Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonneutralizing antibodies binding to the surface glycoprotein of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus reduce early virus spread

The biological relevance of nonneutralizing antibodies elicited early after infection with noncytopathic persistence-prone viruses is unclear. We demonstrate that cytotoxic T lymphocyte–deficient TgH(KL25) mice, which are transgenic for the heavy chain of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)–neutralizing monoclonal antibody KL25, mount a focused neutralizing antibody response following LCMV infection, and that this results in the emergence of neutralization escape virus variants. Further investigation revealed that some of the escape variants that arose early after infection could still bind to the selecting antibody. In contrast, no antibody binding could be detected for late isolates, indicating that binding, but nonneutralizing, antibodies exerted a selective pressure on the virus. Infection of naive TgH(KL25) mice with distinct escape viruses differing in their antibody-binding properties revealed that nonneutralizing antibodies accelerated clearance of antibody-binding virus variants in a partly complement-dependent manner. Virus variants that did not bind antibodies were not affected. We therefore conclude that nonneutralizing antibodies binding to the same antigenic site as neutralizing antibodies are biologically relevant by limiting early viral spread.
Effect of DyHx addition on the magnetic properties and microstructure of Nd14.1Co1.34Cu0.04FebalB5.84 magnets

The sintered Nd14.1Co1. 34Cu0.04FebalB5. 84 permanent magnets with DyHx addition have been prepared by powder-blending technique. The magnetic properties and microstructures of the magnets were investigated. It was found that Dy element is enriched in the intergranular phase, being evenly distributed throughout the grain boundary and improving the orientation of magnets as a lubricant, and 1.2% to 2% DyHx additions are proved to be very effective in improving the permanent magnetic properties of Nd14.1Co1. 34Cu0.04FebalB5. 84 magnets. Further analysis revealed that the increase of coercivity and slight decrease of remanence due to DyHx addition can be attributed to the reduction of the primary phase volume, formation of the (NdDy)-rich phase and grain refinement of the main phase.
The elusive philosopher's stone in young blood.

According to legend, soon after the first Chinese Qin Emperor united China around 250 BC, he sent out a troop of young men and women to search for the elixir of life in the eastern seas to extend his life forever. With great expectation and fanfare, the searching party departed but never returned. However, our quests for the elusive life-renewing Philosopher’s Stone have never ceased either in Harry Potter’s wizard world or in biomedical research, and a sighting of the magical rejuvenating power continues to generate excitement and understandably high expectations. Article, see p 926 In 2005, a landmark study by Conboy et al1 first demonstrated the rejuvenating power of the blood of young animals using a heterochronic parabiosis approach where the circulation of a young and an old mouse was surgically joined together. This finding set off a race to find the putative systemic circulating factor(s) that can reverse aging. Since 2013, in a series of reports, researchers, including Harvard scientists Amy Wagers and Richard Lee, have found that blood from young mice could reverse aging-related pathological features in muscle and brain following a heterochronic parabiosis procedure.2–4 In particular, circulating growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) was identified as the serum factor responsible for the rejuvenating power in the young blood.2–4 These reports generated a wave of commentaries from leading scientific journals and sensational reports from mainstream news outlets, relating these observations to the discovery of the mythic elixir of life given the apparent therapeutic implications for aging-related illnesses.5–10 GDF11 is a member of the transforming growth factor superfamily, originally identified as a homologous gene of another well-known muscle-derived hormone, myostatin.11 Previous genetic studies in mice have established that GDF11 is essential for postnatal survival and regulates anterior to …
Load-Initiated Two-Way Effect of Shape Memory Alloys in Composite Structures and a Phenomenological Modelling Approach

