Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of Inflammatory Cytokine Production by MKP‐5 in Macrophages

Mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) include p38 MAPKs, c‐Jun N‐terminal kinases (JNKs) and Extracellular signal‐regulated kinases (ERKs), and they regulate many cell processes, such as cell division, differentiation and release of inflammatory mediators. MAPK activity is controlled by mitogen‐activated protein kinase phosphatases (MKPs), a phosphatase family with 11 members. MKP‐1 is the most studied member of MKP family, and it is one of the anti‐inflammatory factors induced by glucocorticoids. Less is known about the other MAPK phosphatases although they hold a promise as anti‐inflammatory drug targets. In this study, we investigated the effect of MKP‐5 on MAPK phosphorylation and cytokine production in J774 mouse macrophages. We used MKP‐5 siRNA and an MKP‐5 inhibitor (AS077234‐4) to modulate MKP‐5 function. We found that MKP‐5 controlled p38 MAPK phosphorylation, but not that of JNK or ERK. In addition, the production of IL‐6 and TNF was suppressed by MKP‐5 in macrophages. Our results introduce a novel concept that compounds able to enhance MKP‐5 expression and/or activity hold anti‐inflammatory potential, because MKP‐5 down‐regulates the release of inflammatory mediators by controlling p38 MAPK activity.
Modeling Sybil attacker behavior in VANETs

Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANET) is mainly designed to provide human safety, traffic management, and infotainment services. The decision how to react on information received from other vehicles always has to be made locally. This made attackers to abuse the information and it will endanger the security of the system and human lives. In VANETs Sybil attack is an identity forging attack that a malicious node impersonates several other nodes in order to disrupt the proper functioning of VANET applications. In this paper we discuss and motivate the needs for real traffic simulation with standard network simulation and explain the attack models for an individual Sybil attacker. We consider that the attack model can be changed in each traffic scenario and sophisticated movement path such as urban traffic model having a potentially high influence compared to uniform highway traffic model. Also we simulate and compare attacker models in two positions: near the source and near the destination of data packet sending. The risk analysis shows that the most serious threat arises from a Sybil attacker that distributed forged warning messages near the source of packet sending because of the number of hops between nodes.
Distinct Roles of the Rho-GTPase Associated Kinases PAK and ROCK in the Regulation of Dendritic Spines and Synaptic Plasticity

Dendritic spines are highly specialized neuronal structures that are the major postsynaptic sites for excitatory input. These actin-rich expansions are highly versatile in adapting their morphology and density towards the support of synaptic transmission and plasticity. Among the chief factors known to be crucial in the modulation of the actin cytoskele- ton, the Rho-GTPases and their associated signaling effectors are particularly important. This signaling system is involved in numerous regulatory processes, including cell morphology, structural dynamics and cell motility. Accordingly, the dis- ruption of Rho-related signaling has a profound effect on the integrity of neurons, resulting in abnormalities with neurite outgrowth, dendritic arborization, spine properties and plasticity. These perturbations can dramatically alter normal synap- tic function, including hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), resulting in cognitive defects. Additionally, Rho- GTPase-associated signaling disorders have also been implicated in numerous forms of mental retardation. Therefore, the elucidation of the underlying mechanisms involved in this pathway and their critical association with dendritic spines re- mains a major focus of research concerning the cellular basis of cognitive function. Here we will discuss our recent data obtained utilizing knockout animals deficient in the expression of PAKs (p21-activated kinases) and ROCKs (Rho- kinases), predominant protein kinases known to be directly activated by the Rho-GTPases. A downstream target for both PAKs and ROCKs, LIMKs (Lin-11, Isl-1, and Mec-3 kinase), will also be discussed. While it is evident that these kinase families all serve towards spine and synaptic regulation, their individual roles in the achievement of this goal may be quite different.
Backlash, Consensus, Legitimacy, or Polarization

What are the effects of judicial action and policy implementation on attitude change? The previous literature indicates that attitudes may change, but there is some debate about its direction. According to some theories, legislation or litigation should strike a backlash, resulting in greater disapproval of the issue. Other perspectives contend that these acts reflect consensus, legitimate, or polarize the issue. We analyze panel data on attitudes toward same-sex marriage and feelings toward lesbians and gay men. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court made historic decisions on same-sex marriage, and residents in some states had same-sex marriage legalized. Given this variation, we decompose the multiple pathways attitudes change among residents in different policy contexts over time. We find that residents of states that had same-sex marriage policy introduced had the greatest reduction of anti-gay attitudes. We consider consensus and legitimacy as most applicable and provide minimal indication of backlash or polarization.
MIND: A Distributed Multi-Dimensional Indexing System for Network Diagnosis

