Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monomeric sarcosine oxidase: 1. Flavin reactivity and active site binding determinants.

Monomeric sarcosine oxidase (MSOX) is an inducible bacterial flavoenzyme that catalyzes the oxidative demethylation of sarcosine (N-methylglycine) and contains covalently bound FAD [8alpha-(S-cysteinyl)FAD]. This paper describes the spectroscopic and thermodynamic properties of MSOX as well as the X-ray crystallographic characterization of three new enzyme.inhibitor complexes. MSOX stabilizes the anionic form of the oxidized flavin (pK(a) = 8.3 versus 10.4 with free FAD), forms a thermodynamically stable flavin radical, and stabilizes the anionic form of the radical (pK(a) < 6 versus pK(a) = 8.3 with free FAD). MSOX forms a covalent flavin.sulfite complex, but there appears to be a significant kinetic barrier against complex formation. Active site binding determinants were probed in thermodynamic studies with various substrate analogues whose binding was found to perturb the flavin absorption spectrum and inhibit MSOX activity. The carboxyl group of sarcosine is essential for binding since none is observed with simple amines. The amino group of sarcosine is not essential, but binding affinity depends on the nature of the substitution (CH(3)XCH(2)CO(2)(-), X = CH(2) < O < S < Se < Te), an effect which has been attributed to differences in the strength of donor-pi interactions. MSOX probably binds the zwitterionic form of sarcosine, as judged by the spectrally similar complexes formed with dimethylthioacetate [(CH(3))(2)S(+)CH(2)CO(2)(-)] and dimethylglycine (K(d) = 20.5 and 17.4 mM, respectively) and by the crystal structure of the latter. The methyl group of sarcosine is not essential but does contribute to binding affinity. The methyl group contribution varied from -3.79 to -0.65 kcal/mol with CH(3)XCH(2)CO(2)(-) depending on the nature of the heteroatom (NH(2)(+) > O > S) and appeared to be inversely correlated with heteroatom electron density. Charge-transfer complexes are formed with MSOX and CH(3)XCH(2)CO(2)(-) when X = S, Se, or Te. An excellent linear correlation is observed between the energy of the charge transfer bands and the one-electron reduction potentials of the ligands. The presence of a sulfur, selenium, or telurium atom identically positioned with respect to the flavin ring is confirmed by X-ray crystallography, although the increased atomic radius of S < Se < Te appears to simultaneously favor an alternate binding position for the heavier atoms. Although L-proline is a poor substrate, aromatic heterocyclic carboxylates containing a five-membered ring and various heteroatoms (X = NH, O, S) are good ligands (K(d, X=NH) = 1.37 mM) and form charge-transfer complexes with MSOX. The energy of the charge-transfer bands (S > O >> NH) is linearly correlated with the one-electron ionization potentials of the corresponding heterocyclic rings.
Proposing two speaker adaptaion methods for deep neural network based speech recognition systems

Many researches have done to develop speech recognition systems in the past decades. However, their performance in speaker variabilities lags behind that of human recognition system. In order to solve this problem, speaker adaptation methods have proposed. These methods adapt either the acoustic model parameters or the input features of the speech recognition systems to improve their performance. In this article, two speaker adaptation methods for deep neural network based speech recognition systems are proposed. In the first method, feature vectors of each speaker are adapted nonlinearly after some forward-backward iterations. In the other one, the speech recognition system is modified in order to be able to adapt dynamically in speaker variabilities. This method, unlike other model adaptation methods, does not need to any adaptation data and adapts the model online. Experiments on FARSDAT dataset demonstrate that these methods improve phone recognition accuracy rate by 2% and 6%.
User Behaviors in Newsworthy Rumors: A Case Study of Twitter

While Twitter has become an important platform for generating and disseminating breaking news stories, it is also a medium for spreading false rumors. Most research relevant to newsworthy rumors has treated its subject as a homogeneous class without due consideration to the nuances that distinguish rumors from each other. Some studies, for example, have studied rumor propagation as if all rumors follow the same type of distribution. We question this belief and argue that rumors differ in how they engage their audience, how they spread and by whom, what type of users interact with them, and how they evolve over time. In this paper, we study various semantic aspects of false rumors and analyze their spread. We study the characteristics of rumor usage, emphasize the role users play in rumors, their beliefs, and interactions. Finally, we answer several research questions with regards to each of the topics addressed.
A importância do uso do filtro solar na prevenção do fotoenvelhecimento e do câncer de pele

