Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Free intracellular amino acid pools during autonomous oscillations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In the present work dynamic changes of free intracellular amino acid pools during autonomous oscillations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were quantified in glucose-limited continuous cultivations. At a dilution rate of D = 0.22 h(-1) cyclic changes with a period of 120 min were found for many variables such as carbon dioxide production rate, dissolved oxygen, pH, biomass content, and various metabolite concentrations. On the basis of the observed dynamic patterns, free intracellular amino acids were classified to show oscillatory, stationary, or chaotic behavior. Amino acid pools such as serine, alanine, valine, leucine, or lysine were subjected to clear oscillations with a frequency of 120 min, identical to that of other described cultivation variables, indicating that there is a direct correlation between the periodic changes of amino acid concentrations and the metabolic oscillations on the cellular level. The oscillations of these amino acids were unequally phase-delayed and had different amplitudes of oscillation. Accordingly, they exhibited different patterns in phase plane plots vs. intracellular trehalose. Despite the complex and marked metabolic changes during oscillation, selected intracellular amino acids such as histidine, threonine, isoleucine, or arginine remained about constant. Concentrations of glutamate and glutamine showed a chaotic behavior. However, the ratio of glutamate to glutamine concentration was found to be oscillatory, with a period of 60 min and a corresponding figure eight-shaped pattern in a plot vs. trehalose concentration. Considering the described diversity, it can be concluded that the observed periodic changes are neither just the consequence of low or high rates of protein biosynthesis/degradation nor correlated to changing cell volumes during oscillation. The ratio between doubling time (189 min) and period of oscillation of intracellular amino acids (120 min) was 1:6. The fact that there is a close relationship between doubling time and period of oscillation underlines that the described autonomous oscillations are cell-cycle-associated.
Comparison of Two Methods for Determination of NGAL Levels in Urine: ELISA and CMIA

Neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a new useful biomarker for the early diagnosis of acute kidney injury. The aim of the study was to compare two analytical methods for measurement of urinary NGAL: enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA).
Miniature Antenna as Optimal Load for High Efficiency Integrated Active UHF Microsystems

This paper describes an electrically small active antenna optimized to deliver the maximum power within 800-1000 MHz band, being implemented in CMOS technology. The antenna plays the roll of an optimum load for the active device (PA), minimizing the total size and improving the system performance. The proposed antenna as a stand-alone element, with dimensions of lambda0/15timeslambda0/15timeslambda 0/200, reaches efficiency values of 50% and bandwidth 14.5 MHz. Experimental results for the active element (PA) show a power-added efficiency (PAE) close to 30%. The PAE for the active antenna is measured by combining the calorimetric method with the measurement of the received power
Experimental calibration in thermal analysis of PM electrical machines

Thermal design of electric machines frequently involves tests on a fully constructed prototype to calibrate various build factors associated with the manufacture, assembly and materials used in the hardware construction. The prototype machine is usually instrumented with multiple temperature sensors providing a detailed insight into the temperature distribution. The resolution of the experimentally gathered data is usually limited by the number of temperature sensors, and therefore the quality of model calibration is highly affected by the input data. This paper investigates the issue of thermal model calibration in the context of available machine hardware and measured data resolution. Also, the research evaluates the most suitable thermocouple location with reference to the model complexity, from reduced-order lumped-parameters circuit to high-fidelity finite element method (FEM). The investigation is focused on the stator-winding assembly, which is frequently associated with the main source of power loss within a PM machine body. A prototype of a PM generator has been selected to illustrate the effects associated with the model calibration. Tests on a representative stator-winding sub-assembly (motorette) have been used in the analysis. The results suggest that the measured data from alternative sensor locations for a given machine region has a significant impact on the quality of the model calibration and consequently temperature predictions.
Stimulation of virus production and induction of self-syncytium formation in human T-cell leukemia virus type I- and type II-infected T cells by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate

Treatment of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I)- and HTLV-II-infected T-cell lines with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) stimulated virus release. However, this stimulation was mainly detected at 42 to 48 h of treatment, whereas later virus release declined rapidly. During the first 48 h, TPA had no effect on cell growth, but later, the number of viable cells was profoundly lower in the TPA-treated than in the untreated cultures. This shift in virus release and cell number resulted from self-fusion of a large proportion of the virus-producing cells, which seemed to consequently enter into a dying process. This fusion, which resulted in syncytium formation, was strongly inhibited by anti-HTLV-I env monoclonal antibodies. Furthermore, no self-fusion was detected in three different uninfected T-cell lines similarly treated with TPA. On the other hand, stimulation of virus production by 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) treatment failed to induce self-fusion in the infected cells. Moreover, no syncytium was detected when these 3-MC-treated infected cells were cocultured with any of the TPA-treated uninfected cells. The effects of TPA on virus production and syncytium formation were both abolished by three different protein kinase C inhibitors. Taken together, these data suggest that the self-fusion observed in these experiments required both enhanced virus production and protein kinase C-phosphorylated viral or/and virally induced cellular component(s).
Combination Headache: Practical Experience with a Combination of a β-Blocker and an Antidepressive

In the prophylaxis of migraine β-blockers are commonly used. In the therapy of tension headache (TH) the use of tricyclic antidepressives is widespread. Therefore, from a rational point of view, one should combine an antidepressive and a β-blocker in the treatment of combination headache (CH), in which patients have both migraine and TH. In an open uncontrolled study, 61 patients with CH received a combination of an antidepressive (amitriptyline or amitriptyline-N-oxide and a β-blocker (propranolol or metoprolol) for at least 3 months. The 61 patients kept a diary in which they recorded frequency and duration of migraine attacks and tension headaches. The median migraine attack frequency decreased in the 3 months from four to two and the mean attack duration per month from 2 to 0.7 days. TH frequency was reduced from a median of 21 days to 6 days; TH duration fell from a median of 21 days to 2.7 days. At first sight, this treatment appears to be highly effective, at least when judged by the results at the group level. Nevertheless, in an open uncontrolled study like this, one must be aware of many problems, which are discussed in detail.
Late Domain-Dependent Inhibition of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Budding

ABSTRACT The Gag proteins of a number of different retroviruses contain late or L domains that promote the release of virions from the plasma membrane. Three types of L domains have been identified to date: Pro-Thr-Ala-Pro (PTAP), Pro-Pro-X-Tyr, and Tyr-Pro-Asp-Leu. It has previously been demonstrated that overexpression of the N-terminal, E2-like domain of the endosomal sorting factor TSG101 (TSG-5′) inhibits human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) release but does not affect the release of the PPPY-containing retrovirus murine leukemia virus (MLV), whereas overexpression of the C-terminal portion of TSG101 (TSG-3′) potently disrupts both HIV-1 and MLV budding. In addition, it has been reported that, while the release of a number of retroviruses is disrupted by proteasome inhibitors, equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) budding is not affected by these agents. In this study, we tested the ability of TSG-5′, TSG-3′, and full-length TSG101 (TSG-F) overexpression, a dominant negative form of the AAA ATPase Vps4, and proteasome inhibitors to disrupt the budding of EIAV particles bearing each of the three types of L domain. The results indicate that (i) inhibition by TSG-5′ correlates with dependence on PTAP; (ii) the release of wild-type EIAV (EIAV/WT) is insensitive to TSG-3′, whereas this C-terminal TSG101 fragment potently impairs the budding of EIAV when it is rendered PTAP or PPPY dependent; (iii) budding of all EIAV clones is blocked by dominant negative Vps4; and (iv) EIAV/WT release is not impaired by proteasome inhibitors, while EIAV/PTAP and EIAV/PPPY release is strongly disrupted by these compounds. These findings highlight intriguing similarities and differences in host factor utilization by retroviral L domains and suggest that the insensitivity of EIAV to proteasome inhibitors is conferred by the L domain itself and not by determinants in Gag outside the L domain.
Colonization and establishment of Pomphorhynchus laevis (Acanthocephala) in an isolated English river

