Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased expression of lysosomal acid phosphatase in CLN3‐defective cells and mouse brain tissue

Juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (Batten disease) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by defective function of the lysosomal membrane glycoprotein CLN3. The activity of the lysosomal acid phosphatase (LAP/ACP2) was found to be significantly increased in the cerebellum and brain stem of Cln3‐targeted mice during the early stages of postnatal life. Histochemical localization studies revealed an increased LAP/ACP2 staining intensity in neurons of the cerebral cortex of 48‐week‐old Cln3‐targeted mice as compared with controls. Additionally, the expression of another lysosomal membrane protein LAMP‐2 was increased in all brain areas. Knockdown of CLN3 expression in HeLa cells by RNA interference also resulted in increased LAP/ACP2 and LAMP‐2 expression. Finally in fibroblasts of two juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis patients elevated levels of LAP/ACP2 were found. Both activation of gene transcription and increased protein half‐life appear to contribute to increased LAP/ACP2 protein expression in CLN3‐deficient cells. The data suggest that lysosomal dysfunction and accumulation of storage material require increased biogenesis of LAP/ACP2 and LAMP‐2 positive membranes which makes LAP/ACP2 suitable as biomarker of Batten disease.
SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF INTRARETINAL FOREIGN BODIES

Purpose To identify the clinical features in eyes with intraretinal foreign bodies (IRFBs) and evaluate the results of surgical management in these cases. Methods The records of 75 patients (76 eyes) with IRFBs were retrospectively reviewed. All eyes underwent vitrectomy. The IRFBs were removed with intraocular forceps in 45 eyes (59.2%) and by magnetic extraction in 31 eyes (40.8%), either through pars plana sclerotomy or through the sclera over the IRFB after precise localization. Laser photocoagulation or cryotherapy was performed around the IRFB before surgery in 38 eyes. Results The average follow-up period was 34 months. Of the 75 patients, 46 (61.3%) were injured at war. The IRFBs were metallic in 71 (93.4%) eyes. Of these, 59 (83%) were ferromagnetic. In these 76 eyes, final visual acuity was 20/15–20/40 in 37 (48.6%), and 20/50–20/200 in another 10 (13%). In 19 eyes (25%), partial or total retinal detachment was present at the final follow-up examination. Conclusion Surgical management of IRFBs is a complicated procedure. The appropriate route of removal may be determined by the type and site of the embedded IRFB. Performance of a meticulous vitrectomy is mandatory, and an attempt should be made to minimize the rate of iatrogenic peripleral retinal breaks. Preoperative retinopexy around the site of the embedded foreign body is recommended, if possible, to reduce the risk of retinal detachment. The prognosis in eyes with IRFBs and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is guarded.
Functional Characterization of the Propeptide of Plasmodium falciparum Subtilisin-like Protease-1*

Erythrocyte invasion by the malaria merozoite is prevented by serine protease inhibitors. Various aspects of the biology of Plasmodium falciparum subtilisin-like protease-1 (PfSUB-1), including the timing of its expression and its apical location in the merozoite, suggest that this enzyme is involved in invasion. Recombinant PfSUB-1 expressed in a baculovirus system is secreted in the p54 form, noncovalently bound to its cognate propeptide, p31. To understand the role of p31 in PfSUB-1 maturation, we examined interactions between p31 and both recombinant and native enzymes. CD analyses revealed that recombinant p31 (rp31) possesses significant secondary structure on its own, comparable with that of folded propeptides of some bacterial subtilisins. Kinetic studies demonstrated that rp31 is a fast binding, high affinity inhibitor of PfSUB-1. Inhibition of two bacterial subtilisins by rp31 was much less effective, with inhibition constants 49–60-fold higher than that for PfSUB-1. Single (at the P4 or P1 position) or double (at P4 and P1 positions) point mutations of residues within the C-terminal region of rp31 had little effect on its inhibitory activity, and truncation of 11 residues from the rp31 C terminus substantially reduced, but did not abolish, inhibition. None of these modifications prevented binding to the PfSUB-1 catalytic domain or rendered the propeptide susceptible to proteolytic digestion by PfSUB-1. These studies provide new insights into the function of the propeptide in PfSUB-1 activation and shed light on the structural requirements for interaction with the catalytic domain.
The laser astrometric test of relativity mission

