Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promotion of corneal allograft survival by the induction of oxidative macrophages.

PURPOSE A Th1-type immune response was detected in allotransplanted, rejected corneas. Because the intracellular thiol redox status of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) reportedly regulates the Th1/Th2 balance through distinctive cytokine production by APCs, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of the intracellular thiol redox status of macrophages (Mps) on corneal allograft survival. METHODS N,N'-diacetyl-L-cystine dimethylester (NACOMe)(2) was injected intraperitoneally into BALB/c (H-2(d)) mice to induce Mps with a low intracellular glutathione content (icGSH). Corneal grafts from C57BL/10 (H-2(b)), B10.D2 (H-2(d)), and DBA/2 (H-2(d)) donor mice were placed on neovascularized BALB/c graft beds for assessment. B10.D2-grafted recipients were evaluated for donor-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH), and the cytokines produced by their lymphocytes were examined (IFN-gamma, IL-4, and IL-10). In other experiments, naïve BALB/c mice, injected intravenously with Mps of low icGSH content, received B10.D2 corneal grafts. RESULTS In (NACOMe)(2)-treated mice, 13 of 20 B10.D2 grafts and 6 of 10 DBA/2 grafts survived indefinitely. No grafts survived in the control mice (P < 0.0001). (NACOMe)(2) treatment did not enhance C57BL/10 graft survival. At 2 weeks after B10.D2 grafting, control mice exhibited DTH, but (NACOMe)(2)-treated mice did not (P < 0.01). Lymphocytes from (NACOMe)(2)-treated mice did not respond to donor splenocytes. Those of control mice showed Th1-type cytokine secretion. The intravenous transfer of peritoneal Mps from (NACOMe)(2)-treated mice prolonged corneal allograft survival (P < 0.003). CONCLUSIONS The observed enhanced graft acceptance may be due to the suppression of alloantigen-induced Th1 polarization through the induction of Mps with reduced icGSH levels.
A Novel Immunochromatographic Test Applied to a Serological Survey of Japanese Encephalitis Virus on Pig Farms in Korea

Among vertebrate species, pigs are a major amplifying host of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and measuring their seroconversion is a reliable indicator of virus activity. Traditionally, the hemagglutination inhibition test has been used for serological testing in pigs; however, it has several limitations and, thus, a more efficient and reliable replacement test is required. In this study, we developed a new immunochromatographic test for detecting antibodies to JEV in pig serum within 15 min. Specifically, the domain III region of the JEV envelope protein was successfully expressed in soluble form and used for developing the immunochromatographic test. The test was then applied to the surveillance of Japanese encephalitis (JE) in Korea. We found that our immunochromatographic test had good sensitivity (84.8%) and specificity (97.7%) when compared with an immunofluorescence assay used as a reference test. During the surveillance of JE in Korea in 2012, the new immunochromatographic test was used to test the sera of 1,926 slaughtered pigs from eight provinces, and 228 pigs (11.8%) were found to be JEV-positive. Based on these results, we also produced an activity map of JEV, which marked the locations of pig farms in Korea that tested positive for the virus. Thus, the immunochromatographic test reported here provides a convenient and effective tool for real-time monitoring of JEV activity in pigs.
Contributions of COPD, asthma, and ten comorbid conditions to health care utilization and patient-centered outcomes among US adults with obstructive airway disease

