Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain Lipotoxicity of Phytanic Acid and Very Long-chain Fatty Acids. Harmful Cellular/Mitochondrial Activities in Refsum Disease and X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy

It is increasingly understood that in the aging brain, especially in the case of patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, some fatty acids at pathologically high concentrations exert detrimental activities. To study such activities, we here analyze genetic diseases, which are due to compromised metabolism of specific fatty acids, either the branched-chain phytanic acid or very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs). Micromolar concentrations of phytanic acid or of VLCFAs disturb the integrity of neural cells by impairing Ca2+ homeostasis, enhancing oxidative stress or de-energizing mitochondria. Finally, these combined harmful activities accelerate cell death. Mitochondria are more severely targeted by phytanic acid than by VLCFAs. The insertion of VLCFAs into the inner membrane distorts the arrangement of membrane constituents and their functional interactions. Phytanic acid exerts specific protonophoric activity, induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and reduces ATP generation. A clear inhibition of the Na+, K+-ATPase activity by phytanic acid has also been reported. In addition to the instantaneous effects, a chronic exposure of brain cells to low micromolar concentrations of phytanic acid may produce neuronal damage in Refsum disease by altering epigenetic transcriptional regulation. Myelin-producing oligodendrocytes respond with particular sensitivity to VLCFAs. Deleterious activity of VLCFAs on energy-dependent mitochondrial functions declines with increasing the hydrocarbon chain length (C22:0 > C24:0 > C26:0). In contrast, the reverse sequence holds true for cell death induction by VLCFAs (C22:0 < C24:0 < C26:0). In adrenoleukodystrophy, the uptake of VLCFAs by peroxisomes is impaired by defects of the ABCD1 transporter. Studying mitochondria from ABCD1-deficient and wild-type mice proves that the energy-dependent functions are not altered in the disease model. Thus, a defective ABCD1 apparently exerts no obvious adaptive pressure on mitochondria. Further research has to elucidate the detailed mechanistic basis for the failures causing fatty acid-mediated neurodegeneration and should help to provide possible therapeutic interventions.
Rotation capacity of self-compacting steel fiber reinforced concrete

Steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) has been used in segmental tunnel linings in the past years. In order to investigate the effect of steel fibers on the rotation capacity of plastic hinges in self-compacting concrete (SCC) the effect of the addition of fibers to SCC in compression, tension and bond was investigated. Based on experiments, the Compressive Damage Zone model was extended to self-compacting steel fiber reinforced concrete (SCSFRC). The effect of the fibers and the load eccentricity was taken into account as a function of the amount of steel fibers, fiber geometry and eccentricity of the load. Due to a varying fiber orientation the tensile properties are direction dependent. They are modeled separately along the bar axis and around the bar. The effect of fibers on the bond behavior has been investigated experimentally and modeled with an analytical bond model based on concrete confinement that takes into account the tensile properties of the concrete. The models were then used as input for the rotation model. The experimental program included four tests on beams loaded at mid-span up to steel or concrete failure. The test variables were fiber content and axial compressive force. In the experiments, the addition of steel fibers in combination with the applied amount of reinforcing bars led to a stiffer behavior, an increase in maximum moment and to cracking but no spalling in the compressive zone. The specimens tested with fibers had a smaller rotation capacity than those tested without fibers, which is explained by localization of the deformations in one large crack in case of the SCSFRC specimens instead of several large cracks in case of the SCC specimens.
The impact of effectiveness and efficiency on project success

Effectiveness is the extent of the accomplishment of the right things, the right ends, and efficiency is the economics of doing things right, the economics of the right means. These are two fundamental concepts in all human activities and work, yet rarely are these two concepts collectively tested empirically. The lack of such experiential support limits a more complete conceptualization of these two ideas and places a serious constraint on our ability to expand our understanding of organizations and management. Specifically, in the field of project management, much of the research has been devoted to efficiency, independent of effectiveness, and research conducted on effectiveness does not provide a means to predict or affect the project outcome. This research presents results that demonstrate that the quality of the effort invested in effectiveness and efficiency during the initial phase of the project reliably predicts project success at completion, as well as completing the project ahead of schedule. Yet, and in contrast to conventional thinking, only the quality of the effort in effectiveness reliably predicts the project completing under budget. This increased predictability offers organizations a powerful advantage in improving their business by focusing projects upfront on the right ends, thereby increasing the organization’s competitiveness.
Personality trait level and change as predictors of health outcomes: findings from a national study of Americans (MIDUS).

