Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) heparin binding domain binds to cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans

The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) has been strongly implicated in several aspects of neural development. NCAM mediated adhesion has been proposed to involve a homophilic interaction between NCAMs on adjacent cells. The heparin binding domain (HBD) is an amino acid sequence within NCAM and has been shown to be involved in NCAM mediated adhesion but the relationship of this domain to NCAM segments mediating homophilic adhesion has not been defined. In the present study, a synthetic peptide corresponding to the HBD has been used as a substrate to determine its role in NCAM mediated adhesion. A neural cell line expressing NCAM (B35) and its derived clone which does not express NCAM (B35 clone 3) adhered similarly to plates coated with HBD peptide. A polyclonal antiserum to NCAM inhibited B35 cell‐HBD peptide adhesion by only 10%, a value not statistically different from inhibition caused by preimmune serum. Both these experiments suggested no direct NCAM‐HBD interactions. To test whether the HBD peptide bound to cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG), HSPG synthesis was inhibited using β‐D‐xyloside. After treatment, B35 cell adhesion to the HBD peptide, but not to control substrates, was significantly decreased. B35 cell adhesion to the HBD peptide could be inhibited by 10−7 M heparin but not chondroitin sulfate. Preincubation of the substrate (HBD peptide) with heparin caused dramatic reduction of B35 cell‐HBD peptide adhesion whereas preincubation of B35 cells with heparin caused only modest reductions in cell‐HBD adhesion. Furthermore, inhibition of HSPG sulfation with sodium chlorate also decreased the adhesion of B35 cells to the HBD peptide. These results strongly suggest that, within the assay system, the NCAM HBD does not participate in homophilic interactions but binds to cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan. This interaction potentially represents an important mechanism of NCAM adhesion and further supports the view that NCAM has multiple structurally independent binding sites. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Correlation‐adjusted estimation of sensitivity and specificity of two diagnostic tests

Summary. Models for multiple‐test screening data generally require the assumption that the tests are independent conditional on disease state. This assumption may be unreasonable, especially when the biological basis of the tests is the same. We propose a model that allows for correlation between two diagnostic test results. Since models that incorporate test correlation involve more parameters than can be estimated with the available data, posterior inferences will depend more heavily on prior distributions, even with large sample sizes. If we have reasonably accurate information about one of the two screening tests (perhaps the standard currently used test) or the prevalences of the populations tested, accurate inferences about all the parameters, including the test correlation, are possible. We present a model for evaluating dependent diagnostic tests and analyse real and simulated data sets. Our analysis shows that, when the tests are correlated, a model that assumes conditional independence can perform very poorly. We recommend that, if the tests are only moderately accurate and measure the same biological responses, researchers use the dependence model for their analyses.
Inflammatory bowel disease versus irritable bowel syndrome: a hospital‐based, case‐control study of disease impact on quality of life

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are intestinal diseases perceived differently by patients and doctors: the former is considered essentially as an ‘organic’ disease (i.e. an illness in which the role of stress or psychological factors is at best secondary to the disease itself), whereas the latter is acknowledged as a ‘functional’ disorder (i.e. illness thought to be more in the ‘mind’ than in the body of the patient). Accordingly, the respective impact of the two diseases on patients' health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) is perceived to be very different. We aimed to compare the relative impact of the disease on HRQOL, psychological profile and perceived burden of stressful life events in two groups of outpatients suffering from IBS and IBD and attending our outpatient department at an Italian university hospital. Eighty patients with IBD (26 with ulcerative colitis and 54 with Crohn disease) and 85 controls with IBS formed the patient samples of the study. Methods: Three questionnaires were given to the patients while they were attending the outpatient department because of their previously diagnosed disease, namely the SF‐36 (a generic well‐validated tool for measuring HRQOL), the SCL‐90 (for assessing the psychological profile of patients), and the Holmes & Rahe schedule (for the assessment of stressful life experiences). The results were then compared by means of analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni‐adjusted t test, when appropriate. Results: HRQOL appeared to be similarly reduced in both disease groups (SF‐36 overall mean value: 58.2 ± 16.1 in IBS patients versus 56.4 ± 22.3 in IBD patients; P > 0.05) in comparison with normative Italian data. Furthermore, the overall severity of psychological symptoms was not statistically different between patients suffering from IBD versus IBS, as shown by SCL‐90 mean scores of 0.89 ± 0.45 versus 0.83 ± 0.48, respectively (P > 0.05). On the contrary, the severity of recent stressful life experiences was perceived to be higher by IBS than by IBD patients (mean SRE score: 110.8 ± 110.2 versus 61.6 ± 78.8; P < 0.05). Conclusion: Our study supports the notion that, at least in referral centres, patients with IBS show health‐related quality of life, psychological distress and recent occurrence of stressful life events of severity at least comparable with age‐matched IBD patients.
Surgical Excision of Pilomatrixoma of the Head and Neck: A Retrospective Review of 26 Cases

