Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Three-dimensional structure of human tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 at 2.1 A resolution.

The three-dimensional structure of human tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) was determined by X-ray crystallography to 2.1 A resolution. The structure of the inhibitor consists of two domains. The N-terminal domain (residues 1-110) is folded into a beta-barrel, similar to the oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding fold otherwise found in certain DNA-binding proteins. The C-terminal domain (residues 111-194) contains a parallel stranded beta-hairpin plus a beta-loop-beta motif. Comparison of the structure of uncomplexed human TIMP-2 with that of bovine TIMP-2 bound to the catalytic domain of human MMP-14 suggests an internal rotation between the two domains of approximately 13 degrees upon binding to the protease. Furthermore, local conformational differences in the two structures that might be induced by formation of the protease-inhibitor complex have been found. The most prominent of these involves residues 27-40 of the A-B beta-hairpin loop. Structure-based alignment of amino acid sequences of representatives of the TIMP family maps the sequence differences mainly to loop regions, and some of these differences are proposed to be responsible for the particular properties of the various TIMP species.
Advanced national airspace traffic flow management simulation experiments and vlidation

Traffic flow management in the National Airspace is an important problem in our air transportation system. We have developed ProbTFM, a traffic flow management evaluation platform and algorithmic solution. ProbTFM works with existing traffic flow management tools and provides probabilistic data modeling and decision making. ProbTFM forecasts airport and airspace capacity and demand; and airport, airspace, and route congestion. ProbTFM creates a list of high congestion, "critical" flights and recommends delays or reroutes for specific flights. ProbTFM can be used as an evaluation platform for advanced traffic flow management concepts, and to model today's National Airspace System. In this paper we report on validation results and how ProbTFM can be used to understand operational tradeoffs and inform policy decisions.
Effects of Neurotrophins on Cortical Plasticity: Same or Different?

Neurotrophins are important regulators of visual cortical plasticity. It is still unclear, however, whether they play similar or different roles and which are their effects on the electrical activity of cortical neurons in vivo. We therefore compared the effects of all neurotrophins, nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-4 (NT-4), and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) on visual cortical plasticity and on cell spontaneous and visually evoked activity. Rats were monocularly deprived for 1 week at the peak of the critical period, and neurotrophins were infused intracortically. The main finding is that, with the exception of NT-3, all neurotrophins affect the outcome of monocular deprivation, but there are clear differences in their mechanisms of action. In particular, NT-4 and NGF counteract monocular deprivation effects without causing detectable alterations either in spontaneous or visually evoked neuronal activity. BDNF is less effective on ocular dominance plasticity and, in addition, strongly affects spontaneous and visually evoked activity in cortical neurons.
Study on the system model of career decision making based on cognitive information processing

The study of career decision making developed from the stage of concerning about relevant factors in decision making to the stage of concerning about decision-making itself, from the stage of concerning about the match of human being and environment to the stage of concerning about the limited rational decision of individuals on multi-stages in micro view. Although the two paradigms have quite different research ways, they all had prosperity and development. At the same time, the paper finds out that both of the two paradigms have their own defects, and the existed study are lack of integrated research. Therefore, the paper constructs a system integrated model in order to find a complete view of career decision making.
RESEARCH METHODS USED TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF SATCHEL

Over the last five years, our group has been developing ways of supporting the document work of mobile professionals. At the outset of our research, we knew little about the work practices of mobile professionals, in particular, we knew little about their document activities. We also knew little about how to study the document activities of this mobile group. In trying to gain this understanding, we carried out a number of studies and designed many scenarios. As we began to develop prototype systems, we also designed scenarios to illustrate how our prototypes would affect the way people carried out their document activities. As our prototypes matured, we carried our more extensive user trials of our systems. This paper describes the various studies and trials used during our research and development activities. The aim is to illustrate the range of methods we used, not to describe the results of studies and trials in any detail. We will, however, provide a few results to illustrate the contribution of each method.
Amelioration of antigen induced arthritis in rabbits treated with a secreted viral serine proteinase inhibitor.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of intraarticular administration of SERP-1 protein, a myxoma virus derived antiinflammatory serine protease inhibitor, in an antigen induced arthritis (AIA) model of chronic inflammation. METHODS AIA was induced in a single joint of 15 rabbits after intraarticular (i.a.) injection of ovalbumin in animals previously immunized to the same agent administered in complete Freund's adjuvant. A 2nd i.a. injection of ovalbumin was given 2 weeks later preceded by 2 daily injections of human transforming growth factor-beta 2. SERP-1 was given by i.a. injection at 2 and 4 weeks after the last i.a. injection of ovalbumin. Three synovial specimens per joint were obtained for synovial histology. Patellar articular cartilage was assessed for collagen integrity and proteoglycan staining. RESULTS Synovial histology revealed significant diminution in synovial lining cellular hyperplasia, chronic inflammatory infiltration, and cartilage erosion in treated animals, particularly in those receiving 2 i.a. injections of 1 ng of SERP-1. Preservation of articular cartilage was concomitantly noted in treated animals. A dose-response influence on histopathologic change was discernible. CONCLUSION A viral derived antiinflammatory protein, SERP-1, demonstrates considerable potency in ameliorating chronic inflammation in the AIA model and warrants further investigation as a potential anti-arthritic agent.
Effects of Valsartan or Amlodipine on Endothelial Function and Oxidative Stress after One Year Follow-up in Patients with Essential Hypertension

