Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The archaellum: a rotating type IV pilus

Microbes have evolved sophisticated mechanisms of motility allowing them to respond to changing environmental conditions. While this cellular process is well characterized in bacteria, the mode and mechanisms of motility are poorly understood in archaea. This study examines the motility of individual cells of the thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Specifically, we investigated motility of cells producing exclusively the archaeal swimming organelle, the archaellum. Archaella are structurally and in sequence similar to bacterial type IV pili involved in surface motility via pilus extension‐retraction cycles and not to rotating bacterial flagella. Unexpectedly, our studies reveal a novel type of behaviour for type IV pilus like structures: archaella rotate and their rotation drives swimming motility. Moreover, we demonstrate that temperature has a direct effect on rotation velocity explaining temperature‐dependent swimming velocity.
Hypotensive action of clonidine analogues correlates with binding affinity at imidazole and not alpha‐2-adrenergic receptors in the rostral ventrolateral medulla

Clonidine acts within the rostral ventrolateral medulla to lower arterial pressure. The receptor mechanism for this action is unknown. In the rostral ventrolateral medulla clonidine binds not only to the ap2-adrenergic receptor but also to a novel class of sites which are specific for imidazolines and imidazoles and are distinct from adrenergic or histaminergic receptors. In order to distinguish whether a putative imidazole receptor or the aP2-receptor mediates the clonidine hypotensive response, a series of clonidine analogues were tested (1) in radioligand binding assays of their affinity at imidazole and aP2-adrenergic receptors, and (2) by microinjection into the rostral ventrolateral medulla of anaesthetized rats to measure their capacity to lower arterial pressure. The hypotensive response elicited by the test agents was strongly correlated with affinity at imidazole sites (r = 0.92) but not with aP2-adrenergic affinity (r = 0.36). An imidazole receptor in the rostral ventrolateral medulla may participate in the hypotensive action of clonidine.
Screening Method for M-Proteins in Serum Using Nanobody Enrichment Coupled to MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry.

BACKGROUND Current recommendations for screening for monoclonal gammopathies include serum protein electrophoresis (PEL), imunofixation electrophoresis (IFE), and free light chain (FLC) ratios to identify or rule out an M-protein. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of an assay based on immunoenrichment and MALDI-TOF-MS (MASS-SCREEN) to qualitatively screen for M-proteins. METHODS Serum from 556 patients previously screened for M-proteins by PEL and IFE were immunopurified using a κ/λ-specific nanobody bead mixture. Following purification, light chains (LC) were released from their heavy chains by reduction. MALDI-TOF analysis was performed and the mass-to-charge LC distributions were visually examined for the presence of an M-protein by both unblinded and blinded analysts. RESULTS In unblinded analysis, MASS-SCREEN detected 100% of the PEL-positive samples with an analytical sensitivity and specificity of 96% and 81% using IFE positivity as the standard. In a blinded analysis using 6 different laboratory personnel, consensus was reached in 92% of the samples. Overall analytical sensitivity and specificity were reduced to 92% and 80%, respectively. FLC ratios were found to be abnormal in 28% of MASS-SCREEN-negative samples, suggesting FLC measurements need to be considered in screening. CONCLUSIONS MASS-SCREEN could replace PEL in a panel that would include FLC measurements. Further studies and method development should be performed to validate the clinical sensitivity and specificity and to determine if this panel will suffice as a general screen for monoclonal proteins.
Alcoholism and timing of separation in parents: findings in a midwestern birth cohort.

