Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cor a 14, the allergenic 2S albumin from hazelnut, is highly thermostable and resistant to gastrointestinal digestion

Scope Allergens from nuts frequently induce severe allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. The aim of this study was to elucidate the physicochemical characteristics of natural Cor a 14, the 2S albumin from hazelnut. Methods and results Cor a 14 was purified from raw hazelnuts using a combination of precipitation and chromatographic techniques. The protein was analyzed using gel electrophoresis, MS, and far‐UV circular dichroism (CD) analyses. The immunoglobulin E (IgE) binding of native, heat‐treated, and in vitro digested Cor a 14 was studied. We identified two different Cor a 14 isoforms and showed microclipping at the C‐terminus. CD spectra at room temperature showed the typical characteristics of 2S albumins, and temperatures of more than 80°C were required to start unfolding of Cor a 14 demonstrating its high stability to heat treatment. In vitro digestion experiments revealed that Cor a 14 is resistant to proteolytic degradation. Native and heat‐treated protein was recognized by sera from hazelnut allergic patients. However, denaturation of the allergen led to significantly reduced IgE binding. Conclusion We identified two different isoforms of Cor a 14 displaying high stability under heating and gastric and duodenal conditions. Data from IgE‐binding experiments revealed the existence of both, linear and conformational epitopes.
Activation-dependent recognition by hematopoietic cells of the LDV sequence in the V region of fibronectin

It has been shown that the alpha 4 beta 1 integrin is the lymphocyte receptor for the carboxy terminal cell-binding domain of fibronectin which comprises adhesion sites in Hep 2 and a high affinity site, CS-1, in the type III connecting segment or V (for variable) region. In the present studies, using a series of peptides derived from CS-1, we identify the tripeptide leu-asp-val (LDV), as the minimal peptide capable of supporting stable lymphocyte or melanoma cell adhesion. However, only cells which expressed an active form of the alpha 4 beta 1 complex were capable of attaching to and spreading on LDV peptide. On a molar basis, LDV minimal peptides were either not active or 10-20 times less active than intact CS-1 in promoting the adhesion of lymphocytes expressing the resting form of the receptor. In cells which express the high avidity form of the receptor, LDV and CS-1 were equally effective in promoting cell adhesion and spreading. The avidity of the alpha 4 beta 1 complex could be altered with mAbs to beta 1 which specifically activate beta 1 dependent function. The high avidity form of the alpha 4 beta 1 complex could be induced on U937 cells, T, and B lymphoblastoid cell lines, or PHA-stimulated T cell blasts. Resting PBL could not be induced to bind LDV peptide conjugates by activating antibodies to beta 1 implying that two signals are required for LDV recognition by T cells. In conclusion, these data show clearly that the minimal peptide for the alpha 4 beta 1 complex in CS-1 is the LDV sequence. Although numerous cell populations can interact with intact CS-1 only cells which express an active alpha 4 beta 1 complex can bind the LDV sequence. This implies that cell interaction with the carboxy terminal cell-binding domain of fibronectin can be regulated at several levels: (a) alpha 4 beta 1 expression; (b) activation of the alpha 4 beta 1 complex; and (c) alternate splicing of CS-1 into V+ isoforms of fibronectin.
Oxygen‐enhanced MRI of the brain

Blood oxygenation level‐dependent (BOLD) contrast MRI is a potential method for a physiological characterization of tissue beyond mere morphological representation. The purpose of this study was to develop evaluation techniques for such examinations using a hyperoxia challenge. Administration of pure oxygen was applied to test these techniques, as pure oxygen can be expected to induce relatively small signal intensity (SI) changes compared to CO2‐containing gases and thus requires very sensitive evaluation methods. Fourteen volunteers were investigated by alternating between breathing 100% O2 and normal air, using two different paradigms of administration. Changes ranged from >30% in large veins to 1.71% ± 0.14% in basal ganglia and 0.82% ± 0.08% in white matter. To account for a slow physiological response function, a reference for correlation analysis was derived from the venous reaction. An objective method is presented that allows the adaptation of the significance threshold to the complexity of the paradigm used. Reference signal characteristics in representative brain tissue regions were established. As the presented evaluation scheme proved its applicability to small SI changes induced by pure oxygen, it can readily be used for similar experiments with other gases. Magn Reson Med 48:271–277, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synergetic Pinning Centers in YBa $_{2}{\hbox{Cu}}_{3}{\hbox{O}}_{\rm x}$ Films Through a Combination of Ag Nano-Dot Substrate Decoration, Ag/YBCO Quasi-Multilayers, and the Use of BaZrO $_{3}$-Doped Target

