Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Yersinia enterocolitica Adhesin A Induces Production of Interleukin-8 in Epithelial Cells

ABSTRACT The major invasive factor of Yersinia enterocolitica, the invasin (Inv) protein, induces proinflammatory host cell responses, including interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion from human epithelial cells, by engagement of β1 integrins. The Inv-triggered β1 integrin signaling involves the small GTPase Rac; the activation of MAP kinases, such as p38, MEK1, and JNK; and the activation of the transcription factor NF-κB. In the present study, we demonstrate that Y. enterocolitica YadA, which is a major adhesin of Y. enterocolitica with pleiotropic virulence effects, induces IL-8 secretion in epithelial cells. The abilites of YadA and Inv to promote adhesion to and invasion of HeLa cells and to induce IL-8 production by the cells were investigated by expression of YadA and Inv in Escherichia coli. While YadA mediates efficacious adhesion to HeLa cells, it mediates marginal invasion compared with Inv. Both YadA and Inv trigger comparable levels of IL-8 production. Conformational changes of the YadA head domain by mutation of NSVAIG-S motifs, which abolish collagen binding, also abolish adhesion of Yersinia to HeLa cells and YadA-mediated IL-8 secretion. Furthermore, experiments in which blocking antibodies against β1 integrins were used demonstrate that β1 integrins are crucial for YadA-mediated IL-8 secretion. Inhibitor studies demonstrate the involvement of small GTPases and MAP kinases, such as p38, MEK1, and JNK, indicating that β1 integrin-dependent signaling mediated by Inv or YadA involves similar signaling pathways. These data present YadA, in addition to Inv, YopB, and Yersinia lipopolysaccharide, as a further inducer of proinflammatory molecules by which Y. enterocolitica might promote inflammatory tissue reactions.
Breast Cancer Screening in Saudi Arabia: Free but Almost No Takers

Introduction Mammography ensures early diagnosis and a better chance for treatment and recovery from breast cancer. We conducted a national survey to investigate knowledge and practices of breast cancer screening among Saudi women aged 50 years or older in order to inform the breast cancer national health programs. Materials and Methods The Saudi Health Interview Survey is a national multistage survey of individuals aged 15 years or older. The survey included questions on socio-demographic characteristics, tobacco consumption, diet, physical activity, health-care utilization, different health-related behaviors, and self-reported chronic conditions. Female respondents were asked about knowledge and practices of self and clinical breast exams, as well as mammography. Results Between April and June 2013, a total of 10,735 participants completed the survey. Among respondents, 1,135 were women aged 50 years or older and were included in this analysis. About 89% of women reported not having a clinical breast exam in the past year, and 92% reported never having a mammogram. Women living in Al Sharqia had the highest rate of mammography use. Women who were educated, those who had received a routine medical exam within the last two years, and those who were diagnosed with hypertension were more likely to have had a mammogram in the past two years. Discussion Our results show very low rates of breast cancer screening in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a country with free health services. This calls for educational campaigns to improve breast cancer screening. Addressing the barriers for breast cancer screening is a public health imperative.
The effects of multilateral trading systems on risk and return in equity markets

The event study methodology of Brown and Warner (1985) is adopted and augmented to evaluate the effect of the launch of multilateral trading systems on risk and return in equity markets. The methodology is supplemented with various techniques, such as the nonparametric ranking test and kernel regression, to find out if announcements about the introduction of Chi-X Australia generated abnormal returns (ARs). Asset pricing models are fitted with interaction variables, while GARCH, threshold ARCH (TARCH), exponential GARCH (EGARCH) and power-ARCH (PARCH) are used to determine changes in systematic risk. We find evidence in favour of Fisher’s separation theorem and detect a new market anomaly, which we call the ‘Fisher market anomaly’. Our results show that Chi-X system testings affect ARs. Consistent with the adaptive expectations theory, we confirm that the first announcement about the launch of Chi-X affected systematic risk the most. In addition, we identify industry and firm effects in risk analysis.
Promoter Methylation of the Retinoic Acid Receptor Beta2 (RARβ2) Is Associated with Increased Risk of Breast Cancer: A PRISMA Compliant Meta-Analysis

