Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cadherin function in junctional complex rearrangement and posttranslational control of cadherin expression

Troxell, Megan L. , Yih-Tai Chen, Nicole Cobb, W. James Nelson, and James A. Marrs. Cadherin function in junctional complex rearrangement and posttranslational control of cadherin expression. Am. J. Physiol. 276 (Cell Physiol. 45): C404–C418, 1999. —The role of E-cadherin, a calciumdependent adhesion protein, in organizing and maintaining epithelial junctions was examined in detail by expressing a fusion protein (GP2-Cad1) composed of the extracellular domain of a nonadherent glycoprotein (GP2) and the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of E-cadherin. All studies shown were also replicated using an analogous cell line that expresses a mutant cadherin construct (T151) under the control of tet repressor. Mutant cadherin was expressed at ,10% of the endogenous E-cadherin level and had no apparent effect on tight junction function or on distributions of adherens junction, tight junction, or desmosomal marker proteins in established Madin-Darby canine kidney cell monolayers. However, GP2-Cad1 accelerated the disassembly of epithelial junctional complexes and delayed their reassembly in calcium switch experiments. Inducing expression of GP2Cad1 to levels approximately threefold greater than endogenous E-cadherin expression levels in control cells resulted in a decrease in endogenous E-cadherin levels. This was due in part to increased protein turnover, indicating a cellular mechanism for sensing and controlling E-cadherin levels. Cadherin association with catenins is necessary for strong cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion. In cells expressing low levels of GP2-Cad1, protein levels and stoichiometry of the endogenous cadherin-catenin complex were unaffected. Thus effects of GP2-Cad1 on epithelial junctional complex assembly and stability were not due to competition with endogenous E-cadherin for catenin binding. Rather, we suggest that GP2-Cad1 interferes with the packing of endogenous cadherincatenin complexes into higher-order structures in junctional complexes that results in junction destabilization.
Knowledge Management Patterns Model for a Flight Test Environment

This paper investigates how Knowledge Management patterns in a Brazilian Air Force flight test environment can be simulated using a System Dynamics approach. The research has been conducted initially by a literature review on the main Knowledge Management and System Dynamics theories. Data for this research has been collected in a previous study consisted of documental research regarding the flight test environment Knowledge Management and a questionnaire-based survey which identified both a low Knowledge Management maturity level and the flight test core competence as the capability of performing flight test campaigns. The issued problem was the tradeoff between actions focused on performing flight test campaigns versus Knowledge Management to transfer the core competence inside organization in order to keep it in a high level. A system dynamics quantitative model has been developed as a result of this research. Fluxes and stokes were identified within the model and the relation between them emerged by identifying systemic feedback loops that may compromise the Knowledge Management and the core competence transferring. These features enable a holistic visualization and better understanding of the problem as well as the possibilities of identifying ways of improvement.
T cell migration during development: homing is not related to TCR V beta 1 repertoire selection.

T cell precursors enter the chick thymus in three waves during embryonic life. Each wave of thymocyte precursors colonizing the thymus gave rise to a similar TCR V beta repertoire in thymus, spleen and intestine both in terms of V beta 1 and J beta usage as well as in the length of V beta‐D beta‐J beta junctions. Seventeen V beta 1s were utilized, and a new J beta segment was found. In the progeny of the third wave, more nucleotides were deleted at the 5′ end of the J beta segment, but the overall size of the CDR3 was conserved by a concomitant increase of N nucleotide addition at the V beta‐D beta‐J beta junctions during rearrangement. This CDR3 modification was observed in the spleen but not in the intestine, implying that progeny of the third wave migrate preferentially to the spleen, a possibility that was confirmed by adoptive cell transfers into congenic chickens. Very low frequencies of non‐productive rearrangements in the intestine suggested that negative selection may occur in this organ. The present analysis indicates that V beta 1+ T cells in spleen and intestine are primarily of thymic origin, this colonization of both organs occurs in waves and is not characterized by preselection of the TCR V beta 1 repertoire.
Seeing what the audience feels : Live visualization of audience engagement during a music event

This thesis evaluates the influence of audience engagement as an aesthetic element for providing visual enhancement to a music concert. The audience engagement is gathered using Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) sensors, which the audience wears on their hands during the concert. In a small experimental setting two visualizations are compared: the first visualization is driven only by the music of the concert, while the second visualization takes into account also the engagement of the audience. The hypothesis of this experiment is validated, the visualization enriched with the audience engagement adds value to the experience: the concert is enhanced with an additional visual layer, which causes a higher level of immersion and feeling of togetherness among the audience. This could be an approach of a new multilayered concept of cultural events, merging visual interactive arts with live music, creating a deeper shared experience. In the future it is planned to test the visualizations in a live setting, to confirm and extend the results that were gathered in this experiment.
Microgravimetric thermodynamic modeling for optimization of chemical sensing nanomaterials.

