Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural requirements for intracellular processing and sorting of bactericidal/permeability‐increasing protein (BPI): comparison with lipopolysaccharide‐binding protein

The bactericidal/permeability‐increasing protein (BPI), which is stored in the azurophil granules of neutrophils, and the circulating lipopolysaccharide‐binding protein (LBP) share the same structure. Both bind lipopolysaccharide of gram‐negative bacteria through their amino‐terminal domains. The carboxy‐terminal domain of BPI promotes bacterial attachment to phagocytes, whereas the corresponding domain of LBP delivers lipopolysaccharide to monocytes/macrophages. Our aim was to investigate the role of the amino‐ and carboxy‐terminal domains of BPI and LBP for sorting and storage in myeloid cells after transfection of cDNA to two rodent hematopoietic cell lines. Full‐length BPI and LBP were both targeted for storage in these cells. Deletion of the carboxy‐terminal half of BPI resulted in storage followed by degradation while the reciprocal deletion of the amino‐terminal half led to retention in the endoplasmic reticulum for proteasomal degradation. Chimeras between halves of BPI and LBP were also targeted for storage, but those containing carboxy‐terminal BPI had the highest stability, again indicating a role for the carboxy‐terminal domain of BPI in protection against degradation. Therefore, we propose a critical stability function for the hydrophobic carboxy‐terminal domain of BPI during intracellular sorting for storage while the amino‐terminal domain may confer targeting for storage.
Modelagem de Tráfego de Redes Utilizando Cascata Multifractal Generalizada

In this paper we propose a multifractal traffic model that is based on a multiplicative cascade presenting specific multiplier distributions in each cascade stage. In the proposed model, the multipliers are obtained through the estimate of their probability densities found in real network traffic by using Kernel and Acceptance/Rejection methods. Statistical analysis and queueing behavior study were carried out for the model validation. Furthermore, we verify the model performance in capturing the traffic trace characteristics in comparison to other multifractal models.
mGluR II agonist inhibition of LTP induction, and mGluR II antagonist inhibition of LTD induction, in the dentate gyrus in vitro

THE effects of the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) group II agonist (2S,1′R,2′R,3′R)-2-(2′,3′-dicarboxycyclopropyl)glycine (DCG-IV) and the antagonist 2S,1S′,2S′-2-methyl-2-(2′-carboxycyclopropyl)glycine (MCCG) on the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (epsp) in the dentate gyrus of the rat hippocampus were investigated in vitro. In control media, high frequency stimulation (HFS) consisting of a series of trains of stimuli at 200 Hz induced LTP, and low frequency stimulation (LFS) consisting of 900 stimuli at 1 Hz induced LTD. DCGIV (50 nM) strongly inhibited the induction of LTP. The block of LTP induction was not caused by a frequency-dependent inhibition of the epsp during HFS, as the epsps evoked during HFS were not altered by DCG-IV. MCCG (500 μM) did not inhibit the induction of LTP, but did prevent the block of LTP by DCG-IV. MCCG (500 μM) strongly inhibited the induction of LTD. DCGIV (50 nM) did not inhibit LTD induction.
Further studies on the repression of methionine synthesis in Escherichia coli.

SUMMARY The observation that growth in the presence of methionine results in organisms with a greatly decreased ability to form methionine from homocysteine has been extended to other strains of Escherichia coli, in particular strain PA15, an organism for which there is a considerable background of knowledge concerning the enzymic mechanism of this stage of methionine synthesis. When organisms grown in the absence of methionine (' active ' organisms) are transferred to a medium containing methionine the activity is not lost, but simply diluted by new organisms having much less activity. Both organisms and ultrasonic extracts derived from them show the same comparative loss of activity when the organisms are incubated with methionine. Organisms grown in the presence of methionine (' inactive ' organisms) regain activity when incubated in a growth medium without methionine. The major part of such regeneration of activity occurs before growth is significant. Enzyme formation occurs linearly and without lag and is stopped by the addition of methionine at any stage. A number of analogues of methionine also repress enzyme formation, but none is as active as methionine. Regeneration of enzyme is inhibited by chloramphenicol and is greatly diminished when the supply of individual amino acids is restricted either by the use of an inhibitory analogue (p-fluorophenylalanine) or by the use of amino acid-requiring auxotrophs. Formation of enzyme therefore requires de novo synthesis of protein. Similar techniques gave no evidence that concurrent synthesis of ribonucleic acid was also required. Compounds which act as substrates or cofactor for methionine synthesis (serine, homocysteine, cobalamin) also repressed enzyme formation to some extent and, after a lag, full repression was obtained with a mixture of all three. These effects are probably due to methionine itself whose synthesis by the enzyme initially present is stimulated by the test substances.
P-band ultra wideband circular synthetic aperture radar experiment and imaging

