Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of myocardial fibrillar collagen by angiotensin II. A role in hypertensive heart disease?

Collagen types I and III (Col I and Col III) are the major fibrillar collagens produced by fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in the adult heart. Fibrillar collagen of the heart provides the structural scaffolding for cardiomyocytes and coronary vessels and imparts cardiac tissue with physical properties that include stiffness and resistance to deformation. In addition, fibrillar collagen may also act as a link between contractile element of adjacent cardiomyocytes and as a conduit of information that is necessary for cell function. As in other organs, collagen turnover of normal adult heart results from the equilibrium between the synthesis and degradation of Col I and Col III. A number of factors have been described that may alter the balance in favor of either the synthesis (e.g., angiotensin II-ANG II-) or the degradation. Predominance of synthesis over degradation leads to increased Col I and Col III deposition or fibrosis that accompanies cardiac diseases such as hypertensive heart disease. Fibrosis alters myocardial structure and function and adversely afects the clinical outcome of hypertensive patients. Various lines of evidence suggest that besides hypertension, systemically and/or locally produced ANG II may participate in the development of hypertensive myocardial fibrosis via activation of ANG II type 1 receptors (AT(1)R). The potential clinical relevance of this possibility is linked to the ability of antihypertensive drugs such as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and AT(1)R antagonists (ARAs) to reverse myocardial fibrosis beyond their antihypertensive efficacy.
The Agent-Based Hedge Fund

In this article we describe the implementation of a diversified investment strategy using 25 intelligent agents. Each agent utilizes several data mining models and other artificial intelligence techniques to autonomously day trade an American stock. The agents were individually tested with out-of-sample data corresponding to the period between February of 2006 and June of 2010, and most achieved an acceptable performance. By integrating the 25 agents in a multi-agent system, we were able to obtain much better results (according to the return and maximum drawdown metrics); this leads us to believe that it might be possible to use one such system in the creation of a profitable hedge fund in which the investment decisions can be made without human intervention.
A reply to critics

This article analyzes and responds to the most significant criticisms of public journalism made by scholars. After discussing public journalism advocates’ alleged failure to define public journalism clearly, we examine more specific criticisms. Among other issues, few advocates have taken seriously the likely impact of commercial imperatives on public journalism’s modes of operation. We argue, however, that public journalism projects show that reform-oriented news organizations can challenge long-standing journalistic conventions, despite managements’ interests in maximizing profit. Ultimately, we argue, public journalism’s long-term viability depends on continuing, explicit commitment by journalists, its institutionalization within newsrooms and journalism classrooms, and continued theory-development, research, and assessment. K E Y W O R D S citizen participation civic journalism journalism theory public sphere The public journalism movement is a controversial, if not divisive, topic among journalism scholars and practicing journalists. It emerged in the early 1990s in response to two widening gaps of ‘crisis’ proportions: between government and citizens, and between news organizations and their audiences. That is, declines in voter participation in political elections and, more generally, in civic participation in local community affairs, were often cited as evidence of widespread withdrawal by citizens from democratic processes. Similarly, scholars and journalists, having often criticized news organizations’ horse-race approach to political campaigns, interpreted the public’s apparent disinterest in voting as proving widespread public disaffection with massmediated political discourse. In response, many news organizations began to experiment with ways to enhance civic commitment and participation in Journalism Copyright © 2006 SAGE Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi) Vol. 7(2): 238–254 DOI: 10.1177/1464884906062607
A receptor autoradiographic and in situ hybridization analysis of the distribution of the 5‐ht7 receptor in rat brain

