Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Activated protein C signals through the thrombin receptor PAR1 in endothelial cells

The anti-inflammatory effects of activated protein C (APC) have lead to its recent approval for the treatment of sepsis. Although the endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) plays a crucial role in APC's protective roles in septicemia, the precise signaling mechanism of the protease APC remains unclear. In fibroblast overexpression systems, we find that APC activates protease activated receptors (PAR) 1 and 2 in an EPCR-dependent manner. Human endothelial cells (HUVECs) express PAR1, PAR2 and EPCR. Stimulation of HUVECs with either APC, or specific receptor activating peptides for PAR1 or PAR2, show that all three agonists induce a very similar set of early response genes as assessed by high density microarray analysis. Only the transcript for monocyte chemo-attractant protein-1 (MCP-1) was selectively induced by APC and the PAR1 agonist, but not by the PAR2 agonist. APC-mediated MAP kinase phosphorylation and gene induction were inhibited by cleavage blocking antibodies to PAR1, demonstrating that APC signals exclusively through PAR1 in endothelial cells. MCP-1 is protective in animal models of endotoxemia, suggesting that APC may prevent lethality in sepsis by inducing MCP-1 expression through EPCR-dependent activation of endothelial cell PAR1. These data demonstrate unexpected protective functions of the major thrombin receptor PAR1 in endothelial cells.
What do newspapers , watches , credit cards , and liquors bottles have in common ? A computational exploration of question behavior

What makes a question useful? What makes an answer appropriate? In this paper, we show that a recently proposed probabilistic model of question-answer behavior provides a unifying account of four separate effects from the psycholinguistics and pragmatics literature. For three of these effects, we formulate a pragmatic answerer who is informative with respect to the questioner’s underlying goals (or QUD), which are inferred given the context. These simple applications illustrate the role of the QUD in guiding answerer inference. In the final effect we model, the questioner’s QUD affects the question they choose to ask; thus, our pragmatic answerer may use the question utterance itself as a signal to help infer the questioner’s goals.
Current and potential food and non-food applications of fructans.

Introduction Fructans are linear or branched fructose polymers, which are either P-2.1-linked inulins or /3-2,6linked levans. Fructans are mainly of plant origin, although some fungi and many bacteria are known to produce fructans. Since they are synthesized from sucrose, by repeated fructosyl transfer from a fructosyl donor, both inulins and levans have a terminal glucose unit. Plant inulins and levans are synthesized via a fructan trisaccharide intermediate, formed by addition of a fructosyl residue to sucrose at either the C-1 or C-6 position of the fructose moiety (giving rise to 1-kestose and 6-kestose, respectively; Fig. l), or the C-6 position of the glucose moiety (leading to neokestose; Fig. 1). Higher homologues (with degrees of polymerization [DP] of up to some hundreds) are formed by chain elongation through sequential addition of fructose molecules to the terminal fructose unit ( 1-kestose, 6-kestose) or units (neokestose). 1-Kestose is often considered to be the universal fructosyl donor in plants. Since in neokestose fructosyl transfer can occur at both ends, inulins and levans based on this trisaccharide have an in-chain glucose moiety rather than a terminal one. The enzymes generally considered to be involved in plant fructan synthesis are sucrose:sucrose fructosyltransferase (SST) which catalyses fructosyl transfer from one sucrose (G 12F) molecule to another, leading to 1-kestose (G 1-2F 1 -2F) and glucose. Three different fructan:fructan fructosyltransferases, namely IF-,
BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in women of different ethnicities undergoing testing for hereditary breast‐ovarian cancer

In women at increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer, the identification of a mutation in breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and BRCA2 has important implications for screening and prevention counseling. Uncertainty regarding the role of BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing in high‐risk women from diverse ancestral backgrounds exists because of variability in prevalence estimates of deleterious (disease‐associated) mutations in non‐white populations. In this study, the authors examined the prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in an ethnically diverse group of women who were referred for genetic testing.
The Change in Deep Cervical Flexor Activity After Training Is Associated With the Degree of Pain Reduction in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain

Objectives: Altered activation of the deep cervical flexors (longus colli and longus capitis) has been found in individuals with neck pain disorders but the response to training has been variable. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between change in deep cervical flexor muscle activity and symptoms in response to specific training. Methods: Fourteen women with chronic neck pain undertook a 6-week program of specific training that consisted of a craniocervical flexion exercise performed twice per day (10 to 20 min) for the duration of the trial. The exercise targets the deep flexor muscles of the upper cervical region. At baseline and follow-up, measures were taken of neck pain intensity (visual analogue scale, 0 to 10), perceived disability (Neck Disability Index, 0 to 50) and electromyography (EMG) of the deep cervical flexors (by a nasopharyngeal electrode suctioned over the posterior oropharyngeal wall) during performance of craniocervical flexion. Results: After training, the activation of the deep cervical flexors increased (P<0.0001) with the greatest change occurring in patients with the lowest values of deep cervical flexor EMG amplitude at baseline (R2=0.68; P<0.001). There was a significant relationship between initial pain intensity, change in pain level with training, and change in EMG amplitude for the deep cervical flexors during craniocervical flexion (R2=0.34; P<0.05). Discussion: Specific training of the deep cervical flexor muscles in women with chronic neck pain reduces pain and improves the activation of these muscles, especially in those with the least activation of their deep cervical flexors before training. This finding suggests that the selection of exercise based on a precise assessment of the patients’ neuromuscular control and targeted exercise interventions based on this assessment are likely to be the most beneficial to patients with neck pain.
Categories of Locally Diagonal Partial Algebras

We define and study the property of local diagonality for partial algebras and also a pair of related properties. We show that each of the three properties, together with idempotency, gives a cartesian closed initially structured subcategory of the category of all partial algebras of a given type. MSC 2000: 08A55, 08C05, 18D15
The Internet: An (other) agent that disseminates Japanese `soft power` resources

The popularity of the Internet has affected international politics in many ways; however, it is seemingly overlooked by most scholars, and in particular, realists who view the Internet as low-politics. This article argues that the impact of the Internet on international politics should not be underestimated. By focusing on the capabilities of the Internet in general and P2P networks in particular, this paper shows how the Internet is able to disseminate soft power resources. This is demonstrated by an examination of the dissemination of Japanese soft power resources through BitTorrent. Finally, it is concluded that the Internet is a plausible agent for distributing the resources of soft power; however, once disseminated, soft power resources do not always transform into soft power. In the end, contextual conditions within states always apply.
Stimulation of Heterotrophic Microplankton Production by Resuspended Marine Sediments

Resuspended material experimentally derived from natural marine sediments and added to dark microcosms containing natural seawater stimulated the suspended microheterotrophs (bacteria and protozoa) to attain 2.6 times the biovolume of controls after 32 hours. Free bacteria benefited most from the stimulus, both numerically and volumetrically. Attached suspended bacteria also increased in number during the first 64 hours of the experiment; particles remaining in suspension became more densely packed with bacteria. This increased microbial production may be an important source of high-quality biomass for consumers in the nearshore zone, depending on the frequency, duration, and intensity of resuspension events in a given region.
Exploring Application-Level Concurrency in SoC Design

As we approach the limits of CMOS technology, novel multiprocessor architectures are the industry's best shot to keep up with the expectations of the consumer electronics market regarding functionality and performance improvements. While many advances were achieved on efficient concurrent usage of the multiprocessing architectural features, the capturing and exploration of concurrency at the application level is still an open question. This paper will provide an outlook on different concepts and techniques available in modeling frameworks like UML, Matlab/Simulink and Ptolemy II, as well as the features and limitations from concurrent programming and hardware description languages. It will provide details on the most relevant of them and will identify the most likely candidates to be integrated into the design flow that will be used by SoC designers and application developers in the next five to ten years
The algorithm model for cumulative vulnerability risk assessment

The network information security vulnerability assessment consists of two kinds of risks. The stable risks of vulnerability itself and the cumulative multi-risks that are generated from a successful attack and which can impact on the whole network. To count cumulative multi-risk, a new method has been developed, which uses vulnerabilities in attack graph and reverse iteration tracing algorithm based on rough sets. Two kinds of cumulative multi-risks will be identified, named 'the worst state' and 'the critical state'. The experimental evidences prove the veracity and validity of the new algorithm model.
The Effects of Sensory Deprivation and Music on Perceived Exertion and Affect During Exercise

This study examined the effects of sensory deprivation and music on perceived exertion and affect. Volunteer women (N=24) performed three 18-min sessions on a cycle ergometer at light, moderate, and heavy workloads during which perceived exertion, affect, and heart rate were monitored. Each subject participated in a control, deprivation, and music condition. No significant differences where found in heart rate between conditions. In contrast, significantly lower perceived exertion existed during the music compared to the deprived condition at the low workload. Similarly, there was lower perceived exertion during the music compared to the control condition at the moderate workload. Also, significantly greater levels of affect were observed during the music compared to the deprived condition at the moderate and heavy workloads. It was concluded that the influence of music and deprivation on perceived exertion and affect was load dependent. These results are discussed with regard to informational processing .
Real-time generation of cooperative merging trajectory on the motor way using model predictive control scheme

This paper is a tutorial for a path generation method during merging maneuver of automobile using a model predictive control scheme. Lanes of a motor way are approximated with proposed smooth lines. Assuming that the main lane vehicles run on the centerline of the main lane, an appropriate path of the merging vehicle can be simply designed and modified according to the motion of the main lane vehicles. A computer simulation of the merging maneuver of one merging vehicle and two main lane vehicles using actual merging data is conducted.
Fast spectral-domain MBF method for printed antennas

