Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficient production and processing of elastase and LasA by Pseudomonas aeruginosa require zinc and calcium ions

The ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to degrade elastin, a major component of connective tissue, likely contributes to its pathogenicity and multiplication in human tissues. Two extracellular enzymes are required for P. aeruginosa elastolytic activity: elastase and LasA. Elastase is a zinc metalloprotease, but little is known about the structure of LasA. When grown under metal ion-deficient conditions, P. aeruginosa culture supernatants were found to exhibit a low level of elastolytic activity, which coincided with production of low levels of the 51-kDa proelastase and no detectable LasA. By using this fact to identify factors that promote elastolytic activity, P. aeruginosa PAO1, FRD2, and DG1 were grown in metal ion-deficient medium supplemented with zinc (10(-4) M ZnCl2), calcium (2.5 x 10(-3) M CaCl2), or iron (10(-4) M FeCl3). High levels of proteolytic and elastolytic activity were exhibited by all strains when cultured in the presence of both zinc and calcium, and this was associated with the production of mature 33-kDa elastase and 21-kDa LasA. Supplementing DG1 and PAO1 cultures with zinc alone stimulated the production of 33-kDa elastase, which, because of the calcium-deficient conditions, exhibited low proteolytic and elastolytic activities. Zinc also stimulated the production of a 41-kDa form of LasA in DG1 and PAO1 culture supernatants. Elastase production by FRD2 cultured in the presence of zinc alone differed from that by the other two strains in that supernatants contained 33-kDa elastase, a 21-kDa form of LasA, and exhibited high proteolytic and elastolytic activities. Such strain-associated differences in LasA processing and elastase activity can be explained by differences in metal ion-scavenging mechanisms adapted by the strains. Supplementing cultures with calcium stimulated the production of elastase but had no effect on LasA production. The elastase produced exhibited variable sizes, possibly resulting from aberrant processing reactions, and showed little proteolytic activity. Proteolytic activity could be recovered from 33-kDa elastase produced in the presence of calcium by inclusion of zinc in the enzymatic assay. Although iron was previously found to exert a repressive effect on P. aeruginosa elastolytic activity, iron exerted little effect on elastolytic activity when added to cultures containing both zinc and calcium. These studies support the conclusion that elastase production and processing are promoted by both zinc and calcium. LasA production, in comparison, is stimulated by zinc, with both zinc and calcium facilitating its processing. The association of 41-kDa LasA with a low level of elastolytic activity and of 21-kDa LasA with a high level of activity supports the conclusion that lasA encodes a larger, precursor protein which is processed to an active 21-kDa form during secretion.
Nearly defect-free F0 trajectory extraction for expressive speech modifications based on STRAIGHT

A new method for source information extraction is proposed. The aim of the method is to provide optimal source information for the very high quality speech manipulation system STRAIGHT. The method is based on both time interval and frequency cues, and it provides fundamental frequency and periodicity information within each frequency band, to allow mixed mode excitation. The method is designed to minimize perceptual disturbance due to errors in source information extraction. A preliminary evaluation using a database of simultaneously recorded EGG and speech signals yielded very low gross error rates (0.029% for females and 0.14% for males). In addition, the method is designed so as to minimize the perceptual disturbance caused by any such gross error.
Familial Intracranial Aneurysms: Is Anatomic Vulnerability Heritable?

