Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Status of Multi-Species Spawning Aggregations in Belize

The two goals of this study were to 1. Re-evaluate the status of Nassau Grouper in Belize, and 2. Evaluate if known grouper spawning aggregation sites could be considered as "multi-species spawning aggregation sites" in order to guide the management of these areas as such. Six teams of divers surveyed 12 locations during the period 4-10 January 2002. The teams were comprised of local and international scientists, fishermen, guides and local NGO's, representing the following organizations: Green Reef, Fisheries Department, The Nature Conservancy, Toledo Institute for Development and Environment, Friends of Nature, Belize Audubon Society, and Wildlife Conservation Society. All teams utilized the Belize Reef Fish Spawning Aggregation Protocol (Heyman et al, 2001) for the survey and all sent results to the Nature Conservancy for compilation into this report. The study found that the maximum number of groupers at any site was at northern Glover's Reef at 4,600, a number consistent with the highest number in the 2001 survey. Since recent historical Nassau grouper aggregations numbered in the several tens of thousands at many sites that are now virtually devoid of aggregating groupers, this study concluded that Nassau grouper aggregations and the population is in critical condition throughout Belize, and in need of immediate and drastic management measures. In addition, this study found that all sites were "multi-species" spawning aggregation sites with a mean of 6±7 species recorded in these aggregations during the January 2002 observation period.The Nature Conservancy has been collecting data on multi-species spawning sites throughout Belize from March 1998 throughout July 2002. Using this combined data and including some data gathered from published reports (Paz and Grimshaw, 2001; Sala,Starr and Ballesteros, 2001)that incorporates 159 dives, over 4 years and 16 sites, we calculated a mean of 8±7 species, with from 2-20 species spawning at these sites. These data are considered support for the conclusion that those sites used by Nassau grouper for spawning should be considered, and managed, as multi-species spawning aggregation sites. Given the critical status of Nassau grouper, and the fact that all sites appear to be "multi-species" spawning areas, this report recommends that all 16, known multi-species spawning aggregation sites within Belize be carefully monitored, and closed permanently to fishing. This measure will provide an important contribution to sustainable fisheries management in Belize.
The orexin neuropeptide system: physical activity and hypothalamic function throughout the aging process

There is a rising medical need for novel therapeutic targets of physical activity. Physical activity spans from spontaneous, low intensity movements to voluntary, high-intensity exercise. Regulation of spontaneous and voluntary movement is distributed over many brain areas and neural substrates, but the specific cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for mediating overall activity levels are not well understood. The hypothalamus plays a central role in the control of physical activity, which is executed through coordination of multiple signaling systems, including the orexin neuropeptides. Orexin producing neurons integrate physiological and metabolic information to coordinate multiple behavioral states and modulate physical activity in response to the environment. This review is organized around three questions: (1) How do orexin peptides modulate physical activity? (2) What are the effects of aging and lifestyle choices on physical activity? (3) What are the effects of aging on hypothalamic function and the orexin peptides? Discussion of these questions will provide a summary of the current state of knowledge regarding hypothalamic orexin regulation of physical activity during aging and provide a platform on which to develop improved clinical outcomes in age-associated obesity and metabolic syndromes.
Molecular Properties and Functional Role of Voltage-Dependent Potassium Channels in Dendrites of Rat Cerebellar Purkinje Neurons

