Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An actin-depolymerizing protein (depactin) from starfish oocytes: properties and interaction with actin

Physico-chemical properties and interaction with actin of an actin- depolymerizing protein from mature starfish oocytes were studied. This protein, which is called depactin, exists in a monomeric form under physiological conditions. Its molecular weight is approximately 20,000 for the native protein and approximately 17,000 for denatured protein. The Glu + Asp/Lys + Arg molar ratio of this protein is 1.55. The apparent pl of the denatured depactin is approximately 6. The extent of actin polymerization is reduced by the presence of depactin; however, the rate of polymerization seems to be accelerated as measured spectrophotometrically at 238nm. This effect is interpreted to indicate that depactin cut the newly formed filaments into small fragments, thereby increasing the number of the filament ends to which monomers are added. The apparent critical concentration of actin for polymerization, as determined by viscometry or flow birefringence measurement, is increased by the presence of depactin in a concentration-dependent manner. Raising the pH of the solution does not reverse the action of depactin. The molar ratio of actin and depactin, which interact with each other, is estimated to be 1:1 by means of a cross-linking experiment using a water-soluble carbodiimide. Depactin binds to a DNase I-Sepharose column via actin and is selectively eluted with 0.6 M KCl or 0.6 M Kl. The association constant between actin and depactin is estimated, using the column, to be 2-3 X 10(6) M-1. The content of depactin in the high-speed supernatant of the oocyte extract is determined to be 1%; this can act upon approximately 63% of the actin in the supernatant.
Adaptive Heterogeneous Ensemble Learning Using the Context of Test Instances

We consider binary classification problems where each of the two classes shows a multi-modal distribution in the feature space, and the classification has to be performed over different test scenarios, where every test scenario only involves a subset of the positive and negative modes in the data. In such conditions, there may exist certain pairs of positive and negative modes, termed as pairs of confusing modes, which may not appear together in the same test scenario but can be highly overlapping in the feature space. Determining the class labels at such pairs of confusing modes is challenging as the labeling decisions depend not only on the feature values but also on the context of the test scenario. To overcome this challenge, we present the Adaptive Heterogeneous Ensemble Learning (AHEL) algorithm, which constructs an ensemble of classifiers in accordance with the multi-modality within the classes, and further assigns adaptive weights to classifiers based on their relevance in the context of a test scenario. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in comparison with baseline approaches on a synthetic dataset and a real-world application involving global water monitoring.
Short-Term Hyperinsulinemia and Hyperglycemia Increase Myocardial Lipid Content in Normal Subjects

Increased myocardial lipid content (MYCL) recently has been linked to the development of cardiomyopathy in diabetes. In contrast to steatosis in skeletal muscle and liver, previous investigations could not confirm a link between MYCL and insulin resistance. Thus, we hypothesized that cardiac steatosis might develop against the background of the metabolic environment typical for prediabetes and early type 2 diabetes: combined hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. Therefore, we aimed to prove the principle that acute hyperglycemia (during a 6-h clamp) affects MYCL and function (assessed by 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging) in healthy subjects (female subjects: n = 8, male subjects: n = 10; aged 28 ± 5 years; BMI 22.4 ± 2.6 kg/m2). Combined hyperglycemia (202.0 ± 10.6 mg/dL) and hyperinsulinemia (110.6 ± 59.0 μU/mL) were, despite insulin-mediated suppression of free fatty acids, associated with a 34.4% increase in MYCL (baseline: 0.20 ± 0.17%, clamp: 0.26 ± 0.22% of water signal; P = 0.0009), which was positively correlated with the area under the curve of insulin (R = 0.59, P = 0.009) and C-peptide (R = 0.81, P < 0.0001) during the clamp. Furthermore, an increase in ejection fraction (P < 0.0001) and a decrease in end-systolic volume (P = 0.0002) were observed, which also were correlated with hyperinsulinemia. Based on our findings, we conclude that combined hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia induce short-term myocardial lipid accumulation and alterations in myocardial function in normal subjects, indicating that these alterations might be directly responsible for cardiac steatosis in metabolic diseases.
Improving the Performance of IndependentTask Assignment Heuristics MinMin,MaxMin and Sufferage

