Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Respective Roles of CYP2A5 and CYP2F2 in the Bioactivation of 3-Methylindole in Mouse Olfactory Mucosa and Lung: Studies Using Cyp2a5-Null and Cyp2f2-Null Mouse Models

The aim of this study was to determine whether mouse CYP2A5 and CYP2F2 play critical roles in the bioactivation of 3-methylindole (3MI), a tissue-selective toxicant, in the target tissues, the nasal olfactory mucosa (OM) and lung. Five metabolites of 3MI were identified in NADPH- and GSH-fortified microsomal reactions, including 3-glutathionyl-S-methylindole (GS-A1), 3-methyl-2-glutathionyl-S-indole (GS-A2), 3-hydroxy-3-methyleneindolenine (HMI), indole-3-carbinol (I-3-C), and 3-methyloxindole (MOI). The metabolite profiles and enzyme kinetics of the reactions were compared between OM and lung, and among wild-type, Cyp2a5-null, and Cyp2f2-null mice. In lung reactions, GS-A1, GS-A2, and HMI were detected as major products, and I-3-C and MOI, as minor metabolites. In OM reactions, all five metabolites were detected in ample amounts. The loss of CYP2F2 affected formation of all 3MI metabolites in the lung and formation of HMI, GS-A1, and GS-A2 in the OM. In contrast, loss of CYP2A5 did not affect formation of 3MI metabolites in the lung but caused substantial decreases in I-3-C and MOI formation in the OM. Thus, whereas CYP2F2 plays a critical role in the 3MI metabolism in the lung, both CYP2A5 and CYP2F2 play important roles in 3MI metabolism in the OM. Furthermore, the fate of the reactive metabolites produced by the two enzymes through common dehydrogenation and epoxidation pathways seemed to differ with CYP2A5 supporting direct conversion to stable metabolites and CYP2F2 supporting further formation of reactive iminium ions. These results provide the basis for understanding the respective roles of CYP2A5 and CYP2F2 in 3MI's toxicity in the respiratory tract.
IQGAP1: A Regulator of Intracellular Spacetime Relativity

Activating and inhibiting receptors of lymphocytes collect valuable information about their mikròs kósmos. This information is essential to initiate or to turn off complex signaling pathways. Irrespective of these advances, our knowledge on how these intracellular activation cascades are coordinated in a spatiotemporal manner is far from complete. Among multiple explanations, the scaffolding proteins have emerged as a critical piece of this evolutionary tangram. Among many, IQGAP1 is one of the essential scaffolding proteins that coordinate multiple signaling pathways. IQGAP1 possesses multiple protein interaction motifs to achieve its scaffolding functions. Using these domains, IQGAP1 has been shown to regulate a number of essential cellular events. This includes actin polymerization, tubulin multimerization, microtubule organizing center formation, calcium/calmodulin signaling, Pak/Raf/Mek1/2-mediated Erk1/2 activation, formation of maestrosome, E-cadherin, and CD44-mediated signaling and glycogen synthase kinase-3/adenomatous polyposis coli-mediated β-catenin activation. In this review, we summarize the recent developments and exciting new findings of cellular functions of IQGAP1.
Autonomic reactivity to cognitive and emotional stress of low, medium, and high hypnotizable healthy subjects: Testing predictions from the high risk model of threat perception

Abstract This study tested hypotheses derived from Wickramasekera's High Risk Model of Threat Perception (HRMTP) by comparing autonomic and affective responses to a cognitive and an emotional stress task in high, medium, and low hypnotizables. Electrodermal activity (EDA) was used as a measure of sympathetic activity, and the high frequency (HF) spectral component of heart rate variability as a measure of parasympathetic activity. High hypnotizables exhibited greater EDA at baseline and slower EDA recovery following both tasks than did medium and lows. Medium hypnotizables responded with greater decreases in normalized HF power than did highs and lows during the emotional stress task. The results suggest diminished EDA variability in high hypnotizables and the potential for HF power as an indicator of autonomic dysregulation in low and high hypnotizables, compared to mediums. The results are discussed in relation to predictions based on the HRMTP.
Global Constraints in Distributed Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization

Global constraints are an essential component in the efficiency of centralized constraint programming. We propose to include global constraints in distributed constraint satisfaction and optimization problems (DisCSPs and DCOPs). We detail how this inclusion can be done, considering different representations for global constraints (direct, nested, binary). We explore the relation of global constraints with local consistency (both in the hard and soft cases), in particular for generalized arc consistency (GAC). We provide experimental evidence of the benefits of global constraints on several benchmarks, both for distributed constraint satisfaction and for distributed constraint optimization.
Hydrophobic dipeptide Leu‐Ile protects against neuronal death by inducing brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor synthesis

We investigated whether certain hydrophobic dipeptides, Leu‐Ile, Leu‐Pro, and Pro‐Ile, which partially resemble the site on FK506 that binds to immunophilin, could stimulate glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) synthesis in cultured neurons and found only Leu‐Ile to be an active dipeptide. Leu‐Ile protected against the death of mesencephalic neurons from wild‐type mice but not from mice lacking the BDNF or GDNF gene. Next, we examined the effects of i.p. or i.c. v. administration of Leu‐Ile on BDNF and GDNF contents. Both types of administration increased the contents of BDNF and GDNF in the striatum of mice. Also, peripheral administration of Leu‐Ile inhibited dopaminergic (DA) denervation caused by unilateral injection of 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) into the striatum of mice. The number of rotations following a methamphetamine challenge was lower in the Leu‐Ile‐treated group than in the nontreated group. Next, we compared the calcineurin activity and immunosuppressant activity of Leu‐Ile with those of FK506. Leu‐Ile was not inhibitory toward calcineurin cellular activity in cultured neuronal cells. Furthermore, Leu‐Ile did not suppress concanavalin A (ConA)‐induced synthesis/secretion of interleukin‐2 by cultured spleen cells, suggesting that the immunosuppressant activity of Leu‐Ile may be negligible when used as a therapeutic tool for neurodegenerative diseases. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A cauchy input achieves the capacity of a Cauchy channel under a logarithmic constraint

In this work, we consider a discrete-time memoryless communication channel where the input is subjected to an independent additive Cauchy noise. We find the input constraint under which a Cauchy input is capacity achieving. The constraint is logarithmic and depends on a scalar parameter k which we interpret as a power measure. We draw a parallelism between this setup and that of the Gaussian channel under the second moment constraint. In fact, a Cauchy input yields a Cauchy output over this channel and achieves a capacity value of “log(1 + SNR)”.
Driver's Seat Belt Detection in Crossroad Based on Gradient Orientation

Seat belt detection is one of the important detecting functions and is widely needed in the field of intelligent transportation system. However, research for which is still limited in terms of the increasing requirements at present. In this paper, one algorithm for detecting vehicle seat belts on road is proposed. And according to the method discussed in this paper, a type of feature based on gradient orientation is employed to describe and detect seat belts. After the image pre-processing, the front window location and the human face detecting, this feature is finally extracted in the selected region and the conclusion is given by counting the seat belt feature in the area which close to the right side of the detected human face area. Another approach is also designed in case that the human face detection fails. Tests on high-definition vehicle images show that the proposed algorithm is capable of extracting belt-feature under difference circumstances and is also effective to tell whether the driver has fastened its seat belt.
Theoretical Analysis of AC Resistance in Coil Using Magnetoplated Wire

