Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Star cluster ‘infant mortality’ in the Small Magellanic Cloud (Redivivus)

The early evolution of star clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) has been the subject of significant recent controversy, particularly regarding the importance and length of the earliest, largely mass-independent disruption phase (referred to as ‘infant mortality’). Here, we take a fresh approach to the problem, using an independent, homogeneous data set of UBVR imaging observations, from which we obtain the SMC's cluster age and mass distributions in a self-consistent manner. We conclude that the (optically selected) SMC star cluster population has undergone at most ∼30 per cent (1σ) infant mortality between the age range from about (3–10) Myr, to that of approximately (40–160) Myr. We rule out a 90 per cent cluster mortality rate per decade of age (for the full age range up to 109 yr) at a >6σ level. We independently affirm this scenario based on the age distribution of the SMC cluster sample.
Immunosuppressive PAS-1 is an excretory/secretory protein released by larval and adult worms of the ascarid nematode Ascaris suum

Abstract Helminths use several strategies to evade and/or modify the host immune response, including suppression or inactivation of the host antigen-specific response. Several helminth immunomodulatory molecules have been identified. Our studies have focused on immunosuppression induced by the roundworm Ascaris suum and an A. suum-derived protein named protein 1 from A. suum (PAS-1). Here we assessed whether PAS-1 is an excretory/secretory (E/S) protein and whether it can suppress lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation. Larvae from infective eggs were cultured in unsupplemented Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium (DMEM) for 2 weeks. PAS-1 was then measured in the culture supernatants and in adult A. suum body fluid at different time points by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with the monoclonal antibody MAIP-1. Secreted PAS-1 was detected in both larval culture supernatant and adult body fluid. It suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced leucocyte migration and pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and stimulated interleukin (IL)-10 secretion, indicating that larval and adult secreted PAS-1 suppresses inflammation in this model. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory activity of PAS-1 was abolished by treatment with MAIP-1, a PAS-1-specific monoclonal antibody, confirming the crucial role of PAS-1 in suppressing LPS-induced inflammation. These findings demonstrate that PAS-1 is an E/S protein with anti-inflammatory properties likely to be attributable to IL-10 production.
Analysis and comparison of electronic digital signature state standards GOST R 34.10-1994, GOST R 34.10-2001 and GOST R 34.10-2012

These days information systems that use asymmetric cryptography or public key cryptography are widely spread all over the world. The reason of this fact is a rather high reliability of existing algorithms. In terms of information security, we can distinguish the following important tasks: ensuring the availability of information, its authenticity and confidentiality. All these problems can be solved with the help of electronic digital signature (hereinafter-EDS). It ensures the integrity of information, its confidentiality, authenticity and the origin. EDS is widely used in various commercial and governmental organizations that are obliged to follow the state standard GOST R 34.10-2012 "Information technology. Cryptographic protection of information. The processes of forming and checking electronic digital signature". In the view of the above we perform a comparative analysis of the state standard GOST R 34.10-2012 with the state standards GOST R 34.10-2001 and R 34.10-1994 to find their relevance, reliability and complexity. Due to the fact that EDS is based on a special hash function, the authors of this article have also reviewed the state standards GOST R 34.11-2012 and GOST R 34.11-1994. To estimate hash function generation time, the Python Code which uses the Pygost Library has been written. Furthermore, hacking complexity assessments of the algorithms themselves have been realized. Therefore, estimations of speed and performance procedures generation and signature verification have been made and the hacking complexity assessments of the Russian state standards are realized. The approximate durations of forced entry are calculated and the advantage of the new state standard GOST R 34.10-2012 is justified. As a result of the analysis the relevance, the reliability and the complexity of the state standard GOST R 34.10-2012 have been turned out. In spite of all the strength benefits the new standard requires more time effort for hash-function formation and for the digital signature formation.
Bile acid accelerates erbB2‐induced pro‐tumorigenic activities in biliary tract cancer

