Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alanine Scanning of a Putative Receptor Binding Surface of Insulin-like Growth Factor-I*

Current evidence supports a binding model in which the insulin molecule contains two binding surfaces, site 1 and site 2, which contact the two halves of the insulin receptor. The interaction of these two surfaces with the insulin receptor results in a high affinity cross-linking of the two receptor α subunits and leads to receptor activation. Evidence suggests that insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) may activate the IGF-I receptor in a similar mode. So far IGF-I residues structurally corresponding to the residues of the insulin site 1 together with residues in the C-domain of IGF-I have been found to be important for binding of IGF-I to the IGF-I receptor (e.g. Phe23, Tyr24, Tyr31, Arg36, Arg37, Val44, Tyr60, and Ala62). However, an IGF-I second binding surface similar to site 2 of insulin has not been identified yet. In this study, we have analyzed whether IGF-I residues corresponding to the six residues of the insulin site 2 have a role in high affinity binding of IGF-I to the IGF-I receptor. Six single-substituted IGF-I analogues were produced, each containing an alanine substitution in one of the following positions (corresponding insulin residues in parentheses): Glu9 (HisB10), Asp12 (GluB13), Phe16 (LeuB17), Asp53 (SerA12), Leu54 (LeuA13), and Glu58 (GluA17). In addition, two analogues with 2 and 3 combined alanine substitutions were also produced (E9A,D12A IGF-I and E9A,D12A,E58A IGF-I). The results show that introducing alanine in positions Glu9, Asp12, Phe16, Leu54, and Glu58 results in a significant reduction in IGF-I receptor binding affinity, whereas alanine substitution at position 53 had no effect on IGF-I receptor binding. The multiple substitutions resulted in a 33–100-fold reduction in IGF-I receptor binding affinity. These data suggest that IGF-I, in addition to the C-domain, uses surfaces similar to those of insulin in contacting its cognate receptor, although the relative contribution of the side chains of homologous residues varies.
Detection of Salmonella in dry foods using refrigerated pre-enrichment and enrichment broth cultures: summary of collaborative study.

A collaborative study was conducted to compare the productivity of refrigerated pre-enrichment and enrichment broth cultures with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration culture methods for detection of Salmonella. The refrigerated pre-enrichment and selective enrichment broth culture methods for detection of Salmonella in dry foods have been adopted first action by AOAC INTERNATIONAL.
Protective Efficacy of Intermediate and Intermediate Plus Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) Vaccines Against Very Virulent IBDV in Commercial Broilers

Abstract The evolution of very virulent (vv) infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) has led to significant economic losses in many poultry-producing areas. Despite vigorous vaccination strategies, IBDV has been difficult to control. The protective efficacy of IBDV vaccines is traditionally evaluated in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. But under field conditions, residual maternal antibody (mAb) levels may interfere with vaccine efficacy. In this study, commercial broilers with various levels of maternally derived antibodies were vaccinated with IBDV vaccines of different virulence (vaccines 1–3, intermediate; vaccine 4, intermediate plus). At an average maternal virus-neutralizing antibody (mAb) level of log210.8 (range 7.6–11.6) at day of vaccination, only the intermediate plus vaccine induced IBDV antibodies after 18 days, while the other intermediate vaccines did not. At average mAb levels of log26.7 (range 5.6–8.6) at day of vaccination, all vaccines induced circulating antibodies, although the onset of antibody production differed significantly between strains (P < 0.05). While the intermediate plus vaccine induced enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay antibody levels already at 14 days postvaccination (PV), the intermediate vaccines induced significant antibody levels 28 (vaccines 1, 2) and 35 (vaccine 3) days PV. The time of IBDV antibody induction correlated with the onset of bursa lesions. The severity of lesions was comparable between vaccines 1, 3, and 4 (lesion score 4), while vaccine 2 induce only mild lesions of score 1 in 23% of the tested birds. Despite the induction of antibodies, none of the tested vaccines fully protected against challenge with vvIBDV. All challenged birds had either significantly higher bursal lesion scores or a higher IBDV antigen load in the bursa or sometimes both in comparison with nonchallenged birds (P < 0.05). Our study demonstrates that the evaluation of IBDV-vaccine efficacy is difficult in commercial broilers. For the first time, it was shown that the onset of bursa lesions and recovery of IBDV-vaccinated broilers is delayed in the presence of mAb in comparison with SPF chickens but not suppressed as previously assumed. At the time of challenge, vaccinated birds may still have significant bursa lesions and may lack target cells for IBDV-challenge virus. To be able to evaluate vaccine efficacy in commercial broilers, parameters such as intrabursal IBDV-antigen load should also be considered in conjunction with bursa lesion scores.
MYC/BCL2 Co-Expression Is a Stronger Prognostic Factor Compared With the Cell-of-Origin Classification in Primary CNS DLBCL

