Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolution de la famille Amylase chez les drosophiles du groupe obscura : caractérisation du nouveau gène Amyrel

Les genes alpha-amylase ont ete bien etudies chez les drosophiles, pourtant, ce n'est que recemment qu'une copie divergente a ete mise en evidence. Ce travail a pour but de determiner les caracteristiques structurales et moleculaires de ce gene, amyrel, dans le groupe drosophila obscura et d'en etudier l'expression et la fonction. Enfin, les genes amy et amyrel ont ete utilises pour tenter de clarifier la phylogenie du groupe obscura. Les 22 especes etudiees presentent une activite amylasique. La distance de migration electrophoretique varie d'une espece a l'autre et est correlee avec leur provenance geographique. Les genes amy sont bien conserves au sein du groupe. Ils ont la meme structure ancestrale et subissent les memes mecanismes d'evolution. Leur arrangement chromosomique est aussi conserve entre des especes separees depuis 20ma. Le gene amyrel est present chez les 22 especes etudiees. Il presente une structure et des caracteristiques de sequences tres differentes des genes amy mais possede tous les prerequis d'un gene fonctionnel. Nous avons pu verifier qu'il est transcrit chez les larves de quatre especes americaines. La proteine amyrel produite aurait des caracteristiques biochimiques differentes de celle d'amy. L'evolution de cette proteine vers une nouvelle specificite a donc ete envisagee. Le gene amyrel a ete exprimee in vitro. Les resultats preliminaires tendent a montrer qu'amyrel serait capable, tout comme amy, d'hydrolyser l'amidon. Les phyloeenies ont confirme la partition du groupe obscura en deux lignees : d'une part les especes americaines et d'autre part les especes eurasiennes. Le premier groupe est monophyletique, le second apparait lui comme polyphyletique, seules les relations entre especes proches sont bien soutenues mais une origine eurasienne du groupe est envisageable. Une radiation rapide du groupe pourrait expliquer la non-resolution de son histoire evolutive.
Reciprocal translocation against GA-deceptiveness

Reciprocal translocation is a nature-inspired crossover operator that is proved to be a useful alternative for the conventional multipoint and uniform crossover operators. This paper compares the performance of reciprocal translocation against the well-known conventional crossover operators for the solution of provably difficult GA-deceptive functions. This study also aims to discover the linkage learning capability of reciprocal translocation since it is an important requirement to be successful on GA-deceptive functions. A number of well-known hard GA-deceptive functions are considered for experimental evaluations and several GA implementations with reciprocal translocation and other conventional crossover operators are used for their solutions. The obtained results show that the performance achieved with reciprocal translocation is much better than that of any other conventional crossover operator.
A Rating Scale for Mania: Reliability, Validity and Sensitivity

Summary An eleven item clinician-administered Mania Rating Scale (MRS) is introduced, and its reliability, validity and sensitivity are examined. There was a high correlation between the scores of two independent clinicians on both the total score (0.93) and the individual item scores (0.66 to 0.92). The MRS score correlated highly with an independent global rating, and with scores of two other mania rating scales administered concurrently. The score also correlated with the number of days of subsequent stay in hospital. It was able to differentiate statistically patients before and after two weeks of treatment and to distinguish levels of severity based on the global rating.
Purification and partial characterization of the 17 kDa sperm coating protein from boar seminal plasma

Sperm coating proteins of 16, 17, and 19 kDa have been purified from boar seminal plasma. The 17 kDa protein has been identified as an antigen recognized by monoclonal antibody ACR.3 and is thus identical to low molecular mass zona pellucida binding protein from boar spermatozoa (Moos et al., 1990). The 17 and 19 kDa proteins are glycosylated and tend to form hetero‐complexes. The 17 kDa ACR.3 antigen is sequentially released from the sperm cell surface during capacitation and, after induction of the acrosome reaction, the 16 kDa form was also observed. Immunocytochemical studies on boar reproductive tissues have suggested that the seminal vesicle epithelium may be the source of these proteins. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinases Phosphorylate Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Phosphatase 3/DUSP6 at Serines 159 and 197, Two Sites Critical for Its Proteasomal Degradation

