Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New constraints on very light pseudoscalars

quasar classes. There is quite a number of puzzling phenomena in astrophysics that could be clarified with the existence of very light scalar or pseudoscalar particles, commonly refered to as axion-like particles (a.k.a. ALPs). One of the main reasons is that these hypothetical particles can have a coupling to photons inside external magnetic fields, as in the axion case [1], and can lead to observable signatures in every measurable property of light: its intensity, its spectrum, or its polarisation. In this work, we want to present polarimetry as a tool to search for (or, at least, to constrain) the existence of such nearly massless particles. To illustrate this, we use the sample of 355 high-quality polarisation measurements which confirmed the existence of large-scale correlations of (linear) polarisation position angles of visible light from quasars in some regions of the sky [2]. It was thought that these largescale alignments could be naturally explained by ALP-photon mixing, as their phenomenology predicts the creation of linear (plin) and circular (pcirc) polarisations. However, the recent observation of vanishing circular polarisation [3] is a problem for this hypothesis; see [4] and references therein. As ALPs cannot explain the alignments, these data can be exploited to constraint axion-likeparticle parameters. We are going to consider objects located behind the Virgo supercluster, as we have information on plin and pcirc in this region. One can then consider ALP-photon mixing in the magnetic field of that supercluster, and check for which parameters the generated polarisation would match (or in this case contradict) the observations. We use the following: • For the type of quasars we are discussing, which have linear polarisations at the 1%-level, it is known [5] that objects with broad absorption lines (BAL quasars) are typically more polarised than other radio-quiet quasars in the continuum: h p BAL − p non-BAL i . 2%. This feature still holds in the sample considered; the expected distributions of polarisation are thus preserved [6]. Therefore, while we do not have access to the initial polarisations, we know that the linear polarisation generated by ALP-photon mixing on the way towards us cannot be larger than 2%, otherwise we would not see the di erence between the two quasar distributions anymore. • Even though we know that quasars are intrinsically linearly polarised, we do not want to make assumptions on the initial distribution of polarisations. Therefore, to avoid any overestimation of the final (observed) polarisation, we start from unpolarised light beams.
MMP‐2 null mice exhibit an early onset and severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis due to an increase in MMP‐9 expression and activity

Matrix metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2;gelatinase A) is known to degrade a broad range of extracellular matrix components and chemokines, and has important roles in the processes of cell migration, invasion, and involution during development, as well as during tumor growth and metastasis and in inflammation and repair. To better elucidate the roles of this matrix metalloproteinase in the development and progression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, we used MMP‐2‐deficient (KO) mice. Surprisingly, we found that MMP‐2 KO mice exhibited an earlier onset and more severe disease than did their wild‐type (WT) counterparts. WT mice engrafted with MMP‐2 KO bone marrow exhibited a similar earlier onset and more severe clinical disease score than WT mice engrafted with WT bone marrow. Lymphocytes derived from MMP‐2 KO mice exhibited increased transmigration through endothelial cell monolayers as well as through collagen type IV and laminin‐coated BD BIOCOAT inserts®, which correlated with a 3‐fold increase in expression of MMP‐9 and was abrogated by inhibition of MMP activity. We demonstrated a correlation between expression levels of MMP‐9 and MT1‐MMP expression and suggest a signaling pathway involving tethering of MMP‐2 to MT1‐MMP as a modulator of MMP‐9 expression. Last, we discuss other possible MMP‐2‐mediated mechanisms which may contribute to the observed phenotype. —Esparza, J., Kruse, M. , Lee, J., Michaud, M. , Madri, J. A. MMP‐2 null mice exhibit an early onset and severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis due to an increase in MMP‐9 expression and activity. FASEB J. 18, 1682–1691 (2004)
Active face observation system

This paper presents an approach to obtain optimal images for face recognition with an active camera. Once the face is detected from an input image, the 3-dimensional position and the pose of the face relative to the camera are estimated by making use of the active camera and both the skin and hair parts of the face extracted from input images. It is then used to guide the active camera system to change its view point and direction to obtain a face image where the face is in the desired size and pose.
Allergenicity and cross‐reactivity of cat and dog allergenic extracts

