Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multimerizable HIV Gag derivative binds to the liquid‐disordered phase in model membranes

During HIV assembly, a protein coat on the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane drives the formation of virus particles, and appears to induce the preferential accumulation of ‘raft’ lipids in the viral envelope, although the lipid raft concept mainly proposes microdomains of these lipids in the outer leaflet. The common hypothesis is that Gag preferentially associates with, and thereby probably induces, raft‐like domains, because the protein is multimerized and specifically linked to two saturated acyl chains. To test this hypothesis, we constructed a minimal in vitro system in which we analysed the interaction of a Gag derivative, which could be triggered to multimerize, with a domain‐forming model membrane resembling the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane. Confirming studies with authentic Gag, this Gag derivative only bound to membranes when it was multimerized, myristoylated and when phosphatidylinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate was present in the membrane. Unexpectedly, however, the multimerized Gag derivative was largely excluded from ordered domains in model membranes. This suggests that the mechanism of membrane reorganization during HIV assembly does not simply result from a higher affinity of the clustered Gag membrane binding domain to ordered membrane domains, but involves more complex biophysical interactions or possibly also an additional protein machinery.
iDM: a unified and versatile data model for personal dataspace management

Personal Information Management Systems require a powerful and versatile data model that is able to represent a highly heterogeneous mix of data such as relational data, XML, file content, folder hierarchies, emails and email attachments, data streams, RSS feeds and dynamically computed documents, e.g. ActiveXML [3]. Interestingly, until now no approach was proposed that is able to represent all of the above data in a single, powerful yet simple data model. This paper fills this gap. We present the iMeMex Data Model (iDM) for personal information management. iDM is able to represent unstructured, semi-structured and structured data inside a single model. Moreover, iDM is powerful enough to represent graph-structured data, intensional data as well as infinite data streams. Further, our model enables to represent the structural information available inside files. As a consequence, the artifical boundary between inside and outside a file is removed to enable a new class of queries. As iDM allows the representation of the whole personal dataspace [20] of a user in a single model, it is the foundation of the iMeMex Personal Dataspace Management System (PDSMS) [16, 14, 47]. This paper also presents results of an evaluation of an initial iDM implementation in iMeMex that show that iDM can be efficiently supported in a real PDSMS.
Novel 4-Chlorophenol Degradation Gene Cluster and Degradation Route via Hydroxyquinol in Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus A6

ABSTRACT Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus A6, a previously described 4-chlorophenol-degrading strain, was found to degrade 4-chlorophenol via hydroxyquinol, which is a novel route for aerobic microbial degradation of this compound. In addition, 10 open reading frames exhibiting sequence similarity to genes encoding enzymes involved in chlorophenol degradation were cloned and designated part of a chlorophenol degradation gene cluster (cph genes). Several of the open reading frames appeared to encode enzymes with similar functions; these open reading frames included two genes, cphA-I and cphA-II, which were shown to encode functional hydroxyquinol 1,2-dioxygenases. Disruption of the cphA-I gene yielded a mutant that exhibited negligible growth on 4-chlorophenol, thereby linking the cph gene cluster to functional catabolism of 4-chlorophenol in A. chlorophenolicus A6. The presence of a resolvase pseudogene in the cph gene cluster together with analyses of the G+C content and codon bias of flanking genes suggested that horizontal gene transfer was involved in assembly of the gene cluster during evolution of the ability of the strain to grow on 4-chlorophenol.
Distribution of calpains I and II in rat brain

