Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Production of a Bioengineered G-Protein Coupled Receptor of Human Formyl Peptide Receptor 3

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) participate in a wide range of vital regulations of our physiological actions. They are also of pharmaceutical importance and have become many therapeutic targets for a number of disorders and diseases. Purified GPCR-based approaches including structural study and novel biophysical and biochemical function analyses are increasingly being used in GPCR-directed drug discovery. Before these approaches become routine, however, several hurdles need to be overcome; they include overexpression, solubilization, and purification of large quantities of functional and stable receptors on a regular basis. Here we report milligram production of a human formyl peptide receptor 3 (FPR3). FPR3 comprises a functionally distinct GPCR subfamily that is involved in leukocyte chemotaxis and activation. The bioengineered FPR3 was overexpressed in stable tetracycline-inducible mammalian cell lines (HEK293S). After a systematic detergent screening, fos-choline-14 (FC-14) was selected for subsequent solubilization and purification processes. A two-step purification method, immunoaffinity using anti-rho-tag monoclonal antibody 1D4 and gel filtration, was used to purify the receptors to near homogeneity. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that expressed FPR3 was predominantly displayed on cellular membrane. Secondary structural analysis using circular dichroism showed that the purified FPR3 receptor was correctly folded with >50% α-helix, which is similar to other known GPCR secondary structures. Our method can readily produce milligram quantities of human FPR3, which would facilitate in developing human FPR as therapeutic drug targets.
Injection Power and Detuning-Dependent Bistability in Fabry–Perot Laser Diodes

In this paper, we investigate the range of injection power and frequency detuning for which bistability of the injection-locked semiconductor Fabry-Perot laser diode can be achieved and preserved. The analysis is based on a detailed model of the multimode rate equations and material gain. The stationary analysis shows that there is a region of the injection power and detuning for which the laser has three stationary states. However, the stability analysis shows that for a wide range of injection powers and detuning, the two of three stationary states are stable and provide bistability. One of these states is the result of injection locking, whereas the other is mainly a consequence of the interplay between injection-locked and unlocked modes. The difference of the side-mode-suppression ratio between the stable states is of the order of 20 dB and it can increase with detuning and decrease with mode order.
Nogo-Receptors NgR1 and NgR2 Do Not Mediate Regulation of CD4 T Helper Responses and CNS Repair in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Myelin-associated inhibition of axonal regrowth after injury is considered one important factor that contributes to regeneration failure in the adult central nervous system (CNS). Blocking strategies targeting this pathway have been successfully applied in several nerve injury models, including experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), suggesting myelin-associated inhibitors (MAIs) and functionally related molecules as targets to enhance regeneration in multiple sclerosis. NgR1 and NgR2 were identified as interaction partners for the myelin proteins Nogo-A, MAG and OMgp and are probably mediating their growth-inhibitory effects on axons, although the in vivo relevance of this pathway is currently under debate. Recently, alternative functions of MAIs and NgRs in the regulation of immune cell migration and T cell differentiation have been described. Whether and to what extent NgR1 and NgR2 are contributing to Nogo and MAG-related inhibition of neuroregeneration or immunomodulation during EAE is currently unknown. Here we show that genetic deletion of both receptors does not promote functional recovery during EAE and that NgR1 and NgR2-mediated signals play a minor role in the development of CNS inflammation. Induction of EAE in Ngr1/2-double mutant mice resulted in indifferent disease course and tissue damage when compared to WT controls. Further, the development of encephalitogenic CD4+ Th1 and Th17 responses was unchanged. However, we observed a slightly increased leukocyte infiltration into the CNS in the absence of NgR1 and NgR2, indicating that NgRs might be involved in the regulation of immune cell migration in the CNS. Our study demonstrates the urgent need for a more detailed knowledge on the multifunctional roles of ligands and receptors involved in CNS regeneration failure.
EFFECTS OF CONCURRENT EXERCISE PROTOCOLS ON STRENGTH, AEROBIC POWER, FLEXIBILITY AND BODY COMPOSITION

In this study we evaluated the effect of concurrent resistance and endurance training on body composition, aerobic power and muscular endurance in college students and compared the two concurrent exercise protocols. Forty-two male students (22.02±1.91 years of age) were divided into three groups: Concurrent Distinct Endurance-Resistance (CDER), Concurrent Parallel Endurance-Resistance (CPER) and No Training controls (C). The subjects performed two training protocols per week for 12 weeks. In CDER group, resistance training and endurance training were performed on different days each week (two and two days per week). CPER group performed endurance and resistance training on the same days each week (two days per week). After a 12-week training period, fat-free mass, muscular strength [squat and bench press (kg)], muscular endurance [pull-ups and sit-ups (numbers)], aerobic power, flexibility and Sargent jump height increased similarly in both experimental groups (CDER and CPER). Also, decreases in body fat percentage, mean time in 60 m running and agility occurred in CDER and CPER. A significant difference in body fat percentage was seen in CPER when compared to CDER and C. Body mass increased significantly in CPER when compared to CDER and C. Although body mass increased only after the CPER protocol application, it can be concluded that both CDER and CPER protocols were similarly effective in positive transformation of body composition, aerobic power and muscular endurance.
Resonance of human brain under head acceleration

