Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Targeting Purinergic Receptors in Islet Transplantation

Transplanted islets are exposed to a distinctively hostile immunological environment. Grafted islets typically encounter a combination of innate, allogeneic and anti-islet immune responses—the relative contributions of which are not fully understood. The relatively low success rate of islet transplantation compared with other organs suggests that current immunomodulatory protocols are inadequate to provide long-term islet graft protection. As the negative consequences of long-term immunosuppression can arguably outweigh the benefits of islet transplantation, there is intense focus on the development of strategies to induce immune tolerance toward grafts, thereby avoiding the requirement of chronic immunosuppression. In this issue of Diabetes , Vergani et al. (1) provide evidence that targeting purinergic receptor signaling is a viable strategy for islet allograft protection. Extracellular ATP modulates many aspects of the immune system. For example, ATP signaling is able to promote the differentiation of proinflammatory Th17 cells (2), which may play a role in islet rejection and recurrent autoimmunity. ATP signaling can also suppress the differentiation and function of regulatory T cells (Tregs) (3), which are immunosuppressive T cells that play a role in immune tolerance (4). Thus, ATP signaling acts to shift the immune response toward a more inflammatory, less tolerant state (Fig. 1). FIG. 1. Schematic summary of the proposed mechanism of action of ATP during islet allograft rejection. A : Extracellular ATP activates P2X receptors and promotes T-cell …
Environmental controls on the boron and strontium isotopic composition of aragonite shell material of cultured <i>Arctica islandica</i>

Abstract. Ocean acidification, the decrease in ocean pH associated with increasing atmospheric CO2, is likely to impact marine organisms, particularly those that produce carbonate skeletons or shells. Therefore, it is important to investigate how environmental factors (seawater pH, temperature and salinity) influence the chemical compositions in biogenic carbonates. In this study we report the first high-resolution strontium (87Sr / 86Sr and δ88 / 86Sr) and boron (δ11B) isotopic values in the aragonite shell of cultured Arctica islandica (A. islandica). The 87Sr / 86Sr ratios from both tank water and shell samples show ratios nearly identical to the open ocean, which suggests that the shell material reflects ambient ocean chemistry without terrestrial influence. The 84Sr–87Sr double-spike-resolved shell δ88 / 86Sr and Sr concentration data show no resolvable change throughout the culture period and reflect no theoretical kinetic mass fractionation throughout the experiment despite a temperature change of more than 15 °C. The δ11B records from the experiment show at least a 5‰ increase through the 29-week culture season (January 2010–August 2010), with low values from the beginning to week 19 and higher values thereafter. The larger range in δ11B in this experiment compared to predictions based on other carbonate organisms (2–3‰) suggests that a species-specific fractionation factor may be required. A significant correlation between the ΔpH (pHshell − pHsw) and seawater pH (pHsw) was observed (R2 = 0.35), where the pHshell is the calcification pH of the shell calculated from boron isotopic composition. This negative correlation suggests that A. islandica partly regulates the pH of the extrapallial fluid. However, this proposed mechanism only explains approximately 35% of the variance in the δ11B data. Instead, a rapid rise in δ11B of the shell material after week 19, during the summer, suggests that the boron uptake changes when a thermal threshold of > 13 °C is reached.
A usabilidade no desenvolvimento de aplicações para TV Interativa

O presente artigo evidencia a importância de tratar os conceitos de usabilidade no desenvolvimento de aplicações para TV interativa bem com a importância de se ter cautela nesse processo. Demonstra, outrossim, as principais etapas do processo de desenvolvimento de aplicações para TV interativa, afim de providenciar uma certa melhoria em relação à usabilidade desta tecnologia a ser implantada no Brasil e minimizar o problema da exclusão digital.
Intellectual abilities and white matter microstructure in development: A diffusion tensor imaging study

Higher‐order cognitive functions are supported by distributed networks of multiple interconnected cortical and subcortical regions. Efficient cognitive processing depends on fast communication between these regions, so the integrity of the connections between them is of great importance. It is known that white matter (WM) development is a slow process, continuing into adulthood. While the significance of cortical maturation for intellectual development is described, less is known about the relationships between cognitive functions and maturation of WM connectivity. In this cross‐sectional study, we investigated the associations between intellectual abilities and development of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) derived measures of WM microstructure in 168 right‐handed participants aged 8–30 years. Independently of age and sex, both verbal and performance abilities were positively related to fractional anisotropy (FA) and negatively related to mean diffusivity (MD) and radial diffusivity (RD), predominantly in the left hemisphere. Further, verbal, but not performance abilities, were associated with developmental differences in DTI indices in widespread regions in both hemispheres. Regional analyses showed relations with both FA and RD bilaterally in the anterior thalamic radiation and the cortico‐spinal tract and in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus. In these regions, our results suggest that participants with high verbal abilities may show accelerated WM development in late childhood and a subsequent earlier developmental plateau, in contrast to a steadier and prolonged development in participants with average verbal abilities. Longitudinal data are needed to validate these interpretations. The results provide insight into the neurobiological underpinnings of intellectual development. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Cognitive Framework for Learning by Imitation

