Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hepatic and renal betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase activity in pigs as affected by dietary intakes of sulfur amino acids, choline, and betaine.

In Exp. 1, young pigs were fed a basal diet containing . 17% methionine (Met) (.14% digestible Met), and . 48% cystine (.38% digestible cystine) for 14 d (34 to 48 d of age). Treatment additions were . 25% DL-Met, . 34% betaine, . 30% choline, or . 25% DL-Met and . 34% betaine. Methionine, but not betaine or choline supplementation, increased (P < .05) weight gain and feed efficiency. Hepatic betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) activity was increased (P < .05) by betaine and choline supplementation but was not affected by Met deficiency. Renal BHMT activity was increased (P < .05) by Met deficiency and was further increased (P < .05) by betaine supplementation. In Exp. 2, 10-kg pigs were fed the basal diet from Exp. 1 supplemented with enough DL-Met to bring the total basal Met to . 24% (.20% digestible Met). Treatment additions consisted of . 20% DL-Met or . 34% betaine, and diets were fed for 16 d (34 to 50 d of age). Feed efficiency increased (P < .05) in response to Met, but not to betaine, supplementation. Hepatic BHMT activity increased (P < .05) in response to betaine and Met, but no changes in renal BHMT activity occurred. Although statistically significant changes in hepatic and renal BHMT activity occurred in both experiments, the magnitude of the responses was probably not physiologically important. Therefore, in contrast to previous findings with rats and chicks, it does not seem that hepatic and renal BHMT activity in pigs is influenced substantially by Met deficiency, or by surfeit levels of choline or betaine.
Using simulations to investigate the longitudinal stability of alternative schemes for classifying and identifying children with reading disabilities

ABSTRACT The present study employed data simulation techniques to investigate the 1-year stability of alternative classification schemes for identifying children with reading disabilities. Classification schemes investigated include low performance, unexpected low performance, dual-discrepancy, and a rudimentary form of constellation model of reading disabilities that included multiple criteria. Data from a previously published study were used to construct a growth model of reading development. The parameters estimated from this model were then used to construct three simulated data sets wherein the growth parameters were manipulated in one of three ways: a stable-growth pattern, a mastery learning pattern, and a fan-spread pattern. Results indicated that overall the constellation model provided the most stable classifications across all conditions of the simulation, and that classification schemes were most stable in the fan-spread condition and were the least stable under the mastery learning growth pattern. These results also demonstrate the utility of data simulations in reading research.
In vitro steroidogenesis by granulosa cells from equine pre-ovulatory follicles.

Twenty-three follicles were collected from 14 mares on specific days and grouped to represent follicles from early (Group 1; n = 6), mid (Group 2; n = 11) and late (Group 3; n = 6) oestrus, as described previously (Tucker et al., 1988). Isolated granulosa cells (GC) from each follicle were cultured in multiwell plates containing either Eagle's Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) alone, eLH (300 ng/ml), eFSH (300 ng/ml) or eLH + eFSH (300 ng/ml each), in the presence or absence of 0.5 microM testosterone. Media were collected and replaced at 24 h of culture, and 24 h later, media were again collected and cultures terminated. Media were assayed for oestradiol-17 beta (E2), progesterone (P4), androstenedione (A) and testosterone (T) by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Media containing exogenous T were assayed for E2 and P4. There was no effect of exogenous gonadotrophins on steroid secretion by GC from any group, so these values were pooled and averaged. Steroid concentrations were expressed as ng/ml/1000 live cells seeded (mean +/- s.e.m.). Progesterone was the predominant steroid secreted by GC from all groups without added T after 24 h of culture, and was highest in media from Group 3 (7.86 +/- 1.19 ng/ml) 1000 cells; vs Group 1 (0.02 +/- 0.004 ng/ml/1000 cells) and Group 2 (0.15 +/- 0.03 ng/ml/1000 cells; P less than 0.001). Androstenedione was the predominant androgen secreted, but its levels did not change from group to group. Oestradiol and T levels were comparable in media from Group 1 cultures (E2: 0.003 +/- 0.0004 ng/ml/1000 cells; T: 0.003 +/- 0.0009 ng/ml/1000 cells), but E2 was highest in Group 2 media (0.17 +/- 0.11 ng/ml/1000 cells; P less than 0.001) and T levels were greatest in Group 3 (0.02 +/- 0.003 ng/ml/1000 cells; P less than 0.005). In the presence of exogenous T, E2 increased in media from all groups (P less than 0.0001). Oestradiol levels from Group 1 (0.52 +/- 0.12 ng/ml/1000 cells) and Group 3 (0.57 +/- 0.09 ng/ml/1000 cells) cultures were not different, but were highest in media from Group 2 (2.15 +/- 0.29 ng/ml/1000 cells; P less than 0.01). By 48 h, P4 secretion was higher in all groups (P less than 0.0001) and was the predominant steroid secreted by Group 3 GC. Progesterone levels were not affected by the addition of T. Androstenedione increased in Group 3 media (P less than 0.001), whereas E2 and T remained unchanged. These results suggest that the pattern of equine GC steroid secretion changes as follicular maturation proceeds. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Laminin, laminin-entactin and extracellular matrix are equally appropriate adhesive substrates for isolated adult rat cardiomyocyte culture and experimentation

