Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chronic infusion of angiotensin II resets baroreflex control of heart rate by an arterial pressure-independent mechanism.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that chronic infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II) in rabbits resets the cardiac baroreflex to a higher arterial pressure level by a pressure-independent mechanism. This hypothesis was tested by determining whether the resetting would be reversed soon after the Ang II infusion was stopped even if the hypertension was maintained by infusion of another vasoconstrictor. Relationships between arterial pressure and heart rate were determined by infusion of increasing doses of nitroprusside to decrease pressure and increase heart rate, followed by increasing doses of phenylephrine to increase pressure and decrease heart rate. After 9 to 10 days of Ang II infusion (20 ng.kg-1.min-1) arterial pressure was increased from 62 +/- 2 to 94 +/- 3 mm Hg (P < .001), and heart rate was unchanged from control values of 126 +/- 7 beats per minute. The baroreflex relationship between arterial pressure and heart rate was shifted to a higher pressure level after 3 to 4 and 9 to 10 days of Ang II infusion. On these same days the Ang II infusion was replaced with phenylephrine (5.0 +/- 0.4 micrograms.kg-1.min-1), and 30 minutes later arterial pressure decreased slightly (P < .05); however, despite the relative hypotension, heart rate was decreased (P < .005) from 126 +/- 5 to 98 +/- 7 beats per minute (days 3 to 4) and from 132 +/- 4 to 103 +/- 7 beats per minute (days 9 to 10). Moreover, the cardiac baroreflex relationships were shifted back to a lower pressure level (P < .05). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Loss of sustained Fus3p kinase activity and the G1 arrest response in cells expressing an inappropriate pheromone receptor

The yeast pheromone response pathway is mediated by two G protein-linked receptors, each of which is expressed only in its specific cell type. The STE3DAF mutation results in inappropriate expression of the a-factor receptor in MATa cells. Expression of this receptor in the inappropriate cell type confers resistance to pheromone-induced G1 arrest, a phenomenon that we have termed receptor inhibition. The ability of STE3DAF cells to cycle in the presence of pheromone was found to correlate with reduced phosphorylation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Far1p. Measurement of Fus3p mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activity in wild-type and STE3DAF cells showed that induction of Fus3p activity was the same in both strains at times of up to 1 h after pheromone treatment. However, after 2 or more hours, Fus3p activity declined in STE3DAF cells but remained high in wild-type cells. The level of inducible FUS1 RNA paralleled the changes seen in Fus3p activity. Short-term activation of the Fus3p MAP kinase is therefore sufficient for the early transcriptional induction response to pheromone, but sustained activation is required for cell cycle arrest. Escape from the cell cycle arrest response was not seen in wild-type cells treated with low doses of pheromone, indicating that receptor inhibition is not simply a result of weak signaling but rather acts selectively at late times during the response. STE3DAF was found to inhibit the pheromone response pathway at a step between the G beta subunit and Ste5p, the scaffolding protein that binds the components of the MAP kinase phosphorylation cascade. Overexpression of Ste20p, a kinase thought to act between the G protein and the MAP kinase cascade, suppressed the STE3DAF phenotype. These findings are consistent with a model in which receptor inhibition acts by blocking the signaling pathway downstream of G protein dissociation and upstream of MAP kinase cascade activation, at a step that could directly involve Ste20p.
Atomic force microscopy-based microrheology reveals significant differences in the viscoelastic response between malign and benign cell lines

Mechanical phenotyping of cells by atomic force microscopy (AFM) was proposed as a novel tool in cancer cell research as cancer cells undergo massive structural changes, comprising remodelling of the cytoskeleton and changes of their adhesive properties. In this work, we focused on the mechanical properties of human breast cell lines with different metastatic potential by AFM-based microrheology experiments. Using this technique, we are not only able to quantify the mechanical properties of living cells in the context of malignancy, but we also obtain a descriptor, namely the loss tangent, which provides model-independent information about the metastatic potential of the cell line. Including also other cell lines from different organs shows that the loss tangent (G″/G′) increases generally with the metastatic potential from MCF-10A representing benign cells to highly malignant MDA-MB-231 cells.
Bio-Inspired Glucose Control in Diabetes Based on an Analogue Implementation of a $\beta $-Cell Model

This paper presents a bio-inspired method for in-vivo control of blood glucose based on a model of the pancreatic β-cell. The proposed model is shown to be implementable using low-power analogue integrated circuits in CMOS, realizing a biologically faithful implementation which captures all the behaviours seen in physiology. This is then shown to be capable of glucose control using an in silico population of diabetic subjects achieving 93% of the time in tight glycemic target (i.e., [70, 140] mg/dl) . The proposed controller is then compared with a commonly used external physiological insulin delivery (ePID) controller for glucose control. Results confirm equivalent, or superior, performance in comparison with ePID. The system has been designed in a commercially available 0.35 μm CMOS process and achieves an overall power consumption of 1.907 mW.
Reduction of Energy Storage Requirements in Future Smart Grid Using Electric Springs

