Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Platelet microparticles induce angiogenesis in vitro

Platelet microparticles (PMP) are endogenous substances generated during the coagulation process in a hypercoagulable state. This study demonstrated that PMP promote the proliferation and survival, migration, and tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Heat‐treated PMP did not significantly decrease the angiogenic activity in HUVEC compared with that of the untreated PMP. Meanwhile when PMP were treated with activated charcoal, a procedure known to remove the lipid growth factors, the angiogenic activity was significantly reduced. These results suggest that the lipid component(s) of the PMP may be major active factor(s) and that protein component(s) may be minor contributor(s). PMP were also shown to augment endothelial progenitor cell differentiation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In addition, PMP‐stimulated proliferation, chemotaxis and tube formation of the HUVEC was mediated via the Pertussis toxin‐sensitive G protein, extracellular signal‐regulated kinase and the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase pathway. Herein, a new action of PMP was demonstrated to be a potent angiogenic stimulator. It is expected that in pathological states such as a growing tumour, PMP shed from the circulating platelets may reach adequate concentrations and that the elevated levels of PMP could contribute to florid formation of new blood vessels.
The clinical application of cone beam CT in orthodontics

Introduction: Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is a recently developed imaging technology which gives advantageous low-dose radiation and high resolution dental imaging of the cranio-maxillofacial anatomic structures in three dimensions (3D). During the last decade, many research studies have been done on the clinical efficacy of CBCT in dentistry. Material and Methods: Computer databases, including PubMed, Science direct and Google advance search were searched. Results : Many studies were retrieved initially. 56 studies were closely related to the current topic under review. Conclusions : From the current literature, it’s obvious that even though a lot of research has been done on CBCT, no clear decision has been made about the application of CBCT in orthodontics. In this article, we focused on understanding the basic concepts of CBCT and its application in orthodontics. Future research needs to be done about various clinical application of CBCT in orthodontic treatment planning, procedures and final outcomes.
Increased Production of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Helicobacter pylori‐Associated Human Gastritis

Background and Aims. Helicobacter pylori infection results in an active, chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in diseases involving mucosal inflammation, prompting us to investigate MMP activity in H. pylori‐induced gastritis.
The Wnt5/Planar Cell Polarity Pathway Regulates Axonal Development of the Drosophila Mushroom Body Neuron

Axonal development is a fundamental process for circuit formation in the nervous system and is dependent on many cellular events, including axon initiation, elongation, guidance, and branching. The molecular mechanisms underlying these events have been well studied, especially for axon guidance. In the presence of a guidance cue, the polarization of a growth cone precedes the turning response, which is one example of the diverse forms of cell polarity. Planar cell polarity (PCP) is another example of cell polarity. Although some PCP genes are required for axonal tract formation in vertebrates, it remains elusive whether these genes participate in a common PCP pathway concertedly. Here, we show that essential PCP signaling components, encoded by frizzled (fz), strabismus (stbm), flamingo (fmi), and dishevelled (dsh), are cooperatively required for axonal targeting and branching of the Drosophila mushroom body (MB) neurons. A detailed analysis of these mutants revealed that these components were required for the correct targeting and bifurcation of axons. In addition, we suggest that Wnt5 functions as a ligand in the PCP pathway in this process. Wnt5 mutants showed similar phenotypes to PCP mutants at the single-cell level and genetically interacted with PCP genes. Wnt5 was broadly expressed in the developing brain. We propose that Wnt5 and the PCP pathway concertedly regulate axonal development of the MB.
Identification of a twin‐arginine leader‐binding protein

