Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synergistic roles for the Map and Tir effector molecules in mediating uptake of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) into non‐phagocytic cells

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) are a major cause of paediatric diarrhoea and a model for the family of attaching and effacing (A/E) pathogens. Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli encode a type III secretion system (TTSS) to transfer effector proteins into host cells, a process which is essential for virulence. In addition to generation of A/E lesions, the TTSS is also implicated in the ability of EPEC to invade cultured cells but the effector proteins responsible for promoting invasion have not been identified. In this paper we confirm the requirement of TTSS in EPEC invasion and demonstrate important roles for the Map and Tir effector molecules. Whereas in trans expression of Tir in the tir mutant restored invasion to wild‐type levels, similar complementation of the map mutation by in trans expression of Map results in a hyperinvasive phenotype. The Map effector protein has two distinct functions within host cells, mediating Cdc42‐dependent filopodia formation and targeting mitochondria to elicit dysfunction. The former function appears to be related to Map's ability to promote invasion as this was inhibited by interference with Cdc42 signalling. Conversely, Map targeting to mitochondria is not necessary for invasion. Promotion of EPEC invasion by Tir appears to involve interaction with intimin but is independent of pedestal formation, and intimin–Tir interaction is neither necessary nor sufficient for invasion. Comparison of the invasiveness of strains lacking Tir and/or Map with wild‐type or mutant strains expressing the effectors in trans provides evidence that Map and Tir stimulate invasion by synergistic mechanisms. This synergism, which is in stark contrast to the antagonistic actions of Map and Tir in regulating filopodia and pedestal formation, further illustrates the complex interplay between EPEC effectors.
Prolonged Exposure to Hypoxic Milieu Improves the Osteogenic Potential of Adipose Derived Stem Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have been widely used in orthopedics for several applications. Conventionally, MSC are maintained under 21% O2 which does not reflect the real O2 tension in vivo. Recently, it was reported that different O2 conditions can give different cellular responses. Here, we investigated whether prolonged exposure to hypoxia affects the osteogenic differentiation of adipose‐derived stem cells (ASC). ASC from six individuals were cultured under “low” (2–3%) or “air” (21%) oxygen tensions, either without or with osteogenic stimuli. The effect of the O2 tension was evaluated on cell proliferation, surface antigens, stemness and bone‐related genes expression, alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP), mineralization activity, and release of osteogenic growth factors. Without differentiating stimuli, hypoxia favored ASC proliferation, reduced the number of CD184+ and CD34+ cells, and preserved the expression of NANOG and SOX2. The combination of hypoxia and osteogenic medium induced a high proliferation rate, a rapid and more pronounced mineralization activity, a higher expression of genes related to the MSC differentiation, a higher release of mitogenic growth factors (bFGF, PDGF‐BB), and the decrease in TGF‐β secretion, an inhibitor of the early stage of the osteoblast differentiation. We demonstrated that hypoxia acts dually, favoring ASC proliferation and the maintenance of the stemness in the absence of osteogenic stimuli, but inducing the differentiation in a bone‐like microenvironment. In conclusion, prolonged cell culture in hypoxic microenvironment represents a proper method to modulate the stem cell function that may be used in several applications, for example, studies on bone pathophysiology or bone‐tissue engineering. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 1442–1453, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Proper Alignment and Adjustment of the Light Microscope

The light microscope is a basic tool for the cell biologist, who should have a thorough understanding of how it works, how it should be aligned for different applications (e.g., brightfield, phase‐contrast, differential interference contrast, and fluorescence epi‐illumination), and how it should be maintained as required to obtain maximum image‐forming capacity and resolution. The principles of microscopy and step‐by‐step alignment and adjustment procedures are described in this unit.
Genome Sequences of Three Live Attenuated Vaccine Strains of Brucella Species and Implications for Pathogenesis and Differential Diagnosis

