Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of glucose uptake by muscle. 3. The effects of insulin, anoxia, salicylate and 2:4-dinitrophenol on membrane transport and intracellular phosphorylation of glucose in the isolated rat heart.

In previous papers (Randle & Smith, 1958a, b) evidence was presented that insulin, anoxia and substances such as salicylate or 2:4-dinitrophenol, which inhibit oxidative phosphorylation, increase the uptake of glucose and D-xylose by isolated rat diaphragm by accelerating the transfer of these sugars across the muscle-cell membrane. The conclusion was drawn that the transfer process for sugars in muscle is inhibited by a substance generated during oxidative phosphorylation and that insulin activates the transfer process by interfering with the action of this substance. The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of anoxia, salicylate and 2:4-dinitrophenol on the uptake of sugars by muscle in more detail. For this purpose the uptake of a sugar such as glucose which is phosphorylated by muscle can be considered to involve three sequential steps: (i) passage of sugar from the interior of the capillary to the cell membrane, (ii) transfer of sugar across the cell membrane, and (iii) phosphorylation of sugar within the cell (with sugars such as Dxylose or L-arabinose, which are not phosphorylated, step iii is not involved). The rate of uptake of glucose depends on the resistance to the flow of the sugar through each of these steps individually but the one which has the greatest resistance will be predominantly rate-limiting. It follows therefore that any factor which accelerates uptake must affect this step in particular. One consequence of this may be that another step becomes rate-limiting. The isolated perfused rat heart has been used for measurement of the uptake process in these investigations. Pertinent information obtained previously with this tissue is as follows. In the heart from the normal animal passage of sugars between the capillary and the cell membrane occurs very rapidly and does not affect the rate of uptake appreciably (Morgan, Cadenas & Park, 1958). Transfer across the cell membrane, on the other hand, appears to constitute a major barrier to the
Evaluation of Community‐Intervention Trials via Generalized Linear Mixed Models

Summary In community‐intervention trials, communities, rather than individuals, are randomized to experimental arms. Generalized linear mixed models offer a flexible parametric framework for the evaluation of community‐intervention trials, incorporating both systematic and random variations at the community and individual levels. We propose here a simple two‐stage inference method for generalized linear mixed models, specifically tailored to the analysis of community‐intervention trials. In the first stage, community‐specific random effects are estimated from individual‐level data, adjusting for the effects of individual‐level covariates. This reduces the model approximately to a linear mixed model with the unit of analysis being community. Because the number of communities is typically small in community‐intervention studies, we apply the small‐sample inference method of Kenward and Roger (1997, Biometrics53, 983–997) to the linear mixed model of second stage. We show by simulation that, under typical settings of community‐intervention studies, the proposed approach improves the inference on the intervention‐effect parameter uniformly over both the linearized mixed‐effect approach and the adaptive Gaussian quadrature approach for generalized linear mixed models. This work is motivated by a series of large randomized trials that test community interventions for promoting cancer preventive lifestyles and behaviors.
Distribution of nerve growth factor‐like immunoreactive neurons in the adult rat brain following colchicine treatment

Using immunohistochemical techniques, we have previously localized nerve growth factor (NGF)‐like immunoreactivity in the normal adult rat centralnervous system (CNS) exclusively in the hippocampal mossy fiber region andwithin basal forebrain cholinergic neurons—a cell population believed to be primary NGF consumers within the CNS. In the present investigation, we have attempted to identify potential producers of NGF by pretreating animals with colchicine. Such a treatment would be expected to block microtubule‐assisted neuritic transport mechanisms, thus preventing the accumulation of antigens normally obtained by retrograde transport and forcingthe accumulation of cell products normally exported anterogradely. Forty‐eight hours after colchicine administration within their innervation territories, basal forebrain cholinergic neurons showed a marked loss of NGF‐like immunoreactivity. Conversely, following colchicine treatment, many new populations of NGF‐like immunoreactive cells were detected, several of which have been previously observed with in situ hybridization techniques for NGF mRNA. Many NGF‐like immunoreactive populations, however, were not previously recognized by in situ hybridization methods, including cells of the striatum, reticular thalamic nucleus, paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, supraoptic nucleus, lateral and medial septum, substantia innominata, and nucleus basalis. Furthermore, evidence is provided that colchicine‐blocked, NGF‐like immunoreactive neurons within the basal forebrain are not cholinergic, thus reinforcing the hypothesis that trophic support for these NGF‐dependent neurons may be derived from distant and local sources. The distinctive distribution of NGF‐like immunoreactive cells observed in this study strongly correlates with the reported distribution of NGF mRNA in CNS neurons, thus suggesting that our antibodies are uniquely recognizing NGF and not other related neurotrophins. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A modified helical shaped deployable antenna for cubesats

