Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental Investigation and Constitutive Modeling of Volume Strain under Uniaxial Strain Rate Jump Test in HDPE

— In this work, tensile tests on high density polyethylene have been carried out under various constant strain rate and strain rate jump tests. The dependency of the true stress and specially the variation of volume strain have been investigated, the volume strain due to the phenomena of damage was determined in real time during the tests by an optical extensometer called Videotraction. A modified constitutive equations, including strain rate and damage effects, are proposed, such a model is based on a non-equilibrium thermodynamic approach called (DNLR). The ability of the model to predict the complex nonlinear response of this polymer is examined by comparing the model simulation with the available experimental data, which demonstrate that this model can represent the deformation behavior of the polymer reasonably well.
The DPT‐1 trial: a negative result with lessons for future type 1 diabetes prevention

The author comments on the DPT‐1 Trial and why the observed negative outcome in preventing diabetes in first‐degree relatives of type 1 diabetic patients by parenteral insulin administration may have occurred and what can be gathered from this large study. There were three main lessons to be learned from the DPT‐1 Trial as follows. (1) Large preventive trials of type 1 diabetes are feasible in first‐degree relatives of type 1 diabetic patients and other preventive approaches may be now envisaged. (2) The natural history of type 1 diabetes, at least in its final years before clinical onset, has been elucidated and reiterates the relevance of our present predictive tools (autoantibodies) for identifying individuals at risk for the disease. (3) Strict follow‐up of enrolled subjects in trials permits an earlier diagnosis of the disease with less frequency of ketoacidosis and implementation of insulin therapy when higher C‐peptide levels are present. DPT‐1 has paved the way on how to proceed and new trials will be planned benefiting from such experience. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sex steroid levels in urine of cattle of different ages: evaluation of abuse control procedures

Levels of several natural urinary steroids have been determined in the urine of a large number of animals of different cattle categories in the context of steroid abuse in beef production. Bovine animals of different breeds, sex and age included in the Slovene national residue detection plan for steroid abuse were studied. Urine from 120 males and 174 females was analysed. Urinary boldenone, boldione, androstenedione, equiline, medroxyprogesterone, medroxyprogesterone acetate, melengestrol acetate, progesterone, stanozolol, trenbolone, trenbolone acetate, 17α-ethinylestradiol, 17α-methyltestosterone, epitestosterone, 17β-estradiol, testosterone, and nandrolone were determined by LC-MS/MS. Epitestosterone was found in all bulls; while the proportion of animals containing testosterone and androstenedione increased with age. Testosterone was not detected in bulls less than 5 months of age. Epitestosterone levels, however, were not age dependent. The ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone thus increased with age, from 0.13 ± 0.09 at 1–7 months to 0.42 ± 0.10 at 25–38 months. It was significantly (p < 0.01) higher in bulls above 13 months than in younger animals. In contrast to males, no urinary testosterone was found in females, whereas epitestosterone, androstenedione, progesterone and estradiol were present. The proportion of animals of various age groups in which epitestosterone was detected ranged from 68% to 100%, but the differences were not significant. The presence of both estradiol and progesterone in the same sample was not observed in any animal. The results of this study could be helpful in determining physiological urinary steroid levels in order to provide a baseline for the control of steroid abuse in beef production.
Association between ACE gene I/D polymorphism and clinical presentation and prognosis of sarcoidosis

