Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nepro is localized in the nucleolus and essential for preimplantation development in mice

We generated knockout (KO) mice of Nepro, which has been shown to be necessary to maintain neural progenitor cells downstream of Notch in the mouse developing neocortex by using knockdown experiments, to explore its function in embryogenesis. Nepro KO embryos were morphologically indistinguishable from wild type (WT) embryos until the morula stage but failed in blastocyst formation, and many cells of the KO embryos resulted in apoptosis. We found that Nepro was localized in the nucleolus at the blastocyst stage. The number of nucleolus precursor bodies (NPBs) and nucleoli per nucleus was significantly higher in Nepro KO embryos compared with WT embryos later than the 2‐cell stage. Furthermore, at the morula stage, whereas 18S rRNA and ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6), which are components of the ribosome, were distributed to the cytoplasm in WT embryos, they were mainly localized in the nucleoli in Nepro KO embryos. In addition, in Nepro KO embryos, the amount of the mitochondria‐associated p53 protein increased, and Cytochrome c was distributed in the cytoplasm. These findings indicate that Nepro is a nucleolus‐associated protein, and its loss leads to the apoptosis before blastocyst formation in mice.
Radiation Biology and Inherited Sterility of Light Brown Apple Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae): Developing a Sterile Insect Release Program

ABSTRACT The radiation biology of two geographically isolated populations of the light brown apple moth [Epiphyas postvittana (Walker)] was studied in Australia and New Zealand as an initiation of a SIT/F1 sterility program. Pharate and ≤2 d pre-emergence pupae were exposed to increasing radiation doses up to a maximum dose of 300 Gy. Fertility and other life history parameters were measured in emerging adults (parental) and their progeny (F1–F3 adults). Parental fecundity was significantly affected by increasing irradiation dose in pharate pupae only. For both populations, parental egg fertility declined with increasing radiation. This was most pronounced for the irradiated parental females whose fertility declined at a higher rate than of irradiated males. At 250 Gy, females ≤2 d preemergence pupae produced few larvae and no adults at F1. No larvae hatched from 250 Gy-irradiated female pharate pupae. At 300 Gy, males still had residual fertility of 2–5.5%, with pharate pupae being the more radio-sensitive. Radiation-induced deleterious inherited effects in offspring from irradiated males were expressed as increased developmental time in F1 larvae, a reduction in percent F1 female survival, decreased adult emergence and increased cumulative mortality over subsequent generations. Males irradiated at ≥150 Gy produced few but highly sterile offspring at F1 and mortality was >99% by F2 egg.
Nonlinear Dynamics of a Micromechanical Torsional Resonator: Analytical Model and Experiments

Mechanical microoscillators have been valuable tools for magnetic measurements of microscopic samples. This paper presents an analytical model for the dynamics of an electrostatically actuated torsional oscillator and validates it experimentally. While, at low excitations, the system is well described by a damped linear oscillator, at higher oscillation amplitudes, a nonlinear regime is observed. Nonlinearity is originated exclusively by the electrostatic driving and detection and can be tuned by modifying the excitation or detection bias voltages. The parameters of the analytical model are obtained from the device dimensions and material properties. No empirical or fitting parameters are needed except for the quality factor, which is extracted from the linear resonance curve. The proposed model can be a valuable and straightforward tool for the design and analysis of many other similar devices based on electrostatically actuated mechanical resonators.
Enumeration of Anaerobic Chytridiomycetes as Thallus-Forming Units: Novel Method for Quantification of Fibrolytic Fungal Populations from the Digestive Tract Ecosystem

An endpoint dilution procedure, based on the technique of most probable numbers, was developed to enumerate anaerobic chytridiomycetes as thallus-forming units. The method does not distinguish between zoospores and thalli, but does permit enumeration of fungal populations with respect to their ability to digest plant cell walls. Fibrolytic populations in batch culture, ruminal contents, and feces were compared by relating viable counts to the dry matter content of enumerated samples (i.e., thallus-forming units per gram of dry matter). Batch cultures of Neocallimastix sp. strain R1 grown on wheat straw were used to assess the enumeration procedure and to demonstrate the potential of the technique for quantification of anaerobic fungi in vivo. Determination of total ruminal contents from steers enabled the quantification of the entire population of fiber-degrading anaerobic fungi in the reticulorumen. The enumeration procedure revealed substantial populations of fibrolytic anaerobic fungi in fresh and air-dried feces. Populations in fresh feces were equivalent to those in ruminal contents, but declined exponentially with time in dry feces. Minimum values were obtained from dry feces 90 days after drying, and anaerobic fungi were detectable for up to 210 days thereafter.
A Comparative Analysis of Social Play in Birds

