Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Actinidin from kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa cv. Hayward) increases the digestion and rate of gastric emptying of meat proteins in the growing pig

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary actinidin on the kinetics of gastric digestion of beef muscle proteins and on the rate of stomach emptying in growing pigs. For this purpose, 120 pigs (mean body weight 28 (sd 2·9) kg) were fed beef muscle protein-based diets containing either actinidin (fresh green kiwifruit pulp or gold kiwifruit pulp supplemented with purified actinidin) or no actinidin (fresh gold kiwifruit pulp or green kiwifruit pulp with inactivated actinidin). Additionally, fifteen pigs were fed with a protein-free diet to determine the endogenous protein flow. Pigs were euthanised at exactly 0·5, 1, 3, 5 and 7 h postprandially (n 6 per time point for each kiwifruit diet and n 3 for protein-free diet). Stomach chyme was collected for measuring gastric retention, actinidin activity, individual beef muscle protein digestion based on SDS–PAGE and the degree of hydrolysis based on the appearance of free amino groups. The stomach emptying of DM and N was faster when actinidin was present in the diet (P< 0·05): the half gastric emptying time of DM was 137 v. 172 min ( ± 7·4 min pooled standard error) for the diets with and without actinidin, respectively. The presence of dietary actinidin in the stomach chyme increased the digestion of beef muscle protein (P< 0·05) and, more specifically, those proteins with a high molecular weight (>34 kDa; P< 0·05). In conclusion, dietary actinidin fed in the form of fresh green kiwifruit increased the rate of gastric emptying and the digestion of several beef muscle proteins.
The Where, When, and How of Organelle Acidification by the Yeast Vacuolar H+-ATPase

SUMMARY All eukaryotic cells contain multiple acidic organelles, and V-ATPases are central players in organelle acidification. Not only is the structure of V-ATPases highly conserved among eukaryotes, but there are also many regulatory mechanisms that are similar between fungi and higher eukaryotes. These mechanisms allow cells both to regulate the pHs of different compartments and to respond to changing extracellular conditions. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae V-ATPase has emerged as an important model for V-ATPase structure and function in all eukaryotic cells. This review discusses current knowledge of the structure, function, and regulation of the V-ATPase in S. cerevisiae and also examines the relationship between biosynthesis and transport of V-ATPase and compartment-specific regulation of acidification.
Should Projections of Mortality Improvements be Subject to a Minimum Value?

ABSTRACT Projections of future mortality typically used for funding pension scheme liabilities assume that future year-on-year decreases in mortality rates will slow rapidly, and that there is very limited potential for further decreases at the oldest ages. This paper considers the consistency of such projections with current trends in life expectancy. Particular focus is paid to whether future mortality should be subject to a minimum level of improvement to reflect general advances in medicine. Care is taken to exclude the additional increases in longevity arising from a concentration of positive health factors amongst the generation who are currently experiencing the ‘cohort effect’. If historic trends continue into the future, then period life expectancy from age 65 in England & Wales will increase at 26 days p.a. for women and 41 days p.a. for men, with additional increases arising from the ‘cohort effect’. This is a faster rate of period increase in life expectancy than embedded in the interim cohort projections. One way to ensure that actuarial projections keep pace with the population trend is to subject projections to a minimum level of (geometric) improvement of at least 11/4% p.a. for men and 3/4% p.a. for women, at all older ages and in all future years. Consideration is given to the possible impact of differences between the socio-economic profile of England & Wales and the membership of the pension schemes to whom the projections will be applied ultimately. This paper also highlights that the application of a single minimum value, independent of time and age, simplifies a more complex underlying pattern, but that minimum improvements of 11/4% p.a. for males and 3/4% p.a. for females represent an average of historic improvements in mortality seen in England & Wales. The paper includes a survey of the history of the low levels of mortality seen currently. The survey includes some discussion on the potential for future improvements and considers topical issues, such as the potential impact of obesity on life expectancy projections (and, in turn, the minimum value applied to improvements). The financial impact of subjecting projections of mortality improvement to a minimum value is quantified.
Determination of cytotoxic, anticholinesterase, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of some wild mushroom species

