Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Secretory carrier membrane proteins interact and regulate trafficking of the organellar (Na+,K+)/H+ exchanger NHE7

The mammalian (Na+,K+)/H+ exchanger NHE7 resides chiefly in the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and post-Golgi vesicles where it is thought to contribute to organellar pH homeostasis. However, the mechanisms that underlie the targeting and regulation of NHE7 are unknown. To gain insight into these processes, yeast two-hybrid methodology was used to screen a human brain cDNA library for proteins that interact with the cytoplasmic C-terminus of NHE7. One binding partner we identified was SCAMP2, a member of the secretory carrier membrane protein (SCAMP) gene family. Direct association of these two proteins was further supported by co-immunolocalization and co-immunoprecipitation analyses using transfected cells, by their co-sedimentation in membrane fractions resolved on sucrose density gradients, and by in vitro protein binding assays. Other members of the SCAMP family, such as SCAMP1 and SCAMP5, also associated with NHE7. The majority of the NHE7-SCAMP complexes accumulated at the TGN, but a minor fraction also resided in recycling vesicles. Biochemical analyses indicated that the C-terminal cytoplasmic tail of NHE7 bound preferentially to a highly conserved cytoplasmic loop between the second and the third transmembrane segments (TM2-TM3 loop) of SCAMP2. A deletion mutant of SCAMP2 lacking this region (SCAMP2/Δ184-208) bound weakly to NHE7, but caused a significant fraction of NHE7 and wild-type SCAMP2 to redistribute to a pool of scattered recycling vesicles without noticeably affecting the location of other resident TGN (syntaxin 6) or Golgi cisternae (GM130) proteins. Conversely, a GFP-tagged TM2-TM3 construct of SCAMP2 interacted with NHE7, but also led to the redistribution of NHE7 to dispersed vesicular structures. We propose a model wherein SCAMPs participate in the shuttling of NHE7 between recycling vesicles and the TGN.
Preparation and Characterization of Co-Grinded Mixtures of Aceclofenac and Neusilin US2 for Dissolution Enhancement of Aceclofenac

The present study was carried out with a view to enhance the dissolution of poorly water-soluble BCS-class II drug aceclofenac by co-grinding with novel porous carrier Neusilin US2. (amorphous microporous granules of magnesium aluminosilicate, Fuji Chemical Industry, Toyama, Japan). Neusilin US2 has been used as an important pharmaceutical excipient for solubility enhancement. Co-grinding of aceclofenac with Neusilin US2 in a ratio of 1:5 was carried out by ball milling for 20 h. Samples of co-ground mixtures were withdrawn at the end of every 5 h. and characterized for X-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The analysis revealed the conversion of crystalline aceclofenac to its amorphous form upon milling with Neusilin US2. Further, in vitro dissolution rate of aceclofenac from co-ground mixture was significantly higher compared to pure aceclofenac. The accelerated stability study of co-ground mixture was carried out at 40°C/75%RH for 4 weeks, and it showed that there was no reversion from amorphous to crystalline form. Thus, it is advantageous to use a porous carrier like Neusilin US2 in improvement of dissolution of poorly soluble drugs.
Tranexamic acid for control of blood loss in bilateral total knee replacement in a single stage

Background: Tranexamic acid (TEA) reduces blood loss and red cell transfusions in patients undergoing unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, there is not much literature regarding the use of TEA in patients undergoing bilateral TKA in a single stage and the protocols for administration of TEA in such patients are ill-defined. Materials and Methods: We carried out a case control study evaluating the effect of TEA on postoperative hemoglobin (Hb), total drain output, and number of blood units transfused in 52 patients undergoing bilateral TKA in a single stage, and compared it with 56 matched controls who did not receive TEA. Two doses of TEA were administered in doses of 10 mg / kg each (slow intravenous (IV) infusion), with the frst dose given just before tourniquet release of the frst knee and the second dose three hours after the frst one. Results: A statistically signifcant reduction in the total drain output and requirement of allogenic blood transfusion in cases who received TEA, as compared to the controls was observed. The postoperative Hb and Hb at the time of discharge were found to be lower in the control group, and this result was found to be statistically signifcant. Conclusion: TEA administered in patients undergoing single stage bilateral TKA helped reduce total blood loss and decreased allogenic blood transfusion requirements. This might be particularly relevant, where facilities such as autologous reinfusion might not be available.
Assessment of the Spatial Dynamics and Interactions among Multiple Ecosystem Services to Promote Effective Policy Making across Mediterranean Island Landscapes

