Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The etiology of genital ulcer disease by multiplex polymerase chain reaction and relationship to HIV infection among patients attending sexually transmitted disease clinics in Pune, India.

OBJECTIVES To determine the etiology of genital ulcer disease (GUD) among patients attending sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in Pune, India, and to examine the relationship to HIV infection and compare the clinical diagnosis of GUD with the results of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (M-PCR) assay for Treponema pallidum, herpes simplex virus (HSV), and Hemophilus ducreyi infection. METHODS Between June 20, 1994, and September 26, 1994, 302 patients with a genital ulcer were evaluated. Clinical etiology of GUD was based on physical appearance and microbiologic evaluations which included darkfield microscopy and serology for syphilis. Swabs of each genital ulcer were tested for HSV antigen by enzyme immunoassay (Herpchek; Dupont, Wilmington, DE) and processed in a multiplex PCR assay (M-PCR; Roche, Branchburg, NJ) for simultaneous detection of HSV, Treponema pallidum, and Hemophilus ducreyi. RESULTS Two hundred seventy-seven men and 25 women with a median age of 25 were evaluated. The seroprevalence of HIV was 22.2%. The etiology of GUD as determined by M-PCR was HSV (26%), H. ducreyi (23%), T. pallidum (10%), and multiple infections (7%); no etiology was identified in 34%. HIV seroprevalence was higher among those patients positive for HSV compared with other etiologies (OR = 2.1, CI: 1.2-3.7; p = 0.01). When compared with M-PCR, the Herpchek test was 68.5% sensitive and 99.5% specific. Darkfield detection for T. pallidum was 39% sensitive and 82% specific, in contrast to rapid plasma reagin and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test, which was 66% sensitive and 90% specific. Clinical diagnosis alone or in combination with basic laboratory tests showed poor agreement with M-PCR.
Peroxidase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activities, phenolic acid contents, and allelochemicals-inhibited root growth of soybean.

The influence of the allelochemicals ferulic (FA) and vanillic (VA) acids on peroxidase (POD, EC 1.11.1.7) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, EC 4.3.1.5) activities and their relationships with phenolic acid (PhAs) contents and root growth of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. ) were examined. Three-day-old seedlings were cultivated in nutrient solution containing FA or VA (0.1 to 1 mM) for 48 h. Both compounds (at 0.5 and 1 mM) decreased root length (RL), fresh weight (FW) and dry weight (DW) and increased PhAs contents. At 0.5 and 1 mM, FA increased soluble POD activity (18% and 47%, respectively) and cell wall (CW)-bound POD activity (61% and 34%), while VA increased soluble POD activity (33% and 17%) but did not affect CW-bound POD activity. At 1 mM, FA increased (82%) while VA reduced (32%) PAL activities. The results are discussed on the basis of the role of these compounds on phenylpropanoid metabolism and root growth and suggest that the effects caused on POD and PAL activities are some of the many mechanisms by which allelochemicals influence plant growth.
Cubic-Structured $\hbox{HfO}_{2}$ With Optimized Doping of Lanthanum for Higher Dielectric Constant

It is demonstrated that HfO2 films can have much higher dielectric-constant values than the usual reported value of 20-24 by optimized incorporation of lanthanum element and crystallization to cubic structure. When HfO2 with 8% La is crystallized into cubic structure, the film exhibits the kappa value of ~38 which is the highest among ever reported HfO2 -based high-kappa dielectrics. The increased kappa value of HfO2 with 8% La enables the leakage current to be reduced more than one order of magnitude lower, compared to amorphous-phase HfO2 under the same electric field. The dependence of film thickness and annealing temperature on the cubic crystallization is also reported.
Marine mammal faeces as a source of DNA

[Extract] Remote collection of skin biopsies from free-ranging marine mammals has been to date, the most effective and noninvasive means of tissue collection for DNA studies (Amos & Hoelzel 1990; Brown et al. 1991; Weinrich et al. 1991). Although it has been shown that DNA extraction from faeces is possible (Hoss et al. 1992), there are no records of DNA extraction from the faeces of marine mammals, perhaps because it is expected their faeces have a shorter life span compared with the faeces of (dry) land mammals. We have been able to extract DNA from the faeces of a free-ranging dugong (Dugong dugon). We present a sequence from this DNA, a region of the mitochondrial DNA which we have used for a genetic population structure study of the dugong. Extraction of DNA from faeces of marine mammals provides an attractive alternative to biopsy sampling. It is less invasive and more economical. The dugong faecal sample was collected from Borroloola (15°8'S 136°7'E) as part of a feeding study (A.R. Preen, pers. comm., 1995). Dugong feeding trails are easily recognizable and their faeces float to the surface of the water. Several intact faeces were collected after floating for an undetermined time (a few hours? ) and individually contained in plastic bags. It was about 3h before they were frozen and, although they stayed cold, they were defrosted during a 2 day transit, refrozen, then thawed for DNA extraction.
Studies concerning the importance of mononuclear cells in the development of experimental hepatitis.

