Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TANK is a negative regulator of Toll-like receptor signaling and is critical for the prevention of autoimmune nephritis

Interferon regulatory factors (IRF)-3 and IRF-7 are master transcriptional factors that regulate type I IFN gene (IFN-a/b) induction and innate immune defenses after virus infection. Prior studies in mice with single deletions of the IRF-3 or IRF-7 genes showed increased vulnerability to West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Whereas mice and cells lacking IRF-7 showed reduced IFN-a levels after WNV infection, those lacking IRF-3 or IRF-7 had relatively normal IFN-b production. Here, we generated IRF-36 IRF-7 double knockout (DKO) mice, analyzed WNV pathogenesis, IFN responses, and signaling of innate defenses. Compared to wild type mice, the DKO mice exhibited a blunted but not abrogated systemic IFN response and sustained uncontrolled WNV replication leading to rapid mortality. Ex vivo analysis showed complete ablation of the IFN-a response in DKO fibroblasts, macrophages, dendritic cells, and cortical neurons and a substantial decrease of the IFN-b response in DKO fibroblasts and cortical neurons. In contrast, the IFN-b response was minimally diminished in DKO macrophages and dendritic cells. However, pharmacological inhibition of NF-kB and ATF-2/c-Jun, the two other known components of the IFN-b enhanceosome, strongly reduced IFN-b gene transcription in the DKO dendritic cells. Finally, a genetic deficiency of IPS-1, an adaptor involved in RIG-Iand MDA5-mediated antiviral signaling, completely abolished the IFN-b response after WNV infection. Overall, our experiments suggest that, unlike fibroblasts and cortical neurons, IFN-b gene regulation after WNV infection in myeloid cells is IPS-1-dependent but does not require full occupancy of the IFN-b enhanceosome by canonical constituent transcriptional factors. Citation: Daffis S, Suthar MS, Szretter KJ, Gale M, Jr., Diamond MS (2009) Induction of IFN-b and the Innate Antiviral Response in Myeloid Cells Occurs through an IPS-1-Dependent Signal That Does Not Require IRF-3 and IRF-7. PLoS Pathog 5(10): e1000607. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat. 1000607 Editor: Ganes Sen, Cleveland Clinic, United States of America Received March 11, 2009; Accepted September 8, 2009; Published October 2, 2009 Copyright: ! 2009 Daffis et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This study was supported by NIH grants AI057568, U54 AI081680, U19 AI083019, and AI074973. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: diamond@borcim.wustl. edu
Medial septal GABAergic projection neurons promote object exploration behavior and type 2 theta rhythm

Significance Two different kinds of exploratory behavior, object and place, have been proposed. Their distinction has been debated, however, because of the lack of solid experimental evidence to support their heterogeneity. In this report, we show neural evidence for the heterogeneity of exploratory behaviors. Thus, we demonstrate that T-type Ca2+ channels in the septo-hippocampal GABAergic pathway play a specific role in control of exploratory behavior of novel objects. In addition, we show that type 2 but not type 1 hippocampal theta rhythm is associated with object exploration. Exploratory drive is one of the most fundamental emotions, of all organisms, that are evoked by novelty stimulation. Exploratory behavior plays a fundamental role in motivation, learning, and well-being of organisms. Diverse exploratory behaviors have been described, although their heterogeneity is not certain because of the lack of solid experimental evidence for their distinction. Here we present results demonstrating that different neural mechanisms underlie different exploratory behaviors. Localized Cav3.1 knockdown in the medial septum (MS) selectively enhanced object exploration, whereas the null mutant (KO) mice showed enhanced-object exploration as well as open-field exploration. In MS knockdown mice, only type 2 hippocampal theta rhythm was enhanced, whereas both type 1 and type 2 theta rhythm were enhanced in KO mice. This selective effect was accompanied by markedly increased excitability of septo-hippocampal GABAergic projection neurons in the MS lacking T-type Ca2+ channels. Furthermore, optogenetic activation of the septo-hippocampal GABAergic pathway in WT mice also selectively enhanced object exploration behavior and type 2 theta rhythm, whereas inhibition of the same pathway decreased the behavior and the rhythm. These findings define object exploration distinguished from open-field exploration and reveal a critical role of T-type Ca2+ channels in the medial septal GABAergic projection neurons in this behavior.
Gas 1 is induced by VE-cadherin and vascular endothelial growth factor and inhibits endothelial cell apoptosis

