Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Constructing hybrid protein zymogens through protective dendritic assembly.

The modulation of protein uptake and activity in response to physiological changes forms an integral part of smart protein therapeutics. We describe herein the self-assembly of a pH-responsive dendrimer shell onto the surface of active enzymes (trypsin, papain, DNase I) as a supramolecular protecting group to form a hybrid dendrimer-enzyme complex. The attachment is based on the interaction between boronic acid and salicyl hydroxamate, thus allowing the macromolecular assembly to respond to changes in pH between 5.0 and 7.4 in a highly reversible fashion. Catalytic activity is efficiently blocked in the presence of the dendrimer shell but is quantitatively restored upon shell degradation under acidic conditions. Unlike the native proteases, the hybrid constructs are shown to be efficiently taken up by A549 cells and colocalized in the acidic compartments. The programmed intracellular release of the proteases induced cytotoxicity, thereby uncovering a new avenue for precision biotherapeutics.
Pharmacology of human memory and cognition: illustrations from the effects of benzodiazepines and cholinergic drugs

The current research methods, findings and questions that are being addressed in studies of the pharmacology of human memory and cognition are reviewed. Memory is not a unitary function. Neuropsychological studies of brain-damaged memory-impaired patients, as well as neuroimaging and drug studies in normal individuals indicate that different forms of learning and memory are subserved by different brain systems. Animal drug studies have also provided evidence that, while distinct, memory systems are not independent, but operate in close interaction with one another. Recent human studies of benzodiazepines and of cholinergic drugs demonstrate the value of the psychological models and of the experimental paradigms that are available from cognitive sciences for exploring how drugs alter cognitive and memory functions. They also show how drugs can be used as tools for analyzing the distinct neurochemical mechanisms underlying independent cognitive processes, and so find effective drugs rationally from a knowledge of the neurochemical bases of cognition. This research leads to specific recommendations concerning treatments that may improve memory functioning, for instance in Alzheimer's disease.
Position estimation using equidistance lines

An approach to perception-based position estimation is presented. The approach employs a representation of positional information which is based on a global, curvilinear coordinate system which is grounded in the real world. This coordinate system is spanned by the contours of visible objects and by so-called equidistance lines which are constructed from the object contours. Equidistance lines can be computed from arbitrarily curved contours and do not require an analytical representation of these contours. The main advantage of a spatial representation based on equidistance lines is that it does not depend on the existence of salient spatial features in the environment. Furthermore, the global curvilinear coordinate system allows a straightforward transition between the local frames of reference associated with local perceptions. To estimate the position of a robot vehicle over a sequence of local sensor images requires only a minimal number of object contours to be visible or partially visible in these images and a qualitative correspondence of these object contours to be maintained.
Learning, Memory, and Executive Control in Individuals With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

A range of neuropsychological deficits have been identified in individuals with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and have been related to disruptions in function of the frontal cortex of the brain. We hypothesized that impairments in the use of strategic, frontally-mediated processes that facilitate learning and memory would be associated with deficits in the long-term episodic memory of verbal material (i.e., word lists). We evaluated 28 adults with OSAS and 24 controls (ranging from 28 to 60 years of age) using the California Verbal Learning Test. General executive abilities were assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Letter fluency, and Category fluency. Individuals with OSAS exhibited poorer recall across learning trials, less efficient use of semantic clustering, and poorer use of semantic cues. Retention of previously encoded information and recognition, however, were intact. With the exception of letter fluency, deficits were not observed in general executive control. Results are discussed within the context of disruptions in the interactions between long-term memory and executive abilities that are subserved by frontal and distal brain regions.
[A partially inheritable aging influence on a non-Mendelian female sterility in Drosophila melanogaster].

