Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Vitro Characterization of the Two-Stage Non-Classical Reassembly Pathway of S-Layers

The recombinant bacterial surface layer (S-layer) protein rSbpA of Lysinibacillus sphaericus CCM 2177 is an ideal model system to study non-classical nucleation and growth of protein crystals at surfaces since the recrystallization process may be separated into two distinct steps: (i) adsorption of S-layer protein monomers on silicon surfaces is completed within 5 min and the amount of bound S-layer protein sufficient for the subsequent formation of a closed crystalline monolayer; (ii) the recrystallization process is triggered—after washing away the unbound S-layer protein—by the addition of a CaCl2 containing buffer solution, and completed after approximately 2 h. The entire self-assembly process including the formation of amorphous clusters, the subsequent transformation into crystalline monomolecular arrays, and finally crystal growth into extended lattices was investigated by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Moreover, contact angle measurements showed that the surface properties of S-layers change from hydrophilic to hydrophobic as the crystallization proceeds. This two-step approach is new in basic and application driven S-layer research and, most likely, will have advantages for functionalizing surfaces (e.g., by spray-coating) with tailor-made biological sensing layers.
A Molecular-Dynamics Study of the Rhodopsin Chromophore Using Ultrasoft Pseudopotentials

We investigate the eect of dierent environments on the chromophore of the protein rhodopsin by using the Vienna ab initio simulation package which is based on Density Functional Theory with a plane wave basis set and the implementation of Vanderbilt’s ultrasoft pseudopotentials. We have calculated the energy dependence of 11-cis-retinal on the C11C12 double bond twist angle in the ground state and our results show that the isomerization in the ground state of the retinal chromophore is more dicult in the presence of the counter ion than without it.
Care and the shadow of the fourth age: how does home care get caught up in it and how does it stay away from it?

Abstract This article examines how care encounters at the elders’ homes are forged, and how the way these encounters are forged avoids or evokes the social imaginary of the fourth age. Data were gathered in Portugal from elders receiving home care (16 cases), their care workers (eight cases) and family carers (six cases), through participant observation and informal conversations (conducted at the elders’ homes), as well as focus groups. The collected data were analysed according to the procedures of Framework Analysis. This study found five forms of care encounters – marked by conflict, infantilisation, burden, harmony and indifference – the harmony form being the only one found to maintain the fourth age at a distance. It concludes that home care has a Janus-like nature in relation to the fourth age, and that the way home care encounters are forged depends on the conditions of the care settings and the actions of all participants in care encounters. It also concludes that it is difficult to maintain the social imaginary of the fourth age at a distance when the elders exhibit high levels of infirmity. Finally, it concludes that family carers play a crucial role in the way care encounters unfold. Implications for practice and policy include vocational training regarding the relational component of care, and information and educational programmes for family carers.
ℵ_{0}-categorical strongly minimal compact complex manifolds

Essential א0-categoricity; i.e., א0-categoricity in some full countable language, is shown to be a robust notion for strongly minimal compact complex manifolds. Characterisations of triviality and essential א0-categoricity are given in terms of complex-analytic automorphisms, in the simply connected case, and correspondences in general. As a consequence it is pointed out that an example of McMullen yields a strongly minimal compact Kahler manifold with trivial geometry but which is not א0-categorical, giving a counterexample to a conjecture of the second author and Tom Scanlon.
Measuring Deprivation from Maqāṣid Al-SharīʿAh Dimensionsin OIC Countries: Ranking and Policy Focus

