Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
c‐Jun N‐terminal kinases (JNK) antagonize cardiac growth through cross‐talk with calcineurin–NFAT signaling

The c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) branch of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway regulates cellular differentiation, stress responsiveness and apoptosis in multicellular eukaryotic organisms. Here we investigated the functional importance of JNK signaling in regulating differentiated cellular growth in the post‐mitotic myocardium. JNK1/2 gene‐targeted mice and transgenic mice expressing dominant negative JNK1/2 were determined to have enhanced myocardial growth following stress stimulation or with normal aging. A mechanism underlying this effect was suggested by the observation that JNK directly regulated nuclear factor of activated T‐cell (NFAT) activation in culture and in transgenic mice containing an NFAT‐dependent luciferase reporter. Moreover, calcineurin Aβ gene targeting abrogated the pro‐growth effects associated with JNK inhibition in the heart, while expression of an MKK7–JNK1 fusion protein in the heart partially reduced calcineurin‐mediated cardiac hypertrophy. Collectively, these results indicate that JNK signaling antagonizes the differentiated growth response of the myocardium through direct cross‐talk with the calcineurin–NFAT pathway. These results also suggest that myocardial JNK activation is primarily dedicated to modulating calcineurin–NFAT signaling in the regulation of differentiated heart growth.
A Framework for the Design of Parallel Adaptive Libraries on Hard Computational Problems

In this work, we present the Adaptive Multi-Selection Framework (called AMF). AMF is an API built for helping designers to develop optimized combinations of multiple algorithms solving the same problem in function of the physical architecture and algorithm behavior. AMF offers a simple and generic model for developing automatic combination of algorithms. In this model, the user needs to specify the set of algorithms to be combined and a representative benchmark of instances of the problem solved by the algorithms. This generic solution has advantages over many existing solutions for making automatic combination that are specific to a fixed set of algorithms or computational problems. Automatic combinations of algorithms are made in AMF with the multi-selection technique. For each instance of a computational problem, its resolution under multi-selection includes a selection of a subset of candidate algorithms followed by a concurrent run of the selected algorithms with a smart resource sharing. The resource sharing is decided according to the physical architecture, the problem instance and the time allowed to compute it. The multi-selection strategy provides excellent results when there is a large variance of execution time per instance. The actual implementation of AMF is built for shared memory architectures. However, it can be extended to distributed ones. The AMF principles have been validated in particular on the well-known Constraint Satisfaction Problem.
The effect of cattle infection by Trypanosoma congolense on the attraction, and feeding success, of the tsetse fly Glossina pallidipes

SUMMARY An incomplete ring of electric nets was placed around uninfected cattle and cattle infected with Trypanosoma congolense. The numbers of fed and unfed Glossina pallidipes caught on the nets were used to estimate the attractiveness of infected and uninfected cattle to tsetse, and the feeding success of tsetse on the cattle. There was no difference in the attractiveness of infected and uninfected cattle to G. pallidipes. However, the feeding success of G. pallidipes on infected cattle was 75 % greater than on uninfected cattle. This suggests that certain effects of T. congolense on cattle behaviour or physiology act to increase the probability of transmission of the parasite by increasing the feeding success of the vector. The nature of the effects of T. congolense on cattle which caused this result is unknown, but several possibilities are discussed.
An Application Platform for Multi-purpose Sensor Systems ; Een applicatieplatform voor sensorsystemen met meerdere doeleinden

Distributed sensing systems are complex integrations of constrained sensor networks with additional commodity computing platforms. The realisation of such systems requires significant effort in hardware deployment and software development, resulting into a substantial investment to be made. The key complexities that need to be dealt with include a large heterogeneity in hardware and software, and the resource-constraints of wireless sensor networks. To deal with these complexities, early deployments were based on highly optimised and static single-purpose software solutions within the sensor network tier. Research and industry, however, aim to improve the return on investment by shifting towards open sensor networks that provide a reusable infrastructure on which various stakeholders can independently deploy multiple applications, and, where opportune, reuse the functionality provided by others. The current state-of-the-art however fails to provide a full solution to the open and multi-purpose use of sensor systems. Related work is available on multi-application and -user support, dynamic software configuration, and discovery of application logic; however, none of those technologies provide a well-integrated solution with a high enough level of configurability and openness to result in truly multi-purpose sensor systems. To realise the open use of sensor system infrastructure, additional lightweight middleware solutions are needed that together provide a common substrate across the sensor system tiers, on top of which independently developed application logic can be deployed and reused within various distributed sensing applications. A similar strategy to improve application logic reuse has been put forward by serviceorientation; a software engineering paradigm commonly used to build software solutions within corporate back-ends. Its principles and implementations need to be reimagined, however, to be feasible and applicable within the resource constrained environment of sensor networks. This dissertation presents three contributions towards open and multi-purpose sensor networks. The first contribution facilitates application building across
Use of the combination of the BRIEF and basc-2 in assessment of ADHD

