Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proteomics Analyses of Human Optic Nerve Head Astrocytes Following Biomechanical Strain*

We investigate the role of glial cell activation in the human optic nerve caused by raised intraocular pressure, and their potential role in the development of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. To do this we present a proteomics study of the response of cultured, optic nerve head astrocytes to biomechanical strain, the magnitude and mode of strain based on previously published quantitative models. In this case, astrocytes were subjected to 3 and 12% stretches for either 2 h or 24 h. Proteomic methods included nano-liquid chromatography, tandem mass spectrometry, and iTRAQ labeling. Using controls for both stretch and time, a six-plex iTRAQ liquid chromatography- tandem MS (LC/MS/MS) experiment yielded 573 proteins discovered at a 95% confidence limit. The pathways included transforming growth factor β1, tumor necrosis factor, caspase 3, and tumor protein p53, which have all been implicated in the activation of astrocytes and are believed to play a role in the development of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Confirmation of the iTRAQ analysis was performed by Western blotting of various proteins of interest including ANXA 4, GOLGA2, and αB-Crystallin.
Residential load disaggregation based on resident behavior learning and neural networks

Energy disaggregation is playing an increasingly important role in energy saving and the management of smart grids. Recently, some machine learning algorithms are applied to energy disaggregation, but the classification performance is not as well as expected. In this paper, a point-to-state energy disaggregation model based on BP Neural Network algorithm is proposed. In addition to considering the traditional electricial characteristics (e.g., current, real power, etc.), time of day that affects energy consumption behavior is investigated and analyzed as a new factor in this paper. The probability density function and K-means clustering algorithm are used to label the data in preprocessing step. A real-world energy data from AMPDs public dataset was used to examine the performance of proposed model. The result shows that the proposed model improve the recognition accuracy of energy disaggregation as well as the estimation accuracy of energy consumption markedly in the low sampling frequency case.
The structure of cat muscle pyruvate kinase.

The complete amino acid sequence of cat muscle pyruvate kinase has been determined and fitted to the 2.6 A resolution electron density map. Residues in the active site region are highly conserved in the cat muscle, chicken muscle, rat liver and yeast enzymes. The enzyme‐bound magnesium, which is essential for activity, interacts with the side chain of glutamate‐271 and with two main carbonyl groups. Lysine‐269 is the probable acid/base catalyst responsible for the interconversion of pyruvate and enolpyruvate. A possible binding site for the essential monovalent cation is proposed.
EDTA plasma rather than serum for B12, folate and ferritin estimations?

In most cases of Hodgkin's disease Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells showed membrane staining with monoclonal antibodies against the interleukin 2 receptor. Surprisingly, positive reactivity with the anti-Tac antibody was also shown by most -tissue macrophages and a variety of monocytoid cells. Starry sky macrophages in lymphoid tissue as well as the granulomas formed in patients with sarcoidosis of the lung showed Tac positivity. Most strikingly, two leukaemic cell lines (U 937 and HL-60) that are known to show macrophage features after having differentiated under the influence of a tumour promotor became positive for Tac after induction of TPA. In the skin the anti-Tac antibody reacted consistently with sweat gland epithelium. Thus the monoclonal antibodies against the interleukin-2 receptor react with at least three different cell lineages, also including non-lymphoid cell lineages. Clinical trials with purified or recombinant interleukin 2 should take into account the broader distribution of the Tac
Nuclear factor‐κB and caspases co‐operatively regulate the activation and apoptosis of human macrophages

Accumulating evidence suggests that macrophages function as major effector cells in the pathological process of various human diseases. We examined here the role of nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) and caspases in the regulation of activation and apoptosis of macrophages. Activation of the human monoblastic leukaemia cell line, U937, by phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA) increased the expression of CD14/CD86, and cytokine production. PMA stimulation also increased the expression of both pro‐caspase‐8 and pro‐caspase‐3 in U937, but not apoptosis or intracellular caspase‐3 activity. PMA also increased the expression of X‐chromosome‐linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) in U937, suggesting an inhibitory action for XIAP on the caspase cascade in PMA‐stimulated U937. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) showed a significant increase of nuclear NF‐κB activity in PMA‐stimulated U937. When a potent NF‐κB inhibitor, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), was added to U937 cell culture in the presence of PMA, apoptosis was triggered by activation of caspase‐3, which was induced by caspase‐8 activation. XIAP expression was markedly suppressed in PMA‐treated U937 in the presence of PDTC. The inhibitors of caspase‐8 and caspase‐3 mostly inhibited apoptosis of U937 treated with PMA in the presence of PDTC. Furthermore, a phenotype of U937 treated with PMA and PDTC in the presence of caspase inhibitor was almost identical to that of unstimulated U937. Our results suggest that the signalling pathways involved in the activation and apoptosis of human macrophages could be co‐operatively regulated by the use of NF‐κB and caspase inhibitors, thus enabling the control of macrophage function and number.
Usefulness of an Aura for Classification of a First Generalized Seizure