Summary Although social play is broadly distributed among mammals, it is infrequently encountered in other vertebrate taxa. It is, however, displayed in a fully realized and complex form in several groups of birds. Unambiguous accounts of social play have been recorded from thirteen species of parrots, seven species of corvids, and several hornbills and Eurasian babblers. We conducted an analysis of the avian play literature, testing for differences between avian taxa, as well as for correlations between play complexity, brain size, and age of first reproduction. Corvids were far more likely to show social object play than parrots. Corvids, parrots, and hornbills had larger relative brain sizes than would be predicted from a class-level allometric regression, but brain size was not associated with the complexity of social play among genera within taxa. Play complexity within parrots and corvids was, however, significantly associated with the age of first re production. The likelihood of complex social play appears to increase when delayed reproduction is accompanied by persisting relationships between adults and post-fledging juveniles. The adaptive significance of social play in birds thus offers intriguing parallels to similar analyses in mammals.
Regulation of nitrogen monoxide production in human malaria

Abstract The production of nitrogen monoxide (NO•) contributes to defence mechanisms of the immune system to fight infectious agents like bacteria and protozoa. The respective gene producing the NO• has to be carefully regulated so that an overwhelming response kills the pathogen but does not harm the host. A strong increase in the NO• production for efficient anti-microbial activity is achieved by the transcriptional up-regulation of the nitric oxide synthase 2 gene (NOS2 or inducible nitric oxide synthase, iNOS), which is regulated by a number of transcription factors that are vital in the regulation of many genes involved in the immune response. Binding sites for members of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and activator protein 1 (AP1) families have been detected and seem to fulfil their function in vitro. Genetic variants of the iNOS genes have been identified that are linked to NO• production and to the outcome of malaria in humans.
Anti‐Aspergillus immunoglobulin‐G testing in serum of hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients

Pulmonary invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a major clinical problem in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT). Acquisition of IA during allo‐HSCT by inhalation of spores is the rationale for the widespread use of air filtration systems. Recent data suggest that activation of fungal growth in already colonized patients is a relevant factor, and a recent study found a positive correlation of serum immunoglobulin responses against purified recombinant Aspergillus fumigatus proteins before allo‐HSCT with the incidence of IA after allo‐HSCT.
Ethnicity‐related skeletal muscle differences across the lifespan

Despite research and clinical significance, limited information is available on the relations between skeletal muscle (SM) and age in adults, specifically among Hispanics, African Americans (AA), and Asians. The aim was to investigate possible sex and ethnic SM differences in adults over an age range of 60 years. Subjects were 468 male and 1280 female adults (≥18 years). SM was estimated based on DXA‐measured appendicular lean‐soft tissue using a previously reported prediction equation. Locally weighted regression smoothing lines were fit to examine SM trends and to localize age cutoffs; piecewise multiple linear regression models were then applied, controlling for weight and height, to identify age cutoffs for sex‐specific changes in SM among the ethnic groups. The age of 27 years was identified for women and men as the cut‐off after which SM starts to show a negative association with age. Both sexes had a similar ethnic pattern for expected mean SM at the age cutoff, with AA presenting the highest SM values, followed by Whites, Hispanics, and Asians. After the age cutoffs, the lowering of SM differed by ethnicity and sex: AA women showed the greatest SM lowering whereas Hispanic women had the least. Hispanic men tended to show a higher negative association of SM with age followed by AA and Whites. To conclude, significant sex and ethnic differences exist in the magnitude of negative associations of SM with age >27 years. Further studies using a longitudinal design are needed to explore the associations of ethnicity‐related decline of SM with health risks. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Moderate genetic influences on plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and evidence of genetic and environmental influences shared by plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, triglycerides, and body mass index.

Both genes and environmental factors have been reported to influence plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). However, the relative importance of genetic influences (i.e., heritability) on plasma PAI-1 levels has not yet been investigated. Furthermore, PAI-1 levels are correlated with body mass index (BMI) and triglycerides. These correlations could reflect genetic and/or environmental factors in common to PAI-1, triglycerides, and BMI. We applied multivariate genetic analysis methods to assess the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences on plasma PAI-1 levels and to test the significance of genetic and/or environmental influences shared by PAI-1, triglycerides, and BMI in 217 pairs of middle-aged and elderly twins, of whom 113 pairs were reared apart and 121 pairs were women. The heritability estimate for PAI-1 levels was 42%. Individual-specific environmental factors explained 36% of the variance for PAI-1 levels. The remaining variance of PAI-1 was explained by rearing and residual-familial environmental factors. Furthermore, a genetic correlation of 1.00 between PAI-1 and triglycerides, a rearing environmental correlation of 1.00 between PAI-1 and BMI, a residual-familial environmental correlation of 1.00 between PAI-1 and triglycerides, and a genetic correlation of 0.63 between PAI-1 and BMI, were found. In conclusion, the present results suggest that genetic influences on plasma PAI-1 are moderate. Genetic and shared rearing or residual-familial environmental factors shared by PAI-1, BMI, and triglycerides explain the phenotypic association between these measures. It appears that all the genetic influences for PAI-1 are more or less shared with those for triglycerides and BMI.
Synaptic connections of PDF‐immunoreactive lateral neurons projecting to the dorsal protocerebrum of Drosophila melanogaster

