Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ammonia Oxidation and Nitrite Reduction in the Verrucomicrobial Methanotroph Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum SolV

The Solfatara volcano near Naples (Italy), the origin of the recently discovered verrucomicrobial methanotroph Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum SolV was shown to contain ammonium (NH4+) at concentrations ranging from 1 to 28 mM. Ammonia (NH3) can be converted to toxic hydroxylamine (NH2OH) by the particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), the first enzyme of the methane (CH4) oxidation pathway. Methanotrophs rapidly detoxify the intermediate NH2OH. Here, we show that strain SolV performs ammonium oxidation to nitrite at a rate of 48.2 nmol NO2-. h−1.mg DW−1 under O2 limitation in a continuous culture grown on hydrogen (H2) as an electron donor. In addition, strain SolV carries out nitrite reduction at a rate of 74.4 nmol NO2-. h−1.mg DW−1 under anoxic condition at pH 5–6. This range of pH was selected to minimize the chemical conversion of nitrite (NO2-) potentially occurring at more acidic pH values. Furthermore, at pH 6, we showed that the affinity constants (Ks) of the cells for NH3 vary from 5 to 270 μM in the batch incubations with 0.5–8% (v/v) CH4, respectively. Detailed kinetic analysis showed competitive substrate inhibition between CH4 and NH3. Using transcriptome analysis, we showed up-regulation of the gene encoding hydroxylamine dehydrogenase (haoA) cells grown on H2/NH4+ compared to the cells grown on CH4/NO3- which do not have to cope with reactive N-compounds. The denitrifying genes nirk and norC showed high expression in H2/NH4+ and CH4/NO3- grown cells compared to cells growing at μmax (with no limitation) while the norB gene showed downregulation in CH4/NO3- grown cells. These cells showed a strong upregulation of the genes in nitrate/nitrite assimilation. Our results demonstrate that strain SolV can perform ammonium oxidation producing nitrite. At high concentrations of ammonium this may results in toxic effects. However, at low oxygen concentrations strain SolV is able to reduce nitrite to N2O to cope with this toxicity.
Bootstrapping Realized Multivariate Volatility Measures

We study bootstrap methods for statistics that are a function of multivariate high frequency returns such as realized regression coefficients and realized covariances and correlations. For these measures of covariation, the Monte Carlo simulation results of Barndorff-Nielsen and Shephard (2004) show that finite sample distortions associated with their feasible asymptotic theory approach may arise if sampling is not too frequent. This motivates our use of the bootstrap as an alternative tool of inference for covariation measures. We consider an i.i. d. bootstrap applied to the vector of returns. We show that the finite sample performance of the bootstrap is superior to the existing first-order asymptotic theory. Nevertheless, and contrary to the existing results in the bootstrap literature for regression models subject to heteroskedasticity in the error term, the Edgeworth expansion for the i.i. d. bootstrap that we develop here shows that this method is not second order accurate. We argue that this is due to the fact that the conditional mean parameters of realized regression models are heterogeneous under stochastic volatility.
The association Between Umbilical Coiling Index and Fetal Distress

Introduction: It is well know that fetal distress is one of the important causes of fetus perinatal morbidity and mortality. In this study, we sought to evaluate the association between umbilical coiling index and fetal distress.Material and method:This was a case- control study conducted on 90 term pregnant women. Study group had fetal distress (abnormal fetal heart rate, meconium staining, Apgar score less than 7 in fifth minute and PH of umbilical cord arterials 0.05). Roc curve demonstrated that UCI had the ability to be used to predict fetal distress and the best point for predicting fetal distress was 0.23 coils/cm Conclusion:Fetal heart bradycardia had significant association with UCI and UCI could be used to predict fetal distress.
Antioxidant Properties of Artemisia annua Extracts in Model Food Emulsions

Artemisia annua is currently the only commercial source of the sesquiterpene lactone artemisinin. Although artemisinin is a major bioactive component present in this Chinese herb, leaf flavonoids have shown a variety of biological activities. The polyphenolic profile of extract from leaves of A. annua was assessed as a source of natural antioxidants. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were established and three assays were used to measure the antioxidant capacity of the plant extract. The measurement of scavenging capacity against the 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical cation, the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were 314.99 µM Trolox equivalents (TE)/g DW, 736.26 µM TE/g DW and 212.18 µM TE/g DW, respectively. A. annua extracts also showed good antioxidant properties in 10% sunflower oil-in-water emulsions during prolonged storage (45 days) at 32 °C. Artemisia extract at 2 g/L was as effective as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) at 0.02 g/L in slowing down the formation of hydroperoxides as measured by peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. The results of this study indicate that extract of A. annua may be suitable for use in the food matrix as substitutes for synthetic antioxidants.
Changes in BMI Before and During Economic Development and Subsequent Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Total Mortality: A 35-Year Follow-up Study in China

