Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Cluster of Basic Repeats in the Dystrophin Rod Domain Binds F-actin through an Electrostatic Interaction*

The dystrophin rod domain is composed of 24 spectrin-like repeats and was thought to act mainly as a flexible spacer between the amino-terminal actin binding domain and carboxyl-terminal membrane-associated domains. We previously demonstrated that a fragment of the dystrophin rod domain also binds F-actin. However, the nature and extent of rod domain association with F-actin is presently unclear. To begin addressing these questions, we characterized two recombinant proteins representing adjacent regions of the dystrophin rod. DYS1416 (amino acids 1416–1880) bound F-actin with a K d of 14.2 ± 5.2 μm and a stoichiometry of 1 mol:mol of actin. However, DYS1030 (amino acids 1030–1494) failed to bind F-actin, suggesting that not all rod domain repeats are capable of binding F-actin. Interestingly, DYS1416 corresponds to a unique region of the dystrophin rod rich in basic amino acids, whereas DYS1030 is composed mainly of acidic repeats. This observation suggested that DYS1416 may interact with acidic actin filaments through an electrostatic interaction. Supporting this hypothesis, actin binding by DYS1416 was dramatically inhibited by increasing ionic strength. We suggest that electrostatic interactions between basic spectrin-like repeats and actin filaments may contribute to the actin binding activity of other members of the actin cross-linking protein family.
Dysplasia in short-segment Barrett's esophagus: a prospective 3-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE Short segments of intestinal metaplasia in the distal esophagus are being recognized with increasing frequency. Both long and short segments of Barrett's esophagus can progress to dysplasia and cancer. However, the risk of short-segment Barrett's esophagus (SSBE) for the development of dysplasia and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is not yet known. Our purpose, therefore, was to determine the frequency with which dysplasia occurs in patients with SSBE. METHODS Patients with SSBE were followed prospectively for the development of dysplasia. SSBE was defined as <3 cm of Barrett's-appearing epithelium above the gastroesophageal junction at endoscopy, with intestinal metaplasia on biopsy as documented by alcian blue stain at pH 2.5 on at least two endoscopic biopsies 6 months apart. Patients had interval upper endoscopy with systematic biopsy of the Barrett's segment. RESULTS Fifty-nine SSBE patients were identified. The mean length of Barrett's mucosa was 1.5 +/- 0.1 cm; the mean age of the patients was 63.1 +/- 1.3 yr. Five patients had low-grade dysplasia (LGD) at initial endoscopy, for a prevalence of 8.5%; none had high grade dysplasia (HGD). Thirty-two patients had follow-up endoscopy over a mean period of 36.9 +/- 5.4 months. Five of these patients developed dysplasia on follow-up, three with LGD and two with HGD, the incidence of any dysplasia being 5.7% per year. One patient with HGD that developed during surveillance progressed to adenocarcinoma of the esophagus over a 2-yr period. The other patient with HGD had LGD on follow-up endoscopy. Six patients with initial LGD had no evidence of dysplasia on follow-up. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of dysplasia was 8.5% with an incidence of 5.7% per year in this group of SSBE patients, followed prospectively. Although dysplastic changes may not be identified on follow-up examination, some patients progress to adenocarcinoma. Therefore, we recommend surveillance endoscopy and biopsy in patients with SSBE just as in those with long-segment Barrett's esophagus.
Document image super-resolution using structural similarity and Markov random field

Low-resolution (LR) document images may cause difficulties in reading or low recognition rates in computer vision. Thus, it is necessary to improve the resolution of an LR document image via some algorithms. In this study, a novel document image super-resolution (SR) method using structural similarity and Markov random field (MRF) is proposed. First, the non-local algorithm is utilised to find similar patches. Instead of using the Euclidian distance, a modified chi-square distance is proposed to measure the patch similarity because the bimodality characteristic of the document images can be better described by this modified chi-square distance. Finally, the structural similarity of similar patches is served as a constraint for the MRF-based SR method, which is proper to describe the neighbouring relationship between patches. The SR reconstruction for LR images of printed and handwritten documents are carried out by the proposed algorithm. Experimental results show that the reconstructed SR images obtain higher peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity values than those of several state-of-the-art SR methods and visually pleasant SR images can be produced as well.
Mechanism of Neural Interference by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Network or Single Neuron?

