Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis, conformation and biological activity of dermorphin and deltorphin I analogues containing N‐alkylglycine in place of residues in position 1, 3, 5 and 6

Syntheses are described of new dermorphin and [D‐Ala2]deltorphin I analogues in which the phenylalanine, the tyrosine or the valine residues have been substituted by the corresponding N‐alkyl‐glycine residues. Structural investigations by CD measurements in different solvents and preliminary pharmacological experiments were carried out on the resulting peptide–peptoid hybrids. The contribution from aromatic side chain residues is prominent in the CD spectra of dermorphin analogues and the assignment of a prevailing secondary structure could be questionable. In the CD spectra of deltorphin analogues the aromatic contribution is lower and the dichroic curves indicate the predominance of random conformer populations. The disappearance of the aromatic contribution in the [Ntyr1,D‐Ala2]‐deltorphin spectrum could be explained in terms of high conformational freedom of the N‐terminal residue. The kinetics of degradation of the synthetic peptoids digestion by rat and human plasma enzymes were compared with that of [Leu5]‐enkephalin. The binding to opioid receptors was tested on crude membrane preparations from CHO cells stably transfected with the µ‐ and δ‐opioid receptors. The biological potency of peptoids was compared with that of dermorphin in GPI preparations and with that of deltorphin I in MVD preparations. All the substitutions produced a dramatic decrease in the affinity of the peptide–peptoid hybrids for both the µ‐ and δ‐opioid receptors. Nval5 and/or Nval6 containing hybrids behaved as µ‐opioid receptor agonists and elicit a dose‐dependent analgesia (tail‐flick test) when injected i.c. v. in rats. Copyright © 2003 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Highly Efficient and Bright LEDs Overgrown on GaN Nanopillar Substrates

We presented a study of high-performance GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) using a GaN nanopillars (NPs) structure grown on sapphire substrate by integrating RF-plasma molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Nanoscale air voids were clearly observed at the interface between GaN NPs and the overgrown GaN layer by cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy. It can increase the light-extraction efficiency due to additional light scattering. The transmission electron microscopy images suggest the air voids between GaN NPs introduced during nanoscale epitaxial lateral overgrowth of GaN can suppress the threading dislocation density. Moreover, Raman spectrum demonstrated that the strain of the GaN layer grown on GaN NPs was effectively eliminated, resulting in the reduction of quantum-confined Stark effect in InGaN/GaN quantum wells. Consequently, the LEDs fabricated on the GaN NPs template exhibit smaller electroluminescent peak wavelength blue shift and great enhancement of the light output (70% at 20 mA) compared with the conventional LEDs.
Information Percolation in Centralized Markets

We explore the effects of information propagation in a centralized financial market. Specifically, we embed search frictions within the Grossman and Stiglitz (1980) framework, relying on information percolation as modeled in Duffie, Malamud, and Manso (2009). First, we show that information percolation produces a positive autocorrelation in stock returns. Second, we introduce a rumor among the population of investors which we let to propagate during two periods. As trading approaches its final round and that the fundamental value is close to be revealed, we let the rumor die out and show that it produces a strong price reversal toward the fundamental value. Importantly, information percolation introduces heterogeneity in individual precision among agents. This leads to drastically different investment strategies: agents who have been more efficient at gathering signals will tend to act as market makers. Whereas, agents who collected a lesser amount of signals will tend to be trend followers.
In vivo expression profile of the antiviral restriction factor and tumor-targeting antigen CD317/BST-2/HM1.24/tetherin in humans

Human CD317 is an intrinsic immunity factor that restricts the release of enveloped viruses, including the major pathogens HIV and Lassa virus, from infected cells in culture. Its importance for infection control in humans is unclear, due in part to its incompletely defined in vivo expression pattern. CD317 also has been proposed as a selective target for immunotherapy of multiple myeloma. To provide a framework for studies of the biological functions, regulation, and therapeutic potential of CD317, we performed microarray-based expression profiling in 468 tissue samples from 25 healthy organs from more than 210 patients. We found that CD317 protein was expressed to varying degrees in all organs tested and detected in a number of specialized cell types, including hepatocytes, pneumocytes, ducts of major salivary glands, pancreas and kidney, Paneth cells, epithelia, Leydig cells, plasma cells, bone marrow stromal cells, monocytes, and vascular endothelium. Although many of these cell types are in vivo targets for pathogenic viruses, restriction by CD317 or virus-encoded antagonists has been documented in only some of them. Limited cell type–dependent coexpression of CD317 with the IFN biomarker MxA in vivo and lack of responsive stimulation in organ explants suggest that interferons may only partially regulate CD317. This in vivo expression profiling sheds light on the biology and species-specificity of CD317, identifies multiple thus far unknown interaction sites of viruses with this restriction factor, and refutes the concept of its restricted constitutive expression and primary IFN inducibility. CD317's widespread expression calls into question its suitability as a target for immunotherapy.
Argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region in proliferating cell has a predictive value for local recurrence in superficial bladder tumor.

