Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification and Molecular Cloning of Two Novel Receptors for the Cytotoxic Ligand TRAIL*

A human receptor for the cytotoxic ligand TRAIL (TRAIL receptor-1, designated DR4) was identified recently as a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family. In this report we describe the identification of two additional human TRAIL receptors, TRAIL receptor-2 and TRAIL receptor-3, that belong to the tumor necrosis factor receptor family. Interestingly, TRAIL receptor-2 but not TRAIL receptor-3 contains a cytoplasmic “death domain” necessary for induction of apoptosis and is hence designated death receptor-5 (DR5). Like DR4, DR5 engages the apoptotic pathway independent of the adaptor molecule FADD/MORT1. Because of its lack of a death domain, TRAIL receptor-3 is not capable of inducing apoptosis. However, by competing for TRAIL, it is capable of inhibiting TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Thus, TRAIL receptor-3 may function as an antagonistic decoy receptor to attenuate the cytotoxic effect of TRAIL in most tissues that are TRAIL+, DR4+, and DR5+.
Calcium transients regulate patterned actin assembly during myofibrillogenesis

The highly ordered arrangement of sarcomeric myosin during striated muscle development requires spontaneous calcium (Ca2+) transients. Here, we show that blocking transients also compromises patterned assembly of actin thin filaments, titin, and capZ. Because a conserved temporal assembly pattern has been described for these proteins, selective inhibitors of either thick or thin filament formation were used to determine their relative temporal interdependencies. For example, inhibition of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) by application of a specific inhibitory peptide or phorbol myistate acetate (PMA) disrupts myosin assembly without significantly affecting formation of actin bands. The MLCK inhibitor ML‐7, however, disrupted actin as well as myosin. Surprisingly, agents that interfere with actin dynamics, such as cytochalasin D, produced only minor organizational disruptions in actin, capZ, and titin staining. However, cytochalasin D and other actin disrupting compounds significantly perturbed myosin organization. The results indicate that (1) Ca2+ transients regulate one or more of the earliest steps in sarcomere formation, (2) mature actin filaments can assemble independently of myosin band formation, and (3) myosin thick filament assembly is extremely sensitive to disruption of either the actin or titin filament systems. Developmental Dynamics 229:231–242, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Improved Particle Swarm Optimization for Reconfiguration of Distribution Network

To deal with distribution network reconfiguration, a hierarchical structure poly-particle swarm optimization (HSPPSO) approach using the hierarchical structure concept of control theory is presented. In the bottom layer, parallel optimization calculation is performed on poly-particle swarms. In the top layer, each particle swam in the bottom layer is treated as a particle. The best position found by each particle swarm in the bottom layer is regarded as the best position of single particle of the top layer particle swarm. The result of optimization on the top layer particle swarm is fed back to the bottom layer. Considering the features of distribution network, the probability of producing feasible solutions is improved by modifying the rule of position updating. The test of proposed method on two typical IEEE testing systems shows that HSPPSO performance is better than particle swarm optimization (PSO) both on convergence rate and accuracy.
Adaptive Flux model for commissioning of signal injection based zero speed sensorless flux control of induction machines

Speed sensorless control of AC machines at zero speed so far is only possible using signal injection methods. Especially when applied to induction machines spatial saturation leads to a heavy dependence of the control signals on the flux/load level. This dependence has to be identified on a special test stand during a commissioning procedure. To avoid the usage of a speed sensor as well as load dynamometer coupled during the commissioning an adaptive flux model is proposed that delivers an accurate reference flux angle. After the commissioning this adaptive flux model is used in combination with the signal injection method to deliver the spatial flux position.
Design of an interactive 3D medical visualization system

