Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of FasL sustains phagocytic cells and delays myogenesis in regenerating muscle fibers

Macrophage‐muscle cell interactions are complex, and the majority is unknown. The persistence of inflammatory cells in skeletal muscle could be critical for myofiber viability. In the present paper, we show that FasL plays a role in the resolution of muscle inflammation. We analyzed inflamed muscles of normal mice treated from day 3 to day 8 with a FasL inhibitor (Fas‐Ig) or with control Ig. Treated muscles were collected at 3, 5, and 10 days. The treatment with recombinant Fas‐Ig protein induced a severe persistence of inflammatory cells at 5 days (115,000±27,838 vs. 41,661±6848, p<0.01) and 10 days from injury (145,500±40,850 vs. 5000±1000, p<0.001). Myofiber regeneration was highly impaired (37±14 vs. 252±28, p<0.01). Apoptosis of phagocytic cells was absent during Fas‐Ig treatment (0.9±0.6 vs. 1300±150,p<0.0001), but apoptotic, mononucleated cells appeared at day 10, 2 days after the suspension of Fas‐Ig administration. The time course of FasL expression during muscle inflammation, at mRNA and protein level, reveals a peak during myoblast proliferation. The peak of FasL expression coincides with the peak of apoptosis of phagocytic cells. In situ hybridization shows the co‐expression of FasL and MyoD mRNA in mononucleated cells, i.e., myoblasts. Experiments on the myoblast cell culture confirmed the expression of FasL in myoblasts. The findings shown here indicate one of the pathways to control myoblast‐macrophage interaction and might be relevant for the control of inflammatory cells in muscle tissue. Perhaps altering FasL expression with recombinant proteins could ameliorate inflammation in degenerative myopathies and up‐regulate muscle regeneration.
The Missing Link in Plant Histidine Biosynthesis: Arabidopsis myoinositol monophosphatase-like2 Encodes a Functional Histidinol-Phosphate Phosphatase1[W][OA]

Histidine (His) plays a critical role in plant growth and development, both as one of the standard amino acids in proteins, and as a metal-binding ligand. While genes encoding seven of the eight enzymes in the pathway of His biosynthesis have been characterized from a number of plant species, the identity of the enzyme catalyzing the dephosphorylation of histidinol-phosphate to histidinol has remained elusive. Recently, members of a novel family of histidinol-phosphate phosphatase proteins, displaying significant sequence similarity to known myoinositol monophosphatases (IMPs) have been identified from several Actinobacteria. Here we demonstrate that a member of the IMP family from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), myoinositol monophosphatase-like2 (IMPL2; encoded by At4g39120), has histidinol-phosphate phosphatase activity. Heterologous expression of IMPL2, but not the related IMPL1 protein, was sufficient to rescue the His auxotrophy of a Streptomyces coelicolor hisN mutant. Homozygous null impl2 Arabidopsis mutants displayed embryonic lethality, which could be rescued by supplying plants heterozygous for null impl2 alleles with His. In common with the previously characterized HISN genes from Arabidopsis, IMPL2 was expressed in all plant tissues and throughout development, and an IMPL2:green fluorescent protein fusion protein was targeted to the plastid, where His biosynthesis occurs in plants. Our data demonstrate that IMPL2 is the HISN7 gene product, and suggest a lack of genetic redundancy at this metabolic step in Arabidopsis, which is characteristic of the His biosynthetic pathway.
Political clientelism in Thai provinces

This article tests hypotheses of the clientelist theory of political participation using both individual level cross sectional survey data and aggregate level data from all 76 provinces in Thailand for the 1996, 2001 and the 2005 General Election timeframes. According to the clientelist theory of political participation, we would expect higher participation among those with fewer resources when there is an incentive for a patron to buy participation, and lower participation where there is no incentive. I use linear and logistical regression to test hypotheses derived from this theory and find there is support enough to suggest clientelism as a cause of political participation during the democratic period of Thailand. The results have important implications for understanding clientelism, regime legitimacy and the prospects for a return to democracy.
On performance analysis and design criteria for trellis coded differential unitary space-time modulation