On the basis of microgravimetric sensing data, an analytical modeling method is proposed for comprehensive evaluation and optimization of gas sensing or adsorbing related functional materials. Resonant microcantilever is loaded with the material to be evaluated for a gravimetric sensing experiment. With sensing isotherm curves obtained at different temperatures, key thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the material, such as enthalpy ΔH°, Gibbs free energy, adsorption rate constant Ka, and coverage θ, etc., can be quantitatively extracted for optimal selection and design. On the basis of the gravimetric experiment, the modeling method is used on three sorts of trimethylamine sensing nanomaterials of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). The COOH-functionalized material is clearly identified as the best sensing material among the three similar ones, thereby validating high accuracy of the proposed model. Broad applicability of the modeling method to other sensing materials and/or target gases is also experimentally confirmed, where sensing properties of a functionalized hyper-branched polymer to organophorous simulant of dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) are still evaluated well. In addition to sensing materials, the gravimetric experiment-based modeling method can be expanded to other functional materials like moisture absorbents or detoxification agents. Water adsorbing experiment on KIT-5 mesoporous-silica is modeled, with the low -ΔH° value (i.e., low adsorption heat) result, indicating that the KIT-5 is a good adsorbent to humidity. Alternatively, the modeled high -ΔH° value (i.e., high reaction heat) shows promising usage of SBA-15 mesoporous-silica as detoxification material to hazardous organophorous chemicals. Therefore, the analytical modeling technology can be used for developing and evaluating new adsorbing materials for gas sensing, fixing, and detoxification applications.
A novel approach to facial nerve decompression: use of Piezosurgery®

Conclusions. The safety of Piezosurgery® as regards soft tissues in facial nerve decompression was confirmed. No side effects were detected during unintentional contact with the nerve. Objectives. The aim of this work was to test Piezosurgery® as a new and alternative method to conventional bone tissue management in facial nerve decompression by posterior tympanotomy. Patients and methods. We used Piezosurgery under general anaesthesia on 10 patients affected by facial paralysis following temporal bone fractures. The equipment consists of two hand-pieces, two inserts and two peristaltic pumps connected to the control unit. The device uses low frequency ultrasonic waves (24.7–29.5 kHz), the applied power can be modulated between 2.8 and 16 W, and the machine is programmed in accordance with the density of the bone. The micro-vibrations that are created in the piezoelectric hand-piece cause the inserts to vibrate linearly between 60 and 210 µm. Results. Piezosurgery® proved effective in sclerotic and pneumatic mastoid. This approach results in significantly less operative blood loss and better visibility in the surgical field compared with conventional methods. Its safety as regards soft tissues was confirmed: no side effects were detected during unintentional contact with the nerve. All patients presented a complete recovery from facial paralysis at the last follow-up.
Two competitive solutions to the problem of remote eye-tracking

Reliable detection and tracking of eyes is an important requirement for attentive user interfaces. In this paper, we present an innovative approach to the problem of the eye-tracking. Traditional eye-detectors, chosen for own properties, are combined by two different competitive schemes to improve own robustness and reliability. To illustrate our work, and validate the idea that employing multiple trackers is advantageous in forming a globally strong tracking methodology, we introduce a proof-of-concept single camera remote eye-tracker and discuss its implementation and the obtained experimental results.
Upsurge of Enterovirus D68, the Netherlands, 2016

In June and July 2016, we identified 8 adults and 17 children with respiratory enterovirus D68 infections. Thirteen children required intensive care unit admission because of respiratory insufficiency, and 1 had concomitant acute flaccid myelitis. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all of 20 sequences obtained belong to the recently described clade B3.
Statistical Inference Via Bootstrapping for Measures of Inequality

SUMMARY In this paper we consider the use of bootstrap methods to compute interval estimates and perform hypothesis tests for decomposable measures of economic inequality. Two applications of this approach, using the Gini coefficient and Theil's entropy measures of inequality, are provided. Our first application employs preand post-tax aggregate state income data, constructed from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. We find that although casual observation of the inequality measures suggests that the post-tax distribution of income is less equal among states than pre-tax income, none of these observed differences are statistically significant at the 10% level. Our second application uses the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data to study youth inequality. We find that youth inequality decreases as the cohort ages, but between age-group inequality has increased in the latter half of the 1980s. The results suggest that (1) statistical inference is essential even when large samples are available, and (2) the bootstrap procedure appears to perform well in this setting. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. J. appl. econom. 12: 133-150, 1997.
Extracorporeal liver support devices for listed patients

