Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of High Intensity Interval Exercise in High / Low Temperatures on Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction (EIB) in Trained Adolescent Males

Background Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) describes airway narrowing that occurs in association with exercise. Exercise in hot and cold environments has been reported to increase exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) in subjects with asthma. However, to our knowledge, the effect of hot and cold environment on pulmonary function and EIB in trained males has not been previously studied. The main goal of this research was to examine the influence of environmental temperature and high intensity interval exercise on pulmonary function in trained teenage males. Also, this study sought to assess the influence of exercise and environmental temperature on EIB. Materials and Methods Thirty trained subjects (mean age 16.56±0.89 yrs, all males) underwent high intensity interval exercise testing (22 minutes) by running on a treadmill in hot and cold environments under standardized conditions (10 °C and 45 °C with almost 50% relative humidity in random order in winter and summer). Lung function (flow volume loops) was measured before and 1, 5, 15, 30 and 60 min after the exercise by digital spirometer. Data was analyzed using SPSS software and P < 0.05 was considered significant. The diagnosis of EIB was made by 10% fall in FEV1 post-exercise. Results The post-exercise maximal reduction in forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF) and average forced expiratory flow rate over the middle 50% of the FVC (FEF25-75) increased significantly compared to pre-exercise at 10 °C with almost 50% relative humidity (cold air). The obtained values were: -15.93(15min post-exercise), -22.53 (1 min post-exercise) and -18.25%(5min post-exercise). Post-exercise maximal reduction in FEV1, PEF and FEF25-75 increased significantly compared to pre-exercise value at 45 °C with almost 50% relative humidity (hot air). Obtained values were: -10.35 (1 min post-exercise), -9.16 (1 min post-exercise) and -7.39 (5 min post-exercise). Changes in FEV1, PEF and FEF25-75 reduction in cold air was significantly greater than in hot air (P < 0.05). Maximal prevalence of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) in cold and hot air was 60% (18 of 30 subjects) and 40% (12 of 30 subjects), respectively. Conclusion This study demonstrated that pulmonary function in hot and cold air was influenced by temperature (in the same relative humidity (50%) and also high intensity interval exercise. Prevalence of EIB after high intensity exercise in hot and cold air increased in trained adolescent males; however, these changes in cold air were greater than in hot air among trained adolescent males. Therefore, results of this study suggest that adolescents (although trained) should avoid high intensity (95% maximal heart rate) exercise in winter (extremely low temperature) and summer (extremely high temperature) to prevent EIB.
TACE/ADAM17–TNF-α Pathway in Rat Cortical Cultures after Exposure to Oxygen–Glucose Deprivation or Glutamate

The role of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α convertase (TACE/ADAM17) in the adult nervous system remains poorly understood. The authors have previously demonstrated that TACE is upregulated in rat forebrain slices exposed to oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD). They have now used rat mixed cortical cultures exposed to OGD or glutamate to study (1) TACE expression and localization, and (2) the effects of TNF-α release on cell viability. OGD- or glutamate-caused TNF-α release, an effect that was blocked by the TACE inhibitor BB3103 (BB) (0.1–1 μmol/L; control: 1.67 ± 0.59; OGD: 6.59 ± 1.52; glutamate: 3.38 ± 0.66; OGD ± BB0.1: 3.23 ± 0.67; OGD ± BB1: 1.33 ± 0.22 pg/mL, n = 6, P < 0.05). Assay of TACE activity as well as Western blot showed that TACE expression is increased in OGD- or glutamate-exposed cells. In control cultures, TACE immunoreactivity was present in some microglial cells, whereas, after OGD or glutamate, TACE immunostaining appeared in most microglial cells and in some astrocytes. Conversely, BB3103 (0.1 μmol/L) caused apoptosis after glutamate exposure as shown by annexin and Hoechst 33342 staining and caspase-3 activity, an effect mimicked by the proteasome inhibitor MG-132 (caspase activity: glutamate: 5.1 ± 0.1; glutamate + BB: 7.8 ± 0.8; glutamate + MG: 11.9 ± 0.5 pmol · min−1 mg−1 protein, n = 4, P < 0.05), suggesting that translocation of the transcription factor NF-κB mediates TNF-α–induced antiapoptotic effect. Taken together, these data demonstrate that, in rat mixed neuronal–glial cortical cultures exposed to OGD or glutamate, (1) TACE/ADAM17 activity accounts for the majority of TNF-α shedding, (2) an increase in glial TACE expression contributes to the rise in TNF-α, and (3) TNF-α release in this setting inhibits apoptosis via activation of the transcription factor NF-κB.
Interpolated probabilistic tagging model optimized with genetic algorithm

