Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Soluble guanylate cyclase as an emerging therapeutic target in cardiopulmonary disease.

Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), a key enzyme of the nitric oxide (NO) signaling pathway, is attracting rapidly growing interest as a therapeutic target in cardiopulmonary disease, with several sGC agonists currently in clinical development. On binding of NO to a prosthetic heme group on sGC, the enzyme catalyzes synthesis of the second messenger cGMP, which produces vasorelaxation and inhibits smooth muscle proliferation, leukocyte recruitment, and platelet aggregation through a number of downstream mechanisms.1,2 Impaired NO and cGMP signaling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, including systemic arterial and pulmonary hypertension (PH), coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease (including erectile dysfunction), and atherosclerosis.1,3,–,5 Organic nitrates that target the NO signaling pathway have been used to treat cardiovascular disease for >150 years. More recently, gaseous NO administered by inhalation has been approved for the treatment of persistent PH of the newborn.3,6 These agents nonetheless have several important limitations. Cardiovascular disease is associated with resistance to NO and organic nitrates.7 This may be due to the oxidative stress–induced alteration of the redox state of the prosthetic heme on sGC (from ferrous to ferric) that weakens the binding of heme to the enzyme and renders sGC unresponsive to NO.1,8 Furthermore, the long-term efficacy of organic nitrates is limited by the development of tolerance.9 Nitric oxide may also have numerous cytotoxic effects, mostly attributed to the reactive oxidant peroxynitrite (formed from the diffusion-controlled reaction of NO with superoxide). 3,10 Peroxynitrite interacts with proteins and lipids, altering cellular signaling, disrupting mitochondrial function, and damaging DNA, which can eventually culminate in cellular dysfunction and/or death.3 Because the beneficial effects of NO appear to be …
Department of Mathematical Sciences

School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Department of Mathematical Sciences Department Faculty Professors: A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A Professors Emeritus: A A, A A, A A Clinical Professor: A A Associate Professors: A A, A A, A A, A A, A A Clinical Associate Professor: A A Assistant Professors: A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A Senior Lecturers III: A A, A A Senior Lecturers II: A A, A A, A A, A A Senior Lecturers I: A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A, A A Affiliated Faculty: A A, A A, A A, A A, A A
Optimality in human motor performance: ideal control of rapid aimed movements.

A stochastic optimized-submovement model is proposed for Pitts' law, the classic logarithmic tradeoff between the duration and spatial precision of rapid aimed movements. According to the model, an aimed movement toward a specified target region involves a primary submovement and an optional secondary corrective submovement. The submovements are assumed to be programmed such that they minimize average total movement time while maintaining a high frequency of target hits. The programming process achieves this minimization by optimally adjusting the average magnitudes and durations of noisy neuromotor force pulses used to generate the submovements. Numerous results from the literature on human motor performance may be explained in these terms. Two new experiments on rapid wrist rotations yield additional support for the stochastic optimizedsubmovement model. Experiment 1 revealed that the mean durations of primary submovements and of secondary submovements, not just average total movement times, conform to a square-root approximation of Pitts' law derived from the model. Also, the spatial endpoints of primary submovements have standard deviations that increase linearly with average primary-submovement velocity, and the average primary-submovement velocity influences the relative frequencies of secondary submovements, as predicted by the model. During Experiment 2, these results were replicated and extended under conditions in which subjects made movements without concurrent visual feedback. This replication suggests that submovement optimization may be a pervasive property of movement production. The present conceptual framework provides insights into principles of motor performance, and it links the study of physical action to research on sensation, perception, and cognition, where psychologists have been concerned for some time about the degree to which mental processes incorporate rational and normative rules. An enduring issue in the study of the human mind concerns of mathematical probability theory and statistical decision thethe rationality and optimality of the mental processes that guide ory (e.g., see Edwards, 1961; Edwards, Lindman, & Savage,
The Language Situation in Southern France

First of all, I apologize to all those Occitanists and Provenpalists who may be upset to find their language mentioned in an issue dealing with language death. I want to emphasize that it is not my intention in this paper to make any forecasts as to whether Occitan (or Provencal)-will die out or not. On the contrary, at this moment in time, there seems to be reason for some optimism as to its survival. The situation has changed considerably in favour of Occitan during the last ten years.
Frequency of occurrence of Cantonese word initials, finals and tones

Abstract Thirty 10-minute spontaneous speech and dialogue segments were randomly recorded from live radio and TV programmes broadcast in Hong Kong. The speech samples were carefully phonetically transcribed by two experienced investigators. Only those speech samples transcribed consistently by the two investigators were used to measure the frequency of occurrence of all Cantonese word initials, finals and tones. Results indicated a similar pattern of distribution of Cantonese initials and finals to that reported previously, with the exceptions of /n/ and /1/, /kwh/ and /kh/ and /kw/ and /k/. The differences are believed to be related to the sociolinguistic change of language use in the current generation in Hong Kong. Findings in tones also revealed a similar distribution as reported previously.
Nanoparticles for Control of Biofilms of Acinetobacter Species

