Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Connexin 43 Hemichannels Mediate the Ca 2ϩ Influx Induced by Extracellular Alkalinization

Connexin 43 hemichannels mediate the Ca 2ϩ influx induced by extracellular alkalinization. alkaline pH is known to trigger Ca 2ϩ influx in diverse cells, no pH-sensitive Ca 2ϩ channel has been identified. Here, we report that extracellular alkalinization induces opening of connexin 43 hemichannels (Cx43 HCs). Increasing extracellular pH from 7.4 to 8.5, in the presence of physiological Ca 2ϩ /Mg 2ϩ concentrations, rapidly increased the ethidium uptake rate and open probability of HCs in Cx43 and Cx43EGFP HeLa transfectants (HeLa-Cx3 and HeLa-Cx43EGFP, respectively) but not in parental HeLa cells (HeLa-parental) lacking Cx43 HCs. The increase in ethidium uptake induced by pH 8.5 was not affected by raising the extracellular Ca 2ϩ concentration from 1.8 to 10 mM but was inhibited by a connexin HC inhibitor (La 3ϩ). Probenecid, a pannexin HC blocker, had no effect. Extracellular alkalinization increased the intracellular Ca 2ϩ levels only in cells expressing HCs. The above changes induced by extracellular alkalinization did not change the cellular distribution of Cx43, suggesting that HC activation occurs through a gating mechanism. Experiments on cells expressing a COOH-terminal truncated Cx43 mutant indicated that the effects of alkalinization on intracellular Ca 2ϩ and ethidium uptake did not depend on the Cx43 C terminus. Moreover, purified dephosphorylated Cx43 HCs reconstituted in liposomes were Ca 2ϩ permeable, suggesting that Ca 2ϩ influx through Cx43 HCs could account for the elevation in intracellular Ca 2ϩ elicited by extracellular alkalinization. These studies identify a membrane pathway for Ca 2ϩ influx and provide a potential explanation for the activation of cellular events induced by extracellular alkalinization. PLASMA MEMBRANE Ca 2ϩ CHANNELS are ubiquitous and serve an essential role in the regulation of varied cell processes such as muscle contraction, neurotransmitter release, epithelial secretion , maintenance of cell volume, and cell proliferation and migration (19, 36, 43). Three types of plasma membrane Ca 2ϩ channels have been identified: voltage-gated, ligand-gated, and store-operated channels. However, the membrane pathway of the increased Ca 2ϩ influx induced by alkaline extracellular pH has not been identified. Connexin hemichannels (Cx HCs) are functional membrane hexameric channels present in diverse primary cell types such as astrocytes (11), myocardiocytes (30), kidney epithelial cells support the presence of functional Cx HCs in tissues where they play relevant functions. Undocked HCs correspond structurally to half a gap junction channel, but instead of being at apposed cell membranes, as gap junction channels are (22), they are …
SECURELY COMPUTING PIECEWISE CONSTANT CODES new arithmetic encodings for boolean functions, and applications to committed two-party computation

That a maliciously secure two-party protocol is commitment-consistent entails that its participants, upon each execution, may supply public commitments to each other’s inputs, which naturally bind the parties throughout the protocol. In this paper, we undertake a formal investigation of commitment-consistency, and introduce new deﬁnitions and constructions. We describe the ﬁrst protocol which is homomorphically commitment-consistent, in that it interoperates with any homomorphic scheme (which need only be binding, with message space a prime-order group). Our protocol introduces several new techniques. We consider those boolean functions evaluated by polynomially many linear tests, generalizing a notion isolated by Ishai and Kushilevitz (FOCS ’00); by doing so, we introduce new eﬃcient arithmetic encodings for many boolean functions. We also describe a new protocol for secure iterated multiplication of secret-shared values, building upon the work of Lindell, Nof and Ranellucci (CCS ’18). We describe an eﬃcient implementation of our protocol, as well as applications in blockchains and veriﬁable credentials.
Forecasting house prices for the four census regions and the aggregate US economy in a data-rich environment

