Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stimulation of Cannabinoid Receptor CB1 Induces krox-24 Expression in Human Astrocytoma Cells (*)

The recent isolation and cloning of the G protein-coupled central cannabinoid receptor (CB1) from brain tissue has provided a molecular basis to elucidate how cannabinoid compounds may mediate their psychoactive effects. Here we report the high expression of cannabinoid receptors in human astrocytoma tumors of different grades, in the astrocytoma cell lines U373 MG and GL-15, as well as in normal astrocytes. From an analysis of the coupling mechanisms of functional CB1 receptors in U373 MG, we show that, in addition to the inhibition of adenylyl cyclase, activation by the cannabinoid agonist CP-55940 induces the expression of the immediate-early gene krox-24, also known as NGFI-A, zif/268, egr-1, and TIS8. The amount of Krox-24 protein and the level of Krox-24 DNA binding activity, as measured by Western blot and electrophoretic mobility shift assay, respectively, were also increased by the addition of CP-55940. These effects were blocked by incubation with pertussis toxin but not by treatment with hydrolysis-resistant cAMP analogues, suggesting that the transduction pathway between the cannabinoid receptor and krox-24 involves a pertussis toxin-sensitive GTP-binding protein and is independent of cAMP metabolism. The specific involvement of CB1 in Krox-24 induction was demonstrated in Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with the human CB1 receptor and also in experiments using the CB1-selective cannabinoid antagonist SR 141716A.
Efficient audio segmentation in soccer videos

Identifying different audio segments in videos is the first step for many important tasks such as event detection and speech transcription. Approaches using Mel-Frequency Cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) with Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) and hidden Markov models (HMMs) perform reasonably well in stationary conditions but do not scale to a broad range of environmental conditions. This paper focuses on the audio segmentation in broadcast soccer videos into audio classes such as Silence, Speech Only, Speech Over Crowd, Crowd Only and Excited, with an alternative feature set which is simplistic as well as robust to changes in the environment conditions. Support Vector Machines (SVMs), Neural Networks and Random Forest are used for the classification. The accuracy achieved with SVMs, Neural Networks and Random Forest are 83.80%, 86.07%, and 88.35% respectively. The proposed features and Random Forest classifier are found to achieve better accuracy compared to the other classifiers.
Conditional Reliability in Uncertain Graphs

Network reliability is a well-studied problem that requires to measure the probability that a target node is reachable from a source node in a probabilistic (or uncertain) graph, i.e., a graph where every edge is assigned a probability of existence. Many approaches and problem variants have been considered in the literature, with the majority of them assuming that edge-existence probabilities are fixed. Nevertheless, in real-world graphs, edge probabilities typically depend on external conditions. In metabolic networks, a protein can be converted into another protein with some probability depending on the presence of certain enzymes. In social influence networks, the probability that a tweet of some user will be re-tweeted by her followers depends on whether the tweet contains specific hashtags. In transportation networks, the probability that a network segment will work properly or not, might depend on external conditions such as weather or time of the day. In this paper, we overcome this limitation and focus on <italic>conditional reliability</italic>, that is, assessing reliability when edge-existence probabilities depend on a set of conditions. In particular, we study the problem of determining the top-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$</tex-math><alternatives><inline-graphic xlink:href="khan-ieq1-2816653.gif"/> </alternatives></inline-formula> conditions that maximize the reliability between two nodes. We deeply characterize our problem and show that, even employing polynomial-time reliability-estimation methods, it is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathbf {NP}$</tex-math><alternatives><inline-graphic xlink:href="khan-ieq2-2816653.gif"/> </alternatives></inline-formula>-hard, does not admit any <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathbf {PTAS}$ </tex-math><alternatives><inline-graphic xlink:href="khan-ieq3-2816653.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>, and the underlying objective function is non-submodular. We then devise a practical method that targets both accuracy and efficiency. We also study natural generalizations of the problem with multiple source and target nodes. An extensive empirical evaluation on several large, real-life graphs demonstrates effectiveness and scalability of our methods.
Analysis and implementation of LLC-T series parallel resonant converter using fuzzy logic controller

A modified LLC-T (inductor inductor capacitor) series parallel resonant converter (SPRC) has been simulated and the performance is analyzed. The limitations of two element resonant topologies have been removed by adding a third reactive element. The output voltage is regulated using fuzzy logic controller. The simulation study indicates the superiority of fuzzy control over the conventional control methods. The proposed approach is expected to provide better voltage regulation for dynamic load conditions. A prototype 300 W, 100 kHz converter is designed and built to experimentally demonstrate, dynamic and steady state performance for the LLC-T series parallel resonant converter. A comparative study is performed between experimental results and the simulation studies. The analysis shows that the output of converter is free from the ripples, and has constant current, regulated output voltage. Keywords : Resonant Converter, Fuzzy Logic, Control System, Power Electronics, MATLAB International Journal of Engineering, Science and Technology , Vol. 2, No. 10, 2010, pp. 35-43
Extended kalman filter for improved navigation with fault awareness

