Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural mobility of the extracellular ligand-binding core of an ionotropic glutamate receptor. Analysis of NMR relaxation dynamics.

Ionotropic glutamate receptors play important roles in a variety of neuronal processes and have been implicated in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. The extracellular ligand-binding (S1S2) core of the GluR2 subtype can be expressed in bacteria as a soluble, monomeric protein with binding properties essentially identical to those of the intact receptor. The crystal structure of this protein has been determined in the presence and absence of various agonists and antagonists [Armstrong, N. , Sun, Y. , Chen, G. Q. , and Gouaux, E. (1998) Nature 395, 913-917; Armstrong, N. , and Gouaux, E. (2000) Neuron 28, 165-181]. The protein consists of two lobes, with the S1 segment composing the majority of lobe 1 and the S2 segment composing most of lobe 2. A domain closure upon ligand binding has been postulated, but details of intradomain motions have not been investigated. In this paper, the backbone motions of the ligand-binding core of GluR2 bound to glutamate were studied using (15)N longitudinal (T1) and transverse (T2) relaxation measurements as well as [1H]-15N nuclear Overhauser effects at 500 and 600 MHz. Residues in the agonist-binding pocket exhibited two main classes of motion. Those contacting the alpha-substituents of the ligand glutamate exhibited minimal internal motion, while those contacting the gamma-constituents exhibited exchange dynamics, indicating two dynamically distinct portions of the binding pocket. Also, two residues in transdomain linkers between lobes 1 and 2 show exchange, lending new insight into the previously proposed domain closure hypothesis. Finally, concerted motion of helix F suggests a pathway for ligand dissociation without the necessity of domain reopening.
Three-year Outcomes in De Novo Liver Transplant Patients Receiving Everolimus With Reduced Tacrolimus: Follow-Up Results From a Randomized, Multicenter Study

Background Data are lacking regarding the long-term effect of preemptive conversion to everolimus from calcineurin inhibitors early after liver transplantation to avoid renal deterioration. Methods In a prospective, multicenter, open-label study, de novo liver transplant patients were randomized at day 30 to (i) everolimus + reduced exposure tacrolimus (EVR + Reduced TAC), (ii) everolimus + tacrolimus elimination (TAC Elimination), or (iii) standard exposure tacrolimus (TAC Control). Results Randomization to TAC Elimination was terminated prematurely due to a higher rate of treated biopsy-proven acute rejection (tBPAR) during TAC withdrawal. Of 370 patients who completed the 24-month core study on-treatment, 282 (76.2%) entered an additional 12-month extension phase. The composite efficacy failure endpoint (tBPAR, graft loss or death) occurred in 11.5% of EVR+Reduced TAC patients versus 14.6% TAC Controls from randomization to month 36 (difference, ‐3.2%; 95% confidence interval, ‐10.5% to 4.2%; P = 0.334). Treated BPAR occurred in 4.8% versus 9.2% of patients (P = 0.076). From randomization to month 36, mean (SD) estimated glomerular filtration rate decreased by 7.0 (31.3) mL/min per 1.73 m2 in the EVR+Reduced TAC group, and 15.5 (22.7) mL/min per 1.73 m2 in the TAC Control group (P = 0.005). Rates of adverse events, serious adverse events, and discontinuation due to adverse events were similar in both groups during the extension. Conclusions A clinically relevant renal benefit after introduction of everolimus with reduced-exposure tacrolimus at 1 month after liver transplantation was maintained to 3 years in patients who continued everolimus therapy to the end of the core study, with comparable efficacy and no late safety concerns.
Convergence Analysis of Extended Kalman Filter for Sensorless Control of Induction Motor

This paper deals with convergence analysis of the extended Kalman filters (EKFs) for sensorless motion control systems with induction motor (IM). An EKF is tuned according to a six-order discrete-time model of the IM, affected by system and measurement noises, obtained by applying a first-order Euler discretization to a six-order continuous-time model. Some properties of the discrete-time model have been explored. Among these properties, the observability property is relevant, which leads to conditions that can be directly linked with the working conditions of the machine. Starting from these properties, the convergence of the stochastic state estimation process, in mean square sense, has been shown. The convergence is also explored with reference to the difference between the samples of the state of the continuous-time model and that estimated by the EKF. The results theoretically achieved have been also validated by means of experimental tests carried out on an IM prototype.
Influenza A Virus Shedding and Infectivity in Households.

