Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms precipitating acute cardiac events: review and recommendations of an NHLBI workshop. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Mechanisms Precipitating Acute Cardiac Events Participants.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute held a workshop on August 28–29, 1995, to survey what is known about mechanisms precipitating acute cardiac events and to assess the potential that advances in this field can lead to new methods of prevention of acute cardiovascular disease. Based on data presented at the workshop and subsequent discussions, this document summarizes some of the factors involved in the onset of cardiac events and describes research opportunities in this rapidly developing, multidisciplinary field. This field can best be appreciated by viewing its relationship to the traditional fields of research on coronary artery disease, as shown in Fig 1⇓. This figure illustrates some of the factors involved at each of several stages of disease, from the cumulative effects of risk factors to long-term management and rehabilitation. Extensive research has been conducted on long-term risk exposure, short-term treatment, and long-term preventive therapy. The study of precipitating or triggering mechanisms—the events occurring in the hours and minutes before the cardiovascular event—has been limited by the fact that they occur primarily out of hospital and over a brief time period in individuals who cannot be identified prospectively among those at high risk for a coronary heart disease (CHD) event. Figure 1. Position of relatively undeveloped area of research on conversion of chronic to acute disease with respect to traditional areas of research on coronary artery disease. ASA indicates aspirin; AF, autonomic function; CABG, coronary artery bypass graft; EP, electrophysiological; ETT, exercise treadmill testing; MI, myocardial infarction; PTCA, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty; and SCD, sudden cardiac death. Adapted from Reference 23. Figure 2. Interactions between chronic and acute risk factors influence pathophysiological processes to modulate the likelihood that a patient with CHD will experience an acute event. Therapeutic influences act at several levels to modify the underlying risk. AAD indicates …
Heat shock effects on seed germination of five Brazilian savanna species.

Fire is considered an important factor in influencing the physiognomy, dynamics and composition of Neotropical savannas. Species of diverse physiognomies exhibit different responses to fire, such as population persistence and seed mortality, according to the fire frequency to which they are submitted. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of heat shocks on seed germination of Anadenanthera macrocarpa (Benth.) Brenan, Dalbergia miscolobium Benth. , Aristolochia galeata Mart. & Zucc. , Kielmeyera coriacea (Spreng.) Mart. and Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. , which are native species of the Brazilian savanna. The temperatures and exposure times to which the seeds were submitted were established according to data obtained in the field during a prescribed fire: 60 °C (10, 20 and 40 min), 80 °C (5, 10 and 20 min) and 100 °C (2, 5 and 10 min). Untreated seeds were used as controls. Seeds of A. galeata and K. coriacea showed high tolerance to most heat treatments, and seeds of A. macrocarpa showed a significant reduction in germination percentage after treatments of 80 °C and 100 °C. Treatments of 100 °C for 10 min reduced germination percentage for all species except G. ulmifolia, which has dormant seeds. For this species, germination was accelerated by heat treatments. The high temperatures applied did not interfere with the time to 50% germination (T(50) ) of the tolerant seeds. Seeds of the savanna species K. coriacea and A. galeata were more tolerant to heat shocks than seeds of the forest species A. macrocarpa. Guazuma ulmifolia, the forest species with seeds that germinate after heat shock, also occurs in savanna physiognomies. Overall, the high temperatures applied did not affect the germination rate of the tolerant seeds.
Trust in Forecast Information Sharing