The junctional membrane protein vascular endothelial (VE)–cadherin mediates contact inhibition of growth and inhibits apoptosis of endothelial cells. In this article we show that VE-cadherin induces expression of growth arrest–specific 1 (Gas1), an integral membrane protein upregulated in nonproliferating cells. By comparing syngenic endothelial cell lines, we found that Gas1 mRNA was increased by 3-fold in VE-cadherin–positive cells in comparison to VE-cadherin–null cells. Ectopic expression of Gas1 in endothelial or 293 cells strongly reduced apoptosis without affecting cell growth. Addition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) also up-regulated Gas1 and this effect was augmented more so in confluent nonproliferating cells than in sparse cultures. VE-cadherin–blocking antibody partially inhibited VEGF-induced Gas1, suggesting that VE-cadherin clustering is required for an optimal response to this stimulus. Inhibition of phosphoinositole3-OH kinase (PI3-kinase) pathway by Wortmannin prevented Gas1 synthesis and the antiapoptotic effect of VEGF, but, in cells ectopically expressing Gas1, Wortmannin was ineffective. Furthermore, inhibition of Gas1 expression by short interfering RNA (siRNA) both in vitro and in allantois organ cultures made endothelial cells refractory to the antiapoptotic effect of VEGF. Overall these data indicate that Gas1 induction by VE-cadherin and VEGF in endothelial cells requires activation of PI3-kinase. Gas1 expression positively correlates with inhibition of endothelial cell apoptosis and may contribute to the integrity of resting endothelium. (Blood. 2004;103:3005-3012)
Birefringence measurement by four-step phase-shifting method on triple-polarizer plane polariscope

Abstract. A new four-step phase-shifting method for birefringence measurement based on the plane polariscope is proposed. The plane polariscope to carry this phase-shifting method is characterized by triple polarizers. One fixed polarizer is used as a linearly polarized state generator; the other two rotatable linear polarizers act as phase shifters. The measurement ranges are (0, π) for phase retardation and (−π/4, +π/4) for azimuth angle. Numerical simulation is carried out, and two mica wave plates are tested and evaluated. Compared with other commonly used methods on Senarmont or circular polariscopes, this method has the simplest optical setup and also is free from the errors of quarter wave plates. It has less wavelength dependence and temperature dependence and is expected to be more cost-effective and environmentally robust.
Two-Dimensional Magnetic Semiconductors Based on Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides V $X_2$ ($X$ = S, Se, Te) and Similar Layered Compounds VI$_{{2}}$ and Co(OH)$_{{2}}$

We present a new type of two-dimensional (2D) magnetic semiconductor based on transition-metal dichalcogenides <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$MX_2\; ({M}=\hbox{V},\; {\rm Co};\; {X} = \hbox{S}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, Se, Te, I, OH) via first-principles calculations. The obtained band gaps of monolayer (ML) VS<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{{2}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, VSe<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{{2}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, and VTe<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $_{{2}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> in the H-phase given from the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) are respectively 0.05, 0.22, and 0.20 eV, all with integer magnetic moments of 1.0 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu_{\mathrm{B}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, while ML VI<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{{2}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> and Co(OH)<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $_{{2}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> in the T-phase exhibit energy gaps of 0.96 and 0.08 eV, respectively, with integer magnetic moments of 3.0 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu_{\mathrm{B}}$</tex-math> </inline-formula>. The GGA plus on-site Coulomb interaction U <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $(\text{GGA}+\text{U})$</tex-math></inline-formula> scheme, which takes the electron-electron correlations in 3d orbitals into account, enhances the exchange splittings, and raises the energy gap of these MLs up to 0.4 to 3 eV. They agree very well with our calculated gaps based on the hybridized functional Heyd–Scuseria–Ernzerhof (HSE) of 0.6 to 3 eV. The wide range of energy gaps provides flexible applications in spintronics. All the calculations demonstrate 100% spin polarized bands around the Fermi level for these MLs. Combining the semiconducting energy gap and the fully spin polarized valence and conduction bands in a single-layer <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$MX_{{2}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, this new type 2D magnetic semiconductor shows great potential in future spintronics applications.
Research on short-circuit fault behavior and isolation strategy for Matrix Converters

Based on Matrix Converter-Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine (MC-PMSM) speed regulator system simulation platform, this paper investigates the behavior and characteristics of MC-PMSM drive system under the condition of MC switch short-circuit faults. Two isolation strategies by utilizing semiconductors and high speed fuses for MC switch short-circuit faults are. Behavior of MC-PMSM drive system during fuse action time under different operating situations is explored. The feasibility of fault-tolerant operation during fuse action time is studied. Furthermore, the basic selection laws of high speed fuses and requirements of passive components of MC drive systems from the point view of short-circuit faults are also studied in the paper. Simulation results are shown to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed isolation strategies on the simulation platform of MC-PMSM drive system.
Dynamic analysis of a bridge-detecting robot when obstacle-surmounting

