Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Constraint Satisfaction, Logic and Forbidden Patterns

In the 1990s, Feder and Vardi attempted to find a large subclass of NP which exhibits a dichotomy, that is, where every problem in the subclass is either solvable in polynomial-time or NP-complete. Their studies resulted in a candidate class of problems, namely, those definable in the logic MMSNP. While it remains open as to whether MMSNP exhibits a dichotomy, for various reasons it remains a strong candidate. Feder and Vardi added to the significance of MMSNP by proving that, although MMSNP strictly contains CSP, the class of constraint satisfaction problems, MMSNP and CSP are computationally equivalent. We introduce here a new class of combinatorial problems, the class of forbidden patterns problems FPP, and characterize MMSNP as the finite unions of problems from FPP. We use our characterization to detail exactly those problems that are in MMSNP but not in CSP. Furthermore, given a problem in MMSNP, we are able to decide whether the problem is in CSP or not (this whole process is effective). If the problem is in CSP, then we can construct a template for this problem; otherwise, for any given candidate for the role of template, we can build a counterexample (again, this process is effective).
The Immune Response to Sand Fly Salivary Proteins and Its Influence on Leishmania Immunity

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease transmitted by bites of phlebotomine sand flies. During Leishmania transmission, sand fly saliva is co-inoculated with parasites into the skin of the mammalian host. Sand fly saliva consists of roughly thirty different salivary proteins, many with known roles linked to blood feeding facilitation. Apart from the anti-hemostatic capacity of saliva, several sand fly salivary proteins have been shown to be immunogenic. Immunization with a single salivary protein or exposure to uninfected bites was shown to result in a protective immune response against leishmaniasis. Antibodies to saliva were not required for this protection. A strong body of evidence points to the role for saliva-specific T cells producing IFN-γ in the form of a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction at the bite site as the main protective response. Herein, we review the immunity to sand fly salivary proteins in the context of its vector–parasite–host combinations and their vaccine potential, as well as some recent advances to shed light on the mechanism of how an immune response to sand fly saliva protects against leishmaniasis.
Antigens of Streptococcus mutans: cellular localization of the serotype-specific polysaccharide of strain AHT and release during exponential growth

The serotype-specific polysaccharide of Streptococcus mutans AHT (serotype a) was shown to be loosely associated with the cell surface of this organism. The antigen was extracted from whole cells by boiling in sodium acetate buffer, pH 4.0, for 10 min. The purified product was found to be a diheteroglycan of galactose and glucose (3.6:1, molar ratio). The antigen possessed serological characteristics similar to the a antigen previously extracted from purified cell walls with hot formamide. Its physicochemical structure was identical to the previously studied wall antigen. Electron micrographs, developed after immunocytological labeling of this antigen on whole cells, revealed it to compose a dense microcapsule surrounding the microbe. Analyses of spent culture fluids indicated that the antigen was released during exponential growth at a rate directly proportional to the increase in culture biomass. It is concluded that the serotype-specific antigen may be a prime immunogen due to its surface localization at both capsule and wall sites.
Maternal serum interleukin-6 in the management of patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes

Abstract Aim: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of maternal serum interleukin-6 for the detection of subclinical chorioamnionitis and in the prediction of the latency period in patients with preterm premature rupture of membrane (PPROM). Methods: The study group included 60 patients at 24–34 weeks of gestation complaining of PPROM. Laboratory investigations included serial measurements of IL-6, TLC and CRP. Conservative management was carried out till 36 weeks unless delivery was indicated beforehand. The main outcome measures were the latency period and the occurrence of subclinical chorioamnionitis. Results: The mean gestational age at presentation was 30.9 weeks and 35.2 weeks at delivery. The mean IL-6 level at presentation was 4.7 pg/ml. There was no correlation between IL-6 at presentation and the latency period. In addition, those diagnosed as having subclinical chorioamnionitis by placental histopathology had significantly higher levels of IL-6 at delivery. Taking IL-6 level cutoff point of 8.5 pg/ml, histological chorioamnionitis, RDS and NICU admission were significantly higher above that level while neonatal birth weight, Apgar scores at one and five minutes were significantly lower. Conclusion: Maternal serum IL-6 at the time of PPROM has no correlation to the latency period while IL-6 levels at the time of delivery have significant correlation to the subclinical chorioamnionitis and neonatal outcome measures.
Radial Transport of Nutrients: The Plant Root as a Polarized Epithelium1

Different routes underlie radial transport of nutrients in plant roots and are influenced by the endodermis permeability and the polarity of transporters. In higher plants, roots acquire water and soil nutrients and transport them upward to their aerial parts. These functions are closely related to their anatomical structure; water and nutrients entering the root first move radially through several concentric layers of the epidermis, cortex, and endodermis before entering the central cylinder. The endodermis is the innermost cortical cell layer that features rings of hydrophobic cell wall material called the Casparian strips, which functionally resemble tight junctions in animal epithelia. Nutrient uptake from the soil can occur through three different routes that can be interconnected in various ways: the apoplastic route (through the cell wall), the symplastic route (through cellular connections), and a coupled trans-cellular route (involving polarized influx and efflux carriers). This Update presents recent advances in the radial transport of nutrients highlighting the coupled trans-cellular pathway and the roles played by the endodermis as a barrier.
Epitope mapping of inhibitory antibodies targeting the C2 domain of coagulation factor VIII by hydrogen–deuterium exchange mass spectrometry

The development of anti‐factor VIII antibodies (inhibitors) is a significant complication in the management of patients with hemophilia A, leading to significant increases in morbidity and treatment cost. Using a panel of mAbs against different epitopes on FVIII, we have recently shown that epitope specificity, inhibitor kinetics and time to maximum inhibition are more important than inhibitor titer in predicting responses to FVIII and the combination of FVIII and recombinant FVIIa. In particular, a subset of high‐titer inhibitors responded to high‐dose FVIII, which would not be predicted on the basis of their inhibitor titer alone. Thus, the ability to quickly map the epitope spectrum of patient plasma with a clinically feasible assay may fundamentally change how clinicians approach the treatment of high‐titer inhibitor patients.
Influence of anthropogenic activities and seasons on heavy metals in spring water along Amala and Nyangores tributaries of the Mara River Basin

Anthropogenic activities, including replacing natural forests with human settlements and increased agricultural activities have environmental impacts. The activities can contaminate aquatic ecosystems including spring waters that are sources of major rivers like the Amala and Nyangores, tributaries of Mara River in Mau Complex. In the complex, forestlands have been converted to human settlements and agricultural lands. Although residents of the Mara River Basin use the spring waters for domestic and animal watering purposes, evaluation of the impact the activities have on the spring water quality has not been done. This study evaluated the site and seasonal variations of zinc, copper, selenium, manganese, chromium, cadmium and lead concentrations in spring waters within the Mau Complex where forests have been cleared and converted to anthropogenic activities. The study covered areas along Amala and Nyangores rivers. There were variations (p≤0.05) in the heavy metals levels with sites and seasons. Except for Mn, Cu and Cd which were lower, the levels of the other heavy metals in water from the control points (undisturbed forest areas) were higher in downstream areas that had undergone massive anthropogenic activities. Although there were seasonal variations (p≤0.05), the pattern was not clear. Some heavy metals levels were higher in wet seasons while others were higher in dry season. But the heavy metals levels were within the recommended international standards for domestic/animal use. These results demonstrate that the anthropogenic activities were not yet causing pollution of the spring waters. Maintaining the anthropogenic activities at present levels is recommended. However, periodic monitoring to ascertain the quality of the spring water is necessary to mitigate increase to detrimental levels with time. These results contribute knowledge helping regulatory agencies and management of Lake Victoria basin to formulate monitoring polices to curb water quality deterioration. Key words: Anthropogenic activities, heavy metals, spring water, River Mara, Mau Complex.
Phosphomimetic Mutation of Ser-187 of SNAP-25 Increases both Syntaxin Binding and Highly Ca2+-sensitive Exocytosis

