Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase from Megasphaera elsdenii

The absorption coefficient of butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase from Megasphaera elsdenii at 450nm is determined as 14.4mM-1 cm-1 in the CoA-free form and 14.2mM-1 cm-1 in the CoA-liganded form (both yellow). The latter value is considerably higher than the earlier published estimate. Phenazine ethosulphate offers great advantages over phenazine methosulphate as a coupling dye in the catalytic assay despite giving lower Vmax. values (506min-1 as compared with 1250min 1 under the conditions used). The phenazine ethosulphate assay is used to establish a pH optimum of 8.05 for oxidation of 100 pM-butyryl-CoA. The rates of oxidation of a range of straight-chain, branched-chain and alicyclic acyl thioesters are used to provide the following information. (1) Only straight-chain acyl groups containing 4-6 carbon atoms are easily accommodated by the postulated hydrophobic pocket of the enzyme. (2) C-3-substituted acyl-CoA thioesters are not oxidized at a significant rate, suggesting that the C-3 pro-S-hydrogen atom of straight-chain substrates is partially exposed to the solvent. (3) Acyl-CoA thioesters with substitutions at C-2 are oxidized, though at a lower rate than their straight-chain counterparts. This implies that the C-2 pro-S-hydrogen atom of straight-chain substrates is partially exposed to the solvent. (4) Saturated alicyclic carboxylic acyl-CoA thioesters with 4-7 carbon atoms in the ring are oxidized, with maximal activity for the cyclohexane derivative. This implies that optimal oxidation requires a true trans orientation of the two departing hydrogen atoms. (5) The strain imposed by bound unsaturated alicyclic acyl thioesters strikingly perturbs the flavin visible-absorption spectrum, with the exception ofthe cyclohex-2-ene derivative, which forms a complex with similar spectral properties to those of the crotonyl-CoA complex. (6) In the thiol moiety of thioester substrates the amide bond of N-acetylcysteamine is essential for both binding and catalysis. The adenosine structure contributes substantially to strong binding, but is less important in determining the catalytic rate.
Recommending Followees Based on Content Weighted User Interest Homophily

We study the problem of recommending followees to users on content curation social networks (CCSNs). Different from existing friendship-oriented user recommendation approaches, we exploit user interest homophily to recommend users of similar interests, combining the users' social network as well as their topical interests. We first profile users with social links and topical interests derived from "re-pin paths". We further design a collaborative filtering strategy for user recommendation based on interest homophily. Experiments on a content curation social network show that our recommendation algorithm based on user interest homophily performs better than recommendation based on user popularity.
A New Hybrid System Capable of Efficient Lentiviral Vector Production and Stable Gene Transfer Mediated by a Single Helper-Dependent Adenoviral Vector

ABSTRACT To achieve efficient and sustained gene expression, we developed a new lentivirus/adenovirus hybrid vector (LA vector) that encodes sequences required for production of a human immunodeficiency virus-based lentiviral vector (i.e., a lentiviral vector, a gag/pol/rev expression cassette, a tetracycline-inducible envelope cassette, and the tetracycline-inducible transcriptional activator cassette) in a single helper-dependent adenovirus vector backbone. Via either transfection or infection, human cell lines transduced with the LA vector produced a lentiviral vector in a doxycycline-dependent manner at titers up to 105 to 106 green fluorescent protein transducing units per ml, which are comparable to the titers obtained by conventional multiple plasmid transfection methods. Efficient spread and persistent expression of the transgene were observed in cells maintained in long-term culture that had been infected with the LA vector. Furthermore, when cocultured with adherent cells infected with the LA vector, the human T-cell leukemia cell line was successfully transduced with a marker gene. This LA vector possesses the advantages of efficient gene transfer from an adenoviral vector and stable integration from a lentiviral vector; therefore, it might have potential for a variety of gene therapy applications.
Multifaceted based language for pervasive services with deterministic and fully defined behavior

