Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structures of Capsular Polysaccharide Serotypes 35F and 35C of Streptococcus pneumoniae Determined by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Their Relation to Other Cross-Reactive Serotypes

ABSTRACT The structures of Streptococcus pneumoniae capsular polysaccharides (CPSs) are essential for defining the antigenic as well as genetic relationships between CPS serotypes. The four serotypes that comprise CPS serogroup 35 (i.e., types 35F, 35A, 35B, and 35C) are known to cross-react with genetically related type 20, 29, 34, 42, or 47F. While the structures of CPS serotype 35A (CPS35A) and CPS35B are known, those of CPS35F and CPS35C are not. In the present study, the serotypes of CPS35F and CPS35C were characterized by high-resolution heteronuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and glycosyl composition analyses to reveal the following repeat unit structures: where OAc indicates O-acetylated. Importantly, CPS35F, the immunizing serotype for the production of group 35 serum, more closely resembles CPS34 and CPS47F than other members of serogroup 35. Moreover, CPS35C is distinct from either CPS35F or CPS35B but closely related to CPS35A and identical to de-O-acetylated CPS42. The findings provide a comprehensive view of the structural and genetic relations that exist between the members of CPS serogroup 35 and other cross-reactive serotypes. IMPORTANCE Cross-reactions of diagnostic rabbit antisera with Streptococcus pneumoniae capsular polysaccharide serotypes are generally limited to members of the same serogroup. Exceptions do, however, occur, most notably among a group of nonvaccine serotypes that includes the members of serogroup 35 (i.e., types 35F, 35A, 35B, and 35C) and other genetically related types. The presently determined structures of S. pneumoniae serotypes 35F and 35C complete the structural characterization of serogroup 35 and thereby provide the first comprehensive description of how different members of this serogroup are related to each other and to types 29, 34, 42, and 47F. The structural and genetic features of these serotypes suggest the existence of three distinct capsular polysaccharide subgroups that presumably emerged by immune selection in the human host.
Spatial Correlation Function of the Chandra-selected Active Galactic Nuclei

We present the spatial correlation function of nonstellar X-ray point sources in the 0.4 deg-2 Chandra Large Area Synoptic X-Ray Survey (CLASXS) using 233 spectroscopically identified sources. We supplement our analysis with 252 sources with redshifts from the Chandra Deep Field-North (CDF-N), allowing correlation functions that have been estimated over comoving scales of a few to a few hundred Mpc. We calculate both redshift-space and projected correlation functions, averaged over the redshift range of 0.1 < z < 3.0, for both CLASXS and CDF-N fields. The correlation functions can be described well with a power law in the form ξ(s) = (s/s0)-γ, with γ = 1.6 and s0 = 8.0 Mpc for the CLASXS field and s0 = 8.55 Mpc and γ = 1.3 ± 0.1 for the CDF-N field. The real-space correlation functions derived from the projected correlation functions are found to be r0 = 8.1 Mpc and γ = 2.1 ± 0.5 for the CLASXS field and r0 = 5.8 Mpc and γ = 1.38 for the CDF-N field. By comparing the real- and redshift-space correlation functions in the combined CLASXS and CDFN samples, we are able to estimate the redshift distortion parameter β = 0.4 ± 0.2 at an effective redshift z = 0.94. We find a weak correlation between X-ray luminosity and clustering amplitude. We study the evolution of the AGN clustering by dividing the samples into four redshift bins over 0.1 Mpc < z < 3.0 Mpc. We find a mild evolution in the clustering amplitude, corresponding to a rapid increase of bias with redshift [b(z = 0.45) = 0.95 ± 0.15 and b(z = 2.07) = 3.03 ± 0.83], similar to that found in optically selected quasars. The average halo mass is found to be log(Mhalo/M☉) ~ 12.1.
Rat Pups Prefer their Siblings to their Mothers: Possible Implications for the Development of Kin Recognition