The phosphorylation targets that mediate the enhancement of exocytosis by PKC are unknown. PKC phosporylates the SNARE protein SNAP-25 at Ser-187. We expressed mutants of SNAP-25 using the Semliki Forest Virus system in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells and then directly measured the Ca2+ dependence of exocytosis using photorelease of caged Ca2+ together with patch-clamp capacitance measurements. A flash of UV light used to elevate [Ca2+]i to several μM and release the highly Ca2+-sensitive pool (HCSP) of vesicles was followed by a train of depolarizing pulses to elicit exocytosis from the less Ca2+-sensitive readily releasable pool (RRP) of vesicles. Carbon fiber amperometry confirmed that the amount and kinetics of catecholamine release from individual granules were similar for the two phases of exocytosis. Mimicking PKC phosphorylation with expression of the S187E SNAP-25 mutant resulted in an approximately threefold increase in the HCSP, whereas the response to depolarization increased only 1.5-fold. The phosphomimetic S187D mutation resulted in an ∼1.5-fold increase in the HCSP but a 30% smaller response to depolarization. In vitro binding assays with recombinant SNARE proteins were performed to examine shifts in protein–protein binding that may promote the highly Ca2+-sensitive state. The S187E mutant exhibited increased binding to syntaxin but decreased Ca2+-independent binding to synaptotagmin I. Mimicking phosphorylation of the putative PKA phosphorylation site of SNAP-25 with the T138E mutation decreased binding to both syntaxin and synaptotagmin I in vitro. Expressing the T138E/ S187E double mutant in chromaffin cells demonstrated that enhancing the size of the HCSP correlates with an increase in SNAP-25 binding to syntaxin in vitro, but not with Ca2+-independent binding of SNAP-25 to synaptotagmin I. Our results support the hypothesis that exocytosis triggered by lower Ca2+ concentrations (from the HCSP) occurs by different molecular mechanisms than exocytosis triggered by higher Ca2+ levels.
Identifying functional decline: a methodological challenge

Background Functional decline (FD) in older people has commonly been measured in the hospital setting with instruments which have been validated on decrease over time in capacity to undertake basic activities of daily living (ADL). In a nonhospitalized sample of older people (independently community dwelling, but potentially on the cusp of FD), it is possible that other measures could be used to predict decline. Early, accurate, and efficient identification of older community-dwelling people who are on the cusp of FD can assist in identifying appropriate interventions to slow the rate of decline. Methods This paper reports on associations between four outcome measures which have been associated with FD (instrumental ADLs [IADLs], quality of life, hospitalizations and falls). The sample was older individuals who were discharged from one large metropolitan emergency department (ED) during 2011–2012, without an inpatient admission. Results Of 597 individuals aged 65+ who provided baseline information, 148 subjects provided four outcome measures at both 1 and 3 months follow up. Overall, approximately 24% demonstrated decreased IADL scores over the 3 months, with domains of home activities, laundry, shopping, and getting places declining the most. Over this time, 18% fell often, and 11% were consistently hospitalized. Between 1 and 3 months follow up, 41% declined in mental component scores, and 50% declined in physical component scores. Low mental and physical component quality of life scores were associated with downstream increased falls and hospitalizations, and decreased quality of life and IADLs. However, change in the four outcome measures was largely independent in factor analysis. Conclusion Measuring the four outcome measures over 3 months post-discharge from an ED presentation, showed that changes in one were not generally correlated with changes in another. This result suggests that a wider measurement net could be cast to identify individuals who may not be coping safely or independently in the community after a minor health crisis. Individuals who declined in at least one outcome measure at 1 month, generally continued to decline over the next 2 months, thus suggesting early opportunities to screen and intervene to slow FD.
Analysis and Design of a High-Voltage-Gain Hybrid Switched-Capacitor Buck Converter

