Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conformational Analysis of a Dermatan Sulfate‐Derived Tetrasaccharide by NMR, Molecular Modeling, and Residual Dipolar Couplings

The solution conformation behavior of a dermatan‐derived tetrasaccharide—ΔHexA‐(1→3)‐GalNAc4S‐β‐(1→4)‐IdoA‐α‐(1→3)‐red‐GalNAc4S (S is a sulfate group)—has been explored by means of NMR spectroscopy, especially by NOE‐based conformational analysis. The tetrasaccharide was present as four species, two of which are chemically different in the anomeric orientation of the reducing 2‐deoxy‐2‐acetamido‐galactose (red‐GalNAc) residue, while the other two are the result of different conformations of the iduronic acid (IdoA) unit. The two α–β‐interconverting anomers were present in a 0.6:1 ratio. Ring conformations have been defined by analysis of 3JH,H coupling constants and interresidual NOE contacts. Both 2‐deoxy‐2‐acetamido‐galactose (GalNAc) residues were found in the 4C1 chair conformation, the unsaturated uronic acid (Δ‐Hex A) adopts a strongly predominant half‐chair 1H2 conformation, while the IdoA residue exists either in the 1C4 chair or in the 2S0 skewed boat geometries, in a 4:1 ratio. There is a moderate flexibility of Φ and Ψ torsions as suggested by nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs), molecular modeling (MM), and molecular dynamics (MD) studies. This was further investigated by residual dipolar couplings (RDCs). One‐bond CH RDCs (1DC,H) and long‐range H–H (3DH,H) RDCs were measured for the tetrasaccharide in a phage solution and interpreted in combination with restrained MD simulation. The RDC‐derived data substantially confirmed the validity of the conformer distribution resulting from the NOE‐derived simulations, but allowed an improved definition of the conformational behavior of the oligosaccharides in solution. In summary, the data show a moderate flexibility of the four tetrasaccharide species at the central glycosidic linkage. Differences in the shapes of species with the IdoA in skew and in chair conformations and in the distribution of the sulfate groups have also been highlighted.
AN ULTRASONOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE ORGANISATION OF SUCKING AND SWALLOWING BY NEWBORN INFANTS

Healthy infants' sucking, swallowing and breathing movements were observed ultrasonographically during breast‐ and bottle‐feeding between two and five days after birth. Sucks were found to occur either on their own or in combination with a swallow. Swallows did not occur on their own. Younger babies' swallowing invariably was associated with a pause in breathing. Older babies generally showed better co‐ordination of sucking, swallowing and breathing than younger ones, whether breast‐ or bottle‐feeding.
Successful treatment of small‐for‐size syndrome in adult‐to‐adult living‐related liver transplantation: single center series

Abstract: The portal hyperperfusion, or small‐for‐size syndrome (SFSS), is a widely recognized clinical complication that may occur after segmental liver transplantation. Several surgical strategies have been proposed to reduce portal blood inflow and portal pressure after partial liver transplantation. In particular, splenic artery ligation and splenectomy have been used without a firm hemodynamic basis for these procedures. Our group recently demonstrated that, in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, the occlusion of the splenic artery causes a significant reduction in the portal pressure gradient, which is directly related to the spleen volume and indirectly related to the liver volume. This concept is at the center of our strategy for performing early splenic artery embolization (SAE) for the treatment of SFSS after living‐related liver transplantation (LRLT). Six patients developed small‐for‐size syndrome, defined as: onset within the first week after LRLT of progressive hyperbilirubinemia without mechanical cause; marked cholestasis; centrilobular sinusoidal dilatation and hepatocyte atrophy at liver biopsy; and refractory ascites in the absence of vascular complications. All six patients who underwent SAE rapidly improved their clinical condition, with an evident decrease in the value of bilirubin in the serum, in the production of ascites, and improvement in condition of pancytopenia. Coagulopathy expressed by the international normalized ratio value (INR) was not a reliable early marker of SFSS in this series; in fact a slight improvement in the result of this test was already present immediately after LRLT and before SAE. Because splenic flow clearly contributes to portal hyperperfsion, an early SAE can relieve the partial graft from the deleterious effect of this portal overflow.
The Effectiveness of a Leg-Kicking Training Program on Performance and Physiological Measures of Competitive Swimmers

