Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TRPC1: Subcellular Localization?

Berbey et al. (1) recently reported that overexpressed TRPC1-YFP fusion protein is targeted to the sarcoplasmic reticulum of adult skeletal muscle fibers and operates as a calcium leak channel. This observation is in accordance with previous reports showing that the movement of TRPC1 to the plasma membrane is dependent on co-expression with TRPC4 or TRPC5 ((2); for review see Refs. 3 and 4) and that, when expressed alone, TRPC1 forms functional endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homotetrameric channels (5). In this paper, the authors also show by immunocytochemistry with a Chemicon antibody that endogenous TRPC1 is localized exclusively in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. This observation contradicts previous data reporting its electrophysiological detection in the plasma membrane (6) and its co-localization and co-immunoprecipitation with dystrophin, α1-syntrophin, and caveolin (7,–9). To clarify this apparent discrepancy, we performed immunocytochemistry with the same anti-TRPC1 antibody as Berbey et al. (1) on FDB muscle fibers isolated from wild-type and TRPC1-deficient mice (10). As shown in Fig. 1, immunolabeling with this antibody gave similar results in WT and TRPC1-deficient mice (upper and lower panel, respectively). We observed a striated pattern in both groups (large staining in A bands and faint staining in M bands, as shown on the profile curves along the red line). Similar results were obtained on longitudinal sections of paraffin-embedded EDL muscles (not shown). This staining seems very similar to that presented by Berbey et al. (1). Our data strongly suggest that anti-TRPC1 Chemicon antibody is not specific of TRPC1 when used in these conditions. Fig. 1. In conclusion, we believe that the results presented by Berbey and colleagues (1) do not exclude the possible localization of endogenous TRPC1 in the plasma membrane and that the possible localization of endogenous TRPC1 in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) needs further investigation.
The Open Reading Frame III Product of Cauliflower Mosaic Virus Forms a Tetramer through a N-terminal Coiled-coil*

The open reading frame III product of cauliflower mosaic virus is a protein of 15 kDa (p15) that is essential for the virus life cycle. It was shown that the 34 N-terminal amino acids are sufficient to support protein-protein interaction with the full-length p15 in the yeast two-hybrid system. A corresponding peptide was synthesized and a recombinant p15 was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that the peptide and the full-length protein can assume an α-helical conformation. Analytical centrifugation allowed to determine that p15 assembles as a rod-shaped tetramer. Oxidative cross-linking of N-terminal cysteines of the peptide generated specific covalent oligomers, indicating that the N terminus of p15 is a coiled-coil that assembles as a parallel tetramer. Mutation of Lys22 into Asp destabilized the tetramer and put forward the presence of a salt bridge between Lys22 and Asp24 in a model building of the stalk. These results suggest a model in which the stalk segment of p15 is located at its N terminus, followed by a hinge that provides the space for presenting the C terminus for interactions with nucleic acids and/or proteins.
Hybrid NRZ/Multi-Tone Serial Data Transceiver for Multi-Drop Memory Interfaces

A 7.5 Gb/s mixed NRZ/multi-tone (NRZ/MT) transceiver for multi-drop bus (MDB) memory interfaces is designed and fabricated in 40 nm CMOS technology. Reducing the complexity of the equalization circuitry on the receiver (RX) side, the proposed architecture achieves 1 pJ/bit link efficiency for an MDB channel with 45 dB loss at 2.5 GHz. The transmitted spectrum is composed of baseband (BB) and I/Q sub-bands with the ability to match the modulation frequency of the entire transceiver (TRX) with respect to the channel response over a ±25% range. A switched-capacitor-based mixer/filter is developed to efficiently down convert and equalize the I/Q sub-bands in the RX. The core size area is 85 × 60 μm2 and 150 × 60 μm2 for the TX and RX, respectively.
Relationship between physical activity and quality of life in pregnant women

Background: Physical activity is one of the important factors in predicting the quality of life, which varies between different cultures and countries. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between physical activity and the quality of life in pregnant women. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried on 380 pregnant women who were admitted to Isfahan healthcare centers and Shahid Beheshti Hospital, by using the two-stage sampling method (cluster convenience) in 2013. Demographic/pregnancy characteristics, physical activity (36Q) and prenatal quality of life questionnaires (26Q) were completed by the participants. The statistical analyses were performed with various statistical tests such as Student's t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation coefficient, linear regression, and SPSS statistical software version 16. Results: The findings showed that 91.6% of the subjects were 20–35 years old, 69% had a gestational age of 29–37 weeks, 60% had their first pregnancy, 98% had poor physical activities, and 43% had a good quality of life. There was also a negative correlation between physical activity and social support (P = 0.04, r = −0.11). Conclusions: As the results show high percentage of poor physical activity and quality of life, and also the relationship between these variables, more attention should be dedicated to this problem. Furthermore, structured programs and educational approaches are also needed for pregnant women.
Interstitial Space in MDEs for Data Analysis