Previous experiments have indicated that for rat pups some learning of their kin's characteristics is required for kin recognition. By differentially scenting the mother and litter with artificial odours, the possible role of each in the development of this ability can be assessed. 12- and 20-day-old rat pups were given a preference tests between the odour associated with their mother and an odour associated with their littermates. It was hypothesized that, because of the importance of the mother to her pups, individuals would preferentially acquire information from her and thus exhibit a preference for that odour. The results, however, did not support this: Both 12- and 20-day-old rat pups were found to prefer their littermate's odour to that of their mother. A further experiment revealed this did not reflect an aversion to their mother's odour. This preference for sibling littermates probably reflects the greater exposure of littermates to one another. The possible advantages of learning about one's kin from littermates are discussed.
Quantified Beliefs and Believed Quantities

That people estimate quantities, or have beliefs about them, is a daily observable phenomenon. People also quantify their beliefs, at least in theory, by ascribing to them probability numbers. It is shown that quantified beliefs and estimations give rise to the same model, that of a type space, and can therefore be viewed as the two sides of the same coin. We study the axiom that an agent's estimation of his own estimation is correct, showing it to be weaker than the introspection axiom, according to which an agent is certain of his own probabilistic beliefs. It implies, however, that the agent is certain that he is introspective, and it is equivalent to the axioms of averaging and conditioning, which are expressed in terms of probabilistic beliefs.
Impaired diastolic function in active rheumatoid arthritis. Relationship with disease duration.

OBJECTIVE Using digitized M-mode and Doppler echocardiography, we evaluated left ventricular (LV) function in 54 patients (43 women and 11 men; mean age 50 years) suffering from active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) without obvious cardiovascular disease, and compared them with 54 age- and sex-matched normal subjects. RESULTS No differences were found in LV end-diastolic diameter, systolic function and parietal thickness between the patients and controls. However, a significant reduction in various indexes of LV diastolic function was found, including E/A (ratio of early to late filling waves of mitral inflow Doppler) and the peak lengthening rate of the LV diameter (an index of LV relaxation evaluated by M-mode echocardiography). The former was correlated with patient age and was independent of disease duration, while the latter was more markedly correlated with disease duration than with patient age. CONCLUSION The relationship between diastolic impairment and disease duration in active RA may open new perspectives in the study of RA-associated cardiovascular disease.
The Assessment of the Filtering Bleb Function With Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography

PurposeTo assess the usefulness of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) in evaluating postoperative filtering bleb function. MethodsForty-eight eyes of 39 patients who had earlier undergone trabeculectomy were enrolled. Blebs were imaged with a commercially available AS-OCT system. The correlation between intraocular pressure (IOP) and 4 quantitative parameters, bleb height, bleb wall thickness, and the height and extent of internal cavity, and 2 qualitative parameters, bleb wall reflectivity, and the presence or absence of posterior episcleral fluid, were analyzed. ResultsOf the 39 participants, 25 (64.1%) were males (mean age, 65.3±10.0 y). The height and extent of the internal cavity and the bleb height were not correlated with the IOP. The bleb wall thickness was negatively (P=0.004) correlated with the IOP. The mean IOP in eyes with a low-reflectivity bleb wall was significantly (P=0.001) lower than in eyes with a high-reflectivity wall. The IOP levels were significantly (P=0.008) lower in eyes with posterior episcleral fluid than in eyes without it. ConclusionsAS-OCT is a useful tool to evaluate filtering bleb function. The height and extent of the total bleb and the internal cavity were not correlated with IOP control. A low-reflectivity wall and the presence of episcleral fluid were associated with lower IOP.
Characterization of diethylstilbestrol‐induced hypospadias in female mice

