Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decreased Myofilament Calcium Sensitivity Plays a Significant Role in Muscle Fatigue

Muscle fatigue can result from either the accumulation of metabolic by-products (e.g., Pi and H+) or a decrease in myoplasmic Ca++; however, individually, neither change can explain quantitatively the decrease in force capacity. Therefore, the emerging view is that, by decreasing the sensitivity of myofilaments to calcium, Pi and H+ act synergistically with decreased Ca++ levels to contribute to fatigue.
A long-acting appetite suppressant drug studied for 24 weeks in both continuous and sequential administration.

THE primary objective of this trial was to de¬ termine the effect of both the continuous and intermittent administration of a long-acting appetite suppressant on weight loss, with special reference to side effects, since the drug was administered at 2 p.m. on each day. The patients were not placed on a special diet but were told to eat half as much as they were in the habit of eating. We have found by experience that pa¬ tients often appear to resent being placed on a "special" diet. They do not mind so much if they are asked merely to reduce their "own" diet. Patients were seen every two weeks, at which times they were weighed and their blood pres¬
Degravitation of the cosmological constant and graviton width

We study the possibility of decoupling gravity from the vacuum energy. This is effectively equivalent to promoting Newton's constant to a high-pass filter that degravitates sources of characteristic wavelength larger than a certain macroscopic (super) horizon scale L. We study the underlying physics and the consistency of this phenomenon. In particular, the absence of ghosts, already at the linear level, implies that in any such theory the graviton should either have a mass 1/L, or be a resonance of similar width. This has profound physical implications for the degravitation idea.
The accuracy of existing prehospital triage tools for injured children in England—an analysis using trauma registry data

Objectives To investigate the performance characteristics of prehospital paediatric triage tools for identifying seriously injured children in England. Design Eight prehospital paediatric triage tools were identified by literature review and by survey of the Lead Trauma Clinicians across English Strategic Health Authorities. Retrospective clinical registry data from the Trauma Audit and Research Network were used to determine the performance characteristics of each tool, using ‘gold standards’ for under- and over-triage of <5% and <25–50%, respectively, as benchmarks for performance. Participants 701 patient records were included. Inclusion criteria were all injured patients aged <16 years admitted to a receiving unit direct from the scene of accident in the period 2007–2010, for whom all key discriminator fields were recorded in the Trauma Audit and Research Network database. Outcome measures The main outcome measure was how each tool functioned with regard to their under- and over-triaging features. Other performance characteristics, for example, predictive values and likelihood ratios were also calculated. Results Two (of eight) triage tools demonstrated acceptable under-triage rates (3% and 4%) but had unacceptably high over-triage rates (83% and 72%). Two tools demonstrated acceptable over-triage rates (7% and 16%), but with unacceptably high under-triage rates (61% and 63%). Four tools had unacceptably high under- and over-triage rates. Conclusions None of the prehospital triage tools currently used or being developed in England meet recommended criteria for over- and under-triage rates. There is an urgent need for the development of triage tools to accurately risk-stratify injured children in the prehospital setting.
Solving Discrete Zero Point Problems

In this paper, an algorithm is proposed to find a discrete zero point of a function on the collection of integral points in the n-dimensional Euclidean space R (n). Starting with a given integral point, the algorithm generates a finite sequence of adjacent integral simplices of varying dimension and terminates with, under certain convergency conditions, a vertex, which yields a discrete zero point of the function under consideration.
Oxygen uptake and responses to respiratory stress in sea urchins.

