Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acetylcholine-Activated Ion Channels in Embryonic Cockroach Neurones Growing in Culture

Summary Application of acetylcholine and carbamylcholine to cultured cockroach neurones held under whole-cell voltage-clamp conditions evoked an inward current that was accompanied by an increase in current noise. Fluctuation analysis of the noise revealed the existence of two Lorentzian components in acetylcholine, of corner frequencies 10 ± 0-6 Hz and 116 ± 9 Hz, and one Lorentzian component in carbamylcholine, of corner frequency 35 ± 13 Hz. Single-channel analysis of the unitary currents evoked by acetylcholine or carbamylcholine in neurones held in the cell-attached mode of the patch-clamp technique revealed the presence of two categories of channel events. The large events had mean currents of 4-77 pA with acetylcholine and 5-09 pA with carbamylcholine, and the small events 1-92 pA (acetylcholine) and l-72pA (carbamylcholine) for a hyperpolarization of 60 mV. The reversal potentials for these currents relative to the resting potential were estimated to be — 70 mV for acetylcholine and — 68 mV for carbamylcholine, and the conductance values calculated from the I/V curves were 37 pS (large) and 19 pS (small) for acetylcholine and 52 pS (large) and 15 pS (small) for carbamylcholine. It is concluded that embryonic cockroach neurones growing in vitro possess two populations of acetylcholine-activated ion channels, and the possibility that one of these represents an embryonic receptor and the other an adult receptor is discussed.
Glycogen metabolism in muscle in uremia.

The effect of surgical trauma or acute uremia on glycogen metabolism of skeletal muscle was investigated in bilaterally nephrectomized and sham-operated rats. Glycogen content was decreased due to enhanced glycogenolysis (as determined by increased activation of phos- phorylase a 20 and 40 hr after operation) and decreased glycogen synthesis (glycogen synthetase I activity in fasting rats was only about 10% at 20 and 40 hr after operation as compared with control rats). In skeletal muscle of I-strain (phosphorylase kinase deficient) mice, glycogen concentration was 5-fold higher compared with control mice or rats. In contrast to the very low muscle glycogen content in skeletal muscle of acutely uremic fasting rats there was no decrease in muscle glycogen in fasting I-strain mice 8 or 24 hr after bilateral nephrectomy or sham operation, respectively. This indicates a key role for phosphorylase kinase in the pathogenesis of glycogen depletion in acute uremia or in postoperative stress. The feeding of large amounts of serine in combination with a high-calorie, mixed low-protein diet maximally stimulates glycogen synthesis in rat skeletal muscle. In agreement with . these findings, we were able to isolate a protein glycogen complex from rat skeletal muscle 60 hr after bilateral nephrectomy in serine treated animals. Due to a lower phosphorylase a activity in these animals (30%) as compared to nonserine treated rats (70%), flash activation of this enzyme could be induced in the presence of Ca�, � and ATP. Am. J. Cliii. Nut,. 33: 1461-1467, 1980. Studies by Bergstrom and Hultman (1) revealed a substantial decline (60 to 70%) in muscle glycogen stores in patients with acute renal failure. This phenomenon was indepen- dent of the cause of acute renal failure, but its magnitude was highest in patients with postsurgical acute uremia. A comparable low- ering of muscle glycogen was recorded by the same authors in the postoperative course of nonuremic surgical patients (2). In contrast, normal glycogen content was observed in patients with chronic renal failure with serum creatinine levels up to 25 mg/dl (1). In chronic uremic rats (90% nephrectomy) with a mean blood urea nitrogen of 105 mg/dl, the muscle glycogen stores are also normal (3). In addition, these rats had a 3-fold increase of the cyclic AMP dependent protein kinase and doubling of the phosphorylase a activity as compared to sham-operated animals. Simi- larby, the active I-form ofglycogen synthetase was significantly increased. These findings are consistent with an enhanced glycogen turnover in skeletal muscle of chronic uremic rats (3).
The COOH-terminal Transactivation Domain Plays a Key Role in Regulating the in Vitro and in Vivo Function of Pax3 Homeodomain*

