Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain and behavioral lateralization in invertebrates

Traditionally, only humans were thought to exhibit brain and behavioral asymmetries, but several studies have revealed that most vertebrates are also lateralized. Recently, evidence of left–right asymmetries in invertebrates has begun to emerge, suggesting that lateralization of the nervous system may be a feature of simpler brains as well as more complex ones. Here I present some examples in invertebrates of sensory and motor asymmetries, as well as asymmetries in the nervous system. I illustrate two cases where an asymmetric brain is crucial for the development of some cognitive abilities. The first case is the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which has asymmetric odor sensory neurons and taste perception neurons. In this worm left/right asymmetries are responsible for the sensing of a substantial number of salt ions, and lateralized responses to salt allow the worm to discriminate between distinct salt ions. The second case is the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, where the presence of asymmetry in a particular structure of the brain is important in the formation or retrieval of long-term memory. Moreover, I distinguish two distinct patterns of lateralization that occur in both vertebrates and invertebrates: individual-level and population-level lateralization. Theoretical models on the evolution of lateralization suggest that the alignment of lateralization at the population level may have evolved as an evolutionary stable strategy in which individually asymmetrical organisms must coordinate their behavior with that of other asymmetrical organisms. This implies that lateralization at the population-level is more likely to have evolved in social rather than in solitary species. I evaluate this new hypothesis with a specific focus on insects showing different level of sociality. In particular, I present a series of studies on antennal asymmetries in honeybees and other related species of bees, showing how insects may be extremely useful to test the evolutionary hypothesis.
A REANALYSIS OF DIPLOID MALE FREQUENCIES IN EUGLOSSINE BEES (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE)

NAMI CRISTINA TAKAHASHI,1 RUI CARLOS PERUQUETTI,1 MARCO ANTONIO DEL LAMA,1,2 AND LÚCIO ANTONIO DE OLIVEIRA CAMPOS3 1Laboratório de Genética Bioquı́mica, Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, C.P. 676, CEP 13565-905, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil 2E-mail: dmdl@power.ufscar. br 3Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, CEP 36571-000, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil E-mail: lcampos@mail.ufv. br
Clinical and linkage study on a consanguineous Chinese family with autosomal recessive high myopia

Purpose A linkage study on autosomal recessive high myopia (arHM) has not been reported, although several loci for autosomal dominant high myopia (adHM) have been mapped. Data from a consanguineous Chinese family with arHM were collected to map the genetic locus associated with this condition. Methods Phenotypic information and DNA samples were collected from family members. A genome-wide linkage scan combined with homozygosity mapping was performed by using 382 microsatellite DNA markers from the entire genome spaced at intervals of about 10 cM. Results The pedigree and clinical data of the family indicate that the high myopia is autosomal recessive. A genome-wide scan of chromosomes 1–22 gave a LOD score greater than 1.0 for 22 markers. Linkage to most of these markers was not supported by closely flanking markers except for three possible loci on chromosomes 11, 14, and 17. Fine mapping and haplotype analysis provide evidence for a locus at 14q22.1-q24.2 in a 25.23 Mb region between markers D14S984 and D14S999 with a maximum LOD score of 2.19. All 11 microsatellite markers inside the linkage interval as well as haplotype construction point to a gene at this locus. Linkage elsewhere on chromosome 11 and chromosome 17 could not be excluded due to the small size of the family. Conclusions Pedigree and clinical data suggest that an autosomal recessive gene is responsible for high myopia in a consanguineous Chinese family. Genome-wide linkage analysis was used to map the gene for high myopia to a few limited loci. The resultant information should help future studies identify the gene for arHM. To our knowledge, this report is the first clinical and linkage study on a consanguineous family with arHM.
Ectopic Fat and Insulin Resistance: Pathophysiology and Effect of Diet and Lifestyle Interventions

