Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relaxin Enhances S100A4 and Promotes Growth of Human Thyroid Carcinoma Cell Xenografts

Relaxin increases cell motility and in vitro invasiveness in human thyroid carcinoma cells but the underlying molecular mechanisms of this action are largely unknown. In the present study, we show that relaxin transcriptionally upregulates the calcium-binding protein S100A4 (metastasin) and increases the cytosolic 10-kDa monomer and the 20-kDa dimer form of S100A4 in human thyroid carcinoma cells. The relaxin-induced increase in cell motility was blocked completely when S100A4 expression was diminished using an S100A4 small interfering RNA knockdown approach. We have shown previously the expression of the insulin-like family member relaxin in human thyroid carcinoma tissues but not in benign thyroid tissues. Human thyroid carcinoma tissues expressing relaxin also stained positive for S100A4. In nude mouse experiments, human thyroid carcinoma cell transfectants with constitutive expression of relaxin generated large and fast-growing tumors with significantly increased numbers of proliferating cells. We provide evidence in our cell model that the relaxin target protein S100A4 secreted by the thyroid carcinoma transfectants may not only enhance tumor cell motility but also promote xenograft angiogenesis as determined by the higher density of tumor microvessels and the angiogenic potential of S100A4 in in vitro tube formation assays. In conclusion, we have identified S100A4 as a major mediator of the actions of relaxin in thyroid carcinoma cell motility and in vivo thyroid tumor angiogenesis. Mol Cancer Res; 8(4); 494–506. ©2010 AACR.
Data management in peer-to-peer data integration systems

Decentralized data management has been addressed during the years by means of several technical solutions, ranging from distributed DBMSs, to mediatorbased data integration systems. Recently, such an issue has been investigated in the context of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) architectures. In this chapter we focus on P2P data integration systems, which are characterized by various autonomous peers, each peer being essentially an autonomous information system that holds data and is linked to other peers by means of P2P mappings. P2P data integration does not rely on the notion of global schema, as in traditional mediator-based data integration. Rather, it computes answers to users’ queries, posed to any peer of the system, on the basis of both local data and the P2P mappings, thus overcoming the main drawbacks of centralized mediator-based data integration systems and providing the foundations of effective data management in virtual organizations. In this chapter we first survey the most significant approaches proposed in the literature for both mediator-based data integration and P2P data management. Then, we focus on advanced schema-based P2P systems for which the aim is semantic integration of data, and analyze the commonly adopted approach of interpreting such systems using a first-order semantics. We show some weaknesses of this approach, and compare it with an alternative approach, based on multi-modal epistemic semantics, which reflects the idea that each peer is conceived as a rational agent that exchanges knowledge/belief with other peers. We consider several central properties of P2P data integration systems: modularity, generality, and decidability. We argue that the approach based on epistemic logic is superior with respect to all the
Design and Implementation of Heterogeneous Robot Swarm

In this paper we described the hardware architecture of an inexpensive, heterogeneous, mobile robot swarm, designed and developed at RISC lab, University of Bridgeport. Each UB robot swarm is equipped with sensors, actuators, control and communication units, power supply, and interconnection mechanism. Robot swarms have become a new research paradigm in the last ten years offering novel approaches, such as self-reconfigurabity, self-assembly, selfreplication and self-learning. Developing a multi-agent robot system with heterogeneity and larger behavioral repertoire is a great challenge. This robot swarm is capable of performing user defined tasks such as wall painting, mapping, human rescue operations, task allocation, obstacle avoidance, and object transportation. Keywords—Heterogeneous Robot Swarm; Hardware Architecture; Reconfigurable Robot Swarm.
σN-dependent control of acid resistance and the locus of enterocyte effacement in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli is activated by acetyl phosphate in a manner requiring flagellar regulator FlhDC and the σS antagonist FliZ

In enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), sigma factor N (σN) regulates glutamate‐dependent acid resistance (GDAR) and the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE); discrete genetic systems that are required for transmission and virulence of this intestinal pathogen. Regulation of these systems requires nitrogen regulatory protein C, NtrC, and is a consequence of NtrC‐σN‐dependent reduction in the activity of sigma factor S (σS). This study elucidates pathway components and stimuli for σN‐directed regulation of GDAR and the LEE in EHEC. Deletion of fliZ, the product of which reduces σS activity, phenocopied rpoN (σN) and ntrC null strains for GDAR and LEE control, acid resistance, and adherence. Upregulation of fliZ by NtrC‐σN was shown to be indirect and required an intact flagellar regulator flhDC. Activation of flhDC by NtrC‐σN and FlhDC‐dependent regulation of GDAR and the LEE was dependent on σN‐promoter flhDP2, and a newly described NtrC upstream activator sequence. Addition of ammonium chloride significantly altered expression of GDAR and LEE, acid resistance, and adherence, independently of rpoN, ntrC, and the NtrC sensor kinase, ntrB. Altering the availability of NtrC phosphodonor acetyl phosphate by growth without glucose, with acetate addition, or by deletion of acetate kinase ackA, abrogated NtrC‐σN‐dependent control of flhDC, fliZ, GDAR, and the LEE.
Data-centric reconfiguration with network-attached disks

