cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Quasi-convergence of the Ricci flow on locally homogeneous closed 4-manifolds
Creators: name: Hou, Songbo
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Differential Geometry (math.DG)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 53C44

description: We study the quasi-convergence equivalence of some families of metrics on locally homogeneous closed 4-manifolds with trivial isotropy group, and identify the dimension of each equivalence class under certain conditions.
description: 23 pages
MOESM1 of Negotiating bodily sensations between patients and GPs in the context of standardized cancer patient pathways – an observational study in primary care
Creators: name: Hultstrand, Cecilia
name: Anna-Britt Coe
name: Lilja, Mikael
name: Hajdarevic, Senada
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Microbiology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: 69999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Science Policy

description: Additional file 1. COREQ (COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research) Checklist.
Does Host Complement Kill Borrelia burgdorferi within Ticks?
Creators: name: Broadwater, A.
name: de Silva, A. M.
name: Rathinavelu, S.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2003

description: The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, inhabits the gut lumen of the tick vector. At this location the spirochete is exposed to host blood when a tick feeds. We report here on studies that were done with normal and complement-deficient (C3-knockout) mice to determine if the host complement system killed spirochetes within the vector. We found that spirochete numbers within feeding nymphs were not influenced by complement, most likely because host complement was inactivated within the vector. The Lyme disease outer surface protein A (OspA) vaccine is a transmission-blocking vaccine that targets spirochetes in the vector. In experiments with mice hyperimmunized with OspA, complement was not required to kill spirochetes within nymphs and to block transmission from nymphs to the vaccinated host. However, host complement did enhance the ability of OspA antibody to block larvae from acquiring spirochetes. Thus, the effects of OspA antibody on nymphal transmission and larval acquisition appear to be based on different mechanisms.
Graph-Transporter: A Graph-based Learning Method for Goal-Conditioned Deformable Object Rearranging Task
Creators: name: Deng, Yuhong
name: Xia, Chongkun
name: Wang, Xueqian
name: Chen, Lipeng
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Robotics (cs.RO)
subject: Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)
subject: Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (cs.CV)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Rearranging deformable objects is a long-standing challenge in robotic manipulation for the high dimensionality of configuration space and the complex dynamics of deformable objects. We present a novel framework, Graph-Transporter, for goal-conditioned deformable object rearranging tasks. To tackle the challenge of complex configuration space and dynamics, we represent the configuration space of a deformable object with a graph structure and the graph features are encoded by a graph convolution network. Our framework adopts an architecture based on Fully Convolutional Network (FCN) to output pixel-wise pick-and-place actions from only visual input. Extensive experiments have been conducted to validate the effectiveness of the graph representation of deformable object configuration. The experimental results also demonstrate that our framework is effective and general in handling goal-conditioned deformable object rearranging tasks.
description: has been accepted by IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics 2022
Deep Reinforcement Learning Based on Local GNN for Goal-conditioned Deformable Object Rearranging
Creators: name: Deng, Yuhong
name: Xia, Chongkun
name: Wang, Xueqian
name: Chen, Lipeng
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Robotics (cs.RO)
subject: Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)
subject: Machine Learning (cs.LG)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Object rearranging is one of the most common deformable manipulation tasks, where the robot needs to rearrange a deformable object into a goal configuration. Previous studies focus on designing an expert system for each specific task by model-based or data-driven approaches and the application scenarios are therefore limited. Some research has been attempting to design a general framework to obtain more advanced manipulation capabilities for deformable rearranging tasks, with lots of progress achieved in simulation. However, transferring from simulation to reality is difficult due to the limitation of the end-to-end CNN architecture. To address these challenges, we design a local GNN (Graph Neural Network) based learning method, which utilizes two representation graphs to encode keypoints detected from images. Self-attention is applied for graph updating and cross-attention is applied for generating manipulation actions. Extensive experiments have been conducted to demonstrate that our framework is effective in multiple 1-D (rope, rope ring) and 2-D (cloth) rearranging tasks in simulation and can be easily transferred to a real robot by fine-tuning a keypoint detector.
description: has been accepted by IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems 2022
Ethnography and experimental non-fiction storytelling: relating the experiences of Maltese Fishermen
Creators: name: Calleja, Gilbert
Publisher: name: University of Westminster
Year: 2020