Summary: In 67 of 149 patients with a generalized first seizure, the occurrence of some kind of sensation immediately preceding the loss of consciousness was the only clue that possibly indicated focal onset of the seizure. We studied the interobserver agreement between six neurologists regarding the interpretation of these preceding feelings as either a nonspecific symptom or an aura im‐ plicating a focal onset of the seizure. The observers also classified the seizures as generalized from onset, unde‐ termined, or partial secondarily generalized. To assess the accuracy of the classification, we obtained a standard EEG, an EEG after partial sleep deprivation, a computed tomography (CT) scan, and a follow‐up report after 1 year. The subclassification on clinical grounds of a generalized first seizure is too unreliable and probably too invalid as well to be useful in clinical practice or in epidemiologic research.
Leveraging respiratory organ motion for non-invasive tumor treatment devices: a feasibility study

In noninvasive abdominal tumor treatment, research has focused on minimizing organ motion either by gating, breath holding or tracking of the target. The paradigm shift proposed in this study takes advantage of the respiratory organ motion to passively scan the tumor. In the proposed self-scanning method, the focal point of the HIFU device is held fixed for a given time, while it passively scans the tumor due to breathing motion. The aim of this paper is to present a treatment planning method for such a system and show by simulation its feasibility. The presented planning method minimizes treatment time and ensures complete tumor ablation under free-breathing. We simulated our method on realistic motion patterns from a patient specific statistical respiratory model. With our method, we achieved a shorter treatment time than with the gold-standard motion-compensation approach. The main advantage of the proposed method is that electrically steering of the focal spot is no longer needed. As a consequence, it is much easier to find an optimal solution for both avoiding near field heating and covering the whole tumor. However, the reduced complexity on the beam forming comes at the price of an increased complexity on the planning side as well as a reduced efficiency in the energy distribution. Although we simulate the approach on HIFU, the idea of self-scanning passes over to other tumor treatment modalities such as proton therapy or classical radiation therapy.
Semiparametric analysis of transformation models with censored data

A unified estimation procedure is proposed for the analysis of censored data using linear transformation models, which include the proportional hazards model and the proportional odds model as special cases. This procedure is easily implemented numerically and its validity does not rely on the assumption of independence between the covariates and the censoring variable. The estimator is the same as the Cox partial likelihood estimator in the case of the proportional hazards model. Moreover, the asymptotic variance of the proposed estimator has a closed form and its variance estimator is easily obtained by plug-in rules. The method is illustrated by simulation and is applied to the Veterans' Administration lung cancer data. Copyright Biometrika Trust 2002, Oxford University Press.
The Journey of a Malicious HTTP Request

SQL injection on web applications is a very popular kind of attack. There are mechanisms such as intrusion detection systems in order to detect this attack. These strategies often rely on techniques implemented at high layers of the application but do not consider the low level of system calls. The problem of only considering the high level perspective is that an attacker can circumvent the detection tools using certain techniques such as URL encoding. One technique currently used for detecting low-level attacks on privileged processes is the tracing of system calls. System calls act as a single gate to the Operating System (OS) kernel; they allow catching the critical data at an appropriate level of detail. Our basic assumption is that any type of application, be it a system service, utility program or Web application, “speaks” the language of system calls when having a conversation with the OS kernel. At this level we can see the actual attack while it is happening. We conduct an experiment in order to demonstrate the suitability of system call analysis for detecting SQL injection. We are able to detect the attack. Therefore we conclude that system calls are not only powerful in detecting low-level attacks but that they also enable us to detect highlevel attacks such as SQL injection. Keywords—Linux system calls, Web attack detection, Interception.
The watermark algorithm with BCH code based on rate distortion

The watermarking algorithm was proposed in this paper that encoded watermark used BCH code and embedded watermark based on rate-distortion theory. When the watermark was embedded in a motion vector, the parity of horizontal and vertical component was firstly computed, and then the component that the change rate of rate distortion was smaller was selected to embed the watermark encoded by BCH code. Experimental results show that the scheme was robust to transmission error and recompression.
Detection of enteroviruses and rhinoviruses in clinical specimens by PCR and liquid-phase hybridization

