Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MetaCyc: a multiorganism database of metabolic pathways and enzymes

The MetaCyc database (see URL http://MetaCyc.org) is a collection of metabolic pathways and enzymes from a wide variety of organisms, primarily microorganisms and plants. The goal of MetaCyc is to contain a representative sample of each experimentally elucidated pathway, and thereby to catalog the universe of metabolism. MetaCyc also describes reactions, chemical compounds and genes. Many of the pathways and enzymes in MetaCyc contain extensive information, including comments and literature citations. SRI's Pathway Tools software supports querying, visualization and curation of MetaCyc. With its wide breadth and depth of metabolic information, MetaCyc is a valuable resource for a variety of applications. MetaCyc is the reference database of pathways and enzymes that is used in conjunction with SRI's metabolic pathway prediction program to create Pathway/Genome Databases that can be augmented with curation from the scientific literature and published on the world wide web. MetaCyc also serves as a readily accessible comprehensive resource on microbial and plant pathways for genome analysis, basic research, education, metabolic engineering and systems biology. In the past 2 years the data content and the Pathway Tools software used to query, visualize and edit MetaCyc have been expanded significantly. These enhancements are described in this paper.
Radioprotective effects of 2-iminothiazolidine derivatives against lethal doses of gamma radiation in mice.

Although thiol-containing compounds have long been known to possess radioprotective properties, their therapeutics utility is limited by their side effects at radioprotective doses. In this study, a series of 2-iminothiazolidine derivatives were prepared and their toxicity and radioprotective effects in NMRI mice were determined using the LD50/30 end point. The LD50 values, as determined by a Probit analysis, were between 11 and 14 mg/kg. For studying radioprotective effects, one-sixth of the toxic LD50 values were used, namely 2 and 2.2 mg/kg. To evaluate the radioprotective capabilities, mice were exposed to lethal doses of cobalt-60 gamma-radiation alone or in the presence of compounds. The percentage survival of mice at 30 days for these compounds compared to control mice were 10 to 30% when injected 15 and 30 minutes before gamma-irradiation. They were significant compared to the control group (P < 0.05). 2-Imino-3-(benzoylmethyl)thiazolidine derivatives showed different radioprotective effects when injected at different times before irradiation, but were not statistically significant from each other (P > 0.05).
Inhibition of the unaffected motor cortex by 1 Hz repetitive transcranical magnetic stimulation enhances motor performance and training effect of the paretic hand in patients with chronic stroke.

OBJECTIVE Recent reports demonstrated that low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the unaffected hemisphere improved the affected hand function in chronic stroke patients. We investigated whether 1 Hz rTMS improved the motor learning of the affected hand in patients after stroke. DESIGN A double-blind study. PATIENTS Twenty patients with chronic subcortical stroke. METHODS The patients were randomly assigned to receive either a sub-threshold rTMS over the unaffected hemisphere (1 Hz, 25 minutes) or sham stimulation, and all patients performed a pinching task after stimulation. We evaluated the motor function of the affected hand and the excitatory and inhibitory function of the affected motor cortex by transcranial magnetic stimulation. RESULTS Compared with sham stimulation, rTMS induced an increase in the excitability of the affected motor cortex(p < 0.001) and an improvement in acceleration of the affected hand (p = 0.006). Moreover, the effect of motor training on pinch force was enhanced by rTMS (p < 0.001). These improvement in the motor function lasted for one week after rTMS and motor training (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION rTMS improved the motor learning of the affected hand in patients after stroke; thus, it can apply as anew rehabilitation strategy for patients after stroke.
Low-dimensional spaces for the analysis of sensor network data: Identifying behavioural changes in a propulsion system