We present results of probabilistic tagging of Portuguese texts in order to show how these techniques work for one of the highly morphologically ambiguous inflective languages by using a limited corpus as the basic training source. In order to cope the ambiguities problem caused by the insufficient training data, especially the unknown words, we incorporate the lexical features into the probabilistic model. Different from other proposed tagging models, these features are introduced into the word probabilities by means of interpolation. A technique to determine the optimal set of interpolation parameters based on genetic algorithm is described. Our preliminary result shows that we can correctly tag 91.8% of the sentences based on our tagging model.
ELECTRIC SYSTEMS FOR HIGH POWER COMPRESSOR TRAINS IN OILAND GASAPPLICATIONS — SYSTEM DESIGN , VALIDATIONAPPROACH , AND PERFORMANCE by Roberto Baccani

This paper presents the development process for a new variable frequency drive (VFD) system for large size compressor trains for natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) applications. The paper covers the multiple steps of the product development process, from identification of applications requirements, definition of design 61 ELECTRIC SYSTEMS FOR HIGH POWER COMPRESSOR TRAINS IN OILAND GASAPPLICATIONS— SYSTEM DESIGN,VALIDATIONAPPROACH,AND PERFORMANCE
Geometric Algorithm for Received Signal Strength Based Mobile Positioning

Mobile positioning is one of the fastest growing areas for the development of new technologies, services and applications. This paper describes a simple and effi- cient geometric algorithm using received signal strength measurements extracted from at least three base stations. This method is compared with standard Least Squares method. The simulation results show, that geometric algo- rithm gives more accurately location estimation than LS algorithm in multipath propagation.
Local parasite lineage sharing in temperate grassland birds provides clues about potential origins of Galapagos avian Plasmodium

Abstract Oceanic archipelagos are vulnerable to natural introduction of parasites via migratory birds. Our aim was to characterize the geographic origins of two Plasmodium parasite lineages detected in the Galapagos Islands and in North American breeding bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) that regularly stop in Galapagos during migration to their South American overwintering sites. We used samples from a grassland breeding bird assemblage in Nebraska, United States, and parasite DNA sequences from the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, to compare to global data in a DNA sequence registry. Homologous DNA sequences from parasites detected in bobolinks and more sedentary birds (e.g., brown‐headed cowbirds Molothrus ater, and other co‐occurring bird species resident on the North American breeding grounds) were compared to those recovered in previous studies from global sites. One parasite lineage that matched between Galapagos birds and the migratory bobolink, Plasmodium lineage B, was the most common lineage detected in the global MalAvi database, matching 49 sequences from unique host/site combinations, 41 of which were of South American origin. We did not detect lineage B in brown‐headed cowbirds. The other Galapagos‐bobolink match, Plasmodium lineage C, was identical to two other sequences from birds sampled in California. We detected a close variant of lineage C in brown‐headed cowbirds. Taken together, this pattern suggests that bobolinks became infected with lineage B on the South American end of their migratory range, and with lineage C on the North American breeding grounds. Overall, we detected more parasite lineages in bobolinks than in cowbirds. Galapagos Plasmodium had similar host breadth compared to the non‐Galapagos haemosporidian lineages detected in bobolinks, brown‐headed cowbirds, and other grassland species. This study highlights the utility of global haemosporidian data in the context of migratory bird–parasite connectivity. It is possible that migratory bobolinks bring parasites to the Galapagos and that these parasites originate from different biogeographic regions representing both their breeding and overwintering sites.
Modeling and Simulating of Ecological Community in Digital Creative Industry

