Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spectrin alpha is important for rear polarization of the microtubule organizing center during migration and spindle pole assembly during division of neointimal smooth muscle cells

Directed migration of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) from the media to the intima and their subsequent proliferation are key events in atherosclerosis as these cells contribute to the bulk and stability of atheromatous plaques. We showed previously that two cytoskeleton‐associated proteins, RHAMM and ARPC5, play important roles in rear polarization of the microtubule organizing centre (MTOC), directed migration, and in maintaining cell division fidelity. These proteins were analyzed to predict additional potential interacting partners using the bioinformatics programs BLAST, ClustalW, and PPI Spider. We identified spectrin alpha, a protein with a known role in actin polymerization as part of the pathway. We show that in migrating SMCs spectrin alpha localizes at the nodes of the actin net, and it partially colocalizes with RHAMM in the perinuclear region. In dividing SMCs spectrin alpha is present at spindle poles and midbody. Moreover, we show that spectrin alpha and RHAMM interact in a complex. Using siRNA to knockdown spectrin disrupted SMC migration, MTOC polarization, and the assembly of a polygonal actin net dorsolateral of the nucleus. Spectrin alpha knockdown also disrupted the organization of the bipolar spindle, chromosome division, and cytokinesis during cell division. The identification of interacting partners such as spectrin alpha and the decoding of pathways involved in polarity regulation during the migration of smooth muscle cells in atherosclerosis is important for identifying atherosclerosis biomarkers and developing therapeutic agents to block atherosclerotic plaque formation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ca2+ Activation of Smooth Muscle Contraction

Smooth muscle contraction is activated by phosphorylation of the 20-kDa light chains of myosin catalyzed by Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent myosin light chain kinase (MLCK). According to popular current theory, the CaM involved in MLCK regulation is Ca2+-free and dissociated from the kinase at resting cytosolic free Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+] i ). An increase in [Ca2+] i saturates the four Ca2+-binding sites of CaM, which then binds to and activates actin-bound MLCK. The results of this study indicate that this theory requires revision. Sufficient CaM was retained after skinning (demembranation) of rat tail arterial smooth muscle in the presence of EGTA to support Ca2+-evoked contraction, as observed previously with other smooth muscle tissues. This tightly bound CaM was released by the CaM antagonist trifluoperazine (TFP) in the presence of Ca2+. Following removal of the (Ca2+)4-CaM-TFP2 complex, Ca2+ no longer induced contraction. The addition of exogenous CaM to TFP-treated tissue at a [Ca2+] subthreshold for contraction or even in the absence of Ca2+(presence of 5 mm EGTA), followed by washout of unbound CaM, restored Ca2+-induced contraction; this required MLCK activation, since it was blocked by the MLCK inhibitor ML-9. The data suggest, therefore, that a specific pool of cellular CaM, tightly bound to myofilaments at resting [Ca2+] i , or even in the absence of Ca2+, is responsible for activation of contraction following a local increase in [Ca2+]. This mechanism would allow for localized changes in [Ca2+] in regions of the cell distant from the myofilaments to regulate distinct Ca2+-dependent processes without triggering a contractile response. Immobilized CaM, therefore, resembles troponin C, the Ca2+-binding regulatory protein of striated muscle, which is also bound to the thin filament in a Ca2+-independent manner.
Self-reported hypertension and race among Hispanics in the National Health Interview Survey.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the association between race and hypertension among Hispanics and non-Hispanics by using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), an annual survey of US households and to compare the strength of these associations among Hispanics and non-Hispanics. DESIGN AND METHODS Analyses were limited to Hispanics and non-Hispanics 18 years of age and older who self-identified as White or Black/African-American during the 2000-2002 NHIS for a final sample of 88,453 adults including 12,083 Hispanics. Hypertension was self-reported during the survey interview. Covariates included in the analyses as potential confounders were sociodemographic characteristics and risk factors for hypertension. RESULTS Hispanic Blacks had higher prevalence of self-reported hypertension than Hispanic Whites. Hispanic Blacks had higher odds of hypertension than non-Hispanic and Hispanic Whites. However, these associations did not achieve significance level. No difference was seen on the strength of the association between race and hypertension among Hispanics and non-Hispanics (OR 1.31 vs 1.52, P interaction for race and ethnicity .91). The protective effect for hypertension on Hispanics had been disappearing over time (P interaction race/ethnicity and survey year .002). CONCLUSIONS This study underscores that racial categorization could be a significant predictor of health status for Hispanics in our society. As time goes by, we are curious to see how embedding in US racial categories and assimilation into Western culture influence the life and health of Hispanics.
MyD88 Deficiency Leads to Decreased NK Cell Gamma Interferon Production and T Cell Recruitment during Chlamydia muridarum Genital Tract Infection, but a Predominant Th1 Response and Enhanced Monocytic Inflammation Are Associated with Infection Resolution

