Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The GTPase Rab 3 a is associated with large dense core vesicles in bovine chromaffin cells and rat PC 12 cells

François Darchen1,*, Jan Senyshyn2, William H. Brondyk3, Douglas J. Taatjes3, Ronald W. Holz2, Jean-Pierre Henry1, Jean-Pierre Denizot4 and Ian G. Macara3 1CNRS URA 1112, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, 13 rue P. et M. Curie, F-75005 Paris, France 2Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0626, USA 3Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405-0068, USA 4Institut Alfred Fessard, CNRS, F-91198 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France
The capillaries in acute and subacute multiple sclerosis plaques

Two patients, one with multiple sclerosis (MS) and the other with a glioma of the splenium of the corpus callosum, were biopsied with the aid of CAT. Light microscopy, histochemistry, electronmicroscopy and morphometric analysis of counts of mitochondria, dense bodies, and pinocytotic vesicles within the capillary endothelial cells was done. Examination of the MS plaque showed endothelial cell tight junctions to be closed, basal lamina to be thinned, but endothelial cell mitochondria to be the same as in a patient without MS. Pinocytotic vesicles were markedly increased in endothelial cells in MS. Despite intense inflammation in the surround, endothelial lysosomes were as few as in a control.
VARIABILIDADE HIDROLÓGICA NAS BACIAS DOS RIOS AGUAPEÍ E PEIXE, REGIÃO OESTE PAULISTA

Este trabalho aborda o comportamento hidrologico nas bacias dos rios Aguapei e Peixe, que drenam parte da regiao do Planalto Ocidental Paulista. Para tanto, foram avaliados o regime hidrologico dos rios, a precipitacao, as condicionantes de uso e ocupacao da area e a evolucao do processo de desmatamento nas bacias. A obtencao dos regimes fluviometrico e pluviometrico foram baseados em dados diarios, mensais e anuais de series historicas. Os resultados indicam que houveram significativas variabilidades nos regimes hidrologicos dos rios Aguapei e Peixe ao longo da serie avaliada e as alteracoes mais significativas se deram a partir da decada de 1970. Estas alteracoes no regime hidrologico dos dois rios parecem estar relacionadas a dois fatores: 1) alteracao no regime pluviometrico; e 2) processos de desmatamento e transformacao da cobertura vegetal natural, que ate a decada de 1970, ja haviam ocorrido na maior parte da area.
Probing Dark Matter Substructure in Lens Galaxies

We investigate the effects of numerous dark matter subhalos in a galaxy-sized halo on the events of strong lensing to assess their presence as expected from the cold dark matter scenario. Lens galaxies are represented by a smooth ellipsoid in an external shear field and additional cold dark matter subhalos taken from Monte Carlo realizations that accord with recent N-body results. We also consider other possible perturbers, globular clusters and luminous dwarf satellites, for comparison. We then apply the models to the particular lens systems with four images, B1422+231 and PG 1115+080, for which smooth lens models are unable to simultaneously reproduce both the positions of the images and their radio flux ratios or dust-free optical flux ratios. We show that the perturbations by both globular clusters and dwarf satellites are too small to change the flux ratios, whereas cold dark matter subhalos are the most likely perturbers to reproduce the observed flux ratios in a statistically significant manner. This result suggests to us the presence of numerous subhalos in lens galaxies, which is consistent with the results of cosmological N-body simulations.
Subjective physical complaints and hypochondriacal features from an attachment theoretical perspective.

The main goal of the present study was to examine the association between physical complaints, hypochondriacal features and attachment characteristics in a representative German general population sample. A total of 1997 German adults, 883 males and 1114 females, completed the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS), the short form of the Giessen Subjective Complaints List (GSCL) to investigate gender-related bodily complaints and the Whiteley Index for assessing hypochondriacal concerns. Item response theoretical methods, i.e. mixed Rasch analysis, were used in order to identify the best model for the attachment items. Findings suggested that five latent classes yielded the best model fit. The findings provided evidence that attachment styles displayed different profiles of subjective physical complaints. The highest amount of physical symptoms and hypochondriacal features was identified in anxiously attached individuals with two subsets displaying functionally different subjective symptoms. Secure attachment was, in contrast, not related to a higher amount of specific symptoms. Results are discussed in terms of a developmental approach to symptom experience and somatization.
Does residential sorting explain geographic polarization?