While economists have established the link between values and economy, it has been ignored in popular measures of socio-economic development. The paper proposes a complementary values-based index to existing value-neutral indices on socio-economic development and formulates a 3-stage policy to reduce deprivation from maqasid al-Shariah (the objectives of Islamic law) dimensions in OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) countries by setting up absolute and relative policy targets. It explores the policy focus for maqasid al-Shariah (MS) dimensions by ranking OIC countries using recent World Values Survey (WVS wave 6). The paper contributes by extending the frontiers of knowledge in multiple ways. It is the first to propose the use of an MS index from a policy perspective. It outlines selection criteria for choosing indicators within Shariah perspective. It constructs a Maqasid al-Shariah Deprivation Perception Index (MSDPI), using the Alkire-Foster dual-cut-off counting methodology, which is easily replicable using data from a single publicly available authentic source. The results show not only the ranking of countries but also points out the dimensions in which improvements are required for comprehensive development by setting absolute and relative targets for policy intervention. في الوقت الذي أقر الاقتصاديون بوجود صلة بين القيم والاقتصاد، فقد تم تجاهل هذا الأمر في المقاييس السائدة للتنمية الاقتصادية والاجتماعية. تقترح هذه الورقة مؤشرا مكملا يستند إلى القيم كبديل لمؤشرات التنمية الاقتصادية والاجتماعية الموجودة (الخالية من القيم)، فضلا عن صياغة سياسة اقتصادية ذات ثلاث مراحل لدول منظمة المؤتمر الإسلامي (OIC) للحد من القصور المترتب عن استبعاد مقاصد الشريعة الإسلامية من خلال أهداف مطلقة ونسبية للسياسات الاقتصادية. وفي هذا السياق، تستكشف الورقة محل اهتمام السياسات الاقتصادية بمقاصد الشريعة الإسلامية، حيث جرى ترتيب دول منظمة التعاون الإسلامي (OIC) وفق مسح القيم العالمية (World Values Survey) الحالي (WVS wave 6). وبذلك تساهم هذه الورقة في توسيع حدود المعرفة بطرق متعددة: فهي تقترح ابتداء استخدام مؤشر لمقاصد الشريعة الإسلامية من منظور السياسات الاقتصادية وتحدد معايير اختيار هذا المؤشر، وانتهاء ببناء مؤشر لقياس أثر استبعاد مقاصد الشريعة الإسلامية اعتمادا على منهجية dual-cut off counting لـ Alkire-Foster. ومن ميزات هذا المؤشر أنه يمكن تكراره وتطبيقه على الدول المختلفة بسهولة باستخدام بيانات من مصدر واحد موثق متاح للجميع. ولم تظهر النتائج التي تم التوصل إليها ترتيب البلاد فحسب، وإنما أشارت كذلك إلى المجالات التي ينبغي إدخال تحسينات عليها بوضع أهداف مطلقة ونسبية عبر تدخلات السياسات الاقتصادية وصولا لتحقيق التنمية الشاملة.
Lung nodule segmentation using active contour modeling

In this paper, we propose an automatic lung nodule segmentation algorithm using computed tomography (CT) images. The main contribution is automatically detecting large or small non-isolated nodules connected to the chest wall and accurately segmenting solid and cavity nodules by active contour modeling. This method consists of several steps. First, the lung is segmented by active contour modeling. The initialization is the main core of this step. It causes to transfer non-isolated nodules into isolated ones. Then, regions of interest are detected using 2D stochastic features. After that, an anatomical 3D feature is used to detect nodules. Finally, contours of detected nodules are extracted by active contour modeling. At the end, the performance of our proposed method is reported by experimental results using clinical CT images. All nodules (including solid and cavity) are detected and the number of FP is 3/scan.
Extraction of Dominant Attributes and Guidance Rules for Scholastic Achievement Using Rough Set Theory in Data Mining

Extracting hidden information from a huge set of data is an important and a challenging task in data mining. Data with credibility and relevance plays a vital role in this task. Not to get sidetracked, it is important to ensure that genuine and good quality data is being used. This paper brings out the significance and highlights the efforts for the collection of genuine and good quality data of the academic performance of students by carrying out many pilot and through studies. with different types of questionnaires. An algorithm, using rough set theory, is developed to implement in the data collected from various college students to identify the dominant attributes to be strengthened. Reducts and guidance rules, using rough set theory in data mining, are computed to facilitate the educators and high and low academic achievers to identify the attributes to be strengthened to have scholastic achievement.
Outwardly Rectifying Tonically Active GABAA Receptors in Pyramidal Cells Modulate Neuronal Offset, Not Gain

