Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mutational Analysis of the Functional Domains of the Large Subunit of the Isozyme Form of Wheat Initiation Factor eIF4F*

The isozyme form of plant eukaryotic initiation factor 4F (eIF(iso)4F) contains two subunits: p28, a cap-binding protein, and p86. To identify the functional domains of p86, truncations of the p86 cDNA were made, and the protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The deletion mutants were tested for the ability to bind the p28 subunit by two methods. In addition, these deletion mutants were evaluated in vitro by the ability to catalyze eIF4A and RNA-dependent ATP hydrolysis and to support polypeptide synthesis. The loss of the ability to bind p28 occurs within the first 90 amino acids of the N terminus and abrogates the ability of p86 to participate in translation initiation and bind to eIF4A, but does not affect ATP hydrolysis. Up to 299 amino acid residues from the C terminus of p86 must be deleted before an effect is observed on the ATP hydrolysis activity. Thus, the p28 binding and ATP hydrolysis activities appear to lie on two separate domains and are functionally uncoupled. In addition, at least a portion of the eIF4A binding domain appears to be in close proximity to the p28 binding domain and is also uncoupled from the ATP hydrolysis activity.
Characterization of microglial reaction after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rat brain

We have studied the microglial reaction that accompanies cortical infarction induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Lectin histochemistry with the B4‐isolectin from Griffonia simplicifoliaas well as immunocytochemistry with a panel of monoclonal antibodies directed against major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and lymphocytic antigens were performed. Principal attention was focused on neocortical and thalamic regions, representative of primary and secondary ischemic damage, respectively. With the lectin procedure, activated microglial cells were abundant in the neocortex 24 hours after MCAO. In contrast, microglial activation in the thalamus was not apparent until day 2 after MCAO. On day 5, MHC class II antigen was expressed by reactive microglia in fiber tracts traversing the striatum, but was absent from activated microglia in the primary cortical infarction area. MHC class I and lymphocytic antigens were expressed differentially on microglia with class I antigens appearing early and lymphocytic antigens appearing late in the time course after focal ischemia. The findings are compatible with previous studies during global ischemia and confirm the early activation and the progressive nature of immunomolecule expression on activated microglia after an ischemic insult. In addition to neocortical and thalamic sites, our results showed an early microglial activation to be present also in forebrain regions outside of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory, such as the contralateral cortex and hippocampus. A unilateral microglial reaction was also detectable after long‐term survival (≥4 weeks) in the pyramidal tracts, as well as in the corticospinal tracts at cervical but not lumbar spinal cord levels. Ischemia‐induced neuronal damage, as evaluated by Nissl staining, was found only in cortical and thalamic regions. We conclude that the demonstration of reactive microglia indicates not only imminent ischemic neuronal damage within MCA territory but can also delineate extra‐focal disturbances, possibly reflecting subtle and transitory changes in neuronal activity. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Thermal Degradation of Cellulose Paper Insulation in Power Transformers

This paper presents on experimental on cellulose paper insulation and mineral insulating oil in power transformers. These materials were aged in specially designed glass cells at 140,150and 160 centigrade for ageing times. These measurements show that the loss of strength results from level varies of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Paper tensile strength when combined and correlated with the amount of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gases in oil provides a good assessment of the condition of transformers cellulose insulation. Also it is suggested that the loss of tensile strength would provide an end of life criterion for predicting insulating paper life. Therefore a new paper expected life time model is developed.
Bone marrow microcirculation analysis in multiple myeloma by contrast‐enhanced dynamic magnetic resonance imaging

The aim of our study was to investigate the quantitative microcirculation parameters amplitude A (hypothetical intravascular volume) and exchange rate constant k21 (hypothetical vascular permeability) by contrast‐enhanced dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) as markers of angiogenesis in multiple myeloma (MM). Therefore lumbar spine and spina iliaca superior posterior of 16 normal controls and 41 patients with active MM were assessed using a dMRI protocol with a pump controlled bolus infusion of Gadolinium‐DTPA. Pharmacokinetic parameters, amplitude A and exchange rate constant k21 were calculated according to a 2‐compartment model. Color‐coded parameter images were generated from pharmacokinetic data analysis and superimposed onto the conventional MR images. Amplitude A and k21 parameters were significantly increased in patients with MM compared with controls (p = 0.001; median Actr, 0.2 [range, 0.09–0.4]; median AMM, 0.93 [range, 0.2–2.2]; median k21ctr, 0.09 min−1 [range, 0.03–0.9]; median k21MM, 4.58 [range, 0.22–23.8]). Within the group of MM patients the pattern of color‐coded parameter images were found to be either of “diffuse” (n = 13, 31%) or “focal” (n = 28, 69%) type of distribution of microcirculation. Comparison of amplitude A in patients with “focal” vs. “diffuse” pattern of the pharmacokinetic maps revealed a significant increase in the median of amplitude A in the “focal” group. Amplitude A values allowed a classification of patients according to severe osteolytic bone involvement (p = 0.023) with the best cutoff value of 0.7 for amplitude A. Downmodulation of amplitude A was observed in a MM patient treated with standard VAD chemotherapy. Our data demonstrate that dMRI is a novel imaging technique for the detection and monitoring of MM bone lesions. It provides independent evidence for angiogenesis in MM. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dietary exposure estimates of 18 elements from the 1st French Total Diet Study

