Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP)

T he Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP) addresses the question: Should elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) receive antihypertensive drug treatment? The population we are concerned with is men and women age 60 years and older who consistently have a systolic blood pressure exceeding 160 mmHg and a diastolic blood pressure less than 90 mmHg. The goal of this report is to present the findings from the first three months of a study to demonstrate the feasibility of a full-scale randomized clinical trial. Specifically, we will address the issues of recruitment, compliance, treatment efficacy, and adverse effects.
pH dependent self assembly of β-amyloid(10-35) and β-amyloid(10-35)-PEG3000

Small angle neutron and x-ray scattering (SANS/SAXS) studies were conducted on the structure of the aggregates formed from both the truncated model peptide -Amyloid(10-35) (A10-35) and a block copolymer -Amyloid(10-35)-PEG3000 (A10-35-PEG) in D2O at pHs from 3.0 to 7.0. These studies indicate that A10-35 aggregates into rod-like particles (fibril) and their radii are strongly dependent on the pH of the solution. The fibril-fibril association in A10-35 solutions is less at pH < 5.6, but becomes larger at higher pH. A10-35-PEG also assembles into rod-like particles whose radius is larger by about 30 A than that for A10-35 fibril at pH 4.2, while it is about 23 A larger at higher pH. Contrast matching SAXS/SANS experiments that eliminate the coherent scattering from PEG reveal that PEG moiety is located at the periphery of the fibril. Also the mass per unit length of the peptide portion is similar for both A10-35 and A10-35 fibrils at pH 5.6. The mass per unit length of the rods from SANS provides key information on the packing of A10-35 peptides in the fibril.
Scan blindness-free electromagnetic bandgap phased arrays

A new type and multifunctional electromagnetic bandgap material, i.e. bandgap-antenna structure, is used as an antenna element in a planar phased array configuration. The structure provides mode-free bandgap, antenna, and phased array element characteristics simultaneously. A stripline impedance matching network is used to match bandgap-antenna element's input impedance. The phased array eliminates scan blindness completely along all possible scan directions.
Profit based unit commitment using evolutionary particle swarm optimization

The profit based unit commitment (PBUC) problem determines an optimal unit commitment schedule for a generation company (GENCO) participating in a deregulated environment with the aim of maximizing its profit. This is done using predicted prices of energy and other ancillary services including supply of reserve power. Several techniques have been proposed in literature to solve the optimization problem and this paper applies the evolutionary particle swarm optimization (EPSO) algorithm. Simulation results carried out in MATLAB software for a test GENCO with 10 thermal units shows that the EPSO algorithm provides better solutions and has better convergence characteristics than the classic PSO algorithm.
Approximate reasoning applied to unsupervised database mining

A computational approach is shown for unsupervised, reactive, database mining. This approach is dependent on soft computing techniques. Database mining seeks to discover noteworthy, unrecognized associations between database items. A novel approach is suggested for unsupervised search controlled by dissonance reduction. Both crisp and noncrisp data are subject to discovery. Another aspect of uncertainty is the metric that controls discovery. Issues involve: coherence measures, granularization, user intelligible results, unsupervised recognition of interesting results, and concept equivalent formation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Characterization of the Escherichia coli F factor traY gene product and its binding sites

The traY gene product (TraYp) from the Escherichia coli F factor has previously been purified and shown to bind a DNA fragment containing the F plasmid oriT region (E. E. Lahue and S. W. Matson, J. Bacteriol. 172:1385-1391, 1990). To determine the precise nucleotide sequence bound by TraYp, DNase I footprinting was performed. The TraYp-binding site is near, but not coincident with, the site that is nicked to initiate conjugative DNA transfer. In addition, a second TraYp binding site, which is coincident with the mRNA start site at the traYI promoter, is described. The Kd for each binding site was determined by a gel mobility shift assay. TraYp exhibits a fivefold higher affinity for the oriT binding site compared with the traYI promoter binding site. Hydrodynamic studies were performed to show that TraYp is a monomer in solution under the conditions used in DNA binding assays. Early genetic experiments implicated the traY gene product in the site- and strand-specific endonuclease activity that nicks at oriT (R. Everett and N. Willetts, J. Mol. Biol. 136:129-150, 1980; S. McIntire and N. Willetts, Mol. Gen. Genet. 178:165-172, 1980). As this activity has recently been ascribed to helicase I, it was of interest to see whether TraYp had any effect on this reaction. Addition of TraYp to nicking reactions catalyzed by helicase I showed no effect on the rate or efficiency of oriT nicking. Roles for TraYp in conjugative DNA transfer and a possible mode of binding to DNA are discussed.
Ultra-dense silicon nanowires using extreme ultraviolet interference lithography

