Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SUNLIGHT, OZONE AND VITAMIN D

From the biological viewpoint, solar radiation in the 250-310 nm region (UVB) is extremely important and its absorption in the skin can lead to both beneficial and detrimental effects. Absorption by DNA is believed to be the first step in the initiation of skin cancer while absorption by 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) leads to the formation of cholecalciferol or Vitamin C3. It is normally assumed that the radiation levels needed for D, production are so low that any increase in solar UVB would be damaging since it would lead to an increase in skin cancer incidence. However this presupposes that the individual is already in an optimum radiation environment and this is certainly not always the case. Any change in solar UVB will be reflected in the incidence of skin cancer and diseases related to Vitamin D and, although many causes of such variations can be postulated, this paper will focus attention on only one—namely perturbation of atmospheric ozone and its effect on D, production.
soCloud : une plateforme multi-nuages distribuée pour la conception, le déploiement et l'exécution d'applications distribuées à large échelle. (socloud: distributed Multi-Cloud Platform for deploying, executing and managing distributed applications)

L'informatique multi-nuages s'est imposee comme un paradigme de choix pour creer des applications distribuees a large echelle s'executant a des emplacements geographiques re- partis. L'informatique multi-nuages consiste en l'utilisation de multiples environnements de nuages independants qui ne necessitent pas d'accord a priori entre les fournisseurs de nuage ou un tiers. Toutefois, ces applications concues pour un environnement multi-nuages doivent faire face a de veritables defis en terme d'architecture, de modele et de technologies. L'utilisation de l'informatique multi-nuages se heurte a l'heterogeneite et a la complexite des offres de nuage. Ainsi, l'informatique multi-nuages doit faire face aux defis de la portabilite, de l'approvisionnement, de l'elasticite et de la haute disponibilite que nous identifions dans cette these. Dans ce travail de these, nous proposons un modele d'applications nomme soCloud qui adresse ces quatre defis. C'est un modele base sur le standard SCA du consortium OASIS pour concevoir de maniere simple et coherente des applications distribuees a large echelle pour un environnement multi-nuages. Un nouveau langage dedie d'elasticite a ete propose pour exprimer efficacement l'elasticite d'applications multi-nuages par l'abstraction. Nous proposons aussi une plateforme multi-nuages soCloud concue pour deployer, executer et gerer des applications reparties a travers plusieurs nuages. Le modele d'applications soCloud a ete utilise pour la mise en œuvre de trois applications distribuees deployees dans un environnement multi-nuages. Quant a la plateforme soCloud, elle a ete implantee, deployee et experimentee sur dix nuages : Windows Azure, DELL KACE, Amazon EC2, CloudBees, OpenShift, dotCloud, Jelastic, Heroku, Appfog et Eucalyptus. Ces experiences sont utilisees pour valider la nouveaute des solutions approtees. Grâce a notre contribution, nous visons a offrir un moyen simple et efficace pour concevoir, deployer, executer et gerer des applications distribuees pour des environnements multi- nuages en proposant un modele et une plateforme.
Yeast Rad54 Promotes Rad51-dependent Homologous DNA Pairing via ATP Hydrolysis-driven Change in DNA Double Helix Conformation*

Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD54 gene functions in the formation of heteroduplex DNA, a key intermediate in recombination processes. Rad54 is monomeric in solution, but forms a dimer/oligomer on DNA. Rad54 dimer/oligomer alters the conformation of the DNA double helix in an ATP-dependent manner, as revealed by a change in the DNA linking number in a topoisomerase I-linked reaction. DNA conformational alteration does not occur in the presence of non-hydrolyzable ATP analogues, nor when mutant rad54 proteins defective in ATP hydrolysis replace Rad54. Accordingly, the Rad54 ATPase activity is shown to be required for biological functionin vivo and for promoting Rad51-mediated homologous DNA pairing in vitro. Taken together, the results are consistent with a model in which a Rad54 dimer/oligomer promotes nascent heteroduplex joint formation via a specific interaction with Rad51 protein and an ability to transiently unwind duplex DNA.
Tapentadol for the Management of Neuropathic Pain from Oxaliplatin Chemotherapy: A Case Report

