Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of an immunofluorometric assay and quantification of human kallikrein 7 in tissue extracts and biological fluids.

BACKGROUND Human kallikrein 7 (hK7), also known as human stratum corneum chymotryptic enzyme, is a chymotrypsin-like serine protease first identified in human skin extracts and predicted to be a secreted protease. The aim of this study was to develop a sensitive and specific immunoassay for hK7 and to examine the distribution of hK7 in tissue extracts and biological fluids. METHODS Recombinant hK7 was produced in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293T) and purified by a three-step column chromatographic procedure. The purified hK7 was injected into mice for antibody generation. A sandwich-type immunoassay was developed with the anti-hK7 monoclonal antibodies. RESULTS The assay had imprecision (CV) <10% through the dynamic range of 0.2-20 microg/L and had no detectable cross-reactivity from other members in the human kallikrein gene family. Highest concentrations were found in skin, esophagus, and kidney. hK7 was also found in amniotic fluid, ascites from ovarian cancer patients, breast milk, cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, seminal plasma, serum, sweat, synovial fluid, and urine. CONCLUSIONS This study describes the first ELISA-type immunoassay for hK7 protein quantification. hK7 is found many human tissues and in various biological fluids.
Contribution to interplay between a delamination test and a sensory analysis of mid‐range lipsticks

Lipstick is currently one of the most sold products of cosmetics industry, and the competition between the various manufacturers is significant. Customers mainly seek products with high spreadability, especially long–lasting or long wear on the lips. Evaluation tests of cosmetics are usually performed by sensory analysis. This can then represent a considerable cost.
Evaluation of the in vitro biocompatibility of a new fast‐setting ready‐to‐use root filling and repair material

AIM To evaluate the in vitro biocompatibility of iRoot FS (Innovative BioCeramix Inc., Vancouver, BC, Canada) and to compare its performance with those of iRoot BP Plus (Innovative BioCeramix Inc.) and ProRoot mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA; Dentsply Tulsa Dental, Tulsa, OK, USA). METHODOLOGY MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured for 1, 2 and 3 days in various dilutions of iRoot FS, iRoot BP Plus and MTA extracts after 7 days of setting to assess cell viability using a cell counting kit-8 (Dojindo, Kumamoto, Japan). The cell apoptosis induced by the set material extracts was evaluated through annexin V-propidium iodide flow cytometry. Changes in the cytoskeletal organization and stress fibres were observed through immunofluorescence by labelling the fibrous actin and nuclei of the cells. Cell attachment was observed under a scanning electron microscope after the MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured on the surface of a material disc set for 1 day. The data were analysed using one-way anova. RESULTS iRoot FS extracts induced higher cell viability than the control extracts (P < 0.05) at levels comparable to those of iRoot BP Plus and MTA. Compared with the control group, iRoot FS did not promote cell apoptosis. Stretched stress fibres and cytoskeletons were detected in the cells treated with iRoot FS extracts. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the MC3T3-E1 cells attached to iRoot FS appeared flatter and exhibited better stretch than those attached to the other extracts. CONCLUSIONS iRoot FS displayed in vitro biocompatibility with MC3T3-E1 cells by promoting cellular proliferation and attachment without causing cell apoptosis.
Igh variable region-restricted T cell interactions. Genetic restriction of an antigen-specific suppressor inducer factor is imparted by an I-J+ antigen-nonspecific molecule

