bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vigilant Keratinocytes Trigger Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern Signaling in Response to Streptococcal M1 Protein
Authors: Persson Sandra T. , Wilk Laura , Mörgelin Matthias , Herwald Heiko 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACTThe human skin exerts many functions in order to maintain its barrier integrity and protect the host from invading microorganisms. One such pathogen isStreptococcus pyogenes, which can cause a variety of superficial skin wounds that may eventually progress into invasive deep soft tissue infections. Here we show that keratinocytes recognize soluble M1 protein, a streptococcal virulence factor, as a pathogen-associated molecular pattern to release alarming inflammatory responses. We found that this interaction initiates an inflammatory intracellular signaling cascade involving the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38, and Jun N-terminal protein kinase and the subsequent induction and mobilization of the transcription factors NF-κB and AP-1. We also determined the imprint of the inflammatory mediators released, such as interleukin-8 (IL-8), growth-related oncogene alpha, migration inhibitory factor, extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer, IL-1α, IL-1 receptor a, and ST2, in response to streptococcal M1 protein. The expression of IL-8 is dependent on Toll-like receptor 2 activity and subsequent activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK and p38. Notably, this signaling seems to be distinct for IL-8 release, and it is not shared with the other inflammatory mediators. We conclude that keratinocytes participate in a proinflammatory manner in streptococcal pattern recognition and that expression of the chemoattractant IL-8 by keratinocytes constitutes an important protective mechanism against streptococcal M1 protein.
Expression and Localization of Predicted Inclusion Membrane Proteins in Chlamydia trachomatis
Authors: Weber Mary M. , Bauler Laura D. , Lam Jennifer , Hackstadt Ted 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACT

Chlamydia trachomatis
is an obligate intracellular pathogen that replicates in a membrane-bound vacuole termed the inclusion. Early in the infection cycle, the pathogen extensively modifies the inclusion membrane through incorporation of numerous type III secreted effector proteins, called inclusion membrane proteins (Incs). These proteins are characterized by a bilobed hydrophobic domain of 40 amino acids. The presence of this domain has been used to predict up to 59 putative Incs for
C. trachomatis
; however, localization to the inclusion membrane with specific antibodies has been demonstrated for only about half of them. Here, we employed recently developed genetic tools to verify the localization of predicted Incs that had not been previously localized to the inclusion membrane. Expression of epitope-tagged putative Incs identified 10 that were previously unverified as inclusion membrane localized and thus authentic Incs. One novel Inc and 3 previously described Incs were localized to inclusion membrane microdomains, as evidenced by colocalization with phosphorylated Src (p-Src). Several predicted Incs did not localize to the inclusion membrane but instead remained associated with the bacteria. Using
Yersinia
as a surrogate host, we demonstrated that many of these are not secreted via type III secretion, further suggesting they may not be true Incs. Collectively, our results highlight the utility of genetic tools for demonstrating secretion from chlamydia. Further mechanistic studies aimed at elucidating effector function will advance our understanding of how the pathogen maintains its unique intracellular niche and mediates interactions with the host.
An Electrostatic Net Model for the Role of Extracellular DNA in Biofilm Formation by Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Dengler Vanina , Foulston Lucy , DeFrancesco Alicia S. , Losick Richard 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACT

Staphylococcus aureus
is an important human pathogen that can form biofilms on various surfaces. These cell communities are protected from the environment by a self-produced extracellular matrix composed of proteins, DNA, and polysaccharide. The exact compositions and roles of the different components are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the role of extracellular DNA (eDNA) and its interaction with the recently identified cytoplasmic proteins that have a moonlighting role in the biofilm matrix. These matrix proteins associate with the cell surface upon the drop in pH that naturally occurs during biofilm formation, and we found here that this association is independent of eDNA. Conversely, the association of eDNA with the matrix was dependent on matrix proteins. Both proteinase and DNase treatments severely reduced clumping of resuspended biofilms; highlighting the importance of both proteins and eDNA in connecting cells together. By adding an excess of exogenous DNA to DNase-treated biofilm, clumping was partially restored, confirming the crucial role of eDNA in the interconnection of cells. On the basis of our results, we propose that eDNA acts as an electrostatic net, interconnecting cells surrounded by positively charged matrix proteins at a low pH.

