Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In situ measurements of calpain activity in isolated muscle fibres from normal and dystrophin‐lacking mdx mice

Calpains are Ca2+‐activated proteases that are thought to be involved in muscle degenerative diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Status and activity of calpains in adult muscle fibres are poorly documented. We report here in situ measurements of calpain activity in collagenase‐isolated fibres from C57 mice and form two models of dystrophy: dystrophin‐deficient mdx and calpain‐3 knocked‐out mice. Calpain activity was measured using a permeant, fluorogenic substrate and its Ca2+ dependence was studied. A 30‐fold change of activity was observed between the lowest and the highest steady‐state Ca2+ availability. Fast transient changes of [Ca2+]i induced by electrical stimulation or KCl‐dependent depolarization were ineffective in activating calpain. Slow [Ca2+] transients, as elicited during depletion of Ca2+ stores, Ca2+ store repletion and hypo‐osmotic swelling were able to activate calpain. On return to resting conditions, calpain activity recovered its basal rate within 10 min. In resting intact muscle, μ‐calpain was predominantly in the 80 kDa native form, with a small fraction in the 78 kDa autolysed form. The latter is thought to be responsible for the activity measured in our conditions. Calpain activity in mdx fibres showed an average 1.5‐fold increase compared to activity in C57 fibres. This activity was reduced by a 10‐fold lowering of [Ca2+]o. Calpain‐3‐deficient fibres showed about the same increase, thus calpain‐3 did not contribute to the activity measured here and calpain activation is not specific to dystrophin deficiency. In fibres from transgenic mice over‐expressing calpastatin, a 40–50% reduction of calpain activity was observed, as with synthetic drugs (Z‐Leu‐Leu‐CHO and SNT198438). We provide novel information on the physiological factors that control calpain activity in situ, particularly the effect of intracellular Ca2+ transients that occur in excitation–contraction coupling, Ca2+ store depletion and refilling, and activation of mechanosensitive Ca2+ channels.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1)-Specific CD8+-T-Cell Responses for Groups of HIV-1-Infected Individuals with Different HLA-B*35 Genotypes

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals with HLA-B*35 allelic variants B*3502/3503/3504/5301 (B*35-Px) progress more rapidly to AIDS than do those with B*3501 (B*35-PY). The mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon are not clear. To examine whether cellular immune responses may differ according to HLA-B*35 genotype, we quantified HIV-1-specific CD8+-T-cell (CTL) responses using an intracellular cytokine-staining assay with specimens from 32 HIV-1-positive individuals who have B*35 alleles. Among them, 75% had CTL responses to Pol, 69% had CTL responses to Gag, 50% had CTL responses to Nef, and 41% had CTL responses to Env. The overall magnitude of CTL responses did not differ between patients bearing B*35-Px genotypes and those bearing B*35-PY genotypes. A higher percentage of Gag-specific CTL was associated with lower HIV-1 RNA levels (P = 0.009) in individuals with B*35-PY. A negative association between CTL activity for each of the four HIV antigens and viral load was observed among individuals with B*35-PY, and the association reached significance for Gag. No significant relationship between CTL activity and viral load was observed in the B*35-Px group. The relationship between total CTL activity and HIV RNA among B*35-Px carriers differed significantly from that among B*35-PY carriers (P < 0.05). The data are consistent with the hypothesis that higher levels of virus-specific CTL contribute to protection against HIV disease progression in infected individuals with B*35-PY, but not in those with B*35-Px.
A novel approach for the characterization of tundra wetland regions with C-band SAR satellite data