Abstract In the performed study of methanol extraction of wild edible mushroom species; Agaricus arvensis, Agaricus campestris, Armillaria mellea, Fomes fomentarius, Coprinus micaceus, Coriolus versicolor and Lactarius deliciosus were examined for screening their cytotoxic, anticholinesterase, antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity. Phenolic acid composition of mushrooms was also analysed. L. deliciosus and F. fomentarius were generally showed the highest activities at antioxidant test systems (metal chelating, superoxide anion radical scavenging, total antioxidant, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging and reducing power activity tests). The highest activities at antimicrobial activity displayed by A. arvensis and as 18 ± 0.8 against to Staphylococcus aureus. The best IC50 values of mushroom methanol extracts at anticancer activities on HeLa and NRK-52E were 7.09 and 18.23 mg/mL exhibited by C. micaceus and A. campestris, respectively. The highest butyrylcholinesterase activity exhibited by L. deliciosus. Total amount of phenolic acids were found as 1,224.70 mg/kg at L. deliciosus.
Optimization of the Measurement Matrix Used for CS-Based Non-Reconstruction Detection Method in Cognitive Radio

Some scholars have been searching for the simplest and most efficient way of spectrum sensing. They have combined the compressed sensing (CS) based non-reconstruction technology with the conventional energy detection (ED) method and proposed a non-reconstruction detection method to detect the spectrum directly from the CS sampled data, these methods can decrease the sampling rate and computation complexity. But these methods assume that the measurement matrix is a Gaussian random matrix, it is hard to generate in a practical application and its detection performance has a big loss compared with the conventional energy detection method. In this paper we propose an iterative method to optimize the measurement matrix aiming at improving the detection performance. The Gram matrix of the optimized matrix will be closer to the identity matrix through iterative method. The simulation result shows that the optimized measurement matrix can improve the detection performance of the non-reconstruction detection method for about 2 dB compared with the Gaussian random matrix.
Symptom recognition in advanced cancer. A comparison of nursing records against patient self‐rating

The aim of the study was to investigate the extent to which the symptoms experienced by advanced cancer patients were covered by the nursing records. On the day of the first contact with our palliative care department, a nursing record was taken, and on this or the following day, 56 patients filled in the questionnaires EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ‐C30), Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). In each patient, the symptomatology reported in the patient‐completed questionnaires was compared with the symptomatology mentioned by the nurse in the nursing record. The analysis revealed good concordance concerning pain and poor physical functioning, but patients reported other symptoms or problems much more often than their nurses. Reasons for these discrepancies are discussed. It is suggested that the nurse’s knowledge of the patient’s symptomatology might gain from more systematic screening or from transfer of information from patient self‐assessment questionnaires to the nursing records.
Iterative carrier phase recovery methods in turbo receivers

This letter considers carrier phase recovery in turbo receivers. Firstly, a novel maximum-likelihood (ML) based iterative carrier phase estimator is proposed for coded linear modulations over static phase channels. The proposed carrier phase estimator, combined with the iterative sum-product decoder, performs very close to, the Cramer-Rao bound. Moreover, for practical dynamic phase channels, an efficient carrier phase recovery method is proposed to perform very close to that of a perfect coherent receiver.
Wie verkauft man mit „Gemeinwohl"?

