Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social support network and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients

ABSTRACT Objective To analyse the relationship between the social support network (SSN) and health related quality of life (HRQOL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Methods The sample comprised 150 consecutive MS patients attending our MS clinic. To assess the socio-demographic data, a specifically designed questionnaire was applied. The HRQOL dimensions were measured with the Short-Form Health Survey Questionnaire-SF36 and the SSN with the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey. Spearman’s correlation was used to compare the magnitude of the relationship between the SSN and HRQOL. Results The mean patient age was 41.7 years (± 10.4; range: 18–70 yr); the mean Expanded Disability Status Score was 2.5 (±2.4; range: 0–9). There was a statistically significant correlation between the structure of the SSN and the HRQOL. Conclusion The composition of the SSN, social group membership and participation in voluntary work have an important role in the HRQOL of patients with MS.
Endophytic Fungi in Indigenous Australasian Grasses Associated with Toxicity to Livestock

ABSTRACT Grazing of Echinopogon spp. by livestock in Australia has caused symptoms similar to those of perennial ryegrass staggers. We observed an endophytic fungus in the intercellular spaces of the leaves and seeds of New Zealand and Australian specimens of Echinopogon ovatus. Culture of surface-sterilized seeds from New Zealand specimens yielded a slow-growing fungus. An examination in which immunoblotting and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used indicated that E. ovatus plants from Australia and New Zealand were infected with fungi serologically related toNeotyphodium lolii (the endophyte of perennial ryegrass) and other Epichloe and Neotyphodium spp. endophytic in pooid grasses. No lolitrems (the indole–diterpenoids implicated as the causative agents of perennial ryegrass staggers), peramine analogs, or ergot alkaloids were detected in the infected specimens by high-performance liquid chromatography or ELISA. However, in endophyte-infected E. ovatus plants from New Zealand, analogs of the indole–diterpenoid paxilline (thought to be a biosynthetic precursor of the lolitrems and related tremorgens) were detected by ELISA, and N-formylloline was detected by gas chromatography. Endophyte-free specimens of New Zealand E. ovatus did not contain detectable paxilline analogs or lolines and were more palatable than infected specimens to adults of the pasture pest Listronotus bonariensis (Argentine stem weevil). Hyphae similar to those of the E. ovatus endophyte were also found in herbarium specimens of Echinopogon nutans var. major, Echinopogon intermedius, Echinopogon caespitosus, andEchinopogon cheeli. This appears to be the first time that an endophytic Neotyphodium species has been identified in grasses endemic to New Zealand or Australia.
Implicit predictor-corrector iteration process for finitely many asymptotically (quasi-)nonexpansive mappings

We study an implicit predictor-corrector iteration process for finitely many asymptotically quasi-nonexpansive self-mappings on a nonempty closed convex subset of a Banach space. We derive a necessary and sufficient condition for the strong convergence of this iteration process to a common fixed point of these mappings. In the case is a uniformly convex Banach space and the mappings are asymptotically nonexpansive, we verify the weak (resp., strong) convergence of this iteration process to a common fixed point of these mappings if Opial's condition is satisfied (resp., one of these mappings is semicompact). Our results improve and extend earlier and recent ones in the literature.
Dry heat, moist heat and body fat: are heating modalities really effective in people who are overweight?

Surface heating modalities are commonly used in physical therapy and physical medicine for increasing circulation, especially in deep tissues, to promote healing. However, recent evidence seems to indicate that in people who are overweight, heat transfer is impaired by the subcutaneous fat layer. The present investigation was conducted on 10 subjects aged 22–54 years, whose body mass index averaged 25.8±4.6. Subcutaneous fat above the quadriceps muscle varied from 0.51 to 0.86 cm of thickness. Three heating modalities were examined: the application of dry heat with a commercial chemical heat pack, hydrocollator heat packs (providing a type of moist heat), and a whirlpool, where conductive heat loss through water contact would be very high. The temperature of the skin and the temperature in the muscle (25 mm below the skin surface) were assessed by thermocouples. The results of the experiments showed that for heating modalities that are maintained in skin contact for long periods of time, such as dry heat packs (in place for 6 hours), subcutaneous fat did not impair the change in deep muscle temperature. In contrast, when rapid heat modalities were used, such as the hydrocollator and the whirlpool (15 minutes of sustained skin contact), the transfer of heat from the skin to deep muscle was significantly impaired in people with thicker subcutaneous fat layers. We observed that the greater the impairment in heat transfer to muscle from skin covered by body fat, the warmer the skin temperature increase during the modality.
The Escherichia coli Cytochrome cMaturation (Ccm) System Does Not Detectably Attach Heme to Single Cysteine Variants of an Apocytochrome c *