Biofilms are the cause of 80% of microbial infections. Acinetobacter species have emerged as multi- and pan-drug-resistant bacteria and pose a great threat to human health. These act as nosocomial pathogens and form excellent biofilms, both on biotic and abiotic surfaces, leading to severe infections and diseases. Various methods have been developed for treatment and control of Acinetobacter biofilm including photodynamic therapy, radioimmunotherapy, prophylactic vaccines and antimicrobial peptides. Nanotechnology, in the present scenario, offers a promising alternative. Nanomaterials possess unique properties, and multiple bactericidal mechanisms render them more effective than conventional drugs. This review intends to provide an overview of Acinetobacter biofilm and the significant role of various nanoparticles as anti-biofouling agents, surface-coating materials and drug-delivery vehicles for biofilm control and treatment of Acinetobacter infections.
Optimization of UWB dipole feeding circuits

The paper presents UWB dipole/monopole antennas, whose radiating elements as well as feeding circuits were already optimized in two separate processes. As radiating elements, a wide range of dipole shapes were used: basic (elliptic, rectangular and rhombus dipoles), shapes based on the expert design (rectangular dipole with triangular or elliptical feeding basis) and also fully optimized ones. In addition, the microstrip and coplanar lines were used for both, the dipole feeding and feeding with balun transformer. The time domain characteristics (namely the distortion of transmitted impulses and the dispersive characteristic) as well as the antenna matching are evaluated and discussed.
Clustering of Rab11 vesicles in influenza A virus infected cells creates hotspots containing the 8 viral ribonucleoproteins

ABSTRACT Influenza A virus is an important human pathogen causative of yearly epidemics and occasional pandemics. The ability to replicate within the host cell is a determinant of virulence, amplifying viral numbers for host-to-host transmission. This process requires multiple rounds of entering permissive cells, replication, and virion assembly at the plasma membrane, the site of viral budding and release. The assembly of influenza A virus involves packaging of several viral (and host) proteins and of a segmented genome, composed of 8 distinct RNAs in the form of viral ribonucleoproteins (vRNPs). The selective assembly of the 8-segment core remains one of the most interesting unresolved problems in virology. The recycling endosome regulatory GTPase Rab11 was shown to contribute to the process, by transporting vRNPs to the periphery, giving rise to enlarged cytosolic puncta rich in Rab11 and the 8 vRNPs. We recently reported that vRNP hotspots were formed of clustered vesicles harbouring protruding electron-dense structures that resembled vRNPs. Mechanistically, vRNP hotspots were formed as vRNPs outcompeted the cognate effectors of Rab11, the Rab11-Family-Interacting-Proteins (FIPs) for binding, and as a consequence impair recycling sorting at an unknown step. Here, we speculate on the impact that such impairment might have in host immunity, membrane architecture and viral assembly.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of modafinil for negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE Negative symptoms are core features of schizophrenia that are functionally debilitating, associated with poor outcomes, and resistant to existing pharmacotherapies. We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of modafinil, a medication approved for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness, to explore its efficacy as an adjunctive therapy for negative symptoms in schizophrenia. METHOD Twenty subjects with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were randomly assigned to double-blind treatment with modafinil or placebo for 8 weeks. The study ran from March 2002 through March 2006. Outcome measures included the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale, Quality of Life Interview, neurocognitive assessments (California Verbal Learning Test, Degraded Performance-Continuous Performance Test, Trail-Making Test B), and somatic measures (sleep, weight, side effects). RESULTS Modafinil treatment was associated with a greater rate (CGI-Improvement [CGI-I] score < or = 3, 7/10 vs. 1/10) and degree (mean CGI-I score, 3.2 vs. 4.1) of global improvement at study endpoint compared with placebo. However, modafinil did not significantly improve global negative symptoms as measured by the total SANS or SANS individual global items. Modafinil did not significantly worsen psycho-pathology (according to the BPRS), compared with placebo, and was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS Although no effect on negative symptoms was found, adjunctive therapy with modafinil may result in global improvements in patients with schizophrenia who have prominent negative symptoms.
Use of Genomic Tools to Improve Cattle Health in the Context of Infectious Diseases

Although infectious diseases impose a heavy economic burden on the cattle industry, the etiology of many disorders that affect livestock is not fully elucidated, and effective countermeasures are often lacking. The main tools available until now have been vaccines, antibiotics and antiparasitic drugs. Although these have been very successful in some cases, the appearance of parasite and microbial resistance to these treatments is a cause of concern. Next-generation sequencing provides important opportunities to tackle problems associated with pathogenic illnesses. This review describes the rapid gains achieved to track disease progression, identify the pathogens involved, and map pathogen interactions with the host. Use of novel genomic tools subsequently aids in treatment development, as well as successful creation of breeding programs aimed toward less susceptible livestock. These may be important tools for mitigating the long term effects of combating infection and helping reduce the reliance on antibiotic treatment.
The Roles of Instructional Practices and Motivation in Writing Performance