In this contribution we present a new method as a “basic toolbox” for proper design of active composite structures. The characterization of the complete integrated active component is described, including the properties of the hosting composite material, the proper choice and characterization of the active material which is to be integrated and the interaction of both. The finite element model which was used to design the active component is presented. In order to improve prediction accuracy and functionality of this phenomenological modeling approach the behavior of the integrated active material, namely Shape Memory Alloy (SMA), is analyzed separately. New opportunities for additional functionalities are investigated: Two-way actuation due to the stiffness of the hosting composite structure is investigated as well as the possibility to introduce different maximum strain for actuation due to different pre-strains in the actuating material. An application-oriented finite element model able to predict the structure shape in hot and cold states enables more complex designs and demonstrates the potential of this new technology for various applications.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
ExsY and CotY Are Required for the Correct Assembly of the Exosporium and Spore Coat of Bacillus cereus

ABSTRACT The exosporium-defective phenotype of a transposon insertion mutant of Bacillus cereus implicated ExsY, a homologue of B. subtilis cysteine-rich spore coat proteins CotY and CotZ, in assembly of an intact exosporium. Single and double mutants of B. cereus lacking ExsY and its paralogue, CotY, were constructed. The exsY mutant spores are not surrounded by an intact exosporium, though they often carry attached exosporium fragments. In contrast, the cotY mutant spores have an intact exosporium, although its overall shape is altered. The single mutants show altered, but different, spore coat properties. The exsY mutant spore coat is permeable to lysozyme, whereas the cotY mutant spores are less resistant to several organic solvents than is the case for the wild type. The exsY cotY double-mutant spores lack exosporium and have very thin coats that are permeable to lysozyme and are sensitive to chloroform, toluene, and phenol. These spore coat as well as exosporium defects suggest that ExsY and CotY are important to correct formation of both the exosporium and the spore coat in B. cereus. Both ExsY and CotY proteins were detected in Western blots of purified wild-type exosporium, in complexes of high molecular weight, and as monomers. Both exsY and cotY genes are expressed at late stages of sporulation.
Serum C-reactive protein and self-reported stroke: findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

C-reactive protein may predict the risk of coronary heart disease, but its association with stroke has not been well studied. We used data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted from 1988 to 1994, to examine the association between serum C-reactive protein concentrations and self-reported past history of stroke among 8850 US men and women aged >/=40 years. The unadjusted geometric mean of C-reactive protein concentration was higher among participants with stroke than those without stroke (0. 45+/-0.02 versus 0.32+/-0.01, P<0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, race or ethnicity, education, smoking status, systolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, history of diabetes mellitus, body mass index, and physical activity, the odds ratio for stroke among participants with C-reactive protein concentrations >/=0.55 mg/dL compared with participants with concentrations </=0.21 mg/dL was 1.71 (95% CI 1.11 to 2.64 [odds ratio per mg/dL 1.19, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.34]). These cross-sectional data support findings from other studies suggesting that C-reactive protein concentration may be a risk factor or marker for stroke in the US population.
A Topological Structure Construction Approach and its Application in Off-line Handwritten Digit Recognition

In searching for an adequate feature extraction approach for pen-like smart scanners to scan and recognize handwritten digits, the authors propose a topological structure construction approach to help extracting features served for recognition. Unlike most of the feature extraction approaches that simply focus on the pixels constituting the visual images of digits, the proposed approach tries in a different direction, that is, adding some lines of pixels to the images and counting the topological structures in the newly formed images. Experimental results show that for samples collected from students' assignments, 9 features is enough for a 93.5% recognition rate, with the help of a suitable classification tree.
Signal Space Diversity: A Power- and Bandwidth-Efficient Diversity Technique for the Rayleigh Fading Channel

The increasing need for high data-rate transmissions over time- or frequency-selective fading channels has drawn attention to modulation schemes with high spectral efficiency such as QAM. With the aim of increasing the "diversity order" of the signal set we consider multidimensional rotated QAM constellations. Very high diversity orders can be achieved and this results in an almost Gaussian performance over the fading channel, This multidimensional modulation scheme is essentially uncoded and enables one to trade diversity for system complexity, at no power or bandwidth expense.
Quality of hospital service: the impact of formalization and decentralization.

