Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polyunsaturated fatty acid–phospholipid remodeling and inflammation

Purpose of reviewTo highlight some of the recent advances related to the control of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) incorporation and remodeling in membrane glycerophospholipids in inflammatory cells. Recent findingsSeveral enzymes have recently been identified that are associated with the control of PUFA incorporation and remodeling into membrane phospholipids and their release. The functional roles of the different enzyme isotypes in the control of PUFA availability for lipid mediator biosynthesis and cell signaling are only now being established. The expression of specific acyl–CoA synthetase, lysophospholipid acyltransferase and phospholipase A2 isotypes has recently been shown to have an impact on membrane PUFA content, on the production of lipid mediators and on inflammation. SummaryA better understanding of the complex processes associated with the control PUFA remodeling in membrane phospholipids may lead to the discovery of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
Effect of time delay on surgical performance during telesurgical manipulation.

BACKGROUND Telementoring allows a less experienced surgeon to benefit from an expert surgical consultation, reducing cost, travel, and the learning curve associated with new procedures. However, there are several technical limitations that affect practical applications. One potentially serious problem is the time delay that occurs any time data are transferred across long distances. To date, the effect of time delay on surgical performance has not been studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS A two-phase trial was designed to examine the effect of time delay on surgical performance. In the first phase, a series of tasks was performed, and the numbers of robotic movements required for completion was counted. Programmed incremental time delays were made in audiovisual acquisition and robotic controls. The number of errors made while performing each task at various time delay intervals was noted. In the second phase, a remote surgeon in Baltimore performed the tasks 9000 miles away in Singapore. The number of errors made was recorded. RESULTS As the time delay increased, the number of operator errors increased. The accuracy needed to perform remote robotic procedures was diminished as the time delay increased. A learning curve did exist for each task, but as the time delay interval increased, it took longer to complete the task. CONCLUSIONS Time delay does affect surgical performance. There is an acceptable delay of <700 msec in which surgeons can compensate for this phenomenon. Clinical studies will be needed to evaluate the true impact of time delay.
Generalized modeling of enzyme–ligand interactions using proteochemometrics and local protein substructures

Modeling and understanding protein–ligand interactions is one of the most important goals in computational drug discovery. To this end, proteochemometrics uses structural and chemical descriptors from several proteins and several ligands to induce interaction‐models. Here, we present a new and generalized approach in which proteins varying greatly in terms of sequence and structure are represented by a library of local substructures. Using linear regression and rule‐based learning, we combine such local substructures with chemical descriptors from the ligands to model binding affinity for a training set of hydrolase and lyase enzymes. We evaluate the predictive performance of these models using cross validation and sets of unseen ligand with unknown three‐dimensional structure. The models are shown to generalize by outperforming models using descriptors from only proteins or only ligands, or models using global structure similarities rather than local similarities. Thus, we demonstrate that this approach is capable of describing dependencies between local structural properties and ligands in otherwise dissimilar protein structures. These dependencies are often, but not always, associated with local substructures that are in contact with the ligands. Finally, we show that strongly bound enzyme–ligand complexes require the presence of particular local substructures, while weakly bound complexes may be described by the absence of certain properties. The results demonstrate that the alignment‐independent approach using local substructures is capable of describing protein–ligand interaction for largely different proteins and hence opens up for proteochemometrics‐analysis of the interaction‐space of entire proteomes. Current approaches are limited to families of closely related proteins. families of closely related proteins. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Allodynic skin in post‐herpetic neuralgia: Histological correlates

Most post‐herpetic neuralgia (PHN) patients suffer from tactile allodynia (pain evoked by lightly touching the skin) and it is frequently the dominant clinical manifestation. The pathophysiology of tactile allodynia in PHN patients is poorly understood and this is one of the major limits to the development of appropriate therapies. Epidermal nerve fibres (ENFs) are free nerve endings of small‐diameter A‐delta and C primary afferents, which can easily be assessed by neurodiagnostic skin biopsy (NSB). The aim of this study was to establish the correlation between the residual epidermal innervation of the allodynic skin and the intensity of tactile allodynia in that area. Twenty‐five patients (13 males and 12 females) with PHN were enrolled. Eighteen patients had PHN in the thoracic dermatome, four in the cervical, two in the trigeminal and one in the lumbar. The severity of allodynia evoked by a paintbrush was graded according to an eleven‐point numerical scale. A skin biopsy was obtained from the maximal allodynia area and from the contralateral skin. Nerve fibres were labelled with indirect immunofluorescence. Results showed that epidermal innervation was lower in the allodynic skin than in the contralateral skin, although there was great variability among patients. There was no correlation between severity of allodynia and epidermal innervation of the PHN skin. In conclusion, the present study further indicates peripheral nervous system involvement in PHN but does not support a direct correlation between epidermal innervation changes and tactile allodynia. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 934–938, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Phalangeal morphology of the paromomyidae (?primates, plesiadapiformes): the evidence for gliding behavior reconsidered.

