Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reduction of circulating soluble Flt-1 alleviates preeclampsia-like symptoms in a mouse model

Preeclampsia (PE) is characterized by widespread endothelial damage with hypertension, proteinuria, glomeruloendotheliosis and elevated soluble Flt‐1 (sFlt‐1), a natural occurring antagonist of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Cancer patients receiving anti‐VEGF therapy exhibit similar symptoms. We suggested that a decrease in circulating sFlt‐1 would alleviate the symptoms associated with PE. Adenoviral (Adv) overexpression of sFlt‐1 induced proteinuria, caused glomerular damage and increase in blood pressure in female Balb/c mice. Circulating level of sFlt‐1 above 50 ng/ml plasma induced severe vascular damage and glomerular endotheliosis. Albumin concentration in urine was elevated up to 30‐fold, compared to control AdvGFP‐treated animals. The threshold of kidney damage was in the range of 20–30 ng/ml sFlt‐1 in plasma (8–15 ng/ml in urine). Co‐administration of AdvsFlt‐1 with AdvVEGF to neutralize circulating sFlt‐1 resulted in more than a 70% reduction in free sFlt‐1 in plasma, more than 80% reduction in urine and rescued the damaging effect of sFlt‐1 on the kidneys. This demonstrates that below a critical threshold sFlt‐1 fails to elicit damage to the fenestrated endothelium and that co‐expression of VEGF is able to rescue effects mediated by sFlt‐1 overexpression.
Separable features of visual cortical plasticity revealed by N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor 2A signaling

How individual receptive field properties are formed in the maturing sensory neocortex remains largely unknown. The shortening of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor currents by 2A subunit (NR2A) insertion has been proposed to delimit the critical period for experience-dependent refinement of circuits in visual cortex. In mice engineered to maintain prolonged NMDA responses by targeted deletion of NR2A, the sensitivity to monocular deprivation was surprisingly weakened but restricted to the typical critical period and delayed normally by dark rearing from birth. Orientation preference instead failed to mature, occluding further effects of dark rearing. Interestingly, a full ocular dominance plasticity (but not orientation bias) was selectively restored by enhanced inhibition, reflecting an imbalanced excitation in the absence of NR2A. Many of the downstream pathways involved in NMDA signaling are coupled to the receptor through a variety of protein–protein interactions and adaptor molecules. To further investigate a mechanistic dissociation of receptive field properties in the developing visual system, mice carrying a targeted disruption of the NR2A-associated 95-kDa postsynaptic density (PSD95) scaffolding protein were analyzed. Although the development and plasticity of ocular dominance was unaffected, orientation preference again failed to mature in these mice. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the cellular basis generating individual sensory response properties is separable in the developing neocortex.
An augmented reality system for earthquake disaster response

The paper describes the augmented reality system (ARS) developed as part of a disaster management tool of the Collaborative Research Centre 461 (CRC461) at the Universität Karlsruhe (TH). An ARS superposes an image of reality with a virtual image that extends the visible scenery of reality. Its use in the context of disaster management is to represent different invisible disaster-relevant information (humans hidden by debris, simulations of damages and measures) and overlay it with the image of reality. The design of such a system is a challenge in many ways, since the system integrates different methods like mapping, photogrammetry, inertial navigation and differential GPS. The paper introduces into the problems of earthquake disaster response and motivates the use of an ARS. It describes the used hardware components and discusses the data available and necessary for the system to be operational under real conditions. The main methods required to construct and use the system are explained. The achieved results are given and examined. Finally, some conclusions are drawn and suggestions for future work are given.
How to Effectively Display Surface Properties Using an Integrated Tactile Display System

In this paper, we suggest a mouse-type integrated tactile display system that provides kinesthetic force, distributed pressure, vibration and skin stretch. The system consists of two parts: a 2-DOF force feedback mechanism for kinesthetic force display and a tactile display part for providing normal stimulation to the skin and the lateral skin stretch. A tactile display device, using eight piezoelectric bimorphs and a linear actuator, is fabricated and attached to a 2-DOF translational force feedback device to simultaneously simulate the texture and stiffness of the object. The developed system was adopted as a test bed to study the factors affecting perception of surface properties. We investigate three things: effective stimulating methods, limitation of surface discrimination based on kinesthetic force and the effectiveness of combining kinesthetic force feedback with tactile feedback. Seven kinds of stimulating methods are investigated to study effective methods in simulating texture. In addition, in order to find out the role of skin stretch during perceiving texture, the discernment abilities of active touch (rubbing), laterally-active-display and moving-wave-form have been compared.
A FLEXIBLE MULTISTATE DEMAND SYSTEM BASED ON INDIRECT SEPARABILITY Introduction