Background Epigenetic studies demonstrate that an association may exist between methylation of the retinoic acid receptor beta2 (RARβ2) gene promoter and breast cancer onset risk, tumor stage, and histological grade, however the results of these studies are not consistent. Hence, we performed this meta-analysis to ascertain a more comprehensive and accurate association. Materials and Methods Relevant studies were retrieved from the PubMed, Embase and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases up to February 28, 2015. After two independent reviewers screened the studies and extracted the necessary data, meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.2 software. Results Nineteen eligible articles, including 20 studies, were included in our analysis. Compared to non-cancerous controls, the frequency of RARβ2 methylation was 7.27 times higher in patients with breast cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 7.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.01–17.52). Compared to late-stage RARβ2 methylated patients, the pooled OR of early-stage ones was 0.81 (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.55–1.17). The OR of low-grade RARβ2 methylated patients was 0.96 (OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.74–1.25) compared to high-grade RARβ2 methylated patients. Conclusion RARβ2 methylation is significantly increased in breast cancer samples when compared to non-cancerous controls. RARβ2 could serve as a potential epigenetic marker for breast cancer detection and management.
Consensus recommendations on the use of daylight photodynamic therapy with methyl aminolevulinate cream for actinic keratoses in Australia

Australia has the highest prevalence of actinic keratoses (AK) worldwide. Because of the risk of transformation of AK to invasive squamous cell carcinomas, consensus guidelines recommend that AK are removed using appropriate therapies to prevent progression to invasive disease. Daylight photodynamic therapy (PDT) is emerging as an efficacious treatment for AK, particularly for patients who require treatment of large areas of chronic actinic damage that can be exposed easily to daylight. Daylight PDT with methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) cream is a simple treatment for AK, almost painless, well tolerated and convenient, requiring minimal time in the clinic. Randomised controlled studies from northern Europe and Australia support the use of daylight PDT as an effective therapy for grade I and II AK on the face and scalp. There is sufficient daylight to conduct daylight PDT in Australia at any time of the year and during most weather conditions. Hence, daylight PDT with MAL can be included as an effective and well‐tolerated new treatment option for the treatment of AK in Australia. These consensus recommendations provide guidelines for Australian clinicians on the use of daylight PDT in the treatment of diagnosed AK.
MI as a predictor of students’ performance in reading competency

The purpose of this study was to examine whether performance in MI could predict the performance in reading competency. The other objectives were to identify the components of MI which are correlated with the reading test scores, and to determine the relationship between the multiple intelligences and reading proficiency. A descriptive and ex post facto design was employed to ascertain relationships among the variables. The participants were 128 randomly chosen pre-university students (grade12, 18-19 years old) of both genders studying in Tehran in the academic year 2008-2009. Three instruments were utilized in this study: 1) a demographic questionnaire; 2) the Persian version of Mckenzie’s MI Inventory; and 3) a standardized reading proficiency test which was selected from retrieved paper-based TOEFL® tests. Results of the correlation analysis revealed no significant relationship between the two variables of MI and reading scores of the students. Furthermore, the results of the correlation analysis revealed that there was a low significant, negative relationship between musical-rhythmic intelligence and reading which suggests that when the reading score of a student increases, musical-rhythmic intelligence of the same student decreases and vice versa. Overall, three categories of MI (musical-rhythmic, verbal-linguistic, bodily-kinesthetic) were found to be predictive of reading proficiency.
Who is supposed to be regarded as a stakeholder for public organizations in developing countries?

Abstract This paper presents the results of an ongoing investigation, whose main aim is to analyze the network in which public organizations make decisions. The findings presented here resulted from a cross-sectional survey carried out with Municipal Districts from the State of Minas Gerais. Data was analyzed through statistical techniques, employing the SPSS software program. The investigation pointed out some stakeholders who are regarded as strongly influential and able to demand decision-makers' attention, and they are: the City Council, Local Population, the Accountancy Tribunal and the Management Team. The limitation of the ideas presented here are related to the fact that it is an ongoing investigation and other steps are being taken in order to fulfil the picture of stakeholder's influences at the local level in developing countries. In terms of innovation, this is one of the first empirical investigations carried out with Brazilian Municipal Districts published in Europe.
On knot Floer homology for some fibered knots

A companion paper to "On knot Floer homology in branched double covers" applied to braided branched loci. We reprove the main result of that paper concerning alternating branched loci when projected to an annulus, without using Khovanov homology. This provides two advantages: 1) the results hold for integer coefficients and 2) the spin^c structures are more readily discernable. We apply this result to a branch locus which is a braid, and use the braid structure to find information about a fibered knot in the branched double cover. In some cases this provides all the information about the knot Floer homology and can be used to derive information about the Heegaard-Floer homology of associated fibered three manifolds. Results for certain positive braids are also included, establishing results similar to E. Eftekhary's in the Heegaard-Floer setting.
MAL Overexpression Leads to Disturbed Expression of Genes That Influence Cytoskeletal Organization and Differentiation of Schwann Cells

