Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Cooling Methods on the Strength of Silico-ferrite of Calcium and Aluminum of Iron Ore Sinter during the Cooling Process

In the iron making process, a high mechanical strength is favorable for iron ore sinters in the blast furnace, and the bonding phase is regarded as one of the key components that determines the quality of the iron ore sinter, in which the silico-ferrite of calcium and aluminum (SFCA) is one of the typical phases. In this study, synthesized samples with different SFCA mass fractions were prepared to study the effect of different cooling methods on the strengths of the SFCA samples. The results showed that the strength of a sample could be improved by increasing the SFCA content during a temperature change. Further, the test results for the compressive strength suggested that the SFCA had a positive effect on the strength of the iron ore sinter during cooling, with slow cooling being significantly effective at preventing the generation of thermal stress. Moreover, the Biot number was introduced to normalize all of the cooling methods. The results showed that higher mechanical strengths for iron ore sinters will be obtained with higher SFCA content and lower Biot numbers, which will guide the evaluation of mechanical strength of iron ore sinter after the cooling process in industry.
Iterative learning of DFT-domain dynamical models subject to parameter variations

We present a DFT-domain expectation-maximization framework for maximum-likelihood learning of linear dynamical models. The expectation step takes the form of a diagonalized DFT-domain Kalman filter coupled with a fixed-lag smoother, which effectively traces the evolution of the hidden state for a given underlying dynamical model defined via its covariance parameters. The maximization step learns the covariance parameters of the dynamical model and specifically discerns itself from a conventional algorithm by yielding distinct outputs for each block within the lag interval. Hence, in our approach the reliance on a fixed-lag for expressing the complete data likelihood does not necessarily entail the traditional conjecture of stationarity for the system within the duration of the lag interval. The capability to account for possible non-stationarity further helps the devised algorithm to carry out optimal and mutually synergetic state estimation and model inference, which we comprehensively substantiate with the help of simulation results.
Sweet taste receptor interacting protein CIB1 is a general inhibitor of InsP3‐dependent Ca2+ release in vivo

In a search for sweet taste receptor interacting proteins, we have identified the calcium‐ and integrin‐binding protein 1 (CIB1) as specific binding partner of the intracellular carboxyterminal domain of the rat sweet taste receptor subunit Tas1r2. In heterologous human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells, the G protein chimeras Gα16gust44 and Gα15i3 link the sweet taste receptor dimer TAS1R2/TAS1R3 to an inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (InsP3)‐dependent Ca2+ release pathway. To demonstrate the influence of CIB1 on the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, we used sweet and umami compounds as well as other InsP3‐generating ligands in FURA‐2‐based Ca2+ assays in wild‐type HEK293 cells and HEK293 cells expressing functional human sweet and umami taste receptor dimers. Stable and transient depletion of CIB1 by short‐hairpin RNA increased the Ca2+ response of HEK293 cells to the InsP3‐generating ligands ATP, UTP and carbachol. Over‐expression of CIB1 had the opposite effect as shown for the sweet ligand saccharin, the umami receptor ligand monosodium glutamate and UTP. The CIB1 effect was dependent on the thapsigargin‐sensitive Ca2+ store of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and independent of extracellular Ca2+. The function of CIB1 on InsP3‐evoked Ca2+ release from the ER is most likely mediated by its interaction with the InsP3 receptor. Thus, CIB1 seems to be an inhibitor of InsP3‐dependent Ca2+ release in vivo.
Neural indices of spoken word processing in background multi-talker babble

