Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Soluble Mimics of the Cytoplasmic Face of the Human V1-Vascular Vasopressin Receptor Bind Arrestin2 and Calmodulin

Signal transduction by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is mediated by interactions between intracellular proteins and exposed motifs on the cytoplasmic face of these receptors. Arrestins bind to GPCRs and modulate receptor function either by interfering with heterotrimeric G protein signaling or by serving as signaling adaptors themselves. Calmodulin interacts with GPCRs triggering a calcium response. We have studied the interaction of arrestin2 and calmodulin with intracellular elements of the human V1-vascular vasopressin receptor (hV1R). For this purpose, we designed, expressed, and purified soluble fusion proteins with the maltose-binding protein (MBP) from Escherichia coli that mimic the intracellular surface of the hV1R. These MBP fusion proteins bind arrestin2 and calmodulin with affinities in the micromolar range. A different series of soluble receptor analogs, named vasopressin receptor 1 elements on a soluble scaffold (V1ROSS) proteins, consist of the third intracellular loop and/or the C-terminal segment of the hV1R receptor juxtaposed on the surface of the MBP. V1ROSS proteins bind calmodulin and a truncated, phosphorylation-independent form of arrestin2 more tightly than the corresponding linear fusion proteins. Thus, embedding receptor loops within the three-dimensional structure of the MBP yields a better representation of the active conformation of these receptor loops than linear receptor peptides fused onto the C terminus of the MBP. V1ROSS proteins provide a valuable tool to study receptor interactions because they are more amenable to structural analysis than the native membrane receptor. These findings set the stage for the detailed structural analysis of these protein-protein interactions that are important for understanding the mechanism of signaling.
Moments of macrodiversity SC receiver output signal with two microdiversity EGC receivers with three branches over rayleigh multipath fading environment

Wireless communication system with macrodiversity reception operating over Gamma shadowed Rayleigh multipath fading channel is considered. Macrodiversity system has macrodiversity selection combining (SC) diversity receiver and two microdiversity equal gain combining (EGC) diversity receivers. Each of EGC microdiversity receivers has three branches. Moments of macrodiversity EGC receivers output signals are calculated. These expressions are used for calculation the closed form expressions for moments of macrodiversity SC receiver output signal envelope. In this paper, the influence of Gamma long term fading parameter severity, shadowing correlation coefficient and Rayleigh short term fading on moments is discussed. The impact of parameters is discussed.
The correlation between the severity of radiotherapy-induced glossitis and endothelial cell injury in local tissues in a rat model.

OBJECTIVES To explore the correlation between the severity of radiotherapy-induced glossitis (RTG) and endothelial cell injury in local tissues in a rat model. STUDY DESIGN The RTG animal model was designed and used by our team. The Oral mucositis index(OMI) was documented daily. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) Staining of CD34 was utilized to identify endothelial cells in the RTG tissues. Apoptosis of endothelial cells in local lesions due to RTG was detected by the TUNEL assay. The dynamic relationship between the OMI and apoptotic endothelial cells was statistically analyzed by time. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The injury and apoptosis of endothelial cells were observed 3 day post-irradiation. The vascular lumens of the post-irradiation tongue lesions were irregular; thrombosis formation in the center of the lumens, unsmooth lumen walls and vasodilated vessels were observed. Also, endothelial cells detached from the basal membrane and were found in the lumens. The percentages (%) of apoptotic endothelial cells were 78.3 ± 0.31 (5 day); 89.3 ± 0.83 (8 day); 83.5 ± 0.41 (14 day); 69.3 ± 0.57 (21 day); and 47.3 ± 0.59 (28 day). The OMI was correlated with the percentage of apoptotic endothelial cells (R=0.67, P=0.034). Summary, endothelial cell injury was correlated with the pathogenic condition of RTG.
Kinetic changes during a six-week minimal footwear and gait-retraining intervention in runners