PURPOSE To investigate the relationship between two structural dimensions (formalization and decentralization) and two quality dimensions (design and conformance). DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH A total sample of 758 staff members and patients in five hospitals completed a questionnaire composed of four scales designed to measure the main variables in our study. Correlation and regression analysis were used to measure and confirm the study's hypotheses. FINDINGS It was found that higher levels of decentralization are related to higher levels of design quality while higher levels of formalization are related to higher levels of conformance quality. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS The results suggest that hospital managers need to skillfully handle the structural conflict between decentralization and formalization, and use both dimensions simultaneously to improve hospital performance and patients' service quality. ORIGINALITY/VALUE Previous studies are advanced by clarifying the impact of structural variables on total quality. A positive relationship between decentralization and design quality; and between formalization and conformance quality is empirically confirmed. The study points out the necessity of simultaneously achieving high levels of both formalization and decentralization in order to improve hospital performance in general and both components of total quality in particular.
Relationship between Sociodemographics, Dietary Intake, and Physical Activity with Gestational Weight Gain among Pregnant Women in Rafsanjan City, Iran

ABSTRACT Gestational weight gain (GWG) is a determinant of health and nutrition of mothers and offspring. However, many factors associated with GWG are not completely understood. The present study assessed the relationship between sociodemographics, dietary intake, and physical activity with GWG in 308 Iranian pregnant women attending government healthcare centres in Rafsanjan city, Iran. Women gained an average of 12.87±3.57 kg during pregnancy while 54% did not gain weight within the Institute of Medicine (IOM)-recommended range. Univariate logistic models showed that gestaional weight gain was related to age, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), energy intake, and sitting time. Cumulative logit model showed positive relationship between age (p=0.0137) and pre-pregnancy BMI (p<0.0001) with GWG. All pregnant women should be counselled on achieving the reccomended GWG to prevent adverse maternal and prenatal outcomes. Pre-pregnancy and gestational nutritional status and physical activity should be emphasized in antenatal care.
Nitrogen Concentration Estimation in Tomato Leaves by VIS-NIR Non-Destructive Spectroscopy

Nitrogen concentration in plants is normally determined by expensive and time consuming chemical analyses. As an alternative, chlorophyll meter readings and N-NO3 concentration determination in petiole sap were proposed, but these assays are not always satisfactory. Spectral reflectance values of tomato leaves obtained by visible-near infrared spectrophotometry are reported to be a powerful tool for the diagnosis of plant nutritional status. The aim of the study was to evaluate the possibility and the accuracy of the estimation of tomato leaf nitrogen concentration performed through a rapid, portable and non-destructive system, in comparison with chemical standard analyses, chlorophyll meter readings and N-NO3 concentration in petiole sap. Mean reflectance leaf values were compared to each reference chemical value by partial least squares chemometric multivariate methods. The correlation between predicted values from spectral reflectance analysis and the observed chemical values showed in the independent test highly significant correlation coefficient (r = 0.94). The utilization of the proposed system, increasing efficiency, allows better knowledge of nutritional status of tomato plants, with more detailed and sharp information and on wider areas. More detailed information both in space and time is an essential tool to increase and stabilize crop quality levels and to optimize the nutrient use efficiency.
Identification of a Novel Recycling Sequence in the C-tail of FPR2/ALX Receptor

Background: FPR2/ALX is important in the resolution of the immune response. Results: Truncation of the C-tail results in attenuated recycling, receptor degradation, and enhanced apoptosis. Conclusion: The FPR2/ALX contains a C-terminal motif mediating receptor recycling following endocytosis providing protection against cellular apoptosis. Significance: This work identifies a novel transferable recycling sequence that controls GPCR trafficking and describes the cellular processes of the pro-resolution phase of the inflammatory response. Formyl-peptide receptor type 2 (FPR2; also called ALX because it is the receptor for lipoxin A4) sustains a variety of biological responses relevant to the development and control of inflammation, yet the cellular regulation of this G-protein-coupled receptor remains unexplored. Here we report that, in response to peptide agonist activation, FPR2/ALX undergoes β-arrestin-mediated endocytosis followed by rapid recycling to the plasma membrane. We identify a transplantable recycling sequence that is both necessary and sufficient for efficient receptor recycling. Furthermore, removal of this C-terminal recycling sequence alters the endocytic fate of FPR2/ALX and evokes pro-apoptotic effects in response to agonist activation. This study demonstrates the importance of endocytic recycling in the anti-apoptotic properties of FPR2/ALX and identifies the molecular determinant required for modulation of this process fundamental for the control of inflammation.
Breast carcinomas: variations in sonoelastographic appearance

