Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MicroRNAs Involved in the Lipid Metabolism and Their Possible Implications for Atherosclerosis Development and Treatment

Hyperlipidemia is a well-accepted risk factor in the development of atherosclerosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a novel class of posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression, are involved in a variety of biological and pathological processes, including the regulation of the lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. As our knowledge of miRNAs expands, a new class of “circulating miRNAs” has recently been described. It includes miRNAs which may be found in various bodily fluids packaged in microvesicles/exosomes, or bound to specific transporting proteins. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles have been identified as one such carrier. As this class of miRNAs likely plays a role in intercellular communication, it may also contribute to the atherosclerosis development and progression. This review aims to provide a comprehensive explanation of the roles of distinct miRNAs involved in the regulation of the lipid metabolism. These microRNAs seem to be promising therapeutic agents, as documented in rodents and African green monkeys. The second part of the review focuses on circulating miRNAs and their involvement in the atherosclerosis, especially as their levels have been described as altered in patients with dyslipidemia/hyperlipidemia. Special emphasis is placed on miRNAs transported in a complex with HDL particles and on those which may be considered potential atherosclerosis biomarkers.
Virulence, parasite mode of transmission, and host fluctuating asymmetry

Horizontally transmitted parasites are broadly predicted to be more virulent, or costly to host fitness, than those with vertical transmission. This is mainly because vertical transmission, from host parent to offspring, explicitly links the reproductive interests of both parties. Underlying this prediction is a general assumption that parasite transmission success is positively correlated with its virulence. We report results where infection of larval yellow fever mosquitoes Aedes aegypti with the microsporidian Edhazardia aedis was experimentally manipulated. The parasite's complex life cycle allowed comparisons between estimates of horizontal and vertical transmission on host fitness. Our measure of virulence was the fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of adult female wings. Hosts harbouring spores showed higher FAs than controls. Horizontally transmitting spores were associated with higher FAs than vertically transmitting spores. Furthermore, within hosts FA correlated positively with the number of horizontally transmitting spores, while no relation was seen with the number of vertically transmitting spores. A developmental mechanism uncoupling the relationship between vertical transmission and virulence is proposed.
Counterfactuals , Causal Attributions , and the Hindsight Bias : A Conceptual Integration

This research was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship awarded to Neal Roese and a research grant awarded to James Olson, both from the Social Sciences and HumanitiesResearch Council of Canada. We thank Dave Hamilton, Dale Miller, Mike Ross, Richard Sorrentino, Yaacov Trope, and two anonymous reviewers for providing valuable comments on various versions of the manuscript.We are also grateful to Eileen da Pena for her assistance in running the first experiment. Correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed to Neal Roese, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208-2710. e-mail: roese=nwu.edu. Counterfactual research news is posted at the web site, http://www.psych.nwu. edu/people/roese.      32, 197—227 (1996)  . 0010
The Use of Speech Recognition Software as an English Language Oral Assessment Instrument: An Exploratory Study

This paper explores the potential for the use of speech recognition technology to test the oral proficiency of learners of English as a second language. The study described here follows from an earlier study in which subjects read a text aloud into the speech recognition software Dragon NaturallySpeaking and extends that study to include the analysis and scoring of the output of the speech recognition software by means of a computer program. Results indicate that the computer program discriminated well between the native and non-native speakers and also correlated highly with the results of traditional analyses. The paper concludes with the note of circumspection by pointing out that the current implementation of speech recognition technology is still far from being readily usable primarily because the technology is speaker-dependent and has to be trained to recognize each person's voice.
Processor Frequency Selection in Energy-Aware SoC Platform Design for Multimedia Applications

Of late, there has been a considerable interest in generic and configurable System-on-Chip platforms specifically targeted towards implementing multimedia applications. A number of such platforms offer the possibility of including processor soft cores which are highly customizable. For voltage/frequency scaled processors, such customization includes the selection of appropriate voltage/frequency operating points which are tuned to the application set to be mapped onto the platform. In this context, we present an analytical framework that can guide a system designer in identifying the frequency ranges that should be supported by the different processors of a platform architecture. This framework can also be used to identify how such frequency ranges depend on the different parameters of the architecture (such as on-chip buffer sizes), and the performance impacts associated with selecting a particular frequency range. In the case of multimedia streaming applications, identifying such performance impacts and tradeoffs involved in customizing a platform architecture is especially difficult due to the bursty nature of on-chip traffic arising out of multimedia processing and the high variability in their execution requirements. The framework presented here is designed to precisely capture such characteristics and can be used in the design-space exploration of energy-aware platform architectures for multimedia processing.
Consumed with consumption. The impact of friendship on consumer self-control