Hippocampal pyramidal cell excitability is regulated both by fast synaptic inhibition and by tonically active high-affinity extrasynaptic GABAA receptors. The impact of tonic inhibition on neuronal gain and offset, and thus on information processing, is unclear. Offset is altered by shunting inhibition, and the gain of a neuronal response to an excitatory input can be modified by changing the level of “background” synaptic noise. Therefore, tonic activation of GABAA receptors would be expected to modulate offset and, in addition, to alter gain through a shunting effect on synaptic noise. Here we show that tonically active GABAA receptors in CA1 pyramidal cells show marked outward rectification, while the peaks of IPSCs exhibit a linear current–voltage relationship. As a result, tonic GABAA receptor-mediated currents have a minimal effect upon subthreshold membrane potential variation due to synaptic noise, but predominantly affect neurons at spiking threshold. Consistent with this, tonic GABAA receptor-mediated currents in pyramidal cells exclusively affect offset and not gain. Modulation of tonically active GABAA receptors by fluctuations in extracellular GABA concentrations or neuromodulators acting on high-affinity receptors potentially provides a powerful mechanism to alter neuronal offset independently of neuronal gain.
Activation of Human Stearoyl-Coenzyme A Desaturase 1 Contributes to the Lipogenic Effect of PXR in HepG2 Cells

The pregnane X receptor (PXR) was previously known as a xenobiotic receptor. Several recent studies suggested that PXR also played an important role in lipid homeostasis but the underlying mechanism remains to be clearly defined. In this study, we found that rifampicin, an agonist of human PXR, induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells. Lipid analysis showed the total cholesterol level increased. However, the free cholesterol and triglyceride levels were not changed. Treatment of HepG2 cells with rifampicin induced the expression of the free fatty acid transporter CD36 and ABCG1, as well as several lipogenic enzymes, including stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1), long chain free fatty acid elongase (FAE), and lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), while the expression of acyl:cholesterol acetyltransferase(ACAT1) was not affected. Moreover, in PXR over-expressing HepG2 cells (HepG2-PXR), the SCD1 expression was significantly higher than in HepG2-Vector cells, even in the absence of rifampicin. Down-regulation of PXR by shRNA abolished the rifampicin-induced SCD1 gene expression in HepG2 cells. Promoter analysis showed that the human SCD1 gene promoter is activated by PXR and a novel DR-7 type PXR response element (PXRE) response element was located at -338 bp of the SCD1 gene promoter. Taken together, these results indicated that PXR activation promoted lipid synthesis in HepG2 cells and SCD1 is a novel PXR target gene.
Leprosy Drug Resistance Surveillance in Colombia: The Experience of a Sentinel Country

An active search for Mycobacterium leprae drug resistance was carried out, 243 multibacillary patients from endemic regions of Colombia were included from 2004 to 2013 in a surveillance program. This program was a World Health Organization initiative for drug resistance surveillance in leprosy, where Colombia is a sentinel country. M. leprae DNA from slit skin smear and/or skin biopsy samples was amplified and sequenced to identify mutations in the drug resistance determining region (DRDR) in rpoB, folP1, gyrA, and gyrB, the genes responsible for rifampicin, dapsone and ofloxacin drug-resistance, respectively. Three isolates exhibited mutations in the DRDR rpoB gene (Asp441Tyr, Ser456Leu, Ser458Met), two in the DRDR folP1 gene (Thr53Ala, Pro55Leu), and one isolate exhibited mutations in both DRDR rpoB (Ser456Met) and DRDR folP1 (Pro55Leu), suggesting multidrug resistance. One isolate had a double mutation in folP1 (Thr53Ala and Thr88Pro). Also, we detected mutations outside of DRDR that required in vivo evaluation of their association or not with drug resistance: rpoB Arg505Trp, folP1 Asp91His, Arg94Trp, and Thr88Pro, and gyrA Ala107Leu. Seventy percent of M. leprae mutations were related to drug resistance and were isolated from relapsed patients; the likelihood of relapse was significantly associated with the presence of confirmed resistance mutations (OR range 20.1–88.7, p < 0.05). Five of these relapsed patients received dapsone monotherapy as a primary treatment. In summary, the current study calls attention to M. leprae resistance in Colombia, especially the significant association between confirmed resistance mutations and relapse in leprosy patients. A high frequency of DRDR mutations for rifampicin was seen in a region where dapsone monotherapy was used extensively.
The effect of breast cancer on the Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection spectra of human hair