ABSTRACT Although techniques for isolating and culturing adult cardiomyocytes were developed four decades ago, it still remains a challenge to isolate high yields of healthy viable cardiomyocytes, to maintain them in culture, and to use them successfully in experiments. This is due to the difficulty in deciding which adhesive substrate and buffer composition to use. Therefore this study aimed to (1) identify a robust experimental buffer to sustain survival of cultured adult rat cardiomyocytes (ARCMs) during control normoxic conditions, and (2) to identify an adhesive substrate that provides optimal cell adherence, not only during normoxia, but especially during simulated ischemia-reperfusion (SIR) experiments. Adhesion and viability of ARCMs were evaluated on laminin, laminin-entactin (LE), and extracellular matrix (ECM) at concentrations between 25–200 ug/ml, in three different normoxic experimental buffers and under SIR conditions. Differences in normoxic buffer composition had no effect on the adherence of ARCMs, but had a significant effect on mitochondrial function and thus cell viability. HEPES buffered PBS supplemented with 10 mM glucose was not sufficient to sustain cell viability unless 2 mM pyruvate was added, yet a cocktail of PBS and M199 provided an even greater viability. Finally, laminin, LE, and ECM retained similar numbers of ARCMs per concentration, but only provided efficient adhesion at concentrations ≥ 100 ug/ml.
Comparison of fixation protocols for adherent cultured cells applied to a GFP fusion protein of the epidermal growth factor receptor.

BACKGROUND The analysis of the subcellular distribution of proteins is essential for the understanding of processes such as signal transduction. In most cases, the parallel analysis of multiple components requires fixation and immunofluorescence labeling. Therefore, one has to ascertain that the fixation procedure preserves the in vivo protein distribution. Fusion proteins with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) are ideal tools for this purpose. However, one must consider specific aspects of the fluorophore formation or degradation, i.e. reactions that may interfere with the detection of GFP fusion proteins. METHODS Fusion proteins of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) with GFP as well as free, soluble GFP stably or transiently expressed in adherent cultured cells served as test cases for comparing the distribution in vivo with that after fixation by conventional epifluorescence and laser scanning microscopy. Indirect immunofluorescence was employed to compare the distributions of the GFP signal and of the GFP polypeptide in the fusion protein. RESULTS Paraformaldehyde (PFA) fixation with subsequent mounting in the antifading agent Mowiol, but not in Tris- or HEPES buffered saline, led to a partial redistribution of the EGFR from the plasma membrane to the perinuclear region. The redistribution was confirmed with the GFP and EGFR immunofluorescence. The in vivo distribution in Mowiol mounted cells was preserved if cells were treated with a combined PFA/methanol fixation procedure, which also retained the fluorescence of soluble GFP. The anti-GFP antiserum was negative for the N-terminal fusion protein. CONCLUSIONS The combined PFA/methanol protocol is universally applicable for the fixation of transmembrane and soluble cytoplasmic proteins and preserves the fluorescence of GFP.
Active chloride transport in the in vitro opercular skin of a teleost (Fundulus heteroclitus), a gill‐like epithelium rich in chloride cells

1. The opercular epithelium lining the inside of the gill chamber of the killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, contains Cl− cells, identical in fine structure to gill Cl− cells, at the high density of 4 × 105 cells/cm2. This epithelium can be isolated, mounted in a Lucite chamber, and its ion transport properties studied with the short‐circuit current technique.
Perceptions of Urban Forestry Employers

