Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reexamination of Chlorophyllase Function Implies Its Involvement in Defense against Chewing Herbivores1[OPEN]

A jasmonate-inducible chlorophyllase catabolizes chlorophyll upon tissue disruption to generate compounds that are toxic to insect herbivores. Chlorophyllase (CLH) is a common plant enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of chlorophyll to form chlorophyllide, a more hydrophilic derivative. For more than a century, the biological role of CLH has been controversial, although this enzyme has been often considered to catalyze chlorophyll catabolism during stress-induced chlorophyll breakdown. In this study, we found that the absence of CLH does not affect chlorophyll breakdown in intact leaf tissue in the absence or the presence of methyl-jasmonate, which is known to enhance stress-induced chlorophyll breakdown. Fractionation of cellular membranes shows that Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) CLH is located in the endoplasmic reticulum and the tonoplast of intact plant cells. These results indicate that CLH is not involved in endogenous chlorophyll catabolism. Instead, we found that CLH promotes chlorophyllide formation upon disruption of leaf cells, or when it is artificially mistargeted to the chloroplast. These results indicate that CLH is responsible for chlorophyllide formation after the collapse of cells, which led us to hypothesize that chlorophyllide formation might be a process of defense against chewing herbivores. We found that Arabidopsis leaves with genetically enhanced CLH activity exhibit toxicity when fed to Spodoptera litura larvae, an insect herbivore. In addition, purified chlorophyllide partially suppresses the growth of the larvae. Taken together, these results support the presence of a unique binary defense system against insect herbivores involving chlorophyll and CLH. Potential mechanisms of chlorophyllide action for defense are discussed.
Integrins direct Src family kinases to regulate distinct phases of oligodendrocyte development

Specific integrins expressed on oligodendrocytes, the myelin-forming cells of the central nervous system, promote either differentiation and survival or proliferation by amplification of growth factor signaling. Here, we report that the Src family kinases (SFKs) Fyn and Lyn regulate each of these distinct integrin-driven behaviors. Fyn associates with α6β1 and is required to amplify platelet-derived growth factor survival signaling, to promote myelin membrane formation, and to switch neuregulin signaling from a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase to a mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway (thereby changing the response from proliferation to differentiation). However, earlier in the lineage Lyn, not Fyn, is required to drive αVβ3-dependent progenitor proliferation. The two SFKs respond to integrin ligation by different mechanisms: Lyn, by increased autophosphorylation of a catalytic tyrosine; and Fyn, by reduced Csk phosphorylation of the inhibitory COOH-terminal tyrosine. These findings illustrate how different SFKs can act as effectors for specific cell responses during development within a single cell lineage, and, furthermore, provide a molecular mechanism to explain similar region-specific hypomyelination in laminin- and Fyn-deficient mice.
Preparation, Characterisation and Cookoff Behaviour of Booster Compositions Prepared from RDX and Acrylic or Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Dispersions

Abstract : A range of potential booster explosives has been prepared using RDX and commercially available acrylic and ethylene-vinyl acetate dispersions. The dispersions were coagulated in hot aqueous slurries of RDX by electrolyte addition and the use of thermal coagulation aids, a process compatible with existing Australian production plant and methods. Generally the polymer coatings on the RDX crystals were porous and the precipitated particles had not coalesced to form polymer films. In these cases the compositions were no less sensitive to impact than RDX. Several softer polymers gave effective coatings and desensitized the RDX. Film formation was enhanced using plasticizers and flow properties were improved by applying an additional coating of zinc stearate. Vacuum thermal stability in most cases was excellent. Australia. (jes)
Optimization of a Two-Echelon Supply Network Using Multi-objective Genetic Algorithms

