Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation by accelerometry of walking pattern before falls in hemiplegic patients

Hemiplegic patients often fall because of a lack of balance-during walking. They can become bed-ridden, or suffer failing syndrome after falling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the walking pattern just prior to falls among high-risk patients in a rehabilitation setting. A triaxial accelerometer was fixed to the subject's waist, and the triaxial acceleration signals were recorded. Thirty-one subjects walked down a corridor under supervision. The data were digitized at a sampling rate of 200 Hz, and analysed using a discrete wavelet transform. The variables required to evaluate falls were related to the reconstructed signal at level -3. We classified falls into three types. In Type 1 falls, the impact acceleration signals in the vertical direction were larger in walking just prior to a fall. In Type 2 falls, small impact acceleration signals in the vertical direction were observed. In Type 3 falls, the walking cycle changed irregularly just prior to a fall and the impact acceleration was larger and smaller before the fall. From these results, falls were evaluated. The next step will be predicting falls.
DNA-Binding Activities of the HilC and HilD Virulence Regulatory Proteins of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium

ABSTRACT The HilC and HilD proteins of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium are members of the AraC/XylS family of transcription regulators. They are encoded on Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI1) and control expression of the hilA gene, which encodes the major transcriptional activator for many genes encoded on SPI1 and elsewhere that contribute to invasion of host cells. Gel electrophoretic shift and DNase footprinting assays revealed that purified HilC and HilD proteins can bind to multiple regions in the hilA and hilC promoters and to a single region in the hilD promoter. Although both HilC and -D proteins can bind to the same DNA regions, they showed different dependencies on the sequence and lengths of their DNA targets. To identify the binding-sequence specificity of HilC and HilD, a series of single base substitutions changing each position in a DNA fragment corresponding to positions −92 to −52 of the hilC promoter was tested for binding to HilC and HilD in a gel shift DNA-binding assay. This mutational analysis in combination with sequence alignments allowed deduction of consensus sequences for binding of both proteins. The consensus sequences overlap but differ so that HilC can bind to both types of sites but HilD only to one. The hilA and hilC promoters contain multiple binding sites of each type, whereas the hilD promoter contains a site that binds HilC but not HilD without additional binding elements. The HilC and HilD proteins had no major effect on transcription from the hilA or hilD promoters using purified proteins in vitro but changed the choice of promoter at hilC. These results are consistent with a model derived from analysis of lacZ fusions stating that HilC and HilD enhance hilA expression by counteracting a repressing activity.
Peripheral B Cells May Serve as a Reservoir for Persistent Hepatitis C Virus Infection

A recent study by our group indicated that peripheral B cells in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). This raised the logical question of how HCV circumvents the antiviral immune responses of B cells. Because type I interferon (IFN) plays a critical role in the innate antiviral immune response, IFNβ expression levels in peripheral B cells from CHC patients were analyzed, and these levels were found to be comparable to those in normal B cells, which suggested that HCV infection failed to trigger antiviral immune responses in B cells. Sensing mechanisms for invading viruses in host immune cells involve Toll-like receptor-mediated and retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I)-mediated pathways. Both pathways culminate in IFN regulatory factor-3 (IRF-3) translocation into the nucleus for IFNβ gene transcription. Although the expression levels of RIG-I and its adaptor molecule, IFN promoter-stimulator-1, were substantially enhanced in CHC B cells, dimerization and subsequent nuclear translocation of IRF-3 were not detectable. TANK-binding kinase-1 (TBK1) and IĸB kinase Ε (IKKΕ) are essential for IRF-3 phosphorylation. Constitutive expression of both kinases was markedly enhanced in CHC B cells. However, reduced expression of heat shock protein of 90 kDa, a TBK1 stabilizer, and enhanced expression of SIKE, an IKKΕ suppressor, were observed in CHC B cells, which might suppress the kinase activity of TBK1/IKKΕ for IRF-3 phosphorylation. In addition, the expression of vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein-C, a putative inhibitor of HCV replication, was negligible in B cells. These results strongly suggest that HCV utilizes B cells as a reservoir for persistent infection.
Fluorescence‐based analysis of enzymes at the single‐molecule level

