Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Role for P21-Activated Kinase in Endothelial Cell Migration

The serine/threonine p21-activated kinase (PAK) is an effector for Rac and Cdc42, but its role in regulating cytoskeletal organization has been controversial. To address this issue, we investigated the role of PAK in migration of microvascular endothelial cells. We found that a dominant negative (DN) mutant of PAK significantly inhibited cell migration and in-creased stress fibers and focal adhesions. The DN effect mapped to the most NH2-terminal proline-rich SH3-binding sequence. Observation of a green fluorescent protein-tagged α-actinin construct in living cells revealed that the DN construct had no effect on membrane ruffling, but dramatically inhibited stress fiber and focal contact motility and turnover. Constitutively active PAK inhibited migration equally well and also increased stress fibers and focal adhesions, but had a somewhat weaker effect on their dynamics. In contrast to their similar effects on motility, DN PAK decreased cell contractility, whereas active PAK increased contractility. Active PAK also increased myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, as indicated by staining with an antibody to phosphorylated MLC, whereas DN PAK had little effect, despite the increase in actin stress fibers. These results demonstrate that although PAK is not required for extension of lamellipodia, it has substantial effects on cell adhesion and contraction. These data suggest a model in which PAK plays a role coordinating the formation of new adhesions at the leading edge with contraction and detachment at the trailing edge.
Early protective and risk factors for allergic rhinitis at age 4½ yr

To cite this article: Alm B, Goksör E, Thengilsdottir H, Pettersson R, Möllborg P, Norvenius G, Erdes L, Åberg N, Wennergren G. Early protective and risk factors for allergic rhinitis at age 4½ years. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2011; 22: 398–404.
Accounting and control of power consumption in energy-aware operating systems

An important task of operating systems is to schedule shared resources fairly between several parties. Precise accounting of consumed resources is the key to that goal. However, most operating systems only use very basic accounting strategies. This thesis discusses methods for resource accounting and introduces a powerful, yet easy to use accounting model based on resource containers. The goal of this model is to always charge the party that is responsible for some resource usage. To achieve this, client-server relationships between running processes are detected. They provide an invaluable source of information which can be used to identify the entities initiating resource intensive actions. As the resource containers which are used for accounting can be nested to form a hierarchy, sophisticated accounting and scheduling policies can be formulated. Utilizing this new accounting model, the energy consumption of the machine can be charged to the responsible entity. Accounting energy consumption is a very natural way, as every hardware component that contributes to the execution of a program is consuming energy. Several methods used to measure or estimate the energy consumption of various hardware parts are discussed, paying special attention to the main processor. Peak energy consumption is especially important as many components have to be dimensioned according to the maximum power consumption. Reducing this peak consumption can save costs in both high-end data centers and small mobile devices. A software method for limiting energy consumption is introduced. By using the new resource model, advanced policies can be defined that allow one to control power consumption of the entire machine, individual processes or special clients and servers.
Cellular PSO-ABC: A New Hybrid Model for Dynamic Environment

—Most research in evolutionary computation focuses on optimization of static, non-changing problems. Many real-world optimization problems, however, are dynamic, and optimization methods are needed that are capable of continuously adapting the solution to a changing environment. In this paper we describe a novel algorithm, which we have called Cellular-DPSABC, and show that it can be applied to dynamic optimization problems. The core of this algorithm is using PSO to optimize the fitness value of population in ABC. Cellular automata make up of cells like points in a lattice or like squares of checker boards and it follows a simple rule. Colonies are distributed randomly among the cells of the cellular automaton that each colony is allocated to one cell. The cells exchange their best solutions to the others in greedy manner and with this strategy they try to find the best solution in the dynamic environment. Experimental results on various dynamic environments modeled by the moving peaks benchmark show that the proposed algorithm outperforms other algorithms, like CABC, CPSO, mQSO, adaptive mQSO and RPSO.
Design of therapeutic proteins with enhanced stability

Therapeutic proteins such as antibodies constitute the most rapidly growing class of pharmaceuticals for use in diverse clinical settings including cancer, chronic inflammatory diseases, kidney transplantation, cardiovascular medicine, and infectious diseases. Unfortunately, they tend to aggregate when stored under the concentrated conditions required in their usage. Aggregation leads to a decrease in antibody activity and could elicit an immunological response. Using full antibody atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, we identify the antibody regions prone to aggregation by using a technology that we developed called spatial aggregation propensity (SAP). SAP identifies the location and size of these aggregation prone regions, and allows us to perform target mutations of those regions to engineer antibodies for stability. We apply this method to therapeutic antibodies and demonstrate the significantly enhanced stability of our mutants compared with the wild type. The technology described here could be used to incorporate developability in a rational way during the screening of antibodies in the discovery phase for several diseases.
The origin of long-period X-ray pulsars

