Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Euroconference on the Biology of Type IV Secretion Processes: bacterial gates into the outer world

Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) mediate both protein and ssDNA secretion from a wide range of bacteria into virtually any cell type or into the milieu. It is this versatility that confers on them the ability to participate in many processes of bacterial life that imply communication with their environment. Type IV secretion systems are involved in horizontal DNA transfer to other bacteria and to plant cells, in DNA uptake from the milieu, in toxin secretion into the milieu, and in the injection of virulence factors into the eukaryotic host cell in a number of mammalian and plant pathogens. Recently, a EuroConference addressed the different aspects of the biology of these transmembrane multiprotein complexes, from the crystal structure of the individual components to the modification that the secreted substrates induce in the recipient cell. Significant progress has been made in the understanding of the molecular architecture and mechanism of secretion. The analysis of protein–protein interactions confirms the role of coupling proteins as substrate recruiters for the transporter. The VirB10 component of the complex has come up as a strong candidate for signal transducer. The wide range of effects on the recipient suggests that many effector proteins are secreted. New effector proteins are being identified for both plant and animal pathogens, as are their targets within the host cells. New T4SS members are being identified that perform novel roles, beyond DNA transfer and virulence, such as establishment of symbiotic processes. Our current knowledge of the Biology of Type IV Secretion Processes increases our ability to exploit them as biotechnological tools or to use them as new targets for inhibitors that could constitute a new generation of antimicrobials in the near future.
Segmentation of 4D CT bone images by sequential registration

The introduction of 4D image acquisition techniques has made it possible to analyse anatomical motion in vivo. With 4D computed tomography (CT), it is now possible to study the motion of joints leading to a deeper understanding of the role of morphology on joint motion and a better assessment of pathologies. Although 4D CT shows a lot of opportunities, the workload to process these 4D acquisitions has increased dramatically. A major part of this process is segmentation, the delineation of the objects of interest within the image volume. This paper presents an algorithm to accelerate this step by registering the segmentation of one frame onto the others. This results in a fast segmentation of the whole 4D dataset, all identical in shape. We show that the proposed algorithm is able to segment two carpal bones, the trapezoid and the scaphoid, with results close to a manual segmentation in less than 5% of the processing time.
Formulating Treatment to Cure Alzheimer’s Dementia: Approach #2

There are two generic approaches to curing any medical condition. The first one treats every patient for all the known possible causes that contribute to pathogenesis; the second one individualizes potentially curative therapy by only identifying in each separate patient the components of pathogenesis that are actually operative and treating those. This article adopts the second approach for formulating a cure for Alzheimer’s dementia (AD). The components of AD’s pathogenesis are, in alphabetical order, as follows: circadian rhythm disturbances, depression, diabetes and insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, inflammation, metabolic syndrome, mitochondrial dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies, TGF-β deficiency, underweight, vascular abnormalities, and Wnt/β-catenin deficiency. For each component, data are described that show the degree to which its prevalence is higher in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who did not revert to having normal cognition than in those who did because the former group is the pool of patients in which future AD may develop. Only addressing the components that are present in a particular individual potentially is a curative strategy. Published data indicate that curative therapy requires the number of such components that are addressed to be ≥3. Although structural brain changes cannot be directly addressed, the impaired neural tracts result from many of the reversible causal elements, so correcting them will benefit these tracts.
Towards a Safer Future: Enhancing Vaccine Development to Combat Animal Coronaviruses

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a large class of positively stranded RNA viruses that pose a significant threat to public health, livestock farming, and wild animals. These viruses have the ability to cross species barriers and cause devastating epidemics. Animals are considered to be intermediate hosts for many coronaviruses, and many animal coronaviruses also have the potential for cross-species transmission to humans. Therefore, controlling the epidemic transmission of animal coronaviruses is of great importance to human health. Vaccination programs have proven to be effective in controlling coronaviruses infections, offering a cost-effective approach to reducing morbidity and mortality, so the re-emergence of lethal coronaviruses emphasizes the urgent need for the development of effective vaccines. In this regard, we explore the progress in animal coronavirus vaccine development, covering the latest taxonomy of the main animal coronaviruses, spillover events, diverse vaccine development platforms, potential main targets for animal coronavirus vaccine development, and primary challenges facing animal coronavirus vaccines. We emphasize the urgent need to create a “dual-effect” vaccine capable of eliciting both cellular and humoral immune responses. The goal is to highlight the contributions of veterinary scientists in this field and emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between the veterinary and medical communities. By promoting communication and cooperation, we can enhance the development of novel and super vaccines to combat human and animal coronavirus infections in the future.
Myelomatous pleural effusion involvement in 23 patients with multiple myeloma: A single-center clinical analysis

