Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isolation and biochemical characterization of a novel lantibiotic mutacin from Streptococcus mutans

Certain members of the indigenous biota of humans produce antimicrobial substances called bacteriocins, which inhibit other bacteria, including members of their own species. One of these substances, mutacin, is made by Streptococcus mutans, a member of the oral biota. Mutacin inhibits other mutans streptococci as well as many gram-positive exogenous pathogens. Here, we report for the first time the purification and partial biochemical characterization of a lanthionine-containing mutacin peptide from S. mutants T8. The biologically active peptide was isolated from the broth cultures by ultrafiltration and differential precipitation. The final mutacin preparation was homogeneous as shown by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and N-terminal amino acid sequencing. A molecular mass of the peptide was estimated by electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy to be 3,244.64 +/- 1.15 Da. Its amino acid composition indicates the presence of lanthionine and likely beta-methyllanthionine in a total of about 25 amino acids. Because alpha,beta-unsaturated amino acids, the precursors of lanthionine residues, are often found in lantibiotics, we carried out the addition reaction of the mutacin with N-(methyl)mercaptoacetamide. The subsequent electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy analysis indicated the presence of two reaction products with M(r)s of 3,350.45 and 3,456.0. These are interpreted as the mutacin molecule with the addition of one and two molecules of reagent to the unsaturated amino acids, respectively. Sequencing of the peptide revealed an N-terminal amino acid sequence of Asn-Arg-Trp-Trp-Gln-Gly-Val-Val.
From respiratory adaptation at birth to early markers of childhood respiratory health

Assessing lung function in the newborn relates to the need for early markers of chronic respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis or asthma. Non‐invasive respiratory measurements of forced oscillations mechanics are recently shown to be possible in unsedated babies. The bronchodilator effect of catecholamine release at birth, and the respiratory muscle contribution to respiratory mechanical impedance resulting in sometimes excessive variability suggest that measurements should be performed beyond the first 24 hr of life. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2015; 50:1090–1098. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Intracellular and Trans-Synaptic Regulation of Glutamatergic Synaptogenesis by EphB Receptors

The majority of mature excitatory synapses in the CNS are found on dendritic spines and contain AMPA- and NMDA-type glutamate receptors apposed to presynaptic specializations. EphB receptor tyrosine kinase signaling has been implicated in both NMDA-type glutamate receptor clustering and dendritic spine formation, but it remains unclear whether EphB plays a broader role in presynaptic and postsynaptic development. Here, we find that EphB2 is involved in organizing excitatory synapses through the independent activities of particular EphB2 protein domains. We demonstrate that EphB2 controls AMPA-type glutamate receptor localization through PDZ (postsynaptic density-95/Discs large/zona occludens-1) binding domain interactions and triggers presynaptic differentiation via its ephrin binding domain. Knockdown of EphB2 in dissociated neurons results in decreased functional synaptic inputs, spines, and presynaptic specializations. Mice lacking EphB1–EphB3 have reduced numbers of synapses, and defects are rescued with postnatal reexpression of EphB2 in single neurons in brain slice. These results demonstrate that EphB2 acts to control the organization of specific classes of mature glutamatergic synapses.
Random graphs and the parity quantifier

