Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Steady‐state analysis of ion fluxes in Necturus gall‐bladder epithelial cells.

1. The steady‐state fluxes of Na, K and Cl ions have been measured in Necturus gall‐bladder epithelium by a technique that involves labelling the cells with tracer ions from the mucosal bath only, whilst the serosa is kept at low specific activity. After removing tracer, the efflux is followed into the serosal bath, revealing two exponential components. 2. The time constant of the fast component lies between 0.03 and 0.04 s‐1 and corresponds to that of the extracellular space. The slow component closely matches the cellular efflux, with constants which lie between 0.14 and 0.46 X 10(‐2) s‐1. 3. Full unstirred‐layer calculations have been performed to determine the specific activities in the mucosal solution, the cell and the corium (subepithelium). These involved measuring the diffusion coefficients of Na and Cl in the isolated corium: they are restricted by factors of 0.17 and 0.11. 4. The partial flux equations for this double‐membrane system have been solved to obtain the cellular fluxes for all three ions. The results indicate that: (i) the net transcellular Na flux is 190 pmol cm‐2 s‐1, equivalent to the transepithelial salt flux during fluid secretion; (ii) the net transcellular K flux is effectively zero because this ion recirculates across the serosal membrane; (iii) the net transcellular Cl flux is 27 pmol cm‐2 s‐1, or 15% of the net transepithelial salt flux. 5. The permeability of the paracellular pathway to Cl is 1.65 X 10(‐5) cm s‐1 and the available driving forces will allow a maximum net electrodiffusive Cl transport of 10% through the shunt pathway. 6. 1:1 coupling of Na and Cl net fluxes at the mucosal membrane of this epithelium cannot be present, and processes other than simple electrodiffussion are required to effect net Cl transport by another route. 7. The serosal fluxes of K and Cl do not obey the flux‐ratio equation. A component of these fluxes must be present which is neither active (pumped) nor passive (electrodiffusive and independent). If they are symmetrical in the steady state then the ratio of these exchange fluxes lies between 2:1 and 3:1 depending upon the size of the pump flux. They support the view that a mode of coupled K and Cl transport may be operating at the basolateral membrane of these cells.
Modelling business process variants using graph transformation rules

Business process variability is an active research area in the field of business process management and deals with variations and commonalities among processes of a given process family. Many theoretical approaches have been suggested in the last years; however, practical implementations are rare and limited in their functionality. In this paper, we propose a new approach for business process variability based on well-known graph transformation techniques and with focus on practical aspects like definition of variation points, linking and propagation of changes, as well as visual highlighting of differences in process variants. The suggested concepts are discussed within a case study comprising two graph transformation systems for generating process variants; one supports variability by restriction, the other supports variability by restriction and by extension. Both graph transformation systems are proven to be globally deterministic, but differ regarding their complexity. The overall approach is being implemented in the BPM suite of our partner company.
Somatosensory mechanisms in zebrafish lacking dorsal root ganglia

Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons transmit all somatosensory information from the trunk region of the body. erbb3 mutant zebrafish do not form DRG neurons because the neural crest cells that generate them migrate aberrantly. Here we report that homozygous erbb3 mutants appear to swim and feed normally, and that they survive through adulthood, despite never forming DRG neurons. The source of sensory compensation in adult erbb3 mutants remains unknown, although it may be from lateral line ganglion neuromasts which are reduced, but present, in erbb3 mutants. We also provide new information about the development of DRG neurons in wild‐type juvenile zebrafish.
Toxicokinetics of sediment‐associated polybrominated diphenylethers (flame retardants) in benthic invertebrates (Lumbriculus variegatus, oligochaeta)

Polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants showing rapid temporal increase in some sample types. The compounds are known to biomagnify in aquatic food webs and are assumed to archive into sediments and soils. Currently, no direct evidence indicates whether sediment‐associated PBDEs are available for biota. The aim of the present study was to explore the uptake and elimination of two common congeners (47 and 99) in sediment‐inhabiting invertebrates to shed light on possible bioavailability of sediment‐associated PBDEs. Two clean lake sediments were spiked with environmentally relevant concentrations of 14C‐labeled tetra‐ and pentabromo diphenylether, and oligochaetes (Lumbriculus variegatus) were exposed for three or four weeks to allow kinetic accumulation calculations. Subsequent depuration tests were performed after three weeks of exposure to obtain depuration rates. Both congeners were clearly bioavailable, and only slight differences in steady‐state tissue concentrations were found between the four sediment‐ingesting oligochaete treatments (biota sediment accumulation factors [BSAFs], 3.0–3.7). The tetrabromo diphenylether‐exposed oligochaetes that did not ingest sediment had clearly lower influx rates (0.1 vs 1–3 nmol h‐1) than sediment‐ingesting worms. Also, the estimated BSAF (1.8) was statistically different from that of the sediment‐ingesting oligochaetes. These findings support the significance of feeding behavior in bioaccumulation of very hydrophobic organic contaminants. Depuration of both congeners was biphasic, indicating two kinetically different compartments in L. variegatus. Compartment A made up 73 to 92% of total radioactivity in tissues and had relatively fast depuration rates (half‐lives, 10.5–47.5 h); the smaller compartment B had very slow depuration rates. No significant biotransformation of PBDEs was evident. The present study clearly demonstrates that the sediment‐associated PBDEs, like other hydrophobic organic contaminants of environmental concern, are not totally sequestered from sediment‐inhabiting oligochaetes and are subject to trophic transfer.
Cross-layer Resource Allocation with heterogeneous QoS requirements in cognitive radio networks

