Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Small GTPase Rac1: structure, localization, and expression of the human gene.

Rac1 is a member of the Rho family of small GTPases involved in signal transduction pathways that control proliferation, adhesion, and migration of cells during embryonic development and invasiveness of tumor cells. Here we present the complete structure of the human RAC1 gene and characterize its expression. The gene comprises 7 exons over a length of 29 kb and is localized to chromosome 7p22. The GC-rich gene promoter shows characteristics of a housekeeping gene and Northern blot studies revealed ubiquitous expression of two rac1 transcripts, 1.2 and 2.5 kb in size. The two transcripts are expressed in tissue-specific ratios, reflecting competition between two alternative polyadenylation sites. The RAC1 but not RAC2 gene contains an additional exon 3b that is included by alternative splicing into the variant Rac1b, a constitutively active mutant which induces the formation of lamellipodia in fibroblasts. These data indicate that the RAC1 gene encodes two signaling GTPases. The gene structure reported here will enable studies on the regulation of RAC1 expression during tumorigenesis and development.
Interleukin-1β Reduces Daily Activity Level in Male Lizards,Sceloporus occidentalis


In mammals, interleukin-1 (IL-1) mediates many of the behavioral consequences of pathogen infection. Other vertebrates show behavioral changes when infected, but the neuroendocrine bases of these changes are seldom known. Here we report that IL-1 beta alters the daily activity cycle of lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) similar to that seen in lizards infected with malaria. To our knowledge, this is the first report of behavioral effects of interleukin in lower vertebrates. Male lizards were injected with human IL-1 beta (10 ng/g animal), saline, or nothing (control) and the activity level (proportion of lizards above ground) was monitored for 48 h. IL-1 beta-injected lizards showed a decrease in activity compared to saline-injected and control lizards within 2 h after treatment. Activity levels were equivalent among treatment groups during the middle of the day (1200-1600 h), but IL-1-treated animals were significantly less active in the morning (0800-1200 h) and evening (1600-2200 h). This decrease in activity is similar that seen in free-ranging lizards infected with malaria, supporting the hypothesis that IL-1 mediates the pathogen-induced alterations to activity behavior under natural conditions.
The dynamics of nematode infections of farmed ruminants

SUMMARY In this paper the dynamics and control of nematode parasites of farmed ruminants are discussed via a qualitative analysis of a differential equation model. To achieve this a quantity, ‘the basic reproduction quotient’ (Q0), whose definition coincides with previous definitions of R0 for macroparasites, but extends to models with periodic time-varying transition rates between parasite stages or management interventions, is introduced. This quantity has the usual threshold property: if Q0 is less than one the parasite population cannot maintain itself in the host population, and in the long term becomes extinct; but if Q0 is greater than one the parasite can invade the host population. An alternative quantity, R(E), that is often easier to calculate is also introduced, and shown to have the same threshold property. The use of these two quantities in analysing models for the dynamics of nematodes in complex situations is then demonstrated, with reference to the dynamics of mixed parasite species in one host; the effects of breeding host animals for resistance to parasitism; and the development of parasite strains that are resistant to chemotherapy. Five examples are discussed using parameters for the dynamics of nematode infections in sheep, and some statements on control policies are derived.
Entropy-based empirical relations between original and reduced state variables

In projection-based model reduction methods, the reduced basis which approximates the original dynamics is derived from the main dynamical features inferred from the collected state variable evolutions, controllability, or observability Gramians. However, the relations between original and reduced state variables are not explicitly available since all original state variables are entangled in the reduced basis. This paper presents an empirical method developed from the Shannon entropy concept which identifies the individual relations between the original and reduced state variables. The empirical relations are applied in the closed loop control design of a spatio-temporal model reduced by the POD method. The incorporation of the empirical relations in the closed loop design results in a more effective closed loop performance
Sodium‐Calcium Exchange in Transverse Tubule Vesicles Isolated from Amphibian Skeletal Muscle a