Recent studies in Drosophila melanogaster indicate that the neuropeptide pigment‐dispersing factor (PDF) is an important output signal from a set of major clock neurons, s‐LNvs (small ventral lateral neurons), which transmit the circadian phase to subsets of other clock neurons, DNs (dorsal neurons). Both s‐LNvs and DNs have fiber projections to the dorsal protocerebrum of the brain, so that this area is a conspicuous locus for coupling between different subsets of clock neurons. To unravel the neural circuits underlying the fly's circadian rhythms, we examined the detailed subcellular morphology of the PDF‐positive fibers of the s‐LNvs in the dorsal protocerebrum, focusing on their synaptic connections, using preembedding immunoelectron microscopy. To examine the distribution of synapses, we also reconstructed the three‐dimensional morphology of PDF‐positive varicosities from fiber profiles in the dorsal protocerebrum. The varicosities contained large dense‐core vesicles (DCVs), and also numerous small clear vesicles, forming divergent output synapses onto unlabeled neurites. The DCVs apparently dock at nonsynaptic sites, suggesting their nonsynaptic release. In addition, a 3D reconstruction revealed the presence of input synapses onto the PDF‐positive fibers. These were detected less frequently than output sites. These observations suggest that the PDF‐positive clock neurons receive neural inputs directly through synaptic connections in the dorsal protocerebrum, in addition to supplying dual outputs, either synaptic or via paracrine release of the DCV contents, to unidentified target neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:292–304, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Antioxidant Properties of High-Lutein Grain-Based Functional Foods in comparison with Ferulic Acid and Lutein

Dietary antioxidants could alleviate oxidative damage to cellular components via their ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species and other free radicals. In this regard wholegrain foods are recognized sources of dietary antioxidants and thus they are linked with health promotion and reduced risk of chronic diseases. In the current study high-lutein wholegrain bread, cookie and muffin products were assessed in terms of antioxidant properties based on their ability to scavenge peroxyl, ABTS and DPPH radicals and compared with ferulic acid and lutein, the primary antioxidants in the products. Aqueous methanol extract and bound diethyl ether/ethyl acetate extract followed alkaline hydrolysis were employed in the antioxidant measurement. Antioxidant capacity of the products was influenced by food product, type of extract (e.g. unbound versus bound) and antioxidant assay. In the ORAC test similar antioxidant capacities were obtained for unbound phenol extracts either from fortified or unfortified products, while significant differences were observed in bound phenol extracts. Significant differences were also found between unbound and bound phenol extracts in their ability to scavenge ABTS radical cation. In the DPPH assay lutein-fortified products had scavenging capacities significantly higher than that of the unfortified ones. In general, the bound phenolic extracts contribute significantly higher to the antioxidant capacity than the unbound phenol extracts. Only the DPPH test showed the contribution of lutein to the antioxidant capacity. At a lutein level of about 1.1-1.2 mg per serving (e.g. 30g) the products would boost the daily intake of lutein and antioxidants, as well as consumption of wholegrain foods.
Analysis of pathogens of pneumonia in children based on aprior algorithm

Objective To explore the relationship between the pneumonia clinical features and the pathogens of pneumonia in children. Methods Based on the clinical data of 6290 cases of pneumonia in children, to study the relationship between the pneumonia clinical features and the pathogens of pneumonia in children by making use of association rules. Results Through software analysis, the different association relationship can be got between the different clinical features of pneumonia in children such as gender, age and region, etc., and the pathogens of pneumonia. For example, between the same pathogen and different sex show the different association relationship. Due to the different association relationships between the pneumonia clinical features and the pathogens of pneumonia in children, so the differences methods in prevention and treatment of Guangzhou area child pneumonia should be adopted according to actual condition, for different clinical features of children take different means, in order to achieve the best effect. Conclusion The association rule can be adopted to analyze the relationship between the pneumonia clinical features and the pathogens of pneumonia in children, and to explore the multi-association relationship between the pneumonia clinical features and the pathogens of pneumonia in children.
Endings and Visions of New Beginnings: The Effects of Source of Unemployment and Duration of Unemployment on Entrepreneurial Intent

