Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dissecting the loci of low‐level quinine resistance in malaria parasites

Quinine (QN) remains effective against Plasmodium falciparum, but its decreasing efficacy is documented from different continents. Multiple genes are likely to contribute to the evolution of QN resistance. To locate genes contributing to QN response variation, we have searched a P. falciparum genetic cross for quantitative trait loci (QTL). Results identify additive QTL in segments of chromosomes (Chrs) 13, 7 and 5, and pairwise effects from two additional loci of Chrs 9 and 6 that interact, respectively, with the QTL of Chrs 13 and 7. The mapped segments of Chrs 7 and 5 contain pfcrt, the determinant of chloroquine resistance (CQR), and pfmdr1, a gene known to affect QN responses. Association of pfcrt with a QTL of QN resistance supports anecdotal evidence for an evolutionary relationship between CQR and reduced QN sensitivity. The Chr 13 segment contains several candidate genes, one of which (pfnhe‐1) encodes a putative Na+/H+ exchanger. A repeat polymorphism in pfnhe‐1 shows significant association with low QN response in a collection of P. falciparum strains from Asia, Africa and Central and South America. Dissection of the genes and modifiers involved in QN response will require experimental strategies that can evaluate multiple genes from different chromosomes in combination.
Vaccine potential of Pseudomonas aeruginosa O-polysaccharide-toxin A conjugates

Serologically reactive O-polysaccharide from nine serotypes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were covalently linked to toxin A via reductive amination, with adipic acid dihydrazide serving as a spacer molecule. The conjugates were composed of toxin A/O-polysaccharide ratios ranging from 1.17:1 to 3:1. All possessed an average Mr of greater than 10(6), were devoid of ADP ribosyltransferase activity associated with toxin A, and were nontoxic for mice and guinea pigs. The conjugates were stable from toxic reversion when stored at 37 degrees C for 28 days. The conjugation condition used preserved a substantial proportion of critical epitopes on the toxin A molecule as shown by the ability of toxin A-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies to react with the various conjugates. All nine conjugates were capable of evoking an antitoxin A and an antilipopolysaccharide immunoglobulin G (IgG) response in mice and rabbits. Rabbit antitoxin A IgG was capable of neutralizing the cytotoxic effect of toxin A, whereas mice immunized with any of the conjugates were protected against toxin A intoxication. Rabbit anti-conjugate IgG, when passively transferred to mice, was highly effective at preventing fatal P. aeruginosa burn wound sepsis.
Calcium‐mediated inactivation of the calcium conductance in caesium‐loaded giant neurones of Aplysia californica.

1. The intracellular potassium in giant neurones of Aplysia californica was replaced with caesium by a method utilizing the ionophore nystatin. Because caesium ions have low permeability through potassium channels outward currents during voltage‐clamp depolarization were strongly curtailed after the caesium loading procedure and the subsequent wash‐out of the ionophore. 2. The calcium current elicited by a test voltage‐clamp depolarization (pulse 2) was depressed following the entry of calcium elicited by a prior depolarization (pulse 1). 3. The percentage depression of the test current was a linear function of the pulse 1 current‐time integral, and thus appears to be related linearly to the amount of calcium carried into the cell during pulse 1. This linear relation was maintained when calcium entry was varied by changes in external calcium concentration, by altered pulse 1 amplitude and altered pulse 1 duration. Depression was substantially reduced by injection of EGTA, and by substitution of barium for extracellular calcium. 4. The calcium current was unaffected by prior hyperpolarization of the membrane or by prior depolarizations to about ECa. Depression of the current was not altered by addition of extracellular 50 mM‐TEA or by a strong hyperpolarization between the conditioning and test pulses. 5. The rate relaxation of the inward current during a given depolarization depended on the rate of entry and accumulation of free calcium. Relaxation under a given command potential became slower when calcium was partially replaced with magnesium so as to produce a smaller calcium current, or when accumulation of intracellular free calcium was retarded by injected EGTA or by barium substitution for extracellular calcium. 6 Evidence is considered that accumulation of calcium ions at the cytoplasmic surface of the membrane leads to inactivation through an action upon the calcium conductance. Reduced driving force and intracellular surface‐charge neutralization do not adequately account for the observed depression of the calcium current resulting from intracellular accumulation of calcium ions.
Diurnal changes in urban boundary layer environment induced by urban greening