description: In this practice-based exploration I look at the dynamics of long-term ethnographic research to address the tensions between lived experience and conventional narrative constructs of Mediterranean identities. This research also fills a void in the anthropology of fishermen in Malta which as an area of academic investigation has remained understudied. Speculating on relational meaning making processes and multidimensional and experimental qualities inherent to ethnographic research, I produced non-linear multimodal documentary works as environments with the capacity to engender tangible, immersive and tacit knowledge about situated identities. Using my seven-year engagement with a family of fishermen from Marsaxlokk, a small fishing port in the south eastern part of Malta, I reflect on how situated learning experiences can inform experimental non-fiction audio-visual storytelling. In my research I draw on theories of affect and notions of the archivalto reflect on the ways Mediterranean identities are constructed. Examining the ecology of relations that binds together the people and the environment that they inhabit I engage with current discourses on multisensory ethnography, documentary making and narrative power to explore my practice (including two photographic essays, a sound installation, two gallery video projections and a web-based documentary prototype) as a process of creative mediation between the fishermen’s world and the public. Using select examples from my fieldwork recordings I show how embodied audio-visual practices enable nonfiction storytellers to re-propose the conditions of the ethnographic encounter. I look at how, responding to the very particular environmental and socio-cultural conditions of my field of study, I took my practice beyond the canons of traditional documentary photography towards an expanded multimedia form of storytelling. More specifically, I refer to my experiences with people working on and around the Joan of Arc(the family boat), as well as my apprenticeship as a deckhand/fisherman, to examine notions of emplaced learning, collaborative meaning making processes and affective strategies for the development of creative sensory-rich immersive storytelling strategies that provide amore nuanced understanding of Mediterranean identities.
Bootstrapping tail statistics: Tail quantile process, Hill estimator, and confidence intervals for highquantiles of heavy tailed distributions
Creators: name: Litvinova, Svetlana
name: Silvapulle, Mervyn J
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2022
Subjects: Econometric and statistical methods
Econometrics not elsewhere classified

description: In risk management areas such as reinsurance, the need often arises to construct a confidence interval for a quantile in the tail of the distribution. While different methods are available for this purpose, doubts have been raised about the validity of full-sample bootstrap. In this paper, we first obtain some general results on the validity of fullsample bootstrap for the tail quantile process. This opens the possibility of developing bootstrap methods based on tail statistics. Second, we develop a bootstrap method for constructing confidence intervals for high-quantiles of heavy-tailed distributions and show that it is consistent. In our simulation study, the bootstrap method for constructing confidence intervals for high quantiles performed overall better than the data tilting method, but none was uniformly the best; the data tilting method appears to be currently the preferred choice. Since the two methods are based on quite different approaches, we recommend that both methods be used side by side in applications.
On the role of joint probability distributions of incompatible observables in Bell and Kochen-Specker Theorems
Creators: name: Rivas, Ángel
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We analyze the validity of Bell and Kochen-Specker theorems under local (or noncontextual) realism but avoiding an assumption of the existence of a joint probability distribution for incompatible observables. We formulate a realist model which complies with this requirement. This is obtained by employing divergent sequences that nevertheless have marginals which are convergent. We find that under standard reasonable assumptions this possibility does not lead to a loophole of those theorems, by deriving a short of CHSH inequality valid for any finite size ensemble. Moreover, we analyze a Hardy's paradox setting where noncontextual realism imposes the existence of joint probabilities for incompatible observables.
description: RevTex4 file, 2 figures. Close to published version
Exponent of cross-sectional dependence for residuals
Creators: name: Bailey, Natalia
name: Kapetanios, George
name: Pesaran, M. Hashem
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2022
Subjects: Econometric and statistical methods
Econometrics not elsewhere classified

description: In this paper we focus on estimating the degree of cross-sectional dependence in the error terms of a classical panel data regression model. For this purpose we propose an estimator of the exponent of cross-sectional dependence denoted by alpha, which is based on the number of non-zero pair-wise cross correlations of these errors. We prove that our estimator, tilde(alpha), is consistent and derive the rate at which tilde(alpha) approaches its true value. We evaluate the finite sample properties of the proposed estimator by use of a Monte Carlo simulation study. The numerical results are encouraging and supportive of the theoretical findings. Finally, we undertake an empirical investigation of alpha for the errors of the CAPM model and its Fama-French extensions using 10-year rolling samples from S&P 500 securities over the period Sept 1989 - May 2018.
Porphyromonas gingivalis Infection during Pregnancy Increases Maternal Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha, Suppresses Maternal Interleukin-10, and Enhances Fetal Growth Restriction and Resorption in Mice
Creators: name: Lin, D.
name: Offenbacher, S.
name: Smith, M. A.
name: Champagne, C.
name: Elter, J.
name: Beck, J.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2003

