Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gambierol Inhibition of Voltage-Gated Potassium Channels Augments Spontaneous Ca2+ Oscillations in Cerebrocortical Neurons

Gambierol is a marine polycyclic ether toxin produced by the marine dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus toxicus and is a member of the ciguatoxin toxin family. Gambierol has been demonstrated to be either a low-efficacy partial agonist/antagonist of voltage-gated sodium channels or a potent blocker of voltage-gated potassium channels (Kvs). Here we examined the influence of gambierol on intact cerebrocortical neurons. We found that gambierol produced both a concentration-dependent augmentation of spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations, and an inhibition of Kv channel function with similar potencies. In addition, an array of selective as well as universal Kv channel inhibitors mimicked gambierol in augmenting spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations in cerebrocortical neurons. These data are consistent with a gambierol blockade of Kv channels underlying the observed increase in spontaneous Ca2+ oscillation frequency. We also found that gambierol produced a robust stimulation of phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2). Gambierol-stimulated ERK1/2 activation was dependent on both inotropic [N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)] and type I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) inasmuch as MK-801 [NMDA receptor inhibitor; (5S,10R)-(+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine maleate], S-(4)-CGP [S-(4)-carboxyphenylglycine], and MTEP [type I mGluR inhibitors; 3-((2-methyl-4-thiazolyl)ethynyl) pyridine] attenuated the response. In addition, 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborane, an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor inhibitor, and U73122 (1-[6-[[(17b)-3-methoxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-yl]amino]hexyl]-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione), a phospholipase C inhibitor, both suppressed gambierol-induced ERK1/2 activation, further confirming the role of type I mGluR-mediated signaling in the observed ERK1/2 activation. Finally, we found that gambierol produced a concentration-dependent stimulation of neurite outgrowth that was mimicked by 4-aminopyridine, a universal potassium channel inhibitor. Considered together, these data demonstrate that gambierol alters both Ca2+ signaling and neurite outgrowth in cerebrocortical neurons as a consequence of blockade of Kv channels.
Use of Hypnotic Techniques with Oncology Patients

This article discusses the role of hypnosis in the treatment of cancer patients. Four uses of hypnotic techniques for the control of pain are described-Analgesia, Modifications of painfull stimuli, displacement, and dissociation. Hypnosis as a means of controlling the psychosocial concomitants of treatment and the negative psychological effects of cancer is also discussed.
Effects of Two Fatigue Protocols on Impact Forces and Lower Extremity Kinematics during Drop Landings: Implications for Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of fatigue on the impact forces and sagittal plane kinematics of the lower extremities in a drop landing task. 15 male collegiate athletes were recruited. Five successful trials of a drop landing task were obtained during prefatigue and postfatigue in two fatigue protocols (constant speed running fatigue protocol [R-FP] and shuttle running + vertical jumping fatigue protocol [SV-FP]). Duration time, maximal heart rate, and RPE of each protocol were measured separately. Kinematic measures of the hip, knee, and ankle joints at different times coupled with peak impact force and loading rate were acquired. Our results showed a more flexed landing posture due to an increase in hip and knee flexion angles in the postfatigue condition. However, no differences in peak impact force and loading rate were found between pre- and postfatigue conditions. The changes were similar between protocols, but the SV-FP showed a significantly shorter exercise duration time than the R-FP. Fatigued athletes in this study demonstrated altered motor control strategies during a drop landing task, which may be an intentional or unintentional protective strategy for preventing themselves from potential ACL injury.
Reducing negative affect about intercultural interactions through inoculation

Abstract Given that people of different cultures must increasingly interact with each other, the current study investigates the impact of an intercultural interaction as an inoculation against state communication apprehension (CA) and negative attitudes and beliefs about intercultural interactions. Specifically, this study sought to identify differences between Western and Middle Eastern cultures. A pretest–posttest design was used, with a 15-minute intercultural interaction as an intervention. Findings from a cross-cultural sample indicate that both US and Middle Eastern participants experienced a reduction in state CA and an improvement in attitudes and beliefs from pretest to posttest. Further discussion of findings and theoretical implications follow.
Taming hot-spots in DHT inverted indexes

DHT systems are structured overlay networks capable of using P2P resources as a scalable platform for very large data storage applications. However, their efficiency expects a level of uniformity in the association of data to index keys that is often not present in inverted indexes. Index data tends to follow nonuniform distributions, often power law distributions, creating intense local storage hotspots and network bottlenecks on specific hosts. Current techniques like caching cannot, alone, cope with this issue. We propose a new distributed data structure based on a decentralized balanced tree to balance storage data and network load more uniformly across all hosts. The approach is stackable with standard DHTs and ensures that the DHT storage subsystem receives an uniform load by assigning fixed sized, or low variance,
Oncogenic ras-induced Down-regulation of Pro-apoptotic Protease Caspase-2 Is Required for Malignant Transformation of Intestinal Epithelial Cells*

