Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chaperone‐client interactions between Hsp21 and client proteins monitored in solution by small angle X‐ray scattering and captured by crosslinking mass spectrometry

The small heat shock protein (sHsp) chaperones are important for stress survival, yet the molecular details of how they interact with client proteins are not understood. All sHsps share a folded middle domain to which is appended flexible N‐ and C‐terminal regions varying in length and sequence between different sHsps which, in different ways for different sHsps, mediate recognition of client proteins. In plants there is a chloroplast‐localized sHsp, Hsp21, and a structural model suggests that Hsp21 has a dodecameric arrangement with six N‐terminal arms located on the outside of the dodecamer and six inwardly‐facing. Here, we investigated the interactions between Hsp21 and thermosensitive model substrate client proteins in solution, by small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) and crosslinking mass spectrometry. The chaperone‐client complexes were monitored and the Rg‐values were found to increase continuously during 20 min at 45°, which could reflect binding of partially unfolded clients to the flexible N‐terminal arms of the Hsp21 dodecamer. No such increase in Rg‐values was observed with a mutational variant of Hsp21, which is mainly dimeric and has reduced chaperone activity. Crosslinking data suggest that the chaperone‐client interactions involve the N‐terminal region in Hsp21 and only certain parts in the client proteins. These parts are peripheral structural elements presumably the first to unfold under destabilizing conditions. We propose that the flexible and hydrophobic N‐terminal arms of Hsp21 can trap and refold early‐unfolding intermediates with or without dodecamer dissociation.
Influence of Multiple Social Risks on Children's Health

OBJECTIVE. Social risk factors such as growing up in poverty, racial/ethnic minority status, and maternal depression have been associated with poorer health outcomes for children. This study examined the strength of association of 8 social risk factors, both individually and as part of a cumulative social risk index, on parent-reported child health status. METHODS. We performed an analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health, a telephone survey of 102353 parents of children aged 0 to 17 years. In bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models, 8 social risk factors were tested as independent predictors of 4 parent-reported child health outcomes: global health status, dental health, socioemotional health, and overweight. These risk factors were combined into a categorical “social risk index” ranging from low risk (0 risk factors) to very high risk (≥6 risk factors), and risk gradients were examined using linear polynomial testing and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS. The percentage of children in poorer health increased with the number of social risk factors across all health outcomes. More than half of children had ≥2 risk factors, and 24% had ≥4. Low maternal mental health, black or Hispanic race/ethnicity, <200% of the federal poverty level, low household education, unsafe neighborhoods, and lack of health insurance increased the odds for less than very good child health in adjusted models. CONCLUSIONS. Multiple social risk factors have a cumulative effect on parent-reported child health status across physical and socioemotional domains, demonstrating a very strong risk gradient effect. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing multiple levels of social risk to achieve improvements in child health.
BRDF models for accurate and efficient rendering of glossy surfaces

This article presents two new parametric models of the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF), one inspired by the Rayleigh-Rice theory for light scattering from optically smooth surfaces, and one inspired by micro-facet theory. The models represent scattering from a wide range of glossy surface types with high accuracy. In particular, they enable representation of types of surface scattering which previous parametric models have had trouble modeling accurately. In a study of the scattering behavior of measured reflectance data, we investigate what key properties are needed for a model to accurately represent scattering from glossy surfaces. We investigate different parametrizations and how well they match the behavior of measured BRDFs. We also examine the scattering curves which are represented in parametric models by different distribution functions. Based on the insights gained from the study, the new models are designed to provide accurate fittings to the measured data. Importance sampling schemes are developed for the new models, enabling direct use in existing production pipelines. In the resulting renderings we show that the visual quality achieved by the models matches that of the measured data.
Crystal nucleation in simple and complex fluids

The application of density-functional methods from statistical mechanics to the nucleation of crystals from the melt is described. Simple fluids such as metals, with sizes comparable with the range of their attractive forces, are compared with complex fluids such as colloidal suspensions and proteins dissolved in solution. A different mechanism for crystal nucleation is proposed in the latter case, in which density (concentration) changes before periodic crystalline order appears. This leads to a theoretical foundation for empirical observations on the ‘crystallization window’ in protein crystallization. Comparisons are made with the results of computer simulation via molecular dynamics.
Dependence of Na+ pump current on external monovalent cations and membrane potential in rabbit cardiac Purkinje cells.

