Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chlorophyll and carotenoid content in wheat cultivars as a function of mineral nutrition

Determination of chlorophyll content as an indirect method of estimating the productivity of vegetation represents a good way to gain an understanding of the photosynthetic regime of plants. Physiological investigations of chlorophyll and carotenoid content in the uppermost internode of several wheat cultivars were carried out at the outset of the flowering phase. The dependence of chlorophyll and carotenoid content on the fertilization variant was established at that time. The tested wheat cultivars were grown under conditions of five fertilization variants. The content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll (Chl a+b) was measured and carotenoid content was determined on each variant. The results indicate that chlorophyll and carotenoid content depended on the presence and ratio of mineral elements in the substrate. This is demonstrated by the variant with unfertilized soil, where chlorophyll and carotenoid content in all cultivars was lowest. The variant of fertilization with N and P turned out to be most favorable. The next most favorable variant was the one with nitrogen alone, and it was followed by the variant with N and K.
Amantadine for dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND Abnormal involuntary movements known as dyskinesias are amongst the most disabling side-effects of levodopa therapy. It is thought that amantadine, an NMDA-receptor antagonist, may reduce dyskinesias in patients with Parkinson's disease without worsening Parkinsonian symptoms. OBJECTIVES To compare the efficacy and safety of adjuvant amantadine therapy versus placebo in treating dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson's disease, already established on levodopa, and suffering from motor complications. SEARCH STRATEGY Electronic searches of The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (The Cochrane Library Issue 3, 2001), MEDLINE (1966-2001), EMBASE (1974-2001), SCISEARCH (1974-2001), BIOSIS (1993-2001), GEROLIT (1979-2001), OLDMEDLINE (1957-1965), LILACS (1982-2001), MedCarib (17th Century - 2001), PASCAL (1973-2001), JICST-EPLUS (1985-2001), RUSSMED (1973-2001), DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS (2000-2001), SIGLE (1980-2001), ISI-ISTP (1990-2001), Aslib Index to Theses (2001), Clinicaltrials.gov (2001), metaRegister of Controlled Trials (2001), NIDRR (2001) and NRR (2001) were conducted. Grey literature was hand searched and the reference lists of identified studies and reviews examined. The manufacturers of amantadine were contacted. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials comparing amantadine with placebo in the treatment of dyskinesia in patients with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data was abstracted independently by NC and KD onto standardised forms and disagreements were resolved by discussion. MAIN RESULTS Three randomised controlled trials were found comparing amantadine with placebo in the treatment of dyskinesia in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Three trials were excluded on the basis that they had no control group and a further three did not state whether they randomised the treatment that participants received. The included trials were double-blind cross-over studies involving a total of 53 patients. All three studies failed to present data from the first arm, instead presenting results as combined data from both treatment arms and both placebo arms. Two trials had no wash-out interval between the treatment periods. In view of the risk of a carry-over effect into the second arm, the results of these trials were not analysed. The final trial had a one week wash-out interval but only examined 11 participants. One study reported side-effects of amantadine in 8 of the 18 participants, including confusion and worsening of hallucinations. Another reported reversible edema of both feet in one of eleven participants. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS Due to lack of evidence it is impossible to determine whether amantadine is a safe and effective form of treatment for levodopa-induced dyskinesias in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Some results on the behavior of Lipschitz continuous systems

This paper is devoted to the study of the behavior of Lipschitz continuous systems. We unify and improve through the reformulation of the Lipschitz continuity of a system in terms of the dissipativity of an associated fictitious system. our previous results concerning the Lyapunov stability of unperturbed motions associated with any inputs. Moreover, we show that the Lipschitz continuous systems have the steady-state property with respect to any inputs belonging to Lep with p ϵ [1, ∞(i.e. their asymptotic behavior is uniquely determined by the asymptotic behavior of the input)]. Finally, we characterize the behavior of stationary Lipschitz systems for periodic and almost periodic inputs. We end the paper by a example showing that these results allow us to explain the well-known properties attached to the behavior of a controlled missile.
Mitochondrial peroxiredoxin‐5 as potential modulator of mitochondria‐ER crosstalk in MPP+‐induced cell death

