Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protein Arginine Methylation in Parasitic Protozoa

ABSTRACT Protozoa constitute the earliest branch of the eukaryotic lineage, and several groups of protozoans are serious parasites of humans and other animals. Better understanding of biochemical pathways that are either in common with or divergent from those of higher eukaryotes is integral in the defense against these parasites. In yeast and humans, the posttranslational methylation of arginine residues in proteins affects myriad cellular processes, including transcription, RNA processing, DNA replication and repair, and signal transduction. The protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) that catalyze these reactions, which are unique to the eukaryotic kingdom of organisms, first become evident in protozoa. In this review, we focus on the current understanding of arginine methylation in multiple species of parasitic protozoa, including Trichomonas, Entamoeba, Toxoplasma, Plasmodium, and Trypanosoma spp. , and discuss how arginine methylation may play important and unique roles in each type of parasite. We mine available genomic and transcriptomic data to inventory the families of PRMTs in different parasites and the changes in their abundance during the life cycle. We further review the limited functional studies on the roles of arginine methylation in parasites, including epigenetic regulation in Apicomplexa and RNA processing in trypanosomes. Interestingly, each of the parasites considered herein has significantly differing sets of PRMTs, and we speculate on the importance of this diversity in aspects of parasite biology, such as differentiation and antigenic variation.
Design of measurement strategies for workplace exposures

Measurement strategies for hazard control will have to be efficient and effective to protect a worker's health and well being. No measurement strategy for hazard control will ever be cost efficient in the short run when it is compared with the promises of tools such as the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) essentials (box 1): “a simple system of generic risk assessments which leads to the selection of an appropriate control approach”. 1 Going straight to benchmark standards without the need of exposure measurements will certainly eliminate the cost of measurements. However, generic risk assessment tools like COSHH essentials and expert systems like the Estimation and Assessment of Substances Exposure (EASE)2 (box 2), as well as expert judgement by an occupational hygienist, are known to be inaccurate and they do not take into account the various components of variability in exposure levels (box 3). In fig 1, results of EASE estimates are compared with actual measured concentrations. From these pictures it can be seen that EASE estimates tend to be (1) higher than the measured concentrations, and (2) inaccurate especially at lower “true” concentrations (< 50 ppm and < 5 mg/m3). Nowadays, the latter exposures are being more relevant for workplaces of the developed world. ### Box 1 Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) essentials: easy steps to control chemicals
Nash Equilibria in Distributed Systems

The objective of this paper is three-fold. First, we specify what it means for a fixed point of a stabilizing distributed system to be a Nash equilibrium. Second, we present methods that can be used to verify whether or not a given fixed point of a given stabilizing distributed system is a Nash equilibrium. Third, we argue that in a stabilizing distributed system, whose fixed points are all Nash equilibria, no process has an incentive to perturb its local state, after the system reaches one fixed point, in order to force the system to reach another fixed point where the perturbing process achieves a better gain. If the fixed points of a stabilizing distributed system are all Nash equilibria, then we refer to the system as perturbation-proof. Otherwise, we refer to the system as perturbation-prone. We identify four natural classes of perturbation-(proof/prone) systems. We present system examples for three of these classes, and show that the fourth class is empty.
Frequency-Reconfigurable Microstrip Patch Antennas With Circular Polarization

A simple design of circularly-polarized (CP) microstrip antennas with frequency agility is described. The reconfigurable antenna is composed of a square radiating patch, four varactor diodes, and two lumped capacitors. With a coaxial probe, two orthogonal resonant modes of the square patch antenna are simultaneously excited. When the equivalent capacitance values of the varactors are increased, the resonant frequencies of the two modes are decreased, and at the same time the lumped capacitors with a specific value are introduced to produce a difference between the two resonant frequencies so that a CP operating frequency can be generated and tuned. For the proposed design, only one dc voltage is required to vary the CP operating frequency, and experimental results indicate that the CP frequency can be switched between 1.97 GHz and 2.53 GHz; in addition, good CP performances can be obtained at each CP operating frequency.
Role of endosomal membrane lipids and NPC2 in cholesterol transfer and membrane fusion[S]