IMPORTANCE
Extracellular DNA (eDNA) is an important component of the biofilm matrix of diverse bacteria, but its role in biofilm formation is not well understood. Here we report that in
Staphylococcus aureus
, eDNA associates with cells in a manner that depends on matrix proteins and that eDNA is required to link cells together in the biofilm. These results confirm previous studies that showed that eDNA is an important component of the
S. aureus
biofilm matrix and also suggest that eDNA acts as an electrostatic net that tethers cells together via the proteinaceous layer of the biofilm matrix.
Perceived discrimination is associated with health behaviours among African-Americans in the Jackson Heart Study
Authors: Sims Mario , Diez-Roux Ana V , Gebreab Samson Y , Brenner Allison , Dubbert Patricia , Wyatt Sharon , Bruce Marino , Hickson DeMarc , Payne Tom , Taylor Herman 
Published: September 2015

BackgroundUsing Jackson Heart Study data, we examined associations of multiple measures of perceived discrimination with health behaviours among African-Americans (AA).MethodsThe cross-sectional associations of everyday, lifetime and burden of discrimination with odds of smoking and mean differences in physical activity, dietary fat and sleep were examined among 4925 participants aged 35–84 years after adjustment for age and socioeconomic status (SES).ResultsMen reported slightly higher levels of everyday and lifetime discrimination than women and similar levels of burden of discrimination as women. After adjustment for age and SES, everyday discrimination was associated with more smoking and a greater percentage of dietary fat in men and women (OR for smoking: 1.13, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.28 and 1.19, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.34; mean difference in dietary fat: 0.37, p<0.05 and 0.43, p<0.01, in men and women, respectively). Everyday and lifetime discrimination were associated with fewer hours of sleep in men and women (mean difference for everyday discrimination: −0.08, p<0.05 and −0.18, p<0.001, respectively; and mean difference for lifetime discrimination: −0.08, p<0.05 and −0.24, p<0.001, respectively). Burden of discrimination was associated with more smoking and fewer hours of sleep in women only.ConclusionsHigher levels of perceived discrimination were associated with select health behaviours among men and women. Health behaviours offer a potential mechanism through which perceived discrimination affects health in AA.
Modeling of Turning Parameters for Inconel 718 Alloy using ANN
Authors: Manohar M. , Selvaraj T. , Sivakumar D. , George Koshy M. 
Published: September 2015

For machining a component, it is important to understand the characteristics of work material in order to choose the appropriate cutting tool and to fix a set of machining parameters to achieve optimum output. Analytical models of machining processes require complete understanding of process mechanism and hence are difficult to be developed. Once developed, these models are useful in parametric optimization, process simulation, operation and process planning, process parameter selection, parametric analysis, process performance prediction, verification of the experimental results, and improving the process performance by implementing/incorporating the theoretical findings. Neural network models associated with artificial intelligence are known as artificial neural networks (ANNs) which are simple mathematical models in the form of defining a function. This work presents the details of the experiments carried out for data acquisition, method of building the ANN models and their validation. These models can be used for predicting the output for a chosen set of input variables or for a specific desired output, finding the set of input variables to be chosen. This work resulted in developing models for the turning process for Inconel 718 alloy in a scientific manner. It also enables further scope of identifying the optimized set of turning parameters for Inconel 718 material using the newly developed coated carbide tools, achieving quality surface and productivity.
3D CV Descriptor on Parallel Heterogeneous Platforms
Authors: Palossi Daniele , Ruggiero Martino , Benini Luca 
Published: September 2015

