Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glutathione Protects Lactococcus lactis against Acid Stress

ABSTRACT Previously we showed that glutathione (GSH) can protect Lactococcus lactis against oxidative stress (Y. Li et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69:5739-5745, 2003). In the present study, we show that the GSH imported by L. lactis subsp. cremoris SK11 or produced by engineered L. lactis subsp. cremoris NZ9000 can protect both strains against a long-term mild acid challenge (pH 4.0) and a short-term severe acid challenge (pH 2.5). This shows for the first time that GSH can protect a gram-positive bacterium against acid stress. During acid challenge, strain SK11 containing imported GSH and strain NZ9000 containing self-produced GSH exhibited significantly higher intracellular pHs than the control. Furthermore, strain SK11 containing imported GSH had a significantly higher activity of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase than the control. These results suggest that the acid stress resistance of starter culture can be improved by selecting L. lactis strains capable of producing or importing GSH.
Vehicular Digital Forensics: What Does My Vehicle Know About Me?

A major component of modern vehicles is the infotainment system, which interfaces with its drivers and passengers. Other mobile devices, such as handheld phones and laptops, can relay information to the embedded infotainment system through Bluetooth and vehicle WiFi. The ability to extract information from these systems would help forensic analysts determine the general contents that is stored in an infotainment system. Based off the data that is extracted, this would help determine what stored information is relevant to law enforcement agencies and what information is non-essential when it comes to solving criminal activities relating to the vehicle itself. This would overall solidify the Intelligent Transport System and Vehicular Ad Hoc Network infrastructure in combating crime through the use of vehicle forensics. Additionally, determining the content of these systems will allow forensic analysts to know if they can determine anything about the end-user directly and/or indirectly.
Facilitating Goal-Oriented Behaviour in the Stroop Task: When Executive Control Is Influenced by Automatic Processing

A portion of Stroop interference is thought to arise from a failure to maintain goal-oriented behaviour (or goal neglect). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether goal- relevant primes could enhance goal maintenance and reduce the Stroop interference effect. Here it is shown that primes related to the goal of responding quickly in the Stroop task (e.g. fast, quick, hurry) substantially reduced Stroop interference by reducing reaction times to incongruent trials but increasing reaction times to congruent and neutral trials. No effects of the primes were observed on errors. The effects on incongruent, congruent and neutral trials are explained in terms of the influence of the primes on goal maintenance. The results show that goal priming can facilitate goal-oriented behaviour and indicate that automatic processing can modulate executive control.
DFT-2 D-BASED FAST SUPERRESOLUTION

Recently we have successfully exploited and applied the new and powerful non-parametric Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) Bayesian inference method to the problem of Superresolution (SR) image reconstruction, generating the INLA SR algorithm. Even though achieving superior image reconstruction results in comparison to other state-of-the-art methods, such algorithm manipulates matrices that are quite large, although sparse. Thus, even using data structures suitable to store and manipulate sparse matrices, the demand for memory usage and computation is high. In this paper, it is shown that the computation cost of the INLA SR algorithm may be reduced (from O(n4) to O(n log(n))), as well as the dimension of the matrices handled (from n2 × n2 to n× n, the size of the HR image), at the cost of a slight reduction of the HR image quality. Keywords— Superresolution, INLA, DFT, Block Toeplitz Circulant Matrices.
p73 promotes glioblastoma cell invasion by directly activating POSTN (periostin) expression

Glioblastoma Multiforme is one of the most highly metastatic cancers and constitutes 70% of all gliomas. Despite aggressive treatments these tumours have an exceptionally bad prognosis, mainly due to therapy resistance and tumour recurrence. Here we show that the transcription factor p73 confers an invasive phenotype by directly activating expression of POSTN (periostin, HGNC:16953) in glioblastoma cells. Knock down of endogenous p73 reduces invasiveness and chemo-resistance, and promotes differentiation in vitro. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation and reporter assays we demonstrate that POSTN, an integrin binding protein that has recently been shown to play a major role in metastasis, is a transcriptional target of TAp73. We further show that POSTN overexpression is sufficient to rescue the invasive phenotype of glioblastoma cells after p73 knock down. Additionally, bioinformatics analysis revealed that an intact p73/POSTN axis, where POSTN and p73 expression is correlated, predicts bad prognosis in several cancer types. Taken together, our results support a novel role of TAp73 in controlling glioblastoma cell invasion by regulating the expression of the matricellular protein POSTN.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Reveals Two Cortical Pathways for Visual Body Processing