Patterning of ultra-dense, large-area lines down to 11 nm half-pitch using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) interference lithography with two types of inorganic photoresist is shown. The resist patterns are transferred using plasma etching into silicon (Si) for both types of resist. 14 nm half-pitch silicon nanowires with 1:1 aspect ratio and square cross-sectional profile using a hafnium oxide based resist was achieved. For a silicon oxide based resist, the etching selectivity was shown to be critical, and a variety of etching strategies to overcome this deficiency are discussed.
Emotions Detection based on a Single-electrode EEG Device

The study of emotions using multiple channels of EEG represents a widespread practice in the field of research related to brain computer interfaces (Brain Computer Interfaces). To date, few studies have been reported in the literature with a reduced number of channels, which when used in the detection of emotions present results that are less accurate than the rest. To detect emotions using an EEG channel and the data obtained is useful for classifying emotions with an accuracy comparable to studies in which there is a high number of channels, is of particular interest in this research framework. This article uses the Neurosky Maindwave device; which has a single electrode to acquire the EEG signal, Matlab software and IBM SPSS Modeler; which process and classify the signals respectively. The accuracy obtained in the detection of emotions in relation to the economic resources of the hardware dedicated to the acquisition of EEG signal is remarkable.
Antioxidant ameliorating effects against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity in primary endometrial cells

Abstract Oxidative stress and a disrupted antioxidant system are involved in a variety of pregnancy complications. In the present study, the role of vitamin E (Vit E) and folate as radical scavengers on the GSH homeostasis in stress oxidative induced in rat endometrial cells was investigated. Primary endometrial stromal cell cultures treated with 50 and 200 µM of H2O2 and evaluated the cytoprotective effects of Vit E (5 µM) and folate (0.01 µM) in H2O2-treated cells for 24 h. Following the exposure of endometrial cells to H2O2 alone and in the presence of Vit E and/or folate, cell survival, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase activities and the level of reduced glutathione (GSH) were measured. Cell adhesions comprise of cell attachment and spreading on collagen were determined. Flow cytometric analysis using annexin V was used to measure apoptosis. H2O2 treatment showed a marked decrease in cell viability, GPx and GR activities and the level of GSH. Although Vit E or folate had some protective effect, combination therapy with Vit E and folate attenuated all the changes due to H2O2 toxicity. An increasing number of alive cells was showed in the cells exposed to H2O2 (50 µM) accompanied by co-treatment with Vit E and folic acid. The present findings indicate that co-administration of Vit E and folate before and during pregnancy may maintain a viable pregnancy and contribute to its clinical efficacy for the treatment of some idiopathic infertility.
Are there different predictors of distinct exercise components?

Rehabilitation nurses often recommend to aging adults that they exercise. Despite the recommendations and the widespread evidence of its benefits, few older adults exercise. This study examined the predictors of distinct components of exercise behavior: exercise intensity, frequency per week, duration of sessions, and months per year. Social cognitive theory predictors of exercise were measured with previously developed instruments. Interviews were conducted with community-dwelling elders (N = 147). The study constructs accounted for modest to moderate amounts of variance (41% of months per year, 35% of frequency, 35% of exercise intensity, and 20% of episode duration). Self-efficacy was the most important predictor of each construct, with Beta weights ranging from . 23 to . 53. Barriers significantly predicted months' per year, frequency per week, and exercise intensity, but not the duration of individual exercise sessions. Outcome expectancy predicted only exercise intensity. These findings support the importance of self-efficacy and perceived barriers for most components of exercise behavior.
Hypermethylation of P15, P16, and E-cadherin genes in ovarian cancer

