Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Murine Cytomegalovirus Vaccine Vector Protects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis remains a global health problem so that a more effective vaccine than bacillus Calmette–Guérin is urgently needed. Cytomegaloviruses persist lifelong in vivo and induce powerful immune and increasing (“inflationary”) responses, making them attractive vaccine vectors. We have used an m1–m16-deleted recombinant murine CMV (MCMV) expressing Mycobacterium tuberculosis Ag 85A to show that infection of mice with this recombinant significantly reduces the mycobacterial load after challenge with M. tuberculosis, whereas control empty virus has a lesser effect. Both viruses induce immune responses to H-2d–restricted epitopes of MCMV pp89 and M18 Ags characteristic of infection with other MCMVs. A low frequency of 85A-specific memory cells could be revealed by in vivo or in vitro boosting or after challenge with M. tuberculosis. Kinetic analysis of M. tuberculosis growth in the lungs of CMV-infected mice shows early inhibition of M. tuberculosis growth abolished by treatment with NK-depleting anti–asialo ganglio-N-tetraosylceramide Ab. Microarray analysis of the lungs of naive and CMV-infected mice shows increased IL-21 mRNA in infected mice, whereas in vitro NK assays indicate increased levels of NK activity. These data indicate that activation of NK cells by MCMV provides early nonspecific protection against M. tuberculosis, potentiated by a weak 85A-specific T cell response, and they reinforce the view that the innate immune system plays an important role in both natural and vaccine-induced protection against M. tuberculosis.
Agent-Organized Networks for Multi-Agent Production and Exchange

As multi-agent systems grow in size and complexity, social networks that govern the interactions among the agents will directly impact system behavior at the individual and collective levels. Examples of such large-scale, networked multi-agent systems include peer-to-peer networks, distributed information retrieval, and agent-based supply chains. One way of dealing with the uncertain and dynamic nature of such environments is to endow agents with the ability to modify the agent social network by autonomously adapting their local connectivity structure. In this paper, we present a framework for agent-organized networks (AONs) in the context of multi-agent production and exchange, and experimentally evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of specific AON strategies. We find that decentralized network adaptation can significantly improve organizational performance. Additionally, we analyze several properties of the resulting network structures and consider their relationship to the observed increase in organizational performance.
Consistent behavioral phenotype differences between inbred mouse strains in the IntelliCage

The between‐laboratory effects on behavioral phenotypes and spatial learning performance of three strains of laboratory mice known for divergent behavioral phenotypes were evaluated in a fully balanced and synchronized study using a completely automated behavioral phenotyping device (IntelliCage). Activity pattern and spatial conditioning performance differed consistently between strains, i.e. exhibited no interaction with the between‐laboratory factor, whereas the gross laboratory effect showed up significantly in the majority of measures. It is argued that overall differences between laboratories may not realistically be preventable, as subtle differences in animal housing and treatment will not be controllable, in practice. However, consistency of strain (or treatment) effects appears to be far more important in behavioral and brain sciences than the absolute overall level of such measures. In this respect, basic behavioral and learning measures proved to be highly consistent in the IntelliCage, therefore providing a valid basis for meaningful research hypothesis testing. Also, potential heterogeneity of behavioral status because of environmental and social enrichment has no detectable negative effect on the consistency of strain effects. We suggest that the absence of human interference during behavioral testing is the most prominent advantage of the IntelliCage and suspect that this is likely responsible for the between‐laboratory consistency of findings, although we are aware that this ultimately needs direct testing.
Effect of five years of treatment with nipradilol eye drops in patients with normal tension glaucoma

