Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Activation of Caspase-12, an Endoplastic Reticulum (ER) Resident Caspase, through Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor-associated Factor 2-dependent Mechanism in Response to the ER Stress*

When accumulation of a malfolded protein in the endoplastic reticulum (ER) is induced by various adverse conditions, such as hypoxia, glucose starvation, and perturbation of calcium homeostasis, cells respond to the stress by increasing transcription of genes encoding ER molecular chaperones, a process known as unfolded protein response. The signaling is initiated by IRE1s, ER stress sensors. Alternatively, excessive stress to the ER results in apoptosis. Caspase-12 is known to be essential for this ER stress-induced apoptosis. In this study, we analyzed the detailed regulatory mechanisms of IRE1s during ER stress. We identified c-Jun N-terminal inhibitory kinase (JIK) as a binding partner of IRE1α, and JIK was seen to modulate IRE1α-TRAF2 (tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2) complex formation and the resultant alteration to c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling from IRE1s in response to ER stress. We also demonstrated that TRAF2 interacts with procaspase-12 and promotes the clustering of procaspase-12 and its activation by cleavage in response to ER stress. These results indicate that TRAF2 plays crucial roles not only in the signaling of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway but also in activation of caspase-12 to transduce signals from IRE1s. Thus, we provide a missing link in the ER stress-induced apoptosis-signaling pathway, one which connects the stress sensor molecule IRE1 and the activation of caspase-12.
Cataract among adults aged 40 years and above in a rural area of Jammu district in India : Prevalence and Risk-factors

Background: Cataract is a major cause of avoidable blindness worldwide and is likely to burden health care systems as the world’s population ages due to increasing life expectancy. Therefore, assessment of its public health importance and identification of major risk-factors will be crucial in planning strategies to delay its development. Methodology: A cross-sectional, population-based study of cataract was undertaken among adults aged 40 years and above in two randomly selected villages of RS Pura Block, Jammu. Those eligible were subjected to interview and ocular examination using Distant Direct Ophthalmoscopy (DDO). For the purpose of statistical analysis, both aphakic and pseudophakic eyes were included as operated cataracts. Results: Out of 594 persons enumerated as eligible for the study, only 547 were examined with an overall response rate of 92.09%, whereas rest of the 47, who could not be contacted, were excluded from the study. Data analysis revealed a cataract prevalence of 24.86% which increased significantly with age. A significant association of cataract was also seen with low literacy status, outdoor occupation, family history of cataract and lower BMI; whereas no association was observed with other factors viz. sex, Socio-economic Status, Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension. Conclusion: Cataract is a serious public health problem, even after the blindness control program has been active for almost 35 years. Moreover, as NPCB has recently been integrated with other programmes under National Rural Health Mission, such epidemiological studies regarding blindness and cataract need to be carried out to assess the prevalence of the problem and, thereby, guide resource allocation and relevant interventions.
Early Mars: How Warm and How Wet?

Early in its history, Mars underwent fluvial erosion that has been interpreted as evidence for a warmer, wetter climate. However, no atmosphere composed of only CO2 and H2O appears capable of producing mean planetary temperatures even close to 0�C. Rather than by precipitation, aquifer recharge and ground water seepage may have been enabled by hydrothermal convection driven by geothermal heat and heat associated with impacts. Some climatic warming was probably necessary to allow water to flow for long distances across the surface. Modest warming could be provided by even a low-pressure CO2 atmosphere if it was supplemented with small amounts of CH4, NH3, or SO2. Episodic excursions to high obliquities may also have raised temperatures over some portions of the planet's surface.
Efinaconazole 10% topical solution for the topical treatment of onychomycosis of the toenail

Efinaconazole 10% topical solution is a new antifungal therapy for the topical treatment of mild to moderate toenail onychomycosis. In vitro and in vivo data have shown significant antifungal activity against dermatophytes, Candida spp. and nondermatophyte molds, and its mechanism of action is through inhibition of fungal lanosterol 14α-demethylase. In two parallel, double-blind, randomized, controlled, Phase III trials, complete cure rates were 17.8 and 15.2%, respectively, and mycological cure rates were 55.2 and 53.4%, respectively, for efinaconazole 10% topical solution, which were superior to vehicle, with minimal adverse events. This drug profile reviews the most recent basic science and clinical data for efinaconazole in the treatment of toenail onychomycosis.
Chemical germination of native and cation-exchanged bacterial spores with trifluoperazine

