Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A molecular link between activation and inactivation of sodium channels

A pair of tyrosine residues, located on the cytoplasmic linker between the third and fourth domains of human heart sodium channels, plays a critical role in the kinetics and voltage dependence of inactivation. Substitution of these residues by glutamine (Y1494Y1495/QQ), but not phenylalanine, nearly eliminates the voltage dependence of the inactivation time constant measured from the decay of macroscopic current after a depolarization. The voltage dependence of steady state inactivation and recovery from inactivation is also decreased in YY/QQ channels. A characteristic feature of the coupling between activation and inactivation in sodium channels is a delay in development of inactivation after a depolarization. Such a delay is seen in wild-type but is abbreviated in YY/QQ channels at -30 mV. The macroscopic kinetics of activation are faster and less voltage dependent in the mutant at voltages more negative than -20 mV. Deactivation kinetics, by contrast, are not significantly different between mutant and wild-type channels at voltages more negative than -70 mV. Single-channel measurements show that the latencies for a channel to open after a depolarization are shorter and less voltage dependent in YY/QQ than in wild-type channels; however the peak open probability is not significantly affected in YY/QQ channels. These data demonstrate that rate constants involved in both activation and inactivation are altered in YY/QQ channels. These tyrosines are required for a normal coupling between activation voltage sensors and the inactivation gate. This coupling insures that the macroscopic inactivation rate is slow at negative voltages and accelerated at more positive voltages. Disruption of the coupling in YY/QQ alters the microscopic rates of both activation and inactivation.
3D live-wire-based semi-automatic segmentation of medical images

Segmenting anatomical structures from medical images is usually one of the most important initial steps in many applications, including visualization, computer-aided diagnosis, and morphometric analysis. Manual 2D segmentation suffers from operator variability and is tedious and time-consuming. These disadvantages are accentuated in 3D applications and, the additional requirement of producing intuitive displays to integrate 3D information for the user, makes manual segmentation even less approachable in 3D. Robust, automatic medical image segmentation in 2D to 3D remains an open problem caused particularly by sensitivity to low-level parameters of segmentation algorithms. Semi-automatic techniques present possible balanced solution where automation focuses on low-level computing-intensive tasks that can be hidden from the user, while manual inter- vention captures high-level expert knowledge nontrivial to capture algorithmically. In this paper we present a 3D extension to the 2D semi-automatic live-wire technique. Live-wire based contours generated semi-automatically on a selected set of slices are used as seed points on new unseen slices in different orientations. The seed points are calculated from intersections of user-based live-wire techniques with new slices. Our algorithm includes a step for ordering the live-wire seed points in the new slices, which is essential for subsequent multi-stage optimal path calculation. We present results of automatically detecting contours in new slices in 3D volumes from a variety of medical images.
The retention and metabolism of Nτ-methylhistidine by cockerels: implications for the measurement of muscle protein breakdown determined from the excretion of Nτmethylhistidine in excreta

1. Excreta were collected for four consecutive days from 4- to 18-week-old cockerels following subcutaneous injection of Nτ-[14CH3]methylhistidine. 2. The recoveries of radioactivity in excreta were incomplete and progressively decreased with increasing age. 3. Most of the radioactivity not recovered in excreta after 4 d was found in skeletal muscle where > 55% of the radioactivity present was in the Nτ-methylhistidine-containing dipeptide, balenine. 4. This peptide appeared to be relatively stable so that most of the labelled Nτ-methylhistidine incorporated was not released during the period of the recovery measurements. 5. The total pool of non-protein bound Nτ-methylhistidine (free Nτ-methylhistidine+balenine) in pectoral and mixed thigh muscles increased with age and relative to the daily excretion of Nτ-methylhistidine. At 18 weeks the pool was 3.3 times the daily excretion of Nτ-methylhistidine. 6. These observations account for the decreasing recoveries of radioactivity in excreta described previously, due to progressive dilution of labelled Nτ-methylhistidine in an expanding pool of non-protein-bound Nτ-methylhistidine, part of which was relatively stable. 7. It is concluded that excretion of Nτ-methylhistidine by 4- to 18-week-old cockerels cannot be used as a reliable index of muscle protein breakdown in vivo.
High Prevalence of Left Ventricle Diastolic Dysfunction in Severe COPD Associated with A Low Exercise Capacity: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background A subclinical left ventricle diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) has been described in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objectives To evaluate the prevalence of LVDD in stable severe COPD patients, to analyze its relationship with exercise capacity and to look for its possible causes (lung hyperinflation, ventricular interdependence or inflammatory mechanisms). Methods We evaluated 106 consecutive outpatients with severe COPD (FEV1 between 30–50%). Thirty-three (31%) were excluded because of previous heart disease. A pulmonary function test, a 6-minute walking test (6MWT), a Doppler echocardiography test, including diastolic dysfunction parameters, and an analysis of arterial blood gases, NT-proBNP and serum inflammatory markers (CRP, leucocytes), were performed in all patients. Results The prevalence of LVDD in severe stable COPD patients was 90% (80% type I, n=57, and 10% type II, n=7). A significant association between a lower E/A ratio (higher LVDD type I) and a lower exercise tolerance (6-minute walked distance (6MWD)) was found (r=0.29, p<0.05). The fully adjusted multivariable linear regression model demonstrated that a lower E/A ratio, a DLCO in the quartile 4th and a higher tobacco consumption were associated with a lower 6MWD (76, 57 and 0.7 metres, respectively, p<0.05). A significant correlation between E/A ratio and PaO2 was observed (r=0.26, p<0.05), but not with static lung hyperinflation, inflammation or right ventricle overload parameters. Conclusion In stable severe COPD patients, the prevalence of LVDD is high and this condition might contribute in their lower exercise tolerance. Hypoxemia could have a concomitant role in their pathogenesis.
The Social Exchange Heuristic: Managing Errors in Social Exchange