Een gebrek aan zelfcontrole is een groeiend probleem in onze huidige maatschappij vol met consumptieverleidingen. Consumenten zijn regelmatig niet in staat om hun krachtige impulsen om te kopen, ongezond te eten, alcohol te drinken of te roken te weerstaan. In de huidige dissertatie laat ik echter zien dat er hoop is voor consumenten die moeite hebben met het weerstaan van consumptie-impulsen. Door middel van experimenten en fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) onderzoek, toon ik aan dat het herinneren van consumenten aan vriendschap een effectieve methode is om hun zelfcontrole te vergroten. Concreet laat ik zien dat de psychologische activatie van vriendschap beide krachten betrokken bij effectieve zelfcontrole verbetert: het vermindert de sterkte van consumptie-impulsen en versterkt bovendien de kracht om deze consumptie-impulsen te weerstaan. Drie processen: een verbeterd vermogen om zelfcontrole conflict waar te nemen, een verbeterd vermogen om zelfcontrole daadwerkelijk uit te voeren en een globale in plaats van een lokale verwerkingsstijl (d.w.z. een focus op de abstracte in plaats van concrete kenmerken van consumptieverleidingen), blijken ten grondslag te liggen aan deze heilzame werking van vriendschap op de zelfcontrole van consumenten. Deze bevindingen zijn van groot belang voor het welzijn van consumenten. Vriendschap als manier om de zelfcontrole van consumenten te vergroten, kan worden ingezet bij therapieen tegen fenomenen waar problemen met het bedwingen van consumptie-impulsen aan ten grondslag liggen. Denk hierbij aan maatschappelijke problemen als compulsief koopgedrag, obesitas of overmatige alcoholconsumptie.
Quasar Proximity Zones and Patchy Reionization

Lyα forest absorption spectra toward quasars at z ~ 6 show regions of enhanced transmission close to their source. Several authors have argued that the apparently small sizes of these regions indicate that quasar ionization fronts at z ≳ 6 expand into a largely or partly neutral IGM. Assuming that the typical region in the IGM is reionized by z ≤ 6, as is suggested by Lyα forest observations, we argue that at least 50% of the volume of the IGM was reionized before the highest redshift quasars turned on. Further, even if the IGM is as much as ~50% neutral at quasar turn-on, the quasars are likely born into large galaxy-generated H II regions. The H II regions during reionization are themselves clustered, and using radiative transfer simulations, we find that long skewers through the IGM toward quasar progenitor halos pass entirely through ionized bubbles, even when the IGM is half-neutral. These effects have been neglected in most previous analyses of quasar proximity zones, which assumed a spatially uniform neutral fraction. We model the subsequent ionization from a quasar and construct mock Lyα forest spectra. Our mock absorption spectra are more sensitive to the level of small-scale structure in the IGM than to the volume-averaged neutral fraction and suggest that existing proximity zone size measurements are compatible with a fully ionized IGM. However, we mention several improvements in our modeling that are necessary to make more definitive conclusions.
Lane Geometry Estimation in Urban Environments Using a Stereovision System

This paper presents a lane detection system that combines stereovision-specific techniques with grayscale image processing for maximizing the robustness and applicability against the difficult conditions of the urban environment. The lane marking features are extracted using a fast and robust dark-light-dark transition detector that's aware of the perspective effect. The clothoid lane model is matched to the extracted features using line segment fitting for two distance intervals, under special constraints that ensure correctness. Freeform lane border detection, independent on the geometry constraints, driven by lane marking features only, is used to solve the situations not suited for clothoid representation. The results of each detection method are fused together in a Kalman filter based framework.
Time Makes Sense: Event Discovery in Twitter Using Temporal Similarity

Temporal text mining (TTM) has recently attracted the attention of scientists as a mean to discover and track in real-time discussions in micro-blogs. However current approaches to temporal mining suffer from efficiency problems when applied to large micro-blog streams, like Twitter, now reaching an average of 500 million tweets per daay. We propose a technique, named SAX (based on an algorithm named Symbolic Aggregate Approximation) to discretize the temporal series of terms into a small set of levels, leading to a string for each terms. We then define a subset of "interesting" strings, i.e. Those representing patterns of collective attention. Sliding temporal windows are used to detect clusters of terms with the same string. We show that SAX is more efficient (by orders of magnitude) than other approaches to temporal mining in literature. In this paper, we experiment SAX on the task of event discovery over one year 1% world while Twitter stream.
Anti-tumor Activity of N4 [(E)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl) Methylidene], N4-[(E)-2-Phenylethylidene], N4 [(E,2E)-3-Phenyl-2-propenylidene], and N4 [(E)ethylidene] Isonicotinohydrazide on K562 and Jurkat Cell Lines

Using the water eliminated mechanism, reactions of 4-pyridinecarboxylic acid hydrazide and salicylaldehyde, benzaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde, and formaldehyde afforded the corresponding N4[(E)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl) methylidene] (NHPM), N4-[(E)-2-phenylethylidene] (NPI), N4[(E,2E)-3-phenyl-2-propenylidene] (NPPI), and N4[(E) ethylidene] (NEI) isonicotinohydrazide, in high yields, after several minutes, as reported. These new compounds have shown antitumor activity against two kinds of cancer cells, which are K562 (human chronic myeloid leukemia) and Jurkat (human T lymphocyte carcinoma).
Diagnosis of brucellosis in livestock and wildlife.