Abstract Political preferences in the United States are highly correlated with population density, at national, state, and metropolitan-area scales. Using new data from voter registration records, we assess the extent to which this pattern can be explained by geographic mobility. We find that the revealed preferences of voters who move from one residence to another correlate with partisan affiliation, though voters appear to be sorting on non-political neighborhood attributes that covary with partisan preferences rather than explicitly seeking politically congruent neighbors. But, critically, we demonstrate through a simulation study that the estimated partisan bias in moving choices is on the order of five times too small to sustain the current geographic polarization of preferences. We conclude that location must have some influence on political preference, rather than the other way around, and provide evidence in support of this theory.
Genomic Insights into the Ancestry and Demographic History of South America

South America has a complex demographic history shaped by multiple migration and admixture events in pre- and post-colonial times. Settled over 14,000 years ago by Native Americans, South America has experienced migrations of European and African individuals, similar to other regions in the Americas. However, the timing and magnitude of these events resulted in markedly different patterns of admixture throughout Latin America. We use genome-wide SNP data for 437 admixed individuals from 5 countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina) to explore the population structure and demographic history of South American Latinos. We combined these data with population reference panels from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas to perform global ancestry analysis and infer the subcontinental origin of the European and Native American ancestry components of the admixed individuals. By applying ancestry-specific PCA analyses we find that most of the European ancestry in South American Latinos is from the Iberian Peninsula; however, many individuals trace their ancestry back to Italy, especially within Argentina. We find a strong gradient in the Native American ancestry component of South American Latinos associated with country of origin and the geography of local indigenous populations. For example, Native American genomic segments in Peruvians show greater affinities with Andean indigenous peoples like Quechua and Aymara, whereas Native American haplotypes from Colombians tend to cluster with Amazonian and coastal tribes from northern South America. Using ancestry tract length analysis we modeled post-colonial South American migration history as the youngest in Latin America during European colonization (9–14 generations ago), with an additional strong pulse of European migration occurring between 3 and 9 generations ago. These genetic footprints can impact our understanding of population-level differences in biomedical traits and, thus, inform future medical genetic studies in the region.
Pharmacokinetic interaction between zidovudine and trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole in HIV-1 infected children.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of the antimicrobial agent trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) on the pharmacokinetic properties of the antiretroviral drug zidovudine (ZDV). DESIGN This single dose, open label, crossover study involved the oral administration of ZDV (150 mg/m²) alone and in combination with oral TMP/SMX (2.5 mg/kg) on two separate occasions. Serial blood samples (0 to 8 h) were collected, and concentrations of ZDV and its glucuronide metabolite were quantified using a radioimmunoassay. ZDV pharmacokinetics were determined by noncompartmental analysis. PATIENTS AND SETTING Six HIV-1 infected children aged four months to five years were recruited from the HIV clinic at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario. Only three patients completed both study phases and were included in the pharmacokinetic analysis. MAIN RESULTS With TMP/SMX therapy, no statistically significant changes were observed in ZDV pharmacokinetic parameters. However, there was a trend towards increased ZDV half-life and area under the concentration versus time curve, as well as decreased apparent oral clearance. Similarly, a trend towards an increased half-life of the ZDV-glucuronide metabolite was also observed. CONCLUSION The changes in ZDV pharmacokinetics in the presence of TMP/SMX did not reach statistical significance, most likely due to the limited number of patients involved. Despite the limited data, a possible interaction between ZDV and TMP/SMX in young HIV-1 infected children should be considered, and patients may require close clinical monitoring.
Micromagnetic, rockmagnetic and mineralogical studies on Dacitic Pumice from the Pinatubo Eruption (1991, Phillipines) Showing self‐reversed TRM