The classical zero-one law for first-order logic on random graphs says that for every first-order property ϕ in the theory of graphs and every <i>p</i> ∈ (0,1), the probability that the random graph <i>G</i>(<i>n</i>, <i>p</i>) satisfies ϕ approaches either 0 or 1 as <i>n</i> approaches infinity. It is well known that this law fails to hold for any formalism that can express the parity quantifier: for certain properties, the probability that <i>G</i>(<i>n</i>,<i>p</i>) satisfies the property need not converge, and for others the limit may be strictly between 0 and 1. In this work, we capture the limiting behavior of properties definable in first order logic augmented with the parity quantifier, FO[⌖], over <i>G</i>(<i>n</i>,<i>p</i>), thus eluding the above hurdles. Specifically, we establish the following “modular convergence law”. For every FO[⌖] sentence ϕ, there are two explicitly computable rational numbers <i>a<sub>0</sub></i>, <i>a<sub>1</sub></i>, such that for <i>i</i> ∈ {0,1}, as <i>n</i> approaches infinity, the probability that the random graph <i>G</i>(2<i>n</i>+<i>i</i>, <i>p</i>) satisfies ϕ approaches <i>a<sub>i</sub></i>. Our results also extend appropriately to FO equipped with Mod<sub>q</sub> quantifiers for prime <i>q</i>. In the process of deriving this theorem, we explore a new question that may be of interest in its own right. Specifically, we study the joint distribution of the subgraph statistics modulo 2 of <i>G</i>(<i>n</i>,<i>p</i>): namely, the number of copies, mod 2, of a fixed number of graphs <i>F</i><sub>1</sub>, …, <i>F</i><sub>ℓ</sub> of bounded size in <i>G</i>(<i>n</i>,<i>p</i>). We first show that every FO[⌖] property ϕ is almost surely determined by subgraph statistics modulo 2 of the above type. Next, we show that the limiting joint distribution of the subgraph statistics modulo 2 depends only on <i>n</i> mod 2, and we determine this limiting distribution completely. Interestingly, both these steps are based on a common technique using multivariate polynomials over finite fields and, in particular, on a new generalization of the Gowers norm. The first step is analogous to the Razborov-Smolensky method for lower bounds for AC<sup>0</sup> with parity gates, yet stronger in certain ways. For instance, it allows us to obtain examples of simple graph properties that are exponentially uncorrelated with every FO[⌖] sentence, which is something that is not known for AC<sup>0</sup>[⌖].
Transmission of colour and acuity signals by parvocellular cells in marmoset monkeys

Non‐technical summary Colour gets a free ride, according to our study of visual nerve cell responses in marmoset monkeys. All male marmosets are red–green colour‐blind (dichromatic), but most female marmosets have normal trichromatic colour vision. It is known that signals for high‐acuity daytime vision are carried in the parvocellular (P) pathway, and the P pathway also carries signals for red–green colour vision in trichromats. Here we compared P cell responses with patterned stimuli in dichromatic and trichromatic marmosets, and found no detectable difference in resolving power for fine patterns. These results indicate that red–green colour vision does not come at a cost for spatial vision. The ‘piggyback ride’ for colour signals in the P pathway may have encouraged the evolution of full colour vision in primates, including great apes, monkeys and humans.
Multiple dopamine receptors mediate the discriminative stimulus effects of dihydrexidine in rats

The dopamine D1 receptor agonist dihydrexidine (DHX) [(±)-trans-10,11-dihydroxy-5,6,6a,7,8,12b-hexahydrobenzo[a] phenanthridine hydrochloride] has shown efficacy in animal models of Parkinson's disease and improved cerebral blood flow and working memory of schizophrenic patients. Although the discriminative stimulus effects of DHX, an in-vivo predictor of human subjective effect profile, have only been characterized with respect to activity at D1 receptors, DHX also has significant affinity for D2 receptors. This study was designed to characterize the role of D1 and D2/D3 receptors in mediating the discriminative stimulus effects of DHX. Rats were trained to discriminate DHX [3 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.)] from the vehicle. The selective dopamine D1 receptor partial agonist SKF 38393 was fully substituted for DHX. The D1 receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (0.1 mg/kg, s.c.) and the D3-selective antagonist U99194 (10 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly attenuated the discriminative stimulus effects of the training dose of DHX by 80 and 60%, respectively, suggesting that both D1 and D3 receptors mediate the discriminative stimulus effects of DHX. In contrast, raclopride (1 mg/kg, i.p.) did not significantly alter the discriminative stimulus effects of DHX, indicating a lack of D2-mediated effects. The D2/D3 receptor preferring agonists, quinpirole and (+)-PD 128907 were fully substituted, whereas (+)-7-OH-DPAT was partially substituted for DHX. The DHX bound to D2 receptors with a Ki of 4.3+0.7 nmol/l was compared with 33.7+4.6 nmol/l at D3 receptors. Determinations of activity at second messenger systems revealed that DHX functioned as a full agonist at D3 receptors and a partial agonist at D2 receptors in vitro. These activities at D2/D3 receptors have shown effects in some preclinical models and clinical disease states. Therefore, the prominent in-vivo agonist activity of DHX at both D1 receptors and D2/D3 receptors should be considered while making predictions of effects in humans.
Microarray analysis of Arabidopsis WRKY33 mutants in response to the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea

The WRKY33 transcription factor was reported for resistance to the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea. Using microarray-based analysis, we compared Arabidopsis WRKY33 overexpressing lines and wrky33 mutant that showed altered susceptibility to B. cinerea with their corresponding wild-type plants. In the wild-type, about 1660 genes (7% of the transcriptome) were induced and 1054 genes (5% of the transcriptome) were repressed at least twofold at early stages of inoculation with B. cinerea, confirming previous data of the contribution of these genes in B. cinerea resistance. In Arabidopsis wild-type plant infected with B. cinerea, the expressions of the differentially expressed genes encoding for proteins and metabolites involved in pathogen defense and non-defense responses, seem to be dependent on a functional WRKY33 gene. The expression profile of 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid- and phytoprostane A1-treated Arabidopsis plants in response to B. cinerea revealed that cyclopentenones can also modulate WRKY33 regulation upon inoculation with B. cinerea. These results support the role of electrophilic oxylipins in mediating plant responses to B. cinerea infection through the TGA transcription factor. Future directions toward the identification of the molecular components in cyclopentenone signaling will elucidate the novel oxylipin signal transduction pathways in plant defense.
Characterization of a Canadian Mink H3N2 Influenza A Virus Isolate Genetically Related to Triple Reassortant Swine Influenza Virus

In 2007, an H3N2 influenza A virus was isolated from Canadian mink. This virus was found to be phylogenetically related to a triple reassortant influenza virus which emerged in Canadian swine in 2005, but it is antigenically distinct. The transmission of the virus from swine to mink seems to have occurred following the feeding of animals with a ration composed of uncooked meat by-products of swine obtained from slaughterhouse facilities. Serological analyses suggest that the mink influenza virus does not circulate in the swine population. Presently, the prevalence of influenza virus in Canadian farmed and wild mink populations is unknown. The natural occurrence of influenza virus infection in mink with the presence of clinical signs is a rare event that deserves to be reported.
Unintended Consequences of the Credit Card Act

This paper asks rst why consumers seek nancing through credit cards. It then evaluates the impact on consumer welfare of the constraints on increasing interest rates present in the Credit Card Act. We model consumer nancing in a setting where consumers do not commit to borrow from a given lender and where information asymmetry between a consumer and a lender arises over time. The existence of ex-post information asymmetry coupled with the lack of commitment leads to adverse selection of consumers which, in turn, prompts lenders to oer credit terms that are inecient relative to a setting with perfect information. This ineciency is alleviated if credit contracts have some of the features that we observe in credit cards, and we show that these features arise in the competitive equilibrium credit contract. Specically, in a competitive equilibrium the issuer charges an up-front fee and commits to an interest rate before a loan is taken; the issuer retains an option to change the interest rate upon new information, and consumers have an option to repay the loan at any time. We also show that restrictions on increasing the interest rate, as in the Credit Card Act, are welfare decreasing for a large set of parameters. They lead to lower up-front fees, higher credit card interest rates for low credit-quality consumers, and lower credit limit for high credit-quality consumers. Our results are robust to consumers who have limited rationality and underestimate the risk of default and the risk that their creditquality decreases. This paper contributes to the literature by providing a new model of credit cards, and oers predictions of relevance for policy makers.
Adjusting GPA to Reflect Course Difficulty

The computation of Graduate Point Average (GPA) incorrectly assumes that grades are comparable across courses and instructors. GPA overstates the performance of students who elect an “easier” course of study relative to those who choose a more “difficult” course of study. This paper proposes a method of adjusting GPA and applies it to data from one cohort of undergraduates at Carnegie Mellon University. Adjusted GPAs are more highly correlated with students’ high school Grade Point Average and with SAT scores than are the raw GPAs or GPAs adjusted using a prominent alternative method, Item Response Theory. A survey of students finds that the new methods’ estimates of relative course difficulty are consistent with students’ perceptions of relative course difficulty.
The effect of copper level on nutrient utilization of weanling pigs.

