Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conformational and biological properties of partial sequences of salmon calcitonin.

According to the Chou-Fasman rules for predicting the secondary structures of proteins, the 12-20 portion of salmon calcitonin should adopt an alpha helical conformation. These residues would form an amphipathic helix and contribute to the solubilization of certain phospholipids by the peptide. Circular dichroism was used to assess the extent that peptide segments of salmon calcitonin fold into structures of higher helical content in the presence of dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol, lysolecithin or sodium dodecyl sulfate. All of the segments studied are carboxyl terminal amides as is the native, intact, salmon calcitonin. Salmon calcitonin segments 11-23 or 12-23 form no more helical structure in the presence of lipids or detergents than does a segment comprising the hydrophilic carboxyl terminal residues 22-32 which is not predicted to adopt a helical conformation. Even a larger segment containing residues 12-32 does not exhibit a great increase in helical content in the presence of lipids or detergents, and it causes only a small broadening of the phase transition of dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol. In contrast, a preparation with an equivalent molar ratio of dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol to the salmon calcitonin segment 1-23 exhibits a very marked broadening of the phase transition, similar to what is found with the 32 amino acid native hormone. This amino terminal segment also adopts a conformation of higher helical content than even the intact hormone. This 1-23 segment is the only one studied that showed significant interaction with lipids, and it is also the only one which exhibited any hypocalcemic activity. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A semi-automated review classification system based on supervised machine learning

The field of opinion mining is expanding rapidly with the widespread use of internet for e-commerce and social interaction. One of the interesting use of opinion mining is in the field of online producer-consumer industry. The primary goal of the work presented in this paper is to perform a semi-automated sentiment classification on online product reviews for product evaluation using machine learning. We also aim to induce simplicity in sentiment classification; by using a method called Dual Sentiment Analysis, we relegate the need of using complex human annotations or very high end linguistic tools to solve the polarity shift problem in opinion classification. We also propose use of a pseudo-opposites dictionary based on our training corpus which is domain consistent with the training dataset.
Social services support and expenditure for children with autism

This article provides information about children with autism who are supported by English social services departments based on the Children in Need Survey 2001 (CIN2001). In 119 authorities, 6310 children were recorded as having a diagnosis of autism or related conditions, probably about one-quarter of all children with such diagnoses and about half of those actually supported. Demographically, this group appears similar to children with autism generally: there are more boys than girls, and learning, communication and behaviour difficulties are common. CIN2001 shows that mean social services support costs tend to be quite high, particularly compared with other disabled children. There are very considerable variations between social services departments in reported numbers and spending. It is unlikely that this variation can be attributed to the prevalence of autism, and more likely that it reflects the case recognition and service provision policies of local agencies.
Genome-wide array data and next generation sequencing unravel the etiology of urogenital malformations

Abstract Development of the genitourinary tract requires spatiotemporal expression of a myriad of genes involved in various cascades and signaling events. To date, researchers have put great efforts into defining the etiology of these malformations. However, many aspects remain unsolved. This paper reviews the most recent progress in identifying causally related genes and novel loci assumed to harbor genes involved in the formation of urogenital malformations. These investigations have been considerately accelerated by the implementation of molecular karyotyping using array techniques and next generation sequencing strategies.
RPA prevents G‐rich structure formation at lagging‐strand telomeres to allow maintenance of chromosome ends

Replication protein A (RPA) is a highly conserved heterotrimeric single‐stranded DNA‐binding protein involved in DNA replication, recombination, and repair. In fission yeast, the Rpa1‐D223Y mutation provokes telomere shortening. Here, we show that this mutation impairs lagging‐strand telomere replication and leads to the accumulation of secondary structures and recruitment of the homologous recombination factor Rad52. The presence of these secondary DNA structures correlates with reduced association of shelterin subunits Pot1 and Ccq1 at telomeres. Strikingly, heterologous expression of the budding yeast Pif1 known to efficiently unwind G‐quadruplex rescues all the telomeric defects of the D223Y cells. Furthermore, in vitro data show that the identical D to Y mutation in human RPA specifically affects its ability to bind G‐quadruplex. We propose that RPA prevents the formation of G‐quadruplex structures at lagging‐strand telomeres to promote shelterin association and facilitate telomerase action at telomeres.
Energy and nitrogen utilization of high versus low producing dairy cows.