This paper investigates the capacity investment decision of a supplier who solicits private forecast information from a manufacturer. To ensure abundant supply, the manufacturer has an incentive to inflate her forecast in a costless, nonbinding, and nonverifiable type of communication known as “cheap talk. ” According to standard game theory, parties do not cooperate and the only equilibrium is uninformative---the manufacturer's report is independent of her forecast and the supplier does not use the report to determine capacity. However, we observe in controlled laboratory experiments that parties cooperate even in the absence of reputation-building mechanisms and complex contracts. We argue that the underlying reason for cooperation is trust and trustworthiness. The extant literature on forecast sharing and supply chain coordination implicitly assumes that supply chain members either absolutely trust each other and cooperate when sharing forecast information, or do not trust each other at all. Contrary to this all-or-nothing view, we determine that a continuum exists between these two extremes. In addition, we determine (i) when trust is important in forecast information sharing, (ii) how trust is affected by changes in the supply chain environment, and (iii) how trust affects related operational decisions. To explain and better understand the observed behavioral regularities, we also develop an analytical model of trust to incorporate both pecuniary and nonpecuniary incentives in the game-theoretic analysis of cheap-talk forecast communication. The model identifies and quantifies how trust and trustworthiness induce effective cheap-talk forecast sharing under the wholesale price contract. We also determine the impact of repeated interactions and information feedback on trust and cooperation in forecast sharing. We conclude with a discussion on the implications of our results for developing effective forecast management policies. This paper was accepted by Ananth Iyer, operations and supply chain management.
Dense Gas Clouds and the Unidentified EGRET Sources

Cold, dense gas clouds have been proposed as a major component of Galactic dark matter; such clouds can be revealed by the gamma-ray emission that arises from cosmic rays interacting with the gas. If this dark matter component is clustered, then highly luminous GeV sources result, preferentially at low-to-mid Galactic latitudes, where they lie within the cosmic-ray disk. The predicted emission for such clusters is steady, continuum emission with peak power emerging at several hundred MeV. These sources would not have obvious counterparts at other wavelengths and are thus of interest in connection with the Unidentified (UID) EGRET sources. Here we present a Monte Carlo simulation of the gamma-ray source population due to cold gas clouds, assuming a cold dark matter-like mass spectrum for the clustering. We find that ~280 EGRET sources are predicted by this model, with a median Galactic latitude of 12° for the population and a median angular size of 2. °2. The latitude and size distributions are consistent with the UID EGRET source data, but the source counts are clearly overpredicted. On the basis of these results we propose that clusters of cold gas clouds comprise the majority population of the observed UID EGRET sources. Our interpretation implies that there should be microwave counterparts to most of the UID sources and will thus be strongly constrained by data from the present generation of microwave anisotropy experiments.
A Multiscale Investigation of Bicoid-Dependent Transcriptional Events in Drosophila Embryos

Background Morphogen molecules form concentration gradients to provide spatial information to cells in a developing embryo. Precisely how cells decode such information to form patterns with sharp boundaries remains an open question. For example, it remains controversial whether the Drosophila morphogenetic protein Bicoid (Bcd) plays a transient or sustained role in activating its target genes to establish sharp expression boundaries during development. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we describe a method to simultaneously detect Bcd and the nascent transcripts of its target genes in developing embryos. This method allows us to investigate the relationship between Bcd and the transcriptional status of individual copies of its target genes on distinct scales. We show that, on three scales analyzed concurrently—embryonic, nuclear and local, the actively-transcribing gene copies are associated with high Bcd concentrations. These results underscore the importance of Bcd as a sustained input for transcriptional decisions of individual copies of its target genes during development. We also show that the Bcd-dependent transcriptional decisions have a significantly higher noise than Bcd-dependent gene products, suggesting that, consistent with theoretical studies, time and/or space averaging reduces the noise of Bcd-activated transcriptional output. Finally, our analysis of an X-linked Bcd target gene reveals that Bcd-dependent transcription bursts at twice the frequency in males as in females, providing a mechanism for dosage compensation in early Drosophila embryos. Conclusion/Significance Our study represents a first experimental uncovering of the actions of Bcd in controlling the actual transcriptional events while its positional information is decoded during development. It establishes a sustained role of Bcd in transcriptional decisions of individual copies of its target genes to generate sharp expression boundaries. It also provides an experimental evaluation of the effect of time and/or space averaging on Bcd-dependent transcriptional output, and establishes a dosage compensation mechanism in early Drosophila embryos.
A Novel Depression Diagnosis Index Using Nonlinear Features in EEG Signals

