Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimizing the Solution Conditions to Solve the Structure of the Connexin43 Carboxyl Terminus Attached to the 4th Transmembrane Domain in Detergent Micelles

Abstract pH-mediated gating of Cx43 channels following an ischemic event is believed to contribute to the development of lethal cardiac arrhythmias. Studies using a soluble version of the Cx43 carboxyl-terminal domain (Cx43CT; S255–I382) have established the central role it plays in channel regulation; however, research in the authors' laboratory suggests that this construct may not be the ideal model system. Therefore, we have developed a more ‘native-like’ construct (Cx43CT attached to the 4th transmembrane domain [TM4-Cx43CT; G178–I382]) than the soluble Cx43CT to further investigate the mechanism(s) governing this regulation. Here, we utilize circular dichroism and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were used to validate the TM4-Cx43CT for studying channel gating and optimize solution conditions for structural studies. The data indicate that, unlike the soluble Cx43CT, the TM4-Cx43CT is structurally responsive to changes in pH, suggesting the presence of the TM4 facilitates pH-induced structural alterations. Additionally, the optimal solution conditions for solving the NMR solution structure include 10% 2,2,2 trifluoroethanol and removal of the 2nd extracellular loop (G178-V196).
Probabilistic Model of Onset Detection Explains Paradoxes in Human Time Perception

A very basic computational model is proposed to explain two puzzling findings in the time perception literature. First, spontaneous motor actions are preceded by up to 1–2 s of preparatory activity (Kornhuber and Deecke, 1965). Yet, subjects are only consciously aware of about a quarter of a second of motor preparation (Libet et al., 1983). Why are they not aware of the early part of preparation? Second, psychophysical findings (Spence et al., 2001) support the principle of attention prior entry (Titchener, 1908), which states that attended stimuli are perceived faster than unattended stimuli. However, electrophysiological studies reported no or little corresponding temporal difference between the neural signals for attended and unattended stimuli (McDonald et al., 2005; Vibell et al., 2007). We suggest that the key to understanding these puzzling findings is to think of onset detection in probabilistic terms. The two apparently paradoxical phenomena are naturally predicted by our signal detection theoretic model.
Video emotion recognition in the wild based on fusion of multimodal features

In this paper, we present our methods to the Audio-Video Based Emotion Recognition subtask in the 2016 Emotion Recognition in the Wild (EmotiW) Challenge. The task is to predict one of the seven basic emotions for the characters in the video clips extracted from movies or TV shows. In our approach, we explore various multimodal features from audio, facial image and video motion modalities. The audio features contain statistical acoustic features, MFCC Bag-of-Audio-Words and MFCC Fisher Vectors. For image related features, we extract hand-crafted features (LBP-TOP and SPM Dense SIFT) and learned features (CNN features). The improved Dense Trajectory is used as the motion related features. We train SVM, Random Forest and Logistic Regression classifiers for each kind of feature. Among them, MFCC fisher vector is the best acoustic features and the facial CNN feature is the most discriminative feature for emotion recognition. We utilize late fusion to combine different modality features and achieve a 50.76% accuracy on the testing set, which significantly outperforms the baseline test accuracy of 40.47%.
Factors Associated with Depression in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most frequent comorbid psychiatric condition associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of current depression in OCD, differences in socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms between OCD patients with and without depression. Additionally, factors associated with comorbid depression were investigated in our study. METHODS In total, 140 OCD patients, of which 63 were OCD patients with MDD (OCD+MDD, n=63) and 77 were OCD patients without depression (OCD-MDD, n=77) were included in the study. All patients were diagnosed with OCD using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, Beck Anxiety Scale, and Beck Depression Scale were administered to all patients. After the socio-demographic and clinical variables and scales were accomplished, the OCD patients divided into two groups as OCD with or without depression and we compared their mean scores of the variables and scales. Univariate analyses were followed by logistic regression. RESULTS There were no significant differences in age, gender, marital status, period without treatment, profession, medical and family history, and social support between the two groups. Anxiety, depression, and obsession and compulsion scores were significantly higher in the OCD+MDD group. The avoidance, insight, instability, and retardation scores of the OCD+MDD group were also significantly higher than those of the OCD-MDD group. CONCLUSION Our study suggests that many factors are strongly associated with depression in OCD. Positive correlations between poor insight, severity of obsession and compulsion, and stressful life events during the last six months increased the risk of depression in OCD. Our study suggests that high level of avoidance, instability and retardation, history of suicidal attempt, and delayed treatment are other notable factors associated with the development of depression in OCD.
Improvement of Immunogenicity of Meningococcal Lipooligosaccharide by Coformulation with Lipidated Transferrin-Binding Protein B in Liposomes: Implications for Vaccine Development

