Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence for asialo GM1 as a corneal glycolipid receptor for Pseudomonas aeruginosa adhesion

Anti-gangliotetraosylceramide (anti-asialo GM1) and antiparagloboside monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were used in immunofluorescence, immunoelectron-microscopic, and in vitro binding inhibition assays to determine whether either of the glycolipids was detectable in the normal cornea, whether levels changed following corneal scarification and either trypsin treatment or incubation in vitro with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and whether either of the MAbs could competitively inhibit P. aeruginosa binding to cornea. No immunostaining above background for either glycolipid was observed in frozen, unfixed sections or in lightly fixed, K4M-embedded antibody-gold-labeled thin sections of normal cornea. In frozen sections of organ-cultured scarified cornea, no increased immunostaining for anti-asialo GM1 or antiparagloboside reactivity was noted immediately or 60 min after corneal scarification. However, at 60 min after scarification and in vitro incubation of the eye with either trypsin or P. aeruginosa, enhanced immunostaining for both glycolipids was associated with cells within or immediately adjacent to the wound site. Trypsin increased immunoreactivity in the wound site more markedly compared with incubation with P. aeruginosa, but immunostaining was similarly localized with either treatment. No staining above background was seen in control sections. Similarly, with immunoelectron microscopy, increased immunogold-MAb staining for both glycolipids was seen on the plasma membranes of the wound-site cells of eyes incubated with either trypsin or P. aeruginosa compared with controls that were similarly immunostained but with the primary antibody either omitted or substituted with a nonspecific MAb. Competitive binding inhibition assays, in which the bacterial inoculum or the eye in organ culture was incubated with anti-asialo GM1 MAb prior to topical ocular application of the bacteria, showed significantly decreased P. aeruginosa adhesion compared with preparations similarly treated with phosphate-buffered saline or antiparagloboside MAb. These data provide evidence to support the hypothesis that asialo GM1, not paragloboside, serves as a receptor for P. aeruginosa binding to the scarified cornea of the adult mouse and spatially localizes both glycolipids in the wound site.
GFP‐centrin as a marker for centriole dynamics in living cells

A long‐standing puzzle in cell biology is the question of how cells generate one and only one new centrosome in each cell cycle and what is the role of the centriole pair in this process. In this study, the introduction of GFP‐centrin into cultured cells allows direct visualization of centriole behavior in living cells and in real time. Using this method, centriole dynamics can be observed throughout the cell cycle and following a variety of experimental treatments. Our studies demonstrate that the biogenesis of new centrioles from individual members of a preexisting centriole pair is asynchronous: the older centriole initiates assembly of a new daughter centriole before the younger centriole initiates assembly of its daughter. Microsc. Res. Tech. 49:451–457, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Effects of Maternal Depression on Fetal Heart Rate Response to Vibroacoustic Stimulation

To better understand the effects of untreated maternal depression on the fetus, this study examined fetal heart rate (FHR) and FHR reactivity to vibroacoustic stimulation in pregnant women with untreated depression. The 20 participants were 32- to 36-week pregnant women divided into groups with depression (N = 10) and without depression (N = 10) based on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, 1977; Beck & Steer, 1987). Participants were attached to a fetal heart monitor, and 10 min of baseline FHR were recorded. A vibroacoustic stimulus (VAS) was presented, and an additional 10 min of FHR were recorded. Fetuses of mothers with depression had an elevated baseline FHR and a 3.5-fold delay in return to baseline FHR after VAS presentation. Additionally, mothers with depression had significantly higher anxiety levels and took fewer prenatal vitamins during pregnancy. Delayed habituation of FHR in the fetuses of mothers with depression may be due to alterations in the internal hormonal environment and could have implications for postnatal information processing.
Perceptual asymmetry between greater and lesser vowel nasality and VOT

This study explores whether there is an asymmetry with respect to the perceptual salience of an increase vs. a decrease of phonologically relevant features. A forced-choice discrimination experiment was conducted on stimulus pairs that included one member with unchanged phonetic features and the other with either increased or decreased degree of features (i.e., vowel nasality or VOT). The results revealed a perceptual asymmetry: participants were more accurate and in some cases faster in their responses to stimulus-pairs containing increasedfeature stimuli, suggesting that greater presence of these phonetic features is perceptually more salient than decreased presence. These findings demonstrate sub-categorical sensitivity for features known to be perceived categorically (VOT), as well as for features not primary to phonological contrast (vowel nasality). They also support a possible salience explanation for previously observed asymmetries in phonetic imitation.
The control of Ca2+ influx and NFATc3 signaling in arterial smooth muscle during hypertension