The transport and targeting of a number of periplasmic proteins is carried out by the Sec‐independent Mtt (also referred to as Tat) protein translocase. Proteins using this translocase have a distinct twin‐arginine‐containing leader. We hypothesized that specific leader‐binding proteins exist to escort proteins to the translocase complex. A fusion was constructed with the twin‐arginine leader from dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) reductase, subunit DmsA, to the N‐terminus of glutathione‐S‐transferase. This leader fusion was bound to a glutathione affinity column through which an Escherichia coli anaerobic cell‐free extract was passed. Proteins that bound to the leader were then separated and identified by N‐terminal sequencing, which identified DnaK and a protein originating from the uncharacterized reading frame ynfI. This gene has been designated dmsD based on the findings presented in this paper. DmsD was purified as a His6 fusion and was shown to interact with preprotein forms of DmsA and TorA (trimethyl amine N‐oxide reductase). A strain carrying a dmsD knock‐out mutation showed a loss of anaerobic growth on glycerol–DMSO medium and reduced growth on glycerol–fumarate medium. This work suggests that DmsD is a twin‐arginine leader‐binding protein.
Purification, pore-forming ability, and antigenic relatedness of the major outer membrane protein of Shigella dysenteriae type 1

The major outer membrane protein (MOMP), the most abundant outer membrane protein, was purified to homogeneity from Shigella dysenteriae type 1. The purification method involved selective extraction of MOMP with sodium dodecyl sulfate in the presence of 0.4 M sodium chloride followed by size exclusion chromatography with Sephacryl S-200 HR. MOMP was found to form hydrophilic diffusion pores by incorporation into artificial liposome vesicles composed of egg yolk phosphatidylcholine and dicetylphosphate, indicating that MOMP of S. dysenteriae type 1 exhibited significant porin activity. However, the liposomes containing heat-denatured MOMP were barely active. The molecular weight of MOMP found by size exclusion chromatography was 130,000, and in sodium dodecyl sulfate-10% polyacrylamide gel it moved as an oligomer of 78,000 molecular weight. Upon boiling, fully dissociated monomers of 38,000 molecular weight were seen for S. dysenteriae type 1. However, among the four Shigella spp. , the monomeric MOMP generated upon boiling ranged from 38,000 to 35,000 in molecular weight. Antibody raised in BALB/c mice immunized with MOMP of S. dysenteriae type 1 reacted strongly with purified MOMP of S. dysenteriae type 1 in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The antibody reacted with whole-cell preparations of S. dysenteriae type 1 in an ELISA, suggesting that MOMP possessed surface components. Moreover, MOMP could be visualized on the bacterial surface by immunoelectron microscopy with anti-MOMP antibody. S. dysenteriae type 1 MOMP-specific immunoglobulin eluted from MOMP bound to a nitrocellulose membrane was found to cross-react with MOMP preparations of S. flexneri, S. boydii, and S. sonnei, indicating that MOMPs were antigenically related among Shigella species. The strong immunogenicity, surface exposure, and antigenic relatedness make MOMP of Shigella species an immunologically significant macromolecule for study.
Identification of acyltransferases required for cutin biosynthesis and production of cutin with suberin-like monomers

Cutin and suberin are the two major lipid-based polymers of plants. Cutin is the structural polymer of the epidermal cuticle, the waterproof layer covering primary aerial organs and which is often the structure first encountered by phytopathogens. Suberin contributes to the control of diffusion of water and solutes across internal root tissues and in periderms. The enzymes responsible for assembly of the cutin polymer are largely unknown. We have identified two Arabidopsis acyltransferases essential for cutin biosynthesis, glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) 4 and GPAT8. Double knockouts gpat4/gpat8 were strongly reduced in cutin and were less resistant to desiccation and to infection by the fungus Alternaria brassicicola. They also showed striking defects in stomata structure including a lack of cuticular ledges between guard cells, highlighting the importance of cutin in stomatal biology. Overexpression of GPAT4 or GPAT8 in Arabidopsis increased the content of C16 and C18 cutin monomers in leaves and stems by 80%. In order to modify cutin composition, the acyltransferase GPAT5 and the cytochrome P450-dependent fatty acyl oxidase CYP86A1, two enzymes associated with suberin biosynthesis, were overexpressed. When both enzymes were overexpressed together the epidermal polyesters accumulated new C20 and C22 ω-hydroxyacids and α,ω-diacids typical of suberin, and the fine structure and water-barrier function of the cuticle were altered. These results identify GPATs as partners of fatty acyl oxidases in lipid polyester synthesis and indicate that their cooverexpression provides a strategy to probe the role of cutin composition and quantity in the function of plant cuticles.
Snake robot free climbing