This article considers the ability of large-scale (involving 145 fundamental variables) time-series models, estimated by dynamic factor analysis and Bayesian shrinkage, to forecast real house price growth rates of the four US census regions and the aggregate US economy. Besides the standard Minnesota prior, we also use additional priors that constrain the sum of coefficients of the VAR models. We compare 1- to 24-months-ahead forecasts of the large-scale models over an out-of-sample horizon of 1995:01–2009:03, based on an in-sample of 1968:02–1994:12, relative to a random walk model, a small-scale VAR model comprising just the five real house price growth rates and a medium-scale VAR model containing 36 of the 145 fundamental variables besides the five real house price growth rates. In addition to the forecast comparison exercise across small-, medium- and large-scale models, we also look at the ability of the ‘optimal’ model (i.e. the model that produces the minimum average mean squared forecast error) for a specific region in predicting ex ante real house prices (in levels) over the period of 2009:04 till 2012:02. Factor-based models (classical or Bayesian) perform the best for the North East, Mid-West, West census regions and the aggregate US economy and equally well to a small-scale VAR for the South region. The ‘optimal’ factor models also tend to predict the downward trend in the data when we conduct an ex ante forecasting exercise. Our results highlight the importance of information content in large number of fundamentals in predicting house prices accurately.
Statistical interior tomography

The long-standing interior problem has been recently revisited, leading to promising results on exact local reconstruction also referred to as interior tomography. To date, there are two key computational ingredients of interior tomography. The first ingredient is inversion of the truncated Hilbert transform with prior sub-region knowledge. The second is compressed sensing (CS) assuming a piecewise constant or polynomial region of interest (ROI). Here we propose a statistical approach for interior tomography incorporating the aforementioned two ingredients as well. In our approach, projection data follows the Poisson model, and an image is reconstructed in the maximum a posterior (MAP) framework subject to other interior tomography constraints including known subregion and minimized total variation (TV). A deterministic interior reconstruction based on the inversion of the truncated Hilbert transform is used as the initial image for the statistical interior reconstruction. This algorithm has been extensively evaluated in numerical and animal studies in terms of major image quality indices, radiation dose and machine time. In particular, our encouraging results from a low-contrast Shepp-Logan phantom and a real sheep scan demonstrate the feasibility and merits of our proposed statistical interior tomography approach.
A Markov Decision Process-based approach for trajectory planning with clothoid tentacles

The work presented in this paper focuses on reactive local trajectory planning which plays an essential role for future autonomous vehicles. The challenge is to avoid obstacles in respect to road rules while following a global reference trajectory. The planning approach used in this work is the method of clothoid tentacles generated in the egocentered reference frame related to the vehicle. Generated tentacles in a egocentered grid represent feasible trajectories by the vehicle, and in order to choose the right one, we formulate the problem as a Markov Decision Process.
Technology Ventures from Idea to Enterprise

PART I 1 Capitalism and the Technology Entrepreneur 2 Opportunity and the Business Summary 3 Building a Competitive Advantage 4 Creating a Strategy 5 Innovation Strategies PART II 6 Risk and Return 7 Venture Creation and the Business Plan 8 Independent Versus Corporate Ventures 9 Knowledge, Learning, and Design 10 Legal Formation and Intellectual Property PART III 11 The Marketing and Sales Plan 12 The New Enterprise Organization 13 Acquiring, Organizing, and Managing Resources 14 The Management of Operations 15 Acquisitions, Mergers, and Global Business PART IV 16 The Profit and Harvest Plan 17 The Financial Plan 18 Sources of Capital 19 Presenting the Plan and Negotiating the Deal 20 Leading a New Technology Venture to Success References Appendix A Business Plans Appendix B Cases Information Sources on the Internet Glossary Index
Lower air pollution during COVID-19 lock-down: improving models and methods estimating ozone impacts on crops