Urban green infrastructure has been widely used for mitigating adverse environmental problems as well as enhancing urban sustainability of cities worldwide. Here we develop an integrated urban-land-atmosphere modeling framework with the land surface processes parameterized by an advanced urban canopy model and the atmospheric processes parameterized by a single column model. The model is then applied to simulate a variety of forms of green infrastructure, including urban lawns, shade trees, green and cool roofs, and their impact on environmental changes in the total urban boundary layer (UBL) for a stereotypical desert city, viz. Phoenix, Arizona. It was found that green roofs have a relatively uniform cooling effect proportional to their areal coverage. In particular, a reduction of UBL temperature of 0.3 °C and 0.2 °C per 10% increase of green roof coverage was observed at daytime and nighttime, respectively. In contrast, the effect of greening of street canyons is constrained by the overall abundance of green infrastructure and the energy available for evapotranspiration. In addition, the increase in urban greening causes boundary-layer height to decrease during daytime but increase at nighttime, leading to different trends of changes in urban air quality throughout a diurnal cycle.
Modelling property values in Nigeria using artificial neural network

Abstract Unreliable and inaccurate property valuation has been associated with techniques currently used in property valuation. A possible explanation for these findings may be due to the utilisation of traditional valuation methods. In the current study, an artificial neural network (ANN) is applied in property valuation using the Lagos metropolis property market as a representative case. Property sales transactions data (11 property attributes and property value) were collected from registered real estate firms operating in Lagos, Nigeria. The result shows that the ANN model possesses a good predictive ability, implying that it is suitable and reliable for property valuation. The relative importance analysis conducted on the property attributes revealed that the number of servants’ quarters is the most important attribute affecting property values. The findings suggest that the ANN model could be used as a tool by real estate stakeholders, especially valuers and researchers for property valuation.
Attitude and Heading System based on EKF total state configuration

This paper describes the design, analysis, and experimental results of an Attitude and Heading System based on total state (direct) Extended Kalman Filtering technique. The presented scheme is suitable for implementation using low cost sensors. Attitude determination systems are essential for real time vehicle navigation, guidance and control applications. When low cost sensors are used, efficient and robust algorithms become necessary for an acceptable performance. For the proposed approach, a low cost Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), formed by 3-axis gyroscope, 3-axis accelerometer, and 3-axis magnetometer, provides the input measurements. A Kalman Filter, in direct configuration, estimates the state of the system, which is formed by a quaternion, representing the body 3D orientation, and the biases of gyros. Experimental results with real data show that the proposed algorithm is able to maintain an accurate and drift-free attitude and heading estimation.
Mitochondrial dynamics regulate melanogenesis through proteasomal degradation of MITF via ROS‐ERK activation

Mitochondrial dynamics control mitochondrial functions as well as their morphology. However, the role of mitochondrial dynamics in melanogenesis is largely unknown. Here, we show that mitochondrial dynamics regulate melanogenesis by modulating the ROS‐ERK signaling pathway. Genetic and chemical inhibition of Drp1, a mitochondrial fission protein, increased melanin production and mitochondrial elongation in melanocytes and melanoma cells. In contrast, down‐regulation of OPA1, a mitochondria fusion regulator, suppressed melanogensis but induced massive mitochondrial fragmentation in hyperpigmented cells. Consistently, treatment with CCCP, a mitochondrial fission chemical inducer, also efficiently repressed melanogenesis. Furthermore, we found that ROS production and ERK phosphorylation were increased in cells with fragmented mitochondria. And inhibition of ROS or ERK suppressed the antimelanogenic effect of mitochondrial fission in α‐MSH‐treated cells. In addition, the activation of ROS‐ERK pathway by mitochondrial fission induced phosphorylation of serine73 on MITF accelerating its proteasomal degradation. In conclusion, mitochondrial dynamics may regulate melanogenesis by modulating ROS‐ERK signaling pathway.
Adaptive Spatial Modulation Using Huffman Coding