Immunized Ly-1 T cells secrete an antigen-specific molecule that will induce Ly-2+ T cells to express suppressive activity. In two separate systems, factors that suppress the primary anti-sheep erythrocyte (SE) plaque-forming cell response of spleen cells in vitro (Ly-1 TsiF) or the contact sensitivity of azobenzenearsonate (ABA)-TsF1 consist of two macromolecules, one which binds antigen and is IJ-, the other which is I-J+ and does not bind antigen. Both of these chains are required for the factor's biological activity. These factors show a genetic restriction in their ability to induce suppression that is linked to the variable region of the Ig heavy chain gene complex (Igh-V). The I- J+ chain from the ABA-specific TsF1 could replace the I-J+ chain needed by the SE-specific Ly-1 TsiF for biological activity. Mixtures of ABA- binding chain with I-J+ material obtained from the SE-specific Ly-1 TsiF had no effect on the primary anti-SE response in vitro. In mixtures of SE antigen-binding chain from Ly-1 TsiF and I-J+ material from the ABA-specific TsF1, it is the I-J+ molecule that determined the factor's Igh-V restriction. Thus, the antigen-combining site of the factor determined the antigen specificity of this factor but is irrelevant to its Igh-V-linked genetic restrictions. The implications of these results for the idiotype network hypothesis are discussed.
Eddy-induced heat transport in a coupled ocean-atmospheric anomaly model

The midlatitude meridional heat transport in the ocean can be partitioned into a transport by the mean flow and an eddy transport. This heat transport has been studied in several ocean-only models. Surprisingly, it was found that eddy-resolving and coarse-resolution models have similar total heat transport. This is caused by a compensation mechanism in which poleward eddy transport is counterbalanced by an eddy-induced meridional circulation. Recently it was shown that this compensation depends on details of the atmospheric forcing and, in fact, only occurs for weak thermal coupling, where thermal coupling is defined as the rate of change of the surface heat flux with respect to the sea surface temperature (SST). The thermal coupling varies with the spatial scale of the SST anomaly. To study the actual strength of this coupling on the eddy length scale the authors have coupled an isopycnic ocean model (with embedded mixed layer) to an atmospheric anomaly model. By comparing coarse-resolution and eddy-resolving simulations it is found that 1) the thermal coupling is strong on the eddy length scale and 2) the aforementioned compensation does not occur. Consequences for the temperature boundary condition in ocean-only models, the Gent and McWilliams eddy parameterization, and climate modeling are discussed.
Women ' s Mental Health : Official Journal of the Section on Women ' s Health of the World Psychiatric Association , 14 ( 1 ) ISSN 1435-1102

By failing to include it under the rubric of the postpartum-onset specifier, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV-TR has ignored the clinical reality that childbirth is a potent trigger of hypomania. Given the serious and occasionally tragic consequences of misdiagnosis of bipolar II depression as unipolar depression in the postpartum period, it is argued that DSM-V should consider modifying the postpartumonset specifier to include episodes of hypomania.
Characteristics on Treated Kenaf Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

Nowadays natural fiber and polymer matrix are being extensively used as alternatives in producing furniture like ceiling, floor and etc. to fulfill society demand instead of environmental friendly and saving cost. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) as a coupling agent for reinforcement between kenaf fiber (KF) and polypropylene (PP). The ratio of MAPP between 3% and 5% was observed to determine which composition ratio is better. The tensile strength for both 30% KF and 40% KF was treated through the alkali treatment process with 5% sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Kenaf fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP/KF) composites were melt blended and then used hydraulic molding test press machine for characterization to observe their tensile strengths by measuring their threshold. Tensile test was carried out to determine the tensile stresses of the composite at the best composition ratio of kenaf fiber that are 30% KF and 40% KF instead of MAPP ratio. The result shows 40% KF (5% MAPP) lead to better tensile performance compared to 40% KF (3% MAPP), 30% KF (5% MAPP) and 30% KF (3% MAPP). Meanwhile, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is used to observe the morphological comparison between untreated KF and treated KF as well as PP/KF. The good interfacial bonding between KF and PP was 5% MAPP rather than 3% MAPP due to the optimum strength received. Overall 5% MAPP with 40% PP/KF had shown the best result compared to others with the estimated tensile strength value of 21.38 MPa.
Attachment Styles