Complex obstacles occur on cable surface are presented to investigate the obstacle-climbing capability of the bridge-detecting robot. A climbing model supported by independent spring is then proposed and used to design the robot. The kinematic and dynamic models of the obstacle climbing of the driving wheels are further derived. In addition, the obstacle-climbing tracks and the obstacle-climbing performance are simulated to obtain the variation of the driving torque in obstacle climbing. The obtained results can provide basis for the precise motion control of the robot.
An Improved Analytical Model for Inductance Calculation of Interior Permanent Magnet Machines

This paper proposes an improved analytical model to calculate the inductances of interior permanent magnet (IPM) machines, equipped with either fractional slot concentrated windings or distributed windings. A modified stator magnetic motive force expression is also presented firstly. It has been proven that the normal method for inductance calculation by airgap permeance function and winding function is not accurate enough for IPM machines. The improved analytical model is competent to predict the distribution of the armature-reaction magnetic field and inductances accurately. Several finite element analysis (FEA) models have been built, and a prototype has been designed and tested. Results by the improved analytical model are verified by both FEA and experimental results.
Neuroimaging in the Diagnosis of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative tauopathy associated with repeated subconcussive and concussive head injury. Clinical features include cognitive, behavioral, mood, and motor impairments. Definitive diagnosis is only possible at postmortem. Here, the utility of neuroimaging in the diagnosis of CTE is evaluated by systematically reviewing recent evidence for changes in neuroimaging biomarkers in suspected cases of CTE compared with controls. DATA SOURCES Providing an update on a previous systematic review of articles published until December 2014, we searched for articles published between December 2014 and July 2016. We searched PubMed for studies assessing neuroimaging changes in symptomatic suspected cases of CTE with a history of repeated subconcussive or concussive head injury or participation in contact sports involving direct impact to the head. Exclusion criteria were case studies, review articles, and articles focusing on repetitive head trauma from military service, head banging, epilepsy, physical abuse, or animal models. MAIN RESULTS Seven articles met the review criteria, almost all of which studied professional athletes. The range of modalities were categorized into structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion MRI, and radionuclide studies. Biomarkers which differed significantly between suspected CTE and controls were Evans index (P = 0.05), cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) rate (P < 0.0006), length (P < 0.03) and ratio of CSP length to septum length (P < 0.03), regional differences in axial diffusivity (P < 0.05) and free/intracellular water fractions (P < 0.005), single-photon emission computed tomography perfusion abnormalities (P < 0.01), positron emission tomography (PET) signals from tau-binding, glucose-binding, and GABA receptor-binding radionuclides (P < 0.0001, P < 0.005, and P < 0.005, respectively). Important limitations include low specificity in identification of suspected cases of CTE across studies, the need for postmortem validation, and a lack of generalizability to nonprofessional athletes. CONCLUSIONS The most promising biomarker is tau-binding radionuclide PET signal because it is most specific to the underlying neuropathology and differentiated CTE from both controls and patients with Alzheimer disease (P < 0.0001). Multimodal imaging will improve specificity further. Future research should minimize variability in identification of suspected cases of CTE using published clinical criteria.
Speech , Music and Hearing Quarterly Progress and Status Report Vocal tract modeling in 3

A three-dimensional model of the vocal tract is under development. The model consists of vocal and nasal tract walls, lips, teeth and tongue, represented as visually distinct articulators by different colours resembling the ones in a natural human vocal tract. The naturalness of the vocal tract model can be used in speech training for hearing impaired children or in second language learning, where the visual feedback supplements the auditory feedback. The 3D model also provides a platform for studies on articulatory synthesis, as the vocal tract geometry can be set with a small number of articulation parameters, and vocal tract cross-sectional areas can be determined directly from the model.
Accelerating TOA/TDOA packet based localization methods

Time-based localization methods can be especially useful in dynamic environments, where the usefulness of Received Signal Strength (RSS) fingerprint based methods can be limited. Typical `off the shelf' 802.11 network packet time-based methods, tend to collect a large number of packets and apply statistical analysis in order to localize a user. This packet collection process typically lies in the range of minutes, thus turning this type of localization into a non-real time process. This paper presents a method to accelerate network packet time based methods. By accelerating packet capturing in conjunction with packet validation, it has been shown that the localization process time can be shortened without reducing positioning accuracy.
Functional characterization of a potassium transporter gene NrHAK1 in Nicotiana rustica

The purpose of this study is to investigate the function of a novel potassium transporter gene (NrHAK1) isolated from Nicotiana rustica roots using yeast complement and real-time PCR technique. The complementary DNA (cDNA) of NrHAK1, 2 488 bp long, contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 2 334 bp encoding a protein of 777 amino acids (87.6 kDa) with 12 predicted transmembrane domains. The NrHAK1 protein shows a high sequence similarity to those of high-affinity potassium transporters in Mesembryanthemum, Phytolacca acinosa, Arabidopsis thaliana, and so on. We found that the NrHAK1 gene could complement the yeast-mutant defect in K+ uptake. Among several tissues surveyed, the expression level of NrHAK1 was most abundant in the root tip and was up-regulated when exposed to potassium starvation. Moreover, the transcript accumulation was significantly reduced by adding 5 mmol/L NH4+ to the solution. These results suggest that NrHAK1 plays an important role in potassium absorption in N. rustica.
Improving distance protection performance at zone1 using new adaptive tripping time scheme