The overall performance of a supply-chain (SC) is influenced significantly by the decisions taken in its production-distribution (P-D) plan. A P-D plan integrates decisions in production, transport and warehousing as well as inventory management. One key issue in the performance evaluation of a Supply Network (SN) is the modeling and optimization of P-D planning problem considering its actual complexity. Based on the integration of Aggregate Production Planning and Distribution Planning, this paper firstly develops a mixed integer formulation for a two-echelon supply network considering the real-world variables and constraints. A multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) is then designed for the optimization of the developed mathematical model. Finally, a real-world case study incorporating multiple products, multiple plants, multiple warehouses, multiple end-users, and multiple time periods will be considered for investigating the performance evaluation of the MOGA method against the traditional approaches of SC planning.
Intensity Calibration and Flat‐Field Correction for Fluorescence Microscopes

Standardization in fluorescence microscopy involves calibration of intensity in reproducible units and correction for spatial nonuniformity of illumination (flat‐field or shading correction). Both goals can be achieved using concentrated solutions of fluorescent dyes. When a drop of a highly concentrated fluorescent dye is placed between a slide and a coverslip it produces a spatially uniform field, resistant to photobleaching and with reproducible quantum yield; it can be used as a brightness standard for wide‐field and confocal microscopes. For wide‐field microscopes, calibration can be further extended to absolute molecular units. This can be done by imaging a solution of known concentration and known depth; the latter can be prepared by placing a small spherical lens in a diluted solution of the same fluorophore that is used in the biological specimen. Curr. Protoc. Cytom. 68:10.14. 1‐10.14. 10. © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Iodine and tri-iodo-thyronine reduce the incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus in the autoimmune prone BB rats

Thyroid hormones modulate the immune system and metabolism, influence insulin secretion, and cause decreased glucose tolerance. Thyroid hormones have been described to change the incidence of spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis in Bio-Breeding/Worcester (BB) rats but it is unknown how these hormones affect the development of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The aim was to investigate the influence of changes in thyroid function during postnatal development on the prevalence of T1DM in BB rats and the influence of T3 on the beta cell mass in non-diabetic Wistar rats. BB rats were treated with sodium iodine (NaI) or thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) neonatally or with tri-iodo-thyronine (T3) during adolescence. At the age of 19 weeks the incidence of T1DM and the degree of insulitis were evaluated. The influence of T3 treatment on the beta cell mass was evaluated in Wistar rats by unbiased stereological methods. The incidence of T1DM in control BB rats was 68% at the age of 19 weeks. NaI and T3 reduced the incidence, whereas TSH had no effect. In Wistar rats T3 treatment increased the beta cell mass per bodyweight. The modulation of thyroid function during postnatal development may thus affect the precipitation of T1DM in genetically susceptible individuals.
A Finite Element Variational Multiscale Method Based on Two Local Gauss Integrations for Stationary Conduction-Convection Problems

A new finite element variational multiscaleVMSmethod based on two local Gauss integrations is proposed and analyzed for the stationary conduction-convection problems. The valuable feature of our method is that the action of stabilization operators can be performed locally at the element level with minimal additional cost. The theory analysis shows that our method is stable and has a good precision. Finally, the numerical test agrees completely with the theoretical expectations and the " exact solution," which show that our method is highly efficient for the stationary conduction- convection problems.
Antagonistic regulation of cyclin expression by the bZIP transcription factors Pcr1 and Atf1 during G2/M transition

The transcription factor Atf1 is known to promote cell survival during various stress conditions in Schizosaccharomyces pombe by activating the expression of appropriate genes. It can also activate transcription of other important genes responsible for cell cycle progression. An Atf1-dependent increase in the expression of cell division promoting genes will oppose activation of checkpoints necessary to ensure repairs and cell survival during stress. Hence, selective inhibition of the cell cycle-related functions of Atf1 would be indispensable for cellular survival during stress. Here we present evidence in favour of selective inhibition of Atf1's ability to activate cdc13+ transcription. We show that the transcription factor Pcr1 can specifically inhibit the recruitment of Atf1 on cdc13 promoter and thereby prevent Atf1-mediated mitotic acceleration. We also show that this opposition of Atf1 functions by Pcr1 extends to the G1-S transition event as well. Altogether these results suggest a previously unknown antagonistic function of Atf1 and Pcr1 in regulating Cdc13 expression during cell cycle progression.
Low Birth Weight, a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Diseases in Later Life, Is Already Associated With Elevated Fetal Glycosylated Hemoglobin at Birth

