Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Juvenile hormone-activated phospholipase C pathway enhances transcriptional activation by the methoprene-tolerant protein

Significance Juvenile hormone (JH) controls many key processes during insect life cycles. Some of the effects of JH are mediated by a membrane-associated mechanism. In other circumstances, an intracellular JH receptor, methoprene-tolerant protein (MET), is activated upon binding of JH and directly regulates the expression of JH target genes. Here we use adult female mosquitoes as an example to demonstrate that both mechanisms are interconnected to coordinate hormonal responses. Our results indicate that the phospholipase C pathway is activated shortly after hormone exposure. Activation of this pathway induces phosphorylation of MET and profoundly increases the ability of MET to bind to JH target. This study establishes the link between the membrane-initiated JH signaling and the MET-mediated genomic action of JH. Juvenile hormone (JH) is a key regulator of a wide diversity of developmental and physiological events in insects. Although the intracellular JH receptor methoprene-tolerant protein (MET) functions in the nucleus as a transcriptional activator for specific JH-regulated genes, some JH responses are mediated by signaling pathways that are initiated by proteins associated with plasma membrane. It is unknown whether the JH-regulated gene expression depends on the membrane-mediated signal transduction. In Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, we found that JH activated the phospholipase C (PLC) pathway and quickly increased the levels of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, diacylglycerol, and intracellular calcium, leading to activation and autophosphorylation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). When abdomens from newly emerged mosquitoes were cultured in vitro, the JH-activated gene expression was repressed substantially if specific inhibitors of PLC or CaMKII were added to the medium together with JH. In newly emerged female mosquitoes, RNAi-mediated depletion of PLC or CaMKII considerably reduced the expression of JH-responsive genes, including the Krüppel homolog 1 gene (AaKr-h1) and the early trypsin gene (AaET). JH-induced loading of MET to the promoters of AaKr-h1 and AaET was weakened drastically when either PLC or CaMKII was inactivated in the cultured tissues. Therefore, the results suggest that the membrane-initiated signaling pathway modifies the DNA-binding activity of MET via phosphorylation and thus facilitates the genomic responses to JH. In summary, this study reveals an interplay of genomic and nongenomic signaling mechanisms of JH.
The Hidden Complexity of Long-Term Care: how context mediates knowledge translation and use of best practices.

PURPOSE Context is increasingly recognized as a key factor to be considered when addressing healthcare practice. This study describes features of context as they pertain to knowledge use in long-term care (LTC). DESIGN AND METHODS As one component of the research program Translating Research in Elder Care, an in-depth qualitative case study was conducted to examine the research question "How does organizational context mediate the use of knowledge in practice in long-term care facilities? " A representative facility was chosen from the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Data included document review, direct observation of daily care practices, and interviews with direct care, allied provider, and administrative staff. RESULTS The Hidden Complexity of Long-Term Care model consists of 8 categories that enmesh to create a context within which knowledge exchange and best practice are executed. These categories range from the most easily identifiable to the least observable: physical environment, resources, ambiguity, flux, relationships, and philosophies. Two categories (experience and confidence, leadership and mentoring) mediate the impact of other contextual factors. Inappropriate physical environments, inadequate resources, ambiguous situations, continual change, multiple relationships, and contradictory philosophies make for a complicated context that impacts care provision. IMPLICATIONS A hidden complexity underlays healthcare practices in LTC and each care provider must negotiate this complexity when providing care. Attending to this complexity in which care decisions are made will lead to improvements in knowledge exchange mechanisms and best practice uptake in LTC settings.
Antibacterial and Antimycobacterial Lignans and Flavonoids from Larrea tridentata

