Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AmiC Functions as an N-Acetylmuramyl-l-Alanine Amidase Necessaryfor Cell Separation and Can Promote Autolysis in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

ABSTRACT Neisseria gonorrhoeae is prone to undergo autolysis under many conditions not conducive to growth. The role of autolysis during gonococcal infection is not known, but possible advantages for the bacterial population include provision of nutrients to a starving population, modulation of the host immune response by released cell components, and donation of DNA for natural transformation. Biochemical studies indicated that an N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine amidase is responsible for cell wall breakdown during autolysis. In order to better understand autolysis and in hopes of creating a nonautolytic mutant, we mutated amiC, the gene for a putative peptidoglycan-degrading amidase in N. gonorrhoeae. Characterization of peptidoglycan fragments released during growth showed that an amiC mutant did not produce free disaccharide, consistent with a role for AmiC as an N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine amidase. Compared to the wild-type parent, the mutant exhibited altered growth characteristics, including slowed exponential-phase growth, increased turbidity in stationary phase, and increased colony opacity. Thin-section electron micrographs showed that mutant cells did not fully separate but grew as clumps. Complementation of the amiC deletion mutant with wild-type amiC restored wild-type growth characteristics and transparent colony morphology. Overexpression of amiC resulted in increased cell lysis, supporting AmiC's purported function as a gonococcal autolysin. However, amiC mutants still underwent autolysis in stationary phase, indicating that other gonococcal enzymes are also involved in this process.
Basophils Promote Innate Lymphoid Cell Responses in Inflamed Skin

Type 2 inflammation underlies allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, which is characterized by the accumulation of basophils and group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) in inflamed skin lesions. Although murine studies have demonstrated that cutaneous basophil and ILC2 responses are dependent on thymic stromal lymphopoietin, whether these cell populations interact to regulate the development of cutaneous type 2 inflammation is poorly defined. In this study, we identify that basophils and ILC2s significantly accumulate in inflamed human and murine skin and form clusters not observed in control skin. We demonstrate that murine basophil responses precede ILC2 responses and that basophils are the dominant IL-4–enhanced GFP-expressing cell type in inflamed skin. Furthermore, basophils and IL-4 were necessary for the optimal accumulation of ILC2s and induction of atopic dermatitis–like disease. We show that ILC2s express IL-4Rα and proliferate in an IL-4–dependent manner. Additionally, basophil-derived IL-4 was required for cutaneous ILC2 responses in vivo and directly regulated ILC2 proliferation ex vivo. Collectively, these data reveal a previously unrecognized role for basophil-derived IL-4 in promoting ILC2 responses during cutaneous inflammation.
Allelic imbalance on chromosome I in human breast cancer. I. Minisatellite and rflp analysis

In order to characterise the role of chromosome I more fully in breast cancer, polymorphic markers mapping along the length of the whole chromosome were used to assess a panel of 71 tumour‐lymphocyte pairs for allelic imbalance. Complex patterns of alterations were established that are consistent with cytogenetic data in the literature. Deletion mapping of individuals with loss of heterozygosity identified five independent smallest common regions of deletion, two of which are novel. There are also three discrete regions showing a gain in copy number of one homologue. The two arms of the chromosome may be subject to different events; the short arm primarily undergoes interstitial deletions, whereas the long arm is subject to whole arm events (as both gains and losses) as well as regional deletions.
The Primary Hyperoxalurias ERNST LEUMANN

Primary hyperoxaluria (PH) results from endogenous (primary) overproduction of oxalic acid, as opposed to secondary hyperoxaluria, which is attributable to increased intestinal absorption (enteric) or excessive intake (dietary) of oxalate. Why are nephrologists interested in PH type 1 (PH1), the prevailing type, although it is far from being a primary renal disorder? First, the clinical treatment of patients with this “nephrologic liver disease” is quite challenging, particularly in end-stage renal failure (ESRF). Second, the study of PH1 has yielded better understanding of the pathogenesis of calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal deposition and stone formation in general, with this disease serving as a model of nephrocalcinosis and urolithiasis. Finally, fascinating insights into the mechanisms of cellular trafficking have been obtained from the study of PH1; however, many questions remain unresolved. It has also become apparent that PH encompasses more than PH1 and PH2, and some patients who were previously classified as having secondary hyperoxaluria might actually have a type of PH.
Stroke prevention: is it possible? If so, which antihypertensive agent should be used?