AIM To describe and discuss the merits of various direct and indirect methods applied in vitro (mainly on blood or milk) or in vivo (allergic test) for the diagnosis of brucellosis in animals. METHODS The recent literature on brucellosis diagnostic tests was reviewed. These diagnostic tests are applied with different goals, such as national screening, confirmatory diagnosis, certification, and international trade. The validation of such diagnostic tests is still an issue, particularly in wildlife. The choice of the testing strategy depends on the prevailing brucellosis epidemiological situation and the goal of testing. RESULTS Measuring the kinetics of antibody production after Brucella spp. infection is essential for analyzing serological results correctly and may help to predict abortion. Indirect ELISAs help to discriminate 1) between false positive serological reactions and true brucellosis and 2) between vaccination and infection. Biotyping of Brucella spp. provides valuable epidemiological information that allows tracing an infection back to the sources in instances where several biotypes of a given Brucella species are circulating. Polymerase chain reaction and new molecular methods are likely to be used as routine typing and fingerprinting methods in the coming years. CONCLUSION The diagnosis of brucellosis in livestock and wildlife is complex and serological results need to be carefully analyzed. The B. abortus S19 and B. melitensis Rev. 1 vaccines are the cornerstones of control programs in cattle and small ruminants, respectively. There is no vaccine available for pigs or for wildlife. In the absence of a human brucellosis vaccine, prevention of human brucellosis depends on the control of the disease in animals.
Managing Circuit Don't Cares in Boolean Satisfiability

Managing Circuit Don’t Cares in Boolean Satisfiability Sean A. Safarpour Master of Applied Science Graduate Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Toronto 2005 Boolean Satisfiability solvers are widely used in many VLSI Computer Aided Design applications. Their popularity is due to recent developments such as effective search space pruning, decision making, and learning from previous mistakes. Most SAT algorithms and performance improvement techniques focus on the core engine and do not exploit circuit specific properties. Historically, properties such as don’t care conditions have played an important role in problems such as test pattern generation and circuit synthesis. This thesis presents a number of techniques that increase SAT solver performance by taking advantage of circuit don’t care conditions. General strategies and specific heuristics are developed that utilize a circuit’s observability don’t cares, controllability don’t cares, and don’t care states to improve SAT solver efficiency for formal verification problems. Extensive experiments demonstrate the benefits of don’t care conditions on benchmark suites as well as industrial circuits.
Psychoanalysis and Sexual Issues

Abstract Psychoanalysts were once thought to be experts on sexual issues, but that is less true today. The rift between psychoanalysis and scientific sexology that occurred in the mid-20th century may be partly responsible. In this article, I suggest ways this situation can be remedied. Psychoanalysts can best become more literate about variant forms of sexuality by reading first-person accounts and by garnering information from empirical research and Internet sites for specific forms of sexuality. In addition, psychoanalysts need to examine their own attitudes to different forms of sexuality, make sure they learn a patient's goals in treatment, be honest and open about whether they can help achieve those goals, and pay attention to the difference between psychopathology and societal pathology. In addition, the analyst needs to be aware of how sexual excitement can unconsciously bind erotic experience with other complex emotions and motivations. A case of coercive voyeurism is presented to illustrate these principles.
The Vitamin D Analog, TX527, Promotes a Human CD4+CD25highCD127low Regulatory T Cell Profile and Induces a Migratory Signature Specific for Homing to Sites of Inflammation

The use of hypocalcemic vitamin D analogs is an appealing strategy to exploit the immunomodulatory actions of active vitamin D in vivo while circumventing its calcemic side effects. The functional modulation of dendritic cells by these molecules is regarded as the key mechanism underlying their ability to regulate T cell reactivity. In this article, we demonstrate the capacity of the vitamin D analog, TX527, to target T cells directly. Microarray analysis of purified human CD3+ T cells, cultured in the presence of TX527, revealed differential expression of genes involved in T cell activation, proliferation, differentiation, and migratory capacity. Accordingly, functional analysis showed a TX527-mediated suppression of the T cell proliferative capacity and activation status, accompanied by decreased expression of effector cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-17). Furthermore, TX527 triggered the emergence of CD4+CD25highCD127low regulatory T cells featuring elevated levels of IL-10, CTLA-4, and OX40 and the functional capacity to suppress activation and proliferation of effector T cells. Moreover, the vitamin D analog profoundly altered the homing receptor profile of T cells and their migration toward chemokine ligands. Remarkably, TX527 not only modulated skin-homing receptors as illustrated for the parent compound, but also reduced the expression of lymphoid organ-homing receptors (CD62L, CCR7, and CXCR4) and uniquely promoted surface expression of inflammatory homing receptors (CCR5, CXCR3, and CXCR6) on T cells. We conclude that TX527 directly affects human T cell function, thereby inhibiting effector T cell reactivity while inducing regulatory T cell characteristics, and imprints them with a specific homing signature favoring migration to sites of inflammation.
Learning Fine Motion in Robotics : Experiments with the Hierarchical Extended Kohonen Map