In order to have a robotic system able to effectively learn by imitation, and not merely reproduce the movements of a human teacher, the system should have the capabilities of deeply understanding the perceived actions to be imitated. This paper deals with the development of a cognitive framework for learning by imitation in which a rich conceptual representation of the observed actions is built. The proposed architecture has been tested on the robotic system composed of a PUMA 200 industrial manipulator and an anthropomorphic robotic hand. The system demonstrated the ability to classify and imitate a rich set of movement primitives acquired through the vision system for manipulative purposes.
Satellite and Ground Based Thermal Observation of the 2014 Effusive Eruption at Stromboli Volcano

As specifically designed platforms are still unavailable at this point in time, lava flows are usually monitored remotely with the use of meteorological satellites. Generally, meteorological satellites have a low spatial resolution, which leads to uncertain results. This paper presents the first long term satellite monitoring of active lava flows on Stromboli volcano (August–November 2014) at high spatial resolution (160 m) and relatively high temporal resolution (~3 days). These data were retrieved by the small satellite Technology Experiment Carrier-1 (TET-1), which was developed and built by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The satellite instrument is dedicated to high temperature event monitoring. The satellite observations were accompanied by field observations conducted by thermal cameras. These provided short time lava flow dynamics and validation for satellite data. TET-1 retrieved 27 datasets over Stromboli during its effusive activity. Using the radiant density approach, TET-1 data were used to calibrate the MODVOLC data and estimate the time averaged lava discharge rate. With a mean output rate of 0.87 m3/s during the three-month-long eruption, we estimate the total erupted volume to be 7.4 × 106 m3.
Detection Phishing Emails Using Features Decisive Values

Phishing emails are messages designed to fool the recipient into handing over personal information, such as login names, passwords, credit card numbers, account credentials, social security numbers etc. Fraudulent emails harm their victims through loss of funds and identity theft. They also hurt Internet business, because people lose their trust in Internet transactions for fear that they will become victims of fraud. This paper deals with the phishing detection problem and how to auto detect phishing emails. The proposed phishing detection model is based on the extracted email features to detect phishing emails, these features appeared in the header and HTML body of email. The developed model introduces statistical based parameters called features existence weight to decide whether the tested email is phishing or not. The results of the conducted testes indicated good identification rate (97.79%) with short required processing time (0.0004 msec.).
An Adaptive Routing of the 2-D Torus Network Based on Turn Model

A 2-D torus network is one of a most popular network in the area of parallel processing. Some algorithms have been proposed based on the turn model in past. However, most of those methods cannot be applied to torus network without modifying. In this paper, we propose the North-South First Routing (NSF Routing) which combined the North First method (NF) and the South First method (SF). NF and SF are the part of the algorithms by a Turn model. NSF Routing is applicable to 2-D Torus. Moreover, performance is evaluated by a software simulation. As a result, it was shown that a throughput improves in some communication patterns.
Replication and Active Partition of Integrative and Conjugative Elements (ICEs) of the SXT/R391 Family: The Line between ICEs and Conjugative Plasmids Is Getting Thinner

Integrative and Conjugative Elements (ICEs) of the SXT/R391 family disseminate multidrug resistance among pathogenic Gammaproteobacteria such as Vibrio cholerae. SXT/R391 ICEs are mobile genetic elements that reside in the chromosome of their host and eventually self-transfer to other bacteria by conjugation. Conjugative transfer of SXT/R391 ICEs involves a transient extrachromosomal circular plasmid-like form that is thought to be the substrate for single-stranded DNA translocation to the recipient cell through the mating pore. This plasmid-like form is thought to be non-replicative and is consequently expected to be highly unstable. We report here that the ICE R391 of Providencia rettgeri is impervious to loss upon cell division. We have investigated the genetic determinants contributing to R391 stability. First, we found that a hipAB-like toxin/antitoxin system improves R391 stability as its deletion resulted in a tenfold increase of R391 loss. Because hipAB is not a conserved feature of SXT/R391 ICEs, we sought for alternative and conserved stabilization mechanisms. We found that conjugation itself does not stabilize R391 as deletion of traG, which abolishes conjugative transfer, did not influence the frequency of loss. However, deletion of either the relaxase-encoding gene traI or the origin of transfer (oriT) led to a dramatic increase of R391 loss correlated with a copy number decrease of its plasmid-like form. This observation suggests that replication initiated at oriT by TraI is essential not only for conjugative transfer but also for stabilization of SXT/R391 ICEs. Finally, we uncovered srpMRC, a conserved locus coding for two proteins distantly related to the type II (actin-type ATPase) parMRC partitioning system of plasmid R1. R391 and plasmid stabilization assays demonstrate that srpMRC is active and contributes to reducing R391 loss. While partitioning systems usually stabilizes low-copy plasmids, srpMRC is the first to be reported that stabilizes a family of ICEs.
A Study on Progress of Students in Nizwa College of Technology with Special Emphasis on Stress Related Issues