Nos ultimos 40 anos, a incidencia de câncer de pele aumentou consideravelmente, o que tornou muito importante a difusao do uso de filtro solar para a prevencao das doencas de pele, principalmente para aqueles trabalhadores que ficam expostos a radiacao ultravioleta por longos periodos. O presente estudo consiste em uma revisao bibliografica cujo objetivo e sensibilizar e conscientizar as autoridades sanitarias e governantes para o uso do filtro solar como metodo efetivo na prevencao do câncer de pele. Enfatizando que tal procedimento e, portanto, de interesse da saude publica.
The Tuberous Sclerosis Protein TSC2 Is Not Required for the Regulation of the Mammalian Target of Rapamycin by Amino Acids and Certain Cellular Stresses*

Amino acids positively regulate signaling through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Recent work demonstrated the importance of the tuberous sclerosis protein TSC2 for regulation of mTOR by insulin. TSC2 contains a GTPase-activator domain that promotes hydrolysis of GTP bound to Rheb, which positively regulates mTOR signaling. Some studies have suggested that TSC2 also mediates the control of mTOR by amino acids. In cells lacking TSC2, amino acid withdrawal still results in dephosphorylation of S6K1, ribosomal protein S6, the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein, and elongation factor-2 kinase. The effects of amino acid withdrawal are diminished by inhibiting protein synthesis or adding back amino acids. These studies demonstrate that amino acid signaling to mTOR occurs independently of TSC2 and involves additional unidentified inputs. Although TSC2 is not required for amino acid control of mTOR, amino acid withdrawal does decrease the proportion of Rheb in the active GTP-bound state. Here we also show that Rheb and mTOR form stable complexes, which are not, however, disrupted by amino acid withdrawal. Mutants of Rheb that cannot bind GTP or GDP can interact with mTOR complexes. We also show that the effects of hydrogen peroxide and sorbitol, cell stresses that impair mTOR signaling, are independent of TSC2. Finally, we show that the ability of energy depletion (which impairs mTOR signaling in TSC2+/+ cells) to increase the phosphorylation of eukaryotic elongation factor 2 is also independent of TSC2. This likely involves the phosphorylation of the elongation factor-2 kinase by the AMP-activated protein kinase.
Disparate rates of persistent smoking and drug use during pregnancy of women of Hawaiian ancestry.

BACKGROUND Significant disparity in smoking rates has been previously reported in pregnant and non-pregnant women of Native Hawaiian ancestry. Disparities in drug use rates have also been reported in non-pregnant women of Native Hawaiian ancestry. OBJECTIVE We undertook this study to compare rates of smoking and drug use during pregnancy among women in Hawaii to see if these differences are associated with disparities in pregnancy complications among Native Hawaiian women. METHODS Women were enrolled in the Pacific Research Center on Early Human Development study from July 2007 to January 2008, according to approved protocols. Persistent smoking was defined as self-reported smoking within 1 week of admission for labor. Drug use data was assessed by self-report, or if available, toxicology tests at the time of labor. RESULTS There were 868 women enrolled in the study during this period. Women of Hawaiian/part-Hawaiian ancestry comprised 22% of the study population. Rates of persistent smoking and drug use among Hawaiian women were significantly higher than the remainder of the study population (21% and 8.3% vs. 7.8% and 2.1%, respectively, P < .001 for both). Methamphetamine use was associated with an almost 5-fold increase in preterm birth and smoking a 3.4% decrease in birth weights. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Women of Hawaiian ancestry continue to smoke and use illicit drugs during pregnancy at significantly higher rates than women of other ethnic groups in Hawaii. In addition to the immediate effects on pregnancy, long-term adverse outcomes of in utero exposures of the offspring remain an important health disparity.
A Cr-doped WO3 sensor for chromatographic systems in wine quality applications