To manage multiple ecosystem services (ES) effectively, it is essential to understand how the dynamics of ES maintain healthy ecosystems to avoid potential negative impacts on human well-being in the context of sustainable development. In particular, the Ionian Islands in the central Mediterranean are characterized by high natural, ecological, and recreational value; however, the intensification of human activities over time has resulted in the loss of natural ecosystems, which might have negatively impacted ES. Here, we aimed to assess and understand the spatiotemporal dynamics of ES supply and how these components interact across the Ionian Islands to optimize future ES provision and mitigate current trade-offs. We quantified multiple ecosystem services and analyzed their interactions at a temporal scale across the four prefectures of the Ionian Islands. Seven ES were quantified covering all three ES sections (provisioning, regulating and maintenance, and cultural) of the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES). ES interactions were investigated by analyzing ES relationships, identifying ES bundles (sets of ES that repeatedly occur together across space and time), and specifying ES occurrence within bundles. The three ES groups exhibited similar patterns on some islands, but differed on islands with areas of high recreation in parallel to low provisioning and regulating ES. Temporal variations showed both stability and changes to the supply of ES, as well as in the interactions among them. Different patterns among the islands were caused by the degree of mixing between natural vegetation and olive orchards. This study identified seven ES bundles that had distinct compositions and magnitudes, with both unique and common bundles being found among the islands. The olive grove bundle delivered the most ES, while the non-vegetated bundle delivered negligible amounts of ES. Spatial and temporal variation in ES appear to be determined by agriculture, land abandonment, and increasing tourism, as well as the occurrence of fires. Knowledge about the spatial dynamics and interactions among ES could provide information for stakeholders and decision-making processes to develop appropriate sustainable management of the ecosystems on the Ionian Islands to secure ecological, social, and economic resilience.
Antioxidant phenolic glucosides from Gentiana piasezkii

An extract of Gentiana piasezkii afforded a new arbutin derivative 6′-O-vanilloylarbutin (1) and a new flavone-C-glucoside 7-O-feruloylorientin (2), together with four known flavonoids lutonarin (3), saponarin (4), isoorient (5) and luteolin (6). Their structures were established based on spectroscopic methods including 2D NMR (COSY and gHMBC) techniques. Compounds 1, 2, 5 and 6 were evaluated for the antioxidant activity in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay system.
Well-being Inequality in the Long Run

This paper provides a long-run view of well-being inequality at world scale based on a new historical dataset. Trends in social dimensions alter the view on inequality derived from per capita GDP. While in terms of income, inequality increased until the third quarter of the twentieth century; in terms of well-being, inequality fell steadily since World War I. The spread of mass primary education and the health transitions were its main drivers. The gap between the West and the Rest explains only partially the evolution of well-being inequality, as the dispersion within the developing regions has increasingly determined its evolution.
Mistake Handling Activities in Mathematics Educatıon: Practice in Class

The purpose of the study is to examine students’ ideas of mistake handling activities implemented in mathematics class. To this aim, mistake handling activities were carried out with 12 high school students. Focus group discussions related to mistake handling activities were carried out with students during four weeks. The data were gathered through students’ written reflections, transcripts of focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. All the data were analyzed through content analysis. It was revealed that mistake handling activities made a motivational impact on high school students on their mathematical learning. The themes emerged from the study are advantage, innovation, being interesting and critical perspective.
Spatiotemporal resolution enhancement via compressed sensing

