Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Irsogladine maleate abolishes the increase in interleukin-8 levels caused by outer membrane protein 29 from Aggregatibacter (Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans through the ERK pathway in human gingival epithelial cells.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Irsogladine maleate (IM) suppresses the increase in interleukin (IL)-8 production induced by outer membrane protein (OMP) 29 from Aggregatibacter (Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans in cultures of human gingival epithelial cells (HGEC). However, how IM suppresses the OMP29-induced increase in IL-8 expression remains unknown. In this study, we focused on intracellular signaling pathways to elucidate the mechanism behind the suppression. MATERIAL AND METHODS HGEC, which had been pretreated with inhibitors of intracellular signaling molecules, were exposed to OMP29 (1 microg/mL) with or without IM (1 microM). IL-8 expression at the mRNA and protein levels was examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activity was measured with a p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase assay kit. RESULTS An ERK inhibitor, PD98059, as well as IM, obviated the OMP29-induced increase in IL-8 levels in HGEC. A Jun kinase inhibitor, SP600125, and a nuclear factor kappaB inhibitor, PDTC, did not influence the OMP29-induced increase in IL-8 mRNA expression. The OMP29 stimulated phosphorylation of ERK in HGEC. Irsogladine maleate inhibited the phosphorylation. CONCLUSION The suppression of the phosphorylation of ERK by IM in HGEC culminates in inhibition of the OMP29-induced increase in IL-8.
Video SIMDBench: Benchmarking the Compiler Vectorization for Multimedia Applications

Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) Extensions become popular in computer architectures as a simple and efficient way to exploit the data parallelism hidden in applications. The compiler research community has proposed automatic vectorization as the answer to the complexity of low-level programming of vector units. Despite recent advances in compilation techniques, modern compilers miss opportunities to automatically vectorize code. One of the biggest challenges is to evaluate the changes against the best hand-written code. This paper presents a benchmark suite based on video encoding and decoding kernels. The suite contains hand-written versions of the kernels provided by the open source community that support the latest SIMD extensions. The paper also compares the performance of three available compilers (GCC, LLVM, and ICC) against the hand-written kernels. A performance evaluation, using an i7-4790 processor, shows that the auto-vectorized version produced by the best compiler achieves on average only 28% of the hand-tuned kernels.
DNS measurements at a root server

The Domain Name System (DNS) prescribes domain names to be used in network transactions (email, web requests, etc.) instead of IP addresses. The root of the DNS distributed database is managed by 13 root nameservers. We passively measure the performance of one of them: F.root-servers.net. These measurements show an astounding number of bogus queries: from 60-85% of observed queries were repeated from the same host within the measurement interval. Over 14% of a root server's query load is due to queries that violate the DNS specification. Denial of service attacks using root servers are common and occurred throughout our measurement period (7-24 Jan 2001). Though not targeted at the root servers, DOS attacks often use root servers as reflectors toward a victim network. We contrast our observations with those found in an earlier study of DNS root server performance by Danzig et. al., (1992).
Multiple Psychopharmacological Effects of the Traditional Japanese Kampo Medicine Yokukansan, and the Brain Regions it Affects

Yokukansan (YKS), a traditional Japanese Kampo medicine, has indications for use in night crying and irritability in children, as well as neurosis and insomnia. It is currently also used for the remedy of the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), such as aggressiveness, agitation, and hallucinations. In parallel with clinical evidence, a significant amount of fundamental researches have been undertaken to clarify the neuropsychopharmacological efficacies of YKS, with approximately 70 articles, including our own, being published to date. Recently, we reviewed the neuropharmacological mechanisms of YKS, including its effects on glutamatergic, serotonergic, and dopaminergic neurotransmission, and pharmacokinetics of the ingredients responsible for the effects. This review is aimed to integrate the information regarding the psychopharmacological effects of YKS with the brain regions known to be affected, to facilitate our understanding of the clinical efficacy of YKS. In this review, we first show that YKS has several effects that act to improve symptoms that are similar to BPSDs, like aggressiveness, hallucinations, anxiety, and sleep disturbance, as well as symptoms like tardive dyskinesia and cognitive deficits. We next provide the evidence showing that YKS can interact with various brain regions, including the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and spinal cord, dysfunctions of which are related to psychiatric symptoms, cognitive deficits, abnormal behaviors, and dysesthesia. In addition, the major active ingredients of YKS, geissoschizine methyl ether and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid, are shown to predominantly bind to the frontal cortex and hippocampus, respectively. Our findings suggest that YKS has multiple psychopharmacological effects, and that these are probably mediated by interactions among several brain regions. In this review, we summarize the available information about the valuable effects of a multicomponent medicine YKS on complex neural networks.
Effects of quantity and quality of home proximal processes on Dutch, Surinamese–Dutch and Turkish–Dutch pre‐schoolers’ cognitive development