We examined the effect of Niemann-Pick disease type 2 (NPC2) protein and some late endosomal lipids [sphingomyelin, ceramide and bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP)] on cholesterol transfer and membrane fusion. Of all lipid-binding proteins tested, only NPC2 transferred cholesterol at a substantial rate, with no transfer of ceramide, GM3, galactosylceramide, sulfatide, phosphatidylethanolamine, or phosphatidylserine. Cholesterol transfer was greatly stimulated by BMP, little by ceramide, and strongly inhibited by sphingomyelin. Cholesterol and ceramide were also significantly transferred in the absence of protein. This spontaneous transfer of cholesterol was greatly enhanced by ceramide, slightly by BMP, and strongly inhibited by sphingomyelin. In our transfer assay, biotinylated donor liposomes were separated from fluorescent acceptor liposomes by streptavidin-coated magnetic beads. Thus, the loss of fluorescence indicated membrane fusion. Ceramide induced spontaneous fusion of lipid vesicles even at very low concentrations, while BMP and sphingomyelin did so at about 20 mol% and 10 mol% concentrations, respectively. In addition to transfer of cholesterol, NPC2 induced membrane fusion, although less than saposin-C. In this process, BMP and ceramide had a strong and mild stimulating effect, and sphingomyelin an inhibiting effect, respectively. Note that the effects of the lipids on cholesterol transfer mediated by NPC2 were similar to their effect on membrane fusion induced by NPC2 and saposin-C.
Model Reference Adaptive Power Control for Cooperative Vehicle Safety Systems

Cooperative vehicle safety systems rely on vehicular networking for vehicle tracking and collision warning. The most pressing challenge in such systems is to maintain real-time tracking accuracy while avoiding network failure and congestion. In vehicular networking, vehicle density is changing rapidly. This unique characteristic can cause network disconnection or channel congestion. Moreover, the interference factors, such as hidden nodes, can cause the network performance to deviate from the ideal state, which heavily degrades the performance of vehicle tracking. To overcome the above two problems, in this paper, an adaptive power control framework for real-time vehicle tracking under the condition of dynamic vehicle density and interference factor is proposed. The framework consists of two parts: a prescriptive reference model and an adaptive power control model. The prescriptive reference model is used to predict, in a rolling-horizon manner, the desired network state based on the desired tracking accuracy by considering the dynamic vehicle density. The adaptive power control model integrates the desired network state and the current real network state that may be affected by interference to generate real-time power control strategy for accurate vehicle tracking. Experimental results show that the proposed framework can significantly improve the performance of real-time vehicle tracking.
Where do we go from here? Meeting Report on the Biophysical Society Discussion on ‘Probing Membrane Microdomains’, October 28–31, 2004, Asilomar, CA, USA

