Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cloning and characterization of the Bacillus subtilis hemEHY gene cluster, which encodes protoheme IX biosynthetic enzymes

Mutations that cause a block in a late step of the protoheme IX biosynthetic pathway, i.e., in a step after uroporphyrinogen III, map at 94 degrees on the Bacillus subtilis chromosomal genetic map. We have cloned and sequenced the hem genes at this location. The sequenced region contains six open reading frames: ponA, hemE, hemH, hemY, ORFA, and ORFB. The ponA gene product shows over 30% sequence identity to penicillin-binding proteins 1A of Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Streptococcus oralis and probably has a role in cell wall metabolism. The hemE gene was identified from amino acid sequence comparisons as encoding uroporphyrinogen III decarboxylase. The hemH gene was identified by enzyme activity analysis of the HemH protein expressed in E. coli. It encodes a water-soluble ferrochelatase which catalyzes the final step in protoheme IX synthesis, the insertion of ferrous iron into protoporphyrin IX. The function of the hemY gene product was not elucidated, but mutation analysis shows that it is required for a late step in protoheme IX synthesis. The hemY gene probably encodes an enzyme with coproporphyrinogen III oxidase or protoporphyrinogen IX oxidase activity or both of these activities. Inactivation of the ORFA and ORFB genes did not block protoheme IX synthesis. Preliminary evidence for a hemEHY mRNA was obtained, and a promoter region located in front of hemE was identified. From these combined results we conclude that the hemEHY gene cluster encodes enzymes for the synthesis of protoheme IX from uroporphyrinogen III and probably constitutes an operon.
PSYCHOTROPIC DRUG USE AND COGNITIVE DECLINE AMONG OLDER MEN AND WOMEN

This epidemiological study focuses on cognitive change related to psychotropic drug use in a population‐based sample of subjects aged 65 and over. Cognitive functioning was assessed in 1982 and 1988 by the Short Portable Mental Status by Pfeiffer, and cognitive decline was defined as an increase of more than 2 errors in 1988 relative to the 1982 assessment. Psychotropic drugs were classified into benzodiazepines and non‐benzodiazepines. For both medications, four patterns of intake were considered: no use reported at both interviews, continuous use at both interviews, temporary use at the 1982 interview and new use at the 1988 interview. Depressive symptomatology was assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The analysis was performed on 1200 subjects with no or minimal impairment at baseline for whom complete data were available. Univariate analyses showed cognitive decline associated with gender, level of education and new medical condition; it was also related to depressive symptomatology and psychotropic drug use. These two factors were the most strongly associated with decrease in performance in multivariate analyses. Cognitive decline differed according to class of psychotropic drugs and pattern of use: benzodiazepine temporary users exhibited a lower risk compared with never users (OR=0.23, p=0.056), non‐benzodiazepine new users a higher risk (OR=5.02, p<0.001). Despite the simple measures of cognitive functioning and psychopathology, and the approximation in pattern of psychotropic drug use, these results emphasize the importance of considering psychotropic drugs in studies of cognitive decline in elderly subjects. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Strategic marketing of cigarettes to young people in Sri Lanka: “Go ahead—I want to see you smoke it now”