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the impact of multi-talker babble on cortical event-related potentials (ERPs), specifically the N400, in a spoken semantic priming paradigm. Design: Participants listened in quiet and with background babble to word triplets, evaluating whether the third word was related to the preceding words. A temporo-spatial principal component analysis was conducted on ERPs to the first and second words (S1 and S2), processed without an overt behavioral response. One factor corresponded to the N400 and revealed greater processing negativity for unrelated as compared to related S2s in quiet and in babble. Study sample: Twelve young adults with normal hearing. Results: Background babble had no significant impact on the N400 in the posterior region but increased neural processing negativity at anterior and central regions during the same timeframe. This differential processing negativity in babble occurred in response to S2 but not S1. Furthermore, background babble impacted processing negativity for related S2s more than unrelated S2s. Conclusions: Results suggest that speech processing in a modestly degraded listening environment alters neural activity associated with auditory working memory, attention, and semantic processing in anterior and central scalp regions. Sumario Objetivo: Evaluar el impacto del balbuceo de múltiples hablantes en los potenciales corticales relacionados con eventos (ERP), específicamente el N400, en un paradigma de habla de base semántica. Diseño: Los participantes escucharon en silencio y con balbuceo de fondo, tripletas de palabras, para evaluar si la tercera palabra estaba relacionada con las palabras precedentes. Se realizó el análisis témporo-espacial del componente principal sobre los ERPs, en las palabras primera y segunda (S1 y S2), procesadas sin una respuesta conductual manifiesta. Un factor correspondió al N400 y reveló una negatividad de procesamiento para la no relacionada, en comparación con la S2 relacionada, tanto en silencio como con balbuceo. Muestra de Estudio: Doce adultos jóvenes con audición normal. Resultados: El balbuceo de fondo no tiene un impacto significativo en el N400 en la región posterior pero aumentó la negatividad de procesamiento en las regiones anterior y central durante el mismo marco temporal. Esta diferente negatividad diferencial de procesamiento con balbuceo, ocurrió en respuesta a S2 pero no a S1. Más aún, el balbuceo de fondo impactó la negatividad de procesamiento para las S2 relacionadas, más que para las S2 no relacionadas. Conclusiones: Los resultados sugieren que el procesamiento del lenguaje en un ambiente de escucha modestamente degradado, altera la actividad neural asociada con la memoria auditiva activa, la atención y el procesamiento semántico en las regiones anterior y central de la cabeza.
Identification of HLA-A2 or HLA-A24-restricted CTL epitopes for potential HSP105-targeted immunotherapy in colorectal cancer

We previously reported that heat shock protein 105 (HSP105) is overexpressed in a variety of human cancers, including colorectal, pancreatic and esophageal cancer and has proven to be a novel biomarker for the immunohistochemical detection of these cancers. In the present study, we used HLA-transgenic mice (Tgm) and the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of colorectal cancer patients to identify HLA-A2 and HLA-A24-restricted HSP105 epitopes, as a means of expanding the application of HSP105-based immunotherapy to HLA-A2- or HLA-A24-positive cancer patients. In addition, we investigated by ex vivo IFN-γ ELISPOT assay whether the HSP105-derived peptide of cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) exists in PBMCs of pre-surgical colorectal cancer patients. We found that four peptides, HSP105 A2-7 (RLMNDMTAV), HSP105 A2-12 (KLMSSNSTDL), HSP105 A24-1 (NYGIYKQDL) and HSP105 A24-7 (EYVYEFRDKL), are potential HLA-A2 or HLA-A24-restricted CTL HSP105-derived epitopes. HSP105-specific IFN-γ-secreting T cells were detected in 14 of 21 pre-surgical patients with colorectal cancer in response to stimulation with these four peptides. Our study raises the possibility that these HSP105 peptides are applicable to cancer immunotherapy in patients with HSP105-expressing cancer, particularly colorectal cancer.
Localization of the Bacillus subtilis murB Gene within the dcw Cluster Is Important for Growth and Sporulation