In this paper, we propose a new compressed sensing based approach to enhance the spatial-temporal resolution of the remote sensing images with a pair of time-continuous spatial-temporal images and a low spatial resolution image at the same place. In compressed sensing, the measurement matrix is a key element to success. This paper presents a novel solution space model for designing the measurement matrix by establishing the correspondence between the spatial-temporal image pair to enhance the spatial-temporal resolution. The matrix we get does not only reflect the relationship between the high- and the low-spatial resolution images, but also have high randomness, thus satisfies the reconstruction requirements (e.g., RIP restriction) in compressed sensing. To verify the effectiveness of our method, we give the experimental reconstructed results and compare our results with the traditional Gaussian Random matrix and the Toplitz matrix. The experiment demonstrates the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.
Comparison of Intramuscular Ketorolac Tromethamine and Morphine Sulfate for Analgesia of Pain After Major Surgery

Ketorolac tromethamine is a new injectable nonnarcotic analgesic. In a parallel, double‐blind study, the analgesic efficacies of single intramuscular doses of ketorolac 10, 30 and 90 mg were compared with those of morphine sulfate 6 and 12 mg. Two hundred forty‐one patients were categorized according to type of surgical procedure and severity of pain. Pain intensity and pain relief were assessed for 6 hours by scoring standard verbal and visual analog scales. Patients receiving ketorolac 10, 30 or 90 mg or morphine (MS) 12 mg all had significantly better pain relief in almost all measurements performed than those receiving MS 6 mg (p < 0.05). Ketorolac 10 and 30 mg were as effective as morphine 12 mg during the entire 6‐hour observation period, and ketorolac 90 mg was more effective than morphine 12 mg during the entire 6 hours. Patients with pain related to major surgery (e.g., cholecystectomy and abdominal hysterectomy) were better able to distinguish analgesic potency of morphine than those having less traumatic procedures (e.g., tendon and ligament repairs)
Genome-Wide Association Mapping Reveals That Specific and Pleiotropic Regulatory Mechanisms Fine-Tune Central Metabolism and Growth in Arabidopsis[OPEN]

Many enzyme activity and metabolite quantitative trait loci (QTL) colocalize, including a pleiotropic QTL at ACCELERATED CELL DEATH6 that points to a trade-off between defense and central metabolism. Central metabolism is a coordinated network that is regulated at multiple levels by resource availability and by environmental and developmental cues. Its genetic architecture has been investigated by mapping metabolite quantitative trait loci (QTL). A more direct approach is to identify enzyme activity QTL, which distinguishes between cis-QTL in structural genes encoding enzymes and regulatory trans-QTL. Using genome-wide association studies, we mapped QTL for 24 enzyme activities, nine metabolites, three structural components, and biomass in Arabidopsis thaliana. We detected strong cis-QTL for five enzyme activities. A cis-QTL for UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase activity in the UGP1 promoter is maintained through balancing selection. Variation in acid invertase activity reflects multiple evolutionary events in the promoter and coding region of VAC-INV. cis-QTL were also detected for ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, fumarase, and phosphoglucose isomerase activity. We detected many trans-QTL, including transcription factors, E3 ligases, protein targeting components, and protein kinases, and validated some by knockout analysis. trans-QTL are more frequent but tend to have smaller individual effects than cis-QTL. We detected many colocalized QTL, including a multitrait QTL on chromosome 4 that affects six enzyme activities, three metabolites, protein, and biomass. These traits are coordinately modified by different ACCELERATED CELL DEATH6 alleles, revealing a trade-off between metabolism and defense against biotic stress.
Immunity to asexual blood stage malaria and vaccine approaches

The development of a malaria vaccine seems to be a definite possibility despite the fact that even individuals with a life time of endemic exposure do not develop sterile immunity. An effective malaria vaccine would be invaluable in preventing malaria‐associated deaths in endemic areas, especially amongst children less than 5 years of age and pregnant women. This review discusses our current understanding of immunity against the asexual blood stage of malaria − the stage that is responsible for the symptoms of the disease − and approaches to the design of an asexual blood stage vaccine.
Distinct Physiological Roles of Fructokinase Isozymes Revealed by Gene-Specific Suppression of Frk1 and Frk2Expression in Tomato

