Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multiple Functional States of the Cardiac Na+‐Ca2+ Exchanger

Modulation properties of the cardiac Nat-Ca2+ exchanger have been studied electrophysiologically in giant membrane patches from cardiac myocytes,1-4 in giant patches from Xenopus oocytes expressing the canine cardiac exchanger (NCXl),' and in single guinea-pig ventricular myocytes.6 A comparison of exchanger function between these different systems may help to define exchanger properties which are inherent to the exchanger protein itself, as opposed to properties which depend on exchanger environment (e.g., cell regulatory processes, auxiliary proteins, and/or a different processing of the exchanger in different cell types). As first important example, it was found that MgATP is without effect on the exchange current expressed in Xenopus oocyte membrane,6 thereby suggesting that proteins other than the exchanger are involved in the ATP effect. Qualitatively similar exchanger modulation reactions have been identified in each of the three experimental Many results can be well explained by assuming that, in analogy to ion channels, the exchanger fluctuates between
A Bright Outlook for Acoustic Filtering: A New Generation of Very Low-Profile SAW, TC SAW, and BAW Devices for Module Integration

Few technologies have achieved such worldwide success as mobile communications technology has over the last several decades. Mobile wireless communication is still evolving at a fast pace and continues to create new possibilities for daily application. As demand for more energy-efficient and faster mobile computing power grows, so does the need for transmission at high data rates, driven by users' eager acceptance of streaming high-definition video and other innovations. To cope with the demand for bandwidth, more new frequency bands have been released for mobile communications, or have been freed from other applications like analog television, and devoted to this new purpose. In addition, more effective transmission standards have been adopted, such as the state-of-the-art long-term evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced.
HIV p17 enhances lymphocyte proliferation and HIV‐1 replication after binding to a human serum factor

Objective:To analyse the role of recombinant HIV-1 protein p17 in the modulation of cell activity. Methods:Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from healthy donors were cultured in the presence or absence of p17 with mitogens such as phytohaemagglutinin or interleukin-2 and their response assayed by cell proliferation. Cross-linking experiments were employed to investigate the presence of a binding between p17 and factor(s) present in human serum. An immunoenzymatic assay for p24 antigen detection was used to analyse the effect of the addition of exogenous p17 to cultures of PBMC infected with HIV-1 in vitro. Results:Purified recombinant p17 protein at a concentration of 0.25 µg/ml significantly increased the proliferation of preactivated PBMC obtained from healthy donors. This effect was obtained by binding p17 to factor(s) present in human serum and observed on both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Recombinant p17 also induced an increased rate of HIV-1 replication, probably due to enhanced T-cell proliferation. The activity of p17 protein was inhibited by anti-p17 antibodies generated by injecting recombinant p17 in rabbits, but not by human antibodies generated during the natural course of HIV infection. Conclusion:Characterization of the human factor(s) and identification of the interacting p17 epitope(s) will improve our understanding of the mechanisms used by HIV to efficiently replicate in our organisms.
Collective behavior coordination with predictive mechanisms

In natural flocks/swarms, it is very appealing that low-level individual intelligence and communication can yield advanced coordinated collective behaviors such as congregation, synchronization and migration. In the past few years, the discovery of collective flocking behaviors has stimulated much interest in the study of the underlying organizing principles of abundant natural groups, which has led to dramatic advances in this emerging and active research field. Inspired by previous investigations on the predictive intelligence of animals, insects and microorganisms, we seek in this article to understand the role of predictive mechanisms in the forming and evolving of flocks/swarms by using both numerical simulations and mathematical analyses. This article reviews some basic concepts, important progress, and significant results in the current studies of collective predictive mechanisms, with emphasis on their virtues concerning consensus improvement and communication cost reduction. Due to these advantages, such predictive mechanisms have great potential to find their way into industrial applications.
Sun exposure and vitamin D sufficiency 1 – 4

