Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative analysis of electric energy risk changes in selected European regions

Summary: In the paper volatility of prices from selected European electric energy markets was described using multivariate autoregressive models VAR-GARCH. Quotations from Polish TGE, European EEX, Nordic Nord Pool and center Europe OTE were used from January 2014 to October 2016. We made risk analysis of change in average daily prices and proposed a portfolio of electric energy contract. The risk of single contracts was estimated by Value-at-Risk (VaR). The risk of portfolio was estimated by Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR).
Taking partly free voters seriously: autocratic response to voter preferences in Armenia and Georgia

ABSTRACT Do voters matter in competitive authoritarian regimes and, if so, how? Do their preferences make any difference in the way in which the regime conceives policies and goes about policy-making? In this article we show that they do, and that incumbents take them seriously. Crucially, the way the regime responds to policy demand determines their durability in office. In this article we explain why, despite strong similarities, the political regime ruling Armenia remained stable over the years (from the mid-1990s), whereas the one in Georgia has been unseated on two occasions (2003–2004 and 2012–2013). Evidence confirms that policy-making and the voters’ perceptions thereof also play an important role in determining whether a regime collapses or survives. The incumbents collect information on voter preferences, and devise policies in response to them. Policy-making thus matters and is extremely consequential. Paradoxically, however, policy-making makes a difference in counter-intuitive ways. The article concludes that a regime which refrains from making grand promises, or blatantly contradictory or unrealistic ones, has greater chances of surviving than those that set out to transform society, like Saakashvili’s Georgia. Ultimately, such policies backfire on those who launched them.
Flunarizine in the treatment of vertigo

Abstract Experience with flunarizine, a selective calcium-entry blocker, in the treatment of dizziness is reviewed. Clinical efficacy was predicted in pharmacological studies both in rabbits and humans: torsion swing or caloric induced nystagmus were significantly suppressed by flunarizine. Open therapeutic findings, using clinical and electronystagmographic or audiographic assessments as well, showed that flunarizine is of benefit to patients with vertigo of labyrinthine as well as of cerebrovascular origin. These results were confirmed in double-blind controlled trials. Flunarizine, either started with a loading dose gradually decreased thereafter, or given at a fixed 10 mg. dose schedule was proven to produce rapid improvement of dizziness and unsteadiness and to be tolerated very well.
Bilateral periventricular nodular heterotopia in France: frequency of mutations in FLNA, phenotypic heterogeneity and spectrum of mutations

Bilateral periventricular nodular heterotopia (BPNH) is the most common form of periventricular heterotopia. Mutations in FLNA, encoding filamin A, are responsible for the X linked dominant form of BPNH (FLNA-BPNH). Recently, atypical phenotypes including BPNH with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (BPNH-EDS) have been recognised. A total of 44 FLNA mutations have so far been reported in this phenotype. Most of these mutations lead to a truncated protein, but few missense mutations have also been described. Here, the results of a mutation screening conducted in a series of 32 BPNH patients with the identification of 12 novel point mutations in 15 patients are reported. Nine mutations were truncating, while three were missense. Three additional patients with BPNH-EDS and a mutation in FLNA are described. No phenotype–genotype correlations could be established, but these clinical data sustain the importance of cardiovascular monitoring in FLNA-BPNH patients.
Mitogenic signaling pathways induced by G protein‐coupled receptors

G protein‐coupled receptor (GPCR) agonists, including neurotransmitters, hormones, chemokines, and bioactive lipids, act as potent cellular growth factors and have been implicated in a variety of normal and abnormal processes, including development, inflammation, and malignant transformation. Typically, the binding of an agonistic ligand to its cognate GPCR triggers the activation of multiple signal transduction pathways that act in a synergistic and combinatorial fashion to relay the mitogenic signal to the nucleus and promote cell proliferation. A rapid increase in the activity of phospholipases C, D, and A2 leading to the synthesis of lipid‐derived second messengers, Ca2+ fluxes and subsequent activation of protein phosphorylation cascades, including PKC/PKD, Raf/MEK/ERK, and Akt/mTOR/p70S6K is an important early response to mitogenic GPCR agonists. The EGF receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase has emerged as a transducer in the signaling by GPCRs, a process termed transactivation. GPCR signal transduction also induces striking morphological changes and rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple cellular proteins, including the non‐receptor tyrosine kinases Src, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and the adaptor proteins CAS and paxillin. The pathways stimulated by GPCRs are extensively interconnected by synergistic and antagonistic crosstalks that play a critical role in signal transmission, integration, and dissemination. The purpose of this article is to review recent advances in defining the pathways that play a role in transducing mitogenic responses induced by GPCR agonists. J. Cell. Physiol. 213:589–602. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Optics of exciton-plasmon nanomaterials

