Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the Thermal Stress Response ofCampylobacter jejuni

ABSTRACT Campylobacter jejuni, a microaerophilic, gram-negative bacterium, is a common cause of gastrointestinal disease in humans. Heat shock proteins are a group of highly conserved, coregulated proteins that play important roles in enabling organisms to cope with physiological stresses. The primary aim of this study was to characterize the heat shock response of C. jejuni. Twenty-four proteins were preferentially synthesized by C. jejuni immediately following heat shock. Upon immunoscreening ofEscherichia coli transformants harboring aCampylobacter genomic DNA library, one recombinant plasmid that encoded a heat shock protein was isolated. The recombinant plasmid, designated pMEK20, contained an open reading frame of 1,119 bp that was capable of encoding a protein of 372 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 41,436 Da. The deduced amino acid sequence of the open reading frame shared similarity with that of DnaJ, which belongs to the Hsp-40 family of molecular chaperones, from a number of bacteria. An E. coli dnaJ mutant was successfully complemented with the pMEK20 recombinant plasmid, as judged by the ability of bacteriophage λ to form plaques, indicating that theC. jejuni gene encoding the 41-kDa protein is a functional homolog of the dnaJ gene from E. coli. The ability of each of two C. jejuni dnaJ mutants to form colonies at 46°C was severely retarded, indicating that DnaJ plays an important role in C. jejuni thermotolerance. Experiments revealed that a C. jejuni DnaJ mutant was unable to colonize newly hatched Leghorn chickens, suggesting that heat shock proteins play a role in vivo.
An Uncommon Court: How the High Court of Australia Has Undermined Australian Federalism

The authors contend that Australia's High Court, in deciding federal distribution of powers cases over the last century, has created an end product that looks like one of A P Herbert's Uncommon Law mock hypothetical cases. These were sustained parodies of common law reasoning in which each step in the fictional judge's train of thought followed plausibly from what went before. And yet from such unexceptionable starting points the conclusions reached were ridiculous. The same general sort of analysis is here applied to the High Court's federalism jurisprudence, the fit being a surprisingly good one.
The implications of radio-quiet neutron stars

We collate the evidence for rotation-powered neutron stars that are visible as X-ray sources and not as radio pulsars. To date, 10 objects have been proposed, and one, Geminga, has been confirmed as a pulsar by the detection of 4.2-Hz pulsations. Several indicators have been used to support the proposition that the X-ray sources are isolated neutron stars, including high X-ray to optical/radio flux ratios, a constant X-ray flux and coincidence with a γ-ray source. Seven of the published neutron star candidates are located near the centres of supernova remnants, two of them within plerions, suggesting that these are young objects (τ < 20 000 yr). The remaining candidate neutron stars have no associated supernova remnant and may be older systems, powered either by their rotation, like Geminga, or possibly by accretion from the interstellar medium. Quantitative upper limits exist for the radio fluxes of eight of the 10 objects, and reveal a population at least an order of magnitude less luminous at radio wavelengths than known radio pulsars of similar power or age. A simple explanation within the context of existing models is that these objects are pulsars in which the radio beams are directed away from Earth. They are still visible as X-ray sources because the thermal surface emission, which dominates the soft X-ray emission in most young to middle-aged radio pulsars, is radiated in all directions. In the cases where hard X-ray or γ-ray fluxes are seen, the beaming explanation implies different emission sites for the non-thermal high-energy radiation and the unseen radio beams. From the numbers of candidate neutron stars and radio pulsars younger than 20 000 yr and within 3.5 kpc, the radio beaming fraction of young pulsars is estimated to be roughly 50 per cent and certainly much less than 100 per cent. We find the local neutron star birth rate to be at least 13 Myr−1 kpc−2. This extrapolates to a Galactic rate of one neutron star born every ∼90 yr. We conclude that probably all neutron stars are born as radio pulsars, and that most young, nearby pulsars have already been discovered.
Lovastatin inhibits the growth and survival pathway of phosphoinositide 3‐kinase/protein kinase B in immortalized rat brain neuroblasts

