Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of Protein Synthesis Sequentially Impairs Distinct Steps of Stimulus-secretion Coupling in Pancreatic β Cells* * This work was supported by the Interuniversity Poles of Attraction Program (P4/21), Belgian State Prime Minister's Office, Federal Office for Scientific, Technical, and Cultura

Proteins with a short half-life are potential sites of pancreatic ss cell dysfunction under pathophysiological conditions. In this study, mouse islets were used to establish which step in the regulation of insulin secretion is most sensitive to inhibition of protein synthesis by 10 microM cycloheximide (CHX). Although islet protein synthesis was inhibited approximately 95% after 1 h, the inhibition of insulin secretion was delayed and progressive. After long (18-20 h) CHX-treatment, the strong (80%) inhibition of glucose-, tolbutamide-, and K(+)-induced insulin secretion was not due to lower insulin stores, to any marked impairment of glucose metabolism or to altered function of K(+)-ATP channels (total K(+)-ATP currents were however decreased). It was partly caused by a decreased Ca(2+) influx (whole-cell Ca(2+) current) resulting in a smaller rise in cytosolic Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)). The situation was very different after short (2-5 h) CHX-treatment. Insulin secretion was 50-60% inhibited although islet glucose metabolism was unaffected and stimulus-induced [Ca(2+)](i) rise was not (2 h) or only marginally (5 h) decreased. The efficiency of Ca(2+) on secretion was thus impaired. The inhibition of insulin secretion by 15 h of CHX treatment was more slowly reversible (>4 h) than that of protein synthesis. This reversibility of secretion was largely attributable to recovery of a normal Ca(2+) efficiency. In conclusion, inhibition of protein synthesis in islets inhibits insulin secretion in two stages: a rapid decrease in the efficiency of Ca(2+) on exocytosis, followed by a decrease in the Ca(2+) signal mediated by a slower loss of functional Ca(2+) channels. Glucose metabolism and the regulation of K(+)-ATP channels are more resistant. Proteins with a short half-life appear to be important to ensure optimal Ca(2+) effects on exocytosis, and are the potential Achille's heel of stimulus-secretion coupling.
Inducing Pollution Prevention: Effectiveness of the 33/50 Voluntary Environmental Program

The Environmental Protection Agency has encouraged voluntary efforts at pollution prevention by facilities through participation in voluntary environmental programs (VEPs) such as the 33/50 program to reduce toxic releases. This paper examines the effectiveness of the 33/50 program in the adoption of pollution prevention practices and disentangles the effect of adoption from that of program participation on releases of 33/50 chemicals. Using facility-specific panel data and controlling for the endogeneity of program participation and pollution prevention adoption, we find that program participants were 38% more likely to adopt pollution prevention practices than non-participants. Program participants who adopted pollution prevention practices reduced their 33/50 releases by 52% compared to facilities that neither participated nor adopted pollution prevention. This indicates that VEPs that emphasize pollution prevention can play a complementary role in reducing toxic releases.
HIV‐1 fitness and macrophages

HIV‐1 comprises a collection of closely related, but not identical, viruses or quasispecies. Fitness represents a selective advantage for propagation among populations of organisms competing in a particular environment and is an important characteristic of viruses because of a link between fitness and pathogenesis. Environmental differences based on the type of cell that is targeted for infection or the cell type that produces virus, impact fitness. CD4‐expressing cells of lymphocyte or macrophage lineage are the principal host cells for HIV‐1, although the milieu in lymphocytes is distinct from the macrophage environment from the perspective of cell half‐life and activation, signal transduction and expression of coreceptors, and bioavailability of antiretroviral drugs. Multiple viral determinants, including entry via envelope glycoproteins, replication by reverse transcriptase, and virion maturation by protease activity, contribute to fitness in different cells and provide targets for current antiretroviral therapies. This review focuses on fitness of HIV‐1 in macrophages and examines the impact of protease inhibitors on fitness of quasispecies and an unexplained discordance between fitness and pathogenesis.
Automatizing the broken bar detection process via short time Fourier transform and two-dimensional piecewise aggregate approximation representation

