Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Different responses of astrocytes and neurons to nitric oxide: The role of glycolytically generated ATP in astrocyte protection

It was recently proposed that in Jurkat cells, after inhibition of respiration by NO, glycolytically generated ATP plays a critical role in preventing the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and thus apoptotic cell death. We have investigated this observation further in primary cultures of rat cortical neurons and astrocytes—cell types that differ greatly in their glycolytic capacity. Continuous and significant (≈85%) inhibition of respiration by NO (1.4 μM at 175 μM O2) generated by [(z)-1-[2-aminoethyl]-N-[2-ammonioethyl]amino]diazen-1-ium-1,2 diolate (DETA-NO) initially (10 min) depleted ATP concentrations by ≈25% in both cell types and increased the rate of glycolysis in astrocytes but not in neurons. Activation of glycolysis in astrocytes, as judged by lactate production, prevented further ATP depletion, whereas in neurons, which do not invoke this mechanism, there was a progressive decrease in ATP concentrations over the next 60 min. During this time, there was a persistent mitochondrial hyperpolarization and absence of apoptotic cell death in astrocytes, whereas in the neurons there was a progressive fall in Δψm and increased apoptosis. After glucose deprivation or treatment with inhibitors of the F1F0-ATPase and adenine nucleotide translocase, astrocytes responded to NO with a fall in Δψm and apoptotic cell death similar to the response in neurons. Finally, although treatment of astrocytes with NO partially prevented staurosporin-induced collapse in Δψm and cell death, NO and staurosporin synergized in decreasing Δψm and inducing apoptosis in neurons. These results demonstrate that although inhibition of cellular respiration by NO leads to neurotoxicity, it may also result in initial neuroprotection, depending on the glycolytic capacity of the particular cell.
Visual Evoked Potentials: Differences Related to Physical Activity

Visually evoked potentials to patterned stimuli were recorded from tennis players, rowers and non-athlete control subjects. Each group consisted of 12 males and 12 females of similar age. Tennis players showed shorter P100 latencies compared to those of control subjects and rowers. This difference exists, in the same range, both in the male and in the females. The analysis of covariance and multiple linear regressions show that these shorter latencies cannot be explained by head circumference or by height. The hypothesis of a relationship between these shorter latencies and the specific qualities of racket players is suggested. A second experiment with squash players seems to confirm these first results.
Design of dense, accurate stereo maps for fast maneuvering of unmanned aerial vehicles

In recent times, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are popular for several applications like rescue, surveillance, mapping, and so on. However, slow flight motion of Quadrotor UAVs is still a challenging issue to overcome. Although there exist several algorithms for the motion estimation and path planning of UAVs, most of them cannot be applied for fast flight in cluttered urban and forest environments. Many navigation systems based on laser scan matching have been demonstrated for the use on Quadrotor UAVs. Nevertheless, keeping in mind that the UAV is to fly at high speeds (5–10 m/s), an alternative for a heavy laser scanner would be a light-weight stereo camera. On the other hand, the main disadvantage for using stereo camera is that the depth map generated is often sparse and noisy, which is the bottleneck for obstacle detection and path planning. Therefore, a segmentation-based filter has been designed to overcome this problem without being dependent on different scenes and lighting conditions. The proposed filter has been tested on publicly available stereo images as well as data generated from our UAV cameras.
An optimized fading fault localization method applied in series-parallel photovoltaic array

Shading is one of the main reasons for the heat spot effect of a photovoltaic array, which causes electrical mismatch and seriously affects its output characteristics. Based on the widely adopted photovoltaic array with series-parallel architecture, we present an optimized online localization method about the photovoltaic shading faults. By optimizing voltage sensor configurations, the method not only simplifies the topology of the fault detection system, but can also ascertain the fault locations with varying shadow degrees of the photovoltaic array quickly and accurately. It can also forecast the illumination intensity on the photovoltaic cells online. We demonstrate that for a 4×4 series-parallel photovoltaic array, 8 voltage sensors can achieve fault localization with an accuracy up to a single cell of any column or row. Simulation with MATLAB proves that this method improved the efficiency and accuracy of fault detection in the series-parallel photovoltaic array.
Analysis of 5‐methyltetrahydrofolate in human blood, serum and urine by on‐line coupling of capillary isotachophoresis and zone electrophoresis

