Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Silver Nanoparticles Decrease the Viability of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts

ABSTRACT Oocysts of the waterborne protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum are highly resistant to chlorine disinfection. We show here that both silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and silver ions significantly decrease oocyst viability, in a dose-dependent manner, between concentrations of 0.005 and 500 μg/ml, as assessed by an excystation assay and the shell/sporozoite ratio. For percent excystation, the results are statistically significant for 500 μg/ml of AgNPs, with reductions from 83% for the control to 33% with AgNPs. For Ag ions, the results were statistically significant at 500 and 5,000 μg/ml, but the percent excystation values were reduced only to 66 and 62%, respectively, from 86% for the control. The sporozoite/shell ratio was affected to a greater extent following AgNP exposure, presumably because sporozoites are destroyed by interaction with NPs. We also demonstrated via hyperspectral imaging that there is a dual mode of interaction, with Ag ions entering the oocyst and destroying the sporozoites while AgNPs interact with the cell wall and, at high concentrations, are able to fully break the oocyst wall.
Role of Ostm1 Cytosolic Complex with Kinesin 5B in Intracellular Dispersion and Trafficking

ABSTRACT In humans and in mice, mutations in the Ostm1 gene cause the most severe form of osteopetrosis, a major bone disease, and neuronal degeneration, both of which are associated with early death. To gain insight into Ostm1 function, we first investigated by sequence and biochemical analysis an immature 34-kDa type I transmembrane Ostm1 protein with a unique cytosolic tail. Mature Ostm1 is posttranslationally processed and highly N-glycosylated and has an apparent mass of ∼60 kDa. Analysis the subcellular localization of Ostm1 showed that it is within the endoplasmic reticulum, trans-Golgi network, and endosomes/lysosomes. By a wide protein screen under physiologic conditions, several novel cytosolic Ostm1 partners were identified and validated, for which a direct interaction with the kinesin 5B heavy chains was demonstrated. These results determined that Ostm1 is part of a cytosolic scaffolding multiprotein complex, imparting an adaptor function to Ostm1. Moreover, we uncovered a role for the Ostm1/KIF5B complex in intracellular trafficking and dispersion of cargos from the endoplasmic reticulum to late endosomal/lysosomal subcellular compartments. These Ostm1 molecular and cellular functions could elucidate all of the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying the wide phenotypic spectrum of Ostm1-deficient mice.
Three-dimensional cellular architecture of the flagellar pocket and associated cytoskeleton in trypanosomes revealed by electron microscope tomography

This study uses electron tomography linked to a variety of other EM methods to provide an integrated view of the flagellar pocket and basal body area of the African trypanosome procyclic trypomastigote. We reveal the pocket as an asymmetric membranous `balloon' with two boundary structures. One of these – the collar – defines the flagellum exit point. The other defines the entry point of the flagellum into the pocket and consists of both an internal transitional fibre array and an external membrane collarette. A novel set of nine radial fibres is described in the basal body proximal zone. The pocket asymmetry is invariably correlated with the position of the probasal body and Golgi. The neck region, just distal to the flagellum exit site, is a specialised area of membrane associated with the start of the flagellum attachment zone and signifies the point where a special set of four microtubules, nucleated close to the basal bodies, joins the subpellicular array. The neck region is also associated with the single Golgi apparatus of the cell. The flagellar exit point interrupts the subpellicular microtubule array with discrete endings of microtubules at the posterior side. Overall, our studies reveal a highly organised, yet dynamic, area of cytoplasm and will be informative in understanding its function.
EHD4 is a novel regulator of urinary water homeostasis

The Eps15‐homology domain–containing (EHD) protein family comprises 4 members that regulate endocytic recycling. Although the kidney expresses all 4 EHD proteins, their physiologic roles are largely unknown. This study focused on EHD4, which we found to be expressed differentially across nephron segments with the highest expression in the inner medullary collecting duct. Under baseline conditions, Ehd4−/− [EHD4‐knockout (KO)] mice on a C57Bl/6 background excreted a higher volume of more dilute urine than control C57Bl/6 wild‐type (WT) mice while maintaining a similar plasma osmolality. Urine excretion after an acute intraperitoneal water load was significantly increased in EHD4‐KO mice compared to WT mice, and although EHD4‐KO mice concentrated their urine during 24‐h water restriction, urinary osmolality remained significantly lower than in WT mice, suggesting that EHD4 plays a role in renal water handling. Total aquaporin 2 (AQP2) and phospho‐S256‐AQP2 (pAQP2) protein expression in the inner medulla was similar in the two groups in baseline conditions. However, localization of both AQP2 and pAQP2 in the renal inner medullary principal cells appeared more dispersed, and the intensity of apical membrane staining for AQP2 was reduced significantly (by ~20%) in EHD4‐KO mice compared to WT mice in baseline conditions, suggesting an important role of EHD4 in trafficking of AQP2. Together, these data indicate that EHD4 play important roles in the regulation of water homeostasis. —Rahman, S. S. , Moffitt, A. E. J., Trease, A. J., Foster, K. W. , Storck, M. D. , Band, H. , Boesen, E.I. EHD4 is a novel regulator of urinary water homeostasis. FASEB J. 31, 5217–5233 (2017). www.fasebj. org
A learning framework towards real-time detection and localization of a ball for robotic table tennis system