The storage of triglyceride (TG) droplets in nonadipose tissues is called ectopic fat storage. Ectopic fat is associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Not the triglycerides per se but the accumulation of intermediates of lipid metabolism in organs, such as the liver, skeletal muscle, and heart seem to disrupt metabolic processes and impair organ function. We describe the mechanisms of ectopic fat depositions in the liver, skeletal muscle, and in and around the heart and the consequences for each organs function. In addition, we systematically reviewed the literature for the effects of diet-induced weight loss and exercise on ectopic fat depositions.
A Laser Line Auto-Scanning System for Underwater 3D Reconstruction

In this study, a laser line auto-scanning system was designed to perform underwater close-range 3D reconstructions with high accuracy and resolution. The system changes the laser plane direction with a galvanometer to perform automatic scanning and obtain continuous laser strips for underwater 3D reconstruction. The system parameters were calibrated with the homography constraints between the target plane and image plane. A cost function was defined to optimize the galvanometer’s rotating axis equation. Compensation was carried out for the refraction of the incident and emitted light at the interface. The accuracy and the spatial measurement capability of the system were tested and analyzed with standard balls under laboratory underwater conditions, and the 3D surface reconstruction for a sealing cover of an underwater instrument was proved to be satisfactory.
Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome is a condition that affects many parts of the body. It is classified as an overgrowth syndrome, which means that affected infants are considerably larger than normal (macrosomia) and tend to be taller than their peers during childhood. Growth begins to slow by about age 8, and adults with this condition are not unusually tall. In some children with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, specific parts of the body on one side or the other may grow abnormally large, leading to an asymmetric or uneven appearance. This unusual growth pattern, which is known as hemihyperplasia, usually becomes less apparent over time.
Topical treatment of experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis in golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) with formulations containing pentamidine

O tratamento atual para Leishmaniose Tegumentar Americana e realizado com antimoniais pentavalentes como tratamento padrao, e as drogas de segunda escolha incluem pentamidina e anfotericina B, mas essas terapias apresentam efeitos colaterais e requerem administracao parenteral. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar formulacoes topicas contendo isetionato de pentamidina comercial (IP) no tratamento da leishmaniose cutânea experimental (LC). Hamsters dourados foram infectados no focinho com Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. Grupos de seis animais receberam tratamento topico com cremes anidro ou emulsoes hidratantes, num maximo de 10 dias, com aplicacao de 50 mg dia-1. Amostras de tecido de lesoes tratadas foram avaliadas por histologia, microscopia eletronica de transmissao (MET) e cultivo de biopsia. Comparado ao grupo sem tratamento, o tratamento topico com emulsao hidratante com 10% de IP e acido usnico (ACE5AU) mostrou diminuicao significativa (P=0,028) nas medidas de lesoes, 20 dias apos o final do tratamento e 27,37% de reducao. O tratamento topico com emulsao anidra com 10% de IP e acido usnico (ACPU) mostrou reducao da carga parasitaria em Golden hamsters. Este estudo demonstrou a possibilidade de utilizar o tratamento topico para reduzir o numero de parasitas e que este poderia ser associado a outras drogas para tratamento mais rapido e eficaz da leishmaniose cutânea.
Topic Models with Logical Constraints on Words

This paper describes a simple method to achieve logical constraints on words for topic models based on a recently developed topic modeling framework with Dirichlet forest priors (LDA-DF). Logical constraints mean logical expressions of pairwise constraints, Must-links and Cannot-Links, used in the literature of constrained clustering. Our method can not only cover the original constraints of the existing work, but also allow us easily to add new customized constraints. We discuss the validity of our method by defining its asymptotic behaviors. We verify the effectiveness of our method with comparative studies on a synthetic corpus and interactive topic analysis on a real corpus.
Blood Coagulation after Long Distance Running: Antithrombin III Prevents Fibrin Formation