Changes in the Synchrotron x-ray diffraction pattern of scalp hair were shown to occur in patients with breast cancer. A preliminary Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy study of scalp hair using attenuated total reflection (ATR) supported the concept that these changes are due to an increase in the lipid content of the hair fibre. This study was undertaken to determine whether the ATR-FT-IR spectrum obtained using a single hair fibre ATR cell could be used in the detection of breast cancer. In addition, variable angle ATR-FT-IR difference spectra were obtained to investigate the location and the molecular structure of this lipid material in the hair fibre, which appears to be an indicator of breast cancer. Patients with breast cancer showed an increase in the peak height ratio of the 1446–1456 cm−1 C–H bending absorption bands of the ATR-FT-IR spectra of a single hair fibre. Peak height ratios > 1.0 were indicative of breast cancer. The spectra of scalp hair of subjects with breast cancer also showed a slight shift in C–H bending absorption from 1446 to 1448 cm−1 and from 1456 to 1458 cm−1 that could result from the formation of secondary structures by the increased lipid material. Variable angle difference spectra indicated that this increased lipid material is located in the cuticle–cortex interface area and appears to be similar to the lipids normally found here. An alteration in hair biosynthesis in the follicle caused by breast cancer signalling molecules, or biomarkers, is most likely involved. ATR-FT-IR spectral analysis of a long hair fibre containing a distal portion formed when the breast cancer was present and a proximal portion formed after the breast cancer was removed showed that hair fibre synthesis had become normal after the removal of the cancer. This study demonstrates the potential of ATR-FT-IR analysis of a hair fibre in the early detection of breast cancer and in studying how hair acts as a biosensor for breast cancer.
Changes in Chinese work values

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the changes in Chinese workers’ values by comparing the work-related values of the One-Child Generation (OCG), the Social Reform Generation and the Cultural Revolution Generation. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted with 918 Chinese employees, the vast majority of them working for Chinese domestic firms in Guangzhou, Shaoguan and Harbin. The collected data were analysed mainly using ANOVA, Tukey’s pairwise comparison and Kruskall–Wallis tests. Findings The OCG was found to place less importance on income and job security, while possessing higher tolerance towards the practice of nepotism, than the older two generations. The authors found no significant differences in the levels of intrinsic values and altruism among the three generations. Additionally, the results indicate overall low altruistic values and high extrinsic values across all three generations of Chinese workers. Originality/value China’s unprecedented generation of only-children as workers is an unknown factor. It is only now, over a decade after the OCG first entered the job market, that a comparative study between their work values and those of previous generations has become possible. This study exploits the momentum and is one of the first studies to include the OCG in the investigation of work value changes in Chinese society.
Grasping of unknown objects on a planar surface using a single depth image

In this study, we present a novel method for grasping of an unknown object on a planar surface. Given a single depth image, the planar surface and the object are extracted by employing Random Sample Consensus. Then, the principal axis of the object is approximated by means of Principal Component Analysis. The gripper of a robotic arm approaches the object in a perpendicular direction to the plane, and grasps it in an orientation determined by the normal of the plane and the obtained principal axis of the object. In this method, no 3D shape model or off-line learning is required. In order to demonstrate the efficacy of our method, we developed a grasping system using a real robotic arm and an inexpensive depth camera. The system had a 100% success rate when grasping 18 unknown household objects including a marker pen, a pencil, an eraser, a tennis ball, a Rubik's Cube, a T-shirt and a AAA battery. The results of this study imply that the system can grasp a wide range of unknown household objects and that our method is valuable for grasping of objects on a planar surface.
Prasugrel versus clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