Digital creative industry has exhibited the expansive potential in future’s economy. Its organizational pattern and inherent mechanism as well as the industrial environment are urgently expected to be explored for the promotion on its development. From the view of GEC (Generalized Ecological Community), this paper presented an ecological model to describe the community in creative industry, and thereof studied the system modeling and compute simulating methodology for analyzing its development along with the related factors. Based on those researches, promotion suggestions on digital creative industry were presented by this paper.
Regulation of cell death in cancer—possible implications for immunotherapy

Since most anticancer therapies including immunotherapy trigger programmed cell death in cancer cells, defective cell death programs can lead to treatment resistance and tumor immune escape. Therefore, evasion of programmed cell death may provide one possible explanation as to why cancer immunotherapy has so far only shown modest clinical benefits for children with cancer. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate sensitivity and resistance to programmed cell death is expected to open new perspectives for the development of novel experimental treatment strategies to enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy in the future.
Intrusion Detection Models Analysis and Study of a New Structure

Network intrusion detection is one of the hottest research issues on the network security recently. In the paper, three kinds intrusion detection model are introduced. By using Bayesian methods, Fuzzy Decision Engine and Immunity-Based Model, we can improve the performance of intrusion detection system and effectively reduce the false positive alarm. Based on the three models, some drawbacks of NIDS have been analyzed and a new architecture of IDS has been put forward. In this new architecture, IDS are viewed as a function instead of a product.
The clinical efficacy of reflexology in nursing home residents with dementia.

OBJECTIVE This experimental, repeated-measures, crossover design study with nursing home residents examined the efficacy of reflexology in individuals with mild-to-moderate stage dementia. Specifically, the study tested whether a weekly reflexology intervention contributed to the resident outcomes of reduced physiologic distress, reduced pain, and improved affect. SETTING The study was conducted at a large nursing home in suburban Philadelphia. SAMPLE The sample included 21 nursing home residents with mild-to-moderate stage dementia randomly assigned to two groups. INTERVENTIONS The first group received 4 weeks of weekly reflexology treatments followed by 4 weeks of a control condition of friendly visits. The second group received 4 weeks of friendly visits followed by 4 weeks of weekly reflexology. OUTCOME MEASURES The primary efficacy endpoint was reduction of physiologic distress as measured by salivary alpha-amylase. The secondary outcomes were observed pain (Checklist of Nonverbal Pain Indicators) and observed affect (Apparent Affect Rating Scale). RESULTS The findings demonstrate that when receiving the reflexology treatment condition, as compared to the control condition, the residents demonstrated significant reduction in observed pain and salivary alpha-amylase. No adverse events were recorded during the study period. CONCLUSIONS This study provides preliminary support for the efficacy of reflexology as a treatment of stress in nursing home residents with mild-to-moderate stage dementia.
Cuckoo Search Optimization based design of linear phase FIR filters: A comparison approach

Optimization algorithms has been used to solve many design problems in science and engineering; notable in image processing, construction design, path planning and many other application. In this paper the method of designing a linear phase symmetric FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filter with the help of Cuckoo Search Optimization (CSO) Algorithm has been highlighted. Since evolutionary optimization algorithms are more powerful than its linear counterpart, CSO has been deployed in order to find out the coefficients of the required filter for a given problem requirement. Even order linear phase symmetric FIR filter are best suitable for this kind of design procedure. The best nests selected by the CSO denotes the particular coefficient set for a given particular even order filter. A low pass filter is shown as a design example. Comparisonal analysis with respect to other strong evolutionary algorithm is also presented in this paper.
“Ark of Refugee Heirloom” - A Cultural Heritage Database

