Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship of gender, age, and body mass index to errors in predicted kidney function.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown conflicting data on accuracy of equations for kidney function prediction. The present work analysed the relationship of gender, age and body mass index (BMI) to error of predictions by the Cockcroft-Gault equation (CG(eq)), the simplified equation of the Modification of Renal Diseases Study (MDRD(eq)) and the Mayo Clinic equation (Mayo(eq)). METHODS Inulin clearance (glomerular filtration rate; GFR) and other variables were measured in 380 subjects of both sexes, aged 18-88 years, with and without kidney disease. GFR was defined as low when <60 ml/min x 1.73 m2. BMI was used for definition of underweight/overweight. Relative error of predictions was used as an index of bias. It was calculated as prediction minus GFR (positive values =overestimates, negative values = underestimates) and expressed as a percentage of the GFR. Absolute error was used as an index of imprecision and was calculated as the absolute value of relative error. RESULTS CG(eq) relative error was inversely associated with age and directly associated with BMI (P<0.001), but not with gender or GFR. MDRD(eq) relative error was inversely associated with female gender and GFR (P<0.001), but not with age or BMI. Mayo(eq) relative error was directly associated with male gender, BMI and GFR (P<0.01), but not with age. Absolute error was higher for CG(eq) than for MDRD(eq) but only at low GFR (P<0.001). Mayo(eq) had a higher absolute error than CG(eq) and MDRD(eq) (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Errors of predictions varied not only with GFR but also with gender, age and BMI. Without using creatinine assay calibration, Mayo(eq) was less accurate than both MDRD(eq) and CG(eq), whereas MDRD(eq) was slightly more precise than CG(eq) but only at low GFR.
Two-layer miniaturized-element metasurface for broadband RCS reduction

In this paper, a two-layer miniaturized-element metasurface is investigated to achieve in-band and out-of-band radar cross section reduction (RCSR) of a microwave patch antenna. The 2∗2 periodic modified versions of traditional square-rings with eight resistors mounted on each side are adopted to construct the upper layer metasurface for absorbing the incoming wave out of band. The lower one is composed of four polygonal metallic patches loaded with four resistors, which is utilized to reduce in-band RCS of the antenna. Furthermore, the characteristics of the proposed metasurface and its influence on the performance of the antenna are investigated. The results show that the proposed metasurface makes the antenna's RCS dramatically reduced within the operation band and out-of-band from 2.3∼16GHz. It is worth mentioning that the obtained RCSR at 2.8 GHz is as much as 14.1 dB and the maximum RCSR at 10GHz is 25 dB.
Movement detection for object tracking applied to the InMoov robot head

Machine vision is one of the most important tasks for the interaction between the robot and the environment, because it provides more information about the elements that exist there. The InMoov robot is the first life-size robot that can be produced by 3D printing and its design is open to the public. Between the following of the movement vector, the head control of this robot was implemented with the purpose of trackig the movement of an object. In the project the movement restrictions were taken corresponding to the range vision of the robot to develop the tracking and movement algorithms that will be aplied to the head movement of the robot under controlled conditions.
Protein Crosslinking in Assembly and Remodelling of Extracellular Matrices: The Role of Transglutaminases

Transglutaminases form a family of proteins that have evolved for specialized functions such as protein crosslinking in haemostasis, semen coagulation, or keratinocyte cornified envelope formation. In contrast to the other members of this protein family, tissue transglutaminase is a multifunctional enzyme apparently involved in very disparate biological processes. By virtue of its reciprocal Ca2+-dependent crosslinking activity or GTP-dependent signal transducing activity, tissue transglutaminase exhibits true multifunctionality at the molecular level. The crosslinking activity can subserve disparate biological phenomena depending on the location of the target proteins. Intracellular activation of tissue transglutaminase can give rise to crosslinked protein envelopes in apoptotic cells, whereas extracellular activation contributes to stabilization of the extracellular matrix and promotes cell-substrate interaction. While tissue transglutaminase synthesis and activation is normally part of a protective cellular response contributing to tissue homeostasis, the enzyme has also been implicated in a number of pathological conditions including fibrosis, artherosclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, celiac disease, and cancer metastasis. This review discusses the role of transglutaminases in extracellular matrix crosslinking with a focus on the multifunctional enzyme tissue transglutaminase.
Electromagnetic scattering from three-dimensional Bi-isotropic media using multilevel Green's function interpolation method

