Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiolipin-dependent Reconstitution of Respiratory Supercomplexes from Purified Saccharomyces cerevisiae Complexes III and IV*

Background: Cardiolipin is required for in vivo respiratory supercomplex formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Results: Supercomplex III2IV2 reconstitution from purified complexes III and IV was dependent on addition of cardiolipin over their tightly bound amounts. Electron microscopy confirmed supercomplex organization. Conclusion: Supercomplex III2IV2 formation is absolutely contingent on cardiolipin presence in the membrane. Significance: This minimal system provides understanding of lipid-dependent supercomplex dynamics in vivo. Here, we report for the first time in vitro reconstitution of the respiratory supercomplexes from individual complexes III and IV. Complexes III and IV were purified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondria. Complex III contained eight molecules of cardiolipin, and complex IV contained two molecules of cardiolipin, as determined by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. Complex IV also contained Rcf1p. No supercomplexes were formed upon mixing of the purified complexes, and low amounts of the supercomplex trimer III2IV1 were formed after reconstitution into proteoliposomes containing only phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Further addition of cardiolipin to the proteoliposome reconstitution mixture resulted in distinct formation of both the III2IV1 supercomplex trimer and III2IV2 supercomplex tetramer. No other anionic phospholipid was as effective as cardiolipin in supporting tetramer formation. Phospholipase treatment of complex IV prevented trimer formation in the absence of cardiolipin. Both trimer and tetramer formations were restored by cardiolipin. Analysis of the reconstituted tetramer by single particle electron microscopy confirmed native organization of individual complexes within the supercomplex. In conclusion, although some trimer formation occurred dependent only on tightly bound cardiolipin, tetramer formation required additional cardiolipin. This is consistent with the high cardiolipin content in the native tetramer. The dependence on cardiolipin for supercomplex formation suggests that changes in cardiolipin levels resulting from changes in physiological conditions may control the equilibrium between individual respiratory complexes and supercomplexes in vivo.
Validity of the effort/reward imbalance questionnaire in health professionals from six Latin-American countries.

BACKGROUND This study tests the validity and the invariance of ERI questionnaire (ERIQ) data from health professionals in six different Latin-American countries. METHODS One thousand two hundred ninety-two (1292) participants who worked in hospitals in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela completed the ERI and GHQ questionnaires. Partial correlations were carried out as well as reliability statistics and confirmatory factor analyses to examine factor structure and invariance of ERIQ in each subsample. RESULTS Overall confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the theoretical structure of the ERIQ. The effort and overcommitment scales were invariant (equivalent) across the six countries, but the reward scale was only partially invariant. Several associations between ERIQ and mental health remain significant after controlling for sociodemographic variables. CONCLUSIONS Although the validity of the ERIQ' scales were generally satisfactory in most Latin-American samples, future research should examine in depth the equivalence of reward scale across Latin-American cultures.
Climate response functions of the joint freshwater budget of the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans to changes in external wind forcing in an otherwise fully coupled earth system model

Ocean currents conveying large volumes of water can transport heat to great distances, through which they influence the climate. This is particularly true for the Arctic and the North Atlantic, the regions where water circulation has a significant impact on the atmosphere as well as on key oceanic processes. These processes are often sensitive to density stratification of ocean water, which is greatly shaped by salinity, or in another measure, by freshwater storage. Freshwater in the oceans is thus of particular importance. Being connected by a network of currents, the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans exchange a large volume of water of different characteristics. As a consequence, their freshwater budgets are also connected. However, these budgets show spatial and temporal variations, and the fluxes between them cannot be considered constant either. The freshwater system of the Arctic linked to the North Atlantic is dynamic with changes and anomalies on different time scales, and the changes of this joint system seem to follow the evolution of atmospheric forcing patterns. Previous modeling results suggest the importance of wind stress forcing over key regions such as the Beaufort Sea or the Greenland Sea in influencing the distribution of freshwater. In this study we examine the reaction of this linked freshwater system to changes in wind stress forcing through numerical experiments using the Modini-system, a partial coupling technique that allows flexible experiments with prescribed wind stress fields for the ocean in the otherwise fully coupled Earth System Model of the Max Planck Institute. The aim of this work is to investigate the role of atmospheric forcing in shaping freshwater reservoirs and exchanges between different subregions of the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans by calculating and analyzing climate response functions to changes in wind forcing over key regions.
Modeling of van der Waals Forces during the Assembly of Micro Devices

This paper discusses modeling of adhesive forces which come into play during gripping activities in the context of micro devices assembly (MDA) When complex designs for micron sized parts cannot be manufactured using MEMS techniques, they have to be assembled. Adhesive forces have three components: van der Waals, surface tension and electrostatic forces. An overview of preliminary models focusing on the interaction of a manipulator and target parts is the focus of discussion in this paper. A sphere packing approach is proposed to model the VDW force interactions between two micro bodies.
Logical complexity of graphs: a survey

