Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metalloprotease cleavage of the N terminus of the orphan G protein–coupled receptor GPR37L1 reduces its constitutive activity

The N terminus of the receptor GPR37L1 enables constitutive signaling to Gαs. Turning off a constitutively active GPCR In animals, most G protein (heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein)–coupled receptors (GPCRs) are inactive under basal conditions and require either binding of a ligand, isomerization of their bound ligand by light, or cleavage of a tethered ligand to become activated. Coleman et al. found that GPR37L1, which is a GPCR abundant in the cerebellum, signaled to Gαs and stimulated cyclic AMP signaling in the absence of any exogenously added ligand when expressed in a cultured cell line and assayed in the presence of normal growth medium. Furthermore, cleaved fragments of this receptor are detectable in human cerebral spinal fluid, and biochemical analysis revealed a long and short form of the receptor. The short form, which resulted from cleavage of the N terminus, was inactive and was the predominant form detected in rodent cerebellum. Metalloprotease inhibitors blocked the cleavage of the N terminus, suggesting that signals that regulate the activity of these proteases, rather than ligand-binding events, control the signaling mediated by this GPCR. How widespread this type of GPCR regulatory mechanism is and whether the cleaved fragments have bioactivity remain interesting questions. Little is known about the pharmacology or physiology of GPR37L1, a G protein (heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein)–coupled receptor that is abundant in the cerebellum. Mice deficient in this receptor exhibit precocious cerebellar development and hypertension. We showed that GPR37L1 coupled to the G protein Gαs when heterologously expressed in cultured cells in the absence of any added ligand, whereas a mutant receptor that lacked the amino terminus was inactive. Conversely, inhibition of ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloproteases) enhanced receptor activity, indicating that the presence of the amino terminus is necessary for GPR37L1 signaling. Metalloprotease-dependent processing of GPR37L1 was evident in rodent cerebellum, where we detected predominantly the cleaved, inactive form. However, comparison of the accumulation of cAMP (adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate) in response to phosphodiesterase inhibition in cerebellar slice preparations from wild-type and GPR37L1-null mice showed that some constitutive signaling remained in the wild-type mice. In reporter assays of Gαs or Gαi signaling, the synthetic, prosaposin-derived peptide prosaptide (TX14A) did not increase GPR37L1 activity. Our data indicate that GPR37L1 may be a constitutively active receptor, or perhaps its ligand is present under the conditions that we used for analysis, and that the activity of this receptor is instead controlled by signals that regulate metalloprotease activity in the tissue.
Stick a fork in it: Analyzing the Ethereum network partition

As blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies increase in popularity, their decentralization poses unique challenges in network partitions. In traditional distributed systems, network partitions are generally a result of bugs or connectivity failures; the typical goal of the system designer is to automatically recover from such issues as seamlessly as possible. Blockchain-based systems, however, rely on purposeful "forks" to roll out protocol changes in a decentralized manner. Not all users may agree with proposed changes, and thus forks can persist, leading to permanent network partitions. In this paper, we closely study the large-scale fork that occurred in Ethereum, a new blockchain technology that allows for both currency transactions and smart contracts. Ethereum is currently the second-most-valuable cryptocurrency, with a market capitalization of over $28B. We explore the consequences of this fork, showing the impact on the two networks and their mining pools, and how the fork lead to unintentional incentives and security vulnerabilities.
The impact of caregiver executive skills on reports of patient functioning.

