Vaginal microbiota of pregnant women with and infections.

Background: The association between preterm birth and species such as and has been extensively investigated. In a clinical setting, conventional diagnostic methods for them involve culture methods for spp. and spp.

Structure-based molecular characterization of a putative aspartic proteinase from Bacteroides fragilis.

Bacteroides fragilis resides in mammals and human intestines and secrete series of proteins and molecules outside that cause various diseases such as colon cancer and chronic colitis in the host. B. fragilis has been shown to produce numerous proteins to the infected cell surface which are involved in host colonization, microbial interactions, and pathogenicity.

Monoclonal antibody Y01 prevents tauopathy progression induced by lysine 280-acetylated tau in cell and mouse models.

The spatiotemporal pattern of the spread of pathologically modified tau through brain regions in Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be explained by prion-like cell-to-cell seeding and propagation of misfolded tau aggregates. Hence, to develop targeted therapeutic antibodies, it is important to identify the seeding- and propagation-competent tau species. The hexapeptide 275VQIINK280 of tau is a critical region for tau aggregation, and K280 is acetylated in various tauopathies, including AD.

Would You Trust Driverless Service? Formation of Pedestrian's Trust and Attitude Using Non-Verbal Social Cues.

Despite the widespread application of Autonomous Vehicles (AV) to various services, there has been relatively little research carried out on pedestrian-AV interaction and trust within the context of service provided by AV. This study explores the communication design strategy promoting a pedestrian's trust and positive attitude to driverless services within the context of pedestrian-AV interaction using non-verbal social cues. An empirical study was conducted with an experimental VR environment to measure participants' intimacy, trust, and brand attitude toward AV.

Structure-based molecular characterization of the YetL transcription factor from Bacillus subtilis.

Bacillus subtilis is a gram-positive bacterium that has developed to coordinate gene expression and to survive against changes of nutrients and toxic chemicals. Flavonoids are exuded by plant cells and are abundant in the soil. To counteract the antibacterial effects of flavonoids, B.

Structure-based molecular characterization of the LltR transcription factor from Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeria monocytogenes is a psychrotrophic food-borne pathogenic bacterium that causes listeriosis. Due to its unusual adaptation, an ability to grow at extended temperatures ranging from 4 to 45 °C, L. monocytogenes is notoriously hard to control in food-manufacturing processes.

Altered Gut Microbiota in Korean Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social and behavioral impairments. Recent studies have suggested that gut microbiota play a critical role in ASD pathogenesis. Herein, we investigated the fecal microflora of Korean ASD children to determine gut microbiota profiles associated with ASD.

Effects of ID-HWS1000 on the Perception of Bowel Activity and Microbiome in Subjects with Functional Constipation: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study.

During constipation, indigestible foods, such as probiotics, prebiotics, and dietary fiber, may improve the bowel environment and activity. In this randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study, the effects of ID-HWS1000, composed of and species, xylooligosaccharide, and dietary fiber, were evaluated to determine whether it improves the perception of bowel activity or cause changes in the gut microbiome. Thirty Korean adults with "functional constipation" according to the Rome III criteria were randomly assigned to the following groups: 20 in the ID-HWS1000 group and 10 in the placebo group.

Structure-based functional analysis of a PadR transcription factor from Streptococcus pneumoniae and characteristic features in the PadR subfamily-2.

Since the first discovery of phenolic acid decarboxylase transcriptional regulator (PadR), its homologs have been identified mostly in bacterial species and constitute the PadR family. PadR family members commonly contain a winged helix-turn-helix (wHTH) motif and function as a transcription factor. However, the PadR family members are varied in terms of molecular size and structure.

Selective thiolation and photoswitching mechanism of Cy5 studied by time-dependent density functional theory.

Cy5 is one of the most widely used organic dyes with a photoswitching property. It can be reversibly photoconverted to the dark state through thiolation with primary thiols. Although photoswitching of Cy5 has been widely used in super-resolution nanoscopy, its thiolation mechanism remains unclear.

Effect of playing soccer on stress, sociality, and physical fitness in alienated youth: a retrospective study.

This study was to analyze bullying experiences, physical fitness, and stress and social support in young students who have taken part in a soccer program for approximately 3 years. Fifty-two participants who were divided into two groups: a control group that had not experienced alienation (NAG; n=45, 86.5%) and an experimental group that had ex-perienced alienation (AG; n=7, 13.

Crystal structure of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA0423 protein and its functional implication in antibiotic sequestration.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a widely found opportunistic pathogen. The emergence of multidrug-resistant strains and persistent chronic infections have increased. The protein encoded by the pa0423 gene in P.

Effects of Individuality, Education, and Image on Visual Attention: Analyzing Eye-tracking Data using Machine Learning.