The notion of indirect separability is exploited to derive a new multistage demand system. The model allows a consistent parameterization of demand relations at various budgeting stages and it fulfills the requirement of flexibility while satisfying separability globally. Two propositions are derived to characterize flexible and separable functional forms, which lead to the specification of a flexible and separable translog (FAST) demand system. The model is particularly attractive for modeling large complete demand systems, and is illustrated with an application to Canadian food demand. JEL codes: D11, D12, C51. A FLEXIBLE MULTISTATE DEMAND SYSTEM BASED ON INDIRECT SEPARABILITY Introduction To be useful for most policy analysis applications, demand systems need to be specified in terms of disaggregated commodities based on relevant conditioning variables, i.e., usually one needs to specify a large complete demand system. If, at the same time, one wants to use parametric specifications that are not too constraining, such as standard "flexible functional forms" (FFF), then the data requirement may be prohibitive. A workable solution of this problem entails imposing restrictions on the problem solved by consumers, typically by assuming a separable structure for consumer preferences (Blackorby, Primont and Russell 1978). 1 In particular, certain separability conditions allow the consumer’s expenditure allocation problem to satisfy two-stage (multistage) budgeting rules. As shown by Gorman (1959), a simplified twostage budgeting is possible under two alternative conditions: homothetic weak separability of the direct utility function, or strong separability (block additivity) of the direct utility function with group subutility functions, the dual of which have the so-called generalized Gorman polar form (GGPF). Such "perfect price aggregation" conditions underlie a number of multistage complete demand systems. Models relying on strong separability cum GGPF include Brown and Heien (1972), Blackorby, Boyce and Russell (1978), Anderson (1979), and Yen and Roe (1989). Homothetic weak separability was used by Jorgenson, Slesnick and Stoker (1997). 2 Because the conditions for perfect price aggregation are often deemed too restrictive in empirical applications, attempts have been made to model demand based on the hypothesis of direct weak separability only. Although direct weak separability (DWS), per se, is neither necessary nor sufficient for standard two-stage budgeting, it does provide the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of conditional (second-stage) demand functions defined only on group prices and group expenditure allocations (Pollak 1971). Because such conditional demand functions typically depend on a small set of variables (data on which is easily found for
A context-aware and location prediction framework for dynamic environments

Context based dynamic adaptation of autonomous services and applications require the acquisition of an array of contextual information. Context dissemination mechanisms may result in network flooding, unrestricted access to private context information, and the inability of consumers to limit or personalize received context. Adapting context information disseminated to users is linked to direct contextual requests made by users. This paper describes policy- and ontology-based, context-aware system architecture. A Context Level Agreements is proposed to help deliver contextual information to users according to their needs. The paper illustrates use of the negotiation protocol through design and implementation of context-aware system architecture capable of acquiring, modeling, reasoning and disseminating context through ontologies.
Copula-Dependent Defaults in Intensity Models

In this paper we present a new approach to incorporate dynamic default dependency in intensity-based default risk models. The model uses an arbitrary default dependency structure which is specified by the Copula of the times of default, this is combined with individual intensity-based models for the defaults of the obligors without loss of the calibration of the individual default-intensity models. The dynamics of the survival probabilities and credit spreads of individual obligors are derived and it is shown that in situations with positive dependence, the default of one obligor causes the credit spreads of the other obligors to jump upwards, as it is experienced empirically in situations with credit contagion. For the Clayton copula these jumps are proportional to the pre-default intensity. If information about other obligors is excluded, the model reduces to a standard intensity model for a single obligor, thus greatly facilitating its calibration. To illustrate the results they are also presented for Archimedean copulae in general, and Gumbel and Clayton copulae in particular. Furthermore it is shown how the default correlation can be calibrated to a Gaussian dependency structure of CreditMetrics-type.
Comparative study of price-based resource allocation algorithms for ad hoc networks

As mobile ad hoc networks provide a wide range of possibly critical services, providing quality of service guarantees becomes an essential element. Yet there is a limited understanding of the performance characteristics of different resource allocation algorithms. In particular, there is little work that comparatively studies different algorithms in the same traffic environment. Therefore we study two algorithms, ad hoc-TARA and an algorithm based on the gradient projection method, for optimised bandwidth allocation in ad hoc networks under overload situations. The focus is on convergence properties and performance measured in terms of accumulated utility. The simulation results show that the gradient projection algorithm converges to an optimal solution even in large, dynamic networks, but that in such dynamic environments the convergence time can significantly influence the overall performance. In comparison, the near-optimal algorithm ad hoc-TARA, which quickly adapts to changes in the state of the network, can exhibit superior performance. Further we illustrate how different parameter settings influence the performance of the algorithms. We conclude that finding an optimal allocation comes at a high price in the rapidly changing environments of ad hoc networks and that near-optimal allocation can be an ample alternative
Practical Combinatorial Interaction Testing: Empirical Findings on Efficiency and Early Fault Detection

