Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Injection of Nuclear Factor-Kappa B Decoy into the Sciatic Nerve Suppresses Mechanical Allodynia and Thermal Hyperalgesia in a Rat Inflammatory Pain Model

Study Design. In vitro and in vivo study of a rat inflammatory pain model using nuclear factor-kappa B decoy. Objectives. To investigate transduction efficiency of nuclear factor-kappa B decoy into dorsal root ganglion, both in vivo and in vitro, and to assess the suppression of inflammatory pain by nuclear factor-kappa B decoy. Summary of Background Data. Transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B is reported to play a crucial role in regulating pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression. We hypothesized that inhibiting nuclear factor-kappa B gene expression with nuclear factor-kappa B decoy may suppress inflammatory pain. Methods. Nuclear factor-kappa B decoy-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was induced in explant culture, endoneurally injected into the sciatic nerve, and its transduction efficiency into dorsal root ganglion measured. For behavioral testing, 12 rats received plantar injections of complete Freund's adjuvant and were divided into 3 groups: decoy group, single endoneural injection of 10 &mgr;L of nuclear factor-kappa B decoy (n = 4); saline group, single endoneural injection of 10 &mgr;L of saline (n = 4); and naïve group, untreated (n = 4). Behavioral testing was performed using von Frey filaments and a Hargreaves device with a heat source. Results. Total transduction efficiency of nuclear factor-kappa B decoy-FITC was 53.6% in vitro and 20.5% in vivo. No statistical differences were observed with respect to types of cell size distributions of all FITC-positive neurons. In behavioral testing, withdrawal latencies or thresholds significantly differed between the decoy group and the saline group from 2 to 14 days after surgery in the mechanical allodynia experiments, and from 2 to 3 days after surgery in the thermal hyperalgesia experiments. Conclusions. Nuclear factor-kappa B decoy was conveyed and transduced into dorsal root ganglion both in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, nuclear factor-kappa B decoy reduced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in the rat inflammatory pain model, suggesting that inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B with nuclear factor-kappa B decoy may represent a key mechanism for mediating inflammation or reducing inflammatory pain.
Cancer Chemopreventive and Tumoricidal Properties of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.)

Since cancer is the most common cause of death in the world population, the possibility that readily available natural substances from plants, vegetables, herbs, and spices may be beneficial in the prevention of cancer warrants closer examination. Saffron in filaments is the dried, dark red stigmata of Crocus sativus L. flowers and it is used as a spice, food colorant, and a drug in medicine. A growing body of research has demonstrated that saffron extract itself and its main constituents, the carotenoids, possess chemopreventive properties against cancer. This review discusses recent literature data and our results on the cancer chemopreventive activities of saffron and its main ingredients
Cooperative Transmission in Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks

Cognitive radio technology is the key to realize dynamic spectrum access system and promote the spectrum utilization through exploiting the spectrum holes left by primary users. However, the spatial heterogeneity of spectrum availability imposes special challenges for efficient utilization of the spectrum resources for cognitive radio ad hoc networks (CRAHNs). The cross-layer cooperative transmission scheme is a promising approach to improve the efficiency of spectrum utilization and improve the performance of cognitive radio networks. Such an approach leverages relay-assisted discontiguous OFDM (DOFDM) for data transmission at physical and MAC layers in a basic three-node configuration. With this scheme, a relay node will be selected that can bridge the source and the destination using its common channels between those two nodes. In this paper, we investigate the application of such a cooperative transmission scheme to address the spectrum heterogeneity issue in CRAHNs. In particular, we describe several types of cooperative transmission and formulate a new resource allocation problem with joint relay selection and channel allocation. We propose a heuristic algorithm to solve the resource allocation problem, which is based on the metric of utility-spectrum ratio of transmission groups. Simulations demonstrate the performance improvement of the cooperative transmission over the direct transmission.
Train Traffic Control Based on Distributed Resource Allocation

