Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of isolation on the recovery of pond mesocosms from the application of an insecticide. II. Benthic macroinvertebrate responses

The immediate response and recovery of the macrobenthic communities of nonisolated and isolated freshwater outdoor 9 m3 mesocosms following an acute stress caused by the addition of deltamethrin were studied over a 14‐month period. To discriminate between internal and external recovery mechanisms, half of the treated ponds were covered by 1‐mm mesh lids that restricted aerial recolonization. Both structural (abundance of the different taxonomic groups) and functional (litter breakdown) parameters were monitored. Insects were broadly reduced in numbers by deltamethrin addition. In general, noninsect groups were not affected or increased in abundance in deltamethrin‐treated ponds, probably because of relative insensitivity to deltamethrin, reduced predation, and lower competition for food. No major change in litter breakdown rates were seen, probably because of functional redundancy among the macrobenthic community. Chironominae larvae recovered in open, treated mesocosms 62 d after deltamethrin addition and most insect groups recovered 84 d after the treatment date. However, the presence of lids significantly reduced insect recovery rate, suggesting that it largely depends on the immigration of winged forms (i.e., external recovery) from surrounding non‐ or less affected systems. These results indicate that the recovery time of macrobenthic communities in an affected natural pond would depend on spatial characteristics of the landscape and also the season that exposure occurs. Isolated ecosystems would display posttreatment insect recovery dynamics very different from highly connected ones, evolving toward alternate pseudoequilibrium states, possibly with lower biodiversity but with preserved functionality. Consequences for higher tier risk assessment of pesticides are discussed.
Characterizing TPC-H on a Clustered Database Engine from the OS Perspective

A range of database services are being offered on clusters of workstations today to meet the demanding needs of applications with voluminous datasets, high computational and I/O requirements and a large number of users. The underlying database engine runs on cost-effective off-the-shelf hardware and software components that may not really be tailored/tuned for these applications. At the same time, many of these databases have legacy codes that may not be easy to modulate based on the evolving capabilities and limitations of clusters. An indepth understanding of the interaction between these database engines and the underlying operating system (OS) can identify a set of characteristics that would be extremely valuable for future research on systems support for these environments. To our knowledge, there is no prior work that has embarked on such a characterization for a clustered database server. Using a public domain version of a commercial clustered database server and TPC-H like1 decision support queries, this paper studies numerous issues by evaluating performance on an off-the-shelf Pentium/Linux cluster connected by Myrinet. The execution profile clearly demonstrates the dominance of the I/O subsystem in the execution, and the importance of the communication subsystem for cluster scalability. In addition to quantifying their importance, this paper provides further details on how these subsystems are exercised by the database engine in terms of characteristics such as request sizes, spatial and temporal distributions. These characteristics provide insight on the benefits of possible optimizations in these subsystems. This includes the potential savings by avoiding copies across protection domains during I/O and the potential reduction in the number of messages by employing multicasts. Mechanisms for performing such optimizations are also discussed. 1These results have not been audited by the Transaction Processing Performance Council and should be denoted as “TPC-H like” workload.
Changes in weight indexes and aerobic fitness of physical education students over three years of college

Data from the national surveys indicate that physical activity and dietary patterns of many college students do not meet the recommendations of health and fitness experts, and that 29.9% of college students are overweight or obese. Thus, the aim of the present study is to track changes in body composition and aerobic fitness of physical education students during their college years. The students (n=174, 89 females, 85 males) were evaluated for body weight, percent body fat, lean body mass and aerobic fitness (2000m running time) at the beginning of their freshman and at the end of junior year. Body weight and percent body fat increased significantly in both female and male students. Aerobic fitness decreased significantly in male students. Increases in body weight and fat percentage occurred mainly in initially thin males and females but remained unchanged in initially overweight students. Aerobic fitness decreased significantly in the initially fastest students but improved significantly in the initially slowest students. Findings suggest that the structured PE program and college atmosphere were not sufficient for the upper quartile students to maintain their body weight and fitness level over the three years in college, suggesting that fitness considerations in this population should be addressed more vigorously.
Inhibitor Recognition Specificity of MERS-CoV Papain-like Protease May Differ from That of SARS-CoV

