Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of a Ligand Blot Assay Using Biotinylated Live Cells

Adhesive interactions between cells are critical to a variety of processes, including host-pathogen relationships. The authors have developed a new technique for the observation of binding interactions in which molecules obtained from excised tissues are resolved by gel electrophoresis and transferred to a membrane. Biotinylated live cells are then kept in contact with that membrane, and their interactions with proteins of interest are detected by peroxidase-labeled streptavidin, followed by a biotin-streptavidin detection system. The adhesion proteins can eventually be identified by cutting the relevant band(s) and performing mass spectrometry or other amino acid—sequencing methods. The technique described here allows for the identification of both known and novel adhesion molecules capable of binding to live cells, among a complex mixture and without previous isolation or purification. This is especially important for the analysis of host-parasite interactions and may be extended to other types of cell-cell interactions. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2007:1006-1010)
Avaliação de um teste em medicina usando uma Curva ROC Fuzzy

Quando um novo teste para diagnostico e desenvolvido em medicina, e necessario avaliar a sua habilidade em classificar corretamente os individuos em dois subgrupos clinicamente relevantes: positivo ou negativo. Uma ferramenta amplamente difundida para avaliar o desempenho de testes de diagnostico e a analise da curva ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) [3]. A metodologia da curva ROC baseia-se na hipotese de que e possivel saber com certeza a qual dos grupos “positivo” ou “negativo” um paciente pertence [2]. Esta certeza e obtida por algum procedimento conhecido como “padrao-ouro”, que pode ser uma biopsia, cirurgia, analise post-mortem, um teste mais preciso, ou, mesmo um diagnostico feito por um ou mais especialistas na area. Quando o padrao-ouro e dado por um teste ou e feito por um grupo de especialistas, existe uma subjetividade que deve ser considerada sob o risco de produzir um modelo distorcido em vista de uma classificacao dicotomica. Com o intuito de modelar matematicamente a subjetividade, ao inves de impor dicotomia, e evitando, desta forma, perder informacoes, temos optado pela utilizacao da teoria dos conjuntos fuzzy. Nosso objetivo neste trabalho e construir um Sistema Baseado em Regras Fuzzy SBRF para predizer o estado patologico do câncer de prostata [4] considerando tres variaveis: niveis de PSA (Antigeno Prostatico Especifico) no sangue, grau de diferenciacao do tumor dado pelo escore de Gleason (biopsia) e, estado clinico avaliado atraves do toque retal e/ou exames complementares como ultra-som. A saida do SBRF e um numero no intervalo [0 1] que representa o estagio do câncer: confinado a glândula prostatica ou nao. O padrao-ouro utilizado para avaliar o SBRF foi definido por uma funcao de pertinencia fuzzy construida a partir de dados estatisticos. ___________________ *Doutoranda da FEEC-UNICAMP Akebo Yamakami FEEC – UNICAMP – CAMPINAS – SP E-mail: akebo@dt.fee. unicamp.br
Use of naloxone in opiate poisoning.

severe pre-eclampsia may occur early enough to retard fetal growth. It is therefore important to distinguish between pre-eclawpsia and eclampsia in such comparisons. The relatively small percentage of Yoruba primigravidae who are over 25 years of age tend to be overweight and to show a higher than average incidence of pre-eclampsia during pregnancy of the type seen in Europe. These women are usually in nonmanual occupations. There is good evidence that hy,pertension is common in Yoruba women in middle life. -I am, etc.,
A comment on studies using force-plate analysis