Summary Physical exercise causes shortening of activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and euglobulin clot lysis time. To investigate whether this activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis leads to in vivo thrombin or plasmin action after long distance running, 19 well trained male runners (36-65 years) were examined 5 to 53 min after termination of a 100 km race and 5 days later after at least 1 day without physical exercise. Compared to the control examination aPTT was decreased (30.2 ± 2.8 vs 35.3 ± 3.0 sec) and the following parameters were increased after the race: betathromboglobulin (40 ± 16 vs 23 ± 7 ng/ml), thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) complexes (5.5 ± 3.4 vs 2.3 ± 0.7 pg/1), the fibrin(ogen) degradation products fragment E (57 ± 15 vs 35 ± 7 ng/ml) and B(3 15-42 (8.5 ± 2.5 vs 6.5 ± 2.5 ng/ml) (all p values <0.001). Platelet count, platelet factor 4, fibrinoepetide A (FPA) and haematocrit did not change significantly. Increased TAT complexes and unchanged FPA suggest that the generated thrombin was fully inactivated by antithrombin III (AT III) and did therefore not give rise to fibrin formation. The small increase of fibrin(ogen) degradation products indicates a minor in vivo activity of the fibrinolytic system. This investigation demonstrates the importance of AT III in the regulation of haemostasis in activated blood coagulation.
SIRT1 Regulates Dendritic Development in Hippocampal Neurons

Dendritic arborization is required for proper neuronal connectivity. SIRT1, a NAD+ dependent histone deacetylase, has been associated to ageing and longevity, which in neurons is linked to neuronal differentiation and neuroprotection. In the present study, the role of SIRT1 in dendritic development was evaluated in cultured hippocampal neurons which were transfected at 3 days in vitro with a construct coding for SIRT1 or for the dominant negative SIRT1H363Y, which lacks the catalytic activity. Neurons overexpressing SIRT1 showed an increased dendritic arborization, while neurons overexpressing SIRT1H363Y showed a reduction in dendritic arbor complexity. The effect of SIRT1 was mimicked by treatment with resveratrol, a well known activator of SIRT1, which has no effect in neurons overexpressing SIRT1H363Y indicating that the effect of resveratrol was specifically mediated by SIRT1. Moreover, hippocampal neurons overexpressing SIRT1 were resistant to dendritic dystrophy induced by Aβ aggregates, an effect that was dependent on the deacetylase activity of SIRT1. Our findings indicate that SIRT1 plays a role in the development and maintenance of dendritic branching in hippocampal neurons, and suggest that these effects are mediated by the ROCK signaling pathway.
Sparsity-based composite detection tests. application to astrophysical hyperspectral data

We propose an analysis of some connections existing between sparse estimation and detection tests. In addition to the Generalized Likelihood Ratio (GLR) and to the Bayes Factor, we consider two tests based on Maximum A Posteriori estimates of the sparse vector parameter. These detection tests are then set in order to take advantage of a redundant dictionary, and to account for instrument and noise characteristics specific to the MUSE integral field spectrograph, which will deliver astrophysical hyperspectral data. We use in this framework a specific representation dictionary, designed by finely discretising elementary spectral features (lines with various widths, steps, and continuum parameterisation). We show that the proposed detection strategy is efficient, and outperforms the GLR. Finally we present a possible improvement to this detection strategy, by exploiting spatial dependencies existing in the data cube.
Returning to the Nest: Debt and Parental Co-Residence Among Young Adults

This paper examines the relationship between a young adults' debt burden and the decision to co-reside with a parent. Using a quarterly panel of young adults' credit histories, and controlling for age, country, and quarter fixed effects, and local demographic characteristics, unemployment rates, and house prices, we estimate the relationship between current period debt and subsequent decisions to co-reside with a parent. Our results indicate that indebtedness -- increases flows into parental co-residence. Moreover, after moving in, delinquency and low credit scores increase time spent in co-residence. We find that the changing debt portfolios of young adults over this period -- characterized by rising student loan debt and small declines in credit card, auto and mortgage debt -- can predict 30 percent of the observed increase in flows into co-residence, and 26 percent of the observed increase in time spent in co-residence.
A Fast NIR Spectrometer for Examining Explosive Events: Emission of PETN Based Explosives and H 2 O Absorption Method Feasibility

