Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of human decay-accelerating factor in the evasion of Schistosoma mansoni from the complement-mediated killing in vitro [published erratum appears in J Exp Med 1992 Feb 1;175(2):619]

Decay-accelerating factor (DAF) is a 70-kD membrane glycoprotein that prevents complement (C)-mediated hemolysis by blocking the assembly or accelerating the decay of C3 convertase. Purified DAF is known to incorporate into the membrane of DAF-deficient cells, inhibiting lysis. Since Schistosoma mansoni is a blood-dwelling parasite, we investigated whether DAF can be transferred from human erythrocytes to the worm and protect it against C-mediated killing in vitro. We have found that schistosomula (schla) incubated with normal human erythrocytes (N-HuE), but not with DAF-deficient erythrocytes, become resistant to C damage in vitro. Protected parasites acquire a 70-kD surface protein which can be immunoprecipitated by anti-DAF antibodies. The acquired resistance is abrogated by treatment of N-HuE-incubated parasites with anti-DAF antibody. These results indicate that, in vitro, N-HuE DAF can be transferred to schla, and suggest its participation in preventing their C-mediated killing. This could represent an important strategy of parasites to evade the host's immune response in vivo.
Calcium Carbonate Size Distribution on the West Florida Shelf and Experimental Studies on the Microarchitectural Control of Skeletal Breakdown

ABSTRACT Mollusks tend to break down mechanically to three basic microarchitectural units: layers (500-250µ), sublayers (32-4µ), and unit crystals (0.5-.125µ). In natural environments the size distribution of carbonate in sediments differs from that produced artificially because of selective dispersal by waves and tidal currents. In the inner continental shelf off west Florida, the particles smaller than 500µ, produced mainly in the wave zone, tend to accumulate on the outer shelf and in the lagoons. The breaker zone contains most of the coarser particles.
Analysis of the cardiovascular control system using broad-band stimulation

The research discussed in this thesis is an investigation of the regulatory mechanisms that govern the cardiovascular system. These mechanisms comprise the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and are modeled as part of a feedback network in which systemic arterial pressure is the controlled variable. In order to improve our understanding of the physiology and potential pathology of autonomic regulation, we have attempted to characterize the various functional and anatomic blocks implicated in cardiovascular control using transfer function analysis. Transfer functions represent the frequency response of the system or subsystem under study, and are derived from measurements of the system's input and output signals using spectral estimation techniques. Reliable estimation of the transfer function requires that the input signal contain significant power density over the entire frequency band of interest. Consequently, we have had to devise methods for the introduction of broad-band perturbations at various points in the cardiovascular system. Our first set of experiments was designed for study of the response of the sino-atrial (SA) node to fluctuations in vagal and sympathetic tone, and was performed on anesthetized dogs. While the animal's atrial electrogram was continuously recorded, a train of current pulses was applied to the right vagus or cardiac stellate nerve. The frequency of these pulses was modulated by a band-limited Gaussian white noise signal whose mean level could be adjusted from one experimental run to the next. Transfer functions computed between the instantaneous neural stimulation frequency and the resulting heart rate show that the SA node responds to fluctuations in autonomic tone as a low-pass filter whose parameters vary as a function of the mean level of neural activity. This dependence on the operating point in the behavior of the SA node had not previously been appreciated. In a second study, we developed a technique to allow investigation of the heart rate response to broad-band fluctuations in autonomic tone in human volunteer subjects. These fluctuations were elicited by having the subject breathe on cue to a sequence of beeps spaced erratically in time. Instantaneous lung volume and surface ECG were recorded and served as the system's input and output signals, respectively. Transfer functions were then computed for each subject in both supine and standing positions, and reveal a significant alteration in morphology associ-
HIV Epidemics in the European Region : Vulnerability and Response

This report aims to describe the dynamics of HIV epidemics among vulnerable and key populations at high risk in the European region, focusing specifically on people who inject drugs (PWID), sex workers (SWs) and men who have sex with men (MSM). This report covers 54 countries of the WHO European Region and Lichtenstein. It does so in order to inform future HIV prevention, treatment and care responses as well as to guide future HIV prevention surveillance and research. In addition to a description of methods (below), the report comprises three main sections. Chapter 2 synthesizes evidence drawn from European HIV surveillance data (chapter 2.1) and targeted HIV prevalence studies (chapter 2.2). Chapter 3 synthesizes evidence drawn from systematic reviews of epidemiological studies among PWID, SWs, and MSM. Chapter 4 draws on the evidence reviewed in chapter 3 as well as the international literature more broadly to consider implications for strengthening responses, including in relation to HIV surveillance and HIV prevention for PWID, SWs, and MSM. In chapter 5, we draw conclusions. This report confirms that these populations are disproportionately affected by the growing HIV epidemic in Europe.
Stroke Findings in the Women's Health Initiative