The objective of this article is to describe our experiences in treating patients for head and neck pilomatrixoma at our institution during a 5-year period and to compare our findings with previously published results. To that end, we conducted a 5-year retrospective chart review to identify those patients who had a confirmed histopathologic diagnosis of pilomatrixoma involving the head and neck area. We reviewed medical records for presenting signs and symptoms, lesion characteristics, treatment rendered, and outcomes. We identified 26 patients, aged 6 to 77 (mean: 33), who met the criteria for inclusion in our study. All had been treated for solitary tumors with simple surgical excision and closure. We found no reported adverse outcomes and no tumor recurrences at the surgical sites. These findings support the use of simple surgical excision as the treatment of choice for these tumors.
PfRH2b specific monoclonal antibodies inhibit merozoite invasion

Erythrocyte invasion by merozoite is a multistep process involving multiple ligand–receptor interactions. The Plasmodium falciparum reticulocyte binding protein homologues (PfRHs) consists of five functional members. The differential expression of PfRHs has been linked to the utilization of different invasion pathways by the merozoites as well as a mechanism of immune evasion. PfRHs are expressed at the apical end of merozoite and form interactions with distinct red blood cell (RBC) surface receptors that are important for successful invasion. Here we show that PfRH2b undergoes processing before and during merozoite invasion. The different processed fragments bind to chymotrypsin sensitive RBC surface receptors. We also show that PfRH2b follows the merozoite tight junction during invasion. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) inhibit merozoites invasion by blocking tight junction formation. mAbs binding to PfRH2b block merozoites intracellular Ca2+ signal necessary for EBA175 surface expression. The data suggests that a conserved function of PfRHs, where their interaction with RBC surface receptors facilitated recruitment of EBA175 and other tight junction proteins necessary for merozoite invasion by modulating merozoite intracellular Ca2+ signals.
Intracerebral metastases in solid‐tumor patients: Natural history and results of treatment

In order to determine the natural history and results of treatment of intracerebral metastases in solid‐tumor patients, the records of 191 patients with an antemortem diagnosis of intracerebral metastasis made during the period from August 1974 to November 1978 were reviewed. Malignancies included lung (122 patients), breast (26), unknown primary (16), melanoma (8), colorectal (6), hypernephroma (4), and others (12). Favorable prognostic factors included solitary brain metastasis (P < 0.001), ambulatory performance status (P < 0.001), symptoms of headache (P < 0.001), or visual disturbances (P < 0.02), and estrogen receptor positivity in breast cancer patients (P = 0.055). Poor prognostic factors included advanced age (P < 0.04) and evidence of impaired consciousness, i.e., disorientation, lethargy, stupor, or coma (P < 0.007). Median survival time after diagnosis of intracerebral metastasis was 3.7 months for the entire series. In those patients with a single intracerebral metastasis and minimal tumor burden, the type of treatment used had a significant impact on survival. Those cases treated with surgery and radiation had a median survival time of 9.7 months versus 3.7 months for those treated with radiation alone (P < 0.02). When using a proportional hazard regression analysis to adjust for the three most important prognostic factors, treatment (surgery and radiation versus radiation alone) still appeared to be important. Intracerebral metastases were the immediate or contributing cause of death in 50% of the patients in this series. Patients at greater risk of dying of intracerebral metastases included those in whom the brain was the first site of distant metastasis, those with an intracerebral metastasis from an unknown primary site, and those whose presentation of malignancy was with symptoms of a brain metastasis. Although the therapeutic goal in intracerebral metastases is generally palliative, it appears that there are categories of cases that may benefit from more aggressive treatment.
The tyrosine kinase Lyn limits the cytokine responsiveness of plasma cells to restrict their accumulation in mice

A nonreceptor tyrosine kinase inhibits cytokine signaling to prevent the persistence of antibody-secreting cells. Restricting Plasma Cell Survival Plasma cells, which are derived from B cells, are long-lived antibody-secreting cells that help to fight infections and maintain immunological memory. However, in autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, excess numbers of plasma cells accumulate (plasmacytosis) and produce autoreactive antibodies. Infantino et al. examined mice deficient in the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase Lyn. Lyn-deficient mice exhibit plasmacytosis and autoimmunity. The accumulation of plasma cells in these mice did not depend on inflammation or other immune cell types, but was associated with the increased responsiveness of plasma cells to cytokines that stimulate survival. The findings suggest that Lyn inhibits cytokine signaling to restrict the accumulation of antibody-producing cells. Maintenance of an appropriate number of plasma cells, long-lived antibody-producing cells that are derived from B cells, is essential for maintaining immunological memory while limiting disease. Plasma cell survival relies on extrinsic factors, the limited availability of which determines the size of the plasma cell population. Mice deficient in the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase Lyn are prone to an autoimmune disease that is characterized by inflammation and an excess of plasma cells (plasmacytosis). We demonstrated that the plasmacytosis was intrinsic to B cells and independent of inflammation. We also showed that Lyn attenuated signaling by signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and STAT5 in response to the cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-3, respectively, in two previously uncharacterized plasma cell signaling pathways. Thus, in the absence of Lyn, the survival of plasma cells was improved, which enabled the plasma cells to become established in excess numbers in niches in vivo. These data identify Lyn as a key regulator of survival signaling in plasma cells, limiting plasma cell accumulation and autoimmune disease susceptibility.
A perceptual coding language for visual and auditory patterns.