We characterized the properties and functional roles of voltage-dependent potassium channels in the dendrites of Purkinje neurons studied in rat cerebellar slices. Using outside-out patches formed 250 m away from the soma, we found that depolarization-activated potassium channels were present at high density throughout the dendritic tree. Currents required relatively large depolarizations for activation (midpoint, approximately 10 mV), had rapid activation and deactivation kinetics, and inactivated partially (20 –70% over 200 msec) with both fast (time constant, 15–20 msec) and slow (300 – 400 msec) components. Inactivating and noninactivating components were both blocked potently by external tetraethylammonium (half-block by 150 M) and 4-aminopyridine (half-block by 110 M). The voltage dependence, kinetics, and pharmacology suggest a predominant contribution by Kv3 family subunits, and immunocytochemical experiments showed staining for both Kv3.3 and Kv3.4 subunits in the dendritic tree. In the proximal dendrite, potassium channels were activated by passively spread sodium spikes recorded at the same position, and experiments using dual recordings showed that the channels serve to actively dampen back-propagation of somatic sodium spikes. In more distal dendrites, potassium currents were activated by voltage waveforms taken from climbing fiber responses, suggesting that they help shape these responses as well. The requirement for large depolarizations allows dendritic Kv3 channels to shape large depolarizing events while not disrupting spatial and temporal summation of smaller excitatory postsynaptic potentials.
MODIFIED MASTERS JOHNSON TECHNIQUE IN THE TREATMENT OF SEXUAL INADEQUACY IN MALES

SUMMARY 21 married men were treated for erectile defect and premature ejaculation (both primary & secondary) by modified Masters-Johnson technique. 16(76.2%) recovered. The success rate was higher in secondary cases (83.3%). Best results were obtained in 30—39 yrs age group. The modified technique has been described in detail. Factors favourable and unfavourable for success have been discussed.
PHYTATE AND SELECTED MINERAL COMPOSITION OF FOLIAGES FROM SOME ORNAMENTAL PLANTS

The leaves selected mineral and phytate contents of foliages of ornamented plants were determined during the 2001 rainy season in order to ascertain their suitability as feed source. Mineral contents should high variability within varieties especially in K, Ca, Na and Mg. the ranges (mg/100gDM) of other minerals were Zn (0.74 – 1.87), fe (0.96 – 2.48), Mn (0.53 – 2.52) and Cu (ND – 0.81). The levels of phytate and phytate phosphorus were generally high. Nine of the samples had more than 50% of their total phosphorus linked to phytate. Mineral and phytate level of all samples indicate better or similar results as compared to vegetables.
Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State

Psychedelic drugs produce profound changes in consciousness, but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms for this remain unclear. Spontaneous and induced oscillatory activity was recorded in healthy human participants with magnetoencephalography after intravenous infusion of psilocybin—prodrug of the nonselective serotonin 2A receptor agonist and classic psychedelic psilocin. Psilocybin reduced spontaneous cortical oscillatory power from 1 to 50 Hz in posterior association cortices, and from 8 to 100 Hz in frontal association cortices. Large decreases in oscillatory power were seen in areas of the default-mode network. Independent component analysis was used to identify a number of resting-state networks, and activity in these was similarly decreased after psilocybin. Psilocybin had no effect on low-level visually induced and motor-induced gamma-band oscillations, suggesting that some basic elements of oscillatory brain activity are relatively preserved during the psychedelic experience. Dynamic causal modeling revealed that posterior cingulate cortex desynchronization can be explained by increased excitability of deep-layer pyramidal neurons, which are known to be rich in 5-HT2A receptors. These findings suggest that the subjective effects of psychedelics result from a desynchronization of ongoing oscillatory rhythms in the cortex, likely triggered by 5-HT2A receptor-mediated excitation of deep pyramidal cells.
Evaluating the effect of learning style and student background on self-assessment accuracy

This study evaluates a new taxonomy-based self-assessment scale and examines factors that affect assessment accuracy and course performance. The scale is based on Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy and is evaluated by comparing students' self-assessment results with course performance in a programming course. Correlation has been used to reveal possible connections between student information and both self-assessment and course performance. The results show that students can place their knowledge along the taxonomy-based scale quite well and the scale seems to fit engineering students' learning style. Advanced students assess themselves more accurately than novices. The results also show that reflective students were better in programming than active. The scale used in this study gives a more objective picture of students' knowledge than general scales and with modifications it can be used in other classes than programming.
Autoverification in a core clinical chemistry laboratory at an academic medical center

