Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Application of the Yo‐Yo Intermittent Endurance Level 2 Test to Elite Female Soccer Populations

The aim of this study was to evaluate the application of the Yo‐Yo intermittent endurance test level 2 (Yo‐Yo IE2) to elite female soccer populations. Elite senior (n = 92), youth (n = 42), domestic (n = 46) and sub‐elite female soccer players (n = 19) carried out the Yo‐Yo IE2 test on numerous occasions across the season. Test–retest coefficient of variation (CV) in Yo‐Yo IE2 test performance in domestic female players was 4.5%. Elite senior female players' Yo‐Yo IE2 test performances were better (P < 0.01) than elite youth, domestic and sub‐elite players (mean ± standard deviation; 1774 ± 532 vs 1490 ± 447, 1261 ± 449, and 994 ± 373 m). For elite senior female players, wide midfielders (2057 ± 550 m) had a higher Yo‐Yo IE2 test performance (P < 0.05) than central defenders (1588 ± 534 m) and attackers (1516 ± 401 m), but not central midfielders (1764 ± 473 m) or full‐backs (1964 ± 522 m). Large correlations were observed between Yo‐Yo IE2 test performance and the total and high‐intensity distance covered (r = 0.55; P < 0.05) during elite senior soccer matches (r = 0.70; P < 0.01). A large correlation was also obtained between Yo‐Yo IE2 test performance and (r = 0.68; P < 0.01). Performances in the Yo‐Yo IE2 test were greater (P < 0.05) in the middle and the end of the season compared with the preparation period for elite youth female players (1767 ± 539 and 1742 ± 503 vs 1564 ± 504 m) and in elite senior female players, Yo‐Yo IE2 test performance increased by 14% (P < 0.01) after completing 4 weeks of intense training prior to the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals (2049 ± 283 vs 1803 ± 342 m). The data demonstrate that the Yo‐Yo IE2 test is reproducible and is an indicator of the match‐specific physical capacity of female soccer players. Furthermore, the Yo‐Yo IE2 test illustrates sensitivity by differentiating intermittent exercise performance of female players in various competitive levels, stages of the season and playing positions.
Phorbol ester and phospholipase C-mediated differentiated thyroid function in vitro: the effects of protein kinase C inhibition and downregulation.

Tumor-promoting phorbol esters, e.g., 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), inhibit TSH-stimulated iodide organification in vitro implying a role for protein kinase C (PKC) in the regulation of differentiated thyroid function. To further explore the PKC dependence of this action of TPA, we studied the effects of PKC inhibition and downregulation on phorbol-mediated differentiated thyroid function in vitro. In addition, the effects of the nonphorbol PKC activator, phospholipase C (PLC) were studied. TPA (100 nM) inhibited TSH-stimulated iodide organification in cultured porcine thyroid cells by over 95% and caused PKC translocation in vitro. Exogenous PLC (1 U/mL) could mimic these effects of TPA. The PKC inhibitor, 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H7) inhibited TSH-stimulated iodide organification at concentrations exceeding 10 microM. However, partial recovery of phorbol- and PLC-inhibited iodide organification was seen in the presence of identical concentrations of H7. H7 had no effect on PKC translocation in porcine thyroid cell extracts. After 24 h of TPA treatment to induce PKC downregulation, no recovery of TSH-stimulated iodide organification was observed, suggesting that the effects of TPA were irreversible. These studies indicate that the effects of TPA and PLC on differentiated thyroid function are mediated, at least in part, by PKC. These findings provide further evidence for a role for PKC in the regulation of differentiated thyroid function.
Vaccination with Adenovirus Serotypes 35, 26, and 48 Elicits Higher Levels of Innate Cytokine Responses than Adenovirus Serotype 5 in Rhesus Monkeys

ABSTRACT Adenovirus (Ad) vaccine vectors have proven highly immunogenic in multiple experimental models, but the innate immune responses induced by these vectors remain poorly characterized. Here we report innate cytokine responses to 5 different Ad vectors in 26 rhesus monkeys. Vaccination with adenovirus serotype 35 (Ad35), Ad26, and Ad48 induced substantially higher levels of antiviral (gamma interferon [IFN-γ], 10-kDa gamma interferon-induced protein [IP-10]) and proinflammatory (interleukin 1 receptor antagonist [IL-1RA], IL-6) cytokines than vaccination with Ad5 on day 1 following immunization. In vitro studies with capsid chimeric vectors and receptor-blocking monoclonal antibodies suggested that fiber-receptor interactions, as well as other capsid components, were critical for triggering these innate responses. Moreover, multiple cell populations, including dendritic cells, monocytes/macrophages, and T lymphocytes, contributed to these innate cytokine profiles. These data demonstrate that Ad35, Ad26, and Ad48, which utilize CD46 as their primary cellular receptor, induce significantly greater innate cytokine responses than Ad5, which uses the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR). These differences in innate triggering result in markedly different immunologic milieus for the subsequent generation of adaptive immune responses by these vaccine vectors.
Discussion on application of super capacitor energy storage system in microgrid

