Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ATP Hydrolysis Enhances RNA Recognition and Antiviral Signal Transduction by the Innate Immune Sensor, Laboratory of Genetics and Physiology 2 (LGP2)*

Background: Laboratory of genetics and physiology 2 (LGP2) is a cytoplasmic RNA receptor required for innate antiviral signaling. Results: LGP2 uses ATP hydrolysis to diversify RNA recognition and enhance antiviral signaling. Conclusion: LGP2 mediates antiviral responses by ATP-enhanced RNA recognition. Significance: This study reveals a novel property of LGP2 providing a mechanistic basis for its positive role in antiviral signaling. Laboratory of genetics and physiology 2 (LGP2) is a member of the RIG-I-like receptor family of cytoplasmic pattern recognition receptors that detect molecular signatures of virus infection and initiate antiviral signal transduction cascades. The ATP hydrolysis activity of LGP2 is essential for antiviral signaling, but it has been unclear how the enzymatic properties of LGP2 regulate its biological response. Quantitative analysis of the dsRNA binding and enzymatic activities of LGP2 revealed high dsRNA-independent ATP hydrolysis activity. Biochemical assays and single-molecule analysis of LGP2 and mutant variants that dissociate basal from dsRNA-stimulated ATP hydrolysis demonstrate that LGP2 utilizes basal ATP hydrolysis to enhance and diversify its RNA recognition capacity, enabling the protein to associate with intrinsically poor substrates. This property is required for LGP2 to synergize with another RIG-I-like receptor, MDA5, to potentiate IFNβ transcription in vivo during infection with encephalomyocarditis virus or transfection with poly(I:C). These results demonstrate previously unrecognized properties of LGP2 ATP hydrolysis and RNA interaction and provide a mechanistic basis for a positive regulatory role for LGP2 in antiviral signaling.
Accurate prediction for atomic‐level protein design and its application in diversifying the near‐optimal sequence space

The task of engineering a protein to assume a target three‐dimensional structure is known as protein design. Computational search algorithms are devised to predict a minimal energy amino acid sequence for a particular structure. In practice, however, an ensemble of low‐energy sequences is often sought. Primarily, this is performed because an individual predicted low‐energy sequence may not necessarily fold to the target structure because of both inaccuracies in modeling protein energetics and the nonoptimal nature of search algorithms employed. Additionally, some low‐energy sequences may be overly stable and thus lack the dynamic flexibility required for biological functionality. Furthermore, the investigation of low‐energy sequence ensembles will provide crucial insights into the pseudo‐physical energy force fields that have been derived to describe structural energetics for protein design. Significantly, numerous studies have predicted low‐energy sequences, which were subsequently synthesized and demonstrated to fold to desired structures. However, the characterization of the sequence space defined by such energy functions as compatible with a target structure has not been performed in full detail. This issue is critical for protein design scientists to successfully continue using these force fields at an ever‐increasing pace and scale. In this paper, we present a conceptually novel algorithm that rapidly predicts the set of lowest energy sequences for a given structure. Based on the theory of probabilistic graphical models, it performs efficient inspection and partitioning of the near‐optimal sequence space, without making any assumptions of positional independence. We benchmark its performance on a diverse set of relevant protein design examples and show that it consistently yields sequences of lower energy than those derived from state‐of‐the‐art techniques. Thus, we find that previously presented search techniques do not fully depict the low‐energy space as precisely. Examination of the predicted ensembles indicates that, for each structure, the amino acid identity at a majority of positions must be chosen extremely selectively so as to not incur significant energetic penalties. We investigate this high degree of similarity and demonstrate how more diverse near‐optimal sequences can be predicted in order to systematically overcome this bottleneck for computational design. Finally, we exploit this in‐depth analysis of a collection of the lowest energy sequences to suggest an explanation for previously observed experimental design results. The novel methodologies introduced here accurately portray the sequence space compatible with a protein structure and further supply a scheme to yield heterogeneous low‐energy sequences, thus providing a powerful instrument for future work on protein design. Proteins 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Religious Multicultural Competence Amongst Dance/Movement Therapists