description: Epidemiological studies have shown a potential association between maternal periodontitis and pregnancy complications. We used a pregnant murine model to study the effect of infection with the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis on pregnancy outcomes. Female BALB/c mice were inoculated with heat-killed P. gingivalis (109 CFU) in a subcutaneous chamber and mated 2 weeks later. At gestation day (GD) 7.5, mice were challenged with live P. gingivalis (107 CFU) (n = 20) or broth (control; n = 8) and sacrificed at GD 16.5. Fetal growth restriction (FGR, P. gingivalis DNA using a PCR technique. Of the eight challenged mice with FGR fetuses, three had PCR signals for P. gingivalis in liver and uterus, but not in the spleen. Liver, uterus, and spleen were negative for P. gingivalis DNA among all other challenged and control mice. In serum of dams with FGR fetuses, tumor necrosis factor alpha levels were elevated significantly, while interluekin-10 levels were significantly reduced compared to levels in dams with normal fetuses. P. gingivalis-specific serum immunoglobulin G levels were significantly elevated in dams with FGR fetuses compared to dams without any FGR fetuses. These data demonstrate that P. gingivalis-induced murine FGR is associated with systemic dissemination of the organism and activated maternal immune and inflammatory responses.
s-Cobordism classification of $4$-manifolds through the group of homotopy self-equivalences
Creators: name: Hegenbarth, Friedrich
name: Pamuk, Mehmetcik
name: Repovš, Dušan
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Geometric Topology (math.GT)
subject: Algebraic Topology (math.AT)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 57N13, 55P10, 57R80

description: The aim of this paper is to give an $s$-cobordism classification of topological $4$-manifolds in terms of the standard invariants using the group of homotopy self-equivalences. Hambleton and Kreck constructed a braid to study the group of homotopy self-equivalences of $4$-manifolds. Using this braid together with the modified surgery theory of Kreck, we give an $s$-cobordism classification for certain $4$-manifolds with fundamental group $π$, such that cd $π\leq 2$.
Porphyromonas gingivalis Infection in Pregnant Mice Is Associated with Placental Dissemination, an Increase in the Placental Th1/Th2 Cytokine Ratio, and Fetal Growth Restriction
Creators: name: Downey, C. L.
name: Lin, D.
name: Offenbacher, S.
name: Beck, J.
name: Elter, J.
name: Smith, M. A.
name: Champagne, C.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2003

description: Our previous animal studies showed that maternal Porphyromonas gingivalis infection in a subcutaneous chamber is associated with hepatic and uterine translocation, as well as systemic induction of maternal inflammatory responses, both of which were associated with fetal growth restriction (FGR). However, P. gingivalis-challenged dams had fetuses with either FGR (2 standard deviations below mean weight of nonchallenged dams) or normal weight. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine whether maternal infection with P. gingivalis compromises normal fetal development via direct placental invasion and induction of fetus-specific placental immune responses characterized by a proinflammatory Th1-type cytokine profile. P. gingivalis-specific DNA was detected in placentas and fetuses of FGR and normal littermates from P. gingivalis-infected dams. Th1- and Th2-type cytokine mRNA as well as tumor necrosis factor alpha and transforming growth factor β2 mRNA were examined in placental tissue by using reverse transcription-PCR to determine Th1/Th2 ratios. For eight litters containing both normal-weight and FGR fetuses, P. gingivalis DNA was detected only in the placentas of FGR fetuses. All fetuses and all amniotic fluid samples from infected and control dams were negative for P. gingivalis DNA. mRNA levels of gamma interferon and interleukin-2 (IL-2) were significantly increased in placentas of FGR fetuses, while expression of IL-10 was significantly decreased in the same group. These data indicate that, in P. gingivalis-challenged dams, within each litter there is placenta-specific translocation of P. gingivalis that results in growth restriction of the targeted fetus, which is associated with a shift in the placental Th1/Th2 cytokine balance.
Additional file 1 of Negotiating bodily sensations between patients and GPs in the context of standardized cancer patient pathways – an observational study in primary care
Creators: name: Hultstrand, Cecilia
name: Anna-Britt Coe
name: Lilja, Mikael
name: Hajdarevic, Senada
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Molecular Biology
subject: 59999 Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences
subject: 69999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Science Policy

description: Additional file 1. COREQ (COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research) Checklist.
Primary Cultures of Female Swine Genital Epithelial Cells In Vitro: a New Approach for the Study of Hormonal Modulation of Chlamydia Infection
Creators: name: Knight, S. T.
name: Whittimore, J. D.
name: Wyrick, P. B.
name: Guseva, N. V.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2003

