Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Annual DMSP contribution to S and C fluxes through phytoplankton and bacterioplankton in a NW Mediterranean coastal site

The contribution of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) to the fluxes of carbon and sul- fur through phytoplankton and bacterioplankton was investigated throughout an annual cycle in the Blanes Bay Microbial Observatory (coastal NW Mediterranean). DMSP accounted for 0.3 to 7% of biovolume-estimated phytoplankton carbon and 4 to 93% of calculated phytoplankton sulfur, with higher contributions in 'summer' (highly irradiated, oligotrophic waters, May to September) and lower in 'winter' (October to April). DMSP biosynthesis rates accounted for 0.8 to 7% of carbon fixa- tion and 11 to 88% of sulfur assimilation through primary production, with slightly higher shares in summer. Upon release from the algal cells, DMSP supplied 0.5 to 6% of the total carbon demand of heterotrophic bacteria, and 3 to 100% of the sulfur demand over the year. Uncertainties associated with these calculations are due to a scarce knowledge of C:S ratios in marine bacteria. Bacterial DMSP-sulfur assimilation (measured with 35 S-DMSP) was positively correlated with bacterial hetero- trophic production rates (measured with 3 H-leucine). In summer waters, characterized by higher ratios of particulate DMSP to chlorophyll a (DMSPp:chl a), DMSP-sulfur assimilation by bacteria was higher and contributed a larger share of the bacterial sulfur demand. We propose that the DMSP:chl a ratio is a good indicator of the relative role of DMSP in the carbon and sulfur fluxes through the first levels of the planktonic food web.
Effect of Trophic Status on the Culturability and Activity of Bacteria from a Range of Lakes in the English Lake District

ABSTRACT The bacterioplankton from a number of lakes that differed in nutrient status in the English Lake District was examined with a number of techniques for enumeration and activity assessment. Natural water samples showed a clear correlation between total counts and trophic status. Esterase activity measurements with Chemchrome B were able to distinguish high- and low-nutrient-status lakes, whereas tetrazolium salt (5-cyano-2,3-ditoyltetrazolium chloride) reduction, the direct viable count-cell elongation assay, and culturability measurements could not. Tetrazolium salt reduction and esterase activity measurements labeled a significant number of cells from water of all nutrient levels, whereas the direct viable count-cell elongation method was of use only in oligotrophic waters. Size fractionation of samples showed that the culturable cells were retained by the larger filters, especially in nutrient-rich waters. Esterase activity measurements also favored the larger cells. The differences observed between assays using water that differed in trophic status raise questions about the use of these tests as a definitive measure of viability.
Animal Model of Drug‐Resistant Tumor Progression

Abstract: Experimental animal model of tumor progression based on mice lymphosarcoma (LS) and resistant lymphosarcoma (RLS) has been developed . LS tumor displays high sensitivity to cyclophosphamide, which is widely used in anticancer therapy. RLS tumor was derived from LS by passaging in mice receiving low concentration of cyclophosphamide (20 mg/kg) and display resistance to cyclophosphamide (up to dose 150 mg/kg). The primary cultures of LS and RLS tumors display different expression levels of the genes related to apoptosis and multiple drug‐resistant phenotype: in RLS tumor high levels of mdr1b and bcl‐2 genes and low level of p53 gene expression were found. A total of 10% of cells in RLS primary culture display multiple drug‐resistant phenotype and survive even at high dose of cytostatics. Cultivation of RLS primary culture in the presence of increasing vinblastine concentrations gives RLS40 cell culture, which exhibits high levels of mdr1a/1b genes expression as compared to RLS and 20‐fold increase of resistance to cytostatics. Drug‐resistant RLS40 cells were transplanted into CBA mice and sensitivity of the tumors to anticancer drugs was tested . RLS40 tumors were resistant to a number of cytostatics used in anticancer therapy (cyclophosphamide, cysplatin, vinblastine, rubomycinum). Thus, RLS40 tumor can be used as model, which corresponds to tumor status observed in patients after one or several courses of chemotherapy and can be useful for testing conventional therapy alone or together with newly developed gene‐targeted therapeutics.
The Elevational Gradient in Altitudinal Range: An Extension of Rapoport's Latitudinal Rule to Altitude