A FAST NIR SPECTROMETER FOR EXAMINING EXPLOSIVE EVENTS: EMISSION OF PETN BASED EXPLOSIVES AND H 2O ABSORPTION METHOD FEASIBILITY Scott R. Piecuch, B.S.M.E. Marquette University, 2009 The chemical dynamics and decomposition pathways of explosive materials are not entirely known. Measurements of chemical transients during explosive events c an lead to enhanced knowledge of the detailed chemistry and eventually control of the end products; however, these measurements are often difficult to obtain due to fast tim e scales and harsh environments. Optical diagnostics present fast-response, mi nimally invasive methods for resolving properties in detonation environments and previous fast spectroscopic measurements have been recorded in the ultra-violet and visible regions . This work extends the range of such measurements to the near-infrared (NIR) throu gh t e development of a fiber-coupled NIR spectrometer utilizing a fast InGaAs array. The characteristics and applications of this spectrometer are investigated thr ough temporally and spectrally resolved measurements during the detonation and post-detonation combustion in arena-type explosives experiments. The spectrometer was used to examine the emission features and temperatures of atomic and molecular species with microsecond time resolution from pure pentaer ythritol tetranitrate (PETN) charges and PETN charges doped with 10% (by mass) A g and Al microparticles. The post-detonation spectra were observed between 750 nm and 1500 nm at rates up to 46k-spectra/sec, and key features were identified. Emission spec tra from the particle doped charges followed a Planckian distribution at later times (>40μs ) and spectral pyrometry temperature measurements were determined from the spectra. The NIR spectrometer can also be used to acquire absorption spectra which can allow for the measurement of bulk gas temperature and direct species concentra tions as well as provide more control over the probed volume. An investigation was conducted on the feasibility of using the newly developed NIR spectrometer in explosives experiments to measure water absorption in the 1330-1380 nm region and determine temperatures and concentrations of H 2O using a fiber coupled broad light source. The fiber size, resolution, and path-length necessary for accurate temperatur e mol f action H2O measurements were determined.
Dodo: a user-level system for exploiting idle memory in workstation clusters

In this paper, we present the design and implementation of Dodo, an efficient user-level system for harvesting idle memory in off-the-shelf clusters of workstations. Dodo enables data-intensive applications to use remote memory in a cluster as an intermediate cache between local memory and disk. It requires no modifications to the operating system and/or processor firmware and is hence portable to multiple platforms. Further, the memory recruitment policy used by Dodo is designed to minimize any delays experienced by the owner of desktop machines whose memory is harvested by Dodo. Our implementation of Dodo is operational and currently runs on Linux 2.0. 35. For communication, Dodo can use either UDP/IP or U-Net, the low-latency user-level network architecture developed by von Eicken et al. (1995). We evaluated the performance improvements that can be achieved by using Dodo for two real applications and three synthetic benchmarks. Our results show that speedups obtained for an application are highly dependent on its I/O access pattern and data set sizes. Significant speedups (between 2 and 3) were obtained for applications whose working sets are larger than the local memory on a workstation but smaller than aggregate memory available on the cluster and for applications that can benefit from the zero-seek nature of remote memory.
An MSH4 Homolog, stpp1, from Pleurotus pulmonarius Is a “Silver Bullet” for Resolving Problems Caused by Spores in Cultivated Mushrooms

ABSTRACT The enormous number of spores produced by fruiting bodies during cultivation of mushrooms can lead to allergic reactions of workers, reduction of commercial value, spread of mushroom disease, pollution of facilities, and depletion of genetic diversity in natural populations. A cultivar harboring a sporulation-deficient (sporeless) mutation would be very useful for preventing these problems, but sporeless commercial cultivars are very limited in usefulness because sporeless traits are often linked with traits that are unfavorable for commercial cultivation. Thus, identifying a causal gene of a sporeless phenotype not linked to the adverse traits in breeding and cultivation is crucial for the establishment of sporeless breeding using a strategy employing targeting induced local lesions in genomes (TILLING) in cultivated mushrooms. We used a Pleurotus pulmonarius (Fr.) Quél. sporeless strain to identify and characterize the single recessive gene controlling the mutation. The 3,853-bp stpp1 gene encodes a protein of 854 amino acids and belongs to the MutS homolog (MSH) family associated with mismatch repair in DNA synthesis or recombination in meiosis. Gene expression analysis of the fruiting body showed that this gene is strongly expressed in the gills. Phenotypic analysis of disruptants formed by gene targeting suggested a reproducible sporeless phenotype. Mutants deficient in a functional copy of this gene have no unfavorable traits for sporeless cultivar breeding, so this gene will be an extremely useful target for efficient and versatile sporeless breeding in P. pulmonarius and various other cultivated mushrooms.
Histone Acetylation and Activation of cAMP-response Element-binding Protein Regulate Transcriptional Activation of MKP-M in Lipopolysaccharide-stimulated Macrophages*

