Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Purification and Characterization of Two Laccase Isoenzymes from a Ligninolytic Fungus Trametes gallica

Abstract Constant laccase activities were detected in culture supernatant of newly isolated basidiomycete Trametes gallica. Tryptone and glucose have great effects on the production of laccase. Two laccase isoenzymes (Lac I and Lac II) produced by T. gallica were purified to homogeneity (51‐ and 50‐fold, respectively) by gel filtration chromatorgraphy, anion exchange chromatography, and improved native PAGE, with an overall yield of 24.8%. Lac I and Lac II from this fungus are glycoproteins with 3.6% and 4% carbohydrate content, the same molecular masses (by SDS‐PAGE) of 60 kDa, and the pI of 3.1 and 3.0, respectively. Native gel electrophoresis indicates that the two laccases have different migration ratios. Lac I and Lac II have the same optimal pH of 3.0 on 2,6‐dimethoxyphenol (DMP), pH 2.2 on 2,2′‐azinobis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and of pH 4.0 on guaiacol. The highest rate of ABTS oxidation for both laccases was reached at 70°C. Both laccases are stable from pH 6 to 9, retaining 88–90% activity after 24 hr incubation, and show good stability when incubated at temperatures lower than 40°C. The K m values of Lac I for ABTS, DMP, and guaiacol are 0.118 × 10−2, 0.420, and 0.405 mM, respectively; the K m values of Lac II for ABTS, DMP, and guaiacol are 0.086 × 10−2, 0.41, and 0.40 mM, respectively. Their N‐terminal sequences are determined and show strong similarity with those from other basidiomycetes. Graphite‐furnace atomic absorption analysis revealed that both laccases have four copper atoms per protein molecule, but they have no type I copper signal at around 600 nm and a type III copper signal near 330 nm. Cyanide, azide, and halides completely inhibit the enzyme activity, whereas EDTA has less inhibition.
Butterflies of the Bodoquena Plateau in Brazil (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea)

Abstract Butterflies and moths are found in all terrestrial environments and require efforts for a better understanding of its mega-diversity. These taxa have been the subject of several studies involving phylogeny, ecology and environmental impacts. Nevertheless, several areas in the tropics remain unexplored, resulting in gaps in the taxonomic composition and distribution of butterflies in endemic environments. Therefore, a survey of the butterfly fauna of the Bodoquena Plateau in Brazil was conducted. This area consists of tropical Atlantic Forests, with marginal influences of Savannah, Chaco and Pantanal. Sampling was carried out in 20 locations using Van Someren Rydon traps and insect nets between November 2009 and April 2015. Active collection of individuals was conducted from 9:00 to 17:00h, totaling 240 hours of sampling effort. In total, we registered 768 individuals belonging to 146 species of 98 genera, six families and 18 subfamilies. Nymphalidae was the richest family (84 species), followed by Hesperiidae (22 species), Riodinidae (14 species), Pieridae (12) Papilionidae (11 species) and Lycaenidae (five species). We sampled 239 nymphalids in traps, with 48 species, 30 genera, 15 tribes and five subfamilies. The most common species were Eunica macris (Godart, 1824), Dynamine artemisia (Fabricius, 1793) and Memphis moruus (Fabricius, 1775). Therefore, this study contributes to the knowledge of the Neotropical butterfly diversity and distribution, providing 37 new records and supporting the use of wildlife inventories as important tools for the knowledge of tropical forests biodiversity and conservation.
Subunit-specific role for the amino-terminal domain of AMPA receptors in synaptic targeting

