Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drosophila talin and integrin genes are required for maintenance of tracheal terminal branches and luminal organization

Epithelial tubes that compose many organs are typically long lasting, except under specific developmental and physiological conditions when network remodeling occurs. Although there has been progress elucidating mechanisms of tube formation, little is known of the mechanisms that maintain tubes and destabilize them during network remodeling. Here, we describe Drosophila tendrils mutations that compromise maintenance of tracheal terminal branches, fine gauge tubes formed by tracheal terminal cells that ramify on and adhere tightly to tissues in order to supply them with oxygen. Homozygous tendrils terminal cell clones have fewer terminal branches than normal but individual branches contain multiple convoluted lumens. The phenotype arises late in development: terminal branches bud and form lumens normally early in development, but during larval life lumens become convoluted and mature branches degenerate. Their lumens, however, are retained in the remaining branches, resulting in the distinctive multi-lumen phenotype. Mapping and molecular studies demonstrate that tendrils is allelic to rhea, which encodes Drosophila talin, a large cytoskeletal protein that links integrins to the cytoskeleton. Terminal cells mutant for myospheroid, the major Drosophila β-integrin, or doubly mutant for multiple edematous wings and inflatedα -integrins, also show the tendrils phenotype, and localization of myospheroid β-integrin protein is disrupted in tendrils mutant terminal cells. The results provide evidence that integrin-talin adhesion complexes are necessary to maintain tracheal terminal branches and luminal organization. Similar complexes may stabilize other tubular networks and may be targeted for inactivation during network remodeling events.
Proliferation, apoptosis, and manganese superoxide dismutase in malignant mesothelioma

Proliferation and apoptotic indices of tumour cells may have important prognostic significance. Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), an important anti‐oxidant enzyme, has been shown to decrease proliferation of malignant cells transfected with the MnSOD gene. The aim of the present study was to investigate the indices of cell proliferation and apoptosis and their prognostic significance in human mesothelioma and to assess the effect of MnSOD on the proliferation and apoptosis of the mesothelioma cells expressing high constitutive MnSOD activity. Tissue sections from 35 subjects with malignant pleural mesothelioma were studied for cell proliferation by Ki‐67 immunohistochemistry and for apoptosis by the TUNEL assay. In additional experiments, 2 mesothelioma cell lines expressing either low (M14K) or high (M38K) MnSOD levels were assessed for proliferative and apoptotic responses to epirubicin. The median proliferation and apoptotic indices of the mesothelioma tissue were 8.2% and 0.75%, respectively. Patients with a high proliferation (>8%) or apoptotic index (>0.75%) showed a worse prognosis (p < 0.001). MnSOD expression was inversely correlated with cell proliferation (p = 0.02). Our cell line experiments indicated that cells expressing high MnSOD levels were more resistant to apoptosis and showed lower proliferation when exposed to epirubicin in vitro. These findings show that high proliferation and apoptosis are associated with a poor prognosis of mesothelioma and that a high MnSOD level is associated with low proliferation of tumour cells. Furthermore, experiments with cultured mesothelioma cells suggest the importance of MnSOD in the proliferation and apoptosis caused by drug exposure. Int. J. Cancer 88:37–43, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The association between objectively measured sitting and standing with body composition: a pilot study using MRI