Background: Autoverification is a process of using computer-based rules to verify clinical laboratory test results without manual intervention. To date, there is little published data on the use of autoverification over the course of years in a clinical laboratory. We describe the evolution and application of autoverification in an academic medical center clinical chemistry core laboratory. Subjects and Methods: At the institution of the study, autoverification developed from rudimentary rules in the laboratory information system (LIS) to extensive and sophisticated rules mostly in middleware software. Rules incorporated decisions based on instrument error flags, interference indices, analytical measurement ranges (AMRs), delta checks, dilution protocols, results suggestive of compromised or contaminated specimens, and ′absurd′ (physiologically improbable) values. Results: The autoverification rate for tests performed in the core clinical chemistry laboratory has increased over the course of 13 years from 40% to the current overall rate of 99.5%. A high percentage of critical values now autoverify. The highest rates of autoverification occurred with the most frequently ordered tests such as the basic metabolic panel (sodium, potassium, chloride, carbon dioxide, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, calcium, glucose; 99.6%), albumin (99.8%), and alanine aminotransferase (99.7%). The lowest rates of autoverification occurred with some therapeutic drug levels (gentamicin, lithium, and methotrexate) and with serum free light chains (kappa/lambda), mostly due to need for offline dilution and manual filing of results. Rules also caught very rare occurrences such as plasma albumin exceeding total protein (usually indicative of an error such as short sample or bubble that evaded detection) and marked discrepancy between total bilirubin and the spectrophotometric icteric index (usually due to interference of the bilirubin assay by immunoglobulin (Ig) M monoclonal gammopathy). Conclusions: Our results suggest that a high rate of autoverification is possible with modern clinical chemistry analyzers. The ability to autoverify a high percentage of results increases productivity and allows clinical laboratory staff to focus attention on the small number of specimens and results that require manual review and investigation.
Gaze Direction Signals Response Preference in Conversation

ABSTRACT In this article, we examine gaze direction in responses to polar questions using both quantitative and conversation analytic (CA) methods. The data come from a novel corpus of conversations in which participants wore eye-tracking glasses to obtain direct measures of their eye movements. The results show that while most preferred responses are produced with gaze toward the questioner, most dispreferred responses are produced with gaze aversion. We further demonstrate that gaze aversion by respondents can occasion self-repair by questioners in the transition space between turns, indicating that the relationship between gaze direction and preference is more than a mere statistical association. We conclude that gaze direction in responses to polar questions functions as a signal of response preference. Data are in American, British, and Canadian English.
In vivo imaging reveals a role for Cdc42 in spindle positioning and planar orientation of cell divisions during vertebrate neural tube closure

Specialization of the cell-division process is a common feature of developing embryos, but most studies on vertebrate cell division have focused on cells dividing in culture. Here, we used in vivo four-dimensional confocal microscopy to explore the role of Cdc42 in governing cell division in the developing neural epithelium of Xenopus laevis. We find that Cdc42 is crucial for stable positioning of the metaphase spindle in these cells, but was not required for spindle positioning in epidermal epithelial cells. We also find that divisions in the Xenopus neural plate are planar oriented, and that rotations of mitotic spindles are essential for establishing this orientation. When Cdc42 is disrupted, spindles over-rotate and the final orientation of divisions is changed. Finally, the planar orientation of cell divisions in this tissue seems to be independent of planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling and does not require normal neural morphogenesis. Our data provide new insights into the coordination of cell division and morphogenesis in epithelial cell sheets and reveal novel, cell-type-specific roles for Cdc42 in spindle positioning and spindle orientation.
Biochemical analysis of proteasomes from mouse microglia: Induction of immunoproteasomes by interferon‐γ and lipopolysaccharide

