Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and control of high tech systems

Advanced motion systems like pick-and-place machines used in the semiconductor industry challenge the frontiers of mechatronic design, systems and control theory and practice. In the design phase, control oriented design of the electro-mechanics is necessary in order to achieve the tight performance specifications. Once realized, and since experimentation is fast, a machine in the loop procedure can be explored to close the design loop from experiment, experimental model building, model based control design, implementation and performance evaluation. Nevertheless, reliable numerical tools are required to meet the challenges posed with respect to dimensionality and model complexity. Extension of linear modeling techniques towards some classes of nonlinear systems is relevant for improved control of specific motion systems, such as with friction. Finally, medical robotics can greatly benefit from the experiences in high tech motion systems, and an eye surgical robot with haptics will be shown as an example. Other challenging applications in need for advanced design, modeling and control are fuel-efficient vehicles, including ultra-clean engines, vehicle electric and hybrid power trains, and control of plasma fusion.
Nocturnal asthma therapy. Inhaled bitolterol versus sustained-release theophylline.

Many asthmatics complain of increased symptoms, awakenings, and need for additional medications during the sleeping hours. Sustained-release theophylline (THEO) may be superior to conventional inhaled bronchodilators in preventing nocturnal asthma symptoms and the early morning decrement in lung function common to this population. However, recent studies have demonstrated that THEO may delay sleep onset and perturb sleep stage distribution. No previous study has evaluated electroencephalographic, cardiac, and gas exchange indices during sleep in asthmatics treated with THEO compared with a long-acting inhaled beta 2-agonist. The study goals were to determine if theophylline perturbed sleep when compared with beta 2-agonists and to determine which agent achieved best control of daytime and nocturnal pulmonary symptoms and lung dysfunction. We evaluated 26 subjects with mild to moderate asthma and a history of frequent nocturnal symptoms who previously demonstrated decrements in AM lung function. THEO was compared with 3 puffs every 8 h (6 A.M., 2 P.M., and 10 P.M.) of bitolterol (BITOL), a long-acting beta 2-agonist, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study. Each drug was administered for a 2-wk period ending with two consecutive nights of sleep evaluation followed by cross-over to the alternate drug regimen. During THEO administration, plasma concentrations on awakening were 11.4 +/- 0.69 micrograms/ml as compared with 0.00 micrograms/ml during BITOL. THEO was not found to disrupt sleep as sleep latency, total sleep time, percentage of total sleep time spent in Stages 1, 2, and 3/4 and in REM sleep were similar during each regimen. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Lysosomal degradation of Asn‐linked glycoproteins

Catabolism of Asn‐linked glycoproteins to monosaccharides and amino acids occurs in lysosomes. Breakdown must be complete to avoid lysosomal storage diseases that occur when fragments as small as dimers are left undigested. Recent results have clarified several aspects of Asn‐linked glycoprotein catabolism in mammals. First, degradation of the oligosaccharide portion is accomplished by exo‐glycosidases, which act only from the nonreducing end of chains to release sugar monomers as products. In contrast, proteolysis can proceed from both end and internal points along the polypeptide to eventually yield free amino acids. A second important feature of the glycoprotein disassembly pathway is that the hydrolytic steps can be grouped into two sets of ordered reactions: I) stepwise hydrolysis of the major portion of the oligosaccharide chains by a set of exoglycosidases, and II) ordered disassembly of the protein and the oligosaccharide‐to‐protein linkage region. Process II can vary at a single reaction step depending on the species in which degradation takes place. Thus, the last step of reaction sequence II can be either: 1) hydrolysis of the actual peptide‐to‐carbohydrate linkage, or 2) removal of the reducing‐end GlcNAc from a previously freed oligosaccharide. The latter cleavage is catalyzed by the lysosomal glycosidase chitobiase. Chitobiase has been found only in humans and rats and not in other mammals (dogs, cats, goats, sheep, cats, or cattle). The hydrolytic mechanism of this enzyme is unique as it appears to be a reducing‐end glycosidase and can be viewed as an accessory step in the human and rat digestive pathways. The species that lack this enzyme likely rely on exo‐β‐d‐glucosaminidase to cleave GlcNAc from both outer chain residues and the chitobiose moiety at the protein‐to‐carbohydrate linkage. —Aronson, N. N. , Jr.; Kuranda, M. J. Lysosomal degradation of Asn‐linked glycoproteins. FASEB J. 3: 2615‐2622; 1989.
Hot-Air/Hot-Steam Process for the Production of Laccase-Mediator-System Bound Wood Fiber Insulation Boards

