Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cerebrospinal fluid levels of phosphorylated tau and Aβ1-38/Aβ1-40/Aβ1-42 in Alzheimer’s disease with PS1 mutations

Abstract We studied seven cases of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Six of the patients had presenilin 1 (PS1) mutations (PS1AD). Three novel PS1 mutations (T99A, H131R and L219R) and three other missense mutations (M233L, H163R and V272A) were found in the PS1AD group. We measured the levels of phosphorylated tau (ptau-181, ptau-199) and Aβ (Aβ1-42, Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-38) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of PS1AD patients, early-onset sporadic AD (EOSAD), late-onset sporadic AD (LOSAD) and non-demented subjects (ND). The CSF levels of Aβ1-42 in the three AD groups were significantly lower than those of the ND group (p < 0.0001). CSF levels of Aβ1-42 in the PS1AD group were significantly lower than those in the two sporadic AD groups. The Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-38 levels in the CSF of the PS1AD group were significantly lower than those of the three other groups (p < 0.0001, respectively). The levels of Aβ1-40, Aβ1-38 and Aβ1-42 in the CSF of the PS1AD group remained lower than those of the ND group for 4 years. Not only CSF Aβ1-42, but also Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-38 decreased in the advanced stages of PS1AD.
Endothelial nitric oxide synthase ( VNTR as a probable marker in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: The gene encoding linked to metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular and renal diseases. Generally, in diabetes there are numerous genes involved, each being a small contributor in type 2 diabetes manifestation. A 27 bp variable number of tandem repeat (27 bp VNTR has gained attention and this polymorphism may affect the expression of association of eNOS-27 bp VNTR with T2DM in north Material and methods: Blood samples were collected in 0.5 M EDTA from 210 age/sex matched healthy controls mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using the salting out method. T determined by standard PCR amplification using forward and reverse primers 5 AGGCCCTATGGTAGTGCCTTT-3’ and 5 were determined by analyzing the amplified products on 2% agarose frequencies were calculated by SPSS (version 15.0). Results: Clinical and biochemical profiles of healthy controls and T2DM cases as well as gender wise comparisons showed significant association in certain parameters (P II, IV, V and VI) were found in the study population. The genotypic frequency was significantly associated with T2DM (P <0.001). Conclusion: A significant role of allele ‘I’ in T2DM susceptibility was an interesting observat Therefore, The 27 bp VNTR in determining susceptibility to T2DM in north Indian population. ype 2 diabetes mellitus 2, Issue 4, April, 2015. 1 , Neena Srivastava Banerjee 1* University of Lucknow, India dical University, Lucknow, India banerjee_monisha30@rediffmail.com eNOS) VNTR as a probable marker in type 2 diabetes mellitus
Reconstitution of an Active Magnesium Chelatase Enzyme Complex from the bchI, -D, and-H Gene Products of the Green Sulfur BacteriumChlorobium vibrioforme Expressed inEscherichia coli

ABSTRACT Magnesium-protoporphyrin chelatase, the first enzyme unique to the (bacterio)chlorophyll-specific branch of the porphyrin biosynthetic pathway, catalyzes the insertion of Mg2+ into protoporphyrin IX. Three genes, designated bchI,-D, and -H, from the strictly anaerobic and obligately phototrophic green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium vibrioforme show a significant level of homology to the magnesium chelatase-encoding genes bchI, -D, and-H and chlI, -D, and -Hof Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Synechocystisstrain PCC6803, respectively. These three genes were expressed inEscherichia coli; the subsequent purification of overproduced BchI and -H proteins on an Ni2+-agarose affinity column and denaturation of insoluble BchD protein in 6 M urea were required for reconstitution of Mg-chelatase activity in vitro. This work therefore establishes that the magnesium chelatase ofC. vibrioforme is similar to the magnesium chelatases of the distantly related bacteria R. sphaeroides andSynechocystis strain PCC6803 with respect to number of subunits and ATP requirement. In addition, reconstitution of an active heterologous magnesium chelatase enzyme complex was obtained by combining the C. vibrioforme BchI and -D proteins and theSynechocystis strain PCC6803 ChlH protein. Furthermore, two versions, with respect to the N-terminal start of the bchIgene product, were expressed in E. coli, yielding ca. 38- and ca. 42-kDa versions of the BchI protein, both of which proved to be active. Western blot analysis of these proteins indicated that two forms of BchI, corresponding to the 38- and the 42-kDa expressed proteins, are also present in C. vibrioforme.
Multicast Extensions to OSPF