Some crosses between strains of Drosophila melanogaster give rise to F1 females, which display a quite characteristic kind of incomplete sterility (S.F. females). The sterility appears to result from the interaction between two factors, "I" brought by the male parent, "R" by the female parent, neither of which behave like classical mendelian genes. In this paper, results are presented which demonstrate that the level of sterility of an S.F. female depends on the age of its maternal ancestors. Therefore, aging of a reproducing female induces variations in the "R" factor which are inherited and behave like "dauermodifikation".
The Time Course of Lymphatic Routes Emanating from the Peritoneal Cavity in Rats

The lymph drainage routes from the abdominal cavity in rats were observed at 3 min, 1, 2 and 4 h after India ink was administered intraperitoneally. Four systems of lymph drainage routes from the peritoneal cavity were observed. Three minutes after injection, the drainage route travelled via the intrathoracic lymph vessels located along the internal thoracic artery and returned to the anterior mediastinal lymph nodes. One hour after injection, the drainage route travelled via the lymph vessel located along the left phrenic nerve in addition to the drainage route observed at 3 min. Two and four hours after injection, in addition to the above‐mentioned routes, the drainage that had travelled via the thoracic duct continued along the right side of the aorta and was also observed in the lateral lymph vessel located on the vertebra. These findings suggest that lymph or cells absorbed into the peritoneal cavity at first travel towards the anterior mediastinal lymph nodes in the thorax via the ventral lymphatic channels, and then gradually course through the dorsal lymphatic channels. These routes may serve as a route for transporting cancer cells and other cells from the peritoneal cavity.
To analyze hand gesture recognition for wirelessly electronic device control

In this research work we propose a fast algorithm for automatically recognizing a limited set of gestures from hand images for Zig-Bee interfaced device control application. Hand gesture recognition is a challenging problem in its general form. We consider a fixed set of manual commands and a reasonably structured environment, and develop a simple, yet effective, procedure for gesture recognition. Our approach contains steps for segmenting the hand region, locating the fingers, and finally classifying the gesture. The algorithm is invariant to translation, rotation, and scale of the hand. As a part of work we also analysis the mean deviation approach with fast algorithm. From the recorded Results of hardware & software we demonstrate the effectiveness of the fast algorithm on the basis of time & accuracies. Thus the system we describe here may be the "Soft Remote Control System" which can provide easy control of home installed appliances to improve the inhabitant's comfort.
The Effect of Transdermal Glyceryl Trinitrate, a Nitric Oxide Donor, on Blood Pressure and Platelet Function in Acute Stroke

Background and Purpose: Hypertension is a common medical complication in acute stroke and is associated with a poor outcome. However, no large trials have assessed the effect of lowering blood pressure (BP) on outcome, and it remains unclear how BP should be managed in acute stroke. We assessed, in a double-blind randomised controlled trial, whether the nitric oxide (NO) donor glyceryl trinitrate (GTN, a known systemic and cerebral vasodilator), would lower BP and alter platelet function. Methods: Thirty-seven patients with recent (<5 days) ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke were randomised by minimisation to 12 days of daily treatment with transdermal GTN or matching placebo patches. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory BP was measured before and during GTN treatment at days 0, 1 and 8. Platelet aggregation and expression of adhesion molecules were assessed at the same time points. Functional outcome (Rankin scale) and case fatality were assessed at 3 months. Analysis was by intention-to-treat. Results: GTN significantly lowered BP by 13.0/5.2 mm Hg at day 1 and 9.3/5.0 mm Hg at day 8. The lesser reduction at day 8 than day 1 suggests that tolerance to GTN was developing. Non-significant falls of 0.9/0.6 and 3.8/0.0 mm Hg occurred at days 1 and 8, respectively, in the placebo group. GTN had no effect on heart rate, or platelet aggregation or expression of platelet adhesion molecules, including glycoproteins Ia, Ib, IIIa and P-selectin. Additionally, GTN did not alter case fatality or dependency, although the study was not powered for these outcomes. Conclusions: Transdermal GTN, an NO donor, lowered BP by 5–8%, a clinically significant and relevant, but not excessive, degree in patients with acute stroke. However, GTN had no effect on platelet aggregation or expression of adhesion molecules. Since NO donors increase cerebral blood flow in patients with acute ischaemic stroke, GTN may be an appropriate drug for testing the effect of lowering BP on functional outcome.
Dysregulation of the antigen-induced NF-ÃÂºB signaling pathway in the development of human B-cells lymphomas