Embedded three-dimensional (3D) Computer Vision (CV) is considered a technology enabler for future consumer applications, attracting a wide interest in academia and industry. However, 3D CV processing is a computation-intensive task. Its high computational cost is directly related to the processing of 3D point clouds, with the 3D descriptor computation representing one of the main bottlenecks. Understanding the main computational challenges of 3D CV applications, as well as the key characteristics, enabling features, and limitations of current computing platforms, is clearly strategic to identify the directions of evolution for future embedded processing systems targeting 3D CV.
In this work, an innovative and complex 3D descriptor (called SHOT) has been ported on a high-end and an embedded computing platform. The high-end system is composed by a high-performance Intel CPU coupled with a Nvidia GPU. The embedded platform is, instead, composed by an ARM-based processor, coupled with the STHORM accelerator. STHORM is a many-core low-power accelerator developed by ST Microelectronics, featuring up to 64 computational units. The SHOT descriptor has been parallelized using the OpenCL programming model for both platforms.
Finally, we have performed an in-depth performance comparison and analysis between general-purpose processors and accelerators in both high-end and embedded domains, discussing and highlighting the main differences in the Hardware/Software (HW/SW) design methodologies and approaches between high-end and embedded systems targeting 3D CV applications.
Safety and Progress for Distributed Cyber-Physical Systems with Unreliable Communication
Authors: Bak Stanley , Huang Zhenqi , Abad Fardin Abdi Taghi , Caccamo Marco 
Published: September 2015

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) may interact and manipulate objects in the physical world, and therefore formal guarantees about their behavior are strongly desired. Static-time proofs of safety invariants, however, may be intractable for systems with distributed physical-world interactions. This is further complicated when realistic communication models are considered, for which there may not be bounds on message delays, or even when considering that messages will eventually reach their destination.
In this work, we address the challenge of proving safety and progress in distributed CPSs communicating over an unreliable communication layer. We show that for this type of communication model, system safety is closely related to the results of a hybrid system’s reachability computation, which can be computed at runtime. However, since computing reachability at runtime may be computationally intensive, we provide an approach that moves significant parts of the computation to design time. This approach is demonstrated with a case study of a simulation of multiple vehicles moving within a shared environment.
TCONMAP
Authors: Heyse Karel , Al Farisi Brahim , Bruneel Karel , Stroobandt Dirk 
Published: September 2015

Parameterised configurations are FPGA configuration bitstreams in which the bits are defined as functions of user-defined parameters. From a parameterised configuration, it is possible to quickly and efficiently derive specialised, regular configuration bitstreams by evaluating these functions. The specialised bitstreams have different properties and functionality depending on the chosen values of the parameters. The most important application of parameterised configurations is the generation of specialised configuration bitstreams for Dynamic Circuit Specialisation, a technique for optimising circuits at runtime using partial reconfiguration of the FPGA.
Generating and using parameterised configurations requires a new FPGA tool flow. In this article, we present a new technology mapping algorithm for parameterised designs, called TCONMAP, that can be used to produce parameterised configurations in which both the configuration of the logic blocks and routing is a function of the parameters. In our experiments, we demonstrate that in using TCONMAP, the depth and area of the mapped circuit is close to the minimal depth and area attainable. Both Dynamic Circuit Specialisation and fine-grained modular reconfiguration are extracted by TCONMAP from the HDL description of the design requiring only simple parameter annotations.
Multi-Context TLS (mcTLS)
Authors: Naylor David , Schomp Kyle , Varvello Matteo , Leontiadis Ilias , Blackburn Jeremy , López Diego R. , Papagiannaki Konstantina , Rodriguez Rodriguez Pablo , Steenkiste Peter 
Published: September 2015

A significant fraction of Internet traffic is now encrypted and HTTPS will likely be the default in HTTP/2. However, Transport Layer Security (TLS), the standard protocol for encryption in the Internet, assumes that all functionality resides at the endpoints, making it impossible to use in-network services that optimize network resource usage, improve user experience, and protect clients and servers from security threats. Re-introducing in-network functionality into TLS sessions today is done through hacks, often weakening overall security.
In this paper we introduce multi-context TLS (mcTLS), which extends TLS to support middleboxes. mcTLS breaks the current "all-or-nothing" security model by allowing endpoints and content providers to explicitly introduce middleboxes in secure end-to-end sessions while controlling which parts of the data they can read or write.
We evaluate a prototype mcTLS implementation in both controlled and "live" experiments, showing that its benefits come at the cost of minimal overhead. More importantly, we show that mcTLS can be incrementally deployed and requires only small changes to client, server, and middlebox software.
Packet-Level Telemetry in Large Datacenter Networks
Authors: Zhu Yibo , Kang Nanxi , Cao Jiaxin , Greenberg Albert , Lu Guohan , Mahajan Ratul , Maltz Dave , Yuan Lihua , Zhang Ming , Zhao Ben Y. , Zheng Haitao 
Published: September 2015

