Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[In vitro culture of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites in HFF and HeLa cells].

OBJECTIVE To study the proliferation of Toxoplasma gondii RH strain tachyzoites in human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cells and HeLa cells. METHODS HFF cells and HeLa cells were cultured in 35 mm cell culture dishes with glass cover slip. Confluent cells were co-cultured with tachyzoites which purified by 3 microm filter membrane. At 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, and 96 h after co-culture, the invasion of tachyzoites into the cells and proliferation in cells were observed with Giemsa staining. RESULTS In 4 h after co-culture, there were dozens of T. gondii tachyzoites in the HFF cells. At 24 h many pseudocysts emerged. At 72 h most of the cells were destroyed by tachyzoites. While cultured in HeLa cells for 8 h, there were only 3-5 tachyzoites in one cell, and pseudocysts emerged at 48 h. At 96 h after co-culture, most cells were destroyed. CONCLUSION Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites can be cultured in HFF cells and HeLa cells. The proliferation of tachyzoites in HFF cells was quicker than that in HeLa cells.
Circuit structure relations to redundancy and delay

The existence of redundant stuck-faults in a logic circuit is potentially detrimental to high-speed operation, especially when there are false paths that are longer than the circuit delay. Keutzer, Malik, and Saldanha (KMS) in IEEE transactions of Computer Aided Design, vol. 10, no. 4, p. 427, April 1991 have proved that redundancy is not necessary to reduce delay by presenting an algorithm that derives an equivalent irredundant circuit from a given redundant circuit, with no increase in delay. The KMS algorithm consists of an iterative loop of timing analysis, gate duplications, and redundancy removal to successively eliminate long false paths. In this paper we resolve the main bottlenecks of the KMS algorithm by providing an efficient single-pass algorithm to simultaneously remove all long false paths from a given circuit. We achieve this by relating a circuit structure property based on path lengths to the testability (redundancy) and delay. The application of this algorithm to a variety of related logic synthesis problems is described. >
Role of serum albumin in monitoring nutritional sta tus in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis is a communicable disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis. Serum albumin is a more accurate indicator of crucial fat -free mass and survival in patients treated for tub erculosis. Objective: To study the role of serum albumin as biochemical marker for monitoring the nutritional status in newl y diagnosed tuberculosis patients during treatment. Methodology: This was a longitudinal study carried out in Mahatm a Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry. All the patients who satisfi ed inclusion criteria received tuberculosis chemotherapy. All the indices like Weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Serum Albumin and sputum for Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) were estimated before start of treatment and followed up once in two months until completion of treatment. Results: Out of the 77 patients started the study, 50 patien ts completed the study. The pre-treatment mean weight, Body Mass Index and Serum albumin were 46.78kg, 17.22kg/m
Long-term Outcome and Causes of Death for Working-age Patients Hospitalized Due to Acute Pancreatitis With a Median Follow-up of 10 Years

