Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aging phenomena in spermatozoa. II. Estrous cycle length after unsuccessful insemination with spermatozoa of varying age.

Abstract A statistical study of the length in days of a total of 159,038 intervals between inseminations following an initial, eventually unsuccessful insemination, classified by the age of the spermatozoa used for that in-insemination (kept at about 4 C for several days after collection), revealed that the proportion of the total returns to service occurring within 24 days or 30 days after insemination increased significantly as the age of the spermatozoa increased from two to five days after collection. This change reflected the decreasing capacity of the spermatozoa to initiate fertilization. Such observations of an increasing proportion of cows displaying an estrous cycle approximately of the normal length, after insemination with aged spermatozoa, have been interpreted by others as indicating that the aging of spermatozoa was associated only with decreasing fertility and not with an increasing incidence of embryonic and early fetal death. However, the longer the spermatozoa were aged before use, the higher the proportion of cows seeming to be pregnant at the time of initial assay which later came back into estrus. It is emphasized that it is this highly significant statistical change in the proportion of apparently pregnant cows which later are in estrus and reinseminated which constitutes the appropriate estimate of faulty embryogenesis in cattle.
Role of parasitic capacitances in power MOSFET turn-on switching speed limits: A SiC case study

This paper describes the effect of MOSFET internal capacitances on the channel current during the turn-on switching transition: an intrinsic theoretical switching speed limit is found and detailed mathematically. The set of analytical equations is solved and the effect of the displacement currents is highlighted with ideal simulated waveforms. A laboratory experiment is thus performed, in order to prove the theoretical predictions: a 25 mΩ SiC CREE power MOSFET is turned on in a no-load condition (zero drain current), starting from different drain-source voltage values. Finally, a LTSpice equivalent circuit model is also built, to better simulate the experimental behavior of the device, adding circuit strain components and other non-idealities to the overall model. A good match between measurements and simulations is observed, mostly validating either the theoretical assumptions and the presented model.
A Within-Patient Comparison of Subcutaneous and Oral Sumatriptan in the Acute Treatment of Migraine in General Practice

This study compared, for the first time in the United Kingdom, the efficacy and safety of oral 100 mg and subcutaneous 6 mg sumatriptan within a patient for the acute treatment of migraine. The patient's preference for the two formulations of sumatriptan were also recorded. The study was a multicentre, randomized, open, crossover design with an optional open parallel group extension. Individual attacks were treated with one formulation only. Over 10% of patients who treated attack 1 in both treatment periods of the crossover phase reported headache relief with each formulation at 4 h. Only 3% of patients failed to respond to at least one of the formulations at this time point. At the end of the crossover phase patient preference for the injection more than doubled from the pretreatment level in those patients who were previously naive to sumatriptan. During the optional phase of the study, 38% of patients chose to treat some attacks with oral and some with subcutaneous sumatriptan. The main reason for choosing injection was speed of relief, whilst convenience was the major reason for the use of the tablet.
Direct observation of DNA dynamics in semidilute solutions in extensional flow

The dynamic behavior of semidilute polymer solutions is governed by an interplay between solvent quality, concentration, molecular weight, and flow type. Semidilute solutions are characterized by large fluctuations in polymer concentration, wherein polymer coils interpenetrate but may not be topologically entangled at equilibrium. In nonequilibrium flows, it is generally thought that polymer chains can “self-entangle” in semidilute solutions, thereby leading to entanglements in solutions that are nominally unentangled at equilibrium. Despite recent progress in the field, we still lack a complete molecular-level understanding of the dynamics of polymer chains in semidilute solutions. In this work, we use single molecule techniques to investigate the dynamics of dilute and semidilute solutions of λ-phage deoxyribonucleic acid in planar extensional flow, including polymer relaxation from high stretch, transient stretching dynamics in step-strain experiments, and steady-state stretching in flow. Our results a.
The Isotope‐Coded Affinity Tag Method for Quantitative Protein Profile Comparison and Relative Quantitation of Cysteine Redox Modifications