Peroxiredoxin‐5 (PRDX5) is an antioxidant enzyme which differs from the other peroxiredoxins with regards to its enzymatic mechanism, its high affinity for organic peroxides and peroxynitrite and its wide subcellular distribution. In particular, the mitochondrial isoform of PRDX5 confers a remarkable cytoprotection toward oxidative stress to mammalian cells. Mitochondrial dysfunction and disruption of Ca2+ homeostasis are implicated in neurodegeneration. Growing evidence supports that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) could operate in tandem with mitochondria to regulate intracellular Ca2+ fluxes in neurodegenerative processes. Here, we overexpressed mitochondrial PRDX5 in SH‐SY5Y cells to dissect the role of this enzyme in 1‐methyl‐4‐phenylpyridinium (MPP)+‐induced cell death. Our data show that mitochondria‐dependent apoptosis triggered by MPP+, assessed by the measurement of caspase‐9 activation and mitochondrial DNA damage, is prevented by mitochondrial PRDX5 overexpression. Moreover, PRDX5 overexpression blocks the increase in intracellular Ca2+, Ca2+‐dependent activation of calpains and Bax cleavage. Finally, using Ca2+ channel inhibitors (Nimodipine, Dantrolene and 2‐APB), we show that Ca2+ release arises essentially from ER stores through 1,4,5‐inositol‐trisphosphate receptors (IP3R). Altogether, our results suggest that the MPP+ mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis is regulated by mitochondrial PRDX5 in a process that could involve redox modulation of Ca2+ transporters via a crosstalk between mitochondria and ER.
Preoperative fasting guidelines.

As a principal investigator in studies of a 2- to 3-hour fast for clear liquids in Calgary in the late 1980s, and a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists' task force that developed evidence-based fasting guidelines, I wish to discuss the Canadian Association of General Surgeons (CAGS) review and commentary of preoperative fasting for adults.1
Glu-96 of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Is Essential for High Affinity Receptor Binding

The importance of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in several pathophysiological processes has stimulated interest in the design of receptor antagonists to mitigate such effects. Of key importance in this connection is the characterization of the functional binding epitopes of the growth factor for its receptor. Based on peptide mapping and molecular dynamics calculations of the three-dimensional structure of basic fibroblast growth factor, we employed site-directed mutagenesis to investigate the effect of altering residues at positions 107, 109-114, and 96 on bFGF on receptor binding affinity. All muteins were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity employing heparin-Sepharose columns, and evaluated for receptor binding affinity. We found that replacement of residues at positions 107 and 109-114 by alanine or phenylalanine had little effect on receptor binding affinities compared with wild type bFGF, in agreement with previous evidence that bFGF residues 109-114 comprise a low affinity binding site. By contrast, substitution of Glu-96 with alanine yielded a molecule having about 0.1% of the affinity of the wild type bFGF. The affinity of the corresponding lysine and glutamine muteins was 0.3 and 10%, respectively, emphasizing the importance of a negative charge at this position. Our findings are consistent with the view that residues 106-115 on bFGF represent a low affinity binding site on bFGF. In addition, we identify Glu-96 as a crucial residue for binding to fibroblast growth factor receptor-1.
Ca2+‐Dependent and Ca2+‐Independent Protein Kinase C Changes in the Brains of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract: We examined protein kinase C (PKC) activity in Ca2+‐dependent PKC (Ca2+‐dependent PKC activities) and Ca2+‐independent PKC (Ca2+‐independent PKC activities) assay conditions in brains from Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and age‐matched controls. In cytosolic and membranous fractions, Ca2+‐dependent and Ca2+‐independent PKC activities were significantly lower in AD brain than in control brain. In particular, reduction of Ca2+‐independent PKC activity in the membranous fraction of AD brain was most enhanced when cardiolipin, the optimal stimulator of PKC‐ε, was used in the assay; whereas Ca2+‐independent PKC activity stimulated by phosphatidylinositol, the optimal stimulator of PKC‐δ, was not significantly reduced in AD. Further studies on the protein levels of Ca2+‐independent PKC‐δ, PKC‐ε, and PKC‐ζ in AD brain revealed reduction of the PKC‐ε level in both cytosolic and membranous fractions, although PKC‐δ and PKC‐ζ levels were not changed. These findings indicated that Ca2+‐dependent and Ca2+‐independent PKC are changed in AD, and that among Ca2+‐independent PKC isozymes, the alteration of PKC‐ε is a specific event in AD brain, suggesting its crucial role in AD pathophysiology.
Effects of light and intraspeci ® c competition on growth and crown morphology of two size classes of understory balsam ® r saplings