Primary central nervous system (CNS) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a subtype of DLBCL with an unfavorable prognosis and a poor response to the treatment. As we know, DLBCL is stratified into germinal center B-cell (GCB)-like and activated B-cell (ABC)-like subtypes with different prognosis according to their gene-expression characteristics. In this study, we analyzed a case series of 77 patients with primary CNS DLBCL. A difference in prognosis of GCB-like and ABC-like subtypes was noticed, but no statistical significance was found. However, significant prognostic value of MYC/BCL2 co-expression was shown. The cases with MYC/BCL2 co-expression did not show any predominance of the 2 subtypes in our cases. Furthermore, patients with MYC/BCL2 co-expression had significantly worse overall survival for both cell of origin (COO) subtypes. We conjecture that MYC/BCL2 co-expression is associated with a poorer prognosis and is independent of COO classification. Moreover, the data suggest that MYC/BCL2 co-expression is superior to COO classification assessed by immunohistochemical analysis in patients with primary CNS DLBCL.
TAPAS: Travel-Activity-Pattern Simulation - Parallelisiertes Mikroskopisches Verkehrsnachfragemodell

Der Beitrag stellt Ziele und programiertechnische Details fur die mikroskopische Verkehrsnachfragemodellierung dar. Es werden die hohen Anforderungen erlautert, die bei der Simulation von grosen Raumen entstehen, und Konzepte zur Losung dieser Anforderungen gezeigt. Die Ergebnisse dieser Verkehrsnachfragemodellierung wurden in mehreren erfolgreichen Projekten eingesetzt und weiterverwendet.
THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY FACTORS IN THE PREDICTION OF AGGRESSIVE DRIVING BEHAVIOR AMONG ROMANIAN YOUNGSTERS

This study investigated the utility of the Big Five personality factors in predicting aggressive driving behavior on 100 young Romanian participants. They completed the Aggressive driving behavior (AVIS) test of the psychological Vienna Test System as well as the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP). Previous research findings are also supported by this work, hierarchical multiple regression showing that the only predictor of aggressive driving behavior is low emotional stability, the effect of age and gender being controlled. The other personality factors predict dimensions of aggressive behavior, thus extraversion predicting increased enjoyment of violence , openness to experience predicting negativism in traffic, while low agreeableness predicts enjoyment of violence, and low conscientiousness is a predictor of driving anger . Cuvinte cheie: comportament agresiv la volan, big five, model predictiv
Smoking cessation in primary care: Implementation of a proactive telephone intervention

Purpose: To perform a smoking cessation intervention by a nurse practitioner in a primary care setting and assess its effectiveness. Data sources: The intervention developed was an operationalization of the five As from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' updated Clinical Practice Guideline: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. Data were generated from a two‐group controlled intervention that compared adult smokers who either received or did not receive an intensive proactive telephone intervention focused on cessation. Conclusions: The intervention group showed movement across the stages of change, lower nicotine dependence, and increased confidence to quit. Also, 19% quit smoking and were abstinent at the end of study; none in the control group achieved abstinence. Quit rates were similar to those of other studies. The statistically necessary sample size was not attained, highlighting recruitment difficulties in smoking cessation studies. For a pilot study, the sample size was acceptable. Implications for practice: Measuring stage of change and nicotine dependence can assist clinicians in implementing cessation strategies. Although effective, a provider may find the intervention too intensive to employ with more than one patient at a time. This intervention should be evaluated with smokers ready to make a quit attempt.
Comparison of renal and salt gland function in three species of wild ducks

