Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neurofascin as a novel target for autoantibody-mediated axonal injury

Axonal injury is considered the major cause of disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), but the underlying effector mechanisms are poorly understood. Starting with a proteomics-based approach, we identified neurofascin-specific autoantibodies in patients with MS. These autoantibodies recognize the native form of the extracellular domains of both neurofascin 186 (NF186), a neuronal protein concentrated in myelinated fibers at nodes of Ranvier, and NF155, the oligodendrocyte-specific isoform of neurofascin. Our in vitro studies with hippocampal slice cultures indicate that neurofascin antibodies inhibit axonal conduction in a complement-dependent manner. To evaluate whether circulating antineurofascin antibodies mediate a pathogenic effect in vivo, we cotransferred these antibodies with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein–specific encephalitogenic T cells to mimic the inflammatory pathology of MS and breach the blood–brain barrier. In this animal model, antibodies to neurofascin selectively targeted nodes of Ranvier, resulting in deposition of complement, axonal injury, and disease exacerbation. Collectively, these results identify a novel mechanism of immune-mediated axonal injury that can contribute to axonal pathology in MS.
Caffeine and Excitation-Contraction Coupling in the Guinea Pig Taenia Coli

The effects of caffeine (0.2–10 mM) on the electrical and mechanical activities of guinea pig taenia coli were investigated with the double sucrose-gap method. Caffeine evoked a small tension with a latency of 20–30 sec, then phasic contraction developed and finally relaxation. The initial tension development also appeared in the Na-free solution without any marked changes in the membrane potential and membrane resistance. The phasic contraction disappeared in the Na-free solution. The relaxation in the presence of caffeine was accompanied by depolarization block of the spike generation. The minimum concentration of Ca ion needed to evoke the tension development by the caffeine was 10-7 M. Caffeine also potentiated the twitch tension below a concentration of 5 mM either in the Na-free solution or at low temperature (5°C). NO3 - and Br- showed a similar response to caffeine on the potentiation of the twitch tension at low temperature.
Parkinson's patients’ executive profile and goals they set for improvement: Why is cognitive rehabilitation not common practice?

Impairments in executive functions (EF) are the core cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Surprisingly, cognitive rehabilitation is not routinely offered to patients with PD. However, in patients with acquired brain injury (ABI), cognitive rehabilitation, in particular strategic executive training, is common practice and has been shown to be effective. In this study, we determined whether PD patients have different needs and aims with regard to strategic executive training than ABI patients, and whether possible differences might be a reason for not offering this kind of cognitive rehabilitation programme to patients with PD. Patients’ needs and aims were operationalised by individually set goals, which were classified into domains of EF and daily life. In addition, patients with PD and ABI were compared on their cognitive, in particular EF, profile. Overall, PD patients’ goals and cognitive profile were similar to those of patients with ABI. Therefore, based on the findings of this study, there is no reason to assume that strategic executive training cannot be part of standard therapy in PD. However, when strategic executive training is applied in clinical practice, disease-specific characteristics need to be taken into account.
The Measured Access Characteristics of World-Wide-Web Client Proxy Caches

The growing popularity of the World Wide Web is placing tremendous demands on the Internet. A key strategy for scaling the Internet to meet these increasing demands is to cache data near clients and thus improve access latency and reduce network and server load. Unfortunately, research in this area has been hampered by a poor understanding of the locality and sharing characteristics of Web-client accesses. The recent popularity of Web proxy servers provides a unique opportunity to improve this understanding, because a small number of proxy servers see accesses from thousands of clients. This paper presents an analysis of access traces collected from seven proxy servers deployed in various locations throughout the Internet. The traces record a total of 47.4 million requests made by 23,700 clients over a twenty-one day period. We use a combination of static analysis and trace-driven cache simulation to characterize the locality and sharing properties of these accesses. Our analysis shows that a 2- to 10-GB second-level cache yields hit rates between 24% and 45% with 85% of these hits due to sharing among different clients. Caches with more clients exhibit more sharing and thus higher hit rates. Between 2% and 7% of accesses are consistency misses to unmodified objects, using the Squid and CERN proxy cache coherence protocols. Sharing is bimodal. Requests for shared objects are divided evenly between objects that are narrowly shared and those that are shared by many clients; widely shared objects also tend to be shared by clients from unrelated traces.
Role of Haptoglobin in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Obesity and Disorders of Glucose Tolerance in Premenopausal Women