Visual recognition of human bodies is more difficult for upside down than upright presentations. This body inversion effect implies that body perception relies on configural rather than local processing. Although neuroimaging studies indicate that the visual processing of human bodies engages a large fronto-temporo-parietal network, information about the neural underpinnings of configural body processing is meager. Here, we used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to study the causal role of premotor, visual, and parietal areas in configural processing of human bodies. Eighteen participants performed a delayed matching-to-sample task with upright or inverted static body postures. Event-related, dual-pulse rTMS was applied 150 ms after the sample stimulus onset, over left ventral premotor cortex (vPMc), right extrastriate body area (EBA), and right superior parietal lobe (SPL) and, as a control site, over the right primary visual cortex (V1). Interfering stimulation of vPMc significantly reduced accuracy of matching judgments for upright bodies. In contrast, EBA rTMS significantly reduced accuracy for inverted but not for upright bodies. Furthermore, a significant body inversion effect was observed after interfering stimulation of EBA and V1 but not of vPMc and SPL. These results demonstrate an active contribution of the fronto-parietal mirror network to configural processing of bodies and suggest a novel, embodied aspect of visual perception. In contrast, the local processing of the body, possibly based on the form of individual body parts instead of on the whole body unit, appears to depend on EBA. Therefore, we propose two distinct cortical routes for the visual processing of human bodies.
TLR-mediated albuminuria needs TNFα-mediated cooperativity between TLRs present in hematopoietic tissues and CD80 present on non-hematopoietic tissues in mice

ABSTRACT Transient albuminuria induced by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in mice through engagement of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is widely studied as a partial model for some forms of human nephrotic syndrome (NS). In addition to TLRs, CD80 has been shown to be essential for PAMP-mediated albuminuria. However, the mechanistic relationships between TLRs, CD80 and albuminuria remain unclear. Here, we show that albuminuria and CD80-uria induced in mice by many TLR ligands are dependent on the expression of TLRs and their downstream signalling intermediate MyD88 exclusively in hematopoietic cells and, conversely, on CD80 expression exclusively in non-hematopoietic cells. TNFα is crucial for TLR-mediated albuminuria and CD80-uria, and induces CD80 expression in cultured renal podocytes. IL-10 from hematopoietic cells ameliorates TNFα production, albuminuria and CD80-uria but does not prevent TNFα-mediated induction of podocyte CD80 expression. Chitohexaose, a small molecule originally of parasite origin, mediates TLR4-dependent anti-inflammatory responses, and blocks TLR-mediated albuminuria and CD80-uria through IL-10. Thus, TNFα is a prominent mediator of renal CD80 induction and resultant albuminuria in this model, and small molecules modulating TLR-mediated inflammatory activation might have contributory or adjunct therapeutic potential in some contexts of NS development. Summary: Systemic TNFα mediates myeloid cell and podocyte cross-talk to cause LPS-induced mouse microalbuminuria, a partial model of human nephrotic syndrome, pointing to potential adjunct therapeutic approaches.
A small number of anti-CD3 molecules on dendritic cells stimulate DNA synthesis in mouse T lymphocytes