Debugging faults in complex networks often requires capturing and analyzing traffic at the packet level. In this task, datacenter networks (DCNs) present unique challenges with their scale, traffic volume, and diversity of faults. To troubleshoot faults in a timely manner, DCN administrators must a) identify affected packets inside large volume of traffic; b) track them across multiple network components; c) analyze traffic traces for fault patterns; and d) test or confirm potential causes. To our knowledge, no tool today can achieve both the specificity and scale required for this task.
We present Everflow, a packet-level network telemetry system for large DCNs. Everflow traces specific packets by implementing a powerful packet filter on top of "match and mirror" functionality of commodity switches. It shuffles captured packets to multiple analysis servers using load balancers built on switch ASICs, and it sends "guided probes" to test or confirm potential faults. We present experiments that demonstrate Everflow's scalability, and share experiences of troubleshooting network faults gathered from running it for over 6 months in Microsoft's DCNs.
BlindBox
Authors: Sherry Justine , Lan Chang , Popa Raluca Ada , Ratnasamy Sylvia 
Published: September 2015

Many network middleboxes perform deep packet inspection (DPI), a set of useful tasks which examine packet payloads. These tasks include intrusion detection (IDS), exfiltration detection, and parental filtering. However, a long-standing issue is that once packets are sent over HTTPS, middleboxes can no longer accomplish their tasks because the payloads are encrypted. Hence, one is faced with the choice of only one of two desirable properties: the functionality of middleboxes and the privacy of encryption. We propose BlindBox, the first system that simultaneously provides {\em both} of these properties. The approach of BlindBox is to perform the deep-packet inspection {\em directly on the encrypted traffic. BlindBox realizes this approach through a new protocol and new encryption schemes.
We demonstrate that BlindBox enables applications such as IDS, exfiltration detection and parental filtering, and supports real rulesets from both open-source and industrial DPI systems. We implemented BlindBox and showed that it is practical for settings with long-lived HTTPS connections. Moreover, its core encryption scheme is 3-6 orders of magnitude faster than existing relevant cryptographic schemes.
Alibi Routing
Authors: Levin Dave , Lee Youndo , Valenta Luke , Li Zhihao , Lai Victoria , Lumezanu Cristian , Spring Neil , Bhattacharjee Bobby 
Published: September 2015

There are several mechanisms by which users can gain insight into where their packets have gone, but no mechanisms allow users undeniable proof that their packets did not traverse certain parts of the world while on their way to or from another host. This paper introduces the problem of finding "proofs of avoidance": evidence that the paths taken by a packet and its response avoided a user-specified set of "forbidden" geographic regions. Proving that something did not happen is often intractable, but we demonstrate a low-overhead proof structure built around the idea of what we call "alibis": relays with particular timing constraints that, when upheld, would make it impossible to traverse both the relay and the forbidden regions.
We present Alibi Routing, a peer-to-peer overlay routing system for finding alibis securely and efficiently. One of the primary distinguishing characteristics of Alibi Routing is that it does not require knowledge of--or modifications to--the Internet's routing hardware or policies. Rather, Alibi Routing is able to derive its proofs of avoidance from user-provided GPS coordinates and speed of light propagation delays. Using a PlanetLab deployment and larger-scale simulations, we evaluate Alibi Routing to demonstrate that many source-destination pairs can avoid countries of their choosing with little latency inflation. We also identify when Alibi Routing does not work: it has difficulty avoiding regions that users are very close to (or, of course, inside of).
Existence of Positive Solution for BVP of Nonlinear Fractional Differential Equation
Authors: Yue Jun-Rui , Sun Jian-Ping , Zhang Shuqin 
Published: September 2015

