Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structure of the rotor ring modified with N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide of the Na+-transporting vacuolar ATPase

The prokaryotic V-ATPase of Enterococcus hirae, closely related to the eukaryotic enzymes, provides a unique opportunity to study the ion-translocation mechanism because it transports Na+, which can be detected by radioisotope () experiments and X-ray crystallography. In this study, we demonstrated that the binding affinity of the rotor ring (K ring) for decreased approximately 30-fold by reaction with N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), and determined the crystal structures of Na+-bound and Na+-unbound K rings modified with DCCD at 2.4- and 3.1-Å resolutions, respectively. Overall these structures were similar, indicating that there is no global conformational change associated with release of Na+ from the DCCD-K ring. A conserved glutamate residue (E139) within all 10 ion-binding pockets of the K ring was neutralized by modification with DCCD, and formed an “open” conformation by losing hydrogen bonds with the Y68 and T64 side chains, resulting in low affinity for Na+. This open conformation is likely to be comparable to that of neutralized E139 forming a salt bridge with the conserved arginine of the stator during the ion-translocation process. Based on these findings, we proposed the ion-translocation model that the binding affinity for Na+ decreases due to the neutralization of E139, thus releasing bound Na+, and that the structures of Na+-bound and Na+-unbound DCCD-K rings are corresponding to intermediate states before and after release of Na+ during rotational catalysis of V-ATPase, respectively.
Chlamydomonas Inner-Arm Dynein Mutant, ida5, Has a Mutation in an Actin-encoding Gene

Chlamydomonas flagellar inner-arm dynein consists of seven subspecies (a–g), of which all but f contain actin as subunits. The mutant ida5 and a new strain, ida5-t, lack four subspecies (a, c, d, and e). These mutants were found to have mutations in the conventional actin gene, such that its product is totally lost; ida5 has a single-base deletion that results in a stop codon at a position about two-thirds from the 5′ end of the coding region, and ida5-t lacks a large portion of the entire actin gene. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis patterns of the axonemes and inner-arm subspecies b and g of ida5 lacked the spot of actin (isoelectric point [pI] = ∼5.3) but had two novel spots with pIs of ∼5.6 and ∼5.7 instead. Western blot with different kinds of anti-actin antibodies suggested that the proteins responsible for the two novel spots and conventional actin are different but share some antigenicity. Since Chlamydomonas has been shown to have only a single copy of the conventional actin gene, it is likely that the novel spots in ida5 and ida5-t originated from another gene(s) that codes for a novel actin-like protein(s) (NAP), which has hitherto been undetected in wildtype cells. These mutants retain the two inner-arm subspecies b and g, in addition to f, possibly because NAP can functionally substitute for the actin in these subspecies while they cannot in other subspecies. The net growth rate of ida5 and ida5-t cells did not differ from that of wild type, but the mating efficiency was greatly reduced. This defect was apparently caused by deficient growth of the fertilization tubule. These results suggest that NAP can carry out some, but not all, functions performed by conventional actin in the cytoplasm and raise the possibility that Chlamydomonas can live without ordinary actin.
Endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration allows accurate diagnosis of mycobacterial disease in HIV-positive patients with abdominal lymphadenopathy

Background: Abdominal lymphadenopathy in HIV remains a challenge due to inaccessibility of lymph nodes and multitude of causes. The diagnostic yield of EUS FNA in HIV-infected patients with abdominal lymphadenopathy in the setting of high tuberculosis (TB) prevalence was assessed. Methods: Prospective cohort study was conducted in tertiary referral centres recruiting symptomatic HIV+ patients (N=31, mean age 38.5 years, mean CD4 count 124 cells/μl, WHO stage 3-4 with abdominal lymphadenopathy. EUS was performed to assess lymph node characteristics and FNA aspirate subjected to cytological analysis, microbial culture and PCR. Results: EUS appearance of lymph nodes was highly variable. Mycobacterial infections were the most common cause of lymphadenopathy in this cohort. Of the 31 patients 21/31 67.7 % had mycobacterial infections; 17 (80.9 %) of these were tuberculosis. Cytology failed to identify 23.8% and culture 38.1% of cases. PCR identified 16/17 (94.1%) of these cases. EUS-FNA altered the management of more than half of the patients. Conclusions: Mycobacterial disease was the commonest cause of lymphadenopathy in HIV but a third of patients had reactive lymphadenopathy. By combining the appearance of EUS FNA and cytological aspirate we could develop a diagnostic algorithm with a high PPV and NPV to identify patients in whom further analysis with PCR would be useful. PCR was highly accurate in confirming mycobacterial disease and determining genotypic drug resistance.
Surgery vs Conservative Care for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: Nonoperative Operative Management.