Objective: To examine long-term survival and causes of death among working-age patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) compared with the normal population. Summary of Background Data: Few studies have investigated long-term survival after AP and recurrent AP compared with the normal population; moreover, results from those studies are difficult to compare, due to suboptimal control populations and wide variations in follow-up times. Methods: This retrospective, registry-based study included 1644 patients with AP, aged 18 to 64 years, admitted to Oulu University Hospital in 1995 to 2012. Patient data were compared with data from 8220 age- and sex-matched controls that resided in the hospital district area. Results: Alcohol was the main etiologic factor causing 71.4% of the cases. During the median follow-up time of 9.5 years, mortality was 24.2% in the study group and 6.3% in the control group (P < 0.001). Alcohol-related factors caused 39.4% of deaths and alcohol AP was the main single cause of death (16.3%) in the study group. Of all fatal AP cases, 42.9% were related to recurrence. Survival was similar among patients with nonalcohol AP and controls. Conclusion: The long-term mortality among patients admitted to the hospital due to (mainly alcohol induced) AP was 4 times higher than that in the age- and sex-matched control population. The significant difference in the causes of death between patients with alcohol AP and controls could be explained by alcohol-related diseases. Occurrences of AP without an alcohol etiology had a minimal impact on survival.
Immunoglobulin G fc-receptor (FcgammaR) IIA, IIIA, and IIIB polymorphisms related to disease severity in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE Fc receptors for IgG (FcyR) modulate immune responses. FcyR are expressed on various leukocytes and contain allelic polymorphisms with different capacity for IgG binding and phagocytosis. We investigated the distribution of FcgammaRIIA, FcgammaRIIIA, and FcgammaRIIIB polymorphisms in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and whether they were related to disease expression and severity. METHODS Ninety-six controls and 114 patients fulfilling American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for RA were genotyped for FcgammaRIIA, IIIA, and IIIB using polymerase chain reaction. Physician's global assessment of RA type estimated RA disease expression. In addition, usual measures of disease activity were recorded. RESULTS The genotype and allele frequencies did not differ significantly between the RA patients and the controls. Patients homo or heterozygous for the FcgammaRIIA arginine (R) allele had significantly more aggressive RA and swollen joints than patients homozygous for the FcgammaRIIA histidine (H) allele. Although there was a tendency of more severe disease among patients homo or heterozygous for the FcgammaRIIIA valine allele, there were no significant findings with the disease activity for the FcgammaRIIIA and FcgammaRIIIB genotypes. CONCLUSION FcgammaRIIA is implicated as a possible disease modifying gene in RA. Individuals homozygous for the FcgammaRIIA R allele have less efficient binding of IgG2 subclasses than individuals homozygous for the H allele. Less effective processing of circulating immune complexes in RA patients homozygous for the FcgammaRIIA R allele may therefore contribute to a more unfavorable course.
The WD40‐repeat protein CreC interacts with and stabilizes the deubiquitinating enzyme CreB in vivo in Aspergillus nidulans

Genetic dissection of carbon catabolite repression in Aspergillus nidulans has identified two genes, creB and creC, which, when mutated, affect expression of many genes in both carbon catabolite repressing and derepressing conditions. The creB gene encodes a functional deubiquitinating enzyme and the creC gene encodes a protein that contains five WD40 repeat motifs, and a proline‐rich region . These findings have allowed the in vivo molecular analysis of a cellular switch involving deubiquitination. We demonstrate that overexpression of the CreB deubiquitinating enzyme can partially compensate for a lack of the CreC WD40‐repeat protein in the cell, but not vice versa and, thus, the CreB deubiquitinating enzyme acts downstream of the CreC WD40‐repeat protein. We demonstrate using co‐immunoprecipitation ex‐periments that the CreB deubiquitinating enzyme and the CreC WD40‐repeat protein interact in vivo in both carbon catabolite repressing and carbon catabolite derepressing conditions. Further, we show that the CreC WD40‐repeat protein is required to prevent the proteolysis of the CreB deubiquitinating enzyme in the absence of carbon catabolite repression. This is the first case in which a regulatory deubiquitinating enzyme has been shown to interact with another protein that is required for the stability of the deubiquitinating enzyme.
Spatio-temporal Semantic Features for Human Action Recognition

Most approaches to human action recognition is limited due to the use of simple action datasets under controlled environments or focus on excessively localized features without sufficiently exploring the spatio-temporal information. This paper proposed a framework for recognizing realistic human actions. Specifically, a new action representation is proposed based on computing a rich set of descriptors from keypoint trajectories. To obtain efficient and compact representations for actions, we develop a feature fusion method to combine spatial-temporal local motion descriptors by the movement of the camera which is detected by the distribution of spatio-temporal interest points in the clips. A new topic model called Markov Semantic Model is proposed for semantic feature selection which relies on the different kinds of dependencies between words produced by “syntactic ” and “semantic” constraints. The informative features are selected collaboratively based on the different types of dependencies between words produced by short range and long range constraints. Building on the nonlinear SVMs, we validate this proposed hierarchical framework on several realistic action datasets.
OL‐protocadherin expression in the visual system of the chicken embryo