Multi-display environments comprise large shared displays as well as personal devices. In this work, we discuss how the interstitial space—the space between displays and devices—can also be made into an interactive space. Such a space can support collaborative data analysis by providing a focus+context workspace; providing a means to transition between collaborative and individual work, and by providing a means to transition tasks between devices.
Building an Extensible Open vSwitch Datapath

The virtual switch is the cornerstone of the today's virtualized data center. As all traffic to and from virtual machines or containers must pass through a vSwitch, it is the ideal location for network configuration and policy enforcement. The bulk of Open vSwitch functionality is platform-agnostic and portable. However the datapath, which touches every packet, is unique to each supported platform. Maintaining each datapath requires duplicated effort and the result has been inconsistent support of features across platforms. Even on a single platform, the features supported by a particular kernel version can vary. Further, datapath functionality must be broadly useful which prevents having application-specific features in the fast path. eBPF, extended Berkeley Packet Filter, enables userspace applications to customize and extend the Linux kernel's functionality. It provides flexible platform abstractions for network functions, and is being ported to a variety of platforms. This paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of an eBPF-based extensible OVS datapath. The eBPF OVS datapath delivers the equivalent functionality of the existing OVS kernel datapath, while significantly reducing development pain points around maintainability and extensibility. We demonstrate that these benefits don't necessarily have a trade off in regards to performance, with the eBPFbased datapath showing negligible overhead compared to the existing kernel datapath.
A New Approach to Determining the Content and 15N Abundance of Total Dissolved Nitrogen in Aqueous Samples: TOC Analyser-QMS Coupling

Abstract The standard method for determining the 15N abundance of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) in aqueous samples (e.g., soil leachate, sewage, urine) is currently Kjeldahl digestion followed by steam distillation or diffusion to isolate the ammonium, and then 15N measurement using IRMS. However, this technique is both time-consuming and laborious. One way of overcoming these disadvantages could be to couple a TOC analyser to determine the TDN with a sufficient quadrupole MS to determine the 15N abundance. The highTOC analyser (Elementar Analysensysteme Hanau, Germany), which catalytically oxidises the sample's total nitrogen with a high, constant yield to nitrogen monoxide (NO), appeared particularly suitable. The quadrupole-MS ESD 100 (InProcess Instruments Bremen, Germany) proved to be a suitable mass spectrometer for the 15N determination of NO. This combination of instruments was found to provide a workable method in numerous measurements of standard and actual samples. The detection limit concerning the N amount required per analysis is 2 μg, corresponding to an N concentration of 0.7mg/l in a maximum sample volume of 3ml. Depending on the N concentration, 15N abundances starting from 0.5 at. % can be measured with the required precision of better than 3% (simple standard deviation). For example, measuring the abundance of 0.5 at. % requires about 50 μg N, whereas for 1 at. % or more only about 5 μg N is needed per analysis.
Nurses’ Attitudes to Euthanasia: a review of the literature

This article provides an overview of the scarce international literature concerning nurses’ attitudes to euthanasia. Studies show large differences with respect to the percentage of nurses who are (not) in favour of euthanasia. Characteristics such as age, religion and nursing specialty have a significant influence on a nurse’s opinion. The arguments for euthanasia have to do with quality of life, respect for autonomy and dissatisfaction with the current situation. Arguments against euthanasia are the right to a good death, belief in the possibilities offered by palliative care, religious objections and the fear of abuse. Nurses mention the need for more palliative care training, their difficulties in taking a specific position, and their desire to express their ideas about euthanasia. There is a need to include nurses’ voices in the end-of-life discourse because they offer a contextual understanding of euthanasia and requests to die, which is borne out of real experience with people facing death.
Implicit measure for yoga research: Yoga implicit association test

Context: The implicit association test (IAT), a new tool for yoga research is presented. Implicit measures could be used in those situations where (1) The construct is difficult to self-report, (2) there is a threat of social desirability. Clinically, we can assess cognitive dissonance by evaluating incongruence between implicit and explicit measures. Explicit preferences are self-reported. Implicit preferences are what we inherently believe, often without our conscious awareness. Aims: The primary objective of this study is to provide a bird's eye view of the field, implicit cognition, with emphasis on the IAT and the secondary objective is to illustrate through an example of our study to develop an implicit tool to assess implicit preference toward yoga. Settings and Design: A total of 5 independent samples of total 69 students undergoing short and long-term yoga courses in a Yoga University were assessed for their implicit and explicit preferences towards yoga. Materials and Methods: The yoga-IAT (Y-IAT), explicit self-rating scale was administered through computers using the Inquisit program by Millisecond Software. Experimental and scoring materials are provided. Results: A moderate preference toward yoga was detected, with a lower implicit-explicit congruence, reflecting possible confound of social desirability in the self-report of preference toward yoga. Conclusions: Implicit measures may be used in the yoga field to assess constructs, which are difficult to self-report or may have social desirability threat. Y-IAT may be used to evaluate implicit preference toward yoga.
Stereotactic PET atlas of the human brain: aid for visual interpretation of functional brain images.

