Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tudor domain‐containing proteins of Drosophila melanogaster

Tudor domain‐containing proteins (Tudor proteins), which recognize and bind to methyl‐arginine/lysine residues, play important roles in diverse epigenetics, gene expression and the regulation of various small RNAs. Using the complete set of 23 Tudor proteins from Drosophila, together with the available functional information, we propose a putative link for different types of Tudor domains (histone‐binding, SMN and SND1) and the four functional groups of Tudor proteins (Group 1, binding the methyl‐lysine/arginine of histone tails; Group 2, binding the methyl‐RG/RA box of ligand; Group 3, binding the methyl‐RG/RA box of microRNPs; and Group 4, binding the methyl‐RG/RA box of PIWI proteins). Tudor domain types are distinguished by the nature of the sequence flanking the canonical Tudor domains. Sequence analysis indicates that Tudor domains experienced stepwise transit from one type to another during evolution. Tudor proteins of Group 4, collectively representing the great majority of Tudor proteins in Drosophila, are characterized by multiple Tudor domain repeats, which might be required for associating with several molecules of the same germ granule components. Tudor domain, a segment of approximately 60 amino acid residues, has been found in fungi, protozoa, unicellular eukaryota, plants and metazoa but not in the Guillardia theta nucleomorph. Similar frequencies of Tudor‐containing genes (Tudor genes) among vertebrates and the frequent occurrence of orthologues among vertebrates, along with similar observations within arthropods suggest that Tudor genes are inherited largely vertically during evolution within different phylogenetic lineages.
Smart Integration

Electric utilities in the United States and globally are heavily investing to upgrade their antiquated delivery, pricing, and service networks including investments in the following areas: -- smart grid, which generally includes improvements upward of the meters all the way to the transmission network and beyond -- smart metering, sometimes called advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), which usually includes control and monitoring of devices and appliances inside customer premises -- smart pricing including real-time pricing (RTP) or, more broadly, time-variable pricing, sometimes including differentiated pricing -- smart devices and in-home energy management systems such as programmable controllable thermostats (PCTs) capable of making intelligent decisions based on smart prices -- peak load curtailment, demand-side management (DSM), and demand response (DR) -- distributed generation, which allows customers to be net buyers or sellers of electricity at different times and with different tariffs, for example, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which can be charged under differentiated prices during off-peak hours. The main drivers of change include: -- insufficient central generation capacity planned to meet the growing demand coupled with the increasing costs of traditional supply-side options -- rising price of primary fuels including oil, natural gas, and coal -- increased concerns about global climate change associated with conventional means of power generation -- demand for higher power quality in the digital age.
The capital asset pricing theory and its misconceptions

The CAPM is the fundamental model for pricing financial securities. Nevertheless, the way it is proved in Finance textbooks can be fairly confusing, and more complicated than necessary; with an excessive use of figures at the expense of equations. In addition, depending on the Finance textbook, the set of assumptions that are supposedly needed to prove the CAPM may actually differ. This paper tries to provide an intuitive and straightforward proof of the CAPM and it also illustrates at which instances of the proof the traditional assumptions are actually needed. The main conclusion is that a much simpler version of the CAPM would possibly be as formidable and ingenious as the traditional one and yet, with a much more intuitive proof and fewer unrealistic assumptions.
Monounsaturated fatty acids and heart health.

T he report by Mattson and Grundy' that dietary monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were as effective as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in lowering the blood levels of total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol creat-ed appreciable interest in the "Mediterranean-type" diet. This interest stemmed from the relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease in the Mediterra-nean region despite a high intake of dietary fat (40% of energy). 2 Mattson and Grundy's findings have been confirmed by investigators in the Netherlands, Canada and the United States3'5 using different sources of dietary MUFA: they found olive, canola and high-oleic-acid sunflower oils to be as effective as corn and sunflower oils in lowering the blood levels of total and LDL-cholesterol.
The Analysis on Apriori Algorithm Based on Interest Measure