We report on an original technique for nanoengineered pinning centers that combine three previously reported approaches: substrate decoration, quasi-multilayers and targets with secondary phase nanoinclusions. We have used a 4% BZO-doped YBCO target, and Ag nanodots, all grown by PLD. Such an approach gave interesting results in terms of pinning landscape, as proved by TEM studies. Angle-dependent measurements of critical current Ic showed that, for smaller fields, the absolute maximum in Ic occur for fields perpendicular to the a-b planes, while at larger fields the absolute maximum in Ic occurs for fields parallel to the a-b planes, in both cases with a clear second, local maxima. Measurements also showed a smooth change in the character of pinning with magnetic field, from the out-of-plane to in-plane-dominant pinning. For the out-of-plane magnetic field, the highest Ic-w (critical current per cm width) obtained so far, at 77.3 K, occurred in a 5.8 μm Ag nanodots / BZO-doped YBCO trilayer: 782 A/cm-w in self-field, 167 A/cm-w in 1 T and 18 A/cm-w in 3 T.
Taverna: a tool for the composition and enactment of bioinformatics workflows

MOTIVATION In silico experiments in bioinformatics involve the co-ordinated use of computational tools and information repositories. A growing number of these resources are being made available with programmatic access in the form of Web services. Bioinformatics scientists will need to orchestrate these Web services in workflows as part of their analyses. RESULTS The Taverna project has developed a tool for the composition and enactment of bioinformatics workflows for the life sciences community. The tool includes a workbench application which provides a graphical user interface for the composition of workflows. These workflows are written in a new language called the simple conceptual unified flow language (Scufl), where by each step within a workflow represents one atomic task. Two examples are used to illustrate the ease by which in silico experiments can be represented as Scufl workflows using the workbench application.
Virus-induced gene silencing is a versatile tool for unraveling the functional relevance of multiple abiotic-stress-responsive genes in crop plants

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is an effective tool for gene function analysis in plants. Over the last decade, VIGS has been successfully used as both a forward and reverse genetics technique for gene function analysis in various model plants, as well as crop plants. With the increased identification of differentially expressed genes under various abiotic stresses through high-throughput transcript profiling, the application of VIGS is expected to be important in the future for functional characterization of a large number of genes. In the recent past, VIGS was proven to be an elegant tool for functional characterization of genes associated with abiotic stress responses. In this review, we provide an overview of how VIGS is used in different crop species to characterize genes associated with drought-, salt-, oxidative- and nutrient-deficiency-stresses. We describe the examples from studies where abiotic stress related genes are characterized using VIGS. In addition, we describe the major advantages of VIGS over other currently available functional genomics tools. We also summarize the recent improvements, limitations and future prospects of using VIGS as a tool for studying plant responses to abiotic stresses.
CO-CONDITIONING OF DIGESTED EXCESS ACTIVATED SLUDGE WITH ALUM SLUDGE: BENEFIT OF PHOSPHORUS REDUCTION IN REJECT WATER