Das Verhältnis zwischen Managementlehre und Gemeinwohl ist seit jeher ein wechselvolles. Betrachtet man die Entwickung der letzten rund 40 Jahre, läßt sich ein kontinuierliches Auf und Ab in den Karrieren der konkurrierenden Konzepte feststellen. Im ersten Teil dieses Beitrags sollen die Oszillationsbewegungen nachgezeichnet und die dahinterstehenden Treiber identifiziert weden. Der zweite Teil des Beitrags befaßt sich mit neuen Perspektiven der Gemeinwohlorientierung in einem veränderten Umfeldund Managementkontext, insbesondere mit dem Gemeinwohlmotiv als Element eines Geschäftsmodells.
Subjective Reactions of Children to Single-Pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation is a useful tool to investigate cortical function in childhood neuropsychiatric disorders. Magnetic stimulation is associated with a shock-like sensation that is considered painless in adults. Little is known about how children perceive the procedure. We used a self-report questionnaire to assess children's subjective experience with transcranial magnetic stimulation. Normal children and children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) underwent transcranial magnetic stimulation in a study of cortical function in ADHD. Subjects were asked to rate transcranial magnetic stimulation on a 1 to 10 scale (most disagreeable = 1, most enjoyable = 10) and to rank it among common childhood events. Thirty-eight subjects completed transcranial magnetic stimulation; 34 said that they would repeat it. The overall rating for transcranial magnetic stimulation was 6.13, and transcranial magnetic stimulation was ranked fourth highest among the common childhood events. These results suggest that although a few children find transcranial magnetic stimulation uncomfortable, most consider transcranial magnetic stimulation painless. Further studies are necessary to confirm these findings. (J Child Neurol 2001;16:891-894).
Medical genetics diagnostic evaluation of the child with global developmental delay or intellectual disability

Purpose of reviewThe review addresses the recent discovery of large-scale copy number variations in the human genome and advances in microarray technology which together have changed the clinical genetic diagnostic approach for children with global developmental delay. Recent findingsSeveral publications in the last three years evaluate the diagnostic rate of array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) in the setting of global developmental delay; to date, the rate of etiologic diagnosis ranges from 4.8% to 20%, a potential doubling of the rate of diagnosis prior to the application of this technique. SummaryLarge-scale copy number variations in the human genome leading to gene dosage imbalances comprise approximately 12% of the entire genome and some 10% of all known genes. Molecular testing for chromosome imbalances has changed with the application of array comparative genomic hybridization. Recent publications suggest a doubling of the rate of diagnosis of patients with genome copy number abnormalities as the cause of developmental delay. The use of array comparative genomic hybridization is replacing the use of fluorescent in-situ hybridization techniques for the child with idiopathic global developmental delay or intellectual disability.
Long‐term effects of triethylenemelamine exposure on mouse testis cells and sperm chromatin structure assayed by flow cytometry

The toxic and potentially mutagenic actions of triethylenemelamine (TEM) on mouse body and testis weights, testicular cell kinetics, sperm production, sperm head morphology, and sperm chromatin structure were assessed in two experiments. The first experiment examined effects of four dose levels of TEM, assayed 1, 4, and 10 wk after toxic exposure. In the second study, effects from five dosage levels were measured at 1, 4, and 10 wk, and the highest dosage level was evaluated over 44 wk.
Aspiration risk detection using oral administration of fluorescent food — Preliminary experiments using meat phantoms

Pulmonary aspiration (mis-swallowing) causes more than 90% of pneumonia in elderly people. Ingested food unconsciously remaining in the piriform sinus occasionally Hows into the trachea leading to aspiration. If food remaining in the piriform sinus is noninvasively detected from outside the body, the risk of pulmonary aspiration can be evaluated We propose a method using near-infrared fluorescence emitted from fluorescence food, and this study reports the results of preliminary experiments using meat phantoms. The results showed that fluorescence from the fluorescence food embedded in thick meat was detectable and indicated that the method could be potentially applicable for evaluating the risk of pulmonary aspiration.
Drop-out predictors in cardiac rehabilitation programmes and the impact of sex differences among coronary heart disease patients in an Iranian sample: a cohort study