PURPOSE It has been shown in many carcinomas that the proliferation rate and number of argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNOR) are associated with tumor aggressiveness. However, in bladder tumor the significance of the correlation between the number of AgNOR and tumor behavior remains controversial. Therefore, it would be helpful if a new technique could be developed that would allow for more accurate AgNOR counting in association with tumor behavior. We established the simultaneous staining technique of AgNOR with Ki-67 labeling to reveal the significance of AgNOR count in superficial bladder tumor. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 50 paraffin sections of superficial bladder tumor were stained with AgNOR and Ki-67 (MIB-1). The numbers of AgNORs in proliferating (MIB-1 positive) or resting (MIB-1 negative) cells were counted from a total of 100 nuclei. Correlations between MIB-1 associated AgNOR count and clinicopathological parameters were statistically analyzed. RESULTS The AgNOR count in proliferating cells was significantly higher than that in resting cells (p<0.01), and the count significantly increased with tumor grade (p<0.01). Based on recurrence-free survival analyses the local recurrence rate was significantly higher in patients with high proliferating cell NOR but not for those with resting or whole cells. However, no AgNOR score helped to select patients at high risk for disease progression. CONCLUSIONS Proliferating cell NOR had a predictive value for local recurrence in patients with superficial bladder tumor.
Characterization of a transient outward K 1 current with inward rectification in canine ventricular myocytes

Li, Gui-Rong, Haiying Sun, and Stanley Nattel. Characterization of a transient outward K1 current with inward rectification in canine ventricular myocytes. Am. J. Physiol. 274 (Cell Physiol. 43): C577–C585, 1998. —The threshold potential for the classical depolarization-activated transient outward K1 current and Cl2 current is positive to 230 mV. With the whole cell patch technique, a transient outward current was elicited in the presence of 5 mM 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) and 5 μM ryanodine at voltages positive to the K1 equilibrium potential in canine ventricular myocytes. The current was abolished by 200 μM Ba21 or omission of external K1 (Ko ) and showed biexponential inactivation. The currentvoltage relation for the peak of the transient outward component showed moderate inward rectification. The transient outward current demonstrated voltage-dependent inactivation (half-inactivation voltage: 243.5 6 3.2 mV) and rapid, monoexponential recovery from inactivation (time constant: 13.2 6 2.5 ms). The reversal potential responded to the changes in Ko 1 concentration. Action potential clamp revealed two phases of Ba21-sensitive current during the action potential, including a large early transient component after the upstroke and a later outward component during phase 3 repolarization. The present study demonstrates that depolarization may elicit a Ba21and Ko -sensitive, 4-AP-insensitive, transient outward current with inward rectification in canine ventricular myocytes. The properties of this K1 current suggest that it may carry a significant early outward current upon depolarization that may play a role in determining membrane excitability and action potential morphology.
Discursive Constructions of Breastfeeding in U.S. State Laws

Previous research has identified several ways that breastfeeding is constructed in public discourses, each with consequences for breastfeeding attitudes, policies, and practices. Researchers analyzed discursive constructions of breastfeeding in U.S. state laws regarding breastfeeding in public to see if common representations were replicated in law and to identify patterns among states that used similar language. Results indicated that laws varied in the level of protection they offered, with the least protective laws decriminalizing breastfeeding in public and the most protective laws criminalizing interference with breastfeeding. The least protective states were located in the Western and North-Central regions, Republican-leaning, and less urban, whereas the most protective states were located in the New England and North-Central regions, Democrat-leaning, and more urban. Most states that fell on either end of this continuum had breastfeeding rates above the national average. Laws also varied in the level of regulation implied in their language, with the most regulative laws specifying that “a mother” can breastfeed “her baby” only in certain places and under certain conditions (discreetly). The most regulative states were located in the Southern and North-Central regions and had low breastfeeding rates, whereas the least regulative states were Western and had high breastfeeding rates.
Safety leadership and systems thinking: application and evaluation of a Risk Management Framework in the mining industry