For trees, mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and amphibians, the species richness on mountaintops is generally less than that of lowland areas. Coincident with this decline in species richness with increasing elevation is an increase in the altitudinal range of species. This pattern is analogous to the relationship between the latitudinal range of species and latitude (Rapoport's latitudinal rule). Both of these Rapoport phenomena, the latitudinal and the new elevational rule discussed here, can be explained as being results of differences in the breadth of climatic conditions organisms experience along the geographical gradients. The influence of latitudinal or altitudinal range size on local species richness is poorly understood, but the tendency for range margins to fall in species-rich, rather than species-poor, areas may mean that species-rich communities contain many species that are maintained only through immigration. The presence of these persistent but locally non-self-maintaining populations may explain the increased number of species found in rich communities as compared to species-poor communities without the need to invoke other differences in local species interactions.
Probabilistic Models and Asymptotic Results for Concurrent Processing with Exclusive and Non-Exclusive Locks

We give a probabilistic model for conflicts among transactions in a database. We extend recent work (Mitra and Weinberger, J. Assoc. Comput. Mach., 31 (1984), pp. 855–878) by allowing two kinds of locks for concurrency control, exclusive and non-exclusive. Thus read locks allow shared access and are therefore non-exclusive, while write locks are exclusive. An arriving transaction is blocked if it conflicts with any of the transactions already undergoing processing; otherwise, it is accepted for concurrent processing. Our treatment, which has probabilistic, combinatorial and analytic components, yields exact formulas for performance measures, such as mean concurrency and throughput. For large databases special formulas are derived and proven to be asymptotically exact. These formulas are simple and also fit well to the exact formulas. What are non-exclusive locks worth? A succinct answer is given for this important design question.
Expression of QKI Proteins and MAP1B Identifies Actively Myelinating Oligodendrocytes in Adult Rat Brain

We have studied developing oligodendrocytes in tissue sections as they initiate myelination and have found that the transition from premyelinating oligodendrocytes into myelin-bearing cells is accompanied by a dramatic upregulation in expression of the RNA binding QKI proteins. We show that in mature oligodendrocytes in culture, the localization of cytoplasmic QKI isoforms requires an intact cytoskeleton. Together with previous observations, this indicates that cytoplasmic QKI proteins facilitate movement of mRNAs to myelin via the cytoskeleton. In the adult rat brain, we found that a subset of oligodendrocytes displays characteristics of actively myelinating cells seen during development, i.e., connections to myelin sheaths and elevated levels of QKI proteins and also MAP1B. These observations suggest that instead of merely maintaining myelin, oligodendrocytes in the normal adult CNS are capable of responding to demands for new myelin sheaths. This has important implications for the prospect of repair of myelin in demyelinating conditions such as multiple sclerosis.
Differences in Parasympathetic Vasodilator and Salivary Responses in the Cat Submandibular Gland between Lingual and Chorda-lingual Nerve Stimulation

Experimental activation of parasympathetic vasodilatation and salivation in the submandibular gland by a "pseudoreflex" method has definite advantages over other commonly used methods. However, it is unclear which stimulation sites allow for avoidance of direct activation of the parasympathetic efferents to this gland. We examined this question in heavily anesthetized (a-chloralose and urethane), artificially ventilated, cervically vagosympathectomized cats, using the intersection of the chorda-lingual nerve and the submandibular gland duct ("the intersection") as our reference point. Both vasodilatation and salivation evoked by electrical stimulation of the lingual nerve were abolished by section of the chorda-lingual nerve (10 mm proximal to the intersection), provided the stimulation site was distal to the intersection by 4 mm or more. This salivation was abolished by the muscarinic receptor antagonist, scopolamine. Thus, by careful choice of stimulation site, submandibular gland responses mediated solely by reflex parasympathetic mechanisms can be evoked by lingual nerve stimulation in this preparation.
Dynamin‐1 deletion enhances post‐tetanic potentiation and quantal size after tetanic stimulation at the calyx of Held