This paper presents a new antenna design for CubeSat application. The antenna is a modified helix designed on top of 10cm × 30 cm satellite. The antenna deploys with a 120 cm × 120 cm ground plane to achieve a UHF wideband operation with a reduced back lobe radiation. The antenna exhibits circular polarization with a gain of at least 7 dB for most operating frequencies.
Why are There Rich and Poor Countries? Symmetry-Breaking in the World Economy

To explain cross-country differences in economic performance, the economics of coordination failures typically portrays each country in a closed economy model with multiple equilibria and then argues that the poor countries are in an equilibrium inferior to those achieved by the rich. This approach cannot tell us anything about the degree of inequality in the world economy. A more satisfactory approach would be to build a world economy model and show why it has to be separated into the rich and the poor regions, i.e., to demonstrate the co-existence of the rich and poor as an inevitable aspect of the world trading system. In the present model, the symmetry-breaking of the world economy into the rich and the poor occurs because international trade causes agglomeration of different economic activities in different regions of the world. International trade thus creates a kind of pecking order among nations, and as in a game of musical chairs, some countries must be excluded from being rich.
Analysis of interleukin receptor gene expression in mouse fetal liver by quantitative polymerase chain reaction

We describe a simplified and sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based method for the quantification of low‐abundance RNA for mouse cytokine receptor genes. Accurate quantification is achieved in a two‐step protocol which uses a synthetic RNA as an internal standard. The proper titration of the amount of mRNA molecules is followed by a kinetic analysis which ensures precise measurement. This quantitative PCR method provides a rapid and reliable way to quantify the amount of cytokine receptor mRNA in samples containing as few as 1000 molecules of RNA for a cytokine receptor target gene. We illustrate our approach by quantifying mRNA levels for two families of cytokine receptor genes in the fetal liver and bone marrow of the mouse. Our results reveal early and abundant expression of the genes encoding the signal transducing subunits interleukin‐2 receptor γ and gp130. Their expression seems to precede that of the genes encoding the specific subunits of these interleukin receptor systems.
Reconfigurable pentagonal slot based 4-element MIMO antennas

In this paper, a compact 4-element multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system is presented. The proposed antenna design is planar in structure with a wide tuning capability. Pentagonal slot antennas are used for this purpose. The MIMO antenna design is optimized to cover various subbands of WiMAX standard (3.4–3.6 GHz) along with several others. The antenna is tuned to cover frequency band from 3.230 GHz to 3.880 GHz. Reconfigurability is achieved electronically using varactor diodes by varying the capacitance of the pentagonal slot antenna. In addition, dual band-notched slot lines are etched out from ground (GND) plane to enhance the isolation between the closely spaced antenna elements. The design is suitable for wireless handheld devices in WiMAX applications and cognitive radio (CR) platforms. Simulation and measurement results are in good agreement.
The FAD–Plus: Measuring Lay Beliefs Regarding Free Will and Related Constructs

We describe the development of FAD–Plus, a 27-item measure of lay beliefs in free will and 3 closely related constructs: scientific determinism, fatalistic determinism, and unpredictability. Previously published measures included only a subset of these variables and tended to assume an a priori pattern of relations among these 4 beliefs. In Study 1, exploratory factor analyses suggested relatively independent factors. This independence was sustained in Study 2, using a confirmatory analysis. Each of the 4 subscales (Free Will, Scientific Determinism, Fatalistic Determinism, and Unpredictability) showed acceptable internal consistencies. Study 2 also mapped out associations with the Big Five personality traits and showed that believing in free will is not synonymous with having an internal locus of control. Study 3 replicated the instrument's structure and subscale reliabilities in a community sample. Preliminary applications are described.
Androgen deprivation therapy with Leuprolide acetate for treatment of advanced prostate cancer

ABSTRACT Introduction: Hormone sensitive advanced prostate cancer (PCa) is an incurable disease that is treated with a variety of hormonal therapies targeting the androgen/androgen receptor signaling axis. For decades androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) by surgical or chemical castration is the gold standard for the treatment of advanced PCa. Areas covered: This review discusses the pharmacological features of Leuprolide, a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists/analog and the most commonly used drug in ADT. Expert opinion: Although Leuprolide has been on the market for more than 30 years it is still the leading option for ADT and serves as a basis for most multimodal therapy concepts. The fact that with the onset of castration-resistance in late stage metastatic disease, a prolongation of ADT in combination with a second line hormonal manipulation is recommended supports the importance of the compound for daily clinical practice.
Nonlinear Identification of Ph Process using Support Vector Machine

This paper discusses the application of support vector machine in the area of identification of nonlinear dynamical systems. The aim of this paper is to identify suitable model structure for nonlinear dynamic system. In this paper, Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference Systems (ANFIS) and Support Vector Regression (SVR) models are applied for identification of highly nonlinear dynamic process. The results obtained by ANFIS and SVR are compared. The simulation results show that SVR is very effective to identify the nonlinear system.
Adaptive packet selection for clock recovery