A fast spectral domain method to evaluate the reaction terms between the Macro Basis Functions (MBFs) is proposed. The presented technique is based on reducing the number of interactions by exploiting the properties of spectral domain methods applied to MBFs. The complexity of this method is independent from the complexity of the elements in the array, leading to much larger savings in matrix filling time for large arrays with complex antennas having large number of unknowns. Numerical results of the proposed method are compared with that of the pre-validated normal MBF solutions. An Excellent agreement between the presented techique and the reference solutions is reported.
Understanding transforms of pseudo-boolean functions

There exist general transforms that convert pseudo-Boolean functions into k-bounded pseudo-Boolean functions, for all k ≥ 2. In addition to these general transforms, there can also exist specialized transforms that can be applied in special cases. New results are presented examining what happens to the "bit flip" neighborhood when transforms are applied. Transforms condense variables in a particular order. We show that different variable orderings produce different results in terms of problem difficulty. We also prove new results about the embedding of the original function in the new k-bounded function. Finally, this paper also looks at how parameter optimization problems can be expressed as high precision k-bounded pseudo-Boolean functions. This paper lays a foundation for the wider application of evolutionary algorithms to k-bounded pseudo-Boolean functions.
Plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels during insulin-induced hypoglycemia in man.

Plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations were measured by the ethylenediamine technic before and during hypoglycemia in 11 patients undergoing insulin-coma therapy. In 6 studies carried out during the first week of treatment, plasma epinephrine levels increased from a mean value of 0.2 μg. per liter (control) to 1.4 μg. per liter following administration of insulin. In 9 studies carried out during the second and third weeks of therapy, the control values were significantly elevated (0.9 μg. per liter), although peak epinephrine concentrations reached after insulin were similar to those observed during the first week. In 9 studies performed in patients treated for more than three weeks, the control epinephrine concentration was 0.15 μg. per liter and no significant increase was observed during hypoglycemia. Norepinephrine levels remained unchanged in the 2½-hour period following administration of insulin in these subjects. However, a significant increase was noted in samples obtained between tw.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Brain Asymmetries in Dyslexic Patients

Research studies suggest that the left hemisphere is involved in the pathophysiology of dyslexia. Thus far, the exact location and nature of the purported lesion(s) remain a matter of contention. The present study describes the distribution of structural abnormalities as related to brain symmetry in the brains of dyslexic individuals. High-resolution three-dimensional magnetic resonance images (MRIs) were analyzed in 16 dyslexic men and 14 controls matched for sex, age, educational level, and handedness. A computerized image analysis system was used to assess the volumetric deformations required to match each brain with its left-right mirror image. The results showed significant abnormalities in five left hemisphere structures involving the extrapyramidal and limbic systems: amygdala, hippocampus proper, parahippocampal gyrus, putamen, and globus pallidus. The left hemisphere is thought to play a major role in the temporal analysis of information. This stream of temporal analysis is of importance in motor movements. Reading might have evolved as an exaptation to motor movements requiring the sequential analysis of information. (J Child Neurol 2005;20:842—847).
Contributions at the Interface Between Algebra and Graph Theory

In this thesis, we make some contributions at the interface between ‘algebra’ and ‘graph theory’. In Chapter 1, we give an overview of the topics and also the definitions and preliminaries. In Chapter 2, we estimate the number of possible types degree patterns of k-lacunary polynomials of degree t 0. So, examining the determinant of a graph is a way to attack this problem. In this Chapter, we show that the determinant of a bipartite graph with at least two perfect matchings and with all cycle lengths divisible by four, is zero. In Chapter 4, we first introduce an application of spectral graph theory in proving trigonometric identities. This is a very simple double counting argument that gives very short proofs for some of these identities (and perhaps the ‘only’ existed proof in some cases! ). In the rest of Chapter 4, using some properties of the well-known Chebyshev polynomials, we prove some theorems that allow us to evaluate the number of spanning trees in join of graphs, Cartesian product of graphs, and nearly regular graphs. In the last section of Chapter 4, we obtain the number of spanning trees in an (r, s)-semiregular graph and its line graph. Note that the same results, as in the last section, were proved by I. Sato using zeta functions. But our proofs are much shorter based on some well-known facts from spectral graph theory. Besides, we do not use zeta functions in our arguments. In Chapter 5, we present the conclusion and also some possible projects.
Adolescent Vulnerability to Heightened Emotional Reactivity and Anxiety After Brief Exposure to an Obesogenic Diet