The expression of OL‐protocadherin, a homotypically binding cell adhesion molecule, was mapped in the visual system of the chicken embryo at intermediate to late stages of development (11–19 days of incubation). The expression was compared with that of four classic cadherins, described previously. OL‐protocadherin is expressed by the isthmooptic nucleus, its retinopetal projection, and possibly its retinal target neurons, the amacrine cells. Ganglion cells begin to express OL‐protocadherin at relatively late stages of development. The layers of the optic tectum, the projection neurons in the stratum griseum centrale, and the tectofugal pathways show differential OL‐protocadherin immunoreactivity. Several of the diencephalic target nuclei of the tectothalamic projection, such as the principal pretectal nucleus, subpretectal nucleus, and nucleus rotundus, contain distinct subregions or populations of neurons expressing OL‐protocadherin. In these centers, the expression pattern of OL‐protocadherin differs from that of the four classic cadherins, though it shows partial overlap with them. Other retinorecipient and/or tectorecipient nuclei (ventral geniculate nucleus, lateral dorsolateral nucleus, superficial synencephalic nucleus, pretectal area, and griseum tectale) also show a differential immunoreactivity for OL‐protocadherin and other cadherins. Some of these nuclei and the optic tectum display a similar sequence of cadherin expression from superficial to deep layers, in a pattern that may reflect mutual interconnections. This result indicates a partial conservation of cadherin expression across interconnected embryonic divisions, from the mesencephalon to the ventral thalamus. In conclusion, OL‐protocadherin is a marker for specific functional gray matter structures and neural circuits in the chicken visual system. J. Comp. Neurol. 470:240–255, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A comprehensive survey on genome sequence analysis

This paper is an attempt to highlight the fundamental approaches, algorithms and techniques being employed in interesting areas of Computational Biology. The comparative analysis of genomic sequences, micro-array technology, phylo-genetic tree, alignment matters, maximum sequence search and protein structure prediction are some of NP hard problems. There has been no direct solution proposed so far. Approximate and optimal solutions have been devised using different tools. We have compared different approaches in various domains with the aid of exemplary data. We assigned different weight values for relevant features and obtained scores in comparison and alignment phenomenon. We classified sequence analysis to be a broader domain encapsulating visualization, pattern recognition, motif concentration and structure prediction. Different techniques and approaches have been evaluated and compared. It was analyzed that some approaches suitable for certain domains may not be recommended to employ for other domains. The usefulness of this analysis has been explored and further future expectations have been described.
Two- and 3-dimensional knee valgus are reduced after an exercise intervention in young adults with demonstrable valgus during squatting.

CONTEXT Two-dimensional (or medial knee displacement [MKD]) and 3-dimensional (3D) knee valgus are theorized to contribute to anterior cruciate ligament injuries. However, whether these displacements can be improved in the double-legged squat (DLS) after an exercise intervention is unclear. OBJECTIVE To determine if MKD and 3D knee valgus are improved in a DLS after an exercise intervention. DESIGN Randomized controlled clinical trial. SETTING Research laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS A total of 32 participants were enrolled in this study and were randomly assigned to the control (n = 16) or intervention (n = 16) group. During a DLS, all participants demonstrated knee valgus that was corrected with a heel lift. INTERVENTION(S) The intervention group completed 10 sessions of directed exercise that focused on hip and ankle strength and flexibility over a 2- to 3-week period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) We assessed MKD and 3D knee valgus during the DLS using an electromagnetic tracking system. Hip strength and ankle-dorsiflexion range of motion were measured. Change scores were calculated for MKD and 3D valgus at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% phases, and group (2 levels)-by phase (6 levels) repeated-measures analyses of variance were conducted. Independent t tests were used to compare change scores in other variables (α < .05). RESULTS The MKD decreased from 20% to 50% of the DLS (P = .02) and 3D knee valgus improved from 30% to 50% of the squat phase (P = .001). Ankle-dorsiflexion range of motion (knee extended) increased in the intervention group (P = .009). No other significant findings were observed (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS The intervention reduced MKD and 3D knee valgus during a DLS. The intervention also increased ankle range of motion. Our inclusion criteria might have limited our ability to observe changes in hip strength.
Wide-angle infrared absorber based on a negative-index plasmonic metamaterial

