Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti-CD45 inhibition of human B cell proliferation depends on the nature of activation signals and the state of B cell activation. A study with anti-IgM and anti-CDw40 antibodies.

The proliferation of human peripheral and tonsillar B cells stimulated with the anti-CDw40 mAb 626.1 and/or anti-IgM antibody (Ab) in the presence of anti-CD45 mAb A.1. 1 was investigated. The anti-CD45 mAb suppressed the anti-CDw40-stimulated proliferation of peripheral blood B cells but had no effect on the proliferation of unfractionated tonsillar B cells stimulated similarly. When tonsillar B cells were separated according to their sizes, the anti-CDw40-induced proliferation of small tonsillar B cells was inhibited by the anti-CD45 mAb, whereas large tonsillar B cells were resistant. In contrast, anti-IgM-induced proliferation of human B cells was always significantly inhibited by the anti-CD45 mAb regardless of cell size and tissue origin. The anti-CD45 mAb also inhibited the anti-IgM-induced initial rise in intracellular [Ca2+] and the G0-G1 cell cycle transition of small tonsillar B cells. However, co-stimulation with anti-IgM/anti-CDw40 Ab resulted in the resistance to the anti-CD45 inhibitory effect on proliferation of peripheral blood B cells and the majority of tonsillar B cells. In contrast, B cell proliferation co-stimulated with anti-IgM Ab/and B cell growth factors were always suppressed by the anti-CD45 mAb. These results demonstrate that certain activational signal mechanisms utilized by anti-CDw40/anti-IgM Ab and anti-IgM Ab/B cell growth factors are different in that B cells stimulated with these agents differ in their sensitivity to the anti-CD45 mAb. Moreover, both the activational state of human B cells and the nature of activation signals given determine their response to the inhibitory signals delivered by the anti-CD45 mAb.
Molecular mechanisms of G0/G1 cell‐cycle arrest and apoptosis induced by terfenadine in human cancer cells

Terfenadine (TF), a highly potent histamine H1 receptor antagonist, has been shown to exert no significant central nervous system side effects in clinically effective doses. In this study, we demonstrated that TF induced significant growth inhibition of human cancer cells, including Hep G2, HT 29, and COLO 205 cells, through induction of G0/G1 phase cell‐cycle arrest. The minimal dose of TF induced significant G0/G1 arrest in these cells was 1–3 μM. The protein levels of p53, p21/Cip1, and p27/Kip1 were significantly elevated, whereas the kinase activities of cyclin‐dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) and CDK4 were inhibited simultaneously in the TF‐treated cells. On the other hand, significant apoptosis, but not G0/G1 arrest, was induced in the HL 60 (p53‐null) or Hep 3B (with deleted p53) cells when treated with TF (3–5 μM). To clarify the roles of p21/Cip1 and p27/Kip1 protein expression, which was involved in G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis induced by TF in human cancer cells, antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) specific to p21/Cip1 and p27/Kip1 were used, and the expression of the p21/Cip1 and p27/Kip1 were monitored by immunoblotting analysis. Our data demonstrated that the percentage of the apoptotic cells detected by annexin V/PI analysis in the TF‐treated group was clearly attenuated by pretreatment with p27/Kip1–specific ODNs. These results indicated that p27/Kip1 (but not p21/Cip1) protein indeed played a critical role in the TF‐induced apoptosis. We also demonstrated that the TF‐induced G0/G1 cell‐cycle arrest effect was not reversed by TF removal, and this growth inhibition lasted for at least 7 d. Importantly, the occurrence of apoptosis and cell growth arrest was not observed in the TF‐treated normal human fibroblast, even at a dose as high as 25 μM. Our study showed the molecular mechanisms for TF‐induced cell growth inhibition and the occurrence of apoptosis in human cancer cells. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Determinants of Capital Structure: A Conceptual Understanding of Oil and Gas Firms in Malaysia