UNLABELLED In the routine analysis of functional brain images obtained by PET, subjective visual interpretation is often used for anatomic localization. To enhance the accuracy and consistency of the anatomic interpretation, a PET stereotactic atlas and localization approach was designed for functional brain images. METHODS The PET atlas was constructed from a high-resolution [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) image set of a normal volunteer (a 41-yr-old woman). The image set was reoriented stereotactically, according to the intercommissural (anterior and posterior commissures) line and transformed to the standard stereotactic atlas coordinates. Cerebral structures were annotated on the transaxial planes by using a proportional grid system and surface-rendered images. The stereotactic localization technique was applied to image sets from patients with Alzheimer's disease, and areas of functional alteration were localized visually by referring to the PET atlas. RESULTS Major brain structures were identified on both transaxial planes and surface-rendered images. In the stereotactic system, anatomic correspondence between the PET atlas and stereotactically reoriented individual image sets of patients with Alzheimer's disease facilitated both indirect and direct localization of the cerebral structures. CONCLUSION Because rapid stereotactic alignment methods for PET images are now available for routine use, the PET atlas will serve as an aid for visual interpretation of functional brain images in the stereotactic system. Widespread application of stereotactic localization may be used in functional brain images, not only in the research setting, but also in routine clinical situations.
Controlling of Load Elevators by the Fuzzy Logic Method

In this study, a fuzzy-logic based control system was designed to ensure that time and energy is saved during the operation of load elevators which are used during the construction of tall buildings. In the control system that was devised, for the load elevators to work more efficiently, the energy interval where the motor worked was taken as the output variable whereas the amount of load and the building height were taken as input variables. The most appropriate working intervals depending on the characteristics of these variables were defined by the help of an expert. Fuzzy expert system software was formed using Delphi programming language. In this design, mamdani max-min inference mechanism was used and the centroid method was employed in the clarification procedure. In conclusion, it is observed that the system that was designed is feasible and this is supported by statistical analyses. Keywords—Fuzzy Logic Control, DC Motor, Load Elevators, Power Control.
Selection of a Suppressor Mutation That Restores Affinity of an Oligonucleotide Inhibitor for Thrombin Using in Vitro Genetics (*)

The thrombin aptamer is a single-stranded DNA of 15 nucleotides that was identified by the selection of thrombin-binding molecules from a large combinatorial library of oligonucleotides. This prototype aptamer of thrombin has a unique double G-tetrad structure capable of inhibiting thrombin at nanomolar concentrations through binding to a specific region within thrombin exosite I. Substitution of arginine 70 in thrombin exosite I with glutamic acid effectively eliminated binding of the prototype thrombin aptamer. In contrast, aptamers selected against R70E thrombin were able to bind and inhibit both wild-type and R70E thrombins, and displayed potassium-independent inhibition. Aptamers selected against R70E thrombin bound to sites identical or overlapping with that of the prototype thrombin aptamer. These aptamers retained the potential to form double G-tetrad structures; however, these structures would be destabilized by a T A substitution, disrupting the T4-T base pairing found in the prototype. This destabilization appeared to be partially compensated by newly recruited structural elements. Thus, selection against R70E thrombin did not lead to aptamers that bound to alternative sites, but instead to ssDNA structures with a suppressor mutation that accommodated the mutation in thrombin within a double G-tetrad context. These results provide insight into the aptamer-thrombin interaction and suggest that the binding site for the prototype is the dominant aptamorigenic site on thrombin.
Nursing home physician educational intervention improves end-of-life outcomes.

CONTEXT Nursing homes are the setting for one of five deaths in the United States. Unfortunately these deaths are often accompanied by pain and symptoms of discomfort. OBJECTIVE To determine if an educational intervention designed for nursing home physicians improves the quality of dying for nursing home residents. DESIGN Prospective measurement of changes in end-of-life medical care indicators. INTERVENTION Half-day adult educational outreach program, including audit and feedback, targeted at opinion leaders, and quality improvement suggestions. SETTING Five geographically diverse Maryland skilled nursing facilities with a total of 654 beds. PARTICIPANTS The terminal care delivered by 61 physicians who cared for 203 dying residents in the 5 facilities was reviewed. An intervention was targeted to medical directors and those physicians with the majority of patients. Twelve physicians participated in the educational program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Chart documentation of recognition of possible death, presence of advance directives, pain control, analgesics used, dyspnea control, control of uncomfortable symptoms during the dying process, documented hygiene, documented bereavement support, and total patient comfort. RESULTS The four nursing facilities that completed the intervention all had significant improvements in end-of-life care outcomes (p < 0.001, chi2). No statistically significant changes were found in any measure in the cohort nursing facility that did not complete the intervention. When we compared residents with hospice services to those without, we found significant increases in documentation of better hygiene, bereavement support, and total patient comfort (p < 0.001, chi2 for each). CONCLUSIONS Important terminal care outcomes can be significantly improved by targeting key nursing home physicians with an adult educational program that includes audit and feedback, and quality improvement suggestions.
The Impact of Stochastic Volatility on Pricing, Hedging, and Hedge Efficiency of Withdrawal Benefit Guarantees in Variable Annuities

We analyze different types of guaranteed withdrawal benefits for life, the latest guarantee feature within variable annuities. Besides an analysis of the impact of different product features on the clients' payoff profile, we focus on pricing and hedging of the guarantees. In particular, we investigate the impact of stochastic equity volatility on pricing and hedging. We consider different dynamic hedging strategies for delta and vega risks and compare their performance. We also examine the effects if the hedging model (with deterministic volatility) differs from the data-generating model (with stochastic volatility). This is an indication for the model risk an insurer takes by assuming constant equity volatilities for risk management purposes, whereas in the real world volatilities are stochastic.
ntegral equations of the photon fluence rate and flux ased on a generalized Delta-Eddington phase unction enxiang

enxiang Cong aiou Shen lexander X. Cong e Wang irginia Polytechnic Institute and State University iomedical Imaging Division chool of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences 880 Pratt Drive lacksburg, Virginia 24061 -mail: congw@vt.edu Abstract. We present a generalized Delta-Eddington phase function to simplify the radiative transfer equation to integral equations with respect to both photon fluence rate and flux vector. The photon fluence rate and flux can be solved from the system of integral equations. By comparing to the Monte Carlo simulation results, the solutions of the system of integral equations accurately model the photon propagation in biological tissue over a wide range of optical parameters. © 2008 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. DOI: 10.1117/1.2907168
Reducing the endotoxic activity of pertussis vaccine

Summary Unadsorbed, regular production pertussis vaccine was treated with polymyxin B sulphate at concentrations of 25,50 and 100 μg/ml. The toxic activity of treated and untreated vaccines was compared using both the limulus amoebocyte lysate test and the mouse-weight-gain test. Protective efficacy was also assessed by the mouse protection test. No discernible effect on either toxicity or efficacy of the pertussis vaccine was observed. When the vaccine was treated with 5000 μg/ml of polymyxin, endotoxic activity assessed by the limulus lysate test appeared to be abolished.
NMR structure note: N-terminal Dbl domain of the RhoGEF, Kalirin

Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEF) promote the release of GDP from GTPases, thus allowing the free GTPase molecule to bind the more abundant GTP molecule. In the GTPbound state, the GTPase elicits signal transduction by acting on its effector proteins. Spontaneous release of GDP is a slow process and the catalysis of the GDP release by a GEF is generally a prerequisite for efficient signaling (Vetter and Wittinghofer 2001). The structurally related GEFs form subfamilies that regulate a specific family of GTPase proteins. GEFs that activate Rho GTPases have been implicated in cancer and mental retardation. RhoGEFs are a relatively large family, and many of the ~69 human RhoGEFs were discovered based on their oncogenic activation in cancer and cancer models. The catalytic components of RhoGEFs are referred to as Dbl homology domains, after the screen that identified the protein Dbl encoded by the diffuse B-cell lymphoma (dbl) oncogene (Eva and Aaronson 1985). Thus the RhoGEF family is a potential target for treating tumors and cancer.
The association of statins plus LDL receptor‐targeted liposome‐encapsulated doxorubicin increases in vitro drug delivery across blood–brain barrier cells

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The passage of drugs across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) limits the efficacy of chemotherapy in brain tumours. For instance, the anticancer drug doxorubicin, which is effective against glioblastoma in vitro, has poor efficacy in vivo, because it is extruded by P‐glycoprotein (Pgp/ABCB1), multidrug resistance‐related proteins and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2) in BBB cells. The aim of this study was to convert poorly permeant drugs like doxorubicin into drugs able to cross the BBB.
Fish4label: accomplishing an expert task without expert knowledge

Obtaining large quantities of labeled data of sufficient quality is non-trivial, especially when expert knowledge is required. Experts are scarce and expensive, while laymen lack the necessary knowledge to perform the task. In this demo paper, we present an image labeling tool Fish4label. By carefully converting an object recognition task to a visual similarity comparison task, our tool enables laymen to identify fish species in images extracted from video footage taken by underwater cameras, a task that typically requires profound domain knowledge in marine biology.