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of topical nipradilol monotherapy for 5 years on intraocular pressure, visual field performance, and optic disk topography. Methods Thirty patients with normal tension glaucoma were monitored for intraocular pressure every 1–3 months. A Humphrey visual field test and measurement of optic disk configuration using the Heidelberg retina tomograph II was done after every year of treatment and the results compared with those before treatment. Visual field performance was also evaluated by trend and event analysis. Results The mean intraocular pressure ± standard deviation after 3 years of nipradilol treatment (14.1 ± 2.0 mmHg) and after 5 years of nipradilol treatment (13.7 ± 2.1 mmHg) was significantly lower than that before treatment (17.0 ± 1.8 mmHg, P < 0.0001). Heidelberg retina tomograph II parameters, such as mean cup depth and height variation contour after treatment, were significantly increased compared with those before treatment. Visual field performance worsened in eight eyes by trend analysis and eight eyes by event analysis. Conclusion Nipradilol monotherapy was effective in reducing intraocular pressure over at least 5 years without worsening of optic disk topography. Furthermore, mean cup depth and height variation contour were also significantly improved. However, visual field performance worsened in 16.0% of patients with normal tension glaucoma.
In vivo binding properties of SH2 domains from GTPase-activating protein and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase

We have used a transient expression system and mutant platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors to study the binding specificities of the Src homology 2 (SH2) regions of the Ras GTPase-activator protein (GAP) and the p85 alpha subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3 kinase). A number of fusion proteins, each tagged with an epitope allowing recognition by a monoclonal antibody, were expressed at levels comparable to those of endogenous GAP. Fusion proteins containing the central SH2-SH3-SH2 region of GAP or the C-terminal region of p85 alpha, which includes two SH2 domains, bound to PDGF receptors in response to PDGF stimulation. Both fusion proteins showed the same requirements for tyrosine phosphorylation sites in the PDGF receptor as the full-length proteins from which they were derived, i.e., binding of the GAP fusion protein was reduced by mutation of Tyr-771, and binding of the p85 fusion protein was reduced by mutation of Tyr-740, Tyr-751, or both residues. Fusion proteins containing single SH2 domains from either GAP or p85 alpha did not bind detectably to PDGF receptors in this system, suggesting that two SH2 domains in a single polypeptide cooperate to raise the affinity of binding. The sequence specificities of individual SH2 domains were deduced from the binding properties of fusion proteins containing one SH2 domain from GAP and another from p85. The results suggest that the C-terminal GAP SH2 domain specifies binding to Tyr-771, the C-terminal p85 alpha SH2 domain binds to either Tyr-740 or Tyr-751, and each protein's N-terminal SH2 domain binds to unidentified phosphorylation sites. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Salivary cortisol levels in young adults with temporomandibular disorders.

AIM Causes of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are multifactorial, involving both physical and psychological factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the salivary cortisol levels in young adults with TMDs. METHODS The Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC)/TMDs were used to establish the diagnosis of TMDs regarding the physical (axis I) and psychological factors (depression and somatization; axis II). Young adults of both genders composed the TMDs males (21.7+/-2.21 years, n=10) and females (22.7+/-1.95 years n=10) groups, and 20 healthy matched controls composed the control male (22.5+/-1.96 years n=10) and female (22.4+/-2.17years n=10) groups. Saliva samples were collected immediately on awakening and at bedtime. The cortisol levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS The female group with TMDs showed a significantly higher cortisol level (2.890+/-0.411 mg/dL) than the corresponding control group in the morning evaluation (2.470+/- 0.486 mg/dL). The depression scores were significantly higher for the female group with TMDs (1.3+/-0.18) in comparison with the control female (0.72+/-0.18) and male groups (0.51+/-0.13). The groups with TMDs showed significantly higher somatization scores (0.69+/-0.16 for males and 1.38+/-0.23 for females) in comparison with the controls (0.23+/-0.10 for males and 0.78+/-0.15 for females), these also being significantly higher for the females than males. CONCLUSION It was concluded that cortisol levels are higher in TMDs in females, who had elevated depression and somatization scores. The results infer that the evaluation of salivary cortisol could be a promising tool in the diagnosis of TMDs associated with psychological factors.
Self-organized criticality in solar flares: a cellular automata approach

