Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel Galphaq/11-selective inhibitor.

YM-254890, which was isolated from the culture broth of Chromobacterium sp. , inhibits ADP-induced platelet aggregation and has antithrombotic and thrombolytic effects. YM-254890 blocks Galpha(q/11)-coupled ADP receptor P2Y1-mediated Ca(2+) mobilization. Here we report that YM-254890 is a selective Galpha(q/11) inhibitor. YM-254890 blocked Ca(2+) mobilization mediated by several Galpha(q/11)-coupled receptors but not by Galpha(i)- or Galpha(15)-coupled receptor, indicating that phospholipase Cbeta activation and subsequent signaling molecules are not the target of YM-254890. YM-254890 completely prevented the serum response factor (SRF)-mediated gene transcription induced by Galpha(q)R183C, which is constitutively active in a receptor-dependent manner because of its reduced k(cat) of GTP hydrolysis. Conversely, YM-254890 had only a modest effect on the SRF-mediated gene transcription by Galpha(q)Q209L, which is GTPase-deficient (activated) Galpha(q). These suggested that the acting point of YM-254890 is receptor-Galpha(q) interaction or the subsequent guanine nucleotide exchange step. The fact that YM-254890 (i) inhibited the SRF-mediated gene transcription by Galpha(qi5), which interacts with Galpha(i)-coupled receptor and possesses the effector function of Galpha(q), and (ii) had no effect on the K(d) value of high affinity [(3)H]2MeSADP binding to P2Y1, which reflects the agonist-receptor-Galpha ternary complex, suggested that receptor-Galpha(q/11) interaction is not the target of YM-254890. On the other hand, specific [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding to Galpha(q/11) stimulated by the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor and P2Y1 were inhibited by YM-254890. These data indicate that YM-254890 blocks the exchange of GDP for GTP in Galpha(q/11) activation. This novel Galpha(q/11)-selective inhibitor is a promising and powerful tool for studying Galpha(q/11) protein activation, Galpha(q/11) -coupled receptor signaling, and Galpha(q/11)-mediated biological events.
Application of Rational Power Functions in Analyses of Saccadic Velocity Profiles

The relationship between the product of peak velocity and duration (VmD) and saccadic amplitude is tightly correlated. The velocity profile of a saccade was referred as a triangular profile; whereas the saccadic amplitude is proportional to VmD. From our observation and derivation, in addition to the triangular profile, the rational power function can also be applied to explain the linear relationship between the saccadic amplitude and VmD. In this study, rational power functions were used for the analyses of saccadic dynamics. The results show that the rational power functions were fitted very well to the velocity profiles for three different amplitudes, i.e. 10deg, 20deg, and 30deg, with correlation coefficients are all greater than 0.99. Significant differences in shape parameters between experimental and simulated profiles were also observed. Additionally, we have found that the minimum variance model proposed based on the minimization of variance of post-saccadic eye position cannot simulate velocity profiles matched with the experimental results. In conclusion, rational power functions are efficient in describing the saccadic velocity profiles. The shape parameters are also efficient for describing the dynamics of saccadic velocity profiles
Determination of metolcarb in food by capillary electrophoresis immunoassay with a laser‐induced fluorescence detector

A capillary electrophoresis immunoassay (CEIA) was developed for the determination of trace metolcarb (MTMC) in food. The method was based on the competitive reactions between fluorescently labeled MTMC tracer and free MTMC with a limited amount of anti‐MTMC antibody and the separation and determination by CE with LIF detector. A fluorescent reagent, FITC was labeled on MTMC to construct an immunofluorescent probe. CEIA experimental parameters such as the pH value and concentration of the running buffer and separation voltage as well as incubation time were systematically investigated. Under the optimized conditions, fluorescently labeled antigen and antibody bound could be well separated within 3 min using Na2B4O7/NaH2PO4 buffer (20:10 mmol/L, pH 9.0) for background electrolyte, 20 kV for the separation voltage, and 20°C for the column temperature. The linear range of the method was 0.25–50.0 μg/L with LOD 0.07 μg/L. The RSD for relative migration time and relative fluorescence intensity ratio were 2.90% (intraday) and 4.73% (intraday), respectively. The proposed method has been applied to determine the residue of MTMC in food samples with the satisfactory recovery.
Age differences in PTSD among Canadian veterans: age and health as predictors of PTSD severity