This work presents an automated approach for detecting broken rotor bars in induction machines using the stator current during startup operation. The currents are analyzed using the well-known Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) producing a two-dimensional time-frequency representation. This representation contains information regarding the presence of a characteristic transient component but requires further processing before it can be fed into a standard classification algorithm. In this work, this part is performed using the two dimensional extension of Piecewise Aggregate Approximation (PAA) that can deal with the two dimensional representation of STFT. The results (with both simulated and experimental data) suggest that the method can be used for the automatic detection of broken bars and even for determining the fault severity. Moreover, its low computational burden makes it ideal for its future use in online, unsupervised systems, as well as in portable condition monitoring devices.
Digestibility of alkali-treated wheat straw measured in vitro or in vivo using Holstein heifers.

Three experiments were conducted to determine the effect of different alkali solutions on in vitro degradation and in vivo digestibility of wheat straw. In Exp. 1, ground wheat straw was treated with 15 different alkali solutions grouped as NaOH, NH4OH, urea, and Ca(OH)2. The greatest (P < .05) 48-h in vitro NDF degradability was obtained with 5% NaOH and the combination of 2.5% NaOH + 2.5% Ca(OH)2. In Exp. 2, chopped wheat straw was treated with one of the following: 1) untreated; 2) 2.5% NaOH; 3) 5% NaOH; 4) 2.5% Ca(OH)2 + 2.5% NaOH; or 5) 5% Ca(OH)2. Five Holstein heifers were fed diets that contained 60% straw, 20% alfalfa hay, and 20% concentrate mix (DM basis) fed as total mixed rations in a 5 x 5 Latin square design. The greatest in vivo NDF digestibility (P < .05) was obtained with the NaOH and NaOH+Ca(OH)2 treatments. The 5% Ca(OH)2 treatment had higher fiber digestibility than the control and was equivalent to the 2.5% NaOH and 2.5% NaOH+Ca(OH)2 treatments. Rate of passage of straw was not affected by chemical treatment, whereas rate of passage of dietary alfalfa hay increased with NaOH. In Exp. 3, wheat straw ground through a 2-mm screen was treated with one of the following chemicals: 1) untreated (control); 2) 5% NaOH; 3) 5% NH4OH; 4) urea supplying N equivalent to 5% NH4OH; and 5) 5% Ca(OH)2 (all on DM basis). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Tubular secretion of creatinine in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: consequences for cross-sectional and longitudinal performance of kidney function estimating equations.

BACKGROUND Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is characterized by renal tubular cell proliferation and dedifferentiation, which may influence tubular secretion of creatinine (CCr[TS]). STUDY DESIGN Diagnostic test study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS We therefore investigated CCr(TS) in patients with ADPKD and controls and studied consequences for the performance of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimating equations. INDEX & REFERENCE TESTS In patients with ADPKD and healthy controls, we measured GFR as (125)I-iothalamate clearance while simultaneously determining creatinine clearance. OTHER MEASUREMENTS 24-hour urinary albumin excretion. RESULTS In 121 patients with ADPKD (56% men; mean age, 40 ± 11 [SD] years) and 215 controls (48% men; mean age, 53 ± 10 years), measured GFR (mGFR) was 78 ± 30 and 98 ± 17 mL/min/1.73 m(2), respectively, and CCr(TS) was 15.9 ± 10.8 and 10.9 ± 10.6 mL/min/1.73 m(2), respectively (P < 0.001). The higher CCr(TS) in patients with ADPKD remained significant after adjustment for covariates and appeared to be dependent on mGFR. Correlation and accuracy between mGFR and CKD-EPI (Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration) estimated GFR (eGFR) were 0.95 and 99%, respectively; between mGFR and MDRD (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease) Study eGFR, they were 0.93 and 97%, respectively. Values for bias, precision, and accuracy were similar or slightly better than in controls. In addition, change in mGFR during 3 years of follow-up in 45 patients with ADPKD correlated well with change in eGFR. LIMITATIONS Cross-sectional, single center. CONCLUSIONS CCr(TS) in patients with ADPKD is higher than that in controls, but this effect is limited and observed at only high-normal mGFR. Consequently, the CKD-EPI and MDRD Study equations perform relatively well in estimating GFR and change in GFR in patients with ADPKD.
High concordance between clinical diagnosis of epidermolysis bullosa and immunofluorescence with a small, well‐matched antibody panel