We consider data-centric distributed storage, where storage-nodes are directly attached to the network. We present DynaDisk, the first read/write storage system that allows clients to add and remove storage devices in a completely decentralized manner, and without stopping ongoing read/write operations. DynaDisk supports two alternative approaches to reconfiguration, one partially synchronous (consensus-based) and one asynchronous. We evaluate DynaDisk on a LAN cluster and compare these two reconfiguration methods.
Exploiting Pipelined Encoding Process to Boost Erasure-Coded Data Archival

This paper addresses an issue of erasure-coded data archival, where (k + r; k) erasure codes are employed to archive rarely accessed replicas. The traditional synchronous encodingprocess neither leverages the existence of replicas, nor handles encoding operations in a decentralized manner. To overcome these drawbacks, we exploit pipelined encoding processes to boost the data archival performance on storage clusters. First, we propose two data layouts called [D + P]cd and [3X]cd by applying a chained-declustering mechanism to both Mirrored RAID-5 and triplication redundancy groups. Second, in light of the [D + P]cd and [3X]cd layouts, we design two archiving schemes named DP and 3X, which exhibit the following three salient features: (i) exploiting data locality-two or three local blocks are read by each involved node for encoding; (ii) decentralized computation load-encoding operations are distributed among k nodes; and (iii) parallel archival processing-two or three encoding pipelines are simultaneously deployed to generate parity blocks. We implement both the DPand 3X schemes and three existing solutions (i.e., SynE, DE, and RapidRAID) in a real-world storage cluster. Experimental results show that our archival schemes outperform the other three solutions in terms of archiving time by a factor of at least 3.41 in a nine-node storage cluster. The experiments strongly indicate that the performance bottleneck of SynE lies in its block-receiving stage; it is disk I/O rather than network traffic that dominates archiving time for both the DE and RapidRAID schemes.
Social Coordinates: A Scalable Embedding Framework for Online Social Networks

We present a scalable framework to embed nodes of a large social network into an Euclidean space such that the proximity between embedded points reflects the similarity between the corresponding graph nodes. Axes of the embedded space are chosen to maximize data variance so that the dimension of the embedded space is a parameter to regulate noise in data. Using recommender system as a benchmark, empirical results show that similarity derived from the embedded coordinates outperforms similarity obtained from the original graph-based measures.
Memory CD8 T Cells Specific for Plasmodia Liver-Stage Antigens Maintain Protracted Protection Against Malaria

Immunologic memory induced by pathogenic agents or vaccinations is inextricably linked to long-lasting protection. Adequately maintained memory T and B cell pools assure a fast, effective, and specific response against re-infections. Studies of immune responses amongst residents of malaria endemic areas suggest that memory responses to Plasmodia antigens appear to be neither adequately developed nor maintained, because persons who survive episodes of childhood malaria remain vulnerable to persistent or intermittent malaria infections. By contrast, multiple exposures of humans and laboratory rodents to radiation-attenuated Plasmodia sporozoites (γ-spz) induces sterile and long-lasting protection against experimental sporozoite challenge. Protection is associated with MHC-class I-dependent CD8 T cells, the key effectors against pre-erythrocytic stage infection. We have adopted the P. berghei γ-spz mouse model to study memory CD8 T cells that are specific for antigens expressed by Pb liver-stage (LS) parasites and are found predominantly in the liver. On the basis of phenotypic and functional characteristics, we have demonstrated that liver CD8 T cells form two subsets: CD44hiCD62LloKLRG-1+CD107+CD127−CD122loCD8 T effector/effector memory (TE/EM) cells that are the dominant IFN-γ producers and CD44hiCD62LhiKLRG-1−CD107−CD127+CD122hiCD8 T central memory (TCM) cells. In this review, we discuss our observations concerning the role of CD8 TE/EM and CD8 TCM cells in the maintenance of protracted protective immunity against experimental malaria infection. Finally, we present a hypothesis consistent with a model whereby intrahepatic CD8 TCM cells, that are maintained in part by LS-Ag depot and by IL-15-mediated survival and homeostatic proliferation, form a reservoir of cells ready for conscription to CD8 TE/EM cells needed to prevent re-infections.
Intuitions of probabilities shape expectations about the future at 12 months and beyond

