Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transport of Radium and Nutrients Through Eastern South African Beaches

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) plays a critical role in coastal and ocean biogeochemistry. Elucidating spatially and temporally heterogeneous SGD ﬂ uxes is dif ﬁ cult. Here we use radium isotopes to explore the external sources and mixing regime along the eastern coast of South Africa. We demonstrate that the long ‐ lived radium isotope compositions are controlled by low inputs of low ‐ and high ‐ salinity terrestrial groundwater. While activities of 228 Ra and 226 Ra in beach porewaters are similar to coastal waters, 224 Ra is enriched by inputs of 228 Th from coastal seawater. Porewater ages, based on the production of 224 Ra from 228 Th, range from 0.3 to 2.3 days, indicating rapid ﬂ ushing of the beach system. Unlike radium, however, nutrients follow a more complex pathway. We hypothesize that high total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and phosphorus concentrations in beach porewaters (TDN ranges from 1 to >700 μ M) and the coastal ocean (TDN ranges from 1 to >40 μ M) are derived from a source not enriched in radium. We speculate that this source is terrestrial water ﬂ owing below the dune barrier at depths exceeding our beach sampling depths. This water likely ﬂ ows upward through breaches in the con ﬁ ning layer into the beach or enters the ocean directly through paleochannels. The presence of high nutrient concentrations in the coastal ocean unaccompanied by high 228 Ra activities leads to the hypothesis of this additional nutrient source. These combined inputs may be of considerable importance to the coastal ecology of southeastern Africa, an oligotrophic ecosystem dominated by the nutrient ‐ poor Agulhas Current. of groundwater modify the composition of the beach porewater. This mixture is further changed by bacteria that oxidize organic material within the beach and release nutrients, dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus. Thus, the water that returns to the ocean is quite different chemically from the incoming seawater. Here we use naturally occurring radium isotopes to trace these processes. We estimate that the beach porewater is ﬂ ushed every 1 – 2 days. This does not allow much time for the bacteria in the beach to strongly modify the chemical composition within the porewater. However, in some cases we measured high nutrient concentrations in beach porewaters and in the adjacent ocean. These sites were often coincident with obvious seepage of water emerging from the beach and by algae growth on rocks. We speculate that these high nutrient concentrations result from the movement of deeper groundwater into the beach or directly offshore through ancient river channels. These nutrient inputs are important for maintaining the biological productivity of the area in a region where nutrient concentrations in the ocean are low.
Dominance of the Forward Compression Wave in Determining Pulsatile Components of Blood Pressure: Similarities Between Inotropic Stimulation and Essential Hypertension

Pulsatile components of blood pressure may arise from forward (ventricular generated) or backward wave travel in the arterial tree. The objective of this study was to determine the relative contributions of forward and backward waves to pulsatility. We used wave intensity and wave separation analysis to determine pulsatile components of blood pressure during inotropic and vasopressor stimulation by dobutamine and norepinephrine in normotensive subjects and compared pulse pressure components in hypertensive (mean±SD, 48.8±11.3 years; 165±26.6/99±14.2 mm Hg) and normotensive subjects (52.2±12.6 years; 120±14.2/71±8.2 mm Hg). Dobutamine (7.5 &mgr;g/kg per minute) increased the forward compression wave generated by the ventricle and increased pulse pressure from 36.8±3.7 to 59.0±3.4 mm Hg (mean±SE) but had no significant effect on mean arterial pressure or the midsystolic backward compression wave. By contrast, norepinephrine (50 ng/kg per minute) had no significant effect on the forward compression wave but increased the midsystolic backward compression wave. Despite this increase in the backward compression wave, and an increase in mean arterial pressure, norepinephrine increased central pulse pressure less than dobutamine (increases of 22.1±3.8 and 7.2±2.8 mm Hg for dobutamine and norepinephrine, respectively; P<0.02). An elevated forward wave component (mean±SE, 50.4±3.4 versus 35.2±1.8 mm Hg, in hypertensive and normotensive subjects, respectively; P<0.001) accounted for approximately two thirds of the total difference in central pulse pressures between hypertensive and normotensive subjects. Increased central pulse pressure during inotropic stimulation and in essential hypertension results primarily from the forward compression wave.
Long-term dynamics and the response of temperate rainforests of Chiloé Island (Chile) to climate change

