Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tight bounds for distributed selection

We revisit the problem of distributed <i>k</i>-selection where, given a general connected graph of diameter <i>D</i> consisting of <i>n</i> nodes in which each node holds a numeric element, the goal is to determine the <i>k<sup>th</sup></i> smallest of these elements. In our model, there is no imposed relation between the magnitude of the stored elements and the number of nodes in the graph. We propose a randomized algorithm whose time complexity is <i>O</i>(<i>D</i>log<sub><i>D</i></sub> <i>n</i>) with high probability. Additionally, a deterministic algorithm with a worst-case time complexity of <i>O</i>(<i>D</i>log2<over><i>D</i> <i>n</i>) is presented which considerably improves the best known bound for deterministic algorithms. Moreover, we prove a lower bound of Ω(<i>D</i> log<sub><i>D</i></sub><i>n</i>) for any randomized or deterministic algorithm, implying that the randomized algorithm is asymptotically optimal.
YdgG (TqsA) Controls Biofilm Formation in Escherichia coli K-12 through Autoinducer 2 Transport

ABSTRACT YdgG is an uncharacterized protein that is induced in Escherichia coli biofilms. Here it is shown that deletion of ydgG decreased extracellular and increased intracellular concentrations of autoinducer 2 (AI-2); hence, YdgG enhances transport of AI-2. Consistent with this hypothesis, deletion of ydgG resulted in a 7,000-fold increase in biofilm thickness and 574-fold increase in biomass in flow cells. Also consistent with the hypothesis, deletion of ydgG increased cell motility by increasing transcription of flagellar genes (genes induced by AI-2). By expressing ydgG in trans, the wild-type phenotypes for extracellular AI-2 activity, motility, and biofilm formation were restored. YdgG is also predicted to be a membrane-spanning protein that is conserved in many bacteria, and it influences resistance to several antimicrobials, including crystal violet and streptomycin (this phenotype could also be complemented). Deletion of ydgG also caused 31% of the bacterial chromosome to be differentially expressed in biofilms, as expected, since AI-2 controls hundreds of genes. YdgG was found to negatively modulate expression of flagellum- and motility-related genes, as well as other known products essential for biofilm formation, including operons for type 1 fimbriae, autotransporter protein Ag43, curli production, colanic acid production, and production of polysaccharide adhesin. Eighty genes not previously related to biofilm formation were also identified, including those that encode transport proteins (yihN and yihP), polysialic acid production (gutM and gutQ), CP4-57 prophage functions (yfjR and alpA), methionine biosynthesis (metR), biotin and thiamine biosynthesis (bioF and thiDFH), anaerobic metabolism (focB, hyfACDR, ttdA, and fumB), and proteins with unknown function (ybfG, yceO, yjhQ, and yjbE); 10 of these genes were verified through mutation to decrease biofilm formation by 40% or more (yfjR, bioF, yccW, yjbE, yceO, ttdA, fumB, yjiP, gutQ, and yihR). Hence, it appears YdgG controls the transport of the quorum-sensing signal AI-2, and so we suggest the gene name tqsA.
Sex differences in prenatally programmed anxiety behaviour in rats: Differential corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor mRNA expression in the amygdaloid complex

We recently reported that male, but not female, offspring born to mothers exposed to social stress during late gestation show heightened anxiety-type behaviour in adulthood. The amygdala organises anxious behaviour, which involves actions of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). CRH gene expression and/or its release are increased in the amygdala in prenatally stressed (PNS) rats. CRH type 1 receptor (CRH-R1) mediates actions of CRH and urocortin I to promote anxiety-like behaviour, whereas the CRH type 2 receptor (CRH-R2) may mediate anxiolytic actions, through actions of urocortins 2 and 3. Here, using quantitative in situ hybridisation, we investigated whether altered CRH receptor mRNA expression in the amygdaloid nuclei may explain the sex differences in anxiety behaviour in adult male and female PNS rats. CRH-R1 mRNA expression was significantly greater in the central amygdala and basolateral amygdala (BLA) in male PNS rats compared with controls, with no change in the basomedial amygdala (BMA) or medial amygdala (MeA). In PNS females, CRH-R1 mRNA expression was greater than controls only in the MeA. Conversely, CRH-R2 mRNA expression was significantly lower in the BMA of male PNS rats compared with controls, but greater in female PNS rats, with no change in the BLA or MeA in either sex. The ratio of CRH-R1:CRH-R2 mRNA in the amygdaloid nuclei was generally increased in PNS males, but not in the PNS females. In conclusion, sex differences in anxiety-type behaviour in PNS rats may be explained by differential mRNA expression for CRH-R1 (pro-anxiogenic) and CRH-R2 (pro-anxiolytic) in the amygdaloid complex.
Measuring quality in the therapeutic relationship—Part 2: subjective approaches

Background The therapeutic relationship is complex and incompletely captured in objective metrics. Aim To review the different concepts, theoretical models and empirical approaches which researchers have used to capture in qualitative terms what is special about the relationship between practitioner and patient. Method Drawing on the principles of meta-narrative systematic review (but without seeking an exhaustive inventory of every paper ever published), we considered different research traditions in terms of their respective philosophical assumptions, methodological strengths and limitations and empirical findings. We applied published quality criteria from each tradition to papers within that tradition. Results Four research approaches were oriented to producing subjective interpretations of quality in the therapeutic relationship. These had emerged in different research traditions: psychodynamic (eg, the Balint method, whose roots are in psychoanalysis); narrative (literary theory, moral philosophy); critical consultation analysis (critical sociology) and socio-technical analysis (actor-network theory). Each emphasised a different dimension of relationship quality. Conclusion Subjective (interpretive) approaches do not lend themselves readily to metrics or scales, but they can inform a structured list of questions to prompt practitioner reflection. A combination of objective metrics and reflective practice has considerable quality improvement potential.
The Relationship between Telomere Length and Mortality in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Some have suggested that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease of accelerated aging. Aging is characterized by shortening of telomeres. The relationship of telomere length to important clinical outcomes such as mortality, disease progression and cancer in COPD is unknown. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), we measured telomere length of peripheral leukocytes in 4,271 subjects with mild to moderate COPD who participated in the Lung Health Study (LHS). The subjects were followed for approximately 7.5 years during which time their vital status, FEV1 and smoking status were ascertained. Using multiple regression methods, we determined the relationship of telomere length to cancer and total mortality in these subjects. We also measured telomere length in healthy “mid-life” volunteers and patients with more severe COPD. The LHS subjects had significantly shorter telomeres than those of healthy “mid-life” volunteers (p<.001). Compared to individuals in the 4th quartile of relative telomere length (i.e. longest telomere group), the remaining participants had significantly higher risk of cancer mortality (Hazard ratio, HR, 1.48; p = 0.0324) and total mortality (HR, 1.29; p = 0.0425). Smoking status did not make a significant difference in peripheral blood cells telomere length. In conclusion, COPD patients have short leukocyte telomeres, which are in turn associated increased risk of total and cancer mortality. Accelerated aging is of particular relevance to cancer mortality in COPD.
On the Duality of Discrete and Periodic Functions

Although versions of Poisson's Summation Formula (PSF) have already been studied extensively, there seems to be no theorem that relates discretization to periodization and periodization to discretization in a simple manner. In this study, we show that two complementary formulas, both closely related to the classical Poisson Summation Formula, are needed to form a reciprocal Discretization-Periodization Theorem on generalized functions. We define discretization and periodization on generalized functions and show that the Fourier transform of periodic functions are discrete functions and, vice versa, the Fourier transform of discrete functions are periodic functions.
Simultaneous manometry and electromyography in the pharyngoesophageal segment

Whether the occlusion between hypopharynx and esophagus is established by anatomical relations and tissue elasticity or by a functional resting tone of the muscle fibers is not quite clenr. This study describes simultaneous electromyography (EMG) and electromanometry in the pharyngoesophageal segment to solve this problem and investigate the complex mechanism of deglutition. To register the EMG from the hypopharyngeal constrictor muscle and the upper esophageal sphincter (UES), two copper wire electrode pairs with hooked bare ends were used. These electrodes were introduced into the muscles through a rigid esophagoscope. It is demonstrated that at rest muscle activity is present in the UES. This activity disappears during the relaxaton period. Simultaneous manometry and EMG is a valuable supplement to diagnostic procedures in dysphagia patients.
Location and distribution of a receptor for the 987P pilus of Escherichia coli in small intestines

Frozen sections of rabbit or pig small intestines were stained with fluorescein-labeled antibody specific for the 987P receptor isolated from adult rabbit small intestines. The 987P receptor was present along the entire villous surface and in goblet cells in adult rabbits, but only in goblet cells in infant rabbits. In adult rabbits, the receptor was distributed equally in the jejunum and the ileum. Material antigenically similar to the rabbit 987P receptor was demonstrated in goblet cells in neonatal piglet ileum.
Effect of smoking parameters on the particle size distribution and predicted airway deposition of mainstream cigarette smoke

It is known that puffing conditions such as puff volume, duration, and frequency vary substantially among individual smokers. This study investigates how these parameters affect the particle size distribution and concentration of fresh mainstream cigarette smoke (MCS) and how these changes affect the predicted deposition of MCS particles in a model human respiratory tract. Measurements of the particle size distribution made with an electrical low pressure impactor for a variety of puffing conditions are presented. The average flow rate of the puff is found to be the major factor effecting the measured particle size distribution of the MCS. The results of these measurements were then used as input to a deterministic dosimetry model (MPPD) to estimate the changes in the respiratory tract deposition fraction of smoke particles. The MPPD dosimetry model was modified by incorporating mechanisms involved in respiratory tract deposition of MCS: hygroscopic growth, coagulation, evaporation of semivolatiles, and mixing of the smoke with inhaled dilution air. The addition of these mechanisms to MPPD resulted in reasonable agreement between predicted airway deposition and human smoke retention measurements. The modified MPPD model predicts a modest 10% drop in the total deposition efficiency in a model human respiratory tract as the puff flow rate is increased from 1050 to 3100 ml/min, for a 2-s puff.
Effects of two dopamine-modulating genes (DAT1 9/10 and COMT Val/Met) on n-back working memory performance in healthy volunteers

Background Impairments in working memory are present in many psychiatric illnesses such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and schizophrenia. The dopamine transporter and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) are proteins involved in dopamine clearance and the dopamine system is implicated in the modulation of working memory (WM) processes and neurochemical models of psychiatric diseases. The effects of functional polymorphisms of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) and the COMT gene were investigated using a visuospatial and numerical n-back working memory paradigm. Our n-back task was designed to reflect WM alone, and made no demands on higher executive functioning. Method A total of 291 healthy volunteers (aged 18–45 years) were genotyped and matched for age, sex, and Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS) and National Adult Reading Test (NART) scores. To assess individual gene effects on WM, factorial mixed model analysis of variances (ANOVAs) were conducted with the between-subjects factor as genotype and difficulty level (0-, 1-, 2- and 3-back) entered as the within-subjects factor. Results The analysis revealed that the DAT1 or COMT genotype alone or in combination did not predict performance on the n-back task in our sample of healthy volunteers. Conclusions Behavioral effects of DAT1 and COMT polymorphisms on WM in healthy volunteers may be non-existent, or too subtle to identify without exceedingly large sample sizes. It is proposed that neuroimaging may provide more powerful means of elucidating the modulatory influences of these polymorphisms.
Unbiased Transcriptional Comparisons of Generalist and Specialist Herbivores Feeding on Progressively Defenseless Nicotiana attenuata Plants

Background Herbivore feeding elicits dramatic increases in defenses, most of which require jasmonate (JA) signaling, and against which specialist herbivores are thought to be better adapted than generalist herbivores. Unbiased transcriptional analyses of how neonate larvae cope with these induced plant defenses are lacking. Methodology/Principal Findings We created cDNA microarrays for Manduca sexta and Heliothis virescens separately, by spotting normalized midgut-specific cDNA libraries created from larvae that fed for 24 hours on MeJA-elicited wild-type (WT) Nicotiana attenuata plants. These microarrays were hybridized with labeled probes from neonates that fed for 24 hours on WT and isogenic plants progressively silenced in JA-mediated defenses (N: nicotine; N/PI: N and trypsin protease inhibitors; JA: all JA-mediated defenses). H. virescens neonates regulated 16 times more genes than did M. sexta neonates when they fed on plants silenced in JA-mediated defenses, and for both species, the greater the number of defenses silenced in the host plant (JA > N/PI > N), the greater were the number of transcripts regulated in the larvae. M. sexta larvae tended to down-regulate while H. virescens larvae up- and down-regulated transcripts from the same functional categories of genes. M. sexta larvae regulated transcripts in a diet-specific manner, while H. virescens larvae regulated a similar suite of transcripts across all diet types. Conclusions/Significance The observations are consistent with the expectation that specialists are better adapted than generalist herbivores to the defense responses elicited in their host plants by their feeding. While M. sexta larvae appear to be better adapted to N. attenuata's defenses, some of the elicited responses remain effective defenses against both herbivore species. The regulated genes provide novel insights into larval adaptations to N. attenuata's induced defenses, and represent potential targets for plant-mediated RNAi to falsify hypotheses about the process of adaptation.
Fall-induced injuries and deaths among older adults.

CONTEXT Although various fall-induced injuries and deaths among older adults are increasing, little is known about the epidemiology of these events. OBJECTIVE To determine the trends in the number and incidence of fall-induced injuries and deaths of older adults in a well-defined white population. DESIGN AND SETTING Secular trend analysis of the population of Finland, using the Finnish National Hospital Discharge Register and the Official Cause-of-Death Statistics of Finland. PARTICIPANTS All persons aged 50 years or older who were admitted to hospitals in Finland for primary treatment of a first fall-induced injury from the years of 1970 to 1995, and for comparison, all fall-induced deaths in the same age group from the years 1971 to 1995. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The number and the age-specific and age-adjusted incidence rate (per 100000 persons) of fall-induced injuries and deaths in each year of the study. RESULTS For the study period, both the total and population-adjusted number (per 100000 persons) of Finns aged 50 years or older with fall-induced injury increased substantially. Total fall-induced injuries increased from 5622 in 1970 to 21 574 in 1995, a 284% increase, and the rate increased from 494 to 1398 per 100000 persons, a 183% increase. The age-adjusted incidence also increased in both women (from 648 in 1970 to 1469 in 1995, a 127% increase) and men (from 434 in 1970 to 972 in 1995, a 124% increase). Moreover, the number of deaths due to falls in the overall population increased from 441 in 1971 to 793 in 1995, an 80% increase, and the rate increased from 38 in 1971 to 51 in 1995, a 34% increase. However, after age adjustment the incidence of fall-induced death did not show a clear upward trend. CONCLUSIONS In a well-defined white population, the number of older persons with fall-induced injuries is increasing at a rate that cannot be explained simply by demographic changes. Preventive measures should be adopted to control the increasing burden of these injuries. Fortunately, the age-adjusted incidence of the fall-induced deaths shows no increasing trend over time.
The Effects of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Cardiopulmonary Function in Healthy Adults

Objective To evaluate the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on cardiopulmonary function in healthy adults. Method Thirty-six healthy adults without a cardiac problem were enrolled. All patients were randomly assigned to either a control (17 subjects, mean age 29.41) or an electrical stimulation group (19 subjects, mean age 29.26). The electrical stimulation group received NMES on both sides of quadriceps muscle using a Walking Man II® in a sitting position for 30 minutes over 2 weeks. Maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max), metabolic equivalent (MET), resting, maximal heart rate (RHR, MHR), resting, maximal blood pressure (RBP, MBP), and maximal rate pressure product (MRPP), exercise tolerance test (ETT) duration were determined using an exercise tolerance test and a 6 minute walk test (6MWT) before and after treatment. Results The electrical stimulation group showed a significant increase in VO2max (p=0.03), 6MWT (p<0.01), MHR (p<0.04), MsBP (p<0.03), ETT duration (p<0.01) and a significant decrease in RsBP (p<0.02) as compared with the control group after two weeks. NMES induced changes improved only in RsBP (p<0.049) and ETT duration (p<0.01). The effects of NMES training were stronger in females. Conclusion We suggest that NMES is an additional therapeutic option for cardiopulmonary exercise in disabled patients with severe refractory heart failure or acute AMI.
Schizosaccharomyces pombe grows exponentially during the division cycle with no rate change points.

Length measurements during the division cycle of 86 individual Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells demonstrate that length grows exponentially with no change in the growth rate and no rate change point (RCP) observed for any cell. These results support the proposal that length extension, or cell growth, is exponential during the division cycle. The finding of exponential growth during the cell cycle is significant because these results challenge and contradict the current, consensus, widely believed, and widely accepted view that growth of S. pombe during the division cycle is complex with ranges of linear growth changing at proposed RCPs. Biochemical synthetic patterns support and explain the observed exponential cell growth. Exponential growth of S. pombe is consistent with, and supports, the central tenets of the continuum model.
CD14 -550 C/T, which is related to the serum level of soluble CD14, is associated with the development of respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis in the Japanese population.

BACKGROUND The contribution that genetic polymorphisms of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and of CD14--both of which recognize respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the innate immune response--make to RSV bronchiolitis in the Japanese population has not yet been clarified. METHODS This study genotyped 2 TLR4 mutations, Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile, and 2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CD14, -550 C/T and -159 C/T, in 54 children with RSV bronchiolitis and in 203 control subjects. CD14 SNPs and the serum level of soluble CD14 (sCD14) also were examined in 67 cord-blood specimens and in serum samples from 73 6-year-old children. RESULTS No TLR4 mutations were found. The frequencies of both the CC genotype and the C allele of CD14 -550 C/T were significantly higher in children with RSV bronchiolitis than in the control subjects. The serum level of sCD14 was significantly higher in children with the CC genotype of CD14 -550 C/T than in those with the CT and TT genotypes. CONCLUSIONS CD14 -550 C/T, which is related to the serum level of sCD14, is associated with the development of RSV bronchiolitis in the Japanese population. This study's results indicate that, in different ethnic groups, different genetic factors contribute to the development of RSV bronchiolitis.
Antigen-Displaying Lipid-Enveloped PLGA Nanoparticles as Delivery Agents for a Plasmodium vivax Malaria Vaccine

The parasite Plasmodium vivax is the most frequent cause of malaria outside of sub-Saharan Africa, but efforts to develop viable vaccines against P. vivax so far have been inadequate. We recently developed pathogen-mimicking polymeric vaccine nanoparticles composed of the FDA-approved biodegradable polymer poly(lactide-co-glycolide) acid (PLGA) “enveloped” by a lipid membrane. In this study, we sought to determine whether this vaccine delivery platform could be applied to enhance the immune response against P. vivax sporozoites. A candidate malaria antigen, VMP001, was conjugated to the lipid membrane of the particles, and an immunostimulatory molecule, monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA), was incorporated into the lipid membranes, creating pathogen-mimicking nanoparticle vaccines (VMP001-NPs). Vaccination with VMP001-NPs promoted germinal center formation and elicited durable antigen-specific antibodies with significantly higher titers and more balanced Th1/Th2 responses in vivo, compared with vaccines composed of soluble protein mixed with MPLA. Antibodies raised by NP vaccinations also exhibited enhanced avidity and affinity toward the domains within the circumsporozoite protein implicated in protection and were able to agglutinate live P. vivax sporozoites. These results demonstrate that these VMP001-NPs are promising vaccines candidates that may elicit protective immunity against P. vivax sporozoites.