Antenna switch enables multiple antennas to share a common RF chain, thus an additional spatial dimension, i.e., antenna index, can be utilized in the design of single RF chain MIMO and information can be conveyed via both signal space and spatial dimension. In this paper, we propose a unified adaptive transmission scheme - adaptive spatial modulation that allocates information into signal space and spatial dimension in order to maximize the overall channel capacity for single RF chain MIMO. The proposed adaptive spatial modulation is realized by using Huffman coding, i.e., designing variable length codes to activate the transmit antenna with different probabilities. The optimal antenna activation probability is derived through optimizing channel capacity. To make the optimization tractable, closed form upper bound and lower bound are derived as the effective approximations for channel capacity. Numerical results show that the proposed adaptive spatial modulation offers considerable performance improvement over both spatial modulation and transmit antenna selection.
Efficient polymeric material for separation of human hemoglobin

Abstract In this study, negatively charged acrylic acid was used as a functional ligand to synthesise net-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-acrylic acid) microparticles for the removal of hemoglobin having a positively charged Fe2+ ion in the core, as an alternative to conventional techniques to achieve a cost effective high-capacity purification. The characterization of microparticles was performed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, the Brunauer – Emmett – Teller surface area analysis, and swelling test methods. Optimum adsorption conditions such as pH, initial hemoglobin concentration, temperature, and interaction time were studied batch wise. The highest adsorption capacity of microparticles was observed at pH 7.4 as 1276.4 mg hemoglobin/g polymer. The reusability of microparticles was also promising with ∼5% decrease in the adsorption capacity at the end of the five adsorption-desorption cycles.
Effects of channel impairments on the performance of an in-band data-driven echo canceler

High-speed (≤ 4.8 kb/s) echo-cancellation-based full-duplex direct distance dialing modems usually have to deal with two echos: the near echo, which is generated at the modem location, and the far, or talker, echo, which has been looped back to the modem after passing through a carrier system. The near echo propagates through a channel that is essentially linear, and thus it can, at least in theory, be perfectly canceled by an echo canceler. On the other hand, the far-echo channel is generally plagued by impairments that can seriously degrade the performance of an echo canceler. In this paper we study the effects of these channel impairments on the performance of an in-band data-driven echo canceler. This echo canceler has been found to be particularly well suited for full-duplex voice-grade data transmission applications. Both analytical and real-time experimental results are presented. It is shown that frequency offset, even in small amounts, is by far the most damaging of the channel impairments that are commonly encountered in carrier systems. The degradation of performance due to phase jitter can be significant. However, this can only happen under simultaneous worst-case conditions of phase jitter and signal power levels, and these cases might not be statistically significant. Worst-case nonlinearities in the echo channel do not degrade substantially the performance of the echo canceler.
The neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of Myracrodruonurundeuva are related to inhibitions of brain inflammatory enzymes,cytokines and HDAC