ABSTRACT We have previously shown that MyD88 knockout (KO) mice exhibit delayed clearance of Chlamydia muridarum genital infection compared to wild-type (WT) mice. A blunted Th1 response and ineffective suppression of the Th2 response were also observed in MyD88 KO mice. The goal of the present study was to investigate specific mechanisms whereby absence of MyD88 leads to these effects and address the compensatory mechanisms in the genital tract that ultimately clear infection in the absence of MyD88. It was observed that NK cells recruited to the genital tract in MyD88 KO mice failed to produce gamma interferon (IFN-γ) mRNA and protein. This defect was associated with decreased local production of interleukin-17 (IL-17), IL-18, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) but normal levels of IL-12p70. Additionally, recruitment of CD4 T cells to the genital tract was reduced in MyD88 KO mice compared to that in WT mice. Although chronic infection in MyD88 KO mice resulted in oviduct pathology comparable to that of WT mice, increased histiocytic inflammation was observed in the uterine horns. This was associated with increased CCL2 levels and recruitment of macrophages as a potential compensatory mechanism. Further deletion of TLR4-TRIF signaling in MyD88 KO mice, using TLR4/MyD88 double-KO mice, did not further compromise host defense against chlamydiae, suggesting that compensatory mechanisms are Toll-like receptor (TLR) independent. Despite some polarization toward a Th2 response, a Th1 response remained predominant in the absence of MyD88, and it provided equivalent protection against a secondary infection as observed in WT mice.
Biomechanics of orthoses for the subluxed shoulder

Based on biomechanics several operational principles for the neutralization of a shoulder subluxation are described. The pros and cons of the operational principles are discussed. A detailed analysis of the forces acting on the upper and lower arm indicates a preference for only one of the operational principles and explains why the arm sling and hemisling fail in the elimination of subluxation. With the operational principle selected a shoulder orthosis has been developed. Clinical results are given.
Estimating dispersal rates of Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) mother-pup pairs from a natal rookery using mark-resight data

To monitor population trends of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in Alaska, newborn pups are counted during aerial surveys. These surveys are scheduled to occur after the majority of pups are born, but before pups begin to spend significant time in the water. Some studies have reported dispersal of mother-pup pairs away from breeding beaches during the pupping season (July), which may influence survey results. Using a multistate mark-recapture model with state uncertainty, we estimated the amount of dispersal during the pupping season based on observations of permanently marked sea lions. Research was conducted at land-based observation sites on Marmot Island, Alaska, between 2000 and 2013. Both marked adult females with dependent pups and marked pups were observed at two rookery beaches from May to July. Cumulative dispersal rates were minimal (< 1%) prior to the planned start of the aerial survey (23 June) and increased to 11.2% by the planned survey completion date (10 July). The increased cumulative dispersal rate during the remainder of the observation period (end of July) suggests potential bias in surveys that occur beyond 10 July, however surveys past this date are rare (< 10% between 1973 and 2016). As a result, movements of mother-pup pairs during the pupping season are not likely to influence aerial survey estimates.
Volumes of brain structures in twins discordant for schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND The study was designed to examine the relative contributions of genetic and nongenetic factors to structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia and subjects at risk to develop the disorder. METHODS The brains of 15 monozygotic and 14 same-sex dizygotic twins discordant for schizophrenia (patients) and 29 healthy twins pair-wise matched for zygosity, sex, age, and birth order were studied using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging scans. RESULTS Intracranial and whole-brain corrected frontal lobe volumes were smaller (4.6% and 2.7%, respectively) in discordant monozygotic twins as compared with healthy monozygotic twins. Irrespective of zygosity, discordant twins had smaller whole-brain (2%), parahippocampal (9%), and hippocampal (8%) volumes than healthy twins. Moreover, patients had smaller whole-brain volumes (2. 2%) than their nonschizophrenic cotwins, who in turn had smaller brains (1%) than healthy twins. Lateral and third-ventricle volumes were increased in discordant dizygotic twins as compared with healthy dizygotic twins (60.6% and 56.6%, respectively). Finally, within discordant twins, lateral ventricles were larger (14.4%) in patients than in their nonschizophrenic cotwins. CONCLUSIONS Smaller intracranial volumes in the monozygotic patients and their cotwins suggest that increased genetic risk to develop schizophrenia is related to reduced brain growth early in life. The additional reduction in whole-brain volume found in the patients suggests that the manifestation of the disorder is related to (neurodegenerative) processes that are most likely nongenetic in origin.
Outpatient Management of Severe Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) with Placement of Pigtail Catheter