Transfer of lymphocytes from C57B1 inbred mice with experimentally induced liver damage was made into normal isologous mice. Transferred lymphocytes may lead to infiltration of the periportal fields with mononuclear cells, and to an increase of Kupffer cells in the livers of recipients in a rather high percentage. No significant difference could be observed between animals treated with lymphocytes of mice poisoned with carbon tetrachloride or treated with lymphocytes from mice that had been sensitized to homologous liver extract given in Freund's adjuvant. Controls which had received lymphocytes from normal animals showed no liver injury as determined histologically.
ERP Implementation Sucess, Innovation and Social Networks: Linking the Tertius Lungens Approach to Performance

ERP system deployments can result in improvements in firm performance through automation, informational, and transformational effects. Nevertheless many implementations are not successful. Employing a social network approach this study investigates the role of the IT unit in exchanging and combining knowledge focusing on the planning phase. Drawing on prior research dealing with social capital and network position this paper investigates the network position of the IT unit using the approaches of tertius gaudens (the third who enjoys) and of tertius iungens (the third who joins) to improve our understanding of why ERP implementations succeed or fail. The model is tested employing a case study in a manufacturing firm of the aerospace industry. It is shown that a tertius iungens orientation may improve the probability of successfully implementing an ERP system.
Device-Level Vacuum Packaging for RF MEMS

For specific RF applications, where the use of MEMS is highly attractive, cost-effective reliable packaging is one of the primary barriers to commercialization. Many RF MEMS devices require a hermetic or vacuum operation environment. This paper presents a post-CMOS-compatible method for vacuum packaging of RF MEMS devices by growing an encapsulation layer during the device fabrication. The resulting MEMS devices are surrounded by a vacuum cavity and can then be placed in a conventional low-cost circuit package. This is a low-temperature area-efficient device-level encapsulation for MEMS devices. RF MEMS resonators in a fixed-fixed configuration were used as the test bed since their quality factor can be used as a measure of the package quality. The encapsulation process is based on a double-sacrificial-layer surface micromachining technique, which is used to create a cavity under and above the resonator. Polyimide was used as the sacrificial layer, followed by the deposition of a packaging layer with trench cuts, which facilitate the sacrificial layer removal. The trench cuts were then sealed at a low pressure, forming a cavity around the device at the sealant layer deposition pressure. Extensive RF characterization and reliability tests were performed on the packaged resonators.
Proteasome Inhibitor MG132 Enhances Cisplatin-Induced Apoptosis in Osteosarcoma Cells and Inhibits Tumor Growth

Although cisplatin has been shown to be an integral part of chemotherapy regimen in osteosarcoma (OS) treatment, toxicity issues and chemoresistance have hindered therapeutic development for OS. Exploring novel combination therapy methods is needed to circumvent the limitations of cisplatin alone. The proteasome inhibitor MG132 has shown antitumor effects in many solid tumors. However, little is known about its effects in combination with cisplatin in OS cells. In this study, we examined the effects of MG132 in combination with cisplatin in human OS cells (MG-63 and HOS). MG132 and cisplatin were applied to OS cells, respectively or jointly. The results demonstrated that MG132 markedly inhibited cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner, whereas viability of osteoblast cells was not affected, suggesting a selective toxicity of MG132 to cancerous cells. Mechanistically, MG132 arrested cells in the G2/M phase in association with increased p21waf1 and induced cell apoptosis, which was accompanied by cleaved PARP. In addition to its apoptotic effect alone, MG132 significantly enhanced cisplatin-induced apoptosis in OS cells. Furthermore, cell viability of the combined application of 10 μM MG132 and 5 μg/ml cisplatin was markedly inhibited compared to that of the individual application. These events were accompanied by the downregulation of NF-κB, mitochondrial antiapoptotic protein Bcl-xL, and PI3K/Akt, which play a key role in cell survival. Finally, combination treatment of MG132 and cisplatin showed more antiproliferative effect than the single treatment in OS xenograft models. In summary, we concluded that MG132 interacted synergistically with cisplatin, which raised the possibility that combining the two drugs may represent a novel strategy in OS.
A simple method to fabricate silicon nanowires arrays by a catalytic electrochemical etching process

We present a simple method to fabricate large area of silicon nanowires array with low-cost and throughput by a catalytic electrochemical etching process. In our experiment, a thin layer of polyelectrolyte (PAH) was used to absorb negatively charged PS sphere. Using the PS sphere as mask, the silicon nanowires arrays were fabricated by a silver catalytic electrochemical etching process. By SEM and Raman spectrum, the structure and properties of silicon nanowires arrays were also studied.
Induction of the nodA promoter of Rhizobium leguminosarum Sym plasmid pRL1JI by plant flavanones and flavones