This paper discusses the motivation and general design elements of a new fundamental physics experiment that will test relativistic gravity at the accuracy better than the effects of the second order in the gravitational field strength, G 2 . The laser astrometric test of relativity (LATOR) mission uses laser interferometry between two micro-spacecraft whose lines of sight pass close by the Sun to accurately measure deflection of light in the solar gravity. The key element of the experimental design is a redundant geometry optical truss provided by a long-baseline (100 m) multi-channel stellar optical interferometer placed on the International Space Station (ISS). The spatial interferometer is used for measuring the angles between the two spacecraft and for orbit determination purposes. In Euclidean geometry, determination of a triangle's three sides determines any angle therein; with gravity changing the optical lengths of sides passing close by the Sun and deflecting the light, the Euclidean relationships are overthrown. The geometric redundancy enables LATOR to measure the departure from Euclidean geometry caused by the solar gravity field to a very high accuracy. LATOR will not only improve the value of the parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) parameter y to unprecedented levels of accuracy of 1 part in 10 8 , it will also reach the ability to measure effects of the next post-Newtonian order (G 2 ) of light deflection resulting from gravity's intrinsic nonlinearity. The solar quadrupole moment parameter, J 2 , will be measured with high precision, as well as a variety of other relativistic effects including Lense-Thirring precession. LATOR will lead to very robust advances in the tests of fundamental physics: this mission could discover a violation or extension of general relativity, or reveal the presence of an additional long range interaction in the physical law. There are no analogues to the LATOR experiment; it is unique and is a natural culmination of solar system gravity experiments.
Dopamine D1 Binding Potential Predicts Fusiform BOLD Activity during Face-Recognition Performance

The importance of face memory in humans and primates is well established, but little is known about the neurotransmitter systems involved in face recognition. We tested the hypothesis that face recognition is linked to dopamine (DA) activity in fusiform gyrus (FFG). DA availability was assessed by measuring D1 binding potential (BP) during rest using PET. We further assessed blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal change while subjects performed a face-recognition task during fMRI scanning. There was a strong association between D1 BP and BOLD activity in FFG, whereas D1 BP in striatal and other extrastriatal regions were unrelated to neural activity in FFG. These results suggest that D1 BP locally modulates FFG function during face recognition. Observed relationships among D1 BP, BOLD activity, and face-recognition performance further suggest that D1 receptors place constraints on the responsiveness of FFG neurons. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The importance of face memory in humans and primates is well established, but little is known about the neurotransmitter systems involved in face recognition. Our work shows a role for a specific neurotransmitter system in face memory.
A Model of the Drosophila Heart

The heart of Drosophila melanogaster is a tubular organ that contains two types of excitable cells which work together to pump hemolymph through the body. At the cellular level, specific ion channels involved in the heartbeat of Drosophila have been identified and studied using genetic mutations and pharmacological agents. In this work the Drosophila heart is modeled as a network of excitable cells in order to explore the biophysical mechanisms underlying the generation of the heartbeat. The model cells are arranged in a tubular shape to form a network connected by gap junctions. Pacemaker cells with an intrinsic rhythm are added at one end of the network model and generate a wave of contraction down the heart. Using the model, channel kinetics are manipulated to explore the effects of different channels on Drosophila heartbeat. Model results are compared to experimental data.
Trends of Recent Secure Communication System and its Effectiveness in Wireless Sensor Network

