Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Remodeling Induced by Long-Term Blockade of Nitric Oxide Synthesis in Rats Important Role of Rho-kinase in the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Inflammation and

Chronic inhibition of endothelial NO synthesis by the administration of N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) to rats induces early vascular inflammation (monocyte infiltration into coronary vessels and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 expression) as well as subsequent arteriosclerosis. The small GTPase Rho controls cell adhesion, motility, and proliferation and is activated by several growth factors such as angiotensin II. We investigated the effect of a specific inhibitor of Rho-kinase, Y-27632, in rats treated with L-NAME to determine the role of the Rho/Rho-kinase pathway in the development of arteriosclerosis. We found here increased activity of Rho/Rho-kinase after L-NAME administration and its prevention by angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockade. Hydralazine or lecithinized superoxide dismutase (l-SOD) did not affect Rho/Rho-kinase activity. Co-treatment with Y-27632 did not affect the L-NAME–induced increase in cardiovascular tissue ACE activity or L-NAME–induced decrease in plasma NO concentrations, but did prevent the L-NAME–induced early inflammation and late coronary arteriosclerosis. In addition, Y-27632 prevented the increased gene expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and transforming growth factor1 as well as cardiac fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis. These findings suggest that increased activity of Rho/Rho-kinase pathway mediated via the angiotensin II type 1 receptor may thus be important in the pathogenesis of early vascular inflammation and late remodeling induced by chronic inhibition of NO synthesis. The beneficial effects of Rho-kinase inhibition are not mediated by restoration of NO production. The Rho-kinase pathway could be a new therapeutic target for treatment of vascular diseases. (Hypertension. 2002;39:245-250.)
Convergence of stochastic approximation for Lyapunov stable dynamics : a proof from rst principles

In this short note we present a proof, aimed at beginners, of the convergence of the stochastic approximation recursion i+1 = i+ i+1h( i)+ i+1 i+1 under the classical 0-level Kushner-Clark noise condition when the underlying dynamic is Lyapunov stable. The technique of proof relies on simple calculus arguments and bypasses the need for the introduction of the associated continuous time ODE. Future work includes the extension of the result to the case where the 0-level Kushner-Clark condition is replaced with a r-level condition for r > 0 [2]. We study the convergence of the recursion i+1 = i + i+1h( i) + i+1 i+1; for a given function h : ! R , a sequence of stepsizes f ig and a noise sequence f ig under simple and veri able conditions. We de ne for any T > 0 m(n; T ) := max ( j n : j X
Signal phase timing impact on traffic delay and queue length-a intersection case study

Traditional intersection traffic signal control strategy is pre-determined signal with certain phase timing length for each circle. Studies focusing on adaptive traffic signal strategy have somewhat achieved the goal of reducing traffic system delay to some extent. However, few of them capture the benefit of using the queue length as the criteria under the connected vehicle environment, and this paper focuses on firstly identifying the potential saving of average system delay with agent-based simulation modeling, and secondly finding out the relationship between average system delay and average queue length for traffic approaching the signalized intersections. Through applying the agent-based simulation modeling approach in AnyLogic, findings show that average system delay could be reduced using optimized parameters (e.g. arrival rate, signal phase length, etc.), specifically, 5.29% saving of total average system time, 4%–28% traffic queue reduction for different traffic lanes, and a positive relationship between average system delay and the average traffic queue length is detected.
Cytoplasmic lipid droplet accumulation in developing mammary epithelial cells: roles of adipophilin and lipid metabolism Published, JLR Papers in Press, April 23, 2007.