Dear Sir, Congratulations on the recently published study of Beraud et al. 'Effect of exercise on kinetic gait analysis of dogs afflicted by osteoarthritis' (1). The study shows that exercise prior to force-plate analysis affects the recorded measurements in dogs with osteoarthritis. Significant differences were noted between recordings taken prior to and after exercise. The results of this study will hopefully influence the design of future studies using forceplate analysis. In particular, it would be especially interesting and valuable to see what effect exercise has on the compared outcomes of various techniques employed to treat cranial cruciate ligament deficiency. Our clinical impression is that the tibial plateau levelling osteotomy produces outcomes far superior to lateral imbrication techniques in large-breed, highly athletic dogs that are accustomed to activities such as hiking and hunting through rough terrain, distance running, mushing, agility and competitive field trial. However, much to our surprise, this has not been borne out in the recent literature (2, 3). Respectfully,
THROMBOSIS AND HEMOSTASIS Factor XIII-A transglutaminase acts as a switch between preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation

Obesity, which is characterized by abnormally high fat accumulation in adipose tissue andother organs, has aheritability rangeof65%to80% and is a risk factor for thrombosis and many severe chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, arthritis, and cancer. Obesity is also associated with the hypercoagulable state caused by increased production of liver-derived clotting factors occurring as a reaction to increased circulating lipids and inflammatory cytokines caused by dysfunctioning adipose tissue. A recent genome-wide screen study examined gene expression changes linked to body mass index (BMI) from white adipose tissue (WAT) of monozygotic twin pairs discordant in BMI to seek potentially causative genes (vs reactive genes) for obesity. The study identifiedF13A1 (which encodes for factor XIII-A [FXIII-A] coagulation factor) as the top, potentially causative gene expressed in WAT with the high association to obesity. The significant association of F13A1 with obesity was further confirmed in a large European ENGAGE consortium study of more than 21 000 unrelated individuals as well as in the GenMets cohort study, which identified 7 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in F13A1 gene associated with BMI. These studies strongly suggest that the link between obesity and FXIII-A may differ from the link between obesity and other clotting factors in that FXIII-A may be produced by WAT and functioning in adipogenesis. FXIII-A is a transglutaminase (TG) enzyme that stabilizes the fibrin network as the last step of the blood coagulation cascade. Circulating FXIII-A exists as a dimer that is bound to an inhibitory dimeric FXIII-B subunit. Together they form the heterotetrameric FXIII clotting factor. In contrast tomost of the other clotting factors, the source of circulating FXIII-A is considered to be predominantly cells of bone marrow origin such as megakaryocytes. In addition to being found in plasma, FXIII-A is also found in tissues and is synthesized by various cells, including macrophages, chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and osteocytes,where it is found in the cytosol and nucleus, on the plasma membrane or cell surface, and in the extracellular matrix. Cellular FXIII-A activity has been shown to regulate fibroblast adhesion; megakaryocyte morphology; platelet maturation; proliferation and migration of monocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts; and extracellular matrix synthesis and stabilization required for differentiation of cells of mesenchymal origin. FXIII-A, as a member of the TG family, catalyzes a Ca-dependent acyl-transfer reaction between polypeptide-bound glutamine residues and lysine residues, resulting in a covalent g-(glutamyl)-e-lysyl
Nanotechnology : Definitions and Trends What Is Nanotechnology ?

Introduction Nanomedicine, the application of nanotechnology to medicine, is currently at an early stage but it is expected to have a revolutionary impact on health care.1 Nanomedical research is heavily supported by public policy and investment, and is progressing rapidly.1,2 The continued development of nanomedicines has the potential to provide numerous benefits, including improved efficacy, bioavailability, dose–response, targeting ability, personalization, and safety compared to conventional medicines.2–5 The most exciting concept in nanomedical research may be the design and development of multifunctional nanoparticle (NP) complexes that can simultaneously deliver diagnostic and therapeutic agents to targeted sites.5,6 These capabilities are unprecedented and represent tremendous progress toward improving patient diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up.6 However, despite these potential benefits, essential data regarding the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and toxicity of many nanomaterials are currently lacking.5,7
Electron beam‐induced changes in vitreous sections of biological samples