The authors investigated what and how instructional practices are related to students' motivation and performance in writing. The participants were 6 teacher interns and their (N = 209) secondary-school students in Hong Kong. In a 3-session instruction unit, the teacher interns taught their students how to write an expository essay. The students completed the essay and then a questionnaire to report their motivation in the task and their perception of the instruction. Results of structural equation modeling showed that students' motivation mediated the effects of instructional practices on writing performance. The authors found that when the teachers adopted more motivating teaching strategies, the students were more motivated. When the students were more motivated, they, in turn, had better performance in writing.
Can higher education compensate for society? Modelling the determinants of academic success at university

This paper examines the role that social characteristics play in determining the academic success of students who begin university with roughly similar entry grades. The data used were drawn from the administrative records of over 38,000 UK-domiciled undergraduate students from one British university between 1998 and 2009. Results show that the characteristics of entrants have varied only slightly over this period and intake is still largely in favour of ‘traditional’ entrants: namely those from professional occupational backgrounds, the privately educated and those of traditional age. The relationship between background characteristics and eventual academic success also reflects patterns seen at earlier education stages. However, when prior attainment was taken into account, the link between degree outcome and many social characteristics does diminish – notably for students who were privately educated and who came from professional occupational groups. This suggests that once students have overcome barriers to admission, it is entry grades rather than social characteristics that may most strongly influence eventual academic success.
Prevalence of Plasmid-Mediated Quinolone Resistance Determinants QnrA, QnrB, and QnrS among Clinical Isolates of Enterobacter cloacae in a Taiwanese Hospital

ABSTRACT The prevalence of three plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants, QnrA, QnrB, and QnrS, among 526 nonreplicate clinical isolates of Enterobacter cloacae collected at a Taiwanese university hospital in 2004 was determined by PCR and colony hybridization, and the association of Qnr with the IMP-8 metallo-β-lactamase was investigated. Eighty-six (16.3%) of all isolates were qnr positive, and the qnrA1-like, qnrB2-like, and qnrS1-like genes were detected alone or in combination in 3 (0.6%), 53 (10.1%), and 34 (6.5%) isolates, respectively. Among 149 putative extended-spectrum-β-lactamase-producing isolates, 59 (39.6%) isolates, all of which were SHV-12 producers, harbored qnrA (0.7%; 1 isolate), qnrB (28.9%; 43 isolates), or qnrS (12.1%; 18 isolates). Forty-four (78.6%) of 56 IMP-8 producers carried qnrB (58.9%; 33 isolates), qnrS (25.0%; 14 isolates), or both. PCR and sequence analysis revealed that qnrA1 was located in a complex sul1-type integron that contains dhr15, aadA2, qacEΔ1, sul1, orf513, qnrA1, ampR, and qacEΔ1. Conjugation experiments revealed the coexistence of qnrB and blaIMP-8 on the transferred plasmids and the absence of β-lactamase content on the transferred qnrS-positive plasmids. The transferred blaIMP-8-positive plasmids with and without qnrB had very similar restriction patterns, suggesting the horizontal mobility of qnrB. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed six major patterns among the 44 qnr-positive IMP-8-producing isolates. Thus, the extremely high prevalence of qnr among the metallo-β-lactamase-producing E. cloacae isolates in the hospital may be due mainly to the intrahospital spread of a few clones and the dissemination of plasmids containing both qnrB and blaIMP-8.
Contingent Urban Geographies of Violent Crime: Racial Segregation and the Impact of Public Housing in Atlanta

Neighborhood variations in crime incidence rates are most commonly interpreted through the lens of social disorganization theory, or a "communities and crime" perspective. This approach typically articulates explanation for crime by focusing on the characteristics of communities—a unitary scale most commonly equated with neighborhoods. We argue that this perspective fails to recognize the importance of broader urban geographic contexts, and offer an extension that sees geographically contingent processes functioning at multiple scales simultaneously. We develop this perspective applied to the "spread effects" of public housing on violent crime in surrounding neighborhoods: these spread effects are conditioned by the nature of the urban contexts through which they operate. Specifically, deeply divided and racialized patterns of residential segregation at least partially define the contexts that condition public housing's effect on crime. We examine our perspective using early 1990s block group data for the City of Atlanta and find substantial evidence in support of our perspective. In particular, we find that Techwood Homes, the nation's first federally constructed public housing project, exerted different geographic spread effects in predominantly White than in predominantly Black portions of the city. By failing to recognize the complexity and contingency of public housing's geographic effect on crime in surrounding neighborhoods, previous approaches substantially overestimate crime in White areas, and underestimate crime in Black areas.
The Scrooge Effect: Evidence that Mortality Salience Increases Prosocial Attitudes and Behavior