| We present a Hierarchical Extended Kohonen Map (HEKM) and a planning system which cooperate to solve the robot path nding problem. The HEKM learns to associate appropriate actions to perceptions under the supervision of the planner. First, we argue for the utility of using the hierarchical version of the KM instead of the \ at" KM: the HEKM provides a natural and economic representation of the robot's perceptual states. Second, we measure the bene ts of cooperative learning due to the interaction of neighboring neurons in the HEKM: with cooperation, learning is slowed down in the short run, but the bene ts appear later on, resulting in a more satisfactory nal performance. Third, we highlight a bene cial side-e ect obtained by transferring motion skill from the planner to the HEKM, namely, smoothness of motion.
What contributes to depression in Parkinson's disease?

Background. Depression is a common problem in patients with Parkinson's disease, but its mechanism is poorly understood. It is thought that neurochemical changes contribute to its occurrence, but it is unclear why some patients develop depression and others do not. Using a community-based sample of patients with Parkinson's disease, we investigated the contributions of impairment, disability and handicap to depression in Parkinson's disease. Methods. Ninety-seven patients seen in a population-based study on the prevalence of Parkinson's disease completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Clinical and historical information on symptoms and complications of Parkinson's disease were obtained from the patients by a neurologist. In addition, clinician and patient ratings of disability on the Schwab and England scale were obtained and a quality of life questionnaire was completed. Results. Moderate to severe depression (BDI [ges ] 18) was reported by 19·6% of the patients. Higher depression scores were associated with advancing disease severity, recent self-reported deterioration, higher akinesia scores, a mini-mental score of < 25 and occurrence of falls. Disability as rated by the neurologist accounted for 34% of the variance of depression scores. Self-reported impairment of cognitive function and the feeling of stigmatization accounted for > 50% of the variance of depression scores. Conclusions. Depression in patients with Parkinson's disease is associated with advancing disease severity, recent disease deterioration and occurrence of falls. Regression analysis suggests that depression in Parkinson's disease is more strongly influenced by the patients' perceptions of handicap than by actual disability. The treatment of depression should therefore be targeted independently of treatment of the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and consider the patients' own perception of their disease.
Improved SLM Technique using Reiman matrix for PAPR Reduction of LTE-OFDM Networks

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is an attractive, promising and emerging technique which achieves high data rate in mobile multipath channels. LTE was the first technology to use OFDM. There are many more advantages of OFDM which includes immunity to multipath fading. High Peak to Average Power Ratio(PAPR) is the main disadvantage of OFDM-LTE Networks. This paper describes how PAPR is reduced by Selective Mapping Technique (SLM) and how we can improve SLM Technique using Reiman Matrix . KeywordsPAPR, OFDM, CCDF, SLM
Analysis of a FitzHugh–Nagumo–Rall model of a neuronal network

Pursuing an investigation started in (Math. Meth. Appl. Sci. 2007; 30:681–706), we consider a generalization of the FitzHugh–Nagumo model for the propagation of impulses in a network of nerve fibres. To this aim, we consider a whole neuronal network that includes models for axons, somata, dendrites, and synapses (of both inhibitory and excitatory type). We investigate separately the linear part by means of sesquilinear forms, in order to obtain well posedness and some qualitative properties. Once they are obtained, we perturb the linear problem by a nonlinear term and we prove existence of local solutions. Qualitative properties with biological meaning are also investigated. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DECOUPLING CLOUD APP LICATIONS FROM THE S OURCE

Cloud computing and the utility computing model have aroused the interest of multiple vendors to provide their own public cloud services . Each vendor provides different services and establishes a series of restrictions for all of the applications deployed within its infrastructure, which results in cloud applications being modeled and developed for specific cloud environments . Thi leads to a tight coupling of applications to the cloud in which they are deployed, thus complicating the ir migration to other clouds. In this paper a different approach for developing cloud applications is proposed, based on the separation of cloud related metadata from the source code that comprises an application deployed in a cloud. Separating metadata related to how services are provided by the application and how it consumes cloud specific and remote services will allow developers to be oblivious as to which cloud the application is being developed for . This approach may be used both for developing new cloud applications as we ll as for migrating legacy software