Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance of KDB-trees with query-based splitting

While the persistent data of many advanced database applications, such as OLAP and scientific studies, are characterized by very high dimensionality, typical queries posed on these data appeal to a small number of relevant dimensions. Unfortunately, the multidimensional access methods designed for high-dimensional data perform rather poorly for these partially specified queries. A potentially very appealing idea, frequently suggested in the literature, is to adopt a node-splitting policy that takes into account the "importance" of individual dimensions, which could be determined either a priori or through a statistical sampling of actual queries. This paper presents the results of some carefully controlled experiments conducted to observe the effects of query-based splitting on the performance of KDB-trees. The strategy is compared to a splitting policy that selects the split dimensions in a "cyclic" fashion, which has been shown to be very effective, especially in high-dimensional situations. Based on the results, the query-based splitting does not appear to be a very appealing splitting strategy for KDB-trees.
The Diterpene Sclareol Vascular Effect in Normotensive and Hypertensive Rats

Background The diterpene Sclareol has antimicrobial action, cytotoxic and cytostatic effects and anti-tumor activities. However, researches on the cardiovascular system are scarce. Objective This study was designed to investigate the mechanisms involved in the Sclareol cardiovascular effect in normotensive and hypertensive rats. Methods The arterial hypertension was promoted using 2-kidneys 1-clip model in rats. The effect of sclareol on blood pressure was performed by using three dose (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg). Cumulative dose-response curves for Sclareol were determined for endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded aortic rings in presence or absence of L-NAME and ODQ. The NOx levels were measure in the plasma sample. Results The Sclareol administration in vivo caused a significant reduction in blood pressure in both groups. In vitro the sclareol promoted relaxation in aorta, with endothelium, pre-contracted to Phe. The inhibitors of the nitric oxide synthase and soluble guanylate cyclase were as efficient as the removal of endothelium, in inhibiting the Sclareol-induced relaxation. Otherwise, it was no change of NOx. Also, for unknown reasons, the Sclareol is not selective for hypertensive animals. Conclusion The diterpene Sclareol showed in vivo hypotensive and in-vitro vasodilator effects; The chemiluminescence plasmatic NO analysis showed no significant difference between groups and The Sclareol exhibit better effect on normotensive than hypertensive animals to reduce blood pressure. It is concluded that the diterpenes metabolites would be a promising source prototype for the development of new agents in the cardiovascular therapy.
Intra‐acrosomal 155,000 dalton protein increases the antigenicity during mouse sperm maturation in the epididymis: A study using a monoclonal antibody MC101

We found an intra‐acrosomal antigen of about 155,000 daltons (155 kDa) in a survey using the monoclonal antibody MC101 raised against mouse cauda epididymal spermatozoa. Morphological studies by means of indirect immunofluorescence and immunogold electron microscopy localized the antigen to the cortex region of the anterior acrosome. Avidin biotin complex immunocytochemistry initially demonstrated a faint signal at the anterior acrosome in the testis spermatozoa that increased in intensity as the sperm moved toward the distal epididymis. This incremental immunoreactivity was also confirmed by immunoblotting following one‐dimensional SDS‐PAGE. The 155 kDa protein band was immunostained, and it was much more intense in the cauda epididymal than in the caput and corpus epididymal spermatozoa. Only a trace or no immunostain was evident in the caput or testis spermatozoa. The antigen localization did not change during passage through the epididymis, being confined at the cortex region of the anterior acrosome. The epididymal epithelial cells were not immunostained. These findings suggested that the 155 kDa protein is biochemically modified, further implying that the biochemical alteration of intra‐acrosomal material is involved in sperm maturation in the epididymis. © 1995 wiley‐Liss, Inc.
FRPR-4 Is a G-Protein Coupled Neuropeptide Receptor That Regulates Behavioral Quiescence and Posture in Caenorhabditis elegans

Neuropeptides signal through G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) to regulate a broad array of animal behaviors and physiological processes. The Caenorhabditis elegans genome encodes approximately 100 predicted neuropeptide receptor GPCRs, but in vivo roles for only a few have been identified. We describe here a role for the GPCR FRPR-4 in the regulation of behavioral quiescence and locomotive posture. FRPR-4 is activated in cell culture by several neuropeptides with an amidated isoleucine-arginine-phenylalanine (IRF) motif or an amidated valine-arginine-phenylalanine (VRF) motif at their carboxy termini, including those encoded by the gene flp-13. Loss of frpr-4 function results in a minor feeding quiescence defect after heat-induced cellular stress. Overexpression of frpr-4 induces quiescence of locomotion and feeding as well as an exaggerated body bend posture. The exaggerated body bend posture requires the gene flp-13. While frpr-4 is expressed broadly, selective overexpression of frpr-4 in the proprioceptive DVA neurons results in exaggerated body bends that require flp-13 in the ALA neuron. Our results suggest that FLP-13 and other neuropeptides signal through FRPR-4 and other receptors to regulate locomotion posture and behavioral quiescence.
Preparation of “Green” Microcapsules for Corrosion Protection: Linseed Oil Encapsulated PF Microcapsules