ABSTRACT Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase phosphatases (MKPs) are dual-specificity phosphatases that dephosphorylate phosphothreonine and phosphotyrosine residues within MAP kinases. Here, we describe a novel posttranslational mechanism for regulating MKP-3/Pyst1/DUSP6, a member of the MKP family that is highly specific for extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) inactivation. Using a fibroblast model in which the expression of either MKP-3 or a more stable MKP-3-green fluorescent protein (GFP) chimera was induced by tetracycline, we found that serum induces the phosphorylation of MKP-3 and its subsequent degradation by the proteasome in a MEK1 and MEK2 (MEK1/2)-ERK1/2-dependent manner. In vitro phosphorylation assays using glutathione S-transferase (GST)-MKP-3 fusion proteins indicated that ERK2 could phosphorylate MKP-3 on serines 159 and 197. Tetracycline-inducible cell clones expressing either single or double serine mutants of MKP-3 or MKP-3-GFP confirmed that these two sites are targeted by the MEK1/2-ERK1/2 module in vivo. Double serine mutants of MKP-3 or MKP-3-GFP were more efficiently protected from degradation than single mutants or wild-type MKP-3, indicating that phosphorylation of either serine by ERK1/2 enhances proteasomal degradation of MKP-3. Hence, double mutation caused a threefold increase in the half-life of MKP-3. Finally, we show that the phosphorylation of MKP-3 has no effect on its catalytic activity. Thus, ERK1/2 exert a positive feedback loop on their own activity by promoting the degradation of MKP-3, one of their major inactivators in the cytosol, a situation opposite to that described for the nuclear phosphatase MKP-1.
An Evaluation of Optical Flow using Lucas and Kanade's Algorithm

Video offers distance-separated co-workers with a rich awareness of who is available for conversation or collaboration. By broadcasting video, however, the privacy of individuals becomes threatened because others now see potentially sensitive information. This risk is heightened for telecommuters who use video to connect to a remote office from home. Blurring video is one technique that has previously been studied to help preserve privacy. Most blurring techniques blur the entire video, however, it is desirable to be able to blur regions of the video differently if multiple people are present. Optical flow can be used in this situation to distinguish which regions contain different people by their level of activity. This paper evaluates an implementation of Lucas and Kanade’s algorithm for computing optical flow and discusses possible applications for it in videoconferencing that is sensitive to privacy issues. The implementation is found to compute accurate optical flow for small pixel displacements, yet real-time computation is only possible for small frame sizes.
Food portion sizes and dietary quality in Irish children and adolescents

Abstract Objective To describe relationships between the portion sizes of a range of foods commonly consumed by Irish children and adolescents and key indicators of dietary quality on the days they were consumed. Design Cross-sectional data from the Irish National Children’s Food Survey (2003–2004; 7 d weighed record) and National Teens’ Food Survey (2005–2006; 7 d semi-weighed record) were used to compare mean values for a number of dietary quality indicators (e.g. energy-adjusted intakes of saturated fat, dietary fibre and Na) across portion size tertiles for a range of foods, on the days the foods were consumed. Setting The Republic of Ireland. Subjects Nationally representative samples of children aged 5–12 years (n 594) and adolescents aged 13–17 years (n 441). Results Relationships between food portion sizes and indicators of dietary quality on the days the foods were consumed were similar in both children and adolescents. Lower dietary energy density and saturated fat intakes, and higher dietary fibre intakes, were observed on the days larger portions of fruit and boiled potatoes were consumed. Higher dietary energy density and lower micronutrient intakes were observed on the days larger portions of sugar-sweetened beverages were consumed. Higher Na intakes were observed on the days larger portions of frying meats were consumed. Conclusions The current work identifies foods for which larger portion sizes may be associated with positive dietary attributes, as well as the opposite. Findings will form an evidence base from which more specific dietary guidance relating to portion size may be developed for Irish children and adolescents.
General Anesthesia Causes Long-term Impairment of Mitochondrial Morphogenesis and Synaptic Transmission in Developing Rat Brain