Objective To investigate the association between objectively measured sitting and standing, using a postural allocation technique, with MRI-assessed body composition. Design The present study was a cross-sectional pilot study. Setting Participants were examined at one centre located in London, UK. Participants Normal weight Caucasian women (30.9±6.1 years; body mass index (BMI), 22.9±3.4 kg/m2) with desk-bound occupations were recruited to minimise variability in body composition outcomes. A convenience sample of 12 women was recruited in January 2014 from University College London. Outcome measures For each participant a number of body composition variables were attained from a single whole-body MRI session. Main outcome variables included: total and liver adiposity, visceral/subcutaneous fat ratio and BMI. Main exposure variables included: average sitting time, standing:sitting ratio and step count. Pearson correlations were carried out to examine associations between different activity categories and body composition variables. Results There were significant correlations between average daily sitting and liver adiposity and visceral/subcutaneous abdominal fat ratio (r=0.66 and 0.64, respectively); standing:sitting ratio was moderately correlated with liver adiposity and visceral/subcutaneous abdominal fat ratio (r=−0.53 and −0.45); average daily step count was moderately correlated with liver adiposity, total adiposity and visceral/subcutaneous abdominal fat ratio (r=−0.45, −0.46 and −0.51, respectively). Conclusions This pilot study has provided preliminary evidence of relationships between objectively measured sitting and standing and precise measures of body composition.
Comparative genomics reveals diversified CRISPR-Cas systems of globally distributed Microcystis aeruginosa, a freshwater bloom-forming cyanobacterium

Microcystis aeruginosa is one of the most common and dominant bloom-forming cyanobacteria in freshwater lakes around the world. Microcystis cells can produce toxic secondary metabolites, such as microcystins, which are harmful to human health. Two M. aeruginosa strains were isolated from two highly eutrophic lakes in China and their genomes were sequenced. Comparative genomic analysis was performed with the 12 other available M. aeruginosa genomes and closely related unicellular cyanobacterium. Each genome of M. aeruginosa containing at least one clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) locus and total 71 loci were identified, suggesting it is ubiquitous in M. aeruginosa genomes. In addition to the previously reported subtype I-D cas gene sets, three CAS subtypes I-A, III-A and III-B were identified and characterized in this study. Seven types of CRISPR direct repeat have close association with CAS subtype, confirming that different and specific secondary structures of CRISPR repeats are important for the recognition, binding and process of corresponding cas gene sets. Homology search of the CRISPR spacer sequences provides a history of not only resistance to bacteriophages and plasmids known to be associated with M. aeruginosa, but also the ability to target much more exogenous genetic material in the natural environment. These adaptive and heritable defense mechanisms play a vital role in keeping genomic stability and self-maintenance by restriction of horizontal gene transfer. Maintaining genomic stability and modulating genomic plasticity are both important evolutionary strategies for M. aeruginosa in adaptation and survival in various habitats.
Learning with unreliable boundary queries

We introduce a model for learning from examples and membership queries in situations where the boundary between positive and negative examples is somewhat ill-defined. In our model, queries near the boundary of a target concept may receive incorrect or “don't care” responses, and the distribution of examples has zero probability mass on the boundary region. The motivation behind our model is that in many cases the boundary between positive and negative examples is complicated or “fuzzy. ” However, one may still hope to learn successfully, because the typical examples that one sees do not come from that region. We present several positive results in this new model. We show how to learn the intersection of two arbitrary halfspaces when membership queries near the boundary may be answered incorrectly. Our algorithm is an extension of an algorithm of Baum (1990, 1991) that learns the intersection of two halfspaces whose bounding planes pass through the origin in the PAC-with-membership-queries model. We also describe algorithms for learning several subclasses of monotone DNF formulas.
Approximation algorithms for metric facility location and k-Median problems using the primal-dual schema and Lagrangian relaxation

We present approximation algorithms for the metric uncapacitated facility location problem and the metric <italic>k</italic>-median problem achieving guarantees of 3 and 6 respectively. The distinguishing feature of our algorithms is their low running time: <italic>O(m</italic> log<italic>m</italic>) and <italic>O(m</italic> log<italic>m(L</italic> + log (<italic>n</italic>))) respectively, where <italic>n</italic> and <italic>m</italic> are the total number of vertices and edges in the underlying complete bipartite graph on cities and facilities. The main algorithmic ideas are a new extension of the primal-dual schema and the use of Lagrangian relaxation to derive approximation algorithms.
Reducing and Oxidizing Agents Sensitize Heat-Activated Vanilloid Receptor (TRPV1) Current