Machine learning, particularly classification algorithms, constructs mathematical models from labeled data that can predict labels for new data. Using its capability to identify distinguishing patterns among multi-dimensional data, we investigated the impact of three factors on the observation of architectural scenes: individuality, education, and image stimuli. An analysis of the eye-tracking data revealed that (1) a velocity histogram was unique to individuals, (2) students of architecture and other disciplines could be distinguished via endogenous parameters, but (3) they were more distinct in terms of seeking structural versus symbolic elements.

Structure-based molecular characterization and regulatory mechanism of the LftR transcription factor from Listeria monocytogenes: Conformational flexibilities and a ligand-induced regulatory mechanism.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis and can lead to serious clinical problems, such as sepsis and meningitis, in immunocompromised patients and neonates. Due to a growing number of antibiotic-resistant L. monocytogenes strains, listeriosis can steadily become refractory to antibiotic treatment.

Crystal structure of Bacillus cereus flagellin and structure-guided fusion-protein designs.

Flagellin is a major component of the flagellar filament. Flagellin also functions as a specific ligand that stimulates innate immunity through direct interaction with Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) in the host. Because flagellin activates the immune response, it has been of interest to develop as a vaccine adjuvant in subunit vaccines or antigen fusion vaccines.

Relationship between cardiopulmonary responses and isokinetic moments: the optimal angular velocity for muscular endurance.

Most protocols for testing and rehabilitation for recovery and improvement of muscular endurance have been set at 180°/sec, 240°/sec, and 300°/sec. These protocols can cause confusion to clinical providers or other researchers. This study was aimed at investigating the optimal isokinetic angular speed for measuring or developing muscular endurance after assessing the relationship between cardiopulmonary responses and isokinetic moments.

Regular physical education class enhances sociality and physical fitness while reducing psychological problems in children of multicultural families.

This study investigated the influence of physical education class (PEC) as an intervention method for aggression, sociality, stress, and physical fitness levels in children from multicultural families. The hypothesis was that participating in PEC would result in reduced aggression and stress and improved sociality and physical fitness in multicultural children. A three-item questionnaire, a body composition test, and physical fitness tests were given three times.

Crystal structure of the flagellar chaperone FliS from Bacillus cereus and an invariant proline critical for FliS dimerization and flagellin recognition.

FliS is a cytoplasmic flagellar chaperone for the flagellin, which polymerizes into filaments outside of the flagellated bacteria. Cytoplasmic interaction between FliS and flagellin is critical to retain the flagellin protein in a monomeric form, which is transported from the cytoplasm through the flagellar export apparatus to the extracellular space for filament assembly. Defects in the FliS protein directly diminish bacterial motility, pathogenicity, and viability.

Electrochemical Li Topotactic Reaction in Layered SnP for Superior Li-Ion Batteries.

The development of new anode materials having high electrochemical performances and interesting reaction mechanisms is highly required to satisfy the need for long-lasting mobile electronic devices and electric vehicles. Here, we report a layer crystalline structured SnP and its unique electrochemical behaviors with Li. The SnP was simply synthesized through modification of Sn crystallography by combination with P and its potential as an anode material for LIBs was investigated.

Analysis of ipsilateral and bilateral ratios in male amateur golfers.

The number of injuries that force golfers to quit is also increasing. In particular, the upper body injuries are concerns for amateur golfers. This study was conducted not only to investigate muscular balance, such as ipsilateral and bilateral ratios of the upper body, but to also evaluate the possible problems of muscular joints in amateur golfers.

RESOLFT nanoscopy with photoswitchable organic fluorophores.

Far-field optical nanoscopy has been widely used to image small objects with sub-diffraction-limit spatial resolution. Particularly, reversible saturable optical fluorescence transition (RESOLFT) nanoscopy with photoswitchable fluorescent proteins is a powerful method for super-resolution imaging of living cells with low light intensity. Here we demonstrate for the first time the implementation of RESOLFT nanoscopy for a biological system using organic fluorophores, which are smaller in size and easier to be chemically modified.

Transcriptome analysis of grain-filling caryopses reveals the potential formation mechanism of the rice sugary mutant.

A sugary mutant with low total starch and high sugar contents was compared with its wild type Sindongjin for grain-filling caryopses. In the present study, developing seeds of Sindongjin and sugary mutant from the 11th day after flowering (DAF) were subjected to RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). A total of 30,385 and 32,243 genes were identified in Sindongjin and sugary mutant.

Sketched oxide single-electron transistor.

Devices that confine and process single electrons represent an important scaling limit of electronics. Such devices have been realized in a variety of materials and exhibit remarkable electronic, optical and spintronic properties. Here, we use an atomic force microscope tip to reversibly 'sketch' single-electron transistors by controlling a metal-insulator transition at the interface of two oxides.