Detailed micromagnetic, rockmagnetic and mineralogical investigations on dacitic pumice from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo (1991, Phillipines) showing reversed NRM/TRM are presented. Two intergrown hemoilmenite-phases in chemically zoned particles were detected as being responsible : a rim-(or covering) phase consisting of a weak-ferromagnetic (disordered) hemoilmenite phase (low saturation magnetization but magnetically hard like hematite, FeTiO 3 content 53-57 mol percent) and a core-phase consisting of a ferrimagnetic (ordered) hemoilmenite phase (high saturation magnetization but magnetically softer, constant FeTiO 3 content 58 mol percent). Preliminary studies were carried out in order to elucidate the magnetic interactions (possibly exchange coupling) responsible for the self-reversal of the NRM/TRM. A preliminary and schematic model is presented which summarizes the main points of acquisition of a self-reversed TRM according to out results.
Role of Mesoscale Eddies in Cross-Frontal Transport of Heat and Biogeochemical Tracers in the Southern Ocean

AbstractThis study examines the role of processes transporting tracers across the Polar Front (PF) in the depth interval between the surface and major topographic sills, which this study refers to as the “PF core. ” A preindustrial control simulation of an eddying climate model coupled to a biogeochemical model [GFDL Climate Model, version 2.6 (CM2.6)– simplified version of the Biogeochemistry with Light Iron Nutrients and Gas (miniBLING) 0.1° ocean model] is used to investigate the transport of heat, carbon, oxygen, and phosphate across the PF core, with a particular focus on the role of mesoscale eddies. The authors find that the total transport across the PF core results from a ubiquitous Ekman transport that drives the upwelled tracers to the north and a localized opposing eddy transport that induces tracer leakages to the south at major topographic obstacles. In the Ekman layer, the southward eddy transport only partially compensates the northward Ekman transport, while below the Ekman layer, the sout.
Invasive Measures of Afterload in Low Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Background—The pathophysiology of low flow, low gradient severe aortic stenosis (LGSAS) with preserved ejection fraction is poorly understood. It has been proposed that abnormalities of arterial circulation are a major contributor to this syndrome. Methods and Results—We invasively examined systemic arterial afterload (effective arterial elastance, Ea; total arterial compliance, Ca; and systemic vascular resistance index) in patients with LGSAS (mean gradient, <40 mm Hg; aortic valve area, <1.0 cm2) and preserved ejection fraction (≥50%), and compared these findings with patients with high gradient (≥40 mm Hg) severe aortic stenosis (HGSAS) and moderate AS (mean gradient, <40 mm Hg; aortic valve area, >1.0 cm2). Patients with LGSAS (n=36), HGSAS (n=31), and moderate AS (n=19) were similar with respect to age, sex, body size, symptoms, comorbidities, and ejection fraction. Aortic valve area was similar between groups with LGSAS and HGSAS, but the patients with LGSAS had reduced stroke volume index and cardiac index (P=0.003 for both). In comparison with patients with HGSAS and moderate AS, measures of afterload, including Ea (4.02±0.98 versus 3.13±0.81 and 3.06±0.79 mm Hg·m2/mL; P<0.0001) and systemic vascular resistance index (3116±799 versus 2515±645 and 2380±546 dyn·s·m2/cm5; P=0.001), were significantly higher in LGSAS, whereas Ca was lower (0.46±0.16 versus 0.57±0.13 and 0.59±0.19 mL/m2 per mm Hg; P=0.002). All invasive measures of arterial afterload were related to stroke volume index. Conclusions—Patients with LGSAS and preserved ejection fraction display elevated arterial afterload compared with patients with HGSAS and moderate AS. These findings identify systemic arterial effects that contribute to the hemodynamic presentation in patients with LGSAS and help to further define this entity.
Toxin, toxin-coregulated pili, and the toxR regulon are essential for Vibrio cholerae pathogenesis in humans