T hroughout history, there has been a perception that with increasing age comes a tendency in progression to frailty and loss of neurological function. In 1928, Stookey illustrated that compression of the spinal cord by cartilaginous nodes from degenerative disk material may be a cause of neurological dysfunction known as cervical myelopathy. The idea of cervical myelopathy and neurological dysfunction resulting from cervical cord compression was further proclaimed in the landmark article by Brain et al in 1952. However, the natural history and progressive disorder of this disease entity were poorly understood; even today, confusion about those topics remains. In 1963, Lees and Turner prospectively reviewed 22 patients for . 10 years, observing periods of exacerbation, recovery, and quiescence in symptomology. They noted, “Long periods of nonprogressive disability are the rule, and [a] progressive deteriorating course is an exception. ” They then concluded that in treatment a “conservative approach should be the rule. ” The benefits of nonoperative treatment in patients without progressive deterioration have been illustrated throughout the years in numerous publications (Table 1). Here, we review the literature highlighting the benefits of nonoperative treatment for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM).
Pathologic findings at risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) in germline BRCA mutation carriers with breast cancer: significance of bilateral RRSO at the optimal age in germline BRCA mutation carriers

Objective Most BRCA1/2 carriers do not undergo risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) by the recommended age. This study aimed to find the incidence of precursor lesions and cancer after RRSO. Methods We retrospectively reviewed breast cancer patients identified as BRCA mutation carriers who underwent RRSO at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, from 2010 to 2014. From 2013, all cases were examined according to the Sectioning and Extensively Examining the Fimbria (SEE/FIM) protocol and underwent immunohistochemically staining. RRSO was performed in 63 patients, 27 in 2010 to 2012 and 36 in 2013 to 2014. Results The median age at RRSO was 46.5 years (range, 32 to 73 years). Occult invasive cancer was detected in eight patients, of ovarian origin in five and of tubal origin in three. All occult invasive cancer cases with metastasis were detected in patients older than 40 years. Of the 36 patients from the 2013 to 2014 cohort, seven showed p53 overexpression, one showed Ki-67 overexpression, two showed serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma, and three showed occult cancer. The detection rate of precursor lesions or cancer was 36.1% (13/36). In the analysis according to age, precursor lesions were more common in BRCA1 mutation carriers younger than 40 years old (66.7% vs. 20.0%). In BRCA2 mutation carriers, precursor lesions were only detected in those older than 40 years of age, indicating the possible faster occurrence of precursor lesions in BRCA1 mutation carriers. Conclusion Many patients still tend to delay RRSO until after they are 40 years old. Our findings support the significance of RRSO before the age of 40 in germline BRCA mutation carriers.
BEGA-a biaxial excitation Generator for automobiles: comprehensive characterization and test results

This paper presents the design and test results for a biaxial excitation generator/motor for automobiles (BEGA), which has a three-phase stator and a salient-pole excited heteropolar rotor with multiple flux barriers filled with low-cost permanent magnets (PMs). For this new generator, the low-voltage regulation is obtained by the flux-barrier PM combination with field (excitation) low-power control and a full-power diode rectifier in the stator. Good power/volume and superior efficiency (up to 80%) are obtained at costs comparable to those of an existing Lundell generator. The generator configuration, principle, equations, finite-element field analysis, design optimization, performance characteristics, and test results, together with the generating system simulations, constitute the core of the paper.
The Antitumor Activity of Homoharringtonine against Human Mast Cells Harboring the KIT D816V Mutation