One important feature of pervasive services is their awareness to the surrounding context. The behavior of context-aware pervasive services should be fully defined and deterministic. These services may be implemented using context-aware languages. So far, these languages either have dealt with only one of these features (i.e. fully defined or deterministic behavior) or have not taken into account any of the two features. In this paper, we propose a programming paradigm which facilitates the development of the context-aware pervasive services with fully defined and deterministic behavior. The multifaceted programming entity is the core concept of our proposal. In order to demonstrate the practical validity of the proposed paradigm we extended C# language with multifaceted programming entity.
Standardization of measurement of β-amyloid(1-42) in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma

The standardization and clinical validation of the measurement of β–amyloid. (Aβ42) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), plasma and urine is described using a commercially available sandwich–type ELISA with 2 IF12 and 3D6 as monoclonal antibodies. The INNOTEST™ β–amyloid(1–42) allows the specific and reliable measurement of (1–42) amyloid peptides in CSF and plasma. The Aβ42 concentrations in serum and urine were below the detection limit. In plasma, no differences were found in Aβ42 levels between controls and patients with different neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer's disease (AD), Lewy body disease (LED), others). In contrast, CSF–Aβ42 concentrations were lower in AD and LBD patients as compared to controls. No correlation was found in AD patients between CSF and plasma concentrations of Aβ42 or between CSF Aβ42 levels and blood–brain–barrier function. The quantitative outcome of the test is in part dependent on confounding factors such as tube type, freeze/thaw cycles, temperature of incubation, standard preparation protocol, and antibody selection. Notwithstanding these aspects, it emerged that Aβ42 is a useful biochemical marker for the diagnosis of AD patients, but there is a need for an international Aβ standard, a universally accepted protocol for CSF preparation, and a thorough evaluation of assay performance in function of the boundary conditions.
Integrated Memory Controllers with Parallel Coherence Streams

Previous work in scalable hardware distributed shared memory (DSM) multiprocessors has established the critical and dominant role that protocol processing bandwidth (or its inverse, occupancy) plays in determining overall performance in architectures with standalone memory/coherence controllers. However, with recent architectural trends toward integrated (on-chip) memory controllers and the well-known fact that processor frequency is increasing more rapidly than memory systems, we must ask whether parallel coherence processing engines (either multiple integrated protocol processors/cores or multiple protocol threads) are needed in DSM machines constructed from modern processor architectures and, if so, when. We construct a useful analytical model to give the designer insight into when parallel coherence streams will improve performance and verify our model via detailed simulation on 64-threaded microbenchmarks and parallel applications and on single-node multiprogrammed workloads. Surprisingly, and contrary to related work, we find that, in these architectures, adding a second coherence engine has almost no impact on performance. Further, for less-tuned applications that suffer from hot spots (contentious requests to the same memory line), additional engines offer no benefit whatsoever. Even with double the memory bandwidth (or channels), an additional coherence processing stream yields only slight performance improvement. Only for a special class of DSM machines employing directoryless broadcast protocols over unordered interconnects does parallel "snoop" processing offer reasonable performance improvement for communication-intensive applications. Overall, given the architectural trends, this is good news for DSM designers who want to minimize the resources necessary (protocol threads or integrated protocol processor cores for maintaining internode coherence, respectively) to create SMTp-based or multi-CMP-based scalable DSM machines using directory protocols.
A Functional Analysis of 2008 U.S. Presidential Primary Debates

This study reports a content analysis of 20 Democratic and 16 Republican primary debates from the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign. President George W. Bush was completing his second and final term in office and Vice President Dick Cheney decided not to run for president. Thus, the 2008 U.S. presidential primary is the first open campaign (with no sitting president or vice president competing) since 1952. This study uses content analysis to apply Functional Theory to these campaign messages. Acclaims were more common than attacks, which in turn occurred more frequently than defenses. Policy was discussed more often than character. Republicans were more likely to attack other Republicans than Democrats; Democrats criticized members of both parties at about the same rate. The candidates discussed more of the issues owned by their political party than issues owned by the other political party.
A comparison of graphical models and structural equation models for the analysis of longitudinal survey data