This study aims to confirm that cat allergen 1 (CAT‐1) is a major allergenic determinant in cat‐sensitive patients, and to further define the role of other determinants, as well as to identify the determinants responsible for the cross‐reactivity between cat and dog extracts. Firstly, the allergenic determinant with an electrophore‐tic mobility of 18 kD (corresponding to CAT‐1) is indeed a major allergenic determinant being recognized by the majority (75%) of cat‐sensitive subjects. Secondly, the cross‐reactivity between the two species was confirmed by RAST inhibition. Cat and dog soluble allergens could inhibit, to variable degrees, the binding of serum IgE from cat‐ and dog‐sensitive patients to insolubilized allergens. Binding of serum IgE from subjects sensitive only to cats was inhibited by cat extracts only. These observations suggest the presence of determinants common to the two sources of extracts, and others specific for each species. These data were confirmed by immunoblot analysis. Indeed, an allergenic determinant of 69 kD was found in both cat and dog extracts. Conversely the allergenic determinants with an electrophoretic mobility of 18 and 32 kD were found only in cat extracts, and those at 22 and 24 kD were dog specific. However, surprisingly, serum IgE antibodies from patients sensitive only to cats reacted on immunoblot differently from those of both cat‐ and dog‐allergic subjects. Indeed, the 18 kD determinant was the only one recognized by serum IgE antibodies from subjects sensitive to cats only, as opposed to the patients allergic to both species: then, the 69 kD determinant was strongly recognized and the 18 kD only slightly recognized. If these observations confirmed that CAT‐1 is a major allergen in cat‐sensitive subjects, they also showed a different profile of reactivity in patients sensitive to cats only and those sensitive to both cats and dogs, which could have diagnostic and therapeutic implications.
Assessing the effects of melatonin and N-acetylcysteine on the McFarlane flap using a rat model

Objective To determine the effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and melatonin, alone and in combination, on McFarlane flap viability in a rat model. Methods Forty Wistar rats were divided into four groups and received daily intraperitoneal injections for one week before surgery: control (sham [n=10]); melatonin (n=10); NAC (n=10); and NAC+melatonin (n=10). One week after surgery, the experiment was terminated and photographs were taken for topographic studies. A transillumination study was performed to observe vascularization in the flaps and biopsies were obtained for histopathological studies. Results Flap viability was significantly greater in the antioxidant- (ie, NAC and melatonin) treated groups compared with the control group; however, there were no significant differences among the groups that received antioxidants. Conclusions Melatonin and NAC are important antioxidants that can be used alone or in combination to increase flap viability and prevent distal necrosis in rats.
Strain-Dependent Structural Variants of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 ICP34.5 Determine Viral Plaque Size, Efficiency of Glycoprotein Processing, and Viral Release and Neuroinvasive Disease Potential

ABSTRACT The ability of certain strains of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) to cause encephalitis or neuroinvasive disease in the mouse upon peripheral infection is dependent on a combination of activities of specific forms of viral proteins. The importance of specific variants of ICP34.5 to neuroinvasive disease potential and its correlation with small-plaque production, inefficient glycoprotein processing, and virus release were suggested by comparison of ICP34.5 from the SP7 virus, originally obtained from the brain of a neonate with disseminated disease, and the tissue culture-passaged progeny of SP7 (SLP5 and SLP10) and the KOS321 virus. SLP5, SLP10, and KOS321 are attenuated and exhibit a large-plaque phenotype, including efficient glycoprotein processing and viral release. We show that expression of the KOS321 ICP34.5 protein in cells infected with SP7 or ICP34.5 deletion mutants promotes large plaque formation and efficient viral glycoprotein processing, while expression of the SP7 ICP34.5 protein decreases efficiency of viral glycoprotein processing. In addition, a recombinant virus, 4hS1, with the SP7 ICP34.5 gene replacing the KOS321-like ICP34.5 gene in the SLP10a background, rescues the small-plaque phenotype and neuroinvasive disease. The major difference in the ICP34.5 gene product is the number of Pro-Ala-Thr repeats in the middle region of the protein, with 18 for SP7 and 3 for KOS321. Strain-dependent differences in the ICP34.5 protein can therefore alter the tissue culture behavior and the virulence of HSV-1.
Response properties of isolated mouse olfactory receptor cells