Cytochromes c are typically characterized by the covalent attachment of heme to polypeptide through two thioether bonds with the cysteine residues of a Cys-Xaa-Xaa-Cys-His peptide motif. In many Gram-negative bacteria, the heme is attached to the polypeptide by the periplasmically functioning cytochrome c maturation (Ccm) proteins. Exceptionally, Hydrogenobacter thermophiluscytochrome c 552, which has a normal CXXCH heme-binding motif, and variants with AXXCH, CXXAH, and AXXAH motifs, can be expressed as stable holocytochromes in the cytoplasm ofEscherichia coli. By targeting these proteins to the periplasm using a signal peptide, with or without co-expression of the Ccm proteins, we have assessed the ability of the Ccm system to attach heme to proteins with no, one, or two cysteine residues in the heme-binding motif. Only the wild-type protein, with two cysteines, was effectively processed and thus accumulated in the periplasm as a holocytochrome. This is strong evidence for disulfide bond formation involving the two cysteine residues of apocytochrome c as an intermediate in Ccm-type Gram-negative bacterial cytochromec biogenesis and/or that only a pair of cysteines can be recognized by the heme attachment apparatus.
The GalNAc-type O-Glycoproteome of CHO Cells Characterized by the SimpleCell Strategy*

The Chinese hamster ovary cell (CHO) is the major host cell factory for recombinant production of biological therapeutics primarily because of its “human-like” glycosylation features. CHO is used for production of several O-glycoprotein therapeutics including erythropoietin, coagulation factors, and chimeric receptor IgG1-Fc-fusion proteins, however, some O-glycoproteins are not produced efficiently in CHO. We have previously shown that the capacity for O-glycosylation of proteins can be one limiting parameter for production of active proteins in CHO. Although the capacity of CHO for biosynthesis of glycan structures (glycostructures) on glycoproteins are well established, our knowledge of the capacity of CHO cells for attaching GalNAc-type O-glycans to proteins (glycosites) is minimal. This type of O-glycosylation is one of the most abundant forms of glycosylation, and it is differentially regulated in cells by expression of a subset of homologous polypeptide GalNAc-transferases. Here, we have genetically engineered CHO cells to produce homogeneous truncated O-glycans, so-called SimpleCells, which enabled lectin enrichment of O-glycoproteins and characterization of the O-glycoproteome. We identified 738 O-glycoproteins (1548 O-glycosites) in cell lysates and secretomes providing the first comprehensive insight into the O-glycosylation capacity of CHO (http://glycomics.ku.dk/o-glycoproteome_db/).
Acute leukemia and pregnancy