ABSTRACT Live attenuated vaccines play essential roles in the prevention of brucellosis. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of three vaccine strains, Brucella melitensis M5-10, B. suis S2-30, and B. abortus 104M. Primary genome sequence analysis identified mutations, deletions, and insertions which have implications for attenuation and signatures for differential diagnosis.
Differences in spatial acuity between digits

The spatial acuity of the index, middle, and ring distal finger pads of eight right-handed men, aged 22 to 57 years, was measured by using gratings and raised letters. Acuity declined significantly from the index to the middle finger and from the middle to the ring finger. There were no significant differences between homologous fingers of the two hands. Letter recognition and grating orientation threshold measures were highly correlated.
Determinants of Attitudes and Perceptions on Resource Use and Management of Marsabit National Reserve, Kenya

Abstract The establishment of protected areas had negative consequences on local communities. The shift in conservation resulted in restriction of access to resources, disruption of local culture and economies by tourists, increased predation on crops and livestock and displacement of inhabitants. A survey was undertaken to determine relationship between respondent’s socio-economic characteristics and their attitudes and perceptions towards protected area conservation, determine the effect of wildlife benefits and their associated cost on attitudes and perceptions and determine if respondent attitudes and perceptions was affected by proximity of their residence to Marsabit National Reserve. One hundred eighty-seven households were selected through stratified random sampling and surveyed using questionnaire composed of both open and closed ended questions. Information acquired was triangulated through informal interviews, field observations and focused group discussions. Cross-tabulation using Pearson Chi-square test controlled for selected variables were used to determine differences between independent variables and attitudes. The sex and conservation awareness do not affect respondent attitudes while age, level of education, economic activities, wildlife benefits accrued and damages, restricted use of wildlife resources and distance from the reserve significantly affected the attitudes. In addition, age significantly affected the perceptions of the benefits accrued from the reserve while wildlife damage significantly related to economic activities. It is recommended to consider level of education, economic activities, and age of respondents and increase wildlife benefits to foster community based wildlife management.
Low complexity MPPT technique exploiting the effect of the PV cell series resistance

This paper proposes a method for estimating the maximum power point (MPP) of a photovoltaic (PV) module through a simple linear equation, exploiting the relation existing between the values of module voltage and current at the maximum power point (MPP locus). The analytical study of the electrical model shows that this relation tends to be linear for the higher irradiation conditions due to the effect of the PV cell series resistance. Based on that, a linear approximation of the MPP locus is derived, whose parameters are simply related to those of the electrical parameters of a PV cell. The proposed solution presents the same complexity but higher effectiveness when compared to other estimation MPPT methods. Furthermore, the estimation is inherently compensated for temperature variations by periodically sensing the module open circuit voltage (Voc). The proposed method is suitable for low cost PV systems and was successfully tested in a solar powered 55 W battery charger circuit.
Acalypha wilkesiana: Therapeutic and Toxic Potential

Acalypha wilkesiana is a plant that is attracting research interest due to its widely reported application in traditional health care systems. Acalypha wilkesiana is reportedly used in the treatment of a number of diseases including diarrhea, gastrointestinal disorders, fungal skin infections, hypertension and diabetes mellitus among others. Such claims are currently undergoing investigation by scientists in different laboratories across the globe. Toxicologists are also examining safety of the use of the plant extracts by locals, since studies on the therapeutic index of the plant is not yet available and general use of the plant at present does not follow any established dose, which could result in toxicity to vital organs depending on the nature and amount of active compounds present in the plant extracts. This review provides relatively concise information gathered from studies carried out in our laboratory and data published by other scientists who have worked on the plant. The review focuses on the therapeutic and toxic profile of Acalypha wilkesiana to serve as a guide for people who use the plant in herbal health care systems.
Formulation Development of Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets by Gel Liquisolid Compact Technique for improving Solid State Stability and Dissolution Profile