Serum angiotensin converting enzyme (SACE) concentration is considered a marker of sarcoidosis activity. This concentration is influenced by an insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the ACE gene, such that SACE levels follow the pattern DD>ID>II. The aim of our work was to study the relationship between I/D polymorphism and susceptibility to sarcoidosis, as well as the relation between this polymorphism and the clinical presentation and evolution of the disease in 177 sarcoidosis patients. A group of 104 individuals without sarcoidosis was included as control. Genotyping was done by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, and SACE concentration at diagnosis was determined by a kinetic method. No differences were observed in genotype or allele distributions between patients and controls, nor between patients considering the type of presentation (Löfgren versus non‐Löfgren) and evolution of the disease (acute versus chronic). As reported for healthy populations, SACE concentrations followed the pattern DD>ID>II in sarcoidosis patients, but significant differences between genotypes existed only in the Löfgren group (p = 0.003) and in acute patients (p = 0.02). SACE concentrations at diagnosis were lower in acute patients (p = 0.05) and in Löfgren's syndrome (p = 0.04), but this seemed to occur only in ID individuals (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively). No relation was thus found between I/D polymorphism and susceptibility to sarcoidosis, but ACE I/D genotyping may improve the assessment of disease activity, both at diagnosis and during the follow‐up of treated and untreated patients.
Harnessing Pharmacogenomics to Tackle Resistance to the “Nucleoside Reverse Trancripatse Inhibitor” Backbone of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in Resource Limited Settings

Background The sustainable use of HAART within the sub-Saharan and other developing world settings faces the emerging challenge of drug resistance. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) form the backbone of HAART and preserving their “antiviral efficacy” is thus critical to sustainable HAART use. Methods A systematic review of the “mechanisms of evolution” of resistance to NRTI at the HIV genome level, and the phenotypic manifestations on drug pharmacokinetics was done. Conclusion This paper provides an evidence based account of how the knowledge of pharmacogenomics may be exploited to tackle NRTI resistance within limited resource.
Correlation between the effect of the anti-neoplastic ether lipid 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine on the membrane and the activity of protein kinase Calpha.

The antineoplastic ether phospholipid 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-sn-glycero-3-phophocholine (ET-18-OCH3) was incorporated into dimyristoylglycerophosphocholine (Myr2Gro-PCho)/dimyristoylglycerophosphoserine (Myr2Gro-PSer) (4 : 1 molar ratio) mixtures. Electron microscopy showed that the addition of ET-18-OCH3 reduced the size of the vesicles. Small vesicles could be detected even at 60 mol% ET-18-OCH3. Sedimentation studies showed the increasing presence of phospholipids in the supernatant, while turbidity measurements indicated a decrease in absorbance as the ET-18-OCH3 concentration was increased. These findings may be explained by the formation of small vesicles and/or mixed micelles. Infrared spectroscopy showed that at 60 mol% the fluidity of the membrane was considerably increased at temperatures below the phase transition, with only a small increase in the proportion of gauche isomers after the gel-to-fluid phase transition of this sample. On the other hand, protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha) activity progressively decreased when ET-18-OCH3 was incorporated into multilamellar vesicles, reaching a minimum value at 20 mol%, this inhibition being attributed to the modification of the membrane produced by a cone-shaped molecule. At higher concentrations, however, ET-18-OCH3 activated the enzyme with a maximum being attained at 50 mol%. This activation being attributed to the formation of small vesicles and/or micelles. At still higher concentrations of ET-18-OCH3 the enzyme was once again inhibited, inhibition being almost complete at 80 mol%. When PKC was assayed using large unilamellar vesicles a slight activation was observed at very low ET-18-OCH3 concentrations.
Glomerular basement membrane proteoglycans are derived from a large precursor

The basement membrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan produced by the Englebreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) tumor and by glomeruli were compared by immunological methods. Antibodies to the EHS proteoglycan immunoprecipitated a single precursor protein (Mr = 400,000) from [35S]methionine-pulsed glomeruli, the same size produced by EHS cells. These antibodies detected both heparan sulfate proteoglycans and glycoproteins in extracts of unlabeled glomeruli and glomerular basement membrane. The proteoglycans contained core proteins of varying size (Mr = 150,000 to 400,000) with a Mr = 250,000 species being predominant. The glycoproteins are fragments of the core protein which lack heparan sulfate side chains. Antibodies to glomerular basement membrane proteoglycan immunoprecipitated the precursor protein (Mr = 400,000) synthesized by EHS cells and also reacted with most of the proteolytic fragments of the EHS proteoglycan. This antibody did not, however, react with the P44 fragment, a peptide situated at one end of the EHS proteoglycan core protein. These data suggest that the glomerular basement membrane proteoglycan is synthesized from a large precursor protein which undergoes specific proteolytic processing.
SIgA Binding to Mucosal Surfaces Is Mediated by Mucin-Mucin Interactions

