Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Direct measurement of SR release flux by tracking ‘Ca2+ spikes’ in rat cardiac myocytes

1 Ca2+ release flux across the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) during cardiac excitation‐contraction coupling was investigated using a novel fluorescence method. Under whole‐cell voltage‐clamp conditions, rat ventricular myocytes were dialysed with a high concentration of EGTA (4.0 mm, 150 nm free Ca2+), to minimize the residence time of released Ca2+ in the cytoplasm, and a low‐affinity, fast Ca2+ indicator, Oregon Green 488 BAPTA‐5N (OG‐5N; 1.0 mm, Kd≈ 31 μm), to optimize the detection of localized high [Ca2+] in release site microdomains. Confocal microscopy was employed to resolve intracellular [Ca2+] at high spatial and temporal resolution. 2 Analytical and numerical analyses indicated that, under conditions of high EGTA concentration, the free [Ca2+] change is the sum of two terms: one major term proportional to the SR release flux/Ca2+ influx, and the other reflecting the running integral of the released Ca2+. 3 Indeed, the OG‐5N transients in EGTA‐containing cells consisted of a prominent spike followed by a small pedestal. The OG‐5N spike closely resembled the first derivative (d[Ca2+]/dt) of the conventional Ca2+ transient (with no EGTA), and mimicked the model‐derived SR Ca2+ release function reported previously. In SR Ca2+‐depleted cells, the OG‐5N transient also closely followed the waveform of L‐type Ca2+ current (ICa). Using ICa as a known source of Ca2+ influx, SR flux can be calibrated in vivo by a linear extrapolation of the ICa‐elicited OG‐5N signal. 4 The OG‐5N image signal was localized to discrete release sites at the Z‐line level of sarcomeres, indicating that the local OG‐5N spike arises from ‘Ca2+ spikes’ at transverse (T) tubule‐SR junctions (due to the imbalance between calcium ions entering the cytosol and the buffer molecules). 5 Both peak SR release flux and total amount of released Ca2+ exhibited a bell‐shaped voltage dependence. The temporal pattern of SR release also varied with membrane voltage: Ca2+ release was most synchronized and produced maximal peak release flux (4.2 mm s−1) at 0 mV; in contrast, maximal total release occurred at −20 mV (71 versus 61 μm at 0 mV), but the localized release signals were partially asynchronous. Since the maximal conventional [Ca2+] transient and contraction were elicited at 0 mV, it appears that not only the amount of Ca2+ released, but also the synchronization among release sites affects the whole‐cell Ca2+ transient and the Ca2+‐myofilament interaction.
Chromosome Duplication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The accurate and complete replication of genomic DNA is essential for all life. In eukaryotic cells, the assembly of the multi-enzyme replisomes that perform replication is divided into stages that occur at distinct phases of the cell cycle. Replicative DNA helicases are loaded around origins of DNA replication exclusively during G1 phase. The loaded helicases are then activated during S phase and associate with the replicative DNA polymerases and other accessory proteins. The function of the resulting replisomes is monitored by checkpoint proteins that protect arrested replisomes and inhibit new initiation when replication is inhibited. The replisome also coordinates nucleosome disassembly, assembly, and the establishment of sister chromatid cohesion. Finally, when two replisomes converge they are disassembled. Studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have led the way in our understanding of these processes. Here, we review our increasingly molecular understanding of these events and their regulation.
Breakdown of Brain Connectivity Between Normal Aging and Alzheimer's Disease: A Structural k-Core Network Analysis