Resting T cells enter cell cycle when challenged with anti-CD3 mAb and accessory cells that bear required Fc receptors (FcR). Presentation of anti-CD3 is thought to be a model for antigens presented by accessory cells to the TCR complex. We have obtained evidence that the number of anti-CD3 molecules that are associated with the accessory cell can be very small. We first noticed that thymic dendritic cells and cultured, but not freshly isolated, epidermal Langerhans cells (LC) were active accessory cells for responses to anti-CD3 mAb. DNA synthesis was abrogated by a mAb to the FcR but not by mAb to other molecules used in clonally specific antigen recognition, i.e., class I and II MHC products or CD4 and CD8. The requisite FcR could be identified on the LC but in small numbers. Freshly isolated LC had 20,000 FcR per cell, while the more active cultured LC had only 2,000 sites, using 125I-anti- FcR mAb in quantitative binding studies. Individual LC had similar levels of FcR, as evidenced with a sensitive FACS. FcR could not be detected on T cells or within the dendritic cell cytoplasm, at the start of or during the mitogenesis response. When the response was assessed at 30 h with single cell assays, at least 20 T cells became lymphoblasts per added LC, and at least 8 T cells were synthesizing DNA while in contact with the LC in discrete cell clusters. To the extent that anti-CD3 represents a polyclonal model for antigen presentation to specific T cell clones, these results suggest two conclusions. First, only 200-300 molecules of ligand on dendritic cells may be required to trigger a T cell. Second, the maturation of LC in culture entails "sensitizing" functions other than ligand presentation (anti-CD3 on FcR) to clonotypic T cell receptors.
Application of membrane inlet mass spectrometry to measure aquatic gross primary production by the 18O in vitro method

The 18O technique is considered the most direct in vitro method for measuring gross primary production (GPP) in aquatic ecosystems. This method measures the 18O enrichment of the dissolved O2 pool through photosynthesis after spiking a water sample with a tracer amount of 18O‐labeled water (18O‐H2O) and incubating it under natural light conditions. Despite its advantages, the 18O technique has only scarcely been used to measure GPP in the ocean. The lack of 18O‐based primary productivity measurements is most likely due to the technical difficulty associated with sample collection, handling, and processing, and to the need of an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) for sample analysis, which is not available for the majority of research groups. The current procedure also precludes at sea measurements. In this manuscript, we demonstrate that the biological 18O enrichment of dissolved O2, after incubation of seawater enriched with 18O‐H2O, can be precisely measured by shipboard or laboratory‐based membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS). The method was validated in the low‐productivity oligotrophic North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, where the measured GPP ranged from 0.2 to 1.1 μmol O2 L−1 d−1, with an approximate precision for surface waters of ± 0.02 μmol O2 L−1 d−1. This new approach has the advantages of simple water sample handling and analysis, accurate dissolved gas measurements, capability of analysis on board of a ship, and use of relatively inexpensive instrumentation, and therefore has the potential to improve our understanding of primary production in the ocean and other aquatic environments.
A 6 mW 325 MS/s 8 bit SAR ADC with background offset calibration

An 8-b single-channel successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) fabricated in 55 nm CMOS is proposed. With segmented prequantize and bypass digital-to-analog converter (DAC), the unnecessary switching of high weight capacitors are avoided. Two alternating comparators are utilized to reset the comparators completely without the sacrifice of conversion speed. A novel simple and low power background offset calibration technique is implemented. Operating at 325MS/s, this ADC consumes 6mW from 1.2V supply, achieves SNDR of 43.6 dB and SFDR of 59.1 dB with 11-MHz input while occupying 0.011mm2.
Representing rules as random sets, II: Iterated rules

I. R. Goodman, H. T. Nguyen, and others have proposed the theory of random sets as a unifying paradigm for knowledge‐based systems. The more types of ambiguous evidence that can be brought under the random‐set umbrella, the more potentially useful the theory becomes as a systematic methodology for comparing and fusing seemingly incongruent kinds of information. Conditional event algebra provides a general framework for dealing with rule‐based evidence in a manner consistent with probability theory. This and a previous companion article bring conditional event logic—and through it, rules and iterated rules—under the random set umbrella. In this article, we derive a new conditional event algebra, denoted GNW2, for rules which are contingent on other rules. We show that this logic is the only one which extends the GNW first‐degree logic, admits a simple embedding into random sets, and has GNW‐like behavior. We show that GNW events are contained in a Boolean subalgebra GNW* of GNW2. Finally, we show how GNW2 can be used to recursively define a GNW‐like Boolean logic for iterated rules of any degree. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Coded OFDM wireless systems with generalized prefix

