357 research outputs found
Genome sequences of five Lactobacillus sp. isolates from traditional Turkish sourdough
A high level of variation in microflora can be observed in profiles of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from sourdoughs. Here, we present draft genome sequences of Lactobacillus reuteri E81, L. reuteri LR5A, L. rhamnosus LR2, L. plantarum PFC-311, and the novel Lactobacillus sp. strain PFC-70, isolated from traditional Turkish backslopped wheat sourdoughs. © 2018 Dertli et al
Current clinician perspective on non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant use in challenging clinical cases.
OBJECTIVE: The evolution of non-vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants (NOACs) has changed the horizon of stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (SPAF). All 4 NOACs have been tested against dose-adjusted warfarin in well-designed, pivotal, phase III, randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) and were approved by regulatory authorities for an SPAF indication. However, as traditional RCTs, these trials have important weaknesses, largely related to their complex structure and patient participation, which was limited by strict inclusion and extensive exclusion criteria. In the real world, however, clinicians are often faced with complex, multimorbid patients who are underrepresented in these RCTs. This article is based on a meeting report authored by 12 scientists studying atrial fibrillation (AF) in diverse ways who discussed the management of challenging AF cases that are underrepresented in pivotal NOAC trials. METHODS: An advisory board panel was convened to confer on management strategies for challenging AF cases. The article is derived from a summary of case presentations and the collaborative discussions at the meeting. CONCLUSION: This expert consensus of cardiologists aimed to define management strategies for challenging cases with patients who underrepresented in pivotal trials using case examples from their routine practice. Although strong evidence is lacking, exploratory subgroup analysis of phase III pivotal trials partially informs the management of these patients. Clinical trials with higher external validity are needed to clarify areas of uncertainty. The lack of clear evidence about complex AF cases has pushed clinicians to manage patients based on clinical experience, including rare situations of off-label prescriptions
A paradox from a neurotransmitter: the opposite effects of substance P and its physiological fragments SP (1-7) and SP (9-11) on the proliferation of human breast cancer cells and the migration capabilities of HUVEC cells
OBJECTIVE: Substance P (SP) is a neurotransmitter peptide, and it is known to play a major role in neurogenic inflammation, inducing local inflammatory responses, cancer, and angiogenesis. It has been previously demonstrated that SP possesses a wide range of pharmacological effects including induced cancer cell proliferation and triggered angiogenic response of tumors. However, there is no published work regarding the proliferative effects of its physiological fragments [N-terminal fragment SP (1-7) and C-terminal fragment SP (9-11)] not only on cancer cells but also on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells were treated with different doses of fragments and the cytotoxic effects on the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells were determined via MTT kit (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) and Cellular DNA Fragmentation Elisa Kit (Roche). Changes both in the pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factor levels in media were evaluated by; Human VEGF ELISA kit (Thermo-Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA), Human Matrix Metallo-proteinases-9 Elisa kit (Legend Max), and Human Thrombospondin-1 Elisa kit (R&D Systems) for VEGF, MMP-9, and Thrombospondin-1 respectively. To determine the changes in the migration capabilities of HUVECs, a wound healing test was performed.
RESULTS: According to our results, the fragments exhibit different effects not only on the proliferation of cancer cells and the release of pro/anti-angiogenic factors from the cells but also on the migration capabilities of HUVECs.
CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report showing that the SP fragments could behave differently from the main peptide itself
Macromolecular background signal and non-Gaussian metabolite diffusion determined in human brain using ultra-high diffusion weighting.
PURPOSE
Definition of a macromolecular MR spectrum based on diffusion properties rather than relaxation time differences and characterization of non-Gaussian diffusion of brain metabolites with strongly diffusion-weighted MR spectroscopy.
METHODS
Short echo time MRS with strong diffusion-weighting with b-values up to 25 ms/μm2 at two diffusion times was implemented on a Connectom system and applied in combination with simultaneous spectral and diffusion decay modeling. Motion-compensation was performed with a combined method based on the simultaneously acquired water and a macromolecular signal.
RESULTS
The motion compensation scheme prevented spurious signal decay reflected in very small apparent diffusion constants for macromolecular signal. Macromolecular background signal patterns were determined using multiple fit strategies. Signal decay corresponding to non-Gaussian metabolite diffusion was represented by biexponential fit models yielding parameter estimates for human gray matter that are in line with published rodent data. The optimal fit strategies used constraints for the signal decay of metabolites with limited signal contributions to the overall spectrum.