We previously showed that lovastatin, an HMG‐CoA reductase inhibitor, suppresses cell growth by inducing apoptosis in rat brain neuroblasts. Our aim was to study intracellular signalling induced by lovastatin in neuroblasts. Lovastatin significantly decreases the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3‐K) activity in a concentration‐dependent manner. Expression of p85 subunit and its association with phosphotyrosine‐containing proteins are unaffected by lovastatin. Lovastatin decreases protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt phosphorylation, and its downstream effectors, p70S6K and the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) regulatory protein 1, 4E‐BP1, in a concentration‐dependent manner, and reduces p70S6K expression. Lovastatin effects are fully prevented with mevalonate. Only the highest dose of PI3‐K inhibitors that significantly reduce PI3‐K kinase activity induces apoptosis in neuroblasts but to a lower degree than lovastatin. In summary, this work shows that treatment of brain neuroblasts with lovastatin leads to an inhibition of the main pathway that controls cell growth and survival, PI3‐K/PKB and the subsequent blockade of downstream proteins implicated in the regulation of protein synthesis. This work suggests that inactivation of the antiapoptotic PI3‐K appears insufficient to induce the degree of neuroblasts apoptosis provoked by lovastatin, which must necessarily involve other intracellular pathways. These findings might contribute to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of some statins effects in the central nervous system.
Ochratoxin A Toxicosis in Swine

Ochratoxicosis was induced in young female swine by a diet contaminated with a rice culture of Aspergillus ostianus that contained ochratoxin A and by daily oral doses of 2.0 or 1.0 mg/kg body weight pure ochratoxin A. Mycotoxicosis was characterized early by depression and reduction in feed intake and loss of body weight, followed by diarrhea, polyuria, polydipsia and dehydration. The pigs given pure ochratoxin A were dead or moribund in 5 to 6 days. Packed cell volume, hemoglobin, total plasma protein, and blood urea nitrogen were increased. Progressive leukocytosis, neutrophitia and moderate left shift in the differential count occurred. Concentrations of lactic dehydrogenase, isocitric dehydrogenase and glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase in the serum and urine were increased by the fourth to sixth day, but only the increase in urinary concentrations was significant. Gross findings included dehydration, enteritis, pale tan discoloration of the liver, and edema and hyperemia of the mesenteric and other lymph nodes. Microscopic lesions were most frequent and severe in the kidney and gastrointestinal tract. Necrosis of renal tubular epithelium was most frequent in the convoluted tubules. Many renal tubules were dilated. The intestinal lesions were focal and necrotizing and occurred in mostanat omic regions. Fatty change was demonstrated in most of the livers. In lymphoid tissues the changes were edema, hyperemia and focal necrosis of lymphocytes within germinal centers and around follicles.
No Supermassive Black Hole in M33?

We observed the nucleus of M33, the third-brightest galaxy in the Local Group, with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph at a resolution at least a factor of 10 higher than previously obtained. Rather than the steep rise expected within the radius of gravitational influence of a supermassive black hole, the random stellar velocities showed a decrease within a parsec of the center of the galaxy. The implied upper limit on the mass of the central black hole is only 3000 solar masses, about three orders of magnitude lower than the dynamically inferred mass of any other supermassive black hole. Detecting black holes of only a few thousand solar masses is observationally challenging, but it is critical to establish how supermassive black holes relate to their host galaxies, and which mechanisms influence the formation and evolution of both.
A Meta-Analysis of Enteral Nutrition and Total Parenteral Nutrition in Patients with Acute Pancreatitis

Objective. To analyze the effect of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and enteral nutrition (EN) in patients with acute pancreatitis. Methods. Randomized controlled trials of TPN and EN in patients with acute pancreatitis were searched in NCBI and CBM databases and The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. Six studies were enrolled into the analysis, and the details about the trial designs, characters of the subjects, results of the studies were reviewed by two independent authors and analyzed by STATA 11.0 software. Results. Compared with TPN, EN was associated with a significantly lower incidence of pancreatic infection complications (RR = 0.556, 95% CI 0.436∼0.709, P = .000), MOF (RR = 0.395, 95% CI 0.272∼0.573, P = .003), surgical interventions (RR = 0.556, 95% CI 0.436∼0.709, P = .000), and mortality (RR = 0.426, 95% CI 0.238∼0.764, P = .167). There was no statistic significance in non-pancreatitis-related complications (RR = 0.853, 95% CI 0.490∼1.483, P = .017). However, EN had a significantly higher incidence of non-infection-related complications (RR = 2.697, 95% CI 1.947∼3.735, P = .994). Conclusion. EN could be the preferred nutrition feeding method in patients with acute pancreatitis.
Characterizing the Relationship Between HIV‐1 Genotype and Phenotype: Prediction‐Based Classification