SUMMARY Three processes central to osmoregulation of marine birds were compared in three species of ducks that differ in habitat affinity, diet and saline tolerance. These processes are filtration of Na+ and water from the plasma by the kidneys, their reabsorption along the renal tubules, and secretion by the salt glands. Barrow's goldeneyes Bucephala islandica, the most marine species, have the highest rates for all three processes and only this species can secrete all the infused salt via the salt glands. Rates of all three processes are lower in mallards Anas platyrhynchos, the most freshwater species. Following saline acclimation, mallards could excrete all the infused Na+ by a combined Na+ excretion of the kidneys and salt glands. Canvasbacks Aythya valisineria, despite being more saline tolerant than mallards, are unable to excrete all the infused Na+. They produce a large volume of urine (like mallards) that has a low [Na+] (like goldeneyes). Salt gland secretion Na+ concentration did not differ among the three species, but only goldeneyes secrete at a rate sufficient to eliminate all infused Na+ via the salt glands. Differences in saline tolerance of these ducks species cannot be fully explained by differences in their filtration, reabsorption and secretion of Na+ and water, suggesting that the intestinal tract plays an important role.
Reserch on the Mechanism of WRAN Self-Coexistence

It is common sense that coexistence is a key issue for the performance of any wireless technology which intends to operate in unlicensed band. WRAN(Wireless Regional Area Network) is a novel air interface (i. e., MAC and PHY) standards based on Cognitive Radios(CRs) defined by IEEE 802.22 Work Group(WG). It aims to reuse the fallow-TV spectrum without causing any harmful interference to incumbents (i.e., the TV receivers). This paper focuses on the WRAN self-coexistence performance analysis. Through researching the synchronization mechanism in MAC layer, we validate the synchronization convergence rule via modeling and simulation. The simulation results show that a lot of cells can convergence quickly in a square area even they work distributed completely.
Abatement by naringenin of doxorubicin-induced cardiac toxicity in rats.

BACKGROUND Doxorubicin is one of the most active cytotoxic agents in current use. It has proven efficacy in various malignancies either alone or combined with other cytocidal agents. The clinical usefulness of the anthracycline drug has been precluded by cardiac toxicity. Many therapeutic interventions have been attempted to improve the therapeutic benefits of the drug. Few, however, have been efficacious in this setting. PURPOSE We have addressed in the current study the possible protective effects of naringenin, a flavonoid known to have anti-oxidant properties, on doxorubicin-induced cardiac toxicity in male Swiss albino rats. METHODS Forty male Swiss albino rats were used in this study. Naringenin (25 mg/kg body weight) was administered daily by gavage for 7 consecutive days before a cumulative single dose of doxorubicin (15 mg/kg body weight, ip). RESULTS Doxorubicin induced marked biochemical alterations characteristic of cardiac toxicity including, elevated activities of serum total lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine phosphokinase (CPK), enhanced lipid peroxidation measured as malondialdehyde (MDA). The anthracycline drug has also reduced the cardiac enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT). Besides, it reduced significantly the reduced glutathione (GSH) level, but it increased the total NO content in heart tissue. Prior administration of naringenin ahead of doxorubicin challenge ameliorated all these biochemical markers. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, one could conclude that naringenin has a protective role in the abatement of doxorubicin-induced cardiac toxicity that resides, at least in part, on its anti-radical effects and regulatory role on NO production.
Quantitative evidence for early life fitness defects from 32 longevity-associated alleles in yeast

Reduced fecundity has been associated with some alleles that enhance longevity in invertebrate and mammalian models. This observation has been suggested to support the antagonistic pleiotropy theory of aging, which predicts that alleles of some genes promoting fitness early in life have detrimental effects later in life that limit survival. In only a few cases, however, has the relative fitness of long-lived mutants been quantified through direct competition with the wild type genotype. Here we report the first comprehensive analysis of longevity/fitness trade-offs by measuring the relative fitness of 49 long-lived yeast variants in a direct competition assay with wild type cells. We find that 32 (65%) of these variants show a significant defect in fitness in this competition assay. In 26 (81%) of these cases, this reduction in fitness can be partially accounted for by reduced maximal growth rate during early life, usually resulting from a G0/G1-specific cell cycle defect. A majority of the less fit longevity-enhancing variants are associated with reduced mRNA translation. These findings are therefore consistent with the idea that enhanced longevity often comes with a fitness cost and suggest that this cost is often associated with variation in a subset of longevity factors, such as those regulating mRNA translation, growth, and reproduction.
A proposed system for cotton yarn defects classification using probabilistic neural network