ABSTRACT An evaluation of a six-week Combined minimal footwear transition and gait-retraining combination vs. gait retraining only on impact characteristics and leg stiffness. Twenty-four trained male runners were randomly assigned to either (1) Minimalist footwear transition Combined with gait-retraining over a six-week period (“Combined” group; n = 12) examined in both footwear, or (2) a gait-retraining group only with no minimalist footwear exposure (“Control”; n = 12). Participants were assessed for loading rate, impact peak, vertical, knee and ankle stiffness, and foot-strike using 3D and kinetic analysis. Loading rate was significantly higher in the Combined group in minimal shoes in pre-tests compared to a Control (P ≤ 0.001), reduced significantly in the Combined group over time (P ≤ 0.001), and was not different to the Control group in post-tests (P = 0.16). The impact peak (P = 0.056) and ankle stiffness reduced in both groups (P = 0.006). Loading rate and vertical stiffness was higher in minimalist footwear than conventional running shoes both pre (P ≤ 0.001) and post (P = 0.046) the intervention. There has a higher tendency to non-rearfoot strike in both interventions, but more acute changes in the minimalist footwear. A Combined intervention can potentially reduce impact variables. However, higher loading rate initially in minimalist footwear may increase the risk of injury in this condition.
Interacting Effects of Translocation, Artificial Propagation, and Environmental Conditions on the Marine Survival of Chinook Salmon from the Columbia River, Washington, U.S.A.

Abstract: Captive rearing and translocation are often used concurrently for species conservation, yet the effects of these practices can interact and lead to unintended outcomes that may undermine species’ recovery efforts. Controls in translocation or artificial‐propagation programs are uncommon; thus, there have been few studies on the interacting effects of these actions and environmental conditions on survival. The Columbia River basin, which drains 668,000 km2 of the western United States and Canada, has an extensive network of hydroelectric and other dams, which impede and slow migration of anadromous Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and can increase mortality rates. To mitigate for hydrosystem‐induced mortality during juvenile downriver migration, tens of millions of hatchery fish are released each year and a subset of wild‐ and hatchery‐origin juveniles are translocated downstream beyond the hydropower system. We considered how the results of these practices interact with marine environmental conditions to affect the marine survival of Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha). We analyzed data from more than 1 million individually tagged fish from 1998 through 2006 to evaluate the probability of an individual fish returning as an adult relative to its rearing (hatchery vs. wild) and translocation histories (translocated vs. in‐river migrating fish that traveled downriver through the hydropower system) and a suite of environmental variables. Except during select periods of very low river flow, marine survival of wild translocated fish was approximately two‐thirds less than survival of wild in‐river migrating fish. For hatchery fish, however, survival was roughly two times higher for translocated fish than for in‐river migrants. Competition and predator aggregation negatively affected marine survival, and the magnitude of survival depended on rearing and translocation histories and biological and physical conditions encountered during their first few weeks of residence in the ocean. Our results highlight the importance of considering the interacting effects of translocation, artificial propagation, and environmental variables on the long‐term viability of species.
Integrated mm-wave sensors in a package

We present integrated 160-GHz sensors in a package which combine SiGe-based mm-wave circuits with an antenna inside single embedded wafer level ball grid array (eWLB) packages. The eWLB technology provides a platform to realize miniaturized antennas and to easily combine them with other building blocks to create a full mm-wave system in package. With this approach no external mm-wave connections or special low-loss laminates are required. An imaging system based on the packaged sensors was realized and measurements were carried out to demonstrate the easy applicability of the realized components.
Decoding Signaling and Function of the Orphan G Protein–Coupled Receptor GPR17 with a Small-Molecule Agonist