A formal coding language for twoand three-dimensional shapes and for auditory patterns is presented. The coding allows the derivation of measures of information for both shapes and auditory patterns, as well as measures of preferred dimensionality, hierarchy, and substructural order for shapesmeasures that rather successfully predict the corresponding perceptual phenomena. A theory of the origin of the units of information that are independently processed in the human perception of visual and auditory patterns is proposed.
Galaxies, Human Eyes, and Artificial Neural Networks

The quantitative morphological classification of galaxies is important for understanding the origin of type frequency and correlations with environment. However, galaxy morphological classification is still mainly done visually by dedicated individuals, in the spirit of Hubble's original scheme and its modifications. The rapid increase in data on galaxy images at low and high redshift calls for a re-examination of the classification schemes and for automatic methods. Here are shown results from a systematic comparison of the dispersion among human experts classifying a uniformly selected sample of more than 800 digitized galaxy images. These galaxy images were then classified by six of the authors independently. The human classifications are compared with each other and with an automatic classification by an artificial neural network, which replicates the classification by a human expert to the same degree of agreement as that between two human experts.
Breakfast consumption is positively associated with nutrient adequacy in Canadian children and adolescents - CORRIGENDUM.

The value for calcium intake at breakfast for the RTEC breakfast group in Table 3 in the paper by Barr et al. (1) was incorrect. The correct value is given here. The authors apologise for this error. Table 3. Nutrient intake of Canadian children and adolescents consuming breakfasts with and without ready-to-eat cereal (RTEC) at the breakfast meal and during the rest of the day † (Weighted means with their standard errors)
Cracking Rock : Progress in Fracture Treatment Design

4 For their help with this article, thanks to Larry Behrmann, Schlumberger Perforating Center, Rosharon, Texas, USA; Simon Bittleston, Schlumberger Cambridge Research, Cambridge, England; CJ de Pater, Delft Technical University, The Netherlands; Cor Kenter and Jacob Shlyapobersky Koninklijke/Shell Exploratie en Produktie Laboratorium, Rijswijk, The Netherlands; Paul Martins, BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., Anchorage, USA; and George K. Wong, Shell Bellaire Research, Houston, Texas, USA. In this article, NODAL, DataFRAC and ZODIAC (Zoned Dynamic Interpretation Analysis and Computation) are marks of Schlumberger. VAX is a mark of Digital Equipment Corp. and Sun is a mark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Barry Brady Jack Elbel Mark Mack Hugo Morales Ken Nolte Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA Bobby Poe Houston, Texas, USA
Effects of Bicyclomycin on RNA- and ATP-Binding Activities of Transcription Termination Factor Rho

ABSTRACT Bicyclomycin is a commercially important antibiotic that has been shown to be effective against many gram-negative bacteria. Genetic and biochemical evidence indicates that the antibiotic interferes with RNA metabolism in Escherichia coli by inhibiting the activity of transcription termination factor Rho. However, the precise mechanism of inhibition is not completely known. In this study we have used in vitro transcription assays to analyze the effects of bicyclomycin on the termination step of transcription. The Rho-dependent transcription termination region located within thehisG cistron of Salmonella typhimurium has been used as an experimental system. The possible interference of the antibiotic with the various functions of factor Rho, such as RNA binding at the primary site, ATP binding, and hexamer formation, has been investigated by RNA gel mobility shift, photochemical cross-linking, and gel filtration experiments. The results of these studies demonstrate that bicyclomycin does not interfere with the binding of Rho to the loading site on nascent RNA. Binding of the factor to ATP is not impeded, on the contrary, the antibiotic appears to decrease the apparent equilibrium dissociation constant for ATP in photochemical cross-linking experiments. The available evidence suggests that this decrease might be due to an interference with the correct positioning of ATP within the nucleotide-binding pocket leading b an inherent block of ATP hydrolysis. Possibly, as a consequence of this interference, the antibiotic also prevents ATP-dependent stabilization of Rho hexamers.
A study examining the impact of 12-hour shifts on critical care staff.

