Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aggregation-induced red shift of the Cotton effect of mitochondrial structural protein.

The problem of biological membrane structure has recently received new impetus from optical rotatory dispersion (ORD) and circular dichroism (CD) studies. Cotton effects arising from electronic transitions of the peptide bond in the ultraviolet have been reported for the plasma membranes of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells,' human erythrocytes and Bacillus subtilis membranes,2 submitochondrial vesicles of heavy beef heart mitochondria,3 and chloroplast fragments.4 In addition, the ORD spectra of beef spinal cord myelin, rat liver submitochondrial vesicles, and the membranes of Halobacterium cutirubrum and Micrococcus lysodeikticus have been examined.5 The ORD spectra for all of these materials are remarkably similar, but as a group show unique properties which distinguish them from those of other proteins or synthetic polypeptides. They exhibit the form generally characteristic of an a-helix but differ in several important respects. The most striking deviation is a shift of the entire Cotton effect toward longer wavelengths; i.e., the troughs appear at 235-237 mA rather than the usual 233 mMA, the peaks are at 200-204 m/1 instead of 198-199 m,4, and the crossovers also occur at comparably higher wavelengths. These experiments were carried out at physiological pH. Detergents such as sodium dodecyl sulfate or lysolecithin cause the red shift to vanish, and the ORD curves assume the wavelength parameters characteristic of the usual a-helix. A secondary feature is that although in some cases the shape of the Cotton effect is that of a fully helical polypeptide, the rotational amplitude is too low and cannot be accounted for by the usual combinations of a-helix and random coil. In view of their appearance in a wide variety of membrane systems, these redshifted curves must represent some common structural feature shared by all. Several interpretations have been offered. Wallach and Zahler' suggested hydrophobic interaction of helical protein segments with lipid fatty acid hydrocarbons, Lenard and Singer2 proposed interaction of adjacent protein helices, and Urry, Mednieks, and Bejnarowicz3 interpreted the curves as the sum of lipid and protein rotations. In this communication we will show that the red shift can be explained in terms of the protein portion of the membrane rather than by the lipid or the combination of lipid with protein. We have found that in the absence of lipid the aggregation of structural protein from mitochondria results in a red shift as well as the decreased rotational amplitude characteristic of membranes. Furthermore, this red-shifted ORD spectrum can be reversibly converted to that typical of an a-helix. Experimental. -Materials: The isolation of heavy beef heart mitochondria,6 and the preparation of submitochondrial vesicles7 from them was as previously described elsewhere. Mitochondrial structural protein (MSP) was prepared from heavy beef heart mitochondria according to Richardson, Hultin, and Fleischer.8 The phosphorus content was 0.3 ,ug P/mg protein for the MSP and 18.4 Mg P/mg protein for
Consumption of Sugars by Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract We were interested in determining the feeding response of the Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae), to various sugar concentrations to develop an improved bait for adults. We compared the consumption of 0.01–1.00 M concentrations of glucose, fructose, raffinose, and sucrose in no-choice tests for 24-h- and 6-d-old male and female flies. Sucrose was the most consumed sugar or within the most consumed group of sugars at 0.02–0.20 M concentrations. There were no differences in consumption among sugars at 0.01, 0.40, and 1.00 M. Consumption generally increased with increasing sugar concentration except that sucrose consumption peaked at 0.20 M. Twenty-four-hour-old females consumed less fructose than other sugars; 24-h-old males consumed more sucrose than fructose or raffinose with an intermediate response to glucose. Females in the 6-d-old group consumed more sucrose than the other three sugars, whereas 6-d-old males exhibited no difference in consumption among sugars. In choice tests, flies consumed more sugar solution than water, but the difference between 0.20 M fructose and water was not significant for 24-h-old males or females. In choice tests between 0.20 M fructose and 0.20 M sucrose, both 24-h- and 6-d-old females showed a preference for fructose. Males of both age classes showed no preference. These results indicate that the responses of flies to different sugars can vary by sugar, gender, and age.
Initial evaluation of the Roche COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 v2.0 assay for determining viral load in HIV-infected individuals

