Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of corticotropin‐releasing factor receptor‐mediated adenylate cyclase activity in the rat central nervous system

We report here that corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF) stimulates adenylate cyclase activity in the rat central nervous system (CNS). In frontoparietal cortex homogenates, the stimulation by CRF was dependent on time, temperature, tissue protein concentration, and guanine nucleotides. The rank order of potency for CRF analogs and fragments in stimulating adenylate cyclase activity [(Nle21,38) rat CRF > rat CRF ⋍ acetyl ovine CRF (4–41) ⋍ alpha helical ovine CRF > ovine CRF >> ovine CRF (1–39) ⋍ ovine CRF (7–41)] was consistent with their affinities for CRF receptors in the brain and their relative potencies in stimulating pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion in vitro. The putative CRF receptor antagonist, alpha helical ovine CRF (9–41), did not stimulate adenosine 3′,5′‐cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) production but was able to attenuate the stimulation by various concentrations of rat CRF. The regional distribution of 125I‐Tyro‐ovine CRF binding (olfactory bulb > frontoparietal cortex ⋍ cerebellum ⋍ hypothalamus > striatum ≥ midbrain > hippocampus ≥ spinal cord) did not correspond with the regional degree of CRF receptor‐mediated stimulation of adenylate cyclase (frontoparietal cortex > olfactory bulb ≥ cerebellum > midbrain ≥ hippocampus > striatum ⋍ hypothalamus > spinal cord). In addition, marked differences were observed in the ability of forskolin to potentiate CRF‐stimulated cAMP production in the various brain areas examined. In summary, these data demonstrat that at least one of the second‐messenger systems mediating the effects of CRF in the CNS involves stimulation of cAMP production and provides further support for a neurotransmitter role for this neuropeptide in the brain. Significant differences in the regulation of CRF‐stimulated cAMP production and the disparity between CRF receptor number and receptor‐mediated adenylate cyclase activity in discrete regions of the rat CNS suggest that some populations of CRF receptors in the brain may be functionally coupled to alternative signal transduction mechanisms.
Sliding mode observer-based multi-fault reconstruction of nonlinear system

For a class of nonlinear system with multi-dimensional actuator faults and multi-dimensional unknown input disturbances, the twice-linear coordinate transformation is made and the sliding mode observer is designed to obtain two dynamic deviation equations. One equation only deals with the faults and the other deals with both the faults and the disturbances. By means of the principle of equivalence of sliding mode observer and sliding mode variable structure, both the actuator faults and the unknown input disturbances can be reconstructed. The effectiveness of such method can be verified by the simulation example.
SIMULATION OF ELECTRON TRANSPORT IN HELICENES

Helicenes attract attention as simple models for screw-shaped biomolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids. Recently, they have been recognized as potential building blocks in nanomaterial sciences and the interest in their chemistry and physico-chemical properties has remarkably increased. The pioneering synthesis and resolution of hexahelicene was afterward followed by successful photochemistrybased attempts at the preparation of nearly homologous series of [n]helicenes. Helicenes as unique 3D polyaromatic systems are chemically stable, soluble in common organic solvents, and π-conjugated materials. This sets them apart from planar polyaromatic systems, which are often insoluable and unstable. Thus, helicenes represent an attractive objective for further research in various branches of chemistry and nanoscience. [1] For mechanical and electrical simulation of helicenes we used Atomistix ToolKit licensed by QuantumWise. It is combining DFT and NEGF for ab initio and semi-empirical calculations of structure and electron transport. We simulated molecular mechanics and basic electronic properties of [49]helicene structure in standalone and two electrode configuration. Electron density and electron transmisivities of this structure has been analyzed.
Your act is worse than mine: Perception bias in revenge situations

Theoretical reflections suggest that avengers and targets of revenge have self-serving perception biases when judging the severity of revenge acts and preceding offenses. Empirical research investigating such biases has so far focused on either the offense or the revenge act and may have confounded a perception bias with a situational selection bias (i.e., avengers and targets selecting different events in self-serving ways, so that there may be actual, as opposed to perceptual, differences in severity). The current research circumvents this shortcoming by empirically investigating this perception bias by assessing avengers' and targets' severity scores of both the offense and the revenge act, and comparing these scores with severity scores of independent raters. Results show that although there is a situational selection bias, there is also a perception bias for both avengers and targets: Both avengers and targets believe that the other person's act is worse than their own act. This perception bias may explain the existence of perpetuating revenge cycles.
Emotivational psychology: How distinct emotions facilitate fundamental motives