Myracrodruon urundeuva (Anacardiaceae) is a Northeast Brazil species popularly used for its anti-inflammatory properties. Considering the involvement of neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases, the objectives were to evaluate the neuroprotective actions of a standardized extract from M. urundeuva (SEMU) on a ParkinsonÂ´s disease (PD) model, focusing on brain inflammatory targets. Male Wistar rats were anesthetized subjected to stereotaxic surgery and a unilateral striatal 6-OHDA lesion. The animals were divided into sham-operated (SO), untreated 6-OHDA-lesioned and SEMU (20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg, p.o., 14 days) treated groups. The SO group (Control) was subjected to the same procedures, but injected with saline. Afterwards the animals were sacrificed and their brains processed for dopamine (DA) determination (striata) and immunohistochemical assays (striata and hippocampi) for COX-2, iNOS, TNF-alpha, NF-kB and HDAC. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey as the post hoc test. The results showed a reversion of striatal DA contents in the SEMU treated, relatively to the untreated 6-OHDA group. SEMU decreased the immunostaining for COX-2, iNOS, TNF-alpha and NF-kB in striata and hippocampal areas. In addition, SEMU decreased hippocampal HDAC immunostaining, shown to be affected in PD. The results point out to the potential neuroprotective actions of SEMU, and its chalcone contents may be responsible for the observed effects.
A novel mutant allele of Schizosaccharomyces pombe rad26 defective in monitoring S-phase progression to prevent premature mitosis

A semipermissive growth condition was defined for a Schizosaccharomyces pombe strain carrying a thermosensitive allele of DNA polymerase delta (pol delta ts03). Under this condition, DNA polymerase delta is semidisabled and causes a delay in S-phase progression. Using a genetic strategy, we have isolated a panel of mutants that enter premature mitosis when DNA replication is incomplete but which are not defective for arrest in G2/M following DNA damage. We characterized the aya14 mutant, which enters premature mitosis when S phase is arrested by genetic or chemical means. However, this mutant is sensitive to neither UV nor gamma irradiation. Two genomic clones, rad26+ and cds1+, were found to suppress the hydroxyurea sensitivity of the aya14 mutant. Genetic analysis indicates that aya14 is a novel allele of the cell cycle checkpoint gene rad26+, which we have named rad26.a14. cds1+ is a suppressor which suppresses the S-phase feedback control defect of rad26.a14 when S phase is inhibited by either hydroxyurea or cdc22, but it does not suppress the defect when S phase is arrested by a mutant DNA polymerase. Analyses of rad26.a14 in a variety of cdc mutant backgrounds indicate that strains containing rad26.a14 bypass S-phase arrest but not G1 or late S/G2 arrest. A model of how Rad26 monitors S-phase progression to maintain the dependency of cell cycle events and coordinates with other rad/hus checkpoint gene products in responding to radiation damage is proposed.
Communication and Huntington's disease: qualitative interviews and focus groups with persons with Huntington's disease, family members, and carers.

BACKGROUND As an effect of the cognitive, emotional and motor symptoms associated with Huntington's disease, communicative interaction is often dramatically changed. No study has previously included the subjective reports on this subject from individuals with Huntington's disease. AIMS To explore the qualitative aspects of how communication is affected by Huntington's disease from a triangular perspective represented by individuals with Huntington's disease, family members and professional carers. METHODS & PROCEDURES Eleven persons with Huntington's disease, seven family members and ten carers were interviewed in focus groups or individually, using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic content analysis, resulting in a number of free codes concerning communication. The codes describing related phenomena were merged into categories. Categories were analysed and reanalysed resulting in three major themes, common to the three groups of participants. OUTCOMES & RESULTS The themes found were: Communication has changed; Factors that influence communication negatively; and Factors that influence communication positively. Subcategories differed between the three groups. All participants seemed to acknowledge the variability and lack of initiative in communication. The persons without Huntington's disease focused on the changes in terms of speech, language comprehension, the lack of depth in conversation and the need to make adjustments, while the persons with Huntington's disease focused on the effort and concentration demanded to communicate. They described the change they perceived in their communicative ability in terms of loss. All participants thought that an emotional load had a negative impact on communication. Furthermore, individuals with Huntington's disease stressed that other people's speed of communication had a negative impact, while family members and carers stressed that things such as personality changes in persons with Huntington's disease and lack of eye contact with them influenced communication negatively. All participants acknowledged the need for increased participation in social life in order to enhance communication. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS In brief, persons with Huntington's disease expressed a need for a richer social life and more (adjusting) conversation partners, family members expressed a need for more support and professional carers wanted more information about Huntington's disease. The triangular perspective utilized in the present study completed the picture of the communicative consequences of Huntington's disease. In particular, it became clear, that the insights of persons with Huntington's disease can and has to be included in communicative assessments and plans for intervention.
Immunocytochemical Analysis of Vimentin Expression Patterns in Porcine Embryos Suggests Mesodermal Differentiation from Day 9 after Conception