MinMin, MaxMin, and Sufferage are constructive heuristics that are widely and successfully used in assigning independent tasks to processors in heterogeneous computing systems. All three heuristics are known to run in O(KN2) time in assigning N tasks to K processors. In this paper, we propose an algorithmic improvement that asymptotically decreases the running time complexity of MinMin to O(KN log N) without affecting its solution quality. Furthermore, we combine the newly proposed MinMin algorithm with MaxMin as well as Sufferage, obtaining two hybrid algorithms. The motivation behind the former hybrid algorithm is to address the drawback of MaxMin in solving problem instances with highly skewed cost distributions while also improving the running time performance of MaxMin. The latter hybrid algorithm improves the running time performance of Sufferage without degrading its solution quality. The proposed algorithms are easy to implement and we illustrate them through detailed pseudocodes. The experimental results over a large number of real-life data sets show that the proposed fast MinMin algorithm and the proposed hybrid algorithms perform significantly better than their traditional counterparts as well as more recent state-of-the-art assignment heuristics. For the large data sets used in the experiments, MinMin, MaxMin, and Sufferage, as well as recent state-of-the-art heuristics, require days, weeks, or even months to produce a solution, whereas all of the proposed algorithms produce solutions within only two or three minutes.
Cyclooxygenase-2 in Cardiovascular Biology

Cyclooxygenase (COX), also known as prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase, is the key enzyme required for the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins. Two COX isoforms have been identified, COX-1 and COX-2. Generally, the COX-1 enzyme is produced constitutively (e.g. in gastric mucosa), whereas COX-2 is highly inducible (e.g. at sites of inflammation and cancer). Traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibit both enzymes, and a new class of COX-2 selective inhibitors (COXIBs) preferentially inhibit the COX-2 enzyme. This review summarizes our current understanding of the role of COX-1 and COX-2, with emphasis on their role on cardiovascular biology.
Working and episodic memory in HIV infection, alcoholism, and their comorbidity: baseline and 1-year follow-up examinations.

BACKGROUND Selective memory deficits occur in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and those with chronic alcoholism, but the potential compounded effect of these conditions is seldom considered, despite the high prevalence of alcohol use disorders in HIV infection. METHODS Here, we examined component processes of working and episodic memory in HIV infection and chronic alcoholism (ALC) in 4 subject groups (HIV, ALC, HIV + ALC, and normal controls) at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Accuracy scores, response times, and rate of information processing were assessed with subtests of the computerized neuropsychological test battery, the MicroCog. RESULTS Although individuals with either HIV infection or alcoholism generally performed at normal levels, individuals comorbid with HIV infection and alcoholism were impaired relative to controls and to the single diagnosis groups on selective memory processes. Immediate episodic memory was impaired, whereas working memory remained intact. Ability to retain information over time was not impaired in the clinical groups. Little performance change between groups was detected over 1 year. Results could not be explained by amount of alcohol consumed over a lifetime, CD4 cell count, AIDS diagnosis, or HAART medication. CONCLUSIONS This study provides behavioral support for adverse synergism of HIV infection and chronic alcoholism on brain function and is consistent with neuroimaging reports of compromised hippocampal and associated memory structures related to episodic memory processes in these 2 conditions.
Increase in Body Na+/Water Ratio Is Associated With Cerebral Aneurysm Formation in Oophorectomized Rats