Background HIV type-1 (HIV-1) genetic diversity poses a challenge for the development of diagnostic tests based on nucleic acid amplification, which can be overcome, at least in part, by targeting multiple genomic regions. The new Roche Diagnostics COBAS TaqMan (CTM) HIV-1 v2.0 assay uses multiplex real-time PCR detection of sequences in the long terminal repeat and gag regions within the HIV-1 genome. Methods We conducted initial comparative testing of HIV-1 viral load values in plasma samples from HIV-1-infected individuals using the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 (Abbott RT HIV-1), and the Roche CTM v1.0 and CTM v2.0 real-time PCR amplification systems, with a particular focus on patients previously undetectable or underestimated with the CTM v1.0 assay. Results The new Roche CTM v2.0 assay showed excellent agreement with the other two assays over a wide dynamic range (r=0.9685). The assay also allowed accurate determination of viral load levels in individuals infected with HIV-1 isolates that were found falsely negative or underestimated with the Roche CTM v1.0 assay because of mutations within the gag region. Conclusions The reliability and accuracy of the CTM v2.0 assay is similar to the Abbott RT HIV-1 assay. The implementation of a multiplex real-time PCR approach in the CTM v2.0 is a significant improvement in viral load testing in comparison with the CTM v1.0 assay.
Variation in Indonesian Sign Language

Indonesian Sign Language (BISINDO) has received almost no attention in the literature to date, and its documentation affords an exciting opportunity to understand sign language variation in more depth. Applying an innovative methodological blend of linguistic typology and Variationist Sociolinguistics to a corpus of data from two varieties of BISINDO, Palfreyman presents a detailed comparison for the grammatical domains of completion and negation, and shows how these findings shed light on our understanding of grammaticalisation in sign languages.
Cognitive function in older adults according to current socioeconomic status

Cognitive function may be influenced by education, socioeconomic status, sex, and health status. Furthermore, aging interacts with these factors to influence cognition and dementia risk in late life. Factors that may increase or decrease successful cognitive aging are of critical importance, particularly if they are modifiable. The purpose of this study was to determine if economic status in late life is associated with cognition independent of socioeconomic status in early life. Cross-sectional demographic, socioeconomic, and cognitive function data were obtained in 2592 older adults (average age 71.6 years) from the Center for Disease Control’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and analyzed with linear regression modeling. Cognitive function, as measured with a test of processing speed, was significantly associated with poverty index scores after adjusting for educational attainment as an estimate of childhood socioeconomic status, ethnic background, age, health status, and sex (P < 0.001). Our findings suggest that current economic status is independently associated with cognitive function in adults over age 60 years.
Field measurements of genotype by environment interaction for fitness caused by spontaneous mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana

As the ultimate source of genetic diversity, spontaneous mutation is critical to the evolutionary process. The fitness effects of spontaneous mutations are almost always studied under controlled laboratory conditions rather than under the evolutionarily relevant conditions of the field. Of particular interest is the conditionality of new mutations—that is, is a new mutation harmful regardless of the environment in which it is found? In other words, what is the extent of genotype–environment interaction for spontaneous mutations? We studied the fitness effects of 25 generations of accumulated spontaneous mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana in two geographically widely separated field environments, in Michigan and Virginia. At both sites, mean total fitness of mutation accumulation lines exceeded that of the ancestors, contrary to the expected decrease in the mean due to new mutations but in accord with prior work on these MA lines. We observed genotype–environment interactions in the fitness effects of new mutations, such that the effects of mutations in Michigan were a poor predictor of their effects in Virginia and vice versa. In particular, mutational variance for fitness was much larger in Virginia compared to Michigan. This strong genotype–environment interaction would increase the amount of genetic variation maintained by mutation‐selection balance.
Perceptions are Reality: A Framework for Understanding Governance