A comparative morphometric analysis of isolated proximal and intermediate phalanges attributed to the paromomyids Ignacius graybullianus and Phenacolemur simonsi was undertaken to test the hypothesis that these fossil phalanges exhibit evidence of a dermopteran-like interdigital patagium. Linear dimensions were collected for the fossil phalanges and a comparative sample of associated proximal and intermediate phalanges representing extant tree squirrels, tree shrews, dermopterans (colugos), gliding rodents and marsupials, and prosimian primates. Quantitative data indicate that the proximal and intermediate phalanges of paromomyids are most similar in their overall shape to those of the dermopteran Cynocephalus. The proximal phalanges of paromomyids and colugos possess well-developed flexor sheath ridges and broad, high shafts, whereas the intermediate phalanges of these taxa are most similar to one another in their trochlear morphology. Discriminant analysis indicates that all of the paromomyid intermediate phalanges resemble those from colugo toes more so than those from colugo fingers. Moreover, the relative length and midshaft proportions of both the proximal and intermediate phalanges of paromomyids closely resemble those of several squirrels that lack an interdigital patagium. The following conclusions are drawn from this study: 1) paromomyids share a number of derived phalangeal features with modern dermopterans that may be indicative of a phylogenetic relationship between them, 2) existing intermediate phalanges of paromomyids are inconsistent with the "mitten gliding" hypothesis because they do not possess the distinctive length and midshaft proportions characteristic of colugo manual intermediate phalanges, and 3) paromomyids share with colugos and the scaly-tailed squirrel Anomalurus several aspects of phalangeal morphology functionally related to frequent vertical clinging and climbing on large-diameter arboreal supports.
Travel distance and mass gain in wintering blackbirds

Birds that range over a large area will have a greater mass-dependent risk of predation than more sedentary birds. Birds that travel more may then reduce winter mass gain to compensate for the increased predation risk that greater travelling entails. I tested whether European blackbirds, Turdus merula, that travelled more in winter had a lower mass than more sedentary birds, independently of any confounding effects of food supply on both ranging behaviour and mass gain. I measured change in winter mass and amount of food eaten in conjunction with the distance that blackbirds travelled to a randomly sited mobile feeder. Blackbirds that travelled shorter distances (per trip and in total) and less often to the feeder had the highest mass midwinter relative to their spring mass. Blackbirds with a higher mean mass midwinter also travelled, on average, shorter distances to the feeder. The distance an individual blackbird travelled to the feeder at any one time was probably independent of the state of its daily energy reserves (how much of its daily total mass gain it had achieved at that point). The relationship between distance travelled and mass was probably independent of food supply because distances actually increased at the end of the winter and the amount of food eaten per individual changed little. More mobile blackbirds were therefore likely to have compensated for any increases in predation risk associated with their greater ranges by decreasing winter mass gain, but will have had an increased risk of starvation because of their lower mass. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Risk Stratification of Submassive Pulmonary Embolism: The Role of Chest Computed Tomography as an Alternative to Echocardiography

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common and potentially fatal disease (Goldhaber et al., 1999). The most frequent cause of death within 30 days is right ventricular (RV) failure (Goldhaber & Elliott, 2003). Rapid risk stratification is paramount for identifying high-risk patients and for helping to select the appropriate treatment strategy. According to European guidelines (Torbicki et al., 2008), high-risk PE (formerly ‘massive’ PE) implies the presence of shock or hemodynamic instability (mortality >15%) (Goldhaber et al., 1999). Non highrisk PE can be further stratified by the presence of markers of RV dysfunction and/or myocardial injury as intermediateand low-risk PE. Intermediate-risk PE (formerly ‘submassive’ PE) is diagnosed by the presence of at least one marker of RV dysfunction or myocardial injury. Low-risk PE (formerly ‘non-massive’ PE) is diagnosed when RV dysfunction markers are negative (mortality <1%). Reperfusion therapy, including thrombolysis or surgical embolectomy, is indicated for patients with high-risk PE. However, the risks and benefits of reperfusion therapy for patients with intermediate risk PE are less clear. Based on pathophysiological knowledge of the impact of RV dysfunction on acute PE, risk stratification is based on imaging modalities for the visualization of RV dysfunction. Therefore, echocardiographic assessment of RV dysfunction in acute PE may predict early mortality, and may guide decisions regarding reperfusion therapy (Grifoni et al., 2000; Kucher et al., 2005). Echocardiography, however, is time-consuming, operator-dependent, and not always available in an emergency situation, and echocardiographic criteria for assessing RV have not yet been determined. The development of narrow collimation, multi–detector row computed tomography (CT) imaging, and modern workstations for image postprocessing and analysis have made CT pulmonary angiography the modality of choice for the assessment of patients with pulmonary emboli (Ghaye et al., 2006; Schoepf & Costello, 2004). At times, CT is more rapidly accessible in emergency settings, and is more widely available than echocardiography. CT enables the direct visualization of emboli and provides information about cardiac morphology. CT findings, including RV enlargement, the ratio of RV diameter to the diameter of the left ventricle (LV) (RV/LV ratio), interventricular septal bowing, and pulmonary vascular obstruction score, have been associated with early mortality and clinical outcomes (Araoz et al., 2003; Collomb et al., 2003; Coutance et al., 2011; Ghuysen et al., 2005;
Sialoglycoproteins of the Frog Rod Outer Segment