Nonpretreated high pressure frozen samples of Zea mays, cartilage and human erythrocytes were cryosectioned and observed at 110 K in a cryoelectron microscope. Changes induced by medium doses of electron irradiation (< 10 ke nm−2) are described. After some ke nm−2, the most conspicuous cutting artefacts are erased to a large extent and the visibility of the cell organelles is improved. The sections, compressed in the cutting direction by the sectioning process, shrink once more, in the same direction, when irradiated. This shrinkage depends on the section support and on how the section is adsorbed to it. Shrinkage is not uniform; it is most pronounced in mitochondria, condensed chromatin and nucleolus. This differential shrinkage improves the visibility of major structures on the section and, as a result, ‘nicer’ images are recorded. However, this apparent improvement is a beam‐induced artefact that must be paired with a loss of high resolution information.
Self-organized task allocation in swarm robotics foraging based on dynamical response threshold approach

Social insects can flexibly respond to variational environment without global information and centralized control, and inspired by the collective behavior in ants and bees, this paper proposes a dynamical response threshold model (DRTM) in which the robots perform task allocation in self-organized manner. The proposed method depends on neither the global information nor the communication between robots. Using this method, the individual robot considers the amount of food in nest as stimulus and can compute the threshold dynamically according to monitoring the number of resting robots as well as counting the times of obstacle avoidance in the last foraging task. Taking advantage of stimulus and threshold, the robots automatically decide whether to forage on the basis of foraging probability. Simulation experiments are carried out with the aim of studying the effectiveness of the proposed model and evaluating the performance of task allocation in foraging scenarios. The experimental results presented in this paper prove that DRTM can achieve an efficient task allocation and possess better self-organized feature compared with the existing fixed response threshold model (FRTM).
ncRDeathDB: A comprehensive bioinformatics resource for deciphering network organization of the ncRNA-mediated cell death system

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a critical biological process involved in many important processes, and defects in PCD have been linked with numerous human diseases. In recent years, the protein architecture in different PCD subroutines has been explored, but our understanding of the global network organization of the noncoding RNA (ncRNA)-mediated cell death system is limited and ambiguous. Hence, we developed the comprehensive bioinformatics resource (ncRDeathDB, www.rna-society.org/ncrdeathdb) to archive ncRNA-associated cell death interactions. The current version of ncRDeathDB documents a total of more than 4600 ncRNA-mediated PCD entries in 12 species. ncRDeathDB provides a user-friendly interface to query, browse and manipulate these ncRNA-associated cell death interactions. Furthermore, this resource will help to visualize and navigate current knowledge of the noncoding RNA component of cell death and autophagy, to uncover the generic organizing principles of ncRNA-associated cell death systems, and to generate valuable biological hypotheses.
Plant dehydrins and stress tolerance

Dehydrins (DHNs), or group 2 LEA (Late Embryogenesis Abundant) proteins, play a fundamental role in plant response and adaptation to abiotic stresses. They accumulate typically in maturing seeds or are induced in vegetative tissues following salinity, dehydration, cold, and freezing stress. The generally accepted classification of dehydrins is based on their structural features, such as the presence of conserved sequences, designated as Y, S, and K segments. The K segment representing a highly conserved 15 amino acid motif forming amphiphilic α-helix is especially important since it has been found in all dehydrins. Since more than 20 years, they are thought to play an important protective role during cellular dehydration but their precise function remains unclear. This review outlines the current status of the progress made towards the structural, physico-chemical and functional characterization of plant dehydrins and how these features could be exploited in improving stress tolerance in plants.
A new, soft-switched, high-power-factor boost converter with IGBTs

A new soft-switching technique that improves performance of the high-power-factor boost rectifier by reducing switching losses is introduced. The losses are reduced by an active snubber which consists of an inductor, capacitor, rectifier, and an auxiliary switch. Since the boost switch turns off with zero current, this technique is well suited for implementations with insulated-gate bipolar transistors. The reverse-recovery-related losses of the rectifier are also reduced by the snubber inductor which is connected in series with the boost switch and the boost rectifier. In addition, the auxiliary switch operates with zero-voltage switching. A complete design procedure and extensive performance evaluation of the proposed active snubber using a 1.2 kW prototype operating from a 90 V/sub rms/-265 V/sub rms/ input are also presented.
Branching Out: The ramosa Pathway and the Evolution of Grass Inflorescence Morphology

