Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multiple forms of glucagon and somatostatin isolated from the intestine of the southern-hemisphere lamprey Geotria australis.

Current views on Agnathan phylogeny favor the hypothesis that the genera of holarctic lampreys belong to a single family (Petromyzontidae) and form an interrelated progression in which Petromyzon is near to Ichthomyzon at the base of the phylogenetic tree and Lampetra is the most derived. A stock similar to that of contemporary Ichthomyzon is considered to have given rise to the southern hemisphere lamprey Geotria australis, the sole member of the Geotriidae. In the present study, two molecular forms of glucagon were isolated from an extract of G. australis intestine that differed in structure by six amino acid residues. One form shows two amino acid substitutions (Leu14 --> Met and Ala29 --> Ser) compared with the single molecular form of glucagon isolated from the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus and the second form shows three substitutions (Asp15 --> Glu, Ser16 --> Ala, Ile24 --> Thr) compared with the single glucagon isolated from the river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis. As Petromyzon and Lampetra glucagons differ by six amino acid residues, the data suggest that a duplication of the glucagon gene occurred prior to or early in lamprey evolution. Although both genes are strongly expressed in G. australis, the expression of one gene predominates in P. marinus while that of the other gene predominates in L. fluviatilis. Previous work has shown that, in the islet organ of G. australis, preprosomatostatin is processed almost exclusively to somatostatin-33. However, the present study demonstrates that somatostatin-14 is the major molecular form in G. australis intestine with somatostatin-33 present only as a minor component. This result demonstrates a tissue-dependent pathway of posttranslational processing of preprosomatostatin in the Geotria enteropancreatic system.
A Holistic ICT Solution to Improve Matching between Supply and Demand over the Water Supply Distribution Chain

While many water management tools exist, these systems are not usually interconnected and therefore cannot communicate between one another, preventing Integrated Water Resources Management to be fully achieved. This paper presents the solution proposed by WatERP project * where a novel solution enables better matching between water supply and demand from holistic perspective. Subsystems that control the production, management and consumption of water will be interconnected through both information architecture and intelligent infrastructure. The main outcome will consist of, a web-based Open Management Platform integrating near real-time knowledge on water supplies and demand, from sources to users, across geographic and organizational scales and supported by a knowledge base where information will be structured in water management ontology to ensure interoperability and maximize usability. WatERP will thus provide a major contribution to: 1) Improve coordination among actors, 2) Foster behavioural change, 3) Reduce water and energy consumption, 4) Optimize water accountability.
Aortocoronary bypass with saphenous vein graft.

THE 1973 report by Garrett, Dennis, and DeBakey 1 on the long-term patency of an aortocoronary saphenous vein bypass graft established at an operation 9 years previously (November 1964) identifies a high plateau that had been reached in the search for a means to improve blood flow to the myocardium in the presence of flow-limiting coronary atherosclerosis. Few medical interventions have gained such investigative and clinical dominance as those procedures increasing blood flow to the heart. Now, 20 years subsequent to the demonstrated capability, close to a million procedures are performed annually in this country alone. This is especially remarkable considering that these procedures are not curative of the disease but treat only the consequences, termed by Lewis Thomas 2 as "half way technology. " The malady, coronary artery occlusive disease, remains the leading cause of death in Western cultures in spite of rigorous attempts to control the alterable risk factors
Deployment and recovery of a full-ocean depth mooring at Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench

We present the details of a unique deep-ocean instrument package and mooring that was deployed at Challenger Deep (10,984 m) in the Marianas Trench. The mooring is 45 m in length and consists of a hydrophone, RBRTM pressure and temperature loggers, nine Vitrovex® glass spheres and a mast with a satellite beacon for recovery. The mooring was deployed in January and recovered in March 2015 using the USCG Cutter Sequoia. The pressure logger recorded a maximum pressure of 10,956.8 decibars, for a depth of 10,646.1 m. To our knowledge, this is only the fourth in situ measurement of depth ever made at Challenger Deep. The hydrophone recorded for ~1 hour and stopped shortly after descending to a depth of 1,785 m (temperature of 2.4°C). The record at this depth is dominated by the sound of the Sequoia's engines and propellers.
Prolonged Activity of the Pestiviral RNase Erns as an Interferon Antagonist after Uptake by Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis

ABSTRACT The RNase activity of the envelope glycoprotein Erns of the pestivirus bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is required to block type I interferon (IFN) synthesis induced by single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) in bovine cells. Due to the presence of an unusual membrane anchor at its C terminus, a significant portion of Erns is also secreted. In addition, a binding site for cell surface glycosaminoglycans is located within the C-terminal region of Erns. Here, we show that the activity of soluble Erns as an IFN antagonist is not restricted to bovine cells. Extracellularly applied Erns protein bound to cell surface glycosaminoglycans and was internalized into the cells within 1 h of incubation by an energy-dependent mechanism that could be blocked by inhibitors of clathrin-dependent endocytosis. Erns mutants that lacked the C-terminal membrane anchor retained RNase activity but lost most of their intracellular activity as an IFN antagonist. Surprisingly, once taken up into the cells, Erns remained active and blocked dsRNA-induced IFN synthesis for several days. Thus, we propose that Erns acts as an enzymatically active decoy receptor that degrades extracellularly added viral RNA mainly in endolysosomal compartments that might otherwise activate intracellular pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in order to maintain a state of innate immunotolerance. IMPORTANCE The pestiviral RNase Erns was previously shown to inhibit viral ssRNA- and dsRNA-induced interferon (IFN) synthesis. However, the localization of Erns at or inside the cells, its species specificity, and its mechanism of interaction with cell membranes in order to block the host's innate immune response are still largely unknown. Here, we provide strong evidence that the pestiviral RNase Erns is taken up within minutes by clathrin-mediated endocytosis and that this uptake is mostly dependent on the glycosaminoglycan binding site located within the C-terminal end of the protein. Remarkably, the inhibitory activity of Erns remains for several days, indicating the very potent and prolonged effect of a viral IFN antagonist. This novel mechanism of an enzymatically active decoy receptor that degrades a major viral pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) might be required to efficiently maintain innate and, thus, also adaptive immunotolerance, and it might well be relevant beyond the bovine species.
Intermittent partial surface wetting and its effect on body-surface temperatures and egg production of white and brown domestic laying hens in Antalya (Turkey)

1. The effect of intermittent partial surface wetting on body and surface temperature were investigated at 62 and 20 weeks of age in domestic laying hens of ATABEY (white) and ATAK (brown) strains. 2. The number of control and treatment birds was 96, half of which were 62 weeks of age and the remainder 20-week-old birds. 3. Sprinkling was done on the head, head appendages, neck and dorsal surface by releasing 10 ml/bird in a sprinkling session. The control birds were not sprinkled at any time. 4. The first measurement was carried out immediately before sprinkling, the second just after sprinkling, and measurements were then repeated every 5 min until the end of the 20th min. 5. Partial surface sprinkle cooling had a positive effect in relieving the birds of heat stress. The treatment birds had lower core body, head and dorsal surface temperatures than the control birds. 6. The treatment effect on egg production was significant in young birds but not in the older ones.
Jet nebulization of PEI/DNA polyplexes: physical stability and in vitro gene delivery efficiency

Aerosol drug delivery currently represents the most acceptable and convenient delivery system for repeated drug application to the lungs. Although polyethyleneimine (PEI) has recently been demonstrated to mediate gene transfer successfully to mouse lungs via aerosol delivery, the effect of the jet nebulization process on the properties of PEI/DNA polyplexes has not yet been examined.
Establishment and characterization of a transplantable dibutylnitrosamine-induced mouse bladder tumor line FCB.