Biophysicists have long been interested in the phase behavior of lipids and the specialized roles that cholesterol plays in membranes. These questions have enjoyed renewed interest in light of the development of the lipid raft model. However, the relationship between so-called liquid-ordered domains in vitro and in vivo remains uncertain. Despite the ease of generating cholesterol-enriched microdomains in simple lipid mixtures, lipid rafts have proven remarkably difficult to identify in intact cells. The call for papers for the recent Biophysical Society Discussion meeting on ‘Probing Membrane Microdomains’ described the raft field as having reached a technical impasse. How can we best study these elusive domains? In this meeting report, I summarize the efforts of the biophysical community to increase our knowledge of raft structure and dynamics. Streaming video of the meeting is available on the Biophysical Society website at http:// www.biophysics. org.
Quantifying the Effect of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Quality on Cardiac Arrest Outcome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background—Evidence has accrued that cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality affects cardiac arrest outcome. However, the relative contributions of chest compression components (such as rate and depth) to successful resuscitation remain unclear. Methods and Results—We sought to measure the effect of cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality on cardiac arrest outcome through systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched for any clinical study assessing cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance on adult cardiac arrest patients in which survival was a reported outcome, either return of spontaneous circulation or survival to admission or discharge. Of 603 identified abstracts, 10 studies met inclusion criteria. Effect sizes were reported as mean differences. Missing data were resolved by author contact. Estimates were segregated by cardiopulmonary resuscitation metric (chest compression rate, depth, no-flow fraction, and ventilation rate), and a random-effects model was applied to estimate an overall pooled effect. Arrest survivors were significantly more likely to have received deeper chest compressions than nonsurvivors (mean difference, 2.44 mm; 95% confidence interval, 1.19–3.69 [P<0.001]; n=6 studies; I2=0.0%; P for heterogeneity=0.9). Likewise, survivors were significantly more likely to have received chest compression rates closer to 85 to 100 compressions per minute (cpm) than nonsurvivors (absolute mean difference from 85 cpm, −4.81 cpm; 95% confidence interval, −8.19 to −1.43 [P=0.005]; from 100 cpm, −5.04 cpm; 95% confidence interval, −8.44 to −1.65 [P=0.004]; n=6 studies; I2<49%; P for heterogeneity >0.2). No significant difference in no-flow fraction (n=7 studies) or ventilation rate (n=4 studies) was detected between survivors and nonsurvivors. Conclusions—Deeper chest compressions and rates closer to 85 to 100 cpm are significantly associated with improved survival from cardiac arrest.
Ontogenic Development of Corticotrophs in Fetal Buffalo (Bubalus Bubalis) Pituitary Gland

To evaluate the subpopulation of corticotrophs in developing buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) fetus, pituitary glands were recovered (n=6 per group) from late first, second and third gestational female buffalo dams. The corticotrophs were identified by using specific antibodies against proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) through immunohistochemistry. There was a significant (P≤0.05) increase of immunoreactive (ir) ir-ACTH cells during late 2nd trimester while, ir-POMC cells were more (P≤0.05) at late 3rd trimester of gestation as compared to other age groups. The quantity of co-localized cells for POMC and ACTH was significantly (P≤0.05) greater at the end of 1st gestation rather than 2nd and 3rd gestational fetal adenohypophyseal cells. This study is the first to demonstrate co-localization of POMC+ACTH and the affect of gestational age on the expression of these cells in buffalo fetus adenohypophysis.
Accuracy of pima point-of-care CD4 analyzer in routine use in public health clinics in Uganda.

1Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 2Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 3Infectious Disease Institute, Kampala, Uganda 4Makerere University College of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Kampala, Uganda
Neovaginal diverticula: pathophysiology of colonic diverticulosis revisited

A 56-year-old transgender woman who had a history of intestinal neovaginoplasty with the use of a sigmoid segment visited our outpatient clinic for neovaginoscopy and colonoscopy as part of regular postoperative follow-up 31 years after sex reassignment surgery. She had been sexually active with one male partner for 25 years. The patient reported feeling frequent peristaltic movements of the neovagina during and after sexual intercourse. She had used estradiol as hormonal replacement treatment for 34 years, starting 3 years before sex reassignment surgery. Because of recurrent symptoms of neovaginal discharge and abdominal pain, multiple colonoscopic and neovaginoscopic procedures had been performed in the past, the last one 6 years before the current presentation. Only colonic diverticula had been observed. At the outpatient visit, the woman again reported excessive neovaginal discharge. She dilated her neovagina weekly with a dilator. Endoscopic examination of the sigmoid-derived neovagina revealed a decreased vascular patternwith increased fragility of the mucosa, fitting an endoscopic diagnosis of diversion neovaginitis. Multiple neovaginal diverticula without concurrent inflammation were also observed (●" Fig.1, ●" Video 1). Endoscopic inspection of the rectosigmoid revealed the previously observed diverticulosis. Colonic diverticula are observed at fragile sites of the muscular layer, such as where the vasa recta pass through the colonic wall. The precise pathophysiology of diverticulosis remains unclear. Fiber intake (either too much or too little) in the Western diet has been assumed to be one of themain factors in the development of colonic diverticulosis [1,2]. Increased intraluminal pressure also induces the formation of diverticula, especially at sites with the smallest radii, where the intraluminal pressure is highest (Laplace’s law) [3]. Furthermore, structural alterations of the colonic muscular layer may lower its resistance to intraluminal pressure. For instance, collagen structure changes with age,making the colonicwallmore rigid [4]. This case report provides evidence that a diet high or low in fiber may not be a key factor in the development of diverticula. Increased intraluminal pressure, in our patient’s case caused by frequent sexual intercourse and perhaps dilation, as well as by degenerative processes and structural changes in the colonic wall due to age, may well be a more important risk factor for the development of diverticulosis.
Pharmacokinetics of Curcumin Conjugate Metabolites in Healthy Human Subjects