Background— It remains unclear whether the association between low birth weight and insulin resistance in adulthood has its origin in utero or whether it develops later in life depending on predisposition and exogenous factors. Methods and Results— Total glycosylated hemoglobin (TGH) was quantified at delivery in 1295 mother/child pairs serving as a surrogate of maternal and fetal glycemia. Multivariable regression analysis considering gestational age at delivery, the child’s sex, maternal body mass index, and smoking during pregnancy revealed that an increase in TGH by 1% in the child was significantly associated with a mean birth weight reduction of 135 g (P<0.0001), whereas the same increase in the mother was associated with a mean birth weight increase of 88 g (P<0.0001). The ratio of fetal/maternal TGH suggests that lighter newborns have a higher percentage of TGH than would be expected from maternal TGH. Conclusions— The study demonstrates for the first time in a large population that there is an inverse association between TGH of a newborn and its birth weight. This might be due to increased insulin resistance in newborns with lower birth weight. Our data suggest that the pathophysiological mechanisms linking prenatal growth and postnatal sensitivity to insulin are present as early as before birth.
"Like" is More than Just a Thumbs up: The Role of Feedback and Sociability in SNS Usage

Social network sites (SNS) have increasingly become widely used technologies that are well integrated in the daily routines of many individuals. As venues for information sharing, SNS provide a diversity of communication capabilities and feedback features that can stir emotions, attitudes, beliefs, as well as influencing many decisions. In this paper, we argue that the meanings that SNS feedback features communicate to individuals induce in them feelings of social presence and enjoyment, which then shape their experiences related to information technologies. To investigate the impact of feedbacks and social presence on individuals’ intentions in an SNS context, we proposed and tested a research model integrating the tackled concepts along with attitude, enjoyment and perceived usefulness. Our results suggest that feedback is an essential component of SNS, capable of shaping individual perceptions of social presence and enjoyment, which in turn, along with attitude and perceived usefulness, are expected to influence individual intentions.
New DAG and cAMP Sensors Optimized for Live-Cell Assays in Automated Laboratories

Protein-based, fluorescent biosensors power basic research on cell signaling in health and disease, but their use in automated laboratories is limited. We have now created two live-cell assays, one for diacyl glycerol and another for cAMP, that are robust (Z′ > 0.7) and easily deployed on standard fluorescence plate readers. We describe the development of these assays, focusing on the parameters that were critical for optimization, in the hopes that the lessons learned can be generalized to the development of new biosensor-based assays.
Diffusion rates of cell surface antigens of mouse-human heterokaryons. II. Effect of membrane potential on lateral diffusion

The rate of appearance, in a population of mouse-human heterokaryons, of cells with intermixed mouse and human surface antigens may be used to estimate the rate of lateral diffusion of the antigens in a single cell. Most heterokaryons appear to restrict diffusion of their surface antigens. These restrictions are altered by exposing either heterokaryons or their parent cells to conditions that change cell surface membrane potential. Media containing unphysiological concentrations of potassium ion, drugs, affecting the Na+,K+ ATPase, or a channel-forming antibiotic, gramicidin, all affect lateral mobility of cell surface antigens in a manner consistent with a common effect on membrane potential.
Vertebrate Lrig3-ErbB Interactions Occur In Vitro but Are Unlikely to Play a Role in Lrig3-Dependent Inner Ear Morphogenesis