Background: Clinically used general anesthetics, alone or in combination, are damaging to the developing mammalian brain. In addition to causing widespread apoptotic neurodegeneration in vulnerable brain regions, exposure to general anesthesia at the peak of synaptogenesis causes learning and memory deficiencies later in life. In vivo rodent studies have suggested that activation of the intrinsic (mitochondria-dependent) apoptotic pathway is the earliest warning sign of neuronal damage, suggesting that a disturbance in mitochondrial integrity and function could be the earliest triggering events. Methods: Because proper and timely mitochondrial morphogenesis is critical for brain development, the authors examined the long-term effects of a commonly used anesthesia combination (isoflurane, nitrous oxide, and midazolam) on the regional distribution, ultrastructural properties, and electron transport chain function of mitochondria, as well as synaptic neurotransmission, in the subiculum of rat pups. Results: This anesthesia, administered at the peak of synaptogenesis, causes protracted injury to mitochondria, including significant enlargement of mitochondria (more than 30%, P < 0.05), impairment of their structural integrity, an approximately 28% increase in their complex IV activity (P < 0.05), and a twofold decrease in their regional distribution in presynaptic neuronal profiles (P < 0.05), where their presence is important for the normal development and functioning of synapses. Consequently, the authors showed that impaired mitochondrial morphogenesis is accompanied by heightened autophagic activity, decrease in mitochondrial density (approximately 27%, P < 0.05), and long-lasting disturbances in inhibitory synaptic neurotransmission. The interrelation of these phenomena remains to be established. Conclusion: Developing mitochondria are exquisitely vulnerable to general anesthesia and may be important early target of anesthesia-induced developmental neurodegeneration.
Les Noyaux Actifs de Galaxies en interférométrie optique à très longue base - Projet 'OHANA

Les progres en sensibilite de la nouvelle generation d'interferometres optiques (VLTI & KECK) permettent a de nouveaux domaines de l'astronomie de beneficier d'observations a tres haute resolution angulaire dans le proche infrarouge. La physique extragalactique, a travers l'observation des noyaux actifs de galaxies (NAG), en est la principale beneficiaire. En preparation des observations interferometriques de noyaux actifs, je presente une boite a outil permettant l'interpretation des premieres donnees. Puis je presente l'une des deux premieres observations de NAG : la Seyfert 2 NGC 1068 par l'instrument 10 microns du VLTI. Avec la Seyfert 1 NGC 4151 par le KECK, elles marquent les debuts de l'interferometrie extragalactique. Ces deux observations confirment le besoin pressentit en resolution angulaire supplementaire pour etudiez l'interieur du tore de poussiere. Elle permettrait d'utiliser une technique innovante d'observation tomographique: la reverberation interferometrique. Le projet d'interferometre 'OHANA, a pour objectif de demontrer qu'il est possible de produire un interferometre tres sensible et tres resolvant au sommet du Mauna Kea en utilisant des fibres optiques monomodes, dans les bandes J, H et K, pour le transport coherent des faisceaux, des telescopes existants corriges par optique adaptative. Le present ouvrage couvre la phase preparatoire du projet avec l'etude pratique du couplage entre les fibres monomodes et les optiques adaptatives des telescopes CFHT, KECK et GEMINI. Ces tests d'injection me donnent l'occasion d'estimer la sensibilite finale de l'interferometre et de poser des diagnostiques sur ces trois optiques adaptatives. Je presente egalement les particularites du recombinateur multicoaxial 'OHANA. Je presente enfin les developpements en vue des premieres liaisons interferometriques: une ligne a retard en faisceaux gaussiens et des fibres monomodes de 2x300m pour les bandes J, H et K.
Infant Identification from Their Cry

Cry is the only means of communication for an infant. Understanding the properties of infant cry is very crucial for establishing a basis for using cry as a tool for pathological diagnosis or possibly identifying infants. In this paper, an attempt is made to identify infant from their cry. The experiments are shown for Linear Prediction Coefficients (LPC), Linear Prediction Cepstral Coefficients (LPCC), and Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC)and Teager energy based MFCC(T-MFCC) as input feature vectors to the polynomial classi¿er of 2nd and 3rd order approximation. Results show that MFCC performs better than other features. This may be due to the fact that MFCC is designed to mimic human perception process and hence represent the perceptually relevant aspects of short-time infant cry spectrum.
Comparative evaluation of platelet count and antimicrobial efficacy of injectable platelet-rich fibrin with other platelet concentrates: An in vitro study

