Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disruption of Intracellular ATP Generation and Tight Junction Protein Expression during the Course of Brain Edema Induced by Subacute Poisoning of 1,2-Dichloroethane

The aim of this study was to explore changes in intracellular ATP generation and tight junction protein expression during the course of brain edema induced by subacute poisoning of 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCE). Mice were exposed to 1.2 g/m3 1,2-DCE for 3.5 h per day for 1, 2, or 3 days, namely group A, B, and C. Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase activity, ATP and lactic acid content, intracellular free Ca2+ concentration and ZO-1 and occludin expression in the brain were measured. Results of present study disclosed that Ca2+-ATPase activities in group B and C, and Na+/K+-ATPase activity in group C decreased, whereas intracellular free Ca2+ concentrations in group B and C increased significantly compared with control. Moreover, ATP content decreased, whereas lactic acid content increased significantly in group C compared with control. On the other hand, expressions of ZO-1 and occludin at both the protein and gene levels in group B and C decreased significantly compared with control. In conclusion, findings from this study suggest that calcium overload and depressed expression of tight junction associated proteins, such as ZO-1 and occludin might play an important role in the early phase of brain edema formation induced by subacute poisoning of 1,2-DCE.
Cystatin C and Objectively Measured Mobility 10 Years Later in Older Women.

BACKGROUND Serum biomarkers predicting physical performance in late life are uncertain. We tested the hypotheses that lower serum cystatin C (cysC) in older women is associated with good mobility 10 years later. METHODS We conducted a longitudinal analysis of a prospective cohort of 1,384 women attending Year 10 and Year 20 examinations of the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Serum cysC was measured using Year 10 frozen serum specimens. Year 20 mobility was ascertained by the Short Physical Performance Battery; scores of 10-12 indicated good mobility. RESULTS At Year 20, mean age was 87.5 years and 364 women (26.3%) had good mobility. After adjustment for age, race, education, health status, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and body mass index, lower cysC at Year 10 was associated with a higher likelihood of good mobility at Year 20. Compared with quartile (Q) 4 of cysC (referent group), odds ratios (95% confidence interval) were 1.52 (1.02-2.25) for Q3, 1.93 (1.32-2.84) for Q2 and 1.80 (1.21-2.67) for Q1 (p trend across Qs .003). The association was only modestly attenuated after further adjustment for mobility as assessed by a modified Short Physical Performance Battery at Year 10 (p trend .02) or consideration of potential biologic mediators including Year 10 levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, interleukin 6, and cytokine soluble receptors (p trend .04). CONCLUSIONS Lower cysC in older women is independently associated with good mobility 10 years later and may be a biomarker for successful aging as manifested by preservation of lower extremity performance in late life.
Clinical evaluation of diamine silver fluoride/potassium iodide as a dentine desensitizing agent. A pilot study.

BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of an experimental diamine silver fluoride/potassium iodide product with an oxalic acid-based preparation in reducing dentine hypersensitivity. METHODS The study was conducted as a double-blind, randomized clinical trial. A total of 19 subjects with dentine hypersensitivity on both sides of their upper arch were selected. The most sensitive tooth in each quadrant was identified and received a cold stimulus. The response was recorded on a visual analogue scale (VAS). The tooth thus selected was treated with one of the treatment agents. One week later the level of dentine sensitivity was assessed. Participants were also asked for their subjective assessment of treatment effects. RESULTS The mean difference between VAS at baseline and seven days for teeth treated with diamine silver fluoride/potassium iodide was greater than that for teeth treated with the oxalic acid-based preparation (p = 0.0134). The subjects' subjective assessment of changes in dentine hypersensitivity indicated that more obtained relief with the diamine silver fluoride/potassium iodide treatment (p = 0.0129). CONCLUSIONS It was concluded that an experimental diamine silver fluoride/potassium iodide product has potential as a treatment for dentine hypersensitivity.
The EcoRI restriction endonuclease with bacteriophage I DNA Equilibrium binding studies