PURPOSE The initial diagnosis and treatment of cognitive disorders such as mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease is highly dependent on caregiver reports of patient performance of activities of daily living (ADLs). However, these reports may not always be reliable. We investigated the cognitive skills of caregivers, specifically their executive functioning (EF), as a potential explanatory variable of discrepancies between caregiver report of and patient performance on ADLs. DESIGN AND METHODS Forty spousal dyads consisting of one cognitively unimpaired spouse and one spouse with either mild cognitive impairment (n = 20) or mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (n = 20) were included in the study. Caregivers completed eight measures of EF and reported on their spouses' ADL performance, which was then directly assessed. Caregiver education and a composite EF score were then used to predict the difference in ADL ratings. RESULTS Regression analyses revealed that caregiver EF composite score (beta =.33; p =.04) and level of education (beta = -.11; p <.05) were significant predictors of the discrepancies between caregiver ADL reports and directly assessed patient performance on ADLs (R(2) =. 11; p =. 04). IMPLICATIONS The findings of this study suggest that the executive skills of spousal caregivers may influence the accuracy of subjectively reported ADL measures. Physicians should be aware of such potential biases when evaluating patients for memory disorders and should consider using objective measures for assessing functional impairment within their patient population. Future studies should investigate whether cognitive training and educational programs for caregivers increase the accuracy of their ADL reports.
Retinoid and Ethanol-Sensitive Benzo(α)Pyrene Induction of Cytochrome P450 in Human Keratinocytes

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) induce cytochrome P-450 monoxygenase enzymes that catalyze the formation of DNA adducts. We investigated the effects benzo(α)pyrene (B[α]P) alone or in combination with ethanol on normal human keratinocyte (NHK) growth, induction of cytochrome P-4501A1 (CYP1A1), and modulation of these treatments by retinoic acid (RA) in a serum-free culture medium. Growth-arrested confluent NHK serum-free cultures were treated with B[α]P alone or in combination with ethanol and RA. The effects on CYP1A1 enzyme activity were investigated. B[α]P treatment alone was not toxic to post-confluent cells; sub-toxic ethanol stimulated cell growth regardless B[α]P treatment. No CYP1A1 activity was detected in control or ethanol-treated NHK cell cultures. B[α]P alone induced CYP1A1 activity, and B[α]P plus ethanol treatment further enhanced B[α]P-induced CYP1A1 activity. Pretreatment with all-trans-RA (t-RA) abolished ethanol enhancement of CYP1A1 activity. There is a synergistic action of ethanol in combination with PAH on induction of P-450 cytochrome enzymes. By contrast, RA reverses ethanol enhancement implying a role for retinoid therapy in counteracting the risk posed by combined alcohol and PAH exposure on epidermal cell carcinogenesis.
Widespread Emergence of Methicillin Resistance in Community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Denver

Background: Increasing rates of methicillin resistance among outpatient Staphylococcus aureus infections led us to assess the epidemiology and outcome of a local outbreak. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of outpatient skin and soft tissue infections due to S aureus in 2003. Results: From 2002 to mid-2004, the percentage of outpatient S aureus isolates resistant to methicillin increased from 6 to 45%. In multivariate analysis, only male sex and age greater than 18 years were associated with methicillin resistance. Methicillin resistance was common (>15%) among isolates from patients in nearly all subgroups evaluated. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis showed isolates related to USA 300, but methicillin-resistant strains had unusually high rates of quinolone resistance. Conclusions: A single strain of methicillin-resistant S aureus is responsible for the increase in skin infections in outpatients without traditional risk factors for infection with an antibiotic-resistant strain. In areas with high rates of methicillin-resistant S aureus outpatient infections, we recommend non–&bgr;-lactam antibiotics for initial treatment of skin and soft tissue infections.
Phosphorus recycling in photorespiration maintains high photosynthetic capacity in woody species.