Background Emerging evidence demonstrates that diet-induced obesity disrupts corticolimbic circuits underlying emotional regulation. Studies directed at understanding how obesity alters brain and behavior are easily confounded by a myriad of complications related to obesity. This study investigated the early neurobiological stress response triggered by an obesogenic diet. Furthermore, this study directly determined the combined impact of a short-term obesogenic diet and adolescence on critical behavioral and molecular substrates implicated in emotion regulation and stress. Methods Adolescent (postnatal day 31) or adult (postnatal day 81) Lewis rats were fed for 1 week with an experimental Western-like high-saturated fat diet (WD, 41% kcal from fat) or a matched control diet (CD, 13% kcal from fat). We used the acoustic fear-potentiated startle (FPS) paradigm to determine the effects of the WD on cued fear conditioning and fear extinction. We used c-Fos mapping to determine the functional influence of the diet and stress on corticolimbic circuits. Results We report that 1-week WD consumption was sufficient to induce fear extinction deficits in adolescent rats, but not in adult rats. We identify fear-induced alterations in corticolimbic neuronal activation and demonstrate increased prefrontal cortex CRHR1 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in the rats that consumed the WD. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that short-term consumption of an obesogenic diet during adolescence heightens behavioral and molecular vulnerabilities associated with risk for anxiety and stress-related disorders. Given that fear extinction promotes resilience and that fear extinction principles are the foundation of psychological treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), understanding how obesogenic environments interact with the adolescent period to affect the acquisition and expression of fear extinction memories is of tremendous clinical relevance.
PEI-complexed LNA antiseeds as miRNA inhibitors

Antisense inhibition of oncogenic or other disease-related miRNAs and miRNA families in vivo may provide novel therapeutic strategies. However, this approach relies on the development of potent miRNA inhibitors and their efficient delivery into cells. Here, we introduce short seed-directed LNA oligonucleotides (12- or 14-mer antiseeds) with a phosphodiester backbone (PO) for efficient miRNA inhibition. We have analyzed such LNA (PO) antiseeds using a let-7a-controlled luciferase reporter assay and identified them as active miRNA inhibitors in vitro. Moreover, LNA (PO) 14-mer antiseeds against ongogenic miR-17–5p and miR-20a derepress endogenous p21 expression more persistently than corresponding miRNA hairpin inhibitors, which are often used to inhibit miRNA function. Further analysis of the antiseed-mediated derepression of p21 in luciferase reporter constructs - containing the 3′-UTR of p21 and harboring two binding sites for miRNAs of the miR-106b family - provided evidence that the LNA antiseeds inhibit miRNA families while hairpin inhibitors act in a miRNA-specific manner. The derepression caused by LNA antiseeds is specific, as demonstrated via seed mutagenesis of the miR-106b target sites. Importantly, we show functional delivery of LNA (PO) 14-mer antiseeds into cells upon complexation with polyethylenimine (PEI F25-LMW), which leads to the formation of polymeric nanoparticles. In contrast, attempts to deliver a functional seed-directed tiny LNA 8-mer with a phosphorothioate backbone (PS) by formulation with PEI F25-LMW remained unsuccessful. In conclusion, LNA (PO) 14-mer antiseeds are attractive miRNA inhibitors, and their PEI-based delivery may represent a promising new strategy for therapeutic applications.
Sample size estimation in phase III cancer clinical trials.

This paper deals with the basic principles involved in sample size calculation of phase III cancer clinical trials. It illustrates the concepts and factors determining the sample size. Various examples of phase III cancer clinical trials are provided and the sample size is calculated taking into account the assumptions made. The examples provided include sample sizes for comparing proportions and sample sizes for comparing survival times. Several special topics are also discussed including choice of endpoint, number of treatment groups, factorial designs and equivalence trials.
CXCL9 as a Prognostic Inflammatory Marker in Early-Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients

Background: This study was performed to evaluate the value of inflammatory biomarkers in predicting the prognosis of early-stage (stage IA-IIB) lung adenocarcinoma. Methods: Ten inflammatory biomarkers were tested with a Luminex bead-based assay in early-stage lung adenocarcinoma patients who underwent resection. Results: A total of 152 early-stage lung adenocarcinoma patients were analyzed in this study. The mean patient age (SD) was 59.9 (9.4) years. In total, 58.6% of patients were females, and never smokers accounted for 84.0%. Lung adenocarcinoma patients with high CXCL9 levels had a 71% reduced risk of recurrence relative to patients with low CXCL9 levels (HR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.13–0.64, p = 0.0021). After Bonferroni correction, CXCL9 remained significantly related to the risk of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma recurrence. Lung adenocarcinoma patients with high CXCL9 levels had an 80% reduced risk of death relative to patients with low CXCL9 levels (HR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05–0.78, p = 0.021), and those in the TCGA validation cohort were at a 29% reduced risk of death (HR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.45–0.99, p = 0.044). Conclusion: Our results demonstrate for the first time that the CXCL9 level is a protective factor for both disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in early-stage lung adenocarcinoma patients.