Post‐tetanic potentiation (PTP) is attributed mainly to an increase in release probability (Pr) and/or readily‐releasable pool (RRP) in many synapses, but the role of endocytosis in PTP is unknown. Using the calyx of Held synapse from tissue‐specific dynamin‐1 knockout (cKO) mice (P16–20), we report that cKO synapses show enhanced PTP compared to control. We found significant increases in both spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current (spEPSC) amplitude and RRP size (estimated by a train of 30 APs at 100 Hz) in cKO over control during PTP. Actin depolymerization blocks the increase in spEPSC amplitude in both control and cKO, and it abolishes the enhancement of PTP in cKO. PTP is sensitive to the PKC inhibitor GF109203X in both control and cKO. We conclude that an activity‐dependent quantal size increase contributes to the enhancement of PTP in cKO over control and an altered endocytosis affects short‐term plasticity through quantal size changes.
Quantitative MRI for Analysis of Active Multiple Sclerosis Lesions without Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agent

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Contrast-enhancing MS lesions are important markers of active inflammation in the diagnostic work-up of MS and in disease monitoring with MR imaging. Because intravenous contrast agents involve an expense and a potential risk of adverse events, it would be desirable to identify active lesions without using a contrast agent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether pre-contrast injection tissue-relaxation rates and proton density of MS lesions, by using a new quantitative MR imaging sequence, can identify active lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-four patients with a clinical suspicion of MS were studied. MR imaging with a standard clinical MS protocol and a quantitative MR imaging sequence was performed at inclusion (baseline) and after 1 year. ROIs were placed in MS lesions, classified as nonenhancing or enhancing. Longitudinal and transverse relaxation rates, as well as proton density were obtained from the quantitative MR imaging sequence. Statistical analyses of ROI values were performed by using a mixed linear model, logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic analysis. RESULTS: Enhancing lesions had a significantly (P < .001) higher mean longitudinal relaxation rate (1.22 ± 0.36 versus 0.89 ± 0.24), a higher mean transverse relaxation rate (9.8 ± 2.6 versus 7.4 ± 1.9), and a lower mean proton density (77 ± 11.2 versus 90 ± 8.4) than nonenhancing lesions. An area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value of 0.832 was obtained. CONCLUSIONS: Contrast-enhancing MS lesions often have proton density and relaxation times that differ from those in nonenhancing lesions, with lower proton density and shorter relaxation times in enhancing lesions compared with nonenhancing lesions.
The Digital Privacy Paradox: Small Money, Small Costs, Small Talk

'Notice and Choice' has been a mainstay of policies designed to safeguard consumer privacy. This paper investigates distortions in consumer behavior when faced with notice and choice which may limit the ability of consumers to safeguard their privacy using field experiment data from the MIT digital currency experiment. There are three findings. First, the effect small incentives have on disclosure may explain the privacy paradox: Whereas people say they care about privacy, they are willing to relinquish private data quite easily when incentivized to do so. Second, small navigation costs have a tangible effect on how privacy-protective consumers' choices are, often in sharp contrast with individual stated preferences about privacy. Third, the introduction of irrelevant, but reassuring information about privacy protection makes consumers less likely to avoid surveillance, regardless of their stated preferences towards privacy.
Severe demyelination but no astrocytopathy in clinically definite neuromyelitis optica with anti-myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody

We report a patient with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) presenting anti-myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-seropositive, in whom biomarkers of demyelination and astrocyte damage were measured during an acute attack. A 31-year-old man developed right optic neuritis followed by longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis, fulfilling the criteria for definite NMO. He was anti-MOG-seropositive and anti-aquaporin-4 seronegative. The myelin basic protein level was markedly elevated whereas glial fibrillary acidic protein was not detectable in cerebrospinal fluid during an acute attack. His symptoms quickly improved after high-dose methylprednisolone therapy. This case suggests that NMO patients with anti-MOG may have severe demyelination in the absence of astrocyte injury.
Parasite fauna of white-streaked grouper, Epinephelus ongus (Bloch, 1790) (Epinephelidae) from Karimunjawa, Indonesia

This study provides the first comprehensive information on the parasite fauna of the white-streaked grouper Epinephelus ongus . A total of 35 specimens from the archipelago Karimunjawa, Java Sea, Indonesia were studied for metazoan parasites. For comparison, the documented parasite community of 521 E. areolatus , E. coioides and E. fuscoguttatus from previous studies were analysed. A total of 17 different parasite taxa were recognized for E. ongus , including 14 new host and four new locality records. This increases the known parasite taxa of E. ongus by more than 80%. The ectoparasite fauna was predominated by the monogenean Pseudorhabdosynochus quadratus resulting in a low Shannon index of species diversity of the entire parasite community (0.17). By contrast, the species diversity excluding the ectoparasites reached the highest value recorded for Indonesian epinephelids (1.93). The endoparasite fauna was predominated by generalists, which are already known from Indonesia. This demonstrates the potential risk of parasite transmission through E. ongus into mariculture and vice versa. One-way analyses of similarity revealed a significantly different parasite community pattern of E. ongus compared with E. areolatus and E. fuscoguttatus as well as minor differences with E. coioides . This finding refers to different habitat preferences of these epinephelids within the analysed size range.
Preferential binding of ATR protein to UV-damaged DNA

The ATR protein is a member of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-related kinase family and plays an important role in UV-induced DNA damage checkpoint response. Its role as a signal transducer in cell cycle checkpoint is well established, but it is currently unclear whether ATR functions as a damage sensor as well. Here we have purified the ATR protein and investigated its interaction with DNA by using biochemical analysis and electron microscopy. We find that ATR is a DNA-binding protein with higher affinity to UV-damaged than undamaged DNA. In addition, damaged DNA stimulates the kinase activity of ATR to a significantly higher level than undamaged DNA. Our data suggest that ATR may function as an initial sensor in the DNA damage checkpoint response.
Neuronal cell surface ATP synthase mediates synthesis of extracellular ATP and regulation of intracellular pH

The ATP synthase is known to play important roles in ATP generation and proton translocation within mitochondria. Here, we now provide evidence showing the presence of functional ecto‐ATP synthase on the neuronal surface. Immunoblotting revealed that the α, β subunits of ATP synthase F1 portion are present in isolated fractions of plasma membrane and biotin‐labelled surface protein from primary cultured neurons; the surface distribution of α, β subunits was also confirmed by immunofluorescence staining. Moreover, α and β subunits were also found in fractions of plasma membrane and lipid rafts isolated from rat brain, and flow cytometry analysis showed α subunits on the surface of acutely isolated brain cells. Activity assays showed that the extracellular ATP generation of cultured neurons could be compromised by α, β subunit antibodies and ATP synthase inhibitors. pHi (intracellular pH) analysis demonstrated that at low extracellular pH, α or β subunit antibodies decreased pHi of primary cultured neurons. Therefore, ATP synthase on the surface of neurons may be involved in the machineries of extracellular ATP generation and pHi homoeostasis.
Inheritance, fitness costs, incomplete resistance and feeding preferences in a laboratory-selected MON810-resistant strain of the true armyworm Mythimna unipuncta.