BACKGROUND Viral shedding is often considered to correlate with the infectivity of influenza, but the evidence for this is limited. METHODS In a detailed study of influenza virus transmission within households in 2008-2012, index case patients with confirmed influenza were identified in outpatient clinics, and we collected nose and throat swab specimens for testing by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction from all household members regardless of illness. We used individual-based hazard models to characterize the relationship between viral load (V) and infectivity. RESULTS Assuming that infectivity was proportional to viral load V gave the worst fit, because it strongly overestimated the proportion of transmission occurring at symptom onset. Alternative models assuming that infectivity was proportional to a various functions of V provided better fits, although they all overestimated the proportion of transmission occurring >3 days after symptom onset. The best fitting model assumed that infectivity was proportion to V(γ), with estimates of γ = 0.136 and γ = 0.156 for seasonal influenza A(H1N1) and A(H3N2) respectively. CONCLUSIONS All the models we considered that used viral loads to approximate infectivity of a case imperfectly explained the timing of influenza secondary infections in households. Identification of more accurate correlates of infectivity will be important to inform control policies and disease modeling.
Comparison of peri- and intraarticular analgesia with femoral nerve block after total knee arthroplasty: A randomized clinical trial

Background Postoperative pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can be difficult to manage and may delay recovery. Recent studies have suggested that periarticular infiltration with local anesthetics may improve outcome. Methods 80 patients undergoing TKA under spinal anesthesia were randomized to receive continuous femoral nerve block (group F) or peri- and intraarticular infiltration and injection (group I). Group I received a solution of 300 mg ropivacaine, 30 mg ketorolac, and 0.5 mg epinephrine by infiltration of the knee at the end of surgery, and 2 postoperative injections of these substances through an intraarticular catheter. Results More patients in group I than in group F could walk < 3 m on the first postoperative day (29/39 vs. 7/37, p < 0.001). Group I also had significantly lower pain scores during activity and lower consumption of opioids on the first postoperative day. No differences between groups were seen regarding side effects or length of stay. Interpretation Peri- and intraarticular application of analgesics by infiltration and bolus injections can improve early analgesia and mobilization for patients undergoing TKA. Further studies of optimal drugs, dosage, and duration of this treatment are warranted.
Cost-effectiveness of earlier initiation of antiretroviral therapy for uninsured HIV-infected adults.

OBJECTIVES This study was designed to examine the societal cost-effectiveness and the impact on government payers of earlier initiation of antiretroviral therapy for uninsured HIV-infected adults. METHODS A state-transition simulation model of HIV disease was used. Data were derived from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, published randomized trials, and medical care cost estimates for all government payers and for Massachusetts, NewYork, and Florida. RESULTS Quality-adjusted life expectancy increased from 7.64 years with therapy initiated at 200 CD4 cells/microL to 8.21 years with therapy initiated at 500 CD4 cells/microL. Initiating therapy at 500 CD4/microL was a more efficient use of resources than initiating therapy at 200 CD4/microL and had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $17,300 per quality-adjusted life-year gained, compared with no therapy. Costs to state payers in the first 5 years ranged from $5,500 to $24,900 because of differences among the states in the availability of federal funds forAIDS drug assistance programs. CONCLUSIONS Antiretroviral therapy initiated at 500 CD4 cells/microL is cost-effective from a societal: perspective compared with therapy initiated later. States should consider Medicaid waivers to expand access to early therapy.
Mild therapeutic hypothermia in cardiogenic shock syndrome*

