Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of hepatic lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase gene expression by dietary cholesterol and cholesterol-lowering agents.

Binding of sterol response element binding protein 1a to sterol response element-1 (SRE-1) in the promoter region of lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase (14DM) has been demonstrated previously. Decreased 14DM activity has been shown to result in accumulation of the intermediate, 3 beta-hydroxy-lanost-8-en-32-al, a known translational downregulator of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. Since it has also been demonstrated that feedback regulation of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase occurs primarily at the level of translation, the effects of dietary cholesterol and cholesterol lowering agents on levels of hepatic 14DM mRNA and immunoreactive protein were investigated. Addition of 1% cholesterol to a chow diet markedly decreased hepatic 14DM mRNA and protein levels in Sprague-Dawley rats. The extent and time course of this decrease in 14DM immunoreactive protein closely paralleled that of HMG-CoA reductase. Supplementation of the diet with the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, Lovastatin, to a level of 0.02%, raised 14DM mRNA and protein levels 2- to 3-fold. Addition of 2% Colestipol, a bile acid binding resin, to the chow diet caused smaller increases. The highest level of 14DM protein expression was observed in liver, the major site of feedback regulation of HMG-CoA reductase by cholesterol. Taken together, these observations suggest a critical role for 14DM in the feedback regulation of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase.
The role of convexity in perception of symmetry and in visual short-term memory

Visual perception of shape is affected by coding of local convexities and concavities. For instance, a recent study reported that deviations from symmetry carried by convexities were easier to detect than deviations carried by concavities. We removed some confounds and extended this work from a detection of reflection of a contour (i.e., bilateral symmetry), to a detection of repetition of a contour (i.e., translational symmetry). We tested whether any convexity advantage is specific to bilateral symmetry in a two-interval (Experiment 1) and a single-interval (Experiment 2) detection task. In both, we found a convexity advantage only for repetition. When we removed the need to choose which region of the contour to monitor (Experiment 3) the effect disappeared. In a second series of studies, we again used shapes with multiple convex or concave features. Participants performed a change detection task in which only one of the features could change. We did not find any evidence that convexities are special in visual short-term memory, when the to-be-remembered features only changed shape (Experiment 4), when they changed shape and changed from concave to convex and vice versa (Experiment 5), or when these conditions were mixed (Experiment 6). We did find a small advantage for coding convexity as well as concavity over an isolated (and thus ambiguous) contour. The latter is consistent with the known effect of closure on processing of shape. We conclude that convexity plays a role in many perceptual tasks but that it does not have a basic encoding advantage over concavity.
Alloimmunity: No Toll Exemption

Identification of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) has stimulated research focused on increasing our understanding of the interactions between innate and adaptive immune responses in alloimmunity (1). TLRs represent a cluster of molecules that can recognize pathogen-associated as well as endogenous molecular patterns. Mechanistic studies on intracellular signal transduction have revealed that upon ligation TLRs can trigger intracellular signals by engaging adaptor proteins such as MyD88-dependent and Myd-88independent (TRIF, TRAM-mediated) signal transduction pathways ultimately leading to increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines and other inflammatory mediators (1). Recent work by three groups, point both, to the importance of the TLR pathway in alloimmunity and the possibility that this effect may occur via multiple mechanisms. A remarkable study by McKay et al. studied the role of TLR signaling in allograft rejection in the absence of immune modulation (2). These investigators utilized mice with deletions of the proximal TLR adaptor proteins (Myd88 and TRIF) and found that prolonged survival of full MHC and multiple minor antigen-mismatched skin allografts from double knockout mice donors was associated with diminished migration of donor cells to draining lymph nodes and delayed infiltration of host T cells into the allograft. The authors suggest that their data support the importance of TLR pathways in the activation and migration of donor antigen presenting cells from allografts. In the second study Thornley and colleagues, investigated the role of TLR signaling on an anti-CD154 based regimen to prolong the survival of mouse skin allografts (3). This strategy, donor-specific transfusion and anti-CD154, has previously been shown to delete graft-specific CD8+ T cells and promote long-term graft survival (4). The current study showed that administration of TLR agonists or LCMV infection prior to the tolerance regimen led to decreased survival of skin allografts, which was associated with impaired deletion of alloreactive CD8+ T cells. Using the ‘synchimera’ mouse model (KB5 TCR-transgenic hemopoietic chimeras), the authors show that the effect of TLR agonist to shorten the skin allograft survival required the presence of CD8+ T cells and that TLR agonist protects alloreactive CD8+ T cells from apoptosis in this model.
Surveys of rodent-borne disease in Thailand with a focus on scrub typhus assessment.