Background Among persons with obstructive airway disease, the relative contributions of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and common comorbid conditions to health care utilization and patient-centered outcomes (PCOs) have not been previously reported. Methods We followed a total of 3,486 persons aged ≥40 years with COPD, asthma, or both at baseline, from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) cohorts enrolled annually from 2008 through 2012 for 1 year. MEPS is a prospective observational study of US households recording self-reported COPD, asthma, and ten medical conditions: angina, arthritis, cancer, coronary heart disease, cognitive impairment, diabetes, hypertension, lung cancer, myocardial infarction, and stroke/transient ischemic attack. We studied the separate contributions of these conditions to health care utilization (all-cause and respiratory disease hospitalization, any emergency department [ED] visit, and six or more outpatient visits) and PCOs (seven or more days spent in bed due to illness, incident loss of mobility, and incident decline in self-perceived health). Results COPD made the largest contributions to all-cause and respiratory disease hospitalization and ED visits, while arthritis made the largest contribution to outpatient health care. Arthritis and COPD, respectively, made the greatest contributions to the PCOs. Conclusion COPD made the largest and second largest contributions to health care utilization and PCOs among US adults with obstructive airway disease. The twelve medical conditions collectively accounted for between 52% and 61% of the health care utilization outcomes and between 53% and 68% of the PCOs. Cognitive impairment, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke also made significant contributions.
Microtubules Regulate Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor and Rac1 Localization in Caveolae/Lipid Rafts: Role in Redox Signaling

Objective—Microtubules are important in signal transduction temporal–spatial organization. Full expression of angiotensin II (Ang II) signaling in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is dependent on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H) oxidase and the dynamic association of the Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R) with caveolae/lipid rafts. Translocation of the small GTPase Rac1 to the plasma membrane is an essential step for activation of NAD(P)H oxidase; however, its precise localization in the plasma membrane after agonist stimulation and how it is targeted are unknown. We hypothesized that microtubules are involved in regulating multiphasic Ang II signaling events in VSMC. Methods and Results—We show that Ang II promotes Rac1 and AT1R trafficking into caveolae/lipid rafts, which is blocked by disruption of microtubules with nocodazole. As a consequence, nocodazole significantly inhibits Ang II–stimulated H2O2 production, its downstream ROS-dependent epidermal growth factor receptor transactivation, Akt phosphorylation, and vascular hypertrophy without affecting Rac1 activation or ROS-independent extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation. Conclusions—These results suggest that proper Rac1 and AT1R trafficking into caveolae/lipid rafts requires the integrity of microtubules and provide insight into the essential role of microtubules for the spatial–temporal organization of ROS-dependent and caveolae/lipid rafts–dependent AT1R signaling linked to vascular hypertrophy.
Prevalence of Hypertension and Associated Factors in an Indigenous Community of Central Brazil: A Population-Based Study

Objective The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of hypertension and cardiovascular risk factors among the native indigenous of Jaguapiru village in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Method A cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted with adult indigenous aged 18 years or more. The subjects' blood pressure was measured twice, and the mean of the two measurements was calculated. Body weight, height, capillary blood glucose and waist circumference were measured. Pregnant women, individuals using glucocorticoids, and non-indigenous villagers and their offspring were excluded. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted on the socio-demographic and clinical independent variables. Interactions between independent variables were also tested. Results We included 1,608 native indigenous eligible to the research. The prevalence of hypertension was 29.5% (95% CI: 27–31.5), with no significant difference between the genders. For both men and women, diastolic hypertension was more common than systolic hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension was higher among obese, diabetic, and older participants, as well as those who consumed alcohol, had a lower educational level, or had a family history of hypertension. There was no association between hypertension and tobacco smoking or family income. Conclusion Hypertension among the indigenous from Jaguapiru village was similar to the prevalence in the Brazilians, but may have a more negative effect in such disadvantaged population. The associated factors we found can help drawing prevention policies.
Selenium Protective Activity Against Aflatoxin B 1 Adverse Affects on Drosophila melanogaster Handan Uysal

The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of AFB1 and AFB1+Se 4+ on various developmental stages of Drosophila melanogaster were investigated. Both dif ferent concentrations of AFB 1 and Se 4+ applied with AFB1 were fed during the flies developmental period (egg, lar va and pupae). When F 1 progeny of control and application groups were compared with each other, AFB1 was found to have extending the process of metamor phosis and decreasing the total number of offsprings. But, the se negative effects were inhibited with selenium tr eatment at different concentrations (4.0 and 8.0 ppm). These r esults suggested that selenium could effectively in hibit AFB1induced abnormalities of the developmental stages o f D.melanogaster.
Linear Viscoelastic Properties of Bituminous Binders and Mixtures at Low and Intermediate Temperatures

