Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Video observation of surface exploration in cyprids of Balanus amphitrite: the movements of antennular sensory setae

Video microscopy of cyprids of Balanus amphitrite was used to monitor the action of antennular setae during the exploratory behaviour prior to attachment. In addition, SEM was used to provide a revised description of all antennular setae for that species. The videos describe if a particular seta touches the substratum and the area it can cover during surface exploration. On the fourth segment, the plumose terminal setae A and B are never in contact with the substratum, lack a terminal pore and it is argued that they sense hydrodynamic forces. The aesthetasc-like terminal seta D is likewise held free in the water at all times and it is speculated that it senses dissolved substances, but, since it contains a scolopale rod, it must also have a mechano-receptive function. All remaining antennular setae on the second, third and fourth segments have a terminal pore and it is argued that these are bimodal receptors with both chemo- and mechano-receptive modalities. These setae are also at one time or another in contact with the substratum, except perhaps for the small preaxial seta 2 and terminal seta C. The first seta to contact the surface during a tentative step is radial seta 5, which is longer than all other radial setae. All other setae on the second and third segment are only in contact after a step is completed. When the attachment disc touches the surface (=a step completed) the long and curved postaxial seta 2 (on the second segment) and postaxial seta 3 on the third segment are both flexed to either side of the antennule. This lateral displacement ensures that these two setae can touch large surface areas to either side of the appendage. The four subterminal setae on the fourth segment contact the surface both immediately before and after a step has been completed, and the constant flicking of the segment significantly increases the surface area tested by both these chemoreceptors and by terminal seta E, which can sweep up to 60 μm laterally from the attachment disc. The flicking of the fourth segment may also serve to dilute the boundary layer of chemoreceptors on the fourth segment such as the aesthetasc-like terminal seta D and thus facilitate the detection of new stimuli.
Response to Letter to the Editor on “Fractional Clearance for Verapamil N-Demethylation in the Isolated Rat Liver Preparation”

We thank [Mehvar (2015)][1] for comments on our recently published article on the estimation of the fractional hepatic clearance of verapamil (VER) that forms norverapamil (NOR) ([Yang et al., 2015][2]), and we appreciate this opportunity to respond. In our recent article, we misquoted the values
Resistance of Mitochondrial DNA-depleted Cells against Cell Death

We have shown that mitochondrial DNA-depleted (ρ0) SK-Hep1 hepatoma cells are resistant to apoptosis, contrary to previous papers reporting normal apoptotic susceptibility of ρ0 cells. We studied the changes of gene expression in SK-Hep1 ρ0 cells. DNA chip analysis showed that MnSOD expression was profoundly increased in ρ0 cells. \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(\mathrm{O}_{2}^{{\bar{{\cdot}}}}\) \end{document} contents increased during ρ0 cell derivation but became normalized after establishment of ρ0 phenotypes, suggesting that MnSOD induction is an adaptive process to increased \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(\mathrm{O}_{2}^{{\bar{{\cdot}}}}\) \end{document}. ρ0 cells were resistant to menadione, paraquat, or doxorubicin, and \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(\mathrm{O}_{2}^{{\bar{{\cdot}}}}\) \end{document} contents after treatment with them were lower in ρ0 cells compared with parental cells because of MnSOD overexpression. Expression levels and activity of glutathione peroxidases were also increased in ρ0 cells, rendering them resistant to exogenous H2O2. ρ0 cells were resistant to p53, and intracellular ROS contents after p53 expression were lower compared with parental cells. Other types of ρ0 cells also showed increased MnSOD expression and resistance against ROS. Heme oxygenase-1 expression was increased in ρ0 cells, and a heme oxygenase-1 inhibitor decreased the induction of MnSOD in ρ0 cells and their resistance against ROS donors. These results indicate that ρ0 cells are resistant to cell death contrary to previous reports and suggest that an adaptive increase in the expression of antioxidant enzymes renders cancer cells or aged cells with frequent mitochondrial DNA mutations to resist against oxidative stress, host anti-cancer surveillance, or chemotherapeutic agents, conferring survival advantage on them.
An extremely fast Ziv-Lempel data compression algorithm