Significance It is generally accepted that trafficking of AMPA receptors underlies synaptic enhancement during long-term potentiation, a cellular model for learning and memory. The role of the cytoplasmic C-terminal domain of AMPA receptors in trafficking has been extensively studied. Here we show that the extracellular amino-terminal domain (ATD) plays a critical role in subunit-specific trafficking. The ATD of GluA1, but not GluA2, is required for the translocation of surface GluA1 homomers to the synapse and this requirement is maintained in GluA1A2 heteromeric receptors. How the GluA1 ATD engages the synaptic cleft proteins remains to be elucidated. The amino-terminal domain (ATD) of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) accounts for approximately 50% of the protein, yet its functional role, if any, remains a mystery. We have discovered that the translocation of surface GluA1, but not GluA2, AMPAR subunits to the synapse requires the ATD. GluA1A2 heteromers in which the ATD of GluA1 is absent fail to translocate, establishing a critical role of the ATD of GluA1. Inserting GFP into the ATD interferes with the constitutive synaptic trafficking of GluA1, but not GluA2, mimicking the deletion of the ATD. Remarkably, long-term potentiation (LTP) can override the masking effect of the GFP tag. GluA1, but not GluA2, lacking the ATD fails to show LTP. These findings uncover a role for the ATD in subunit-specific synaptic trafficking of AMPARs, both constitutively and during plasticity. How LTP, induced postsynaptically, engages these extracellular trafficking motifs and what specific cleft proteins participate in the process remain to be elucidated.
On Efficient Network Coding Scheme with Lossy and Delayed Feedback

ARQ for network coding (ANC) can effectively improve the throughput and reliability of transmission. The properties of ANC are analyzed from three different delay definitions which are seeing delay, decoding delay and delivery delay, respectively. Without perfect feedback information, a novel network coding scheme with lossy and delayed feedback (NCLDF) is developed in this paper. Simulation results show that NCLDF is superior to ANC under imperfect feedback.
Flipping and Blending—An Action Research Project on Improving a Functional Programming Course

This article reports on an action research project on improving a functional programming course by moving toward a practical and flexible study environment—flipped and blended classroom. Teaching the topic of functional programming was found to be troublesome using a traditional lectured course format. The need to increase students’ amount of practice emerged while subsequent challenges relating to students’ independent practical coursework were observed. Particular concerns relating to group work, learning materials, and the attribute of flexibility were investigated during the third action research cycle. The research cycle was analyzed using a qualitative survey on students’ views, teacher narrative, and students’ study activity data. By this third research cycle, we found that (i) the “call for explanation” is an apt conceptualization for supporting independent work, and in particular for the design of learning materials; (ii) use of student-selected groups that can be flexibly resized or even disbanded enables spontaneous peer support and can avoid frustration about group work; and (iii) students greatly appreciate the high degree of flexibility in the course arrangements but find that it causes them to slip from their goals. The project has improved our understanding of a successful implementation of the target course based on group work and learning materials in the context of independent study, while the attribute of flexibility revealed a contradiction that indicates the need for further action.
Using SMS to provide continuous assessment and improve health outcomes for children with asthma

Effective communication between health professionals and patients positively influences chronic health management, as does increased patient awareness of their symptoms and general knowledge of the condition. In this study, we leverage the use of mobile phones by pediatric patients and report results from a four-month randomized controlled trial (RCT). We examined: 1) how a SMS system impacted the health outcomes of asthmatic children; and 2) how physicians used a Web service showing the data gathered from the SMS system. Our results show that 1) the simple act of communicating knowledge and symptom awareness information via SMS leads to improved pulmonary function for pediatric patients; and 2) physicians would use the data sent from the SMS system to monitor their patient's asthma management status.
NADPH oxidase 4 is a critical mediator in Ataxia telangiectasia disease

