Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using the Ralstonia solanacearum Tat Secretome To Identify Bacterial Wilt Virulence Factors

ABSTRACT To identify secreted virulence factors involved in bacterial wilt disease caused by the phytopathogen Ralstonia solanacearum, we mutated tatC, a key component of the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) secretion system. The R. solanacearum tatC mutation was pleiotropic; its phenotypes included defects in cell division, nitrate utilization, polygalacturonase activity, membrane stability, and growth in plant tissue. Bioinformatic analysis of the R. solanacearum strain GMI1000 genome predicted that this pathogen secretes 70 proteins via the Tat system. The R. solanacearum tatC strain was severely attenuated in its ability to cause disease, killing just over 50% of tomato plants in a naturalistic soil soak assay where the wild-type parent killed 100% of the plants. This result suggested that elements of the Tat secretome may be novel bacterial wilt virulence factors. To identify contributors to R. solanacearum virulence, we cloned and mutated three genes whose products are predicted to be secreted by the Tat system: RSp1521, encoding a predicted AcvB-like protein, and two genes, RSc1651 and RSp1575, that were identified as upregulated in planta by an in vivo expression technology screen. The RSc1651 mutant had wild-type virulence on tomato plants. However, mutants lacking either RSp1521, which appears to be involved in acid tolerance, or RSp1575, which encodes a possible amino acid binding protein, were significantly reduced in virulence on tomato plants. Additional bacterial wilt virulence factors may be found in the Tat secretome.
RAPID GROWTH RESULTS IN INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO PREDATION IN MENIDIA MENIDIA

Abstract Several recent studies have demonstrated that rapid growth early in life leads to decreased physiological performance. Nearly all involved experiments over short time periods (<1 day) to control for potentially confounding effects of size. This approach, however, neglects the benefits an individual accrues by growing. The net effect of growth can only be evaluated over a longer interval in which rapidly growing individuals are allowed the time required to attain the expected benefits of large size. We used two populations of Menidia menidia with disparate intrinsic growth rates to address this issue. We compared growth and survivorship among populations subject to predation in mesocosms under ambient light and temperature conditions for a period of up to 30 days to address two questions: Do the growth rates of fish in these populations respond differently to the presence of predators? Is the previously demonstrated survival cost of growth counterbalanced by the benefits of increased size? We found that growth was insensitive to predation risk: neither population appeared to modify growth rates in response to predation levels. Moreover, the fast-growing population suffered significantly higher mortality throughout the trials despite being 40% larger than the slow-growing population at the experiment's end. These results confirm that the costs of rapid growth extend over prolonged intervals and are not ameliorated merely by the attainment of large size.
Short‐Term Effects of Beta Blockers Atenolol, Nadolol, Pindolol, and Propranolol on Lipoprotein Metabolism in Normolipemic Subjects

The short‐term effect of the blockade of the beta‐adrenergic receptors on serum lipoproteins and the plasma activities of the enzymes involved in the metabolism of the serum lipoproteins: lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hepatic lipase (HL) and lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) was evaluated in ten healthy normolipemic and normotensive subjects. In the first part of the study, the first three‐day period of placebo was followed by another three‐day period during which propranolol (120 mg/d) was given. In the second, third, and fourth part of the study, the same schedule was used but pindolol (15 mg/d), nadolol (160 mg/d), atenolol (100 mg/d) were given respectively instead of propranolol. The four drugs induced a significant blockade of the beta‐adrenergic receptors as evaluated by the measurement of the double two‐step test of Master (‐45%). Despite similar blockade, the effect on serum lipid concentrations depended on the type of drug: propranolol induced an increase in triglycerides and apoprotein B‐concentrations and a decrease in serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) and apoprotein AI‐concentrations. Pindolol provoked only a slight decrease of serum HDL‐C concentration. Nadolol and atenolol elicited a lowering of the same magnitude in HDL‐C. Except for a possible slight increase in plasma LCAT activity on propranolol, there was no significant change in the plasma activities of LPL, HL, and LCAT during the blockade of the beta‐adrenergic receptors with the drugs used. It is difficult to draw firm conclusions in regard to the mechanism by which beta blockers given to patients for much longer periods of time alter lipoprotein metabolism from results obtained in normolipemic subjects receiving beta blockers for only three days. It seems that pindolol modifies the serum lipoprotein pattern less likely than propranolol, nadolol, or atenolol. This difference could be attributed to the intrinsic sympathomimetic activity of pindolol of which the other beta blocking drugs that were used are devoid. The mechanism by which the serum lipid changes can be induced by beta blockade does not involve a lower activity of any of the plasma enzymes regulating the intravascular metabolism of lipoproteins.
A Novel Adaptive Nonlinear Filter-Based Pipelined Feedforward Second-Order Volterra Architecture