We suggest that the unprecedented and unintended decrease of emissions of air pollutants during the COVID-19 lock-down in 2020 could lead to declining seasonal ozone concentrations and positive impacts on crop yields. An initial assessment of the potential effects of COVID-19 emission reductions was made using a set of six scenarios that variously assumed annual European and global emission reductions of 30% and 50% for the energy, industry, road transport and international shipping sectors, and 80% for the aviation sector. The greatest ozone reductions during the growing season reached up to 12 ppb over crop growing regions in Asia and up to 6 ppb in North America and Europe for the 50% global reduction scenario. In Europe, ozone responses are more sensitive to emission declines in other continents, international shipping and aviation than to emissions changes within Europe. We demonstrate that for wheat the overall magnitude of ozone precursor emission changes could lead to yield improvements between 2% and 8%. The expected magnitude of ozone precursor emission reductions during the Northern Hemisphere growing season in 2020 presents an opportunity to test and improve crop models and experimentally based exposure response relationships of ozone impacts on crops, under real-world conditions. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Air quality, past present and future’.
Postprandial Glycemic Excursions with the Use of a Closed-Loop Platform in Subjects with Type 1 Diabetes: A Pilot Study

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a proportional derivative algorithm closed-loop system to control postprandial glucose concentrations in subjects with type 1 diabetes. Methods: Six subjects treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion received a standardized meal on three days. The first day served as control, the second day as learning experiment for the algorithm, and the third day to compare the closed loop to the control day. Venous blood glucose was measured as reference until 300 min postprandially. The artificial pancreas platform consisted of a subcutaneous continuous glucose monitor (CGM), the GlucoDay® S (Menarini Diagnostics), two D-Tron+ pumps (Disetronic Medical Systems) for subcutaneous insulin, and glucagon administration connected to a personal computer. Results: One subject was excluded due to technical failure of the CGM. Two of five subjects were male, mean age was 50.8 years (range 38–60), and mean hemoglobin A1c was 8.7% (range 7.0–12.2). The mean postprandial venous blood glucose concentration of day 1 was 205 mg/dl (range 94–265 mg/dl) compared with 128 mg/dl (range 128–158 mg/dl) on day 3 (p = .14). Percentage of time spent in euglycemia postprandially on day 1 was 31% versus 60% on day 3 (p = .08). Time spent below 3.9 mmol/liter (70 mg/dl) was 19% on day 1 compared with 11% on day 3 (p = 1.0). Time above 10 mmol/liter (180 mg/dl) on day 1 was 60% versus 29% on day 3 (p = .22). Conclusion: The artificial pancreas provided comparable postprandial glycemic control to usual care.
The Conversion of Federal Polytechnics into Universities: The Funding Aspect

There were only two (2) federally owned universities in Nigeria in 1962. The number increased to 13 in 1975 and went further to 26 in 2008. From the mere 104 pioneer students that enrolled at the University College Ibadan in 1948, the total student enrolment in Federal Universities jumped to 2,754 in 1965, 259,904 in 1998 and 433,871 in 2003. How has funding been over the years? Will the Federal Government be able to cope in area of funding if it carries out its intention of converting all Federal Polytechnics to Universities? The paper traced the history and funding patterns of both University and Polytechnic education right from the inception to the present day, provided reasons for governments reasons for the conversion of the Polytechnics and concluded that the Federal Government definitely has to provide more funds for graduates of Federal Government universities to be accepted as equals of their counterparts in Europe and America. Key words: Federal Universities Funding Federal Polytechnics Conversion.
A Synthesis of Analytical Methods Applied to Sediment Cores from the ANDRILL Southern McMurdo Sound Project.

Geologic records of past environmental variability are necessary to reliably project climatic conditions in the future. Climate changes in Antarctica and its role in global systems, remains poorly understood. ANDRILL’s objective is to develop more detailed records of past climatic changes in the Ross Sea Region, including responses to glacial advance and retreat. The analysis of ANDRILL core in the Southern Ross Sea adopts a multidisciplinary approach. Investigations include sedimentology and stratigraphy, palaenology, geochemistry and petrology, paleomagnitism, and chronostratigraphy and geochronology. Methods used under each of these disciplines are explored in terms of the significance of investigation and how data acquisition is carried out.
Utilización del metal trabecular en artroplastía total de rodilla en pacientes obesos graves y mórbidos (IMC >35 kg/m2)

