julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Democratic participation and the management of scarce resources. The convergence of leftist and neoliberal approaches in times of discontent with the social contract
2009-01-01

ABSTRACT: Until the 1980s it seemed very unlikely that a leftist political participation approach could be considered a good practice of local government and supported with studies and material by an international institution like the World Bank. But this was exactly what happened with the Participatory Budget of Porto Alegre, Brazil, in the following two decades. Suddenly, neoliberal New Public Management and the call for more direct citizen control of democratic procedures of the new left in Latin America seemed to do the former unthinkable: converge to a common goal of more participation and accountability. These approaches, as different as they may ideologically and motivationally be considered, share the same root of discontent with the existing social contract(s) shaped in contexts of struggle for scarce resources. While the Participatory Budget was created with the aim to reallocate resources to former excluded citizens (and voters), the interest of (especially European) donor countries to allocate financial resources as well as political desirable outputs in an efficient way led to a convergence of different theoretical conceptions as well as a new connection between the international and the local levels. The fact that a concept like the Participatory Budget emerged in Brazil, one of the most unjust societies in the world which generated scarcity for a majority of the population in a country of abundant resources, shows that perhaps there are ways and means to interrupt the vicious circle of injustice and scarcity, starting at the local level and supported by national and international structures and interests. Thus, returning to the starting point of former irreconcilable concepts, bottom-up and top-down approaches may meet and shape a new frame of social interaction and build the frame of a new social contract in a new kind of approach.
Formation Control of Omnidirectional Mobile Robots using Distributed Model Predictive Control
2009-01-01

t—This paper presents experimental results of formation control problems of omnidirectional mobile robots using distributed nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC). Two main objectives are (i) to maintain a desired flexible formation pattern and (ii) to follow a reference path. Both pose errors an
Triggering of Suicidal Erythrocyte Death by Amphotericin B
2009-01-01

Amphotericin B is widely used as antifungal drug. Side effects include anemia. A variety of drugs and diseases associated with anemia has recently been shown to trigger suicidal erythrocyte death or eryptosis, i.e. cell membrane scrambling and cell shrinkage. Eryptosis may be triggered by increased cytosolic Ca2+ activity and by lack of ATP. The present study explored whether amphotericin B stimulates eryptosis. Cell membrane scrambling was estimated from annexin V-binding to phosphatidylserine exposed at the cell surface, cell shrinkage from forward scatter in FACS analysis, cytosolic Ca2+ activity from Fluo3 fluorescence and the cytosolic ATP concentration from a luciferase-based assay. Exposure to amphotericin B (0.1-1 microg/ml) within 48 hours significantly increased annexin V-binding, decreased forward scatter, increased cytosolic Ca2+ activity and decreased cytosolic ATP content. In conclusion, amphotericin B stimulates suicidal cell death of erythrocytes, which may in turn contribute to the clearance of circulating erythrocytes and thus to anemia.
The C-Terminal PDZ-Binding Motif in the Kv1.5 Potassium Channel Governs its Modulation by the Na<sup>+</sup>/H<sup>+</sup> Exchanger Regulatory Factor 2
2009-01-01

Kv1.5 belongs to the family of voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels and contains a N- and a C-terminal PDZ-binding motif that might be recognized by PDZ domains on the scaffold proteins NHERF1 and NHERF2. Expression studies in Xenopus oocytes demonstrated that NHERF1 and NHERF2 activate Kv1.5, an effect requiring the C-terminal PDZ-binding motif on Kv1.5. NHERF2 enhances Kv1.5 activity and cell surface expression as determined by electrophysiology and immunoassays. NHERF2 elevates Kv1.5 abundance at the plasma membrane by decreasing channel internalization as proven by Brefeldin A experiments. Kv1.5 is stimulated by the serum and glucocorticoid inducible kinase SGK1, a kinase known to interact with the second PDZ domain of NHERF2. This study aims to identify if SGK1 and NHERF2 synergize to increase Kv1.5 currents. Expression of NHERF2 potentiated SGK1-mediated Kv1.5 activation, which was significantly attenuated by deletion of the second PDZ domain in NHERF2. Specificity of observed effects was verified by evaluating the influence of NHERFs on Kv1.3, a known SGK1 target that contains an internal PDZ binding motif. In summary, our results suggest that NHERFs might participate in the regulation of electrical excitability in part by controlling Kv1.5 surface abundance and by clustering signal transduction molecules to the channel.
SpRay: A visual analytics approach for gene expression data
2009-01-01

We present a new application, SpRay, designed for the visual exploration of gene expression data. It is based on an extension and adaption of parallel coordinates to support the visual exploration of large and high-dimensional datasets. In particular, we investigate the visual analysis of gene expression data as generated by micro-array experiments; We combine refined visual exploration with statistical methods to a visual analytics approach that proved to be particularly successful in this application domain. We will demonstrate the usefulness on several multidimensional gene expression datasets from different bioinformatics applications.
Responses to Diuretic Treatment in Gene-Targeted Mice Lacking Serum- and Glucocorticoid-Inducible Kinase 1
2009-01-01