OBJECTIVE It is unclear whether changes in BMI during rapid economic development influence subsequent mortality. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We analyzed whether BMI in 1976 and 1994 and changes in BMI during 1976–1994 predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in a 35-year follow-up cohort of 1,696 Chinese (1,124 men and 572 women, aged 35–65 years) in Xi'an, China. Participants were categorized as underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5–24.9 kg/m2), and overweight (≥25.0 kg/m2). RESULTS During 51,611 person-years of follow-up, we identified 655 deaths from all causes and 234 from CVD. From 1976 to 1994, the prevalence of overweight rose from 9.2 to 27.8%. With each unit increment in 1976 BMI, multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) (95% CI) were 0.78 (0.72–0.84) for CVD and 0.91 (0.87–0.95) for all-cause mortality. In contrast, corresponding HRs were 1.14 (1.08–1.19) and 1.05 (1.01–1.08) in 1994 BMI. The HRs for each unit increment in BMI change from 1976 to 1994 were 1.35 (1.25–1.41) for CVD and 1.09 (1.05–1.13) for all-cause mortality. Compared with participants with stable normal weight in 1976 and 1994, HRs of all-cause mortality for those who had normal weight in 1976 but became overweight in 1994 and for those who were persistently overweight during 1976–1994 were 1.42 (1.12–1.80) and 1.80 (1.04–3.14), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Gaining weight with increased BMI at middle age in Chinese during economic development was associated with elevated risks of all-cause and CVD mortality. Higher BMI measured before economic development was associated with lower mortality risk, whereas BMI measured afterward was associated with increased mortality.
Comparison of cytokine production in cultures of whole human blood and purified mononuclear cells.

In order to examine inter- and intra-individual variations in cytokine production, blood was collected from 48 healthy subjects on each of 4 occasions separated by 4 weeks. Whole blood (diluted 1:10) and mononuclear cell (MNC) cultures were stimulated for 24 h with either concanavalin A (Con A) or bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the concentrations of IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-2, TNF-alpha, IL-10 and IFN-gamma in the culture medium measured. There were highly significant inter-individual variations in the production of each of the cytokines measured. However, the level of the production of each cytokine appeared to be characteristic of an individual. There were significant correlations between production of each cytokine in whole blood and MNC cultures. It is concluded that there is significant inter-individual variation in cytokine production which is unaffected by time or by the stimulus used to elicit cytokine production, and that whole blood cultures can be used instead of MNC cultures to measure cytokine production.
Field Performance of a Rapid Diagnostic Test for Influenza in an Ambulatory Setting

ABSTRACT Provided test characteristics are adequate, point-of-care rapid antigen detection tests for influenza could improve the timeliness and appropriateness of clinical decisions. Our objective was to estimate the field sensitivity and specificity of the Quidel QuickVue Influenza A+B test in an ambulatory setting. The sensitivity and specificity of the Quidel QuickVue test was evaluated against reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) on nasopharyngeal specimens collected over two consecutive influenza seasons from ambulatory patients consulting for influenza-like illness (ILI) within 7 days of ILI onset. A total of 491 patients with ILI (180 in 2006 to 2007 and 311 in 2007 to 2008) provided specimens that were tested both by PCR and by the Quidel QuickVue test. Among the 267 patients positive by PCR (55%), 52 were also positive by the QuickVue test, for an overall sensitivity of 19.5% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 14.7% to 24.2%). Among the 221 PCR-negative patients, 2 were positive for influenza B virus by the rapid test (<1%), for an overall specificity of 99.1% (95% CI, 97.9 to 100%). The field sensitivity of the test varied little with the age or gender of the patient, immunization status, delay since the onset of symptoms, or influenza season. The sensitivity of the test was slightly but nonsignificantly higher for influenza B virus (23%) than for influenza A virus (18%). Despite its high specificity, the low sensitivity of the Quidel QuickVue Influenza A+B test is too poor to direct clinical decisions for ambulatory patients with ILI. Negative results cannot rule out the diagnosis of influenza, and in that context, this test is of questionable utility for routine application in the clinical setting.
Hydrothermal Synthesis of TIO2 Nanoparticles: Process Modelling and Experimental Validation