Rational agents should integrate probabilities in their predictions about uncertain future events. However, whether humans can do this, and if so, how this ability originates, are controversial issues. Here, we show that 12-month-olds have rational expectations about the future based on estimations of event possibilities, without the need of sampling past experiences. We also show that such natural expectations influence preschoolers' reaction times, while frequencies modify motor responses, but not overt judgments, only after 4 years of age. Our results suggest that at the onset of human decision processes the mind contains an intuition of elementary probability that cannot be reduced to the encountered frequency of events or elementary heuristics.
Human Neuroscience

Two observations raise doubts about the hypothesis that causality is perceived directly and automatically. First, prolonged exposure to obviously causal or non-causal events changes perceptions of cau-These fi ndings raise the possibility that the perception of causality might be learned rather than apprehended automatically. Several parameters contribute to the perception of causality (see Michotte, 1946/1963). Spatial continuity and temporal contiguity have received most attention in behavio-ral, and cognitive neuroscience studies, the effect of movement direction has been less studied. Similar to the effect of increasing time delays (where small delays of 100–200 ms may minimize the perception of causality; see for example Schlottmann and Anderson, 1993), Michotte reported a parametric decline with increase in changes in movement direction, with causal perception dissipating at 90° angles. However, Beasley (1968) investigated 181 participants and found that up to 45% of participants still described events with 90° angle changes as causal.
NATURAL RUBBER FOR IMPROVED SURFACING

The physico-chemical properties of road binders are significantly improved by incorporation of a very small quantity of natural rubber to produce a superior asphaltic concrete, capable of withstanding a wide range of environmental and traffic conditions. The experiments were conducted with rubber contents varying from 0 per cent, to 4 per cent in Kuwaiti 60/70 penetration bitumen to assess consistency and flow properties, temperature susceptibility, effect of water, resistance to distortion or rutting, fatigue life and durability of road surfacing. Most of the work was performed in the temperature range 25 degrees -80 degrees centigrade, typical of road surface temperature experienced in the countries of the tropics and the Arabian Gulf. Rubberised bitumen is an effective road binder for climates of large temperature variations. The improvements in the rubber modified bitumen are quantified and significance of the results is illustrated with respect to the potential behaviour and performance of road surfacings. Natural rubber is a very good organic polymer to be incorporated and the additional cost is more than offset by the extra service life, better riding qualities, less maintenance and improved safety. The number of the covering abstract for the conference is TRIS No. 393385. (Author/TRRL)
CS50 sandbox: secure execution of untrusted code

We introduce CS50 Sandbox, an environment for secure execution of untrusted code. Implemented as an asynchronous HTTP server, CS50 Sandbox offers clients the ability to execute programs (both interactive and non-interactive) written in any compiled or interpreted language in a tightly controlled, resource-constrained environment. CS50 Sandbox's HTTP-based API takes files, command lines, and standard input as inputs and returns standard output and error plus exit codes as outputs. Atop CS50 Sandbox, we have built CS50 Run, a web-based code editor that enables students to write code in a browser in any language, whether compiled or interpreted, that's executed server-side within a sandboxed environment. And we have built CS50 Check, an autograding framework that supports black- and white-box testing of students' code, leveraging CS50 Sandbox to run series of checks against students' programs, no matter the language of implementation. We present in this work the pedagogical motivations for each of these tools, along with the underlying designs thereof. Each is available as open source.
Individual moral judgment and cultural ideologies.

Moral judgment cannot be reduced to cultural ideology, or vice versa. But when each construct is measured separately, then combined, the product predicts powerfully to moral thinking. In Study 1, 2 churches (N = 96) were selected for their differences on religious ideology, political identity, and moral judgment. By combining these 3 variables, a multiple correlation of . 79 predicted to members' moral thinking (opinions on human rights issues). Study 2 replicated this finding in a secular sample, with the formula established in Study 1 (R = .77). Individual conceptual development in moral judgment and socialization into cultural ideology co-occur, simultaneously and reciprocally, in parallel, and not serially. Individual development in moral judgment provides the epistemological categories for cultural ideology, which in turn influences the course of moral judgment, to produce moral thinking (e.g., opinions about abortion, free speech).
Adaptive discretizations for the choice of a Tikhonov regularization parameter in nonlinear inverse problems