1. The effect of membrane potential and various extracellular monovalent cations on the Na+ pump current (Ip) was studied on isolated, single Purkinje cells of the rabbit heart by means of whole‐cell recording. 2. Ip was identified as current activated by external K+ or its congeners NH4+ and Tl+. The current was blocked by dihydroouabain (1‐5 x 10(‐4) M) over the whole range of membrane potentials tested. 3. In Na(+)‐containing solution half‐maximum Ip activation (K0.5) occurred at 0.4 mM‐Tl+, 1.9 mM‐K+ and 5.7 mM‐NH4+ (holding potential, ‐20 mV). 4. The pump current (Ip)‐voltage (V) relationship of the cells in Na(+)‐containing media with K+ or its congeners at the tested concentrations greater than K0.5 displayed a steep positive slope at negative membrane potentials between ‐120 and ‐20 mV. Little voltage dependence of Ip was observed at more positive potentials up to +40 mV. At even more positive potentials Ip measured at 2 and 5.4 mM‐K+ decreased. 5. Lowering the concentration of K+ or its congeners below the K0.5 value in Na(+)‐containing solution induced a region of negative slope of the Ip‐V curve at membrane potentials positive to ‐20 mV. 6. The shape of the Ip‐V relationship remained unchanged when the K+ concentration (5.4 mM) of the Na(+)‐containing medium was replaced by NH4+ or Tl+ concentrations of similar potency to activate Ip (20 mM‐NH4+ or 2 mM‐Tl+). 7. In Na(+)‐free, choline‐containing solution half‐maximum Ip activation occurred at 0.13 mM‐K+ (holding potential, ‐20 mV). 8. At negative membrane potentials the positive slope of the Ip‐V curve was flatter in Na(+)‐free than in Na(+)‐containing media. A reduced voltage dependence of Ip persisted, regardless of whether choline ions or Li+ were used as a Na+ substitute. 9. Lowering the K+ concentration of the Na(+)‐free, choline‐containing solution to 0.05 mM evoked an extended region of negative slope in the Ip‐V relationship at membrane potentials between ‐40 and +60 mV. 10. It is concluded that the apparent affinity of the Na(+)‐K+ pump towards K+ in cardiac Purkinje cells depends on both the membrane potential and the extracellular Na+ concentration. 11. The region of negative slope of the Ip‐V curve observed in cells which were superfused with media containing low concentrations of K+ or its congeners strongly suggests the existence of at least two voltage‐sensitive steps in the cardiac Na(+)‐K+ pump cycle. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Evolutionary Multi-Objective Workflow Scheduling in Cloud

Cloud computing provides promising platforms for executing large applications with enormous computational resources to offer on demand. In a Cloud model, users are charged based on their usage of resources and the required quality of service (QoS) specifications. Although there are many existing workflow scheduling algorithms in traditional distributed or heterogeneous computing environments, they have difficulties in being directly applied to the Cloud environments since Cloud differs from traditional heterogeneous environments by its service-based resource managing method and pay-per-use pricing strategies. In this paper, we highlight such difficulties, and model the workflow scheduling problem which optimizes both makespan and cost as a Multi-objective Optimization Problem (MOP) for the Cloud environments. We propose an evolutionary multi-objective optimization (EMO)-based algorithm to solve this workflow scheduling problem on an infrastructure as a service (IaaS) platform. Novel schemes for problem-specific encoding and population initialization, fitness evaluation and genetic operators are proposed in this algorithm. Extensive experiments on real world workflows and randomly generated workflows show that the schedules produced by our evolutionary algorithm present more stability on most of the workflows with the instance-based IaaS computing and pricing models. The results also show that our algorithm can achieve significantly better solutions than existing state-of-the-art QoS optimization scheduling algorithms in most cases. The conducted experiments are based on the on-demand instance types of Amazon EC2; however, the proposed algorithm are easy to be extended to the resources and pricing models of other IaaS services.
Sorption Behavior of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn and Their Interactions in Phytoremediated Soil

The aim of our study was to compare the sorption properties of a contaminated soil before and after two types of phytoremediation (natural phytoextraction vs. phytostabilization with dolomite limestone (DL) application). Soil from a pot experiment in controlled greenhouse conditions performed for two vegetation periods was used for the study. Lead, as the main contaminant in the studied soil, was easily desorbed by Cu, especially due to the increased affinity of Cu for soil organic matter; hence input of Cu to the studied soil can present another environmental risk in soils contaminated with other metals (such as Pb). In addition, the sorption behavior of chosen metals from single-element solutions differed from multi-element solutions. The obtained results proved the different sorption behavior of metals in the single-element solution compared to the multi-element ones. Soil sorption behavior of Cd, Cu, and Zn decreased with the presence of the competitive metals; nevertheless, Pb sorption potential was not influenced by other competitive metals. Natural phytoextraction showed no significant effect on the sorption of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn onto the soil. On the other hand, phytostabilization associated with DL application improved the soil sorption efficiency of all chosen metals, especially of Cu.
Immunochemical characterization of inhibitory mouse cortical neurons: Three chemically distinct classes of inhibitory cells