We entered the disco at about midnight. Within a minute, a “golden girl” approached me, holding out a box of Benson & Hedges: “Here, take one”. I took it. She extended her hand again, this time holding a small glowing orb—a cigarette lighter, I soon realised. I balked; she encouraged me: “Go ahead—I want to see you smoke it now”. I told her I thought it would make me cough. “No, these are smoother, not so strong” she reassured me. “I want to see you smoke it now. ” I put the cigarette in my pocket. Tamsyn Seimon, notes taken at the Golden Tones Disco, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, April 1997 Facing an intensifying anti-tobacco climate within the United States and Europe, British American Tobacco (BAT), like other multinational tobacco corporations, has shifted its focus to the vast markets of developing countries. In the small island nation of Sri Lanka, BAT’s subsidiary Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) uses discos, music shows, free giveaways, powerboat races, attractive employment packages, and other pointed measures to draw smokers. Exuding the essence of “the good life”—in perverse denial of the prevailing somber mood in Sri Lanka—these lavish campaigns target the country’s most vulnerable groups, preying especially upon the young and a vast, untapped female population. Situated off the southeastern tip of India, Sri Lanka has done well for a south Asian country. Despite an annual per capita gross national product (GNP) of less than US$750, Sri Lanka exhibits impressive health indicators, more like those of far wealthier nations: very high life expectancy, low infant mortality, and high male and female literacy. (The 1996 World Bank statistics from the world wide web in June 1998 show the following comparisons. GNP per capita (US$): Sri Lanka, 740; United States, 28 020; India, 380. Life expectancy at birth (years): Sri …
Lancemaside A inhibits lipopolysaccharide‐induced inflammation by targeting LPS/TLR4 complex

In our previous study, lancemaside A isolated from Codonopsis lanceolata (family Campanulaceae) ameliorated colitis in mice. In this study, the anti‐inflammatory effects of lancemaside A was investigated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐stimulated mice and their peritoneal macrophage cells. Lancemaside A suppressed the production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, TNF‐α and IL‐1β, in vitro and in vivo. Lancemaside A also down‐regulated inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2), as well as the inflammatory mediators, nitric oxide (NO), and PGE2. Lancemaside A also inhibited the expression of IL‐1 receptor‐associated kinase‐4 (IRAK‐4), the phosphorylation of IKK‐β and IκB‐α, the nuclear translocation of NF‐κB and the activation of mitogen‐activated protein kinases in LPS‐stimulated peritoneal macrophages. Furthermore, lancemaisde A inhibited the interaction between LPS and TLR4, as well as IRAK‐4 expression in peritoneal macrophages. Based on these findings, lancemaside A expressed anti‐inflammatory effects by regulating both the binding of LPS to TLR4 on macrophages. J. Cell. Biochem. 111: 865–871, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Joint-Transformation-Based Detection of False Data Injection Attacks in Smart Grid

For reliable operation and control of smart grid, estimating the correct states is of utmost importance to the system operator. With recent incorporation of information technology and advanced metering infrastructure, the futuristic grid is more prone to cyber-threats. The false data injection (FDI) attack is one of the most thoroughly researched cyber-attacks. Intelligently crafted, it can cause false estimation of states, which further seriously affects the entire power system operation. In this paper, we propose joint-transformation-based scheme to detect FDI attacks in real time. The proposed method is built on the dynamics of measurement variations. Kullback–Leibler distance is used to find out the difference between probability distributions obtained from measurement variations. The proposed method is tested using IEEE 14 bus system considering attack on different state variables. The results shows that the proposed scheme detects FDI attacks with high detection probability.
Transition mutations in the 23S rRNA of erythromycin-resistant isolates of Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Erythromycin is the drug of choice for treatment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections due to its susceptibility to low levels of this antibiotic. After exposure of susceptible strains to erythromycin in vitro and in vivo, mutants resistant to erythromycin and other macrolides were isolated. Their phenotypes have been characterized, but the genetic basis for resistance has never been determined. We isolated two resistant mutants (M129-ER1 and M129-ER2) by growing M. pneumoniae M129 on agar containing different amounts of erythromycin. In broth dilution tests both strains displayed resistance to high levels of several macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLS) antibiotics. In binding studies, ribosomes isolated from the resistant strains exhibited significantly lower affinity for [14C]erythromycin than did ribosomes from the M129 parent strain. Sequencing of DNA amplified from the region of the 2S rRNA gene encoding domain V revealed an A-to-G transition in the central loop at position 2063 of M129-ER1 and a similar A-to-G transition at position 2064 in M129-ER2. Transitions at homologous locations in the 23S rRNA from other organisms have been shown to result in resistance to MLS antibiotics. Thus, MLS-like resistance can occur in M. pneumoniae as the result of point mutations in the 23S rRNA gene which reduce the affinity of these antibiotics for the ribosome. Since they involve only single-base changes, development of resistance to erythromycin in vivo by these mechanisms could be relatively frequent event.
Enhancing Deep Learning Performance Using Displaced Rectifier Linear Unit