Photoreceptors can segregate inner segment proteins from outer segment proteins. It is uncertain whether such a sorting process occurs during disc morphogenesis in rods, thereby resulting in an outer segment plasma membrane which differs compositionally from the discs. In this study, the plasma membranes of intact, purified frog rod outer segments (ROS) have been labeled with a peanut lectin (PNA), either with or without prior neuraminidase treatment of the ROS. Neuraminidase removes terminal sialic acid residues from membrane-bound sialoglycoconjugates. PNA was demonstrated to bind to the plasma membrane of ROS only after neuraminidase treatment, as detected by fluorescence light microscopy and electron microscopy. In order to identify the sialoglycoproteins responsible for this labeling, ROS proteins were resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transferred to nitrocellulose paper for incubation with PNA. A single, prominent band at 125 Kd bound PNA after neuraminidase treatment of ROS. This band represents a protein which is an integral component of the ROS plasma membrane and is not associated with the interphotoreceptor matrix or other potential contaminants. Selective degradation of ROS prior to neuraminidase treatment indicates that this sialoglycoprotein is absent from discs and, thus, can serve as a marker specific for ROS plasma membrane during fractionation studies. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 29:1523-1532,1988
Early extensional detachments in a contractional orogen: coherent, map-scale, submarine slides (mass transport complexes) on the outer slope of an Ediacaran collisional foredeep, eastern Kaoko belt, Namibia

The existence of coherent, large-scale, submarine landslides on modern continental margins implies that their apparent rarity in ancient orogenic belts is due to non-recognition. Two map-scale, coherent, pre-orogenic, normal-sense detachment structures of Ediacaran age are present in the Kaoko belt, a well-exposed arc–continent collision zone in northwestern Namibia. The structures occur within the Otavi Group, a Neoproterozoic carbonate shelf succession. They are brittle structures, evident only through stratigraphic omissions of 400 m or more, that ramp down to the west with overall ramp angles of 1.1° and 1.3° with respect to stratigraphic horizons. The separations of matching footwall and hangingwall stratigraphic cut-offs require horizontal translations >20 km for each detachment. One of the detachments is remarkably narrow (5 km) in the up-dip direction, just one fourth of its translation. The other detachment is stratigraphically dated at the shelf–foredeep transition, when the passive margin was abortively subducted westward, in the direction of submarine sliding. Trenchward sliding on the foreslope occurred concurrently with deep karstification of the autochthonous carbonate succession to the east, presumably due to forebulge uplift and (or) conjectural basin-scale base-level fall. We expect that similar detachments exist in other orogenic belts, and failure to recognize them can lead to misinterpretations of stratigraphy, sedimentary facies, and paleogeography.
Prevalence of epilepsy in rural Bolivia

Objective: To carry out a door-to-door survey in rural areas of the Cordillera Province, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, to determine the prevalence of neurologic diseases (epilepsy, stroke, parkinsonism, and peripheral neuropathy) in a sample of approximately 10,000 inhabitants. Methods: A team of nondoctor health workers administered a standard screening instrument for neurologic diseases—a slightly modified version of the World Health Organization protocol. All subjects found positive during the screening underwent a neurologic examination. Results: On screening, the authors found 1,130 positive subjects, of whom 1,027 were then investigated by neurologists. On the basis of the definition proposed by the International League Against Epilepsy, we detected 124 epileptic patients (prevalence, 12.3/1,000), 112 of whom had active epilepsy (prevalence, 11.1/1,000) on the prevalence day (November 1, 1994). Peak age-specific prevalence occurred in the 15 to 24-year age group (20.4/1,000). Sex-specific prevalence was higher in women (13.1/1,000) than men (11.4/1,000). Eighty-nine patients (71.8%) underwent a standard EEG recording. Considering both EEG and clinical data, partial seizures were the most common type (53.2%) based on the classification of the International League Against Epilepsy. The mean age at onset was 20.7 years for partial seizures and 13.6 years for generalized seizures. Only 10.5% of patients had received specific treatment for more than 2 months of their life. Conclusion: This report on epilepsy prevalence in Bolivia confirms that epilepsy is a major health problem in rural areas of developing countries.
DIVERSITY OF SULFATE‐REDUCING GENES (dsrAB) IN SEDIMENTS FROM PUGET SOUND