The incidence of cerebral aneurysms is higher in women than in men, especially postmenopause. Although hypertension is thought to be associated with a high incidence of stroke, not all patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms are hypertensive. The possibility of water-free Na+ storage associated with hypertension has been raised. However, whether the increase in the body Na+/water ratio that characterizes water-free Na+ accumulation is associated with the formation of cerebral aneurysms remains obscure. To examine this relationship, Sprague-Dawley female rats subjected to carotid artery ligation were divided into 3 groups: a high-salt diet group (HSD) without and another with bilateral oophorectomy (HSD/OVX) and a third group that underwent additional renal artery ligation (HSD/OVX/RL). Compared with rats receiving a normal diet (shams), water retention was increased in HSD rats but not in HSD/OVX rats. Interestingly, compared with HSD rats, the incidence of cerebral aneurysms and the body Na+/water ratio were significantly higher in HSD/OVX and HSD/OVX/RL rats, independent of hypertension. In their aneurysmal wall, ATP1&agr;2, a subtype of Na+/K+-ATPase, was downregulated, whereas inflammatory-related molecules were upregulated. Treatment with low-dose olmesartan that did not affect the blood pressure in hypertensive HSD/OVX/RL rats reduced the rate of cerebral aneurysm formation, body Na+ retention, and the Na+/water ratio and upregulated ATP1&agr;2. These results suggest that the increase in the Na+/water ratio and a reduction in ATP1&agr;2 may be associated with cerebral aneurysm formation. We provide the new insight that the management of water-free Na+ is important to prevent their development.
Impaired Heart Rate Recovery and Chronotropic Incompetence in Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Background—This study assessed the chronotropic response to exercise and heart rate (HR) recovery after exercise in a carefully phenotyped group of patients with heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HfpEF) and a control group of similar age and gender distribution. Methods and Results—We studied 41 patients with HfpEF, 41 healthy controls, and 16 hypertensive controls. None were taking HR-limiting medications. All study participants had clinical examination, 12-lead ECG, pulmonary function test, echocardiogram, and metabolic exercise test with HR monitoring throughout exercise. Chronotropic response was measured by the percentage of the HR reserve used during maximal exercise and the peak exercise HR as a percentage of predicted maximal HR. Patients with HfpEF were generally women (70%), overweight, aged 69±8 years. Controls were of similar gender (63%) and age (67±6 years). Patients with HfpEF had significantly reduced peak VO2 compared with controls (20±4 mL · kg−1 · min−1 versus 31±6 mL · kg−1 · min−1, P<0.001) and greater minute ventilation-carbon dioxide production relationship (Ve/Vco2 slope) (33±6 versus 29±4, P<0.001). Chronotropic incompetence was significantly more common in patients with HfpEF compared with matched healthy controls as measured by the percentage of the HR reserve used during maximal exercise (63% versus 2%, <0.001) and percentage of predicted maximal HR (34% versus 2%, <0.001). In addition, abnormal HR recovery 1-minute after exercise (defined as the reduction in the HR from peak exercise 1-minute after exercise) was also significantly more common in patients with HfpEF compared with controls (23% versus 2%, P=0.01). Hypertensive controls showed similar chronotropic response to peak exercise and HR recovery after exercise as healthy controls. Conclusions—Patients with HfpEF have impaired chronotropic incompetence during maximal exercise and abnormal HR recovery after exercise.
Experiments with Classroom FM Amplification

Objectives: 1) To quantify the benefits of FM amplification for persons with severe and profound hearing loss; 2) to compare a body‐worm and a behind‐the‐ear FM system; 3) to measure the effects of reducing FM microphone sensitivity relative to hearing aid sensitivity. Design: Recognition of phonemes in lists of consonant‐vowel‐consonant words was measured in 13 teenage students with severe and profound hearing loss. Presentation was by live voice at 10 feet from the listeners and 12 inches from the FM microphone/transmitter. Students listened: a) via a body‐worn and a behind‐the‐ear system; b) with the FM microphone/transmitter on and off; c) in noise and in quiet. Systems were adjusted so that sinusoidal inputs of 65 dB SPL gave equal gains via the FM and hearing aid microphones. In a follow‐up study, the gain via the FM microphone was reduced so that a sinusoidal input of 65 dB SPL into the hearing aid microphone produced the same output as a sinusoidal input of 80 dB into the FM microphone (as recommended in American Speech‐Language‐Hearing Association, 1994). Results: 1) Addition of the FM microphone signal to that available from the hearing aid microphone was equivalent, on average, to doubling the number of independent channels of information available to the listeners. 2) FM benefit was present in both quiet and noise but was somewhat greater in noise. 3) Contrary to prediction, however, noise interfered with phoneme recognition even under the aid+FM condition. 4) Differences between the body‐worn and behind‐the‐ear systems were small, but there was a measurable advantage for the body‐worn system under the aid+FM condition. 5) Reducing FM microphone sensitivity by 15 dB virtually eliminated the FM benefit. 6) Forty‐four percent of the variance in phoneme recognition (averaged across listening conditions) could be explained by better‐ear, three‐frequency average pure‐tone threshold. 7) Vowels were recognized more easily than consonants, and initial consonants were recognized more easily than final consonants, but the FM benefit was present for all three phonemes. Conclusions: The findings confirm the value of FM amplification for persons with severe and profound hearing loss, in both quiet and noise. The negative effects of noise were not completely eliminated, however, under the aid+FM condition. This finding can be attributed to a reduction of gain in the FM channel, when speech input was used, because of compression limiting in the microphone transmitter. The superiority of the body‐worn system under the aid+FM condition suggests a need for higher saturation sound pressure level in the behind‐the‐ear system when used with persons having severe and profound hearing loss. The findings do not support use of an "equal output" criterion for adjusting relative gains via the FM and hearing aid microphones‐at least for persons with very severe and profound hearing loss operating under the conditions tested in this study.
Strengthening Materials by Engineering Coherent Internal Boundaries at the Nanoscale