Recentemente, a aprendizagem profunda tem causado um impacto significante em visao computacional, reconhecimento de voz e compreensao de linguagem natural. Apesar de avancos significativos, recentemente os ganhos em desempenho em aprendizagem profunda tem sido modestos e usualmente dependem do incremento da profundidade dos modelos, o que normalmente requer mais recursos computacionais como tempo de processamento e uso de memoria. Para abordar este problema, nos voltamos nossa atencao para o interfuncionamento entre as funcoes de ativacoes e a normalizacao em batch, o qual e praticamente obrigatorio atualmente. Neste trabalho, nos propomos a funcao de ativacao Displaced Rectifier Linear Unit (DReLU) a partir da conjectura que estender a funcao identidade da ReLU para o terceiro quadrante aprimora a compatibilidade com a normalizacao em batch. Ademais, nos usamos testes estatisticos para comparar o impacto de usar funcoes de ativacao distintas (ReLU, LReLU, PReLU, ELU, and DReLU) na performance da velocidade de treinamento e na acuracia dos testes de modelos estado da arte VGG e Redes Residuais. Estas redes neurais convolucionais foram treinadas no CIFAR-10 e CIFAR-100, as base de dados mais comumente utilizadas em visao computacional para aprendizagem profunda. Os resultados mostraram que DReLU aumentou a velocidade de aprendizagem em todos os modelos e bases de dados. Ademais, avaliacoes de performance com o uso de testes estatiticos (p<0:05) mostraram que DReLU melhorou a acuracia dos testes apresentados pela ReLU em todos os cenarios. Alem disso, DReLU apresentou melhor acuracia de testes que qualquer outra funcao de ativacao testada em todos os cenarios com uma excecao, no qual esta apresentou a segunda melhor performance. Desta forma, este trabalho mostra que e possivel aumentar a performance substituindo a ReLU por uma funcao de ativacao aprimorada.
Periodontal disease and risk of cerebrovascular disease: the first national health and nutrition examination survey and its follow-up study.

BACKGROUND Periodontal disease has been found to be a potential risk factor for coronary heart disease. However, its association with cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) is much less studied. METHODS This study examines the association between periodontal disease and CVA. The study cohort comprises 9962 adults aged 25 to 74 years who participated in the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and its follow-up study. Baseline periodontal status was categorized into (1) no periodontal disease, (2) gingivitis, (3) periodontitis, and (4) edentulousness. All CVAs (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision [ICD-9], codes 430-438) were ascertained by hospital records for nonfatal events and death certificates for fatal events. The first CVA, nonfatal or fatal, was used to define incidence. Relative risks were estimated by hazard ratios from the Cox proportional hazard model with adjustment for several demographic variables and well-established cardiovascular risk factors. Weights were used to generate risk estimates. RESULTS Periodontitis is a significant risk factor for total CVA and, in particular, nonhemorrhagic stroke (ICD-9, 433-434 and 436-438). Compared with no periodontal disease, the relative risks (95% confidence intervals) for incident nonhemorrhagic stroke were 1.24 (0.74-2.08) for gingivitis, 2.11 (1.30-3.42) for periodontitis, and 1.41 (0.96-2.06) for edentulousness. For total CVA, the results were 1.02 (0.70-1.48) for gingivitis, 1.66 (1.15-2.39) for periodontitis, and 1.23 (0.91-1.66) for edentulousness. Increased relative risks for total CVA and nonhemorrhagic stroke associated with periodontitis were also seen in white men, white women, and African Americans. Similar results were found for fatal CVA. CONCLUSION Periodontal disease is an important risk factor for total CVA and, in particular, nonhemorrhagic stroke.
Intrathecal Transplantation of Autologous Adherent Bone Marrow Cells Induces Functional Neurological Recovery in a Canine Model of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in demyelination of surviving axons, loss of oligodendrocytes, and impairment of motor and sensory functions. We have developed a clinical strategy of cell therapy for SCI through the use of autologous bone marrow cells for transplantation to augment remyelination and enhance neurological repair. In a preclinical large mammalian model of SCI, experimental dogs were subjected to a clipping contusion of the spinal cord. Two weeks after the injury, GFP-labeled autologous minimally manipulated adherent bone marrow cells (ABMCs) were transplanted intrathecally to investigate the safety and efficacy of autologous ABMC therapy. The effects of ABMC transplantation in dogs with SCI were determined using functional neurological scoring, and the integration of ABMCs into the injured cords was determined using histopathological and immunohistochemical investigations and electron microscopic analyses of sections from control and transplanted spinal cords. Our data demonstrate the presence of GFP-labeled cells in the injured spinal cord for up to 16 weeks after transplantation in the subacute SCI stage. GFP-labeled cells homed to the site of injury and were detected around white matter tracts and surviving axons. ABMC therapy in the canine SCI model enhanced remyelination and augmented neural regeneration, resulting in improved neurological functions. Therefore, autologous ABMC therapy appears to be a safe and promising therapy for spinal cord injuries.
Principal findings of systematic reviews for chronic treatment in childhood asthma