An expression vector containing the Rhizobium leguminosarum nodA promoter cloned in front of the Escherichia coli lacZ gene was used to characterize the properties of the R. leguminosarum nodA gene-inducing compound(s) present in sterile root exudate of the host plant Vicia sativa L. subsp. nigra (L.). The major inducing compound was flavonoid in nature, most likely a flavanone. The commercially available flavonoids naringenin (5,7,4'-trihydroxyflavanone), eriodictyol (5,7,3'4'-tetrahydroxyflavanone), apigenin (5,7,4'-trihydroxyflavone), and luteolin (5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxyflavone) induced the nodA promoter to the same level as the root exudate. On the basis of chromatographic properties, it was concluded that none of these compounds is identical to the inducer that is present in root exudate. The induction of the nodA promoter by root exudate and by the most effective inducer naringenin was very similar, as judged from the genetic requirements and the kinetics of induction.
When gesture-speech combinations do and do not index linguistic change

At the one-word stage children use gesture to supplement their speech (‘eat’+point at cookie), and the onset of such supplementary gesture-speech combinations predicts the onset of two-word speech (‘eat cookie’). Gesture thus signals a child's readiness to produce two-word constructions. The question we ask here is what happens when the child begins to flesh out these early skeletal two-word constructions with additional arguments. One possibility is that gesture continues to be a forerunner of linguistic change as children flesh out their skeletal constructions by adding arguments. Alternatively, after serving as an opening wedge into language, gesture could cease its role as a forerunner of linguistic change. Our analysis of 40 children – from 14 to 34 months – showed that children relied on gesture to produce the first instance of a variety of constructions. However, once each construction was established in their repertoire, the children did not use gesture to flesh out the construction. Gesture thus acts as a harbinger of linguistic steps only when those steps involve new constructions, not when the steps merely flesh out existing constructions.
Treatment of diabetes and heart failure: joint forces.

This editorial refers to ‘Heart failure outcomes with empagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk: results of the EMPA-REG OUTCOME® trial’[†][1], by D. Fitchett et al . on page 1526. People with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at increased risk of future cardiovascular disease, and chronic heart failure (CHF) is an important complication and cause of mortality. It has been estimated that the proportion of CHF patients with known T2DM is 20–35%. 1 A Swedish registry report confirms that 25% of patients diagnosed with CHF in all day practice have previously known T2DM, a majority of ischaemic origin.2 The true proportion is probably considerably higher since undiagnosed T2DM is common, not least in populations with cardiovascular diseases.3 Further, in the population, a diagnosis of CHF is twice as common among patients with than among those without T2DM.4 The combination of T2DM and HF is expected to rise in the future, partly due to the increase in prevalence and longevity of patients with T2DM, but also due to improved survival after myocardial infarction and a more systematic screening for the combination. Figure 1 Effects of sodium–glucose co-transporter inhibitor 2 (SGLT2) inhibition with empagliflozin and the potential importance for the beneficial impact on heart failure in the EMPA-REG trial. Having T2DM in combination with CHF increases the risk for mortality. T2DM was indeed the most important risk factor for mortality in a … [1]: #fn-2
Overtime work, insufficient sleep, and risk of non-fatal acute myocardial infarction in Japanese men

Objectives: To examine the relation between working hours and hours of sleep and the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), with special reference to the joint effect of these two factors. Method: Case-control study in Japan. Cases were 260 men aged 40–79 admitted to hospitals with AMI during 1996–8. Controls were 445 men free from AMI matched for age and residence who were recruited from the resident registers. Odds ratios of AMI relative to mean weekly working hours and daily hours of sleep in the past year or in the recent past were calculated. Results: Weekly working hours were related to progressively increased odds ratios of AMI in the past year as well as in the past month, with a twofold increased risk for overtime work (weekly working hours ≥61) compared with working hours ≤40. Short time sleep (daily hours of sleep ≤5) and frequent lack of sleep (2 or more days/week with <5 hours of sleep) were also associated with a two to threefold increased risk. Frequent lack of sleep and few days off in the recent past showed greater odds ratios than those in the past year. Conclusions: Overtime work and insufficient sleep may be related to increased risk of AMI.
EPRS is a critical regulator of cell proliferation and estrogen signaling in ER+ breast cancer

Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are a class of enzymes with well-conserved housekeeping functions in cellular translation. Recent evidence suggests that ARS genes may participate in a wide array of cellular processes, and may contribute to the pathology of autoimmune disease, cancer, and other diseases. Several studies have suggested a role for the glutamyl prolyl tRNA synthetase (EPRS) in breast cancers, although none has identified any underlying mechanism about how EPRS contributes to carcinogenesis. In this study, we identified EPRS as upregulated in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) human breast tumors in the TCGA and METABRIC cohorts, with copy number gains in nearly 50% of samples in both datasets. EPRS expression is associated with reduced overall survival in patients with ER+ tumors in TCGA and METABRIC datasets. EPRS expression was also associated with reduced distant relapse-free survival in patients treated with adjuvant tamoxifen monotherapy for five years, and EPRS-correlated genes were highly enriched for genes predictive of a poor response to tamoxifen. We demonstrated the necessity of EPRS for proliferation of tamoxifen-resistant ER+ breast cancer, but not ER- breast cancer cells. Transcriptomic profiling showed that EPRS regulated cell cycle and estrogen response genes. Finally, we constructed a causal gene network based on over 2500 ER+ breast tumor samples to build up an EPRS-estrogen signaling pathway. EPRS and its regulated estrogenic gene network may offer a promising alternative approach to target ER+ breast cancers that are refractory to current anti-estrogens.
Biological responses to nanomaterials: understanding nano-bio effects on cell behaviors

Abstract The unique properties of nanomaterials in drug delivery and tissue engineering have captured a great deal of attention as experimental tools in bioimaging, diagnostic, and therapeutic processes. A plenty of research have provided a strong evidence that nanostructures not only passively interact with cells but also actively engage and mediate cell functions and molecular processes. Undoubtedly, it is crucially important to better understand biological responses to engineered nanomaterials, especially in view of their potential for biomedical applications. In this review, we shall highlight recent advances in exploring nano-bio effects in diverse systems of nanoparticles, nanotopographies, and mixed composite scaffolds. We will also discuss their manipulating functions on cellular behaviors and important biological processes of adhesion, morphology, proliferation, migration, differentiation, and even hidden mechanisms including molecular signaling pathways. At last, the perspectives will be addressed for further directions of nanomaterial designs with the purpose of better drug delivery and cell therapies.
Trust-Enhanced Cloud Service Selection Model Based on QoS Analysis

Cloud computing technology plays a very important role in many areas, such as in the construction and development of the smart city. Meanwhile, numerous cloud services appear on the cloud-based platform. Therefore how to how to select trustworthy cloud services remains a significant problem in such platforms, and extensively investigated owing to the ever-growing needs of users. However, trust relationship in social network has not been taken into account in existing methods of cloud service selection and recommendation. In this paper, we propose a cloud service selection model based on the trust-enhanced similarity. Firstly, the direct, indirect, and hybrid trust degrees are measured based on the interaction frequencies among users. Secondly, we estimate the overall similarity by combining the experience usability measured based on Jaccard’s Coefficient and the numerical distance computed by Pearson Correlation Coefficient. Then through using the trust degree to modify the basic similarity, we obtain a trust-enhanced similarity. Finally, we utilize the trust-enhanced similarity to find similar trusted neighbors and predict the missing QoS values as the basis of cloud service selection and recommendation. The experimental results show that our approach is able to obtain optimal results via adjusting parameters and exhibits high effectiveness. The cloud services ranking by our model also have better QoS properties than other methods in the comparison experiments.
Crystal structure of glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens by SAD with a large asymmetric unit

Introduction. A large family of novel membrane proteins among eukaryotes and prokaryotes is associated with the glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (GDPD) motif. The GDPD motif usually located at the C-terminal extracellular loop of these integral membrane proteins is solely responsible for their catalytic activity and may function as a membrane anchor. The critical role of GDPD in diverse biological function, such as phospholipid metabolism, cytoskeletal modification, motor neuron differentiation, and as a virulence factor, is well documented. GDPD is a periplasmic, cytosolic, and an outer membrane protein found in various parts of the cell. It constitutes a novel enzyme family (PFAM: PF03009) with a diverse physiological function distributed from bacteria to human. Biochemically, GDPDs are involved in directing a wide variety of glycerophosphodiesters into the glp-encoded dissimilatory system. Catalytically, they display broad specificity and hydrolyze an array of glycerophosphodiesters to sn-glycerol-3-phosphate and alcohol,
Event-triggered consensus seeking of heterogeneous first-order multi-agent system

Consensus problem under event-triggered mechanism is investigated for a heterogeneous first-order multi-agent system, in which agents are modeled by single integrator with distinct nominal velocities. A leader-following adaptive consensus algorithm is proposed, and the agents' states are only updated at discrete event instants computed from an event-triggering function in a centralized way. By constructing Lyapunov function, sufficient conditions are obtained for the agents converging to an asymptotic consensus under undirected and symmetric topology, and a lower inter-event interval bounded by a strictly positive constant is provided to avoid the Zeno-behavior. A numerical simulation example is presented to validate the proposed control strategy.