Background The Lrig genes encode a family of transmembrane proteins that have been implicated in tumorigenesis, psoriasis, neural crest development, and complex tissue morphogenesis. Whether these diverse phenotypes reflect a single underlying cellular mechanism is not known. However, Lrig proteins contain evolutionarily conserved ectodomains harboring both leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin domains, suggesting an ability to bind to common partners. Previous studies revealed that Lrig1 binds to and inhibits members of the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases by inducing receptor internalization and degradation. In addition, other receptor tyrosine kinase binding partners have been identified for both Lrig1 and Lrig3, leaving open the question of whether defective ErbB signaling is responsible for the observed mouse phenotypes. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we report that Lrig3, like Lrig1, is able to interact with ErbB receptors in vitro. We examined the in vivo significance of these interactions in the inner ear, where Lrig3 controls semicircular canal formation by determining the timing and extent of Netrin1 expression in the otic vesicle epithelium. We find that ErbB2 and ErbB3 are present in the early otic epithelium, and that Lrig3 acts cell-autonomously here, as would be predicted if Lrig3 regulates ErbB2/B3 activity. However, inhibition of ErbB activation in the chick otic vesicle has no detectable effect on Netrin gene expression or canal morphogenesis. Conclusions/Significance Our results suggest that although both Lrig1 and Lrig3 can interact with ErbB receptors in vitro, modulation of Neuregulin signaling is unlikely to contribute to Lrig3-dependent processes of inner ear morphogenesis. These results highlight the similar binding properties of Lrig1 and Lrig3 and underscore the need to determine how these two family members bind to and regulate different receptors to affect diverse aspects of cell behavior in vivo.
The impact of a nurse-led chronic musculoskeletal pain clinic on healthcare utilization.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To determine whether a nurse-led chronic musculoskeletal pain clinic for fibromyalgia patients can reduce utilization of healthcare services. BACKGROUND People with fibromyalgia often consult multiple specialities due to the vast nature of their symptoms but receive little or no help in managing their symptoms. DESIGN A retrospective evaluation of a nurse consultant-led chronic pain management clinic. METHODS The frequency of hospital attendances in the five years before and three years after pain clinic attendance was evaluated. General practitioner (GP) attendances in the 12-month period before and after pain clinic attendance were compared with attendances for two groups of patients from an established GP cohort: (i) patients referred to rheumatology new patient clinics and (ii) all patients with fibromyalgia referred to any hospital new patient clinic. RESULTS In the three years following attendance at the pain clinic, the mean number of hospital appointments fell significantly from 2.8 to 1.4 per annum (p < 0.001). The mean reduction seen in hospital clinic attendances in the first year (0.8/annum) improved in the second (1.2/annum) and third (2.1/annum) years. Seventy-eight per cent of pain clinic patients reduced their visits to their GP in the 12 months following treatment in the pain service, compared with 53% of patients referred to rheumatology clinics and 46% of patients with fibromyalgia. CONCLUSION A nurse-led chronic pain clinic for fibromyalgia patients can have a positive impact on primary and secondary healthcare utilization. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Having a designated nurse-led pain clinic can enable patients to access the appropriate service at an earlier stage in their condition and receive the support needed to manage the impact of their pain.
Joint Mobile Data Gathering and Energy Provisioning in Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks

The emerging wireless energy transfer technology enables charging sensor batteries in a wireless sensor network (WSN) and maintaining perpetual operation of the network. Recent breakthrough in this area has opened up a new dimension to the design of sensor network protocols. In the meanwhile, mobile data gathering has been considered as an efficient alternative to data relaying in WSNs. However, time variation of recharging rates in wireless rechargeable sensor networks imposes a great challenge in obtaining an optimal data gathering strategy. In this paper, we propose a framework of joint wireless energy replenishment and anchor-point based mobile data gathering (WerMDG) in WSNs by considering various sources of energy consumption and time-varying nature of energy replenishment. To that end, we first determine the anchor point selection strategy and the sequence to visit the anchor points. We then formulate the WerMDG problem into a network utility maximization problem which is constrained by flow, energy balance, link and battery capacity and the bounded sojourn time of the mobile collector. Furthermore, we present a distributed algorithm composed of cross-layer data control, scheduling and routing subalgorithms for each sensor node, and sojourn time allocation subalgorithm for the mobile collector at different anchor points. We also provide the convergence analysis of these subalgorithms. Finally, we implement the WerMDG algorithm in a distributed manner in the NS-2 simulator and give extensive numerical results to verify the convergence of the proposed algorithm and the impact of utility weight, link capacity and recharging rate on network performance.
Condition monitoring through mining fault frequency from machine vibration data

