Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mobile Genetic Element SCCmec-encoded psm-mec RNA Suppresses Translation of agrA and Attenuates MRSA Virulence

Community acquired-methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is a socially problematic pathogen that infects healthy individuals, causing severe disease. CA-MRSA is more virulent than hospital associated-MRSA (HA-MRSA). The underlying mechanism for the high virulence of CA-MRSA is not known. The transcription product of the psm-mec gene, located in the mobile genetic element SCCmec of HA-MRSA, but not CA-MRSA, suppresses the expression of phenol-soluble modulin α (PSMα), a cytolytic toxin of S. aureus. Here we report that psm-mec RNA inhibits translation of the agrA gene encoding a positive transcription factor for the PSMα gene via specific binding to agrA mRNA. Furthermore, 25% of 325 clinical MRSA isolates had a mutation in the psm-mec promoter that attenuated transcription, and 9% of the strains had no psm-mec. In most of these psm-mec-mutated or psm-mec-deleted HA-MRSAs, PSMα expression was increased compared with strains carrying intact psm-mec, and some mutated strains produced high amounts of PSMα comparable with that of CA-MRSA. Deletion of psm-mec from HA-MRSA strains carrying intact psm-mec increased the expression of AgrA protein and PSMα, and virulence in mice. Thus, psm-mec RNA suppresses MRSA virulence via inhibition of agrA translation and the absence of psm-mec function in CA-MRSA causes its high virulence property.
Perceiving classroom aggression: the influence of setting, intervention style and group perceptions.

BACKGROUND Violence and aggression in the classroom are often cited as a major concern within the teaching community. Teachers' perceptions of the appropriateness of intervention behaviours during aggressive incidents, however, are less often examined (Meyer, Astor, & Behre, 2002), nor how they compare to the perceptions of training teachers (John, 2002). AIMS This paper examines differences in the perceptions of practising and training teachers after exposure to an account of a violent incident where a school teacher is assaulted. The paper also investigates the relative and combined influence of classroom condition and teacher intervention on perceptions of classroom violence. SAMPLE(S) Participants included 48 practising teachers, and 48 students undertaking a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) also took part in the study. METHODS The study utilized a 2 x 2 x 2 between-subjects factorial design, manipulating the impact of classroom condition, teacher intervention, and observer status on evaluations of the teacher, assailant and school following an incident of violence against the teacher. RESULTS Classroom environment, teacher intervention, and observer status influenced evaluations of the teacher and school, but not the assailant. CONCLUSIONS Implications of these findings and the applied importance of these results are discussed in relation to school policy, teacher training, and classroom maintenance.
Inverse Levels of Adiponectin in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Are in Accordance with the State of Albuminuria

Aims. To investigate the behaviour of adiponectin (ApN) in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetic nephropathy. Methods. ApN and inflammatory and other markers of the metabolic syndrome were compared across diabetes types, albumin excretion rate (AER), and creatinine clearance (CrCl) categories in 219 type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. Results. Significant differences among ApN levels according to AER were found in both types of diabetes (F = 8.45, df = 2, P < 0.001). With the progression of albuminuria, ApN increased in type 1 and decreased in type 2 diabetes. Patients with decreased CrCl had higher ApN levels than those with normal CrCl in either type of diabetes (F = 12.7, df = 1, P < 0.001). The best model for ApN (R 2 = 0.9002) obtained from stepwise regression in type 1 diabetes included CrCl, BMI, WBC, CRP, and age, while in type 2 diabetes (R 2 = 0.2882) it included ppPG, LDL, and UA. Conclusion. ApN behaved differently in relation to albuminuria, increasing with its progression in type 1 diabetes and decreasing in type 2 diabetes. It was however increased in the subgroups with decreased CrCl in both types of diabetes. Albuminuria seems to be more important than renal insufficiency in the definition of ApN levels in type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Learning large margin classifiers locally and globally