Endothelial function is impaired in hypertensive patients. Decreased nitric oxide production and increased oxidative stress are involved in this abnormality. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether endothelial function and oxidative stress differ following long-term antihypertensive treatment with an angiotensin type 1 receptor blocker, valsartan, or a calcium channel blocker, amlodipine, in patients with essential hypertension. Hypertensive patients were treated with valsartan (80–160 mg/day) or amlodipine (5–10 mg/day) for one year (n = 9 for each). The baseline blood pressure was similar between groups, and the magnitude of the decreases in blood pressure did not differ during treatment at three months, six months, or one year. Endothelial function and oxidative stress markers were examined before and after treatment. Endothelial function, assessed by flow-mediated vasodilation, was significantly improved in hypertensive patients treated with valsartan (5.8 ± 1.2 to 10.7 ± 1.4 %, p < 0.01) but not in those treated with amlodipine. The percent increase in vasodilation induced by sublingual nitroglycerin did not differ between the two groups. As markers of oxidative stress, urinary excretion of 8-isoprostane and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine was significantly reduced in patients treated with valsartan, but not in those treated with amlodipine. These findings suggest that the treatment of hypertensive patients with valsartan for at least one year improves endothelial function in association with reduced oxidative stress. The improved endothelial function and reduced oxidative stress might be involved in the benefits of anti-hypertensive treatment beyond simply lowering blood pressure, although the effects of treatment with valsartan or amlodipine over a much longer period are unknown.
A methodology for detection and estimation of software aging

The phenomenon of software aging refers to the accumulation of errors during the execution of the software which eventually results in it's crash/hang failure. A gradual performance degradation may also accompany software aging. Pro-active fault management techniques such as "software rejuvenation" (Y. Huang et al., 1995) may be used to counteract aging if it exists. We propose a methodology for detection and estimation of aging in the UNIX operating system. First, we present the design and implementation of an SNMP based, distributed monitoring tool used to collect operating system resource usage and system activity data at regular intervals, from networked UNIX workstations. Statistical trend detection techniques are applied to this data to detect/validate the existence of aging. For quantifying the effect of aging in operating system resources, we propose a metric: "estimated time to exhaustion", which is calculated using well known slope estimation techniques. Although the distributed data collection tool is specific to UNIX, the statistical techniques can be used for detection and estimation of aging in other software as well.
Is Life better after motor cortex stimulation for pain control? Results at long-term and their prediction by preoperative rTMS.

BACKGROUND A positive effect of motor cortex stimulation (MCS) (defined as subjective estimations of pain relief ≥ 30%) has been reported in 55 - 64% of patients. Repetitive magnetic cortical stimulation (rTMS) is considered a predictor of MCS effect. These figures are, however, mostly based on subjective reports of pain intensity, and have not been confirmed in the long-term. OBJECTIVES This study assessed long-term pain relief (2 - 9 years) after epidural motor cortex stimulation and its pre-operative prediction by rTMS, using both intensity and Quality of Life (QoL) scales. STUDY DESIGN Analysis of the long-term evolution of pain patients treated by epidural motor cortex stimulation, and predictive value of preoperative response to rTMS. SETTING University Neurological Hospital Pain Center. METHODS PATIENTS Twenty patients suffering chronic pharmaco-resistant neuropathic pain. INTERVENTION All patients received first randomized sham vs. active 20 Hz-rTMS, before being submitted to MCS surgery. MEASUREMENT Postoperative pain relief was evaluated at 6 months and then up to 9 years post-MCS (average 6.1 ± 2.6 y) using (i) pain numerical rating scores (NRS); (ii) a combined assessment (CPA) including NRS, drug intake, and subjective quality of life; and (iii) a short questionnaire (HowRu) exploring discomfort, distress, disability, and dependence. RESULTS Pain scores were significantly reduced by active (but not sham) rTMS and by subsequent MCS. Ten out of 20 patients kept a long-term benefit from MCS, both on raw pain scores and on CPA. The CPA results were strictly comparable when obtained by the surgeon or by a third-party on telephonic survey (r = 0.9). CPA scores following rTMS and long-term MCS were significantly associated (Fisher P = 0.02), with 90% positive predictive value and 67% negative predictive value of preoperative rTMS over long-term MCS results. On the HowRu questionnaire, long-term MCS-related improvement concerned "discomfort" (physical pain) and "dependence" (autonomy for daily activities), whereas "disability" (work, home, and leisure activities) and "distress" (anxiety, stress, depression) did not significantly improve. LIMITATIONS Limited cohort of patients with inhomogeneous pain etiology. Subjectivity of the reported items by the patient after a variable and long delay after surgery. Predictive evaluation based on a single rTMS session compared to chronic MCS. CONCLUSIONS Half of the patients still retain a significant benefit after 2 - 9 years of continuous MCS, and this can be reasonably predicted by preoperative rTMS. Adding drug intake and QoL estimates to raw pain scores allows a more realistic assessment of long-term benefits and enhance the rTMS predictive value. The aims of this study and its design were approved by the local ethics committee (University Hospitals St Etienne and Lyon, France).
Sensory Information and Encounter Rates of Interacting Species