Background and Purpose— Previous studies have suggested that family members with intracranial aneurysms (IAs) often harbor IAs in similar anatomic locations. IA location is important because of its association with rupture. We tested the hypothesis that anatomic susceptibility to IA location exists using a family-based IA study. Methods— We identified all affected probands and first-degree relatives (FDRs) with a definite or probable phenotype in each family. We stratified each IA of the probands by major arterial territory and calculated each family’s proband-FDR territory concordance and overall contribution to the concordance analysis. We then matched each family unit to an unrelated family unit selected randomly with replacement and performed 1001 simulations. The median concordance proportions, odds ratios (ORs), and P values from the 1001 logistic regression analyses were used to represent the final results of the analysis. Results— There were 323 family units available for analysis, including 323 probands and 448 FDRs, with a total of 1176 IAs. IA territorial concordance was higher in the internal carotid artery (55.4% versus 45.6%; OR, 1.54 [1.04–2.27]; P=0.032), middle cerebral artery (45.8% versus 30.5%; OR, 1.99 [1.22–3.22]; P=0.006), and vertebrobasilar system (26.6% versus 11.3%; OR, 2.90 [1.05–8.24], P=0.04) distributions in the true family compared with the comparison family. Concordance was also higher when any location was considered (53.0% versus 40.7%; OR, 1.82 [1.34–2.46]; P<0.001). Conclusions— In a highly enriched sample with familial predisposition to IA development, we found that IA territorial concordance was higher when probands were compared with their own affected FDRs than with comparison FDRs, which suggests that anatomic vulnerability to IA formation exists. Future studies of IA genetics should consider stratifying cases by IA location.
Efficient Hybrid Inline and Out-of-Line Deduplication for Backup Storage

Backup storage systems often remove redundancy across backups via inline deduplication, which works by referring duplicate chunks of the latest backup to those of existing backups. However, inline deduplication degrades restore performance of the latest backup due to fragmentation, and complicates deletion of expired backups due to the sharing of data chunks. While out-of-line deduplication addresses the problems by forward-pointing existing duplicate chunks to those of the latest backup, it introduces additional I/Os of writing and removing duplicate chunks. We design and implement RevDedup, an efficient hybrid inline and out-of-line deduplication system for backup storage. It applies coarse-grained inline deduplication to remove duplicates of the latest backup, and then fine-grained out-of-line reverse deduplication to remove duplicates from older backups. Our reverse deduplication design limits the I/O overhead and prepares for efficient deletion of expired backups. Through extensive testbed experiments using synthetic and real-world datasets, we show that RevDedup can bring high performance to the backup, restore, and deletion operations, while maintaining high storage efficiency comparable to conventional inline deduplication.
Neurological effects of radiofrequency radiation.

BACKGROUND The health effects of radiofrequency radiation (RFR) and the adequacy of the safety standards are a subject of debate. One source of human data is case reports regarding peripheral neurological effects of RFR, mainly noxious sensations or dysaesthesiae. AIM To investigate health effects, neurophysiological mechanisms and safety levels for RFR. METHODS We conducted a literature search for case reports and case series associated with mobile phone technology as well as other RFR sources using specific search terms on PubMed. RESULTS We identified 11 original articles detailing case reports or case series and matching the search criteria. Five of the identified papers were written by at least one of the authors (B.H. or R.W.). CONCLUSIONS Cases have arisen after exposure to much of the radiofrequency range. In some cases, symptoms are transitory but lasting in others. After very high exposures, nerves may be grossly injured. After lower exposures, which may result in dysaesthesia, ordinary nerve conduction studies find no abnormality but current perception threshold studies have found abnormalities. Only a small proportion of similarly exposed people develop symptoms. The role of modulations needs clarification. Some of these observations are not consistent with the prevailing hypothesis that all health effects of RFR arise from thermal mechanisms.
Cognitive Reflection, Decision Biases, and Response Times