Parameter identification problems for partial differential equations usually lead to nonlinear inverse problems. A typical property of such problems is their instability, which requires regularization techniques, like, e.g., Tikhonov regularization. The main focus of this paper will be on efficient methods for determining a suitable regularization parameter by using adaptive finite element discretizations based on goal-oriented error estimators. A well-established method for the determination of a regularization parameter is the discrepancy principle where the residual norm, considered as a function i of the regularization parameter, should equal an appropriate multiple of the noise level. We suggest to solve the resulting scalar nonlinear equation by an inexact Newton method, where in each iteration step, a regularized problem is solved at a different discretization level. The proposed algorithm is an extension of the method suggested in Griesbaum A et al (2008 Inverse Problems 24 025025) for linear inverse problems, where goal-oriented error estimators for i and its derivative are used for adaptive refinement strategies in order to keep the discretization level as coarse as possible to save computational effort but fine enough to guarantee global convergence of the inexact Newton method. This concept leads to a highly efficient method for determining the Tikhonov regularization parameter for nonlinear ill-posed problems. Moreover, we prove that with the so-obtained regularization parameter and an also adaptively discretized Tikhonov minimizer, usual convergence and regularization results from the continuous setting can be recovered. As a matter of fact, it is shown that it suffices to use stationary points of the Tikhonov functional. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated by means of numerical experiments.
A Novel Classification Method Based on Data Gravitation

This paper introduced the concept of gravitation and gravitation field into data classification by utilizing analogical inference, and studied the method to calculate data gravitation. Based on the theoretical model of data gravitation and data gravitation field, the paper presented a new classification model called data gravitation based classifier (DGC). The proposed approach was applied to the intrusion detection system (IDS) with 41 inputs (features). Experimental results show that the proposed method was efficient in data classification
Application of Bayesian Neural Networks to Protein Sequence Classification

A sliding contact for collecting current from a two-rail track system of a toy railroad to a toy train, has a holding plate, two contact pins mountable on the toy train by the holding plate and arranged to be located above the rails, and a sliding bridge which engages with the contact pins so as to allow lateral movement between the latter and the former, and is arranged to slide along both rails of the track system and to maintain electrical connection between the rails and the contact pins. The sliding bridge may be provided with guiding elements for guiding the sliding bridge during its sliding along the rails.
Controlling the Activity of a Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) by Membrane Potential*

The recently discovered voltage-sensitive phosphatases (VSPs) hydrolyze phosphoinositides upon depolarization of the membrane potential, thus representing a novel principle for the transduction of electrical activity into biochemical signals. Here, we demonstrate the possibility to confer voltage sensitivity to cytosolic enzymes. By fusing the tumor suppressor PTEN to the voltage sensor of the prototypic VSP from Ciona intestinalis, Ci-VSP, we generated chimeric proteins that are voltage-sensitive and display PTEN-like enzymatic activity in a strictly depolarization-dependent manner in vivo. Functional coupling of the exogenous enzymatic activity to the voltage sensor is mediated by a phospholipid-binding motif at the interface between voltage sensor and catalytic domains. Our findings reveal that the main domains of VSPs and related phosphoinositide phosphatases are intrinsically modular and define structural requirements for coupling of enzymatic activity to a voltage sensor domain. A key feature of this prototype of novel engineered voltage-sensitive enzymes, termed Ci-VSPTEN, is the novel ability to switch enzymatic activity of PTEN rapidly and reversibly. We demonstrate that experimental control of Ci-VSPTEN can be obtained either by electrophysiological techniques or more general techniques, using potassium-induced depolarization of intact cells. Thus, Ci-VSPTEN provides a novel approach for studying the complex mechanism of activation, cellular control, and pharmacology of this important tumor suppressor. Moreover, by inducing temporally precise perturbation of phosphoinositide concentrations, Ci-VSPTEN will be useful for probing the role and specificity of these messengers in many cellular processes and to analyze the timing of phosphoinositide signaling.
Towards Schenkerian Analysis by Computer: a reductional Matrix

An approach to the implementation of Schenkerian analysis in a computer program is described. It would appear that a single piece of music has a number of possible analyses related exponentially to the size of the piece. The approach described differs from previous attempts at the computer implementation of Schenkerian analysis by not aiming to build an analysis directly from the notes of the score, but instead to construct a matrix which contains, in different paths through the matrix, all possible analyses. The size of the matrix is related to the square of the size of the piece, and the time-complexity of its generation to the cube. Generation of the matrix is therefore a tractable problem. An analysis can be derived from the matrix in time related to the square of the size of the piece, but the complexity of deriving analyses with particular properties has yet to be investigated.