Six high and 6 low producing cows were fed corn silage, alfalfa hay, corn, and soybean meal diets to evaluate the cow's ability to metabolize energy and N. High producers consumed more feed and gave more milk than low producers. Energy digestibility (.70), conversion of digestible to metabolizable energy (.90), and absorption of N (.70) were not different between groups. For low producers, heat production (249 kcal/kg BW.75) and loss of metabolizable energy as heat (.62) were greater than for high producers (238 kcal/kg BW.75 and .53), suggesting a less efficient intermediary metabolism of the former. Body composition was unaffected by treatment. Body fat mobilized during periods 1, 2, and 3 was replaced during period 4. Change in body energy (fat) and change in energy balance (calorimetric) data were in the same direction, but absolute values did not agree; change in energy as body fat lagged behind change in energy balance determined by calorimetry. Body protein was used in early lactation and was replaced immediately in spite of negative energy balance; this suggests that protein (amino acids) may play a significant role in meeting short-term energy needs during the first few weeks of lactation.
Perlecan Mediates the Antiproliferative Effect of Apolipoprotein E on Smooth Muscle Cells

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is known to inhibit cell proliferation; however, the mechanism of this inhibition is not clear. We recently showed that apoE stimulates endothelial production of heparan sulfate (HS) enriched in heparin-like sequences. Because heparin and HS are potent inhibitors of smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation, in this study we determined apoE effects on SMC HS production and cell growth. In confluent SMCs, apoE (10 μg/ml) increased 35SO4 incorporation into PG in media by 25–30%. The increase in the medium was exclusively due to an increase in HSPGs (2.2-fold), and apoE did not alter chondroitin and dermatan sulfate proteoglycans. In proliferating SMCs, apoE inhibited [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA by 50%; however, despite decreasing cell number, apoE increased the ratio of35SO4 to [3H]thymidine from 2 to 3.6, suggesting increased HS per cell. Purified HSPGs from apoE-stimulated cells inhibited cell proliferation in the absence of apoE. ApoE did not inhibit proliferation of endothelial cells, which are resistant to heparin inhibition. Analysis of the conditioned medium from apoE-stimulated cells revealed that the HSPG increase was in perlecan and that apoE also stimulated perlecan mRNA expression by >2-fold. The ability of apoE isoforms to inhibit cell proliferation correlated with their ability to stimulate perlecan expression. An anti-perlecan antibody completely abrogated the antiproliferative effect of apoE. Thus, these data show that perlecan is a potent inhibitor of SMC proliferation and is required to mediate the antiproliferative effect of apoE. Because other growth modulators also regulate perlecan expression, this may be a key pathway in the regulation of SMC growth.
Feasibility of scintigraphy in exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage detection and quantification: preliminary studies.

We hypothesised that scintigraphic imaging of the lungs following injection of 99mTc labelled red blood cells (99mTc-RBC) in the exercising horse might enable exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) quantification. Ideally, to favour detection of bleeding, circulating 99mTc-RBC not involved in the haemorrhage should be removed from the circulation quickly. Altering RBC during labelling to stimulate splenic uptake of 99mTc-RBC may encourage this. In order to investigate this hypothesis, 99mTc-RBC distribution was followed for 1 h in 2 groups of horses. Group 1 was injected i.v. , at rest, with radioactive nondenatured RBC (99mTc-NDRBC); Group 2 received labelled RBC partly denatured by heating (99mTc-HDRBC). In Group 2, splenic uptake was higher at all times and radioactivity in the lung was proportionally higher and decreased less quickly than in Group 1. Hence, the time-consuming 99mTc-HDRBC labelling technique did not demonstrate any advantage over the easier 99mTc-NDRBC labelling procedure. Additionally, the feasibility of scintigraphic visualisation of a small amount of pulmonary bleeding was confirmed with the following trial: using an endoscope, a radioactive solution mimicking 50 ml of bleeding was deposited at the usual site of EIPH in a live horse. The radioactivity recorded in that area was compared to the one obtained in the same region in Group 1 and 2. The activity measured 20 min post endoscopy corresponded to 33% of the activity obtained in Group 1 vs. 8% in Group 2 at that timing. Once again, there was no advantage of using 99mTc-HDRBC vs. 99mTc-NDRBC. These results demonstrated that small amounts of bleeding might potentially be detected with scintigraphy; they also suggest that the limiting factor for detecting small amounts of bleeding may be the level of lung background radioactivity.
A Recurrent Parameter Model to Characterize the High-Frequency Range of Respiratory Impedance in Healthy Subjects

In this work, a re-visited model of the respiratory system is proposed. Identification of a recurrent electrical ladder network model of the lungs, which incorporates their specific morphology and anatomical structure, is performed on 31 healthy subjects. The data for identification has been gathered using the forced oscillation lung function test, which delivers a non-parametric model of the impedance. On the measured frequency response, the ladder network parameters have been identified and a fractional order has been calculated from the recurrent ratios of the respiratory mechanics (resistance and compliance). The paper includes also a comparison of our recurrent parameter model with another parametric model for high frequency range. The results suggest that the two models can equally well characterize the respiratory impedance over a long range of frequencies. Additionally, we have shown that the fractional order resulting from the recurrent properties of resistance and compliance in the ladder network model is independent of frequency and is not biased by the nose clip wore by the patients during measurements. An illustrative example shows that our re-visited model is sensitive to changes in respiratory mechanics and the fractional order value is a reliable parameter to capture these changes.
A role for CD95 ligand in preventing graft rejection