Significance Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder characterized by progressive cerebellar degeneration. Oxidative stress is one cause of the symptoms of A-T disease. We report that inactivation of NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) reduced ROS, oxidative DNA damage, DNA double-strand breaks and replicative senescence in A-T primary cells. Analyses of A-T patients revealed elevated levels of NOX4 in the cerebellum that also correlated with increased levels of DNA damage and apoptosis. These observations were substantiated by the absence of abnormal NOX4 cerebellar expression in mouse models of A-T disease which do not display cerebellar degeneration. However, injecting A-T mice with NOX4 inhibitor decreased their elevated cancer incidence. Therefore, NOX4 appears as a critical mediator in A-T disease. Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T), a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by progressive cerebellar degeneration and a greatly increased incidence of cancer among other symptoms, is caused by a defective or missing ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene. The ATM protein has roles in DNA repair and in the regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence that NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) is involved in manifesting A-T disease. We showed that NOX4 expression levels are higher in A-T cells, and that ATM inhibition leads to increased NOX4 expression in normal cells. A-T cells exhibit elevated levels of oxidative DNA damage, DNA double-strand breaks and replicative senescence, all of which are partially abrogated by down-regulation of NOX4 with siRNA. Sections of degenerating cerebelli from A-T patients revealed elevated NOX4 levels. ATM-null mice exhibit A-T disease but they die from cancer before the neurological symptoms are manifested. Injecting Atm-null mice with fulvene-5, a specific inhibitor of NOX4 and NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2), decreased their elevated cancer incidence to that of the controls. We conclude that, in A-T disease in humans and mice, NOX4 may be critical mediator and targeting it will open up new avenues for therapeutic intervention in neurodegeneration.
Masitinib Antagonizes ATP-Binding Cassette Subfamily C Member 10–Mediated Paclitaxel Resistance: A Preclinical Study

Paclitaxel displays clinical activity against a wide variety of solid tumors. However, resistance to paclitaxel significantly attenuates the response to chemotherapy. The ABC transporter subfamily C member 10 (ABCC10), also known as multidrug resistance protein 7 (MRP7) efflux transporter, is a major mediator of paclitaxel resistance. In this study, we show that masitinib, a small molecule stem-cell growth factor receptor (c-Kit) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, at nontoxic concentrations, significantly attenuates paclitaxel resistance in HEK293 cells transfected with ABCC10. Our in vitro studies indicated that masitinib (2.5 μmol/L) enhanced the intracellular accumulation and decreased the efflux of paclitaxel by inhibiting the ABCC10 transport activity without altering the expression level of ABCC10 protein. Furthermore, masitinib, in combination with paclitaxel, significantly inhibited the growth of ABCC10-expressing tumors in nude athymic mice in vivo. Masitinib administration also resulted in a significant increase in the levels of paclitaxel in the plasma, tumors, and lungs compared with paclitaxel alone. In conclusion, the combination of paclitaxel and masitinib could serve as a novel and useful therapeutic strategy to reverse paclitaxel resistance mediated by ABCC10. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(3); 714–23. ©2014 AACR.
On the Role of Microcracks on Flow Instability in Low Speed Machining of CP Titanium

Abstract Flow instability is observed when machining titanium and its alloys and leads to the localization of plastic deformation into narrow bands. The shear strain at which this localization occurs serves as an important design parameter that measures the workability of a material and its suitability for various applications. In the current investigation, the phenomenon of microcracking during chip formation of grade 2 commercially pure (CP) titanium has been examined as a mechanism that promotes flow instability at low speeds. Based on this study, analytical and descriptive models that have been previously proposed for predicting the onset of flow instability have been revised to account for microcracking. Model predictions were experimentally verified for the orthogonal machining of CP titanium over a wide range of cutting speeds. Additionally, an investigation of plastic deformation across microcracks and localized shear zones was conducted in an effort to better understand strain hardening during chip formation.
Consensus of Multi-Agent Systems With General Linear and Lipschitz Nonlinear Dynamics Using Distributed Adaptive Protocols

This technical brief considers the distributed consensus problems for multi-agent systems with general linear and Lipschitz nonlinear dynamics. Distributed relative-state consensus protocols with an adaptive law for adjusting the coupling weights between neighboring agents are designed for both the linear and nonlinear cases, under which consensus is reached for all undirected connected communication graphs. Extensions to the case with a leader-follower communication graph are further studied. In contrast to the existing results in the literature, the adaptive consensus protocols here can be implemented by each agent in a fully distributed fashion without using any global information.
Partial discharges in void defect of gas insulated switchgear insulator under standard aperiodic and oscillating switching impulses