Three lignans and four flavonoids were isolated and characterized from Larrea tridentata and compounds were tested against 16 bacterial species/strains. Results showed that: dihydroguaiaretic acid (1) had activity towards methicillin resistant (MR) Staphylococcus aureus (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) 50 µg/mL) and multidrug‐resistant (MDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MIC 12.5–50 µg/mL); 4‐epi‐larreatricin (2) was active against Enterobacter cloacae (MIC 12.5 µg/mL), as well as sensitive (MIC 50 µg/mL) and MDR strains of M. tuberculosis (MIC 25 µg/mL). 3′‐Demethoxy‐6‐O‐demethylisoguaiacin (3) displayed activity against sensitive and resistant S. aureus (MIC 25 µg/mL), Enterococcus faecalis (MIC 12.5 µg/mL), Escherichia coli (MIC 50 µg/mL), E. cloacae (MIC 12.5 µg/mL) and MDR strains of M. tuberculosis (MIC 12.5 µg/mL). 5,4′‐Dihydroxy‐3,7,8,3′‐tetramethoxyflavone (4) and 5,4′‐dihydroxy‐3,7,8‐trimethoxyflavone (5) were active against M. tuberculosis MDR strains having MIC values of 25 and 25–50 µg/mL, respectively, while 5,4′‐dihydroxy‐7‐methoxyflavone (6) was active against S. aureus (MIC 50 µg/mL) and E. faecalis (MIC 50 µg/mL). We concluded that lignan 3 is the main compound responsible for the antibacterial activity of L. tridentata. Lignans 1 and 2 as well as flavonoid 6 contribute with some degree of antibacterial activity. On the other hand, compounds 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 contributed to the antimycobacterial activity found in L. tridentata. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microvascular dysfunction: a link between pre‐eclampsia and maternal coronary heart disease

Epidemiological studies have recently demonstrated a relationship between pre‐eclampsia and coronary heart disease. Insulin resistance has been implicated as a common factor. We have demonstrated, for the first time, using laser Doppler imaging in vivo, impaired microvascular function in women 15–25 years following a pregnancy complicated by pre‐eclampsia. Thus, microvascular dysfunction, which is associated with insulin resistance, may be a predisposing vascular mechanism for both coronary heart disease and pre‐eclampsia. Pregnancies complicated by pre‐eclampsia may identify women at risk of vascular disease in later life and may provide the opportunity for lifestyle and risk factor modification to alter maternal vascular disease risk.
An empirical study on recovering requirement-to-code links

Requirements traceability provides support for critical software engineering activities such as change impact analysis and requirements validation. Unfortunately many organizations have ineffective traceability practices in place, largely because of poor communication and time pressure problems. Therefore researchers have proposed various approaches to automatically recover requirement-to-code links. Typically, these approaches are based on Information Retrieval techniques, and use various features such as synonyms, verb-object phrases, and structural information. Although many links are thus recovered, the effectiveness of individual features is not fully evaluated, and it is rather difficult to combine different features to produce better results. In this paper, we implement a tool, called R2C, that combines various features to recover requirement-to-code links. With the support of R2C, we conduct an empirical study to understand the effectiveness of these features in recovering requirement-to-code links. Our results show that verb-object phrase is the most effective feature in recovering such links. A preliminary case study indicates that our tuning combines different features to produce better results than IR-based technique using a single feature.
Articles with short titles describing the results are cited more often

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate some features of article titles from open access journals and to assess the possible impact of these titles on predicting the number of article views and citations. METHODS: Research articles (n = 423, published in October 2008) from all Public Library of Science (PLoS) journals and from 12 Biomed Central (BMC) journals were evaluated. Publication metrics (views and citations) were analyzed in December 2011. The titles were classified according to their contents, namely methods-describing titles and results-describing titles. The number of title characters, title typology, the use of a question mark, reference to a specific geographical region, and the use of a colon or a hyphen separating different ideas within a sentence were analyzed to identify predictors of views and citations. A logistic regression model was used to identify independent title characteristics that could predict citation rates. RESULTS: Short-titled articles had higher viewing and citation rates than those with longer titles. Titles containing a question mark, containing a reference to a specific geographical region, and that used a colon or a hyphen were associated with a lower number of citations. Articles with results-describing titles were cited more often than those with methods-describing titles. After multivariate analysis, only a low number of characters and title typology remained as predictors of the number of citations. CONCLUSIONS: Some features of article titles can help predict the number of article views and citation counts. Short titles presenting results or conclusions were independently associated with higher citation counts. The findings presented here could be used by authors, reviewers, and editors to maximize the impact of articles in the scientific community.
DipM links peptidoglycan remodelling to outer membrane organization in Caulobacter