A metamaterial-based approach in making a wide-angle absorber of infrared radiation is described. The technique is based on an anisotropic perfectly impedance-matched negative-index material PIMNIM . I t is shown analytically that a PIMNIM that is subwavelength in all three dimensions enables absorption close to 100% for incidence angles up to 45° to the normal. A specific implementation of such frequency-tunable PIMNIM based on plasmonic metamaterials is presented. Applications to infrared imaging and coherent thermal sources are described.
Square Pegs in a Round Hole: SEC Regulation of Online Peer-to-Peer Lending and the CFPB Alternative

Over the last decade, online person-to-person lending, also called peerto-peer or P2P lending, emerged as an alternative form of consumer borrowing and investing. It grew throughout the recession, even as consumer credit markets faltered, and it continues to grow today. P2P lending platforms match individuals looking to borrow with individuals looking to lend in anonymous online marketplaces. They offer attractive interest rates, debt consolidation, access to liquidity, and inexpensive diversification. Despite its growth, however, the P2P lending market faces significant challenges. In 2008, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") declared that notes issued by P2P lending platforms to be unregistered securities. This forced the platforms-as web startups-to register for initial public offerings. SEC regulation now creates substantial compliance costs, barriers to entry, and risks to consumers in the P2P lending market. P2P lending should therefore be exempted from SEC regulation and placed under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB').
Defects in mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis result in failure of multiple aspects of mitochondrial biogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis (mtFAS) shares acetyl‐CoA with the Krebs cycle as a common substrate and is required for the production of octanoic acid (C8) precursors of lipoic acid (LA) in mitochondria. MtFAS is a conserved pathway essential for respiration. In a genetic screen in Saccharomyces cerevisiae designed to further elucidate the physiological role of mtFAS, we isolated mutants with defects in mitochondrial post‐translational gene expression processes, indicating a novel link to mitochondrial gene expression and respiratory chain biogenesis. In our ensuing analysis, we show that mtFAS, but not lipoylation per se, is required for respiratory competence. We demonstrate that mtFAS is required for mRNA splicing, mitochondrial translation and respiratory complex assembly, and provide evidence that not LA per se, but fatty acids longer than C8 play a role in these processes. We also show that mtFAS‐ and LA‐deficient strains suffer from a mild haem deficiency that may contribute to the respiratory complex assembly defect. Based on our data and previously published information, we propose a model implicating mtFAS as a sensor for mitochondrial acetyl‐CoA availability and a co‐ordinator of nuclear and mitochondrial gene expression by adapting the mitochondrial compartment to changes in the metabolic status of the cell.
An animated on-line community with artificial agents

The article is a "report from the trenches" of work on interactive multimedia environments. We implemented a prototype computer system that combines aspects of an online community with aspects of a virtual reality environment. The purpose of the prototype is to explore the capabilities of current technology and to develop research directions for the future. <<ETX>>
Tobacco abuse relates to significantly reduced survival of patients with oropharyngeal carcinomas

This study represents an in-depth evaluation of the impact of smoking and alcohol consumption on patients' outcome in 809 cases of oropharyngeal carcinoma. Prognostic parameters and additional information such as smoking and drinking habits were evaluated referring to the patients' case notes at the time point of first diagnosis. The overall 10-year survival rate was 45.5%, whereas 33.4% of the patients remained relapse-free. The great majority (92%) of patients had a history of smoking or were current smokers, whereas only 8% of the collective never smoked in their lifetime. Interestingly, we found a significant reduction of 10-year survival rates for smokers (28.8%) in comparison with nonsmokers (43.1%) and exsmokers (P=0.0007). This study presents data from a large cohort of patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma providing evidence for a relationship between alcohol and tobacco consumption, and significantly worse prognosis.
Cell encapsulation with alginate and alpha-phenoxycinnamylidene-acetylated poly(allylamine).