Objective:Mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains high despite advances in resuscitation and early revascularization strategies. Recent studies suggest a reduced mortality in survivors of cardiac arrest subjected to mild therapeutic hypothermia, but the underlying mechanisms are not yet clear. Because positive hemodynamic effects of mild therapeutic hypothermia have been suggested, we aimed at testing the hypothesis that patients in cardiogenic shock might benefit from mild therapeutic hypothermia. Methods:Hemodynamic effects of mild therapeutic hypothermia in 20 consecutive patients admitted in cardiogenic shock after successful resuscitation from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were investigated. A historic normothermic control group was matched (one-to-one) by means of a propensity score. Patients were cooled to 33°C for 24 hrs using an endovascular cooling device and hemodynamic variables were continuously recorded by means of pulse contour analysis. Cardiac performance was determined by echocardiography. Results:Mild therapeutic hypothermia induced a significant decrease in heart rate from 74 to 64 beats per minute. Despite the reduction in heart rate, cardiac index remained unchanged under mild therapeutic hypothermia likely due to an increase in ejection fraction from 43 ± 4% to 55 ± 4%. Mean arterial pressure increased rapidly from 75 ± 2 mm Hg to 84 ± 3 mm Hg (p = .001) upon induction of hypothermia paralleled by an initial increase in systemic vascular resistance. Accordingly, patients with mild therapeutic hypothermia required lower cumulative doses of vasopressors and inotropes. Conclusions:We conclude that in cardiogenic shock mild therapeutic hypothermia provides circulatory support and an increase in systemic vascular resistance that leads to reduced vasopressor use and may result in lower oxygen consumption. These findings suggest that mild therapeutic hypothermia could be a therapeutic option in hemodynamically unstable patients independent of cardiac arrest and further randomized clinical studies are needed.
Hand Posture Recognition Using a Three-Dimensional Light Field Camera

This paper used a light field camera to capture two types of 3D hand posture depth images, contour hand posture and solid hand posture, without a complicated setup and superfluous preprocess. The images were captured under two recognition conditions: in-plane and out-of-plane rotations. The posture recognition features two methods: the first method is the principal component analysis (PCA), which is used to obtain the required feature vectors, associated with the k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) algorithm as a classifier; the second method involves using 2D optimal-PCA (2DOPCA) combined with a genetic algorithm (GA) for feature selection, and the Mahalanobis distance is then used for classification. The variations in the test images include in-plane rotation, out-of-plane rotation, and Gaussian noise added to simulate the lighting interference in a real situation. The results showed that the PCA combined with the k-NN yields high recognition rates for grayscale contour images with in-plane and out-of-plane rotations and color solid posture images with in-plane rotation. For color solid posture images with out-of-plane rotation, the projection color space was combined with the PCA and k-NN methods to obtain high recognition rates. Moreover, the contour and color solid posture images with noise more than 5% require the 2DOPCA combined with the GA to obtain a satisfactory result and maintain recognition rate stability.
Do Exports lead Economic Output in Five Asian Countries? A Cointegration and Granger Causality Analysis

This paper examines the relationship between exports and economic output for five major Asian economies using annual data in an expanded data set and employing unit root and cointegration analysis. It employs a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) that treats all variables in the modified production function as potentially endogenous and then determines via weak exogeneity tests whether some of the key variables can be treated as exogenous (omitted from the system). Johansen cointegration tests find a positive long-run relationship between exports and economic output for the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Cointegration tests find a negative long-run relationship between exports and economic output for India. The Block Granger causality tests and impulse response functions for the Philippines and Singapore find stronger causality from exports to economic output rather than the reverse. Granger causality tests in level form also find significant causality from exports to economic output. No causality exists between exports and economic output in the case of India. Exports seem to promote economic growth in three of the four countries that have cointegrated data, which supports the exports-led growth hypothesis found in some of the extant literature. The paper does not find cointegration for China because the variables are integrated of different orders from I(0) to I(2).
Study on the Farmland Use Efficiency and Its Influencing Factors in Shanxi Province