This study focuses on partial discharges (PDs) in the gaseous void in an insulator under aperiodic switching impulse (SI) and oscillating SI (OSI). The PD measurements are carried out using a 110-kV GIS model with an artificial known void defect in a basintype insulator. Experiments show that the PD sequences under SI and OSI are composed of the main discharge, which occurs at the rising edges or the peaks of the applied impulse, and the polarity reverse discharge, which occurs at the falling edges or troughs. For a new sample, the 50% PD inception electric field (PDIE50) under different stress types obviously decreases with increasing void radius, and their values follow the pattern PDIE50, OSI > PDIE50, SI > PDIE50, AC. For an aged sample, the difference between the experimental PDIEs and the streamer inception value becomes close. The relationships between the time lag and the applied voltage can be calculated by the V-t curves, which roughly describe the distribution of the time lag under impulses. The experiment indicates that OSI can more easily excite PD compared with SI. Repeated tests show that the magnitudes and numbers of the main and reverse PDs gradually change as the test is repeated.
A Review of Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease is complex in both adults and children, but the disease is far from the same between these populations. Here we review the marked differences in etiology, comorbidities, impact of disease on growth and quality of life, issues unique to adolescents and transitions to adult care, and special considerations of congenital kidney and urinary tract anomalies for transplantation.
A link adaptation algorithm for IEEE 802.16

Broadband wireless access (BWA) is a promising emerging technology. The IEEE 802.16 task group recently standardized the physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers for BWA systems. To operate in a wide range of physical channel conditions, the standard defines a robust and flexible PHY. A wide range of modulation and coding schemes are defined. While the standard provides a framework for implementing link adaptation, it does not define how exactly adaptation algorithms should be developed. The paper evaluates the performance of IEEE 802.16 using a few typical PHY burst profiles defined in the standard. Based on these performance results, TCP delay is identified as a suitable metric to serve as the link quality indicator. A simple link adaptation algorithm is developed to minimize the end-to-end (ETE) TCP delay based on the measured signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The effects of TCP performance enhancements, namely dynamic window scaling and selective acknowledgements, on the adaptation algorithm are also studied.
Image registration with minimum spanning tree algorithm

Registration is a fundamental task in image processing and quite a few registration techniques have been developed in various fields. In this paper we propose a novel graph-representation method for image registration with Renyi entropy as the dissimilarity metric between the images. The image matching is performed by minimizing the length of the minimum spanning tree (MST) which spans the graph generated from the overlapped images. Our method also takes advantage of the minimum k-point spanning tree (k-MST) approach to robustify the registration against spurious discrepancies in the images. The proposed algorithm is tested in two applications: registering magnetic resonance (MR) images, and registering an electro-optical image with a terrain height map. In both cases the algorithm is shown to be accurate and robust.
Leukotrienes as Modifiers of Preclinical Atherosclerosis?

Preclinical atherosclerosis represents a crucial period associated with several pathophysiological reactions in the vascular wall. Failure to diagnose preclinical atherosclerosis at this stage misses a major opportunity to prevent the long-term consequences of this disease. Surrogate biological and structural vascular markers are available to determine the presence and the extension of preclinical vascular injury in the general population. Examples of surrogate markers are carotid intima media thickness and biomarkers including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, cell adhesion molecules and matrix metalloproteinases, and leukotrienes. Recently, leukotrienes have been implicated as mediators, biomarkers, and possible therapeutic targets in the context of subclinical atherosclerosis. The aim of this short paper is to focus on the relation between preclinical atherosclerosis and leukotrienes, with particular attention to the recent development on the use of leukotriene modifiers in the treatment of atherosclerosis.
Elevated N Supply Reduces the Inhibition of Growth and Photosynthesis Caused by Salinity in the Bioenergy Plant Hybrid Pennisetum

