Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bioassay-Guided Evaluation of Antinociceptive Effect of N-Salicyloyltryptamine: A Behavioral and Electrophysiological Approach

We investigated the antinociceptive and nerve excitability effects of the N-salicyloyltryptamine (NST) NST-treated mice exhibited a significant decrease in the number of writhes when 100 and 200 mg/kg (i.p.) were administered (i.p.). This effect was not antagonized by naloxone (1.5 mg/kg, i.p.). NST inhibited the licking response of the injected paw when 100 and 200 mg/kg were administered (i.p.) to mice in the first and second phases of the formalin test. Because the antinociceptive effects could be associated with neuronal excitability inhibition, we performed the single sucrose gap technique and showed that NST (3.57 mM) significantly reduced (29.2%) amplitude of the compound action potential (CAP) suggesting a sodium channel effect induced by NST. Our results demonstrated an antinociceptive activity of the NST that could be, at least in part, associated to the reduction of the action potential amplitude. NST might represent an important tool for pain management.
Effect of training on enzyme activity and fiber composition of human skeletal muscle.

GOLLNICK, P. D. , R. B. ARMSTRONG, B. SALTIN, C. W. SAUBERT IV, W. L. SEMBROWICH, AND R. E. SHEPHERD. Eject of training on enzyme activity andjber composition of human skeletal muscle. J. Appl. Physiol. 34(l): 107-l 11. 1973. -The effect of a 5month training program on the oxidative and anaerobic capacity, fiber composition, fiber area, and glycogen concentration of multiple biopsy samples from the vastus lateralis muscle of six subjects was studied. The training program consisted of pedalling a bicycle ergometer 1 hr/day 4 days a week at a load requiring from 75 to 90% of the subjects maximal aerobic power. Mean maximal oxygen uptake increased 13 y0 (range 3.6~25%), and mean succinate dehydrogenase and phosphofructokinase activities increased 95 and 117 y0 (P < 0.01 ), respectively, after training. Oxidative potential (DPNH-diaphorase activity) increased in both fiber types whereas glycolytic capacity (alphaglycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity) appeared to have increased only in the fast twitch fibers. No change occurred in the percentages of slow or fast twitch fibers as identified from myosin ATPase activity. Slow twitch fibers were larger after training as compared to before training. The relative area the slow twitch fibers occupied in the muscle was also higher after training. Muscle glycogen was 2.5-fold higher after as compared to before training.
The Application of a Modified d-ROMs Test for Measurement of Oxidative Stress and Oxidized High-Density Lipoprotein

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. ROS-derived hydroperoxides, as an indicator of ROS production, have been measured by using the diacron reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) test, which requires iron-containing transferrin in the reaction mixture. In this study we developed a modified d-ROMs test, termed the Fe-ROMs test, where iron ions were exogenously added to the reaction mixture. This modification is expected to exclude the assay variation that comes from different blood iron levels in individuals. In addition, this Fe-ROMs test was helpful for determining the class of plasma lipoproteins that are hydroperoxidized. Low-density lipoprotein/very low-density lipoprotein (LDL/VLDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were purified by use of an LDL/VLDL purification kit and the dextran sulfate-Mg2+ precipitation method, respectively; their hydroperoxide contents were assessed by performing the Fe-ROMs test. The majority of the hydroperoxides were detected only in the HDL fraction, not in the LDL/VLDL. Further detailed analysis of HDLs by size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography revealed that the hydroperoxide-containing molecules were small-sized HDLs. Because HDL was shown to be the principal vehicle for the plasma hydroperoxides, this Fe-ROMs test is a beneficial method for the assessment of oxidized-HDL levels. Indeed, Fe-ROMs levels were strongly associated with the levels of oxidized HDL, which were determined by performing the malondialdehyde-modified HDL enzyme immunoassay. In conclusion, the Fe-ROMs test using plasma itself or the HDL fraction after dextran sulfate-Mg2+ precipitation is useful to assess the functionality of HDL, because the oxidation of HDL impairs its antiatherogenic capacity.
The English-Vernacular Divide: Postcolonial Language Politics and Practice

Preface Introduction: Situating the vernacular in a divisive postcolonial landscape 1. Divisive post/colonial ideologies, language policies, and social practices. 2. Divisive and divergent pedagogical tools for vernacular- and English-medium students. 3. The divisive politics of divergent pedagogical practices 4. The divisive politics of tracking. 5. Gulfs and bridges revisited: hybridization, nativization, and other loose ends Afterword Appendix References.
Policy gradient methods with model predictive control applied to ball bouncing