Autonomous snake robot locomotion in rough terrain depends on the robot's ability to rise from a horizontal position to a vertical. At first sight, lifting N body segments seems to require O(N) dynamic torque. However, in this paper we describe a practical algorithm, which requires only O(1) dynamic torque. The algorithm is applicable to a wide range of snake robot morphologies. The algorithm requires little space, and control is simple, since motion occurs only in a plane. Analysis of the algorithm reveals a strong relation between the maximum dynamic torque required and the joint pitch range. We discuss some consequences for the design of snake robots. For instance, we show that an adjustment of the mass center of the robot's end segment can reduce the maximum dynamic torque. We study the implications for some snake robot joint designs, including Dragon I, an autonomous snake robot constructed for the study of unconventional locomotion.
Employability and Good Learning in Higher Education

Many governments are concerned that investment in higher education should increase the stock of human capital, which is seen as a source of national economic well-being. This concern often leads to an expectation that higher education will foster the learning outcomes that employers value. In the UK it has taken the form of pressure on higher education institutions to improve students' employability. This paper briefly reviews some current responses, claiming that they are inadequate. An analysis of the concept of employability follows, leading to a claim that it necessarily entails complex learning. This gives way to a view of what needs to be done to improve the chances of such learning occurring. The main implication for teaching is contained in the claim that employability policies are not well-served by piecemeal actions. Rather, teaching that enhances employability is associated with systemic thinking about programmes and learning environments.
Diagnosis and Management of Congenital Hypothyroidism Associated with Pseudohypoparathyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a particular condition observed in pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP), a rare disorder characterized by parathyroid (PTH) resistance leading to hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia associated with a GNAS (guanine nucleotide-binding protein α-subunit) mutation (PHP1A) or epimutation (PHP1B). To determine the presence of hypothyroidism at birth we conducted a retrospective study in our cohort of patients presenting with either PHP1A (n = 116) or PHP1B (n = 99). We also investigated patients presenting at birth with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and a eutopic thyroid gland for phosphocalcium abnormalities suggesting PTH resistance and PHP. Our study reveals CH as the earliest diagnostic clue for PHP1A, but not for PHP1B. We estimated the frequency of CH at birth to be between 8 and 34% in patients presenting with PHP1A. The elevation of phosphatemia and PTH concentration precedes hypocalcemia in PHP1A. Conversely, the frequency of PHP1A in patients presenting CH is dramatically low. This may be due to the low prevalence of PHP1A which remains unknown. Conclusions: Subclinical and overt hypothyroidism can occur in PHP1A patients at birth many years before PTH resistance becomes clinically apparent. Although such cases appear to be rare, some pediatric patients with unexplained CH are likely to benefit from measuring calcium, phosphorus, and PTH for extended periods of time.
Análisis del desempeño cinetostático de un robot paralelo tipo Delta reconfigurable Kinetostatic Performance Analysis of a Reconfigurable Delta-Type Parallel Robot

Resumen En este trabajo se presenta el analisis del desempeno cinetostatico de un ro-bot paralelo tipo Delta cuando se somete a una estrategia de reconfiguracion geometrica. Se evaluan tres alternativas de reconfiguracion, seleccionando la que se logra por el ajuste simetrico del tamano de la base fija del robot. El analisis del efecto de la reconfiguracion geometrica sobre el desempeno ci-netostatico del robot se realiza a traves del numero de condicion de la matriz jacobiana, por lo que fue necesario desarrollar previamente el modelo cine-matico del manipulador en posicion y velocidad. Ambas aproximaciones son diferentes a las comunmente encontradas en la literatura; destacandose el analisis de velocidad, el cual se realiza con teoria de tornillos. Los resulta-dos de este trabajo apuntan a que con una estrategia de reconfiguracion geometrica se puede mejorar el desempeno cinetostatico del robot tipo Delta en todo su espacio de trabajo operable, ademas sugieren la conveniencia de la utilizacion del numero de condicion de la matriz Jacobiana como criterio para determinar la configuracion geometrica optima del manipulador den-tro de ciertos parametros.
Distinct Mechanisms of the ORANGE Protein in Controlling Carotenoid Flux1[OPEN]

