Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The mechanism of action of probiotics

Purpose of review Probiotics are a heterogeneous group of nonpathologic bacteria that are functionally defined by their ability to allay inflammation when introduced into the inflamed intestine. The purpose of this review is to discuss recent data bearing on the possible mechanisms of action of these bacteria, with a particular focus on the relation of these mechanisms to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease, their main arena of use. Recent findings Studies of probiotic activity in recent years provide evidence that probiotics counter experimental and human gastrointestinal inflammation (human inflammatory bowel disease) by their effects on epithelial cell function, including epithelial cell barrier function, epithelial cytokine secretion, and their antibacterial effects relating to colonization of the epithelial layer. In addition, there is emerging evidence that probiotics induce regulatory T cells that act as a break on the effector T cells that would otherwise cause inflammation. Summary This review of probiotics and inflammatory bowel disease marshals support for the concept that administration of probiotics ameliorates inflammation by exerting positive effects on the epithelial cell dysfunction and mucosal immune system dysfunction that forms the basis of the inflammation.
Ribosomal Protein S6 Interacts with the Latency-Associated Nuclear Antigen of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus

ABSTRACT The latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) is central to the maintenance of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and to the survival of KSHV-carrying tumor cells. In an effort to identify interaction partners of LANA, we purified authentic high-molecular-weight complexes of LANA by conventional chromatography followed by immunoprecipitation from the BC-3 cell line. This is the first analysis of LANA-interacting partners that is not based on forced ectopic expression of LANA. Subsequent tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis identified many of the known LANA-interacting proteins. We confirmed LANA's interactions with histones. Three classes of proteins survived our stringent four-step purification procedure (size, heparin, anion, and immunoaffinity chromatography): two heat shock proteins (Hsp70 and Hsp96 precursor), signal recognition particle 72 (SRP72), and 10 different ribosomal proteins. These proteins are likely involved in structural interactions within LANA high-molecular-weight complexes. Here, we show that ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6) interacts with LANA. This interaction is mediated by the N-terminal domain of LANA and does not require DNA or RNA. Depletion of RPS6 from primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) cells dramatically decreases the half-life of full-length LANA. The fact that RPS6 has a well-established nuclear function beyond its role in ribosome assembly suggests that RPS6 (and by extension other ribosomal proteins) contributes to the extraordinary stability of LANA.
P‐glycoprotein and multidrug resistance‐associated protein, but not lung resistance protein, lower the intracellular daunorubicin accumulation in acute myeloid leukaemic cells

The in vitro intracellular daunorubicin accumulation (IDA) of blast cells from 69 patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) was correlated with the expression and functional activity of the multidrug resistance (MDR) proteins, P‐glycoprotein (Pgp), multidrug resistance‐associated protein (MRP) and lung‐resistance protein (LRP). An inverse and significant association was found between IDA and Pgp‐related efflux activity (r = −0.31, P = 0.01) and also MRP (r = −0.25, P = 0.04) but not with LRP (r = −0.13, P = 0.28). Coexpression of the MDR proteins had an additive effect in further lowering of IDA levels, suggesting that the clinical MDR phenotype is dependent on the sum of multiple MDR factors available to the leukaemic cell. Thus, the median IDA of leukaemic cells without any MDR proteins was significantly higher than that of blasts carrying two MDR proteins (0.466 vs. 0.296, P = 0.046). Seven patients with no expression of Pgp, MRP and LRP still had low IDA levels, suggesting the presence of efflux MDR mechanisms other than those studied. The relation of IDA to clinical parameters known to be associated with poor prognosis, such as age, secondary AML, karyotype, peripheral blood blast and CD34 counts, was also studied, but no significance was found on multifactorial analysis. There was a non‐significant trend for earlier relapse in patients with low IDA levels (leukaemia‐free survival of 16.3 months compared with 21.1 months in patients with high IDA levels). Our data suggest that, while the IDA assay is a quick and relatively easy test for the combined efflux MDR phenotype, it is unable to detect other MDR mechanisms, such as LRP, which may be important to the clinical outcome of patients with AML.
Learning from the Past to Reinvent the Future