ABSTRACT Within the framework of a partnership between the DGCB of the ENTPE, Appia and Eurovia, a research program including a large experimental campaign on the viscoelastic behavior of different bituminous materials was developed. The aim is to establish the links between the viscoelastic properties of binders and those of bituminous mixes at low temperatures. The viscoelastic behavior of binders was evaluated using cyclic tests (frequency domain) and Bending Beam Rheometer tests (time domain). The viscoelastic behavior of bituminous mixes has been studied by performing complex modulus tests in tension/compression. Some pertinent links between bituminous binder and mix properties are established. Characteristics which are pertinent and discriminating enough with regard to the low temperature properties of bituminous mixes are presented.
The N-terminus and Phe52 residue of LC3 recruit p62/SQSTM1 into autophagosomes

LC3 belongs to a novel ubiquitin-like protein family that is involved in different intracellular trafficking processes, including autophagy. All members of this family share a unique three-dimensional structure composed of a C-terminal ubiquitin core and two N-terminal α-helices. Here, we focus on the specific contribution of these regions to autophagy induced by amino acid deprivation. We show that the ubiquitin core by itself is sufficient for LC3 processing through the conjugation machinery and for its consequent targeting to the autophagosomal membrane. The N-terminal region was found to be important for interaction between LC3 and p62/SQSTM1 (hereafter termed p62). This interaction is dependent on the first 10 amino acids of LC3 and on specific residues located within the ubiquitin core. Knockdown of LC3 isoforms and overexpression of LC3 mutants that fail to interact with p62 blocked the incorporation of p62 into autophagosomes. The accumulation of p62 was accompanied by elevated levels of polyubiquitylated detergent-insoluble structures. p62, however, is not required for LC3 lipidation, autophagosome formation and targeting to lysosomes. Our results support the proposal that LC3 is responsible for recruiting p62 into autophagosomes, a process mediated by phenylalanine 52, located within the ubiquitin core, and the N-terminal region of the protein.
DNA sequence evolution with neighbor-dependent mutation

We introduce a model of DNA sequence evolution which can account for biases in mutation rates that depend on the identity of the neighboring bases. An analytic solution for this class of models is developed by adopting well-known methods of nonlinear dynamics. Results are presented for the CpG-methylation-deamination process which dominates point substitutions in vertebrates. The dinucleotide frequencies generated by the model (using empirically obtained mutation rates) match the overall pattern observed in non-coding DNA. A web-based tool has been constructed to compute single- and dinucleotide frequencies for arbitrary neighbor-dependent mutation rates. Also provided is the backward procedure to infer the mutation rates using maximum likelihood analysis given the observed single- and dinucleotide frequencies. Reasonable estimates of the mutation rates can be obtained very efficiently, using generic non-coding DNA sequences as input, after masking out long homonucleotide subsequences. Our method is much more convenient and versatile to use than the traditional method of deducing mutation rates by counting mutation events in carefully chosen sequences. More generally, our approach provides a more realistic but still tractable description of non-coding genomic DNA, and may be used as a null model for various sequence analysis applications.
The Counting House