—We propose a policy parameterization well suited for control problems that involve both continuous dynamics and discrete events. The key idea is to parameterize the policy using a scalar function deﬁned on the subset of states corresponding to discrete events. This function approximates the cost-to-go with respect to some master cost. Once the function is given, we deﬁne the policy using model-predictive control (MPC) extended to a ﬁrst-exit setting: instead of optimizing to a predeﬁned horizon, we optimize up to the next discrete event (ball-paddle contact). The proposed parameterization relies on numerical optimization to obtain the actual policy as opposed to evaluating an explicit formula, and has the advantage of being more compact and focusing on the aspects of the task. Once the policy has been deﬁned, we simulate it using ”quenched” noise, and improve the parameters of the function via gradient descent on the resulting average master cost. We apply this method to the task of two-ball juggling on the same paddle and analyze its performance using a simulated model of the system.
Charged Randall-Sundrum black holes and = 4 super Yang-Mills in AdS2 × S2

We obtain some exact results for black holes in the Randall-Sundrum model with a single brane. We consider an extreme black hole charged with respect to a Maxwell field on the brane. The near-horizon geometry is determined. The induced metric on the brane and the black hole entropy are compared with the predictions of 4d General Relativity. There is good agreement for large black holes, with calculable subleading corrections. As a separate application, the bulk solution provides a gravitational dual for (strongly coupled, large N) = 4 SYM in AdS2 × S2 for arbitrary relative size of AdS2 and S2.
RecA can stimulate the relaxation activity of topoisomerase I: Molecular basis of topoisomerase-mediated genome-wide transcriptional responses in Escherichia coli

The superhelicity of the chromosome, which is controlled by DNA topoisomerases, modulates global gene expression. Investigations of transcriptional responses to the modulation of gyrase function have identified two types of topoisomerase-mediated transcriptional responses: (i) steady-state changes elicited by a mutation in gyrase, such as the D82G mutation in GyrA, and (ii) dynamic changes elicited by the inhibition of gyrase. We hypothesize that the steady-state effects are due to the changes in biochemical properties of gyrase, whereas the dynamic effects are due to an imbalance between supercoiling and relaxation activities, which appears to be influenced by the RecA activity. Herein, we present biochemical evidence for hypothesized mechanisms. GyrA D82G gyrase exhibits a reduced supercoiling activity. The RecA protein can influence the balance between supercoiling and relaxation activities either by interfering with the activity of DNA gyrase or by facilitating the relaxation reaction. RecA has no effect on the supercoiling activity of gyrase but stimulates the relaxation activity of topoisomerase I. This stimulation is specific and requires formation of an active RecA filament. These results suggest that the functional interaction between RecA and topoisomerase I is responsible for RecA-mediated modulation of the relaxation-dependent transcriptional activity of the Escherichia coli chromosome.
Autonomic telemedical application for Android based mobile devices

In this paper, a mobile telemedicine application implemented for Android based devices is presented. The main application's functionality of ECG transmission is extended by real time ECG analysis, as well as real time analyze of acceleration data captured by embedded acceleration sensor. In this paper are presented efficient algorithms for ECG and acceleration data analysis. The ECG analysis is focused on arrhythmic heartbeats detection and pathological ST-T segment detection. Arrhythmic heartbeats detection is performed on the estimated ECG model features using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). In the mobile application alarms could be defined, which triggering can send e-mail messages with attached ECG images and excel formatted data reports. Data from the acceleration sensor are analyzed regarding to monitor user walking activity. Mobile application is integrated in the existing telemedical system using predefined interfaces, but she also provides high autonomy to the end users with or without medical knowledge.
Partially connected topologies for particle swarm

The effects of dynamic and partially connected 2-dimensional topologies on the particle swarm are studied. The particles are positioned on 2-dimensional grids of nodes, where they move according to a simple rule. The von Neumann neighborhood is used to decide which particles influence each individual. Structures with growing size are tested on a classical benchmark. The partially connected grids with von Neumann neighborhood structure perform more consistently than other strategies.
Concurrent Kleene Algebra of Partial Strings

Concurrent Kleene Algebra (CKA) is a recently proposed algebraic structure by Hoare and collaborators that unifies the laws of concurrent programming. The unifying power of CKA rests largely on the so-called exchange law that describes how concurrent and sequential composition operators can be interchanged. Based on extensive theoretical work on true concurrency in the past, this paper extends Gischer's pomset model with least fixed point operators and formalizes the program refinement relation by \'{E}sik's monotonic bijective morphisms to construct a partial order model of CKA. The existence of such a model is relevant when we want to prove and disprove properties about concurrent programs with loops. In particular, it gives a foundation for the analysis of programs that concurrently access relaxed memory as shown in subsequent work.
A virtual reality-based multiplayer game using fine-grained localization

