Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of D4 Dopamine Receptors on Insulin Receptor Expression and Effect in Renal Proximal Tubule Cells

Background Ion transport in the renal proximal tubule (RPT), which is increased in essential hypertension, is regulated by numerous hormones and humoral factors, including insulin and dopamine. Activation of dopamine receptor inhibits sodium reabsorption, whereas activation of insulin receptor increases sodium reabsorption in RPTs, and hyperinsulinemic animals and patients have defective renal dopaminergic system. We presume that there is an inhibition of D4 receptor on insulin receptor expression and effect, and the regulation is lost in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Methods and Results Insulin receptor expression was determined by immunoblotting, and Na+‐K+‐ATPase activity was detected in both Wistar‐Kyoto (WKY) and SHR RPT cells. Stimulation of D4 receptor with PD168077 decreased expression of insulin receptors, which was blocked in the presence of the calcium‐channel blocker, nicardipine (10−6 mol/L per 24 hours), in cell culture medium without calcium or in the presence of inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3) receptor blocker (2‐aminoethyl diphenylborinate [2‐ADB]; 10−6 mol/L per 24 hours), indicating that extracellular calcium entry and calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum were involved in the signal pathway. Stimulation of the insulin receptor stimulated Na+‐K+‐ATPase activity, whereas pretreatment with PD168077 for 24 hours decreased the inhibitory effects of insulin receptor on Na+‐K+‐ATPase activity in WKY cells. However, in SHR cells, inhibition of D4 receptor on insulin receptor expression and effect were lost. Conclusions Activation of D4 receptor inhibits insulin receptor expression in RPT cells from WKY rats. The aberrant inhibition of D4 receptor on insulin receptor expression and effect might be involved in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension.
Staphylococcus aureus Leukocidin A/B (LukAB) Kills Human Monocytes via Host NLRP3 and ASC when Extracellular, but Not Intracellular

Staphylococcus aureus infections are a growing health burden worldwide, and paramount to this bacterium’s pathogenesis is the production of virulence factors, including pore-forming leukotoxins. Leukocidin A/B (LukAB) is a recently discovered toxin that kills primary human phagocytes, though the underlying mechanism of cell death is not understood. We demonstrate here that LukAB is a major contributor to the death of human monocytes. Using a variety of in vitro and ex vivo intoxication and infection models, we found that LukAB activates Caspase 1, promotes IL-1β secretion and induces necrosis in human monocytes. Using THP1 cells as a model for human monocytes, we found that the inflammasome components NLRP3 and ASC are required for LukAB-mediated IL-1β secretion and necrotic cell death. S. aureus was shown to kill human monocytes in a LukAB dependent manner under both extracellular and intracellular ex vivo infection models. Although LukAB-mediated killing of THP1 monocytes from extracellular S. aureus requires ASC, NLRP3 and the LukAB-receptor CD11b, LukAB-mediated killing from phagocytosed S. aureus is independent of ASC or NLRP3, but dependent on CD11b. Altogether, this study provides insight into the nature of LukAB-mediated killing of human monocytes. The discovery that S. aureus LukAB provokes differential host responses in a manner dependent on the cellular contact site is critical for the development of anti-infective/anti-inflammatory therapies that target the NLRP3 inflammasome.
Essays on Social Preferences in Economic Experiments

The motivation for this thesis is to further extend research on factors influencing decision making in the specific context of social preferences and prosocial behavior in economic experiments. Next to this common leitmotif, the attention of the individual chapters is directed to different aspects of prosocial behavior. On the one hand, individual attributes or individual attributes in interaction with design variations are investigated. On the other hand, motives underlying behavioral regularities are examined. Furthermore, both abstract as well as context specific settings using real world examples are applied. Following a general introduction, Chapters 2 to 4 focus on prosocial behavior in the dictator game. Specifically, Chapter 3 investigates old age and prosocial behavior comparing two age groups, i.e., young students and the elderly, while testing for the possibility of behavioral differences stemming from experimental confounds. Therefore, the framing of the decision task, stake size, as well as the level of experience in experiments are varied. We initially confirm the elderly participants to transfer larger amounts than the standard student participants regardless of framing and stakes. However, the elderly and the inexperienced student participants are not different in their observed behavior. Hence, we cannot rule out that confounds related to the lack of experience in experiments drive behavioral differences among the age groups. Chapter 4 examines the influence of gender-pairing and framing on dictator transfers. Instead of matching participants with an androgynous recipient, information on his/her gender is made salient. The main goal is to identify whether this information on recipient gender accommodates framing effects. The results show that opposite-sex transfers are higher than same-sex transfers but only significantly higher in the take framing. Hence, we suggest to control for the gender composition of experimental samples when testing gender interaction and framing. Chapters 5 and 6 center on behavior in a real world public goods environment. Following a general introduction, the public goods context, namely the voluntary provision of climate change mitigation, and the contribution task are presented. Chapter 6 addresses this climate change contribution task under an experimental manipulation introducing social information. We investigate the underlying causal mechanism testing whether social information affects descriptive social norms (beliefs) and, through norms, contribution behavior. Additionally, we examine whether anchoring effects are present. The results are in favor of the proposed mechanism and we find that social norms are mediating social information and contributions. Furthermore, we can identify why, for certain groups of individuals, social information does not affect contribution behavior. Lastly, anchoring effects do not appear to be relevant. The final chapter concludes the thesis with a summary and discusses potential extensions of the experiments.
Adult Drosophila melanogaster as a model for the study of glucose homeostasis