RESUMEN. El empleo del metal trabecular en la superficie tibial podría aumentar la supervivencia de las prótesis dentro de la población que presenta obesidad grave o mórbida (IMC > 35 kg/ m2). Se realizó un estudio prospectivo, descriptivo, con prótesis total de rodilla de componente de metal trabecular a pacientes con IMC > 35 kg/m2, con un seguimiento mínimo de dos años, análisis estadístico mediante la prueba T Student a las escalas Knee Society Score y Western Ontario and McMaster Universities prequirúrgico y postquirúrgico. Prueba χ2 a valores de índice de masa corporal relacionándolos con mayor o menor imágenes de radiolucencias. En 39 pacientes, de los cuales se eliminaron tres pacientes por no contar con el seguimiento radiográfi co, seguimiento promedio de 34 meses (25-43), 35 fueron del sexo femenino, edad promedio de 69.4 años (57-81), índice de masa corporal promedio de 39.43 kg/m2 (35-55), todos con artrosis tricompartimental grado 3 y 4. KSS(R y F) y WOMAC, con un 95% de intervalo de confi anza, mostraron mejoría con signifi cación estadística a la evaluación de los resultados prequirúrgicos y al fi nal del seguimiento. Existen escasos estudios que midan la supervivencia de los implantes a largo plazo. La mayoría de autores defi nen la supervivencia como ausencia de necesidad de revisión de ABSTRACT. The use of trabecular metal in the tibial surface may increase prosthetic survival in the population with severe or morbid obesity (BMI > 35 kg/m2). A prospective, descriptive study was conducted of patients with a BMI > 35 kg/m2 who underwent total knee replacement with a prosthesis with trabecular metal. Minimal follow-up was two years. The statistical analysis was done with Student’s t test; the Knee Society Score and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index were applied preoperatively and postoperatively. The χ2 test was applied to the BMI values relating them with more or less radiolucent images. The total number of patients was 39, but three were excluded for not having the radiographic follow-up. Mean follow-up was 34 months (25-43); 35 were females, mean age was 69.4 years (57-81), mean BMI was 39.43 kg/m2 (35-55). All patients had grades 3 and 4 tricompartmental arthrosis. The KSS (R and F) and WOMAC scales, with a 95% confi dence interval, showed a statistically signifi cant improvement in the assessment of preoperative results and at the end of the followup. Only a few studies measure long-term implant survival. Most authors defi ne survival as the absence of the need to revise prosthetic implants. The end point of survival is the removal or exchange
Collaborative computer game play in the science classroom

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse student engagement, and emerging collaboration patterns when playing a computer game for educational purposes in the science classroom. The case studied is Future City which is an annual national competition for students in grades 6−9 who take on the role of urban planners with the mission to create sustainable future cities in SimCity 4. The outcome of the analysis revealed different types of student engagement, referred to as: executor, core group participant, temporary participant, invisible participant, and visiting participant. The analysis also demonstrated that the collaborations between the students were formed by combinations of the following patterns: predominant decision-making, distributed decision-making, and master-apprentice relationship. The conclusions presented provide implications for instructional designs aspects to consider for educators when bringing in computer games that are collaboratively to be played in the classroom.
SEASONAL CHANGE OF OYSTER RAFT PLACEMENT AND SEAWATER EXCHAGE IN ETAJIMA BAY

To evaluate impacts of oyster raft placement on tidal current and seawater exchange in Etajima Bay, northern part of Hiroshima Bay, we have developed a coastal circulation model incorporating the drag force of the oyster raft in Etajima Bay. We found that the number of oyster rafts in summer season is twice as large as that in winter season. In Etajima Bay, the seawater exchange is relatively large in the northwest part, whereas the term of the seawater exchange is about one year in the southern part. Moreover, we computed some scenarios which the oyster rafts are reduced at each zone, and then it could be desirable to reduce 40% of the total number of oyster rafts in order to make a plane for reducing organic matter load from the oyster culture.
Performance Improvement in Internally Finned Tube by Shape Optimization