We give an overview of a novel lattice-based avalanche model that reproduces well a number of observed statistical properties of solar flares. The anisotropic lattice is defined as a network of vertically-connected nodes subjected to horizontal random displacements mimicking the kinks in- troduced by random motions of the photospheric footpoints of magnetic fieldlines forming a coronal loop. We focus here on asymmetrical driving displacements, which under our ge- ometrical interpretation of the lattice correspond to a net di- rection of twist of the magnetic fieldlines about the loop axis. We show that a net vertical electrical current density does build up in our lattice, as one would expect from systematic twisting of a loop-like magnetic structure, and that the pres- ence of this net current has a profound impact on avalanche dynamics. The presence of an additional energy reservoir tends to increase the mean energy released by avalanches, and yield a probability distribution of released energy in bet- ter agreement with observational inferences than in its ab- sence. Symmetrical driving displacements are in better con- ceptual agreement with a random shuffling of photospheric footpoint, and yield a power-law distribution of energy re- lease with exponent larger than 2, as required in Parker's nanoflare model of coronal heating. On the other hand, mod- erate asymmetrical driving generate energy distribution ex- ponents that are similar to those obtained from SOHO EUV observations. source and engine of all geoeffective eruptive phenomena that collectively make up solar activity. In addition, it modu- lates the sun's radiative output, especially in the short wave- length range of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the solar photosphere the energy density is dominated by the plasma, except in regions of strongly concentrated magnetic fields such as sunspots, faculae, and some small magnetic flux concentrations. Rising to the lower corona, these roles are reversed, and the plasma becomes channeled and confined by the coronal magnetic field. This is am- ply demonstrated by observations of the sun in ultravio- let and soft X-Rays (for example in Lopez Fuentes et al., 2006; De Moortel et al., 2003), which show the corona to be an assemblage of magnetic loops and arcades of various sizes and shapes, anchored in the photosphere and filled with 10 6 degree Kelvin plasma intermittently heating up to tem- peratures sometimes reaching 10 7 K.
You can't be better than me: The role of feedback in modulating people's pursuit of wealth

Goal of this present work is to investigate the effect of different sources of social comparison on people’s tendency to maximize their payoff when facing ambiguous situations. Based on social comparison processes theory (Festinger, 1954) and on its more recent developments (Buckingham & Alicke, 2002; Garcia, Tor, & Gonzalez, 2006, Garcia & Tor, 2007), three experiments were built with the goal of manipulating participants’ social status compared to similar others. To this purpose, I adopted two different ways to communicate participants’ information about their standing. Experiment 1 adopts aggregate feedback and compares the tendency to take advantage of ambiguous situations, namely, scenarios in which it was possible to select among different payoffs, between participants scoring consistently above and below the average score of a reference group. Building on Experiment 1, Experiment 2 adopts relative feedback (ranking), and compares the economic behavior of participants’ ranking consistently second-best to that of participants ranking second-last within a group of five students. Lastly, Experiment 3, built on the previous two experiments, directly compares aggregate and relative feedback among participants ranking above the average and always in first position. Furthermore, Experiment 3 tests a possible mediator of the relationship between different feedback and participants’ tendency to maximize their earnings. To summarize, the results emerged across the three experiments demonstrate that when information about specific others’ performance is not provided, participants ranking above the average exploit ambiguous situations to a lower extent compared to participants scoring below the average (Experiment 1). Yet, when precise and detailed information about individuals’ positions within a group is specified (ranking), aggregate sources of comparisons are no longer taken into account. Participants always in second position and in fourth position (Experiment 2), not only exploited ambiguous trials, but also exhibited unethical behavior to increase their total payoff. Lastly, Experiment 3 explains how participants ranking always first and above the average differ in their tendency to maximize their earnings. The contribution of this work is twofold. On the one hand, it extends literature on social comparisons (Festinger, 1954) and rankings (Garcia et al., 2006) in the economic domain, showing that different source of feedback prompts not only competition but also the exploitation of grey areas. On the other hand, the results described in the three experiments suggest that identify the correct way to communicate performances is important and represents a delicate factor, that if not used appropriately can foster negative behaviors within groups and organizations.
Caregivers' perceptions of desensitisation among sexually abused children