We have previously reported that the reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT) strongly increases thermally induced activity of the transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor-1 (TRPV1) channel. Here, we show that exposure to oxidizing agents also enhances the heat-induced activation of TRPV1. The actions of sulfhydryl modifiers on heat-evoked whole-cell membrane currents were examined in TRPV1-transfected human embryonic kidney 293T cells. The sensitizing effects of the membrane-permeable oxidizing agents diamide (1 mM), chloramine-T (1 mM), and the copper-o-complex (100:400 μM) were not reversed by washout, consistent with the stable nature of covalently modified sulfhydryl groups. In contrast, the membrane-impermeable cysteine-specific oxidant 5,5′-dithio-bis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (0.5 mM) was ineffective. The alkylating agent N-ethylmaleimide (1 mM) strongly and irreversibly affected heat-evoked responses in a manner that depended on DTT pretreatment. Extracellular application of the membrane-impermeable reducing agent glutathione (10 mM) mimicked the effects of 10 mM DTT in potentiating the heat-induced and voltage-induced membrane currents. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we identified Cys621 as the residue responsible for the extracellular modulation of TRPV1 by reducing agents. These data suggest that the vanilloid receptor is targeted by redox-active substances that directly modulate channel activity at sites located extracellularly as well as within the cytoplasmic domains. The results obtained demonstrate that an optimal redox state is crucial for the proper functioning of the TRPV1 channel and both its reduced and oxidized states can result in an increase in responsiveness to thermal stimuli.
Duality and exact correlations for a model of heat conduction

We study a model of heat conduction with stochastic diffusion of energy. We obtain a dual particle process which describes the evolution of all the correlation functions. An exact expression for the covariance of the energy exhibits long-range correlations in the presence of a current. We discuss the formal connection of this model with the simple symmetric exclusion process.
The complete mitochondrial genome of the redigoby Redigobius bikolanus (Perciformes, Gobiidae)

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of the Biko’s redigoby Redigobius bikolanus (Herre, 1927) has been amplified in this study. R. bikolanus contributes in Taiwan, as well as Southeast Asia. The complete mitochondrial genome is 16,464 base pairs (bp) in total length, had the typical vertebrate mitochondrial gene arrangement, including 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs, 22 tRNAs, 1 control region (CR) and 1 light-strand replication origin (OL). The overall base composition of R. bikolanus is 28.9% for A, 26.7% for T, 28.5% for C, 15.9% for G, with higher AT content 55.6%. This study will contribute and be rather beneficial for understanding the phylogenetic approach of genus Redigobius.
The mosaic of midget ganglion cells in the human retina

To study their detailed morphology, ganglion cells of the human retina were stained by intracellular tracer injection, in an in vitro, whole- mount preparation. This report focuses on the dendritic morphology and mosaic organization of the major, presumed color-opponent, ganglion cell class, the midget cells. Midget cells in the central retina were recognized by their extremely small dendritic trees, approximately 5–10 microns in diameter. Between 2 and 6 mm eccentricity, midget cells showed a steep, 10-fold increase in dendritic field size, followed by a more shallow, three- to fourfold increase in the retinal periphery, attaining a maximum diameter of approximately 225 microns. Despite large local variation in dendritic field size, midget cells formed one morphologically distinctive class at all retinal eccentricities. Two midget cell types were distinguished by their dendritic stratification in either the inner or outer portion of the inner plexiform layer (IPL), and presumably correspond to ON- and OFF-center cells respectively. The mosaic organization of the midget cells was examined by intracellularly filling neighboring cells in small patches of retina. For both the inner and outer midget populations, adjacent dendritic trees apposed one another but did not overlap, establishing a coverage of no greater than 1. The two mosaics differed in spatial scale, however: the outer midget cells showed smaller dendritic fields and higher cell density than the inner midget cells. An outer:inner cell density ratio of 1.7:1 was found in the retinal periphery. An estimate of total midget cell density suggested that the proportion of midget cells increases from about 45% of total ganglion cell density in the retinal periphery to about 95% in the central retina. Nyquist frequencies calculated from midget cell spacing closely match a recent measure of human achromatic spatial acuity (Anderson et al., 1991), from approximately 6 degrees to 55 degrees eccentricity. Outside the central retina, midget cell dendrites arborized in clusters within the overall dendritic field. With increasing eccentricity, the dendritic clusters increased in number and remained small (approximately 10–20 microns diameter) relative to the size of the dendritic field. Because neighboring midget cell dendritic trees do not overlap, the mosaic as a whole showed a pattern of clusters and holes. We hypothesize that midget cell dendritic trees may contact individual axon terminals of some midget bipolar cells and avoid contacting others, providing a basis for the formation of cone-specific connections in the IPL.
Highly Integrated 3 V Supply Electronics for Electromagnetic Energy Harvesters With Minimum 0.4 V $_{\mathbf{peak}}$ Input