Brain connectivity analyses show considerable promise for understanding how our neural pathways gradually break down in aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Even so, we know very little about how the brain's networks change in AD, and which metrics are best to evaluate these changes. To better understand how AD affects brain connectivity, we analyzed anatomical connectivity based on 3-T diffusion-weighted images from 111 subjects (15 with AD, 68 with mild cognitive impairment, and 28 healthy elderly; mean age, 73.7±7.6 SD years). We performed whole brain tractography based on the orientation distribution functions, and compiled connectivity matrices showing the proportions of detected fibers interconnecting 68 cortical regions. We computed a variety of measures sensitive to anatomical network topology, including the structural backbone--the so-called "k-core"--of the anatomical network, and the nodal degree. We found widespread network disruptions, as connections were lost in AD. Among other connectivity measures showing disease effects, network nodal degree, normalized characteristic path length, and efficiency decreased with disease, while normalized small-worldness increased, in the whole brain and left and right hemispheres individually. The normalized clustering coefficient also increased in the whole brain; we discuss factors that may cause this effect. The proportions of fibers intersecting left and right cortical regions were asymmetrical in all diagnostic groups. This asymmetry may intensify as disease progressed. Connectivity metrics based on the k-core may help understand brain network breakdown as cognitive impairment increases, revealing how degenerative diseases affect the human connectome.
An Adaptive Scheduling System for Computational Grid using Autonomic Computing

Grid computing provides an environment to be share software and hardware resources.Ontheonehand, environmentofGridcomputingis inherently large, complex, heterogeneous and dynamic and its state changes over time, on the other hand, incoming job to Grid show unstable behavior, which before that is not known and changes over time. As regards that scheduling in Grid has a vital role in overall system performance, the need to scheduling methods to adapt themselves to conditions in Grid, and regarding current state of the environment and jobs the scheduler must be able to make decisions. In this article, for the scheduling of computational Grid, we have used Autonomic Computing principles to enable Grid scheduler dynamically adapt itself totheenvironmentandincreaseefficiency. Autonomic computing systems are inspired by biologically systems which their goal is to manage themselves with minimal involvement of managers. Autonomic computing is suitable for a computational Grid because of the large, heterogeneous, dynamic and autonomous nature of the Grid. The proposed method in this study, in terms of makes pan, execution time and resource utilization has shown higher performance, compared to other methods and related numerous experiments. General Terms Adaptive Algorithms, Grid Scheduling, Autonomic Grid.
Position control of faulted six-phase induction machine using genetic algorithms

In this paper, a fuzzy PI (FPI) controller tuned using genetic algorithms (GA) is proposed for position control of six-phase induction motor (6PIM). The performance and the robustness of the control system are tested for healthy and several faulted operational modes and rotor inertia variations. The FPI controller presents many advantages such as satisfactory control performance under a wide range of operating conditions. The proposed scheme is compared to the conventional proportional-integral control and validated by simulation and experimental tests.
A Role for Phosphatidic Acid in the Formation of “Supersized” Lipid Droplets

Lipid droplets (LDs) are important cellular organelles that govern the storage and turnover of lipids. Little is known about how the size of LDs is controlled, although LDs of diverse sizes have been observed in different tissues and under different (patho)physiological conditions. Recent studies have indicated that the size of LDs may influence adipogenesis, the rate of lipolysis and the oxidation of fatty acids. Here, a genome-wide screen identifies ten yeast mutants producing “supersized” LDs that are up to 50 times the volume of those in wild-type cells. The mutated genes include: FLD1, which encodes a homologue of mammalian seipin; five genes (CDS1, INO2, INO4, CHO2, and OPI3) that are known to regulate phospholipid metabolism; two genes (CKB1 and CKB2) encoding subunits of the casein kinase 2; and two genes (MRPS35 and RTC2) of unknown function. Biochemical and genetic analyses reveal that a common feature of these mutants is an increase in the level of cellular phosphatidic acid (PA). Results from in vivo and in vitro analyses indicate that PA may facilitate the coalescence of contacting LDs, resulting in the formation of “supersized” LDs. In summary, our results provide important insights into how the size of LDs is determined and identify novel gene products that regulate phospholipid metabolism.
Extremal spectral properties of Lawson tau-surfaces and the Lam\'e equation