CmOr golden SNP dramatically affects carotenoid content and plastid fate in melon by inhibiting metabolism downstream of β-carotene. β-Carotene adds nutritious value and determines the color of many fruits, including melon (Cucumis melo). In melon mesocarp, β-carotene accumulation is governed by the Orange gene (CmOr) golden single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) through a yet to be discovered mechanism. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), OR increases carotenoid levels by posttranscriptionally regulating phytoene synthase (PSY). Here, we identified a CmOr nonsense mutation (Cmor-lowβ) that lowered fruit β-carotene levels with impaired chromoplast biogenesis. Cmor-lowβ exerted a minimal effect on PSY transcripts but dramatically decreased PSY protein levels and enzymatic activity, leading to reduced carotenoid metabolic flux and accumulation. However, the golden SNP was discovered to not affect PSY protein levels and carotenoid metabolic flux in melon fruit, as shown by carotenoid and immunoblot analyses of selected melon genotypes and by using chemical pathway inhibitors. The high β-carotene accumulation in golden SNP melons was found to be due to a reduced further metabolism of β-carotene. This was revealed by genetic studies with double mutants including carotenoid isomerase (yofi), a carotenoid-isomerase nonsense mutant, which arrests the turnover of prolycopene. The yofi F2 segregants accumulated prolycopene independently of the golden SNP. Moreover, Cmor-lowβ was found to inhibit chromoplast formation and chloroplast disintegration in fruits from 30 d after anthesis until ripening, suggesting that CmOr regulates the chloroplast-to-chromoplast transition. Taken together, our results demonstrate that CmOr is required to achieve PSY protein levels to maintain carotenoid biosynthesis metabolic flux but that the mechanism of the CmOr golden SNP involves an inhibited metabolism downstream of β-carotene to dramatically affect both carotenoid content and plastid fate.
Replication Fork Arrest and rDNA Silencing Are Two Independent and Separable Functions of the Replication Terminator Protein Fob1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae*

The replication terminator protein Fob1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is multifunctional, and it not only promotes polar replication fork arrest at the tandem Ter sites located in the intergenic spacer region of rDNA but also loads the NAD-dependent histone deacetylase Sir2 at Ter sites via a protein complex called RENT (regulator of nucleolar silencing and telophase exit). Sir2 is a component of the RENT complex, and its loading not only silences intrachromatid recombination in rDNA but also RNA polymerase II-catalyzed transcription. Here, we present three lines of evidence showing that the two aforementioned activities of Fob1 are independent of each other as well as functionally separable. First, a Fob1 ortholog of Saccharomyces bayanus expressed in a fob1Δ strain of S. cerevisiae restored polar fork arrest at Ter but not rDNA silencing. Second, a mutant form (I407T) of S. cerevisiae Fob1 retained normal fork arresting activity but was partially defective in rDNA silencing. We further show that the silencing defect of S. bayanus Fob1 and the Ι407Τ mutant of S. cerevisiae Fob1 were caused by the failure of the proteins to interact with two members of the S. cerevisiae RENT complex, namely S. cerevisiae Sir2 and S. cerevisiae Net1. Third, deletions of the intra-S phase checkpoint proteins Tof1 and Csm3 abolished fork arrest by Fob1 at Ter without causing loss of silencing. Taken together, the data support the conclusion that unlike some other functions of Fob1, rDNA silencing at Ter is independent of fork arrest.
A Framework for Dynamic Knowledge Acquisition

This article proposes a conceptual model based on agents in medical workgroups for the resolution of clinical cases. Our objective is to provide a suitable conceptual framework for the dynamic acquisition of expert knowledge from different sources. This framework is sufficiently flexible to allow its transformation to the symbolic level that finally characterizes the implementation approach; it is a design model prior to implementation. We considered an interface design to be used for the integration and combination of different sources of expertise. The subject which interests us is the knowledge produced in the workgroup
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease and Fertility: A Cohort Study of 1,844 Women with Laparoscopically Verified Disease and 657 Control Women with Normal Laparoscopic Results