Cell division in Gram‐negative organisms requires coordinated invagination of the multilayered cell envelope such that each daughter receives an intact inner membrane, peptidoglycan (PG) layer and outer membrane (OM). Here, we identify DipM, a putative LytM endopeptidase in Caulobacter crescentus, and show that it plays a critical role in maintaining cell envelope architecture during growth and division. DipM localized to the division site in an FtsZ‐dependent manner via its PG‐binding LysM domains. Although not essential for viability, ΔdipM cells exhibited gross morphological defects, including cell widening and filamentation, indicating a role in cell shape maintenance and division that we show requires its LytM domain. Strikingly, cells lacking DipM also showed OM blebbing at the division site, at cell poles and along the cell body. Cryo electron tomography of sacculi isolated from cells depleted of DipM revealed marked thickening of the PG as compared to wild type, which we hypothesize leads to loss of trans‐envelope contacts between components of the Tol–Pal complex. We conclude that DipM is required for normal envelope invagination during division and to maintain a sacculus of constant thickness that allows for maintenance of OM connections throughout the cell envelope.
Feasibility of manufacturing geopolymer bricks using circulating fluidized bed combustion bottom ash

This paper presents a study on geopolymer bricks manufactured using bottom ash from circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC). The alkali activators used for synthesis were sodium silicate, sodium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide and lithium hydroxide solutions. The study included the impact of alkali activator on compressive strength. The reaction products were analysed by XRD, FT-IR and SEM/EDS. The compressive strength of bricks was dependent on the modulus of the sodium silicate activator and the type and concentration of alkali activator. The highest compressive strength could be gained when the modulus was 1.5, and the value could reach 16.1 MPa (7 d after manufacture) and 21.9 MPa (28 d after manufacture). Under pure alkaline systems, the compressive strength was in the order of 10 M KOH>10 M NaOH>5 M LiOH>5 M KOH>5 M NaOH. Quartz was the only crystalline phase in the original bottom ash, and no new crystalline phase was found after the reaction. The main product of reaction was amorphous alkali aluminosilicate gel and a small amount of crystalline phase was also found by SEM.
Hoogsteen-position pyrimidines promote the stability and function of the MALAT1 RNA triple helix

Triple-stranded RNA was first deduced to form in vitro more than 50 years ago and has since been implicated in RNA catalysis, stability, and small molecule binding. Despite the emerging biological significance of RNA triple helices, it remains unclear how their nucleotide composition contributes to their thermodynamic stability and cellular function. To investigate these properties, we used in vitro RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) and in vivo intronless β-globin reporter assays to measure the relative contribution of 20 RNA base triples (N•A–U, N•G–C, N•C–G, N•U–A, and N•G–U) to triple-helical stability. These triples replaced a single internal U•A–U within the known structure of the triple-helical RNA stability element of human metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), which contains 10 major-groove base triples. In addition to the canonical C•G–C triple, the noncanonical base triples U•G–C, U•G–U, C•C–G, and U•C–G exhibited at least 30% stability relative to the wild-type U•A–U base triple in both assays. Of these triples, only U•A–U, C•G–C, and U•G–C, when tested as four successive triples, formed stabilizing structures that allowed accumulation of the intronless β-globin reporter. Overall, we find that Hoogsteen-position pyrimidines support triple helix stability and function and that thermodynamic stability, based on EMSA results, is necessary but not sufficient for stabilization activity of the MALAT1 triple helix in cells. These results suggest that additional RNA triple helices containing noncanonical triples likely exist in nature.
Highly Effective Detection of Human Papillomavirus 16 and 18 DNA by a Testing Algorithm Combining Broad-Spectrum and Type-Specific PCR