Relationships between attachment styles and the content and structure of mental representations of parents were investigated. Undergraduates completed 3and 4-category measures of attachment style and wrote descriptions of their parents. Securely attached participants' parental representations were characterized by differentiation, elaboration, benevolence, and nonpunitiveness. Representations by dismissing participants were characterized by less differentiation and more punitiveness and malevolence. Fearful participants also described their parents as relatively punitive and malevolent, but their representations were well differentiated and conceptually complex. Anxious-ambivalent participants described their parents ambivalently as both punitive and benevolent.
NGS Transcriptomes and Enzyme Inhibitors Unravel Complexity of Picrosides Biosynthesis in Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex. Benth

Picrorhiza kurroa is an important medicinal herb valued for iridoid glycosides, Picroside-I (P-I) and Picroside-II (P-II), which have several pharmacological activities. Genetic interventions for developing a picroside production platform would require knowledge on biosynthetic pathway and key control points, which does not exist as of today. The current study reports that geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP) moiety is mainly contributed by the non-mevalonate (MEP) route, which is further modified to P-I and P-II through phenylpropanoid and iridoid pathways, in total consisting of 41 and 35 enzymatic steps, respectively. The role of the MEP pathway was ascertained through enzyme inhibitors fosmidomycin and mevinolin along with importance of other integrating pathways using glyphosate, aminooxy acetic acid (AOA) and actinomycin D, which overall resulted in 17%-92% inhibition of P-I accumulation. Retrieval of gene sequences for enzymatic steps from NGS transcriptomes and their expression analysis vis-à-vis picrosides content in different tissues/organs showed elevated transcripts for twenty genes, which were further shortlisted to seven key genes, ISPD, DXPS, ISPE, PMK, 2HFD, EPSPS and SK, on the basis of expression analysis between high versus low picrosides content strains of P. kurroa so as to eliminate tissue type/ developmental variations in picrosides contents. The higher expression of the majority of the MEP pathway genes (ISPD, DXPS and ISPE), coupled with higher inhibition of DXPR enzyme by fosmidomycin, suggested that the MEP route contributed to the biosynthesis of P-I in P. kurroa. The outcome of the study is expected to be useful in designing a suitable genetic intervention strategy towards enhanced production of picrosides. Possible key genes contributing to picroside biosynthesis have been identified with potential implications in molecular breeding and metabolic engineering of P. kurroa.
On the capacity of HSDPA

An analytical model for the evaluation of HSDPA capacity is proposed and used to carry out a comparison of several MIMO systems. HSDPA is an evolution of the UMTS standard over the air interface to achieve higher aggregate bit rates through the introduction of adaptive modulation and coding, hybrid ARQ, fast scheduling, fast cell selection and MIMO (space time coding and Blast) techniques. The model is used to compare MIMO systems, a typically difficult task to provide some insight. The results are supported by a simulation.
Nerve growth factor derived from bronchial epithelium after chronic mite antigen exposure contributes to airway hyperresponsiveness by inducing hyperinnervation, and is inhibited by in vivo siRNA

Bronchial asthma is a chronic allergic airway inflammatory disease. Neurotrophins, including nerve growth factor (NGF), play an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. However, the effects of NGF derived from epithelium on airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) after antigen sensitization/exposure remain uncertain.
Vitamin D and Colorectal, Breast, and Prostate Cancers: A Review of the Epidemiological Evidence