We discuss the definability of finite graphs in first-order logic with two relation symbols for adjacency and equality of vertices. The logical depth $D(G)$ of a graph $G$ is equal to the minimum quantifier depth of a sentence defining $G$ up to isomorphism. The logical width $W(G)$ is the minimum number of variables occurring in such a sentence. The logical length $L(G)$ is the length of a shortest defining sentence. We survey known estimates for these graph parameters and discuss their relations to other topics (such as the efficiency of the Weisfeiler-Lehman algorithm in isomorphism testing, the evolution of a random graph, quantitative characteristics of the zero-one law, or the contribution of Frank Ramsey to the research on Hilbert's Entscheidungsproblem). Also, we trace the behavior of the descriptive complexity of a graph as the logic becomes more restrictive (for example, only definitions with a bounded number of variables or quantifier alternations are allowed) or more expressible (after powering with counting quantifiers).
Optimal capacity relay node placement in a multi-hop network on a line

We use information theoretic achievable rate formulas for the multi-relay channel to study the problem of optimal placement of relay nodes along the straight line joining a source node and a destination node. The achievable rate formulas that we utilize are for full-duplex radios at the relays and decode-and-forward relaying. For the single relay case, and individual power constraints at the source node and the relay node, we provide explicit formulas for the optimal relay location and the optimal power allocation to the source-relay channel, for the exponential and the power-law path-loss channel models. For the multiple relay case, we consider exponential path-loss and a total power constraint over the source and the relays, and derive an optimization problem, the solution of which provides the optimal relay locations. Numerical results suggest that at low attenuation the relays are mostly clustered close to the source in order to be able to cooperate among themselves, whereas at high attenuation they are uniformly placed and work as repeaters. We also prove that a constant rate independent of the attenuation in the network can be achieved by placing a large enough number of relay nodes uniformly between the source and the destination, under the exponential path-loss model with total power constraint.
Susceptibility of Fibromatosis Cells in Short-Term Culture to Ifosfamide: A Possible Experimental Treatment in Clinically Aggressive Cases

Purpose. Deep fibromatoses are large, often rapidly growing but benign soft tissue tumours. Although surgery is the mainstay of treatment, in unremitting and aggressive cases the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy may produce objective tumour responses. Fresh tumour samples from four patients with fibromatosis were investigated as part of a study of drug resistance in soft tissue tumours. Methods. Following short-term culture of fibromatosis cells in vitro , chemosensitivity to 4-hydroperoxy-ifosfamide, the active form of ifosfamide and doxorubicin was tested. Following 72-h continuous exposure to each drug, surviving cell fraction was assessed using the lactate dehydrogenase assay. Results. Mean IC50 values for ifosfamide and doxorubicin were 6.2 and 0.35 µmol/l, respectively. In samples of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) from the same study the mean IC50 values for ifosfamide and doxorubicin were 14.8 and 1.69 µmol. The difference in mean ifosfamide IC50 values for fibromatosis and STS samples was statistically significant. Discussion. We are not aware of any other report suggesting the use of ifosfamide in this condition. These observations suggest that, for patients with inoperable or progressive lesions of fibromatosis causing significant morbidity, it may be valuable to include ifosfamide in experimental treatment regimens.
What You Enter Is What You Sign: Input Integrity in an Online Banking Environment

One problem with most currently used transaction authentication methods is that they depend on the customer's computer for integrity of the information flow between customer and bank. This allows man-in-the-middle attacks to be conducted using malware for financial fraud. Some banks are implementing new authentication methods that allow customers to verify transactions received by a bank without depending on the customer's computer to provide information integrity. These new methods are more complex compared to traditional authentication methods and need the customer's attention to be effective, since it is up to the customer to verify the information that was received by his or her bank. By examining the intrinsic problems of traditional and new transaction authentication methods as used by banks, we designed an alternative authentication method named 'Entered Single Transaction Authentication'. Our method ensures that the bank receives information as the customer entered it without requiring further verification by the customer. We introduce the concept 'What You Enter Is What You Sign', which ensures the digital integrity of information as soon as it is entered. Our proposal is theoretical and high-level, but opens the way for secure transaction authentication methods that rely less on the authenticating party to provide correct information, thereby reducing errors and improving user friendliness.
Multi-Scale Motility Amplitude Associated with Suicidal Thoughts in Major Depression