Packet delay variation (PDV) is a dominant source of noise in packet-based synchronization systems. To filter this type of noise, many clock recovery algorithms select packets based on the sample-minimum statistic of the network transit time. Although such a filter can be very effective in certain types of networks, there are just as many networks and background traffic patterns for which sample-minimum is far from optimal. In this paper, we propose a filter that dynamically evaluates multiple packet selection criteria and selects the one that currently minimizes the noise. We also present the results of an experimental evaluation of the new adaptive filter.
A partially structured region of a largely unstructured protein, Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2), forms amyloid‐like fibrils

Merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2) from the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is expressed as a GPI‐anchored protein on the merozoite surface. It has been implicated in the process of erythrocyte invasion and is a leading vaccine candidate. MSP2 is an intrinsically unstructured protein (IUP), and recombinant MSP2 forms amyloid‐like fibrils upon storage. We have examined synthetic peptides corresponding to sequences in the conserved N‐terminal region of MSP2 for the presence of local structure and the ability to form fibrils related to those formed by full‐length MSP2. In a 25‐residue peptide corresponding to the entire N‐terminal region of mature MSP2, structures calculated from NMR data show the presence of nascent helical and turn‐like structures. An 8‐residue peptide from the central region of the N‐terminal domain (residues 8–15) also formed a turn‐like structure. Both peptides formed fibrils that were similar but not identical to the amyloid‐like fibrils formed by full‐length MSP2. Notably, the fibrils formed by the peptides bound both Congo Red and Thioflavin T, whereas the fibrils formed by full‐length MSP2 bound only Congo Red. The propensity of peptides from the N‐terminal conserved region of MSP2 to form amyloid‐like fibrils makes it likely that this region contributes to fibril formation by the full‐length protein. Thus, in contrast to the more common pathway of amyloid formation by structured proteins, which proceeds via partially unfolded intermediates that then undergo β‐aggregation, MSP2 is an example of a largely unstructured protein with at least one small structured region that has an important role in fibril formation. Copyright © 2007 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Variability of measurements of sweat sodium using the regional absorbent-patch method.

CONTEXT There is interest in including recommendations for the replacement of the sodium lost in sweat in individualized hydration plans for athletes. PURPOSE Although the regional absorbent-patch method provides a practical approach to measuring sweat sodium losses in field conditions, there is a need to understand the variability of estimates associated with this technique. METHODS Sweat samples were collected from the forearms, chest, scapula, and thigh of 12 cyclists during 2 standardized cycling time trials in the heat and 2 in temperate conditions. Single measure analysis of sodium concentration was conducted immediately by ion-selective electrodes (ISE). A subset of 30 samples was frozen for reanalysis of sodium concentration using ISE, flame photometry (FP), and conductivity (SC). RESULTS Sweat samples collected in hot conditions produced higher sweat sodium concentrations than those from the temperate environment (P = .0032). A significant difference (P = .0048) in estimates of sweat sodium concentration was evident when calculated from the forearm average (mean ± 95% CL; 64 ± 12 mmol/L) compared with using a 4-site equation (70 ± 12 mmol/L). There was a high correlation between the values produced using different analytical techniques (r2 = .95), but mean values were different between treatments (frozen FP, frozen SC > immediate ISE > frozen ISE; P < .0001). CONCLUSION Whole-body sweat sodium concentration estimates differed depending on the number of sites included in the calculation. Environmental testing conditions should be considered in the interpretation of results. The impact of sample freezing and subsequent analytical technique was small but statistically significant. Nevertheless, when undertaken using a standardized protocol, the regional absorbent-patch method appears to be a relatively robust field test.
Mining cancer data with discrete particle swarm optimization and rule pruning

Cancer is one of the most the gravest problems facing mankind. In 2008, it is estimated that over 7.6 million lives have been claimed by cancer. Early and precise detection plays a key role in treating the disease and improve survivability of patient. Among data classification algorithms, discrete particle swarm optimization (DPSO), a technique based on standard PSO has proved to be competitive in predicting breast cancer, and in this paper, we implement a classifier using DPSO with new rule pruning procedure for detecting lung cancer and breast cancer, which are the most common cancer for men and women. Experiment shows the new pruning method further improves the classification accuracy, and the new approach is effective in making cancer prediction.
High-Voltage-Tolerant Analog Circuits Design in Deep-Submicrometer CMOS Technologies

Electrical stress-relieved analog circuit design techniques using only baseline devices are presented, 1-to-2 logic level shifter, optional diode insertion, and adaptive biasing scheme are introduced to meet a reliability guideline that ensures sufficient lifetime. The proposed idea was successfully demonstrated with 12-bit I/Q digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and an operational amplifier having a Classs-AB output stage in 65-nm n-well CMOS technology and a high temperature operating life (HTOL) test was performed to evaluate the reliability of the design.
Conserved Salt Bridge between the N- and C-Terminal Heptad Repeat Regions of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 gp41 Core Structure Is Critical for Virus Entry and Inhibition

