Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of the PhoP-PhoQ System in the Virulence of Erwinia chrysanthemi Strain 3937: Involvement in Sensitivity to Plant Antimicrobial Peptides, Survival at Acid pH, and Regulation of Pectolytic Enzymes

ABSTRACT Erwinia chrysanthemi is a phytopathogenic bacterium that causes soft-rot diseases in a broad number of crops. The PhoP-PhoQ system is a key factor in pathogenicity of several bacteria and is involved in the bacterial resistance to different factors, including acid stress. Since E. chrysanthemi is confronted by acid pH during pathogenesis, we have studied the role of this system in the virulence of this bacterium. In this work, we have isolated and characterized the phoP and phoQ mutants of E. chrysanthemi strain 3937. It was found that: (i) they were not altered in their growth at acid pH; (ii) the phoQ mutant showed diminished ability to survive at acid pH; (iii) susceptibility to the antimicrobial peptide thionin was increased; (iv) the virulence of the phoQ mutant was diminished at low and high magnesium concentrations, whereas the virulence of the phoP was diminished only at low magnesium concentrations; (v) in planta Pel activity of both mutant strains was drastically reduced; and (vi) both mutants lagged behind the wild type in their capacity to change the apoplastic pH. These results suggest that the PhoP-PhoQ system plays a role in the virulence of this bacterium in plant tissues, although it does not contribute to bacterial growth at acid pH.
β-Cell Replication Is Increased in Donor Organs From Young Patients After Prolonged Life Support

OBJECTIVE This study assesses β-cell replication in human donor organs and examines possible influences of the preterminal clinical conditions. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS β-Cell replication was quantified in a consecutive series of n = 363 human organ donors using double immunohistochemistry for Ki67 and insulin. Uni- and multivariate analysis was used to correlate replication levels to clinical donor characteristics and histopathologic findings. RESULTS β-Cell replication was virtually absent in most donors, with ≤0.1% Ki67-positive β-cells in 72% of donors. A subpopulation of donors, however, showed markedly elevated levels of replication of up to 7.0% Ki67-positive β-cells. β-Cell replication was accompanied by the increased replication of glucagon-, somatostatin-, and CA19.9-positive cells. Prolonged life support, kidney dysfunction, relatively young donor age, inflammatory infiltration, and prolonged brain death before organ retrieval were all found to be significantly associated with an increased level (≥90th percentile) of β-cell replication, with the first three risk factors being independent predictors. Increased β-cell replication was most often noted in relatively young donors (≤25 years) who received prolonged (≥3 days) life support (68%); in contrast, it was rare in donors with a short duration of life support regardless of age (1%). Prolonged life support was accompanied by increased levels of CD68+ and LCA/CD45+ infiltration in the pancreatic parenchyma. CONCLUSION These results indicate that preterminal clinical conditions in (young) organ donors can lead to increased inflammatory infiltration of the pancreas and to increased β-cell replication.
Human LDL Structural Diversity Studied by IR Spectroscopy

Lipoproteins are responsible for cholesterol traffic in humans. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) delivers cholesterol from liver to peripheral tissues. A misleading delivery can lead to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. LDL has a single protein, apoB-100, that binds to a specific receptor. It is known that the failure associated with a deficient protein-receptor binding leads to plaque formation. ApoB-100 is a large single lipid-associated polypeptide difficulting the study of its structure. IR spectroscopy is a technique suitable to follow the different conformational changes produced in apoB-100 because it is not affected by the size of the protein or the turbidity of the sample. We have analyzed LDL spectra of different individuals and shown that, even if there are not big structural changes, a different pattern in the intensity of the band located around 1617 cm−1 related with strands embedded in the lipid monolayer, can be associated with a different conformational rearrangement that could affect to a protein interacting region with the receptor.
Young measures, superposition and transport

We discuss a space of Young measures in connection with some variational problems. We use it to present a proof of the Theorem of Tonelli on the existence of minimizing curves. We generalize a recent result of Ambrosio, Gigli and Savare on the decomposition of the weak solutions of the transport equation. We also prove, in the context of Mather theory, the equality between Closed measures and Holonomic measures.
Multiple-Symbol Differential Sphere Detection Aided Differential Space-Time Block Codes Using QAM Constellations

We propose Multiple-Symbol Differential Detection (MSDD) aided Differential Space-Time Block Codes (DSTBCs) using QAM. Our solution eliminates the requirement of high-complexity MIMO channel estimation and its pilot overhead, while mitigating the potential performance degradation of noncoherent receivers in fast fading channels. Additionally, we develop Multiple-Symbol Differential Sphere Detection (MSDSD) for the QAM aided DSTBC schemes advocated, in order to circumvent their potentially excessive complexity.
Robust Shrinkage Estimation of High-Dimensional Covariance Matrices