This study examines the effects of mother–child literacy and problem solving interactions on 3–4-year-old children's cognitive development in a sample of Dutch middle-class, Dutch lower-class, Surinamese and Turkish immigrant families (n=130). Following the bioecological model of Bronfenbrenner and Ceci, mother–child book reading and problem solving interactions are viewed as proximal processes actualizing genetic cognitive potential. Interactions are studied from a quantitative perspective, based on questionnaire data, concerning frequency of exposure to these interactions, and a qualitative perspective, based on observational data, concerning affective quality and cognitive content. The study was designed as a 1 year longitudinal study. It was found that effects of mother–child interactions on cognitive development differed across the groups, controlling for earlier cognitive competence and family's SES. The findings are interpreted within the frame of the bioecological model and the behavioral genetic research paradigm. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Real-time adaptation of mobile antenna impedance matching

This paper presents a simple, low cost adaptive antenna tuning module that is used in conjunction with a small, simplified mobile phone antenna. It is shown that the transmit and receive VSWR can be kept below 3:1 over the frequency ranges 824–960 and 1710–2170 MHz with and without the effect of the user's head and hand.
Longitudinal Changes in Posttraumatic Stress in Relation to Political Violence (Bloody Sunday)

The aim of this study was to assess the levels of psychological distress experienced among the families of those killed and those wounded on Bloody Sunday. A longitudinal design was used. A measure of psychological distress was administered to four groups of participants at four times over a period of approximately 4½ years. The Impact of Events Scale—Revised (IES-R) was administered to 69 participants who comprised four groups; those wounded during Bloody Sunday, the immediate family of victims, second-generation family members of victims, and a comparison group. Significant between-group and within-group main effects were found using a mixed analysis of variance. This indicated that there were significant differences in IES-R scores across the four groups and that the scores decreased across time. The group by time interaction was statistically significant, which indicated that the changes in IES-R scores across time differed across groups. The results attest to the persistent and far-reaching effects of traumatic events on individuals, with psychological distress still being reported more than 30 years after the event.
Plasma polymerization and its applications in textiles

Plasma polymerization enables the deposit ion of thin coatings on all k inds of substrates using electrical monomer discharges. This paper reviews plasma polymerization processes as surface modification (finishing) for textile applications. The dry and ecofriendly plasma technology aims at replacing wet-chemical process steps and adding new values to textile products. Characteristics of hydrocarbon, organosilicon, fluorocarbon, hydrophilic functional, monofunctional and ceramic coatings have been discussed to demonstrate their potential for textiles and fibers. Plasma technology requires adequate reactors for the continuous treatment of fabrics and fibers. To enable the optimization of plasma polymerization on batch reactors, questions of up-scal i ng are addressed to demonstrate the transfer to an industrial level. Both atmospheric and low pressure plasmas are considered regardi ng their effectiveness and efficiency. Examples for applications in textiles, such as hydrophobic, oleophobic and permanent hydrophi l ic treatments, have also been reported.
Differential Metabolism of a Two-Carbon Substrate by Members of the Paracoccidioides Genus

The genus Paracoccidioides comprises known fungal pathogens of humans and can be isolated from different infection sites. Metabolic peculiarities in different members of the Paracoccidioides led us to perform proteomic studies in the presence of the two-carbon molecule acetate, which predominates in the nutrient-poor environment of the phagosome. To investigate the expression rates of proteins of different members of Paracoccidioides, including one isolate of P. lutzii (Pb01) and three isolates of P. brasiliensis (Pb03, Pb339, and PbEPM83), using sodium acetate as a carbon source, proteins were quantified using label-free and data-independent liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Protein profiles of the isolates were statistically analyzed, revealing proteins that were differentially expressed when the fungus was cultivated in a non-preferential carbon source rather than glucose. A total of 1,160, 1,211, 1,280, and 1,462 proteins were reproducibly identified and relatively quantified in P. lutzii and the P. brasiliensis isolates Pb03, Pb339, and PbEPM83, respectively. Notably, 526, 435, 744, and 747 proteins were differentially expressed among P. lutzii and the P. brasiliensis isolates Pb03, Pb339, and PbEPM83, respectively, with a fold-change equal to or higher than 1.5. This analysis revealed that reorganization of metabolism occurred through the induction of proteins related to gluconeogenesis, glyoxylic/glyoxylate cycle, response to stress, and degradation of amino acids in the four isolates. The following differences were observed among the isolates: higher increases in the expression levels of proteins belonging to the TCA and respiratory chain in PbEPM83 and Pb01; increase in ethanol production in Pb01; utilization of cell wall components for gluconeogenesis in Pb03 and PbEPM83; and increased β-oxidation and methylcitrate cycle proteins in Pb01and PbEPM83. Proteomic profiles indicated that the four isolates reorganized their metabolism in different manners to use acetate as a carbon source.
Breaking Away: A Study of First-Generation College Students and Their Families