Over the past two decades, the question of whether vitamin D has a role in cancer incidence, progression, and mortality has been studied in detail. Colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers have been a particular area of focus; together, these three malignancies account for approximately 35% of cancer cases and 20% of cancer deaths in the United States, and as such are a major public health concern. Herein, we review and synthesize the epidemiological research regarding vitamin D, as measured by the biomarker 25-hydroxycholecalciferol [25(OH)D], and the incidence, progression, and mortality of these cancers. Overall, the results of observational studies of the relationship between 25(OH)D and colorectal cancer have revealed a consistent inverse association for incidence and mortality; while for breast cancer, results have generally demonstrated a relationship between higher 25(OH)D and lower risk for progression and mortality. In contrast, randomized, double-blind clinical trials conducted to date have generally failed to support these findings. For prostate cancer, there is no convincing evidence of an association between 25(OH)D and incidence, and inconsistent data for progression and mortality, though results of one open label clinical trial suggest that supplementation with 4000 IU/d of vitamin D3 may inhibit progression of the disease. Nonetheless, until the results of additional ongoing randomized, double-blind clinical trials are reported, it will be difficult to ascertain if vitamin D itself is related to a reduction in risk for some cancer endpoints, or whether high concentrations of the vitamin D biomarker 25(OH)D may instead serve as a marker for an overall beneficial risk factor profile.
Physical Activity Related Information Sources Predict Physical Activity Behaviors in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Physical activity (PA) is a key management strategy for type 2 diabetes. Despite the known benefits, PA levels are low. Whether the low level of PA is related to lack of knowledge or support is not fully understood. This study was conducted to describe where and how often adults with type 2 diabetes receive and seek information related to PA and examine the relationships between the source and quality of PA information with PA behaviors. A series of questions related to the source and quality of PA information were added to a baseline survey distributed to the participants (N = 244) of the Canadian Aerobic and Resistance Training in Diabetes (CARED) study. Physicians and television were found to be the main sources of PA-related information. In our cross-sectional model, sources of PA-related information other than that from health care professionals explained 14% (p = .05) and 16% (p < .05) of the variance for aerobic-based and resistance training behaviors and 22% (p < .01) and 15% (p < .05) for these behaviors in our longitudinal model. Physical activity (PA)-related information is widely available to adults with type 2 diabetes. Neither the quantity nor the quality of the PA information provided by health care professionals predicted PA behavior. These data provide further insight into the modes with which PA can be promoted to adults with type 2 diabetes.
BOUNDING SCALAR CURVATURE AND DIAMETER ALONG THE KÄHLER RICCI FLOW (AFTER PERELMAN)

In this short note we present a result of Perelman with detailed proof. The result states that if $g(t)$ is the Kähler Ricci flow on a compact, Kähler manifold $M$ with $c_1(M)>0$, the scalar curvature and diameter of $(M,g(t))$ stay uniformly bounded along the flow, for $t\in[0,\infty)$. We learned about this result and its proof from Grigori Perelman when he was visiting MIT in the spring of 2003. This may be helpful to people studying the Kähler Ricci flow.
Correlation of Acetate Catabolism and Growth Yield in Staphylococcus aureus: Implications for Host-Pathogen Interactions

ABSTRACT Recently, we reported that the prototypical Staphylococcus aureus strain RN6390 (a derivative of NCTC 8325) had significantly reduced aconitase activity relative to a diverse group of S. aureus isolates, leading to the hypothesis that strain RN6390 has impaired tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle-mediated acetate catabolism. Analysis of the culture supernatant from RN6390 confirmed that acetate was incompletely catabolized, suggesting that the ability to catabolize acetate can be lost by S. aureus. To test this hypothesis, we examined the carbon catabolism of the S. aureus strains whose genome sequences are publicly available. All strains catabolized glucose and excreted acetate into the culture medium. However, strains NCTC 8325 and N315 failed to catabolize acetate during the postexponential growth phase, resulting in significantly lower growth yields relative to strains that catabolized acetate. Strains NCTC 8325 and RN6390 contained an 11-bp deletion in rsbU, the gene encoding a positive regulator of the alternative sigma factor σB encoded by sigB. An isogenic derivative strain of RN6390 containing the wild-type rsbU gene had significantly increased acetate catabolism, demonstrating that σB is required for acetate catabolism. Taken together, the data suggest that naturally occurring mutations can alter the ability of S. aureus to catabolize acetate, a surprising discovery, as TCA cycle function has been demonstrated to be involved in the virulence, survival, and persistence of several pathogenic organisms. Additionally, these mutations decrease the fitness of S. aureus by reducing the number of progeny placed into subsequent generations, suggesting that in certain situations a decreased growth yield is advantageous.
Deviations from Purchasing Power Parity: Causes and Welfare Costs