SUMMARY The importance of blood pressure control in stroke prevention is supported by a large body of clinical evidence. However, it is not known which antihypertensive agents are most effective in preventing stroke. As stroke is characterised by vascular remodelling and dysfunction and by effects on the cerebral circulation, selecting an agent that has a direct vascular protective effect beyond blood pressure control may be desirable. Results with the angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in clinical trials (LIFE and SCOPE) support the findings in animal models that ARBs may be a promising therapeutic option for prevention of stroke and possibly, cognitive decline.
Mycobacterium marinum as a cause of skin chronic granulomatous in the hand.

BACKGROUND Mycobacterium marinum infection has a worldwide distribution and the organism occupies many aquatic environments. Infections in human consist of nodular cutaneous lesions that can progress to tenosynovitis, arthritis, and osteomyelitis. Case presentation : A 27-year-old man was presented with a history of swelling and exudative erythematous lesions and pustules of the right forearm. He worked as a laborer at an aquarium store. A smear from the walls of the necrotic center when stained for acid-fast bacilli revealed organisms consistent with mycobacteria. CONCLUSION Cutaneous nodular lesion on the hand or forearm of the patient working in aquatic environment, M marinum should be considered in the differential diagnosis.
Guidance to reliability improvement in CBRAM using advanced KMC modelling

In this paper, we use Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations to investigate CBRAM variability. A full consistent model able to simulate SET, RESET, retention and endurance characteristics was proposed for the 1st time, allowing to describe experimental data obtained on Al2O3/CuTex based CBRAM. The role of oxygen vacancy generation during programming is described and its impact on reliability (retention and endurance) is elucidated. The origin of the resistance spread is discussed and linked to the conductive filament shape and operating conditions. The cycle to cycle contribution on resistance variability is uncorrelated from the intrinsic resistance distribution limit. Finally, guidelines are given in order to optimize the memory distribution, reduce tail bits and improve CBRAM reliability.
Detection of Interstitial Oxygen Molecules in SiO2 Glass by a Direct Photoexcitation of the Infrared Luminescence of Singlet O2.

The presence of interstitial oxygen molecules in glassy ${\mathrm{SiO}}_{2}$ has been demonstrated directly by 1064.1 nm $({\ensuremath{\nu}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0)\ensuremath{\rightarrow}({\ensuremath{\nu}}^{\ensuremath{'}}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1)$ excitation of the forbidden ${O}_{2}$ molecule $^{1}\ensuremath{\Delta}_{g}({\ensuremath{\nu}}^{\ensuremath{'}}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0)\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{3}\ensuremath{\Sigma}_{g}({\ensuremath{\nu}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0)$ luminescence transition at 1272 nm in Suprasil W1 fused silica. The interstitial ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ molecules, introduced into glass network during the synthesis process, are destroyed by vacuum ultraviolet or neutron irradiation. Mobile O atoms may play an important role in radiation processes in ${\mathrm{SiO}}_{2}$. The directly photoexcited luminescence of ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ could be used to detect the presence of ${O}_{2}$ in other solid state matrices as well.
Software Defined Networking for Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey

One main feature of Software Defined Networking (SDN) is the basic principle of decoupling a device’s control plane from its data plane. This simplifies network management and gives network administrators a remarkable control over the network elements. As the control plane for each device within the network is now implemented on a separate controller, this reliefs individual devices from the overhead caused by complex routing. Specifically, this feature has been shown to be extremely beneficial in the case of resource-constrained Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). By keeping the control logic away from the low-powered nodes, the WSNs can resolve their major issues of resource underutilisation and counter-productivity. This paper highlights the importance of adopting the SDN in the WSNs as a relatively new networking paradigm. This is introduced through a comprehensive survey on relevant networking paradigms and protocols supported by a critical evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of these mechanisms. Furthermore, open research issues and challenges are pointed out shedding a light on future innovations in this field.
Pathogenesis of H5N1 influenza virus infections in mice and ferret models differs according to respiratory tract or digestive system exposure.