This review provides a brief introduction to the physics of coupled exciton-plasmon systems, the theoretical description and experimental manifestation of such phenomena, followed by an account of the state-of-the-art methodology for the numerical simulations of such phenomena and supplemented by a number of FORTRAN codes, by which the interested reader can introduce himself/herself to the practice of such simulations. Applications to CW light scattering as well as transient response and relaxation are described. Particular attention is given to so-called strong coupling limit, where the hybrid exciton-plasmon nature of the system response is strongly expressed. While traditional descriptions of such phenomena usually rely on analysis of the electromagnetic response of inhomogeneous dielectric environments that individually support plasmon and exciton excitations, here we explore also the consequences of a more detailed description of the molecular environment in terms of its quantum density matrix (applied in a mean field approximation level). Such a description makes it possible to account for characteristics that cannot be described by the dielectric response model: the effects of dephasing on the molecular response on one hand, and nonlinear response on the other. It also highlights the still missing important ingredients in the numerical approach, in particular its limitation to a classical description of the radiation field and its reliance on a mean field description of the many-body molecular system. We end our review with an outlook to the near future, where these limitations will be addressed and new novel applications of the numerical approach will be pursued.
[The assessment of expression of kininogen and bradykinin receptors genes in different vulvar pathologies by QPCR (TaqMan)].

OBJECTIVES In different vulvar pathologies inflammatory process and pain are often observed. In these processes, kinins, released from kininogen, play an important role. Their effects are mediated by at least two types of bradykinin receptors--B1 and B2. B1 receptor appears in certain pathological states, B2 is widely distributed in normal tissues. The expression of genes coding kininogen, B1 and B2 receptors can be a very sensitive marker of tissue pathology. DESIGN In the present study, the analysis of expression of genes coding kininogen, B1 and B2 was performed. The relation between the analysed genes expression and the pathology stage was analysed. MATERIALS AND METHODS The specimens from condylomata accuminata, vulvar cancer and surgical margin were analysed. The number of DNA and mRNA copies of beta-actine, kininogen, B1 and B2 were examined basing on Q-PCR standard curves for beta-actine by use of Perkin Elmer-kit and the sequence detector ABI PRISM 7700-Taq Man application. RESULTS In condylomata accuminata the high expression of mRNA of kininogen, B1 and B2 was found, while in vulvar cancer tissue, the expression of analysed genes was low. In the tissue from the tumour center, the lowest kinin genes expression was stated. CONCLUSIONS The absence of kininogen and B2 mRNA expression characterised vulvar cancer tissue. The profile of expression of kininogen and its receptor genes can be a useful marker in the assessment of vulvar cancer surgical margin.
Tsix-deficient X chromosome does not undergo inactivation in the embryonic lineage in males: implications for Tsix-independent silencing of Xist

Differential induction of the X-linked non-coding Xist gene is a key event in the process of X inactivation occurring in female mammalian embryos. Xist is negatively regulated in cis by its antisense gene Tsix through modification of the chromatin structure. The maternal Xist allele, which is normally silent in the extraembryonic lineages, is ectopically activated when Tsix is disrupted on the same chromosome, and subsequently the maternal X chromosome undergoes inactivation in the extraembryonic lineages even in males. However, it is still unknown whether the single Tsix-deficient X chromosome (XΔTsix) in males is also inactivated in the embryonic lineage. Here, we show that both male and female embryos carrying a maternally derived XΔTsix could survive if the extraembryonic tissues were complemented by wild-type tetraploid cells. In addition, Xist on the XΔTsix was properly silenced and methylated at CpG sites in adult male somatic cells. These results indicate that the embryonic lethality caused by the maternal XΔTsix is solely attributable to the defects in the extraembryonic lineages. XΔTsix does not seem to undergo inactivation in the embryonic lineage in males, suggesting the presence of a Tsix-independent silencing mechanism for Xist in the embryonic lineage.
A 5-year follow-up of 80 implants in 44 patients placed immediately after the lateral trap-door window procedure to accomplish maxillary sinus elevation without bone grafting.