Summary. This paper establishes a framework for understanding the complex relationships between HIV‐1 genotypic markers of resistance to antiretroviral drugs and clinical measures of disease progression. A new classification scheme based on the probabilities of how new patients will respond to antiretroviral therapy given the available data is proposed as a method for distinguishing among groups of viral sequences. This approach draws from existing cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, and recursive partitioning techniques and requires a model relating genotypic characteristics to phenotypic response. A data set of 2746 sequences and the corresponding Indinavir 50% inhibitory concentrations are described and used for illustrative purposes.
Histamine type I receptor occupancy increases endothelial cytosolic calcium, reduces F-actin, and promotes albumin diffusion across cultured endothelial monolayers

Considerable evidence suggests that Ca2+ modulates endothelial cell metabolic and morphologic responses to mediators of inflammation. We have used the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator, quin2, to monitor endothelial cell cytosolic free Ca2+, [Ca2+]i, in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Histamine stimulated an increase in [Ca2+]i from a resting level of 111 +/- 4 nM (mean +/- SEM, n = 10) to micromolar levels; maximal and half-maximal responses were elicited by 10(-4) M and 5 X 10(-6) M histamine, respectively. The rise in [Ca2+]i occurred with no detectable latency, attained peak values 15-30 s after addition of stimulus, and decayed to a sustained elevation of [Ca2+]i two- to threefold resting. H1 receptor specificity was demonstrated for the histamine-stimulated changes in [Ca2+]i. Experiments in Ca2+-free medium and in the presence of pyrilamine or the Ca2+ entry blockers Co2+ or Mn2+, indicated that Ca2+ mobilization from intracellular pools accounts for the initial rise, whereas influx of extracellular Ca2+ and continued H1 receptor occupancy are required for sustained elevation of [Ca2+]i. Ionomycin-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores were completely depleted by 4 min of exposure to 5 X 10(-6) M histamine. Verapamil or depolarization of endothelial cells in 120 mM K+ did not alter resting or histamine-stimulated [Ca2+]i, suggesting that histamine-elicited changes are not mediated by Ca2+ influx through voltage-gated channels. Endothelial cells grown on polycarbonate filters restricted the diffusion of a trypan blue-albumin complex; histamine (through an H1- selective effect) promoted trypan blue-albumin diffusion with a concentration dependency similar to that for the histamine-elicited rise in [Ca2+]i. Exposure of endothelial cells to histamine (10(-5) M) or ionomycin (10(-7) M) was associated with a decline in endothelial F- actin (relative F-actin content, 0.76 +/- 0.07 vs. 1.00 +/- 0.05; histamine vs. control, P less than 0.05; relative F-actin content, 0.72 +/- 0.06 vs. 1.00 +/- 0.05; ionomycin vs. control, P less than 0.01). The data support a role for cytosolic calcium in the regulation of endothelial shape change and vessel wall permeability in response to histamine.
Effects of parasitic infection and reproduction on corticosterone plasma levels in Galápagos land iguanas, Conolophus marthae and C. subcristatus