The epidemiology of many rodent-borne diseases in South-East Asia remains ill-defined. Scrub typhus and lep-tospirosis are common and medically significant, while other zoonotic diseases, such as spotted fever group Rickettsiae have been identified, but their overall medical significance is unknown. Rodent surveillance was conducted from June 2002 to July 2004 in 18 provinces from Thailand. Traps were set up for one to three nights. Blood and serum samples and animal tissue samples (liver, spleen, kidney and urinary bladder) were collected. Chiggermites, ticks and fleas were removed from captured rodents. A total of 4536 wild-caught rodents from 27 species were captured over two years of animal trapping. Rattus rattus was the dominant species, followed by Rattus exulans and Bandicota indica. Almost 43 000 ectoparasites were removed from the captured animals. Approximately 98% of the ectoparasites were chigger-mites, of which 46% belonged to the genus Leptotrombidium (scrub typhus vector). Other genera included Schoengastia and Blankaartia. Tick and flea specimens together comprised less than 1% of the sample. Among the five species of ticks collected, Haemaphysalis bandicota was the predominant species caught, followed by Ixodes granulatus other Haemaphysalis spp. , Rhipicephalus spp. and Dermacentor spp. Only two species of fleas were collected and Xenopsylla cheopis (rat flea) was the predominant species. Using both commercial diagnostic kits and in-house molecular assays, animal tissue samples were examined and screened for zoonotic diseases. Seven zoonotic diseases were detected: scrub typhus, leptospirosis, murine typhus, tick typhus, bartonella, babesiosis and trypanosomiasis. Most samples were positive for scrub typhus. Other zoonotic diseases still under investigation include borrelosis, ehrlichiosis, the plague, and other rickettsial diseases. Using geographic information systems, global positioning systems and remote sensing technology, epidemiological and environmental data were combined to assess the relative risk in different biotopes within highly endemic areas of scrub typhus in Thailand.
Design Methods for 3D RFID Antennas Located on a Conducting Ground Plane

Based on 2D meander line methods, 3 times 3 times 3 point, symmetrical, 3D dipole antennas structure was investigated exhaustively to identify those configurations with the highest efficiency and lowest resonant frequency for a fixed length. Maximum efficiency and input impedance occurs when adjacent high current segments in the antenna are oppositely directed. The optimal antenna structure was compressed and the effect of a nearby conducting plane was investigated. The meander line structure greatly improves antenna performance with a resonant frequency of 498 MHz and an efficiency of 62% when located on a conducting ground plane.
3D MEMS IN STANDARD PROCESSES: FABRICATION, QUALITY ASSURANCE, AND NOVEL MEASUREMENT MICROSTRUCTURES

Three-dimensional MEMS microsystems that are commercially fabricated require minimal post-processing and are easily integrated with CMOS signal processing electronics. Measurements to evaluate the fabrication process (such as cross-sectional imaging and device performance characterization) provide much needed feedback in terms of reliability and quality assurance. MEMS technology is bringing a new class of microscale measurements to fruition. The relatively small size of MEMS microsystems offers the potential for higher fidelity recordings compared to macrosize counterparts, as illustrated in the measurement of muscle cell forces.
Management of obesity in cats