This thesis aims to understand how temperate rainforests of southern South America will be impacted by climate change. To answer this question, this work used an analysis of field data from forests of Chiloe Island (42°S, Chile) and a modelling approach to analyze the forest dynamics in this region. Old-growth forests of Chiloe Island showed a high variability in structure. The developed model synthesised the current knowledge of dynamics and tree species of temperate rainforests on Chiloe Island. Forests can take >500 years of succession and have variable successional pathways to reach the old-growth stage. Succession is strongly influenced by the presence of long-lived pioneers (e.g. Nothofagus). Biomass tends to decrease as forests approach the old-growth stage. Climate change will reduce biomass, net primary productivity and produce carbon losses from old-growth forests in this region during the next century.
MicroRNA-33 Controls Adaptive Fibrotic Response in the Remodeling Heart by Preserving Lipid Raft Cholesterol

Rationale: Heart failure and atherosclerosis share the underlying mechanisms of chronic inflammation followed by fibrosis. A highly conserved microRNA (miR), miR-33, is considered as a potential therapeutic target for atherosclerosis because it regulates lipid metabolism and inflammation. However, the role of miR-33 in heart failure remains to be elucidated. Objective: To clarify the role of miR-33 involved in heart failure. Methods and Results: We first investigated the expression levels of miR-33a/b in human cardiac tissue samples with dilated cardiomyopathy. Increased expression of miR-33a was associated with improving hemodynamic parameters. To clarify the role of miR-33 in remodeling hearts, we investigated the responses to pressure overload by transverse aortic constriction in miR-33–deficient (knockout [KO]) mice. When mice were subjected to transverse aortic constriction, miR-33 expression levels were significantly upregulated in wild-type left ventricles. There was no difference in hypertrophic responses between wild-type and miR-33KO hearts, whereas cardiac fibrosis was ameliorated in miR-33KO hearts compared with wild-type hearts. Despite the ameliorated cardiac fibrosis, miR-33KO mice showed impaired systolic function after transverse aortic constriction. We also found that cardiac fibroblasts were mainly responsible for miR-33 expression in the heart. Deficiency of miR-33 impaired cardiac fibroblast proliferation, which was considered to be caused by altered lipid raft cholesterol content. Moreover, cardiac fibroblast–specific miR-33–deficient mice also showed decreased cardiac fibrosis induced by transverse aortic constriction as systemic miR-33KO mice. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that miR-33 is involved in cardiac remodeling, and it preserves lipid raft cholesterol content in fibroblasts and maintains adaptive fibrotic responses in the remodeling heart.
Activation of HIV transcription by human foamy virus in transgenic mice.

BACKGROUND Although infection by HIV-1 is the primary cause of AIDS, cofactorial agents of an infectious nature may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. The present work addresses the cofactorial potential of human foamy virus (HFV) in AIDS. It has been suggested that HFV seroprevalence reaches 5% in East Africa, and HFV seroprevalence in East African patients suffering from AIDS and AIDS-related complex may be as high as 20%. Although the pathogenic potential of HFV in humans has not yet been investigated in detail, HFV transgenic mice develop an encephalopathy reminiscent of some of the features of HIV-associated brain diseases. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We set out to investigate the possibility that the regulatory genes of HFV may act as transcriptional cofactors of HIV. To study the effects of bel1, the transcriptional activator of HFV, on the HIV-1 LTR, we generated double transgenic mice for bel1 and for the HIV-1 LTR linked to a lacZ reporter gene. Moreover, to identify the cis-acting elements mediating bel1 action on the HIV LTR, we analyzed the consequences of deletions in the negative regulatory element or in the NF-kappa B binding sites. RESULTS We demonstrate that bel1 is capable of activating the transcription of HIV-1 LTR in vivo. Such transactivational activity, however, was observed exclusively in a subset of hippocampal neurons, whereas cortical neurons expressing bel1 did not show transactivation. Transactivation was completely abolished by the deletion of the NF-kappa B binding sites. In contrast, deletion of the negative regulatory element region seems to enhance transactivation of bel1 on HIV-1 LTR over a prolonged period of time. CONCLUSIONS Our study indicates that transcriptional transactivation of HIV-1 by HFV can be accomplished in vivo and is dependent on NF-kappa B binding sequences. Therefore, transcriptional transactivation is a potential mechanism of cooperation between HFV and HIV. It is conceivable that this phenomenon attains clinical significance in a situation of coinfection with both viruses.
Structural and Functional Roles of the Conserved Cysteine Residues of the Redox-regulated Import Receptor Mia40 in the Intermembrane Space of Mitochondria*