Abstract This study adopts the push-entrepreneurship perspective and develops a conceptual framework grounded in prospect theory, in order to investigate whether source of sunemployment, layoff in particular, and duration of unemployment stimulate entrepreneurial intent. We also propose that fear of failure and risk propensity moderate the source/duration–entrepreneurial intent relationships. We test our hypotheses using survey data from a sample of unemployed individuals. Results show that both layoff and duration of unemployment are stimuli for higher entrepreneurial intent, and the source of unemployment-intent relationship is moderated by fear of failure and risk propensity. We discuss the implications of these results.
Towards Cooperative Patient Management Through Organizational and Medical Ontologies

Abstract Within knowledge and data engineering a new research paradigm is emerging based on the Multi-Agent System (MAS) architectural framework, allowing human and software agents to interoperate and thus cooperate within common application areas. In such a framework, knowledgeable agents of heterogeneous nature, that possess diverse but at least partially compatible or inter-translatable conceptual views, or ontologies, modeling both their own expertise and the external environment, make somehow available their information resources or problem-solving abilities for cooperative processes addressing the construction of a new agent or the achievement of some common goal through a correlated execution of tasks. In this paper, we restrict our analysis to the case of an organization of cognitive agents, illustrated with examples from a prototypical healthcare MAS, that is, a so-called Distributed Healthcare Information System (D-HIS). The prototype makes use of an ontological library written in the standard language Ontolingua. An ongoing application of the methodology to the main problem of Clinical Practice Guidelines (GLs) computer-based dissemination and enforcement is described.
Dynamic output feedback consensus of continuous-time networked multiagent systems

This article addresses the dynamic output feedback consensus problem of continuous-time networked multiagent systems. Both a fixed topology and Markovian switching topologies are considered. The consensus algorithms are on the base of the output information of each agent's itself and its neighbors. Some sufficient conditions for consensus of multiagent systems are obtained in forms of bilinear matrix inequalities. The algorithm based on the homotopy continuation method is given to compute the feasible controller gains. Numerical simulations are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed results. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 20: 35-42, 2015
Is the Potential for International Diversification Disappearing?

Quantifying the evolution of security co-movements is critical for asset pricing and portfolio allocation, and so we investigate patterns and trends in correlations and tail dependence over time using weekly returns for developed markets (DMs) and emerging markets (EMs) during the period 1973-2009. We use the DECO, DCC, and BEKK correlation models, and develop a novel dynamic t-copula to allow for dynamic tail dependence. We show that it is possible to characterize co-movements for many countries simultaneously. Correlations have significantly trended upward for both DMs and EMs, but correlations between EMs are lower than between DMs. Further, our evidence clearly contradicts the decoupling hypothesis. The tail dependence has also increased for both EMs and DMs, but its level is still very low for EMs as compared to DMs. Thus, while our correlation analysis suggests that the diversification potential of EMs has reduced over time, the tail dependence analysis suggests that EMs offer diversification benefits during large market moves.
Effector Proteins of the Bacterial Pathogen Pseudomonas syringae Alter the Extracellular Proteome of the Host Plant, Arabidopsis thaliana*S

In plants, potential pathogenic bacteria do not enter the host cell. Therefore, a large portion of the molecular interaction between microbial pathogen and host occurs in the extracellular space. To investigate potential mechanisms of disease resistance and susceptibility, we analyzed changes in the extracellular proteome, or secretome, using the Arabidopsis-Pseudomonas syringae pathosystem. This system provides the possibility to directly compare interactions resulting in basal resistance, susceptibility, and gene-specific resistance by using different genotypes of Pseudomonas on the same host. After infecting suspension-cultured cells of Arabidopsis with the Pseudomonas strain of interest, we isolated protein from the cell culture medium representing the secretome. After one-dimensional gel separation and in-gel digestion of proteins, we used iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) labeling in conjunction with LC-MS/MS to perform relative quantitative comparisons of the secretomes from each of these interactions. We obtained quantitative information from 45 Arabidopsis proteins that were present in all three biological experiments. We observed complex patterns of accumulation, ranging from proteins that decreased in abundance in the presence of all three bacterial strains to proteins that specifically increased or decreased during only one of the interactions. A particularly intriguing result was that the virulent bacteria (e.g. a susceptible interaction) caused the extracellular accumulation of a specific subset of host proteins lacking traditional signal peptides. These results indicate that the pathogen may manipulate host secretion to promote the successful invasion of plants.