Ultraviolet radiation is a carcinogen that also compromises skin appearance and function. Because the ultraviolet action spectra for DNA damage, skin cancer, and vitamin D3 photosynthesis are identical and vitamin D is readily available from oral supplements, why has sun protection become controversial? First, the media and, apparently, some researchers are hungry for a new message. Second, the controversy is fueled by a powerful special interest group: the tanning industry. This industry does not target the frail elderly or inner-city ethnic minorities, groups for whom evidence of vitamin D3 insufficiency is strongest, but rather fair-skinned teenagers and young adults, who are at highest risk of ultraviolet photodamage. Third, evolution does not keep pace with civilization. When nature gave humans the appealing capacity for cutaneous vitamin D3 photosynthesis, life expectancy was 40 y; long-term photodamage was not a concern; and vitamin D3 deficiency, with its resulting skeletal abnormalities (rickets), was likely to be fatal in early life. In the 21st century, life expectancy approaches 80 y in developed countries, vitamin D3 is available at the corner store, and the lifetime risk of skin cancer is 1 in 3 among white Americans. Medical and regulatory groups should avoid poorly reasoned, sensationalistic recommendations regarding unprotected ultraviolet exposure. Instead, they should rigorously explore possible cause-and-effect relations between vitamin D3 status and specific diseases while advocating the safest possible means of ensuring vitamin D3 sufficiency. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;88(suppl):570S–7S.
Triple-L: Improving CPS Disk I/O Performance in a Virtualized NAS Environment

Network-attached storage (NAS) provides cyberphysical systems (CPS) with the scalable, efficient, and reliable backing storage, such as the mobile virtual desktop based on cloud infrastructure. Within this storage architecture, virtual machine (VM) instances running in the NAS client usually receive data from the complex physical world and then persist them in the neat cyberspace in the NAS server. In this paper, we propose Triple-L to improve VM disk I/O performance in the NAS architecture. According to the specific storage semantic, Triple-L decouples the VM image file into several subfiles at the host layer and then selectively moves them into the NAS clients. In such a way, a VM disk I/O request may be proceeded locally in the NAS client, instead of walking the external networking path repetitively between NAS server and client. We have implemented Triple-L in a Xen-based NAS system. An accessory solution for dealing with storage failure and VM live migration on Triple-L is also discussed and evaluated. The experimental result shows that our work can effectively improve the disk I/O performance of VMs. Meanwhile, it brings moderate overhead for VM live migration.
The motion of the swarm in Proteus mirabilis.

Summary Observations by phase-contrast microscopy upon the swarm of Proteus mirabilis lead to the conclusion that its development is in two stages; at first, as an open mesh of bacterial strands, along which bodies of swarmers migrate in any direction; later, when these meshes have filled up to give a continuous film of bacteria, expansion continues by the growth of the whole body, in the manner of a Medusa-head colony. All parts are in motion, and masses of several hundred units move about within the swarm. The total effect is a general expansion, but the main motion of swarmers at the edges is at right-angles to the direction in which the swarm is extending.
Design of a 16-bit 50-kHz low-power SC delta-sigma modulator for ADC in 0.18um CMOS technology

This Master Thesis work aims to design a low power high-resolution Delta-Sigma modulator for ADC in a low-cost standard mixed-mode CMOS technology. For this purpose, a single-bit single loop Delta-Sigma architecture will be selected in order to mitigate distortion issues caused by technology mismatching. Also, the switched capacitor (SC) circuit implementation of the Delta-Sigma modulator will avoid the use of any internal voltage supply bootstrapping for biasing critical switches in favor of extending IC lifetime. The designer will take benefit of the low-power Class-AB Op
Recent advances in transgenic arthropod technology