1 Response properties of isolated mouse olfactory receptor cells were investigated using the suction pipette technique. Cells were exposed to the odour cineole or to solutions of modified ionic content by rapidly changing the solution superfusing the cilia. All experiments were performed at 37°C. 2 Mouse olfactory receptor cells displayed a steep dependence of action potential frequency on stimulus concentration, a 3‐fold increase in stimulus concentration often saturating the firing frequency at 200‐300 Hz. The receptor current increased more gradually with increasing cineole concentration and did not saturate within the 100‐fold range of cineole concentrations applied. 3 When stimulated for 30 s with a low odour concentration, cells responded with sporadic spike firing. Higher concentrations led to the generation of a large receptor current at the onset of stimulation which returned to baseline levels within a few seconds, accompanied during its rising phase by a short burst of action potentials. Thereafter an oscillating response pattern was observed during the remainder of the stimulus, consisting of repetitive increases in receptor current of around 1 s duration accompanied by short bursts of action potentials. 4 Olfactory adaptation was studied by comparing the responses to two closely spaced odour stimuli. The response to the second odour stimulus recovered to 80% of its original magnitude when the cell was superfused with Ringer solution during the 5 s interval between odour exposures. In contrast, exposure to a choline‐substituted low Na+ solution between odour stimuli had two effects. First, the receptor current response to the first odour stimulus did not terminate as quickly as in the presence of Na+, suggesting the presence of a Na+‐Ca2+ exchanger. Second, the response to the second stimulus only recovered to 55% of its original magnitude, demonstrating the involvement of Na+‐Ca2+ exchange in the recovery of sensitivity in mouse olfactory receptor cells following stimulation.
AID expression in peripheral blood of children living in a malaria holoendemic region is associated with changes in B cell subsets and Epstein‐Barr virus

The development of endemic Burkitt's lymphoma (eBL) is closely associated with Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) infection and holoendemic malaria infections. The role of EBV in the development of malignancy has been studied in depth, but there is still little known about the mechanisms by which malaria affects Burkitt's lymphomagenesis. Activation induced cytidine deaminase (AID) expression is necessary for the introduction of c‐myc translocations that are characteristic of BL, but a link between AID and EBV or malaria is unclear. To determine whether frequency of malaria exposure leads to increased AID expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) we examined two cohorts of children in western Kenya with endemic and sporadic malaria transmission dynamics. High frequency of malaria exposure led to increased expression of AID, which coincided with decreases in the IgM+ memory B cells. In the children from the malaria endemic region, the presence of a detectible EBV viral load was associated with higher AID expression compared to children with undetectable EBV, but this effect was not seen in children with sporadic exposure to malaria. This study demonstrates that intensity of malaria transmission correlates with AID expression levels in the presence of EBV suggesting that malaria and EBV infection have a synergistic effect on the development of c‐myc translocations and BL.
Cytosolic Bax

Bax is kept inactive in the cytosol by refolding its C-terminal transmembrane domain into the hydrophobic binding pocket. Although energetic calculations predicted this conformation to be stable, numerous Bax binding proteins were reported and suggested to further stabilize inactive Bax. Unfortunately, most of them have not been validated in a physiological context on the endogenous level. Here we use gel filtration analysis of the cytosol of primary and established cells to show that endogenous, inactive Bax runs 20–30 kDa higher than recombinant Bax, suggesting Bax dimerization or the binding of a small protein. Dimerization was excluded by a lack of interaction of differentially tagged Bax proteins and by comparing the sizes of dimerized recombinant Bax with cytosolic Bax on blue native gels. Surprisingly, when analyzing cytosolic Bax complexes by high sensitivity mass spectrometry after anti-Bax immunoprecipitation or consecutive purification by gel filtration and blue native gel electrophoresis, we detected only one protein, called p23 hsp90 co-chaperone, which consistently and specifically co-purified with Bax. However, this protein could not be validated as a crucial inhibitory Bax binding partner as its over- or underexpression did not show any apoptosis defects. By contrast, cytosolic Bax exhibits a slight molecular mass shift on SDS-PAGE as compared with recombinant Bax, which suggests a posttranslational modification and/or a structural difference between the two proteins. We propose that in most healthy cells, cytosolic endogenous Bax is a monomeric protein that does not necessarily need a binding partner to keep its pro-apoptotic activity in check.
Some imminent but overlooked preanalytical and analytical challenges currently facing biomarkers and companion diagnostics