Gain-of-function mutations of the receptor tyrosine kinase KIT play a critical role in the pathogenesis of systemic mastocytosis (SM) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. The various juxtamembrane type of KIT mutations, including V560G, are found in 60% to 70% of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors; loop mutant D816V, which exists in ∼80% of SM patients, is completely resistant to imatinib. In the present study, we hypothesized that homoharringtonine (HHT), a protein synthesis inhibitor, would decrease the level of KIT protein by inhibiting translation, resulting in a decreased level of phospho-KIT and abrogating its constitutive downstream signaling. Imatinib-sensitive HMC-1.1 cells harboring the mutation V560G in the juxtamembrane domain of KIT, imatinib-resistant HMC-1.2 cells harboring both V560G and D816V mutations, and murine P815 cells were treated with HHT and analyzed in terms of growth, apoptosis, and signal transduction. The in vivo antitumor activity was evaluated by using the murine mast cell leukemia model. Our results indicated that HHT effectively inhibited the growth and induced apoptosis in cells bearing both V560G and D816V or D814Y KIT. Additionally, HHT inhibited the KIT-dependent phosphorylation of downstream signaling molecules Akt, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and 5, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2. Furthermore, HHT significantly prolonged the survival duration of mice with aggressive SM or mast cell leukemia by inhibiting the expansion and infiltration of imatinib-resistant mast tumor cells harboring imatinib-resistant D814Y KIT. Collectively, we show that HHT circumvents D816V KIT-elicited imatinib resistance. Our findings warrant a clinical trial of HHT in patients with SM harboring D816V or D814Y KIT. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(1); 211–23
Influence of Pre Harvest Factor on Post-Harvest Quality of Green Sweet Corn at Ambient Condition (Zea mays convar. saccharata. rugosa) Cultivar, Madhuri

Corn was probably gathered from the wild millennia before being domesticated some 7000 years ago. Sweet corn (Zea mays convar. saccharata. rugosa), a diploid species with 2n = 20 chromosomes, is a member of the grass family (Grammineae), (Beadle, 1939, Wolfe et al., 1997). The major difference between sweet corn and field corn is its genetic makeup rather than systematic or taxonomic characterization. Sweet corn has the gene “su” at the “sugary” locus on chromosome one which prevents the conversion of a part of sugars into starch. Therefore, sweet corn produces and retains large amounts of sugar in the kernels, hence it is named as „sweet‟. Sweet corn is of relatively recent origin and also called sugar corn and pole corn. Unlike field corn varieties, which are harvested when the kernels are dry and mature, sweet corn is picked when immature (milk stage) and prepared and eaten as a vegetable, rather than a grain. Sweet corn is the most popular vegetable in countries like USA and Canada. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 10 (2017) pp. 30-38 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Adding heat to the live-high train-low altitude model: a practical insight from professional football