This paper characterizes the growth and crown morphology of young balsam ®r saplings naturally regenerated under a gradient of understory light environments and intraspeci®c competition densities for two size classes (50±100 cm and 100± 200 cm). Most growth and crown morphological parameters investigated were strongly related to the natural light gradient investigated (3±83% full sunlight), but the relationship tended to plateau at around 25% full sunlight. The relationships were generally better for the larger size class. Intraspeci®c competition did not signi®cantly affect growth and crown morphology of saplings receiving less than 25% full sunlight, but it affected relative height growth, relative radial growth and the apical dominance ratio for those receiving more than 25% full sunlight (R0.506; p<0.001; R0.403; p<0.002; R0.348; p<0.001, respectively). These results suggest that live crown ratio, apical dominance ratio and the number of internodal branches can provide, alone or in combination, useful indicators of vigour for understory ®r. Such a study provides the basic data inputs required for the development of empirically-derived mechanistic models that can predict understory tree growth and survival. # 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Determination of Resistant Starch Assimilating Bacteria in Fecal Samples of Mice by In vitro RNA-Based Stable Isotope Probing

The impact of the intestinal microbiota on human health is becoming increasingly appreciated in recent years. In consequence, and fueled by major technological advances, the composition of the intestinal microbiota in health and disease has been intensively studied by high throughput sequencing approaches. Observations linking dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota with a number of serious medical conditions including chronic inflammatory disorders and allergic diseases suggest that restoration of the composition and activity of the intestinal microbiota may be a treatment option at least for some of these diseases. One possibility to shape the intestinal microbiota is the administration of prebiotic carbohydrates such as resistant starch (RS). In the present study, we aim at establishing RNA-based stable isotope probing (RNA-SIP) to identify bacterial populations that are involved in the assimilation of RS using anaerobic in vitro fermentation of murine fecal material with stable [U13C] isotope-labeled potato starch. Total RNA from these incubations was extracted, processed by gradient ultracentrifugation and fractionated by density. 16S rRNA gene sequences were amplified from reverse transcribed RNA of high and low density fractions suspected to contain labeled and unlabeled RNA, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of the obtained sequences revealed a distinct subset of the intestinal microbiota involved in starch metabolism. The results suggest Bacteroidetes, in particular genera affiliated with Prevotellaceae, as well as members of the Ruminococcacea family to be primary assimilators of resistant starch due to a significantly higher relative abundance in higher density fractions in RNA samples isolated after 2 h of incubation. Using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to isotope ratio mass spectrometry (HPLC-IRMS) analysis, some stable isotope label was recovered from acetate, propionate and butyrate. Here, we demonstrate the suitability of RNA-SIP to link specific groups of microorganisms with fermentation of a specific substrate. The application of RNA-SIP in future in vivo studies will help to better understand the mechanisms behind functionality of a prebiotic carbohydrate and its impact on an intestinal ecosystem with potential implications for human health.
Responses to atmospheric CO2 concentrations in crop simulation models: a review of current simple and semicomplex representations and options for model development

Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]) cause direct changes in crop physiological processes (e.g. photosynthesis and stomatal conductance). To represent these CO2 responses, commonly used crop simulation models have been amended, using simple and semicomplex representations of the processes involved. Yet, there is no standard approach to and often poor documentation of these developments. This study used a bottom‐up approach (starting with the APSIM framework as case study) to evaluate modelled responses in a consortium of commonly used crop models and illuminate whether variation in responses reflects true uncertainty in our understanding compared to arbitrary choices of model developers. Diversity in simulated CO2 responses and limited validation were common among models, both within the APSIM framework and more generally. Whereas production responses show some consistency up to moderately high [CO2] (around 700 ppm), transpiration and stomatal responses vary more widely in nature and magnitude (e.g. a decrease in stomatal conductance varying between 35% and 90% among models was found for [CO2] doubling to 700 ppm). Most notably, nitrogen responses were found to be included in few crop models despite being commonly observed and critical for the simulation of photosynthetic acclimation, crop nutritional quality and carbon allocation. We suggest harmonization and consideration of more mechanistic concepts in particular subroutines, for example, for the simulation of N dynamics, as a way to improve our predictive understanding of CO2 responses and capture secondary processes. Intercomparison studies could assist in this aim, provided that they go beyond simple output comparison and explicitly identify the representations and assumptions that are causal for intermodel differences. Additionally, validation and proper documentation of the representation of CO2 responses within models should be prioritized.
Factors of Competitiveness in the Wine Industry: an Analysis of Innovation Strategy

The search for competitive advantages as one of the main activities of a company has become a principle of contemporary theories on Strategic Management. Innovation facilitates a company's adaptation to the global competitive environment, representing the important strategic role that it has to play in relation to managerial performance and, as such, underlines the growing importance of innovation and the use of a company's technological assets. This paper therefore studies the effect in the results of four dimensions of technological innovation strategy on a sample of Spanish wineries, situated in the Castilla La-Mancha region of Spain, all of which are registered under the La Mancha Designation of Origin (DO). Keywords—Company ́s strategy, factors of competitiveness, innovation strategy, wine industry
Cognitive Mechanisms in Decision-Making in Patients With Mild Alzheimer Disease.

BACKGROUND Alzheimer's dementia is characterized by significant cortical and subcortical atrophy, causing diverse neuropsychological deficits. According to the somatic marker hypothesis, the areas responsible for generating the somatic markers that anticipate the consequences of a decision and thereby optimize the process would be affected in these patients. OBJECTIVE The aim of this experiment is to study the decision-making processes in Alzheimer type dementia patients to determine potential deficits in these processes as a result of the disease, aside from the cognitive impairment that is typical of aging. In addition, we wish to determine the defining characteristics of decision-making in these patients, on the basis of the prospect valence-learning parameters. METHOD We evaluated 30 patients with Alzheimer's disease and a control group of 30 healthy subjects. A short version of the Iowa Gambling Task was used. RESULTS The results showed that patients made less advantageous choices than did controls. Group differences were quantitative and qualitative, as significant differences in cognitive mechanisms identified in the prospect valence-learning decisions were observed. These results are consistent with evidence from neuroimaging studies as well as with work carried out with amnesic patients. CONCLUSION That problems in our patients' decision-making could be due to the characteristic memory deficits of this disease, which prevents them from establishing new stimulus-reward relationships and eliminating previously learned responses as a result of the parietal and temporal atrophy they present.
Burst-mode clock and data recovery in optical multiaccess networks using broad-band PLLs