TESTIS is a remarkable immune-privileged site, long known for its ability to support allogeneic and xenogeneic tissue transplants1á¤-4. Here we have investigated the molecular basis for testis immune privilege. Testis grafts derived from mice that can express functional CD95 (Fas or Apo-1) ligand5á¤-8 survived indefinitely when transplanted under the kidney capsule of allogeneic animals, whereas testis grafts derived from mutant gldmice, which express non-functional ligand8,9, were rejected. Further analysis of testis showed that CD95 ligand messenger RNA is constitutively expressed by testicular Sertoli cells, and that Sertoli cells from normal mice, but notgld mice, were accepted when transplanted into allogeneic recipients. CD95 ligand expression in the testis probably acts by inducing apoptotic cell death of CD95-expressing, recipient T cells activated in response to graft antigens. These findings indicate that CD95 ligand could be used to create immune-privileged tissue for a variety of transplant uses.
Retrograde nuclear accumulation of cytoplasmic tRNA in rat hepatoma cells in response to amino acid deprivation

Until recently, transport of tRNA was presumed to be unidirectional, from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Our published findings, however, revealed that cytoplasmic tRNAs move retrograde to the nucleus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and that nuclear accumulation of cytoplasmic tRNAs occurs when cells are nutrient deprived. The findings led us to examine whether retrograde nuclear accumulation of cytoplasmic tRNAs occurs in higher eukaryotes. Using RNA FISH and Northern and Western analyses we show that tRNAs accumulate in nuclei of a hepatoma cell line in response to amino acid deprivation. To discern whether tRNA nuclear accumulation results from nuclear import of cytoplasmic tRNAs, transcription of new RNAs was inhibited, and the location of “old” tRNAs in response to nutrient stress was determined. Even in the absence of new RNA synthesis, there were significant tRNA nuclear pools after amino acid depletion, providing strong evidence that retrograde traffic is responsible for the tRNA nuclear pools. Further analyses showed that retrograde tRNA nuclear accumulation in hepatoma cells is a reversible and energy-dependent process. The data provide evidence for retrograde tRNA nuclear accumulation in intact mammalian cells and support the hypothesis that nuclear accumulation of cytoplasmic tRNA and tRNA re-export to the cytoplasm may constitute a universal mechanism for posttranscriptional regulation of global gene expression in response to nutrient availability.
Experimental verification of noiseless sampling for buck chopper circuit with current control

In digitally controlled circuits for power converter circuits, sampling data is important because a digital control circuit is operated on the basis of these data. If the sampled values have been affected by switching noise from the power circuit, the control stability of the circuit would be disturbed. This paper proposes a noiseless sampling method for both synchronous sampling and multisampling, which can sample a value without being affected by noise. The synchronous sampling method may be affected by noise depending on the duty ratio of the circuit. The noiseless sampling method for synchronous sampling changes the timing of the sampling to a position that is less susceptible to noise. The noiseless sampling method for multisampling does not obtain the data immediately after turn-on and -off switching. The control circuit can avoid switching noise by using noiseless sampling, which leads to a disturbance in the control circuit and enhances the robustness of the circuit when applying the multisampling method. Experimental results are presented to verify that the current control of the proposed sampling methods is not disturbed by noise.
Societal consequences of falls in the older population: injuries, healthcare costs, and long-term reduced quality of life.

BACKGROUND Fall incidents are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults. The aim of this cohort study was to determine the incidence, costs, and quality of life for fall-related injuries in the older Dutch population presenting at the emergency department. METHODS Data on fall-related injuries in persons aged 65 years or older were retrieved from the Dutch Injury Surveillance System, which records injuries treated at the emergency department, and a patient follow-up survey conducted between 2003 and 2007. Injury incidence, discharge rates, healthcare costs, and quality of life measures were calculated. RESULTS Fall-related injuries were to the upper or lower limb in 70% of cases and consisted mainly of fractures (60%), superficial injuries (21%), and open wounds (8%). Falls led to a total healthcare cost of €474.4 million, which represents 21% of total healthcare expenses due to injuries. Both admitted and nonadmitted patients reported a reduced quality of life up to 9 months after the injury. CONCLUSIONS Fall-related injuries in older adults are age and gender related, leading to high healthcare consumption, costs, and long-term reduced quality of life. Further implementation of falls prevention strategies is needed to control the burden of fall-related injuries in the aging population.
Activation of the Lysosome‐Associated p61Hck Isoform Triggers the Biogenesis of Podosomes

