Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of immature and mature myeloma cells in the bone marrow of human myelomas

With regard to the expression of adhesion molecules, human myeloma cells freshly isolated from bone marrow were heterogeneous. By two- color analysis with anti-VLA-5 antibody (PE staining) and FITC-labeled anti-CD38 antibody, we found all myeloma cells located at CD38-strong positive (CD38++) fraction and identified two subpopulations among these myeloma cells: CD38++ VLA-5-(VLA-5-) myeloma cells and CD38++ VLA- 5+ (VLA-5+) myeloma cells. To clarify the biologic character of these two subpopulations, the morphology, in vitro proliferative activity and in vitro M-protein secretion were examined in each fraction isolated by the purification procedure or a cell sorter. Morphologic examination showed that VLA-5- myeloma cells were mostly immature or plasmablastic and VLA-5+ cells were mature myeloma cells. Furthermore, VLA-5- myeloma cells proliferated markedly in vitro and responded to interleukin 6 (IL- 6), a growth factor for myeloma cells, while VLA-5+ myeloma cells showed very low uptakes of 3H-thymidine and no responses to IL-6 but secreted higher amounts of M-protein (immunoglobulin) in vitro significantly. Therefore, we could clarify here heterogeneity of human myeloma cells in the bone marrow with regard to the expression of VLA- 5, one of integrin adhesion molecules; VLA-5- myeloma cells were proliferative immature cells and VLA-5+ cells were mature myeloma cells.
A survey for rickettsial agents on Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida, Ixodidae) ticks in Northeastern Brazil Inquérito para agentes rickettsiais em carrapatos Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida, Ixodidae) no Nordeste do Brasil

In this study, rickettsial infection was searched in 108 canine blood samples and 22 Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida, Ixodidae) ticks collected on these dogs during 2011 and 2012 in Patos municipality, state of Paraiba, northeastern Brazil. Blood samples were tested through indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) by using antigens of six Rickettsia species isolates from Brazil. All 108 dogs tested seronegative for R. rickettsii, R. parkeri, R. amblyommii, R. felis, R. rhipicephali, and R. bellii antigens, suggesting a non-endemic status of the studied region for spotted fever ricketsiosis. Among 22 R. sanguineus ticks, R. felis was detected in one (4.5%) specimen by PCR targeting a portion of the rickettsial gltA gene. The possible implications of this unusual PCR finding are discussed.
Fast global motion estimation on single instruction multiple data processors for real-time devices

Abstract. Global motion estimation is a fundamental tool for image processing and computer vision. Since low-cost real-time devices have limited computational resources, the computational burden of global motion estimation remains considerable for low-cost devices. Hence, a fast global motion estimation algorithm for single instruction multiple data (SIMD) processors with which a CPU in modern mobile computing devices is commonly equipped is proposed. Conventional projection-based global motion estimation is modified to improve the prediction accuracy for videos containing large motions. To significantly increase the parallelism, the exact sizes of the variables in each processing step of the proposed algorithm are determined by considering the size of an SIMD register. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme is considerably fast and accurate, even for videos containing large motions.
Epidemiology, pathogenesis, genetics & management of polycystic ovary syndrome in India

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder predominantly affecting women of reproductive age. Clinical manifestations are diverse including hyperandrogenism, anovulation, infertility and increased risk of metabolic diseases besides psychosocial dysfunction. This review provides information on the problem of PCOS in India, its pathophysiology, genetics and an overview of current management options to instigate further research in this field. Prevalence of PCOS in India ranges from 3.7 to 22.5 per cent depending on the population studied and the criteria used for diagnosis. Abnormalities in leptin-adiponectin (adipocyte biology), oxidative stress and autoimmunity are among the mechanisms studied regarding pathogenesis of PCOS. Many candidate gene studies have shown associations with PCOS in various studies. Studies have consistently demonstrated the relationship between the well-known manifestation of hyperandrogenism among Indian PCOS women and the metabolic morbidities including insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and cardiovascular risk. Management of individual components of PCOS can be achieved by medications or surgical methods, though further clarification regarding pathogenesis of PCOS is needed to sharpen our therapeutic armamentarium.
A Broad Spectrum Protein Glycosylation System Influences Type II Protein Secretion and Associated Phenotypes in Vibrio cholerae