Broad-band phase-locked loops (PLLs) are proposed for burst-mode clock and data recovery in optical multiaccess networks. Design parameters for a charge-pump PLL-based clock and data recovery (CDR) with fast phase acquisition are derived using a time-domain model that does not assume narrow loop bandwidth or small phase errors. Implementation in a half-rate CDR circuit confirms a clock phase acquisition time of 40 ns, or 100 bits at 2.488-Gb/s rate, and data recovery at 1.244-Gb/s rate with a bit-error rate of 1/spl times/10/sup -10/ (2/sup 14/-1 pseudorandom binary sequence with Manchester-encoding). The CDR was fabricated in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor 0.18-/spl mu/m technology in an area of 1/spl times/1 mm/sup 2/ and consumes 54 mW of power from a 1.8-V supply.
Engineering the Controlled Assembly of Filamentous Injectisomes in E. coli K-12 for Protein Translocation into Mammalian Cells

Bacterial pathogens containing type III protein secretion systems (T3SS) assemble large needle-like protein complexes in the bacterial envelope, called injectisomes, for translocation of protein effectors into host cells. The application of these “molecular syringes” for the injection of proteins into mammalian cells is hindered by their structural and genomic complexity, requiring multiple polypeptides encoded along with effectors in various transcriptional units (TUs) with intricate regulation. In this work, we have rationally designed the controlled expression of the filamentous injectisomes found in enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) in the nonpathogenic strain E. coli K-12. All structural components of EPEC injectisomes, encoded in a genomic island called the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), were engineered in five TUs (eLEEs) excluding effectors, promoters and transcriptional regulators. These eLEEs were placed under the control of the IPTG-inducible promoter Ptac and integrated into specific chromosomal sites of E. coli K-12 using a marker-less strategy. The resulting strain, named synthetic injector E. coli (SIEC), assembles filamentous injectisomes similar to those in EPEC. SIEC injectisomes form pores in the host plasma membrane and are able to translocate T3-substrate proteins (e.g., translocated intimin receptor, Tir) into the cytoplasm of HeLa cells reproducing the phenotypes of intimate attachment and polymerization of actin-pedestals elicited by EPEC bacteria. Hence, SIEC strain allows the controlled expression of functional filamentous injectisomes for efficient translocation of proteins with T3S-signals into mammalian cells.
Malnutrition is associated with HIV infection in children less than 5 years in Bobo-Dioulasso City, Burkina Faso

Abstract Pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and malnutrition are still 2 major health issues in sub-Saharan Africa including Burkina Faso where few studies have been conducted on child malnutrition and HIV infection. This study assessed the effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV infection and also compared the prevalence of malnutrition in terms of an inadequate diet, underweight, stunting, and wasting among HIV-infected and uninfected children less than 5 years in Bobo-Dioulasso city, Burkina Faso. This was a case–control study matching for age and sex in 164 HIV-infected and 164 HIV-uninfected children. The sociodemographic characteristics of mothers and children, household food security, drinking water source, child feeding and care practices, and child anthropometric data such as body weight, height, and mid-upper arm circumference were collected. The prevalence of food insecurity and inadequate diet was 58% and 92% of children less than 5 years of age, respectively. The prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting was 77% versus 35%, 65% versus 61%, and 63% versus 26% in HIV-infected and uninfected children less than 5 years of age, respectively. Out of 164 HIV-infected children, 59% were on ART initiation during data collection and the median of CD4 cell counts was 1078 cells/&mgr;L. HIV-infected children on ART had greater CD4 cell counts (P = .04) and higher weight-for-age Z (P = .01) and weight-for-height Z scores (P = .03) than those without ART. HIV infection was a risk factor for those who had inadequate dietary intake [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17–3.62, P = . 04]. In addition, HIV-infected children were more likely of being underweight (AOR = 10.24, 95% CI 4.34–24.17, P < 0.001) and wasting (AOR = 5.57, 95% CI 2.49–12.46, P < 0.001) than HIV-uninfected children less than 5 years of age. High prevalence of malnutrition was observed in HIV-infected children compared with HIV-uninfected children. Except for ART, nutritional assessment and support should be included in pediatric HIV management.