Depression is a mental disorder characterized by persistent occurrences of lower mood states in the affected person. The electroencephalogram (EEG) signals are highly complex, nonlinear, and nonstationary in nature. The characteristics of the signal vary with the age and mental state of the subject. The signs of abnormality may be invisible to the naked eyes. Even when they are visible, deciphering the minute changes indicating abnormality is tedious and time consuming for the clinicians. This paper presents a novel method for automated EEG-based diagnosis of depression using nonlinear methods: fractal dimension, largest Lyapunov exponent, sample entropy, detrended fluctuation analysis, Hurst's exponent, higher order spectra, and recurrence quantification analysis. A novel Depression Diagnosis Index (DDI) is presented through judicious combination of the nonlinear features. The DDI calculated automatically based on the EEG recordings can be used to diagnose depression objectively using just one numeric value. Also, these features extracted from nonlinear methods are ranked using the t value and fed to the support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The SVM classifier yielded the highest classification performance with an average accuracy of about 98%, sensitivity of about 97%, and specificity of about 98.5%.
Eosinophilic Mucin Rhinosinusitis: A Distinct Clinicopathological Entity

Background Allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) was recognized in 1981. Since 1983, a form of sinusitis histologically similar to AFS except for the absence of fungal hyphae has also been noted. The designation “eosinophilic mucin rhinosinusitis (EMRS)” is proposed. Its relationship to AFS is controversial and problematic.
Rest and exercise cardiac output and diffusing capacity assessed by a single slow exhalation of methane, acetylene, and carbon monoxide.

To study rest and exercise pulmonary capillary blood flow (Qc) and diffusing capacity (DLexh) assessed by the rapid analysis of methane, acetylene, and carbon monoxide during a single, slow exhalation, we evaluated 36 subjects during first-pass radionuclide angiography (RNA). At rest (N = 36) and at exercise (N = 21) there was no difference in the respective measurements of cardiac output (Qc = 6.0 +/- 1.7 and CORNA = 6.9 +/- 2.5 at rest; Qc = 13.7 +/- 3.2 and CORNA = 14.5 +/- 4.1 at exercise, L/min, mean +/- SD, r = .80). Mild maldistribution of ventilation, as manifested by an increased phase 3 alveolar slope for methane (CH4 slope), did not significantly influence the results. CH4 slope and DLexh did increase significantly with exercise, while total lung capacity remained unchanged (CH4 slope: 6.2 +/- 5.0 vs 12.5 +/- 6.8% delta CH4/L, mean +/- SD, p less than 0.001; Dsb: 27.7 +/- 9.2 vs 42.0 +/- 17.9 ml/min/mm Hg, mean +/- SD, p less than 0.001; TLC: 5.47 +/- .20 vs 5.96 +/- 1.20 L, mean +/- SD). DLexh was related to CORNA (r = .68) and RNA stroke volume (r = .50). Qc was significantly less than CORNA in the subset of studies with valvular regurgitation (VHD) (N = 7). On the other hand, Qc was significantly greater than CORNA in the setting of coronary artery disease (CAD) and severe wall motion abnormalities (N = 7). These differences may be attributed to regurgitant fractions in VHD, and the influence of wall motion abnormalities on the estimation of left ventricular volume by the area-length method in CAD. These two noninvasive methods compare well at rest and exercise in clinical subjects and may provide complementary information in certain cardiopulmonary diseases.
Akr1p and the Type I Casein Kinases Act prior to the Ubiquitination Step of Yeast Endocytosis: Akr1p Is Required for Kinase Localization to the Plasma Membrane

ABSTRACT Ubiquitination of the plasma membrane-localized yeast a-factor receptor (Ste3p) triggers a rapid, ligand-independent endocytosis leading to its vacuolar degradation. This report identifies two mutants that block uptake by blocking ubiquitination, these being mutant either for the ankyrin repeat protein Akr1p or for the redundant type I casein kinases Yck1p and Yck2p. While no obvious defect was seen for wild-type Ste3p phosphorylation in akr1 or yck mutant backgrounds, examination of the Δ320-413 Ste3p deletion mutant phosphorylation did reveal a clear defect in both mutants. The Δ320-413 deletion removes 18 Ser-Thr residues (possible YCK-independent phosphorylation sites) yet retains the 15 Ser-Thr residues of the Ste3p PEST-like ubiquitination-endocytosis signal. Two other phenotypes link akr1 and yck mutants: both are defective in phosphorylation of wild-type α-factor receptor, and while both are defective for Ste3p constitutive internalization, both remain partially competent for the Ste3p ligand-dependent uptake mode. Yck1p-Yck2p may be the function responsible in phosphorylation of the PEST-like ubiquitination-endocytosis signal. Akr1p appears to function in localizing Yck1p-Yck2p to the plasma membrane, a localization that depends on prenylation of C-terminal dicysteinyl motifs. In akr1Δ cells, Yck2p is mislocalized, showing a diffuse cytoplasmic localization identical to that seen for a Yck2p mutant that lacks the C-terminal Cys-Cys, indicating a likely Akr1p requirement for the lipid modification of Yck2p, for prenylation, or possibly for palmitoylation.
Adenosine deaminase isozymes in human tissues