The Na-Ca exchange transporter of cardiac muscle, a major pathway for calcium fluxes in heart cells, has been extensively studied both in whole cells and in isolated vesicles, as described in this volume. The amino acid sequence and the functional expression of the cardiac exchanger has recently been reported. ’ In contrast, considerably less information exists regarding the properties of the exchanger in skeletal muscle. Only a few reports exist describing sodium stimulation of calcium efflux from muscle fibers2 or isolated membrane vesicle^. ^-^ The contribution of the skeletal Na-Ca exchanger to regulation of calcium fluxes is not known, although studies in intact frog skeletal muscle fibers suggest that the Na-Ca exchanger has a significant role in transporting calcium out of the cell.2 This work describes the properties of a sodium-calcium exchanger present in transverse tubule (t-tubule) membrane vesicles isolated from frog skeletal m ~ s c l e . ~ The exchanger present in t-tubule vesicles shares many properties with the cardiac exchanger, suggesting that it may play a physiological role in calcium homeostasis in skeletal muscle cells.
Item response theory analysis of Working Alliance Inventory, revised response format, and new Brief Alliance Inventory

Abstract Objective: The Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) has made great contributions to psychotherapy research. However, studies suggest the 7-point response format and 3-factor structure of the client version may have psychometric problems. This study used Rasch item response theory (IRT) to (a) improve WAI response format, (b) compare two brief 12-item versions (WAI-sr; WAI-s), and (c) develop a new 16-item Brief Alliance Inventory (BAI). Method: Archival data from 1786 counseling center and community clients were analyzed. Results: IRT findings suggested problems with crossed category thresholds. A rescoring scheme that combines neighboring responses to create 5- and 4-point scales sharply reduced these problems. Although subscale variance was reduced by 11–26%, rescoring yielded improved reliability and generally higher correlations with therapy process (session depth and smoothness) and outcome measures (residual gain symptom improvement). The 16-item BAI was designed to maximize “bandwidth” of item difficulty and preserve a broader range of WAI sensitivity than WAI-s or WAI-sr. Conclusions: Comparisons suggest the BAI performed better in several respects than the WAI-s or WAI-sr and equivalent to the full WAI on several performance indicators.
Relationship between Helicobacter pylori eradication and reduced duodenal and gastric ulcer recurrence: a review.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The aim of this study was to determine whether the current literature supports the use of Helicobacter pylori cure as the primary efficacy end point in peptic ulcer clinical trials. This could potentially reduce the complexity of future trials. METHODS Published articles containing information on both H. pylori eradication and ulcer recurrence were searched with MEDLINE. Abstracts were found by reviewing references from both primary and review articles. RESULTS Fourteen duodenal ulcer and five gastric ulcer studies satisfied requisite inclusion criteria. Ulcer recurrence was significantly less common among H. pylori-cured patients vs. noncured patients (6% vs. 67% for patients with duodenal ulcers; 4% vs. 59% for patients with gastric ulcers). For H. pylori-cured patients, duodenal ulcer recurrence was higher in studies using two endoscopic tests compared with three tests (9% vs. 3%) and higher in abstracts compared with published articles (14% vs. 4%). Timing of H. pylori eradication (4 weeks vs. < / = 12 weeks) and ulcer recurrence assessment (6 months vs. < / = 12 months) was not significantly related to duodenal ulcer recurrence. CONCLUSIONS The current literature strongly suggests that H. pylori eradication 4 weeks after therapy should be used as the primary efficacy end point for reduced gastric and duodenal ulcer recurrence for the purpose of clinical trial design.
Duration and determinants of inter-birth interval among women in Enugu, south-eastern Nigeria