This study investigated the adaptations in leg muscle metabolism of swimmers following a six-week, leg-kicking swimming training program Fifteen male competitive swimmers were randomly assigned to an experimental group (E; n=8) and a control group (C; n=7). E swimmers performed normal leg-kicking training three times per week, whereas C swimmers performed reduced leg-kicking training (20% and 4% of weekly training distance, respectively). Before and after the training program, all swimmers performed a 200 m leg-kicking and a 400 m full-stroke freestyle time trial and a dry-land exercise test during which peak oxygen uptake, oxygen uptake at 60 W and exercise intensity at ventilatory threshold were measured. After training, there were improvements in leg-kicking time in 200 m (s; −6.0 ± 2.0%, p = 0.044), oxygen uptake at 60 Watts (L·min−1; −20.4 ± 3.0%, p = 0.035) and exercise intensity at ventilatory threshold (Watts; +28.0 ± 5.0%, p = 0.023) in E swimmers, whereas time in 400 m and peak oxygen uptake remained unchanged (p > 0.05). There were no changes in any of the measures for C swimmers (P > 0.05). These results suggest that normal leg-kicking swimming training positively affects the conditioning of the legs, but does not improve aerobic power during the dry-land, leg-kicking exercise test or middle-distance, full-stroke, swimming performance.
Social education and social pedagogy: reclaiming a Scottish tradition in social work

Social pedagogy is the discipline underpinning work with children and youth across most of Europe. The concept has struggled to find a place within social work in the English-speaking world, partly because of difficulties in translation and partly as a result of different welfare traditions. In particular there is a limited conception of education within the Anglo American Saxon tradition and a consequent bifurcation of education and care. This article argues that ideas enshrined within social pedagogy have a resonance with Scottish approaches to social welfare, which culminate in the Kilbrandon Report of 1964. We argue that there are recurrent themes in the Scottish tradition with roots in the Reformation and the Scottish Enlightenment. Foremost amongst these is the focus on education as a vehicle for both individual improvement and social cohesion. Social pedagogy or social education offers an integrating conceptual base from which to develop models of social work practice which promote social wellbeing through socio-educational strategies. The current review of social work in Scotland offers opportunities to reclaim a socio-educational tradition.
Increasing physical activity, but persisting social gaps among middle-aged people: trends in Northern Sweden from 1990 to 2007

Background : Physical activity is identified as one important protective factor for chronic diseases. Physical activity surveillance is important in assessing healthy population behaviour over time. Many countries lack population trends on physical activity. Objective : To present trends in physical activity levels in Västerbotten County, Sweden and to evaluate physical activity among women and men with various educational levels. Methods : Population-based cross-sectional and panel data from the Västerbotten Intervention Programme (VIP) during 1990–2007 were used. All individuals in Västerbotten County who turned 40, 50, or 60 years old were invited to their local primary health care for a health screening. Physical activity during commuting, recreational activities, physical exercise, and socio-demographic data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Respondents were categorised as sedentary, moderate physically active, or physically active. Results : The prevalences of physically active behaviours increased from 16 to 24.2% among men and from 12.6 to 30.4% among women. Increases are observed in all educational groups, but gaps between educational groups widened recently. The level of sedentary behaviour was stable over the time period studied. The 10-year follow-up data show that the prevalences of physically active behaviours increased from 15.8 to 21.4% among men and 12.7 to 23.3% among women. However, 10.2% of men and 3.8% of women remained sedentary. Conclusion : Despite the promising evidence of increasing physical activity levels among the population in Västerbotten County, challenges remain for how to reduce the stable levels of sedentary behaviours in some subgroups. Persisting social gaps in physical activity levels should be addressed further. An exploration of people's views on engaging in physical activity and barriers to doing so will allow better formulation of targeted interventions within this population.
Gestational trophoblastic syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection: A retrospective analysis