ADHD is one of the most frequently diagnosed childhood disorders in the United States today; however, diagnostic specificity remains challenging. Accepted models of ADHD routinely highlight the role of executive function (EF) deficits as a core feature of ADHD. However, performance based measures of EF do not consistently discriminate between ADHD and no-ADHD clinical groups. Research has supported use of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) in discriminating between ADHD and no-ADHD and between subtypes. However, EF deficits can occur for various reasons. Broad range behavior rating scales help identify areas of behavioral concern that may aid clinicians in understanding EF deficits. The purpose of this study was to assess whether using the BRIEF in combination with the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2) would better discriminate ADHD from no-ADHD in a clinical population than either measure alone. Participants included 115 children referred to an ADHD evaluation clinic. Contrary to hypotheses, a combination of scales from the BRIEF and BASC-2 did not result in higher diagnostic classification as compared to each measure alone. The best classification rate was found when combining the BRIEF-Behavior Regulation-parent and BRIEF-Metacognitive Index-teacher. This finding is in congruence with best practice guidelines that recommend using multiple raters when assessing for ADHD.
Homologous recombinational repair proteins in mouse meiosis

Eukaryotic meiotic recombination requires numerous biochemical processes, including break initiation, end resection, strand invasion and heteroduplex formation, and, finally, crossover resolution. In this review, we discuss primarily those proteins involved in the initial stages of homologous recombination, including SPO11, MRE11, RAD50, NBS1, DMC1, RAD51, RAD51 paralogs, RAD52, RPA, RAD54, and RAD54B. Focusing on the mouse as a model organism, we discuss what is known about the conserved roles of these proteins in vertebrate somatic cells and in mammalian meiosis. We consider such information as gene expression in gonadal tissue, protein localization patterns on chromosomal cores in meiocyte nuclei, and information gleaned from mouse models.
Crosstalk and Congestion Driven Layer Assignment Algorithm

In VDSM era, crosstalk is becoming a more and more vital factor in high performance VLSI designs, making noise mitigation in early design stages necessary. In this paper, we propose an effective algorithm optimizing crosstalk under congestion constraint in the layer assignment stage. A new model for noise severity measurement is developed where wire length is used as a scale for the noise immunity, and both capacitive and inductive coupling between sensitive nets are considered. We also take shield insertion into account for further crosstalk mitigation. Experimental results show that our approach could efficiently reduce crosstalk noise without compromising congestion compared to the algorithm proposed in [1].
Occupancy of upstream regulatory sites in vivo coincides with major histocompatibility complex class I gene expression in mouse tissues

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I HLA-B7 transgene carrying a 660-bp upstream sequence is expressed in the mouse with tissue specificity that parallels that of the expression of endogenous mouse MHC class I (H-2) genes. We have performed in vivo genomic footprinting for the HLA-B7 transgene and the endogenous H-2Kb gene. We show that the upstream region of both the transgene and the endogenous gene was extensively occupied in spleen tissue, where these genes are expressed at high levels. In contrast, no occupancy was detected in brain tissue, where expression of these genes is virtually absent. Sites exhibiting in vivo protection correspond to cis elements previously shown to bind to nuclear factors in vitro, including the constitutive enhancer region I and the interferon response element. The strongest tissue-specific protection was detected at site alpha, located downstream from the interferon response element. Site alpha bound a constitutively expressed nuclear factor(s) in vitro that exhibited an overlapping specificity which may involve a nuclear hormone receptor, RXR, and an AP-1-related factor. Site alpha was functional in vivo, as it enhanced MHC class I transcription in lymphocytes. These results show that the tissue-specific occupancy of the MHC class I regulatory sequences in vivo correlates with their expression and suggest that in vivo occupancy is controlled by a mechanism other than the mere presence of factors capable of binding to these sites. Our results suggest that a sequence present in the 660-bp upstream region in a human leukocyte antigen gene directs tissue-specific occupancy of MHC class I genes in vivo, independently of their position and copy number, illustrating a potential advantage of using a transgene for delimitation of the sequence requirement for in vivo occupancy.
The clinical impact of using p16INK4a immunochemistry in cervical histopathology and cytology: An update of recent developments