Objectives To examine with a parallel group study design the performance and physiological responses to a 14-day off-season ‘live high-train low in the heat’ training camp in elite football players. Methods Seventeen professional Australian Rules Football players participated in outdoor football-specific skills (32±1°C, 11.5 h) and indoor strength (23±1°C, 9.3 h) sessions and slept (12 nights) and cycled indoors (4.3 h) in either normal air (NORM, n=8) or normobaric hypoxia (14±1 h/day, FiO2 15.2–14.3%, corresponding to a simulated altitude of 2500–3000 m, hypoxic (HYP), n=9). They completed the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery level 2 (Yo-YoIR2) in temperate conditions (23±1°C, normal air) precamp (Pre) and postcamp (Post). Plasma volume (PV) and haemoglobin mass (Hbmass) were measured at similar times and 4 weeks postcamp (4WPost). Sweat sodium concentration ((Na+)sweat) was measured Pre and Post during a heat-response test (44°C). Results Both groups showed very large improvements in Yo-YoIR2 at Post (+44%; 90% CL 38, 50), with no between-group differences in the changes (−1%; −9, 9). Postcamp, large changes in PV (+5.6%; −1.8, 5.6) and (Na+)sweat (−29%; −37, −19) were observed in both groups, while Hbmass only moderately increased in HYP (+2.6%; 0.5, 4.5). At 4WPost, there was a likely slightly greater increase in Hbmass (+4.6%; 0.0, 9.3) and PV (+6%; −5, 18, unclear) in HYP than in NORM. Conclusions The combination of heat and hypoxic exposure during sleep/training might offer a promising ‘conditioning cocktail’ in team sports.
Low back pain among Italian rowers: A cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND Low Back Pain is commonly reported to be a very frequent disorder in rowing, but it is still unclear if its prevalence is higher than in other sports or even in a non-athletes group. OBJECTIVES To determine prevalence of low back pain (LBP) with and without irradiated pain and possibly related risk factors in a group of elite Italian rowers. METHODS The study was conducted during the 2010 Italian Indoor Rowing Championship held in Bari from 30th to 31st January. All the 415 rowers who qualified for the national championship were asked to complete a three-page questionnaire on LBP, assisted by a physiotherapist. RESULTS One hundred and thirty-three athletes (32%) completed the assessment. LBP was very common, with a lifetime and 1 year prevalence of 64.7% and 40.6% respectively. During the last episode, the LBP intensity, measured by a numeric rating scale (NRS), presented a median value of 6/10, and 40% of rowers reported some limitation in daily living activities (ADL). Odds ratio (OR) to suffer from LBP was 2.62 in males compared to females; athletes who row both in sculling and sweep or only sweep showed an OR of 4.43 and 3.32 respectively. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of low back pain among rowers seems to be comparable to the one of the general population, even if the recovery appears to be faster. The risk of developing LBP is associated with the rowing typology and the gender, but a prospective study with an adequate sample size is necessary to clearly identify risk factors for LBP in rowers and to implement effective prevention strategies.
Tuberculosis Outbreak in an Educational Institution in Norway

ABSTRACT Within 1 week in April 2013, three cases of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) were reported among students attending training sessions at an educational institution in Oslo, Norway. By the end of October 2013, a total of nine epidemiologically linked cases had been reported. The outbreak encompassed a total of 24 cases from 2009 to 2014, among which all of the 22 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates available had identical mycobacterial interspersed repetitive-unit–variable-number tandem-repeat (MIRU-VNTR) profiles (MtbC15-9 code 10287-189) belonging to the Beijing lineage. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of the M. tuberculosis isolates revealed 20 variable nucleotide positions within the cluster, indicating a clonal outbreak. The most likely index case was identified and diagnosed in Norway in 2009 but was born in Asia. WGS analyses verified that all of the cases were indeed part of a single transmission chain. However, even when combining WGS and intensified contact tracing, we were unable to fully reconstruct the TB transmission events.
Integrity-Checking Framework: An In-situ Testing and Validation Framework for Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks

Wireless sensor and actuator network applications require several levels of testing during their development. Although software algorithms can be tested through simulations and syntax checking, it is difficult to predict or test for problems that may occur once the wireless sensor and actuator has been deployed. The requirement for testing is not however limited to the development phase. During the lifecycle of the system, faults, upgrades, retasking, etc. lead to further needs for system validation. In this paper we review the state-of-the-art techniques for testing wireless sensor and actuator applications and propose the Integrity-Checking Framework. The framework provides in-situ full lifecycle testing and validation of wireless sensor and actuator applications by performing an “Integrity Check”, during which the sensor inputs and actuator responses are emulated within the physical wireless sensor and actuator. This enables application-level testing by feeding controlled information to the sensor inputs, while data processing, communication, aggregation and decision making continue as normal across the physical wireless sensor and actuator.
Simulating DRAM controllers for future system architecture exploration