Abstract Objective: To summarize the principal findings pertaining to most effective long-term pharmacologic treatment of childhood asthma. Methods: Systematic reviews of randomized clinical trials (SRCTs) on pharmacologic chronic treatment in children (1–18 years) with persistent asthma were retrieved through MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and CDSR (up to January2014). Results: One hundred eighty-three SRCTs were searched from databases. Among those, 39 SRCTs were included: two were related to step 1, 24 to step 2, nine to steps 3 and 4, and four to step 5 (according with NAEPP and GINA guidelines). The methodological quality of these SRCTs was determined by using the AMSTAR tool. Results: For step 1: addition of ipatropium bromide to short-acting beta2-agonists does not show any benefit. For step 2: in preschoolers, inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) reduce severe exacerbations and improve other clinical and lung function parameters. In children, ICSs are superior to leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA), cromones, or xantines in reducing severe exacerbations, improving lung function and other clinical outcomes. Fluticasone propionate (FP) is better than beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) or budesonide only for lung function; but similar to hydrofluoroalkane-BDP or to ciclosenide. Compared to low ICSs doses, moderate doses result in only better lung function, but this is not true for FP. For steps 3 and 4: adding LTRA to ICS confers a small benefit; adding LABA improves lung function but does not reduce exacerbations more than double or higher ICS doses. For step 5: adding omalizumab decreases exacerbations. Conclusions: SRCTs are useful for guiding decisions in chronic childhood asthma treatment.
Improved Detection of Uplink OFDM-IDMA Signals with Carrier Frequency Offsets

This letter proposes an improved detection scheme to mitigate the influence of carrier frequency offsets (CFOs) in uplink orthogonal frequency division multiplexing-interleave division multiple access (OFDM-IDMA) systems. The basic principle is to iteratively estimate and cancel the combined interference from multiple users and CFOs at the receiver so that the additional interference due to the residual CFOs from other users can be suppressed. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can effectively eliminate the interference and significantly improve the system performance in the presence of CFOs.
Patterns of Attachment and Parents' Adjustment to the Death of Their Child

The impact of adult attachment on psychological adjustment among bereaved parents and the mediating effect of relationship satisfaction were examined among a sample of 219 couples of parents. Data collection took place 6, 13, and 20 months after loss. Use of the actor partner interdependence model in multilevel regression analysis enabled exploration of both individual as well as partner attachment as predictors of grief and depression. Results indicated that the more insecurely attached parents were (on both avoidance and anxiety attachment), the higher the symptoms of grief and depression. Neither the attachment pattern of the partner nor similarity of attachment within the couple had any influence on psychological adjustment of the parent. Marital satisfaction partially mediated the association of anxious attachment with symptomatology. Contrary to previous research findings, avoidant attachment was associated with high grief intensity. These findings challenge the notion that the avoidantly attached are resilient.
Reaction Site Mapping of Xenobiotic Biotransformations