Cervical cancer screening test performance has been hampered by either lack of sensitivity of Pap cytology or lack of specificity of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing. This uncertainty can lead to unnecessary referral and treatment, which is disturbing for patients and increases costs for health care providers. The identification of p16INK4a as a marker for neoplastic transformation of cervical squamous epithelial cells by HPVs allows the identification of HPV‐transformed cells in histopathology or cytopathology specimens. Diagnostic studies have demonstrated that the use of p16INK4a immunohistochemistry substantially improves the reproducibility and diagnostic accuracy of histopathologic diagnoses. p16INK4a cytology has substantially higher sensitivity for detection of cervical precancer in comparison to conventional Pap tests. Compared to HPV DNA tests, immunochemical detection of p16INK4a‐stained cells demonstrates a significantly improved specificity with remarkably good sensitivity. About 15 years after the initial observation that p16INK4a is overexpressed in HPV‐transformed cells we review the accumulated clinical evidence suggesting that p16INK4a can serve as a useful biomarker in the routine diagnostic work up of patients with HPV infections and associated lesions of the female anogenital tract.
A modified micro-genetic algorithm for the design of multiplierless digital FIR filters

In this paper, a modified micro-genetic algorithm (/spl mu/GA) is presented for the design of digital finite impulse response filters with coefficient values constrained to sum of signed powers-of-two terms. Since such implementation requires no multipliers, it reduces the hardware cost and lowers the power consumption. The GA overcomes the drawback of the conventional GA of long computation time by utilizing a small population. To avoid trapping into local optimum and improve the convergence speed of /spl mu/GA, the proposed /spl mu/GA includes a strategy that varies the probabilities of crossover and mutation during the evolution. Compared to conventional GA (CGA) the proposed /spl mu/GA speeds up the optimization process significantly, it is shown, by means of example, that the proposed method is about 7 times faster than the CGA and results a better design compared with the mixed integer linear programming (MILP) based design.
Identification and Molecular Characterization of a de novo Supernumerary Ring Chromosome 18 in a Patient with Klippel‐Trenaunay Syndrome

Klippel‐Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is a congenital vascular disorder comprised of capillary, venous and lymphatic malformations associated with overgrowth of the affected tissues. In this study, we report the identification of a de novo supernumerary ring chromosome in a patient with mild mental retardation, long tapering fingers, elongated, thin feet and Klippel‐Trenaunay syndrome (KTS). The ring marker chromosome was found to be mosaic, present in 24% of cells, and was later shown to be derived from chromosome 18, r(18). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to define the breakpoints involved in the formation of r(18). The chromosome 18p breakpoint was localized between the markers WI‐9619 and D18S1150, which is less than 10 cM to the centromere. The 18q breakpoint was localized between the centromere and BAC clone 666n19, which is a region of less than 40 kb. These data suggest that the r(18) mostly originated from 18p, with an estimated size of less than 10 cM. These studies identify and characterize a new marker chromosome 18, provide insights into the understanding of the relationships between the clinical phenotypes and marker chromosomes, and establish a framework for finding a potential vascular and/or overgrowth gene located on chromosome 18.
Rule Minimization for Traffic Evolution in Software-Defined Networks

This letter addresses the problem of traffic evolution in software defined networks (SDNs). SDNs achieve optimal flow distribution by using flow optimization models, but as traffic evolves, the underlying optimization model changes. Applying the online model frequently can result in a flood of control messages to switches for deleting, modifying, or installing new rules, and the resulting traffic re-routing can cause transient loops and synchronization issues. In this letter, we present minimum rule application (MIRA), a mixed integer linear programming-based model, which re-calculates flow distribution dynamically while minimizing the number of rule installations. Since the proposed model is NP-hard, we also propose an efficient heuristic-based greedy algorithm. In addition, we also propose a rule-aggregation (RA) optimization for minimizing rule installation (MIRA-RA). Finally, we propose a multi-objective optimization model, which jointly minimizes the conflicting objectives of rule installation and link utilization (PARETO) and use the $\epsilon $ -constraint method to achieve pareto-optimality. We implement MIRA, MIRA-RA, Greedy, PARETO, and an existing solution in the area and present numerical results.
Optimized Design and Fabrication of a Fragmented Wire Antenna

In this paper, a program for designing a fragmented wire antenna using a binary genetic algorithm to optimize the placement of wires used on a grid is presented. The optimization can be for gain in either a specific direction or an omni-directional pattern in a plane as well as for matched impedance. The program uses a Method of Moments FORTRAN code to evaluate each antenna. To illustrate the capabilities of the program, two design examples are shown.
ORCHESTRA: an object-oriented framework for implementing chemical equilibrium models.

