Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Construction of Instantons via Tachyon Condensation

We investigate the D-brane bound states from the viewpoint of the unstable D/D-system and their tachyon condensation. We consider two systems; a system of kD(−1)-branes and ND3-branes with open strings connecting them and a system of ND3-branes with open strings corresponding to the k-instanton flux, both of which are realized through the tachyon condensation from (N + 2k)D3-branes and 2kD3-branes with appropriate tachyon profiles. It can be shown that these systems are related with each other through a unitary gauge transformation of the D3/D3-system. We construct an explicit form of the gauge transformation and show that the essential elements of the ADHM construction naturally arise from the explicit form of the gauge transformation. As a result, the ADHM construction is understood as an outcome of this gauge equivalence in different low energy limits. The small instanton singularities can be also understood in this context. Other kinds of solitons with different codimensions are also discussed from the view point of the tachyon condensation.
Tapachula-7, a New Genetic Sexing Strain of the Mexican Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae): Sexual Compatibility and Competitiveness

ABSTRACT A new genetic sexing strain of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew), was evaluated in tests of sexual behavior to determine its possible application using the sterile insect technique. Tests in field cages measuring time to sexual maturity, compatibility with wild flies, and competitiveness were compared between the genetic sexing strain, Tapachula-7, and the mass-reared standard bisexual strain. The results indicated that the onset of sexual maturity was similar for both laboratory strains. Males from the Tapachula-7 strain do not differ from the standard bisexual strain in compatibility and competitiveness with wild insects. The results indicate that the release of Tapachula-7 males in the field would be viable in programs that use the sterile insect technique for the control of the Mexican fruit fly.
Transcriptional Regulation of Pro-apoptotic Protein Kinase Cδ

We previously demonstrated that protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ; PKC delta) is an oxidative stress-sensitive kinase that plays a causal role in apoptotic cell death in neuronal cells. Although PKCδ activation has been extensively studied, relatively little is known about the molecular mechanisms controlling PKCδ expression. To characterize the regulation of PKCδ expression, we cloned an ∼2-kbp 5′-promoter segment of the mouse Prkcd gene. Deletion analysis indicated that the noncoding exon 1 region contained multiple Sp sites, including four GC boxes and one CACCC box, which directed the highest levels of transcription in neuronal cells. In addition, an upstream regulatory region containing adjacent repressive and anti-repressive elements with opposing regulatory activities was identified within the region −712 to −560. Detailed mutagenesis studies revealed that each Sp site made a positive contribution to PKCδ promoter expression. Overexpression of Sp family proteins markedly stimulated PKCδ promoter activity without any synergistic transactivating effect. Furthermore, experiments in Sp-deficient SL2 cells indicated long isoform Sp3 as the essential activator of PKCδ transcription. Importantly, both PKCδ promoter activity and endogenous PKCδ expression in NIE115 cells and primary striatal cultures were inhibited by mithramycin A. The results from chromatin immunoprecipitation and gel shift assays further confirmed the functional binding of Sp proteins to the PKCδ promoter. Additionally, we demonstrated that overexpression of p300 or CREB-binding protein increases the PKCδ promoter activity. This stimulatory effect requires intact Sp-binding sites and is independent of p300 histone acetyltransferase activity. Finally, modulation of Sp transcriptional activity or protein level profoundly altered the cell death induced by oxidative insult, demonstrating the functional significance of Sp-dependent PKCδ gene expression. Collectively, our findings may have implications for development of new translational strategies against oxidative damage.
Pharmacological targeting of GSK3β confers protection against podocytopathy and proteinuria by desensitizing mitochondrial permeability transition

Mitochondrial dysfunction, triggered by mitochondria permeability transition (MPT), has been centrally implicated in the pathogenesis of podocytopathy and involves a multitude of cell signalling mechanisms, among which, glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) 3β has emerged as the integration point and plays a crucial role. This study aimed to examine the role of GSK3β in podocyte MPT and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Model predictive trajectory planning with fallback-strategy for an active Heave Compensation system

Active Heave Compensation (AHC) systems need an active control of the heaving winch in order to decouple the offshore crane's lift operation from the vertical motion of the vessel. Two-degree-of-freedom control (2DOF) can give good tracking control performance for such applications. However, every 2DOF control system requires a reference trajectory which has to fulfill requirements regarding continuity and differentiability. In case of AHC applications, the drive system of the winch is usually limited by velocity and acceleration constraints. Thus, the trajectory planning needs to take these constraints into account. Furthermore, the trajectory needs to be generated in real-time which narrows down the number of possible algorithms. In this work, a real-time model predictive trajectory planner is presented. By means of predictions of the vertical position and velocity of the crane tip, an optimal control problem is formulated and solved online for every time step. Furthermore, state constraints are taken into account. For the case when no optimal control solution can be found within the available time, a repetitive polynomial-based trajectory planner is used as fallback-strategy. The proposed approach is validated with simulations as well as experiments on the Liebherr AHC test bench.
Prediction of response to anticancer treatment as simple as the resolution of ordinary differential equations?