1 Receptor autoradiography and in situ hybridization histochemistry have been used to delineate the distribution of the 5‐ht7 receptor and its mRNA in rat brain. Receptor autoradiographic studies were performed using [3H]‐5‐carboxamidotryptamine (5‐CT) as the radioligand. The binding characteristics of the masking compounds were determined in Cos‐7 cells transfected with a panel of 5‐HT receptor subtype cDNAs, including the rat 5‐ht7 cDNA. In situ hybridization studies were carried out with 35S‐labelled oligonucleotide probes to the rat 5‐ht7 mRNA. 2 Specific binding of [3H]‐5‐CT was observed in many areas of the rat brain. Following co‐incubation with 1 μm ergotamine, this binding was completely eliminated. After addition of the masking ligands, [3H]‐5‐CT binding remained in layers 1–3 of cortex, septum, globus pallidus, thalamus, hypothalamus, centromedial amygdala, substantia nigra, periaquaductal gray, and superior colliculus. Addition of the antagonist, methiothepin, to the incubation regimen eliminated most of the remaining [3H]‐5‐CT binding in the brain, with the exception of the globus pallidus and substantia nigra. 3 The 5‐ht7 mRNA was discretely localized in rat brain. The most intense hybridization signals were observed over the thalamus, the anterior hippocampal rudiment, and over the CA3 region of the hippocampus. Other regions containing hybridization signals included the septum, the hypothalamus, the centromedial amygdala and the periaquaductal gray. The regions exhibiting a modest receptor binding signal after methiothepin incubation, the globus pallidus and the substantia nigra, contained no 5‐ht7 hybridization signals, suggesting a non‐5‐ht7 subtype in these two related structures. 4 The distribution of the 5‐ht7 receptor and its mRNA is suggestive of multiple roles for this novel 5‐HT receptor, within several brain systems. The limbic system (centromedial amygdala, anterior hippocampal rudiment, hypothalamus) is particularly well‐represented, indicating a potential role for the 5‐ht7 receptor in affective processes.
Parameterised sigmoid and reLU hidden activation functions for DNN acoustic modelling

Copyright © 2015 ISCA. The form of hidden activation functions has been always an important issue in deep neural network (DNN) design. The most common choices for acoustic modelling are the standard Sigmoid and rectified linear unit (ReLU), which are normally used with fixed function shapes and no adaptive parameters. Recently, there have been several papers that have studied the use of parameterised activation functions for both computer vision and speaker adaptation tasks. In this paper, we investigate generalised forms of both Sigmoid and ReLU with learnable parameters, as well as their integration with the standard DNN acoustic model training process. Experiments using conversational telephone speech (CTS) Mandarin data, result in an average of 3.4% and 2.0% relative word error rate (WER) reduction with Sigmoid and ReLU parameterisations.
Roles of Copper-Binding Proteins in Breast Cancer

Copper ions are needed in several steps of cancer progression. However, the underlying mechanisms, and involved copper-binding proteins, are mainly elusive. Since most copper ions in the body (in and outside cells) are protein-bound, it is important to investigate what copper-binding proteins participate and, for these, how they are loaded with copper by copper transport proteins. Mechanistic information for how some copper-binding proteins, such as extracellular lysyl oxidase (LOX), play roles in cancer have been elucidated but there is still much to learn from a biophysical molecular viewpoint. Here we provide a summary of copper-binding proteins and discuss ones reported to have roles in cancer. We specifically focus on how copper-binding proteins such as mediator of cell motility 1 (MEMO1), LOX, LOX-like proteins, and secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) modulate breast cancer from molecular and clinical aspects. Because of the importance of copper for invasion/migration processes, which are key components of cancer metastasis, further insights into the actions of copper-binding proteins may provide new targets to combat cancer.
Crossmodal Space and Crossmodal Attention

1. Development of multisensory spatial integration 2. Crossmodal spatial interactions in subcortical and cortical circuits 3. A system of multimodal areas in the primate brain 4. Neuropsychological evidence for multimodal representations of space near specific body parts 5. Multimodal spatial representations in the primate parietal lobe 6. A computational neural theory of multisensory spatial representations 7. The psychology of multimodal perception 8. Crossmodal spatial attention: evidence from human performance 9. Electrophysiology of human crossmodal spatial attention 10. Functional imaging of crossmodal spatial representations and crossmodal spatial attention 11. Exogenous spatial-cuing studies of human crossmodal attention and multisensory integration
The Protective Effect of Grape-Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract on Oxidative Damage Induced by Zearalenone in Kunming Mice Liver