Strengthening materials traditionally involves the controlled creation of internal defects and boundaries so as to obstruct dislocation motion. Such strategies invariably compromise ductility, the ability of the material to deform, stretch, or change shape permanently without breaking. Here, we outline an approach to optimize strength and ductility by identifying three essential structural characteristics for boundaries: coherency with surrounding matrix, thermal and mechanical stability, and smallest feature size finer than 100 nanometers. We assess current understanding of strengthening and propose a methodology for engineering coherent, nanoscale internal boundaries, specifically those involving nanoscale twin boundaries. Additionally, we discuss perspectives on strengthening and preserving ductility, along with potential applications for improving failure tolerance, electrical conductivity, and resistance to electromigration.
Combined Effects of 2 Interleukin 28B Polymorphisms on the Therapeutic Outcome of Hepatitis C Patients With Circulating Cryoglobulins

AbstractChronic hepatitis C is commonly associated with extrahepatic manifestations. Cryoglobulins are observed in 40% to 60% of such patients and their presence seems to modify response to therapy. The new antivirals are greatly improving the sustained virological response (SVR); however, their high cost limits the use, leaving pegylated interferon plus ribavirin (PR) still the standard-of-care therapy worldwide. Since PR therapy is burdened with several side effects, pretreatment predictions of patients who are unlikely to respond to this regimen may avoid ineffective treatment. Variants of the interleukin-28B (IL28B) gene correlate with an SVR to PR, and combined IL28B polymorphisms may improve the prediction of treatment outcome.The potential role of both rs8099917 and rs12979860 IL28B single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) combined with presence of cryoglobulins in predicting SVR to PR in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-chronically infected patients was analyzed in the present study.Single and combined IL28B SNPs (rs12979860 and rs8099917) were analyzed in 64 chronic HCV patients treated with PR showing circulating cryoglobulins and compared to 108 noncryoglobulinemic subjects to verify the predictive value on the SVR.The association of rs12979860CC or rs8099917TT with SVR was confirmed in the noncryoglobulinemic group but not in cryoglobulinemic patients. Moreover, the combined determination of both SNPs improved the prediction of SVR in noncryoglobulinemic patients but not in the cryoglobulinemic subgroup.We report that both single and combined determination of IL28B rs12979860 and rs8099917 SNPs in chronic HCV patients with circulating cryoglobulins treated with PR may have a reduced predictive value of SVR.
A Survey of Linear Parameter-Varying Control Applications Validated by Experiments or High-Fidelity Simulations

This paper provides a survey of results in linear parameter-varying (LPV) control that have been validated by experiments and/or high-fidelity simulations. The LPV controller synthesis techniques employed in the references of this survey are briefly reviewed and compared. The methods are classified into polytopic, linear fractional transformation, and gridding-based techniques and it is reviewed how in each of these approaches, synthesis can be carried out as a convex optimization problem via a finite number of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) for both parameter-independent and parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions. The literature is categorized with regard to the application, the complexity induced by the controlled system's dynamic and scheduling orders, as well as the synthesis method. Exemplary cases dealing with specific control design problems are presented in more detail to point control engineers to possible approaches that have been successfully applied. Furthermore, key publications in LPV control are related to application achievements on a timeline.
Carbohydrates and physical/mental performance during intermittent exercise to fatigue.