This memo documents enhancements to the OSPF protocol enabling the routing of IP multicast datagrams. In this proposal, an IP multicast packet is routed based both on the packet's source and its multicast destination (commonly referred to as source/destination routing). As it is routed, the multicast packet follows a shortest path to each multicast destination. During packet forwarding, any commonality of paths is exploited; when multiple hosts belong to a single multicast group, a multicast packet will be replicated only when the paths to the separate hosts diverge.
Assessment of Distraction From Erotic Stimuli by Nonerotic Interference

Distraction from erotic cues during sexual encounters is a major contributor to sexual difficulties in men and women. Being able to assess distraction in studies of sexual arousal will help clarify underlying contributions to sexual problems. The current study aimed to identify the most accurate assessment of distraction from erotic cues in healthy men (n = 29) and women (n = 38). Participants were assigned to a no distraction, low distraction, or high distraction condition. Distraction was induced using an auditory distraction task presented during the viewing of an erotic video. Attention to erotic cues was assessed using three methods: a written quiz, a visual quiz, and a self-reported distraction measure. Genital and psychological sexual responses were also measured. Self-reported distraction and written quiz scores most accurately represented the level of distraction present, while self-reported distraction also corresponded with a decrease in genital arousal. Findings support the usefulness of self-report measures in conjunction with a brief quiz on the erotic material as the most accurate and sensitive ways to simply measure experimentally-induced distraction. Insight into distraction assessment techniques will enable evaluation of naturally occurring distraction in patients suffering from sexual problems.
Critical Factors for Implementation Success of ERP Systems: An Empirical Investigation from Bahrain

Research on enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems implementation has drawn much at-tention, in the last decade. Identifying and testing the critical factors that affect implementation success for this type of systems is one of the important streams of research in this field. Based on data gathered from a sample of 70 respondents, actively involved in their companiesâ€™ ERP implementation process, this study aims to extend this stream of research with another framework of success factors based on a developing country setting, namely Bahrain. The influences of some selected critical factors were examined on two success dimensions: project success and business metrics success. Results support previous research findings in this area concerning the impact of factors such as project planning, organizational resistance, and ease of use on ERP project success metrics. Also, the study results show that project planning, business process reengineer-ing, and organizational fit have significant influence on business success metrics. However, no significant impact was found for some classical success factors such as top-management support, technical fit, training, competitive pressure, and strategic fit on both project and business success. The article ends with implications for these findings and possible extensions for the study.
Folate and Vitamin B12 Status in Latin America and the Caribbean

Background: The current magnitude of folate and vitamin B12 deficiency in Latin America and the Caribbean is uncertain. Objective: To summarize data on plasma or serum vitamin B12 and folate concentrations in Latin America and the Caribbean reported since 1990, a period that covers the era before and after the introduction of folic acid fortification. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in 2012 and updated in 2014. Studies and surveys using biochemical biomarkers and conducted in apparently healthy individuals were identified. Results: Folate deficiency in Latin America and the Caribbean appears not to be a public health problem (prevalence < 5%) after the introduction of folic acid fortification. However, there is some indication that high rates of low or marginal vitamin B12 status remain in most locations and across population groups. Conclusions: Adding vitamin B12 as a fortificant with folic acid may be the best strategy in areas where vitamin B12 deficiency is an established concern.
Trypanosoma brucei Thymidine Kinase Is Tandem Protein Consisting of Two Homologous Parts, Which Together Enable Efficient Substrate Binding*