Summary Bladders were removed from IF × C57BL F1 hybrid mice that had been treated for 36 weeks with dibutylnitrosamine and implanted s.c. into similar hybrid mice to await the appearance of tumors. One of the tumors induced by this method has been serially transplanted for 42 generations. This has been designated FCB and is a rapidly growing transitional cell carcinoma with a stable morphology, as shown by light and electron microscopy. The tumor grows in a variety of sites and can be transplanted to either C57BL or IF mice. It will grow rapidly in vitro as a monolayer and re-forms solid tumor tissue upon reimplantation. The growth characteristics and morphology of the FCB tumor are described and discussed.
Role of HrpA in Biofilm Formation of Neisseria meningitidis and Regulation of the hrpBAS Transcripts

ABSTRACT Two-partner secretion systems of gram-negative organisms are utilized in adherence, invasion, and biofilm formation. The HrpAB proteins of Neisseria meningitidis are members of a two-partner secretion system, and HrpA is established as being important to adherence and intracellular escape. This study set out to determine the expression pattern of members of the hrpBAS putative operon and to find a functional role for the HrpA protein. The upregulation of these genes was found in situations of anaerobiosis and cell contact. These observations prompted the study of the function of HrpA in biofilms on human bronchial epithelial cells. HrpA mutants in encapsulated and unencapsulated NMB strains demonstrated biofilm growth equivalent to that of the wild-type strain at 6 h but a decreased ability to form biofilms at 48 h. Biofilms formed by hrpA mutants for 48 h on collagen-coated coverslips demonstrated significant reductions compared to those of wild-type strains. Taken together, these observations imply a role for HrpA in the biofilm structure. Further analysis demonstrated the presence of HrpA on the surface of the bacterium.
Using Systems Biology Approaches to Predict New Players in the Innate Immune System

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are critical players in the innate immune response to pathogens. However, transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in the TLR activation pathways are still relatively poorly characterized. To address this question, the author of this chapter applied a systematic approach to predict transcription factors that temporally regulate differentially expressed genes under diverse TLR stimuli. Time-course microarray data were selected from mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages stimulated by six TLR agonists. Differentially regulated genes were clustered on the basis of their dynamic behavior. The author then developed a computational method to identify positional overlapping transcription factor (TF) binding sites in each cluster, so as to predict possible TFs that may regulate these genes. A second microarray dataset, on wild-type, Myd88-/and Trif-/macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), was used to provide supporting evidence on this combined approach. Overall, the author was able to identify known TLR TFs, as well as to predict new TFs that may be involved in TLR signaling. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-3604-0.ch037
Performance of a compact, hybrid optical evanescent-wave sensor for chemical and biological applications.

We describe a hybrid evanescent-wave sensor component that we fabricated by using an integrated optical interferometer with a specially adapted photodetector array. The design of the interferometer is based on the use of tapered waveguides to obtain two intersecting collimated beams. Phase shifts can be measured with an angular precision of better than 10(-3) rad, which corresponds to a superstrate index change inferior of 10(-6) with our structure. The interest in the device as a chemical sensor is experimentally demonstrated. The same optical component could be used in a variety of other sensor applications, e.g., biological and immunological sensors.
A dependency model-based approach for identifying and evaluating power quality problems

The purpose of this paper is to present a diagnostic system that will not only monitor sensor data streams, but also classify power conditions, and diagnose power quality problems both in real-time and off-line. Signal processing techniques are applied to extract features from monitored data for event detection and classification. A cause-effect relationship model is used to trace the power quality related events to particular equipment of a system under consideration. The methodology has been implemented in a software tool. Results obtained from the application of this tool on monitored data collected from a facility validate the utility of this approach.
The arginine‐rich N‐terminal domain of ROP18 is necessary for vacuole targeting and virulence of Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii uses specialized secretory organelles called rhoptries to deliver virulence determinants into the host cell during parasite invasion. One such determinant called rhoptry protein 18 (ROP18) is a polymorphic serine/threonine kinase that phosphorylates host targets to modulate acute virulence. Following secretion into the host cell, ROP18 traffics to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) where it is tethered to the cytosolic face of this host–pathogen interface. However, the functional consequences of PVM association are not known. In this report, we show that ROP18 mutants altered in an arginine‐rich domain upstream of the kinase domain fail to associate to the PVM following secretion from rhoptries. During infection, host cells upregulate immunity‐related GTPases that localize to and destroy the PVM surrounding the parasites. ROP18 disarms this host innate immune pathway by phosphorylating IRGs in a critical GTPase domain and preventing loading on the PVM. Vacuole‐targeting mutants of ROP18 failed to phosphorylate Irga6 and were unable to divert IRGs from the PVM, despite retaining intrinsic kinase activity. As a consequence, these mutants were avirulent in a mouse model of acute toxoplasmosis. Thus, the association of ROP18 with the PVM, mediated by its N‐terminal arginine‐rich domain, is critical to its function as a virulence determinant.
Purification, Characterization, and Overexpression of Psychrophilic and Thermolabile Malate Dehydrogenase of a Novel Antarctic Psychrotolerant, Flavobacterium frigidimaris KUC-1