In this article, we present a theoretical framework for understanding public governance based on human perceptions. We argue that governance is at its core a human enterprise, and concepts such as effectiveness, accountability, and legitimacy cannot be measured without considering the perceptions of both the governed and those involved in governing. The shortcomings of existing governance research are discussed, and five propositions related to the link between micro- and macro-governance, small group dynamics, accountability, and public performance are offered. We conclude by describing how the framework can be applied in future research in the fields of public and nonprofit governance.
Staging of esophageal cancer with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess the performance of positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in the staging of cancer in patients with esophageal carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS The findings of FDG PET and of CT in the chest and upper abdomen of 36 patients with newly diagnosed esophageal carcinoma were compared with pathologic findings obtained either during a curative surgical procedure with tissue sampling (n = 29) or by tissue sampling alone (n = 7). RESULTS Abnormal FDG uptake was identified on PET in the esophageal tumors of all patients. In 29 patients who underwent curative esophagectomy, PET and CT accurately revealed the extent of nodal disease in 76% (22/29) and 45% (13/29) of patients, respectively. In the seven patients who underwent tissue sampling instead of complete esophagectomy, PET revealed metastatic disease in five patients, all of whom avoided needless surgery. CT failed to reveal metastatic disease in these five patients. In addition, PET incidentally revealed an unsuspected primary long carcinoma in one patient. CONCLUSION FDG PET is more sensitive than CT for revealing regional and distant metastases in patients with esophageal carcinoma. The use of PET in the staging of esophageal cancer may prove to be cost-effective by decreasing the number of unnecessary surgeries in patients with unresectable tumors.
Mental addition versus subtraction in counterfactual reasoning: on assessing the impact of personal actions and life events.

Assessing the consequences of actions and events often requires comparing a mental stimulation of the world in which the action is present to one in which the action is absent. We propose that people perceive more impact when asked to assess whether an action would increase the likelihood or degree of a potential outcome (mental addition) than when asked whether it would reduce the probability or extent of a potential consequence (mental subtraction). This judgmental asymmetry occurs because people (a) give more weight to features of the particular mental stimulation (the action or its absence) serving as the subject of comparison and (b) give more weight to factors that produce as opposed to inhibit the relevant outcome. In 4 studies, Ss assessed the impact of personal actions (e.g., studying for an exam). Ss perceived more impact when the assessment was placed in an additive frame (e.g., "how many more questions will you get right if you study? ") as opposed to a subtractive one (e.g., "how many fewer will you get right if you do not study? "). This effect was not influenced by the hedonic value of the event or by whether the S had actually experienced it. Discussion centers on the relevance of these results for the undoing of scenarios and causal attribution.
Feasibility and Efficacy of Patient-Initiated Mobile Teledermoscopy for Short-term Monitoring of Clinically Atypical Nevi.