The predominant circulating folate coenzyme in plasma/serum, 5‐methyltetrahydrofolate (5‐MTHF) was determined in human blood, serum and urine using a method based on the hyphenation of capillary ITP and zone electrophoresis. Measurements were done with a commercially available instrument for capillary isotachophoresis equipped with a column‐switching system. The choice of electrolytes was limited by the instability of 5‐MTHF and volatility of electrolytes for the potential coupling of the instrumentation with MS detector. To get an insight into the separability of individual sample components in an isotachophoretic analysis, we constructed zone existence diagrams for isotachophoretic electrolyte systems having a leading electrolyte composed of acetate and ammonium of pH 4.5 and 7.0, hydrocarbonate and ammonium, pH 7.8, chloride and ammonium, pH 5.6, and chloride and creatinine, pH 5.0, with hydroxide ion as the terminator. For isotachophoretic preseparation, the non‐volatile leading electrolyte with good buffering capacity composed of 1×10−2 M HCl and 2.5×10−2 M creatinine, pH 5.0, and terminating electrolyte composed of 1×10−2 M MES was selected as the most suitable. The optimum BGE for CZE analysis from the standpoint of analyte stability, separability and volatility for MS coupling was 1×10−2 M acetate with 3.5×10−2 M ammonium, pH 4.5. Using this combination of electrolytes, LODs reached with optical detection at 220 nm were 1.6×10−7 M in human blood, 1.1×10−7 M in human serum and 4.7×10−6 M in human urine. Estimated content of 5‐MTHF in blood and serum samples of women following oral daily administration of 0.8 mg of folic acid was 1.2×10−5 and 5.8×10−6 M, respectively.
A hyper-box approach using relational databases for large scale machine learning

In this paper We follow a simple approach which allows the implementation of machine learning (ML for short) techniques to large data sets. More specifically, we study the case of on-demand dynamic creation of a local model in the neighborhood of a target datum instead of creating a global one on the whole training data set. This approach exploits the advanced data structures and algorithms, embedded in modern relational databases, to identify the neighborhood of a target datum, rapidly. Preliminary experimental results from a large scale classification problem (HIGGS dataset) show that the typical machine learning techniques are applicable to large data sets through this approach, under particular conditions. We highlight some restrictions of the method and some issues arising by implementing it.
Small molecule inhibitors of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) possess antiviral activity against highly pathogenic avian and human pandemic influenza A viruses

Abstract C-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) are activated in course of many viral infections. Here we analyzed the activity of JNK inhibitors on influenza A virus (IAV) amplification. Human lung epithelial cells were infected with either the highly pathogenic avian virus strain A/FPV/Bratislava/79 (H7N7) or the pandemic swine-origin influenza virus A/Hamburg/4/09 (H1N1v). The application of the JNK inhibitors SP600125 and AS601245 reduced IAV amplification by suppressing viral protein and RNA synthesis. Although AS601245 appeared to generally block the transcription of newly introduced genes, SP600125 specifically affected viral RNA synthesis. Overexpression of a dominant negative mutant of SEK/MKK4 and siRNA-mediated suppression of JNK2 expression confirmed that specific manipulation of the JNK pathway attenuates virus propagation. An IAV minigenome replication assay revealed that SP600125 did not directly affect the activity of the viral RNA polymerase complex but seems to suppress an anti-influenza nonstructural protein 1-mediated virus supportive function. Finally, when H7N7- or H1N1v-infected mice were treated with SP600125, the viral load is reduced in lungs of treated compared with untreated mice. Our data suggest that this class of ATP competitive inhibitors once optimized for antiviral action potentially represent novel drugs for antiviral intervention.
R Factor Proteins Synthesized in Escherichia coli Minicells: Incorporation Studies with Different R Factors and Detection of Deoxyribonucleic Acid-Binding Proteins