Low frequency ultra wideband (UWB) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has shown a great potential when vehicle-size objects are obscured in foliage. The studies imply an aperture angle of at least 180° to include the strongest (broadside) response when the target orientations are unknown. However, the aperture angle of the linear SAR (LSAR) is limited. By using circular traces, the aperture angle of the radar data acquisition has been increased, and the detection capabilities could be improved. An airborne circular SAR (CSAR) data acquisition experiment was carried out in Shaanxi by the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT). The data was acquired by using P-band UWB SAR system along a circular trajectory with the beam spotted on the same area. Compared with LSAR, this imaging mode has a better understanding of the scattering properties of targets, high resolution with low frequency band, and the capability for a 3-D target reconstruction. In this paper, the airborne multiple orbit CSAR data acquisition experiment and the processing of such data are presented.
Severity of Symptoms and Signs in Relation to Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings Among Sciatic Patients

Study Design. A cross-sectional study in sciatic population. Objectives. To evaluate the separate roles of nerve root entrapment—based on magnetic resonance imaging—and other discogenic pain mechanisms on disability and physical signs among symptomatic sciatic patients. Summary of Background Data. Data symptoms of sciatica are generally understood to be generated by nerve root compression, but other pain mechanisms of sciatica have been suggested. Methods. The authors obtained magnetic resonance scans from 160 patients with unilateral sciatic pain. The patients reported the intensity of their back and leg pain and their back-specific disability. Clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging (1.5 T) was performed on every patient. The degree of disc displacement, neural enhancement, and nerve root compression was evaluated from magnetic resonance scans. The correlations of symptoms and signs with magnetic resonance imaging findings were calculated. Results. The degree of disc displacement in magnetic resonance imaging did not correlate with any subjective symptoms, nor did nerve root enhancement or nerve compression. Magnetic resonance imaging classification was associated, however, with straight leg raising restriction. In regression analysis, straight leg raising restriction was best explained with a simple classification of nonherniations versus herniations. Conclusions. The results suggest that a discogenic pain mechanism other than the nerve root entrapment generates the subjective symptoms among sciatic patients. The findings of this study thus indicate that magnetic resonance imaging is unable to distinguish sciatic patients in terms of the severity of their symptoms.
Development of human symbiotic robot: WENDY

An objective of this study is to find out design requirements for developing human symbiotic robots, which share working space with humans, and have the ability of carrying out physical, informational, and psychological interaction. The paper mainly describes design strategies of the human symbiotic robots, through the development of a test model of the robots, WENDY (Waseda ENgineering Designed sYmbiont). In order to develop WENDY, mobility and dexterity of a humanoid robot Hadaly-2, which was developed in 1997, are improved on. The performances of WENDY are evaluated by experiments of object transport and egg breaking, which require high level integration of the whole body system.
Factors associated with women's adherence to mammography screening guidelines.

OBJECTIVE To examine individual and environmental factors associated with adherence to mammography screening guidelines. DATA SOURCES A unique data set that combines a national probability sample (1992 National Health Interview Survey); a national probability sample of mammography facility characteristics (1992 National Survey of Mammography Facilities); county-level data on 1990 HMO market share; and county-level data on the supply of primary care providers (1991 Area Resource File). STUDY DESIGN The design was cross-sectional. DATA EXTRACTION/ANALYSIS: Data sets were linked to create an individual-level sample of women ages 50-74 (weighted n = 2,026). We used multipart, sequential logistic regression models to examine the predictors of having ever had mammography, having had recent mammography, and adherence to guidelines. We categorized women as adherent if they reported a lifetime number of exams appropriate for their age (based on screening every two years) and they reported having had an exam in the past two years. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Only 27 percent of women had the age-appropriate number of screening exams (range 16 percent-37 percent), while 59 percent of women had been screened within two years. Women were significantly more likely to adhere to screening guidelines if they reported participating with their doctor in the decision to be screened; were younger; had smaller families, higher education and income, and a recent Pap smear; reported breast problems; and lived in an area with a higher percentage of mammography facilities with reminder systems, no shortage of primary care providers, higher HMO market share, and higher screening charges. CONCLUSIONS A small percentage of women adhere to screening guidelines, suggesting that adherence needs to become a focus of clinical, programmatic, and policy efforts.
Avoidance motivation in psychological problems and psychotherapy

Abstract Avoidance of aversive experiences is common to all human beings. However, when avoidance is too strong, it might be associated with impaired psychological functioning and psychopathology. This article examines the role of avoidance motivation in psychological problems and psychotherapy from conceptual, assessment, and empirical perspectives. The concept of avoidance motivation is introduced, and measures of the intensity and satisfaction of avoidance motivation that the author developed are presented. Empirical findings generated using these measures are also reported. The findings address the role of avoidance motivation in relation to well-being, psychological problems, and psychotherapy outcome. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed and avenues for further research explored.
Victims of Falls From a Height Surviving to Hospital Admission in Two Singapore Hospitals