Extremal spectral properties of Lawson tau-surfaces are investigated. The Lawson tau-surfaces form a two-parametric family of tori or Klein bottles minimally immersed in the standard unitary three-dimensional sphere. A Lawson tau-surface carries an extremal metric for some eigenvalue of the Laplace-Beltrami operator. Using theory of the Lam\'e equation we find explicitly these extremal eigenvalues.
Dynamics analysis of erythrosine B sensitized photopolymer holographic gratings

The dynamic theoretical model of photochemical and hologram formation in holographic photopolymer is established, and the dynamic development process of holographic storage in the photopolymer is discussed with the model. A holographic photopolymer sensitized by erythrosine B is prepared, which is composed of acrylamide as monomer, ployvinylalcohol as binder, triethanolamine as initiator. The influence of the exposure intensity on holographic storage characteristics is analyzed. The experimental data of transmittance and diffraction efficiency of the fabricated photopolymer with different exposure intensities are obtained. By means of fitting the experimental data of transmittance and diffraction efficiency as a function of time with five exposure intensities at a wavelength of 514nm, the variation of photochemistry and photopolymerization diffusion dynamic parameters such as the molar-absorption coefficient ε, quantum yield Φ, photobleaching coefficient kp, polymerization rate k0 and diffusion time constant τD is presented. The research results show that as the exposure intensity increases, so do also ε, kp and k0, but Φ becomes smaller. And τD has no obvious changes except the sample is overexposed. This material has the characteristics of longer diffusion times for the monomer to travel from the unexposed to the exposed zones than that in the case of other polymeric materials.
3-Dimensional Indoor Positioning System based on WI-FI Received Signal Strength using Greedy Algorithm and Parallel Resilient Propagation

importance of services, based on current location of objects is growing. This is because Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) cannot provide object position inside buildings. In modern era the Location Based Services (LBS) are tremendously dependent on Indoor Positioning System (IPS). Parallel RPROP and greedy algorithm were combined for development of IPS using Received Signal Strength (RSS) in heterogeneous environment, the environment comprised of human activity, walls material, cupboards, and various type of surveying machines etc. The propagation of Wi-Fi signal varies directionally, therefore to cope with direction changes in signals; this proposed model produces three sets of weights, which could be considered best for easting, northing and height respectively. Proposed model was trained with 75% of collected data and tested on remaining 25% data. Distance error between known points and predicted coordinates was used for accuracy assessment. Through experiments a maximum accuracy of 0.87m was achieved and it was found that median error was less than mean error. Median error between known points and predicted coordinates was about 3.32m and their mean error was about 4.62m, which is satisfactory as far as 3D position determination is concerned. On the basis of results the use of parallel RPROP and greedy algorithm for 3D position determination in heterogeneous environment is recommended.
The Surprising Performance of Present-Day Cochlear Implants

The speech reception performance of a recipient of the Clarion CII implant was evaluated with a comprehensive set of tests. The same tests were administered for a group of six subjects with normal hearing. Scores for the implant subject were not different from the scores for the normal-hearing subjects, for seven of the nine tests, including the most difficult test used in standard clinical practice. These results are both surprising and encouraging, in that the implant provides only a very crude mimicking of only some aspects of the normal physiology
Developmental Biology of T Lymphocytes

T lymphocytes morphologically similar to B lymphocytes also express surface receptors for antigen that are subject to allelic exclusion. Receptor gene DNA segments of both lymphocyte classes undergo rearrangement in somatic cells. Otherwise T lymphocytes have little in common with B lymphocytes. The preoccupation of immunologists over the decades with the easily accessible immunoglobulins has resulted in obscuring rather than revealing the nature of antigen recognition by T cells (I). The cloning of T cells (2), the identification of their receptors (3-9), and the analysis of their function (2,10) have put an end to the myriad of false and senseless analogies attempting to equate the two major classes of lymphocytes. Some unique features of T lymphocytes relevant to their developmental biology serve to introduce this class of lymphocytes to the less experienced reader.
Motion-Based Prediction Is Sufficient to Solve the Aperture Problem