ABSTRACT The use of a single broad-spectrum human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA-based PCR test may fail to detect lower concentrations of HPV DNA due to competition between different genotypes in mixed infections. To improve HPV detection by PCR, broad-spectrum and type-specific (TS) PCRs were combined, with a focus on HPV-16 and HPV-18. Cervical and cervicovaginal cell samples were obtained from 1,113 healthy women (age range, 15 to 25 years) participating in an HPV-16/HPV-18 candidate vaccine efficacy trial. These samples were tested by a broad-spectrum SPF10 PCR-DNA enzyme immunoassay, followed by a primer SPF10-based line probe assay (SPF10 LiPA), and HPV-16- and HPV-18-TS PCRs. The results for the majority of the HPV-16/18 SPF10 LiPA-positive samples were confirmed by TS-PCR (kappa values, 0.775 for HPV-16 and 0.785 for HPV-18). However, TS PCR revealed additional positive samples among those that contained other HPV genotypes due to competition. Conversely, SPF10 LiPA identified HPV-16 or -18 in samples that remained negative by TS PCR as a result of sampling variation. Analysis of follow-up samples from more than 1,000 women confirmed that the combination of SPF10-LiPA with additional HPV-16- and HPV-18-TS PCR diminishes the rate of false-negative diagnosis. The combination of broad-spectrum and TS PCRs resulted in a novel testing algorithm. This combination of assays is more accurate than either method alone, and the novel algorithm offers a highly accurate and effective method for the analysis of HPV infections.
Heat Transfer Model for an RF Cold Crucible Induction Heated Melter

A method to reduce radioactive waste volume that includes melting glass in a cold crucible radio frequency induction heated melter has been investigated numerically. The purpose of the study is to correlate the numerical investigation with an experimental apparatus that melts glass in the above mentioned melter. A model has been created that couples the magnetic vector potential (real and imaginary) to a transient startup of the melting process. This magnetic field is coupled to the mass, momentum, and energy equations that vary with time and position as the melt grows. The coupling occurs with the electrical conductivity of the glass as it rises above the melt temperature of the glass and heat is generated. Natural convection within the molten glass helps determine the shape of the melt as it progresses in time. An electromagnetic force is also implemented that is dependent on the electrical properties and frequency of the coil. This study shows the progression of the melt shape with time along with temperatures, power input, velocites, and magnetic vector potential. A power controller is implemented that controls the primary coil current so that the power induced in the melt does not exceed 60 kW. The coupling with the 60 kW generator occurs with the impedance of the melt as it progresses and changes with time. With a current source of 70 Amps (rms) in the primary coil and a frequency of 2.6 MHz, the time to melt the glass takes 0.8 hours for a crucible that is 10 inches in diameter and 10 inches high.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Long-Term Burden and Respiratory Effects of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization in Preterm Infants—The SPRING Study

The health status of premature infants born 321-350 weeks’ gestational age (wGA) hospitalized for RSV infection in the first year of life (cases; n = 125) was compared to that of premature infants not hospitalized for RSV (controls; n = 362) through 6 years. The primary endpoints were the percentage of children with wheezing between 2-6 years and lung function at 6 years of age. Secondary endpoints included quality of life, healthcare resource use, and allergic sensitization. A significantly higher proportion of cases than controls experienced recurrent wheezing through 6 years of age (46.7% vs. 27.4%; p = 0.001). The vast majority of lung function tests appeared normal at 6 years of age in both cohorts. In children with pulmonary function in the lower limit of normality (FEV1 Z-score [-2; -1]), wheezing was increased, particularly for cases vs. controls (72.7% vs. 18.9%, p = 0.002). Multivariate analysis revealed the most important factor for wheezing was RSV hospitalization. Quality of life on the respiratory subscale of the TAPQOL was significantly lower (p = 0.001) and healthcare resource utilization was significantly higher (p<0.001) in cases than controls. This study confirms RSV disease is associated with wheezing in 32-35 wGA infants through 6 years of age.
The effect of age at immigration and generational status of the mother on infant mortality in ethnic minority populations in The Netherlands.