Wireless sensor network has received increasing attention from the research community since last decade due to multiple problems associated with it. Out of many other significant problems e.g. routing, energy, load balancing, resource allocation, there is a lesser extent of effective security protocols towards solving security pitfalls in wireless sensor network. This paper studies the trend of research manuscript published in last six years about security problems to find that cryptographic techniques received more attention compared to non-cryptographic-based techniques. It also reviews the existing implementation towards addressing security problems and assesses its effectiveness by highlighting beneficial factor as well as limitations. Finally, we extract a research gap to identify the unexplored area of research, which is finalized to be implemented as a part of the future study to overcome the recent security issues. Keywords—Wireless Sensor Network; Security; Cryptography;
Rituximab–cyclophosphamide–dexamethasone combination in management of autoimmune cytopenias associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Abstract We report our experience on rituximab–cyclophosphamide–dexamethasone (RCD) combination therapy for the treatment of autoimmune disorders in 48 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The diagnosis of autoimmune disease (AID) was autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) in 26 (54%), autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (AITP) in nine (18.8%), Evans syndrome in eight (16.7%), and pure red cell anemia (PRCA) in five patients (10.5%). CLL was considered progressive in 40% of subjects upon AID diagnosis. Overall, an 89.5% response rate was obtained with this combination, irrespective of the AID type. Relapse occurred in 19 patients (39.6%). The median duration of autoimmunity was 24 months, but the duration of response of autoimmunity (DR-AI) was higher for patients presenting with: (1) AID early during the CLL course (<3 years), or (2) both and pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) in five patients (10.5%) and AIHA.
SHRiNK: a method for enabling scaleable performance prediction and efficient network simulation

As the Internet grows, it is becoming increasingly difficult to collect performance measurements, to monitor its state, and to perform simulations efficiently. This is because the size and the heterogeneity of the Internet makes it time-consuming and difficult to devise traffic models and analytic tools which would allow us to work with summary statistics. We explore a method to side step these problems by combining sampling, modeling, and simulation. Our hypothesis is this: if we take a sample of the input traffic and feed it into a suitably scaled version of the system, we can extrapolate from the performance of the scaled system to that of the original. Our main findings are as follows. When we scale an IP network which is shared by short- and long-lived TCP-like and UDP flows and which is controlled by a variety of active queue management schemes, then performance measures such as queueing delay and drop probability are left virtually unchanged. We show this in theory and in simulations. This makes it possible to capture the performance of large networks quite faithfully using smaller scale replicas.
Women and work.

An understanding of what work means to women is provided with an overview of history; a review of unpaid work, including child care, parental care, and volunteerism; and the current status of women and work. Women's leadership style emphasizing team building, empowerment, and a consensus model is described. The need for validation of the multiple roles women play in society and for espousing balance in their lives is encouraged. Finally, strategies for eliminating bias are offered.
Effects of a task-specific warm-up on anaerobic power.

Twenty-four untrained (UT) males (age 21 +/- 2.5 yr, height 1.77 +/- 0.05 m, weight 75.3 +/- 10.1 kg, values mean +/- SD) performed the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WT) under two conditions, cold (C) and following a warm-up (WU). Trials were separated by a minimum of 48 h. A modified Monark 818 cycle ergometer was interfaced with an Apple IIE microcomputer and peak power (PEAK), mean power (MEAN) and fatigue index (FI) determined. The WU trial consisted of an 8 min incremental continuous cycling bout (cadence 90 rev.min-1) with 5 min rest before the WT. During the C trial subjects completed only the WT. A repeated measures design was employed with order of trials counterbalanced. ANOVA revealed no significant differences for PEAK or MEAN between WU or C conditions. However FI was significantly greater (p less than 0.05) following the WU. A significant correlation (r = 0.45, p = 0.03) was obtained between WU intensity and FI. These findings suggest that our UT subjects were fatiguing themselves during the WU. Future studies are needed to assess whether a task-specific WU in which FI is not impaired would lead to improvements in PEAK and MEAN. Investigators should be aware that a self-spaced WU may increase FI in the WT in UT subjects.
Identification of the bovine follicular fluid protein involved in the in vitro induction of the hamster sperm acrosome reaction.