Abstract Obesity is a common nutritional disorder in cats, especially when they are neutered and middle-aged. Obesity predisposes cats to several metabolic and clinical disorders, including insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, lameness, and skin disease. Prevention and treatment of obesity is therefore of great importance in veterinary practice. Correct assessment of body composition is important for recognizing early states of obesity and for monitoring success of weight-loss programs. Various methods for assessing body composition have been proposed, of which a 9-point body-condition score has been validated in cats, and is possibly the most simple to use in the clinic; however, for extremely obese individuals, it is less useful. When calculating the appropriate daily caloric intake for a weight-loss plan, the aim is to maintain a safe weight-loss rate, increasing the chance of preserving lean body mass and decreasing the risk of developing hepatic lipidosis, while also producing a sufficient weight-loss rate to keep owners motivated. A weight-loss rate of 0.5%–2% per week is recommended, which for a cat that needs to lose 3 kg body weight results in an anticipated time for reaching the target weight of 24–60 weeks. There are several purpose-made weight-loss diets available. The optimal composition of a weight-loss diet for cats is unknown, but most of the available products have lower caloric density, an increased nutrient:energy ratio, and higher protein and fiber content. Regular follow-up visits allow the caloric intake to be adjusted based on progress, and possibly increase the chance of success. This review discusses the risk factors for and consequences of obesity, and gives directions for formulating a weight-loss plan, including daily caloric intake, choice of diet, and common problems based on the current literature. This review further provides a nutritional comparison of the current composition of selected commercial veterinary-specific weight-loss diets.
Analyse et optimisation du procédé de découpe de plaques de silicium

Cette etude s? inscrit dans le cadre d? une collaboration entre le Centre de Mise en Forme des Materiaux, l? Agence de l? Environnement et de la Maitrise de l? Energie et la societe Photowatt et concerne l? une des etapes de la fabrication des modules photovoltaiques : la decoupe de plaques minces de silicium multicristallin par sciage a fil. Une etude bibliographique associee a l? observation des plaques brutes montre que le sciage a fil produit de l? abrasion trois corps et que l? enlevement de matiere se fait de maniere ductile par formation de micro-copeaux. La profondeur d? indentation a laquelle se produit la transition ductile-fragile mise en evidence par l? etude bibliographique n? est donc pas franchie. L? abrasion produite peut etre decrite par la loi classique d? Archard. La profondeur de la zone endommagee par la decoupe a ete estimee a 2,5 µm. Une etude thermique a montre que la temperature de la decoupe ne depasse pas 50°C environ et qu? elle depend de la capacite d? evacuation de la chaleur par le fil. L? analyse des defauts des plaques a permis d? identifier leur origine et de degager des solutions. La mesure de l? usure du fil a montre que la reduction de son diametre n? est envisageable que si son regime de defilement est rendu continu. Le gain de silicium, d? energie sur plusieurs plans et l? amelioration de l? etat de surface des plaques plaident egalement pour la suppression du regime alternatif (back & forth). Le recyclage de l? abrasif est envisageable, nous avons montre que son efficacite n? est en effet pas affectee par la decoupe. Un dispositif de simulation tribologique a ete mis en place, il permet d? etudier l? abrasion du silicium dans les memes conditions que dans le sciage a fil. Un modele mecanique reliant la courbure du fil aux parametres issus du sciage et de la tribologie permet de predire la hauteur de la nappe de fil, sa fleche en regime transitoire et permanent, la pression de contact et l? usure du fil. Une simulation numerique de l? enlevement de matiere par des essais de rayure bidimensionnels a ete realisee. La concordance des ordres de grandeurs des constantes de vitesse d? usure obtenues par ce biais, par la simulation tribologique et par la deduction des mesures effectuees sur le procede valide cette demarche. Elle a permis de degager des orientations qui permettront de rendre la decoupe plus performante en modifiant les abrasifs et le fluide.
New schemes for the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equation

In this paper, we present three new schemes for the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The three new schemes are multi-symplectic schemes that preserve the intrinsic geometry property of the equation. The three new schemes are also semi-explicit in the sense that they need not solve linear algebraic equations every time-step, which is usually the most expensive in numerical simulation of partial differential equations. Many numerical experiments on collisions of solitons are presented to show the efficiency of the new multi-symplectic schemes.
Improving Louvain Algorithm by Leveraging Cliques for Community Detection