We extend the logic of Haselton and Buss's (2000) error management theory to the domain of social exchange and propose that a psychological mechanism, referred to as the social exchange heuristic (SEH), produces certain cognitive biases that affect how individuals manage these errors. We predicted that the SEH would remain dormant in individuals who failed to realize that they were in a situation that involved social exchange. In the first experiment (n = 78), PD players who had a chance, before they played the game, to think both about the nature of the game they were playing and about their partner's choice were less cooperative compared to players of the standard one-shot PDG. In the second experiment (n = 105), PD players were again less cooperative when they made their decision before they were matched with a particular partner than after they had been matched with a partner. Results strongly suggest the operation of a SEH.
International Journal of Health Geographics an Effective and Efficient Approach for Manually Improving Geocoded Data

Background: The process of geocoding produces output coordinates of varying degrees of quality. Previous studies have revealed that simply excluding records with low-quality geocodes from analysis can introduce significant bias, but depending on the number and severity of the inaccuracies, their inclusion may also lead to bias. Little quantitative research has been presented on the cost and/or effectiveness of correcting geocodes through manual interactive processes, so the most cost effective methods for improving geocoded data are unclear. The present work investigates the time and effort required to correct geocodes contained in five health-related datasets that represent examples of data commonly used in Health GIS.
Coping with Spatial Heterogeneity and Temporal Variability in Resources and Risks: Adaptive Movement Behaviour by a Large Grazing Herbivore

Movement is a key mean for mobile species to cope with heterogeneous environments. While in herbivorous mammals large-scale migration has been widely investigated, fine-scale movement responses to local variations in resources and predation risk remain much less studied, especially in savannah environments. We developed a novel approach based on complementary movement metrics (residence time, frequency of visits and regularity of visits) to relate movement patterns of a savannah grazer, the blue wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus, to fine-scale variations in food availability, predation risk and water availability in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Wildebeests spent more time in grazing lawns where the grass is of higher quality but shorter than in seep zones, where the grass is of lower quality but more abundant. Although the daily distances moved were longer during the wet season compared to the dry season, the daily net displacement was lower, and the residence time higher, indicating a more frequent occurrence of area-concentred searching. In contrast, during the late dry season the foraging sessions were more fragmented and wildebeests moved more frequently between foraging areas. Surprisingly, predation risk appeared to be the second factor, after water availability, influencing movement during the dry season, when resources are limiting and thus expected to influence movement more. Our approach, using complementary analyses of different movement metrics, provided an integrated view of changes in individual movement with varying environmental conditions and predation risk. It makes it possible to highlight the adaptive behavioral decisions made by wildebeest to cope with unpredictable environmental variations and provides insights for population conservation.
Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction and Associations with Psychiatric Disorders Among Women Aged 50 and Older.

OBJECTIVE This study investigated the prevalence of sexual problems and associated factors, focusing particularly on comorbid psychiatric disorders, among older Korean women. METHODS A nationally representative sample of women aged 50-74 years (n=3828) responded to in-person interviews using the Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview to assess psychiatric disorders and four symptoms of sexual dysfunction: (1) lack of sexual interest/sexual aversion, (2) dyspareunia, (3) loss of pleasure, and (4) other organic dysfunction (e.g., inability of sexual arousal). We examined the likelihood of sexual dysfunction by sociodemographic and clinical variables, including specific psychiatric disorders, and compared the characteristics of sexual dysfunction among women with and without a comorbid psychiatric disorder. RESULTS A total of 334 (8.7%) women reported one or more symptoms of sexual dysfunction during the year preceding the interview: lack of sexual interest/sexual aversion was most prevalent (7.7%), followed by loss of pleasure (4.2%), dyspareunia (2.4%), and other organic dysfunction (0.4%). Having a psychiatric disorder was associated with a 2.7-fold increase in the probability of sexual dysfunction. Among women with sexual dysfunction, having comorbid mental disorder was associated with being unmarried status, a symptom of loss of pleasure, and a history of sexual dysfunction before 50 years of age. CONCLUSIONS The present study suggests a relatively lower prevalence of sexual dysfunction than previously reported, but supports its strong association with psychiatric disorders among postmenopausal women. We should evaluate comorbid mental disorder with sexual dysfunction, especially among those having some characteristics.
Concurrent subspaces analysis