The adaptive immune response is initiated when microbial or tumor-specific molecules are recognized by antigen receptors present at lymphocyte cell surface. Engagement of these immunoreceptors induces signaling cascades that ultimately activate the transcription factors NF-κB (Nuclear Factor-κB) and NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T-cells) responsible for the establishment of gene expression programs controlling the stimulation, proliferation and survival of activated lymphocytes. Cloning the products of three distinct translocation events found in lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) led to the identification and characterization of a novel NF-κB-activating complex following antigenic stimulation composed by the ARMA1, BCL10, and MALT1 proteins and called the CBM complex. Since the identification of this complex, other regulatory components were discovered which greatly improve our understanding of this signaling pathways. Interestingly, CBM complex activity is not only altered in MALT lymphomas but also in a subtype activated B cell-like (ABC) of diffuse large B-cell (DLBCL) lymphoma. In this review, we described the key players involved in antigen-induced NF-κB activation and cover the recent advances in the molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the regulation of the components of the CBM complex. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for the elucidation of the role of this NF-κB signaling network in both normal and pathologic conditions and we described how deregulation of this network leads to the uncontrolled activation of NF-κB and development of two particular subtypes of human B cell lymphomas: the MALT and the DLBCL lymphomas.
Comparing Performance of Software CLEFIA to Established Block Ciphers on 8-bit Devices

In this document, the performance of the 128-bit version of the block cipher CLEFIA is evaluated on an ATMega type 8-bit processor. It is compared to the performance of another block cipher: IDEA. Optimisations for these algorithms are analyzed and the results are compared to previous performance analyses of the block ciphers TEA and AES on an ATMega type processor. By doing this we decide whether, when looking at performance only, CLEFIA is an interesting candidate for low-power, low-cost encryption and decryption on 8-bit platforms. We conclude that 128-bit CLEFIA is very slow in comparison to the alternatives. We recommend choosing IDEA when an 128-bit block cipher is needed on an 8-bit system.
Planar Substrate Integrated Waveguide Cavity-Backed Antenna

A new cavity-backed antenna compatible with planar technology is designed, manufactured, and measured. The original design consists of a slotted cavity fed by a microstrip line. This allows the implementation of the feeding line and the cavity on a single substrate, compatible with a standard printed circuit board (PCB) or low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) process. The idea is to combine specific slot patterns on the cavity back face such as meandered and edge slots. An example is presented, and the measurements show minimum 10-dB return loss bandwidth of 1.32%, 8.5 dBi gain, and 21 dB front-to-back ratio. The combination of volume cavity, planar feeding, and antenna layout, leads to light weight, easy fabrication, and easy integration with planar circuits.
In vivo blockade of CD28/CTLA4: B7/BB1 interaction with CTLA4-Ig reduces lethal murine graft-versus-host disease across the major histocompatibility complex barrier in mice.