BACKGROUND Epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory data suggest that H5N1 influenza viruses are transmitted through and predominantly affect the respiratory system of mammals. Some data suggest digestive system involvement. However, direct evidence of alimentary transmission and infection in mammals is lacking. METHODS Infection with and pathogenesis of 4 H5N1 viruses were assessed in mice and ferrets inoculated intranasally or intragastrically with virus in liquid. In addition, ferrets were fed infected raw chicken meat or minced meat administered into the stomach by gavage with a tube. RESULTS Only one virus, A/Whooper swan/Mongolia/244/05, was able to infect mice after intragastric inoculation in liquid, whereas no evidence of infection was observed in ferrets after intragastric inoculation. Consumption of infected meat by ferrets resulted in respiratory system infection only (due to A/Muscovy duck/Vietnam/209/05 and A/Whooper swan/Mongolia/244/05 viruses) or in both severe respiratory and systemic infection with predominant involvement of the liver, pancreas, and large and small intestine (due to A/Vietnam/1203/04 virus). Direct intragastric exposure to infected meat (A/Vietnam/1203/04 virus) resulted in lethal systemic disease mainly affecting the intestine, liver, and pancreas but not involving the lungs. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrated that exposure of the digestive system to H5N1 influenza viruses could initiate infection either through the tonsil, with spread to respiratory tissues, or through intestinal infection, with spread to the liver and pancreas.
Antioxidant Flavonoids : Structure , Function and Clinical Usage

Flavonoids occur in most plant species, and account for a significant percentage of the chemical constituents of some; e.g. dried green tea leaves contain approximately 30% flavonoids by weight. Flavonoids have been shown to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antimutagenic, antiviral, antineoplastic, anti-thrombotic, and vasodilatory activity. The potent antioxidant activity of flavonoids—their ability to scavenge hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anions, and lipid peroxy radicals—may be the most important function of flavonoids, and underlies many of the above actions in the body. Oxidative damage is implicated in most disease processes, and epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory research on flavonoids and other antioxidants suggest their use in the prevention and treatment of a number of these. Catechin and its derivatives, oligomeric proanthocyanidins, quercetin and quercetin chalcone, Ginkgo flavone glycosides, silymarin, and others can be utilized in preventative and treatment protocols for cardiovascular disease, cancer, inflammatory conditions, asthma, periodontal disease, liver disease, cataracts and macular degeneration. (Alt Med Rev 1996;1(2):103-111)
Purely cubic action for string field theory.

We show that Witten's open--bosonic-string field-theory action and a closed-string analog can be written as a purely cubic interaction term. The conventioanl form of the action arises by expansion around particular solutions of the classical equations of motion. The explicit background dependence of the conventional action via the Becchi-Ronet-Stora-Tyutin operator is eliminated in the cubic formulation. A closed-form expression is found for the full nonlinear gauge transformation law.
On using gait to enhance face extraction for visual surveillance