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) papain-like protease (PLpro) blocking loop 2 (BL2) structure differs significantly from that of SARS-CoV PLpro, where it has been proven to play a crucial role in SARS-CoV PLpro inhibitor binding. Four SARS-CoV PLpro lead inhibitors were tested against MERS-CoV PLpro, none of which were effective against MERS-CoV PLpro. Structure and sequence alignments revealed that two residues, Y269 and Q270, responsible for inhibitor binding to SARS-CoV PLpro, were replaced by T274 and A275 in MERS-CoV PLpro, making critical binding interactions difficult to form for similar types of inhibitors. High-throughput screening (HTS) of 25 000 compounds against both PLpro enzymes identified a small fragment-like noncovalent dual inhibitor. Mode of inhibition studies by enzyme kinetics and competition surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analyses suggested that this compound acts as a competitive inhibitor with an IC50 of 6 μM against MERS-CoV PLpro, indicating that it binds to the active site, whereas it acts as an allosteric inhibitor against SARS-CoV PLpro with an IC50 of 11 μM. These results raised the possibility that inhibitor recognition specificity of MERS-CoV PLpro may differ from that of SARS-CoV PLpro. In addition, inhibitory activity of this compound was selective for SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV PLpro enzymes over two human homologues, the ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolases 1 and 3 (hUCH-L1 and hUCH-L3).
Localization of MEG human brain responses to retinotopic visual stimuli with contrasting source reconstruction approaches

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) allows the physiological recording of human brain activity at high temporal resolution. However, spatial localization of the source of the MEG signal is an ill-posed problem as the signal alone cannot constrain a unique solution and additional prior assumptions must be enforced. An adequate source reconstruction method for investigating the human visual system should place the sources of early visual activity in known locations in the occipital cortex. We localized sources of retinotopic MEG signals from the human brain with contrasting reconstruction approaches (minimum norm, multiple sparse priors, and beamformer) and compared these to the visual retinotopic map obtained with fMRI in the same individuals. When reconstructing brain responses to visual stimuli that differed by angular position, we found reliable localization to the appropriate retinotopic visual field quadrant by a minimum norm approach and by beamforming. Retinotopic map eccentricity in accordance with the fMRI map could not consistently be localized using an annular stimulus with any reconstruction method, but confining eccentricity stimuli to one visual field quadrant resulted in significant improvement with the minimum norm. These results inform the application of source analysis approaches for future MEG studies of the visual system, and indicate some current limits on localization accuracy of MEG signals.
Overview of the Mars Global Surveyor mission

The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft was placed into Mars orbit on September 11, 1997, and by March 9, 1999, had slowly circularized through aerobraking to a Sun-synchronous, near-polar orbit with an average altitude of 378 km. The science payload includes the Mars Orbiter Camera, Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, Thermal Emission Spectrometer, Ultrastable Oscillator (for Radio Science experiments), and Magnetometer/Electron Reflectometer package. In addition, the spacecraft accelerometers and horizon sensors were used to study atmospheric dynamics during aerobraking. Observations are processed to standard products by the instrument teams and released as documented archive volumes on 6-month centers by the Planetary Data System. Significant results have been obtained from observations of the interior, surface, and atmosphere. For example, Mars does not now have an active magnetic field, although strong remanent magnetization features exist in the ancient crust. These results imply that an internal dynamo ceased operation early in geologic time. Altimetry and gravity data indicate that the crust is thickest under the south pole, thinning northward from the cratered terrain to the northern plains. Analysis of altimetry data demonstrates that Mars is “egg-shaped” with gravitational equipotential contours that show that channel systems in the southern highlands drained to the north, largely to the Chryse trough. A closed contour in the northern plains is consistent with the existence of a great northern ocean. Emission spectra of low-albedo regions show that basaltic rocks dominate spectral signatures on the southern highlands, whereas basaltic andesites dominate the northern lowlands. The bright regions show nondiagnostic spectra, similar to that of dust in the atmosphere. Signatures of aqueous minerals (e.g., clays, carbonates, and sulfates) are noticeably absent from the emission spectra. High spatial resolution images show that the surface has been extensively modified by wind and that layering is nearly ubiquitous, implying that a complex history of events is recorded in surface and near-surface materials. Altimetry data imply that both permanent caps are composed of water ice and dust, with seasonal covers of carbon dioxide frost. Finally, the altimetry data, coupled with thousands of atmospheric profiles, are providing new boundary conditions and dynamic controls for the generation and testing of more realistic dynamic models of the global circulation of the atmosphere.
Lipid peroxidation in insulin-dependent diabetic patients with early retina degenerative lesions: effects of an oral zinc supplementation.