Genetic ablation of Drosophila melanogaster insulin-like peptide (DILP) and adipokinetic hormone-producing cells accompanied by cell biological and metabolic measurements have revealed functional conservation in nutrient sensing and the underlying signaling mechanisms between mammal and fruit fly. Despite significant advances gained in understanding the neuroendocrine responses to nutrient changes during developmental larval stages, we discuss here the need for investigating glucose homeostasis in the post-mitotic adult stage as the result of ablation of DILP producing cells (IPCs). Our recent studies demonstrate that while both constitutive and adult-specific partial ablation of IPCs renders those flies hyperglycemic and glucose intolerant, flies with adult-specific IPC ablation remain insulin sensitive. Our results substantiate a role of adult IPCs in modulating aspects of glucose homeostasis and highlight the complexity in DILP action in the adult fly.
A new method for low-rank transform domain adaptive filtering

This paper introduces a least squares, matrix-based framework for adaptive filtering that includes normalized least mean squares (NLMS), affine projection (AP) and recursive least squares (RLS) as special cases. We then introduce a method for extracting a low-rank underdetermined solution from an overdetermined or a high-rank underdetermined least squares problem using a part of a unitary transformation. We show how to create optimal, low-rank transformations within this framework. For obtaining computationally competitive versions of our approach, we use the discrete Fourier transform (DFT). We convert the complex-valued DFT-based solution into a real solution. The most significant bottleneck in the optimal version of the algorithm lies in having to calculate the full-length transform domain error vector. We overcome this difficulty by using a statistical approach involving the transform of the signal rather than that of the error to estimate the best low-rank transform at each iteration. We also employ an innovative mixed domain approach, in which we jointly solve time and frequency domain equations. This allows us to achieve very good performance using a transform order that is lower than the length of the filter. Thus, we are able to achieve very fast convergence at low complexity. Using the acoustic echo cancellation problem, we show that our algorithm performs better than NLMS and AP and competes well with FTF-RLS for low SNR conditions. The algorithm lies in between affine projection and FTF-RLS, both in terms of its complexity and its performance.
Lexical Coverage Issues for Speech Recognition in Indian Languages ∗

This report investigates issues of lexical coverage in Indian languages. More specifically, a parallel analysis of Out-of-Vocabulary words is made in Telugu and Tamil. Although generic, this study is focussed on understanding the morphological aspects in these languages as necessary for speech recognition. The observations reveal that morphological analysis and preprocessing can increase the lexical coverage by over 50%, thereby bringing them closer to the numbers in English.
On Adequacy of Assertions in Automated Test Suites: An Empirical Investigation

An integral part of test case is the verification phase (also called `test oracle'), which verifies program's state, output or behavior. In automated testing, the verification phase is often implemented using test assertions which are usually developed manually by testers. More precisely, assertions are used for checking the unit or the system's behavior (or output) which is reflected by the changes in the data fields of the class under test, or the output of the function under test. Originated from human (testers') error, test suites are prone to having inadequate assertions. The paper reports an empirical study on the Inadequate-Assertion (IA) problem in the context of automated test suites developed for open-source projects. In this study, test suites of three active open-source projects have been chosen. To investigate IA problem occurrence among the sampled test suites, we performed mutation analysis and coverage analysis. The results indicate that: (1) the IA problem is common among the sampled open-source projects, and the occurrence varies from project to project and from package to package, and (2) the occurrence rate of the IA problem is positively co-related with the complexity of test code.
Bump in the Ether: A Framework for Securing Sensitive User Input