From 1960 10 1984, 2,501 women underwent diagnostic laparoscopy (index laparoscopy) because of a clinical suspicion of acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Of these women, 1,844 had abnormal laparoscopic findings (patients) and 657 had normal findings (control subjects). The reproductive events after index laparoscopy of 1,732 patients and 601 control subjects were followed. The patients and control subjects were followed for a total of 13,400 and 3,958 woman-years, respectively. During the follow-up period, 1,309 (75.6%) of the patients and 451 (75.0%) of the control subjects attempted to conceive. Of these women, 209 (16.0%) of the patients and 12 (2.7%) of the control subjects failed to conceive. A total of 141 (10.8%) of the patients and 0 (0%) of the control subjects had confirmed tubal factor infertility, 21 (1.6%) of the patients and 3 (0.7%) control subjects had other causes of infertility, and 47 (3.6%) patients and 9 (2.0%) control subjects did not have a complete infertility evaluation. Additional information on tubal morphology (hysterosalpingography, laparoscopy, or laparotomy) in women from couples for whom evaluation was incomplete indicated that 165 (12.2%) patients and 4 (0.9%) of the control subjects had abnormal tubal function or morphology after index laparoscopy. Tubal factor infertility after PID was associated with number and severity of PID episodes. The ectopic pregnancy rate for first pregnancy after index laparoscopy was 9.1% among the patients and 1.4% among control subjects.
Is the Category-Specific Deficit for Living Things Spurious?

Some neurological patients make more errors naming living than nonliving things. This is true even when the difficulty of naming living and nonliving things, as measured by the performance of normal subjects, is taken into account. Gaffan and Heywood (1993) argued that this apparently selective deficit for living things is spurious and offered an alternative explanation of it in terms of the effect of noise on regression analyses. We report Monte Carlo simulations showing that, in two patients, the living things deficit cannot be accounted for this in this way. These simulations are more consistent with the claim that the recognition of living things depends on specialized mechanisms.
Rapid Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing in Labor and Delivery: A Comparison of Implementation Models Between 2 Hospitals

Despite the use of antiretroviral medications during the antenatal/perinatal period, 280 to 370 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected infants are born each year in the United States. Women who might transmit the virus to their infants are (1) those not offered antenatal testing due to perceived low risk; (2) those who are noncompliant with their antiretroviral regimen; (3) those with prophylaxis failures despite good compliance; and (4) those who present late to delivery without prenatal care. The Centers for Disease Control and prevention sponsored MIRIAD (mother-infant rapid intervention at delivery) to study rapid testing of women who present late in pregnancy and/or to labor and delivery with unknown HIV status. MIRIAD was implemented in 18 hospitals in 6 American cities. In Atlanta, GA, the 2 participating hospitals had institutional differences that created different models of implementation. Hospital 1 is large and publicly funded, practicing team nursing and utilizing laboratory-based testing. Hospital 2 is a medium-sized nonprofit, whose primary nursing model allowed for specially trained staff to do point-of-care (POC) testing. Regardless of hospital type, nursing care paradigms, or testing model, facilities interested in successfully implementing a similar protocol must formulate policies for testing, notification, and treatment as well as consider dedicating a staff member to the program.
Vérification de l'identité par des données biométriques

This article presents the main idea of a Biometric Authentication System (BAS). We will briefly describe BIOMET database, constructed for this purpose and composed of five modalities: face, hand-shape, fingerprint, online signature and speech. We have used two user-friendly biometric modalities of this database to construct the unimodal the signature modality was fused with clean and noisy speech, at two different levels of degradation. We have at our disposal 68 real persons, divided into two equal bases BAF and BTF to train and test the unimodal systems as well as the fusion systems. The performances of the systems are evaluated on 20 different couples (BAF, BTF), randomly chosen from 68 original real persons. In the non noisy case, we have dropped down the total error rate to 2.21% from 7.65% for the best unimodal system.