We present novel evidence on response times and personality traits in standard questions from the decision-making literature where responses are relatively slow (medians around half a minute or above). To this end, we measured response times in a number of incentivized, framed items (decisions from description) including the Cognitive Reflection Test, two additional questions following the same logic, and a number of classic questions used to study decision biases in probability judgments (base-rate neglect, the conjunction fallacy, and the ratio bias). All questions create a conflict between an intuitive process and more deliberative thinking. For each item, we then created a non-conflict version by either making the intuitive impulse correct (resulting in an alignment question), shutting it down (creating a neutral question), or making it dominant (creating a heuristic question). For CRT questions, the differences in response times are as predicted by dual-process theories, with alignment and heuristic variants leading to faster responses and neutral questions to slower responses than the original, conflict questions. For decision biases (where responses are slower), evidence is mixed. To explore the possible influence of personality factors on both choices and response times, we used standard personality scales including the Rational-Experiential Inventory and the Big Five, and used them as controls in regression analysis.
Characterization of Chrysin Glucuronidation in UGT1A1-Overexpressing HeLa Cells: Elucidating the Transporters Responsible for Efflux of Glucuronide

Active transport of glucuronide out of cells is a critical process in elimination of drugs via the glucuronidation pathway. Here, HeLa cells were stably transfected with UGT1A1 and the contributions of BCRP and MRP family transporters to the cellular efflux of chrysin glucuronide (CG) were determined. The cDNA of UGT1A1 was introduced into HeLa cells using the lentiviral transfection method. The modified cells were functional in generation of the glucuronide from chrysin. Ko143 at 10–20 μM (a dual inhibitor of BCRP and UGT1A1) caused a marked decrease (51.3%–59.7%, P < 0.01) in the excretion rate and efflux clearance of CG. Likewise, MK-571 at 5–20 μM (an inhibitor of MRPs but an activator of UGT1A1) resulted in a significant reduction in the excretion rate (18.2%–64.0%, P < 0.01) and efflux clearance (37.0%–90.2%, P < 0.001). By contrast, dipyridamole and leukotriene C4 showed no inhibitory effects on CG excretion. The chemical inhibition indicated that excretion of CG was contributed by the MRP family transporters, whereas the role of BCRP was unclear. Furthermore, short hairpin RNA–mediated silencing of a target transporter led to a marked reduction in the excretion rate of CG (38.6% for BCRP, 39.3% for MRP1, 36.4% for MRP3, and 28.7% for MRP4; P < 0.01). Transporter silencing also led to substantial decreases in the efflux clearance (44.7% for BCRP, 60.4% for MRP1, 36.7% for MRP3, and 28.7% for MRP4; P < 0.01). The gene silencing results suggested that BCRP, MRP1, MRP3, and MRP4 were significant contributors to excretion of CG.
The Integrated Self-Determination and Self-Efficacy Theories of ICT Training and Use: The Case of the Socio-Economically Disadvantaged

Basic ICT and Internet skills are becoming necessary for individuals to have meaningful engagement across various life domains. However, mastering basic ICT skills is not a trivial task especially for those socio-economically disadvantaged. This research develops an integrated self-determination and selfefficacy theories to examine the influence of self-determined motivation on ICT training outcomes and subsequent ICT acceptance with an emphasis on Internet skill development and usage. The context of the study is the Thai community technology centers supported by the Microsoft Unlimited Potential grants. The results suggest that individuals who have higher self-determined motivation to participate in ICT training programs are more likely to develop Internet computer self-efficacy, positive training satisfaction, and strong usage intention. In other words, attitudes towards ICT acceptance are shaped even before individuals enter training programs. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Impact of Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Inputs on Basolateral Amygdala Neurons