Leaf photosynthetic CO2 responses can provide insight into how major nutrients, such as phosphorus (P), constrain leaf CO2 assimilation rates (Anet). However, triose-phosphate limitations are rarely employed in the classic photosynthesis model and it is uncertain as to what extent these limitations occur in field situations. In contrast to predictions from biochemical theory of photosynthesis, we found consistent evidence in the field of lower Anet in high [CO2] and low [O2 ] than at ambient [O2 ]. For 10 species of trees and shrubs across a range of soil P availability in Australia, none of them showed a positive response of Anet at saturating [CO2] (i.e. Amax) to 2 kPa O2. Three species showed >20% reductions in Amax in low [O2], a phenomenon potentially explained by orthophosphate (Pi) savings during photorespiration. These species, with largest photosynthetic capacity and Pi > 2 mmol P m(-2), rely the most on additional Pi made available from photorespiration rather than species growing in P-impoverished soils. The results suggest that rarely used adjustments to a biochemical photosynthesis model are useful for predicting Amax and give insight into the biochemical limitations of photosynthesis rates at a range of leaf P concentrations. Phosphate limitations to photosynthetic capacity are likely more common in the field than previously considered.
Clearance of circulating endothelin-1 by ETB receptors in rats.

Exogenous endothelin (ET) is rapidly cleared from the circulation. We investigated which ET receptor subtypes (ETA and ETB) participate in ET-1 clearance. Following an intravenous (i.v.) bolus dose of [125I]ET-1 in anesthetized rats, radioactivity was rapidly cleared from the circulation and trapped by the lungs, kidneys and liver. Tissue distribution of the radioactivity was significantly inhibited in the lungs and kidneys, but not in the liver by infusion of the ETB antagonist BQ-788 (0.1 mg/kg/min i.v.), and the ET-1 clearance rate was reduced, while the ETA antagonist BQ-123 had no such effect. Furthermore, in isolated perfused rat lungs, about 80% of bolus-injected [125I]ET-1 was retained by the lungs after one passage. The retention of ET-1 was significantly inhibited by infusion of 1 microM BQ-788, but not BQ-123. These results suggest that ETB receptors play an important role in the clearance of ET-1.
Modeling and Control of Utility Interactive Inverters

As alternative energy sources become more competitive with traditional energy sources, the proliferation of distributed generation sources that interface to the electric utility grid continues. Most of the alternative energy sources either produce dc directly (solar photovoltaics or fuel cells) or create dc before inversion to the utility (wind or hydroelectric turbines). The dc electric energy is injected into the ac utility through an inverter. The resulting ac electric energy has to be compatible with the energy within the ac utility system at the point where the inverter is connected to the utility system. The control, design, and operation of the inverter must meet the applicable standards. This paper provides an overview of modeling and control of the inverter system that interfaces with the utility grid. Recent advancements in the state of the art are presented along with practical implementations. Simulation and experimental test results are provided to emphasize concepts and illustrate issues. Embedded control of the inverter is assumed to be implemented through digital control techniques. Algorithms are given in general form for application to single- and three-phase inverters with any number of levels.
Purpose, place, people, and passion

In 2017 Cheltenham Music Festival, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Lammermuir Festival and Welsh National Opera were all nominated for the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for best concert series or festival. Three of the nominees for this prestigious award were organisations with over seventy years of history. One, the Lammermuir Festival, was only in its seventh season. Yet it was the Lammermuir Festival that took home the award, achieving nationwide recognition less than a decade after it was conceived. While there are many reasons for such rapid success, this chapter will focus on three of them: a clear sense of purpose, effective stakeholder relationships, and collective shared leadership. As will become evident, uniting all three is the passion of the small team that created the festival and who continue to deliver it to this day.
Knoellia flava sp. nov., isolated from pig manure.

A gram-positive, aerobic, non-spore-forming actinobacterial strain, designated strain TL1(T), was isolated from pig manure in Wuhan, China. The cell wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The predominant menaquinone was MK-8(H(4)). The major fatty acids (>10 %) were iso-C(16 : 0), iso-C(15 : 0) and C(17 : 1)ω8c. The genomic DNA G+C content was 70.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain TL1(T) was most closely related to the type strains of Knoellia sinensis (98.5 %), Knoellia subterranea (98.2 %) and Knoellia aerolata (96.9 %). DNA-DNA relatedness values of strain TL1(T) with the type strains of K. sinensis and K. subterranea were 27.3 and 34.0 %, respectively. Comparison of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characteristics among strain TL1(T) and related organisms revealed that the isolate represents a novel species of the genus Knoellia, for which the name Knoellia flava sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is TL1(T) ( = CGMCC 1.10749(T) = KCTC 19810(T)).
Signal processing methods for heart rate variability analysis