Detecting coordinated attacks on Internet resources requires a distributed network monitoring infrastructure. Such an infrastructure will have two logically distinct elements: distributed monitors that continuously collect traffic information, and a distributed query system that allows network operators to efficiently correlate information from different monitors in order to detect anomalous traffic patterns. In this paper, we discuss the design and implementation of MIND, a distributed index management system that supports the creation and querying of multiple distributed indices. We validate MIND using traffic traces from two large backbone networks, then examine the performance of a MIND prototype on more than 100 PlanetLab machines. Our experiments show that MIND can detect and report network anomalies in about one second on an inter-continental backbone. We also analyze the efficiency of our load balancing mechanism and evaluate the robustness of MIND to node failure.
Static guarantees for coordinated components : a statically typed composition model for stream-processing networks

Does your program do what it is supposed to be doing? Without running the program providing an answer to this question is much harder if the language does not support static type checking. Of course, even if compile-time checks are in place only certain errors will be detected: compilers can only second-guess the programmer’s intention. But, type based techniques go a long way in assisting programmers to detect errors in their computations earlier on. The question if a program behaves correctly is even harder to answer if the program consists of several parts that execute concurrently and need to communicate with each other. Compilers of standard programming languages are typically unable to infer information about how the parts of a concurrent program interact with each other, especially where explicit threading or message passing techniques are used. Hence, correctness guarantees are often conspicuously absent. Concurrency management in an application is a complex problem. However, it is largely orthogonal to the actual computational functionality that a program realises. Because of this orthogonality, the problem can be considered in isolation. The largest possible separation between concurrency and functionality is achieved if a dedicated language is used for concurrency management, i.e. an additional program manages the concurrent execution and interaction of the computational tasks of the original program. Such an approach does not only help programmers to focus on the core functionality and on the exploitation of concurrency independently, it also allows for a specialised analysis mechanism geared towards concurrency-related properties. This dissertation shows how an approach that completely decouples coordination from computation is a very supportive substrate for inferring static guarantees of the correctness of concurrent programs. Programs are described as streaming networks connecting independent components that implement the computations of the program, where the network describes the dependencies and interactions between components. A coordination program only requires an abstract notion of computation inside the components and may therefore be used as a generic and reusable design pattern for coordination. A type-based inference and checking mechanism analyses such streaming networks and provides comprehensive guarantees of the consistency and behaviour of coordination programs. Concrete implementations of components are deliberately left out of the scope of coordination programs: Components may be implemented in an external language, for example C, to provide the desired computational functionality. Based on this separation, a concise semantic framework allows for step-wise interpretation of coordination programs without requiring concrete implementations of their components. The framework also provides clear guidance for the implementation of the language. One such implementation is presented and hands-on examples demonstrate how the language is used in practice.
Adaptive Identification and Control of Hysteresis in Smart Material Actuators

Abstract : Hysteresis exhibited by smart materials hinders their wider applicability in actuators and sensors. In this paper methods are studied for recursive identification and adaptive inverse control of smart material actuators, where a Preisach operator with a piecewise uniform density function is used to model the hysteresis. Persistent excitation conditions for parameter convergence are discussed in terms of the input to the Preisach operator. Two classes of recursive identification schemes are explored, one based on the hysteresis output, the other based on the time difference of the output. Asymptotic tracking for the adaptive inverse control method is proved, and the condition for parameter convergence is given in terms of the reference trajectory. Practical implementation issues are also investigated. Simulation and experimental results based on a magnetostrictive actuator are used to illustrate the approach.
TWIGY A Topological Algorithm Based Routing System

A two-level approach to routing is described, in which a multi-layer printed circuit board routing problem is broken down into a set of single-layer ones. A topological transformation is then applied to accomplish single-layer routing. A solution found for each layer by a search in this new domain is then translated back into physical space by means of a deterministic drawing algorithm. The algorithms are independent of specific technological parameters, affording their use on a variety of board routing grids, pad diameters and wire sizes.
Thyroid Hormones Stimulate Erythropoiesis in Vitro

Thyroid hormones have important effects on erythropoiesis in man and animals. We performed in vitro culture studies with murine and human bone marrow in order to define the interaction of these hormones with erythroid and granulocyte‐monocyte progenitor cells. The methylcellulose clonogenic assay was used with the appropriate addition of erythropoietin or colony‐stimulating activity. L‐Thyroxine, D‐thyroxine and L‐triiodothyronine potentiated erythropoietin‐stimulated erythroid colony formation in concentrations of 50–100 ng/ml. These hormones had no effect on granulocyte‐monocyte colony formation at concentrations up to 500 ng/ml. Testing of various thyroid analogues showed no clear correlation between potentiation of erythropoiesis and known calorigenic potency. Reverse triiodothyronine also had potentiating activity in this system. The active thyroid hormones stimulated erythroid colony formation at several concentrations of erythropoietin but could not substitute for erythropoietin. These data suggest that thyroid hormones have a direct effect on erythroid precursor proliferative capacity, a finding which may have relevance to the mechanism of erythropoietic dysfunction in human thyroid disease.
Anti-fat bias by professors teaching physical education majors

Anti-fat bias by professors in physical education departments may interfere with the training provided to pre-service teachers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of professors in physical education departments toward obese individuals. Professors from randomly selected institutions across all four US regions participated in the study (N = 94). Participants took the Implicit Association Test and answered the Anti-Fat Attitude Scale and two questions specifically designed to measure their attitudes toward physical education teachers and majors who are obese. The participants exhibited implicit good–bad (p < .001) and lazy–motivated (p < .001) anti-fat biases. Professors favored accepting majors who are obese (p < .001), but they strongly disapproved of obese physical education teachers as role models to their students (p < .001). Explicit anti-fat bias was associated with a stronger disapproval of physical education teachers who are obese as role models to students (p < .001) and accepting majors who are obese (p < .001). Implicit good–bad anti-fat bias was associated with a stronger disapproval of obese physical education teachers as role models to students (p = .047). The anti-fat bias demonstrated by the professors may negatively affect the training of pre-service physical education teachers to work with students of all body sizes. Awareness programs may be necessary to diminish anti-fat bias among professors in physical education teacher education programs.
Juvenile Huntington disease: CT and MR features.

PURPOSE To describe the clinical and radiologic manifestations of juvenile Huntington disease and to determine whether adult imaging criteria for Huntington disease are helpful for pediatric patients. METHODS Six patients (3 to 18 years of age; mean age, 9.8 +/- 5.6 years; 3 female, 3 male) with juvenile Huntington disease were studied with CT (n = 6) and/or MR (n = 3). CT and MR studies were evaluated for frontal horn distance/intercaudate distance and bicaudate ratios, which were compared with those of 24 age-matched healthy children and 12 age-matched patients with Leigh (n = 9) or Wilson (n = 3) disease. RESULTS Atrophy of the caudate nuclei was identified in all Huntington patients. The frontal horn distance/intercaudate distance (1.64 +/- 0.39) and bicaudate (0.205 +/- 0.060) ratios of the patients with juvenile Huntington disease were found to be significantly different from those of healthy children and that of those patients with Leigh/Wilson disease. The 3 patients with Huntington disease who underwent MR evaluation were noted to have increased proton density- and T2-weighted signal in the caudate nuclei and putamina. CONCLUSION As in adult patients, the use of frontal horn distance/intercaudate distance and bicaudate ratios are helpful for the diagnosis of Huntington disease in pediatric patients. On MR, increased proton density- and T2-weighted signal in the atrophic caudate nuclei and putamina are additional features of juvenile Huntington disease.
The role of affective orientation in the five factor personality structure

This study examined how Affective Orientation (AO) is positioned within the Five Factor model of personality to impact communication processes. Being emotionally guided by one's emotions should not be redundant with the lexically‐driven factors, but should demonstrate conceptual overlap in appropriate areas, a prediction which was confirmed. AO related only to Extraversion and Neuroticism (n=234) but not to Conscientiousness, Openness, or Agreeableness. Importantly the Five Factor model accounted for 20% of the AO variance, and AO demonstrated factorial independence, suggesting that Affective Orientation is best described at the facet level of the Five Factor model. Females scored significantly higher than males on AO, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness.
Duodenal bicarbonate secretion: eradication of Helicobacter pylori and duodenal structure and function in humans.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Eradication of Helicobacter pylori expedites duodenal ulcer healing and prevents recurrences. Most patients with duodenal ulcers have impaired proximal duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion (DMBS). In patients with inactive, healed duodenal ulcers and normal subjects, the effect of H. pylori infection on DMBS and proximal duodenal secretory function and structure were examined. METHODS DMBS was quantitated before and after eradication of H. pylori. Mucosal structure (duodenal bulb histopathology) and function (DMBS at rest and stimulated, effect of active vs. healed ulcer and of age) were determined in patients with duodenal ulcers and normal subjects. RESULTS In patients with duodenal ulcers, H. pylori eradication normalized proximal DMBS. Histological examination of duodenal biopsy samples was comparable in patients with duodenal ulcers and normal subjects without apparent relationship between inflammation and DMBS. Significantly impaired DMBS occurred in response to all agonists tested (luminal acid, prostaglandin E2, and cephalic-vagal stimulation) in patients with duodenal ulcers, suggesting a generalized secretory defect. Neither the presence of active (vs.inactive) ulcer nor age significantly affected bicarbonate secretion. CONCLUSIONS In patients with duodenal ulcers, eradication of H. pylori normalized proximal DMBS and may thereby reduce ulcer recurrences. Altered DMBS in patients with duodenal ulcers was unrelated to histopathologic abnormalities. Impaired bicarbonate secretion in patients with duodenal ulcers could be caused by a cellular and/or physiological regulatory transport defect possibly related to H. pylori.
Treating azotemia-induced anemia with erythropoietin improves diabetic eye disease.

BACKGROUND Coincidental with the pandemic growth of diabetes as the prime cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), blindness attributable to diabetic retinopathy has become a major concern for all those involved in the care of diabetic ESRD patients. Vision loss is linked to progression of proliferative retinopathy and macular edema. METHODS Extracted from a study of azotemic anemic pre-ESRD patients treated with erythropoietin, a cohort of five diabetic subjects was reassessed in terms of stability of renal function, changes in blood rheology, and course of diabetic eye disease. RESULTS All subjects reported subjective improvement in well-being, including enhanced effort tolerance following an increase in hematocrit from a baseline level of to 29.6 +/- 2.0% to a level of 39.5 +/- 2.4% after one year of treatment with erythropoietin (P = <0.0005). Neither hypertension nor deterioration of renal function was noted in any subject. Three patients with macular edema evinced substantive improvement-based stable vision and documented resolution noted in flourescein angiography. CONCLUSION Erythropoietin treatment of anemic azotemic diabetic patients is well tolerated. In a small observational retrospective study of three patients with macular edema, retention of vision and resolution of exudates was noted.
Look-ahead intelligent energy management of a parallel hybrid electric vehicle

Improving fuel efficiency in vehicles can reduce the energy consumption concerns associated with operating the vehicles. This paper presents a model for a parallel hybrid electric vehicle. In the model, the flow of energy starts from wheels and spreads toward engine and electric motor. A fuzzy logic based control strategy is implemented for the vehicle. The controller manages the energy flow from the engine and the electric motor, controlling transmission ratio, adjusting speed, and sustaining battery's state of charge. The controller examines the vehicle speed, demand torque, slope difference, state of charge of battery, and engine and electric motor rotation speeds. It then determines the best values for continuous variable transmission ratio, speed, and torque. A slope window method is formed that takes into account the look-ahead slope information, and determines the best vehicle speed. The developed model and control strategy are simulated using real highway data relating to Nowra-Bateman Bay in Australia, and SAE Highway Fuel Economy Driving Schedule. The simulation results are presented and discussed. It is shown that the use of the proposed fuzzy controller reduces the fuel consumption of the vehicle.
Super resolution from image sequences

An iterative algorithm to increase image resolution is described. Examples are shown for low-resolution gray-level pictures, with an increase of resolution clearly observed after only a few iterations. The same method can also be used for deblurring a single blurred image. The approach is based on the resemblance of the presented problem to the reconstruction of a 2-D object from its 1-D projections in computer-aided tomography. The algorithm performed well for both computer-simulated and real images and is shown, theoretically and practically, to converge quickly. The algorithm can be executed in parallel for faster hardware implementation. <<ETX>>
Index coding: An interference alignment perspective

The index coding problem is a multiple unicast wireline communication network where the network is represented by a directed graph having exactly one link with finite capacity (also known as the bottleneck link). There are K independent sources which share the ingress of this bottleneck link. Correspondingly there are K destinations which are on the receiving end of the bottleneck link, with each destination intending to decode the message of one (unique) corresponding source. Each destination can have apriori side-information of a (different) subset of the original source messages. In this paper, we study the capacity of such a network from the perspective of interference alignment, and derive information theoretically optimal schemes for a class of networks. In our first main result, we identify the set of graphs where each user can achieve half rate in the index coding problem. In a second result, we derive the capacity for a class of symmetric index coding networks.