Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unexpected Structure of the Ca2+-regulatory Region from Soybean Calcium-dependent Protein Kinase-α*

Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are an extensive class of multidomain Ca2+-regulated enzymes from plants and protozoa. In vivo the so-called calmodulin-like domain (CLD) of CDPK binds intramolecularly to the junction domain (JD), which exhibits both kinase-inhibitory and CLD binding properties. Here we report the high resolution solution structure of the calcium-regulatory region from soybean CDPK-α determined in the presence of a peptide encompassing the JD. The structure of both lobes of CLD resembles that of related helix-loop-helix Ca2+-binding proteins. NMR chemical shift mapping studies demonstrate that the JD induces significant structural changes in isolated Ca2+-CLD, particularly the C-terminal domain, although a stable complex is not formed. A CLD solution structure calculated on the basis of NMR data and long range fluorescence resonance energy transfer distances reveals an activated state with both lobes positioned side by side, similar to calcineurin B rather than calmodulin, highlighting the possible pitfall of assigning function purely from sequence information.
Monoclonal antibody-based capture enzyme immunoassays for specific serum immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, and IgM antibodies to respiratory syncytial virus

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the fusion protein (F), attachment protein (G), and nucleoprotein (N) of respiratory syncytial (RS) virus were evaluated for use as detector antibodies in immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, and IgM capture enzyme immunoassays. MAb assays were tested against assays using polyclonal antibodies (PAbs) with serum specimens from patients with and without evidence of recent RS virus infection. Assays developed with N MAbs were comparable to or better than PAb assays for detecting specific IgG and IgM antibodies but were somewhat less sensitive for IgA. F MAb assays were less sensitive for IgG and IgM antibodies but identified specific IgA in some specimens negative by N MAb assay. G MAb assays were insensitive for IgG and IgM antibodies but did detect about 50% of the IgA antibodies identified by the PAb assay. The basis for the low sensitivity of the G MAb assays is unclear, since many of these specimens were positive for IgG antibodies to G by Western immunoblot. The sensitivity of MAb assays varied with patient age: N MAb assays detected specific antibody responses to RS virus in all immunoglobulin classes in both adults and infants less than 1 year of age, F MAb assays detected specific IgG responses in adults and IgA responses in both adults and infants, and G MAb assays only detected IgA responses in adults. A mixture of N and F MAbs was complementary overall, identifying 54 of 55 (IgG), 51 of 52 (IgA), and 16 of 17 (IgM) serum specimens positive by PAb assay. These MAb assays were also specific with specimens tested from persons without a history of recent RS virus infection. The availability of these MAb-based assays offers other laboratories the opportunity to have long-term, standardized reagents and tests for serological diagnosis of RS virus infection.
A New Fingerprint Image Segmentation Algorithm Based on ROIO

We present a new fast and effective method of fingerprint image segmentation, which is different from traditio-nal methods that usually use some certain features to segment diversified images. Based on the region of inte-rest, an approach is introduce, which is specialized on preprocessing a certain kind of bad fingerprint images with a great many blurs, false traces and sweat spots. It just mimics the way of finding region of interest by human beings and locating the area of low intensities quickly. Experimental result shows a significant improve-ment in fingerprint segmentation performance.
Complete study demonstrating the absence of rhabdovirus in a distinct Sf9 cell line