This work presents a new object-oriented structure for chemical equilibrium calculations that is used in the modeling framework ORCHESTRA (Objects Representing CHEmical Speciation and TRAnsport). In contrast to standard chemical equilibrium algorithms, such as MINEQL, MINTEQ2A, PHREEQC, and ECOSAT, model equations are not hard-coded in the source code, but instead all equations are defined in text format and read by the ORCHESTRA calculation kernel at run time. This makes model definitions easily accessible and extendible by users. Furthermore, it results in a very compact and efficient calculation kernel that is easy to use as a submodel within mass transport or kinetic models. Finally, the object-oriented structure of the chemical model definitions makes it possible to implement a new object-oriented framework for implementing chemical models. This framework consists of three basic object types, entities, reactions, and phases, that form the building blocks from which other chemical models are composed. The hierarchical approach ensures consistent and compact model definitions and is illustrated here by discussing the implementation of a number of commonly used chemical models such as aqueous complexation, activity correction, precipitation, surface complexation ion exchange, and several more sophisticated adsorption models including electrostatic interactions, NICA, and CD-MUSIC. The ORCHESTRA framework is electronically available from www.macaulay. ac.uk/ORCHESTRA.
Sachs , Jürgen : Design and test of an imaging system for UWB breast cancer detection

Electromagnetic ultra-wideband (UWB) sensing and imaging provide perspectives for early-stage breast cancer detection. This paper deals with practical challenges of real measurements. We present an experimental setup for breast phantom trials based on M-sequence radar technology and short active dipole antennas. It combines short impulse responses, appropriate fidelity and very small antenna dimension and allows array construction with sufficient number of antennas around the breast. The basic approach and obtained imaging results are presented. Furthermore, in this extended paper version continuative development steps are described and measurement results reflecting specific performance aspects are discussed.
The UNIX system: The fair share scheduler

The Fair Share Scheduler (FSS) is a process scheduling scheme within the UNIX™ operating system that controls the distribution of resources to sets of related processes. This control offers features that are useful to many applications, including user control of service level, execution predictability, fair resource allocation, predictable and fair billing, and load insulation between user communities. This paper discusses the concepts of a fair share scheduler, the motivation for and history behind FSS, some practical FSS applications, the user and administrator interfaces to FSS, and the design philosophy of FSS.
Y-chromosomal microdeletions and partial deletions of the Azoospermia Factor c (AZFc) region in normozoospermic, severe oligozoospermic and azoospermic men in Sri Lanka.

AIM To assess for the first time the occurrence of Y chromosomal microdeletions and partial deletions of the Azoospermia Factor c (AZFc) region in Sri Lankan men and to correlate them with clinical parameters. METHODS In a retrospective study, we analyzed 96 infertile men (78 with non-obstructive azoospermia) and 87 controls with normal spermatogenesis. AZFa, AZFb, AZFc and partial deletions within the AZFc region were analyzed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) according to established protocols. RESULTS No AZFa, AZFb or AZFc deletions were found in the control group. Seven patients in the group of infertile men were found to have deletions as following: one AZFa, two AZFc, two AZFbc and two AZFabc. The relative distribution of these patterns was significantly different compared with that found in the German population. Extension analysis confirmed that the deletions occurred according to the current pathogenic model. gr/gr deletions were found to be equally present both in the patients (n=4) and in the control group (n=4). One b2/b3 deletion was found in the patient group. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the frequency and pattern of microdeletions of the Y chromosome in Sri Lankan men are similar to those found in other populations and confirm that gr/gr deletions are not sufficient to cause spermatogenetic failure.
Design Study of Doubly-Fed Induction Generators for a 2MW Wind Turbine

A design study for a 2 MW commercial wind turbine is presented to illustrate two connection methods for a standard doubly-fed induction machine which can extend the low speed range down to 80% slip without an increase in the rating of the power electronic converter. This far exceeds the normal 30% lower limit. The low speed connection is known as induction generator mode and the machine is operated with a short circuited stator winding with all power flow being through the rotor circuit. A two loop cascaded PI control scheme has been designed and tuned for each mode. The purpose of this paper is to present simulation results which illustrate the dynamic performance of the controller for both doubly-fed induction generator connection methods for a 2 MW wind turbine. A simple analysis of the rotor voltage for the doubly-fed connection method is included as this demonstrates the dominant components that need to be considered when designing such advanced control strategies.