Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute Doxorubicin Cardiotoxicity Is Associated With p53-Induced Inhibition of the Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Pathway

Background— Doxorubicin is used to treat childhood and adult cancer. Doxorubicin treatment is associated with both acute and chronic cardiotoxicity. The cardiotoxic effects of doxorubicin are cumulative, which limits its chemotherapeutic dose. Free radical generation and p53-dependent apoptosis are thought to contribute to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Methods and Results— Adult transgenic (MHC-CB7) mice expressing cardiomyocyte-restricted dominant-interfering p53 and their nontransgenic littermates were treated with doxorubicin (20 mg/kg cumulative dose). Nontransgenic mice exhibited reduced left ventricular systolic function (predoxorubicin fractional shortening [FS] 61±2%, postdoxorubicin FS 45±2%, mean±SEM, P<0.008), reduced cardiac mass, and high levels of cardiomyocyte apoptosis 7 days after the initiation of doxorubicin treatment. In contrast, doxorubicin-treated MHC-CB7 mice exhibited normal left ventricular systolic function (predoxorubicin FS 63±2%, postdoxorubicin FS 60±2%, P>0.008), normal cardiac mass, and low levels of cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Western blot analyses indicated that mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) signaling was inhibited in doxorubicin-treated nontransgenic mice but not in doxorubicin-treated MHC-CB7 mice. Accordingly, transgenic mice with cardiomyocyte-restricted, constitutively active mTOR expression (MHC-mTORca) were studied. Left ventricular systolic function (predoxorubicin FS 64±2%, postdoxorubicin FS 60±3%, P>0.008) and cardiac mass were normal in doxorubicin-treated MHC-mTORca mice, despite levels of cardiomyocyte apoptosis similar to those seen in doxorubicin-treated nontransgenic mice. Conclusions— These data suggest that doxorubicin treatment induces acute cardiac dysfunction and reduces cardiac mass via p53-dependent inhibition of mTOR signaling and that loss of myocardial mass, and not cardiomyocyte apoptosis, is the major contributor to acute doxorubicin cardiotoxicity.
Improved Key Based Security Framework for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) are a subgroup of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) with the distinguishing property that the nodes are vehicles like cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles. This implies that node movement is restricted by factors like road course, encompassing traffic and traffic regulations. Nodes are expected to communicate by means of North American DSRC standard that employs the IEEE 802.11p standard for wireless communication. To allow communication with participants out of radio range, messages have to be forwarded by other nodes (multi-hop communication). A web based secure registration process that allows a user to create an account with RSUs. During the registration, users provide all required information that enables them to have the benefit of secure connectivity starting from the first packet that they send to the RSUs. We propose a novel cryptographic function that enables users and RSUs to apply the required security level of exchanged messages by adjusting the number of iterations of the function. We derive a set of encryption keys that are used to encrypt the next packet from part of the data in the current packet.
Inferring over functionally equivalent ontologies

Knowledge can be defined as a fact or state which is based on gathered information, experiences and association. Storing and gathering knowledge is an actual issue in artificial intelligence, health care and manufacturing. Ontologies use mechanism that offers inferring of the new facts out of explicitly given ones. We have used this feature for solving a logic riddle. The speed of inferring facts/knowledge is crucial. This paper presents several experiments with various versions of ontological model and compares inferring speed of the chosen riddle within these models.
Geschlechtsspezifische Einkommensdiskriminierung in Deutschland: Entwertung 'weiblicher' Arbeit?

Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Liebeskind, Uta: Geschlechtsspezifische Einkommensdiskriminierung in Deutschland: Entwertung 'weiblicher' Arbeit? In: Rehberg, Karl-Siegbert (Ed.) ; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie (DGS) (Ed.): Soziale Ungleichheit, kulturelle Unterschiede: Verhandlungen des 32. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie in München. Teilbd. 1 und 2. Frankfurt am Main : Campus Verl. , 2006. ISBN 3-593-37887-6, 2580-2590. https://nbn-resolving.org/ urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-143572
Robust simple adaptive model following with guaranteed H∞ performance

Robust output-feedback simplified adaptive control model following with uncertainties and disturbances is considered. Sufficient conditions for closed-loop stability, model following performance and prescribed Hinfin disturbance attenuation level are introduced, under an almost-strictly-positive-realness requirement on the plant. A numerical example, taken from the field of flight control, demonstrates the proposed method.
Combining Lightweight Description Logics with the Region Connection Calculus *

Providing reasoning in GIS domains is a demanding task due to the size of the data that are stored in secondary memory. This is also the case for query answering over spatio-thematic ontologies which act as an interface to the GIS data and filter unintended models. Solving this problem by compiling the ontology into an SQL query works only in those cases in which such a compilation, first-order logic (FOL) rewritability, is theoretically possible. Combining lightweight description logics like DL-Lite that are tailored towards FOL-rewritability with spatial calculi like the region connection calculus in a na¨ıve way can prohibit FOL-rewritability. But if assumption on the completeness and the consistency of the spatial data are made and the combination is done in a controlled way combinations of DL-Lite and the region connection calculus result that are sufficiently expressive to model GIS data and at the same time allow for computationally feasible query answering.
Chromatin-Specific Regulation of Mammalian rDNA Transcription by Clustered TTF-I Binding Sites

Enhancers and promoters often contain multiple binding sites for the same transcription factor, suggesting that homotypic clustering of binding sites may serve a role in transcription regulation. Here we show that clustering of binding sites for the transcription termination factor TTF-I downstream of the pre-rRNA coding region specifies transcription termination, increases the efficiency of transcription initiation and affects the three-dimensional structure of rRNA genes. On chromatin templates, but not on free rDNA, clustered binding sites promote cooperative binding of TTF-I, loading TTF-I to the downstream terminators before it binds to the rDNA promoter. Interaction of TTF-I with target sites upstream and downstream of the rDNA transcription unit connects these distal DNA elements by forming a chromatin loop between the rDNA promoter and the terminators. The results imply that clustered binding sites increase the binding affinity of transcription factors in chromatin, thus influencing the timing and strength of DNA-dependent processes.
Pricing and Welfare in Health Plan Choice

Premiums in health insurance markets frequently do not reflect individual differences in costs, either because consumers have private information or because prices are not risk rated. This creates inefficiencies when consumers self-select into plans. We develop a simple econometric model to study this problem and estimate it using data on small employers. We find a welfare loss of 2-11 percent of coverage costs compared to what is feasible with risk rating. Only about one-quarter of this is due to inefficiently chosen uniform contribution levels. We also investigate the reclassification risk created by risk rating individual incremental premiums, finding only a modest welfare cost.
Maximum Energy Extraction in Wind Solar Hybrid Energy Conversion System

In this research paper an energy system composed of three energy conversion devices namely, photovoltaic panels, a wind turbine, and a battery is proposed. This controller directs power to a fixed voltage DC bus. The fixed voltage bus supplies the load, while the excess power is directed to the batteries. Simulation and control of a hybrid PVwind generator system connected to the load are presented in this paper. Every major component of the system is modeled, and then different control strategies are applied to the system. To improve the performance of the system under different environmental conditions. Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) of the photovoltaic system and blade angle pitch control of wind turbines are included.
Stellar SEDs from 0.3 to 2.5 μm: Tracing the Stellar Locus and Searching for Color Outliers in the SDSS and 2MASS