As a real-time serving system interacting with a highly dynamic environment, robotic table tennis system has a high requirement against the accuracy and robustness of real-time detection and localization of a ping-pong ball. Relative to its size, the ball is a high speed flying-spinning object. The existing methods use general features such as color and shape to detect and localize the ball, which rigidly depends on the prior knowledge. Their performance is susceptible to the change of the environment, e.g., the light condition, the color of ball, and the disturbance of human players' presence in the image. In this paper, we propose a learning framework that trains a convolutional neural network to detect and localize a ball with high accuracy. It learns useful features from data directly without any prior knowledge. Therefore, the proposed method can effectively deal with the situation when the ball's color is changing in real-time. And it is more robust to the light condition and the disturbance of human players' presence. The effectiveness and accuracy of the method is verified using the collected data set, in comparison with the state-of-the-art method.
Greater Occipital Nerve Block for Acute Treatment of Migraine Headache: A Large Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction: Greater occipital nerve (GON) blocks are frequently used to treat migraine headaches, although a paucity of supporting clinical evidence exists. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of GON block in acute treatment of migraine headache, with a focus on pain relief. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was undertaken between January 2009 and August 2014 and included patients who underwent at least 1 GON block and attended at least 1 follow-up appointment. Change in the 11-point numeric pain rating scale (NPRS) was used to assess the response to GON block. Response was defined as “minimal” (<30% NPRS point reduction), “moderate” (31–50% NPRS point reduction), or “significant” (>50% NPRS point reduction). Results: A total of 562 patients met inclusion criteria; 423 were women (75%). Mean age was 58.6 ± 16.7 years. Of these 562, 459 patients (82%) rated their response to GON block as moderate or significant. No statistically significant relationship existed between previous treatment regimens and response to GON block. GON block was equally effective across the different age and sex groups. Conclusions: Greater occipital block seems to be an effective option for acute management of migraine headache, with promising reductions in pain scores.
Carbohydrate quality and quantity and risk of coronary heart disease among US women and men.

Background The carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio is a recommended measure of carbohydrate quality; however, its relation to incident coronary heart disease (CHD) is not currently known. Objective We aimed to assess the relation between various measures of carbohydrate quality and incident CHD. Design Data on diet and lifestyle behaviors were prospectively collected on 75,020 women and 42,865 men participating in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) starting in 1984 and 1986, respectively, and every 2-4 y thereafter until 2012. All participants were free of known diabetes mellitus, cancer, or cardiovascular disease at baseline. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the relation between dietary measures of carbohydrate quality and incident CHD. Results After 1,905,047 (NHS) and 921,975 (HPFS) person-years of follow-up, we identified 7,320 cases of incident CHD. In models adjusted for age, lifestyle behaviors, and dietary variables, the highest quintile of carbohydrate intake was not associated with incident CHD (pooled-RR = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.14; P-trend = 0.31). Total fiber intake was not associated with risk of CHD (pooled-RR = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.85, 1.03; P-trend = 0.72), while cereal fiber was associated with a lower risk for incident CHD (pooled-RR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.87; P-trend < 0.0001). In fully adjusted models, the carbohydrate-to-total fiber ratio was not associated with incident CHD (pooled-RR = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.13; P-trend = 0.46). However, the carbohydrate-to-cereal fiber ratio and the starch-to-cereal fiber ratio were associated with an increased risk for incident CHD (pooled-RR = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.29; P-trend < 0.0001, and pooled-RR = 1.17; 95%CI: 1.09, 1.27; P-trend < 0.0001, respectively). Conclusion Dietary cereal fiber appears to be an important component of carbohydrate quality. The carbohydrate-to-cereal fiber ratio and the starch-to-cereal fiber ratio, but not the carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio, was associated with an increased risk for incident CHD. Future research should focus on how various measures of carbohydrate quality are associated with CHD prevention. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03214861.
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia during bendamustine plus rituximab treatment in CLL patients: multicenter experience