Abstract The ability to insert foreign genes into arthropod genomes has led to a diverse set of potential applications for transgenic arthropods, many of which are designed to advance public health or improve agricultural production. New techniques for expressing foreign genes in arthropods have now been successfully used in at least 18 different genera. However, advances in field biology are lagging far behind those in the laboratory, and considerable work is needed before deployment in nature can be a reality. A mechanism to drive the gene of interest though a natural population must be developed and thoroughly evaluated before any field release, but progress in this area has been limited. Likewise, serious consideration of potential risks associated with deployment in nature has been lacking. This review gives an overview of the most promising techniques for expressing foreign genes in arthropods, considers the potential risks associated with their deployment, and highlights the areas of research that are most urgently needed for the field to advance out of the laboratory and into practice.
Levomilnacipran (Fetzima)

In July 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration approved levomilnacipran extended release (ER; Fetzima), a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, for the treatment of adults with major depressive disorder. Levomilnacipran is an active enantiomer of the racemic drug milnacipran that is currently approved in the United States for the treatment of fibromyalgia. This article provides an overview of the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetic properties, clinical efficacy, safety, and tolerability of levomilnacipran ER. Relevant information was identified through a search of databases using the key word levomilnacipran. Additional information was obtained from fda.gov, by a review of the reference lists of identified articles, and from posters and abstracts from scientific meetings. Levomilnacipran ER, dosed once daily, is generally well tolerated and has demonstrated favorable effects compared to placebo in clinical trials of patients with major depressive disorder. The increased potency for norepinephrine reuptake inhibition is a characteristic that may represent a novel contribution for levomilnacipran. Additional studies comparing levomilnacipran ER to other commonly prescribed antidepressants are needed to further evaluate its place in therapy.
Life events as a risk factor for psychological problems in individuals with intellectual disabilities: a critical review.

BACKGROUND Stressful life events such as bereavement, moving house and changing jobs have repeatedly been implicated as risk factors for mental and physical ill health. Since the 1940s, researchers have demonstrated the negative effects of stressful life events, refined methods of recording such events and investigated the relative impact of different types of event. These investigations have generally not extended to include people with intellectual disabilities. METHODS We conducted a narrative review of research on life events as they occur to people with intellectual disabilities and critically assessed the evidence that life events function as a risk factor for psychological problems. Evidence was reviewed for an association between life events and a range of outcome variables, including affective disorders, challenging behaviour, psychosis and psychological problems more generally. We also critiqued the methodology behind the current evidence base and discussed a number of methodological advances that would help to strengthen it. CONCLUSIONS There is reasonable evidence that life events are associated with psychological problems, and that there is some tentative evidence that life events play a causal role, although to date, no relationship with psychosis in people with intellectual disabilities has been demonstrated. Life events are likely to be pertinent in clinical work with people with intellectual disabilities.
Benign cervicovaginal deformities in young women not exposed to diethylstilboestrol

During a 2‐year period six women have been identified with benign cervicovaginal deformities of the type normally associated with diethylstilboestrol (DES) exposure in utero. In none of them could such a hormonal history be identified. It is suggested, in view of these findings, that benign cervicovaginal deformities are not unique to women exposed to DES in utero and some possible reasons why they have never previously been reported are presented.
Dissecting the Interaction between Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) and Caveolin

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is a dually acylated peripheral membrane protein that targets to the Golgi region and caveolae of endothelial cells. Recent evidence has shown that eNOS can co-precipitate with caveolin-1, the resident coat protein of caveolae, suggesting a direct interaction between these two proteins. To test this idea, we examined the interactions of eNOS with caveolin-1 in vitro and in vivo. Incubation of endothelial cell lysates or purified eNOS with glutathioneS-transferase (GST)-caveolin-1 resulted in the direct interaction of the two proteins. Utilizing a series of GST-caveolin-1 deletion mutants, we identified two cytoplasmic domains of caveolin-1 that interact with eNOS, the scaffolding domain (amino acids 61–101) and to a lesser extent the C-terminal tail (amino acids 135–178). Incubation of pure eNOS with peptides derived from the scaffolding domains of caveolin-1 and -3, but not the analogous regions from caveolin-2, resulted in inhibition of eNOS, inducible NOS (iNOS), and neuronal NOS (nNOS) activities. These results suggest a common mechanism and site of inhibition. Utilizing GST-eNOS fusions, the site of caveolin binding was localized between amino acids 310 and 570. Site-directed mutagenesis of the predicted caveolin binding motif within eNOS blocked the ability of caveolin-1 to suppress NO release in co-transfection experiments. Thus, our data demonstrate a novel functional role for caveolin-1 in mammalian cells as a potential molecular chaperone that directly inactivates NOS. This suggests that the direct binding of eNOS to caveolin-1, per se, and the functional consequences of eNOS targeting to caveolae are likely temporally and spatially distinct events that regulate NO production in endothelial cells. Additionally, the inactivation of eNOS and nNOS by the scaffolding domain of caveolin-3 suggests that eNOS in cardiac myocytes and nNOS in skeletal muscle are likely subject to negative regulation by this muscle-specific caveolin isoform.
Ultrastructural and functional characteristics of blast injury-induced neurotrauma.