MKP-M is a dual specificity phosphatase that preferentially inactivates JNK. mkp-M gene expression is rapidly induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in macrophages and is involved in the negative regulation of LPS-mediated JNK activation and tumor necrosis factor-α secretion. To reveal the transcriptional regulation of the mkp-M gene, we isolated the mouse mkp-M gene and mapped its transcriptional start site. Luciferase reporter plasmids containing 5′-upstream regions of the mkp-M gene were stably transfected into RAW264.7 cells. The assays using these cells revealed that the promoter region between −252 and −135 is required formkp-M promoter activation. Sequencing analysis revealed E box and CREB-responsive elements in this region, and electromobility shift assays and mutagenesis confirmed that both of these elements are essential for LPS responsiveness of the mkp-M gene. We also utilized chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and found that LPS stimulation caused acetylation of histone H3 and H4 atmkp-M promoter in RAW264.7 cells. Consistent with this, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A, increased endogenousmkp-M gene transcription. Finally, DNase I hypersensitivity site mapping revealed the inducible hypersensitivity site after LPS stimulation around the location of the E box and CREB-responsive elements. Altogether, our data indicated that the activation ofmkp-M gene transcription in macrophages by LPS is associated with histone acetylation and chromatin remodeling.
RIBOSOME PRECURSOR PARTICLES IN NUCLEOLI

Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles containing the precursors of ribosomal RNA were extracted from L cell nucleoli and analyzed under conditions comparable to those used in the characterization of cytoplasmic ribosomes. Using nucleoli from cells suitably labeled with 3H-uridine, we detected three basic RNP components, sedimenting at approximately 62S, 78S, and 110S in sucrose gradients containing magnesium. A fourth particle, sedimenting at about 95S, appears to be a dimer of the 62S and 78S components. When centrifuged in gradients containing EDTA, the 62S, 78S, and 110S particles sediment at about 55S, 65S, and 80S, respectively. RNA was extracted from RNP particles which were prepared by two cycles of zonal centrifugation. The 62S particles yielded 32S RNA and a detectable amount of 28S RNA, the 78S structures, 32S RNA and possibly some 36S RNA, and the 110S particles, a mixture of 45S, 36S, and 32S RNA's. When cells were pulsed briefly and further incubated in the presence of actinomycin D, there was a gradual shift of radioactivity from heavier to lighter particles. This observation is consistent with the scheme of maturation: 110S → 78S → 62S. The principal buoyant densities in cesium chloride of the 110S, 78S, and 62S particles are 1.465, 1.490, and 1.545, respectively. These densities are all significantly lower than 1.570, which is characteristic of the mature large subunit of cytoplasmic ribosomes, suggesting that the precursor particles have a relatively higher ratio of protein to RNA, and that ribosome maturation involves, in addition to decrease in the size of the RNA molecules, a progressive decrease in the proportion of associated protein.
Synthesis and Characterization of Hydroxyapatite/ Poly(Vinyl Alcohol Phosphate) Nanocomposite Biomaterials

A hydroxyapatite (HAp)/poly(vinyl alcohol phosphate) (PVAP) nanocomposite has been prepared by a chemical method by varying the HAp content by 10-60% (w/w). The bonding between HAp and PVAP has been investigated through Fourier transform infrared absorption spectra, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analyses. Transmission electron microscopy study shows a homogeneous dispersion of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. Scanning electron microscopy study shows enhancement of the surface roughness of the composite with an increase in the nanoparticle content. The mechanical properties of the composites improve significantly with an increase in the HAp content. The HAp/PVAP nanocomposite prepared may have bone-implant applications.