Heart rate variability (HRV), the changes in the beat-to-beat heart rate calculated from the electrocar-diogram (ECG), is a key indicator of an individual's cardiovascular condition. Assessment of HRV has been shown to aid clinical diagnosis and intervention strategies. However, the variety of HRV estimation methods and contradictory reports in this field indicate that there is a need for a more rigorous investigation of these methods as aids to clinical evaluation. This thesis investigates the development of appropriate HRV signal processing techniques in the context of pilot studies in two fields of potential application, sleep and head-up tilting (HUT). A novel method for characterising normality in the ECG using both timing information and morphological characteristics is presented. A neural network, used to learn the beat-to-beat variations in ECG waveform morphology, is shown to provide a highly sensitive technique for identifying normal beats. Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) based frequency-domain HRV techniques, which require re-sampling of the inherently unevenly sampled heart beat time-series (RR tachogram) to produce an evenly sampled time series, are then explored using a new method for producing an artificial RR tachogram. Re-sampling is shown to produce a significant error in the estimation of an (entirely specified) artificial RR tachogram. The Lomb periodogram, a method which requires no re-sampling and is applicable to the unevenly sampled nature of the signal is investigated. Experiments demonstrate that the Lomb periodogram is superior to the FFT for evaluating HRV measured by the ¢ ¡ £ ¤ ¡-ratio, a ratio of the low to high frequency power in the RR tachogram within a specified band (0.04–0.4Hz). The effect of adding artificial ectopic beats in the RR tachogram is then considered and it is shown that ectopic beats significantly alter the spectrum and therefore must be removed or replaced. Replacing ectopic beats by phantom beats is compared to the case of ectopic-realted RR interval removal for the FFT and Lomb methods for varying levels of ectopy. The Lomb periodogram is shown to provide a significantly better estimate of the ¢ ¡ £ ¥ ¡-ratio under these conditions and is a robust method for measuring the ¢ ¡ £ ¥ ¡-ratio in the presence of (a possibly unknown number of) ectopic beats or artefacts. The Lomb periodogram and FFT-based techniques are applied to a database of sleep apn¦ ic and normal subjects. A new method of assessing HRV during sleep is proposed to minimise the confounding …
PREPARATION OF HY ANTIBODY IN FEMALE MICE AS A MODEL FOR SEX PRESELECTION

The aim of this sutdy is to prepare Histocompatability Y(HY) antibody in female mouse at the first phase (current study), and to separate mouse embryos with regard to their sex, to be able to obtain offsprings of disired sex, by means of HY antibody, at the second phase. Totally 421 BALB/C inbred mice were used. Antibodies were produced in females by intraperitonial injections of spleen and testis cells of neonatal male mice. The sera of females were tested by five different immunological techniques, as follows: Double gel diffusion, Counter Immunoelectrophoresis, Plain electrophoresis, Immunofluorescence and Cytotoxicity test. The first two techniques showed no positive results, but the remaining three methods proved the existence of HY antibody in sera. In electrophoresis, an increase in gamma-globulin and total globulins index, over albumin, was detected in injected mice sera. In immunofluorescence assay HY antigen was revealed on the surface of the mouse testis and spleen cells. Cytotoxicity test has been the most suitable method for detecting HY antibody. Also, the possibility to differentiate X-bearing and Y-bearing embryos could be used in prevention of X-linked diseases as well as in population control.
Sickle‐cell disease and the heart: review of the current literature