Background: BCS class II and IV drugs, which have low solubility, provide a number of challenges for formulation scientists working on oral delivery of drugs. Aims: The aim and purpose of the present work was to design a gel liquisolid tablets for Atorvastatin calcium a water insoluble drug to increase its dissolution rate there by its bioavailability. Materials and Methods: The preformulation studies like solubility studies of API in different non-volatile solvents, optimization of gelling agent and adsorbent quantity were performed. Gel liquisolid compacts (GLS1-GLS10) and directly compressible tablets (DCT 1 and DCT 2) of Atorvastatin calcium were prepared and evaluated for flow properties, post compression parameters and in vitro dissolution studies. Structural analysis of GLS was done using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Xray powder diffraction (XRD) techniques. Finally, the ideal batches (GLS1 and DCT 1) were subjected for in vivo bioavailability studies. Results: The solubility was found to be highest in propylene glycol (150.05 ± 0.4278 mg/mL). In vitro dissolution studies of the prepared GLS had shown maximum dissolution within one hour when compared to that of prepared DCT tablets. DSC and XRD studies revealed that the drug in the GLS had been solubilized. From the obtained pharmacokinetic data such as AUC, tmax and Cmax through in vivo bioavailability studies it was established that GLS have shown better bioavailability compared to that of prepared DCT tablets. Conclusion: This study confirms that Atorvastatin calcium prepared by GLS have better dissolution and bioavailability compare to conventional DCT dosage form and therefore GLS could be a promising drug delivery for Atorvastatin calcium.
Fair diagnosability in PN-based DES models

Failure diagnosability has been widely studied for discrete event system (DES) models because of modeling simplicity and computational efficiency due to abstraction. Frameworks based on FSMs, process algebra, Petri nets (PN) etc. have been used for modeling and diagnosability analysis of DES. DES failure diagnosability algorithms work successfully for systems where fairness is not a part of the model. They are based on detecting cycles in the normal and the failure model that look identical. However, there exist systems with all transitions fair where the diagnosability condition that hinges upon this feature renders many failures non-diagnosable although they may actually be diagnosable by transitions out of a cycle. Hence, the diagnosability conditions based on cycle detection need to be modified to hold for many real-world systems where all transitions are fair. In this paper a new failure diagnosability mechanism is proposed for PN based DES models with fair transitions
Validity of heart rate, pedometry, and accelerometry for predicting the energy cost of children's activities.

Heart rate telemetry is frequently used to estimate daily activity in children and to validate other methods. This study compared the accuracy of heart rate monitoring, pedometry, triaxial accelerometry, and uniaxial accelerometry for estimating oxygen consumption during typical children's activities. Thirty Welsh children (mean age 9.2 +/- 0.8 yr) walked (4 and 6 km/h) and ran (8 and 10 km/h) on a treadmill, played catch, played hopscotch, and sat and crayoned. Heart rate, body accelerations in three axes, pedometry counts, and oxygen uptake were measured continuously during each 4-min activity. Oxygen uptake was expressed as a ratio of body mass raised to the power of 0.75 [scaled oxygen uptake (sVO2)]. All measures correlated significantly (P < 0.001) with sVO2. A multiple-regression equation that included triaxial accelerometry counts and heart rate predicted sVO2 better than any measure alone (R2 = 0.85, standard error of the estimate = 9.7 ml.kg-0.75.min-1). The best of the single measures was triaxial accelerometry (R2 = 0.83, standard error of the estimate = 10.3 ml.kg-0.75.min-1). It is concluded that a triaxial accelerometer provides the best assessment of activity. Pedometry offers potential for large population studies.
Genetic polymorphisms of the renin-angiotensin system in breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancer pathologies in women. Genetic polymorphism of genes of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is considered to be associated with cancer development, in particular, with BC. AIM To study the influence of polymorphic variants of genes coding for RAS components, on the risk of BC development in Ukrainian women. MATERIALS AND METHODS In the study 131 patients with histologically proven diagnosis of BC of I and II stages were enrolled. The control group was composed from 102 women without cancer. Polymorphic variants of AGT, ACE, AT2R1 genes were studied with the use of PCR and PCR-RFLP methods. RESULTS It has been revealed that the presence of 1166АС genotype of AT2R1 gene elevates the risk of BC development nearly 2-fold. The results of analysis for common group and subgroups distributed by age are different. For women from 18 to 35 years old the significant differences were not found. For women from 36 to 54 years old an increased risk of BC development is determined by the presence of D allele of АСЕ gene. Decreased risk of BC development was associated with the presence of combined genotypes ACE II/AGT 174TT and ACE II/AGT 235МТ. In women older than 54 years an increased risk of BC development was found to be related to the presence of genotypes 235ТT of AGT gene and 1166АС of AT2R1 gene. The presence of genotype combinations AGT 235ТТ/AGT 174ТМ and AGT 235ТТ/AT2R1 1166AA in women of this age subgroup also significantly increases the risk of BC development. CONCLUSION These polymorphic gene variants and their associations may be considered as possible prognostic markers of BC development. The results of analysis are different in total cohort and in subgroups distributed by age.
Radiographic Correction Following Reconstruction of Adult Acquired Flat Foot Deformity Using the Cotton Medial Cuneiform Osteotomy