This paper presents a self-powered interface enabling battery-like operation with a regulated 3 V output from ac signals as low as 0.4 Vpeak, generated by electromagnetic energy harvesters under low frequency vibrations. As the first stage of the 180 nm standard CMOS circuit, harvested signal is rectified through an ac/dc doubler with active diodes powered internally by a passive ac/dc quadrupler. The voltage is boosted in the second stage through a low voltage charge pump stimulated by an on-chip ring oscillator. The output is finally regulated to 3 V at the last stage. The voltage doubling rectification stage deviates by less than 40 mV from ideal expectation for the validated 0.15–1 V input voltage range. The full system delivers 3 V output to 4.4 MΩ load for input voltage of 0.4 V peak, which is the lowest operable input voltage in the literature. The demonstrated system generates 9 μW of dc power with 3 V stable output for 32 μW input, whereas the circuit is able to supply even more output power for higher input power levels. The maximum efficiency of the rectification stage is 86%, while the full system efficiency is 37% and 28% for unregulated and regulated operation, respectively, when interfaced to an in-house electromagnetic energy harvester under 8 Hz 0.1 g vibration.
Isolation, Identification and Antimicrobial Activities of Two Secondary Metabolites of Talaromyces verruculosus

From the ethyl acetate extract of the culture broth of Talaromyces verruculosus, a rhizosphere fungus of Stellera chamaejasme L. , (−)-8-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxypentyl)-3,4-dihydroisocoumarin (1) and (E)-3-(2,5-dioxo-3-(propan-2-ylidene)pyrrolidin-1-yl)acrylic acid (2) were isolated and evaluated for their antimicrobial activities. Their structures were elucidated by UV, IR, MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and 2D NMR spectra. Compound 1 exhibited the significant activities in vitro against two strains of bacteria and four strains of fungi. Compound 2 gave slight activities on the fungi at 100 µg mL−1, but no activities on the bacteria. Compound 1 should be considered as a new lead or model compound to develop new isocoumarin antimicrobial agents.
Hepatitis B.

Laboratory confirmation of infection as demonstrated by:  Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive PLUS immunoglobulin M antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc IgM) positive in the context of a compatible clinical history or probable exposure. OR  Loss of HBsAg within a six month period after testing HBsAg positive in the context of a compatible clinical history or probable exposure AND in the absence of recent history of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination. OR  Positive HBV DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by HBsAg and HBV core IgM antibody sero-conversion in the context of a compatible clinical history or probable exposure.
THE EFFECT OF AIR VOIDS ON THE TENSILE STRENGTH RATIO (WITH DISCUSSION)