Most motile organisms use sensory cues when searching for resources, mates, or prey. The searcher measures sensory data and adjusts its search behavior based on those data. Yet, classical models of species encounter rates assume that searchers move independently of their targets. This assumption leads to the familiar mass action-like encounter rate kinetics typically used in modeling species interactions. Here we show that this common approach can mischaracterize encounter rate kinetics if searchers use sensory information to search actively for targets. We use the example of predator-prey interactions to illustrate that predators capable of long-distance directional sensing can encounter prey at a rate proportional to prey density to the power (where is the dimension of the environment) when prey density is low. Similar anomalous encounter rate functions emerge even when predators pursue prey using only noisy, directionless signals. Thus, in both the high-information extreme of long-distance directional sensing, and the low-information extreme of noisy non-directional sensing, encounter rate kinetics differ qualitatively from those derived by classic theory of species interactions. Using a standard model of predator-prey population dynamics, we show that the new encounter rate kinetics derived here can change the outcome of species interactions. Our results demonstrate how the use of sensory information can alter the rates and outcomes of physical interactions in biological systems.
Hormonale Ablationstherapie bei Mann und Frau: Folgen für den Knochen

P . b . b . G Z 0 2 Z 0 3 1 1 0 8 M , V e r l a g s p o s t a m t : 3 0 0 2 P u r k e r s d o r f , E r s c h e i n u n g s o r t : 3 0 0 3 G a b l i t z Indexed in SCOPUS/EMBASE/Excerpta Medica www.kup. at/mineralstoffwechsel Österreichische Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Orthopädische Chirurgie Österreichische Gesellschaft für Rheumatologie Offizielles Organ der Österreichischen Gesellschaft zur Erforschung des Knochens und Mineralstoffwechsels Member of the Hormonale Ablationstherapie bei
Application Design for Wearable and Context-Aware Computers

To effectively integrate wearable computers into ubiquitous computing environments, we must address several important challenges. How do we develop social and cognitive application models? How do we integrate input from multiple sensors and map them to users' social and cognitive states? How do we anticipate user needs? How do we interact with users? To address mobile-application design challenges, the authors created four user interface models that map problem-solving capabilities to application requirements.
Genome-Based Studies of Marine Microorganisms to Maximize the Diversity of Natural Products Discovery for Medical Treatments

Marine microorganisms are rich source for natural products which play important roles in pharmaceutical industry. Over the past decade, genome-based studies of marine microorganisms have unveiled the tremendous diversity of the producers of natural products and also contributed to the efficiency of harness the strain diversity and chemical diversity, as well as the genetic diversity of marine microorganisms for the rapid discovery and generation of new natural products. In the meantime, genomic information retrieved from marine symbiotic microorganisms can also be employed for the discovery of new medical molecules from yet-unculturable microorganisms. In this paper, the recent progress in the genomic research of marine microorganisms is reviewed; new tools of genome mining as well as the advance in the activation of orphan pathways and metagenomic studies are summarized. Genome-based research of marine microorganisms will maximize the biodiscovery process and solve the problems of supply and sustainability of drug molecules for medical treatments.
Dependence-Based Scheduling Revisited : A Tale of Two Baselines

Previous work proposes a dependence-based scheduling technique in which the scheduling window is partitioned into a number of FIFO buffers, the heads of which constitute the set of instructions eligible for execution each cycle. In that work, empirical evaluation promises very modest IPC losses relative to a conventional scheduler, but we find in our own implementation that losses are severe — about sixfold higher than those originally reported. We show that those losses arise because the dependence-based steering policy, which is responsible for distributing instructions among the FIFO buffers, must frequently stall for lack of a suitable buffer into which the next instruction can be slotted. That problem, in turn, arises because dynamic dataflow is simply not of a shape that is amenable to being mapped onto just a few FIFO buffers, at least not by means of the proposed steering policy. We postulate that the original study produced good results because it evaluated the new scheduler in a machine whose performance bottleneck lay outside the execution core. The problems introduced by the steering logic were, as a result, hidden.
Sexual desire and the female sexual function index (FSFI): a sexual desire cutpoint for clinical interpretation of the FSFI in women with and without hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