Background: Many epithelial tumors consist of cells that, unlike normal epithelial cells, survive outside of their original location. This viability is required for tumor growth. Results: ras oncogene promotes survival of cancer cells outside of their original location by down-regulating a cell death-promoting protein caspase-2. Conclusion: ras-induced caspase-2 down-regulation is required for ras-driven tumor growth. Significance: This is a novel mechanism of ras-dependent tumor progression. Resistance of carcinoma cells to anoikis, apoptosis that is normally induced by loss of cell-to-extracellular matrix adhesion, is thought to be essential for the ability of these cells to form primary tumors, invade adjacent tissues, and metastasize to distant organs. Current knowledge about the mechanisms by which cancer cells evade anoikis is far from complete. In an effort to understand these mechanisms, we found that ras, a major oncogene, down-regulates protease caspase-2 (which initiates certain steps of the cellular apoptotic program) in malignant human and rat intestinal epithelial cells. This down-regulation could be reversed by inhibition of a protein kinase Mek, a mediator of Ras signaling. We also found that enforced down-regulation of caspase-2 in nonmalignant intestinal epithelial cells by RNA interference protected them from anoikis. Furthermore, the reversal of the effect of Ras on caspase-2 achieved by the expression of exogenous caspase-2 in detached ras-transformed intestinal epithelial cells promoted well established apoptotic events, such as the release of the pro-apoptotic mitochondrial factors cytochrome c and HtrA2/Omi into the cytoplasm of these cells, significantly enhanced their anoikis susceptibility, and blocked their long term growth in the absence of adhesion to the extracellular matrix. Finally, the blockade of the effect of Ras on caspase-2 substantially suppressed growth of tumors formed by the ras-transformed cells in mice. We conclude that ras-induced down-regulation of caspase-2 represents a novel mechanism by which oncogenic Ras protects malignant intestinal epithelial cells from anoikis, promotes their anchorage-independent growth, and allows them to form tumors in vivo.
Assessing Recidivism Risk Across Female Pathways to Crime

Actuarial tools, such as the Level of Supervision Inventory—Revised (LSI‐R), are regularly used to classify offenders as “high,” “medium,” and “low” recidivism risks. Its supporters argue the theory upon which the LSI‐R rests (i.e., social learning theory) accounts for criminal behavior among men and women. In short, the LSI‐R is gender‐neutral. Feminist criminologists question the LSI‐R’s validity for female offender populations, especially women under community supervision. Guided by Daly’s (1992, 1994) pathways to crime framework, we use a sample of women under community supervision in Minnesota and Oregon to evaluate the LSI‐R’s performance across offender subgroups. The results show that the LSI‐R misclassifies a significant portion of socially and economically marginalized women with gendered offending contexts. Predictive accuracy was observed for women who did not follow gendered pathways into criminality, whose offending context was similar to males, and who occupied a relatively advantaged social location.
Network aggregative games: Distributed convergence to Nash equilibria

We consider quasi-aggregative games for large populations of heterogeneous agents, whose interaction is determined by an underlying communication network. Specifically, each agent minimizes a quadratic cost function, which depends on its own strategy and on a convex combination of the strategies of its neighbors, and is subject to heterogeneous convex constraints. We suggest two distributed algorithms that can be implemented to steer the best responses of the rational agents to a Nash equilibrium configuration. The convergence of these schemes is guaranteed under different sufficient conditions depending on the matrices defining the agents' cost functions and on the communication network.
Molecular detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato – An analytical comparison of real-time PCR protocols from five different Scandinavian laboratories

Introduction Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common tick transmitted disease in Europe. The diagnosis of LB today is based on the patient´s medical history, clinical presentation and laboratory findings. The laboratory diagnostics are mainly based on antibody detection, but in certain conditions molecular detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) may serve as a complement. Aim The purpose of this study was to evaluate the analytical sensitivity, analytical specificity and concordance of eight different real-time PCR methods at five laboratories in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Method Each participating laboratory was asked to analyse three different sets of samples (reference panels; all blinded) i) cDNA extracted and transcribed from water spiked with cultured Borrelia strains, ii) cerebrospinal fluid spiked with cultured Borrelia strains, and iii) DNA dilution series extracted from cultured Borrelia and relapsing fever strains. The results and the method descriptions of each laboratory were systematically evaluated. Results and conclusions The analytical sensitivities and the concordance between the eight protocols were in general high. The concordance was especially high between the protocols using 16S rRNA as the target gene, however, this concordance was mainly related to cDNA as the type of template. When comparing cDNA and DNA as the type of template the analytical sensitivity was in general higher for the protocols using DNA as template regardless of the use of target gene. The analytical specificity for all eight protocols was high. However, some protocols were not able to detect Borrelia spielmanii, Borrelia lusitaniae or Borrelia japonica.
A fast blind SIMO channel identification algorithm for sparse sources

