Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coordinated Regulation of Genes for Secretion in Tobacco at Late Developmental Stages: Association with Resistance against Oomycetes1[w]

Besides the systemic acquired resistance (SAR) induced in response to microbial stimulation, host plants may also acquire resistance to pathogens in response to endogenous stimuli associated with their own development. In tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), the vegetative-to-flowering transition comes along with a susceptibility-to-resistance transition to the causal agent of black shank disease, the oomycete Phytophthora parasitica. This resistance affects infection effectiveness and hyphal expansion and is associated with extracellular accumulation of a cytotoxic activity that provokes in vitro cell death of P. parasitica zoospores. As a strategy to determine the extracellular events important for restriction of pathogen growth, we screened the tobacco genome for genes encoding secreted or membrane-bound proteins expressed in leaves of flowering plants. Using a signal sequence trap approach in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), 298 clones were selected that appear to encode for apoplastic, cell wall, or membrane-bound proteins involved in stress response, in plant defense, or in cell wall modifications. Microarray and northern-blot analyses revealed that, at late developmental stages, leaves were characterized by the coordinate up-regulation of genes involved in SAR and in peroxidative cross-linking of structural proteins to cell wall. This suggests the potential involvement of these genes in extracellular events that govern the expression of developmental resistance. The analysis of the influence of salicylic acid on mRNA accumulation also indicates a more complex network for regulation of gene expression at a later stage of tobacco development than during SAR. Further characterization of these genes will permit the formulation of hypotheses to explain resistance and to establish the connection with development.
Pharmacokinetics and Biotransformation of Iohexol in the Rat and the Dog

In an initial test series 1251_labelled iohexol was administered to rats intravenously, intraduodenally and orally to establish the main route of excretion, to analyse-whether the compound is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, whether any specific or dose-dependent uptake occurs in organ tissues, and whether any biotransformation of iohexol occurs. In a second series the pharmacokinetics and biotransformation of 1251-labelled iohexol after intravenous injection in the dog were analysed. The two animal species were used mainly for toxicologic experiments in order to evaluate any possible risk of using iohexol in man. The results of the experiments can be considered supplementary to former reports.
Heat and Mass Transfer Modeling of Dry Gases in the Cathode of PEM Fuel Cells

The transport of three gas species, O2, H2O and N2, through the cathode of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is studied numerically. The diffusion of the individual species is modeled via the Maxwell–Stefan equations, coupled with appropriate conservation equations. Two mechanisms are assumed for the internal energy sources in the system: a volumetric heat source due to the electrical current flowing through the cathode; and heat flow towards the cathode at the cathode-membrane interface due to the exothermic chemical reaction at this interface, in which water is generated. The governing equations of the unsteady fluid motion are written in fully conservative form, and consist of the following: (i) three equations for the mass conservation of the species; (ii) the momentum equation for the mixture, which is approximated using Darcy's Law for flow in porous media; and (iii) an energy equation, written in a form that has enthalpy as the dependent variable.
Whole blood transfusion in obstetric practice

Obstetricians and obstetric anaesthesiologists are at the forefront of treating massive haemorrhage. Blood products are typically ordered by either or both teams based on surgical findings, haemodynamic variables, laboratory values and practitioners’ perceptions and experience. Currently, blood component therapy has become the textbook standard for both specialties. Massive haemorrhage in obstetrics carries a few unique characteristics compared with conventional trauma injury: (i) it frequently occurs in a hospital; (ii) in most cases, only a single organ, the uterus, is involved; (iii) other factors commonly seen in other types of field injury, such as profound hypothermia or acidosis, are less severe and (iv) obstetricians may use the ultimate treatment, hysterectomy, in the event bleeding that cannot be effectively controlled (ACOG Practice Bulletin, 2006). These factors may present a situation where a rapid replenishment of all blood components without laboratory values may effectively restore haemostasis and offer a timely treatment for massive obstetric haemorrhage. We conducted a survey to the chief obstetricians and obstetric anaesthesiologists in 100 academic institutions listed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in the United States from October through November 2008. Of the 100 institutions, 37 (37%) obstetricians and 50 (50%) anaesthesiologists returned the survey. In all, 64 (64%) institutions were represented by obstetrics, obstetric anaesthesia or both. The results are summarized in Table 1. Obstetricians from five institutions reported actual use of whole blood; among them, three used whole blood even when anticipated transfusion volume was less than four units. One anaesthesiologist from a different institution reported use of whole blood for transfusion regardless of the required volume of whole blood. Among the 64 institutions with responses from obstetrics, obstetric anaesthesia or both, six (9·4%) stated use of whole blood.
Raw-Material Availability and the Organization of Technology