In this paper, the field decomposition method is used to split the homogeneous Bi-isotropic media into two uncoupled isotropic media instead of direct calculation of complicated Green's function in Bi-isotropic material. The construction of formulation using Poggio-Miller-Change-Harrington-Wu-Tsai (PMCHWT) integral equation for multiple homogenous dielectric objects and the electric field integral equation(EFIE) for conducting objects. The multilevel Green's function interpolation method (MLGFIM) is used to iteratively solve the resultant problem. Its multilevel discretization can speed up the matrix-vector multiplication in the iterative solution, which requires computational complexity of O(N log N) and memory cost of O(N). The resultant system is solved by generalized minimum residual with deflating restarting (GMRES-DR).
Loss of 4.5S RNA induces the heat shock response and lambda prophage in Escherichia coli

During depletion of 4.5S RNA, cells of Escherichia coli displayed a heat shock response that was simultaneous with the first detectable effect on ribosome function and before major effects on cell growth. Either 4.5S RNA is involved directly in regulating the heat shock response, or this particular impairment of protein synthesis uniquely induces the heat shock response. Several hours later, lambda prophage was induced and the cells lysed.
Skin strain patterns provide kinaesthetic information to the human central nervous system.

1. We investigated the contribution of skin strain‐related sensory inputs to movement perception and execution in five normal volunteers. The dorsal and palmar skin of the middle phalanx and the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint were manipulated to generate specific strain patterns in the proximal part of the index finger. To mask sensations directly related to this manipulation, skin and deeper tissues were blocked distal to the mid‐portion of the proximal phalanx of the index finger by local anaesthesia. 2. Subjects were asked to move their normal right index finger either to mimic any perceived movements of the anaesthetized finger or to touch the tip of the insentient finger. 3. All subjects readily reproduced actual movements induced by the experimenter at the anaesthetized PIP joint. However, all subjects also generated flexion movements when the experimenter did not induce actual movement but produced deformations in the sentient proximal skin that were similar to those observed during actual PIP joint flexion. Likewise, the subjects indicated extension movement at the PIP joint when strain patterns corresponding to extension movements were induced. 4. In contrast, when the skin strain in the proximal part of the index finger was damped by a ring applied just proximal to the PIP joint within the anaesthetized skin area, both tested subjects failed to perceive PIP movements that actually took place. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Comparison of promoter region constructs for in vivo intramuscular expression

High transgene expression is generally expected after gene transfer. However, different level, kinetics and localization of expression might be needed for relevant therapeutic applications. Former studies have compared various promoter regions driving gene expression leading to conflicting results. In the present work, two promoter families have been compared using the efficient in vivo intramuscular electrotransfer technique.
Properties of the larval neuromuscular junction in Drosophila melanogaster.

The anatomy and physiology of the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction were studied. 2. The dependence of muscle resting potentials on [K+]o and [Na+]o follows the Goldman‐Hodgkin‐Katz equation (PNa/PK=0‐23). Chloride ions distribute passively across the membrane. 3. The mean specific membrane resistance of muscle fibres is 4‐3 X 10(3) omega cm2, and the mean specific membrane capacitance is 7‐1 muF/cm2. The muscle fibre is virtually isopotential. 4.Transmitter release is quantal. Both the miniature excitatory junctional potential and the evoked release follow the Poisson distribution. 5. Transmitter release depends on approximately the fourth power of [Ca2+]o. If Sr2+ replaces Ca2+, it depends on approximately the fourth power of [Sr2+]o. Mg2+ reduces transmitter release without altering the fourth power dependence on [Ca2+]o.
Adhoc Network Routing Optimization and Performance Analysis of ACO Based Routing Protocol