Protein secretion plays a crucial role for bacterial pathogens, exemplified by facultative human-pathogen Vibrio cholerae, which secretes various proteinaceous effectors at different stages of its lifecycle. Accordingly, the identification of factors impacting on protein secretion is important to understand the bacterial pathophysiology. PglLVc, a predicted oligosaccharyltransferase of V. cholerae, has been recently shown to exhibit O-glycosylation activity with relaxed glycan specificity in an engineered Escherichia coli system. By engineering V. cholerae strains to express a defined, undecaprenyl diphosphate-linked glycoform precursor, we confirmed functional O-linked protein glycosylation activity of PglLVc in V. cholerae. We demonstrate that PglLVc is required for the glycosylation of multiple V. cholerae proteins, including periplasmic chaperones such as DegP, that are required for efficient type II-dependent secretion. Moreover, defined deletion mutants and complementation strains provided first insights into the physiological role of O-linked protein glycosylation in V. cholerae. RbmD, a protein with structural similarities to PglLVc and other established oligosaccharyltransferases (OTases), was also included in this phenotypical characterization. Remarkably, presence or absence of PglLVc and RbmD impacts the secretion of proteins via the type II secretion system (T2SS). This is highlighted by altered cholera toxin (CT) secretion, chitin utilization and biofilm formation observed in ΔpglLVc and ΔrbmD single or double mutants. This work thus establishes a unique connection between broad spectrum O-linked protein glycosylation and the efficacy of type II-dependent protein secretion critical to the pathogen’s lifecycle.
Timing of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Onset for Upper Limb Function After Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a promising intervention to promote upper limb recovery after stroke. We aimed to identify differences in the efficacy of rTMS treatment on upper limb function depending on the onset time post-stroke. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant RCTs from their inception to February 2018. RCTs on the effects of rTMS on upper limb function in adult patients with stroke were included. Study quality and risk of bias were assessed independently by two authors. Meta-analyses were performed for outcomes on individual upper limb outcome measures (function or activity) and for function and activity measures jointly, categorized by timing of treatment initiation. Timing of treatment initiation post-stroke was categorized as follows: acute to early subacute (<1 month), early subacute (1–3 months), late subacute (3–6 months), and chronic (>6 months). Results: We included 38 studies involving 1,074 stroke patients. Subgroup analysis demonstrated benefit of rTMS applied within the first month post-stroke [MD = 9.31; 95% confidence interval (6.27–12.34); P < 0.0001], but not in the early subacute phase (1–3 months post-stroke) [MD = 1.14; 95% confidence interval (−5.32 to 7.59), P = 0.73) or chronic phase (>6 months post-stroke) [MD = 1.79; 95% confidence interval (−2.00 to 5.59]; P = 0.35), when assessed with a function test [Fugl-Meyer Arm test (FMA)]. There were no studies within the late subacute phase (3–6 months post-stroke) that used the FMA. Tests at the level of function revealed improved upper limb function after rTMS [SMD = 0.43; 95% confidence interval (0.02–0.75); P = 0.0001], but tests at the level of activity did not, independent of rTMS onset post-stroke [SMD = 0.17; 95% confidence interval (−0.09 to 0.44); P = 0.19]. Heterogeneities in the results of the individual studies included in the main analyses were large, as suggested by funnel plot asymmetry. Conclusions: Based on the FMA, rTMS seems more beneficial only when started in the first month post-stroke. Tests at the level of function are likely more sensitive to detect beneficial rTMS effects on upper limb function than tests at the level of activity. However, heterogeneities in treatment designs and outcomes are high. Future rTMS trials should include the FMA and work toward a core set of outcome measures.
Cognitive Representation of Spontaneous Motion in a Second Language: An Exploration of Chinese Learners of English

This study tests whether Chinese learners of English can reconstruct their cognitive pattern in the direction of the target system when judging the similarity between spontaneous motion screens in a match–to–sample task. English main verbs encode Manner of motion only, while Chinese verb compounds express Manner and Path simultaneously. Chinese monolinguals are thus predicted to develop a motion cognition pattern highlighting both Manner and Path salience whereas English monolinguals are more likely to be Manner-oriented. Our research findings are twofold. First, when assessed by the explicit measure of selection strategies (i.e., either Manner–match or Path-match), both monolingual and L2 learners show a general preference for the Path–match. However, when gauged by the implicit measure of processing speed (i.e., reaction time), Chinese monolinguals reacted significantly quicker than their English counterparts, particularly in making Path-matched judgments. Further, the L2 English learners across proficiencies responded significantly more slowly than their monolingual counterparts even at an advanced stage of acquisition, suggesting that the process of conceptual reconstructing, as demonstrated in our experiment, can be cognitively demanding and needs a longer period of time to complete. These findings are generally consistent with a weak version of the linguistic relativity hypothesis.
Sucrose Starvation Induces Microautophagy in Plant Root Cells