Abstract The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trials of estrogen with or without progestin versus placebo in 27,341 postmenopausal women are the largest randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials to look at the effect of hormone therapy on the outcomes of stroke, dementia, and cognition. Data from a parallel prospective observational study of 93,676 women examine biomarkers and risk factors associated with stroke. We summarize the results of 29 published articles in the WHI with stroke or cognition as outcomes of interest. Estrogen alone or in combination with progestin resulted in approximately 50% excess risk of ischemic stroke and in a 76% excess risk of dementia in women 65 years or older. Other risk factors for stroke identified in the WHI were panic attacks, depression, use of antidepressants (particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for hemorrhagic but not ischemic stroke), high triglycerides, low walking speed, long sleep duration, certain inflammatory factors, and systolic blood pressure variability. Hormone therapy has adverse effects on the brain as manifested by higher risks of stroke and dementia. Additional risk factors for stroke identified in WHI should be followed up to determine if reversing them would result in lower stroke rates.
Neuropsychological evidence for multiple memory systems

Neuropsychological data provide strong support for the existence of multiple memory systems. The distinction between short-term memory and long-term memory has been discussed in the experimental literature for some years. More recently it has been argued that the concept of long-term memory is misleading in that it fails to differentiate between semantic memory and episodic/event memory. The independent and selective impairment of multiple memory systems, each with its own functional and structural properties, has been recorded in patients with cerebral lesions and the evidence for impairment of such systems is reviewed. It is argued that the cerebral organization of short-term memory, long-term (non-individual) semantic memory and long-term (individual) event memory is highly differentiated.
160 m.y. record of marine sedimentary phosphorus burial: Coupling of climate and continental weathering under greenhouse and icehouse conditions

A compilation of all meaningful phosphate data published in the proceedings of the Deep Sea Drilling Project and the Ocean Drilling Program is used here for the extraction of a 160 m.y. marine burial record of bulk phosphorus (all sediment types; 5648 measurements) and a 100 m.y. marine burial record of biogenic phosphorus (pelagic, biogenic, sediment types; 1754 data). These records serve as estimates for total and dissolved (bioavailable) phosphorus flux rates, which in turn are highly dependent on total and chemical continental weathering rates, respectively. The similarity of both records indicates that in the past 100 m.y. , changes in total weathering rates may have been tracked by changes in chemical weathering rates. Prior to 32 Ma, phosphorus burial and long-term sea-level change are positively correlated; from 32 Ma to the present, this correlation is inverse. This points to a fundamental change in feedback mechanisms between continental weathering, phosphorus, and climate which was probably linked to the onset of major glaciation.
Secondary traumatization and attachment among wives of former POWs: a longitudinal study

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to examine the directionality of the association between post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and attachment insecurities across time among indirect trauma survivors. Wives of former prisoners of war (ex-POWs), with and without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and comparable controls were assessed 30 (T1) and 38 (T2) years after the Yom Kippur War. As expected, wives of ex-POWs endorsed higher PTSS compared to wives of controls. Wives of ex-POWs with PTSD endorsed higher PTSS and higher attachment avoidance compared to wives of ex-POWs without PTSD and controls. There were significant associations between PTSS and attachment insecurities. Contrary to the hypothesis, the relationship between PTSS and attachment insecurities among wives of ex-POWs was unidirectional, with attachment anxiety at T1 predicting PTSS at T2, and not vice versa. Results indicate that attachment anxiety might act as a risk factor for secondary traumatic reactions.
Brain–computer interface in paralysis

Purpose of reviewCommunication with patients suffering from locked-in syndrome and other forms of paralysis is an unsolved challenge. Movement restoration for patients with chronic stroke or other brain damage also remains a therapeutic problem and available treatments do not offer significant improvements. This review considers recent research in brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) as promising solutions to these challenges. Recent findingsExperimentation with nonhuman primates suggests that intentional goal directed movements of the upper limbs can be reconstructed and transmitted to external manipulandum or robotic devices controlled from a relatively small number of microelectrodes implanted into movement-relevant brain areas after some training, opening the door for the development of BCI or brain–machine interfaces in humans. Although noninvasive BCIs using electroencephalographic recordings or event-related-brain-potentials in healthy individuals and patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or stroke can transmit up to 80 bits/min of information, the use of BCIs – invasive or noninvasive – in severely or totally paralyzed patients has met some unforeseen difficulties. SummaryInvasive and noninvasive BCIs using recordings from nerve cells, large neuronal pools such as electrocorticogram and electroencephalography, or blood flow based measures such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and near-infrared spectroscopy show potential for communication in locked-in syndrome and movement restoration in chronic stroke, but controlled phase III clinical trials with larger populations of severely disturbed patients are urgently needed.
Connexin47 Protein Phosphorylation and Stability in Oligodendrocytes Depend on Expression of Connexin43 Protein in Astrocytes