The appropriate management of gynecological malignancies in association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is not established. To date the reported literature on the subject consists mainly of case reports. Due to the increasing prevalence of HIV infection, especially in sub-Saharan countries, the chances of finding both conditions in the same patient has produced management and ethical dilemmas. This retrospective study describes the management of 12 HIV-infected patients and compares their outcome with 29 non HIV-infected patients. The mean age of the non HIV-infected patients was 30 years (range 16–56 years), while the mean age of the HIV-infected patients was 32 years (range 20–47 years). In terms of risk factors, there were 72% of non HIV-infected women in the high-risk category compared to 50% of HIV-infected women (P = 0.468). All patients who received treatment had CD4 counts greater than 200 cells/μl. Two HIV-infected women who did not receive any form of chemotherapy due to low CD4 counts (41 cells/μl and 84 cells/μl) demised of their disease. The majority of women (86% non HIV-infected & 90% HIV-infected) received lfewer than 10 cycles of chemotherapy to attain cure. Most side effects were minor. None of the HIV-infected patients who received chemotherapy demised of their disease. In total, irrespective of risk category, there were 38 patients (93%) who were cured of their disease by chemotherapy including 10 HIV-positive patients. All patients were alive and free of disease at their last follow-up visit. Although the numbers are small, it is proposed that HIV-infected patients with choriocarcinoma and a reasonable degree of CD4 counts (>200cells/μl) should receive standard therapy.
Skills and training for the hospitality sector: a review of issues

Abstract The role of skills and skills development through training in the contemporary economy is a matter of considerable academic and political debate. Public policy in many countries focuses on the development, through training, of what are seen as a high skills employment and business environment (Brown et al, 2001). At the same time, most developed or high skills economies also depend to a significant extent on an alternative economy based on what are loosely and pejoratively described as ‘low skills’ jobs. Little critical analysis has been undertaken with respect to what such descriptors actually mean. This article addresses one sector of the ‘low skills’ economy, hospitality. This article considers skills issues in relation to the hospitality sector. It draws upon the work of Noon & Blyton (1995) in applying their approach to the classification and analysis of skills within hospitality. The article also draws on Ashton & Green's (1996) critique of vocational education as a basis for understanding some of the problems inherent in skills development in hospitality. The article addresses the skills debate in hospitality in four key theme areas: the nature of work and skills in hospitality; de-skilling within the hospitality workplace; the technical/generic skills debate within hospitality; skills and the education/training process in hospitality.
Aminoacyl β-naphthylamides as substrates and modulators of AcrB multidrug efflux pump

Significance Resistance-nodulation division family efflux pumps, exemplified by AcrB of Escherichia coli, play an important role in multidrug resistance of Gram-negative bacteria by actively pumping out a very wide range of antimicrobial agents. Yet it is unclear with how much affinity and with how much rate this pumping process works, except for our earlier studies on cephalosporins and penicillins. Here we succeeded in determining these parameters for the earliest-discovered inhibitor Phenylalanyl-argenine β-naphthylamide and its relatives, and examined the binding of these compounds to AcrB binding sites by docking and molecular dynamics simulations. The results suggest how an inhibitor, even when it is itself pumped out, can reduce the pumping of other substrates. Efflux pumps of the resistance-nodulation division superfamily, such as AcrB, make a major contribution to multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. Inhibitors of such pumps would improve the efficacy of antibiotics, and ameliorate the crisis in health care caused by the prevalence of multidrug resistant Gram-negative pathogens. Phenylalanyl-arginine β-naphthylamide (PAβN), is a well-known inhibitor of AcrB and its homologs. However, its mechanism of inhibition is not clear. Because the hydrolysis of PAβN in Escherichia coli was nearly entirely dependent on an aminopeptidase, PepN, expression of PepN in periplasm allowed us to carry out a quantitative determination of PAβN efflux kinetics through the determination of its periplasmic concentrations by quantitation of the first hydrolysis product, phenylalanine, after a short period of treatment. We found that PAβN is efficiently pumped out by AcrB, with a sigmoidal kinetics. We also examined the behavior of PAβN homologs, Ala β-naphthylamide, Arg β-naphthylamide, and Phe β-naphthylamide, as substrates of AcrB and as modulators of nitrocefin efflux through AcrB. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the mode of binding of these compounds to AcrB affects the modulatory activity on the efflux of other substrates. These results, and the finding that PAβN changes the nitrocefin kinetics into a sigmoidal one, suggested that PAβN inhibited the efflux of other drugs by binding to the bottom of the distal binding pocket, the so-called hydrophobic trap, and also by interfering with the binding of other drug substrates to the upper part of the binding pocket.
Coordinate Update Algorithms for Robust Power Loading for the MU-MISO Downlink With Outage Constraints