1. Oxygen uptake (VO2) by sea urchins has been measured and correlated with partial pressures of oxygen in the ambient water (PiO2) and in coelomic fluid (PcfO2). PcfO2 was also analyzed in samples obtained from animals in natural environments using SCUBA-diving technique. In addition, changes in PcfO2 were recorded during prolonged air exposure of the animals.2. The three species investigated, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, S. franciscanus and S. droebachiensis, showed steady levels of VO2 until PiO2 had dropped to 60-70 mm. Hg. At lower PiO2 the oxygen uptake decreased corresponding to the rate of decline of PiO2.3. Changes in PcfO2 at decreasing PiO2 closely paralleled the changes in VO2, except for a common initial compensatory increase in PcfO2. The data indicate that PcfO2 represents a useful index of the level of VO2.4. PcfO2 in samples obtained from urchins in their natural habitat showed large variations. Means by which the relationship between PcfO2 and VO2 may actively be used by the animals in.
Immunogenicity and specificity of Salmonella typhimurium outer membrane antigens

S. typhimurium was acetone dried, negative stained, and its outer membrane was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy. White Albino rabbits were immunized against acetone derived S. typhimurium, and the immune sera were collected. Outer membrane antigens were extracted from acetone dried and veronal buffer treated S. typhimurium, S. typhi, S. paratyphi-B, E. coli, and S. flexineri. S. typhimurium extract was further fractionated. Immunogenicity and cross reactivity of each antigenic fraction were evaluated by ELISA and immunodiffusion using the immune sera and commercially available or in-house product sera. Molecular sizes of proteins in fractions were evaluated using SDS-PAGE. A S. typhimurium specific 70 kDa antigen was detected. However, highest antigenicity was detected in 36-43 kDa common protein fraction. These antigenic fractions should have utility in medical microbial immunology.
Why are there no great women chefs?

This article applies the rhetorical and deliberately provocative approach of the watershed essay art historian Linda Nochlin wrote in 1971—“Why Have there Been No Great Women Artists? ”—to today's culinary industry. Nochlin used the question her title posed as a theoretical trap that would draw attention not only to the inherent sexism or prejudice that pervades the way the public perceives art, but also to those same issues' existence within and impact on academia and the other cultural institutions responsible for posing these sorts of questions. Nochlin bypassed the obvious and irrelevant debate over women's being less or differently talented and, in so doing, exposed that debate for being a distraction from the heart of the matter: how, sociologically (media) or institutionally (museums, foundations, etc.), people define a “great artist. ” Although it's 40 years later, the polemic is as effective when used to understand the gender divide in the food world.
Persistence of W135 Neisseria meningitidis Carriage in Returning Hajj Pilgrims: Risk for Early and Late Transmission to Household Contacts

After an outbreak of meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis W135, associated with the Hajj pilgrimage in 2001, 15% of returning vaccinated pilgrims carried a single W135 clone, and 55% were still carriers 6 months later. Transmission to 8% of their unvaccinated household contacts occurred within a few weeks, but no late transmission took place. Public health interventions are needed to protect household contacts.
A novel slow-wave structure for millimeter-wave filter application on bulk CMOS

A novel slow-wave structure for microstrip lines is proposed. Unlike conventional slow-wave structures such as photonic bandgap (PBG) and ladder microstrip lines, which only deal with the substrate, ground plane or the signal line of a microstrip separately, the periodic patterns of this new slow-wave structure are etched in both the conductive metal strip and the ground plane of the proposed microstrip line. No extra drilling through the substrate is required. The designed slow-wave structure exhibits that size reduction and minimal loss increase can be achieved simultaneously. 2nd-order rectangular open-loop filters with and without implementing the proposed slow-wave structure have been designed and fabricated in the millimeter-wave (mm-wave) range on 65-nm bulk CMOS. Both simulations and measurements demonstrate the new design has a 52.7% size reduction with only 0.5 dB penalty in transmission loss. To author's best knowledge this compact filter is the first reported mm-wave filter using slow-wave structure on bulk CMOS.
Carotenoid Biosynthesis in the Primitive Red Alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae

ABSTRACT Cyanidioschyzon merolae is considered to be one of the most primitive of eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms. To obtain insights into the origin and evolution of the pathway of carotenoid biosynthesis in eukaryotic plants, the carotenoid content of C. merolae was ascertained, genes encoding enzymes of carotenoid biosynthesis in this unicellular red alga were identified, and the activities of two candidate pathway enzymes of particular interest, lycopene cyclase and β-carotene hydroxylase, were examined. C. merolae contains perhaps the simplest assortment of chlorophylls and carotenoids found in any eukaryotic photosynthetic organism: chlorophyll a, β-carotene, and zeaxanthin. Carotenoids with ε-rings (e.g., lutein), found in many other red algae and in green algae and land plants, were not detected, and the lycopene cyclase of C. merolae quite specifically produced only β-ringed carotenoids when provided with lycopene as the substrate in Escherichia coli. Lycopene β-ring cyclases from several bacteria, cyanobacteria, and land plants also proved to be high-fidelity enzymes, whereas the structurally related ε-ring cyclases from several plant species were found to be less specific, yielding products with β-rings as well as ε-rings. C. merolae lacks orthologs of genes that encode the two types of β-carotene hydroxylase found in land plants, one a nonheme diiron oxygenase and the other a cytochrome P450. A C. merolae chloroplast gene specifies a polypeptide similar to members of a third class of β-carotene hydroxylases, common in cyanobacteria, but this gene did not produce an active enzyme when expressed in E. coli. The identity of the C. merolae β-carotene hydroxylase therefore remains uncertain.
Effect of Three Sand Types on Potato Vegetative Growth and Yield

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the major vegetable crops that are grown world –wide because of its economic importance. This experiment investigated the effect of local sands (River Base, Al-Ekader and Karbala) on number and total weight of minitubers. Statistical analysis revealed that there were no significant differences among sand cultures in number of stem/plant, chlorophyll index and tubers dry weight. River Base sand had the highest plant height (74.9 cm), leaf number/plant number (39.3), leaf area (84.4 dcm⁄plant), dry weight/plant (26.31), tubers number/plant (8.5), tubers weight/plant (635.53 gm) and potato tuber yields/trove (28.60 kg), whereas the Karbala sand had lower performance. All the characters had positive and significant correlation with yields except the traits number of stem and tuber dry weight. Keywords—Correlation, Potato, Sand Culture, Yield.
A Contemporary Review of Cystic Adventitial Disease

Cystic adventitial disease (CAD) is a rare vascular disorder, predominantly seen in young healthy men with minimal cardiovascular risk factors. Cystic adventitial disease can affect both arteries and veins. Patients with arterial CAD present with sudden onset or rapidly progressing claudication symptoms, and those with venous CAD present with limb swelling or very rarely deep vein thrombosis. Diagnosis is confirmed with the aid of imaging techniques such as ultrasonography, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance scan. Surgical resection or evacuation of the lesion is usually the preferred approach, with only mixed results reported for percutaneous endovascular techniques.
ANDRODIOECY INFERRED IN THE CLAM SHRIMP EULIMNADIA AGASSIZII (SPINICAUDATA: LIMNADIIDAE)

Abstract Androdioecy (mixtures of males and hermaphrodites) is a rare mating system in both the plant and animal kingdoms. Androdioecy has been described in three branchiopod species, and is best known from the clam shrimp Eulimnadia texana Packard. Herein we describe sex ratio, genetic and histological evidence from the clam shrimp Eulimnadia agassizii Packard that suggest androdioecy is also found in this species. The E. agassizii population sampled had all-females, and when these females were isolated and allowed to produce eggs, those eggs yielded 100% female offspring in 15 out of 15 cases. Additionally, the originally isolated females proved to be completely homozygous at each of the six allozyme loci scored. The offspring from these isolated females also proved to be homozygous for the same alleles as their parent. Tissue sectioning of the gonad found that the “females” actually produced testicular tissue in the posterior portion of the gonad. Taken together, these data are entirely consistent with those of the androdioecious E. texana, and thus indicate that E. agassizii is also an androdioecious species, bringing the total number of branchiopod species with this form of reproduction to four.
The Effect of Breakfast Type on Total Daily Energy Intake and Body Mass Index Among Thai School Children