Enzymes, and proteins in general, consist of a dynamic ensemble of different conformations, which fluctuate around an average structure. Single‐molecule experiments are a powerful tool to obtain information about these conformations and their contributions to the catalytic reaction. In contrast to classical ensemble measurements, which average over the whole population, singlemolecule experiments are able to detect conformational heterogeneities, to identify transient or rare conformations, to follow the time series of conformational changes and to reveal parallel reaction pathways. A number of single‐molecule studies with enzymes have proven this potential showing that the activity of individual enzymes varies between different molecules and that the catalytic rate constants fluctuate over time. From a practical point of view this review focuses on fluorescence‐based methods that have been used to study enzymes at the single‐molecule level. Since the first proof‐of‐principle experiments a wide range of different methods have been developed over the last 10 years and the methodology now needs to be applied to answer questions of biological relevance, for example about conformational changes induced by allosteric effectors or mutations.
An Efficient Topological Characterization of Gray-Levels Textures, Using a Multiresolution Representation

Abstract For a given textured image we define a sequence of graphs {Ns(t)}s∈I(called MRCG), whereNs(t) is the number of 4-connected components with size ≥s, for the images thresholded witht. The sequence of graphs are computed in almost linear time complexity, where the input size is the number of pixels of the image, using only integer arithmetic. The MRCG is a multiresolution representation, which is very useful for texture characterization. Its properties as a texture characterizer are analyzed and demonstrated.
Interaction between Posaconazole and Caspofungin in Concomitant Treatment of Mice with Systemic Aspergillus Infection

ABSTRACT The interaction of posaconazole and caspofungin was evaluated in concomitant treatment of Aspergillus fumigatus (two strains) or A. flavus (one strain) systemic infections in immunocompetent mice. Survival curves for mice treated with the combinations were compared statistically with those for mice treated with the component monotherapies. No antagonism was observed.
The Impact of Exchange Rate Volatility on Real Total Export and Sub-Categories of Real Total Export of Malaysia

This study aims to investigate the impact of exchange rate volatility on real export in Malaysia. The moving standard deviation with order three (MSD(3)) is used for the measurement of exchange rate volatility. The conventional and partially asymmetric autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) models are used in the estimations. This study finds exchange rate volatility to have significant impact on real total export and some sub-categories of real total export. Moreover, this study finds that the positive or negative exchange rate volatility tends to have positive or negative impact on real export. Exchange rate volatility can be harmful to export of Malaysia. Keywords—Exchange rate volatility, autoregressive distributed lag, export, Malaysia.
Physiologic role for “inducible” nitric oxide synthase: A new form of astrocytic–neuronal interface

Nitric oxide (NO) has been long recognized as an atypical neuronal messenger affecting excitatory synaptic transmission, but its cellular source has remained unresolved as the neuronal isoform of NO synthase (nNOS) in many brain regions is expressed only by small subsets of inhibitory neurons. It is generally believed that the glial NO‐producing isoform (iNOS) is not expressed in the normal brain, but rather it undergoes a transcription‐mediated up‐regulation following an immunological challenge. Therefore, the involvement of iNOS in modulating normal neuronal functions has been largely ignored. Here I review evidence to the contrary: I summarize data pointing to the existence of a functioning iNOS in normal undisturbed mammalian brains, and experimental results tracing this expression to astrocytes. Finally, I review recent findings asserting that iNOS‐dependent NO modulates synaptic release from presynaptic terminals. Based on these data, I propose that astrocytes express basal levels of iNOS. Flanking synaptic elements, astrocytes are perfectly positioned to release NO and affect synaptic transmission. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Short-term gains in histology knowledge: A veterinary gaming application