Background Hp2 alleles of the haptoglobin α–chain polymorphism reduce the anti-oxidant properties and increase the pro-inflammatory actions of this acute-phase protein in a gene-dosage fashion. We hypothesized that the haptoglobin polymorphism might contribute to the increased oxidative stress and low-grade chronic inflammation frequently associated with polycystic ovary syndrome, obesity, and abnormalities of glucose tolerance. Methodology/Principal Findings Serum haptoglobin and the haptoglobin α–chain polymorphism were determined in 141 patients with polycystic ovary syndrome and 102 non-hyperandrogenic women. Of the whole group of 243 premenopausal women, 117 were obese and 51 showed abnormal glucose tolerance. Although serum haptoglobin concentrations were similar in PCOS patients and controls, the former presented with an increased frequency of Hp2 alleles (62% vs. 52%, P = 0.023). Circulating haptoglobin levels increased with obesity (P<0.001), yet no association was found between obesity and haptoglobin genotypes. No differences were observed in haptoglobin levels or genotype frequencies depending on glucose tolerance. Fifty percent of the variation in serum haptoglobin concentrations was explained by the variability in serum C-reactive protein concentrations, BMI, insulin sensitivity and haptoglobin genotypes. Conclusions/Significance Serum haptoglobin concentrations in premenopausal women are largely dependent on the haptoglobin polymorphism and on the presence of obesity, with insulin resistance and chronic inflammation possibly modulating this relationship. The association of polycystic ovary syndrome with Hp2 alleles suggests that the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of haptoglobin may be reduced in these patients.
Human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor enhancer function is associated with cooperative interactions between AP-1 and NFATp/c

The promoter of the human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor gene is regulated by an inducible upstream enhancer. The enhancer encompasses three previously defined binding sites for the transcription factor NFAT (GM170, GM330, and GM550) and a novel NFAT site defined here as the GM420 element. While there was considerable redundancy within the enhancer, the GM330, GM420, and GM550 motifs each functioned efficiently in isolation as enhancer elements and bound NFATp and AP-1 in a highly cooperative fashion. These three NFAT sites closely resembled the distal interleukin-2 NFAT site, and methylation interference assays further defined GGA(N)9TCA as a minimum consensus sequence for this family of NFAT sites. By contrast, the GM170 site, which also had conserved GGA and TCA motifs but in which these motifs were separated by 15 bases, supported strong independent but no cooperative binding of AP-1 and NFATp, and this site functioned poorly as an enhancer element. While both the GM330 and GM420 elements were closely associated with the inducible DNase I-hypersensitive site within the enhancer, the GM420 element was the only NFAT site located within a 160-bp HincII-BalI fragment defined by deletion analysis as the essential core of the enhancer. The GM420 element was unusual, however, in containing a high-affinity NFATp/c-binding sequence (TGGAAAGA) immediately upstream of the sequence TGACATCA which more closely resembled a cyclic AMP response-like element than an AP-1 site. We suggest that the cooperative binding of NFATp/c and AP-1 requires a particular spacing of sites and that their cooperativity and induction via independent pathways ensure very tight regulation of the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor enhancer.
Parameterization of the score threshold for a text-dependent adaptive speaker verification system