Hybrid Pennisetum (Pennisetum americanum × P. purpureum) is a popular bioenergy grass that could also serve as forage for livestock production. In a pot experiment, salinity inhibited hybrid Pennisetum growth, photosynthesis, soluble sugar content, and NR activity; decreased K+ content; and increased Na+ content. These adverse effects of soil salinity were reduced, however, by applications of NO3--N up to 5 mmol·L-1; higher applications of NO3--N increased soil salinity problems. These findings will be useful for the production of hybrid Pennisetum as a biofuel on saline land.
Solitary Waves in a Model of Dendritic Cable with Active Spines

We consider a continuum model of dendritic spines with active membrane dynamics uniformly distributed along a passive dendritic cable. By considering a systematic reduction of the Hodgkin--Huxley dynamics that is valid on all but very short time-scales we derive two-dimensional and one-dimensional systems for excitable tissue, both of which may be used to model the activeprocesses in spine-heads. In the first case the coupling of the spine-head dynamics to a passive dendritic cable via a direct electrical connection yields a model that may be regarded as a simplification of the Baer and Rinzel cable theory of excitable spiny nerve tissue [J. Neurophysiology, 65 (1991), pp. 874--890]. This model is computationally simple with few free parameters. Importantly, as in the full model, numerical simulation illustrates the possibility of a traveling wave. We present a systematic numerical investigation of the speed and stability of the wave as a function of physiologically important parameters. A further reducti.
Protein Export According to Schedule: Architecture, Assembly, and Regulation of Type III Secretion Systems from Plant- and Animal-Pathogenic Bacteria

SUMMARY Flagellar and translocation-associated type III secretion (T3S) systems are present in most Gram-negative plant- and animal-pathogenic bacteria and are often essential for bacterial motility or pathogenicity. The architectures of the complex membrane-spanning secretion apparatuses of both systems are similar, but they are associated with different extracellular appendages, including the flagellar hook and filament or the needle/pilus structures of translocation-associated T3S systems. The needle/pilus is connected to a bacterial translocon that is inserted into the host plasma membrane and mediates the transkingdom transport of bacterial effector proteins into eukaryotic cells. During the last 3 to 5 years, significant progress has been made in the characterization of membrane-associated core components and extracellular structures of T3S systems. Furthermore, transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulators that control T3S gene expression and substrate specificity have been described. Given the architecture of the T3S system, it is assumed that extracellular components of the secretion apparatus are secreted prior to effector proteins, suggesting that there is a hierarchy in T3S. The aim of this review is to summarize our current knowledge of T3S system components and associated control proteins from both plant- and animal-pathogenic bacteria.
Agronomic Evaluation of Sorghum Hybrids for Silage Production Cultivated in Semiarid Conditions

The aim of this study was to study the agronomic traits of different Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench hybrids for silage productionin semiarid conditions. It was a 1-year evaluation conducted in a randomized block design with 24 treatments and three replicates. The treatments were sorghum hybrids developed by the breeding program of “Embrapa Milho e Sorgo” (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation). The fresh matter yield (FMY) in the first cut varied from 22,643.56 to 44,033.15 kg/ha, with an average of 32,607.37 kg/ha, leading to the formation of two groups. Similar results were observed for the dry matter yield (DMY), in which the highest group yielded from 9,471.32 to 14,540.23 kg/ha dry matter (DM). For plant regrowth, there was an increase in the number of stems and a decrease in the amount of panicles. Two groups were formed for the accumulated dry matter yield (ADMY), averaging 14,217.91 kg/ha; the highest group showed mean values of 18,003.00 to 14,221.94 kg/ha. The evaluated sorghum hybrids exhibited satisfactory accumulated forage yields due to their high yield in regrowth, which indicates that they are suitable for use in animal production systems in semi-arid regions.