In this work, the performances of a Cr-doped WO3 sensor array are investigated for the application of this device as detector in gas chromatographic systems. Chromatographic separation modules combined with detectors based on semiconducting metal oxides enable the implementation of systems with both high selectivity and high sensitivity. Comparison of results of the sensor array and mass spectrometer detectors validates the use of this class of devices for low-cost systems for the determination of the volatile organic compounds contents in wines for quality assessment of alcoholic beverages.
Improving of transient stability of power systems using UPFC

The objective of this paper is to answer to the following question: How the unified power flow controller (UPFC) parameters should be controlled in order to achieve the maximal desired effect in solving first swing stability problem. This problem appears for bulky power systems with long transmission lines. Various methods of reference identification of the series part, in order to improve the transient stability of the system based on: optimal parameters, state variables and also injection models were studied. Finally, a new identification method based on state variables and using the local measurement was proposed.
Improving uptake of the copper intrauterine device for emergency contraception by educating pharmacists in the community

Objectives The copper intrauterine device (Cu-IUD) is the most effective method of emergency contraception (EC) and provides ongoing contraception, yet few women choose this option. This study evaluates the impact of an educational initiative involving pharmacists on uptake of Cu-IUDs for EC in an integrated sexual health clinic in the North East of England. Methods Since November 2010, local pharmacists have received intensive education detailing EC options including Cu-IUDs. At the same time a rapid access referral pathway for fitting of an emergency Cu-IUD was established. The impact of this initiative has been assessed by analysing case notes of women attending a large city centre sexual health service who received an emergency Cu-IUD during September and October 2010 (prior to the initiative) and the same 2 months in 2011 (9 months after the start of the intervention). Results The number of women fitted with an emergency Cu-IUD increased by almost three-fold from 11 fitted in September and October 2010 to 30 fitted in these 2 months in 2011. One woman was referred from a pharmacist to the service in the first audit period compared with 17 in the second. No pregnancies occurred in the first month after Cu-IUD insertion in these 41 women. Conclusions Educating pharmacists has increased referral and uptake of Cu-IUD used for EC and this has the potential to reduce unintended pregnancies now and in the future.
Consistency of Normal-Distribution-Based Pseudo Maximum Likelihood Estimates When Data Are Missing at Random

This article shows that, when variables with missing values are linearly related to observed variables, the normal-distribution-based pseudo MLEs are still consistent. The population distribution may be unknown while the missing data process can follow an arbitrary missing at random mechanism. Enough details are provided for the bivariate case so that readers having taken a course in statistics/probability can fully understand the development. Sufficient conditions for the consistency of the MLEs in higher dimensions are also stated, while the details are omitted.
Electrical resonance and Ca2+ influx in the synaptic terminal of depolarizing bipolar cells from the Goldfish retina