Biochemical techniques were used to purify and identify the bovine follicular fluid protein involved in the in vitro induction of the acrosome reaction of hamster sperm. A follicular fluid protein fraction obtained by means of Sephadex G-1 50 and DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography, when combined with an Amicon XM-50 follicular fluid ultrafiltrate containing a motility factor, stimulated the acrosome reaction as effectively as intact follicular fluid. Further purification of the effective protein fraction by trichloroacetic acid precipitation and ethanol solubilization resulted in a highly purified preparation of serum albumin as identified by SDS disc-gel electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis. This highly purified albumin retains its full ability to induce the acrosome reaction in the presence of the XM-50 ultrafiltrate. The acrosome reaction inducing effectiveness of the albumin was dependent on its concentration. Similar treatment with trichloroacetic acid and ethanol further purified a crystalline bovine serum albumin to immunoelectrophoretic homogeneity and greatly increased its acrosome reaction inducing ability. This is the first demonstration that an appropriate treatment can greatly increase the acrosome reaction inducing ability of a serum albumin which was previously a poor inducer of acrosome reactions. The results presented in this paper indicate that albumin is the bovine follicular fluid protein involved in the in vitro induction of the hamster sperm acrosome reaction. The mechanism of action of albumin and/or its ligands in the acrosome reaction remains to be determined, but the mechanism appears to be more than just the maintenance of sperm viability and to require the presence of a sperm motility factor for optimal results.
Biomedical applications of yeast- a patent view, part one: yeasts as workhorses for the production of therapeutics and vaccines

ABSTRACT Introduction: Yeasts, as Eukaryotes, offer unique features for ease of growth and genetic manipulation possibilities, making it an exceptional microbial host. Areas covered: This review provides general and patent-oriented insights into production of biopharmaceuticals by yeasts. Patents, wherever possible, were correlated to the original or review articles. The review describes applications of major GRAS (generally regarded as safe) yeasts for the production of therapeutic proteins and subunit vaccines; additionally, immunomodulatory properties of yeast cell wall components were reviewed for use of whole yeast cells as a new vaccine platform. The second part of the review will discuss yeast- humanization strategies and innovative applications. Expert opinion: Biomedical applications of yeasts were initiated by utilization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, for production of leavened (fermented) products, and advanced to serve to produce biopharmaceuticals. Higher biomass production and expression/secretion yields, more similarity of glycosylation patterns to mammals and possibility of host-improvement strategies through application of synthetic biology might enhance selection of Pichia pastoris (instead of S. cerevisiae) as a host for production of biopharmaceutical in future. Immunomodulatory properties of yeast cell wall β-glucans and possibility of intracellular expression of heterologous pathogen/tumor antigens in yeast cells have expanded their application as a new platform, ‘Whole Yeast Vaccines’.
Effects of load and maintenance duration on the time course of information encoding and retrieval in working memory: from perceptual analysis to post-categorization processes

Working memory (WM) involves three cognitive events: information encoding, maintenance, and retrieval; these are supported by brain activity in a network of frontal, parietal and temporal regions. Manipulation of WM load and duration of the maintenance period can modulate this activity. Although such modulations have been widely studied using the event-related potentials (ERP) technique, a precise description of the time course of brain activity during encoding and retrieval is still required. Here, we used this technique and principal component analysis to assess the time course of brain activity during encoding and retrieval in a delayed match to sample task. We also investigated the effects of memory load and duration of the maintenance period on ERP activity. Brain activity was similar during information encoding and retrieval and comprised six temporal factors, which closely matched the latency and scalp distribution of some ERP components: P1, N1, P2, N2, P300, and a slow wave. Changes in memory load modulated task performance and yielded variations in frontal lobe activation. Moreover, the P300 amplitude was smaller in the high than in the low load condition during encoding and retrieval. Conversely, the slow wave amplitude was higher in the high than in the low load condition during encoding, and the same was true for the N2 amplitude during retrieval. Thus, during encoding, memory load appears to modulate the processing resources for context updating and post-categorization processes, and during retrieval it modulates resources for stimulus classification and context updating. Besides, despite the lack of differences in task performance related to duration of the maintenance period, larger N2 amplitude and stronger activation of the left temporal lobe after long than after short maintenance periods were found during information retrieval. Thus, results regarding the duration of maintenance period were complex, and future work is required to test the time-based decay theory predictions.
Coherent Measures of Risk