Acute leukemia was diagnosed in five pregnant patients who received chemotherapy during the course of pregnancy. Three were undergoing chemotherapy at conception. One patient died in the fifth month of pregnancy and the anatomic study of the fetus was normal. Four babies had low birth weights at birth. Of the four one was born prematurely, but without malformations. Later development was normal. The results are reviewed and compared with data from the literature, leading to the conclusion that pregnancy is not an absolute contraindication for cytostatic treatment, except in the first trimester, in which cytostatic treatment should be avoided.
An assessment of interocclusal space in a dentate Nigerian population.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To determine the average interocclusal space values in a dentate Nigerian population,and to examine the effect of gender, age and different molar relationships on the values obtained. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Three hundred and fifty one subjects mainly of Yoruba extraction with ages ranging from 16 to 78 years were involved in the study. They included 165 males and 186 females. Inclusion criteria in the study included the presence of a stable posterior occlusion with all first molars present and the absence of moderate to deep wear facets suggestive of parafunction. Subject's occlusal dimensions were measured with a calliper at rest and in occlusion. Interocclusal distances were determined by subtracting the occlusal vertical dimension from the rest vertical dimension. The Angles molar relationship was then recorded for each subject. RESULTS The average freeway space was 2.93 mm with a standard deviation of 1.38; with the females having marginally higher values. The mean values according to age groups were 15-25 years: 3.15 mm, 26-35 years: 2.68 mm, 36-45 years: 2.66 mm, 46-55 years: 3.2 2mm, 56-65 years: 2.74 mm and 66 years and over: 3.10mm. Class Imolar relationship predominated in the sample with 312 patients (88.9%). Nineteen patients (5.4%) had Class II and 20 patients (5.7%) had Class III.Mean freeway space values for Class I, Class II and Class III were: 2.84 mm, 3.88 mm and 3.37 mm respectively. The difference in values was statistically significant. CONCLUSION The average interocclusal space amongst the population assessed was 2.93 mm; a value which is similar to that previously reported for Nigerians. Marginally higher values were observed in females while the 26-35 and 36-45 year old groups had lower values than the other age groups. Angle's Class II and III subjects had higher values when compared to class I subjects and was statistically significant. A multi-centre study is recommended to assess possible ethnic variations in these values.
Neighboring CD4 T Cell Epitopes That Is Critical for Recognition of in the C4 Region of HIV-1 Envelope gp120 Identification of an N-Linked Glycosylation

The heavy glycosylation of HIV-1 envelope gp120 shields this important Ag from recognition by neutralizing Abs and cytolytic CD8 T cells. However, very little work has been done to understand the inﬂuence of glycosylation on the generation of gp120 epitopes and their recognition by MHC class II-restricted CD4 T cells. In this study, three conserved glycans (linked to N406, N448, and N463) ﬂanking the C4 region of gp120 that contains many known CD4 T cell epitopes were disrupted individually or in combination by asparagine-to-glutamine substitutions. The mutant proteins lacking the N448 glycan did not effectively stimulate CD4 T cells speciﬁc for the nearby C4 epitopes, although the same mutants were recognized well by CD4 T cells speciﬁc for epitopes located in the distant C1 and C2 regions. The loss of recognition was not due to amino acid substitutions introduced to the mutant proteins. Data from trypsin digestion and mass spectrometry analyses demonstrated that the N448 glycan removal impeded the proteolytic cleavage of the nearby C4 region, without affecting more distant sites. Importantly, this inhibitory effect was observed only in the digestion of the native nondenatured protein and not in that of the denatured protein. These data indicate that the loss of the N448 glycan induces structural changes in the C4 region of gp120 that make this speciﬁc region more resistant to proteolytic processing, thereby restricting the generation of CD4 T cell epitopes from this region. Hence, N-linked glycans are critical determinants that can profoundly inﬂuence CD4 T cell recognition of HIV-1
Effects of heating procedures on deoxynivalenol, nivalenol and zearalenone levels in naturally contaminated barley and wheat

The influence of heating temperature and time on deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV) and zearalenone (ZEA) contents in naturally co-contaminated barley and wheat was investigated intending to establish the basis for a decontamination model of Fusarium mycotoxins in cereals. The standard toxins and whole barley powder samples were heated in a convection oven at 140, 160, 180, 200, or 220°C, and kernel subsamples (200 g each) were roasted in an experimental rotary gas-fired roaster at 150, 180 or 220°C. All treatments resulted in a time–temperature-dependent decomposition of the toxins; the logarithm of the toxin remaining % presented a linear relationship with heating time. The lines equations were used to estimate the half (H) and decimal (D) decomposition times (time required to destroy 50 or 90% of the toxin, respectively). DON and NIV H and D decomposition times were similar and 50% shorter for heated standards than for whole barley powder. ZEA standard values were considerably longer, while whole barley powder values were comparable with those of DON and NIV. At 220°C, D decomposition times of DON, NIV and ZEA heated standards were 11, 10 and 85 min, respectively, while the values obtained in whole barley powder were the same for the three toxins (25 min). The determination of H and D decomposition values constitutes a basis to understand the heating stability nature of each toxin.
Localization of biogenic amines in the foregut of Aplysia californica: Catecholaminergic and serotonergic innervation