Oxidative folding drives the import of proteins containing twin CXnC motifs into the intermembrane space of mitochondria. This import pathway employs a disulfide relay system whose key components are the redox-regulated import receptor Mia40 and the thiol oxidase Erv1. Mia40 contains six cysteine residues in a CPC-CX9C-CX9C arrangement in a highly conserved domain. We show that this domain is sufficient for the function of Mia40. By analysis of Mia40 cysteine mutants we demonstrate that the cysteine residues have distinct roles and are not equally important for Mia40 function. The second cysteine residue is essential for viability of yeast cells. It is required for the interaction of Mia40 with Erv1 in a disulfide intermediate and forms a redox-sensitive disulfide bond with the first cysteine residue. Both cysteine residues are required for the oxidation of the substrate, Tim10, in a reconstituted system comprised of Mia40 and Erv1. Mutants with amino acid exchanges in the third and sixth cysteine residues have severe defects in growth and in the import of intermembrane space proteins. These Mia40 variants are not tightly folded. We conclude that the cysteine residues of the twin CX9C motif have a structural role and stabilize Mia40. In particular, the disulfide bond formed by the third and sixth cysteine residues apparently supports a conformation crucial for the function of Mia40. Furthermore, the disulfide bond in the CPC segment mediates the redox reactions with the thiol oxidase Erv1 and substrate proteins in mitochondria.
Prognostic Significance of Silent Myocardial Infarction in Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) 79

Background— We aimed to determine the prevalence of silent myocardial infarction (SMI) in people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus and its relationships to future myocardial infarction (MI) and all-cause mortality. Methods and Results— We examined data from the 5102 patients in the 30-year UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) and used Cox proportional hazards regression to examine outcomes by SMI status. Of 1967 patients with complete baseline data, 326 (16.6%) had ECG evidence of SMI (Minnesota codes 1.1 or 1.2) at enrollment. Those with SMI were more likely to be older, female, sedentary, and nonsmokers compared with those without SMI. Their mean blood pressure was greater despite more intensive antihypertensive treatment; they were more likely to be taking aspirin and lipid-lowering therapy; and they had a greater prevalence of microangiopathy. Fully adjusted hazard ratios for those with versus those without SMI in multivariate models that included UKPDS Risk Engine variables were 1.58 (95% confidence interval, 1.22–2.05) for fatal MI and 1.31 (95% confidence interval, 1.10–1.56) for all-cause mortality. Hazard ratios for first fatal or nonfatal MI and for first nonfatal MI were nonsignificant. The net reclassification index showed no improvement when SMI was added to these models, and the integrated discrimination index showed that SMI marginally improved the prediction of fatal MI and all-cause mortality. Conclusions— About 1 in 6 UKPDS patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus had evidence of SMI, which was independently associated with an increased risk of fatal MI and all-cause mortality. However, identification of SMI does not add substantively to current UKPDS Risk Engine predictive variables. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.controlled-trials.com. Identifier: ISRCTN number 75451837.
OBT implementation on an OTA-C band-pass filter