In this paper, we propose the trellis coded differential unitary space-time modulation (TC-DUSTM) and present the derivation of the formulae of the pairwise error-event probability (PEP) and the bit error probability (BEP) for this scheme. We found that in a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) system with M transmit and N receive antennas, apart from the diversity gain of MN, a coding gain of l/sub min/ is also obtained for the TC-DUSTM, where l/sub min/ is the length of the shortest error event. Additional coding gain comes from the product of the dissimilarities along the path of the shortest error event. These performance analyses suggest design criteria for the TC-DUSTM to obtain a best BEP performance. Through simulations we show that these analyses are accurate, especially at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
Effects of in vitro fermentation of barley &bgr;‐glucan and sugar beet pectin using human fecal inocula on cytokine expression by dendritic cells

SCOPE This study simulates the fermentation process of barley β-glucan and sugar beet pectin in the human colon and monitors the degradation products formed. Additionally, immune effects of the degradation products were investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS Immunostimulatory activity of fermentation digesta was investigated using bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) from toll-like receptor 2/4 (TLR2/4) knockout mice, which were unresponsive to microbe-associated molecular patterns. Cytokine responses were elicited to dietary fibers and not to the SCFA and microbiota. The fermentation digesta were analyzed for their SCFA profiles and glycan metabolites over time. During fermentation the amount of insoluble precipitating fibers increased and induced as well as soluble molecules of lower molecular mass greater amounts of cytokines in BMDCs than the parental fiber. Additionally, high amounts of cytokines can be attributed to soluble galactose-rich beet pectin molecules. CONCLUSIONS The fermentation of the two fibers led to fiber-specific amounts of SCFA, glycosidic metabolites, and different immunomodulatory properties. BMDC from TLR2/4 knockout mice did not respond to the digest microbiota and SCFA, making it a useful approach to study temporal effects of fermentation on the immunomodulatory effects of fibers.
A multifaceted look at time of admission and its impact on case-fatality among a cohort of ischaemic stroke patients

Purpose Off-hours admissions have been associated with an increased risk of poor outcomes but results have been inconsistent, possibly due to different measures of off-hours care used. We examined, using a single condition and increasingly refined definitions of time of admission, the effect of off-hours admissions on 7-day stroke case-fatality. Methods We studied a retrospective cohort of 82 219 ischaemic stroke admissions to 115 Dutch hospitals between 2000 and 2004. Data were from the Dutch Medical Register and analysed using multivariable multilevel logistic regression. We adjusted for variables such as age, gender, Charlson–Deyo comorbidity score, urgency of admission, hospital teaching status and speciality of attending physician. Results After adjustment, we observed higher 7-day death risk for weekend admissions when compared to weekday admissions (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.20 to 1.34). Sunday displayed the highest risk of death (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.20 to 1.44). With the Monday day-shift as a reference, the death odds were increased during the Sunday and Saturday day-shifts, the evening-shifts on Sunday and Monday, and during all night-shifts. The night-shift ORs ranged from 1.94 (95% CI 1.56 to 2.41) to 2.14 (95% CI 1.74 to 2.63). When compared to admission at 8:00 we observed increased death odds from midnight until 7:00 and decreased death odds from 14:00 until 18:00. Conclusions Weekends represent a period of increased death risk for ischaemic stroke patients in the Netherlands. However, this increased risk appears to represent an exacerbation of an underlying night-time risk present during the weekdays.
Interaction of phlorizin, a potent inhibitor of the Na+/D‐glucose cotransporter, with the NADPH‐binding site of mammalian catalases