Particle size is a key property of metal oxide particles manufactured by continuous hydrothermal synthesis (CHS) method. In this paper, a population balance model was presented for predicting the size distribution of particles synthesised using CHS method. An experimental rig was assembled for model validation. The nano-size TiO2 particles were produced in a continuous stirred cylinder reactor. The produced nano-particles were characterised by scanning electron microscopy and image analysis method. Good agreement between experimental and simulation results were obtained.
Integrated Model of Endothelial NO Regulation and Systemic Circulation for the Comparison Between Pulsatile and Continuous Perfusion

Many experimental studies concerning nitric oxide (NO) release from endothelium and its vasodilative action are available in the literature, but no analytical description or modeling of these phenomena can be found. On the contrary, a large modeling literature is available concerning the other cardiovascular control mechanisms, such as the myogenic and metabolic control. In order to analytically describe these phenomena, a model of the endothelial control (defined in the Laplace domain and based on experimental data) was implemented and integrated with a lumped-parameter model of the systemic circulation, consisting of large artery segments and peripheral networks. The endothelial regulation model was based on the hypothesis proposed by Kuchan and Frangos, considering that NO release from the endothelium is generated by two parallel paths. The whole model was then applied to study the different vascular constriction or dilation under continuous or pulsatile perfusion, in order to better understand the clinical evidences of a poor organ perfusion in the presence of continuous with respect to pulsatile cardiopulmonary bypass. According to the experimental evidences, the main results obtained from the model revealed a widespread vascular constriction under continuous perfusion with respect to pulsatile. This result remains constant in the presence of different conditions of blood parameters and flow waveform.
Computed tomography and pulmonary function abnormalities in sickle cell disease

The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) in steady state had pulmonary abnormalities seen on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and whether any abnormalities correlated with contemporaneously diagnosed lung function abnormalities. A subsidiary question was whether the results of a noninvasive measure of haemolysis (end-tidal carbon monoxide (ETCO) levels) correlated with pulmonary function abnormalities. Thirty three patients with SCD, median (range) age 36 yrs (17–67 yrs) were examined. The degree of lobar volume loss and ground-glass opacification and prominence of central vessels on HRCT were quantitatively assessed. Pulmonary function was assessed by measurements of lung volumes, spirometry, gas transfer and oxygen saturation. ETCO levels were measured using an end-tidal CO monitor. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity and total lung capacity significantly correlated with HRCT findings, particularly lobar volume loss. ETCO levels significantly negatively correlated with FEV1, vital capacity measured using a plethysmograph, specific airway conductance and arterial oxygen saturation measured by pulse oxymetry. In conclusion, the present results suggest that high-resolution computed tomography noninvasive assessment of haemolysis might be useful to identify sickle cell disease patients with respiratory function impairment.
The Value Chain Approach to Evaluate the Economic Impact of Geographic Information: Towards a New Visual Tool

Geographic Information (GI) is becoming more important everyday at all levels of society. GI has a central role in supporting economies, improving business effectiveness in the private sector, enabling more efficient governments, and increasing citizens’ quality of life. Assessing the value of digital information products, services and infrastructures is particularly complex due to the specific characteristics of GI as a not- standard economic good (Krek and Frank, 2000) and the nature of the GI market itself (Krek, 2006). One promising assessment approach is the value chain: value is created step-by-step along the chain. Thus, pricing in a value chain serves to determine the way in which the value created for the end user is distributed among the contributors. In theory, the value chain is one of the most suitable approaches to assess GI. However, it is also one of the most complex one due to the number of variables connected to how GI is produced and used. Therefore, it is often impossible to determine a single and constant value to specific GI (Longhorn and Blakemore, 2008) and a concrete example of application of a formal economic analysis based on the value chain concept still does not exist (Genovese et al., 2008). The EcoGeo project, in its first phase, has developed a prototype computer tool named Socioscope, which provides cartography of the links existing between various public and private contributors (Plante, 2006). In EcoGeo’s second phase, Socioscope will be upgraded and the value chain of the geomatic sector in Quebec will be defined. The final goal of the project is an economic evaluation for a test-area inside the value chain: the ability to measure the GI economic value will provide key decision support for both institutional and private sectors.
Further improvements to the Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS)