Ethnographic examples of stone-tool makers in Australia and archaeological examples from three different areas in the western United States indicate that the availability of lithic raw materials is an important variable conditioning stone-tool production technology. Attributes of availability such as abundance and quality of lithic raw materials condition the production of formal- vs. informal-tool types. Poor-quality raw materials tend to be manufactured into informal-tool designs. High-quality lithic raw materials tend to be manufactured into formal-tool designs when such materials occur in low abundance. When high-quality materials occur in great abundance both formal- and informal-tool designs are manufactured. Other factors, such as residential mobility or sedentism, are found to be less-important determinates of lithic-production technology.
Solution structure of Escherichia coli Par10: The prototypic member of the Parvulin family of peptidyl‐prolyl cis/trans isomerases

E. coli Par10 is a peptidyl‐prolyl cis/trans isomerase (PPIase) from Escherichia coli catalyzing the isomerization of Xaa‐Pro bonds in oligopeptides with a broad substrate specificity. The structure of E. coli Par10 has been determined by multidimensional solution‐state NMR spectroscopy based on 1207 conformational constraints (1067 NOE‐derived distances, 42 vicinal coupling‐constant restraints, 30 hydrogen‐bond restraints, and 68 ϕ/ψ restraints derived from the Chemical Shift Index). Simulated‐annealing calculations with the program ARIA and subsequent refinement with XPLOR yielded a set of 18 convergent structures with an average backbone RMSD from mean atomic coordinates of 0.50 Å within the well‐defined secondary structure elements. E. coli Par10 is the smallest known PPIase so far, with a high catalytic efficiency comparable to that of FKBPs and cyclophilins. The secondary structure of E. coli Par10 consists of four helical regions and a four‐stranded antiparallel β‐sheet. The N terminus forms a β‐strand, followed by a large stretch comprising three α‐helices. A loop region containing a short β‐strand separates these helices from a fourth α‐helix. The C terminus consists of two more β‐strands completing the four‐stranded anti‐parallel β‐sheet with strand order 2143. Interestingly, the third β‐strand includes a Gly‐Pro cis peptide bond. The curved β‐strand forms a hydrophobic binding pocket together with α‐helix 4, which also contains a number of highly conserved residues. The three‐dimensional structure of Par10 closely resembles that of the human proteins hPin1 and hPar14 and the plant protein Pin1At, belonging to the same family of highly homologous proteins.
Fluoridation of water supplies and cancer mortality. I: A search for an effect in the UK on risk of death from cancer.

Claims that the mortality from cancer has been increased in urban populations as a result of the fluoridation of water supplies have been given publicity in the press and on the radio and television, and questions have consequently been asked in Parliament with a view to stopping plans for further fluoridation. These. claims have been based on an analysis of the trend in cancer mortality rates in American towns by Yiamouyiannis and Burk1" and
Partnerships with Patients: The Pros and Cons of Shared Clinical Decision-Making