ABSTRACT The Bacillus subtilis murB gene, encoding UDP-N-acetylenolpyruvoylglucosamine reductase, a key enzyme in the peptidoglycan (PG) biosynthetic pathway, is embedded in the dcw (for “division and cell wall”) cluster immediately upstream of divIB. Previous attempts to inactivate murB were unsuccessful, suggesting its essentiality. Here we show that the cell morphology, growth rate, and resistance to cell wall-active antibiotics of murB conditional mutants is a function of the expression level of murB. In one mutant, in which murB was insertionally inactivated in a merodiploid bearing a second xylose-inducible PxylA-murB allele, DivIB levels were reduced and a normal growth rate was achieved only if MurB levels were threefold that of the wild-type strain. However, expression of an extra copy of divIB restored normal growth at wild-type levels of MurB. In contrast, DivIB levels were normal in a second mutant containing an in-frame deletion of murB (ΔmurB) in the presence of the PxylA-murB gene. Furthermore, this strain grew normally with wild-type levels of MurB. During sporulation, the levels of MurB were highest at the time of synthesis of the spore cortex PG. Interestingly, the ΔmurB PxylA-murB mutant did not sporulate efficiently even at high concentrations of inducer. Since high levels of inducer did not interfere with sporulation of a murB+PxylA-murB strain, it appears that ectopic expression of murB fails to support efficient sporulation. These data suggest that coordinate expression of divIB and murB is important for growth and sporulation. The genetic context of the murB gene within the dcw cluster is unique to the Bacillus group and, taken together with our data, suggests that in these species it contributes to the optimal expression of cell division and PG biosynthetic functions during both vegetative growth and spore development.
Rapid Identification of Officinal Akebiae Caulis and Its Toxic Adulterant Aristolochiae Manshuriensis Caulis (Aristolochia manshuriensis) by Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification

Mu-tong (Akebiae Caulis) is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used as a diuretic and antiphlogistic. A common adulterant of Mu-tong is Guan-mu-tong (Aristolochiae Manshuriensis Caulis), which is derived from the stem of Aristolochia manshuriensis Komarov, and contains carcinogenic aristolochic acids. We used an alternative technique, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), to differentiate Mu-tong from Guan-mu-tong because LAMP is quick, highly sensitive, and specific. We designed a set of four common primers (G-F3, G-B3, G-FIP, and G-BIP) and a loop primer (G-LB) for LAMP based on the internal transcribed spacer 2 sequence of Ar. manshuriensis. We successfully amplified the LAMP assays and visual detection occurred within 60 min at isothermal conditions of 65°C. The LAMP reaction exhibited a tenfold increase in detection (4.22 pg/μl DNA) over conventional polymerase chain reaction demonstrating that LAMP is a useful technique to detect Guan-mu-tong. We conclude that the LAMP technique is a potentially valuable safety control method for simple and efficient discrimination of Mu-tong from its adulterant Guan-mu-tong.
Opinion Mining Meets Decision Making: Towards Opinion Engineering

We introduce a methodology for opinion mining based on recent approaches for natural language processing and machine learning. To select and rank the relevant opinions, decision making based on weighted description logics is introduced. Therefore, we propose an architecture called OMA (Opinion Mining Architecture) that integrates these approaches of our methodology in a common framework. First results of a study on opinion mining with OMA in the financial sector are presented.
Bivariate Marker Measurements and ROC Analysis

Summary This article considers receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for bivariate marker measurements. The research interest is to extend tools and rules from univariate marker to bivariate marker setting for evaluating predictive accuracy of markers using a tree‐based classification rule. Using an and–or classifier, an ROC function together with a weighted ROC function (WROC) and their conjugate counterparts are proposed for examining the performance of bivariate markers. The proposed functions evaluate the performance of and–or classifiers among all possible combinations of marker values, and are ideal measures for understanding the predictability of biomarkers in target population. Specific features of ROC and WROC functions and other related statistics are discussed in comparison with those familiar properties for univariate marker. Nonparametric methods are developed for estimating ROC‐related functions (partial) area under curve and concordance probability. With emphasis on average performance of markers, the proposed procedures and inferential results are useful for evaluating marker predictability based on a single or bivariate marker (or test) measurements with different choices of markers, and for evaluating different and–or combinations in classifiers. The inferential results developed in this article also extend to multivariate markers with a sequence of arbitrarily combined and–or classifier.
Neuroscience instrumentation and distributed analysis of brain activity data: a case for eScience on global Grids