Combinatorial interaction testing (CIT) is important because it tests the interactions between the many features and parameters that make up the configuration space of software systems. Simulated Annealing (SA) and Greedy Algorithms have been widely used to find CIT test suites. From the literature, there is a widely-held belief that SA is slower, but produces more effective tests suites than Greedy and that SA cannot scale to higher strength coverage. We evaluated both algorithms on seven real-world subjects for the well-studied two-way up to the rarely-studied six-way interaction strengths. Our findings present evidence to challenge this current orthodoxy: real-world constraints allow SA to achieve higher strengths. Furthermore, there was no evidence that Greedy was less effective (in terms of time to fault revelation) compared to SA; the results for the greedy algorithm are actually slightly superior. However, the results are critically dependent on the approach adopted to constraint handling. Moreover, we have also evaluated a genetic algorithm for constrained CIT test suite generation. This is the first time strengths higher than 3 and constraint handling have been used to evaluate GA. Our results show that GA is competitive only for pairwise testing for subjects with a small number of constraints.
Efficient classification mechanism for network intrusion detection system based on data mining techniques: A survey

In spite of growing information system widely, security has remained one hard-hitting area for computers as well as networks. In information protection, Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is used to safeguard the data confidentiality, integrity and system availability from various types of attacks. Data mining is an efficient artifice applied to intrusion detection to ascertain a new outline from the massive network data as well as it used to reduce the strain of the manual compilations of the normal and abnormal behavior patterns. This piece of writing reviews the present state of data mining techniques and compares various data mining techniques used to implement an intrusion detection system such as, Support Vector Machine, Genetic Algorithm, Neural network, Fuzzy Logic, Bayesian Classifier, K-Nearest Neighbor and decision tree Algorithms by highlighting a advantage and disadvantages of each of the techniques.
Lethal Effect of Rickettsia rickettsiion Its Tick Vector (Dermacentor andersoni)

ABSTRACT Rickettsia rickettsii, the causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, was lethal for the majority of experimentally and transovarially infected Rocky Mountain wood ticks (Dermacentor andersoni). Overall, 94.1% of nymphs infected as larvae by feeding on rickettsemic guinea pigs died during the molt into adults and 88.3% of adult female ticks infected as nymphs died prior to feeding. In contrast, only 2.8% of uninfected larvae failed to develop into adults over two generations. Infected female ticks incubated at 4°C had a lower mortality (80.9%) than did those held at 21°C (96.8%). Rickettsiae were vertically transmitted to 39.0% of offspring, and significantly fewer larvae developed from infected ticks. The lethal effect of R. rickettsii may explain the low prevalence of infected ticks in nature and affect its enzootic maintenance.
The Impact of Online, Reverse Auctions on Buyer-supplier Relationships the Impact of Online, Reverse Auctions on Buyer-supplier Relationships the Impact of Online, Reverse Auctions on Buyer-supplier Relationships

Increasingly, buyers are turning to the use of online, reverse auctions in their negotiation activities with suppliers. How does the use of these price competition mechanisms impact buyer-supplier relationships? We consider this question in the context of a quasi-experiment involving six reverse auctions conducted in the supply base of a major industrial buyer. The results indicate that online, reverse auctions increase both new and incumbent suppliers' beliefs that the buyer would act opportunistically toward the supplier, particularly when open bid auctions are used. Paradoxically, the supplier's response to online auctions is to increase its willingness to make dedicated investments toward the buyer; this is true of both new and incumbent suppliers regardless of the auction type. Although these auctions can yield cost-savings, the savings are category specific and not systematically related to an open or sealed bid format. Implications for the use of reverse auctions in industrial sourcing activities are discussed.
A T42A Ran mutation: differential interactions with effectors and regulators, and defect in nuclear protein import.