OBJECTIVE We examined history of alcoholism and occurrence and timing of separation in parents of a female twin cohort. METHOD Parental separation (never-together; never-married cohabitants who separated; married who separated) was predicted from maternal and paternal alcoholism in 326 African ancestry (AA) and 1,849 European/ other ancestry (EA) families. Broad (single-informant, reported in abstract) and narrow (self-report or two-informant) measures of alcoholism were compared. RESULTS Parental separation was more common in families with parental alcoholism: By the time twins were 18 years of age, parents had separated in only 24% of EA families in which neither parent was alcoholic, contrasted with 58% of families in which only the father was (father-only), 61% of families in which only the mother was (mother-only), and 75% in which both parents were alcoholic (two-parent); corresponding AA percentages were 59%, 71%, 82%, and 86%, respectively. Maternal alcoholism was more common in EA nevertogether couples (mother-only: odds ratio [OR] = 5.95; two parent: OR = 3.69). In ever-together couples, alcoholism in either parent predicted elevated risk of separation, with half of EA relationships ending in separation within 12 years of twins' birth for father-only families, 9 years for mother-only families, and 4 years for both parents alcoholic; corresponding median survival times for AA couples were 9, 4, and 2 years, respectively. EA maternal alcoholism was especially strongly associated with separation in the early postnatal years (mother-only: birth-5 years, hazard ratio [HR] = 4.43; 6 years on, HR = 2.52; two-parent: HRs = 5.76, 3.68, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Parental separation is a childhood environmental exposure that is more common in children of alcoholics, with timing of separation highly dependent on alcoholic parent gender.
Multiple spontaneous dislocations in a patient with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome

Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS) consists of a heterogeneous group of inherited connective tissue disorders, characterised by generalised joint hypermobility, hyperextensibility of the skin, dystrophic scars, and a tendency to excessive bleeding. Sequelae include recurrent low impact trauma dislocations, chronic joint pain, and early osteoarthritis. This report describes a case of multiple simultaneous dislocations at distant sites. We highlight the importance of paying consideration to the exposure of patients to large cumulative doses of ionising radiation to diagnose and confirm reduction of frequent dislocations, and ask whether radiographic confirmation is necessary on every occasion in this subset of patients.
THE IMPACT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT REPORTS ON DECISION MAKING IN AUSTRIA

Objectives: Health technology assessment (HTA) was established in Austria in the 1990s and, since then, it has gained considerable importance. In this study, we aim to analyze whether the HTA reports that have been produced at the Institute for Technology Assessment (ITA) and at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for HTA (LBI-HTA) have had an impact on decision making within the Austrian health care system. Methods: We selected all reports that were intended for supporting (i) reimbursement/investment or (ii) disinvestment decisions. Eleven full HTA reports and fifty-eight rapid assessments fulfilled the inclusion criteria. We used interview data and administrative data on volumes, tariffs and expenditure of products/services to analyze whether and how reports were in reality used in decision making and what the consequences for health care expenditure and resource distribution have been. Results: Five full HTA reports and fifty-six rapid technology assessments were used for reimbursement decisions. Four full HTA reports and two rapid assessments were used for disinvestment decisions and resulted in reduced volumes and expenditure. Two full HTA reports showed no impact on decision making. Impact was most evident for hospital technologies. Conclusions: HTA has played some role in reducing volumes of over-supplied hospital technologies, resulting in reduced expenditure for several hospital providers. Additionally, it has been increasingly included in prospective planning and reimbursement decisions of late, indicating re-distribution of resources toward evidence-based technologies. However, further factors may have influenced the decisions, and the impact could be considerably increased by systematically incorporating HTA into the decision-making process in Austria.
On guidelines for the management of the severe head injury.

