Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protonation equilibria and pore-opening structure of the dual-histidine influenza B virus M2 transmembrane proton channel from solid-state NMR

The influenza A and B viruses are the primary cause of seasonal flu epidemics. Common to both viruses is the M2 protein, a homotetrameric transmembrane proton channel that acidifies the virion after endocytosis. Although influenza A M2 (AM2) and B M2 (BM2) are functional analogs, they have little sequence homology, except for a conserved HXXXW motif, which is responsible for proton selectivity and channel gating. Importantly, BM2 contains a second titratable histidine, His-27, in the tetrameric transmembrane domain that forms a reverse WXXXH motif with the gating tryptophan. To understand how His-27 affects the proton conduction property of BM2, we have used solid-state NMR to characterize the pH-dependent structure and dynamics of His-27. In cholesterol-containing lipid membranes mimicking the virus envelope, 15N NMR spectra show that the His-27 tetrad protonates with higher pKa values than His-19, indicating that the solvent-accessible His-27 facilitates proton conduction of the channel by increasing the proton dissociation rates of His-19. AM2 is inhibited by the amantadine class of antiviral drugs, whereas BM2 has no known inhibitors. We measured the N-terminal interhelical separation of the BM2 channel using fluorinated Phe-5. The interhelical 19F-19F distances show a bimodal distribution of a short distance of 7 Å and a long distance of 15–20 Å, indicating that the phenylene rings do not block small-molecule entry into the channel pore. These results give insights into the lack of amantadine inhibition of BM2 and reveal structural diversities in this family of viral proton channels.
Measurement of transepidermal water loss by electrical hygrometry. Instrumentation and responses to physical and chemical insults.

A technique for accurately measuring transepidermal water diffusion in vivo depends upon electrically monitoring the changing humidity of a stream of dry air passed through a skin chamber. The test is performed on skin in which the sweat glands have been pharmacologically inactivated. The rate of diffusional water loss was found to be 0.2 to 0.3 mg/hr -1 cm -2 for most areas of the human trunk. The loss is constant for any given area under standard ambient conditions of humidity and temperature. Considerable regional variation was noted in certain areas, even after the readings had been corrected for varying horny layer thickness and expressed as diffusion constants. Compared with that of the back, the diffusion constant is four times greater on the forehead, nine times greater on the back of the hand, and one hundred times greater through the palm. Vasoconstriction, vasodilation, or whealing in the underlying dermis did not influence diffusive water loss. Removing the horny layer by stripping with cellophane tape abolished the barrier, increasing water loss 50-fold. Sodium lauryl sulfate and dimethyl sulfoxide directly altered the horny layer, immediately increasing outward water diffusion. Superficial defatting of the horny layer had virtually no effect on water loss.
A Neutralizing Anti-Nogo66 Receptor Monoclonal Antibody Reverses Inhibition of Neurite Outgrowth by Central Nervous System Myelin*

The Nogo66 receptor (NgR1) is a neuronal, leucinerich repeat (LRR) protein that binds three central nervous system (CNS) myelin proteins, Nogo, myelin-associated glycoprotein, and oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein, and mediates their inhibitory effects on neurite growth. Although the LRR domains on NgR1 are necessary for binding to the myelin proteins, the exact epitope(s) involved in ligand binding is unclear. Here we report the generation and detailed characterization of an anti-NgR1 monoclonal antibody, 7E11. The 7E11 monoclonal antibody blocks Nogo, myelin-associated glycoprotein, and oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein binding to NgR1 with IC50 values of 120, 14, and 4.5 nm, respectively, and effectively promotes neurite outgrowth of P3 rat dorsal root ganglia neurons cultured on a CNS myelin substrate. Further, we have defined the molecular epitope of 7E11 to be DNAQLR located in the third LRR domain of rat NgR1. Our data demonstrate that anti-NgR1 antibodies recognizing this epitope, such as 7E11, can neutralize CNS myelin-dependent inhibition of neurite outgrowth. Thus, specific anti-NgR1 antibodies may represent a useful therapeutic approach for promoting CNS repair after injury.
XPACE4 is a localized pro-protein convertase required for mesoderm induction and the cleavage of specific TGFβ proteins in Xenopus development