Both p16 and p15 proteins are inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases that prevent the cell going through the G1/S phase transaction. E-cadherin is a transmembrane glycoprotein that mediates calcium-dependent interactions between adjacent epithelial cells. Two groups of patients were selected: the first group suffered from epithelial serous ovarian tumors and the second group suffered from benign ovarian lesions; ovarian tissue samples from all the subjects (benign and malignant) were subjected to methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction for methylated and unmethylated alleles of the genes (E-cadherin, p15, and p16). Results obtained showed that aberrant methylation of p15 and p16 genes were detected in 64.29 and 50% of ovarian cancer patients, while E-cadherin hypermethylation was detected in 78.57% of ovarian cancer patients. Methylation of E-cadherin was significantly correlated with different stage of disease (p < 0.05). It was found that the risk of E-cadherin hypermethylation was 1.347-fold, while risk of p15 hypermethylation was 1.543-fold and p16 was 1.2-fold among patients with ovarian cancer than that among patients with benign ovarian lesions. In conclusion, Dysfunction of the cell cycle and/or the cell–cell adhesion molecule plays a role in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer and that the analysis of the methylation of p15 and E-cadherin genes can provide clinically important evidence on which to base the treatment.
Reg1 Protein Regulates Phosphorylation of All Three Snf1 Isoforms but Preferentially Associates with the Gal83 Isoform

ABSTRACT The phosphorylation status of the Snf1 activation loop threonine is determined by changes in the rate of its dephosphorylation, catalyzed by the yeast PP1 phosphatase Glc7 in complex with the Reg1 protein. Previous studies have shown that Reg1 can associate with both Snf1 and Glc7, suggesting substrate binding as a mechanism for Reg1-mediated targeting of Glc7. In this study, the association of Reg1 with the three Snf1 isoforms was measured by two-hybrid analysis and coimmunoprecipitation. We found that Reg1 association with Snf1 occurred almost exclusively with the Gal83 isoform of the Snf1 complex. Nonetheless, Reg1 plays an important role in determining the phosphorylation status of all three Snf1 isoforms. We found that the rate of dephosphorylation for isoforms of Snf1 did not correlate with the amount of associated Reg1 protein. Functional chimeric β subunits containing residues from Gal83 and Sip2 were used to map the residues needed to promote Reg1 association with the N-terminal 150 residues of Gal83. The Gal83 isoform of Snf1 is the only isoform capable of nuclear localization. A Gal83-Sip2 chimera containing the first 150 residues of Gal83 was able to associate with the Reg1 protein but did not localize to the nucleus. Therefore, nuclear localization is not required for Reg1 association. Taken together, these data indicate that the ability of Reg1 to promote the dephosphorylation of Snf1 is not directly related to the strength of its association with the Snf1 complex.
Contextual Interference Can Facilitate Motor Learning in Older Adults and in Individuals With Parkinson's Disease

ABSTRACT In healthy young adults motor learning is typically improved by practice under conditions of high contextual interference such as that created when a series of skills are practiced in a random sequence. The authors examined whether individuals with Parkinson's disease and age-matched older adults might also benefit from such a learning environment. Participants learned 3 peg placement movements under both random practice and blocked practice schedules. Participants completed free-recall, cued-recall, and transfer tests 1 day and 1 week following practice. During acquisition all learners had shorter movement times (MTs) during blocked than random practice but during retention testing, MTs were shorter if the patterns had been learned with random practice. Fewer errors during free recall following random practice were evident in both groups of learners and MTs to complete a novel transfer task were shorter following random practice. These findings suggest employing a cognitively challenging practice environment might improve motor skill learning in elderly learners and in people with Parkinson's disease.
A Graphical Approach for the Optimization of SDR Channelizers