PURPOSE The present study was performed to evaluate the 5-year status of immediately placed implants subjected to maxillary sinus elevation without grafting. MATERIALS AND METHODS Implants were placed in 2004 and 2005. A minimum of 3 mm of residual bone height (RBH) was required. All implants were placed with a sinus elevation performed through a lateral approach by the trap-door, open-window method without placement of any grafting material. Regular follow-up included oral hygiene instruction, periodontal charting, panoramic radiographs, and cone beam computed tomographic scans. The gained bone height (GBH) in the sinus, peri-implant sulcus depth, and marginal bone loss were analyzed statistically. RESULTS Forty-four patients (26 men, 18 women) with an average age of 58 years received 80 implants, which were followed for 5 years after prosthesis delivery. No patients developed sinusitis or other complications leading to implant loss. The average RBH was 5.06 ± 1.51 mm and the average intrasinus implant length was 7.77 ± 1.69 mm. Survival rates for the implants were 100% after 2 and 5 years. Average GBH was 7.24 ± 1.83 mm at 2 years (range, 3 to 12 mm) and 7.44 ± 1.94 mm at 5 years (P > .05). The average peri-implant sulcus depths were 2.5 ± 0.4 mm at 2 years and 3.1 ± 0.5 mm at 5 years (P < .05). The mean peri-implant marginal bone loss was 1.3 ± 0.3 mm at 2 years and 2.1 ± 0.5 mm at 5 years (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS New bone formation in the sinus was confirmed, and good survival of implants with maxillary sinus elevation by the lateral approach without grafting was observed after 5 years. Attention should be focused on oral hygiene maintenance to ensure peri-implant gingival health.
A label-free and non-invasive CMOS sub-THz plasmonic sensor for circulating tumor cell detection

This paper presents a label-free and non-invasive plasmonic sensor based on electrical cell impedance detection at sub-THz. The plasmonic sensor implemented by split-ring resonator (SRR) with different topologies is investigated in standard 65-nm CMOS process: differential T-line loaded SRR; stacked TEM-mode SRR and stacked TM-mode SRR. It is shown that sensor array with SRR has high sensitivity to detect the frequency shift between water and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) due to the difference in permittivity, especially for the surface-wave based TM-mode SRR. Moreover, oscillator with a voltage output is designed based on TEM-mode SRR, which is observed with a high voltage sensitivity of 15.4 mV/fF in distinguishing CTC solutions with various concentrations. Therefore, the plasmonic sensor proposed in this work is beneficial to monitor the tumor growth.
Safety and efficacy of botulinum toxin type B for treatment of sialorrhea in Parkinson's disease: A prospective double‐blind trial

Sialorrhea (drooling) is a common symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) that can significantly impair a patient's health and quality of life. Fifty‐four PD subjects with troublesome sialorrhea were enrolled using a multicenter, randomized, double‐blind, sequential‐dose escalation design in which subjects received a single intraglandular treatment with botulinum toxin type B (doses of 1,500 Units [0.3 mL]; 2,500 Units [0.5 ml]; or 3,500 Units [0.7 ml]) or placebo. Postinjection, subjects were followed acutely for 4 weeks and long‐term for up to 20 weeks. Safety/tolerability, as assessed by adverse events, was the primary outcome measure. Efficacy, as assessed by the Drooling Frequency and Severity Scale and unstimulated salivary flow rate, was secondary. Gastrointestinal‐related adverse events occurred more frequently in the active groups versus placebo group (31% vs 7%), with dry mouth being most common (15%). There were no serious adverse events attributed to botulinum toxin type B or discontinuations due to adverse events from treatment. At 4 weeks postinjection, Drooling Frequency and Severity Scale scores significantly improved versus placebo (−1.3 ± 1.3) in a dose‐related manner (−2.1 ± 1.2, P = 0.0191; −3.3 ± 1.4, P < 0.0001; −3.5 ± 1.1, P < 0.0001, respectively) and unstimulated salivary flow rates significantly decreased in all active groups versus placebo (P ≤ 0.0009). Furthermore, treated subjects appeared to have more sustained improvement in sialorrhea than placebo subjects. We conclude that intraglandular injection of botulinum toxin type B was safe, tolerable, and efficacious in treating sialorrhea in PD patients. Additional studies are warranted to further confirm the drug's robust efficacy, as well as evaluate its effect with repeated dosing. © 2011 Movement Disorder Society
Complex Regulation of Voltage-dependent Activation and Inactivation Properties of Retinal Voltage-gated Cav1.4 L-type Ca2+ Channels by Ca2+-binding Protein 4 (CaBP4)*