OBJECTIVE The present study investigates whether whole-body or local (chest) exposure to blast overpressure can induce ultrastructural, biochemical, and cognitive impairments in the brain. METHODS Male Wistar rats were trained for an active avoidance task for 6 days. On day 6, rats that had acquired the avoidance response were subjected to whole-body blast injury (WBBI), generated by large-scale shock tube (n = 40); or local (chest) blast injury (LBI), induced by blast overpressure focused on the right middle thoracic region and generated by small-scale shock tube (n = 40) while the heads of animals were protected. At the completion of cognitive testing, rats were killed at 3 hours, 24 hours, and 5 days after injury. Ultrastructural changes in the hippocampus were analyzed electron microscopically. Parameters of oxidative stress (malondialdehyde and superoxide anion generation) and antioxidant enzyme defense (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity) were measured in the hippocampus to assess biochemical changes in the brain after blast. RESULTS Ultrastructural findings in animals subjected to WBBI or LBI demonstrated swellings of neurons, glial reaction, and myelin debris in the hippocampus. All rats revealed significant deficits in performance of the active avoidance task 3 hours after injury, but deficits persisted up to day 5 after injury only in rats subjected to WBBI. Oxidative stress development and altered antioxidant enzyme defense was observed in animals in both groups. Cognitive impairment and biochemical changes in the hippocampus were significantly correlated with blast injury severity in both WBBI and LBI groups. CONCLUSION These results confirm that exposure to blast overpressure induces ultrastructural and biochemical impairments in the brain hippocampus, with associated development of cognitive deficits.
Pulsations in hot supergiants

Abstract Massive stars are the cosmic engines that shape and drive our Universe. Many issues such as their formation, their stability and the mass loss effects, are far from being completely understood. Recent ground-based and space observations have shown pulsations in massive MS and post-MS stars, such as acoustic and gravity modes excited by the κ-mechanism and even solar-like oscillations. Theoretical studies emphasized the presence of strange modes in massive models, and recent theoretical analyses have shown that hot supergiants can pulsate in oscillatory convective modes. We review the instability domains of massive stars as well as their excitation mechanisms and present the latest results.
Members of the PIAS family act as SUMO ligases for c-Jun and p53 and repress p53 activity

The activity of the p53 tumor suppressor protein and the c-Jun protooncogene is regulated by posttranslational modifications, such as phosphorylation or ubiquitination. In addition, covalent attachment of the ubiquitin-like modifier SUMO appears to modulate their transcriptional activity. Sumoylation proceeds via an enzymatic pathway that is mechanistically analogous to ubiquitination, but requires a different E1-activating enzyme and Ubc9, a SUMO-specific E2-conjugating enzyme. Here, we show that two members of the PIAS family, PIAS1 and PIASxβ, act as specific E3-like ligases that promote sumoylation of p53 and c-Jun in vitro and in vivo. The PIAS proteins physically interact with both p53 and c-Jun. In addition, they bind to Ubc9, suggesting that they recruit the E2 enzyme to their respective substrate. The SUMO ligase activity requires the conserved zinc-finger domain, which is distantly related to the essential RING-finger motif, found in a subset of ubiquitin ligases. Furthermore, similar to RING-type ubiquitin ligases, PIASxβ can catalyze its own modification. Hence, these data further extend the analogy between the ubiquitin and SUMO pathway. Strikingly, PIAS proteins strongly repress the transcriptional activity of p53, suggesting that the PIAS–SUMO pathway plays a crucial role in the regulation of p53 and presumably other transcription factors.
Far Far Away in Far Rockaway: Responses to Risks and Impacts during Hurricane Sandy through First-Person Social Media Narratives