Chronic pain is one of the most important health problems from the XXI century due to its often challenging to address appropriately. Opioids are broad-spectrum analgesics that may be beneficial to alleviate the intense perception of analgesia in patients suffering with pain. They have been one of the most controversial analgesics, in part because of their potential for addiction. Although patients with severe chronic pain may respond to treatment with an opioid analgesic, opioids are often associated with adverse effects that may lead patients to disrupt or discontinue therapy. In addition, opioid drugs alone may not be effective for all types of chronic pain, including neuropathic pain (NP). Opioids or any currently available analgesic will not provide effective analgesia for every patient with chronic NP, but overall, opioids are considered to be a second or third line class of analgesics that may provide reasonable analgesia to some patients with chronic NP. Although opioids may alleviate chronic pain, overall, NP tends to be less opioid responsive than nociceptive pain. Tapentadol prolonged release (PR), a centrally acting analgesic with 2 mechanisms of action, μ-opioid receptor agonism (MOR) and noradrenaline reuptake inhibition (NRI), provides strong and reliable analgesia across a range of indications, including nociceptive, neuropathic, and mixed types of chronic pain, and is associated with an improved tolerability profile relative to classic opioid analgesics. The purpose of this article was to demonstrate clinical efficacy of tapentadol PR in association to pregabalin for the treatment of neuropathic pain from oxaliplatin chemotherapy.
On aging bone loss.

A survey was done of aging changes in compact and trabecular bone. During the past decade, noninvasive methods have demonstrated similar results for compact bone in large samples. Aging decreases of 3%/decade begin at about age 40 in both sexes and continue, but in women, an additional loss occurs after menopause, bringing their total rate of decrease to 9%/decade between ages 45 and 75. Results on trabecular bone loss are more variable, the majority indicating a slightly lower rate of loss (6% to 8% decade), beginning in young adulthood (20 to 40 years) in both sexes. These findings suggest that the common assumption about a large ongoing loss of trabecular bone after menopause may be erroneous. These assumptions are examined, as are the implications of the findings for calcium metabolism, anatomical correlations and fracture incidences.
Pharmacological effects of 3‐iodothyronamine (T1AM) in mice include facilitation of memory acquisition and retention and reduction of pain threshold

3‐Iodothyronamine (T1AM), an endogenous derivative of thyroid hormones, is regarded as a rapid modulator of behaviour and metabolism. To determine whether brain thyroid hormone levels contribute to these effects, we investigated the effect of central administration of T1AM on learning and pain threshold of mice either untreated or pretreated with clorgyline (2.5 mg·kg−1, i.p.), an inhibitor of amine oxidative metabolism.
Audition 8

Audition is the process by which organisms use sound to derive information about the world. This chapter aims to provide a bird’s-eye view of contemporary audition research, spanning systems and cognitive neuroscience as well as cognitive science. The author provides brief overviews of classic areas of research as well as some central themes and advances from the past ten years. The chapter covers the sound transduction of the cochlea, subcortical and cortical anatomical and functional organization of the auditory system, amplitude modulation and its measurement, adaptive coding and plasticity, the perception of sound sources (with a focus on the classic research areas of location, loudness, and pitch), and auditory scene analysis (including sound segregation, streaming, filling in, and reverberation perception). The chapter concludes with a discussion of where hearing research seems to be headed at present.
Database for three dimensional structures of pepsin‐like enzymes using the internal coordinate system

A database for 3D structures of pepsin‐like enzymes has been created on the basis of a novel approach using the Internal Coordinate System (ICS). It allows rapid comparison of multiple structures of pepsin‐like enzymes without the need for preliminary calculations. Atomic displacements measured by this approach are very close to those estimated by the superposition procedures widely employed in comparing three‐dimensional structures of proteins. Any new structure of pepsin‐like enzyme converted to the ICS automatically becomes superimposed with all structures in a database. The ICS approach can be used for any class of enzymes and is especially efficient for families containing a large number of homologous structures. Proteins 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analysis of friction on human fingers and design of artificial fingers