In today’s competitive world, challenges faced by students from different sources contribute to stress and effects the consistency in their performance. So the researcher felt a need to study the reasons behind their underperformance. An exploratory study, conducted to know the latent intentions of the respondents towards learning process in Nizwa College of Technology, across three departments— Engineering, Business studies and Information Technology. Out of total population of students studying in three departments of Nizwa College of Technology, a sample of 102 students were taken for research which comprised a mix of Male and Female Students. The sampling method adopted for the study is convenient sampling method, wherein the students were contacted on a random basis by administering a structured online questionnaire using google forms. Data is collected from primary and secondary sources. The supportive literature review and the conceptual framework were taken from secondary sources. Data was analyzed with the help of T-test and Factor analysis. It is found that most of the students get worried and tired when they are in stress. To reduce the stress levels almost 33% of students believe that talking to their friends and taking rest reduces stress. It revealed that various factors that contribute to stress are economic, personal, college resources, learning methods, outcomes, teaching methods, recreational activities and infrastructural facilities. Hence, it is concluded that apart from academic issues there are many other things which are contributing towards stress among students. Many students are either worried or tired because of the pressure they face in their day to day activities. Stress related issues cannot be ignored in an academic environment, as this may lead to a negative impact on a student’s life.
UNE APPROCHE NEO-INSTITUTIONNELLE DU CONTROLE DE LA PERFORMANCE : CAS DU SECTEUR DE L'HOTELLERIE DE PLEIN AIR

The purpose of this paper is to present results from interviews with leaders of the outdoor hospitality sector to update the tools of performance control used and also their determinants. To answer these questions the institutional theoretical framework has been mobilized to explain control practices in this sector not only as a search for efficiency, but rather to give the illusion of rationality. Analysis of the interviews by the lexical method and the contents allowed to update the tools of control used by the profession and to emphasize the role of legitimation of control towards stakeholders.
ProbPoly: a probabilistic inductive logic programming framework with application in model checking

We propose a novel framework for Probabilistic Inductive Logic Programming (PILP), called ProbPoly, in the context of Stochastic Logic Programs (SLP). The approach aims at learning probabilities of new learned clauses by minimizing the mean squared error (MSE) between the observed example probabilities and the predicted probabilities. We illustrate the approach using a very simple Probabilistic Context-Fee Grammar (PCFG). We then introduce a basic method for revising the probabilities of a simple discrete time Markov chain (DTMC) using an integration of ProbPoly and a probabilistic model checker, so that the properties, which were initially violated, are satisfied in the new DTMC. This work provides the foundations for a general approach to requirements elaboration in probabilistic settings.
A Method for Removal of Low Frequency Components Associated with Head Movements from Dual-Axis Swallowing Accelerometry Signals

Head movements can greatly affect swallowing accelerometry signals. In this paper, we implement a spline-based approach to remove low frequency components associated with these motions. Our approach was tested using both synthetic and real data. Synthetic signals were used to perform a comparative analysis of the spline-based approach with other similar techniques. Real data, obtained data from 408 healthy participants during various swallowing tasks, was used to analyze the processing accuracy with and without the spline-based head motions removal scheme. Specifically, we analyzed the segmentation accuracy and the effects of the scheme on statistical properties of these signals, as measured by the scaling analysis. The results of the numerical analysis showed that the spline-based technique achieves a superior performance in comparison to other existing techniques. Additionally, when applied to real data, we improved the accuracy of the segmentation process by achieving a 27% drop in the number of false negatives and a 30% drop in the number of false positives. Furthermore, the anthropometric trends in the statistical properties of these signals remained unaltered as shown by the scaling analysis, but the strength of statistical persistence was significantly reduced. These results clearly indicate that any future medical devices based on swallowing accelerometry signals should remove head motions from these signals in order to increase segmentation accuracy.
A Distributed Scheduling Algorithm for High-Speed Switching Systems