BACKGROUND Migrant populations consist of migrants with differences in generational status and length of residence. Several studies suggest that health outcomes differ by generational status and duration of residence. We examined the association of generational status and age at immigration of the mother with infant mortality in migrant populations in The Netherlands. METHODS Data from Statistics Netherlands were obtained from 1995 through 2000 for infants of mothers with Dutch, Turkish and Surinamese ethnicity. Mothers were categorized by generational status (Dutch-born and foreign-born) and by age at immigration (0-16 and >16 years). The associations of generational status and age at immigration of the mother with total and cause-specific infant mortality were examined. RESULTS The infant mortality rate in Turkish mothers rose with lower age at immigration (from 5.5 to 6.4 per 1000) and was highest for Dutch-born Turkish mothers (6.8 per 1000). Infant death from perinatal and congenital causes increased with lower age at immigration and was highest in the Dutch-born Turkish women. In contrast, in Surinamese mothers infant mortality declined with lower age at immigration (from 8.0 to 6.3 per 1000) and was lowest for Dutch-born Surinamese mothers (5.5 per 1000). Generational status and lower age at immigration of Surinamese women were associated with declining mortality of congenital causes. CONCLUSIONS Total and cause-specific infant mortality seem to differ according to generational status and age at immigration of the mother. The direction of these trends however differs between ethnic populations. This may be related to acculturation and selective migration.
In Search of East Asian Self-Enhancement

A meta-analysis of published cross-cultural studies of self-enhancement reveals pervasive and pronounced differences between East Asians and Westerners. Across 91 comparisons, the average cross-cultural effect was d = . 84. The effect emerged in all 30 methods, except for comparisons of implicit self-esteem. Within cultures, Westerners showed a clear self-serving bias (d = .87), whereas East Asians did not (d = -.01), with Asian Americans falling in between (d = .52). East Asians did self-enhance in the methods that involved comparing themselves to average but were self-critical in other methods. It was hypothesized that this inconsistency could be explained in that these methods are compromised by the “everyone is better than their group’s average effect” (EBTA). Supporting this rationale, studies that were implicated by the EBTA reported significantly larger self-enhancement effect for all cultures compared to other studies. Overall, the evidence converges to show that East Asians do not self-enhance.
Robot-assisted Movement Training for the Stroke-impaired Arm: Does It Matter What the Robot Does?

—Robot-assisted movement training improves arm movement ability following acute and chronic stroke. Such training involves two interacting processes: the patient trying to move and the robot applying forces to the patient's arm. A fundamental principle of motor learning is that movement practice improves motor function; the role of applied robotic forces in improving motor function is still unclear. This article reviews our work addressing this question. Our pilot study using the Assisted Rehabilitation and Measurement (ARM) Guide, a linear robotic trainer, found that mechanically assisted reaching improved motor recovery similar to unassisted reaching practice. This finding is inconclusive because of the small sample size (n = 19), but suggest that future studies should carefully control the amount of voluntary movement practice delivered to justify the use of robotic forces. We are optimistic that robotic forces will ultimately show additional therapeutic benefits when coupled with movement practice. We justify this optimism here by comparing results from the ARM Guide and the Mirror Image Movement Enabler robotic trainer. This comparison suggests that requiring a patient to generate specific patterns of force before allowing movement is more effective than mechanically completing movements for the patient. We describe the engineering implementation of this " guided-force training " algorithm.