Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interactions of Cyclosporin A with Breast Cancer Resistance Protein

The objective of this study was to investigate whether cyclosporin A (CsA) is a modulator for breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). The interactions between CsA and BCRP were evaluated by using both membrane- and cell-based assays. CsA inhibited BCRP or BCRP R482T mutant-associated ATPase with an IC50 of 26.1 and 7.3 μM (31,388 and 8779 ng/ml), respectively, indicating that CsA is a modulator for BCRP and its R482T mutant. The apparent permeability (Papp) of CsA was not affected by the BCRP-specific inhibitor Ko143 in both apical-to-basolateral (A-to-B) and basolateral-to-apical (B-to-A) directions in hBCRP- or mBcrp-transfected MDCKII cells, whereas CsA at 50 μM significantly increased the A-to-B transport and decreased B-to-A transport of BCRP substrates, [3H]estrone-3-sulfate ([3H]E3S) and [3H]methotrexate ([3H]MTX), in hBCRP- and mBcrp1-trasfected MDCKII cells. Similar to cellular transport studies, CsA did not exhibit ATP-dependent uptake in BCRP-expressed membrane vesicles but inhibited the ATP-mediated E3S and MTX uptake in the same vesicles. The inhibitory constant (Ki) of CsA toward BCRP was 6.7 μM (8507 ng/ml) and 7.8 μM (9380 ng/ml) when using E3S or MTX, respectively, as a BCRP substrate. The inhibitory potency of CsA on BCRP wild type or its R482T mutant was lower than that on P-glycoprotein. The present studies demonstrate that CsA is an inhibitor but not a substrate for BCRP, and has low potential to cause drug-drug interactions with BCRP substrate drugs due to its weak inhibitory effect on BCRP and BCRP R482T mutant at its normal therapeutic blood concentrations (200–400 ng/ml) (Blood 91:362–363, 1998).
Adapt - a multimodal conversational dialogue system in an apartment domain

A general overview of the AdApt project and the research that is performed within the project is presented. In this project various aspects of human-computer interaction in a multimodal conversational dialogue systems are investigated. The project will also include studies on the integration of user/system/dialogue dependent speech recognition and multimodal speech synthesis. A domain in which multimodal interaction is highly useful has been chosen, namely, finding available apartments in Stockholm. A Wizard-of-Oz data collection within this domain is also described.
An application of machine learning and statistics to defect detection

We present an application of machine learning and statistics to the problem of distinguishing between defective and non-defective industrial workpieces, where the defect takes the form of a long and thin crack on the surface of the piece. From the images of pieces a number of features are extracted by using the Hough transform and the Correlated Hough transform. Two datasets are considered, one containing only features related to the Hough transform and the other containing also features related to the Correlated Hough transform. On these datasets we have compared six different learning algorithms: an attribute-value learner, C4.5, a backpropagation neural network, NeuralWorks Predict, a k-nearest neighbour algorithm, and three statistical techniques, linear, logistic and quadratic discriminant. The experiments show that C4.5 performs best for both feature sets and gives an average accuracy of 93.3% for the first dataset and 95.9% for the second dataset.
Geographical Variation in Bill Size across Bird Species Provides Evidence for Allen’s Rule

Allen’s rule proposes that the appendages of endotherms are smaller, relative to body size, in colder climates, in order to reduce heat loss. Empirical support for Allen’s rule is mainly derived from occasional reports of geographical clines in extremity size of individual species. Interspecific evidence is restricted to two studies of leg proportions in seabirds and shorebirds. We used phylogenetic comparative analyses of 214 bird species to examine whether bird bills, significant sites of heat exchange, conform to Allen’s rule. The species comprised eight diverse taxonomic groups—toucans, African barbets, Australian parrots, estrildid finches, Canadian galliforms, penguins, gulls, and terns. Across all species, there were strongly significant relationships between bill length and both latitude and environmental temperature, with species in colder climates having significantly shorter bills. Patterns supporting Allen’s rule in relation to latitudinal or altitudinal distribution held within all groups except the finches. Evidence for a direct association with temperature was found within four groups (parrots, galliforms, penguins, and gulls). Support for Allen’s rule in leg elements was weaker, suggesting that bird bills may be more susceptible to thermoregulatory constraints generally. Our results provide the strongest comparative support yet published for Allen’s rule and demonstrate that thermoregulation has been an important factor in shaping the evolution of bird bills.
Formation of Inhalable Rifampicin–Poly(l-lactide) Microparticles by Supercritical Anti-solvent Process

Formation of inhalable microparticles containing rifampicin and poly(l-lactide) (L-PLA) by using supercritical anti-solvent process (SAS) was investigated. The solutions of drug and polymer in methylene chloride were sprayed into supercritical carbon dioxide. The effect of polymer content and operating conditions, temperature, pressure, carbon dioxide molar fraction, and concentration of solution, on product characteristics were studied. The prepared microparticles were characterized with respect to their morphology, particle size and size distribution, drug content, drug loading efficiency, and drug release characteristic. Discrete, spherical microparticles were obtained at high polymer:drug ratios of 7:3, 8:2, and 9:1. The shape of L-PLA microparticles became more irregular and agglomerated with decreasing polymer content. Microparticles with polymer content higher than 60% exhibited volumetric mean diameter less than 5 μm, but percent drug loading efficiency was relatively low. Drug-loaded microparticles containing 70% and 80% L-PLA showed a sustainable drug release property without initial burst release. Operating temperature level influenced on mean size and size distribution of microparticles. The operating pressure and carbon dioxide molar fraction in the range investigated were unlikely to have an effect on microparticle formation. An increasing concentration of feed solution provided larger size microparticles. Rifampicin-loaded L-PLA microparticles could be produced by SAS in a size range suitable for dry powder inhaler formulation.
Dynamic Resource Allocation Using Views

Conflicting requests to shared resources arise naturally and frequently in distributed systems. The resolution of these conflicts in a fair and timely manner is important. We consider a general model in which processes request repeatedly and asynchronously for arbitrary subsets of resources. Our solution to this dynamic problem first computes a collection of process-specific local views that capture the conflicts for each process, and then resolves the conflicts on these views using existing algorithms. We specify the requirements on local views, and present an algorithm satisfying the requirements. The time and message complexities of the composite algorithm for dynamic conflict resolution depend minimally on global parameters and offer a significant improvement over existing algorithms.
Analysis of BD precoding for distributed large-scale MIMO systems with RF mismatches at UEs

To avoid the heavy overhead of the pilots and feedback, the time division duplex (TDD) operation is used due to the channel reciprocity. When multiple antennas are equipped at the user equipments (UEs), the radio access units (RAUs) can use the block diagonalization (BD) precoding to improve the system performance. However, the mismatches of the radio frequency (RF) circuits at both sides of the links make the whole communication channels non-symmetric in practical systems. And it may be not enough to only perform calibration at the RAUs. In this paper, we focus on the RF mismatches at the UEs for the large-scale distributed MIMO systems with BD precoding. According to the theoretical analysis and simulation results, we find that the RF mismatches at the UEs still lead to a negligible performance loss although the partial calibration has been performed at the RAUs. And It is strongly suggested that reciprocity calibration should be performed at both the RAUs and the UEs.
Effect of chromium picolinate on growth and serum and carcass traits of growing-finishing pigs.

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate chromium picolinate (CrPic) in growing-finishing pigs. Treatments were replicated four times within each experiment with three pigs per replicate in Exp. 1 and four pigs per replicate in Exp. 2 and 3. Average initial weights were 37.8, 30.5, and 22.4 kg in Exp. 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In Exp. 1, the basal corn-soybean meal diet (B, 120% NRC Lys) was supplemented with 0, 25, 50, 100, or 200 ppb of Cr from CrPic. Daily gain was increased (Cr cubic, P < .02) and serum cholesterol decreased (Cr cubic, P < .08) by addition of CrPic. In Exp. 2, the basal diet was supplemented with 0, 100, 200, 400, or 800 ppb of Cr from CrPic. Daily gain and ADFI were decreased (Cr linear, P < .05) by CrPic. Serum cholesterol also was decreased (Cr quadratic, P < .05) by CrPic. Longissimus muscle area (LMA) and percentage of muscling (MUS) were increased (Cr quadratic, P < .01) and 10th rib fat (TRF) was decreased (Cr quadratic, P < .01) by CrPic. In Exp. 3, pigs were allotted to the following treatments: 1) B, 2) B + 1,467 ppb of picolinate (Pic), 3) B + 200 ppb of Cr from CrCl3.6H2O, 4) B + 1,467 ppb of Pic + 200 ppb of Cr from CrCl3.6H2O, 5) B + 100 ppb of Cr from CrPic, or 6) B + 200 ppb of Cr from CrPic. Longissimus muscle area and MUS were increased (P < .01) and TRF decreased (P < .01) in pigs fed CrPic but not in pigs fed CrCl3.6H2O and(or) Pic. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
One good DNA-damage deserves another: Oxaliplatin in MSI-high colon cancer.

mismatch repair a cancer in which tumors exhibit high-level microsatellite instability (MSI-H), is now recognized to have a distinct clinical phenotype. Patients with stage II or III dMMR tumors have improved clinical outcomes (1–3) and have been shown in multiple retrospective analyses to receive lesser if any benefit from single-agent fluoropyrimidine (FP) therapy (4). Treatment for patients with stage III and selected stage II disease now includes oxaliplatin, based on several large randomized trials including the land-mark MOSAIC study (5). Preclinical data suggest that oxaliplatin may reverse the FP resistance observed in patients with dMMR tumors. However, the relatively low prevalence of MSI-H tumors (in the range of 12% in a mixed stage II and III popula-tion) has made assessment of the benefit of oxaliplatin-based combination therapy using data from randomized trials diffi-cult and inconclusive (6). To shed additional light on this issue, Tougeron and report in this issue of the Journal on their retrospective study of patients with MSI-high colon cancer treated with
Design for Efficiency Optimization and Voltage Controllability of Series–Series Compensated Inductive Power Transfer Systems

Inductive power transfer (IPT) is an emerging technology that may create new possibilities for wireless power charging and transfer applications. However, the rather complex control method and low efficiency remain the key obstructing factors for general deployment. In a regularly compensated IPT circuit, high efficiency and controllability of the voltage transfer function are always conflicting requirements under varying load conditions. In this paper, the relationships among compensation parameters, circuit efficiency, voltage transfer function, and conduction angle of the input current relative to the input voltage are studied. A design and optimization method is proposed to achieve a better overall efficiency as well as good output voltage controllability. An IPT system design procedure is illustrated with design curves to achieve a desirable voltage transfer ratio, optimizing between efficiency enhancement and current rating of the switches. The analysis is supported with experimental results.
USF/c-Myc enhances, while Yin-Yang 1 suppresses, the promoter activity of CXCR4, a coreceptor for HIV-1 entry.

Transcription factors USF1 and USF2 up-regulate gene expression (i.e. , HIV-1 long terminal repeats) via interaction with an E box on their target promoters, which is also a binding site for c-Myc. The c-Myc oncoprotein is important in control of cellular proliferation and differentiation, while Yin-Yang 1 (YY1) has been shown to control the expression of a number of cellular and viral genes. These two proteins physically interact with each other and mutually inhibit their respective biological functions. In this study, we show that USF/c-Myc up-regulates, while YY1 down-regulates the promoter activity of CXCR4, a coreceptor for T cell-tropic HIV-1 entry. We have identified an E box around -260 and a YY1 binding site around -300 relative to the transcription start site. Mutation of the E box abolished USF/c-Myc-mediated up-regulation of CXCR4 promoter activity, and mutation of the YY1 binding site was associated with unresponsiveness to YY1-mediated inhibition. These data suggest that USF/c-Myc and YY1 may play an important role in the HIV-1-replicative cycle, by modulating both the viral fusion/entry process and viral expression.
Cognitive MIMO radio

Radio regulatory bodies are recognizing that the rigid spectrum assignment granting exclusive use to licensed services is highly inefficient, due to the high variability of the traffic statistics across time, space, and frequency. Recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) measurements show that, in fact, the spectrum usage is typically concentrated over certain portions of the spectrum, while a significant amount of the licensed bands (or idle slots in static time division multiple access (TDMA) systems with bursty traffic) remains unused or underutilized for 90% of time [1]. It is not surprising then that this inefficiency is motivating a flurry of research activities in the engineering, economics, and regulation communities in the effort of finding more efficient spectrum management policies.
Pre-mRNA Splicing in Plants: In Vivo Functions of RNA-Binding Proteins Implicated in the Splicing Process

Alternative pre-messenger RNA splicing in higher plants emerges as an important layer of regulation upon exposure to exogenous and endogenous cues. Accordingly, mutants defective in RNA-binding proteins predicted to function in the splicing process show severe phenotypic alterations. Among those are developmental defects, impaired responses to pathogen threat or abiotic stress factors, and misregulation of the circadian timing system. A suite of splicing factors has been identified in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Here we summarize recent insights on how defects in these splicing factors impair plant performance.
An In-Depth Review of the Evidence Linking Dietary Salt Intake and Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease

Background: Dietary salt has been debated for decades as having a potentially deleterious influence on human health. Objectives: To determine the quality of research and the relationship between dietary salt and markers for progression of kidney disease. Methods: Data sources included 7 electronic databases comprehensively searched for literature published between January 1, 1966, and August 31, 2004, and a manual search of bibliographies of relevant papers, and consultation with experts in the field. Differences between the paired reviewers were reconciled through consensus or by a content expert. Results: Sixteen studies met the inclusion-exclusion criteria and were identified for review; however, the study methodologies were extremely heterogeneous. Conclusions commonly cited in the studies include: variations in salt consumption are directly correlated with albuminuria, and an increase in salt consumption is associated with an acute increase in glomerular filtration rate, while a reduction in salt consumption may slow the rate of renal function loss. Conclusions: The available published information, while highly variable in methods and quality, suggests that variations in dietary salt consumption directly influence albuminuria, with increasing salt intake associated with worsening albuminuria; however, results are inadequate and conflicting on the effects of dietary salt consumption on renal function, especially over a prolonged time. There was no evidence of a detrimental effect of reduced salt intake. On the other hand, there is consistent experimental evidence to link increased salt exposure with kidney tissue injury. On the basis of these data, we believe that dietary salt restriction should be considered in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Light Stimulation of Commercial Layers