The amount of sensors installed for equipment health monitoring on board engines, aircraft, and vehicles has increased steadily in the digital age. Developing strategies and capabilities to extract useful information from the tremendous amounts of data collected is a separate challenge that can be used to establish the indicators of system health, a necessary precursor to the implementation of condition based maintenance, that could be explored through the use of data analytics tools and methods. In this work, initial analysis of the sensor data related to a diesel engine system and specifically its turbocharger subsystem was carried out. An incident involving seizure of the turbocharger was captured by the sensor data, and hence analysis of this event provides an opportunity to identify changes in equipment indicators with a known outcome. Several data analysis tools were used, including the transformation of the original highdimensional sensor data to a low-dimensional space. The data analysis is focused on characterizing the healthy and failed states of the turbocharger system and identifying the change in behaviour of the system during that transition.
Characterization of human vascular endothelial cadherin glycans

Abstract The glycosylation pattern of human vascular endothelial cad-herin (VE-cadherin), purified from cultured human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells, was analyzed. VE-cadherin was metabolically radiolabeled with D-[6-3H]glucosamine, isolated by immunoprecipitation, purified by SDS-PAGE and in-gel digested with endoproteinase Asp N. Oligosaccharides were sequentially released from resulting glycopeptides and analyzed by chromatographic profiling. The results revealed that VE-cadherin carries predominantly sialylated diantennary and hybrid-type glycans in addition to some triantennary and high mannose-type species. Highly branched, tetra-antennary oligosaccharides were found in trace amounts only. Immunohistochemical labeling of VE-cadherin and sialic acids displayed a codistribution along the intercellular junctions in endothelial cells of human umbilical arteries, veins, and cultured endothelial monolayers. Ca2+-depletion, performed on cultured endothelial cells, resulted in a reversible complete disappearance of VE-cadherin and of almost all sialic acid staining from the junctions. Sialidase treatment of whole cells caused a change of VE-cadherin immunofluorescence from a continuous and netlike superstructural organization to a scattered inconsistent one. Hence, cell surface sialic acids might play a role in VE-cadherin organization.
Long-term follow up of patients with clinically isolated syndromes, relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

This paper extends on previous data on prognosis in multiple sclerosis (MS), to encompass the entire course of the disease. The first episode suggestive of MS [the clinically isolated syndrome (CIS)] was included as a starting point, and the speed of secondary progression as an end point. Primary progressive MS was not included. Unique preconditions, with one neurological service covering the G öteborg district, allowed for establishing a strictly population-based, essentially untreated 15-year incidence cohort of 308 MS patients who were followed for 25 years. Survival analysis was performed as Kaplan -Meyer graphs, and independent predictors were ascertained by C ox regression analysis. A matrix of several predictors and end points was created. From C IS, a higher risk of developing clinically definite MS (C DMS), secondary progressive course and Disability Status Scale 7 (DSS7) was predicted by efferent tract lesions. However, less than 25% had reached DSS7 25 years after C IS with pure afferent lesions or other favorable predicto rs. During the first five years, higher relapse frequency, as well as incomplete remission of early bouts, predicted higher risks of secondary progressive course and DSS7 during follow-up to 25 years. However, these early predictors were unable to predict the rate of progression, which seems to contain an element of the disease process unassociated with its early events. O nly late predictors, such as a shorter time from onset to secondary progression (1-10 years) and a higher number of functional systems involved at onset of progression predicted a faster progression rate. Predictors from this study could be used to refine historically controlled trials.
Sectoral Structure and Change: Insights from Marx

ABSTRACT At the time of Marx’s birth two centuries ago, the Industrial Revolution was well underway, and the economic and social changes which it wrought formed the backdrop to Marx’s own ideas. The advanced economies of the world were then industrialising, yet today most countries are deindustrialising. What light can a Marxist analysis shed on sectoral structure, sectoral specificity and sectoral change in the early 21st century? A Marxist approach is distinctive and valuable in how it approaches these sectoral issues, and the following interrelated aspects are discussed here: classifying activities in the first instance according to position in the circuit of capital rather than by sectors; a non-phenomenological approach to classifying activities; a non-physicalist conception of commodities; underscoring the extent of intra-sectoral heterogeneity; recognising the importance of manufacturing and of industrialisation; and implications for analysing changes in sectoral structure.
A novel bandpass filter based on Half-Mode substrate integrated waveguide (HMSIW)