XPACE4 is a member of the subtilisin/kexin family of pro-protein convertases. It cleaves many pro-proteins to release their active proteins, including members of the TGFβ family of signaling molecules. Studies in mouse suggest it may have important roles in regulating embryonic tissue specification. Here, we examine the role of XPACE4 in Xenopus development and make three novel observations: first, XPACE4 is stored as maternal mRNA localized to the mitochondrial cloud and vegetal hemisphere of the oocyte; second, it is required for the endogenous mesoderm inducing activity of vegetal cells before gastrulation; and third, it has substrate-specific activity, cleaving Xnr1, Xnr2, Xnr3 and Vg1, but not Xnr5, Derrière or ActivinB pro-proteins. We conclude that maternal XPACE4 plays an important role in embryonic patterning by regulating the production of a subset of active mature TGFβ proteins in specific sites.
Industrial Robot : An International Journal Automated aerostructure assembly

Purpose – Describes the application of standard industrial robots to the assembly and riveting of aerostructure sub-assemblies. Design/methodology/approach – Describes the design and operation of special purpose end-effectors for assembly and solid riveting and their integration in an aerostructure sub-assembly fabrication cell. The robots are controlled by a novel control system which allows the cell to compensate for distortion and misalignment of the components. Findings – Demonstrates that with advanced control standard industrial robots can be used to assemble aerostructure sub-assemblies. Originality/value – Introduces techniques for compensating for the inherent distortion that occurs in airframe components during manufacture. This is an enabling technology that will significantly increase the number of possible applications for robots in the assembly of aerostructures.
Analysis of Guerrilla and Traditional Marketing Interface in Improving the Productivity of Organizational Marketing in Small and Meduim Size Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria

This research aims at exploring and analyzing the integration of guerrilla and traditional marketing in small to medium scale enterprises in Nigeria with a case study of Marketing of Hotel Services in Owerri Imo State, Nigeria. For gathering data, two questionnaires were used for the integration of guerrilla marketing and the traditional marketing and productivity of organizational marketing. The research hypotheses were tested by correlation test, and all the hypotheses were verified. The sequences of priorities in productivity of organizational marketing were new methods of advertisement. There was a significant relationship between the integration of guerrilla marketing and the traditional marketing in the improvement of productivity of organizational marketing in the enterprises studied. Also, it was concluded that new communication technologies item with mean of 1.93, innovation and problem solving techniques with mean of 2.08, marketing budget item with mean 2.89 and new methods of advertisement with mean of 3.12 were first to fourth priority, respectively. Findings show that guerrilla marketing is complementary to traditional marketing. Hence will recommend GM as a paradigm and for hotel enterprises in Owerri, guerrilla marketing is the surviving technique to approach the unstable hostile business environment that they operate in.
Energy Conversion in DC Excited Flux-Switching Machines

This paper initiates a study on energy conversion in dc excited flux-switching machines (DCEFSMs) to reveal the torque production mechanism of this type of machines. The flux linkage components and self- and mutual inductances of a single-phase two-rotor-tooth DCEFSM are investigated. Based on the understanding of the relation between these variables and the rotor position, two different switching strategies are implemented to the armature current of this machine. Current-flux linkage loops are sketched for each switching strategy, resulting in different torque expressions. These torque expressions, validated using finite element analysis, show that the DCEFSM is a reluctance machine in which torque is generated due to variation of self- and mutual inductances. In addition, the torque component related to the mutual inductance can be dominant with certain current commutation in the armature winding.
Semantic interpretation of multi-level change detection in multi-temporal satellite images