Outcomes research exists incorporating non-digital games in veterinary education; however, little research examines outcomes from digital applications. Bauman’s Layered-Learning Model was applied to investigate whether a digital matching game produced short-term knowledge gains in veterinary students. Two groups of students (n1=67; n2=55) practiced the matching game for an hour. A Wilcoxon signed rank test tested for a statistically significant improvement in pretest/post-test scores. All statistical analyses were done using R. Mean and median pre-test scores were 15 (SD=1.88; IQR: 2) and post-test scores 16 (SD=1.80; IQR: 2). Mean and median pretest score for Group 2 were 13 (SD=2.30; IQR=2.5) and post-test scores 15 (SD=1.93; IQR=2.5). Both groups increased significantly in post-test scores (P value<.0001). Statistically significant short-term increases of marginal importance in histology knowledge was seen. A greater increase might be seen with quiz revision increasing difficulty and discrimination ability. Further directions should investigate long-term knowledge retention.
Motility of dendritic spines in visual cortex in vivo: Changes during the critical period and effects of visual deprivation

Cortical dendritic spines are highly motile postsynaptic structures onto which most excitatory synapses are formed. It has been postulated that spine dynamics might reflect synaptic plasticity of cortical neurons. To test this hypothesis, we have investigated spine dynamics during the critical period in mouse visual cortex in vivo with and without sensory deprivation. The motility of spines on apical dendrites of layer 5 neurons was assayed by time-lapse two-photon microscopy. Spines were motile at the ages examined, postnatal days (P)21–P42, although motility decreased between P21 and P28 and then remained stable through P42. Binocular deprivation from before the time of eye-opening up-regulated spine motility during the peak of the critical period (P28), without affecting average spine length, class distribution, or density. Deprivation at the start of the critical period had no effect on spine motility, whereas continued deprivation through the end of the critical period appeared to reduce spine motility slightly. We conclude that spine motility might be involved in critical-period plasticity and that reduction of activity during the critical period enhances spine dynamics.
Asthma in the workplace: a Canadian contribution and perspective.

Although there were previous relevant contributions to the field of asthma in the workplace (AWP), Professor Jack Pepys is rightly considered to be the father of the discipline (1). In the 1970s, he popularized the use of simulated exposure testing to confirm the diagnosis of occupational asthma (OA) and reported many different causes as well as agents responsible for OA. He trained many students from different parts of the world; some of whom migrated to Canada. Table 1 shows the developments in research in different aspects of OA over the past three decades, mostly by Canadian investigators. It should therefore come as no surprise that AWP is an important research theme in this country. TABLE 1 A summary of contributions of investigators before 1970 and of Canadian investigators in various aspects of occupational asthma (OA) in the past three decades
Badge Architectures as Tools for Sense-Making and Motivation in Engineering Education

In this paper we argue that badge architectures are narrative, material and performative repertoires which can be meaningfully employed to provide university students with a coherent understanding of education. Badge architectures function as powerful interpretative tools through which students make sense of their immediate learning world. However, the efficiency of badges in education depends on associated structures of distribution, procurement and display that articulate modes of participation within a local community of practice. By considering our experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of the badge system ‘RL Hit List’, we claim that more insightful perspectives emerge from considering motivation as a socio-technical accomplishment than as a state of mind. This view might be read as an invitation for designers and researchers to reconsider the intrinsic - extrinsic dichotomy in assessing the value of badges to motivate students.
The Effect of Maternal Obesity on Pregnancy Outcome in Correlation With Placental Pathology