OBJECTIVES Personality traits predict numerous health outcomes, but previous studies have rarely used personality change to predict health. METHODS The current investigation utilized a large national sample of 3,990 participants from the Midlife in the U.S. study (MIDUS) to examine if both personality trait level and personality change longitudinally predict 3 different health outcomes (i.e., self-rated physical health, self-reported blood pressure, and number of days limited at work or home due to physical health reasons) over a 10-year span. RESULTS Each of the Big Five traits, except openness, predicted self-rated health. Change in agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion also predicted self-rated health. Trait levels of conscientiousness and neuroticism level predicted self-reported blood pressure. All trait levels except agreeableness predicted number of work days limited. Only change in conscientiousness predicted the number of work days limited. DISCUSSION Findings demonstrate that a full understanding of the link between personality and health requires consideration of trait change as well as trait level.
Comparative study of various TCP versions over a wireless link with correlated losses

In this paper, we investigate the behavior of the various Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) algorithms over wireless links with correlated packet losses. For such a scenario, we show that the performance of NewReno is worse than the performance of Tahoe in many situations and even OldTahoe in a few situations because of the inefficient fast recovery method of NewReno. We also show that random loss leads to significant throughput deterioration when either the product of the square of the bandwidth-delay ratio and the loss probability when in the good state exceeds one, or the product of the bandwidth-delay ratio and the packet success probability when in the bad state is less than two. The performance of Sack is always seen to be the best and the most robust, thereby arguing for the implementation of TCP Sack over the wireless channel. We also show that under certain conditions the performance depends not only on the bandwidth-delay product but also on the nature of timeout, coarse or fine. We have also investigated the effects of reducing the fast retransmit threshold.
Constraints on Genome Dynamics Revealed from Gene Distribution among the Ralstonia solanacearum Species

Because it is suspected that gene content may partly explain host adaptation and ecology of pathogenic bacteria, it is important to study factors affecting genome composition and its evolution. While recent genomic advances have revealed extremely large pan-genomes for some bacterial species, it remains difficult to predict to what extent gene pool is accessible within or transferable between populations. As genomes bear imprints of the history of the organisms, gene distribution pattern analyses should provide insights into the forces and factors at play in the shaping and maintaining of bacterial genomes. In this study, we revisited the data obtained from a previous CGH microarrays analysis in order to assess the genomic plasticity of the R. solanacearum species complex. Gene distribution analyses demonstrated the remarkably dispersed genome of R. solanacearum with more than half of the genes being accessory. From the reconstruction of the ancestral genomes compositions, we were able to infer the number of gene gain and loss events along the phylogeny. Analyses of gene movement patterns reveal that factors associated with gene function, genomic localization and ecology delineate gene flow patterns. While the chromosome displayed lower rates of movement, the megaplasmid was clearly associated with hot-spots of gene gain and loss. Gene function was also confirmed to be an essential factor in gene gain and loss dynamics with significant differences in movement patterns between different COG categories. Finally, analyses of gene distribution highlighted possible highways of horizontal gene transfer. Due to sampling and design bias, we can only speculate on factors at play in this gene movement dynamic. Further studies examining precise conditions that favor gene transfer would provide invaluable insights in the fate of bacteria, species delineation and the emergence of successful pathogens.
Nitrogen trifluoride global emissions estimated from updated atmospheric measurements

Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) has potential to make a growing contribution to the Earth’s radiative budget; however, our understanding of its atmospheric burden and emission rates has been limited. Based on a revision of our previous calibration and using an expanded set of atmospheric measurements together with an atmospheric model and inverse method, we estimate that the global emissions of NF3 in 2011 were 1.18 ± 0.21 Gg⋅y−1, or ∼20 Tg CO2-eq⋅y−1 (carbon dioxide equivalent emissions based on a 100-y global warming potential of 16,600 for NF3). The 2011 global mean tropospheric dry air mole fraction was 0.86 ± 0.04 parts per trillion, resulting from an average emissions growth rate of 0.09 Gg⋅y−2 over the prior decade. In terms of CO2 equivalents, current NF3 emissions represent between 17% and 36% of the emissions of other long-lived fluorinated compounds from electronics manufacture. We also estimate that the emissions benefit of using NF3 over hexafluoroethane (C2F6) in electronics manufacture is significant—emissions of between 53 and 220 Tg CO2-eq⋅y−1 were avoided during 2011. Despite these savings, total NF3 emissions, currently ∼10% of production, are still significantly larger than expected assuming global implementation of ideal industrial practices. As such, there is a continuing need for improvements in NF3 emissions reduction strategies to keep pace with its increasing use and to slow its rising contribution to anthropogenic climate forcing.
Embodied Emotion Modulates Neural Signature of Performance Monitoring

Background Recent research on the “embodiment of emotion” implies that experiencing an emotion may involve perceptual, somatovisceral, and motor feedback aspects. For example, manipulations of facial expression and posture appear to induce emotional states and influence how affective information is processed. The present study investigates whether performance monitoring, a cognitive process known to be under heavy control of the dopaminergic system, is modulated by induced facial expressions. In particular, we focused on the error-related negativity, an electrophysiological correlate of performance monitoring. Methods/Principal Findings During a choice reaction task, participants held a Chinese chop stick either horizontally between the teeth (“smile” condition) or, in different runs, vertically (“no smile”) with the upper lip. In a third control condition, no chop stick was used (“no stick”). It could be shown on a separate sample that the facial feedback procedure is feasible to induce mild changes in positive affect. In the ERP sample, the smile condition, hypothesized to lead to an increase in dopaminergic activity, was associated with a decrease of ERN amplitude relative to “no smile” and “no stick” conditions. Conclusion Embodying emotions by induced facial expressions leads to a changes in the neural correlates of error detection. We suggest that this is due to the joint influence of the dopaminergic system on positive affect and performance monitoring.
Activation of the methylreductase system from Methanobacterium bryantii by ATP

The methylreductase of Methanobacterium bryantii required ATP for activity. There was sufficient ATP synthesis in extracts to account for the observed activity. Hexokinase inhibited the methylreductase by competing for endogenously synthesized ATP. The uncoupler, carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethyoxyphenyl hydrazone, inhibited only at concentrations greater than 0.5 mM, and detergents and non-halogenated membrane-permeable-ions did not inhibit. Thus, membrane proton gradients are not important in activation. In addition, maximal activation was obtained with less than 0.25 mM ATP, was inhibited by beta, gamma-imido ATP, and was strongly temperature dependent. The activated state was very unstable, having a half-life of 5 to 15 min. After gel filtration at 5 degrees C, the methylreductase retained partial activity for a short time in the absence of ATP. These observations indicate that activation involves the modification of a protein or protein-bound cofactor of the methylreductase system.
Molecular mechanisms of tumor resistance to PI3K-mTOR-targeted therapy

Deregulation of the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway occurs frequently in a wide range of human cancers and is a major driving force in tumorigenesis. Thus, small molecules targeting this pathway are under active development as anticancer therapeutics. Although small-molecule inhibitors of the PI3K-mTOR pathway have shown promising clinical efficacy against human cancers, the emergence of drug resistance may limit their success in the clinic. To date, several resistance mechanisms, including both PI3K-dependent and -independent mechanisms, have been described. Here, we summarize the current understanding of resistance mechanisms to PI3K-mTOR inhibitors and discuss potential strategies for overcoming resistance for potential clinical application.
A 0 . 5 V 3 . 6 ppm / oC 2 . 2 pW 2-Transistor Voltage Reference