1 Whole‐cell recordings and fura‐2 measurements of cytoplasmic [Ca2+] were made in depolarizing bipolar cells isolated from the retinae of goldfish. The aim was to study the voltage signal that regulates Ca2+ influx in the synaptic terminal. 2 The current‐voltage relation was linear up to about −44 mV. At this threshold, the injection of 1 pA of current triggered a maintained ‘all‐or‐none’ depolarization to a plateau of −34 mV, associated with a decrease in input resistance and a damped voltage oscillation with a frequency of 50–70 Hz and initial amplitude of 4–10 mV. A second frequency component of 5–10 Hz was often observed. In a minority of cells the response to current injection was transient, recovering with an undershoot. 3 Unstimulated bipolar cells generated similar voltage signals, driven by current entering the cell through a non‐specific cation conductance that continuously varied in amplitude. 4 The threshold for activation of the Ca2+ current was −43 mV and free [Ca2+]i in the synaptic terminal rose during a depolarizing response. Simultaneous measurements of the fluorescence associated with the membrane marker FM1–43 demonstrated that these Ca2+ signals stimulated exocytosis. Regenerative depolarizations and associated rises in [Ca2+]i were blocked by inhibiting l‐type Ca2+ channels with 30 μm nifedipine. 5 Depolarization beyond −40 mV also elicited an outwardly rectifying K+ current. Blocking this current by replacing external Ca2+ with Ba2+ caused the voltage reached during a depolarizing response to increase to +10 mV. 6 The majority of the K+ current was blocked by 100 nm charybdotoxin, indicating that it was carried by large‐conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ channels. A transient voltage‐gated K2+current remained, which began to activate at −40 mV. High‐frequency voltage oscillations were blocked by 100 nm charybdotoxin, but low‐frequency oscillations remained. 7 These results indicate that the voltage response of depolarizing bipolar cells is shaped by l‐type Ca2+ channels, Ca+‐activated K+ channels and voltage‐dependent K+ channels. This combination of conductances regulates Ca2+ influx into the synaptic terminal and confers an electrical resonance on the bipolar cell.
Association Between Decreased Serum Albumin With Risk of Venous Thromboembolism and Mortality in Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND In cancer patients, reduced serum albumin has been described as a marker for global declining health and poor prognosis. Our aim was to investigate the association of albumin concentrations with the occurrence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and mortality in patients with cancer. METHODS This investigation was performed in the framework of the Vienna Cancer and Thrombosis Study (CATS), a prospective observational cohort study. We included 1,070 patients with active cancer and assayed serum albumin from venous blood taken at study inclusion. Risk for occurrence of VTE was calculated in a proportional subdistribution hazard regression model with respect to competing risk of death and adjusted for cancer site, leukocyte count, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and cholinesterase. RESULTS Patients (630 males [58.9%] and 440 females [41.1%]) were observed for a median of 723 days. During follow-up, 90 VTE events (8.4%) and 396 deaths (37.0%) occurred. The median albumin was 41.3 g/L (25th-75th percentile, 37.6-44.2). Patients with albumin levels below the 75th percentile had a 2.2-fold increased risk of VTE (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-4.32), as well as a 2.3-fold increased risk of death (95% CI 1.68-3.20) compared with patients with albumin above the 75th percentile. CONCLUSION Decreased serum albumin levels in cancer patients were significantly associated with increased risk of VTE and mortality. Serum albumin, a marker of a cancer patient's overall prognosis, could be considered for risk assessment of important clinical outcomes such as VTE and mortality. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Cancer patients are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). In this prospective cohort study of 1,070 cancer patients, decreased serum albumin was a marker for risk of VTE and mortality, independent of kidney or liver function and inflammation markers. The study identified a group of patients with high risk of cancer-associated VTE and a reduced prognosis who may benefit from supportive therapy such as primary VTE prophylaxis.
Coherency-based equivalencing method for large wind farms

This paper presents details of the development of an equivalent wind farm model from power coherency aspect. Clustering wind generator units in a large wind farm based on coherency of the impacts during disturbance is used to arrive at equivalent model. Case studies are presented to illustrate this approach using DIgSILENT PowerFactory simulations. A good performance is achieved for all simulation scenarios while comparing the aggregated and detailed models.
Interaction of Murine Precursor B Cell Receptor with Stroma Cells Is Controlled by the Unique Tail of λ5 and Stroma Cell-Associated Heparan Sulfate 1

Efficient clonal expansion of early precursor B (pre-B) cells requires signals delivered by an Ig-like integral membrane complex, the so-called pre-B cell receptor (pre-BCR). A pre-BCR consists of two membrane μH chains, two covalently associated surrogate L chains, and the heterodimeric signaling transducer Igαβ. In contrast to a conventional Ig L chain, the surrogate L chain is a heterodimer composed of the invariant polypeptides VpreB and λ5. Although it is still unclear how pre-BCR signals are initiated, two recent findings support a ligand-dependent initiation of pre-BCR signals: 1) a pre-BCR/galectin-1 interaction is required to induce phosphorylation of Igαβ in a human precursor B line, and 2) soluble murine as well as human pre-BCR molecules bind to stroma and other adherent cells. In this study, we show that efficient binding of a soluble murine pre-BCR to stroma cells requires the non-Ig-like unique tail of λ5. Surprisingly however, a murine pre-BCR, in contrast to its human counterpart, does not interact with galectin-1, as revealed by lactose blocking, RNA interference, and immunoprecipitation assays. Finally, the binding of a murine pre-BCR to stroma cells can be blocked either with heparin or by pretreatment of stroma cells with heparitinase or a sulfation inhibitor. Hence, efficient binding of a murine pre-BCR to stroma cells requires the unique tail of λ5 and stroma cell-associated heparan sulfate. These findings not only identified heparan sulfate as potential pre-BCR ligands, but will also facilitate the development of appropriate animal models to determine whether a pre-BCR/heparan sulfate interaction is involved in early B cell maturation.
TITLE : Removal of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Escherichia coli from sandblasted acid-etched ( SAE ) titanium dental implants using chemical agents