A new, simple, extremely fast, locally adaptive data compression algorithm of the LZ77 class is presented. The algorithm, called LZRW1, almost halves the size of text files, uses 16 K of memory, and requires about 13 machine instructions to compress and about 4 instructions to decompress each byte. This results in speeds of about 77 K and 250 K bytes per second on a one-MIPS machine. The algorithm runs in linear time and has a good worst-case running time. It adapts quickly and has a negligible initialization overhead, making it fast and efficient for small as well as large blocks of data. <<ETX>>
Reaping Benefits From Intellectual Capital

The wealth and value of organizations are increasingly based on intellectual capital. Although acquiring talented individuals and investing in employee learning adds value to the organization, reaping the benefits of intellectual capital involves translating the wisdom of employees into reusable and sustained actions. This requires a culture that creates employee commitment, encourages learning, fosters sharing, and involves employees in decision making. An infrastructure to recognize and embed promising and best practices through social networks, evidence-based practice, customization of innovations, and use of information technology results in increased productivity, stronger financial performance, better patient outcomes, and greater employee and customer satisfaction.
Permissive hypercapnia in neonates: The case of the good, the bad, and the ugly

Advances in neonatology have resulted in an increase in the absolute number of survivors with chronic lung disease (CLD), though its overall incidence has not changed. Though the single most important high‐risk factor for CLD is prematurity, the focus of attention has recently changed over to minimizing the impact of other two risk factors: baro/volutrauma related to mechanical ventilation, and oxygen toxicity. Permissive hypercapnia (PHC) or controlled ventilation is a strategy that minimizes baro/volutrauma by allowing relatively high levels of arterial CO2, provided the arterial pH does not fall below a preset minimal value. The benefits of PHC are primarily mediated by the reduction of lung stretch that occurs when tidal volumes are minimized. PHC can be a deliberate choice to restrict ventilation in order to avoid overdistention, while application of high airway pressures and large tidal volumes would permit normocapnia, or relative hypocapnia (PaCO2, ≤ 25–30 mmHg), but may result in CLD and be harmful to the developing lung. The current concept that PaCO2 levels of 45–55 mmHg in high‐risk neonates are “safe” and “well tolerated” is based on limited data. Further prospective trials are needed to study the definition, safety and efficacy of PHC in ventilated preterm and term neonates. However, designing disease/gestational‐postnatal age‐specific clinical trials of PHC will be difficult in neonates, given the diverse pathophysiology of their diseases and the various ventilatory modes/variables currently available. The potential benefits and adverse effects of PHC are reviewed, and its relationship to current ventilatory strategies like synchronized mechanical ventilation and high‐frequency ventilation in high‐risk neonates is briefly discussed. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2002; 33:56–64. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Overinitiation of chromosome replication in the Escherichia coli dnaAcos mutant depends on activation of oriC function by the dam gene product

The activity of DnaA protein, the initiator of chromosome replication in Escherichia coli, is regulated by adenine nucleotide binding; the ATP‐bound form, not the ADP‐bound form, is active. DnaAcos is a mutant protein that is insensitive to negative regulation by ADP. Initiation of chromosome replication occurs excessively in the dnaAcos mutant at 30°C, a restrictive temperature for growth. To determine the control factors that act independently of adenine nucleotide binding of DnaA, we analysed suppressors from the dnaAcos mutant isolated by Tn5 insertion mutagenesis. Three of the suppressors carried Tn5 in the aroK or aroB gene, the first two cistrons in the dam operon. Complementation tests revealed that the dam gene is responsible for the suppression. Over‐replication of the chromosome was inhibited in the dnaAcos aroK::Tn5 double mutant, and initiation of chromosome replication in the dnaA+aroK::Tn5 mutant was partially inhibited. The aroK (or B )::Tn5 cells contained DnaA molecules at a level similar to that in the parental aroBK + strain. Moreover, dnaAcos suppression depended on the function of the seqA gene. Thus, Dam activity positively regulates initiation of chromosome replication in vivo. SeqA function seems to be distinguished from the control of DnaA protein by adenine nucleotide binding.
Expression and complex assembly of calcium‐binding proteins MRP8 and MRP14 during differentiation of murine myelomonocytic cells