Activation of GPR17 prevents oligodendrocyte maturation and reveals that inhibiting GPR17 may be a therapeutic strategy to treat multiple sclerosis. Overcoming a Myelination Maturity Block Demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), are characterized by the failure of oligodendrocytes to mature and produce myelin, the protective sheaths surrounding axons. The role of the orphan G protein (heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein)–coupled receptor GPR17 in this process is debated. Hennen et al. identified a GPR17-selective small-molecule agonist and showed that application of this agonist induced G protein–mediated signaling that prevented maturation of cultured oligodendrocytes. The findings establish an inhibitory role for GPR17 in the cellular maturation process that enables remyelination of injured axons and suggest that GPR17 may be pharmacologically targeted to treat MS. Replacement of the lost myelin sheath is a therapeutic goal for treating demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The G protein (heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein)–coupled receptor (GPCR) GPR17, which is phylogenetically closely related to receptors of the “purinergic cluster,” has emerged as a modulator of CNS myelination. However, whether GPR17-mediated signaling positively or negatively regulates this critical process is unresolved. We identified a small-molecule agonist, MDL29,951, that selectively activated GPR17 even in a complex environment of endogenous purinergic receptors in primary oligodendrocytes. MDL29,951-stimulated GPR17 engaged the entire set of intracellular adaptor proteins for GPCRs: G proteins of the Gαi, Gαs, and Gαq subfamily, as well as β-arrestins. This was visualized as alterations in the concentrations of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and inositol phosphate, increased Ca2+ flux, phosphorylation of extracellular signal–regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), as well as multifeatured cell activation recorded with label-free dynamic mass redistribution and impedance biosensors. MDL29,951 inhibited the maturation of primary oligodendrocytes from heterozygous but not GPR17 knockout mice in culture, as well as in cerebellar slices from 4-day-old wild-type mice. Because GPCRs are attractive targets for therapeutic intervention, inhibiting GPR17 emerges as therapeutic strategy to relieve the oligodendrocyte maturation block and promote myelin repair in MS.
Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy in women with bulimia nervosa and eating disorders not otherwise specified.

OBJECTIVE To explore the prevalence of pregnancy-related nausea (PN) and vomiting (PV), and hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), in women with bulimia nervosa (BN) and EDNOS purging subtype (EDNOS-P). METHOD Pregnant women (38,038) enrolled in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study had questionnaire-based information on eating disorder diagnosis and PN, PV, and HG. We estimated the odds for PN, PV, and HG using logistic regression. RESULTS Women with BN, purging subtype, but not women with BN, nonpurging subtype, had statistically significant higher odds of PN and PV compared to women without eating disorders. The EDNOS-P group showed significantly higher odds of PV. The odds of HG did not differ significantly between those with and without an eating disorder, or across eating disorder subtypes. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that eating disorders marked by the symptom of purging are associated with increased odds of PN and PV.
A Team of Continuous-Action Learning Automata for Noise-Tolerant Learning of Half-Spaces

Learning automata are adaptive decision making devices that are found useful in a variety of machine learning and pattern recognition applications. Although most learning automata methods deal with the case of finitely many actions for the automaton, there are also models of continuous-action-set learning automata (CALA). A team of such CALA can be useful in stochastic optimization problems where one has access only to noise-corrupted values of the objective function. In this paper, we present a novel formulation for noise-tolerant learning of linear classifiers using a CALA team. We consider the general case of nonuniform noise, where the probability that the class label of an example is wrong may be a function of the feature vector of the example. The objective is to learn the underlying separating hyperplane given only such noisy examples. We present an algorithm employing a team of CALA and prove, under some conditions on the class conditional densities, that the algorithm achieves noise-tolerant learning as long as the probability of wrong label for any example is less than 0.5. We also present some empirical results to illustrate the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Genetic analysis of the O7-polysaccharide biosynthesis region from the Escherichia coli O7:K1 strain VW187