In the developing peripheral nervous system, a coordinated reciprocal signaling between Schwann cells and axons is crucial for accurate myelination. The myelin and lymphocyte protein MAL is a component of lipid rafts that is important for targeting proteins and lipids to distinct domains. MAL overexpression impedes peripheral myelinogenesis, which is evident by a delayed onset of myelination and reduced expression of the myelin protein zero (Mpz/P0) and the low-affinity neurotrophin receptor p75NTR . This study shows that MAL overexpression leads to a significant reduction of Mpz and p75NTR expression in primary mouse Schwann cell cultures, which was already evident before differentiation, implicating an effect of MAL in early Schwann cell development. Their transcription was robustly reduced, despite normal expression of essential transcription factors and receptors. Further, the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase signaling pathways important for Schwann cell differentiation were correctly induced, highlighting that other so far unknown rate limiting factors do exist. We identified novel genes expressed by Schwann cells in a MAL-dependent manner in vivo and in vitro. A number of those, including S100a4, RhoU and Krt23, are implicated in cytoskeletal organization and plasma membrane dynamics. We showed that S100a4 is predominantly expressed by nonmyelinating Schwann cells, whereas RhoU was localized within myelin membranes, and Krt23 was detected in nonmyelinating as well as in myelinating Schwann cells. Their differential expression during early peripheral nerve development further underlines their possible role in influencing Schwann cell differentiation and myelination.
A feedback loop between nonsense-mediated decay and the retrogene DUX4 in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a muscular dystrophy caused by inefficient epigenetic repression of the D4Z4 macrosatellite array and somatic expression of the DUX4 retrogene. DUX4 is a double homeobox transcription factor that is normally expressed in the testis and causes apoptosis and FSHD when misexpressed in skeletal muscle. The mechanism(s) of DUX4 toxicity in muscle is incompletely understood. We report that DUX4-triggered proteolytic degradation of UPF1, a central component of the nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) machinery, is associated with profound NMD inhibition, resulting in global accumulation of RNAs normally degraded as NMD substrates. DUX4 mRNA is itself degraded by NMD, such that inhibition of NMD by DUX4 protein stabilizes DUX4 mRNA through a double-negative feedback loop in FSHD muscle cells. This feedback loop illustrates an unexpected mode of autoregulatory behavior of a transcription factor, is consistent with ‘bursts’ of DUX4 expression in FSHD muscle, and has implications for FSHD pathogenesis. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.04996. 001
Trees in Canadian Cities: Indispensable Life Form for Urban Sustainability

We argue that a healthy urban forest contributes immensely to the sustainability of cities. The argument is based on a comprehensive array of values elicited from Canadians in several cities. To begin, we define the urban forest as inclusive of all the trees in the city and thus representing the predominant contributor to a city’s green infrastructure. Then we enumerate and explain the broad diversity of ways in which urban people value trees in the city. We, thus, show the myriad pathways by which trees contribute positively to any city’s social, economic, and ecological sustainability. Following a short summary of the ways in which trees may detract from people’s quality of life, we present promising management directions for urban-forest improvement, as we understand the situation in Canada. We conclude that all cities can enhance their sustainability by improving the urban forest.
ON FAST FACTORIZATION PIVOTING METHODS FOR SPARSE SYMMETRI C INDEFINITE SYSTEMS

This paper discusses new pivoting factorization methods for solving sparse symmetric indenite sys- tems. As opposed to many existing pivoting methods, our SupernodenBunchnKaufman (SBK) pivoting method dy- namically selects and pivots and may be supplemented by pivot perturbation techniques. We demonstrate the effectiveness and the numerical accuracy of this algorithm and also show that a high performance implementa- tion is feasible. We will also show that symmetric maximum-weighted matching strategies add an additional level of reliability to SBK. These techniques can be seen as a complement to the alternative idea of using more complete pivoting techniques during the numerical factorization. Numerical experiments validate these conclusions. where is a diagonal matrix with and pivot blocks, is a sparse lower triangu- lar matrix, and is a symmetric indenite diagonal matrix that reects small half-machine precision perturbations, which might be necessary to tackle the problem of tiny pivots. is a reordering that is based on a symmetric weighted matching of the matrix , and tries to move the largest off-diagonal elements directly alongside the diagonal in order to form good initial or diagonal block pivots. is a ll reducing reordering which honors the structure of . We will present three new variations of a direct factorization scheme to tackle the is- sue of indeniteness in sparse symmetric linear systems. These methods restrict the pivoting search, to stay as long as possible within predened data structures for efcient Level-3 BLAS factorization and parallelization. On the other hand, the imposed pivoting restrictions can be reduced in several steps by taking the matching permutation into account. The rst al- gorithm uses SupernodenBunchnKaufman (SBK) pivoting and dynamically selects and pivots. It is supplemented by pivot perturbation techniques. It uses no more storage than a sparse Cholesky factorization of a positive denite matrix with the same sparsity structure due to restricting the pivoting to interchanges within the diagonal block associated to a single supernode. The coefcient matrix is perturbed whenever numerically acceptable and pivots cannot be found within the diagonal block. One or two steps of iterative re- nement may be required to correct the effect of the perturbations. We will demonstrate that this restricting notion of pivoting with iterative renement is effective for highly indenite symmetric systems. Furthermore the accuracy of this method is for a large set of matrices from different applications areas as accurate as a direct factorization method that uses com- plete sparse pivoting techniques. In addition, we will discuss two preprocessing algorithms to identify large entries in the coefcient matrix that, if permuted close to the diagonal, permit
An Analysis of Government Guarantees and the Functioning of Asset-Backed Securities Markets