DESIGN Placebo for 3 months, followed by 30 mg/day zinc gluconate in identical capsules. SETTING Diabetic out patients clinic at the University Hospital, Grenoble. SUBJECTS Diabetic patients cared for type I diabetes mellitus. 22 patients began the study, 4 dropped out. 10 patients suffered of an early retinopathy, 8 patients had no retinopathy. INTERVENTIONS In this order: T0 biological measurements, 3 months placebo treatment, T1 biological measurements, 3 months zinc gluconate treatment, T2 biological measurements. Plasma Zn, Cu, Se, thiobarbituric acid reactants and antioxidant enzymes were measured [plasma and red glutathione peroxidase (Se-GPx), red cell superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn-SOD)]. RESULTS Lower plasma zinc level in the two groups. An increase in zinc level was observed and was more important in diabetic patients with no retinopathy (P = 0.05). The thiobarbituric acid reactants were above the reference values in all the patients, and were decreased at T2 (P < 0.05). Increase of GPx activity after zinc supplementation in patients with retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS Zinc deficiency in insulin-dependent diabetic patients is corrected by a zinc supplementation. Moreover this supplementation decreases lipid peroxidation. The effects of zinc are different in diabetic patients with or without retinopathy. The increase in Se-GPx activity observed in patients with retinopathy could be linked to the protective effect of zinc on the protein itself.
Individual-Area Relationship Best Explains Goose Species Density in Wetlands

Explaining and predicting animal distributions is one of the fundamental objectives in ecology and conservation biology. Animal habitat selection can be regulated by top-down and bottom-up processes, and is mediated by species interactions. Species varying in body size respond differently to top-down and bottom-up determinants, and hence understanding these allometric responses to those determinants is important for conservation. In this study, using two differently sized goose species wintering in the Yangtze floodplain, we tested the predictions derived from three different hypotheses (individual-area relationship, food resource and disturbance hypothesis) to explain the spatial and temporal variation in densities of two goose species. Using Generalized Linear Mixed Models with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique, we demonstrated that goose density was positive correlated with patch area size, suggesting that the individual area-relationship best predicts differences in goose densities. Moreover, the other predictions, related to food availability and disturbance, were not significant. Buffalo grazing probably facilitated greater white-fronted geese, as the number of buffalos was positively correlated to the density of this species. We concluded that patch area size is the most important factor determining the density of goose species in our study area. Patch area size is directly determined by water levels in the Yangtze floodplain, and hence modifying the hydrological regimes can enlarge the capacity of these wetlands for migratory birds.
Learning the Morphological Diversity

