Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing induced folding within the intrinsically disordered C-terminal domain of the Henipavirus nucleoproteins by site-directed spin labeling EPR spectroscopy

This work aims at characterizing structural transitions within the intrinsically disordered C-terminal domain of the nucleoprotein (NTAIL) from the Nipah and Hendra viruses, two recently emerged pathogens gathered within the Henipavirus genus. To this end, we used site-directed spin labeling combined with electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to investigate the α-helical-induced folding that Henipavirus NTAIL domains undergo in the presence of the C-terminal X domain of the phosphoprotein (PXD). For each NTAIL protein, six positions located within four previously proposed molecular recognition elements (MoREs) were targeted for spin labeling, with three of these positions (475, 481, and 487) falling within the MoRE responsible for binding to PXD (Box3). A detailed analysis of the impact of the partner protein on the labeled NTAIL variants revealed a dramatic modification in the environment of the spin labels grafted within Box3, with the observed modifications supporting the formation of an induced α-helix within this region. In the free state, the slightly lower mobility of the spin labels grafted within Box3 as compared to the other positions suggests the existence of a transiently populated α-helix, as already reported for measles virus (MeV) NTAIL. Comparison with the well-characterized MeV NTAIL–PXD system, allowed us to validate the structural models of Henipavirus NTAIL–PXD complexes that we previously proposed. In addition, this study highlighted a few notable differences between the Nipah and Hendra viruses. In particular, the observation of composite spectra for the free form of the Nipah virus NTAIL variants spin labeled in Box3 supports conformational heterogeneity of this partly pre-configured α-helix, with the pre-existence of stable α-helical segments. Altogether these results provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of the Henipavirus NTAIL–PXD binding reaction.
Selective osteopontin knockdown exerts anti‐tumoral activity in a human glioblastoma model

Osteopontin (OPN), a member of the SIBLING (Small Integrin‐Binding LIgand N‐linked Glycoprotein) family, is overexpressed in human glioblastoma. Higher levels of OPN expression correlate with increased tumor grade and enhanced migratory capacity of tumor cells. Based on these observations, we explored the possibility that knocking down OPN expression in glioblastoma cells could exert an anti‐tumoral activity using an avian in vivo glioblastoma model that mimics closely human gliobastoma. Human U87‐MG glioma cells transfected with specific anti‐OPN small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were grafted onto the chicken chorio‐allantoic membrane (CAM). OPN‐deficient U87‐MG cells gave rise to tumors that were significantly smaller than tumors formed from untransfected cells (paired t‐test, p < 0.05). Accordingly, the amount of proliferating cells in OPN‐deficient tumors showed a six‐fold reduction when compared to control tumors. However, OPN inhibition did not affect significantly tumor‐associated angiogenesis. In vitro, OPN‐silenced U87‐MG and U373‐MG cells showed decreased motility and migration. This is the first demonstration that OPN inhibition blocks glioma tumor growth, making this invasion‐related protein an attractive target for glioma therapy.
Morphology and distribution of antennal sensilla of two tortricid moths, Cydia pomonella and C. succedana (Lepidoptera)

Morphology of antennal sensilla and their distributions were investigated in male and female adults of two tortricid moths, Cydia pomonella and C. succedana using scanning electron microscopy. The antennae of both sexes of the two species were filiform, and the overall lengths of the antennae and the number of consisting segments were greater in males than in females. Six types of sensilla (s.) were identified from the antennae of both sexes in the two species: s. trichodea, s. basiconica, s. coeloconica, s. auricillica, s. chaetica, and s. styloconica, in varying numbers and distribution along the antennae. Among them, surface of four sensilla types (s. trichodea, s. basiconica, s. coeloconica, s. auricillica) were multiporous in the two species, indicating that the primary function of these sensilla is olfactory. The s. trichodea were the most numerous on the antennae in both sexes of the two species. Male C. pomonella has a greater number of s. trichodea than the female. The four sensilla types were further divided into different subtypes in the two species; s. trichodea into three subtypes, s. basiconica into two subtypes, s. coeloconica into two subtypes in C. pomonella and one subtype in C. succedana, and s. auricillica into two subtypes. Sexual dimorphism was observed in the subtypes of s. trichodea. The long subtype of s. trichodea occurs only on male antennae, whereas the short subtypes mainly on female antennae. These findings would be helpful for further studies on detailed chemo‐receptive functions of each subtype of the antennal sensilla.
Child sexual abuse: the suffering untold

Although poverty is strongly associated with CSA, it is equally prevalent in affluent societies across a wide range of religious and cultural backgrounds. In India, there is a trend away from joint to nuclear families, with both parents holding jobs to accommodate the ever‐increasing financial demands. As a result, more often than not, young children are usually left to take care of themselves or have to be left in care of crèches. This makes the kids even more vulnerable to being abused. In rural and semi‐urban India where child labor is still a predominant hazard in society, children are physically as well as sexually put to a test.
Studies on Mechanical, Friction, and Wear Characteristics of Kevlar and Glass Fiber-Reinforced Friction Materials

ABSTRACT Asbestos possesses properties that are ideally suitable for use as a friction material in automotive and a number of other applications. Animal and human studies carried out since the early 1900s have established that asbestos is carcinogenic and that exposure to especially asbestos dust causes a large number of diseases. Realizing the health hazards posed by asbestos, many countries started phasing out asbestos from all asbestos-containing products since the 1980s. Some of them imposed a total ban in the 1990s on the use of asbestos-containing friction products. This situation forced many manufacturers to look for alternatives to asbestos. But the efforts have only been partly successful. The search is, therefore, still on to find suitable substitutes for asbestos. Though steel wool, Kevlar, glass, and a number of other mineral fibers have been tried out on an experimental basis over the last two decades, glass and Kevlar fibers, in particular, have shown promise as potential substitutes for asbestos. These days, therefore, studies on polymer-based friction materials reinforced with glass, Kevlar, and ceramic fibers are being pursued with much fervor. However, conflicting views are prevailing even today as to the suitability of asbestos-free composites for automotive applications and freedom from the concomitant health risks posed by them. In the present work, therefore, phenolic resin matrix samples reinforced with different amounts of glass and Kevlar fibers were produced and characterized for their mechanical, physical, friction, and wear properties to assess their suitability for light passenger car applications. The study establishes that composites based on glass and Kevlar fibers show good mechanical, physical, friction, and wear characteristics, enhancing thereby their suitability for automotive applications. The property improvements achieved are correlated to the composition, microstructure, and the changes taking place on the surface of the friction composites.
Topical interleukin 1 receptor antagonist for treatment of dry eye disease: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE The immunopathogenic mechanisms of dry eye disease (DED), one of the most common ophthalmic conditions, is incompletely understood. Data from this prospective, double-masked, randomized trial demonstrate that targeting interleukin 1 (IL-1) by topical application of an IL-1 antagonist is efficacious in significantly reducing DED-related patient symptoms and corneal epitheliopathy. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the safety and efficacy of treatment with the topical IL-1 receptor antagonist anakinra (Kineret; Amgen Inc) in patients having DED associated with meibomian gland dysfunction. DESIGN AND SETTING Prospective phase 1/2, randomized, double-masked, vehicle-controlled clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS Seventy-five patients with refractory DED. INTERVENTIONS Participants were randomized to receive treatment with topical anakinra, 2.5% (n = 30), anakinra, 5% (n = 15), or vehicle (1% carboxymethylcellulose) (n = 30) 3 times daily for 12 weeks. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Primary outcomes were corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), complete bilateral CFS clearance, dry eye-related symptoms as measured by the Ocular Surface Disease Index, tear film breakup time, and meibomian gland secretion quality. RESULTS Topical anakinra was well tolerated compared with vehicle, with no reports of serious adverse reactions attributable to the therapy. After 12 weeks of therapy, participants treated with anakinra, 2.5%, achieved a 46% reduction in their mean CFS score (P = .12 compared with vehicle and P < .001 compared with baseline); participants treated with anakinra, 5%, achieved a 17% reduction in their mean CFS score (P = .88 compared with vehicle and P = .33 compared with baseline); and patients treated with vehicle achieved a 19% reduction in their mean CFS score (P = .11). Complete bilateral CFS clearance was noted in 8 of 28 patients (29%) treated with anakinra, 2.5%, vs in 2 of 29 patients (7%) treated with vehicle (P = .03). By week 12, treatment with anakinra, 2.5%, and treatment with anakinra, 5%, led to significant reductions in symptoms of 30% and 35%, respectively (P = .02 and P = .01, respectively, compared with vehicle); treatment with vehicle led to a 5% reduction in symptoms. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Treatment with topical anakinra, 2.5%, for 12 weeks was safe and significantly reduced symptoms and corneal epitheliopathy in patients with DED. These data suggest that the use of an IL-1 antagonist may have a role as a novel therapeutic option for patients with DED. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00681109.
Lycopodium similiaplex-induced acute hepatitis: a case report.