In recent years, research and presentation of cultural heritage have an important ally: technology. The “Ark of Refugee Heirloom” is a project of high cultural importance, since it aims at the recording and documentation of unknown heirlooms, kept mainly in private collections. The objective is the classification and publication of primary data, in order to support further research on the field of Cultural Heritage. The project tracks down heirlooms in the five prefectures of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace that belong to refugees whose origins lay in regions of the Ottoman Empire, south Russia, Bulgaria and others surrounding the Black Sea.
Vision based mura detection by using property of line scan camera for black resin-coated steel - Line scan algorithm

This paper proposes vision based mura detection algorithm for the black resin-coated steel by using property of line scan camera. The proposed algorithm consists of three parts: preprocessing, selection of threshold value, and finally binarization and post processing. Preprocessing consists of moving average filtering, image partitioning and additional weight for black defects. Second, to distinguish between defect and background we must choose proper threshold value. Finally, we binarize original image by using threshold value and use the image opening and closing to eliminate small noise. The simulation results show detection accuracy of the proposed algorithm.
Complement’s participation in acquired immunity

The preliminary evidence for the involvement of complement in promoting primary humoral responses dates back over a quarter of a century. However, it is only in the course of the past decade or so that the detailed mechanisms underlying complement’s influence have been characterized in depth. It is now clear that complement serves as a regulator of several B cell functions, including specific antibody production, antigen uptake, processing and presentation, and shaping of the B cell repertoire. Of key importance, in this respect, is the role played by the B cell‐signaling triad consisting of the B cell receptor for antigen (BCR), a complex composed of the iC3b/C3d fragment‐binding complement type 2 receptor (CR2, CD21) and its signaling element CD19 and the IgG‐binding receptor FcγRIIb (CD32). The positive or negative outcome of signaling through this triad is determined by the context in which antigen is seen, be it alone or in association with natural or induced antibodies and/or C3‐complement fragments. The aim of this review is to describe the present status of our understanding of complement’s participation in acquired immunity and the regulation of autoimmune responses.
Hippocampal atrophy confounds template-based functional MR imaging measures of hippocampal activation in patients with mild cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Functional MR imaging has been used to study patterns of hippocampal activation that distinguish pathologic from normal memory loss in the elderly population. Our objective was to assess whether hippocampal atrophy confounds measurements of hippocampal activation in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS Twenty subjects with MCI and 20 elderly control subjects with objectively normal memory were studied at 4T during a face-name paradigm designed to activate the hippocampus. Hippocampal activation was measured using 2 separate approaches: applying a preset region of interest (ROI) in standardized template space and applying a manually drawn ROI in native subject space. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to compare group-dependent relationships between hippocampal volume and activation. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed to assess group differences in hippocampal activation during encoding and retrieval. Age and hippocampal volume were included as covariates, as was a term for the interaction between hippocampal volume and group. RESULTS When hippocampal activation was measured by the template-based method, the correlation coefficient in the right hippocampus of subjects with MCI but not control subjects during retrieval differed significantly from zero. There was a significant (P < .05) group-by-volume interaction in the ANCOVA model. No significant correlations or interactions were demonstrated when activation was measured in native subject space with manually drawn ROIs. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest a potential confounding relationship between hippocampal volume and activation for subjects with MCI in template-based analyses. Template-based measures of hippocampal activation that do not adequately account for hippocampal atrophy should be used with caution in patients with MCI.
Modeling correlated defaults: first passage model under stochastic volatility

Default dependency structure is crucial in pricing multi-name credit derivatives as well as in credit risk management. In this paper, we extend the first passage model for one name with stochastic volatility (Fouque-Sircar-Solna, Applied Mathematical Finance 2006) to the multi-name case. Correlation of defaults is generated by correlation between the Brownian motions driving the individual names as well as through common stochastic volatility factors. A numerical example for the loss distribution of a portfolio of defaultable bonds is examined after stochastic volatility is incorporated.
MiR-652-3p is upregulated in non-small cell lung cancer and promotes proliferation and metastasis by directly targeting Lgl1