Male Fischer-344 rats were given a single intrastriatal injection of kainic acid (KA; 1 microgram/rat), which caused recurrent motor seizures lasting 3–6 hr. During the convulsive period, native Met5- enkephalin-like (ME-LI) and dynorphin A (1–8)-like (DYN-LI) immunoreactivities in hippocampus decreased by 31 and 63%, respectively. By 24 hr after dosing, the hippocampal opioid peptides had returned to control levels, and by 48 hr ME-LI had increased 270% and DYN-LI 150%. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that ME-LI and Leu5-enkephalin-like (LE-LI) immunostaining in the mossy fibers of dentate granule cells and the perforant-temporoammonic pathway had decreased visibly by 6 hr and had increased markedly by 48 hr following KA. A visible decrease in DYN-LI in mossy fiber axons within 6 hr was followed by a substantial increase by 48 hr. To determine whether the increases in hippocampal ME-LI reflected changes in ME biosynthesis, levels of mRNA coding for preproenkephalin (mRNAenk) and cryptic ME-LI cleaved by enzyme digestion from preproenkephalin were measured. Following the convulsive period (6 hr), mRNAenk was 400% of control, and by 24 hr, cryptic ME-LI was 300% of control. Increases in native and cryptic ME-LI and in mRNAenk were also noted in entorhinal cortex, but not in hypothalamus or uninjected striatum. Our data suggest that KA-induced seizures cause an increase in ME release, followed by a compensatory increase in ME biosynthesis in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex.
High-speed photometry of faint cataclysmic variables - II. RS Car, V365 Car, V436 Car, AP Cru, RR Cha, BI Ori, CM Phe and V522 Sgr

Short time-scale photometric properties of eight faint cataclysmic variable (CV) stars are presented. Nova Carinae 1895 (RS Car) has a photometric modulation at 1.977 h that could be either an orbital or a superhump period. Nova Carinae 1948 (V365 Car) shows flickering, but any orbital modulation has a period in excess of 6 h. The nova-like variable and X-ray source V436 Car has an orbital modulation at P o r b = 4.207 h, no detectable period near 2.67 h (which had previously given it a possible intermediate polar classification), and dwarf nova oscillations (DNOs) at 40 s. Nova Crucis 1936 (AP Cru) has a double-humped ellipsoidal modulation at P o r b = 5.12 h and a stable modulation at 1837 s characteristic of an intermediate polar. Nova Chamaeleontis 1953 (RR Cha) is an eclipsing system with P o r b = 3.362 h, but at times shows negative superhumps at 3.271 h and positive superhumps at 3.466 h. In addition it has a stable period at 1950 s, characteristic of an intermediate polar. BI Ori is a dwarf nova that we observed at quiescence and outburst without detecting any orbital modulation. CM Phe is a nova-like variable for which we confirm the value of P o r b = 6.454 h found by Hoard, Wachter & Kim-Quijano. We have identified the remnant of Nova Sagittarii 1931 (V522 Sgr) with a flickering source 2.2 mag fainter than the previously proposed candidate (which we find to be non-variable).
Teleportation of continuous quantum variables

Summary form only given. A particularly startling discovery by Bennett et al. is the possibility for teleportation of a quantum state, whereby an unknown state of a spin-1/2 particle is transported by Alice from a sending station to Bob at a receiving terminal by conveying 2 bits of classical information. Beyond the context of dichotomic variables, Vaidman has analyzed teleportation of the wave function of a one-dimensional particle in a beautiful variation of the original EPR paradox. Here we extend Vaidman's analysis to incorporate finite (nonsingular) degrees of correlation among the relevant particles.
Human Monoclonal Antibodies Specific for Conformation-Sensitive Epitopes of V3 Neutralize Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Primary Isolates from Various Clades