Ran, the small, predominantly nuclear GTPase, has been implicated in the regulation of a variety of cellular processes including cell cycle progression, nuclear-cytoplasmic trafficking of RNA and protein, nuclear structure, and DNA synthesis. It is not known whether Ran functions directly in each process or whether many of its roles may be secondary to a direct role in only one, for example, nuclear protein import. To identify biochemical links between Ran and its functional target(s), we have generated and examined the properties of a putative Ran effector mutation, T42A-Ran. T42A-Ran binds guanine nucleotides as well as wild-type Ran and responds as well as wild-type Ran to GTP or GDP exchange stimulated by the Ran-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor, RCC1. T42A-Ran.GDP also retains the ability to bind p10/NTF2, a component of the nuclear import pathway. In contrast to wild-type Ran, T42A-Ran.GTP binds very weakly or not detectably to three proposed Ran effectors, Ran-binding protein 1 (RanBP1), Ran-binding protein 2 (RanBP2, a nucleoporin), and karyopherin beta (a component of the nuclear protein import pathway), and is not stimulated to hydrolyze bound GTP by Ran GTPase-activating protein, RanGAP1. Also in contrast to wild-type Ran, T42A-Ran does not stimulate nuclear protein import in a digitonin permeabilized cell assay and also inhibits wild-type Ran function in this system. However, the T42A mutation does not block the docking of karyophilic substrates at the nuclear pore. These properties of T42A-Ran are consistent with its classification as an effector mutant and define the exposed region of Ran containing the mutation as a probable effector loop.
“Connection Is the Antidote”: Psychological Distress, Emotional Processing, and Virtual Community Building Among LGBTQ Students After the Orlando Shooting

Scholars have called for increased research on the process by which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people cope with stigma and hate-related incidents. Homophobic hate crimes, for example, may have a ripple effect within the LGBTQ community, in which individuals beyond the immediate victim experience psychological distress and, in some cases, vicarious traumatization. The present case study examines the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses of LGBTQ individuals to the 2016 Orlando mass shooting, an event conceptualized as an anti-LGBTQ hate crime. On the day of the Orlando shooting, a group of graduate students who were connected through a listserv related to sexual orientation and gender diversity received a prompt intended to facilitate open discussion and emotional processing regarding the Orlando shooting. Thirty-three LGBTQ psychology graduate students participated in the virtual discussion. The content within this conversation thread was reviewed and organized into six thematic categories: (1) emotional distress, (2) personal significance of the event, (3) feelings of in-group isolation and community connectedness, (4) self-care and coping strategies, (5) the need for action, and (6) expressions of gratitude for the discussion forum. Implications are discussed in light of literature on community reactions to hate-motivated violence, virtual community support, and LGBTQ coping strategies.
HIPASS Detection of an Intergalactic Gas Cloud in the NGC 2442 Group

We report the discovery from the H I Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS) of a gas cloud associated with the asymmetric spiral galaxy NGC 2442. This object, designated HIPASS J0731-69, contains ~109 M☉ of H I, or nearly one-third as much atomic gas as NGC 2442 itself. No optical counterpart to any part of HIPASS J0731-69 has yet been identified, consistent with the gas being diffuse and its streamlike kinematics. If the gas in HIPASS J0731-69 was once part of NGC 2442, then it was most likely a fairly recent tidal encounter with a moderately massive companion that tore it loose, although the possibility of ram-pressure stripping cannot be ruled out. This discovery highlights the potential of the HIPASS data for yielding new clues to the nature of some of the best-known galaxies in the local universe.
Contrasting physiological responses of six eucalyptus species to water deficit.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The genus Eucalyptus occupies a broad ecological range, forming the dominant canopy in many Australian ecosystems. Many Eucalyptus species are renowned for tolerance to aridity, yet inter-specific variation in physiological traits, particularly water relations parameters, contributing to this tolerance is weakly characterized only in a limited taxonomic range. The study tests the hypothesis that differences in the distribution of Eucalyptus species is related to cellular water relations. METHODS Six eucalypt species originating from (1) contrasting environments for aridity and (2) diverse taxonomic groups were grown in pots and subjected to the effects of water deficit over a 10-week period. Water potential, relative water content and osmotic parameters were analysed by using pressure-volume curves and related to gas exchange, photosynthesis and biomass. KEY RESULTS The six eucalypt species differed in response to water deficit. Most significantly, species from high rainfall environments (E. obliqua, E. rubida) and the phreatophyte (E. camaldulensis) had lower osmotic potential under water deficit via accumulation of cellular osmotica (osmotic adjustment). In contrast, species from low rainfall environments (E. cladocalyx, E. polyanthemos and E. tricarpa) had lower osmotic potential through a combination of both constitutive solutes and osmotic adjustment, combined with reductions in leaf water content. CONCLUSIONS It is demonstrated that osmotic adjustment is a common response to water deficit in six eucalypt species. In addition, significant inter-specific variation in osmotic potential correlates with species distribution in environments where water is scarce. This provides a physiological explanation for aridity tolerance and emphasizes the need to identify osmolytes that accumulate under stress in the genus Eucalyptus.