Ant Colony Optimization is based on the capability of real ant colonies of finding the shortest path from nest to food source by depositing and following the trail of pheromone on the path. Pheromone is a chemical deposited on ground by the ants while walking and it affect their moving decisions based on the intensity. The main components for ACO optimization are: set of software agent (artificial ant), use of memory and strategies of collective and distributed learning. Many ACO algorithms were designed and implemented for TSP which was very successful in finding optimal tour. In MANET routing is a challenging issue because of dynamically changing network topology which needs to be addressed. In this paper we analyze an ACO based routing algorithm inspired by the foraging behavior of ants, to route packets through shorter and feasible routes. Each ant while moving towards destination collects information about the time length, congestion status and address of each visited node of the followed path. During backward travel, local network traffic model and routing table is modified by ant based on the goodness of the followed path. The protocol is capable of discovering path for dynamic changing topology and varying traffic over the network and gives high redundancy and fault tolerance. Analysis shows that the proposed ACO based routing protocol gives performance improvement over other routing protocol by continuously checking for better paths in the network with less overhead.
BIOTECHNOLOGICALLY RELEVANT ENZYMES AND PROTEINS Novel peroxidases of Marasmius scorodonius degrade β-carotene

Two extracellular enzymes (MsP1 and MsP2) capable of efficient β-carotene degradation were purified from culture supernatants of the basidiomycete Marasmius scorodonius (garlic mushroom). Under native conditions, the enzymes exhibited molecular masses of ~150 and ~120 kDa, respectively. SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometric data suggested a composition of two identical subunits for both enzymes. Biochemical characterisation of the purified proteins showed isoelectric points of 3.7 and 3.5, and the presence of heme groups in the active enzymes. Partial amino acid sequences were derived from Nterminal Edman degradation and from mass spectrometric ab initio sequencing of internal peptides. cDNAs of 1,604 to 1,923 bp, containing open reading frames (ORF) of 508 to 513 amino acids, respectively, were cloned from a cDNA library of M. scorodonius. These data suggest glycosylation degrees of ~23% for MsP1 and 8% for MsP2. Databank homology searches revealed sequence homologies of MsP1 and MsP2 to unusual peroxidases of the fungi Thanatephorus cucumeris (DyP) and Termitomyces albuminosus (TAP).
IL-6-induced Enhancement of c-Myc Translation in Multiple Myeloma Cells

Prior work indicates that IL-6 can stimulate c-Myc expression in multiple myeloma (MM) cells, which is independent of effects on transcription and due to enhanced translation mediated by an internal ribosome entry site in the 5′-UTR of the c-Myc RNA. The RNA-binding protein hnRNP A1 (A1) was also critical to IL-6-stimulated translation. Because A1 shuttles between nucleus and cytoplasm, we investigated whether the ability of IL-6 to enhance Myc translation was mediated by stimulation of A1 shuttling. In MM cell lines and primary specimens, IL-6 increased A1 cytoplasmic localization. In contrast, there was no effect on the total cellular levels of A1. Use of a dominant negative A1 construct, which prevents endogenous A1 from nucleus-to-cytoplasm transit, prevented the ability of IL-6 to enhance Myc internal ribosome entry site activity, Myc protein expression, and MM cell growth. IL-6-stimulated cytoplasmic localization was mediated by alterations in the C-terminal M9 peptide of A1, and this correlated with the ability of IL-6 to induce serine phosphorylation of this domain. A p38 kinase inhibitor prevented IL-6-induced A1 phosphorylation. Thus, IL-6 activates c-Myc translation in MM cells by inducing A1 phosphorylation and cytoplasmic localization in a p38-dependent fashion. These data suggest A1 as a potential therapeutic target in MM.
Type Ia supernovae and the 12C+12C reaction rate

