Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevention of amyloid fibril formation of amyloidogenic chicken cystatin by site‐specific glycosylation in yeast

To address the role of glycosylation on fibrillogenicity of amyloidogenic chicken cystatin, the consensus sequence for N‐linked glycosylation (Asn106‐Ile108 → Asn106‐Thr108) was introduced by site‐directed mutagenesis into the wild‐type and amyloidogenic chicken cystatins to construct the glycosylated form of chicken cystatins. Both the glycosylated and unglycosylated forms of wild‐type and amyloidogenic mutant I66Q cystatin were expressed and secreted in a culture medium of yeast Pichia pastoris transformants. Comparison of the amount of insoluble aggregate, the secondary structure, and fibrillogenicity has shown that the N‐linked glycosylation could prevent amyloid fibril formation of amyloidogenic chicken cystatin secreted in yeast cells without affecting its inhibitory activities. Further study showed this glycosylation could inhibit the formation of cystatin dimers. Therefore, our data strongly suggested that the mechanism causing the prevention of amyloidogenic cystation fibril formation may be realized through suppression of the formation of three‐dimensional domain‐swapped dimers and oligomers of amyloidogenic cystatin by the glycosylated chains at position 106.
Age-related changes in the morphology and deformational behavior of knee joint cartilage.

OBJECTIVE Alterations of cartilage morphology and mechanical properties occur in osteoarthritis, but it is unclear whether similar changes also take place physiologically during aging, in the absence of disease. In this in vivo study, we tested the hypothesis that thinning of knee joint cartilage occurs with aging and that elderly subjects display a different amount of cartilage deformation than do young subjects. METHODS We evaluated 30 asymptomatic subjects ages 50-78 years. Morphologic parameters for the knee cartilage (mean and maximum thickness, surface area) were computed from magnetic resonance imaging data. Results were compared with those in 95 young asymptomatic subjects ages 20-30 years. Deformation of the patellar cartilage was determined after the subjects performed 30 knee bends. RESULTS There was a significant reduction of patellar cartilage thickness in elderly women (-12%; P < 0.05), but not in elderly men (-6%). Femoral cartilage was significantly thinner in both sexes (-21% in women, -13% in men; P < 0.01), whereas tibial cartilage thickness displayed only nonsignificant trends (-10% in women, -7% in men). Patellar cartilage deformation was -2.6% in elderly women and -2.2% in elderly men. These values were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those in young subjects. CONCLUSION We confirmed the hypothesis that knee cartilage becomes thinner during aging, in the absence of cartilage disease, but that the amount of reduction differs between sexes and between compartments of the knee joint. We show that under in vivo loading conditions, elderly subjects display a lower level of cartilage deformation than do healthy young subjects.
Therapeutic antibodies in ophthalmology

More than a century after the first successful use of serotherapy, antibody-based therapy has been renewed by the availability of recombinant monoclonal antibodies. As in the past, current clinical experience has prompted new pharmacological questions and induced much debate among practitioners, notably in the field of ophthalmology. An examination of the history of antibodies as treatments for ocular disorders reveals interesting parallels to the modern era. The fact that a treatment administered by a systemic route could be efficacious in a local disease was not widely accepted and the “chemical” nature of antibodies was not clearly understood in the late 19th century. Clinical studies by Henry Coppez, a Belgian ophthalmologist, established in 1894 that anti-diphtheric antitoxins could be used to treat conjunctival diphtheria. Nearly 20 years later, Coppez and Danis described age-related macular degeneration, a disorder which today benefits from ranibizumab therapy. The product, a locally-administered recombinant monoclonal Fab fragment, is directed against vascular epithelial growth factor A. Interestingly, its full-size counterpart, bevacizumab, which is approved for the treatment of solid tumors, has also demonstrated efficacy in age-related macular degeneration when administered either intravenously or locally, which raises new questions about antibody pharmacology and biodistribution. In order to shed some light on this debate, we recount the early history of serotherapy applied to ophthalmology, review the exact molecular differences between ranibizumab and bevacizumab, and discuss what is known about IgG and the blood-retina barrier, and the possible role of FcRn, an IgG transporter.
Insights into the role of oligomeric state on the biological activities of crotoxin: Crystal structure of a tetrameric phospholipase A2 formed by two isoforms of crotoxin B from Crotalus durissus terrificus venom