In many cases of human hand tasks, grasping and manipulation of objects are the most basic motions. However, the influence of physical characteristics of human finger on grasping motions have not yet been sufficiently clarified. For example, friction which is an important characteristic of grasping motions has hardly been investigated. In this study, we pay attention, to friction between a finger and an object. First, we develop a system to measure the friction on fingers. Next, based on the experimental results obtained from the measurement system, we propose a new model for the maximum static friction force on human fingers. Also, we find that the friction forces are changed depending on the directions of tangential forces. Finally, we realize a finger-tip which is made of silicone and whose characteristics are similar to those of human fingers.
The RIM101 Pathway Contributes to Yeast Cell Wall Assembly and Its Function Becomes Essential in the Absence of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Slt2p

ABSTRACT The Saccharomyces cerevisiae ynl294cΔ (rim21Δ) mutant was identified in our lab owing to its moderate resistance to calcofluor, although it also displayed all of the phenotypic traits associated with its function as the putative sensor (Rim21p) of the RIM101 pathway. rim21Δ also showed moderate hypersensitivity to sodium dodecyl sulfate, caffeine, and zymolyase, and the cell wall compensatory response in this mutant was very poor, as indicated by the almost complete absence of Slt2 phosphorylation and the modest increase in chitin synthesis after calcofluor treatment. However, the cell integrity pathway appeared functional after caffeine treatment or thermal stress. rim21Δ and rim101Δ mutant strains shared all of the cell-wall-associated phenotypes, which were reverted by the expression of Rim101-531p, the constitutively active form of this transcription factor. Therefore, the absence of a functional RIM101 pathway leads to cell wall defects. rim21Δ, as well as rim101Δ, was synthetic lethal with slt2Δ, a synthetic defect alleviated by osmotic stabilization of the media. The double mutants grown in osmotically stabilized media were extremely hypersensitive to zymolyase and showed thicker cell walls, with poorly defined mannoprotein layers. In contrast, rim21Δ rlm1Δ and rim101Δ rlm1Δ double mutants were fully viable. Taken together, these results show that the RIM101 pathway participates directly in cell wall assembly and that it acts in parallel with the protein kinase C pathway (PKC) in this process independently of the transcriptional effect of the compensatory response mediated by this route. In addition, these results provide new experimental evidence of the direct involvement of the PKC signal transduction pathway through the Sltp2 kinase in the construction of yeast cell walls.
Time course of training effects on balancing on one foot.

The remarkable balancing skills of steeplejacks, tight-rope artists and gymnasts indicate that congenital postural reflexes are not optimized under daily life conditions but must be adjusted by training. The time constants of both the development of a short- and long-term training effect as well as its duration after termination of training are of particular interest for sports physiologists and clinicians. The time course of training effects on experimental postural instability when standing on one foot was investigated in healthy subjects in order to obtain a reliable clinical measure for control and expectation of the overall benefit of physical therapy in ataxic patients. A total of 28 healthy subjects (20 students and 8 gymnasts; 8 males, 20 females) ranging between 17 and 33 years of age (mean 24 years) were employed in three series of experiments. The fore-aft and lateral body sway at free stance on one foot were measured separately by means of a stabilometer platform which transduces force moments exerted on foot support. The root mean square values analysed for 30-sec segments were selected
Physiological Responses of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Spores to High Pressure

Pressure inactivation behavior of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens spores was investigated in deionized water. The spores of B. amyloliquefaciens were subjected to 105oC and 700 MPa. The magnitude of the decrease in viability after pressure treatment was similar to that after pressure treatment followed by heat shock. The increase of dipicolinic acid (DPA) release was correlated with the spore inactivation, and the hydrophobicity did not significantly change during the pressure-assisted thermal processing (PATP). Lag phase duration increased with increasing pressure process time. The mechanisms of spore germination and inactivation during the PATP were related to a complex physiological process.
The Effectiveness of Enterprise Social Media Use: Impact of National Culture and Organizational Culture