Mortgage securitization has been tried several times in the United States and each time it has failed amid a credit bust. In what is now a familiar recurring history, during the credit boom, underwriting standards are violated and guarantees are inadequately funded; subsequently, defaults increase and investors in mortgage-backed securities attempt to dump their investments. ; We focus on a specific market failure associated with asset-backed securitization and propose a tailored government remedy. Our analysis of loan market equilibriums shows that the additional liquidity provided by securitization may (or may not) lower primary loan rates, but such liquidity comes at a cost. More specifically, if guarantee-sensitive investors doubt the credit quality of asset-backed bonds, significant risk premiums can develop. If a financial crisis ensues, securitization can disappear from the market entirely, leaving banks that originate just the highest quality loans as the only source of credit. This abrupt increase in lending standards can tighten credit, exacerbate asset price declines, and impinge on economic growth. ; We argue that an institutional structure for stemming "runs," analogous to the current set up for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, could be deployed to insure pre-specified asset-backed instruments. Such an insurer would likely benefit from the accumulated information and infrastructure that is embodied in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Hence, the provision of federally-backed catastrophic insurance could provide a rationale for restructuring the housing-related GSEs towards a public purpose. Regardless of its institutional structure, a federally-backed catastrophic bond insurer would provide greater financial stability and ensure credit is provided at reasonable cost both in times of prosperity and during downturns. Moreover, the explicit pricing of the government-backed guarantee would mitigate the market distortions that have been created by implicit government guarantees during prosperity.
Two-incision versus modified Watson-Jones total hip arthroplasty in the same patients-- a prospective study of clinical outcomes and patient preferences.

BACKGROUND The two-incision technique and the modified Watson-Jones technique use muscular intervals and avoid muscle cutting in total hip arthroplasty (THA). However these two techniques have not been compared. METHODS A prospective randomized study of clinical outcomes and patient preferences was performed in 20 patients who had a two-incision THA in one hip and a modified Watson-Jones THA in the other between January 2004 and August 2007. The 20 patients were randomized equally to the two-incision first or the modified Watson-Jones first group. After the second surgery, patients were asked about their preferences for one of the two techniques and clinical results were analyzed. RESULTS After a minimal follow-up of 2 years, there were no differences in the hospital course, clinical results, functional outcomes, and radiographic results between techniques. However more patients (70%) preferred the two-incision side to the modified Watson-Jones side in the first 6 months regardless which procedure was performed first. CONCLUSION Given the similarity of these two techniques in cup implantation and with only a difference in femoral stem implantation, we think that the difference in patient preferences in the early postoperative period might be related to the surgical dissection and manipulation of the hip with the modified Watson-Jones technique.
NSAIDs and Cell Proliferation in Colorectal Cancer

Colon cancer is common worldwide and accounts for significant morbidity and mortality in patients. Fortunately, epidemiological studies have demonstrated that continuous therapy with NSAIDs offers real promise of chemoprevention and adjunct therapy for colon cancer patients. Tumour growth is the result of complex regulation that determines the balance between cell proliferation and cell death. How NSAIDs affect this balance is important for understanding and improving treatment strategies and drug effectiveness. NSAIDs inhibit proliferation and impair the growth of colon cancer cell lines when tested in culture in vitro and many NSAIDs also prevent tumorigenesis and reduce tumour growth in animal models and in patients, but the relationship to inhibition of tumour cell proliferation is less convincing, principally due to gaps in the available data. High concentrations of NSAIDs are required in vitro to achieve cancer cell inhibition and growth retardation at varying time-points following treatment. However, the results from studies with colon cancer cell xenografts are promising and, together with better comparative data on anti-proliferative NSAID concentrations and doses (for in vitro and in vivo administration), could provide more information to improve our understanding of the relationships between these agents, dose and dosing regimen, and cellular environment.
By How Much Is The Chinese Renminbi Undervalued

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about the value of China s currency. This paper therefore explores the equilibrium levels of China s real and nominal exchange rates. Employing the Johansen cointegration framework, we focus on the behavioral equilibrium exchange rate (BEER) model and the permanent equilibrium exchange rate (PEER) model. The results suggest that the renminbi is undervalued against the dollar, but not dangerously so.