This paper proposes an improved algorithm to overtime the abuses that the Apriori algorithm has. The algorithm improves the readability of the strong association rules by increasing interest items and constructing the model of the interest. The experimental results show that the algorithm can effectively increase the operation speed, reduce the set of candidates, enhance the efficiency of the algorithm.
Evidence for both adenosine A1 and A2A receptors activating single vagal sensory C‐fibres in guinea pig lungs

We addressed the hypothesis that single vagal afferent C‐fibres can be stimulated via either the adenosine A1 or A2A receptor subtypes. The effect of adenosine on the nerve terminals of vagal sensory nerve subtypes was evaluated in an ex vivo perfused guinea pig lung preparation using extracellular recording techniques. Adenosine (10 μm) consistently evoked action potential discharge in lung C‐fibre terminals arising from the nodose ganglia, but failed to evoke action potential discharge in most jugular ganglion C‐fibres. Adenosine also failed to activate stretch‐sensitive nodose A‐fibres in the lungs. The selective A1 antagonist DPCPX (0.1 μm) or the selective A2A antagonist SCH 58261 (0.1 μm) partially inhibited the nodose C‐fibre activation by adenosine, and the combination of both antagonists almost completely inhibited the response. The adenosine‐induced action potential discharge in nodose C‐fibres was mimicked by either the selective A1 agonist CCPA (1 μm) or the selective A2A agonist CGS 21680 (1 μm). Single cell PCR techniques revealed that adenosine A1 and A2A receptor mRNA was expressed in individual nodose neurons retrogradely labelled from the lungs. The gramicidin‐perforated patch clamp technique on neurons retrogradely labelled from the lungs was employed to study the functional consequence of adenosine receptor agonists directly on neuronal membrane properties. Both the selective A1 agonist CCPA (1 μm) and the selective A2A agonist CGS 21680 (1 μm) depolarized the airway‐specific, capsaicin‐sensitive, nodose neurons to action potential threshold. The data support the hypothesis that adenosine selectively depolarizes vagal nodose C‐fibre terminals in the lungs to action potential threshold, by stimulation of both adenosine A1 and A2A receptor subtypes located in the neuronal membrane.
Gene expression profiling of human oocytes following in vivo or in vitro maturation.

BACKGROUND Immature human oocytes matured in vitro, particularly those from gonadotrophin stimulated ovaries, are developmentally incompetent when compared with oocytes matured in vivo. This developmental incompetence has been explained as poor oocyte cytoplasmic maturation without any determination of the likely molecular basis of this observation. METHODS Replicate whole human genome arrays were generated for immature and mature oocytes (matured in vivo and in vitro, prior to exposure to sperm) recovered from women undertaking gonadotrophin treatment for assisted reproduction. RESULTS More than 2000 genes were identified as expressed at more than 2-fold higher levels in oocytes matured in vitro than those matured in vivo (P < 0.05, range 4.98 x 10(-2) -2.22 x 10(-4)) and 162 of these are expressed at 10-fold or greater levels (P < 0.05, range 4.98 x 10(-2)-1.38 x 10(-3)). Many of these genes are involved in transcription, the cell cycle and its regulation, transport and cellular protein metabolism. CONCLUSIONS Global gene expression profiling using microarrays and bioinformatics analysis has provided a molecular basis for differences in the developmental competence of oocytes matured in vitro compared with in vivo. The over-abundance of transcripts identified in immature germinal vesicle stage oocytes recovered from gonadotrophin stimulated cycles and matured in vitro is probably due to dysregulation in either gene transcription or post-transcriptional modification of genes. Either mechanism would result in an incorrect temporal utilization of genes which may culminate in developmental incompetence of any embryos derived from these oocytes.
Occurrence of mycotoxins in wheat grains exposed to fungicides on fusarium head blight control in southern Brazil

