Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SIC, a Secreted Protein of Streptococcus pyogenesThat Inactivates Antibacterial Peptides*

Some isolates of the significant human pathogenStreptococcus pyogenes, including virulent strains of the M1 serotype, secrete protein SIC. This molecule, secreted in large quantities, interferes with complement function. As a result of natural selection, SIC shows a high degree of variation. Here we provide a plausible explanation for this variation and the fact that strains of the M1 serotype are the most frequent cause of severe invasive S. pyogenes infections. Thus, protein SIC was found to inactivate human neutrophil α-defensin and LL-37, two major antibacterial peptides involved in bacterial clearance. This inactivation protectedS. pyogenes against the antibacterial effect of the peptides. Moreover, SIC isolated from S. pyogenes of the M1 serotype was more powerful in this respect than SIC variants from strains of M serotypes 12 and 55, serotypes rarely connected with invasive infections.
Primary and Secondary Prevention of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Because of the nature and the progression of the disease, it is highly preventable and suitable for screening. Yet the American Cancer Society estimates included over 100,000 cases of new occurrence of colorectal cancer and over 50,000 deaths in the year 2002. The continued high colorectal cancer mortality rate is due to the under utilization of screening tests. This review will explore the barriers to low screening test use. Implications for healthcare professionals on how to increase the general populations’ awareness of colorectal cancer and ways to increase adherence to screening by integrating theories of the Health Belief Model will be discussed. The current research and literature about primary prevention focused on modifiable risk factors and chemoprevention will be examined. Secondary prevention, however, will be the key to help reduce the mortality and morbidity of colorectal cancer. The current screening guidelines will be reviewed as well. It is possible to increase screening rate by modifying and influencing patients’ perceived cancer risk, and by educating and training healthcare providers.
A Fast Motion Parameters Estimation Method Based on Cross-Correlation of Adjacent Echoes for Wideband LFM Radars

In wideband radar systems, the performance of motion parameters estimation can significantly affect the performance of object detection and the quality of inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging. Although the traditional motion parameters estimation methods can reduce the range migration (RM) and Doppler frequency migration (DFM) effects in ISAR imaging, the computational complexity is high. In this paper, we propose a new fast non-parameter-searching method for motion parameters estimation based on the cross-correlation of adjacent echoes (CCAE) for wideband LFM signals. A cross-correlation operation is carried out for two adjacent echo signals, then the motion parameters can be calculated by estimating the frequency of the correlation result. The proposed CCAE method can be applied directly to the stretching system, which is commonly adopted in wideband radar systems. Simulation results demonstrate that the new method can achieve better estimation performances, with much lower computational cost, compared with existing methods. The experimental results on real radar datasets are also evaluated to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method compared to the state-of-the-art existing methods.
Regulation of corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor messenger ribonucleic acid in the rat brain and pituitary by glucocorticoids and stress.

Glucocorticoids and stress are known to influence the synthesis of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) at a variety of sites in brain, including the hypothalamus and amygdala. The recent cloning of the CRH receptor (CRH-R) enabled us to determine whether glucocorticoids or stress influenced CRH action via regulation of CRH-R. We, therefore, used in situ hybridization to measure CRH-R messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), anterior pituitary (AP), amygdala, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) under several conditions. Systemic corticosterone (CORT) treatment, both daily injection (5 mg/rat.day) up to 14 days and pellet implant (200 mg) for 14 days, decreased CRH-R mRNA in the PVN and lateral and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA). Corticosterone injection (10 mg/rat.day, for 7 days) decreased CRH-R mRNA in the AP. Adrenalectomy also decreased CRH-R mRNA in the PVN and AP, but did not alter it in the BLA. In both sham and adrenalectomized rats with CORT pellet replacement (39 mg; ADX+CORT rats), acute (2-h) and repeated (2 h daily for 14 days) immobilization stress (which produced a large increase in plasma CORT in sham rats) increased CRH-R mRNA in the PVN and decreased it in the AP, but did not affect CRH-R mRNA in the BLA. However, ADX+CORT rats consistently had higher levels of CRH-R mRNA in both the PVN and AP than sham rats after stress. Brain stem hemisection, which damaged all ascending catecholaminergic fibers with the exception of the locus ceruleus, attenuated immobilization stress-induced up-regulation of CRH-R mRNA ipsilaterally in the PVN. None of the treatments affected CRH-R mRNA levels in the central and medial nucleus of the amygdala or the BNST. These results suggest that high concentrations of CORT or CRH synergistically decrease CRH-R mRNA levels in the AP, and that at least high CORT has an inhibitory effect on PVN CRH-R mRNA levels. However, stress input can override such inhibitory effects and thus up-regulate CRH-R mRNA in the PVN. The extrahypothalamic regions, such as amygdala and BNST may have different sensitivities to CORT or CRH for the regulation of CRH-R mRNA.
Forgetting and Unfolding for Existential Rules