There are two divergent fructokinase isozymes, Frk1 and Frk2 in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants. To investigate the physiological functions of each isozyme, the expression of each fructokinase mRNA was independently suppressed in transgenic tomato plants, and the respective phenotypes were evaluated. Suppression of Frk1 expression resulted in delayed flowering at the first inflorescence. Suppression ofFrk2 did not effect flowering time but resulted in growth inhibition of stems and roots, reduction of flower and fruit number, and reduction of seed number per fruit. Localization ofFrk1 and Frk2 mRNA accumulation by in situ hybridization in wild-type tomato fruit tissue indicated thatFrk2 is expressed specifically in early tomato seed development. Fruit hexose and starch content were not effected by the suppression of either Frk gene alone. The results collectively indicate that flowering time is specifically promoted by Frk1 and that Frk2 plays specific roles in contributing to stem and root growth and to seed development. Because Frk1 andFrk2 gene expression was suppressed individually in transgenic plants, other significant metabolic roles of fructokinases may not have been observed if Frk1 and Frk2 play, at least partially, redundant metabolic roles.
Cry1Ab toxin production of MON 810 transgenic maize

Levels of Cry1Ab toxin were detected in genetically modified maize of genetic event MON 810 against near isogenic maize as negative control by two commercial immunoassays. The immunoassays were characterized for their cross‐reactivity (CR) between Cry1Ab protoxin and activated toxin, and were compared with each other for toxin detection in a reference plant sample. Cry1Ab toxin levels, corrected for active toxin content using the CR values obtained, were monitored in maize DK‐440 BTY through the entire vegetation period. The toxin concentration was found to show a rapid rise in the leaves to 17.15 ± 1.66 µg/g by the end of the fifth week of cultivation, followed by a gradual decline to 9.61 ± 2.07 µg/g by the 16th week and a slight increase again to 13.51 ± 1.96 µg/g during the last 2 weeks due to partial desiccation. Similar but lesser fluctuation of toxin levels was seen in the roots between 5.32 ± 0.49 µg/g at the less differentiated V1 stage and 2.25 ± 0.30 µg/g during plant development. In contrast, Cry1Ab toxin levels appeared to be stably 1.36 ± 0.45, 4.98 ± 0.31, 0.47 ± 0.03, and 0.83 ± 0.15 µg/g in the stem, anther wall, pollen, and grain, respectively. Toxin concentrations produced at the VT‐R4 phenological stages under actual cultivation conditions were compared with each other in three different years within an 8‐year period. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:182–190. © 2009 SETAC
On performance estimation of a scalable VLIW soft-core on ALTERA and XILINX FPGA platforms

This paper presents performance estimations for a scalable VLIW soft-core implemented in various XILINX and ALTERA FPGAs. It covers the low-cost low-power devices as well as the latest high-end FPGA families of both providers. The results present the maximal clock frequency of the complete design including the processor core and the code and data memories. In the soft-core scaling experiment, the number of available execution units is scaled from 1 to 12. In the technology scaling experiment, the core was mapped to devices of semiconductor technology nodes from 90 nm down to the latest 28nm technology. The experiments show some interesting behaviour. For example, for small-sized cores the XILINX board outperforms the ALTERA, while for larger sized cores this situation completely changes. Finally, both FPGA platforms and ways of scaling the performance are compared with each other and some conclusions for a design space exploration of soft-cores are presented.
Novel use of the fluorescent dye 5‐(and‐6)‐chloromethyl SNARF‐1 acetate for the measurement of intracellular glutathione in leukemic cells and primary lymphocytes

Glutathione (GSH) plays an important role in protecting cells against injury, particularly during oxidative stress. Alterations in GSH metabolism are becoming the focus of attention in many diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and AIDS. As such, a rapid assessment of GSH levels in a clinical setting is of increasing importance. We tested the efficacy of the thiol‐labeling fluorescent dye CM‐SNARF in its ability to measure variations in GSH concentration using a visible‐light flow cytometer. GSH levels in I83, Jurkat, and primary lymphocytes were depleted with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) or diamide, or increased with N‐acetylcysteine (NAC). Following each treatment, cells were divided and either labeled with CM‐SNARF followed by flow cytometry analysis, or assayed for GSH using a biochemical method. BSO treatment caused a maximal 87–90% decrease in GSH and 68–76% decrease in fluorescence units. Diamide depleted GSH 91–95%, corresponding to a fluorescence decrease of 85–88%. NAC treatment increased GSH levels 27% and fluorescence 12–19%. The overall correlation (R2) between mean GSH concentration and mean fluorescence was 0.80–0.88. CM‐SNARF can be used to semi‐quantitatively and rapidly determine intracellular variations in GSH concentration in the range of 10–150 nmoles GSH/mg protein. © 2007 International Society for Analytical Cytology
Stimulation of Ca(2+)-regulated olfactory phospholipase C by amino acids.