ABSTRACT Background: To date, few studies have investigated age differences in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and none has examined age differences across symptom clusters: avoidance, re-experiencing, and hyperarousal. The first objective of this study was to investigate age differences in PTSD and its three symptom clusters. The second objective was to examine age and indices of health as predictors of PTSD symptom severity. Methods: Participants were 104 male veterans, aged 22 to 87 years, receiving specialized mental health outpatient services. Assessments included measures of health-related quality of life, pain severity, number of chronic health conditions, and symptoms of PTSD, both in total and on the symptom clusters. Results: There were significant age differences across age groups, with older veterans consistently reporting lower PTSD symptom severity, both in total and on each of the symptom clusters. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the inclusion of health indices accounted for significantly more variance in PTSD symptoms over and above that accounted for by age alone. Pain severity was a significant predictor of PTSD total and the three symptom clusters. Conclusions: This is the first study to report lower levels of PTSD severity among older veterans across symptom clusters. These findings are discussed in relation to age differences in the experiencing and processing of emotion, autobiographical memory, and combat experiences. This study also emphasizes the importance of assessing pain in those with symptoms of PTSD, particularly older veterans who are less likely to receive specialized mental healthcare.
An Improved Particle Swarm Optimization for Energy-Efficiency Virtual Machine Placement

In the past few years, cloud computing has become one remarkable growing paradigm for offering services through the Internet on many levels. The increasing number of users requires resource provisioning strategy. Virtual machine (VM) placement is one of the keys to assure cloud consolidation and reduce power wastage. To resolve this problem, different approaches were proposed for VM placement strategies. This paper proposes a solution based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) for the virtual machine placement in the heterogeneous data center. In this work, we improved the PSO method to fit with virtual machine placement in data centers. Results show that improved PSO can find the optimal solution for low energy consumption comparing to First-fit, Best-fit, and worst-fit. In this paper, we discuss the results.
Evolutionary history of the honey bee Apis mellifera inferred from mitochondrial DNA analysis

Variability of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the honey bee Apis mellifera L. has been investigated by restriction and sequence analyses on a sample of 68 colonies from ten different subspecies. The 19 mtDNA types detected are clustered in three major phylogenetic lineages. These clades correspond well to three groups of populations with distinct geographical distributions: branch A for African subspecies (intermissa, monticola, scutellata, andansonii and capensis), branch C for North Mediterranean subspecies (caucasica, carnica and ligustica) and branch M for the West European populations (mellifera subspecies). These results partially confirm previous hypotheses based on morphometrical and allozymic studies, the main difference concerning North African populations, now assigned to branch A instead of branch M. The pattern of spatial structuring suggests the Middle East as the centre of dispersion of the species, in accordance with the geographic areas of the other species of the same genus. Based on a conservative 2% divergence rate per Myr, the separation of the three branches has been dated at about 1 Myr BP.
Identification of 14 new single nucleotide polymorphisms in the bovine SLC27A1 gene and evaluation of their association with milk fat content