In this study, a new technical process for hardening wood fiber insulation boards is introduced. During the dry-process, the fibers are usually glued with polymeric-diphenylmethane-diisocyanate (pMDI) and hardened to wood fiber insulation boards using a steam-air mixture. However, the maximum temperature reached in the steam-air process was 100 °C, and it was impossible to use an alternative binding agent for the gluing of the wood fiber insulation boards other than pMDI. When incubated with laccase-mediator-system (LMS) as a naturally based bonding system, temperatures of over 120 °C are required because of the chemical wood composition, especially the lignin. In this case, the hot-air/hot-steam process offers new technical opportunities for realizing temperatures above 100 °C. In this study, wood fiber insulation boards were glued with LMS, vs. reference boards with inactivated LMS, laccase alone, and 4% pMDI. Then, the boards were hardened using one of three processes: with steam-air mixture, with hot-air, and with hot-air/hot-steam. Through the hot-air/hot-steam process, temperatures of well over 120 °C were attainable. All the insulation boards hardened using the hot-air/hot-steam process showed better physical and technical properties than those hardened with steam-air mixture or hot-air alone. The reason for this is a sudden increase of temperature after the adding of steam because high temperatures insure that the LMS activated wood fiber surface lignins are completely plasticized. As a result the physical-technological properties such as internal bond strength, compression strength, and short term water absorption of insulation boards treated with LMS were comparable to those boards treated with 4% pMDI.
Pupil function as an indicator of being under the influence of central nervous system-acting substances from a traffic-medicine perspective – Part II

In order to evaluate driving abilities of each traffic participant, standardised and objective measurement methods are needed. The applicability and value of infrared pupillography as an objective measurement method to indicate possible influence of central nervous acting substances has been demonstrated in former publications. Healthy test subjects (n = 41), as well as persons who were under the influence of drugs and/or medication (n = 105), were exposed to different light stimuli using infrared technology in order to demonstrate the relevance of specific parameters of the pupillary light reflex (PLR) in the field of traffic medicine. Based on former reported results, the statistical examination was extended to further parameters of the PLR, which again confirmed the high value of infrared pupillography as a reliable indicator of previous consumption of drugs and/or medication.
An evaluation of distillation deep learning network architecture

Recently, Deep Learning models have come to be widely used for many real problems. Their results showed high classification capabilities. However, we must decide some parameters while searching a Deep Learning architecture with an optimal structure for a given data set. Moreover the equipment of the specified hardware such as GPU is required to make a forward calculation of neural network. If the simple network architecture has same power of the original Deep Learning, the use of the trained network becomes easy calculation without GPU device. The simple network can be found by distillation method. The obtained distillation network structure and its classification capability was evaluated by AIC. However, the AIC cannot evaluate the big network structure. In this paper, the structure and classification are evaluated by using AIC's equation item separately.
Molecular basis for the immunostimulatory activity of guanine nucleoside analogs: Activation of Toll-like receptor 7