A putative novel rhabdovirus (SfRV) was previously identified in a Spodoptera frugiperda cell line (Sf9 cells [ATCC CRL-1711 lot 58078522]) by next generation sequencing and extensive bioinformatic analysis. We performed an extensive analysis of our Sf9 cell bank (ATCC CRL-1711 lot 5814 [Sf9L5814]) to determine whether this virus was already present in cells obtained from ATCC in 1987. Inverse PCR of DNA isolated from Sf9 L5814 cellular DNA revealed integration of SfRV sequences in the cellular genome. RT-PCR of total RNA showed a deletion of 320 nucleotides in the SfRV RNA that includes the transcriptional motifs for genes X and L. Concentrated cell culture supernatant was analyzed by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and revealed a single band at a density of 1.14 g/ml. This fraction was further analysed by electron microscopy and showed amorphous and particulate debris that did not resemble a rhabdovirus in morphology or size. SDS-PAGE analysis confirmed that the protein composition did not contain the typical five rhabdovirus structural proteins and LC-MS/MS analysis revealed primarily of exosomal marker proteins, the SfRV N protein, and truncated forms of SfRV N, P, and G proteins. The SfRV L gene fragment RNA sequence was recovered from the supernatant after ultracentrifugation of the 1.14 g/ml fraction treated with diethyl ether suggesting that the SfRV L gene fragment sequence is not associated with a diethyl ether resistant nucleocapsid. Interestingly, the 1.14 g/ml fraction was able to transfer baculovirus DNA into Sf9L5814 cells, consistent with the presence of functional exosomes. Our results demonstrate the absence of viral particles in ATCC CRL-1711 lot 5814 Sf9 cells in contrast to a previous study that suggested the presence of infectious rhabdoviral particles in Sf9 cells from a different lot. This study highlights how cell lines with different lineages may present different virosomes and therefore no general conclusions can be drawn across Sf9 cells from different laboratories.
Insecticide-Induced Changes in Protein, RNA, and DNA Contents in Ovary and Fat Body of Female Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)

ABSTRACT The widespread use of insecticides is known to cause resurgence in Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) populations, a serious insect pest of rice, Orzya sativa L. , crops in Asia. The current study investigated insecticide-induced changes in protein, RNA, and DNA levels in the ovary and fat body of adult female N. lugens. Potted rice plants were sprayed with different concentrations of imidacloprid, triazophos, and detamethrin. The results showed that all three insecticides caused a significant increase in protein and RNA contents in the ovary and fat body of adult females developed from nymphs fed on treated plants compared with those from on untreated plants, although there was no significant effect on DNA content. In general, protein and RNA contents in both ovary and fat body increased linearly with insecticide concentrations or days after emergence (DAEs) when they were applied. There was a significant correlation between protein content and RNA content in both ovary and fat body. In addition, the relationship between ratios of RNA to protein in ovary and fat body of adult female N. lugens and insecticide concentrations showed a significant positive correlation for most DAEs of imidacloprid and several DAEs of triazophos and deltamethrin treatments. These findings suggest that RNA in both ovary and fat body was more sensitive to insecticides and that the insecticide-induced changes in RNA content in turn influence protein synthesis in ovary and fat body. Consistently, RNA-to-protein ratios in ovary and fat body were ≈0.42 in all treatments and controls.
Family history of mental illness and frequent mental distress in community clinic patients.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate the importance of family history of mental illness as a risk factor for self-reported frequent mental distress among patients who use community-based clinics. DESIGN A cross-sectional survey was distributed to a convenience sample in three community clinics serving largely low-income patients. Forms were completed by 793 clinic patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis was to control for the effects of demographic variables. RESULTS In this sample of primary care patients, 27.1% had frequent mental distress. Having a family history of mental illness or substance abuse was found to be associated with frequent mental distress in this population [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.24, P = 0.000]. Also associated with increased odds of frequent mental distress were avoiding medical care owing to cost (OR = 1.86, P = 0.003) and obesity (OR = 1.73, P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS Having a family history of mental illness or substance abuse is independently associated with increased odds of frequent mental distress among primary care patients seen in community clinics. Three strategies are suggested for using this information to prevent frequent mental distress: health education via mass communication to the general population of primary care patients being followed in a clinic, health education to at-risk patients, and targeted screening of clinic patients who have the risk factor.
Online Linear Optimization with Sparsity Constraints