We purified the psychrophilic and thermolabile malate dehydrogenase to homogeneity from a novel psychrotolerant, Flavobacterium frigidimaris KUC-1, isolated from Antarctic seawater. The enzyme was a homotetramer with a molecular weight of about 123 k and that of the subunit was about 32 k. The enzyme required NAD(P)+ as a coenzyme and catalyzed the oxidation of L-malate and the reduction of oxalacetate specifically. The reaction proceeded through an ordered bi–bi mechanism. The enzyme was highly susceptible to heat treatment, and the half-life time at 40 °C was estimated to be 3.0 min. The kcat/Km (μM−1·s−1) values for L-malate and NAD+ at 30 °C were 289 and 2,790, respectively. The enzyme showed pro-R stereospecificity for hydrogen transfer at the C4 position of the nicotinamide moiety of the coenzyme. The enzyme contained 311 amino acid residues and much lower numbers of proline and arginine residues than other malate dehydrogenases.
Explorations of ABO‐Rh antigen expressions on erythrocyte dielectrophoresis: Changes in cross‐over frequency

A quadrupole dielectrophoretic microdevice was utilized to examine the ABO‐Rh dependencies on erythrocyte polarizations. This important step toward medical microdevice technology would transform key clinical blood tests from the laboratory into the field. Previous work in dielectrophoretic microdevices demonstrated that the large number of ABO antigens on erythrocyte membranes impacts their dielectrophoretic signature at 1 MHz. This work explores the dielectrophoretic behavior of native human erythrocytes categorized by their ABO‐Rh blood types and directly compares these responses to the same erythrocyte sample modified to remove the A and B antigens. A β(1–3)‐galactosidase enzyme was utilized to cleave the ABO polysaccharide backbone at the galactosidase bonds. The enzymatic reaction was optimized by comparing agglutination of the native and modified blood cells in addition to UV–Vis and HPLC analysis of the reaction effluent for saccharide residues. Next, the dielectrophoretic behaviors of the native and modified erythrocytes were visually verified in a quadrupole electrode microdevice over a frequency range from 100 kHz to 80 MHz. The lower cross‐over frequency (COF), which transitions from negative to positive dielectrophoresis, for ABO blood types tested (A+, A−, B+, B−, AB+, O+ and O−) differed over the range from 17 to 47 MHz. The COFs of the corresponding enzyme‐modified erythrocytes were also determined and the range narrowed to 29–41 MHz. A second COF in the 70–80 MHz range was observed and was reduced in the presence of the transmembrane Rhesus factor. These results suggest that antigen expression on erythrocyte membrane surfaces influence cell polarizations in nonuniform AC fields.
Techniques and probes for the study of Xenopus tropicalis development

The frog Xenopus laevis has provided significant insights into developmental and cellular processes. However, X. laevis has an allotetraploid genome precluding its use in forward genetic analysis. Genetic analysis may be applicable to Xenopus (Silurana) tropicalis, which has a diploid genome and a shorter generation time. Here, we show that many tools for the study of X. laevis development can be applied to X. tropicalis. By using the developmental staging system of Nieuwkoop and Faber, we find that X. tropicalis embryos develop at similar rates to X. laevis, although they tolerate a narrower range of temperatures. We also show that many of the analytical reagents available for X. laevis can be effectively transferred to X. tropicalis. The X. laevis protocol for whole‐mount in situ hybridization to mRNA transcripts can be successfully applied to X. tropicalis without alteration. Additionally, X. laevis probes often work in X. tropicalis—alleviating the immediate need to clone the X. tropicalis orthologs before initiating developmental studies. Antibodies that react against X. laevis proteins can effectively detect the X. tropicalis protein by using established immunohistochemistry procedures. Antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (MOs) offer a new alternative to study loss of gene activity during development. We show that MOs function in X. tropicalis. Finally, X. tropicalis offers the possibility for forward genetics and genomic analysis. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Characterization of ambient and extracted PM2.5 collected on filters for toxicology applications