It is a great pleasure to be in Seoul today, to address this very timely conference, and to open up our discussions on lessons from East Asia and the global financial crisis. Before sharing a few initial thoughts on the topic of the conference, let me thank our host, the government of the Republic of Korea, and our partners in this initiative for their extraordinary generosity. I also wish to thank the participants, many of whom have traveled across the globe to share their experience and ideas on how to deal with the current global crisis, which is the most serious crisis since the Great Depression. There have been signs that the global downturn might be bottoming out: a recovery of stock markets, a decline in interest rate spreads, and improved business and consumer confidence. It is probably too early to know if some of these positive signs simply reflect the mechanic effect of the expansionary monetary policies adopted by almost all central banks and the fiscal stimulus packages under implementation around the world. Moreover, there are also many worrisome signs on the global economic horizon. Unemployment is still rising in most economies, and capacity utilization rates are low. In most of the Western world, housing prices are still on the decline, as the oversupply of homes, tight credit conditions, and foreclosures continue to hamper the market. While mortgage rates are low and houses are, in principle, more affordable than at any time since 1980, rising unemployment is pushing more and more people to default on their home loans and foreclosures will continue to rise. The risks of a double-dip recession or a “W”-shaped recovery are still present in many parts of the world. Even after global output growth begins to pick up, unemployment may continue to rise as capacity utilization rates remain low across the world. The International Labour Organization projects that unemployment will rise by 30 million worldwide
Semi-active vibration control using self-sensing synchronized switch damping on negative capacitance

In recent years, semi-active vibration control using synchronized switching damping on negative capacitance (SSDNC) has been presented. However, the standard SSDNC relies heavily on the external sensors and equipment to control the switches. This paper presents a self-sensing semi-active vibration control method using SSDNC for piezoelectric vibration suppression. The advantage of the new method is no external sensors are required. The piezoelement is used not only as actuator but also sensor. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated by comparing with self-sensing SSDI (synchronized switching damping on Inductor). Theoretical computation and experimental results show a remarkable effectiveness for vibration suppression.
Relationship of Siderophore-Mediated Iron Assimilation to Virulence in Crown Gall Disease

Three classes of mutants defective in the biosynthesis of the siderophore agrobactin were isolated from Agrobacterium tumefaciens A217 after N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis. Class I mutants produced uniquely the catechol 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, whereas classes II and III produced no detectable catechol. Class II differed from class III mutants in that exogenous 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid was utilized only by the former to synthesize agrobactin. Growth of strains B6 and A217, under iron starvation, led to enhanced production of several envelope proteins migrating in the 80,000-dalton range upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. One mutant, defective in agrobactin iron utilization, lacked one of these proteins. This protein may represent a siderophore receptor or fragment or subunit thereof. With a single exception, all of the mutants obtained in this work were capable of initiating tumorous growth in sunflower plants and on carrot root disks, provided pTiB6806 was present. Comparison of the catechols produced by strain B6806 and its nononcogenic, Ti-plasmid-deficient derivative A217, indicated that the genes encoding agrobactin synthesis are not associated with the virulence plasmid of A. tumefaciens B6806. Analysis of gall tissue for agrobactin did not reveal the presence of this siderophore. Finally, citrate, an iron-carrier in plants, enhanced significantly the growth of the agrobactin-deficient mutants in a low-iron medium. These results suggest that the production of agrobactin in planta is not requisite to infection and that citrate may serve as an alternative carrier of iron for A. tumefaciens within the host.
Repair of Intractable Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea with Mucosal Flaps and Recombinant Human Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor: Technical Case Report

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE:Repair of a cerebrospinal fluid leak is not always easy, especially when a large fistula, with concomitant infection and injured mucosa, has developed from repeated transsphenoidal operations. We repaired such a sellar floor defect with mucosal flaps via the endonasal endoscopic approach and finally obliterated the fistula by promoting granulation-like tissue formation with recombinant human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). CLINICAL PRESENTATION:A 27-year-old woman with intractable cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea was referred to our department after repeated operations for a relapsing Rathke’s cleft cyst. Endonasal endoscopic examination revealed a large bone defect on the sellar floor through which previously packed fat and fascia were exposed to the nasal cavity. INTERVENTION:Mucosal flaps were harvested endoscopically from the nasal septum and the superior and middle turbinates. These pedicled flaps were transposed to the sellar defect. The flaps survived but did not cover the whole area, resulting in gaps between the flaps through which cerebrospinal fluid still leaked. Recombinant bFGF was repeatedly applied endoscopically to the mucosal flaps. The flaps turned into granulation-like tissue, and complete mucosal covering was finally achieved. CONCLUSION:bFGF has a wide range of biological effects, including stimulation of fibroblast growth and promotion of angiogenesis. It accelerates wound healing and is used clinically to treat dermal ulcers. The method presented here to treat an intractable fistula with mucosal flap and recombinant bFGF may suggest a new clinical application of bFGF. This possibility should be examined in a large number of patients in the future.
Organ System Failure Scoring System Can Predict Hospital Mortality in Critically Ill Cirrhotic Patients