We study the problem of online linear optimization with sparsity constraints in the 1 semi-bandit setting. It can be seen as a marriage between two well-known problems: 2 the online linear optimization problem and the combinatorial bandit problem. For 3 this problem, we provide two algorithms which are efficient and achieve sublinear 4 regret bounds. Moreover, we extend our results to two generalized settings, one 5 with delayed feedbacks and one with costs for receiving feedbacks. Finally, we 6 conduct experiments which show the effectiveness of our methods in practice. 7
The Impact of Multimember Districts On Party Representation In U.S. State Legislatures

Though theory and empirical evidence suggest that minorities are less likely to be represented under multimember districting plans than under single-member plans, there are reasons to wonder whether this logic and evidence are applicable to the political party case. Evidence from multiple tests shows that, as a general proposition, minority party strength in state legislatures is not diluted by multimember districts. Reasons include concentration of the minority party in areas using multimember districts and the use of multimember districts for only a portion of all districts. One of the unsettled concerns in the apportionment revolution of the last 20 years is the status of multimember districts. In specific instances, the Supreme Court has declared that multimember districts were created or maintained for the purpose of illegal discrimination against racial or linguistic minorities (White v. Regester 412 U.S. 755; Rogers v. Lodge 458
Survey Response Style and Differential Use of CAHPS Rating Scales by Hispanics

Background:Previous Consumer Assessments Of Healthcare Providers And Systems (CAHPS) studies have shown that Hispanics report care that is similar to or less positive than for non-Hispanic whites, yet have more positive ratings of care. Objective:To examine differential use of the 0–10 rating scales in the CAHPS health plan survey by Hispanic ethnicity and insurance status (Medicaid vs. commercial managed care). Data:CAHPS 2.0H adult Medicaid and commercial data submitted to the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Measures:The dependent variables are the CAHPS 2.0 ratings of care: personal doctor or nurse, specialists, and health care received. Ratings were categorized into 4 levels: 0–4, 5–8, 9, and 10. The independent variable is a 4-level categorical variable: Hispanic Medicaid, Hispanic commercial, (non-Hispanic) white Medicaid, and (non-Hispanic) white commercial. Six potential confounders were controlled: gender, age, education, self-rated health, survey mode, and survey language. Analysis:Multinomial logistic regression was used to test for differences in extreme response styles. Results:Hispanics exhibited a greater tendency toward extreme responding in the CAHPS ratings than non-Hispanic whites—in particular, they were more likely than whites in commercial plans to endorse a “10,” and often, scores of 4 or less, relative to an omitted category of “5” to “8. ” Conclusions:The observed higher Hispanic ratings may be partially attributed to differences in response style rather than superior care. This suggests caution in the use of central tendency measures and the proportion of 10 ratings when examining racial/ethnic differences in CAHPS ratings of care. It is advisable to consider pooling responses at the top end (eg, 9 and 10) and lower end (eg, 0–6) of the response scale when making racial/ethnic comparisons.
Long-term preservation of cone photoreceptors and restoration of cone function by gene therapy in the guanylate cyclase-1 knockout (GC1KO) mouse.

