Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isolation and characterization of mutants impaired in the selective degradation of peroxisomes in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha

We have isolated a collection of peroxisome degradation-deficient (Pdd-) mutants of the yeast Hansenula polymorpha which are impaired in the selective autophagy of alcohol oxidase-containing peroxisomes. Two genes, designated PDD1 and PDD2, have been identified by complementation and linkage analyses. In both mutant strains, the glucose-induced proteolytic turnover of peroxisomes is fully prevented. The pdd1 and pdd2 mutant phenotypes were caused by recessive monogenic mutations. Mutations mapped in the PDD1 gene appeared to affect the initial step of peroxisome degradation, namely, sequestration of the organelle to be degraded by membrane multilayers. Thus, Pdd1p may be involved in the initial signalling events which determine which peroxisome will be degraded. The product of the PDD2 gene appeared to be essential for mediating the second step in selective peroxisome degradation, namely, fusion and subsequent uptake of the sequestered organelles into the vacuole. pdd1 and pdd2 mutations showed genetic interactions which suggested that the corresponding gene products may physically or functionally interact with each other.
Verifying Cloud Systems using a Bigraphical Maude-based Model Checker

Formal methods are system design techniques based on rigorous mathematical models to build software systems. Our aim in this paper is to define formal specifications of cloud systems and offer analysis support to formally model check their inherent properties. Hence, we define a formal semantic framework, based on Bigraphical Reactive Systems (BRS), for specifying cloud architectures and their shape shifting to ensure service availability and quick scalability. Then, we propose a Bigraphical Maude-based Model Checker to formally verify some properties.
Accuracy , Consistency , and Reproducibility of the Triaxial Accelerometer in the iPod Touch : A Pilot Study

Background: The use of a mobile consumer communicative device as a motion analysis tool for patients has been researched and documented previously, examining the triaxial accelerometer embedded in such devices. However, there have been few reports in the literature testing the sensitivity of an embedded triaxial accelerometer. Objective: Our goal in this study was to test the accuracy, consistency, and reproducibility of the triaxial accelerometer in the iPod Touch. Methods: In this pilot study, we subjected the triaxial accelerometer in the iPod Touch to a free fall from a height of 100 cm in order to test its accuracy, consistency, and reproducibility under dynamic conditions. Results: The resultant vectorial sum acceleration was mean 0.999 g (standard gravity; SD 1.51%; 95% CI 0.99-1.01), indicating very high accuracy and sensitivity under dynamic conditions. Conclusions: Our results highlighted the reproducibility of the capability of the triaxial accelerometer in the iPod Touch to capture data accurately and consistently. Thus, the device has huge potential as a motion analysis tool for measuring gait and studying balance and mobility in patients before and after surgery. (JMIR mHealth uHealth 2014;2(4):e39) doi:10.2196/mhealth.3008
Techniques for estimation of biological contamination on insulators using image analysis

A new technique for measurement and characterization of biological contamination on composite insulators has been developed and investigated. The technique, based on photography and digital image analysis, has been applied to insulators partly covered by fungal growth. Different methods for estimating measures characterizing growth patterns, like covered area and remaining creepage distance, have been explored. It is shown that the developed technique for automatic insulator recognition and estimation of its position allows for non-supervised measurements to be performed outdoors. Finally, results from flashover voltage measurements on insulators with fungal growth are reported.
PSA and Beyond: The Past, Present, and Future of Investigative Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer

The discovery of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a biomarker represented a major discovery in the early diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer. However, the use of PSA is limited by the lack of specificity and an inability to differentiate indolent from life-threatening disease reliably at the time of diagnosis. A multitude of studies have aimed to improve the performance of PSA as well as identify additional biomarkers. The purpose of this study is to review available data on prostate cancer biomarkers for prostate cancer screening and prognostication, including prostatic acid phosphatase, PSA, PSA derivatives (PSA density, free PSA, pro PSA, and PSA kinetics), PCA3, GSTP1, AMACR, and other newly emerging molecular and genetic markers.
Ageing, muscle properties and maximal O2 uptake rate in humans