Cotton yarn defect such as neps which are highly entangled fibres causes a serious problem in the textile industry. In this study, two types of cotton yarn neps, viz. seed coat and fibrous neps are classified by means of probabilistic neural network (PNN) using the features extracted from the images of neps. A k-fold cross validation technique has been applied to assess the performance of the PNN classifier. The results shows that the neps classification accomplished by means of image recognition through PNN classifier agree eminently well. The robustness, speed of execution, proven accuracy coupled with simplicity in algorithm holds the PNN as a foremost classifier to recognize yarn defects. The five fold cross validation is applied to measure the performance of the proposed method and it achieves nearly 96%-99% accuracy for the test data set.
Stromal Cell–Derived Factor-1α Plays a Critical Role in Stem Cell Recruitment to the Heart After Myocardial Infarction but Is Not Sufficient to Induce Homing in the Absence of Injury

Background—After myocardial infarction (MI), bone marrow–derived cells (BMDCs) are found within the myocardium. The mechanisms determining BMDC recruitment to the heart remain unclear. We investigated the role of stromal cell–derived factor-1α (SDF-1) in this process. Methods and Results—MI produced in mice by coronary ligation induced SDF-1 mRNA and protein expression in the infarct and border zone and decreased serum SDF-1 levels. By quantitative polymerase chain reaction, 48 hours after intravenous infusion of donor-lineage BMDCs, there were 80.5±15.6% more BDMCs in infarcted hearts compared with sham-operated controls (P<0.01). Administration of AMD3100, which specifically blocks binding of SDF-1 to its endogenous receptor CXCR4, diminished BMDC recruitment after MI by 64.2±5.5% (P<0.05), strongly suggesting a requirement for SDF-1 in BMDC recruitment to the infarcted heart. Forced expression of SDF-1 in the heart by adenoviral gene delivery 48 hours after MI doubled BMDC recruitment over MI alone (P<0.001) but did not enhance recruitment in the absence of MI, suggesting that SDF-1 can augment, but is not singularly sufficient for, BDMC recruitment to the heart. Gene expression analysis after MI revealed increased levels of several genes in addition to SDF-1, including those for vascular endothelial growth factor, matrix metalloproteinase-9, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, which might act in concert with SDF-1 to recruit BMDCs to the injured heart. Conclusion—SDF-1/CXCR4 interactions play a crucial role in the recruitment of BMDCs to the heart after MI and can further increase homing in the presence, but not in the absence, of injury.
Suicide attempts preceding completed suicide

Background This study investigated three questions with major implications for suicide prevention: the sensitivity of the history of previous suicide attempt(s) as an indicator of suicide risk, the time interval from a preceding suicide attempt to the fatal one, and switching of suicide methods by those eventually completing suicide. Method The lifetime history of suicide attempts and the methods the victims (n=1397) used were examined in a nationwide psychological autopsy study comprising all suicides in Finland within a 12-month research period in 1987–1988. Results Overall, 56% of suicide victims were found to have died at their first suicide attempt, more males (62%) than females (38%). In 19% of males and 39% of females the victim had made a non-fatal attempt during the final year. Of the victims with previous attempts, 82% had used at least two different methods in their suicide attempts (the fatal included). Conclusions Most male and a substantial proportion of female suicides die in their first suicide attempt, a fact that necessitates early recognition of suicide risk, particularly among males. Recognition of periods of high suicide risk on the grounds of recent non-fatal suicide attempts is likely to be important for suicide prevention among females. Subjects completing suicide commonly switch from one suicide method to another, a finding that weakens but does not negate the credibility of restrictions on the availability of lethal methods as a preventive measure.
Image Fusion Based on Joint Nonsubsampled Contourlet and Overcomplete Brushlet Transforms