We address high dimensional covariance estimation for elliptical distributed samples, which are also known as spherically invariant random vectors (SIRV) or compound-Gaussian processes. Specifically we consider shrinkage methods that are suitable for high dimensional problems with a small number of samples (large p small n). We start from a classical robust covariance estimator [Tyler (1987)], which is distribution-free within the family of elliptical distribution but inapplicable when n <; p. Using a shrinkage coefficient, we regularize Tyler's fixed-point iterations. We prove that, for all n and p , the proposed fixed-point iterations converge to a unique limit regardless of the initial condition. Next, we propose a simple, closed-form and data dependent choice for the shrinkage coefficient, which is based on a minimum mean squared error framework. Simulations demonstrate that the proposed method achieves low estimation error and is robust to heavy-tailed samples. Finally, as a real-world application we demonstrate the performance of the proposed technique in the context of activity/intrusion detection using a wireless sensor network.
Exploiting limited data for parsing

Data sparsity issues are extremely severe for parser due to the flexibility of tree structures. Many tags and productions appears a little, nevertheless, they are crucial for the parse disambiguation where it occurs. Besides, when a common tag somewhat regularly occurs in a non-canonical position, its distribution is usually distinct. In this paper, we propose a metric that measures the scarcity of any phrase with arbitrary span size. To make a better compromise between training trees with high confidence and scarcity, we try to catch some constraints in response to rare but articulating categories when training latent variable grammar. We exploits the limited data more sufficiently by capturing the depicting power of rate tree structure configuration in Expectation & Maximization procedure and Split & Merge framework. The resulting grammars are interpretable as our intension. Based on this approach, we further propose a method that exploits the limited training date from multiple perspectives, and accumulates their advantages in a product model. Despite its limited training data, out model improves parsing performance on Penn Chinese Treebank Fifth Edition, even higher than some systems with extra unlabeled data and external resources. Furthermore, this method is easy to generalized to cope with data sparsity in other natural language processing tasks.
Impact of rotary swaging and age hardening on mechanical properties of EN AW 2024

Purpose: Invention of severe plastic deformation methods led to increased interest in ultra-fine grained materials. The hardenable aluminium alloys were extensively studied in the last decade. It was revealed that combination of severe plastic deformation and age hardening can significantly improve the material properties of these alloys. In this article we performed such progressive thermo-mechanical treatment and following mechanical testing and metallographic analysis. The aim was to evaluate the influence of this treatment on mechanical properties, mostly the effect of various age hardening temperatures and time. Aluminium alloy EN AW 2024 was chosen for the experimental procedures. Impact of processing parameters on mechanical properties was determined by tensile testing. Metallographic analysis was used for evaluation of the straining influence on grain morphology. In the conclusion we denoted significant strain hardening effect, present shear bands and change in aging kinetics. Design/methodology/approach: The experimental material was processed by progressive thermo-mechanical treatment. The evaluation was performed by simple tensile testing and light microscopy. The first conclusions were derived from determined mechanical properties and based on similarities in available publications with related topic. Findings: The research results roughly confirm the recovery-precipitation complementary effect, observed in other hardenable aluminium alloys or the same hardenable alloy deformed by other SPD technique. The impact of both parts of processing – deformation and age hardening on mechanical properties was evaluated. Research limitations/implications: Future detailed investigation of secondary phase particles and dislocation-precipitate interaction should be performed. This investigation was not performed as it requires transmission electron microscopy. Originality/value: The paper contains first impression on promising SPD technique. As the technique appeared only recently, very few articles were published, considering few light alloys. The paper can help to set parameters for other researchers in this field and promote commercialization of this progressive thermo-mechanical processing
Resampling for Order Estimation of Autoregressive Models with Missing Data

In this article, we consider the order estimation of autoregressive models with incomplete data using the expectation–maximization (EM) algorithm-based information criteria. The criteria take the form of a penalization of the conditional expectation of the log-likelihood. The evaluation of the penalization term generally involves numerical differentiation and matrix inversion. We introduce a simplification of the penalization term for autoregressive model selection and we propose a penalty factor based on a resampling procedure in the criteria formula. The simulation results show the improvements yielded by the proposed method when compared with the classical information criteria for model selection with incomplete data.
Differentiating virulent 027 and non-027 Clostridium difficile strains by molecular methods