A sensitive method based on PCR followed by liquid-phase hybridization for detection of enterovirus and rhinovirus RNAs in clinical specimens and cell culture supernatants is described. RNA was extracted from stool samples, throat swabs, nasopharyngeal aspirates, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, and plasma with a commercial phenol-guanidinium-chloroform reagent and purified on a polysulfone membrane, on which the reverse transcriptase reaction was also done. Two sets of oligonucleotide primers from the 5' noncoding region of picornaviruses were selected for DNA amplification of 153-bp (enterovirus) and 120-bp (rhinovirus) regions. Double-stranded amplicons were digested into single strands with T7 gene 6 exonuclease and quantitated by an assay using a europium-labeled probe, streptavidin- and biotinylated probe-coated microtitration wells, and time-resolved fluorometry. The sensitivity of the assay was about one template molecule when purified coxsackievirus A9 RNA was used. All enterovirus prototype strains, except echoviruses 22 and 23, and clinical isolates grown in cell culture or suckling mice were strongly positive by the enterovirus PCR-hybridization, as were selected prototype strains and untyped isolates of rhinoviruses by the rhinovirus PCR-hybridization. In a series of 100 clinical specimens tested, the results for 92 agreed with virus culture results. The detection method described will be useful in etiopathogenic studies on enteroviruses and rhinoviruses.
Co‐Infection with Respiratory Syncytial Virus Subgroup A and Streptococcus Pneumoniae Detected by a Comprehensive Real‐Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay in an Elderly Patient with Community‐Acquired Pneumonia

We thank Grant Crittenden for the English correction. Conflict of Interest: The editor in chief has reviewed the conflict of interest checklist provided by the authors and has determined that the authors have no financial or any other kind of personal conflicts with this paper. Author Contributions: Mutsuo Yamaya: taking care of the patient and preparation of the manuscript. Motoki Yoshida, Miyako Yamasaki, Katsutoshi Furukawa, and Hiroyuki Arai: taking care of the patient. Hiroshi Kubo: taking care of the patient and preparation of the figure. Sponsor’s Role: No sponsor support on this study.
Electromagnetic wave propogation in stratified anisotropic media in the presence of sources.

A general method is described for the calculation of the solution of the Maxwell equations in stratified anisotropic media in the presence of sources. There are no restrictions imposed on the dielectric tensor. The method combines the advantages of the Green-function and the transfer matrix techniques, and it is well suited for the numerical evaluation of the optical response of nonlinear media.
Studies on a Nondormant Sunflower Mutant

During the course of greenhouse studies, an unexpected sunflower mutant resulting from an interspecific cross of the wild perennial Helianthus divaricatus with cultivated HA 89 was found. In this mutant, dormancy is not induced in the developing embryo. Instead, developing seeds of the mutant sunflower begin to germinate in the head about 40 days after pollination (Fig. 1). Others have reported seed nondormancy in sunflower as well, but the phenotype in that case was albino, with visibly reduced pigmentation by carotenoids. Analysis showed that a defective ζcarotene desaturase was responsible for the loss of pigmentation (Conti et al, 2004). Because carotenoids are precursors of abscisic acid (ABA), the possibility exists that altered ABA biosynthesis was responsible for nondormancy in the albino mutant. ABA is a known inducer of dormancy in many plants, including sunflower (Le Page-Degivry and Garello, 1990). Although pigmentation appeared normal in our nondormant mutant, we investigated the levels of ABA in the developing seeds of the nondormant mutant at various stages after pollination. In addition, we report the results of in vitro studies on the effect of exposure of excised developing nondormant mutant seeds to ABA.
A switchable FSS based on modified Jerusalem-cross unit cell with extended top loading

This paper presents a switchable frequency selective surface (FSS) based on a modified Jerusalem-cross (JC) unit cell with extended top loading. Various combinations of switches are considered to make it switchable and the corresponding FSS behavior is analyzed. It is noted that the pass band(s) and stop band can be achieved by turning switches ON or OFF appropriately. For example, as a band pass FSS, it can provide single wide-band operation covering a bandwidth of 1.5GHz (2.97-4.47 GHz). In another mode, two narrower pass bands, one around 2.4GHz and other around 5.4GHz, can be achieved. Third mode allows a very wide stop band. The proposed FSS unit cell has been designed for fabrication on FR-4 to provide an inexpensive reconfigurable solution.
Isolation of vesicular stomatitis virus defective interfering genomes with different amounts of 5'-terminal complementarity

I isolated at least 30 different vesicular stomatitis virus defective interfering (DI) genomes, distinguished by chain length, by five independent undiluted passages of a repeatedly cloned virus plaque. Labeling of the 3' hydroxyl ends of these DI genomes and RNase digestion studies demonstrated that the ends of these DI genomes were terminally complementary to different extents (approximately 46 to 200 nucleotides). Mapping studies showed that the complementary ends of all of the DI genomes were derived from the 5' ends of the nondefective minus-strand genome. Regardless of the extent of terminal complementarity, all of the DI genomes synthesized the same 46-nucleotide minus-strand leader RNA.
Negative Affect, Emotional Acceptance, and Smoking Cessation