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of outpatient management of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) requiring placement of a pigtail catheter. Methods: retrospective analysis of thirty-three consecutive patients who underwent in-vitro fertilization (2003-2009) and developed severe/critical OHSS requiring placement of a pigtail catheter. Patients who were managed on outpatient basis were monitored by frequent office visits, daily phone calls, and received IV normal saline for hydration when required. Results: In 3 patients (9.1%) OHSS started early, requiring placement of a pigtail catheter 4.3 + 0.6 days after retrieval. In 30 patients (90.9%) OHSS started late (14 ± 4 days after retrieval). The mean amount of ascitic fluid drained immediately after placement of the catheter was 2085 ± 1018 cc. The pigtail catheter was removed after 7.8 ± 5.3 days. Of the 31 patients who had embryo transfer (two had total freeze), 84% conceived. Twenty-nine patients (88%) were managed on outpatient basis without any complications. Four patients required hospital admission for 1-7 days (3.0 ± 2.7). One patient with severe OHSS was admitted for work up for chest pain. Three patients with critical OHSS with severe pleural effusion requiring thoracentesis were admitted for supportive measures. Conclusion: The placement of a pigtail catheter resulted in safe and effective outpatient management for the majority of patients with severe OHSS.
A study of open-source data mining tools for forecasting

This paper described five open-sources Data Mining (DM) tools which are Weka, RapidMiner, KEEL, Orange and Tanagra. The features and functionality of these DM tools can be benefited by educators and researchers. The DM algorithms embedded in the tools can be utilized for forecasting. Weka and RapidMiner have most of the desire characteristic for a fully-functional and flexible platform therefore their use can be recommended for most of DM tasks.
Animating smoke with dynamic balance

We propose a numerical method for maintaining a dynamic rolling motion of animated gaseous phenomena, such as smoke, that avoids dissipation due to numerical error. We compensate for the errors induced by a semi‐Lagrangian scheme using an error estimate for each time interval. We develop a new advection term and perform vortex advection based on a vorticity confinement force. Example simulations show that this method is able to keep smoke features alive, even near the center of a vortex. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mobile Phone Headache: A Double Blind, Sham-Controlled Provocation Study

The objective was to test whether exposure to radio frequency (RF) fields from mobile phones may cause head pain or discomfort and whether it may influence physiological variables in individuals attributing symptoms to mobile phones, but not to electromagnetic fields in general. Seventeen eligible individuals, who experienced these symptoms in an open provocation test, took part in a double-blind, randomized provocation study with cross-over design. Sixty-five pairs of sham and mobile phone RF exposures were conducted. The increase in pain or discomfort (visual analogue scales) in RF sessions was 10.1 and in sham sessions 12.6 (P = 0.30). Changes in heart rate or blood pressure were not related to the type of exposure (P: 0.30-0.88). The study gave no evidence that RF fields from mobile phones may cause head pain or discomfort or influence physiological variables. The most likely reason for the symptoms is a nocebo effect.
A Comparison of Relational Attitude and Personality Disorders in the Explanation of Child Molestation

This study examined parental sensitivity, relational attitude (i.e., trust, friendship, adult romantic attachment), and personality disorders in the aetiology of sexual offences among a group of 84 child molesters and a matched normal control group (n = 80). The child molesters were selected from either a community-based, educational training program (n = 51), or a Belgium prison (n = 33). Analyses using structural equation modeling found that both relational attitude and personality disorders differentiated between the child molesters and the comparison group. Implications for the aetiology and treatment of child molesting is discussed.
Combinando Informações Textuais e Estruturais na Recuperação de Documentos Web

The World Wide Web is a dynamic, heterogeneous, massive and distributed collection of documents which is accessed by inexperienced users with unpredictable and less ideal querying behavior. The characteristics of the Web environment creates many new challenges to the Information Retrieval Systems (IRS). At the same time, unlike “flat” document collections, the WWW is hypertext and provides auxiliary information on top of the text of Web pages, such as link structure and link text. We take advantage of the link structure of the Web to produce a global "importance" ranking to every Web page indexed by a search engine, to be used in combination with textual ranking scores to improve the performance of the SRI. 1 Mobile, Av. Caxangá,5775 Várzea Recife PE. CEP: 50740-000 {rsc@mobile.com. br} 2 Centro de Informática, UFPE, Caixa Postal 7851 {rsc, mns, srlm @cin.ufpe. br} Combinando Informações Textuais e Estruturais na Recuperação de Documentos Web Palavras-Chaves: Web Mining, HITS, PageRank, qualidade da resposta.
Wide-Angle Scanning Low Profile Phased Array Antenna Based on a Novel Magnetic Dipole

A novel microstrip magnetic dipole antenna that can be applied to wide-angle scanning phased array antennas in both E- and H-planes is proposed. The proposed antenna has a low profile of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.03 {\lambda }_{0}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ {\lambda }_{0}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> denotes the free-space wavelength corresponding to the center operating frequency), and a compact size of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.32 {\lambda }_{0} \times 0.31 {\lambda }_{0}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The half-power beamwidth of the proposed antenna with an infinite ground is about 180° in the E-plane and 85° in the H-plane, which has a large potential for wide-angle scanning phased array. When it is applied to phased array antennas, the scanning coverage is wide. The proposed planar phased arrays are fabricated and experimentally verified. The measured results show that the main beam can scan from −76° to 76° with 3-dB gain fluctuation in the E-plane and from −64° to 64° in the H-plane.
Aspects of fibre wall swelling in high-yield pulp.