Visual surveillance finds increasing deployment for monitoring urban environments. Operators need to be able to determine identity from surveillance images and often use face recognition for this purpose. Unfortunately, the quality of the recorded imagery can be insufficient for this task. This study describes a programme of research aimed to ameliorate this limitation. Many face biometrics systems use controlled environments where subjects are viewed directly facing the camera. This is less likely to occur in surveillance environments, so it is necessary to handle pose variations of the human head, low frame rate, and low resolution input images. We describe the first use of gait to enable face acquisition and recognition, by analysis of 3D head motion and gait trajectory, with super-resolution analysis. The face extraction procedure consists of three stages: i) head pose estimation by a 3D ellipsoidal model; ii) face region extraction by using a 2D or a 3D gait trajectory; and iii) frontal face extraction and reconstruction by estimating head pose and using super-resolution techniques. The head pose is estimated by using a 3D ellipsoidal model and non-linear optimisation. Region- and distance-based feature refinement methods are used and a direct mapping from the 2D image coordinate to the object coordinate is developed. In face region extraction the potential face region is extracted based on the 2D gait trajectory model when a person walks towards a camera. We model a looming field and show how this field affects the image sequences of the human walking. By fitting a 2D gait trajectory model the face region can then be tracked. For the general case of the human walking a 3D gait trajectory model and heel strike positions are used to extract the face region in 3D space. Wavelet decomposition is used to detect the gait cycle and a new heel strike detection method is developed. In face extraction a high resolution frontal face image is reconstructed with low resolution face images by analysing super-resolution. Based on the head pose and 3D ellipsoidal model the invalid low resolution face images are filtered and the frontal view face is reconstructed. By adapting the existing super-resolution the high resolution frontal face image can be synthesised, which is demonstrated to be suitable for face recognition. The contributions of this research include the construction of a 3D model for pose estimation from planar imagery and the first use of gait information to enhance the face extraction and recognition process allowing for deployment in surveillance scenarios.
Ptc1 and Ptc2 transcripts provide distinct readouts of Hedgehog signaling activity during chick embryogenesis.

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in vertebrates controls patterning and differentiation of a broad range of tissues during development. The Hh receptor Patched (Ptc) is a critical regulator of signaling, maintaining active repression of the pathway in the absence of stimulation, limiting excess diffusion of ligand, and providing an efficient negative feedback mechanism for fine-tuning the responsiveness of receiving cells. Two distinct Ptc genes have been isolated from several vertebrates. Here, we describe the cloning of a second Ptc gene from chick (Ptc2). We show that Ptc1 and Ptc2 are both upregulated at sites of active Hh signaling but that the expression patterns of these genes only partially overlap, thus providing distinct readouts of Hh pathway stimulation. We also show that chick Ptc2 is expressed in the posterior apical ectodermal ridge (AER) of the limb bud in a pattern similar to Fgf4 and that the induction of Ptc2 within the AER, like that of Fgf4, is mediated via antagonism of BMP signaling. The differential responsiveness of cells to Hh pathway stimulation (as marked by the differential induction of Ptc genes) suggests heterogeneity in the mechanisms by which Hh signals are transduced within different populations of receiving cells.
On the 1-Nucleolus for Classes of Cooperative Games

This paper analyzes the 1-nucleolus and, in particular, its relation to the nucleolus and compromise value. It is seen that the 1-nucleolus of a cooperative game can be characterized using a combination of standard bankruptcy rules for associated bankruptcy problems. In particular, for any zero-normalized balanced game, the 1-nucleolus coincides with the Aumann-Maschler rule (Aumann and Maschler, 1985} in this sense. From this result, not only necessary conditions on a compromise stable game are derived such that the 1-nucleolus and the nucleolus coincide, but also necessary and sufficient conditions such that the 1-nucleolus and the compromise value of exact games coincide.
Improvement in high-k (HfO/sub 2//SiO/sub 2/) reliability by incorporation of fluorine

We demonstrate that negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) of high-k (HfO<sub>2</sub>/SiO<sub>2</sub>) gate stacks are significantly improved by incorporating fluorine and engineering its concentration profile. We find that F piles up at HfO<sub>2</sub>/SiO <sub>2</sub> interface and diffuses into the underlying SiO<sub>2</sub>/Si interface. The HfO<sub>2</sub>/SiO<sub>2</sub> stack with F shows significantly less CV hysteresis, positive charge trapping and interface states generation compared to control samples without F under the same negative bias condition. F is believed to form stronger Hf-F and Si-F bonds compared to Hf-H and Si-H bonds which improve the reliability of HfO<sub>2</sub>/SiO<sub>2</sub>
Space phasor based HCC for shunt active power filter with reduced average switching frequency