Background: Curcumin is a polyphenol, found in the spice turmeric, that has promising anticancer properties, but previous studies suggest that absorption of curcumin may be limited. Methods: This study examined the pharmacokinetics of a curcumin preparation in healthy human volunteers 0.25 to 72 h after a single oral dose. Curcumin was administered at doses of 10 g (n = 6) and 12 g (n = 6). Subjects were randomly allocated to dose level for a total of six subjects at each dose level. Serum samples were assayed for free curcumin, for its glucuronide, and for its sulfate conjugate. The data were fit to a one-compartment absorption and elimination model. Results: Using a high-performance liquid chromatography assay with a limit of detection of 50 ng/mL, only one subject had detectable free curcumin at any of the 14 time points assayed, but curcumin glucuronides and sulfates were detected in all subjects. Based on the pharmacokinetic model, the area under the curve for the 10 and 12 g doses was estimated (mean ± SE) to be 35.33 ± 3.78 and 26.57 ± 2.97 μg/mL × h, respectively, whereas Cmax was 2.30 ± 0.26 and 1.73 ± 0.19 μg/mL. The Tmax and t1/2 were estimated to be 3.29 ± 0.43 and 6.77 ± 0.83 h. The ratio of glucuronide to sulfate was 1.92:1. The curcumin conjugates were present as either glucuronide or sulfate, not mixed conjugates. Conclusion: Curcumin is absorbed after oral dosing in humans and can be detected as glucuronide and sulfate conjugates in plasma. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(6):1411–7)
Learning Companion Behaviors Using Reinforcement Learning in Games

Our goal is to enable Non Player Characters (NPC) in computer games to exhibit natural behaviors. The quality of behaviors affects the game experience especially in story-based games, which rely on player-NPC interactions. We used Reinforcement Learning to enable NPC companions to develop preferences for actions. We implemented our RL technique in BioWare Corp.’s Neverwinter Nights. Our experiments evaluate an NPC companion’s behaviors regarding traps. Our method enables NPCs to rapidly learn reasonable behaviors and adapt to changes in the game.
Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Frontotemporal Dementia With and Without Lobar Atrophy on MRI

IntroductionThe presence of frontal and/or temporal atrophy on neuroimaging has been designated as supportive in the clinical consensus criteria for behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). As magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a relatively low sensitivity for bvFTD, a substantial proportion of patients may present with a normal MRI. Thus, there may be clinical differences between patients with and without lobar abnormalities on MRI. We compared clinical characteristics of bvFTD patients with frontotemporal lobar atrophy on MRI to those lacking the typical pattern at presentation. MethodsMRIs of 49 patients from our memory clinic, diagnosed with bvFTD were rated for the presence or absence of frontal and/or temporal atrophy. Demographic, behavioral, and cognitive features were compared between subjects with and without typical bvFTD atrophy pattern. ResultsTwenty-three patients showed lobar atrophy on MRI, whereas 26 patients lacked the characteristic frontotemporal lobar atrophy, including 13 patients with a normal MRI and 13 with other abnormalities. Disinhibition occurred more often in the group with frontal and/or temporal atrophy on MRI compared with the group with other abnormalities, whereas imitation did not occur in patients lacking the typical bvFTD atrophy pattern. No differences were found in neuropsychologic profiles. There was a trend for a lower mean Clinical Dementia Rating and less severe language impairment in patients with a normal MRI compared with the group with frontal and/or temporal atrophy. ConclusionsThe clinical phenotype of FTD cannot be predicted by the presence or absence of lobar atrophy on MRI, although imitation and disinhibition are more prevalent in bvFTD patients with characteristic MRI abnormalities. Furthermore, patients with a normal MRI seem to be less severely demented in comparison to patients with frontal and/or temporal atrophy.
Mitosis of radial glial cells in the optic tectum of adult goldfish