Most unmanned mobile robotic platforms contain multiple sensors that can be leveraged to measure vehicle motion states, where there often exists redundancies among the different sensor types. Kalman filter based sensor fusion between inertial navigation sensors, GPS readings, encoders, etc. is a very popular approach in the literature to improve the accuracy of navigation readings. However, such redundancies can also be exploited for simultaneously conducting fault detection and identification of the sensors and the robot. This paper presents theory and results for an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) approach fusing IMU/INS readings with GPS and/or visual odometry (VO) data to diagnose faults in wheel odometry readings (encoders). A key advantage is that the approach works for detecting faults, even when relatively low grade and inexpensive sensors are installed in the vehicle.
Probabilistic assessment of wind turbine produced power by considering fluctuations of temperature and velocity

Produced power of a wind turbine depends on a mixed variety of factors such as wind speed, air density, wind beat and type of used generator in wind turbine. According to the probabilistic essence of wind speed and temperature which affect the other parameters, the output power of a wind turbine would be probabilistic. In this paper, a new proposal has been presented to predict the wind turbine generation. The results have been yielded based on data that measured in East Azerbaijan distributed company for a 3kw wind turbine. Investigation of turbine's dynamic, temperature changes and wind turbulence by considering wind dynamic make the proposed method to be more precise and reliable. The presented results show the impact of each effective parameter on output power of wind turbine. Also, it has been seen that the output power which is gained in this method is different from the one which only uses the average speed and wind speed standard deviation to assess the wind turbine generation capability.
Concepts of Eating Disorders

The nosology of mental disorders inevitably dithers between the wish to delineate useful categories and the hope of discovering natural kinds. It would be good to achieve both but each aspiration alone is elusive enough. Indeed, some would reckon the second hope to be forlorn and there has been a tendency to emphasise the pragmatic and the descriptive. The current classifications—ICD-10 and DSM-IV—are the offspring of this tendency (WHO, 1992; APA, 1994). Yet there is a nagging feeling that there are ‘real’ disorders out there to be discovered rather than merely defined. Within the field of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa crystallised out as a separate and distinct disorder over the course of the last century (Mount Sinai, 1965). It had the advantage of one criterion that was both undisputed and easy to measure, namely low weight. However, it was the description of the characterising beliefs and behaviours that led to the disorder being separated off from other states with weight loss. Furthermore, it was the description of similar beliefs and behaviours in people of unremarkable weight that led to the definition of bulimia nervosa and its relatives. However, it is arguably when the definition of mental disorder relies upon the mental state—as it almost inevitably should—that classification becomes more difficult. Can we really measure people’s thoughts and feelings reliably and is it reasonable to expect that they should fit neatly into categories? Even classifying behaviour is problematic enough. However, if we do observe that people come to suffer in similar ways and with similar beliefs then this may give clues not only about sociological generalisations but also, perhaps especially, about innate and probably biological mechanisms which may underpin their disorder. People may come to be more similar when they are stuck within a morbid process than when they are well because the range of their behaviour and experience is at least in part constrained by potentially definable processes in which such biological mechanisms are playing some limiting part. Tolstoy wrote, ‘all happy families resemble one another, but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way’. This is questionable even with regard to families and unhappiness, but with individuals and disorder it seems likely that the reverse is true. The range of what is morbid is narrower than the range of the non-morbid. Antipsychiatrists tend to emphasise the prescriptive nature of ‘normality’ and to portray the person who is ‘labelled’ mentally disordered as something of a free spirit. However, the
Breaking the Stained Glass Ceiling: Women's Collaborative Leadership Style as a Model for Theological Education

One of the prevailing notions within American culture is the idea that women are prevalent in leadership positions. The reality, however, is that while women are slightly more than 50% of the population, they are underrepresented in leadership. Fewer than 10% of chief executive officers in theological education are women. Traditional roles in theological education lean in favor of men; however, more women are entering religious-oriented professions. The challenge for theological education is the development of a model that reflects general trends, one that recommends an ability to lead from an others-centered paradigm.
The Performance of Faulted Phase Selectors Used in Transmission Line Distance Applications