The purpose of this study was to understand how dance/movement therapists, with BC-DMT or R-DMT credentials, acquire, foster, and perceive their own religious multicultural competence. The research question was how do dance/movement therapists develop religious multicultural competence? Through the methodology of a qualitative case study and the data collection method of a focus group, I examined the selfperception of each participant’s own religious multicultural competence. After I transcribed and analyzed the data, I uncovered several themes, highlighted in the Results section. Once the analysis was complete, I utilized the data analysis method of intuitive inquiry. Findings included a) a definition of multicultural competence, b) a reciprocal relationship between religious shifts and religious self-exploration c) a lack of religious training in the Columbia College Chicago Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling program, and d) the shared experience of religious insensitivities. Ultimately, this study demonstrated the need to prioritize religious multicultural counseling training in dance/movement therapy curriculums to help novice counselors become better equipped to manage complex, diverse, and ethically sensitive religious experiences.
Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom? An Early Look at Large Numbers of Software 'Apps' Developers and Patterns of Innovation

In this paper, I study the effect of adding large numbers of producers of application software programs (“apps”) to leading handheld computer platforms, from 1999 to 2004. To isolate causal effects, I exploit changes in the software labor market. Consistent with past theory, I find a tight link between the number of producers on platform and the number of software varieties that were generated. The patterns indicate the link is closely related to the diversity and distinct specializations of producers. Also highlighting the role of heterogeneity and nonrandom entry and sorting, later cohorts generated less compelling software than earlier cohorts. Adding producers to a platform also shaped investment incentives in ways that were consistent with a tension between network effects and competitive crowding, alternately increasing or decreasing innovation incentives depending on whether apps were differentiated or close substitutes. The crowding of similar apps dominated in this case; the average effect of adding producers on innovation incentives was negative. Overall, adding large numbers of producers led innovation to become more dependent on population-level diversity, variation, and experimentation—while drawing less on the heroic efforts of any one individual innovator.
Double smoothing for time-varying distributed multiuser optimization

Constrained optimization problems that couple different cooperating users sharing the same communication network are often referred to as multiuser optimization programs. We are interested in convex discrete-time time-varying multiuser optimization, where the problem to be solved changes at each time step. We study a distributed algorithm to generate a sequence of approximate optimizers of these problems. The algorithm requires only one round of communication among neighboring users between subsequent time steps and, under mild assumptions, converges linearly to a bounded error floor whose size is dependent on the variability of the optimization problem in time. To develop the algorithm we employ a double regularization both in the primal and in the dual space. This increases the convergence rate and helps us in the convergence proof. Numerical results support the theoretical findings.
Socioepidemiologic Profile and Treatment-seeking Behaviour of HIV/AIDS Patients in a Tertiary-care Hospital in South India

ABSTRACT India has the third largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS. Provision of free antiretroviral therapy (ART) for eligible persons living with HIV (PLHA) has been scaled up significantly both in terms of facilities for treatment and number of beneficiaries. This study aimed at describing the profile of HIV/AIDS patients on ART from a tertiary-care hospital and to explore the factors associated with treatment-seeking behaviour, family support, and perceptions regarding HIV and ART. This is a descriptive study conducted at the ART centre in a tertiary-care hospital in Puducherry. Study population consisted of 130 HIV-positive patients aged more than 18 years on free firstline ART for at least 6 months. Data on sociodemographic details, clinical details, treatment-seeking behaviour, family support, and perceptions regarding HIV and ART were collected using a pretested questionnaire. Data are presented as percentages. In total, 130 patients on ART for at least 6 months were included in the study—61% were males (n=79), 39% were females (n=51); half of them belonged to the age-group of 36-50 years. Half of the participants were diagnosed to have HIV/AIDS between 1 and 3 year(s); two-thirds had one or more co-infection(s). The majority were aware of the side-effects of ART. After advice to start ART, there was a delay in starting treatment in one-fifth of the subjects due to depression, fear of stigma, disclosure to family, and side-effects. More than two-thirds of the patients travelled more than 30 km distance. Families of HIV-positive subjects were supportive in accompanying to the ART centre, collecting drugs, reminders to take medication, and motivation to complete the treatment. Alcohol (50%) and tobacco consumption (39%) was common among the subjects. Half of the respondents stated stigma, death, and pain as the main fears, and all of them stated high levels of trust and rapport with their doctors. This study reveals several positive aspects among ART beneficiaries. However, issues, like tobacco and alcohol consumption, travelling long distance for drug collection, fear of stigma and death, and concerns regarding the future, need to be addressed.
A Signal-Processing Adaptive Algorithm for Selective Current Harmonic Cancellation in Active Power Filters

