Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Mutated PtsG, the Glucose Transporter, Allows Uptake ofd-Ribose*

Mutations arose from an Escherichia coli strain defective in the high (Rbs/ribose) and low (Als/allose and Xyl/xylose) affinity d-ribose transporters, which allow cells to grow on d-ribose. Genetic tagging and mapping of the mutations revealed that two loci in the E. coli linkage map are involved in creating a novel ribose transport mechanism. One mutation was found in ptsG, the glucose-specific transporter of phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system and the other in mlc, recently reported to be involved in the regulation of ptsG. Five different mutations in ptsG were characterized, whose growth on d-ribose medium was about 80% that of the high affinity system (Rbs+). Two of them were found in the predicted periplasmic loops, whereas three others are in the transmembrane region. Ribose uptakes in the mutants, competitively inhibited by d-glucose, d-xylose, ord-allose, were much lower than that of the high affinity transporter but higher than those of the Als and Xyl systems. Further analyses of the mutants revealed that the rbsK (ribokinase) and rbsD (function unknown) genes are involved in the ribose transport through PtsG, indicating that the phosphorylation of ribose is not mediated by PtsG and that some unknown metabolic function mediated by RbsD is required. It was also found thatd-xylose, another sugar not involved in phosphorylation, was efficiently transported through the wild-type or mutant PtsG inmlc-negative background. The efficiencies of xylose and glucose transports are variable in the PtsG mutants, depending on their locations, either in the periplasm or in the membrane. In an extreme case of the transmembrane change (I283T), xylose transport is virtually abolished, indicating that the residue is directly involved in determining sugar specificity. We propose that there are at least two domains for substrate specificity in PtsG with slightly altered recognition properties.
Feedback Detection for Live Statistical Predictors

A statistical predictor that is deployed in a live production system may perturb the features it uses to make predictions. Such a feedback loop can occur, for example, when a model that predicts a certain type of behavior ends up causing the behavior it predicts, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. This paper analyzes statistical feedback detection as a causal inference problem, and proposes a local randomization scheme that can be used to detect feedback in real-world problems. We apply our method to a predictive model currently in use at an internet company.
Impact of food availability on child mortality: a cross country comparative analysis

Th e study examined the impact of food security on child mortality (infant mortality and under-fi ve mortality), using a dynamic panel data analysis for 114 countries for the period 1995–2009 by considering a wide range of controlled variables such as income, social indicators and policy variables. Th e result suggests that food security has a negative impact on child mortality for all countries and even more impact on child mortality within the food insecure African countries. Th erefore, based on the fi ndings of the study; it is recommended that an increase in food security is indeed a positive policy option, particularly within the food insecure African countries, since it ensures a decrease in child mortality within these countries.
Management of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease symptoms that do not respond to proton pump inhibitors

Purpose of review Treatment-refractory gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) remains a significant problem in the gastroenterology clinic. In recent years, several studies have investigated the assessment and treatment of refractory GERD. Recent findings Patients presenting with ‘refractory GERD’ in fact represent a quite heterogeneous group consisting of those with ongoing reflux-related symptoms and those with reflux-unrelated problems such as functional heartburn, dyspepsia or even eosinophilic oesophagitis. The greatest symptom indicators of persistent true reflux are retrosternal burning and acid taste in the mouth alone. Combined pH-impedance studies allow detection of reflux regardless of pH, and weakly acidic reflux has been suggested as a mechanism of residual symptoms in some patients. The use of reflux–symptom association calculations may help to determine the symptom causation, but refinement and outcome studies are needed. New treatments of refractory GERD have been disappointing. Surgery remains an option in very carefully selected patients, but again better outcome studies are required. Summary Careful history and investigation is required in the assessment of the proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-refractory patient. Care to exclude alternative diagnoses is needed, and to phenotype those with reflux-related symptoms. Optimization of PPI therapy may help, as may surgery in selected patients.
A Spectrally Efficient Signal Space Diversity-Based Two-Way Relaying System