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) are rich resources for studying stellar astrophysics and the structure and formation history of the Galaxy. As new surveys and instruments adopt similar filter sets, it is increasingly important to understand the properties of the ugrizJHKs stellar locus, both to inform studies of "normal" main-sequence stars and enable robust searches for point sources with unusual colors. Using a sample of ∼600,000 point sources detected by SDSS and 2MASS, we tabulate the position and width of the ugrizJHKs stellar locus as a function of g - i color, and provide accurate polynomial fits. We map the Morgan-Keenan spectral type sequence to the median stellar locus by using synthetic photometry of spectral standards and by analyzing 3000 SDSS stellar spectra with a custom spectral typing pipeline, described in the Appendix to this paper. We develop an algorithm to calculate a point source's minimum separation from the stellar locus in a seven-dimensional color space, and use it to robustly identify objects with unusual colors, as well as spurious SDSS/2MASS matches. Analysis of a final catalog of 2117 color outliers identifies 370 white-dwarf/M dwarf (WDMD) pairs, 93 QSOs, and 90 M giant/carbon star candidates, and demonstrates that WDMD pairs and QSOs can be distinguished on the basis of their J - Ks and r - z colors. We also identify a group of objects with correlated offsets in the u - g versus g - r and g - r versus r - i color-color spaces, but subsequent follow-up is required to reveal the nature of these objects. Future applications of this algorithm to a matched SDSS-UKIDSS catalog may well identify additional classes of objects with unusual colors by probing new areas of color-magnitude space.
Prototyping a Library of Algorithmic Skeletons with Bulk Synchronous Parallel ML

Algorithmic skeletons are a high-level approach to parallel programming that can be combined with widely used programming languages such as Java, C and C++. In this paper we show that prototyping such a library with a structured parallel functional language, namely Bulk Synchronous Parallel ML, provides a parallel implementation with which experiments can be performed and gives some hints about the formal semantics of the library as well.
Universality of shear-banding instability and crystallization in sheared granular fluid

The linear stability analysis of an uniform shear flow of granular materials is revisited using several cases of a Navier–Stokes-level constitutive model in which we incorporate the global equation of states for pressure and thermal conductivity (which are accurate up to the maximum packing density νm) and the shear viscosity is allowed to diverge at a density νμ (<νm), with all other transport coefficients diverging at νm. It is shown that the emergence of shear-banding instabilities (for perturbations having no variation along the streamwise direction), that lead to shear-band formation along the gradient direction, depends crucially on the choice of the constitutive model. In the framework of a dense constitutive model that incorporates only collisional transport mechanism, it is shown that an accurate global equation of state for pressure or a viscosity divergence at a lower density or a stronger viscosity divergence (with other transport coefficients being given by respective Enskog values that diverge at νm) can induce shear-banding instabilities, even though the original dense Enskog model is stable to such shear-banding instabilities. For any constitutive model, the onset of this shear-banding instability is tied to a universal criterion in terms of constitutive relations for viscosity and pressure, and the sheared granular flow evolves toward a state of lower ‘dynamic’ friction, leading to the shear-induced band formation, as it cannot sustain increasing dynamic friction with increasing density to stay in the homogeneous state. A similar criterion of a lower viscosity or a lower viscous-dissipation is responsible for the shear-banding state in many complex fluids.
Prediction of scaled feed intake in weaner pigs using physico-chemical properties of fibrous feeds