Objective: Hypervirulent Clostridium difficile clade has been shown to include several lineages of ribotype 027 and also other ribotypes. We present data on additional non-027 strains, identified as presumptive 027 by two commercial molecular C. difficile assays. Methods: The tested clinical isolates were selected from the national reference laboratory collection on the basis of toxin gene profile similarities with ribotype 027 and tested with Xpert®C. difficile/Epi and Amplidiag™ C. difficile+027 assay. Result: Xpert misclassified five ribotypes (016, 019, 080, 176 and variant of type 046) as presumptive 027 and Amplidiag two ribotypes (016, 176). The misclassified strains were rare, covering 1.6% of reference laboratory strain collection. Conclusion: Our findings confirm the concept that there are closely related outliers to hypervirulent 027 clones that can be misclassified as 027, and that these comprise numerous ribotypes, including previously reported four ribotypes (198, 176, 244, 019), and additional three (016, v046, 080) identified in the present study.
Proteasome Inhibitors for the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma

Use of proteasome inhibitors (PIs) has been the therapeutic backbone of myeloma treatment over the past decade. Many PIs are being developed and evaluated in the preclinical and clinical setting. The first-in-class PI, bortezomib, was approved by the US food and drug administration in 2003. Carfilzomib is a next-generation PI, which selectively and irreversibly inhibits proteasome enzymatic activities in a dose-dependent manner. Ixazomib was the first oral PI to be developed and has a robust efficacy and favorable safety profile in patients with multiple myeloma. These PIs, together with other agents, including alkylators, immunomodulatory drugs, and monoclonal antibodies, have been incorporated into several regimens. This review summarizes the biological effects and the results of clinical trials investigating PI-based combination regimens and novel investigational inhibitors and discusses the future perspective in the treatment of multiple myeloma.
Calcul distribué de politiques d'exploration pour une flotte de robots mobiles

Ce papier presente une architecture multirobots permettant une allocation automatique de plusieurs objectifs sur une flotte de robots. Le challenge consiste a rendre des robots autonomes pour realiser cooperativement leur mission sans qu'un plan soit predefini. Cette architecture, appelee PRDC, est basee sur 4 modules (Perception, Representation, Deliberation et Controle). Nous nous interessons plus particulierement au module de deliberation en considerant le probleme des voyageurs de commerce cooperatifs dans un environnement incertain. L'objectif des robots est alors de visiter un ensemble de points d'interet representes dans une carte topologique stochastique (Road-Map). Le processus propose pour la construction des politiques collaboratives est distribue. Chaque robot calcule ses politiques individuelles possibles de facon a negocier collectivement l'allocation des points d'interet entre les membres de la flotte. Enfin, l'approche est evaluee via un important nombre de simulations
Approximation algorithms for a heterogeneous Multiple Depot Hamiltonian Path Problem

In this article, we present the first approximation algorithm for a routing problem that is frequently encountered in the motion planning of Unmanned Vehicles (UVs). The considered problem is a variant of a Multiple Depot-Terminal Hamiltonian Path Problem and is stated as follows: There is a collection of m UVs equipped with different sensors on-board and there are n targets to be visited by them collectively. There are restrictions on the targets of the following type: (1) A target may be visited by any UV, (2) a target must be visited only by a subset of UVs (with appropriate on-board sensor) and (3) a target may not be visited by a subset of UVs (as the set of on board sensors on the UV may not be suitable for viewing the targets). The UVs are otherwise identical from the viewpoint of dynamic constraints on their motion and hence, the cost of traveling from a target A to a target B is the same for all vehicles. We will assume that triangle inequality is satisfied by the cost associated with travel, i.e., it is cheaper to travel from a target A to a target B directly than to go via an intermediate target C. The UVs may possibly start from different locations (referred to as depots) and are not required to return to the depot. While there are different objectives that can be considered for this problem, we consider the total cost of travel of all the UVs as an objective to be minimized. The problem considered in this article is a generalized version of single depot-terminal Hamiltonian Path Problem and is NP-hard.
OXYGEN-STABLE HEMOLYSINS OF GROUP A STREPTOCOCCI

In studies of the mechanism of lysis of red blood cells by washed streptococci with hemolytic activity (cell-bound hemolysin, CBH) no components released spontaneously by RBC or streptococci, or by interaction between these cells, could be found to induce the formation of soluble hemolysin by the streptococci. It was also found that separation of RBC from streptococci even by Millipore filter or a very thin layer of agar could prevent their hemolysis. By means of cellulose columns it was possible to separate RBC from streptococci after a short incubation. RBC thus separated from streptococci with which they had been incubated underwent hemolysis on subsequent incubation at 37°C. By varying the period of incubation prior to separation it was possible to demonstrate the transfer of increasing amounts of hemolysin from streptococci to RBC with increasing periods of incubation. A considerable part of this appeared to be at a constant rate. A theory is presented on the relationship between the streptococcal cell-bound hemolysin and the group of oxygen-stable streptococcal hemolysins, in terms of a transferable hemolytic moiety and binding sites for this moiety on the streptococcal cell, on various molecular species which can act as inducers of the oxygen-stable hemolysins, and on the RBC, with the affinity of the respective binding sites for the hemolytic moiety increasing in that order.
Goal-Oriented Design of Business Models and Software Architectures