The traditional style of medical decision-making in which doctors take sole responsibility for treatment decisions is being challenged. Attempts are being made to promote shared decision-making in which patients are given the opportunity to express their values and preferences and to participate in decisions about their care. Critics of shared decision-making argue that most patients do not want to participate in decisions; that revealing the uncertainties inherent in medical care could be harmful; that it is not feasible to provide information about the potential risks and benefits of all treatment options; and that increasing patient involvement in decision-making will lead to greater demand for unnecessary, costly or harmful procedures which could undermine the equitable allocation of health care resources. This article examines the evidence for and against these claims. There is considerable evidence that patients want more information and greater involvement, although knowledge about the circumstances in which shared decision-making should be encouraged, and the effects of doing so, is sparse. There is an urgent need for more research into patients' information needs and preferences and for the development and evaluation of decision-support mechanisms to enable patients to become informed participants in treatment decisions.
Interindividual variability of lutein bioavailability in healthy men: characterization, genetic variants involved, and relation with fasting plasma lutein concentration.

BACKGROUND Lutein accumulates in the macula and brain, where it is assumed to play physiologic roles. The bioavailability of lutein is assumed to display a high interindividual variability that has been hypothesized to be attributable, at least partly, to genetic polymorphisms. OBJECTIVES We characterized the interindividual variability in lutein bioavailability in humans, assessed the relation between this variability and the fasting blood lutein concentration, and identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) involved in this phenomenon. DESIGN In a randomized, 2-way crossover study, 39 healthy men consumed a meal that contained a lutein supplement or the same meal for which lutein was provided through a tomato puree. The lutein concentration was measured in plasma chylomicrons isolated at regular time intervals over 8 h postprandially. Multivariate statistical analyses were used to identify a combination of SNPs associated with the postprandial chylomicron lutein response (0-8-h area under the curve). A total of 1785 SNPs in 51 candidate genes were selected. RESULTS Postprandial chylomicron lutein responses to meals were very variable (CV of 75% and 137% for the lutein-supplement meal and the meal with tomato-sourced lutein, respectively). Postprandial chylomicron lutein responses measured after the 2 meals were positively correlated (r = 0.68, P < 0.0001) and positively correlated to the fasting plasma lutein concentration (r = 0.51, P < 0.005 for the lutein-supplement-containing meal). A significant (P = 1.9 × 10(-4)) and validated partial least-squares regression model, which included 29 SNPs in 15 genes, explained most of the variance in the postprandial chylomicron lutein response. CONCLUSIONS The ability to respond to lutein appears to be, at least in part, genetically determined. The ability is explained, in large part, by a combination of SNPs in 15 genes related to both lutein and chylomicron metabolism. Finally, our results suggest that the ability to respond to lutein and blood lutein status are related. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02100774.
'Economy' line foods from four supermarkets and brand name equivalents: a comparison of their nutrient contents and costs.

BACKGROUND Achieving healthy eating targets for low income households can be difficult because of economic barriers. Several UK supermarkets have introduced 'value line' or 'economy line' foods to improve their attractiveness to low income consumers. MATERIALS AND METHODS The costs and nutrient contents of five 'economy' line products of four major English supermarkets - Asda, KwikSave, Sainsbury and Tesco - were compared with branded (but not 'own label') equivalents. Single samples of tinned tomatoes, long-life orange juice, potatoes, sausages and white bread were purchased in each supermarket. They represented items of potential importance in relation to 'healthy' choices in the shopping baskets of low income households. Nutrients analysed were fat, sodium, potassium, iron, calcium, vitamin C, and energy. RESULTS Economy line foods had a nutrient composition similar to and often better than the branded goods. The economy line products frequently had nutrient contents more in line with the Balance of Good Health (e.g. lower fat and sodium) compared with the branded goods. In terms of nutrients per pence, the economy line products were far better value for money compared with the branded lines. CONCLUSION Economy line foods represent excellent value for money and are not nutritionally inferior to the branded products. They have a potentially important role to play in the promotion of healthy eating, especially amongst low income households.
ROBUST AND MID-LEVEL PERSONALITY TRAITS AS PREDICTORS OF ADOLESCENTS ’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