Many excitable cells express L-type Ca2+ channels (LTCCs), which participate in physiological and pathophysiological processes ranging from memory, secretion, and contraction to epilepsy, heart failure, and hypertension. Clusters of LTCCs can operate in a PKCα-dependent, high open probability mode that generates sites of sustained Ca2+ influx called “persistent Ca2+ sparklets. ” Although increased LTCC activity is necessary for the development of vascular dysfunction during hypertension, the mechanisms leading to increased LTCC function are unclear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that increased PKCα and persistent Ca2+ sparklet activity contributes to arterial dysfunction during hypertension. We found that PKCα and persistent Ca2+ sparklet activity is indeed increased in arterial myocytes during hypertension. Furthermore, in human arterial myocytes, PKCα-dependent persistent Ca2+ sparklets activated the prohypertensive calcineurin/NFATc3 signaling cascade. These events culminated in three hallmark signs of hypertension-associated vascular dysfunction: increased Ca2+ entry, elevated arterial [Ca2+]i, and enhanced myogenic tone. Consistent with these observations, we show that PKCα ablation is protective against the development of angiotensin II-induced hypertension. These data support a model in which persistent Ca2+ sparklets, PKCα, and calcineurin form a subcellular signaling triad controlling NFATc3-dependent gene expression, arterial function, and blood pressure. Because of the ubiquity of these proteins, this model may represent a general signaling pathway controlling gene expression and cellular function.
Opposite Regulation of the Copy Number and the Expression of Plastid and Mitochondrial Genes by Light and Acetate in the Green Flagellate Chlorogonium

In the unicellular green alga Chlorogonium elongatum (Chlamydomonadaceae), the formation of both the photosynthetic and the respiratory apparatus is under the control of light and acetate. Autotrophically cultured cells possess a 3-fold higher copy number of the plastid genes rbcL and psbA than cells cultivated in the dark with acetate (heterotrophic cells). Under mixotrophic conditions (light and acetate), both genes are present at an intermediate level. This pattern is repeated at the mRNA level. The amounts of rbcL and psbA mRNAs are approximately 3-fold higher in autotrophic cells than in heterotrophic ones and are intermediate in mixotrophic cells. As expected, the copy number of the nuclear-encoded rbcS gene is constant irrespective of the applied culture conditions. RbcS mRNA, however, is 7-fold more frequent in autotrophic than in heterotrophic cells. Again, mixotrophic cells show an intermediate level. In contrast to genes encoding plastid proteins, the copy number and transcript level of the mitochondrial cob gene are approximately 5-fold higher in heterotrophic cells than in autotrophic ones. As before, mixotrophic cells take an intermediate position. Therefore, light and acetate control the genes involved in the formation of either the photosynthetic or the respiratory apparatus in a coordinated but opposite manner.
In Bed with Technology: Challenges and Opportunities for Sleep Tracking

In recent years a variety of mobile apps, wearable technologies and embedded systems have emerged that allow individuals to track the amount and the quality of their sleep in their own beds. Despite the widespread adoption of these technologies, little is known about the challenges that current users face in tracking and analysing their sleep. Hence we conducted a qualitative study to examine the practices of current users of sleep tracking technologies and to identify challenges in current practice. Based on data collected from 5 online forums for users of sleep-tracking technologies, we identified 22 different challenges under the following 4 themes: tracking continuity, trust, data manipulation, and data interpretation. Based on these results, we propose 6 design opportunities to assist researchers and practitioners in designing sleep-tracking technologies.
Tangential flow filtration and preliminary phylogenetic analysis of marine picoplankton

A procedure was developed for harvesting gram quantities of microbial biomass from oligotrophic waters, when mixed populations are present in low abundance. Picoplankton from Atlantic Ocean (Hydrostation S, Sargasso Sea) and Pacific Ocean (Aloha Station) sites were collected in a three-stage process: (i) collection of seawater through an intake covered with 10-microns-pore Nytex; (ii) concentration by a tangential flow filtration device equipped with 10 ft2 (0.929 m2) of 0.1-micron-pore fluorocarbon membrane; (iii) collection of cells from concentrate by centrifugation. The overall efficiency of picoplankton recovery was at least 37%. The cellular morphotypes recovered matched those of the original population. DNA was prepared from frozen cell pellets by enzymatic digestion, solvent extraction, and isopycnic centrifugation. As indicated by the binding of kingdom-specific hybridization probes to the purified DNA, the Sargasso Sea picoplankton in this collection were largely eubacteria.
A repeated course of constraint‐induced movement therapy results in further improvement