We present a computationally efficient strategy for setting a priori thresholds in an adaptive speaker verification system. We have two motivations: to eliminate the externally preset overall system thresholds and replace them with automatically-set internal thresholds conditioned by a target FA rate and calculated at runtime; to counter the verification score shifts resulting from online adaptation. Our approach entails calculating the trajectory of the score threshold as a function of 1) length of the password, 2) target FA, 3) the number of training frames in the speaker model. The solution is successful at both achieving the target FA rates and keeping the FA rate constant during online adaptation. Furthermore, it is algorithmically simple and requires negligible computational resources. The threshold function is calibrated on a Japanese database and experimental results are presented on 12 databases in four different languages.
The Effect of Divided Attention on Encoding and Retrieval in Episodic Memory Revealed by Positron Emission Tomography

The effects of divided attention (DA) on episodic memory encoding and retrieval were investigated in 12 normal young subjects by positron emission tomography (PET). Cerebral blood flow was measured while subjects were concurrently performing a memory task (encoding and retrieval of visually presented word pairs) and an auditory tone-discrimination task. The PET data were analyzed using multivariate Partial Least Squares (PLS), and the results revealed three sets of neural correlates related to specific task contrasts. Brain activity, relatively greater under conditions of full attention (FA) than DA, was identified in the occipital-temporal, medial, and ventral-frontal areas, whereas areas showing relatively more activity under DA than FA were found in the cerebellum, temporo-parietal, left anterior-cingulate gyrus, and bilateral dorsolateral-prefrontal areas. Regions more active during encoding than during retrieval were located in the hippocampus, temporal and the prefrontal cortex of the left hemisphere, and regions more active during retrieval than during encoding included areas in the medial and right-prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, and cuneus. DA at encoding was associated with specific decreases in rCBF in the left-prefrontal areas, whereas DA at retrieval was associated with decreased rCBF in a relatively small region in the right-prefrontal cortex. These different patterns of activity are related to the behavioral results, which showed a substantial decrease in memory performance when the DA task was performed at encoding, but no change in memory levels when the DA task was performed at retrieval.
Applying a Pattern-Centered Approach to Understanding How Attachment, Gender Beliefs, and Homosociality Shape College Men's Sociosexuality

Although early research and the popular press have characterized college men as universal beneficiaries of uncommitted sex, emerging research notes considerable variability in men's sociosexuality (i.e., uncommitted sexual beliefs, desires, and behaviors). This study examined how diversity in sociosexuality is tied to the ways in which attachment orientations, conformity to masculinity norms, and homosocial engagement (i.e., nonromantic same-sex bonds) are organized across individuals. Latent profile analysis of 495 college males (ages 17 to 25, 62% White, 83.5% heterosexual) detected five subgroups: Fully Unrestricted (10% of sample; high on sociosexuality and conformity to masculinity norms); Cognitively Unrestricted (36%; comparable to Fully Unrestricteds but low on sociosexual behavior), Fully Restricted (30%; opposite on all constructs when compared to Fully Unrestricteds); Avoidant (16%; similar to Fully Restricteds but with greater attachment avoidance); and Discrepant (8%; above average on sociosexual behavior but discordant within and across constructs). There were notable demographic, personality, and behavioral differences among the subgroups (e.g., nearly 50% of the Discrepants self-identified as sexual minorities; Fully Restricteds were the most religious; Avoidants were the most shy). Findings indicate that college men's sociosexuality is highly nuanced and suggest the need for additional work to understand how attachment, masculinity norms, and homosociality shape men's sexual relationships.
One-Pot Synthesis and Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity of AgIn5S8/AgInS2 Composite

A composite of AgIn5S8/AgInS2 was prepared in aqueous solution by a simple low temperature process using mercaptoacetic acid as capping agent and thioacetamide as sulfur source. The composite was characterized by Xray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The obtained AgIn5S8/AgInS2 composite showed high visible photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange with 97.5% of degradation efficiency of methyl orange under visible irradiation for 10 min. Under same conditions, furthermore, the AgIn5S8/AgInS2 composite displayed better stability than that of pure AgIn5S8 and AgInS2.
The dynamical stability of W Ursae Majoris-type systems

