Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The human ABCG1 gene: identification of LXR response elements that modulate expression in macrophages and liver Published, JLR Papers in Press, July 16, 2005. DOI 10.1194/jlr.M500080-JLR200

The ABC transporter ABCG1 (ATP binding cassette transporter G1), expressed in macrophages, liver, and other tissues, has been implicated in the efflux of cholesterol to high density lipoprotein. The ABCG1 gene is transcriptionally activated by cholesterol loading and activators of liver X receptors (LXRs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs) through genomic sequences that have not been fully characterized. Here we show that ABCG1 mRNA is induced by LXR agonists in RAW264.7 macrophage cells, HepG2 hepatoma cells, and primary mouse hepatocytes. We identify two evolutionarily highly conserved LXR response elements (LXREs), LXRE-A and LXRE-B, located in the first and second introns of the human ABCG1 gene. Each element conferred robust LXR-agonist responsiveness to ABCG1 promoter-directed luciferase gene constructs in RAW264.7 and HepG2 cells. Overexpression of LXR/RXR activated the ABCG1 promoter in the presence of LXRE-A or LXRE-B sequences. In gel-shift assays, LXR/RXR heterodimers bound to wild-type but not to mutated LXRE-A and LXRE-B sequences. In chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, LXR and RXR were detected at LXRE-A and -B regions of DNA of human THP-1 macrophages. These studies clarify the mechanism of transcriptional upregulation of the ABCG1 gene by oxysterols in macrophages and liver, two key tissues where ABCG1 expression may affect cholesterol balance and atherogenesis.
Zero Overhead Java Thread Migration

The wide diffusion of Java is partly due to its mechanisms for mobile computing. Java provides most of the functions required to implement mobile applications, essentially code mobility (i.e., dynamic class loading) and data mobility (i.e., object serialization). However, Java does not provide any mechanism for the mobility of the computation (i.e., threads migration). Several projects have addressed the issue of Java thread migration- , e.g.,Sumatra, Wasp, JavaGo, Brakes, CIA. Most of these projects have attempted to minimize the overhead incurred by the migration mechanisms on applications performance, but none of them has been able to completely avoid this overhead. We propose a Java thread migration mechanism that does not incur any performance overhead on migratory threads. In this report, we present the design choices which allowed us to cancel the performance overhead, and we describe the implementation of our thread migration prototype in Sun Microsystems' JDK. We report on the experimental results that confirm the elimination of the performance overhead.
Research on FFT-Based Large Integers Multiplication

The most common use for fast Fourier transform is in high speed signal processing, encryption algorithms and other fields, which use the properties of primitive complex nth root of unity in complex number field. In order to implement the FFT-based large integers multiplication arithmetic whose time complexity is O(nlogn), this paper discusses how to select the primitive nth root of unity for FFT-based large integers multiplication under modulo-p arithmetic, where p is a prime or a composite number, further more, some related proofs which the primitive nth root of unit satisfies the condition of discrete Fourier transform(DFT) and its inverse are given too.
Intergenerational Predictors of Birth Weight in the Philippines: Correlations with Mother’s and Father’s Birth Weight and Test of Maternal Constraint