Objectives: To investigate the effect of maternal obesity on pregnancy outcome and placental histopathology. Study Design: Pregnancy outcome and placental histology from term pregnancies were reviewed. Women were divided according to their prepregnancy body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) as normal weight (18-24.9) and obese (≥30). Pregnancy outcome and placental histology were compared between obese and normal weight women with complicated pregnancies, and with uncomplicated pregnancies, matched by mode of delivery. Placental lesions were classified as lesions of maternal or fetal vascular supply and maternal (MIR) and fetal (FIR) inflammatory responses. Results: Of the 1047 complicated pregnancies analyzed, 615 were with normal weight (BMI 21.7 ± 1.8) and 221 were obese (BMI 35.2 ± 4.3). Obesity was associated with higher rates of diabetes and hypertensive disorders (P = .001 for both), birth weight >90th, P < . 001, and cesarean delivery, P < . 001. Placental weight was higher in obese than in normal weight women, P < . 001. No difference was observed in the rate of placental lesions related to maternal or fetal vascular supply and MIR or FIR between the groups. However, higher rate of maternal placental vascular lesions (46.8% vs 28.2%, P = .012) was observed in uncomplicated obese women (n = 62) as compared with healthy normal weight (n = 124) uncomplicated controls. Conclusion: Pregnancy outcome is worse without different placental component in obese versus normal weight women, with complicated pregnancies. In uncomplicated pregnancies, more maternal placental vascular supply lesions exist in obese versus normal weight women, suggesting background placental compromise.
Enzymatic Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Rebaudioside D 3 , a Minor Steviol Glycoside of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

Rebaudioside D3, a novel steviol glycoside, is produced by specific UDP-glycosyltransferase of rebaudioside E, a minor steviol glycoside of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. The complete proton and carbon NMR spectral assignments of rebaudioside D3, 13-[(2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-6-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-Dglucopyranosyl) oxy] ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid-(2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-Dglucopyranosyl) ester, was achieved by the extensive 1D and 2D NMR (1H and 13C, TOCSY, HMQC, HMBC) as well as mass spectral data. Further, hydrolysis studies were performed on rebaudioside D3 using acid and enzymatic studies to identify aglycone and sugar residues in its structure. Rebaudioside D3 is detected in the commercial extract of the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana by LC-MS analysis, suggesting rebaudioside D3 is a natural steviol glycoside.
Validation of a pre-coded food diary used among 13-year-olds: comparison of energy intake with energy expenditure

Abstract Objective To validate energy intake (EI) estimated from pre-coded food diaries against energy expenditure (EE) measured with a validated position-and-movement monitor (ActiReg®) in groups of 13-year-old Norwegian schoolchildren. Design Two studies were conducted. In study 1 the monitoring period was 4 days; participants recorded their food intake for four consecutive weekdays using food diaries and wore the ActiReg® during the same period. In study 2 the monitoring period was 7 days; participants recorded their food intake for four consecutive days but wore the ActiReg® for a whole week. Settings Participants were recruited from grade 8 in a school in and one outside Oslo (Norway). Subjects Forty-one and 31 participants from study 1 and 2, respectively, completed the study. Results The group average EI was 34% lower than the measured EE in study 1 and 24% lower in study 2. The width of the 95% confidence limits of agreement in a Bland–Altman plot for EI and EE varied from -0.2 MJ to 8.2 MJ in study 1 and from -2.3 MJ to 6.9 MJ in study 2. The Pearson correlation coefficients between reported energy intake and expenditure were 0.47 (P = 0.002) in study 1 and 0.74 (P < 0.001) in study 2. Conclusion The data showed that there was substantial variability in the accuracy of the food diary at the individual level. Furthermore, the diary underestimated the average energy intake. The ability of the food diary to rank individuals according to energy intake was found to be good in one of the studies and moderate in the other.
Do noninherited maternal antigens (NIMA) enhance renal graft survival?

Abstract To test the hypothesis that noninherited maternal antigens (NIMA) can modulate the alloreactivity of infant cells and provide protection for renal transplant recipients, a study of renal transplantations performed between 1980 and 1991 was undertaken. The survival rate of grafts with a mismatched antigen identical to the NIMA was compared to that of grafts in which the mismatched antigen was not identical to the NIMA. In the case of HLA-A mismatches, graft survival rates were significantly better for NIMA-mismatched transplants: 94 % and 83 % at 1 and 3 years, respectively, for single NIMA HLA-A mismatched transplants, and 83 % and 67 % when both HLA-A antigens were mismatched, compared to 76 % and 68 % (one non-NIMA HLA-A mismatch) and 67 % and 45 % (two non-NIMA HLA-A mismatches). Our results suggest that some class I NIMA-mismatched antigens are not harmful to renal transplant recipients.
Lipidomics Investigations in Cell Biology