Certain C8-substituted and N7, C8-disubstituted guanine ribonucleosides comprise a class of small molecules with immunostimulatory activity. In a variety of animal models, these agents stimulate both humoral and cellular immune responses. The antiviral actions of these guanosine analogs have been attributed to their ability to induce type I IFNs. However, the molecular mechanisms by which the guanosine analogs potentiate immune responses are not known. Here, we report that several guanosine analogs activate Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7). 7-Thia-8-oxoguanosine, 7-deazaguanosine, and related guanosine analogs activated mouse immune cells in a manner analogous to known TLR ligands, inducing cytokine production in mouse splenocytes (IL-6 and IL-12, type I and II IFNs), bone marrow-derived macrophages (IL-6 and IL-12), and in human peripheral blood leukocytes (type I IFNs, tumor necrosis factor α and IL-12). The guanosine congeners also up-regulated costimulatory molecules and MHC I/II in dendritic cells. Genetic complementation studies in human embryonic kidney 293 cells confirmed that the guanosine analogs activate cells exclusively via TLR7. The stimulation of TLR7 by the guanosine analogs in human cells appears to require endosomal maturation because inhibition of this process with chloroquine significantly reduced the downstream activation of NF-κB. However, TLR8 activation by R-848 and TLR2 activation by {S-[2,3-bis(palmitoyloxy)-(2-RS)-propyl]-N-palmitoyl-R-Cys-S-Ser-Lys4-OH, trihydrochloride)} were not inhibited by chloroquine, whereas TLR9 activation by CpG oligodeoxynucleotides was abolished. In summary, we present evidence that guanosine analogs activate immune cells via TLR7 by a pathway that requires endosomal maturation. Thus, the B cell-stimulating and antiviral activities of the guanosine analogs may be explained by their TLR7-activating capacity.
Chlamydia pneumoniae activates nuclear factor kappaB and activator protein 1 in human vascular smooth muscle and induces cellular proliferation.

BACKGROUND Observational data strongly suggest an association between Chlamydia pneumoniae and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, few studies have mechanistically linked C. pneumoniae to vascular remodeling. The purpose of the present study was to examine the mechanistic relationship between C. pneumoniae and human vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) physiology. We sought to determine the influence of human VSMC infection by C. pneumoniae on (1) VSMC proliferation and (2) activation of the proinflammatory and proliferative transcription factors nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) and activator protein 1 (AP-1). MATERIALS AND METHODS C. pneumoniae was grown and isolated from Hep 2 cells. Human aortic VSMCs were inoculated with C. pneumoniae in the presence and absence of the azalide antibiotic azithromycin. Cell proliferation was assayed by direct cell counting 48 h following infection. Two hours following infection, nuclear extracts were isolated, and activation of both NF-kappaB and AP-1 was assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. RESULTS Compared with control, C. pneumoniae infection stimulated VSMC proliferation (P < 0.05) and induced both NF-kappaB and AP-1 DNA binding activity. These effects were eliminated by concurrent treatment with azithromycin. CONCLUSIONS VSMC infection with C. pneumoniae activates proliferative intracellular signals and stimulates cell growth. These data implicate C. pneumoniae as a pathogenic mediator and a potential therapeutic target in the prevention of atherosclerotic disease.
Travel Recommendation by Mining People Attributes and Travel Group Types From Community-Contributed Photos

Leveraging community-contributed data (e.g., blogs, GPS logs, and geo-tagged photos) for personalized recommendation is one of the active research problems since there are rich contexts and human activities in such explosively growing data. In this work, we focus on personalized travel recommendation and show promising applications by leveraging the freely available community-contributed photos. We propose to conduct personalized travel recommendation by further considering specific user profiles or attributes (e.g., gender, age, race) as well as travel group types (e.g., family, friends, couple). Instead of mining photo logs only, we exploit the automatically detected people attributes and travel group types in the photo contents. By information-theoretic measures, we demonstrate that such detected user profiles are informative and effective for travel recommendation-especially providing a promising aspect for personalization. We effectively mine the demographics of individual and group travelers for different locations (or landmarks) and their travel paths. A probabilistic Bayesian learning framework which further entails mobile recommendation on the spot is introduced as well. We experiment on more than 10 million photos collected from 19 major cities worldwide and conduct the extensive investigation of profiling activities in communities according to temporal and spatial information. Note that the photos in the paper attribute to various Flickr users under the Creative Commons License. The experiments confirm that people attributes of individuals and groups are promising and orthogonal to prior works using travel logs only and can further improve prior travel recommendation methods especially for difficult predictions by further leveraging user contexts via mobile devices.
PIP3 is involved in neuronal polarization and axon formation