An alternative to liver transplantation for patients with liver failure remains an unmet need. In acute liver failure, the ideal extracorporeal liver support device (ELSD) would replace the functions of the failing liver in order to permit spontaneous recovery, given the incredible regenerative potential of the liver, negating the need for transplantation. In acute‐on‐chronic liver failure, an ELSD would ideally support hepatic function until a recovery to liver function before acute decompensation or until liver transplantation. In decompensated cirrhosis, an ELSD could again be used to support hepatic function until transplant. In addition, ELSDs may have the potential to treat the multiorgan failure that accompanies liver failure including hepatic encephalopathy, renal failure, and immune dysfunction or indeed potential to promote liver regeneration. Creation of an extracorporeal bioartificial liver able to completely replace liver function remains an unmet need. This review will describe a number of technologies suitable for clinical trials in humans, which have resulted from decades of engineering and biological research to develop a bioreactor able to adequately sustain functional hepatocytes. In addition, this review will describe artificial liver support devices that are primarily designed to replace the detoxifying functions of the liver and will consider the current data available or studies required to support their use in liver failure patients on the transplant waiting list. Liver Transplantation 22 839–848 2016 AASLD.
Secure and Efficient Data Transmission for Cluster Based Wireless Sensor Networks

In the past few years secure transmission of data along with efficiency is a critical issue for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Clustering is an effective and convenient way to enhance performance of the WSNs system. efficient data transmission is one of the most important issues for WSNs. Meanwhile, many WSNs are deployed in harsh, neglected and often adversarial physical environments for certain applications, such as military domains and sensing tasks with trustless surroundings In this project work, we study a secure transmission of data for cluster-based WSNs (CWSNs), where the clusters are formed dynamically and sporadically,periodically. We make use of two Secure and Efficient data Transmission (SET) protocols for CWSNs, called SET-IBS and SET-IBOOS, by means of the Identity- Based digital Signature (IBS) scheme and the Identity- Based Online/Offline digital Signature (IBOOS) scheme, correspondingly. In this paper, after rigorous practical and theoretical analysis, we have designed efficient protocols to provide defense against innumerable security attacks in the clustered wireless sensor deployment environments. We have tried to address challenges like communication and computation overhead along with security to increase the performance of the deployed sensors. The results show that the proposed protocols have better performance than the existing secure protocols for CWSNs, in terms of security overhead and energy consumption.  Most existing time synchronization schemes are vulnerable to several attacks.  Their low costs impede use of expensive tamper- resistant hardware. Existing solutions are provided for distributed WSNs, but not for CWSNs.It reduces the possibility of a node joining with a CH.Problem occurs when a node does not share a pairwise key with others in its preloaded key ring. In the proposed protocols pairing parameters are distributed and preloaded in all sensor nodes by the BS initially. It overcomes the key escrow problem of the ID-based cryptosystem and is efficient in communication and saves energy. And Solve the orphan node problem in the secure data transmission with asymmetric key management and is more feasible.
In vitro maturation and fertilization techniques for assessment of semen quality and boar fertility.

The reliability of using different in vitro-derived measures of sperm quality to predict boar fertility was examined. On three occasions during a 20-wk period of breeding, special collections of the first sperm-rich fraction of the ejaculate from six boars were carried out. After in vitro capacitation procedures, three dilutions (5 x 10(5), 1.25 x 10(5), and 3.125 x 10(4) sperm/mL) of these semen samples were used in a standardized in vitro fertilization (IVF) test with oocytes recovered from prepubertal slaughterhouse ovaries and matured in vitro. Routine assessments of sperm motility, concentration, and morphology were also carried out for all collections used for AI during the 20-wk period. Semen from the same ejaculate, processed according to normal commercial practice using the AndroHEP extender, was used to inseminate equal numbers of recently weaned sows with either 3 x 10(9) or 2 x 10(9) total sperm, three times during the estrous period. Data from a total of 444 sows were used to determine boar fertility; between 12 and 54 sows were bred with each semen dose across the six boars. All measures of sperm fertilizing ability in vitro were different among boars (all P < .05) and use of different semen dilutions for IVF allowed further discrimination of apparent sperm quality among boars. The laboratory evaluation of semen collected during the period of breeding indicated effects of boar on ejaculate volume, total number of sperm per ejaculate, motility, and the percentage of sperm with normal morphology (all P < .01). Sperm dose used in AI had no effect on farrowing rate (80.7 vs 81.5%), but the lower AI dose resulted in a reduction (P < .05) in total numbers born (10.8 vs 10.0). For all three semen dilutions, estimated potential embryo production rate accounted for up to 70% of the variation in litter size obtained with 3 x 10(9) sperm per AI dose, and the number of sperm attached per oocyte was a major factor accounting for variation in litter size obtained with 2 x 10(9) sperm per AI dose. These IVF variables may, therefore, be effective indicators of boar sperm quality for use in AI. With 2 x 10(9) sperm per AI dose, the percentage of sperm with normal morphology also explained a large part of the variance in litter size born (R2 = .59), indicating that morphological characteristics are a useful measure of semen quality.
Identifying population differences in lung function: results from the Allied Dunbar national fitness survey.

