Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Spanish Trichinella isolates by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)

Abstract The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay was used to find molecular markers able to distinguish Trichinella spiralis from T. britovi, the two recognized Spanish Trichinella species. Fourteen Spanish Trichinella isolates, as well as reference Trichinella isolates representing the five species T. spiralis (T1), T. nativa (T2), T. britovi (T3), T. pseudospiralis (T4) and T. nelsoni (T7) and the three other taxa Trichinella T5, Trichinella T6 and Trichinella T8 of the genus, were characterized by RAPD using both purified and crude DNAs from infective muscle larvae (ML) and seven arbitrary primers. Three primers yielded diagnostic RAPD markers for the Spanish T. spiralis and T. britovi isolates as well as for the Trichinella reference isolates analysed, and in the case of crude DNAs the results were obtained in few hours. In addition, the species-specificity of the diagnostic RAPD markers from Spanish Trichinella isolates was studied by cross-hybridization assays. These assays confirmed that the selected diagnostic DNA fragments were not species-specific, but showed potential differences in the copy number among the examined Trichinella genetic clusters.
Mutation screening in the ryanodine receptor 1 gene (RYR1) in patients susceptible to malignant hyperthermia who show definite IVCT results: identification of three novel mutations

Background: The ryanodine receptor of the skeletal muscle (RYR1) seems to be of outstanding importance in the pathogenesis of malignant hyperthermia (MH). It has been shown that point mutations in the RYR1 gene are strongly associated with the MH phenotype. A correctly determined phenotype is the basic prerequisite for adequate genetic MH screening. In this study we examined only those MH susceptible patients for the presence of potential RYR1 mutations who showed strong pathological muscle responses in the in vitro contracture test (IVCT).
Pacemaker Currents in Dopaminergic Neurones of the Mice Olfactory Bulb

In the olfactory bulb (OB) dopaminergic (DA) neurones constitute a fraction of the cells occupying the most external (glomerular) layer (Halasz et al.1977). In this region, populated by three types of interneurons, periglomerular (PG) cells, short-axon cells and external tufted (ET) cells (Halasz1990) often collectively referred to as juxtaglomerular cells an estimated 10% of the neurones in adulthood are positive for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) (McLean and Shipley1988; Kratskin and Belluzzi2003), the rate limiting enzyme for dopamine synthesis. Dopaminergic neurones in the glomerular layer include PG cells (Gall et al.1987; Kosaka et al.1985) and a fraction of ET cells (Halasz1990). Several studies have focused on the role of dopamine in the olfactory bulb, using immunohistochemical (Baker et al.1983; Guthrie et al.1991), behavioral (Doty and Risser1989), and electrophysiological techniques (Nowycky et al.1983; Ennis et al.2001; Davila et al.2003). The more complete description of the functional properties of DA neurons in the OB is probably the paper of Pignatelli (Pignatelli et al.2005), but it was incomplete, as it did not consider the contribution of the inward rectifier currents, a lacuna which is filled in the present work.
Detect Rumors in Microblog Posts Using Propagation Structure via Kernel Learning

How fake news goes viral via social media? How does its propagation pattern differ from real stories? In this paper, we attempt to address the problem of identifying rumors, i.e., fake information, out of microblog posts based on their propagation structure. We firstly model microblog posts diffusion with propagation trees, which provide valuable clues on how an original message is transmitted and developed over time. We then propose a kernel-based method called Propagation Tree Kernel, which captures high-order patterns differentiating different types of rumors by evaluating the similarities between their propagation tree structures. Experimental results on two real-world datasets demonstrate that the proposed kernel-based approach can detect rumors more quickly and accurately than state-of-the-art rumor detection models.
Congenital cytomegalovirus infection in Israel: screening in different subpopulations.

BACKGROUND The incidence of congenital cytomegalovirus in Israel has never been determined, either in general or in relation to various population subgroups. We recently proved the utility of newborn urine polymerase chain reaction as a screening tool for congenital CMV. OBJECTIVES To define the incidence of congenital CMV infection in two different subpopulations, as a model for the entire population of Israel. METHODS Urine specimens were randomly collected from 2,000 newborns in Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, and HaEmek Medical Center, Afula (1,000 specimens each). These hospitals have many characteristic differences, presumably representing the diverse population of Israel. Urine specimens were subjected to a CMV PCR reaction and positive specimens were validated by urine viral culture. Maternal seroprevalence was determined in a representative sample of the mothers in each hospital. Epidemiologic characteristics of the mothers were extracted from hospital records and compared. RESULTS The population in Shaare Zedek Medical Center was mostly Jewish (97.7%) and urban (87.0%), as compared to that of HaEmek Medical Center (49.2% and 61.0%, respectively, P < 0.01). Nevertheless, CMV seroprevalence was similar: 81.5% and 85%, respectively. Ten (1.0%) and 4 (0.4%) newborns, respectively, were found to have congenital CMV infection (not significant). CONCLUSIONS The combined incidence of congenital CMV infection in the study population was 0.7% (95% confidence interval 0.3-1.0%). If this rate is extrapolated to the entire population of Israel, then a total of 945 cases of congenital CMV can be expected among the 135,000 annual deliveries. A nationwide screening program for congenital CMV should be considered.
Shared Identity Is Key to Effective Communication