Abstract The railway traffic is characterized as a large and dynamic system with uncertain properties related to resource loading, train arrivals and failures. Despite these uncertainties, the control system is expected to guarantee that all the trains behave according to their timelines. The current approach solves the railway traffic control problem using the resource allocation. The trains are considered tasks with specified temporal behaviors that have to fulfill their deadlines. The solutions based on open loop, closed loop with independent, coordinated and heterarchical controllers are defined and compared. The control signals are implemented and verified using time Petri nets. Some algorithms for control system implementation are given. The method evaluations are performed using the meter functions: utility, utilization, reservation and efficiency. The results obtained through simulations show that the proposed distributed controllers solve adequately the control problems and can be used for large scale implementation.
High efficiency RF energy harvesting with threshold-votlage-adjusted gate control diode

Gate controlled diodes (GCD) and rectifiers using the GCD with the different threshold voltage (Vt) of the MOS by the ion-implantation were fabricated with 0.18 um CMOS technology. The DC characterization of the GCD revealed that the turn on voltage of the GCD is reduced and becomes lower than the Schottky Barrier Diode (SBD) when the Vt of the MOS is reduced and there exist the bulk leakage pass of the MOS on the reverse leakage current of the 0.18 um GCD. It was also clarified that the parasitic capacitance of the GCD will be lower than the SBD. From simulations and measurements of the rectifier, it was found out for the first time that the rectification efficiency of the rectifier using the GCD has a peak value when changing the Vt of MOS in the GCD, and the rectification efficiency of the rectifier using the GCD with the near zero Vt of the MOS overcomes the rectifier' using the specially designed SBD for the small signal applications, on the ultralow power input of the RF energy harvesting.
A network architecture for self-organized networks

The goal of a CSCW system is to enable users to cooperate conveniently no mater when and where. Currently, most CSCW users rely on the existing network infrastructures. The self-organized network is a multi-hop temporary autonomous system of mobile nodes equipped with wireless transmitters and receivers without the aid of any existing network infrastructure. In such an environment, it may be necessary for one mobile node, in order to communicate another node, to need a chain of intermediate nodes to forward packets due to the limited propagation range of each mobile node's wireless transmissions. The self-organized networking can provide a communication supporting environment when the network infrastructure is absent, thus extending the CSCW application environment. This paper describes the conception and characteristics of the self-organized network, then proposes its architecture.
Carboxyl-terminal Tail-mediated Homodimerizations of Sphingomyelin Synthases Are Responsible for Efficient Export from the Endoplasmic Reticulum*

Sphingomyelin synthase (SMS) is the key enzyme for cross-talk between bioactive sphingolipids and glycerolipids. In mammals, SMS consists of two isoforms: SMS1 is localized in the Golgi apparatus, whereas SMS2 is localized in both the Golgi and plasma membranes. SMS2 seems to exert cellular functions through protein-protein interactions; however, the existence and functions of quaternary structures of SMS1 and SMS2 remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that both SMS1 and SMS2 form homodimers. The SMSs have six membrane-spanning domains, and the N and C termini of both proteins face the cytosolic side of the Golgi apparatus. Chemical cross-linking and bimolecular fluorescence complementation revealed that the N- and/or C-terminal tails of the SMSs were in close proximity to those of the other SMS in the homodimer. Homodimer formation was significantly decreased by C-terminal truncations, SMS1-ΔC22 and SMS2-ΔC30, indicating that the C-terminal tails of the SMSs are primarily responsible for homodimer formation. Moreover, immunoprecipitation using deletion mutants revealed that the C-terminal tail of SMS2 mainly interacted with the C-terminal tail of its homodimer partner, whereas the C-terminal tail of SMS1 mainly interacted with a site other than the C-terminal tail of its homodimer partner. Interestingly, homodimer formation occurred in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane before trafficking to the Golgi apparatus. Reduced homodimerization caused by C-terminal truncations of SMSs significantly reduced ER-to-Golgi transport. Our findings suggest that the C-terminal tails of SMSs are involved in homodimer formation, which is required for efficient transport from the ER.
BCG: The Challenge Continues