&lt;i&gt;Background/Aims:&lt;/i&gt; Serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) stimulates the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), renal outer medullary K&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; channel 1, Na&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt;/K&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt;-ATPase and presumably the Na&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt;-Cl&lt;sup&gt;–&lt;/sup&gt; cotransporter (NCC). SGK1-deficient mice (&lt;i&gt;sgk&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sup&gt;–/–&lt;/sup&gt;) show a compensated salt-losing phenotype with secondary hyperaldosteronism. The present experiments explored the role of SGK1 in the response to diuretics. &lt;i&gt;Methods:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;sgk1&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sup&gt;–/–&lt;/sup&gt; mice and their wild-type littermates (&lt;i&gt;sgk1&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sup&gt;+/+&lt;/sup&gt;) were treated with the ENaC blocker triamterene (200 mg/l), the Na&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt;-K&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt;-2Cl&lt;sup&gt;–&lt;/sup&gt; cotransport inhibitor furosemide (125 mg/l), the NCC blocker hydrochlorothiazide (400 mg/l) and the mineralocorticoid receptor blocker canrenoate (800 mg/l) for 8 days. Renal SGK1 expression was studied using quantitative RT-PCR and immunofluorescence. &lt;i&gt;Results:&lt;/i&gt; Diuretic treatment increased SGK1 mRNA and protein expression in the kidney of wild-type &lt;i&gt;sgk1&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sup&gt;+/+&lt;/sup&gt; mice. The responses to furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide or canrenoate were not different between &lt;i&gt;sgk1&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sup&gt;+/+&lt;/sup&gt; and &lt;i&gt;sgk1&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sup&gt;–/–&lt;/sup&gt; mice, and were accompanied by moderate increases in plasma aldosterone and urea concentrations. However, treatment with triamterene in &lt;i&gt;sgk1&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sup&gt;–/–&lt;/sup&gt; mice (but not in &lt;i&gt;sgk1&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sup&gt;+/+&lt;/sup&gt; mice) led to severe, eventually lethal, body weight loss as well as increases in plasma aldosterone, urea and K&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; concentrations. &lt;i&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/i&gt; SGK1 is required for diuretic tolerance to triamterene. The observations confirm the impaired kaliuretic potency of &lt;i&gt;sgk1&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sup&gt;–/–&lt;/sup&gt; mice and point to a role of SGK1 in renal Na&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; reabsorption by mechanisms other than ENaC.
Drawing Rooted Phylogenetic Networks
2009-01-01

The evolutionary history of a collection of species is usually represented by a phylogenetic tree. Sometimes, phylogenetic networks are used as a means of representing reticulate evolution or of showing uncertainty and incompatibilities in evolutionary datasets. This is often done using unrooted phylogenetic networks such as split networks, due in part, to the availability of software (SplitsTree) for their computation and visualization. In this paper we discuss the problem of drawing rooted phylogenetic networks as cladograms or phylograms in a number of different views that are commonly used for rooted trees. Implementations of the algorithms are available in new releases of the Dendroscope and SplitsTree programs.
Positive and Negative Affect in Individuals at High and Low Risk for Bipolar Disorders
2009-01-01

Introduction: Affective disorders are thought to be associated primarily with changes in positive affect (PA) and secondarily with changes in negative affect (NA). Based upon a dysregulation model, we assumed that people at risk for bipolar disorders show stronger emotional reactions – especially with reference to PA – in certain situations (e.g., facing success). Methods: Seventy-two male students completed the Hypomanic Personality Scale and were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). The high-risk persons (n = 16) and controls (n = 56) completed an intelligence test and received success feedback. Afterward they played with dice. Affect was repeatedly assessed. Results: High-risk individuals generally reported more PA than controls but no significant interaction with time emerged. Different aspects of PA, however, showed different time courses. Conclusion: Despite methodological limitations, the results are in line with prior research showing that individuals at risk for bipolar disorder often report elevated levels of PA. It is unclear, however, if the available measures are the most appropriate because PA might be a multidimensional concept with its facets being differently affected by time and experimental or environmental changes.
On the eradicability of infections with partially protective vaccination in models with backward bifurcation
2009-01-01

The SIS model of Hadeler and Castillo-Chavez [9] with a constant transfer rate of susceptibles into a partially protected state has been modified to take into account vaccination at birth. The model shows backward bifurcation (existence of multiple endemic stationary states) for certain values of parameters. Parameter values ensuring the existence and nonexistence of endemic equilibria have been discussed. Local and global stability of equilibria have been investigated. The minimum effort required to eradicate the infection has been determined.
Intraocular Lymphoma: More Questions Than Answers
2009-01-01