To deal with the problem that cognitive information and queuing information are not both taken into account when performing Resource Allocation (RA), we have proposed a cross-layer RA scheme in a multiuser cognitive system with Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA). In this scheme, we assume that several crucial factors influence the RA decision, including subchannel occupancy state, subchannel link state and packets queuing state. The RA strategy is formulated as a convex optimization problem to maximize the whole system throughput with users' heterogeneous Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, considering the dynamic variations of available resources caused by the activities of licensed users. In order to solve the problem with low complexity, we present Joint Resource Allocation (JRA) algorithm involving two sub-algorithms, Minimal-Cost-Maximal-Flow Subchannel Allocation (MCMFSA) and Suboptimal Power Allocation (SPA). The innovations of the entire paper are the integrity of system model and the novelty of these algorithms, especially combining subchannel allocation with graphical theory. Simulation results indicate that the proposed scheme can achieve an excellent performance, with all QoS requirements satisfied.
Availability of Binaural Cues for Bilateral Implant Recipients and Bimodal Listeners with and without Preserved Hearing in the Implanted Ear

The purpose of this study was to examine the availability of binaural cues for adult, bilateral cochlear implant (CI) patients, bimodal patients and hearing preservation patients using a multiple-baseline, observational study design. Speech recognition was assessed using the Bamford-Kowal-Bench Speech-in-Noise (BKB-SIN) test as well as the AzBio sentences [Spahr AJ, et al: Ear Hear 2012;33:112-117] presented in a multi-talker babble at a +5 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Test conditions included speech at 0° with noise presented at 0° (S₀N₀), 90° (S₀N90) and 270° (S₀N270). Estimates of summation, head shadow (HS), squelch and spatial release from masking (SRM) were calculated. Though nonwwe of the subject groups consistently showed access to binaural cues, the hearing preservation patients exhibited a significant correlation between summation and squelch whereas the bilateral and bimodal participants did not. That is to say, the two effects associated with binaural hearing - summation and squelch - were positively correlated only for the listeners with bilateral acoustic hearing. This finding provides evidence for the supposition that implant recipients with bilateral acoustic hearing have access to binaural cues, which should, in theory, provide greater benefit in noisy listening environments. It is likely, however, that the chosen test environment negatively affected the outcomes. Specifically, the spatially separated noise conditions directed noise toward the microphone (mic) port of the behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid and implant processor. Thus, it is possible that in more realistic listening environments for which the diffuse noise is not directed toward the processor/hearing aid mic, hearing preservation patients have binaural cues for improved speech understanding.
SEASONAL HEMATOLOGY AND SERUM CHEMISTRY OF WILD BELUGA WHALES (DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS) IN BRISTOL BAY, ALASKA, USA

We collected blood from 18 beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), live-captured in Bristol Bay, Alaska, USA, in May and September 2008, to establish baseline hematologic and serum chemistry values and to determine whether there were significant differences in hematologic values by sex, season, size/age, or time during the capture period. Whole blood was collected within an average of 19 min (range=11–30 min) after the net was set for capture, and for eight animals, blood collection was repeated in a later season after between 80–100 min; all blood was processed within 12 hr. Mean hematocrit, chloride, creatinine, total protein, albumin, and alkaline phosphatase were significantly lower in May than they were in September, whereas mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, monocytes, phosphorous, magnesium, blood urea nitrogen, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyltranspeptidase, and creatinine kinase were significantly higher. Mean total protein, white blood cell count, neutrophils, and lymphocytes were significantly higher early in the capture period than they were later. No significant differences in blood analyte values were noted between males and females. Using overall body length as a proxy for age, larger (older) belugas had lower white blood cell, lymphocyte, and eosinophil counts as well as lower sodium, potassium, and calcium levels but higher creatinine levels than smaller belugas. These data provide values for hematology and serum chemistry for comparisons with other wild belugas.
Moving with the beat: heart rate and visceral temperature of free-swimming and feeding bluefin tuna