In the present study we analyzed expression and biochemical properties of the two recently cloned calcium‐binding proteins MRP8 and MRP14, both members of the S‐100 family, in murine myelomonocytic cells. Expression of MRPs was found to be restricted to granulocytes and distinct stages of macrophage differentiation when compared to the expression of other markers (Mac‐1, F4/80) in transformed macrophage cell lines (Ml, RMB.TG, WEHI.TG, J774A, P388D) and resident and exudate peritoneal and tissue macrophages. Similarly, mRNA and protein levels of MRP8/MRP14 in murine bone marrow cells decreased during culture in L cell‐conditioned medium. Applying a cross‐linking technique, the formation of noncovalently associated heteromeric MRP8/MRP14 complexes of 25, 35, and 48 kd was demonstrated. Our data suggest that MRP8/MRP14 expression and complexation are characteristic for granulocytes and distinct stages of macrophage differentiation in mice. Analysis of the MRP8/MRP14+ phenotype of macrophages may provide further insights into the mechanisms underlying macrophage differentiation.
Overproduction, purification, and characterization of recombinant bifunctional threonine-sensitive aspartate kinase-homoserine dehydrogenase from Arabidopsis thaliana.

In plant, the first and the third steps of the synthesis of methionine and threonine are catalyzed by a bifunctional enzyme, aspartate kinase-homoserine dehydrogenase (AK-HSDH). In this study, we report the first purification and characterization of a highly active threonine-sensitive AK-HSDH from plants (Arabidopsis thaliana). The specific activities corresponding to the forward reaction of AK and reverse reaction of HSDH of AK-HSDH were 5.4 micromol of aspartyl phosphate produced min(-1) mg(-1) of protein and 18.8 micromol of NADPH formed min(-1) mg(-1) of protein, respectively. These values are 200-fold higher than those reported previously for partially purified plant enzymes. AK-HSDH exhibited hyperbolic kinetics for aspartate, ATP, homoserine, and NADP with K(M) values of 11.6 mM, 5.5 mM, 5.2 mM, and 166 microM, respectively. Threonine was found to inhibit both AK and HSDH activities by decreasing the affinity of the enzyme for its substrates and cofactors. In the absence of threonine, AK-HSDH behaved as an oligomer of 470 kDa. Addition of the effector converted the enzyme into a tetrameric form of 320 kDa.
Allelic Variation of the Tas1r3 Taste Receptor Gene Selectively Affects Behavioral and Neural Taste Responses to Sweeteners in the F2 Hybrids between C57BL/6ByJ and 129P3/J Mice

Recent studies have shown that the T1R3 receptor protein encoded by the Tas1r3 gene is involved in transduction of sweet taste. To assess ligand specificity of the T1R3 receptor, we analyzed the association of Tas1r3 allelic variants with taste responses in mice. In the F2 hybrids between the C57BL/6ByJ (B6) and 129P3/J (129) inbred mouse strains, we determined genotypes of markers on chromosome 4, where Tas1r3 resides, measured consumption of taste solutions presented in two-bottle preference tests, and recorded integrated responses of the chorda tympani gustatory nerve to lingual application of taste stimuli. For intakes and preferences, significant linkages to Tas1r3 were found for the sweeteners sucrose, saccharin, and d-phenylalanine but not glycine. For chorda tympani responses, significant linkages to Tas1r3 were found for the sweeteners sucrose, saccharin, d-phenylalanine, d-tryptophan, and SC-45647 but not glycine, l-proline, l-alanine, or l-glutamine. No linkages to distal chromosome 4 were detected for behavioral or neural responses to non-sweet quinine, citric acid, HCl, NaCl, KCl, monosodium glutamate, inosine 5′-monophosphate, or ammonium glutamate. These results demonstrate that allelic variation of the Tas1r3 gene affects gustatory neural and behavioral responses to some, but not all, sweeteners. This study describes the range of ligand sensitivity of the T1R3 receptor using an in vivo approach and, to our knowledge, is the first genetic mapping study of activity in gustatory nerves.
Attitudes of medical students to old people: a cross‐national comparative study

Summary. Medical students' attitudes to the elderly were compared at the start and finish of a 5‐week clinical attachment in health care of the elderly at the Christchurch School of Medicine. The study investigated students in their first clinical year (fourth year of their medical course) over five terms using a questionnaire employing a Rosencranz‐McNevin semantic differential scale to measure general attitudes to old age and a Likert scale to measure attitudes to medical care. A question was also asked about career preferences.
HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 and -DQB1 allele and haplotype frequencies in Saudis using next generation sequencing technique.