In this paper we study both market risks and nonmarket risks, without complete markets assumption, and discuss methods of measurement of these risks. We present and justify a set of four desirable properties for measures of risk, and call the measures satisfying these properties “coherent. ” We examine the measures of risk provided and the related actions required by SPAN, by the SEC/NASD rules, and by quantile‐based methods. We demonstrate the universality of scenario‐based methods for providing coherent measures. We offer suggestions concerning the SEC method. We also suggest a method to repair the failure of subadditivity of quantile‐based methods.
Unsupervised clustering and feature discrimination with application to image database categorization

We introduce a new algorithm that performs clustering and feature weighting simultaneously and in an unsupervised manner. The clustering approach is based on a model of mutual synchronization of pulse-coupled oscillators. The feature set is divided into logical subsets of features, and a degree of relevance is dynamically assigned to each subset based on its partial degree of similarity. The performance of the proposed algorithm is illustrated by using it to categorize a collection of images using three sets of features.
SSVM: a simple SVM algorithm

We present a fast iterative algorithm for identifying the support vectors of a given set of points. Our algorithm works by maintaining a candidate support vector set. It uses a greedy approach to pick points for inclusion in the candidate set. When the addition of a point to the candidate set is blocked because of other points already present in the set, we use a backtracking approach to prune away such points. To speed up convergence we initialize our algorithm with the nearest pair of points from opposite classes. We then use an optimization based approach to increase or prune the candidate support vector set. The algorithm makes repeated passes over the data to satisfy the KKT constraints. The memory requirements of our algorithm scale as O(|SI|/sup 2/) in the average case, where |S| is the size of the support vector set. We show that the algorithm is extremely competitive as compared to other conventional iterative algorithms like SMO and the NPA. We present results on a variety of real life datasets to validate our claims.
Effects of Replacing Dry-rolled Corn with Increasing Levels of Corn Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles on Characteristics of Digestion, Microbial Protein Synthesis and Digestible Energy of Diet in Hair Lambs Fed High-concentrate Diets

Four male lambs (Katahdin; average live weight 25.9±2.9 kg) with “T” type cannulas in the rumen and proximal duodenum were used in a 4×4 Latin square experiment to evaluate the influence of supplemental dry distillers grain with solubles (DDGS) levels (0, 10, 20 and 30%, dry matter basis) in substitution for dry-rolled (DR) corn on characteristics of digestive function and digestible energy (DE) of diet. Treatments did not influence ruminal pH. Substitution of DR corn with DDGS increased ruminal neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestion (quadratic effect, p<0.01), but decreased ruminal organic matter (OM) digestion (linear effect, p<0.01). Replacing corn with DDGS increased (linear, p≤0.02) duodenal flow of lipids, NDF and feed N. But there were no treatment effects on flow to the small intestine of microbial nitrogen (MN) or microbial N efficiency. The estimated UIP value of DDGS was 44%. Postruminal digestion of OM, starch, lipids and nitrogen (N) were not affected by treatments. Total tract digestion of N increased (linear, p = 0.04) as the DDGS level increased, but DDGS substitution tended to decrease total tract digestion of OM (p = 0.06) and digestion of gross energy (p = 0.08). However, it did not affect the dietary digestible energy (DE, MJ/kg), reflecting the greater gross energy content of DDGS versus DR corn in the replacements. The comparative DE value of DDGS may be considered similar to the DE value of the DR corn it replaced up to 30% in the finishing diets fed to lambs.