Background: Nucleotide metabolism is a promising therapeutic target in Trypanosoma brucei. Results: T. brucei has two thymidine kinase sequences, domain 1 and domain 2, fused into a single open reading frame. Conclusion: Domain 1 is catalytically inactive but improves substrate binding by domain 2. Significance: Thymidine kinases with tandem repeats exist in many parasites and may represent an adaptive trait. Trypanosoma brucei causes African sleeping sickness, a disease for which existing chemotherapies are limited by their toxicity or lack of efficacy. We have found that four parasites, including T. brucei, contain genes where two or four thymidine kinase (TK) sequences are fused into a single open reading frame. The T. brucei full-length enzyme as well as its two constituent parts, domain 1 and domain 2, were separately expressed and characterized. Of potential interest for nucleoside analog development, T. brucei TK was less discriminative against purines than human TK1 with the following order of catalytic efficiencies: thymidine > deoxyuridine ≫ deoxyinosine > deoxyguanosine. Proteins from the TK1 family are generally dimers or tetramers, and the quaternary structure is linked to substrate affinity. T. brucei TK was primarily monomeric but can be considered a two-domain pseudodimer. Independent kinetic analysis of the two domains showed that only domain 2 was active. It had a similar turnover number (kcat) as the full-length enzyme but could not self-dimerize efficiently and had a 5-fold reduced thymidine/deoxyuridine affinity. Domain 1, which lacks three conserved active site residues, can therefore be considered a covalently attached structural partner that enhances substrate binding to domain 2. A consequence of the non-catalytic role of domain 1 is that its active site residues are released from evolutionary pressure, which can be advantageous for developing new catalytic functions. In addition, nearly identical 89-bp sequences present in both domains suggest that the exchange of genetic material between them can further promote evolution.
Extending the Personal Music Collection by Free Music Bachelor ’ s Thesis

Today, people listen to music on their mobile phone or other playback devices. Jukefox is a special music player running on Google’s smart phone operating system Android. It’s capable of recognizing similarities between multiple songs, albums and artists using data based on a huge music similarity map [1] which classifies songs into a high-dimensional space. Songs with small distance are similar, while widely separated coordinates mean, that two songs are very different. This thesis shows how the service of jukefox can be extended with the functionality to explore new music that is similar to the one the user already has in his own music collection. It describes, how artists and songs that fit into the current mood and the overall music taste of a user, can be found based on the already available music similarity map and how a user can listen to them without the need of downloading every single piece of music manually. As sources for new music, services like Jamendo5, the Free Music Archive6, ccMixter7 or SoundCloud8 with music licensed under the Creative Commons perfectly qualify. In this thesis a proof-of-concept implementation for Jamendo as music source is introduced, while the architecture and design allows for simple extension by other sources.
Traumatic brain injury caregivers: A qualitative analysis of spouse and parent perspectives on quality of life

The objective of this qualitative study was to examine how family caregivers of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) describe their quality of life in the context of their caregiving role. Fifty-two caregivers of adults with moderate or severe TBI (n = 31 parents, n = 21 partners/spouses; 77% female; mean age = 57.96 years, range = 34–78 years) were recruited from three data collection sites to participate in focus groups. Thematic content analysis was used to identify two main meta-themes: Caregiver Role Demands and Changes in Person with TBI. Prominent sub-themes indicated that caregivers are (1) overburdened with responsibilities, (2) lack personal time and time for self-care, (3) feel that their life is interrupted or lost, (4) grieve the loss of the person with TBI, and (5) endorse anger, guilt, anxiety, and sadness. Caregivers identified a number of service needs. A number of sub-themes were perceived differently by partner versus parent caregivers. The day-to-day responsibilities of being a caregiver as well as the changes in the person with the TBI present a variety of challenges and sources of distress for caregivers. Although services that address instrumental as well as emotional needs of caregivers may benefit caregivers in general, the service needs of parent and partner caregivers may differ.
Experimental study on space charge and electrical strength of MgO nano-particles/polypropylene composite