We recently cloned biosynthesis genes for the O7-lipopolysaccharide (O7-LPS) side chain from the Escherichia coli K-1 strain VW187 (M. A. Valvano, and J. H. Crosa, Infect. Immun. 57:937-943, 1989). To characterize the O7-LPS region, the recombinant cosmids pJHCV31 and pJHCV32 were mutagenized by transposon mutagenesis with Tn3HoHo1, which carries a promoterless lac operon and can therefore generate lacZ transcriptional fusions with target DNA sequences. Cells containing mutated plasmids were examined for their ability to react by coagglutination with O7 antiserum. The LPS pattern profiles of the insertion mutants were also investigated by electrophoresis of cell envelope fractions, followed by silver staining and immunoblotting analysis. These experiments identified three phenotypic classes of mutants and defined a region in the cloned DNA of about 14 kilobase pairs that is essential for O7-LPS expression. Analysis of beta-galactosidase production by cells carrying plasmids with transposon insertions indicated that transcription occurs in only one direction along the O7-LPS region. In vitro transcription-translation experiments revealed that the O7-LPS region encodes at least 16 polypeptides with molecular masses ranging from 20 to 48 kilodaltons. Also, the O7-LPS region in VW187 was mutagenized by homologous recombination with subsets of the cloned O7-LPS genes subcloned into a suicide plasmid vector. O7-LPS-deficient mutants of VW187 were complemented with pJHCV31 and pJHCV32, confirming that these cosmids contain genetic information that is essential for the expression of the O7 polysaccharide.
Bronchoscopic assessment of airway involvement in children presenting with clinically significant airway obstruction due to tuberculosis

The incidence of complicated lymph node disease in tuberculosis (TB) in children less than 15 years of age varies from 8% to 38%. There are few published studies on the bronchoscopic appearance and severity of airway obstruction caused by lymph node involvement of the airways resulting from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). The primary aim of the study was to describe the flexible bronchoscopic findings of lymph node involvement of the airways caused by MTB in children with severe airway obstruction. The secondary aim was to compare the degree of airway involvement in HIV negative to HIV positive children as well the airway involvement caused by drug susceptible and drug resistant MTB.
Safety Needs of People With Disabilities During Earthquakes

Abstract Objective The needs of people with disabilities are not taken into account during disasters, and there is no or little preparation for them. Hence, such people are very anxious about their personal safety during disasters. The aim of this study was to explain the safety needs of people with disabilities during earthquakes. Methods This qualitative study was conducted with purposive sampling. A total of 12 people with movement disability, aged between 18 and 60 years, and with an experience of facing earthquakes, participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used. Results The safety needs of people with disabilities were categorized into three phases: those before an earthquake were considering building codes and resistant construction, building safe and resistant-to-climate-change shelters, and securing the room at the home and workplace; that during an earthquake was the existence of personal protection facilities; and those after an earthquake were adaptation of bathrooms in secure areas, prioritizing conex containers instead of tents, and sheltering in a safe and vermin-free area. Conclusions The sudden death of people with disabilities during disasters is preventable through proper planning and preparedness of emergency personnel. Hence, identifying the safety needs of these people and inclusion of such plans in disasters management systems can assure safety for people with disabilities during disasters. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:615–621)
Glucose‐transporter‐type‐I‐gene amplification correlates with Sialyl‐Lewis‐X synthesis and proliferation in lung cancer

Increased glucose transport is a common characteristic of most tumors. To examine the role of elevated glucose uptake in lung cancer, we performed PCR amplification of 2 facilitative glucose transporter genes (GLUT1 and GLUT3) and immunohistochemical staining for GLUT1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and sialyl Lewis × (sLex) on tumor specimens from 327 patients with lung cancer who underwent surgical resection from 1980 to 1993. To evaluate the relationship between GLUT, α‐2,3‐sialyltransferase (ST), and α‐1,3‐fucosyltransferase (Fuc‐T) genes, PCR amplification of the ST3N and Fuc‐TVII also was performed. Amplification of GLUT1 was significantly greater than that of GLUT3. GLUT1 and GLUT3 amplification correlated with PCNA staining (p < 0.01). In addition, GLUT1 amplification correlated with the grading of sLex staining as well as with the grading of GLUT1 staining (p < .03, p < 0.01). GLUT1 was co‐amplified with ST3N and Fuc‐TVII genes, which are involved in the synthesis of sLex (p < 0.01). The survival of patients whose tumors showed GLUT1 amplification was significantly shorter than that of patients whose tumors did not (p < 0.01). In a multivariate analysis of survival, GLUT1 remained a statistically significant prognostic factor. Our results suggest that GLUT1 amplification may participate in sLex synthesis as well as in proliferation, and may be of prognostic value in lung cancer. Int. J. Cancer74:189–192, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Entorhinal cortex of the human, monkey, and rat: Metabolic map as revealed by cytochrome oxidase