A recent therapeutic intervention, constraint‐induced movement therapy (CIMT), has been shown to improve movement efficiency and quality of movement in the involved hand of children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP). In the present study, we investigate the long‐term effects of CIMT and the effect of a second course on involved limb function using an ABABA design. Eight children with mild to moderate hemiplegic CP (six males, two females; mean age 8y 7mo [SD 2y 6mo]; range 5–11y), who had received a CI therapy intervention 12 months before this study, participated in a second intervention. In both interventions, the children wore a sling on their non‐involved upper extremity for 6 hours per day during 10 out of 12 consecutive days and were engaged in play and functional activities that provided structured practice using the involved upper extremity. The results indicated initial improvements in movement efficiency, as measured by the Jebsen–Taylor Test of Hand Function, the Speed and Dexterity subtest (no. 8) of the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, and caregivers' perceptions of amount of use and quality of movement of the involved limb, were retained 12 months after the first intervention. The second intervention resulted in further improvement on these measures. Results indicate that intensive practice associated with CIMT may be retained long term, and that continued improvements may occur after a second intervention dose.
Effects of the combination of gentamicin and carbenicillin on the bactericidal activity of serum.

The bactericidal activity of serum from five patients treated successively with gentamicin, carbenicillin, and gentamicin plus carbenicillin, was tested against 14 randomly chosen strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The bactericidal effect of sera obtained after the administration of gentamicin and carbenicillin together was significantly higher (P < .01) than that of sera obtained after the injection of either gentamicin or carbenicillin alone.
Protein-protein interactions between large proteins: two-hybrid screening using a functionally classified library composed of long cDNAs.

Large proteins have multiple domains that are potentially capable of binding many kinds of partners. It is conceivable, therefore, that such proteins could function as an intricate framework of assembly protein complexes. To comprehensively study protein-protein interactions between large KIAA proteins, we have constructed a library composed of 1087 KIAA cDNA clones based on prior functional classifications done in silico. We were guided by two principles that raise the success rate for detecting interactions per tested combination: we avoided testing low-probability combinations, and reduced the number of potential false negatives that arise from the fact that large proteins cannot reliably be expressed in yeast. The latter was addressed by constructing a cDNA library comprised of random fragments encoding large proteins. Cytoplasmic domains of KIAA transmembrane proteins (>1000 amino acids) were used as bait for yeast two-hybrid screening. Our analyses reveal that several KIAA proteins bearing a transmembrane region have the capability of binding to other KIAA proteins containing domains (e.g., PDZ, SH3, rhoGEF, and spectrin) known to be localized to highly specialized submembranous sites, indicating that they participate in cellular junction formation, receptor or channel clustering, and intracellular signaling events. Our representative library should be a very useful resource for detecting previously unidentified interactions because it complements conventional expression libraries, which seldom contain large cDNAs.
“Joining the dots” for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: personal perspectives of health care from a qualitative study

Objectives: To examine the perceptions of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) about their health care provision in the United Kingdom. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 women aged 26 to 68 years who were diagnosed with SLE one to 12 years earlier. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis to organise the themes of importance to participants. Results: Four themes emerged: diagnostic difficulties; understanding; communication; and integrated health care. Before diagnosis there was concern to appear legitimately ill and to have a label for the condition. After diagnosis participants still encountered health care professionals who were poorly informed about SLE. Family, friends, and employers did not understand the fluctuating nature of SLE, which often led to isolation. Participants felt that even health care professionals who specialised in SLE could not fully understand the psychosocial impact of the condition, and therefore did not provide information to meet those needs. Participants did not know which of the many health care professionals they had contact with to approach about their concerns. Lack of communication at an interdisciplinary level left them feeling that nobody was “joining the dots” for their health care. Conclusions: Patients with SLE do not feel understood by health care providers or people close to them. Support from trained volunteers with SLE, as available at the open access lupus clinic in Dudley (West Midlands, UK), would ensure more adequate information from someone with personal experience. Such services may improve communication and help minimise SLE patients’ isolation.
Accurate Estimation of Atmospheric Water Vapor Using GNSS Observations and Surface Meteorological Data

Remote sensing data have been increasingly used to measure the content of water vapor in the atmosphere and to characterize its temporal and spatial variations. In this paper, we use observations from Global Navigation Satellite System(s) (GNSS) to estimate time series of precipitable water vapor (PWV) by applying the technique of precise point positioning. For an accurate quantification of the absolute PWV, it is necessary to combine the GNSS observations with meteorological data measured directly or inferred at the GNSS site. In addition, measurements of the surface temperature are used to calculate the empirical constant required to convert the GNSS-based delay into water vapor. Our results show strong agreement between the total precipitable water estimated based on GNSS observations and that measured by the sensor MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer with a mean RMS value of 0.98 mm. In a similar way, we compared the GNSS-based total PWV estimates with those produced by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Modeling System. We found that the WRF model simulations agree well with the GNSS estimates with a mean RMS value of 0.97 mm.
Endpoint of first stage of zona pellucida-induced acrosome reaction in mouse spermatozoa characterized by acrosomal H+ and Ca2+ permeability: population and single cell kinetics.