Objective : To determine whether patients who subsequently drop out of a structured cardiac rehabilitation programme could be prospectively distinguished from those who remain in the programme based upon their initial baseline characteristics. Design : A cohort study. Setting : A referral rehabilitation department in a cardiovascular research and training institute. Subjects : One thousand one hundred and fifteen coronary heart disease patients including patients with ischaemic heart disease, and those undergoing bypass surgery or percutaneous coronary interventions. Interventions : Demographic characteristics, coronary heart disease risk factors, ejection fraction, functional capacity and laboratory tests were considered at baseline. Main measures : Patients who completed all 24 sessions of the cardiac rehabilitation programme were compared with drop-out cases who did not. Results : Four hundred and ninety-nine patients (44.8%) completed the whole cardiac rehabilitation programme. Women (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.817, P < 0.001), older patients (AOR 1.015, P = 0.047), patients with lower risk of coronary heart disease (AOR 1.573, P = 0.008) or lower body mass index (BMI) (AOR 0.945, P = 0.001) and higher waist-to-hip ratio (AOR 12.871, P = 0.009) and those who were non-smokers (AOR 1.779, P = 0.001) were significantly more likely to complete cardiac rehabilitation. Conclusions : Developing interventions to address special needs of young, obese, smoker male patients who have a lower waist-to-hip ratio and higher clinical risk may be important, especially in attempts to retain this high-risk group in cardiac rehabilitation therapy.
Rapid Detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing Genotype and Its Ancient and Modern Sublineages by IS6110-Based Inverse PCR

ABSTRACT The Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing genotype strains appear to be hypervirulent and associated with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Therefore, the development of a both rapid and simple method to detect the M. tuberculosis Beijing genotype is of clinical interest per se. Previously, we described a simple and fast approach to detect the Beijing genotype based on IS6110 inverse-PCR typing. Here, we evaluated this method against a large, diverse, and recent collection of strains. The study sample included 866 M. tuberculosis strains representing but not limited to the regions in Russia, Europe, and East Asia where the Beijing genotype is endemic. Based on a spoligotyping method, 408 strains were identified as Beijing genotypes; they were additionally subdivided into ancient and modern sublineages based on the analysis of the NTF locus. All strains were further subjected to the IS6110-based inverse PCR. All of the Beijing genotype strains were found to have identical two-band (ancient sublineage) or three-band (modern sublineage) profiles that were easily recognizable and distinct from the profiles of the non-Beijing strains. Therefore, we suggest using IS6110-based inverse-PCR typing for the correct identification of the Beijing genotype and its major sublineages. The method is fast and inexpensive and does not require additional experiments but instead is implemented in the routine typing method of M. tuberculosis.
Bi-RRT path extraction and curve fitting smooth with visual based configuration space mapping

Path planning is the one of the most basic research areas in robotics. It simply concern about acquiring a safe path with admissible cost. In this study, we adapt bidirectional rapidly random exploring tree (Bi-RRT) path extraction to visual based configuration space map hosting obstacles and smooth result path with curve fitting models. Firstly, a map of the configuration space is created and robot, target positions are detected with threshold based object detection. There are two positions where two distinct RRT are launched on this map. These positions are robot initial position and target position. Both RRT try to reach target with random branches in each iterations. When one of these RRT branch intersect with other RRT branch, the algorithm is stopped. The acquired trajectory is the path between initial position and target position. But acquired path is generally close to the obstacles and unnecessary branches or jagged parts can be formed. Therefore, to provide safety object dilation over obstacles are used. Finally, the path is smoothed with curve fitting models. We conduct several experiments to evaluate Bi-RRT performance.
Limited intravascular coupling in the rodent brainstem and retina supports a role for glia in regional blood flow