The solute carrier family 27 member 1 (SLC27A1) is an integral membrane protein involved in the transport of long-chain fatty acids across the plasma membrane. This protein has been implicated in diet-induced obesity and is thought to be important in the control of energy homeostasis. In previous reports, our group described the isolation and characterization of the bovine SLC27A1 gene. The bovine gene is organized in 13 exons spanning over more than 40 kb of genomic DNA and maps in BTA 7 where several quantitative trait loci for fat related traits have been described. Because of its key role in lipid metabolism and its genomic localization, in the present work the search for variability in the bovine SLC27A1 gene was carried out with the aim of evaluating its potential association with milk fat content in dairy cattle. By sequencing analysis of all exons and flanking regions 14 new single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified: 1 in the promoter, 7 in introns and 6 in exons. Allele frequencies of all the SNPs were calculated by minisequencing analysis in two groups of Holstein-Friesian animals with highest and lowest milk-fat content estimated breeding values as well as in animals of two Spanish cattle breeds, Asturiana de los Valles and Menorquina. In the conditions assayed, no significant differences between Holstein-Friesian groups were found for any of the SNPs, suggesting that the SLC27A1 gene may have a poor or null effect on milk fat content. In Asturiana and Menorquina breeds all the positions were polymorphic with the exception of SNPs 1 and 8 in which C allele was fixed in both of them.
Palmitoylation of either Cys-3 or Cys-5 is required for the biological activity of the Lck tyrosine protein kinase

Palmitoylation can regulate both the affinity for membranes and the biological activity of proteins. To study the importance of the palmitoylation of the Src-like tyrosine protein kinase p56lck in the function of the protein, Cys-3, Cys-5, or both were mutated to serine, and the mutant proteins were expressed stably in fibroblasts and T cells. Both Cys-3 and Cys-5 were apparent sites of palmitoylation in Lck expressed in fibroblasts, as only the simultaneous mutation of both Cys-3 and Cys-5 caused a large reduction in the incorporation of [3H]palmitic acid. The double mutant S3/5Lck was no longer membrane bound when examined by either immunofluorescence or cell fractionation. This indicated that palmitoylation was required for association of Lck with the plasma membrane. Since the S3/5Lck protein was myristoylated, myristoylation of Lck is not sufficient for membrane binding. When Cys-3, Cys-5, or both Cys-3 and Cys-5 were changed to serine in activated F505Lck, palmitoylation of either Cys-3 or Cys-5 was found to be necessary and sufficient for the transformation of fibroblasts and for the induction of spontaneous, antigen-independent interleukin-2 production in the T-helper cell line DO-11.10. Nonpalmitoylated F505Lck exhibited little activity in vivo, where it did not induce elevated levels of tyrosine phosphorylation, and in vitro, where it was unable to phosphorylate angiotensin in an in vitro kinase assay. These findings suggest that F505Lck must be anchored stably to membranes to become activated. Because palmitoylation is dynamic, it may be involved in regulating the cellular localization of p56(lck), and consequently its activity, by altering the proximity of p56(lck) to its activators and/or targets.
Impact of an Improved Combination of Signals From Array Coils in Diffusion Tensor Imaging

An improved method for the combination of signals from array coils is presented as a way to reduce the influence of the noise floor on the estimation of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters. By an optimized combination of signals from the array channels and complex averaging of measurements, this method leads to a significant reduction of the noise bias. This combination algorithm allows computation of accurate tensors by using the simple two point method and is shown to provide results similar to the ones obtained using the standard signal combination and a nonlinear regression method with noise parameter estimation. In many applications, the use of this combination method would result in a scan time reduction in comparison to the current standard. The effects of the improved combination on diffusion decay curves, fractional anisotropy maps, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) profiles are demonstrated.
Implementation of an adaptive controller for the startup and steady‐state running of a biomethanation process operated in the CSTR mode

An adaptive control algorithm has been implemented on a biomethanation process to maintain propionate concentration, a stable variable, at a given low value, by steering the dilution rate. It was thereby expected to ensure the stability of the process during the startup and during steady‐state running with an acceptable performance. The methane pilot reactor was operated in the completely mixed, once‐through mode and computer‐controlled during 161 days. The results yielded the real‐life validation of the adaptive control algorithm, and documented the stability and acceptable performance expected.
Tick-borne diseases.