Lan ethos, an indigenous style. At the Fermi Nati nal Accelerator Laboratory the style is utilitarian chic. Fermilab delights in the ingenious and elegant use of the found object, the industrial artifact converted to some higher purpose, hi the 1970s, while a rival European laboratory quarried Carrara marble for shielding in a large detector, Fermilab filled a similar need by scrounging ar mor plates from two decommissioned battleships. The laboratory's auditorium is built out of con crete castings left over from the construction of a beam-line tunnel. These design choices were not a product of mere frugality; there is also an aesthet ic principle behind them, a pride in turning to good account materials that others might have discarded or covered up. This same aesthetic sense can be seen at work in decisions that have shaped the laboratory's computing program. A major consumer of com puting resources at Fermilab is a task called event reconstruction, which was traditionally done by mainframe-class computers, such as the larger members of the Digital Equipment Corporation VAX series. As the volume of data increased dur ing the 1980s, the computing requirements out grew those machines. One might have expected them to be replaced by bigger and costlier super computers, such as those made by Cray Research, or by massively parallel machines, such as the CM-2 (with 65,536 processors) made by Thinking Machines, Inc. The Fermilab Computing Division took a different path: They created a "farm" of off-the-shelf workstations and developed the soft ware needed to make hundreds of them cooper ate. The individual computers are not very pow erful, but they are cheap, and so a budget that would barely pay for air-conditioning a super computer can buy quite a number of them. I recently spent a few days visiting Fermilab and talking with Thomas Nash, who was then the head of the Computing Division (he has since been named Associate Director for Scientific Technology and Laboratory Information), and with others who do various kinds of computing
Relation of cerebral blood flow velocity and level of vigilance in humans

BLOOD flow velocities in both middle cerebral arteries (MCA) were measured using transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) in healthy subjects engaged in a continuous static visual vigilance task. Stimuli comprised white vertical gratings on a black background with a size of 5 × 5° (non-targets) or 5 × 3.5° (targets). Button presses were required to the rare (8.5%) targets. Over the 30 min session a decrease in hit rate and an increase in reaction time were seen, indicating a decrease in vigilance. These performance changes were paralleled by a decrease in flow velocity in both MCAs. No hemispheric difference was seen. These data suggest a close coupling of performance and blood flow in vigilance tasks. Modulation of cholinergic activity during the vigilance task might be the common underlying mechanism.
The effect of masking manuscripts for the peer-review process of an ophthalmic journal

Background/aim: To investigate the effect of masking the author’s identity to peer reviewers on reviewer bias in an ophthalmic subspecialty journal. Design: A retrospective study of 531 manuscripts, involving 1182 masked reviews, submitted to Journal of American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus from 2000 to 2005. Methods: Data were extracted from recommendation forms completed by each referee during review. Investigated variables consisted of reviewer’s knowledge of author identity, recommendation (accept, revise, or reject publishing), eventual manuscript status (published or not), review quality, gender, country, medical practice setting (academic or private) and editorial board status. Results: This study involved the largest number of manuscripts ever used to evaluate the importance of author masking. Reviewer’s knowledge of the author’s identity had no effect on review quality. However, proportionally fewer manuscripts were published when there was no idea of the author’s identity, compared with when it was allegedly known or suspected (p<0.0001). Manuscripts had lower recommendation scores when there was no idea of the author’s identity compared with when allegedly known (p = 0.0001) or suspected (p = 0.004). Conclusion: Reviewers were more favourable when they allegedly knew or suspected the author’s identity. Double-masking may improve the quality of biomedical publishing or at least reduce reviewer bias for effectively masked manuscripts.
Enteric viruses in Brazilian turkey flocks: Single and multiple virus infection frequency according to age and clinical signs of intestinal disease