of women, specialists or different ages. The voluntary nature of this study creates the possibility of selection bias, as those who completed the study may have a personal interest or experience in skin cancer or public health campaigns. This may affect the generalisability of our results to Australian doctors. In this study of NSW doctors, we demonstrated that sun protection behaviour varies significantly between age groups. There were significant gaps in knowledge about denaturing and adequate amounts of sunscreen. These findings are set against a background of reduced investment in the primary prevention of skin cancers. Our study supports the need for the further education of doctors and the general population about skin cancer so as to reduce the burden on Australia and continue the declining trend of skin cancer mortality.
Two Gonostomatid Ciliates from the Soil of Lombardia, Italy; including Note on the Soil Mapping Project

Two gonostomatid ciliates, Gonostomum paronense n. sp. and G. strenuum, isolated from the soil sample of paddy field, Lombardia, Italy, were investigated using live observation and protargol impregnation. Gonostomum paronense n. sp. is mainly characterized by a tailed body, frontoventral cirri arranged in pairs, and presence of pretransverse and transverse cirri. Morphologically and morphometrically, the new species is similar to Gonostomum namibiense in having a tailed body and frontoventral cirral pairs; however, it differs mainly in the number of frontoventral cirral pairs (seven vs. three). Phylogenetic analyses based on the SSU rDNA sequences show that the new species is more closely related to G. namibiense than to G. strenuum, supporting the morphological classification based on the cirral pattern and the tailed body. However, due to the poor nodal support and absence of gene sequence of the type species Gonostomum, a more robust phylogeny of this group still remains unresolved. The biometric data of the Italian population of Gonostomum strenuum overlap with those from other known populations. Both species were collected from the industrial area of Parona, in the framework of the “Soil Mapping, Lombardia” project in which, for the first time in Italy, soil ciliates were used as bioindicators of soil quality.
Computer-Assisted Decision Support for Changing Practice in Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock

Computer-assisted decision support systems (CDSS) are designed to improve infection management. The aim of this prospective, clinical pre- and post-intervention study was to investigate the influence of CDSS on infection management of severe sepsis and septic shock in intensive care units (ICUs). Data were collected for a total of 180 days during two study periods in 2006 and 2007. Of the 186 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock, 62 were stratified into a low adherence to infection management standards group (LAG) and 124 were stratified into a high adherence group (HAG). ICU mortality was significantly increased in LAG versus HAG patients (Kaplan–Meier analysis). Following CDSS implementation, adherence to standards increased significantly by 35%, paralleled with improved diagnostics, more antibiotic-free days and a shortened time until antibiotics were administered. In conclusion, adherence to infection standards is beneficial for patients with severe sepsis or septic shock and CDSS is a useful tool to aid adherence.
Evaluation of different lactation curve models fitted for milk viscosity recorded by an automated on-line California Mastitis Test

