Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decay of mutualistic potential in aphid endosymbionts through silencing of biosynthetic loci: Buchnera of Diuraphis

Buchnera, the primary bacterial endosymbiont of aphids, is known to provision essential amino acids lacking in the hosts' diet of plant sap. The recent discovery of silenced copies of genes for tryptophan biosynthesis (trpEG) in certain Buchnera lineages suggests a decay in symbiotic functions in some aphid species. However, neither the distribution of pseudogenes among lineages nor the impact of this gene silencing on amino–acid availability in hosts has been assessed. In Buchnera of the aphid Diuraphis noxia, tandem repeats of these pseudogenes have persisted in diverse lineages, and trpEG pseudogenes have originated at least twice within this aphid genus. Measures of amino–acid concentrations in Diuraphis species have shown that the presence of the pseudogene is associated with a decreased availability of tryptophan, indicating that gene silencing decreases nutrient provisioning by symbionts. In Buchnera of Diuraphis, rates of nonsynonymous substitutions are elevated in functional trpE copies, supporting the hypothesis that pseudogene origin and persistence reflect a reduced selection for symbiont biosynthetic contributions. The parallel evolution of trpEG pseudogenes in Buchnera of Diuraphis and certain other aphid hosts suggests that either selection at the host level is not effective or that fitness in these aphids is not limited by tryptophan availability.
HABITAT-RELATED ADAPTIVE PROPERTIES OF PLANT CUTICULAR LIPIDS

Abstract Cuticular permeability is thought to be related to the biophysical properties of cuticular waxes and, in turn, to the chemical composition of this boundary layer. However, thus far evidence for this relationship has been elusive. We investigated possible correlations between habitat and inter- and intraspecific variations in two parameters likeley to affect crystallinity and transition melting temperatures of waxes. Three species from the family Cupressaceae (Austrocedrus chilensis, Fitzroya cupressoides, Pilgerodendron uviferm) were selected as a model system because they are closely related and form a continuum over 20° of latitude in South America that includes important climatic differences. We found major divergence among the three species and more fine-scale population differentiation for A. chilensis and P. uviferum in weighted mean carbon number (N) and dispersion about this mean (d). Broad-sense heritabilities, estimated from ramet-ortet regressions and from analysis of variance among ortets of F. cupressoides were 0.92 for N and from 0.64–0.76 for d. Even in areas of close sympatry, species maintained their unique biochemical characteristics, thus supporting the genetic basis of cuticular hydrocarbons. Both species and population patterns suggest that natural selection has favored cuticular hydrocarbon mixes that provide differential fitness in the face of habitat differences in water stress and temperature. Corresponding Editor: T. Mousseau
Effects of intravenous fluid restriction on postoperative complications: comparison of two perioperative fluid regimens: a randomized assessor-blinded multicenter trial.

Objective: To investigate the effect of a restricted intravenous fluid regimen versus a standard regimen on complications after colorectal resection. Summary Background Data: Current fluid administration in major surgery causes a weight increase of 3‐ 6 kg. Complications after colorectal surgery are reported in up to 68% of patients. Associations between postoperative weight gain and poor survival as well as fluid overload and complications have been shown. Methods: We did a randomized observer-blinded multicenter trial. After informed consent was obtained, 172 patients were allocated to either a restricted or a standard intraoperative and postoperative intravenous fluid regimen. The restricted regimen aimed at maintaining preoperative body weight; the standard regimen resembled everyday practice. The primary outcome measures were complications; the secondary measures were death and adverse effects. Results: The restricted intravenous fluid regimen significantly reduced postoperative complications both by intention-to-treat (33% versus 51%, P 0.013) and per-protocol (30% versus 56%, P 0.003) analyses. The numbers of both cardiopulmonary (7% versus 24%, P 0.007) and tissue-healing complications (16% versus 31%, P 0.04) were significantly reduced. No patients died in the restricted group compared with 4 deaths in the standard group (0% versus 4.7%, P 0.12). No harmful adverse effects were observed. Conclusion: The restricted perioperative intravenous fluid regimen aiming at unchanged body weight reduces complications after elective colorectal resection.
Gel‐based phosphoproteomics analysis of sarcoplasmic proteins in postmortem porcine muscle with pH decline rate and time differences

Meat quality development is highly influenced by the pH decline caused by the postmortem (PM) glycolysis. Protein phosphorylation is an important mechanism in regulating the activity of glycometabolic enzymes. Here, a gel‐based phosphoproteomic study was performed to analyze the protein phosphorylation in sarcoplasmic proteins from three groups of pigs with different pH decline rates from PM 1 to 24 h. Globally, the fast pH decline group had the highest phosphorylation level at PM 1 h, but lowest at 24 h, whereas the slow pH decline group showed the reverse case. The same pattern was also observed in most individual bands in 1‐DE. The protein phosphorylation levels of 12 bands were significantly affected by the synergy effects of pH and time (p<0.05). Protein identification revealed that most of the phosphoproteins were glycometabolism‐related enzymes, and the others were involved in stress response, phosphocreatine metabolism, and other functions. The phosphorylation of pyruvate kinase and triosephosphate isomerase‐1 showed to be related to PM muscle pH decline rate. Our work sheds light on the potential role of protein phosphorylation on regulating meat quality development.
Leydig cell differentation, steroid metabolism by the interstitium in vitro and the growth of the accessory sex organs in the rat.