Since the introduction of Modigliani and Miller’s (1958) proposition of irrelevance capital structure principle, a wide debate on capital structure has emerged. The literature on the topic has been studied intensively as they are increasingly recognized as the central of the corporate finance field. In addition, an in-depth study focusing on the determinants of capital structure has also increased as it acts as an important indicator for the firms in making capital structure decision. However, the results remain inconclusive making the determinants of capital structure not clearly understood, thus suggesting a need for further studies. Therefore, the aim of this study is to discuss the relationship of determinants of capital structure, specifically among oil and gas firms in Malaysia. The findings of this study will increase the understanding of the phenomena, thus assisting researchers in conducting further studies and guiding decision makers in making capital structure decision.
Pioglitazone-Incorporated Nanoparticles Prevent Plaque Destabilization and Rupture by Regulating Monocyte/Macrophage Differentiation in ApoE −/− Mice

Objective— Inflammatory monocytes/macrophages produce various proteinases, including matrix metalloproteinases, and degradation of the extracellular matrix by these activated proteinases weakens the mechanical strength of atherosclerotic plaques, which results in a rupture of the plaque. Peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-&ggr; induces a polarity shift of monocytes/macrophages toward less inflammatory phenotypes and has the potential to prevent atherosclerotic plaque ruptures. Therefore, we hypothesized that nanoparticle-mediated targeted delivery of the peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-&ggr; agonist pioglitazone into circulating monocytes could effectively inhibit plaque ruptures in a mouse model. Approach and Results— We prepared bioabsorbable poly(lactic-co-glycolic-acid) nanoparticles containing pioglitazone (pioglitazone-NPs). Intravenously administered poly(lactic-co-glycolic-acid) nanoparticles incorporated with fluorescein isothiocyanate were found in circulating monocytes and aortic macrophages by flow cytometric analysis. Weekly intravenous administration of pioglitazone-NPs (7 mg/kg per week) for 4 weeks decreased buried fibrous caps, a surrogate marker of plaque rupture, in the brachiocephalic arteries of ApoE −/− mice fed a high-fat diet and infused with angiotensin II. In contrast, administration of control-NPs or an equivalent dose of oral pioglitazone treatment produced no effects. Pioglitazone-NPs inhibited the activity of matrix metalloproteinases and cathepsins in the brachiocephalic arteries. Pioglitazone-NPs regulated inflammatory cytokine expression and also suppressed the expression of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer in bone marrow–derived macrophages. Conclusions— Nanoparticle-mediated delivery of pioglitazone inhibited macrophage activation and atherosclerotic plaque ruptures in hyperlipidemic ApoE −/− mice. These results demonstrate a promising strategy with a favorable safety profile to prevent atherosclerotic plaque ruptures.
Plasmid content in Yersinia pestis strains of different origin.

Plasmid content in 242 Yersinia pestis strains from various natural plague foci of the U.S.S.R. and other countries was studied. Of these strains, 172 (71%) were shown to carry three plasmids described previously of about 6, 45-50 and 60 MDa, respectively. Twenty strains (8%) from different foci harboured additional cryptic plasmids, most often of about 20 mDa in size. Plasmid pPst displayed considerable constancy of its molecular mass. On the contrary, size variations of pCad (45-49 MDa) and, especially, pFra (60-190 MDa) were found. Molecular mass of these plasmids correlated with the host strain origin.
An endoplasmic reticulum-retained herpes simplex virus glycoprotein H is absent from secreted virions: evidence for reenvelopment during egress