When Hurricane Sandy swept over the US eastern seaboard in October 2012, it was the most tweeted about event at the time. However, some of the most affected areas were underrepresented in the social media conversation about Sandy. Here, we examine the hurricane-related experiences and behaviors shared on Twitter by residents of Far Rockaway, a New York City neighborhood that is geographically and socioeconomically vulnerable to disasters, which was significantly affected by the storm. By carefully filtering the vast Twitter data, we focus on 41 Far Rockaway residents who offer rich personal accounts of their experience with Sandy. Analyzing their first-person narratives, we see risk perception and protective decision-making behavior in their data. We also find themes of invisibility and neglect when residents expressed feeling abandoned by the media, the city government, and the overall relief efforts in the aftermath of Sandy.
Cone Adaptation in Age‐Related Maculopathy

ABSTRACT Cone adaptation was measured in patients with age‐related maculopathy (ARM) and agematched controls. A red stimulus was used to selectively bias responses toward cone function and adaptation was measured 5, 10, 20, and 40° eccentric to fixation. The ARM patients' thresholds were elevated by 1 log unit at 5 and 10°, with the threshold difference reducing to 0.5 log units at 40°. Curves of the form log (threshold luminance) = ae‐bt + c (where t is time and a, b, and c are constants) were fitted to each adaptation curve; a procedure involving differentiation of the above equation was used to estimate the constant parameters. Time constants of cone recovery (1/b) were derived for each fitted curve. No significant difference was found between the time constants of the two test groups. Our data suggest that cone adaptation is significantly affected in patients with ARM, with raised cone thresholds occurring for areas well into the peripheral retina. We suggest that the effect is mediated by a reduction in the number of functional cones, which elevates the final cone thresholds without altering the adaptation time constant. Our findings imply that age‐related “maculopathy” may not be confined to the macular area, and that early signs of the degeneration may be present in the peripheral retina even when central acuity is normal.
Circulating vasopressin levels in septic shock.

OBJECTIVE To assess the frequency of vasopressin deficiency in septic shock. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Intensive care unit at Raymond Poincaré University Hospital. PATIENTS A cohort of 44 patients who met the usual criteria for septic shock for < 7 days. A second cohort of 18 septic shock patients were enrolled within the first 8 hrs of disease onset. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS General demographics, severity scores, vital signs, standard biochemical data, and circulating vasopressin levels were systematically obtained at baseline in the two cohorts. Vasopressin deficiency was defined by a normal plasma vasopressin level in the presence of a systolic blood pressure of <100 mm Hg or in the presence of hypernatremia. Baroreflex sensitivity was systematically evaluated in patients of the first cohort when vasopressin deficiency was noted. In the second cohort of patients, plasma levels of vasopressin were obtained at baseline, 6, 24, 48, and 96 hrs after shock onset. In the first population, plasma vasopressin levels were inversely correlated to the delay from shock onset. Fourteen patients had relative vasopressin deficiency: 12 patients had systolic blood pressure <100 mm Hg, with impaired baroreflex sensitivity in four, and three patients had hypernatremia. In the second population, only two patients had relative vasopressin deficiency. The plasma levels of vasopressin significantly decreased over time (p < 10-3). CONCLUSIONS Plasma vasopressin levels are almost always increased at the initial phase of septic shock and decrease afterward. Relative vasopressin deficiency is seen in approximately one-third of late septic shock patients.