Although grape-seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) demonstrates strong anti-oxidant activity, little research has been done to clearly reveal the protective effects on the hepatotoxicity caused by zearalenone (ZEN). This study is to explore the protective effect of GSPE on ZEN-induced oxidative damage of liver in Kunming mice and the possible protective molecular mechanism of GSPE. The results indicated that GSPE could greatly reduce the ZEN-induced increase of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities. GSPE also significantly decreased the content of MDA but enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes SOD and GSH-Px. The analysis indicated that ZEN decreased both mRNA expression levels and protein expression levels of nuclear erythroid2-related factor2 (Nrf2). Nrf2 is considered to be an essential antioxidative transcription factor, as downstream GSH-Px, γ-glutamyl cysteine synthetase (γ-GCS), hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1), and quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) decreased simultaneously, whereas the pre-administration of GSPE groups was shown to elevate these expressions. The results indicated that GSPE exerted a protective effect on ZEN-induced hepatic injury and the mechanism might be related to the activation of the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.
Intra-modal Score level Fusion for Off-line Signature Verification

 Abstract — Signature is widely used as a means of personal verification which emphasizes the need for a signature verification system. Often the single signature feature may produce unacceptable error rates. In this paper, Intra-modal Score level Fusion for Off-line Signature Verification (ISFOSV) is proposed. The scanned signature image is skeletonized and exact signature area is obtained by preprocessing. In the first stage 60 centers of signature are extracted by horizontal and vertical splitting. In the second stage the 168 features are extracted in two phases. The phase one consists of dividing the signature into 128 blocks using the center of signature by counting the number of black pixels and the angular feature in each block is determined to generate 128 angular features. In the second phase the signature is divided into 40 blocks from each of the four corners of the signature to generate 40 angular features. Totally 168 angular features are extracted from phase one and two to verify the signature. The centers of signature are compared using correlation and the distance between the angular features of the genuine and test signatures is computed. The correlation matching score and distance matching score of the signature are fused to verify the authenticity. A mathematical model is proposed to further optimize the results. It is observed that the proposed model has better FAR, FRR and EER values compared to the existing algorithms.
Disturbed Homeostasis in Sodium-Restricted Mice Heterozygous and Homozygous for Aldosterone Synthase Gene Disruption

We have determined that differences in expression of aldosterone synthase (AS) affect responses to a low-salt diet. In AS-null mice (AS−/−), but not in wild-type, low salt significantly decreased plasma sodium and increased potassium. The increased urine volume (1.5×wild-type) and decreased urine osmolality (0.7×wild-type), present in AS−/− mice on normal salt, became more severe (2.3×wild-type and 0.5×wild-type) on low salt, but neither changed in wild-type. In both genotypes, plasma vasopressin was similar on normal and low salt, and desmopressin injection significantly increased urine osmolality. Renal mRNA levels for aquaporin 1 and 3 were unchanged by genotype or diet and epithelial sodium channel and Na+-K+-2Cl−-cotransporter by genotype. In AS−/− mice, aquaporin 2 mRNA increased on normal salt, whereas Na+Cl−-cotransporter and cortex K+ channel mRNAs decreased on both diets. The low blood pressure of AS−/− mice was decreased further by low salt, despite additional increases in renin, intrarenal arterial wall thickness, and macula densa cyclogenase-2 mRNA. In AS+/− mice on normal salt, adrenal AS mRNA was slightly decreased (0.7×wild-type), but blood pressure was normal. On low salt, their blood pressure was less than wild-type (101±2 mm Hg versus 106±2 mm Hg), even though renin mRNA increased to 2×wild-type. We conclude that aldosterone is critical for urine concentration and maintenance of blood pressure and even a mild reduction of AS expression makes blood pressure sensitive to low salt, suggesting that genetic differences of AS levels in humans may influence how blood pressure responds to dietary salt.
Calculation of error probability of reception of the signal in the presence of multiple access interference