The oral mucosal pellicle is a layer of absorbed salivary proteins, including secretory IgA (SIgA), bound onto the surface of oral epithelial cells and is a useful model for all mucosal surfaces. The mechanism by which SIgA concentrates on mucosal surfaces is examined here using a tissue culture model with real saliva. Salivary mucins may initiate the formation of the mucosal pellicle through interactions with membrane-bound mucins on cells. Further protein interactions with mucins may then trigger binding of other pellicle proteins. HT29 colon cell lines, which when treated with methotrexate (HT29-MTX) produce a gel-forming mucin, were used to determine the importance of these mucin-mucin interactions. Binding of SIgA to cells was then compared using whole mouth saliva, parotid (mucin-free) saliva and a source of purified SIgA. Greatest SIgA binding occurred when WMS was incubated with HT29-MTX expressing mucus. Since salivary MUC5B was only able to bind to cells which produced mucus and purified SIgA showed little binding to the same cells we conclude that most SIgA binding to mucosal cells occurs because SIgA forms complexes with salivary mucins which then bind to cells expressing membrane-bound mucins. This work highlights the importance of mucin interactions in the development of the mucosal pellicle.
The Relationship between Mental Health and Life Quality among the Cardio-Vascular Patients

Cardio-vascular diseases are considered as the most important and prevalent threatening factors of human health. In spite of the reduction in the death range due to cardio-vascular diseases during the last decade, these disorders are the major cause of deaths or inability among the individuals. Cardio-vascular patients face many different physical, mental & social problems which may cause disorder in the procedure of their life quality. With regard to the life quality in chronic diseases and the function of training in improving it, the present research has been conducted with the aim of determining the relationship between the mental health condition and life quality among the cardio-vascular patients. Hence, the present study employed a correlation method. In this research, a number of 100 patients, referring to the health & treatment centers in the town of Lordegan, Iran were selected via convenience sampling. The data were collected using the questionnaire of general health & life quality, including a number of 36 questions (short form) and were analyzed using Spearman correlation coefficient, T-test & variance analysis. The findings showed that, many of the domains of the life quality were significantly correlated with mental health. Areas of physical function existed in life quality showed a significant correlation with the three domains of anxiety, disorder in social performance & depression. The mental health area of life quality only showed a significant correlation with quasi-somatic signs area of mental health (P<0.02). Finally, the social performance domain of life quality was significantly correlated with the domain of disorder in social performance in mental health (P<0.05). Moreover, mental health domains such as anxiety with p=. 006 showed to have more significant correlation among women as compared to men, and quasi-somatic symptoms with P=0.025 showed to have more significant relationship among woman as compared to men. From among the domains of life quality, physical performance with p=0.03 was more significant among men than women and somatic pain with P=0.001 was more significant among women than men. Concerning the research findings, life quality domains were correlated with mental health areas among cardio-vascular patients, and heart problems have influenced the patients' different life aspects.
Prevalencia, sintomatología y distribución del trastorno negativista desafiante

Prevalence, symptoms and distribution of oppositional defiant disorder. The purpose of this work was to determine the epidemiological evolution of the Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in adolescents, using a sample of Secondary School students of the region of Campo de Gibraltar (Cadiz). The students' age ranged from 12 to 16 years old. Two evaluations were completed, the first one during the school year 2001-2002 and the second one in the school year 2006-2007. The sample comprised 2310 students in the first study and 2351 students in the second one. We used a comparative-selective approach. The results of the comparison revealed a prevalence ranging from 3.77% to 3.83% of students with this disorder, maintaining the main symptoms and with some changes in its distribution as a function of the school grade. Indeed, the data showed more cases in the final courses (1st study) in contrast with a higher concentration of cases in the initial courses (2nd study). With regard to the frequency of ODD by sex, we found that whereas in the earlier study (2001-2002), the relationship between boys and girls was 3.5:1, in the school year 2006/2007, the number of boys with ODD quadrupled the number of girls.
How do birds' tails work? Delta–wing theory fails to predict tail shape during flight