Panglial networks are essential for normal physiology in the CNS, and the function of distinct connexins participating in these networks is not well understood. We generated Connexin32 (Cx32)-deficient mice with additional deletion of astrocytic Cx43 to explore the role of both connexins in panglial networks. Cx43/Cx32 double knock-out (dKO) mice revealed strong microglial activation in corpus callosum and cingulum along with severe astrogliosis and scar formation. In addition, most of the fine myelinated fibers projecting from the corpus callosum into the cortex were lost. Myelin loss was caused by a strong decrease of oligodendrocytes in the cingulum of Cx43/Cx32dKO mice. Immunoblot analyses using newly generated specific Cx47 antibodies revealed that oligodendrocytic Cx47 is phosphorylated in vivo depending on astrocytic Cx43 expression. In Cx43-deficient mice, Cx47 protein levels were strongly decreased, whereas Cx47 mRNA levels were not altered. Using Cx43G138R/Cx30KO mice, we show that Cx47 expression depends on the presence of astrocytic Cx43 protein and that its gap junctional channel function is not necessary for Cx47 stabilization. In consequence, Cx43/Cx32dKO mice additionally lack Cx47 expression and therefore cannot form oligodendrocytic gap junctions, which explains the phenotypic similarities to Cx32/Cx47dKO mice. Our findings provide strong evidence that phosphorylation and stability of oligodendrocytic Cx47 proteins is dependent on astrocytic Cx43 expression. These results further unravel the complexity of panglial networks and show that results of previous studies using astrocytic Cx43-deficient mice have to be reconsidered.
Evolution of Acetic Acid Bacteria During Fermentation and Storage of Wine

Acetic acid bacteria were present at all stages of wine making, from the mature grape through vinification to conservation. A succession of Gluconobacter oxydans, Acetobacter pasteurianus, and Acetobacter aceti during the course of these stages was noted. Low levels of A. aceti remained in the wine; they exhibited rapid proliferation on short exposure of the wine to air and caused significant increases in the concentration of acetic acid. Higher temperature of wine storage and higher wine pH favored the development and metabolism of these species.
Distribution of Natural Isotopes of Carbon in Linsley Pond and Other New England LAKES1

One product of lake metabolism, the CO/sub 2/ that is produced anaerobically, is naturally labeled by its high C/sup 13/ content, but in the presence of carbonates, even the modest amounts found in medium-hard Linsley Pond, such enrichment is not distinctive. Groundwater near the lake is highly charged (175 ml/liter) with CO/sub 2/; because its source includes ancient carbonate, it is naturally labeled as C/sup 14/-poor. Combining these data with estimates of surface inflow, outflow, and other gains and losses of water and carbon, we can account for the C/sup 14/ deficiency observed in hypolimnetic water by a groundwater contribution of the order of 1 liter/(m/sup 2/ x day), perhaps less than 1% of the flow expected if the lake were not well insulated by a clay basin seal. Under ice, during the winter of 1961--62, C/sup 14/ depletion of the deep water developed so rapidly as to suggest direct injection of groundwater and its accumulation by gravitational flow,; however, groundwater carbon is ordinarily cycled metabolically, as shown by the fact that organic surface mud has an apparent age of 1,000 years. Inadequate knowledge of the hydrology of Linsley Pond interferes with rigorous description of the carbon balance, as doesmore » recent strong but irregular contamination of air by artificial (hydrogenbomb) C/sup 14/. By 1960, submerged pondweeds and surface waters of several lakes were enriched in artificial C/sup 14/ by less than 5%, while water- lily leaves, which use atmospheric rather than aquatic sources of carbon, were enriched by 22%. Using the enrichment of Linsley Pond, 1.9% per year, as a tracer, we find the invasion of atmospheric CO/sub 2/ to be slow, 1.2 moles/(m/ sup 2/ x yr) 11.4 mg/(cm/sup 2/ x yr)! Contributions from groundwater and from air being small, and metabolism being an internal cycle that is nearly closed, the carbon balance of a small lake is seen as part of the hydrologic cycle and as dominated by bicarbonate in surface runoff. (auth)« less
Management of Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes: A Consensus Algorithm for the Initiation and Adjustment of Therapy: A Consensus Statement From the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes

The consensus statement from the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes published in both Diabetologia (1) and Diabetes Care (2) included the following statement concerning the incidence of hypoglycemia in insulin-treated type 2 diabetes: “In clinical trials aimed at normoglycemia and achieving a mean A1C of ∼7%, severe hypoglycemic episodes (defined as requiring help from another person to treat) occurred at a rate of between 1 and 3 per 100 patient-years. ” This is not a balanced description of the published literature. The authors cited five publications to support the statement quoted (3–7). However, two of those do not include event rates for severe hypoglycemia as defined in the statement (5,6), and one was a review with …
Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate Synthesis Is Required for Activation of Phospholipase D in U937 Cells (*)