Selective harmonic cancellation has become of primary importance in a wide range of power electronics applications, for example, uninterrupted power systems, regenerative converters, and active power filters (APFs). In such applications, the primary objectives are an accurate cancellation of selected harmonics and a quick speed of response under transients. This paper provides a novel signal-processing algorithm for selective harmonic identification based on heterodyning, moving average finite-impulse response filters, and phase-locked loop (PLL). The algorithm is applied over the current of a nonlinear load in the feedforward-based control of an APF. The PLL tracks the phase and frequency of the fundamental component. Then, the fundamental phase is multiplied by the order of the selected harmonic, and two random unitary orthogonal "axis waves" are generated. These unitary waves, rotating at the harmonic frequency, are multiplied by the input load current, thereby "moving" the Fourier series coefficients of the selected harmonic to DC (heterodyning). Moving average FIR filters are used to filter the harmonics generated in the heterodyning process from the DC signal; moving average FIR filters are very suitable for most of the power quality applications, thanks to their "comb-type" frequency response and their quick transient response. Experimental results confirm good performance for steady-state harmonic cancellation and an optimal system response to load transients. The theory of the algorithm has been developed for single- and three-phase systems.
Łagodne zaburzenia funkcji poznawczych u chorych na cukrzycę - obserwacje ośrodka terenowego

Wstep . Ocena funkcji poznawczych nie nale? y jeszcze do podstawowego zakresu badan przeprowadzonych u chorych na cukrzyce. Celem pracy by³a ocena funkcji poznawczych osob chorych na cukrzyce. Materia³ i metody . W badaniu uczestniczy³o 63 pacjentow chorych na cukrzyce, w tym 33 kobiety i 30 me? czyzn w wieku 16–80 lat. Grupe kontroln± stanowi³y 54 zdrowe osoby, w tym 24 kobiety i 30 me? czyzn w wieku 18–78 lat. U wszystkich wykonano nastepuj±ce testy: MMSE — Krotka Skala Oceny Stanu Psychicznego, ktorej celem jest orientacyjne okre¶lenie stopnia zaburzen procesow poznawczych, test z u? yciem labiryntu bezpo¶rednio zwi±zany ze skal± MMSE, s³u? ±cy do oceny stopnia zaburzen procesow otepiennych oraz test sprawdzaj±cy pamieae, w ktorym uczestnik badania musia³ w ci±gu 1 minuty zapamietaae 10 przedmiotow, a nastepnie je zapisaae. W celu oceny wzrokowo-motorycznych zaburzen poznawczych wykorzystano Test Wykre¶lania Liter oraz Test £±czenia Punktow (TMT) typu A i B. Ponadto ka? dy z uczestnikow badania wykonywa³ test, ktorego wynik umo? liwia³ okre¶lenie poziomu leku i depresji. W tym celu pos³u? ono sie Skal± Depresji Becka. Wyniki . We wszystkich analizowanych testach chorzy na cukrzyce uzyskali gorsze wyniki. W zwi±zku z nieco wy? szym przecietnym wiekiem w grupie chorych na cukrzyce oddzielnie przeprowadzono analize w grupie pacjentow w wieku poni? ej 50 lat i w grupie osob starszych — ponad 50-letnich stwierdzono te same zale? no¶ci z wyj±tkiem wyniku testu TMT B, ktory w grupie osob poni? ej 50 r? nie ro? ni³ sie istotnie w¶rod osob chorych i zdrowych. Wnioski . U chorych na cukrzyce na podstawie wszystkich wykonanych testach stwierdzono istotne, choae ³agodne zaburzenia funkcji poznawczych.
Civil society, social capital and the churches: HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea

In this paper I try to move beyond the glib assessment that the churches are ‘bad at prevention, good at care’. I frame HIV/AIDS in terms of development, and broadly conceptualise the activities that can affect the course and impacts of the epidemic. Without venturing far into theoretical debates surrounding ‘civil society’ and ‘social capital’, I use these concepts – or ideas associated with them to think about the churches. Although they are major institutions in PNG and other Pacific Island countries, very little secular analysis of their contemporary social capacities and roles is available. Finally, I reflect upon the future roles of the churches in response to HIV/AIDS. These parting thoughts have some bearing on general issues concerning the role of churches in development.
An embedding approach to anomaly detection

Network anomaly detection has become very popular in recent years because of the importance of discovering key regions of structural inconsistency in the network. In addition to application-specific information carried by anomalies, the presence of such structural inconsistency is often an impediment to the effective application of data mining algorithms such as community detection and classification. In this paper, we study the problem of detecting structurally inconsistent nodes that connect to a number of diverse influential communities in large social networks. We show that the use of a network embedding approach, together with a novel dimension reduction technique, is an effective tool to discover such structural inconsistencies. We also experimentally show that the detection of such anomalous nodes has significant applications: one is the specific use of detected anomalies, and the other is the improvement of the effectiveness of community detection.
Understanding choledochal malformation

Choledochal malformations (also known as choledochal cysts) may be characterised as an abnormal dilatation of the biliary tract, in the absence of any acute obstruction. Most appear to be of congenital origin probably related to distal bile duct stenosis, and almost 15% can now be detected antenatally. Excision and biliary reconstruction using a Roux loop as an open operation is still the standard to compare to. This article discusses recent advances in the understanding of their aetiology and classification together with the place of newer modalites of surgical treatment such as laparoscopic excision and biliary reconstruction. Although these are definitely feasible and safe, care should be taken before dispensing with standard open techniques which have minimal complications and proven long-term benefit.
Evidence for a Feedback Inhibition of Insulin on Insulin Secretion in the Isolated, Perfused Canine Pancreas

An isolated in vitro canine pancreas per fusion preparation is described which is suitable for prolonged (five hours) study of insulin secretion. The preparation remains in good condition throughout the experimental period judged by various parameters. Feedback inhibition of insulin on insulin secretion was studied in the preparation. Experiments were performed at different concentrations of glucose in the influx medium. At 150 mg. per cent of glucose a considerable reduction of the insulin secretion was obtained when exogenous porcine insulin was added to the influx medium in concentrations from 180 μU. /ml. to 420 μU. /ml. In eight experiments where the exogenous insulin concentration in the influx medium was equal to or exceeded pre-inhibition efflux values the obtained insulin inhibition amounted to 25-78 per cent of the pre-inhibition values. In one of the eight experiments the exogenous insulin concentration was less than the pre-inhibition value; however, the same effect was obtained. A feedback mechanism of insulin on insulin secretion from the beta cell has thus been demonstrated at levels of perfusate insulin which occur in vivo.
Per capita income demand for variety, and international trade: Linder reconsidered

We analyse a monopolistically competitive model of international trade where goods must be consumed in indivisible amounts. The number of varieties that enter a consumer''s optimal consumption bundle is increasing in the consumer''s per capita income. We first show that, for a given level of GDP, less populous and richer economies have a larger equilibrium number of product varieties. We then show that in an integrated world, even when total GDP is kept constant in all markets, as the levels of and the similarity in the trading partners'' per capita incomes increase, so do the number of varieties exchanged and the volume of bilateral trade flows, as conjectured in the Linder hypothesis. Implications for the distribution of gains from trade between and within countries are also discussed.
Food Inhibits the Oral Bioavailability of the Major Green Tea Antioxidant Epigallocatechin Gallate in Humans

