Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute Inhibition of Fatty Acid Import Inhibits GLUT4 Transcription in Adipose Tissue, but Not Skeletal or Cardiac Muscle Tissue, Partly Through Liver X Receptor (LXR) Signaling

OBJECTIVE Insulin-mediated glucose uptake is highly sensitive to the levels of the facilitative GLUT protein GLUT4. Transcription of the GLUT4 gene is repressed in states of insulin deficiency and insulin resistance and can be induced by states of enhanced energy output, such as exercise. The cellular signals that regulate GLUT4 transcription are not well understood. We hypothesized that changes in energy substrate flux regulate GLUT4 transcription. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS To test this hypothesis, we used transgenic mice in which expression of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene is driven by a functional 895-bp fragment of the human GLUT4 promoter, thereby acting as a reporter for transcriptional activity. Mice were treated with a single dose of etomoxir, which inhibits the transport of long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria and increases basal, but not insulin-mediated, glucose flux. GLUT4 and transgenic CAT mRNA were measured. RESULTS Etomoxir treatment significantly reduced CAT and GLUT4 mRNA transcription in adipose tissue, but did not change transcription in heart and skeletal muscle. Downregulation of GLUT4 transcription was cell autonomous, since etomoxir treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes resulted in a similar downregulation of GLUT4 mRNA. GLUT4 transcriptional downregulation required the putative liver X receptor (LXR) binding site in the human GLUT4 gene promoter in adipose tissue and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with the LXR agonist, TO901317, partially restored GLUT4 expression in etomoxir-treated cells. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that long-chain fatty acid import into mitochondria in adipose tissue may produce ligands that regulate expression of metabolic genes.
Artificial neural networks and genetic algorithms in engineering design

During last decades the efficiency of the different architectures of evolutionary algorithms in comparison to other heuristic techniques has been tested in various engineering design problems. The evolutionary computing (including genetic algorithms) is used in the case of problems where conventional approaches fail or perform poorly (integer and mixed-integer programming, number of local extremes, number of global extremes, etc). In the current study, an optimization approach that integrates artificial neural networks (ANN) and genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed. A number of engineering design problems including: design of car frontal protection system, modeling of new composite from recycled GFP, design of composite bathtub, material parameters identification problem for advanced yield criteria and optimal material orientation problem of orthotropic linear elastic 3D materials are solved using global optimization technique. Latter two problems are more theoretical and can be considered as sub-problems in engineering
Quantifying flow and stress in ice mélange, the world’s largest granular material

Significance Ice mélange, a granular collection of broken icebergs ranging from tens of meters to hundreds of meters in size, sits in front of many of the Earth’s most active tidewater glaciers. In addition to influencing heat and mass transport in the ocean, the jam-packed mélange provides a geophysical living laboratory to test principles developed for small-scale granular materials such as sand. By characterizing both flow and mechanical stress using field measurements, laboratory experiments, and numerical modeling, we show that ice mélange is a quasi-2D, creeping granular fluid which constantly jams and unjams as it advances through the fjord. Most importantly, our results show how ice mélange can act as a “granular ice shelf” which buttresses even the largest icebergs that calve into the ocean. Tidewater glacier fjords are often filled with a collection of calved icebergs, brash ice, and sea ice. For glaciers with high calving rates, this “mélange” of ice can be jam-packed, so that the flow of ice fragments is mostly determined by granular interactions. In the jammed state, ice mélange has been hypothesized to influence iceberg calving and capsize, dispersion and attenuation of ocean waves, injection of freshwater into fjords, and fjord circulation. However, detailed measurements of ice mélange are lacking due to difficulties in instrumenting remote, ice-choked fjords. Here we characterize the flow and associated stress in ice mélange, using a combination of terrestrial radar data, laboratory experiments, and numerical simulations. We find that, during periods of terminus quiescence, ice mélange experiences laminar flow over timescales of hours to days. The uniform flow fields are bounded by shear margins along fjord walls where force chains between granular icebergs terminate. In addition, the average force per unit width that is transmitted to the glacier terminus, which can exceed 107 N/m, increases exponentially with the mélange length-to-width ratio. These “buttressing” forces are sufficiently high to inhibit the initiation of large-scale calving events, supporting the notion that ice mélange can be viewed as a weak granular ice shelf that transmits stresses from fjord walls back to glacier termini.
Security Analysis of Image Cryptosystem Using Stream Cipher Algorithm with Nonlinear Filtering Function