Abstract This article describes recent theoretical developments and empirical findings regarding the role of negative affect (NA) and emotion regulation in nicotine dependence and smoking cessation. It begins with a review of affect-based models of addiction that address conditioning, affect motivational, and neurobiological mechanisms and then describes the role of NA and emotion regulation in the initiation and maintenance of cigarette smoking. Next, the role of emotion regulation, coping skill deficits, depression, and anxiety sensitivity in explaining the relationship between NA and smoking relapse are discussed. We then review recent models of affect regulation, including emotional intelligence, reappraisal and suppression, and emotional acceptance, and describe implications for substance abuse and smoking cessation interventions. Finally, we point out the need for further investigations of the moderating role of individual differences in response to NA in the maintenance of nicotine dependence, and controlled randomized trials testing the efficacy of acceptance-based interventions in facilitating smoking cessation and relapse prevention.
Infection of Vero Cells by BK Virus Is Dependent on Caveolae

ABSTRACT Polyomavirus-associated nephropathy occurs in ∼5% of renal transplant recipients and results in loss of graft function in 50 to 70% of these patients. The disease is caused by reactivation of the common human polyomavirus BK (BKV) in the transplanted kidney. The early events in productive BKV infection are unknown. In this report, we focus on elucidating the mechanisms of BKV internalization in its target cell. Our data reveal that BKV entry into permissive Vero cells is slow, is independent of clathrin-coated-pit assembly, is dependent on an intact caveolin-1 scaffolding domain, is sensitive to tyrosine kinase inhibition, and requires cholesterol. BKV colocalizes with the caveola-mediated endocytic marker cholera toxin subunit B but not with the clathrin-dependent endocytic marker transferrin. In addition, BKV infectious entry is sensitive to elevation in intracellular pH. These findings indicate that BKV entry into Vero cells occurs by caveola-mediated endocytosis involving a pH-dependent step.
Performance Evaluation of Staged Bosch Process for CO2 Reduction to Produce Life Support Consumables

Utilizing carbon dioxide to produce water and hence oxygen is critical for sustained manned missions in space, and to support both NASA’s cabin Atmosphere Revitalization System (ARS) and In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) concepts. For long term missions beyond low Earth orbit, where resupply is significantly more difficult and costly, open loop ARS, like Sabatier, consume inputs such as hydrogen. The Bosch process, on the other hand, has the potential to achieve complete loop closure and is hence a preferred choice. However, current single stage Bosch reactor designs suffer from a large recycle penalty due to slow reaction rates and the inherent limitation in approaching thermodynamic equilibrium. Developmental efforts are seeking to improve upon the efficiency (hence reducing the recycle penalty) of current single stage Bosch reactors which employ traditional steel wool catalysts. Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI), with support from NASA, has investigated the potential for utilizing catalysts supported over short-contact time Microlith substrates for the Bosch reaction to achieve faster reaction rates, higher conversions, and reduced recycle flows. Proof-of-concept testing was accomplished for a staged Bosch process by splitting the chemistry into two separate reactors, the first being for reverse water-gas-shift (RWGS) and the second being a carbon formation reactor (CFR) via hydrogenation and/or Boudouard. This paper presents the results from this feasibility study at various operating conditions. Additionally, results from two 70+ hour durability tests for the RWGS reactor are discussed.
Precise positioning control of a linear induction motor drive system by utilizing nonlinear friction behaviors

In this paper, a new precise positioning control of a Linear Induction Motor (LIM) system guided by a linear ball bearing system is proposed. A coarse drive force resolution and slow response of the LIM can be overcome by a special control algorithm utilizing spring behaviors of the guide mechanism, therefore, the preciseness of positioning is effectively improved. Our proposed new control is a combination of the feedforward thrust force control based on the nonlinear spring characteristic of the guide and a usual PI-D control. The experiment showed the positioning resolution of the system is better than 2μm.
Critical fluctuations in high-temperature superconductors and the Ettingshausen effect.

We study the fluctuation Ettingshausen effect in a type-II superconductor using the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation. The free-fluctuation theory predicts a divergence in the Ettingshausen coefficient at {ital T}={ital T}{sub {ital c}2}({ital H}), in conflict with the recent data of Palstra {ital et} {ital al}. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 3090 (1990)). Including interactions through a self-consistent Hartree approximation eliminates the divergence and provides a quantitative explanation of the experiments.
Trauma scoring systems

Purpose of reviewTrauma scoring systems are used by researchers, registries, or individuals to describe injury severity or to estimate the prognosis of trauma patients. Triage scores also may influence the treatment of a trauma case. Recent findingsThe first trauma scores appeared about 40 years ago. Since then, multiple attempts to improve their performance have been published, or new scores were introduced. However, only few scoring systems manage to survive. Actual research focuses on further optimization of the available scores as well as the consequences of coding the injuries. SummaryCross-national comparisons evaluating different scores will further help to identify the optimal scoring system, based on the available information. The inclusion of patients with partially missing data is also an important task for the future.