ABSTRACT Mycotoxins occurrence in wheat grains impose risks to human and animal health. The southern Brazil has favorable weather conditions for Fusarium graminearum infections and consequently for mycotoxins accumulation on grains. The goal of this study was to evaluate the behavior of new wheat commercial genotypes to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), to control performance of new fungicide formulations and their relationship with mycotoxins concentration in grains. The manly mycotoxin occurrence on wheat grains in southern Brazil was deoxynivalenol (DON). Two cultivars showed high DON concentration above the tolerance limits (>3000 μg kg−1). Many other mycotoxins monitored presented concentrations below method detection limit. Satisfactory levels of fungicide effectiveness were achieved against F. graminearum. Some fungicides promoted a satisfactory decrease on DON accumulation in grains. The best results were obtained when prothioconazole was present. SDHI (Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors) + QoI (Quinone outside inhibitors) fungicides showed benefic effects at FHB control at field, but it did not promote satisfactory reduction on DON contamination. Fungicides can be used satisfactory for FHB control and reduce DON contamination in grains in southern Brazil. The presence of prothioconazole should be recommended. Some genotypes showed high DON concentration and it was not directly related with FHB severity at field.
Activity of the Hepatitis A Virus IRES Requires Association between the Cap-Binding Translation Initiation Factor (eIF4E) and eIF4G

ABSTRACT The question of whether translation initiation factor eIF4E and the complete eIF4G polypeptide are required for initiation dependent on the IRES (internal ribosome entry site) of hepatitis A virus (HAV) has been examined using in vitro translation in standard and eIF4G-depleted rabbit reticulocyte lysates. In agreement with previous publications, the HAV IRES is unique among all picornavirus IRESs in that it was inhibited if translation initiation factor eIF4G was cleaved by foot-and-mouth disease L-proteases. In addition, the HAV IRES was inhibited by addition of eIF4E-binding protein 1, which binds tightly to eIF4E and sequesters it, thus preventing its association with eIF4G. The HAV IRES was also inhibited by addition of m7GpppG cap analogue, irrespective of whether the RNA tested was capped or not. Thus, initiation on the HAV IRES requires that eIF4E be associated with eIF4G and that the cap-binding pocket of eIF4E be empty and unoccupied. This suggests two alternative models: (i) initiation requires a direct interaction between an internal site in the IRES and eIF4E/4G, an interaction which involves the cap-binding pocket of eIF4E in addition to any direct eIF4G-RNA interactions; or (ii) it requires eIF4G in a particular conformation which can be attained only if eIF4E is bound to it, with the cap-binding pocket of the eIF4E unoccupied.
Betulinic Acid has an Inhibitory Effect on Pancreatic Lipase and Induces Adipocyte Lipolysis

Betulinic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenic acid that exists naturally in many kinds of food and has many biological functions. The present study investigated the antiobesity properties of betulinic acid and possible mechanisms by which betulinic acid functions. To examine the antilipase function of betulinic acid, the ability of betulinic acid to inhibit pancreatic lipase activity in vitro and to prevent the elevation of plasma triacylglycerol levels was tested after oral administration of a lipid emulsion in rats. In addition, the lipolytic effects of betulinic acid were assayed in rat adipose tissues. The activity of cAMP‐dependent phosphodiesterase was also measured in vitro. Betulinic acid inhibited pancreatic lipase activity in a dose‐dependent manner at concentrations of 1.5–100 µ m (IC50 value of 21.10 µ m) and prevented the elevation of plasma triacylglycerol levels 2 h after oral administration of the lipid emulsion at a dose of 100 mg/kg. In addition, betulinic acid had a strong lipolytic effect, which was mediated by cAMP‐dependent phosphodiesterase inhibition. In conclusion, betulinic acid may exert antiobesity effects by directly inhibiting pancreatic lipase, which would prevent the absorption of lipid from the small intestine. In addition, it was found that betulinic acid may further accelerate fat mobilization by enhancing the levels of lipolysis in adipose tissues. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Oxidative status of human milk and its variations during cold storage