In the case of orthogonal frequency-division multi-plexing (OFDM) systems, associated subcarriers can experience deep fades. When a cyclic prefix (CP) is used, CP-OFDM systems suffer from deep fading effects. With the channel coding and interleaving, coded OFDM provides a robust communication link for wireless channels. Coded CP-OFDM (COFDM) is one of the widely used transmission techniques for overcoming the deep fading of the channel and it tries to minimize deep fading problem by the use of forward error correction (FEC) techniques. Since it is known that the Coded CP-OFDM is not an exact solution to overcome the deep fading effect that degrades significantly the system performance, Coded generalized prefix (GP)-OFDM is proposed and also compared with coded CP-OFDM.
Add-On Effect of Bedtime Dosing of the α1-Adrenergic Receptor Antagonist Doxazosin on Morning Hypertension and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Patients Undergoing Long-Term Amlodipine Monotherapy

High morning blood pressure is related to target organ damage and future cardiovascular events. Chronobiologic therapies focusing on the early morning period may be an important strategy for antihypertensive therapy. The aim of this study was to clarify the add-on effects of bedtime dosing of the α1-adrenergic receptor antagonist doxazosin on morning blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension who were under long-acting calcium channel blocker amlodipine monotherapy. The add-on effects of doxazosin at the maximum dose of 6 mg at bedtime on home blood pressure and left ventricular geometry for 1 year were investigated in 49 subjects (37 men and 12 women, aged 57.5±9.1 years) with morning hypertension who had been treated with amlodipine alone for more than 1 year. Doxazosin induced a significant decrease in morning blood pressure (145.6±5.6/91.5±5.4 to 132.4±3.7/83.6±5.6 mmHg, p≤0.001/<0.001) without a change of evening blood pressure (128.9±5.1/79.8±5.1 to 127.7±6.0/78.8±6.2 mmHg, p=0.056/0.051). Left ventricular mass index (LVMI; 124.8±19.8 to 95.6±15.7 g/m2, p<0.001), relative wall thickness (0.457±0.061 to 0.405±0.047, p<0.001) and homeostasis model assessment of the insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR; 2.62±1.43 to 1.33±0.75, p<0.001) were decreased after doxazosin therapy. A stepwise multivariate regression analysis revealed that the changes in morning systolic blood pressure (adjusted r2=34.9%, p<0.001) and HOMA-IR (adjusted r2=4.5%, p=0.046) were significant contributory factors to the change in LVMI after doxazosin therapy. These results suggest that bedtime dosing of doxazosin is useful for the control of morning blood pressure and regression of left ventricular hypertrophy.
Effects of Physioball and Conventional Floor Exercises on Early Phase Adaptations in Back and Abdominal Core Stability and Balance in Women