Cell membrane is the biological barrier serving as both territorial defense and the communication hinge for the interior of cell from its surroundings. As building blocks of cellular membranes and also precursor for second messengers, a variety of lipids play essential roles in cellular membrane dynamics as well as important functions such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, signal transduction and membrane trafficking modulation. Lipidomics, representing the systematic and integrative studies of diversified lipids (lipidome) in a biological system, is an emerging yet rapid developing field and hence requires advanced and complementary analytical techniques as well as multiple statistical tools. Our development of reliable analytical methodology (the advanced Mass Spectrometric and high-resolution NMR techniques) and application of multiple statitistical approaches (multivariate data analysis and univariate t-test) enable us to achieve these comprehensive understandings. We have investigated, first of all, the effects induced by hypoxia on cervical cancer derived cells (HeLa cells) to see how and how much the changes in phospholipids profile are able to get light into the targeted biological problem (hypoxia) and provide a preliminary insight into the underlying mechanisms. We found that hypoxia stimulation dramatically reduced the total amount of cellular phosphoinositols (PI) but prominently increased the amount of lyso phosphocholines (lyso-PC) and lyso phosphoethanolamines (lyso-PE). Moreover, our studies suggested the polyunsaturated phospholipids species as stronger biomarkers upon hypoxia treatment. The evaluation of changes in the average unsaturation index (UI) of the membrane lipids acyl chains revealed that UI slightly increased in several lipid classes, thus affecting membrane fluidity and further membrane-dependent functions. The plausible mechanisms by HeLa cells to adapt to hypoxia conditions are briefly reported as well. We have also conducted the comparative lipidomic studies of urothelial cancer cell line RT4 (a model system of a benign tumor) and T24 (a model system of a metastatic tumor) aiming to reveal probable roles and relevant differential changes of membrane lipids with respect to urinary bladder metastasis progress. Significant changes of lipids metabolism were found to correlate with urothelial nonmetastatic and metastatic cell models. The most remarkable finding was that the malignant cell type (T24) showed a strong decrease of ether PC species complemented by a sharp increase of the length and the average unsaturation number of lipids acyl chains. Ceramide-based sphinglipids also showed altered profiles in these two cell types. Such analyses suggest a certain significant re-organization of cellular membrane in malignant cell transformation, involving variations in compositional lipid structures and possible signaling transduction pathways. Observations of such reduction of the 1-alkyl PC species and the chain shortening of lipid species might serve as a tool in urinary bladder cancer intervention.
Genetic susceptibility to otitis media

Purpose of reviewOtitis media is a disease that is prevalent in the pediatric population, and recent twin and triplet studies have confirmed that there is a strong genetic component to susceptibility. Here, we summarize the status of current efforts to identify the specific genes underlying otitis media susceptibility and presentation. Recent findingsRecent studies have focused on identifying candidate genes. For example, IFN-γ polymorphisms, allotypes of the leukocyte IgG (FcγR) receptors and certain haplotypes of surfactant genes were linked in pilot studies to otitis media susceptibility. The pattern of gene expression during an episode of otitis media is also being elucidated with the overall goal of providing clues as to which of these modulated genes are polymorphic and thus potentially capable of affecting otitis media susceptibility. Mucin and cathepsin protease genes were shown to exhibit these characteristics. SummaryIn addition to the simple searches for linkages between known genes and otitis media, work is progressing within the context of genome-wide linkage studies. These efforts promise to answer some of the many questions remaining in otitis media susceptibility and pathogenesis. Abbreviations AOM: acute otitis media; MEE: middle-ear effusion; OME: otitis media with effusion; RSV: respiratory syncytial virus; RT–PCR: reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction.