Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anaplasma phagocytophilum Asp14 Is an Invasin That Interacts with Mammalian Host Cells via Its C Terminus To Facilitate Infection

ABSTRACT Anaplasma phagocytophilum, a member of the family Anaplasmataceae, is the tick-transmitted obligate intracellular bacterium that causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis. The life cycle of A. phagocytophilum is biphasic, transitioning between the noninfectious reticulate cell (RC) and infectious dense-cored (DC) forms. We analyzed the bacterium's DC surface proteome by selective biotinylation of surface proteins, NeutrAvidin affinity purification, and mass spectrometry. Transcriptional profiling of selected outer membrane protein candidates over the course of infection revealed that aph_0248 (designated asp14 [14-kDa A. phagocytophilum surface protein]) expression was upregulated the most during A. phagocytophilum cellular invasion. asp14 transcription was induced during transmission feeding of A. phagocytophilum-infected ticks on mice and was upregulated when the bacterium engaged its receptor, P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1. Asp14 localized to the A. phagocytophilum surface and was expressed during in vivo infection. Treating DC organisms with Asp14 antiserum or preincubating mammalian host cells with glutathione S-transferase (GST)–Asp14 significantly inhibited infection of host cells. Moreover, preincubating host cells with GST-tagged forms of both Asp14 and outer membrane protein A, another A. phagocytophilum invasin, pronouncedly reduced infection relative to treatment with either protein alone. The Asp14 domain that is sufficient for cellular adherence and invasion lies within the C-terminal 12 to 24 amino acids and is conserved among other Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species. These results identify Asp14 as an A. phagocytophilum surface protein that is critical for infection, delineate its invasion domain, and demonstrate the potential of targeting Asp14 in concert with OmpA for protecting against infection by A. phagocytophilum and other Anaplasmataceae pathogens.
Enlarged amygdala volume and reduced hippocampal volume in young women with major depression

Background. Evidence is increasing that amygdala and hippocampus show significant structural abnormalities in affective disorders. Two previous studies found enlarged amygdala size in subjects with recent-onset major depression. Method. Amygdala and hippocampal volumes were assessed in 17 young women with major depressive disorder and 17 healthy matched control subjects by use of three-dimensional structural magnetic resonance imaging. The severity of depressive symptoms was assessed using the Hamilton Depression Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results. Compared with control subjects, depressive subjects had significantly larger (+13%) amygdala volumes and significantly smaller (−12%) hippocampal volumes. Amygdala and hippocampal volumes were not significantly correlated with disorder-related variables. Conclusions. Our results are consistent with previous findings of structural abnormalities of amygdala and hippocampus in subjects with recent-onset major depression. It may be suggested that the size of the amygdala is enlarged in the first years of the disorder, and may decrease with prolonged disorder duration.
alpha 5 beta 1 integrin induces the expression of non-cartilaginous procollagen gene expression in articular chondrocytes cultured in monolayers

alpha5beta1 integrin induces the expression of non-cartilaginous procollagen gene expression in articular chondrocytes cultured in monolayers Arthritis Research & Therapy 2013, 15:R127 doi:10.1186/ar4307 Nobuho Tanaka (n-tanaka@sagamihara-hosp.gr.jp) Yasuko Ikeda (y-ikeda@sagamihara-hosp.gr.jp) Tetsuo Yamaguchi (t-yamaguchi@sagamihara-hosp.gr.jp) Hiroshi Furukawa (h-furukawa@sagamihara-hosp.gr.jp) Hiroyuki Mitomi (hmitomi@juntendo.ac.jp) Takumi Nakagawa (takumin-tky@umin.ac.jp) Shigeto Tohma (s-touma@sagamihara-hosp.gr.jp) Naoshi Fukui (n-fukui@idaten.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp)
Electron Microscopy of the Lysis of Staphylococcus aureus Cell Walls by Aeromonas Lytic Factor

Isolated and purified cell walls of Staphylococcus aureus were treated with a purified fraction of the culture supernatant fluid of a species of Aeromonas. The course of lysis of the cell walls was followed over a period of time by examination of samples under an electron microscope. The undifferentiated cell wall was rapidly digested, but the equatorial rings were more resistant. The undifferentiated cell wall became a very thin sheet before completely dissolving, leaving a series of equatorial rings of various widths. As digestion proceeded, solubilization of the entire cell wall occurred. Analogous findings were obtained with purified S. aureus mucopeptide. It is concluded that the Aeromonas lytic principle is an enzyme, and that susceptible bonds are more concentrated in the undifferentiated cell wall mucopeptide.
Temporal logics for reasoning about quantum systems