The effect of addition of 15 or 250 ppm of Cu (as CuSO4.5H2O) and 0 or 5% added animal fat on the utilization of nutrients by weanling pigs was evaluated. Two trials were conducted with four groups of four littermate barrows (6.8 kg, 26 d) in each trial. Dietary treatments were arranged in a 2 x 2 factorial. Data were collected at the beginning of the trial and at the end of each 3-d period. There were no treatment x period interactions (P > .15). There was a Cu level x fat level interaction for ADG (P < .01), feed efficiency (P < .01), N intake (P < .09), fat intake (P < .01), and ash intake (P < .09). Pigs fed 250 ppm of Cu and 5% fat had increased ADG and gain:feed, whereas pigs fed 5% fat and 15 ppm of Cu had decreased ADG and gain:feed compared to pigs fed the other treatments. Apparent digestibility of DM and ash and N retention were increased (P < .05) by the addition of 250 ppm of Cu, whereas the addition of 5% fat decreased (P < .05) DM and ash digestibility. Fat digestibility increased from 28.3% to 75.6% when 5% fat was added to the diet containing 15 ppm of Cu and from 60.8% to 85.1% when 5% fat was added to the diet containing 250 ppm of Cu (Cu level x fat level, P < .01). Pigs fed diets containing 5% fat and 15 ppm of Cu had decreased (P < .06) Na, Cu, Fe, and Zn retention compared to pigs fed the other diets. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Comparative evaluation of clinical performance of different kind of occlusal splint in management of myofascial pain

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of hard, liquid, and soft splints in the management of myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome. Materials and Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 45 patients with myofascial pain were diagnosed and were randomly assigned into three groups of 15 patients each. Group 1 - subjects were given hard splint, Group 2 - soft splint, and Group 3 - liquid oral splint for 3 months. Subjective pain analysis using Modified Symptom Severity Index (Mod-SSI) and objective pain analysis muscle palpation was performed at 7 days, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months after splint insertion. The changes in mean pain value by both methods, in all three groups, were analyzed with Tukey test and Kruskal-Wallis H-test, respectively (P < 0.05). Results: Both Mod-SSI and palpation scores showed statistically significant reduction in pain for all three groups at the end of 3 months. However, the hard splints proved to be very effective in a shorter period of time, followed by liquid splints and finally soft splints. Conclusion: The result of this study advocates the use of any one of the three types of the occlusal splints in the therapeutic management of myofascial pain due to temporomandibular disorders.
Properties and Mechanisms of LTP Maintenance

Memory is fundamentally important to everyday life, and memory loss has devastating consequences to individuals and society. Understanding the neurophysiological and cellular basis of memory paves the way for gaining insights into the molecular steps involved in memory formation, thereby revealing potential therapeutic targets for neurological diseases. For three decades, long-term potentiation (LTP) has been the gold standard synaptic model for mammalian memory mechanisms, in large part because of its long-lasting nature. Here, the authors summarize the characteristics of LTP persistence in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, comparing this with other hippocampal subregions and neocortex. They consider how long LTP can last and how its persistence is affected by subsequent behavioral experiences. Next, they review the molecular mechanisms known to contribute to LTP induction and persistence, in particular the role of new gene expression and protein synthesis and how they may be associated with potential structural reorganization of the synapse. A temporal schema for the processes important for consolidating LTP into a persistent form is presented. The parallels between the molecular aspects of LTP and memory strongly support the continuation with LTP as a model system for studying the mechanisms underlying long-term memory consolidation and retention.
A smart phone image processing application for plant disease diagnosis