The ability to communicate with others is one of the most important human social functions, yet communication is not always investigated from a social perspective. This research examined the role that shared social identity plays in communication effectiveness using a minimal group paradigm. In two experiments, participants constructed a model using instructions that were said to be created by an ingroup or an outgroup member. Participants made models of objectively better quality when working from communications ostensibly created by an ingroup member (Experiments 1 and 2). However, this effect was attenuated when participants were made aware of a shared superordinate identity that included both the ingroup and the outgroup (Experiment 2). These findings point to the importance of shared social identity for effective communication and provide novel insights into the social psychology of communication.
Comparative chlorine and temperature tolerance of the oyster crassostrea madrasensis: Implications for cooling system fouling

Crassostrea madrasensis is an important fouling oyster in tropical industrial cooling water systems. C. madrasensis individuals attach to surfaces by cementing one of their two valves to the substratum. Therefore, oyster fouling creates more problems than mussel fouling in the cooling conduits of power stations, because unlike the latter, the shell of the former remains attached to the substratum even after the death of the animal. However, there are no published reports on the tolerance of this species to chlorination and heat treatment. The mortality pattern and physiological behaviour (oxygen consumption and filtration rate) of three size groups (13 mm, 44 mm and 64 mm mean shell length) of C. madrasensis were studied at different residual chlorine concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 2, 3 to 5 mg lm 1) and temperatures (30°C to 45°C). The effect of shell size (=age) on C. madrasensis mortality in the presence of chlorine and taking into account temperature was significant, with the largest size group oysters showing highest resistance. At 1 mg lm 1 residual chlorine, the 13 mm and 64 mm size group oysters took 504 h (21 d) and 744 h (31 d), respectively to reach 100% mortality. At 39°C, the 13 mm size group oysters took 218 min to reach 100% mortality, whereas the 64 mm size group oysters took 325 min. The oxygen consumption and filtration rate of C. madrasensis showed progressive reduction with increasing residual chlorine concentrations. However, the filtration rate and oxygen consumption responses of C. madrasensis were not significantly different between 30°C (control) and 37.5°C. There was a sharp decrease in the filtration rate and oxygen consumption at 38.5°C. A comparison of the present mortality data with previous reports on other bivalves suggests that the chlorine tolerance of C. madrasensis lies in between that of Perna viridis and Perna perna, while its temperature tolerance is significantly higher than that of the other two bivalve species. However, in power station heat exchangers, where simultaneous chlorine and thermal stresses are existent, C. madrasensis may have an edge over other common foulants, because of its high temperature tolerance.
The Heat Shock Protein 90-CDC37 Chaperone Complex Is Required for Signaling by Types I and II Interferons*

Interferon signaling pathways are critical to both innate and adaptive immunity. We have demonstrated here that the inhibition of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) functions by small interfering RNAs or chemical inhibitors blocking interferon-induced gene expression. Hsp90 was required for signal transducers and activators of transcription 1 phosphorylation, and in its absence, Janus kinase (JAK) 1/2 were degraded by the proteosome. JAK1 interacts with Hsp90 and the CDC37 co-chaperone, and both interactions are destabilized by Hsp90 inhibitors. The biological consequences were suggested by experiments showing that T cell activation by interferon-γ-primed macrophages and the antiviral response of interferons required Hsp90. We conclude that JAK1/2 are client proteins of Hsp90 and that Hsp90 and CDC37 play a critical role in types I and II interferon pathways.
Anemia and erythropoiesis-stimulating agent administration in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone ± rituximab chemotherapy: results from an observational study

CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone) ± rituximab [(±R)CHOP] is the current standard of care for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Anemia resulting from chemotherapy can be treated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). As part of the observational IMPACT NHL study, data were collected on ESA use and anemia-related outcomes in 1829 adults receiving (±R)CHOP-14 or (±R)CHOP-21. Overall, 33% of patients were anemic during chemotherapy. Older age, lower baseline hemoglobin (Hb), worse performance status, more advanced disease stage, and use of CHOP-14 were significant predictors of transfusion and anemia in logistic regression models. ESAs were received by 404 patients, usually in response to low or declining Hb levels. Most patients (65%) had Hb 9–11 g/dL at ESA initiation, and 89% (Kaplan–Meier percentage) achieved Hb 10–12 g/dL. In conclusion, two-thirds of anemic patients with NHL receiving (±R)CHOP initiated ESA treatment at Hb 9–11 g/dL, and most achieved target Hb levels (10–12 g/dL).
Glutamine and Glutamate Metabolism in Normal and Diabetic Subjects

Arteriovenous differences across the leg and across the splanchnic bed were determined for plasma glutamine and glutamate in healthy controls and insulin-dependent diabetics. In both groups glutamine was released from the leg and taken up by the splanchnic bed, while the reverse was observed for glutamate. Arterial glutamine levels were reduced by 25 per cent in the diabetics, but no differences were observed between the diabetics and controls in splanchnic or peripheral glutamine and glutamate metabolism. To assess the contribution of intestinal tissues to splanchnic glutamine uptake, arterio-portal venous differences (A-PV) were determined for plasma glutamine in four nondiabetic patients prior to elective cholecystectomy. A consistently positive A-PV difference was noted indicating net uptake of glutamine by intestinal tissues. The findings indicate that the intestinal tract rather than the liver is the major site of splanchnic glutamine uptake and that removal of glutamine by the splanchnic bed is not augmented in diabetes. The data thus suggest that glutamine is not an important endogenous substrate for hepatic gluconeogenesis.
A cell burst scheduling for ATM networking. I. Theory

Fair queueing is a useful queueing discipline for packet switching systems. It was developed in last decade and was aimed at the general packet switching systems with varying packet length. However it is not suitable for use in the ATM networking, because the ATM cell length is very small and fixed, and so the scheduling scheme on a per cell basis is not practical. We introduce the burst and quality unit concepts in the scheduling algorithm and we make some significant modification on the fair queueing and adapt it to ATM networking to meet QoS requirements. Under the work-conserving assumption, we show that the burst based non-preemptive and preemptive algorithms provide throughput and fairness guarantees.
Physiological and therapeutic complement regulators in kidney transplantation

Purpose of review This review will summarize the key contribution of complement regulators in the immune response to an allograft. Recent findings Over the past 10 years, compelling evidences have been accumulated in support of a critical role of complement in the pathological phenomena related to organ transplantation. In addition to recurrence of complement-mediated disease after graft, complement is involved in situations as diverse as brain death induced tissue damages, ischaemia–reperfusion and antibody-mediated rejections. This complement activation is counterbalanced by various regulatory mechanisms. Summary We discuss the role of physiological and therapeutic complement regulators that are designed to overcome the impact of complement overactivation with the aim of improving long-term transplant outcomes. We will focus primarily on renal allograft, but the discussed mechanisms take place to a different degree in any kind of organ transplantation.
Generation of a large, protonophore-sensitive proton motive force and pH difference in the acidophilic bacteria Thermoplasma acidophilum and Bacillus acidocaldarius

The mechanism by which acidophilic bacteria generate and maintain their cytoplasmic pH close to neutrality was investigated. For this purpose we determined the components of proton motive force in the eubacterium Bacillus acidocaldarius and the archaebacterium Thermoplasma acidophilum. After correction for probe binding, the proton motive force of untreated cells was 190 to 240 mV between external pH 2 and 4. Anoxia diminished total proton motive force and the transmembrane pH difference by 60 to 80 mV. The protonophore 2,4-dinitrophenol abolished the total proton motive force almost completely and diminished the transmembrane pH difference by at least two units. However, even after correction for probe binding, protonophore-treated cells maintained a pH difference of approximately one unit.
Improve the BER Performance of Turbo Codes with Large Size Based on BER Distributions

A method for bitwise energy optimization of turbo codes with large size is developed. Unlike earlier methods, which relied on searching for minimum-weight codewords, the proposed method finds the required parameters using two bit error rate (BER) distributions obtained via simulation. Therefore, this method can be used not only for the codes with small codeword length, but also for the codes with large codeword length. Simulation results show BER improvements for turbo codes. Though the method is applied to turbo codes in this letter for concreteness, it can also be used for other kinds of error control codes because it does not rely on the code’s structure
Differential structural plasticity of corticostriatal and thalamostriatal axo‐spinous synapses in MPTP‐treated parkinsonian monkeys