Owing to the inherent difficulties of studying bluefin tuna, nothing is known of the cardiovascular function of free-swimming fish. Here, we surgically implanted newly designed data loggers into the visceral cavity of juvenile southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) to measure changes in the heart rate (fH) and visceral temperature (TV) during a two-week feeding regime in sea pens at Port Lincoln, Australia. Fish ranged in body mass from 10 to 21 kg, and water temperature remained at 18–19°C. Pre-feeding fH typically ranged from 20 to 50 beats min−1. Each feeding bout (meal sizes 2–7% of tuna body mass) was characterized by increased levels of activity and fH (up to 130 beats min−1), and a decrease in TV from approximately 20 to 18°C as cold sardines were consumed. The feeding bout was promptly followed by a rapid increase in TV, which signified the beginning of the heat increment of feeding (HIF). The time interval between meal consumption and the completion of HIF ranged from 10 to 24 hours and was strongly correlated with ration size. Although fH generally decreased after its peak during the feeding bout, it remained elevated during the digestive period and returned to routine levels on a similar, but slightly earlier, temporal scale to TV. These data imply a large contribution of fH to the increase in circulatory oxygen transport that is required for digestion. Furthermore, these data oppose the contention that maximum fH is exceptional in bluefin tuna compared with other fishes, and so it is likely that enhanced cardiac stroke volume and blood oxygen carrying capacity are the principal factors allowing superior rates of circulatory oxygen transport in tuna.
Shifting Attention within Memory Representations Involves Early Visual Areas

Prior studies have shown that spatial attention modulates early visual cortex retinotopically, resulting in enhanced processing of external perceptual representations. However, it is not clear whether the same visual areas are modulated when attention is focused on, and shifted within a working memory representation. In the current fMRI study participants were asked to memorize an array containing four stimuli. After a delay, participants were presented with a verbal cue instructing them to actively maintain the location of one of the stimuli in working memory. Additionally, on a number of trials a second verbal cue instructed participants to switch attention to the location of another stimulus within the memorized representation. Results of the study showed that changes in the BOLD pattern closely followed the locus of attention within the working memory representation. A decrease in BOLD-activity (V1–V3) was observed at ROIs coding a memory location when participants switched away from this location, whereas an increase was observed when participants switched towards this location. Continuous increased activity was obtained at the memorized location when participants did not switch. This study shows that shifting attention within memory representations activates the earliest parts of visual cortex (including V1) in a retinotopic fashion. We conclude that even in the absence of visual stimulation, early visual areas support shifting of attention within memorized representations, similar to when attention is shifted in the outside world. The relationship between visual working memory and visual mental imagery is discussed in light of the current findings.
Cancer risks from arsenic in drinking water.

Ingestion of arsenic, both from water supplies and medicinal preparations, is known to cause skin cancer. The evidence assessed here indicates that arsenic can also cause liver, lung, kidney, and bladder cancer and that the population cancer risks due to arsenic in U.S. water supplies may be comparable to those from environmental tobacco smoke and radon in homes. Large population studies in an area of Taiwan with high arsenic levels in well water (170-800 micrograms/L) were used to establish dose-response relationships between cancer risks and the concentration of inorganic arsenic naturally present in water supplies. It was estimated that at the current EPA standard of 50 micrograms/L, the lifetime risk of dying from cancer of the liver, lung, kidney, or bladder from drinking 1 L/day of water could be as high as 13 per 1000 persons. It has been estimated that more than 350,000 people in the United States may be supplied with water containing more than 50 micrograms/L arsenic, and more than 2.5 million people may be supplied with water with levels above 25 micrograms/L. For average arsenic levels and water consumption patterns in the United States, the risk estimate was around 1/1000. Although further research is needed to validate these findings, measures to reduce arsenic levels in water supplies should be considered.
Insights into the structure and architecture of the CCR4–NOT complex

The CCR4–NOT complex is a highly conserved, multifunctional machinery with a general role in controlling mRNA metabolism. It has been implicated in a number of different aspects of mRNA and protein expression, including mRNA degradation, transcription initiation and elongation, ubiquitination, and protein modification. The core CCR4–NOT complex is evolutionarily conserved and consists of at least three NOT proteins and two catalytic subunits. The L-shaped complex is characterized by two functional modules bound to the CNOT1/Not1 scaffold protein: the deadenylase or nuclease module containing two enzymes required for deadenylation, and the NOT module. In this review, we will summarize the currently available information regarding the three-dimensional structure and assembly of the CCR4–NOT complex, in order to provide insight into its roles in mRNA degradation and other biological processes.
Do Flies Have A Red Receptor?