Isogenic mutant strains of V. cholerae O1 lacking elements of a genetic regulon controlled by toxR and implicated in virulence were tested in volunteers. A deletion mutation in ctxA, the gene encoding the A subunit of cholera toxin, markedly attenuated disease symptoms without affecting intestinal colonization. Deletion of toxR, the gene encoding the cholera toxin-positive regulatory protein resulted in a diminution in colonizing capacity. A deletion mutation in tcpA, encoding the major subunit of the toxin coregulated pilus (regulated by toxR), abolished the colonizing capacity of this strain. These results show for the first time the role of a specific pilus structure in colonization of the human intestine by V. cholerae O1 and exemplify the significance of a genetic regulon in pathogenesis.
Controls on Methane Adsorption Capacity of Lower Cretaceous Coals from Northeastern British Columbia, Canada: Part 2—Effect of Temperature, Pressure, Maceral Composition, and Mineral Matter on Adsorption

The effect of temperature, pressure, maceral composition, and mineral matter on the methane adsorption of coals from the Gething Formation was examined. Data was compared with coals from the Gates Formation in the same area and with coals from Australia. Adsorption capacity in the Gething coals appears to be moderately to strongly affected by the vitrinite (and pseudovitrinite) content and mineral matter, which does not only have a diluting effect, but also acts negatively on gas adsorptive capacity. Another explanation for the high gas adsorption capacity in the Gething coals may be related to the presence of free gas, which is more common when coals are below equilibrium moisture in a gas-saturated stratigraphy. Both Gething and Gates coals show an increase in gas-holding capacity, with increasing pressure as a function of vitrinite/inertinite ratio. Such an increase is absent in coals from the Bulli Seam, Sydney Basin, Australia.
Prevention of Radiocontrast-Induced Nephropathy after Coronary Angiography: N-Acetylcysteine plus Saline Hydration versus Saline Hydration

Purpose: To compare the incidence of radiocontrast-induced nephropathy ( RCIN) in patients undergoing coronary angiography pretreated with N-acetylcysteine NAC plus saline hydration or saline hydration alone and to determine the association between various risk factors and RCIN. Methods: Patients were retrospectively evaluated over a one-year period. RCIN was defined as an acute rise in serum creatinine of at least 0.5 mg/dl or more than 25 % from baseline value. SPSS software, version 13 was used for data analysis. Results: Overall, 299 patients were studied. Thirteen patients (4.3%) developed RCIN. RCIN was 3.3 % in patients treated with hydration, and 8.3 % in patients treated with NAC plus hydration (p = 0.09) . In patients with RCIN, the changes in creatinine and % change in creatinine after 24 h were significantly lower in the NAC plus hydration group (p = 0.039 and p = 0.042, respectively). RCIN was significantly associated with male gender (p = 0.017), history of renal failure (p = 0.006), ischemic heart disease (p = 0.003), and diuretic treatment (p = 0.013). Conclusion: NAC plus saline hydration may not be more effective than saline hydration alone in decreasing RCIN after coronary angiography. Additional efforts to find an ideal preventive treatment are
Information Technology, Organizational Change and Productivity Growth: an Empirical Analysis of the Italian Insurance Industry

Research into the relationship between investments in IT and increased productivity growth has so far produced ambiguous results, although it has demonstrated a clear relationship between investments in technology and organizational changes. In this context, the present article, using Italian insurance companies as examples, intends to highlight the ways in which combined investments in IT and organizational changes are able to influence productivity, thus allowing some of the limitations of traditional bureaucratic organizational forms to be overcome. The results obtained show how the use of IT allowed insurance companies to achieve organizational models characterized by new methods of centralization and sharing of technical and market knowledge. Through IT, such knowledge has been codified, standardized, and made available to all members of the organization, regardless of their ability to fully understand the technical aspects. The resulting organizational model is characterized by a polarization of the structures around two types of competencies: a core of technical experts and a multiplicity of sales channels. The advantages to productivity derive from the unbundling of these two types of knowledge within the organization, which has allowed new scale economies to be achieved, from a reduction of control costs, investments and duplications, to the exploitation of new forms of complementary relationships among the assets of insurance companies and those of other organizations.
Epstein-Barr virus antibodies and risk of multiple sclerosis: a prospective study.