This study considers the predictive value of adolescents’ (Mage = 16.8 years) robust and mid-level personality traits in explaining academic achievement (GPA). Personality data was obtained through self, maternal, and peer report using the Inventory of Child/Adolescent Individual Differences. The four robust personality traits according to self, maternal and peer report predicted 11%, 27% and 18% of the variance in secondary students’ GPA, respectively, with conscientiousness (across the informants) and low extraversion (maternal and peer ratings) as significant predictors. When the constituent 15 mid-level traits were accounted for, the prediction increased to 30% (self-), 34% (maternal-) and 27% (peer ratings). Subjectively perceived students’ intelligence consistently contributed to their GPA, along with selfand mother-rated low antagonism, while other significant predictors were observer specific. The reduced models considering the significant robust and mid-level traits only decreased the predictive power of self-reported robust traits and peer-rated mid-level traits but they slightly contributed to the accuracy of all other models. The study provides support for the predictive utility of mid-level personality traits over the robust traits in the prediction of GPA for selfand maternal personality ratings.
The isolation and characterization of foot-and-mouth disease virus from clinically normal herds of cattle in Botswana

SUMMARY The results of a survey of the foot-and-mouth disease carrier state in three localities of an FMD enzootic area of Botswana are presented. The collection, storage and handling of the samples is mentioned and the isolation of virus on calf thyroid monolayer tissue cultures is described. Type SAT 3 virus was isolated from up to 20% of the animals sampled at periods between 7 and 12 months after natural infection. Sera were tested for all the animals from which virus was recovered and compared with similar numbers of sera from virus-negative animals. No correlation was found between the carrier state and serum antibody titres. Antigenic studies are described which indicated not only an antigenic variation of some carrier viruses isolated from the outbreak strain but also antigenic differences between strains of carrier virus from different animals in the same herd. There was no evidence at the time of sampling of the persistence as carrier virus of the attenuated vaccine strains of FMDV used previously in the cattle sampled. The results suggest that transference of carrier virus from animal to animal may occur in the absence of clinical infection.
Calcineurin Homologous Protein as an Essential Cofactor for Na+/H+ Exchangers*

The Na+/H+exchangers (NHEs) comprise a family of transporters that catalyze cell functions such as regulation of the pH and volume of a cell and epithelial absorption of Na+ and bicarbonate. Ubiquitous calcineurin B homologous protein (CHP or p22) is co-localized and co-immunoprecipitated with expressed NHE1, NHE2, or NHE3 independently of its myristoylation and Ca2+ binding, and its binding site was identified as the juxtamembrane region within the carboxyl-terminal cytoplasmic domain of exchangers. CHP binding-defective mutations of NHE1–3 or CHP depletion by injection of the competitive CHP-binding region of NHE1 into Xenopusoocytes resulted in a dramatic reduction (>90%) in the Na+/H+ exchange activity. The data suggest that CHP serves as an essential cofactor, which supports the physiological activity of NHE family members.
Diesel exhaust particles enhance T‐cell activation in severe asthmatics

Prevalence of asthma is increasing in westernized countries. Epidemiological studies showed the impact of traffic pollution on the triggering of asthma symptoms and exacerbations, and this effect is mainly attributed to the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon core of diesel exhaust particles (DEP). However, although DEP induce IgE synthesis, little is known of their role on T‐cell activation, the main cells orchestrating asthma inflammation. We assessed the effect of DEP on T‐cell activation in severe uncontrolled asthmatics during (n = 13) and outside (n = 19) exacerbations. Results were compared with data obtained in healthy controls (n = 14). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured in the presence of low‐dose DEP. T‐cell activation markers, CD69 and CD25, interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) and interferon (IFN)‐γ production and T‐cell proliferation were assessed by flow cytometry. DEP exposure increased the proportion of CD3+CD69+ T cells in all subjects. The proportion of CD25+ T cells increased under DEP stimulation in the exacerbation group only. IFN‐γ‐ and IL‐4‐producing T cells increased in both asthmatic groups, especially during exacerbations, but not in controls. This effect was more pronounced for IL‐4. In response to DEP stimulation, T‐cell proliferation increased in higher proportion in asthmatics compared with controls. These results show that DEP activate T cells in asthmatics only, with a higher effect during exacerbations. This is in keeping with epidemiological data which demonstrated that DEP trigger respiratory symptoms in asthmatics but not in controls. The higher effect of DEP in exacerbated asthmatics suggests that uncontrolled asthma is a risk factor for aggravation under exposure to traffic pollutants.
When Arts Meet Enterprise: Transdisciplinarity, Students’ Identities and EAP