The isotope‐coded affinity tag (ICAT) technique has been applied to measure pairwise changes in protein expression through differential stable isotopic labeling of proteins or peptides followed by identification and quantification using a mass spectrometer. Changes in protein expression are observed when the identical peptide from each of two biological conditions is identified and a difference is detected in the measurements comparing the peptide labeled with the heavy isotope to the one with a normal isotopic distribution. This approach allows the simultaneous comparison of the expression of many proteins between two different biological states (e.g., yeast grown on galactose versus glucose, or normal versus cancer cells). Due to the cysteine‐specificity of the ICAT reagents, the ICAT technique has also been applied to perform relative quantitation of cysteine redox modifications such as oxidation and nitrosylation. This unit describes both protein quantitation and profiling of cysteine redox modifications using the ICAT technique. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
[The induction of apoptosis and reactive oxygen species in human skin fibroblast by ultraviolet A].

OBJECTIVE To analyse the induction of apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human skin fibroblast by ultraviolet A (UVA). METHODS Human skin fibroblasts were irradiated with UVA, apoptosis was determined with flowcytometry and fluorescent microscopy, the intracellular ROS production was measured with a spectrofluorometer, and the free radicals were determined with electron spin resonance. RESULTS A significant increase of apoptosis was observed in human skin fibroblast after exposure to UVA with a dosage at 110-120 kJ.m-2, mannitol could counteract apoptosis; a higher level of intracellular ROS and the hydroxyl free radical was detected in the irradiated samples. CONCLUSION A lower dose of irradiation of UVA(0.6 mW.cm-2) can induce apoptosis in human skin fibroblast, and ROS might play a role in the induction of apoptosis.
A double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomized study to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of tegaserod in patients with irritable bowel syndrome

Background: Tegaserod has been shown to be an effective therapy for the multiple symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Western and Asia‐Pacific populations. This study evaluated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of tegaserod versus placebo in patients with IBS. Methods: Patients with IBS (excluding those whose primary bowel symptom was diarrhoea) were randomized to receive either tegaserod 6 mg b.i. d. (n = 327) or placebo (n = 320) for a 12‐week double‐blind treatment period. The primary efficacy variable (over weeks 1 to 4) was the response to the question: ‘Over the past week do you consider that you have had satisfactory relief from your IBS symptoms? ’ Secondary efficacy variables assessed overall satisfactory relief over 12 weeks and the individual IBS symptoms. Results: Overall satisfactory relief was greater in the tegaserod group than in the placebo group. Over weeks 1 to 4, the odds ratio was 1.54, that is, the odds of satisfactory relief were 54% higher in the tegaserod group than in the placebo group (95% confidence interval for odds ratio (CI) (1.14, 2.08), P = 0.0049). Over weeks 1 to 12, the odds ratio was 1.78, that is, the odds of satisfactory relief were 78% higher in the tegaserod group than in the placebo group (95% CI (1.35, 2.34), P < 0.0001). A statistically significant therapeutic gain over placebo was observed for the majority of weeks from week 1 to week 12 (except weeks 1 and 4), with a mean therapeutic gain of 7.3 and 10.6 percentage points over weeks 1–4 and weeks 1–12, respectively. Headache was the most commonly reported adverse event (8.0% tegaserod versus 4.7% placebo). Diarrhoea was reported by 9.2% of patients on tegaserod (1.3% on placebo) and led to discontinuation in 2.8% of tegaserod patients. Conclusion: Tegaserod 6 mg b.i. d. is an effective, safe and well‐tolerated treatment in patients suffering from IBS without diarrhoea as primary bowel symptom.
Efficient acid-base bifunctional catalysts for the fixation of CO(2) with epoxides under metal- and solvent-free conditions.