Graphical chain modelling (GCM) and structural equation modelling (SEM) are two approaches to modelling longitudinal data. Both approaches have their origins in path analysis and provide pictorial representations of the association between variables, which are usually ordered temporally. Both methods also aim to identify the direct and indirect effects of one variable on another.While the SEMapproach specifies a singlemodel for the complete system of variables being studied, the GCM approach permits a model for the complete system to be built up by fitting a sequence of submodels. In this chapter we briefly discuss the similarities and differences of the GCM and SEM approaches to modelling univariate recursive systems and their application to complex survey data. We identify the strengths and limitations of each approach. By using an example of the relationship between changes in labour force status following entry into parenthood, and changes in gender role attitude, we illustrate their use with survey data. A sample of 632 women, childless and aged between 16 and 39 in 1991, taken from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), is used. This survey is a particularly useful resource for this type of analysis since it is nationally representative, continuous since 1991 and collects a wide range of socio-demographic and attitudinal information (Taylor et al., 2007). Information on employment and parenthood status is obtained annually and attitude statements concerning gender roles are collected biennially in 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997.
A Modified Dynamic Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

Inspired from social behavior of organisms such as bird flocking, particle swarm optimization(PSO) has rapid convergence speed and has been successfully applied in many optimization problems. in this paper, we present a dynamic particle swarm optimization algorithm to enhance the performance of standard PSO. We design a novel function to compute the initial dynamic inertia weight, and then calculate inertia weight through a nonlinear function. Afterwards, searching process is repeated until the max iteration number is reached or the minimum error condition is satisfied. to testify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, we conduct two experiments. Experimental results show that our algorithm performs better than FPSO and standard PSO in best fitness and convergence speed.
Telomere length deregulation and enhanced sensitivity to genotoxic stress in Arabidopsis mutants deficient in Ku70

The Ku70/80 heterodimer is a critical component of the non‐homologous end‐joining (NHEJ) pathway and of the telomere cap in yeast and mammals. We report the molecular characterization of the KU70 and KU80 genes in Arabidopsis and describe the consequences of a Ku70 deficiency. Arabidopsis KU70/80 genes are ubiquitously expressed and their products form stable heterodimers in vitro. Plants harboring a T‐DNA insertion in KU70 exhibit no growth or developmental defects under standard growth conditions. However, mutant seedlings are hypersensitive to γ‐irradiation‐induced double‐strand breaks. Unexpectedly, we found that mutants are hypersensitive to methyl methanosulfonate during seed germination, but lose this sensitivity in seedlings, implying that the requirement for NHEJ varies during plant development. Lack of Ku70 results in a dramatic deregulation of telomere length control, with mutant telomeres expanding to more than twice the size of wild type by the second generation. Furthermore, in contrast to the situation in mammals, chromosome fusions are not associated with a Ku deficiency in Arabidopsis. These findings imply that Ku may play a different role in capping plant and animal telomeres.
Spinal CT image segmentation based on level set method

Medical image segmentation has an important position in the medical field. People still can't find a way that can suit all kinds of medical image segmentation because of the image characteristics are more complex than the usual image. Sundry traditional methods have its boundedness. This essay presents a fire new method of CT image segmentation that combines with various methods. Firstly with the Otsu threshold value methods to improve the initial segmentation to determine the approximate boundary location, and then use the boundary for the initial contour to conduct the level set iteration. The result shows that this method can obtain a better effect in the CT image segmentation.
Dynamic triangulation of variational implicit surfaces using incremental Delaunay tetrahedralization

In this paper, we present a novel method to triangulate variational implicit surfaces. The core of the algorithm is an incremental Delaunay tetrahedralization of the constraint points defining the surface; it can be refined over time by adding new points around the surface as needed. Each tetrahedron that crosses the surface can then be triangulated to locally approximate the surface. This method allows getting several meshes of the same shape at different resolutions, which can be updated dynamically when adding new constraint points. This level-of-detail property makes variational surfaces more appealing for applications such as interactive modeling.
Low-Dose Ketamine Infusion for Emergency Department Patients with Severe Pain.