An incredibly high failure rate in the pharmaceutical industry has positioned personalized medicine with its prerequisite drug–diagnostic codevelopment, commonly known as companion diagnostics (CDx), in the frontline as an potential rescuer. This hopefulness is potentiated by the recent major advances and competitiveness in molecular diagnostics, making laboratory tests widely accessible at affordable prices. If executed correctly, biomarkers and CDx can potentially help the drug industry by enhancing the probability of success and possibly accelerating time to market; help the diagnostics industry develop tests utilizing precious, clinically annotated human samples; and, more importantly, benefit patients by supporting accurate diagnosis and selection of the most efficacious and least toxic therapies. However, this spectacular road is not yet paved, and it faces an enormous number of challenges. This paper will list these challenges and highlight some critical problems with representative examples of imminent but still overlooked preanalytical and analytical variables that can defeat the whole purpose of biomarkers and CDx and mislead drug developers and clinicians. The paper will provide some suggestions for mitigation.
Magnetoelectric Random Access Memory-Based Circuit Design by Using Voltage-Controlled Magnetic Anisotropy in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

We introduce a magnetoelectric junction driven by voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA-MEJ) as a building block for a range of low-power memory applications. We present and discuss specifically two applications, magnetoelectric random access memory (MeRAM) and ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM). The MEJ differs from a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) in that electric field is used to induce switching in lieu of substantial current flow in MTJ. Electric field control of magnetism can dramatically enhance the performance of magnetic memory devices in terms of switching energy efficiency and switching speed. The development of such an energy-efficient and ultrafast memory has a potential to change the paradigm of a hierarchical memory system in the conventional computer architecture. By combining speed, low power, and high density, electric-field-controlled magnetic memory merges features of multiple separate memory technologies used in today's memory hierarchy. The performance of a VCMA-MEJs-based MeRAM, especially in the case of one access transistor associated with one MEJ (1T-1R) structure, is evaluated by comparing it with that of phase-change RAM, resistive RAM, and spin transfer torque RAM. MeRAM can achieve ultrafast switching (<;1 ns), low switching energy (~1 fJ), and compact cell size of 6 F2 with a shared source region, as well as nonvolatility. For another application, we propose the VCMA-MEJ-based TCAM, which will be referred to as MeTCAM, consisting of 4T-2MEJs. Since MeTCAM fully exploits the low power and high density features of the VCMA effect both in write and search operation modes, it obtains a fast searching speed (0.2 ns) with the smallest cell area (44 F2) compared to previous works.
Drizzle Suppression in Ship Tracks.

Abstract Although drizzle was a relatively infrequent occurrence during the Monterey Area Ship Track study, diverse measurements from several sources produced data signals consistent with a reduction in drizzle drops in stratus clouds affected by ship effluents. Concurrent increases in liquid water in the cloud droplet size range, due to redistribution from the drizzle mode, were not always observed, possibly because of the relatively small and often negligible amounts of water in the drizzle mode. Significant changes in cloud droplet size distribution, as well as reductions in drizzle flux and concentrations of drops >50-μm radius, were observed in ship tracks when drizzle was more uniformly present in the ambient cloud. Radiometric measurements showed that increased droplet concentrations in ship tracks, which resulted in reduced droplet sizes, can significantly alter the liquid water path. Radar observations indicated that the reduced reflectivities of ship tracks compared with ambient clouds may be du.
The Role of Albumin in Bare Metal In-Stent Restenosis