Background: The Cotton osteotomy has been used to correct residual forefoot supination in flexible flatfoot deformity reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to delineate the radiographic effects of the Cotton osteotomy by controlling for concomitant procedures used for deformity correction. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 67 patients who underwent a Cotton osteotomy as part of a flatfoot reconstructive procedure. We evaluated 12 radiographic parameters including the articular surface angles of the foot, Meary angle, and a newly defined medial arch sag angle (MASA). Twenty-eight of these patients were matched to a cohort that did not undergo a Cotton osteotomy. Results: In all patients who underwent a Cotton osteotomy, there were statistically significant changes in the articular surface angles and medial arch height (P < .05). No radiographic secondary sag of the medial column was seen at final follow-up. Compared to 28 matched controls, the Cotton osteotomy did not improve Meary angle but provided an additional 6.5 degrees correction of the MASA (P = .002). After reliability testing, the intraclass correlation coefficient was found to be substantial for the MASA compared to Meary angle. Discussion: The data suggest that the MASA was a useful radiographic tool for assessing midfoot collapse in the setting of pes planovalgus. The current study demonstrated the corrective capacity of the Cotton osteotomy on the MASA; at final follow-up, there was no evidence of radiographic instability. This is suggestive that a naviculocuneiform arthrodesis may not be warranted for medial column stabilization in the setting of flatfoot reconstruction. Level of Evidence: Level III, case control study.
Possible multiple transporters were involved in hepatobiliary excretion of antofloxacin in rats