In this work, we explore the ability of OBT for testing OTA-C filters with a more complex OTA configuration than in previously reported one. Adopting a second-order structure as a case study, we use a non-linear block in the feedback loop in order to force the oscillations. The evaluation of the test quality is made by fault simulation. The simulation results show that the filter present very good fault coverage values.
Determination of Ruscogenin in Ophiopogonis Radix by High-performance Liquid Chromatography-evaporative Light Scattering Detector Coupled with Hierarchical Clustering Analysis

Background: Ophiopogonis Radix is a famous traditional Chinese medicine. It is necessary to establish a suitable quality control methods of Ophiopogonis Radix. Objective: To investigate the quality control methods of Ophiopogonis Radix by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD). Materials and Methods: A rapid and simple method, HPLC coupled with ELSD, was applied to determinate ruscogenin in 35 batches of Ophiopogenis Radix samples. Orthogonal tests and single factor explorations were used to optimize the extraction condition of ruscogenin. The content of ruscogenin in different origin was further analyzed by hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). Results: The ruscogenin was successfully determined by HPLC-ELSD with a two-phase solvent system composed of methanol-water (88:12) at a flow rate 1.0 ml/min, column temperature maintained at 25°C, detector draft tube temperature at 42.2°C, nebulizer gas flow rate at 1.4 L/min, and the gain at 8. The result showed the good linearity of ruscogenin in the range of 40.20-804.00 μg/ml (R2 = 0.9996). Average of recovery was 101.3% (relative standard deviation = 1.59%). A significant difference of ruscogenin content was shown among 35 batches of Ophiopogenis Radix from different origin, varied from 0.0035% to 0.0240%. HCA based on the content of ruscogenin indicated that Ophiopogonis Radix in different origin was mainly divided into two clusters. Conclusion: This simple, rapid, low-cost, and reliable HPLC-ELSD method could be suitable for measurement of ruscogenin content rations and quality control of Ophiopogonis Radix.
Foraging patterns of the Antarctic Shag Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis at Harmony Point, Antarctica

CASAUX, R. & BERTOLIN, M.L. 2018. Foraging patterns of the Antarctic Shag Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis at Harmony Point, Antarctica. Marine Ornithology 46: 169–175. During the 1995 and 1996 summer seasons, the foraging patterns of the Antarctic Shag Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis were studied by direct observation at Harmony Point, Nelson Island, South Shetland Islands. During pre-laying and incubation, individuals of both sexes usually foraged once a day—females early in the morning and males when their partners returned to their nests. Due to increasing energy requirements at the nest, rearing individuals increased the daily time invested in foraging activities, displaying more—but shorter—foraging trips. The reduction in the duration of the foraging trips through the breeding season suggests that Antarctic shags budget their activities to buffer variable food abundance or energy requirements at their nests. Here, we discuss the possibility of using the foraging parameters measured in this study in ecosystem monitoring programs.
Self-reported oral health, oral hygiene habits and dental service utilization among pregnant women in United Arab Emirates.

AIM The aim of this study was to describe self-reported oral health, oral hygiene habits and frequency of visits to a dentist among pregnant women visiting maternity hospitals in the United Arab Emirates. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted, with anonymous structured questionnaires distributed to 800 pregnant women who were chosen at random from attendants of three maternity and child health centres from various geographical areas of UAE, during January-March 2010. RESULTS The response rate was 93.7% (n = 750). Less than quarter of the participated pregnant women were in their first trimester. Almost a quarter (23.5%) of the women believed that they had periodontal problem currently, while 46.3% reported having carious teeth. More than 44% reported having dental pain, and about 40% women felt that her oral health was poor. About 60% reported having heard about the possible connection between pregnancy and the oral health. About 94% of the women were brushing their teeth at least once a day. More than half of the women (58.3%) visited the dentist during their most recent pregnancy, mostly for dental pain. CONCLUSIONS A large proportion of the pregnant women in this study had oral health problems; however, more than 40% of those women had not visited a dentist during their pregnancy, and the majority of those utilized dental services when they had dental pain only. To provide better oral health care, more knowledge needs to be made available to the pregnant women and the medical community.
Gadolinium Enhanced MR-angiography Results in Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease: Positive Predictive Value Compared to Surgery

