Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence of perforin‐mediated cardiac myocyte injury in acute murine myocarditis caused by coxsackie virus B3

We have recently demonstrated that killer cells expressing a cytolytic factor, perforin, infiltrate the hearts of mice with acute viral myocarditis and may play an important role in the mechanism of myocardial damage. To clarify the mechanism of in vivo cardiac myocyte injury mediated by perforin, we investigated the release of perforin molecules from killer cells by immunoelectron microscopy and examined the circular lesions formed by perforin on the membrane of cardiac myocytes. We found that there was massive release of perforin molecules from the killer cells directly onto the surface of the cardiac myocytes. Furthermore, electron microscopy of ultrathin ventricular sections treated with trypsin revealed numerous circular lesions with the characteristics of perforin pores, in the membranes of cardiac myocytes. These findings provide the first direct evidence that killer cells injure cardiac myocytes by releasing perforin and may play a critical role in the myocardial damage occurring in acute viral myocarditis.
Loss of memory CD4+ T-cells in semi-wild mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) naturally infected with species-specific simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmnd-1

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection is found in a number of African primate species and is thought to be generally non-pathogenic. However, studies of wild primates are limited to two species, with SIV infection appearing to have a considerably different outcome in each. Further examination of SIV-infected primates exposed to their natural environment is therefore warranted. We performed a large cross-sectional study of a cohort of semi-wild mandrills with naturally occurring SIV infection, including 39 SIV-negative and 33 species-specific SIVmnd-1-infected animals. This study was distinguished from previous reports by considerably greater sample size, examination of exclusively naturally infected animals in semi-wild conditions and consideration of simian T-lymphotropic virus (STLV) status in addition to SIVmnd-1 infection. We found that SIVmnd-1 infection was associated with a significant and progressive loss of memory CD4+ T-cells. Limited but significant increases in markers of immune activation in the T-cell populations, significant increases in plasma neopterin and changes to B-cell subsets were also observed in SIV-infected animals. However, no increase in plasma soluble CD14 was observed. Histological examination of peripheral lymph nodes suggested that SIVmnd-1 infection was not associated with a significant disruption of the lymph node architecture. Whilst this species has evolved numerous strategies to resist the development of AIDS, significant effects of SIV infection could be observed when examined in a natural environment. STLVmnd-1 infection also had significant effects on some markers relevant to understanding SIV infection and thus should be considered in studies of SIV infection of African primates where present.
Activity-centred Search in Email

We consider activity-centered tasks in email, including the novel tasks of predicting future involvement of persons from the enterprise in an ongoing activity represented by a folder, and a novel task where we identify email messages that are related to a to-do item. We also evaluate the task of email tagging to folders, where multiple choice is allowed, and an inverse task, of finding messages relevant to a folder associated with an ongoing project. Empirical evaluation using real world email data, applying a graph based link analysis method and a vector-space model, shows potential utility to facilitate activity management in email.
The Unfinished Agenda: Report from the National Commission on Secondary Vocational Education.

Report from the National Commission on Secondary \bcational Education_ by Linda S. Lotto Vocational education has for too long been relegated to the periphery of the high school curriculum, according to this Na tional Commission. Its report argues for a balanced curriculum ? one that includes both academic and vocational preparation ? for every high school student. IN THE WAKE of numerous studies and commission reports, U.S. sec ondary education is in the grip of a back-to-basics movement. According to a November 1983 report to Secretary of Education Terrel Bell by the National Commission on Excellence in Education, 44 states have stiffened high school grad uation requirements to include more mathematics, science, foreign language, English, social science, and computer education.1 Forty-two states have initiated reforms in curriculum content, and 20 have moved to extend the school day or year. Secondary educators across the U.S. are striving to inject new rigor and higher standards into their programs. However, consider the efficacy of these moves in light of some additional data. A recent study by the Philadelphia public schools suggests that "nearly two out of five Philadelphia students would be unable to meet a promotion standard that required them to read and compute at grade level. "2 Nationally, roughly 28% of youths of high school age never graduate.3 More than 25% of recent college graduates report that they are underem ployed in their current jobs,4 and this situation is likely to get worse instead of better. 5
Three unit cell CRLH-TL based Zeroth order resonance antenna