The difference in fertility levels of any given two societies has a relationship with the interval between births. We determined the duration of inter-birth interval and the determinants of short inter-birth interval in Enugu, Nigeria. Questionnaires were administered to a cross-section of 420 women consecutively recruited from the family planning and antenatal clinics of two hospitals in Enugu metropolis. The mean age was 30.9 ± 5.1 (range 20–44) years. The median inter-birth interval was 21.5 months and the prevalence of modern contraceptive use among respondents was 18.1%. Women's age of 25 years or less, duration of breast-feeding of 10 months or less, and non-use of modern contraceptives had strong association (p < 0.05) with short inter-birth interval. The mean inter-birth interval in Enugu is short. Future child spacing campaign in Enugu should target the encouragement of longer breast-feeding practices and increased uptake of modern contraception among our women.
Practical aspects of machine diagnostics accuracy

In any activity connected with monitoring, diagnostics and prognostics, the accuracy and believability of results is of paramount importance. Two main kinds of diagnostic errors, called Type I and Type II or False Positives and False Negatives are encountered whenever classification, such as “good” vs “bad” is considered. This has been thoroughly discussed, especially in the field of medicine, where the consequences of false judgements can be particularly grave. Other disciplines highly interested in this topic are financial forecasting and insurance. Industrial equipment diagnostics deals with these issues as well. In this paper we consider various factors influencing the quality of data, upon which diagnostic classification is based. We also look at the consequences of diagnostic errors to demonstrate why they are bad. We consider various ways employed to mitigate both the probability and the consequences of false judgements.
An Approach to Determine the Health Index of Power Transformers

This paper describes a realistic health index formulation method for power transformers using readily available data. The method considers practical limitations on obtaining data, and the possible constraints on the parameters. It also utilizes IEC, IEEE, and CIGRE criteria for condition parameters. This Health Index calculation considers not only typical test results such as dissolved gas analysis (DGA), oil quality, furan, and power factor, but also other parameters such as tap changer and bushing condition, physical observations, load history, maintenance work orders, and age. The calculation includes condition ratings, weighting factors, and assigned scores for specific condition parameters. By using a multi-criteria analysis approach, the method combines the various factors into a condition-based health index.
TIME COURSE AND DECAY OF EFFECTS OF NEAR WORK ON TONIC ACCOMMODATION AND TONIC VERGENCE

Abstract Changes in tonic accommodation and tonic vergence were monitored before, during and immediately after a 45 min period of reading adult level text displayed on either a computer monitor or hard copy at 20 cm under binocular viewing conditions. Both tonic accommodation and tonic vergence gradually increased during the reading period, with changes in tonic accommodation occurring more rapidly. The average increases in tonic accommodation and tonic vergence following reading were 0.35 dioptres and 0.38 metre angles, respectively. Decay of both tonic components to the baseline in either light or total darkness occurred within the first 3 min. These results suggest that a moderate period of interrupted reading at a close distance can produce a transient increase in the tonic oculomotor levels.
Efficacy and safety of pregabalin in treatment refractory patients with various neuropathic pain entities in clinical routine

Aims: Conventional approaches to the management of neuropathic pain (NeP) often yield unsatisfactory results. We aimed to investigate pregabalin, a gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)‐analogue, in a wide range of pregabalin naive patients with treatment refractory NeP.
Change your organization (for Peons)

A programmer at a medium-sized software company explains his tactics for bottom-up organizational change. The tactics are accompanied by personal recollections of related experiences. Tactics are presented in three primary sections: the difficulty of making change; getting attention; and making a case for change. A brief section on the consequences of change follows.
Assessment of hydrogen isotopic compositions of n‐fatty acids as paleoclimate proxies in Lake Biwa sediments

Compound specific hydrogen isotopic compositions (δD) of free and bound forms of n‐fatty acids (FA) were measured throughout a 200 m sediment core taken from Lake Biwa to assess application of biomarker δD values to paleoclimate study in this central Japan lake. The results of our study suggest that the sources of the C16 n‐FA in the two forms are different, whereas both free and bound C28 n‐FA originate from terrestrial plants. The δD of combined (free plus bound) C28 n‐FA in the 200 m sediment core shows a large variability, with relatively low and high values during the glacial and interglacial periods, respectively. Based on comparison of our record with other marine and lacustrine paleoclimate data, we found that the sedimentary record of C28 n‐FA δD likely reflects the temperature‐induced change in δD of summer precipitation. This finding suggests that δD values of C28 n‐FA could be used as a proxy for summer paleotemperatures in the sediments of Lake Biwa and other lakes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Telomere shortening in Fanconi anaemia demonstrated by a direct FISH approach