Background Birth weight (BW) predicts many health outcomes, but the relative contributions of genes and environmental factors to BW remain uncertain. Some studies report stronger mother-offspring than father-offspring BW correlations, with attenuated father-offspring BW correlations when the mother is stunted. These findings have been interpreted as evidence that maternal genetic or environmental factors play an important role in determining birth size, with small maternal size constraining paternal genetic contributions to offspring BW. Here we evaluate mother-offspring and father-offspring birth weight (BW) associations and evaluate whether maternal stunting constrains genetic contributions to offspring birth size. Methods/Principal Findings Data include BW of offspring (n = 1,101) born to female members (n = 382) and spouses of male members (n = 275) of a birth cohort (born 1983–84) in Metropolitan Cebu, Philippines. Regression was used to relate parental and offspring BW adjusting for confounders. Resampling testing was used to evaluate whether false paternity could explain any evidence for excess matrilineal inheritance. In a pooled model adjusting for maternal height and confounders, parental BW was a borderline-significantly stronger predictor of offspring BW in mothers compared to fathers (sex of parent interaction p = 0.068). In separate multivariate models, each kg in mother’s and father’s BW predicted a 271±53 g (p<0.00001) and 132±55 g (p = 0.017) increase in offspring BW, respectively. Resampling statistics suggested that false paternity rates of >25% and likely 50% would be needed to explain these differences. There was no interaction between maternal stature and maternal BW (interaction p = 0.520) or paternal BW (p = 0.545). Conclusions/Significance Each kg change in mother’s BW predicted twice the change in offspring BW as predicted by a change in father’s BW, consistent with an intergenerational maternal effect on offspring BW. Evidence for excess matrilineal BW heritability at all levels of maternal stature points to indirect genetic, mitochondrial, or epigenetic maternal contributions to offspring fetal growth.
Ideologias, contradições e mistificações da colonização de Angola no século XX

L'inadequation des theses du lusotropicalisme pour rendre compte des realites de la colonisation de l'Angola au XX e siecle, theses propagees avec insistance sous Salazar a partir des annees 1950 et qui sont sous-jacentes aujourd'hui encore a des positions d'ex-colonises et d'ex-colonisateurs, meme parmi les milieux universitaires, est mise en lumiere par une analyse historique concrete des ideologies coloniales, des doctrines, des politiques et des pratiques sociales. Celle-ci met en evidence l'inexistence d'une « essence specifique » de la colonisation au vu de ses grandes differences selon le temps et l'espace, et montre la domination d'un ideologie fondee sur l'idee de la superiorite raciale, la realite d'une politique visant jusqu'aux annees 60 moins a l'assimilation qu'a la segregation (statut de l'indigenat, discrimination des Noirs et metis reconnus comme »civilises »), la faiblesse de la « portugalisation » vantee (diffusion tardive et limitee de la langue portugaise, importance des missions etrangeres, notamment protestantes, dans l'education), et oppose au mythe du non-racisme portugais la situation des metis et les attitudes coloniales a leur egard.
Representing and Detecting Geons by Joint Statistics of Steerable Pyramid Decomposition ∗

We present a parametric method to represent and detect geons. The parameters are extracted from joint statistical constraints defined on complex wavelet transform. We first review how steerable pyramid may be used in multi-scale multi-orientation image decomposition. Then, four stages of object recognition theory is adopted to support the choice of joint statistical constraints, which characterize geons in a high dimensional parameter space. This parametric representation is examined in detail under circumstances when geons change in orientation, location, and size. Constraint-wise similarity is introduced to describe the corresponding statistics variations. Finally, we present details of a geon detection system, and demonstrate successful experimental results as well as system limitations.
Computation of parametric barrier functions for dynamical systems using interval analysis

The formal verification of safety properties for hybrid systems is an important but challenging problem. Recently, barrier functions have been introduced to prove safety without requiring the computation of the reachable set of continuous or hybrid dynamical systems. This paper presents a new approach for the construction of barrier functions for safety verification of nonlinear dynamical systems. The proposed method is based on the search for the parameters of a parametric barrier function using interval analysis. This technique allows considering complex dynamics without needing any relaxation of constraints in the barrier function.
Image Gradient Estimation with Wide Support Kernels