In this paper a Zeroth order resonance antenna based on CRLH-TL technique is proposed. To achieve a compact size antenna utilizes the ZOR phenomenon and its reactive parameters determine the resonant frequency. It consists of three top patches and the meander lines are connected to the rectangular patch. Here the meander lines acts as an inductor and the rectangular patch as a virtual ground capacitor. The proposed antenna has the benefit of compact size and easy to fabricate. The efficiency of 77% and gain of 5.445 dBi and operates at 3.1049GHz.
How to Teach Quantum Information Processing : A Challenge for e-Education

Quantum Information Processing (QIP) is the new and burgeoning field that studies the implication of quantum mechanics for information processing purposes. It can be used in practice to provide for unbreakable cryptography and it offers in principle a new computing paradigm that sometimes allows for exponential speedups. In particular, quantum computers, should they ever be built, have the potential to bring to its knees most of contemporary cryptography as currently used over the Internet to protect sensitive information such as credit card numbers. Despite its recent popularity, the experts are still in short supply and in high demand, whence the need for a knowledge-based system. What makes this goal both interesting and challenging is the fact that QIP is at the crossroads of computer science, mathematics, physics and chemistry. The multidisciplinary nature of this field makes it necessary to develop a system that will be easy to use by experts as well as students coming from each of the underlying disciplines. Among the tasks that we address is the design of a robust knowledge elicitation process. For this purpose, a novel elicitation algorithm is developed to capture and structure the knowledge of experts across disciplines. This process is generic and could be used in a variety of multidisciplinary contexts other than QIP. Our knowledge base can serve as a curriculum in the field of Intelligent Tutoring Systems.
The pepsinogens of human gastric mucosa

Fundic mucosal pepsinogens reveal six major bands of protease activity on gel electrophoresis and four minor bands. Antral mucosa shows two major bands of activity; the four rapidly moving bands found in fundic mucosa are found in lesser activity in the antral mucosa. Duodenal mucosa shows only one slowly moving band of protease activity. There is a significant difference in the pepsinogen pattern when the uninvolved fundic mucosa of gastric ulcer patients is compared with that of cancer patients. A satisfactory method is described for separating the pepsinogens on column chromatography.
Regulation of Presynaptic NMDA Responses by External and Intracellular pH Changes at Developing Neuromuscular Synapses

NMDA receptors play important roles in synaptic plasticity and neuronal development. The functions of NMDA receptors are modulated by many endogenous substances, such as external pH (pHe), as well as second messenger systems. In the present study, the nerve–muscle cocultures of Xenopusembryos were used to investigate the effects of both external and intracellular pH (pHi) changes on the functional responses of presynaptic NMDA receptors. Spontaneous synaptic currents (SSCs) were recorded from innervated myocyte using whole-cell recordings. Local perfusion of NMDA at synaptic regions increased the SSC frequency via the activation of presynaptic NMDA receptors. A decrease in pHe from 7.6 to 6.6 reduced NMDA responses to 23% of the control, and an increase in pHe from 7.6 to 8.6 potentiated the NMDA responses in increasing SSC frequency. The effect of NMDA on intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was also affected by pHe changes: external acidification inhibited and alkalinization potentiated [Ca2+]iincreases induced by NMDA. Intracellular pH changes of single soma were measured by ratio fluorometric method using 2,7-bis (carboxyethyl)-5,6-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF). Cytosolic acidification was used in which NaCl in Ringer’s solution was replaced with weak organic acids. Acetate and propionate but not methylsulfate substitution caused intracellular acidification and potentiated NMDA responses in increasing SSC frequency, intracellular free Ca2+ concentration, and NMDA-induced currents. On the other hand, cytosolic alkalinization with NH4Cl did not significantly affect these NMDA responses. These results suggest that the functions of NMDA receptors are modulated by both pHeand pHi changes, which may occur in some physiological or pathological conditions.
Procyclical Fiscal Policy in Developing Countries: Truth or Fiction?