Compute requirements are increasing rapidly in systems ranging from mobile devices to servers. These, often massively parallel architectures, put increasing requirements on memory bandwidth and latency. The memory system greatly impacts both system performance and power, and it is key to capture the complex behaviour of the DRAM controller when evaluating CPU and GPU performance. By using full-system simulation, the interactions between the system components is captured. However, traditional DRAM controller models focus on modelling interactions between the controller and the DRAM rather than the interactions with the system. Moreover, the DRAM interactions are modelled on a cycle-by-cycle basis, leading to inflexibility and poor simulation performance. In this work, we present a high-level memory controller model, specifically designed for full-system exploration of future system architectures. Our event-based model is tailored to match a contemporary controller architecture, and captures the most important DRAM timing constraints for current and emerging DRAM interfaces, e.g. DDR3, LPDDR3 and WideIO. We show how our controller leverages the open-source gem5 simulation framework, and compare it to a state-of-the-art DRAM controller simulator. Our results show that our model is 7x faster on average, while maintaining the fidelity of the simulation. To highlight the capabilities of our model, we show that it can be used to evaluate a multi-processor memory system.
Shoe midsole longitudinal bending stiffness and running economy, joint energy, and EMG.

PURPOSE It has been shown that mechanical energy is dissipated at the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint during running and jumping. Furthermore, increasing the longitudinal bending stiffness of the midsole significantly reduced the energy dissipated at the MTP joint and increased jump performance. It was hypothesized that increasing midsole longitudinal bending stiffness would also lead to improvements in running economy. This study investigated the influence of midsole longitudinal bending stiffness on running economy (performance variable) and evaluated the local effects on joint energetics and muscular activity. METHODS Carbon fiber plates were inserted into running shoe midsoles and running economy, joint energy, and electromyographic (EMG) data were collected on 13 subjects. RESULTS Approximately a 1% metabolic energy savings was observed when subjects ran in a stiff midsole relative to the control midsole. Subjects with a greater body mass had a greater decrease in oxygen consumption rates in the stiff midsole relative to the control midsole condition. The stiffer midsoles showed no significant differences in energy absorption at the MTP joint compared with the control shoe. Finally, no significant changes were observed in muscular activation. CONCLUSION Increasing midsole longitudinal bending stiffness led to improvements in running economy, yet the underlying mechanisms that can be attributed to this improvement are still not fully understood.
Functional Overlap between Retinitis Pigmentosa 2 Protein and the Tubulin-specific Chaperone Cofactor C*

Mutations in the X-linked retinitis pigmentosa 2 gene cause progressive degeneration of photoreceptor cells. The retinitis pigmentosa 2 protein (RP2) is similar in sequence to the tubulin-specific chaperone cofactor C. Together with cofactors D and E, cofactor C stimulates the GTPase activity of native tubulin, a reaction regulated by ADP-ribosylation factor-like 2 protein. Here we show that in the presence of cofactor D, RP2 protein also stimulates the GTPase activity of tubulin. We find that this function is abolished by mutation in an arginine residue that is conserved in both cofactor C and RP2. Notably, mutations that alter this arginine codon cause familial retinitis pigmentosa. Our data imply that this residue acts as an “arginine finger” to trigger the tubulin GTPase activity and suggest that loss of this function in RP2 contributes to retinal degeneration. We also show that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, both cofactor C and RP2 partially complement the microtubule phenotype resulting from deletion of the cofactor C homolog, demonstrating their functional overlap in vivo. Finally, we find that RP2 interacts with GTP-bound ADP ribosylation factor-like 3 protein, providing a link between RP2 and several retinal-specific proteins, mutations in which also cause retinitis pigmentosa.
Evolution of Teachers' Salaries in Latin America at the Turn of the 20th Century: How Much are They (Under or Over) Paid?

How much are teachers paid in comparison to those in other professions in Latin America? How have these differences evolved at the turn of the 20th century? This paper reports the evolution, between circa 1997 and circa 2007, of teachers´ salaries vis-a-vis workers in other professional and technical occupations for thirteen Latin-American countries. After controlling the earnings differentials by observable characteristics linked to productivity it is found that the hourly earnings gap, although substantial, decreased throughout the decade. This has been the case for earnings gaps at the main and secondary jobs, and also for those measured in terms of monthly and yearly earnings. Nonetheless, behind the region averages there is an important cross-country heterogeneity.