Gradient estimation using small support kernels is often used in edge detection algorithms. Small kernels such as Sobel and Roberts are often used in order to obtain gradient estimation in a short time. However, the limited number of samples that are used in the gradient estimation adversely affects the estimation performance under noise. Moreover, kernels larger than 3times3 cause interference of neighboring objects and localization problems. Another problem associated with small kernels is that they can not detect smooth edges. On the other hand, gradient estimation with large kernels at any image location yields better estimations due to more samples used in the computation. Also noise suppression can be handled in a better way. The goal of this paper is to devise a fuzzy topology based method that diminishes the problems of using larger kernels. The proposed method addresses the issues of interference of nearby objects and wide response area around edges for larger kennels. Results show that the proposed filter can be used instead of small support kernels since it reacts to both step and ramp edge models. Under heavy noise, topological gradient estimation is shown to perform superior to conventional gradient operators with same sizes.
A Framework for Developing and Sharing Client Reputations

Due to the open nature of the Internet, the abuse of the provided services has become widespread. Recent research has been con- ducted on behavioural profiling and reputations, mostly at the network level, to aid detection of malicious clients. We build on this research and propose a novel generalised framework for developing and globally sharing client reputations formed from behavioural histories. Promising initial simulations show a high level of success of our framework.
Computational identification of functional RNA homologs in metagenomic data

A key step toward understanding a metagenomics data set is the identification of functional sequence elements within it, such as protein coding genes and structural RNAs. Relative to protein coding genes, structural RNAs are more difficult to identify because of their reduced alphabet size, lack of open reading frames, and short length. Infernal is a software package that implements “covariance models” (CMs) for RNA homology search, which harness both sequence and structural conservation when searching for RNA homologs. Thanks to the added statistical signal inherent in the secondary structure conservation of many RNA families, Infernal is more powerful than sequence-only based methods such as BLAST and profile HMMs. Together with the Rfam database of CMs, Infernal is a useful tool for identifying RNAs in metagenomics data sets.
Indeterministic Behavior in Computing Systems and Its Possible Impact on the Digital Society

Many people have experienced computers not doing what they were expected to do or, perhaps more often, met with computers that deliver faulty results. Frequently, if not always, such behavior is blamed the lack of a complete requirements specification. In this assertion, it is tacitly understood that if a specification is correct and comprehensive enough then it is possible to avoid computing errors since the designer in those cases is able to construct a correct program whose behavior in any situation is well known: every detail in the program is known and so is its behavior. In this paper I will show that if there is a truth in such a conjecture then it is valid only for not very complicated programs. In explaining this, I will follow an interesting observation of von Neumann that there is a god deal in (formal) logic which indicates that the description of the functions of a computer (automata) is simpler than a description of the computer itself, as long as the computer is not very complicated, but when we get to high complications, the actual object is simpler than the literary description. This is not a consequence of an emergent property, like an evolving organ, but is a restriction bound up with languages and not an intrinsic property originating from physical complications. Its consequences are that with very high complexity, we can never truly know how the computer in every situation will behave. As long as computing was mostly on site, perhaps this state of things was of minor importance but with the advent of an improved Web, the, so-called, Semantic Web, this indeterminism will make a difference. There will be an element of uncertainty and it may very well be a question of confidence.
The cool atmospheres of the binary brown dwarf ε Indi B