L-Amino acids are potent olfactory stimuli for Atlantic salmon. A plasma membrane fraction, previously shown to be rich in amino acid binding sites, was prepared from olfactory rosettes of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and utilized to investigate the role of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) hydrolysis in olfactory signal transduction. A cocktail of L-amino acids (Ser, Glu, Lys, and Gly) stimulated PIP2 hydrolysis by phospholipase C (PLC) in a dose-dependent manner with half-maximal stimulation when all amino acids were present at approximately 1 microM. Stimulation of PIP2 hydrolysis by amino acids required GTP gamma S, which alone had no effect on PLC activity. Unlike GTP gamma S, AlF4- and Ca2+ stimulated PIP2 breakdown. Preincubation with 1 mM GDP beta S eliminated the effect of amino acids and AlF4- on PIP2 hydrolysis, suggesting the involvement of G protein regulation. The lack of stimulation by GTP gamma S alone suggested that there was negligible exchange of GTP gamma S for GDP in the absence of odorant. There were no significant effects of amino acids on either adenylate cyclase or guanylate cyclase activities in the membrane preparation under these conditions. The effect of the amino acid cocktail was maximal at 1-10 nM free Ca2+. At or above 100 nM free Ca2+, no effect of amino acids on PIP2 hydrolysis was found. However, between 100 nM and 100 microM, Ca2+ directly stimulated PLC activity in a dose-dependent manner. This stimulation by Ca2+ appeared to be G protein independent because it did not require GTP gamma S and was not inhibited by GDP beta S. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Tumour detectability in 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional positron emission tomography using the SET-2400W: a phantom study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the detectability of small hot lesions in 2-dimensional transmission+emission (2D T/E), 2-dimensional simultaneous transmission+emission (2D simultaneous T/E) and 3-dimensional transmission+emission (3D T/E) acquisition modes in an 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) scan. The correlation between target detectability, target size, target to non-target uptake ratio (T/N ratio), and standardized uptake value (SUV) were studied. Small hot lesions ranging from 4.4 mm to 36.9 mm in diameter were set in a cylindrical phantom. The images of phantoms with T/N ratios of 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, 9.6, 13.2, 17.5, 23.8 and 30.3 were obtained in 2D T/E, 2D simultaneous T/E and 3D T/E scans. Tumour uptake of 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) in a rabbit bearing VX-2 tumours was also studied in 2D T/E, 2D simultaneous T/E and 3D T/E scans. The target with a diameter >10.6 mm and an actual T/N ratio from 6.0 to 30.3 could be identified on the images obtained with all the 2D T/E, 2D simultaneous T/E and 3D T/E acquisition modes. The detectability efficiency of a small hot target was found to be 77.8% in 2D T/E and 3D T/E, but 75.9% in 2D simultaneous T/E. The T/N ratio and recovery coefficient (RC) of the target from the 2D simultaneous T/E image was very similar to that from 2D T/E, and the SUV of the target from the 2D T/E image was almost the same as that from the 2D simultaneous T/E and 3D T/E images. This study indicated that 2D simultaneous T/E scanning and 3D T/E had similar abilities for detecting the tumour as did 2D T/E scanning. 2D T/E, 2D simultaneous T/E and 3D T/E scanning had the same feasibility for semi-quantitative analysis using SUV, as well as using the T/N ratios for 2D T/E and 2D simultaneous T/E. In contrast, the use of the T/N ratio in 3D T/E scanning gave an inferior result in semi-quantative analysis, although there might have been an improvement if a scatter correction had been performed.