BACKGROUND The low efficacy of MON810 maize against Mythimna unipuncta represents a scenario of non-compliance with the 'high-dose' strategy, raising concerns about potential resistance development and outbreaks of this secondary pest. The present study offers insight into the different components related to resistance in a laboratory-selected MON810-resistant (MR) strain of M. unipuncta. RESULTS The resistance in the MR strain is autosomal and inherited as a partially dominant trait. We have found a lack of fitness costs in this strain for essential life history traits, reproductive potential and most of the population growth parameters analysed, the only exception being an increment in the mean generation time. Larvae of the MR strain reared on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize took longer to develop, presented a high adult cumulative emergence time and had lower growth rate than those reared on non-Bt maize, suggesting the existence of incomplete resistance. Feeding preference assays reveal a low discrimination between Bt and conventional maize. CONCLUSION Both resistant and heterozygous larvae of M. unipuncta survive the Cry1Ab toxin expressed on Bt maize, with a weak fitness cost for the homozygous larvae, indicating the potential risk of field-evolved resistance and its relevance to resistance monitoring. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
Analysis of a Jup hypomorphic allele reveals a critical threshold for postnatal viability

Mutations in the human Jup gene cause arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a heart muscle disease that often leads to sudden cardiac death. Inactivation of the murine Jup gene (also known as plakoglobin) results in embryonic lethality due to cardiac rupture. In an effort to generate a conditional knockout allele, a neomycin cassette was introduced into the murine plakoglobin (PG) gene. This allele (PG FN) functions as a hypomorph when combined with a null allele (PG Δ). About half of the PG FN/Δ animals were smaller than their littermates and died before weaning age, whereas the remaining PG FN/Δ animals survived. Despite the reduced levels of PG in the heart, there were no signs of cardiomyopathy or cardiac dysfunction as determined by echocardiography. Importantly, the PG homolog, β‐catenin (CTNNB1), was increased in the PG FN/Δ hearts. In addition to its structural role as part of the N‐cadherin/catenin adhesion complex, β‐catenin is a downstream effector of Wnt signaling. However, no change in β‐catenin/TCF reporter activity was observed in PG FN/Δ embryos suggesting that excess β‐catenin was not likely causing increased transcription of Wnt/β‐catenin target genes. These data suggest novel function(s) for PG beyond the heart and define a critical threshold of PG expression that is necessary for postnatal survival. genesis 50:717–727, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The 2008 outburst in the young stellar system Z CMa I. Evidence of an enhanced bipolar wind on the AU-scale

Context. Accretion is a fundamental process in star formation. Although the time evolution of accretion remains a matter of debate, observations and modelling studies suggest that episodic outbursts of strong accretion may dominate the formation of the central protostar. Observing young stellar objects during these elevated accretion states is crucial to understanding the origin of unsteady accretion. Aims. Z CMa is a pre-main-sequence binary system composed of an embedded Herbig Be star, undergoing photometric outbursts, and a FU Orionis star. This system therefore provides a unique opportunity to study unsteady accretion processes. The Herbig Be component recently underwent its largest optical photometric outburst detected so far. We aim to constrain the origin of this outburst by studying the emission region of the HI Br_γ line, a powerful tracer of accretion/ejection processes on the AU-scale in young stars. Methods. Using the AMBER/VLTI instrument at spectral resolutions of 1500 and 12 000, we performed spatially and spectrally resolved interferometric observations of the hot gas emitting across the Br_γ emission line, during and after the outburst. From the visibilities and differential phases, we derive characteristic sizes for the Br_γ emission and spectro-astrometric measurements across the line, with respect to the continuum. Results. We find that the line profile, the astrometric signal, and the visibilities are inconsistent with the signature of either a Keplerian disk or infall of matter. They are, instead, evidence of a bipolar wind, maybe partly seen through a disk hole inside the dust sublimation radius. The disappearance of the Br_γ emission line after the outburst suggests that the outburst is related to a period of strong mass loss rather than a change of the extinction along the line of sight. Conclusions. Apart from the photometric increase of the system, the main consequence of the outburst is to trigger a massive bipolar outflow from the Herbig Be component. Based on these conclusions, we speculate that the origin of the outburst is an event of enhanced mass accretion, similar to those occuring in EX Ors and FU Ors.