The reliable performance of faulted phase selectors to identify the faulted phase or phases and appropriately block or permit tripping is critical to the application of distance protection. The most difficult fault type to identify correctly is a two-phase-to-ground fault. Incorrect detection methods of this fault type has lead to undesired overreaching and/or tripping for remote two-phase-to-ground faults beyond the underreaching zone reach setting. It is also important to provide accurate fault location and record correct faulted phase information after the fault has cleared to correctly access the fault type characteristics. This paper analyzes the issues related to two-phase-to-ground faults and discusses several methods used for faulted phase identification and the advantages and disadvantages of each. It also shows how different phase selection methods may be used to complement each other to provide more reliable faulted phase identification.
Adaptive exploration for continual reinforcement learning

Most experiments on policy search for robotics focus on isolated tasks, where the experiment is split into two distinct phases: (1) the learning phase, where the robot learns the task through exploration; (2) the exploitation phase, where exploration is turned off, and the robot demonstrates its performance on the task it has learned. In this paper, we present an algorithm that enables robots to continually and autonomously alternate between these phases. We do so by combining the `Policy Improvement with Path Integrals' direct reinforcement learning algorithm with the covariance matrix adaptation rule from the `Cross-Entropy Method' optimization algorithm. This integration is possible because both algorithms iteratively update parameters with probability-weighted averaging. A practical advantage of the novel algorithm, called PI2-CMA, is that it alleviates the user from having to manually tune the degree of exploration. We evaluate PI2-CMA's ability to continually and autonomously tune exploration on two tasks.
Negritude e infância: relações étnico-raciais em situação lúdica estruturada

Black identity and childhood: ethnic-racial relations within a structured play context Ethnic-racial relations in Brazil are instilled with prejudice, which is visible in socio-economic inequalities, and sort of invisible in daily social interactions. From a sociocultural and dialogical self perspective, the goal of this study was to identify aspects related to the topic during social interactions among black and white girls within a structured play context. Nine to 11 years-old girls from a public school in Brasilia participated of the study. Eight girls, four black and four white, were observed in two mixed-raced groups, of four girls each, during 30 minutes sessions, with objects selected to maximize race-related interactions. Each group participated of three filmed play sessions, and one episode was selected for presentation here. Results show the occurrence of early internalization of beauty standards that devaluated black phenotypic characteristics, therefore posing serious problems for black girls’ constitution of self.
Grounding Figurative Language Use in Incompatible Ontological Categorizations

We propose a formal criterion for delineating literal from figurative speech (metonymies, metaphors, etc.). It is centered around the notion of categorization conflicts that follow from the context of the utterance. In addition, we consider the problem of granularity, which is posed by the dependence of our approach on the underlying ontology, and compare our distinction with alternative reference-based explanations.
Integrin &agr;IIb&bgr;3: From Discovery to Efficacious Therapeutic Target

From the initial description of platelets in 1882, their propensity to aggregate and to contribute to thrombosis was apparent. Indeed, excessive platelet aggregation is associated with myocardial infarction and other thrombotic diseases whereas Glanzmann thrombasthenia, in which platelet aggregation is reduced, is a bleeding syndrome. Over the last half of the 20th century, many investigators have provided insights into the cellular and molecular basis for platelet aggregation. The major membrane protein on platelets, integrin &agr;IIb&bgr;3, mediates this response by rapidly transiting from its resting to an activated state in which it serves as a receptor for ligands that can bridge platelets together. Monoclonal antibodies, natural products, and small peptides were all shown to inhibit &agr;IIb&bgr;3 dependent platelet aggregation, and these inhibitors became the forerunners of antagonists that proceeded through preclinical testing and into large patient trials to treat acute coronary syndromes, particularly in the context of percutaneous coronary interventions. Three such &agr;IIb&bgr;3 antagonists, abciximab, eptifibatide, and tirofiban, received Food and Drug Administration approval. Over the past 15 years, millions of patients have been treated with these &agr;IIb&bgr;3 antagonists and many lives have been saved by their administration. With the side effect of increased bleeding and the development of new antithrombotic drugs, the use of &agr;IIb&bgr;3 antagonists is waning. Nevertheless, they are still widely used for the prevention of periprocedural thrombosis during percutaneous coronary interventions. This review focuses on the biology of &agr;IIb&bgr;3, the development of its antagonists, and some of the triumphs and shortcomings of &agr;IIb&bgr;3 antagonism.
The Effects of Repetitive News Framing on Political Opinions over Time

This study tests how repeated exposure to the same news frame influences political opinions over time. In a survey experiment (N = 296), we repeatedly exposed participants to the same news frame (at the start of the study, after one day, one week, and two weeks) and measured effects on opinions (at the start, after two weeks, and after six weeks). Participants in a control group were exposed only once and the effect was also traced over time. Results show that repetitive framing leads both to stronger and more persistent effects than single exposure. The persistence effects are most evident for individuals with moderate political knowledge. Our study contributes to a more comprehensive model of framing effects in mass communication experiments.
The serotonin uptake inhibitor citalopram reduces acute cardiovascular and vegetative effects of 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’) in healthy volunteers