Background: Platelet concentrates are used in various medical procedures to promote soft- and hard-tissue regeneration. In recent times, their antimicrobial efficacy is also explored. However, various platelet concentrates have evolved which differ in the centrifugation protocols. One such recently introduced platelet concentrate is injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF) concentrate. Hence, the aim was to evaluate the antimicrobial property, and platelet count of i-PRF in comparison to other platelet concentrates, i.e., PRF, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and control (whole blood). Materials and Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 10 chronic generalized marginal gingivitis patients. Platelet concentrates were prepared using standardized centrifugation protocol. Platelet count was evaluated by manual counting method using smear preparation of each sample. Subsequently, antimicrobial activity against oral bacteria was examined on blood agar using disc diffusion method to quantify the inhibitory effects. Results: Statistical significance was analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). P <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Mean zone of inhibition around i-PRF (P < 0.01) and PRF (P < 0.05) showed statistical significance. Although a distinct zone of inhibition was seen with PRP, it was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). i-PRF showed statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) in platelet count when compared to control. It was also significant when compared to PRP (P < 0.01), PRF (P < 0.001). Conclusion: i-PRF has maximum antimicrobial efficacy and higher platelet count in comparison to other platelet concentrates, thereby indicating to have a better regenerative potential then others.
Treatment of acute hypertension in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage using American Heart Association guidelines*

Objective:To determine the feasibility and safety of treatment of acute hypertension in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage within 24 hrs of symptom onset. Elevated blood pressure, observed in up to 56% of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, may predispose to hematoma expansion; on the other hand, reduction of blood pressure may reduce hematoma expansion and subsequent death and disability. Design:Single-center prospective registry supplemented by retrospective chart review. Settings:University-affiliated medical center with dedicated stroke service. Patients:All patients admitted to the stroke service with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage and acute hypertension within 24 hrs of symptom onset. Intervention:Patients were treated with intravenous nicardipine within 24 hrs of symptom onset to reduce and maintain mean arterial pressure of <130 mm Hg. The mean arterial pressure goal was consistent with the American Heart Association guidelines. Measurements and Main Results:The primary outcome was the tolerability of the treatment as assessed by achieving and maintaining the mean arterial pressure goals for 24 hrs after initiation of intravenous nicardipine infusion. Other end points ascertained were: neurologic deterioration defined by a decline in Glasgow Coma Scale from pretreatment assessment by ≥2 points or increase in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score by ≥2 points and hemorrhage growth defined as an increase in the volume of intraparenchymal hemorrhage of >33% as measured by image analysis on the 24-hr computed tomographic scan compared with the baseline computed tomographic scan. Rates of favorable outcome and death were ascertained at 1 month. Of the total 46 patients admitted with intracerebral hemorrhage in our service, 29 patients were treated. Mean age of the treated patients was 58 ± 13 yrs; ten were women. Initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale ranged from 1 to 38. The primary outcome of tolerability was achieved in 25 of the 29 patients (86%). Neurologic deterioration was observed in 4 of 29 patients. Hematoma enlargement was observed in five patients. Favorable outcome (defined as modified Rankin scale of ≤2) and death at 1-month was observed in 11 (38%) and 9 (31%) of the 29 patients, respectively. Conclusions:We observed a high rate of tolerability among patients with intracerebral hemorrhage who were treated with intravenous nicardipine using mean arterial pressure goals defined by American Heart Association guidelines within 24 hrs of symptom onset.
Iron deficiency is a major risk factor for anemia among pregnant women in Senegal.