This paper proposes neural mechanisms of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS can stimulate the brain non-invasively through a brief magnetic pulse delivered by a coil placed on the scalp, interfering with specific cortical functions with a high temporal resolution. Due to these advantages, TMS has been a popular experimental tool in various neuroscience fields. However, the neural mechanisms underlying TMS-induced interference are still unknown; a theoretical basis for TMS has not been developed. This paper provides computational evidence that inhibitory interactions in a neural population, not an isolated single neuron, play a critical role in yielding the neural interference induced by TMS.
Latent Hierarchical Part Based Models for Road Scene Understanding

Road scenes can be naturally interpreted in terms of a hierarchical structure consisting of parts and sub-parts, which captures different degrees of abstraction at different levels of the hierarchy. We introduce Latent Hierarchical Part based Models (LHPMs), which provide a promising framework for interpreting an image using a tree structure, in the case when the root filter for non-leaf nodes may not be available. While HPMs have been developed in the context of object detection and pose estimation, their application to scene understanding is restricted, due to the requirement of having root filters for non-leaf nodes. In this work, we propose a generalization of HPMs that dispenses with the need for having root filters for non-leaf nodes, by treating them as latent variables within a Dynamic Programming based optimization scheme. We experimentally demonstrate the importance of LHPMs for road scene understanding on Continental and KITTI datasets respectively. We find that the hierarchical interpretation leads to intuitive scene descriptions, that is central for autonomous driving.
Randomized Clinical Trial: The Clinical Effects of Herb-Partitioned Moxibustion in Patients with Diarrhoea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Objective. To explore the efficacy of Herb-partitioned moxibustion in treating IBS-D patients. Method. 210 IBS-D patients were randomly assigned on a 3 : 3 : 2 basis to group HM, group FM, or group PB for 4-week treatment. The change of GSRS total score at weeks 4 and 8, the changes of GSRS specific scores, and adverse events were evaluated. Results. Patients in group HM and group FM had lower GSRS total score at week 4 (1.98 ± 0.303, 2.93 ± 0.302 versus 3.73 ± 0.449) and at week 8 (2.75 ± 0.306, 3.56 ± 0.329 versus 4.39 ± 2.48) as compared with patients' score in group PB. However, there was no significant difference of GSRS total score between group HM and group FM. The effect of HM was significantly greater than that of orally taking PB in ameliorating the symptoms of rugitus (0.38 versus 0.59, P < 0.05), abdominal pain (0.28 versus 0.57, P < 0.01), abdominal distension (0.4 versus 0.7, P < 0.01), and increased passage of stools (0.06 versus 0.25, P < 0.01) at the end of treatment period. In the follow-up period, patients' therapeutic effect in group HM remained greater than that in group FM (in abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and increased passage of stools) and that in group PB (in loose stools). Conclusions. HM appears to be a promising, efficacious, and well-tolerated treatment for patients with IBS-D.
Very low resource table-based FPGA evaluation of elementary functions

This paper analyzes the FPGA implementation of polynomial-based function evaluation specifically considering the embedded block RAMs and multiplier-adders available in today's technologies. The computation of the reciprocal, square root and inverse square root functions using first and second order polynomial approximations is discussed, in particular. In each case, the most appropriate sizes for the interpolation intervals are selected according to the maximum polynomial approximation errors. Upper-bounds for the truncation errors are formally derived in order to find the most appropriate sizes for the polynomial coefficients and fixed-point operands. The bit-sizes of the polynomial coefficients are optimized so that all the required values fit in only one 36Kbit BRAM. Further, the word lengths and the number of fractional bits of the operands are adjusted so that the fixed-point multiplications and additions can be implemented with the 17×24 unsigned multipliers and 48-bit adders available in the FPGA DSP blocks. The experimental results confirm that a straightforward implementation of the function evaluator using one BRAM and two DSP blocks can provide more than single-precision. Additionally, an implementation with one BRAM and three DSPs can provide a precision of 28-bits, which is more than adequate to generate the seed for a double-precision operator using one additional Newton-Raphson iteration.
Steep slope locomotion and manipulation mechanism with minimum degrees of freedom