Goals This study was conducted to assess and compare the accuracy of Child-Pugh classification and organ system failure (OSF) scores, obtained on the first day of ICU admission, in predicting the hospital mortality in critically ill cirrhotic patients. Background Cirrhotic patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) are associated with high mortality rates. The prognosis of critically ill cirrhotic patients is determined by the extent of hepatic and extrahepatic organ dysfunction. Study A total of 111 patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis were admitted to medical ICU from July 2001 to June 2002. Information considered necessary to compute the Child-Pugh and OSF scores on the first day of ICU admission was prospectively collected. Results The overall hospital mortality rate was 64.9%. Liver disease was most commonly attributed to hepatitis B viral infection. The OSF scores demonstrate a good fit using the Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. Meanwhile, by using the areas under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve, the OSF scores demonstrated an excellent discriminative power (AUROC 0.901), whereas the performance of Child-Pugh scores is clearly poorer (AUROC 0.748). Conclusion This investigation confirms that the prognosis for cirrhotic patients admitted to ICU is grave. The OSF score is a simple, reproducible, and easily applied tool with excellent prognostic abilities that can provide objective information for patients' families and physicians and supplement the clinical judgment of prognosis.
Three essays on human capital and labor markets for college graduates in Colombia

This research analyzes the relationship among human capital accumulation, return to education, and migration, for university graduates in Colombia. Taking advantage of newly available data on the graduate tests scores administered at the end of high school and at the end of college, information on labor market outcomes, and location; I use different models to study how much human capital is accumulated during college, how this capital is rewarded in the labor market, and how these incentives lead to reallocation of human capital across regions in Colombia by analyzing migration decisions. The first chapter is based on the uniqueness of the national tests scores in Colombia where the same students take standardized test both at the end of high school and at the end of college. I use these scores to estimate the value added of college education by university and then aggregate it by region using an Average Residual model. I define 10 regions in the country and rank universities according to value added, presenting rankings by region. I find that public universities outperform private ones in terms of value added, for the regions on the top 5. These results suggest that public universities generate higher value added compared to private universities, also that universities in the regions where the main cities are located outperform universities in second-tier cities. This regional disparity is relevant, since the development process
Designing a Network of Coral Reef Marine Protected Areas in Hainan Island, South China

ABSTRACT Overexploitation of reef resources and increasing coastal tourism have severely damaged the health of coral reef ecosystems around Hainan Island, South China. Only some reef sites are protected, and the effectiveness of the marine protected areas (MPA) appears inadequate. Networks of MPAs have been widely proposed as a more effective tool for reef conservation. However, little is known about the overall state of the island's coral reefs, and no guidelines exist for MPA network building in China. In this study, the information currently available on the distribution and condition of Hainan's coral reefs is comprehensively used to assess reef status, and to identify other reef areas prior to protection. An MPA network around the island is proposed in terms of monitoring, legal, and management aspects to improve the conservation effectiveness. This could also serve as a model for developing MPA networks for other coastal areas with respect to coral reef conservation.
Beating Threshold Targets with Earnings Management

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to document at the firm specific level (1) whether firms manage earnings up or down to barely miss or meet/beat three common earnings threshold targets: analysts' forecasts, last year's earnings, and zero earnings, and (2) whether the market rewards or punishes up vs. down earnings management. Design/methodology/approach - We assign each firm to its most likely earnings target using an algorithm that reflects management’s economic incentives to manage earnings. We place reported (managed) earnings in standard width intervals surrounding the earnings target. The Jacob & Jorgensen (2007) proxy for unmanaged earnings is also placed into the intervals. Thus, a firm with unmanaged earnings in the interval just below the target and reported earnings in the interval just above the target, would be deemed to have managed earnings up. We also document whether the market rewarded or punished the earnings management strategy with three-day CAR’s. Findings - We find that most firms which barely meet/beat their target did so by managing earnings up. The market rewarded this earnings management strategy. The market did not, however, reward firms that managed earnings down (i.e., created a cookie jar of reserves) to barely meet/beat their target. Thus, the meet/beat premium does not apply to all firms. Our explanation is that most earnings targets are set by analysts’ forecasts, that these are usually the highest of the three targets, and that these are, therefore, considered to be “good” firms by the market because they have the ability to find that extra penny to meet/beat the target. Firms that were assigned to last year’s earnings and/or zero earnings thresholds, are not as “good” because they usually do not target the highest threshold and must manage earnings down because they are more likely to have to reverse income increasing accruals booked during interim quarters. Research limitations/implications - The primary limitation in our study is the algorithm used to assign firms to their threshold target. It is ad hoc in nature, but relies on reasonable assumptions about management’s incentives to manage earnings. Practical implications - Our study has practical implications because investors and regulators can adopt this methodology to identify potential candidates for earnings management that would allow further insight into accounting and reporting practices. This methodology may also be useful to the auditor who wants to understand the tendencies a new client. It may also be a useful tool for framing auditing hypotheses in a way that would be appropriate for clients who manage earnings. Originality/value - This paper documents for the first time at the firm specific level the market reaction to upward vs. downward earnings management designed to barely meet/beat the earnings threshold. It also documents the frequency with which firms target the three earnings thresholds and the frequency with which firms miss or meet/beat their threshold.
Application component development of OSGi & JBPM -based RFID middleware