This work proposes a new transmission scheme for multirelay two-way relaying systems, where two end- sources communicate with each other via a set of relays. In the proposed scheme, we consider signal space diversity and time division broadcast protocol jointly to increase spectral efficiency without sacrificing the system reliability. The idea behind this consideration is that original data symbols are rotated before transmission, and then the in-phase and quadrature components of these rotated symbols are transmitted through the cooperation of the end-sources and the relays. By doing so, the end-sources exchange four symbols over three time slots instead of two, i.e., doubling the number of transmitted symbols. In addition, relay selection is incorporated into this scheme to achieve a further increase in spectral efficiency. For relay selection, two different strategies are discussed: reactive and proactive relay selections. These strategies differ depending on whether relay selection is performed after or before the start of transmission. Specifically, for each relay-selection strategy, we first obtain a closed-form expression for the end-to-end (E2E) error probability with an arbitrary constellation, which accounts for all the resulting nonuniform constellation cases due to constellation rotation. Subsequently, with the derived expressions, we then formulate an optimization problem that considers the joint optimization of the rotation angle and the transmit powers at the end-sources and the relays. The objective of the optimization problem is to minimize the E2E error probability of one of the end-sources, while satisfying a set of total and individual transmit power constraints and a predefined threshold for the E2E error probability of the other end-source. Numerical results verify the theoretical analysis, and show that the scheme proposed herein provides not only higher spectral efficiency, but also more reliable transmission.
Weak lensing effects in the measurement of the dark energy equation of state with LISA

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna’s (LISA’s) observation of supermassive binary black holes (SMBBH) could provide a new tool for precision cosmography. Inclusion of subdominant signal harmonics in the inspiral signal allows for high-accuracy sky localization, dramatically improving the chances of finding the host galaxy and obtaining its redshift. A SMBBH merger can potentially have component masses from a wide range (105–108M⊙) over which parameter accuracies vary considerably. We perform an in-depth study in order to understand (i) what fraction of possible SMBBH mergers allow for sky localization, depending on the parameters of the source, and (ii) how accurately w can be measured when the host galaxy can be identified. We also investigate how accuracies on all parameters improve when a knowledge of the sky position can be folded into the estimation of errors. We find that w can be measured to within a few percent in most cases, if the only error in measuring the luminosity distance is due to LISA’s instrumental noise and the confusion background from Galactic binaries. However, weak lensing-induced errors will severely degrade the accuracy with which w can be obtained, emphasizing that methods to mitigate weak lensing effects would be required to take advantage of LISA’s full potential.
Age-Adjusted Rates of Suicide and Homicide and Fluoride

Using state data from 1992 and 2000 instead of 1975, the author both confirmed and extended Lester's 1987 study. Like Lester's study, the present replication showed for 1992 (but not 2000) that the more people drinking fluoridated water, the lower the rates of crude and age-adjusted suicide (partial rs: –.25 and –.25, respectively). Crude and age-adjusted rates of homicide in 1992 and 2000 did not change with the fluoridation of public water. Effective interpretation requires more study.
Maximum likelihood based pairwise clustering

This paper presents a novel pairwise clustering approach. We pose the problem as a question of parameter estimation and show the pairwise indicator variables can be estimated by using the maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) method. Based on this, a two-level clustering algorithm is developed: the grouping graph is first condensed by using the MLE results and then the k-means clustering method is applied directly to the condensed graph of much small size. We have applied our algorithm to a number of artificial and real-world data sets, and found the results to be very encouraging.
Cryopreservation evaluated with mitochondrial and Z line ultrastructure in striated muscle

Single, intact, frog skeletal muscle fibres and whole frog hearts were quick‐frozen on a polished, liquid‐He‐cooled copper block and examined in the electron microscope after freeze‐substitution and freeze‐fracture. In both kinds of striated muscle, collapse of the peripheral and intracristal membrane spaces in mitochondria was found to increase with increasing distance from the point of first impact (PFI) of the muscle cells on the cold copper block. The changes correlated with a previously described gradient of Z line and A band cryodamage occurring with distance from the PFI. The findings in thin sections from freeze‐substituted preparations were confirmed by freeze‐fracture preparations. It is concluded that, since the mitochondrial membrane changes are concurrent with, and follow the same spatial distribution of, other manifest cryoarte‐facts, the cryoartefactual nature of the mitochondrial changes must be excluded before functional significance is attributed to them. The collapse of mitochondrial membrane spaces as a sensitive indicator of quality of cryopreservation may apply to non‐muscle cells as well.
Translational Inhibition and Increased Interferon Induction in Cells Infected with C Protein-Deficient Measles Virus