Efficient transcription activation by Pax3 requires binding to a complex DNA sequence element containing binding sites for both the paired domain and the Prd type homeodomain. Previously, we have shown that this requirement is lost in PAX3-FKHR, the product of a t(2;13) chromosomal translocation associated with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. In contrast to Pax3, the chimeric PAX3-FKHR, which acts as an oncogene, can efficiently activate a DNA sequence element containing only a homeodomain binding site (TAATAN2–3ATTA), despite the presence of an intact Pax3 paired domain. Here, we showed that this alteration in sequence-specific transcription activity was determined in part by the transactivation domain. First, we demonstrated that in intact Pax3, substitution of the Pax3 transactivation domain with an unrelated viral VP16 transactivation domain enabled Pax3 to transactivate homeodomain-specific DNA sequence, as well as to transform fibroblasts. Furthermore, we could abolish the homeodomain-dependent transcription and transforming activities of PAX3-FKHR by replacing its FKHR transactivation domain with Pax3 transactivation domain. Collectively, these results suggested that the transactivation domain influences the DNA binding specificity of Pax3. The translocation process increased the oncogenic potential of Pax3 by removing the inhibitory action of Pax3 transactivation domain on its homeodomain.
The EPISKIN Phototoxicity Assay ( EPA ) : Development of an in vitro tiered strategy to predict phototoxic potential

The aim of the study was to investigate the ability of human reconstructed epidermis EpiSkin to assess the phototoxic potential of chemicals following topical or systemic treatment. Three categories of chemicals according to their available human phototoxic potential were evaluated: systemic phototoxic, topical phototoxic and non phototoxic chemicals. Products were applied topically or added to the underlying culture medium (systemic-like administration) at non cytotoxic concentrations. Following treatment, tissues were exposed to a non cytotoxic dose of UVA (50J.cm). Cell viability and pro-inflammatory mediators (IL-1α) were investigated 22h after UVA exposure. Our results showed that the phototoxic potential of chemicals can be assessed using cell viability endpoints combined with pro-inflammatory mediator measurements (cytokine IL-1α) in a 3-D epidermis model. The EPA was able to discriminate efficiently between phototoxic and non phototoxic products. Furthermore, the EPA is sensitive to the administration route in the prediction of the phototoxic potential. Differences observed between the 2 routes of administration (topical or systemic–like) may be linked in part to chemicals bioavailability which depends on specific penetration potential, epidermis barrier function and also on keratinocytes absorption/metabolization processes. The performances of the EPA showed that the EpiSkin model is an efficient tool able to integrate decision-making processes to address the question of phototoxicity linked to the administration route.
Dual-loop primary frequency regulation controller for VSC-HVDC system

This paper presents a frequency control mechanism for an AC system through the active and reactive power loops of a VSC-HVDC system. The proposed scheme makes use of the reactive power loop for inertia support by exploiting the voltage-power sensitivity of loads, and active power droop control has been used to provide governor-like support following the large-disturbance. The performance of the presented controller is evaluated through various simulation case studies in DIgSILENT Power Factory including small-perturbation to demonstrate the effect of the frequency controller in system electromechanical mode damping. From the set of case studies it can be found that the proposed dual-loop control has favorable effects on the frequency behaviour and the inter-area mode damping of the system.
Situational Leadership Style as a Predictor of Success and Productivity Among Taiwanese Business Organizations