This article proposes a new method for image separation into a linear combination of morphological components. Sparsity in fixed dictionaries is used to extract the cartoon and oscillating content of the image. Complicated texture patterns are extracted by learning adapted local dictionaries that sparsify patches in the image. These fixed and learned sparsity priors define a nonconvex energy, and the separation is obtained as a stationary point of this energy. This variational optimization is extended to solve more general inverse problems such as inpainting. A new adaptive morphological component analysis algorithm is derived to find a stationary point of the energy. Using adapted dictionaries learned from data allows one to circumvent some difficulties faced by fixed dictionaries. Numerical results demonstrate that this adaptivity is indeed crucial in capturing complex texture patterns.
Mast Cells and Basophils Are Selectively Activated In Vitro and In Vivo through CD200R3 in an IgE-Independent Manner1

Mast cells and basophils have been implicated in the host defense system against pathogens and in the development of allergic disorders. Although IgE-dependent responses via FcεRI on these cells have been extensively studied, little is known about cell surface molecules that are selectively expressed by these cells and engaged in their activation via an IgE-independent mechanism. We have recently established two mAbs that reacted specifically with murine mast cells and basophils, and one of them selectively depleted basophils when administered in vivo. Biochemical and flow cytometric analyses revealed that both mAbs specifically recognized a CD200R-like protein, CD200R3, but not other CD200R family members. CD200R3 existed as a disulfide-linked dimer, unlike other CD200Rs, and was expressed on mast cells and basophils primarily in association with an ITAM-bearing adaptor DAP12. Cross-linking of CD200R3 with the mAbs induced degranulation in mast cells and production of the cytokine IL-4 in basophils in vitro. Administration of the nondepleting mAb in vivo elicited systemic and local anaphylaxis in a CD200R3-dependent manner. These results suggest that CD200R3 functions as an activating receptor on mast cells and basophils to regulate IgE-independent immune responses in cooperation with an inhibitory receptor CD200R, similar to the paired receptors expressed on NK cells.
High‐Density Lipoprotein Inhibits UDP‐N‐Acetylgalactosamine:GM3,N‐Acetylgalactosaminyltransferase and Differentiation of Cultured Cerebral Cells: Comparison with a Formerly Described Inhibitor of This Enzyme

Abstract: We have previously described a thermostable inhibitor of the UDP‐N‐acetylgalactosamine:GM3,N‐acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (GM2 synthase) purified from chicken blood serum. Some properties of the GM2 synthase inhibitory preparation (IP) resemble those of high‐density lipoprotein (HDL), i.e., both have a MW of 200,000 in native conditions and are resistant to denaturation by heat. These and other facts prompted us to test the possibility that lipoproteins regulate ganglioside biosynthesis in the CNS. For this purpose, serum lipoprotein fractions were isolated from chicken serum by flotation and were assayed as inhibitors of GM2 synthase activity and of neuron differentiation in culture. HDL (in contrast to fractions containing very low‐density or low‐density lipoprotein) inhibited GM2 synthase with the same specific activity as IP and inhibited neuron cell differentiation in culture in a similar way. Furthermore, these two preparations also share several other characteristics; i.e., both have the same cholesterol content, the same floating behavior on KBr gradients, and the same polypeptide pattern as detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and staining with Coomassie Blue, or after western blot and revealing with an antibody prepared against IP, which is able to diminish the inhibitory effect of this preparation. The results described indicate identity between HDL and IP and suggest that HDL (particularly apolipoprotein A) could play an important role on ganglioside biosynthesis modulation during CNS development. The antineuritogenic effect of HDL described in this study could be of physiological relevance during CNS development and response to injury.
Identifying a Polymorphic ‘Switch’ That Influences miRNAs' Regulation of a Myasthenia Gravis Risk Pathway