Crotoxin B (CB or Cdt PLA2) is a basic Asp49‐PLA2 found in the venom of Crotalus durissus terrificus and it is one of the subunits that constitute the crotoxin (Cro). This heterodimeric toxin, main component of the C. d. terrificus venom, is completed by an acidic, nontoxic, and nonenzymatic component (crotoxin A, CA or crotapotin), and it is related to important envenomation effects such as neurological disorders, myotoxicity, and renal failure. Although Cro has been crystallized since 1938, no crystal structure of this toxin or its subunits is currently available. In this work, the authors present the crystal structure of a novel tetrameric complex formed by two dimers of crotoxin B isoforms (CB1 and CB2). The results suggest that these assemblies are stable in solution and show that Ser1 and Glu92 of CB1 and CB2, respectively, play an important role in the oligomerization. The tetrameric and dimeric conformations resulting from the association of the isoforms may increase the neurotoxicity of the toxin CB by the creation of new binding sites, which could improve the affinity of the molecular complexes to the presynaptic membrane. Proteins 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Considerações sobre a semântica de ‘eu’

O item ‘eu’ e tradicionalmente analisado como um deitico ou um indexical, i.e., uma expressao que recebe seu valor a partir de um elemento contexto, no caso, do agente (falante, escrevente) do contexto. Depois de apresentar a teoria de Kaplan (1989) sobre esse item – certamente a mais bem sucedida das teorias ate agora propostas –, mostramos varios usos de ‘eu’ que nao sao capturados por esse teoria. Na sequencia, apresentamos uma outra proposta para analise de ‘eu’ que da conta dos insights da teoria de Kaplan e captura todos os usos aqui apresentados.
Treinamento resistido frente ao envelhecimento: uma alternativa viável e eficaz

Pesquisas tem enaltecido os beneficios do treinamento de forca (TF) mostrando novas perspectivas em relacao a aptidao fisica e qualidade de vida. Dentre eles estao: a melhora da forca, potencia, resistencia muscular e aumento de massa magra. A proposta deste trabalho e elucidar o importante papel do TF frente a alteracoes antropometricas, neuromusculares e cardiorespiratorias, bem como, oferecer conceitos e classificacoes das manifestacoes de forca, metodos de TF e recomendacoes para prescricao de exercicios para idosos. Para tanto, realizou-se uma revisao literaria de artigos nacionais e internacionais relacionados ao tema, nos portais cientificos da Capes, Scielo, Medline Science Direct, Bireme e Highwire a fim de compreender as principais modificacoes ocorridas. Foram analisadas as dimensoes e aspectos principais da forca, visando o entendimento do mecanismo de controle da intensidade de trabalho, volume de treino e periodizacao do programa de treinamento. Conclui-se que o TF e eficiente, melhorando a forca muscular, o VO 2max e promovendo adaptacoes cardiovasculares.
Adult protective service use and nursing home placement.

PURPOSE Adult Protective Services (APS) is the official state entity charged with advocacy for older adults who are victims of elder abuse or self-neglect. However, it has been speculated that APS intervention may lead disproportionately to nursing home placement (NHP). These analyses seek to determine if APS use is an independent risk factor for NHP. DESIGN AND METHODS The sample was 2,812 community-dwelling older adults who were aged 65 years or older in 1982 in the New Haven Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies in the Elderly cohort, a subset of whom were referred to elder protective services over a 9-year follow-up period from cohort inception. NHP of cohort members over that time period was determined. RESULTS Rates of subsequent NHP were: 69.2% for self-neglecting subjects, 52.3% for mistreated subjects, and 31.8% for subjects who had no contact with APS (p <.001, both comparisons). In proportional hazard models that included other demographic, medical, functional, and social factors associated with NHP, the strongest risk factors for placement were APS referral for self-neglect (hazard ratio [HR], 5.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.07-6.72), and for elder mistreatment (HR, 4.02; 95% CI, 2.50-6.47). These hazards far exceeded those for other medical, functional, and social factors. IMPLICATIONS APS use is an independent risk factor for nursing home placement; persons identified by APS as self-neglecting are at the highest risk.
Explanations for the provision-utilisation gap in work-life policy