We have imaged e Indi B, the closest brown dwarf binary known, with VISIR at the VLT in three narrow-band mid-infrared bandpasses located around 8.6 μ m, 10.5 μ m and 11.3 μ m. We are able to spatially resolve both components, and determine accurate mid-infrared photometry for both components independently. In particular, our VISIR observations probe the NH 3 feature in the atmospheres of the cooler and warmer brown dwarfs. For the first time, we can disentangle the contributions of the two components, and find that e IndiBb is in good agreement with recent “cloud-free” atmosphere models having an effective temperature of $T_\mathrm{eff} =800$ K. With an assumed age of 1 Gyr for the e Indi system, component Ba agrees more with $T_\mathrm{eff} \approx 1100$ K rather than with $T_\mathrm{eff}=1200$ K, as suggested by SPITZER spectroscopic observations of the combined e Indi B system (Roellig et al. 2004). Even higher effective temperatures appear inconsistent with our absolute photometry, as they would imply an unphysical small size of the brown dwarf e IndiBa.
Geographic Distribution of Stroke Incidence Within an Urban Population: Relations to Socioeconomic Circumstances and Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Background and Purpose Geographic differences in stroke incidence indicate a potential for prevention. The present study from the city of Malmö, Sweden, sought to investigate whether incidence of stroke in residential areas is related to prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and socioeconomic circumstances. Methods The Stroke Register in Malmö, Sweden, was used for retrieval of the 3540 patients who suffered a first stroke between 1989 and 1998. The Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort (n=28 466) was used to assess area specific prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and being overweight and for computation of a cardiovascular risk score. Socioeconomic circumstances for the 17 administrative areas were expressed in terms of a composite score. Results Standardized stroke incidence ranged among areas from 437 to 743 per 100 000 for men and from 223 to 518 per 100 000 for women. Socioeconomic score correlated significantly with area-specific stroke rates among men (r =−0.62, P =0.008) and women (r =−0.67, P =0.004). Incidence of stroke was significantly associated with cardiovascular risk score for each area (men, r =0.53, P <0.05; women, r =0.76, P <0.001). The cardiovascular score and the socioeconomic score together accounted for 44% of the geographic variance among men and 63% among women. Conclusions Marked differences occurred in stroke incidence among residential areas within this urban population. High-rate areas were characterized by a higher prevalence of smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and being overweight and by inferior socioeconomic circumstances. These risk factors accounted for a substantial proportion of the geographic variance in incidence of stroke.
Community Evolution of Social Network: Feature, Algorithm and Model

Researchers have devoted themselves to exploring static features of social networks and further discovered many representative characteristics, such as power law in the degree distribution and assortative value used to differentiate social networks from nonsocial ones. However, people are not satisfied with these achievements and more and more attention has been paid on how to uncover those dynamic characteristics of social networks, especially how to track community evolution effectively. With these interests, in the paper we firstly display some basic but dynamic features of social networks. Then on its basis, we propose a novel core-based algorithm of tracking community evolution, CommTracker, which depends on core nodes to establish the evolving relationships among communities at different snapshots. With the algorithm, we discover two unique phenomena in social networks and further propose two representative coefficients: GROWTH and METABOLISM by which we are also able to distinguish social networks from nonsocial ones from the dynamic aspect. At last, we have developed a social network model which has the capabilities of exhibiting two necessary features above.
Popularity-Based Relevance Propagation

It is evident that information resources on the World Wide Web (WWW) are growing rapidly with unpredictable rate. Under these circumstances, web search engines help users to find useful information. Ranking the retrieved results is the main challenge of every search engine. There are some ranking algorithms based on content and connectivity such as BM25 and PageRank. Due to low precision of these algorithms for ranking on the web, combinational algorithms have been proposed. Recently, relevance propagation methods as one of the salient combinational algorithms, has attracted many information retrieval (IR) researchers' attention. In these methods the content-based attributes are propagated from one page to another through web graph. In this paper, we propose a generic method for exploiting the estimated popularity degree of pages (such as their PageRank score) to improve the propagation process. Experimental results based on TREC 2003 and 2004 gathered in Microsoft LETOR 3.0 benchmark collection show that this idea can improve the precision of the corresponding models without any additional online complexity.
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization Income Attraction: an Online Dating Field Experiment

JEL classification: C93 J01 J12 Keywords: Online dating Field experiment Gender differences Matching Marriage a b s t r a c t We measured gender differences in preferences for mate income ex-ante to interaction (" income attraction ") in a field experiment on one of China's largest online dating websites. To rule out unobserved factors correlated with income as the basis of attraction, we randomly assigned income levels to 360 artificial profiles and recorded the incomes of nearly 4000 " visits " to full versions of these profiles from search engine results, which displayed abbreviated versions. We found that men of all income levels visited our female profiles of different income levels at roughly equal rates. In contrast, women of all income levels visited our male profiles with higher incomes at higher rates. Surprisingly, these higher rates increased with the women's own incomes and even jumped discontinuously when the male profiles' incomes went above that of the women's own. Our male profiles with the highest level of income received 10 times more visits than the lowest. This gender difference in ex-ante preferences for mate income could help explain marriage and spousal income patterns found in prior empirical studies.
On the Evolution of Star-forming Galaxies