Recent advances in computer technologies in terms of both hardware and software have already made the development of an interactive 3D medical visualization system viable. Volume rendering as an important visualization technique can truly represent the information within the 3D datasets. However, it lacks of desirable interactivity. In order to deal with this problem, we introduce an interactive framework which is capable of the medical image visualization based on high-quality volume rendering. The framework implements various interactive functions with volume rendering techniques, such as displaying arbitrary cross sections and picking objects in 3D space. The system is evaluated by 4 continuous clinical patient data from Computed Tomography Angiograph (CTA) scans, and its performance is estimated by sophisticated surgeons.
Biomarker Measurements of Prenatal Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcb) in Umbilical Cord Blood from Postpartum Hispanic Women in Brownsville, Texas

Biomarkers of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were measured in both maternal and umbilical cord blood from 35 pregnant Hispanic women living in Brownsville, TX. Gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (GC/ECD) was used to analyze for 22 PCB analytes. Results indicated that both pregnant mothers and their fetuses were exposed to a variety of PCB at relatively low levels (≤0.2 ng/ml), and that concentrations in maternal and cord blood were similar. Concentrations of total PCB (sum or all PCB congeners) averaged more than 2.5 ng/ml, with highest values exceeding 3 ng/ml. Although health implications are uncertain, reports in the literature of PCB-related health effects raise concerns about possible future health consequences, especially obesity and diabetes, in this potentially vulnerable population.
Aldehyde fixative solutions alter the water relaxation and diffusion properties of nervous tissue

Chemically‐fixed nervous tissues are well‐suited for high‐resolution, time‐intensive MRI acquisitions without motion artifacts, such as those required for brain atlas projects, but the aldehyde fixatives used may significantly alter tissue MRI properties. To test this hypothesis, this study characterized the impact of common aldehyde fixatives on the MRI properties of a rat brain slice model. Rat cortical slices immersion‐fixed in 4% formaldehyde demonstrated 21% and 81% reductions in tissue T1 and T2, respectively (P < 0.001). The T2 reduction was reversed by washing slices with phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) for 12 h to remove free formaldehyde solution. Diffusion MRI of cortical slices analyzed with a two‐compartment analytical model of water diffusion demonstrated 88% and 30% increases in extracellular apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCEX) and apparent restriction size, respectively, when slices were chemically‐fixed with 4% formaldehyde (P ≤ 0.021). Further, fixation with 4% formaldehyde increased the transmembrane water exchange rate 239% (P < 0.001), indicating increased membrane permeability. Karnovsky's and 4% glutaraldehyde fixative solutions also changed the MRI properties of cortical slices, but significant differences were noted between the different fixative treatments (P < 0.05). The observed water relaxation and diffusion changes help better define the validity and limitations of using chemically‐fixed nervous tissue for MRI investigations. Magn Reson Med, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Production Control and Steady-State Performance Analysis for A Two-stage Manufacturing System with Finite Buffer Sizes

Abstract A two-station tandem manufacturing system with limited buffer sizes and production capacity is considered. The problem is to examine the stability of the system and to control the service rates to meet an exogenous Poisson demand. A sufficient and necessary condition for the system stability is provided. It is shown that the optimal control policy for this finite buffer capacity problem has the similar structural properties to that of the infinite buffer capacity problem. Three threshold-type control policies are presented and their stability conditions are shown to be the same. The stationary distributions under two threshold policies are obtained, which can then be used to compute steady-state performance measures and find the optimal threshold values. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the results.
Opening the clouds: qualitative overview of the state-of-the-art open source VM-based cloud management platforms

The last year has seen the release of several open-source software leveraging recent advances in virtualization technology. These software provide the ability to build clusters of hardware resources to host and manage several virtual machines. While the underlying hypervisors are common to all of them, the logical architecture and feature implementation tend to be different on each platform, making one or the other more appropriate for particular use cases. In this paper, we describe our experience using four of the most advanced platforms (ECP, Eucalyptus, OpenNebula and oVirt), and provide some feedback about our experience, ease of use, and targeted utilization of each one. Our goal here is to provide the reader with a comprehensive and quick qualitative overview of the state-of-the-art of these open source cloud management platforms.
Is the decline of renal function different before and after the start of dialysis?