Analysis of the protein synthesized by Escherichia coli minicells containing R factors demonstrated a variety of low- and high-molecular-weight polypeptides in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gels. Only half of this protein was released into a soluble fraction on lysis of these minicells. The other half remained associated with the minicell envelope. The efficiency of precursor incorporation into protein and the kinds of proteins synthesized changed with the age of the minicells at the time of harvest. About 1 to 2% of the soluble R factor-coded protein bound to calf thymus, E. coli, or R factor DNA-cellulose. Although most of these proteins were excluded from Sephadex G-100 columns, they migrated chiefly as low-molecular-weight-polypeptides (13,000 to 15,000) in SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Additional DNA-binding proteins that appeared to be higher-molecular-weight peptides were noted in extracts from younger minicells. At least one protein, identified as an SDS band, appeared to bind selectively to R factor DNA-cellulose. Minicells with R factors also contained DNA-binding proteins of cell origin, including the core RNA polymerase. No such binding proteins were found in R− minicells. These studies suggest that: (i) R factors code for proteins that may be involved in their own DNA metabolism; (ii) R factor DNA-binding proteins may be associated with larger host cell DNA-binding proteins or subunits of larger R factor proteins; and (iii) the age of the minicell influences the extent of protein synthesis and the kinds of proteins synthesized by R factors in minicells.
Contribution of modifiable risk factors to social inequalities in type 2 diabetes: prospective Whitehall II cohort study

Objective To assess the contribution of modifiable risk factors to social inequalities in the incidence of type 2 diabetes when these factors are measured at study baseline or repeatedly over follow-up and when long term exposure is accounted for. Design Prospective cohort study with risk factors (health behaviours (smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, and physical activity), body mass index, and biological risk markers (systolic blood pressure, triglycerides and high density lipoprotein cholesterol)) measured four times and diabetes status assessed seven times between 1991-93 and 2007-09. Setting Civil service departments in London (Whitehall II study). Participants 7237 adults without diabetes (mean age 49.4 years; 2196 women). Main outcome measures Incidence of type 2 diabetes and contribution of risk factors to its association with socioeconomic status. Results Over a mean follow-up of 14.2 years, 818 incident cases of diabetes were identified. Participants in the lowest occupational category had a 1.86-fold (hazard ratio 1.86, 95% confidence interval 1.48 to 2.32) greater risk of developing diabetes relative to those in the highest occupational category. Health behaviours and body mass index explained 33% (−1% to 78%) of this socioeconomic differential when risk factors were assessed at study baseline (attenuation of hazard ratio from 1.86 to 1.51), 36% (22% to 66%) when they were assessed repeatedly over the follow-up (attenuated hazard ratio 1.48), and 45% (28% to 75%) when long term exposure over the follow-up was accounted for (attenuated hazard ratio 1.41). With additional adjustment for biological risk markers, a total of 53% (29% to 88%) of the socioeconomic differential was explained (attenuated hazard ratio 1.35, 1.05 to 1.72). Conclusions Modifiable risk factors such as health behaviours and obesity, when measured repeatedly over time, explain almost half of the social inequalities in incidence of type 2 diabetes. This is more than was seen in previous studies based on single measurement of risk factors.
Effect of Kinesio Taping on bioelectrical activity of vastus medialis muscle. Preliminary report.