The entorhinal cortex (EC) is a medial temporal lobe area involved in memory consolidation. Results from previous studies suggest that the upper layers of the EC may be organized into anatomical‐neurochemical modules associated with pathways through the neuron clusters in layers II and III. To study metabolic patterns in the EC and to look for correlates of the proposed modules, we examined the distribution of cytochrome oxidase (CO) in the human, monkey, and rat EC. CO is a mitochondrial enzyme that has been used to study modules in other cortical areas.
Structure of PvuII endonuclease with cognate DNA.

We have determined the structure of PvuII endonuclease complexed with cognate DNA by X‐ray crystallography. The DNA substrate is bound with a single homodimeric protein, each subunit of which reveals three structural regions. The catalytic region strongly resembles structures of other restriction endonucleases, even though these regions have dissimilar primary sequences. Comparison of the active site with those of EcoRV and EcoRI endonucleases reveals a conserved triplet sequence close to the reactive phosphodiester group and a conserved acidic pair that may represent the ligands for the catalytic cofactor Mg2+. The DNA duplex is not significantly bent and maintains a B‐DNA‐like conformation. The subunit interface region of the homodimeric protein consists of a pseudo‐three‐helix bundle. Direct contacts between the protein and the base pairs of the PvuII recognition site occur exclusively in the major groove through two antiparallel beta strands from the sequence recognition region of the protein. Water‐mediated contacts are made in the minor grooves to central bases of the site. If restriction enzymes do share a common ancestor, as has been proposed, their catalytic regions have been very strongly conserved, while their subunit interfaces and DNA sequence recognition regions have undergone remarkable structural variation.
Determinants of functional recovery after myocardial infarction of patients treated with bone marrow-derived stem cells after thrombolytic therapy

Objective To assess the determinants of functional recovery in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated initially with thrombolysis, followed by percutaneous coronary intervention and intracoronary injection of bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMC). Design A randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study (substudy of FINCELL). Setting Two tertiary cardiac centres. Participants 78 patients with STEMI randomly assigned to receive either intracoronary BMC (n=39) or placebo (n=39) into the infarct-related artery. Interventions Thrombolysis a few hours after symptom onset, percutaneous coronary intervention and intracoronary injection of BMC 2–6 days later. Main outcome measures Efficacy of the BMC treatment was assessed by measurement of the change of global left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) from baseline to 6 months after STEMI. Various predefined variables (eg, the levels of certain natriuretic peptides and inflammatory cytokines) were analysed as determinants of improvement of LVEF. Results In the BMC group, the most powerful determinant of the change in LVEF was the baseline LVEF (r=−0.58, p<0.001). Patients with baseline LVEF at or below the median (≤62.5%) experienced a more marked improvement in LVEF (+12.7±12.5 %units, p<0.001) than those above the median (−0.8±6.3 %units, p=0.10). Elevated N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (p<0.001) and N-terminal proatrial natriuretic peptide (p=0.052) levels were also associated with improvement in LVEF in the BMC group but not in the placebo group. Conclusions The global LVEF recovers most significantly after intracoronary infusion of BMC in patients with the most severe impairment of LVEF on admission. The baseline levels of natriuretic peptides seem also to be associated with LVEF recovery after BMC treatment. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00363324.