Perceptions of Urban Forestry Employers Andrew Benjamin Urban forestry is still a relatively new area of science and is still trying to establish itself as a legitimate scientific field and profession. Often urban forestry and arboriculture are conflated, and urban forestry has yet to achieve much of what arboriculture has in terms of recognition its and establishment. Landscape architects, traditional foresters, environmental scientists, horticulturalists all may find themselves in positions that can be classified in the urban forestry profession, which shows this lack of a standard definition for what is an urban forester. While there are many significant, potential benefits to a properly managed urban forest resource and employers recognize the value of the specialized education of urban foresters this lack of identity could lead to a lack of recognition in the eyes of the public and these overlapping professionals in the urban arena. The first step for arguing for this value is tackling the identity problem. It is important to know what employers are expecting of applicants and what applicants are delivering to employers. This is a question that has been asked many times in the past in many other professions: some as closely related to urban forestry as traditional forestry, arboriculture, or botany; though not much research has been done to answer this question specifically for urban forestry employers. It is in this way that a definition for what exactly an urban forester is can be found and the profession can ensure that entry-level urban foresters have the skills needed to perform their jobs effectively. The list of necessary skills is constantly changing and while the technical urban forestry and arboriculture skills remain relevant there has been a change that shows employers are now valuing not only communication skills, but team-based problem solving and leadership skills as well. Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Dahle, and my committee members for their contributions to my project. I would like to thank NUCFAC and the UF 2020 research group for their help in my research. I would like to thank Sera Zerge, Keith O’Herrin, and Valerie Grant for introducing me to the world of social research and survey work. Thank you to all my graduate student peers for their help and support. I would like to dedicate this thesis to my mother. Thank you for all that you have done for me.
Disruption and basic phenotypic analysis of 18 novel genes from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In the frame of the European Network for Functional Analysis (EUROFAN) we have deleted 18 yeast open reading frames (ORFs) from chromosomes II, X and XIV using the short flanking homology–PCR strategy. Two diploid strains were used: FY1679 and CEN.PK2. The deletion kanMX6 cassettes with long flanking homology and the cognate gene clones have also been constructed. Heterozygous diploid deletant strains have been sporulated. Tetrad analysis revealed that all the ORFs studied were non‐essential. However, four deletant strains exhibited phenotypes. The YBL025wΔ strain showed extremely slow cellular growth under all conditions tested. The YJL204cΔ strain grew slower than wild‐type at 30°C and 37°C, was cold‐sensitive, and the homozygous diploids did not sporulate. The YNL213cΔ strain did not grow on glycerol and had lost mitochondrial DNA. The deletion of YNL215w caused slower growth on all media but the defect was more pronounced on glucose‐minimal and glycerol‐rich media than on glucose‐rich medium. All deletion mutants were complemented by the corresponding plasmid borne cognate gene. The YJL204w, YNL213c and YNL215w ORFs do not bear significant homology to proteins of known function. YBL025w has recently been identified as RRN10, a gene that encodes an RNA polymerase I‐specific transcription initiator factor. The deletion of the remaining fourteen ORFs did not reveal any mutant phenotype in our basic growth tests. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Integration of a sub-crawlers' autonomous control in Quince highly mobile rescue robot

Rapid information gathering during the initial stage of investigation is an important process in case of disasters. However this task could be very risky for human rescue crews, when the infrastructure of the building has been compromised or the environment contaminated by nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons. To be able to develop robots that can go inside the site instead of humans, several area of robotics need to be addressed and integrated inside a common robotic platform. In this paper, we described the modular interoperable and extensive hardware and software architecture of Quince, a high degree of mobility crawler type rescue robot having four independent sub-crawlers. To facilitate Quince's navigability, we developed and integrated a semi-autonomous control algorithm that helps the remote operator driving Quince while the flippers are autonomously adjusting to the environment. The robot is then able to overcome obstacles and steps without a special training of the operator. We present here the software integration and the control strategy of the flippers using the embedded basic version of Quince.
The Global Burden of Disease Due to Outdoor Air Pollution