Ticks may transmit a variety of human pathogens and are second in importance only to the mosquito as a vector of human disease. The majority of tick-borne diseases are nonspecific in their initial clinical and laboratory presentation and may be confused with a variety of more common illnesses. A history of tick exposure is frequently not available. Although specific serologic tests exist for confirming the diagnosis of many of these diseases, the time required for confirmation of results makes them of little use in the acute situation. Recognition of the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens and clinical suspicion are of key importance in making the appropriate diagnosis. Early and specific therapy is a principal factor in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with these diseases.
Role of adaptive and non-adaptive mechanisms forming complex patterns of genome size variation in six cytotypes of polyploid Allium oleraceum (Amaryllidaceae) on a continental scale.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Although the large variation in genome size among different species is widely acknowledged, the occurrence and extent of variation below the species level are still controversial and have not yet been satisfactorily analysed. The aim of this study was to assess genome size variation in six ploidy levels (2n = 3x-8x) of the polyploid Allium oleraceum over a large geographical gradient and to search for potential interpretations of the size variation. METHODS The genome sizes of 407 individuals of A. oleraceum collected from 114 populations across Europe were determined by flow cytometry using propidium iodide staining. The genome size variation was correlated with spatial, climatic and habitat variables. KEY RESULTS The mean holoploid genome size (2C DNA) was 42·49, 52·14, 63·34, 71·94, 85·51 and 92·12 pg at the tri-, tetra-, penta-, hexa-, hepta- and octoploid levels, respectively. Genome size varied from a minimum of 2·3 % in the octoploids to a maximum of 18·3 % in the tetraploids. Spatial structuring of genome size was observed within the tetra- and pentaploids, where 2C DNA significantly increased with both latitude and longitude, and correlated with several climatic variables, suggesting a gradient of continentality. Genome size in hexaploids showed low variation, weak correlation with climatic variables and no spatial structuring. Downsizing in monoploid genome size was observed between all cytotypes except for heptaploids. Splitting populations into western and eastern European groups resulted in strong differences in monoploid genome size between groups in tetra- and pentaploids but not in hexaploids. The monoploid genome sizes of the cytotypes were similar in the western group but diverged in the eastern group. CONCLUSIONS Complex patterns of holoploid and monoploid genome size variation found both within and between A. oleraceum cytotypes are most likely the result of several interacting factors, including different evolutionary origins of cytotypes via hybridization of parental combinations with different genome sizes in the south-western and south-eastern part of Europe, introgression between cytotypes, and antropic dispersal. The role of broad-scale and fine-scale environmental variables in shaping genome size is probably of minor importance in A. oleraceum.
A Rapid Flow Cytometric Method to Explore Cellular Immunity against Toxoplasma gondii in Humans

ABSTRACT To assess cell-mediated immunity to Toxoplasma gondii, we evaluated the expression of the activation antigens CD69, CD71, and CD25 on T lymphocytes by flow cytometry after specific in vitro stimulation of whole blood from 127 T. gondii-positive and 63 T. gondii-negative patients. T lymphocytes from many seropositive individuals did not express CD69 at 24 h afterT. gondii antigen stimulation, but CD71 and CD25 were easily detectable on T cells from seropositive individuals 7 days after specific activation. CD25 was mainly expressed by stimulated CD4+ T cells, and its detection on total T cells was both a sensitive (98%) and a specific (97%) indicator of prior T. gondii infection. These results make flow cytometric detection of CD25 an excellent candidate for screening cell-mediated immunity toT. gondii in vitro and an interesting tool for the diagnosis of congenital infection.
Neuropsychological features of mild cognitive impairment and preclinical Alzheimer's disease

Recent research has identified a transitional state between the cognitive changes of normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD), known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI patients experience memory loss to a greater extent than one would expect for age, yet they do not meet currently accepted criteria for clinically probable AD. An issue currently under investigation is whether MCI represents the preclinical stages of AD or a distinct and static cognitive aetiology. In an attempt to address this issue, the present investigations are adopting a convergent approach to the detection of preclinical AD, where multiple risk factors are considered when making a diagnosis. Currently, one of the most important tools when assessing early cognitive changes is neuropsychological evaluation. MCI subjects typically record neuropsychological performance between that of healthy older individuals and demented patients. Tests assessing new learning, delayed recall and attention/executive function seem to provide valuable information for screening and diagnosis of MCI and early AD if interpreted properly. Recommendations concerning methodological issues and the early management of neuropsychological MCI studies were made.
Multilevel algebraic methods of modeling the 3D electromagnetic field