The purpose of this paper is to conduct empirical analysis on farmland use efficiency variation and its exterior influencing factors of Shaanxi Province from 1990 to 2008.Methods employed are two-step approach, combining the DEA and Tobit models,and the BCC model to assess the farmland use efficiencies in Shaanxi Province and then analyze the influencing factors.The results indicate:(1)there are great differences among various regions regarding farmland use efficiency.The farmland use efficiencies in four cities,such as Xianyang,Yan an,Hanzhong and Ankang including Yangling Demonstration Area are always in effective or highly effective status;(2)the farmland use efficiencies of variation is mainly caused by the variation of pure technical efficiency;(3)the main factors influencing the farmland use efficiencies of Shanxi Province include the agricultural mechanical power per hectare, effective irrigation rate,the portion of disaster area to sown area,per capita GDP,and policy dummy variable.It is concluded that(1)the fluctuation of farmland use efficiencies of Shaanxi Province are obvious from 1990 to 2008;(2) the variation of farmland use efficiency also obvious among regions in the province;(3)the farmland use efficiency is simultaneously influenced by certain factors.
Virulent Shigella flexneri Affects Secretion, Expression, and Glycosylation of Gel-Forming Mucins in Mucus-Producing Cells

ABSTRACT Mucin glycoproteins are secreted in large amounts by the intestinal epithelium and constitute an efficient component of innate immune defenses to promote homeostasis and protect against enteric pathogens. In this study, our objective was to investigate how the bacterial enteropathogen Shigella flexneri, which causes bacillary dysentery, copes with the mucin defense barrier. We report that upon in vitro infection of mucin-producing polarized human intestinal epithelial cells, virulent S. flexneri manipulates the secretion of gel-forming mucins. This phenomenon, which is triggered only by virulent strains, results in accumulation of mucins at the cell apical surface, leading to the appearance of a gel-like structure that favors access of bacteria to the cell surface and the subsequent invasion process. We identify MUC5AC, a gel-forming mucin, as a component of this structure. Formation of this gel does not depend on modifications of electrolyte concentrations, induction of trefoil factor expression, endoplasmic reticulum stress, or response to unfolded proteins. In addition, transcriptional and biochemical analyses of infected cells reveal modulations of mucin gene expression and modifications of mucin glycosylation patterns, both of which are induced by virulent bacteria in a type III secretion system-dependent manner. Thus, S. flexneri has developed a dedicated strategy to alter the mucus barrier by targeting key elements of the gel-forming capacity of mucins: gene transcription, protein glycosylation, and secretion.
Asymmetrical and hybrid beamforming for SDMA in relaying-assisted mmW WPANs

To enable high speed and reliable transmission for non-line-of-sight scenarios in 60GHz millimeter-wave wireless personal area networks, a novel relaying-assisted network model with asymmetrical transceiver architecture is considered. Based on the asymmetrical transceiver architectures, we propose a new analog and digital hybrid beamforming protocol, in which relay is capable of both phase and amplitude modification, while user terminals are only enable to shifter phases. The proposed protocol targets to reduce computational complexity and cost, and to increase precision for beamforming without a priori knowledge of channel state information or relying on high antenna configurations. Through numerical simulations, we confirm that the proposed solution shows the system performances on channel gain, coverage probability and spectral efficiency, surpassing analogonly beamforming without increasing algorithm complexity.
Changes in global cerebral blood flow in humans: effect on regional cerebral blood flow during a neural activation task.