ABSTRACT In addition to the phosphoprotein, the P gene of measles virus (MV) also encodes the V and C proteins by an RNA editing process and by alternative initiation of translation in a different reading frame, respectively. Although the MV C protein is required for efficient MV replication in vivo and in some cultured cells, its exact functions in virus infection are currently unclear. Here, we report that a recombinant MV lacking the C protein (MVΔC) grew poorly in a human cell line possessing the intact interferon (IFN) pathway and that this growth defect was associated with reduced viral translation and genome replication. The translational inhibition was correlated with phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2. Moreover, increased IFN induction was observed in MVΔC-infected cells. The NS1 protein of influenza virus, which binds to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and consequently inhibits IFN induction and dsRNA-dependent protein kinase activation, complemented the growth defect of MVΔC. These results indicate that the MV C protein inhibits IFN induction and modulates host antiviral responses, thereby ensuring MV growth in host cells.
A protocol aided concatenated forward error control for wireless ATM

The knowledge of wireless ATM cell headers in the uplink data bursts can be used to improve the performance of the concatenated FEC system. This paper proposes a protocol aided error control scheme for wireless ATM. The proposed scheme achieves the performance improvement of about 0.2-1.0 dB at a BER of 10/sup -3/ in the fading channels with respect to the conventional concatenated FEC.
A novel μthermal conductivity detector capable of flow rate measurements

We have developed a novel, calibration free, micro-electromechanical device and method for the measurement of linear flow rate in a micro-gas chromatography (GC) system This design enables the integration of a flow rate measurement with a high sensitivity thermal conductivity detector (TCD) reported at MEMS 2009. Accurate knowledge of the flow rate is of vital importance when quantifying the results of a chromatographic separation. The total mass of analytes in a sample can be calculated from the flow rate, the area of a peak and the response factor of the detector. Furthermore, the measurement occurs at the precise moment a solute is eluting from the separation column, the point at which the measurement of flow rate is most critical for correctly quantified results. No other method of measuring flow rate directly at the sensor exists.
Advance-Treatment Planning Discussions with Nursing Home Residents: Pilot Experience with Simulated Interviews

Steven H. Miles, MD, is Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota; and at the Center for Biomedical Ethics, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis; and is a Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Faculty Scholars in General Internal Medicine. Susan Bannick-Mohrland, MD, is Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota; and at the Center for Biomedical Ethics, Hennepin County Medical Center. Nicole Lurie, MD, MPH, is Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Division of Health Services Research and Policy, University of Minnesota School of Public Health; and at the Department of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center; and a Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Faculty Scholar in General Internal Medicine.
Vital Role of the Calpain-Calpastatin System for Placental-Integrity-Dependent Embryonic Survival

ABSTRACT Although the calpain-calpastatin system has been implicated in a number of pathological conditions, its normal physiological role remains largely unknown. To investigate the functions of this system, we generated conventional and conditional calpain-2 knockout mice. The conventional calpain-2 knockout embryos died around embryonic day 15, preceded by cell death associated with caspase activation and DNA fragmentation in placental trophoblasts. In contrast, conditional knockout mice in which calpain-2 is expressed in the placenta but not in the fetus were spared. These results suggest that calpain-2 contributes to trophoblast survival via suppression of caspase activation. Double-knockout mice also deficient in calpain-1 and calpastatin resulted in accelerated and rescued embryonic lethality, respectively, suggesting that calpain-1 and -2 at least in part share similar in vivo functions under the control of calpastatin. Triple-knockout mice exhibited early embryonic lethality, a finding consistent with the notion that this protease system is vital for embryonic survival.
Substrate induction and catabolite repression of the Streptomyces coelicoior glycerol operon are mediated through the GyIR protein

The pathway for glycerol catabolism In Streptomyces coelicolor is determined by the gylCABX operon, which is transcribed from two closely spaced glycerol‐inducible, glucose‐repressible promoters. Glucose (or catabolite) repression of gyl is known to be exerted by a general catabolite repression system In which the soluble glucose kinase plays a central role. The gylR gene is contained in a separate glycerol‐inducible, weakly glucose‐repressible transcription unit immediately upstream from the gyl operon. The role of gylR in the regulation of gyl transcription was assessed by introducing specific null mutations into the chromosomal gylR gene. Direct quantification of gyl transcripts from the gylR null mutants grown on different carbon sources demonstrated that GylR is the repressor of the gylCABX operon and also revealed that GylR functions as a negative autoregulator. Moreover, the transcriptional analysis revealed that the gylR null mutants were relieved of glucose repression of both gylCABX and gylR. We conclude that both substrate induction and catabolite repression of gyl are mediated through the GylR protein. This is the first direct evidence that catabolite repression In Streptomyces Is not exerted at the transcriptional level by a general ‘catabolite repressor protein’. Models for catabolite repression are discussed.
A Review of Competency Based Orthopaedic Training in the UK: A Trainee’s Perspective