The recent cloning of two classical maize mutants, ramosa1 ( ra1 ) by [Vollbrecht et al. (2005)][1] and ra2 by [Bortiri et al. (2006)][2] (in this issue of The Plant Cell ), has identified a pathway that plays a fundamental role in inflorescence architecture in maize. The name ramosa , from the
Postdischarge thromboprophylaxis and mortality risk after hip-or knee-replacement surgery

Background: Patients undergoing hip or knee replacement are at high risk of developing a postoperative venous thromboembolism even after discharge from hospital. We sought to identify hospital and patient characteristics associated with receiving thromboprophylaxis after discharge and to compare the risk of short-term mortality among those who did or did not receive thromboprophylaxis. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using system-wide hospital discharge summary records, physician billing information, medication reimbursement claims and demographic records. We included patients aged 65 years and older who received a hip or knee replace ment and who were discharged home after surgery. Results: In total we included 10 744 patients. Of these, 7058 patients who received a hip replacement and 3686 who received a knee replacement. The mean age was 75.4 (standard deviation [SD] 6.8) years and 38% of patients were men. In total, 2059 (19%) patients received thomboprophylaxis at discharge. Patients discharged from university teaching hospitals were less likely than those discharged from community hospitals to received thromboprophylaxis after discharge (odds ratio [OR] 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.80–1.00). Patients were less likely to receive thromboprophylaxis after discharge if they had a longer hospital stay (15–30 days v. 1–7 days, OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.59–0.81). Patients were more likely to receive thromboprophylaxis if they had hip (v. knee) replacement, osteoarthritis, heart failure, atrial fibrillation or hypertension, higher (v. lower) income or if they were treated at medium-volume hospitals (69–116 hip and knee replacements per year). In total, 223 patients (2%) died in the 3-month period after discharge. The risk of short-term mortality was lower among those who received thromboprophylaxis after discharge (hazard ratio [HR] 0.34, 95% CI 0.20–0.57). Interpretation: Fewer than 1 in 5 elderly patients discharged home after a hip-or knee-replacement surgery received postdischarge thromboprophylaxis. Those prescribed these medications had a lower risk of short-term mortality. The benefits of and barriers to thromboprophylaxis therapy after discharge in this population requires further study.
A Feasibility Study

Despite the methodological advantages of representative sampling, few researchers in the field of marital violence have employed random samples for laboratory assessments of couples. The current study tests the feasibility and sampling success of three recruitment methods: (a) random digit dialing, (b) directory-assisted recruitment, and (c) a hybrid method. The number of successful telephone contacts with couples does not differ across the three methods; most successful calls contact nonviolent couples. The sample recruited through all three methods does not appear to match the demographics of the calling area, and all methods require a high monetary and human resource investment.
A Unified Approach to Model Estimation and Controller Reduction (Duality and Coherence)

Closed-loop output error identification algorithms (Landau ID, Karimi A. Automatica 1997; 33(8): 1499–1523; Landau ID et al. Adaptive Control. Springer-Verlag, London, 1997) and recently developed algorithms for direct closed-loop estimation of reduced order controllers (Landau ID, Karimi A. Automatica 2001; 37(11): 1689–1702) despite their diversity have in fact a unifying basic ground which will be enhanced. In this paper, it is shown that the plant model identification in closed-loop using closed-loop output error identification algorithms and the direct estimation in closed-loop of a reduced order controller features a duality character. Basic schemes, algorithms and properties of the algorithms can be directly obtained by interchanging the plant model and the controller. Additional schemes and algorithms allowing a full coverage of the various possible identification and reduction criteria are given. The paper will also explore the coherence aspects in using closed-loop plant model identification and direct estimation in closed-loop of reduced order controllers. The following problem will be addressed: what closed-loop plant model identification should be used when a criterion for controller reduction is given?
CGO y COBLI: clasificadores oblícuos basados en algoritmos genéticos

