on presenting the research in a DBER seminar in the fall of 2012 and the ISTEM poster session in May 2013.
Body Mass Index, PAM50 Subtype, and Outcomes in Node-Positive Breast Cancer: CALGB 9741 (Alliance).

BACKGROUND Obesity at diagnosis is associated with poor prognosis in women with breast cancer, but few reports have been adjusted for treatment factors. METHODS CALGB 9741 was a randomized trial of dose density and sequence of chemotherapy for node-positive breast cancer. All patients received doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel, dosed by actual body weight. Height and weight at diagnosis were abstracted from patient records, and the PAM50 assay was performed from archived specimens using the NanoString platform. Relationships between body mass index (BMI), PAM50, and recurrence-free and overall survival (RFS and OS) were evaluated using proportional hazards regression, adjusting for number of involved nodes, estrogen receptor (ER) status, tumor size, menopausal status, drug sequence, and dose density. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS Baseline height and weight were available for 1909 of 2005 enrolled patients; 1272 additionally had subtype determination by PAM50. Median baseline BMI was 27.4kg/m(2). After 11 years of median follow-up, there were 619 RFS events and 543 deaths. Baseline BMI was a statistically significant predictor of RFS (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] for each five-unit increase in BMI = 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02 to 1.14, P = .01) and OS (adjusted HR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.14, P = .02) BMI and molecular phenotypes were independent prognostic factors for RFS, with no statistically significant interactions detected. CONCLUSIONS BMI at diagnosis was a statistically significant prognostic factor in a group of patients receiving optimally dosed chemotherapy. Additional research is needed to determine the impact of weight loss on breast cancer outcomes and to evaluate whether this impact is maintained across tumor subtypes.
Cell2Organ: Self-repairing artificial creatures thanks to a healthy metabolism

For living organisms, the robustness property is capital. For almost all of them, robustness rhymes with self-repairing. Indeed, organisms are subject to various injuries brought by the environment. To maintain their integrity, organisms are able to regenerate dead parts of themselves. This mechanism, commonly named self-repairing, is interesting to reproduce. Many works exist about self-repairing in robotics and electronics but fewer are in our domain of interest, artificial embryogenesis. In this paper, we show the self-repairing abilities of our model, Cell2Organ, designed to generate artificial creatures for artificial worlds. This model has previously been presented in [1].
Theoretical Methodologies for Sustainability Policy: Historical Development and Logical Structure

This paper presents a broad taxonomy of policy methodologies that have been proposed for sustainability. Methodological development is tracked historically from a) unidirectional causation models in an 'environmental impact' framework to b) dynamical models within a 'natural capital' framework to c) more recent 'resilience and adaptability' frameworks that will require fuller, more explicit, representation of unpredictability. The relation between these policy frameworks is not one of mutual exclusion. Contrariwise, successive causal modeling and policy analysis methods are better understood as generalisations of previous ones. This clarifies the more specific contexts under which the simpler frameworks can be validly applied as special cases of the general.