A series of acid-base bifunctional catalysts (ABBCs) that contain one or two Brønsted acidic sites in the cationic part and a Lewis-basic site in the anionic part are used as efficient catalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates by cycloaddition of CO(2) to epoxides, without the use of additional co-catalyst or co-solvent. The effects of the catalyst structures and various reaction parameters on the catalytic performance are investigated in detail. Almost complete conversion can be achieved in 1 h for propylene oxide using [{(CH(2))(3)COOH}(2) im]Br under mild reaction conditions (398 K and 2 MPa). Furthermore, the catalyst can be recycled over five times without substantial loss of catalytic activity. This protocol is found to be applicable to a variety of terminal epoxides, producing the corresponding cyclic carbonates in good yields and high selectivities. A synergistic effect of the acidic and the basic sites as well as suitable hydrogen-bonding strength of ABBCs are considered crucial for the reaction to proceed smoothly. The activities of the ABBCs increase remarkably with increasing carboxylic-acid chain length of the cation. This metal- and solvent-free process thus represents an environmentally friendly process for BTC-catalyzed conversion of CO(2) into value-added chemicals.
Assured Forwarding PHB Group

This document defines a general use Differentiated Services (DS) [Blake] Per-Hop-Behavior (PHB) Group called Assured Forwarding (AF). The AF PHB group provides delivery of IP packets in four independently forwarded AF classes. Within each AF class, an IP packet can be assigned one of three different levels of drop precedence. A DS node does not reorder IP packets of the same microflow if they belong to the same AF class.
A Fingertip Haptic Display for Improving Curvature Discrimination

This paper presents a novel haptic device providing both kinesthetic and cutaneous cues informative of shape geometry at the contact point. The system is composed of a supporting kinesthetic haptic interface and an innovative fingertip haptic display that can instantaneously orient a small plate along the tangent plane at the contact point with a virtual shape and bring it in contact with the fingertip. We show how this local augmentation of displayed haptic information can improve human performance in shape exploration, by assessing perception thresholds in curvature discrimination. When kinesthetic feedback was enriched with cutaneous cues, we found a significantly lower threshold for curvature discrimination (1.51 0.2 m-1 vs. 2.62 0.61 m-1, p < .05) for stimuli constituted of spheres with curvature ranging in the interval from 46 m-1. This confirms the importance in haptic perception of the stimulation of cutaneous mechanoreceptors at the fingertip.
Resource Management For Workflows In Cloud Computing Environment Based On Group Technology Approach

Data transferring and load balancing are some of factors which make the resource allocation problem more challenging in cloud computing (CC) environment. So due to the lack of exact solution for this problem, this paper presents a new mathematical model based on group technology to allocate the virtual machines (VMs) to workflows with the aim of controlling the number of data transferring and server load variation simultaneously. Group technology is a resource allocation technique in industrial environments with proven ability to optimize some measures (e.g. part movements, resource utilization) also a genetic algorithm (GA) is designed to find near optimal solution for larger problems with no optimum solution. Keywords-Cloud computing; Group technology; Virtual machine; Workflow; Mathematical model; Genetic algorithm
Metaxin 1 interacts with metaxin 2, a novel related protein associated with the mammalian mitochondrial outer membrane

A recently described protein, metaxin 1, serves as a component of a preprotein import complex in the outer membrane of the mammalian mitochondrion. A yeast two‐hybrid screen with metaxin 1 as bait has now identified a novel protein, which we have termed metaxin 2, as a metaxin 1‐binding protein. Metaxin 2 shares 29% identity with metaxin 1 at the amino acid level, but metaxin 2, unlike metaxin 1, lacks a C‐terminal mitochondrial outer membrane signal‐anchor domain. Two C. elegans hypothetical proteins, CelZC97.1 and CelF39B2.i, share high sequence similarity with metaxin 2 and metaxin 1, respectively, and likely represent the C. elegans orthologs. Affinity‐purified antibodies against metaxin 2 were prepared against the recombinant protein produced in E. coli and were used to analyze the subcellular distribution of metaxin 2. In subcellular fractions of mouse liver, a 29 kD immunoreactive protein, consistent in size with the predicted translation product of metaxin 2 cDNA, was found solely in mitochondria. Alkali extraction of mitochondria indicated that metaxin 2 is peripherally associated with mitochondrial membranes. Metaxin 2 in intact mitochondria was susceptible to digestion with proteinase K, indicating that metaxin 2 is located on the cytosolic face of the mitochondrial outer membrane. Finally, baculoviruses encoding a His6‐tagged metaxin 2 and an untagged metaxin 1 lacking its C‐terminal transmembrane domain were produced and used separately or in combination to infect Sf21 insect cells. Metaxin 1 bound to a Ni2+‐chelate affinity column only in the presence of metaxin 2, indicating that metaxin 1 and metaxin 2 interact when overexpressed in insect cells. These results suggest that metaxin 2 is bound to the cytosolic face of the mitochondrial outer membrane by means of its interaction with membrane‐bound metaxin 1, and that this complex may play a role in protein import into mammalian mitochondria. J. Cell. Biochem. 74:11–22, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Food allergy to chicken meat with IgE reactivity to muscle α‐parvalbumin