Theoretical study indicates that a contact binary system would merge into a rapidly rotating single star due to tidal instability when the spin angular momentum of the system is more than a third of its orbital angular momentum. Assuming that W Ursae Majoris (W UMa) contact binary systems rigorously comply with the Roche geometry and the dynamical stability limit is at a contact degree of about 70 per cent, we obtain that W UMa systems might suffer Darwin's instability when their mass ratios are in a region of about 0.076-0.078 and merge into the fast-rotating stars. This suggests that the W UMa systems with mass ratio q <= 0.076 cannot be observed. Meanwhile, we find that the observed W UMa systems with a mass ratio of about 0.077, corresponding to a contact degree of about 86 per cent would suffer tidal instability and merge into the single fast-rotating stars. This suggests that the dynamical stability limit for the observed W UMa systems is higher than the theoretical value, implying that the observed systems have probably suffered the loss of angular momentum due to gravitational wave radiation (GR) or magnetic stellar wind (MSW).
Head and Neck Injuries in Fatal Motorcycle Collisions as Determined by Detailed Autopsy

Detailed layer-by-layer autopsy of the head and neck was performed on a prospective series of 73 fatally injured motorcyclists in order to identify occult injuries, particularly soft tissue neck injuries such as hemorrhage of vertebral and carotid arteries. The fatal cases were gathered as part of a larger study of 1,082 on-scene in-depth motorcycle crash investigations in Thailand. Detailed neck dissection was done on nearly all fatal cases. Injuries were coded using the 1990 revision of the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS 90) and an Injury Severity Score (ISS) was determined for each case. Additional AIS codes are proposed for neck injuries that were often identified during the detailed autopsy procedures, but which are not listed explicitly among existing AIS codes. Helmet use was determined based on analysis of injury patterns and helmet damage with consideration also given to witness statements. Both helmeted and unhelmeted motorcyclists showed a high frequency of occult neck injuries such as hemorrhages in the carotid sheath or surrounding the vertebral arteries, phrenic nerve, or brachial plexus. These soft tissue neck injuries sometimes accompanied more obvious injuries to cervical vertebrae or spinal cord, but about one-third of riders had no obvious injury to suggest the presence of occult neck injury. Twenty-eight motorcyclists had been wearing a helmet at the start of the collision sequence, but only nine helmets remained in place through the entire collision event. Helmeted riders showed more severe somatic (below-the-neck) injuries than unhelmeted riders, suggesting helmeted riders are less likely to die in low-threat accidents with somatic injuries below AIS-3. The most significant finding of this study was the identification of serious internal neck injuries despite the absence of external physical evidence of trauma to the neck. Virtually all riders with significant head injuries showed some of these soft tissue neck injuries. Approximately one-third of the critically injured riders who survived at least a few hours before death showed serious occult soft tissue neck injuries.
Anti-parasite treatment removes negative effects of environmental pollutants on reproduction in an Arctic seabird

Recent studies have shown that the detrimental effects of anthropogenic pollutants may be worse if organisms are exposed to natural stress. In this study, we examined whether negative effects of organochlorines (OCs) could be influenced by parasites. In two breeding seasons, we administered an anti-helminthic drug to groups of breeding glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus), whereas control groups were placebo treated. In all birds, blood residues of the most important OCs in the study population (hexachlorobenzene, oxychlordane, p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene and polychlorinated biphenyl), were measured. The relationships between OCs and fitness components (i.e. nesting success and return rate between breeding seasons) were then compared between the birds receiving anti-parasite treatment and the controls. Among untreated males, higher blood residues of OCs were associated with lowered nesting success, while in males receiving anti-parasite treatment, there was no detrimental effect of OCs on fitness. Return rate was not affected by treatment or OCs. Our findings suggest that parasites may be an important factor in triggering reproductive effects of such pollutants, and that relatively low levels of OCs may have serious reproductive consequences in natural populations when stress from other sources is high.
Temporal Patterns in Student-Advisor Instant Messaging Exchanges: Individual Variation and Accommodation