To estimate the dietary exposure of the main minerals and trace elements from retail food typically consumed by the French population, samples were purchased and then prepared and cooked prior to analysis. A total of 1080 individual food composites samples were collected and analysed for 18 elements (arsenic, lead, cadmium, aluminium, mercury, antimony, chrome, calcium, manganese, magnesium, nickel, copper, zinc, lithium, sodium, molybdenum, cobalt and selenium). Intakes were calculated from different food consumption patterns found in France for average and high consumers among adults and children. Dietary exposures of those consumers estimated from the France 2000 Total Diet Study (FTDS) are reported, and compared with existing nutritional reference values (Lowest threshold Intake, LTI) or toxicological reference values (Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake, PTWI or Upper Level, UL) of the respective element and from previous French studies. This study confirms for the populations concerned, the low probability of nutritional or health risks due to food consumption.
Toxicological and epidemiological studies on effects of airborne fibers: Coherence and public health implications

Abstract Airborne fibers, when sufficiently biopersistent, can cause chronic pleural diseases, as well as excess pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancers. Mesothelioma and pleural plaques are caused by biopersistent fibers thinner than ∼0.1 μm and longer than ∼5 μm. Excess lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis are caused by biopersistent fibers that are longer than ∼20 μm. While biopersistence varies with fiber type, all amphibole and erionite fibers are sufficiently biopersistent to cause pathogenic effects, while the greater in vivo solubility of chrysotile fibers makes them somewhat less causal for the lung diseases, and much less causal for the pleural diseases. Most synthetic vitreous fibers are more soluble in vivo than chrysotile, and pose little, if any, health pulmonary or pleural health risk, but some specialty SVFs were sufficiently biopersistent to cause pathogenic effects in animal studies. My conclusions are based on the following: 1) epidemiologic studies that specified the origin of the fibers by type, and especially those that identified their fiber length and diameter distributions; 2) laboratory-based toxicologic studies involving fiber size characterization and/or dissolution rates and long-term observation of biological responses; and 3) the largely coherent findings of the epidemiology and the toxicology. The strong dependence of effects on fiber diameter, length, and biopersistence makes reliable routine quantitative exposure and risk assessment impractical in some cases, since it would require transmission electronic microscopic examination, of representative membrane filter samples, for determining statistically sufficient numbers of fibers longer than 5 and 20 μm, and those thinner than 0.1 μm, based on the fiber types.
Natural non-homologous recombination led to the emergence of a duplicated V3-NS5A region in HCV-1b strains associated with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background The emergence of new strains in RNA viruses is mainly due to mutations or intra and inter-genotype homologous recombination. Non-homologous recombinations may be deleterious and are rarely detected. In previous studies, we identified HCV-1b strains bearing two tandemly repeated V3 regions in the NS5A gene without ORF disruption. This polymorphism may be associated with an unfavorable course of liver disease and possibly involved in liver carcinogenesis. Here we aimed at characterizing the origin of these mutant strains and identifying the evolutionary mechanism on which the V3 duplication relies. Methods Direct sequencing of the entire NS5A and E1 genes was performed on 27 mutant strains. Quasispecies analyses in consecutive samples were also performed by cloning and sequencing the NS5A gene for all mutant and wild strains. We analyzed the mutant and wild-type sequence polymorphisms using Bayesian methods to infer the evolutionary history of and the molecular mechanism leading to the duplication-like event. Results Quasispecies were entirely composed of exclusively mutant or wild-type strains respectively. Mutant quasispecies were found to have been present since contamination and had persisted for at least 10 years. This V3 duplication-like event appears to have resulted from non-homologous recombination between HCV-1b wild-type strains around 100 years ago. The association between increased liver disease severity and these HCV-1b mutants may explain their persistence in chronically infected patients. Conclusions These results emphasize the possible consequences of non-homologous recombination in the emergence and severity of new viral diseases.
T1 and magnetization transfer at 7 Tesla in acute ischemic infarct in the rat