The electric spring is an emerging technology proven to be effective in i) stabilizing smart grid with substantial penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources and ii) enabling load demand to follow power generation. The subtle change from output voltage control to input voltage control of a reactive power controller offers the electric spring new features suitable for future smart grid applications. In this project, the effects of such subtle control change are highlighted, and the use of the electric springs in reducing energy storage requirements in power grid is theoretically proven and practically demonstrated in an experimental setup of a 90 kVA power grid. Unlike traditional Statcom and Static Var Compensation technologies, the electric spring offers not only reactive power compensation but also automatic power variation in non-critical loads. Such an advantageous feature enables non-critical loads with embedded electric springs to be adaptive to future power grid. Consequently, the load demand can follow power generation, and the energy buffer and therefore energy storage requirements can be reduced.
Calcitonin alters behaviour of isolated osteoclasts

Osteoclasts were incubated on a glass or plastic substrate and the effect of calcitonin (CT) on their behaviour was observed. Before exposure to CT the osteoclasts were actively motile, the cytoplasm advancing behind broad pseudopodial (lamellipodial) processes which showed intense ruflling activity. CT caused cessation of lamellipodial activity within minutes, followed by gradual fragmentation and retraction of lamellipodia. Complete osteoclast quiescence was regularly induced by concentrations of CT above 50 pg/ml, and lesser degrees of quiescence were induced at concentrations down to 10 pg/ml. This quiescent state was reversed on removing CT from the medium, and was abrogated by prior treatement of osteoclasts with trypsin. The quiescent state did not reduce the longevity of the cells in culture. nor did it affect their resistance to removal from glass by trypsin. CT showed no influence on the pseudopodial activity of osteoblasts, peritoneal macrophages or inflammatory giant cells. Osteoclast quiescence seems to be a reversible state induced by the interaction of CT with a trypsin‐sensitive CT receptor, present on osteoclasts. The range of concentrations which induce partial osteoclast quiescence are within the physiological range of serum concentrations in man, and this suggests that CT plays a physiological role in the regulation of osteoclast activity. The behavioural change induced by CT in osteoclasts may help to identify the precursor cell of the osteoclast and may assist investigations into the mechanism of control of osteoclasis.
Understanding KaZaA

Both in terms of number of participating users and in traffic volume, KaZaA is one of the most important applications in the Internet today. Nevertheless, because KaZaA is proprietary and uses encryption, little is understood about KaZaA’s protocol, architecture and signaling traffic. We have built a measurement platform for collecting and measuring KaZaA’s signaling traffic. These measurements provide insight on KaZaA’s architecture, protocol, and overlay behavior. The reader should take away from this paper a deep understanding of one of the largest distributed systems ever to be deployed in the Internet.
An optimized CRISPR/Cas toolbox for efficient germline and somatic genome engineering in Drosophila

The type II CRISPR/Cas system has recently emerged as a powerful method to manipulate the genomes of various organisms. Here, we report a novel toolbox for high efficiency genome engineering of Drosophila melanogaster consisting of transgenic Cas9 lines and versatile guide RNA (gRNA) expression plasmids. Systematic evaluation reveals Cas9 lines with ubiquitous or germline restricted patterns of activity. We also demonstrate differential activity of the same gRNA expressed from different U6 snRNA promoters, with the previously untested U6:3 promoter giving the most potent effect. Choosing an appropriate combination of Cas9 and gRNA allows targeting of essential and non-essential genes with transmission rates ranging from 25% - 100%. We also provide evidence that our optimized CRISPR/Cas tools can be used for offset nicking-based mutagenesis and, in combination with oligonucleotide donors, to precisely edit the genome by homologous recombination with efficiencies that do not require the use of visible markers. Lastly, we demonstrate a novel application of CRISPR/Cas-mediated technology in revealing loss-of-function phenotypes in somatic cells following efficient biallelic targeting by Cas9 expressed in a ubiquitous or tissue-restricted manner. In summary, our CRISPR/Cas tools will facilitate the rapid evaluation of mutant phenotypes of specific genes and the precise modification of the genome with single nucleotide precision. Our results also pave the way for high throughput genetic screening with CRISPR/Cas.
Dynamic Patterns of Postural Fluctuations during Quiet standing: a Recurrence Quantification Approach