description: Previous studies have demonstrated that female reproductive hormones influence chlamydial infection both in vivo and in vitro. Due to the reduced availability of human genital tissues for research purposes, an alternative hormone-responsive model system was sought to study chlamydial pathogenesis. Mature female swine eliminated from breeding programs were selected as the animals of choice because of the similarity of a sexually transmitted disease syndrome and sequelae in swine to a disease syndrome and sequelae found in humans, because of the near identity of a natural infectious chlamydial isolate from swine to Chlamydia trachomatis serovar D from humans, and because a pig's epithelial cell physiology and the mean length of its estrous cycle are similar to those in humans. Epithelial cells from the cervix, uterus, and horns of the uterus were isolated, cultivated in vitro in Dulbecco's minimum essential medium-Hanks' F-12 (DMEM-F-12) medium with and without exogenous hormone supplementation, and analyzed for Chlamydia suis S-45 infectivity. The distribution of chlamydial inclusions in swine epithelial cells was uneven and was influenced by the genital tract site and hormone status. This study confirmed that, like primary human endometrial epithelial cells, estrogen-dominant swine epithelial cells are more susceptible to chlamydial infection than are progesterone-dominant cells. Further, the more differentiated luminal epithelial cells were more susceptible to infection than were glandular epithelial cells. Interestingly, chlamydial growth in mature luminal epithelia was morphologically more active than in glandular epithelia, where persistent chlamydial forms predominated. Attempts to reprogram epithelial cell physiology and thereby susceptibility to chlamydial infection by reverse-stage, exogenous hormonal supplementation were unsuccessful. Freshly isolated primary pig epithelial cells frozen at −80°C in DMEM-F-12 medium with 10% dimethyl sulfoxide for several weeks can, after thawing, reform characteristic polarized monolayers in 3 to 5 days. Thus, primary swine genital epithelia cultured ex vivo appear to be an excellent cell model for dissecting the hormonal modulation of several aspects of chlamydial pathogenesis and infection.
title: Anomalous evolution of the magnetocaloric effect in dilute triangular Ising antiferromagnets Tb\(_{1–x}\)Y\(_x\)(HC O\(_2\))\(_3\) (accepted)
Creators: name: Falsaperna, Mario
name: Bulled, Johnathan M.
name: Stenning, Gavin B. G.
name: Goodwin, Andrew L.
name: Saines, P.J.
Publisher: name: American Physical Society
Year: 2022

description: We investigate the effects of diamagnetic doping in the solid-solution series Tb\(_{1–x}\)Y\(_x\)(HC O\(_2\))\(_3\), in which the parent Tb(HC O\(_2\))\(_3\) phase has previously been shown to host a combination of frustrated and quasi-1D physics, giving rise to a triangular Ising antiferromagnetic ground state that lacks long range 3D order. Heat capacity measurements show three key features: (i) a low temperature Schottky anomaly is observed, which is constant as a function of x; (ii) the transition temperature and associated entropy change are both surprisingly robust to diamagnetic doping; and (iii) an additional contribution at T < 0.4 K appears with increasing x. The origin of this unusual behaviour is rationalised in terms of the fragmentation of quasi-1D spin chains by the diamagnetic Y\(^{3+}\) dopant. Magnetocaloric measurements show a nonlinear dependence on x. The mass-weighted magnetocaloric entropy decreases across the series from the promising values in (HC O\(_2\))\(_3\); however, the magnetocaloric entropy per magnetic Tb\(^{3+}\) ion first decreases then increases with increasing x. Our results establish Tb\(_{1–x}\)Y\(_x\)(HC O\(_2\))\(_3\) as a model system in which to explore the functional ramifications of dilution in a low dimensional magnet.
description: Author's Accepted Manuscript
Testing the constancy of electromagnetism's strength with Dark Matter density using stellar twins
Creators: name: Murphy, Michael T.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023

description: Abstract: The Standard Model of nature's laws provides no explanation for the fundamental constants, like electromagnetism's strength, alpha. It is therefore up to experiments to test whether fundamental constants are, indeed, constant and universal, or instead vary and depend on other physical parameters. I will describe a new probe of alpha's constancy within our Galaxy – stellar twins – and show our first results from solar twins which have an ensemble precision of 12 parts-per-billion. This is already the best astronomical measurement of any fundamental constant so far. I will also show that red clump stars also provide precise measurements with this approach. The results derive from archival high-resolution optical spectra (HARPS) from the ESO 3.6-m telescope, so there is considerable scope for extending them using larger facilities. Our goal is to map alpha across the Milky Way and, importantly, its widely-varying dark matter density field. This will be a completely new, direct test of physics beyond the Standard Model.
Eugenia uniflora L. seed and pulp extracts: phytochemical profile, cytotoxic potential, antitumoral activity, and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition capacity
Creators: name: Borsoi, Felipe Tecchio
name: da Silva Rosa Bonadiman, Beatriz
name: Marafon, Filomena
name: de Oliveira Fischer, Doralice Lobato
name: Bagatini, Margarete Dulce
name: Kempka, Aniela Pinto
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Biochemistry
subject: Space Science
subject: Medicine
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Information Systems not elsewhere classified
subject: Cancer
subject: Hematology
subject: Plant Biology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences

description: In this study, phytochemical profiling, cytotoxic potential, antitumoral activity, and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition capacity of extracts of seed and pulp of Eugenia uniflora L. fruits were investigated. The extracts were obtained using a cellulase complex and the phenolic compounds were quantified. The cytotoxic potential and antitumoral activity were evaluated using peripheral blood mononuclear cells and melanoma-type tumor cells, respectively. The α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition capacity was determined. For all extracts, the compounds identified and quantified were salicylic acid, protocatechuic acid, gallic acid and, myricitrin. For extract of pulp, ellagic and p-coumaric acids were also identified and quantified. The extracts do not show cytotoxicity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Extract of seed was able to decrease cell viability in melanoma-type tumor cells within 24 h of exposure. The concentration 5 µg mL−1 of extracts inhibited 7.73% of α-amylase and 15.34% of α-glucosidase. The Pitanga extracts presents substances with biological activities.
title: Le yaourt au ferment de figuier chez les Aït Laâlam
Creators: name: Garaoun, Massinissa
Publisher: name: Pangloss
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Linguistique
subject: Tasahlit

description: Précisions dialectales : il s'agit du parler des Aït Laâlam (appelé dans la langue ṯaleɛlamiṯ) appartenant à la fraction des Aït Djara. Ce parler est classé parmi les variétés de la tasahlit orientale
description: Préparation traditionelle du yaourt ou fromage au ferment de figuier chez les Aït Bouycef
Role of Actin Filament Network in Burkholderia multivorans Invasion in Well-Differentiated Human Airway Epithelia
Creators: name: Schwab, U. E.
name: Boucher, R. C.
name: Neubauer, H.
name: Ribeiro, C. M. P.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2003

description: The role of the actin-based cytoskeleton in the internalization process of Burkholderia multivorans by well-differentiated human airway epithelia was investigated by immunohistology and confocal microscopy. Our data suggest that an intact actin cytoskeleton is required for biofilm formation but not single cell entry or paracytosis.
Expanding tidy data principles to facilitate missing data exploration, visualization and assessment of imputations
Creators: name: Tierney, Nicholas
name: Cook, Dianne
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2022
Subjects: Econometric and statistical methods
Econometrics not elsewhere classified

description: Despite the large body of research on missing value distributions and imputation, there is comparatively little literature on how to make it easy to handle, explore, and impute missing values in data. This paper addresses this gap. The new methodology builds upon tidy data principles, with a goal to integrating missing value handling as an integral part of data analysis workflows. New data structures are defined along with new functions (verbs) to perform common operations. Together these provide a cohesive framework for handling, exploring, and imputing missing values. These methods have been made available in the R package naniar.
Observation of binary phase states of time-multiplexed degenerate optical parametric oscillator pulses generated using a nonlinear fiber Sagnac loop
Creators: name: Lo, Hsin-Pin
name: Inagaki, Takahiro
name: Honjo, Toshimori
name: Takesue, Hiroki
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Optics (physics.optics)
subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We generated time-multiplexed degenerate optical parametric oscillator (DOPO) pulses using a nonlinear fiber Sagnac loop as a phase-sensitive amplifier (PSA) where the pump and amplified light in pump-signal-idler degenerate four-wave mixing can be spatially separated. By placing the PSA in a fiber cavity, we successfully generated more than 5,000 time-multiplexed DOPO pulses. We confirmed the bifurcation of pulse phases to 0 or $π$ relative to the pump phase, which makes them useful for representing Ising spins in an Ising model solver based on coherent optical oscillator networks. We also confirmed inherent randomness of the DOPO phases using the NIST random number test.
description: 5 pages, 3 figures, 1 table
Vascular effects of Fragaria vesca L. in human arteries
Creators: name: Malheiros, Jéssica
name: Simões, Daniela M.
name: Antunes, Pedro E.
name: Figueirinha, Artur
name: Cotrim, Maria Dulce
name: Fonseca, Diogo A.
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Space Science
subject: Medicine
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Ecology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified

description: Fragaria vesca L. (wild strawberry) is traditionally used for its anti-inflammatory activity and for gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and urinary disorders. A previous study with the rat aorta showed that its leaves extract elicits endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation. Our aim was to investigate the clinical application of Fragaria vesca in vascular disease, by assessing the vascular effects of an infusion and hydroalcoholic extract in internal thoracic arteries from patients with coronary artery disease. The extracts elicited no effects on basal vascular tone and did not induce any vasorelaxation. At low concentration (0.02 mg/mL), the infusion potentiated the noradrenaline-induced contraction, while the other concentrations did not elicit significant changes in efficacy or potency. Differences between our findings and the previous report on rat aorta may result from methodological differences, e.g. vascular bed, method of extraction and extract composition. The clinical applicability of extracts of Fragaria vesca in patients with cardiovascular disease remains to be fully validated.
On normalization and algorithm selection for unsupervised outlier detection
Creators: name: Kandanaarachchi, Sevvandi
name: Munoz, Mario A
name: Hyndman, Rob J
name: Smith-Miles, Kate
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2022
Subjects: Econometric and statistical methods
Econometrics not elsewhere classified