In this paper, we describe the ac resistance of a coil using a magnetoplated wire (MPW), which is prepared by circumferentially plating a copper wire with magnetic thin film. The Q value of the MPW coil is higher than that of a coil using a copper wire without magnetic thin film plating (COW coil). High-Q coils have lower loss and are required in various industrial fields. To further improve the Q-value characteristics of the MPW coil, it is necessary to theoretically analyze its ac resistance. We theoretically analyzed the ac resistance of coils generated by skin and proximity effects. The measured and calculated ac resistances of the MPW coil were in good agreement with a difference of 4%. In addition, the ac resistance generated by the proximity effect was reduced in the MPW coil, and was 50% of that in the COW coil.
Reactions to Cold Exposure Emphasize the Need for Weather Protection in Prehospital Care: An Experimental Study

Abstract Introduction: Exposure to cold temperature is a serious but often neglected problem in prehospital care. It not only is an uncomfortable, subjective experience, but it also can cause severe disturbances in vital functions, gradually leading to hypothermia. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine healthy subjects'physiological and subjective reactions to cold exposure (30 minutes at -5°C in the a climatic chamber) while they were lying in a protective covering. Methods: Healthy volunteers (n = 20) participated in the experiment, which consisted of a 10-minute stabilization period of vital functions at room temperature (23°C), 30 minutes of cold exposure (-5°C), and a 30-minute recovery period at room temperature. Subjects lay supinely in protective covering during the entire experiment. Skin temperatures, oxygen saturation, pulse rates, pulse wave amplitude in the middle finger, and surface electromyography (EMG) activity of the major pectoral muscle were recorded continuously during the test. Before and immediately after the cold exposure, tympanic membrane temperatures were measured. In addition, subjects were asked to estimate cold using a standard scale. Results: During the cold exposure, the decrease in tympanic membrane temperature was not significant.The pulse wave amplitude in the finger decreased sharply upon entering the cold chamber. Skin temperatures, especially of the fingers and toes, decreased during the cold exposure.There were no clear signs of shivering in electromyographic recordings. Subjective cold feelings followed decreasing skin temperatures. Skin temperatures did not return quickly. Even 30 minutes after the exposure, all the skin temperatures still had not returnedto normal levels.However, subjective cold feeling was relieved immediately. Conclusions: Cold exposure provoked immediate protective vasoconstriction in the peripheral compartment, which caused linear decreases of local skin temperatures. This probably was triggered from the unprotected face and upper respiratory areas.
Coupled vector FEM and scalar BEM formulation for eddy current problems

A problem of electromagnetic field modeling with consideration of eddy currents is addressed. A formulation for calculating eddy currents with coupled total vector magnetic potential and reduced scalar magnetic potential is presented. The finite element method (FEM) is used to approximate the total vector magnetic potential and the boundary element method (BEM) is used to approximate reduced scalar magnetic potential. The efficiency of the proposed method is investigated and compared to the pure FEM formulation. The results are obtained by solving the problem of calculating the effect of eddy currents on a magnet activation.
Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Analysis of Phorate and Fenthion Pesticide in Apple Skin Using Silver Nanoparticles

Traditional pesticide residue detection methods are usually complicated, time consuming, and expensive. Rapid, portable, online, and real-time detection kits are the developing direction of pesticide testing. In this paper, we used a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technique to detect the organophosphate pesticide residue of phorate and fenthion in apple skin, for the purpose of finding a fast, simple, and convenient detection method for pesticide detection. The results showed that the characteristic wavenumbers of the two organophosphorus pesticides are more easily identified using SERS. We selected the Raman peaks at 728 cm−1 of phorate and 1215 cm−1 of fenthion as the target peaks for quantitative analysis, and utilized internal standards to establish linear regression models for phorate and fenthion. The detection limit was 0.05 mg/L for phorate and 0.4 mg/L for fenthion. This method can be used as a quantitative analytical reference for the detection of phorate and fenthion.
Centralized non-convex model predictive control for cooperative collision avoidance of networked vehicles

This paper presents a novel design of a collision avoidance controller of networked vehicles using a centralized Model Predictive Control (MPC) concept. The primary objective is to avoid collisions. The secondary objective is dealing with the quality of the collision-free trajectory, which is defined in comparison to the predefined reference trajectory. The resulted optimization problem is non-convex due to collision avoidance constraints. Two different methods to solve this non-convex program are presented, Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) and convex relaxation. In MILP, using binary variables and the big-M method, the avoidance constraints can be formulated naturally. The other method is Semi-Definite Programming (SDP) relaxation. First, the optimization problem is formulated in the form of a quadratically constrained quadratic program, then it is solved using the SDP relaxation.
Mediator head subcomplex Med11/22 contains a common helix bundle building block with a specific function in transcription initiation complex stabilization

Mediator is a multiprotein co-activator of RNA polymerase (Pol) II transcription. Mediator contains a conserved core that comprises the ‘head’ and ‘middle’ modules. We present here a structure–function analysis of the essential Med11/22 heterodimer, a part of the head module. Med11/22 forms a conserved four-helix bundle domain with C-terminal extensions, which bind the central head subunit Med17. A highly conserved patch on the bundle surface is required for stable transcription pre-initiation complex formation on a Pol II promoter in vitro and in vivo and may recruit the general transcription factor TFIIH. The bundle domain fold is also present in the Mediator middle module subcomplex Med7/21 and is predicted in the Mediator heterodimers Med2/3, Med4/9, Med10/14 and Med28/30. The bundle domain thus represents a common building block that has been multiplied and functionally diversified during Mediator evolution in eukaryotes.
A process-driven methodological approach for the design of telecommunication management systems

Until recently, monopolistic network operators considered resolving service and network management from a systems viewpoint. Due to deregulation, the customer becomes central and there is a need to consider management as an activity transversal to all the business units of the company. The issue needs to be considered first from a business viewpoint and only then from a systems viewpoint. Moreover, there is a general need of increasing the quality of IT systems. Therefore, new methods are required for the realization of management solutions. This paper proposes a methodological approach for the specification, design and implementation of management systems in this renewed telecommunications industry context. The application of the method first identifies and defines the business processes and specifies the information models, which contain data manipulated by these processes. The obtained results are inputs for system design whose outputs are in turn software and hardware entities that make up the management system.
Strong Lower Bounds for Approximating Distribution Support Size and the Distinct Elements Problem

We consider the problem of approximating the support size of a distribution from a small number of samples, when each element in the distribution appears with probability at least 1/n. This problem is closely related to the problem of approximating the number of distinct elements in a sequence of length n. For both problems, we prove a nearly linear in n lower bound on the query complexity, applicable even for approximation with additive error. At the heart of the lower bound is a construction of two positive integer random variables. X<sub>1</sub> and X<sub>2</sub>, with very different expectations and the following condition on the first k moments: E[X<sub>1</sub>]/E[X<sub>2</sub>] = E[X<sub>1</sub> <sup>2</sup>]/E[X<sub>2</sub> <sup>2</sup>] = . = E[X<sub>1</sub> <sup>k</sup>]/E[X<sub>2</sub> <sup>k</sup>]. Our lower bound method is also applicable to other problems. In particular, it gives new lower bounds for the sample complexity of (1) approximating the entropy of a distribution and (2) approximating how well a given string is compressed by the Lempel-Ziv scheme.
Interaction with large stereoscopic displays : Fitts and multiple object tracking studies for virtual reality

Two studies measured human performance in virtual environments, one for mid-air pointing and one for multiple object tracking. Mid-air pointing is similar to pointing in everyday life: it relies on the human sensorimotor system and it is unconstrained by contact with a surface or object. Multiple object tracking is the perceptual and cognitive process of maintaining awareness of the individual identities of a set of objects that are changing their relative locations within a visual scene. Both tasks are often components of training or simulation systems in virtual environments. We investigated how performance in each is affected by the virtual environment and how that might be used to better calibrate virtual environments for optimal “real world” performance. Fitts’s Law predicts movement time as a function of movement amplitude and target width. It is used to evaluate pointing performance in computer applications, including those for virtual environments. It has proven extremely robust. However, alternative two-part models, such as Welford’s, are sometimes more accurate. One-part models consider only the ratio of movement amplitude and target width; two-part models treat each as independent variables. We conducted a Fitts-style study of pointing performance in a virtual environment that varied physical distance to the screen and virtual distance to the targets. We found that Welford-style two-part models predicted pointing time significantly better than did Fitts-style one-part models using an F-test on the goodness of fit (R2). The separable contributions of movement amplitude and target width were captured in a parameter derived from the two-part models that varies linearly with the virtual distance to targets. We describe how to use the parameter to calibrate a VR environment for pointing tasks. We designed a second study of multiple-object tracking in VR environments to determine whether tracking performance might differ in a virtual
High-confidence medical device software and systems

Given the shortage of caregivers and the increase in an aging US population, the future of US healthcare quality does not look promising and definitely is unlikely to be cheaper. Advances in health information systems and healthcare technology offer a tremendous opportunity for improving the quality of care while reducing costs. The development and production of medical device software and systems is a crucial issue, both for the US economy and for ensuring safe advances in healthcare delivery. As devices become increasingly smaller in physical terms but larger in software terms, the design, testing, and eventual Food and Drug Administration (FDA) device approval is becoming much more expensive for medical device manufacturers both in terms of time and cost. Furthermore, the number of devices that have recently been recalled due to software and hardware problems is increasing at an alarming rate. As medical devices are becoming increasingly networked, ensuring even the same level of health safety seems a challenge.
Physical and Psychological Symptom Biomechanics in Moderate to Advanced Heart Failure

Background:There is a common dissociation between objective measures and patient symptomatology in heart failure (HF). Objective:The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between cardiac biomechanics and physical and psychological symptoms in adults with moderate to advanced HF. Methods:We performed a secondary analysis of data from 2 studies of symptoms among adults with HF. Stepwise regression modeling was performed to examine the influence of cardiac biomechanics (left ventricular internal diastolic diameter, right atrial pressure [RAP], and cardiac index) on symptoms. Results:The average age of the sample (n = 273) was 57 ± 16 years, 61% were men, and 61% had class III or IV HF. Left ventricular internal diastolic diameter (&bgr; = 4.22 ± 1.63, P = .011), RAP (&bgr; = 0.71 ± 0.28, P = .013), and cardiac index (&bgr; = 7.11 ± 3.19, P = .028) were significantly associated with physical symptoms. Left ventricular internal diastolic diameter (&bgr; = 0.10 ± 0.05, P = .038) and RAP (&bgr; = 0.03 ± 0.01, P = .039) were significantly associated with anxiety. There were no significant biomechanical determinants of depression. Conclusion:Cardiac biomechanics were related to physical symptoms and anxiety, providing preliminary evidence of the biological underpinnings of symptomatology among adults with HF.
Theoretical Elaboration Of It Enablement Model In The Era Of Customer And Community Digital Innovation

Research on information systems has demonstrated the strategic potential of information technology (IT) through the logic of IT enablement: synergistic relationship between IT assets with organizational resources ensuing IT-enabled resources capable of influencing competitive firm performance. However, this enablement view has largely focused on IT assets and organizational resources within the boundaries of the firm or its close partners. Increasingly, users and communities far outside the boundaries of the firm create strategic value for firms from varied co-creation experiences with interactive IT. This emergence of new content, uses, and behaviors constitutes a generative capacity, or generativity. Generativity has strategic potential of an IT enabled resource capable of positively affecting a firm’s performance under certain facilitating conditions of identification and emotional responding. This elaboration of IT enablement model by generativity and facilitating conditions is important as it develops the understanding how interactive IT and user and community innovation logic are related to the business value of IT.