With the development of renewable energy power generation, microgrid, which integrates distributed generations, is considered progressive to effectively meet the growing power demand, economize the investment and improve energy efficiency. As a necessary energy buffer, energy storage system plays an increasingly important role. Super capacitor, as a new energy storage device, becomes one of the best choices for microgrid because of its irreplaceable advantages. Energy storage system based on super capacitors, can not only be energy buffer, but also improve the power quality of microgrid, balance micro-sources' output, and plays an important role on the economic performance of microgrid. This paper summarizes the characteristics and performance of super capacitors, analyzes the structure and principles of the super capacitor energy storage system, and outlines its applications to microgrid.
Safe Typing for Transactional vs. Lock-Based Concurrency in Multi-threaded Java

Many concurrency models have been developed for high-level programming languages such as Java. A trend here is towards more flexible concurrency control protocols, going beyond the original Java multi-threading treatment based on lexically-scoped concurrency control mechanism. Two proposals supporting flexible, non-lexical concurrency control are the lock-handling via the Lock-classes in Java5 and Transactional Featherweight Java (TFJ), an extension of Featherweight Java by transactions. Even if these two take quite different approaches towards dealing with concurrency —“pessimistic” or lock-based vs. “optimistic” or based on transactions— the added flexibility of non-lexical use of the corresponding concurrency operators comes at a similar price: improper usage leads to run-time exceptions and unwanted behavior. This is in contrast with the more disciplined use under a lexically scoped regime, where each entrance to a critical region is syntactically accompanied by a corresponding exit (as e.g. with traditional synchronized methods or as with so-called atomic blocks). To assure safe use of locking, resp. transactions in these settings, we present in this paper abstractions in the form of two static type and effect systems, which make sure that for instance, no lock is released by a thread which does not hold it, resp. , that no commit is executed outside any transaction. We furthermore compare the two mentioned approaches to concurrency control on the basis of these type abstractions.
Boston Type 1 Keratoprosthesis: The University of California Davis Experience

Purpose: To compare the University of California Davis experience using the Boston keratoprosthesis with the Boston Keratoprosthesis Study Group's initial report. Design: Retrospective chart review. Participants: We analyzed 30 eyes of 28 patients who previously underwent Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis surgery at our institution between 2004 and 2008. Methods: Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative parameters were collected and analyzed. Main Outcome Measures: Visual acuity and keratoprosthesis stability. Results: Preoperative diagnoses were failed graft (26 eyes, 87%), chemical injury (3 eyes, 10%), and Stevens-Johnson syndrome (1 eye, 3%). Twenty eyes (66%) had preoperative glaucoma. Preoperative best-corrected visual acuity ranged from 20/150 to light perception and was <20/200 in 83% of eyes. At an average follow-up of 19 months (range, 1-48; SD, 13.8; and median, 13), postoperative vision improved to ≥20/200 in 77% of eyes. Among eyes at least 1 year after the operation (16 eyes), vision was ≥20/200 in 75% of eyes and ≥20/40 in 25% of eyes. At an average follow-up of 19 months, retention of the initial keratoprosthesis was 83.3%. Conclusions: The Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis is a viable option after multiple keratoplasty failures or in conditions with a poor prognosis for primary keratoplasty. Patients with autoimmune disease are at higher risk for complications. The University of California Davis experience seems equivalent to the initial report of the Boston Keratoprosthesis Study Group. With longer follow-up, additional surgical procedures may be required but good anatomic and functional outcomes can be maintained.
Study on small airway function in asthmatics with fractional exhaled nitric oxide and impulse oscillometry

The invasive techniques can be direct and objective to assess small airway function, but they have significant risks and inconveniences for patients and cannot be repeated often. Some sophisticated techniques such as fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and impulse oscillometry (IOS) may surmount such restrictions. Therefore, we investigated the relation among FeNO, IOS, and small airway function in asthmatic patients.
Cloning, purification and crystallization of Thermus thermophilus proline dehydrogenase.