description: This paper demonstrates that the performance of various outlier detection methods depends sensitively on both the data normalization schemes employed, as well as characteristics of the datasets. Recasting the challenge of understanding these dependencies as an algorithm selection problem, we perform the first instance space analysis of outlier detection methods. Such analysis enables the strengths and weaknesses of unsupervised outlier detection methods to be visualized and insights gained into which method and normalization scheme should be selected to obtain the most likely best performance for a given dataset.
A Novel Lectin, DltA, Is Required for Expression of a Full Serum Resistance Phenotype in Haemophilus ducreyi
Creators: name: Davis, C.
name: Elkins, C.
name: Schilling, B.
name: Leduc, I.
name: Richards, P.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2004

description: Haemophilus ducreyi, the causative agent of chancroid, is highly resistant to the complement-mediated bactericidal activity of normal human serum (NHS). Previously, we identified DsrA (for ducreyi serum resistance A), a major factor required for expression of the serum resistance phenotype in H. ducreyi. We describe here a second outer membrane protein, DltA (for ducreyi lectin A), which also contributes to serum resistance in H. ducreyi. Isogenic dltA mutants, constructed in 35000HP wild-type and FX517 dsrA backgrounds, were more susceptible to the bactericidal effects of NHS than each respective parent, demonstrating the additive effect of the mutations. Furthermore, expression of dltA in H. influenzae strain Rd rendered this highly susceptible strain partially resistant to 5% NHS compared to a vector-control strain. Although primary basic local alignment search tool analysis of the dltA open reading frame revealed no close bacterial homologue, similarity to the β-chain of the eukaryotic lectin ricin was noted. DltA shares highly conserved structural motifs with the ricin β chain, such as cysteines and lectin-binding domains. To determine whether dltA was a lectin, ligand blots and affinity chromatography experiments were performed. DltA was affinity purified on immobilized lactose and N-acetylgalactosamine, and N-glycosylated but not glycosidase-treated model glycoproteins bound DltA. These data indicate that DltA is a lectin with specificity for lactose-related carbohydrates (CHO) and is important for H. ducreyi serum resistance.
Reaction plane alignment with linearly polarized photon in heavy-ion collisions
Creators: name: Wu, Xin
name: Li, Xinbai
name: Tang, Zebo
name: Wang, Pengfei
name: Zha, Wangmei
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: Nuclear Theory (nucl-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The collective observables play critical roles in probing the properties of quark-gluon-plasma created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, in which the information on initial collision geometry is crucial. However, the initial collision geometry, e.g., the reaction plane, cannot be directly extracted in the experiment. In this paper, we demonstrate the idea of determining the reaction plane via the feature of linear polarization of the coherent photoproduction process and discuss the advantages of the proposed approach in comparison with traditional methods.
Dynamic price jumps: The performance of high frequency tests and measures, and the robustness of inference
Creators: name: Maneesoonthorn, Worapree
name: Martin, Gael M
name: Forbes, Catherine S
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2022
Subjects: Econometric and statistical methods
Econometrics not elsewhere classified

description: This paper provides an extensive evaluation of high frequency jump tests and measures, in the context of using such tests and measures in the estimation of dynamic models for asset price jumps. Specifically, we investigate: i) the power of alternative tests to detect individual price jumps, most notably in the presence of volatility jumps; ii) the frequency with which sequences of dynamic jumps are correctly identified; iii) the accuracy with which the magnitude and sign of a sequence of jumps, including small clusters of consecutive jumps, are estimated; and iv) the robustness of inference about dynamic jumps to test and measure design. Substantial differences are discerned in the performance of alternative methods in certain dimensions, with inference
Culturally Adapted CMHDS
Creators: name: Tranter, Heidi
name: Abel, Kathryn
name: Whelan, Pauline
name: Stockton-Powdrell, Charlotte
name: Foster, Simon
Publisher: name: University of Manchester
Year: 2025
Subjects: classificationCode: 420313
subject: Mental health services
classificationCode: 470208
subject: Culture, representation and identity