1. The aim of the current study was to investigate the characteristics of biliary excretion of antofloxacin (ATFX) in rats. Rats received a bolus intravenous injection followed by a constant-rate infusion of ATFX. When plasma concentrations of ATFX reached steady state, cyclosporin A, erythromycin, probenecid, cimetidine and diclofenac were administered intravenously to the rats. Samples of blood and bile were collected and the concentrations of ATFX were measured and the corresponding pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated. 2. Biliary excretion of ATFX was observed in rats subjected to CCl4-induced experimental hepatic injury for 24 h (CCl4–EHI24h). Steady state concentrations of ATFX were attained at 60 min following infusion. 3. A slight increase in concentration of ATFX in plasma was observed after cyclosporin A, erythromycin, probenecid and cimetidine treatment. Significant increases in ATFX plasma levels were found in rats treated with diclofenac. Cyclosporin A, erythromycin, probenecid, cimetidine and diclofenac treatment significantly decreased the steady state biliary clearance of ATFX to 55, 68, 54, 53 and 56% of control values, respectively. 4. Cyclosprin A, probenecid, erythromycin and cimetidine also inhibited the biliary excretion of ATFX glucuronide. Significant decrease in the steady state biliary clearance of ATFX and its glucuronide was observed in CCl4–EHI24h rats. 5. These results indicate that multiple transporters are possibly involved in the biliary excretion of ATFX.
A comparison of acute and postdischarge predictors of employment 2 years after traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE To examine whether adding postdischarge psychosocial predictors to premorbid and injury-related variables improved the capacity to predict employment 2 years after rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN Data were collected prospectively at 6 and 24 months after discharge from rehabilitation. Logistic regression analyses examined predictors of employment status. SETTING Inpatient and community TBI rehabilitation service attached to a major Australian teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS Fifty-five patients with TBI, aged 16 or older, who were consecutively admitted to a brain injury unit with complete longitudinal data and who agreed to participate in the study. INTERVENTION Measured injury severity (Glasgow Coma Scale scores, posttraumatic amnesia); functional independence (Functional Assessment Measure cognitive subscale) at admission and discharge from rehabilitation; self-report of employment (premorbid, postdischarge); postdischarge psychosocial status at 6 months and 2 years (Community Integration Questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire, Trauma Complaints List, Overt Aggression Scale, Alcohol Use Disorders Inventory Test, Satisfaction with Life Scale). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Employment status (employed, unemployed) was used to reflect vocational outcome. Predictor variables comprised premorbid work status, injury-related variables (age, injury severity), and postdischarge variables (employment, community integration, psychologic, cognitive status). RESULTS Adding postdischarge predictors to premorbid and acute variables significantly improved the ability to predict work status 2 years after rehabilitation. Age at the time of injury, premorbid employment status, work status, and psychologic distress 6 months postdischarge were significant predictors of employment. CONCLUSIONS It is important to consider postdischarge psychologic well-being, in conjunction with premorbid and acute factors, in vocational interventions after TBI.
Assessing the economic effects of V&V and IV&V processes using simulation

There is a critical need for cost effective Verification and Validation (V&V) and Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) on software development projects. The goal of this research is to create a flexible tool and methods that can be used to quantitatively assess the economic benefit of performing V&V and IV&V activities on software development projects and to optimize that benefit on a given project as well as across an organization’s portfolio of projects. The Software Process Simulation tool we use is based on extensive research into Software Process Simulation Models (SPSMs) conducted at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) by Watts Humphrey, Marc Kellner, Bill Curtis, and others. 1. Current Interests My current research interests include: software process design, financial analysis of software engineering decisions, process simulation, global software development and value based software engineering. Specifically with respect to EDSER related topics, I am interested in: optimization, business case analysis, risk adjusted return on investment and options theory.
Crystal structure of N,N′-bis(diisopropylphosphanyl)-4-methylpyridine-2,6-diamine

In the molecule of the title compound, C18H35N3P2, the methylpyridine-2,6-diamine moiety is almost planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.0129 (9) Å for one of the amine N atoms. Whereas one of the P atoms is co-planar with this mean plane [deviation = 0.0158 (10) Å], the other P atom is considerably displaced out of the mean plane by 0.5882 (10) Å. In the crystal, no directional intermolecular interactions beyond van der Waals contacts could be identified.
A Measure of Testing Effort

Accurate estimates of the time and resources needed for a project are difficult to achieve. Numerous metrics have been proposed and a few have proved reliable in making these estimates. With the increased emphasis on quality and testing, estimates of the amount of effort required to test a product are a necessary part of any complete project estimate. Estimates of the effort to test object-oriented components and systems are particularly important because these components are often added to repositories to be used many times. The amount of effort required to test the component is related to its complexity. We consider several measures of method and class complexity and relate them to testability. The main focus of this research is to estimate the effort that is needed to test a class, as early as possible in the development process. We investigate the testability of a method in a class and indirectly estimate the effort that is needed to test a class. We define a concept termed the visibility component of a method. It is a measure of the accessibility of the information that must be inspected to evaluate the correctness of the execution of a method. We show that the testability of the method is a function of its visiblity component.