In this paper a space phasor based hysteresis current controller (SPHCC) is proposed for Shunt Active Power Filter (SAPF) based on 2-level inverter. All the inherent advantages of space phasor based approach remains intact in it including optimal voltage phasor switching and reduced average switching frequency compared to that of a conventional On-Off HCC. Computation of online current error boundary of the proposed HCC is simple which can also be implemented easily in a digital platform. This paper in its present scope of study focuses on desktop simulation based results to validate salient features of the proposed controller. A grid connected Diode Bridge Rectified (DBR) load and a SAPF system is considered here to show the reduction in average switching frequency for proposed HCC operation using 2-level inverter, in comparison to that of a conventional On-Off HCC.
Time trends in BMI, body fatness, and adiposity rebound among boys from Kraków (Poland) from 1983 to 2010

The prevalence of childhood obesity has been increasing during the last decades in many countries, but less is known about secular trends in growth curves covering the whole childhood span. The main purpose of this study was to explore changes in body weight, height, BMI, percent body fat (%BF), adiposity rebound (AR), and pubertal timing in boys from Kraków between 1983 and 2010.
The Role and Use of Estrogens Following Trauma

ABSTRACT Several lines of evidence indicate that female sex is a protective factor in trauma and hemorrhage. In both clinical and experimental studies, proestrus females have been shown to have better chances of survival and reduced rates of posttraumatic sepsis. Estrogen receptors are expressed in a variety of tissues and exert genomic, as well as nongenomic effects. By improving cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic, and immune function, estrogens have been shown to prolong survival in animal models of hemorrhagic shock. Despite encouraging results from experimental studies, retrospective clinical studies have not clearly pointed to advantages of estrogens following trauma-hemorrhage, which may be due to insufficient study design. Therefore, this review aims to give an overview on the current evidence and emphasizes on the importance of further clinical investigation on estrogens following trauma.
On detection of pathological tremor in electroencephalograms

This study examines the feasibility of online detection of tremor-related component in noninvasively acquired multichannel electroencephalographic (EEG) signals. In particular, performances of different feature extraction techniques, ranging from time-frequency and time-scale analysis to blind source separation of EEG signals are mutually compared and their suitability for online tremor detection in EEG discussed. The results on EEG signals from five tremor-affected patients demonstrate that, under constraint of high frequency resolution, the time-frequency analysis combined with support vector machine classifiers offers acceptable accuracy in tremor detections (sensitivity > 90 % at specificity of 90 % or above). The other tested approaches either fail to reliably identify the presence of the tremor-related EEG component or suffer from large inter-subject and/or inter-trail variability.
Angiogenesis inhibiting capacity of Basella rubra and Syszygium cumini fruit extracts using chorioallantoic membrane assay

Angiogenesis is a physiological process of new blood vessel development from pre-existing capillaries. This process is also the main qualification for tumor growth and plays a vital role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Nevertheless, angiogenesis inhibitors can be used to impede abnormal blood vessel growth. The study was conducted to assess angiogenesis inhibiting potential of B. rubra (Alugbati) and S. cumini (Lumboy) fruit extracts as cell mass growth retardants using Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) Assay in Anas platyrhyncho (common Duck) embryo. The treatments were individually compared to Retinol palmitate as positive control and 0.9% sterilized normal saline solution as negative control. Data were gathered and analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Least Significant Difference (LSD) to test for the significant anti-angiogenic activity and pair-wise comparison among the treatments respectively using a p-value of less than 0.01. Analysis showed that there is no significant difference between the fruit extracts and positive control while a significant difference between the fruit extracts and negative control was observed. Both treatments showed very good anti-angiogenic effect with average scores of 1.33 and 1.67 respectively compared to the positive control with a scoring averaging of 1.78. Furthermore, toxicity test is recommended for both treatments.