The electrical and thermal characteristics of isotactic polypropylene (i-PP) are revealed to be superior to polyethylene (PE), and i-PP is suitable for recycle use as the recent environmental requirement. The electrical characteristics of nano-filler/PP composite are investigated and studied in this paper. Nano-particles of MgO were added to i-PP to prepare nanocomposites for testing of AC/DC breakdown strength (BDs), permittivity, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and distribution of space charge. It is found that MgO nano-particals improve AC BDs (breakdown strength) of PP, while DC BDs decreases with loading of nano-MgO. The value of DC BDs is higher than that of AC BDs. The distribution of space charge was investigated by PEA devices, and few volume of space charge appeared in PP under low electrical field (10 kV/mm and 30 kV/mm). A lot of Heter-opolar space charges appeared in PP under electrical field of 50 kV/mm. The volume of space charge decreases with increase of particles' concentration. It is revealed that nano-MgO is considered to have an effect of suppression of charge injection in PP composite. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement was carried out to investigate the melting and crystallizing temperature of PP composites. The crystallization temperatures of the PP show a large increase of 4 K as loaded by MgO nano fillers, which indicates that the nanoparticles act as nucleating agents during the crystallization of PP. The electrical capacitance bridge was used to detect the permittivity of composites. The permittivity of sample was measured under frequency of 50 Hz and temperatures of 293, 303, 313, 333, 363 and 383 K. The results show that the permittivity of PP increases slightly with loading of nano-MgO, and it increases first and then decreases with temperature.
Accumulation of hypothiocyanite ion during peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of thiocyanate ion.

An oxidized form of thiocyanate accumulated during incubation of lactoperoxidase or myeloperoxidase with thiocyanate ion and low concentrations of peroxide. Addition of one mole of peroxide resulted in loss of one mole of thiocyanate and formation of one mole of the oxidation product. The oxidation product reacted with two moles of sulfhydryl to yield one mole of disulfide and one mole of thiocyanate. The same product was obtained by alkaline hydrolysis of thiocyanogen. The product is proposed to be hypothiocyanite ion. The peroxidases may catalyze the oxidation of thiocyanate to hypothiocyanite, or to thiocyanogen. Hypothiocyanite may be the antimicrobial agent formed during peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of thiocyanate. Hypothiocyanite decomposed slowly with a second-order rate constant of 0.1 M−1 s−1 at 25°C. When the amount of peroxide added approached the amount of thiocyanate, the yield of hypothiocyanite reached a maximum and then declined. This result suggested that hypothiocyanite was oxidized by excess peroxide. Efforts to produce high concentrations of hypothiocyanite were unsuccessful, even when thiocyanate was well in excess of peroxide. As the hypothiocyanite concentration approached 0.5 mM, decomposition was accelerated and small amounts of cyanide were produced. Hypothiocyanite reacted stoichiometrically with cyanide to give products that did not oxidize sulfhydryls. Hydrolysis of thiocyanogen at neutral pH also resulted in rapid decomposition and formation of cyanide.
Vertical profile of δ 18 OOO from the middle stratosphere to lower mesosphere from SMILES spectra

Abstract. Ozone is known to have large oxygen isotopic enrichments of about 10% in the middle stratosphere; however, there have been no reports of ozone isotopic enrichments above the middle stratosphere. We derived an enrichment δ18OOO in the stratosphere and the lower mesosphere from observations of the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) onboard the International Space Station (ISS) using a retrieval algorithm optimized for the isotopic ratio. The retrieval algorithm includes (i) an a priori covariance matrix constrained by oxygen isotopic ratios in ozone, (ii) an optimization of spectral windows for ozone isotopomers and isotopologues, and (iii) common tangent height information for all windows. The δ18OOO by averaging the SMILES measurements at the latitude range of 20 to 40° N from February to March in 2010 with solar zenith angle
Hemodynamic characteristics in microcirculatory blood channels during early tumor growth.