Major depression occurs at high prevalence in the general population, often starts in juvenile years, recurs over a lifetime, and is strongly associated with disability and suicide. Searches for biological markers in depression may have been hindered by assuming that depression is a unitary and relatively homogeneous disorder, mainly of mood, rather than addressing particular, clinically crucial features or diagnostic subtypes. Many studies have implicated quantitative alterations of motility rhythms in depressed human subjects. Since a candidate feature of great public-health significance is the unusually high risk of suicidal behavior in depressive disorders, we studied correlations between a measure (vulnerability index [VI]) derived from multi-scale characteristics of daily-motility rhythms in depressed subjects (n = 36) monitored with noninvasive, wrist-worn, electronic actigraphs and their self-assessed level of suicidal thinking operationalized as a wish to die. Patient-subjects had a stable clinical diagnosis of bipolar-I, bipolar-II, or unipolar major depression (n = 12 of each type). VI was associated inversely with suicidal thinking (r = –0.61 with all subjects and r = –0.73 with bipolar disorder subjects; both p<0.0001) and distinguished patients with bipolar versus unipolar major depression with a sensitivity of 91.7% and a specificity of 79.2%. VI may be a useful biomarker of characteristic features of major depression, contribute to differentiating bipolar and unipolar depression, and help to detect risk of suicide. An objective biomarker of suicide-risk could be advantageous when patients are unwilling or unable to share suicidal thinking with clinicians.
Recurrent bleeding in acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage: transfusion confusion.

OBJECTIVE Acute upper gastrointestinal (UGI) hemorrhage is a common, often serious condition encountered in the emergency department (ED). Previous research has suggested that transfusion of blood products may interfere with the hypercoagulable state induced by significant blood loss. Our objective was to determine whether the frequency of rebleeding is higher in patients with UGI bleeding who have received early blood transfusion. METHODS The study was a retrospective chart review of patients admitted to hospital through the ED with a diagnosis of UGI hemorrhage. Inclusion criteria limited analysis to patients presenting with hematemesis, melena, or bloody nasogastric aspirate, in whom a UGI lesion was confirmed endoscopically during admission. RESULTS A total of 214 charts were analyzed. Baseline demographic characteristics were similar in transfused and non-transfused patients. Presenting hemoglobin level was lower in the transfused group (86.5 v. 119.2 g/L, p < 0.001). Recurrent bleeding occurred in 99 (46%) patients and was more common in transfused patients (67 [66%] v. 33 [29%], p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that transfusion and presenting hemoglobin level were the only variables with a statistically significant independent association with bleeding recurrence (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05 respectively). CONCLUSIONS Our results support previous research suggesting that transfused UGI bleed patients have a higher rate of rebleeding. However, because of the retrospective design, causality cannot be inferred.
UWB signal propagation at the human head

Among different wireless solutions, ultra-wideband (UWB) communication is one promising transmission technology for wireless body area networks (WBANs). To optimize receiver structures and antennas for UWB WBANs with respect to energy efficiency and complexity, the distinct features of the body area network channel have to be considered. Thus, it is necessary to know the propagation mechanisms in the proximity of the human body. In this paper, we limit ourselves to transmission at the head, since the most important human communication organs, such as the mouth, eyes, and ears, are located there. We especially focus on the link between both ears and consider direct transmission, surface waves, reflections, and diffraction as possible propagation mechanisms. We show theoretically and by measurements, which were performed in the frequency range between 1.5-8 GHz, that direct transmission through the head is negligible due to the strong attenuation. We conclude by process of elimination that diffraction is the main propagation mechanism around the human body and verify these conclusions using a finite-difference time-domain simulation. Based on a second measurement campaign, we derive an approximation of the average power delay profile for the ear-to-ear link and calculate values for mean excess delay and delay spread. Finally, we briefly discuss the impact of the distinct ear-to-ear channel characteristic on the design of a WBAN communication system.
Activities of Daptomycin and Vancomycin Alone and in Combination with Rifampin and Gentamicin against Biofilm-Forming Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates in an Experimental Model of Endocarditis

