Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Variation in the Uncoupling Protein and Fatty Acid Binding Protein Gene Families: A Multi-Locus Approach to Investigating Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are heterogeneous conditions caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. A number of candidate gene families have been identified that influence obesity- and diabetes-related traits, including the uncoupling proteins (UCPs) and fatty acids binding proteins (FABPs). The UCPs are mitochondrial transport proteins that promote proton leakage across the inner mitochondrial membrane, uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation from ATP production and releasing energy as heat. The FABPs are intracellular transporters of fatty acids that facilitate lipid metabolism and gene transcription regulation. The UCPs and FABPs influence energy metabolism, fuel substrate partitioning, glucose and lipid metabolism, and insulin action. In this study, we identified variation in UCP and FABP genes, explored the influence of that variation on phenotype through multi-locus analyses, and assayed the functional consequences of promoter variation on gene expression. Using the multi-locus analysis approach, we constructed regression models that explained a relatively large portion of the variation in phenotypes in comparison to the individual effects of single loci. Several of the models explained upwards of 10% of the variation in traits. This suggests that a multi-locus approach to studying complex disease is much more informative than considering single loci individually. In addition to the statistical analyses, functional studies were performed to assess the effects of promoter variation on gene expression. Variation in the FABP2 promoter region was associated with levels of promoter activity, suggesting a biological explanation for effects of this polymorphism on phenotype. This exploratory analysis identified a number of interesting multi-locus genetic effects on traits related to obesity and type 2 diabetes, suggesting that consideration of multiple gene effects is a more comprehensive approach to understanding complex disease.
Braunwald’s Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th edition

This is the 11th edition of the textbook, Heart Disease: A textbook of cardiovascular medicine. As with each edition of this reference work, international experts have totally revised every chapter. In addition, multiple new chapters have been added to recognize the ever-expanding role of cardiology into areas such as oncology, chronic lung disease, environmental toxins, catheter-based treatments of congenital heart disease, and other topics. Some sections have been revised for clarity, such as arrhythmias; some have been expanded, such as diseases of heart valves; others have had a shift of emphasis, such as congenital heart disease for the adult. Finally, to maintain vitality of standard topics, new authors have replaced more than a third of those who have tirelessly written for previous editions, in chapters on ethics, personalized and precision medicine, imaging, obesity, diabetes, sleep disordered breathing, autonomics and other areas.
iNKT Cell-development is Orchestrated by Different Branches of TGF-beta Signaling (47.24)

iNKT cells constitute a distinct subset of T lymphocytes exhibiting important immune-regulatory functions. Although different steps of their differentiation have been well characterized, the factors controlling their development remain poorly documented. Here, we show that TGF-β controls the differentiation program of iNKT cells. We demonstrate that TGF-β signaling finely and specifically orchestrates several steps of iNKT cell development. In vivo this multifaceted role of TGF-β involves the concerted action of different pathways of TGF-β signaling. Whereas the Tif-1γ branch controls lineage expansion, the Smad4 branch maintains the maturation stage that is initially repressed by a Tif-1γ/Smad4-independent branch. Thus, these three different branches of TGF-β signaling function in concert as complementary effectors allowing TGF-β to finely tune the iNKT cell-differentiation program.
Accumulation of diferulic acid during the hypersensitive response of oat leaves toPuccinia coronataf.sp.avenaeand its role in the resistance of oat tissues to cell wall degrading enzymes

The relationship between diferulic acid formation and locally induced resistance was investigated in the interactions of two physiological races ofPuccinia coronataf.sp. avenaewith Shokan 1 oat. Diferulic acid was detected in the hemicellulosic fraction extracted with oxalic acid from the cell wall. The amount of ferulic acid bound in the cell wall matrix polysaccharides did not vary in uninoculated and inoculated primary leaves of oats during the time course of the experiment. In contrast, the formation of diferulic acid bound to wall polysaccharides became significantly higher in the incompatible than the compatible interaction at approx. 36h after inoculation. The timing of increased formation of diferulic acid was correlated with the accumulation of avenalumins and inhibition of protoplast liberation from infected primary leaves. Activities of soluble, and of ionically- and covalently-bound cell wall peroxidases from uninoculated and inoculated leaves were measured. Ionically-bound cell wall peroxidase activity increased in the incompatible interactions at about 36h after inoculation. This was the same time that increased levels of diferulic acids were observed. This may indicate that the cross-linking of matrix polysaccharides by ferulic acids bound in cell walls is caused by a coupling reaction initiated by ionically-bound cell wall peroxidases. It is postulated that the diferulic acid formation occurs in oat cell walls at the infection sites in incompatible interactions and may contribure to locally induced resistance in oats by providing a barrier to pathogen ingress.
Étude de l'implication des transporteurs de sucres dans l'interaction entre Arabidopsis thaliana et le champignon nécrotrophe Botrytis cinerea