Although very few studies have addressed the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the development of biliary tract cancer (BTC), several lines of evidence suggest a role for the erbB receptor family. Overexpression and activation of erbB2 has been reported in a significant percentage of human BTC. Further, we previously reported that overexpression of erbB2 basal epithelial cells of the biliary tract (BK5.erbB2 mouse) led to the development of BTC. However, the mechanisms by which erbB2 overexpression led to the spontaneous development of tumors specifically in the biliary tract are not completely understood. The goals of the current study were to (1) determine whether a cooperative relationship between bile acid exposure and erbB2 activation exists during biliary tract carcinogenesis and (2) to characterize the mechanism(s) underlying bile acid‐mediated biliary tract carcinogenesis in cells with activated erbB2. In this study, we demonstrated that the secondary conjugated bile acid, taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDC), increased proliferation of primary cultured gallbladder epithelial cells from BK5.erbB2 mice and human BTC cells. TCDC treatment activated EGFR/erbB2 and downstream signaling molecules in both primary cultured cells and human BTC cells. TCDC also increased the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligands and TACE activity in human BTC cells. Inhibition of src activation led to attenuation of bile‐induced upregulation of TACE activity as well as signaling through the EGFR/erbB2, suggesting that during the development of BTC erbB2 overexpression/activation accelerates the bile acid‐induced signaling cascade: bile acid → src → TACE → EGFR/erbB2 → downstream signaling. We also provide direct evidence that bile acids possess tumor promoting capacity in epithelial cells overexpressing erbB2 using the two‐stage skin carcinogenesis model. Collectively these findings suggest cooperative roles for bile acid and erbB2 activation in epithelial cell proliferation; bile acid appears to accelerate erbB2‐induced pro‐tumorigenic activities in the biliary tract and skin. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Determination of the Pore Sizes and their Influence on the Capillary Imbibition into Glass Wool

A glass wool media is commonly classified as a medium made up of many capillaries. They might, however, be considered analogous to a network of tubes as a bundle of capillaries. The capillary pressure of such a medium would be dependent on the amount of fluid held within the bundles. But, this very simple picture of porous media does not capture all the characteristics of this imbibition. We have determined capillaries radii by using Washburn and Laplace relations. Laplace radius can also be obtained by 3 approaches: using White’s relation and using Jurin’s law with visualized height and with weight. We have observed a single value of capillary radius cannot be used to determine the infiltration height as a function of time. This mechanism of capillary infiltration can be controlled by pores of more than one size and pores are interconnected.
Multi-Lane Visual Perception for Lane Departure Warning Systems

This paper presents a Road Detection and Tracking algorithm for Lane Departure Warning Systems. An inverse perspective transformation gives a bird-eye view of the road, where longitudinal road markings are detected by exploration of horizontal gradient, looking for a road marking model. Next, a parabolic lane model is fitted to road markings and tracked through a particle filter. The right and left lane boundaries are classified in three types (solid, broken or merge lane boundaries), through a Fourier analysis, and adjacent lanes are searched when broken or merge lines are detected. This gives the system the ability to automatically detect the number and type of road lanes. This ability allows to tell the difference between allowed and forbidden manoeuvres, such as crossing a solid line, and it is used by the lane departure warning system. Despite of its importance, lane boundary classification has been seldom considered in previous works. A Lane Departure Warning System launches an acoustic signal when a lane departure is detected. Warnings are suppressed when the blinkers are enabled, or when the vehicle is crossing a solid line regardless of the state of the blinkers.
Contamination versus preservation of cosmetics: a review on legislation, usage, infections, and contact allergy

Cosmetics with high water content are at a risk of being contaminated by micro‐organisms that can alter the composition of the product or pose a health risk to the consumer. Pathogenic micro‐organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are frequently found in contaminated cosmetics. In order to avoid contamination of cosmetics, the manufacturers add preservatives to their products. In the EU and the USA, cosmetics are under legislation and all preservatives must be safety evaluated by committees. There are several different preservatives available but the cosmetic market is dominated by a few preservatives: parabens, formaldehyde, formaldehyde releasers, and methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone.
Characterization of Reagent Pencils for Deposition of Reagents onto Paper-Based Microfluidic Devices

Reagent pencils allow for solvent-free deposition of reagents onto paper-based microfluidic devices. The pencils are portable, easy to use, extend the shelf-life of reagents, and offer a platform for customizing diagnostic devices at the point of care. In this work, reagent pencils were characterized by measuring the wear resistance of pencil cores made from polyethylene glycols (PEGs) with different molecular weights and incorporating various concentrations of three different reagents using a standard pin abrasion test, as well as by measuring the efficiency of reagent delivery from the pencils to the test zones of paper-based microfluidic devices using absorption spectroscopy and digital image colorimetry. The molecular weight of the PEG, concentration of the reagent, and the molecular weight of the reagent were all found to have an inverse correlation with the wear of the pencil cores, but the amount of reagent delivered to the test zone of a device correlated most strongly with the concentration of the reagent in the pencil core. Up to 49% of the total reagent deposited on a device with a pencil was released into the test zone, compared to 58% for reagents deposited from a solution. The results suggest that reagent pencils can be prepared for a variety of reagents using PEGs with molecular weights in the range of 2000 to 6000 g/mol.
Catching the Best Views of Skyline: A Semantic Approach Based on Decisive Subspaces