BACKGROUND Dual-antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and a thienopyridine is a cornerstone of treatment to prevent thrombotic complications of acute coronary syndromes and percutaneous coronary intervention. METHODS To compare prasugrel, a new thienopyridine, with clopidogrel, we randomly assigned 13,608 patients with moderate-to-high-risk acute coronary syndromes with scheduled percutaneous coronary intervention to receive prasugrel (a 60-mg loading dose and a 10-mg daily maintenance dose) or clopidogrel (a 300-mg loading dose and a 75-mg daily maintenance dose), for 6 to 15 months. The primary efficacy end point was death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke. The key safety end point was major bleeding. RESULTS The primary efficacy end point occurred in 12.1% of patients receiving clopidogrel and 9.9% of patients receiving prasugrel (hazard ratio for prasugrel vs. clopidogrel, 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73 to 0.90; P<0.001). We also found significant reductions in the prasugrel group in the rates of myocardial infarction (9.7% for clopidogrel vs. 7.4% for prasugrel; P<0.001), urgent target-vessel revascularization (3.7% vs. 2.5%; P<0.001), and stent thrombosis (2.4% vs. 1.1%; P<0.001). Major bleeding was observed in 2.4% of patients receiving prasugrel and in 1.8% of patients receiving clopidogrel (hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.68; P=0.03). Also greater in the prasugrel group was the rate of life-threatening bleeding (1.4% vs. 0.9%; P=0.01), including nonfatal bleeding (1.1% vs. 0.9%; hazard ratio, 1.25; P=0.23) and fatal bleeding (0.4% vs. 0.1%; P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS In patients with acute coronary syndromes with scheduled percutaneous coronary intervention, prasugrel therapy was associated with significantly reduced rates of ischemic events, including stent thrombosis, but with an increased risk of major bleeding, including fatal bleeding. Overall mortality did not differ significantly between treatment groups. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00097591 [ClinicalTrials.gov].)
The effect of factors associated with the male on numbers of ovulations, uterine weight and pituitary LH content in the rat.

The presence of a male from the afternoon of proestrus until the following morning resulted in significantly increased uterine weight in female rats maintained both at unrestricted feed levels (p<.01) and with restricted diets of 75% unrestricted food intake (p<.001); mean pituitary weight was also significantly greater in both groups (p<.01) compared with full-fed and underfed controls and in the underfed group exposed to males there was a significant (p<.05) lowering of pituitary LH content. A trend toward an increased number of ovulations due to male presence was observed. Findings indicate that there exists a potential to increase the number of ova shed through an effect on gonadotrophin secretion. Restricted food supply may have impaired pituitary ability to synthesize LH and return to normal levels after a male-induced hormone release; this would explain the low LH level in underfed rats. Estrogen involvement was indicated by significantly increased uterine and pituitary weights. It is concluded that stimuli of a relatively non-specific nature during estrus may significantly affect ovulation. The effect of dietary restriction alone was to cause significant decrease in the number of ovulations (p<.01) and ovary weight (p<.01) pituitary weight (p<.05) and uterine weight (p<.001) per 100 gm body weight.
Novel Insights into Tritrophic Interaction Diversity and Chemical Ecology Using 16 Years of Volunteer-Supported Research

Sixteen years ago, a schoolteacher from New Jersey collected a caterpillar in a Costa Rican rainforest. When a parasitoid emerged several days later, it became the first data point of a long-term volunteer–mediated study on tritrophic interactions across the Americas. The teacher was an Earthwatch Institute scientist and the project an ongoing ecological investigation of caterpillars, host plants, and the wasps and flies (parasitoids) that kill them (Fig. 1). Over the course of 16 years, 1,200 volunteers have contributed to the project, including adult and youth citizen scientists from Earthwatch, teachers, and a number of other volunteers who have offered their time for months or years. With the help of these citizen scientists, we have created a robust data set on plant-herbivore-enemy interactions in order to test specific hypotheses about how the diversity of trophic interactions varies across major environmental gradients. Well over half the described organisms in the world are involved in plant-insect-enemy interactions, and research on these diverse interactions has provided the basis of our understanding of fundamental issues in ecology and evolutionary biology. Nevertheless, most biodiversity studies still rely heavily on static species lists, and prominent theories of diversity do not yet include quantification or discussion of the interaction diversity that shapes ecosystems. This interaction diversity approach to ecological research contributes to all major theoretical and applied issues in biodiversity research, including the latitudinal diversity gradient, neutral theory, diversity-stability relationships, biodiversity and ecosystem function, specialization, latitudinal and elevational range size, and effects of climate change on biodiversity. In addition to the focus on basic ecology and natural history, the project contributes to systematics of our study organisms and prioritizes work with teachers, students, local communities, and the general public to increase awareness of the importance of biodiversity.