Regional synaptic activity induces local increases in perfusion that are coupled to upstream vasodilation and improved blood flow. In the cerebral circulation, it has been proposed that astrocytes mediate the link between the initiating stimulus and local vasodilation through propagated intracellular calcium waves. In the systemic circulation the mechanism by which local vasodilation triggers upstream alterations in blood flow involves electrotonic propagation of hyperpolarization via endothelial gap junctions, although less is known concerning the cerebral circulation. The present study aimed to investigate the extent of coupling in microvessels of the rodent brainstem and retina and the subtypes of intracellular calcium stores that might mediate astrocytic signaling. Within the brainstem, connexins (Cxs) 37 and 40 were restricted to the endothelium of pial vessels and larger penetrating arterioles, whereas astrocytic Cxs30 and 43 were found closely associated with pre‐ and postsynaptic neurons and nearby microvessels. Within the rat retina, Cxs37 and 40 were expressed in large radiating arterioles, but were not found in smaller vessels on the retinal surface or in the deeper retinal layers. These Cxs were absent from all retinal vessels in mice. Astrocytes, expressing Cxs30 and 43 in the rat, but only Cx43 in the mouse, were found closely associated with superficial, but not deeper blood vessels. Inositol‐trisphosphate receptors (IP3R) 1 and 2 were expressed within brainstem astrocytes, whereas IP3R1 and 3 were expressed within retinal astrocytes. Limited intravascular coupling and the proximity of astrocytic networks to blood vessels supports a role for glia in activity‐dependent alterations in central blood flow. J. Comp. Neurol. 511:773–787, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A population‐based study of the associations of stroke occurrence with weather parameters in Siberia, Russia (1982–92)

Previous studies have established a seasonal variation in stroke occurrence, but none have assessed the influence of inclement weather conditions on stroke incidence in a general population of Russia. We performed a stroke population‐based study in the Oktiabrsky District of Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia. Included in the analysis were 1929 patients with their first occurrence of ischemic stroke (IS), 215 patients with their first occurrence of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and 64 patients with their first occurrence of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH): all patients were aged between 25 and 74 years. The cumulative daily occurrence of total strokes and stroke subtypes was evaluated in relation to aggregated daily mean values of ambient temperature, relative humidity and air pressure by means of Poisson regression analysis to estimate the rate ratio (RR) with corresponding confidence interval (CI) and to identify the weather parameters of most importance. In a multivariate analysis, with adjustment for the effects of season, solar and geomagnetic activity, and age of the patients, low ambient temperature (RR 1.32; 95% CI 1.05–1.66) and mean value of air pressure (RR 0.986; 95% CI 0.972–0.999) were important predictors of IS occurrence, while mild ambient temperature (RR 1.52; 95% CI 1.04–2.22) was an important predictor of ICH occurrence. No relationship between SAH occurrence and any one of the weather parameters studied was revealed. There was no interaction between any meteorological variables that was statistically significant. Inclement weather conditions are associated with the occurrence of IS and ICH in Siberia, Russia. Among the meteorological parameters studied, low ambient temperature and mean air pressure are the most important predictors of IS occurrence, whereas the occurrence of ICH is associated with mild ambient temperature. There is no association between any one of the weather parameters studied and the occurrence of SAH.
Nodulation-Dependent Communities of Culturable Bacterial Endophytes from Stems of Field-Grown Soybeans

Endophytic bacteria (247 isolates) were randomly isolated from surface-sterilized stems of non-nodulated (Nod), wild-type nodulated (Nod), and hypernodulated (Nod) soybeans (Glycine max [L.] Merr) on three agar media (R2A, nutrient agar, and potato dextrose agar). Their diversity was compared on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequences. The phylogenetic composition depended on the soybean nodulation phenotype, although diversity indexes were not correlated with nodulation phenotype. The most abundant phylum throughout soybean lines tested was Proteobacteria (58–79%). Gammaproteobacteria was the dominant class (21–72%) with a group of Pseudomonas sp. significantly abundant in Nod soybeans. A high abundance of Alphaproteobacteria was observed in Nod soybeans, which was explained by the increase in bacterial isolates of the families Rhizobiaceae and Sphingomonadaceae. A far greater abundance of Firmicutes was observed in Nod and Nod mutant soybeans than in Nod soybeans. An impact of culture media on the diversity of isolated endophytic bacteria was also observed: The highest diversity indexes were obtained on the R2A medium, which enabled us to access Alphaproteobacteria and other phyla more frequently. The above results indicated that the extent of nodulation changes the phylogenetic composition of culturable bacterial endophytes in soybean stems.