description: The CMHDS was developed through a National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR)-funded project between 2020 and 2023 to capture mental health data in physical health trials. The link between physical and mental health is well known, however there is limited data to evidence this as physical and mental health data are not routinely collected together. A series of focus groups involving members of the public, experts in mental health data collection and ethics committee members were involved in establishing the CMHDS. This was then successfully implemented in two physical health trials.In early 2023, we were awarded Greater Manchester Clinical Research Network (CRN) funding to culturally adapt the CMHDS. We engaged 23 participants from minoritised ethnic backgrounds through public focus groups to explore perceptions of the CMHDS and its inclusion of race and ethnicity data. Additionally, we consulted six experts in cultural sensitivity and mental health research to gather insights into best practices. Conclusions from this piece of work identified formatting, wording and language and social and cultural factors were important aspects to adapt to be more culturally sensitive.The CMHDS is being carried forward in DATAMIND and will store participant data on mental health in the DATAMIND Trusted Research Environment for approved researchers to access. The DATAMIND SRAG were also involved in finalising the Culturally Adapted CMHDS. Their feedback from a group meeting in December 2024 led to the following changes being made:Updating the wording of the trauma question so it is clearer for participants.Simplifying wording throughout the tool, where possible.A second version of the CMHDS being created to incorporate free-text boxes. Research teams using the tool are now able to choose whether they collect a mix of qualitative and quantitative data, or just quantitative.Changing the phrasing of 'mental health problems' to 'mental health conditions' throughout.The FigShare Item contains a link to the CMHDS questionnaire on REDCap to show the items included and the visual layout of the questionnaire.
Preparation of polysaccharide-based nanoemulsions to reduce melanoma drug resistance and inflammation markers
Creators: name: Hatami Fard, Ghazal
Publisher: name: University of Westminster
Year: 2020

description: Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer and various treatments have been investigated to treat this disease. However, an intrinsic issue in the clinical setting is the development of multidrug resistance. So far no single approach has emerged that may overcome such drug resistance by drug delivery. Alongside this, inflammation is an important marker of melanoma relating both to the incidence and progression of the disease, with upregulation in COX-2 and iNOS reported as playing a role in melanoma progression. The work embodied in this thesis describes the development, optimisation, and characterisation of alginate, chitosan, and pullulan nano-emulsions as a delivery platform to target melanoma. In this study, a novel nano-emulsion delivery system was designed and optimised using a series of experimental steps including, in vitro drug release, cell viability (MTT), Cellular apoptosis ELISA, confocal and fluorescent microscopy, PCR, and Western blot to address melanoma chemo-resistance, and COX-2 and iNOS expression. Chitosan-pullulan, pullulan-alginate, and alginate-chitosan polymer blends were prepared as nano-emulsions. A comparative analysis of their effect on melanoma (A375) and keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells was conducted. The “pullulan-chitosan” formulation was taken forward with folate-modification and used to target A375 cells. Subsequently, the melanocortin type 1 and 3 receptor agonists BMS-470539-dihydrochloride and [DTrp8]-γ-MSH were delivered to A375 cells using folate-modified pullulan-chitosan nano-emulsion, to target regulation of iNOS and COX-2 as important markers in melanoma progression. Folate-modified pullulan-chitosan nano-emulsion enabled the delivery of doxorubicin and dacarbazine to A375 cells and diminished cell viability to 14 and 48% for doxorubicin and dacarbazine loaded nano-emulsions, respectively. Furthermore, BMS470539-dihydrochloride [DTrp8]-γ-MSH loaded nano-emulsions were able to decrease the regulation of iNOS and COX-2 to zero, after 72 hours. Optimal delivery of therapeutics has been successfully applied to address chemo-resistance and enhanced apoptosis induction to melanoma cells. A novel optimal pullulan-chitosan nanoemulsion delivery system was developed for malignant melanoma. The nano-emulsion provided a controlled delivery of the chemotherapeutics to defeat chemo-resistance. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory compound loaded pullulan-chitosan nano-emulsion decreased the iNOS and COX-2 expression in the A375 cell. This indicates that the compounds are more effective while delivered intracellularly, as opposed to the attachment to surface melanocortin receptors. This novel approach can be a promising tool to be used alongside treatments to prevent melanoma progression in its early stages.
24-Nor-allobetulins possess strong α-glucosidase inhibitory activity
Creators: name: Zakirova, Liana
name: Baikova, Irina
name: Smirnova, Irina
name: Тretyakova, Elena
name: Lobov, Alexander
name: Nguyen, Ha Thi Thu
name: Каzakova, Oxana
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Biochemistry
subject: Space Science
subject: Medicine
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Physiology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Developmental Biology
subject: Virology