E-business initiatives succeed when the business model and the deployed software architecture contribute directly to the firm's business goals. The design of e-business initiatives should elicit and evaluate alternative business models and software architectures in order to find the combination which best achieves the business goals. The elicitation and evaluation of alternatives requires effective communication between stakeholders with different skill sets. In this paper, we introduce an end-to-end process which facilitates stakeholder communication throughout the development process. We leverage goal-modeling and scenario evaluation notations to compare alternative business models and software architectures and to select the alternatives which best satisfy the firm's business goals. We illustrate the process with a case study. The process assists cross-functional stakeholders in documenting decisions made throughout the initial design and subsequent evolution of an e-business initiative
Fast Incremental Square Root Information Smoothing

We propose a novel approach to the problem of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) based on incremental smoothing, that is suitable for real-time applications in large-scale environments. The main advantages over filter-based algorithms are that we solve the full SLAM problem without the need for any approximations, and that we do not suffer from linearization errors. We achieve efficiency by updating the square-root information matrix, a factored version of the naturally sparse smoothing information matrix. We can efficiently recover the exact trajectory and map at any given time by back-substitution. Furthermore, our approach allows access to the exact covariances, as it does not suffer from under-estimation of uncertainties, which is another problem inherent to filters. We present simulation-based results for the linear case, showing constant time updates for exploration tasks. We further evaluate the behavior in the presence of loops, and discuss how our approach extends to the non-linear case. Finally, we evaluate the overall non-linear algorithm on the standard Victoria Park data set.
In Vitro Studies are Sometimes Better than Conventional Human Pharmacokinetic In Vivo Studies in Assessing Bioequivalence of Immediate-Release Solid Oral Dosage Forms

Human pharmacokinetic in vivo studies are often presumed to serve as the “gold standard” to assess product bioequivalence (BE) of immediate-release (IR) solid oral dosage forms. However, when this general assumption is re-visited, it appears that in vitro studies are sometimes better than in vivo studies in assessing BE of IR solid oral dosage forms. Reasons for in vitro studies to sometimes serve as the better method are that in vitro studies: (a) reduce costs, (b) more directly assess product performance, and (c) offer benefits in terms of ethical considerations. Reduced costs are achieved through avoiding in vivo studies where BE is self-evident, where biopharmaceutic data anticipates BE, and where in vivo BE study type II error is high. In vitro studies more directly assess product performance than do conventional human pharmacokinetic BE studies, since in vitro studies focus on comparative drug absorption from the two products, while in vivo BE testing can suffer from complications due to its indirect approach. Regarding ethical considerations, in vitro studies better embrace the principle “No unnecessary human testing should be performed” and can result in faster development. Situations when in vitro test should be viewed as preferred include Class I drugs with rapid dissolution, Class III drugs with very rapid dissolution, and highly variable drugs with rapid dissolution and that are not bio(equivalence)problem drugs. Sponsors of potential in vivo human pharmacokinetic BE testing should be required to justify why in vitro data is insufficient, similar to proposed animal testing requires justification to not employ an in vitro approach.
Analysis of the Relationship between Productivity and Hearth Wall Temperature of a Commercial Blast Furnace and Model Prediction

High smelting intensity and long campaign life are highly desired for blast furnace ironmaking. However, high smelting intensity or productivity has an adverse effect on the campaign life. An analysis of the relationship between productivity and the temperature of a side wall of a hearth based on the data from a commercial blast furnace is first presented in this work. Then, to predict the temperature, a mathematical model is established with an iron flow estimation model. Based on the model, an outline of measures to extend the campaign life of a BF is discussed. Finally, a better initial profile for a BF hearth is proposed. The prediction shows that the convective heat transfer coefficient increases with the increase of molten iron circulation. The hearth erosion at 1.5 m below the taphole centerline is more severe than other locations because the corner of the deadman is located at this level and the distance between the deadman surface to the side wall reaches the minimum point. The sidewall of hearth might be constructed with a slope so that the distance between the sidewall of hearth and the deadman surface can be large at the deadman corner, reducing the circulation of the molten iron.