Reasoning about quantum systems has gained prominence due to a big potential in applications such as information processing, security, distributed systems and randomized algorithms. This fact has attracted research in formal reasoning about quantum states, programs and processes. On the other hand, temporal logics have proved to be successful in the verification of classical distributed systems and security protocols. In this chapter we extend Exogenous Quantum Propositional Logic with temporal modalities, considering both linear and branching time. We provide a weakly complete Hilbert calculi for the proposed quantum temporal logics and study their SAT and model-checking problems.
Who's At The Keyboard? Authorship Attribution in Digital Evidence Investigations

In some investigations of digital crime, the question of who was at the keyboard when incriminating documents were produced can be legitimately raised. Authorship attribution can then contribute to the investigation. Authorship methods which focus on linguistic characteristics currently have accuracy rates ranging from 72% to 89%, within the computational paradigm. This article presents a computational, stylometric method which has obtained 95% accuracy and has been successfully used in investigating and adjudicating several crimes involving digital evidence. The article concludes with a brief review of the current admissibility status of authorship identification techniques.
Spatial Distribution of Prominin-1 (CD133) – Positive Cells within Germinative Zones of the Vertebrate Brain

Background In mammals, embryonic neural progenitors as well as adult neural stem cells can be prospectively isolated based on the cell surface expression of prominin-1 (CD133), a plasma membrane glycoprotein. In contrast, characterization of neural progenitors in non-mammalian vertebrates endowed with significant constitutive neurogenesis and inherent self-repair ability is hampered by the lack of suitable cell surface markers. Here, we have investigated whether prominin-1–orthologues of the major non-mammalian vertebrate model organisms show any degree of conservation as for their association with neurogenic geminative zones within the central nervous system (CNS) as they do in mammals or associated with activated neural progenitors during provoked neurogenesis in the regenerating CNS. Methods We have recently identified prominin-1 orthologues from zebrafish, axolotl and chicken. The spatial distribution of prominin-1–positive cells – in comparison to those of mice – was mapped in the intact brain in these organisms by non-radioactive in situ hybridization combined with detection of proliferating neural progenitors, marked either by proliferating cell nuclear antigen or 5-bromo-deoxyuridine. Furthermore, distribution of prominin-1 transcripts was investigated in the regenerating spinal cord of injured axolotl. Results Remarkably, a conserved association of prominin-1 with germinative zones of the CNS was uncovered as manifested in a significant co-localization with cell proliferation markers during normal constitutive neurogenesis in all species investigated. Moreover, an enhanced expression of prominin-1 became evident associated with provoked, compensatory neurogenesis during the epimorphic regeneration of the axolotl spinal cord. Interestingly, significant prominin-1–expressing cell populations were also detected at distinct extraventricular (parenchymal) locations in the CNS of all vertebrate species being suggestive of further, non-neurogenic neural function(s). Conclusion/Interpretation Collectively, our work provides the first data set describing a comparative analysis of prominin-1–positive progenitor cells across species establishing a framework for further functional characterization in the context of regeneration.
“It feels like there are hooks inside my chest”: The Construction of Narrative Absorption Experiences Using Image Schemata

Narrative absorption is a spontaneous temporary change in the state of consciousness due to an exceptionally intense awareness of a fictional narrative. This article investigates the experiential level of narrative absorption, namely what it is like to be absorbed in a cinematic or printed narrative. Following a cognitive linguistic approach the article assumes that in order to establish understanding of the experiential level of narrative absorption it is necessary to examine how people express their experience. The article proposes that the concept of image schema is a fruitful way to represent the content of viewers' and readers' consciousness so as to identify relevant mental schemata of absorbed narrative experiences. To generate rich descriptions of narrative absorption an interview study was conducted. The interviews qualitatively employing the image schemas as the system of the thematic analysis were examined for this research. The Centre-Periphery, Container, and the Source-Path-Goal schemas provide deeper insight into the nature and structure of recurring embodied patterns of absorption with fictional narratives.
The Structure of Risks in Equilibrium Affine Models of Bond Yields ∗

Many equilibrium term structure models (ETSMs) in which the state of the economy follows an affine process imply that the variation in expected excess returns on bond portfolio positions is fully spanned by the conditional variances of the state variables. We show that these two assumptions alone– an affine state process with conditional variances that span expected excess returns– are sufficient to econometrically identify the factors determining risk premiums in these ETSMs from data on the term structure of bond yields. Using this result we derive maximum likelihood estimates of the conditional variances of the state– the “quantities of risk”– and evaluate the goodness-of-fit of a large family of affine ETSMs. These assessments of fit are fully robust to the values of the parameters governing preferences and the evolution of the state, and to whether or not the economy is arbitrage free. Our findings suggest that, to be consistent with U.S. macroeconomic and Treasury yield data, affine ETSMs should have the features that: (i) inflation risk, and not long-run risks or variation in risk premiums arising from habit-based preferences, is a significant (and perhaps the dominant) risk underlying risk premiums in U.S. Treasury markets; and (ii) risks that are unspanned by bond yields have substantial explanatory power for risk premiums consistent with time-varying market prices of risks. ∗We thank Christian Heyerdahl-Larsen (EFA discussant), Greg Duffee, Ivan Shaliastovich (AFA discussant), and seminar participants at the 2012 EFA meetings, 2013 AFA meetings, Bank of Canada, Imperial College London, Kenan-Flagler Business School, Warwick Business School, and University of Wisconsin-Madison for helpful comments. †Le: Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (email: anh le@unc.edu); Singleton: Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, and National Bureau of Economic Research (email: kenneths@stanford.edu).
A Genome-Wide Analysis of Promoter-Mediated Phenotypic Noise in Escherichia coli