Although safety standards have reduced fatal head trauma due to single severe head impacts, mild trauma from repeated head exposures may carry risks of long-term chronic changes in the brain's function and structure. To study the physical sensitivities of the brain to mild head impacts, we developed the first dynamic model of the skull–brain based on in vivo MRI data. We showed that the motion of the brain can be described by a rigid-body with constrained kinematics. We further demonstrated that skull–brain dynamics can be approximated by an under-damped system with a low-frequency resonance at around 15 Hz. Furthermore, from our previous field measurements, we found that head motions in a variety of activities, including contact sports, show a primary frequency of less than 20 Hz. This implies that typical head exposures may drive the brain dangerously close to its mechanical resonance and lead to amplified brain–skull relative motions. Our results suggest a possible cause for mild brain trauma, which could occur due to repetitive low-acceleration head oscillations in a variety of recreational and occupational activities.
Effects of Fear of Success on Intrinsic Motivation, Causal Attribution, and Choice Behavior.

This study examined the extent to which fear of success moderates effects of choice and task outcomes on intrinsic motivation, causal attribution, and subsequent choice behavior. Subjects worked either on puzzles of their choice or puzzles that were assigned to them and were then informed that they had performed either better or worse than the majority of other subjects. Measures of intrinsic motivation (task engagement during a free-choice period) and of attribution for performance were obtained. Subjects then indicated how much choice they wanted to have over similar tasks that they were going to perform. Finally, subjects completed a fear-of-success and a resultant achievement motivation measure. Results showed that following success, low fear-of-success subjects (in comparison to high fear-of-success subjects), showed higher intrinsic motivation, made more internal attributions, and wanted to have more choice if initially they had been given choice and less choice if initially they had been given no choice. There were no significant differences between low and high fear-of-success subjects following failure. These results were obtained for both males and females and could not be accounted for by resultant achievement motivation that was unrelated to fear of success. Implications of the construct of fear of success are discussed.
A direct-indirect reward sharing model in multiagent reinforcement learning

We propose a new multiagent model called direct-indirect reward sharing model. An evaluator in our model determines contributions of agents in a goal state, and shares a reward according to them. We have examined two methods for determining the ratios of contributions. One method uses a constant ratio that is derived the theory for suppressing irrational rules we prove in this paper. The other method evaluates them based on the evaluator's past memory.
ANALYSIS OF MUSCLE CONTRACTION BY ULTRAVIOLET MICROBEAM DISRUPTION OF SARCOMERE STRUCTURE

In an effort to differentiate between the sliding filament theory for muscle contraction and alternative views which propose attachment between actin and myosin filaments at or across the H zone, rabbit psoas myofibrils were irradiated in various areas of the sarcomere with an ultraviolet microbeam. Irradiation of the I band appears to destroy the actin filaments; in vitro irradiation of F actin causes an irreversible depolymerization of the protein. Irradiation of the A band disorients the myosin but causes no apparent loss of dry mass. These effects are maximal at the wavelength of maximum absorption of the proteins involved. Actin filaments, released at the Z line of a sarcomere, are seen to slide into the A band on addition of ATP. Irradiation of a full A band prevents contraction, whereas irradiation of two-thirds of the A band, leaving a lateral edge intact, permits contraction at the non-irradiated edge. Thus contraction can occur in what is in essence only one-third of a sarcomere, eliminating any necessity for postulated H zone connections. These observations are in complete accord with the classical sliding filament theory but incompatible with either the contralateral filament hypothesis or the actin folding model for muscle contraction.
Early termination of treatment in personality disorder treated in a psychotherapy hospital

Background Factors underlying premature discontinuation of psychosocial in-patient treatment are still unclear. Aims Investigation of early discontinuation of specialised in-patient psychosocial treatment in a sample of people with personality disorder. Method Out of 134 consecutive admissions to the Cassel Hospital, 42 early drop-outs and 92 patients who remained were compared on demographic and clinical variables. Early drop-outs were invited for in-depth interviews, to explore their hospital experiences. Results The early drop-out group and the group which remained showed significant differences in occupational status, borderline personality disorder (BPD) and the treatment programme to which they were allocated. All three independent variables predicted early discontinuation of treatment. The qualitative analysis of interview transcripts identified significant problems in institutional dimensions. Conclusions Important subjects and process variables contributing to early drop-out in people with personality disorder were identified, with potential implications for clinical practice.
Atomistic studies of nanohardness size effects