A new formula of bit error probability of reception of a signal in the presence of multiple access interference is calculated. A proposed solution is based on Chernoff approach with respect to Van Trees correction. It is demonstrated that the new formula obtained can achieve a good approximation of ideal formula and at the same time provides low complexity of calculation of bit error value. The proposed formula is created for environment of BPSK modulation in presence of multiple access interference and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), but can be extended for more complex Rayleigh fading case and higher order modulations. Moderate complexity of calculation method allows usage of this equation in different applications, where consistent calculation of error probability is required.
Mobile Phone-Based mHealth Approaches for Public Health Surveillance in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

Whereas mobile phone-based surveillance has the potential to provide real-time validated data for disease clustering and prompt respond and investigation, little evidence is available on current practice in sub-Sahara Africa. The objective of this review was to examine mobile phone-based mHealth interventions for Public Health surveillance in the region. We conducted electronic search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, IEE Xplore, African Index Medicus (AIM), BioMed Central, PubMed Central (PMC), the Public Library of Science (PLoS) and IRIS for publications used in the review. In all, a total of nine studies were included which focused on infectious disease surveillance of malaria (n = 3), tuberculosis (n = 1) and influenza-like illnesses (n = 1) as well as on non-infectious disease surveillance of child malnutrition (n = 2), maternal health (n = 1) and routine surveillance of various diseases and symptoms (n = 1). Our review revealed that mobile phone-based surveillance projects in the sub-Saharan African countries are on small scale, fragmented and not well documented. We conclude by advocating for a strong drive for more research in the applied field as well as a better reporting of lessons learned in order to create an epistemic community to help build a more evidence-based field of practice in mHealth surveillance in the region.
Connection-oriented real-time communication for mission critical applications-an introduction to NetEx: a portable and efficient tool kit

We report our project aimed at the design and implementation of a mid-ware tool kit, called NetEx, that provides deadline-guaranteed and connection-oriented communication services at the application layer. NetEx comprises a Host Traffic Manager (HTM) and a Network Traffic Manager (NTM). An HTM resides in each participating host while the NTM can be implemented either at a central host or in a distributed manner. The HTM performs traffic scheduling and enforces traffic regulation at individual hosts. The NTM is the decision maker on connection admission control. We argue that portability and efficiency are two fundamental issues one has to address in the design of such a middle-ware tool kit. We present strategies adopted by NetEx in order to support portability and efficiency. We report system performance based on several benchmarks.
Union responses to recent transformations and conflicts in the journalistic field

This paper examines the repercussions of global integration through new digital technologies on employment relations in the journalistic field. It focuses on the conflicts provoked by changed market and working conditions as well as on recent efforts to reform the German copyright law. In the first part of this paper we will analyze the transformations in the journalistic field provoked by the emergence of the World Wide Web. The second part will analyze and evaluate the strategies of established trade unions and new professional organizations and their relationship to other actors like, e.g., digital right groups. We will conclude with general theoretical considerations about the significance of intellectual property rights for labor relations in the realm of knowledge work.
Reliable Low-Power Nano Computations and Communications