Au cours des interactions plante/agent pathogene, la disponibilite en sucres est un des enjeux majeurs pour les deux partenaires. Il s'etablit donc une competition vis-a-vis des ressources carbonees entre l'agent pathogene heterotrophe pour le carbone et la plante consommant de l'energie pour se defendre. Les transporteurs de sucres sont les acteurs moleculaires qui interviennent dans cette competition et probablement dans le devenir de l'interaction. L'objectif de cette etude est de determiner l'implication des transporteurs de sucres au cours de l'interaction entre la plante modele Arabidopsis thaliana et le champignon necrotrophe Botrytis cinerea. Parmi la famille des transporteurs d'hexoses (STPs) d'A. thaliana, l'expression du gene STP13 est regulee positivement durant l'infection par B. cinerea. Le role potentiel de STP13 au cours de cette interaction a donc ete etudie a l'aide de plantes transgeniques (Knock-Out et surexpresseur). Le suivi du developpement des symptomes et la mesure d'absorption du glucose ont permis de montrer des modifications phenotypiques entre les differents genotypes etudies. Les resultats indiquent une correlation entre le niveau d'expression de STP13, le transport de glucose et le developpement du champignon, confortant ainsi le role de STP13 dans la tolerance face a B. cinerea. Les resultats preliminaires de l'etude du transport de glucose a l'echelle cellulaire montrent une inhibition dans des conditions mimant l'infection. Ces analyses ont ete effectuees grâce a un modele constitue d'une suspension cellulaire d'A. thaliana subissant un traitement eliciteur a partir d'un extrait proteique de B. cinerea. Nous nous sommes egalement interesses au transport de saccharose a l'echelle de la plante infectee. Nos resultats suggerent que l'inoculation par le champignon modifie les flux de saccharose classiquement observes creant ainsi une nouvelle force d'appel. Ainsi, la feuille infectee se comporte comme un nouveau puits. Ces travaux de recherche s'inscrivent dans la necessite d'une meilleure comprehension des mecanismes de transport des sucres qui permettra a terme d'agir sur les capacites de resistance des plantes vis-a-vis d'agents pathogenes.
Lipid Metabolism and Comparative Genomics

Unilever asked the Study Group to focus on two problems. The first concerned dysregulated lipid metabolism which is a feature of many diseases including metabolic syndrome, obesity and coronary heart disease. The Study Group was asked to develop a model of the kinetics of lipoprotein metabolism between healthy and obese states incorporating the activities of key enzymes. The second concerned the use of comparative genomics in understanding and comparing metabolic networks in bacterium. Comparative genomics is a method to make inferences on the genome of a new organism using information of a previously charaterised organism. The first mathematical question is how one would quantify such a metabolic map in a statistical sense, in particular, where there are different levels of confidence for presense of different parts of the map. The next and most important question is how one can design a measurement strategy to maximise the confidence in the accuracy of the metabolic map.
Avaliação cintilográfica da regeneração óssea pós-cirurgia em coelhos

PRETTI,V. Scintigraphic Evaluation of bone healing postoperative in rabbits. 2011. 45 f. Dissertação (Mestrado) – Programa de Pós-graduação Interunidades em Bioengenharia Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos / Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto / Instituto de Química de São Carlos da Universidade de São Paulo – Universidade de São Paulo, 2011. Bone healing is an important physiological and biochemical process that occurs in bone tissue in response to different types of aggression. Whether the trauma, infections, excessive load demand, expansive lesions, vascular malformations and systemic metabolic changes in any of these situations remodeling and bone regeneration are very important given the relevance of the skeleton to human health. In this sense, it is important to develop research techniques that allow us to study in vivo the metabolic changes that occur in the bone tissue under different conditions. In this sense, our goal was to use the technique of bone scintigraphy to evaluate osteogenesis secondary to osteotomy in an animal model of New Zealand rabbits. For this purpose we developed a longitudinal, prospective, case-control study, in which the scintigraphic variables were measured both in the operated paw (right paw) and the control paw (left paw). The sample consisted of a group of 10 rabbits, initially, which underwent osteotomy, followed by an evaluation period of 12 weeks after surgery, divided into three stages of imaging, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. As results show: (A) the operated paw external radiation was significantly higher than the control, through pinhole collimator, showing increased radiotracer biodistribution and tropism for the operated paw, (B) Among the three time intervals, the osteogenesis was maximal at 4 weeks and showed significant decline in the 8th and 12th week, showing regeneration and resolution of the surgical lesion, (C) The control paw was also influenced by the inactivity imposed by the operated leg. This fact was also evidenced by markedly reduced osteogenesis in the left paw (control). We conclude that the technique of bone scintigraphy was sensitive to differentiate semiquantitatively osteogenesis in the operated leg in three timeframes in the current study.
Dynamic buckling of shell-like structures under pressures due to an explosion