ABSTRACT Among various meningococcal antigens, lipooligosaccharide (LOS) and recombinant lipidated transferrin-binding protein B (rlip-TbpB) are considered to be putative vaccine candidates against group B Neisseria meningitidis. In the present work, we report the development of a new liposome-based vaccine formulation containing both rlip-TbpB and L8 LOS. The endotoxic activity of the liposomal LOS was evaluated in vitro using the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate assay and compared to the endotoxic activity of free LOS. Above a 250:1 lipid/LOS molar ratio, liposomes were shown to effectively detoxify the LOS as the endotoxic activity of the LOS was reduced by more than 99%. Immunogenicity studies in rabbits showed that the presence of rlip-TbpB dramatically increased the immunogenicity of the LOS. While the formulation raised a strong anti-TbpB response, it elicited a higher anti-LOS IgG level than the liposomal LOS alone. Sera from rabbits immunized with rlip-TbpB/liposomal LOS displayed increased ability to recognize LOS on live bacteria expressing the L8 immunotype and increased anti-LOS-specific bactericidal activity compared to sera from rabbits immunized with liposomal LOS alone. Measurement of interleukin-8 (IL-8) produced by HEK293 cells transfected with Toll-like receptor (TLR) after stimulation with rlip-TbpB showed that the protein is a TLR2 agonist, which is in accordance with the structure of its lipid. Furthermore, an in vivo study demonstrated that the lipid moiety is not only required for its adjuvant effect but also has to be linked to the protein. Overall, the rlip-TbpB/LOS liposomal formulation was demonstrated to induce an effective anti-LOS response due to the adjuvant effect of rlip-TbpB on LOS.
Deploying Contextual Computing in a Campus Setting

Location Based Services (LBS) are regarded as a major constituent of contextual computing. However, deploying LBS for indoor localization remains still a largely unsolved problem, in particular if practical considerations like, e.g., effortless calibration are taken into account. In our work we analyze challenges in a university environment characterized by hundreds of access points deployed and by heterogeneous mobile handsets of unknown technical specifications and quality. We developed an open architecture to deploy LBS on a campus and integrate them with other services and useful applications to support campus life.
Bidirectional grammar and bidirectional optimization

The human language faculty is a bidirectional system, i.e. it can be used by processes of approximately equal computational complexity to understand and to generate utterances of a language. We assume the general framework of optimality theory and treat the language faculty as a constraint-based system where the very same constraints are uses both in comprehension and in generation. In the simplest case comprehension and generation can be modelled by unidirectional optimization: finding an optimal interpretations for a given speech input in the case of comprehension; producing an optimal expression for a given message in case of generation. In the simplest case, the speaker and the listener roles are strictly separated. However, there are linguistic observations which indicate that the listener’s and the speaker’s perspectives are integrated to some extent. Bidirectional optimization is an explicit proposal for doing the integration. In this article we propose a general architecture of the language faculty and discuss the precise extent to which speakers are listener-oriented and/or listeners are speaker-oriented. Interestingly, this extent does not seem to vary with regard to the different subsystems considered: the sensorimotor system, the system of grammar proper and the conceptual-intentional system (pragmatics). Though the experimental evidence is not very strong at the moment it seems in online processing the speaker takes the hearer into account but not vice versa . Besides the online (actual processing) view of bidirectionality we discuss bidirectional optimization as an offline phenomenon taking place during language acquisition, and giving raise to fossilization phenomena.
The Inherent Reward of Choice

Research suggests that the exercise of control is desirable and adaptive, but the precise mechanisms underlying the affective value of control are not well understood. The study reported here characterized the affective experience of personal control by examining the neural substrates recruited when individuals anticipate the opportunity to make a choice—in other words, when they anticipate the means for exercising control. We used an experimental paradigm that probed the value of having a choice. Participants reported liking cues that predicted a future opportunity to make a choice more than cues that predicted no choice. The anticipation of choice itself was associated with increased activity in corticostriatal regions, particularly the ventral striatum, involved in affective and motivational processes. This study is the first direct examination of the affective value of having the opportunity to choose. These findings have important implications for understanding the role of perception of control, and choice itself, in self-regulatory processes.
Baseline carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) serum levels predict bevacizumab-based treatment response in metastatic colorectal cancer