Context. Even if the 12C+12C reaction plays a central role in the ignition of type Ia supernovae (SNIa), the experimental determination of its cross-section at astrophysically relevant energies (E ≲ 2 MeV) has never been made. The profusion of resonances throughout the measured energy range has led to speculation that there is an unknown resonance at E0 ~ 1.5 MeV possibly as strong as the one measured for the resonance at 2.14 MeV, i.e. (ωγ)R = 0.13 meV. Aims. We study the implications that such a resonance would have for our knowledge of the physics of SNIa, paying special attention to the phases that go from the crossing of the ignition curve to the dynamical event. Methods. We use one-dimensional hydrostatic and hydrodynamic codes to follow the evolution of accreting white dwarfs until they grow close to the Chandrasekhar mass and explode as SNIa. In our simulations, we account for a low-energy resonance by exploring the parameter space allowed by experimental data. Results. A change in the 12C+12C rate similar to the one explored here would have profound consequences for the physical conditions in the SNIa explosion, namely the central density, neutronization, thermal profile, mass of the convective core, location of the runaway hot spot, or time elapsed since crossing the ignition curve. For instance, with the largest resonance strength we use, the time elapsed since crossing the ignition curve to the supernova event is shorter by a factor ten than for models using the standard rate of 12C+12C, and the runaway temperature is reduced from ~8.14 × 108 K to ~ 4.26 × 108 K. On the other hand, a resonance at 1.5 MeV, with a strength ten thousand times smaller than the one measured at 2.14 MeV, but with an α/p yield ratio substantially different from 1 would have a sizeable impact on the degree of neutronization of matter during carbon simmering. Conclusions. A robust understanding of the links between SNIa properties and their progenitors will not be attained until the 12C+12C reaction rate is measured at energies ~1.5 MeV.
Probing single molecules in single living cells.

Single-molecule detection in single living cells has been achieved by using confocal fluorescence microscopy and externally tagged probe molecules. The intracellular background fluorescence is substantially higher than that in aqueous buffer, but this background is continuous and stable and does not significantly interfere with the measurement of single-molecule photon bursts. As a result, single-molecule data have been obtained on three types of fluorescent probes at spatially resolved locations (e.g., cytoplasm and nucleus) inside human HeLa cells. First, the iron transport protein transferrin labeled with tetramethylrhodamine undergoes rapid receptor-mediated endocytosis, and single transferrin molecules are detected inside living cells. Second, the cationic dye rhodamine 6G (R6G) enters cultured cells by a potential-driven process, and single R6G molecules are observed as intense photon bursts when they move in and out of the intracellular laser beam. Third, we report results on synthetic oligonucleotides that are tagged with a fluorescent dye and are taken up by living cells via a passive, nonendocytic pathway.
Similarity in bilateral photoplethysmographic peripheral pulse wave characteristics at the ears, thumbs and toes

The characteristics of the photoplethysmography (PPG) pulse signal are body site specific, with pulses from the various peripheral sites showing differences in pulse transit time, strength and shape, and variation of each over time. The aim of this study was to determine the similarity in the right-left pulse characteristics for a group of normal subjects with pulses obtained simultaneously from six peripheral sites (ears, thumbs and big toes). A multi-site photoplethysmography pulse measurement and analysis system is described and comprised six sets of pulse probes and amplifiers, arranged and electronically matched in pairs for the right and left side comparisons. Two sets of data were collected: firstly a set of validation data to test the electronic matching of right-left channels, and secondly a set of physiological data for pulses from 40 normal subjects. The right-to-left side similarity in pulse waveform shape at the three segmental levels (ears, thumbs and toes) was assessed using two types of analysis: root mean square error (RMSE) providing a measure of differences, and cross correlation analysis providing a measure of the degree of similarity. Very low levels of RMSE and correlation coefficients close to unity were obtained for the system validation data, demonstrating good right-left channel matching. The RMSE was an order of magnitude lower than that calculated for the normative physiological data, where median RMSE levels were between 0.053 and 0.060 relative to a peak-to-peak pulse amplitude of unity. The median correlation coefficients were greater than 0.98 for all three segmental levels studied, with the maximum values approaching those of the validation data. We have shown that pulses from the right and left sides of normal subjects are highly correlated at each segmental level. We have obtained a normative range of pulse data, with which specific (vascular) patient groups can be compared.
Network Function Virtualization in Optical Inter-Datacenter Elastic Optical Networks