BACKGROUND Twelve-hour shifts contribute to flexible patterns of work, but the effects on delivery of direct care and staff fatigue are important topics for deeper examination. AIMS To examine the impact and implications of 12-hour shifts on critical care staff. METHODS A staged dual approach using two focus groups (n = 16) and questionnaires (n = 147) with critical care staff from three critical care units. RESULTS Positive effects were found with planning and prioritizing care, improved relationships with patients/relatives, good-quality time off work and ease of travelling to work. Less favourable effects were with caring for patients in isolation cubicles and the impact on staff motivation and tiredness. Acceptable patterns of work were suggested for 'numbers of consecutive shifts' and 'rest periods between shifts'. CONCLUSIONS Most participants believed 12-hour shifts should continue. The challenge is to ensure existing systems and practices develop to improve on the less positive effects of working 12-hour shifts. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT This study provides nurse managers with important and relevant staff views on the impact of working 12-hour shifts. In particular to those working within a critical care environment and suggests the challenge is to ensure existing systems and practices develop to improve on the less encouraging effects of working 12-hour shifts. It adds an understanding of the senior nurse's view on the positive and negative effects of managing and organizing staff off duty to safely run a department with 12-hour shifts.
An improved anti-leukemic effect achieved with donor progenitor cell infusion for relapse patients after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

OBJECTIVE To observe the antileukemic effect in relapse patients by infusion of donor immunocompetent cells with or without granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilization. METHODS Twenty patients with leukemia in relapse after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) were treated with chemotherapy followed by donor-derived lymphocytes (DDL) without G-CSF mobilization (Group A, n = 11), or donor peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPCs) with G-CSF mobilization (Group B, n = 9). RESULTS Five patients in Group A were in hematologic relapse. After DDL infusion, 3 of 5 patients had a temporary complete remission (CR) and relapsed after 3, 7 and 10 months, respectively. One achieved partial remission and died of interstitial pneumonia; and the other one showed no response. Another 6 patients in Group A were in cytogenetic relapse or central nerve system (CNS) leukemia, and all achieved CR and remained in disease free survival (DFS) for 10 to 98 months after DDL infusion. All 9 patients in group B were in hematologic relapse. Three patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) had cytogenetic and molecular remission for 16, 35 and 51 months, respectively after PBPC infusion; and 5 patients with acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) had CR and were still in CR for 10 to 18 months except 1 patient relapsed soon. And the other one with AML showed no response to the therapy. CONCLUSION Donor immunocompetent cells infusion is an effective therapy for relapsed leukemia after allo-BMT, especially for the patients with early (molecular and cytogenetic) or CNS relapse. Infusion of donor PBPC mobilized by G-CSF seems to have more potentiated graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect than DDL infusion.
Defining Tailored Training Approaches for Army Institutional Training

Abstract : The Army places a premium upon effective and efficient training. However, what constitutes effective and/or efficient training varies from group to group and individual to individual. For decades researchers have explored the extent to which training quality can be improved by tailoring training, defined as assessing salient individual differences and assigning learners to learning conditions based on those differences. Feasible tailored training research in Army contexts, however, requires an understanding of the academic research in tailored training, a grasp of which methods of tailoring are (in)effective and under what conditions, and an understanding of how differences between Army institutional training settings and academic research settings and populations might impact the generalizability of results. This report summarizes the research literature and determines the major areas of tailored training research. These areas are ability grouping, learning in small groups, tutoring, microadaptation, learning styles, and aptitude-treatment interactions (ATI). The report then determines what types of tailored training are most effective and under what conditions. Of the six areas, only learning styles was deemed ineffective. Each of the remaining areas demonstrated significant tailored training effects. The report provides suggestions for tailored training research with near-term applicability in Army settings. Suggestions for near-term applicable tailored training include focusing on small groups, microadaptation in one-on-one remedial training settings, and ATI research. In ATI, the critical aptitude is prior knowledge. Emphasis is placed on first experimentally assessing the extent and nature of ATI in Army settings and then verifying those findings in classroom settings.
Topology optimization for transient response of photonic crystal structures

An optimization scheme based on topology optimization for transient response of photonic crystal structures is developed. The system response is obtained by a finite-element time-domain analysis employing perfectly matched layers as an absorbing boundary condition. As an example a waveguide-side-coupled microcavity is designed. The gradient-based optimization technique is applied to redistribute the material inside the microcavity such that the Q factors of a monopole and a dipole mode are improved by 375% and 285%, respectively, while maintaining strong coupling. This is obtained by maximizing the stored energy inside the microcavity in the decaying regime of the transient response. Manufacturable designs are achieved by filtering techniques capable of controlling minimum length scales of the design features.