T1 and magnetization transfer at a field strength of 7 Tesla were used to discriminate between water accumulation and protein mobilization in tissue undergoing infarction. Twelve rats subjected to acute stroke via intralumenal suture occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, and 19 controls, were studied. In MRI studies to 6 hr post‐ictus, serial data acquisition allowed the measurement of cerebral blood flow (CBF), apparent diffusion coefficient of water (ADCw), equilibrium magnetization (M0) and T1, and equilibrium magnetization and T1 under an off‐resonance partial saturation of the macromolecular pool (Msat and T1sat). Using these parameters, the apparent forward transfer rate of magnetization between the free water proton pool and the macromolecular proton pool, kfa, was calculated. Regions of interest (ROIs) were chosen using depressed areas in maps of the ADCw. T1 measurements in bovine serum albumin at 7T were not affected by the mobility of the macromolecular pool (P > 0.2), but magnetization transfer between free water and protein depended strongly on the mobility of the macromolecular pool (P < 0.001). For 6 hr after ictus, kfa uniformly and strongly decreased in the region of the infarct (P < 0.0001). Ratios (ischemic/non‐ischemic) of parameters M0, Msat, T1, and T1sat all uniformly and strongly increased in the infarct. The ratio T1/T1sat in the region of infarction showed that a progressive accumulation of free water in the region of interest was the major (>80%) contribution to the decrease in kfa. There also existed a small contribution due to changes at the water‐macromolecular interface, possibly due to proteolysis (P = 0.005). Magn Reson Med 41:696–705, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Removal of Heavy Metals in a Horizontal Sub-Surface Flow Constructed Wetland

Abstract Constructed wetlands with horizontal sub-surface flow designed for the treatment of municipal sewage have been monitored extensively with respect to removal of organics (BOD5, COD), suspended solids, nutrients (N, P) and microbial pollution. However, the information on the removal and distribution of heavy and other metals in these systems are very limited because heavy metals do not constitute a major problem in wastewater from small villages with no industry. The measurements were carried out in a constructed wetland with sub-surface flow at Morina near Prague. Removal of metals in constructed wetland at Morina near Prague varied widely among studied metals. The highest removal was recorded for aluminium (> 98.9%), zinc (94.1%) and chromium (92.8%). Iron and manganese increased their concentration in the outflow suggesting that these metals are actually washed out of the system. This phenomenon is attributed to the fact that in the absence of dissolved oxygen and nitrate manganic Mn and then ferric Fe are used by microorganisms as the terminal electron acceptors during respiration. It has been shown that substantial amounts of metals were retained in pretreatment units.
A new procedure for modeling nonlinear systems via norm-bounded linear differential inclusions

There are several advantages of using linear differential inclusions (LDIs) to describe nonlinear systems and other types of complex systems (such as, systems with time-varying uncertainties and/or saturation). From the control point of view, for example, it may be easier to design a controller for a nonlinear system by using a linear description of it in the form of an LDI (instead of using the nonlinear equations for the same purpose). With this premise, we focus on modeling of a class of nonlinear systems via a norm-bounded LDI (NLDI) model. One of the main contributions of the proposed modeling approach is the use of the mean-value theorem to represent the nonlinear system by a linear parameter-varying (LPV) model, which is then mapped into a polytopic LDI (PLDI) within the region of interest. To avoid the combinatorial problem that is inherent of polytopic models for medium- and large-sized systems, the PLDI is transformed into an NLDI, and the whole process is carried out ensuring that all trajectories of the underlying nonlinear system are also trajectories of the resulting NLDI within the operating region of interest. Furthermore, it is also possible to choose a particular structure for the NLDI parameters to reduce the conservatism in the representation of the nonlinear system by the NLDI model, and this feature is also one of the main contributions of this paper. A numerical example is presented at the end of this paper to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.
How Often Versus How Long

This study investigates the effects of customer contact frequency and relationship duration on customer-reported relationship strength (CRRS). We embed our analysis of these two relationship-quantity variables within a larger model that considers the effects of relationship-quality variables—commitment, trust and satisfaction—on CRRS. We additionally control for customer demographics and service type. Using a fully national sample of 591 service consumers, we find that both contact frequency and relationship duration have a positive effect on CRRS, and that duration moderates the effect of frequency. Specifically, we observe a relationship-maturity effect: for shorter-duration relationships, contact frequency enhances CRRS, but for longer-duration relationships, contact frequency has no effect on CRRS. Furthermore, employing an iso-contact analysis, we find that for relationships with about the same number of total contacts, those with longer duration are perceived to be stronger, while those with greater contact frequency are not.
Amnesic confabulatory syndrome after focal basal forebrain damage

Article abstract A 73-year-old woman developed amnesic confabulatory syndrome after a right focal basal forebrain hemorrhage. The confabulation, despite persistent antegrade amnesia, gradually subsided with improvement of the frontal executive function. The lesion appeared to disrupt connections of the medial and lateral limbic circuits important for memory. Simultaneous dysfunctioning of the two circuits involving the medial temporal and frontal lobes may be necessary for the development of this syndrome.
The origin of the acoustic ganglion and effects of the gene dominant spotting (Wv) in the mouse.