We first explain the motivations of studying network function virtualization (NFV) in inter-datacenter elastic optical networks (IDC-EONs). Then, we analyze the challenges for provisioning virtual network function forwarding graphs (vNF-FGs) in IDC-EONs, and give insights on how to customize vNF-FG orchestration and optimize IT and spectrum resource allocations jointly. OCIS codes: (060.1155) All-optical networks; (060.4251) Networks, assignment and routing algorithms.
St. John’s wort and its component hyperforin alleviate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis through expansion of regulatory T-cells

Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system disorder mainly characterized by inflammation, demyelination and axonal injury. Anti-inflammatory agents can be used to ameliorate the disease process. Hypericum perforatum L or St. John’s wort is widely used as an anti-depressant and anti-inflammatory remedy in traditional and herbal medicine. Based on St. John’s wort properties, the therapeutic potentials of an H. perforatum extract (HPE) and a single component, hyperforin were evaluated for effectiveness against MOG35–55-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for human multiple sclerosis. Female C57BL/6 mice were immunized with specific antigen MOG35–55 and then administered different doses of hyperforin or HPE post-immunization. Clinical symptoms/other relevant parameters were assessed daily. Histological analysis of the spinal cord was performed. T-cell proliferative activity was also evaluated using a BrdU assay. The effect of hyperforin on regulatory T-cells (Treg cells) was assessed using flow cytometry. The results indicate hyperforin and HPE reduced the incidence and severity of EAE, an outcome that closely correlated with an inhibition of pathological features (leukocyte infiltration and demyelination) and antigen-specific T-cell proliferation. The study also showed that hyperforin caused increased Treg cell levels in the spleen. These results indicated that hyperforin and HPE could attenuate EAE autoimmune responses by inhibiting immune cell infiltration and expansion of Treg cell and could eventually be considered as a potential candidate for use in the treatment of MS.
Progressive and Error-Resilient Transmission Strategies for VLC Encoded Signals over Noisy Channels

This paper addresses the issue of robust and progressive transmission of signals (e.g., images, video) encoded with variable length codes (VLCs) over error-prone channels. This paper first describes bitstream construction methods offering good properties in terms of error resilience and progressivity. In contrast with related algorithms described in the literature, all proposed methods have a linear complexity as the sequence length increases. The applicability of soft-input soft-output (SISO) and turbo decoding principles to resulting bitstream structures is investigated. In addition to error resilience, the amenability of the bitstream construction methods to progressive decoding is considered. The problem of code design for achieving good performance in terms of error resilience and progressive decoding with these transmission strategies is then addressed. The VLC code has to be such that the symbol energy is mainly concentrated on the first bits of the symbol representation (i.e., on the first transitions of the corresponding codetree). Simulation results reveal high performance in terms of symbol error rate (SER) and mean-square reconstruction error (MSE). These error-resilience and progressivity properties are obtained without any penalty in compression efficiency. Codes with such properties are of strong interest for the binarization of-ary sources in state-of-the-art image, and video coding systems making use of, for example, the EBCOT or CABAC algorithms. A prior statistical analysis of the signal allows the construction of the appropriate binarization code.