Falls from a height are a common problem in Singapore. However, there has been no analysis of the injury patterns and outcomes of patients who survived initial resuscitation after falls from a height in Singapore. One hundred and thirty-nine patients admitted over a two-and-a-half year period after falls of greater than one storey were studied. The higher the fall, the greater the likelihood of hypotension and neurological injury. The length of stay in hospital, the number of operative procedures and mortality also correlated with the height of the fall. The overall mortality rate was 11% but rose to 47% among patients who were hypotensive on admission. About half of the deaths were due to head injury with haemorrhage being the second most common cause. The majority of patients who fell from five or more storeys did so intentionally, and had more severe torso and extremity injuries compared with those who fell accidentally. These findings suggest that efforts in injury prevention and aggressive evaluation and treatment of fall victims arriving alive at the hospital continue to be important.
Endothelial dysfunction in glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of ocular diseases characterized by optic neuropathy associated with loss of the retinal nerve fibre layer and re‐modelling of the optic nerve head, and a subsequent particular pattern of visual field loss. Increased intraocular pressure is the most important risk factor for the disease, but the pathogenesis of glaucoma is not monofactorial. Among other factors, ischaemia and vascular dysregulation have been implicated in the mechanisms underlying glaucoma. The vascular endothelium plays an important role in the regulation of ocular blood flow and pathological alterations of vascular endothelial cells may induce ischaemia and dysregulation. The present review summarizes our current evidence of endothelial dysfunction in glaucoma. This is of interest because endothelial dysfunction is a good prognostic factor for progression in several diseases. Although such data are lacking for glaucoma, endothelial dysfunction may provide an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in open‐angle glaucoma and other vascular disorders of the eye.
Swelling of astrocytes causes membrane potential depolarization

Rat brain astrocytes growing in primary monolayer cultures were swollen by exposing them to media of decreasing osmolality caused by removal of NaCl, and the effects of this treatment on their membrane potentials were measured by intracellular recording. Depolarizations were seen that were proportional to the degree of swelling, reaching a maximum of around 60 mV when 80–100 mM NaCl was removed from the reaction media, which had an original total osmolality of 290 mosmolal. These effects were completely reversible, since restoring the cells to iso‐osmotic medium after a 2‐min exposure caused an immediate repolarization back to the original membrane potentials, and depolarizations were not seen when isotonicity was maintained by replacing NaCl with sucrose. Partial repolarization was seen during an extended period (30 min) of exposure to hypo‐osmotic medium, mirroring a regulatory volume decrease we have previously described in these cells under identical conditions. In ion‐replacement studies depolarizatins were seen when the solution was made hypo‐osmotic with the large cation N‐methyl‐D‐glucamine totally replacing Na+ in the medium. Removal of Cl− from the medium also had no effect on the initial swelling‐induced depolarization. These results show that even moderate swelling of astrocytes in primary culture results in marked depolarization of their membrane potentials; possible mechanisms for this effect and the potentially profound implications for the swelling of astrocytes seen in situ under pathological conditions are discussed.
A trajectory compression algorithm based on non-uniform quantization

With the increasing number of GPS-enabled devices, the huge volume of spatiotemporal trajectory data brings about heavy burden for data storing, transmitting and processing. Compressing large scale trajectories is in urgent need. In this paper, we develop an algorithm for trajectory compression based on non-uniform quantization (TCNQ). It is aimed to achieve high compression ratio of large scale trajectory data when lacking geographic context. The method first converts spatiotemporal trajectories into strings by encoding differential coordinates with non-uniform quantization. Then run-length coding is performed to remove redundant points from the trajectories. In this way, quantization and trajectory simplification are combined in the encoding procedures to achieve high compression ratio without losing too much information. Experiments on real large scale trajectory datasets demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has superiority over traditional methods in compression ratio as well as deviation control.
Small Sample Bayesian Designs for Complex High-Dimensional Models Based on Information Gained Using Fast Approximations

We consider the problem of designing for complex high-dimensional computer models that can be evaluated at different levels of accuracy. Ordinarily, this requires performing many expensive evaluations of the most accurate version of the computer model to obtain a reasonable coverage of the design space. In some cases, it is possible to supplement the information from the accurate model evaluations with a large number of evaluations of a cheap, approximate version of the computer model to enable a more informed design choice. We describe an approach that combines the information from both the approximate model and the accurate model into a single multiscale emulator for the computer model. We then propose a design strategy for selecting a small number of expensive evaluations of the accurate computer model based on our multiscale emulator and a decomposition of the input parameter space. We illustrate our methodology with an example concerning a computer simulation of a hydrocarbon reservoir.
Respiratory morbidity in late preterm infants.