A novel branched-shaped bandpass filter structure of Half-Mode substrate integrated waveguide is presented. By etching branched-shaped resonators with different patch size, wide pass-band is obtained, the filter was fabricated with a single layer standard printed circuit board process. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated results, that indicates the correctness and effectiveness of the design. The bandpass filter structure has the advantage of low insertion loss, compacted and good selectivity.
Precuneus shares intrinsic functional architecture in humans and monkeys

Evidence from macaque monkey tracing studies suggests connectivity-based subdivisions within the precuneus, offering predictions for similar subdivisions in the human. Here we present functional connectivity analyses of this region using resting-state functional MRI data collected from both humans and macaque monkeys. Three distinct patterns of functional connectivity were demonstrated within the precuneus of both species, with each subdivision suggesting a discrete functional role: (i) the anterior precuneus, functionally connected with the superior parietal cortex, paracentral lobule, and motor cortex, suggesting a sensorimotor region; (ii) the central precuneus, functionally connected to the dorsolateral prefrontal, dorsomedial prefrontal, and multimodal lateral inferior parietal cortex, suggesting a cognitive/associative region; and (iii) the posterior precuneus, displaying functional connectivity with adjacent visual cortical regions. These functional connectivity patterns were differentiated from the more ventral networks associated with the posterior cingulate, which connected with limbic structures such as the medial temporal cortex, dorsal and ventromedial prefrontal regions, posterior lateral inferior parietal regions, and the lateral temporal cortex. Our findings are consistent with predictions from anatomical tracer studies in the monkey, and provide support that resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) may in part reflect underlying anatomy. These subdivisions within the precuneus suggest that neuroimaging studies will benefit from treating this region as anatomically (and thus functionally) heterogeneous. Furthermore, the consistency between functional connectivity networks in monkeys and humans provides support for RSFC as a viable tool for addressing cross-species comparisons of functional neuroanatomy.
Simple and rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex organisms in bovine tissue samples by PCR

Mycobacterium bovis is a slowly growing microorganism, and confirmation of the diagnosis by conventional culture is a lengthy process. A simple, rapid method for the extraction of DNA from bovine tissue samples was developed and used in a PCR designed for the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Tissues from 81 cattle from tuberculosis-infected herds (group 1) and 19 cattle from tuberculosis-free herds (group 2) were tested in this PCR, and the results were compared with those of conventional culture. The PCR assay detected 71.4% of the culture-positive animals from group 1. Tissue from all animals in group 2 were negative in the PCR assay and by culture. The described method could be used as a rapid screening technique which would be complementary to culture of tissue specimens for the routine diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis. The PCR technique is much faster than culture and reduces the time for diagnosis from several months to 2 days. It also provides for the detection of M. bovis when rapidly growing Mycobacterium spp. are present in the sample and may be able to detect the presence of M. bovis in samples even when organisms have become nonviable.
The Level of Friend Retrovirus Replication Determines the Cytolytic Pathway of CD8+ T-Cell-Mediated Pathogen Control