References 1 Rubio-Tapia A, Murray JA. The liver in celiac disease. Hepatology 2007; 46:1650–1658. 2 Czaja AJ, Carpenter HA, Santrach PJ, Moore SB. Autoimmune cholangitis within the spectrum of autoimmune liver disease. Hepatology 2000; 31:1231–1238. 3 Invernizzi P, Crosignani A, Battezzati PM, Covini G, De Valle G, Larghi A, et al. Comparison of the clinical features and clinical course of antimitochondrial antibody-positive and -negative primary biliary cirrhosis. Hepatology 1997; 25:1090–1095. 4 Miyakawa H, Tanaka A, Kikuchi K, Matsushita M, Kitazawa E, Kawaguchi N, et al. Detection of antimitochondrial autoantibodies in immunofluorescent AMA-negative patients with primary biliary cirrhosis using recombinant autoantigens. Hepatology 2001; 34:243–248. 5 Li CP, Tong MJ, Hwang SJ, Luo JC, Co RL, Tsay SH, et al. Autoimmune cholangitis with features of autoimmune hepatitis: successful treatment with immunosuppressive agents and ursodeoxycholic acid. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2000; 15:95–98. 6 Alric L, Thebault S, Selves J, Peron JM, Mejdoubi S, Fortenfant F, Vinel JP. Characterization of overlap syndrome between primary biliary cirrhosis and autoimmune hepatitis according to antimitochondrial antibodies status. Gastroenterol Clin Biol 2007; 31:11–16. 7 Gisbert JP, Jones EA, Pajares JM, Moreno-Otero R. Review article: is there an optimal therapeutic regimen for antimitochondrial antibody-negative primary biliary cirrhosis (autoimmune cholangitis)? Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2003; 17:17–27. 8 Gogos CA, Nikolopoulou V, Zolota V, Siampi V, Vagenakis A. Autoimmune cholangitis in a patient with celiac disease: a case report and review of the literature. J Hepatol 1999; 30:321–324. 9 Marignani M, Angeletti S, Mari T, D’Alessandro P, Palumbo P, Dato A, Zullo A. Coeliac disease and autoimmune cholangitis: a case report. Dig Liver Dis 2002; 34:862–865. 10 Sedlack RE, Smyrk TC, Czaja AJ, Talwalkar JA. Celiac disease-associated autoimmune cholangitis. Am J Gastroenterol 2002; 97:3196–3198. 11 Biecker E, Stieger M, Zimmermann A, Reichen J. Autoimmune hepatitis, cryoglobulinaemia and untreated coeliac disease: a case report. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2003; 15:423–427.
Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: Concomitant Contamination of Air and Environmental Surfaces