A voltage reference using a depletion-mode device is designed in a 0. 13μm CMOS process and achieves ultra-low power consumption and sub-1V operation without sacrificing temperature and supply voltage insensitivity. Measurements show a temperature coefficient of 3.6ppm/C, line sensitivity of 0.033%/V, power supply rejection ratio of -67dB, and power consumption of 2.2pW. It requires only two devices and functions down to Vdd=0.5V with an area of 1350μm. A variant for higher Vout is also demonstrated.
Pension Plans

The University has 3 active pension plans. Faculty, Excluded Faculty, Professional/Managerial staff, College Academic/Research Group and Ontario Nurses Association employees participate in the Professional Pension Plan [2]. UGFSEA Units 1 & 2 and OSSTF/TARA District 35 members enrolled on or after October 1, 2014 participate in the Non-Professional Pension Plan [3]. All other eligible employees belong to the Retirement Pension Plan [4].
Is Intravenous Patient Controlled Analgesia Enough for Pain Control in Patients Who Underwent Thoracoscopy?

This prospective randomized study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of two common analgesic techniques, thoracic epidural patient-controlled analgesia (Epidural PCA), and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA), in patients undergoing lobectomy by the video-assisted thoracic surgical (VATS) approach. Fifty-two patients scheduled for VATS lobectomy were randomly allocated into two groups: an Epidural PCA group receiving an epidural infusion of ropivacaine 0.2%+fentanyl 5 µg/mL combination at a rate of 4 mL/hr, and an IV PCA group receiving an intravenous infusion of ketorolac 0.2 mg/kg+fentanyl 15 µg/mL combination at a rate of 1 mL/hr. Pain scores were then recorded using the visual analogue scale at rest and during motion (VAS-R and VAS-M, 0-10) for five days following surgery. In addition, we measured the daily morphine consumption, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), satisfaction score, and the incidence of side effects. Thirty-seven patients out of 52 completed the study (18 in the Epidural PCA group, 19 in the IV PCA group). There were no differences in the pain scores, analgesic requirements, pulmonary function, satisfaction score, and the incidence of side effects between groups. This indicates that IV PCA and Epidural PCA are equally effective to control the postoperative pain after VATS lobectomy, which suggests that IV PCA may be used instead of Epidural PCA.
Local Similarities and the Haagerup Property

A new class of groups, the locally finitely determined groups of local similarities on compact ultrametric spaces, is introduced and it is proved that these groups have the Haagerup property (that is, they are a-T-menable in the sense of Gromov). The class includes Thompson’s groups, which have already been shown to have the Haagerup property by D. S. Farley, as well as many other groups acting on boundaries of trees. A sucient condition, used in this paper, for the Haagerup property is shown in the appendix by D. S. Farley to be equivalent to the well-known property of having a proper action on a space with walls.
18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake as predictor for invasion in preoperatively diagnosed breast ductal carcinoma in situ: Significance in cases without mass formation

A diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) at needle biopsy often changes to that of invasive ductal carcinoma as the definitive pathological diagnosis following the surgical procedure. The present study sought to identify the factors associated with invasive disease in cases diagnosed as DCIS on needle biopsy by analyzing 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-proton emission tomography (FDG-PET) findings. The present study retrospectively investigated the cases of 24 consecutive patients with primary breast cancer who were preoperatively diagnosed with DCIS by needle biopsy. The cases were divided into two groups based on the presence of invasion in the primary tumor. Among the 24 patients, 13 (54.7%) patients had invasive carcinoma and 11 (45.8%) had DCIS. The analysis revealed that the presence of FDG uptake in the tumor was the only independent predictor of presence of the invasive disease. No cases without FDG uptake exhibited invasion and all of these were ultimately diagnosed as DCIS. In the present study, all cases, including DCIS, with a nodular growth pattern demonstrated FDG uptake in the tumors, and all cases without FDG uptake were interpreted as having a diffuse growth pattern. The present findings suggested that the presence of FDG uptake in the tumor can be considered a predictor for invasion in cases with DCIS by needle biopsy, particularly in cases with a diffuse growth pattern. Patients preoperatively diagnosed as DCIS without mass formation and without FDG uptake in the tumor may avoid sentinel lymph node biopsy.
Analyzing text in search of bio-molecular events: a high-precision machine learning framework