This paper develops a research framework to show how national culture, organizational culture, subsidiary-specific characteristics, and the design of Enterprise Social Media (ESM) influence the effective use of ESM through organizational affordances. Our model is based on Hofstede’s cultural model for national culture, Quinn’s competing values approach to organizational effectiveness, and Treem and Leonardi’s four affordances of social media. The model provides researchers a novel and relevant theoretical framework to understand how to incorporate national and organizational culture into our understanding of the effective use of ESM. Future work based on the research model is explained.
Long-term blood pressure control in a cohort of peritoneal dialysis patients and its association with residual renal function.

BACKGROUND Hypertension is the prime contributor for cardiovascular mortality in the dialysis population. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) has been thought to improve blood pressure (BP) control in the short term, but the long-term benefits are not conclusively proven. We aimed to evaluate the degree of BP control in PD patients in the long term and analyse the factors associated with poor control. METHODS Data of all patients who were initiated on PD at one centre between July 1994 and July 1998 and completed at least 1 year of PD were analysed retrospectively at initiation of PD, at 6 months, and annually thereafter until 5 years or until discontinuation of therapy. Hypertension was defined as per WHO/ISH criteria. A 'Blood Pressure Control Index' was empirically defined to account for the effect of antihypertensives on measured BP. Factors associated with poor BP control were analysed. RESULTS Out of 207 patients (age 57.0+/-16.0 years, 103 male, 104 female) 91.3% were hypertensive at the start of PD. About 33.8% had diabetic nephropathy. Systolic and mean arterial pressure index improved in early phase reaching a nadir between 6 months and 1 year followed by steady progressive worsening through out the rest of follow up. On multiple linear regression analysis age (P<0.001), duration of hypertension prior to dialysis (P<0.001), and declining residual renal function, expressed as both average of urea and creatinine clearance (P=0.002) and residual urine output (P<0.001) were independently associated with poor BP control. Diabetes (P=0.836), peritoneal transport (D/P 4 of creatinine at start) (P=0.218), peripheral oedema (P=0.479) and dose of erythropoetin (P=0.488) were not associated. CONCLUSIONS Initiation of PD results in early improvement of hypertension in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). BP control thereafter deteriorates steadily with time and this is associated with age, duration of hypertension, and declining residual renal function. This suggests that hypertension in ESRD patients is a progressive disease primarily related to falling glomerular filtration rate, the preservation of which might improve BP control and possibly modify cardiovascular risk.
A Conformational Switch in Vinculin Drives Formation and Dynamics of a Talin-Vinculin Complex at Focal Adhesions*