Although professional agriculture engineers are responsible for the recognition of plant diseases, intelligent systems can be used for their diagnosis in early stages. The expert systems that have been proposed in the literature for this purpose, are often based on facts described by the user or image processing of plant photos in visible, infrared, light etc. The recognition of a disease can often be based on symptoms like lesions or spots in various parts of a plant. The color, area and the number of these spots can determine to a great extent the disease that has mortified a plant. Higher cost molecular analyses and tests can follow if necessary. A Windows Phone application is described here capable of recognizing vineyard diseases through photos of the leaves with an accuracy higher than 90%. This application can easily be extended for different plant diseases and different smart phone platforms.
Mg-spinel lithology: A new rock type on the lunar farside

[1] High-resolution compositional data from Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) for the Moscoviense region on the lunar farside reveal three unusual, but distinctive, rock types along the inner basin ring. These are designated “OOS” since they are dominated by high concentrations of orthopyroxene, olivine, and Mg-rich spinel, respectively. The OOS occur as small areas, each a few kilometers in size, that are widely separated within the highly feldspathic setting of the basin rim. Although the abundance of plagioclase is not well constrained within the OOS, the mafic mineral content is exceptionally high, and two of the rock types could approach pyroxenite and harzburgite in composition. The third is a new rock type identified on the Moon that is dominated by Mg-rich spinel with no other mafic minerals detectable (<5% pyroxene, olivine). All OOS surfaces are old and undisturbed since basin formation. They are effectively invisible in image data and are only recognized by their distinctive composition identified spectroscopically. The origin of these unusual lithologies appears to be linked to one or more magmatic intrusions into the lower crust, perhaps near the crust-mantle interface. Processes such as fractional crystallization and gravity settling within such intrusions may provide a mechanism for concentrating the mafic components within zones several kilometers in dimension. The OOS are embedded within highly anorthositic material from the lunar crust; they may thus be near contemporaneous with crustal products from the cooling magma ocean.
Dopaminergic modulation of LTP induction in the dentate gyrus of intact brain

THE effect of the dopamine system on the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the dentate gyrus was studied in anesthetized rats. A subthreshold tetanic train (seven pulses at 100 Hz) given to the perforant pathway, which usually fails to elicit LTP, potentiated a slope of field excitatory postsynaptic potentiation (fEPSP) measured from the hilus of the dentate gyrus when a precursor for catecholamine, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), was administered orally to rats. The increase in the fEPSP slope persisted for at least 60 min. Intraventricular injection of a specific dopamine D1/D5 agonist, SKF38393, mimicked the effect of L-DOPA, suggesting an involvement of D1/D5 receptors in the induction of dentate gyrus LTP. Consistent with this, intraventricular administration of the D1/D5 antagonist SCH23390 resulted in complete inhibition of LTP induction by a longer tetanus (100 pulses at 100 Hz), which usually elicits a robust LTP. Thus, D1/D5 receptor activation appears to modulate LTP induction in vivo.
Exercise Training in Patients With Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Control Trials

Background—Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) is common and characterized by exercise intolerance and lack of proven effective therapies. Exercise training has been shown to be effective in improving cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in patients with systolic heart failure. In this meta-analysis, we aim to evaluate the effects of exercise training on CRF, quality of life, and diastolic function in patients with HFPEF. Methods and Results—Randomized controlled clinical trials that evaluated the efficacy of exercise training in patients with HFPEF were included in this meta-analysis. Primary outcome of the study was change in CRF (measured as change in peak oxygen uptake). Effect of exercise training on quality of life (estimated using Minnesota living with heart failure score), and left ventricular systolic and diastolic function was also assessed. The study included 276 patients who were enrolled in 6 randomized controlled trials. In the pooled data analysis, patients with HFPEF undergoing exercise training had significantly improved CRF (mL/kg per min; weighted mean difference, 2.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.79–3.65) and quality of life (weighted mean difference, −3.97; 95% confidence interval, −7.21 to −0.72) when compared with the control group. However, no significant change was observed in the systolic function (EF−weighted mean difference, 1.26; 95% confidence interval, −0.13% to 2.66%) or diastolic function (E/A−weighted mean difference, 0.08; 95% confidence interval, −0.01 to 0.16) with exercise training in patients with HFPEF. Conclusions—Exercise training in patients with HFPEF is associated with an improvement in CRF and quality of life without significant changes in left ventricular systolic or diastolic function.