description: A series of 24-nor-allobetulin derivatives holding 3β-hydroxy-, oxime, methoxyoxime, lactame and 4-bromobenzylidene substituents have been synthesized and their differences in the NMR spectra were studied in detail. It was revealed that 3-oxo-24-nor-allobetulin loses selectivity in the reaction of oximation and forms a mixture of Z/E oximes (and methoxyoximes) in contract to the related derivatives of native scaffold (that forms only E-isomers). The screening of α-glucosidase inhibitory activity revealed that 24-nor-allobetulins are more active than allobetulins. The lead 3-oxo-24-nor-allobetulin with IC50 0.49 µM was more than 60-fold and 500-fold active than acarbose and 3-oxo-allobetulin, respectively. We can conclude that the removal of the C-24 methyl group significantly increased the antidiabetic effect and 24-nor-allobetulins should be identified as the new and promising scaffolds as α-glucosidase inhibitors on the basis of triterpenoids.
Characterization of the Streptococcus mutans P1 Epitope Recognized by Immunomodulatory Monoclonal Antibody 6-11A
Creators: name: Cutalo, J. M.
name: Tomer, K. B.
name: McArthur, W. P.
name: Rhodin, N. R.
name: Brady, L. J.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2004

description: Monoclonal antibody (MAb) 6-11A directed against Streptococcus mutans surface adhesin P1 was shown previously to influence the mucosal immunogenicity of this organism in BALB/c mice. The specificity of anti-P1 serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and secretory IgA antibodies and the subclass distribution of anti-P1 serum IgG antibodies were altered, and the ability of elicited serum antibodies to inhibit S. mutans adherence in vitro was in certain cases increased. MAb 6-11A is known to recognize an epitope dependent on the presence of the proline-rich region of the protein, although it does not bind directly to the isolated P-region domain. In this report, we show that MAb 6-11A recognizes a complex discontinuous epitope that requires the simultaneous presence of the alanine-rich repeat domain (A-region) and the P-region. Formation of the core epitope requires the interaction of these segments of P1. Residues amino terminal to the A-region also contributed to recognition by MAb 6-11A but were not essential for binding. Characterization of the MAb 6-11A epitope will enable insight into potential mechanisms of immunomodulation and broaden our understanding of the tertiary structure of P1.
In-vitro anti-sickling potential of baicalin and naringenin isolated from Oroxylum indicum and Citrus aurantium on human sickle red blood cells
Creators: name: Lone, Bashir Ahmad
name: Sharma, Nitika
name: Kour, Dilpreet
name: Bhushan, Anil
name: Rani, Dixhiya
name: Kumar, Ajay
name: Gupta, Prashant Kumar
name: Gupta, Prasoon
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Ecology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Science Policy
subject: Plasma Physics
subject: Hematology

description: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a rare inherited disorder in which red blood cells (RBCs) under oxidative stress have altered sickle shape resulting in clinical complications. In this study, a library of pure natural products were screened to see their effectiveness in preventing sickling induced in blood samples of SCA patients, ex-vivo. The results indicated that baicalin (1) and naringenin (2), reduced sickling by 46.03 and 37.48 percent, respectively, compared to positive control, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA), which inhibited RBC sickling by 56.87 percent. As a result of this screening, two compounds, baicalin (1) and naringenin (2), have been identified as potent sickling inhibitors. Study has clearly shown promising role of flavonoids for the management of SCD crisis for that not effective therapy is available. These phytochemicals or plant extracts can be explored further as an alternative anti-sickling remedy, owing to their high efficacy in the management of SCD crisis.
Asymptotic Dirichlet problem for A-harmonic and minimal graph equations in Cartan-Hadamard manifolds
Creators: name: Casteras, Jean-Baptiste
name: Holopainen, Ilkka
name: Ripoll, Jaime B.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Differential Geometry (math.DG)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 58J32, 53C21, 31C45

description: We study the asymptotic Dirichlet problem for A-harmonic equations and for the minimal graph equation on a Cartan-Hadamard manifold M whose sectional curvatures are bounded from below and above by certain functions depending on the distance to a fixed point in M. We are, in particular, interested in finding optimal (or close to optimal) curvature upper bounds.
description: To appear in Communications in Analysis and Geometry
Immunogenicity of Gonococcal Transferrin Binding Proteins during Natural Infections
Creators: name: Price, G. A.
name: Hobbs, M. M.
name: Cornelissen, C. N.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2004

description: In this study, we examined the immune response during gonococcal infection to the individual transferrin binding proteins by using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Recombinant transferrin binding protein A (rTbpA) and rTbpB were purified under nondenaturing conditions for use as ELISA antigens. Sera and secretions from culture-positive individuals were analyzed for antibodies to rTbpA and rTbpB and compared to samples from individuals with no history of gonococcal infection. Although antibodies to both rTbpA and rTbpB were detected in serum, in most cases the antibody levels were not significantly different from those measured in the control population. Also, previous history of gonococcal infection did not increase antibody levels in serum, suggesting the lack of an anamnestic response. Analysis of secretion samples revealed antibody levels that were generally below the limits of detection in our assay. Overall, this study demonstrated a paucity of systemic and local antibody responses to rTbps as a result of natural infection and represents a baseline over which a protective antibody response will have to be generated in order to develop an efficacious gonococcal vaccine.