This study analyzed rhythm and timing in 18 instant messenger (IM) conversations between one advisor and four graduate students (4 dyads), hypothesizing that individuals would show a consistent style across sessions but would differ from one another across dyads. ANOVA results supported the hypotheses for individual students and dyads; however, the advisor varied the timing of her messages to harmonize with the students' preferred temporal styles. These findings suggest that individuals' temporal consistency with themselves may be disrupted if they accommodate to others; advisors may be especially likely to do this. A correlation was also found between number of characters and seconds per message across sessions, on the basis of which we posit an overall temporal profile for dyadic IM. Implications of the findings are discussed for online advising, instruction, and system design.
The use of a novel nitinol guidewire to facilitate transseptal puncture and left atrial catheterization for catheter ablation procedures.

AIMS An increasing number of transseptal punctures (TSPs) are performed worldwide for atrial ablations. Transseptal punctures can be complex and can be associated with potentially life threatening complications. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel transseptal guidewire (TSGW) designed to facilitate TSPs. METHODS AND RESULTS Transseptal punctures were performed using a SafeSept TSGW passed through a standard TSP apparatus. Transseptal punctures were performed by standard technique with additional use of a TSGW allowing probing of the interatrial septum without needle exposure and penetration of the fossa into the left atrium (LA). Transseptal puncture using the TSGW was performed in 210 patients. Left atrial access was achieved successfully in 205 of 210 patients (97.6%) and in 96.3% of patients undergoing repeat TSP. Left atrial access was achieved with the first pass in 81.2% (mean 1.4 ± 0.9 passes, range 1-6) using the TSGW. No serious complications were attributable to the use of the TSGW, even in cases of failed TSP. CONCLUSIONS The TSGW is associated with a high success rate for TSP and may be a useful alternative to transoesophageal or intracardiac echocardiogram-guided TSP.
Enzymatic activities in European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, and pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, hemolymph.

Enzymatic activities in the hemolymph of healthy and Bonamia-infected Ostrea edulis and Crassostrea gigas were studied with a commercial kit for the detection of 19 enzymes: 15 and 16 enzymes, respectively, were detected in the hemolymph of O. edulis and C. gigas and 10 of them showed relatively high activity levels. Most of them existed in both the cell-free fraction of the hemolymph and in the hemocytes. The cell-free hemolymph fraction of Bonamia ostreae-infected European flat oysters showed an elevated enzymatic activity level compared with that of healthy individuals. C. gigas hemocytes possessed higher enzymatic activity levels than O. edulis hemocytes. Differences in enzymatic activities existed in granulocytes and hyalinocytes in both oyster species. The enzyme release from oyster hemocytes seemed to be selective. The infection by B. ostreae induced enzymatic activity variations in European flat oysters. Higher enzyme levels within hemocytes may contribute partly to the natural resistance of C. gigas to the infection by B. ostreae.
A machine learning approach to model the received signal in molecular communications

A molecular communication channel is determined by the received signal, which forms the basis for studies that are focusing on modulation, receiver design, capacity, and coding. Therefore, it is crucial to model the number of received molecules until time t. Received signal is modeled analytically when the transmitter is a point and the receiver is an absorbing sphere. Modeling the diffusion-based molecular communication channel with the first-hitting process (i.e., with an absorbing receiver) is an open issue when the transmitter is a reflecting spherical body. In this paper, we utilize the artificial neural networks technique to model the received signal for a spherical transmitter and a perfectly absorbing receiver (i.e., first-hitting process). The proposed technique may be utilized in other studies that assume a spherical transmitter instead of a point transmitter.
Comparative Study of the Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Alpha- and Beta-Asarone

The cytotoxicity of alpha- and beta-asarone was investigated with the BrdU assay in HepG2-cells. Alpha-asarone was found to be more toxic than beta-asarone after 24 hours of treatment. Investigation of the genotoxicity using the micronucleus assay in the HepG2-cell system showed that only after metabolic activation by a liver microsomal preparation, beta-asarone was able to induce micronuclei at concentrations higher than 50 μg/mL.