Abstract The successful colonization, establishment and spread of Pomphorhynchus laevis in a small, isolated, Devon river 128 km from the parasite's nearest focus in Dorset was followed over 11 years from 1985. The parasite was first detected in Anguilla anguilla and Platichthys flesus in 1988: by 1995 it had attained prevalence levels of 22.6% in A. anguilla and 43.6% in P. flesus and also occurred in 100% Salmo trutta, 50% Cottus gobio and Noemacheilus barbatulus. As judged by prevalence, abundance, proportion of females gravid and weight of gravid females, S. trutta was the preferred definitive host although C. gobio was a suitable host and may play a role in cycling the parasite: the other three species were unsuitable hosts. The intermediate host was the freshwater Gammarus pulex: the euryhaline G. zaddachi was not infected. On biological grounds, the P. laevis could be assigned to the English freshwater strain and was almost certainly introduced to the river by anthropochore stocking of S. trutta from a Dorset hatchery. The findings demonstrate conclusively that the English strain of P. laevis can colonize and establish in a new locality from which Leuciscus cephalus and Barbus barbus, its normal preferred hosts, are absent and use S. trutta instead. The results also confirm that P. laevis is a poor natural colonizer and appears always to be introduced to new localities by anthropochore transfers of fish. The implications of these conclusions for understanding the present distribution of P. laevis are discussed and it is considered that they provide direct evidence in support of the hypothesis that P. laevis was introduced to Ireland from England and subsequently adapted to use of S. trutta and G. duebeni there.
Glossary of Access to Health Care and Related Concepts for Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): A Critical Review of International Literature

Access to health care is a multidimensional and complex concept. Achieving equitable access to care is an important goal for all countries, but particularly challenging in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Despite wide use of the concept of access, it continues to be defined and measured in very different ways. This glossary is a structured overview of key definitions for concepts related to access to health care, with special focus on the interpretation for LMICs. It aims to help people with interest in health service delivery to draw an overview and provide some pointers for further reading in both conceptual and empirical advances in access to health care in LMICs. This document is structured in five sections. The first introduces a general description of the concept of access to health care and its relevance to LMICs, the second displays the search conducted on access to health care for LMICs and the framework used for presentation of glossary terms, the third describes theoretical models most frequently used in the past when looking at access to health care in LMICs, the fourth is the list of terms, and the final section is a discussion of the most salient aspects of this critical review.
Phase I evaluation of continuous 5-fluorouracil infusion followed by weekly paclitaxel in patients with advanced or recurrent gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVE We conducted a phase I trial of escalating doses of weekly paclitaxel (Taxol) in combination with a fixed systemic administration of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer. METHODS Patients with advanced or recurrent gastric cancer were treated with escalating doses of weekly paclitaxel as a 60 min intravenous (i.v.) infusion, along with a fixed dose of continuous 5-FU infused over 5 days. Plasma sampling was performed to characterize the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of paclitaxel. RESULTS Eighteen patients received combination therapy at four dose levels of weekly Taxol, ranging from 60 to 90 mg/m2/week. Dose-limiting toxicities > grade 3 were observed at the 90 mg/m2/week dose level. Toxicities included anemia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, nausea and alopecia. Two episodes of grade 4 neutropenia occurred in two of the three patients receiving this dose. At each dose level, pharmacological studies documented the persistence of significant serum paclitaxel levels over 24 h after drug administration. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) for this regimen was 90 mg/m2/week of paclitaxel for 3 weeks plus 600 mg/m2/day of continuous 5-FU for 5 days. CONCLUSIONS The combination of weekly paclitaxel and 5-FU demonstrated an acceptable toxicity profile and feasible pharmacokinetic results suggesting its practical applicability. Based on these findings, the recommended dose and schedule for phase II study of combination chemotherapy is paclitaxel 80 mg/m2/week x 3 over 4 weeks, and continuous 5-FU 600 mg/m2/day x 5 days every 4 weeks.
Emergency light detection in tunnel environment: An efficient method