This study examined the catecholaminergic and serotonergic innervation of the foregut of Aplysia californica, a model system in which the control of feeding behaviors can be investigated at the cellular level. Similar numbers (15–25) of serotonin‐like‐immunoreactive (5HTli) and tyrosine hydroxylase‐like‐immunoreactive (THli) fibers were present in each (bilateral) esophageal nerve (En), the major source of pregastric neural innervation in this system. The majority of En 5HTli and THli fibers originated from the anterior branch (En2), which innervates the pharynx and the anterior esophagus. Fewer fibers were present in the posterior branch (En1), which innervates the majority of the esophagus and the crop. Backfills of the two En branches toward the central nervous system (CNS) labeled a single, centrifugally projecting serotonergic fiber, originating from the metacerebral cell (MCC). The MCC fiber projected only to En2. No central THli neurons were found to project to the En. Surveys of the pharynx and esophagus revealed major differences between their patterns of catecholaminergic (CA) and serotonergic innervation. Whereas THli fibers and cell bodies were distributed throughout the foregut, 5HTli fibers were present in restricted plexi, and no 5HTli somata were detected. Double‐labeling experiments in the periphery revealed THli neurons projecting toward the buccal ganglion via En2. Other afferents received dense perisomatic serotonergic innervation. Finally, qualitative and quantitative differences were observed between the buccal motor programs (BMPs) produced by stimulation of the two En branches. These observations increase our understanding of aminergic contributions to the pregastric regulation of Aplysia feeding behaviors. J. Comp. Neurol. 514:329–342, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Sequential Single-Cluster Auctions for Multi-Robot Task Allocation

This thesis studies task allocation in multi-robot teams operating in dynamic environments. The multi-robot task allocation problem is a complex NP-Complete optimisation problem with globally optimal solutions often difficult to find. Because of this, the rapid generation of near optimal solutions to the problem that minimise task execution time and/or energy used by robots is highly desired. Our approach seeks to cluster together closely related tasks and then builds on existing distributed market-based auction architectures for distributing these sets of tasks among several autonomous robots. Dynamic environments introduce many challenges that are not found in closed systems. For instance, it is common for additional tasks to be inserted into a system after an initial solution to the task allocation problem is determined. Additionally, it is highly likely in long-term autonomous systems that individual robots may suffer some form of failure. The ability to alter plans to react to these types of challenges in a dynamic environment is required for the completion of all tasks. In our approach we allow the repeated formation and auctioning of task clusters with varying tasks. This allows us to react to and change the task allocation among robots during execution. Throughout this thesis we use empirical evaluation to study different approaches for forming clusters of tasks and the application of task clustering to distributed auctions for multi-robot task allocation problems. Our results show that allocating clusters of tasks to robots in solving these types of problems is a fast and effective method and produces near optimal solutions.
Illusory Late Heavy Bombardments