Anemia during pregnancy is highly prevalent in Senegal. For effective intervention its causes must be known. We determined the prevalence of anemia and the relative contribution of various risk factors in a cohort of 480 women in Dakar. Hemoglobin (Hb) erythrocyte protoporphyrin (EP) serum ferritin (SF) malaria and helminthes infection Hb phenotype and dietary iron intake were assessed. Overall 39% of women were anemic (Hb 70µmol/mol heme or SF<15µg/L) and 33% had iron deficiency anemia. Twelve percent were infected with P. falciparum; 13% had intestinal helminthes most of which resided in suburban Dakar. About 7% had sickle cell trait (Hb AS). Women consumed heme-iron containing foods more frequently than non-heme iron foods; however they also consumed iron absorption inhibitors at high frequency. Iron deficiency more than tripled the risk of anemia. Malaria parasitemia helminthes infection and Hb AS also increased the risk of anemia but not significantly. Our findings indicate that for effective control of anemia during pregnancy in Senegal iron supplementation is needed in addition to education of women about better food choices. Antimalarial chemoprophylaxis should be made available to all women and populations at risk of helminthes infections should be screened and treated.
Natural DNA Transformation Is Functional in Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris KW2

ABSTRACT Lactococcus lactis is one of the most commonly used lactic acid bacteria in the dairy industry. Activation of competence for natural DNA transformation in this species would greatly improve the selection of novel strains with desired genetic traits. Here, we investigated the activation of natural transformation in L. lactis subsp. cremoris KW2, a strain of plant origin whose genome encodes the master competence regulator ComX and the complete set of proteins usually required for natural transformation. In the absence of knowledge about competence regulation in this species, we constitutively overproduced ComX in a reporter strain of late competence phase activation and showed, by transcriptomic analyses, a ComX-dependent induction of all key competence genes. We further demonstrated that natural DNA transformation is functional in this strain and requires the competence DNA uptake machinery. Since constitutive ComX overproduction is unstable, we alternatively expressed comX under the control of an endogenous xylose-inducible promoter. This regulated system was used to successfully inactivate the adaptor protein MecA and subunits of the Clp proteolytic complex, which were previously shown to be involved in ComX degradation in streptococci. In the presence of a small amount of ComX, the deletion of mecA, clpC, or clpP genes markedly increased the activation of the late competence phase and transformability. Altogether, our results report the functionality of natural DNA transformation in L. lactis and pave the way for the identification of signaling mechanisms that trigger the competence state in this species. IMPORTANCE Lactococcus lactis is a lactic acid bacterium of major importance, which is used as a starter species for milk fermentation, a host for heterologous protein production, and a delivery platform for therapeutic molecules. Here, we report the functionality of natural transformation in L. lactis subsp. cremoris KW2 by the overproduction of the master competence regulator ComX. The developed procedure enables a flexible approach to modify the chromosome with single point mutation, sequence insertion, or sequence replacement. These results represent an important step for the genetic engineering of L. lactis that will facilitate the design of strains optimized for industrial applications. This will also help to discover natural regulatory mechanisms controlling competence in the genus Lactococcus.
Free Radical Scavenging Properties of Sulfinpyrazone

Sulfinpyrazone, a potent uricosuric drug, was tested in vitro for its scavenging action against oxygen free radicals. In this study, sulfinpyrazone was able to scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical with IC 50 value of 29.82 w g/ml compared to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT, IC 50 value=20.15 w g/ml) and Trolox (IC 50 value=16.01 w g/ml). It was able to scavenge superoxide anion with IC 50 value of 27.72 w g/ml compared to Trolox (IC 50 value=22.08 w g/ml) and ascorbic acid (IC 50 value=14.65 w g/ml). The hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of sulfinpyrazone is in a concentration-dependent fashion. In the range of concentrations used, sulfinpyrazone was not a scavenger toward H 2 O 2 . However, the intracellular H 2 O 2 -induced 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCF-DA) fluorescence in HL-60 cells was significantly reduced by sulfinpyrazone during 30-60 min of incubation. Finally, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate induced-lucigenin chemiluminescence in whole blood was markedly inhibited by sulfinpyrazone. Our results suggest a new direction for the pharmacological actions of sulfinpyrazone in free radical scavenging properties.