We present Bump in the Ether (BitE), an approach for preventing user-space malware from accessing sensitive user input and providing the user with additional confidence that her input is being delivered to the expected application. Rather than preventing malware from running or detecting already-running malware, we facilitate user input that bypasses common avenues of attack. User input traverses a trusted tunnel from the input device to the application. This trusted tunnel is implemented using a trusted mobile device working in tandem with a host platform capable of attesting to its current software state. Based on a received attestation, the mobile device verifies the integrity of the host platform and application, provides a trusted display through which the user selects the application to which her inputs should be directed, and encrypts those inputs so that only the expected application can decrypt them. We describe the design and implementation of BitE, with emphasis on both usability and security issues.
Finding Prominent Actors in Dynamic Affiliation Networks

Most networks contain embedded communities or groups that impact the overall gathering and dissemination of ideas and information. These groups consist of important or prominent individuals who actively participate in network activities over time. In this paper, we introduce a new method for identifying actors with prominent group memberships in time-varying affiliation networks. We define a prominent actor to be one who participates in the same group regularly (stable participation) and participates across different groups consistently (diverse participation), thereby having a position of structural influence in the network. Our proposed methods for quantifying stable and diverse participation takes into consideration the underlying semantics for group participation as well as the level of impact of an actor’s history on his or her current behavior. We illustrate the semantics of our measures on both synthetic and real-world data sets with varying temporal connectivity structures. We also illustrate their utility by demonstrating their complementary nature when compared to existing centrality measures.
Large-Scale Phylogenomic Analyses Reveal That Two Enigmatic Protist Lineages, Telonemia and Centroheliozoa, Are Related to Photosynthetic Chromalveolates

Understanding the early evolution and diversification of eukaryotes relies on a fully resolved phylogenetic tree. In recent years, most eukaryotic diversity has been assigned to six putative supergroups, but the evolutionary origin of a few major “orphan” lineages remains elusive. Two ecologically important orphan groups are the heterotrophic Telonemia and Centroheliozoa. Telonemids have been proposed to be related to the photosynthetic cryptomonads or stramenopiles and centrohelids to haptophytes, but molecular phylogenies have failed to provide strong support for any phylogenetic hypothesis. Here, we investigate the origins of Telonema subtilis (a telonemid) and Raphidiophrys contractilis (a centrohelid) by large-scale 454 pyrosequencing of cDNA libraries and including new genomic data from two cryptomonads (Guillardia theta and Plagioselmis nannoplanctica) and a haptophyte (Imantonia rotunda). We demonstrate that 454 sequencing of cDNA libraries is a powerful and fast method of sampling a high proportion of protist genes, which can yield ample information for phylogenomic studies. Our phylogenetic analyses of 127 genes from 72 species indicate that telonemids and centrohelids are members of an emerging major group of eukaryotes also comprising cryptomonads and haptophytes. Furthermore, this group is possibly closely related to the SAR clade comprising stramenopiles (heterokonts), alveolates, and Rhizaria. Our results link two additional heterotrophic lineages to the predominantly photosynthetic chromalveolate supergroup, providing a new framework for interpreting the evolution of eukaryotic cell structures and the diversification of plastids.
Mapping large environments with an omnivideo camera

We study the problem of mapping a large indoor environment using an omnivideo camera. Local features from omnivideo images and epipolar geometry are used to compute the relative pose between pairs of images. These poses are then used in an Extended Information Filter using a trajectory based representation where only the robot poses corresponding to captured images are reconstructed. The features with the geometric constraints also give a robust similarity measure that is used for data association. Our experiments show that an accurate map can be built in real time of a small office environment. For large environments, big loops can be closed and a map can be built in nearly linear time.
Relações entre Dimensões da Experiência, Satisfação, Recomendação e Intenção de Retornar: a Percepção de Participantes de Evento Cultural Resumo

Consumer experience has gained importance in marketing in recent decades. However, measurement of that dimension regarding its applicability is still new and insufficient. Several authors have developed scales for measuring consumer experience in the context of brands, sports and tourism. Events can be used as a path to promoting experiences, because consumers have the chance to engage in activities that are not usual in their daily lives. The object of this paper is to study the Virada Cultural de Belo Horizonte 2014, a cultural event held for the second time in Belo Horizonte. The study aimed to understand the experiences of participants at Virada Cultural from a range of dimensions of memorable tourist experiences already tested. For this, we held a descriptive research with a quantitative approach through the application of a survey during the event. The main results were: (1) hedonism dimension was the most influencing factor to Memorable Experience while Local Culture was the least influencing one; (2) there is positive and significant relationship between Memorable Experience and Satisfaction, and (3) there is positive and significant relationship between Satisfaction and Intention to Returning and Word-of-Mouth recommendation.
ESTIMATING THE DISTRIBUTION OF DEMAND USING BOUNDED SALES DATA