ABSTRACT Cytotoxic T cells (CTL) play a central role in the control of viral infections. Their antiviral activity can be mediated by at least two cytotoxic pathways, namely, the granule exocytosis pathway, involving perforin and granzymes, and the Fas-FasL pathway. However, the viral factor(s) that influences the selection of one or the other pathway for pathogen control is elusive. Here we investigate the role of viral replication levels in the induction and activation of CTL, including their effector potential, during acute Friend murine leukemia virus (F-MuLV) infection. F-MuLV inoculation results in a low-level infection of adult C57BL/6 mice that is enhanced about 500-fold upon coinfection with the spleen focus-forming virus (SFFV). Both the low- and high-level F-MuLV infections generated CD8+ effector T cells that were essential for the control of viral replication. However, the low-level infection induced CD8+ T cells expressing solely FasL but not the cytotoxic molecules granzymes A and B, whereas the high-level infection resulted in induction of CD8+ effector T cells secreting molecules of the granule exocytosis pathway. By using knockout mouse strains deficient in one or the other cytotoxic pathway, we found that low-level viral replication was controlled by CTL that expressed FasL but control of high-level viral replication required perforin and granzymes. Additional studies, in which F-MuLV replication was enhanced experimentally in the absence of SFFV coinfection, supported the notion that only the replication level of F-MuLV was the critical factor that determined the differential expression of cytotoxic molecules by CD8+ T cells and the pathway of CTL cytotoxicity.
International association meetings

The aim of our study is to discuss whether the key frequently identified destination attributes desired by associations and meeting planners determine the number of association meetings organized by each country in 2014. Regression analysis was used by ordinary least squares for the number of association meetings organized in 2014 by each country that shows the importance of 12 countries’ destination attributes reported in the meetings, incentives, conventions and events/exhibitions sector literature and included in the travel and tourism competitiveness index. Our study contributes to the literature in two ways: (i) to identify and evaluate the key attributes in the attraction of association meetings (until now dispersed) and (ii) empirically test the importance of these attributes in the selection of meeting host country. From a practical perspective, these findings give valuable information for destination management organizations and meeting planners about the factors that should be improved in each country in order to be selected more often in the organization of those events.
Indulgence versus Restraint: The Moderating Role of Cultural Differences on the Relationship between Corporate Social Performance and Corporate Financial Performance

ABSTRACT Adapting to the cultural environment surrounding, a firm is of paramount importance in international marketing practices. Extant marketing literature provides meager guidance to marketers on how to adapt to cultural factors to turn corporate social responsibility strategies into financial outcomes. To address this gap, we utilize the instrumental stakeholder theory and Hofstede's cultural framework to investigate the moderating effect of indulgence versus restraint culture on the relationship between corporate social performance (CSP) and corporate financial performance (CFP). Applying a panel data regression analysis to a dataset of CSP and CFP data for 3753 firms from 43 different countries, we demonstrate that CSP has a positive effect on CFP. However, we show that CSP has a weaker effect on CFP in firms located in indulgent countries. Therefore, to generate financial outcomes, we recommend managers to allocate more resources to CSP initiatives if the firm is operating in a culturally restrained country.
Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Geographically Diverse Clinical Human Isolates of Leptospira

ABSTRACT Although antimicrobial therapy of leptospirosis has been studied in a few randomized controlled clinical studies, those studies were limited to specific regions of the world and few have characterized infecting strains. A broth microdilution technique for the assessment of antibiotic susceptibility has been developed at Brooke Army Medical Center. In the present study, we assessed the susceptibilities of 13 Leptospira isolates (including recent clinical isolates) from Egypt, Thailand, Nicaragua, and Hawaii to 13 antimicrobial agents. Ampicillin, cefepime, azithromycin, and clarithromycin were found to have MICs below the lower limit of detection (0.016 μg/ml). Cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, imipenem-cilastatin, penicillin G, moxifloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin had MIC90s between 0.030 and 0.125 μg/ml. Doxycycline and tetracycline had the highest MIC90s: 2 and 4 μg/ml, respectively. Doxycycline and tetracycline were noted to have slightly higher MICs against isolates from Egypt than against strains from Thailand or Hawaii; otherwise, the susceptibility patterns were similar. There appears to be possible variability in susceptibility to some antimicrobial agents among strains, suggesting that more extensive testing to look for geographic variability should be pursued.
Purinergic regulation of guinea pig suburothelial myofibroblasts