This paper presents a new adaptive tripping time scheme which provides high speed distance relay operation under fault conditions near the relay point and provides high secured detection for the faults occurred at the end of the protected transmission line with tripping time less than one power cycle. The proposed scheme automatically controls the data window length to adaptively speed up its response under various fault conditions. The advanced feature of this scheme provides capability for fast tripping decisions with secure operation. The proposed scheme possesses the advantage of removing decaying DC offset component in the current signals according to the length of data window, and compensates the capacitive current during the calculation of the fault impedance. Extensive simulations show that the proposed scheme provides better protection performance compared with the conventional schemes of the fixed data window.
Pseudallescheria angusta, a ligninolytic microorganism for wood fibres biomodification

Nowadays, the discovery of lignocellulolytic microorganisms that are better adapted to operational conditions while exhibiting the strong degrading activities is highly desired for successful lignocellulose biotransformation processes. In this study, microorganisms were isolated from lignocellulose-rich composting materials by selective methods. A screening of isolates known to have lignocellulolytic abilities was performed using several tests. Seven microorganisms showed ligninolytic potential and were subjected for further analysis according to their degrading activity. The fungus Pseudallescheriaangusta MF4 demonstrated high decolorization rates for three aromatic dyes: Poly R-478, Poly S-119, and Remazol Brilliant Blue R. In addition, the fungus showed a high production rate of ligninolytic enzymes in the presence of inducers. This fungus achieved the highest values of growth after 21 days of incubation on sawdust without any additional nutrients. Owing to its proven ligninolytic activity and capability of growing on a lignocellulosic substrate, the application of this isolate could be of interest in different biotechnological applications, particularly in biological treatment of wood fibres in order to improve the production of wood-based composites.
Interspecific effects of grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) on the space use and population demography of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in conifer plantations

Interspecific competition between red squirrels and grey squirrels was investigated by comparing the population demography, spacing behavior and habitat use of red squirrels in two large conifer plantations in northern England: one site had only red squirrels (the ‘red-only’ site), in the other both red and grey squirrels occurred (the ‘red–grey’ site). Despite more abundant food at the red–grey site, red squirrel densities (0.26 ha−1 at the red–grey site, 0.29 ha−1 at the red-only site), adult survival rates and the breeding rates of females were similar at both study sites. Grey squirrels at the red–grey site occurred at higher densities (0.92–1.1 ha−1) than did the reds and tended to have higher breeding rates. In the presence of grey squirrels, the recruitment pattern of red squirrels changed and there was little recruitment of subadults. The juvenile recruitment rate in the red–grey site (13%) was much lower than in the red-only site (50%). Grey squirrels, in contrast, had higher juvenile recruitment rates at the red–grey site (41%). The core areas of the home ranges of red squirrels in the red–grey site were more strongly overlapped by grey squirrels than by conspecifics. Red squirrels did not select the habitat with the best tree seed crop (Scots pine) but preferred dense Sitka spruce plantations; they appeared to avoid the Scots pine area with its high grey squirrel density. Data on foot length and body condition indicated decreased body growth in young red squirrels when grey squirrels were present. Our data suggest that adult red squirrels suffered little from interspecific competition with grey squirrels and that the key factor is decreased juvenile recruitment in red squirrels.
Finite-time consensus tracking for nonlinear multi-agent systems under undirected and directed communication topologies

This paper addresses the distributed finite-time consensus tracking problem for nonlinear multi-agent systems with external disturbances under fixed undirected and directed communication topologies. A distributed tracking algorithm is proposed, which is based only on the relative information between neighboring agents. By using tools from sliding-mode control theory, it is theoretically shown that the states of the followers can track that of the leader in finite time, if there exists a directed path from the leader to each follower. As a byproduct, some sufficient conditions for finite-time consensus tracking of multi-agent systems without external disturbances are also presented. A numerical example is finally given to illustrate the theoretical results.
Education and entrepreneurial choice: An instrumental variables analysis

Education is argued to be an important driver of the decision to start a business. However, the measurement of its influence is difficult since it is considered to be an endogenous variable. This study accounts for this endogeneity by using an instrumental variables approach and a dataset of more than 10,000 individuals from 27 European countries and the USA. The effect of education on the decision to become self-employed is found to be strongly positive, much higher than the estimated effect in case no instrumental variables are used. That is, the higher the respondent’s level of education, the greater the likelihood that they will start a business. Implications for entrepreneurship research and practice are discussed.