1 This paper asks how the decline in maximal O2 uptake rate (VO2,max) with age is related to the properties of a key muscle group involved in physical activity – the quadriceps muscles. Maximal oxygen consumption on a cycle ergometer was examined in nine adult (mean age 38.8 years) and 39 elderly subjects (mean age 68.8 years) and compared with the oxidative capacity and volume of the quadriceps. 2 VO2,max declined with age between 25 and 80 years and the increment in oxygen consumption from unloaded cycling to VO2,max (ΔVO2) in the elderly was 45 % of the adult value. 3 The cross‐sectional areas of the primary muscles involved in cycling – the hamstrings, gluteus maximus and quadriceps – were all lower in the elderly group. The quadriceps volume was reduced in the elderly to 67 % of the adult value. Oxidative capacity per quadriceps volume was reduced to 53 % of the adult value. The product of oxidative capacity and muscle volume – the quadriceps oxidative capacity – was 36 % of the adult value in the elderly. 4 Quadriceps oxidative capacity was linearly correlated with ΔVO2 among the subjects with the slope indicating that the quadriceps represented 36 % of the VO2 increase during cycling. 5 The decline in quadriceps oxidative capacity with age resulted from reductions in both muscle volume and oxidative capacity per volume in the elderly and appears to be an important determinant of the age‐related reduction in ΔVO2 and VO2,max found in this study.
A Whole-Grain Diet Reduces Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND Increased dietary whole-grain intake may protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD). OBJECTIVE The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of whole grains compared with refined grains on body composition, hypertension, and related mediators of CVD in overweight and obese adults. METHODS We conducted a double-blind, randomized, controlled crossover trial in 40 overweight or obese men and women aged <50 y with no known history of CVD. Complete whole-grain and refined-grain diets were provided for two 8-wk periods, with a 10-wk washout between diets. Macronutrient composition was matched, except for the inclusion of either whole grains or refined grains (50 g/1000 kcal in each diet). Measurements included blood pressure, body composition, blood lipids and adiponectin, and markers of inflammation and glycemia. RESULTS Thirty-three participants (6 men and 27 women) completed the trial [mean ± SD age: 39 ± 7 y; mean ± SD body mass index (in kg/m2): 33.1 ± 4.3]. Decreases in diastolic blood pressure were -5.8 mm Hg (95% CI: -7.7, -4.0 mm Hg) after the whole-grain diet and -1.6 mm Hg (95% CI: -4.4, 1.3 mm Hg) after the control diet (between effect, P = 0.01). Decreases in plasma adiponectin were -0.1 (95% CI: -0.9, 0.7) after the whole-grain diet and -1.4 (95% CI: -2.6, -0.3) after the control diet (between effect, P = 0.05). Decreases in diastolic blood pressure correlated with the circulating adiponectin concentration (r = 0.35, P = 0.04). Substantial reductions in body weight, fat loss, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol were observed during both diet periods, with no relevant difference between them. CONCLUSIONS The improvement in diastolic blood pressure was >3-fold greater in overweight and obese adults when they consumed a whole-grain compared with a refined-grain diet. Because diastolic blood pressure predicts mortality in adults aged <50 y, increased whole-grain intake may provide a functional approach to control hypertension. This may benefit patients at risk of vascular-related morbidity and mortality. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01411540.
A new dual feed PIFA diversity antenna

A new wideband, very low profile (3 mm), PIFA antenna is proposed. It utilizes two collinear feeds, ground plane slots and modified top radiating plate to reduce the mutual coupling between the feeds and improve the impedance matching. The proposed antenna has a 10-dB impedance bandwidth from 2.25 to 3.2 GHz or a fractional bandwidth of 35 %. It covers several important wireless applications such as 2.4 GHz WLAN, bluetooth, four LTE bands (bands 7, 38, 40 and 41) and S-DMB band 2.63-2.655 GHz. Both simulated and measured results are presented to quantify and validate the antenna performance. It is demonstrated that this new antenna is an excellent candidate for mobile diversity/MIMO applications.
INFORMA TION RETRIEVAL USING LATENT SEMANTIC INDEXING

Our capabilities for collecting and storing data of all kinds are greater then ever. On the other side analyzing, summarizing and extracting information from this data is harder than ever. That's why there is a growing need for the fast and efficient algorithms for information retrieval.In this paper we present some mathematical models based on linear algebra used to extract the relevant documents for some subjects out of a large set of text document. This is a typical problem of a search engine on the World Wide Web. We use vector space model, which is based on literal matching of terms in the documents and the queries. The vector space model is implemented by creating the term-document matrix. Literal matching of terms does not necessarily retrieve all relevant documents. Synonymy (multiple words having the same meaning) and polysemy (words having multiple meaning) are two major obstacles for efficient information retrieval. Latent Semantic Indexing represents documents by approximations and tends to cluster documents on similar topics even if their term profiles are somewhat different. This approximate representation is accomplished using a low-rank singular value decomposition (SVD) approximation of the term-document matrix. In this paper we compare the precision of information retrieval for different ranks ofSVD representation of term-document matrix.
Functional expression of cysteinyl leukotriene receptors on human platelets

