Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glycosaminoglycans Mediate the Coacervation of Human Tropoelastin through Dominant Charge Interactions Involving Lysine Side Chains*

Following cellular secretion into the extracellular matrix, tropoelastin is transported, deposited, and cross-linked to make elastin. Assembly by coacervation was examined for an isoform of tropoelastin that lacks the hydrophilic domain encoded by exon 26A. It is equivalent to a naturally secreted form of tropoelastin and shows similar coacervation performance to its partner containing 26A, thereby generalizing the concept that splice form variants are able to coacervate under comparable conditions. This is optimal under physiological conditions of temperature, salt concentration, and pH. The proteins were examined for their ability to interact with extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycans. These negatively charged molecules interacted with positively charged lysine residues and promoted coacervation of tropoelastin in a temperature- and concentration-dependent manner. A testable model for elastin-glycosaminoglycan interactions is proposed, where tropoelastin deposition during elastogenesis is encouraged by local exposure to matrix glycosaminoglycans. Unmodified proteins are retained at ∼3 μm dissociation constant. Following lysyl oxidase modification of tropoelastin lysine residues, they are released from glycosaminoglycan interactions, thereby permitting those residues to contribute to elastin cross-links.
A Retrospective Study of Gay Gifted, Young Adult Males' Perceptions of Giftedness and Suicide

This qualitative, retrospective study investigated suicidal ideation among 32 young adult men. Participants were asked to report their experiences as adolescents. The primary focus of the study was to discover how gay gifted adolescents dealt with issues of suicide and suicidal ideation. Participants were selected using a purposive sampling technique. Four groups of participants were chosen with eight males in each group. The groups were: gay (i.e., homosexual) gifted, gay nongifted, straight (i.e., heterosexual) gifted and straight nongifted. Forty-one percent of participants were Hispanic/Latino, 31% were Caucasian, 22% were biracial, and 6% were African American. Data were collected using an initial questionnaire followed by in-depth individual interviews with all participants. Grounded Theory methodology was employed during the analysis phase of the study. The voices of participants were conveyed within a series of narrative vignettes. Specific categories of risk and resiliency were revealed using coding and constant comparative analysis. Results indicated that resiliency played a predominant role in how the participants dealt with suicidal issues. All of the eight gay gifted males had considered attempting suicide at least once. This group did not the lowest rate of overall suicidal ideation across the groups. Also, the gay gifted group had one of the highest number of resiliency factors. Additionally, the gifted adolescents appeared to rely on their giftedness as a safeguard that protected them from suicide.
The Impact of Silent and Freeze-Frame Viewing Techniques of Video Materials on the Intermediate EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension

The use of modern technologies has been widely prevalent among language learners, and video, in particular, as a valuable learning tool provides learners with comprehensible input. The present study investigated the effect of silent and freeze-frame viewing techniques of video materials on the intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ listening comprehension. To this end, 45 intermediate EFL learners participated in this quasi-experimental study. The results of one-way ANOVA revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the experimental groups (using two types of viewing techniques) and the control group. While the difference between the two experimental groups was not statistically significant, the experimental groups outperformed the control group significantly.
Tsunamigenic Splay Faults Imply a Long‐Term Asperity in Southern Prince William Sound, Alaska

Coseismic slip partitioning and uplift over multiple earthquake cycles is critical to understanding upper‐plate fault development. Bathymetric and seismic reflection data from the 1964 Mw9.2 Great Alaska earthquake rupture area reveal sea floor scarps along the tsunamigenic Patton Bay/Cape Cleare/Middleton Island fault system. The faults splay from a megathrust where duplexing and underplating produced rapid exhumation. Trenchward of the duplex region, the faults produce a complex deformation pattern from oblique, south‐directed shortening at the Yakutat‐Pacific plate boundary. Spatial and temporal fault patterns suggest that Holocene megathrust earthquakes had similar relative motions and thus similar tsunami sources as in 1964. Tsunamis during future earthquakes will likely produce similar run‐up patterns and travel times. Splay fault surface expressions thus relate to plate boundary conditions, indicating millennial‐scale persistence of this asperity. We suggest structure of the subducted slab directly influences splay fault and tsunami generation landward of the frontal subduction zone prism.
Construction of an Immunotoxin, D2C7-(scdsFv)-PE38KDEL, Targeting EGFRwt and EGFRvIII for Brain Tumor Therapy

Purpose: The EGF receptor gene (EGFR) is most frequently amplified and overexpressed, along with its deletion mutant, EGFRvIII, in glioblastoma. We tested the preclinical efficacy of the recombinant immunotoxin, D2C7-(scdsFv)-PE38KDEL, which is reactive with a 55-amino acid (AA) region present in the extracellular domain of both EGFRwt (583-637 AAs) and EGFRvIII (292-346 AAs) proteins. Experimental Design: The binding affinity and specificity of D2C7-(scdsFv)-PE38KDEL for EGFRwt and EGFRvIII were measured by surface-plasmon resonance and flow cytometry. In vitro cytotoxicity of D2C7-(scdsFv)-PE38KDEL was measured by inhibition of protein synthesis in human EGFRwt-transfected NR6 (NR6W), human EGFRvIII-transfected NR6 (NR6M), EGFRwt-overexpressing A431-epidermoid-carcinoma, and glioblastoma xenograft cells (43, D08-0493MG, D2159MG, and D270MG). In vivo antitumor efficacy of D2C7-(scdsFv)-PE38KDEL was evaluated using 43, NR6M, and D270MG orthotopic tumor models. Results: The KD of D2C7-(scdsFv)-PE38KDEL for EGFRwt and EGFRvIII was 1.6 × 10−9 mol/L and 1.3 × 10−9 mol/L, respectively. Flow cytometry with NR6W and NR6M cells confirmed the specificity of D2C7-(scdsFv)-PE38KDEL for EGFRwt and EGFRvIII. The D2C7-(scdsFv)-PE38KDEL IC50 was 0.18 to 2.5 ng/mL on cells expressing EGFRwt (NR6W, A431, 43, and D08-0493MG). The D2C7-(scdsFv)-PE38KDEL IC50 was approximately 0.25 ng/mL on EGFRvIII-expressing cells (NR6M) and on EGFRwt- and EGFRvIII-expressing glioblastoma xenograft cells (D2159MG and D270MG). Significantly, in intracranial tumor models of 43, NR6M, and D270MG, treatment with D2C7-(scdsFv)-PE38KDEL by convection-enhanced delivery prolonged survival by 310% (P = 0.006), 28% (P = 0.002), and 166% (P = 0.001), respectively. Conclusions: In preclinical studies, the D2C7-(scdsFv)-PE38KDEL immunotoxin exhibited significant potential for treating brain tumors expressing EGFRwt, EGFRvIII, or both. Clin Cancer Res; 19(17); 4717–27. ©2013 AACR.
Comparative acid tolerances and inhibitor sensitivities of isolated F-ATPases of oral lactic acid bacteria

pH activity profiles and inhibitor sensitivities were compared for membrane ATPases isolated from three oral lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus casei ATCC 4646, Streptococcus mutans GS-5, and Streptococcus sanguis NCTC 10904, with, respectively, high, moderate, and low levels of acid tolerance. Membranes containing F1F0 ATPases were isolated by means of salt lysis of cells treated with muralytic enzymes. Membrane-free F1F0 complexes were then isolated from membranes by detergent extraction with Triton X-100 or octylglucoside. Finally, F1 complexes free of the proton-conducting F0 sector were obtained by washing membranes with buffers of low ionic strength. The pH activity profiles of the membrane-associated enzymes reflected the general acid tolerances of the organisms from which they were isolated; for example, pH optima were approximately 5.5, 6.0, and 7.0, respectively, for enzymes from L. casei, S. mutans, and S. sanguis. Roughly similar profiles were found for membrane-free F1F0 complexes, which were stabilized by phospholipids against loss of activity during storage. However, profiles for F1 enzymes were distinctly narrower, indicating that association with F0 and possibly other membrane components enhanced tolerance to both acid and alkaline media. All of the enzymes were found to have similar sensitivities to Al-F complexes, but only F1F0 enzymes were highly sensitive to dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The procedures described for isolation of membrane-free F1F0 forms of the enzymes from oral lactic acid bacteria will be of use in future studies of the characteristics of the enzymes, especially in studies with liposomes.
Hydroxycloroquine blood concentration in lupus nephritis: a determinant of disease outcome?

Background Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a recommended drug in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It has a long terminal half-life, making it an attractive target for therapeutic drug monitoring. The aim of this study was to establish a relationship between blood HCQ concentration and lupus nephritis activity. Methods We conducted a retrospective observational study with data collected from clinical and laboratory records. Inclusion criteria were patients followed in the lupus clinic with biopsy-proven International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society Classes III, IV or V lupus nephritis on HCQ for at least 3 months (200-400 mg daily) and with HCQ levels measured during treatment. Exclusion criteria were patients on renal replacement therapy at baseline or patients lost to follow-up. Results In 171 patients, the HCQ level was measured in 1282 samples. The mean HCQ blood level was 0.75±0.54mg/L and it was bimodally distributed. An HCQ level <0.20 mg/L [232 samples (18.1%)] appeared to define a distinct group of abnormally low HCQ levels. For patients in complete or partial remission at baseline compared with those remaining in remission, patients with renal flare during follow-up had a significantly lower average HCQ level (0.59 versus 0.81 mg/L; P= 0.005). Our data suggest an HCQ target level to reduce the likelihood of renal flares >0.6 mg/L (600 ng/mL) in those patients with lupus nephritis. Conclusion HCQ level monitoring may offer a new approach to identify non-adherent patients and support them appropriately. We propose an HCQ minimum target level of at least 0.6 mg/L to reduce the renal flare rate, but this will require a prospective study for validation.
Study of crosstalk effects on the packaged SAW by the FDTD method

The purpose of this study is to estimate the complete crosstalk effects, including the package and the pads on the surface acoustic wave (SAW) substrate. The coupling influence from the SAW pattern is investigated by the full-wave approach. In order to combine the electromagnetic effects with the surface acoustic wave response, a new approach based on finite difference time domain (FDTD) with equivalent current source method is applied. The resistive voltage source model is carefully used to simulate the situations of measurement by the vector network analyzer more accurately. Two kinds of patterns of one-port SAW resonators with the same package structure and interdigital transducer (IDT) design are studied. From the simulated electromagnetic field distributions over the substrate, it can be seen that, as the pattern on the SAW substrate becomes closer, more input energy will be coupled directly to the parallel pads by crosstalk without filtering. This will lead to more coupling loss and therefore, the insertion loss becomes universally lower by about 2 to 3 dB. Furthermore, it can be observed that the coupling interference from the SAW pattern is more serious than from the package in this case. Verification with the measurement results shows that our method is able to obtain good agreement and can be used to observe the influence from the SAW pattern that can seriously affect the performance of the SAW device.
Determinants of Interregional Migration in Italy : 1991-2000

After the reduction of public transfers to the South of Italy that occurred during the early 1990s, Southern residents experienced a decrease in their permanent income. During the same period, the devaluation of the lira in 1992 allowed the highly specialized industrial areas in the North-East-Centre to dominate the expansion of economic activity that culminated in 2000. These two events contributed to determine a rise in interregional migration flows in the second half of the 1990s, especially from the South to the North. In light of this evidence, this study examines the effect of traditional determinants of net migration rates in Italian provinces during the period 1991-1995 (when the migration flows still followed a slowing path) and the period 1996-2000 (characterized by an increase in interregional migration flows). The estimation results of a SUR model suggest that during the first period the net migration rates were weakly or not significantly affected by traditional economic variables such as the unemployment rate, level of disposable income and a province’s industrial base. In the period 1996-2000, the migration behavior seems to have responded more faithfully to the traditional signals, as shown by higher and statistically significant coefficients of economic variables in the equation for the second period. For both periods a significant role of the age structure of the population was found.
Calendar Instruments in Retrospective Web Surveys

Calendar instruments incorporate aided recall techniques such as temporal landmarks and visual time lines that aim to reduce response error in retrospective surveys. Those calendar instruments have been used extensively in off-line research (e.g., computer-aided telephone interviews, computer assisted personal interviewing, and paper and pen interview) and have been shown to increase the quality of retrospectively collected life course data. The goal of our study was to investigate if calendar recall aids can also improve data quality in web surveys. In a methodological field experiment, we evaluated the effects of adding visual feedback and personal landmarks to our questionnaire with regard to response/break off rates, completeness of retrospective reports, interview duration, and respondent evaluations. The study included 1,451 respondents from a probability-based Internet panel who were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions of the experiment. The results indicate that in the web-based calendar tool, visual feedback properties exerted the most influence on data quality.
Ancient DNA reveals lack of postglacial habitat tracking in the arctic fox

How species respond to an increased availability of habitat, for example at the end of the last glaciation, has been well established. In contrast, little is known about the opposite process, when the amount of habitat decreases. The hypothesis of habitat tracking predicts that species should be able to track both increases and decreases in habitat availability. The alternative hypothesis is that populations outside refugia become extinct during periods of unsuitable climate. To test these hypotheses, we used ancient DNA techniques to examine genetic variation in the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) through an expansion/contraction cycle. The results show that the arctic fox in midlatitude Europe became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene and did not track the habitat when it shifted to the north. Instead, a high genetic similarity between the extant populations in Scandinavia and Siberia suggests an eastern origin for the Scandinavian population at the end of the last glaciation. These results provide new insights into how species respond to climate change, since they suggest that populations are unable to track decreases in habitat avaliability. This implies that arctic species may be particularly vulnerable to increases in global temperatures.
The Accumulation Record from the GISP2 Core as an Indicator of Climate Change Throughout the Holocene

A depth-age scale and an accumulation history for the Holocene have been established on the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) deep core, providing the most continuously dated record of annual layer accumulation currently available. The depth-age scale was obtained with the use of various independent techniques to count annual layers in the core. An annual record of surface accumulation during the Holocene was obtained by correcting the observed layer thicknesses for flow-thinning. Fluctuations in accumulation provide a continuous and detailed record of climate variability over central Greenland during the Holocene. Climate events, including "Little Ice Age" type events, are examined.
Fast fibrosis progression between repeated liver biopsies in patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus

A few studies have assessed the observed fibrosis progression between serial liver biopsies (LB) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) / hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐coinfected patients. Approximately half of the patients progressed at least one fibrosis stage over a short period of time. The risk factors for this fast progression need clarification. Because of this, we evaluated the observed fibrosis progression rates of HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients and the risk factors for accelerated progression. Overall, 135 HIV‐infected patients with positive serum HCV RNA, without other possible causes of liver disease, who underwent two LB, separated at least by 1 year, were included in this retrospective cohort study. The median (Q1‐Q3) time between both LBs was 3.3 (2.0‐5.2) years. Patients showed the following changes in fibrosis stage: regression ≥1 stage: 23 (17%), no change: 52 (39%), progression 1 stage: 38 (28%), and progression ≥2 stages: 22 (16%). Seventeen (13%) patients had cirrhosis in the second biopsy. Factors independently associated with progression ≥1 stage were undetectable plasma HIV RNA during the follow‐up (relative risk [RR] [95% confidence interval, 95% CI] 0.61 [0.39‐0.93], P = 0.03), moderate‐to‐severe lobular necroinflammation (1.77 [1.16‐2.7], P = 0.009), time between biopsies (1.11 [1.08‐1.2], P = 0.01), and end of treatment response to anti‐HCV therapy (0.41 [0.19‐0.88], P = 0.02). Conclusion: Fibrosis progresses with high frequency in HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients over a period of time of 3 years. Absent‐to‐mild lobular necroinflammation at baseline, achievement of response with anti‐HCV treatment, and effective antiretroviral therapy are associated with slower fibrosis progression. (HEPATOLOGY 2009.)
Multi-camera Control through Constraint Satisfaction for Persistent Surveillance

We introduce a distributed camera coalition formation scheme for perceptive scene coverage and persistent surveillance by smart camera sensor networks. The proposed model supports task-dependent camera selection and grouping via a "contract net" task allocation protocol augmented with conflict resolution and error recovery mechanisms. Our technique avoids any central controller, and it is robust to node failures and imperfect communication. In the design and empirical evaluation of our camera networks, we exploit a visually and behaviorally realistic virtual environment simulator that is populated by autonomous, lifelike virtual pedestrians.
Is Thirty the New Sixty? Dating, Age and Gender in a Postmodern, Consumer Society

Based on a content analysis of 1094 advertisements, the article extends the author’s previous research on dating by examining how age and gender intersect to influence the age at which people advertise, their choice of partner and how they manage aspects of their age identity. Locating analyses in the context of a postmodern, consumer culture, it shows that young men and older women are most likely to advertise. It reveals that the maintenance of traditional age differentials varies according to age group. It argues that intimations of a reversal in tradition are discernible in that some older women now seek younger men. It concludes that in a culture that gives primacy to youth, assembling an age identity is problematic, not only for women but also for the chronologically young.
Impulse noise mitigation for MIMO-OFDM wireless networks with linear equalization

This paper considers a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) wireless network contaminated by Middleton Class A impulsive noise, which is one of the major sources of performance degradation in many wireless systems, including sensor networks. In this scenario, the conventional linear zero-forcing (ZF) equalizer does not perform satisfactorily, since the diversity order does not monotonically increase with the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In order to overcome such a problem, we synthesize an improved linear ZF equalizer, which mitigates, in the minimum mean output-energy (MMOE) sense, the impulse noise contribution at the equalizer output. Specifically, the proposed equalizer exploits the fact that the noise samples can be spatially correlated in compact multi-antenna receivers, i.e., when the antenna elements cannot be sufficiently spaced apart due to size constraints. Numerical simulations are performed, aimed at comparing the performances of the proposed ZF-MMOE equalizer with those of competing approaches.
The function of the professional's affective behavior in client satisfaction: a revised approach to social interaction theory.

A revised model of social interaction concerned with the professional-client relationship is proposed. Contrary to the traditional interaction models, i snch a type of interaction the client Inay be lnable to jnidge the extent to whilichi the content ofthe professional responisefitrtiers the aclievementeof fhisgoals; thlis the mode qf the responise ratheitaian its content may serve as a mnajorfactor if inencing tle stability of the initeractioni. Empirical inivestigatiotil was carried out with regard to the case of the general practitioner in Israel. Data support the proposal, revealing that the G.P. 's "affective" behavior is a decisive factor ill the ci-stalization of the laymnain's satisfaction with the G.P. 's respontse.
Portable meeting recorder

The design and implementation of a portable meeting recorder is presented. Composed of an omni-directional video camera with four-channel audio capture, the system saves a view of all the activity in a meeting and the directions from which people spoke. Subsequent analysis computes metadata that includes video activity analysis of the compressed data stream and audio processing that helps locate events that occurred during the meeting. Automatic calculation of the room in which the meeting occurred allows for efficient navigation of a collection of recorded meetings. A user interface is populated from the metadata description to allow for simple browsing and location of significant events.