The calmodulin antagonist trifluoperazine and its analog chlorpromazine, both amphipaths, induced chemical germination of spores of various species, as do many surfactants. Cation load can greatly influence this response. Calmodulin antagonism does not seem to be involved. A new fluorometric assay for dipicolinic acid based on the fluorescence of the dipicolinic acid chelate of Tb3+ was found to be simple and sensitive.
The relationship between serum prolactin concentration and pregnancy outcome in women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage

The role of prolactin in early pregnancy is controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum prolactin concentration and the risk of miscarriage in women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage (RM). A series of 174 women with unexplained RM, who had serum prolactin concentrations measured from January 2000 to September 2009 at the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic in Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, were included in this study. Among the 174 patients with unexplained RM, 40 patients did not conceive during the study period, 9 were lost to follow-up and 125 patients conceived again. Patients who did not conceive were significantly older than those who conceived (p < 0.05, OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.03–1.13). Among those who conceived again, the pregnancy outcome data were available for analysis in 109 patients. Those who miscarried were older (p < 0.05, OR: 1.1, 95% CI: 1.01–1.22) and had significantly lower serum prolactin concentrations (p < 0.05, adjusted OR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.97–0.99) after adjustment has been made for age, than those who had a live birth. Lower basal serum prolactin concentrations were associated with an increased risk of miscarriage in a subsequent pregnancy in women with unexplained RM.
The Effect of Predeparture Training Loads on Posttour Physical Capacities in High-Performance Junior Tennis Players.

PURPOSE Difficulties in preserving physical capacities while on tennis tours necessitate targeted training prescription. This study analyzed training and match loads performed before and on tour for their relationship with posttour physical-capacity changes. A secondary aim was to determine whether the presence of a strength and conditioning (S&C) coach affected the type and volume of on-tour training load. METHODS The training and match loads of 30 high-performance junior tennis players were recorded over 8 wk: 4 wk before and 4 wk during an international tour. Fitness tests were conducted pretour and posttour, including double and single-leg (dominant and nondominant) countermovement jump, speed (5, 10, and 20 m), modified 5-0-5 agility, 10 × 20-m repeated-sprint ability, and multistage fitness tests. Tour training and match loads were categorized according to whether S&C support was present or absent. RESULTS Total and tennis training loads were significantly greater on tour than pretour (P ≤ .05, d > 0.8). Increases in on-tour, on-court training loads were moderately correlated with decrements in speed and aerobic power (r = .31-.52). Finally, S&C presence on tour significantly increased total, on-court, and off-court training load completed (P ≤ .05, d > 0.8). CONCLUSIONS Training loads should be carefully prescribed to ensure that sufficient total and tennis loads are completed pretour. Specifically, speed and aerobic capacities may regress with increased training on tour. Finally, a practical observation was that on-tour S&C support resulted in increased S&C training load (around match loads), potentially countering the observed regression of physical capacities. Such a finding has the capacity to alter current physical-preparation structures in high-performance tennis environments with finite resources.
Lung recruitment during mechanical positive pressure ventilation in the PICU: what can be learned from the literature?

A literature review was conducted to assess the evidence for recruitment manoeuvres used in conventional mechanical positive pressure ventilation. A total of 61 studies on recruitment manoeuvres were identified: 13 experimental, 31 ICU, 6 PICU and 12 anaesthesia studies. Recruitment appears to be a continuous process during inspiration and expiration and is determined by peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) and positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP). Single or repeated recruitment manoeuvres may result in a statistically significant increase in oxygenation; however, this is short lasting and clinically irrelevant, especially in late ARDS and pneumonia. Temporary PIP elevation may be effective but only after PEEP loss (for example disconnection and tracheal suctioning). Continuous PEEP elevation and prone positioning can increase Pao2 significantly. Adverse haemodynamic or barotrauma effects are reported in various studies. No data exist on the effect of recruitment manoeuvres on mortality, morbidity, length of stay or duration of mechanical ventilation. Although recruitment manoeuvres can improve oxygenation, they can potentially increase lung injury, which eventually determines outcome. Based on the presently available literature, prone position and sufficient PEEP as part of a lung protective ventilation strategy seem to be the safest and most effective recruitment manoeuvres. As paediatric physiology is essentially different from adult, paediatric studies are needed to determine the role of recruitment manoeuvres in the PICU.
Attitudes of nursing staff working with older people towards nutritional nursing care.