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) represents systematic atherosclerosis of great vessels. PAD affects approximately 10-20 % of patients older than 60 years and is associated with high mortality and morbidity rate debilitating individuals’ life. Objectives: To compare the results of Gadolinium enhanced MR-Angiography and surgery in patients suspected to have peripheral arterial disease. Materials and Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 30 consecutive patients matching the inclusion criteria were enrolled and MR-Angiography was performed prior to surgery for each one. Results: 22 patients were male (73.3%) and the mean age was 60.3 ± 10.6 years in our study group. The most common artery for cut off and run off was superior femoral artery in both assessments. Proximal section of each artery was the most common anatomical section for cut off and run off. There was a same report of cut off artery by MR-Angiography and surgery (kappa coefficient of agreement was 0.96, P value < 0.001) and positive predictive value was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.83-0.99). Conclusions: According to our findings MR-angiography is an appropriate alternative imaging modality for patients suspected to have peripheral arterial disease and it facilitates the early diagnosis proposed by the clinical findings. Also beneficial characteristics of this method such as low exposure to ionizing radiation, repeatability, and low risk of contrast agent-induced nephropathy make it a modality of choice in patients with renal impairment.
Population-Wide Malaria Testing and Treatment with Rapid Diagnostic Tests and Artemether-Lumefantrine in Southern Zambia: A community Randomized Step-Wedge Control Trial Design

Reducing the human reservoir of malaria parasites is critical for elimination. We conducted a community randomized controlled trial in Southern Province, Zambia to assess the impact of three rounds of a mass test and treatment (MTAT) intervention on malaria prevalence and health facility outpatient case incidence using random effects logistic regression and negative binomial regression, respectively. Following the intervention, children in the intervention group had lower odds of a malaria infection than individuals in the control group (adjusted odds ratio = 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.24–0.90). Malaria outpatient case incidence decreased 17% in the intervention group relative to the control group (incidence rate ratio = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.68–1.01). Although a single year of MTAT reduced malaria prevalence and incidence, the impact of the intervention was insufficient to reduce transmission to a level approaching elimination where a strategy of aggressive case investigations could be used. Mass drug administration, more sensitive diagnostics, and gametocidal drugs may potentially improve interventions targeting the human reservoir of malaria parasites.
Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Is Necessary for Neural Stem Cell Proliferation and Demonstrates Distinct Actions of Epidermal Growth Factor and Fibroblast Growth Factor-2

Neural stem cells (NSCs), when stimulated with epidermal growth factor (EGF) or fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), have the capacity to renew, expand, and produce precursors for neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. We postulated that the early appearance of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) receptors during mouse striatum development implies a role in NSC regulation. Thus, we testedin vitro the action of IGF-I on the proliferation of striatal NSCs. In the absence of IGF-I, neither EGF nor FGF-2 was able to induce the proliferation of E14 mouse striatal cells. However, addition of IGF-I generated large proliferative clusters, termed spheres, in a dose-dependent manner. The newly generated spheres were multipotent, and clonal analysis revealed that EGF or FGF-2, in the presence of IGF-I, acted directly on NSCs. The actions of IGF-I suggest distinct modes of action of EGF or FGF-2 on NSCs. First, continuous versus delayed administration of these neurotrophic factors showed that neither IGF-I nor EGF had an effect on NSC survival, whereas FGF-2 promoted the survival or maintenance of the stem cell state of 50% of NSCs for 6 d. Second, short-term exposure to IGF-I induced the proliferation of NSCs in the presence of EGF, but not of FGF-2, through an autocrine secretion of IGF-I. These findings suggest that IGF-I is a key factor in the regulation of NSC activation and that EGF and FGF-2 control striatal NSC proliferation, in part, through distinct intracellular mechanisms.