Gene expression is subject to random perturbations that lead to fluctuations in the rate of protein production. As a consequence, for any given protein, genetically identical organisms living in a constant environment will contain different amounts of that particular protein, resulting in different phenotypes. This phenomenon is known as “phenotypic noise. ” In bacterial systems, previous studies have shown that, for specific genes, both transcriptional and translational processes affect phenotypic noise. Here, we focus on how the promoter regions of genes affect noise and ask whether levels of promoter-mediated noise are correlated with genes' functional attributes, using data for over 60% of all promoters in Escherichia coli. We find that essential genes and genes with a high degree of evolutionary conservation have promoters that confer low levels of noise. We also find that the level of noise cannot be attributed to the evolutionary time that different genes have spent in the genome of E. coli. In contrast to previous results in eukaryotes, we find no association between promoter-mediated noise and gene expression plasticity. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that, in bacteria, natural selection can act to reduce gene expression noise and that some of this noise is controlled through the sequence of the promoter region alone.
A Review of Non-custodial Interventions with Offenders with Intellectual Disabilities

People with intellectual disabilities are over-represented in the criminal justices system in every Western jurisdiction in which research is conducted and in New South Wales, studies show that about 19-20% of the prison population has intellectual disability, an increase of nearly 8% since the late 1980s. A review of non-custodial interventions with offender with intellectual disabilities is presented.
The effects of ultrasonic and electrosurgery devices on nerve physiology

Background. While the risks associated with the use of electrosurgery near nerves are well known, few studies have examined the neurophysiologic effects of application of the Harmonic Blade, an ultrasonic scalpel, in the vicinity of nerve fibres. This study sought to compare the sub-acute neurophysiologic effects of the Harmonic Blade and electrosurgery after incisions close to the sciatic nerve. Methods. Incisions were made in rats with the Harmonic Blade and electrosurgery at distances of 1, 2, 3 and 4 mm from the sciatic nerve. Sham surgery was also performed. The compound action potential, conduction velocity and calibrated nylon filament (von Frey hair, VFH) stimulating force were monitored for up to 3 hours after surgery. The sciatic nerve was assessed for inflammation via H&E staining and impaired axonal transport by β-APP immunohistochemistry. Results. Electrosurgery incisions produced a significantly greater decrease in compound action potential and conduction velocity, and increase in the VFH force than the Harmonic Blade over all time points and distances from the sciatic nerve. The Harmonic Blade was similar to sham surgery for the compound action potential and VFH force. Electrosurgery yielded significantly greater leukocyte infiltration than the Harmonic Blade and produced the highest levels of β-APP immunoreactive swellings. Conclusions. Incisions with electrosurgery in the range of 1–4 mm of the sciatic nerve caused substantial changes in neurophysiologic functioning and inflammation. In contrast, the Harmonic Blade was similar to sham surgery in the vicinity of the nerve, producing little observable acute trauma.
On Receiving the 2008 Eric Berne Memorial Award for Mechanisms of Transgenerational Script Transmission

This article is the edited text of the acceptance speech given by Gloria Noriega in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 2008 World TA Conference. It describes her epidemiological research into four mechanisms of transgenerational script transmission: ulterior transactions, psychological games, transference psychodynamics, and projective identification. Codependency was used as an example of a cultural script that is transmitted by unconscious communication to sub-sequent generations. The Codependency Instrument (ICOD), which is based on transactional analysis theory, was used with a sample of 830 women at a health center in Mexico City. Significant results were obtained by analyzing alcoholism, domestic violence, affective losses, cultural scripts, and female illiteracy as risk factors related to codependency, both in the family of origin and in current couple relationships.
GIS TECHNIQUES FOR MAPPING URBAN VENTILATION , USING FRONTAL AREA INDEX AND LEAST COST PATH ANALYSIS