When producing mechanical pulps the fibre separation will take place in the weakest part of the wood matrix. A prerequisite to swelling in wood and mechanical pulps is that the wood matrix is softened. The position of where the weakest part of the wood matrix is situated can to a large extent be controlled by adjustment of the swelling and softening properties of each of the wood polymers (lignin, hemicelluloses and cellulose). Most probably the efficiency of the external and internal fibrillation of the fibre walls is also influenced by how the swelling and softening properties are controlled. The combination of position of fibre-fibre separation together with the efficiency of the external and internal fibrillation will to a large extent determine the energy demand to produce mechanical pulps. Refining of wood chips with different state of softening and swelling will give rise to fibres with different optical and physical properties. The most important parameters that influence the wood matrix and wood fibres’ ability to swell are temperature, pH, ionic form of and the amount of charged groups in the hemicelluloses and lignin of the cell walls. In order to improve the level of knowledge on how to influence the degree of wood matrix and fibre wall swelling of mechanical pulps we have undertaken to study the swelling properties of wood and fibres produced by means of different mechanical pulping processes.It was found that pulps not containing sulphonic acid groups need to be heated above the softening temperature of lignin in order to be able to swell to their full capacity. Introduction of sulphonic acid groups also opens up the rigid structure of lignin which lowers the softening temperature and increases the swelling potential even at lower temperatures. The effect of valence of the counter ion was also shown to be more pronounced after adding more carboxylic acid groups to a pulp. Depending on the number and type of anionic acid groups in the fibres, high-yield pulps will have different combinations of properties in different ionic conditions. The preliminary conclusions from this study are that the ability to control swelling properties of mechanical pulps is an important feature to take into account when producing pulp and paper.
Evaluating Model of Buyers' Reputation in C2C E-Commerce

Trust is one of the most important factors in e-commerce, and this paper builds a mean model to assess reputation of buyers. Our method is based on the two aspects of traded and returned goods. By introducing transaction value factor and return rate factor, the model improves the feedback rates of sellers. The reputation of buyers is eventually represented by a three-dimensional array. Simulation experiments evaluated different buyers and a buyer different period dynamic reputation. Compared with existing rating models, this model is more effective and can increase the ability to resist fraud.
Localization of the non-structural protein NS3 in bluetongue virus-infected cells.

The localization of the blue tongue virus (BTV) non-structural proteins NS3 and NS3a has been identified using immunoelectron microscopical techniques. NS3 and NS3a have been observed in the plasma membrane of BTV- and recombinant vaccinia virus (expressing NS3)-infected cells. The NS3 protein was associated with areas of membrane perturbation. There was a good correlation between the presence of NS3 and NS3a and BTV release. The NS3 protein was associated with membrane fragments and the inability to detect it on the extracellular aspect of intact cells suggested that the protein was not exposed extracellularly. Electron microscopical and biochemical evidence suggested that fragments of plasma membrane containing NS3 and NS3a were released from infected cells. Collectively, the data indicate that NS3 and NS3a may be involved in the final stages of BTV morphogenesis, i.e. the release of BTV from infected cells.
Evidence for acute central sensitization to prolonged experimental pain in posttraumatic stress disorder.

BACKGROUND Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and pain have a well-documented high comorbidity; however, the underlying mechanisms of this comorbidity are currently poorly understood. The aim of this psychophysical study was to investigate the behavioral response to a prolonged suprathreshold pain stimulus in subjects with combat-related PTSD and combat controls (CC) for clinical evidence of central sensitization. METHODS Ten male subjects with current PTSD related to combat and 11 CC male subjects underwent baseline quantitative sensory testing (QST), temporal pain summation, and psychological profiling followed by an intramuscular injection of capsaicin into the quadriceps muscle. RESULTS There was no significant between-group difference for the initial maximal pain response or an initial pain reduction for the first 15 minutes postinjection on QST or pain ratings. However, we observed significantly higher scores in the PTSD group for the second 15 minutes postinjection on both pain intensity and pain unpleasantness ratings. Assessment of temporal summation to repetitive pressure stimuli showed significantly higher subjective pain in the PTSD group. CONCLUSION These findings are consistent with a significantly higher degree of acute central sensitization in individuals with PTSD. Increased acute central sensitization may underlie increased vulnerability for developing pain-related conditions following combat trauma.