Phlorizin is a reversible inhibitor of the renal and small intestinal Na+/D‐glucose cotransporter. In an attempt to purify the Na+/D‐glucose cotransporter from a pig kidney brush border membrane fraction, we used an Affi‐Gel affinity chromatography column to which 3‐aminophlorizin had been coupled. A protein, composed according to crosslinking experiments of at least 3 subunits of molecular weight 60 kDa, was found to bind specifically to the phlorizin column. This protein was subsequently identified as catalase by sequence homology of three of its tryptic fragments to the sequence of several mammalian catalases as well as by its enzymatic activity. Although bovine liver catalase was bound tightly to the affinity matrix, phlorizin had no effect on the ability of the enzyme to degrade H2O2. In contrast, the Aspergillus niger and Neurospora crussa catalases did not bind to the phlorizin column. This difference may be related to the fact that mammalian catalases, but not the fungal catalases, contain an NADPH binding site with a yet unknown function. Interestingly, bovine liver catalase could be eluted with 50 μM NADPH from phlorizin columns. Irradiation in the presence of [3H]4‐azidophlorizin allowed photolabeling of bovine liver catalase, which was prevented by the presence of 10 μM NADPH. After digestion of photolabeled catalase with chymotrypsin, a radioactive peptide was detected that was absent in catalase protected with NADPH. Docking simulations suggested that phlorizin can bind to the NADPH binding site with high affinity.
Artifact-free image reconstruction for satellite imagery

This paper presents a novel image-reconstruction (IR) method for satellite imagery. To reduce unnatural artifacts, which often appear in existing IR methods, we propose a novel scheme to accurately estimate PSF and a novel regularization for IR. In the PSF estimation, hyper-parameters are estimated to reduce artifacts while improving sharpness based on our new criterion, which employs a residual of sigmoidal-function fitting to a strong edge on the reconstructed image as measurement of the amount of the artifacts. After the PSF estimation, we conduct IR based on the estimated PSF. In IR process, we employ a novel regularization that induces gradients of the reconstructed image to be close to those of its guide image. Since the guide image contains only the dominant structure of the input image without artifacts, the regularization leads to fewer artifacts. In addition, we employ a learning-based method for setting the spatially adaptive strength of the regularization effectively. Experimental results on real satellite imageries show that our method works better than other state-of-the-art IR methods.
Rotavirus Serotype G9 Strains Belonging to VP7 Gene Phylogenetic Sequence Lineage 1 May Be More Suitable for Serotype G9 Vaccine Candidates than Those Belonging to Lineage 2 or 3

ABSTRACT A safe and effective group A rotavirus vaccine that could prevent severe diarrhea or ameliorate its symptoms in infants and young children is urgently needed in both developing and developed countries. Rotavirus VP7 serotypes G1, G2, G3, and G4 have been well established to be of epidemiologic importance worldwide. Recently, serotype G9 has emerged as the fifth globally common type of rotavirus of clinical importance. Sequence analysis of the VP7 gene of various G9 isolates has demonstrated the existence of at least three phylogenetic lineages. The goal of our study was to determine the relationship of the phylogenetic lineages to the neutralization specificity of various G9 strains. We generated eight single VP7 gene substitution reassortants, each of which bore a single VP7 gene encoding G9 specificity of one of the eight G9 strains (two lineage 1, one lineage 2 and five lineage 3 strains) and the remaining 10 genes of bovine rotavirus strain UK, and two hyperimmune guinea pig antisera to each reassortant, and we then analyzed VP7 neutralization characteristics of the eight G9 strains as well as an additional G9 strain belonging to lineage 1; the nine strains were isolated in five countries. Antisera to lineage 1 viruses neutralized lineage 2 and 3 strains to at least within eightfold of the homotypic lineage viruses. Antisera to lineage 2 virus neutralized lineage 3 viruses to at least twofold of the homotypic lineage 2 virus; however, neutralization of lineage 1 viruses was fourfold (F45 and AU32) to 16- to 64-fold (WI61) less efficient. Antisera to lineage 3 viruses neutralized the lineage 2 strain 16- to 64-fold less efficiently, the lineage 1 strains F45 and AU32 8- to 128-fold less efficiently, and WI61 (prototype G9 strain) 128- to 1,024-fold less efficiently than the homotypic lineage 3 viruses. These findings may have important implications for the development of G9 rotavirus vaccine candidates, as the strain with the broadest reactivity (i.e., a prime strain) would certainly be the ideal strain for inclusion in a vaccine.
Special Education Pre-Referrals in One Public School Serving Native American Students