A new large margin classifier, named Maxi-Min Margin Machine (M4) is proposed in this paper. This new classifier is constructed based on both a "local: and a "global" view of data, while the most popular large margin classifier, Support Vector Machine (SVM) and the recently-proposed important model, Minimax Probability Machine (MPM) consider data only either locally or globally. This new model is theoretically important in the sense that SVM and MPM can both be considered as its special case. Furthermore, the optimization of M4 can be cast as a sequential conic programming problem, which can be solved efficiently. We describe the M4 model definition, provide a clear geometrical interpretation, present theoretical justifications, propose efficient solving methods, and perform a series of evaluations on both synthetic data sets and real world benchmark data sets. Its comparison with SVM and MPM also demonstrates the advantages of our new model.
Compressive properties of helmet materials subjected to dynamic impact loading of various energies

Abstract Many helmet safety standards require children's helmets to be tested using adult-weighted headforms of approximately 5 kg and impact velocities representative of adult anatomy. The purpose of this study was to test the individual and combined effect of variable headform mass and inbound headform velocity on helmet test results. Testing was conducted on sample sections of helmet liner materials commonly used in multi- and single-impact helmets. Three densities of expanded polystyrene and expanded polypropylene were moulded into 2.54-cm thick foam blocks and cut into circular samples with a 5-cm diameter. Each sample was impacted once using an EN 960 magnesium K1A headform of variable mass on a monorail apparatus in the crown position. A total of 25 impact conditions were used: 5 headform masses and 5 inbound velocities. A PCB 203B force sensor collected force data at 20 kHz in the y-axis of the impact and a 1000-Hz low-pass Butterworth filter was applied during analysis. A three-way analysis of variance revealed significant main effects for headform mass, inbound velocity, and material density on peak linear acceleration (P<0.01). Inbound velocity and headform mass played a significant role in material performance. It is proposed that the headform mass and inbound velocity used in helmet testing protocols be representative of the intended age group to improve the performance range and safety of sport helmets.
A dual‐color fluorescence imaging‐based system for the dissection of antiangiogenic and chemotherapeutic activity of molecules

We have developed a simple yet sensitive dual color fluorescence‐based technique for dissecting the tumor‐neovascularization relationship and evaluated the susceptibility of each component to therapeutic interventions. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐expressing melanoma cells were cocultured with endothelial cells on different three‐dimensional (3‐D) matrices and exposed to multiple growth factors and molecules with established anti‐angiogenic or anticancer activities. Cells were fixed and stained with propidium iodide, imaged using a confocal microscope, and stereologically analyzed. Three‐dimensionality of the system was tested by depth‐coding and pseudocolor 3‐D reconstruction in the z‐axis. Selective ablation of the tumor cells was affected by the anthracycline antibiotic doxorubicin. Treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) promoted the neovascular responses on matrigel and collagen‐1 matrices. VEGF‐induced angiogenesis was inhibited after treatment with combretastatin and thalidomide. In contrast, HGF exerted a protective effect against these anti‐angiogenics in a matrigel matrix. However, this effect was lost when the matrix was substituted with collagen, suggesting that the extracellular matrix impinges on cellular function, possibly through an Akt‐mediated mechanism. The VEGF‐receptor antagonist PTK787 also selectively ablated the VEGF‐induced angiogenic effect without inhibiting the HGF‐induced response, demonstrating the sensitivity of the system to detect modulation of distinct signal cascades. The current model encompasses the possibility of studying tumor‐angiogenesis‐matrix interaction on the same platform, expanding the rapid screening of novel molecules in a simulated clinicopathological setting.
Study of metabolic changes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome before and after use of continuous positive airway pressure