Automobile navigation in tunnel environment is challenging. GPS sensors and ordinary cameras can't function effectively. For navigation, infrared cameras are installed on top of our experimental vehicle, and here we propose an efficient object detection method to detect emergency lights from the collected data in tunnel environment. The proposed method firstly detects keypoints by setting thresholds for intensity of uniformly sampled points. Each keypoint is then verified by the appearance of its surrounding sub-image. After clustering the keypoints which satisfy the verification, the method verifies the keypoint clusters by their appearance and temporal information. Though the later steps are time-consuming, they deal with very few instances. And this improves the efficiency of the method, while not losing effectiveness of the appearance and temporal information. Thus the method gives promising results in real time. Detection performance and efficiency are verified by experiments carried on challenging real data.
A computed tomography-based anatomic comparison of three different types of c7 posterior fixation techniques : pedicle, intralaminar, and lateral mass screws.

OBJECTIVE The intralaminar screw (ILS) fixation technique offers an alternative to pedicle screw (PS) and lateral mass screw (LMS) fixation in the C7 spine. Although cadaveric studies have described the anatomy of the pedicles, laminae, and lateral masses at C7, 3-dimensional computed tomography (CT) imaging is the modality of choice for pre-surgical planning. In this study, the goal was to determine the anatomical parameter and optimal screw trajectory for ILS placement at C7, and to compare this information to PS and LMS placement in the C7 spine as determined by CT evaluation. METHODS A total of 120 patients (60 men and 60 women) with an average age of 51.7±13.6 years were selected by retrospective review of a trauma registry database over a 2-year period. Patients were included in the study if they were older than 15 years of age, had standardized axial bone-window CT imaging at C7, and had no evidence of spinal trauma. For each lamina and pedicle, width (outer cortical and inner cancellous), maximal screw length, and optimal screw trajectory were measured, and the maximal screw length of the lateral mass were measured using m-view 5.4 software. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test. RESULTS At C7, the maximal PS length was significantly greater than the ILS and LMS length (PS, 33.9±3.1 mm; ILS, 30.8±3.1 mm; LMS, 10.6±1.3; p<0.01). When the outer cortical and inner cancellous width was compared between the pedicle and lamina, the mean pedicle outer cortical width at C7 was wider than the lamina by an average of 0.6 mm (pedicle, 6.8±1.2 mm; lamina, 6.2±1.2 mm; p<0.01). At C7, 95.8% of the laminae measured accepted a 4.0-mm screw with a 1.0 mm of clearance, compared with 99.2% of pedicle. Of the laminae measured, 99.2% accepted a 3.5-mm screw with a 1.0 mm clearance, compared with 100% of the pedicle. When the outer cortical and inner cancellous height was compared between pedicle and lamina, the mean lamina outer cortical height at C7 was wider than the pedicle by an average of 9.9 mm (lamina, 18.6±2.0 mm; pedicle, 8.7±1.3 mm; p<0.01). The ideal screw trajectory at C7 was also measured (47.8±4.8° for ILS and 35.1±8.1° for PS). CONCLUSION Although pedicle screw fixation is the most ideal instrumentation method for C7 fixation with respect to length and cortical diameter, anatomical aspect of C7 lamina is affordable to place screw. Therefore, the C7 intralaminar screw could be an alternative fixation technique with few anatomic limitations in the cases when C7 pedicle screw fixation is not favorable. However, anatomical variations in the length and width must be considered when placing an intralaminar or pedicle screw at C7.
Decorin GAG Synthesis and TGF-&bgr; Signaling Mediate Ox-LDL–Induced Mineralization of Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Objective—Decorin and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) independently induce osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We aimed to determine whether decorin glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chain synthesis contributes to Ox-LDL–induced differentiation and calcification of human VSMCs in vitro. Methods and Results—Human VSMCs treated with Ox-LDL to induce oxidative stress showed increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, accelerated mineralization, and a difference in both decorin GAG chain biosynthesis and CS/DS structure compared with untreated controls. Ox-LDL increased mRNA abundance of both xylosyltransferase (XT)-I, the key enzyme responsible for GAG chain biosynthesis and Msx2, a marker of osteogenic differentiation. Furthermore, downregulation of XT-I expression using small interfering RNA blocked Ox-LDL–induced VSMC mineralization. Adenoviral-mediated overexpression of decorin, but not a mutated unglycanated form, accelerated mineralization of VSMCs, suggesting GAG chain addition on decorin is crucial for the process of differentiation. The decorin-induced VSMC osteogenic differentiation involved activation of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-&bgr; pathway, because it was attenuated by blocking of TGF-&bgr; receptor signaling and because decorin overexpression potentiated phosphorylation of the downstream signaling molecule smad2. Conclusion—These studies provide direct evidence that oxidative stress–mediated decorin GAG chain synthesis triggers TGF-&bgr; signaling and mineralization of VSMCs in vitro.
Lung surfactant proteins A and D can inhibit specific IgE binding to the allergens of Aspergillus fumigatus and block allergen‐induced histamine release from human basophils

Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen which, in the immunocompetent host, causes allergic disorders such as allergic rhinitis, allergic sinusitis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and allergic bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA). In the present study, the interaction of 3‐week culture filtrate (3wcf) allergens and various purified glycosylated and non‐glycosylated allergens of A. fumigatus with lung surfactant proteins, SP‐A and SP‐D, was investigated. Purified SP‐A and SP‐D, isolated from human bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, bound to the 3wcf allergens and purified allergens, gp55 and gp45, in a carbohydrate‐specific and calcium‐dependent manner. Both SP‐A and SP‐D did not bind to deglycosylated allergens, suggesting that the ability of SP‐A and SP‐D to bind certain allergens is mediated through their carbohydrate recognition domains, interacting with the carbohydrate residues on the allergen. Both SP‐A and SP‐D could inhibit the ability of allergen‐specific IgE from Aspergillosis patients to bind these allergens, suggesting that SP‐A and SP‐D may be involved in the modulation of allergic sensitization and/or development of allergic reactions. The view that SP‐A and SP‐D play a protective role against airborne allergens is further supported by the demonstration of their ability to inhibit A. fumigatus allergen‐induced histamine release from allergic patients' basophils.
The molecular evolution of HIV‐1 protease simulated at atomic detail

Progress in understanding protein folding allows to simulate, with atomic detail, the evolution of amino‐acid sequences folding to a given native conformation. A particularly attractive example is the HIV‐1 protease, main target of therapies to fight AIDS, which under drug pressure is able to develop resistance within few months from the starting of therapy. By comparing the results of simulations of the evolution of the protease with the corresponding proteomic data, one can approximately determine the value of the associated evolution pressure under which the enzyme has become and, as a consequence, map out the energy landscape in sequence space of the HIV‐1 protease. It is found that there are several families of sequences folding to the native conformations of the enzyme. Each of these families are characterized by different sets of highly conserved (“hot”) amino acids which play a critical role in the folding and stability of the protease. There are two main possibilities for the virus to move from one family to a different one: (a) in a single generation, through the concerted mutations of the hot amino acids, a highly unlikely event, (b) through a folding path (if it exists), again a very improbable event. In fact, the number of generations needed by the virus to change stepwise its sequence from one family to another is astronomically large. These results point to the “hot” segments of the protease as promising targets for a nonconventional inhibition strategy, likely not to create resistance. Proteins 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.