Analysis of telomere status in patients with Fanconi anaemia (FA) has previously been carried out by measurement of telomere restriction fragment (TRF) length by Southern blotting and densitometry. Results from these studies indicated that FA patients had significant reduction in telomere length compared with age-matched controls. This paper confirms and extends these findings using a direct FISH technique, which showed that 15 out of 16 FA patients had increased loss of telomere signals compared with controls. In 12 out of the 16 patients, decrease in telomere signal intensity could also be detected using a Q-FISH approach.
Multiwavelength lightwave networks for computer communication

The different approaches being considered to build high-capacity lightwave networks are described. Two kinds of lightwave network architectures are examined: broadcast-and-select networks and wavelength-routing networks. A comparison of the two shows that broadcast-and-select networks may be more suitable for local area networks (LANs) and metropolitan area networks (MANs), while wavelength-routing networks are suitable for wide area networks (WANs). The overall network may then be a combination of broadcast subnets interconnected by a point-to-point wavelength-routing network. <<ETX>>
rel / NF-icB Nuclear Complexes That Bind ’ kB Sites in the Murine cre ! Promoter Are Required for Constitutive cre ! Transcription in B-Cells ’

Abstrad The c-re! protooncogene, a member of a transcription fador family that includes NF-. cB, displays a complex pattern of gene expression. To understand the basis of this expression, the regulatory region upstream of the murine c-re! transcription start sites has been cloned and charaderized. Transcription of the murine c-re! gene initiates at multiple sites downstream of a GC-rich region conserved in the chicken c-re! promoter. This conserved region contains consensus transcription fador binding sites for SP-1 and NF-KB (kB3 site) and is sufficient for basal expression in Jurkat T-cells. In contrast, two additional NF-. cB-like sites (kBl and kB2) and an odamer consensus binding site, all located upstream of the conserved region, are required for expression of promoter-reporter gene constructs in the B-cell line I29B. NF-. cB sites kBl and kB3 bind p50/ 65 and p50 homodimers, whereas kB2 binds a distind complex. The consensus odamer site, although only able to bind Odi and 0d2 with low affinity, appears to overlap with a binding site for a novel protein(s) expressed in I29B cells. Cotransfedion studies show that p75Cee1 and a carboxyl-terminal truncated c-rel protein that lacks the known trans-adivating domain both up-regulate the c-re! promoter in I29B cells via a mechanism independent of the NF-. cB motifs, whereas a mutant c-rel protein lacking the DNA binding domain has no effed. Together, these findings suggest that, in this B-cell line, trans-adivation of the c-re! promoter by rel proteins is via an indired mechanism.
Age estimation by teeth periodontosis and transparency: accuracy of Lamendin's method on a Brazilian sample

Aim: To apply the Lamendin et al. (1992) technique on a Brazilian sample to assess its accuracy on this specific population. Methods: The authors present two measurements in single-rooted teeth: the peridontosis and transparency of the root. Then, these variables are inserted in an equation to estimate the individual’s age. The sample comprised 49 teeth obtained from the collection of the Forensic Medicine Institute of Guarulhos, Brazil. Statistical analysis was performed with t and paired t tests, comparing chronological and estimated ages. Results: It was possible adjust the original formula for Brazilians by linear regression analysis: A = (P x 0.18) + (T x 0.47) + 31.77. Where, A = age; P = (periodontosis height x 100)/root height; and T = (transparency height x 100)/root height. Conclusions: The method is accurate only for young adults but it could be used with caution in individuals between 45 and 60 years of age to assist in estimating an age range. However, the technique loses its efficacy in older individuals.
IMPACT OF SMOKING ON THE IL-1B, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17 AND TNF-α PRODUCTION IN CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS PATIENTS