Community detection is one of the most important fields that help us in understand and analyze the structure of social networks. It is a tool to identify closely related groups in terms of social relations or common interests. In fact, community detection can be applied in social media, web clients, or e-commerce. For this purpose, the traditional Louvain algorithm is used for community detection as a suitable algorithm, since it provides fast, efficient and robust community detection on large static networks. However, the high computing complexity of this algorithm is a motivation of this work. Initially, the existing cliques and the other nodes which have not included in cliques are considered as separated communities instead of considering each node in the network is a community as in the traditional method, then the gain of integrating neighboring communities is calculated. A specific research methodology is followed to ensure that the work is rigorous in achieving the aim of the work. In synthetic and real-world data, the traditional and improved algorithms had to be applied to record the results, then analyze them. Experimentally, the results prove the execution time has reduced if it is compared with the traditional algorithm while preserving the quality of partitions at the same time somewhat.
Self-Calibrated Energy-Efficient and Reliable Channels for On-Chip Interconnection Networks

Energy-efficient and reliable channels are provided for on-chip interconnection networks (OCINs) using a self-calibrated voltage scaling technique with self-corrected green (SCG) coding scheme. This self-calibrated low-power coding and voltage scaling technique increases reliability and reduces energy consumption simultaneously. The SCG coding is a joint bus and error correction coding scheme that provides a reliable mechanism for channels. In addition, it achieves a significant reduction in energy consumption via a joint triplication bus power model for crosstalk avoidance. Based on SCG coding scheme, the proposed self-calibrated voltage scaling technique adjusts voltage swing for energy reduction. Furthermore, this technique tolerates timing variations. Based on UMC 65 nm CMOS technology, the proposed channels reduces energy consumption by nearly 28.3% compared with that for uncoded channels at the lowest voltage. This approach makes the channels of OCINs tolerant of transient malfunctions and realizes energy efficiency.
Factors to be considered in cloud computing adoption

Technology plays an important role in helping organizations control quality and costs, and take advantage of opportunities in a highly competitive and increasingly complex business environment. Cloud computing offers greater access to computing power, storage, software, and remote data centres through the web. This research aims to confirm the factors to be considered for cloud computing adoption in Australian regional municipal governments. The research involved data from interviews with IT managers from selected regional municipal governments, and survey data from 480 IT staff across 47 regional municipal governments. The major factors to be considered for the adoption of cloud computing in regional municipal governments were identified as Internet connectivity, Internet speed, availability, reliability, data storage location, security, data sovereignty, cost, integration, data backup, provider dependability, employees’ knowledge, and transportability. The findings of this research may help managers increase their awareness about factors to be considered when regional municipal governments planning to adopt cloud computing.
A novel P300-based BCI system for words typing

The conventional P300 BCI system for character spelling is typically composed of a paradigm that displays flashing characters and a classifier which identifies target characters. Typically a user has to type each character of a word at a time: this spelling process is slow and it can take several minutes to type an entire word. In this work, we propose a new word typing scheme by integrating a word suggestion mechanism via a dictionary search into the conventional P300-based speller. Our new P300-based word typing system consists of an initial character spelling paradigm, a smart dictionary unit to give suggestions of possible words, and the final word selection paradigm to select a word out of the suggestions. Our proposed methodology reduces typing time significantly and makes word typing more convenient. We have tested our system with four subjects and our results demonstrate an average words typing time of 1.66 minute, whereas the conventional took 2.9 minute for the same words.
A Golgi‐electron microscopic study of fusiform neurons in the hilar region of the dentate gyrus