Due to the computational complexity of the Volterra filter, there are limitations on the implementation in practice. In this paper, a novel adaptive joint process filter using pipelined feedforward second-order Volterra architecture (JPPSOV) to reduce the computational burdens of the Volterra filter is proposed. The proposed architecture consists of two subsections: nonlinear subsection performing a nonlinear mapping from the input space to an intermediate space by the feedforward second-order Volterra (SOV), and a linear combiner performing a linear mapping from the intermediate space to the output space. The corresponding adaptive algorithms are deduced for the nonlinear and linear combiner subsections, respectively. Moreover, the analysis of theory shows that these adaptive algorithms based on the pipelined architecture are stable and convergence under a certain condition. To evaluate the performance of the JPPSOV, a series of simulation experiments are presented including nonlinear system identification and predicting of speech signals. Compared with the conventional SOV filter, adaptive JPPSOV filter exhibits a litter better convergence performance with less computational burden in terms of convergence speed and steady-state error.
Death Anxiety and Social Desirability among Nurses

Registered nurses (n = 210) from Canadian public general hospitals were administered Templer's Death Anxiety Scale and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Responses on the Death Anxiety Scale were subjected to a principal-axes factor analysis, from which were extracted five factors. In the order of their relative prominence for the sample of nurses, the identified factors were: 1) “death anxiety denial,” 2) “general death anxiety,” 3) “fearful anticipation of death,” 4) “physical death fear,” and 5) “fear of catastrophic death. ” Correlation analyses indicated a statistically significant inverse relationship between the variable of social desirability and “death anxiety denial”; however, no other statistically significant relationships were found to exist between the social desirability variable and the remaining four Death Anxiety Scale factors. The inverse relationship between a particular aspect of death anxiety and the response set of social desirability for nurses in this study was discussed in light of corroborative findings by other investigators, as well as in terms of its implications for further studies of death anxiety among health professionals.
[Medication use patterns among elderly people in urban area in Northeastern Brazil].

OBJECTIVE To identify medication use patterns among elderly people residing in areas with different socioeconomic status in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil. METHODS A total of 668 elderly (aged 60 years or older) residing in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, selected from a multistage random sampling stratified by socioeconomic status (higher, intermediate, and lower areas), were interviewed in a household survey. Descriptive statistics for dichotomous variables were presented as percent of the respective totals, and those for continuous variables as mean +/- SD. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with the use of prescription, non-prescription and inappropriate) drugs. RESULTS Most (80.3% in the higher area) were on at least one non-prescription drug. More than one third (37.4%) were on at least one non- prescription drug and nearly 20% used at least one inappropriate in the lower area. PD use was associated with advanced age (OR=1.7, 95% CI=1.1-2.8); male sex (OR=0.5, 95% CI=0.3-0.7); health service visits (OR=2.5, 95% CI=1.9-3.1); chronic diseases (OR=4.0, 95% CI=2.5-6.2); and higher socioeconomic status (OR=2.0, 95% CI=1.5-2.6). Non- prescription drug use was associated with disability (OR=1.5, 95% CI=1.1-2.2), and higher socioeconomic status (OR=0.6; 95% CI=0.5-0.8). Inappropriate drugs use was mainly associated with male sex (OR=0.4, 95% CI=0.2-0.8); chronic diseases (OR=2.0, 95% CI=1.2-3.3); and higher socioeconomic status (OR=0.7, 95% CI=0.5-0.9). CONCLUSIONS The proportions of elderly using prescription, non-prescription and inappropriate drugs were remarkable and inequalities were seen particularly among those from different socioeconomic status. These results emphasize the need for strategies to optimize the access and rationalize the use of drugs for elderly people in Brazil.
Generation Y as hospitality employees: Framing a research agenda