Intraocular Lymphoma (IOL) has been selected by the editors of Ocular Immunology and Inflammation as the “Disease of the Year” for 2009. This disease has been chosen because of the severe debilitat...
Achilles tendon ossification after treatment with acitretin
2009-01-01

Achilles tendon ossifications are rare. Usually they develop after surgery or trauma. The present case report illustrates a severe and tender Achilles tendon ossification of 10 cm in length a few months after treatment with acitretin for lichen ruber. With discontinuation of acitretin therapy, regression of pain was achieved but the ossification was irreversible. This case should raise awareness for possible and severe calcifications in the use of retinoid therapy.
Description of Neoliodes dominicus n. sp. (Acari, Oribatida) from dominican amber, aided by synchrotron x-ray microtomography
2009-01-01

The Nearly ubiquitous mite suborder Oribatida, which comprises mostly mycophages and saprophages in organic soil horizons, has a long geological history. Early derivative taxa are known from middle and late Devonian deposits (Norton et al., 1988; Subías and Arillo, 2002) and members of the highly derived cohort Brachypylina have existed since the Jurassic (Krivolutsky and Krasilov, 1977, Selden et al., 2008). The group is commonly represented as inclusion-fossils in amber, with about 100 species known worldwide. Except for four Cretaceous fossils from Siberia (Bulanova-Zachvatkina, 1974; Krivolutsky and Ryabinin, 1976) and Spain (Arillo and Subías, 2000, 2002), the named amber species are of Tertiary age. The majority of these have been discovered in the Priabonian (middle Eocene) Baltic amber deposits of northern Europe (Labandeira et al., 1997; Norton, 2006).
An incremental earley parser for simple range concatenation grammar
2009-01-01

We present an Earley-style parser for simple range concatenation grammar, a formalism strongly equivalent to linear context-free rewriting systems. Furthermore, we present different filters which reduce the number of items in the parsing chart. An implementation shows that parses can be obtained in a reasonable time.
Constrained Simultaneous and Near-Simultaneous Embeddings
2009-01-01

A geometric simultaneous embedding of two graphs G1 = (V1,E1) and G2 = (V2,E2) with a bijective mapping of their vertex sets γ : V1 → V2 is a pair of planar straight-line drawings Γ1 of G1 and Γ2 of G2, such that each vertex v2 = γ(v1) is mapped in Γ2 to the same point where v1 is mapped in Γ1, where v1 ∈ V1 and v2 ∈ V2. In this paper we examine several constrained versions and a relaxed version of the geometric simultaneous embedding problem. We show that if the input graphs are assumed to share no common edges this does not seem to yield large classes of graphs that can be simultaneously embedded. Further, if a prescribed combinatorial embedding for each input graph must be preserved, then we can answer some of the problems that are still open for geometric simultaneous embedding. Finally, we present some positive and negative results on the near-simultaneous embedding problem, in which vertices are not mapped exactly to the same but to "near" points in the different drawings.
Learning and knowledge building with social software
2009-01-01

The progress of the Internet in recent years has led to the emergence of so-called social software. This technology concedes users a more active role in creating Web content. This has important effects both on individual learning and collaborative knowledge building. In this paper we will present an integrative framework model to describe and explain learning and knowledge building with social software on the basis of systems theoretical and equilibration theoretical considerations. This model assumes that knowledge progress emerges from cognitive conflicts that result from incongruities between an individual's prior knowledge and the information which is contained in a shared digital artifact. This paper will provide empirical support for the model by applying it to Wikipedia articles and by examining knowledge-building processes using network analyses. Finally, this paper will present a review of a series of experimental studies.
Parsing coordinations
2009-01-01

The present paper is concerned with statistical parsing of constituent structures in German. The paper presents four experiments that aim at improving parsing performance of coordinate structure: 1) reranking the n-best parses of a PCFG parser, 2) enriching the input to a PCFG parser by gold scopes for any conjunct, 3) reranking the parser output for all possible scopes for conjuncts that are permissible with regard to clause structure. Experiment 4 reranks a combination of parses from experiments 1 and 3.
On the Benefits of Multimodal Optimization for Metablic Network Modeling.
2009-01-01

The calibration of complex models of biological systems requires numerical simulation and optimization procedures to infer undetermined parameters and fit measured data. The optimization step typically employs heuristic global optimization algorithms, but due to measurement noise and the many degrees of freedom, it is not guaranteed that the identified single optimum is also the most meaningful parameter set. Multimodal optimization allows for identifying multiple optima in parallel. We consider high-dimensional benchmark functions and a realistic metabolic network model from systems biology to compare evolutionary and swarm-based multimodal methods. We show that an extended swarm based niching algorithm is able to find a considerable set of solutions in parallel, which have significantly more explanatory power. As an outline of the information gain, the variations in the set of high-quality solutions are contrasted to a state-of-the-art global sensitivity analysis.
The role of patient simulation and incident reporting in the development and evaluation of medical devices and the training of their users
2009-01-01