The cerebral cortex has diverse types of inhibitory neurons. In rat cortex, past research has shown that parvalbumin (PV), somatostatin (SOM), calretinin (CR), and cholecystokinin (CCK) label four distinct chemical classes of GABAergic interneurons. However, in contrast to rat cortex, previous studies indicate that there is significant colocalization of SOM and CR in mouse cortical inhibitory neurons. In the present study we further characterized immunochemical distinctions among mouse inhibitory cortical neurons by double immunochemical labeling with chemical markers. We found that, PV, SOM, and vasointenstinal peptide (VIP) reliably identify three nonoverlapping distinct subpopulations, as there was no overlap of immunoreactivity between PV and all the other chemical markers tested, and SOM and VIP did not show any overlap in labeled neurons in all the cortical areas. In comparison, there was significant overlap in combinations of other chemical markers. With some laminar and regional variations, the average overlap of SOM/CR (percentage of SOM+ cells expressing CR) and SOM/neuropeptide tyrosine (NPY) across all examined layers and cortical regions was 21.6% and 7.1%, respectively. The average overlap of VIP/CR, VIP/NPY, and CR/NPY was 34.2%, 9.5%, and 10%, respectively. We quantified and assessed the percentages of marker‐positive GABAergic cells, and showed that the nonoverlapping subpopulations (i.e., PV+, SOM+ and VIP+ cells) accounted for about 60% of the GABAergic cell population. Taken together, our data reveal important chemical distinctions between mouse inhibitory cortical neurons and indicate that PV, SOM, and VIP can differentially label a majority of mouse inhibitory cortical neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:389–404, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Examination on Brain Training Method: Effects of n-back task and dual-task

Background : Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is the most common dementia, accounting for more than 60% of all dementia cases. For adults aged >65 years, the incidence rate doubles for every 5 years of increased age; therefore, preserving cognitive function is a pressing issue. Thus, our team screens for AD in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, at 11 public halls in Kashihara City, Japan, and offers follow-up to those with cognitive difficulties. The purpose of this research was to measure the effects of two interventions, a dual-task (requiring the participant to perform two tasks at the same time) and an n-back task (test of memory retention, requiring the participant to identify the item occupying the nth-back position in a sequence of items). A comparison group performed a single learning task in place of the dual-task. Moreover, the majority of non-drug therapies for the maintenance of cognitive function help promote a positive mood, activating reward systems in the brain and motivating the individual to continue the task. Therefore, the correlation between cognitive function, and positive and negative mood was investigated. Methods : Dual and n- back task (n = 304) and single-task (n = 78) groups were compared in a 6-month intervention. Salivary α-amylase concentration was measured, which reflects positive and negative mood, and correlations with cognitive function were analyzed. Results : Cognitive function improved in both the dual-task and the single-task groups, and many cognitive domains had improved in the dual-task group. A correlation between salivary α-amylase and cognitive function was found, indicating that a greater positive mood was associated with greater cognitive function. Conclusion : The results of this research show that functional decline can be improved by a cognitive intervention. Positive mood and cognitive function were correlated, suggesting that encouraging comfort in the participant can increase the effectiveness of the intervention.
A flexible GaN MMIC enabling digital power amplifiers for the future wireless infrastructure

This paper presents a GaN power-switch MMIC and demonstrates its potential and its versatility in realizing power amplifier (PA) modules for future LTE base station transmitters with an increased digital content. The MMIC provides a compact high-gain broadband voltage-mode PA. With a TTL-level input voltage swing of 0.4 Vpp it reaches a large-signal gain of up to 40 dB. The PA can be used as a building block for various class-S and related applications. As examples, a single-chip and an H-bridge PA module for the 800 MHz band are reported as well as a digital Doherty PA.
Improving SRAM test quality by leveraging self-timed circuits

As process technology continues to scale, SRAM test quality has become a growing concern in modern System-on-Chips. Ensuring high test quality while keeping costs low requires increasingly effective memory test solutions. This paper proposes the reuse of self-timing mechanisms that are integrated in many state-of-the-art SRAMs as a programmable DFT solution to improve the defect coverage of memory test algorithms. Its effectiveness is analyzed based on the injection of resistive-open defects inside SRAM core-cells. Simulation results of an industrial 28nm memory design show that the proposed test solution increases the coverage of studied defects by up to 30% dependent on their location, while not requiring extra circuitry inside the SRAM.
The Genius of the Principle of Normalization.