Atomistic simulations of nanoindentations with spherical and Berkovich indenters were carried out to study the effects of size on nanohardness. For spherical indenters with the radii ranging from 10 A to 50 A, it was found that nanohardness was inversely proportional to the indenter radius. For Berkovich indenters, it was found that nanohardness roughly followed a trend that was inversely proportional to the indentation depth. It was concluded that the indentation size effect at the atomistic scale might follow a trend similar to that observed at the micron and sub-micron scales.
Semantic Category Interference in Overt Picture Naming: Sharpening Current Density Localization by PCA

The study investigated the neuronal basis of the retrieval of words from the mental lexicon. The semantic category interference effect was used to locate lexical retrieval processes in time and space. This effect reflects the finding that, for overt naming, volunteers are slower when naming pictures out of a sequence of items from the same semantic category than from different categories. Participants named pictures blockwise either in the context of same-or mixed-category items while the brain response was registered using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Fifteen out of 20 participants showed longer response latencies in the same-category compared to the mixed-category condition. Event-related MEG signals for the participants demonstrating the interference effect were submitted to a current source density (CSD) analysis. As a new approach, a principal component analysis was applied to decompose the grand average CSD distribution into spatial subcomponents (factors). The spatial factor indicating left temporal activity revealed significantly different activation for the same-category compared to the mixed-category condition in the time window between 150 and 225 msec post picture onset. These findings indicate a major involvement of the left temporal cortex in the semantic interference effect. As this effect has been shown to take place at the level of lexical selection, the data suggest that the left temporal cortex supports processes of lexical retrieval during production.
Inter-examiner variability and agreement of the alternate prism cover test (APCT) measurements of strabismus performed by 4 examiners

Abstract Purpose: To investigate the inter-examiner variability and agreement of the alternate prism cover test (APCT) measurements of strabismus at near and distance fixation performed by 4 examiners. Methods: Forty-one participants (median age 12 years, range 3–74) with horizontal strabismus completed APCT measurements at near (1/3 m) and distance (5 m) fixation. Each participant was assessed by 4 masked experienced orthoptists on the same visit. Bland-Altman plots and inter-examiner variability (1.96xSD of the difference) were used to determine a clinical value suggestive of real change. Results: The inter-examiner variability was ±10 prism diopters (PD) at near and ±9 PD at distance fixation. The mean difference between measurements per examiner pair for near fixation ranged between −3 and 1.5 PD, with inter-examiner variability ranging between ±6.9 and ±12.5 PD, and mean difference for distance fixation between −0.8 and 1.6 PD, with inter-examiner variability ranging between ±7.5 and ±11.7 PD. Larger variability was found between some examiner pairs than others. Magnitude of the deviation, test distance, and age had no significant influence on the variation in APCT measurement. Conclusion: A variation in APCT measurement between 4 examiners of less than 10 PD for both near and distance fixation is likely to be due to inter-examiner variability. Changes of 10 PD or more are suggestive of a real change and may be employed as a management threshold.
Effect of start-up conditions on elastohydrodynamic lubrication of metal-on-metal hip implants

Abstract Lubrication plays an important role in the wear and friction of metal-on-metal bearings for artificial hip joints. It is generally known that both load and speed can influence the lubrication mechanism. This is particularly important in hip implants, which experience many intermittent start-ups and stops, which may adversely affect the lubrication and increase wear in metal-on-metal hip implants. The effect of start-up and gait initiation upon elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) in a typical metal-on-metal hip implant has been investigated in the present study. A simple ball-on-plane model was used for a full transient EHL analysis under assumed start-up conditions represented by linear variations in both load and speed, but with different development time periods. It was shown that the duration of the start-up period had little effect on the predicted lubrication film thickness during either the start-up or the steady cyclic conditions. It was found that only two to three steps were required to establish a continuous steady cyclic variation of the predicted lubricant film thickness. This suggests that intermittent motions associated with start-up and stop may have only a small effect on the wear of metal-on-metal hip implants.
On the MAC for Power-Line Communications: Modeling Assumptions and Performance Tradeoffs