Significance The vast majority of evidence marshaled for the Late Heavy Bombardment comes from 40Ar/39Ar age spectra of Apollo samples, interpreted through “plateau” ages, which show an apparent cluster at ∼3.9 Ga. Whether such data can be uniquely inverted to constrain impact histories in the Earth−Moon system has never been tested. We show that diffusive loss of 40Ar from a monotonically declining impactor flux coupled with the early and episodic nature of lunar crust formation tends to create clustered distributions of apparent 40Ar/39Ar ages at ca. 3.9 Ga. Instead, these 40Ar/39Ar data can be reconciled with a continuously decreasing bollide flux. Thus, impacts may have played a minimal role in terrestrial habitability, early Earth dynamics, and the formation of Hadean zircons. The Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB), a hypothesized impact spike at ∼3.9 Ga, is one of the major scientific concepts to emerge from Apollo-era lunar exploration. A significant portion of the evidence for the existence of the LHB comes from histograms of 40Ar/39Ar “plateau” ages (i.e., regions selected on the basis of apparent isochroneity). However, due to lunar magmatism and overprinting from subsequent impact events, virtually all Apollo-era samples show evidence for 40Ar/39Ar age spectrum disturbances, leaving open the possibility that partial 40Ar* resetting could bias interpretation of bombardment histories due to plateaus yielding misleadingly young ages. We examine this possibility through a physical model of 40Ar* diffusion in Apollo samples and test the uniqueness of the impact histories obtained by inverting plateau age histograms. Our results show that plateau histograms tend to yield age peaks, even in those cases where the input impact curve did not contain such a spike, in part due to the episodic nature of lunar crust or parent body formation. Restated, monotonically declining impact histories yield apparent age peaks that could be misinterpreted as LHB-type events. We further conclude that the assignment of apparent 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages bears an undesirably high degree of subjectivity. When compounded by inappropriate interpretations of histograms constructed from plateau ages, interpretation of apparent, but illusory, impact spikes is likely.
Seroprevalence of Transfusion Transmitted Infections in blood donors at a rural based tertiary care teaching hospital in India

The present retrospective study was carried out at JIIU’s Indian Institute of Medical Science and Research, a tertiary care teaching Hospital in Warudi, Jalna, a rural area in Marathwada region of Maharashtra. The study was designed for a period of two years, three months,between June 2013 to August 2015. Medical reports of the donors were accessed from the Hospital records and analyzed. A total of 1173 blood donations were accepted during the period on voluntary donation basis through blood donation camps and from the blood donations in blood bank; HBV, HCV and HIV were tested by ELISA methods approved by NACO in voluntary as well as replacement blood donors. RPR was carried out for screening of syphilis. On screening the blood for TTIs,47 (4%) donors (44 males & 3 females) were found positive for one of the TTIs. Amongst the TTIs Positive cases, highest prevalence was for HBV (26 cases, 55.32 %) followed by HCV (13 cases, 27.66%), HIV (6 cases, 12.76%) and syphilis (2cases, 4.25%). None of the donor was found positive for malaria. Blood transfusion is still one of the main sources of transmission of infections in our region of Marathwada, a rural region of India.
Leukocyte adhesion on model surfaces under flow: effects of surface chemistry, protein adsorption, and shear rate.

The effect of specific chemical functionalities on the adhesion of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) under flow was investigated using a set of well-characterized, chemically functionalized surfaces prepared by self-assembly of alkanethiolate monolayers on gold surfaces. Terminal functionalities included CH(3), CH(2)OH, COOH, and (OCH(2)CH(2))(3)OH groups. A new surface modification was used to incorporate a phosphorylcholine moiety on the hydroxyl-terminated monolayer. Surface modification was verified using contact-angle measurements, ellipsometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Adhesion on the surfaces was studied in the presence and absence of pre-adsorbed fibrinogen. Fibrinogen adsorption on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) was quantified using radioisotope detection. PMN adhesion was found to be dependent on the monolayer's terminal functionality. Adhesion was higher on the hydrophobic CH(3) surface and the polar COOH monolayer. Leukocyte adhesion was least on the phosphorylcholine-rich surface, followed by the ethylene-oxide-containing monolayer. Cell adhesion also was low on the hydrophilic OH monolayer. Attachment was decreased with increasing shear rate, exhibiting a three-fold decrease between 20 and 100 s(-1). Fibrinogen adsorption was higher on the CH(3) monolayer but comparable for the other four SAMs. Preincubation of the surfaces with fibrinogen decreased adhesion on all SAMs examined.
Applications and Findings of an Occupational Exposure Database for Synthetic Vitreous Fibers

Occupational exposure databases are being used increasingly to characterize worker exposures in industries involving a variety of exposure scenarios. The glass and rock/slag segments of the synthetic vitreous fiber industry (in the United States) has developed a large (>14,000 samples) exposure database that can be used to estimate worker exposures based on industry sector, fiber type, product type, and job function. This article describes the development of this database as part of an industry-Occupational Safety and Health Administration collaborative Health and Safety Partnership Program and summarizes the findings and potential applications of the database.