Satellite image time series are a valuable resource for enhancing land exploitation by respecting the natural cycles, analyzing urban expansion and its positive and negative effects, limiting the unhealthy rhythm of deforestation, understanding natural hazards and so on. In this context, understanding only the changes in multitemporal images is not sufficient. This paper aims to correlate multi-level change detection techniques with image semantic segmentation methods in order to build an hierarchy of changes for each semantic class. In this way, we are able to provide statistics regarding the levels of change suffered by a certain area. The methods are demonstrated with examples involving bi-temporal Land-sat images.
Low complexity energy efficiency analysis in millimeter wave communication systems

Millimeter wave (mm-wave) system performance may be degraded if the operation mechanism is not properly designed, because mm-wave systems suffer severe path loss and very short coherence time. Thanks to the sparse channel model and directional transmission property, it is usually sufficient to use analog beam codebooks in beam training to estimate dominant channel components instead of complete instantaneous channel matrices. With this viewpoint, we first characterize the achievable beam gain by the number of antennas and beamwidth, and then propose a low complexity mechanism that employs the offline designed analog beam codebooks for both beam training and data transmission. This mechanism not only avoids high overhead and delay caused by the online beamforming design based on instantaneous channels but also enables a much longer quasi coherence time, which is the new concept proposed in this work. In addition, it can realize a theoretical analysis of the role of system parameters in energy efficiency. We consider a phase-controlled point-to-point (P2P) mm-wave system example to illustrate the proposed concepts and mechanism. Numerical simulations also verify the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis result and also provide a suggestion for system design.
Central components in the antinociceptive activity of dipyrone in mice

Dipyrone is classified as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. It has analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties and exerts its analgesic effect via both peripheral and central action. Dipyrone at the dose of 250 and 500 mg/kg showed dose-dependent antinociceptive activity in the hot plate, tail flick tests to radiant heat and tail clip test and the writhing test induced by acetic acid in mice. The antinociceptive effects of dipyrone (500 mg/kg) were antagonized by naloxone (1, 2, 5 mg/kg) in the tail flick test to radiant heat and tail clip test and hot plate tests but not in the writhing test. Cyproheptadine (100 μg/kg) decreased the antinociceptive effect of dipyrone. There was an increase in the antinociceptive effects of dipyrone (500 mg/kg) when combined with buspiron (0.5 mg/kg) in the tail flick test to radiant heat and tail clip test. The results provide evidence for a central antinociceptive effect of dipyrone antagonized by naloxone which suggests that its activity may also involve the serotoninergic system.
A New E-Learning Paradigm through Annotating Operations

This paper proposes a new e-learning paradigm which enables the user to type in arbitrary sentences. The current NLP technologies, however, are not matured enough to perform full-automatic semantic or discourse analysis. Thus, we take a different approach; an instructor corrects the contents and its correction is embedded into the contents in an XML format called KeML. The key/mouse operations of the user are also embedded as annotations. Thus, the contents can be incomplete at the initial stage and become solid gradually as being utilized. We have implemented an e-learning system of group discussion for a foreign language class, which is demonstrated at the workshop.
The Missing Link: The Role of Interhemispheric Interaction in Attentional Processing

Although interhemispheric interaction via the callosum is most often conceived as a mechanism for transferring sensory information and coordinating processing between the hemispheres, it will be argued here that the callosum also plays an important role in attentional processing. Experiments will be presented that support this viewpoint, both when attention is conceptualized as a resource and when it is conceptualized as a selective mechanism for gating sensory information. Interhemispheric interaction is posited to aid attentional processing because it allows for a division of labor across the hemispheres, and allows for parallel processing so that operations performed in one hemisphere can be insulated from those executed in the other. Given this additional role for interhemispheric processing, it is suggested that the corpus callosum should be considered a component in the network of neural structures that underlie attentional control.
Summarization, smoothing, and inference in epidemiologic analysis