Nature recycles L-proline by converting it to L-glutamate. This four-electron oxidation process is catalyzed by the two enzymes: proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) and Delta1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase. This note reports the cloning, purification and crystallization of Thermus thermophilus PRODH, which is the prototype of a newly discovered superfamily of bacterial monofunctional PRODHs. The results presented here include production of a monodisperse protein solution through use of the detergent n-octyl beta-D-glucopyranoside and the growth of native crystals that diffracted to 2.3 A resolution at Advanced Light Source beamline 4.2. 2. The space group is P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 82.2, b = 89.6, c = 94.3 A. The asymmetric unit is predicted to contain two protein molecules and 46% solvent. Molecular-replacement trials using a fragment of the PRODH domain of the multifunctional Escherichia coli PutA protein as the search model (24% amino-acid sequence identity) did not produce a satisfactory solution. Therefore, the structure of T. thermophilus PRODH will be determined by multiwavelength anomalous dispersion phasing using a selenomethionyl derivative.
Expression of nerve growth factor, its TrkA receptor, and several neuropeptides in porcine esophagus. Implications for interactions between neural, vascular and epithelial components of the esophagus.

UNLABELLED This study was aimed to determine the expression and localization of nerve growth factor (NGF) and several neural peptides in porcine esophagus. Transmural esophageal specimens were obtained from euthanized pigs. STUDIES 1) histologic evaluation, 2) expressions of NGF and its tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA) receptor, calcitonin generelated peptide (CGRP), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and neuronal enolase using immunostaining and quantification of signal distribution and intensity. Immunostaining for NGF, CGRP, nNOS and neuronal specific enolase (NSE) showed their strong and differential expression and localization in the neuronal network. NGF was strongly expressed in the majority of neurons and nerves, distribution of TrkA was complementary; its signal was 1.5-fold weaker P < 0.001 than NGF). Quantitatively the signal intensity was: CGRP > nNOS > NGF > NES > TrkA. In addition to neural structures, nNOS, NGF and TrkA were expressed in keratinocyte progenitor cells of esophageal mucosa and in endothelial cells of blood vessels. We conclude that a strong expression of NGF in majority of esophageal neurons and nerves indicates important, but previously unrecognized regulatory roles in the esophagus; 2) This study showed expression of NGF and some of the neuropeptides in neural elements, keratinocyte progenitor cells and endothelial cells of blood vessels, which indicates local interactions between neural, epithelial and endothelial cells.
Identification and characterization of a surface protein-releasing activity in Streptococcus mutans and other pathogenic streptococci

Surface proteins of Streptococcus mutans have been reported to be released into the culture filtrate at concentrations that vary with the growth conditions. The reason for this is not clear. The present study attempts to investigate the mechanism of the protein release. The results showed that whole cells and raffinose-stabilized protoplasts of S. mutans NG8, when incubated in buffers, were capable of releasing their surface proteins in a pH-dependent manner with optimal release at pH 5 to 6. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis revealed that the released proteins were very complex. Two proteins, adhesin P1, which has been previously shown to interact with a human salivary agglutinin, and glucosyltransferase have been identified among the released proteins. The release of adhesin P1 and other proteins was found to be inhibited by heat, Cu2+,Zn2+, and thiol-blocking reagents. The inhibition by heat and Cu2+ was irreversible, whereas that by the thiol-blocking reagents was reversible. EDTA, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, and N-p-tosyl-L-lysyl-chloromethyl ketone had no effect on the release of P1, indicating that the release was probably not due to proteolytic activity. Adhesin P1 from Cu(2+)-inactivated S. mutans NG8 protoplasts could be released by mixing with fresh whole cells and protoplasts, but not the culture filtrate, of a P1-negative mutant of NG8, suggesting that the enzyme is located on the cell surface. This P1-releasing activity was also detected in two other strains of S. mutans and one strain each of S. gordonii, S. agalactiae, S. pneumoniae, and S. pyogenes. The biological role(s) of this enzyme activity remains to be determined. However, owing to its ability to release virulent surface proteins from the cell, it may play an important role in cell surface modulation among the pathogenic streptococci.
An analytical expression for Fermi level versus sheet carrier concentration for HEMT modeling

A simple second-order analytical expression of Fermi-level variation with two-dimensional electron gas density in a high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) has been developed. This empirical expression was found to give better results near cutoff and in saturation than the linear approximation currently being used in many models. It can be used in the development of a more accurate charge control model and hence in the development of an improved analytical model for the HEMT. <<ETX>>
Molecular analysis of the anaerobic succinate degradation pathway in Clostridium kluyveri