RESUMEN: En este articulo presentamos dos sistemas clasificadores basados en reglas mediante aprendizaje supervisado. CGO es un clasificador basado en un Algoritmo Genetico (AG) que utiliza el C4.5 para determinar la bondad de su individuos y mostrar los resultados de la clasificacion obtenida. Los individuos en CGO se obtienen como combinaciones lineales de los atributos originales. COBLI es un AG cuyos individuos representan una division en regiones del espacio a clasificar. La funcion de adecuacion minimizara el error cometido en la clasificacion, primando individuos que agrupan el mayor numero de elementos bien clasificados y con menor numero de regiones.
A Good School.

THE NOT DISTANT PAST, when attitudes toward public education were strongly positive, it rarely occurred to anyone to seek out examples of "effective schools. " The evident assumption was that most schools were good, and that the ineffectual school was an aberration. The first annual Gallup poll about public schools in 1969 showed a strikingly high regard for schools and the teaching profession; three out of four persons responded that they would like to see their children take up teaching as a career. The level of public esteem for the schools at that time was even more remarkable in light of the overwhelmingly negative tone of the popular literature on schools in the mid-1960s. After a decade of strident attacks on the schools, a decade in which public confidence waned, a small number of educational writers and researchers started looking for examples of good schools. There had long been a tradition of writing about a particular school as a way of trumpeting certain values that the school embodied, but the climate of the times tended to define the "good school. " In the Progressive Era, certain schools were singled out because of their anti-traditional features, such as their combination of work and play or their engagement in the social life of the surrounding community. In the 1960s, certain schools were lauded for their political activism or their success in "liberating" children from bourgeois values. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, an "effective school" came to be identified with the characteristics set out in the writings of the late Ron Edmonds of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Perhaps because Edmonds was black, he was able to assert values that would have sounded disturbingly traditional to the educational establishment if voiced by a white. Edmonds identified schools where academic achievement seemed to be independent of pupils' social class, and he concluded that such schools had an outstanding principal, high expectations for all children, an orderly atmosphere, a regular testing program, and an emphasis on academic learning.
Health effects associated with foods characteristic of the Nordic diet: a systematic literature review

Background In preparing the fifth edition of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR), the scientific basis of specific food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) was evaluated. Objective A systematic review (SR) was conducted to update the NNR evidence based on the association between the consumption of potatoes, berries, whole grains, milk and milk products, and red and processed meat, and the risk of major diet-related chronic diseases. Design The SR was based on predefined research questions and eligibility criteria for independent duplicate study selection, data extraction, and assessment of methodological quality and applicability. We considered scientific data from prospective observational studies and intervention studies, published since year 2000, targeting the general adult population. Studies of meat and iron status included children, adolescents, and women of childbearing age. Results Based on 7,282 abstracts, 57 studies met the quality criteria and were evidence graded. The data were too limited to draw any conclusions regarding: red and processed meat intake in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and iron status; potatoes and berries regarding any study outcomes; and dairy consumption in relation to risk of breast cancer and CVD. However, dairy consumption seemed unlikely to increase CVD risk (moderate-grade evidence). There was probable evidence (moderate-grade) for whole grains protecting against type 2 diabetes and CVD, and suggestive evidence (low-grade) for colorectal cancer and for dairy consumption being associated with decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and increased risk of prostate cancer. The WCRF/AICR concludes that red and processed meat is a convincing cause of colorectal cancer. Conclusions Probable (moderate) evidence was only observed for whole grains protecting against type 2 diabetes and CVD. We identified a clear need for high-quality nutritional epidemiological and intervention studies and for studies of foods of the Nordic diet.