(1) The compound eye of Musca exhibits characteristics which have heretofore frequently been considered evidence for color receptors: (a) The spectral sensitivity curve has several peaks whose relative heights can be altered by selective adaptation to colored lights, and (b) the shape of the retinal action potential varies with wave length. (2) The action spectrum for the red enhancement of on and off responses is compared with the "red receptor" calculated by Mazokhin-Porshnyakov from colorimetric data obtained in rapid color substitutions. Both have maxima at 615 to 620 mµ and appear to be different expressions of the same phenomenon. (3) A red receptor is absent. The evidence which suggests different types of receptors in the region 500 to 700 mµ can be accounted for by variations in the numbers of receptors stimulated. In red light there is a recruitment of additional ommatidia caused by leakage of long wave lengths through the pigment screen, and this spatial summation potentiates the on and off responses. The principal evidence is: (a) a white eye mutant which has no accessory screening pigments also lacks the peak of sensitivity in the red, even when adapted to violet light; (b) white-eyed flies give identical responses with large on and off effects at all wave lengths from 500 to 700 mµ; and (c) reducing the number of excited ommatidia by decreasing the size of the test spot makes the on and off transients smaller relative to the receptor component.
Long acting risperidone in treatment of schizophrenia:A retrospective study

: Objective: In this study it is aimed to investigate the efficacy of long- acting risperidone in treatment of schizophrenia. Method: The files of patients whom diagnosed schizophrenia according to DSM IV and had been treated with long acting risperidone in Gaziantep University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, Pscyhotic Disorders Unit, was investigated retrospectively. Results: End of the study clinical improvement was achieved by 66.7% (20/30). In the course of 6 months follow up period, weight gain in 2 patients (6.6%), tardive dyskinesia in 1 patient (3.3%), oculogyric crisis (3.3%), and akathisia in 1 patient (3.3%) was observed. Conclusion: This is the first study in Turkey which evaluates the efficacy of long-acting risperidone treatment for 24 weeks period and long-acting risperidone was appeared lead to clinical improvement in proportion %66.7 especially for schizophrenia patients with partial compliance.
Polymorphic mature microRNAs from passenger strand of pre-miR-146a contribute to thyroid cancer

Prior work has shown that heterozygosity G/C of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP rs2910164) within the precursor of microRNA-146a predisposes to PTC (odds ratio = 1.62, P = 0.000007) although the mechanism was unclear. Here, we show that GC heterozygotes differ from both GG and CC homozygotes by producing 3 mature microRNAs: 1 from the leading strand (miR-146a), and 2 from the passenger strand (miR-146a*G and miR-146a*C), each with its distinct set of target genes. TaqMan analysis of paired tumor/normal samples revealed 1.5- to 2.6-fold overexpression of polymorphic miR-146a* in 7 of 8 tumors compared with the unaffected part of the same gland. The microarray data showed that widely different transcriptomes occurred in the tumors and in unaffected parts of the thyroid from GC and GG patients. The modulated genes are mainly involved in regulation of apoptosis leading to exaggerated DNA-damage response in heterozygotes potentially explaining the predisposition to cancer. We propose that contrary to previously held views transcripts from the passenger strand of miRs can profoundly affect the downstream effects. Heterozygosity for polymorphisms within the premiR sequence can cause epistasis through the production of additional mature miRs. We propose that mature miRs from the passenger strand may regulate many genetic processes.
Myosin types in cultured muscle cells

Fluorescent antibodies against fast skeletal, slow skeletal, and ventricular myosins were applied to muscle cultures from embryonic pectoralis and ventricular myocadium of the chicken. A number of spindle-shaped mononucleated cells, presumably myoblasts, and all myotubes present in skeletal muscle cultures were labeled by all three antimyosin antisera. In contrast, in cultures from ventricular myocardium all muscle cells were labeled by anti-ventricular myosin, whereas only part of them were stained by anti-slow skeletal myosin and rare cells reacted with anti-fast skeletal myosin. The findings indicate that myosin(s) present in cultured embryonic skeletal muscle cells contains antigenic determinants similar to those present in adult fast skeletal, slow skeletal, and ventricular myosins.
Efficient Weather Forecasting using Artificial Neural Network as Function Approximator

is the referred to as the process of estimation in unknown situations. Weather forecasting, especially air temperature, is one of the most important factors in many applications. This paper presents an approach to develop Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to forecast air temperatures. One important architecture of neural networks namely Radial Basis Function (RBF) will be used as a function approximator. The RBF trained using meteorological data of one year and tested on another year. The data consist of observations of various meteorological variables such as relative humidity, dew point, wind speed, wind direction and air pressure. To come up with appropriate centers for the RBF neurons, the weather data was clustered into several groups using k-means clustering algorithm. The goal of developing this network is to forecast the air temperature and to have a regression model with minimum error of prediction The data of one year is used for supervised training using labelled data while the other year data was used of testing the trained ANN. Several testes were run to come up with the most suitable ANN structure based on lowest MSE in predicting air temperature. Results have shown that these structures gave very good prediction in term of accuracy.