A region of genomic DNA from Clostridium kluyveri was cloned in Escherichia coli by a screening strategy which was based on heterologous expression of the clostridial 4-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase gene. The gene region (6,575 bp) contained several open reading frames which encoded the coenzyme A (CoA)- and NADP+-dependent succinate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (sucD), the 4-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (4hbD), and a succinyl-CoA;CoA transferase (cat1), as analyzed by heterologous expression in E. coli. An open reading frame encoding a putative membrane protein (orfY) and the 5' region of a gene encoding a sigma 54-homologous sigma factor (sigL) were identified as well. Transcription was investigated by Northern (RNA) blot analysis. Protein sequence comparisons of SucD and 4HbD revealed similarities to the adhE (aad) gene products from E. coli and Clostridium acetobutylicum and to enzymes of the novel class (III) of alcohol dehydrogenases. A comparison of CoA-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenases is presented.
Progressive inflammation‐mediated neurodegeneration after traumatic brain or spinal cord injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been linked to dementia and chronic neurodegeneration. Described initially in boxers and currently recognized across high contact sports, the association between repeated concussion (mild TBI) and progressive neuropsychiatric abnormalities has recently received widespread attention, and has been termed chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Less well appreciated are cognitive changes associated with neurodegeneration in the brain after isolated spinal cord injury. Also under‐recognized is the role of sustained neuroinflammation after brain or spinal cord trauma, even though this relationship has been known since the 1950s and is supported by more recent preclinical and clinical studies. These pathological mechanisms, manifested by extensive microglial and astroglial activation and appropriately termed chronic traumatic brain inflammation or chronic traumatic inflammatory encephalopathy, may be among the most important causes of post‐traumatic neurodegeneration in terms of prevalence. Importantly, emerging experimental work demonstrates that persistent neuroinflammation can cause progressive neurodegeneration that may be treatable even weeks after traumatic injury.
Classifying STEM Programs in Community Colleges to Develop a State-Level Middle-Skill STEM Workforce Strategy

Calls to increase the number of undergraduate STEM credential recipients have largely failed to differentiate between sub-baccalaureate and four-year credentials at the undergraduate level, which is problematic for workforce development. In this paper, the authors develop a classification system for sub-baccalaureate STEM credentials that is incorporated into an analysis of administrative data from the Virginia Community College System. The authors first describe sub-baccalaureate STEM students and then examine the relationships between STEM matriculation and short-term outcomes for six cohorts. The authors use Mincerian regressions to estimate the earnings associated with completing a STEM credential four years after initial enrollment. In addition to confirming that students with career-oriented credentials drive shortterm STEM earnings benefits, and that full-time students are more likely to complete credentials than their part-time peers, this study also finds relative homogeneity between STEM and nonSTEM community college students, suggesting that ability may not be the primary factor inhibiting middle-skill STEM workforce preparation. The authors conclude by discussing the findings and suggesting how these data could be useful in better aligning Virginia’s economic development plans and postsecondary educational offerings.
Mycobacterial lipoarabinomannan and related lipoglycans: from biogenesis to modulation of the immune response

The cell wall component lipoarabinomannan (ManLAM) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis is involved in the inhibition of phagosome maturation, apoptosis and interferon (IFN)‐γ signalling in macrophages and interleukin (IL)‐12 cytokine secretion of dendritic cells (DC). All these processes are important for the host to mount an efficient immune response. Conversely, LAM isolated from non‐pathogenic mycobacteria (PILAM) have the opposite effect, by inducing a potent proinflammatory response in macrophages and DCs. LAMs from diverse mycobacterial species differ in the modification of their terminal arabinose residues. The strong proinflammatory response induced by PILAM correlates with the presence of phospho‐myo‐inositol on the terminal arabinose. Interestingly, recent work indicates that the biosynthetic precursor of LAM, lipomannan (LM), which is also present in the cell wall, displays strong proinflammatory effects, independently of which mycobacterial species it is isolated from. Results from in vitro assays and knock‐out mice suggest that LM, like PILAM, mediates its biological activity via Toll‐like receptor 2. We hypothesize that the LAM/LM ratio might be a crucial factor in determining the virulence of a mycobacterial species and the outcome of the infection. Recent progress in the identification of genes involved in the biosynthesis of LAM is discussed, in particular with respect to the fact that enzymes controlling the LAM/LM balance might represent targets for new antitubercular drugs. In addition, inactivation of these genes may lead to attenuated strains of M. tuberculosis for the development of new vaccine candidates.
Time-and-Frequency-Hopping Optical Orthogonal Codes with Hierarchical Cross-Correlation Constraints for Service Differentiation

In this paper, we consider time-and-frequency hopping (TFH) codes for optical code-division multiple-access (OCDMA) networks. To support the differentiated service requirements for multimedia data transmission, we propose two- dimensional TFH codes with arbitrary cross-correlation constraints. Using the proposed codes, we can increase the cardinality of the codes compared to the conventional OCDMA codes whose cross-correlation value is usually confined to at most one. To design a TFH code that can support differentiated requirements on bit error rates (BERs), we propose an efficient construction method which can generate TFH code sequences with hierarchical cross-correlation constraints. The cardinality bound of the proposed codes with mixed cross-correlation constraints is also derived. From the numerical results, we demonstrate that the proposed codes can obtain relatively differentiated BER performances by providing hierarchical constraints on the cross- correlation values.