We investigated the treatment and prognosis of pleural effusion (PE) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. From June 2005 to December 2013, 296 MM patients participated in this study. There were 23 PE patients, including 11 men and 12 women, with a median age of 56.8 years (range 37–68 years). A diagnosis of PE was based on physical examination, chest X‐ray or computed tomography, and pleural fluid analysis. All patients demonstrated myeloma cells in the pleural fluid, and six patients were positive for PE M protein. PE patients received bortezomib combined with other drugs. Only one patient demonstrated a complete response; 10 patients showed partial responses, and 12 patients developed progressive disease and died. MM linked with myelomatous PE is associated with a poor prognosis. Myelomatous PE is likely a late manifestation of the natural history of MM or an expression of the aggressive behavior of the disease.
Anaerobutyricum soehngenii Reduces Hepatic Lipogenic Pathways and Increases Intestinal Gluconeogenic Gene Expression in Metabolic-Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) Mice

Metabolic-dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a growing health problem for which no therapy exists to date. The modulation of the gut microbiome may have treatment potential for MASLD. Here, we investigated Anaerobutyricum soehngenii, a butyrate-producing anaerobic bacterium with beneficial effects in metabolic syndrome, in a diet-induced MASLD mouse model. Male C57BL/6J mice received a Western-type high-fat diet and water with 15% fructose (WDF) to induce MASLD and were gavaged with A. soehngenii (108 or 109 colony-forming units (CFU) 3 times per week) or a placebo for 6 weeks. The A. soehngenii gavage increased the cecal butyrate concentrations. Although there was no effect on histological MASLD scores, A. soehngenii improved the glycemic response to insulin. In the liver, the WDF-associated altered expression of three genes relevant to the MASLD pathophysiology was reversed upon treatment with A. soehngenii: Lipin-1 (Lpin1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (Igfbp1) and Interleukin 1 Receptor Type 1 (Il1r1). A. soehngenii administration also increased the intestinal expression of gluconeogenesis and fructolysis genes. Although these effects did not translate into significant histological improvements in MASLD, these results provide a basis for combined gut microbial approaches to induce histological improvements in MASLD.
Scalable individual tree delineation in 3D point clouds

Manually monitoring and documenting trees is labour intensive. Lidar provides a possible solution for automatic tree‐inventory generation. Existing approaches for segmenting trees from original point cloud data lack scalable and efficient methods that separate individual trees sampled by different laser‐scanning systems with sufficient quality under all circumstances. In this study a new algorithm for efficient individual tree delineation from lidar point clouds is presented and validated. The proposed algorithm first resamples the points using cuboid (modified voxel) cells. Consecutively connected cells are accumulated by vertically traversing cell layers. Trees in close proximity are identified, based on a novel cell‐adjacency analysis. The scalable performance of this algorithm is validated on airborne, mobile and terrestrial laser‐scanning point clouds. Validation against ground truth demonstrates an improvement from 89% to 94% relative to a state‐of‐the‐art method while computation time is similar.
Learning visual distance function for object identification from one example

Comparing images is essential to several computer vision problems, like image retrieval or object identification. The comparison of two images heavily relies on the definition of a good distance function. Standard functions (e.g. the euclidean distance in the original feature space) are too generic and fail to encode the domain specific information. In this paper, we propose to learn a similarity measure specific to a given category (e.g. cars). This distance is learned from a training set of pairs of images labeled “same” or “different”, indicating if the two images represent the same object (e.g. same car model) or not. After learning, this measure is used to predict how similar two images of never seen objects are (see figure 1).
Effect of oral dosage of Spirulina platensis and silver nanoparticles on glucose, lipid profile, and liver enzymes in male rats induced di-abetics by alloxan