OBJECTIVE To concomitantly determine the differential degrees of air and environmental contamination by Acinetobacter baumannii based on anatomic source of colonization and type of ICU layout (single-occupancy vs open layout). DESIGN Longitudinal prospective surveillance study of air and environmental surfaces in patient rooms. SETTING A 1,500-bed public teaching hospital in Miami, Florida. PATIENTS Consecutive A. baumannii–colonized patients admitted to our ICUs between October 2013 and February 2014. METHODS Air and environmental surfaces of the rooms of A. baumannii–colonized patients were sampled daily for up to 10 days. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to type and match the matching air, environmental, and clinical A. baumannii isolates. RESULTS A total of 25 A. baumannii–colonized patients were identified during the study period; 17 were colonized in the respiratory tract and 8 were colonized in the rectum. In rooms with rectally colonized patients, 38.3% of air samples were positive for A. baumannii; in rooms of patients with respiratory colonization, 13.1% of air samples were positive (P=.0001). In rooms with rectally colonized patients, 15.5% of environmental samples were positive for A. baumannii; in rooms of patients with respiratory colonization, 9.5% of environmental samples were positive (P=.02). The rates of air contamination in the open-layout and single-occupancy ICUs were 17.9% and 21.8%, respectively (P=.5). Environmental surfaces were positive in 9.5% of instances in open-layout ICUs versus 13.4% in single-occupancy ICUs (P=.09). CONCLUSIONS Air and environmental surface contaminations were significantly greater among rectally colonized patients; however, ICU layout did not influence the rate of contamination. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;37:777–781
Adaptive Matrix Design for Boosting Compressed Sensing

Compressed sensing (CS) has been proposed to reduce operating cost (e.g., energy requirements) of acquisition devices by leveraging its capability of sampling and compressing an input signal at the same time. This paper aims at increasing CS performance (i.e., either achieving a better compression or allowing a higher signal reconstruction quality) and proposes two novel methods. Our first approach (Nearly Orthogonal CS) is based on a geometric constraint enforcing diversity between compressed measurements, while the second one (Maximum-Energy CS) on a heuristic screening of candidate measurements that acts as a run-time self-adapted optimization technique. Intensive simulation results show that the proposed approaches have different applications, and ensure an appreciable performance boost with respect to the state-of-the-art.
Stromal p16 expression is significantly increased in endometrial carcinoma

p16 is a negative regulator of cell proliferation and is considered a tumor suppressor protein. Alterations in p16 protein expression are associated with tumor development and progression. However, the p16 expression status in the peritumoral stroma has not been investigated in the endometrium. Therefore, we evaluated stromal p16 expression in different types of endometrial lesions using immunohistochemistry. Differences in the p16 expression status according to the degree of malignancy and histological type were analyzed. This study included 62, 26, and 36 cases of benign, precancerous, and malignant endometrial lesions, respectively. Most benign lesions showed negative or weak expression, whereas precancerous lesions showed a variable degree of staining proportion and intensity. Atypical hyperplasia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (AH/EIN) and serous endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma (SEIC) had significantly higher stromal p16 expression levels than benign lesions. Endometrioid carcinoma (EC), serous carcinoma (SC), and carcinosarcoma showed significantly elevated stromal p16 expression levels compared with benign and precancerous lesions. In addition, there were significant differences in stromal p16 expression between AH/EIN and SEIC and between EC and SC. In contrast, differences in stromal p16 expression among nonpathological endometrium, atrophic endometrium, endometrial polyp, and hyperplasia without atypia were not statistically significant. Our observations suggest that stromal p16 expression is involved in the development and progression of endometrial carcinoma, and raise the possibility that p16 overexpression in the peritumoral stroma is associated with aggressive oncogenic behavior of endometrial SC.
Extreme Response Style and the Measurement of Intra-Individual Variability in Affect

ABSTRACT Extreme response style (ERS) has the potential to bias the measurement of intra-individual variability in psychological constructs. This paper explores such bias through a multilevel extension of a latent trait model for modeling response styles applied to repeated measures rating scale data. Modeling responses to multi-item scales of positive and negative affect collected from smokers at clinic visits following a smoking cessation attempt revealed considerable ERS bias in the intra-individual sum score variances. In addition, simulation studies suggest the magnitude and direction of bias due to ERS is heavily dependent on the mean affect level, supporting a model-based approach to the study and control of ERS effects. Application of the proposed model-based adjustment is found to improve intra-individual variability as a predictor of smoking cessation.
Changing character of rainfall in eastern China, 1951–2007