ABSTRACT The epitopes of the V3 domain of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) gp120 glycoprotein have complex structures consisting of linear and conformational antigenic determinants. Anti-V3 antibodies (Abs) recognize both types of elements, but Abs which preferentially react to the conformational aspect of the epitopes may have more potent neutralizing activity against HIV-1, as recently suggested. To test this hypothesis, human anti-V3 monoclonal Abs (MAbs) were selected using a V3 fusion protein (V3-FP) which retains the conformation of the third variable region. The V3-FP consists of the V3JR-CSF sequence inserted into a truncated form of murine leukemia virus gp70. Six human MAbs which recognize epitopes at the crown of the V3 loop were selected with the V3-FP. They were found to react more strongly with molecules displaying conformationally intact V3 than with linear V3 peptides. In a virus capture assay, these MAbs showed cross-clade binding to native, intact virions of clades A, B, C, D, and F. No binding was found to isolates from subtype E. The neutralizing activity of MAbs against primary isolates was determined in three assays: the GHOST cell assay, a phytohemagglutinin-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cell assay, and a luciferase assay. While these new MAbs displayed various degrees of activity, the pattern of cross-clade neutralization of clades A, B, and F was most pronounced. The neutralization of clades C and D viruses was weak and sporadic, and neutralization of clade E by these MAbs was not detected. Analysis by linear regression showed a highly significant correlation (P < 0.0001) between the strength of binding of these anti-V3 MAbs to intact virions and the percent neutralization. These studies demonstrate that human MAbs to conformation-sensitive epitopes of V3 display cross-clade reactivity in both binding to native, intact virions and neutralization of primary isolates.
Study on Restraining DC Neutral Current of Transformer During HVDC Monopolar Operation

HVDC transmission system operating in ground return mode often affects the neighboring ac power system seriously. This paper presented some field experimental results, including audible noise, voltage harmonics, and oscillation of the transformer while dc current passes through the neutral point. The relationship between the dc neutral current and those effects were discovered clearly by analyzing these data. Based on the analysis of the characteristics of the dc current distributed under ground and in the ac network, some useful measures to decrease or block the dc current through the neutral point of the transformer, such as the injection of reverse dc current, blocking capacitor, and series resistor are compared. And the series resistor method is chosen after carefully study of its feasibility in the ac power system. The parameters as well as the protection method of the resistor were selected by implementing several large current experiments. Finally, field experiments were carried out to observe the effect of reducing the neutral current with a series resistor device. Experimental results show that series resistor method is a simple structure, low cost, and of high reliability, which can restrain the neutral current effectively.
Targeting chronic and neuropathic pain: The N-type calcium channel comes of age

SummaryThe rapid entry of calcium into cells through activation of voltage-gated calcium channels directly affects membrane potential and contributes to electrical excitability, repetitive firing patterns, excitation-contraction coupling, and gene expression. At presynaptic nerve terminals, calcium entry is the initial trigger mediating the release of neurotransmitters via the calcium-dependent fusion of synaptic vesicles and involves interactions with the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor complex of synaptic release proteins. Physiological factors or drugs that affect either presynaptic calcium channel activity or the efficacy of calcium-dependent vesicle fusion have dramatic consequences on synaptic transmission, including that mediating pain signaling. The N-type calcium channel exhibits a number of characteristics that make it an attractive target for therapeutic intervention concerning chronic and neuropathic pain conditions. Within the past year, both U.S. and European regulatory agencies have approved the use of the cationic peptide Priait for the treatment of intractable pain. Priait is the first N-type calcium channel blocker approved for clinical use and represents the first new proven mechanism of action for chronic pain intervention in many years. The present review discusses the rationale behind targeting the N-type calcium channel, some of the limitations confronting the widespread clinical application of Priait, and outlines possible strategies to improve upon Prialt’s relatively narrow therapeutic window.
Robust web service recommendation via quantile matrix factorization

We study the problem of personalized Quality of Service (QoS) estimation for web services. State-of-the-art methods use matrix factorization or collaborative prediction to estimate web service response times and throughput for each user based on partial measurements collected from past invocations. We point out that in reality, both the response times and through-put of web services follow highly skewed distributions. In this case, the conditional mean QoS estimates generated by traditional matrix completion approaches can be heavily biased toward a few outliers, leading to poor web service recommendation performance. In this paper, we propose the Quantile Matrix Factorization (QMF) technique for web service recommendation by introducing quantile regression into the matrix factorization framework. We propose a novel and efficient algorithm based on Iterative Reweighted Least Squares (IRLS) to solve the QMF problem involving a non-smooth objective function. We further extend the proposed QMF approach to take into account user and service side attributes. Extensive evaluation based on a large-scale QoS dataset has shown that our schemes significantly outperform various state-of-the-art web service QoS estimation schemes in terms of personalized recommendation performance.
Hippocampal place cells, context, and episodic memory