This article considers the impact of the new generation of employees entering the hospitality workforce and the changes in management paradigms that will be required to successfully recruit, select, train and motivate Generation Y (Gen Y) to achieve the goals of the organisation, given the strategic importance of human resource management in creating competitive and sustainable service organizations. This article also analyses the current state of thinking on Gen Y's work-related values, attitudes and behaviours and reviews the research that has been conducted to date on Gen Y in the workplace. A discussion is provided on how these values and attitudes will potentially interact with prevailing hospitality management paradigms, before presenting a research framework that depicts the potential relationships between the key variables and identified themes. Following this, six propositions are presented regarding Gen Y's work-related values and attitudes in relation to hospitality employment. The article concludes with an outline of the intended direction for future research.
Effect of the antiarrhythmic agent moricizine on survival after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND The Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST) tested the hypothesis that the suppression of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic ventricular premature depolarizations in survivors of myocardial infarction would decrease the number of deaths from ventricular arrhythmias and improve overall survival. The second CAST study (CAST-II) tested this hypothesis with a comparison of moricizine and placebo. METHODS CAST-II was divided into two blinded, randomized phases: an early, 14-day exposure phase that evaluated the risk of starting treatment with moricizine after myocardial infarction (1325 patients), and a long-term phase that evaluated the effect of moricizine on survival after myocardial infarction in patients whose ventricular premature depolarizations were either adequately suppressed by moricizine (1155 patients) or only partially suppressed (219 patients). RESULTS CAST-II was stopped early because the first 14-day period of treatment with moricizine after a myocardial infarction was associated with excess mortality (17 of 665 patients died or had cardiac arrests), as compared with no treatment or placebo (3 of 660 patients died or had cardiac arrests); and estimates of conditional power indicated that it was highly unlikely (less than 8 percent chance) that a survival benefit from moricizine could be observed if the trial were completed. At the completion of the long-term phase, there were 49 deaths or cardiac arrests due to arrhythmias in patients assigned to moricizine, and 42 in patients assigned to placebo (adjusted P = 0.40). CONCLUSIONS As with the antiarrhythmic agents used in CAST-I (flecainide and encainide), the use of moricizine in CAST-II to suppress asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic ventricular premature depolarizations to try to reduce mortality after myocardial infarction is not only ineffective but also harmful.
Uncertainty reduction using multivariate reliability models

There are various modeling techniques which are used in almost every field of science and engineering to estimate different entities on a set of parameters. These estimations contain uncertainty and imprecision due to non-ideal behavior of input data used in the modeling techniques. In risk assessment, reliability models are used in Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA). These models are usually based on some assumptions. They have uncertainties due to inadequate assumptions which must be evaluated accurately to identify the unambiguous reliability of the safety systems. The uncertainty whether it is of model's assumption or model's parameter is propagated in the whole risk model. So, the estimation of uncertainty is an essential part of measurement in the calculations of every real world problem particularly in risk assessment. The two most commonly used techniques which are widely adopted in different fields for uncertainty evaluation are Monte Carlo Simulation techniques and analytical linear approximation techniques. The former technique lacks an analytical expression to relate input uncertainties to output uncertainties whereas the latter technique is limited to linear systems or more precisely the latter technique is limited to weakly nonlinear systems. In order to overcome this problem, the present research proposes that uncertainty can be analyzed by using multi-variate reliability models more compactly and easily which will also provide the degree of covariance between estimated parameters. The Uncertainty Analysis Methodology is equally integral i.e. this analysis directly links with the stages needed for parameter estimation. It is used in the presented work as a sharp tool to reduce uncertainty in model's assumption as well as in model's parameter. In this methodology, Probabilistic approach is used to reduce model's parameter uncertainty and sensitivity assessment is used to reduce model's assumption uncertainty. The proposed research highlights the very important aspect of uncertainty reduction which will help to improve the effectiveness of PSA by controlling and monitoring of the safety factors in a more reliable and better manner in risk assessment strategies.
Virtual reality system for stroke recovery for upper limbs using ArUco markers