CONCLUSION
The determined macromolecular spectrum based on diffusion properties deviates from the conventional one derived from longitudinal relaxation time differences calling for further investigation before use as experimental basis spectrum when fitting clinical MR spectra. The biexponential characterization of metabolite signal decay is the basis for investigations into pathologic alterations of microstructure
Non-relativistic ten-dimensional minimal supergravity
We construct a non-relativistic limit of ten-dimensional N=1 supergravity
from the point of view of the symmetries, the action, and the equations of
motion. This limit can only be realized in a supersymmetric way provided we
impose by hand a set of geometric constraints, invariant under all the
symmetries of the non-relativistic theory, that define a so-called `self-dual'
Dilatation-invariant String Newton-Cartan geometry. The non-relativistic action
exhibits three emerging symmetries: one local scale symmetry and two local
conformal supersymmetries. Due to these emerging symmetries the Poisson
equation for the Newton potential and two partner fermionic equations do not
follow from a variation of the non-relativistic action but, instead, are
obtained by a supersymmetry variation of the other equations of motion that do
follow from a variation of the non-relativistic action. We shortly discuss the
inclusion of the Yang-Mills sector that would lead to a non-relativistic
heterotic supergravity action.Comment: 40 pages, minor change
Verification and Validation of Semantic Annotations
In this paper, we propose a framework to perform verification and validation
of semantically annotated data. The annotations, extracted from websites, are
verified against the schema.org vocabulary and Domain Specifications to ensure
the syntactic correctness and completeness of the annotations. The Domain
Specifications allow checking the compliance of annotations against
corresponding domain-specific constraints. The validation mechanism will detect
errors and inconsistencies between the content of the analyzed schema.org
annotations and the content of the web pages where the annotations were found.Comment: Accepted for the A.P. Ershov Informatics Conference 2019(the PSI
Conference Series, 12th edition) proceedin
Fast and frugal heuristics for portfolio decisions with positive project interactions
We consider portfolio decision problems with positive interactions between projects. Exact solutions to this problem require that all interactions are assessed, requiring time, expertise and effort that may not always be available. We develop and test a number of fast and frugal heuristics – psychologically plausible models that limit the number of assessments to be made and combine these in computationally simple ways – for portfolio decisions. The proposed “add-the-best” family of heuristics constructs a portfolio by iteratively adding a project that is best in a greedy sense, with various definitions of “best”. We present analytical results showing that information savings achievable by heuristics can be considerable; a simulation experiment showing that portfolios selected by heuristics can be close to optimal under certain conditions; and a behavioral laboratory experiment demonstrating that choices are often consistent with the use of heuristics. Add-the-best heuristics combine descriptive plausibility with effort-accuracy trade-offs that make them potentially attractive for prescriptive use
Effect of Government Expenditure on GDP in the Turkish Economy
The objective of this article is to investigate the effect of government expenditure on
GDP in Turkey from 2000Q1-2015Q4 by the superexogeneity test. As a consequence of
satisfying both conditions of weak exogeneity and structural invariance, government
expenditure is super exogenous to GDP which implies that the policy regime shift for the
period of the Global Financial Crisis in Turkey did not cause structural variance in
government expenditure. Indeed, the Lucas Critique which indicates that policy regime
shifts cause structural breaks, appears to be refuted
Effect of contiguity and figure-ground organization on the area rule of lightness
In a simple two-dimensional (2D) display composed of two uniform surfaces with different luminances, the lightness of the darker surface varies as a function of its relative area while its luminance is held constant (Gilchrist & Radonjić, 2009; Li & Gilchrist, 1999). This phenomenon is known as the area rule of lightness, and although it is extensively studied in the literature, the underlying principles are still largely unknown. Here, using computer-generated stimuli, we investigated the effects of contiguity and figure-ground organization on the area rule of lightness. Stimuli were 2D disks composed of radial sectors with high (25 cd/ m2) or low (8 cd/m2 ) luminance. On each trial, observers judged the lightness of the sectors by adjusting the luminance of a matching patch. Four conditions were tested. In the contiguous condition, there were one dark and one light sector, in the noncontiguous condition, both the light and dark surfaces were split into four equal radial sectors. Figure and ground conditions were generated by adding small contextual elements to the stimulus. We found that the area rule applied under all conditions; however, the functional form of the effect showed marked differences across conditions. Taken together, our results show that both high-level (e.g., perceptual grouping, figure-ground organization) and low-level (e.g., spatial-summation) mechanisms play a role in the area rule of lightness. © 2014 ARVO
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