References 1. Alobid I, Benı́tez P, Bernal M, Roca J, Alonso J, Picado C et al. Nasal polyposis and its impact on quality of life: comparison between the effects of medical and surgical treatments. Allergy 2005;60:452–458. 2. Holbrook E, Leopold D. An updated review of clinical olfaction. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2006;14:23–28. 3. Simola M, Malmberg H. Sense of smell in allergic and nonallergic rhinitis. Allergy 1998;53:190–194. 4. Guilemany JM, Garcı́a-Piñero A, Alobid I, Cardelús S, Centellas S, Bartra J et al. Persistent allergic rhinitis has a moderate impact on the sense of smell, depending on both nasal congestion and inflammation. Laryngoscope 2009;119:233–238. 5. Cardesı́n A, Alobid I, Benı́tez P, Sierra E, de Haro J, Bernal M et al. Barcelona Smell Test 24 (BAST-24): validation and smell characteristics in the healthy Spanish population. Rhinology 2006;44:83–89.
The Itch-Producing Agents Histamine and Cowhage Activate Separate Populations of Primate Spinothalamic Tract Neurons

Itch is an everyday sensation, but when associated with disease or infection it can be chronic and debilitating. Several forms of itch can be blocked using antihistamines, but others cannot and these constitute an important clinical problem. Little information is available on the mechanisms underlying itch that is produced by nonhistaminergic mechanisms. We examined the responses of spinothalamic tract neurons to histaminergic and, for the first time, nonhistaminergic forms of itch stimuli. Fifty-seven primate spinothalamic tract (STT) neurons were identified using antidromic activation techniques and examined for their responses to histamine and cowhage, the nonhistaminergic itch-producing spicules covering the pod of the legume Mucuna pruriens. Each examined neuron had a receptive field on the hairy skin of the hindlimb and responded to noxious mechanical stimulation. STT neurons were tested with both pruritogens applied in a random order and we found 12 that responded to histamine and seven to cowhage. Each pruritogen-responsive STT neuron was activated by the chemical algogen capsaicin and two-thirds responded to noxious heat stimuli, demonstrating that these neurons convey chemical, thermal, and mechanical nociceptive information as well. Histamine or cowhage responsive STT neurons were found in both the marginal zone and the deep dorsal horn and were classified as high threshold and wide dynamic range. Unexpectedly, histamine and cowhage never activated the same cell. Our results demonstrate that the spinothalamic tract contains mutually exclusive populations of neurons responsive to histamine or the nonhistaminergic itch-producing agent cowhage.
60 GHz membrane antenna array for beam steering applications

A two element antenna array has been designed and manufactured for the 60 GHz frequency band using micromachining technology. The use of micromachining to remove the substrate material under the antenna elements provides high efficiency and good radiation properties compared to a bulk silicon process at millimeter wave frequencies. The antenna array can be used for 60 GHz beam steering applications, which have attracted a lot of attention lately. The array has been designed to have two uncorrelated radiation patterns, which are formed by using a 180° phase shifter. Passive phase shifters using different lengths of transmission lines were used in the manufactured antenna prototypes to demonstrate beam steering. The prototypes include antenna arrays with different phase shift values and single antenna elements. The manufactured antennas fulfil the -10 dB matching criterion and the maximum measured realized gain is 6.0 dBi.
Sympathetic sprouting in the dorsal root ganglia of the injured peripheral nerve in a rat neuropathic pain model