Abstract In vertebrates, one main feature of stress response is the release of glucocorticoids (corticosterone in reptiles), steroid hormones whose synthesis is regulated by the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA). In the Galápagos Islands, populations of land iguanas are differentially impacted by a tick‐transmitted apicomplexan hemoparasite of genus Hepatozoon, which could cause diseases and ultimately reduce fitness. Using competitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), we examined baseline plasma corticosterone levels of two syntopic and highly parasitized populations of the land iguana species Conolophus marthae and C. subcristatus in Wolf volcano (Isabela Island). We also used a poorly parasitized population of C. subcristatus from the same island (Bahia Urbina) as a reference. To better interpret the observed glucocorticoids patterns, we simultaneously performed the count of white blood cells (WBCs) in all individuals and investigated the reproductive status of females. We did not find evidence in support of either a positive or negative relationship between the tick load, hemoparasite infection, and glucocorticoid plasma concentration in C. marthae and C. subcristatus at Wolf volcano. The comparison between parasitized and non‐parasitized sites (V. Wolf and Bahia Urbina) would instead suggest an inverse relationship between corticosterone and parasites. Our findings support association between corticosterone plasma levels and reproduction.
Argon-40: Excess in Submarine Pillow Basalts from Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

Submarine pillow basalts from Kilauea Volcano contain excess radiogenic argon-40 and give anomalously high potassium-argon ages. Glassy rims of pillows show a systematic increase in radiogenic argon-40 with depth, and a pillow from a depth of 2590 meters shows a decrease in radiogenic argon40 inward from the pillow rim. The data indicate that the amount of excess radiogenic argon-40 is a direct function of both hydrostatic pressure and rate of cooling, and that many submarine basalts are not suitable for potassium-argon dating.
Relationship of Dyadic Closeness with Work-Related Stress: A Daily Diary Study.

We examined the association between work-related stress of both spouses and daily fluctuations in their affective states and dyadic closeness. Daily diary data from 169 Israeli dual-earner couples were analyzed using multilevel modeling. The findings indicate that work stress has no direct effect on dyadic closeness but rather is mediated by the spouses’ negative mood. Evidence was found for spillover of stress from work to mood at home, as well as negative crossover among couples with higher marital quality, resulting in greater distance on stressful days. Such increased distance may reflect either a deleterious effect of work stress on marital relationships or a protective mechanism used by couples in times of stress.
Computational Technologies for Reliable Control of Global and Local Errors for Linear Elliptic Type Boundary Value Problems

The paper is devoted to the problem of reliable control of accuracy of appro- ximate solutions obtained in computer simulations. This task is strongly related to the so-called a posteriori error estimates, giving computable bounds for computational errors and detecting zones in the solution domain, where such errors are too large and certain mesh renemen ts should be performed. A mathematical model described by a linear el- liptic equation with mixed boundary conditions is considered. We derive in a simple way two-sided (upper and lower) easily computable estimates for global (in terms of the en- ergy norm) and local (in terms of linear functionals) control of the computational error, understood as the deviation between the exact solution of the model and the approxi- mation. Such two-sided estimates are completely independent of the numerical technique used to obtain approximations and can be made as close to the true errors as resources of a concrete computer used for computations allow. Main issues of practical realization of the estimation procedures proposed are discussed, several tests and numerical comparison with other popular error estimates based on the gradient averaging are presented. c 2007 European Society of Computational Methods in Sciences and Engineering
Detecting evolutionarily significant units above the species level using the generalised mixed Yule coalescent method

There is renewed interest in inferring evolutionary history by modelling diversification rates using phylogenies. Understanding the performance of the methods used under different scenarios is essential for assessing empirical results. Recently, we introduced a new approach for analysing broadscale diversity patterns, using the generalised mixed Yule coalescent (GMYC) method to test for the existence of evolutionarily significant units above the species (higher ESUs). This approach focuses on identifying clades as well as estimating rates, and we refer to it as clade‐dependent. However, the ability of the GMYC to detect the phylogenetic signature of higher ESUs has not been fully explored, nor has it been placed in the context of other, clade‐independent approaches. We simulated >32 000 trees under two clade‐independent models: constant‐rate birth‐death (CRBD) and variable‐rate birth‐death (VRBD), using parameter estimates from nine empirical trees and more general parameter values. The simulated trees were used to evaluate scenarios under which GMYC might incorrectly detect the presence of higher ESUs. The GMYC null model was rejected at a high rate on CRBD‐simulated trees. This would lead to spurious inference of higher ESUs. However, the support for the GMYC model was significantly greater in most of the empirical clades than expected under a CRBD process. Simulations with empirically derived parameter values could therefore be used to exclude CRBD as an explanation for diversification patterns. In contrast, a VRBD process could not be ruled out as an alternative explanation for the apparent signature of hESUs in the empirical clades, based on the GMYC method alone. Other metrics of tree shape, however, differed notably between the empirical and VRBD‐simulated trees. These metrics could be used in future to distinguish clade‐dependent and clade‐independent models. In conclusion, detection of higher ESUs using the GMYC is robust against some clade‐independent models, as long as simulations are used to evaluate these alternatives, but not against others. The differences between clade‐dependent and clade‐independent processes are biologically interesting, but most current models focus on the latter. We advocate more research into clade‐dependent models for broad diversity patterns.
Clinically significant interactions between antiretroviral and co-prescribed drugs for HIV-infected children: profiling and comparison of two drug databases