The objective of the present study was to predict scaled feed intake (SFI) using the physico-chemical measurements of feed bulk, such that gut capacity can be estimated in weaner pigs. A basal feed with 13·7 MJ digestible energy and 180 g crude protein per kg DM was diluted to six inclusion levels (0, 80, 160, 240, 320 and 400 g/kg DM) using lucerne hay, maize cob, maize stover, sawdust, sunflower husks or grass hay (veld grass). A total of 124 pigs weighing 18·1 (sd 1·37) kg body weight were used. Water-holding capacity (WHC; g water/g DM), bulk density (g DM/ml), neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) and acid-detergent fibre (ADF) influenced the SFI. The quadratic relationship between SFI and WHC was SFI = 19·1 (sem 3·49)+10·04 (sem 1·61) WHC–1·11 (sem 0·17) WHC2 (P< 0·01). SFI was also related (P< 0·01) to NDF and ADF by quadratic functions SFI = 24·3 (sem 3·55)+0·12 (sem 0·229) NDF − 0·00 012 (sem 0·000036) NDF2 and SFI = 30·2 (sem 1·95)+0·112 (sem 0·0232) ADF–0·000343 (sem 0·0000612) ADF2, respectively. Using broken-stick analyses, the gut capacity was attained when WHC = 4·53 (sem 1·25) g water/g DM, NDF = 367 (sem 29) g/kg DM and ADF = 138 (sem 77) g/kg DM. In conclusion, although threshold values for each were different, WHC, NDF and ADF contents of bulk feeds provide relationships with SFI that can be used to predict gut capacity in weaner pigs.
Can a New Interpretation of Survival Data Help Patients Successfully Modify Adverse Risk Profiles ?

Background: Adverse risk profiles diminish survival for the approximately 485,000 patients who undergo coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) in the United States annually. Yet, non-compliance with treatment strategies remains a problem in management of cardiovascular disease. Defining more “user-friendly” mechanisms that convey the messages of clinical trials in familiar terms may favorably impact the attainment of treatment goals. Methods: Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the relationship between triglycerides and survival following CABG surgery for a cohort of older women (N=1,158). Models were developed using time-on-study (M1) and age (M2) as response variables. Results: Both approaches yielded similar results with regard to the importance of high triglyceride (hazard ratio(M1)=1.60 (95% CI = 1.26-2.03); hazard ratio(M2)=1.64 (1.29-2.08). The age-based approach showed that the median age of death for high triglyceride patients was approximately nine years younger than for normal triglyceride patients (72 vs. 81 years). Conclusion: The traditional and age-based approaches produced consistent results. The agebased approach produced an estimate of foreshortened life expectancy for women with high triglycerides. This interpretation may be helpful in conveying the relevance of risk factors as physicians and patients implement treatment strategies.
Native Perennial Grasses in Highway Medians: Pre- and Postplant Techniques for Establishment in a Mediterranean Climate

Abstract Within highway rights-of-way, native perennial grasses provide desirable services to support natural and human constructed ecosystems. However, native perennial grass establishment in annual grass dominated roadsides of semiarid and Mediterranean climates of the western United States requires specific cultural and chemical management treatments to control weeds. In 2004, field studies were conducted in Sacramento Valley, California to determine the effect of herbicide, disc cultivation, and species selection on native perennial grass establishment and annual weed persistence. Perennial grass species mixes common to drier and wetter upland areas in northern California were drill seeded at two sites (I-5 North and I-5 South) that had been burned in 2003 and received weed control (i.e., herbicide, cultivation, mowing) in spring 2004. Herbicides were the most important treatments for native perennial grass establishment and weed reduction. Native perennial grass species persistence was largely unaffected by cultivation or native plant accessions at these sites. Native perennial grass density increased at I-5 North in the second year of growth (2006) resulting in a plant density totaled across all herbicide regimes of 3.9 plants m−1 compared to 2.5 plants m−1 at I-5 South. Vigorous native perennial grass growth in the more fertile and less droughty soils of I-5 North helped to limit annual weeds through competition, which is anticipated to reduce the need for chemical and mechanical control in years following early establishment. Nomenclature: Chlorsulfuron; clopyralid; glyphosate; triclopyr
Asynchronous Changes in Vegetation, Runoff and Erosion in the Nile River Watershed during the Holocene