The gene dominant spotting in the mouse affects coat colour. The heterozygotes for the viable allele ( W v ) have one or two white spots and a general greying of the coat. The homozygotes are entirely white. There is evidence that the gene causes abnormalities of pigmentation by affecting the neural crest. The inner ears of 33 W v / W v , 23 W v /+ and W v /+ mice were examined. Marked abnormalities were found in the cochlea of all W v / W v mice and in the saccule of many. They also occurred, though in a restricted form, in a small part of the cochlea of a few old W v /+ mice. The +/+ animals were all normal. These findings may be interpreted as follows. The neural crest contributes to the formation of the acoustic ganglion, and as it is abnormal in W v / W v mice in its undifferentiated state, both the melanoblasts and the ganglionic primordia are affected. The abnormality of the primordium of the acoustic ganglion manifests itself as pathological changes in the inner ear. This interpretation is supported by the results of an earlier study on the mutant piebald-lethal ( s l ). But as there is considerable evidence that the otic placode also contributes to the formation of this ganglion, it probably has a dual origin. Since the vestibular part of the inner ear in both W v / W v and s l / s l mice appears to be unaffected, it may be assumed that the placodal moiety innervates this region, and the neural crest moiety the cochlea and the saccule. The mode of formation of the acoustic ganglion suggested here should also be applicable to man, the dog, the cat, the mink and the deer mouse, if not to all mammals. In the species named above inner ear abnormalities have either been observed or been inferred from the behaviour, and when examined they have been found to be extraordinarily similar to those discovered in the mouse mutants.
Effects of DNA end configuration on XRCC4-DNA ligase IV and its stimulation of Artemis activity

In humans, nonhomologous DNA end-joining (NHEJ) is the major pathway by which DNA double-strand breaks are repaired. Recognition of each broken DNA end by the DNA repair protein Ku is the first step in NHEJ, followed by the iterative binding of nucleases, DNA polymerases, and the XRCC4-DNA ligase IV (X4-LIV) complex in an order influenced by the configuration of the two DNA ends at the break site. The endonuclease Artemis improves joining efficiency by functioning in a complex with DNA-dependent protein kinase, catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) that carries out endonucleolytic cleavage of 5′ and 3′ overhangs. Previously, we observed that X4-LIV alone can stimulate Artemis activity on 3′ overhangs, but this DNA-PKcs-independent endonuclease activity of Artemis awaited confirmation. Here, using in vitro nuclease and ligation assays, we find that stimulation of Artemis nuclease activity by X4-LIV and the efficiency of blunt-end ligation are determined by structural configurations at the DNA end. Specifically, X4-LIV stimulated Artemis to cut near the end of 3′ overhangs without the involvement of other NHEJ proteins. Of note, this ligase complex is not able to stimulate Artemis activity at hairpins or at 5′ overhangs. We also found that X4-LIV and DNA-PKcs interfere with one another with respect to stimulating Artemis activity at 3′ overhangs, favoring the view that these NHEJ proteins are sequentially rather than concurrently recruited to DNA ends. These data suggest specific functional and positional relationships among these components that explain genetic and molecular features of NHEJ and V(D)J recombination within cells.
Host Species Barriers to Influenza Virus Infections

Most emerging infectious diseases in humans originate from animal reservoirs; to contain and eradicate these diseases we need to understand how and why some pathogens become capable of crossing host species barriers. Influenza virus illustrates the interaction of factors that limit the transmission and subsequent establishment of an infection in a novel host species. Influenza species barriers can be categorized into virus-host interactions occurring within individuals and host-host interactions, either within or between species, that affect transmission between individuals. Viral evolution can help surmount species barriers, principally by affecting virus-host interactions; however, evolving the capability for sustained transmission in a new host species represents a major adaptive challenge because the number of mutations required is often large.
Acoustic Vector Hydrophone Array Supergain Energy Flux Beamforming

The supergain beamforming is introduced into pressure-gradient vector hydrophone array beamforming here. An acoustic vector hydrophone can simultaneously measure the scalar information - acoustic pressure and vector information of acoustic field - particle velocity at the same spot. In order to take full advantage of this vector information collected by acoustic vector hydrophone, the idea of the supergain energy flux beamforming on pressure-gradient vector hydrophone crossing array is brought forward. Comparing with conventional beamforming, a narrower beam-width and lower sidelobe can be obtained by using this method. And it can be used to preform multi-beam, so it has attractive practical value. The lake experiment result validated this idea in practice