This paper reports on a qualitative study investigating the experience and perspectives of students using English as an international language studying transdisciplinary master's degrees related to culture industries at Goldsmiths, University of London. The particular focus of this paper concerns their experiences of writing several different genres on their degree programmes, including a category of written assessment that, in keeping with the transdisciplinary project of opening up disciplinary borders, transgresses typical genre parameters. We argue that (increasingly popular) transdisciplinary programmes of this kind challenge preconceived expectations about academic writing and require a high tolerance of ambiguity on the part of both students and EAP lecturers: established genre conventions may be destabilized and writing become a precarious yet inherently creative process. Our findings highlight the significance of students' identities with regard to negotiating these written assessments; they support the view that academic literacies' emphasis on student perspectives enriches text-oriented EAP pedagogy, and that insights gleaned from small-scale ethnographic studies of this kind enhance the embedding of subject-specific EAP academic writing development.
The relation between Ashworth scale scores and the excitability of the α motor neurones in patients with post-stroke muscle spasticity

Background: The modified Ashworth scale (MAS) is the most widely used method for assessing muscle spasticity in clinical practice and research. However, the validity of this scale has been challenged. Objectives: To compare the MAS with objective neurophysiological tests of spasticity. Methods: The MAS was recorded in patients with post-stroke lower limb muscle spasticity and correlated with the excitability of the α motor neurones. The latter was evaluated by measuring the latency of the Hoffmann reflex (H reflex) and the ratio of the amplitude of the maximum H reflex (Hmax) to that of the compound action motor potential of the soleus muscle (Mmax). Results: Data on 24 randomly recruited patients were analysed. Patients were divided into two groups according to their MAS score: 14 had a MAS score of 1 (group A) and 10 scored 2 (group B). The two groups were comparable with respect to age and sex, but in group A there was a longer period since the stroke. The H reflex latency was reduced and the Hmax:Mmax ratio was increased in both groups. The Hmax:Mmax ratio values were higher for group B but the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: There is a relation between the MAS scores and α motor neurone excitability, although it is not linear. This suggests that the MAS measures muscle hypertonia rather than spasticity.
Crystal structure of methyl 2-(2H-1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-7,9-dibromo-8-oxo-1-oxaspiro[4.5]deca-2,6,9-triene-3-carboxylate

The title compound, C18H12Br2O6, was synthesized from Morita–Baylis–Hillman adducts. It incorporates the brominated spiro-hexadienone moiety typically exhibited by compounds of this class that exhibit biological activity. Both the brominated cyclohexadienone and the central five-membered rings are nearly planar (r.m.s. deviations of 0.044 and 0.016 Å, respectively), being almost perpendicularly oriented [interplanar angle = 89.47 (5)°]. With respect to the central five-membered ring, the brominated cyclohexadienone ring, the benzodioxol ring and the carboxylate fragment make C—O—C—C, O—C—C—C and C—C—C—O dihedral angles of −122.11 (8), −27.20 (11) and −8.40 (12)°, respectively. An intramolecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs. In the crystal, molecules are linked by non-classical C—H⋯O and C—H⋯Br hydrogen bonds resulting in a molecular packing in which the brominated rings are in a head-to-head orientation, forming well marked planes parallel to the b axis.