A circumpolar representative and consistent wetland map is required for a range of applications ranging from upscaling of carbon fluxes and pools to climate modelling and wildlife habitat assessment. Currently available data sets lack sufficient accuracy and/or thematic detail in many regions of the Arctic. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from satellites have already been shown to be suitable for wetland mapping. Envisat Advanced SAR (ASAR) provides global medium-resolution data which are examined with particular focus on spatial wetness patterns in this study. It was found that winter minimum backscatter values as well as their differences to summer minimum values reflect vegetation physiognomy units of certain wetness regimes. Low winter backscatter values are mostly found in areas vegetated by plant communities typically for wet regions in the tundra biome, due to low roughness and low volume scattering caused by the predominant vegetation. Summer to winter difference backscatter values, which in contrast to the winter values depend almost solely on soil moisture content, show expected higher values for wet regions. While the approach using difference values would seem more reasonable in order to delineate wetness patterns considering its direct link to soil moisture, it was found that a classification of winter minimum backscatter values is more applicable in tundra regions due to its better separability into wetness classes. Previous approaches for wetland detection have investigated the impact of liquid water in the soil on backscatter conditions. In this study the absence of liquid water is utilized. Owing to a lack of comparable regional to circumpolar data with respect to thematic detail, a potential wetland map cannot directly be validated; however, one might claim the validity of such a product by comparison with vegetation maps, which hold some information on the wetness status of certain classes. It was shown that the Envisat ASAR-derived classes are related to wetland classes of conventional vegetation maps, indicating its applicability; 30% of the land area north of the treeline was identified as wetland while conventional maps recorded 1–7%.
Cell density sensing and size determination

The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum is one of the leading model systems used to study how cells count themselves to determine the number and/or density of cells. In this review, we describe work on three different cell‐density sensing systems used by Dictyostelium. The first involves a negative feedback loop in which two secreted signals inhibit cell proliferation during the growth phase. As the cell density increases, the concentrations of the secreted factors concomitantly increase, allowing the cells to sense their density. The two signals act as message authenticators for each other, and the existence of two different signals that require each other for activity may explain why previous efforts to identify autocrine proliferation‐inhibiting signals in higher eukaryotes have generally failed. The second system involves a signal made by growing cells that is secreted only when they starve. This then allows cells to sense the density of just the starving cells, and is an example of a mechanism that allows cells in a tissue to sense the density of one specific cell type. The third cell density counting system involves cells in aggregation streams secreting a signal that limits the size of fruiting bodies. Computer simulations predicted, and experiments then showed, that the factor increases random cell motility and decreases cell–cell adhesion to cause streams to break up if there are too many cells in the stream. Together, studies on Dictyostelium cell density counting systems will help elucidate how higher eukaryotes regulate the size and composition of tissues.
Genetic analysis of discrete reproductive traits in sheep using linear and nonlinear models: I. Estimation of genetic parameters.

Repeated records on fertility, litter size, and ovulation rate of Rambouillet ewes and on fertility and litter size of Finnsheep ewes were used to estimate heritabilities and repeatabilities with linear and nonlinear sire and animal models. Linear sire (LSM) and animal models were used with all traits. Nonlinear models were the threshold, Poisson, and negative binomial. Threshold sire (TSM) and animal models were used with all traits. Litter size and ovulation rate were analyzed also with Poisson sire and animal models and with negative binomial sire and animal models. Variance components for linear models were estimated using REML; in the threshold, Poisson, and negative binomial, they were estimated using approximate marginal maximum likelihood. Poisson and negative binomial analyses yielded results difficult to interpret due to problems in variance component estimation. Animal models resulted in slightly greater estimates of heritability for fertility than did sire models, but ovulation rate heritability estimates from sire models were much greater than estimates form animal models. Differences between sire and animal models for heritability estimates for litter size were not consistent. Threshold models resulted in higher heritability estimates for all traits in both breeds and with both sire and animal models. In general, repeatabilities were consistent across models. For example, LSM (TSM) repeatabilities were . 10 (.14) for fertility, . 20 (.25) for litter size, and . 25 (.29) for ovulation rate in the Rambouillet, and . 17 (.17) for fertility and . 11 (. 13 for litter size in the Finnsheep.
Intraoral Mitochondrial-Targeted GS-Nitroxide, JP4-039, Radioprotects Normal Tissue in Tumor-Bearing Radiosensitive Fancd2–/– (C57BL/6) Mice