OBJECTIVE Use of low-dose ketamine infusions in the emergency department (ED) has not previously been described, despite routine use in perioperative and other settings. Our hypothesis was that a low-dose ketamine bolus followed by continuous infusion would 1) provide clinically significant and sustained pain relief; 2) be well tolerated; and 3) be feasible in the ED. METHODS We prospectively administered 15 mg intravenous ketamine followed immediately by continuous ketamine infusion at 20 mg/h for 1 hour. Optional morphine (4 mg) was offered at 20, 40, and 60 minutes. Pain intensity, vitals signs, level of sedation, and adverse reactions were assessed for 120 minutes. RESULTS A total of 38 patients were included with a median initial numerical rating scale (NRS) pain score of 9. At 10 minutes, the median reduction in pain score was 4, with 7 patients reporting a score of 0. At 60 and 120 minutes, 25 and 26 patients, respectively, reported clinically significant pain reduction (decrease NRS score > 3). Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation remained stable. Mild or moderate side effects including dizziness, fatigue, and headache were common. Patient satisfaction was high; 85% reported they would have this medication again for similar pain. CONCLUSION A low-dose ketamine infusion protocol provided significant pain relief with mostly mild side effects and no severe adverse events.
Evaluer une expérimentation sociale dans le domaine de l'emploi: le cas du « Groupement d'Activités »

Cette communication s'interesse aux methodes d'evaluation des politiques publiques de l'emploi les plus recentes en partant d'un exercice d'evaluation realise dans le cadre de l'appel a projets"Pour de nouvelles experimentations sociales". Dans un premier temps, nous exposons les methodes d'evaluation en nous focalisant plus particulierement sur la methode de l'experience controlee, de plus en plus utilisee et recommandee dans les exercices d'evaluation depuis quelques annees, tout en rappelant ses limites methodologiques. Dans un second temps, nous prenons l'exemple du « Groupement d'Activites » en expliquant le protocole d'evaluation mis en place et en precisant la maniere dont nous avons mesure sa performance. Pour cela, nous nous appuyons sur les analyses de l'ecole de la proximite et plus precisement sur la grille proximiste de Bouba-Olga et Grossetti (2008). Cette grille de lecture permet d'integrer, dans un meme schema explicatif des possibilites locales d'appariement, le role de la distance entre acteurs (proximite geographique), le role des qualifications et plus generalement des ressources materielles et cognitives dont disposent les agents (proximite de ressources) et enfin, le role des institutions qui ont vocation a faire evoluer les individus dans l'espace des qualifications et a faciliter la rencontre offre-demande de travail (proximite de coordination). Enfin, dans une troisieme partie, nous presentons les resultats a la fois theoriques et empiriques de notre travail d'evaluation, en nous concentrant sur les resultats lies au suivi des publics (beneficiaires/non beneficiaires du dispositif). Nous insistons sur le fait qu'il s'agit plus de developper une demarche evaluative que de presenter des resultats quantitatifs robustes, dans la mesure ou nos travaux ont concerne un tres faible nombre de personnes.
Efficient and accurate testing of analog-to-digital converters using oscillation-test method

This paper describes a practical test approach for analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) based on the oscillation-test strategy. The oscillation-test is applied to convert the ADC under test to an oscillator. The oscillation frequencies are able to monitor the ADC conversion rate, differential nonlinearity (DNL) and integral nonlinearity (INL) at each quantization band edge (QBE). Using this method, no analog stimulus should be supplied and therefore the need for a costly precision signal generator is eliminated. Besides, as the oscillation frequency is evaluated using pure digital circuitry, test accuracy is increased. This test approach is not limited to a special kind of ADC. Simulations and practical implementation prove the efficiency of the proposed test approach for ADCs.
Quantitative Analysis of Pitch in Speech of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