Predictive metabolism methods can be used in drug discovery projects to enhance the understanding of structure-metabolism relationships. The present study uses data mining methods to exploit biotransformation data that have been recorded in the MDL Metabolite database. Reacting center fingerprints were derived from a comparison of substrates and their corresponding products listed in the database. This process yields two fingerprint databases: all atoms in all substrates and all reacting centers. The metabolic reaction data are then mined by submitting a new molecule and searching for fingerprint matches to every atom in the new molecule in both databases. An "occurrence ratio" is derived from the fingerprint matches between the submitted compound and the reacting center and substrate fingerprint databases. Normalization of the occurrence ratio within each submitted molecule enables the results of the search to be rank-ordered as a measure of the relative frequency of a reaction occurring at a specific site within the submitted molecule. Predictive performance that would allow this method to be used by drug discovery teams to generate useful hypotheses regarding structure metabolism relationships was observed.
Cell division is required for resolution of dimer chromosomes at the dif locus of Escherichia coli

The dif locus is a RecA‐independent resolvase site in the terminus region of the chromosome of Escherichia coli. The locus reduces dimer chromosomes, which result from sister chromatid exchange, to monomers. A density label assay demonstrates that recombination occurs at dif, and that it requires XerC and XerD. The frequency of this recombination is ≈14% per site per generation, which is doubled in polA12 mutants. We have determined that recombination occurs late in the cell cycle, and that resolution is blocked if cell division is inhibited with cephalexin or by a ftsZts mutation. Fluorescence microscopy has demonstrated that abnormal nucleoids are present in cells incubated in cephalexin, and this is increased in polA12 mutants.
SSETGami: Secure Software Education Through Gamification

Since web browsers have become essential to accomplishing everyday tasks, developing secure web applications has become a priority in order to protect user data, corporate databases and critical infrastructure against cyber-crimes . This research presents a game-like (gamification) approach to teach key concepts and skills on how to develop secure web applications. Gamification draws on motivational models, one of psychological theories. Gamification design has great potential over traditional education where we often find students demotivated and lecturers failing to engage them in learning activities. This research created gamelike learning modules to teach top vulnerabilities and countermeasures for these top vulnerabilities in secure web developments including SQL injection, broken authentication and session management, cross site scripting, insecure direct object references, etc. In this paper, each module is self-contained with a module background, sample module questions, and the expected learning outcomes of each module. Disciplines Curriculum and Instruction | Engineering Education | Information Security | Management Information Systems | Technology and Innovation Comments This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1623624 and 1663105. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. This event is available at DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University: http://digitalcommons.kennesaw. edu/ccerp/2017/ education/1
Neuronal protein trafficking associated with Alzheimer disease

Aberrant and/or cumulative amyloid-beta (Aβ) production, resulting from proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by β and γ-secretases, have been postulated to be a main etiological basis of Alzheimer disease (AD). A number of proteins influence the subcellular trafficking itinerary of APP and the b-site APP-cleaving enzyme (BACE1) between the cell surface, endosomes and the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Available evidence suggests that co-residence of APP and BACE1 in the endosomal compartments promotes amyloidogenesis. Retrograde transport of APP out of the endosome to the TGN reduces Aβ production, while APP routed to and kept at the cell surface enhances its non-amyloidogenic, α-secretase-mediated processing. Changes in post-Golgi membrane trafficking in aging neurons that may influence APP processing is particularly relevant to late-onset, idiopathic AD. Dystrophic axons are key features of AD pathology, and impaired axonal transport could play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of idiopathic AD. Recent evidence has also indicated that Aβ-induced synaptic defects and memory impairment could be explained by a loss of both AMPA and NMDA receptors through endocytosis. Detail understanding of factors that influence these neuronal trafficking processes will open up novel therapeutic avenues for preventing or delaying the onset of symptomatic AD.