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) affects tumorigenesis by enhancing tumor cell survival and by inducing tumor angiogenesis. This study aimed to evaluate baseline CEA serum levels to predict bevacizumab‐based therapy effect and survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Two hundred and ninety eight mCRC patients receiving chemotherapy plus either bevacizumab or cetuximab were analyzed in a retrospective study. Disease control (DC), progression‐free survival (PFS), and overall survival were assessed and related to pretreatment CEA serum levels. Patients with baseline CEA serum levels below the statistical median of 26.8 ng/mL (group I) were compared with patients with higher CEA levels (group II). The cetuximab‐based treatment cohort was analyzed for specificity assessment of CEA to predict the anti‐vascular endothelial growth factor effect in mCRC. Baseline CEA serum levels inversely correlated with therapeutic response in patients receiving bevacizumab‐based treatment (disease control rate, 84% vs 60%), inversely correlated with median PFS leading to a median PFS benefit of 2.1 months for patients in group I when compared with group II, as well as inversely correlated with median overall survival (37.5 months vs 21.4 months). In an independent cohort of 129 patients treated with cetuximab‐based therapy, no association of therapeutic response or PFS with CEA serum levels was found. As expected, baseline CEA levels were prognostic for mCRC. These data give first evidence that baseline serum CEA levels might constitute an important predictor for the efficacy of first‐line bevacizumab‐based therapy in patients with mCRC.
NADPH Oxidase 4 Induces Cardiac Fibrosis and Hypertrophy Through Activating Akt/mTOR and NF&kgr;B Signaling Pathways

Background— NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) has been implicated in cardiac remodeling, but its precise role in cardiac injury remains controversial. Furthermore, little is known about the downstream effector signaling pathways activated by Nox4-derived reactive oxygen species in the myocardium. We investigated the role of Nox4 and Nox4-associated signaling pathways in the development of cardiac remodeling. Methods and Results— Cardiac-specific human Nox4 transgenic mice (c-hNox4Tg) were generated. Four groups of mice were studied: (1) control mice, littermates that are negative for hNox4 transgene but Cre positive; (2) c-hNox4 Tg mice; (3) angiotensin II (AngII)–infused control mice; and (4) c-hNox4Tg mice infused with AngII. The c-hNox4Tg mice exhibited an ≈10-fold increase in Nox4 protein expression and an 8-fold increase in the production of reactive oxygen species, and manifested cardiac interstitial fibrosis. AngII infusion to control mice increased cardiac Nox4 expression and induced fibrosis and hypertrophy. The Tg mice receiving AngII exhibited more advanced cardiac remodeling and robust elevation in Nox4 expression, indicating that AngII worsens cardiac injury, at least in part by enhancing Nox4 expression. Moreover, hNox4 transgene and AngII infusion induced the expression of cardiac fetal genes and activated the Akt-mTOR and NF&kgr;B signaling pathways. Treatment of AngII-infused c-hNox4Tg mice with GKT137831, a Nox4/Nox1 inhibitor, abolished the increase in oxidative stress, suppressed the Akt-mTOR and NF&kgr;B signaling pathways, and attenuated cardiac remodeling. Conclusions— Upregulation of Nox4 in the myocardium causes cardiac remodeling through activating Akt-mTOR and NF&kgr;B signaling pathways. Inhibition of Nox4 has therapeutic potential to treat cardiac remodeling.
Dominating Manipulations in Voting with Partial Information

We consider manipulation problems when the manipulator only has partial information about the votes of the non-manipulators. Such partial information is described by an {\em information set}, which is the set of profiles of the non-manipulators that are indistinguishable to the manipulator. Given such an information set, a {\em dominating manipulation} is a non-truthful vote that the manipulator can cast which makes the winner at least as preferable (and sometimes more preferable) as the winner when the manipulator votes truthfully. When the manipulator has full information, computing whether or not there exists a dominating manipulation is in P for many common voting rules (by known results). We show that when the manipulator has no information, there is no dominating manipulation for many common voting rules. When the manipulator's information is represented by partial orders and only a small portion of the preferences are unknown, computing a dominating manipulation is NP-hard for many common voting rules. Our results thus throw light on whether we can prevent strategic behavior by limiting information about the votes of other voters.
Localization of the spinal nucleus of accessory nerve in rat: a horseradish peroxidase study