BACKGROUND The presence of glomerular filtration in dialysis patients is associated with improved survival and quality of life. This study explores the time course of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) between 1 year before and 1 year after the start of haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD). METHODS This study included 1861 incident dialysis patients (NECOSAD cohort; 62% male, 60 ± 15 years, 61% HD, GFR 5.2 ± 3.6 mL/min/1.73 m(2)). A decline of the GFR was estimated using linear mixed-effects models adjusted for age, sex, primary kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The rate of decline was allowed to change at a certain point in time. RESULTS The decline of the GFR attenuated from -0.53 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/month (95% CI: -0.58, -0.48) in the period before the start of dialysis to -0.12 (95% CI: -0.20, -0.04) at 2-4 months of dialysis in all patients. In HD, decline attenuated from -0.51 (95% CI: -0.57, -0.44) to -0.14 (95% CI: -0.26, -0.02); in PD from -0.55 (95% CI: -0.62, -0.48) to -0.11 (95% CI: -0.23, 0.01). In patients who started dialysis with a GFR equal/above median GFR at dialysis start, the decline attenuated (at 3 months) from -0.70 (95% CI: -0.78; -0.62) to -0.21 (95% CI: -0.36; -0.05). In patients who started dialysis with a GFR below median GFR at dialysis start, the decline attenuated (at 1 month) from -0.73 (95% CI: -0.88; -0.58) to -0.04 (95% CI: -0.27 , 0.19). CONCLUSIONS The apparent decline of the GFR slows down after 2-4 months of dialysis. This decline was similar in HD and PD patients, although at a different level of GFR. Further studies are needed to examine explanations for this phenomenon.
Interacting multiple model-feedback particle filter for stochastic hybrid systems

In this paper, a novel feedback control-based particle filter algorithm for the continuous-time stochastic hybrid system estimation problem is presented. This particle filter is referred to as the interacting multiple model-feedback particle filter (IMM-FPF), and is based on the recently developed feedback particle filter [15], [16], [17]. The IMM-FPF is comprised of a series of parallel FPFs, one for each discrete mode, and an exact filter recursion for the mode association probability. The proposed IMM-FPF represents a generalization of the Kalman-filter based IMM algorithm to the general nonlinear filtering problem. The remarkable conclusion of this paper is that the IMM-FPF algorithm retains the innovation error-based feedback structure even for the nonlinear problem. The interaction/merging process is also handled via a control-based approach. The theoretical results are illustrated with the aid of a numerical example problem for a maneuvering target tracking application.
Attachment Theory, Psychoanalysis, Personality Development, and Psychopathology

Blatt and Levy place attachment theory and research in a broad theoretical matrix by considering the relationship of attachment patterns to personality development and to different types of psychopathology in adults. Thus Blatt and Levy construct conceptual bridges between the two configurations of personality development and psychopathology that Blatt and colleagues have developed over the past quarter century (e.g., Behrends and Blatt, 1985; Blatt, 1974, 1995; Blatt and Behrends, 1987; Blatt and Blass, 1990, 1996; Blatt and Shichman, 1983) and attachment theory and research. Blatt and Levy identify a polarity that is central to attachment theory and research, the polarity of attachment and separation, and they note that this polarity has also been central in much of classic psychoanalytic theory (e.g., Freud, 1930; Loewald, 1962). This polarity is expressed in attachment theory and research in the differences between avoidant and anxious-preoccupied insecure attachment patterns as well in the distinction between two types of disorganized attachment, helpless-withdrawn and negative intrusive, identified by Lyons-Ruth (1999, 2001). This polarity of attachment and separation, or relatedness and self-definition is also fundamental to personality development that occurs in the hierarchical dialectic transaction of two basic developmental lines—interpersonal relatedness and self-definition (Blatt and Blass, 1990, 1996). This polarity is also inherent in the conception of two fundamental configurations of psychopathology—anaclitic psychopathology, the dependent (or infantile) and hysterical personality disorders—that are preoccupied with issues of interpersonal relatedness, and introjective psychopathology, the paranoid, obsessive-compulsive and depressive personality disorders, in which issues of self-definition and self-worth are dominant (Blatt, 1974, 1995; Blatt and Shichman, 1983). Thus, the identification of this fundamental polarity provides the basis for establishing links between attachment patterns, personality development, and adult psychopathology. Blatt and Levy also attempt to integrate psychoanalytic concepts of the representational world (e.g., Sandler and Rosenblatt, 1965)—the development of concepts of self and significant others—with the internal working models (IWMs) of attachment relationships. This integration enabled Blatt and Levy to bring a fuller developmental perspective to the IWMs of attachment theory and to note that, based on differences in the content and structural organization of the IWMs or mental representation of self and significant others, several developmental levels can be identified in both avoidant and anxious preoccupied attachment. These developmental levels within each attachment style also identifies less and more adaptive forms of both types of insecure attachment. Thus, the integration of the psychoanalytic concepts of mental representation with concepts of the IWM of attachment theory and research enables Blatt and Levy to create a fuller developmental perspective in the study of insecure attachment patterns.
Red wines and flavonoids diminish Staphylococcus aureus virulence with anti-biofilm and anti-hemolytic activities