In addition to innervating the cerebral cortex, basal forebrain cholinergic (BFc) neurons send a dense projection to the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA). In this study, we investigated the effect of near physiological acetylcholine release on BLA neurons using optogenetic tools and in vitro patch-clamp recordings. Adult transgenic mice expressing cre-recombinase under the choline acetyltransferase promoter were used to selectively transduce BFc neurons with channelrhodopsin-2 and a reporter through the injection of an adeno-associated virus. Light-induced stimulation of BFc axons produced different effects depending on the BLA cell type. In late-firing interneurons, BFc inputs elicited fast nicotinic EPSPs. In contrast, no response could be detected in fast-spiking interneurons. In principal BLA neurons, two different effects were elicited depending on their activity level. When principal BLA neurons were quiescent or made to fire at low rates by depolarizing current injection, light-induced activation of BFc axons elicited muscarinic IPSPs. In contrast, with stronger depolarizing currents, eliciting firing above ∼6–8 Hz, these muscarinic IPSPs lost their efficacy because stimulation of BFc inputs prolonged current-evoked afterdepolarizations. All the effects observed in principal neurons were dependent on muscarinic receptors type 1, engaging different intracellular mechanisms in a state-dependent manner. Overall, our results suggest that acetylcholine enhances the signal-to-noise ratio in principal BLA neurons. Moreover, the cholinergic engagement of afterdepolarizations may contribute to the formation of stimulus associations during fear-conditioning tasks where the timing of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli is not optimal for the induction of synaptic plasticity.
Skin Substitutes and Wound Healing

Medical science has vastly improved on the means and methods available for the treatment of wounds in the clinic. The production and use of various types of skin substitutes has led to dramatic improvements in the odds of survival for severely burned patients, but they have also shown promise for many other applications, including cases involving chronic wounds that are not life threatening. Nowadays, more than 20 products are commercially available, more are undergoing clinical trials and a large number of new models are being investigated in various research laboratories worldwide. Many of the current products do not contain any living cells and vary in their capacity to harness the innate capacity of the body to heal itself. Others include living cells, of allogeneic or autologous origin, and are often referred to as ‘cellular therapy’ or ‘tissue-engineered’ products. Modifications and improvements are currently investigated that aim at improving the healing potential of those products through the use of recombinant growth factors and additional features such as microvascularization. Fundamental research into wound healing and scar-free regeneration raises the hope that we will eventually be able to restore almost completely the appearance and function of skin after the healing of wounds.
Prevention of biofilm growth on man-made surfaces: evaluation of antialgal activity of two biocides and photocatalytic nanoparticles

As algal growth on man-made surfaces impacts their appearance, biocides and surfaces with self-cleaning properties are widely used in the building and paint industries. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antialgal activity of two biocides (triazine and isothiazoline) and photocatalytic nanoparticles of zinc oxide (20–60 nm). An aeroterrestrial green, microalgal strain of the genus Stichococcus was chosen as the test organism. By comparing a set of different structural and physiological performance parameters, lethal and also sublethal (chronic) effects were determined. Even though the herbicide triazine effectively inhibited growth (EC50 = 1.6 μmol l−1) and photosynthetic performance, structural properties (eg membrane integrity) were unaffected at the EC100 (250 μmol l−1), hence this herbicide did not kill the algal cells. In contrast, and due to their multiple modes of action, isothiazoline and the photocatalytic nanoparticles (the latter activated with low UV radiation) severely impacted all performance and structural parameters.
Clustering Algorithm for Multiple Data Streams Based on Spectral Component Similarity

A new algorithm for clustering multiple data streams is proposed. The algorithm can effectively cluster data streams which show similar behavior with some unknown time delays. The algorithm uses the autoregressive (AR) modeling technique to measure correlations between data streams. It exploits estimated frequencies spectra to extract the essential features of streams. Each stream is represented as the sum of spectral components and the correlation is measured component-wise. Each spectral component is described by four parameters, namely, amplitude, phase, damping rate and frequency. Thee-lag-correlation between two spectral components is calculated. The algorithm uses such information as similarity measures in clustering data streams. Based on a sliding window model, the algorithm can continuously report the most recent clustering results and adjust the number of clusters. Experiments on real and synthetic streams show that the proposed clustering method has a higher speed and clustering quality than other similar methods.
An efficient spectral method for ordinary differential equations with rational function coefficients