When standing quietly, the human body is continuously moving about an upright posture in an erratic fashion. Conventional posturographic analyses that ignore structure of postural steadiness time series do not fully characterize properties of sway dynamics. Recurrence quantification analysis is a technique that can extract the dynamics of postural fluctuations through several variables. In this study, standing-still-sway dynamics of intact and deteriorated postural control systems were investigated by recurrence quantification of stabilograms. The results indicated that both normal and changed postural fluctuations time series, despite erratic and irregular appearance, contain a hidden structure. Although the two components of postural sway originated from an integrated control system, they exhibit distinct dynamical patterns. More determinism, greater local stability, higher degrees of nonstationarity and more laminar states were observed in fore-aft movements. Our findings reveal that decay of postural control mechanism affects dynamical properties of postural control system (especially along mediolateral direction because of the type of impairment). Determinism, nonstationarity and rigidity of balance program as well as laminar states characteristics were increased due to deterioration of postural control system. These findings imply that these measures not only can be used as the pathologic measures to discriminate between group differences, but also provide new openings to understand the nature of postural sway.
Dual-Buck-Structured High-Reliability and High-Efficiency Single-Stage Buck–Boost Inverters

In this paper, dual-buck structured single-stage buck–boost inverters that use power MOSFETs to achieve high efficiency are presented. The proposed inverters require fewer switches, and half of the switches have reduced current stresses. They have no shoot-through problem; therefore, high system reliability can be obtained. The dead-time in PWM signals can be minimized or eliminated, which improving the quality of the output ac voltages and increasing the efficiency. In the proposed inverters, MOSFETs can be used without reverse-recovery issues of their body diodes to boost the efficiency and increase the switching frequency. To further improve the efficiency and stability of the proposed single-phase inverter, PWM strategies combining high- and low-frequency modulation are presented. A hardware prototype of the single-phase inverter was built and tested using resistive, inductive, and nonlinear loads. Experimental results for a 300-W prototype inverter show a 97.4% peak efficiency with a 25 kHz switching frequency.
Strategies Used by Chinese EFL Learners in Processing English Formulaic Expressions

This cross-sectional study aims to examine how EFL learners process English formulaic expressions in a home context by looking at what strategies the subjects use, and how L1 culture and conceptual knowledge influences the use of those strategies. Participants included 72 third-grade English learners in a Chinese university, and 15 American native-speaker controls. Data were elicited through DCT and were evaluated based on 4 categories: Native-like English, Towards Native-like English, Chinese English and Irrelevant English. Correspondingly, two evaluating groups attended the study: native speakers of English and Chinese teachers of English. Results showed that over 60% of DCT replies were not native-like English, indicating that Chinese learners possess relatively low levels of English conceptual fluency. A further analysis of the last three categories (i.e., Towards Native-like English, Chinese English and Irrelevant English) demonstrated that learners primarily used simplification, verbosity, literal salience and L1 cultural transfer strategies in processing formulaic expressions. This study indicated the weak connection of English linguistic proficiency and sociolinguistic competence in an EFL environment, as well as the reliance on L1 conventionalized conceptualization in processing English formulaic expressions. Implications for teaching formulaic expressions in Chinese EFL classrooms are also discussed. Key terms: formulaic expressions, strategies, EFL learners
Water-soluble photopolymers for rapid prototyping of cellular materials

Commercial light-sensitive resins for Rapid Prototyping of cellular materials are often unsuitable for different molding techniques because removal of the mold uses thermal decomposition at temperatures of up to 600°C. In this study, a resin formulation based on water-soluble polymers was developed and evaluated regarding its usabil- ity as sacrificial mold material. The base monomer dimeth- ylacrylamide gave fast curing and excellent polymer solu- bility. Methacrylic acid was found to be a useful comonomer to improve mechanical strength and feature resolution. The latter criterion was also improved by adding poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) as filler and by using a hydrolytically cleavable crosslinking agent such as methacrylic acid anhydride. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 2286 -2298, 2005
The five-factor model of personality : theoretical perspectives

Digman, The Curious History of the Five-Factor Model. Saucier, Goldberg, The Language of Personality: Lexical Perspectives on the Five-Factor Model. McCrae, Costa, Toward a New Generation of Personality Theories: Theoretical Contexts for the Five-Factor Model. Wiggins, Trapnell, A Dyadic-Interactional Perspective on the Five-Factor Model. Hogan, A Socioanalytic Perspective on the Five-Factor Model. Buss, Social Adaptation and Five Major Theories of Personality.
Heated Optical Fiber for Distributed Soil‐Moisture Measurements: A Lysimeter Experiment