Children react differently to the traumatic experience of sexual abuse. Some children develop symptomatic behaviours associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, such as apathy, which may be misinterpreted as desensitisation. Others appear less affected by the sexual abuse and may be regarded as desensitised and possessing resilience. Incongruence thus exists, as the one may be taken incorrectly for the other. This study has explored caregivers' perceptions of desensitisation among the children in their care who had been sexually abused in the past. The study is explorative and descriptive in nature and grounded in a qualitative design. Purposive sampling was used to form three focus groups (17 participants). Data collection took place by means of focus groups with the aid of an interview guide. Collected data was transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. The findings were written up, presented and discussed. The findings are recommended to be used to inform social workers and other members of the helping professions on how to approach and interact in the future with caregivers of sexually abused children.
Sharable Personal Automations for Ambient Assisted Living

The population of elderly people and disabled has exponentially increased thanks to advances of medicine which allow people to live longer and healthier than the previous generations. In this context, Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) applications which promotes independent living is more necessary than ever. Also, the Internet of Things (IoT) proliferates as the dominant technological paradigm for the open deployment of networked smart objects in the environment, including physical things, smart devices and entire applications. In our work, a primary objective was the delivery of an AAL framework on the top of smart objects which uses the full range of IoT technologies. Very early, it became evident that the demand of personalized applications in the context of AAL is very intense. This is mainly due to the highly individualized and fluid nature of the required applications. Along these lines, we focus in providing an end-user programming environment to empower carers, possibly the elderly and family themselves, with the necessary tools to easily and quickly craft, test, modify and deploy smart object applications they would like to have in their everyday life. In this paper, we support personalized automations using smart objects for outdoor daily activities, outside the elderly's protected home environment. We initially outline possible useful mobility scenarios. Then, we elaborate on the visual tools we are developing, followed by a brief case study using them.
Analysis of Carboxysomes from Synechococcus PCC7942 Reveals Multiple Rubisco Complexes with Carboxysomal Proteins CcmM and CcaA*

In cyanobacteria, the key enzyme for photosynthetic CO2 fixation, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), is bound within proteinaceous polyhedral microcompartments called carboxysomes. Cyanobacteria with Form IB Rubisco produce β-carboxysomes whose putative shell proteins are encoded by the ccm-type genes. To date, very little is known of the protein-protein interactions that form the basis of β-carboxysome structure. In an effort to identify such interactions within the carboxysomes of the β-cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC7942, we have used polyhistidine-tagging approaches to identify at least three carboxysomal subcomplexes that contain active Rubisco. In addition to the expected L8S8 Rubisco, which is the major component of carboxysomes, we have identified two Rubisco complexes containing the putative shell protein CcmM, one of which also contains the carboxysomal carbonic anhydrase, CcaA. The complex containing CcaA consists of Rubisco and the full-length 58-kDa form of CcmM (M58), whereas the other is made up of Rubisco and a short 35-kDa form of CcmM (M35), which is probably translated independently of M58 via an internal ribosomal entry site within the ccmM gene. We also show that the high CO2-requiring ccmM deletion mutant (ΔccmM) can achieve nearly normal growth rates at ambient CO2 after complementation with both wild type and chimeric (His6-tagged) forms of CcmM. Although a significant amount of independent L8S8 Rubisco is confined to the center of the carboxysome, we speculate that the CcmM-CcaA-Rubisco complex forms an important assembly coordination within the carboxysome shell. A speculative carboxysome structural model is presented.
Mfa4, an Accessory Protein of Mfa1 Fimbriae, Modulates Fimbrial Biogenesis, Cell Auto-Aggregation, and Biofilm Formation in Porphyromonas gingivalis