Breastfeeding and human milk are widely accepted as optimal for human infants' nutrition. Nowadays lifestyle often makes it difficult to maintain or even initiate human lactation. This situation is mostly related to the workload of women away from home. New approaches are needed to enable maternal lactation under these circumstances. Human breastmilk storage for differed use is one possibility. The aim of this study was to assess changes in glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and in the concentration of the lipid peroxidation marker, malondialdehyde (MDA), when human milk was kept refrigerated or frozen. Thirty‐two human milk samples were assayed for GPx activity and MDA concentration. Samples were divided in three aliquot portions, the first to be immediately analysed, the second to be refrigerated at 4°C and analysed 24 h thereafter, and the third to be frozen at ‐20°C and assayed after 10 days. GPx activity was significantly decreased in refrigerated and in frozen milk, when compared to their control samples. MDA was increased only in refrigerated milk but not in frozen samples. Thus, freezing seems better than refrigeration in order to prevent lipid peroxidation in stored human milk samples.
Dynamical modeling of power converters with Power Semiconductor Filter

“Power Semiconductor Filter (PSF)” has been proposed to replace passive input filter with a semiconductor device. The methodology is based on using a series-pass device (SPD) to control the input current profile of the converter. The operating point of the SPD is regulated at the boundary between the active and the saturation regions by controlling the input impedance of the converter, so that the power dissipation of the SPD is minimized and the overall efficiency is comparable with the conventional passive filter. There is a significant reduction of the physical size. This paper will present the dynamical model of the converter with PSF. The system characteristics will be demonstrated on a 75W, 90V-140V / 24V classical CCM DC-DC buck converter. Experimental results show that the model is valid up to one-fifth of the switching frequency. Moreover, modeling, design, and analysis of the entire system will be presented.
A New Filter Approach to Extract Relevant Features from Mass Spectrum Datasets

We propose an approach to extract relevant features from SELDI-TOF mass spectrum datasets. The proposed method can deal with both two-class and multiple-class problems. In the method, the relevance value of a feature representing how well the value of a feature helps to separate a sample from a given class was defined based on the difference between the numbers of samples in the given class with greater and less feature value than the sample. Using the relevance value as a basic factor, several ranked feature lists were established. Searching strategies to obtain optimal feature sets were also proposed by utilizing the relevance indices of features without using learning algorithms. The new method was applied to the three public mass spectrum datasets and showed better or comparable results than conventional filter methods
Antimicrobial activity of oregano oil on iceberg lettuce with different attachment conditions.

UNLABELLED In this study, the antimicrobial activity of oregano oil was investigated under different attachment conditions of Salmonella spp. to iceberg lettuce. Inoculated lettuce was either not dried or dried for 30 min, 60 min, or 120 min, under either static air or moving air. Washing iceberg lettuce with 500 ppm oregano oil for 1, 5, and 10 min reduced the population of Salmonella spp. by (respectively) 1.3, 1.65, and 2.28 log cfu/g following the most challenging inoculation conditions, an inoculum drying period of 2 h under moving air. Across all inoculation conditions, increasing the treatment time significantly increased the reductions in the populations of Salmonella spp. (P < 0.05). Browning and softening of the lettuce leaf surface was observed after 10 min of treatment with oregano oil. For each treatment time, attachment times and drying under static compared with moving air did not significantly affect the antimicrobial efficacy of the various oregano oil treatments (P > 0.05). The results obtained in this study suggest that oregano oil can effectively reduce populations of Salmonella attached to lettuce leaf surfaces. PRACTICAL APPLICATION The use of essential oils as an antimicrobial treatment can help to ensure the safety of leafy green products. As used in this study, oregano oil effectively reduced Salmonella spp. , even after the pathogen had dried onto the lettuce leaves. Treatments that incorporate oregano oil therefore hold promise as a biocide treatment for process and packaged lettuce.
Abnormal Na+K+ cotransport function in a group of patients with essential hypertension