ABSTRACT The fusogenic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) gp41 core structure is a stable six-helix bundle formed by its N- and C-terminal heptad repeat sequences. Notably, the negatively charged residue Asp632 located at the pocket-binding motif in the C-terminal heptad repeat interacts with the positively charged residue Lys574 in the pocket formation region of the N-terminal heptad repeat to form a salt bridge. We previously demonstrated that the residue Lys574 plays an essential role in six-helix bundle formation and virus infectivity and is a key determinant of the target for anti-HIV fusion inhibitors. In this study, the functionality of residue Asp632 has been specifically characterized by mutational analysis and biophysical approaches. We show that Asp632 substitutions with positively charged residues (D632K and D632R) or a hydrophobic residue (D632V) could completely abolish Env-mediated viral entry, while a protein with a conserved substitution (D632E) retained its activity. Similar to the Lys574 mutations, nonconserved substitutions of Asp632 also severely impaired the α-helicity, stability, and conformation of six-helix bundles as shown by N36 and C34 peptides as a model system. Furthermore, nonconserved substitutions of Asp632 significantly reduced the potency of C34 to sequestrate six-helix bundle formation and to inhibit HIV-1-mediated cell-cell fusion and infection, suggesting its importance for designing antiviral fusion inhibitors. Taken together, these data suggest that the salt bridge between the N- and C-terminal heptad repeat regions of the fusion-active HIV-1 gp41 core structure is critical for viral entry and inhibition.
Studying Economic Growth: An Avenue for Enhancing Student Empirical Skills

The study of economic growth provides an opportunity for students to exercise their empirical skills, reinforcing the tool building that occurs in statistics and math courses. Descriptive analysis allows lower level students to develop their ability to work with data as they examine how fast the economy has grown, ascertain the regularity versus irregularity of this growth, test whether the U.S. economy is slowing down, and perform simple extrapolation forecasts. Explanatory analysis allows higher level students in macro and econometric courses to see how theory and empirics can complement each other, and see why econometric issues matter, as they seek estimates for parameters consistent with the theory. The activities presented here may be of interest to those seeking to enhance the teaching of analytical skills “across the curriculum. ”
Asynchrony of Seasons: Genetic Differentiation Associated with Geographic Variation in Climatic Seasonality and Reproductive Phenology

Many organisms exhibit distinct breeding seasons tracking food availability. If conspecific populations inhabit areas that experience different temporal cycles in food availability spurred by variation in precipitation regimes, then they should display asynchronous breeding seasons. Thus, such populations might exhibit a temporal barrier to gene flow, which may potentially promote genetic differentiation. We test a central prediction of this hypothesis, namely, that individuals living in areas with more asynchronous precipitation regimes should be more genetically differentiated than individuals living in areas with more similar precipitation regimes. Using mitochondrial DNA sequences, climatic data, and geographical/ecological distances between individuals of 57 New World bird species mostly from the tropics, we examined the effect of asynchronous precipitation (a proxy for asynchronous resource availability) on genetic differentiation. We found evidence for a positive and significant cross-species effect of precipitation asynchrony on genetic distance after accounting for geographical/ecological distances, suggesting that current climatic conditions may play a role in population differentiation. Spatial asynchrony in climate may thus drive evolutionary divergence in the absence of overt geographic barriers to gene flow; this mechanism contrasts with those invoked by most models of biotic diversification emphasizing physical or ecological changes to the landscape as drivers of divergence.
A Layered Approach to Building a Semantic Web Application for Pathological Gross Description

In our research we implemented the PathOnt system for the computerized input of gross description that enables knowledge modelers and users with different roles to collaborate with each other. PathOnt that is built upon the reusable pathological ontology facilitates the interactions not only between end-users of medical information but also between different applications using semantic web markup languages.
Automatic structural testing using genetic algorithms

Genetic algorithms have been used to generate test sets automatically by searching the domain of the software for suitable values to satisfy a predefined testing criterion. These criteria have been set by the requirements for test data set adequacy of structural testing, such as obtaining full branch coverage and controlling the number of iterations of a conditional loop. This technique has been applied successfully to several problems, varying in complexity from a quadratic equation solver to a generic sort module that comprises several procedures. In these cases, full branch coverage was obtained. Genetic algorithms could be applied to approaches other than structural testing, provided that the goal of the testing is clearly defined, and a fitness function which relates to this goal can be devised to give a single numeric value for the fitness. The quality of the test data is enhanced by designing the fitness function to generate data close to a subdomain boundary where the likelihood of revealing an error is higher.