The design of future multi-standard systems is very challenging. Flexible architectures exploiting processing commonalities of the different set of standards cohabiting in the device offer promising solutions. This paper presents a graphical approach for the optimization of multi-standard Software Defined Radio (SDR) systems. The potential of our approach for optimizing multi-standard SDR systems is highlighted by considering a realistic example of channelizers for SDR systems. In this paper we compare several channelization techniques. Computational complexity for multi-standards, multi-channels channelizers is presented that is to be included for the optimization procedure of flexible systems. Results show that Frequency Response Masking (FRM) technique is most suitable as compared to others.
Does "Out of Sight" Mean "Out of Mind"? An Empirical Investigation of the Career Advancement Prospects of Telecommuters

The fear that telecommuting will have a negative impact on career advancement prospects has been a barrier to telecommuting acceptance. This study sought to examine whether professionals who telecommute on a part-time basis did indeed experience less advancement prospects than their non-telecommuting peers did. The results indicate that this fear is unfounded. Telecommuting did not have a direct effect on career advancement prospects or an indirect effect through job performance evaluations. Additionally, the level of telecommuting participation did not have an impact on career advancement. Employees who telecommuted more frequently did not experience significantly different job performance evaluations or career advancement prospects than those who telecommuted less. The paper concludes with the limitations of this study and directions for future research.
A General Space Vector PWM Algorithm for a Multilevel Inverter Including Operation in Overmodulation Range, with a Detailed Modulation Analysis for a 3-level NPC Inverter

This paper proposes a simple space vector PWM algorithm for a multilevel inverter, which (a) can cover sinusoidal and overmodulation mode (b) can easily determine the location of reference vector and calculate the on-times. The proposed scheme is explained for a 3-level neutral point clamped inverter with operation in sinusoidal and overmodulation modes. The scheme can be easily extended to any level of inverter. Experimental results are provided
PCR M Typing: a New Method for Rapid Typing of Group A Streptococci

ABSTRACT A new approach for the M-typing of Streptococcus pyogenes is reported. Oligonucleotide primers were used in a PCR to amplify the N-terminal region of the emm gene. The presence of the PCR amplification product is associated with the corresponding M serotype. This technique offers potential advantages over other molecular typing methods.
RcsB Is Required for Inducible Acid Resistance in Escherichia coli and Acts at gadE-Dependent and -Independent Promoters

ABSTRACT RcsB interacts with GadE to mediate acid resistance in stationary-phase Escherichia coli K-12. We show here that RcsB is also required for inducible acid resistance in exponential phase and that it acts on promoters that are not GadE regulated. It is also required for acid resistance in E. coli O157:H7.
Molecular characterization of Enterococcus faecium isolated from hospitalized patients in Korea

Aims: Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed for vancomycin‐resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF) from diverse geographical areas in Korea to obtain insights into the genetic relationships with other molecular profiles. To understand the diversity of lineages, vancomycin‐susceptible E. faecium (VSEF) were included.
Randomized Lattice Decoding

Despite its reduced complexity, lattice reduction-aided decoding exhibits a widening gap to maximum-likelihood (ML) performance as the dimension increases. To improve its performance, this paper presents randomized lattice decoding based on Klein's sampling technique, which is a randomized version of Babai's nearest plane algorithm (i.e., successive interference cancelation (SIC)). To find the closest lattice point, Klein's algorithm is used to sample some lattice points and the closest among those samples is chosen. Lattice reduction increases the probability of finding the closest lattice point, and only needs to be run once during pre-processing. Further, the sampling can operate very efficiently in parallel. The technical contribution of this paper is two-fold: we analyze and optimize the decoding radius of sampling decoding resulting in better error performance than Klein's original algorithm, and propose a very efficient implementation of random rounding. Of particular interest is that a fixed gain in the decoding radius compared to Babai's decoding can be achieved at polynomial complexity. The proposed decoder is useful for moderate dimensions where sphere decoding becomes computationally intensive, while lattice reduction-aided decoding starts to suffer considerable loss. Simulation results demonstrate near-ML performance is achieved by a moderate number of samples, even if the dimension is as high as 32.
Load-Induced Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis in Cultured Multicellular Myocardial Preparations Is Unaltered in Presence of the β-Adrenoceptor Antagonist Nebivolol