The study investigated the association between breakfast types consumed, daily energy intake, and body mass index for age Z-score (BAZ). Cross-sectional data from 1258 children aged 7 to 12.9 years were analyzed for breakfast type, nutrient intakes, BAZ, and proportion of overweight or obesity. Analysis of covariance was used to compare energy and nutrient intakes, BAZ, and proportion of overweight/obese children between breakfast groups. Only 19% of children had adequate energy intake from breakfast. Those consuming snacks had a significantly lower BAZ (Z = −0.73), with 5% of them being overweight/obese. Those consuming beverages and desserts had the lowest total daily energy intake (1314 kcal) and lowest protein intake (8.4 g). The results suggest that breakfast type is associated with daily energy intake and BAZ. Most breakfasts are not adequate. School-based nutrition education programs involving families, teachers, and health professionals can contribute to improve this situation.
PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN ENDOTOXIN ASSOCIATED WITH LOSS OF BIOLOGICAL POTENCY

Ribi, Edgar (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratory, Hamilton, Mont.), Willard T. Haskins, Kelsey C. Milner, Robert L. Anacker, Daniel B. Ritter, Granville Goode, Robert-John Trapani, and Maurice Landy. Physicochemical changes in endotoxin associated with loss of biological potency. J. Bacteriol. 84:803–814. 1962. —The preparation of endotoxins whose gross chemical composition approached that of refined polysaccharide haptenes raised anew the question of which features of composition and structure are essential for their characteristic host reactivity. Alterations in the physicochemical, immunochemical, and biological properties of Salmonella enteritidis endotoxin subjected to hydrolysis with 0.1 n acetic acid were therefore investigated to relate physical characteristics to biological attributes. As hydrolysis proceeded, the decline in biological potency was paralleled by dissociation of endotoxin into particles of the size of haptenic polysaccharide. The potency still present at various stages of hydrolysis could be accounted for by residual undissociated endotoxin. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that a macromolecular complex of critical size is one of the major requirements for endotoxin to elicit its characteristic effects in the mammalian host.
Genetic analysis of glucose regulation in saccharomyces cerevisiae: control of transcription versus mRNA turnover.

A major determinant of the steady‐state level of the mRNA encoding the iron protein (Ip) subunit of succinate dehydrogenase of yeast is its rate of turnover. This mRNA is significantly more stable in glycerol than in glucose media. Many other genes, for example, SUC2, that are repressed in the presence of glucose are believed to be controlled at the level of transcription. The present study elucidates differences in the regulatory mechanisms by which glucose controls the transcription and turnover of the SUC2 and Ip mRNAs. The signaling pathway for glucose repression at the transcriptional level has been associated with a number of gene products linking glucose uptake with nuclear events. We have investigated whether the same genes are involved in the control of Ip mRNA stability. Phosphorylation of glucose or fructose is critical in triggering the transcript's degradation, but any hexokinase will do. Of the other known genes examined, most, with the exception of REG1, are not involved in determining the differential stability of the Ip transcript. Finally, our results indicate that differential stability on different carbon sources also plays a role in determining the steady‐state level of the SUC2 mRNA. Thus, glucose repression includes both transcriptional and post‐transcriptional mechanisms.
Environmental and occupational respiratory disorders Purification of a novel aminopeptidase from the pollen of Parietaria judaica that alters epithelial integrity and degrades neuropeptides

Background: Parietaria judaica pollen is a common cause of pollinosis in the Mediterranean area. Objective: This study sought to purify and characterize the peptidase responsible for the majority of proteolytic activity present in the pollen extract of P judaica, and to investigate its contribution to the allergic response. Methods: A serial of chromatographic steps was applied to isolate the peptidase from P judaica’s pollen, and its biochemical properties were determined. Bioactive peptides present in the airways were incubated with the peptidase, and their degradation was visualized by direct protein sequencing. In addition, we measured the cellular detachment, by methylene blue binding assay, of an airway-derived epithelial cell line (A549) in the presence of the peptidase, and visualized, by Western blot, the degradation of proteins from intercellular junctions. Results: We purified a 98-kDa peptidase from the pollen of P judaica that was classified as an aminopeptidase on the basis of its biochemical properties and internal amino acid sequence. The aminopeptidase was able to degrade bioactive peptides. Moreover, the aminopeptidase caused cellular detachment of A549 cell line and degradation of occludin and E-cadherin. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the P judaica aminopeptidase can alter the integrity of the epithelium barrier by degrading occludin as well as E-cadherin. In addition, P judaica aminopeptidase can degrade bioactive peptides, which can exacerbate the overall bronchoconstrictive effect detected in asthmatic lungs. Clinical implications: The novel aminopeptidase described here could constitute a relevant therapeutic target in the treatment of allergic disorders induced by the pollen of P judaica. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2006;118:878-84.)
National Borders Matter … Where One Draws the Lines Too (Les Frontières Nationales Comptent … Leur Tracéégalement)