ABSTRACT Poult enteritis complex has been associated with enteritis and reduction in growth rates in commercial turkeys worldwide. Intestinal samples from 76 turkey flocks from different Brazilian states affected or not with intestinal disorders were evaluated for the presence of adenovirus groups 1 and 2 (TAV), astrovirus types 1 and 2 (TAstV-1 and TAstV-2), turkey coronavirus (TCoV), reovirus, rotavirus, and avian nephritis virus (ANV) using PCR. The percentage of positive samples was categorized according to the geographic origin, age of the flocks, and presence of clinical signs of intestinal disease. The percentage of samples that were positive for at least one virus was 93.4%, whereas the percentage of samples that were positive for more than one virus was 69.7%. An average of 3.20 viruses per sample was detected in turkeys in the growing phase of the production cycle (1 to 4 wk of age). The TAstV-1 and TCoV were the most frequently observed viruses in growing phase turkeys and occurred simultaneously in 85% of these samples. In turkeys in the finishing phase of development (5 to 18 wk), a lower average number of viruses was observed (2.41), and the most frequent viruses isolated in these turkeys were TAstV-1 (57.1%) and rotavirus (51.8%). Overall, every virus was detected more frequently in growing phase turkeys than in finishing phase turkeys with the exception of TAV. Samples from flocks exhibiting clinical signs of intestinal disease showed a higher rate of positivity, and TAstV-1, TAstV-2, and TCoV were the most frequently occurring viruses in this cohort. Birds without clinical signs most frequently harbored TAstV-1 and rotavirus. Future studies should focus on the description and elucidation of the role of each virus, as well as the pathogenic and immunological implications of the different combinations of viruses in turkeys.
Reduced Fertility Among Overweight and Obese Men

Background: Overweight and obese men have been reported to have lower sperm counts and hormonal changes, but data are lacking regarding effects on couple fertility. Methods: We examined the relationship between male body mass index (BMI) and infertility in couples enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study in the United States. The analysis sample was limited to couples (wife <40 years old) with an attempt at pregnancy in the last 4 years based on pregnancy and fertility data provided by wives. Infertility was defined as not conceiving a pregnancy after at least 12 months of unprotected intercourse regardless of whether or not a pregnancy ultimately occurred. Self-reported weight and height were used to calculate BMI (kg/m2). Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for infertility associated with increases in male BMI were calculated with logistic regression. Results: Adjusting for potential confounders, a 3-unit increase in male BMI was associated with infertility (aOR = 1.12; 95% confidence interval = 1.01–1.25; n = 1329). There was a dose–response relationship, and the BMI effect was stronger when the data were limited to couples with the highest-quality infertility data. The association between BMI and infertility was similar for older and younger men, suggesting that erectile dysfunction in older men does not explain the association. Conclusions: This report of lower fertility in overweight and obese men needs replication. If the findings are robust, programs to prevent obesity may improve men's reproductive health and save medical costs for infertility treatment.
Structure–activity relationship study on the bioreduction of AZO dyes by Clostridium paraputrificum

Seven commercially available, structurally related azo dyes have been bioreduced by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium paraputrificum. The rates of reduction of these dyes were found to vary between 24 and 74 nmoles reduced/mg protein/h. Acid red 1 and desmethyl acid red 106 were found to be the most readily reduced, while chromotrope 2R and cibacron brilliant red 3B‐A were reduced at the slowest rates. The differences in reduction rates can be rationalized on the basis of structural differences and are consistent with the possible intermediacy of low molecular‐weight electron carriers as the mediators of reduction. The incorporation of electron‐withdrawing groups into the dyes, even if remotely placed, was found to increase the rate of reduction of dyes under controlled conditions, supporting the inversely proportional relationship between the electron density of the azo bond and the ease of bioreduction.
A HUMAN-MACHINE COMPARISON IN SPEECH RECOGNITION BASED ON A LOGATOME CORPUS

In this study, a fair comparison of human and machine speech recognition is established by using the same paradigms for human speech recognition (HSR) and automatic speech recognition (ASR). In order to ensure equal conditions, a speech database specifically designed for this task is used. The results for HSR and ASR are broken down into several intrinsic variabilities like speaking rate, speaking effort and dialect. Across all conditions, ASR error rates are at least 300 % higher than those of humans, even though no contextual knowledge can be exploited. A more detailed analysis of errors in HSR and ASR is carried out by decomposing speech into its phonetic features like voicing or manner and place of articulation. Confusion matrices for these features show that voicing information is crucial to distinguish between certain consonants. The most prominent features for ASR often neglect voicing information, which might contribute to the large gap in performance between HSR and ASR.