As part of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Burden of Disease Comparative Risk Assessment, the burden of disease attributable to urban ambient air pollution was estimated in terms of deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Air pollution is associated with a broad spectrum of acute and chronic health effects, the nature of which may vary with the pollutant constituents. Particulate air pollution is consistently and independently related to the most serious effects, including lung cancer and other cardiopulmonary mortality. The analyses on which this report is based estimate that ambient air pollution, in terms of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5), causes about 3% of mortality from cardiopulmonary disease, about 5% of mortality from cancer of the trachea, bronchus, and lung, and about 1% of mortality from acute respiratory infections in children under 5 yr, worldwide. This amounts to about 0.8 million (1.2%) premature deaths and 6.4 million (0.5%) years of life lost (YLL). This burden occurs predominantly in developing countries; 65% in Asia alone. These estimates consider only the impact of air pollution on mortality (i.e., years of life lost) and not morbidity (i.e., years lived with disability), due to limitations in the epidemiologic database. If air pollution multiplies both incidence and mortality to the same extent (i.e., the same relative risk), then the DALYs for cardiopulmonary disease increase by 20% worldwide.
Semiallogeneic Cancer Vaccines Formulated With Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor for Patients With Metastatic Gastrointestinal Adenocarcinomas: A Pilot Phase I Study

The authors report the results of a phase I clinical study using semiallogeneic cancer vaccines formulated with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to treat patients with metastatic adenocarcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract. A specially engineered cell line, FO1-12, was used to generate semiallogeneic hybrids by fusion with patient-derived tumor cells; the hybrids express HLA class I and II haplotypes derived from both parental cells. For treatment, the vaccine was mixed with GM-CSF, irradiated, and injected intradermally into patients at weekly or biweekly intervals. Vaccinations were associated with minimal or no toxicity and showed that semiallogeneic hybrids formulated with GM-CSF can induce a specific antitumor immune response in some patients, as measured by a delayed-type hypersensitivity response to autologous tumor cells. Because of the simplicity, feasibility, and flexibility of this immunotherapeutic approach, semiallogeneic hybrid vaccines have the potential to be used in the treatment of virtually any type of cancer.
Naphthoquinone-Dependent Generation of Superoxide Radicals by Quinone Reductase Isolated from the Plasma Membrane of Soybean[W]

Using a tetrazolium-based assay, a NAD(P)H oxidoreductase was purified from plasma membranes prepared from soybean (Glycine max) hypocotyls. The enzyme, a tetramer of 85 kD, produces O2·− by a reaction that depended on menadione or several other 1,4-naphthoquinones, in apparent agreement with a classification as a one-electron-transferring flavoenzyme producing semiquinone radicals. However, the enzyme displayed catalytic and molecular properties of obligatory two-electron-transferring quinone reductases of the DT-diaphorase type, including insensitivity to inhibition by diphenyleneiodonium. This apparent discrepancy was clarified by investigating the pH-dependent reactivity of menadionehydroquinone toward O2 and identifying the protein by mass spectrometry and immunological techniques. The enzyme turned out to be a classical NAD(P)H:quinone-acceptor oxidoreductase (EC 1.6.5.2, formerly 1.6.99.2) that reduces menadione to menadionehydroquinone and subsequently undergoes autoxidation at pH ≥ 6.5. Autoxidation involves the production of the semiquinone as an intermediate, creating the conditions for one-electron reduction of O2. The possible function of this enzyme in the generation of O2·− and H2O2 at the plasma membrane of plants in vivo is discussed.
Quasiconvex Plane Sweep for Triangulation with Outliers

Triangulation is a fundamental task in 3D computer vision. Unsurprisingly, it is a well-investigated problem with many mature algorithms. However, algorithms for robust triangulation, which are necessary to produce correct results in the presence of egregiously incorrect measurements (i.e., outliers), have received much less attention. The default approach to deal with outliers in triangulation is by random sampling. The randomized heuristic is not only suboptimal, it could, in fact, be computationally inefficient on large-scale datasets. In this paper, we propose a novel locally optimal algorithm for robust triangulation. A key feature of our method is to efficiently derive the local update step by plane sweeping a set of quasiconvex functions. Underpinning our method is a new theory behind quasiconvex plane sweep, which has not been examined previously in computational geometry. Relative to the random sampling heuristic, our algorithm not only guarantees deterministic convergence to a local minimum, it typically achieves higher quality solutions in similar runtimes.
Evaluation of Descriptors and Mini-Fingerprints for the Identification of Molecules with Similar Activity