In this work a new algorithm for encryption image is introduced. This algorithm makes it possible to cipher and decipher images by guaranteeing a maximum security. The algorithm introduced is based on stream cipher with nonlinear filtering function. The Boolean function used in this algorithm is resilient function satisfying all the cryptographic criteria necessary carrying out the best possible compromises. In order to evaluate performance, the proposed algorithm was measured through a series of tests. Experimental results illustrate that the scheme is highly key sensitive, highly resistance to the noises and shows a good resistance against brute-force, Berlekamp-Massey Attack and algebraic attack.
Antibiotic resistance and burden of foodborne diseases in developing countries

Foodborne diseases Infectious, FBDs acquired from contaminated cooked, raw, processed or unprocessed food are major courses of mortality and morbidity globally due to their wide and rapid spread [1,2]. This article aims to highlight the burden and causes of FBDs, and reduction measures in developing countries. Due to them being widespread, these diseases are of public health interest worldwide, as all countries suffer incidence of FBDs although the levels differ from country to country [2]. More than 250 FBDs originating from microbial, chemical or parasitic sources have been identified [3].
Can Simple Cells Learn Curves? A Hebbian Model in a Structured Environment

In the mammalian visual cortex, orientation-selective 'simple cells' which detect straight lines may be adapted to detect curved lines instead. We test a biologically plausible, Hebbian, single-neuron model, which learns oriented receptive fields upon exposure to unstructured (noise) input and maintains orientation selectivity upon exposure to edges or bars of all orientations and positions. This model can also learn arc-shaped receptive fields upon exposure to an environment of only circular rings. Thus, new experiments which try to induce an abnormal (curved) receptive field may provide insight into the plasticity of simple cells. The model suggests that exposing cells to only a single spatial frequency may induce more striking spatial frequency and orientation dependent effects than heretofore observed.
Sorcellerie et politique : les pièges du rapport élite-village

Cet article se propose d’analyser les rapports entre la sorcellerie et la politique, et en particulier les liens entre élites nouvelles et leur village d’origine, au regard de l’expérience de démocratisation récente au Cameroun. Il montre à quel point l’ouverture politique récente en Afrique complique l’impact de la sorcellerie sur le rapport entre élite et village et «étire» la notion de parenté qui la sous-tend. Il conclut qu’il est indispensable de comprendre ce rapport entre magie et parenté dans les sociétés africaines.
Mobile File Access Using a Persona Carrier

The need to have a mobile user’s computing persona or environment move along with him or her must be satisfied if mobile computing is to become attractive to the general user. One way to do this without depending on a universal network infrastructure is to have the user carry his or her persona on a persona carrier, a device that stays with its owner at all times. Based on this idea, we have proposed a design that allows a user to access the distributed file system he or she normally uses even at isolated computers. We have built a prototype implementation that uses Coda as the distributed file system, and we find that it performs as well as a connected Coda client.
Crystal-growth-inspired algorithms for computational grids

Biological systems surpass man-made systems in many important ways. Most notably, systems found in nature are typically self-adaptive and self-managing, capable of surviving drastic changes in their environments, such as internal failures and malicious attacks on their components. Large distributed software systems have requirements common to those of some biological systems, particularly in the number and power of individual components and in the qualities of service of the system. However, it is not immediately clear how engineers can extract useful properties from natural systems and inject them into software systems. In this paper, we explore the nature's process of crystal growth and develop mechanisms inspired by that process for designing large distributed computational grid systems. The result is the tile architectural style, a set of design principles for building distributed software systems that solve complex computational problems. Systems developed using the tile style scale well to large computations, tolerate faults and malicious attacks, and preserve the privacy of the data.
Spectrum of SU(2) gauge theory with two fermions in the adjoint representation

We present preliminary results of lattice simulations of SU(2) gauge theory with two Wilson fermions in the adjoint representation. This theory has recently attracted considerable attention because it might possess an infrared fixed point (or an almost-fixed-point), and hence be a candidate for a walking technicolor theory. In this work we study the particle spectrum of the theory, and compare it with more familiar spectrum of the theory with SU(2) gauge fields and two flavors of fundamental representation fermions.
Alastrim smallpox variola minor virus genome DNA sequences.

Alastrim variola minor virus, which causes mild smallpox, was first recognized in Florida and South America in the late 19th century. Genome linear double-stranded DNA sequences (186,986 bp) of the alastrim virus Garcia-1966, a laboratory reference strain from an outbreak associated with 0.8% case fatalities in Brazil in 1966, were determined except for a 530-bp fragment of hairpin-loop sequences at each terminus. The DNA sequences (EMBL Accession No. Y16780) showed 206 potential open reading frames for proteins containing >/=60 amino acids. The amino acid sequences of the putative proteins were compared with those reported for vaccinia virus strain Copenhagen and the Asian variola major strains India-1967 and Bangladesh-1975. About one-third of the alastrim viral proteins were 100% identical to correlates in the variola major strains and the remainder were >/=95% identical. Compared with variola major virus DNA, alastrim virus DNA has additional segments of 898 and 627 bp, respectively, within the left and right terminal regions. The former segment aligns well with sequences in other orthopoxviruses, particularly cowpox and vaccinia viruses, and the latter is apparently alastrim-specific.
Continuous Deformations of Implicit Surfaces