Although most observers agree that the hippocampus has a critical role in learning and memory, there remains considerable debate about the precise functional contribution of the hippocampus to these processes. Two of the most influential accounts hold that the primary function of the hippocampus is to generate cognitive maps and to mediate episodic memory processes. The well‐documented spatial firing patterns (place fields) of hippocampal neurons in rodents, along with the spatial learning impairments observed with hippocampal damage support the cognitive mapping hypothesis. The amnesia for personally experienced events seen in humans with hippocampal damage and the data of animal models, which show severe memory deficits associated with hippocampal lesions, support the episodic memory account. Although an extensive literature supports each of these hypotheses, a specific contribution of place cells to episodic memory has not been clearly demonstrated. Recent data from our laboratory, together with previous findings, indicate that hippocampal place fields and neuronal responses to task‐relevant stimuli are highly sensitive to the context, even when the contexts are defined by abstract task demands rather than the spatial geometry of the environment. On the basis of these findings, it is proposed that place fields reflect a more general context processing function of the hippocampus. Hippocampal context representations could serve to differentiate contexts and prime the relevant memories and behaviors. Since episodic memories, by definition, include information about the time and place where the episode occurred, contextual information is a necessary prerequisite for any episodic memory. Thus, place fields contribute importantly to episodic memory as part of the needed context representations. Additionally, recent findings indicate that hippocampal neurons differentiate contexts at progressively finer levels of detail, suggesting a hierarchical coding scheme which, if combined with temporal information, could provide a means of differentiating memory episodes. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Screening for neurocognitive impairment, depression, and anxiety in HIV-infected patients in Western Europe and Canada

CRANIum, a cross-sectional epidemiology study in Western Europe and Canada, was conducted to describe and compare the prevalence of a positive screen for neurocognitive impairment (NCI), depressive symptoms, and anxiety in an HIV-positive population either receiving combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) or who were naive to antiretroviral therapy (ART). HIV-positive patients ≥18 years of age attending a routine medical follow-up visit and able to complete the designated screening tools were eligible for study inclusion. The Brief Neurocognitive Screen was used to assess NCI; depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The evaluable patient population (N = 2863) included 1766 men (61.7%) and 1096 (38.3%) women. A total of 1969 patients were cART-experienced (68.8%), and 894 were ART-naive (31.2%). A positive screen for NCI was found in 41.5% of patients (cART-experienced, 42.5%; ART-naive, 39.4%; p = 0.12). A positive screen for depressive symptoms was found in 15.7% of patients (cART-experienced, 16.8%; ART-naive, 13.3%; p = 0.01), whereas 33.3% of patients screened positive for anxiety (cART-experienced, 33.5%; ART-naive, 32.8%; p = 0.71). A greater percentage of women compared with men screened positive for NCI (51.78% vs. 35.1%; p < 0.0001) and depressive symptoms (17.9% vs. 14.3%; p = 0.01). These data suggest that neurocognitive and mood disorders remain highly prevalent in HIV-infected patients. Regular mental health screening in this population is warranted.
User Elicitation on Single-hand Microgestures

Gestural interaction has become increasingly popular, as enabling technologies continue to transition from research to retail. The mobility of miniaturized (and invisible) technologies introduces new uses for gesture recognition. This paper investigates single-hand microgestures (SHMGs), detailed gestures in a small interaction space. SHMGs are suitable for the mobile and discrete nature of interactions for ubiquitous computing. However, there has been a lack of end-user input in the design of such gestures. We performed a user-elicitation study with 16 participants to determine their preferred gestures for a set of referents. We contribute an analysis of 1,632 gestures, the resulting gesture set, and prevalent conceptual themes amongst the elicited gestures. These themes provide a set of guidelines for gesture designers, while informing the designs of future studies. With the increase in hand-tracking and electronic devices in our surroundings, we see this as a starting point for designing gestures suitable to portable ubiquitous computing.
Multifunctional magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles combined with chemotherapy and hyperthermia to overcome multidrug resistance