PAT proteins (perilipin, adipophilin, and TIP47) are hypothesized to be critical regulators of lipid accumulation in eukaryotic cells. We investigated the developmental relationships between the expression of these proteins and cytoplasmic lipid droplet (CLD) accumulation in differentiating secretory epithelial cells in mouse mammary glands. Adipophilin (ADPH) specifically localized to CLD in differentiating and lactating mammary glands and was found exclusively in the secreted lipid droplet fraction of mouse milk. ADPH transcripts were selectively detected in secretory epithelial cells, and steady-state levels of both ADPH mRNA and protein increased during secretory differentiation in patterns consistent with functional linkage to CLD accumulation. TIP47 also was detected in secretory epithelial cells; however, it had a diffuse punctate appearance, and its mRNA and protein expression patterns did not correlate with CLD accumulation. Perilipin-positive adipose cells and steady-state levels of perilipin mRNA and protein decreased during mammary gland differentiation, suggesting a progressive loss of adipose lipid storage during this process. Collectively, these data demonstrate that increased ADPH expression is a specialized property of differentiated secretory epithelial cells and provide developmental evidence specifically linking increased ADPH expression to increased CLD accumulation. In addition, evidence is presented that the epithelial and adipose compartments of the mammary gland undergo concerted, developmentally regulated shifts in lipid metabolism that increase the availability of fatty acids necessary for lipid synthesis by milk-secreting cells.
Security and system goals ( objectives / polices ) Policy Models Enforcement Models Implementation Models

Secure Information Sharing (SIS) or “share but protect” is a challenging and elusive problem both because of its broad scope and complexity ranging right from conception (objective and policy) to culmination (implementation). In this paper, we consider how to solve SIS challenges with three main and conflicting objectives: scalability, usability and high-assurance. In the context of SIS, high-assurance requires strong controls on the client. It is widely accepted that such controls cannot be entirely software-based. In this regard, we consider solutions based on commercially emerging hardware-rooted Trusted Computing Technology. For SIS, we argue super-distribution (“protect once and access wherever authorized”) and off-line access are necessary to achieve scalability and usability. As we will see, although a Trusted Platform Module [1] (TPM) provides a range of powerful functionalities, it does not enable true super-distribution in any obvious manner. We therefore limit super-distribution to occur within a group. A group is an abstract set of TPM-enabled machines. For simplicity, we assume all content that are distributed to be readonly. Drilling down, we propose concrete Policy, Enforcement and Implementation (PEI) models for SIS within a group (group-based SIS or g-SIS). In the policy layer, we develop a framework for specifying subject and object group membership. In the enforcement layer, we explore ways to approximate instant and preemptive revocation of group members to support off-line access. We use the UCON [9] model to formally specify the policy and enforcement models. In the implementation layer, we outline protocols using Trusted Computing Technology [1] that would realize our policy model and thereby our objectives. We also demonstrate the value of this layered approach by showing how our enforcement and implementation models can easily accommodate enhancements in the policy model.
GI Symptoms in Infants Are a Potential Target for Fermented Infant Milk Formulae: A Review

Besides pre- and pro-biotic-containing infant formulae, fermented infant formulae are commonly used to relieve or prevent symptoms of gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort in young infants. During the fermentation process in cow’s milk-based formulae, the beneficial bacteria modulate the product by forming several beneficial compounds, which contribute to the alleviation of the symptoms observed. This review summarizes the clinical evidence on the impact of fermented infant formulae on common pediatric GI-symptoms. The potential mechanisms involved are discussed: i.e., the lactose and protein (in-) digestibility, effects on gastric emptying and gut transit and modulation of the colonic microbiota. Although initial evidence indicates a beneficial effect of fermented formulae on GI discomfort in newborns, validation and confirmation of the clinical proof obtained so far is warranted, as well as further research to (more fully) understand the mode of action.
Confession and bookkeeping: The religious, moral, and rhetorical roots of modern accounting.