This review explores the concepts and methodology in competency based education, with reference to orthopaedic training in the United Kingdom. In 2006, a new competency based curriculum for postgraduate training in Trauma and Orthopaedics was approved by the Postgraduate Medical Education Training Board. Though the curriculum is now widely accepted, few surgeons have a theoretical knowledge of the basis for competency-based medical education, beyond their own area of involvement. This paper explores the theory and concepts behind competency based education in UK orthopaedic training, which is also of relevance to comparable international orthopaedic training systems and the wider surgical specialities.
Thermoelectric property measurements by the improved Harman method

The Harman method, which is generally utilized in the evaluation of the figure of merit, Z, has been improved to measure several thermoelectric properties. We fabricated equipment for simultaneous measurement of not only the resistivity /spl rho/ and Z but also the Seebeck coefficient /spl alpha/. The thermal conductivity can also be obtained by the calculation of /spl kappa/=/spl alpha//sup 2/ /(/spl rho/ZT). It is pointed out that the evaluation of ZT by the Harman method is equivalent to the determination of the temperature distribution induced in thermoelectric materials when dc current is applied. Furthermore, the equipment is improved to measure thermal heat-flow induced by low frequency ac current. The thermal heat-flow is characterized by the amplitude and the phase delay against the applied current. Fabrication of the equipment is described in detail, where it is emphasized that sufficient thermally isolated conditions are quite important. The experimental results, using the equipment, are shown.
Acquisitions and applications of structure preference relations in Chinese

In this paper, we propose a new ambiguity representation scheme; Structure Preference Relation (SPR), which consists of useful quantitative distribution information for ambiguous structures. Two automatic acquisition algorithms, the first acquired from a treebank, and the second acquired from raw texts, are introduced, and some experimental results which prove the availability of the algorithms are also given. Finally, we introduce some SPR applications in linguistics and natural language processing, such as preference-based parsing and the discovery of representative ambiguous structures, and propose some future research directions.
Human Leukocyte Antigen-DQ 8 Transgenic Mice : a Model To Examine the Toxicity of Aerosolized Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B

Human Leukocyte Antigen-DQ8 Transgenic Mice: a Model To Examine the Toxicity of Aerosolized Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B Chad J. Roy, Kelly L. Warfield, Brent C. Welcher, Raoul F. Gonzales, Tom Larsen, Julie Hanson, Chella S. David, Theresa Krakauer, and Sina Bavari* U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, and Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Disclosure of parental HIV infection to children and psychosocial impact on children in China: a qualitative study

This qualitative study aims to investigate parental HIV disclosure and its psychological impact from the perspectives of their children. In-depth individual interviews with 47 children who had lost one or both parents to AIDS were conducted in China. All transcripts were coded using the software ATLAS.ti 5. Results showed that few of the children knew of their parental HIV status before the death of their parents. The main disclosers were the children’s current caregivers. Some children knew about their parent’s HIV infection based on their own observations or through overheard conversation, or their interactions with villagers. Both positive and negative psychological outcomes related to parental HIV disclosure were reported. Psychological counselling is required for both parents and children to deal with parental HIV infection.
A New Method of Error Reduction for Affine Projection Algorithm

This paper proposes a new method of reducing the steady-state error for the Affine Projection Algorithm (APA) using Error Reduction Factor (ERF) to yield Error Reduction Affine Projection Algorithm (ER-APA). The proposed method is very simple but highly effective. In the paper, we analyze the ER-APA for calculating theoretical filter convergence. Through experiments, it is shown that the ER-APA sufficiently reduces the steady-state error for any value of the dimension of projection, while preserving the fast convergence property of the APA.
Epidemiologic methods for health policy

This text shows how epidemiology can provide a valuable basis for health policy-making. Part I is a general introduction to health policy, relevant methods and health data, while Part II presents applications specific to each step of the policy cycle. Many practical examples are provided, but mathematics is kept to an elementary level. The book is intended for persons who have completed introductory courses in epidemiology and biostatistics. Its recurring theme is the interaction between health phenomena and the underlying population dynamics.
Audio processors as a learning tool for basic acoustics

Audio processors like Audacity provide a “hear‐and‐see” learning tool for basic acoustics, combining sound and image. Activities designed as laboratory experiments with PC (even at home! ) have been already successfully implemented, for example, about the dependence of timbre and acoustic spectrum, of pitch and frequency, and of loudness and amplitude. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 17: 379–388, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20207