Significance Eastern China experienced a late-twentieth-century change in rainfall distribution known as the “South Flood–North Drought. ” Permanently altered rainfall in this densely populated region would have severe humanitarian repercussions. We have developed an algorithm that identifies zonally elongated rainfall patterns related to the well-known Meiyu front (“frontal rain events”). We find that the frequency and daily accumulation of frontal rainfall have undergone significant decadal changes, while nonfrontal rainfall exhibits no trend. The partition of rainfall into frontal and nonfrontal components provides a framework for diagnosing the relative roles of global warming, aerosols, and natural variability in historical rainfall change in China. We propose that frontal rainfall has responded to the shifting East Asian jet stream, a relationship that may persist in the future. The topography and continental configuration of East Asia favor the year-round existence of storm tracks that extend thousands of kilometers from China into the northwestern Pacific Ocean, producing zonally elongated patterns of rainfall that we call “frontal rain events. ” In spring and early summer (known as “Meiyu Season”), frontal rainfall intensifies and shifts northward during a series of stages collectively known as the East Asian summer monsoon. Using a technique called the Frontal Rain Event Detection Algorithm, we create a daily catalog of all frontal rain events in east China during 1951–2007, quantify their attributes, and classify all rainfall on each day as either frontal, resulting from large-scale convergence, or nonfrontal, produced by local buoyancy, topography, or typhoons. Our climatology shows that the East Asian summer monsoon consists of a series of coupled changes in frontal rain event frequency, latitude, and daily accumulation. Furthermore, decadal changes in the amount and distribution of rainfall in east China are overwhelmingly due to changes in frontal rainfall. We attribute the “South Flood–North Drought” pattern observed beginning in the 1980s to changes in the frequency of frontal rain events, while the years 1994–2007 witnessed an uptick in event daily accumulation relative to the rest of the study years. This particular signature may reflect the relative impacts of global warming, aerosol loading, and natural variability on regional rainfall, potentially via shifting the East Asian jet stream.
Accuracy of identification of low or high risk lifting during standardised lifting situations

Abstract The aim was to classify lifting activities into low and high risk categories (according to The Danish Working Environment Authority guidelines) based on surface electromyography (sEMG) and trunk inclination (tri-axial accelerometer) measurements. Lifting tasks with different weights, horizontal distance and technique were performed. The lifting tasks were characterised by a feature vector composed of either the 90th, 95th or 99th percentile of sEMG activity level and trunk inclinations during the task. Linear Discriminant Analysis and a subject-specific threshold scheme were applied and lifting tasks were classified with an accuracy of 65.1–65.5%. When lifts were classified based on the subject-specific threshold scheme from low and upper back accelerometers, the accuracy reached 52.1–58.1% and 72.7–78.1%, respectively. In conclusion, the use of subject-specific thresholds from sEMG from upper trapezius and erector spinae as well as inclination of the upper trunk enabled us to identify low and high risk lifts with an acceptable accuracy. Practitioner Summary: This study contributes to the development of a method enabling the automatic detection of high risk lifting tasks, i.e. exposure to high biomechanical loads, based on individual sEMG and kinematics from an entire working day. These methods may be more cost-effective and may complement observations commonly used by practitioners.
It’s All About Flow in a Complex Adaptive System

As systems evolve over time, their natural tendency is to become increasingly more complex. Studies in the field of complex systems have generated new perspectives on the application of management strategies in health systems. Much of this research appears as a natural extension of the cross-disciplinary field of systems theory. In this article, I discuss the Constructal Law and its impact on nurse workflow.
An Online Optimization Algorithm for Alleviating Contingencies in Transmission Networks

Power systems are increasingly operated in a corrective rather than preventive security mode, which means that appropriate control actions must be taken immediately after a contingency has occurred. This paper proposes an online algorithm for automatically alleviating contingencies such as voltage limit violations and line overloads. Unlike previously proposed approaches, the network itself serves as a natural solver of the power flow equations. This makes it possible to start the implementation immediately and avoids problems caused by modeling errors. Every time the controller receives measurements from the grid, it evaluates the presence of contingencies and computes the optimal corrective actions that can be implemented before the next sampling period, subject to ramping constraints of the generators. These corrective actions are implemented through the standard automatic generation control. Finding the optimal incremental corrective actions is fast because this problem is linearized. The effectiveness of this algorithm at correcting both line overloads and voltage violations is demonstrated using the IEEE-118 Bus test system.