Book Reviews Confession and Bookkeeping: The Religious, Moral, and Rhetorical Roots of Modern Accounting. By James Aho. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2005. Pp. xx⫹131. Bill Maurer University of California, Irvine Confession and Bookkeeping is an insightful and quirky little book that signiﬁcantly expands the scholarly discussion on double-entry bookkeep- ing, long a topic of fascination to historians, anthropologists, sociologists, and accounting scholars. Revisiting the classic debate between Sombart and Weber on religion and the rise of capitalism, James Aho argues per- suasively that Weber got it wrong, and backs up his argument with a telling history of the transformation of the Catholic sacrament of penance. In this age of Enron, WorldCom, and Halliburton, where bookkeeping and scandal seem to go hand in hand, the book is also a plea for a more scrupulous, indeed, reverent, accounting. The argument, in brief, is that the innovation of sacramental confession in the Catholic church provided a model for business accounting as well as a method for merchants to demonstrate their moral purity, or at the very least the agony with which they exposed themselves to self-scrutiny. They did not use double-entry bookkeeping, pace Weber, to plan their business activities, but rather to account for the state of their souls and justify their activities to church fathers. For Weber, the Catholic rite of penance inhibited material acquisition and thus business, for it inspired an inner asceticism. The problem is that Weber’s thesis ignores the in- convenient fact that double-entry bookkeeping actually arose in medieval Catholic Italy. Aho shows that it also arose in tight conversation with the rite of penance itself. Contra Weber’s conviction that, during the Middle Ages, “a business career was possible only for those who were lax in their ethical standards” (quoted on p. 49), Aho demonstrates that the medieval businessperson was racked with anxiety about the ethical standing of their activities and the moral reckoning they would face on judgment day. The key to Aho’s argument is the transformation of confession: the shift from canonical penance—the conferral of a special status on the penitent for a period of time during a ritual to be observed only once a lifetime (if that)—to part of papal law that required the regular and repeated divulgence of one’s sins to a priest in a quasi-therapeutic setting. Sacramental penance did not become a requirement until the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215, which adopted the Celtic rite and made it com- pulsory. Originally decried by church fathers interested in preserving their authority (penitential handbooks were ordered burned in 829 CE), private penance spread like wildﬁre, creating an “epidemic of scrupulosity” (p. 25), indeed, an almost neurotic ﬁxation on it. Possibly derived from Hindu practices and Greek medicine—the cura animarum—private penance
A performance comparison of dynamic Web technologies

Today, many Web sites dynamically generate responses "on the fly" when user requests are received. In this paper, we experimentally evaluate the impact of three different dynamic content technologies (Perl, PHP, and Java) on Web server performance. We quantify achievable performance first for static content serving, and then for dynamic content generation, considering cases both with and without database access. The results show that the overheads of dynamic content generation reduce the peak request rate supported by a Web server up to a factor of 8, depending on the workload characteristics and the technologies used. In general, our results show that Java server technologies typically outperform both Perl and PHP for dynamic content generation, though performance under overload conditions can be erratic for some implementations.
Introduction 1.1 Background Plate with a Hole Triangular Finite Element Refined Finite Element Model Finite Element Model

Many physical phenomena in engineering and science can be described in terms of partial differential equations. In general, solving these equations by classical analytical methods for arbitrary shapes is almost impossible. The finite element method (FEM) is a numerical approach by which these partial differential equations can be solved approximately. From an engineering standpoint, the FEM is a method for solving engineering problems such as stress analysis, heat transfer, fluid flow and electromagnetics by computer simulation. Millions of engineers and scientists worldwide use the FEM to predict the behavior of structural, mechanical, thermal, electrical and chemical systems for both design and performance analyses. Its popularity can be gleaned by the fact that over $1 billion is spent annually in the United States on FEM software and computer time. A 1991 bibliography (Noor, 1991) lists nearly 400 finite element books in English and other languages. Aweb search (in 2006) for the phrase 'finite element' using the Google search engine yielded over 14 million pages of results. Mackerle (http://ohio.ikp.liu.se/fe) lists 578 finite element books published between 1967 and 2005. To explain the basic approach of the FEM, consider a plate with a hole as shown in Figure 1.1 for which we wish to find the temperature distribution. It is straightforward to write a heat balance equation for each point in the plate. However, the solution of the resulting partial differential equation for a complicated geometry, such as an engine block, is impossible by classical methods like separation of variables. Numerical methods such as finite difference methods are also quite awkward for arbitrary shapes; software developers have not marketed finite difference programs that can deal with the complicated geometries that are commonplace in engineering. Similarly, stress analysis requires the solution of partial differential equations that are very difficult to solve by analytical methods except for very simple shapes, such as rectangles, and engineering problems seldom have such simple shapes. The basic idea of FEM is to divide the body into finite elements, often just called elements, connected by nodes, and obtain an approximate solution as shown in Figure 1.1. This is called the finite element mesh and the process of making the mesh is called mesh generation. The FEM provides a systematic methodology by which the solution, in the case of our example, the temperature field, can be determined by a computer program. For linear problems, the solution is determined by solving a …
Acute Respiratory Failure in Critically Ill Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease

Background Patients with chronic known or unknown interstitial lung disease (ILD) may present with severe respiratory flares that require intensive management. Outcome data in these patients are scarce. Patients and Methods Clinical and radiological features were collected in 83 patients with ILD-associated acute respiratory failure (ARF). Determinants of hospital mortality and response to corticosteroid therapy were identified by logistic regression. Results Hospital and 1-year mortality rates were 41% and 54% respectively. Pulmonary hypertension, computed tomography (CT) fibrosis and acute kidney injury were independently associated with mortality (odds ratio (OR) 4.55; 95% confidence interval (95%CI) (1.20–17.33); OR, 7.68; (1.78–33.22) and OR 10.60; (2.25–49.97) respectively). Response to steroids was higher in patients with shorter time from hospital admission to corticosteroid therapy. Patients with fibrosis on CT had lower response to steroids (OR, 0.03; (0.005–0.21)). In mechanically ventilated patients, overdistension induced by high PEEP settings was associated with CT fibrosis and hospital mortality. Conclusion Mortality is high in ILD-associated ARF. CT and echocardiography are valuable prognostic tools. Prompt corticosteroid therapy may improve survival.
Accuracy of Veterans Affairs Databases for Diagnoses of Chronic Diseases

Introduction Epidemiologic studies usually use database diagnoses or patient self-report to identify disease cohorts, but no previous research has examined the extent to which self-report of chronic disease agrees with database diagnoses in a Veterans Affairs (VA) health care setting. Methods All veterans who had a medical care visit from October 1, 1996, through May 31, 1998, at any of the Veterans Integrated Service Network 13 facilities were surveyed about physician diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)/asthma, depression, diabetes, and heart disease. Four administrative case definitions (data from VA databases) consisting of combinations of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes and disease-specific medication data were compared with self-report of each disease to assess sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, area under receiver operating characteristics curve, and κ statistic. Results Sensitivity for administrative definitions compared with self-report of physician diagnosis was 24% to 54% for COPD/asthma, 25% to 47% for depression, 27% to 59% for heart disease, and 64% to 78% for diabetes. Specificity was 88% to 100% for all diseases. The κ statistic showed fair agreement for COPD/asthma, depression, and heart disease and substantial agreement for diabetes. Conclusion Diagnoses identified from databases agree with self-report for diabetes but not COPD/asthma, depression, or heart disease in a VA health care setting.
Ras GTPases’ interaction with effector domains