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of 5 weeks of physioball core stability and balance exercises with conventional floor exercises in women. The experimental group (n = 15) performed curl-ups and back extensions on the physioball while the control group (n = 15) performed the same exercises on the floor. Baseline and post-training tests included electromyography (EMG) recordings of the rectus abdominus and erector spinae muscles; abdominal, back, and knee strength measurements with the Cybex Norm System; and 2 unilateral stance balance tests. The physioball group was found to have significantly greater mean change in EMG flexion and extension activity (p = 0.04 and p = 0.01, respectively) and greater balance scores (p < 0.01) than the floor exercise group. No significant changes (p > 0.05) were observed for heart rate or Cybex strength measurements. Early adaptations in a short-term core exercise program using the physioball resulted in greater gains in torso balance and EMG neuronal activity in previously untrained women when compared to performing exercises on the floor.
Overproduction of 3'-aminoglycoside phosphotransferase type I confers resistance to tobramycin in Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli HM69, isolated from urine, was resistant to high levels of kanamycin (MIC, > 1,000 micrograms/ml) and a low level of tobramycin (MIC, 8 micrograms/ml). Phosphocellulose paper-binding assays and molecular cloning indicated that resistance to both aminoglycosides was due to synthesis of a 3'-aminoglycoside phosphotransferase type I, an enzyme that phosphorylates kanamycin but not tobramycin. The structural gene for the enzyme was borne by an 80-kb conjugative plasmid, pIP1518, and was nearly identical to aphA1 of Tn903. Incubation of extracts of resistant cells with tobramycin or kanamycin led to a decrease (> 80%) of antibiotic activity as determined by a microbiological assay. Heat treatment showed that loss of activity was reversible and dependent upon the native enzyme. In the presence of ATP, only inactivation of kanamycin was reversible. These results suggest that resistance to low levels of tobramycin was due to formation of a complex between the enzyme and the antibiotic.
Metabolism of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone in human lung and liver microsomes and cytochromes P-450 expressed in hepatoma cells.

4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), a potent tobacco-specific carcinogen in animals, has been linked to tobacco-related cancers in humans. The cytochrome(s) P-450 (P-450) responsible for the metabolic activation of NNK in humans has not been identified. The present work investigated the ability of human lung and liver microsomes and 12 forms of human P-450, expressed in Hep G2 (hepatoma) cells, to metabolize NNK. Of the 12 P-450 forms, P-450 1A2 had the highest activity in catalyzing the conversion of NNK to the keto alcohol, 4-hydroxy-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone. P-450s 2A6, 2B7, 2E1, 2F1, and 3A5 also had measurable activities in the formation of keto alcohol. The apparent Km and Vmax for the formation of keto alcohol in the P-450 1A2-expressed Hep G2 cell lysate were 309 microM and 55 pmol/min/mg protein, respectively. 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol, a reductive product, was the major metabolite formed, whereas the formation of keto alcohol and its aldehyde and acid derivatives (all alpha-hydroxylation products) constituted approximately 1% of the initial amount of NNK in P450-expressed Hep G2 cell lysate. A similar metabolite pattern was observed with human lung or liver microsomes. In human lung microsomes, the apparent Kms for the formation of 4-hydroxy-4-(3-pyridyl)butyric acid, 4-oxo-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone, NNK-N-oxide, and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol were 526, 653, 531, and 573 microM, respectively; the formation of keto alcohol was not observed. For human lung microsomes, there was no sex-related difference in NNK metabolism. Carbon monoxide (90% atmosphere) significantly inhibited the metabolism of NNK in human lung and liver microsomes. 7,8-Benzoflavone, an inhibitor of P-450s 1A1 and 1A2, had no effect on NNK metabolism in human lung microsomes but decreased the formation of keto alcohol by 47% in human liver microsomes. Similarly, antibodies against human P-450s 1A2 and 2E1 decreased keto alcohol formation by 42% and 53%, respectively, in human liver microsomes but did not affect NNK metabolism in lung microsomes. Inhibitory antibodies against P-450s 2A1, 2C8, 2D1, or 3A4 had little or no effect on the metabolism of NNK in human liver or lung microsomes. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
SPINS: A laboratory information management system for organizing and archiving intermediate and final results from NMR protein structure determinations

Recent technological advances and experimental techniques have contributed to an increasing number and size of NMR datasets. In order to scale up productivity, laboratory information management systems for handling these extensive data need to be designed and implemented. The SPINS (Standardized ProteIn Nmr Storage) Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) addresses these needs by providing an interface for archival of complete protein NMR structure determinations, together with functionality for depositing these data to the public BioMagResBank (BMRB). The software tracks intermediate files during each step of an NMR structure‐determination process, including: data collection, data processing, resonance assignments, resonance assignment validation, structure calculation, and structure validation. The underlying SPINS data dictionary allows for the integration of various third party NMR data processing and analysis software, enabling users to launch programs they are accustomed to using for each step of the structure determination process directly out of the SPINS user interface. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.