The evolution in the comoving space density of the global average galaxy star formation rate (SFR) out to a redshift around unity is well established. Beyond z ≈ 1 there is growing evidence that this evolution is flat or even increasing, contrary to early indications of a turnover. Some recent analyses of z ≈ 6 photometric dropouts are suggestive of a decline from z = 3 to z ≈ 6, but there is still very little constraint on the extent of dust obscuration at such high redshifts. In less than a decade, numerous measurements of galaxy SFR density spanning z = 0 to as high as z ≈ 6 have rapidly broadened our understanding of galaxy evolution, and a summary of existing SFR density measurements is presented here. This global star formation history compilation is found to be consistent to within factors of about 3 over essentially the entire range 0 < z ≲ 6, and it can be used to constrain the evolution of the luminosity function (LF) for star-forming galaxies. The LF evolution for star-forming galaxies has been previously explored using optical source counts, as well as radio source counts at 1.4 GHz, and a well-known degeneracy between luminosity evolution [L ∝ (1 + z)Q] and density evolution [ϕ ∝ (1 + z)P] is found. Combining the constraints from the global SFR density evolution with those from the 1.4 GHz radio source counts at submillijansky levels allows this degeneracy to be broken and a best-fitting evolutionary form to be established. The preferred evolution in a H0 = 70, ΩM = 0.3, ΩΛ = 0.7 cosmology from these combined constraints is Q = 2.70 ± 0.60, P = 0.15 ± 0.60.
On the performance of multiple region reverse frequency allocation scheme in a single cell downlink heterogeneous networks

The need for small-sized and low-powered home base stations such as femtocells has increased with an escalated data demand. Since the downlink traffic is larger in magnitude than the uplink, use of femtocells provides a good solution. Femto-cells not only increase the throughput but also the overall capacity of the system while operating in the same licensed spectrum. Because of their operation in the same spectrum, interference becomes a major problem. In this paper, we study the downlink performance of a heterogeneous network by proposing a Reverse frequency allocation (RFA) scheme by dividing the cell service area into multiple regions and assign frequencies to various cell entities in such a way that the major interference is avoided. RFA scheme not only improves the spectral efficiency by utilizing the complete spectrum within one cell but also eliminates the strong interference due to macro base station on femto users.We analyze and evaluate the achievable performance of this technique for the downlink scenario. Using simulations, we show that under reasonable signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) values, multiple regions enhance the performance of users by decreasing the overall system outage probability. It is shown that a 4-region RFA scheme provides almost double performance gain over a 2-region RFA scheme for the same set of parameters.
Embryoid Body-Explant Outgrowth Cultivation from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in an Automated Closed Platform

Automation of cell culture would facilitate stable cell expansion with consistent quality. In the present study, feasibility of an automated closed-cell culture system “P 4C S” for an embryoid body- (EB-) explant outgrowth culture was investigated as a model case for explant culture. After placing the induced pluripotent stem cell- (iPSC-) derived EBs into the system, the EBs successfully adhered to the culture surface and the cell outgrowth was clearly observed surrounding the adherent EBs. After confirming the outgrowth, we carried out subculture manipulation, in which the detached cells were simply dispersed by shaking the culture flask, leading to uniform cell distribution. This enabled continuous stable cell expansion, resulting in a cell yield of 3.1 × 107. There was no evidence of bacterial contamination throughout the cell culture experiments. We herewith developed the automated cultivation platform for EB-explant outgrowth cells.