The significant roles of genetic variants in myasthenia gravis (MG) pathogenesis have been demonstrated in many studies, and recently it has been revealed that aberrant level/regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) might contribute to the initiation and progression of MG. However, the dysfunction of miRNA associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (miRSNPs) has not been well investigated in MG. In this study, we created a contemporary catalog of 89 MG risk genes via manual literature-mining. Based on this risk gene catalog, we obtained 18 MG risk pathways. Furthermore, we identified 93 miRNAs that target MG risk pathways and revealed the miRSNPs ‘switches’ in miRNA regulation in the MG risk pathways by integrating the database information of miRSNPs. We also constructed a miRNA-mediated SNP switching pathway network (MSSPN) to intuitively analyze miRNA regulation of MG risk pathways and the relationship of the polymorphism ‘switch’ with these changes in regulation. Moreover, we carried out in-depth dissection on the correlation between hsa05200 (pathway in cancer) and MG development, and elaborated the significance of 4 high-risk genes. By network analysis and literature mining, we proposed a potential mechanism of miRSNPs→gene→pathway effects on MG pathogenesis, especially for rs28457673 (miR-15/16/195/424/497 family)→IGF1R→hsa05200 (pathway in cancer). Therefore, our studies have revealed a functional role for genetic modulators in MG pathogenesis at a systemic level, which could be informative for further miRNA and miRSNPs studies in MG.
Transition planning for young people with severe learning disabilities : social positions and power relationships

A Participative Action Research methodology was used to investigate whether six young people with severe learning disabilities were able to express their views and aspirations during their transition planning meeting. Although the young people were able to make choices and communicate their views and aspirations in an often assertive manner, this did not guarantee that they were meaningfully included. Professionals and school staff were unaccustomed to including the young people which meant that they often used language that excluded them. The social positions of stakeholders and their associated power relationships were already well established, which meant that the professionals held the most privileged position during the transition meetings. It was unclear how the professionals would relinquish their power to ensure the young people were meaningfully included. This study proposes that the structure of transition planning should change if meaningful inclusion is to take place.
Meta-analysis: Fecal Calprotectin for Assessment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Activity

Background:Fecal calprotectin (FC) is a promising biomarker for diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the utility of FC for assessment of IBD activity has yet to be clearly demonstrated. The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of FC for differentiating between patients with active IBD and those in remission. Methods:We systematically searched the databases Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE for eligible studies from December 2013 or earlier that evaluated activity in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). A hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic model was performed to calculate the area under the curve to evaluate the overall diagnostic accuracy. The sensitivities and specificities of each commonly applied cutoff value were pooled using a random effects model. Results:We included 13 studies (744 patients with UC and 727 with CD) in the final analysis. The area under the curve values were 0.89 (95% confidence interval, 0.86–0.92), 0.93 (0.89–0.97), and 0.88 (0.83–0.93) in the IBD, UC, and CD groups, respectively. For the IBD group at a cutoff value of 50 &mgr;g/g, the pooled sensitivity was 0.92 (0.90–0.94) and specificity 0.60 (0.52–0.67). For a cutoff value at 100 &mgr;g/g, the pooled sensitivity was 0.84 (0.80–0.88) and specificity was 0.66 (0.59–0.73). For a cutoff value at 250 &mgr;g/g, the pooled sensitivity was 0.80 (0.76–0.84) and specificity was 0.82 (0.77–0.86). Conclusions:The FC test is a reliable marker for assessing IBD disease activity and may have greater ability to evaluate disease activity in UC than CD.
Retinoic acid signalling during development

Retinoic acid (RA) is a vitamin A-derived, non-peptidic, small lipophilic molecule that acts as ligand for nuclear RA receptors (RARs), converting them from transcriptional repressors to activators. The distribution and levels of RA in embryonic tissues are tightly controlled by regulated synthesis through the action of specific retinol and retinaldehyde dehydrogenases and by degradation via specific cytochrome P450s (CYP26s). Recent studies indicate that RA action involves an interplay between diffusion (morphogen-like) gradients and the establishment of signalling boundaries due to RA metabolism, thereby allowing RA to finely control the differentiation and patterning of various stem/progenitor cell populations. Here, we provide an overview of the RA biosynthesis, degradation and signalling pathways and review the main functions of this molecule during embryogenesis.