Background This study assessed factors influencing the sonoelastographic presentation of breast carcinoma. Methods A prospective collaborative study was conducted by the Santa Casa de São Paulo and CTC-Center, on 540 breast lesions in women referred for percutaneous breast biopsy. Eighty-four carcinomas showing lesions on ultrasonography were included. These lesions were classified into four sonoelastographic scores, where scores of 1, 2, and 3 were considered false-negative, and a score of 4 was considered true-positive. Scores were compared against histopathologic results, which were divided into two groups, ie, soft lesions (group 1) and hard lesions (group 2). False-negative and true-positive results were also assessed for variation according to patient age and mean lesion diameter. Results Of the 84 lesions studied, nine yielded false-negative results on sonoelastography and 75 yielded true-positive results. In terms of histopathologic classification, eight were assigned to group 1 and 76 to group 2. The chi-squared test showed a correlation between sonoelastographic scores and histopathologic lesion type. No statistically significant differences were observed according to patient age or largest lesion diameter. Conclusion Our results revealed an association between sonoelastographic presentation of breast lesions and histology. False-negative results on sonoelastography were influenced by histologic type of lesion and not by lesion size or patient age.
A complete classification of the approximability of maximization problems derived from Boolean constraint satisfaction

In this paper we study the approximability of boolean constraint satisfaction problems. A problem in this class consists of some collection of “constraints” (i.e., functions ~ : {O, I}k ~ {0, l}); an instance of a problem is a set of constraints applied to specified subsets of n boolean variables. Schaefer earlier studied the question of whether one could find in polynomial time a setting of the variables satisfying all constraints; he showed that every such problem is either in P or is NP-complete. We consider optimization variants of these problems in which one either tries to maximize the number of satisfied constraints (as in MAX 3SAT or MAX CUT) or tries to find an assignment satisfying all constraints which maximizes the number of variables set to 1 (aa in MAX CUT or MAX CLIQUE). We completely classify the approximability of all such problems. In the first case, we show that any such optimization problem is either in P or is MAX SNP-hard. In the second case, we show that such problems fall precisely into one of five classes, assuming P # NP: solvable in polynomialtime, approximable to within constant factors in polynomial time (but no better), approximable to within polynomial factors in polynomial time (but no better), not approximable to within any factor but decidable in polynomial time, and not decidable in polynomial time. This result proves formally for this class of problems two results which to this point have only been empirical observations; namely, that NP-hard problems in “sanjeev@research bell-labs. corn. Fundamental Mathematics Research Department, Bell Labs, 700 Mountain Avenue, NJ 07974. This work was performed when the author was at the Department of Computer Science, Stanford University,Stanford, CA 94305. He was supported by a SchlumbergerFoundation Fellowship, an OTL grant, and NSF Grant CCR-9357849. tmadhu~rratson. itm. corn. IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, P.O. Box 218, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598. $dpw@watson. ibm.corn. IBM Thomas J. Watson ResearchCenter, P.O. Box 218, Yorktown Heights, NY 10! VJR PcrrnwsmlIi)I]mLcdigll;tl 11A cx)pids01’:111(N’Ixlrl 1)1’1111s n):llcri:lt Lw pdwml or clwsr<x)lll usc is yr:mlcd lvilhoul h pn)fidcd 11,:11 Ihc copies arc not mdc or dislrihlll.xl Iil I’ protil or ctmmkv’ci:ll dwtllngc Ihc copyright nolicc. lllc Iillc ol’lllc Illlldic:llitm nnd its Lhlc :Ippcar. am{ nolicc is givm 11):11 copyright is hy pcrmissl(m t)l’lhc . \CA1. Inc. ‘1’0ct)py olherwisc. W repuhlisI1. 10 p<xl <mswvtrs llr 10 rcdislrihufc 10 lists. rcqllircs spwilic pwmissi<m mdhlrlie N()( “ 97 El 1’,1s0,“1’c,;lsL! s,\ Copyrighl I 997 z\C\l ()-S’)7()I-XSX-(1,0705 . $3.50 MAX SNP always turn out to be MAX SNP-hard, and that there seem to be no natural maximization problems approximable to within polylogarithmic factors but no better.
Neuropathology, tremor and electromyogram in rats exposed to manganese phosphate/sulfate mixture