We consider the problem of power allocation for the single-cell multi-user (MU) multiple-input single-output (MISO) downlink with quality-of-service (QoS) constraints. The base station acquires an estimate of the channels and, for a given beamforming structure, designs the power allocation so as to minimize the total transmission power required to ensure that target signal-to-interference-and-noise ratios at the receivers are met, subject to a specified outage probability. We consider scenarios in which the errors in the base station's channel estimates can be modelled as being zero-mean and Gaussian. Such a model is particularly suitable for time division duplex (TDD) systems with quasi-static channels, in which the base station estimates the channel during the uplink phase. Under that model, we employ a precise deterministic characterization of the outage probability to transform the chance-constrained formulation to a deterministic one. Although that deterministic formulation is not convex, we develop a coordinate descent algorithm that can be shown to converge to a globally optimal solution when the starting point is feasible. Insight into the structure of the deterministic formulation yields approximations that result in coordinate update algorithms with good performance and significantly lower computational cost. The proposed algorithms provide better performance than existing robust power loading algorithms that are based on tractable conservative approximations and can even provide better performance than robust precoding algorithms based on such approximations.
Contaminated heparin associated with adverse clinical events and activation of the contact system.

BACKGROUND There is an urgent need to determine whether oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS), a compound contaminating heparin supplies worldwide, is the cause of the severe anaphylactoid reactions that have occurred after intravenous heparin administration in the United States and Germany. METHODS Heparin procured from the Food and Drug Administration, consisting of suspect lots of heparin associated with the clinical events as well as control lots of heparin, were screened in a blinded fashion both for the presence of OSCS and for any biologic activity that could potentially link the contaminant to the observed clinical adverse events. In vitro assays for the activation of the contact system and the complement cascade were performed. In addition, the ability of OSCS to recapitulate key clinical manifestations in vivo was tested in swine. RESULTS The OSCS found in contaminated lots of unfractionated heparin, as well as a synthetically generated OSCS reference standard, directly activated the kinin-kallikrein pathway in human plasma, which can lead to the generation of bradykinin, a potent vasoactive mediator. In addition, OSCS induced generation of C3a and C5a, potent anaphylatoxins derived from complement proteins. Activation of these two pathways was unexpectedly linked and dependent on fluid-phase activation of factor XII. Screening of plasma samples from various species indicated that swine and humans are sensitive to the effects of OSCS in a similar manner. OSCS-containing heparin and synthetically derived OSCS induced hypotension associated with kallikrein activation when administered by intravenous infusion in swine. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide a scientific rationale for a potential biologic link between the presence of OSCS in suspect lots of heparin and the observed clinical adverse events. An assay to assess the amidolytic activity of kallikrein can supplement analytic tests to protect the heparin supply chain by screening for OSCS and other highly sulfated polysaccharide contaminants of heparin that can activate the contact system.
Chronic Administration of a Combination of Six Herbs Inhibits the Progression of Hyperglycemia and Decreases Serum Lipids and Aspartate Amino Transferase Activity in Diabetic Rats