Existential rules, a family of expressive ontology languages, inherit desired expressive and reasoning properties from both description logics and logic programming. On the other hand, forgetting is a well studied operation for ontology reuse, obfuscation and analysis. Yet it is challenging to establish a theory of forgetting for existential rules. In this paper, we lay the foundation for a theory of forgetting for existential rules by developing a novel notion of unfolding. In particular, we introduce a definition of forgetting for existential rules in terms of query answering and provide a characterisation of forgetting by the unfolding. A result of forgetting may not be expressible in existential rules, and we then capture the expressibility of forgetting by a variant of boundedness. While the expressibility is undecidable in general, we identify a decidable fragment. Finally, we provide an algorithm for forgetting in this fragment.
Macrophage-Elicited Osteoclastogenesis in Response to Bacterial Stimulation Requires Toll-Like Receptor 2-Dependent Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Production

ABSTRACT The receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and the proinflammatory cytokines are believed to play important roles in osteoclastogenesis. We recently reported that the innate immune recognition receptor, Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), is crucial for inflammatory bone loss in response to infection by Porphyromonas gingivalis, the primary organism associated with chronic inflammatory periodontal disease. However, the contribution of macrophage-expressed TLRs to osteoclastogenesis has not been defined. In this study, we defined a requirement for TLR2 in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-elicited osteoclastogenesis in response to exposure to P. gingivalis. Culture supernatant (CS) fluids from P. gingivalis-stimulated macrophages induced bone marrow macrophage-derived osteoclastogenesis. This activity was dependent on TNF-α and occurred independently of RANKL, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-6. CS fluids from P. gingivalis-stimulated TLR2−/− macrophages failed to express TNF-α, and these fluids induced significantly less osteoclast formation compared with that of the wild-type or the TLR4−/− macrophages. In addition, P. gingivalis exposure induced up-regulation of TLR2 expression on the cell surface of macrophages, which was demonstrated to functionally react to reexposure to P. gingivalis, as measured by a further increase in TNF-α production. These results demonstrate that macrophage-dependent TLR2 signaling is crucial for TNF-α-dependent/RANKL-independent osteoclastogenesis in response to P. gingivalis infection. Furthermore, the ability of P. gingivalis to induce the cell surface expression of TLR2 may contribute to the chronic inflammatory state induced by this pathogen.
The kinetics of magnesium adenosine triphosphate cleavage in skinned muscle fibres of the rabbit.