Power-line communications are becoming a key component in home networking. The dominant MAC protocol for high data-rate power-line communications, IEEE 1901, employs a CSMA/CA mechanism similar to the back off process of 802.11. Existing performance evaluation studies of this protocol assume that the back off processes of the stations are independent (the so-called decoupling assumption). However, in contrast to 802.11, 1901 stations can change their state after sensing the medium busy, which introduces strong coupling between the stations and, as a result, makes existing analyses inaccurate. In this paper, we propose a new performance model for 1901, which does not rely on the decoupling assumption. We prove that our model admits a unique solution. We confirm the accuracy of our model using both test bed experiments and simulations, and we show that it surpasses current models based on the decoupling assumption. Furthermore, we study the trade off between delay and throughput existing with 1901. We show that this protocol can be configured to accommodate different throughput and jitter requirements, and we give systematic guidelines for its configuration.
Requirement for p34cdc2 kinase is restricted to mitosis in the mammalian cdc2 mutant FT210

The mouse FT210 cell line is a temperature-sensitive cdc2 mutant. FT210 cells are found to arrest specifically in G2 phase and unlike many alleles of cdc2 and cdc28 mutants of yeasts, loss of p34cdc2 at the nonpermissive temperature has no apparent effect on cell cycle progression through the G1 and S phases of the division cycle. FT210 cells and the parent wild-type FM3A cell line each possess at least three distinct histone H1 kinases. H1 kinase activities in chromatography fractions were identified using a synthetic peptide substrate containing the consensus phosphorylation site of histone H1 and the kinase subunit compositions were determined immunochemically with antisera prepared against the "PSTAIR" peptide, the COOH-terminus of mammalian p34cdc2 and the human cyclins A and B1. The results show that p34cdc2 forms two separate complexes with cyclin A and with cyclin B1, both of which exhibit thermal lability at the non-permissive temperature in vitro and in vivo. A third H1 kinase with stable activity at the nonpermissive temperature is comprised of cyclin A and a cdc2-like 34-kD subunit, which is immunoreactive with anti-"PSTAIR" antiserum but is not recognized with antiserum specific for the COOH- terminus of p34cdc2. The cyclin A-associated kinases are active during S and G2 phases and earlier in the division cycle than the p34cdc2- cyclin B1 kinase. We show that mouse cells possess at least two cdc2- related gene products which form cell cycle regulated histone H1 kinases and we propose that the murine homolog of yeast p34cdc/CDC28 is essential only during the G2-to-M transition in FT210 cells.
Sonic hedgehog signalling from foregut endoderm patterns the avian nasal capsule

Morphogenesis of the facial skeleton depends on inductive interactions between cephalic neural crest cells and cephalic epithelia, including the foregut endoderm. We show that Shh expression in the most rostral zone of the endoderm, endoderm zone I (EZ-I), is necessary to induce the formation of the ventral component of the avian nasal capsule: the mesethmoid cartilage. Surgical removal of EZ-I specifically prevented mesethmoid formation, whereas grafting a supernumerary EZ-I resulted in an ectopic mesethmoid. EZ-I ablation was rescued by Shh-loaded beads, whereas inhibition of Shh signalling suppressed mesethmoid formation. This interaction between the endoderm and cephalic neural crest cells was reproduced in vitro, as evidenced by Gli1 induction. Our work bolsters the hypothesis that early endodermal regionalisation provides the blueprint for facial morphogenesis and that its disruption might cause foetal craniofacial defects, including those of the nasal region.
Minimizing Surface Plasmas in High Power Microwave Sources

Abstract : This final technical report reviews the research activities during the period of this grant, emphasizing the final year. The effects of surface roughness on secondary electron emission were investigated for copper. The surface of copper samples were modified using a high-power Nd-YAG laser, where the degree of surface modification depended on the duration and intensity of the laser exposure. Four different levels of modification were tested, in addition to the unmodified sample. Minor modification resulted in the biggest effect, significantly reducing the secondary electron emission. However, this effect only holds true for very low electron dose, where dose is the incident charge per unit area. For higher dose levels those commensurate with technical materials in applied situations there was negligible effect of surface roughness on secondary electron emission. The data set presented here seeks to quantify the effect of surface roughness with further gradations than is accounted for in the semi-empirical formulae in the literature.
Benefiting From Misfortune: When Harmless Actions Are Judged to Be Morally Blameworthy

Dominant theories of moral blame require an individual to have caused or intended harm. However, the current four studies demonstrate cases where no harm is caused or intended, yet individuals are nonetheless deemed worthy of blame. Specifically, individuals are judged to be blameworthy when they engage in actions that enable them to benefit from another’s misfortune (e.g., betting that a company’s stock will decline or that a natural disaster will occur). Evidence is presented suggesting that perceptions of the actor’s wicked desires are responsible for this phenomenon. It is argued that these results are consistent with a growing literature demonstrating that moral judgments are often the product of evaluations of character in addition to evaluations of acts.