PURPOSE The authors previously showed that subretinal delivery of AAV5 vectors containing murine guanylate cyclase-1 (GC1) cDNA driven by either photoreceptor-specific (hGRK1) or ubiquitous (smCBA) promoters was capable of restoring cone-mediated function and visual behavior and preserving cone photoreceptors in the GC1 knockout (GC1KO) mouse for 3 months. Here, the authors compared therapy conferred by the aforementioned vectors to that achieved with the highly efficient capsid tyrosine mutant AAV8(Y733F) and asked whether long-term therapy is achievable in this model. METHODS AAV5-hGRK1-mGC1, AAV5-smCBA-mGC1, or AAV8(Y733F)-hGRK1-mGC1 was delivered subretinally to GC1KO mice between postnatal day (P)14 and P25. Retinal function was assayed by electroretinography. Localization of AAV-mediated GC1 expression and cone survival were assayed with immunohistochemistry, and the spread of vector genomes beyond the retina was quantified by PCR of optic nerve and brain tissue. RESULTS Cone function was restored with all vectors tested, with AAV8(Y733F) being the most efficient. Electroretinographic responses were clearly measurable out to 1 year after treatment. AAV-mediated expression of GC1 was found exclusively in photoreceptors out to 15 months after injection. Cones were preserved for at least 11 months after treatment. AAV5- and AAV8(733)-delivered vector genomes were recovered primarily from optic nerve of the treated eye and, in only instance, from brain (1 of 20 samples). CONCLUSIONS The authors demonstrate for the first time that long-term therapy (∼1 year) is achievable in a mammalian model of GC1 deficiency. These data provide additional justification for the development of an AAV-based gene therapy vector for the clinical treatment of Leber congenital amaurosis-1.
Brain single-photon emission CT studies using 99mTc-HMPAO and 99mTc-ECD early after recanalization by local intraarterial thrombolysis in patients with acute embolic middle cerebral artery occlusion.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The brain distribution of 9mTc-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) correlates with regional brain perfusion, whereas 99mTc-ethyl cysteinate dimer (ECD) reflects not only perfusion but also the metabolic status of brain tissue. We compared 99mTc-ECD single-photon emission CT (SPECT) with 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT early after recanalization by local intraarterial thrombolysis (LIT) in patients with acute embolic middle cerebral artery occlusion. We also assessed the predictive value of 99mTc-HMPAO and 99mTc-ECD SPECT for the development of ischemic brain damage. METHODS 99mTc-HMPAO and consecutive 99mTc-ECD SPECT studies were performed in 15 patients within 3 hours of LIT. The two SPECT studies were obtained independently using a subtraction technique. SPECT evaluation was performed using semiquantitative region-of-interest analysis. Noninfarction, infarction, and hemorrhage were identified by follow-up CT or MR imaging. RESULTS Forty-five lesions were identified (21 noninfarctions, 19 infarctions, and five hemorrhages). Regardless of 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT findings, lesions showing isoactivity (count rate densities of 0.9 to 1.1 as compared with the contralateral side) on 99mTc-ECD SPECT were salvaged. Lesions with hypoactivity (values < 0.9) on 99mTc-ECD SPECT developed irreversible brain damage. Hemorrhage appeared in lesions with both hyperactivity (values > 1.1) on 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT and hypoactivity on 99mTc-ECD SPECT. CONCLUSION The brain distribution of 99mTc-ECD in a reperfused area identified by 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT early after recanalization of acute ischemic stroke is dependent on cerebral tissue viability. By combining 99mTc-ECD and 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT, performed within the first few hours of LIT, it is possible to identify patients at risk for hemorrhagic transformation reliably.
The Impact of School District-University Collaborative Research on a Full-Inclusion Preschool Program

This investigation explored the impact of collaborative research, between a school district and university, on a full-inclusion preschool program. In particular, the study documented the planning, processes, and outcomes resulting from the partnership over a two year period. The results of (a) a yearlong research study on the program conducted by four preschool staff and three university faculty members and (b) collaborative capacity building of staff the following year were documented using case study methodology. Results reveal the importance of relationships, communication, and commitment in the success of school-university partnerships. Additionally the study outcomes acknowledge the benefits for both institutions. This research will inform any educational organizations interested in collaborating to enhance student learning and contribute to school improvement.
Conserved sequences of sperm-activating peptide and its receptor throughout evolution, despite speciation in the sea star Asterias amurensis and closely related species