Overload-induced heart failure is associated with enhanced apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, and increased mechanical load is an inductor of this apoptosis. It is unknown whether nebivolol, a third generation β1-adrenoceptor antagonist, possesses properties that can attenuate this apoptosis. Multicellular preparations from rabbit hearts were mounted in a culture system that allows for measurement of contractile parameters over several days. Culturing these muscles on a constant high preload induces apoptosis of the cardiomyocytes. Of each heart, 1 preloaded muscle preparation was treated with nebivolol (10–6 mol/l), 1 preloaded without continuous exposure to nebivolol (positive control) and 1 unloaded (negative control). After 48 h of continuous loaded contractions, apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL-assay to confirm that nuclei of myocytes were affected, or by DNA-ladder intensity analysis for semiquantification. Maximal twitch force development was slightly, but significantly, lower in preparations contracting in presence of nebivolol (compared to solvent) while twitch-timing parameters were similar. After 48 h of continuous contractions, no additional differences were observed between the groups regarding contractile parameters. DNA-ladder analysis showed a similar rate of apoptosis in presence of nebivolol. Nebivolol does not increase, nor decrease, the rate of load-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis.
KLF4 Interacts with β-Catenin/TCF4 and Blocks p300/CBP Recruitment by β-Catenin

ABSTRACT Wnt signaling is crucial in the organization and maintenance of the human intestinal epithelium, and somatic mutations that result in deregulated Wnt signaling are an early event in the development of colorectal cancer. The Wnt ligand ultimately results in the stabilization of cytoplasmic β-catenin, which is then free to enter the nucleus and activate transcription through its interaction with the transcription factor TCF4. Our laboratory recently found that KLF4, a transcription factor highly expressed in the adult intestine and critical for intestinal differentiation, interacts with β-catenin and inhibits Wnt signaling. In this study, we characterize the molecular mechanisms of KLF4-mediated inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. We find that the KLF4 directly interacts with the C-terminal transactivation domain of β-catenin and inhibits p300/CBP recruitment by β-catenin. KLF4 inhibits p300/CBP-mediated β-catenin acetylation as well as histone acetylation on Wnt target genes. In addition, we observe that KLF4 directly interacts with TCF4 independently of β-catenin and that KLF4 and TCF4 are expressed in similar patterns within the large intestine, with greatest staining near the epithelial surface. These results provide a deeper understanding of the regulation of β-catenin in the intestine and will have important implications in cancer and stem cell research.
In vivo killing and degradation of Mycobacterium aurum within mouse peritoneal macrophages

We studied the in vivo killing and degradation of Mycobacterium aurum, a nonpathogenic, acid-fast bacillus, within macrophages after inoculation into the peritoneal cavity of CD-1 mice. The degradative process could be divided in five successive steps that were characterized on ultrastructural and cytochemical grounds and the relative contributions of which were determined by quantitative electron microscopy of samples taken at different times. The main ultrastructural alterations observed during the degradative process were ribosome disaggregation, coagulation of the cytoplasmic matrix, and change in the membrane profile from asymmetric to symmetric, with loss of the polysaccharide components from the outer layer, followed by membrane solubilization and intracellular clearing, followed by digestion of the innermost (peptidoglycan) layer of the cell wall, and at the end of the process, disorganization and collapse of the remaining layers of the cell wall. The correlation between viability and morphology indicated that the first ultrastructural signs of viability loss are cytoplasmic coagulation, change in the membrane geometry, and disappearance of ribosomes. The labeling of lysosomes of peritoneal macrophages with ferritin or by the cytochemical demonstration of inorganic trimetaphosphatase showed that fusion of lysosomes with phagosomes containing mycobacteria occurs in the phagocytes in the mouse peritoneal cavity and is already extensive as soon as 1 h after the inoculation of the bacilli.