A representative subspace is significant for image analysis, while the corresponding techniques often suffer from the curse of dimensionality dilemma. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm, called concurrent subspaces analysis (CSA), to derive representative subspaces by encoding image objects as 2/sup nd/ or even higher order tensors. In CSA, an original higher dimensional tensor is transformed into a lower dimensional one using multiple concurrent subspaces that characterize the most representative information of different dimensions, respectively. Moreover, an efficient procedure is provided to learn these subspaces in an iterative manner. As analyzed in this paper, each sub-step of CSA takes the column vectors of the matrices, which are acquired from the k-mode unfolding of the tensors, as the new objects to be analyzed, thus the curse of dimensionality dilemma can be effectively avoided. The extensive experiments on the 3/sup rd/ order tensor data, simulated video sequences and Gabor filtered digital number image database show that CSA outperforms principal component analysis in terms of both reconstruction and classification capability.
Many group A streptococcal strains express two different immunoglobulin‐binding proteins, encoded by closely linked genes: characterization of the proteins expressed by four strains of different M‐type

Most group A streptococcal strains are able to bind immunoglobulin (lg) in a non‐immune manner, and the majority of these strains bind both IgA and IgG. Using molecular cloning and immunochemical techniques, we have purified and characterized the Ig Fc‐receptors expressed by four such strains. Two of the strains express a novel type of receptor, designated protein Sir, which binds IgA and IgG of all subclasses, and therefore has broader reactivity than any Fc‐receptor previously described. The other two strains express protein Arp, a receptor that binds IgA of both subclasses, and also binds potyclonal IgG weakly. Characterization of the weak IgG‐binding ability of protein Arp shows that it binds only some monoclonal IgG proteins, in particular those of the IgG3 subclass. The four strains studied here were unexpectedly found to also express a second Ig‐receptor, called protein Mrp, encoded by a gene closely linked to the gene for the first receptor. The Mrp protein does not bind IgA, but it binds IgG molecules of the IgG1, IgG2 and tgG4 subclasses, and it also binds fibrinogen. Binding of fibrinogen has been reported to be a characteristic property of streptococcal M proteins, which suggests that the Mrp protein may be an M protein that also binds Ig. Taken together, all available evidence now indicates that most strains of group A streptococci express two different Ig‐binding proteins, encoded by closely linked genes.
Passive corrosion of steel reinforcement in blended cement-based material in the context of nuclear waste disposal

An experimental campaign was carried out to study the passivity of steel embedded in blended cement paste. Mockup samples made of steel coupons (milled or pre-corroded) embedded in cement paste were tested under controlled relative humidity or in a solution simulating clay underground water and under aerated and de-aerated conditions, during up to 3 years. The results of gravimetric measurements show that the average corrosion rates determined on milled coupons are lower than 1 µm/year and vary from 0.2 to 2.7 µm/year for pre-corroded coupons. An apparent passive corrosion state is reached rapidly whatever the environmental conditions. Moreover, solid characterisations (Raman spectroscopy and SEM-EDS) point to a stable state in terms of the nature of the corrosion products and of the composition of the steel/cement paste interface. These results are similar to the ones previously obtained for steel coupons embedded in Portland cement mortar. This paper is part of a supplement on the 6th International Workshop on Long-Term Prediction of Corrosion Damage in Nuclear Waste Systems.
Using rate equation for modeling triad dynamics on Instagram

Triadic analysis is a convenient way to assess structure and stability of a graph. This paper verifies stability of one triad type that is commonly perceived as transient and unstable, on Instagram subgraph, reconstructed by a specific crawling algorithm. Dynamics of that triad transition has been examined, wrt. degrees of that triad nodes and other basic structural properties of the triad neighborhood. Results show that the triad transition can be modeled as rate equation of order 2, and that it is fairly independent of any of the considered factors. A complete model of dynamics of triads can be further used in graph evolution forecasting, including phenomena like opinion spread or group forming, which may, in turn, affect real-life situations.
Managing Organizational Change: Negotiating Meaning and Power-Resistance Relations