Luca Laurenti, Francesco Autore, Idanna Innocenti, Giovanni D’Arena, Marta Coscia, Patrizia Mondello, Patrizia Chiusolo, Silvia Bellesi, Dimitar G. Efremov, Simona Sica and Francesca Romana Mauro Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy; IRCCS Centro Di Riferimento Oncologico Della Basilicata, Rionero in Vulture, Italy; Division of Hematology, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy; Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy; International Center for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, Monterotondo Scalo, Italy; Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Hematology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
Requirement and Synergistic Contribution of Platelet-Activating Factor Acetylhydrolase Sse and Streptolysin S to Inhibition of Neutrophil Recruitment and Systemic Infection by Hypervirulent emm3 Group A Streptococcus in Subcutaneous Infection of Mice

ABSTRACT Hypervirulent group A streptococcus (GAS) can inhibit neutrophil recruitment and cause systemic infection in a mouse model of skin infection. The purpose of this study was to determine whether platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase Sse and streptolysin S (SLS) have synergistic contributions to inhibition of neutrophil recruitment and systemic infection in subcutaneous infection of mice by MGAS315, a hypervirulent genotype emm3 GAS strain. Deletion of sse and sagA in MGAS315 synergistically reduced the skin lesion size and GAS burden in the liver and spleen. However, the mutants were persistent at skin sites and had similar growth factors in nonimmune blood. Thus, the low numbers of Δsse ΔsagA mutants in the liver and spleen were likely due to their reduction in the systemic dissemination. Few intact and necrotic neutrophils were detected at MGAS315 infection sites. In contrast, many neutrophils and necrotic cells were present at the edge of Δsse mutant infection sites on day 1 and at the edge of and inside Δsse mutant infection sites on day 2. ΔsagA mutant infection sites had massive numbers of and few intact neutrophils at the edge and center of the infection sites, respectively, on day 1 and were full of intact neutrophils or necrotic cells on day 2. Δsse ΔsagA mutant infection sites had massive numbers of intact neutrophils throughout the whole infection site. These sse and sagA deletion-caused changes in the histological pattern at skin infection sites could be complemented. Thus, the sse and sagA deletions synergistically enhance neutrophil recruitment. These findings indicate that both Sse and SLS are required but that neither is sufficient for inhibition of neutrophil recruitment and systemic infection by hypervirulent GAS.
A Mixed Deterministic Model for Coreference Resolution

This paper presents a mixed deterministic model for coreference resolution in the CoNLL-2012 shared task. We separate the two main stages of our model, mention detection and coreference resolution, into several sub-tasks which are solved by machine learning method and deterministic rules based on multi-filters, such as lexical, syntactic, semantic, gender and number information. We participate in the closed track for English and Chinese, and also submit an open result for Chinese using tools to generate the required features. Finally, we reach the average F1 scores 58.68, 60.69 and 61.02 on the English closed task, Chinese closed and open tasks.
From Late Miocene to Holocene: Processes of Differentiation within the Telestes Genus (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae)

Investigating processes and timing of differentiation of organisms is critical in the understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms involved in microevolution, speciation, and macroevolution that generated the extant biodiversity. From this perspective, the Telestes genus is of special interest: the Telestes species have a wide distribution range across Europe (from the Danubian district to Mediterranean districts) and have not been prone to translocation. Molecular data (mtDNA: 1,232 bp including the entire Cyt b gene; nuclear genome: 11 microsatellites) were gathered from 34 populations of the Telestes genus, almost encompassing the entire geographic range. Using several phylogenetic and molecular dating methods interpreted in conjunction with paleoclimatic and geomorphologic evidence, we investigated the processes and timing of differentiation of the Telestes lineages. The observed genetic structure and diversity were largely congruent between mtDNA and microsatellites. The Messinian Salinity Crisis (Late Miocene) seems to have played a major role in the speciation processes of the genus. Focusing on T. souffia, a species occurring in the Danube and Rhone drainages, we were able to point out several specific events from the Pleistocene to the Holocene that have likely driven the differentiation and the historical demography of this taxon. This study provides support for an evolutionary history of dispersal and vicariance with unprecedented resolution for any freshwater fish in this region.
Treatment with a Substance P Receptor Antagonist Is Neuroprotective in the Intrastriatal 6-Hydroxydopamine Model of Early Parkinson's Disease