This paper presents an analysis on the effect of having different number of capacitors n in the first-stage switched-capacitor circuit of an improved hybrid switched-capacitor buck converter for high-voltage-gain conversion. Various aspects of the topology, operation, and efficiency are investigated. It is shown both analytically and experimentally that a higher n in the step-down capacitor stage does not necessarily lead to an overall improved power efficiency. A design and optimization method is thus proposed for the improved SC-buck converter.
Heroin dependence in an English town: 33-year follow-up

Background There has been no long-term study of people addicted to injected heroin who have been treated without the prescribing of substitute opioids. Aims To investigate the outcome for patients treated for injected heroin addiction 33 years after they were first seen, and 26 years after they were first followed up, in terms of sustained abstinence, continuing maintenance on methadone and deaths. Method Eighty-six people with heroin addiction first seen in 1966–1967 in a small town in the south-east of England were located and their clinical state assessed using multiple sources, including personal interviews with a proportion of the cohort. Results Forty-two per cent of the cohort had been abstinent for at least 10 years; 10% were taking methadone and were classified as addicted; and 22% had died. Eight per cent of the cohort could not be located. Conclusions Results proved favourable in the above three parameters compared with other long-term studies.
Dietary protein deficiency and Mycobacterium bovis BCG affect interleukin-2 activity in experimental pulmonary tuberculosis

Inbred strain 2 guinea pigs were vaccinated with Mycobacterium bovis BCG or were left unvaccinated. They were maintained for 6 weeks on defined, isocaloric diets containing either 30% (control animals) or 10% (animals receiving low protein) ovalbumin as the sole protein source. Animals were challenged by the respiratory route with a low dose of virulent M. tuberculosis H37Rv and killed 4 weeks later. Protein-malnourished animals were not protected by previous vaccination with BCG. Lymphocytes isolated from various tissues were tested in vitro for proliferative responses to mitogen (concanavalin A) and antigen (purified protein derivative [PPD]), production of interleukin-2 (IL-2), and response to exogenous recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2). Protein-malnourished guinea pigs responded only weakly to PPD skin tests, and their blood and lymph node lymphocytes exhibited impaired proliferation when cultured with PPD in vitro. IL-2 levels were consistently low in cultures of stimulated blood and spleen lymphocytes from protein-deprived animals. BCG vaccination of nutritionally normal guinea pigs, on the other hand, induced significantly more IL-2 production by PPD- and concanavalin A-stimulated lymphocytes. The addition of exogenous mouse rIL-2 (40 and 80 U/ml) in vitro to PPD-stimulated blood and lymph node cells from nonvaccinated, protein-deprived guinea pigs resulted in no improvement of the proliferative response. Previous vaccination of malnourished guinea pigs did not consistently enhance the response of PPD-stimulated lymphocytes to added rIL-2. Dietary protein deficiency and BCG vaccination appear to modulate antigen-driven cellular immunity in animals with tuberculosis by altering the production of, and the response to, IL-2 by PPD-stimulated lymphocytes.
Constraining cosmological parameters with the clustering properties of galaxy clusters in optical and X-ray bands

We use a theoretical model to predict the clustering properties of galaxy clusters. Our technique accounts for past light-cone effects on the observed clustering and follows the non-linear evolution in redshift of the underlying dark matter correlation function and cluster bias factor. A linear treatment of redshift-space distortions is also included. We perform a maximum-likelihood analysis by comparing the theoretical predictions to a set of observational data, in both the optical (two different subsamples of the APM catalogue and the EDCC catalogue) and X-ray band (RASS1 bright sample, BCS, XBACs, REFLEX). In the framework of cold dark matter models, we compute the constraints on cosmological parameters, such as the matter density Ω0m, the cosmological constant Ω0Λ, the power-spectrum shape parameter Γ and normalization σ8. Our results show that X-ray data are more powerful than optical ones, allowing smaller regions in the parameter space. If we fix Γ and σ8 to the values suggested by different observational data sets, we obtain strong constraints on the matter density parameter, and , for the optical and X-ray data, respectively. Allowing the shape parameter to vary, we find that the clustering properties of clusters are almost independent of the matter density parameter and of the presence of a cosmological constant, while they appear to be strongly dependent on the shape parameter. Using the X-ray data only, we obtain and for the Einstein–de Sitter model, while and for open and flat models with . Finally, we use our model to make predictions on the correlation length of galaxy clusters expected in future surveys. In particular, we show the results for an optical catalogue with characteristics similar to the EIS project and for a very deep X-ray catalogue with the characteristics of the XMM/LSS survey. We find that clusters at high redshifts are expected to have a larger correlation length than local ones.
Modified medium for enhanced growth of Dunaliella strains