The distribution of knowledge (by scientists) and data sources (advanced scientific instruments), and the need for large‐scale computational resources for analyzing massive scientific data are two major problems commonly observed in scientific disciplines. Two popular scientific disciplines of this nature are brain science and high‐energy physics. The analysis of brain‐activity data gathered from the MEG (magnetoencephalography) instrument is an important research topic in medical science since it helps doctors in identifying symptoms of diseases. The data needs to be analyzed exhaustively to efficiently diagnose and analyze brain functions and requires access to large‐scale computational resources. The potential platform for solving such resource intensive applications is the Grid. This paper presents the design and development of MEG data analysis system by leveraging Grid technologies, primarily Nimrod‐G, Gridbus, and Globus. It describes the composition of the neuroscience (brain‐activity analysis) application as parameter‐sweep application and its on‐demand deployment on global Grids for distributed execution. The results of economic‐based scheduling of analysis jobs for three different optimizations scenarios on the world‐wide Grid testbed resources are presented along with their graphical visualization. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Motivations for Intravaginal Product Use among a Cohort of Women in Los Angeles

Objective Intravaginal practices—including behaviors such as intravaginal cleansing and insertion of products—have been linked to a number of adverse reproductive health outcomes, including increased risk for bacterial vaginosis, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV. Currently, little is known about the motivations for intravaginal practices among women in the United States. The objective of this study was to identify and describe motivations for intravaginal washing and intravaginal insertion of products among women of differing ages and racial/ethnic groups. Methods Between 2008 and 2010, we enrolled a convenience sample of sexually active women aged 18–65 years living in Los Angeles recruited through community education and outreach activities in HIV/AIDS service organizations, women’s health clinics, community-based organizations, and HIV testing sites. At the enrollment visit, women completed a self-administered, computer-assisted questionnaire covering demographics, sexual behaviors, intravaginal practices, and motivations for intravaginal practices over the past month and past year. Results We enrolled 141 women; 34% of participants were Caucasian, 40% African American, and 26% Latina. Peri-sexual intravaginal washing was common in all groups, whether to clean up after sex (70%) or to prepare for sex (54%). African American women were more likely to report learning to wash intravaginally from their mothers compared to Latina or Caucasian women (70% vs. 49%, P = 0.04). Sixty-one percent of African American women reported using a douching device over the past year compared to 41% of Latina and 40% of Caucasian women (p = 0.02). Younger women were more likely to report that their male partners wanted them to wash intravaginally than older women (77% vs. 24%, P<0.01), and more likely to report the removal of odors as a motive than older women (65% vs. 40%, P = 0.04). The most commonly used intravaginal products included sexual lubricants, petroleum jelly, body lotions, oils, and wet wipes. Use of these products varied by race, and motives given included increasing lubrication, preparing for sex, smelling good, and preventing sexually transmitted infections. Conclusion Women’s intravaginal practices and motivations for these practices differ across race and age. Motivations for use also vary by type of intravaginal product used. Given that some intravaginal practices have been shown to be harmful, interventions, programs and counseling messages to encourage less harmful practices are needed, and should consider underlying motivations that influence women’s vaginal practices. Practitioners may use these results to better support women in achieving vaginal health.
Early television exposure and subsequent attentional problems in children.

OBJECTIVE Cross-sectional research has suggested that television viewing may be associated with decreased attention spans in children. However, longitudinal data of early television exposure and subsequent attentional problems have been lacking. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that early television exposure (at ages 1 and 3) is associated with attentional problems at age 7. METHODS We used the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a representative longitudinal data set. Our main outcome was the hyperactivity subscale of the Behavioral Problems Index determined on all participants at age 7. Children who were > or = 1.2 standard deviations above the mean were classified as having attentional problems. Our main predictor was hours of television watched daily at ages 1 and 3 years. RESULTS Data were available for 1278 children at age 1 and 1345 children at age 3. Ten percent of children had attentional problems at age 7. In a logistic regression model, hours of television viewed per day at both ages 1 and 3 was associated with attentional problems at age 7 (1.09 [1.03-1.15] and 1.09 [1.02-1.16]), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Early television exposure is associated with attentional problems at age 7. Efforts to limit television viewing in early childhood may be warranted, and additional research is needed.
Recombinant Leptin Promotes Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis in Apolipoprotein E—Deficient Mice