The effects of a polyherbal compound, containing six plants (Allium sativum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Nigella sativa, Punica granatum, Salvia officinalis and Teucrium polium) were tested on biochemical parameters in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Streptozotocin caused an approximately 3-fold increase in fasting blood sugar level after 2 days. The diabetic control rats showed further increase in blood glucose after 30 days (384 ± 25 mg/dl in day 30 versus 280 ± 12 mg/dl in day 2, P < 0.001). Administration of the compound blocked the increase of blood glucose (272 ± 7 and 269 ± 48 mg/dl at day 2 and day 30, respectively). Also, there was significant difference in the level of triglyceride (60 ± 9 versus 158 ± 37 mg/dl, P < 0.01), total cholesterol (55 ± 2 versus 97 ± 11 mg/dl, P < 0.01) and aspartate amino transferase activity (75 ± 12 versus 129 ± 18 U/L, P < 0.05) between treated rats and diabetic control group. In conclusion, the MSEC inhibited the progression of hyperglycemia and decreased serum lipids and hepatic enzyme activity in diabetic rats. Therefore, it has the potential to be used as a natural product for the management of diabetes.
Oocyte-derived BMP15 and FGFs cooperate to promote glycolysis in cumulus cells

Mammalian oocytes are deficient in their ability to carry out glycolysis. Therefore, the products of glycolysis that are necessary for oocyte development are provided to oocytes by companion cumulus cells. Mouse oocytes secrete paracrine factors that promote glycolysis in cumulus cells. The objective of this study was to identify paracrine factors secreted by oocytes that promote glycolysis and expression of mRNA encoding the glycolytic enzymes PFKP and LDHA. Candidates included growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9), bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) and fibroblast growth factors (FGFs). Bmp15-/- and Gdf9+/- Bmp15-/- (double mutant, DM) cumulus cells exhibited reduced levels of both glycolysis and Pfkp and Ldha mRNA, and mutant oocytes were deficient in promoting glycolysis and expression of Pfkp and Ldha mRNA in cumulus cells of wild-type (WT) mice. Alone, neither recombinant BMP15, GDF9 nor FGF8 promoted glycolysis and expression of Pfkp and Ldha mRNA in WT cumulus cells. Co-treatment with BMP15 and FGF8 promoted glycolysis and increased expression of Pfkp and Ldha mRNA in WT cumulus cells to the same levels as WT oocytes; however, the combinations of BMP15/GDF9 or GDF9/FGF8 did not. Furthermore, SU5402, an FGF receptor-dependent protein kinase inhibitor, inhibited Pfkp and Ldha expression in cumulus cells promoted by paracrine oocyte factors. Therefore, oocyte-derived BMP15 and FGFs cooperate to promote glycolysis in cumulus cells.
Deindividuation: From Le Bon to the social identity model of deindividuation effects

Abstract Deindividuation may be described as the situation in which individuals act in groups and do not see themselves as individuals, thereby facilitating antinormative behavior. The present article analyzes the construct deindividuation theory from its conceptualization by Le Bon to the most recent theoretical model, the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects. The aim of this study is to compare theories about deindividuation and to highlight its advances, identify theoretical questions that remain and suggest future directions for the study of this issue. Recent research conducted on deindividuation may promote prosocial behavior, prevent social disturbance and prevent the development of prejudice among children. Furthermore, it may provide a feasible way to comprehend and intervene in contemporary social issues. Recent scientific techniques, such as neuroimaging and predictive mathematical models, may improve comprehension of the construct in terms of its definition and prospective effects.
Comparing Positive and Negative Political Advertising on Radio

Compared to positive political ads, negative political ads presented on radio appear to be a two-edged sword that can sometimes cut the sponsor more than the target. In an experiment with college students, negative issue ads were perceived as relatively fair and resulted in a competitive advantage for the sponsor of the ad over the target of the ad. But negative image ads were seen as relatively unfair and resulted in a backlash against the sponsor. Negative ad arguments were remembered more than were arguments from positive ads.
An improved analysis of the lossy difference aggregator

We provide a detailed analysis of the Lossy Difference Aggregator, a recently developed data structure for measuring latency in a router environment where packet losses can occur. Our analysis provides stronger performance bounds than those given originally, and leads us to a model for how to optimize the parameters for the data structure when the loss rate is not known in advance by using competitive analysis.