The termination of the African Humid Period in northeastern Africa during the early Holocene was marked by the southward migration of the rain belt and the disappearance of the Green Sahara. This interval of drastic environmental changes was also marked by the initiation of food production by North African hunter-gatherer populations and thus provides critical information on human-environment relationships. However, existing records of regional climatic and environmental changes exhibit large differences in timing and modes of the wet/dry transition at the end of the African Humid Period. Here we present independent records of changes in river runoff, vegetation and erosion in the Nile River watershed during the Holocene obtained from a unique sedimentary sequence on the Nile River fan using organic and inorganic proxy data. This high-resolution reconstruction allows to examine the phase relationship between the changes of these three parameters and provides a detailed picture of the environmental conditions during the Paleolithic/Neolithic transition. The data show that river runoff decreased gradually during the wet/arid transition at the end of the AHP whereas rapid shifts of vegetation and erosion occurred earlier between 8.7 and ∼6 ka BP. These asynchronous changes are compared to other regional records and provide new insights into the threshold responses of the environment to climatic changes. Our record demonstrates that the degradation of the environment in northeastern Africa was more abrupt and occurred earlier than previously thought and may have accelerated the process of domestication in order to secure sustainable food resources for the Neolithic African populations.
The Role of Autophagy in the Pathogenesis of Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide. The multipronged drug approach targeting blood pressure and serum levels of glucose, insulin, and lipids fails to fully prevent the onset and progression of diabetic nephropathy. Therefore, a new therapeutic target to combat diabetic nephropathy is required. Autophagy is a catabolic process that degrades damaged proteins and organelles in mammalian cells and plays a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. The accumulation of proteins and organelles damaged by hyperglycemia and other diabetes-related metabolic changes is highly associated with the development of diabetic nephropathy. Recent studies have suggested that autophagy activity is altered in both podocytes and proximal tubular cells under diabetic conditions. Autophagy activity is regulated by both nutrient state and intracellular stresses. Under diabetic conditions, an altered nutritional state due to nutrient excess may interfere with the autophagic response stimulated by intracellular stresses, leading to exacerbation of organelle dysfunction and diabetic nephropathy. In this review, we discuss new findings showing the relationships between autophagy and diabetic nephropathy and suggest the therapeutic potential of autophagy in diabetic nephropathy.
On Approximating Node-Disjoint Paths in Grids

In the Node-Disjoint Paths (NDP) problem, the input is an undirected n-vertex graph G, and a collection {(s_1,t_1),. ,(s_k,t_k)} of pairs of vertices called demand pairs. The goal is to route the largest possible number of the demand pairs (s_i,t_i), by selecting a path connecting each such pair, so that the resulting paths are node-disjoint. NDP is one of the most basic and extensively studied routing problems. Unfortunately, its approximability is far from being well-understood: the best current upper bound of O(sqrt(n)) is achieved via a simple greedy algorithm, while the best current lower bound on its approximability is Omega(log^{1/2-\delta}(n)) for any constant delta. Even for seemingly simpler special cases, such as planar graphs, and even grid graphs, no better approximation algorithms are currently known. A major reason for this impasse is that the standard technique for designing approximation algorithms for routing problems is LP-rounding of the standard multicommodity flow relaxation of the problem, whose integrality gap for NDP is Omega(sqrt(n)) even on grid graphs. Our main result is an O(n^{1/4} * log(n))-approximation algorithm for NDP on grids. We distinguish between demand pairs with both vertices close to the grid boundary, and pairs where at least one of the two vertices is far from the grid boundary. Our algorithm shows that when all demand pairs are of the latter type, the integrality gap of the multicommodity flow LP-relaxation is at most O(n^{1/4} * log(n)), and we deal with demand pairs of the former type by other methods. We complement our upper bounds by proving that NDP is APX-hard on grid graphs.
A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF JAVA OBFUSCATION

Code obfuscation is a promising defense technology that secures software in a way that makes the cost of reverse engineering prohibitively high. While there are a number of commercial obfuscation tools on the market, there is no standard measurement to analyze and evaluate their strength. This paper addresses this challenge. An analytical metrics is developed to quantify the performance of obfuscation in terms of potency, resilience, and cost. Four commercial obfuscators are then evaluated using the proposed method.