In general, microcapsules prepared from alginate and polycations lack mechanical strength because the interaction between alginate and polycations is ionic instead of covalent, which represents a much stronger bond. To increase the mechanical strength of the capsule, we prepared photosensitive microcapsules that could form covalent bonds between polymers in the capsular membrane by light irradiation. Two types of photosensitive poly(allylamine), with 5% and 10% of amino groups modified by alpha-phenoxycinnamylidene acetylchloride, were synthesized. Both photopolymers exhibited an absorption maximum at 325 nm and were capable of crosslinking upon light exposure. These photosensitive polymers were used for the preparation of microcapsules. The capsules formed from this photosensitive poly(allylamine) and alginate were strengthened significantly by light irradiation. Only 28% of the microcapsules prepared from the 5%-modified photopolymer fractured after 48 h of shaking at 150 rpm. This fracture percentage is much lower when compared with the 60% of capsules fractured when prepared from the untreated poly(allylamine). By using poly(allylamine) at 10% modification, the mechanical strength was improved only slightly, with 26% of capsules fractured. Analysis of the permeability test indicated that the photo-crosslinked capsular membrane was freely permeable to cytochrome c and myoglobin, but less permeable to serum albumin. The encapsulation method was used to entrap and culture IW32 mouse leukemia cells. The cells proliferated to a density of about 1.1 x 10(7) cells/mL in the capsules after 7 days of cultivation. Concurrently, the concentration of erythropoietin in the microcapsules increased to 800 mU/mL. This new encapsulation technique has great potential in the application of a bioindustrial cell-culturing process.
DEFENSINS AND INNATE IMMUNITY OF THE MAMMALIAN SMALL INTESTINE

The release of gene-encoded antimicrobial peptides by epithelial cells is thought to contribute to innate mucosal immunity. Defensins are a predominant class of such antimicrobial peptides in mammals. These cysteine-rich cationic peptides have antibiotic activity against a wide range of bacteria and other microbes. In the mammalian small intestine, Paneth cells at the base of the crypts of Lieberkühn secrete defensins and other antibiotic proteins. These Paneth cell antimicrobials are proposed to have several overlapping functions. First, they likely help to protect the epithelial stem cells from noxious microbes. The stem cells, which reside at the neck of the crypt, are responsible for continual renewal of cells necessary for maintained integrity of the surface epithelium lining the villi and crypts. Second, defensins and other Paneth cell products likely interact with bacteria that exist in the intestinal lumen. Based on relative sensitivity to these antimicrobials, the composition of the enteric microbial flora might be influenced. Third, enteric defensins may regulate the numbers of colonising microbes in the small intestine. Forth, enteric defensins may contribute to defence from food and water borne pathogens in the intestinal lumen. Further defining the contributions of Paneth cell defensins to innate defence should improve our understanding of normal small bowel function. Given that microbial products stimulate Paneth cell secretion, it is possible that the mechanism of action of probiotic agents may, in part, involve modulating Paneth cell secretion.
Autoimmune Thyroiditis In IDDM Patients

We have read with interest the article by McKenna et al. in the July 1990 issue of Diabetes Care(1). We report here the results of a study that we recently conducted, reaching conclusions similar to those contained in the article by McKenna et al. Thyroid autoantibodies were detected by indirect immunofluorescence on rat tissue sections. Among the patients who were autoantibody positive, 34 subjects showed a normal thyroid function (triiodothyronine and thyroxine [T3 and T4], thyroidstimulating hormone [TSH] in the normal range at baseline, normal TSH response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone [TRH] stimulus). Four patients had compensed hypothyroidism (high TSH levels both at baseline and after TRH stimulus, with normal T3 and T4 levels). In the latter group, we observed a 9-yr-old girl with autoantibody positivity (thyroglobulin antigen [TGA] and microsomal antigen [MCA]) who, within 5 mo from the detection of thyroid autoantibodies, developed thyroid dysfunction that progressed to overt hypothyroidism and goiter (Table 1). Based on our experience, we suggest that patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) with thyroid autoantibody positivity undergo frequent assessments of thyroid function. IDDM patients should be evaluated for serum TSH levels at least at 6-mo intervals, considering their high risk to develop clinical hypothyroidism.