Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physical linkage of mouse lambda genes by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis suggests that the rearrangement process favors proximate target sequences

The first complete map of a mammalian immunoglobulin gene locus is presented. Mouse lambda genes were mapped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The gene order is V2-Vx-C2-C4-V1-C3-C1. The distance between V2 or Vx and the C2-C4 cluster is 74 or 55 kilobases (kb), respectively, whereas that between V1 and C3-C1 is only 19 kb; V2 and C3-C1 are at least 190 kb apart. Thus, the distances between the lambda subloci are inversely proportional to their frequencies of rearrangement. The related gene lambda 5 is not within the 500 kb of the lambda locus mapped here.
fMRI amygdala activation during a spontaneous panic attack in a patient with panic disorder

Previous studies on neuronal activation correlates of panic attacks were mostly based on challenge tests, sensory-related stimulation or fear conditioning in healthy subjects. In the present study, we report on a female patient with panic disorder experiencing a spontaneous panic attack under an auditory habituation paradigm in the last stimulation block with sine tones captured with fMRI at 3T. The panic attack was associated with a significantly increased activity in the right amygdala. This is the first report on neuronal activation correlates of a spontaneous panic attack in a patient with panic disorder as measured by fMRI, which lends further support to a pivotal role of the amygdala in the pathogenesis of the disease.
NLOS-multipath effects on Pseudo-Range estimation in urban canyons for GNSS applications

Pseudo-range (PR) errors due to NLOS-Multipath (non-line-of-sight-multipath) are studied in an urban canyon model. In order to determine the different reflected and diffracted rays which compose the NLOS-multipath, a dedicated ray tracing algorithm is applied. Two different methods are used in order to compute the PR error. The first one uses the error due to the maximum power ray and the second one uses an early minus late (E-L) receiver model. Simulations in different urban canyon configurations are carried out in order to obtain PR error distributions and associated probabilities due to NLOS-multipath rays above a given power threshold.
In silico comparison of gene expression levels in ten human tumor types reveals candidate genes associated with carcinogenesis

Most human cancers are characterized by genomic instability. Changes associated with such may result in altered expression of numerous genes. The sequence information available in the public databases can be used to identify transcripts differentially expressed in cancers. Determining cancer-related genes that are commonly deregulated in different tumor types may facilitate identification of targets for cancer diagnoses and therapeutic treatments. Using a data-mining tool named Digital Differential Display (DDD) from the UniGene database at the NCBI web site, gene expression levels of ten different tumor types and their counterpart normal tissues were analyzed. Unigenes which showed transcriptional regulation in more than five tumor types with ≧2-fold differences from normal tissues were identified. The expression data of selected Unigenes were subjected to clustering analysis. 127 commonly up-regulated genes and 92 commonly down-regulated genes were identified. Clustering analysis using these genes showed that most tumor types can be clustered into a separate branch from most normal tissues. Nineteen genes that have been shown to be involved in carcinogenesis by experimental evidence were also identified. Present computational analyses revealed 219 candidate cancer-related genes that are commonly deregulated in ten human tumor types which may contribute to the progress of carcinogenesis.
Complete mitochondrial genome of the Moltrecht's minnow, Aphyocypris moltrechti (Teleostei, Cyprinidae), in comparison with A. kikuchii

We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of the Moltrecht's minnow, Aphyocypris moltrechti, which is known as an endemic species to Taiwan. The complete mitochondrial genome is 16,617 bp in size, consisting of 37 genes coding for 13 proteins, 2 rRNAs, 22 tRNAs, and 1 control region. Its gene arrangement pattern was identical with most vertebrates. We compared the mitochondrial genome of A. moltrechti with that of the Kikuchi's minnow, Aphyocypris kikuchii, which had been considered closely related to A. moltrechti within a same genus. Nucleotide sequence divergence (K2P distance) between the two whole mitochondrial genomes was 11.62%. The detailed comparison between the mitochondrial genomes of two species was done.
Cyclooxygenase-2 Blockade Does Not Impair Endothelial Vasodilator Function in Healthy Volunteers: Randomized Evaluation of Rofecoxib Versus Naproxen on Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilatation

Background—From a cardiovascular standpoint, the safety of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) blockers has been a topic of increasing concern. This concern stemmed from observations indicating that the COX-2 isoform is the major source of endothelium-derived prostacyclin and, hence, that selective blockade of this enzyme may impair endothelial health. To investigate this matter, we examined the effects of 7 days of treatment with rofecoxib versus naproxen on endothelial function in healthy volunteers. Methods and Results—Thirty-five healthy volunteers were randomized to receive 7-day treatment with either rofecoxib (25 mg/d, n=18) or naproxen (750 mg/d, n=17). Vascular response measurements were conducted using forearm strain-gauge plethysmography. Changes in forearm blood flow in response to the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine (3, 10, and 30 &mgr;g/min) and the endothelium-independent vasodilator sodium nitroprusside (1 and 10 &mgr;g/min) were assessed before and after treatment. Acetylcholine evoked a dose-dependent increase in forearm blood flow in all groups. Importantly, treatment resulted in no change in acetylcholine-mediated increases in forearm blood flow in either group (naproxen, P =0.27; rofecoxib, P =0.58). Similarly, there was no change in forearm blood flow in response to sodium nitroprusside (naproxen, P =0.55; rofecoxib, P =0.63). Conclusions—We herein describe, for the first time, the effects of COX-2-selective inhibition on endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in healthy adults. COX-2 blockade, when used at the doses employed therapeutically (which are known to inhibit vascular prostacyclin production) did not result in significant changes in endothelial vasodilator responses in healthy volunteers. The effects of COX-2 inhibitors on vasodilator responses in patients with coronary artery disease remain to be determined.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and Williams syndrome: Shared behavioral and neuropsychological profiles

We compared verbally matched attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Williams syndrome (WS), and typically developing individuals (N = 19 each group) on behavioral symptoms (Conners ADHD rating scale) and neuropsychological functioning. Neuropsychological tasks included those that assessed short-term memory and executive functions from the CANTAB (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery) neuropsychological battery. Children with WS scored within the abnormal range and did not differ in severity from ADHD children on the Conners Oppositionality, Cognitive Problems/Inattention, Hyperactivity, and ADHD Index subscales. The WS and ADHD groups also showed similar patterns of neuropsychological functioning, particularly in working memory (WM) strategy use and delayed short-term memory (STM). The findings may have clinical implications for the management of individuals with WS, highlighting the potential significance of behavioral, educational, and pharmacological strategies and treatments known to be useful in the treatment of children with ADHD for individuals with WS.
Association between youth-focused firearm laws and youth suicides.

CONTEXT Firearms are used in approximately half of all youth suicides. Many state and federal laws include age-specific restrictions on the purchase, possession, or storage of firearms; however, the association between these laws and suicides among youth has not been carefully examined. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between youth-focused firearm laws and suicides among youth. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Quasi-experimental design with annual state-level data on suicide rates among US youth aged 14 through 20 years, for the period 1976-2001. Negative binomial regression models were used to estimate the association between state and federal youth-focused firearm laws mandating a minimum age for the purchase or possession of handguns and state child access prevention (CAP) laws requiring safe storage of firearms on suicide rates among youth. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Association between youth-focused state and federal firearm laws and rates of firearm, nonfirearm, and total suicides among US youth aged 14 to 17 and 18 through 20 years. RESULTS There were 63 954 suicides among youth aged 14 through 20 years during the 1976-2001 study period, 39 655 (62%) of which were committed with firearms. Minimum purchase-age and possession-age laws were not associated with statistically significant reductions in suicide rates among youth aged 14 through 20 years. State CAP laws were associated with an 8.3% decrease (rate ratio [RR], 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.86-0.98) in suicide rates among 14- to 17-year-olds. The annual rate of suicide in this age group in states with CAP laws was 5.97 per 100 000 population rather than the projected 6.51. This association was also statistically significant for firearm suicides (RR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.83-0.96) but not for nonfirearm suicides (RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.91-1.10). CAP laws were also associated with a significant reduction in suicides among youth aged 18 through 20 years (RR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.85-0.93); however, the association was similar for firearm suicides (RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.82-0.92) and nonfirearm suicides (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85-0.98). CONCLUSIONS There is evidence that CAP laws are associated with a modest reduction in suicide rates among youth aged 14 to 17 years. As currently implemented, minimum age restrictions for the purchase and possession of firearms do not appear to reduce overall rates of suicide among youth.
Application of the eigenvalue moment method to the quartic anharmonic double-well oscillator.

The eingenvalue moment method (EMM) is a precise technique for generating converging lower and upper bounds to the low-lying eigenenergies of singular quantum Hamiltonians. We apply it to the quartic anharmonic double-well oscillator problem, P 2 -Z 2 x 2 +x 4 , recently studied by Saavedra and Buendia [Phys. Rev. A 42, 5073 (1990)]. In addition, we introduce important algorithmic modifications to the conventional EMM formulation, leading to more efficient applications
Novel algorithms and equivalence optimisation for resource allocation in cloud computing

In this paper, we model the optimisation of the resource allocation in cloud computing as a constraint satisfaction problem considering three types of resources CPU, RAM and bandwidth and design a Choco-Based algorithm CB for VM resource allocation in virtualised cloud data centres. We also propose an Improved First-Fit Decreasing Algorithm IFFD and an Improved Best-Fit Decreasing Algorithm IBFD and conduct performance evaluation experiments using Choco. The experimental results show that CB has better results, whereas its solution time is longer than IFFD and IBFD in resource allocation. Moreover, to reduce the complexity of solving the problem of CSP-based resource allocation, we propose an equivalence optimisation which can greatly reduce the search space for resource allocation by making tree pruning with resource equivalence. Then, a resource allocation algorithm based on Equivalent Optimisation EO is designed. Experimental results also show that compared with CB, EO greatly reduces the time of allocating resource of cloud computing.
Dual-polarized log.-periodic antenna on a conical MID substrate

This paper presents the design of a dual-polarized log. -periodic four arm antenna bent on a conical MID substrate. The bending of a planar structure in free space is highlighted and the resulting effects on the input impedance and radiation characteristic are analyzed. The subsequent design of the UWB compliant prototype is introduced. An adequate agreement between simulated and measured performance can be observed. The antenna provides an input matching of better than −8 dB over a frequency range from 3GHz to 9GHz. The antenna pattern is characterized by a radiation with two linear, orthogonal polarizations and a front-to-back ratio of 6 dB. A maximum gain of 5.6 dBi is achieved at 5.5GHz. The pattern correlation coefficients confirm the suitability of this structure for diversity and MIMO applications. The overall antenna diameter and height are 50mm and 24mm respectively. It could therefore be used as a surface mounted or ceiling antenna in buildings, vehicles or aircrafts for communication systems.
Functional Interactions during the Retrieval of Conceptual Action Knowledge: An fMRI Study

Impaired retrieval of conceptual knowledge for actions has been associated with lesions of left premotor, left parietal, and left middle temporal areas [Tranel, D. , Kemmerer, D. , Adolphs, R. , Damasio, H. , & Damasio, A. R. Neural correlates of conceptual knowledge for actions. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 409432, 2003]. Here we aimed at characterizing the differential contribution of these areas to the retrieval of conceptual knowledge about actions. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), different categories of pictograms (whole-body actions, manipulable and nonmanipulable objects) were presented to healthy subjects. fMRI data were analyzed using SPM2. A conjunction analysis of the neural activations elicited by all pictograms revealed ( p < .05, corrected) a bilateral inferior occipito-temporal neural network with strong activations in the right and left fusiform gyri. Action pictograms contrasted to object pictograms showed differential activation of area MT, the inferior and superior parietal cortex, and the premotor cortex bilaterally. An analysis of psychophysiological interactions identified contribution-dependent changes in the neural responses when pictograms triggered the retrieval of conceptual action knowledge: Processing of action pictograms specifically enhanced the neural interaction between the right and left fusiform gyri, the right and left middle temporal cortices (MT), and the left superior and inferior parietal cortex. These results complement and extend previous neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies by showing that knowledge about action concepts results from an increased coupling between areas concerned with semantic processing (fusiform gyrus), movement perception (MT), and temporospatial movement control (left parietal cortex).
Conditional Targeting of Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor–Associated Factor 6 Reveals Opposing Functions of Toll-Like Receptor Signaling in Endothelial and Myeloid Cells in a Mouse Model of Atherosclerosis

Background— Previous studies implicated Toll-like receptor signaling as a critical pathogenic pathway in atherosclerosis, but the cell-specific mechanisms by which Toll-like receptors act to control atherosclerotic plaque development remain poorly understood. Methods and Results— To study the cell-specific role of tumor necrosis factor receptor–associated factor 6 (TRAF6) in atherosclerosis, we generated ApoE−/− mice with endothelial cell– or myeloid cell–specific TRAF6 deficiency using Cre/LoxP-mediated gene targeting. Endothelial TRAF6 deficiency reduced atherosclerosis in female ApoE−/− mice by inhibiting nuclear factor-&kgr;B–dependent proinflammatory gene expression and monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells. In contrast, myeloid cell–specific TRAF6 deficiency caused exacerbated atherosclerosis, with larger plaques containing more necrotic areas in both male and female ApoE−/− mice. TRAF6-deficient macrophages showed impaired expression of the antiinflammatory and atheroprotective cytokine interleukin-10, elevated endoplasmic reticulum stress, increased sensitivity to oxidized low-density lipoprotein–induced apoptosis, and reduced capacity to clear apoptotic cells. Thus, the reduced antiinflammatory properties, coupled with increased sensitivity to apoptosis and impaired efferocytosis capacity of TRAF6-deficient macrophages, result in exacerbated atherosclerosis development in TRAF6MYKO/ApoE−/− mice. Conclusion— Toll-like receptor–mediated TRAF6 signaling acts in endothelial cells to promote atherosclerosis but displays atheroprotective, antiinflammatory and prosurvival functions in myeloid cells.
Design of a Planar Walking Machine that Integrates Mechanical and Control Design Approaches

ii PUBLICATIONS . v FIELDS OF STUDY . v Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 1.1 Background . 1 1.1.1 Phases of a Walking Cycle . 1 1.1.2 Static vs. Dynamic Walking Cycles . 2 1.1.3 Quantifying Gait Efficiency . 2 1.2 Current Biped Design Approaches . 3 1.2.1 Anthropomorphic Designs . 3 1.2.2 Vertical Hoppers . 4 1.2. 3 Passive Walkers . 5 1.2. 4 Walking Machines . 6 1.3 Project Motivation . 7 1.4 Design Approach . 8 Chapter 2: Drive System and Sensing Components . 12 2.1 Drive Components . 12 2.1.1 Motor and Gearhead Selection . 12 2.1.2 Cable Drive System . 13 2.2 Sensor Components . 16 2.2.1 Encoders . 16 2.2.2 Limit Switches . 17 2.2. 3 Load Cells . 18 Chapter 3: Mechanical Design . 19 3.1 Body Design . 19 3.2 Hip Design . 22 3.3 Knee Design . 23 3.4 Foot Design . 24 3.5 Leg Design . 25 3.6 Final Design . 26 Chapter 4: Experimental Setup . 28 4.1 Platform Cart . 28 4.1.1 Opal RT System . 29 4.1.2 Breakout Boxes . 29 4.1.3 Power System . 29
Vitamin C matters: increased oxidative stress in cultured human aortic endothelial cells without supplemental ascorbic acid

Because standard culture media for human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) do not contain vitamin C, we hypothesized that HAEC may be under significant oxidative insult compared with the situation in vivo. To assess parameters of oxidative stress, intracellular vitamin C, glutathione (GSH), GSH/GSSG, and NAD(P)H/NAD(P)+ ratios, as well as oxidant appearance and oxidative damage, were measured in HAEC with or without vitamin C addition. The effect of vitamin C on eNOS activity was also determined.
Cooperative control between the distributed energy resources in AC/DC hybrid microgrid

Increase of renewable energy resource (RES) and development of energy storage system (ESS) encourage a lot of researches in DC microgrid system. AC system is used in almost power system and it is not easy to change from AC system to DC system at once. Therefore, it is necessary for DC microgrid to be connected to existing AC microgrid or power system unless it is only operated in island mode. In this paper, a strategy on improving stability and reliability of AC/DC hybrid microgrid is proposed. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSs) are interfaced with both AC and DC microgrids to improve the system stability by P-f, Q-v, P-v2 droop control. The AC/DC converters connected to DC microgrid maintain the DC voltage constant and balances the energy of whole system. The simulation results by PSCAD /EMTDC are analyzed in grid connected mode and island mode on a peak season of one small island.
Quantitative evidence for neuroanatomic and neuropsychological markers in dementia of the Alzheimer's type.

Meta-analytic methods were used to determine the sensitivity of neuropsychological, structural, and physiological measures to temporal-hippocampal system function in dementia of the Alzheimer's type. Effect sizes are reported for the California Verbal Learning Test, the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised, structural (i.e., magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]), and functional (i.e., positron emission tomography [PET], single photon emission computed tomography [SPECT]) neuroimaging methods. Overall, effect sizes from MRI studies are larger than those obtained from SPECT and PET, respectively, but not as large as those obtained from the neuropsychological measures. On the basis of this finding, the neuropsychological and gross pathologic similarities between Alzheimer's disease, other dementing conditions, and mixed dementias, warrants the coupling of neuropsychological evaluation for its sensitivity with neuroimaging visualization for its specificity in improving diagnostic and differential accuracy.
Simplified microsatellite instability detection protocol provides equivalent sensitivity to robust detection strategies in Lynch syndrome patients

Objective : Germline mutations in mismatch repair (MMR) genes cause Lynch syndrome (LS). LS is an inherited disease, and an important consequence of MMR deficiency is microsatellite instability (MSI) phenotype. MSI phenotype influences the efficacy of 5 fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy. Reproducible, cost effective, and easy to perform laboratory tests are required to include MSI detection in routine laboratory practice. Evaluation of CAT25 as monomorphic short tandem repeat sequence enables CAT25 to be an efficient screening tool among hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) patients compared with other methods used currently. Methods : Based on Amsterdam II criteria, 31 patients in 31 families were shortlisted from a total number of 1,659 colorectal cancer patients. MSI status was examined in these patients using CAT25 and a commercially available Promega MSI five-marker-based detection system as well as immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of four important MMR proteins. Patients were scored as high microsatellite instable (MSI-H), low (MSI-L), or stable (MSS). MSI status determined by CAT25 single mononucleotide marker was compared with that of five mononucleotide markers, Promega commercial kit, and IHC method. Results : MMR protein deficiency was observed on 7/31 probands using IHC methodology and 6/31 categorized as MSI-H using commercial kit or CAT25 single marker. The sensitivity and specificity of the CAT25 single marker were the same as those detected by five-marker Promega commercial kit in our patients. Conclusions : Based on our results, the performance of the CAT25 single mononucleotide marker for MSI status determination in our HNPCC patients is the same as that of the five-marker-based commercial kit.
Phosphorus in periphyton mats provides the best metric for detecting low-level P enrichment in an oligotrophic wetland

Growing concern over the ecological consequence of phosphorus (P) enrichment in freshwater wetlands has elicited considerable debate over the concentration of water column P associated with eutrophication. In the oligotrophic Everglades, the displacement of native communities by enriched ones is widespread and has occurred at sites experiencing only minimal elevations in P input. To help define regulatory criteria for P inputs to the Everglades, we constructed an experiment that mimics P input to the natural system by continuously delivering P at concentrations elevated 5, 15 and 30 mg l 1 above ambient to 100-m long flow-through channels. We compared patterns of P accumulation in the water, periphyton, detritus and soils among the channel treatments and also along a 16 km transect from an enriched canal that inflows to the interior of the same marsh. Water column TP and SRP were unrelated to input TP concentration in both the experiment and the marsh transect. However, concentrations of TP in periphyton mats were significantly elevated at all levels of experimental enrichment and as far as 2 km downstream from water inputs into the marsh. Elevated periphyton TP was associated with significant loss of periphyton biomass. In oligotrophic wetlands, traditional measures of water column SRP and TP will substantially underestimate P loading because biotically incorporated P is displaced from the water column to benthic surfaces. Using periphyton TP as a metric of P enrichment is uncomplicated and analogous to pelagic TP assessments in lakes where most P is sequestered in phytoplankton. r 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.