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Periodontology, College of Dentistry University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN. 2 Associate Professor, Dental Research Center, College of Dentistry University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN. 3 Professor, Department of Bioscience Research, College of Dentistry University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN. 4 Professor and Dean, , College of Dentistry University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN.
Minocycline reduces lipopolysaccharide‐induced neurological dysfunction and brain injury in the neonatal rat

Preferential brain white matter injury and hypomyelination induced by intracerebral administration of the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the neonatal rat brain has been characterized as associated with the activation of microglia. To examine whether inhibition of microglial activation might provide protection against LPS‐induced brain injury and behavioral deficits, minocycline (45 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally 12 hr before and immediately after an LPS (1 mg/kg) intracerebral injection in postnatal day 5 (P5) Sprague‐Dawley rats and then every 24 hr for 3 days. Brain injury and myelination were examined on postnatal day 21 and the tests for neurobehavioral toxicity were carried out from P3 to P21. LPS administration resulted in severe white matter injury, enlarged ventricles, deficits in the hippocampus, loss of oligodendrocytes and tyrosine hydroxylase neurons, damage to axons and dendrites, and impaired myelination as indicated by the decrease in myelin basic protein immunostaining in the P21 rat brain. LPS administration also significantly affected physical development (body weight) and neurobehavioral performance, such as righting reflex, wire hanging maneuver, cliff avoidance, locomotor activity, gait analysis, and responses in the elevated plus‐maze and passive avoidance task. Treatment with minocycline significantly attenuated the LPS‐induced brain injury and improved neurobehavioral performance. The protective effect of minocycline was associated with its ability to attenuate LPS‐induced microglial activation. These results suggest that inhibition of microglial activation by minocycline may have long‐term protective effects in the neonatal brain on infection‐induced brain injury and associated neurologic dysfunction in the rat. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Molecular Cloning of the cDNA of LPL on Goose and the Phylogenetic Relationship in the Lipase Superfamily

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) of Tianfu meat goose was cloned and sequenced using a RT-PCR approach. The nucleotide sequence covered 468 bp with an open reading frame of 155 amino acids. Alignment analysis indicated that the nucleotide sequences are highly conserved to other species studied including chicken, domestic guinea pig, house mouse, Norway rat, cattle, cow and goat, and the homologies are 92.38%, 73.32%, 73.90%, 75.20%, 72.95%, 71.61% and 73.06%, respectively. Topology prediction showed goose LPL including two N-linked glycosylation site Asn187 and Asn215; one catalytic triad (Asp183 and His268); one conserved heparin binding site (Arg134 to Arg137, (RKNR)); eight cysteine residues (Cys68 and Cys94; Cys119 and Cys138; Cys130 and Cys133; Cys285 and Cys306) that are involved in four disulfide bridges; and one lipid-binding site (Trp256 and Trp257 (WW)). Furthermore, molecular phylogeny analyses have shown that LPL protein families were divided into two main evolution branches, one was the LPL-EL-HL branch, and the other was the PL-PLA1 branch.
Posaconazole: a new broad-spectrum antifungal agent

The rising incidence of invasive fungal infections and the emergence of broader fungal resistance have led to the need for novel antifungal agents. Posaconazole is a new member of the triazole class of antifungals. It is available as an oral suspension and has a favorable toxicity profile, has demonstrated clinical efficacy in the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis and has shown promise as salvage therapy for invasive aspergillosis, zygomycosis, cryptococcal meningitis and a variety of other fungal infections. In addition, data from randomized controlled studies support its efficacy for use in prophylaxis of invasive fungal infections in patients who are severely immunocompromised. The wide spectrum activity of posaconazole in in vitro studies, animal models and preliminary clinical studies suggest that posaconazole represents an important addition to the antifungal armamentarium.