In low-level sensory systems, it is still unclear how the noisy information collected locally by neurons may give rise to a coherent global percept. This is well demonstrated for the detection of motion in the aperture problem: as luminance of an elongated line is symmetrical along its axis, tangential velocity is ambiguous when measured locally. Here, we develop the hypothesis that motion-based predictive coding is sufficient to infer global motion. Our implementation is based on a context-dependent diffusion of a probabilistic representation of motion. We observe in simulations a progressive solution to the aperture problem similar to physio-logy and behavior. We demonstrate that this solution is the result of two underlying mechanisms. First, we demonstrate the formation of a tracking behavior favoring temporally coherent features independent of their texture. Second, we observe that incoherent features are explained away, while coherent information diffuses progressively to the global scale. Most previous models included ad hoc mechanisms such as end-stopped cells or a selection layer to track specific luminance-based features as necessary conditions to solve the aperture problem. Here, we have proved that motion-based predictive coding, as it is implemented in this functional model, is sufficient to solve the aperture problem. This solution may give insights into the role of prediction underlying a large class of sensory computations.
Structural parameters affecting the kinetics of RNA hairpin formation

There is little experimental knowledge on the sequence dependent rate of hairpin formation in RNA. We have therefore designed RNA sequences that can fold into either of two mutually exclusive hairpins and have determined the ratio of folding of the two conformations, using structure probing. This folding ratio reflects their respective folding rates. Changing one of the two loop sequences from a purine- to a pyrimidine-rich loop did increase its folding rate, which corresponds well with similar observations in DNA hairpins. However, neither changing one of the loops from a regular non-GNRA tetra-loop into a stable GNRA tetra-loop, nor increasing the loop size from 4 to 6 nt did affect the folding rate. The folding kinetics of these RNAs have also been simulated with the program ‘Kinfold’. These simulations were in agreement with the experimental results if the additional stabilization energies for stable tetra-loops were not taken into account. Despite the high stability of the stable tetra-loops, they apparently do not affect folding kinetics of these RNA hairpins. These results show that it is possible to experimentally determine relative folding rates of hairpins and to use these data to improve the computer-assisted simulation of the folding kinetics of stem–loop structures.
The Application of Long-Lived Bivalve Sclerochronology in Environmental Baseline Monitoring

Assessments of the impact of construction, operation and removal of large infrastructures and other human activities on the marine environment are limited because they do not fully quantify the background baseline conditions and relevant scales of natural variability. Baselines as defined in Environmental Impact Assessments typically reflect the status of the environment and its variability drawn from published literature and augmented with some short term site specific characterization. Consequently, it can be difficult to determine whether a change in the environment subsequent to industrial activity is within or outside the range of natural background variability representative of an area over decades or centuries. An innovative approach that shows some promise in overcoming the limitations of traditional baseline monitoring methodology involves the analysis of shell material (sclerochronology) from molluscs living upon or within the seabed in potentially affected areas. Bivalves especially can be effective biomonitors of their environment over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. A rapidly expanding body of research has established that numerous characteristics of the environment can be reflected in morphological and geochemical properties of the carbonate shell material in bivalve shells, as well as in functional responses such as growth rates. In addition, the annual banding pattern in shells can provide an absolute chronometer of environmental variability and/or industrial effects. Further, some species of very long-lived bivalves can be crossdated back in time, like trees, by comparing the annual banding patterns in their shells. It is therefore feasible to develop extended timeseries of certain marine environmental variables that can provide important insights into long temporal scales of baseline variability. We review recent innovative work on the shell structure, morphology and geochemistry of bivalves and conclude that they have substantial potential for use as monitors of environmental variability and the effects of pollutants and disturbance.
Can the use of creatine supplementation attenuate muscle loss in cachexia and wasting?