Fundamental motivational systems and distinct emotions have both been suggested to be critically involved in the orchestration of adaptive responses to recurrent challenges in humans' evolutionary history. Research on motivation has, however, proceeded largely independently from research on emotions. Here, we contend that distinct emotions are what motivate behavior, and that these emotions may have evolved in tandem with fundamental motivational systems because they play a critical role in the functioning of those systems. Specifically, once a threat or opportunity has been identified, a distinct emotion is elicited, automatically galvanizing and guiding physiological, cognitive, and behavioral responses toward an adaptive outcome; this entire process occurs via a motivational system. We map six characteristic distinct emotions to six fundamental motivational systems and review evidence supporting each hypothesized link. In doing so, we propose a novel framework for understanding human motivation and the corresponding emergence of distinct emotions.
Health-Related Quality of Life of Children Aged 11 to 14 Years with Orofacial Conditions

Objective To assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of 11- to 14-year-old children with orofacial conditions. Design Thirty-nine patients with orofacial conditions were compared with 32 patients with dental caries. Outcome Measure The multidimensional 37-item Child Perceptions Questionnaire for 11- to 14-year-old children (CPQ11–14). This forms one component of the Child Oral Health Quality of Life Questionnaire. Results The orofacial group had slightly higher scores on the CPQ11–14 than the dental group (p < .05). The scores were slightly to moderately higher on the functional limitations (p < .01) and social well-being (p < .01) domains. The groups did not differ with respect to oral symptoms or emotional well-being. Mouth breathing, problems with speech, missing school, being teased, and being asked questions about their condition were the only issues reported more frequently by the orofacial group (p < .01). There was no evidence of social inhibition or withdrawal in the orofacial group. The children with orofacial conditions rated their oral health better than the children with dental decay (p < .05). In both groups, the majority of children reported that their condition had little impact on their life overall. Conclusions Based on CPQ11–14 scores, there were few differences in the HRQoL of 11- to 14-year-old children with orofacial conditions, compared with children with dental caries. This suggests that the majority of these children are well adjusted and able to cope with the adversities they experience as a result of their conditions. This may reflect the quality of the team approach used at the treatment setting at which they were recruited.
Development of a Software Defined Radio ( SDR ) for Cognitive Radio ( CR ) Communication Systems

The VHF band is the first choice for the majority of maritime coastal communications because of its affordability, reliability, ease of use and an adequate effective range (up to 30 nautical miles), but expensive satellite links are typically used for all digital communications. However, future navigation and monitoring technologies, such as e-navigation and shipborne personal communications, require high speed (broadband) communication systems, while maintaining affordability. This thesis describes the implementation of a prototype cognitive radio based on software defined radio technology for opportunistic usage of vacant maritime radio spectrum bands, as an alternative to existing expensive satellite links. After an overview on the most recent advances in cognitive radio technology, the target environment and incumbent user’s characteristics is studied and the baseline implementation to address existing issues of maritime communications is presented. The implementation focuses on three essential components: spectrum sensing (a multichannel energy detector), radio transceiver (which uses non contiguous Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing multicarrier modulation) and cognitive medium access control. The implemented cognitive radio uses GNU Radio software for digital signal processing and physical layer design and the Universal Software Radio Peripheral as radio front-end. In order to evaluate the proposed prototype, a set of benchmark simulations based on the expected propagation channel conditions are performed. Then, the prototype is validated in laboratorial tests where it is demonstrated that the system is capable of detecting incumbent user activity and to use vacant spectrum bands without interfering with incumbent users. Finally, some directions towards future work and considerations regarding future implementations are provided.
Dietary patterns and mortality in a Chinese population.

BACKGROUND Limited research has examined the association between dietary patterns and mortality, especially in non-Western populations. OBJECTIVE We examined the association of dietary patterns with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality in the Singapore Chinese Health Study, which included a unique ethnic population with strong Western and South Asian cultural influences. DESIGN We conducted a prospective data analysis of the Singapore Chinese Health Study, which included 52,584 Chinese men and women (aged 45-74 y) who were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer at baseline (1993-1998) and followed through 2011 with 10,029 deaths. The following 2 major dietary patterns were identified by using a principal components analysis: a vegetable-, fruit-, and soy-rich (VFS) pattern and a dim sum- and meat-rich (DSM) dietary pattern. Pattern scores for each participant were calculated and examined with all-cause and cause-specific mortality risks by using a Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS The VFS pattern was inversely associated with all-cause mortality and each cause-specific category (CVD, cancer, and respiratory) of mortality during the follow-up period. Compared with the lowest quintile of the VFS pattern, HRs for quintiles 2-5 for all-cause mortality were 0.90, 0.79, 0.80, and 0.75, respectively (P-trend < 0.0001). The DSM pattern was positively associated with CVD mortality in the whole population (HR for fifth quintile compared with first quintile: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.40; P-trend = 0.001). Positive associations between the DSM pattern and cancer and all-cause mortality were only present in ever-smokers. In ever-smokers, relative to the first quintile, HRs for quintiles 2-5 of the DSM pattern for all-cause mortality were 1.04, 1.04, 1.13, and 1.24, respectively (P-trend < 0.0001). Similarly, HRs for quintiles 2-5 for cancer mortality were 1.08, 1.03, 1.25, and 1.34, respectively (P-trend < 0.0001). The DSM pattern was not associated with respiratory mortality. CONCLUSION Dietary patterns are strongly associated with mortality in Chinese Singaporeans.
M L ] 1 0 N ov 2 01 5 Black-box α-divergence Minimization