Striatal spine loss is a key pathological feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). Knowing that striatal glutamatergic afferents target dendritic spines, these data appear difficult to reconcile with evidence for an increased expression of the vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (vGluT1) in the striatum of PD patients and 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)‐treated monkeys, as well as in some electrophysiological studies showing overactivity of the corticostriatal glutamatergic system in models of parkinsonism. To address the possibility that structural changes in glutamatergic afferents may underlie these discrepancies, we undertook an ultrastructural analysis of vGluT1‐positive (i.e., corticostriatal) and vGluT2‐positive (i.e., mostly thalamostriatal) axo‐spinous glutamatergic synapses using a 3D electron microscopic approach in normal and MPTP‐treated monkeys. Three main conclusions can be drawn: 1) spines contacted by vGluT1‐containing terminals have larger volume and harbor significantly larger postsynaptic densities (PSDs) than those contacted by vGluT2‐immunoreactive boutons; 2) a subset of vGluT2‐, but not vGluT1‐immunoreactive, terminals display a pattern of multisynaptic connectivity in normal and MPTP‐treated monkeys; and 3) VGluT1‐ and vGluT2‐positive axo‐spinous synapses undergo ultrastructural changes (larger spine volume, larger PSDs, increased PSD perforations, larger presynaptic terminal) indicative of increased synaptic activity in parkinsonian animals. Furthermore, spines contacted by cortical terminals display an increased volume of their spine apparatus in MPTP‐treated monkeys, suggesting an increased protein synthesis at corticostriatal synapses. These findings demonstrate that corticostriatal and thalamostriatal glutamatergic axo‐spinous synapses display significantly different ultrastructural features, and that both systems undergo complex morphological changes that could underlie the pathophysiology of corticostriatal and thalamostriatal systems in PD. J. Comp. Neurol. 519:989–1005, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Sprouty2 attenuates epidermal growth factor receptor ubiquitylation and endocytosis, and consequently enhances Ras/ERK signalling

Drosophila Sprouty (dSpry) was genetically identified as a novel antagonist of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Sevenless signalling, ostensibly by eliciting its response on the Ras/MAPK pathway. Four mammalian sprouty genes have been cloned, which appear to play an inhibitory role mainly in FGF‐ mediated lung and limb morphogenesis. Evidence is presented herein that describes the functional implications of the direct association between human Sprouty2 (hSpry2) and c‐Cbl, and its impact on the cellular localization and signalling capacity of EGFR. Contrary to the consensus view that Spry2 is a general inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinase signalling, hSpry2 was shown to abrogate EGFR ubiquitylation and endocytosis, and sustain EGF‐induced ERK signalling that culminates in differentiation of PC12 cells. Correlative evidence showed the failure of hSpry2ΔN11 and mSpry4, both deficient in c‐Cbl binding, to instigate these effects. hSpry2 interacts specifically with the c‐Cbl RING finger domain and displaces UbcH7 from its binding site on the E3 ligase. We conclude that hSpry2 potentiates EGFR signalling by specifically intercepting c‐Cbl‐mediated effects on receptor down‐regulation.
Nonstoichiometry and Properties of SnTe Semiconductor Phase of Variable Composition

According to the modern views, all semiconductor compounds have a homogeneity region (HR), i.e. represent phases of variable composition. The existence of thermodynamically equilibrium deviation from stoichiometry in a chemical compound is connected with a decrease in the crystal free energy under introduction of nonstoichiometric defects (NSD) whose appearance leads to a growth in configurational entropy. The location and size of HR depend on the ratio of the formation energies for different types of defects. The stoichiometric composition may lie inside or outside HR (which corresponds to two-sided and one-sided HR, respectively). Changing properties through deviation from stoichiometry is one of the most important methods of controlling properties of semiconductors.
Multiuser switched diversity transmission

In this paper, a set of multiuser access schemes are proposed based on switched diversity algorithms originally devised to select between antennas in a spatial diversity system. Instead of relying on feedback from all the users in a multiuser communication system to identify the best user on a time-slot basis (having the best channel quality among all the users), the proposed multiuser access schemes are performed in a sequential manner, looking not for the best user but for an acceptable user. A user qualifies as an acceptable user and is selected by the base station when the reported channel quality is above a predefined switching threshold. The proposed schemes result in a lower average spectral efficiency (ASE) than using the optimal selective diversity scheme, but a gain is obtained by reducing the feedback load. Numerical results that quantify the trade-off between ASE and average feedback load (AFL) are presented, showing that the AFL can be reduced significantly compared to the optimal selective diversity scheme without experiencing a big performance loss. In addition, it is argued that the proposed multiuser access schemes can he quite attractive also from a fairness perspective.