Several workers have studied various parameters as an index of Leydig cell differentiation and attempted to correlate them with the growth of the accessory sex organs. In the prepuberal rat, little correlation seems to have been achieved (see Niemi & Ikonen, 1963; Clegg, 1966). Others have examined testosterone production in vitro by the immature testis and attempted to correlate this with the increase in weight of the seminal vesicles and prostate gland. In this connec-tion, a good deal of attention has been paid to the production of testosterone in vitro and its apparent regulation by 5\g=a\-reductase activity. Nayfeh, Barefoot & Baggett (1966) reported an increase in testosterone production per unit weight of tissue at about the time of sexual maturity and suggested that this might be due mainly to reduced metabolism to 5\g=a\-androstane-3\g=a\, 17\g=b\-diol (androstanediol). Inano, Hori & Tamaoki (1967) found a remarkable increase in the activity of various enzymes associated with testosterone formation from Days 20 to 30 and a marked decline in the yields per testis of androsterone and 3\g=a\,17\g=a\-dihydroxy-5\g=a\-pregnan-20-one from Days 40 to 60. The same authors also found a dramatic increase in the weight of the seminal vesicles from Days 50 to 60. In similar studies, Ficher & Steinberger (1968) found almost total metabolism of progesterone from birth and confirmed the inverse relationship between testosterone formation and 5a-reductase activity. These authors drew attention to 'the importance of Ring A reductases in the process ofdifferentiation of androgen-biosynthetic pathways' (Steinberger & Ficher, 1969) and later emphasized
Movement‐related cortical potentials preceding repetitive and random‐choice hand movements in parkinson's disease

The movement‐related cortical electroencephalographic potential was recorded from scalp electrodes in 8 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease studied at least 12 hours after withdrawal of their normal drug therapy, and compared with the results from a group of 8 age‐matched control subjects. Two types of self‐paced voluntary arm movements were examined: repetitive forward movement of a joystick, and random‐choice movements of the same joystick in which subjects had to choose freely the direction in which they were to move the stick (forward, backward, left, or right). In normal subjects, the movement‐related cortical potential was larger prior to random‐choice movements, whereas in the patients, the amplitude was the same in both tasks. The implication is that processes involved in self‐selection of movement are abnormal in Parkinson's disease. This may contribute to the difficulty that patients have in initiating voluntary movement in the absence of any external cues.
Cytoskeletal Architecture and Organelle Transport in Giant Syncytia Formed by Fusion of Hexactinellid Sponge Tissues.

Dissociated tissue from the hexactinellid sponge Rhabdocalyptus dawsoni adheres to coated substrates and aggregates by the fusion of tissue pieces to form a giant syncytium. Video microscopy shows that the pieces contact each other by way of lamellipodia or filopodia. Fusion, corroborated by evidence of dye spread, occurs about 1 hour after plating and is characterized by two-way transport of individual organelles, including nuclei, at an average rate of 2.15 {mu}m.s-1, and bulk streaming of cytoplasm at an average velocity of 1.72 {mu}m . s-1. In the cellular sponge Haliclona, by contrast, dye does not spread through aggregates and no streaming can be seen. That transport in Rhabdocalyptus is microtubule-based is indicated by the reversible inhibition of streaming caused by colcemid and nocodazole. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy reveal an extensive network of microtubule bundles within the aggregates. The cytoskeleton also includes microfilament bundles that traverse aggregates and run around the periphery and giant, actindense rods that extend from the edges. Cytochalasin B reversibly disrupts the microfilamentous framework without blocking streaming. In contrast to demosponges where the cytoskeleton is organized on the basis of individual cells, in hexactinellids it provides a supporting framework and transport pathways within vast, multinucleate tissue masses. If we take this preparation as a model for tissue organization in the intact sponge, these findings support the view that hexactinellids are syncytial organisms, probably the largest in the animal kingdom, and suggest that food products may be distributed through the sponge intracellularly rather than by wandering amoebocytes. The findings strengthen the case for establishing the Hexactinellida as a subphylum within the Porifera.
Solid lipid microparticles containing loratadine prepared using a Micromixer