The introduction of differential equations in medicine is due to the Swiss physician mathematician, Daniel Bernoulli (1700–1782), who calculated the survival gain of the population by the generalisation of smallpox virus inoculation.1 Many models in systems biology are described as systems of ordinary differential equations, which consist of establishing series of mathematical relationships that describe the sequential changes in components of the systems over time.2 Programmed cell death, apoptosis, can be activated through two different pathways: the death receptor or extrinsic pathway, engaged by members of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor family on the cell surface; and the Bcl-2-regulated mitochondrial (B-cell lymphoma 2) or intrinsic pathway. The intrinsic pathway starts with BH3-only protein induction or post-translational activation, which results in inactivation of some BCL-2 family members. This relieves inhibition of BAX(BCL2-associated X protein) and BAK (BCL2-antagonist/killer 1) activation, which in turn promotes apoptosis through induction of permeabilisation of the outer mitochondrial membrane and subsequent release of apoptogenic molecules, such as cytochrome c and DIABLO (IAP-binding mitochondrial protein). Cytochrome c binds to APAF1 (apoptotic peptidase …
Determinants of pain severity in knee osteoarthritis: effect of demographic and psychosocial variables using 3 pain measures.

OBJECTIVES Why some patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) report greater pain severity than others is unclear. We examined the demographic variables, psychosocial variables, and physical findings that predict severity of pain in patients with symptomatic knee OA comparing 3 different pain scales. METHODS Pain severity was measured in 68 outpatients with knee OA using the WOMAC OA Index, the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), and a 0-100 visual analog scale (VAS). Depression, anxiety, fatigue, helplessness, self-efficacy, and quality of life were measured using standard instruments. Pain threshold was measured by dolorimetry and a standard knee examination performed. Radiographs were viewed when available. RESULTS Significant correlations (r = 0.39-0.61) were found between pain measures. In unadjusted analysis, BMI and helplessness correlated with all 3 scales; race, education, female sex, and osteophyte score also correlated with at least one instrument. Depression, anxiety, and fatigue correlated only with the MPQ. Age, duration, and quality of life were not related to pain severity. After adjusted analysis the following variables remained: education, helplessness, and osteophyte score (WOMAC); BMI and helplessness (MPQ); duration, education, helplessness, and osteophyte score (VAS). "Sitting pain" and "night pain" had different associations from pain on walking, standing, or using stairs. CONCLUSION Different pain scales measure different facets of the pain experience in knee OA and cannot be used interchangeably. The WOMAC pain scale has advantages over other instruments. Helplessness, education, and BMI appear to be important, potentially treatable, factors in determining self-reported pain severity in knee OA: other associations vary with both the pain scale used and the situation in which pain occurs, supporting the hypothesis that pain in knee OA is heterogeneous.
Mapping heterogeneity in patient-derived melanoma cultures by single-cell RNA-seq

Recent technological advances in single-cell genomics make it possible to analyze cellular heterogeneity of tumor samples. Here, we applied single-cell RNA-seq to measure the transcriptomes of 307 single cells cultured from three biopsies of three different patients with a BRAF/NRAS wild type, BRAF mutant/NRAS wild type and BRAF wild type/NRAS mutant melanoma metastasis, respectively. Analysis based on self-organizing maps identified sub-populations defined by multiple gene expression modules involved in proliferation, oxidative phosphorylation, pigmentation and cellular stroma. Gene expression modules had prognostic relevance when compared with gene expression data from published melanoma samples and patient survival data. We surveyed kinome expression patterns across sub-populations of the BRAF/NRAS wild type sample and found that CDK4 and CDK2 were consistently highly expressed in the majority of cells, suggesting that these kinases might be involved in melanoma progression. Treatment of cells with the CDK4 inhibitor palbociclib restricted cell proliferation to a similar, and in some cases greater, extent than MAPK inhibitors. Finally, we identified a low abundant sub-population in this sample that highly expressed a module containing ABC transporter ABCB5, surface markers CD271 and CD133, and multiple aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs). Patient-derived cultures of the BRAF mutant/NRAS wild type and BRAF wild type/NRAS mutant metastases showed more homogeneous single-cell gene expression patterns with gene expression modules for proliferation and ABC transporters. Taken together, our results describe an intertumor and intratumor heterogeneity in melanoma short-term cultures which might be relevant for patient survival, and suggest promising targets for new treatment approaches in melanoma therapy.
Myelination and Axonal Electrical Activity Modulate the Distribution and Motility of Mitochondria at CNS Nodes of Ranvier