Laboratory somatic cell count (LSCC) records are usually recorded monthly and provide an important information source for breeding and herd management. Daily milk viscosity detection in composite milking (expressed as drain time) with an automated on-line California Mastitis Test (CMT) could serve immediately as an early predictor of udder diseases and might be used as a selection criterion to improve udder health. The aim of the present study was to clarify the relationship between the well-established LSCS and the new trait,‘drain time’, and to estimate their correlations to important production traits. Data were recorded on the dairy research farm Karkendamm in Germany. Viscosity sensors were installed on every fourth milking stall in the rotary parlour to measure daily drain time records. Weekly LSCC and milk composition data were available. Two data sets were created containing records of 187 692 milkings from 320 cows (D1) and 25 887 drain time records from 311 cows (D2). Different fixed effect models, describing the log-transformed drain time (logDT), were fitted to achieve applicable models for further analysis. Lactation curves were modelled with standard parametric functions (Ali and Schaeffer, Legendre polynomials of second and third degree) of days in milk (DIM). Random regression models were further applied to estimate the correlations between cow effects between logDT and LSCS with further important production traits. LogDT and LSCS were strongest correlated in mid-lactation (r = 0·78). Correlations between logDT and production traits were low to medium. Highest correlations were reached in late lactation between logDT and milk yield (r = −0·31), between logDT and protein content (r = 0·30) and in early as well as in late lactation between logDT and lactose content (r = −0·28). The results of the present study show that the drain time could be used as a new trait for daily mastitis control.
Do low dose-rate bystander effects influence domestic radon risks?

Purpose : Radon risks derive from exposure of bronchio-epithelial cells to high-linear energy transfer (LET) α -particles. α -particle exposure can result in bystander effects, where irradiated cells emit signals resulting in damage to nearby unirradiated bystander cells. This can result in non-linear dose-response relations, and inverse dose-rate effects. Domestic radon risk estimates are currently extrapolated from miner data, which are at both higher doses and higher dose-rates, so bystander effects on unhit cells could play a large role in the extrapolation of risks from mines to homes. Therefore, we extend an earlier quantitative mechanistic model of bystander effects to include protracted exposure, with the aim of quantifying the significance of the bystander effect for very prolonged exposures. Materials and methods : A model of high-LET bystander effects, originally developed to analyse oncogenic transformation in vitro, is extended to low dose-rates. The model considers radiation response as a superposition of bystander and linear direct e It attributes bystander effects to a small subpopulation of hypersensitive cells, with the bystander contribution dominating the direct contribution at very low acute doses but saturating as the dose increases. Inverse dose-rate effects are attributed to the replenishment of the hypersensitive subpopulation during prolonged irradiation. Results : The model was fitted to dose- and dose-rate-dependent radon-exposed miner data, suggesting that one directly hit target bronchio-epithelial cell can send bystander signals to about 50 neighbouring target cells. The model suggests that a naïve linear extrapolation of radon miner data to low doses, without accounting for dose-rate, would result in an underestimation of domestic radon risks by about a factor of 4, a value comparable with the empirical estimate applied in the recent BEIR-VI report on radon risk estimation. Conclusions : Bystander effects represent a plausible quantitative and mechanistic explanation of inverse dose-rate effects by high-LET radiation, resulting in non-linear dose-response relations and a complex interplay between the effects of dose and exposure time. The model presented provides a potential mechanistic underpinning for the empirical exposure-time correction factors applied in the recent BEIR-VI for domestic radon risk estimation.
Arginine methylation at a glance

Arginine methylation is a prevalent post-translational modification found on both nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. The methylation of arginine residues is catalyzed by the protein arginine N -methyltransferase (PRMT) family of enzymes. Proteins that are arginine methylated are involved in a number
PI‐PD controller design for time delay systems via the weighted geometrical center method

In this study, a PI‐PD controller tuning method is presented using the weighted geometrical center method, which is based on the calculation of the weighted geometric center of the stability region obtained by the stability boundary locus method. The proposed method for tuning of PI‐PD controller parameters (kd,kf,kp and ki) is performed in three steps. In the first step, the (kd,kf) parameter region for the inner loop with PD controller is obtained, and then the weighted geometric center of this region is calculated. In the second step, the inner PD loop is reduced to a single block using the numerical values of (kd,kf) that are obtained in the first step. Then, the (kp,ki) values of the external loop with PI controller are determined by the same procedure. This tuning method has some advantages over other tuning methods in terms of simplicity and robustness. The simulation examples show that a PI‐PD controller designed using the proposed method provides good performance results when compared to other tuning methods presented in the literature.
Pulsed-latch circuits to push the envelope of ASIC design