Our previous study found that miR-652-3p is markedly upregulated in the serum of patients with NSCLC and suggesting that miR-652-3p is a potential biomarker for the early diagnosis of NSCLC. In this study, we detected the expression of miR-652-3p in NSCLC tumor tissues and cell lines and investigated the effect of miR-652-3p on the proliferation and metastasis of NSCLC cells. Our results showed that the expression of miR-652-3p was significantly upregulated in tumor tissues of 50 patients with NSCLC, and it was significantly higher in patients with positive lymph node metastasis, advanced TNM stage and poor prognosis. Using functional analyses by overexpressing or suppressing miR-652-3p in NSCLC cells, we demonstrated that miR-652-3p promoted cell proliferation, migration, invasion and inhibited cell apoptosis. Moreover, the lethal(2) giant larvae 1 (Lgl1) was identified as a direct and functional target of miR-652-3p. Overexpression or knockdown of miR-652-3p led to decreased or increased expression of Lgl1 protein, and the binding site mutation of LLGL1 3′UTR abrogated the responsiveness of the luciferase reporters to miR-652-3p. Overexpression of Lgl1 partially attenuated the function of miR-652-3p. Collectively, these results revealed that miR-652-3p execute a tumor-promoter function in NSCLC through direct binding and regulating the expression of Lgl1.
Diagonal preconditioning for first order primal-dual algorithms in convex optimization

In this paper we study preconditioning techniques for the first-order primal-dual algorithm proposed in [5]. In particular, we propose simple and easy to compute diagonal preconditioners for which convergence of the algorithm is guaranteed without the need to compute any step size parameters. As a by-product, we show that for a certain instance of the preconditioning, the proposed algorithm is equivalent to the old and widely unknown alternating step method for monotropic programming [7]. We show numerical results on general linear programming problems and a few standard computer vision problems. In all examples, the preconditioned algorithm significantly outperforms the algorithm of [5].
Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 in Odontoblastic Cells Derived from Ips Cells: Unique Proliferation Response as Odontoblastic Cells Derived from ES Cells

We previously reported that matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 accelerates wound healing following dental pulp injury. In addition, we reported that a proinflammatory cytokine mixture (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and interferon-γ) induced MMP-3 activity in odontoblast-like cells derived from mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, suggesting that MMP-3 plays a potential unique physiological role in wound healing and regeneration of dental pulp in odontoblast-like cells. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that upregulation of MMP-3 activity by IL-1β promotes proliferation and apoptosis of purified odontoblast-like cells derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) and ES cells. Each odontoblast-like cell was isolated and incubated with different concentrations of IL-1β. MMP-3 mRNA and protein expression were assessed using RT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. MMP-3 activity was measured using immunoprecipitation and a fluorescence substrate. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were determined using ELISA for BrdU and DNA fragmentation, respectively. siRNA was used to reduce MMP-3 transcripts in these cells. Treatment with IL-1β increased MMP-3 mRNA and protein levels, and MMP-3 activity in odontoblast-like cells. Cell proliferation was found to markedly increase with no changes in apoptosis. Endogenous tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2 were constitutively expressed during all experiments. The exocytosis inhibitor, Exo1, potently suppressed the appearance of MMP-3 in the conditioned medium. Treatment with siRNA against MMP-3 suppressed an IL-1β-induced increase in MMP-3 expression and activity, and also suppressed cell proliferation, but unexpectedly increased apoptosis in these cells (P<0.05). Exogenous MMP-3 was found to induce cell proliferation in odontoblast-like cells derived from iPS cells and ES cells. This siRNA-mediated increase in apoptosis could be reversed with exogenous MMP-3 stimulation (P<0.05). Taken together, IL-1β induced MMP-3-regulated cell proliferation and suppressed apoptosis in odontoblast-like cells derived from iPS and ES cells.
A Spectral Viscosity Method Based on Hermite Functions for Nonlinear Conservation Laws

We consider the approximation by a spectral method of the solution of the Cauchy problem for a scalar conservation law in one dimension posed in the whole real line. We analyze a spectral viscosity method in which the orthogonal basis considered is the one of Hermite functions. We prove the convergence of the approximate solution to the unique entropy solution of the problem by using compensated compactness arguments.