The BioNLP'09 Shared Task on Event Extraction is a challenge which concerns the detection of bio-molecular events from text. In this paper, we present a detailed account of the challenges encountered during the construction of a machine learning framework for participation in this task. We have focused our work mainly around the filtering of false positives, creating a high-precision extraction method. We have tested techniques such as SVMs, feature selection and various filters for data pre- and post-processing, and report on the influence on performance for each of them. To detect negation and speculation in text, we describe a custom-made rule-based system which is simple in design, but effective in performance.
Role of antimicrobials in third molar surgery: prospective, double blind,randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study.

AIM To test the efficacy of two dosing regimens of antimicrobial prophylaxis during the removal of impacted lower third molars. DESIGN Double blind, prospective, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING Teaching hospital, India. SUBJECTS 151 patients aged 19-36 having impacted lower third molars removed. METHODS Random allocation into three groups: placebo (n= 34), metronidazole 1g orally, 1 hour preoperatively (n= 44), or metronidazole 400mg orally eight hourly for 5 days postoperatively (n= 47). Patients were recalled on the sixth postoperative day for assessment of pain scores on the second and sixth days, swelling, differences in mouth opening between preoperative and the sixth postoperative day, and the state of the wound. RESULTS There were no significant differences in the outcome between the three groups (P= 0.09). CONCLUSION Antimicrobial prophylaxis does not seem to reduce morbidity after removal of lower third molars.
B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Testing and the Accuracy of Heart Failure Diagnosis in the Emergency Department

Background—It is often difficult to diagnose heart failure (HF) accurately in patients presenting with dyspnea to the emergency department (ED). This study assessed whether B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) testing in these patients improved the accuracy of HF diagnosis. Methods and Results—Patients presenting to the Alfred and the Northern Hospital EDs with a chief complaint of dyspnea were enrolled prospectively from August 2005 to April 2007. Patients were randomly allocated to have BNP levels tested or not. The diagnostic gold standard for HF was determined by 1 cardiologist and 1 emergency or respiratory physician who, blinded to the BNP result, independently reviewed all available information. The ED diagnosis of HF in the non-BNP group showed a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 65%, 92%, and 81%, respectively. The BNP group had a similar sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 66%, 90%, and 78%, respectively, for the diagnosis of HF in the ED. There was no significant difference between the BNP and non-BNP groups in any of the measures of diagnostic accuracy for HF. Conclusion—In the clinical setting of EDs, availability of BNP levels did not significantly improve the accuracy of a diagnosis of HF. Clinical Trial Registration—clinicaltrials.gov. Identifier: NCT00163709.
Influence of Testing Environment and Radius of Die Shoulder on SP Creep Rupture Life

Small Punch, hereinafter designated as SP, creep test has been proposed as a semi destructive testing methodology to examine the residual creep life of high temperature components. Employing low alloy steel, a series of SP creep tests were conducted on disc specimens at 600°C in air and in high vacuum to investigate the influence of oxide scale on the creep rupture life. Thickness of the oxide scale on disc specimens in air increased with the test duration, e.g., about 30μm in thickness after 400 hours. The creep rupture life in air reduced to a half of the life in vacuum due to an increase in the actual stress in the disc thickness. In addition, the magnitude of radius of a lower die shoulder affected the SP creep rupture life. The influence of this radius on the SP creep life was also studied experimentally and numerically. The creep rupture life with the die radius of 0.5mm had twice longer than that with 0.6mm. This fact was also demonstrated by the FE analysis. © 2011 ASME