IMPORTANCE Patient-driven mobile teledermoscopy may be applicable for monitoring of skin lesions. OBJECTIVE To assess the feasibility, efficacy, and patient receptivity of teledermoscopy for short-term monitoring of clinically atypical nevi. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This was a prospective cohort study performed at an institutional referral center in New York. Consecutive patients 18 years or older, with 1 or more clinically atypical nevi that required short-term monitoring and were accessible by a mobile imaging device were recruited for the study. All 34 patients consented to the study, and 29 completed follow-up. Dermoscopic images were obtained in the office-based setting by a dermatologist and with an iPhone by the patient at baseline and follow-up (3-4 months). Patients completed surveys that included questions about skincare awareness and attitudes toward teledermoscopy. Standard dermoscopic images were evaluated by the office-based dermatologist, and mobile dermoscopic images were sent via the Internet to a teledermatologist to evaluate image quality and presence of significant clinical lesion change. The decisions of the teledermatologist and office-based dermatologist were compared. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES (1) Feasibility of using mobile dermatoscope by patients, (2) diagnostic concordance of teledermoscopy vs conventional office-based visit, and (3) patient receptivity to teledermoscopy for short-term monitoring of nevi. RESULTS Of the 29 patients who completed the study, 28 (97%) were able to acquire baseline and follow-up images that were subsequently deemed evaluable by the teledermatologist. The diagnostic concordance between conventional office-based visits and teledermoscopy encounters was 0.87 (SE, 0.13) (κ statistic). In addition, patients reported high receptivity to teledermoscopy for short-term monitoring of nevi. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Results from this pilot study suggest that teledermoscopy is feasible and effective as a method for short-term monitoring of clinically atypical nevi. The implementation of teledermoscopy can potentially enhance patient convenience, optimize physician scheduling, and promote efficiency.
Significance of thyrotrophin and thyroxine estimations in type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether estimation of thyrotrophin (TSH) and thyroxine (T4) is significant to assess the thyroid status of diabetic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty patients with type 1 diabetes (25 male and 25 female) aged 9-50 years were included. The mean duration of diabetes was 6.7 +/- 4.3 years. Clinically they were not suffering from any systemic disease or endocrine ailment. Twenty-six, age and sex matched, normal controls were also included. The TSH and and T4 were estimated in the sera of all the subjects using the commercially available ELISA kits. RESULTS The mean +/- SD concentration of TSH was raised significantly (p < 0.001) in the patients as compared to the controls, whereas the T4 concentration was comparable. Furthermore, 30% diabetics showed significantly elevated TSH concentration than the controls. CONCLUSION It is proposed that the estimation of TSH in the patients with type 1 diabetes may be useful in the early identification of thyroid dysfunction.
Distal lower-extremity pain and work postures in the Quebec population.

OBJECTIVES Standing at work has been associated with discomfort and cardiovascular symptoms. Because standing postures vary in duration, mobility, and constraint, we explored associations between specific postures and pain in the lower extremities. METHODS We used multiple logistic regression to analyze associations between work factors and pain in the lower extremities during the previous 12 months that interfered with usual activities. We used data from among 7757 workers who were interviewed in the 1998 Quebec Health and Social Survey. RESULTS Among all respondents, 9.4% reported significant ankle or foot pain, and 6.4% had lower-leg or calf pain. Significantly more women than men had pain at both sites. Both leg or calf and ankle or foot pain were strongly associated with standing postures, whole-body vibration, psychological distress, female gender, and being aged 50 years or older. Constrained standing postures were associated with increased ankle or foot pain for both men and women and with leg or calf pain for women, compared with standing with freedom to sit at will. CONCLUSIONS Freedom to sit at work may prevent lower-extremity pain. The effects of specific sitting and standing postures on cartilage, muscle, and the cardiovascular system may help explain discomfort in the lower extremities.
Transforming Growth Factor- (cid:1) Induces Secretion of Activated ADAMTS-2 A PROCOLLAGEN III N-PROTEINASE*