The spinal nucleus of the accessory nerve (SNA) comprises the group of somata (perikarya) of motor neurons that supply the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles. There are many conflicting views regarding the longitudinal extent and topography of the SNA, even in the same species, and these disagreements prompted the present investigation. Thirty Sprague–Dawley rats (15 males, 15 females) were used. The SNA was localized by retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase. Longitudinally, the SNA was found to be located in the caudal part (caudal 0.9–1.2 mm) of the medulla oblongata, the whole lengths of cervical spinal cord segments C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 and rostral fourth of C6. In the caudal part of the medulla oblongata, the SNA was represented by a group of perikarya of motor neurons lying immediately ventrolateral to the pyramidal fibres that were passing dorsolaterally after their decussation. In the spinal cord, the motor neuronal somata of the SNA were located in the dorsomedial and central columns at C1, in the dorsomedial, central and ventrolateral columns at C2 and in the ventrolateral column only at C3, C4, C5 and rostral quarter of C6. The perikarya of motor neurons supplying the sternocleidomastoid were located in the caudal part (caudal 0.9–1.2 mm) of the medulla oblongata ventrolateral to the pyramidal fibres that were passing dorsolaterally after their decussation. They were also located in the dorsomedial and central columns at C1, in the dorsomedial, central and ventrolateral columns at C2 and only in the ventrolateral column at the rostral three‐quarters of C3. The perikarya of motor neurons supplying the trapezius muscle were located in the ventrolateral column only in the caudal three‐quarters of C2, the whole lengths of C3, C4 and C5, and in the rostral quarter of C6.
Effects of protozoan grazing on colony formation in Phaeocystis globosa (Prymnesiophyceae) and the potential costs and benefits

Colony formation by Phaeocystis globosa was enhanced in terms of colony size when solitary P. globosa cells were grazed by the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Noctiluca scintillans and Gyrodinium dominans. Enhancement of colony size in the grazing treatment was evident after 5 to 8 d. Grazing by N. scintillans increased the mean colony size by up to 50% relative to the controls, whereas grazing by G. dominans enhanced the mean colony size by up to 3-fold. Microscopic obser- vations confirmed that N. scintillans was also able to ingest small colonies. In contrast, G. dominans apparently did not ingest colonies, and in most cases the abundance of colonies was also increased in the grazing treatment. Up to 92% of P. globosa cells were in colonial form when G. dominans was present, in contrast to <31% in the controls. Enhanced colony formation provided refuge for P. glo- bosa cells such that G. dominans starved and declined after the initial depletion of solitary P. globosa cells. Slow recovery of starved grazers subsequently allowed solitary P. globosa cells to resume expo- nential growth. The apparent specific growth rate of colonial P. globosa cells was not different from that of solitary cells; thus, the costs of colony formation must be sought elsewhere.
Newborn Care Practices among Mother-Infant Dyads in Urban Uganda

Background. Most information on newborn care practices in Uganda is from rural communities which may not be generalized to urban settings. Methods. A community based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the capital city of Uganda from February to May 2012. Quantitative and qualitative data on the newborn care practices of eligible mothers were collected. Results. Over 99% of the mothers attended antenatal care at least once and the majority delivered in a health facility. Over 50% of the mothers applied various substances to the cord of their babies to quicken the healing. Although most of the mothers did not bathe their babies within the first 24 hours of birth, the majority had no knowledge of skin to skin care as a thermoprotective method. The practice of bathing babies in herbal medicine was common (65%). Most of the mothers breastfed exclusively (93.2%) but only 60.7% initiated breastfeeding within the first hour of life, while a significant number (29%) used prelacteal feeds. Conclusion. The inadequate newborn care practices in this urban community point to the need to intensify the promotion of universal coverage of the newborn care practices irrespective of rural or urban communities and irrespective of health care seeking indicators.
Combination Antifungal Therapy

Invasive fungal infections continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients. In particular, recent studies indicate an increase in the incidence of mould infections among transplant recipients, and Candida species have risen to be the third most common pathogen isolated among intensive care unit patients [1, 2]. Advances in modern medical treatment have led to growth in the at-risk population for fungal infections [3]. For example, Cryptococcus neoformans has re-emerged as a growing cause of invasive fungal disease due in large part to the development of novel immune therapy for malignancies, rheumatologic disorders, and management of rejection in transplant populations [4]. Unfortunately, these infections are associated with failures and high rates of relapse even when patients receive recommended therapy [5, 6]. Treatment of invasive mycoses continues to be challenging and complicated by the net state of immunosuppression among infected hosts combined with relative lack of efficacy, significant toxicity, drug–drug interactions, and drug resistance associated with available antifungal agents.