Purpose – Organisational work‐life policies and programs allow employees to have greater control over how, when and where they work but these policies are often under‐utilised, particularly by men and career‐oriented employees. In what is largely an atheoretical area of literature, the paper aims to theoretically integrate the empirical literature related to the uptake of organisational work‐life policies.Design/methodology/approach – The paper links three related areas of literature: the associations between work‐life policies and individual/organisational outcomes; explanations for the low uptake of work‐life policies in many organisations; and preliminary studies which have explored organisational culture and its relationship to work‐life policies. These literatures are integrated to develop a five‐dimensional construct, “organisational work‐life culture”, for testing in future research.Findings – It is suggested that the following five dimensions underlie this aspect of organisational life: lack of ma.
Robust-State Estimation for Discrete-Time Systems with Error Variance Constraints

This paper studies the problem of an H1-norm and variance-constrained state estimator design for uncertain linear discrete-time systems. The system under consideration is subjected to time-invariant norm-bounded parameter uncertainties in both the state and measurement matrices. The problem addressed is the design of a gain-scheduled linear state estimator such that, for all admissible measurable uncertainties, the variance of the estimation error of ach state is not more than the individual prespecified value, and the transfer function from disturbances to error state outputs satisfies the prespecified H1-norm upper bound constraint, simultaneously. The conditions for the existence of desired estimators are obtained in terms of matrix inequalities, and the explicit expression of these estimators is also derived. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate various a pects of theoretical results.
Reclassification of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage types.

BACKGROUND Persistent nasal carriers have an increased risk of Staphylococcus aureus infection, whereas intermittent carriers and noncarriers share the same low risk. This study was performed to provide additional insight into staphylococcal carriage types. METHODS Fifty-one volunteers who had been decolonized with mupirocin treatment and whose carriage state was known were colonized artificially with a mixture of S. aureus strains, and intranasal survival of S. aureus was compared between carriage groups. Antistaphylococcal antibody levels were also compared among 83 carriage-classified volunteers. RESULTS Persistent carriers preferentially reselected their autologous strain from the inoculum mixture (P=.02). They could be distinguished from intermittent carriers and noncarriers on the basis of the duration of postinoculation carriage (154 vs. 14 and 4 days, respectively; P=.017, by log-rank test). Cultures of swab samples from persistent carriers contained significantly more colony-forming units per sample than did cultures of swab samples from intermittent carriers and noncarriers (P=.004). Analysis of serum samples showed that levels of immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin A to 17 S. aureus antigens were equal in intermittent carriers and noncarriers but not in persistent carriers. CONCLUSIONS Along with the previously described low risk of infection, intermittent carriers and noncarriers share similar S. aureus nasal elimination kinetics and antistaphylococcal antibody profiles. This implies a paradigm shift; apparently, there are only 2 types of nasal carriers: persistent carriers and others. This knowledge may increase our understanding of susceptibility to S. aureus infection.
Is there plasticity in developmental instability? The effect of daily thermal fluctuations in an ectotherm

Abstract Diversified bet‐hedging (DBH) by production of within‐genotype phenotypic variance may evolve to maximize fitness in stochastic environments. Bet‐hedging is generally associated with parental effects, but phenotypic variation may also develop throughout life via developmental instability (DI). This opens for the possibility of a within‐generation mechanism creating DBH during the lifetime of individuals. If so, DI could in fact be a plastic trait itself; if a fluctuating environment indicates uncertainty about future conditions, sensing such fluctuations could trigger DI as a DBH response. However, this possibility has received little empirical attention. Here, we test whether fluctuating environments may elicit such a response in the clonally reproducing crustacean Daphnia magna. Specifically, we exposed genetically identical individuals to two environments of different thermal stability (stable vs. pronounced daily realistic temperature fluctuations) and tested for effects on DI in body mass and metabolic rate shortly before maturation. Furthermore, we also estimated the genetic variation in DI. Interestingly, fluctuating temperatures did not affect body mass, but metabolic rate decreased. We found no evidence for plasticity in DI in response to environmental fluctuations. The lack of plasticity was common to all genotypes, and for both traits studied. However, we found considerable evolvability for DI, which implies a general evolutionary potential for DBH under selection for increased phenotypic variance.
Des langages pour améliorer le développement et la maintenance des logiciels à base de composants. (Languages to improve the development and maintenance of component-based software)