We consider the following boundary value problem of nonlinear fractional differential equation:(CD0+αu)(t)=f(t,u(t)),  t∈[0,1],  u(0)=0,  u′(0)+u′′(0)=0,  u′(1)+u′′(1)=0, whereα∈(2,3]is a real number, CD0+αdenotes the standard Caputo fractional derivative, andf:[0,1]×[0,+∞)→[0,+∞)is continuous. By using the well-known Guo-Krasnoselskii fixed point theorem, we obtain the existence of at least one positive solution for the above problem.
A RELAÇÃO ENTRE GOVERNANÇA CORPORATIVA E GERENCIAMENTO DE RESULTADOS EM EMPRESAS BRASILEIRAS
Authors: Edwards Sr. Marcelo , Soares Rodrigo Oliveira , Lima Gerlando Sampaio de 
Published: September 2015

<p>Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar a associação entre Governança Corporativa e gerenciamento de resultados contábeis em empresas brasileiras de capital aberto. A amostra do estudo é composta por 108 empresas listadas na BM&amp;FBOVESPA nos anos de 2008, 2009 e 2010. Como aproximação para a Governança Corporativa, utilizou-se o índice amplo proposto por Leal e Carvalhal da Silva (2005). Como proxy de gerenciamento de resultados, utilizaram-se os accruals discricionários estimados a partir do modelo proposto por Kang e Sivaramakrishnan (1995). Como variáveis de controle para associação ao Índice de Governança Corporativa, utilizaram-se as variáveis: tamanho, alavancagem financeira e desempenho. Considerando que a discricionariedade da gestão como resultado da separação entre propriedade e controle, e o conjunto de motivações associadas ao oportunismo, a hipótese subjacente do trabalho foi de que mecanismos Governança Corporativa comportem-se como inibidores do gerenciamento de resultados contábeis. Ao nível de significância de 1%, observou-se que a intensidade de gerenciamento de resultados é menor em empresas que apresentam presença mais marcante de atributos de Governança. Tais resultados corroboram as discussões sobre a presença de um trade-off entre estruturas de Governança Corporativa e escolhas contábeis direcionadas a gerenciar resultados contábeis. </p>
Objectively Measured Sedentary Time and Cardiometabolic Biomarkers in US Hispanic/Latino Adults
Authors: Qi Qibin , Strizich Garrett , Merchant Gina , Sotres-Alvarez Daniela , Buelna Christina , Castañeda Sheila F. , Gallo Linda C. , Cai Jianwen , Gellman Marc D. , Isasi Carmen R. , Moncrieft Ashley E. , Sanchez-Johnsen Lisa , Schneiderman Neil , Kaplan Robert C. 
Published: September 2015

Background—
Sedentary behavior is recognized as a distinct construct from lack of moderate-vigorous physical activity and is associated with deleterious health outcomes. Previous studies have primarily relied on self-reported data, whereas data on the relationship between objectively measured sedentary time and cardiometabolic biomarkers are sparse, especially among US Hispanics/Latinos.

Methods and Results—

We examined associations of objectively measured sedentary time (via Actical accelerometers for 7 days) and multiple cardiometabolic biomarkers among 12 083 participants, aged 18 to 74 years, from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL). Hispanics/Latinos of diverse backgrounds (Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and South American) were recruited from 4 US cities between 2008 and 2011. Sedentary time (<100 counts/min) was standardized to 16 hours/d of wear time. The mean sedentary time was 11.9 hours/d (74% of accelerometer wear time). After adjustment for moderate-vigorous physical activity and confounding variables, prolonged sedentary time was associated with decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (
P
=0.04), and increased triglycerides, 2-hour glucose, fasting insulin, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (all
P
<0.0001). These associations were generally consistent across age, sex, Hispanic/Latino backgrounds, and physical activity levels. Even among individuals meeting physical activity guidelines, sedentary time was detrimentally associated with several cardiometabolic biomarkers (diastolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting and 2-hour glucose, fasting insulin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance; all
P
<0.05).

Conclusions—
Our large population-based, objectively derived data showed deleterious associations between sedentary time and cardiometabolic biomarkers, independent of physical activity, in US Hispanics/Latinos. Our findings emphasize the importance of reducing sedentary behavior for the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases, even in those who meet physical activity recommendations.