The skyline operator is important for multi-criteria decision making applications. Although many recent studies developed efficient methods to compute skyline objects in a specific space, the fundamental problem on the semantics of skylines remains open: Why and in which subspaces is (or is not) an object in the skyline? Practically, users may also be interested in the skylines in any subspaces. Then, what is the relationship between the skylines in the subspaces and those in the super-spaces? How can we effectively analyze the subspace skylines? Can we efficiently compute skylines in various subspaces? In this paper, we investigate the semantics of skylines, propose the subspace skyline analysis, and extend the full-space skyline computation to subspace skyline computation. We introduce a novel notion of skyline group which essentially is a group of objects that are coincidentally in the skylines of some subspaces. We identify the decisive subspaces that qualify skyline groups in the subspace skylines. The new notions concisely capture the semantics and the structures of skylines in various subspaces. Multidimensional roll-up and drilldown analysis is introduced. We also develop an efficient algorithm, Skyey, to compute the set of skyline groups and, for each subspace, the set of objects that are in the subspace skyline. A performance study is reported to evaluate our approach.
Polyethylenimine-based micro/nanoparticles as vaccine adjuvants

Vaccines have shown great success in treating and preventing tumors and infections, while adjuvants are always demanded to ensure potent immune responses. Polyethylenimine (PEI), as one of the well-studied cationic polymers, has been used as a transfection reagent for decades. However, increasing evidence has shown that PEI-based particles are also capable of acting as adjuvants. In this paper, we briefly review the physicochemical properties and the broad applications of PEI in different fields, and elaborate on the intracellular processes of PEI-based vaccines. In addition, we sum up the proof of their in vivo and clinical applications. We also highlight some mechanisms proposed for the intrinsic immunoactivation function of PEI, followed by the challenges and future perspectives of the applications of PEI in the vaccines, as well as some strategies to elicit the desirable immune responses.
Analysis and design of adhesively bonded joints for fatigue and fracture loading: a fracture-mechanics approach

An experimental–computational fracture-mechanics approach for the analysis and design of structural adhesive joints under static loading is demonstrated by predicting the ultimate fracture load of cracked lap shear and single lap shear aluminum and steel joints bonded using a highly toughened epoxy adhesive. The predictions are then compared with measured values. The effects of spew fillet, adhesive thickness, and surface roughness on the quasi-static strength of the joints are also discussed. This fracture-mechanics approach is extended to characterize the fatigue threshold and crack growth behavior of a toughened epoxy adhesive system for design purposes. The effects of the mode ratio of loading, adhesive thickness, substrate modulus, spew fillet, and surface roughness on the fatigue threshold and crack growth rates are considered. A finite element model is developed to both explain the experimental results and to predict how a change in an adhesive system affects the fatigue performance of the bonded joint.
The impact of nurse managers' leadership styles on ward staff.

AIM to explore the nature of leadership styles used by the nursing management team, as perceived by nurses working at the bedside. BACKGROUND leadership style is related to job satisfaction, staff retention, costs, and quality of care. The leadership styles of managers can be crucial in the healthcare setting, but very few studies have focused on them. METHOD the study employed qualitative methodology, involving 35 nurses working in different specialties of a medical city in Saudi Arabia. Data collection consisted of completing demographic and professional information and a semi-structured interview using open-ended questions. ANALYSIS a phenomenologic-hermeneutic approach was used to identify major themes. RESULTS the findings showed that participants described four types of leadership styles: relational leadership, preferential leadership, communication chain leadership, and ineffectual leadership. CONCLUSION the leadership style employed by nurse managers has a major impact on nurses' satisfaction, turnover, and the quality of patient care they deliver.
Can we measure terrestrial photosynthesis from space directly, using spectral reflectance and fluorescence?

Attempts to estimate photosynthetic rate or gross primary productivity from remotely sensed absorbed solar radiation depend on knowledge of the light use efficiency (LUE). Early models assumed LUE to be constant, but now most researchers try to adjust it for variations in temperature and moisture stress. However, more exact methods are now required. Hyperspectral remote sensing offers the possibility of sensing the changes in the xanthophyll cycle, which is closely coupled to photosynthesis. Several studies have shown that an index (the photochemical reflectance index) based on the reflectance at 531 nm is strongly correlated with the LUE over hours, days and months. A second hyperspectral approach relies on the remote detection of fluorescence, which is a directly related to the efficiency of photosynthesis. We discuss the state of the art of the two approaches. Both have been demonstrated to be effective, but we specify seven conditions required before the methods can become operational.
The use of low‐dose metronomic chemotherapy in dogs—insight into a modern cancer field

The era of chemotherapy, which started in the middle of the last century, has been ruled by the routine use of dose-intense protocols, based on the "maximum-tolerated dose" concept. By promoting a balance between patient's quality of life and the goal of rapidly killing as many tumour cells as possible, these protocols still play a prominent role in veterinary oncology. However, with the opening of a new millennium, metronomic chemotherapy (MC) started to be considered a possible alternative to traditional dose-intense chemotherapy. Characterized by a long-term daily administration of lower doses of cytotoxic drugs, this new modality stands out for its unique combination of effects, namely on neovascularization, immune response and tumour dormancy. This article reviews the rationale for treatment with MC, its mechanism of action and the main studies conducted in veterinary medicine, and discusses the key challenges yet to be solved.
Stereo Super-Resolution via a Deep Convolutional Network