Haematopoietic cell kinase (Hck) is a protein tyrosine kinase of the Src family specifically expressed in phagocytes as two isoforms, p59Hck and p61Hck, present at the plasma membrane and lysosomes, respectively. We report that ectopic expression of a constitutively active mutant of p61Hck (p61Hckca) triggered the de novo formation of actin‐rich rings at the ventral face of the cells that we characterized as bona fide podosome rosettes, structures involved in cell migration. Their formation required the adaptor domains and the kinase activity of p61Hck, the integrity of microfilament and microtubule networks and concerted action of Cdc42, Rac and Rho. Podosome rosette formation was either abolished when p61Hckca was readdressed from lysosomes to the cytosol or triggered when p59Hckca was relocalized to lysosomes. Lysosomal markers were present at podosome rosettes. By stimulating exocytosis of p61Hckca lysosomes with a calcium ionophore, the formation of podosome rosettes was enhanced. Interestingly, we confirm that, in human macrophages, Hck and lysosomal markers were present at podosomes which were spatially reorganized as clusters, a foregoing step to form rosettes, upon expression of p61Hckca. We propose that lysosomes, under the control of p61Hck, are involved in the biogenesis of podosomes, a key phenomenon in the migration of phagocytes.
Effects of Physical Properties of Feed on Microbial Ecology and Survival of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium in the Pig Gastrointestinal Tract

ABSTRACT A two-by-two factorial experiment with pigs was conducted to study the effect of feed grinding (fine and coarse) and feed processing (pelleted and nonpelleted) on physicochemical properties, microbial populations, and survival of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium DT12 in the gastrointestinal tracts of pigs. Results demonstrated a strong effect of diet on parameters measured in the stomachs of the pigs, whereas the effect was less in the other parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Pigs fed the coarse nonpelleted (C-NP) diet showed more solid gastric content with higher dry matter content than pigs fed the fine nonpelleted (F-NP), coarse pelleted (C-P), or fine pelleted (F-P) diet. Pigs fed the C-NP diet also showed significantly increased number of anaerobic bacteria (P < 0.05), increased concentrations of organic acids, and reduced pH in the stomach. In addition, pigs fed the C-NP diet showed increased in vitro death rate of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium DT12 in content from the stomach (P < 0.001). Pigs fed the C-NP diet had a significantly higher concentration of undissociated lactic acid in gastric content than pigs fed the other diets (P < 0.001). A strong correlation between the concentration of undissociated lactic acid and the death rate of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium DT12 was found. In the distal small intestine, cecum, and midcolon, significantly lower numbers of coliform bacteria were observed in pigs fed the coarse diets than in pigs fed the fine diets (P < 0.01). Pigs fed the C-NP diet showed the lowest number of coliform bacteria in these segments of the gastrointestinal tract. Pigs fed the coarse diets showed increased concentration of butyric acid in the cecum (P < 0.05) and colon (P < 0.10) compared with pigs fed the fine diets. It was concluded that feeding a coarsely ground meal feed to pigs changes the physicochemical and microbial properties of content in the stomach, which decreases the survival of Salmonella during passage through the stomach. In this way the stomach acts as a barrier preventing harmful bacteria from entering and proliferating in the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract.
Protective Immunity against Tularemia Provided by an Adenovirus-Vectored Vaccine Expressing Tul4 of Francisella tularensis

ABSTRACT Francisella tularensis, a category A bioterrorism agent, is a highly infectious organism that is passed on via skin contact and inhalation routes. A live attenuated vaccine strain (LVS) has been developed, but it has not been licensed for public use by the FDA due to safety concerns. Thus, there exists a need for a safer and improved vaccine. In this study, we have constructed a replication-incompetent adenovirus, Ad/opt-Tul4, carrying a codon-optimized gene for expression of a membrane protein, Tul4, of F. tularensis LVS. Its ability to protect against lethal challenge and its immunogenicity were evaluated in a murine model. An intramuscular injection of a single dose (1 × 107 PFU) of Ad/opt-Tul4 elicited a robust Tul4-specific antibody response. Assays suggest a Th1-driven response. A single dose elicited 20% protection against challenge with 100 × 50% lethal dose (LD50) F. tularensis LVS; two additional booster shots resulted in 60% protection. In comparison, three doses of 5 μg recombinant Tul4 protein did not elicit significant protection against challenge. Therefore, the Ad/opt-Tul4 vaccine was more effective than the protein vaccine, and protection was dose dependent. Compared to LVS, the protection rate is lower, but an adenovirus-vectored vaccine may be more attractive due to its enhanced safety profile and mucosal route of delivery. Furthermore, simple genetic modification of the vaccine may potentially produce antibodies protective against a fully virulent strain of F. tularensis. Our data support the development and further research of an adenovirus-vectored vaccine against Tul4 of F. tularensis LVS.