Abstract Red blood cell (RBC) velocity was determined in the microcirculation of the BA 1112 rat sarcoma and in regions located outside the tumor (repairing tissue), which were used as a control and were assumed to be representative for the inflammatory-reparative reaction of a healing wound. Studies were carried out in modified Algire chamber preparations utilizing television techniques in situ during a period of 18 days. RBC velocity in repairing tissue was of the order of 0.80 ± 0.15 (S.E.) mm/sec in terminal arterioles, 0.2 ± 0.09 mm/sec in postcapillary venules, and 0.2 ± 0.1 mm/sec in collecting venules and remained constant during the observation period. By comparison, RBC velocity in terminal arterioles of the tumor tissue increased from 0.72 ± 0.08 mm/sec to 0.95 ± 0.09 mm/sec and decreased slightly in postcapillary and collecting venules. Vasomotion in terminal arterioles of the malignant tissue portion could be demonstrated only until Day 22 after implantation. Since vasomotion was observed only during the initial phase of tumor growth and the arteriolar RBC velocity increased during the same period, our findings indicate that blood is supplied to mesenchymal tumor by means of dilated arterioles. Our observations are related to control measurements in adjacent repairing tissue, which like tumor tissue exhibits continuous cellular replication. In this tissue, the RBC velocity of postcapillary and collecting venules remained constant. By comparison, RBC velocity decreased in venular outflow vessels of the tumor, suggesting that venous drainage is facilitated during progressive spread of the BA 1112 sarcoma.
Characterization of the DNA-Binding and Dimerization Properties of the Nuclear Orphan Receptor Germ Cell Nuclear Factor

ABSTRACT The orphan receptor germ cell nuclear factor (GCNF) is a member of the superfamily of nuclear receptors. During development, GCNF exhibits a restricted brain-specific expression pattern, whereas GCNF expression in the adult is germ cell specific. Therefore, the receptor may participate in the regulation of neurogenesis and reproductive functions. No natural GCNF target gene has yet been identified, but recent data demonstrate specific and high-affinity binding of GCNF either to the direct repeat DNA element AGGTCAAGGTCA (DR0) or to extended half-sites, such as TCAAGGTCA. In this study, we show that murine GCNF (mGCNF) can bind as a homodimer to extended half-sites, thus describing a novel property within the nuclear receptor superfamily. Homodimeric binding to extended half-sites requires the presence of a dimerization function within the mGCNF DNA-binding domain (DBD) and a novel dimerization surface encompassing the putative helix 3 and the helix 12 region of the mGCNF ligand-binding domain (LBD). In addition, the mGCNF LBD has the potential to adopt different conformations with distinct dimerization properties. The helix 12 region of the mGCNF LBD not only regulates the switch between these dimerization conformations but also dictates the DNA-binding behavior and transcriptional properties of the different dimerization conformations. In summary, our findings describe unique DNA-binding and dimerization properties of a nuclear receptor and suggest a novel mechanism that allows mGCNF to modulate target gene activity.
Wind Turbine Generator Condition-Monitoring Using Temperature Trend Analysis

Condition monitoring can greatly reduce the maintenance cost for a wind turbine. In this paper, a new condition-monitoring method based on the nonlinear state estimate technique for a wind turbine generator is proposed. The technique is used to construct the normal behavior model of the electrical generator temperature. A new and improved memory matrix construction method is adopted to achieve better coverage of the generator's normal operational space. Generator incipient failure is indicated when the residuals between model estimates and the measured generator temperature become significant. Moving window averaging is used to detect statistically significant changes of the residual mean value and standard deviation in an effective manner; when these parameters exceed predefined thresholds, an incipient failure is flagged. Examples based on data from the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system at a wind farm located at Zhangjiakou in northern China have been used to validate the approach and examine its sensitivity to key factors that influence the performance of the approach. It is demonstrated that the technique can identify dangerous generator over temperature before damage has occurred that results in complete shutdown of the turbine.