Several isozymes of adenosine deaminase (ADA) in human red cells can be detected by starch-gel electrophoresis and a number of inherited variants have been described (Spencer, Hopkinson & Harris, 1968). The phenotypes ADA 1, ADA 2-1 and ADA 2 occur in European populations with frequencies of about 0.9, 0.1 and 0.003 respectively, and are due to the two common alleles ADA1 and ADA2, phenotypes ADA 1 and ADA 2 representing the homozygotes and the ADA 2-1 phenotype the heterozygous genotype. Several less common phenotypes of red cell ADA have also been identified and in each case family studies have shown that the variant type represents the heterozygous combination of either ADA1 or ADA2 and a rare variant allele at the same locus (Hopkinson, Cook & Harris, 1969; Dissing & Knudsen, 1969; P. Gerald, 1969, personal communication; Detter et al. 1970). The present paper is concerned with the isozymes of ADA in human tissues other than red cells. The principal technique used was starch-gel electrophoresis and a wide range of tissues has been investigated. The sulphydryl group reactivities of the ADA isozymes in different tissues have also been compared, using the procedure of Hopkinson & Harris (1969)) and molecular size estimates of the various ADA isozymes have been obtained by gel filtration chromatography. I n most tissues isozymes similar to the red cell ADA isozymes were encountered but in many tissues additional isozymic forms were found which differed in electrophoretic behaviour, in sulphydryl group reactivity and also in molecular size from the red cell ADA isozymes. The results suggest that human adenosine deaminase may be determined by several different gene loci.
Functional Analysis of the Bacteriophage T4 Rad50 Homolog (gp46) Coiled-coil Domain*

Background: The Mre11-Rad50 (MR) complex coordinates DNA double strand break repair. Results: Mutations of the Rad50 coiled-coil disrupt the enzymatic functions of the MR complex. Conclusion: The Rad50 coiled-coil regulates and mediates communication between the enzymatic domains of Rad50 and Mre11. Significance: The Rad50 coiled-coil plays a more direct role in the enzymatic function of Rad50 and Mre11 than was previously assumed. Rad50 and Mre11 form a complex involved in the detection and processing of DNA double strand breaks. Rad50 contains an anti-parallel coiled-coil with two absolutely conserved cysteine residues at its apex. These cysteine residues serve as a dimerization domain and bind a Zn2+ cation in a tetrathiolate coordination complex known as the zinc-hook. Mutation of the zinc-hook in bacteriophage T4 is lethal, indicating the ability to bind Zn2+ is critical for the functioning of the MR complex. In vitro, we found that complex formation between Rad50 and a peptide corresponding to the C-terminal domain of Mre11 enhances the ATPase activity of Rad50, supporting the hypothesis that the coiled-coil is a major conduit for communication between Mre11 and Rad50. We constructed mutations to perturb this domain in the bacteriophage T4 Rad50 homolog. Deletion of the Rad50 coiled-coil and zinc-hook eliminates Mre11 binding and ATPase activation but does not affect its basal activity. Mutation of the zinc-hook or disruption of the coiled-coil does not affect Mre11 or DNA binding, but their activation of Rad50 ATPase activity is abolished. Although these mutants excise a single nucleotide at a normal rate, they lack processivity and have reduced repetitive exonuclease rates. Restricting the mobility of the coiled-coil eliminates ATPase activation and repetitive exonuclease activity, but the ability to support single nucleotide excision is retained. These results suggest that the coiled-coiled domain adopts at least two conformations throughout the ATPase/nuclease cycle, with one conformation supporting enhanced ATPase activity and processivity and the other supporting nucleotide excision.
You are where you have been: Sybil detection via geo-location analysis in OSNs

