Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Power of Uncertainty: Algorithmic Mechanism Design in Settings of Incomplete Information

The Power of Uncertainty: Algorithmic Mechanism Design in Settings of Incomplete Information Brendan Lucier Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Computer Science University of Toronto 2011 The field of algorithmic mechanism design is concerned with the design of computationally efficient algorithms for use when inputs are provided by rational agents, who may misreport their private values in order to strategically manipulate the algorithm for their own benefit. We revisit classic problems in this field by considering settings of incomplete information, where the players’ private values are drawn from publicly-known distributions. Such Bayesian models of partial information are common in economics, but have been largely unexplored by the computer science community. In the first part of this thesis we show that, for a very broad class of single-parameter problems, any computationally efficient algorithm can be converted without loss into a mechanism that is truthful in the Bayesian sense of partial information. That is, we exhibit a transformation that generates mechanisms for which it is in each agent’s best (expected) interest to refrain from strategic manipulation. The problem of constructing mechanisms for use by rational agents therefore reduces to the design of approximation algorithms without consideration of game-theoretic issues. We furthermore prove that no such general transformation is possible if we require mechanisms that are truthful in the stronger non-Bayesian sense of dominant strategies. In the second part of the thesis we study simple greedy methods for resolving complex
Towards the Genomic Basis of Local Adaptation in Landraces

Landraces are key elements of agricultural biodiversity that have long been considered a source of useful traits. Their importance goes beyond subsistence agriculture and the essential need to preserve genetic diversity, because landraces are farmer-developed populations that are often adapted to environmental conditions of significance to tackle environmental concerns. It is therefore increasingly important to identify adaptive traits in crop landraces and understand their molecular basis. This knowledge is potentially useful for promoting more sustainable agricultural techniques, reducing the environmental impact of high-input cropping systems, and diminishing the vulnerability of agriculture to global climate change. In this review, we present an overview of the opportunities and limitations offered by landraces’ genomics. We discuss how rapid advances in DNA sequencing techniques, plant phenotyping, and recombinant DNA-based biotechnology encourage both the identification and the validation of the genomic signature of local adaptation in crop landraces. The integration of ‘omics’ sciences, molecular population genetics, and field studies can provide information inaccessible with earlier technological tools. Although empirical knowledge on the genetic and genomic basis of local adaptation is still fragmented, it is predicted that genomic scans for adaptation will unlock an intraspecific molecular diversity that may be different from that of modern varieties.
[Effects of β-elemene on proliferation and apoptosis of SGC7901 gastric cancer cells in vitro and the underlying mechanisms].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of β-elemene in suppressing the proliferation and apoptosis of SGC7901 gastric cancer cells in vitro and explore the underlying mechanisms. METHODS Using MTT assay, flow cytometry, and clonogenic survival assay, we assessed the effects of β-elemene on the viability, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, and clonogenic survival of gastric cancer SGC7901 cells and gastric mucosal epithelial GES-1 cells. Western blotting was employed to determine the changes in the protein expression profiles in SGC7901 cells in response to β-elemene treatment. RESULTS β-elemene significantly suppressed the cell viability and increased the apoptosis of SGC7901 cells, and these effects were less obvious in GES-1 cells. β-elemene decreased clonogenic survival of SGC7901 cells, increased the proportion of G2/M phase cells, decreased the expression of Bcl-2, and increased the expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3. β-elemene did not obviously affect the expression of total p21-activated protein kinase 1 (Pak1) but decreased the level of phospho-Pak1 (Thr423) and phospho-ERK1/2 (Thr202/Tyr204) in SGC7901 cells. CONCLUSION β-elemene inhibits the proliferation and induces apoptosis of gastric cancer cells possibly by inhibiting Pak1/ERK signaling and regulating apoptosis-associated proteins such as Bcl-2 and Bax.
Another look at Barrett's esophagus

PREVIEW When British surgeon Norman Barrett first identified the metaplastic columnar epithelium of the esophagus that bears his name, the condition was considered an oddity that was probably of little significance. Now, half a century later, Barrett's esophagus is recognized as the most serious complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and a precursor of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Primary care physicians often face concerns about how to manage patients with long-standing GERD who could be at risk for cancer. In this article, Dr Gopal reviews the incidence of Barrett's esophagus, current screening recommendations, surveillance guidelines, prevention strategies, and management options for patients found to have the condition.
Bone Marrow‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Neuronal Networks with Functional Synaptic Transmission After Transplantation into Mice with Neurodegeneration