Abstract The present study was an evaluation of the impact of Taiwanese leadership styles on the productivity of Taiwanese business organizations. Specifically, it looked at the impact that both adaptive and nonadaptive leaders have on 6 measures of productivity: absenteeism, turnover rate, quality of work, reject rates, profitability, and units produced. The results indicated that the greater the level of adaptability, the more productive the organization is likely to be. Although not all of the computed correlations were statistically significant, they were all in the predicted directions. In particular, the findings for units produced and reject rates were consistently statistically significant. The study was also an examination of the usefulness of the Leadership Effectiveness and Adaptability Description (LEAD) questionnaire (P. Hersey & K. Blanchard, 1988), which appeared to be an accurate predictor of adaptability and valid for use in Taiwan. The final part of this study was an investigation of whether successful companies were more likely to have a greater percentage of adaptive leaders than unsuccessful companies. The data supported this expectation, although it is suggested that caution be used in the interpretation of this particular finding because it could have several different explanations. Overall, the evidence supported the value of adaptive leadership styles in high-technology industries in Taiwan.
Joint optimization of LCMV beamforming and acoustic echo cancellation for automatic speech recognition

For full-duplex hands-free acoustic human/machine interfaces, a combination of acoustic echo cancellation and speech enhancement is often required in order to suppress acoustic echoes, local interference and noise. In order to exploit positive synergies between acoustic echo cancellation and speech enhancement optimally, we previously presented a combined least-squares (LS) optimization criterion for the integration of acoustic echo cancellation and adaptive linearly-constrained minimum variance (LCMV) beamforming (Herbordt, W. et al., Proc. EURASIP European Sig. Process. Conf., 2004). By means of speech recognition experiments, we now illustrate the efficiency of the proposed solution in situations with high levels of background noise and with time-varying echo paths and frequent double-talk.
Neutralizing Antibodies to Adenovirus Serotype 5 Vaccine Vectors Are Directed Primarily against the Adenovirus Hexon Protein1

The utility of recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (rAd5) vector-based vaccines for HIV-1 and other pathogens will likely be limited by the high prevalence of pre-existing Ad5-specific neutralizing Abs (NAbs) in human populations. However, the immunodominant targets of Ad5-specific NAbs in humans remain poorly characterized. In this study, we assess the titers and primary determinants of Ad5-specific NAbs in individuals from both the United States and the developing world. Importantly, median Ad5-specific NAb titers were >10-fold higher in sub-Saharan Africa compared with the United States. Moreover, hexon-specific NAb titers were 4- to 10-fold higher than fiber-specific NAb titers in these cohorts by virus neutralization assays using capsid chimeric viruses. We next performed adoptive transfer studies in mice to evaluate the functional capacity of hexon- and fiber-specific NAbs to suppress the immunogenicity of a prototype rAd5-Env vaccine. Hexon-specific NAbs were remarkably efficient at suppressing Env-specific immune responses elicited by the rAd5 vaccine. In contrast, fiber-specific NAbs exerted only minimal suppressive effects on rAd5 vaccine immunogenicity. These data demonstrate that functionally significant Ad5-specific NAbs are directed primarily against the Ad5 hexon protein in both humans and mice. These studies suggest a potential strategy for engineering novel Ad5 vectors to evade dominant Ad5-specific NAbs.
Reconstitution of Ceruloplasmin by the Cu(I)-Glutathione Complex

The copper-glutathione complex (Cu(I)-GSH) efficiently acted in vitro as the source of Cu(I) in the reconstitution of apoceruloplasmin. Copper was found to reinstate in the various sites in a multistep process, with metal entry into the protein in a first phase, and a second step involving conformational changes of the protein leading to the recovery of the native structural and functional properties. This latter phase was found to be strongly facilitated by Mg or Ca and by ATP. Both Mg and ATP had to be present for optimal reconstitution. These results may shed some light on the mechanisms governing the biosynthesis of ceruloplasmin in vivo. Cu(I)-GSH was the only complex able to reconstitute ceruloplasmin at neutral pH. Glutathione may thus function to shuttle the metal from the membrane copper pump, as the Wilson disease ATPase, and ceruloplasmin in the secretory compartments of the cell. The finding that ceruloplasmin acquires the native conformation after metal entry through a complex pathway triggered by Mg and ATP suggests that they may act as physiological modulators of this process in vivo.
An in ovo chicken model to study the systemic and localized teratogenic effects of valproic acid.