Background and objective: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is the most common sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) syndrome and is characterized by repetitive, total, or partial pharyngeal collapse during sleep. These symptoms induce both hypoxemia and brief arousals from sleep. As a result, daytime sleepiness, reduction in cognitive performance, an increase in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and traffic accidents have been observed. To date, the most effective treatment for OSAS has been the use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). Studies confirming the reversibility of alterations such as hypertension, hyperleptinemia, and an increase in inflammatory cytokines after therapy with CPAP in patients with OSAS are controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the metabolic markers present in the blood of patients with OSAS before and after use of nasal CPAP treatment. Methods: Thirteen patients with moderate to severe OSAS were selected for the current study. After submitting their informed consent to participate in the study, the selected patients answered a sleep questionnaire and were submitted to a physical examination. They were also asked to perform a polysomnography throughout an entire night for diagnosis, CPAP pressure titration, and blood collection. All patients were submitted to treatment with CPAP for six months, after which all evaluations were repeated. Results: When we compared patients with OSAS with healthy control individuals, we found increased levels of ghrelin and triglycerides and reduced levels of HDL in patients with OSAS (p < 0.05). In addition, no difference in leptin levels was observed. After a six-month treatment period with CPAP, a significant drop in ghrelin levels could be observed (p < 0.05). No changes in the patients’ body weight was observed during the treatment period (29±4 x 29±3 Kg/m 2 ). Conclusion: We thus concluded that OSAS can be considered an independent factor for increasing ghrelin levels and that a reduction in the levels of this hormone occurs after six months of CPAP treatment.
Whole Transcriptome Analysis of the Effects of Type I Diabetes on Mouse Oocytes

In mouse ovarian follicles, granulosa cells but not oocytes take up glucose to provide the oocyte with nourishments for energy metabolism. Diabetes-induced hyperglycemia or glucose absorption inefficiency consistently causes granulosa cell apoptosis and further exerts a series of negative impacts on oocytes including reduced meiosis resumption rate, low oocyte quality and preimplantation embryo degeneration. Here we compared the transcriptome of mouse oocytes from genetically derived NOD diabetic mice or chemically induced STZ diabetic mice with that of corresponding normal mice. Differentially expressed genes were extracted from the two diabetic models. Gene set enrichment analysis showed that genes associated with metabolic and developmental processes were differentially expressed in oocytes from both models of diabetes. In addition, NOD diabetes also affected the expression of genes associated with ovulation, cell cycle progression, and preimplantation embryo development. Notably, Dnmt1 expression was significantly down-regulated, but Mbd3 expression was up-regulated in diabetic mouse oocytes. Our data not only revealed the mechanisms by which diabetes affects oocyte quality and preimplantation embryo development, but also linked epigenetic hereditary factors with metabolic disorders in germ cells.
Microbuckling Solution of Elastic Memory Laminates under Bending

Elastic memory composite (EMC) can endure a much higher nominal bending strain than the ultimate strain of reinforced fibers. Experimental studies have confirmed that microbuckling and post-microbuckling response for compressively loaded fibers in the soft matrix are the primary deformation mechanism for EMC to realize a large bending deformation. However, classical buckling solutions developed for hard-matrix composites cannot effectively predict the microbuckling onset and post-microbuckling response of soft-matrix composites under bending. In this study, a simplified 1D solution is proposed by combining matrix shear energy with Timoshenko’s elastic foundation energy. Based on the experiment results of carbon-fiber/resin EMC laminates under bending, the new solution exhibits to be effective in predicting the microbuckling wavelength and the onset of critical compressive stress and strain. In addition, the location of neutral-strain surface and failure modes are also discussed.
Serum Levels of Mannose-Binding Lectin and the Risk of Future Coronary Artery Disease in Apparently Healthy Men and Women

Objective—To determine the association between serum levels of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and the risk of future coronary artery disease (CAD) in apparently healthy men and women. Methods and Results—We performed a prospective case-control study among apparently healthy men and women nested in the EPIC-Norfolk cohort. Baseline concentrations of MBL were measured in serum samples of 946 patients who experienced a myocardial infarction or died of CAD during follow-up, and 1799 matched controls who remained free of CAD. Among men, median MBL levels were 1.63 ng/mL (interquartile range [IQR]: 0.59 to 3.80) in cases and 1.20 ng/mL (IQR: 0.48 to 3.37) in controls. Among women, median MBL levels were 1.02 ng/mL (IQR: 0.43 to 2.95) in cases and 1.01 ng/mL (IQR: 0.43 to 2.94) in controls. After adjustment, the odds ratio in men for future CAD was 1.59 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09 to 2.32; P for linearity=0.01) for those in the highest quartile compared with those in the lowest quartile. In women no such relation was observed. Conclusions—Elevated levels of MBL are associated with an increased risk of future CAD in apparently healthy men but not in women. The sex difference merits further exploration.
Endothelial dysfunction in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes

Macrovascular disease is the number one killer in type 2 diabetes patients. The cluster of risk factors in the insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) partly explains this notion. Insulin action in muscle, liver or adipose tissue has been thoroughly described in the literature, whilst this has been less described for the endothelium. Insulin stimulates nitric oxide (NO) production in the endothelium and reduced bioavailability of NO is usually defined as endothelial dysfunction. This impairment might be related to defective insulin signalling in the endothelial cell. Therefore, insulin resistance mechanisms in the endothelial cell will be emphasized in this review.
Mechanical and physicochemical contribution in removal of different soil types on cotton fabric

The research was conducted to identify the optimal washing methods for three types of soils, in terms of washing efficiency and eco-efficiency. To this end, the mechanical action by the washer’s agitation and the physicochemical action by detergents were investigated for their respective contribution to the detergency of three kinds of artificial soils: oil, protein, and their mixture. In general, washing efficiency increased with the increased agitation speed and the amount of detergent use. Most of the washing conditions presented a positive synergistic effect when both the mechanical and physicochemical actions were applied simultaneously. The contributing ratio of the physicochemical action was greater for oily soil than for other soil types, due to the effective rolling-up by the detergent for the oily soil. The contributing ratio attributable to the mechanical action was higher when the protein was present in the soil composition, and the mechanical contribution was compromised as detergent usage was increased. The washing condition with the largest synergy did not always correspond with the condition of the highest washing efficiency. Energy Efficiency for Detergency was increased in all soil types as the agitation speed increased. It is suggested that the washing method be determined considering (1) the level of soiling and the acceptable washing performance, (2) the synergistic effect of mechanical and physicochemical actions, and (3) the eco-efficiency of washing methods.
Mechanical challenges to freshwater residency in sharks and rays

ABSTRACT Major transitions between marine and freshwater habitats are relatively infrequent, primarily as a result of major physiological and ecological challenges. Few species of cartilaginous fish have evolved to occupy freshwater habitats. Current thought suggests that the metabolic physiology of sharks has remained a barrier to the diversification of this taxon in freshwater ecosystems. Here, we demonstrate that the physical properties of water provide an additional constraint for this species-rich group to occupy freshwater systems. Using hydromechanical modeling, we show that occurrence in fresh water results in a two- to three-fold increase in negative buoyancy for sharks and rays. This carries the energetic cost of lift production and results in increased buoyancy-dependent mechanical power requirements for swimming and increased optimal swim speeds. The primary source of buoyancy, the lipid-rich liver, offers only limited compensation for increased negative buoyancy as a result of decreasing water density; maintaining the same submerged weight would involve increasing the liver volume by very large amounts: 3- to 4-fold in scenarios where liver density is also reduced to currently observed minimal levels and 8-fold without any changes in liver density. The first data on body density from two species of elasmobranch occurring in freshwater (the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas, Müller and Henle 1839, and the largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis, Linnaeus 1758) support this hypothesis, showing similar liver sizes as marine forms but lower liver densities, but the greatest negative buoyancies of any elasmobranch studied to date. Our data suggest that the mechanical challenges associated with buoyancy control may have hampered the invasion of freshwater habitats in elasmobranchs, highlighting an additional key factor that may govern the predisposition of marine organisms to successfully establish in freshwater habitats. Summary: The high negative buoyancy of elasmobranchs increases the cost of locomotion and may be responsible for the scarcity of sharks in fresh water.
Metabolism of Citrate and Other Carboxylic Acids in Erythrocytes As a Function of Oxygen Saturation and Refrigerated Storage