In a recent article (Epidemiology 1990; 1: 421–429) I resurrected some historical criticisms of conventional statistics in non-randomized, non-randomly sampled studies, and suggested some improvements to current practice in response to these criticisms. Here, I propose that some resolution can be achieved by separating data analysis into summarization, smoothing, and inferential phases. Methods of statistical inference are in fact smoothing methods, as are many methods of descriptive statistics, and as such can be viewed as pattern-recognition devices. Scientific inference is not a statistical process, but instead concerns derivation of explanations for patterns detected by statistical methods. Improvements could be made to all three phases simply by keeping the phases distinct.
UNITRAN: An Interlingual Approach to Machine Translation

Machine translation has been a particularly difficult problem in the area of Natural Language Processing for over two decades. Early approaches to translation failed in part because interaction effects of complex phenomena made translation appear to be unmanageable. Later approaches to the problem have succeeded but are based on many language-specific rules. To capture all natural language phenomena, rulebased systems require an overwhelming number of rules; thus, such translation systems either have limited coverage, or poor performance due to formidable grammar size. This paper presents an implementation of an "interlingual" approach to natural language translation. The UNITRAN system relies on principle-based descriptions of grammar rather than rule-oriented descriptions. The model is based on linguistically motivated principles and their associated parameters of variation. Because a few principles cover all languages, the unmanageable grammar size of alternative approaches is no longer a problem.
Pedestrian Logistics Simulation – Crowd Management in Stadiums Simulation

The interest in simulation in the field of pedestrian logistics is growing. Simulation models can show results about quality and safety of the facility, by evaluating normal operation and performing evacuation scenario's. Simulation of pedestrian flows on a mesoscopic level is very suitable for evaluating large-scale infrastructures with many simultaneously moving pedestrians. In the case of the Philips soccer stadium the benefit of using simulation for crowd management has proved its value.
Fasting‐induced liver GADD45β restrains hepatic fatty acid uptake and improves metabolic health

Recent studies have demonstrated that repeated short‐term nutrient withdrawal (i.e. fasting) has pleiotropic actions to promote organismal health and longevity. Despite this, the molecular physiological mechanisms by which fasting is protective against metabolic disease are largely unknown. Here, we show that, metabolic control, particularly systemic and liver lipid metabolism, is aberrantly regulated in the fasted state in mouse models of metabolic dysfunction. Liver transcript assays between lean/healthy and obese/diabetic mice in fasted and fed states uncovered “growth arrest and DNA damage‐inducible” GADD45β as a dysregulated gene transcript during fasting in several models of metabolic dysfunction including ageing, obesity/pre‐diabetes and type 2 diabetes, in both mice and humans. Using whole‐body knockout mice as well as liver/hepatocyte‐specific gain‐ and loss‐of‐function strategies, we revealed a role for liver GADD45β in the coordination of liver fatty acid uptake, through cytoplasmic retention of FABP1, ultimately impacting obesity‐driven hyperglycaemia. In summary, fasting stress‐induced GADD45β represents a liver‐specific molecular event promoting adaptive metabolic function.
A configurable and repeatable multipath channel emulator

As Internet of Things (IoT) systems become more pervasive, there will be greater need for wireless devices that can operate reliably under less than ideal propagation conditions. IOT environments can be expected to have large signal path losses due to non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions, reflective surfaces and/or moving components in the environment. One example is a IoT network deployed in the highly reflective and blocking environment of a factory floor. In this work, a highly configurable, multipath channel emulator is presented. The emulator itself utilizes a reconfigurable antenna array and has over 200 million different configurations that are software controlled. There is also a database of over 2000 predefined channel conditions, ranging in severity from Ricean to hyper-Rayleigh, each of which can be readily recreated.
A Mixture of Two Gender Classification Experts

This paper presents a novel method for combining the outputs of different gender classification techniques based on facial images. Merging the methods is performed by a committee machine using the Bayesian theorem. We implement and compare several well-known individual classifiers on four different datasets, then we experiment the proposed machine, and show that it significantly improves the accuracy of classification compared to individual classifiers. We also include results that address the effect of scale on the performance of classifiers.
A comparison of two preference elicitation approaches for museum recommendations