We evaluated normal tissue specific radioprotection of the oral cavity in radiosensitive Fanconi Anemia (FA) Fancd2–/– mice with orally established tumors using mitochondrial-targeted GS-nitroxide (JP4-039). Adult (10–12 weeks old) Fancd2+/+, Fancd2+/– and Fancd2–/– mice (C57BL/6 background) and subgroups with orally established TC-1 epithelial cell tumors received a single fraction of 28 Gy or four daily fractions of 8 Gy to the head and neck. Subgroups received JP4-039 in F15 emulsion (F15/JP4-039; 0.4 mg/mouse), 4-amino-Tempo in F15 emulsion (F15/4-amino-Tempo; 0.2 mg/mouse) or F15 emulsion alone prior to each irradiation. Oral mucosa of Fancd2–/– mice showed baseline elevated RNA transcripts for Sod2, p53, p21 and Rad51 (all P < 0.0012) and suppressed levels of Nfkb and Tgfb, (all P < 0.0020) compared with Fancd2+/+ mice. The oral mucosa in tumor-bearing mice of all genotypes showed decreased levels of p53 and elevated Tgfb and Gadd45a (P ≤ 0.0001 for all three genotypes). Intraoral F15/JP4-039, but not F15/4-amino-Tempo, modulated radiation-induced normal tissue transcript elevation, ameliorated mucosal ulceration and reduced the depletion of antioxidant stores in oral cavity tissue of all genotypes, but did not radioprotect tumors. Mitochondrial targeting makes F15/JP4-039 an effective normal tissue radioprotector for Fancd2–/– mice, as well as wild-type mice.
Wild Bee Abundance and Pollination Service in Cultivated Pumpkins: Farm Management, Nesting Behavior and Landscape Effects

ABSTRACT Recent declines in managed and feral honey bee populations have greatly increased interest in the current and potential role of wild pollinators in agricultural pollination. Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) has great potential to be served by wild pollinators because of a reliable and widespread group of bee species that are commonly associated with their flowers, including bumble bees (Bombus spp.), and, in the Americas, two genera of specialist ground nesting bees (Peponapis and Xenoglossa). We examined the effects of several key farm management practices and landscape variables on bee abundance in pumpkin on 20 farms in Virginia and Maryland during summer 2006. We evaluated bee abundance with respect to tillage, irrigation practices, soil properties, natural habitat (forest and grassland), flowering crop, and disturbed areas. Additionally, we examined nest site preference (within or outside of crop areas) of Peponapis pruinosa (Say) at one farm and in a large screenhouse. We found P. pruinosa nesting preferentially within crop areas and near the vines and leaves of their host plant. Although these bees typically place some of their brood cells within tillage depth, we did not find a tillage effect on their abundance at flowers. We found a negative effect of soil clay content (R2 = 0.24, P = 0.03) and a positive effect of irrigation (F1,15 = 12.2; P < 0.001) on P. pruinosa abundance. Using published data on pollinator visitation requirements, we found wild bee densities were sufficient to fully pollinate all pumpkin flowers on 13–17 of the 20 farms studied.
Least-Squares Morphing of Dynamic Meshes

Morphing is a technique that smoothly transforms a shape onto another. In this paper, we present a method for morphing of two dynamic meshes: mesh sequences representing the keyframes of animated shapes over time. The pipeline of the proposed method comprises two main stages: template-based cross-parameterization and dynamic mesh interpolation. In the cross-parameterization stage, we use a variation of least-squares (LS) meshes to provide a coarse approximation of the geometry of the source mesh onto the target mesh. In our method, the possible candidates for initial control points of the LS-mesh are detected using an approach based on the Heat Kernel Signature (HKS). Then, an iterative process of fine fitting adds new constraints in the LS-mesh processing. The cross-parameterization is performed just once for any two frames in order to establish a full correspondence between vertices of the source and target meshes. Next, we use such a correspondence in the dynamic mesh interpolation stage to produce the morphing results. The method is entirely mesh-based and does not demand the generation of skeletons, mesh segmentation or the use of any additional control structures. Moreover, it does not require the two input meshes to share the same number of vertices or triangles, or to have the same connectivity. The provided results show the robustness and effectiveness of our method.
Restaurant Liability for Contaminated Food and Beverages Pursuant to Negligence, Warranty, and Strict Liability Laws