La definition d'elements pouvant contribuer a ameliorer le developpement et la maintenance des logiciels est l'objectif des travaux de recherche menes en Genie Logiciel. Mon domaine de recherche porte depuis 2003 sur la definition et l'usage de langages « supports » (c'est-a-dire completant les langages de developpement) ; ceci dans le but de faciliter et d'ameliorer le developpement et la maintenance des applications logicielles concues a l'aide de composants. Mes travaux se trouvent au carrefour de plusieurs disciplines du Genie Logiciel : le developpement oriente composant, les architectures des logiciels, la maintenance et l'evolution, la qualite et l'ingenierie dirigee par les modeles. Ce document constitue une synthese de mes activites de recherche menees au cours des sept dernieres annees au sein de l'equipe SE du laboratoire VALORIA et de l'equipe-projet INRIA TRISKELL. Il commence par donner une vision assez personnelle des courants qui animent le Genie Logiciel et dresse un apercu de l'etat actuel de cette discipline. Puis il introduit les quelques notions dont la maitrise est necessaire pour evoluer dans les domaines dans lesquels se sont deroulees mes activites. Il retrace ensuite mon parcours thematique au cœur de ces disciplines et detaille mes travaux sur le controle de l'evolution des architectures, la selection de composants et la documentation et l'execution des bonnes pratiques de modelisation.
The trade-off between technology deployment and enviro-economic benefits in smart buildings

Smart grids are meant to reach multiple goals such as leveling the electricity demand profile, reducing electricity consumption and increasing the energy efficiency of the electrical grid. Smart buildings play an important role in achieving these goals. With an increased number of measuring and controlling tools, new problems also arise, such as their economic and environmental impacts, juxtaposed to the levels of savings achieved by them. This research investigated the impact of home automation on electricity consumption, related CO2 emissions and costs. A smart building model with its appliances and different number of inhabitants was used along with eight electricity contracts and four different technology systems deployed. The results showed that a fully deployed automation system may be counterproductive, as the electricity need of the system may exceed the savings achieved by it. Therefore, a careful selection of the appliances to be used should be performed.
Produção de embriões em vacas zebuínas após superovulação com duas formulações comerciais de gonadotrofina

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a producao de embrioes em protocolos de superovulacao de femeas zebuinas das racas Gir, Nelore e meio sangue Gir x Nelore utilizando duas diferentes formulacoes comerciais de gonadotrofinas. Foram utilizadas 27 vacas, divididas em dois protocolos de superovulacao: T1) 133mg Folltropin® (4 animais de cada grupo), e T2) 250UI de Pluset® (5 animais de cada grupo). Sete dias apos o cio a resposta de cada doadora foi avaliada por ultrassonografia e os embrioes foram coletados. Foram avaliados o numero de corpos luteos, de foliculos anovulatorios, de estruturas recuperadas e o numero de embrioes viaveis. As variaveis foram submetidas a analise de variância, considerando-se os efeitos de raca e gonadotrofina e sua interacao. As analises foram realizadas no programa estatistico SAS, v.9. 2 (P<0,05). No presente estudo nao foi detectada influencia do grupo em nenhuma das variaveis avaliadas. O numero de corpos luteos foi maior nos animais tratados com Pluset - 21,46 ± 10,58 quando comparado ao Folltropin - 11,90 ± 7,26, assim como o numero de estruturas recuperadas que foi 13,77 ± 6,88 no Pluset e de 6,70 ± 6,11 nas doadoras tratadas com Folltropin, no entanto, o numero de embrioes viaveis nao diferiu entre as duas bases comerciais de FSH. Novos estudos objetivando determinar a equivalencia de FSH entre as duas formulacoes comerciais do hormonio devem ser realizados, o que permitira adequar as concentracoes dessa gonadotrofina e minimizar as variacoes nos protocolos de superovulacao.
Analyzing and Optimizing Adaptive Modulation-Coding Jointly with ARQ for QoS-Guaranteed Traffic