This work aimed to prepare linseed oil encapsulated phenol formaldehyde microcapsules for self-repairing coating in corrosion prevention applications. This coating not only extends service life of the underlying metal which, in turn, prolongs the availability of natural resource but also be an environmental-friendly coating. The microcapsules were prepared through oil-in-water emulsion (O/W) at operating temperature of 65°C. Amount of phenol and formaldehyde were varied at weight (grams) ratios of 3.76:6.49, 4.70:8.10 and 5.64:9.73. Microcapsules obtained at agitation rates of 250 and 600 rpm were in diameter ranges of 200-1000 μm and 25-550 μm, respectively. Amount of phenol and formaldehyde as well as agitation rate were found to correlate with oil storage capability. The larger the amount of phenol and formaldehyde, the less oil leaking presented. In case of agitation rate, differences in agitation rate produced different surface morphologies. At low agitation rate, microcapsules had rough surface but less oil leaking. As a result of oil leaking, agglomeration of microcapsules was observed.
Waterbomb base: a symmetric single-vertex bistable origami mechanism

The origami waterbomb base is a single-vertex bistable origami mechanism that has unique properties which may prove useful in a variety of applications. It also shows promise as a test bed for smart materials and actuation because of its straightforward geometry and multiple phases of motion, ranging from simple to more complex. This study develops a quantitative understanding of the symmetric waterbomb baseʼs kinetic behavior. This is done by completing kinematic and potential energy analyses to understand and predict bistable behavior. A physical prototype is constructed and tested to validate the results of the analyses. Finite element and virtual work analyses based on the prototype are used to explore the locations of the stable equilibrium positions and the force–deflection response. The model results are verified through comparisons to measurements on a physical prototype. The resulting models describe waterbomb base behavior and provide an engineering tool for application development.
The Impact of National Environment on the Adoption of Internet Banking: Comparing Singapore and South Africa

The widespread diffusion of the Internet globally has prompted most retail banks to offer Internet banking services. A recent study in Singapore identified attitudinal and perceived behavioural control factors as having an influence on consumer adoption of Internet banking. It is expected that the national environment will also impact this process. The aim of this study therefore was to replicate the Singapore study in South Africa, compare the results between the two countries and explain differences in adoption process in terms of the national environment. The results confirm that attitudinal and perceived behavioural control factors influence adoption in South Africa as in Singapore, but with differences in the number of determinants, and the degree of influence of certain determinants. These differences were explained in terms of three environmental dimensions-socio-economic conditions, the state of Internet diffusion and government ICT policies respectively.
Nasal neuron PET imaging quantifies neuron generation and degeneration

Olfactory dysfunction is broadly associated with neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases and predicts increased mortality rates in healthy individuals. Conventional measurements of olfactory health assess odor processing pathways within the brain and provide a limited understanding of primary odor detection. Quantification of the olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), which detect odors within the nasal cavity, would provide insight into the etiology of olfactory dysfunction associated with disease and mortality. Notably, OSNs are continually replenished by adult neurogenesis in mammals, including humans, so OSN measurements are primed to provide specialized insights into neurological disease. Here, we have evaluated a PET radiotracer, [11C]GV1-57, that specifically binds mature OSNs and quantifies the mature OSN population in vivo. [11C]GV1-57 monitored native OSN population dynamics in rodents, detecting OSN generation during postnatal development and aging-associated neurodegeneration. [11C]GV1-57 additionally measured rates of neuron regeneration after acute injury and early-stage OSN deficits in a rodent tauopathy model of neurodegenerative disease. Preliminary assessment in nonhuman primates suggested maintained uptake and saturable binding of [18F]GV1-57 in primate nasal epithelium, supporting its translational potential. Future applications for GV1-57 include monitoring additional diseases or conditions associated with olfactory dysregulation, including cognitive decline, as well as monitoring effects of neuroregenerative or neuroprotective therapeutics.
Evidence against an Interaction between the mRNA Downstream Box and 16S rRNA in Translation Initiation