AIM The aim of this study was to examine attitudes of the nursing staff in geriatric care towards factors of importance for nutritional nursing care. BACKGROUND Studies show that nutritional risk assessment is seldom performed on older patients as routine and very few patients have a nutritional care plan. Patients in long-term care who are easy to feed are also found to be looked upon more positively than those with high feeding needs. METHODS A total of 252 registered nurses and nurse aids working at geriatric rehabilitation and medical care clinics and resident homes participated in the study. Attitudes were examined using the Staff Attitudes to Nutritional Nursing Care Geriatric scale. The scale includes 18 items and was designed as a one to five-point Lickert-type scale. It gives a total score and five subscales representing the dimensions 'Norms', 'Habits', 'Assessment', 'Intervention' and 'Individualization'. A higher score indicates a more positive attitude. RESULTS Of all nursing staff, 53% displayed a positive attitude towards factors of importance for nutritional nursing care and the rest displayed a neutral or negative attitude. The 'Intervention' dimension, dealing with nutritional problems and how to manage them, reflected the highest level of positive attitudes, which represents 71% of the nursing staff. The 'Norms' dimension had the lowest relative frequency of positive attitudes, 27%. The registered nurses held significantly more positive attitudes than the nurse aids did. CONCLUSIONS Nutritional issues comprise an important and time-consuming responsibility in geriatric care; however, nursing staff do not show an unequivocal positive attitude regarding this responsibility. The consequences this entails for the older patient need to be examined further. Relevance to clinical practice. Nursing staff play an important role in caring for patients who are malnourished or at risk for malnutrition. Positive attitudes might hinder the development of undernourishment or the further worsening of an already undernourished patient's condition.
The Twists and Turns of Maurer’s Cleft Trafficking in P. falciparum‐Infected Erythrocytes

The malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, invades the red blood cells (RBCs) of its human host and initiates a series of morphological rearrangements within the host cell cytoplasm. The mature RBC has no endogenous trafficking machinery; therefore, the parasite generates novel structures to mediate protein transport. These include compartments called the Maurer’s clefts (MC), which play an important role in the trafficking of parasite proteins to the surface of the host cell. Recent electron tomography studies have revealed MC as convoluted flotillas of flattened discs that are tethered to the RBC membrane, prompting speculation that the MC could, in one respect, represent an extracellular equivalent of the Golgi apparatus. Visualization of both resident and cargo proteins has helped decipher the signals and routes for trafficking of parasite proteins to the MC and beyond.
Interacting with a Computer Augmented Environment

In Sony CSL Interaction Laboratory, we are investigating future human-computer interaction technologies that augment real world environments. In such an environment, as we can combine many physical tools to perform a task in a real world, we consider that it should be possible to dynamically combine multiple digital devices. We should also be able to use our trained physical skills, as well as logical skills, to interact with an environment. In this presentation I will introduce several examples of new user interface technologies.
TCP incast avoidance based on connection serialization in data center networks

In distributed file systems, a well-known congestion collapse called TCP Incast occurs because many servers send data to the same client and then many packets overflow the port buffer of the client link. Incast leads to throughput degradation in the network. In this paper, we propose two methods to avoid Incast based on the fact that only one connection can almost fully use the network bandwidth because the bandwidth-delay product is not so large in current data center networks. The first method is a method which completely serializes connection establishments. By the serialization, the number of packets in the port buffer becomes very small, which leads to Incast avoidance. The second method is a method which overlaps the slow start period of the next connection to the current established connection to improve throughput in the first method. Numerical results from extensive simulation runs show the effectiveness of our two proposed methods.
Reproductive tract and spermatid abnormalities of hybrid males from reciprocal crosses between Drosophila mojavensis and D. arizonae

Hybrid males from reciprocal crosses of specific strains of the closely related species Drosophila mojavensis and Drosophila arizonae are sterile. The sterile hybrid males exhibit testis and seminal vesicle phenotypes that differ from their parental strains and from each other both in lengths of the organs and the development of the spermatids as seen in light and electron microscopy. Incompatibilities affecting spermiogenesis differ in reciprocal crosses, suggesting that hybrid male sterility may originate from a range of different underlying mechanisms.
Synthetic Cannabinoid Exposure