This paper discusses the genius of the principle of normalization in the development of better services for socially devalued people. It argues that the definition of normalization sets a direction for learning-through-action which is clear and convincing, as well as indefinite and conditional, and rests on a deep appreciation of the everyday workings of the powers of social devaluation. In addition, some methods for teaching its application give learners the experience of stepping outside the certainties of everyday human service work, into a role that can be the seed-bed for a new understanding of the situations of people with disabilities. The paper considers the powers of social devaluation and paths to reform. It concludes that failure to appreciate either the power of social devaluation or the promise of working hard to continually expand what is possible, blunts the principle of normalization's effectiveness as a guide for the creation of better services and feeds the widespread temptation to approach deep and enduring ethical issues with superficial and transient techniques. It argues that only by forming and sustaining heart-to-heart alliances with devalued people can people concerned about improving services walk the complementary paths of detachment and creation toward a somewhat more just and inclusive community. (Contains 15 references.) (CR) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. The Genius of The Principle of Normalization John O'Brien Responsive Systems Associates 58 Willowick Drive Lithonia, GA 30038 This paper was supported through a subcontract from the Center on Human Policy, Syracuse University for the Research and Training Center on Community Living, University of Minnesota, supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), through Contract No. H133B30072. Members of the Center are encouraged to express their opinions; however, these do not necessarily represent the official position of NIDRR and no endorsement should be inferred. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 19/1his document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. 2 JEST COPY AVAILABLE The Genius of the Principle of Normalization
Balanced CMOS LC-tank analog frequency dividers for quadrature LO generation

A regenerative circuit based on an LC-tank balanced divider is proposed in this paper for quadrature LO signal generation. For given tank quality factor, it provides larger operation bandwidth and improved quadrature accuracy when compared with conventional injection locked frequency dividers. The operation bandwidth can be adjusted dynamically simply regulating the biasing current. Experimental results, carried on 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS prototypes, show 42% range with a tank quality factor of 13.5 while driving 1.5pF output capacitance. At the band edge, biasing current is 8mA. Quadrature accuracy has been verified through the achievable image rejection of a purposely developed single side band up-converter. Measurements, performed on five samples, show a minimum image rejection of 44dB.
A Fractal Nature for Polymerized Laminin

Polylaminin (polyLM) is a non-covalent acid-induced nano- and micro-structured polymer of the protein laminin displaying distinguished biological properties. Polylaminin stimulates neuritogenesis beyond the levels achieved by ordinary laminin and has been shown to promote axonal regeneration in animal models of spinal cord injury. Here we used confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to characterize its three-dimensional structure. Renderization of confocal optical slices of immunostained polyLM revealed the aspect of a loose flocculated meshwork, which was homogeneously stained by the antibody. On the other hand, an ordinary matrix obtained upon adsorption of laminin in neutral pH (LM) was constituted of bulky protein aggregates whose interior was not accessible to the same anti-laminin antibody. SEM and AFM analyses revealed that the seed unit of polyLM was a flat polygon formed in solution whereas the seed structure of LM was highly heterogeneous, intercalating rod-like, spherical and thin spread lamellar deposits. As polyLM was visualized at progressively increasing magnifications, we observed that the morphology of the polymer was alike independently of the magnification used for the observation. A search for the Hausdorff dimension in images of the two matrices showed that polyLM, but not LM, presented fractal dimensions of 1.55, 1.62 and 1.70 after 1, 8 and 12 hours of adsorption, respectively. Data in the present work suggest that the intrinsic fractal nature of polymerized laminin can be the structural basis for the fractal-like organization of basement membranes in the neurogenic niches of the central nervous system.
The DF-dice storage element for immunity to soft errors

This paper describes the delay filtered dual interlocked storage cell, which is immune to single event transients on any of the inputs and single event upsets within the storage cell. The increase in area and speed of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) employing the proposed cells are proportional to the targeted single-event transient (SET) pulse-width. A standard ASIC can easily be converted to a soft-error tolerant design by simply replacing all the storage elements with the proposed cells. The area and speed performance of the proposed cells targeted for an 800ps wide SET have been evaluated. The resulting designs are immune to soft-errors with acceptable area penalty and modest degradation in speed.