Celik et al in their paper entitled ‘‘Preprocedural Albumin Levels and Risk of In-Stent Restenosis After Coronary Stenting With Bare-Metal Stent’’ demonstrated that a low preprocedural albumin level was an independent and significant predictor of higher in-stent restenosis in patients after bare metal stent (BMS) placement. The degree of inflammatory status is inversely associated with the serum albumin levels. Inflammation has been associated with decreasing albumin synthesis and increasing catabolism. In addition, hypoalbuminemia may increase blood viscosity and disrupt endothelial function. An association between lower serum albumin levels and increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality has been seen in previous studies. Recently, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-tolymphocyte ratio, and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio have been used as independent predictors of in-stent restenosis. However, Celik et al did not evaluate the combinations of these easily calculated inflammatory markers. Furthermore, they did not indicate which confounding factors were tested in the multivariate regression model. Additionally, these markers were not included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Therefore, the study findings as regards independent predictors of in-stent restenosis may not be adequately established. In conclusion, albumin levels may be a novel predictor biomarker for CV diseases especially in in-stent restenosis. However, its role in CV diseases and in-stent restenosis among patients treated successfully with BMS should be assessed after considering several confounding factors.
ScholarWorks Master ' s Projects Master ' s Theses and Graduate Research Fall 2011 A Genetic Algorithm Scheduling Approach for Virtual Machine Resources in a Cloud Computing Environment

In the present cloud computing environment, the scheduling approaches for VM (Virtual Machine) resources only focus on the current state of the entire system. Most often they fail to consider the system variation and historical behavioral data which causes system load imbalance. To present a better approach for solving the problem of VM resource scheduling in a cloud computing environment, this project demonstrates a genetic algorithm based VM resource scheduling strategy that focuses on system load balancing. The genetic algorithm approach computes the impact in advance, that it will have on the system after the new VM resource is deployed in the system, by utilizing historical data and current state of the system. It then picks up the solution, which will have the least effect on the system. By doing this it ensures the better load balancing and reduces the number of dynamic VM migrations. The approach presented in this project solves the problem of load imbalance and high migration costs. Usually load imbalance and high number of VM migrations occur if the scheduling is performed using the traditional algorithms. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to my project advisor, Dr. Robert Chun, whose direction, support, encouragement, and dedication is valuable. Dr. Chun is an educationalist in the truest sense. I extremely appreciate Dr. Soon Tee Teoh’s, Dr. Mark Stamp’s and Mr. Guru Parab’s input as my thesis committee members. My committee has shown helpful insight to polish my work which is presented in this report. The four of you are valuable assets to the computer world. It has been a tricky, yet meaningful ride which I could not have completed without help and I am grateful for your support. Thank you. Shailesh Sawant TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION.1 1.1 CLOUD COMPUTING BACKGROUND.1 1.2 VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY.1 1.3. PROBLEM STATEMENT.2 2.0. RELATED WORK . 3 2.1. NAÏVE STRATEGY.4 2.2. FIFO STRATEGY.4 2.3. OPTIMIZED STRATEGY . 5 2.4. REQUIREMENT OF GENETIC ALGORITHM . 6 3.0. THE MODEL DESIGN OF VM SCHEDULING . 6 3.1. VM MODEL.6 3.2. THE EXPRESSION OF LOAD.7 3.3. MATHEMATICAL MODEL. 9 4.0. REALIZATION OF BALANCED SCHEDULING THROUGH GENETIC ALGORITHM.10 4.1. STEPS IN GENETIC ALGORITHM.10 4.2. POPULATION CODING . 11 4.3 INITIALIZATION OF POPULATION . 12 4.4. FITNESS FUNCTION.12 4.5. SELECTION STRATEGY.13 4.6. CROSSOVER OPERATION . 14 4.7. MUTATION OPERATION . 15 4.8. SCHEDULING STRATEGY.16 5.0. ALGORITHM ANALYSIS . 16 5.1. GLOBAL SCHEDULING ALGORITHM.16 5.2. EXPERIMENT AND ANALYSIS OF GENETIC ALGORITHM.18 6.0. EXPERIMENT . 20 6.1. HARDWARE SETUP . 20 6.2 SOFTWARE COMPONENTS.21 6.2.1. OPENNEBULA.21 6.2.2. HAIZEA . 24 6.2.3. ADVANCE RESERVATION.25 6.2.4. BEST-EFFORT LEASE.27 6.3. ANALYSIS . 28 6.3.1. ALGORITHM EFFECT ANALYSIS . 28 6.3.2. MIGRATION COST ANALYSIS . 30 7. CONCLUSION . 32 8. FUTURE WORK.32 9. REFRENCES . 34