Autophagy is an essential system for degrading and recycling cellular components for survival during starvation conditions. Under sucrose starvation, application of a papain protease inhibitor E-64d to the Arabidopsis root and tobacco BY-2 cells induced the accumulation of vesicles, labeled with a fluorescent membrane marker FM4-64. The E-64d–induced vesicle accumulation was reduced in the mutant defective in autophagy-related genes ATG2, ATG5, and ATG7, suggesting autophagy is involved in the formation of these vesicles. To clarify the formation of these vesicles in detail, we monitored time-dependent changes of tonoplast, and vesicle accumulation in sucrose-starved cells. We found that these vesicles were derived from the tonoplast and produced by microautophagic process. The tonoplast proteins were excluded from the vesicles, suggesting that the vesicles are generated from specific membrane domains. Concanamycin A treatment in GFP-ATG8a transgenic plants showed that not all FM4-64–labeled vesicles, which were derived from the tonoplast, contained the ATG8a-containing structure. These results suggest that ATG8a may not always be necessary for microautophagy.
Stress Echocardiography-Derived E/e’ Predicts Abnormal Exercise Hemodynamics in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Background The correlation between echocardiographic parameters and hemodynamics data in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is unclear. It is important to find a non-invasive echocardiographic parameter for predicting exercise pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP). Aim This study sought to determine the correlation between echocardiographic parameters and hemodynamics data at rest and during exercise in HFpEF patients. Methods and Results This study was a cross-sectional cohort exploratory analysis of baseline data from the ILO-HOPE trial. A total of 34 HFpEF patients were enrolled. The average age was 70 ± 12 years, and most (74%) were women. The patients underwent invasive cardiac catheterization and expired gas analysis at rest and during exercise. Echocardiography including tissue Doppler imaging was performed, and global longitudinal strain and other novel diastolic function indexes were analyzed at rest and during exercise. At rest, no significant correlation was noted between resting PCWP and echocardiographic parameters. However, a significant correlation was observed between post-exercise PCWP and stress E/e′ (septal, lateral, and mean) ratio (p = 0.003, 0.031, 0.012). Moreover, post-exercise ΔPCWP showed a good correlation with stress E/e′ (septal, lateral, and mean; all p ≤ 0.001) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) during exercise (p = 0.03). After multivariate regression analysis with adjustment for possible confounding factors including age and sex, there was still a significant correlation between post-exercise ΔPCWP and E/e′ (r = 0.62, p < 0.001 for E/e′mean). Conclusion Only stress echocardiography derived tissue Doppler E/e′ ratio is closely correlated with abnormal exercise hemodynamics (PCWP and post-exercise ΔPCWP) in HFpEF. This echocardiographic marker is substantially more sensitive than other novel echocardiographic parameters during exercise, and may have significant diagnostic utility for ambulatory HFpEF patients with dyspnea. Clinical Trial Registration https://www.clinicaltrials. gov, identifier NCT03620526.
“You Can Sit in the Middle or Be One of the Outliers”: Older Male Athletes and the Complexities of Social Comparison

Sporting events for older adults are proliferating in both popularity and participation numbers, mirroring the growth that is occurring globally with an aging population. Preliminary evidence indicates that older athletes have a tendency to compare themselves (in terms of their performance, participation, and aging) to inactive older adults deemed “worse-off. ” Our aim was to examine the stories and experiences of older, male Masters athletes, not only in terms of their own lives and in relation to others but also in the broader context of current (neoliberal) policies that promote sport across the lifespan. We use social comparison theory to interpret our findings and highlight the strengths and limitations of social comparison as a psychological strategy. For this study, 17 male competitive athletes (age range from 70 to 90 years) who participated in either the 2013 or 2017 World Masters Games were interviewed as part of a larger project on the meaning of sport in their lives. Seven different sports were represented, and participants hailed from multiple countries. Within the interpretive paradigm, we used qualitative methods to interview each participant, analyze individual transcripts, and develop common themes across the data set to address the aforementioned aims. Our two major themes were, Sport as social comparison:“It’s the competitive nature” and Downward comparisons. A number of participants commented on the nature of sport, and competitive sport in particular, as being important to their motivation to train and prepare. Within the theme of Downward comparisons, we established two categories: Resisting loss and Assigning blame. While downward comparisons were used by our participants to separate themselves from other seniors of the same age, thereby bolstering their sense of self, participants also tied those comparisons to neoliberal notions of individual and moral responsibility for health. Participants believed that compromised health was due to individual negligence and bad decisions, with little reference to uncontrollable factors, such as non-modifiable risk factors for disease, disability, and/or socioeconomic status, which could be affecting people’s lives or decisions. Ultimately, our findings show that the useful psychological strategy of social comparison for maintaining a positive sense of self and performance may also have some negative individual and societal consequences.
Caffeine and Primary (Migraine) Headaches—Friend or Foe?