ABSTRACT Based on the complementarity of the initial coding region (downstream box [db]) of several bacterial and phage mRNAs to bases 1469 to 1483 in helix 44 of 16S rRNA (anti-downstream box [adb]), it has been proposed that db-adb base pairing enhances translation in a way that is similar to that of the Shine-Dalgarno (SD)/anti-Shine-Dalgarno (aSD) interaction. Computer modeling of helix 44 on the 30S subunit shows that the topography of the 30S ribosome does not allow a simultaneous db-adb interaction and placement of the initiation codon in the ribosomal P site. Thus, the db-adb interaction cannot substitute for the SD-aSD interaction in translation initiation. We have always argued that any contribution of the db-adb interaction should be most apparent on mRNAs devoid of an SD sequence. Here, we show that 30S ribosomes do not bind to leaderless mRNA in the absence of initiator tRNA, even when the initial coding region shows a 15-nucleotide complementarity (optimal fit) with the putative adb. In addition, an optimized db did not affect the translational efficiency of a leaderless λ cI-lacZ reporter construct. Thus, the db-adb interaction can hardly serve as an initial recruitment signal for ribosomes. Moreover, we show that different leaderless mRNAs are translated in heterologous systems although the sequence of the putative adb's within helix 44 of the 30S subunits of the corresponding bacteria differ largely. Taken our data together with those of others (M. O'Connor, T. Asai, C. L. Squires, and A. E. Dahlberg, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96:8973–8978, 1999; A. La Teana, A. Brandi, M. O'Connor, S. Freddi, and C. L. Pon, RNA 6:1393–1402, 2000), we conclude that the db does not base pair with the adb.
An enhanced intelligent forum crawler

As online forums contain a vast amount of information that can aid in the early detection of fraud cases and extremist activities, accurate and efficient forum crawlers are very important in the field of digital forensics to acquire useful information and knowledge. In this paper, we conduct an analysis on an existing work, iRobot, which is an intelligent forum crawler. We identify the drawbacks of iRobot in its vertex-based traversal path selection, edge-based traversal path seletion, informativeness estimation and detection of duplicate pages. We also propose algorithms which are better suited for these tasks and present the proofs that they can achieve a much higher accuracy and efficiency. Finally, we conduct an empirical evaluation on the “scam.com” and “fraudwatchers.org” forum sites to demonstrate the actual accuracy improvement of our proposed informativeness estimation.
Neutrophil extracellular traps induced by cigarette smoke activate plasmacytoid dendritic cells

Background Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) represent a distinct strategy by which neutrophils trap, confine and eliminate invading microorganisms. Emerging evidence suggests that NETs exert a deleterious effect to the host in the absence of microbial stimuli. However, the role of NETs in smoking-related lung diseases remains to be elucidated. Objectives To evaluate the formation of NETs in the context of chronic inflammation induced by cigarette smoking and explore its potential role in an experimental mouse model of emphysema. Methods The formation and degradation of NETs in cigarette smoke exposed mice was assessed with a fluorescence microscope. The potential influences of NETs on plasmacytoiddendritic cells were also investigated. Results NETs were more prone to formation by polymorphonuclearneutrophils but defective in degradation in cigarette smoke exposed mice. Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) served as an important facilitator that triggered neutrophils to undergo NETosis in vitro. Furthermore, CSE-induced NETs were capable of driving plasmacytoiddendritic cell maturation and activation, thereby initiating a T-cell-mediated immune response. Conclusions NETs may represent a critical connection between innate and adaptive immune responses under conditions of chronic inflammation induced by cigarette smoke exposure.
Viral genome quantification as a tool for improving patient management: the example of HIV, HBV, HCV and CMV.

In recent years, new therapeutic options have led to enormous improvements in the management of certain chronic viral infections. Nevertheless, it has also become clear that such treatments require careful consideration and follow up. At the same time, a number of new technologies have been developed to measure quantitatively the concentration of viral genome in the patient's body fluids. Initially, these tests yielded important insights into the pathogenesis of viral infections and, in the case of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), in fact revolutionized our understanding of its natural history. In addition, however, such 'viral load' tests have become vital tools in patient management; formerly pure research tools, they are now widely used in routine virological diagnosis, and a number of commercial assays have become available. In clinical virology, viral load testing serves four purposes: for diagnosis; to assess the patient's prognosis; as therapeutic markers to monitor the effect of antiviral treatment; and to estimate the patient's infectivity, i.e. the risk of transmission. In this review paper, we summarize the current role of viral genome quantification in the clinical management of patients infected with HIV, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and those at risk of developing human cytomegalovirus-related diseases.
Optimal Packing of High-Precision Rectangles

The rectangle-packing problem consists of ﬁnding an enclosing rectangle of smallest area that can contain a given set of rectangles without overlap. Our new benchmark includes rectangles of successively higher precision, challenging the previous state-of-the-art, which enumerates all locations for placing rectangles, as well as all bounding box widths and heights up to the optimal box. We instead limit the rectangles’ coordinates and bounding box dimensions to the set of subset sums of the rectangles’ dimensions. We also dynamically prune values by learning from infeasible subtrees and constrain the problem by replacing rectangles and empty space with larger rectangles. Compared to the previous state-of-the-art, we test 4,500 times fewer bounding boxes on the high-precision benchmark and solve N =9 over two orders of magnitude faster. We also present all optimal solutions up to N =15, which requires 39 bits of precision to solve. Finally, on the open problem of whether or not one can pack a particular inﬁnite series of rectangles into the unit square, we pack the ﬁrst 50,000 such rectangles witha greedy heuristic and conjecture that the entire inﬁnite series can ﬁt.
ACTIVE SUPPRESSION OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN ALLOTYPE SYNTHESIS