MDMA (3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) or ‘Ecstasy’ is a widely used recreational drug that produces a state of heightened mood but also cardiovascular and vegetative side-effects. In animals, MDMA releases serotonin and, to a lesser extent, dopamine and norepinephrine. The release of serotonin can be blocked by serotonin uptake inhibitors such as citalopram. It is unknown to what extent this mechanism is also responsible for the physiological side-effects of MDMA seen in humans. We investigated the effect of citalopram pretreatment (40 mg i.v.) on vegetative and cardiovascular effects of MDMA (1.5 mg/kg p.o.) in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in 16 healthy volunteers. MDMA moderately increased blood pressure and heart rate, slightly elevated body temperature and produced a broad range of acute and shortterm side-effects. Citalopram reduced all these MDMA-induced physiological changes except for body temperature. These findings suggest that physiological effects of MDMA in humans are partially due to an interaction of MDMA with the serotonin carrier and a subsequent release of serotonin.
Intelligent jamming threats to Cognitive Radio based strategic communication networks - A survey

Cognitive Radio (CR) technology and its capabilities are being explored for their application in military communication networks. Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), USA has conducted successful trials and initiated future programmes for military applications based on CR. Though CR technology is innovative, it is more susceptible to interference and jamming attacks, due to its nature of sensing and adaptive switching. Hence, the performance analysis of Cognitive Radio under jamming conditions is an important requirement and a subject for a new area of research. Development of effective Anti-jamming approaches require in-depth knowledge on jamming techniques and their effects. In this paper, various jamming threats on Cognitive Radio Networks (CRN) are presented based on literature survey, research carried out in various universities and defence research organisations.
S Locus F-Box Brothers: Multiple and Pollen-Specific F-Box Genes With S Haplotype-Specific Polymorphisms in Apple and Japanese Pear

Although recent findings suggest that the F-box genes SFB/SLF control pollen-part S specificity in the S-RNase-based gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) system, how these genes operate in the system is unknown, and functional variation of pollen S genes in different species has been reported. Here, we analyzed the S locus of two species of Maloideae: apple (Malus domestica) and Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia). The sequencing of a 317-kb region of the apple S9 haplotype revealed two similar F-box genes. Homologous sequences were isolated from different haplotypes of apple and Japanese pear, and they were found to be polymorphic genes derived from the S locus. Since each S haplotype contains two or three related genes, the genes were named SFBB for S locus F-box brothers. The SFBB genes are specifically expressed in pollen, and variable regions of the SFBB genes are under positive selection. In a style-specific mutant S haplotype of Japanese pear, the SFBB genes are retained. Apart from their multiplicity, SFBB genes meet the expected characteristics of pollen S. The unique multiplicity of SFBB genes as the pollen S candidate is discussed in the context of mechanistic variation in the S-RNase-based GSI system.
Sex Differences in the Psychophysical Response to Contact Heat in Moderate Cognitive Impairment Alzheimer’s Disease: A Cross-Sectional Brief Report

Background: People with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) report pain less frequently and receive less pain medication than people without AD. Recent studies have begun to elucidate how pain may be altered in those with AD. However, potential sex differences in pain responsiveness have never been explored in these patients. It is unclear whether sex differences found in prior studies of healthy young and older individuals extend to people with AD. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in the psychophysical response to experimental thermal pain in people with AD. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of 14 male and 14 female age-matched (≥65 years of age, median = 74) and AD severity-matched (Mini-Mental State Exam score <24, median = 16) communicative people who completed thermal psychophysics. Results: There was a statistically significant main effect of sex for both temperature and unpleasantness ratings that persisted after controlling for average and current pain (mixed-effects general liner model: temperature: p = 0.004, unpleasantness: p < 0.001). Females reported sensing mild pain and moderate pain percepts at markedly lower temperatures than did males (mild: Cohen’s d = 0.72, p = 0.051, moderate: Cohen’s d = 0.80, p = 0.036). By contrast, males rated mild and moderate thermal pain stimuli as more unpleasant than did females (mild: Cohen’s d = 0.80, p = 0.072, moderate: Cohen’s d = 1.32, p = 0.006). There were no statistically significant correlations of temperature with perceived unpleasantness for mild or moderate pain (rs = 0.29 and rs = 0.20 respectively, p > 0.05). Conclusions: Results suggest experimental pain-related sex differences persist in older adults with AD in a different manner than those previously demonstrated in cognitively intact older adults. These findings could potentially aid in developing targeted pain management approaches in this vulnerable population. Further studies are warranted to replicate the findings from this pilot work.