In Canada, Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) replaced tetraethyl lead in gasoline as an antiknock agent from 1976 until 2003. The combustion of MMT leads to increased manganese (Mn) concentrations in the atmosphere, and represents one of the main sources of human exposure to Mn. The nervous system is the major target of the toxicity of Mn and Mn compounds. The purpose of this study was to investigate exposure‐response relationships for neuropathology and tremor, and the associated electromyogram (EMG), following subchronic inhalation exposure of rats to a mixture of Mn phosphate/sulfate particles. Rats were exposed 6 h per day, 5 days per week for 13 consecutive weeks at 30, 300 or 3000 µg m−3 Mn phosphate/sulfate mixture and compared with controls. Half of the rats had EMG electrodes implanted in the gastrocnemius muscle of the hind limb to assess tremor at the end of Mn exposure. Two days after the end of Mn exposure, rats were killed by exsanguination and Mn concentrations in the brain (caudate putamen, globus pallidus and frontal cortex) were determined by neutron activation analysis while neuropathology was assessed by counting neuronal cells in 2.5 mm × 2.5 mm grid areas. Increased Mn concentrations were observed in all brain sections at the highest level of exposure. The neuronal cell loss was significantly different in the globus pallidus and the caudate putamen at the highest level of exposure (3000 µg m−3). No sign of tremor was observed among the rats. In conclusion, exposure to a high level of Mn phosphate/sulfate mixture brought on neuropathological changes in a specific area of the brain; however, no sign of tremor was observed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Long-term Efficacy of Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease: A 5-year Follow-up Study in China

Background: Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN DBS) is effective against advanced Parkinson's disease (PD), allowing dramatic improvement of Parkinsonism, in addition to a significant reduction in medication. Here we aimed to investigate the long-term effect of STN DBS in Chinese PD patients, which has not been thoroughly studied in China. Methods: Ten PD patients were assessed before DBS and followed up 1, 3, and 5 years later using Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III (UPDRS III), Parkinson's Disease Questionnatire-39, Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale-Chinese Version, Mini-mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Hamilton Anxiety Scale and Hamilton Depression Scale. Stimulation parameters and drug dosages were recorded at each follow-up. Data were analyzed using the ANOVA for repeated measures. Results: In the “off” state (off medication), DBS improved UPDRS III scores by 35.87% in 5 years, compared with preoperative baseline (P < 0.001). In the “on” state (on medication), motor scores at 5 years were similar to the results of preoperative levodopa challenge test. The quality of life is improved by 58.18% (P < 0.001) from baseline to 3 years and gradually declined afterward. Sleep, cognition, and emotion were mostly unchanged. Levodopa equivalent daily dose was reduced from 660.4 ± 210.1 mg at baseline to 310.6 ± 158.4 mg at 5 years (by 52.96%, P < 0.001). The average pulse width, frequency and amplitude at 5 years were 75.0 ± 18.21 &mgr;s, 138.5 ± 19.34 Hz, and 2.68 ± 0.43 V, respectively. Conclusions: STN DBS is an effective intervention for PD, although associated with a slightly diminished efficacy after 5 years. Compared with other studies, patients in our study required lower voltage and medication for satisfactory symptom control.