The nonlinear dynamic response and buckling of a simple, two degree of freedom system is investigated in this work under an impulsive load that simulates a nearby detonation-like explosion. The system includes force and moment springs in much the same way as membrane and bending effects develop in shell structures. The static response is first obtained to evaluate bifurcation states and nonlinear equilibrium paths including geometric imperfections. The dynamic problem is modeled using Lagrange equation of motion. The nonlinear dynamic response under impulsive load is next computed for the perfect configuration under increasing load levels. The presence of quasi-bifurcations is detected using stability coefficients based on second order derivatives of the total potential energy. For a given load level, it is found that one stability coefficient vanishes at the first maximum in the displacement versus time trajectory, at which the system passes through a state of zero velocity. This occurs for the same displacement configuration as in the static buckling mode. The results show that quasi-bifurcation loads thus obtained are independent of the amplitude of the geometric imperfection considered but display high sensitivity to changes in the membrane to bending stiffness ratio.
Callus Induction in Cotyledons of Moringa oleifera Lam.

Callus cultures of Moringa oleifera Lam. were successfully established from cotyledon explants obtained from green mature seeds. Benzyladenine (BA) alone (2.5 mg L-1) significantly increased callus formation but was not significantly different when combined with increasing levels of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) (1.0–5.0 mg L-1) and further supplemented with thidiazuron (TDZ). Loose crystalline calli were observed in media containing 2,4-D and BA singly or in combination, while compact, nodular and loose calli were obtained when the culture media were further enriched with TDZ. BA and 2,4-D singly or in combination did not significantly enhance degree of callus formation but BA in combination with 1.0 and 5.0 mg L-1 2,4-D and TDZ significantly increased degree of callusing. A significant increase in callus weight was observed in BA at different levels combined with 2,4-D (1.0 and 2.5 mg L-1). Addition of TDZ to BA and 2,4-D containing media further increased callus weight. Slight greening of calli was observed 4 wk after the first transfer onto the shoot induction media; however, statistical analysis revealed that there was no significant difference among treatments. Microscopic observation of hand-sectioned protrusions on green calli revealed heterogenous and asynchronous cell growth showing actively dividing cells. Xylem differentiation was also evident, indicating initiation of bud initials.
Mechanisms of segmentation in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana

A fully segmented body and jointed legs are defining characteristics of the Arthropoda (Insecta, Crustacea, Myriapoda, and Chelicerata). The underlying mechanisms involved in achieving these features are not well understood outside of the insect Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) – a long germ band organism where segmentation occurs all at once in a syncytial blastoderm. In the more common, ancestral mode of development, short germ band, new segments are added sequentially from the cellular environment of a posteriorly extending growth zone. Segmentation in these organisms may not always be comparable to the “Drosophila paradigm” and, therefore, require further analysis. My thesis will explore the conservation and divergence of the molecular mechanisms of segmentation in a phylogenetically basal, short germ band insect, Periplaneta americana (American cockroach). Presented over three results chapters, I will discuss aspects of cockroach segmentation processes, from the establishment of a posterior organiser and growth zone, to subsequent posterior growth and the formation of new segments. In particular, Chapter III describes how interactions between the Cad/Wnt-dependent posterior organiser and the Notch-segmentation clock control posterior growth and segmentation. Chapter IV encompasses the expression patterns and potential roles for Periplaneta homologues of the pair-rule genes: even-skipped, runt, pairberry, and sloppy-paired throughout embryogenesis, identifying deviations in function between anterior and posterior segmentation processes. New functions for the non-canonical, polycistronic small Open Reading Frame (smORF) gene tarsal-less in body patterning are discussed in Chapter V, along with the conserved roles for tarsal-less, nubbin, Notch, and Delta in leg and development. Elucidation of the networks involved in these processes will help establish putative ancestral gene functions allowing us to gain further insights into the evolution of insect (and arthropod) body segmentation and leg joint formation.
Energy district Sydhavn –: co-creation of energy transitions with citizens in the contexts of city and national politics