Recent studies have shown that bone marrow‐derived MSCs (BM‐MSCs) improve neurological deficits when transplanted into animal models of neurological disorders. However, the precise mechanism by which this occurs remains unknown. Herein we demonstrate that BM‐MSCs are able to promote neuronal networks with functional synaptic transmission after transplantation into Niemann‐Pick disease type C (NP‐C) mouse cerebellum. To address the mechanism by which this occurs, we used gene microarray, whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings, and immunohistochemistry to evaluate expression of neurotransmitter receptors on Purkinje neurons in the NP‐C cerebellum. Gene microarray analysis revealed upregulation of genes involved in both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission encoding subunits of the ionotropic glutamate receptors (α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid, AMPA) GluR4 and GABAA receptor β2. We also demonstrated that BM‐MSCs, when originated by fusion‐like events with existing Purkinje neurons, develop into electrically active Purkinje neurons with functional synaptic formation. This study provides the first in vivo evidence that upregulation of neurotransmitter receptors may contribute to synapse formation via cell fusion‐like processes after BM‐MSC transplantation into mice with neurodegenerative disease.
Public Engagement in Planning for Renewable Energy

This chapter is about public consultation, participation and engagement in spatial planning decisions. While the discussion focuses on renewable energy, these issues have resonance far beyond this topic. Consideration of the possibilities and procedures for involving people in the spatial planning agenda are important for many aspects of a response to climate change, from debates over governance to topics such as flood management.This chapter addresses the rationale, practicalities and difficulties of engaging people in planning, highlighting the directly transferable implications for other sector objectives, through an examination of renewable energy. Indeed, it is impossible to think about the implementation of renewable energy without addressing the involvement and impact of the public in these processes.While fiscal regulations and subsidies, technical efficiency and political deliberations all affect the deployment of renewables, the stark fact remains that all of this matters little if there is no public support for a development.This is demonstrated by the success rate for wind farm applications in England and Wales, a mere 40 per cent through the normal procedures of the planning system, and a low rate compared with other forms of development (see Toke, 2003, 2005). As Toke (2005) and Haggett and Toke (2005) have explored, the key reason for wind farms being rejected is opposition from local people. People are protesting against renewable energy and they are doing so very effectively. This might at first seem both odd and easily explained. Clean, green energy from a limitless supply could be the ideal ‘win–win’ option – for addressing carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning, securing energy sources that are not dependent on international political agreements or from areas of unrest and war, and for ensuring a continued and limitless supply. Local opposition seems to contradict the apparently widespread support for renewable energy, and opinion polls which consistently report threequarters of people being in favour of more energy from a variety of renewable sources (for example, Tyndall Centre and MORI, 2006, www.ipsos-mori.com/polls/2005/uea.shtml). Any objections against such a solution are simply categorized as ‘Nimbyism’ writ large – people who are more concerned about their ‘backyard’ than the greater national and international good. 23
Comparison of Diversities of Escherichia coli O157 Shed from a Cohort of Spring-Born Beef Calves at Pasture and in Housing

ABSTRACT A cohort of spring-born beef calves demonstrated limited genetic and phenotypic diversity of Escherichia coli O157 when kept in a state of isolation. Despite this, there was a difference in the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and phage types of isolates shed by cattle at pasture compared with those shed by the same cattle when weaned and housed.
Wideband dual-polarized magneto-electric miniaturization using capacitive loading

In this paper, an original method to reduce the height of a dual-polarized unidirectional wideband antenna based on two crossed magneto-electric dipoles is proposed. The miniaturization technique consists in adding a capacitive load between vertical plates. The height of the radiating element is reduced to 0. 1λ0, where λ0 is the wavelength at the lowest operation frequency for a Standing Wave Ratio (SWR) <2.5, which corresponds to a reduction factor of 37.5%. The measured input impedance bandwidth is 64% from 1.6 GHz to 3.1 GHz with a SWR <2.5.
Review of the Significance of Various Low Force Fractures in the Elderly

The elderly are more prone to sustain fractures with low force injury because they have an increased incidence of falls, and because their bones are often more fragile secondary to osteoporosis and other conditions. Cases with fracture are routinely reported to medical examiner and coroner offices because fracture reflects traumatic injury. If a fracture is judged to be a significant factor in a person's death, then the manner of death must reflect how the injury was sustained, which is “accidental” in most of these cases. Oftentimes the best information on the significance of a fracture is obtained from the deceased's physician, nurse, family, or close acquaintance. However, this valuable clinical information is not always available. When this is the situation, it would be helpful to know generally what fractures are likely to be associated with increased mortality, and for how long any excess mortality might be expected to persist. With this in mind, a search of the literature was performed to clarify clinically which fractures in the elderly population were associated with excess mortality and the duration that any excess mortality tended to persist.
Increased deamidation of asparagine during human senile cataractogenesis.