Given the rapid increase in traffic, greater demands have been put on research in high-speed switching systems. Such systems have to simultaneously meet several constraints, e.g., high throughput, low delay and low complexity. This makes it challenging to design an efficient scheduling algorithm, and has consequently drawn considerable research interest. However, previous results either cannot provide a 100% throughput guarantee without a speedup, or require a complex centralized scheduler. In this paper, we design a distributed 100% throughput algorithm for crosspoint buffered switches, called DISQUO, with very limited message passing. We prove that DISQUO can achieve 100% throughput for any admissible Bernoulli traffic, with a low time complexity of O(1) per port and a few bits message exchanging in every time slot. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first distributed algorithm that can provide a 100% throughput for a crosspoint buffered switch.
Using Golog for Deliberation and Team Coordination in Robotic Soccer

Robotic soccer provides an interesting and nontrivial testbed for many aspects of mobile robotics. From a high-level decision making point of view, central issues are how to get the robots to choose intelligently among various possible courses of actions and how to get them to coordinate their actions with other members of the team. In this paper we report on our efforts to address these issues within the framework of the Golog action language.
Edge finite elements - neural networks modelling for crosstalk in electronic printed circuit boards

The Hopfield Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithm is combined with the vector Finite Element Method (FEM) from the standpoint of the topological analogy between FEM and ANN. The ANN and FEM are combined as follows: the neurons are arranged on all the corresponding FEM elements, and the synaptic weights of each neuron are predetermined using FEM's formulation. The unknown inputs of the network are updated using the Back-Propagation (BP) technique, and the Conjugate-Gradient (CG) algorithm is used for training the BP network. To show the validity of the method, the cross-talk interference and cutoff frequencies of the printed circuit board (PCB) are computed using this technique and compared with the analytical solutions. A MATLAB computer program is written to implement the method.
Eavesdropping attack in collaborative wireless networks: Security protocols and intercept behavior

In this paper, we investigate security issues in a collaborative wireless network in the presence of eavesdropping attacks, where multiple amplify-and-forward (AF) relays are exploited to secure the message transmission between legitimate users. We first consider the multiple AF relays all participating in assisting the transmission from source to destination, which is called all-relay based collaborative transmission scheme as denoted by all-relay scheme for notational convenience. We also propose the best-relay transmission scheme in which only the single “best” relay is selected to help the source transmit messages to destination. We then analyze the intercept behavior in wireless networks and evaluate intercept probabilities of the proposed all-relay and best-relay schemes as well as the conventional direct transmission without relay in a Rayleigh fading environment. Numerical results show that the best-relay transmission scheme always outperforms the all-relay and direct transmission schemes in terms of intercept probability. It is also shown that as the number of eavesdroppers increases, the intercept probabilities of both all-relay and best-relay schemes increase. Moreover, the intercept probability performance of all-relay and best-relay schemes significantly improves with an increasing number of relays, implying the advantage of exploiting multiple relays against eavesdropping attacks.
Steps Towards Creating a Context-Aware Software Agent System

contextaware, software agents, CoolTown, CoolAgent The ability to reason from context is crucial to human communication. It allows a large amount of implicit information to be conveyed with a small amount of explicit description. If the same kind of ability can be provided to software agents, then these agents, even with little built-in knowledge, can adjust their behaviors according to the available implicit information in the environment.
SH3 Domain Unfolding Pathway Studied by Protein Contact Network Model

The approach of complex networks has provided one powerful tool to understand how proteins consistently fold into their native-state structures and the relevance of structure to their function. In this study, a coarse-grained complex network model called Protein Contact Network (PCN) is employed to study the unfolding process of SH3 domain, and the change of the network parameters associated with the conformational changes was analyzed on the SH3 unfolding pathway. The results show that the average clustering coefficient is less sensitive to the structural change, however the average shortest path lengths can examine the larger structural changes. Betweenness parameters, which characterize the geometrical properties of hydrophobic cores and folding nucleus residues, are shown out by the significant maximum values of native and transition state in the networks, respectively. It is easy to distinguish the folding nucleus from other residues by the betweenness of the transition state network, and it is easy to identify the hydrophobic core regions with the betweenness of the native state network. The results indicate that the unfolding of SH3 is mainly exhibited as the decrease of the long-rang links, and both the hydrophobic core and folding nucleus of the protein become derogated from its native state to the denature state. The hydrophobic collapse model and nucleation condensation model become reconciled in this work.