Abstract:When teachers lack cultural competence, any gap between students' home life and school life can disadvantage learners. In this case study of a school where one-quarter of the student population is Native American, I examine how two White general-education teachers decided to refer students to the special education pre-referral team. All referred students were Native American.1 Analysis of interviews, observations, and documents revealed several themes: (a) the use of antiquated frameworks to make referral decisions, (b) dissonance between participants' perceptions and actions, and (c) complicated understandings of culture's influence on referrals. Participants claimed to see all students the same while believing that Native American and White students learn differently. Lack of multicultural competence generates these contradictory notions, which can result in overrepresentation of minority students in special education. I conclude with implications for teacher-preparation programs.
A hospital-based observational cohort study exploring pain and biomarkers in patients with hand osteoarthritis in Norway: The Nor-Hand protocol

Introduction We have limited knowledge about the underlying disease mechanisms and causes of pain in hand osteoarthritis (OA). Consequently, no disease-modifying drug exists, and more knowledge about the pathogenesis of hand OA is needed, as well as a validation of different outcome measures. Our first aim of this study is to explore the validity of various imaging modalities for the assessment of hand OA. Second, we want to gain a better understanding of the disease processes, with a special focus on pain mechanisms. Methods and analysis The Nor-Hand study is a hospital-based observational study including 300 patients with evidence of hand OA by ultrasound and/or clinical examination. The baseline examination consists of functional tests and joint assessment of the hands, medical assessment, pain sensitisation tests, ultrasound (hands, acromioclavicular joint, hips, knees and feet), CT and MRI of the dominant hand, conventional radiographs of the hands and feet, fluorescence optical imaging of the hands, collection of blood and urine samples as well as self-reported demographic factors and OA-related questionnaires. Two follow-up examinations are planned. Cross-sectional analyses will be used to investigate agreements and associations between different relevant measures at the baseline examination, whereas the longitudinal data will be used for evaluation of predictors for clinical outcomes. Ethics and dissemination The protocol is approved by the Norwegian Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics (Ref. no: 2014/2057). The participants receive oral and written information about the project and sign a consent form before participation. They can, whenever they want, withdraw from the study, and all de-identified data will be safely stored on the research server at Diakonhjemmet Hospital. Results will be presented at international and national congresses and in peer-reviewed rheumatology journals. Trial registration number NCT03083548; Pre-results.
The effect of tadalafil on psychosocial outcomes in Swedish men with erectile distress: a multicentre, non‐randomised, open‐label clinical study

A multicentre, non‐randomised, open‐label study assessed whether personal distress caused by erectile dysfunction (ED) affected psychosocial outcomes of tadalafil treatment. Eligible Swedish men at least 18 years old reporting ≥3‐month history of ED were stratified into two groups (manifest or mild/no distress) based upon a distress question administered at enrolment. Tadalafil 20 mg was taken as needed for 8 weeks. The primary outcome was the difference between the two distress groups in change from baseline in the Psychological and Interpersonal Relationship Scales (PAIRS) spontaneity domain. Secondary outcome measures were PAIRS sexual self‐confidence and time concerns domains, Life Satisfaction (LiSat‐11) checklist and a Global Assessment of Treatment Response. The study also assessed tolerability. Of 662 men enrolled, 88% had manifest distress and 12% had mild/no distress. Baseline‐to‐endpoint changes for PAIRS domains were not significantly different between groups. Baseline‐to‐endpoint changes in LiSat‐11 items were not significantly different between groups except for satisfaction with sexual life. Compared with men without ED, below normal baseline satisfaction with partner relationship and family life were normalised at endpoint. Over 90% of men reported improved erection and ability to engage in sexual activity. The most common treatment‐emergent adverse events were headache, myalgia, dyspepsia, flushing and back pain. One man discontinued because of myalgia; 630 (95%) completed the study. In conclusion, erectile distress levels vary among patients with ED and distress can affect intra‐familiar aspects of life, which may have implications for clinical practise. However, distress does not appear to hinder improvement in both mechanical and psychosocial outcomes of tadalafil treatment.
The most recent results on orchid mycorrhizal fungi in Hungary