A class of tectal cells whose mitotic activity is enhanced by optic nerve regeneration in adult goldfish has been identified as radial neuroglia. These mitotic glial cells are morphologically distinct cells with prominent radial processes which extend through the entire depth of the tectal layers. The radial glia incorporate exogenous [3H]thymidine ([3H]TdR) into DNA as early as 2 hr after systemic injection. The plane of cell division for the mitotic radial glia is always aligned to the equator of the cell body, perpendicular to the direction of the radial process. In a few cases, radially adjacent pairs of labeled daughter radial glial cells are observed as early as 12 hr and also as late as 51 days after [3H]TdR injection. In other cases, however, only one labeled daughter radial glial cell is identified, and the other daughter cell cannot be traced. These observations suggest that radial glial cells of the adult goldfish tectum can be induced (presumably by mitogenic effects of regenerating optic nerve fibers) to undergo mitosis.
Carbon nanotube electrodes for capacitive deionization

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a desalination method where voltage is applied across high surface area carbon, adsorbing salt ions and removing them from the water stream. CDI has the potential to be more efficient than existing desalination technologies for brackish water, and more portable due to its low power requirements. In order to optimize salt adsorption in CDI, we need a better understanding of salt adsorption and the electrode properties involved in ion removal. Current materials are highly porous, with tortuous geometeries, overlapping double layers, and subnanometer diameters. In this work, we design ordered-geometry, vertically-aligned carbon nanotube electrodes. The CNTs in this study have 2-3 walls, inner diameter of 5.6 nm and outer diameter of 7.7 nm. The capacitance and charging dynamics were investigated using three-electrode cell testing in sodium chloride solution. We found that the material capacitance was 20-40 F/g and the charging time varies linearly with CNT height. The data was matched with the Gouy-Chapman-Stern model indicating that porous effects were negligible. Charging rates of CNTs compared to microporous activated carbon fiber, show that CNTs are more efficient at charging by weight. However, densification and surface functionalization will be necessary to enhance CNT performance by planar area. Future work will involve investigating electrodes in a flow-through cell to use salt adsorption data to determine the influence on electrode thickness on salt adsorption in channel flow. Thesis Supervisor: Evelyn N. Wang Title: Associate Professor
Comparison of body mass index with waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-stature ratio as a predictor of hypertension incidence in Mauritius

Objective Comparison of BMI with waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-stature ratio (WSR) as a predictor of hypertension incidence. Methods A total of 1658 men and 1976 women of Mauritian Indian and Mauritian Creole ethnicity, aged 25–74 years, free of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and gout at baseline in 1987 or 1992, were re-examined in 1992 and/or 1998 using the same survey methodology. Hazard ratios (HRs) for hypertension incidence were estimated applying an interval censored survival analysis (R program) using age as timescale based on baseline obesity indicators. Results A total of 787 incident hypertension cases were identified during the follow-up. HRs for hypertension incidence adjusting for baseline systolic blood pressure and cohort corresponding to a 1 SD increase in BMI, waist circumference, WHR, and WSR were 1.20 (1.24), 1.19 (1.21), 1.14 (1.10), and 1.20 (1.26) in Mauritian Indian men (women) and 1.23 (1.32), 1.34 (1.23), 1.41 (1.13), and 1.43 (1.33) in Mauritian Creoles, respectively, indicating that all obesity indicators significantly predicted hypertension incidence except for WHR in Mauritian Creole women. Paired homogeneity tests showed that there was no difference between BMI and the other three indicators for most of the comparisons with two exceptions: WSR was stronger than BMI (P = 0.002) in Mauritian Creole men but BMI was stronger than WHR (P = 0.047) in Mauritian Indian women in predicting the incident cases of hypertension. Conclusion The relation of the development of hypertension with BMI was as strong as that with central obesity indicators in the population studied.