We analyzed the prosody of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Language Disorder, and typical development in conversational speech, using the CSLU ADOS speech corpus. We found several significant differences in the pitch characteristics of these diagnostic groups, and report automatic classification utilizing these features that are well above chance level. We show that the choice of pitch tracker, its parameters, and the pitch correction method can substantially affect the results, thus the scientific relevance of studies on prosody, and may be one of the reasons for conflicting findings.
Benign tremulous parkinsonism.

BACKGROUND Benign tremulous parkinsonism has never been precisely defined nor has the long-term course been studied. OBJECTIVE To report the clinical features and longitudinal course of patients with benign tremulous parkinsonism encountered in our movement disorders practice. DESIGN Computer search of medical records database. SETTING Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. PATIENTS Of 116 patients identified, 16 (10 male and 6 female) had at least an 8-year history of this disease, had been examined by a senior movement disorders specialist, and had ultimately been diagnosed as having benign tremulous parkinsonism after an initial diagnosis of Parkinson disease (PD). INTERVENTIONS None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Age at onset of disease, response to levodopa therapy, tremor characteristics, and family history. RESULTS Mean disease duration was 11 years (range, 8-25 years) at last follow-up. Mean age at onset, 58.5 years, was younger than in most PD series, and most patients had a poor levodopa response (although levodopa trials were inadequate in some). A moderate to marked postural tremor was noted in 13 of the 16 patients, including 6 with a kinetic tremor. A family history of PD and/or tremor was reported in 10 (63%) of our patients. Three patients required thalamic deep brain surgery to treat their tremor. CONCLUSIONS Benign tremulous parkinsonism may be a distinct clinical entity characterized by tremor predominance plus minimal progression of other aspects of parkinsonism. The tremor is often not very responsive to levodopa therapy. In this series, most patients had immediate family members with a diagnosis of tremor or PD.
Using VAAST to Identify Disease‐Associated Variants in Next‐Generation Sequencing Data

The VAAST pipeline is specifically designed to identify disease‐associated alleles in next‐generation sequencing data. In the protocols presented in this paper, we outline the best practices for variant prioritization using VAAST. Examples and test data are provided for case‐control, small pedigree, and large pedigree analyses. These protocols will teach users the fundamentals of VAAST, VAAST 2.0, and pVAAST analyses. Curr. Protoc. Hum. Genet. 81:6.14. 1‐6.14. 25. © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Injury of the Arcuate Fasciculus in the Dominant Hemisphere in Patients With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

AbstractLittle is known about injury of the arcuate fasciculus (AF) in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). We investigated injury of the AF in the dominant hemisphere in patients with mild TBI, using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). We recruited 25 patients with injury of the left AF among 64 right-handed consecutive patients with mild TBI and 20 normal control subjects. DTTs of the left AF were reconstructed, and fractional anisotropy (FA), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and fiber number of the AF were measured.Among 64 consecutive patients, 25 (39%) patients showed injury of the left AF. The patient group showed lower FA value and fiber number with higher ADC value than the control group (P < 0.05). On K-WAB evaluation, aphasia quotient and language quotient were 95.9 ± 4.1 (range 85–100) and 95.0 ± 5.4 (range 80–100), respectively. However, 23 (92.0%) of 25 patients complained of language-related symptoms after TBI; paraphasia in 12 (48.0%) patients, deficits of comprehension in 4 (16.0%) patients, deficits of speech production in 1 (4.0%) patient, and >2 language symptoms in 6 (24.0%) patients.We found that a significant number (39%) of patients with mild TBI had injury of the AF in the dominant hemisphere and these patients had mild language deficit. These results suggest that DTT could provide useful information in detecting injury of the AF and evaluation of the AF using DTT would be necessary even in the case of a patient with mild TBI who complains of mild language deficit.