Visual feedback is a very important component for re-learning motor tasks in post stroke recovery. In this paper, a virtual reality (VR) based system for stroke recovery for upper limbs is described, where the patient is immersed with the help of a Head Mounted Display (HMD). The HMD renders a 3D scene containing the avatar of the patient, from a virtual camera position placed on the head of the avatar. The patient's limb subject to recovery is monitored with a webcam that tracks ArUco markers placed on the limb, and the avatar limb position is updated in real-time. This system is derived from TRAVEE system that uses augmented feedback to enhance the recovery process by creating new recovery methods.
EAIMS: Emergency Analysis Identification and Management System

Social media has great potential as a means to enable civil protection and law enforcement agencies to more effectively tackle disasters and emergencies. However, there is currently a lack of tools that enable civil protection agencies to easily make use of social media. The Emergency Analysis Identification and Management System (EAIMS) is a prototype service that provides real-time detection of emergency events, related information finding and credibility analysis tools for use over social media during emergencies. This system exploits machine learning over data gathered from past emergencies and disasters to build effective models for identifying new events as they occur, tracking developments within those events and analyzing those developments for the purposes of enhancing the decision making processes of emergency response agencies.
Nucleotide content, oxydative phosphorylation, morphology, and fertilizing capacity of turbot (Psetta maxima) spermatozoa during the motility period

The interdependence between motility, respiration, ATP production, and utilization was investigated in intact spermatozoa of turbot (Psetta maxima), a marine teleost. When spermatozoa were diluted in a hyperosmotic medium (>300 mOsmol/kg), they immediately became motile, and the intracellular concentration of ATP as well as the adenylate energy charge ratio dropped concomitant with the straight‐line velocity. The ADP and AMP levels increased from 1.4 to 8.0 nmole/108 cells and from 0.6 to 6.0 nmole/108 cells, respectively. Moreover, 31P‐NMR spectra recorded prior to the swimming phase revealed the presence of phosphomonoesters (PMEs) and phosphodiesters (PDEs), intracellular inorganic phosphate (Pi), and phosphocreatine (PCr). At the end of the motility period, PCr, PDE, and PME decreased, while the Pi level increased markedly. Following initiation of motility, O2 consumption of spermatozoa increased from 34.9 to 124.8 O2 nmole/109 spermatozoa/min. FCCP, an uncoupler of oxydative phosphorylation, did not significantly affect the respiratory rate of motile spermatozoa. Ouabain, a specific inhibitor of (Na+/K+)/ATPase, slightly decreased the respiration rate of motile spermatozoa, indicating that the major part of ATP catabolism was linked to dynein ATPase. Inhibitors of the respiratory chain (KCN, NaN3, NaHCO3–, oligomycin) reduced sperm respiration, percentage of motile cells, velocity, and adenylate contents. Following the reactivation of motility of demembranated spermatozoa, KCN, NaN3, NaHCO3– altered the flagellar beat frequency, demonstrating that these respiratory inhibitors possess action sites other than mitochondria. Mitochondrial oxydative phosphorylation is highly requested to produce energy required during motion. Nevertheless it is insufficient to maintain endogenous ATP stores. A second phase of motility was induced by a transfer of exhausted spermatozoa into an ionic medium of low osmolality (200 mOsmol/kg) for 30 min. Spermatozoa, once reactivated in AM, recovered 55% of initial motility and 31% of initial fertilization rate. In hypo‐osmotic medium, mitochondrial oxydative phosphorylation also induced ATP regeneration. Following activation of movement, several morphological changes were observed in the mitochondria and the midpiece. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 53:230–243, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Managerial Competences in Small Firms