Although it is generally accepted that one of the first steps of herpesvirus egress is the acquisition of an envelope by nucleocapsids budding into the inner nuclear membrane, later events in the pathway are not well understood. We tested the hypothesis that the virus then undergoes de-envelopment, followed by reenvelopment at membranes outside the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), by constructing a recombinant virus in which the expression of an essential glycoprotein, gH, is restricted to the inner nuclear membrane-ER by means of the ER retention motif, KKXX. This targeting signal conferred the predicted ER localization properties on gH in recombinant virus-infected cells, and gH and gL polypeptides failed to become processed to their mature forms. Cells infected with the recombinant virus released particles with 100-fold less infectivity than those released by cells infected with the wild-type parent virus, yet the number of enveloped virus particles released into the medium was unaltered. These particles contained normal amounts of gD and VP16 but did not contain detectable amounts of gH, and these data are consistent with a model of virus exit whereby naked nucleocapsids in the cytoplasm acquire their final envelope from a subcellular compartment other than the ER-inner nuclear membrane.
Microbiological features of persistent nonspecific urethritis in men.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The role of opportunistic microorganisms in urethritis in men is controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the changes in urethral microflora in the presence of persistent nonspecific urethritis (PNU) in men by in vitro detection of decomplementary activity (DCA) phenotypes of urethral isolates and comparison of the isolates with those from patients with or without PNU. METHODS The study included 18 healthy men and 24 men with PNU. Culture specimens were spread on various selective media. Bacterial DCA was tested by measuring the decrease in complement activity (CH(50)) under the influence of culture supernatants. RESULTS The most common isolates in both groups were coryneforms, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and streptococci. Enterobacteriaceae, enterococci, micrococci, and Staphylococcus aureus were isolated only from the PNU group. Simpson's diversity index (D) was significantly lower in the PNU group as compared to that in healthy men (D = 1.37 +/- 0.4 versus 3.5 +/- 0.9, p<0.05). DCA of staphylococci from the PNU group was significantly higher than that of the control group (7.3 +/- 1.4 versus 1.56 +/- 1.05 anti-CH(50), p<0.05). DCAs of Enterobacteriaceae and enterococci were 16.7 +/- 0.5 and 7.2 +/- 2.9 anti-CH(50), respectively, while that of micrococci was 7.4 +/- 3.2 anti-CH(50). CONCLUSIONS PNU is associated with a decrease in bacterial diversity and the occurrence of opportunistic microorganisms with pronounced pathogenic properties in the urethral microflora. These data suggest that PNU may be associated with microecological disorders.
Energy consumption optimization based joint routing and flow allocation algorithm for software defined networking

Software-defined networking (SDN) is expected to dramatically simplify network control process, enable the convenient deployment of sophisticated networking functions, and support user applications with guaranteed quality of service (QoS). To achieve data packet transmission between two switches in SDN, efficient routing algorithms should be applied. In this paper, we study joint routing selection and flow allocation problem for SDN. The problem is formulated as an optimization problem which minimizes the energy consumption from source switch to destination switch under the constraints of network topology and links capacity. Through applying the negative cost cycle algorithm, the optimization problem is solved and the optimal routing and flow allocation strategy is obtained. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Structural Requirements of the Major Protective Antibody to Haemophilus influenzae Type b

ABSTRACT Protective antibodies to the important childhood pathogenHaemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) are directed against the capsular polysaccharide (HibCP). Most of the antibody is encoded by a well-defined set of (“canonical”) immunoglobulin genes, including the Vκ A2 gene, and expresses an idiotypic marker (HibId-1). In comparison to noncanonical antibodies, the canonical antibody is generally of higher avidity, shows higher levels of in vitro bactericidal activity, and is more protective in infant rats. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we here characterize canonical HibCP antibodies expressed as antigen-binding fragments (Fabs) in Escherichia coli, define amino acids involved in antigen binding and idiotype expression, and propose a three-dimensional structure for the variable domains. We found that canonical Fabs, unlike a noncanonical Fab, bound effectively to HibCP in the absence of somatic mutations. Nevertheless, pronounced mutation-based affinity maturation was demonstrated in vivo. An almost perfect correlation was found between unmutated gene segments that mediated binding in vitro and those encoding canonical HibCP antibodies in vivo. Thus, the Vκ A2a gene could be replaced by the A2c gene but not by the highly homologous sister gene, A18b, corresponding to the demonstrated usage of A2c but not of A18b in vivo. Similarly, only Jκ1 and Jκ3, which predominate in the response in vivo, were able to facilitate binding in vitro. These findings suggest that the restricted immunoglobulin gene usage in HibCP antibodies reflects strict structural demands ensuring relatively high affinity prior to somatic mutations—requirements met by only a limited spectrum of immunoglobulin gene combinations.
Turning Around Distressed Project Finance Assets in India: What More Needs to Be Done?