The fact that crossing a political border dramatically reduces trade flows has been widely documented in the literature. The increasing number of borders has surprisingly attracted much less attention. The number of independent countries has indeed risen from 72 in 1948 to 192 today. This paper estimates the effect of political disintegration since World War II on the measured growth in world trade. We first show that trade statistics should be considered carefully when assessing globalization over time, since the definition of trade partners varies over time. We document a sizeable resulting accounting artefact, which accounts for 17% of the growth in world trade since 1948. Second, we estimate that political disintegration alone since World War II has raised measured international trade flows by 9% but decreased actual trade flows (including inter-regional trade) by 4%.
Low physical activity as a predictor for antihypertensive drug treatment in 25-64-year-old populations in Eastern and south-western Finland

Objective To determine whether low leisure-time physical activity, occupational physical activity and commuting activity independently increase the risk of hypertension when adjusted for most risk factors for hypertension and for different forms of physical activity. Design Population-based prospective cohort study. Setting Eastern and south-western Finland. Participants Men (n = 5935) and women (n = 6227) aged 25-64 years. Main outcome measure Initiation of free-of-charge medication for hypertension during a mean follow-up time of 11.3 years. Results Men with high leisure-time physical activity had a reduced risk of hypertension when adjustment had been made for age, area and year of survey, education, smoking, alcohol intake, baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP), body mass index (BMI), commuting activity and occupational physical activity [hazard ratio (HR) 0.79; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63 to 0.99]. Women with high leisure-time physical activity had a reduced risk of hypertension when adjusted for age, area and time of survey (HR 0.65; 95% CI 0.46 to 0.91). This association was no longer significant when further adjustments were made for other covariates (HR 0.73; 95% CI 0.52 to 1.03). High occupational physical activity reduced the risk of hypertension only among men and women combined when adjustment was made for age, area and time of survey, education, smoking and alcohol intake, in addition to baseline SBP, BMI, commuting activity and leisure-time physical activity (HR 0.83; 95% CI 0.72 to 0.96). Commuting activity was not associated with risk of hypertension in multivariate models. Conclusion High levels of leisure-time physical activity are associated with a reduced risk of hypertension, independently of most common risk factors for hypertension, occupational physical activity and commuting activity. Promoting leisure-time physical activity is essential to prevent hypertension.
A comparison of the welfare and meat quality of veal calves slaughtered on the farm with those subjected to transportation and lairage

Comparisons were made of the behaviour, physiology and meat quality of 24-week-old male veal calves (mean live weight 234 kg) that were slaughtered either at the veal unit (the control group) or following 3 h transportation at space allowances of either 0.7 or 0.95 m calf 1 and 1.5 h of lairage. Compared with nontransported calves, transported calves had a greater heart rate during the journey and during lairage; greater plasma cortisol concentration immediately after the journey, but not after 1.5 h of lairage; and greater plasma creatine kinase activity immediately after the journey and after 1.5 h of lairage. The transported calves did not lie down during the journey. There was no effect of space allowance on either the heart rate or frequency of potentially traumatic events during the journey or the plasma cortisol concentration and plasma creatine kinase activity sampled after the journey. There was no effect of transport on either carcase bruising or muscle pH 24 h after slaughter. Although compared with don-farmT slaughter, the transport and handling associated with the journey to the slaughterhouse were stressful to the calves; there were no adverse effects of transport on either carcase bruising or meat quality. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.