Normal peripheral blood leukocytes, such as basophils, eosinophils, B lymphocytes and monocytes/macrophages, have a cysteinyl leukotriene 1 (CysLT1) receptor, while the cysteinyl leukotriene 2 (CysLT2) receptor is expressed in cardiac Purkinje cells, endothelium, brain and leukocytes. However, it is unknown whether or not platelets express the CysLT1 or CysLT2 receptor. In this study we identify and characterize the biological function of the CysLT receptor of human platelets. We determined the CysLT1 or CysLT2 receptor mRNA expression in normal human platelets by RT-PCR and determined protein expression by Western blotting and flow cytometry. Moreover, we examined the effect of cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) in platelets on the induction of RANTES (Regulated on Activation, Normal T Expressed, and presumably Secreted). We also investigated whether the CysLT1 receptor antagonist pranlukast inhibits CysLT-induced RANTES release. In conclusion, we showed the functional expression of CysLT receptors on human platelets and demonstrated that CysLTs induced the release of significant amounts of RANTES, which suggests a novel role for human platelets in CysLT-mediated allergic inflammation.
Symptom clusters and quality of life in survivors of lung cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To explore the prevalence and intensity of depression, fatigue, and pain in survivors of lung cancer; to examine the relationship of symptoms in a cluster; and to examine the relationship of the symptom cluster to quality of life (QOL). DESIGN Secondary data analysis. SETTING Online lung cancer support group. SAMPLE 51 patients diagnosed with lung cancer. METHODS Mailed survey with self-report of depression, fatigue, and pain measured by subscales of the Short-Form 36 Health Status Survey and QOL measured by the Fox Simple QOL Scale. Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the possible symptom cluster. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Depression, fatigue, pain, and QOL. FINDINGS Depression, fatigue, and pain were found in a majority of survivors, with pain being the least common symptom. Fatigue was the most intense of the three symptoms. Two significantly correlated symptoms were depression and fatigue. The cluster explained 29% (p less than 0.01) of the variance in QOL in the lung cancer survivors. CONCLUSIONS The data provided preliminary support for the presence of a symptom cluster in patients with lung cancer consisting of depression and fatigue. The cluster had a negative relationship with QOL. Survivors of lung cancer have depression and fatigue that affect QOL. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Healthcare providers must assess the potential for symptoms to cluster, adversely affecting key patient outcomes such as QOL. Through increased knowledge of symptom clusters, clinicians will be able to more effectively target the most distressing set of symptoms for intervention.
The association between serum copper and anaemia in the adult Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) population

Though common in older adults, anaemia is unexplained in about one-third of cases. As a rare cause of anaemia and neutropenia, Cu deficiency could account for some cases of unexplained anaemia. We examined the relationship between serum Cu and unexplained anaemia among 11 240 participants in the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II): 638 (5·7 % of all adults) were anaemic; 421 (3·7 %) were not explained by deficiencies of vitamin B12, folate or Fe, chronic illness or renal disease. Spline regression showed a U-shaped relationship between serum Cu levels and unexplained anaemia, indicating that both high and low serum Cu levels are associated with unexplained anaemia in adults. Chronic inflammation and mild Fe deficiency could account for the association between unexplained anaemia and elevated Cu levels. On the other hand, the finding of hypocupraemia in a subset of adults with unexplained anaemia suggests that Cu deficiency may be a common reversible cause of anaemia in adults.
The Political Economy of Occupational Disease

E CONOMISTS ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF occupational disease typically take on the role of administrative analyst, using such wellworn tools as cost/benefit analysis or costeffectiveness analysis and attempting to extrapolate from scientific studies and industry estimates of the cost of regulatory measures in order to give guidance to decision-makers. The critique of such methodologies is well-known and will not be dwelled upon in this article. Rather, our purpose is to indicate an alternative approach to the economics of occupational disease that relies on a broader construction of politicaleconomic analysis and that suggests the importance of investigating the social history of occupational disease, especially paying attention to the interplay of scienceand political economyfl) The notion that disease is a social construction is not a new one.tz) Nevertheless, occupational medicine, industrial hygiene, occupational epidemiology and economicsare taught and practiced with the fiction that "policy" considerations are separate from and peripheral to hard science. In particular, there is no systematic exposition of social, political and economic factors that significantly shape our understanding of work-related health hazards and their elimination or control. Discussion of the political-economic aspects of occupational disease requires attention to four broad areas of concern: 1) the production of disease; 2) the perception or recognition of disease; 3) control measun:s; and 4) compensation for affected workers. To a certain extent these categories are arbitrary since the overriding principles and structure of the political economy provide the context for our discussion. The central principle of profit-making, the debate about the appropriate role of government in industry and the rise of the interventionist state, and the playing out of class and interest group conflict through government are recurring themes. In the United States, the weakness of labor as a political and economic force appears to be a critical influence on the resolution of occupational health issues. The role of the public health scientist and advocate is of particular interest in this context.
Bioethics and the Whole: Pluralism, Consensus, and the Transmutation of Bioethical Methods into Gold