Background: Cav1.4 provides sustained influx of Ca2+ into photoreceptor terminals, which is required for continuous release of glutamate and normal vision. Results: We characterize the effects of CaBP4 on Cav1.4. Conclusion: CaBP4 increases Cav1.4 channel availability. CaBP4 mutations lead to reduced Cav1.4 availability and to retinal disease. Significance: CaBP4 tailors voltage gating of Cav1.4 for its function in photoreceptor terminals. Cav1.4 L-type Ca2+ channels are crucial for synaptic transmission in retinal photoreceptors and bipolar neurons. Recent studies suggest that the activity of this channel is regulated by the Ca2+-binding protein 4 (CaBP4). In the present study, we explored this issue by examining functional effects of CaBP4 on heterologously expressed Cav1.4. We show that CaBP4 dramatically increases Cav1.4 channel availability. This effect crucially depends on the presence of the C-terminal ICDI (inhibitor of Ca2+-dependent inactivation) domain of Cav1.4 and is absent in a Cav1.4 mutant lacking the ICDI. Using FRET experiments, we demonstrate that CaBP4 interacts with the IQ motif of Cav1.4 and that it interferes with the binding of the ICDI domain. Based on these findings, we suggest that CaBP4 increases Cav1.4 channel availability by relieving the inhibitory effects of the ICDI domain on voltage-dependent Cav1.4 channel gating. We also functionally characterized two CaBP4 mutants that are associated with a congenital variant of human night blindness and other closely related nonstationary retinal diseases. Although both mutants interact with Cav1.4 channels, the functional effects of CaBP4 mutants are only partially preserved, leading to a reduction of Cav1.4 channel availability and loss of function. In conclusion, our study sheds new light on the functional interaction between CaBP4 and Cav1.4. Moreover, it provides insights into the mechanism by which CaBP4 mutants lead to loss of Cav1.4 function and to retinal disease.
Budget Allocation in Binary Opinion Dynamics

In this article we study the allocation of a budget to promote an opinion in a group of agents. We assume that their opinion dynamics are based on the well-known voter model. We are interested in finding the most efficient use of a budget over time in order to manipulate a social network. We address the problem using the theory of discounted Markov decision processes. Our contributions can be summarized as follows: (i) we introduce the discounted Markov decision process in our cases, (ii) we present the corresponding Bellman equations, and, (iii) we solve the Bellman equations via backward programming. This work is a step towards providing a solid formulation of the budget allocation in social networks.
Smartphone-based continuous mobility monitoring of Parkinsons disease patients reveals impacts of ambulatory bout length on gait features

Smartphone-based remote monitoring is a potential solution for providing long-term, objective assessment of gait and mobility in patients with Parkinsons disease (PD). In the Multiple Ascending Dose study of PRX002/RG7935, forty-four mild to moderate PD patients from cohorts 4 to 6 were included in a smartphone-based assessment for up to 24 weeks, while in a separate control study, thirty-five age-and gender-matched healthy individuals performed the same assessment up to 6 weeks. In total, over 30,000 hours of sensor data from subjects' daily activities were collected. A convolutional recurrent neural network was used for human activity recognition and extracted gait-related activities, followed by a mobility analysis on extracted mobility features during ambulatory bouts and turns. The analysis revealed that PD patients showed significantly lower mobility in terms of average ambulatory bout length — length of time of one continuous ambulatory segment, average per-step power, turn speed, and number of turns per ambulatory minute. In addition, bout-length stratified analysis shows the between-group difference of multiple features is associated with bout lengths. These study results support the potential use of smartphones for long-term mobility monitoring in future clinical practice, and also shed lights on previously inaccessible relationships between bout length and gait features under free-living condition.
Plant and Animal Reproductive Strategies: Lessons from Offspring Size and Number Tradeoffs