The acrosome reaction induced by the mouse egg's zona pellucida in mouse sperm has been shown to proceed in two stages as characterized empirically by sequential changes in patterns of chlortetracycline fluorescence on the sperm plasma membrane surfaces. The chlortetracycline fluorescence pattern characteristic of fully intact sperm is designated B; in sperm bound to structurally intact zonae that induce the acrosome reaction, the B pattern changes first to an intermediate pattern S and then to a terminal pattern AR characteristic of the completed acrosome reaction. In the same study, it was shown, using a 9-amino acridine fluorescent pH probe, that completion of the first stage was characterized by increase in H+ permeability such that the H+ gradient between sperm head and medium was dissipated. In this study, we show that the fluorescent pH probe 9-N-dodecylamino acridine and the intracellular Ca2+ fluorescent probe fura-2 are both localized to the anterior part of the sperm head encompassing the acrosomal compartment in intact sperm, and the fluorescence associated with each probe is lost as the first stage of the acrosome reaction is completed. Loss of the pH probe fluorescence, pattern N, corresponds to onset of H+ permeability, and loss of fura-2 fluorescence, pattern F, corresponds to onset of Ca2+ permeability. Localization of intracellular fura-2 fluorescence to the acrosomal compartment required extracellular Mn2+ to quench surface-bound fura-2 AM, the tetra-acetoxymethyl ester of fura-2 used to load the cells. Loss of acrosomal fura-2 fluorescence is due to quenching by tracer Mn2+ accompanying Ca2+. Onset of membrane permeability to both H+ and Ca2+, as seen by loss of patterns N and F, occurred in synchrony in populations of sperm bound to isolated, structurally intact zonae, with an overall time course of 210 min postbinding. The loss of pattern N in individual sperm cells bound to zonae was rapid, with a half time of 2.1 min. Concomitant with this rapid loss of pattern N was a shift in the amplitude of flagellar motion from large to small. The lag times to pattern N loss in 50 individual cells ranged from 30 to 140 min. The variable lag times determine the population kinetics; the rate of the endpoint reaction seen in the individual cells is rapid and constant. Dissipation of the H+ gradient with immediate loss of pattern N was readily achieved by addition of nigericin with no change in the time course of the onset of Ca2+ permeability of the membranes enclosing the acrosome. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Assessment of fecal bacteria with bile acid 7 alpha-dehydroxylating activity for the presence of bai-like genes

Eubacterium sp. strain VPI 12708 has several bile acid-inducible (bai) genes which encode enzymes in the bile acid 7 alpha-dehydroxylation (7 alpha DeOH) pathway. Twelve 7 alpha DeOH-positive intestinal bacterial strains were assayed for 7 alpha DeOH activity, and 13 strains were tested for hybridization with bai genes. Cholic acid 7 alpha DeOH activity varied greatly (> 100-fold) among these strains. Southern blot experiments showed that DNA prepared from 7 of 13 strains hybridized with at least one of the bai genes from Eubacterium sp. strain VPI 12708.
The genetic structure of hypoderatid mites (Actinotrichida: Astigmata) parasitizing great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) during host post-breeding dispersal in Milicz, SW Poland

The astigmatid family Hypoderatidae includes over 80 mite species exhibiting peculiar life cycle. Deutonymphs are parasitic instars inhabiting subcutaneous or visceral tissues of birds and rodents, while all other instars are nidicolous forms. In this study we investigated genetic diversity of deutonymphs of two hypoderatid species, Neottialges evansi and Phalacrodectes gaudi, collected from 16 individuals of the great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo in SW Poland during host post-breeding dispersal. The initial alternative hypotheses were: (1) populations of deutonymphs in both mite species found in tissues of particular bird individuals form genetically distinct populations, (2) mites are panmictic among hosts. The topologies of NJ phylogenetic trees and median-joining haplotype networks reconstructed for COI haplotypes revealed lack of host-dependent genetic structure in populations of N. evansi and P. gaudi. Furthermore, high haplotype diversity (Hd) and low nucleotide diversity (Pi) prove high genetic differentiation of both mite species. We concluded, that unlimited dispersal of mites among cormorant specimens could be explained by host specific breeding behavior: free mating between cormorants originating from different European populations and low contribution of reunited pairs in breeding colonies in subsequent breeding seasons, reuse of the same nest material by different members of the colony, and host behavior called prospecting.