Recent experiments in various cell types such as mammalian neutrophils and Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae point to a key role for the lipid product of PI 3‐kinase, PIP3, in determining internal polarity. In neurons, as a consequence of the elongation of one neurite, the axon is specified and the cell acquires its polarity. To test the hypothesis that PI 3‐kinase and PIP3 may play a role in neuronal polarity, and especially in axon specification, we observed localization of PIP3 visualized by Akt‐PH‐GFP in developing hippocampal neurons. We found that PIP3 accumulates in the tip of the growing processes. This accumulation is inhibited by addition of PI 3‐kinase inhibitors. Those inhibitors, consistently with a role of PIP3 in process formation and elongation, delay the transition from stage 1 neurons to stage 3 neurons, and both axon formation and elongation. Moreover, when the immature neurite contacts a bead coated with laminin, a substrate known to induce axon specification, PIP3 accumulates in its growth cone followed by a rapid elongation of the neurite. In such conditions, the addition of PI 3‐kinase inhibitors inhibits both PIP3 accumulation and future axon elongation. These results suggest that PIP3 is involved in axon specification, possibly by stimulating neurite outgrowth. In addition, when a second neurite contacted the beads, this neurite rapidly elongates whereas the elongation of the first laminin‐contacting neurite stops, consistently with the hypothesis of a negative feedback mechanism from the growing future axon to the other neurites.
Identification of signal substances in synapses made between primary afferents and their associated axon terminals in the rat trigeminal sensory nuclei

The relationships between primary afferent terminals (PATs) and their associated presynaptic terminals in the rat trigeminal sensory nuclear complex (TSNC) were examined with special reference to amino acid transmitters glutamate (Glu) and gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA). Primary afferent terminals anterogradely labeled from the trigeminal ganglion with the B subunit of cholera toxin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (CTB‐HRP) were sectioned for electron microscopy. Serial sections from the principal nucleus (Vp), dorsomedial parts of the oral and interpolar nuclei (Vdm), and lamina III/IV of caudal nucleus (Vc) were immunostained for Glu and GABA by using a postembedding immunogold technique. The tracer, CTB‐HRP to the trigeminal ganglion, preferentially labeled myelinated primary afferents. Sections immunostained with Glu antiserum showed that most labeled PATs were enriched with immunoreactivity (IR) for Glu. The Glu‐IR PATs contained clear, round, synaptic vesicles and formed asymmetric synaptic contacts with somata or dendrites. They were frequently postsynaptic to unlabeled axon terminals filled with a mixture of clear, round, oval, and flattened vesicles (p‐endings), with symmetric synaptic junctions. The frequency of synapses onto somata or primary dendrites per Glu‐IR PAT was higher in the Vdm than in either the Vp or Vc lamina III/IV. The frequency of contacts of the p‐endings per Glu‐IR PAT was higher in the Vp than in the Vdm and Vc lamina III/IV. Sections immunostained with GABA antiserum showed that most axon terminals presynaptic to PATs were enriched with GABA in the three nuclei. The GABA‐IR axon terminals and their postsynaptic PATs had a similar ultrastructural character to p‐endings and their postsynaptic Glu‐IR PATs, respectively. The present study suggests that primary afferent neurons with large‐caliber fibers use glutamate as a neurotransmitter and are subject to presynaptic modulation by GABAergic fibers. J. Comp. Neurol. 418:299–309, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Trend and Business Cycles with External Markets: Non‐Capacity Generating Semi‐Autonomous Expenditures and Effective Demand

The Global Financial Crisis has underlined the importance of developments in the household sector to explaining macro patterns. Some recent papers have discussed the role of non‐capacity generating semi‐autonomous expenditures in growth theory. This literature ties together several aspects of heterodox thought: growth and distribution; the Sraffian supermultiplier; Duesenberry's relative income hypothesis; the endogenous money approach and Kalecki–Luxemburg external markets. The basic message is that non‐wage sources of effective demand, based on mortgage and consumer credit, can play a key role in inducing capacity investment and driving long‐run output growth. This article gives a broad overview of the role of financed‐induced semi‐autonomous expenditures in growth, cycles and crises, and thus criticizes some of the previous approaches that claim to mimic actual cycles while abstracting from these crucial determinants of economic activity.
Relation between gallbladder neoplasm and Helicobacter hepaticus infection.