The popularity and availability of Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) has known an increase over the past few years. In general those devices need to be connected to a computer to function properly. Moreover, applications that project images on such an HMD respond typically only to user inputs like mouse and keyboard actions and head movement. In this paper we go a step further by proposing a framework in which the movements of a person are translated into actions in a virtual world. This allows a user to walk around freely while wearing an HMD, increasing the reality of the virtual experience. We will focus in detail on the challenges related to the localization of the user and discuss different options like existing wireless localization technologies, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and an object recognition algorithm. The latter is used in the final solution. Furthermore, we present an experimental and mobile setup to use an HMD in a portable manner. Our solution is demonstrated through a multiplayer game, in which two players compete against each other to capture a flag.
Multiprocessor independent tasks scheduling using a novel heuristic PSO algorithm

In multiprocessor systems, an efficient scheduling of a parallel program onto the processors that minimizes the entire execution time is vital for achieving a high performance. This scheduling problem is known to be NP- Complete. The objective is minimization of scheduling length, i.e. we want the final job to be completed as early as possible. In this paper we introduced a scheduling particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with some modification to get near optimal schedule for task scheduling.
Cellular Monte Carlo investigation of InAs and InGaAs quantum well field effect transistors

Quantum well field effect transistors have been proposed as promising device candidates for future high-speed and low-power logic applications due to their high electron mobility. This paper aims to study InAs and InGaAs state-of-the-art QWFETs, investigating both RF and DC performance through our full band Cellular Monte Carlo simulator, which includes the full details of the band structure and the phonon spectra. A complete characterization of these devices has been performed using experimental data to calibrate the simulation parameters.
Microvesicles as a potential biomarker of neoplastic diseases and their role in development and progression of neoplasm

Neoplastic diseases together with cardiovascular diseases are the most frequent causes of death in the Polish population. Cancers of reproductive organs with breast cancer are responsible for the highest morbidity and mortality in women suffering from neoplasm diseases. Asymptomatic dynamics of the development of a neoplasm and no deviations from the normal level of laboratory results contribute to the fact that malignant diseases are diagnosed too late. The aim of modern medicine is to diagnose cancer at the earliest stage, however, there is no sufficiently sensitive and specific biomarker which can be used for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic purposes. Cellular interactions play the main role in the development, angiogenesis and invasiveness of a tumor. Recent research suggests the possibility of microvesicles (MVs) involvement in communication between cells. The MVs ability to fuse with various cells is used in cell-to-cell contact. Microvesicles cargo may include growth factors, their receptors, protease, adhesion molecules, signaling molecules and the sequence of DNA, mRNA, and micro-RNA. Larger quantities of MVs released from neoplastic cells affect both the local environment and systematic range causing metastases and progression. The research on molecular mechanisms of MVs’ release and the presence of characteristic oncogenes in blood of patients with neoplasms is being carried out. Confirmation of MVs presence in patients’ serum can potentially serve as useful information for therapeutic purposes and as the biomarker of a neoplastic disease.
Cellular and Physiological Effects of Anthrax Exotoxin and Its Relevance to Disease

Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, secretes a tri-partite exotoxin that exerts pleiotropic effects on the host. The purification of the exotoxin components, protective antigen, lethal factor, and edema factor allowed the rapid characterization of their physiologic effects on the host. As molecular biology matured, interest focused on the molecular mechanisms and cellular alterations induced by intoxication. Only recently have researchers begun to connect molecular and cellular knowledge back to the broader physiological effects of the exotoxin. This review focuses on the progress that has been made bridging molecular knowledge back to the exotoxin’s physiological effects on the host.
Random Survival Forests for Predicting the Bed Occupancy in the Intensive Care Unit

Predicting the bed occupancy of an intensive care unit (ICU) is a daunting task. The uncertainty associated with the prognosis of critically ill patients and the random arrival of new patients can lead to capacity problems and the need for reactive measures. In this paper, we work towards a predictive model based on Random Survival Forests which can assist physicians in estimating the bed occupancy. As input data, we make use of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score collected and calculated from 4098 patients at two ICU units of Ghent University Hospital over a time period of four years. We compare the performance of our system with a baseline performance and a standard Random Forest regression approach. Our results indicate that Random Survival Forests can effectively be used to assist in the occupancy prediction problem. Furthermore, we show that a group based approach, such as Random Survival Forests, performs better compared to a setting in which the length of stay of a patient is individually assessed.
Testing for changes in polynomial regression