In this paper we consider the special multilevel algorithm for solving systems of linear algebraic equations obtained by the finite element discretization of the vector Helmholtz equation in the 3D domains with internal borders. The algorithm is based on the multilevel Schwarz method and the domain decomposition with an overlap. The results of calculations allow us to estimate the contribution of the each stage of the algorithm to the acceleration of the calculation procedures.
Propranolol for prophylaxis of bleeding in cirrhotic patients with large varices: A multicenter, randomized clinical trial

To assess if propranolol prevents the first bleeding in cirrhosis, we randomly assigned 174 patients with large varices to either propranolol in doses reducing the resting heart rate by 25% (85 patients) or to a placebo (oral vitamin K, 89 patients). Sixty‐nine patients had alcoholic cirrhosis, 24 posthepatitic cirrhosis and 81 cryp‐togenic cirrhosis. At the time of inclusion, 75 patients (43%) had ascites and according to the Child‐Pugh classification, 103 (59%) had Class A disease, 60 (34%) Class B and 11 (7%) Class C. We report here an interim analysis of the study when all patients had been followed for at least 1 year (mean follow‐up = 22 months). At this time, the cumulative proportion of patients free of bleeding was 74% in the propranolol group and 63% in the placebo group; corresponding survival figures were 59 and 74% (both differences not significant), respectively. A retrospective analysis showed that the cumulative percentage of patients free of bleeding was significantly higher in the propranolol‐ than in the control‐group in the subsets of patients without ascites or in Child‐Pugh Class A: respectively, 87 vs. 64% (p = 0.023) and 88 vs. 64% (p = 0.01). No differences in bleeding incidence were found in patients with ascites or in Child‐Pugh Class B or C. Propranolol treatment did not affect survival in any subgroup. Twenty‐five patients had to be withdrawn from propranolol because of side effects (n = 23) or low compliance (n = 2). If confirmed on a longer follow‐up, these results suggest that propranolol could prevent the first bleeding in patients with well‐compensated cirrhosis.
Volatility smile and one-month foreign currency volatility forecasts

We find knowledge of the volatility smile implied from foreign exchange options improves foreign exchange volatility forecast accuracy. The literature shows curvature of the smile can be captured by risk‐neutral skewness and risk‐neutral kurtosis and we find inclusion of these variables in forecast models improves volatility forecast accuracy. Further, delta‐neutral hedged portfolio performance highlights the economic significance of incorporating knowledge of the smile in forecast models. Analysis is conducted using options with one month to maturity written on four exchange rate series, GBP/USD, EUR/USD, AUD/USD, and the USD/JPY from 2001 to 2006. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 37:286–312, 2017
MARKET EFFICIENCY

Annotation. The free press, which raises topical issues and discusses ways to solve them, is an integral part of a developed society and state. The introduction of digital technologies in the Kazakh press has led to the transition to the Internet not only to attract the attention of a new audience using the gadget, but also for all types of business. The development of new media has become a great trust of readers. Free thoughts and independent reviews moved from the pages of publications to websites, blogs and social networks. The transition of printed publications into multimedia forms combined various technologies of information transfer. This complicated the journalist’s activities. Because there was a need for simultaneous representation of one material in several forms. The convergence of the newspaper is not only the provision of text materials, but also the publication of video, audio, photo content on various platforms. There are major problems negatively affecting the development of information space in Kazakhstan, digitalization of communications. These include the dependence of the media on the state order, the imperfection of the legal framework, the uncompetitiveness of the Kazakh-language press, reducing the circulation of Newspapers. The article analyzes the novelty of digital technologies, given in the Kazakh press, the assessment to date.