Abstract. In 50 normotensive controls, the increase in erythrocyte Na+ concentration up to 12.4 ± 2.0 mmol/l cells (mean ± SD) ensures half‐maximal stimulation of outward Na+K+ cotransport fluxes. Forty‐six out of sixty‐five patients with essential hypertension required more than 16 mmol/l cells of internal Na+ concentration to obtain a similar effect, strongly suggesting an abnormal cotransport function.
Impact of Commodity Index Investments on Agricultural Commodity Price Increases Over 2006-2011 Period

Although prices in the agricultural commodity futures markets have risen significantly in recent years, the results of this study support those of many previous studies that concluded that investments of commodity index traders and speculators in the futures markets are not the major causes of the price increases. While the analyses in this study do not directly test for price impacts, the results of the ratio analyses, “T” indexes, and Granger Causality tests show that there is no “excess speculation” in the commodities futures markets. However, the ratio and speculative index results revealed a small level of abnormality only in CBOT wheat and CME feeder cattle markets. The Granger Causality tests revealed that index investments do not Granger cause futures prices in 9 out of the 12 commodities. Index investments Granger caused futures prices only in CBOT corn and CME feeder cattle markets. These results debunk the assertion that speculators are to be blamed for the recent increases in commodity prices and that their activities in the futures markets must be curbed. Indeed, the results of this study indicate the possibility that speculators and commodity index traders potentially play appropriate roles in the futures markets by providing liquidity needed for the smooth functioning of the markets. The results of the study imply that commodity index traders in agricultural commodities do not change futures markets primarily from hedging to “excessive” speculative markets. As a result, the potential causes of the recent price spikes in agricultural commodities may potentially be the results of market fundamentals. Consequently, recent proposed government policies and programs aimed at curbing speculation in the commodities and futures market may potentially be counterproductive in terms of needed liquidity in the markets to ensure stable price levels and market stability.
Alteration in [11C]vorozole binding to aromatase in neuronal cells of rat brain induced by anabolic androgenic steroids and flutamide

In a previous study, we demonstrated that androgenic–anabolic steroids increased aromatase expression in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis and preoptic area in rat brain, as evaluated using autoradiography with [11C]vorozole, a potential positron emission tomography tracer for aromatase. In this study, we explored whether the increase in aromatase binding is mediated via androgen receptors and whether this increase occurs in neurons or glial cells. Rats were given nandrolone decanoate (15 mg/kg body weight once every 3 days) and flutamide (20 mg/kg/day) alone or in combination for 20 days. Results indicated a significant increase of [11C]vorozole binding by nandrolone decanoate in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and preoptic area, as in our previous study. Flutamide treatment, on the other hand, decreased [11C]vorozole binding in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, preoptic area, and medial amygdala. Immunohistochemical examination demonstrated that upregulation of aromatase expression occurred in neurons. Our findings suggest that aromatase is regulated through an androgen receptor-mediated system. This aromatase-specific tracer and the positron emission tomography technique could be useful for exploring the role of aromatase in anabolic androgenic steroids abusers.
On the capacity of Rician fading channels with full channel state information at low SNR

The capacity of flat Rayleigh fading channels with full channel state information (CSI) at the transmitter and at the receiver at asymptotically low SNR has been recently shown to scale essentially as SNR log (1/SNR). In this paper, we investigate the Rician fading channel capacity with full CSI, and show that the capacity of this channel scales essentially as 1/1+K SNR log (1 /SNR), where K is the Rician factor. This characterization includes perfect CSI at both the transmitter and the receiver or noisy CSI at the transmitter and perfect CSI at the receiver. We also show that one-bit CSI at the transmitter is enough to achieve this asymptotic capacity using an On-Off power control scheme. Our framework may be seen as a generalization of previous works as it captures the Rayleigh fading channel as a special case by letting K goes to zero.