A large empirical literature has found that fiscal policy in developing countries is procyclical, in contrast to high-income countries where it is countercyclical. The idea that fiscal policy in developing countries is procyclical has all but reached the status of conventional wisdom. This has sparked a growing theoretical literature that attempts to explain such a puzzle. Some authors, however, have suggested that procyclical fiscal policy could be more fiction than truth since, by and large, the current literature has ignored endogeneity problems and may have simply misidentified a standard expansionary effect of fiscal policy. To settle this issue of causality, we build a novel quarterly dataset for 49 countries covering the period 1960-2006, and subject the data to a battery of econometric tests: instrumental variables, simultaneous equations, and time-series methods. We find overwhelming evidence to support the idea that procyclical fiscal policy in developing countries is in fact truth and not fiction. We also find evidence that fiscal policy is expansionary -- a channel disregarded by the existing literature -- lending empirical support to the notion that when "it rains, it pours. "
Two Linnik-type problems for automorphic L-functions

Abstract Let m ≥ 2 be an integer, and π an irreducible unitary cuspidal representation for GLm(), whose attached automorphic L-function is denoted by L(s, π). Let {λπ(n)}n=1∞ be the sequence of coefficients in the Dirichlet series expression of L(s, π) in the half-plane ℜs > 1. It is proved in this paper that, if π is such that the sequence {λπ(n)}n=1∞ is real, then the first sign change in the sequence {λπ(n)}n=1∞ occurs at some n ≪ Qπ1 + ϵ, where Qπ is the conductor of π, and the implied constant depends only on m and ϵ. This improves the previous bound with the above exponent 1 + ϵ replaced by m/2 + ϵ. A result of the same quality is also established for {Λ(n)aπ(n)}n=1∞, the sequence of coefficients in the Dirichlet series expression of −(L′/L)(s, π) in the half-plane ℜs > 1.
Adverse Effects of Antidepressants for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background Antidepressants are widely used in the treatment of chronic pain. Applied doses are lower than those needed to unfold an antidepressive effect. While efficacy of antidepressants for chronic pain has been reported in large randomized-controlled trials (RCT), there is inconsistent data on adverse effects and tolerability. We aimed at synthesizing data from RCT to explore adverse effect profiles and tolerability of antidepressants for treatment of chronic pain. Methods Systematic literature research and meta-analyses were performed regarding side effects and safety of different antidepressants in the treatment of chronic pain according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The National Center for Biotechnology Information library and MEDLINE were searched. Randomized placebo-controlled trials were included in quantitative data synthesis. Results Out of 1,975 screened articles, 33 papers published between 1995 and 2015 were included in our review and 23 studies were included in the meta-analyses. A higher risk for adverse effects compared to placebo was observed in all antidepressants included in our analyses, except nortriptyline. The most prevalent adverse effects were dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, headache, and constipation. Amitriptyline, mirtazapine, desipramine, venlafaxine, fluoxetine, and nortriptyline showed the highest placebo effect-adjusted risk of adverse effects. Risk for withdrawal due to adverse effects was highest in desipramine (risk ratio: 4.09, 95%-confidence interval [1.31; 12.82]) followed by milnacipran, venlafaxine, and duloxetine. The most common adverse effects under treatment with antidepressants were dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, headache, and constipation followed by palpitations, sweating, and drowsiness. However, overall tolerability was high. Each antidepressant showed distinct risk profiles of adverse effects. Conclusion Our synthesized data analysis confirmed overall tolerability of low-dose antidepressants for the treatment of chronic pain and revealed drug specific risk profiles. This encompassing characterization of adverse effect profiles might be useful in defining multimodal treatment regimens for chronic pain which also consider patients’ comorbidities and co-medication.
TgpA, a Protein with a Eukaryotic-Like Transglutaminase Domain, Plays a Critical Role in the Viability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen in compromised individuals, such as patients with cystic fibrosis, severe burns or impaired immunity. In this work we aimed to screen novel essential genes of P. aeruginosa by shotgun antisense identification, a technique that was developed a decade ago for the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and was under-used in Gram-negative bacteria for a considerable period of time. Following antisense screenings in the PAO1 strain of P. aeruginosa, we focused on a locus, PA2873, which was targeted by an antisense RNA construct that can impair cell growth. The PA2873 gene product was annotated as a hypothetical membrane protein endowed with a periplasmic region harbouring a structural domain belonging to the transglutaminase-like superfamily, a group of archaeal, bacterial and eukaryotic proteins homologous to animal transglutaminases. In this study, we show that the periplasmic portion of the PA2873 protein, which we named TgpA, does possess transglutaminase activity in vitro. This is the first report of transglutaminase activity in P. aeruginosa. In addition, we have provided strong evidences that TgpA plays a critical role in the viability of P. aeruginosa.
1 DOES MANAGEMENT MATTER ? EVIDENCE FROM INDIA