Energy production presents a formidable challenge to axons as their mitochondria are synthesized and degraded in neuronal cell bodies. To meet the energy demands of nerve conduction, small mitochondria are transported to and enriched at mitochondrial stationary sites located throughout the axon. In this study, we investigated whether size and motility of mitochondria in small myelinated CNS axons are differentially regulated at nodes, and whether mitochondrial distribution and motility are modulated by axonal electrical activity. The size/volume of mitochondrial stationary sites was significantly larger in juxtaparanodal/internodal axoplasm than in nodal/paranodal axoplasm. With three-dimensional electron microscopy, we observed that axonal mitochondrial stationary sites were composed of multiple mitochondria of varying length, except at nodes where mitochondria were uniformly short and frequently absent altogether. Mitochondrial transport speed was significantly reduced in nodal axoplasm compared with internodal axoplasm. Increased axonal electrical activity decreased mitochondrial transport and increased the size of mitochondrial stationary sites in nodal/paranodal axoplasm. Decreased axonal electrical activity had the opposite effect. In cerebellar axons of the myelin-deficient rat, which contain voltage-gated Na+ channel clusters but lack paranodal specializations, axonal mitochondrial motility and stationary site size were similar at Na+ channel clusters and other axonal regions. These results demonstrate juxtaparanodal/internodal enrichment of stationary mitochondria and neuronal activity-dependent dynamic modulation of mitochondrial distribution and transport in nodal axoplasm. In addition, the modulation of mitochondrial distribution and motility requires oligodendrocyte–axon interactions at paranodal specializations.
Plant uptake and translocation of highly weathered, soil‐bound technical chlordane residues: Data from field and rhizotron studies

It has been observed that plants are susceptible to uptake from soil and in planta transport of technical chlordane, in spite of its hydrophobicity and sequestration within the soil matrix due to weathering. Field and rhizotron studies were conducted with Cucurbitaceae planted in highly weathered, chlordane‐contaminated soil to investigate details of soil‐to‐plant contaminant uptake. In the field‐work, Cucurbita pepo L. (zucchini) was grown in soil at four levels of chlordane contamination: Clean (
Topical application of a sandal wood oil and turmeric based cream prevents radiodermatitis in head and neck cancer patients undergoing external beam radiotherapy: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE The study objective was to assess the effectiveness of a turmeric- and sandal wood oil-containing cream [Vicco(®) turmeric cream (VTC); Vicco Laboratories, Parel, India] on radiodermatitis in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy. METHODS A total of 50 patients with head and neck cancer requiring >60 Gy of curative radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy were enrolled in the study. The volunteers were randomly divided into two groups of 25 patients. Group 1 was assigned to a topical application of Johnson's(®) baby oil (Johnson & Johnson Ltd, Baddi, India) and Group 2 for VTC. Prophylactic application of the cream was initiated on Day 1 and continued every day until 2 weeks after the end of treatment. Both agents were symmetrically applied within the irradiated field five times a day, and the acute skin reactions were assessed twice weekly in accordance with the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group scores by an investigator who was unaware of the details. RESULTS The incidence of radiodermatitis increased with the exposure to radiation and was the highest in both groups at Week 7. However, a significant reduction in grades of dermatitis were seen in cohorts applying VTC at all time points, including 2 weeks post radiotherapy (p < 0.015 to p < 0.001). The occurrence of Grade 3 dermatitis was lower in the cohorts using VTC and was statistically significant (p < 0.01). Additionally, follow-up observations 2 weeks after the completion of radiotherapy also showed a reduced degree of radiodermatitis in cohorts applying VTC, which was significant (p = 0.015). CONCLUSION VTC is shown to be effective in preventing radiodermatitis and needs to be validated in larger double-blind trials. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE For the first time, this study shows that the turmeric- and sandal oil-based cream was effective in preventing radiation-induced dermatitis.
The metal abundance distribution of the oldest stellar component in the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy

Low-resolution spectroscopy obtained with FORS2 at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) has been used for the measurement of individual metal abundances ([Fe/H]) for 110 variable stars, including 107 RR Lyrae stars and one anomalous Cepheid, and to trace the metal distribution of the oldest stellar component in the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy. The RR Lyrae stars are spread over a 15 × 15 arcmin 2 area around the galaxy centre. Their metallicities have an average value of [Fe/H] =− 1.83 ± 0.03 (rms = 0.26 dex) and cover the metallicity range −2.40 −1.3. The star-to-star scatter is larger than typical errors on individual metallicities (±0.15‐0.16 dex), indicating a real spread in metal abundances. The radial velocities measured from the RR Lyrae spectra have a dispersion of 12.9 km s −1 . This value is consistent with the dispersion derived by Tolstoy et al. for metal-poor red giants associated with the blue horizontal branch stars in Sculptor. Along with the metallicity distribution these results suggest that most of the RR Lyrae stars in Sculptor arise from the same burst of stellar formation that produced the metal-poor component, originating the galaxy blue horizontal branch. The metal-rich red horizontal branch population found to be centrally concentrated only produced a few (if any) of the RR Lyrae stars in our sample. The spectroscopic metallicities were used along with the apparent luminosities to study the luminosity‐metallicity relation followed by the RR Lyrae stars in Sculptor, for which we derive a shallow slope of 0.09 mag dex −1 . This result can be due to a high level of evolution off the zero-age horizontal branch of the RR Lyrae stars in this galaxy, again in agreement with their origin from the blue horizontal branch population. Ke yw ords: stars: abundances ‐ stars: evolution ‐ stars: Population II ‐ stars: variables: other ‐g alaxies: individual: Sculptor.
When Process is Getting in the Way of Creativity and Innovation

With increasing hyper competition, information systems have become the main driver for sustaining innovation and competitive advantages. At the same time, many companies use various quality management standards and process models to increase business process efficiency and improve quality. How these process models and quality standards influence organizational cultures that enhance creativity and innovation is, however, under-researched within the field. Using a software analysis tool built on the competing values framework, we set out to investigate how commonly used process models and quality standards promote cultures of creativity and innovation. Our findings are overwhelmingly negative as the analyzed models and standards clearly promote an organizational culture emphasizing stability and control rather than creativity and innovation. To reconcile our findings with the nature of these models and standards, we suggest a new way forward by providing managers with theory-based guidelines to cope with cultural challenges of process improvement and quality management.
A comparison of symptoms in cases with first onset of schizophrenia across four groups

Studies of schizophrenia across cultures have shown that different groups present with different symptoms. This study reports on differences of symptoms across four ethnic groups. All first contact cases of schizophrenia over a 2 year period in two catchment areas in London were included in a study using PSE-9 as an interview for ascertaining their mental sate. Schizophrenia was diagnosed using the CATEGO programme, and symptoms were compared across the four groups. There was a distinction between various groups in presentation of symptoms. Whereas London Asian patients (those originating from the Indian subcontinent) were more likely to present with worry and irritability, the African-Caribbeans presented with delusions of reference and paranoid symptoms. The Trinidadian patients were also more likely to present with a multitude of non-specific symptoms, eg. worrying and irritability, and delusions of persecution and sexual delusions were rare in this group. Our findings suggest that the presenting symptoms of schizophrenia do vary across culture and, in cross-cultural comparison, schizophrenia must be regarded as heterogenous entity.
Heligmosomoides bakeri: a model for exploring the biology and genetics of resistance to chronic gastrointestinal nematode infections

SUMMARY The intestinal nematode Heligmosomoides bakeri has undergone 2 name changes during the last 4 decades. Originally, the name conferred on the organism in the early 20th century was Nematospiroides dubius, but this was dropped in favour of Heligmosomoides polygyrus, and then more recently H. bakeri, to distinguish it from a closely related parasite commonly found in wood mice in Europe. H. bakeri typically causes long-lasting infections in mice and in this respect it has been an invaluable laboratory model of chronic intestinal nematode infections. Resistance to H. bakeri is a dominant trait and is controlled by genes both within and outside the MHC. More recently, a significant QTL has been identified on chromosome 1, although the identity of the underlying genes is not yet known. Other QTL for resistance traits and for the accompanying immune responses were also defined, indicating that resistance to H. bakeri is a highly polygenic phenomenon. Hence marker-assisted breeding programmes aiming to improve resistance to GI nematodes in breeds of domestic livestock will need to be highly selective, focussing on genes that confer the greatest proportion of overall genetic resistance, whilst leaving livestock well-equipped genetically to cope with other types of pathogens and preserving important production traits.
Dance music, movement and tempo preferences

We collected data from so-called bpm-lists: lists used and compiled by DJs containing the tempi of their records. Since these data are necessarily perceptually relevant, the whole set of data can be seen as the results of a big experiment on tempo perception. We will investigate the distribution of the tempi, compare lists focussing on different musical styles and look at the evolution of the distribution through the years. Results