In 1785, George Washington described a “knowing farmer” as “one who can convert every thing he touches into manure, as the first transmutation towards Gold. ” With these words, Washington linked the “knowing farmer” to the alchemist who endeavored to transform base metals into gold with the aid of a philosopher's stone. In each instance, the challenge was to convert raw materials into something new and precious. Today, the “knowing bioethicist” is in a similar position. American bioethics harbors a variety of ethical methods that emphasize different ethical factors, including principles, circumstances, character, interpersonal needs, and personal meaning. Each method reflects an important aspect of ethical experience, adds to the others, and enriches the ethical imagination.
Coordination for Linear Multiagent Systems With Dynamic Interaction Topology in the Leader-Following Framework

This paper considers mainly the leader-following consensus for multiple agents with general linear system dynamics under switching topologies. Three different settings are systematically considered. We first consider the setting that the underlying interaction topologies switch arbitrarily among the possible weakly connected digraphs and then extend it to a more general setting that the weak connectivity of the interaction topologies is kept for some disconnected time intervals with short length due to the communication constraints among agents. Exponentially, consensus control is proved to be achieved, and the convergence rate can be specified as well for both settings in spite of the relaxed conditions on the system dynamics of each individual agent which even allow that each agent has exponentially unstable mode, while for the last case where the weak connectivity is only maintained on the joint of the interaction topologies, consensus control is proved to be achieved when the system matrix of each individual agent satisfies certain stability conditions.
Time course of post‐excitatory effects separates afferent human C fibre classes

1 To study post‐excitatory changes of conduction velocity, action potentials were recorded from 132 unmyelinated nerve fibres (C fibres) in cutaneous fascicles of the peroneal nerve using microneurography in healthy human subjects. The ‘marking’ technique was used to assess responsiveness to mechanical and heat stimuli or sympathetic reflex provocation. 2 C fibres were classified into three major classes: mechano‐responsive afferent (n= 76), mechano‐insensitive afferent (n= 48) and sympathetic efferent C fibres (n= 8). 3 During regular stimulation at 0.25 Hz, conditioning pulses were intermittently interposed. Changes of conduction velocity were assessed for different numbers of conditioning impulses and varying interstimulus intervals (ISIs). For all three fibre classes the latency shift following conditioning pulses at an ISI of 1000 ms increased linearly with their number (n= 1, 2 and 4). However, the absolute degree of conduction velocity slowing was much higher in the 32 mechano‐insensitive fibres as compared with 56 mechano‐responsive or 8 sympathetic fibres. 4 Single additional pulses were interposed at different ISIs from 20 to 2000 ms. For 20 mechano‐responsive fibres conduction velocity slowing increased with decreasing ISI (subnormal phase). In contrast, for 16 mechano‐insensitive C fibres the conduction velocity slowing decreased with shorter ISIs, and at values lower than 417 ± 49 ms (mean ±s.e.m.) the conduction velocity of the conditioned action potential was faster than before (conduction velocity speeding). This supernormal phase had its maximum at 69 ± 10 ms. 5 In this study we provide, for the first time, direct evidence of relative supernormal conduction in human mechano‐insensitive C fibres. The implications for temporal coding in different afferent C fibre classes are discussed.
Design Analysis and Performance Optimization of a Lyot Filter for Semiconductor Optical Amplifier Pattern Effect Suppression

In this paper, we analyze in detail, based on numerical modeling, the use of a Lyot filter to suppress the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) pattern effect. By formulating a robust design strategy, which is based on defining appropriate figures of merit and making the necessary tradeoffs between them, the filter performance can be optimized in terms of the wavelength spacing and detuning of its spectral response. The results obtained from this design procedure agree with experiment and enable us to accurately quantify to what degree the Lyot filter can resolve the SOA pattern effect problem.
Investigation of the Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of Copper Selenide Thin Films

Copper selenide (CuSe) thin films were prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to study the structure and crystallite size of CuSe thin film. The grain size and the surface morphology were studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The optical properties were studied using the UV-Visible transmission spectrum. The dielectric properties of the synthesized CuSe thin films were studied at different frequencies and different temperatures. Further, electronic properties, such as valence electron plasma energy, average energy gap or Penn gap, Fermi energy and electronic polarizability of the CuSe thin films were determined. The AC electrical conductivity study revealed that the conduction depended both on the frequency and the temperature. The temperature dependent conductivity study confirmed the semiconducting nature of the films. Photoconductivity measurements were carried out in order to ascertain the positive photoconductivity of the CuSe Thin films. This paper covers what all has been stated above besides discussing the results of I-V characteristics.