Detailed family histories were taken of students who were the first in their families to go to college. This paper utilizes the psychoanalytic and family systems theory of Helm Stierlin and others to explore (1) how college matriculation for first-generation students is linked to multigenerational family dynamics, and (2) how these students reconcile (or do not reconcile) the often conflicting requirements of family membership and educational mobility. The same modernity that creates the possibility of opportunity for these students is seen also to create the potential for biographical and social dislocation.
DIRECT COMMUNICATION FROM A LUNAR ROVER TO EARTH ENABLED BY PRECISION POINTING

This paper examines high-bandwidth communication from a moving lunar rover to the Earth. Limited available power necessitates precise pointing. However, the motion of a rover over the irregular terrain imposes chassis motion with high angular rates and accelerations making precision pointing difficult. The space environment further complicates the design task. This paper presents: 1) an analysis of the direct communication between a lunar rover and an earth station, and 2) a concept of a pointing mechanism for a lunar rover which may accommodate pointing requirements while satisfying mass and power limits. The paper addresses a lunar rover context, but the problem is general and a successful pointing capability will apply to other applications.
De-Privileging Positions: Indian Americans, South Asian Americans, and the Politics of Asian American Studies

THIS IS NOT AN ESSAY about the marginalization of South Asian Americans within Asian American studies. And yet, ironically, it is—about moving from margin-center terminologies, California-centric, 1968genesis theories, and “we were here first” mentalities, towards a progressive, intellectual paradigmatic shift, and a new vision of Asian American studies scholarship and pedagogy. This essay focuses on the emerging field of South Asian American studies (SAAS) and what it can contribute to Asian American studies (AAS) as a discipline at the turn-of-the-century.
Power allocation method based on the channel statistics for combined positioning and communications OFDM systems

The design of pilot and data power allocations for multicarrier OFDM signals is a key aspect in the development of combined positioning and high-data-rate communications systems. In this paper, we investigate capacity-maximizing pilot and data power allocations when a certain positioning accuracy is required. We consider a formulation based on the Expected Crámer-Rao Bound of the joint time-delay and channel estimation and the ergodic capacity, modeling the channel impulse response as a random vector. We compare the performance of capacity-maximizing pilot and data power distributions with respect to distributions that use equi-spaced and equi-powered pilot structures, shown by previous work to be optimal in terms of channel estimation. Numerical results show that the restriction to the use of equi-spaced and equi-powered pilot structures has an important impact on both the achievable capacity and the positioning capabilities of the designed signals.
Psychosocial outcomes for parents and children after in vitro fertilization: A review

Abstract Descriptive writings and empirical research on the longterm effects of infertility and in vitro fertilization (IVF) on the psychosocial adjustment of parents and children are reviewed in three major areas: the experience of pregnancy, the quality of parenting, and the cognitive, social and emotional development of the children. Contrary to prior speculation, overall findings indicate that parents who conceive by IVF do not differ from comparison groups on adjustment to pregnancy, and they do not demonstrate dysfunctional parenting styles. Furthermore, there is no evidence that children conceived by IVF differ on either cognitive or social/emotional indices of development. However, the number of empirical studies is small and significant methodological shortcomings limit the conclusions which can be drawn from the research, More prospective empirical work is needed to clarify outcomes and to document the process of psychological adjustment over time in IVF families.
Clinical features of schizophrenia and linkage to chromosomes 5q, 6p, 8p, and 10p in the Irish Study of High-Density Schizophrenia Families.