Managers, owners and employees of all food providers must make sure that their products are safe, wholesome, and unadulterated prior to selling them. They must all be experts in making, storing, selling, preparing, and serving food. Otherwise, they could hurt consumers and face lawsuits since foodborne illnesses are a serious problem in the United States and around the world. Each year, about 48 million people in the United States suffer from foodborne illnesses that are linked to Salmonella, Norovirus, Listeria, and E. coli. This article examines three legal liability theories of negligence, warranty, and strict liability that are linked to contaminated food and beverages provided by restaurants. The authors end with recommendations to restaurant owners, employers, and managers on how to avoid liability by going above and beyond the law to provide quality food and beverages.
True fractional calcium absorption in Chinese children measured with stable isotopes (42Ca and 44Ca)

True fractional Ca absorption (TFCA) was compared in children with different habitual Ca intakes using a double-label stable-isotope technique. Chinese children aged 7 years from Hongkong (n 22) and Jiangmen (n 12) participated in the study. An oral administration of 8 mg 44Ca in 100 g chocolate milk was given shortly after an intravenous injection of 0·75 mg 42Ca. Ca isotopic ratios were determined in urine samples collected 24 h later using thermal-ionization mass spectrometry. There was no significant difference in TFCA between Jiangmen and Hongkong children (P=0·16). TFCA of a lower-Ca-intake group (Ca > 500 mg/d, n 19) with mean Ca intake 359 mg/d was 63·1 (SD 10·7)%; and that of a higher-Ca-intake group (Ca > 500 mg/d, n 15) with mean Ca intake 862 mg/d was 54·8 (SD 7·3)%; the difference in TFCA was significant (P=0·016). Serum levels of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol of the children were adequate (33·7 (SD 7·7) ng/ml). The present study indicates that growing children accustomed to a low-Ca diet appear to be able to enhance their absorptive capacity. If it is assumed that dietary Ca absorption by Chinese children resembles their TFCA from a single meal of chocolate milk, then the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for Ca for Chinese children would be lower than the US RDA (800 mg/d), which is based on an estimated 40% Ca absorption as reported for Caucasian children. A comparative absorption study is necessary to determine whether there is any difference in TFCA between Caucasian and Chinese children.
Effects of Climate Change, Invasive Species, and Disease on the Distribution of Native European Crayfishes

Climate change will require species to adapt to new conditions or follow preferred climates to higher latitudes or elevations, but many dispersal‐limited freshwater species may be unable to move due to barriers imposed by watershed boundaries. In addition, invasive nonnative species may expand into new regions under future climate conditions and contribute to the decline of native species. We evaluated future distributions for the threatened European crayfish fauna in response to climate change, watershed boundaries, and the spread of invasive crayfishes, which transmit the crayfish plague, a lethal disease for native European crayfishes. We used climate projections from general circulation models and statistical models based on Mahalanobis distance to predict climate‐suitable regions for native and invasive crayfishes in the middle and at the end of the 21st century. We identified these suitable regions as accessible or inaccessible on the basis of major watershed boundaries and present occurrences and evaluated potential future overlap with 3 invasive North American crayfishes. Climate‐suitable areas decreased for native crayfishes by 19% to 72%, and the majority of future suitable areas for most of these species were inaccessible relative to native and current distributions. Overlap with invasive crayfish plague‐transmitting species was predicted to increase. Some native crayfish species (e.g., noble crayfish [Astacus astacus]) had no future refugia that were unsuitable for the modeled nonnative species. Our results emphasize the importance of preventing additional introductions and spread of invasive crayfishes in Europe to minimize interactions between the multiple stressors of climate change and invasive species, while suggesting candidate regions for the debatable management option of assisted colonization.
A Tone-Mapping Technique Based on Histogram Using a Sensitivity Model of the Human Visual System