Several relatively bright, persistent X-ray sources display regular pulses, with periods in the range of (0.7-10) x 10 3 s. These sources are identified with massive close binaries in which a neutron star accretes material on to its surface. The observed pulsations in all of them, but one, are unambiguously associated with the spin period of the neutron star. Analysing the possible history of these pulsars, I conclude that the neutron stars in these systems undergo spherical accretion, and their evolutionary tracks in a previous epoch contained three instead of two states, namely ejector, supersonic propeller and subsonic propeller. An assumption about a supercritical value of the initial magnetic field of the neutron stars within this scenario is not necessary. Furthermore, I show that the scenario in which the neutron star in 2S 0114+650 is assumed to be a magnetar descendant encounters major difficulties in explaining the evolution of the massive companion. An alternative interpretation of the spin evolution of the neutron star in this system is presented and the problem raised by the association of the 10 4 s pulsations with the spin period of the neutron star is briefly discussed.
Osmosensitivity Associated with Insertions in argP (iciA) or glnE in Glutamate Synthase-Deficient Mutants of Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT An ampicillin enrichment strategy following transposon insertion mutagenesis was employed to obtain NaCl-sensitive mutants of a gltBD (glutamate synthase [GOGAT]-deficient) strain of Escherichia coli. It was reasoned that the gltBD mutation would sensitize the parental strain even to small perturbations affecting osmotolerance. Insertions conferring an osmosensitive phenotype were identified in the proU, argP (formerly iciA), and glnE genes encoding a glycine betaine/proline transporter, a LysR-type transcriptional regulator, and the adenylyltransferase for glutamine synthetase, respectively. The gltBD+ derivatives of the strains were not osmosensitive. The argP mutation, but not the glnE mutation, was associated with reduced glutamate dehydrogenase activity and a concomitant NH4+ assimilation defect in the gltBD strain. Supplementation of the medium with lysine or a lysine-containing dipeptide phenocopied the argP null mutation for both osmosensitivity and NH4+ assimilation deficiency in a gltBD background, and a dominant gain-of-function mutation in argP was associated with suppression of these lysine inhibitory effects. Osmosensitivity in the gltBD strains, elicited either by lysine supplementation or by introduction of the argP or glnE mutations (but not proU mutations), was also correlated with a reduction in cytoplasmic glutamate pools in cultures grown at elevated osmolarity. We propose that an inability to accumulate intracellular glutamate at high osmolarity underlies the osmosensitive phenotype of both the argP gltBD and glnE gltBD mutants, the former because of a reduction in the capacity for NH4+ assimilation into glutamate and the latter because of increased channeling of glutamate into glutamine.
Heterogeneous process migration: the Tui system

Heterogeneous process migration is a technique whereby an active process is moved from one machine to another. It must then continue normal execution and communication. The source and destination processors can have a different architecture, that is, different instruction sets and data formats. Because of this heterogeneity, the entire process memory image must be translated during the migration. Tui is a migration system that is able to translate the memory image of a program (written in ANSI‐C) between four common architectures (m68000, SPARC, i486 and PowerPC). This requires detailed knowledge of all data types and variables used with the program. This is not always possible in non‐type‐safe (but popular) languages such as ANSI‐C, Pascal and Fortran. The important features of the Tui algorithm are discussed in great detail. This includes the method by which a program's entire set of data values can be located, and eventually reconstructed on the target processor. Performance figures demonstrating the viability of using Tui to migrate real applications are given. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reduction in preterm delivery and neonatal mortality after the introduction of antenatal cotrimoxazole prophylaxis among HIV-infected women with low CD4 cell counts.

BACKGROUND Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis is recommended for subgroups of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults and children to reduce all-cause morbidity and mortality. We investigated whether antenatal cotrimoxazole prophylaxis begun during pregnancy for HIV-infected pregnant women with low CD4 cell counts would affect birth outcomes. METHODS Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis was introduced as a routine component of antenatal care for HIV-infected women with CD4 cell counts <200 cells/ micro L during the course of a trial of mother-to-child HIV transmission in Lusaka, Zambia. Rates of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and neonatal mortality were compared for women with low CD4 cell counts before and after its introduction. RESULTS Among 255 women with CD4 cell counts <200 cells/ micro L, the percentage of preterm births (< or =34 weeks of gestation) was lower (odds ratio [OR], 0.49 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.24-0.98]) after cotrimoxazole prophylaxis was introduced than before; there was a significant decrease in neonatal mortality (9% to 0%; P=.01) and a trend toward increased birth weight ( beta =114 g [95% CI, -42 to 271 g]). In contrast, there were no significant changes in these parameters over the same time interval among women with CD4 cell counts > or =200 cells/ micro L.Conclusion. Antenatal provision of cotrimoxazole for HIV-infected pregnant women with low CD4 cell counts may have indirect benefits for neonatal health.
Heat Shock Protein-Derived T-Cell Epitopes Contribute to Autoimmune Inflammation in Pediatric Crohn's Disease