The urethral duct and vagina are formed from the urogenital sinus (UGS) during the early neonatal period in mice. Neonatal estrogen exposure results in hypospadias, or the malpositioning of vaginal and urethral openings, with wide cleft clitoris. We sought to characterize diethylstilbestrol (DES) influence on UGS morphogenesis and hypospadias formation. Newborn (day 0) and 1–4‐day‐old female mice (ICR/Jcl) were given (s.c.) oil or 3.0 μg DES. Animals were killed 24 hr later; then hypospadias formation and epithelial apoptosis and proliferation within the developing UGS were assessed. DES did not alter normal UGS morphogenesis by day 1, in comparison with controls. However, hypospadias formation was observed in DES‐treated mice by day 3. In these mice, the distal dorsal urethral duct appeared to fuse with and open into the lower vaginal solid cord region. Further, DES treatment produced a gradual significant increase in dorsal urethral epithelial apoptosis (P < 0.05) just prior to and during fusion and hypospadias formation. DES‐induced urethral epithelial and sinus cord proliferation appeared significantly increased (P < 0.05) and unchanged, respectively, just prior to fusion. By day 5, DES‐treated mice exhibited wide cleft clitoris. In addition, if DES was given on day 3 or 5, a gradual, distinct caudal shift in the vaginal‐urethral junction was observed compared to mice treated on days 0–2. Although hypospadias was not induced when neonates were given DES on day 7, these mice continued to display early vaginal opening. Dose‐response analysis indicated that 0.03 μg DES for 5 days is the lowest known critical dose for hypospadias induction. We have shown for the first time that DES‐induced hypospadias onset may primarily be the result of changes in developing dorsal urethral epithelial cell apoptotic and proliferative activity, and that the location of DES‐induced hypospadias formation is dependent on age at time of exposure. Anat Rec 266:43–50, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Noise Strategies for Improving Local Search

It has recently been shown that local search is surprisingly good at finding satisfying assignments for certain computationally hard classes of CNF formulas. The performance of basic local search methods can be further enhanced by introducing mechanisms for escaping from local minima in the search space. We will compare three such mechanisms: simulated annealing, random noise, and a strategy called "mixed random walk". We show that mixed random walk is the superior strategy. We also present results demonstrating the effectiveness of local search with walk for solving circuit synthesis and circuit diagnosis problems. Finally, we demonstrate that mixed random walk improves upon the best known methods for solving MAX-SAT problems.
A vector radiative-transfer model for the Odin/OSIRIS project

A vector radiative-transfer code has been developed that is able to accurately and efficiently calculate radiance and polarization scattered from Earth's limb. A primary application of this code will be towards generating weighting functions, based on calculated limb radiances, for the retrieval of trace gases (O 3 ,N O 2, BrO, OClO, and O4) from the optical spectrograph and infrared imaging system (OSIRIS). OSIRIS is a UV-visible instrument on board the Odin satellite that measures limb-scattered light. This model solves the vector radiative-transfer equation using an iterative technique simultaneously in both plane-parallel and spherical-shell atmospheres. OSIRIS simulated limb radiance and polarization and OSIRIS weighting functions are presented along with a discussion of the numerical solution parameters, model intercomparisons and timings, and necessary model improvements. Overall agreement with other models was found to be very good and model speed is comparable to a fast finite-difference code. A set of OSIRIS reference atmospheres have been compiled for use with radiative-transfer models. Each of the 216 atmospheres (18 latitudes 12 months) include profiles of air, pressure, temperature, ozone, NO 2, BrO, and stratospheric aerosols.
Evidence That the Human Gene for Prostate Short-chain Dehydrogenase/Reductase (PSDR1) Encodes a Novel Retinal Reductase (RalR1)*

All-trans-retinoic acid is a metabolite of vitamin A (all-trans-retinol) that functions as an activating ligand for a family of nuclear retinoic acid receptors. The intracellular levels of retinoic acid in tissues are tightly regulated, although the mechanisms underlying the control of retinoid metabolism at the level of specific enzymes are not completely understood. In this report we present the first characterization of the retinoid substrate specificity of a novel short-chaindehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) encoded byRalR1/PSDR1, a cDNA recently isolated from the human prostate (Lin, B., White, J. T., Ferguson, C., Wang, S., Vessella, R., Bumgarner, R., True, L. D., Hood, L., and Nelson, P. S. (2001) Cancer Res. 61, 1611–1618). We demonstrate that RalR1 exhibits an oxidoreductive catalytic activity toward retinoids, but not steroids, with at least an 800-fold lower apparent K m values for NADP+ and NADPHversus NAD+ and NADH as cofactors. The enzyme is ∼50-fold more efficient for the reduction of all-trans-retinal than for the oxidation of all-trans-retinol. Importantly, RalR1 reduces all-trans-retinal in the presence of a 10-fold molar excess of cellular retinol-binding protein type I, which is believed to sequester all-trans-retinal from nonspecific enzymes. As shown by immunostaining of human prostate and LNCaP cells with monoclonal anti-RalR1 antibodies, the enzyme is highly expressed in the epithelial cell layer of human prostate and localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum. The enzymatic properties and expression pattern of RalR1 in prostate epithelium suggest that it might play a role in the regulation of retinoid homeostasis in human prostate.
Multiprocessor schedulability analyser