The fusiform cells of the dentate gyrus are located in a portion of the hilus within 100 μm of the granule cell layer. They have ovoid somata and bipolar dendrites that generally run parallel to the granule cell layer. The dendrites of these cells are either spiny or sparsely spiny. The spiny fusiform cell has numerous spines along its dendrites, which are contacted by terminals with the features of granule cell axon collaterals. This cell type also displays somal spines that are contacted by similar terminals. In contrast, the sparsely spiny fusiform cell displays only a few spines, which are contacted by multiple small axon terminals that synapse with both the stalk and end bulb of the spine. Most synaptic input for this cell type is made with the smooth surfaces of the soma and dendrites. A variety of terminals form synapses with the sparsely spiny fusiform cell, including terminals that resemble the fine axon collaterals of mossy fibers. The somata of these two cell types also display differences in the amount of Nissl bodies and the degree of nuclear infolding.
Optimierung der Insertion von Cochlea-Implantaten unter Berücksichtigung des Verformungsverhaltens der Elektrodenträger: mechatronik-gestützte, minimal traumatische CI-Chirurgie

Das Cochlea-Implantat (CI) dient zur Behandlung von tauben und hochgradig schwerhorigen Patienten. Die Implantation ist dabei ein komplexer, chirurgischer Eingriff, der ein erhebliches Risiko des Resthorverlusts birgt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde ein ganzheitlicher Losungsansatz gewahlt, um die zugehorige Operation – und insbesondere das Einfuhren (Insertion) des Implantats in das Innenohr (Cochlea) – schonender zu gestalten. Zentrales Ergebnis ist der Nachweis, dass eine individuelle Anpassung der Form des Implantats an die jeweilige Gestalt der Cochlea ein erhebliches, bislang ungenutztes Optimierungspotential fur den Resthorerhalt bietet. Durch eine individuelle Optimierung kann das Traumarisiko deutlich reduziert werden. Diese Untersuchungen werden erganzt durch die experimentelle Evaluierung chirurgischer Assistenzsysteme zur Realisierung eines minimal-invasiven Zugangs zur Cochlea. Weiterhin wurde fur die notwendige Automatisierung ein modulares Insertionstool entwickelt sowie Designempfehlungen fur zukunftige CI-Elektrodentrager erarbeitet. Konsequenz der Arbeit ist die Konzeption einer zukunftig vollstandig minimal-invasiven, mechatronisch-gestutzten CI-Chirurgie.
Pour une approche dialectique de la relation entre recherche et pratiques entrepreneuriales : une relation en quête de sens

Dans le domaine de l’entrepreneuriat, tant du point de vue de la litterature que des praticiens, il convient de constater que la distance est grande entre la recherche et les pratiques entrepreneuriales. De facon generale, on peut avancer que les connaissances de la recherche en entrepreneuriat sont peu, voire pas actionnables. En effet, les connaissances produites ne cadrent pas avec les connaissances attendues. C’est cette separation entre chercheurs et praticiens qui est le point de depart de notre reflexion. Dans cette perspective, notre contribution ne se limite pas a relater l’evolution de la relation entre recherche et pratiques entrepreneuriales, mais elle permet aussi de s’interesser aux modalites d’articulation afin de relier ces deux « mondes » apparemment separes. Pour ce faire, nous avons eu recours a une cle de lecture basee sur une approche dialectique de cette relation.
Changes in genome content generated via segregation of non-allelic homologs.

A careful analysis of two maize recombinant inbred lines (RILs) relative to their inbred parents revealed the presence of several hundred apparently de novo copy number variants (CNVs). These changes in genome content were validated via both PCR and whole exome-array capture-and-sequencing experiments. One hundred and eighty-five genomic regions, which overlap with 38 high-confidence genes, exhibited apparently de novo copy number variation (CNV) in these two RILs and in many instances the same apparently de novo CNV events were observed in multiple RILs. Further analyses revealed that these recurrent apparently de novo CNVs were caused by segregation of single-copy homologous sequences that are located in non-allelic positions in the two parental inbred lines. F(1) individuals derived from these inbred lines will be hemizygous for each of these non-allelic homologs but RIL genotypes will contain these sequences at zero, one or two genomic loci. Hence, the segregation of non-allelic homologs may contribute to transgressive segregation. Indeed, statistical associations between phenotypic quantitative trait loci and genomic losses were observed for two of 14 tested pairs of non-allelic homologs.