With the daily increasingly wide application of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, the complexity and diversity of these applications embarks the RFID middleware architecture a prevailing trend. However, the difference among enterprise-level applications increases the difficulty when developing applications above the RFID middleware. This paper presents a solution based on workflow technology, which provides component-based development for RFID middleware applications. It begins with the strategy of component generation and dynamic management based on OSGi (Open Service Gateway Initiative) framework and jBPM (Java Business Process Management) workflow engine. Then it proposes the extraction, generation and dynamic management of RFID application components, which enables component reuse and plug & play in the RFID business process, simplifies the reuse of RFID application workflow. Finally, it validates the proposal via an example of Warehouse Management System based on RFID middleware.
Cognitive reappraisal modulates performance following negative feedback in patients with major depressive disorder

Background Depressed patients show impaired performance following negative feedback; the probability of committing an error is increased immediately after an error. This deficit is assumed to be highly specific and to represent a trait marker of major depressive disorder (MDD). Inconsistencies in currently available data could reflect inter-individually different strategies to regulate negative affect. The present study examined modulation of performance following negative feedback by cognitive reappraisal to regulate aversive affect in depressed patients. Method Thirty-three depressed patients and 33 control subjects performed tasks of varying difficulty over a prolonged time. Emotional feedback was given immediately after each trial. Performance was further analysed within subgroups using cognitive reappraisal of aversive events with high and low frequency. Results A significant group by task difficulty interaction for absolute number of subsequent errors revealed that depressed patients were especially impaired when receiving negative feedback more frequently. An increased probability of subsequent errors was shown in patients irrespective of task difficulty. Analysis of subgroups revealed higher absolute number and probability of subsequent errors only in depressed patients habitually not using cognitive reappraisal to regulate aversive emotions. Depressed patients using this strategy did not differ from controls. Conclusions The present results replicate the observation of impaired performance in depressed patients following failure feedback. Most importantly, a subgroup of patients who habitually rely on cognitive reappraisal of aversion-eliciting events, such as negative performance feedback, was not impaired. This modulatory influence of emotion regulation strategies on performance subsequent to negative feedback suggests that training emotion regulation in achievement situations should be incorporated in current concepts to prevent relapse.
Networked guaranteed cost control of uncertain systems with fast-varying delay and packet-dropout

This paper is concerned with the networked guaranteed cost control of uncertain systems with both time-varying network-induces delay and data dropout. Using LMI approach, new criteria are proposed for the networked guaranteed cost controller design. The new criteria are irrelevant to the bound of the derivative of the delay, no constrain is imposed to the matrix structure. A numerical example is given to illustrate the proposed method.
Ketogenic diet for epilepsy.

BACKGROUND The ketogenic diet is a diet high in fat but low in carbohydrate and it is suggested that this diet reduces seizure frequency. Currently, this diet is used mainly for children who continue to have seizures despite treatment with antiepileptic drugs. OBJECTIVES To overview the evidence from randomized controlled trials regarding the effects of ketogenic diets. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Epilepsy Group trials register (26 March 2003), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library issue 1, 2003), MEDLINE (January 1966 to March 2003) and EMBASE (1980 to March 2003). SELECTION CRITERIA Randomized controlled trials of ketogenic diets for people with epilepsy. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We planned for two reviewers to independently apply inclusion criteria and extract data. MAIN RESULTS No randomized controlled trials were found. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS There is no reliable evidence from randomized controlled trials to support the use of ketogenic diets for people with epilepsy. There are large observational studies, some prospective, suggesting an effect on seizures. These effects need validating in randomized controlled trials. For those with a difficult epilepsy on multiple antiepileptic drugs, we consider the ketogenic diet a possible option.