Thymus-derived cells (T cells) that actively suppress production of IgG2a immunoglobulins carrying the Ig-1b allotype have been found in adult (SJL x BALB/c)F1 mice exposed to anti-Ig-1b early in life. The suppression is specific for Ig-1b. The allelic product, Ig-1a, is unaffected. Spleen, lymph node, bone marrow, or thymus cells from suppressed mice suppress production of Ig-1b by syngeneic spleen cells from normal F1 mice. When a mixture of suppressed and normal cells is transferred into lethally irradiated BALB/c mice, there is a short burst of Ig-1b production after which Ig-1b levels in the recipient fall rapidly below detectability. Pretreatment of the cells from the suppressed mice with antiserum specific for T cells (anti-Thy-1b) plus complement before mixture destroys the suppressing activity. Similar results with suppressor cells were obtained in vitro using Mishell-Dutton cultures. Mixture of spleen cells from suppressed animals with sheep erythrocyte (SRBC)-primed syngeneic normal spleen before culture suppresses Ig-1b plaque-forming cell (PFC) formation while leaving Ig-1a PFC unaffected. Treatment of the suppressed spleen with anti-Thy-1b before transfer removes the suppressing activity.
A computational principle for hippocampal learning and neurogenesis

In the three decades since Marr put forward his computational theory of hippocampal coding, many computational models have been built on the same key principles proposed by Marr: sparse representations, rapid Hebbian storage, associative recall and consolidation. Most of these models have focused on either the CA3 or CA1 fields, using “off‐the‐shelf” learning algorithms such as competitive learning or Hebbian pattern association. Here, we propose a novel coding principle that is common to all hippocampal regions, and from this one principal, we derive learning rules for each of the major pathways within the hippocampus. The learning rules turn out to have much in common with several models of CA3 and CA1 in the literature, and provide a unifying framework in which to view these models. Simulations of the complete circuit confirm that both recognition memory and recall are superior relative to a hippocampally lesioned model, consistent with human data. Further, we propose a functional role for neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG), namely, to create distinct memory traces for highly similar items. Our simulation results support our prediction that memory capacity increases with the number of dentate granule cells, while neuronal turnover with a fixed dentate layer size improves recall, by minimizing interference between highly similar items. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Image analysis of the human inner ear.

The KS 300 is a multifunctional software image analysis system using an object-oriented programming environment. The possibility of its application for the inner ear was studied by using specimens from humans and squirrel monkeys, immunostained for the brain-derived calcium-binding protein, S-100 protein. Grey images were used for measurements. The cell borders were outlined by hand, using a digitizer. The absolute grey values of the pixels changed when the brightness of the images or other conditions changed. By contrast, the relative grey values, i.e. the absolute grey values correlated to the mean grey values of the histoimage, remained constant. By utilizing these relative grey values, it was possible to compare cells both between different specimens and between different areas within the same specimen. The different grey values of spiral ganglion cells stained for S-100 protein are objective quantitative measurements and are believed to reflect differences in their function. In some regions of both human and squirrel monkey specimens, relatively intensely stained cells predominated, whereas in other regions, relatively weakly stained cells were mainly observed. Thus, our image analysis system using the relative grey values has proved suitable for quantitative analysis of immunostained specimens in order to compare them and to assess cell function.
Condition, not eyespan, predicts contest outcome in female stalk-eyed flies, Teleopsis dalmanni

In contests among males, body condition is often the key determinant of a successful outcome, with fighting ability signaled by so-called armaments, that is, exaggerated, condition-dependent traits. However, it is not known whether condition and exaggerated traits function in the same way in females. Here, we manipulated adult condition by varying larval nutrition in the stalk-eyed fly, Teleopsis dalmanni, a species in which eyespan is exaggerated in both sexes, and we measured the outcome of contests between females of similar or different body condition and relative eyespan. We found that females in higher condition, with both larger bodies and eyespan, won a higher proportion of encounters when competing against rivals of lower condition. However, when females were of equal condition, neither eyespan nor body length had an effect on the outcome of a contest. An analysis of previously published data revealed a similar pattern in males: individuals with large relative eyespan did not win significantly more encounters when competing with individuals of a similar body size. Contrary to expectations, and to previous findings in males, there was no clear effect of differences in body size or eyespan affecting contest duration in females. Taken together, our findings suggest that although eyespan can provide an honest indicator of condition, large eyespans provide no additional benefit to either sex in intrasexual aggressive encounters; body size is instead the most important factor.
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