A long-standing question in social science is the extent to which differences in management cause differences in firm performance. To investigate this we ran a management field experiment on large Indian textile firms. We provided free consulting on modern management practices to a randomly chosen set of treatment plants and compared their performance to the control plants. We find that adopting modern management practices had three main effects. First, it raised average productivity by about 10%, through improved quality and efficiency and reduced inventory. Second, it increased the decentralization of decision making, as the better flow of information enabled owners to delegate more decisions to plant managers. Third, it increased the use of computers, necessitated by the data collection and analysis involved in modern management. Since these practices were profitable this raises the question of why firms had not adopted these before. Our results suggest that informational barriers were a primary factor in explaining this lack of adoption. Modern management is a type of technology that diffuses slowly between firms, with many Indian firms unaware of its existence or impact. And since competition was limited by constraints on firm entry and growth, badly managed firms were not rapidly driven from the market. JEL No. L2, M2, O14, O32, O33.
Lift and power requirements of hovering flight in Drosophila virilis.

The lift and power requirements for hovering flight in Drosophila virilis were studied using the method of computational fluid dynamics. The Navier-Stokes equations were solved numerically. The solution provided the flow velocity and pressure fields, from which the unsteady aerodynamic forces and moments were obtained. The inertial torques due to the acceleration of the wing mass were computed analytically. On the basis of the aerodynamic forces and moments and the inertial torques, the lift and power requirements for hovering flight were obtained. For the fruit fly Drosophila virilis in hovering flight (with symmetrical rotation), a midstroke angle of attack of approximately 37 degrees was needed for the mean lift to balance the insect weight, which agreed with observations. The mean drag on the wings over an up- or downstroke was approximately 1.27 times the mean lift or insect weight (i.e. the wings of this tiny insect must overcome a drag that is approximately 27% larger than its weight to produce a lift equal to its weight). The body-mass-specific power was 28.7 W kg(-1), the muscle-mass-specific power was 95.7 W kg(-1) and the muscle efficiency was 17%. With advanced rotation, larger lift was produced than with symmetrical rotation, but it was more energy-demanding, i.e. the power required per unit lift was much larger. With delayed rotation, much less lift was produced than with symmetrical rotation at almost the same power expenditure; again, the power required per unit lift was much larger. On the basis of the calculated results for power expenditure, symmetrical rotation should be used for balanced, long-duration flight and advanced rotation and delayed rotation should be used for flight control and manoeuvring. This agrees with observations.
Comparative Chloroplast Genomes of Pinaceae: Insights into the Mechanism of Diversified Genomic Organizations