In order to identify valid population differences in lung function (e.g. occupational, ethnic), it is necessary to adjust for known confounding variables (e.g. age, body size). The present paper proposes appropriate methods for analysing forced expiratory volume (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max), recorded as part of the Allied Dunbar national fitness survey (ADNFS). The ADNFS randomly selected subjects from 30 regional sites throughout England. Measurements of FEV1, FVC and complete records of other relevant information were available on 2672 subjects. Traditional analyses of co-variance (ANCOVA) were found to be inappropriate to investigate population differences in FEV1 and FVC, due to a significant increase in error variance with age. However, by fitting a multiplicative model with allometric body size components to the FEV1 and FVC measurements using weighted log-linear regression, valid and plausible associations with body size, age, smoking, and physical activity, together with 'gender specific' regional differences in lung function were identified. Further insight was obtained when FEV1 and FVC were included into the multiplicative model to predict VO2 max. The apparent advantage of being taller when predicting VO2 max, was explained more accurately by the subjects' superior FVC. In summary, by fitting the multiplicative 'allometric' model using weighted log-linear regression, valid population differences in lung function were identified. Regions containing a higher proportion of working-class, unemployed or less affluent subjects were found to be associated with below average lung function performances.
Cloning, expression and characterization of insulin-degrading enzyme from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

Abstract A cDNA encoding insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) was cloned from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and expressed in Escherichia coli in N-terminal fusion with glutathione S-transferase. GST-SlIDE was characterized as a neutral thiol-dependent metallopeptidase with insulinase activity: the recombinant enzyme cleaved the oxidized insulin B chain at eight peptide bonds, six of which are also targets of human IDE. Despite a certain preference for proline in the vicinity of the cleavage site, synthetic peptides were cleaved at apparently stochastic positions indicating that SlIDE, similar to IDEs from other organisms, does not recognize any particular amino acid motif in the primary structure of its substrates. Under steady-state conditions, an apparent K m of 62±7 μm and a catalytic efficiency (k cat/K m) of 62±15 mm -1 s-1 were determined for Abz-SKRDPPKMQTDLY(NO3)-NH2 as the substrate. GST-SlIDE was effectively inhibited by ATP at physiological concentrations, suggesting regulation of its activity in response to the energy status of the cell. While mammalian and plant IDEs share many of their biochemical properties, this similarity does not extend to their function in vivo, because insulin and the β-amyloid peptide, well-established substrates of mammalian IDEs, as well as insulin-related signaling appear to be absent from plant systems.
Cultural differences in ageing in the UKA significant knowledge gap

The idea that ageing means different things to different people is an intuitive one, however, the Commission has found that not only are there different understandings of what it means to age healthily, but there are also different understandings about what is important in relation to facilitating that process and how, when, and why it works. Ageing healthily is often differently understood in relation to people’s culture and identity. Existing research into cultural understandings of ageing is limited. Whilst authors have commented that “ageing is also not necessarily ethnically neutral” (Bowling, 1993: 449) and there is a growing body of literature on specific groups experiences of ageing, there is limited research of this kind within the UK. Further, there is a paucity of research about either cultural differences in relation to ageing or how specific groups in the UK understand these issues and how they negotiate ageing as a process. Gleaning these perspectives is essential to understanding ageing in a multi-cultural British society, and even more significant in areas such as Birmingham that are experiencing superdiversity.
Design and optimization of a synchronous reluctance machine with salient poles and flux barriers

The electromagnetic torque of a synchronous reluctance machine with massive iron poles strongly depends on the ratio Xd / Xq . Generally, a high ratio of Xd / Xq can be achieved by a diminution of magnetic circuits saturation facing the transverse axis. For this purpose, the principle of flux barrier is carried out by introducing a slight modification on the usual massive pole. These modifications consist in digging one slot along the axis of the rotor poles: this manufacture must be simple in order to preserve their sturdiness and their rigidity. The developed method is applied to a motor particularly designed for special features (vehicle rim, winch) and special conditions (hostile environment), with an exterior rotor (rim motor).
Novel reconfigurable 8 - shape PIFA antenna using PIN diode

A frequency reconfigurable Planar Inverted-F Antenna (RPIFA) antenna is proposed. From an initial 8-shape patch antenna by connecting or disconnecting one or more PIN diode, ten different structures are obtained. Corresponding to ten different geometries such as I-shape patch, U-shape patch, E-shape patch, etc, the antenna can be tuned in two frequency bands from 2GHz to 3GHz and from 4GHz to 7GHz. The novel RPIFA antenna is designed and optimized using Genetic Algorithm (GA) and then it is implemented on FR4 substrate. The simulation and measurement results of antenna parameters are compared to show the performance of the developed antenna.