We presentblack-box alpha(BB-α), an approximate inference method based on the minimization ofα-divergences between probability distributions. BBα scales to large datasets since it can be implemented using stochast i gradient descent. BB-α can be applied to complex probabilistic models with little e ffort since it only requires as input the likelihood function and its gradients . These gradients can be easily obtained using automatic differentiation. By tunin g the parameter α, we are able to interpolate between variational Bayes and an exp ectation propagation like algorithm. Experiments on probit and neural network re gression problems illustrate the accuracy of the posterior approximations ob tained with BB-α.
A Phase II Trial of UFT and Leucovorin in Women 65 Years and Older With Advanced Breast Cancer

The incidence of breast cancer increases with age. This trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of oral UFT (ftorafur plus uracil) plus leucovorin in elderly patients with advanced breast cancer. Eligibility criteria included age ≥65 years, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, ≤1 prior chemotherapy regimens in the setting of metastatic disease, performance status 0–2, and adequate end-organ function. UFT at 300 mg/m2 per day as 2 divided doses and 30 mg leucovorin with each dose were administered orally daily for 21 days, followed by a 7-day rest period. Ten patients were accrued. Six patients received treatment in their first relapse and 3 in their second. One patient was chemotherapy-naive. The dose-limiting toxicity was diarrhea with grade 3 or 4 diarrhea occurring more often in the oldest patients (1 of 6 patients between 65 and 69 vs. 3 of 4 patients ≥70 years old). Protocol treatment was discontinued in 2 patients (ages 78 and 83) secondary to severe gastrointestinal toxicity. One patient achieved a partial response. Although UFT/leucovorin had efficacy in 1 patient, toxicity in the patients over 70 years of age was increased. Careful evaluation of anticancer drug toxicity in very elderly patients is important as our population ages.
The Effect of Body Position and Axial Load on Spinal Canal Morphology: An MRI Study of Central Spinal Stenosis

Study Design. A method comparison study. Objective. To investigate the effect of body position and axial load of the lumbar spine on disc height, lumbar lordosis, and dural sac cross-sectional area (DCSA). Summary of Background Data. The effects of flexion and extension on spinal canal diameters and DCSA are well documented. However, the effects of axial loading, achieved by upright standing or by a compression device, are still unclear. Methods. Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis were examined in 2 separate studies, including 16 and 20 patients, respectively. In section 1, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed during upright standing and supine positions with and without axial load. In section 2, MRI scans were performed exclusively in supine positions, one with flexion of the lumbar spine (psoas-relaxed position), an extended position (legs straight), and an extended position with applied axial loading. Disc height, lumbar lordosis, and DCSA were measured and the different positions were compared. Results. In section 1, the only significant difference between positions was a reduced lumbar lordosis during standing when compared with lying (P = 0.04), most probably a consequence of precautions taken to secure immobility during the vertical scans. This seemingly makes our standing posture less valuable as a standard of reference. In section 2, DCSA was reduced at all 5 lumbar levels after extension, and further reduced at 2 levels after adding compression (P < 0.05). Significant reductions of disc height were found at 3 motion segments and of DCSA at 11 segments after compression, but these changes were never seen in the same motion segment. Conclusion. Horizontal MRI with the patient supine and the legs straightened was comparable to vertical MRI whether axial compression was added or not. Extensionwas the dominant cause rather than compression in reducing DCSA. Axial load was not considered to have a clinically relevant effect on spinal canal diameters.
Expression of macrophage colony‐stimulating factor gene in the mouse brain during development