We describe how simulation and incident reporting can be used in combination to make the interaction between people, (medical) technology and organisation safer for patients and users. We provide the background rationale for our conceptual ideas and apply the concepts to the analysis of an actual incident report. Simulation can serve as a laboratory to analyse such cases and to create relevant and effective training scenarios based on such analyses. We will describe a methodological framework for analysing simulation scenarios in a way that allows discovering and discussing mismatches between conceptual models of the device design and mental models users hold about the device and its use. We further describe how incident reporting systems can be used as one source of data to conduct the necessary needs analyses – both for training and further needs for closer analysis of specific devices or some of their special features or modes during usability analyses.
Status of the CRESST Dark Matter Search
2009-01-01

The CRESST experiment aims for a detection of dark matter in the form of\\nWIMPs. These particles are expected to scatter elastically off the nuclei of a\\ntarget material, thereby depositing energy on the recoiling nucleus. CRESST\\nuses scintillating CaWO4 crystals as such a target. The energy deposited by an\\ninteracting particle is primarily converted to phonons which are detected by\\ntransition edge sensors. In addition, a small fraction of the interaction\\nenergy is emitted from the crystals in the form of scintillation light which is\\nmeasured in coincidence with the phonon signal by a separate cryogenic light\\ndetector for each target crystal. The ratio of light to phonon energy permits\\nthe discrimination between the nuclear recoils expected from WIMPs and events\\nfrom radioactive backgrounds which primarily lead to electron recoils. CRESST\\nhas shown the success of this method in a commissioning run in 2007 and, since\\nthen, further investigated possibilities for an even better suppression of\\nbackgrounds. Here, we report on a new class of background events observed in\\nthe course of this work. The consequences of this observation are discussed and\\nwe present the current status of the experiment.\\n
Surgery of Colorectal Carcinoma in Patients Aged over 80
2009-01-01

Elderly patients have a higher rate of comorbidity and a higher postoperative 30-day mortality rate. Tumor stage, R0 resection rate, and overall postoperative complication rate do not appear to be influenced by age. The higher rate of emergency operations on patients > or =80 years is associated with the higher 30-day mortality. Even in patients aged > or =80 years, attention should focus on the long-term oncological results, after appropriate assessment of the preoperative risk.
A polynomial-time parsing algorithm for TT-MCTAG
2009-01-01

This paper investigates the class of Tree-Tuple MCTAG with Shared Nodes, TT-MCTAG for short, an extension of Tree Adjoining Grammars that has been proposed for natural language processing, in particular for dealing with discontinuities and word order variation in languages such as German. It has been shown that the universal recognition problem for this formalism is NP-hard, but so far it was not known whether the class of languages generated by TT-MCTAG is included in PTIME. We provide a positive answer to this question, using a new characterization of TT-MCTAG.
Clinical Relevance of Disseminated Tumor Cells in the Bone Marrow and Circulating Tumor Cells in the Blood of Breast Cancer Patients
2009-01-01

Subclinical tumor cell spread, as the putative precursor stage of subsequent solid metastases, can be assessed in breast patients via the detection of disseminated tumor cells (DTC) in bone marrow aspirates or circulating tumor cells (CTC) in the peripheral blood with immunocytochemical and molecular techniques. In the context of a growing number of treatment strategies for cancer patients in the adjuvant setting as well as in the metastatic situation, markers predicting therapy efficacy are urgently needed. The detection of DTC or CTC may become one of the most interesting parameters not just for the prediction of survival or therapy monitoring but also for the characterization and specific targeting of residual tumor cells. Progress in this field now permits clinical studies that should lead to improvements in the treatment of breast cancer patients.
Noonan Syndrome: Growth to Growth Hormone – The Experience of Observational Studies
2009-01-01

Short stature is one of the key features of Noonan syndrome (NS). Attempts have therefore been made to improve height by means of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment. Most of these endeavors were carried out either as case studies or observational studies. The overall experience in treating NS is still rather limited, and, in general, it can be said that the NS patients who received GH treatment represent a very narrow segment. The dosages applied in both the case studies and observational studies tended to be higher than those used in the replacement therapy of GH-deficient patients, but lower than in Turner syndrome patients. The NS studies have shown that the overall height gain of patients is small (5–10 cm), and that treatment usually begins at the age of about 10 years, at a height of approximately –3.0 SDS. This small response to treatment reflects the external treatment conditions (i.e. late age at GH start, low GH dose), but may also be associated with the fact that impaired sensitivity to GH is common in NS. Both case studies and observational studies are necessary in order to obtain further evidence about the efficacy and safety of GH treatment in NS.