Flight capacity can be modified by using different seating configurations or different aircraft. An airline planning department wants to estimate the distribution of demand for a specific flight as an aid for deciding on flight capacity. Historical sales data for a specific flight are available, but the number of passenger tickets sold is bounded by the number of seats available. The planners are willing to assume that underlying demand is normally distributed. This paper describes an estimation method using normal scores, a normal probability plot, and simple linear regression. Step-by-step details using Excel 5 or 7 (95) spreadsheet software are included. Finally, the results are compared with the hazard function method of censored data analysis.
Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) - Tailored Composites Through Micromechanical Modeling

This article provides a brief overview of several classes of fiber reinforced cement based composites and suggests future directions in FRC development. Special focus is placed on micromechanics based design methodology of strain-hardening cement based composites. As example, a particular engineered cementitious composite newly developed at the ACE-MRL at the University of Michigan is described in detail with regard to its design, material composition, processing, and mechanical properties. Three potential applications which utilize the unique properties of such composites are cited in this paper, and future research needs are identified.
Human Pluripotent Stem Cell‐Derived Radial Glia Recapitulate Developmental Events and Provide Real‐Time Access to Cortical Neurons and Astrocytes

Studies of human cerebral cortex development are limited by difficulties in accessing and manipulating human neural tissue at specific development stages. We have derived human radial glia (hRG), which are responsible for most cerebral cortex neurogenesis, from human pluripotent stem cells. These hRG display the hallmark morphological, cellular, and molecular features of radial glia in vitro. They can be passaged and generate layer‐specific subtypes of cortical neurons in a temporal and passage‐dependent fashion. In later passages, they adopt a distinct progenitor phenotype that gives rise to cortical astrocytes and GABAergic interneurons. These hRG are also capable of following developmental cues to engraft, differentiate, migrate, and integrate into the embryonic mouse cortex when injected into E14 lateral ventricles. Moreover, hRG‐derived cells can be cryopreserved at specific stages and retain their stage‐specific phenotypes and competence when revived. Our study demonstrates that cultured hRG maintain a cell‐intrinsic clock that regulates the progressive generation of stage‐specific neuronal and glial subtypes. It also describes an easily accessible cell source for studying hRG lineage specification and progression and an on‐demand supply of specific cortical neuron subtypes and astrocytes.
Regional Variation of CH4 and N2 Production Processes in the Deep Aquifers of an Accretionary Prism

Accretionary prisms are mainly composed of ancient marine sediment scraped from the subducting oceanic plate at a convergent plate boundary. Large amounts of anaerobic groundwater and natural gas, mainly methane (CH4) and nitrogen gas (N2), are present in the deep aquifers associated with an accretionary prism; however, the origins of these gases are poorly understood. We herein revealed regional variations in CH4 and N2 production processes in deep aquifers in the accretionary prism in Southwest Japan, known as the Shimanto Belt. Stable carbon isotopic and microbiological analyses suggested that CH4 is produced through the non-biological thermal decomposition of organic matter in the deep aquifers in the coastal area near the convergent plate boundary, whereas a syntrophic consortium of hydrogen (H2)-producing fermentative bacteria and H2-utilizing methanogens contributes to the significant production of CH4 observed in deep aquifers in midland and mountainous areas associated with the accretionary prism. Our results also demonstrated that N2 production through the anaerobic oxidation of organic matter by denitrifying bacteria is particularly prevalent in deep aquifers in mountainous areas in which groundwater is affected by rainfall.
Novel Dual-band CPW-fed Monopole Slot Antenna for WLAN / WiMAX Applications

A novel dual-band design of a finite ground coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed monopole antenna is presented for simultaneously satisfying wireless local area network (WLAN) and worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) applications. The proposed antenna, comprising a rectangular planar patch element embedded with two L shaped slots and stair shape slot in the middle of the patch element. The simulated -10 dB bandwidth for return loss is from 3.34 to 4.056 GHz and 4.736 to 5.432 GHz, covering some of the WiMAX and WLAN bands. Prototypes of the obtained optimized antenna have been designed and constructed. The parametric study is performed to understand the characteristics of the proposed antenna. Also, good antenna performances such as radiation patterns and antenna gains over the operating bands have been observed and simulated peak gain of the antenna is 4.88 dBi at 4.3 GHz. Index Terms : Dual-band antennas, Monopole antennas, WiMAX and WLAN
Extending SSD lifetime in database applications with page overwrites

Flash-based Solid State Disks (SSDs) have been a great success story over the last years and are widely used in embedded systems, servers, and laptops. One often overlooked ability of NAND flash is that flash pages can be overwritten in certain circumstances. This can be used to decrease wear out and increase performance. In this paper, we analyze the potential of overwrites for the most used data structure in database applications: the B-Tree. We show that with overwrites it is possible to significantly reduce flash wear out and increase overall performance.