BACKGROUND The antiepileptic valproic acid (VPA) is a teratogen whose embryopathic mechanism(s) remain uncertain. Elucidating potential cellular and molecular effects of VPA is complicated by systemic application paradigms. We developed an in ovo model to reproduce the teratogenic effects of VPA and a localized VPA application procedure to determine whether VPA can selectively effect abnormal development in one region of the embryo. METHODS VPA was applied topically to chicken embryos in ovo at different embryonic stages. Embryos were later evaluated for gross and skeletal anomalies. Pax-2 and Pax-6 protein expression in the developing eye was also evaluated because VPA-induced eye anomalies are similar to those seen by the disruption of Pax-2 and Pax-6. For localized application, a thin sheet of the synthetic polymer Elvax was impregnated with VPA. A small piece of the VPA-impregnated polymer was applied directly to the presumptive wing bud region in Stage 10-17 embryos. Embryos were examined for gross and skeletal anomalies. Sham controls were employed for all experiments. RESULTS Chicken embryos exposed to VPA in ovo demonstrated increased mortality, growth delay and anomalies similar to ones previously seen in humans: neural tube, cardiovascular, craniofacial, limb and skeletal. Pax-2 and Pax-6 protein expression was qualitatively diminished in the eye. Localized wing bud VPA exposure caused structural abnormalities in the developing wing in the absence of other anomalies in the embryos. These wing defects were similar to those observed after topical whole-embryo VPA application. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that at least one mechanism for the teratogenicity of VPA involves a direct effect on developing tissue. The nature of the abnormalities observed implies that this effect may be mediated by disruption of genes that regulate pattern formation.
Knowledge and Perception of Sexual Health among Medical Undergraduates: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Sexual health education is paramount in curbing the rising numbers of sexual transmitted diseases in Malaysia. Medical undergraduates which are the future frontier play an utmost role in educating and quell the social barrier in discussion on this taboo topic. We aimed to determine the knowledge, perception and factors affecting sexual health education among medical students in MMMC and to advocate sexual health education at primary level. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 309 respondents comprises of Year 3, 4 and 5. Results: There was significant association between age, gender, religion and ethnicity and sexual health knowledge and perception score. Pearson correlation coefficient shows there was positive correlation (r = 0.059) between total sexual health knowledge percentage score and total perception score but was not significant. Conclusion: Medical undergraduates should improve their knowledge and perception regarding sexual health education. It is recommended to implement sexual education in high school curriculum and institution of higher learning in Malaysia as it is not implemented yet here due to political and religion sensitivity. It is also important that students develop personalities that are ready to accept exchange and contribute sensitive issues such as sexual health.
Crush Analysis of Compression Modeled Chopped Fiber Tubes

Chopped fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites can be very useful in developing lightweight high strength recyclable components for automobiles. Such parts can be produced using injection or compression molding process. In general compression molding is preferred as it can help retain the fiber length compared to injection molding process. The longer fiber results in improved structural properties. A computational method is introduced for the virtual simulation of performance of chopped fibers in polymer composites. This new approach did lead to the development of a specialized Multi-Scale Material Characterization of composite system comprising of: a) chopped fiber material modeling based on nano-mechanics failure theory considering fibers as inclusion, b) micro-macro mechanics, and damage failure theory, c) tensor stiffness averaging technique; and d) structural durability and damage tolerance (DD b) Mapping and Transformation - of statistical average tensor orientation from unstructured Moldex3D detailed model to LS-DYNA FE solver. In this regard GENOA platform software algorithm was used to perform 3D models data management and visualize the mapping error between two dissimilar meshes. And c) De-Homogenized Multi-Scale Progressive Failure Dynamic Analysis (MSPFDA) was employed to capture the damage and failure at multi scale levels, namely micro (constituents fiber/matrix) and macro through-the-thickness. The simulation results are compared with test provided load vs. displacement and acceleration vs. time curve. In addition the software prediction provided the damage and fracture evolution and the contributing failure mechanism. Keywords: Compression Molding, Chopped Fiber, crushed tube, De-homogenized modeling, Tensor orientation stiffness, Effect of defects, Strain Rate Effect.
Handheld shape discrimination hyperacuity test on a mobile device for remote monitoring of visual function in maculopathy.