Abstract Safety leadership is an important factor in supporting safety in high-risk industries. This article contends that applying systems-thinking methods to examine safety leadership can support improved learning from incidents. A case study analysis was undertaken of a large-scale mining landslide incident in which no injuries or fatalities were incurred. A multi-method approach was adopted, in which the Critical Decision Method, Rasmussen’s Risk Management Framework and Accimap method were applied to examine the safety leadership decisions and actions which enabled the safe outcome. The approach enabled Rasmussen’s predictions regarding safety and performance to be examined in the safety leadership context, with findings demonstrating the distribution of safety leadership across leader and system levels, and the presence of vertical integration as key to supporting the successful safety outcome. In doing so, the findings also demonstrate the usefulness of applying systems-thinking methods to examine and learn from incidents in terms of what ‘went right’. The implications, including future research directions, are discussed. Practitioner Summary: This paper presents a case study analysis, in which systems-thinking methods are applied to the examination of safety leadership decisions and actions during a large-scale mining landslide incident. The findings establish safety leadership as a systems phenomenon, and furthermore, demonstrate the usefulness of applying systems-thinking methods to learn from incidents in terms of what ‘went right’. Implications, including future research directions, are discussed.
A Procedure for Analyzing Unbalanced Datasets

This paper describes a procedure for analyzing unbalanced datasets that include many nominal- and ordinal-scale factors. Such datasets are often found in company datasets used for benchmarking and productivity assessment. The two major problems caused by lack of balance are that the impact of factors can be concealed and that spurious impacts can be observed. These effects are examined with the help of two small artificial datasets. The paper proposes a method of forward pass residual analysis to analyze such datasets. The analysis procedure is demonstrated on the artificial datasets and then applied to the COCOMO dataset. The paper ends with a discussion of the advantages and limitations of the analysis procedure.
River dune based roughness uncertainty for the Dutch Rhine branches.

This work aims to establish discharge-dependent main channel roughness scenarios due to dune dynamics for the four largest Dutch river Rhine branches. Roughness predictions were made using three roughness predictors with dune measurements as input. Although a large scatter in the roughness predictions was observed, roughness scenarios were established for all branches. These scenarios indicate a bandwidth of expected roughness values. As expected from literature, increasing main channel roughness is observed with increasing discharge. The large spreading in main channel roughness is expected to significantly affect local water levels in the river system. Marine and River Dune Dynamics – MARID VI – 1-3 April 2019 Bremen, Germany 102 if the data is implemented in the roughness predictors. From these data points roughness scenarios for every branch are set up. The final two sections are a discussion and a conclusion, respectively.
Neuropsychiatric problems after traumatic brain injury: unraveling the silent epidemic.

BACKGROUND Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public health concern. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1.4 million people in the United States sustain a TBI annually. OBJECTIVE This review places particular emphasis on the current knowledge of effective treatment of TBI symptoms, and proposes directions for future research. RESULTS Neuropsychiatric problems are more prevalent and longer-lasting in TBI patients than in the general population. About 40% of TBI victims suffer from two or more psychiatric disorders, and a similar percentage experience at least one unmet need for cognitive, emotional, or job assistance 1 year after injury. The entire spectrum of TBI severity, from mild to severe, is associated with an increase in psychiatric conditions. CONCLUSION Despite the high incidence of severe consequences of TBI, there are scarce empirical data to guide psychiatric treatment. Some approaches that have been helpful include cognitive and behavioral therapy and pharmacologic treatment. The authors list specific research recommendations that could further identify useful therapeutic interventions.
Velocity-Free Fault-Tolerant and Uncertainty Attenuation Control for a Class of Nonlinear Systems

This paper addresses a difficult problem of velocity-free uncertain attenuation control for a class of nonlinear systems with external disturbance and multiple actuator faults. With only the output measurement available for feedback, a sliding-mode observer (SMO) is proposed to reconstruct the full states. The reconstructed signal can approximate the true value to any accuracy. An adaptive version of the observer is further presented to handle a class of structured uncertainties in the system. Together with the system output feedback, the reconstructed state is used to synthesize a velocity-free controller. All states in the closed-loop system are guaranteed to be uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB). System uncertainty and external disturbances are attenuated. Actuator fault is accommodated. An example with application the approach to satellite attitude stabilization maneuver is presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Neuronal synchrony and the relation between the blood-oxygen-level dependent response and the local field potential