ABSTRACT The findings of clinical and in vitro research support the theory that infective endocarditis (IE)-causing bacteria form biofilms and that biofilms negatively affect treatment outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to quantify the biofilm formation of methicillin (meticillin)-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates obtained from patients with IE and to evaluate the in vitro activities of daptomycin and vancomycin alone and in combination with rifampin (rifampicin) or gentamicin while monitoring the isolates for the development of resistance. A high-inoculum, stationary-phase infection model of IE was used to simulate the pharmacokinetics in humans of daptomycin at 6 mg/kg of body weight/day, vancomycin at 1.25 g every 12 h (q12h) alone and in combination with rifampin at 300 mg every 8 h, and gentamicin at 1.3 mg/kg q12h. Two randomly selected clinical MRSA isolates were obtained from patients with IE; both MRSA isolates quantitatively produced biofilms. The time to bactericidal activity in the presence of daptomycin was isolate dependent but was achieved by 24 h for both MRSA isolates. Vancomycin did not achieve bactericidal activity throughout the experiment. At 24, 48, and 72 h, daptomycin-containing regimens had significantly more activity (greater declines in the mean number of CFU/g) than any of the vancomycin-containing regimens (P = 0.03). Rifampin and gentamicin antagonized or delayed the bactericidal activity of daptomycin (against MRSA B346846 for rifampin and against both isolates for gentamicin) in the first 24 h. Increases in the daptomycin and vancomycin MICs were not observed. We conclude that in an IE model of biofilm-forming MRSA, daptomycin monotherapy has better in vitro activity than daptomycin in combination with rifampin or gentamicin or any vancomycin-containing regimen studied within the first 24 h. Further investigations are needed to understand the initial delay in bactericidal activity observed when gentamicin or rifampin is combined with daptomycin.
Ultra-low cost vehicle data acquisition and transfer system from analog and digital sensors to audio channel of a phone

The proposed system acquires and transfers data from a vehicle's analog and digital sensors to the user's very own mobile phone. The device uses a microcontroller to accept the sensor inputs and generate an audio signal indicative of the data acquired by the sensors and an audio jack which on inserting into the phone acts as a channel to transfer the data collected by the sensors to the cell phone. This data acquired from the sensors is fed to the microphone jack of the cell phone which is then processed by a mobile application and decoded sensor values are displayed on the cell phone. The ultra-low cost nature of the technology enables new additional applications like: On-The-Spot Soil Testing, Home Automation, Traffic Data Capture and Health Data Capture, etc. at disruptive prices.
Una comparación de las contribuciones de las ciudades aztecas de Tlatelolco y Tenochtitlan al capítulo de aves del Códice Florentino

The Florentine Codex is a Renaissance-era illuminated manuscript that contains the earliest-known regional work on the birds of Mexico. Its Nahuatl language texts and scholia (the latter later incorporated into its Spanish texts) were written in the 1560s by Bernardino de Sahagun’s research group of elite native Mexican scholars in collaboration with Aztecs from two cities: Tlatelolco and Tenochtitlan. In the present study, I compared the contributions from these two cities and found many differences. While both cities contributed accounts and descriptions of land and water birds, those from Tlatelolco were mainly land birds, while those from Tenochtitlan were mainly water birds. Tlatelolco contributed over twice as many bird accounts as Tenochtitlan, and supplied the only information about medicinal uses of birds. Tenochtitlan peer reviewed the Tlatelolco bird accounts and improved many of them. In addition, Tenochtitlan contributed all information on bird abundance and most information about which birds were eaten and not eaten by humans. Spanish bird names appear more frequently in the Aztec language texts from Tenochtitlan. Content analysis of the Tenochtitlan accounts suggests collaboration with the water folk Atlaca (a prehistoric lacustrine culture) and indigenous contacts with Spanish falconers. The Renaissance-era studies of Sahagun’s research group, on a now lost island in the formerly vast, bird-rich wetlands of the Valley of Mexico, constitute the birth of Mexican ornithology and, coincidently, give the history of Mexican ornithology a distinctive, Aztlan-like beginning, significantly different from the ornithological histories of neighboring countries.
Human monocytes augment invasiveness and proteolytic activity of inflammatory breast cancer

Abstract Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most aggressive form of breast cancer, and here, we examined in vitro the interactions between the human IBC cell line SUM149 and U937 human naive monocytes. We found an altered morphology, enhanced invasiveness and proteolytic activity of SUM149 cells when cultured with U937 cells or in U937-conditioned media (U937-CM). Increases in expression and activity of the cysteine protease cathepsin B and expression of caveolin-1 were also detected in SUM149 cells grown in U937-CM, thus suggesting a contribution of these proteins to the augmented invasion through and proteolysis of the extracellular matrix by the IBC cells.
Research Statement

ion Layers of System Code with Formal Interfaces In his keynote speech at 2007 Federated Computing Research Conference (FCRC), Chuck Moore suggested that an effective way to control the complexity of computation systems is to introduce abstraction layers with well-defined interfaces, as those in the OSI model for communication protocols. Following this idea, I first stratified a simplified OS kernel and designed abstract machines for code at different levels [7], which was the first step to completely certify the whole kernel. As shown in Fig. 1, we have preemptive threads following the standard concurrent programming model at the highest abstraction level (Level A). Hardware interrupts are abstracted away and are handled at Level B. Code at Level B involves both threads and hardware interrupts. Synchronization primitives, input/output operations, device drivers, and interrupt handlers are all implemented at this level. Interrupt handling is enabled/disabled explicitly using sti/cli. At the lowest level (Level C), the thread scheduler and the context switching routine manipulate