Background Drug–drug interactions are an important therapeutic challenge among human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. Early recognition of drug–drug interactions is important, but conflicts do exist among drug compendia on drug interaction information. We aimed to evaluate the consistencies of two drug information resources with regards to the severity rating and categorization of the potential interactions between antiretroviral and co-prescribed drugs. Methods We reviewed the case files of human immunodeficiency virus-infected children who were receiving treatment at the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba, between January 2005 and December 2010. All of the co-prescribed and antiretroviral drug pairs were screened for potential interactions using the Medscape Drug Interaction Checker and the Monthly Index of Medical Specialties Interaction Checker. Drug–drug interaction (DDI) severity and categorization were rated on a scale of A (no known interaction); B (minor/no action needed); C (moderate/monitor therapy); D (major/therapy modification); and X (contraindicated/avoid combination). Results A total of 280 patients were at risk of 596 potential DDIs. The databases showed discrepancies, with Medscape database identifying 504 (84.6%) and USA MIMS database identifying 302 (50.7%) potential DDIs. Simultaneous identification of DDIs by both databases occurred for only 275 (46.1%) listed interactions. Both databases have a weak correlation on the severity rating (rs = 0.45; P < 0.001). The most common DDIs identified by the databases were nevirapine and artemisinin-based combination therapy (170; 28.5%), nevirapine and fluconazole (58; 9.7%), and zidovudine and fluconazole (55; 9.2%). There were 272 (45.6%) interaction severity agreements between the databases. Conclusion Discrepancies occurred in DDI listings between Medscape and USA MIMS databases. Health care professionals may need to consult more than one DDI information database to ensure safe concomitant prescribing for HIV patients.
(100)- and (110)-oriented nMOSFETs with highly scaled EOT in La-silicate/Si interface for multi-gate architecture

This paper reports on detailed comparison between (100)- and (110)-oriented nMOSFETs with direct contact of La-silicate/Si interface structure for expansion to multi-gate architecture including FinFETs, trigate FETs, and nanowire FETs. Scaled EOT of 0.73 nm for (110)-oriented nMOSFETs has been achieved as well as (100)-oriented nMOSFETs. Although the large interface state density originating from (110) orientation was observed, fairly nice interfacial property was obtained from (110)-oriented nMOSFETs at scaled EOT region. Moreover, larger interface state density in (110) orientation did not affect on Vth instability. It was found that Vth shift of nMOSFETs is mainly caused by bulk trapping of electron in La-silicate as well as Hf-based oxides.
Electrophysiological Methods in Studying Infant Cognitive Development

The measurement of the electroencephalogram (EEG) provides a rich source of information about the neural mechanisms underlying ongoing cognitive events. Various ways of analysing the neural markers recorded non-invasively from the scalp have been successfully applied to study developmental populations. The goal of this chapter is to give an introduction and to provide an overview of how electrophysiological methods can be used to elucidate brain and cognitive development in infancy. To this end, we begin by briefly describing the physiological basis of the EEG, and then review the components observed in event-related potentials (ERPs) to auditory, visual, multimodal stimuli and saccades. We also discuss recent work investigating event-related oscillations (EROs) and its role in cognitive development. We conclude by reflecting upon the future directions of the field.