A cross-layer design is developed for quality-of-service (QoS) guaranteed traffic. The proposed design jointly exploits the error-correcting capability of the truncated automatic repeat request (ARQ) protocol at the data link layer and the adaptation ability of the adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) scheme at the physical layer to optimize the system performance. The queuing behavior induced by both the truncated ARQ protocol and the AMC scheme is analyzed with an embedded Markov chain. Analytical expressions for performance metrics such as packet loss rate, throughput and average packet delay are derived. Using these expressions, a constrained optimization problem is solved numerically to jointly determine the retry limit for the truncated ARQ protocol as well as the prescribed packet error rate for the AMC scheme so that the overall system throughput is maximized under the specified QoS constraints.
Silanização de partículas de carga de compósitos odontológicos - revisão de literatura

Objetivo: o presente trabalho teve como objetivo realizar uma revisao de literatura com a intencao de simplificar o entendimento a respeito da importância do tipo de silano empregado e dos processos envolvidos na silanizacao de particulas de carga de compositos odontologicos. Revisao de literatura: o agente silano e fundamental para promover a uniao entre as fases orgânica e inorgânica de compositos odontologicos. No estudo, sao abordados topicos relacionados a formulacao basica dos monomeros empregados nos compositos odontologicos, as particulas de carga usadas, a importância do agente de uniao na composicao do material, bem como aos tipos de silanos MPTS (γ-metacrilioxipropil trimetoxisilano), OTMS (n-octiltrimetoxisilano), UDMS (3-[(1,3(2)-dimetacriloiloxipropil)-2(3)-oxicarbonillamido] propiltrietoxisilano), GPS (γ-glicidoxipropil trimetoxisilano) e ATES (organosilanos allitrietoxisilano), efeitos das suas aplicacoes e dos processos de silanizacao. Consideracoes finais: a analise detalhada dos agentes silanos permite que o conhecimento das vantagens e desvantagens leve ao aprimoramento desses materiais e subsequente desenvolvimento de outros agentes de uniao mais apropriados a utilizacao na cavidade bucal.
Using elastic windows for World-Wide Web Browsing

Current World-Wide Web browsers can be enhanced to support the navigation needs of users. In this video, a new browsing interface is demonstrated with hierarchical page organization and efficient multiple page operations. Users can quickly organize, filter and restructure pages as they reformulate their goals. Overviews can give the user a sense of location as well as provide fast access to a hierarchy of pages.
Evaluation of the role of incentive structure on student participation and performance in active learning strategies: A comparison of case-based and team-based learning

Abstract Background: Student participation is important for the success of active learning strategies, but participation is often linked to the level of preparation. At our institution, we use two types of active learning activities, a modified case-based learning exercise called active learning groups (ALG) and team-based learning (TBL). These strategies have different assessment and incentive structures for participation. Non-cognitive skills are assessed in ALG using a subjective five-point Likert scale. In TBL, assessment of individual student preparation is based on a multiple choice quiz conducted at the beginning of each session. Methods: We studied first-year medical student participation and performance in ALG and TBL as well as performance on course final examinations. Results: Student performance in TBL, but not in ALG, was strongly correlated with final examination scores. Additionally, in students who performed in the upper 33rd percentile on the final examination, there was a positive correlation between final examination performance and participation in TBL and ALG. This correlation was not seen in students who performed in the lower 33rd percentile on the final examinations. Conclusions: Our results suggest that assessments of medical knowledge during active learning exercises could supplement non-cognitive assessments and could be good predictors of performance on summative examinations.