State-of-the-art proteomics technologies have recently helped to elucidate the unanticipated complexity of red blood cell metabolism. One recent example is citrate metabolism, which is catalyzed by cytosolic isoforms of Krebs cycle enzymes that are present and active in mature erythrocytes and was determined using quantitative metabolic flux analysis. In previous studies, we reported significant increases in glycolytic fluxes in red blood cells exposed to hypoxia in vitro or in vivo, an observation relevant to transfusion medicine owing to the potential benefits associated with hypoxic storage of packed red blood cells. Here, using a combination of steady state and quantitative tracing metabolomics experiments with 13C1,2,3-glucose, 13C6-citrate, 13C515N2-glutamine, and 13C1-aspartate via ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled on line with mass spectrometry, we observed that hypoxia in vivo and in vitro promotes consumption of citrate and other carboxylates. These metabolic reactions are theoretically explained by the activity of cytosolic malate dehydrogenase 1 and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (abundantly represented in the red blood cell proteome), though moonlighting functions of additional enzymes cannot be ruled out. These observations enhance understanding of red blood cell metabolic responses to hypoxia, which could be relevant to understand systemic physiological and pathological responses to high altitude, ischemia, hemorrhage, sepsis, pulmonary hypertension, or hemoglobinopathies. Results from this study will also inform the design and testing of novel additive solutions that optimize red blood cell storage under oxygen-controlled conditions.
Spatiotemporal trends in the southwest monsoon wind-driven upwelling in the southwestern part of the South China Sea

This study analyzes two wind-induced upwelling mechanisms, namely, Ekman transport and Ekman pumping that occur during the southwest monsoon. The results suggest that the coastline of the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia (ECPM) is affected by upwelling with spatiotemporal variations. Characterization of upwelling by using wind-induced upwelling indexes (UIW) indicate the existence of favorable upwelling conditions from May to September. Upwelling intensity increased in May and peaked in August before declining in September, decreasing intensity from the southern tip towards the northern tip along the coastline of the ECPM. The existence of upwelling along the ECPM has resulted in an important difference between the SSTs of the inshore and the oceanic regions. Nonetheless, the use of the SST gradient between the inshore and the oceanic SSTs to characterize upwelling (UISST) was found to be unsuitable because the SST along the ECPM was affected by water advection from the Java Sea and incessant changes in the SST. In order to indicate the major contributor of wind-induced upwelling along the ECPM in terms of the spatiotemporal scale, a comparison between Ekman transport and Ekman pumping was drawn by integrating Ekman pumping with respect to the distance where the positive wind stress curl existed. The estimation of Ekman transport and Ekman pumping indicated that Ekman pumping played a major role in contributing towards upwelling in any particular month during the southwest monsoon along the entire coastline of the ECPM as compared to Ekman transport, which contributed towards more than half of the total upwelling transport. By dividing the ECPM into three coastal sections, we observed that Ekman pumping was relatively predominant in the middle and northern coasts, whereas both Ekman transport and Ekman pumping were equally prevalent in the southern coast.
Fast Copy-Move Detection of Digital Audio

Audio forgery is a critical part of digital forgery. There is a large variety of audio forgery forms, and copy-move is one of the most common but effective one. Merely one word's copy-move can turn the whole sentence into distinct meaning. So the way to detect this form of forgery precisely and effectively is especially useful and significant in the field of digital forensics. In this paper, we propose a fast method to detect audio copy-move forgery. At first, the audio is segmented into syllables. Then discrete Fourier transform (DFT) on each audio segment is applied for the sake of extracting the feature. In addition, every audio segment is sorted based on the features. Finally, unlike other mainstream algorithms which compare the similarity between every two segments of the audio file, we just compare one audio segment with some adjacent ones in the sorted list of audio segments, which can reduce the time complexity from O(n2) to O(nlogn) and cut down the time consumption of detection consequently. Experimental results demonstrate that our methods is faster and more effective than other state of the art ones.