The expression of the intermediate filament proteins vimentin and keratin in porcine embryos was studied by whole‐mount immunocytochemistry between day 7 and day 11 after conception. Expression of vimentin was first detected in the inner cell mass of about 50% of the 9‐day‐old embryos. In elongated 11‐day‐old embryos, cells expressing vimentin were observed in the epiblast (after disappearance of Rauber’s membrane) and in cells migrating from the epiblast between the trophoblast and the underlying hypoblast layer. A keratin‐positive response was observed in trophectoderm cells at all stages. These findings suggest that inner cell mass cells in the pig start differentiating into mesodermal cells not later than day 9 after conception. While the delamination of the mesodermal germ layer is known to correlate with the loss of pluripotency of the inner cell mass cells, the early onset of mesodermal differentiation in the porcine embryo, characterized by vimentin expression and in contrast to the mouse, could in part be responsible for the lack of success in establishing pluripotent embryonic stem cell lines in this species. Our results suggest that further attempts to isolate inner cell mass‐derived pluripotent cells should be attempted well before day 9 after conception.
Design of a compact two element MIMO antenna with improved bandwidth and isolation

The ever increasing demand for high data rates drives the wireless communication standards towards incorporation of multi input multi output (MIMO) technology. For such systems, the designed antenna must be compact with low profile configuration, good impedance bandwidth and low mutual coupling. In this paper, a compact two-element microstrip antenna operating from 5.8-9.2 GHz is proposed for wireless applications. The simulated antenna resonates at 7.5 GHz frequency, with a 10 dB fractional impedance bandwidth of 45.33% and voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of 1.15. The mutual coupling is reduced to around 21 dB at the resonant frequency. For the proposed antenna return loss at 7.5 GHz is 23 dB. The antenna system has a radiation efficiency of 88.16% at the center frequency. The performance of the proposed antenna array is better than the existing microstrip antennas in terms of fractional impedance bandwidth and isolation.
Identification of Radiation-Responsive Genes In Vitro Using a Gene Trap Strategy Predicts for Modulation of Expression by Radiation In Vivo

Abstract Vallis, K. A. , Chen, Z. , Stanford, W. L. , Yu, M. , Hill, R. P. and Bernstein, A. Identification of Radiation-Responsive Genes In Vitro Using a Gene Trap Strategy Predicts for Modulation of Expression by Radiation In Vivo. Radiat. Res. 157, 8–18 (2002). A large number of genes are known to be responsive to ionizing radiation, and there is strong evidence for the existence of inducible radiation resistance in mammalian cells. We have developed a gene trap insertional mutagenesis strategy to identify novel genes involved in responses to radiation. Using this approach, we have isolated four gene-trap integrations in embryonic stem cells. In three cases (9A, 3E and 9H) the trapped genes are radiation-inducible, and in one (7D) the gene is down-regulated. Sequence analysis of fusion transcripts from three of the integrations indicate one novel gene (3E), the mouse homologue (9A) of a known but uncharacterized human gene that encodes a protein with significant homology to several GTPase-activating proteins and a murine locus, Mym (9H). The embryonic stem cell clone with the 9A insertion was introduced into the mouse germline, and the in vivo expression pattern of 9A was studied in detail. A unique, spatially restricted pattern of expression in embryos and adult animals was observed. There is tissue-specific in vivo induction of the 9A gene in adult mice by radiation. This study demonstrates the potential of the gene trap approach for the identification and functional analysis of novel radiation-regulated genes. Similar strategies may facilitate the discovery and characterization of genes involved in other cellular stress responses.