It is widely recognized that BCG provides inconsistent and often inadequate protection against tuberculosis; however, simple estimates of efficacy fail to reflect the complexity of protection within, let alone between, populations. A decline in protection with an increase in age at vaccination has been seen in many studies. This may reflect 2 things: (i) that as people age they are exposed to a variety of mycobacterial challenges which may interfere with, or mask, the protection of BCG; and/or (ii) that the vaccine is better at protecting against primary disease than against either reactivation- or reinfection-type disease. These factors need to be taken into consideration when interpreting the results obtained with screening vaccines in animal models, as most of these models mimic acute primary-type disease. In addition, we have no evidence that the protection induced by BCG lasts for > 15 y, in any population. Recent data from South India indicate a complex interaction of age and time effects: BCG imparted consistent protection in children, but no protection for subjects > 15 y old, and may even have imparted negative protection among these older individuals. If true, these findings have important implications for efforts to develop a vaccine against adult pulmonary tuberculosis.
A multiprotein occupancy map of the mRNP on the 3′ end of histone mRNAs

The animal replication-dependent (RD) histone mRNAs are coordinately regulated with chromosome replication. The RD-histone mRNAs are the only known cellular mRNAs that are not polyadenylated. Instead, the mature transcripts end in a conserved stem–loop (SL) structure. This SL structure interacts with the stem–loop binding protein (SLBP), which is involved in all aspects of RD-histone mRNA metabolism. We used several genomic methods, including high-throughput sequencing of cross-linked immunoprecipitate (HITS-CLIP) to analyze the RNA-binding landscape of SLBP. SLBP was not bound to any RNAs other than histone mRNAs. We performed bioinformatic analyses of the HITS-CLIP data that included (i) clustering genes by sequencing read coverage using CVCA, (ii) mapping the bound RNA fragment termini, and (iii) mapping cross-linking induced mutation sites (CIMS) using CLIP-PyL software. These analyses allowed us to identify specific sites of molecular contact between SLBP and its RD-histone mRNA ligands. We performed in vitro crosslinking assays to refine the CIMS mapping and found that uracils one and three in the loop of the histone mRNA SL preferentially crosslink to SLBP, whereas uracil two in the loop preferentially crosslinks to a separate component, likely the 3′hExo. We also performed a secondary analysis of an iCLIP data set to map UPF1 occupancy across the RD-histone mRNAs and found that UPF1 is bound adjacent to the SLBP-binding site. Multiple proteins likely bind the 3′ end of RD-histone mRNAs together with SLBP.
A framework for secure remote updating of bitstream on runtime reconfigurable embedded platforms

With the current evolution in run-time reconfigurable computing, runtime reconfigurable platforms are becoming increasingly viable. End users can download an updated version of a bitstream over the Internet and reconfigure the hardware platform partially without affecting the rest of the system like downloading and installing software. However, remote downloading and upgrading of bitstream is vulnerable to spoofing and replay attacks. This paper presents a framework to guarantee a secure and efficient remote updating of FPGA bitstream on runtime reconfigurable embedded platforms which consist of an embedded microprocessor and a runtime reconfigurable FPGA hardware. The framework addresses different issues including bitstream management, compression, encryption and authentication. A prototype system based on Xilinx Spartan-6 LX45 FPGA Altys board is used as a proof of concept for our framework.
A Mathematical Simulation to Explain the Coordinated Functions of Efflux and Metabolism Limiting the Transport of Anti-HIV Agents Across Caco-2 Cells