INTRODUCTION A validated cutpoint for the total Female Sexual Function Index scale score exists to classify women with and without sexual dysfunction. However, there is no sexual desire (SD) domain-specific cutpoint for assessing the presence of diminished desire in women with or without a sexual desire problem. AIMS This article defines and validates a specific cutpoint on the SD domain for differentiating women with and without hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). METHODS Eight datasets (618 women) were included in the development dataset. Four independent datasets (892 women) were used in the validation portion of the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Diagnosis of HSDD was clinician-derived. Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curves were used to develop the cutpoint, which was confirmed in the validation dataset. RESULTS The use of a diagnostic cutpoint for classifying women with SD scores of 5 or less on the SD domain as having HSDD and those with SD scores of 6 or more as not having HSDD maximized diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. In the development sample, the sensitivity and specificity for predicting HSDD (with or without other conditions) were 75% and 84%, respectively, and the corresponding sensitivity and specificity in the validation sample were 92% and 89%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These analyses support the diagnostic accuracy of the SD domain for use in future observational studies and clinical trials of HSDD.
Differential annotation of tRNA genes with anticodon CAT in bacterial genomes

We have developed three strategies to discriminate among the three types of tRNA genes with anticodon CAT (tRNAIle, elongator tRNAMet and initiator tRNAfMet) in bacterial genomes. With these strategies, we have classified the tRNA genes from 234 bacterial and several organellar genomes. These sequences, in an aligned or unaligned format, may be used for the identification and annotation of tRNA (CAT) genes in other genomes. The first strategy is based on the position of the problem sequences in a phenogram (a tree-like network), the second on the minimum average number of differences against the tRNA sequences of the three types and the third on the search for the highest score value against the profiles of the three types of tRNA genes. The species with the maximum number of tRNAfMet and tRNAMet was Photobacterium profundum, whereas the genome of one Escherichia coli strain presented the maximum number of tRNAIle (CAT) genes. This last tRNA gene and tilS, encoding an RNA-modifying enzyme, are not essential in bacteria. The acquisition of a tRNAIle (TAT) gene by Mycoplasma mobile has led to the loss of both the tRNAIle (CAT) and the tilS genes. The new tRNA has appropriated the function of decoding AUA codons.
Union Effects on Productivity, Profits, and Growth: Has the Long Run Arrived?

This article interprets literature examining union effects on economic performance. Production function studies indicate small overall union impacts on productivity; positive effects, where they exist, appear to result from management response to decreased profit expectations and from a natural selection process. Lower profitability among unionized firms is well established; more interesting is the possibility that unions appropriate quasi rents deriving from long-lived tangible and intangible capital. The connection between unions, investment behavior, and productivity growth emerges as a particularly fruitful line of empirical inquiry, although it does not encourage a sanguine view of unionism's long-run impact.
Total homocysteine and cognitive decline in a community-based sample of elderly subjects: the Rotterdam Study.

Homocysteine has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular diseases have been related to cognitive decline. The authors investigated the association of homocysteine with concurrent cognitive impairment and subsequent cognitive decline in a random sample of 702 community-dwelling respondents aged 55 years or over to the prospective Rotterdam Study in 1990-1994. Multiple logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and 95 percent confidence intervals for the association between total homocysteine levels and cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score <26) and cognitive decline (drop in MMSE score of >1 point/year). Mean duration of follow-up was 2.7 years. After adjustment for age, sex, and education, there was no relation between total homocysteine and cognitive impairment (highest vs. lowest tertile: odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50, 3.38) or cognitive decline (middle vs. lowest tertile: OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 0.67, 1.93; highest vs. lowest tertile: OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.52, 1.58). Subjects who were lost to follow-up due to death or nonresponse had slightly higher age-adjusted homocysteine levels and lower MMSE scores at baseline. Sensitivity analyses showed that selective loss to follow-up was not a likely explanation for the absence of an association in the participants. Although a relation between homocysteine and reduced cognitive function is biologically plausible, this study suggests no such association in a community-based sample of the elderly.
Fast Restoration Signaling in Optical Networks

As WANs continue to form the framework for deploying mission-critical applications, the need for fault resilience and fast restoration assumes greater importance. This paper examines existing schemes for fast restoration signaling in a wavelength-routed optical core and introduces an improved signaling scheme based on Optical Burst Switching and Just-Enough-Time path establishment. Scaling experiments show that the proposed scheme outperforms existing schemes.