The extent of the sprouting of sympathetic postganglionic fibers in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and the peripheral nerves was examined in neuropathic rats at different postoperative times. After the L5 and L6 spinal nerves were ligated on one side, three different pain behavior tests (representing mechanical allodynia, cold allodynia, ongoing pain exacerbated by cold stress) were performed at various time intervals. The sympathetic postganglionic fibers were visualized by immunostaining with antibodies to tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). In the neuropathic rats, all three pain behaviors were fully developed within 3 days after the surgery, maintained up to 2 weeks, and then started to decline gradually afterward. At 20 weeks after neuropathic surgery, pain behaviors were reduced significantly compared to the peak response, but were still higher than the presurgery levels. Sympathectomy, performed 4 days after neuropathic surgery, almost completely abolished the signs of mechanical allodynia and ongoing pain behaviors, and it reduced the behaviors of cold allodynia to approximately half. The numerical density of sympathetic fibers in the DRG of an injured segment was significantly higher at 1, 4, and 20 weeks after neuropathic surgery as compared to the normal, suggesting that there is sprouting of sympathetic fibers in the DRG after peripheral nerve injury. Sprouting of sympathetic fibers in the DRG was extensive as early as 2 days after the spinal nerve ligation, and the sprouted fibers were almost completely eliminated after sympathectomy. The data suggest that sympathetic innervation of the DRG may play an important role in the development and maintenance of sympathetically maintained neuropathic pain. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Noise Adaptation in Integrate-and-Fire Neurons

The statistical spiking response of an ensemble of identically prepared stochastic integrate-and-fire neurons to a rectangular input current plus gaussian white noise is analyzed. It is shown that, on average, integrate-and-fire neurons adapt to the root-mean-square noise level of their input. This phenomenon is referred to as noise adaptation. Noise adaptation is characterized by a decrease in the average neural firing rate and an accompanying decrease in the average value of the generator potential, both of which can be attributed to noise-induced resets of the generator potential mediated by the integrate-and-fire mechanism. A quantitative theory of noise adaptation in stochastic integrate-and-fire neurons is developed. It is shown that integrate-and-fire neurons, on average, produce transient spiking activity whenever there is an increase in the level of their input noise. This transient noise response is either reduced or eliminated over time, depending on the parameters of the model neuron. Analytical methods are used to prove that nonleaky integrate-and-fire neurons totally adapt to any constant input noise level, in the sense that their asymptotic spiking rates are independent of the magnitude of their input noise. For leaky integrate-and-fire neurons, the long-run noise adaptation is not total, but the response to noise is partially eliminated. Expressions for the probability density function of the generator potential and the first two moments of the potential distribution are derived for the particular case of a nonleaky neuron driven by gaussian white noise of mean zero and constant variance. The functional significance of noise adaptation for the performance of networks comprising integrate-and-fire neurons is discussed.
A Noise-Shaped Randomized Modulation for Switched-Mode DC-DC Converters

We propose a novel low-harmonics low-noise modulation scheme for switched-mode dc–dc converters. The proposed scheme is a hybrid of a randomized modulation scheme, namely, the randomized wrapped-around pulse position modulation scheme (RWAPPM), and a noise-shaper. The RWAPPM mitigates the switching-frequency harmonics in the input current, whereas the noise-shaper mitigates the low-frequency noise therein. We derive an analytical expression for the input current spectrum of the hybrid scheme. We benchmark the hybrid scheme against the conventional pulse width modulation scheme (PWM) and the RWAPPM without the noise-shaper. At 0.5 duty cycle, 3.3-V input voltage, 100-kHz average switching frequency, and with the second-order noise-shaper, the peak spectral power in the input current spectrum of the hybrid scheme is 18.1 dB lower than the PWM. Other randomized and spread-spectrum modulation schemes, in general, have undesirably higher input noise current than that of the PWM. However, the input noise current of the proposed hybrid scheme, obtained at ~73-mA rms (integrated over a 200-kHz bandwidth without an input filter), is comparable with that of the PWM, and is lower by ~16-mA rms compared with that of the RWAPPM without the noise-shaper. We also benchmark the hybrid scheme against other well known randomized and spread-spectrum modulation schemes. We further propose a novel pulse generator structure that embodies the hybrid scheme. We realize a dc–dc converter employing the pulse generator, and measure the converter to verify the derived expression and the characteristics of the hybrid scheme. We also measure the output voltage spectrum, the transient-response, and the operating range of the converter.