The time course of magnesium adenosine triphosphate (Mg ATP) cleavage in chemically skinned muscle fibres of the rabbit was measured by a method in which Mg ATP cleavage was initiated by photolytic release of ATP from P3‐1‐(2‐nitro)phenylethyladenosine 5'‐triphosphate (caged ATP) and terminated by rapid freezing 50 ms to 8 s later. Up to 5 mM‐ATP was released following a single 50 ns laser pulse at 347 nm. Mg ATP cleavage was measured at 19 degrees C in the presence and absence of calcium ions, for fibres near rest length and stretched beyond overlap of the myofilaments. At full overlap and in the absence of calcium (less than 10(‐8) M) and nucleotide, the fibres developed rigor tension. Following the laser pulse the tension decreased to that of a relaxed fibre in two distinct phases. The first phase lasted about 40 ms and was followed by a second phase during which tension decreased to zero with an approximately exponential time course with a rate constant of 11 s‐1. In the presence of 2 X 10(‐5) M‐free calcium ions, the initial phase following the laser flash lasted approximately 13 ms, and was followed by an exponential rise of tension with a rate constant of 28 s‐1. The active tension reached by the muscle fibres was 54 kN/m2. For fibres stretched beyond overlap, no change in tension was observed following the release of Mg ATP. Under all conditions the time course of Mg ATP cleavage was biphasic, and consisted of a rapid initial burst of ADP formation, complete within 50 ms, followed by a slower steady‐state rate of Mg ATP cleavage. The number of molecules of Mg ATP cleaved during the burst was approximately equal to the number of myosin subfragment 1 heads for fibres at full myofilament overlap, and equal to 0.7 molecules per myosin subfragment 1 head for fibres stretched beyond overlap. At full overlap in the presence of calcium ions, the steady‐state rate equalled 1.8 mol Mg ATP cleaved per mole myosin subfragment 1 head per second. In all other cases the steady‐state rate of Mg ATP cleavage was at least 10‐fold less. When fibres at full overlap were pre‐incubated with 2 mM‐ADP, the initial phase of the tension response was somewhat prolonged, but the burst of ADP formation was also complete within 50 ms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Genetic polymorphisms at HLA-A, -B, and -DRB1 loci in Han population of Xi'an city in China.

AIM To determine genetic polymorphisms at human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A, -B, and -DRB1 loci in Han population of Xi'an city in China. METHODS Polymerase chain reaction-based reverse line-strip sequence specific oligonucleotide hybridization was used to determine the alleles of HLA-A, -B, and -DRB1 in 516 unrelated, healthy individuals of Han population in Xi'an. Allele frequencies at HLA-A, -B, and -DRB1 loci were estimated by direct counting method. Haplotype frequencies were calculated from genotype data by expectation maximization. RESULTS A total of 14 alleles of HLA-A, 33 alleles of HLA-B, and 13 alleles of HLA-DRB1 were found. The most common alleles were HLA-A*02 (28.39%), A*11 (19.19%), and A*24 (16.28%); HLA-B*13 (11.05%), B*15 (B62: 9.30%), and B*51 (8.53%); and HLA-DRB1*15 (17.15%), DRB1*09 (13.18%), and DRB1*04 (10.85%). The most common haplotypes of HLA-A-B-DRB1 haplotype were HLA-A*30-B*13-DRB1*07 (3.93%), HLA-A*02-B*46-DRB1*09 (3.20%), and HLA-A*33-B*58-DRB1*17 (1.63%). CONCLUSION The finding that the HLA loci are highly polymorphic in Han population of Xi'an City may be useful for population genetics, HLA-related studies, human identification, and paternity tests in forensic sciences.
Kinetics of thermally induced heat shock protein 27 and 70 expression by bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells

Although bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an attractive cell therapy candidate, their potential is limited by poor survival following transplantation. Over‐expression of anti‐apoptotic heat shock proteins using viral vectors can improve the survival of these cells under stressful conditions in vitro and in vivo. It is also possible to induce heat shock protein expression in many cell types by simply exposing them to a transient, nonlethal elevation in temperature. The response profile of MSCs to such a thermal stress has not yet been reported. Therefore, this study sought to determine the kinetics of thermally induced heat shock protein expression by MSCs in vitro. To determine if heat shock protein expression was a function of thermal stress exposure time, MSCs were exposed to 42°C for 15, 30, 45, and 60 min and were harvested 24 h later. To establish the time‐course of heat shock protein expression, MSCs were heat shocked for 60 min and harvested 2, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h later. The cells were then analyzed for Hsp27 and Hsp70 expression by Western blot. Densitometric analysis revealed that exposure to a thermal stress induced expression of both Hsp27 and Hsp70 and that the level of expression was dependant on stress exposure time. Following 60 min of heat stress, both Hsp27 and Hsp70 accumulated maximal expression after 48 h with both proteins returning to constitutive expression levels by 120 h. This study demonstrates that heat shock protein expression can be induced in MSCs by a simple thermal stress.
[Effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on angiogenesis after neonatal hypoxia ischemia brain damage in rats].