We have investigated the expression of macrophagecolony stimulating factor (M‐CSF) gene in mouse brain during development. Northern blot analysis of cerebral RNA evidenced a 4.5‐kb M‐CSF transcript from day 14 of gestation until 2 weeks after birth. The cell type responsible for this transcription was studied using in vitro cell cultures. The 4.5‐kb M‐CSF transcript was found both in astrocyte primary cultures and in immortalized astrocytic cell lines. M‐CSF mRNA was also detected in lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated brain macrophage cultures. These results suggest that M‐CSF is involved in the outgrowth of microglia during ontogenesis.
Improved FEM models of one- and two-arcs to predict AC critical flashover voltage of ice-covered insulators

This paper presents an improved dynamic model based on the finite element method (FEM) for predicting ac critical flashover voltage (FOV) of ice-covered insulators during the melting period. The first improved FEM model is based on the Obenaus/Rizk model, and deals with the case of a single arc established on an ice surface. The arc is modelled by its root which is considered to be an equipotential surface for which a voltage boundary condition is used, and whose propagation is provided by the validation of Hampton's criterion. The second improved FEM model developed is an extension of the single arc model, but takes into account two arcs in series in order to be able to compute the critical FOV for insulators having an arcing distance up to two meters. The simulation results obtained by the two improved FEM models are in agreement with those obtained experimentally. This confirms that using the Hampton criterion as a propagation condition is a very good approach for designing simple dynamic models which can be easily implemented in commercial FEM software.
Total capture and line-emission cross sections for C

We have measured total cross sections for single electron capture by fully stripped carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen ions from atomic hydrogen, in the energy range 3--7.5 keV/u. Some results for incompletely stripped ions are shown for comparison. For C/sup 6 +/ and N/sup 7 +/ we have also determined line-emission cross sections for several . delta.n = 1,2 transitions. All results are in excellent agreement with recent theoretical calculations.
Efficient Constraint Solving in Dynamic Languages

The integration of constraints into a programming language enables the elegant declarative description of problems with incomplete information, e.g. search and optimization problems or task descriptions in the areas of planning, analysis, simulation, diagnosis and testing. The inference of solutions through problem descriptions with constraints, i.e. formulas which represent respective restrictions for variables, has been on the rise in recent years. This has been driven by the development of powerful and fast algorithms. New data representations and experimentation with newly developed algorithms need a flexible framework to allow the simple integration and adaption. Current systems, especially from commercial vendors, often lack the openness to allow such research comfortably. The goal of this thesis is the development of a constraint programming and experimentation framework which is highly modularized and flexible but which at the same time still provides acceptable performance. The work is divided in two aspects of work: a first part develops and describes comprehensively the theoretical aspects, design and implementation decisions of our solver framework CLFD. The dynamic nature of the host programming language has been influencing many design aspects and implementation decisions. A second part reflects on the transparent integration of the constraint description into the underlying dynamic host language. The basic element of all parts of the solver framework CLFD is the flexibility in all areas. A user shall have the possibility to select from a range of base structures and base functions and modularly enhance and experiment with these elements. The modular design allows for an exchange of different implementations in all areas. Defined protocols at the module borders and interactions points are the key element for this flexibility. They also ensure the compliance with the presented module properties (if computationally feasible). Another aspect is the design in relation to the dynamic host language. It allows for a dynamic reorganization and optimization, yet at the same time requires a different design with respect to statically compiled languages to ensure a well performing solver engine. Exemplarily, CLFD provides a number of different domain and management data structures. Furthermore, several constraint pruning algorithms from simple domain restriction, automatic handling of non-linear constraints to complex global constraints are made available. Additionally to the actual constraint pruning several concepts for the heuristic extension for solution finding are discussed. We focus on the scheduler process which selects the different constraints in a certain order during the propagation
Apolipoprotein and Lipid Profiles in Young Female Athletes

The apolipoprotein and lipid profiles were investigated in 22 female gymnasts, 20 girl swimmers, and 12 controls. The average age of all groups was about 12 years, and the girls were matched for sexual development, i.e., breast development stage m = 1 or m = 2. The gymnasts appeared to have the highest level of HDL cholesterol and the highest HDL cholesterol / total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol / LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol/apo A-I ratios in comparison to both the swimmers and the control group. The swimmers had the highest level of apo A-I, but a lipid profile similar to that of the controls. It is concluded that in children, as in adults, regular physical activity affects the lipid and apolipoprotein profiles. In addition, it appears that the apolipoproteins discriminate between trained and nontrained subjects as well as (apo B) or better (apo A-I) than the lipid components of the corresponding lipoproteins (LDL cholesterol or HDL cholesterol).