The failure rate of small firms in the UK is high, but there is little reliable evidence as to what factors account for success or failure in small businesses. Lending organizations have adopted a set of criteria that they use to evaluate new business proposals. One lending organization sponsored a research project with the object of identifying whether a general set of competences could be found which were associated with effective performance in the region. Describes the setting up and findings of the research, and identifies the competences that were found.
gamma-Aminobutyric acid-containing terminals can be apposed to glycine receptors at central synapses

The distributions of terminals containing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and of endings apposed to glycine receptors were investigated cytochemically in the ventral horn of the rat spinal cord. For this purpose, a polyclonal antibody raised to recognize glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), a synthetic enzyme for GABA, and three monoclonal antibodies (mAb's) directed against the glycine receptor were used. Double immunofluorescence showed that, surprisingly, GAD-positive terminals are closely associated in this system with glycine receptors at all the investigated cells, most of which were spinal motoneurons. Furthermore, double labeling was performed with immunoenzymatic recognition of GAD and indirect marking of mAb's with colloidal gold. With this combined approach, it was found, at the electron microscopic level, that all GAD-positive terminals are in direct apposition with glycine receptors while, on the other hand, not all glycine receptors are in front of GABA-containing boutons. This result is not due to a cross-reactivity of mAb's with GABA receptors as shown by using as a control synapses known to use GABA as a neurotransmitter in the cerebellar cortex. Indeed, no glycine receptor immunoreactivity was detected on Purkinje cells facing basket axon terminals. However, Purkinje neurons can express glycine receptor immunoreactivity at other synaptic contacts. Assuming that the presence of postsynaptic receptors for glycine indicates that this amino acid is used for neurotransmission at a given synapse, our results strongly support the notion that GABA and glycine, two classical inhibitory transmitters, coexist at some central connections. However, such is not always the case; in the cerebellum, Golgi terminals impinging on the dendrites of granule cells are either GAD-positive or face glycine receptors, in a well-segregated manner.
Modulators of Sensitivity and Resistance to Inhibition of PI3K Identified in a Pharmacogenomic Screen of the NCI-60 Human Tumor Cell Line Collection

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway is significantly altered in a wide variety of human cancers, driving cancer cell growth and survival. Consequently, a large number of PI3K inhibitors are now in clinical development. To begin to improve the selection of patients for treatment with PI3K inhibitors and to identify de novo determinants of patient response, we sought to identify and characterize candidate genomic and phosphoproteomic biomarkers predictive of response to the selective PI3K inhibitor, GDC-0941, using the NCI-60 human tumor cell line collection. In this study, sixty diverse tumor cell lines were exposed to GDC-0941 and classified by GI50 value as sensitive or resistant. The most sensitive and resistant cell lines were analyzed for their baseline levels of gene expression and phosphorylation of key signaling nodes. Phosphorylation or activation status of both the PI3K-Akt signaling axis and PARP were correlated with in vitro response to GDC-0941. A gene expression signature associated with in vitro sensitivity to GDC-0941 was also identified. Furthermore, in vitro siRNA-mediated silencing of two genes in this signature, OGT and DDN, validated their role in modulating sensitivity to GDC-0941 in numerous cell lines and begins to provide biological insights into their role as chemosensitizers. These candidate biomarkers will offer useful tools to begin a more thorough understanding of determinants of patient response to PI3K inhibitors and merit exploration in human cancer patients treated with PI3K inhibitors.