The charitable American Trauma Brain Foundation has assembled and financed an expert task force to suggest guidelines for the management of patients with severe head injury (Glasgow coma score of 3-8 on presentation). They have addressed the concern that the clinical practise for these patients is diverse. ' The task force selected 14 topics considered central to optimal care of head injury, and used a systematic process of review to gather the available evidence. After critical analysis of selected publications, recommendations were put forward, and the degree of clinical certainty which accompanied the evidence for each topic was emphasised. Successive versions of the guidelines have been reported to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and other North American medical societies, inviting detailed criticism. The suggested guidelines were also presented to a consortium of European neurosurgeons with expertise in neurotrauma for peer review. As new evidence becomes available, they anticipate that the recommendations will be updated in later editions. The process of evaluating the scientific evidence was largely restricted to information obtained by means of Medline. Publications dating back to 1966 were searched using targeted keywords. References obtained in this way were assessed for suitability of design, content and relevance. A high proportion of these were subsequently rejected. Of those publications deemed suitable, a summary and a conclusion were provided under each topic heading. The process adopted would have identified most of the important studies, but a significant wealth of information may have been missed from non-English cultures, such as that in the Japanese literature. An extended systematic review of the literature, such as that recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration,2 was not undertaken. Although the international experience of the task force will compensate for this, the exclusion of such data may affect the acceptance of the guidelines in some countries. However, now that the framework for update has been established, it is envisaged that future studies from diverse international sources can be reviewed and included with relative ease. The problems encountered in providing evidence for clinical guidelines in severe head injury are well known to those managing these patients. A detailed account of these difficulties is comprehensively stated by the authors in the introduction. The process of review and critical analysis (specifically avoiding personal opinion) led the task force to consider the available evidence of insufficient clinical head injury
Cellular nonlinear network-based signal prediction in epilepsy: Method comparison

The seizure prediction problem has been addressed by many researchers from very different fields for more than three decades. The vision of an implantable seizure prediction device may become reality now: the first clinical study of such a device has been realized very recently and other realizations are not far behind. Cellular Nonlinear Networks (CNN) were firstly introduced by Chua and Yang in 1988 and later extended to an inherently parallel processing framework called the CNN Universal Machine (CNN-UM). This framework combines high computational power with low power consumption and miniaturized design - making it a very promising basis for the realization of a seizure warning device. In this contribution, we compare the seizure prediction performance of an eigenvalue based PCA-preprocessing followed by a nonlinear CNN signal prediction to the performance of a linear signal prediction approach followed by a level-crossing behavior analysis.
Autonomous Campus Mobility Services Using Driverless Taxi

In this paper, we present a driverless taxi system for autonomous campus mobility services. College campuses have unique mobility requirements in terms of layout, population, and demand and patterns. It is typically recommended to minimize the presence of private automobiles on campuses due to teaching and research disturbances, visual degradation from parking provision, environmental pollution, and negative health effects. As an alternative to private automobiles, shared mobility systems have been considered for both campus and urban transportation. Conventional shuttle systems suffer from the first and last mile problem. A bicycle and pedestrian friendly policy is not a generalizable solution for all geographic locations and campus layouts. We suggest a driverless taxi service as an alternative point-to-point shared mobility system for campuses. We have demonstrated the feasibility of this service on a 4.5-km campus road at Seoul National University. The service has covered over 10 000 km autonomously since the first public demonstration was made in November 2015.
Effects of Tetracyclines on Bone Metabolism

The anti-resorptive properties of tetracyclines (TCs) and their non-antimicrobial, chemically modified analogues (CMTs) have enormous therapeutic potential in medicine and dentistry. Osseous destructive diseases associated with excessive mammalian collagenase (matrix metalloproteinase) activity and collagen breakdown include malignancy, arthritis, and periodontitis. However, apart from the significant antimatrix metalloproteinase effects of TCs, TCs/CMTs are also potent inhibitors of osteoclast function (i.e., anti-resorptive). Thus, TCs can affect several parameters of osteoclast function and consequently inhibit bone resorption by (1) altering intracellular calcium concentration and interacting with the putative calcium receptor; (2) decreasing ruffled border area; (3) diminishing acid production; (4) diminishing the secretion of lysosomal cysteine proteinases (cathepsins); (5) inducing cell retraction by affecting podosomes; (6) inhibiting osteoclast gelatinase activity; (7) selectively inhibiting osteoclast ontogeny or development; and (8) inducing apoptosis or programmed cell death of osteoclasts. TCs/CMTs, as anti-resorptive drugs, may act similarly to bisphosphonates and primarily affect osteoclast function.
Prevalence of tsetse fly and ruminant trypanosomosis in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, Nigeria.