The most widespread measures of human brain activity are the blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal and surface field potential. Prior studies report a variety of relationships between these signals. To develop an understanding of how to interpret these signals and the relationship between them, we developed a model of (a) neuronal population responses and (b) transformations from neuronal responses into the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) BOLD signal and electrocorticographic (ECoG) field potential. Rather than seeking a transformation between the two measures directly, this approach interprets each measure with respect to the underlying neuronal population responses. This model accounts for the relationship between BOLD and ECoG data from human visual cortex in V1, V2, and V3, with the model predictions and data matching in three ways: across stimuli, the BOLD amplitude and ECoG broadband power were positively correlated, the BOLD amplitude and alpha power (8–13 Hz) were negatively correlated, and the BOLD amplitude and narrowband gamma power (30–80 Hz) were uncorrelated. The two measures provide complementary information about human brain activity, and we infer that features of the field potential that are uncorrelated with BOLD arise largely from changes in synchrony, rather than level, of neuronal activity.
Performance Enhancement of Patch-based Descriptors for Image Copy Detection

Images have become main sources for the informa-tion, learning, and entertainment, but due to the advancement and progress in multimedia technologies, millions of images are shared on Internet daily which can be easily duplicated and redistributed. Distribution of these duplicated and transformed images cause a lot of problems and challenges such as piracy, redundancy, and content-based image indexing and retrieval. To address these problems, copy detection system based on local features are widely used. Initially, keypoints are detected and represented by some robust descriptors. The descriptors are computed over the affine patches around the keypoints, these patches should be repeatable under photometric and geometric transformations. However, there exist two main challenges with patch based descriptors, (1) the affine patch over the keypoint can produce similar descriptors under entirely different scene or the context which causes “ambiguity”, and (2) the descriptors are not enough “distinctive” under image noise. Due to these limitations, the copy detection systems suffer in performance. We present a framework that makes descriptor more distinguishable and robust by influencing them with the texture and gradients in vicinity. The experimental evaluation on keypoints matching and image copy detection under severe transformations shows the effectiveness of the proposed framework.
The Work Ethic in Industrial America: 1850–1920. By Daniel T. Rodgers. Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, 1978. Pp. xv + 300. $15.00

countless anonymous women who voiced their complaints about wages, speed, hours, factory conditions, and living problems. For example, "Juliana" denounces "the Cotton Lords of Lowell," while another operative tells of dizziness, pain, and of girls who ignore these warnings until "the poor victim of a false system of Industrial Oppression is carried home — to die\" If the contents of The Factory Girls suffer any defect, it is in the failure to emphasize an historical time factor, to distinguish the more pleasant descriptions of factoiy life in the 1820s and early 1830s from the growing discontent of the 1840s when life in the mills had changed. The relatively attractive conditions of high wages, independent town life, social companionship, and intellectual stimulation that had drawn Yankee farm girls into the mills in the 1820s had deteriorated markedly in the face of speed-ups and cuts in the piece-rates by the 1840s, when workers labored long hours in dim and stinking factories and returned to poor food and crowded living conditions in the boarding-houses. Then the native-bom women protested, agitated for the ten-hour working day, compared their lot to that of the Southern slave, and formed organizations to promote their cause. In this perspective, Foner's volume represents a great contribution to the literature of those efforts at labor consciousness and militancy and of the place of the Lowell mill girls in the struggle for workers' rights. Although they failed in the short run to win regulation of their hours or redress of their other grievances, the mill girls did accomplish that first step toward self-help before they abandoned industrial life to return to the farms, leaving the factories open to the flood of immigrants who would follow them.
Predictors of chronic shoulder pain: a population based prospective study.

OBJECTIVE To determine the natural history of shoulder pain in the population, and predictors of outcome on the basis of clinical and individual factors. In addition, to determine whether outcome is influenced by the definition of shoulder pain used. METHODS A prospective cohort study, over a 3 year period, of subjects recruited from a cross sectional population screening study of shoulder pain, conducted in the Greater Manchester area of the UK. RESULTS Of 92 subjects classified as having shoulder pain in the cross sectional study, 50 (54%) reported shoulder pain at followup about 3 years later. In 90% of cases this was accompanied by some disability specifically relating to the symptoms. Baseline factors that predicted symptoms at followup were: pain (indicated on a manikin) within a more narrowly defined shoulder region, shoulder pain related disability, pain on the day of examination, symptoms lasting more than one year, and a high score on the General Health Questionnaire, a measure of psychological distress. CONCLUSION Shoulder pain in the population is a longterm disabling symptom, although many subjects do not seek early medical consultation. Disability (independent of whether there was restriction of movement on examination) is a strong predictor of continuing symptoms. The outcome observed in epidemiological studies of shoulder pain will be influenced by the initial definition of symptoms.