The 20S proteasome is a multicatalytic threonine protease and serves to process peptides that are subsequently presented as antigenic epitopes by MHC class I molecules. In the brain, microglial cells are the major antigen presenting cells and they respond sensitive to pathologic events. We used cultured mouse microglia and a microglial cell line, the BV‐2 line, as a model to study the correlation between microglial activation parameters and structural plasticity of the 20S/26S proteasome. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐ or interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ)‐stimulated microglia or BV‐2 cells exhibit properties of activated microglia such as high levels of TNFα and IL‐6 release. In response to IFN‐γ or LPS, three constitutive β subunits (β1/Delta, β2/MC14, β5/MB1) were replaced by the immunoproteasome subunits iβ1/LMP2, iβ2/MECL‐1, and iβ5/LMP7, indicating that activated microglia adapts its proteasomal subunit composition to the requirements of an optimized MHC class I epitope processing. Induction of immunoproteasomes in BV‐2 cells was solely provoked by IFN‐γ, but not by LPS. Moreover, LPS (but not IFN‐γ) triggered the expression of a novel protein of ≈50 kD as part of the proteasome activator PA700, that is the substrate‐recognizing and unfolding unit of the 26S proteasome. These results indicate that both the 20S core protease as well as the proteasome activator PA700 are targets of modulatory subunit replacements or transient association of regulatory components in the course of microglial activation. GLIA 29:355–365, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Modulation of P‐glycoprotein‐mediated multidrug resistance by acceleration of passive drug permeation across the plasma membrane

The drug concentration inside multidrug‐resistant cells is the outcome of competition between the active export of drugs by drug efflux pumps, such as P‐glycoprotein (Pgp), and the passive permeation of drugs across the plasma membrane. Thus, reversal of multidrug resistance (MDR) can occur either by inhibition of the efflux pumps or by acceleration of the drug permeation. Among the hundreds of established modulators of Pgp‐mediated MDR, there are numerous surface‐active agents potentially capable of accelerating drug transbilayer movement. The aim of the present study was to determine whether these agents modulate MDR by interfering with the active efflux of drugs or by allowing for accelerated passive permeation across the plasma membrane. Whereas Pluronic P85, Tween‐20, Triton X‐100 and Cremophor EL modulated MDR by inhibition of Pgp‐mediated efflux, with no appreciable effect on transbilayer movement of drugs, the anesthetics chloroform, benzyl alcohol, diethyl ether and propofol modulated MDR by accelerating transbilayer movement of drugs, with no concomitant inhibition of Pgp‐mediated efflux. At higher concentrations than those required for modulation, the anesthetics accelerated the passive permeation to such an extent that it was not possible to estimate Pgp activity. The capacity of the surface‐active agents to accelerate passive drug transbilayer movement was not correlated with their fluidizing characteristics, measured as fluorescence anisotropy of 1‐(4‐trimethylammonium)‐6‐phenyl‐1,3,5‐hexatriene. This compound is located among the headgroups of the phospholipids and does not reflect the fluidity in the lipid core of the membranes where the limiting step of drug permeation, namely drug flip‐flop, occurs.
Elevated Levels of G-Quadruplex Formation in Human Stomach and Liver Cancer Tissues

Four-stranded G-quadruplex DNA secondary structures have recently been visualized in the nuclei of human cultured cells. Here, we show that BG4, a G-quadruplex-specific antibody, can be used to stain DNA G-quadruplex structures in patient-derived tissues using immunohistochemistry. We observe a significantly elevated number of G-quadruplex-positive nuclei in human cancers of the liver and stomach as compared to background non-neoplastic tissue. Our results suggest that G-quadruplex formation can be detected and measured in patient-derived material and that elevated G-quadruplex formation may be a characteristic of some cancers.
Holocene climatic and environmental change on the western Tibetan Plateau revealed by glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers and leaf wax deuterium-to-hydrogen ratios at Aweng Co

Abstract Mean annual air temperature (MAAT) and precipitation isotope records for the Holocene were obtained from the analysis of the relative distribution of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers and compound-specific hydrogen isotope ratios of leaf waxes from a sediment core from Aweng Co on the western Tibetan Plateau (WTP). Our results indicate that the Indian monsoon mainly influenced Aweng Co during the Holocene. During the early Holocene, when summer insolation was at a maximum, the monsoonal influence was strong and the climate was warm and wet. Both the summer and winter insolation were relatively weak, and Aweng Co was cool and dry during the middle Holocene (6–3 ka), indicating a weakening of the Indian monsoon. The southward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and relatively low atmospheric methane content may have contributed to the middle Holocene cooling on the WTP. During the late Holocene, with a further increase in winter insolation and decrease in summer insolation, the summer monsoon weakened and the MAAT on the WTP gradually increased. Depleted leaf wax hydrogen isotope ratios during the late Holocene can be attributed to accelerated glacier melting because of the elevated MAAT.
Adipolin/C1qdc2/CTRP12 Protein Functions as an Adipokine That Improves Glucose Metabolism*

Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Adipose tissue secretes various bioactive molecules, referred to as adipokines, whose dysregulation can mediate changes in glucose homeostasis and inflammatory responses. Here, we identify C1qdc2/CTRP12 as an insulin-sensitizing adipokine that is abundantly expressed by fat tissues and designate this adipokine as adipolin (adipose-derived insulin-sensitizing factor). Adipolin expression in adipose tissue and plasma was reduced in rodent models of obesity. Adipolin expression was also decreased in cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes by treatment with inducers of endoplasmic reticulum stress and inflammation. Systemic administration of adipolin ameliorated glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in diet-induced obese mice. Adipolin administration also reduced macrophage accumulation and proinflammatory gene expression in the adipose tissue of obese mice. Conditioned medium from adipolin-expressing cells diminished the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in response to stimulation with LPS or TNFα in cultured macrophages. These data suggest that adipolin functions as an anti-inflammatory adipokine that exerts beneficial actions on glucose metabolism. Therefore, adipolin represents a new target molecule for the treatment of insulin resistance and diabetes.
HCV and Oxidative Stress: Implications for HCV Life Cycle and HCV-Associated Pathogenesis

HCV (hepatitis C virus) is a member of the Flaviviridae family that contains a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome of approximately 9600 bases. HCV is a major causative agent for chronic liver diseases such as steatosis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma which are caused by multifactorial processes. Elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered as a major factor contributing to HCV-associated pathogenesis. This review summarizes the mechanisms involved in formation of ROS in HCV replicating cells and describes the interference of HCV with ROS detoxifying systems. The relevance of ROS for HCV-associated pathogenesis is reviewed with a focus on the interference of elevated ROS levels with processes controlling liver regeneration. The overview about the impact of ROS for the viral life cycle is focused on the relevance of autophagy for the HCV life cycle and the crosstalk between HCV, elevated ROS levels, and the induction of autophagy.
A Di-leucine Signal in the Ubiquitin Moiety

Some plasma membrane receptors in yeast are known to be internalized and degraded in lysosomes upon ligand-dependent ubiquitination. However, the role of ubiquitination in endocytosis and lysosomal degradation in higher eukaryotes has been controversial. In order to directly assess this question, we investigated the fate of chimeric molecules in which ubiquitin moiety was fused in-frame to the cytoplasmic region of membrane proteins. The chimeric proteins with the wild-type ubiquitin were endocytosed and delivered to lysosomes efficiently. Mutant ubiquitin with lysine-to-arginine substitution could still mediate endocytosis, suggesting that polyubiquitination is not required for the endocytosis. We next searched for the existence of an endocytosis signal(s) in the ubiquitin moiety, and identified a di-leucine signal, Leu43-Ile44. The Leu43-Ile44 sequence mediated endocytosis and lysosomal sorting in a Leu43-dependent manner. These results suggest that the di-leucine signal in ubiquitin can be involved in ubiquitination-mediated endocytosis and lysosomal targeting of membrane proteins.
Text detection from scene images using sparse representation

A sparse representation based method is proposed for text detection from scene images. We start with edge information extracted using Canny operator and then group these edge points into connected components. Each connected component is labeled as text or non-text by a two-level labeling process: pixel level labeling and connected component labeling. The core of the labeling process is a sparsity test using an over-complete dictionary, which is learned from edge segments of isolated character images. Layout analysis is further applied to verify these text candidates. Experimental results show that improvements in both recall rate and detection accuracy in text detection have been achieved.