OBJECTIVE To investigate effects of ginsenoside Rg1 on angiogenesis in neonatal rats with hypoxia ischemia brain damage (HIBD), and explore the possible mechanism. METHODS Fifty-four of 10-day-old SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group (n = 6), hypoxia-ischemia brain damage group (n = 24) and ginsenoside Rg1 treatment group (n = 24). SD rats in HIBD group and Rg1 group were treated by separation and ligation of right common carotid artery (CCA) and subsequently exposed to hypoxia for 2.5 hours, and those in sham group were treated by only separation of right CCA, without ligation or exposure to hypoxia. Intraperitoneal injection of 0.1 mL normal saline (NS) containing 40 mg/kg Rg1 was performed immediately after operation in Rg1 group, and such process was repeated every 24 h for 3 days. Intraperitoneal injection of 0.1 mL pure NS was performed in both HIBD group and sham group, in the same way as that of in Rg1 group. General state of SD rats after operation was monitored, 4, 8, 24 and 72 hours after HIBD, animals were executed and the right side of brain tissue was separated for further process. Protein expression of both hypoxia inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were detected by both Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Immunohistochemistry for von willebrand factor (vwf) was used to labeling micro vessels. RESULTS All rats survived to the end of the study and neurological dysfunction was observed in both HIBD group and Rgl group, but not in sham group. Expression of HIF-1alpha protein in HIBD group was increased at 4, 8, 24 and 72 h, compared to that in sham group (P < 0.05). Expression of HIF-1alpha protein in Rg1 group was increased compared to that in HIBD group at the same time points (P < 0.05). Expression of VEGF protein in HIBD group was increased at 4, 8, and 24 h, compared to that in sham group (P < 0.05). Expression of VEGF protein in Rg1 group was increased at 24 and 72 h compared to that in HIBD group at the same time point (P < 0.05). Number of vwf-positive cells at 24 and 72 h in HIBD group was increased compared to that in sham group (P < 0.05), and number of vwf-positive cells at 72 h in Rg1 group was increased compared to that in HIBD group at the same time point (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Rg1 could facilitate angiogenesis after HIBD in Neonatal rats by strengthening and stabilizing HIF-1alpha/VEGF signaling pathway.
Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation preceded by routine prestenting with a bare metal stent

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI) with routine prestenting with a bare metal stent (BMS). Background: PPVI is a relatively new method of treating patients with repaired congenital heart disease (CHD). Results of PPVI performed with routine prestenting have never been reported. Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent PPVI for homograft dysfunction with prestenting with BMS were studied. The schedule of follow‐up assessment comprised clinical evaluation, cardiovascular magnetic resonance, transthoracic echocardiography, and chest X‐ray to screen for device integrity. Results: PPVI was performed with no serious complications in all patients (n = 10, mean age 26.8 ± 4.0 years, 60% males). In nine patients with significant pulmonary stenosis, peak right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) gradient was reduced from a mean of 80.6 ± 22.7 to 38.8 ± 10.4 mm Hg on the day following implantation (P = 0.001). At 1‐month and 6‐month follow‐ups, mean RVOT gradient was 34.0 ± 9.8 and 32.0 ± 12.2 mm Hg, respectively. In patients with significant pulmonary regurgitation, mean pulmonary regurgitation fraction decreased from 19% ± 6% to 2% ± 1% (P = 0.0008). Relief of RVOT obstruction and restoration of pulmonary valve competence were associated with significant decrease in right ventricular (RV) end‐diastolic and end‐systolic volumes (125.5 ± 48.6 to 109.2 ± 42.9 mL/m2; P = 0.002 and 68.4 ± 41.5 vs. 50.9 ± 40.6 mL/m2; P = 0.001) as well as improvement in RV ejection fraction (48.8% ± 13.1% to 57.6% ± 14.4%; P = 0.003) and New York Heart Association class (P = 0.003). All patients completed 6‐month follow‐up. No stent fractures were observed. Conclusions: PPVI with routine prestenting with BMS is a safe and effective method of treatment in patients with repaired CHD. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Top Managers' Academic Credentials and Firm Value†