The use of the slow and power-consuming flip-flops is one of the factors that cause a large gap between custom and ASIC designs. A pulsed-latch, which is a latch driven by a brief pulse clock, inherits the advantage of latch while allowing us to use a simple timing model similar to that of flip-flop. As a result, it offers the opportunity of higher performance and lower power consumption within the conventional ASIC design environment. We address challenges and problems specific to pulsed-latch ASIC, and review potential solutions. Some quantitative results are provided to assess the effectiveness of pulsed-latch circuits.
Workers’ Perceptions of Workplace Safety: An African Perspective

This study investigated workers ‘ perceptions of workplace safety in an African work environment, specificallyin Ghanaian work places. Workers’ safety perceptions were examined with Hayes et al. ‘s. (1998) Work SafetyScale. Comparative analyses were done between high- and low-accident groups, and t tests were employed totest for differences of statistical significance. Relative to their colleagues in the low-accident category, workersin the high-accident category exhibited negative perceptions on safety. They had negative perceptions regardingwork safety, safety programmes, supervisors, and co-workers ‘ contributions. Besides, they expressed less jobsatisfaction and were less committed to safety management policies. Perceptions regarding management’sattitude towards safety between the 2 groups were not of statistical significance. The analyses provided anexplanation for the cause of a substantial portion of the high rate of industrial accidents in Ghana’s workenvironment. Implications for safety management are discussed.
Bacterial community dynamics in high and low bioavailability soils following laboratory exposure to a range of hexahydro‐1,3,5‐trinitro‐1,3,5‐triazine concentrations

Few studies have examined the potential long‐term effects of high concentrations of hexahydro‐1,3,5‐trinitro‐1,3,5‐triaxine (RDX) on bacterial communities in soil. In the present study, a sandy loam soil and a silt loam soil (high and low bioavailability, respectively) were artificially contaminated with RDX (0, 50, 500, 1,500, 5,000, 10,000, and 15,000 mg/kg soil). Bacterial communities from each treatment were monitored over 63 d to characterize the effects of RDX exposure on bacterial activity, biomass, functional diversity (Biolog microtiter plates), and structural diversity (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of 16S rDNA). Bacterial communities native to the high bioavailability soil were inherently different than bacterial communities native to the silt loam soil, not only in terms of bacterial activity and biomass, but also in terms of bacterial community functional and structural diversity. Soil RDX contamination was correlated with decreased bacterial biomass in the silt loam soil treatments and with decreased bacterial activity in the sandy loam soil treatments on day 7. Soil RDX contamination did not cause a significant shift in the functional diversity of the bacterial communities native to the silt loam soil, but was correlated with a shift in identities of substrates used by bacterial communities native to the sandy loam soil on day 7. Bacterial community structure was insensitive to the gradient of RDX concentrations at the beginning of the incubation. However, the identities of carbon substrates used by bacterial communities in both soil types were affected by long‐term incubation with RDX. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:38–44. © 2009 SETAC
Implementing Performance Reporting in Local Government: A Cross-Countries Comparison

ABSTRACT Providing information on economy, efficiency, and effectiveness is one of the most important innovations in local government management, with performance reporting emerging as a new component for accountability and decision-making. This article compares 17 countries to ascertain whether there is convergence between them, studying key issues in the implementation of performance reporting by local governments. It also identifies some lessons that can be of use to countries that want to implement or improve performance reporting systems. Findings show that there is no convergence in practice or results, and that institutional factors influence the implementation of performance reporting; in many countries, performance reporting has been introduced by central and regional governments as a mechanism to control local government activities in order to enhance performance. Austerity has underlined the importance of performance information, especially in Southern European countries, but more must be done before the full impact of performance reporting can be achieved.