Phospholipase D (PLD) has been implicated in signal transduction and membrane traffic. We have previously shown that phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns-4,5-P2) stimulates in vitro partially purified brain membrane PLD activity, defining a novel function of PtdIns-4,5-P2 as a PLD cofactor. In the present study we extend these observations to permeabilized U937 cells. In these cells, the activation of PLD by guanosine 5′-3-O-(thio)triphosphate (GTPγS) is greatly potentiated by MgATP. We have utilized this experimental system to test the hypothesis that MgATP potentiates PLD activation by G proteins because it is required for PtdIns-4,5-P2 synthesis by phosphoinositide kinases. As expected, MgATP was absolutely required for maintaining elevated phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns-4-P) and PtdIns-4,5-P2 levels in the permeabilized cells. In the presence of MgATP, GTPγS further elevated the levels of the phosphoinositides. The importance of PtdIns-4,5-P2 for PLD activation was examined by utilizing a specific inhibitory antibody directed against phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PtdIns 4-kinase), the enzyme responsible for the first step in the synthesis of PtdIns-4,5-P2. Anti-PtdIns 4-kinase completely inhibited PtdIns 4-kinase activity in vitro and reduced by 75-80% PtdIns-4-P and PtdIns-4,5-P2 levels in the permeabilized cells. In parallel, the anti-PtdIns 4-kinase fully inhibited the activation of PLD by GTPγS and caused a 60% inhibition of PLD activation by the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, indicating that elevated PtdIns-4,5-P2 levels are required for PLD activation. This conclusion is supported by the fact that neomycin, a high affinity ligand of PtdIns-4,5-P2, also blocked PLD activation. Furthermore, the activity of PLD in U937 cell lysate was stimulated by PtdIns-4,5-P2 in a dose-dependent manner. The current results indicate that PtdIns-4,5-P2 synthesis is required for PLD activation in permeabilized U937 cells and strongly support the proposed function of PtdIns-4,5-P2 as a cofactor for PLD. In addition, the results further establish PtdIns-4,5-P2 as a key component in the generation of second messengers via multiple pathways including phosphoinositidephospholipase C, phosphoinositide 3-kinase and PLD.
Language Independent Single Document Image Super-Resolution using CNN for improved recognition

Recognition of document images have important applications in restoring old and classical texts. The problem involves quality improvement before passing it to a properly trained OCR to get accurate recognition of the text. The image enhancement and quality improvement constitute important steps as subsequent recognition depends upon the quality of the input image. There are scenarios when high resolution images are not available and our experiments show that the OCR accuracy reduces significantly with decrease in the spatial resolution of document images. Thus the only option is to improve the resolution of such document images. The goal is to construct a high resolution image, given a single low resolution binary image, which constitutes the problem of single image super-resolution. Most of the previous work in super-resolution deal with natural images which have more information-content than the document images. Here, we use Convolution Neural Network to learn the mapping between low and the corresponding high resolution images. We experiment with different number of layers, parameter settings and non-linear functions to build a fast end-to-end framework for document image super-resolution. Our proposed model shows a very good PSNR improvement of about 4 dB on 75 dpi Tamil images, resulting in a 3 % improvement of word level accuracy by the OCR. It takes less time than the recent sparse based natural image super-resolution technique, making it useful for real-time document recognition applications.
The role of K+ channels in uptake and redistribution of potassium in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana

Potassium (K+) is inevitable for plant growth and development. It plays a crucial role in the regulation of enzyme activities, in adjusting the electrical membrane potential and the cellular turgor, in regulating cellular homeostasis and in the stabilization of protein synthesis. Uptake of K+ from the soil and its transport to growing organs is essential for a healthy plant development. Uptake and allocation of K+ are performed by K+ channels and transporters belonging to different protein families. In this review we summarize the knowledge on the versatile physiological roles of plant K+ channels and their behavior under stress conditions in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
Chromosome aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges in lead‐exposed workers

Chromosomal aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) were studied in peripheral blood lymphocytes of 18 workers exposed to lead in a smeltery and 12 unexposed controls. Chromosome aberrations were analysed from cells cultured for both 50 and 72 hours. No increase was detected in the frequency of aberrant cells in men occupationally exposed to lead as compared with the control group. However, among the lead-exposed men, the 72-h cultures yielded aberration rates significantly higher than at 50 h. Both among the exposed workers and the control men, smokers showed an increase (P<0.05) in SCEs as compared with non-smoking referents. Furthermore, smokers exposed to lead had higher (P<0.05) SCE frequencies (mean 11.7±0.4) than unexposed control smokers (mean 10.4±0.4).