We tested whether the in vivo infusion of recombinant, soluble CTLA4 fused with Ig heavy chains, as a surrogate ligand used to block CD28/CTLA4 T-cell costimulation, could prevent efficient T-cell activation and thereby reduce graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Lethally irradiated B10.BR recipients of major histocompatibility complex disparate C57BL/6 donor grafts received intraperitoneal injections of human CTLA4-Ig (hCTLA4-Ig) or murine CTLA4-Ig (mCTLA4-Ig) in various doses and schedules beginning on day -1 or day 0 of bone marrow transplantation (BMT). In all five experiments, recipients of CTLA4-Ig had a significantly higher actuarial survival rate compared to mice injected with an irrelevant antibody control (L6) or saline alone. Survival rates in recipients of hL6 or PBS were 0% at 29 to 45 days post-BMT. In recipients of CTLA4-Ig, survival rates were as high as 63% mice surviving 3 months post-BMT. However, protection was somewhat variable and recipients of CTLA4-Ig were not GVHD-free by body weight, clinical appearance, and histopathologic examination. There were no significant differences in the survival rates in comparing injection dose, injection duration, or species of CTLA4-Ig (hCTLA4-Ig v mCTLA4-Ig). Splenic and peripheral blood flow cytometry studies of long-term hCTLA4-Ig-injected survivors showed a significant peripheral B-cell and CD4+ T-cell lymphopenia, consistent with GVHD. A kinetic study of splenic reconstitution was performed in mice that received hCTLA4-Ig and showed that mature splenic localized CD8+ T-cell repopulation was not significantly different in recipients of hCTLA4-Ig compared with hL6, despite the significant increase in actuarial survival rate in that experiment. These data suggest that the beneficial effect of hCTLA4-Ig on survival is not mediated by interfering with mature donor-derived T-cell repopulation post-BMT. Neither hCTLA4-Ig nor mCTLA4-Ig interfered with hematopoietic recovery post-BMT. We conclude that CTLA4-Ig (most likely in combination with other agents) may represent an important new modality for GVHD prevention.
Vertebral artery stump syndrome

After occlusion of flow in an artery, further ischaemic episodes are not expected due to lack of a flow conduit to carry the embolus. In the carotid stump syndrome, ongoing ischaemic events may continue due to collateral flow via the external carotid artery. We report two patients presenting with posterior circulation strokes after documented vertebral artery occlusion, due to a vertebral stump syndrome. Their presentation, the pathophysiology of cervico-vertebral anastomoses and management are described.
The YfgL Lipoprotein Is Essential for Type III Secretion System Expression and Virulence of Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica, like many gram-negative pathogens, uses type three secretion systems (TTSS) to infect its hosts. The three TTSS of Salmonella, namely, TTSS-1, TTSS-2, and flagella, play a major role in the virulence of this bacterium, allowing it to cross the intestinal barrier and to disseminate systemically. Previous data from our laboratory have demonstrated the involvement of the chromosomal region harboring the yfgL, engA, and yfgJ open reading frames in S. enterica serovar Enteritidis virulence. Using microarray analysis and real-time reverse transcription-PCR after growth of bacterial cultures favorable for either TTSS-1 or TTSS-2 expression, we show in this study that the deletion in S. enterica serovar Enteritidis of yfgL, encoding an outer membrane lipoprotein, led to the transcriptional down-regulation of most Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1), SPI-2, and flagellar genes encoding the TTSS structural proteins and effector proteins secreted by these TTSS. In line with these results, the virulence of the ΔyfgL mutant was greatly attenuated in mice. Moreover, even if YfgL is involved in the assembly of outer membrane proteins, the regulation of TTSS expression observed was not due to an inability of the ΔyfgL mutant to assemble TTSS in its membrane. Indeed, when we forced the transcription of SPI-1 genes by constitutively expressing HilA, the secretion of the TTSS-1 effector protein SipA was restored in the culture supernatant of the mutant. These results highlight the crucial role of the outer membrane lipoprotein YfgL in the expression of all Salmonella TTSS and, thus, in the virulence of Salmonella. Therefore, this outer membrane protein seems to be a privileged target for fighting Salmonella.
Active disturbance rejection control for DC voltage in Z-source inverter

This paper presents a simplified active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) method for implementing the DC capacitor voltage in Z-source constant. Active disturbance rejection control method is the development of PID control. It is suit ab le for the inverter with variable input. A simplified ADRC method is used in this paper to reject the disturbance from variable input in Z-source inverter. In its ESO module part, Kalman filter is used to estimate the state and the disturbance, which can approach the true value at the extreme, and reduce the computation time. The simulation result shows the control method can achieve the control requirement satisfactory.
Determination of Monoamine Oxidase A and B Activity in Long-Term Treated Patients With Parkinson Disease