We consider a nonlinear polynomial regression model in which we wish to test the null hypothesis of structural stability in the regression parameters against the alternative of a break at an unknown time. We derive the extreme value distribution of a maximum-type test statistic which is asymptotically equivalent to the maximally selected likelihood ratio. The resulting test is easy to apply and has good size and power, even in small samples.
High-Risk Cervical Human Papillomavirus Infections among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Women in the Bahamas

Background High-risk (HR) HPV genotypes other than 16 and 18 have been detected in a significant proportion of immunocompromised females. We aim to evaluate the frequency of HR HPV genotypes in a population of HIV-positive Caribbean women. Methods One hundred sixty-seven consecutive, non-pregnant, HIV-positive females ≥18 years were recruited in this study. Each participant received a vaginal examination, PAP smear, and completed a questionnaire. DNA was extracted for HPV testing in 86 patients. Results Mean age was 39.1 years for women positive for HR HPV and 43.1 years for women negative for HR HPV (P value = 0.040). 78% (130/167) of the women had HR HPV infections; the prevalence of abnormal cervical cytology was 38% among women who were HR HPV-positive compared to women who were HR HPV-negative (22%). Fifty-one percent of the 86 women with available genotype carried infections with HPV 16 and/or HPV 18; genotypes of unknown risk were also frequently observed. Women who had a CD4+ count of ≤200 had 7 times increased odds of carrying HR HPV infection in comparison to women with CD4+>200. Conclusions HR HPV infections in HIV infected females may consist of more than just HPV 16 and 18, but also HPV 52 and 58. Further studies are needed to determine whether HPV 52 and 58 play a significant role in the development of cervical cytological abnormalities in HIV+ women.
Using Wikipedia Content to Derive an Ontology for Modeling and Recommending Web Pages across Systems

In this work, we are building a cross-system recommender at the client side that uses the Wikipedia’s content to derive an ontology for content and user modeling. We speculate the collaborative content of Wikipedia may cover many of the topical areas that people are generally interested in and the vocabulary may be closer to the general public users and updated sooner. Using the Wikipedia derived ontology as a shared platform to model web pages also addresses the issue of cross system recommendations, which generally requires a unified protocol or a mediator. Preliminary tests of our system may indicate that our derived ontology is a fair content model that maps an unknown webpage to its related topical categories. Once page topics can be identified, user models are formulated through analyzing usage pages. Eventually, we will formally evaluate the topicality-based user model
A Hybrid Smart AC/DC Power System

Recently, smart grids are attracting attention. Already, a smart grid based on an AC grid is proposed. However, no study on research is presented or published on a smart grid based on a dc grid. This paper presents an ac/dc hybrid smart power system. The proposed system has advantages of both dc and ac grids. The proposed power system consists of a wind generator and several controllable loads. The controllable loads have different capacities. Therefore, by applying power consumption control with the droop characteristic, the dc bus voltage is maintained within the acceptable range. As controllable loads, electric water heater and electric vehicle are assumed. Effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by numerical simulation results.
The telomere lengthening conundrum—artifact or biology?

Recent longitudinal studies of age-dependent leukocyte telomere length (LTL) attrition have reported that variable proportions of individuals experience LTL lengthening. Often, LTL lengthening has been taken at face value, and authors have speculated about the biological causation of this finding. Based on empirical data and theoretical considerations, we show that regardless of the method used to measure telomere length (Southern blot or quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based methods), measurement error of telomere length and duration of follow-up explain almost entirely the absence of age-dependent LTL attrition in longitudinal studies. We find that LTL lengthening is far less frequent in studies with long follow-up periods and those that used a high-precision Southern blot method (as compared with quantitative polymerase chain reaction determination, which is associated with larger laboratory error). We conclude that the LTL lengthening observed in longitudinal studies is predominantly, if not entirely, an artifact of measurement error, which is exacerbated by short follow-up periods. We offer specific suggestions for design of longitudinal studies of LTL attrition to diminish this artifact.
Sequence alignment : Extension of dynamic programming to pattern

The existing methods for alignments are based on edition costs computed additionnally position by position, according to a fixed substitution matrix : a substitution always has the same weight regardless of the position. Nevertheless the biologist favours any similitudes according to his knowledge of structures or functions of the sequences. In the particular case of proteins, we present a method consisting in making other information, such as patterns of the databank prosite, operate in the classical dynamic programming algorithm. The method consists in making an alignment by dynamic programming taking a decision not only letter by letter as in the Smith & Waterman algorithm but also by giving a reward when aligning patterns. keywords: Dynamic programming, Sequence alignment, prosite, Databank scanning.