With the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code firmly in place, India’s distressed project finance assets are turning out to be attractive to institutional investors. Project finance assets need asset-and deal-specific financing solutions in order to achieve successful turnarounds. The turnaround solution must ensure optimum risk allocation and mitigation leading to the buildup of future cash flows. This will, in turn, lead to deleveraging of stressed balance sheets. The authors present a conceptual model and argue that even now the political and regulatory risks for infrastructure project loans in India have not been completely mitigated. This has resulted in a situation of a debt overhang, wherein even economically viable projects may not attract fresh funding. To address this, the article suggests the possible use of priority funding structures, where existing lenders cede charge of the assets in favor of a new lender as a way to reduce the cost of debt and unlock shareholder value. This solution will also ensure that the restructuring package is properly priced (from the project finance lender’s perspective), resulting in the efficiency and viability of the restructured asset.
Two Distinct Conformations of a Rinderpest Virus Epitope Presented by Bovine Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I N*01801: a Host Strategy To Present Featured Peptides

ABSTRACT The presentation of viral peptide epitopes to host cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) is crucial for adaptive cellular immunity to clear the virus infection, especially for some chronic viral infections. Indeed, hosts have developed effective strategies to achieve this goal. The ideal scenario would be that the peptide epitopes stimulate a broad spectrum of CTL responses with diversified T-cell receptor (TCR) usage (the TCR repertoire). It is believed that a diversified TCR repertoire requires a “featured” peptide to be presented by the host major histocompatibility complex (MHC). A featured peptide can be processed and presented in a number of ways. Here, using the X-ray diffraction method, the crystal structures of an antigenic peptide derived from rinderpest virus presented by bovine MHC class I N*01801 (BoLA-A11) have been solved, and two distinct conformations of the presented peptide are clearly displayed. A detailed analysis of the structure and comparative sequences revealed that the polymorphic amino acid isoleucine 73 (Ile73) is extremely flexible, allowing the MHC groove to adopt different conformations to accommodate the rinderpest virus peptide. This makes the peptide more featured by exposing different amino acids for T-cell recognition. The crystal structures also demonstrated that the N*01801 molecule has an unusually large A pocket, resulting in the special conformation of the P1 residue at the N terminus of the peptide. We propose that this strategy of host peptide presentation might be beneficial for creating a diversified TCR repertoire, which is important for a more-effective CTL response.
Seed industry and seed policy reforms in Bangladesh: impacts and implications

High population density in Bangladesh implies that agricultural productivity improvement is key to ensure food security. This raises the need for increased research and development investment in the agricultural sector. Although Bangladesh has enacted various seed policy reforms since 1990s to attract the private sector, the seed sector in Bangladesh still remains less developed and relies heavily on imports for the supply of quality seeds. Unlike in Bangladesh, the seed policy reforms in India contributed to the development of a competitive seed industry in India. In this study, we examine the characteristics of seed sector in Bangladesh, conduct a comparative analysis of seed policy reforms in Bangladesh and India, and empirically examine the effect of Bangladesh seed policy reforms on cereal crops’ productivity. Results from the study have implications for seed industry stakeholders and policy makers in developing countries, particularly in designing strategies and policies for seed industry development.
A comparative study on fluorescent cholesterol analogs as versatile cellular reporters[S]