Purpose of reviewWeight loss and low BMI due to an underlying illness have been associated with increased mortality, reduced functional capacity, and diminished quality of life. There is a need for well tolerated, long-term approaches to maintain body weight in patients with cachexia or wasting. The purpose of this review is to highlight the scientific and clinical evidence derived from the recent literature investigating the rationale for and potential medical use of creatine supplementation in patients with cachexia or wasting. Recent findingsSome studies have demonstrated that supplementation with creatine can increase creatine reserves in skeletal muscle and increase muscle mass and performance in various disease states that affect muscle size and function. The mechanisms underlying these effects are not clear. It has been suggested that creatine supplementation may increase intramuscular phosphocreatine stores and promote more rapid recovery of adenosine triphosphate levels following exercise, thus allowing users to exercise for longer periods or at higher intensity levels. Other hypothesized mechanisms include attenuation of proinflammatory cytokines, stimulation of satellite cell proliferation and upregulation of genes that promote protein synthesis and cell repair. SummaryCreatine is a generally well tolerated, low-cost, over-the-counter nutritional supplement that shows potential in improving lean body mass and functionality in patients with wasting diseases. However, placebo-controlled studies have shown variable effects, with improvements in some and not in others. Additional studies with longer follow-up are required to identify the populations that might benefit most from creatine supplementation.
Some comments on the local curve (B-side)

We consider non-compact Calabi-Yau threefolds that are fibrations over compact Riemann surfaces, the local curves, and study the dynamics of B-branes wrapped around the curves. We discuss different but closely related possible approaches to this problem. In particular, we study the open topological string field theory of the B-brane and the dimensional reduction of the holomorphic Chern-Simons functional to the curve. The classical (g_s = 0) limit of these dynamics for one single brane is given by the deformation theory of the curve inside the Calabi-Yau threefold; we consider this last approach for the Laufer curve case.
The Effect of Aromatherapy on Sleep Quality of Elderly People Residing in a Nursing Home

Background: Sleep is important for health and quality of life in the elderly, and sleep disturbances are reported to be associated with many of the adverse medical conditions. Purpose: This research was carried out to evaluate the effect of inhalation of lavender oil on sleep quality of nursing home residents. Methods: A questionnaire was used to evaluate sociodemographic characteristics and sleeping properties of the 30 volunteers, enrolled. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was applied as a pre- and posttest to measure sleep quality of individuals who inhaled lavender oil drops on the pillows every evening for a week before sleeping. Results: Before and after aromatherapy, the mean Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score of the nursing home residents was = 6.0 ± 5.1 and = 2.6 ± 3.4, respectively, whereas statistically significant difference was not observed for independent variables. Cronbach &agr; reliability coefficient of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scale was found to be 0.816. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The results indicated an improvement of sleep quality of nursing home residents after the application of aromatherapy with lavender oil.
FRMAC, a Fast Randomized Message Authentication Code

We revisit the randomized approach followed in the design of the RMAC message authentication code in order to construct a MAC with similar properties, but based on Wegman- Carter's "-universal hash families instead of a classical CBC chain. This yields a new message authentication code called FRMAC whose security bounds are, as in RMAC, beyond the birthday paradox limit. With ecient hash functions in software, the performance of FRMAC for large messages is similar to those of the fastest previously known schemes. FRMAC can also be more ecient for small messages. Furthermore, due to relaxed requirements about the nonces in the security proof, the implementation of FRMAC in real applications tends to be easier.
Thin Film Microsensor for Electrical and Optical Blood Diagnostics

Thin film microsensor (TFμS) consisted of interdigitated arrays of electrodes (IDAE) for electrical and optical monitoring of the aggregation phase of erythrocyte sedimentation has been developed. Planar TFμS is based on IDAE, Pt or transparent conductive ZnO:Al thin films sputtered on ceramic or glass substrates. It allows single or simultaneous measurements of electrical impedance (10÷100 kHz) and optical absorbance/transmittance (320÷800 nm) of small blood drop applied on TFμS. Time monitoring of these parameters (in the first 300 sec) can distinguish between healthy and cancer state of blood and could serve as screening method for early diagnoses or for the simple long-term diagnostics after surgical operation.