A walking robot that has high ground adaptability and the ability to perform various tasks would be extremely desirable in many fields. It can move efficiently in an outdoor environment and on uneven terrain such as stairs, as well as perform tasks. In this paper, for a six-legged uneven terrain walking robot with two body segments, we examine the number of degrees of freedom, movement performance, stability on uneven terrain, and work performance. In addition, we examine the arrangement of the degrees of freedom suitable for practical uneven terrain work by this type of robot. We also propose that a walking robot with an extra leg extension mechanism and a 6-DOF between the body segments is effective. We adopt this design to ParaWalker-II, which we had previously developed, and verify the effectiveness.
Oligodendrocytes and CNS myelin are nonpermissive substrates for neurite growth and fibroblast spreading in vitro

To study the interaction of neurons with CNS glial cells, dissociated sympathetic or sensory ganglion cells or fetal retinal cells were plated onto cultures of dissociated optic nerve glial cells of young rats. Whereas astrocytes favored neuron adhesion and neurite outgrowth, oligodendrocytes differed markedly in their properties as neuronal substrates. Immature (O4+, A2B5+, GalC-) oligodendrocytes were frequently contacted by neurons and neurites. In contrast, differentiated oligodendrocytes (O4+, A2B5-, GalC+) represented a nonpermissive substrate for neuronal adhesion and neurite growth. When neuroblastoma cells or 3T3 fibroblasts were plated into optic nerve glial cultures, the same differences were observed; differentiated oligodendrocytes were nonpermissive for cell adhesion, neurite growth, or fibroblast spreading. These nonpermissive oligodendrocytes were characterized by a radial, highly branched process network, often contained myelin basic protein, and may, therefore, correspond to cells actively involved in the production of myelin-like membranes. Isolated myelin from adult rat spinal cord was adsorbed to polylysine-coated culture dishes and tested as a substrate for peripheral neurons, neuroblastoma cells, or 3T3 cells. Again, cell attachment, neurite outgrowth, and fibroblast spreading was strongly impaired. General physicochemical properties of myelin were not responsible for this effect, since myelin from rat sciatic nerves favored neuron adhesion and neurite growth as well as spreading of 3T3 cells. These results show that differentiated oligodendrocytes express nonpermissive substrate properties, which may be of importance in CNS development or regeneration.
Effect of Fatigue on Muscle Elasticity in the Human Forearm Using Ultrasound Strain Imaging

The etiology of skeletal muscle fatigue is not well understood partly because techniques portraying muscle performance in vivo are limited by either their invasiveness (e.g., needle electrodes) or poor spatial resolution (e.g., surface EMG). To better characterize effects of FES and muscle fatigue, we captured real-time high resolution dynamics of the human forearm before and after a fatigue exercise using ultrasound strain imaging. A 10 MHz linear ultrasound probe aligned with the fiber axis of the 3rd flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) provided scans at 3-msec intervals during isometric twitch and tetanic contractions evoked by low and high frequency electrical stimuli (ES). Ultrasound images synchronized with traditional force and EMG were obtained for 5 healthy adults before and after a fatiguing exercise, induced by sustained maximal exertion of the middle finger pressed against a restraint until the initial force decreased by 75%. Immediately after fatigue, twitch and tetanic stimuli generated 55.1% and 19.5% less force, respectively, implying that low frequency fatigue dominated. The force deficit was associated with a decrease in several mechanical properties of the fatigued muscle during twitch contractions, such as transverse peak strain (34plusmn15%) and half peak strain duration (32.3plusmn12.5 msec). Changes were not uniform across the imaged section of the muscle, suggesting that boundary conditions or fiber heterogeneity affected the strain profile. Indeed, high stress zones appeared closer to the muscle-tendon junction during isometric contractions. This study provided new insight on the elastic behavior of muscle and potential mechanisms of injury, especially directed at prolonged stimulation and control of a neuromuscular prosthesis
A high performance and low DC power V-band MMIC LNA using 0.1 mu m InGaAs/InAlAs/InP HEMT technology

We report the design and performance of state-of-the-art V-band MMIC LNA's using 0.1- mu m gate length pseudomorphic In/sub 0.60/Ga/sub 0.40/As/In/sub 0.52/Al/sub 0.48/As/InP HEMT's. The three-stage V-band LNA demonstrated an average of 3.0 dB noise figure between 56-64 GHz with 24-25.5 dB associated gain with a noise figure of 2.7 dB measured at 62 GHz. Furthermore, the DC power dissipation of this circuit was only 19.5 mW which is less than one-third the DC power dissipation of InGaAs/AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT versions. These results demonstrate the excellent potential of InP HEMT technology for millimeter-wave and low DC power applications. <<ETX>>
Retrospective Study (1998‐2001) on Canine Babesiosis in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract: The present work describes a retrospective study of clinical cases of babesiosis in dogs examined at the Veterinary Hospital (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais) from March 1998 to September 2001. From the clinical records of dogs with laboratory‐confirmed Babesia canis infections, we analyzed: demography (age, breed, sex, time of year, and origin; clinical manifestations (concomitant infections, body temperature, presence of ticks, and clinical signs); and hematological alterations. From 194 records from animals with suspicious cases of hemoparasites, 145 were confirmed to be infected and among those 61 dogs (42%) were infected with B. canis. The results point to the importance of canine babesiosis in Brazil.
Uniform bounds on multigraded regularity

We give an effective uniform bound on the multigraded regularity of a subscheme of a smooth projective toric variety X with a given multigraded Hilbert polynomial. To establish this bound, we introduce a new combinatorial tool, called a Stanley filtration, for studying monomial ideals in the homogeneous coordinate ring of X. As a special case, we obtain a new proof of Gotzmann’s regularity theorem. We also discuss applications of this bound to the construction of multigraded Hilbert
Effect of monensin on rumen metabolism in vitro

The effect of Monensin (Rumensin, Eli Lilly & Co.) in incubations with mixed rumen microorganisms metabolizing carbohydrate or protein substrates was investigated. Monensin partly inhibited methanogenesis and increased propionate production, although the effect was not always statistically significant. Incubations with substrates specific for methane bacteria suggest that inhibition of methanogenesis by Monensin was not due to a specific toxic action on the methanogenic flora, but rather to an inhibition of hydrogen production from formate. Total and net microbial growth were considerably decreased by addition of Monensin, although the amount of substrate fermented was not altered, resulting in lowered values of microbial growth efficiency. In incubations with casein, Monensin lowered protein degradation in line with a lowered ammonia production, whereas a slight accumulation of alpha-amino nitrogen was observed. The results suggest that besides an influence of Monensin on the rumen carbohydrate fermentation pattern, another reason for the beneficial effects observed in vivo might be decreased food protein degradation in the rumen, altering the final site of protein digestion in the animal. Also, the possibility of a decrease in rumen microbial growth efficiency has to be considered when using Monensin as a food additive.
The role of B cells and alloantibody in the host response to human organ allografts

Summary: Some human organ transplants deteriorate slowly over a period of years, often developing characteristic syndromes: transplant glomerulopathy (TG) in kidneys, bronchiolitis obliterans in lungs, and coronary artery disease in hearts. In the past, we attributed late graft deterioration to ‘chronic rejection’, a distinct but mysterious immunologic process different from conventional rejection. However, it is likely that much of chronic rejection is explained by conventional T‐cell‐mediated rejection (TMR), antibody‐mediated rejection (AMR), and other insults. Recently, criteria have emerged to now permit us to diagnose AMR in kidney transplants, particularly C4d deposition in peritubular capillaries and circulating antibody against donor human leukocyte antigens (HLA). Some cases with AMR develop TG, although the relationship of TG to AMR is complex. Thus, a specific diagnosis of AMR in kidney can now be made, based on graft damage, C4d deposition, and donor‐specific alloantibodies. Criteria for AMR in other organs must be defined. Not all late rejections are AMR; some deteriorating organs probably have smoldering TMR. The diagnosis of late ongoing AMR raises the possibility of treatment to suppress the alloantibody, but efficacy of the available treatments requires further study.
Costs for a health coaching intervention for chronic care management.

OBJECTIVES Health coaches can help patients gain knowledge, skills, and confidence to manage their chronic conditions. Coaches may be particularly valuable in resource-poor settings, but they are not typically reimbursed by insurance, raising questions about their budgetary impact. STUDY DESIGN The Health Coaching in Primary Care (HCPC) study was a randomized controlled trial that showed health coaches were effective at helping low-income patients improve control of their type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and/or hyperlipidemia at 12 months compared with usual care. METHODS We estimated the cost of employing 3 health coaches and mapped these costs to participants. We tested whether the added costs of the coaches were offset by any savings in healthcare utilization within 1 year. Healthcare utilization data were obtained from 5 sources. Multivariate models assessed differences in costs at 1 year controlling for baseline characteristics. RESULTS Coaches worked an average of 9 hours with each participant over the length of the study. On average, the health coach intervention cost $483 per participant per year. The average healthcare costs for the coaching group was $3207 compared with $3276 for the control group (P = .90). There was no evidence that the coaching intervention saved money at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS Health coaches have been shown to improve clinical outcomes related to chronic disease management. We found that employing health coaches adds an additional cost of $483 per patient per year. The data do not suggest that health coaches pay for themselves by reducing healthcare utilization in the first year.
Structural Allostery and Binding of the Transferrin·Receptor Complex*S

The structural allostery and binding interface for the human serum transferrin (Tf)·transferrin receptor (TfR) complex were identified using radiolytic footprinting and mass spectrometry. We have determined previously that the transferrin C-lobe binds to the receptor helical domain. In this study we examined the binding interactions of full-length transferrin with receptor and compared these data with a model of the complex derived from cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) reconstructions (Cheng, Y., Zak, O., Aisen, P., Harrison, S. C. & Walz, T. (2004) Structure of the human transferrin receptor·transferrin complex. Cell 116, 565–576). The footprinting results provide the following novel conclusions. First, we report characteristic oxidations of acidic residues in the C-lobe of native Tf and basic residues in the helical domain of TfR that were suppressed as a function of complex formation; this confirms ionic interactions between these protein segments as predicted by cryo-EM data and demonstrates a novel method for detecting ion pair interactions in the formation of macromolecular complexes. Second, the specific side-chain interactions between the C-lobe and N-lobe of transferrin and the corresponding interactions sites on the transferrin receptor predicted from cryo-EM were confirmed in solution. Last, the footprinting data revealed allosteric movements of the iron binding C- and N-lobes of Tf that sequester iron as a function of complex formation; these structural changes promote tighter binding of the metal ion and facilitate efficient ion transport during endocytosis.
INFLUENCE OF MICROSTRUCTURE ON WEAR RESISTANCE PARAMETER OF CERAMIC CUTTING TOOLS

This report examines the role of microstructure of a new type of cutting tool material on an existing relationship between its abrasion wear resistance, fracture toughness (K IC), and hardness (H). Three alumina–silver composites with different amounts of metal particles have been prepared, and their hardness and fracture toughness properties have been determined together with the assessment of their microstructural features such as volume fraction of the second phase, porosity, etc. The mechanical wear on the flanks of cutting tool inserts, made from the developed composites, has also been estimated by machining experiments against 0.45% carbon steel. The results indicate that flank wear resistance of these silver toughened ceramic cutting tool inserts is not proportional to an existing wear resistance parameter K IC 3/4 H 1/2. A modified relation between flank wear resistance, hardness, and fracture toughness has been suggested here for these cutting tool materials. The modification incorporates consideration of the volume fraction of the second phase and the porosity in the developed metal toughened ceramics.