Cholesterol (Chol) is a crucial component of cellular membranes, but knowledge of its intracellular dynamics is scarce. Thus, it is of utmost interest to develop tools for visualization of Chol organization and dynamics in cells and tissues. For this purpose, many studies make use of fluorescently labeled Chol analogs. Unfortunately, the introduction of the label may influence the characteristics of the analog, such as its localization, interaction, and trafficking in cells; hence, it is important to get knowledge of such bias. In this report, we compared different fluorescent lipid analogs for their performance in cellular assays: 1) plasma membrane incorporation, specifically the preference for more ordered membrane environments in phase-separated giant unilamellar vesicles and giant plasma membrane vesicles; 2) cellular trafficking, specifically subcellular localization in Niemann-Pick type C disease cells; and 3) applicability in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS)-based and super-resolution stimulated emission depletion-FCS-based measurements of membrane diffusion dynamics. The analogs exhibited strong differences, with some indicating positive performance in the membrane-based experiments and others in the intracellular trafficking assay. However, none showed positive performance in all assays. Our results constitute a concise guide for the careful use of fluorescent Chol analogs in visualizing cellular Chol dynamics.
Vitamin Requirements of Several Cellulolytic Rumen Bacteria

Scott, H. W. (Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, Wooster), and B. A. Dehority. Vitamin requirements of several cellulolytic rumen bacteria. J. Bacteriol. 89:1169–1175. 1965. —Four strains of cellulolytic bacteria recently isolated from in vitro rumen fermentations were used in this study. Nine water-soluble vitamins were tested in single-deletion and single-addition plus biotin experiments, each with and without charcoal-extracted casein hydrolysate. Bacteroides succinogenes A3C and B21a required only biotin under the above experimental conditions. Ruminococcus flavefaciens B34b showed an absolute requirement for biotin and was stimulated by p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) in the single-deletion experiments. In the single-addition plus biotin experiments, PABA and, to a lesser extent, vitamin B12 appeared to be required for maximal growth. The presence or absence of casein hydrolysate did not affect the vitamin requirements for the aforementioned three strains. In the single-deletion experiments, R. flavefaciens Cla showed an absolute requirement for biotin and, when casein hydrolysate was omitted, for B12. When casein hydrolysate was present, no requirement for B12 could be observed. In the single-addition experiments where the basal medium contained biotin and casein hydrolysate or B12, PABA was required for maximal growth; however, the single deletion of PABA caused only slight retardation of growth. Investigation of the B12 or casein hydrolysate requirement of Cla revealed that a mixture of purified amino acids simulating casein hydrolysate satisfied this requirement. Subsequent work indicated that this requirement could be satisfied by the amino acid methionine.
Plasticity resulted from phase transformation for monolayer molybdenum disulfide film during nanoindentation simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations on nanoindentation of circular monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) film are carried out to elucidate the deformation and failure mechanisms. Typical force–deflection curves are obtained, and in-plane stiffness of MoS2 is extracted according to a continuum mechanics model. The measured in-plane stiffness of monolayer MoS2 is about 182 ± 14 N m−1, corresponding to an effective Young’s modulus of 280 ± 21 GPa. More interestingly, at a critical indentation depth, the loading force decreases sharply and then increases again. The loading–unloading–reloading processes at different initial unloading deflections are also conducted to explain the phenomenon. It is found that prior to the critical depth, the monolayer MoS2 film can return to the original state after completely unloading, while there is hysteresis when unloading after the critical depth and residual deformation exists after indenter fully retracted, indicating plasticity. This residual deformation is found to be caused by the changed lattice structure of the MoS2, i.e. a phase transformation. The critical pressure to induce the phase transformation is then calculated to be 36 ± 2 GPa, consistent with other studies. Finally, the influences of temperature, the diameter and indentation rate of MoS2 monolayer on the mechanical properties are also investigated.
Poster: LBMS: load balancing based on multilateral security in cloud

Load balancing has been widely used on the field of Cloud Computing, which makes sure that none of the existing resources are idle while other physical machines are being utilized by Cloud Computing providers. However, VMs of tenants may be migrated to a physical machine with potential attacks which may use memory caches as side channels. So the security problem coexisting on the same physical machine is an important barrier for enterprise to adopt of cloud computing. We present a new security load balancing architecture--Load Balancing based on Multilateral Security (LBMS) which can migrate tenants' VMs automatically to the ideal security physical machine when reach peak-load by index and negotiation. We are implementing our prototype based on CloudSim, a Cloud computing simulation. Our architecture makes an effort to avoid potential attacks when VMs migrate to physical machine due to load balancing.