The emergence of antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus presents a worldwide problem that requires non-antibiotic strategies. This study investigated the anti-biofilm and anti-hemolytic activities of four red wines and two white wines against three S. aureus strains. All red wines at 0.5–2% significantly inhibited S. aureus biofilm formation and hemolysis by S. aureus, whereas the two white wines had no effect. Furthermore, at these concentrations, red wines did not affect bacterial growth. Analyses of hemolysis and active component identification in red wines revealed that the anti-biofilm compounds and anti-hemolytic compounds largely responsible were tannic acid, trans-resveratrol, and several flavonoids. In addition, red wines attenuated S. aureus virulence in vivo in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which is killed by S. aureus. These findings show that red wines and their compounds warrant further attention in antivirulence strategies against persistent S. aureus infection.
Category priming with aliens: Analysing the influence of targets' prototypicality on the centre surround inhibition mechanism

Marginally perceptible prototypes as primes lead to slowed reactions to related category exemplars as compared to unrelated ones. This at first glance counterintuitive finding has been interpreted as evidence for a particular mechanism of lateral inhibition, namely the centre surround inhibition mechanism. We investigated the semantic surround of category labels by experimentally manipulating the prototypicality of stimuli. Participants first learned two new categories of fantasy creatures in a 5-day-long learning phase before they worked through a semantic priming task with the category prototypes as primes and category exemplars as targets. For high-prototypical targets we observed benefit effects from related primes, whereas for low-prototypical targets we observed cost effects. The results define when the centre surround inhibition mechanism is applied, and furthermore might explain why previous studies with word stimuli (i.e., material that prevents experimental manipulation of prototypicality) observed mixed results concerning the prototypicality of targets.
Automated verification of system requirements and software specifications