Abstract Research on the health effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) frequently disregards the differences in particle composition between that measured on an ambient filter versus that measured in the corresponding extraction solution used for toxicological testing. This study presents a novel method for characterizing the differences, in metallic and organic species, between the ambient samples and the corresponding extracted solutions through characterization of extracted PM2.5 suspended on filters. Removal efficiency was found to be 98.0 ± 1.4% when measured using pre- and post-removal filter weights, however, this efficiency was significantly reduced to 80.2 ± 0.8% when measured based on particle mass in the extraction solution. Furthermore, only 47.2 ± 22.3% of metals and 24.8 ± 14.5% of organics measured on the ambient filter were found in the extraction solution. Individual metallic and organic components were extracted with varying efficiency, with many organics being lost entirely during extraction. Finally, extraction efficiencies of specific PM2.5 components were inversely correlated with total mass. This study details a method to assess compositional alterations resulting from extraction of PM2.5 from filters, emphasizing the need for standardized procedures that maintain compositional integrity of ambient samples for use in toxicology studies of PM2.5.
The Second Nationwide Study of Atherosclerosis in Infants, Children, and Young Adults in Japan: Comparison with the First Study Carried Out 13 Years Ago a

MASAMI IMAKITA,b CHIKAO YUTANI,b,c ISAMU SAKURAI,d AKINOBU SUMIYOSHI,e TERUO WATANABE,f MASAKO MITSUMATA,g YOSHIAKI KUSUMI,d SHOICHI KATAYAMA,h MASAYUKI MANO,i SHUNROKU BABA,j TOSHIFUMI MANNAMI,j KATSUO SUEISHI,k AND KENZO TANAKAl bDepartment of Pathology, National Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan dDepartment of Pathology, Nihon University, School of Medicine eDepartment of Pathology, Miyazaki Medical College fDepartment of Pathology, University of Tsukuba, School of Medicine gDepartment of Pathology, Yamanashi Medical University hDepartment of Pathology, Kure National Hospital iDepartment of Pathology, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease, Osaka, Japan jDepartment of Epidemiology, National Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan kDepartment of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University lFukuoka Dental College
Magnetic Resonance Angiography in Diagnosis of Intracranial Aneurysms

Magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance angiography is a non-invasive diagnostic method that is a feasible and reduces the possibility of risk catheterization angiography (IADSA). The patient is not exposed to radiation and iodine intravenous contrast media, which is especially dangerous in patients with renal failure and allergies to iodine. In the period since 1998 until 2006 there were 102 patients with cerebral aneurysms were diagnosed, 60 (58.8%) female and 42 (41.2%) males, age from 12 to 76 years, average age was 49.41 years The largest number of patients, 83 patients (81.4%) with the diagnosis of aneurysms, had non traumatic intracranial bleeding either subarchnoidal bleeding or intracerebral hematoma. Sixteen patients (15.6%) had occasional headaches, 2 patients had brain tumors, and their aneurysms were diagnosed accidentally. All patients were reviewed at the CT scan, and then they made magnetic resonance with magnetic angiography. There were no aneurysms smaller than 3 mm. the size of 14 aneurysms was 3-5mm, 12 is a differentiated using MIP reconstruction and only 6 using 3D TOF tomograms, while the common processing of MIP and 3D TOF we differentiated 13 aneurysms, and one aneurysm of MCA that is 3mm of size. For evaluation of the presence of aneurysms and its localizations is of great importance evaluation of 3D TOF tomograms that together with MIP reconstruction gives a sensitivity of 99%. MR angiography demonstrated as inadequate for characterization of aneurysms’ morphology in comparison to DSA, and according to an MR angiography cannot be used in planning of the aneurysms embolisation treatment. In monitoring of patients after the endovascular treatment of aneurysms MRI with MR angiography is shown to be a method of choice.