In machine health monitoring, fault frequency identification of potential bearing faults is very important and necessary when it comes to reliable operation of a given system. In this paper, we proposed a data mining based scheme for fault frequency identification from the bearing data. In this scheme, we propose a compact tree called SAP-tree (sliding window associated frequency pattern tree) which is built upon the analysis of frequency domain characteristics of machine vibration data. Using this tree we devised a sliding window-based associated frequency pattern mining technique, called SAP algorithm, that mines for the frequencies relevant to machine fault. Our SAP algorithm can mine associated frequency patterns in the current window with frequent pattern (FP)-growth like pattern-growth method and used these patterns to identify the fault frequency. Extensive experimental analyses show that our technique is very efficient in identifying fault frequency over vibration data stream.
Adaptive frame size estimation using extended Kalman filter for high-stressed WLANs

Demands for high throughput and stable service quality are increasing. Frame aggregation mechanisms in IEEE 802.11n wireless local area networks (WLANs) can provide improved throughput, but the effect of A-MSDU decreases significantly in error-prone channels. Therefore, adaptive frame size estimation (FSE) depending on the channel condition is required to maintain the improved throughput. In this paper, we proposed frame error rate (FER) based FSE scheme in error-prone and time-varying channel such as a high-stressed network. A tight FER bound is derived to obtain instantaneous link condition, and extended Kalman filter (EKF) is used to estimate frame size optimally for next transmission with current channel information. Our simulation results show that the proposed FSE scheme improves the throughput two times higher than a nonadaptation approach in high-stressed network condition.
An efficient decoding algorithm based on orthogonal projection method for asynchronous physical-layer network coding

This paper presents an efficient decoding scheme for asynchronous physical network coding (PNC) network. The proposed scheme incorporates linear orthogonal projection method into the asynchronous PNC network to eliminate the impact of inter-symbol interference caused by imperfect synchronisation. In terms of the number of floating-point operations to decode per collided information packet at relay, the speedups of the proposed algorithm over the existed optimal belief propagation (BP) decoding algorithm is around 1.32 for BPSK and 2.68 for QPSK, respectively. Numerical simulations confirm that the proposed scheme achieves a near performance with the optimal BP decoding algorithm at a much lower complexity. Moreover, the proposed decoding method has a much better bit-error rate performance than collision resolution method which is the first method proposed to extract collided packets in the asynchronous PNC model described by this paper.
Use of social network analysis to describe service links for farmers' mental health.

OBJECTIVE The primary mental health care needs of farmers require that service innovations incorporate rural support workers into a local service network. This component of the FarmLink pilot sought to develop a social network analysis method that would describe local mental health-related human service networks. The purpose is to inform improvements in this network and to serve as a baseline against which such improvements can be evaluated. DESIGN A pilot survey of rural human service providers who deal with mental health-related issues among farmers about their self-reported links between each other. SETTING Service delivery agencies associated with a small rural town in New South Wales. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-five agents from a range of human services involved in rural human support services to farmers, such as from agricultural and drought support, welfare, primary health care and education. INTERVENTION Telephone interview prior to the conduct of a Mental Health First Aid seminar and a Farmers Mental Health and Wellbeing workshop. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Agent self-reported service links over the past three months for information exchange, client referrals and working together in relation to helping farmers for mental health, emotional health or stress-related problems. Analysis trialled on the 'made referrals' link shows the network influence, prominence and intermediary status of the rural financial counsellor. CONCLUSIONS Within the limitations of recalled self-report data, social network analysis provides a useful network description for informing and evaluating service network improvements.