Next generation sequencing (NGS) is a promising technique that can reveal the entire gene sequences and to the highest possible resolution without any phase ambiguities. We have used this technique to investigate the frequencies of HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 and -DQB1 in a Saudi cohort of healthy individuals. We used NGS using the 454 genome sequence (GS) FLX System and Conexio assign atf 454 software to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotype eight class I and class II loci. A total of 158 healthy Saudi adults were analyzed. The most frequently observed allele for HLA-A was HLA-A*02:01:01:01 (13.6%); for HLA-B, HLA-B*50:01:01 (15.8%); for HLA-C, HLA-C*06:02:01:01 (18.7%); for HLA-DRB1, HLA-DRB1*07:01:01:01 (26.6%); and for HLA-DQB1, HLA-DQB1*02:01:01 (20.3%). The most common four loci haplotypes in the Saudi population were HLA-A*24:02:01:01-B*08:01:01-C*07:02:01:01-DRB1*03:01:01:01 and HLA-A*23:01:01-B*50:01:01-C*06:02:01:01-DRB1*07:01:01:01. We have used a highly informative technique for HLA typing of a Saudi healthy cohort to establish allele and haplotype frequencies. These results should prove useful for population studies, disease associations and future planning of the unrelated bone marrow donor registry.
Developmental and adult expression of semaphorin 2a in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

Developmental guidance cues act to direct growth cones to their correct targets in the nervous system. Recent experiments also demonstrate that developmental cues are expressed in the adult mammalian nervous system, although their function in the brain is not yet clear. The semaphorin gene family has been implicated in the growth of dendrites and axons in a number of different species. While the expression of semaphorin and its influence on tibial pioneer neurons in the developing limb bud have been well characterized in the grasshopper, the expression of semaphorin 2a (sema2a) has not been explored in the adult insect. In this study we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with degenerate and gene‐specific primers to clone part of the secreted form of sema2a from Gryllus bimaculatus. Using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, we confirmed that sema2a mRNA and protein expression patterns in the embryonic cricket were similar to that seen in the grasshopper. We also showed that tibial neuron development in crickets was comparable to that described in grasshopper. An examination of both developing and adult cricket brains showed that sema2a mRNA and protein were expressed in the Kenyon cells in mushroom bodies, an area involved in learning and memory. Sema2a expression was most obvious near the apex of the mushroom body in a region surrounding the neurogenic tip, which produces neurons throughout the life of the cricket. We discuss the role of neurogenesis in learning and memory and the potential involvement of semaphorin in this process. J. Comp. Neurol. 503:169–181, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Personality Traits and Cognitive Determinants – An Empirical Investigation of the Use of Smartphone Security Measures

In the last years, increasing smartphones’ capabilities have caused a paradigm shift in the way of users’ view and using mobile devices. Although researchers have started to focus on behavioral models to explain and predict human behavior, there is limited empirical research about the influence of smartphone users’ individual differences on the usage of security measures. The aim of this study is to examine the influence of individual differences on cognitive determinants of behavioral intention to use security measures. Individual differences are measured by the Five-Factor Model; cognitive determinants of behavioral intention are adapted from the validated behavioral models theory of planned behavior and technology acceptance model. An explorative, quantitative survey of 435 smartphone users is served as data basis. The results suggest that multiple facets of smartphone user’s personalities significantly affect the cognitive determinants, which indicate the behavioral intention to use security measures. From these findings, practical and theoretical implications for companies, organizations, and researchers are derived and discussed.
Epidemiology of bancroftian filariasis in three suburban areas of Matara, Sri Lanka