The bioavailability of the most abundant and most active green tea antioxidant, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) remains uncertain. Therefore, the systemic absorption of EGCG was tested in healthy fasted humans. It was administered as capsules with water or with a light breakfast, or when incorporated within a strawberry sorbet. The results for plasma EGCG clearly revealed that taking EGCG capsules without food was better; the AUC was 2.7 and 3.9 times higher than when EGCG capsules were taken with a light breakfast (p = 0.044) or with EGCG imbedded in the strawberry sorbet (p = 0.019), respectively. This pattern was also observed for Cmax and Cav. Therefore, ingesting food at the same time as EGCG, whether it was imbedded or not in food, substantially inhibited the absorption of the catechin. As with some types of medications that are affected by food, it appears that EGCG should be taken without food in order to maximise its systemic absorption. Therefore, based on these findings, ingesting EGCG with water on an empty stomach is the most appropriate method for the oral delivery of EGCG in clinical trials where EGCG is to be investigated as a potential bioactive nutraceutical in humans.
Decontamination of titanium implant surface and re-osseointegration to treat peri-implantitis: a literature review.

PURPOSE To review the literature on decontamination of titanium implant surfaces following peri-implantitis and the effect of various cleaning methods on re-osseointegration. MATERIALS AND METHODS An electronic search of the literature at PubMed was conducted on the studies published between 1966 and October 2010. In vitro, animal, and clinical studies were included. RESULTS Of 597 studies retrieved, 74 manuscripts were selected for the review. Various implant surface decontamination methods using various chemical and mechanical agents have been suggested for treatment and re-osseointegration following periimplantitis. It has been shown that re-osseointegration of contaminated implant surfaces is possible; this largely depends upon the surface of the implant and the types of decontamination techniques and bone regenerative materials used. Complete re-osseointegration cannot be achieved by surface decontamination alone. Titanium implants with titanium plasma-sprayed or sandblasted and acid-etched surfaces may be effectively decontaminated by applying chlorhexidine and saline-soaked gauze or by repeated rinsing with these solutions. CONCLUSIONS Both mechanical and chemical decontamination techniques should be applied alongside regenerative surgical procedures to obtain optimum re-osseointegration and successfully treat peri-implantitis. In recent years, lasers and photodynamic therapy have shown minor beneficial results, which need to be confirmed by long-term clinical studies with comparable groups.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Vagus Nerve-preserving Distal Gastrectomy Versus Conventional Distal Gastrectomy for Postoperative Quality of Life in Early Stage Gastric Cancer Patients

Objective:To compare the postoperative quality of life of vagus nerve preserving distal gastrectomy (VPG) vs conventional distal gastrectomy (CG) in patients with early-stage gastric cancer. Design:Randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting:Large tertiary comprehensive cancer center in Korea. Participants:One hundred sixty-three patients with early gastric cancer 18 years of age or older expected to undergo curative gastric resection. Intervention:Patients were randomized 1:1 to VPG (n = 85) or CG (n = 78). Main outcome measures:European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) gastric module (STO22). Results:Patients assigned to VPG showed less diarrhea 3 and 12 months after surgery (P = 0.040 and 0.048, respectively) and less appetite loss at 12 months (P = 0.011) compared with those assigned to CG. In both groups, fatigue, anxiety, eating restriction, and body image deteriorated at 3 months after surgery and did not regain baseline levels 12 months after surgery. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in cancer recurrence and death over 5 years of follow-up. Conclusions:Early gastric cancer patients undergoing VPG reported significantly less diarrhea and appetite loss at 12 months postsurgery compared with those undergoing CG, with no differences in long-term clinical outcomes. VPG may improve the quality of life after gastrectomy in early gastric cancer patients compared with CG.