CONTEXT Epidemiological studies suggest an association between infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). OBJECTIVE To determine whether elevation in serum antibody titers to EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA), nuclear antigens (EBNA, EBNA-1, and EBNA-2), and diffuse and restricted early antigen (EA-D and EA-R) as well as to cytomegalovirus (CMV) precede the occurrence of MS. DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS Prospective, nested case-control study. Of 62 439 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study (aged 30-55 years in 1976) and Nurses' Health Study II (aged 25-42 years in 1989) who gave blood samples in 1989-1990 and 1996-1999, respectively, and were followed up through 1999, 144 women with definite or probable MS and 288 healthy age-matched controls were included in the analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Serum antibody titers to the specific EBV and CMV antigens, compared between cases and controls. RESULTS We documented 18 cases of MS with blood collected before disease onset. Compared with their matched controls, these women had higher serum geometric mean titers (GMTs) of antibodies to EBV but not CMV. Elevations were significant for antibodies to EBNA-1 (GMT, 515 vs 203; P =.03), EBNA-2 (GMT, 91 vs 40; P =.01), and EA-D (15.9 vs 5.9; P =.04). The strongest association was found for antibodies to EBNA-2; a 4-fold difference in titers was associated with a relative risk (RR) of MS of 3.9 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-13.7). The corresponding RRs were 1.6 (95% CI, 0.7-3.7) for VCA, 2.5 (95% CI, 1.0-6.3) for EBNA, 1.8 (95% CI, 1.0-3.1) for EA-D, and 1.0 (95% CI, 0.6-1.7) for CMV. Significant but generally weaker elevations in anti-EBV antibodies were also found in analyses of 126 cases of MS with blood collected after disease onset and their matched controls. CONCLUSIONS Our results support a role of EBV in the etiology of MS.
Seasonal/Interannual Variations of Soil Moisture in the Former USSR and Its Relationship to Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall

Abstract Seasonal/interannual variations of soil moisture in the former USSR during the period from 1972 to 1985 are investigated by using in situ data. An index of soil moisture in central Eurasia is evaluated as the arithmetic mean of soil moisture normalized by the respective field capacity. This index exhibits a maximum at the end of April when the interannual variability of the index reaches a yearly minimum. It was found that snowmelt occurring around mid-April is responsible for this feature, which results in the least persistence of this index from March to April. Using this index, the relationships between land surface processes over central Eurasia and the following Indian summer monsoons are investigated from the viewpoint of the snow–hydrological effect. The seasonal march of this index and that of spatially averaged snow depth in central Eurasia are described. Based on the amount of Indian summer monsoon rainfall, two cases of good and two cases of poor monsoon years are selected. During thes.
The use of tolerance and modification of planting times to reduce damage caused by root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) in vegetable cropping systems at Bundaberg, Queensland

The extent to which cultural control measures could be used to reduce the need for nematicides was examined in field experiments on vegetable crops in Bundaberg, Queensland. Evaluation of the twelve most common vegetable crops grown in the region showed that all were susceptible to root-knot nematodes (Meloidowe spp.), as nematode multiplication occurred on all crops. Tomato, pumpkins, rockmelons, watemelons, eggplant and zucchini infested with Meloidogynes pp. yielded 15–36% less than nematode-free plants, whereas yields of sweetcorn, capsicum, french bean, chinese cabbage, broccoli and button squash were not markedly affected by the nematode. Results of experiments in which tomatoes were planted at different times of the year showed that root-knot nematode reduced yields by 16–36% when crops matured in summer. Yield reductions from nematodes were either not observed in winter or the losses were less important because of the higher yields that are achievable at this time of the year. These results suggest crop rotation and adjustment of planting time could possibly be used to reduce the economic impact of root-knot nematodes on vegetable production. Susceptible but tolerant crops (e.g. sweetcorn and capsicum) would be grown during the summer whereas susceptible intolerant crops (e.g, tomato) are best confined to the autumn-winter period.