The EcoRI restriction endonuclease was found by the filter binding technique to form stable complexes, in the absence of Mg2+, with the DNA from derivatives of bacteriophage A that either contain or lack EcoRI recognition sites. The amount of complex formed at different enzyme concentrations followed a hyperbolic equilibrium-binding curve with DNA molecules containing EcoRI recognition sites, but a sigmoidal equilibrium-binding curve was obtained with a DNA molecule lacking EcoRI recognition sites. The EcoRT enzyme displayed the same affinity for individual recognition sites on A DNA, even under conditions where it cleaves these sites at different rates. The binding of the enzyme to a DNA molecule lacking EcoRI sites was decreased by Mg2I. These observations indicate that (a) the EcoRI restriction enzyme binds preferentially to its recognition site on DNA, and that different reaction rates at different recognition sites are due to the rate of breakdown of this complex; (b) the enzyme also binds to other DNA sequences, but that two molecules of enzyme, in a different protein conformation, are involved in the formation of the complex at non-specific sequences; (c) the different affinities of the enzyme for the recognition site and for other sequences on DNA, coupled with the different protein conformations, account for the specificity of this enzyme for the cleavage ofDNA at its recognition site; (d) the decrease in the affinity of the enzyme for DNA, caused by Mg2+, liberates binding energy from the DNA-protein complex that can be used in the catalytic reaction.
Fusion of Color and Depth Camera Data for Robust Fall Detection

The availability of cheap imaging sensors makes it possible to increase the robustness of vision-based alarm systems. This paper explores the benefit of data fusion in the application of fall detection. Falls are a common source of injury for elderly people and automatic fall detection is, therefore, an important development in automated home care. We first evaluate a skeleton-based classification method that uses the Microsoft Kinect as a sensor. Next, we evaluate an overhead camera-based method that looks at bounding ellipse features. Then, we fuse the data from these two methods by validating the skeleton tracked by the Kinect. Data fusion proves beneficial, since the data fusion approach outperforms the other methods.
Real-time movement planning: A new model to describe human motor planning level

It has been shown that any movement that satisfies the minimum joint angle jerk constraint can be reproduced by linear combination of 6 consistent Movement Elements (MEs). In this work, we assumed that any given movement is consisted of several successive phases (without overlap) such that each phase satisfies the minimum joint angle jerk constraint. Based on this assumption, we have developed a new model to give a computational interpretation of the movement planning level of motor control system. In this model, any desired movement is planned using the MEs. Considering a critic at the higher level, we also enhanced the model so that it describes how at the movement planning level the desired movement is modified online. The two level of the model are evaluated by simulating the sit to stand (STS) transfer. The results indicate that this architecture can modify the planned movement with movement stability in view. In other words, the model explains how in the presence of unexpected disturbances the pattern of the movement is modified while the dynamic stability of the movement is maintained. We have also discussed the neurophysiological and behavioral basis of the proposed model.
5 Identification of primary sources of faecal pollution

Waterborne pathogens from faecal pollution continue to be major contributors to outbreaks of infectious disease in many areas around the world. While developed countries have made much progress in municipal wastewater treatment and management of agricultural wastes, faecal contamination of source waters for drinking, recreation and rearing of shellfish still contributes to outbreaks of infectious disease. The burden of gastrointestinal disease in developing countries, much of which is waterborne, is already enormous and estimated at greater than 26 billion cases per year (Payment and Riley 2002). It is anticipated that emerging waterborne pathogens, many of faecal origin, will likely pose additional challenges in the future (WHO 2003; WHO 2004). It is vitally important for managers of shellfish programs to understand the primary sources of faecal pollution in shellfish waters so that a pollution prevention
Protein structure determination by conformational space annealing using NMR geometric restraints

We have carried out numerical experiments to investigate the applicability of the global optimization method of conformational space annealing (CSA) to the enhanced NMR protein structure determination over existing PDB structures. The NMR protein structure determination is driven by the optimization of collective multiple restraints arising from experimental data and the basic stereochemical properties of a protein‐like molecule. By rigorous and straightforward application of CSA to the identical NMR experimental data used to generate existing PDB structures, we redetermined 56 recent PDB protein structures starting from fully randomized structures. The quality of CSA‐generated structures and existing PDB structures were assessed by multiobjective functions in terms of their consistencies with experimental data and the requirements of protein‐like stereochemistry. In 54 out of 56 cases, CSA‐generated structures were better than existing PDB structures in the Pareto‐dominant manner, while in the remaining two cases, it was a tie with mixed results. As a whole, all structural features tested improved in a statistically meaningful manner. The most improved feature was the Ramachandran favored portion of backbone torsion angles with about 8.6% improvement from 88.9% to 97.5% (P‐value <10−17). We show that by straightforward application of CSA to the efficient global optimization of an energy function, NMR structures will be of better quality than existing PDB structures. Proteins 2015; 83:2251–2262. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dynamically Adaptive Simulations with Minimal Memory Requirement---Solving the Shallow Water Equations Using Sierpinski Curves