The authors present some relations that allow the efficient approximate inversion of linear differential operators with rational function coefficients. They employ expansions in terms of a large class of orthogonal polynomial families, including all the classical orthogonal polynomials. These families obey a simple 3-term recurrence relation for differentiation, which implies that on an appropriately restricted domain the differentiation operator has a unique banded inverse. The inverse is an integration operator for the family, and it is simply the tridiagonal coefficient matrix for the recurrence. Since in these families convolution operators (i.e., matrix representations of multiplication by a function) are banded for polynomials, the authors are able to obtain a banded representation for linear differential operators with rational coefficients. This leads to a method of solution of initial or boundary value problems that, besides having an operation count that scales linearly with the order of truncation N, is computationally well conditioned. Among the applications considered is the use of rational maps for the resolution of sharp interior layers. 19 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.
Family Caregivers' Experiences of Involuntary Psychiatric Hospital Admissions of Their Relatives – a Qualitative Study

Background Family caregivers of people with mental disorders are frequently involved in involuntary hospital admissions of their relatives. Objective To explore family caregivers' experience of involuntary admission of their relative. Method 30 in-depth interviews were conducted with family caregivers of 29 patients who had been involuntarily admitted to 12 hospitals across England. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Four major themes of experiences were identified: relief and conflicting emotions in response to the relative's admission; frustration with a delay in getting help; being given the burden of care by services; and difficulties with confidentiality. Relief was a predominant emotion as a response to the relative's admission and it was accompanied by feelings of guilt and worry. Family caregivers frequently experienced difficulties in obtaining help from services prior to involuntary admission and some thought that services responded to crises rather than prevented them. Family caregivers experienced increased burden when services shifted the responsibility of caring for their mentally unwell relatives to them. Confidentiality was a delicate issue with family caregivers wanting more information and a say in decisions when they were responsible for aftercare, and being concerned about confidentiality of information they provided to services. Conclusion Compulsory admission of a close relative can be a complex and stressful experience for family caregivers. In order for caregivers to be effective partners in care, a balance needs to be struck between valuing their involvement in providing care for a patient and not overburdening them.
Person Attribute Recognition with a Jointly-Trained Holistic CNN Model

This paper addresses the problem of human visual attribute recognition, i.e., the prediction of a fixed set of semantic attributes given an image of a person. Previous work often considered the different attributes independently from each other, without taking advantage of possible dependencies between them. In contrast, we propose a method to jointly train a CNN model for all attributes that can take advantage of those dependencies, considering as input only the image without additional external pose, part or context information. We report detailed experiments examining the contribution of individual aspects, which yields beneficial insights for other researchers. Our holistic CNN achieves superior performance on two publicly available attribute datasets improving on methods that additionally rely on pose-alignment or context. To support further evaluations, we present a novel dataset, based on realistic outdoor video sequences, that contains more than 27,000 pedestrians annotated with 10 attributes. Finally, we explore design options to embrace the N/A labels inherently present in this task.
No Effect of Wolbachia on Resistance to Intracellular Infection by Pathogenic Bacteria in Drosophila melanogaster

Multiple studies have shown that infection with the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis confers Drosophila melanogaster and other insects with resistance to infection by RNA viruses. Studies investigating whether Wolbachia infection induces the immune system or confers protection against secondary bacterial infection have not shown any effect. These studies, however, have emphasized resistance against extracellular pathogens. Since Wolbachia lives inside the host cell, we hypothesized that Wolbachia might confer resistance to pathogens that establish infection by invading host cells. We therefore tested whether Wolbachia-infected D. melanogaster are protected against infection by the intracellular pathogenic bacteria Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella typhimurium, as well as the extracellular pathogenic bacterium Providencia rettgeri. We evaluated the ability of flies infected with Wolbachia to suppress secondary infection by pathogenic bacteria relative to genetically matched controls that had been cured of Wolbachia by treatment with tetracycline. We found no evidence that Wolbachia alters host ability to suppress proliferation of any of the three pathogenic bacteria. Our results indicate that Wolbachia-induced antiviral protection does not result from a generalized response to intracellular pathogens.