Birds appear to use their tails during flight, but until recently the aerodynamic role that tails fulfil was largely unknown. In recent years delta–wing theory, devised to predict the aerodynamics of high–performance aircraft, has been applied to the tails of birds and has been successful in providing a model for the aerodynamics of a bird's tail. This theory now provides the conventional explanation for how birds' tails work. A delta–wing theory (slender–wing theory) has been used, as part of a variable–geometry model to predict how tail and wing shape should vary during flight at different airspeeds. We tested these predictions using barn swallows flying in a wind tunnel. We show that the predictions are not quantitatively well supported. This suggests that a new theory or a modified version of delta–wing theory is needed to adequately explain the way in which morphology varies during flight.
Corpora allata of the larval tobacco hornworm contain a calcium/calmodulin-sensitive adenylyl cyclase.

An assay was developed with which to study basic characteristics of an adenylyl cyclase in the corpora allata (CA) of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. The assay used glands collected and frozen at -80 degrees C, to circumvent the problem of tissue availability. With this protocol for storage of tissue, less than 25% of the enzyme activity in fresh tissue was lost. Substances such as sodium fluoride (NaF) and Gpp(NH)p (a non-hydrolyzable GTP analog), which typically stimulate the adenylyl cyclases in other insect tissues, increased enzyme activity several-fold. There was a progressive decrease in the capacity of the CA adenylyl cyclase to be stimulated by NaF during the fifth stadium, suggesting a possible developmental change in the capacity of the associated G protein to be stimulated by NaF. The calcium/calmodulin (CaM) dependence of adenylyl cyclase activity was also investigated. The results demonstrated that addition of up to 10(-4) M calcium to assays of enzyme activity in whole gland homogenates of both larval (day 0) and prepupal (day 6) CA resulted in only a slight increase in the activity of the enzyme over basal rates in the presence of the calcium chelator EGTA. However, addition of as little as 5 microM CaM in the presence of 10(-4) to 10(-3) M calcium increased adenylyl cyclase activity three-to five-fold. A similar stimulation was obtained with washed membrane preparations of day 0 and day 6 glands, but required a substantially higher concentration of CaM. Results demonstrated that the CA possess a calcium/CaM-dependent adenylyl cyclase from day 0 through day 6. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Motor score of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale as a good predictor of Lewy body-associated neuronal loss in the substantia nigra.

BACKGROUND How well the motor symptoms assessed by the motor section of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS3) reflect the neuronal loss observed in the substantia nigra is not known. OBJECTIVE To study the relationships among the motor symptoms assessed by the UPDRS3, Lewy body-associated neuronal loss in the substantia nigra, and duration of disease. DESIGN Longitudinal, prospective, clinicopathological study. SETTING Long-term care facility of a university hospital. PATIENTS Eighteen elderly patients with a parkinsonian syndrome, studied prospectively but selected post mortem on the basis of the presence of Lewy bodies, and 5 age-matched control subjects. METHODS One map of a section of the substantia nigra, indicating the location of all the nucleolated neuronal profiles, was drawn for each case. Neuronal density was estimated using a tessellation method. The relationship between time and neuronal loss and between neuronal loss and motor symptoms (assessed by the UPDRS3) was studied by means of regression analysis, using linear and exponential models. RESULTS The neuronal density was linearly linked with the UPDRS3 score (r = -0.83 [P<.001]). Each point added to the UPDRS3 score corresponded to an estimated loss of 25 neurons/mm(3). The density of neuronal profiles in the substantia nigra decreased exponentially with time (r = -0.73 [P<.001]). Extrapolation of the curve suggested a presymptomatic phase of 5 years. CONCLUSION The UPDRS3 score is linearly linked to neuronal density, which, in Lewy body diseases, decreases exponentially with time at a similar pace in this series of elderly patients and in the younger patients described in the literature.
Novel image similarity metric for evaluating denoising and restoration techniques