An Actively Heated Fiber Optics (AHFO) method to estimate soil moisture is tested and the analysis technique improved on. The measurements were performed in a lysimeter uniformly packed with loam soil with variable water content profiles. In the first meter of the soil profile, 30 m of fiber optic cable were installed in a 12 loops coil. The metal sheath armoring the fiber cable was used as an electrical resistance heater to generate a heat pulse, and the soil response was monitored with a Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) system. We study the cooling following three continuous heat pulses of 120 s at 36 W m−1 by means of long‐time approximation of radial heat conduction. The soil volumetric water contents were then inferred from the estimated thermal conductivities through a specifically calibrated model relating thermal conductivity and volumetric water content. To use the pre‐asymptotic data we employed a time correction that allowed the volumetric water content to be estimated with a precision of 0.01–0.035 (m3 m−3). A comparison of the AHFO measurements with soil‐moisture measurements obtained with calibrated capacitance‐based probes gave good agreement for wetter soils [discrepancy between the two methods was less than 0.04 (m3 m−3)]. In the shallow drier soils, the AHFO method underestimated the volumetric water content due to the longer time required for the temperature increment to become asymptotic in less thermally conductive media [discrepancy between the two methods was larger than 0.1 (m3 m−3)]. The present work suggests that future applications of the AHFO method should include longer heat pulses, that longer heating and cooling events are analyzed, and, temperature increments ideally be measured with higher frequency.
Word embedding for recurrent neural network based TTS synthesis

The current state of the art TTS synthesis can produce synthesized speech with highly decent quality if rich segmental and suprasegmental information are given. However, some suprasegmental features, e.g., Tone and Break (TOBI), are time consuming due to being manually labeled with a high inconsistency among different annotators. In this paper, we investigate the use of word embedding, which represents word with low dimensional continuous-valued vector and being assumed to carry a certain syntactic and semantic information, for bidirectional long short term memory (BLSTM), recurrent neural network (RNN) based TTS synthesis. Experimental results show that word embedding can significantly improve the performance of BLSTM-RNN based TTS synthesis without using features of TOBI and Part of Speech (POS).
Clinical trial of specific imaging of infections

ObjectiveFor several decades 67Ga citrate, technetium-99m (99mTc) or 111In-labelled leukocytes have been used for imaging the inflammatory process. Unfortunately, these radiopharmaceuticals are not infection-specific markers. In preclinical settings, radiolabelled antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), such as UBI 29-41 seem to be highly infection-specific and even high doses of these peptides have shown neither toxicity nor side effects in animals. MethodsIn this study we present data of a recent clinical trial carried out with the 99mTc labelled antimicrobial peptide UBI 29-41 (99mTc-UBI 29-41) regarding its sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in detecting various types of infections in 148 patients. The outcome of the trial with 99mTc-UBI 29-41 is compared with that of five other trials. ResultsPreparation of 99mTc-UBI 29-41 as a kit formulation is an easy, rapid, and reproducible process, and the tracer is very well tolerated by patients. The radiopharmaceutical has proven to be very stable and after injection into patients the biodistribution (renal clearance) and dosimetry seem to be favourable over other infection imaging radiopharmaceuticals. In this preliminary human study, patients with fever of unknown origin, osteomyelitis, diabetic foot, prosthesis infection, septic arthritis, or bacteraemia were successfully imaged with 99mTc-UBI 29-41 scintigraphy. Conclusion99mTc-UBI 29-41 is a promising agent for the specific detection of infections in humans because of its high sensitivity (96.3%), specificity (94.1%), and accuracy (95.3%) with high positive predictive (95.1%) and negative predictive values (95.5%).
Energetics and Luminosity Function of Gamma-Ray Bursts

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are believed to be some catastrophic event in which material is ejected at a relativistic velocity, and internal collisions within this ejecta produce the observed γ-ray flash. The angular size of a causally connected region within a relativistic flow is of the order the angular width of the relativistic beaming, γ-1. Thus, different observers along different lines of sight could see drastically different fluxes from the same burst. Specifically, we propose that the most energetic bursts correspond to exceptionally bright spots along the line of sight on colliding shells and do not represent much larger energy release in the explosion. The energy budget for an average GRB in this model is, however, same as in the uniform shell model. We calculate the distribution function of the observed fluence for random angular-fluctuation of ejecta. We find that the width of the distribution function for the observed fluence is about 2 orders of magnitude if the number of shells ejected along different lines of sight is 10 or less. The distribution function becomes narrower if number of shells along typical lines of sight increases. The analysis of the γ-ray fluence and afterglow emissions for GRBs with known redshifts provides support for our model, i.e., the large width of GRB luminosity function is not due to a large spread in the energy release but instead is due to large angular fluctuations in ejected material. We outline several observational tests of this model. In particular, for δ-function energy distribution in explosions we predict little correlation between the γ-ray fluence and the afterglow emission as in fact is observed. We predict that the early (minutes-to-hours) afterglow would depict large temporal fluctuations whose amplitude decreases with time. Finally, we predict that there should be many weak bursts with about average afterglow luminosity in this scenario.