Diabetes is believed to be one of the most important challenges that are facing societies around the world. The research was conducted to determine the effectiveness of 150 mg/ml of Spirulina platensis and 10 mg/ml of silver nanoparticles Ag-NPs on the sugar level, lipid profile, and liver enzyme concentration in male rats. Diabetes was induced with alloxan and bred for four weeks. The rats were divided randomly into five groups and every single group contained five rats; M1 was the control group, M2 was a treated diabetic rat, M3 treated diabetic rats with 10 mg/ml Ag-NPs, M4 treated diabetic rats with 150 mg/ml S. platensis and M5 group with diabetic rats that were treated with 10 mg/ml Ag-NPs + 150 mg/ml S. platensis. The results showed that the group of rats infected with Alloxan (M2) caused negative effects at a significant level (P<0.05) on the blood sugar level, while the group of rats treated with Ag-NPs (M3) or S. platensis (M4) or both (M5) showed a positive effect on the blood glucose rate, which reached 292.6, 210.5, and 199.3 mg/dl, respectively, compared to the (M2) group, which was 441.8 mg/dl. The results of the lipids profile, the group with diabetes (M2) showed an increase in the level of triglycerides (TG), cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), and a decrease in the level of high-density lipoproteins (HDL). The treatment groups M3, M4, and M5 improved significantly positive blood lipid levels. The same situation applied to the liver enzymes AST, ALT, and ALP, whose values decreased significantly in the treatment groups (M3, M4, and M5) compared to the infection group (M2).
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles: from preparations to in vivo MRI applications

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have received great attention due to their applications as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This feature article briefly introduces the concepts of MRI and MRI contrast agents, and then mainly discusses the synthesis, surface modification, surface functionalization, colloidal stability and biocompatibility of iron oxide particles, followed by their MRI applications.
A method for incorporating different sized cells into the finite-difference time-domain analysis technique

A method is presented that simplifies the process of incorporating a refined mesh around a discontinuity in a finite-difference time-domain (FD-TD) algorithm. The technique is used to calculate the tangential electric fields on the boundaries between different sized cells in a variable step size mesh environment. A waveguide is modeled in two dimensions and the accuracy of the mesh refinement algorithm is tested by measuring the amount of field reflected during the transition from a coarse mesh to a fine mesh. The amount of error is found to be less than 1%. <<ETX>>
Constant power loads in AC distribution systems: An investigation of stability

The effects of constant power loads (CPLs) has been for long time the focus of research in isolated power systems such as automotive systems, electric ships and spacecrafts, with main focus on DC-systems. Due to the instability effect of the negative incremental resistance phenomena of CPLs, several criteria have been investigated to ensure system stability in the presence of large amount of CPLs. With an increasing share of CPLs, the same negative incremental resistance phenomena can be the source of instability in AC distribution systems, especially in the event of voltage disturbances. The literature on AC systems has not yet addressed this problem in a comprehensive way, and more research effort will be required around the topic. This paper investigates the effect of the negative incremental resistance phenomena in AC distribution systems with large share of CPLs, and proposes an approach for mitigation of instability in presence of large signal disturbances based on injection of reactive current by active rectifiers interfacing the CPLs. Results from a simulation study with Matlab suggest how stability can be improved by reactive compensation and that distributed injection of reactive current by the CPLs might be more effective than a centralized compensation by a STATCOM.
Gyroscope Calibration via Magnetometer

Magnetometers, gyroscopes, and accelerometers are commonly used sensors in a variety of applications. This paper proposes a novel gyroscope calibration method in the homogeneous magnetic field by the help of magnetometer. It is shown that, with sufficient rotation excitation, the homogeneous magnetic field vector can be exploited to serve as a good reference for calibrating low-cost gyroscopes. The calibration parameters include the gyroscope scale factor, non-orthogonal coefficient and bias for three axes, as well as its misalignment to the magnetometer frame. Simulation and field test results demonstrate the method’s effectiveness.
Cassia alata L.: A Study of Antifungal Activity against Malassezia furfur, Identification of Major Compounds, and Molecular Docking to Lanosterol 14-Alpha Demethylase

Empirically, in Indonesia, the leaves of Cassia alata L. (candle bush or ketepeng cina) have been used as a topical antifungal agent. Malassezia furfur is a natural microorganism found in the human body. It is among the factors contributing to conditions such as pityriasis versicolor, a common, benign, superficial fungal infection of the skin that is closely associated with seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff. This study aimed to explore C. alata leaves, starting from determining antifungal activity against M. furfur and the identification of major compounds in the ethyl acetate and n-hexane fractions, and then we carried out molecular docking of the major compounds in the n-hexane fraction to lanosterol 14-alpha demethylase. The method was the disc diffusion technique to test antifungal activity, LC-MS/MS for major compound identification, and homology modeling through Swiss Models for molecular docking. The fractions of ethyl acetate and n-hexane extract showed concentration-dependent antifungal activity against M. furfur. The LCMS/MS analysis revealed five major compounds in the ethyl acetate and n-hexane fractions. The molecular docking demonstrated the highest binding affinity with stearidonic acid at −7.2 kcal/mol. It can be concluded that the compounds in the n-hexane fraction have antifungal activity against M. furfur, as supported by both in vitro and in silico studies.
The Evolution Of Research On Academic Cheating Behavior Based On The Theory Of Planned Behavior (TPB): Perspectives For Future Research