Background: The actions of caffeine as an antagonist of adenosine receptors have been extensively studied, and there is no doubt that both daily and sporadic dietary consumption of caffeine has substantial biological effects on the nervous system. Caffeine influences headaches, the migraine syndrome in particular, but how is unclear. Materials and Methods: This is a narrative review based on selected articles from an extensive literature search. The aim of this study is to elucidate and discuss how caffeine may affect the migraine syndrome and discuss the potential pathophysiological pathways involved. Results: Whether caffeine has any significant analgesic and/or prophylactic effect in migraine remains elusive. Neither is it clear whether caffeine withdrawal is an important trigger for migraine. However, withdrawal after chronic exposure of caffeine may cause migraine-like headache and a syndrome similar to that experienced in the prodromal phase of migraine. Sensory hypersensitivity however, does not seem to be a part of the caffeine withdrawal syndrome. Whether it is among migraineurs is unknown. From a modern viewpoint, the traditional vascular explanation of the withdrawal headache is too simplistic and partly not conceivable. Peripheral mechanisms can hardly explain prodromal symptoms and non-headache withdrawal symptoms. Several lines of evidence point at the hypothalamus as a locus where pivotal actions take place. Conclusion: In general, chronic consumption of caffeine seems to increase the burden of migraine, but a protective effect as an acute treatment or in severely affected patients cannot be excluded. Future clinical trials should explore the relationship between caffeine withdrawal and migraine, and investigate the effects of long-term elimination.
EHV-1: A Constant Threat to the Horse Industry

Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is one of the most important and prevalent viral pathogens of horses and a major threat to the equine industry throughout most of the world. EHV-1 primarily causes respiratory disease but viral spread to distant organs enables the development of more severe sequelae; abortion and neurologic disease. The virus can also undergo latency during which viral genes are minimally expressed, and reactivate to produce lytic infection at any time. Recently, there has been a trend of increasing numbers of outbreaks of a devastating form of EHV-1, equine herpesviral myeloencephalopathy. This review presents detailed information on EHV-1, from the discovery of the virus to latest developments on treatment and control of the diseases it causes. We also provide updates on recent EHV-1 research with particular emphasis on viral biology which enables pathogenesis in the natural host. The information presented herein will be useful in understanding EHV-1 and formulating policies that would help limit the spread of EHV-1 within horse populations.
Words-Deeds Gap for the Purchase of Fairtrade Products: A Systematic Literature Review

Rationale: Nowadays ethical consumerism is part of the agenda of consumers, businesses, and governments for its promise of a brighter future through the consumption of goods with added social or environmental value. Consumption of fair trade goods has been enjoying huge growth in the last few years as people are becoming more conscious of their consumption practices. Objective: In this piece of research we identify existing literature on the words-deeds gap for the purchase of fairly traded products. Moreover, we present and analyze the moderators to the ethical purchasing gap. Method: A collection of research articles was compiled using a key-word search in 3 databases: Scopus, Springerlink, and Sciencedirect. The research was carried out using various groups of keywords and completed using the following three criteria: articles published in English, between 2010 and 2018, in refereed journals. Further to the systematic literature review, all pertinent articles were imported into Atlas.ti for further thematic analysis. Results: Two thousand and seventy eight articles were identified from which 32 met the inclusion criteria. The content analysis resulted in the following themes: Values, Theory of Planned Behavior and Theory of Reasoned Action, Willingness-to-pay, Labels and Certification, Religion, Guilt, Dual Attitudes, Demographics. Conclusion: Despite “moral” products tasting better and self-claims to this direction, there is still a gap between claimed and actual consumption. Research has mostly concentrated on different perspectives, such as willingness to pay, items from the theory of planned behavior or theory of reasoned action. Given the recent developments in the theory of dual attitudes and further to our research this area is currently underrepresented in FT research and could provide useful insights that may increase consumption of FT products.