We introduce an approach for the continuous deformation of implicit surfaces which considers properties of all isosurfaces of a volume data set simultaneously. This is achieved by integrating divergence-free vector ﬁelds which is carried out by an efﬁcient backward Lagrangian integration scheme. Our deformation guarantees volume preservation inside each isosurface as well as the preservation of continuity and topology of every isosurface. For visualization and interaction, we offer a real-time mode that allows interactive working on the resolution of the underlying volumetric grid as well as a grid resolution independent mode offering exact extraction of arbitrary isosurfaces. We apply the approach to the deformation of measured volume data sets as well as to the design of complex implicit shapes with a simple pre-deﬁned topology.
Cadherin is required for dendritic morphogenesis and synaptic terminal organization of retinal horizontal cells

Dendrite morphology of neurons provides a structural basis for their physiological characteristics, and is precisely regulated in a cell type-dependent manner. Using a unique transposon-mediated gene transfer system that enables conditional and cell-type specific expression of exogenous genes, we investigated the role of cadherin on dendritic morphogenesis of horizontal cells in the developing chicken retina. We first visualized single horizontal cells by overexpressing membrane-targeted EGFP, and confirmed that there were three subtypes of horizontal cells, the dendritic terminals of which projected to distinct synaptic sites in the outer plexiform layer. Expression of a dominant-negative cadherin decreased the dendritic field size, and perturbed the termination of dendritic processes onto the photoreceptor cells. The cadherin blockade also impaired the accumulation of GluR4, a postsynaptic marker, at the cone pedicles. We thus provide in vivo evidence that cadherin is required for dendrite morphogenesis of horizontal cells and subsequent synapse formation with photoreceptor cells in the vertebrate retina.
Leisure and Spirituality: Biblical, Historical, and Contemporary Perspectives by Paul Heintzman

In this special issue on Sabbath, it is appropriate to include a review of Leisure and Spirituality by Dr. Heintzman, a leading scholar of leisure and spirituality. This Engaging Culture series book is designed to help Christians respond with theological discernment to contemporary culture. The book is not just for leisure scholars and students but is a “must read” for anyone interested in work, business, theology, and ethics as well as for church leaders and laity.
The stability for the Cauchy problem for elliptic equations

We discuss the ill-posed Cauchy problem for elliptic equations, which is pervasive in inverse boundary value problems modeled by elliptic equations. We provide essentially optimal stability results, in wide generality and under substantially minimal assumptions. As a general scheme in our arguments, we show that all such stability results can be derived by the use of a single building brick, the three-spheres inequality.
Adaptive page grouping for energy efficiency in hybrid PRAM-DRAM main memory

The recent technology faces the challenges to reduce energy consumption of DRAM, which consumes about 30% of total energy in data centers. Phase change RAM (PRAM), not requiring the charge current because of its non-volatility, has appeared for replacing DRAM. However, it has some disadvantages which are its low performance, high write power, and write endurance limitation compared to DRAM. To overcome these weak points of PRAM, the research related to the hybrid model combining PRAM with DRAM has been progressed. Unfortunately, previous works on hybrid memory is hard to be applied to the market because established hardware needs to be changed. In this paper, we propose an Adaptive Page Grouping (APG) algorithm, which manages the hybrid PRAM-DRAM main memory for reducing energy consumption. We suggest the method to store the access information of pages without using additional space and make operating system (OS) can access it. We allocate pages effectively and reduce the migration among them through the grouping of pages which has similar access properties. We can apply our system immediately as a software patch when PRAM is released, because all these schemes are implemented in Linux OS without additional hardware. Thus, we have decreased average energy consumption by 36%, with maximum up to 42%, compared to a DRAM system while access time increases less than 8% including high latency of PRAM.
Approximating center points with iterative Radon points

We give a practical and provably good Monte Carlo algorithm for approximating center points. Let P be a set of n points in Rd. A point c∈Rd is a β-center point of P if every closed halfspace containing c contains at least βn points of P. Every point set has a 1/(d+1)-center point; our algorithm finds an Ω(1/d2)-center point with high probability. Our algorithm has a small constant factor and is the first approximate center point algorithm whose complexity is subexponential in d. Moreover, it can be optimally parallelized to require O(log2d log log n) time. Our algorithm has been used in mesh partitioning methods and can be used in the construction of high breakdown estimators for multivariate datasets in statistics. It has the potential to improve results in practice for constructing weak ∊-nets. We derive a variant of our algorithm whose time bound is fully polynomial in d and linear in n, and show how to combine our approach with previous techniques to compute high quality center points more quickly.
A two-level Drive - Response Model of Instationary Speech Signals