Abstract The aims of this study were to characterize the population structure and diversity of sulfate‐reducing bacteria (SRB) from three distinct sites at Puget Sound, and relate the biogeochemical properties of the sediments to the sulfate‐reducer communities. The population composition and diversity of sulfate‐reducing bacteria carrying dsrAB genes from surface Puget Sound sediments was investigated using a polymerase chain reaction‐based cloning approach. Sediment cores were collected from three different locations: Carr Inlet (C1A), Shallow Bud Inlet (S1A), and Turning Basin (T1A). A total of 498 dsrAB clones were sequenced from the three sites. Ecological indices indicated that T1A had the highest diversity and evenness values and C1A had the lowest. Correlations were also found between diversity indices and geochemical parameters. The diversity of the SRB decreased with decreasing carbon concentrations and sulfate reduction rates, and increasing levels of oxygen. A phylogenetic comparison revealed that the majority of the dsrAB sequences were associated with the delta‐proteobacterial phylotypes Desulfonema, Desulfococcus and Desulfosarcina, suggesting that complete oxidizers with high substrate versatility dominate in the sediments. The environmental conditions and energy sources available in the sediments may have dictated microbial community structure and diversity of SRBs. Distinctive community structures of SRBs in Puget Sound sediments were found to vary at different sites with different redox profiles. The dominance of the Desulfobacteraceae‐like sequences may be due to the presence of a diverse spectrum of substrates in the sediments. This study represents one of the first efforts to characterize the population of sulfate‐reducing microbes in the oxygenated regions of Puget Sound sediments. The phylogenetic identification of dsrAB genes in the sediment samples allows the composition of sulfate‐reducing prokaryotic communities to be inferred, and working hypotheses about their likely carbon substrates to be formed.
The Degree Distribution and the Number of Edges Between Nodes of given Degrees in Directed Scale-Free Graphs

In this article, we introduce our study of some important statistics of the random graph in the directed preferential attachment model introduced by B. Bollobás, C. Borgs, J. Chayes, and O. Riordan. First, we find a new asymptotic formula for the expectation of the number nin(t, d) of nodes of a given in-degree d in a graph in this model with t edges, which covers all possible degrees. The out-degree distribution in the model is symmetrical to the in-degree distribution. Then we prove tight concentration for nin(t, d) while d grows up to the moment when nin(t, d) decreases to ln 2t; if d grows even faster, nin(t, d) is zero whp. Furthermore, we study an average number of edges from a vertex of out-degree d1 to a vertex of in-degree d2. In particular, we prove that it grows proportionally to d1d2/t if and to something between and if , tending to the first expression when d1 is small compared to d2 and to the second one when d1 is large; is such that the main term of nin(t, d) is proportional to , is symmetrical for out-degrees. We also give exact formulas for intermediate cases.
Developing Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Understandings of Teaching through Argumentation

Today, people from all over the world are aware of the importance of evaluating the continuously changing information, data, and arguments critically for making informed decisions. This requires scientific habits of mind that are closely related to argumentation. Hence, many science educators emphasized argumentation both as a scientific thinking skill and as a teaching approach that promote scientific literacy (Klahr & Dunbar 1988; D. Kuhn, 1993; Driver, Newton & Osborne, 2000; Duschl & Osborne, 2002; Erduran & JimenezAleixandre, 2007; Koseoglu, Tumay & Budak, 2008). Despite the strong support from science educators for argumentation, studies have revealed that argumentation opportunities were given rarely in science classrooms and indicated its necessity in effective pre-service and inservice teacher education (Zeidler, 1997; Newton, Driver & Osborne, 1999; JimenezAleixandre, Rodriguez & Duschl, 2000).
Antiplatelet Drug Resistance: Not Ready for Prime Time

Antiplatelet drug therapy reduces vascular events in a wide range of patients. Although antiplatelet drug resistance is becoming well documented, a universal definition has not been established. This lack and the lack of standardized measures of platelet function make estimation of the prevalence of antiplatelet drug resistance difficult. Mounting evidence suggests that antiplatelet drug resistance is associated with adverse clinical outcomes, which have been assessed in patients with coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease. Patients with antiplatelet drug resistance have significantly more vascular events than patients without such resistance. However, there are no guidelines for the treatment of antiplatelet drug resistance. Although point‐of‐care platelet‐function testing makes screening for resistance feasible, routine screening should not be standard practice until data regarding the management of antiplatelet drug resistance are available.