This study investigates whether top management teams' (TMTs) academic credentials from prestigious universities can be a source of competitive advantage. We examine the academic backgrounds of 72,165 top managers in 590 non-financial firms in South Korea from 1990 to 2006. We find that firms with a higher proportion of top managers from top universities have a higher Tobin's Q. Furthermore, this relation is stronger in challenging environments when firms face higher volatility, more growth opportunities, or financial distress, or when managers have greater discretionary power or are held accountable for their decisions. These results suggest that the effects of TMTs' human capital on firm value vary in the contexts of organizational and corporate environments. In short, our study suggests that education from elite schools is an important managerial attribute that contributes to performance.
Yersinia Pestis Infection in Cats

Overview: Plague, the medieval ‘Black Death’, is caused by a Gram-negative coccobacillus, Yersinia pestis, which also infects cats. As in people, it is transmitted from rodents through flea bites; it occurs in Asia, Africa and the Americas in flea-infested regions, all year round, and where rodent reservoirs are abundant. A poor prognosis is associated with high fever, and the pulmonary and septicaemic forms. Antibiotic therapy, flea control and avoidance of rodent contacts have made this infection manageable.
Clustering Based Topology Control Protocol for Data Delivery in Wireless Sensor Networks

The issue of optimizing the limited and often non-renewable energy of sensor nodes due to its direct impact on network lifetime dominates every aspect of wireless sensor networks. Existing techniques for optimizing energy consumption are based on exploiting node redundancy, adaptive radio transmission power and topology control. Topology control protocols have a significant impact on network lifetime, available energy and connectivity. In this paper we classify sensor nodes as strong and weak nodes based on their residual energy as well as operational lifetime and propose a Clustering based topology control protocol (CTCP) which extends network lifetime while guarantying the minimum connectivity. Extensive simulations in Java-Simulator (J-Sim) show that our proposed protocol outperforms the existing protocols in terms of various performance metrics life network lifetime, average delay and minimizes energy utilization.
Access to Childcare in Europe: Parents' Logistical Challenges in Cross‐national Perspective

A burgeoning comparative literature has identified the centrality of childcare policy and provision in promoting parental, and specifically maternal, participation in paid employment across countries. This literature has focused on the importance of macro-level institutional arrangements, with a special emphasis on variation in availability of, and access to, formal early childhood education and care services. However, there has been limited comparative exploration of what this means in practice at the micro-level: the everyday challenges parents face when attempting to navigate the childcare system and the labour market simultaneously. Taking inspiration from human geography literature on the concept of ‘space–time fixity’, we present cross-national findings on the logistical challenges of arranging childcare. Evidence is drawn from interviews with parent- and childcare-related organizations in six European countries: Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK. Our research provides a richer understanding of childcare availability than would a sole focus on formal childcare services, by elucidating the difficulties parents face in organizing access to these services, which can be a challenge to some extent even in contexts where childcare services are comprehensive and affordable.
Girls at five are intrinsically more insulin resistant than boys: The Programming Hypotheses Revisited--The EarlyBird Study (EarlyBird 6).

OBJECTIVE Recent studies of type 2 diabetes in young populations consistently show a predominance of affected girls over boys. Girls are more insulin resistant than boys. We aimed in the present report to establish how much of the sex difference in insulin resistance is intrinsic. METHODS EarlyBird is a community-based, nonintervention cohort study of 307 healthy children from school entry at age 5 years. It asks the question: which children are insulin resistant and why? Anthropometric measures, physical activity, resting energy expenditure, and insulin resistance and its metabolic correlates were measured. RESULTS At 5 years, insulin resistance was 35% higher in girls than in boys. Girls carried 26% more subcutaneous fat despite similar body weights. However, after correcting for anthropometric variables and physical activity, girls remained 33% more insulin resistant than boys. Triglycerides were significantly higher in girls, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and sex hormone-binding globulin were significantly lower. CONCLUSIONS Sex-linked genes may account for the intrinsic sex difference observed. These genes may have an important impact on the development of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome and may help to explain the female preponderance of type 2 diabetes in children. Their identification may also help in understanding the pathogenesis of insulin resistance.