Light is the visible part of the electromagnetic radiation. It plays an important role for the life of many organisms on earth. Light is perceived by them in different ways. Most vertebrates perceive light via the eye. Light enters the eye and it is projected onto a light-sensitive panel of cells, the retina. So-called cone and rod cells in the retina detect and convert light into neural signals for vision. The visual signals are then transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve and influence the behavior and the sexual activity of the birds. Furthermore the pineal gland and the hypothalamus have some photoreceptors. Their stimulation influences the bird's life as well. The visual system of birds differs from that of mammals and humans. Birds have perfected the already highly developed visual acuity of their reptilian ancestors. Their visual perception of the environment is different and much sharper than ours. Because of their flying ability and their natural food sources birds are highly vision-dependent creatures with anatomical and physiological features which differ from humans. These include in particular the ability to distinguish longer visual sequences of up to 150-250 individual images per second (humans can only see up to 25-30 individual images per second) and their Light Stimulation of Commercial Layers
Comparison of Different Types of Microstrip Patch Antennas

In this paper, microstrip patch antennas with six different shapes i. e. rectangular, circular, square, elliptical, pentagonal and hexagonal are implemented using Ansoft HFSS version 13. 0. 0 software. Antennas are designed on Rogers RT/duroid 5880 material with dielectric constant 2. 2 and thickness 3. 2 mm. The different performance parameters such as return loss, gain and bandwidth of these antennas are compared. The operating frequency for all these antennas is taken 7. 5 GHz. All the antennas are fed with the probe feed. It is found that pentagonal microstrip patch antenna has better results at this frequency than all other shapes.
The complement regulatory proteins CD55 (decay accelerating factor) and CD59 are expressed on the inner acrosomal membrane of human spermatozoa as well as CD46 (membrane cofactor protein)

The complement regulatory proteins CD55 and CD59 are expressed on the plasma membrane of human spermatozoa, whereas CD46 is only on the inner acrosomal membrane (IAM) which becomes surfaced exposed after the acrosome reaction when sperm assume fertilisation‐competence. CD55 & CD59, two glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)‐anchored proteins, have been detected previously in some studies also in the acrosomal region of chemically fixed spermatozoa but never demonstrated at this site on unfixed spermatozoa. Dual labelling immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy on fresh unfixed spermatozoa, with minimal subsequent time to fixation, has shown CD55 to be markedly expressed on the IAM, more than on the plasma membrane. However, unlike for CD46, CD55 displayed patchy staining over the acrosome, with some variation between individual spermatozoa. All IAM‐associated CD55 was localised within GM1‐containing lipid rafts. CD59 was expressed also on the IAM, but in a pronounced granular pattern with more variation observed from one spermatozoa to another. Both CD55 & CD59 were released from the IAM by PI‐PLC, demonstrating them to be GPI‐anchored. Analysis of acrosome‐reacted spermatozoal CD55 by Western blotting revealed a novel single 55 kDa protein lacking significant oligosaccharides susceptible to glycosidases. Antibody‐induced membrane rafting and release of CD55 & CD59 in vitro may have influenced previous results. Significant coexpression of CD55 & CD46 on the IAM suggests some functional cooperation at this site.
Significance of Information Security Awareness in the Higher Education Sector

Information security awareness is an important contributing factor for a successful information security plan and should be properly assessed in order to suggest improvements. This explorative study directly investigated and assessed the employee information security awareness levels within a South Australian Higher Education Institution for the purpose of providing much needed insight into the extent of information awareness levels in Australian organizations. Using an online questionnaire, the study revealed that the organization’s employee information security awareness were generally lacking. The study also identified several problem areas which had plenty of room for improvements, thus paving the way for further research into how information security awareness levels can be improved. It is recommended that the organization include information security awareness as part of its overall risk assessment strategies in order to mitigate such risks. Finally, the adoption of programs which will enhance security awareness should also be explored in order to foster an organizational culture of security compliance, thereby minimizing any information security risks.
Safer driving in the dead of night [infrared vision systems]

One of the innovations that were showcased at the 2005 Detroit auto show was the night vision systems in high-end cars designed to improve driver safety during night time where there is inadequate illumination. This high-tech safety option is expected to be available in the 2006 models of the Mercedes Benz S Class and BMW's 7 series. The night vision systems use infrared sensors to let drivers see as much as three or four times farther ahead and help them quickly distinguish among objects. While night vision systems help reduce the chances of accidents, it is ultimately the driver's responsibility to recognize obstacles in the road.