Within the context of hard real-time systems, the schedulability analysis of a task set is a major issue. The problem consists in proving that the tasks always satisfy their temporal constraints for a given scheduling policy and a given platform. Extensive work has been done in the last decades for defining sufficient criteria and exact algorithms. Sufficient criteria usually have an excellent complexity but often lead to an over-dimension of the system. On the opposite, exact algorithms, especially in the case of multiprocessor platform, suffer from an exponential complexity. In this paper, we study an exact technique: we apply a brute force search combined with a model checker (Uppaal) that determines whether the exploration is complete. We consider periodic tasks which execute on parallel platforms composed of homogeneous processors. Under these hypotheses, we have encoded four policies: fixed task priority, gEDF, gLLF and LLREF. The analyser is user friendly and provides promising performances.
Are Emotions Natural Kinds?

Laypeople and scientists alike believe that they know anger, or sadness, or fear, when they see it. These emotions and a few others are presumed to have specific causal mechanisms in the brain and properties that are observable (on the face, in the voice, in the body, or in experience)—that is, they are assumed to be natural kinds. If a given emotion is a natural kind and can be identified objectively, then it is possible to make discoveries about that emotion. Indeed, the scientific study of emotion is founded on this assumption. In this article, I review the accumulating empirical evidence that is inconsistent with the view that there are kinds of emotion with boundaries that are carved in nature. I then consider what moving beyond a natural-kind view might mean for the scientific understanding of emotion.
Lifetime risks of cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND The lifetime risks of cardiovascular disease have not been reported across the age spectrum in black adults and white adults. METHODS We conducted a meta-analysis at the individual level using data from 18 cohort studies involving a total of 257,384 black men and women and white men and women whose risk factors for cardiovascular disease were measured at the ages of 45, 55, 65, and 75 years. Blood pressure, cholesterol level, smoking status, and diabetes status were used to stratify participants according to risk factors into five mutually exclusive categories. The remaining lifetime risks of cardiovascular events were estimated for participants in each category at each age, with death free of cardiovascular disease treated as a competing event. RESULTS We observed marked differences in the lifetime risks of cardiovascular disease across risk-factor strata. Among participants who were 55 years of age, those with an optimal risk-factor profile (total cholesterol level, <180 mg per deciliter [4.7 mmol per liter]; blood pressure, <120 mm Hg systolic and 80 mm Hg diastolic; nonsmoking status; and nondiabetic status) had substantially lower risks of death from cardiovascular disease through the age of 80 years than participants with two or more major risk factors (4.7% vs. 29.6% among men, 6.4% vs. 20.5% among women). Those with an optimal risk-factor profile also had lower lifetime risks of fatal coronary heart disease or nonfatal myocardial infarction (3.6% vs. 37.5% among men, <1% vs. 18.3% among women) and fatal or nonfatal stroke (2.3% vs. 8.3% among men, 5.3% vs. 10.7% among women). Similar trends within risk-factor strata were observed among blacks and whites and across diverse birth cohorts. CONCLUSIONS Differences in risk-factor burden translate into marked differences in the lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease, and these differences are consistent across race and birth cohorts. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.).
Anti-Apoptotic Machinery Protects the Necrotrophic Fungus Botrytis cinerea from Host-Induced Apoptotic-Like Cell Death during Plant Infection