PURPOSE To identify and quantitate deamidation of a specific asparagine residue of gammaS-crystallin that preferentially undergoes deamidation during the process of human senile cataractogenesis. METHODS Reverse phase chromatography, together with synthetic peptide standards, was used to resolve the amidated and deamidated forms of asparagine-143 in the gammaS-crystallin sequence 131-145 from total tryptic digests of the central, nuclear region of human cataractous and normal lenses. Identities of the resolved peptides co-eluting with synthetic peptide standards were confirmed by mass spectral analysis. The synthetic peptide standards were also used to quantitate the amount of deamidation occurring in individual cataractous and normal lenses. RESULTS In all lenses analyzed, there was greater deamidation of asparagine-143 in cataractous lenses, as compared with age-matched normal lenses. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate, for the first time, that increased deamidation of a specific asparagine residue is present in proteins from the human cataractous lens.
Copy number variations and cancer susceptibility

Purpose of review DNA copy number variations (CNVs) comprise a recently discovered element of genetic variation that affects a greater cumulative fraction of the genome than single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). This review discusses current understanding of the characteristics of CNVs in the human genome and explores the emerging discoveries of both constitutional and somatic CNVs in an ever-expanding variety of human cancers. Recent findings The advent of high-resolution SNP arrays has made it possible to identify CNVs. Characterization of widespread constitutional CNVs offers insight into their role in disease susceptibility, whereas somatic CNVs identify regions of the genome involved in disease phenotype. The role of CNVs in cancer has only emerged in the last 2 years, with constitutional CNVs originally being observed in the Li-Fraumeni cancer susceptibility syndrome, and more recently in neuroblastoma. Summary It is not yet known how common or how functionally relevant CNVs will be to the process of carcinogenesis. Nonetheless, the inherent instability and structural variability that characterize cancer cell genomes make this form of genetic variation particularly intriguing to the study of cancer.
An overview of the c-MET signaling pathway

c-MET is a receptor tyrosine kinase that, after binding with its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor, activates a wide range of different cellular signaling pathways, including those involved in proliferation, motility, migration and invasion. Although c-MET is important in the control of tissue homeostasis under normal physiological conditions, it has also been found to be aberrantly activated in human cancers via mutation, amplification or protein overexpression. This paper provides an overview of the c-MET signaling pathway, including its role in the development of cancers, and provides a rationale for targeting the pathway as a possible treatment option.
Shrub Cover Influence on Seedling Growth and Survival Following Logging of a Tropical Forest

Logging in tropical forests may create large canopy openings. These gaps provide suitable conditions for some opportunistic shrubs and herbs to take advantage of the surge in resources and rapidly colonize disturbed sites. This dense plant cover may limit forest regeneration by interfering with tree seedling establishment, growth, and survival by altering the light and nutrients available to seedlings, modifying herbivore behavior, or a number of other factors. In Kibale National Park (Uganda), old logging sites are mainly covered by dense stands of Acanthus pubescens Engl. , which appear to inhibit tree regeneration. We wanted to identify the ecological processes underlying this regeneration collapse. To do so, we designed a factorial experiment to evaluate the influences of herbivory and vegetation cover on the growth and survival of tree seedlings. We compared the survival and growth of transplanted tree seedlings in A. pubescens stands and logged forests, in the presence or absence of the understory vegetation layer (logged forest) or vegetation cover (A. pubescens), and with or without herbivory. We found no evidence to support the hypothesis that herbivory is significantly higher under dense A. pubescens cover. Seedling survival was not influenced by the environment. Seedling growth, however, was positively influenced by the removal of A. pubescens, suggesting that changes in resource availability associated with the presence of A. pubescens, may be important for regeneration. Our results suggest that sustained cutting of A. pubescens cover could foster the growth of established seedlings and could lead to tree regeneration and habitat restoration.
Coordination between bZIP28 and HSFA2 in the regulation of heat response signals in Arabidopsis

ABSTRACT Heat stress can have detrimental effects on yield production worldwide. Although bZIP28 and HSFA2 were identified as putative heat sensors in plants, coordination between them has not been uncovered. In this study, the deficiency in bZIP28 did not affect heat tolerance in plants. However, the plants lacking bZIP28 showed enhanced activation of APXs-, MBF1c-and HSPs-dependent pathways as well as higher level of HsfA2 transcripts and H2O2 accumulation, suggesting that these pathways might compensate for the deficiency in bZIP28 during heat stress. In addition, requirement of HSFA2 for the activation of APXs-dependent pathway during heat stress was supported by the analyses of plants lacking HSFA2. Our study demonstrated the flexible mode of heat response pathways involving bZIP28, HSFA2 and ROS-dependent signals.
Treatment of colonic and rectal adenomas with sulindac in familial adenomatous polyposis.