OBJECTIVE The main objective of this study was to see the various histopathological changes in the gallbladder with cholelithiasis and to correlate them with Helicobacter hepaticus infection. METHODS A total of 380 cholecystectomy specimens were received during a study period from 2058/11/29 to 2059/11/4 at Department of Pathology, TU Teaching Hospital, Institute of Medicine. RESULTS Among 380 cases, 249 (65.53%) were found to have chronic cholecystitis, 52 (13.68%) cholesterolosis, 29 (7.63%) adenomyosis, 20 (5.26%) metaplasia, 15 (3.95%) low grade dysplasia, 10(2.63%) malignancy, 4(1.05%) xanthogranulomatous change and 1(0.26%) carcinoma in situ. Out of these, 100 cases that were willing to provide gallbladder for study were taken as a study group. Sections were stained with Haematoxylin & Eosin for microscopic features and with Warthin Starry Silver stain for Helicobacter hepaticus. Among the study group, 43% cases were found to have chronic cholecystitis, 17% adenomyosis, 13% cholesterolosis, 9% low grade dysplasia, 9% metaplasia, 7% malignancy, 1% carcinoma in situ and 1% xanthogranulomatous change. All the malignant cases were found to be Adenocarcinoma. Out of total 100 cases, 82% cases were found to have Helicobacter hepaticus infection. Only one out of 7 malignant cases (14.29%) was found to be negative for Helicobacter Hepaticus infection. Gallbladder neoplasm was found to be common in Nepal comprising 2.63%. Helicobacter hepaticus infection was found in 82% of gallbladders and it was found in 87.5% of malignant cases. Whether Helicobacter hepaticus that might be the number one cause for the gallstone formation that ultimately leads to malignancy or itself acts as a risk factor for the pathogenesis of carcinoma gallbladder is yet to be determined.
Genome-wide analysis of histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation by ChIP-chip in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

OBJECTIVES Histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation(H3K4me3) is an important epigenetic modification and associated with active transcription in multiple organisms. In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), global and gene-specific DNA methylation changes have been demonstrated to occur. However, to date, our knowledge about the alterations in the histone lysine methylation in SLE is known little. This study aimed to investigate the variations in H3K4me3 in CpG island regions in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of SLE patients and the controls, including rheumatoid arthritis patients and healthy subjects. METHODS PBMCs were isolated by density gradient centrifugation from 10 active SLE patients, 7 inactive SLE patients, 8 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 8 healthy volunteers. H3K4me3 variations were analysed by using chromatin immunoprecipitation linked to the microarray (ChIP-chip) approach. ChIP-real time PCR was used to validate the microrray results. Expression analysis by qRT-PCR revealed correlations between mRNA and H3K4me3 levels. In addition, DNA methylation status was also further analysed by Methyl-DNA immunoprecipitation-quantitative PCR. RESULTS Many key relevant candidate genes (such as PTPN22, LRP1B etc.) displaying differential changes in H3K4me3 in SLE versus controls (rheumatoid arthritis patients, healthy subjects) were identified. The results of ChIP-real time PCR were coincided well with those of microarray. Aberrant DNA methylation can also be found on selected randomly positive genes (WDR5, SLC24A3, PTPN22, LRP1B METT10D and CDH13). CONCLUSIONS Our results first indicate that there are significant alterations of H3K4me3 in PBMCs of SLE patients, and H3K4me3 alterations are associated with the pathogenesis of the SLE. Such novel findings show the significance of H3K4me3 as a potential biomarker or promising target for epigenetic-based lupus therapies.
Ambitious Leadership: A Case Study of Setting a Vision for Ambitious Instruction.

© 2016 New Leaders Inc. All rights reserved. NEWLEADERS.ORG AMBITIOUS INSTRUCTIONAL VISION AS A DRIVER OF CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT Leaders who exemplify ambitious instructional leadership codify and pursue a vision of teaching and learning that is rich and complex. These principals establish a vision not only for their school as a whole but also specifically for the quality and rigor of its instruction. In other words, they articulate a desired state for how curricula, tasks, and pedagogical approaches will work together to support student learning, and why that instructional vision is critical to helping students achieve success not only in the next level of schooling but also in college, careers, and beyond.