Necrotrophic fungi are unable to occupy living plant cells. How such pathogens survive first contact with living host tissue and initiate infection is therefore unclear. Here, we show that the necrotrophic grey mold fungus Botrytis cinerea undergoes massive apoptotic-like programmed cell death (PCD) following germination on the host plant. Manipulation of an anti-apoptotic gene BcBIR1 modified fungal response to PCD-inducing conditions. As a consequence, strains with reduced sensitivity to PCD were hyper virulent, while strains in which PCD was over-stimulated showed reduced pathogenicity. Similarly, reduced levels of PCD in the fungus were recorded following infection of Arabidopsis mutants that show enhanced susceptibility to B. cinerea. When considered together, these results suggest that Botrytis PCD machinery is targeted by plant defense molecules, and that the fungal anti-apoptotic machinery is essential for overcoming this host-induced PCD and hence, for establishment of infection. As such, fungal PCD machinery represents a novel target for fungicides and antifungal drugs.
Supporting the design of location-based experiences by creative individuals

This paper discusses the creative practice of independents and individuals and their requirements for tools to author location-based experiences (LBE), including location-based games (LBG). The work describes and presents initial findings from a questionnaire study and a workshop. Both studies focused upon the working practices of individuals and small independent artists, hackers and researchers, rather than designers or developers in large commercial companies or small to medium sized enterprises. A qualitative analysis of findings from the studies were used to inform user requirements and design of next-generation authoring tools through a process of co-design. It was identified that creative individuals typically used a complex and wide-ranging set of design and development tools. These often varied for each project, and were sometimes bespoke. Requirements for future creative design tools could be grouped into higher levels categories to support: flexibility and extendability of authoring tools; in-situ authoring and the seamless transition between desktop and mobile locations; improved positioning; and authoring beyond maps.
Toxicology of phthalic acid esters in aquatic organisms.

Phthalic acid esters are presently being used in amounts and products that can easily, although inadvertently, contribute to environmental pollution. As plasticizers, phthalic acid esters are added to synthetic plastic resins to impart flexibility to the finished product, improve workability during fabrication, and extend or modify properties not present in the original resins (1). Plastic formulations may contain up to 60% of plasticizers (2). Phthalic acid esters are the most widely used plasticizers, particularly in poly(vinyl chloride) plastics. More than 800 million pounds of these plasticizers were produced in 1969 (1). Di-n-butyl and di-2ethylhexyl phthalates are used as plasticizers and also as an insect repellant and orchard acaricide, respectively (3). Phthalic acid esters have been identified as environmental contaminants because of their discovery in soil (4), a deep sea jellyfish (5), aquatic organisms and water (6), and bovine tissues (7,8). The acute toxicities of various phthalic acid esters have been determined in mammals and birds and the compounds were found to have a very low order of toxicity (3,9-12). Teratogenic effects of phthalic acid esters have been demonstrated in rats (13). Problems of phthalic acid esters leaching from plastics used in human medical practices have also been reported (14-17). The biological significance of phthalic acid ester residues in aquatic organisms is un-
Reservations of the Spirit: The Development of a Culturally Sensitive Spiritual Beliefs Scale About Organ Donation

This study investigated whether spiritual beliefs offered any explanation for why participants from Korea (N = 146), Japan (N = 134), and the United States (N = 146) were willing or reluctant to register as organ donors. A culturally appropriate measure of spiritual beliefs about organ donation, the Spiritual Beliefs Scale, was developed consisting of 2 factors: (a) Spiritual Connection and (b) Spiritual Concern. Spiritual Connection was a significant predictor of behavioral intention to become an organ donor for Korean respondents, whereas Spiritual Concern was a significant predictor of reluctance to become an organ donor for American respondents. Spiritual beliefs correlated as predicted with attitude toward organ donation and fear of bodily mutilation, showing that the Spiritual Beliefs Scale exhibited internal, external, and predictive validity. Across the 3-country sample, Spiritual Connection was associated with greater willingness to become an organ donor for women, whereas Spiritual Concern inhibited participation for men. Implications of these findings are discussed for developing culturally effective education and procurement campaigns.