High-dynamic-range (HDR) images require tone mapping to be displayed properly on lower dynamic range devices. In this paper, a tone-mapping algorithm that uses histogram of luminance to construct a lookup table (LUT) for tone mapping is presented. Characteristics of the human visual system (HVS) are used to give more importance to visually distinguishable intensities while constructing the histogram bins. The method begins with constructing a histogram of the luminance channel, using bins that are perceived to be uniformly spaced by the HVS. Next, a refinement step is used, which removes the pixels from the bins that are indistinguishable by the HVS. Finally, the available display levels are distributed among the bins proportionate to the pixels counts thus giving due consideration to the visual contribution of each bin in the image. Quality assessment using both quantitative evaluations and user studies suggests that the presented algorithm produces tone-mapped images that are visually pleasant and preserve details of the original image better than the existing methods. Finally, implementation details of the algorithm on GPU for parallel processing are presented, which could achieve a significant gain in speed over CPU-based implementation.
Basic properties of the electrolyte&#8212;SiO2&#8212;Si system: Physical and theoretical aspects

In order to provide an improved understanding of ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFET's) an analysis of the quasi-equilibrium characteristics of an electrolyte-oxide-semiconductor (EOS) system has been carried out. The characteristics of this system are examined by initially considering two limiting cases. In the first case, an ideal unblocked interface between the electrolyte and the oxide is assumed. Electrochemical processes of ion exchange dominates and consequently, a Nernstian response is experienced. The second limiting case assumes a totally blocked interface such that the behavior of the EOS system is dictated by electrostatic factors. The analysis is then generalized to examine the case of an electrolyte-pyrogenic SiO2-Si system using a site binding model to describe the ionic adsorption processes at the electrolyte-pyrogenic SiO2interface. The C-V characteristics and changes in flat-band voltage of the EOS system in response to pH are examined. Analytical results show that in general, the response does not obey the classical Nernst equation. Correlation of theoretical and experimental results yields excellent agreement suggesting that the models used in this study can provide an adequate description of the physical processes.
MANAGING IT OUTSOURCING RELATIONSHIP IN THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

The outsourcing business in the public administration is increasing mostly in Europe through different contracting models and governance structures, where public entities and providers set up a market relationships regulated within public administration regulation frameworks. This paper presents a qualitative study based on a Italian Region that has outsourced its Information Systems. This study, at a very early stage, tries to contribute to the debate on Outsourcing in the Public Administration in Italy underling the characteristics of outsourcing models and how outsourcing processes are governed. KEY WORDS Outsourcing in Public Administration | outsourcing governance | IT outsourcing
Estrogen replacement therapy and breast cancer survival in a large screening study.

BACKGROUND Hormone replacement therapy has been associated in some studies with reductions in breast cancer mortality among women who develop this disease. It is unclear whether this association reflects the biologic activity of the hormones or the earlier detection of tumors among hormone users. We examined breast cancer mortality among women who were diagnosed with axillary lymph node-negative and node-positive breast cancer according to the currency of estrogen use at diagnosis. METHODS Vital status through June 1995 was determined for 2614 patients with postmenopausal breast cancer diagnosed during the period from 1973 to January 1981. We estimated adjusted hazard-rate ratios (adjusting for tumor size, age, race, Quetelet [body mass] index, and number of positive lymph nodes in women with node-positive disease) and unadjusted cumulative probabilities of breast cancer death over time since diagnosis. RESULTS Among patients with node-negative disease, rate ratios for breast cancer mortality associated with current use compared with nonuse at diagnosis were 0.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.3-0.8) until 144 months after diagnosis and 2.2 (95% CI = 0.9-5.2) thereafter. Mortality was not statistically significantly lower in past users. The cumulative probabilities of breast cancer mortality at the end of follow-up were 0.14, 0.14, and 0.09 in nonusers, past users, and current users, respectively. Among women with node-positive disease, the rate ratios associated with current and past use were both 0.5 until 48 months after diagnosis (95% CI = 0.3-0.8 for current users; 95% CI = 0.3-0.9 for past users) and were 1.1 (95% CI = 0.7-1.7) and 1.8 (95% CI = 1.2-2.7), respectively, thereafter. The cumulative probabilities of breast cancer mortality were 0.32, 0.39, and 0.27 in nonusers, past users, and current users, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Patients with breast cancer who were using replacement estrogens at the time of diagnosis experienced reductions in breast cancer mortality, which waned with the time since diagnosis.