Solid lipid microparticles were investigated as a taste-masking approach for a lipophilic weak base in a suspension. The idea was that the drug concentration in the aqueous phase of a suspension might be reduced by its partitioning into the solid lipid particles. Loratadine, as a model drug, was used to prepare Precirol® ATO 5 microparticles by a Micromixer. The effects of three process variables: drug loading, PVA concentration and water/lipid ratio on the microparticle size, encapsulation efficiency, surface appearance, in-vitro release and drug partitioning in a suspension were studied. Loratadine release was slow in simulated saliva and very fast at the pH of stomach. In suspension of loratadine lipid microparticles, drug was released into the aqueous phase to the same concentration as in a drug suspension. Therefore, the usefulness of these microparticles for taste-masking in liquids is limited. However, they might be useful for taste-masking in solid dosage forms.
On the threshold of disorder: a study of the impact of the DSM-IV clinical significance criterion on diagnosing depressive and anxiety disorders in clinical practice.

BACKGROUND Two recent reanalyses of epidemiologic studies found that adding a clinical significance criterion reduced disorder prevalence. Patients presenting for clinical care are usually distressed or impaired by their symptoms; thus, the DSM-IV clinical significance criterion might have little impact on diagnosis in clinical practice. In the present report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project, we examine the impact of the DSM-IV clinical significance criterion on diagnostic frequencies of depressive and anxiety disorders in psychiatric outpatients. METHOD 1500 psychiatric outpatients were evaluated with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. We determined the percentage of patients who met symptom criteria but did not meet the DSM-IV clinical significance criterion for major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia, specific phobia, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. RESULTS No patient who met the symptom criteria for current major depressive disorder or PTSD failed to meet the clinical significance criterion. Less than 2% of patients meeting the symptom criteria for current GAD did not meet the clinical significance criterion. There was variability among the remaining anxiety disorders in the percentage of symptomatic patients who met the clinical significance criterion. CONCLUSION In psychiatric patients, the clinical significance criterion had little impact on diagnosing major depressive disorder, GAD, and PTSD, disorders that are defined, in part, by disruptions of daily regulatory domains such as sleep, appetite, energy, and concentration. In contrast, the clinical significance criterion had a greater impact in determining whether phobic fears, obsessive thoughts, and panic attacks were sufficiently distressing or impairing to qualify for disorder status.
Theory and application of the material work function for chemical sensors based on the field effect principle

This paper gives first of all the definition of the work function of an electronic as well as an ionic conductor. FET-type gas sensors known from the literature are considered in view of this basic theory and the parameter of the work function which is responsible for the sensing properties is noticed. This appears not always to be possible for the various types of gas sensors, in this case the gas FET, the SGFET and the IGFET. In contrast to this ambiguity, the sensing parameters of the recently developed MOSFET, meant for application in an electrolyte, can clearly be identified. As an example an oxygen sensor based on the developed MOSFET is described.
Wing disc development during caste differentiation in the ant Pheidole megacephala (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Summary The genus Pheidole has three distinct castes in females: queen, major, and minor workers. It has been believed that the larvae of major workers have prominent mesothoracic wing discs, although the minor worker larvae lack them. Here we conducted histological examinations of wing discs during larval development in P. megacephala. We show that all three castes have mesothoracic wing discs, at least in their early stage of the final larval instar, and that the wings degenerate differently in the dimorphic worker castes. The minute wing discs of minor workers neither grow nor metamorphose but disappear during the prepupal stage. On the contrary, the wing discs of major workers evaginate at the onset of the prepupal stage but subsequently degenerate by apoptotic cell death. This apoptotic wing degeneration in the prepupal stage was contradistinguished from wing degeneration in some lepidopteran insects, in which apoptosis occurs in the pupal wing buds. Our results suggest that each worker caste shows a different degeneration process to express the wingless character and that apoptotic degeneration has been adopted in association with the evolution of worker dimorphism.
Two monoclonal antibodies specific for different epitopes within the amino-terminal region of F pilin

Two murine monoclonal antibodies (JEL 92 and 93) specific for adjacent epitopes on F pilin were purified and characterized. JEL 93 immunoglobulin G (IgG) and its Fab fragments were specific for the amino-terminal region and were completely reactive with a synthetic peptide representing the first eight amino acids of F pilin. The acetyl group was demonstrated to be an important part of the epitope, since an unacetylated version of the amino-terminal peptide was 100-fold less reactive with JEL 93 IgG. JEL 92 IgG reacted with the region of F pilin surrounding Met-9, represented by a tryptic peptide derived from the first 17 amino acids. This reactivity was completely abolished by cleavage of the peptide with cyanogen bromide. As shown by electron microscopy, both monoclonal antibodies bound to a vesiclelike structure at one end of purified free pili and did not bind to the sides of the pili, nor did they appear to bind to the tip. When sonication was used to break pili into shorter fragments, the number of binding sites for JEL 92 but not JEL 93 IgG increased as measured by a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
PRESSURE EFFECTS ON THE KNEE IN KNEELING MINERS.