Modifications to the Atlantic and east Pacific versions of the operational Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS) for each year from 1997 to 2003 are described. Major changes include the addition of a method to account for the storm decay over land in 2000, the extension of the forecasts from 3 to 5 days in 2001, and the use of an operational global model for the evaluation of the atmospheric predictors instead of a simple dry-adiabatic model beginning in 2001. A verification of the SHIPS operational intensity forecasts is presented. Results show that the 1997–2003 SHIPS forecasts had statistically significant skill (relative to climatology and persistence) out to 72 h in the Atlantic, and at 48 and 72 h in the east Pacific. The inclusion of the land effects reduced the intensity errors by up to 15% in the Atlantic, and up to 3% in the east Pacific, primarily for the shorter-range forecasts. The inclusion of land effects did not significantly degrade the forecasts at any time period. Results also showed that the 4–5-day forecasts that began in 2001 did not have skill in the Atlantic, but had some skill in the east Pacific. An experimental version of SHIPS that included satellite observations was tested during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. New predictors included brightness temperature information from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) channel 4 (10.7 m) imagery, and oceanic heat content (OHC) estimates inferred from satellite altimetry observations. The OHC estimates were only available for the Atlantic basin. The GOES data significantly improved the east Pacific forecasts by up to 7% at 12–72 h. The combination of GOES and satellite altimetry improved the Atlantic forecasts by up to 3.5% through 72 h for those storms west of 50°W.
A Quantitative Map of the Circuit of Cat Primary Visual Cortex

We developed a quantitative description of the circuits formed in cat area 17 by estimating the “weight” of the projections between different neuronal types. To achieve this, we made three-dimensional reconstructions of 39 single neurons and thalamic afferents labeled with horseradish peroxidase during intracellular recordings in vivo. These neurons served as representatives of the different types and provided the morphometrical data about the laminar distribution of the dendritic trees and synaptic boutons and the number of synapses formed by a given type of neuron. Extensive searches of the literature provided the estimates of numbers of the different neuronal types and their distribution across the cortical layers. Applying the simplification that synapses between different cell types are made in proportion to the boutons and dendrites that those cell types contribute to the neuropil in a given layer, we were able to estimate the probable source and number of synapses made between neurons in the six layers. The predicted synaptic maps were quantitatively close to the estimates derived from the experimental electron microscopic studies for the case of the main sources of excitatory and inhibitory input to the spiny stellate cells, which form a major target of layer 4 afferents. The map of the whole cortical circuit shows that there are very few “strong” but many “weak” excitatory projections, each of which may involve only a few percentage of the total complement of excitatory synapses of a single neuron.
At What Stage of Neural Processing Does Cocaine Act to Boost Pursuit of Rewards?

Dopamine-containing neurons have been implicated in reward and decision making. One element of the supporting evidence is that cocaine, like other drugs that increase dopaminergic neurotransmission, powerfully potentiates reward seeking. We analyze this phenomenon from a novel perspective, introducing a new conceptual framework and new methodology for determining the stage(s) of neural processing at which drugs, lesions and physiological manipulations act to influence reward-seeking behavior. Cocaine strongly boosts the proclivity of rats to work for rewarding electrical brain stimulation. We show that the conventional conceptual framework and methods do not distinguish between three conflicting accounts of how the drug produces this effect: increased sensitivity of brain reward circuitry, increased gain, or decreased subjective reward costs. Sensitivity determines the stimulation strength required to produce a reward of a given intensity (a measure analogous to the KM of an enzyme) whereas gain determines the maximum intensity attainable (a measure analogous to the vmax of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction). To distinguish sensitivity changes from the other determinants, we measured and modeled reward seeking as a function of both stimulation strength and opportunity cost. The principal effect of cocaine was a two-fourfold increase in willingness to pay for the electrical reward, an effect consistent with increased gain or decreased subjective cost. This finding challenges the long-standing view that cocaine increases the sensitivity of brain reward circuitry. We discuss the implications of the results and the analytic approach for theories of how dopaminergic neurons and other diffuse modulatory brain systems contribute to reward pursuit, and we explore the implications of the conceptual framework for the study of natural rewards, drug reward, and mood.
Bacillus anthracis co-opts nitric oxide and host serum albumin for pathogenicity in hypoxic conditions

Bacillus anthracis is a dangerous pathogen of humans and many animal species. Its virulence has been mainly attributed to the production of Lethal and Edema toxins as well as the antiphagocytic capsule. Recent data indicate that the nitric oxide (NO) synthase (baNOS) plays an important pathogenic role at the early stage of disease by protecting bacteria from the host reactive species and S-nytrosylating the mitochondrial proteins in macrophages. In this study we for the first time present evidence that bacteria-derived NO participates in the generation of highly reactive oxidizing species which could be abolished by the NOS inhibitor L - NAME, free thiols, and superoxide dismutase but not catalase. The formation of toxicants is likely a result of the simultaneous formation of NO and superoxide leading to a labile peroxynitrite and its stable decomposition product, nitrogen dioxide. The toxicity of bacteria could be potentiated in the presence of bovine serum albumin. This effect is consistent with the property of serum albumin to serves as a trap of a volatile NO accelerating its reactions. Our data suggest that during infection in the hypoxic environment of pre-mortal host the accumulated NO is expected to have a broad toxic impact on host cell functions.