The provision of heat and electricity are for many citizens, small shops and enterprises a concern when paying the bills but are at the same time not something that they easily understood and approached in technical terms. Neither is the current need for a transition toward a renewable based integrated and flexible energy system well understood though the icons of renewable energy such as wind turbines, solar cells and heat pumps often are well known and supported. The involvement of local heating managers and dwellers and the change of everyday practices is at the same time crucial to reach the goals for energy savings. The project: Energy Forum Sydhavn has the purpose of making energy savings and transitions become real beyond the actual results from energy renovations of buildings. In projects involving utilities, building owners, operators, tenants, shops and companies including also technology providers we set targets and organize socio-technical change agendas and structure project that make these changes become real. In the project, we operate with concepts for how to involve actors and how to configure topics, goals and actor constellations. This is reflected in the energy systems transition literature with the focus on local, engaged ownership as well as cities and regions as drivers of a new wave of change. At the same the organizational obstacles, the existing energy institutions routines and practices and a lot of visionary window dressing from the side of city and government authorities tend to reduce the real impact of the transition. This is often even hidden behind attempts to recruit citizens and politicians to trust in short term market based solutions and privatization. While the ideal type sustainable energy transition is well outlined in models of future renewable energy bases societies the transition processes include controversies and a continued need to change the visions and actor constellations that drive the transition.
Biology and Ecology of Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens in the Grasse River, New York

ii DEDICATION iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF FIGURES x CHAPTER 1. PREFACE 1 Organization of this Dissertation 3 References 4 2. AGE, GROWTH, MORTALITY, AND ABUNDANCE OF LAKE STURGEON IN THE GRASSE RIVER, NEW YORK 6 Introduction 6 Methods 7 Results 15 Discussion 24 References 33 3. SEASONAL MOVEMENT AND MESOHABITAT USE OF LAKE STURGEON IN THE GRASSE RIVER, NEW YORK 36 Introduction 36 Methods 38 Results 48 Discussion 66
Fitting lactation curves of South Anatolian Red cattle.

ÖZET Bu çalışma Güney Anadolu Kırmızısı (GAK) ırkı ineklerin laktasyon verimini tanımlayacak uygun eğrilerin belirlenmesi amacıyla yapılmıştır. Araştırmada kullanılan süt verim kayıtları Ceylanpınar Tarım İşletmesi sığırcılık biriminden alınmıştır. Laktasyon eğrisi oluşturmak için Wood (Gamma) modeli kullanılmıştır. Modelin değerlendirmesi doğrusal olmayan regresyon analizi çözümlemesi kullanılarak yapılmıştır. Modelin belirtme katsayısı (R) laktasyon sırasına göre %64.5-69.7 arasında, hata kareler ortalaması ise 1.082-2.232 arasında değişmiştir. Modelin hata kareler ortalaması bakımından laktasyon sıraları arasındaki fark önemli bulunmuştur (p<0.001). Laktasyon verimleri; İşletmenin hesaplamada kullandığı şekilde, Wood modeli ve Hollanda metodu olmak üzere üç farklı metodla hesaplanmıştır. Metodlar arasında farklılık olup olmadığını belirlemek için Friedman varyans analizi uygulanmıştır. Sadece üçüncü laktasyon için Hollanda metodu ile yapılan süt verim tahmini diğer metotlarla tahmin edilenden daha fazla belirlenmiştir (p<0.01). Çalışmanın son aşamasında Wood modeli kullanılarak beş laktasyon sırası için laktasyon eğrileri oluşturulmuştur. Anahtar Kelimeler: Sığır, Güney Anadolu Kırmızısı, Laktasyon modeli, Laktasyon eğrisi
Methoprene modulates the effect of diet on male melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae, performance at mating aggregations

The effect of access to dietary protein (P) (hydrolyzed yeast) and/or treatment with a juvenile hormone analogue, methoprene (M), (in addition to sugar and water) on male aggregation (lekking) behaviour and mating success was studied in a laboratory strain of the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Six‐day‐old males were treated with (1) protein and methoprene (M+P+), (2) only protein (M−P+), or (3) only methoprene (M+P−), and compared with 14‐day‐old sexually mature untreated males (M−P−). The lekking behaviour of the four groups of males when competing for virgin sexually mature females (14 –16 days old) was observed in field cages. The following parameters were measured at male aggregations: lek initiation, lek participation, males calling, male–male interaction, female acceptance index, and mating success. For all these parameters, the M+P+ males significantly outperformed the other males. Moreover, for all parameters, there was a similar trend with M+P+ > M−P+ > M−P− > M+P−. More M+P+ males called and initiated and participated in lek activities than all other types of male, which resulted in higher mating success. They had also fewer unsuccessful copulation attempts than their counterparts. Whereas treatment with methoprene alone had a negative effect in young males with only access to sugar, access to dietary protein alone significantly improved young male sexual performance; moreover, the provision of methoprene together with protein had a synergistic effect, improving further male performance at leks. The results are of great relevance for enhancing the application of the sterile insect technique (SIT) against this pest species. The fact that access to dietary protein and treatment of sterile males with methoprene improves mating success means that SIT cost‐effectiveness is increased, as more released males survive to sexual maturity.