Dynamic interactions between the cytoskeleton and integrins control cell adhesion, but regulatory mechanisms remain largely undefined. Here, we tested the extent to which the autoinhibitory head-tail interaction (HTI) in vinculin regulates formation and lifetime of the talin-vinculin complex, a proposed mediator of integrin–cytoskeleton bonds. In an ectopic recruitment assay, mutational reduction of HTI drove assembly of talin-vinculin complexes, whereas ectopic complexes did not form between talin and wild-type vinculin. Moreover, reduction of HTI altered the dynamic assembly of vinculin and talin in focal adhesions. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, we show that the focal adhesion residency time of vinculin was enhanced up to 3-fold by HTI mutations. The slow dynamics of vinculin correlated with exposure of its cryptic talin-binding site, and a talin-binding site mutation rescued the dynamics of activated vinculin. Significantly, HTI-deficient vinculin inhibited the focal adhesion dynamics of talin, but not paxillin or α-actinin. These data show that talin conformation in cells permits vinculin binding, whereas the autoinhibited conformation of vinculin constitutes the barrier to complex formation. Down-regulation of HTI in vinculin to Kd ∼ 10–7 is sufficient to induce talin binding, and HTI is essential to the dynamics of vinculin and talin at focal adhesions. We therefore conclude that vinculin conformation, as modulated by the strength of HTI, directly regulates the formation and lifetime of talin-vinculin complexes in cells.
Adolescents' reported reasons for alcohol and marijuana use as predictors of substance use and problems in adulthood.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine how reasons for substance use at age 18 relate to alcohol and marijuana use at ages 18 and 35 and to symptoms of alcohol use disorder and marijuana use disorder at age 35. METHOD Bivariate correlation and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to examine the prediction of substance use and misuse by social/recreational, coping with negative affect, compulsive, and drug effect reasons for alcohol and marijuana use. Control variables included gender, race/ethnicity, parent education, and previous substance use (for age 35 outcomes). RESULTS Social/recreational, coping, and drug effect reasons for drinking predicted symptoms of alcohol use disorder 17 years later. Reasons for marijuana use were generally associated only with concurrent marijuana use; an exception was that drug effect reasons predicted marijuana use disorder at age 35. CONCLUSIONS The long-term longitudinal predictive power of reasons for alcohol use (and, to a lesser extent, for marijuana use) suggests that adolescents' self-reported reasons, in particular those involving regulating emotions and experiences, may be early risk factors for continued use and misuse of substances into adulthood.
Efficiency enhancement of OLED by extracting guided modes

The effects of the structural parameters of the photonic crystal (PC) placed between glass and indium tin oxide (ITC) for an efficient organic light-emitting diode (OLED) design is studied. It is shown that the light extraction efficiency of OLEDs varies with the PC height and period. The maximum relative extraction efficiency (EEr) value is obtained at 0.4 μm PC height and 0.36 μm period.
lastomeric recombinant protein-based biomaterials

Elastomeric protein-based biomaterials, produced from elastin derivatives, are widely investigated as promising tissue engineering scaffolds due to their remarkable properties including substantial extensibility, long-term stability, self-assembly, high resilience upon stretching, low energy loss, and excellent biological activity. These elastomers are processed from different sources of soluble elastin such as animal-derived soluble elastin, recombinant human tropoelastin, and elastin-like polypeptides into vari-
Inner annulus fibrosus in non-degenerated intervertebral disc shows bright signal on T2 weighted MR image.

The intervertebral disc is a fibrocartilaginous joint that supports spinal forces while facilitating compound movements. To meet these demands, the disc has a complex structural organization that imparts unique physical properties. The nucleus pulposus matrix is composed mainly of high molecular-weight glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) with fixed negative charges that induce osmotic swelling (1). The annulus fibrosus limits the swelling of the nucleus pulposus and the motions between adjacent vertebrae.
MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry provides high accuracy in identification of Salmonella at species level but is limited to type or subtype Salmonella serovars

Salmonella can cause global foodborne illnesses in humans and many animals. The current diagnostic gold standard used for detecting Salmonella infection is microbiological culture followed by serological confirmation tests. However, these methods are complicated and time-consuming. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis offers some advantages in rapid identification, for example, simple and fast sample preparation, fast and automated measurement, and robust and reliable identification up to genus and species levels, possibly even to the strain level. In this study, we established a reference database for species identification using whole-cell MALDI-TOF MS; the database consisted of 12 obtained main spectra of the Salmonella culture collection strains belonged to seven serotypes. Eighty-two clinical isolates of Salmonella were identified using established database, and partial 16S rDNA gene sequencing and serological method were used as comparison. We found that MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry provided high accuracy in identification of Salmonella at species level but was limited to type or subtype Salmonella serovars. We also tried to find serovar-specific biomarkers and failed. Our study demonstrated that (a) MALDI-TOF MS was suitable for identification of Salmonella at species level with high accuracy and (b) that MALDI-TOF MS method presented in this study was not useful for serovar assignment of Salmonella currently, because of its low matching with serological method and (c) MALDI-TOF MS method presented in this study was not suitable to subtype S. typhimurium because of its low discriminatory ability.