This study aims to present a summary of various studies that explore academic cheating behavior with the support of a theory or conceptual framework so that it can be used as a valuable reference for monitoring the development of research on academic cheating behavior driven by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). It is also hoped that this article can become a basis for inspiration for further research development in this domain in the future. The method applied in this study is a literature review using the connectedpapers.com platform. A search for relevant articles was conducted using the keywords "academic cheating behavior," "cheating behavior," and "academic misconduct. " The study results show that the TPB can effectively predict academic cheating behavior. At the same time, variations in the use of variables include demographic, situational, and personality factors that are integrated with the TPB construct. The research methods used are also diverse, including a mixed-method approach.
How to use expert advice

We analyze algorithms that predict a binary value by combining the predictions of several prediction strategies, called `experts''. Our analysis is for worst-case situations, i.e., we make no assumptions about the way the sequence of bits to be predicted is generated. We measure the performance of the algorithm by the difference between the expected number of mistakes it makes on the bit sequence and the expected number of mistakes made by the best expert on this sequence, where the expectation is taken with respect to the randomization in the predictions. We show that the minimum achievable difference is on the order of the square root of the number of mistakes of the best expert, and we give efficient algorithms that achieve this. Our upper and lower bounds have matching leading constants in most cases. We then show how this leads to certain kinds of pattern recognition/learning algorithms with performance bounds that improve on the best results currently known in this context. We also extend our analysis to the case in which log loss is used instead of the expected number of mistakes.
Learning prototype-selection rules for case-based iterative design

The first step for most case-based design systems is to select an initial prototype from a database of previous designs. The retrieved prototype is then modified to tailor it to the given goals. For any particular design goal the selection of a starting point for the design process can have a dramatic effect both on the quality of the eventual design and on the overall design time. We present a technique for automatically constructing effective prototype-selection rules. Our technique applies a standard inductive-learning algorithm, C4.5, to a set of training data describing which particular prototype would have been the best choice for each goal encountered in a previous design session. We have tested our technique in, the domain of racing-yacht-hull design, comparing our inductively learned selection rules to several competing prototype-selection methods. Our results show that the inductive prototype-selection method leads to better final designs when the design process is guided by a noisy evaluation function, and that the inductively learned rules will often be more efficient than competing methods. <<ETX>>
The LunchTable: a multi-user, multi-display system for information sharing in casual group interactions

People often use mobile devices to access information during conversations in casual settings, but mobile devices are not well suited for interaction in groups. Large situated displays promise to better support access to and sharing of information in casual conversations. This paper presents the LunchTable, a multi-user system based on semi-public displays that supports such casual group interactions around a lunch table. We describe our design goals and the resulting system, as well as a weeklong study of the interaction with the system in the lunch space of a research lab. Our results show substantial use of the LunchTable for sharing visual information such as online maps and videos that are otherwise difficult to share in conversations. Also, equal simultaneous access from several users does not seem critical in casual group interactions.
THE TREATMENT OF BURNS BY THE CLOSED-PLASTER METHOD, WITH CERTAIN PHYSIOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IMPLICIT IN THE SUCCESS OF THIS TECHNIQUE.

The loss of plasma from dilated and injured capillaries may be disastrous in several ways. One of these, the systemic effect, is so widely appreciated as to have dominated physiological thinking in the treatment of burns almost to the exclusion of other principles very vital to efficient v therapy. There can be no doubt that reduction in plasma volume by leakage from abnormal capillaries in burned regions and possibly a slower but obstinately insidious leakage from capillaries all over the body may and often does cause surgical shock and death. If, as in our experiments, the feet of an anesthetized dog are burned quantitatively by immersion in very hot water for precise periods of time (Glenn, Peterson, and Drinker (1 ) ), the amount of plasma that may be lost into the subcutaneous tissue without leakage from the surface of the skin has not been sufficiently appreciated. Underhill et al. (2) and Harkins (3) called attention to how great this loss may be. Following an experimental burn such as we have utilized, edematous swelling may spread though the subcutaneous tissue for a considerable distance-especially so after the lymphatics draining this area become blocked. Indeed, in one animal with the 2 front feet severely burned and with the exudate spreading beyond the burned area, there was a loss of 1/3 the total blood volume into the subcutaneous tissue from the toenails to the humero-radio-ulnar joints. To combat this loss