Pediatric Crohn's disease is a chronic auto inflammatory bowel disorder affecting children under the age of 17 years. A putative etiopathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD) is associated with disregulation of immune response to antigens commonly present in the gut microenvironment. Heat shock proteins (HSP) have been identified as ubiquitous antigens with the ability to modulate inflammatory responses associated with several autoimmune diseases. The present study tested the contribution of immune responses to HSP in the amplification of autoimmune inflammation in chronically inflamed mucosa of pediatric CD patients. Colonic biopsies obtained from normal and CD mucosa were stimulated with pairs of Pan HLA-DR binder HSP60-derived peptides (human/bacterial homologues). The modulation of RNA and protein levels of induced proinflammatory cytokines were measured. We identified two epitopes capable of sustaining proinflammatory responses, specifically TNF〈 and IFN© induction, in the inflamed intestinal mucosa in CD patients. The responses correlated positively with clinical and histological measurements of disease activity, thus suggesting a contribution of immune responses to HSP in pediatric CD site-specific mucosal inflammation.
DO MULTI-GRIP HANDS INCREASE FUNCTION AND PATIENT SATISFACTION WHEN COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL MYOELECTRIC HANDS?

INTRODUCTION Myoelectric hands progressed from single grip hands (traditional myoelectric devices (TH)) to be multi-grip hands (MGH) which are hypothesized to bring more degrees of freedom, greater range of motion and improved grasping capabilities1,2. Their impact on patients’ lives has been documented in only a few case studies. The Strategic Consortium for Upper Limb Prosthetic Technologies (SCULPT) aims to assess the potential benefits MGH with respect to function and patient satisfaction compared to TH systems. Abstract PDF Link: https://jps.library. utoronto.ca/index.php/cpoj/article/view/32049/24463 How to cite: Popovic I, Cutti A, Ryan T, Schaefer M, Andres E, Wuestefeld D, Winkler C, Baun K, Bischof B, Braatz F, Miguelez J, Conyers D, Hahn A. DO MULTI-GRIP HANDS INCREASE FUNCTION AND PATIENT SATISFACTION WHEN COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL MYOELECTRIC HANDS? CANADIAN PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS JOURNAL, VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2, 2018; ABSTRACT, POSTER PRESENTATION AT THE AOPA’S 101ST NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, SEPT. 26-29, VANCOUVER, CANADA, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v1i2. 32049 Abstracts were Peer-reviewed by the American Orthotic Prosthetic Association (AOPA) 101st National Assembly Scientific Committee. http://www.aopanet. org/
Gathering Knowledge for a Question Answering System from Heterogeneous Information Sources

Although vast amounts of information are available electronically today, no effective information access mechanism exists to provide humans with convenient information access. A general, open-domain question answering system is a solution to this problem. We propose an architecture for a collaborative question answering system that contains four primary components: an annotations system for storing knowledge, a ternary expression representation of language, a transformational rule system for handling some complexities of language, and a collaborative mechanism by which ordinary users can contribute new knowledge by teaching the system new information. We have developed a initial prototype, called Webnotator, with which to test these ideas.
The Role of the FOXP Family of Transcription Factors in ASD

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disease with complex genetics; however, the genes that are responsible for this disease still remain mostly unknown. Here, we focus on the FOXP family of transcription factors as there is emerging evidence strongly linking these genes to ASD and other genes implicated in ASD. The FOXP family of genes includes three genes expressed in the central nervous system: FOXP1, FOPX2, and FOXP4. This unique group of transcription factors has known functions in brain development as well as the evolution of language. We will also discuss the other genes including transcriptional targets of FOXP genes that have been found to be associated with language and may be important in the pathophysiology of ASD. Finally, we will review the emerging animal models currently being used to study the function of the FOXP genes within the context of ASD symptomology. The combination of gene expression and animal behavior is critical for elucidating how genes such as the FOXP family members are key players within the framework of the developing brain.
Growth response , carcass quality , some haematological and biochemical parameters of broiler chickens fed on diets supplemented with lanthanum salts