The prevalence of ruminant trypanosomosis and tsetse flies was investigated in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area--a sleeping sickness endemic area--between the valleys of River Benue, Katsina-Ala and Donga in Central Nigeria. Analysis of three hundred and twenty blood samples showed that among semi-nomadic animals, about one cattle (21.3%; 0.213, confidence interval C1 +/- 0.06) and two sheep (38.0%; 0.380, C1 +/- 0.10) out of five carried mature trypanosome infections. Significantly lower (P < 0.05) values (12.5%; 0.125, C1 +/- 0.08) were recorded among peri-domestic West African Cross Red Sokoto (WAD x RS) goats. Trypanosoma vivax was the most prevalent species encountered; it was diagnosed in 10.3% of the ruminant population and responsible for 42.8% of the infections in all animals. Corresponding figures for T. congolense were 5.9% and 24.6%, respectively. T. brucei infections were low in cattle (1.8%) and absent in goats. Males and young stock had lower infection but the difference was not significant (P > 0.05) except between the ages in cattle. Glossina tachinoides was the only tsetse species encountered and responded to acetone odour attractant in biconical traps.
Laparoscopic Transabdominal Preperitoneal Repair Versus Laparoscopic Intraperitoneal Onlay mesh Repair for Umbilical/para umbilical Hernia- an Institutional Review

Background: Laparoscopy has gained popularity over open surgery in the treatment of umbilical and para-umbilical hernia repair over the last decade due to better defining and cover of the abdominal defect, shorter post-operative stay, less pain and lesser complications. The aim of our study was to compare the two procedures in terms of duration of surgery,cost outcome, complications, recovery time, and recurrence. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective cum retrospective study conducted in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for umbilical or para-umbilical hernia in Kasturba hospital, Manipal, aged from 18 to 65 years. The two groups studied were laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal hernioplasty (TAPP) group and laparoscopic intraperitoneal onlay mesh hernioplasty (IPOM) group. The IPOM group was further subdivided into IPOM (I) when trans-parietal sutures were used and IPOM (II) when only tackers were used. Observations included intra-operative/post-operative complications, post-operative pain evaluated by using visual analogue scale(VAS) and recurrences. Cost of surgery, mean operating time and length of stay in hospital was evaluated. Result: 120 patients were included. 34 and 59 underwent TAPP and IPOM respectively. IPOM was less time consuming as compared to TAPP (p=0.021). TAPP proved to be a significantly cost effective procedure, (p<0.01). Both procedures had no recurrences. Conclusion: Laparoscopic repair of umbilical hernia by IPOM method is less time consuming but expensive. TAPP allows safe use of less expensive polypropylene mesh, fewer tackers and hence is cost effective. TAPP and IPOM are feasible operations with low morbidity and no recurrences when performed by experts. Both procedures are comparable in terms of length of stay in the hospital, intra-operative, post-operative complications and pain.
The Diguanylate Cyclase GcbA Facilitates Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Dispersion by Activating BdlA

ABSTRACT Biofilm dispersion is a highly regulated process that allows biofilm bacteria to respond to changing environmental conditions and to disseminate to new locations. The dispersion of biofilms formed by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is known to require a number of cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP)-degrading phosphodiesterases (PDEs) and the chemosensory protein BdlA, with BdlA playing a pivotal role in regulating PDE activity and enabling dispersion in response to a wide array of cues. BdlA is activated during biofilm growth via posttranslational modifications and nonprocessive cleavage in a manner that is dependent on elevated c-di-GMP levels. Here, we provide evidence that the diguanylate cyclase (DGC) GcbA contributes to the regulation of BdlA cleavage shortly after initial cellular attachment to surfaces and, thus, plays an essential role in allowing biofilm cells to disperse in response to increasing concentrations of a variety of substances, including carbohydrates, heavy metals, and nitric oxide. DGC activity of GcbA was required for its function, as a catalytically inactive variant could not rescue impaired BdlA processing or the dispersion-deficient phenotype of gcbA mutant biofilms to wild-type levels. While modulating BdlA cleavage during biofilm growth, GcbA itself was found to be subject to c-di-GMP-dependent and growth-mode-specific regulation. GcbA production was suppressed in mature wild-type biofilms and could be induced by reducing c-di-GMP levels via overexpression of genes encoding PDEs. Taken together, the present findings demonstrate that the regulatory functions of c-di-GMP-synthesizing DGCs expand beyond surface attachment and biofilm formation and illustrate a novel role for DGCs in the regulation of the reverse sessile-motile transition of dispersion.
The Love Revolution : Decline in Arranged Marriages in Asia , the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa

Arranged marriages have existed in many societies throughout time, they have acted as a mechanism that allows two families to enter into an informal contract (for example, informal insurance arrangements) that will provide benefits to their members: create political alliances, ensure consumption smoothing, facilitate economic transactions, consolidate power, increase wealth, among others. In Europe, they disappeared towards the 12th century, remaining popular only among the wealthy class finally disappearing after the Industrial Revolution. In the East (Asia and Africa), they remained to be the most popular marriage institution until the middle of the 20th century. This paper documents a striking decline in arranged marriages in Asia, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. It also documents the patterns of the transition, finding that women in arranged marriages tend to live in rural areas, have lower education, belong to agricultural households, and being engaged in non-paid activities. These findings allow me to suggest one main hypothesis regarding the causes behind their disappearance: the decline in the net benefits of arranged marriages relative to an (increasing) outside option. I propose and discuss several of economic changes that could lead to shift in this margin: increase in income covariance, change in type of risk (mean and variance of income), availability of substitutes, increase in asymmetric information and limited commitment, change in bargaining power of children, and alternative explanations related to changes in marriage markets. Finally, I briefly analyze some potential welfare consequences of the transition by focusing on measures of domestic violence. I find that women having an arranged marriages are more prone to support domestic abuse.
Protective effects of berberine against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats by inhibiting metabolism of doxorubicin

Abstract 1. The clinical use of doxorubicin, an effective anticancer drug, is severely hampered by its cardiotoxicity. Berberine, a botanical alkaloid, has been reported to possess cardioprotective and antitumor effects. In this study, we investigated the cardioprotective effect of berberine on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and the effect of berberine on the metabolism of doxorubicin. 2. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered doxorubicin in the presence or absence of berberine for 2 weeks. Administration of berberine effectively prevented doxorubicin-induced body weight reduction and mortality in rats. 3. Berberine reduced the activity of myocardial enzymes, including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine kinase (CK), CK isoenzyme (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Echocardiographic examination further demonstrated that berberine effectively ameliorated cardiac dysfunction induced by doxorubicin. 4. Berberine inhibited the metabolism of doxorubicin in the cytoplasm of rat heart and reduced the accumulation of doxorubicinol (a secondary alcohol metabolite of doxorubicin) in heart. 5. These data showed that berberine alleviated the doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats via inhibition of the metabolism of doxorubicin and reduced accumulation of doxorubicinol selectively in hearts.
Examining Action Effects in the Execution of a Skilled Soccer Kick by Using Erroneous Feedback

The authors examined the role of action effects (i.e., ball trajectory) during the performance of a soccer kick. Participants were 20 expert players who kicked a ball over a height barrier toward a ground-level target. The authors occluded participants' vision of the ball trajectory after foot-to-ball contact. Participants in a 1st group received erroneous feedback from a video that showed a ball-trajectory apex approximately 75 cm lower than that of their actual kick, although the ball's landing position was unaltered. Participants in a 2nd group received correct video feedback of both the ball trajectory and the landing position. The erroneous-feedback group showed a significant bias toward higher ball trajectories than did the correct-feedback group. The authors conclude that performers at high levels of skill use the visual consequences of the action to plan and execute an action.