PURPOSE Frequency monitoring of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) is crucial for timely intervention. This study evaluated a handheld shape discrimination hyperacuity (hSDH) test iPhone app designed for visual function self-monitoring in patients with AMD and DR. METHODS One hundred subjects (27 visually normal, 37 with AMD, and 36 with DR) were included based on clinical documentation and visual acuity of 20/100 or better. The hSDH test was implemented on the iOS platform. A cross-sectional study was conducted to compare the hSDH test with a previously established desktop SDH (dSDH) test and to assess the effect of disease severity on the hSDH test. A user survey was also conducted to assess the usability of the hSDH test on the mobile device. RESULTS The hSDH test and dSDH test were highly correlated (r = 0.88, P < 0.0001). Bland-Altman analysis indicated no significant difference in hSDH and dSDH measurements. One-way ANOVA indicated that the mean hSDH measurement of the eyes with advanced AMD (n = 16) or with severe to very severe nonproliferative DR (NPDR) (n = 12) was significantly worse than that of the eyes with intermediate AMD (n = 11) or with mild to moderate NPDR (n = 11) (P < 0.0001). Ninety-eight percent of 46 patients (10 with AMD and 36 with DR) who completed the usability survey reported that the hSDH test was easy to use. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that the hSDH test on a mobile device is comparable to PC-based testing methods. As a mobile app, it is intuitive to use, readily accessible, and sensitive to the severity of maculopathy. It has the potential to provide patients having maculopathy with a new tool to monitor their vision at home.
Multiple classifier system for plant leaf recognition

This paper presents a multiple classifier system (MCS) to identify plants species based on the texture and shape features extracted from leaf images. A diverse pool of SVM and Neural Network classifiers is trained on four different feature sets, namely, Local Binary Pattern (LBP), Histogram of Gradients (HOG), Speed of Robust Features (SURF) and Zernike Moments (ZM). Then, a static classifier selection method is used to search for the ensembles that maximize the average classification score. Experimental results on ImageCLEF 2011 and 2012 datasets have shown that combining different kind of classifiers trained on shape and texture features is an effective strategy for the plant automatic identification. The MCS improves the identification performance in up to 28% relative to the monolithic approach. Furthermore, the proposed approach also compares favourably with the best results reported in the literature for those datasets.
Multichannel Image Registration using Gabor Wavelet Transform

This paper proposes a multichannel image registration method which combines information from different modalities/channels to produce a unified joint registration. Multichannel images are created by coregistering multimodality images of the same subject to utilize information across modalities comprehensively. The existing methods combine the information at the image/intensity level.But the proposed method uses feature-level information fusion method to combine the complementary information from different modalities that characterize different tissue types. This is through Gabor wavelets transformation and Independent Component Analysis (ICA), to produce an inter-subject registration. Experiments on both simulated and real multichannel images illustrate the applicability and robustness of the proposed registration method that combines information across modalities.
Fast convolutive blind speech separation via subband adaptation

Summary form only given. We consider the problem of blind source separation (BSS) applied to speech signals. Due to reverberation, BSS in the time domain is usually expensive in terms of computations. We propose a subband BSS system based on the use of adaptive feedback de-mixing networks in an oversampled uniform DFT filter bank structure. We show that the computational cost can be significantly decreased if BSS is carried out in subbands due to the possibility of reducing the sampling rate. Experiments with real speech signals, conducted with two-input two-output BSS systems using oversampled 32-subband and fullband adaptation, indicate that separation quality and distortion are similar for both systems. However, the proposed subband system is more than 10 times faster computationally than the fullband one.