In this study, alum sludge was introduced into co-conditioning and dewatering with an anaerobic digested activated sludge to examine the role of the alum sludge in improving the dewaterbility of the mixed sludge and also in immobilizing phosphorus in the reject water. Experiments have demonstrated that the optimal mix ratio for the two sludges is 2:1 (anaerobic digested sludge:alum sludge; volume basis), and this can bring about 99% phosphorus reduction in the reject water through the adsorption of phosphorus by Al in the sludge. The phosphorus loading in wastewater treatment plants is itself derived from the recycling of reject water during the wastewater treatment process. Consequently, this co-conditioning and dewatering strategy can achieve a significant reduction in phosphorus loading in wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the use of the alum sludge can beneficially enhance the dewaterbility of the resultant mixed sludge by decreasing both the SRF and the CST, due to the alum sludge acting as a skeleton builder. Experiments have also demonstrated that the optimal polymer (Superfloc C2260) dose for the anaerobic digested sludge was 120 mg/l while the optimal dose for the mixed sludge (mix ratio 2:1) was 15 mg/l, highlighting a huge saving in polymer addition. Therefore, from the technical perspective, the co-conditioning and dewatering strategy can be viewed as a “win-win” situation. However, for its full-scale application, integrated cost-effective analysis of process capabilities, sludge transport, increased cake disposal, additional administration, polymer saving etc. should be factored in.
Overflow Movements Predict Impaired Response Inhibition in Children with ADHD

Neurologic models proposed to explain mechanisms underlying ADHD have emphasized deficits in response inhibition. Age-inappropriate overflow movements, e.g., mirror movements, are motor signs thought to reflect immaturity in cortical systems involved in automatically (unconsciously, without explicit effort) inhibiting extraneous movement. We investigated the hypothesis that the presence of excessive overflow movements would predict measures of conscious, effortful response inhibition (conflicting and contralateral motor response tests) in children with ADHD. 42 children with ADHD and 30 controls, ages 8 through 12 years, participated. Children with ADHD showed significantly more overflow movements than did controls and made more errors on the conflicting and contralateral motor response tests. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that overflow movements predicted performance on measures of motor response inhibition. For one of those measures, the contralateral motor response test, there was a significant interaction with diagnosis, such that overflow predicted response inhibition in ADHD but not in controls. The findings suggest that overflow movements, which can be readily observed as part of clinical examination, are more evident in children with ADHD. Positive correlations between measures of overflow movements and measures of response inhibition suggest that closely associated neural mechanisms underlie these deficits and support hypotheses that age-inappropriate overflow reflects immaturity of cortical systems involved in automatic inhibition.
Effects of drill cooling and bone structure on IMZ implant fixation.

Alternating use of the original method of internal drill cooling with manual external cooling, one IMZ implant was placed in the diaphysis (compact bone) and metaphysis (spongy bone) of the left distal tibia in each of six sheep. After polyfluorochrome sequential labeling, two animals survived for 4, 8, and 16 weeks without functional loading of the implants. The drill holes and bone-implant reactions were evaluated in undecalcified ground sections and microradiographs, using computer-aided histomorphometry. At least 30% of all drill holes were incongruent, but up to 25% of the implant surfaces had primary bone contacts. Four weeks after implantation, distinct differences in the bone reactions could be determined between the experimental conditions. After both cooling methods, osteoclastic resorption had extended up to 0.5 mm into peri-implant compact bone and up to 0.18 mm into spongy bone. Based on the percentage of newly formed bone-to-implant contacts, external cooling proved superior at all superficial drill hole levels in compact bone and in all spongy bone beds, while internal cooling was only better at the deeper drill hole levels in compact bone. After 8 and 16 weeks, peri-implant bone remodeling led to further increased new bone-implant contacts, irrespective of incongruent drill holes or cooling methods. At all time periods, abraded titanium particles were observed within interfacial foreign body cells. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Complete mitochondrial genome of Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

The complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the rice stem borer Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) was determined to be 15,465 bp. It contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, the large and small rRNA genes, and an A+T-rich region. The nucleotide composition of the mitogenome of C. suppressalis is highly A+T biased, accounting for 79.70% in whole mitogenome, 77.74% in PCGs, 84.70% in tRNAs, 81.20% in rRNAs and 94.19% in A+T-rich region, respectively. The PCGs have typical ATN start codons, except for cox1, which contains the unusual CGA. The C. suppressalis A+T-rich region contains a conserved structure combining the motif ATAGA and a 19-bp poly-T stretch, but absence of the 9-bp poly-A element upstream trnM.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: p38/p53/miR-200a-3p feedback loop promotes oxidative stress-mediated liver cell death