Background Biogenic amines and monoamine oxidase inhibitors influence peripheral monoamine oxidase enzyme activity in chronic levodopa/dopa decarboxylase inhibitor–treated patients with Parkinson disease. Rasagiline is an irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase B. Safinamide blocks this isoenzyme in a reversible fashion. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine monoamine oxidase A (plasma) and B (platelets) enzyme activity in long-term levodopa-treated patients without and with additional oral intake of 50- or 100-mg safinamide or 1-mg rasagiline or first-time intake of rasagiline. Results Monoamine oxidase A enzyme activity did not differ between all groups. Patients on rasagiline or safinamide showed lower monoamine oxidase–B enzyme activity compared with patients without monoamine oxidase B inhibitor intake. No impact of the number of previous oral levodopa intakes was found. Discussion Rasagiline and safinamide did not essentially differ in terms of inhibition of monoamine oxidase B despite their different pharmacology regarding reversibility of monoamine oxidase B inhibition. In view of the observed, considerable heterogeneity of enzyme activities, we suggest to determine activities of monoamine oxidase A and B to reduce the risk for tyramine-induced hypertension and the serotonergic syndrome during chronic therapy with rasagiline or safinamide.
A 2.8 mW/Gb/s quad-channel 8.5–11.4 Gb/s quasi-digital transceiver in 28 nm CMOS

A SerDes operating from 8.5 to 11.4 Gb/s using nearly all CMOS digital circuits is presented. The transmitter achieves up to 1 Vdpp output swing with a DDJ as low as 2.7 ps. The receiver achieves an input sensitivity of less than 17 mVdpp. The chip is capable of transmitting and receiving data on an FR4 channel with 21 dB loss at Nyquist at a BER <; 10-12. The power consumption per Tx/Rx pair is 28.5 mW, and the active area is 0.047 mm2 in 28 nm CMOS. The chip reports the minimum SerDes area in the published literature.
The control for grid connected inverter of distributed generation under unbalanced grid voltage

This paper describes a new control scheme of grid connected inverter of DG (distributed generation) under unbalanced grid voltage. In this paper, the proposed scheme of synchronous reference frame (SRF) controller can reduce the influence of unbalanced grid voltage, which is mainly caused by unbalanced distribution of single-phase and non-linear loads, etc. In order to realize the control goal, a positive SRF which rotates counterclockwise and a negative SRF which rotates clockwise are used to control the positive sequence current and negative sequence current, separately. According to PF =1 of grid side and average output active power is constant, the positive sequence reference current and negative sequence reference current are obtained. The positive sequence ac link feedback current is derived through a notch filter to eliminate the 100Hz negative sequence in the positive SRF. The same as the negative sequence ac link feedback current. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme has been demonstrated through computer simulation.
Intimin-Specific Immune Responses Prevent Bacterial Colonization by the Attaching-Effacing PathogenCitrobacter rodentium

ABSTRACT The formation of attaching and effacing (A/E) lesions on gut enterocytes is central to the pathogenesis of enterohemorrhagic (EHEC)Escherichia coli, enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and the rodent pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. Genes encoding A/E lesion formation map to a chromosomal pathogenicity island termed the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE). Here we show that the LEE-encoded proteins EspA, EspB, Tir, and intimin are the targets of long-lived humoral immune responses in C. rodentium-infected mice. Mice infected with C. rodentium developed robust acquired immunity and were resistant to reinfection with wild-type C. rodentium or a C. rodentium derivative, DBS255(pCVD438), which expressed intimin derived from EPEC strain E2348/69. The receptor-binding domain of intimin polypeptides is located within the carboxy-terminal 280 amino acids (Int280). Mucosal and systemic vaccination regimens using enterotoxin-based adjuvants were employed to elicit immune responses to recombinant Int280α from EPEC strain E2348/69. Mice vaccinated subcutaneously with Int280α, in the absence of adjuvant, were significantly more resistant to oral challenge with DBS255(pCVD438) but not with wild-type C. rodentium. This type-specific immunity could not be overcome by employing an exposed, highly conserved domain of intimin (Int388–667) as a vaccine. These results show that anti-intimin immune responses can modulate the outcome of a C. rodentium infection and support the use of intimin as a component of a type-specific EPEC or EHEC vaccine.