This paper presents a novel type of nanoarchitecture which is both device and circuit independent. The starting idea is that computations can be performed in three fundamentally different ways: entirely digital (using Boolean gates), entirely analog (using high precision analog circuits), or mixed (using both digital and low precision analog circuits). The boundaries between these are sometimes very thin. As an example, a threshold logic gate is already mixed, i.e. even if the inputs and the output are Boolean, the weighted sum of its inputs is a (low-precision) analog variable. It has already been suggested that one of the possible mixed approaches will be the most power efficient solution. Still, the main disadvantages of using analog circuits are: (i) their more complex (handcrafted) design, and (ii) their (expected) lower reliability (signal-to-noise / precision). These will be exacerbated by scaling. We will show here how both disadvantages could be tackled. A constructive solution for Kolmogorov’s superposition or a (multi-threshold) threshold logic synthesis, could be used for the automatic synthesis of the (very) low-precision analog parts. Digital or threshold logic circuits could be used to compensate for the accumulation of noise in the cascaded (very) low precision analog circuits. These digital or threshold logic circuits will also contribute to von Neumann’s multiplexing schemes, hence not only compensating for the accumulation of noise, but also increasing the overall fault-tolerance of the system. A few examples will show how this architectural approach could be mapped on top of a given
Immunohistochemical detection of BH3-only proteins in ameloblastic tumors.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate expression of BH3-only proteins in odontogenic tumors, expression of Bid, Bim, Bad, Noxa, and Puma was analyzed in ameloblastic tumors as well as in tooth germs. METHODS Nine tooth germs, 37 ameloblastomas, and five malignant ameloblastic tumors were examined immunohistochemically with antibodies against Bid, Bim, Bad, Noxa, and Puma. RESULTS Immunohistochemical reactivity for Bid, Bim, Bad, Noxa, and Puma was detected in the cytoplasm of cellular components in normal and neoplastic odontogenic tissues. Expression of these BH3-only proteins was evident in odontogenic epithelial cells near the basement membrane in tooth germs and ameloblastic tumors. Acanthomatous ameloblastomas showed no reactivity for Bid, Bim, Bad, Noxa, or Puma in keratinizing cells, whereas granular cells in granular cell ameloblastomas reacted with these BH3-only proteins. Basal and desmoplastic ameloblastomas and ameloblastic carcinomas showed immunoreactivity for the BH3-only proteins in most neoplastic cells. CONCLUSION Expression of Bid, Bim, Bad, Noxa, and Puma in tooth germs and ameloblastic tumors suggests that the BH3-only proteins have a role in apoptotic cell death of normal and neoplastic odontogenic epithelium. Distinctive expression patterns of these BH3-only proteins in ameloblastoma variants suggest that the BH3-only proteins might be involved in tumor cell differentiation of ameloblastomas.
Development of a Measure of Self-advocacy Among Female Cancer Survivors

Background: The Female Self-Advocacy in Cancer Survivorship (FSACS) Scale is a new measurement tool designed to address the increasing need for cancer survivors to participate in and lead there care in face of barriers. Pilot work has demonstrated the FSACS Scale’s content validity and reliability. Purpose: This purpose of this study was to evaluate the construct validity of the FSACS Scale. This instrumentation study evaluates the construct validity of the FSACS Scale as evidenced by: (I) Internal structure consistent with the underlying model of self-advocacy; (II) Sensitivity to differences between known groups; (III) Relationships between self-advocacy and key predictors (openness and conscientiousness; information engagement; social support) and outcomes (symptom distress and healthcare utilization); (IV) Relationships between FSACS subscales and related concepts (patient activation; self-advocacy within the HIV/AIDS population); and (V) Relationships between FSACS scores and criterion measures. Methods: A mixed-mode (online or mailed) cross-sectional survey design was used. Women with a history of an adult diagnosis of invasive cancer were recruited from two patient registries and seven advocacy organizations. Instrument selection and analyses to evaluate construct validity were based on the American Educational Research Association’s instrumentation guidelines. Analyses included an exploratory factor analysis, t-tests, and bivariate correlations. Results: A total of N = 315 adult female cancer survivors completed the survey. Evidence from all five construct validity hypotheses supports the construct validity of the FSACS Scale. The FSACS Scale factor analysis confirmed the three underlying dimensions of self-advocacy resulting in a 20-item measure explaining 45.87% of the variance in responses with subscales’ Cronbach’s alphas between 0.791 and 0.850. While able to detect differences between women with low and high levels of education, the scale did not differentiate between recent and long-term survivors. Predictor and outcome variables performed as expected. The FSACS subscales were more highly correlated with these outcomes than the measure of self-advocacy for HIV/AIDS. Conclusion: Results support that the FSACS Scale is a theoretically-grounded measure of self-advocacy that can be used by clinicians and researchers to identify women at-risk for the poor outcomes associated with low self-advocacy.