OBJECTIVE Schizophrenia is clinically heterogeneous. Recent linkage studies suggest that multiple genes are important in the etiology of schizophrenia. The authors examined the hypothesis of whether the clinical variability in schizophrenia is due to genetic heterogeneity. METHOD Using data from the Irish Study of High-Density Schizophrenia Families (N=265 pedigrees; N=1,408 individuals), the authors attempted to predict, from major symptoms and signs of psychosis, evidence for linkage within families for schizophrenia-related disorders to chromosomal regions 5q21-5q31, 6p24-6p22, 8p22-8p21, and 10p15-10p11. RESULTS No substantial evidence was found for associations between clinical features of schizophrenia and linkage to chromosomes 5q, 6p, or 10p. However, affected individuals from families with evidence for linkage to 8p had significantly more affective deterioration, poorer outcome, more thought disorder, and fewer depressive symptoms than affected individuals from the other families in the study. CONCLUSIONS These results raise the possibility that the putative susceptibility gene for schizophrenia localized in the 8p22-8p21 region may predispose individuals to the core dementia-praecox syndrome described by Kraepelin more than 100 years ago.
Intravenous intralipid-induced blood pressure elevation and endothelial dysfunction in obese African-Americans with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE Increased free fatty acids (FFAs) are leading candidates in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and hypertension in obese subjects. We evaluated the effect of sustained elevations of FFA on blood pressure, endothelial function, insulin secretion, inflammatory markers, and renin-angiotensin system. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Twenty-four obese, African-American, normotensive diabetic subjects received a sequential 48-h infusion of Intralipid (20%, 40 ml/h) plus heparin (250 units/h) or normal saline (40 ml/h) plus heparin (250 units/h). RESULTS Blood pressure was significantly increased within 4 h of lipid infusion and reached a peak increment of 13 mm Hg in systolic and 5 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure at 24 h (P < 0.01). Compared to baseline, lipid infusion reduced flow-mediated dilatation by 11% at 24 h and 18% at 48 h (P < 0.001). FFA and triglyceride levels increased from a baseline of 0.5 +/- 0.2 mmol/liter and 135 +/- 76 mg/dl to 1.8 +/- 1.0 mmol/liter and 376 +/- 314 mg/dl at 48 h, respectively (P < 0.01). C-Reactive protein increased by 35% at 24 h and by 110% at 48 h of lipid infusion. There were no significant changes in plasma renin and aldosterone levels during lipid or saline infusions. CONCLUSION Increased FFA levels result in a rapid and sustained elevation in blood pressure, impaired endothelial function, and increased inflammatory markers in obese subjects with type 2 diabetes. The model of FFA-induced hypertension may be useful in examining disease mechanisms associated with the development of hypertension in obese subjects.
Research on MRE control propagation of acoustic waves in phononic crystal

In this article, acoustic waves in a phononic crystal which consists of MRE and PMMA periodic structure is studied. At the experimental stage, the bandgap of the phononic crystal designed by ourselves is recorded under different magnetic fields measured of Gauss meter. LMS is used to send, receive and process the experimental data. Finite element method is used to analyze the band gap of the acoustic waves in phononic crystal and the results are verified by experiments. The propagation of acoustic waves can be affected by the MRE whose storage modulus influenced by the magnetic field, which means, the band gap can be tuned by changing the magnetic field intensity.
Both chronic treatments by epothilone D and fluoxetine increase the short‐term memory and differentially alter the mood status of STOP/MAP6 KO mice

Recent evidence underlines the crucial role of neuronal cytoskeleton in the pathophysiology of psychiatric diseases. In this line, the deletion of STOP/MAP6 (Stable Tubule Only Polypeptide), a microtubule‐stabilizing protein, triggers various neurotransmission and behavioral defects, suggesting that STOP knockout (KO) mice could be a relevant experimental model for schizoaffective symptoms. To establish the predictive validity of such a mouse line, in which the brain serotonergic tone is dramatically imbalanced, the effects of a chronic fluoxetine treatment on the mood status of STOP KO mice were characterized. Moreover, we determined the impact, on mood, of a chronic treatment by epothilone D, a taxol‐like microtubule‐stabilizing compound that has previously been shown to improve the synaptic plasticity deficits of STOP KO mice. We demonstrated that chronic fluoxetine was either antidepressive and anxiolytic, or pro‐depressive and anxiogenic, depending on the paradigm used to test treated mutant mice. Furthermore, control‐treated STOP KO mice exhibited paradoxical behaviors, compared with their clear‐cut basal mood status. Paradoxical fluoxetine effects and control‐treated STOP KO behaviors could be because of their hyper‐reactivity to acute and chronic stress. Interestingly, both epothilone D and fluoxetine chronic treatments improved the short‐term memory of STOP KO mice. Such treatments did not affect the serotonin and norepinephrine transporter densities in cerebral areas of mice. Altogether, these data demonstrated that STOP KO mice could represent a useful model to study the relationship between cytoskeleton, mood, and stress, and to test innovative mood treatments, such as microtubule‐stabilizing compounds.
Immunohistochemical and mutational analysis of PDGF and PDGFR in desmoid tumours: is there a role for tyrosine kinase inhibitors in c‐kit‐negative desmoid tumours?

Aim: To determine the platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) α and β status of desmoid tumours. Desmoid tumours are rare monoclonal neoplasms that appear to have no metastatic potential. Surgical resection and radiotherapy in the event of a positive surgical margin is the first‐line treatment. Recurrences are frequent. Treatment results using non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory agents, anti‐oestrogen compounds and other agents such as Imatinib mesylate have been published. Therapy with Imatinib has been proposed as a therapeutic option, although in most reports desmoid tumours are reported to be c‐kit–.