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a gram-negative obligate anaerobic bacterium, is considered to be a key pathogen in periodontal disease. The bacterium expresses Mfa1 fimbriae, which are composed of polymers of Mfa1. The minor accessory components Mfa3, Mfa4, and Mfa5 are incorporated into these fimbriae. In this study, we characterized Mfa4 using genetically modified strains. Deficiency in the mfa4 gene decreased, but did not eliminate, expression of Mfa1 fimbriae. However, Mfa3 and Mfa5 were not incorporated because of defects in posttranslational processing and leakage into the culture supernatant, respectively. Furthermore, the mfa4-deficient mutant had an increased tendency to auto-aggregate and form biofilms, reminiscent of a mutant completely lacking Mfa1. Notably, complementation of mfa4 restored expression of structurally intact and functional Mfa1 fimbriae. Taken together, these results indicate that the accessory proteins Mfa3, Mfa4, and Mfa5 are necessary for assembly of Mfa1 fimbriae and regulation of auto-aggregation and biofilm formation of P. gingivalis. In addition, we found that Mfa3 and Mfa4 are processed to maturity by the same RgpA/B protease that processes Mfa1 subunits prior to polymerization.
Adapting Nonprofit Resources to New Social Demands: The Food Banks in Spain

Food banks make up an increasing phenomenon of nonprofit organizations answering to new social needs related to the global socioeconomic crisis. In order to explore if they are suitably adapting to their environments in Spain, one of the countries most seriously affected by the crisis in South Europe, this work assumes a hybrid qualitative–quantitative structure composed of an exploratory case study based on semi-structured interviews followed by a survey addressed to all the Spanish food banks. Much of the academic literature has concerned the appropriateness of food banks as a delivery mechanism in the context of welfare state withdrawal. This paper takes this in a different direction by examining Spanish food banks from an organizational management point of view. Wary of concerns about the institutionalization of food charity, on the one hand, and recognizing the escalating daily reliance on food banks, on the other, this paper seeks to address potential technical supply problems and challenges food banks face and open debate about the organizational networks of food banks more generally. The results show nonprofit entities based on a voluntary workforce who run supply chains in order to join both social and business targets. Their situation, performance, resources, mutual relationships and the links with other entities are described, paying special attention to the changes induced by the latest contextual changes. In short, food banks are efficiently organized and well established in their territories as a coherent social movement, although they should improve in their strategic view, coordination, resources and sources of these, to satisfy more adequately their increasingly complex demands.
Characterization of Mannuronan C-5-Epimerase Genes from the Brown Alga Laminaria digitata1

Alginate is an industrially important polysaccharide obtained commercially by harvesting brown algae. The final step in alginate biosynthesis, the epimerization of β-1,4-d-mannuronic acid to α-1,4-l-guluronic acid, a structural change that controls the physicochemical properties of the alginate, is catalyzed by the enzyme mannuronan C-5-epimerase. Six different cDNAs with homology to bacterial mannuronan C-5-epimerases were isolated from the brown alga Laminaria digitata (Phaeophyceae). Hydrophobic cluster analysis indicated that the proteins encoded by the L. digitata sequences have important structural similarities to the bacterial mannuronan C-5-epimerases, including conservation of the catalytic site. The expression of the C-5-epimerase genes was examined by northern-blot analysis and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in L. digitata throughout a year. Expression was also monitored in protoplast cultures by northern and western blot, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and activity measurements. From both the structural comparisons and the expression pattern, it appears that the cDNAs isolated from L. digitata encode functional mannuronan C-5-epimerases. The phylogenetic relationships of the bacterial and brown algal enzymes and the inferences on the origin of alginate biosynthetic machinery are discussed.