BACKGROUND Familial adenomatous polyposis is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the formation of hundreds of colorectal adenomas and eventual colorectal cancer. Administration of the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug sulindac has been followed by regression of polyps in patients with this disorder, but no controlled trial of this drug in patients who have not had surgery has been reported. METHODS We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 22 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, including 18 who had not undergone colectomy. The patients received sulindac at a dose of 150 mg orally twice a day for nine months or identical-appearing placebo tablets. The number and size of the polyps were evaluated every three months for one year. RESULTS A statistically significant decrease in the mean number of polyps and their mean diameter occurred in patients treated with sulindac, as compared with those given placebo. When treatment was stopped at nine months, the number of polyps had decreased to 44 percent of base-line values and the diameter of the polyps to 35 percent of base-line values (P = 0.014 and P < 0.001, respectively, for the comparison with the changes in the group given placebo). No patient had complete resolution of polyps. Three months after treatment with sulindac was stopped, both the number and the size of the polyps increased in sulindac-treated patients but remained significantly lower than the values at base line. No side effects from sulindac were noted. CONCLUSIONS Sulindac reduces the number and size of colorectal adenomas in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, but its effect is incomplete, and it is unlikely to replace colectomy as primary therapy.
Visual outcome in optic nerve injury patients without initial light perception.

PURPOSE To assess the prognosis for recovery of vision in patients with blindness due to head injury, and to analyse the predictive value of visual evoked potential (VEP). METHODS One hundred consecutive patients with unilateral/bilateral blindness as a result of minor head injury were studied with regard to their visual status, CT scan, MRI scan and serial VEPs. Steroids were given to those presenting within one month of injury, 5 patients among them received methyl prednisolone. Transethmoidal decompression was done in 6 patients. RESULTS Visual improvement was recorded in 23 patients. Initial VEP failed to reveal any wave in 29 patients and was abnormal in 71. All the 14 patients in whom VEPs were repeatedly normal, irrespective of initial VEP status, showed varying degrees of visual improvement and none of the 15 patients with persistently negative VEPs showed visual improvement. CONCLUSION Recovery of VEP from no response to abnormal wave or abnormal wave to normal VEP were indicators of relatively good visual prognosis. Overall, 23 patients showed visual improvement, but did not return to normal. Mode of injury, CT findings and timing of surgery did not influence the outcome.
Magnetic resonance evidence of cerebellar cortical pathology in multiple sclerosis

Background Although neuropathological observations suggest that cerebellar cortex is a major site of demyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS), only a few MRI studies on cerebellar cortical pathology in MS are available. Objective To analyse cerebellar cortical volume (CCV) and leucocortical lesions (CL) in MS, and their impact on clinical disability. Methods The authors studied 125 patients divided into 38 Clinical Isolated Syndrome (CIS), 35 relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), 27 secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) and 25 primary progressive multiple sclerosis, and 32 normal controls (NC). CCV and cerebellar CL number and volume were evaluated by means of Freesurfer software and Double Inversion Recovery, respectively. Results Compared with NC (mean 113.2±2.6 cm3), the CCV was significantly reduced in CIS (105.4±2.2 cm3, p=0.018), RRMS (104.0±2.0 cm3, p=0.012), SPMS (98.8±2.0 cm3, p<0.001) and PPMS (100.6±2.2 cm3, p<0.001), even after age, gender and mean cortical volume correction. CL were observed in all patient groups and were an independent predictor of CCV and cerebellar dysfunction. Discussion The authors confirm that the cerebellar cortex is severely and early affected by MS pathology. The monitoring of cerebellar cortical atrophy and CL may help to understand the mechanism underlying disability progression in MS.
Effect of storage time on automated cell count and cytological interpretation of body cavity effusions

The effect of 24- and 48-hour storage at room temperature on automated total nucleated cell count (TNCC), differential cell count (DCC) and cell morphology was assessed, and the effect of initial total protein concentration on canine and feline body cavity effusion samples (2 to 5 ml) was evaluated. At 24 and 48 hours, TNCC and absolute numbers of neutrophils, macrophages and small lymphocytes were significantly decreased and numbers of unrecognisable cells were significantly increased. Neoplastic cells and intracellular bacteria identified in fresh samples were missed at 24 and 48 hours. The initial total protein concentration was associated with an effect on percentage of unrecognisable cells and small lymphocytes over time. Change in TNCC over time would have resulted in misclassification of the effusion type in four of 47 samples.
Tópicos de Diseño de Aplicaciones de Tiempo Real

El diseno de aplicaciones de tiempo real [2] [3] implica aspectos que, de no ser cuidados, pueden producir una falla del sistema y no solo de la performance. En particular, la planificacion de tareas a fin de cumplir con los plazos de tiempo es una premisa esencial. Para investigar estos temas se dispone de herramientas de simulacion como tambien sistemas reales. En esta linea, los desarrollos teoricos no siempre van acompanados de implementaciones en sistemas reales. A su vez, los cambios en el hardware implican nuevas posibilidades y variantes, tales como el hecho de disponer de varios nucleos de procesador en donde ejecutar tareas. Se estudia la implementacion de cambios en un sistema operativo GNU\Linux con parche RT, apto para tiempo real.