Many small to medium-sized enterprises that specialise in electrical or communications engineering are challenged by the increasing importance of software in their – often safety-critical – products. For this reason they have a strong interest in subcontracting competent partners for software development tasks. Yet, many of those enterprises refrain from subcontracting because they assess the associated risks as too high. This thesis presents a set of methods and tools based on formal methods that are useful in reducing those associated risks. We are concerned with software-defined systems, i.e., systems whose behaviour is solely controlled by a program and the input the program receives from the environment. We especially focus on systems whose controlling program accesses its hardware via memory-mapped I/O. We present a method for validating requirements between stakeholders with different levels of expertise. Based on validated requirements, we present the IRS-method that reduces the problem of deciding whether a software-defined system satisfies the requirements to the problem of whether the controlling program satisfies its specification. We show the feasibility of the IRS-method through an industrial case-study. The case-study uses a class of state-of-theart tools for proving program correctness (deductive verifiers). Despite a high degree of automation for checking a proof, these tools still require a considerable amount of manual effort for finding a proof. To further automate the IRS-method we present a new algorithm for LTL software model checking. This algorithm utilizes the fact that the construction of a proof for unsatisfiability is less costly than the construction of a ranking function. We have implemented the tool Ultimate LTLAutomizer, which uses our algorithm to perform LTL software model checking for C programs. Our evaluation of Ultimate LTLAutomizer shows that our algorithm is not only practical but also outperforms existing approaches. We present the modular program analysis framework Ultimate in which Ultimate LTLAutomizer is implemented, together with other tools such as Ultimate Automizer and Ultimate Kojak. We present the core architecture of Ultimate, the ability to generate counterexamples, violation and correctness witnesses, and an extensive empirical evaluation of techniques to compute interpolating abstractions that determined the current configuration.
A new model of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis in vitro as compared with vascular growth in the avian area vasculosa

In cultures of dissociated quail epiblast the basic constituents of the vascular system, blood cells and endothelial cells can be induced by basic fibroblast growth factor (Flamme and Risau, Development, 116:435–439, 1992). As we show here, in those cultures three types of vascular plexus differentiate spontaneously under different culture conditions: At the 3rd day a vascular plexus appears in situ closely resembling the vascular plexus of the quail area opaca vasculosa (vasculogenesis). Vascular sprouts are formed, extending long filopodia at their tips. Such filopodia are shown to build the first intervascular bridges in the growing vascular plexus of the area vasculosa at embryonic day 3. Connections of filopodia turn out to be precursors of new capillaries interconnecting pre‐existing blood vessels (angiogenesis). Two further types of in vitro capillary plexus differentiate in long term endothelial cell cultures derived from induced angioblasts. Whereas one closely resembles so‐called angiogenesis in vitro, the third type comprises mainly multinucleated giant endothelial cells lining loop like capillaries and represents a differentiation of aging endothelial cell culture. Thus, the present in vitro model is an approach to the sequence of angioblast induction, vasculogenesis, and angiogenesis. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Novel Vip3-Related Protein from Bacillus thuringiensis

ABSTRACT A novel vip3-related gene was identified in Bacillus thuringiensis. This novel gene is 2,406 bp long and codes for a 91-kDa protein (801 amino acids). This novel protein exhibits between 61 and 62% similarity with Vip3A proteins and is designated Vip3Ba1. Vip3Ba1 has several specific features. Differences between Vip3Ba1 and the Vip3A proteins are spread throughout the sequence but are more frequent in the C-terminal part from amino acid 456 onward. The regions containing the two proteolytic processing sites, which are highly conserved among the Vip3A toxins, are markedly different in Vip3Ba1. The pattern DCCEE (Asp Cys Cys Glu Glu) is repeated four times between position 463 and 483 in Vip3Ba1, generating the sequence 463-DCCEEDCCEEDCCEEDCCEE-483. This sequence, which is rich in negatively charged amino acids, also contains 73% of the cysteines present in Vip3Ba1. This repeated sequence is not present in Vip3A proteins. The Vip3Ba1protein was produced in Escherichia coli and tested against Ostrinia nubilalis and Plutella xylostella, and it generated significant growth delays but had no larvicidal effect, indicating that its host range might be different than that of Vip3A proteins.
Replication of KIF21B as a susceptibility locus for multiple sclerosis

Background Knowledge of genetic susceptibility to autoimmune disorders is growing exponentially. One of the messages emerging from these data is the growing overlap in genetic susceptibility to different autoimmune disorders. KIF21B is a member of the kinesin superfamily and was recently established as a susceptibility locus for inflammatory bowel disease and for multiple sclerosis. Results We here replicate the association with multiple sclerosis in a Belgian study population of 791 patients and 1098 controls. Conclusion As SNPs in KIF21B increase risk for both inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis, this suggests a common pathway in the pathogenesis of these diseases.