Theoretical developments in the analysis of organizations have recently turned to an “organizational becoming” perspective, which sees the social world as enacted in the microcontext of communicative interactions among individuals through which meaning is negotiated. According to this view, organizational change is endemic, natural, and ongoing; it occurs in everyday interactions as actors engage in the process of establishing new meanings for organizational activities. We adopt this approach to study how meanings were negotiated by senior and middle managers in a workshop held as part of a culture change program at a telecommunications company. Our study identifies two very different patterns in these negotiations, constituted by the particular communicative practices adopted by participants. We discuss the implications of these patterns for organizational change in relation to generative dialogue and power-resistance relations between senior and middle managers.
Mechanism for the Positive Inotropic Effect of Angiotensin II on Isolated Cardiac Muscle

Angiotensin II (A II) and analogues were tested for their ability to restore electrical and mechanical actirity to cardiac muscle preparations in which tbe fast Na+ channels bad been inactivated by partial depolarization (22–27 mm K+) or by tetrodotoxin (TTX). Tbe partially depolarized or TTX-blocked preparations were chosen because under these conditions electrical and mechanical responses are primarily Ca2+ -dependent. In depolarized rabbit right atria, A II restored spontaneous mechanical and electrical actirity (measured by both intracellular and extracellular recording techniques). The frequency of action potential discharge was concentration-dependent; tbe threshold concentration of A II was 10-10 m, the ED50 was 8 × 10-9 m, and the maximum effect was observed at 5 × 10-8 m. In contrast, depolarized guinea pig atria were insensitive to A II, Sar1-angiotensin II, and des-Asp1 -angiotensin II, eren at concentrations as high as 10-5 m. Rabbit papillary muscle (TTX-blocked), embryonic (18-day) chick heart (partially depolarized) and chick heart reaggregates (TTX-blocked) responded similarly to rabbit atria in that A II (9.6 × 10-7 m) restored both electrical and mechanical actirity. We found that in these preparations the action of A II was unaffected by propranolol (5.0 × 10-6 M to 5.0 × 10-5 m) but was blocked by Mn2+ (10-3 m), D-600 (1 × 10-7 g/ml) and the specific A II antagonists Sar1-Ala12-anglotensin II (P-113) (5.0 × 10-5 m) and Sar1-lle5-angiotensin II (5.28 x 10 -6 m). We conclude that the positive inotropic effect of A II on tbe myocardium is due to its ability to increase transmembrane Ion movements in or through the cell membrane. The ability of Mn2+ and D-600 to block this effect suggests that this ion movement is via the so-called "slow channels. "
A Block Preconditioner for an Exact Penalty Formulation for Stationary MHD

The magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations are used to model the flow of electrically conducting fluids in such applications as liquid metals and plasmas. This system of non-self-adjoint, nonlinear PDEs couples the Navier--Stokes equations for fluids and Maxwell's equations for electromagnetics. There has been recent interest in fully coupled solvers for the MHD system because they allow for fast steady-state solutions that do not require pseudo-time-stepping. When the fully coupled system is discretized, the strong coupling can make the resulting algebraic systems difficult to solve, requiring effective preconditioning of iterative methods for efficiency. In this work, we consider a finite element discretization of an exact penalty formulation for the stationary MHD equations posed in two-dimensional domains. This formulation has the benefit of implicitly enforcing the divergence-free condition on the magnetic field without requiring a Lagrange multiplier. We consider extending block preconditioning techni.
Exposure estimates to disinfection by-products of chlorinated drinking water.

Exposure to disinfection by-products (DBPs) of drinking water is multiroute and occurs in households serviced by municipal water treatment facilities that disinfect the water as a necessary step to halt the spread of waterborne infectious diseases. Biomarkers of the two most abundant groups of DBPs of chlorination, exhaled breath levels of trihalomethanes (THMs) and urinary levels of two haloacetic acids, were compared to exposure estimates calculated from in-home tap water concentrations and responses to a questionnaire related to water usage. Background THM breath concentrations were uniformly low. Strong relationships were identified between the THM breath concentrations collected after a shower and both the THM water concentration and the THM exposure from a shower, after adjusting for the postshower delay time in collecting the breath sample. Urinary haloacetic acid excretion rates were not correlated to water concentrations. Urinary trichloroacetic acid excretion rates were correlated with ingestion exposure, and that correlation was stronger in a subset of individuals who consumed beverages primarily within their home where the concentration measurements were made. No correlation was observed between an average 48-hr exposure estimate and the urinary dichloroacetic acid excretion rate, presumably because of its short biological half-life. Valid biomarkers were identified for DBP exposures, but the time between the exposure and sample collection should be considered to account for different metabolic rates among the DBPs. Further, using water concentration as an exposure estimate can introduce misclassification of exposure for DBPs whose primary route is ingestion due to the great variability in the amount of water ingested across a population. ImagesFigure 1Figure 2Figure 3Figure 4Figure 5Figure 6