Summary The asteroidal sperm-activating peptides (asterosaps) from the egg jelly bind to their sperm receptor, a membrane-bound guanylate cyclase, on the tail to activate sperm in sea stars. Asterosaps are produced as single peptides and then cleaved into shorter peptides. Sperm activation is followed by the acrosome reaction, which is subfamily specific. In order to investigate the molecular details of the asterosap–receptor interaction, corresponding cDNAs have been cloned, sequenced and analysed from the Asteriinae subfamily including Asterias amurensis, A. rubens, A. forbesi and Aphelasterias japonica, as well as Distolasterias nipon from the Coscinasteriinae subfamily. Averages of 29% and 86% identity were found from the deduced amino acid sequences in asterosap and its receptor extracellular domains, respectively, across all species examined. The phylogenic tree topology for asterosap and its receptor was similar to that of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I. In spite of a certain homology, the amino acid sequences exhibited speciation. Conservation was found in the asterosap residues involved in disulphide bonding and proteinase-cleaving sites. Conversely, similarities were detected between potential asterosap-binding sites and the structure of the atrial natriuretic peptide receptor. Although the sperm-activating peptide and its receptor share certain common sequences, they may serve as barriers that ensure speciation in the sea star A. amurensis and closely related species.
Alcohol use in the year before marriage: alcohol expectancies and peer drinking as proximal influences on husband and wife alcohol involvement.

BACKGROUND Models of adolescent alcohol involvement that include individual difference, family, and peer risk factors indicate a significant association between the drinking of adolescents and that of their peers. Peer drinking influences, however, have not been investigated extensively in integrative models of adult drinking. The purpose of this study was to test a model of adult drinking that incorporated the potentially important risk factor of partner drinking and in which proximal risk factors (peer drinking, alcohol expectancies) were hypothesized to be strongly associated with adult alcohol use and to mediate relationships between more distal risk factors and drinking. METHODS Couples (n = 389) were assessed at the time of their first marriage. Separate, self-administered questionnaires were completed at home by both husbands and wives. Distal risk factors included family history of alcoholism, antisocial behavior, and depressive symptomatology. Substantive relationships were tested in a model that included spousal associations with respect to distal risk factors, proximal risk factors, and drinking. RESULTS Findings demonstrate the unique association of alcohol expectancies and peer drinking with adult alcohol use. Of particular relevance is the significance of the social network as a correlate of adult drinking. A peer network characterized by a higher level of alcohol involvement was strongly associated with heavier drinking among both men and women. This relationship was independent of sociodemographic and individual difference factors, alcohol expectancies, and partner's drinking. Results also demonstrate the similarity between husband and wife drinking, an association that cannot be attributed to assorting with respect to the other risk factors. CONCLUSIONS The social network continues to significantly impact drinking behavior in adulthood. The relevancy of peer and partner drinking influences to adult alcohol involvement suggests that the immediate social environment may have a prominent role in the continuity/discontinuity of heavy or problem drinking during the transition to marriage.
Real-Time Optimization of Automatic Control Systems With Application to BLDC Motor Test Rig

Driven by the increasing demands on production quality, system performance, and the reliability and safety issues of process industry, this paper proposes an integrated process monitoring and control design technique for industrial control systems. The proposed approach is an alternative realization of Youla parameterization which allows the performance of the controlled systems to be improved without modifying or replacing the predesigned control systems, while the closed-loop stability is guaranteed. In addition, a residual signal is available for the fault detection and isolation purpose. The effectiveness and performance of the proposed approach are demonstrated on a brushless direct current motor test rig.
Research and development of metals for medical devices based on clinical needs

Abstract The current research and development of metallic materials used for medicine and dentistry is reviewed. First, the general properties required of metals used in medical devices are summarized, followed by the needs for the development of α + β type Ti alloys with large elongation and β type Ti alloys with a low Young's modulus. In addition, nickel-free Ni–Ti alloys and austenitic stainless steels are described. As new topics, we review metals that are bioabsorbable and compatible with magnetic resonance imaging. Surface treatment and modification techniques to improve biofunctions and biocompatibility are categorized, and the related problems are presented at the end of this review. The metal surface may be biofunctionalized by various techniques, such as dry and wet processes. These techniques make it possible to apply metals to scaffolds in tissue engineering.