The Ras superfamily of proteins consists of five branches: Ras, Rho, Arf, Rab and Ran subfamilies. These proteins are involved in a plethora of biological functions spanning cytoskeletal organization, cell proliferation, transcription and intracellular trafficking. Ras-Binding Domains (RBDs) have classically been identified as autonomous ubiquitin-like folded regions that bind certain activated Ras GTPases of the Ras subfamily. In general, RBDs in many proteins have been tagged with membrane-targeting functions as in the case of the well-characterized c-Raf-RBD/Ras interaction. However, it is becoming apparent that the definition and functions of RBDs need to be revamped in order to reflect the new discoveries associated with this domain. Here, we discuss in more detail the recent advances associated with these RBDs. We highlight research identifying RBDs in formins, ELMOs and the RhoGEF, Syx and discuss the emerging role for RBDs in controlling autoinhibition relief and the newly recognized versatility of RBDs to interact with Rho and Arf family GTPases. In addition, these recent findings raise the exciting hypothesis that functional RBDs remain hidden in the proteome and are ready to be uncovered.
Two Decades Of Near-Surface Seismology Progress

Shallow seismic methods have matured noticeably over the two decades since the first SAGEEP was held in 1988. At that time, the world’s scientific literature contained no more than a dozen refereed papers on shallow (less then 30 meters deep) reflection, but now there are hundreds of such examples. Analysis of surface waves was done with two-channel seismic systems in the 1980’s, whereas seismographs with dozens of recording channels are used today. Even refraction, the shallow-seismic method in use for nearly three quarters of a century, has undergone evolutionary change over the past two decades as tomographic methods have become available for near-surface geophysical applications. Much of the improvement in shallow seismic methods is related to the revolution in microelectronics and the associated several orders of magnitude decrease in computational costs, while developments in sources, seismographs, computers, and methods have all played a role to differing degrees. In many cases, the concepts and methods have been around for decades, but only recently has the computing power been available to put these into play in a cost-effective way. Clearly, advances in microprocessorbased technology have been the primary catalyst for growth in number and diversity of shallow seismic applications as well as the significant improvements in overall data quality.
Acquisition of rotor anisotropy signals in sensorless position control systems

Sensorless position control of induction motors relies on the detection of rotor anisotropies. The repetitive transient excitation through the switched voltages of the pulsewidth-modulated inverter provides the test signals to identify the spatial orientation of the anisotropies that indicate the rotor position. The position information is contained in the inverter output voltages. These are measured against the neutral point of the star connected stator winding. The signals are heavily corrupted by disturbances. These originate from the propagation of traveling waves on a long motor cable and from the influence of high-frequency common-mode currents. The paper describes how a clean position signal is extracted in the presence of such noise.
Kinship, Incentives, and Evolution

We analyze how family ties affect incentives, with focus on the strategic interaction between two mutually altruistic siblings. The siblings exert effort to produce output under uncertainty, and they may transfer output to each other. With equally altruistic siblings, their equilibrium effort is non-monotonic in the common degree of altruism, and it depends on the harshness of the environment. We define a notion of local evolutionary stability of degrees of sibling altruism, and show that this degree is lower than the kinship-relatedness factor. Numerical simulations show how family ties vary with the environment, and how this a¤ects economic outcomes.
And Automorphisms of Stable Curves

Due to the orbifold singularities, the intersection numbers on the moduli space of curves Mg,n are in general rational numbers rather than integers. We study the properties of the denominators of these intersection numbers and their relationship with the orders of automorphism groups of stable curves. We also present a conjecture about a multinomial type numerical property for a general class of Hodge integrals.
Fast Augmentation Algorithms for Maximising the Flow in Repairable Flow Networks After a Component Failure

The paper discuses new, very efficient augmentation algorithms and theorems related to maximising the flow in single-commodity and multi-commodity networks. For the first time, efficient algorithms with linear average running time O(m) in the size m of the network, are proposed for restoring the maximum flow in single-commodity and multi-commodity networks after a component failure. The proposed algorithms are particularly suitable for discrete-event simulators of repairable production networks whose analysis requires generating thousands of simulation histories, each including hundreds of component failures. In this respect, a new, very efficient augmentation method with linear running time has been proposed for restoring the maximum output flow of oil in oil and gas production networks, after a component failure. Another important application of the proposed algorithms is in networks controlled in real time, where upon failure, the network flows need to be redirected quickly in order to maintain a maximum output flow.