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited chronic haemolytic anaemia whose clinical manifestations arise from the tendency of the haemoglobin to polymerize and deform red blood cells into the characteristic sickle shape due to a single nucleotide change in the β‐globin. Vascular occlusion of small and large vessels can lead to chronic damage of multiple organs including brain, lung, bone, kidney, liver, spleen, and retina. However, the extent to which SCD impacts myocardial function is not very clear. Cardiovascular manifestations include both right and left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction, elevated cardiac output, cardiomegaly and myocardial ischaemia. Progressive heart damage from iron overload occurs in patients requiring routine transfusion therapy. Pulmonary hypertension resulting from intravascular haemolysis has also been recognized as a major complication that independently correlates with survival. This review summarizes all available data for the heart complications in SCD to update the physicians for their appearance, diagnostic procedures and possible management.
2D FDTD simulation of LEMP propagation considering the presence of conducting atmosphere

In this paper, we have computed vertical electric field Ez, and azimuthal magnetic field Hφ at different distances from the vertical lightning channel using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method in the 2D cylindrical coordinate system. The presence of conducting atmosphere up to 110 km above ground level was considered. The fields are computed on the ground surface at distances ranging from 50 to 500 km. One-hop and two-hop skywaves (reflections from the ionosphere) were identified in computed waveforms and used for estimation of apparent ionospheric reflection heights.
RADIOIMMUNOASSAY MEASUREMENT OF LUTEINIZING HORMONE EXCRETION RATES FOLLOWING BILATERAL OOPHORECTOMY

extracts (Albert, 1956; Johnsen, 1959; Brown, 1963; Loraine & SchmidtElmendorff, 1963). The speed and simplicity of the radioimmunoassay techni¬ ques allow large numbers of assays to be carried out in a short time and thus make detailed studies of gonadotrophin excretion practicable. Excretion rates in various groups of subjects ofknown endocrine status need to be established by radioimmunoassay in order to provide a basis for the clinical interpretation of results. In this paper, excretion rates determined by this method in women immediately following oophorectomy are presented and compared with those reported by bioassay and other immunoassay methods.
Characterization of a Novel Subgroup of Extracellular mcl-PHA 1 Depolymerase from Actinobacteria 2 3

Enzyme and Cell Technology Group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 8 Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 9 P.O. Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain 10 Department of Environmental Biology, Biological Research Center, CSIC, C/. Ramiro de 11 Maeztu, 9, Madrid E-28040, Spain 12 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, Faculty of Biology, Complutense 13 University of Madrid, C/. José Antonio Nováis, 2, E-28040, Madrid, Spain 14 ________________________________ 15
A survey on facial feature extraction techniques for automatic face annotation

Through the detonative development of web photo sharing websites and social network, enormous amount of pictures are uploaded and shared over the internet. Due to the great success of social web portals and social networks, web users are highly motivated to share their pictures over the internet and that permit other users to tag and comment on the pictures. Huge number of photos are shared over the social portals, some of these photos are tagged with appropriate names but many of them are unlabeled. So it becomes hard to understand the name of the individual from image if any random individual sees it. In order to overcome this problem automatic face annotation is used. Automatic face annotation is playing vital role in multimedia information. Automatic face annotation is method to identify human faces from image and assign appropriate human name. Face detection and face recognition are essential tasks in face annotation. In this paper, we discuss the phases of the automatic face annotation and surveyed various techniques of facial feature extraction.
Could ICT Be Harnessed for Prehospital Emergency Medical Services? - The Case of the Lebanese Red Cross

Of particular interest, this paper treats Information and Communication Technologies applied to the Emergency Medical Services Division of the Lebanese Red Cross. Information for the case study is gathered through semi- structured interviews with five informants and a database of Secondary data is collected from available management reports, assessments, feasibility studies, project reporting and documentation. The case of the ICT implementation investigated in this study offers insight into an implementation of a prehospital emergency medical services. Though ICT implementations in pre-hospital care systems, are now common practice, what makes this case particular is that it is starting from a volunteer-based.