BACKGROUND Kinesio Taping is currently regarded by physiotherapists as a method supporting rehabilitation and modulating some physiological processes. It is employed e.g. in orthopaedics and sport medicine. This sensory method supports joint function by exerting an effect on muscle function, enhancing activity of the lymphatic system and endogenous analgesic mechanisms as well as improving microcirculation. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of Kinesio Taping on changes in the tone of the vastus medialis muscle during isometric contractions. MATERIAL AND METHOD The study group included 27 healthy persons. A Kinesio Tape was placed to support the function of the medial head of the quadriceps muscle of thigh. Transdermal EMG was used to assess bioelectrical activity of the muscle. A standardised protocol was employed for measurement of muscle tone, recorded as the peak torque of the muscle. RESULTS An examination performed 24 hours after the placement of the Kinesio Tape revealed significantly increased recruitment of the muscle's motor units, as expressed by peak torque. An examination performed after 72 hours of kinesio taping showed a statistically significant increase in bioelectrical activity of the muscle. However, this was lower than the effect at 24 hours. In the group where the tapes were removed after 24 hours, high torque was still maintained. CONCLUSIONS 1. Clinically significant effects of Kinesio Taping in this study included an increase in the bioelectrical activity of the muscle after 24 hours of kinesio taping and the maintenance of this effect for another 48 hours following removal of the tape. 2. The decrease in muscle tone to the baseline value, which was observed during the fourth day of Kinesio Taping use, may have resulted from the time of effective use of the KT tape being shorter than previously believed and may restrict Kinesio Taping use. 3. Kinesio Taping used shortly before the motor activity it is supposed to support may fail to fulfil its function.
Spontaneous Exit from Diplotene Arrest Associates with the Increase of Calcium and Reactive Oxygen Species in Rat Oocytes Cultured In Vitro

Several signal molecules modulate the physiology of mammalian oocytes. Changes in the level of various signal molecules and their downstream impact on maturation promoting factor (MPF) during the achievement of meiotic competency remain ill understood. Therefore, the present study aimed to analyze levels of various signal molecules and MPF during the achievement of meiotic competency in rat oocytes. For this purpose, cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected from animals treated with 20 IU pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG) for 48 h, followed by 20 IU human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for 14 h. The morphological changes, meiotic status and oocyte competency, cytosolic free calcium (Ca2+), total reactive oxygen species (ROS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP), guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP), cell division cycle 25B (Cdc25B), calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), Wee1, specific phosphorylation status of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1), and cyclin B1 expression levels were analyzed. Our data suggest that the culture of denuded diplotene-arrested oocytes resulted in spontaneous exit from diplotene arrest (EDA) in a time-dependent manner. The supplementation of hCG (2 IU) did not show any additive effect over spontaneous EDA in vitro. The hCG (20 IU) surge induced achievement of meiotic competency as most of the ovulated oocytes showed metaphase-II (M-II) arrest with extrusion of first polar body (PB-I). The spontaneous EDA was associated with a moderate increase of cytosolic free Ca2+ as well as total ROS levels. Furthermore, iNOS, cAMP, cGMP, Cdc25B, Thr161 phosphorylated Cdk1, as well as cyclin B1 levels were significantly decreased, while CaMKII, Wee1, and Thr14/Tyr15 phosphorylated Cdk1 levels were increased significantly during spontaneous EDA. These changes were reversed in ovulated oocytes that showed M-II arrest. The above results suggest that the oscillation of signal molecules modulates MPF destabilization during the achievement of meiotic competency in rat oocytes cultured in vitro.
Low-Complexity Compressed Sensing-Based Channel Estimation With Virtual Oversampling for Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting

This paper proposes a low-complexity compressed sensing (CS)-based time domain channel estimation with virtual oversampling for OFDM-based DTTB system. CS technique is first applied to sparse channel estimation in integrated services digital broadcasting-terrestrial (ISDB-T) system. Unfortunately, the CS-based time-domain channel estimation suffers from a performance degradation under the existence of fractional delay. Fractional delay is a common issue in time domain-based channel estimation due to sampling imperfection of channel delay time. Therefore, we propose virtual oversampling to deal with the fractional delay without increasing the signal bandwidth. Furthermore, exploiting the fact that the rate of change of path delay is slower than the path gain, a modified orthogonal matching pursuit is also proposed to reduce computational complexity. Numerical analyses of bit error rate and computational complexity are given to verify effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Locus of Control and Mathematics Anxiety as Predictors of Performance in a Psychological Statistics Course