From the perspective of terror management theory, reminders of mortality should intensify the desire to express culturally prescribed prosocial attitudes and engage in culturally prescribed prosocial behaviors. Two studies supported these hypotheses. In Study 1, people were interviewed in close proximity to a funeral home or several blocks away and were asked to indicate their attitudes toward two charities they deemed important. Those who were interviewed in front of the funeral home reported more favorability toward these charities than those who were interviewed several blocks away. In Study 2, the authors found that following mortality salience, people gave more money to a charity supporting an American cause than people who had been exposed to an aversive control topic. However, mortality salience had no effect on the amount of money given to a foreign cause. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
The facilitation of social interactions by domestic dogs

Abstract Research suggests that dogs can facilitate social interactions, which, in turn, may promote psychological health. This study explored the ability of dogs to facilitate social responses relative to other accompaniments and investigated whether the social catalysis effect is generic or influenced by the appearance of the dog. The behavior of 1800 pedestrians approaching a female experimenter was recorded as a function of the presence of three dogs (Labrador Retriever pup, Labrador adult, Rottweiler adult) and two neutral stimuli (teddy bear, potted plant). The behavior of pedestrians approaching the woman whenever she was alone (control) was also explored. Information was collected on the passers-by’ gender, number of people in the party, type of acknowledgement elicited and length of conversations. More people ignored the experimenter whenever she was alone or with the teddy or plant, than whenever she was walking a dog. The Rottweiler resulted in more nonresponses than the puppy or adult Labrador, who in turn elicited more smiles and verbal responses. Females, and those alone, elicited more smiles and conversations than males, or those in pairs. It is concluded that dogs can facilitate social interactions between adults better than other accompaniments; however, the social catalysis effect is not generic, but dog specific.
CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC EFFECTS OF TERBUTALINE

Terbutaline is a selective beta 2 agonist used predominantly in the treatment of asthma. Since beta‐mediated responses increase heart rate, dilate peripheral arteries, modify carbohydrate metabolism and the uptake of electrolytes into cells, the administration of terbutaline might be expected to produce widespread effects. In this study the intravenous administration of 0.5 mg terbutaline over 60 min has been shown to produce marked changes without upsetting the volunteers. Heart rate, systolic blood pressure and plasma glucose all increase; diastolic pressure and serum potassium decrease. The data suggests that the terbutaline infusion may be a useful tool for the investigator. The results also quantitate some of the side effects which may result from the intravenous administration of a therapeutic dose of terbutaline given to asthmatics or to pregnant women to reduce uterine activity and delay childbirth.
Experiences in Cyber Security Education: The MIT Lincoln Laboratory Capture-the-Flag Exercise

Many popular and well-established cyber security Capture the Flag (CTF) exercises are held each year in a variety of settings, including universities and semiprofessional security conferences. CTF formats also vary greatly, ranging from linear puzzle-like challenges to team-based offensive and defensive free-for-all hacking competitions. While these events are exciting and important as contests of skill, they offer limited educational opportunities. In particular, since participation requires considerable a priori domain knowledge and practical computer security expertise, the majority of typical computer science students are excluded from taking part in these events. Our goal in designing and running the MIT/LL CTF was to make the experience accessible to a wider community by providing an environment that would not only test and challenge the computer security skills of the participants, but also educate and prepare those without an extensive prior expertise. This paper describes our experience in designing, organizing, and running an education-focused CTF, and discusses our teaching methods, game design, scoring measures, logged data, and lessons learned.
Metallosis following implantation of magnetically controlled growing rods in the treatment of scoliosis: a case series.

AIMS We present a case series of five patients who had revision surgery following magnetic controlled growing rods (MGCR) for early onset scoliosis. Metallosis was found during revision in four out of five patients and we postulated a mechanism for rod failure based on retrieval analysis. PATIENTS AND METHODS Retrieval analysis was performed on the seven explanted rods. The mean duration of MCGR from implantation to revision was 35 months (17 to 46). The mean age at revision was 12 years (7 to 15; four boys, one girl). RESULTS A total of six out of seven rods had tissue metallosis and pseudo-capsule surrounding the actuator. A total of four out of seven rods were pistoning. There were two rods which were broken. All rods had abrasive circumferential markings. A significant amount of metal debris was found when the actuators were carefully cut open. Analytical electron microscopy demonstrated metal fragments of predominantly titanium with a mean particle size of 3.36 microns (1.31 to 6.61). CONCLUSION This study highlights concerns with tissue metallosis in MCGR. We recommend careful follow-up of patients who have received this implant. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:1662-7.