BACKGROUND Late preterm delivery (74% of all preterm births) increases the incidence of respiratory pathology, namely respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) and the need of ventilator support when compared to term delivery. The aim is to evaluate the respiratory morbimortality in late preterm infants and the risk factors associated with RDS and TTN. METHODS Descriptive retrospective study of all newborns of 34+0 to 36+6 weeks of gestational age, born at our center between September 1, 2012 and August 31, 2015. Those with major malformations, chromosomopathies, hydrops fetalis and congenital TORCH infection were excluded. RESULTS A total of 498 newborns were studied, 44 (8.83%) of them with either RDS or TTN. Respiratory morbidity was significantly associated with lower gestational age, male gender, caesarean section, exposure to peripartum antibiotics, overweighed and nulliparous mothers. RDS newborns had a significantly higher need for resuscitation, endotracheal intubation, oxygen therapy, early invasive ventilation, parenteral nutrition and a longer NICU stay when compared to newborns with TTN. 55% of the patients with RDS had 35+0 to 36+6 weeks of gestational age, moderate or severe RDS and required mechanical ventilation; six needed surfactant. Caesarean section and resuscitation with ETT were independent risk factors for respiratory morbidity. CONCLUSIONS Late preterm remain at risk for adverse respiratory outcomes, particularly newborns delivered after 35 weeks, whose mothers are not given ACS and still have considerable morbidity. Growing evidence supports the possibility of extending the management window further into the LPT period. Caesarean section was an independent risk factor for respiratory morbidity and efforts should be undertaken to reduce the procedure rate.
Diencephalic projection to reticulospinal neurons involved in the initiation of locomotion in adult lampreys Lampetra fluviatilis

Morphological and electrophysiological techniques were used to characterize a diencephalic projection from the ventral thalamus to reticulospinal neurons and its role in initiating rhythmic locomotor activity in the spinal cord of adult lampreys (Lampetra fluviatilis). Injection of fluorescein‐coupled dextran amine (FDA) into the rhombencephalic reticular nuclei labeled neurons in the ventral thalamus region on both the ipsilateral side and the contralateral side. Injection of FDA into the ventral thalamus labeled axonal projections in all reticular nuclei, but no direct projections were found to the spinal cord. Extracellular stimulation of the ventral thalamus elicited monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs), polysynaptic EPSPs, and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) in reticulospinal neurons in the posterior (prrn) and middle (mrrn) rhombencephalic reticular nuclei. The monosynaptic EPSPs were blocked by the glutamate antagonist kynurenic acid and can be considered glutamatergic. The monosynaptic EPSPs were potentiated (up to 12 minutes) following a brief high‐frequency stimulation. Stimulation of the ventral thalamus induced rhythmic firing of reticulospinal neurons and elicited rhythmic burst activity in the spinal ventral roots. The projections from the ventral thalamus to the reticulospinal neurons in the prrn and mrrn thus provide excitatory inputs to the reticulospinal neurons, which, in turn, can activate the spinal circuits underlying locomotion. Also, the input nuclei to the ventral thalamus were labeled following injection of FDA into this nucleus. Labeled cells were found in the olfactory bulb, pallial areas, striatum, preoptic nucleus, hypothalamus, dorsal thalamus, optic tectum, and dorsal isthmic gray. The ventral thalamus, therefore, receives inputs from several different regions in the brain and controls the level of excitability in reticulospinal neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 389:603–616, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Physician’s Role In Health Care Reform

Health care in the United States is in crisis. The desire to provide care continually confticts with the need to contain costs. Historically, physicians have opposed the demand for health care reform, and although many physicians have responded to the current crisis with ambivalence, apathy, or frustration, they have the knowledge, capability, and opportunity to advocate for and to effect reform within the health care delivery system. Many believe that the acknowledgment of costs as a factor in treatment decisions compromises their role as patient advocates, but in the face of increasing government controls and the corporatism of medicine, the human link between physician and patient is even more valuable. The current crisis in health care necessitates cost control. If physicians conscientiously undertake their political, professional, and personal roles, they can reform the health care delivery system in the United States while compassionately advocating for their patients.
Modest Protective Effects of Breast-feeding on Obesity: Is the Evidence Truly Supportive?

The consensus often reported is that there is a modest but significant protective effect of breast-feeding on obesity risk. Numerous investigators have reported that “breast-feeding reduces childhood adiposity. ” This article provides a brief review of the existing literature on breast-feeding and obesity, highlighting a number of factors that may have led to overstatement of positive effects. These include publication bias, confounding variables, and lack of long-term effects on obesity risk. Although the literature does not support the existence of a protective effect of breast-feeding, a definitive conclusion of no protective effect of breast-feeding on obesity is premature, and more research is needed.