Statement of Retraction We, the Editors and Publisher of the journal Cell Cycle, have retracted the following article: Yongtao Xiao, Weihui Yan, Lina Lu, Ying Wang, Wei Lu, Yi Cao, and Wei Cai. p38/p53/miR-200a-3p feedback loop promotes oxidative stress-mediated liver cell death. Cell Cycle. 2015;14(10): 1548-1558. doi: 10.1080/15384101.2015. 1026491. Since publication, concerns have been raised about the integrity of the data in the article. When approached for an explanation, the authors checked their data and confirmed there are fundamental errors present. Therefore, they have agreed to the retraction of this article. The authors apologise for this oversight. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as ‘Retracted’.
Psychiatric disorders in preclinical Huntington’s disease

Background: Psychiatric symptoms are a common feature of Huntington’s disease (HD) and often precede the onset of motor and cognitive impairments. However, it remains unclear whether psychiatric changes in the preclinical period result from structural change, are a reaction to being at risk or simply a coincidental occurrence. Few studies have investigated the temporal course of psychiatric disorder across the preclinical period. Objectives: To compare lifetime and current prevalence of psychiatric disorder in presymptomatic gene carriers and non-carriers and to examine the relationship of psychiatric prevalence in gene carriers to temporal proximity of clinical onset. Methods: Lifetime and current psychiatric histories of 204 at risk individuals (89 gene carriers and 115 non-carriers) were obtained using a structured clinical interview, the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Psychiatric disorders were classified using both standardised diagnostic criteria and a more subtle symptom based approach. Follow-up of gene carriers (n = 51) enabled analysis of the role of temporal proximity to clinical onset. Results: Gene carriers and non-carriers did not differ in terms of the lifetime frequency of clinical psychiatric disorders or subclinical symptoms. However, gene carriers reported a significantly higher rate of current depressive symptoms. Moreover, the rate of depression increased as a function of proximity to clinical onset. Conclusions: Affective disorder is an important feature of the prodromal stages of HD. The findings indicate that depression cannot be accounted for by natural concerns of being at risk. There is evidence of a window of several years in which preclinical symptoms are apparent.
Potential Mediators of Diabetes-Related Hearing Impairment in the U.S. Population

OBJECTIVE We examined potential mediators of the reported association between diabetes and hearing impairment. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data come from 1,508 participants, aged 40–69 years, who completed audiometric testing during 1999–2004 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We defined hearing impairment as the pure-tone average >25 decibels hearing level of pure-tone thresholds at low/mid (500, 1,000, and 2,000 Hz) and high (3,000, 4,000, 6,000, and 8,000 Hz) frequencies. Using logistic regression, we examined whether controlling for vascular or neuropathic conditions, cardiovascular risk factors, glycemia, or inflammation diminished the association between diabetes and hearing impairment. RESULTS Diabetes was associated with a 100% increased odds of low/mid-frequency hearing impairment (odds ratio 2.03 [95% CI 1.32–3.10]) and a 67% increased odds of high-frequency hearing impairment (1.67 [1.14–2.44]) in preliminary models after controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, smoking, and occupational noise exposure. Adjusting for peripheral neuropathy attenuated the association with low/mid-frequency hearing impairment (1.70 [1.02–2.82]). Adjusting for albuminuria and C-reactive protein attenuated the association with high-frequency hearing impairment (1.54 [1.02–2.32] and 1.50 [1.01–2.23], respectively). Diabetes was not associated with high-frequency hearing impairment after controlling for A1C (1.09 [0.60–1.99]) but remained associated with low/mid-frequency impairment. We found no evidence suggesting that our observed relationship between diabetes and hearing impairment is due to hypertension or dyslipidemia. CONCLUSIONS Mechanisms related to neuropathic or microvascular factors, inflammation, or hyperglycemia may be mediating the association of diabetes and hearing impairment.
Evaluation of Eighth Nerve Integrity by the Electrically Evoked Middle Latency Response