Although anxiety about mathematics might be expected to predict performance on mathematics examinations, some research shows that the two variables are not related (e.g., Llabre & Suarez, 1985). However, since Lessing (1969) found a positive relationship between locus of control scores and over-all grade-point averages for eleventh grade students, the present study was designed to explore the relationship of locus of control and anxiety about performance in mathematics of students in a college statistics course. The subjects were 16 male and 21 female undergraduates, aged 18 to 23 yr. (M age = 20.2 yr., SD = 1.0) and enrolled in a psychological statistics course. Two weeks before the first examination, students were administered a mathematics anxiety rating scale (Plake & Parker, 1982) and a locus of control scale (Levenson, 1974). Mean scores (and SDs) were: control by powerful others -7.4 (7.81, chance -8.3 (9.3) and internal 13.3 (5.9, learning math anxiety 45.9 (13.8) and math evaluation anxiety 31.0 (7.0). Scores on the examination were related to anxiety about mathematics evaluation (Pearson r = -0.47, p < ,001) and the predicted performance (r = 0.40, p< ,001). Scores on the examination were not related to age (r = 0.04), belief in a locus of control by powerful others (r = 0.08), chance (r = -0.01), or oneself (r = -0.05), anxiety about mathematics learning (r = -0.17), or sex (r= -0.04). A stepwise multiple regression showed that anxiety about evaluation of mathematics was the only significant predictor variable (beta = -0.47, t = 3.18, p = ,003). The results of the present study indicated that people who are more anxious about their performance on mathematics examinations do indeed perform worse on an examination, whereas anxiety about learning mathematics and belief in locus of control were not related to examination performance.
Joint boosting of histogram like features for the generic recognition of object classes and subclasses

A very important aspect of visual human computer interaction is the robust and effective recognition and localization of multiple object classes in the visual input data. This paper addresses the problem of generic object class and sub-class classification. Vector valued histogram-based image features are used in a joint boosting classifier to provide an efficient multi-class object detector. A novel weak learner based on Multiple Discriminant Analysis is introduced for vector valued histogram features which allows to combine them in a multi-class boosting based classifier. Successful experimental results on a publicly available dataset proves the feasibility of the proposed approach.
SOC1 translocated to the nucleus by interaction with AGL24 directly regulates leafy.

SUMMARY Suppressor of overexpression of constans1 (SOC1) is one of the flowering pathway integrators and regulates the expression of LEAFY (LFY), which links floral induction and floral development. However, the mechanism by which SOC1, a MADS box protein, regulates LFY has proved elusive. Here, we show that SOC1 directly binds to the distal and proximal region of the LFY promoter where critical cis-elements are located. Intragenic suppressor mutant analysis shows that a missense mutation in the MADS box of SOC1 causes loss of binding to the LFY promoter as well as suppression of the flowering promotion function. The full-length SOC1 protein locates in the cytoplasm if expressed alone in protoplast transient expression assay, but relocates to the nucleus if expressed with AGAMOUS-LIKE 24 (AGL24), another flowering pathway integrator and a MADS box protein. The domain analysis shows that co-localization of SOC1 and AGL24 is mediated by the MADS box and the intervening region of SOC1. Finally, we show that LFY is expressed only in those tissues where SOC1 and AGL24 expressions overlap. Thus, we propose that heterodimerization of SOC1 and AGL24 is a key mechanism in activating LFY expression.
Age in relation to worker compensation costs in the construction industry.

BACKGROUND A better understanding of how workers' compensation (WC) costs are affected by an aging US workforce is needed, especially for physically demanding industries, such as construction. METHODS The relationship between age and injury type on claim costs was evaluated using a database of 107,064 Colorado WC claims filed between 1998 and 2008 among construction workers. RESULTS Mean WC costs increased with increasing age for total cost (P < 0.0001), medical costs (P < 0.0001), and indemnity costs (P < 0.0001). For each one-year increase in age, indemnity, and medical costs increased by 3.5% and 1.1%, respectively. For specific injury types, such as strains and contusions, the association between age and indemnity costs was higher among claimants aged ≥65 compared to claimants aged 18-24. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that specific injury types may be partially responsible for the higher indemnity costs among older construction workers, compared with their younger coworkers.