Recommendation systems based on collaborative filtering methods can be exploited in the context of providing personalized artworks tours within a museum. However, to be effectively used, we have several problems to be addressed: user preferences are not expressed as rating and recommendation systems must provide for new users efficient and simple preferences elicitation processes that do not require much effort and time. In this work, we present and evaluate 2 state‐of‐the‐art approaches that share the aim not to rely on individual item ratings. The first method uses a clustering algorithm to categorize items and provide recommendations, while the second one is inspired by the matrix factorization approach to select a couples of item groups that users have to evaluate to obtain preference profiles. We evaluate the 2 approaches with both an off‐line simulation and a user study with the aim to find the optimal configuration as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of the 2 proposed methods. Results show that the elicitation processes permit to obtain preference profiles in a time substantially less than the baseline method, while the differences in terms of prediction accuracy are minimal.
Stable isotopes show a direct relation between VLDL apoB overproduction and serum triglyceride levels and indicate a metabolically and biochemically coherent basis for familial combined hyperlipidemia.

Familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) may be genetically and metabolically more heterogeneous than previously thought. A consistent feature is an increase in circulating very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) apolipoprotein (apo) B, which could be due to either an increase in apoB production or a decrease in its catabolism. Therefore, we directly measured VLDL apoB production in the postabsorptive state in seven FCHL subjects (four male, three female) and seven normal control subjects (three male, four female) by using L-[1-13C]leucine as an endogenous label. Mean age and body mass index did not differ significantly between the two groups. The mean total cholesterol levels were 4.7 +/- 0.8 and 8.8 +/- 1.6 mmol/L (+/- SD, P < .01) and the mean triglyceride levels were 0.84 +/- 0.14 and 3.30 +/- 1.10 mmol/L (+/- SD, P < .01) in the control and FCHL groups, respectively. Although the fractional production rate of VLDL apoB was 38% lower in the FCHL group than in the control subjects (0.11 +/- 0.03 versus 0.18 +/- 0.02 pool/h; mean +/- SD, P < .01), its absolute production rate was 2.7 times greater (534 +/- 193 micrograms/kg per hour in FCHL versus 196 +/- 71 micrograms/kg per hour in control subjects; mean +/- SD, P < .01). There was a linear relation (r = 0.8, P = .03) between triglyceride levels and the VLDL apoB production rate in FCHL, the slope of which indicated a similar VLDL triglyceride-to-apoB ratio in the FCHL and control groups. We conclude that FCHL is a metabolically coherent disorder and that the increase in circulating apoB and triglyceride levels in FCHL is due to secretion of an increased number of VLDL particles, each containing, on average, a normal amount of triglyceride and one molecule of apoB. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Formal thought disorder in offspring of schizophrenic parents.

OBJECTIVE We examined potential early markers of schizophrenia using measures of formal thought disorder in offspring of parents with schizophrenia, other mental illness and no mental illness. METHODS Two blind raters coded formal thought disorder in adolescent/early adult offspring of 42 schizophrenic, 39 other mental illness, and 36 no mental illness parents. In addition to parental diagnosis, we compared the individual offspring diagnosis with severity of formal thought disorder. Within the schizophrenia, other mental illness and no mental illness offspring groups, we examined the relationship between severity of formal thought disorder and performance on cognitive and motor tasks. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in formal thought disorder by parent or offspring diagnoses. Within the offspring group of parents with schizophrenia, the subjects with higher formal thought disorder scores performed significantly worse on the cognitive battery than those with lower formal thought disorder scores. Offspring of the other mental illness group with higher formal thought disorder scores, however, showed more deficits on motor tasks than those with lower formal thought disorder scores. CONCLUSION Formal thought disorder may reflect underlying cognitive dysfunction in the offspring of parents with schizophrenia. Motor dysfunction in the offspring of parents with other psychiatric illness might be associated with formal thought disorder.