This paper presents the urban wind ventilation mapping from building frontal area index on the example of urbanised city, Hong Kong. The calculations of frontal area index for each uniform 100m grid cell are based on three dimensional building databases at eight different wind directions. The frontal area index were then correlated with land use classification map, and the results indicate that commercial and industrial areas were found to have higher values as compared to other urban land use types, primary because these areas have densely high rise buildings. However, with using the frontal area index map, the potential ventilation paths created using least cost path analysis of the city can be located, and the “in-situ” measurements were suggested the existence and accuracy of these ventilation paths. These high ventilation paths could play significant roles in relieving the urban heat island formation and increasing the urban wind ventilation, planning and environmental authorities may use the derived frontal area index and ventilation maps as objective measures of environmental quality over a city, especially human comfort of the urban climate.
Discriminative training of dynamic programming based speech recognizers

A new minimum recognition error formulation and a generalized probabilistic descent (GPD) algorithm are analyzed and used to accomplish discriminative training of a conventional dynamic-programming-based speech recognizer. The objective of discriminative training here is to directly minimize the recognition error rate. To achieve this, a formulation that allows controlled approximation of the exact error rate and renders optimization possible is used. The GPD method is implemented in a dynamic-time-warping (DTW)-based system. A linear discriminant function on the DTW distortion sequence is used to replace the conventional average DTW path distance. A series of speaker-independent recognition experiments using the highly confusible English E-set as the vocabulary showed a recognition rate of 84.4% compared to approximately 60% for traditional template training via clustering. The experimental results verified that the algorithm converges to a solution that achieves minimum error rate. >
Growing Old Disgracefully: The Cosmetic Use of Botulinum Toxin

The explosive growth in the use of botulinum toxin for cosmetic purposes has undoubtedly had an impact on the number of animals used in the potency testing of this product. The test used is a classical LD50, a severe procedure during which animals experience increasing paralysis until the occurrence of death. The enthusiastic adoption by the general public of the use of botulinum toxin as an anti-wrinkle treatment has, at least in Europe, paradoxically taken place against a background of moves to stop animal testing of cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients. There appears to be a dearth of information aimed at the public concerning botulinum toxin testing. Botulinum toxin does have important medical applications; however, the question arises whether a blanket licence for the testing can be justified, when a large proportion of the product is being used cosmetically. A further question is why death continues to be the endpoint of the potency test, when a more-humane endpoint has been proposed. In addition, a number of alternative methods have been developed, which could have the potential to replace the lethal potency test altogether. These methods are discussed in this paper, and the importance of establishing a strategy for their validation is emphasised, a need that has become even more urgent in the light of the recently published draft monograph on botulinum toxin by the European Pharmacopoeia Commission.
Elasticity of healthy Achilles tendon decreases with the increase of age as determined by acoustic radiation force impulse imaging.

AIMS The objective of the study was to investigate the value of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) and its application in Achilles tendon elasticity of healthy volunteers. METHODS Bilateral Achilles tendons of 56 healthy individuals were included in the study. The subjects were divided into four age groups. Shear wave velocities (SWVs) of each tendon in the states of relaxation and tension were measured using ARFI technology. We selected the middle section of the Achilles tendon for ARFI measurement. Each Achilles tendon was examined by a musculoskeletal radiologist. Longitudinal images of each tendon were obtained by ultrasound and ARFI elastography. A quantitative assessment of the tissue stiffness was made with virtual touch tissue quantification. RESULTS Significant differences in SWVs of Achilles tendon were found between any two age groups in the same status (P < 0.05) and between different status in subjects aged 25-35 years (P < 0.05) and 36-45 years (P < 0.05). SWV of Achilles tendon increased with increasing age in both states of relaxation and tension, which was consistent with the histological feature of ageing tendons. However, there were no significant differences between men and women within any group in the same status (P > 0.05) or between different states in subjects aged 46-55 years (P = 0.308) and 56-65 years (P = 0.362). CONCLUSIONS ARFI imaging provides quantitative information about tendon stiffness and represents an excellent supplementary technique to B-mode ultrasound. Furthermore, the elasticity of healthy tendon decreases with increasing age in subjects without disease and long-term heavy load lifting.
Explaining Employment Hardiness Among Women in Israel’s Ultraorthodox Community

Based on a sample of 319 Israeli women belonging to the ultraorthodox Jewish community, this study examined factors that facilitate and inhibit the development of employment hardiness. The term employment hardiness refers to one aspect of me as a worker and reflects a self-perception characterized by three distinguishing components, that is, openness to change at work, employment self-efficacy, and work commitment. Facilitators of employment hardiness were manifested in the women’s personal and environmental resources as well as in their work-promoting attitudes (egalitarian gender-role ideology and work centrality). Conversely, the inhibitors were manifested in the participants’ experience of daily stress. Openness to change at work and employment self-efficacy were explained primarily by workplace support and by personal resources as reflected in psychological and community empowerment, whereas work commitment was explained primarily by work-promoting attitudes as well as by the experience of daily stress. Practical recommendations are presented for organizations employing ultraorthodox women as well as for employment counselors, which aim to enhance employment hardiness among traditional women in communities undergoing modernization.