Moisture damage of asphalt concrete pavements, often referred to as stripping, is a problem which has become very prevalent in recent years. Several different tests are used to determine the moisture sensitivity of an asphalt mix. Many states are using a test based on the Lottman procedure. Some states require a freeze-thaw conditioning (Lottman procedure) and other states require only the hot-water soak (Tunnicliff-Root procedure). These tests require that the specimens be compacted to a given level of air voids, +/-1%. The samples are grouped by air void content and then separated into two groups. One group is conditioned and the unconditioned group is used as the control. The tensile strength ratio (TSR) is the ratio of average tensile strength after conditioning to that before conditioning, expressed as a percent. Following this procedure requires a large number of samples. Also, significant variations can result between the TSRs determined for mixes having average air voids within the specified range. A study was conducted to determine how to minimize the number of samples required for testing and to reduce testing variation. Test results from over 200 Marshall samples were analyzed. Testing was conducted using eight different aggregate blends which included four limestones, a river sand and gravel, and a slag source. Three asphalt sources and five asphalt additives (from hydrated lime to polymers) were used. Samples were conditioned by either the Lottman freeze-thaw procedure or the hot-water soak. The boiling water test was used on selected material combinations. Data from an additional 186 granite mixes from Georgia were used in the calculations for precision. The results from the study indicate the following. The number of samples and TSR test variation can be reduced. The procedure involves making specimens at various air void contents and using statistical or graphical methods to interpret the tensile strength results. The TSR is a function of air voids. The Lottman procedure, with the freeze-thaw cycle, is more severe than the Tunnicliff-Root procedure that uses only a warm water soak. The precision of both methods is similar. The boiling water test results are biased against hydrated lime. A recommendation is made that moisture-damage specifications should be two-tiered. Along with the minimum TSR, a minimum conditioned tensile strength should be specified.
Maternal and genetic effects on individual variation during early development in Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus

To investigate the changes in maternal effects during early development in Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus, four-by-four factorial mating by artificial fertilization was performed to produce 16 families. Larvae and juveniles of each family were reared under common environmental conditions until completion of metamorphosis. The magnitude of maternal effects was estimated as the differences between sire and dam variance. maternal effects were highest at hatching was largely affected by egg size, but this effect decreased as larvae grew. Estimated mean heritability during early development was nearly constant (0.14±0.06 for total length and 0.10±0.05 for body depth). Therefore, it is suggested that early development in Japanese flounder is affected by both maternal effect and genetic factors.
Chromosome aberrations induced by high-LET carbon ions in radiosensitive and radioresistant tumour cells

Chromosome aberration formation was analysed in two human tumour cell lines displaying different radiosensitivity. Aberrations involving chromosomes 2, 4, and 5 were studied in one radioresistant cell line (WiDr) and in one radiosensitive cell line (MCF-7). Chromosome aberrations were studied by application of single-colour FISH. We studied the effects of monoenergetic 100 MeV/u carbon ions and carbon ions from extended Bragg peak. Chromosome aberrations induced by carbon ions were compared with aberrations induced by standard 200 kV X-rays. In both tumour cell lines, carbon ions induced aberrations more effectively than X-rays. The radioresistance and radiosensitivity of the corresponding cell lines, as observed for X-rays, were also found after carbon ion irradiation. In both cell lines, the typical effects of ion irradiation were an increased proportion of cells containing complex aberrations, and an increased complexity of these complex exchanges. However, comparable effects were induced in MCF-7 cells by a much lower dose than in WiDr cells. Insertions were also induced more efficiently in MCF-7 cells than in WiDr cells.
The Effects of Training Set Size on Decision Tree Complexity

This paper presents experiments with 19 datasets and 5 decision tree pruning algorithms that show that increasing training set size often results in a linear increase in tree size, even when that additional complexity results in no significant increase in classification accuracy. Said differently, removing randomly selected training instances often results in trees that are substantially smaller and just as accurate as those built on all available training instances. This implies that decreases in tree size obtained by more sophisticated data reduction techniques should be decomposed into two parts: that which is due to reduction of training set size, and the remainder, which is due to how the method selects instances to discard. We perform this decomposition for one recent data reduction technique, John's ROBUST-c4.5 (John 1995), and show that a large percentage of its effect on tree size is attributable to the fact that it simply reduces the size of the training set. We conclude that random data reduction is a baseline against which more sophisticated data reduction techniques should be compared.