The transmission protocol of voiced speech is hypothesized to be based on a fundamental excitation or drive process, which synchronizes the vocal tract excitation on the transmitter side and evokes the loudness and pitch perception on the receiver side. The fundamental drive can be extracted from the speech signal by using a voice-specific subband decomposition. When used as fundamental drive of a two-level drive - response model with stationary coupling on both levels, the instationary drive is able to describe instationary speech as secondary response. For simplicity each subband specific primary response is assumed to be restricted to a nonlinear synchronisation manifold. Whereas the extraction of a physiologically interpretable fundamental phase is limited to voiced sections of speech, the fundamental amplitude can as well be used for the time scale separation of unvoiced sections.
Data collection and performance evaluation of spoken dialogue systems: the MIT experience

In this paper we report our efforts in data collection and performance evaluation in support of spoken dialogue system development. We describe two understanding metrics called query density and concept efﬁciency which can be interpreted on a per-utterance basis, but which are measured over the course of a dialogue. We also describe the evaluation infrastructure we have developed to support off-line data processing using our GALAXY client-server architecture [8]. We show how we have used these metrics and mechanisms as part of the development of a spoken dialogue system for air-travel information.
A wide-field photometric study of the globular cluster system of NGC 4636

Previous smaller-scale studies of the globular cluster system of NGC 4636, an elliptical galaxy in the southern part of the Virgo cluster, have revealed an unusually rich globular cluster system. We re-investigate the cluster system of NGC 4636 with wide-field Washington photometry. The globular cluster luminosity function can be followed roughly 1 mag beyond the turn-over magnitude found at V = 23.31 ± 0.13 for the blue cluster sub-population. This corresponds to a distance modulus of (m − M) = 31.24 ± 0.17, 0.4 mag larger than the distance determined from surface brightness fluctuations. The high specific frequency is confirmed, yet the exact value remains uncertain because of the uncertain distance: it varies between 5.6 ± 1.2 and 8.9 ± 1.2. The globular cluster system has a clearly bimodal color distribution. The color peak positions show no radial dependence and are in good agreement with the values found for other galaxies studied in the same filter system. However, a luminosity dependence is found: brighter clusters with an "intermediate" color exist. The clusters exhibit a shallow radial distribution within 7 � , represented by a power-law with an exponent of −1.4. Within the same radial interval, the galaxy light has a distinctly steeper profile. Because of the difference in the cluster and light distribution the specific frequency increases considerably with radius. At 7 � and 9 � the density profiles of the red and blue clusters, respectively, change strongly: the power- law indices decrease to around −5 and become similar to the galaxy profile. This steep profile indicates that we reach the outer rim of the cluster system at approximately 11 � . This interpretation is supported by the fact that in particular the density distribution of the blue cluster population can be well fit by the projection of a truncated power-law model with a core. This feature is seen for the first time in a globular cluster system. While the radial distribution of the cluster and field populations are rather different, this is not true for the ellipticity of the system: the elongation as well as the position angle of the cluster system agree well with the galaxy light. We compare the radial distribution of globular clusters with the light profiles for a sample of elliptical galaxies. The difference observed in NGC 4636 is typical of an elliptical galaxy of this luminosity. The intrinsic specific frequency of the blue population is considerably larger than that of the red one.
Semantic Annotation of Web Service

In this technical report, we propose a new approach to the discovery, th selection, and the automated composition of distributed processes described as semantic web services through a new semantic annotation. In existing approaches, the importance of describing web services at theprocess-level is widely recognized, as witnessed by standard languages for describing business processes, like BPEL, and standards for semantic web services, likeOWL-S and WSMO. The approaches that do not deal with semantics cannot exploit the ability to do reasoning about what services do. For this reason, in our opinion, the role of semantics is very important in order to solve the above problems. On the other hand, current semantic web services, such as those based on OWL-S and WSMO, in spite of their expressive power, are hard to use in practice. Indeed, th y require comprehensive and usually large ontological descriptions of the processes, and rather complex (and often inefficient) reasoning mecha nisms. In our approach, we still have a representation of the service at proce ss level including the concept of state (definitely, a web service can be mappe d into a State Transition System), but we reduce to the minimum the usage of ontological descriptions of processes. As a consequence, we can pe rform a limited, but efficient and still useful semantic reasoning for verifying, discovering, selecting, and composing web services, at the process level. The key idea is to keep separate the procedural and the ontological descriptions, and to link them through semantic annotations. We define the formal framework, and propose a technique that can exploit simple reaso ning mechanisms at the ontological level, integrated with effective reasoning mechanisms devised for procedural descriptions of web services.