Symbionts and endophytes of Hungarian orchids were studied at diverse habitats. Mycobionts of roots and in situ germinated protocorms of 15 orchid species were identified by molecular methods. Four fungal groups could be distinguished from orchids living at diversely wet treeless habitats: Ceratobasidiaceae, Epulorhiza 1, Epulorhiza 2 and Sebacinaceae. While the groups Ceratobasidiaceae and Sebacinaceae were detected only at habitats with medium water supply, members of clade Epulorhiza occurred at all of the treeless study sites. These observations suggest that fungi belonging to the genus Epulorhiza are more tolerant of water-stress than the other investigated genera. An ascomycetous fungus from the family Pezizaceae could be identified from the roots of Orchis coriophora . Further Ascomycetes were identified at forest habitats. Tuber maculatum was detected from the roots of Epipactis helleborine and Cephalanthera damasonium , and Tuber excavatum from Epipactis microphylla .
Photoacoustic characterization of carbon nanotube array thermal interfaces

This work describes an experimental study of thermal conductance across multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) array interfaces, one sided (Si-CNT-Ag) and two sided (Si-CNT-CNT-Cu), using a photoacoustic technique (PA). Well-anchored, dense, and vertically oriented multiwalled CNT arrays have been directly synthesized on Si wafers and pure Cu sheets using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. With the PA technique, the small interface resistances of the highly conductive CNT interfaces can be measured with accuracy and precision. In addition, the PA technique can resolve the one-sided CNT interface component resistances (Si-CNT and CNT-Ag) and the two-sided CNT interface component resistances (Si-CNT, CNT-CNT, and CNT-Cu) and can estimate the thermal diffusivity of the CNT layers. The thermal contact resistances of the one- and two-sided CNT interfaces measured using the PA technique are 15.8±0.9 and 4.0±0.4mm2K∕W, respectively, at moderate pressure. These results compare favorably with those obtained usi.
Role of Breast Milk and Breastfeeding within the Context of a Sustainable, Resilient Food System

ABSTRACT Although sustainable food system literature is increasing, a minimal amount of published work addresses the role of breast milk and breastfeeding in these systems. The paper includes: (1) use of Food Regime Theory (FRT) to understand the historical, political, and economic changes contributing to infant feeding practices; (2) an investigation of artificial infant milks as a commodity in the industrial food system; and (3) the exploration of how breastfeeding could be applied to a sustainability framework. By addressing these perspectives, nutrition policy experts and community health practitioners can increase awareness of the association between human lactation and sustainable, resilient food systems.
Efficacy of an evidence-based clinical decision support in primary care practices: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE There is consensus that incorporating clinical decision support into electronic health records will improve quality of care, contain costs, and reduce overtreatment, but this potential has yet to be demonstrated in clinical trials. OBJECTIVE To assess the influence of a customized evidence-based clinical decision support tool on the management of respiratory tract infections and on the effectiveness of integrating evidence at the point of care. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In a randomized clinical trial, we implemented 2 well-validated integrated clinical prediction rules, namely, the Walsh rule for streptococcal pharyngitis and the Heckerling rule for pneumonia. INTERVENTIONS AND MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The intervention group had access to the integrated clinical prediction rule tool and chose whether to complete risk score calculators, order medications, and generate progress notes to assist with complex decision making at the point of care. RESULTS The intervention group completed the integrated clinical prediction rule tool in 57.5% of visits. Providers in the intervention group were significantly less likely to order antibiotics than the control group (age-adjusted relative risk, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.60-0.92). The absolute risk of the intervention was 9.2%, and the number needed to treat was 10.8. The intervention group was significantly less likely to order rapid streptococcal tests compared with the control group (relative risk, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.58-0.97; P= .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The integrated clinical prediction rule process for integrating complex evidence-based clinical decision report tools is of relevant importance for national initiatives, such as Meaningful Use. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01386047.