Abstract This paper proposed an image fusion method based on a novel scheme with joint nonsubsampled contourlet and overcomplete brushlet transform. And an improved region energy operator is employed as the fusion strategy, which can take full advantage of the anisotropic texture information and multidimensional singular information in the new multiresolution domain. Experimental results shows that the proposed method improved the fusion results not only in visual effects but also in objective evaluating parameters.
Learning modulation by endogenous hippocampal IL‐1: Blockade of endogenous IL‐1 facilitates memory formation

The interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) cytokine family (IL‐1α, IL‐β, and the IL‐1 receptor antagonist) is involved in immune and inflammatory responses both in the brain and in the periphery. Recently, it has also been shown to influence behavior and memory consolidation. However, within the experimental systems studied, it has remained unclear whether the role of IL‐1β is associated solely with a pathophysiological process or whether it is a neuromodulator in normal adult brain. To evaluate the involvement of the nonpathological endogenous IL‐1 system in learning, we studied the expression of IL‐1α, IL‐1β, and IL‐1ra during memory consolidation. We observed a learning‐specific hippocampal IL‐1α mRNA induction, but not that of IL‐1β or IL‐1ra mRNAs, after inhibitory avoidance training. Moreover, when IL‐1 receptor activity was inhibited using an adenoviral vector that expresses the IL‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1ra) in the hippocampus, both short‐term and long‐term memory retention scores were facilitated. In contrast, endogenous hippocampal IL‐1 played no role in the habituation to a novel environment. These results demonstrate that endogenous hippocampal IL‐1 specifically modulates a fear‐motivated learning task, and suggest that IL‐1α activity in the CNS is part of the hippocampal memory processing. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
[Disclosure of sources of funding in biomedical journals. Descriptive study of four Spanish publications].

BACKGROUND The source of research funding can result in bias, and its disclosure is essential in the publication of results. The aim of the study is to identify the frequency and type of sources of funding in the articles published by four Spanish biomedical journals published in Spanish. MATERIAL AND METHODS The frequency and type of financial disclosures in the articles published during 2012 in the ordinary numbers of Atención Primaria, Medicina Clínica, Revista Clínica Española and Revista Española de Cardiología were analyzed. Articles described as "Editorial", "Original article", "Consensus Document", "Review" and "Special Article" were considered. It was decided in each case whether or not the article included any funding disclosure and the type of the declared funding (public or private). RESULTS Four hundred and twelve publications were analyzed. In 32.5% there was disclosure of funding: 38% in Atención Primaria, 27% in Medicina Clínica, 15% in Revista Clínica Española and 45% in Revista Española de Cardiología. By type of articles, 47% of original articles, 44% of consensus documents, 21% of reviews, 14% of special articles and 8% of editorials had a funding source. In 51.5% of the cases, funding was exclusively public, in 36.5% exclusively private and in 10% mixed. CONCLUSIONS There is considerable variability in the disclosure of funding sources in articles appearing in these four Spanish biomedical journals. It would be necessary to improve the disclosure requirements of sources of funding, making them uniform, clear and transparent.
The Structure of the AXH Domain of Spinocerebellar Ataxin-1*

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 is a late-onset neurodegenerative disease caused by the expansion of a CAG triplet repeat in the SCA1 gene. This results in the lengthening of a polyglutamine tract in the gene product ataxin-1. This produces a toxic gain of function that results in specific neuronal death. A region in ataxin-1, the AXH domain, exhibits significant sequence similarity to the transcription factor HBP1. This region of the protein has been implicated in RNA binding and self-association. We have determined the crystal structure of the AXH domain of ataxin-1. The AXH domain is dimeric and contains an OB-fold, a structural motif found in many oligonucleotide-binding proteins, supporting its proposed role in RNA binding. By structure comparison with other proteins that contain an OB-fold, a putative RNA-binding site has been identified. We also identified a cluster of charged surface residues that are well conserved among AXH domains. These residues may constitute a second ligand-binding surface, suggesting that all AXH domains interact with a common yet unidentified partner.