Online Social Networks (OSNs) are facing an increasing threat of sybil attacks. Sybil detection is regarded as one of major challenges for OSN security. The existing sybil detection proposals that leverage graph theory or exploit the unique clickstream patterns are either based on unrealistic assumptions or limited to the service providers. In this study, we introduce a novel sybil detection approach by exploiting the fundamental mobility patterns that separate real users from sybil ones. The proposed approach is motivated as follows. On the one hand, OSNs including Yelp and Dianping allow us to obtain the users' mobility trajectories based on their online reviews and the locations of their visited shops/restaurants. On the other side, a real user's mobility is generally predictable and confined to a limited neighborhood while the sybils' mobility is forged based on the paid review missions. To exploit the mobility differences between the real and sybil users, we introduce an entropy based definition to capture users' mobility patterns. Then we design a new sybil detection model by incorporating the newly defined location entropy based metrics into other traditional feature sets. The proposed sybil detection model can significantly improve the performance of sybil detections, which is well demonstrated by extensive evaluations based on the data set from Dianping.
The cochlear aqueduct and the pressure of cerebrospinal and endolabyrinthine fluids.

Cerebrospinal fluid pressure changes are reflected in perilymph via the cochlear aqueduct and are passed on to the endolymph, probably via Reiss-ner's membrane. The hypothesis that the endolymph pressure is transmitted by the cerebrospinal fluid via the endolymphatic sac and duct appears to be refuted by our results. In the normal labyrinth the peri-lymphatic and endolymphatic pressure are equal within the accuracy of our measurements. The effective cross section of the cochlear aqueduct together with the expansion properties of the round window membrane may serve as a protective mechanism against sudden changes in the cerebrospinal fluid. A pressure gradient between endolymph and perilymph will have to stay below 2 cm of water, a value at which rupture is to be expected. Therefore, damage to the sensory cells due to pressure in case of an endolymphatic hypertension is very improbable, provided the perilymphatic pressure is not affected, which is likely when the cochlear aqueduct is open. The expansion of.
The antioxidant resveratrol protects against chondrocyte apoptosis via effects on mitochondrial polarization and ATP production.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of the antioxidant resveratrol on the functions of human chondrocytes in osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS Chondrocytes and cartilage explants were isolated from OA patients undergoing knee replacement surgery. Effects of resveratrol in the presence or absence of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) stimulation were assessed by measurement of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) and leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)) synthesis, cyclooxygenase (COX) activity, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression, and proteoglycan production. To explore the mechanisms of action of resveratrol, its effects on mitochondrial function and apoptosis were examined by assessing mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP levels, cytochrome c release, and annexin V staining. RESULTS Resveratrol inhibited both spontaneous and IL-1beta-induced PGE(2) production by >20% (P < 0.05) and by 80% (P < 0.001), respectively; similarly, LTB(4) production was reduced by >50% (P < 0.05). The production of PGE(2) was inhibited via a 70-90% suppression of COX-2 expression and enzyme activity (P < 0.05). Resveratrol also promoted anabolic effects in OA explant cultures, by elevating proteoglycan synthesis and decreasing production of MMPs 1, 3, and 13. Pretreatment of OA chondrocytes with resveratrol blocked mitochondrial membrane depolarization, loss of mitochondrial biomass, and IL-1beta-induced ATP depletion. Similarly, IL-1beta-mediated induction of the apoptotic markers cytochrome c and annexin V was also inhibited by resveratrol. Exogenous addition of PGE(2) abolished the protective effects of resveratrol on mitochondrial membrane integrity, ATP levels, expression of apoptotic markers, and DNA fragmentation. CONCLUSION Resveratrol protects against IL-1beta-induced catabolic effects and prevents chondrocyte apoptosis via its inhibition of mitochondrial membrane depolarization and ATP depletion. These beneficial effects of resveratrol are due, in part, to its capacity to inhibit COX-2-derived PGE(2) synthesis. Resveratrol may therefore protect against oxidant injury and apoptosis, which are main features of progressive OA.