The genus Dunaliella is a halotolerant microalgae are common in hypersaline environments. Additionally, different species of Dunaliella can accumulate significant amounts of valuable fine chemicals such as carotenoids, glycerol, lipids, vitamins, minerals and proteins. Modified Johnsons medium is widely used for growing Dunaliella species, however, without air supplement the growth of algae was slow. The new medium was designed based on the modified Johnsons medium with altering the concentration of MgSO4, NaHCO3 and addition of NaVO3 and elimination of MgCl2. This medium was named as, Ramaraj medium. Pure cultures of Dunaliella species were isolated from the salt soil samples namely, KU07, KU08, KU11, KU13 and KU16. All the isolated strains grew fast in Ramaraj medium. Among these isolates the growth curve of KU11 was taken for comparing the two media. The growth of KU11 was faster and better in Ramaraj medium than in the modified Johnsons medium in all the different NaCl concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 M). The result showed that
All Your iFRAMEs Point to Us

As the web continues to play an ever increasing role in information exchange, so too is it becoming the prevailing platform for infecting vulnerable hosts. In this paper, we provide a detailed study of the pervasiveness of so-called drive-by downloads on the Internet. Drive-by downloads are caused by URLs that attempt to exploit their visitors and cause malware to be installed and run automatically. Over a period of 10 months we processed billions of URLs, and our results shows that a non-trivial amount, of over 3 million malicious URLs, initiate drive-by downloads. An even more troubling finding is that approximately 1.3% of the incoming search queries to Google's search engine returned at least one URL labeled as malicious in the results page. We also explore several aspects of the drive-by downloads problem. Specifically, we study the relationship between the user browsing habits and exposure to malware, the techniques used to lure the user into the malware distribution networks, and the different properties of these networks.
Anaemia and resistance to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents as prognostic factors in haemodialysis patients: results from the RISCAVID study.

BACKGROUND Resistance to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) is often associated with chronic inflammation. Here, we investigated how anaemia, ESA resistance and the plasma levels of biological markers of inflammation could influence all-cause and cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. METHODS Seven hundred and fifty-three haemodialysis (HD) patients (mean age 66 ± 14.2 years, mean dialytic age 70 ± 77 months and diabetes 18.8%) were enrolled and followed-up for 36 months. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data, co-morbidity conditions, administered drugs, all-cause mortality and fatal/non-fatal cardiovascular (CV) events were recorded. We measured ESA resistance index, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). RESULTS Six hundred and fifty-one patients (86.4%) received ESAs. Patients with haemoglobin level <11 g/dL (n = 225) showed increased risk of CV [relative risk (RR) 1.415, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.046-1.914] and overall mortality (RR 1.897, 95% CI 1.423-2.530) versus patients with haemoglobin levels >11 g/dL. ESA resistance values categorized into quartiles (Quartile I <5.6, Quartile II 5.7-9.6, Quartile III 9.7-15.4 and Quartile IV >15.4) correlated with all-cause mortality and fatal/non-fatal CV events (RR 1.97, 95% CI 1.392-2.786; RR 1.619, 95% CI 1.123-2.332, respectively). Furthermore, albumin was significantly reduced versus reference patients and correlated with all-cause mortality and CV events; CRP levels were higher in hyporesponders (Quartile IV) (P < 0.001) and predicted all-cause mortality and CV events. IL-6 but not CRP was a strong predictor of ESA resistance. CONCLUSIONS ESA responsiveness can be considered a strong prognostic factor in HD patients and seems to be tightly related to protein-energy wasting and inflammation.