PURPOSE This study was designed to examine the effects of carbohydrate-electrolyte ingestion on physical and mental function associated with the performance of intermittent high-intensity (IHI) exercise similar to many common competitive sporting events. METHODS Physically active men (N = 5) and women (N = 5), experienced in competitive soccer or basketball, completed three practice sessions and two experimental trials of an IHI shuttle running protocol designed to closely stimulate the demands of an actual competitive sporting event such as basketball. The experimental trials consisted of four 15-min quarters (QTR) of intermittent shuttle running at various percentages of . VO(2max) (walking, jogging, running, sprinting and jumping), separated by a 20-min halftime rest period (HALF) and followed by a shuttle run to fatigue. Various tests of physical and mental function (shuttle run to fatigue, 20-m maximal sprint, 10-repetition maximal vertical jumping, whole body motor skill test (MS-Test), profile of mood states (POMS), and Stroop Color-Word Test) were performed throughout the experimental trial. Carbohydrate-electrolyte (CHO) or placebo (P) drinks were consumed before exercise (5 mL.kg(-1); 6% solution) and at halftime (5 mL.kg(-1); 18% solution). Smaller volumes (3 mL.kg(-1); 6% solution) were given after QTR-1, HALF, QTR-3, and QTR-4. RESULTS CHO ingestion resulted in a 37% longer run time to fatigue and faster 20-m sprint time during QTR-4 (P < 0.05). MS-Test performance was also improved during the latter stages of exercise along with self-reported perceptions of fatigue (subscale of POMS) (P < 0.05) in CHO versus P. CONCLUSION These results suggest a beneficial role of carbohydrate-electrolyte ingestion on physical and mental function during intermittent exercise similar to that of many competitive team sports.
Factored Planning: How, When, and When Not

Automated domain factoring, and planning methods that utilize them, have long been of interest to planning researchers. Recent work in this area yielded new theoretical insight and algorithms, but left many questions open: How to decompose a domain into factors? How to work with these factors? And whether and when decomposition-based methods are useful? This paper provides theoretical analysis that answers many of these questions: it proposes a novel approach to factored planning; proves its theoretical superiority over previous methods; provides insight into how to factor domains; and uses its novel complexity results to analyze when factored planning is likely to perform well, and when not. It also establishes the key role played by the domain's causal graph in the complexity analysis of planning algorithms.
Concise Review: Tissue‐Engineered Skin and Nerve Regeneration in Burn Treatment

Burns not only destroy the barrier function of the skin but also alter the perceptions of pain, temperature, and touch. Different strategies have been developed over the years to cover deep and extensive burns with the ultimate goal of regenerating the barrier function of the epidermis while recovering an acceptable aesthetic aspect. However, patients often complain about a loss of skin sensation and even cutaneous chronic pain. Cutaneous nerve regeneration can occur from the nerve endings of the wound bed, but it is often compromised by scar formation or anarchic wound healing. Restoration of pain, temperature, and touch perceptions should now be a major challenge to solve in order to improve patients' quality of life. In addition, the cutaneous nerve network has been recently highlighted to play an important role in epidermal homeostasis and may be essential at least in the early phase of wound healing through the induction of neurogenic inflammation. Although the nerve regeneration process was studied largely in the context of nerve transections, very few studies have been aimed at developing strategies to improve it in the context of cutaneous wound healing. In this concise review, we provide a description of the characteristics of and current treatments for extensive burns, including tissue‐engineered skin approaches to improve cutaneous nerve regeneration, and describe prospective uses for autologous skin‐derived adult stem cells to enhance recovery of the skin's sense of touch.