A novel similarity metric is proposed here for evaluating the performance of various image denoising and restoration techniques. A testing methodology implying four types of noise contamination on medical images has been used to determine a vital threshold used in the computation of the proposed similarity index. The results are described along with values for known similarity indices. Graphical representations have been developed to allow a detailed investigation of the performance of different methods in specific image regions, like those in the proximity of the edges.
A cloud based web analysis and reporting of vital signs

To address the rising costs of health care accessibility, we propose a solution that takes advantage of the ubiquity of broadband wireless coverage and wide spread usage of smart phones around the world. The solution presents a web based health monitoring system that takes advantage of mobile capability, cloud storage and high speed access. The solution enables health care providers to remotely monitor, analyze and diagnose patient's data. This is possible thanks to the low cost ability to exchange data through the web (Cloud) with data processing servers. This paper presents a proof of concept that has been developed to monitor, record, and analyze heart rate through digital stethoscope. The design enables a physician to develop custom analysis and monitoring to collect key indicator or set alerts without a need for infrastructure implementations to store or transfer the data.
Neighbourhood Abstraction in GROOVE

Important classes of graph grammars have infinite state spaces and therefore cannot be verified with traditional model checking techniques. One way to address this problem is to perform graph abstraction, which allows us to generate a finite abstract state space that over-approximates the original one. In previous work we developed the theory of neighbourhood abstraction. In this paper, we present the implementation of this theory in GROOVE and illustrate its use with a small grammar that models operations on a single-linked list.
Structural Probing of a Protein Phosphatase 2A Network by Chemical Cross-Linking and Mass Spectrometry

Dynamic Assembly Structural characterization of protein complexes has yielded significant insight into biological function; however, most structural techniques require stable, homogenous samples. This presents a challenge in characterizing transient signaling complexes. Herzog et al. (p. 1348) used chemical cross-linking and mass spectroscopy (XL-MS) to characterize the modular and dynamic interaction network involving phosphatase 2A (PP2A), which interacts with tens of regulatory and adaptor proteins in diverse signaling pathways. They found 176 interprotein and 569 intraprotein distance restraints that delineated the topology of the network. The study establishes the importance of XL-MS in the suite of structural methods used to characterize dynamic assemblies. Spatial restraints revealed by chemical cross-linking and mass spectrometry elucidate the topology of a dynamic signaling network. The identification of proximate amino acids by chemical cross-linking and mass spectrometry (XL-MS) facilitates the structural analysis of homogeneous protein complexes. We gained distance restraints on a modular interaction network of protein complexes affinity-purified from human cells by applying an adapted XL-MS protocol. Systematic analysis of human protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) complexes identified 176 interprotein and 570 intraprotein cross-links that link specific trimeric PP2A complexes to a multitude of adaptor proteins that control their cellular functions. Spatial restraints guided molecular modeling of the binding interface between immunoglobulin binding protein 1 (IGBP1) and PP2A and revealed the topology of TCP1 ring complex (TRiC) chaperonin interacting with the PP2A regulatory subunit 2ABG. This study establishes XL-MS as an integral part of hybrid structural biology approaches for the analysis of endogenous protein complexes.
Concentric Symmetry

The quantiﬁcation of symmetries in complex networks is typically done globally in terms of au-tomorphisms. In this work we focus on local symmetries around nodes, which we call connectivity patterns. We develop two topological transformations that allow a concise characterization of the diﬀerent types of symmetry appearing on networks and apply these concepts to six network models, namely the Erdős-Rényi, Barabási-Albert, random geometric graph, Waxman, Voronoi and rewired Voronoi models. Real-world networks, namely the scientiﬁc areas of Wikipedia, the world-wide airport network and the street networks of Oldenburg and San Joaquin, are also analyzed in terms of the proposed symmetry measurements. Several interesting results, including the high symmetry exhibited by the Erdős-Rényi model, are observed and discussed.