Synthetic cannabinoids have been available since the early 2000s. While the use of these agents has become increasingly common over the past few years, a detailed understanding of the effects of this set of drugs remains incomplete. Synthetic cannabinoids comprise well over 100 different compounds with varying chemical structures that were originally developed as endocannabinoid receptor agonists for research purposes and clinical use. Since their introduction, the recreational use of synthetic cannabinoids has become an increasing problem. In 2012, synthetic cannabinoids were made illegal under the Synthetic Drug Abuse Act. Despite this, recreational use has only continued to increase. One very important factor that distinguishes these from traditional marijuana and many other drugs of abuse is that synthetic cannabinoids and their metabolites are not detected through routine commercially available urine toxicology screens, but instead can only be detected by mass spectrometry done in a research setting. Depending on the specific compound, synthetic cannabinoids are known to have a spectrum of effects in adults. The most commonly reported effects include variable physiological derangements (tachycardia, tachypnea, pupillary dilation, hypertension) as well as psychological impairment, including agitation, confusion, irritability, and slurred speech. The most serious adverse events include arrhythmias, myocardial ischemia or infarction, respiratory failure, rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury, and renal failure. The structural differences within the various synthetic cannabinoids result in different pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. As more of these compounds are being developed with increasingly variable chemical structures, their effect profiles are becoming less predictable. While there is a growing body of literature related to synthetic cannabinoid exposure in adults, to date there are few data available regarding the pediatric population. A recent case series in adolescents described presentations with chest pain, palpitations, and electrocardiographic changes consistent with myocardial ischemia after smoking K2 (one of the most widely used synthetic cannabinoids). We present 2 cases of actual or highly suspected synthetic cannabinoid exposure in 2 pediatric patients to demonstrate the wide range of symptoms that can be present in these patients.
Relationship Between Leptin and Thyroid Hormones In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

This study was performed in the Diabetes and Endocrine Center at Al-Husain Teaching Hospital. The patients and control groups were with age ranged between (40-83) years. Study was carried out on 60 patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus (28male and 32 female) and 20 apparently healthy subjects male and 20 female how dealt with as control group. Leptin and thyroid hormones(T3,T4, AND TSH) measurements were carried out using ELISA technique. Both patient and control groups were classified according to obesity, age, and gender . Results of the present study show that leptin hormone was significantly high in serum of type 2 diabetic patients group compared with control group (P < 0.001). also there was a significant gender difference (female more than male) and significant positive correlation with body mass index and body fat . Results also show that TSH hormone and FBS were significantly high(P < 0.000), while T3and T4 decrease significant(P < 0.000) in type 2 diabetic patients group and compared with control group.
Distribution networks reconfiguration for loss minimization based on variable behavior of loads and energy cost curves

Appropriate network reconfiguration is an efficient technique for reducing losses in electricity distribution systems. Losses in distribution systems are calculated using power flow calculation. Active and reactive power consumption of each distribution substation are some input data for power flow study. Active and reactive powers in distribution substations are not fixed; rather they are varying based on daily load curve. On the other hand, the nature of distribution loads is different in terms of household, commercial, industrial and agricultural loads and their active or reactive power consumption are affected by the substation voltage. The daily energy costs are varied usually in three levels, namely, low, medium and peak loads, in addition to the load type. As a consequence, these factors will affect the calculation of energy losses. In this paper, distribution network reconfiguration is performed with the aim of loss reduction considering the varying nature of the load and energy costs in loss calculation based on daily load curve and load type. Case studies on Baran 33 bus and Lopez 69 bus networks show that considering the load model and energy costs in loss calculation leads to more accurate results.
Isolation and characterization of a new simian T-cell leukemia virus type 1 from naturally infected celebes macaques (Macaca tonkeana): complete nucleotide sequence and phylogenetic relationship with the Australo-Melanesian human T-cell leukemia virus type 1

A study of simian T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (STLV-1) infection in a captive colony of 23 Macaca tonkeana macaques indicated that 17 animals had high human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) antibody titers. Genealogical analysis suggested mainly a mother-to-offspring transmission of this STLV-1. Three long-term T-cell lines, established from peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures from three STLV-1-seropositive monkeys, produced HTLV-1 Gag and Env antigens and retroviral particles. The first complete nucleotide sequence of an STLV-1 (9,025 bp), obtained for one of these isolates, indicated an overall genetic organization similar to that of HTLV-1 but with a nucleotide variability for the structural genes ranging from 7.8 to 13.1% compared with the HTLV-1 ATK and STLV-1 PTM3 Asian prototypes. The Tax and Rex regulatory proteins were well conserved, while the pX region, known to encode new proteins in HTLV-1 (open reading frames I and II), was more divergent than that in the ATK strain. Furthermore, a fragment of 522 bp of the gp21 env gene from uncultured peripheral blood mononuclear cell DNAs from five of the STLV-1-infected monkeys was sequenced. Phylogenetic trees constructed with the long terminal repeat and env (gp46 and gp21) regions demonstrated that this new STLV-1 occupies a unique position within the Asian STLV-1 and HTLV-1 isolates, being, by most analyses, related more to the Australo-Melanesian HTLV-1 topotype than to any other Asian STLV-1. These data raise new hypotheses on the possible interspecies viral transmission between monkeys carrying STLV-1 and early Australoid settlers, ancestors of the present day Australo-Melanesian inhabitants, during their migrations from the Southeast Asian land mass to the greater Australian continent.