An experiment was conducted with 180 one week old Arbor Acre broiler chickens to evaluate their growth response, carcass quality, haematological and biochemical variables when fed lanthanum supplemented diets. After a 7 d pre-trial period, the birds were randomly assigned to 9 dietary treatments. Dietary treatments included the unsupplemented basal diets and the basal diets supplemented with 100, 200, 300 or 400 mg/kg of either lanthanum chloride (LaCl3) or lanthanum oxide (La2O3). A completely randomized design with factorial arrangement of treatments was used with 4 replicate pens of 5 chicks assigned to each dietary treatment. Feed and water were provided ad libitum throughout the 8 wk trial period. At the end of the experiment, 2 birds per replicate, representing 8 birds per treatment were randomly selected, weighed and slaughtered for carcass quality, haematological and biochemical measurements. There was no significant (P ≥ 0.05) difference in the final live weight, daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio of the birds fed the control diet and those fed lanthanum supplemented diets. Birds fed supplemental Lanthanum salts had higher (P ≤ 0.05) daily feed intake than those fed the unsupplemented diet. Feeding diets containing lanthanum International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 3, Issue 9, September-2012 2 ISSN 2229-5518 IJSER © 2012 http://www.ijser. org salts did not significantly (P ≥ 0.05) alter the concentrations all the haematological and serum biochemical variables determined. It can be concluded that the inclusion of lanthanum salts in broiler diets did not improve performance parameters.
Satellite Cells and the Universe of Adult Muscle Stem Cells

Skeletal muscle is, in terms of volume, the most abundant tissue in the vertebrate body. It exerts a key role in controlling several physiological functions such as driving locomotion, maintaining body temperature, and hosting a significant portion of the metabolic activity. Myofibers are the primary unit of all skeletal muscles, and they are specialized multinucleated syncytial structures that express a specific array of proteins necessary for muscle contraction.
Correlated Probabilistic Label Propagation for Region-Based Image Retrieval

Label propagation and manifold ranking have been successfully adopted in content-based image retrieval (CBIR) in recent years. However, while the global low-level features are widely utilized in current systems, region-based features have received little attention. In this paper, a novel transductive framework based on correlated probabilistic label propagation is proposed for region-based images retrieval (RBIR), which can be characterized by three key properties: (1) unified feature matching (UFM) is chosen to measure the similarity between two segmented images. (2) To represent the segmented images in a uniform feature space, a generative model is adopted and the probabilistic labels of each image can be obtained. (3) In the retrieval process, multiple probabilistic labels of training samples are propagated simultaneously on the weighted graph, and the correlation among different labels are explored. Experimental results on 10000 images show that our algorithm can greatly improve the retrieval performance of the RBIR system.
Two-faced processes and random number generators

We describe random processes (with binary alphabet) whose entropy is less than 1 (per letter), but they mimic true random process, i.e., by definition, generated sequence can be interpreted as the result of the flips of a fair coin with sides that are labeled 0 and 1. It gives a possibility to construct Random Number Generators which possess theoretical guarantees. This, in turn, is important for applications such as those in cryptography.
INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING – INNOVATION AS COMPETITIVE EDGE FOR SME " 29-30 th April 2004 , Tallinn , Estonia MONITORING THE SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF PARTICIPANTS IN NON-HIERARCHICAL PRODUCTION NETWORKS

Beyond doubt the application of technologies and materials is significant for the industrial production of goods. However, besides those factors, also the human being needs to be included in the production management as a resource. The actor human plays an important role especially from the point of view of the quality and productivity management as well as the resource planning. This paper focuses on the actor human as well as on the supervision of special behaviour patterns during value-added processes in networked production structures. That procedure is called „Social Monitoring“. In that connection, a framework for the fulfilment of that task is introduced.
Towards development of agent class diagrams as an integrative approach for AUML extension

The relatively new concepts of agents and multi-agent systems have emerged as a promising approach to simplify the intricacies of developing huge and complex software applications. However, methodologies for effectively applying agent technology in such complex applications are still under development. Most of the well-documented specifications wander around the two same underlying research directions: Reuse and extend UML or develop a new methodology from scratch. This paper strives to facilitate the developers and researchers, interested in multi-agent systems, to make an effort for designing effective intelligent agent systems by using the semantics of Agent Class Diagrams, proposed in this paper as an extended version of AUML Class Diagrams.
Meta-reasoning for Intelligent Dialog Repair Meta-reasoning for Intelligent Dialog Repair

Under consideration for other conferences (specify)? Abstract We present a logical approach and implmentation of a real-time rational agent for dialogue management, which includes an ability to represent, reason about, and repair (both implicitly and explicitly) incoherence in dialogue. We exemplify a target problem of negative feedback in action directive subdialogues, with an ability to make reference resolution sensitive to dialogue context and like intentions. The resulting system is able to behave more sensibly in several situations than earlier dialogue management systems in these same conditions. Abstract We present a logical approach and implmentation of a real-time rational agent for dialogue management , which includes an ability to represent, reason about, and repair (both implicitly and explicitly) incoherence in dialogue. We exemplify a target problem of negative feedback in action directive subdialogues, with an ability to make reference resolution sensitive to dialogue context and like intentions. The resulting system is able to behave more sensibly in several situations than earlier dialogue management systems in these same conditions.