We present an approach to the numerical simulation of dynamically adaptive problems on recursively structured adaptive triangular grids. The intended application is the simulation of oceanic wave propagation (e.g., tsunami simulation) based on the shallow water equations. For the required 2D dynamically adaptive discretization, we adopt a grid generation process based on recursive bisection of triangles along marked edges. The recursive grid generation may be described via a respective refinement tree, which is sequentialized according to a Sierpinski space-filling curve. This allows a storage scheme for the adaptive grid that requires only a minimal amount of memory. Moreover, the sequentialization and, hence, the locality properties induced by the space-filling curve are retained throughout adaptive refinement and coarsening of the grid. Conforming adaptive refinement and coarsening, as well as time-stepping techniques for time-dependent systems of partial differential equations, are implemented using an inherently cache-efficient processing scheme, which is based on the use of stacks and stream-like data structures and a traversal of the adaptively refined grid along the Sierpinski curve. We demonstrate the computational efficiency of the approach on the solution of a simplified version of the shallow water equations, for which we use a discontinuous Galerkin discretization. Special attention is paid to the memory efficiency of the implementation.
Shape Degeneration and Multi-object Search Basing on Multi-shape Priors

This paper proposed a framework of segmenting multiple targets basing on multiple shape priors. The key novel idea in the proposed framework is the shape degeneration model. By breaking the balance between the competition regions adaptively, the proposed model can degenerate the region which is with low similarity with any of the shape priors, until this region completely disappears. Meanwhile the proposed model can also merge the regions that belong to a single object automatically, which is especially important when some of objects are in partial occlusion. Additionally, we presented two new models in the proposed framework. One is a new local model of active contour, which can segment image with intensity inhomogeneity correctly. The other is a generalized shape prior model, which extends the intrinsic alignment model, and can take extra affine parameters into account in the alignment process of shape priors. Experimental results show the validity of the proposed method.
Développement et application d’une pince optique à fibres nano-structurées

Les pinces optiques permettent de pieger et de manipuler des objets sans contact physique avec de la lumiere et ce avec une extreme precision. Son caractere non-invasif et non-destructif en fait un outil ideal pour des applications dans des domaines tels que la biophysique et la medecine. La pince optique conventionnelle utilise un faisceau lumineux fortement focalise par un objectif de microscope.La fibre optique est un composant tres interessant dans ce domaine puisqu'elle permet de guider la lumiere et de pieger optiquement des objets sans l'utilisation de composants optiques encombrants et en limitant des etapes d'alignement. Elle donne ainsi une grande flexibilite et compacite aux pinces optiques.Dans ce contexte, l'objectif de cette these a ete de developper une pince optique a deux fibres nano-structurees dans le but de pieger des particules de taille micro et nanometrique.Notre pince est constituee de deux fibres optiques gravees chimiquement en forme de pointe et positionnees en vis-a-vis a des distances typiques de 20 nm a 20 µm. Cette configuration a deux faisceaux contra-propagatifs permet d'annuler la pression de radiation de la lumiere. Elle a l'avantage d'obtenir un piegeage efficace pour des intensites lumineuses relativement faibles. En outre, les faisceaux ne doivent pas necessairement etre fortement focalises. Notre dispositif presente une grande souplesse grâce au controle in-situ de la position des fibres, l'injection de la lumiere dans les fibres et la manipulation de particules individuelles sans aucun substrat.Au cours de ces travaux, nous avons demontre experimentalement le piegeage stable et reproductible d'une ou plusieurs particules en suspension. Divers types de particules dielectriques ont ete piegees, allant de la particule en polystyrene d'un micrometre a des particules luminescentes de YAG:Ce mesurant 60 nm de diametre. Ces dernieres ont ete elaborees et optimisees specifiquement pour le piegeage optique lors de ces travaux.Nous avons egalement mesure les forces optiques appliquees aux particules piegees en analysant leur mouvement Brownien residuel. Nous avons demontre que le potentiel de piegeage etait harmonique, nous permettant de definir la constante de raideur optique.Enfin nous avons demontre qu'en modifiant la forme du faisceau optique d'emission, il etait possible d'ameliorer certaines caracteristiques de la pince. D'une part, les faisceaux quasi-Bessel qui sont tres peu divergents nous ont permis de realiser un piegeage stable et efficace a grande distance.D'autre part, l'utilisation de pointes metallisees permet de confiner le champ et d'ameliorer les forces optiques tout en diminuant l'intensite lumineuse. Nous avons mis en evidence le couplage en champ proche entre deux pointes metallisees qui ont ete specialement elaborees pour la pince. Ces derniers resultats ouvrent des perspectives encourageantes pour le developpement d'une pince plasmonique fonctionnant en champ proche qui est particulierement bien adaptee pour le piegeage de nanoparticules.
Using Data-Mining Approaches for Wind Turbine Power Curve Monitoring: A Comparative Study