Neuroinflammation and blood brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). The neuropeptide substance P (SP) is an important mediator of both neuroinflammation and BBB dysfunction through its NK1 receptor in a process known as neurogenic inflammation. Increased SP content has previously been reported following 6-OHDA treatment in vitro, with the levels of SP correlating with cell death. The present study used an in vivo 6-OHDA lesion model to determine if dopaminergic degeneration was associated with increased SP in the substantia nigra and whether this degeneration could be prevented by using a SP, NK1 receptor antagonist. Unilateral, intrastriatal 6-OHDA lesions were induced and SP (10 µg/2 µL) or the NK1 receptor antagonists, N-acetyl-L-tryptophan (2 µL at 50 nM) or L-333,060 (2 µL at 100 nM), administered immediately after the neurotoxin. Nigral SP content was then determined using immunohistochemical and ELISA methods, neuroinflammation and barrier integrity was assessed using Iba-1, ED-1, GFAP and albumin immunohistochemistry, while dopaminergic cell loss was assessed with tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry. Motor function in all animals was assessed using the rotarod task. Intrastriatal 6-OHDA lesioning produced an early and sustained increase in ipsilateral nigral SP content, along with a breakdown of the BBB and activation of microglia and astrocytes. Further exacerbation of SP levels accelerated disease progression, whereas NK1 receptor antagonist treatment protected dopaminergic neurons, preserved barrier integrity, reduced neuroinflammation and significantly improved motor function. We propose that neurogenic inflammation contributes to dopaminergic degeneration in early experimental PD and demonstrate that an NK1 receptor antagonist may represent a novel neuroprotective therapy.
Analyzing canopy spectra with polynomial expression and retrieval of chlorophyll concentration

The polynomial expression is a new and powerful model to interpret the light scattering process inside leaf/soil system and decipher the nonlinear relationship between component spectra and canopy reflectance. In our previous work, we have outlined the forward model and analyzed its feature. For models with large number of parameters, their inversion is a challenging problem. This paper presents the algorithm and strategy that makes the complex multivariant inversion problem efficient and stable
Structural and Functional Analysis of Phytotoxin Toxoflavin-Degrading Enzyme

Pathogenic bacteria synthesize and secrete toxic low molecular weight compounds as virulence factors. These microbial toxins play essential roles in the pathogenicity of bacteria in various hosts, and are emerging as targets for antivirulence strategies. Toxoflavin, a phytotoxin produced by Burkholderia glumae BGR1, has been known to be the key factor in rice grain rot and wilt in many field crops. Recently, toxoflavin-degrading enzyme (TxDE) was identified from Paenibacillus polymyxa JH2, thereby providing a possible antivirulence strategy for toxoflavin-mediated plant diseases. Here, we report the crystal structure of TxDE in the substrate-free form and in complex with toxoflavin, along with the results of a functional analysis. The overall structure of TxDE is similar to those of the vicinal oxygen chelate superfamily of metalloenzymes, despite the lack of apparent sequence identity. The active site is located at the end of the hydrophobic channel, 9 Å in length, and contains a Mn(II) ion interacting with one histidine residue, two glutamate residues, and three water molecules in an octahedral coordination. In the complex, toxoflavin binds in the hydrophobic active site, specifically the Mn(II)-coordination shell by replacing a ligating water molecule. A functional analysis indicated that TxDE catalyzes the degradation of toxoflavin in a manner dependent on oxygen, Mn(II), and the reducing agent dithiothreitol. These results provide the structural features of TxDE and the early events in catalysis.
The Initial Development of the Factors to Influence the Maker Teachers' Acceptance of Maker Education Scale

Maker education is a hot trend in primary and secondary education, and it is an important means to cultivate students' cooperation, sharing and innovation abilities. Teacher is a very critical factor. Whether the maker teachers are willing to accept maker education can have a direct impact on the quality of the effective implementation of maker education. However, previous studies paid more attention to the connotation, characteristics and practical programs of the maker education, and less on the teachers' perspective on the acceptance of the maker education. Especially lack of relevant studies from the empirical perspective to verify the implementation of it indicates the need to study and develop the "Factors to Influence the Maker Teachers' Acceptance of Maker Education Scale". In this study, 21 items were prepared by reviewing the literature. Then, the study invited six experts for amendment, and selected 40 maker teachers to take part in the primary scale development study. The data were processed in SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 21.0. The results showed that the scale was composed of five dimensions and 14 items. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient value of the scale was 0.895, indicating that the reliability was good. At the same time, the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the scale had good convergent validity and discriminant validity, with the limit of the sample size.
An image classification algorithm integrating principal component analysis and spatial pyramid matching features

To speed the image classification by effectively eliminating of redundancy in image features is a hot research topic in computer vision. Integrating the Spatial Pyramid Matching (SPM) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), we propose a new SPM-PCA algorithm for effective image classification. Our method can improve time efficiency and meanwhile improve classification performance through dimensionality reduction in multiple levels of spatial pyramid. Experiments demonstrate our method's performance.