Objective—The direct role of leptin in vascular disease remains controversial. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of leptin treatment on atherosclerosis and thrombosis in atherosclerotic-prone mice. Methods and Results—Sixteen-week-old, male apolipoprotein E–deficient mice were treated with injections of recombinant leptin (125 &mgr;g per day IP; n=10) or vehicle (n=10) for 4 weeks. Leptin treatment resulted in reduced epididymal fat (352±30.7 versus 621±61.5 mg; P=0.005) and fasting insulin (0.57±0.25 versus 1.7±0.22 ng/mL; P=0.014). Despite these metabolic benefits, leptin treatment resulted in an increase in atherosclerosis (8.0±0.95% versus 5.4±0.59% lesion surface coverage; P<0.05). Leptin treatment also resulted in a shortened time to occlusive thrombosis after vascular injury (21±2.1 versus 34.6±5.4 minutes; P=0.045). Conclusions—These studies indicate that exogenous leptin promotes atherosclerosis and thrombosis and support the concept that elevations of leptin may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease.
R-wave detection: A comparative analysis of four methods using newborn piglet ECG

In the electrocardiograph (ECG), R-wave is the positive upward deflection in the QRS complex which represents the depolarization of both left and right ventricles. Accurate detection of the R-wave peaks in the ECG plays a primary role in the construction and analysis of the heart rate variability (HRV). Numerous methods have been proposed to enhance the robustness and accuracy of the automatic detection. The majority of these methods have been developed for adult ECG and may not perform adequately in the case of the newborn. In this study, we analysed the performance of four R-wave detection methods that were applied on newborn piglet ECG data. These methods are based on: first derivative, wavelet transform, and nonlinear transform. The results of our performance analysis showed that the nonlinear approach based on the Hilbert transform marginally outperformed the others, with the highest sensitivity (Se) of 99.95%, the lowest detection error(ER) of 0.12% and a high positive prediction (+P) of 99.93%.
Expanding the Diversity of Allosteric Bcr-Abl Inhibitors†

Inhibition of Bcr-Abl kinase activity by imatinib for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) currently serves as the paradigm for targeting dominant oncogenes with small molecules. We recently reported the discovery of GNF-2 (1) and GNF-5 (2) as selective non-ATP competitive inhibitors of cellular Bcr-Abl kinase activity that target the myristate binding site. Here, we used cell-based structure−activity relationships to guide the optimization and diversification of ligands that are capable of binding to the myristate binding site and rationalize the findings based upon an Abl−compound 1 cocrystal. We elucidate the structure−activity relationships required to obtain potent antiproliferative activity against Bcr-Abl transformed cells and report the discovery of new compounds (5g, 5h, 6a, 14d, and 21j-I) that display improved potency or pharmacological properties. This work demonstrates that a variety of structures can effectively target the Bcr-Abl myristate binding site and provides new leads for developing drugs that can target this binding site.
Delaunay Tessellation of Proteins: Four Body Nearest-Neighbor Propensities of Amino Acid Residues

Delaunay tessellation is applied for the first time in the analysis of protein structure. By representing amino acid residues in protein chains by C alpha atoms, the protein is described as a set of points in three-dimensional space. Delaunay tessellation of a protein structure generates an aggregate of space-filling irregular tetrahedra, or Delaunay simplices. The vertices of each simplex define objectively four nearest neighbor C alpha atoms, i.e., four nearest-neighbor residues. A simplex classification scheme is introduced in which simplices are divided into five classes based on the relative positions of vertex residues in protein primary sequence. Statistical analysis of the residue composition of Delaunay simplices reveals nonrandom preferences for certain quadruplets of amino acids to be clustered together. This nonrandom preference may be used to develop a four-body potential that can be used in evaluating sequence-structure compatibility for the purpose of inverted structure prediction.