In this paper, we present a method for stereo super-resolution which employs a deep network. The network is trained using the residual image so as to obtain a high resolution image from two, low resolution views. Our network is comprised by two deep sub-nets which share, at their output, a single convolutional layer. This last layer in the network delivers an estimate of the residual image which is then used, in combination with the left input frame of the stereo pair, to compute the super-resolved image at output. Each of these sub- networks is comprised by ten weight layers and, hence, allows our network to combine structural information in the image across image regions efficiently. Moreover, by learning the residual image, the network copes better with vanishing gradients and its devoid of gradient clipping operations. We illustrate the utility of our network for image-pair super-resolution and compare our network to its non-gradient trained analogue and alternatives elsewhere in the literature.
Elevated Interleukin 1&bgr; and Interleukin 6 Levels in the Serum of Children With Hyperuricemia

Purposes The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels and clinical significance of interleukin 1&bgr; (IL-1&bgr;) and IL-6 in children with hyperuricemia (HUA). Methods We included 71 children with HUA and 71 children with no HUA as control subjects. Children with HUA were divided into groups I and II according to whether they had a history of acute gout-like attacks (including sudden monoarthritis of rapid onset with intense pain and swelling). Group I was examined twice (A, in the acute phase; B, in the remission phase). Serum IL-1&bgr; and IL-6 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Serum IL-1&bgr; and IL-6 levels were increased in children with HUA and were overall statistically different from the control group (P < 0.05, respectively). Serum IL-1&bgr; and IL-6 were significantly higher in group IA in comparison with group IB, group II, and control subjects (P < 0.05, respectively), as well as in groups IB and II compared with control subjects (P < 0.05, respectively). In group IB, the serum IL-1&bgr; and IL-6 concentrations were higher than those in group II, but there were no statistical differences (P > 0.05). In addition, in children with HUA, serum IL-1&bgr; and IL-6 levels were positively associated with white blood cell count, neutrophil count, monocyte count, uric acid levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, blood urea nitrogen, and serum creatinine levels (all P < 0.05), but were not associated with triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (all P > 0.05). Conclusion IL-1&bgr; and IL-6 levels are increased in children with hyperuricemia, even if they have not had acute gout. Further studies are necessary to fully characterize the significance of IL-1&bgr; and IL-6 found in HUA children, and whether they could be correlated with long-term prognosis.
Automated Attack Discovery in TCP Congestion Control Using a Model-guided Approach

In this work, we propose an automated method to find attacks against TCP congestion control implementations that combines the generality of implementation-agnostic fuzzing with the precision of runtime analysis. It uses a model-guided approach to generate abstract attack strategies by leveraging a state machine model of congestion control to find vulnerable state machine paths that an attacker could exploit to increase or decrease the throughput of a connection. These abstract strategies are then mapped to concrete attack strategies, which consist of sequences of actions such as injection or modification of acknowledgements. We design and implement a virtualized platform, TCPwn, that consists of a proxy-based attack injector to inject these concrete attack strategies. We evaluated 5 TCP implementations from 4 Linux distributions and Windows 8.1. Overall, we found 11 classes of attacks, of which 8 are new.
Maximum Weight Matching Using Odd-Sized Cycles: Max-Product Belief Propagation and Half-Integrality

We study the maximum weight matching (MWM) problem for general graphs through the max-product belief propagation (BP) and related Linear Programming (LP). The BP approach provides distributed heuristics for finding the maximum a posteriori (MAP) assignment in a joint probability distribution represented by a graphical model (GM), and respective LPs can be considered as continuous relaxations of the discrete MAP problem. It was recently shown that a BP algorithm converges to the correct MAP/MWM assignment under a simple GM formulation of MWM, as long as the corresponding LP relaxation is tight. First, under the motivation for forcing the tightness condition, we consider a new GM formulation of MWM, say C-GM, using non-intersecting odd-sized cycles in the graph; the new corresponding LP relaxation, say C-LP, becomes tight for more MWM instances. However, the tightness of C-LP now does not guarantee such convergence and correctness of the new BP on C-GM. To address the issue, we introduce a novel graph transformation applied to C-GM, which results in another GM formulation of MWM, and prove that the respective BP on it converges to the correct MAP/MWM assignment, as long as C-LP is tight. Finally, we also show that C-LP always has half-integral solutions, which leads to an efficient BP-based MWM heuristic consisting of making sequential, “cutting plane”, modifications to the underlying GM. Our experiments show that this BP-based cutting plane heuristic performs, as well as that based on traditional LP solvers.