Combinations of 65 preferred 1D/2D molecular descriptors and 143 single structural keys were evaluated for their performance in compound classification focused on biological activity. The analysis was based on principal component analysis of descriptor combinations and facilitated by use of a genetic algorithm and different scoring functions. In these calculations, several descriptor combinations with greater than 95% prediction accuracy were identified. A set of 40 preferred structural keys was incorporated into a small binary fingerprint designed to search databases for compounds with biological activity similar to query molecules. The performance of mini-fingerprints was tested by systematic similarity search calculations in a database consisting of compounds belonging to seven biological activity classes, which had not been used to select effective descriptors. In these blind test calculations, mini-fingerprints correctly identified approximately 54% of compounds sharing similar biological activity and with 1% false positives. Thus, although the design of mini-fingerprints is conceptually simple, they perform well in activity-oriented similarity searching.
PD-1/PD-L1共刺激分子在慢性淋巴细胞白血病患者中的表达及临床意义

目的 观察程序性死亡受体1/及其配体（PD-1/PD-L1）共刺激分子在慢性淋巴细胞白血病（CLL）患者中的表达水平，并探讨其可能的临床意义。 方法 以57例CLL患者为研究对象，以20名健康体检者为对照，采用流式细胞术分别检测其外周血CD8+、CD4+T细胞和CD19+B细胞中PD-1的表达水平，以及树突细胞（DC）中PD-L1的表达水平；同时分析PD-1/PD-L1表达与疾病分期、CD38表达、ZAP-70表达、染色体核型异常、β2微球蛋白（β2-MG）表达水平的相关性。 结果 ①CLL患者组中男39例，女18例，平均年龄（63.7±10.7）岁。 与对照组比较，年龄、性别差异无统计学意义（P值均>0.05）；CLL患者组外周血中PD-1、PD-L1的表达均高于对照组（P值均<0.05）。 ②在Rai分期低、中、高危组中，随着危险度的增高PD-1、PD-L1的表达水平亦增高（P值均<0.05）。 ③PD-1表达在CD8+CD38+组（11例）高于CD8+CD38−组（46例）（P=0.004），在CD8+预后不良染色体组（14例）高于CD8+预后良好染色体组（28例）（P=0.004）。 ④PD-L1表达在CD38+组（11例）高于CD38−组（46例）（P=0.002），在ZAP-70+组（11例）高于ZAP-70−组（28例）（P<0.001），在预后不良染色体组（14例）高于预后良好染色体组（28例）（P=0.023）。 PD-1、PD-L1表达与β2-MG表达无相关性（P值均>0.05）。 结论 PD-1、PD-L1在CLL患者体内存在高表达，其表达水平与疾病分期、CD38表达、ZAP-70表达、染色体核型等预后指标存在一定的相关性，与β2-MG表达无相关性，提示其有可能作为评估CLL患者预后的指标。
A comparative study of the post-antifungal effect (PAFE) of amphotericin B, triazoles and echinocandins on Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans.

OBJECTIVES To study the post-antifungal effect (PAFE) of antifungal drugs on Aspergillus fumigatus by a radiometric assay and compare the results with those obtained for Candida albicans. METHODS A. fumigatus cultures pregrown for 48 h in 96-well microtitre plate were exposed to various concentrations of the antifungal drug for 2 h. The drug-treated mycelia were washed, incubated in RPMI 1640 containing (14)C-labelled amino acids and the accumulation of radioactivity in the mycelia at different time intervals was determined. The PAFE was determined by plotting the amount of radioactivity associated with the mycelia against post-treatment incubation time. The PAFE of antifungal drug on C. albicans was examined by determining the multiplication (cfu/mL) of drug-pretreated cells at different time intervals for 24 h in drug-free medium. RESULTS Amphotericin B produced a prolonged PAFE (7.5 +/- 0.70 h) against A. fumigatus whereas itraconazole (0.5 +/- 0.0 h), voriconazole (0.5 +/- 0.0 h), posaconazole (0.75 +/- 0.35 h), ravuconazole (0.38 +/- 0.17 h) and the echinocandins caspofungin (< or =0.5 h) and micafungin (< or =0.5 h) produced short PAFE. Short exposure (1 h) of C. albicans to low concentrations (0.125-1 mg/L) of amphotericin B (5.3 +/- 1.15 h), caspofungin (5.6 +/- 0.57 h) and micafungin (5 +/- 1.0 h) produced prolonged PAFE whereas the triazoles produced a short (< or =0.5 h) PAFE. CONCLUSIONS Determination of (14)C-labelled amino acid accumulation in antifungal drug-pretreated mycelia is a suitable method for studying PAFE in A. fumigatus. Antifungal drugs with fungicidal activity tend to possess longer PAFE compared to fungistatic drugs.