We explore deviations from short-run purchasing power parity across European cities, attempting to move beyond a "first-generation" of papers that document very large border effects. We document two very distinct types of border effects embedded in relative prices. The first is a "real barriers effect," caused by various barriers to market integration. The second is a sticky-consumer-price cum volatile exchange-rate effect. Both are shown to be important empirically, the second type especially so. We argue that the two effects are very different from each other. For the first type of effect, it is clear that border effects imply deadweight welfare losses. We argue that while the second type of border effect could be eliminated with fixed exchange rates, welfare is not necessarily increased.
A Traffic-Aware Virtual Machine Placement Method for Cloud Data Centers

Classical virtual machine (VM) placement approaches, focusing on computing resource requirements, do not consider network traffic as an input for the placement problem, which may result in high network traffic within the core links of the data center. Cost of networking is not negligible in a cloud data center. In order to decrease networking cost, in terms of power and delay, communication patterns of VMs need to be taken into account. We develop an algorithm with low computational complexity, to cluster VMs based on dynamic network traffic data and place clusters into racks, composed of physical servers. Our aim is to decrease the traffic between racks, by putting frequently communicating VMs together into the same rack or as close as possible, while minimizing networking delay based on average communication path length, number of active servers and number of active network elements, such as links and switches. Through numerous simulations, we show that the proposed algorithm provides quick and effective results to improve placement, which can be utilized via VM migrations.
Presence of Psychoactive Substances in Injured Belgian Drivers

Objective: To estimate the percentage of drivers involved in a traffic crash in Belgium who have alcohol and drugs in their blood. Methods: Blood samples of the drivers injured in a traffic crash and admitted to the emergency departments of 5 hospitals in Belgium between January 2008 and May 2010 were analyzed for ethanol (with an enzymatic method) and 22 other psychoactive substances (with ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry or gas chromatography–mass spectrometry). Results: One thousand seventy-eight drivers were included in the study. Alcohol (≥0.1 g/L) was the most common substance (26.2%). A large majority of the drivers (64%) who were positive for alcohol had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) ≥1.3 g/L (legal limit in Belgium: 0.5 g/L). These high BACs were most frequent among male injured drivers. Cannabis was the most prevalent illicit drug (5.3%) and benzodiazepines (5.3%) were the most prevalent medicinal drugs. Approximately 1 percent of the drivers were positive for cocaine and amphetamines. No drivers tested positive for illicit opioids. Medicinal drugs were more likely to be found among female drivers and drivers older than 35 years, and alcohol and illicit drugs were more likely to be found among male drivers and drivers younger than 35 years. Conclusion: A high percentage of the injured drivers were positive for a psychoactive substance at the time of injury. Alcohol was the most common substance, with 80 percent of the positive drivers having a BAC ≥0.5 g/L. Compared to a roadside survey in the same area, drivers/riders with high BACs and combinations of drugs were overrepresented. Efforts should be made to increase alcohol and drug enforcement. The introduction of a categorization and labeling system might reduce driving under the influence of medicinal drugs by informing health care professionals and patients.
Hidden Messages : Evaluating the Effectiveness of Code Elision in Program Navigation

Text elision is a user interface technique that aims to improve the efficiency of navigating through information by allowing regions of text to be ‘folded’ into and out of the display. Several researchers have argued that elision interfaces are particularly suited to source code editing because they allow programmers to focus on relevant code regions while suppressing the display of irrelevant information. Elision features are now appearing in commercial systems for software development. There is, however, a lack of empirical evidence of the technique’s effectiveness. This paper presents an empirical evaluation of source code elision using a Java program editor. The evaluation compared a normal ‘flat text’ editor with two versions that diminished elided text to levels that were ‘just legible’ and ‘illegible’. Subject performance was recorded in four tasks involving navigation through programs. Results show that programmers were able to complete their tasks more rapidly when using the elision interfaces, particularly in larger program files. Although the subjects indicated a preference for the ‘just legible’ elision interface, their performance was best with illegible elision.