The metalloproteinase ADAMTS-2 has procollagen I N-proteinase activity capable of cleaving procollagens I and II N-propeptides in vitro , whereas mutations in the ADAMTS-2 gene in dermatosparaxis and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome VIIC show this enzyme to be responsible in vivo for most biosynthetic processing of procollagen I N-propeptides in skin. Yet despite its important role in the regulation of collagen deposition, information re-garding regulation and substrate specificity of AD-AMTS-2 has remained sparse. Here we demonstrate that ADAMTS-2 can, like the procollagen C-proteinases, be regulated by transforming growth factor- (cid:1) 1 (TGF- (cid:1) 1), with implications for mechanisms whereby this growth factor effects net increases in formation of extracellular matrix. TGF- (cid:1) 1 induced ADAMTS-2 mRNA (cid:1) 8-fold in MG-63 osteosarcoma cells in a dose- and time-depend-ent, cycloheximide-inhibitable manner, which appeared to operate at the transcriptional level. Secreted AD-AMTS-2 protein induced by TGF- (cid:1) 1 was 132 kDa gels were transferred, as above, to Sequi-Blot polyvinylidene difluoride membranes (Bio-Rad). were excised, N-terminal amino acid sequences were determined by automated Edman degrada- tion at the Microchemistry Facility. Enzymatic Deglycosylation Assays— Enzymatic deglycosylation was performed using the Glycopro deglycosylation kit (ProZyme). Briefly, purified protein in 50 m M sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, was dena- tured in 0.08% SDS, 40 m M 2-mercaptoethanol for 5 min at 100 °C. Triton X-100 was added to the cooled sample to chelate SDS, which was then incubated 3 h at 37 °C with various combinations of glycosidases, as and of 0.1 unit/ (cid:3) l PNGase F, 0.1 unit/ (cid:3) l sialidase A, 0.025 milliunit/ (cid:3) l endo- O -glycosidase, 0.06 milliunit/ (cid:3) l (cid:1) -1–4-galactosidase, and 0.8 milliunit/ (cid:3) l glucosaminidase. Reactions were stopped with 10 (cid:5) SDS-PAGE loading buffer and boiling for 5 min.
Reprioritization of Features of Multidimensional Objects Stored in Visual Working Memory

A prevalent view of visual working memory (VWM) is that visual information is actively maintained in the form of perceptually integrated objects. Such reliance on object-based representations would predict that after an object is fully encoded into VWM, all features of that object would need to be maintained as a coherent unit. Here, we evaluated this idea by testing whether memory resources can be redeployed to a specific feature of an object already stored in VWM. We found that observers can utilize a retrospective cue presented during the maintenance period to attenuate both the gradual deterioration and complete loss of memory for a cued feature over time, but at the cost of accelerated loss of information regarding the uncued feature. Our findings demonstrate that object representations held within VWM can be decomposed into individual features and that having to retain additional features imposes greater demands on active maintenance processes.
A method for reversible permeabilization of isolated rat ventricular myocytes

A method is described that enables the cell membrane of isolated rat ventricular myocytes to be permeabilized and resealed while maintaining cell viability. Streptolysin O, a cholesterol‐binding cytolysin, was used to form pores in the surface membrane; subsequent incubation with 5% fetal bovine serum was used to reverse this permeabilization. The efficacy of membrane permeabilization and resealing was ascertained using a simultaneous double‐staining technique using propidium iodide, a marker for cells with permeabilized membranes, and fluorescein diacetate, a marker for viable cells. This procedure allowed a distinction to be made between dead cells, unpermeabilized cells and viable cells that had been successfully permeabilized and resealed. The accessibility of the cell interior during permeabilization was investigated by including fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)‐labelled dextrans (11, 38 and 148 kDa) and bovine serum albumin (67 kDa) in the permeabilization buffer, and localizing the FITC label using confocal microscopy following resealing. The confocal images showed that these molecules entered the cells and were retained after resealing. Following the permeabilization‐resealing protocol, cells appeared to have both normal morphology and response to electrical stimulation. Thus this appears to be a cheap, simple and effective method to introduce relatively large molecules into cardiac myocytes.
Don’t Know Much about Foreign Policy: Assessing the Impact of “Don’t Know” and “No Opinion” Responses on Inferences about Foreign Policy Attitudes

Public opinion surveys on American foreign policy often elicit many "don't know" or "no opinion" responses. Researchers have paid surprisingly little attention to these responses, typically dropping them from their analyses or suppressing them in the survey design. We argue that these practices lead to potentially misleading conclusions about both the level of support for particular foreign policies and the determinants of individual attitudes. We demonstrate these problems using an original survey experiment testing the effect of including a DKNO option on three common questions about international trade, the use of force, and isolationism. Our findings also suggest that taking DKNO responses more seriously in our analyses provides a richer sense of the process through which important covariates actually influence attitudes.