Objectives:The purpose of this study was to simulate a mathematical model that explains the coordinated function of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and/or CYP3A4 in human intestinal enterocytes. In addition, this study aimed to determine the efflux interactions of anti-HIV protease inhibitors. Methods:Human colon carcinoma–derived Caco-2 cells were selected as a model system to evaluate the effects of P-gp–mediated efflux of HIV protease inhibitors. Anti-HIV agents ritonavir and saquinavir were selected as model drugs to determine efflux interactions. An absorption-metabolism classification system is hence proposed based on substrate specificities of drugs toward P-gp and/or CYP3A4 and their probable interactions with other compounds. Results:Enhanced apical to basal (A–B) ritonavir transport was observed on coadministration of saquinavir. Saturable, concentration-dependent inhibition of ritonavir efflux from Caco-2 monolayers was also observed with saquinavir. The IC50 values of ritonavir (as a self-inhibitor) and saquinavir from dose-response curves, estimated by fitting the data to nonlinear equations, were found to be 7.15 and 33.2 μmol/L, respectively. The respective Ki values determined were 8.5 and 28.91 μmol/L. The experimentally obtained Ki values decreased in the close approximation with the IC50 values. Conclusion:Proposed mathematical simulations may prove to be a useful tool in predicting drug interactions by inhibition of P-gp mediated efflux and CYP3A4-mediated metabolism.
Towards an Integration of Biochemical and Biophysical Models of Neuronal Information Processing: A Case Study in the Nigro-striatal System

The experimental and theoretical study of intracellular biochemical signaling mechanisms lags considerably behind our understanding of electrical processes of neuronal membranes. Both signaling processes, however, are extensively intertwined and can be analyzed and modeled using formally similar mathematical tools. With the nigro-striatal system as an example, we review various formal approaches to describe metabotropic signaling in dopamine- and calcium-dependent pathways and their interactions with electrical membrane processes. These demonstrate the feasibility of synthetic modeling and afford insights into a variety of specific signaling mechanisms. Extending and linking hitherto isolated models has the potential to transcend descriptive levels and to provide a fuller understanding of the molecular basis of macroscopic information processing in the central nervous system.
3-terminal nanoelectromechanical switching device in insulating liquid media for low voltage operation and reliability improvement

A nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switching device is developed with a new technique involving a liquid medium. Operation voltage is reduced by about 40% and the number of switching cycles with reliable device performance is improved dramatically, more than 5-fold. The device has a 50 nm thick TiN cantilever with a 40 nm air-gap. A CMOS compatible process is employed.
Volitional Covert Orienting to a Peripheral Cue Does Not Suppress Cue-induced Inhibition of Return

Detection reaction time (RT) at an extrafoveal location can be increased by noninformative precues presented at that location or ipsilaterally to it. This cue-induced inhibition is called inhibition of return or ipsilateral inhibition. We measured detection RT to simple light targets at extrafoveal locations that could be designated for covert orienting by local or distant cues. We found that cue-induced inhibition co-occurred in an additive fashion with the direct effects of covert orienting, i.e., it detracted from facilitation at attended locations and increased the disadvantage for unattended locations. Thus, cue-induced inhibition cannot be suppressed by a volitional covert orienting to the cued location; the cooccurrence of different facilitatory and inhibitory effects confirms the simultaneous operation of multiple independent, attentional mechanisms during covert orienting.
Neuroanesthesiology Review—2005

The 2005 literature contained many articles of interest to clinicians providing perioperative or intensive unit care for patients with either existing neurologic diseases or at risk for new-onset aberrations of neurophysiology or function. We share with readers a thorough, although not comprehensive, review of that literature, emphasizing articles of greatest relevance to practicing neuroanesthesiologists and neurointensivists.
Do sensorimotor dynamics extend the conscious mind? 1

According to the extended conscious mind thesis (ECM), the physical basis of consciousness is not confined exclusively to the brain, but extends beyond it via sensorimotor dynamics. ECM is enjoying growing support among philosophers inspired by developments in enactive and embodied cognitive science. ECM has obvious parallels with the extended mind thesis (EM), according to which the physical basis of cognition is likewise not confined to the brain. However, EM’s originator and most prominent defender, Andy Clark, argues that EM theorists can and should reject ECM, and offers an alternative internalist account, which admits a causal but non-constitutive role for sensorimotor dynamics. In this paper, I examine how well this claim fits with some of the key commitments of EM, and the implications for the EM theorist who wishes to deny ECM. I argue that Clark’s position – ECM-rejecting EM – is untenable, and defend the ECM interpretation of sensorimotor dynamics.
Considering the Culture of Disability in Cultural Competence Education