We address the blind identification of single-input-multiple output (SIMO) finite impulse response systems when the input signal is sparse. The problem is equivalent to underdetermined blind source separation (BSS), but with temporal correlation among the sources. Exploiting the sparse character of the input signal, the algorithm solves three different problems: first, to estimate the directions of the columns of the channel matrix; second, to estimate the L/sub 2/-norm of the columns; and finally, to find the correct ordering of the columns of the mixing matrix. The last step is not required for the blind source separation (BSS) problem, since any permutation of the columns is admissible for BSS. The performance and computational cost of the algorithm in a noiseless situation is compared against subspace-based techniques.
Validation of the Developmental Work Personality Model and Scale

The construct of work personality has been linked to the development of effective work behaviors and overall vocational adjustment for individuals with disabilities. One conceptualization of work personality that has received consideration in the rehabilitation research literature is the construct of developmental work personality (DWP). The primary strengths of the DWP model are that it is grounded in developmental, learning, and work theories that have been widely validated with multiple populations in a variety of contexts and that the model is designed to explain components of the work personality, described by Neff as being “semi-autonomous. ” The purpose of this study is to provide evidence of the psychometric properties of the DWP scale in samples of persons eligible to receive vocational rehabilitation services. The results of this three-phase study reveal empirically defined factors of the scale that correspond to the DWP model, adequate convergent validity measures, and adequate to good internal and temporal reliability coefficients in a sample of students. Recommendations for best use of the model and scale are included.
Estimation and Compensation of Frequency-Dependent I/Q Imbalances in OFDM Systems over Fading Channels

In this paper, the estimation and compensation of frequency-dependent in-phase/quadrature-phase (I/Q) imbalances in an OFDM-based communication system is studied over fading channels. The input-output relation of this system is derived in closed-form in the frequency domain. Based on the result, two novel approaches are proposed to jointly estimate and compensate the distortion coefficients. The first method utilizes least square algorithm, while the second employs an adaptive normalized least mean square algorithm. The simulation results show that both approaches can almost reach the performance of the system without I/Q imbalances in the time-invariant multipath channels. By utilizing decision feedback scheme, the adaptive method outperforms the least square method in the time-varying fading channels at high signal-to-noise ratios.
Development of Active Pixel Photodiode Sensors for Gamma Camera Application

We designed new photodiodes sensors including current mirror amplifiers. These photodiodes have been fabricated using a CMOS 0.6 micrometers process from Austria Micro System (AMS). The Photodiode areas are respectiveley 1mm x 1mm and 0.4mm x 0.4mm with fill factor 98 % and total chip area is 2 square millimetres. The sensor pixels show a logarithmic response in illumination and are capable of detecting very low blue light (less than 0.5 lux) . These results allow to use our sensor in new Gamma Camera solid-state concept.
Calculating thermal radiation fields from 3D flame reconstruction

Designing fire safety into a building requires a designer to think through issues that include fire ignition, growth and spread. Radiative heat transfer from flames is the dominant method of spread. It is, therefore, necessary to determine the thermal radiation field surrounding a fire. This can be estimated from the size and shape of the flame. In this paper we present a method to determine flame size and shape using image-processing techniques. The images of the fire are recorded using multiple cameras. Once the surface of the flame has been defined it is possible to calculate the heat flux at a given target. By repeating this process for multiple targets we can build up a thermal radiation field. This can then be used to find out which adjacent objects are threatened and which are safe.
Noise-induced tinnitus: auditory evoked potential in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the central auditory pathways in workers with noise-induced tinnitus with normal hearing thresholds, compared the auditory brainstem response results in groups with and without tinnitus and correlated the tinnitus location to the auditory brainstem response findings in individuals with a history of occupational noise exposure. METHOD: Sixty individuals participated in the study and the following procedures were performed: anamnesis, immittance measures, pure-tone air conduction thresholds at all frequencies between 0.25–8 kHz and auditory brainstem response. RESULTS: The mean auditory brainstem response latencies were lower in the Control group than in the Tinnitus group, but no significant differences between the groups were observed. Qualitative analysis showed more alterations in the lower brainstem in the Tinnitus group. The strongest relationship between tinnitus location and auditory brainstem response alterations was detected in individuals with bilateral tinnitus and bilateral auditory brainstem response alterations compared with patients with unilateral alterations. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest the occurrence of a possible dysfunction in the central auditory nervous system (brainstem) in individuals with noise-induced tinnitus and a normal hearing threshold.
A New Isoflavone Glycitein 7‐O‐beta‐d‐Glucoside 4''‐O‐methylate, isolated from Cordyceps militaris grown on Germinated Soybeans Extract, Inhibits EGF‐induced Mucus Hypersecretion in the Human Lung Mucoepidermoid Cells

A new isoflavone glycitein 7‐O‐beta‐d‐glucoside 4''‐O‐methylate (CGLM) has been isolated recently from Cordyceps militaris grown on germinated soybean extract and has antioxidant activity. In the present study, CGLM was investigated for its suppression of airway mucous hyper‐secretion in epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐treated human lung mucoepidermoid cells. NCI‐H292 cells were treated with CGLM for 1 h, followed by EGF treatment for 24 h. The decrease in cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) production was correlated with reduced levels of protein and mRNA of inducible matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP‐9) and also MUC5AC gene expression. CGLM directly inhibited down‐regulated NF‐κB activity, and significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of p38 and ERK1/2 (p42/p44) in NCI‐H292 cells. These results suggest that CGLM protects NCI‐H292 cells from EGF‐induced damage by down‐regulation of COX‐2, MMP‐9 and MUC5AC gene expression, mediated via blocking the NF‐kappa‐B and p38/ERK MAPK pathways. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
New Phosphospecific Antibody Reveals Isoform-Specific Phosphorylation of CPEB3 Protein

Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element Binding proteins (CPEBs) are a family of polyadenylation factors interacting with 3’UTRs of mRNA and thereby regulating gene expression. Various functions of CPEBs in development, synaptic plasticity, and cellular senescence have been reported. Four CPEB family members of partially overlapping functions have been described to date, each containing a distinct alternatively spliced region. This region is highly conserved between CPEBs-2-4 and contains a putative phosphorylation consensus, overlapping with the exon seven of CPEB3. We previously found CPEBs-2-4 splice isoforms containing exon seven to be predominantly present in neurons, and the isoform expression pattern to be cell type-specific. Here, focusing on the alternatively spliced region of CPEB3, we determined that putative neuronal isoforms of CPEB3 are phosphorylated. Using a new phosphospecific antibody directed to the phosphorylation consensus we found Protein Kinase A and Calcium/Calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinase II to robustly phosphorylate CPEB3 in vitro and in primary hippocampal neurons. Interestingly, status epilepticus induced by systemic kainate injection in mice led to specific upregulation of the CPEB3 isoforms containing exon seven. Extensive analysis of CPEB3 phosphorylation in vitro revealed two other phosphorylation sites. In addition, we found plethora of potential kinases that might be targeting the alternatively spliced kinase consensus site of CPEB3. As this site is highly conserved between the CPEB family members, we suggest the existence of a splicing-based regulatory mechanism of CPEB function, and describe a robust phosphospecific antibody to study it in future.
CIF (Crystallographic Information File): A Standard for Crystallographic Data Interchange

The Crystallographic Information File (CIF) uses the self-defining STAR file structure. This requires the creation of a dictionary of data names and definitions. A basic dictionary of terms needed to describe the crystal structures of small molecules was approved in 1991 and is currently used for the submission of papers to Acta Crystallographica C. A number of extensions to this dictionary are in preparation. By storing the dictionary itself as a STAR file, the definitions and relationships in the CIF dictionary become computer interpretable. This offers many possibilities for the automatic handling of crystallographic information.
Crosslayer beaconing design toward guaranteed cooperative awareness with contending traffic

A key feature of inter-vehicle communications is their ability of supporting cooperative safety-critical applications (CSCA) which prevent a vehicle from colliding with the others. In this paper, we present a crosslayer beaconing design for CSCA that keeps the tracking uncertainty below a fixed threshold, provided that a receiving vehicle has at least one of the K latest beacons of the sending vehicle. To aim this, we present the mobility-adaptive beaconing (MAB), in which the sending vehicle determines whether or not to broadcast its new beacon at each frame based on the maximum tracking uncertainty in the subsequent K frames. Numerical results from the simulation show that the MAB scheme outperforms the existing beaconing approaches in the sense that it can always limit the tracking uncertainty to a fixed threshold.
A survey of variation techniques for repetitive games music

How much time will a player spend in an interactive scene? For the majority of game scenarios this is impossible to predict. Therefore, their musical accompaniment is usually disposed to continuously loop until player interaction triggers a change. This approach involves an existential danger: Sooner or later the player becomes aware of the repetitive character of the ambience design; the game scenario emerges as a mere mechanical arrangement and loses much of its integrity. In this survey paper we systematize and discuss the common approaches to conceal musical repetition. Furthermore, we complement them by a number of approaches that incorporate arrangement techniques, aspects of expressive music performance, and generative variation methods that work actively against repetitiveness.