THE TITLE OF the lectureship with which you have honoured me is the Joseph Henry Lecture. Joseph Henry, born a little over 150 years ago, was a doctor in Rochdale, who, like many able practitioners of his time, worked as a part-time Medical Officer of Health and as an appointed Factory Surgeon. The greatly improved conditions in factories, works and mines to-day compared with those that existed before the First World War owe much to men like Joseph Henry, and no doubt it was with this in mind that his son and daughter founded this lectureship in 1949.
Host Finding and Acceptance Preference of the Yellowmargined Leaf Beetle, Microtheca ochroloma (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), on Cruciferous Crops

ABSTRACT The yellowmargined leaf beetle, Microtheca ochroloma Stål (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is an introduced pest of cruciferous crops in the southern United States, and arguably the most damaging pest of organic crucifer vegetable production in the region. Studies were conducted in the greenhouse and laboratory to investigate host finding and acceptance preference of M. ochroloma on four commonly grown cruciferous crops: cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. variety capitata), collards (B. oleracea L. variety acephala), napa cabbage [B. pekinensis (Lour.)], and turnip (B. rapa L.) First, adult beetles were allowed to choose among the four plants in a multiple-choice greenhouse cage experiment and host preference was evaluated by using three parameters: number of beetles on each plant, number of larvae on each plant, and plant damage ratings. The results showed that M. ochroloma adults actively discriminated among the four host plants, with significantly higher numbers recorded on turnip and napa cabbage than on cabbage or collards. Significantly higher numbers of larvae also were recorded on turnip and napa cabbage starting on day 10. Similarly, higher damage ratings were recorded on turnip and napa cabbage than on the remaining two hosts. Results of four-choice olfactometer experiments, which compared attraction of M. ochroloma to headspace volatiles of the four host plants, demonstrated that host preference is mediated primarily by plant volatiles. Both sexes were significantly more attracted to napa cabbage than to the remaining treatments, with turnip being the second most attractive plant. These results confirm that turnip and napa cabbage are two preferred host plants of M. ochroloma, and may support the development of a trap crop system and attractant-based strategies for managing M. ochroloma in crucrfer production.
Cortical Auditory Evoked Potential in Aging: Effects of Stimulus Intensity and Noise

Objective Older adults often have more difficulty understanding speech than younger adults do, particularly in the presence of noise. Such age-related speech perception difficulties may be related to declines in central auditory processing. Additionally, it has been hypothesized that impaired auditory processing might be related to neural dysynchrony. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of stimulus intensity and noise on the N1-P2 response in younger and older normal-hearing adults. Methods Eight younger and 8 older normal-hearing adults participated in this study. Brief 100-ms tones (1.0 kHz, 100–60 dB SPL) in quiet and in continuous broadband noise (70 dB SPL) were used to evoke the N1-P2 responses. The N1-P2 components were analyzed as a function of stimulus intensity in both groups. Results N1 latencies to tones in quiet for older adults were delayed only at 60 dB SPL compared with those for younger adults. Additionally, N1 latencies to tones in noise were prolonged in older adults compared with those in younger adults even at 70 dB SPL (SNR = 0). No significant age effects were observed for the P2 latencies and N1-P2 amplitudes between the groups. Conclusion N1 latency to tones with lower intensity and noise were delayed in older adults compared with those in younger adults. These stimulus intensity and noise issues can affect synchronized neural activity underlying the auditory processing and may provide a partial explanation for the difficulties shown by older adults in understanding speech.
The vitamin D receptor is required for iNKT cell development

CD1d-reactive natural killer T (NKT) cells with an invariant T cell receptor Vα14 rearrangement are a unique subset of lymphocytes, which play important roles in immune regulation, tumor surveillance, and host defense against pathogens. Vitamin D is a nutrient/hormone that has been shown to regulate conventional T cell responses but not T cell development. The data show that expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) is required for normal development and function of iNKT cells. The iNKT cells from VDR KO mice are intrinsically defective and lack T-bet expression. VDR KO iNKT cells fail to express NK1.1, although they express normal levels of CD122. Extrinsic factors that impact iNKT cell development and function in VDR KO mice include a failure of the liver to support homeostatic proliferation and reduced thymic expression of CD1d and other factors important for optimal antigen presentation in the thymus. In addition, VDR KO iNKT cells were intrinsically defective even when WT antigen-presenting cells were used to stimulate them.