The epidemiological parameters of bancroftian filariasis were investigated in three suburbs of Matara, within the south-western coastal belt of Sri Lanka where the disease is endemic. The overall prevalence of microfilaraemia and the geometric mean density of the microfilaraemias observed were 4.4% and 20.6 microfilariae/60 µl fingerprick blood, respectively. Prevalence was significantly lower in the female subjects than in the male, and in males aged <20 years than in older males. Overall, 9.5% of the subjects had the clinical manifestations of bancroftian filariasis (6.4% had filarial fever, 3.0% had elephantiasis and/or oedema, and 6.2% had hydrocele). The prevalence of elephantiasis/oedema was generally higher among the female subjects (4.2%) than among the male (1.4%), and an age-prevalence plot for this manifestation showed a linear increase in prevalence after the age of 40 years. Hydrocele also became commoner with increasing age, but this increase in prevalence began at the lower age of 20 years. More than 60% of the cases of elephantiasis/oedema but only 26.3% of the subjects found to have hydroceles experienced filarial fever attacks. The cases of fever and elephantiasis/oedema (but not those of microfilaraemia or hydrocele) were aggregated within households. However, the children whose mothers were microfilaraemic were much more likely to be microfilaraemic themselves (8.7%) than the children who had amicrofilaraemic mothers (2.8%), microfilaraemic fathers (0.0%) or amicrofilaraemic fathers (2.7%). The results of entomological surveys indicated that transmission of Wuchereria bancrofti occurred throughout the year in the study community.
Pre-Stroke CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc Scores Are Useful in Stratifying Three-Month Outcomes in Patients with and without Atrial Fibrillation

Background: CHADS<sub>2</sub> and CHA<sub>2</sub>DS<sub>2</sub>-VASc scores are validated tools for assessing stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We investigated whether these scores are associated with 3-month stroke outcomes and evaluated the utility of these scores in stratifying 3-month stroke outcomes in both patients with and without AF. Methods: We analysed 6,612 acute ischaemic stroke patients from the Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive who received either placebo or ineffective active treatments not associated with significant cardiac complications. Outcomes included 3-month mortality, good functional outcomes defined as modified Rankin Scale score ≤1 and serious cardiac adverse events (SCAEs) defined as one of acute coronary syndrome, symptomatic heart failure, cardiopulmonary arrest, life-threatening arrhythmia and cardiac death. The association between the pre-stroke CHADS<sub>2</sub> and CHA<sub>2</sub>DS<sub>2</sub>-VASc scores and 3-month stroke outcomes was assessed using binary logistic regression. The utility of the two scores in estimating 3-month stroke outcomes was assessed using area under the receiver operator characteristic curves (AUC) and compared using the χ<sup>2</sup> test. Results: In this cohort, 26.5% had AF, 35.3% received IV tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), 17.7% died, 25.1% achieved good functional outcomes and 9.5% had ≥1 SCAE at 3 months. High-risk (≥2) pre-stroke CHADS<sub>2</sub> and CHA<sub>2</sub>DS<sub>2</sub>-VASc scores are both associated with 3-month mortality (CHADS<sub>2</sub>: odds ratio, OR, 2.33, 95% confidence interval 1.81-3.00; CHA<sub>2</sub>DS<sub>2</sub>-VASc: OR 3.01, 2.00-4.80), good functional outcomes (CHADS<sub>2</sub>: OR 0.47, 0.39-0.57; CHA<sub>2</sub>DS<sub>2</sub>-VASc: OR 0.55, 0.42-0.71) and SCAEs (CHADS<sub>2</sub>: OR 1.76, 1.28-2.42; CHA<sub>2</sub>DS<sub>2</sub>-VASc: OR 2.69, 1.53-4.73) after adjusting for baseline differences in neurological impairment, tPA use and AF. The pre-stroke CHA<sub>2</sub>DS<sub>2</sub>-VASc score is better than the CHADS<sub>2</sub> score in estimating 3-month stroke outcomes in both patients with and without AF (p ≤ 0.005 in all AUC comparisons). High-risk pre-stroke CHA<sub>2</sub>DS<sub>2</sub>-VASc score has high sensitivity for mortality (AF: 0.96, 0.94-0.98; no AF: 0.88, 0.86-0.91) and negative predictive value for SCAE (AF: 0.93, 0.87-0.96; no AF: 0.96, 0.95-0.97) within 3 months. Low risk pre-stroke CHA<sub>2</sub>DS<sub>2</sub>-VASc score has high specificity for good functional outcome (AF: 0.99, 0.98-0.994; no AF: 0.94, 0.93-0.95) at 3 months. Conclusions: The pre-stroke CHA<sub>2</sub>DS<sub>2</sub>-VASc score appears to be a simple tool for identifying patients at lower risk of poor outcomes and serious cardiac complications within 3 months following ischaemic stroke in patients with and without AF.