A reliable objective test for estimating the number and distribution of surviving eighth nerve fibers needs to be identified for selection of candidates for cochlear Implantation. Kanamycin and ethacrynic acid administration In guinea pigs resulted In graded amounts of eighth nerve degeneration over time. The electrically-induced middle latency response (EMLR) was acutely recorded in these animals at specific post-drug times, followed by the immediate killing of the animals, histologic preparation, and spiral ganglion cell density determination. Significant progressive spiral ganglion cell loss was noted by 4 weeks that Increased over time. While EMLR threshold remained stable over time, the slope of the EMLR Input/output function decreased with Increasing post-drug intervals in a manner directly correlated with reduction in spiral ganglion cell density.
INVESTIGATION OF VERSATILITY OF THEORETICAL PREDICTION MODELS FOR PLAIN CONCRETE CONFINED WITH FERROCEMENT

The paper presents a short investigation of theoretical prediction models for plain concrete confined with Ferrocement. Although to date scant experimental data is available for a conclusive recommendation, however, ample evidence of the versatility of the model proposed by Waliuddin and Rafeeqi [36] has been provided in this paper. The proposed model possess the capability of predicting strength of plain concrete, confined with Ferrocement for almost all the possible and practical methods of confinement by way of; integrally cast mesh layer, mesh layers in precast shell and wrapped mesh layer on precast core.
An Improved Vehicle Logo Recognition Method for Road Surveillance Images

This paper presents an improved vision-based algorithm for detecting and recognizing vehicle logos in images captured by road surveillance cameras. Vehicle logo recognition is quite a challenging task considering the low resolution of the logos, the wide range of variability in illumination and the interference of the air-intake grille. However, our system, assessed on a set of 1386 vehicle images that belong to 15 distinctive vehicle manufactures, proves to be reliable and efficient under such circumstance. Firstly, we detect the location of the license plate using Adaboost and Local Binary Pattern (LBP) in order to reduce the searching area of the logo by prior knowledge, and then an improved gradient-based location algorithm is used to further focalize the logo target. Finally the logo is classified by Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). Experimental results on a large number of images show the efficiency of the proposed scheme.
Study of a three component Cahn-Hilliard flow model

In this paper, we propose a new diffuse interface model for the study of three immiscible component incompressible viscous flows. The model is based on the Cahn-Hilliard free energy approach. The originality of our study lies in particular in the choice of the bulk free energy. We show that one must take care of this choice in order for the model to give physically relevant results. More precisely, we give conditions for the model to be well-posed and to satisfy algebraically and dynamically consistency properties with the two-component models. Notice that our model is also able to cope with some total spreading situations. We propose to take into account the hydrodynamics of the mixture by coupling our ternary Cahn-Hilliard system and the Navier-Stokes equation supplemented by capillary force terms accounting for surface tension effects between the components. Finally, we present some numerical results which illustrate our analysis and which confirm that our model has a better behavior than other possible similar models.
Characterizing the Burden of Occupational Injury and Disease

Objectives: To review the literature on the burden of occupational disease and injury and to provide a comprehensive characterization of the burden. Methods: The scientific and governmental literature from 1990 to the present was searched and evaluated. Thirty-eight studies illustrative of the burden of occupational disease were reviewed for findings, methodology, strengths, and limitations. Results: Recent U.S. estimates of occupational mortality and morbidity include approximately 55,000 deaths (eighth leading cause) and 3.8 million disabling injuries per year, respectively. Comprehensive estimates of U.S. costs related to these burdens range between $128 billion and $155 billion per year. Despite these significant indicators, occupational morbidity, mortality, and risks are not well characterized in comparative burden assessments. Conclusions: The magnitude of occupational disease and injury burden is significant but underestimated. There is a need for an integrated approach to address these underestimates.