Abstract Pinaceae, the largest family of conifers, has diversified organizations of chloroplast genomes (cpDNAs) with the two typical inverted repeats (IRs) highly reduced. To unravel the mechanism of this genomic diversification, we examined the cpDNA organizations from 53 species of the ten Pinaceous genera, including those of Larix decidua (122,474 bp), Picea morrisonicola (124,168 bp), and Pseudotsuga wilsoniana (122,513 bp), which were firstly elucidated. The results uncovered four distinct cpDNA forms (A−C and P) that are due to rearrangements of two ∼20 and ∼21 kb specific fragments. The C form was documented for the first time and the A form might be the most ancestral one. In addition, only the individuals of Ps. macrocarpa and Ps. wilsoniana were detected to have isomeric cpDNA forms. Three types (types 1−3) of Pinaceae-specific repeats situated nearby the rearranged fragments were found to be syntenic. We hypothesize that type 1 (949 ± 343 bp) and type 3 (608 ± 73 bp) repeats are substrates for homologous recombination (HR), whereas type 2 repeats are likely inactive for HR because of their relatively short sizes (151 ± 30 bp). Conversions among the four distinct forms may be achieved by HR and mediated by type 1 or 3 repeats, thus resulting in increased diversity of cpDNA organizations. We propose that in the Pinaceae cpDNAs, the reduced IRs have lost HR activity, then decreasing the diversity of cpDNA organizations, but the specific repeats that the evolution endowed Pinaceae complement the reduced IRs and increase the diversity of cpDNA organizations.
Cognitive impairment and functional outcome after stroke associated with small vessel disease

Objectives: Although stroke associated with small vessel disease (SSVD) can induce both motor and cognitive impairment, the latter has received less attention. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of the varying severity levels of cognitive impairment, the determinants of severe cognitive impairment, and the association of cognitive impairment with functional outcome after SSVD. Methods: Consecutive patients admitted to hospital because of SSVD were assessed at 3 months after stroke. We performed a semi-structured clinical interview to screen for cognitive symptoms. Severity of cognitive symptoms was graded according to the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR). Performance on psychometric tests (Mini-Mental State Examination, Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale (cognition subscale), Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (initiation/perseverence subscale; MDRS I/P)) of patients of different CDR gradings was compared with that of 42 healthy controls. Basic demographic data, vascular risk factors, stroke severity (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale; NIHSS), pre-stroke cognitive decline (Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly; IQCODE), functional outcome (Barthel index; BI), Instrumental Activities Of Daily Living; IADL), and neuroimaging features (site of recent small infarcts, number of silent small infarcts, white matter changes) were also compared among the groups. Regression analyses were performed to find predictors of severe cognitive impairment and poor functional outcome. Results: Among the 75 included patients, 39 (52%) complained of cognitive symptoms. The number of patients in each CDR grading was as follows: 39 (52%) had a CDR of 0, 26 (34.7%) had a CDR of 0.5, 10 (13.3%) had a CDR of ⩾1. Pre-stroke IQCODE and previous stroke predicted CDR⩾1. The NIHSS was associated with more impaired BI. The NIHSS and MDRS I/P contributed most to impaired IADL. Conclusions: Half of the patients with SSVD complained of varying severity of cognitive problems 3 months after stroke. Pre-stroke cognitive decline and previous stroke predict severe cognitive impairment post stroke. Stroke severity and executive dysfunction contribute most to a poor functional outcome.
Mixing time of near-critical random graphs

Let $\mathcal{C}_{1}$ be the largest component of the Erdős–Renyi random graph $\mathcal{G}(n,p)$. The mixing time of random walk on $\mathcal{C}_{1}$ in the strictly supercritical regime, p = c/n with fixed c > 1, was shown to have order log2n by Fountoulakis and Reed, and independently by Benjamini, Kozma and Wormald. In the critical window, p = (1 + e)/n where λ = e3n is bounded, Nachmias and Peres proved that the mixing time on $\mathcal{C}_{1}$ is of order n. However, it was unclear how to interpolate between these results, and estimate the mixing time as the giant component emerges from the critical window. Indeed, even the asymptotics of the diameter of $\mathcal{C}_{1}$ in this regime were only recently obtained by Riordan and Wormald, as well as the present authors and Kim. In this paper, we show that for p = (1 + e)/n with λ = e3n → ∞ and λ = o(n), the mixing time on $\mathcal{C}_{1}$ is with high probability of order (n/λ)log2λ. In addition, we show that this is the order of the largest mixing time over all components, both in the slightly supercritical and in the slightly subcritical regime [i.e., p = (1 − e)/n with λ as above].