Cultural competence extends beyond understanding those values, beliefs, and needs that are associated with patients' age or gender or with their racial, ethnic, or religious backgrounds. People hold many simultaneous cultural associations, and each have implications for the care process. The “culture of disability” is a pan-ethnic culture for which a set of physician competencies are required to ensure appropriate, culturally sensitive care to persons with congenital or acquired disabilities. Such competencies include communicating with patients who have deficits in verbal communication and avoidance of infantilizing speech; understanding the values and needs of persons with disabilities; the ability to encourage self-advocacy skills of patients and families; acknowledging the core values of disability culture including the emphasis on interdependence rather than independence; and feeling comfortable with patients with complex disabilities. Medical schools have developed programs to increase students' exposure to persons with disabilities and it is suggested that such programs are most effective when they are the result of collaboration with community-based facilities or organizations that serve persons with disabilities in the natural environment. Combining lecture-based instruction and structured experiences with the opportunity for students to interact with patients in their natural environments may facilitate development of competencies with respect to patients with disabilities. The culture of disability should be included as one of the many cultures addressed in cultural competence initiatives in medical school and residency curricula.
Pulmonary blood flow to rapidly reexpanded lung in spontaneous pneumothorax.

The pulmonary blood flow to the rapidly reexpanded lung was analyzed using 99mTc-MAA lung scanning in four patients with spontaneous pneumothorax in whom either the right or left lung was almost completely collapsed. Lung scans were performed immediately after complete air drainage to the sealed bottle with the patients’ forced expiration and coughing. We found that regardless of full expansion of the collapsed lung on chest x-ray film, the pulmonary blood flow rates of the affected lungs were 25 to 34 percent of the total blood flow immediately after reexpansion, after which they gradually reverted to the normal distribution rate in three to four days. This study postulates that the overfilling of the rapidly reexpanded lung is not a cause of the reexpansion pulmonary edema.
BUSH LUPINE MORTALITY, ALTERED RESOURCE AVAILABILITY, AND ALTERNATIVE VEGETATION STATES

Nitrogen-fixing plants, by altering the availability of soil N, potentially facilitate plant invasion. Here we describe how herbivore-driven mortality of a native N-fixing shrub, bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus), increases soil N and light availability, which promotes invasion by introduced grasses to the detriment of a native plant community. Soils under live and dead lupine stands contained large amounts of total N, averaging 3.14 mg N/g dry mass of soil (398 g/m2) and 3.45 mg N/g dry mass of soil (438 g/m2), respectively, over four years. In contrast, similar lupine-free soil was low in N and averaged only 1.66 mg N/g dry mass of soil (211 g/m2) over three years. The addition of N fertilizer to lupine-free soil produced an 81% increase in aboveground plant biomass compared to plots unamended with N. Mean rates of net N mineralization were higher under live lupine and where mass die-off of lupine had occurred compared to soils free of bush lupine. At all sites, only 2.5–4.2% of the total soil N pool was mineralized annually. Soil enriched by lupine is not available to colonists while lupines are alive. The dense canopy of lupine shades soil under shrubs, reducing average photon-flux density in late spring from 1725 μmol·m−2·s−1 (full sunlight) to 13 μmol·m−2·s−1 (underneath shrubs). Stand die-off due to insect herbivory exposed this bare, enriched soil. In January, when annual plants are establishing, average photon-flux density under dead lupines killed by insect herbivores was 370 μmol·m−2·s−1, compared to the photon-flux density under live lupines of the same age, which averaged 83 μmol·m−2·s−1. The availability of bare, N-rich patches of soil enabled nonnative annuals (primarily Lolium multiflorum and Bromus diandrus) to colonize sites, grow rapidly, and dominate the plant assemblage until lupines reestablished after several years. The N content of these grasses was significantly greater than the N content of the mostly native plants that occupied adjacent coastal prairie devoid of bush lupine. Between 57 and 70% of the net amount of N mineralized annually was taken up by introduced grasses and subsequently returned to the soil upon the death of these annuals. Even in the absence of further N inputs, we estimate that it would take at least 25 yr to reduce the soil N pool by 50%, indicating that the reestablishment of the native prairie flora is likely to be long term.