The Ca2+‐regulating and electrophysiological properties of guinea‐pig suburothelial myofibroblasts have been measured in order to investigate their potential role in the sensation of bladder fullness, due to their strategic position between the urothelium and afferent fibres. Previous work has shown that stretch of the bladder wall releases ATP. Cells that stain positively for vimentin were isolated. About 45% of cells (median membrane capacitance 13.3 pF) exhibited spontaneous depolarizations to about −25 mV with a physiological Cl− gradient (frequency 2.6 ± 1.5 min−1, duration 14.5 ± 2.2 s, n= 15). Under voltage‐clamp spontaneous inward currents (frequency 1.5 ± 0.2 min−1, duration 14.5 ± 7.0 s, n= 18) were recorded, with a similar reversal potential. The spontaneous currents were preceded by intracellular Ca2+ transients with a magnitude that was independent of membrane potential. All cells tested responded to ATP by generating an intracellular Ca2+ transient, followed by inward currents; the currents had a similar reversal potential and slope conductance to their spontaneous counterparts. ATP‐generated transients were mimicked by UTP and ADP but not by α,β‐methylene‐ATP (1–10 μm) or CTP (30 μm), indicating that ATP acts via a P2Y receptor. Transients were partially attenuated by 1 mm suramin but PPADS (80 μm) had no effect. These data indicate that ATP acts via a P2Y receptor, but responses were resistant to the P2Y1 antagonist MRS2179. ATP‐generated transients were abolished by intracellular perfusion with heparin and TMB‐8 indicating that IP3 was the intracellular second messenger. The reversal potentials of the spontaneous and ATP‐generated currents were shifted by about +45 mV by a 12‐fold reduction of the extracellular [Cl−] and the currents were greatly attenuated by 1 mm DIDS. No transients were generated on exposure to the muscarinic agonist carbachol. We propose that these cells may play a regulatory step in the sensation of bladder fullness by responding to ATP. The precise mechanism whereby they couple urothelial ATP release to afferent excitation is the next step to be elucidated.
Actin stabilization induces apoptosis in cultured porcine epithelial cell rests of Malassez.

AIM To test whether actin stabilization by jasplakinolide induces inhibition of cell viability and apoptosis in epithelial cell rests of Malassez (ERM). METHODOLOGY ERM derived from porcine were spread in a 96-well dish (5 × 10(4) /well) using Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium. The actin-specific stabilization reagent, jasplakinolide, was incorporated into the culture medium and incubated for 24 h. To evaluate cell viability, the WST-1 assay was carried out and absorption (450 nm) was measured. To detect apoptotic cells, monoclonal antibody to single-strand DNA (ssDNA) was used and absorption (405 nm) was measured. Actin stabilization and apoptosis induced by jasplakinolide were morphologically investigated by staining with Alexa Fluor 568 phalloidin and observed under a fluorescent microscope. As a negative control, DMSO was used instead of jasplakinolide. Differences between the jasplakinolide-treated group and the control group were analysed statistically using the Student's t-test. RESULTS Cell viability decreased in a concentration-dependent manner, and cell viability in the jasplakinolide-treated ERM was lower than that in nontreated ERM (n = 16, P < 0.01). Apoptotic cells in the jasplakinolide-treated ERM were more frequently detected compared to that in nontreated ERM (n = 16, P < 0.01). Morphologically, shrinkage, irregular forms and fragmentation of nuclei suggesting apoptotic bodies were observed in jasplakinolide-treated ERM, whilst actin filaments were extended in non-treated ERM. CONCLUSION Actin stabilization by jasplakinolide inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis in epithelial cell rests of Malassez.
Financial distress, refinancing, and debt structure

We examine changes in debt structure when firms experience financial distress. At these points in time, firms refinance and undergo substantial changes in priority structure. Specifically, we find that firms diversify their priority structure relative to its pre-distress composition. We show, using a simple model, that these changes are the firm's optimal response to its joint liquidity and investment needs. Additional predictions on the yield spreads of bonds issued to meet the firm's liquidity needs are also supported by the data.