Background Multidrug resistance in cancer is a major obstacle for clinical therapeutics, and is the reason for 90% of treatment failures. This study investigated the efficiency of novel multifunctional Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4-MNP) combined with chemotherapy and hyperthermia for overcoming multidrug resistance in an in vivo model of leukemia. Methods Nude mice with tumor xenografts were randomly divided into a control group, and the treatment groups were allocated to receive daunorubicin, 5-bromotetrandrine (5-BrTet) and daunorubicin, Fe3O4-MNP, and Fe3O4-MNP coloaded with daunorubicin and 5-bromotetrandrine (Fe3O4-MNP-DNR-5-BrTet), with hyperthermia in an alternating magnetic field. We investigated tumor volume and pathology, as well as P-glycoprotein, Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 protein expression to elucidate the effect of multimodal treatment on overcoming multidrug resistance. Results Fe3O4-MNP played a role in increasing tumor temperature during hyperthermia. Tumors became significantly smaller, and apoptosis of cells was observed in both the Fe3O4-MNP and Fe3O4-MNP-DNR-5-BrTet groups, especially in the Fe3O4-MNP-DNR-5-BrTet group, while tumor volumes in the other groups had increased after treatment for 12 days. Furthermore, Fe3O4-MNP-DNR-5-BrTet with hyperthermia noticeably decreased P-glycoprotein and Bcl-2 expression, and markedly increased Bax and caspase-3 expression. Conclusion Fe3O4-MNP-DNR-5-BrTet with hyperthermia may be a potential approach for reversal of multidrug resistance in the treatment of leukemia.
Why High-Order Polynomials Should Not Be Used in Regression Discontinuity Designs

It is common in regression discontinuity analysis to control for third, fourth, or higher-degree polynomials of the forcing variable. There appears to be a perception that such methods are theoretically justified, even though they can lead to evidently nonsensical results. We argue that controlling for global high-order polynomials in regression discontinuity analysis is a flawed approach with three major problems: it leads to noisy estimates, sensitivity to the degree of the polynomial, and poor coverage of confidence intervals. We recommend researchers instead use estimators based on local linear or quadratic polynomials or other smooth functions.
Increased Lumbar Lordosis and Smaller Vertebral Cross-Sectional Area Are Associated With Spondylolysis

Study Design. A cross-sectional comparison of vertebral morphology and lumbar lordosis (LL) in adolescents with and without spondylolysis. Objective. To test the hypothesis that in addition to LL, vertebral cross-sectional area (CSA) is also associated with spondylolysis. Summary of Background Data. Recent data indicate that the CSA of the vertebral body is a determinant of LL, which has been shown to be associated with spondylolysis. Methods. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we compared the degree of LL from L1 to L5 and the CSA of the lumbar vertebrae in 35 adolescents (16 females and 19 males) with spondylolysis and 86 healthy controls (36 females and 50 males) of similar sex, age, height, and weight. Results. There were no significant differences in age, height, weight, or vertebral height between subjects with and without spondylolysis, regardless of sex. In contrast, LL angle in spondylolysis patients was 57% and 51% greater in girls and boys with spondylolysis; 44.1 ± 10.4° versus 28.1 ± 9.8° and 34.8 ± 5.9° versus 23.0 ± 6.0° for girls and boys, respectively (both P's < 0.0001). Additionally, values for vertebral CSA were on average, 8% and 10% smaller in females and males with spondylolysis; 7.6 ± 0.8 cm2versus 8.3 ± 1.1 cm2 and 8.4 ± 1.6 versus 9.3 ± 1.6 for girls and boys, respectively (both P's ⩽ 0.039). Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses indicated that the CSA of the vertebral body was negatively associated with LL angle and an independent predictor of the presence of spondylolysis. This was true regardless of whether girls and boys were analyzed together or independently, and whether LL angle was measured from L1 to L5 or S1. Conclusion. We provide evidence that patients with spondylolysis have increased LL and smaller vertebral CSA. Level of Evidence: 4