Predictions of flow and heat transfer characteristics and shape optimization in internally finned circular tubes have been performed on three-dimensional periodically fully developed turbulent flow and thermal fields. For a trapezoidal fin profile, the effects of fin height h, upper fin widths d1, lower fin widths d2, and helix angle of fin γ on transport phenomena are investigated for the condition of fin number of N = 30. The CFD and mathematical optimization technique are coupled in order to optimize the shape of internally finned tube. The optimal solutions of the design variables (i.e., upper and lower fin widths, fin height and helix angle) are numerically obtained by minimizing the pressure loss and maximizing the heat transfer rate, simultaneously, for the limiting conditions of d1 = 0.5~1.5 mm, d2 = 0.5~1.5 mm, h= 0.5~1.5mm, γ = 10~30 degrees. The fully developed flow and thermal fields are predicted using the finite volume method and the optimization is carried out by means of the multi-objective genetic algorithm that is widely used in the constrained nonlinear optimization problem. Keywords—Computational fluid dynamics, Genetic algorithm, Internally finned tube with helix angle, Optimization.
Int7G24A variant of transforming growth factor-beta receptor type I is associated with invasive breast cancer.

PURPOSE The transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling pathway has been frequently implicated in breast cancer. An intronic variant (Int7G24A) of TGF-beta receptor type I (TGFBR1) is associated with kidney and bladder cancers in our recent study. We hypothesize that this germline variant may be involved in development and progression of breast cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Case-control studies were designed from archived paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from the same geographic area with a homogenous ethnic population. We analyzed 223 patients (25 with preinvasive tumors and 198 with invasive and metastatic breast cancers) and 153 noncancer controls. The Int7G24A was identified by PCR-RFLP. Another germline deletion (TGFBR1*6A) and somatic mutations in the TGFBR1 were also analyzed by PCR and single-strand conformational polymorphism. RESULTS The Int7G24A allele was evident in 32% of patients with preinvasive neoplasms and 48% of patients with invasive breast cancers compared with 26% controls (P = 0.00008). In addition, 11 (5.6%) homozygous Int7G24A carriers were found in patients with invasive breast cancers, whereas only 3 (2%) homozygous carriers were found in the control group. The TGFBR1*6A allele was not significantly associated with breast cancer patients and only one somatic mutation was found in 71 breast cancers. CONCLUSION These data suggest that the germline Int7G24A variant may represent a risk factor for invasive breast cancer and a marker for breast cancer progression. A separate study with a larger sample size is warranted to validate the association of the Int7G24A with human breast cancer.
Developmental Supports for Newborns and Young Infants with Special Health and Developmental Needs and Their Families: The BABIES Model

Abstract Fragile newborns and young infants who are born with a likelihood of lingering developmental concerns require specialized assessment and intervention based on their unique developmental needs. Often these infants are identified as categorically eligible for early intervention and nursing services, based on their medical condition at birth. The medical involvement of many of these infants adds complexity to the evaluation and/or provision of services, let alone how to best provide supports for their families. Increasing data regarding the regulatory disorganization of young infants which leads to later cognitive and mental health challenges provide a rationale for appropriate assessment and intervention strategies for this population. A recent survey of educational needs of Colorado professionals working with this population revealed that many early intervention providers felt only “slightly” prepared to evaluate newborns and young infants and that most providers felt they could benefit from more training on assessment and intervention with this population. Best practice for this increasing population includes specialized and evidence-based training and capacity building necessary to prepare professionals to evaluate, intervene, and support their unique fragility and emerging developmental competencies. The current study describes the development and components of the BABIES approach to supporting early intervention professionals and nurses to best integrate relationship based developmental supports for fragile newborns and young infants.
Sequential Aggregate Signatures and Multisignatures without Random Oracles

We present the first aggregate signature, the first multisignature, and the first verifiably encrypted signature provably secure without random oracles. Our constructions derive from a novel application of a recent signature scheme due to Waters. Signatures in our aggregate signature scheme are sequentially constructed, but knowledge of the order in which messages were signed is not necessary for verification. The aggregate signatures obtained are shorter than Lysyanskaya et al. sequential aggregates and can be verified more efficiently than Boneh et al. aggregates. We also consider applications to secure routing and proxy signatures.