Four data-mining approaches for wind turbine power curve monitoring are compared. Power curve monitoring can be applied to evaluate the turbine power output and detect deviations, causing financial loss. In this research, cluster center fuzzy logic, neural network, and k-nearest neighbor models are built and their performance compared against literature. Recently developed adaptive neuro-fuzzy-interference system models are set up and their performance compared with the other models, using the same data. Literature models often neglect the influence of the ambient temperature and the wind direction. The ambient temperature can influence the power output up to 20%. Nearby obstacles can lower the power output for certain wind directions. The approaches proposed in literature and the ANFIS models are compared by using wind speed only and two additional inputs. The comparison is based on the mean absolute error, root mean squared error, mean absolute percentage error, and standard deviation using data coming from three pitch regulated turbines rating 2 MW each. The ability to highlight performance deviations is investigated by use of real measurements. The comparison shows the decrease of error rates and of the ANFIS models when taking into account the two additional inputs and the ability to detect faults earlier.
A crop model-based approach for sunflower yields

Pushed by the Brazilian biodiesel policy, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) production is becoming increasingly regarded as an option to boost farmers' income, particularly under semi-arid conditions. Biodiesel related opportunities increase the demand for decision-making information at different levels, which could be met by simulation models. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the crop model OILCROP-SUN to simulate sunflower development and growth under Brazilian conditions and to explore sunflower water- and nitrogen-limited, water-limited and potential yield and yield variability over an array of sowing dates in the northern region of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. For model calibration, an experiment was conducted in which two sunflower genotypes (H358 and E122) were cultivated in a clayey soil. Growth components (leaf area index, above ground biomass, grain yield) and development stages (crop phenology) were measured. A database composed of 27 sunflower experiments from five Brazilian regions was used for model evaluation. The spatial yield distribution of sunflower was mapped using ordinary kriging in ArcGIS. The model simulated sunflower grain productivity satisfactorily (Root Mean Square Error ≈ 13 %). Simulated yields were relatively high (1,750 to 4,250 kg ha-1) and the sowing window was fairly wide (Oct to Feb) for northwestern locations, where sunflower could be cultivated as a second crop (double cropping) at the end of the rainy season. The hybrid H358 had higher yields for all simulated sowing dates, growth conditions and selected locations.
Adult Neurogenesis Leads to the Functional Reconstruction of a Telencephalic Neural Circuit

Seasonally breeding songbirds exhibit pronounced annual changes in song behavior, and in the morphology and physiology of the telencephalic neural circuit underlying production of learned song. Each breeding season, new adult-born neurons are added to the pallial nucleus HVC in response to seasonal changes in steroid hormone levels, and send long axonal projections to their target nucleus, the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA). We investigated the role that adult neurogenesis plays in the seasonal reconstruction of this circuit. We labeled newborn HVC neurons with BrdU, and RA-projecting HVC neurons (HVCRA) with retrograde tracer injected in RA of adult male white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) in breeding or nonbreeding conditions. We found that there were many more HVCRA neurons in breeding than nonbreeding birds. Furthermore, we observed that more newborn HVC neurons were back-filled by the tracer in breeding animals. Behaviorally, song structure degraded as the HVC-RA circuit degenerated, and recovered as the circuit regenerated, in close correlation with the number of new HVCRA neurons. These results support the hypothesis that the HVC-RA circuit degenerates in nonbreeding birds, and that newborn neurons reconstruct the circuit in breeding birds, leading to functional recovery of song behavior. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We investigated the role that adult neurogenesis plays in the seasonal reconstruction of a telencephalic neural circuit that controls song behavior in white-crowned sparrows. We showed that nonbreeding birds had a 36%–49% reduction in the number of projection neurons compared with breeding birds, and the regeneration of the circuit in the breeding season is due to the integration of adult-born projection neurons. Additionally, song structure degraded as the circuit degenerated and recovered as the circuit regenerated, in close correlation with new projection neuron number. This study demonstrates that steroid hormones can help reestablish functional neuronal circuits following degeneration in the adult brain and shows non–injury-induced degeneration and reconstruction of a neural circuit critical for producing a learned behavior.
Incidence of multiple myeloma in Olmsted County, Minnesota

Previous studies have indicated that the incidence and mortality rates for multiple myeloma have increased in the United States. The authors reported on the incidence of multiple myeloma in Olmsted County, Minnesota, between 1991 and 2001 and on trends in multiple myeloma incidence over the last 56 years.