Background: Cigarette smoking is a significant risk factor in the pathogenesis and progression of periodontal disease, leading to an increase in periodontal tissue destruction as a consequence of altered production of cytokines, inflammatory markers and host-cell function. Objectives: The purpose of the present investigation is to study the serum cytokine profile in chronic periodontitis subjects and the influence of cigarette smoking on the serum levels of cytokines. Subjects and Methods: Sixty subjects with chronic periodontitis (30 smokers and 30 non-smokers) and 30 healthy control individuals participated in this study. Serum samples separated from the whole blood of patients and healthy individuals. The levels of cytokines were determined by an enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. Results: The study showed statistically significant elevation in levels of IL-1β, IL-8 and IL-17 in chronic periodontitis patients compared to healthy control (p 0.05). Concussion: The present findings suggest that serum levels of IL-1β, IL-8 and IL-17 reflect the activity of periodontal destruction, as well as the enhanced production of these inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and IL-17) and chemokin (IL-8) in the presence of smoking may have clinical consequences. Thus these results could be one of several explanations why smoking aggravates periodontitis.
Self-adaptive sleep scheduling for wireless sensor networks

The wireless sensor network WSN generally includes a large amount of cheap embedded equipment powered by battery. Therefore, the WSN is restricted in the aspect of resource dissipation. When designing WSN it is one of the core problems to optimise the power dissipation in order to lengthen the network life. In real-world usage, nodes of WSN are often densely distributed because nowadays the hardware cost of sensor nodes is relatively low. The net topological structure can be optimised by taking advantage of the data redundancy brought out by extra nodes. Thus we present a Self-Adaptive Sleep Scheduling SASS algorithm against the energy-conserving problem of high-density WSN on the basis of a classic topology control algorithm: ASCENT. We improve the state transition mechanism of ASCENT and take the data redundancy into consideration. Through the experiments, it is proved that SASS is more energy efficient and improves the stability.
The value of creep feeding during the last 84, 56, or 28 days prior to weaning on growth performance of nursing calves grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue.

To evaluate limiting the number of days that calves are creep fed, 84 crossbred cows (frame score 4) nursing steer calves were randomly assigned to three replicates over 2 yr to receive one of four lengths of creep feeding (0, 28, 56, or 84 d) for cows and calves grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue. There were no differences in cow performance due to treatments. Calf daily gain increased (P < .001) as the length of time exposed to creep increased. In yr 1, creep intake increased (P < .05) as the length to time exposed to creep increased. In yr 2, there was no difference in intake by period among 28-, 56-, and 84-d treatments. Supplemental feed efficiency was best for 56 and 84 d, and the 28-d treatment was extremely poor. During the feedlot phase, there were differences in performance between the 2 yr and there were no differences in carcass composition due to length of time receiving creep feed. Overall, creep feeding calves for 56 or 84 d improved performance, and the 56-d calves had the most efficient gain. Creep feeding calves for 28 d showed no advantage during the creep feeding period or in the feedlot. Four ruminally fistulated nursing steer calves were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square design to receive treatments of forage alone or . 68 kg, 1.13 kg, or 2.27 kg/d of creep plus high-quality, freshly harvested forage available on an ad libitum basis. Forage OM intake and NDF digestibility tended (P = .11) to decrease as intake of creep feed increased. The pH decreased (P < .001), molar proportion of propionate tended to increase (P = .06), and acetate tended to decrease (P = .07) as the level of creep feed intake increased. Higher levels of creep feed tended to cause a decrease in ruminal fiber digestibility and forage intake. Creep feeding calves for 56 or 84 d improved gain; 56 d had the most efficient supplemental gain. Creep feeding calves for 28 d showed no advantage during the creep feeding period or in the feedlot.