1. The primary objective of this study was to examine in man, how induced changes in global cerebral blood flow (gCBF) affected a regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) increase resulting from a neural activation task (opening of eyes). A secondary objective was to quantify how such induced changes in gCBF were distributed between representative regions of either predominantly grey matter or white matter. 2. Positron emission tomography with intravenous infusion of H2(15)O, was used to measure gCBF in six normal males. Concomitant measures of rCBF were obtained in three different regions of interest (ROI): a representative area of predominantly grey matter, a representative area of predominantly white matter and an area of visual cortex. 3. Cerebral blood flow was altered by establishing steady‐state changes in PCO2 at a near constant ventilation of approximately 30 l min‐1. The mean PET,CO2 (+/‐ S.D.) levels (mmHg) that resulted were: low, 21.8 +/‐ 1.8; normal, 39.8 +/‐ 1.0, and high, 54.8 +/‐ 1.2. The normal and high levels were obtained by adding appropriate amounts of CO2 to the inspirate. The corresponding mean gCBF levels across all six subjects with eyes closed were: low, 24.2 +/‐ 4.6; normal, 37.2 +/‐ 3.9 and high, 66.8 +/‐ 7.6 ml min‐1 dl‐1. 4. Blood flow in grey matter (insular cortex) and white matter (centrum semiovale) at normal levels of PCO2 averaged 56.8 +/‐ 10.1 and 20.3 +/‐ 3.4 ml min dl‐1 respectively. As PCO2 rose, the increase in rCBF to grey matter was approximately three times greater than that to white matter. 5. An activation state of eyes open in a brightly lit room was compared to a baseline state of eyes closed in a darkened room at the three levels of PCO2 (and hence at three levels of gCBF). Over the whole gCBF range a significant (P = 0.028) effect of increasing rCBF in the visual cortex ROI was found in response to opening the eyes; the effect of this activation on rCBF was not significantly dependent (P = 0.34) on the PCO2 (and hence gCBF) level. The effect of the activation on the rCBF was apparently ‘additive’ to the rise of rCBF associated with PCO2‐related gCBF increase. 6. The results confirm the need to normalize for changes in gCBF during studies of rCBF in response to an activation protocol. They also provide support for the use of an ‘additive’ model to achieve such normalization provided that other cortical areas behave in a similar manner to that of the visual cortex.
Cellular fatty acid composition of stratified squamous epithelia after transplantation of ex vivo produced oral mucosa equivalent.

PURPOSE We have fabricated, for clinical application, artificial oral mucosa that totally excludes both heterogenic protein interaction and xenotransplantation. The purpose of this study is to compare the fatty acid composition of cell membrane phospholipids related to post-transplantation epithelial regeneration. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cultured keratinocytes, keratinocytes at 2, 3, 4, and 9 weeks after transplantation, and normal oral keratinocytes were compared by gas chromatography for the composition of 23 fatty acids. The relation between the composition of cell membrane fatty acids, and the glucose metabolism was immunohistochemically analyzed. RESULTS 1. Even after transplantation, cultured keratinocytes retained the same ratio of palmitic acid as that of normal oral keratinocytes. 2. Essential fatty acids decreased markedly in cultured keratinocyte membranes to the same composition as that of normal oral mucosa 2 weeks after transplantation. 3. The percent composition of palmitoleic acid in cultured keratinocytes was significantly higher than that in post-transplanted keratinocytes; it decreased 2 weeks after artificial mucosa transplantation, but became similar to that in 3 weeks thereafter. 4. The entire population of stratified keratinocytes in EVPOME before transplantation expressed GLUT-1 protein. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that post-artificial mucosa epithelialisation allows keratinocytes to proliferate while consuming palmitic acid, and then diet-provided essential fatty acids induce the keratinocytes to differentiate. Complete clinical epithelialisation of the transplant wound requires 4 weeks; however, within 3 weeks of transplantation, cultured cells of a specific metabolic mechanism change into or are replaced by keratinocytes of a normal metabolic mechanism similar to that of surrounding tissue.
Electrical parameters associated with discharges in resistive soils

The electrical parameters associated with discharges in resistive soils have been studied under inhomogeneous fields in order to achieve a better understanding of the nonlinear behavior of grounding systems subject to high surge currents. The soil resistivity and the other parameters associated with discharges are defined using experimental and calculating methods. The dielectric strength is found to be a function of water content of the soil. The same goes for the discharge-guiding field. The inception current has been also measured and the experimental results are in good agreement with the calculated values.