The tradeoff between offspring size and number is ubiquitous and manifestly similar in plants and animals despite fundamental differences between the evolutionary histories of these two major life forms. Fecundity (offspring number) primarily affects parental fitness, while offspring size underpins the fitness of parents and offspring. We provide an overview of theoretical models dealing with offspring size and fitness relationships. We follow that with a detailed examination of life-history constraints and environmental effects on progeny size and number, separately in plants and animals. The emphasis is on seed plants, but we endeavour to also summarize information from distinct animal groups - insects, fishes, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Furthermore, we analyse genetic controls on progeny size and number in two model organisms - Arabidopsis and Drosophila. Despite the deep evolutionary divergence between plants and animals, we find four trends in reproductive strategy that are common to both lineages: (i) offspring size is generally less variable than offspring number, (ii) offspring size increases with increasing parent body size, (iii) maternal genes restrict offspring size and increase offspring numbers, while zygotic genes act to increase offspring size; such parent-offspring conflicts are enhanced when there is sibling rivalry, and (iv) variation in offspring size increases under sub-optimal (harsh) environmental conditions. The most salient difference between plants and animals is that the latter tend to produce larger (fewer) offspring under sub-optimal conditions while seed plants invest in smaller (many) seeds, suggesting that maternal genetic control over offspring size increases in plants but decreases in animals with parental care. The time is ripe for greater experimental exploration of genetic controls on reproductive allocation and parent-offspring conflicts in plants and animals under sub-optimal (harsh) environments.
The Induction of Partial Resistance to Photodynamic Therapy by the Protooncogene BCL‐2

Abstract— Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an efficient inducer of apoptosis, an active form of cell death that can be inhibited by the BCL‐2 oncoprotein. The ability of BCL‐2 to modulate PDT‐induced apoptosis and overall cell killing has been studied in a pair of Chinese hamster ovary cell lines that differ from one another by a transfected human BCL‐2 gene in one of them (Bissonnette et al., Nature 359,552–554, 1992). Cells were exposed to the phthalo‐cyanine photosensitizer Pc 4 and various fluences of red light. Pc 4 uptake was identical in the two cell lines. The parental cells displayed a high incidence of apoptosis after PDT, whereas at each fluence there was a much lower incidence of apoptosis in the BCL‐2‐expressing cells. Apoptosis was monitored by (a) observation of 50 kbp and oligonucleosome‐size DNA fragments by gel electrophoresis, (b) flow cytometry of cells labeled with fluores‐cently tagged dUTP by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase and (c) fluorescence microscopy of acridine orange‐stained cells. The time course of apoptosis varied with the PDT dose, suggesting that only after moderately high doses (> 99% loss of clonogenicity) was there a relatively synchronous and rapid entry of many cells into apoptosis. At PDT doses reducing cell survival by 90 or 99%, significant increases in apoptotic cells were found in the population after6–12 h. Clonogenic assays showed that BCL‐2 protein inhibited not only apoptosis but overall cell killing as well, effecting a two‐fold resistance at the 10% survival level. Thus, BCL‐2‐expressing cells may be relatively resistant to PDT.
Comparative molecular neuroanatomy of cloned GABAA receptor subunits in the rat CNS

γ‐Aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptors in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) are members of a family of ligand‐gated ion channels consisting of heterooligomeric glycoprotein complexes in synaptic and extrasynaptic membranes. Although molecular cloning studies have identified 5 subunits (with ∼40% amino acid homology) and isoforms thereof (∼70% homology), namely α1–6, β1–4, γ1–3, δ, and ρ, the subunit composition and stoichiometry of native receptors are not known.